Main content
Sorry, this episode is not currently available

Chris launches CarFest 2019

Chris has all the 2019 CarFest details and Rob Brydon, Jools Holland, Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Sharleen Spiteri and Dame Ellen MacArthur join us on the phone.

CarFest 2019 is officially launched by Chris where he reveals the line-up and the brand new five immersive worlds at the festivals. Rob Brydon, Jools Holland, Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Sharleen Spiteri and Dame Ellen MacArthur all call in to chat about the role they will be playing at the Bolesworth Estate and Laverstoke Park Farm next year. We ask for your claims to the fame of the best tickets you鈥檝e ever bagged in today's Top Tenuous. Dr Jim Harris has Thursday's Pause For Thought.

2 hours, 59 minutes

Music Played

  • Texas

    Black Eyed Boy

    • Hits Zone - The Best Of 97 (Various).
    • Polygram Tv.
  • Zara Larsson

    Ruin My Life

    • (CD Single).
    • Black Butter.
  • Go West

    King Of Wishful Thinking

    • Pretty Woman - Soundtrack.
    • EMI.
  • Lenny Kravitz

    California

    • Lenny Kravitz - Baptism.
    • Parlophone.
  • Supergrass

    Grace

    • (CD Single).
    • Parlophone.
  • Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band

    Born To Run

    • Born To Run.
    • CBS.
  • Take That

    Out Of Our Heads

    • Odyssey.
    • Polydor.
  • Craig David

    Fill Me In

    • Now That's What I Call Music! 45 (Various Artists).
    • Now.
  • The Beatles

    Here Comes The Sun

    • 1967-1970.
    • Apple.
    • 7.
  • Jamie Cullum

    Love Is In The Picture

    • (CD Single).
    • Island.
  • Kylie Minogue

    Can't Get You Out Of My Head

    • (CD Single).
    • Parlophone.
  • Sugababes

    About You Now

    • (CD Single).
    • Universal.
  • The Jacksons

    Can You Feel It

  • The Jacksons

    I Want You Back

    • The Best Michael Jackson & Jackson Five.
    • Polygram Tv.
    • 1.
  • The Jacksons

    ABC

    • The Best Michael Jackson & Jackson Fi.
    • Polygram Tv.
    • 1.
  • The Who

    My Generation

    • The Who Hits 50! (Deluxe Edition).
    • Polydor.
    • 004.
  • The Human League

    Don't You Want Me

    • Dare!.
    • Virgin.
  • Sophie Ellis鈥怋extor

    Take Me Home (Orchestral Version)

    • The Song Diaries.
  • Tom Jones

    It's Not Unusual

    • Fifty Number Ones Of The 60's (Variou.
    • Global Television.
  • Tom Jones

    She's A Lady

    • Take A Break (Various Artists).
    • Columbia.
  • Texas

    Inner Smile

    • (CD Single).
    • Mercury.
  • Faithless

    Insomnia

    • CHEEKY RECORDS.
  • All Saints

    I Know Where It's At

    • (CD Single).
    • London.
    • 6.
  • Jools Holland & Marc Almond

    Gypsy Rover

    • A Lovely Life To Live.
  • Bruce Springsteen

    Glory Days

Pause For Thought

Pause For Thought

From Dr Jim Harris, Art Historian:

My daughter Esther is not one to waste words. We were talking recently and I made a passing comment on the joys of being in the full flowering of middle age, which, at 54, despite my longing still to be young, is exactly what I am.

Esther raised an eyebrow and coughed.

'What?' I said. 鈥楽eriously, what?'

'You're not middle aged', she said.

'You're late-middle aged,' she said.

'Verging on elderly', she said.

And there it was. The colour drained from my (surprisingly youthful) face. A chill ran through me. My voice cracked.

Elderly? The very idea.

Elderly? Holy cow.

Elderly? Not even on the horizon.

That chill that ran through me, though, was not for nothing: the fear of growing old is very real.听 We fear the loss of all those things we take for granted; mobility, independence, health, the friends we grew up with.

But there's another side to growing old.

The bible is clear about how the elderly should be treated: 'You shall rise before the aged, and defer to the old', or, if you prefer the elderly 17th century version, 'Rise up before the hoary head'. We are to value the elderly. We are to listen to them and respect them.

In other words, growing old can be something to look forward to.

The thing is, though, not everyone gets the chance.

This week, we remember a whole generation of young men who were robbed of the chance to grow old, a hundred years ago.

The stark fact of their lost years is right there in Laurence Binyon's famous poem, For the Fallen:

"They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old"

And it鈥檚 good to remember them, those young men who never grew old.

But this week, I reckon it鈥檚 also good to celebrate what we have that they gave up: the privilege of growing old, the dignity of growing old - and of growing old without fear, because we have an amazing health system, because we are well-nourished and because few of us are worn out by work at 54.

But most of all, this week, it鈥檚 good simply to be grateful for the chance to grow old; because in our generation, miraculously, no one has demanded that we give up that chance in a fight against our neighbours.

Broadcast

  • Thu 8 Nov 2018 06:30

Farewell Chris Evans: The best bits from his last shows at Radio 2

After eight years of hosting the Breakfast Show, Chris Evans leaves Radio 2.

500 Words

大象传媒 Radio 2's story-writing competition for kids.