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´óÏó´«Ã½ Radio 2 marks the 80th birthday of the multi-award-winning lyricist and much-loved Radio 2 presenter Don Black, with a special show at the ´óÏó´«Ã½ Radio Theatre.

Michael Ball Presents An Evening With Don Black sees Don take to the stage in conversation with Michael, sharing his thoughts on his life and career. With personal anecdotes and recollections from Don’s remarkable time in show-business, he chooses the songs he’s written that mean so much so him. Plus some surprise guests drop in along the way to help celebrate Don’s incredible work including Lee Mead, David Arnold and Marti Webb.

In a career that’s spanned over 50 years, Don’s won an Oscar, two Tony Awards, six Ivor Novellos and a Golden Globe. He’s written over 100 songs for film including The Italian Job, The Pink Panther Strikes Again, Dances With Wolves and a quintet of James Bond theme songs – Thunderball, Diamonds Are Forever, The Man With The Golden Gun, Surrender (from Tomorrow Never Dies) and The World is Not Enough.

Don’s worked with some of the world’s leading composers: Jule Styne, Henry Mancini, John Barry and Charles Aznavour. And of course he’s collaborated with Andrew Lloyd Webber on the musicals Song and Dance, Aspects of Love and Sunset Boulevard.

In fact, it was Aznavour who gave Don Black his mantra for life: ‘A man will never grow old if he knows what he’s doing tomorrow and enjoys it.’