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500 Words - with Frank Cottrell-Boyce

Chris Evans is joined by judge Frank Cottrell-Boyce for a sneak peak at plans for the 500 Words Story Laboratory, and Alphabot's back with a poem.

Fabulous 500 Words judge, Frank Cottrell-Boyce, joins Chris to talk all things STORY LABORATORY.

If you're after nifty tips and tricks to get budding story-tellers in your class writing, make our Story Laboratory an appointment in your school day!

Chris Evans brings you the ultimate story-writing guide, with help from our amazing judges Frank Cottrell-Boyce, Malorie Blackman and Francesca Simon. Plus, we'll be joined by a VVVVV.I.P guest...

Watch out for the video on Thursday morning when it hits bbc.co.uk/words at 8.15am!

In the meantime, Alphabot's back, bigger and better with wonderful words to bust that writer's-block.

2 hours, 59 minutes

Last on

Wed 21 Jan 2015 06:30
成人论坛 Radio 2

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500 Words - with Francesca Simon

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500 Words - with Malorie Blackman and Hugh Bonneville

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Music Played

  • Fleetwood Mac

    Don't Stop

    • 50 Years - Don't Stop.
    • Warner Bros.
    • 009.

  • Simple Minds

    Let The Day Begin

    • (CD Single).
    • Caroline.
    • 001.

  • Harry Nilsson

    Everybody's Talkin'

    • Million Sellers Vol.10 - The Sixties.
    • Disky.

  • James Blunt

    1973

    • (CD Single).
    • Atlantic.

  • Smokey Robinson & The Miracles

    Shop Around聽

    • Tamla Motown Gold (Various).
    • Motown.

  • Amy Grant

    Big Yellow Taxi

    • Woman (Various Artists).
    • Polygram Tv/Sony Tv.

  • Status Quo

    Paper Plane

    • Whatever You Want - V.Best Of Status.
    • Polygram Tv.

  • The Waterboys

    November Tale

    • Modern Blues.
    • Harlequin And Clown.
    • 001.

  • The Jimi Hendrix Experience

    All Along The Watchtower

    • The Jimi Hendrix Collection.
    • Universal.

  • Olly Murs

    Wrapped Up (feat. Travie McCoy)

    • (CD Single).
    • Epic.
    • 1.

  • Roy Orbison

    Only the Lonely (Know the Way I Feel)

    • The Best Of Roy Orbison.
    • Columbia.
    • 2.

  • Queen

    Love Kills

    • (CD Single).
    • Virgin EMI Records.

  • Katrina and the Waves

    Walking On Sunshine

    • The Best Summer Ever (Various Artist.
    • Virgin.

  • Ed Sheeran

    Sing

    • (CD Single).
    • Asylum Records.
    • 001.

  • Badfinger

    Come & Get It

    • Magic Christian Music By Badfinger.
    • Apple.

  • Pilot

    Magic

    • 25 Years Of Rock'n'Roll Vol.2 (1974).
    • Connoisseur Collection.

  • Echosmith

    Cool Kids

    • (CD Single).
    • Warner Bros.
    • 001.

  • Prefab Sprout

    The King of Rock 'N' Roll

    • Hits Album 8, Part 2 (Various Artist.
    • Hits Album.

  • The Blow Monkeys

    It Doesn't Have To Be This Way

    • The Blow Monkeys - Choices.
    • RCA.

  • Wham!

    Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go

    • Fantastic 80's Disc 1 (Various Artis.
    • Columbia.

  • Mark Ronson

    Uptown Funk (feat. Bruno Mars)

    • (CD Single).
    • Columbia.
    • 001.

  • Texas

    Start A Family

    • 25.
    • PIAS.

  • Keane

    Everybody's Changing

    • (CD Single).
    • Transcopic Records.

  • Tears for Fears

    Change

    • Rule The World: The Greatest Hits.
    • Virgin EMI Records.

  • One Direction

    Story Of My Life

    • (CD Single).
    • Syco Music.

  • The Wurzels

    Combine Harvester (Brand New Key)

    • Super 70's (Various Artists).
    • Virgin.

  • Carl Douglas

    Kung Fu Fighting

Pause for Thought

Pause for Thought

From Reverend Sharon Grenham-Toze, Anglican Priest and Prison Chaplain:

The launch of the 500 words competition this week sent me right back to my very young days. All I wanted to do from about the age of 5 onwards was write. It was mostly rather sweet poetry at that age, which became gradually more earnest and cringe-worthy as I became a teenager. Since then I鈥檝e picked it up here and there, dabbled a bit, but work, kids, being a grow-up got in the way, and I鈥檝e had very little head space to write much for quite a long time.

It鈥檚 not just writing either 鈥� I used to play the guitar, I was once very good at drawing, and I got a karate brown belt in my early 20s. Somehow it鈥檚 all slipped away, and although I have a very full and enjoyable life now, and new pastimes have emerged, still, I鈥檝e been thinking about how we let the enthusiasms and passions of our childhood recede into the mist.

I鈥檝e just finished reading a book by Kate Gross, who sadly passed away just before Christmas. In it she describes her journey and thoughts as she approached the end of her life. She reflects on how she rediscovered the things she used to love to do at 10 years old聽 - and by reconnecting in that way she made much more sense of herself and her years, short though they were.

Psalm 39 begins, 鈥極 Lord you have searched me and know me鈥� and later says 鈥榠t was you who formed my inward parts; you knit me together in my mother鈥檚 womb鈥�. The psalmist is trying to express in religious words the amazing wonder about the course of our lives, from their very earliest days. We might say that the soul and spirit we have as a child is the foundation of what we are as an adult.

So as well as encouraging the young ones to explore and express in things like 鈥�500 words鈥�, perhaps we should also get out the pen, the paintbox, or the running shoes again. Rediscover the kid whose imagination was boundless. As the song goes at the start of Simon Mayo鈥檚 show 鈥楨njoy yourself, it鈥檚 later than you think!鈥�

Broadcast

  • Wed 21 Jan 2015 06:30
    成人论坛 Radio 2

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

成人论坛 Radio 2's story-writing competition for kids.