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Dawn French, Jack Black, Nick Jonas, Robbie Williams and Paloma Faith

Actress and comedian Dawn French, pop superstar Robbie Williams and Hollywood actors Jack Black and Nick Jonas. Plus live music from the fabulous Paloma Faith.

Actress and comedian Dawn French chats about her new book: Me. You. A Diary and how Richard Curtis had to convince her to play the Vicar of Dibley. Pop superstar Robbie Williams tells us about recording the last 13 years of his life for his new biography Reveal and Hollywood actors Jack Black and Nick Jonas join us to talk about starring in Jumanji: Welcome To the Jungle. Plus live music from Paloma Faith including songs from her new album The Architect and a cover of Mariah Carey's All I Want For Christmas is You starring Jack Black!

2 hours, 59 minutes

Last on

Fri 8 Dec 2017 06:30

Music Played

  • John Lennon & Yoko Ono

    (Just Like) Starting Over

    • Parlophone.
  • Paul Heaton & Jacqui Abbott

    He Wants To

    • (CD Single).
    • EMI.
  • James Taylor

    Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas

    • James Taylor At Christmas.
    • Sony Music Entertainment UK Ltd.
    • 7.
  • Clarence Clemons

    You're A Friend Of Mine (feat. Jackson Browne)

    • Rescue/Hero.
    • Collectables.
  • Modern Romance

    Best Years Of Our Lives

    • The Platinum Collection.
    • Rhino.
  • The Trammps

    Disco Inferno

    • NOW Boogie Nights - Disco Classics (Various Artists).
    • Now.
  • Pete Tong & Heritage Orchestra

    Sing It Back (feat. Becky Hill)

  • Spice Girls

    Say You'll Be There

    • (CD Single).
    • Virgin.
  • Kool & the Gang

    Get Down On It

    • Classic Kool & The Gang.
    • Mercury.
  • Nat King Cole

    Buon Natale (Means Merry Christmas To You)

    • Christmas With Nat & Dean.
    • EMI.
    • 4.
  • The Doobie Brothers

    Listen To The Music

    • The Very Best Of The Doobie Brothers.
    • Warner Bros.
  • Eminem

    Lose Yourself

    • Curtain Call: The Hits.
    • Interscope.
  • Paloma Faith

    I'll Be Gentle (feat. John Legend)

  • Pratt & McClain

    Happy Days

    • Television's Greatest Hits Volume 3 70s & 80s.
    • Silva Screen Records Ltd.
  • Sia

    Santa's Coming For Us

    • Everyday Is Christmas.
    • Atlantic.
  • Robbie Williams & Nicole Kidman

    Somethin' Stupid

    • (CD Single).
    • Chrysalis.
  • U2

    Get Out Of Your Own Way

    • Songs Of Experience.
    • Island.

Pause for Thought

Pause for Thought

From Comedian & writer Paul Kerensa

What a roomful of proper superstars, front-and-centre 鈥榣et-me-entertain-ya鈥檚. I鈥檓 a bit more behind-the-scenesy: a writer in the wings 鈥 most recently for this year鈥檚 Royal Variety Performance, with host Miranda Hart. I write her pratfalls 鈥 it鈥檚 a very demanding job.

You toil over the words, but it鈥檚 the visuals people take away: Not what you say, but what you do. Like Miranda, in her sitcom, wishing the ground could swallow her up鈥 then falling into an open grave. She followed in Dawn鈥檚 footsteps as Dibley鈥檚 vicar, trying to impress a dashing hunk by splashing into a puddle, but landing neck-deep in a hole.

Comedy loves a fall: from Only Fools like Delboy leaning on the bar, to鈥 well, the Jumanji trailer with four people falling into a jungle, two off a cliff, and one, Jonah-like, into a hippo鈥檚 mouth鈥

However extreme life gets 鈥 and it rarely gets 鈥榟ippo鈥-extreme 鈥 comedy鈥檚 great at reminding us, that those secret holes in the road surprise us 鈥 but we鈥檒l get out. In my life, I鈥檝e been in pits, that turned out to be craters 鈥 and I emerged with a better view than I thought.

While I鈥檓 sounding cheesy, let鈥檚 go full Christmas cheese. My favourite writer is Dickens, nicknamed 鈥渢hat great Christian writer鈥. Few know that he retold the gospels, writing a book called 鈥楾he Life of Our Lord鈥. It鈥檚 his masterwork 鈥楢 Christmas Carol鈥 that shone a spotlight 鈥 or a candle (Edison was busy working on the spotlights) 鈥 on family, charity and poverty. Scrooge fell into a grave too, yet found hope and generosity could pull him out.

I鈥檓 in no way like Dickens (I don鈥檛 think he wrote a single pratfall) 鈥 except that like him, I look to the life of Jesus: the holy family, a birth into poverty, and a man who lived generously, who knew, again, it鈥檚 not just what you say, but what you do.

If Scrooge can get a second chance, if soggy vicars can get out of mega-puddles, if life鈥檚 jungle is more like a game than we thought, if the world seems upside down, and if we can let love be our energy鈥 then there鈥檚 hope for all of us. Because as Tiny Tim observed: God bless us, every one.

Broadcast

  • Fri 8 Dec 2017 06:30

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