Best Andrew P Sykes Podcasts (2025)

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Matt Haig - The Old Man in the Forest 6:53

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7+ y ago6:53

6:53

A mysterious encounter with a stranger in a Nordic forest pulls a widower from his grief.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.By The Telegraph

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Plum Sykes - The Bucket of Blood 17:02

7+ y ago17:02

17:02

Jess couldn’t wait for a romantic Christmas break. But something about the boutique hotel didn't feel right ..See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.By The Telegraph

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Sir Andrew Motion - In the Stable 8:00

7+ y ago8:00

8:00

Christmas Day was like any other for Richard – his one task was to keep his father happy, and that was never easySee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.…

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Alexander McCall Smith - No Christmas 10:09

7+ y ago10:09

10:09

When Christmas is cancelled at her new workplace, Andrea holds on furtively to festive tradition.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.By The Telegraph

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Lionel Shriver - The Christmas Card 17:40

7+ y ago17:40

17:40

A young romance that cuts across enemy lines, a lost Christmas card, and a love story that unravels over 64 yearsSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.…

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Tom Hanks - Christmas Eve 1953 42:57

7+ y ago42:57

42:57

Midnight, every year on 24 December, Virgil Beuell received a call from his old GI buddy that set off dark reminiscences.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.…

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Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber 36:27

25+ y ago36:27

36:27

Sue Lawley's guest this week is Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber. His musicals dominate London's West End, including Cats, Phantom of the Opera and Starlight Express. He traces a career which began more than 30 years ago when he teamed up with Tim Rice to write Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. [Taken from the original programme material for thi…

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Michael Crawford 36:46

25+ y ago36:46

36:46

Sue Lawley's guest this week is Michael Crawford. Renowned for his attention to detail, he has always performed his own stunts - whether roller-skating under moving lorries in Some Mothers Do Have 'Em, or walking the tightrope in the musical Barnum. A consumate professional, he admits to escaping from his hospital bed, where he was recovering from …

1
Michael Nyman 37:37

25+ y ago37:37

37:37

Sue Lawley's guest this week is Michael Nyman. Said to be the best-selling classical composer in Britain, as a child visiting the opera or concert hall his imagination would be caught by a particularly pleasing sequence of notes. Later, he was to use these as inspiration for his own compositions. A Purcell manuscript inspired his music for the The …

1
Oz Clarke 35:36

25+ y ago35:36

35:36

Sue Lawley's guest this week is Oz Clarke. As a wine expert, he has sipped, slurped and spat his way through thousands of vintages from around the world. Renowned for his enthusiasm for trying new flavours and varieties, his earliest memory is of drinking his mother's damson wine when he was just three years old. And it didn't put him off. [Taken f…

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Sir Richard Sykes 38:37

25+ y ago38:37

38:37

Sue Lawley's guest this week is Sir Richard Sykes. The chairman of Glaxo Welcome, as a boy he was not a natural scholar, until he went to work at the pathology laboratory of his local hospital. Understanding the application of science led him to become a research scientist at Glaxo Welcome. He describes how later the Board Room lured him away from …

1
Warren Mitchell 37:03

25+ y ago37:03

37:03

Sue Lawley's guest this week is Warren Mitchell. Arthur Miller praised his portrayal of Willie Loman in Death of a Salesman. His King Lear and Shylock won critical acclaim. But he will always be remembered for Alf Garnett, the bigoted, bully from Till Death Us Do Part. He chooses eight records to take to the mythical island. [Taken from the origina…

1
Clarissa Dickson Wright 35:28

25+ y ago35:28

35:28

Sue Lawley's guest this week is Clarissa Dickson Wright. Born into a home where caviar was more common than fish paste, she has always been surrounded by fine food. Yet she came to cooking as a profession late in life, having first practised as a barrister. Finding success on television, she has recently had to come to terms with the death of her c…

1
William Gibson 34:58

25+ y ago34:58

34:58

This week the castaway on Desert Island Discs is William Gibson. Long before the existence of the Internet, he wrote about 'cyberspace', a boundless world reached only through computers. External space travel, to the Moon and Mars, had become old hat. By creating internal space, he breathed new life into science fiction. In conversation with Sue La…

1
Willard White 36:53

25+ y ago36:53

36:53

Sue Lawley's guest this week is Willard White. Teased as a child for his deep bass voice, it has made him one of the most popular opera stars today. Happy to sing Wagner or Gershwin, he's renowned for his ability to get under the skin of his roles, and audiences still remember how, as Porgy, he wept real tears at the loss of Bess. [Taken from the o…

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Ralph Fiennes 35:42

25+ y ago35:42

35:42

Sue Lawley's guest this week is Ralph Fiennes. His first Hollywood film role was as the Nazi concentration camp leader in Schindler's List, a part which, he says, had a profoundly disturbing effect on him. His latest project, playing the jaded hero Onegin, is the culmination of a long held desire to bring Pushkin's novel to the big screen. [Taken f…

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Rolf Harris 34:06

26y ago34:06

34:06

Sue Lawley's guest this week is Rolf Harris. He's the presenter of one of the most popular television programmes, Animal Hospital, but he's an artist and a musician too. He shot to the top of the charts on many occasions with musical hits as varied as Tie Me Kangaroo Down and Stairway to Heaven. Both of which featured his own unique invention, the …

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Rita Dove 36:15

26y ago36:15

36:15

Sue Lawley's guest this week is the poet Rita Dove. The first African-American to become the US Poet Laureate, Rita Dove was brought up to believe that education was the key to the Great American Dream. As a child she would lose herself in the local library, but she learned the art of story-telling from her aunts as they swapped tales about the Gre…

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Sir Roger Norrington 37:44

26y ago37:44

37:44

Sue Lawley's guest this week is the conductor Sir Roger Norrington. Known for conducting music at a cracking pace, he argues that it's the way the great composers would have played it. Music should be fun, he says, it should entertain - and never, ever, be pompous. He chooses eight records to take to the mythical island. [Taken from the original pr…

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Patricia Routledge 38:34

26y ago38:34

38:34

This week the castaway on Desert Island Discs is Patricia Routledge. Once voted the nation's favourite actress for her television roles as Hyacinth Bucket and Hetty Wainthrop, she has also been successful in the theatre, in musicals, and of course in Alan Bennett's monologues Talking Heads. In conversation with Sue Lawley, she talks about her life …

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Rick Stein 35:34

26y ago35:34

35:34

The castaway on this week's Desert Island Discs is Rick Stein. When the police closed his discotheque down because of too many fights on a Saturday night, all he had left was his restaurant licence. Living by the sea, he took the obvious option and opened a fish restaurant. Today he is Britain's best sea food chef and a passionate advocate for the …

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Rod Steiger 35:13

26y ago35:13

35:13

Sue Lawley's guest this week is Rod Steiger. He talks about The Method, Marlon Brando and the depression which dogged him for nearly a decade. And he confesses why he couldn't go to the desert island without Frank Sinatra. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Send in the Clown…

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Martin Pipe 34:41

26y ago34:41

34:41

Sue Lawley's guest this week is Martin Pipe. He has turned horse training into a science. His animals have the choice of a swimming pool, indoor canter and walking machine, while the on-site laboratory monitors their temperature, blood and weight throughout the day. Yet he retains his love for the horses themselves - a passion which has made him on…

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Paddy Moloney 35:08

26y ago35:08

35:08

Sue Lawley's guest this week is Paddy Moloney. As the founder of the Chieftains he has taken Irish folk music around the world. No purist, some of his most popular pieces are influenced by other countries folk songs, most notably China, Spain and South America. He's collaborated with popular musicians too, sharing a stage with Mick Jagger, Elvis Co…

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Igor Aleksander 37:35

26y ago37:35

37:35

Sue Lawley's guest this week is Profesor Igor Aleksander. He has been researching artificial conciousness for over 30 years. His first machine, Wisard, could recognise faces. His latest, Magnus, can think. He predicts that soon our computors will be so intelligent we won't be able to switch them off at the end of the day without feeling guilty. [Ta…

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Rt Hon Ann Widdecombe MP 38:01

26y ago38:01

38:01

Sue Lawley's guest this week is the Shadow Home Secretary Ann Widdecombe. Since the last election she has used her free time to write a novel, but has no plans to become a full time author since politics remains her passion. Some two years after she spiked Michael Howard's bid to become leader of the Conservative Party, she is herself being talked …

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James Dyson 37:19

26y ago37:19

37:19

Sue Lawley's guest this week is James Dyson. Today he's one of the richest men in Britain, but he began with an idea, a piece of cardboard and some sticky-backed plastic. Five years and more than 5,000 prototypes later, he was confident that he had invented a new type of vacuum cleaner. But that was to prove only the beginning of a long, drawn-out …

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John Barry 37:38

26y ago37:38

37:38

Sue Lawley's guest this week is the film composer John Barry. The Pope is said to adore his soundtrack to Dances with Wolves. Although he's probably best known for the theme tunes he wrote for the Bond movies; including Goldfinger and Diamonds are Forever. In all, he's won five Oscars - not bad for a Yorkshire lad who happened to hit London just as…

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Chris Bonington 37:20

26y ago37:20

37:20

Sue Lawley's guest this week is Chris Bonington. In a climbing career spanning 48 years he has stood astride British mountaineering 'like a hairy colossus', climbing and leading expeditions as well as photographing and writing about them. Along the way he has seen many friends perish on the mountains and more than once narrowly escaped death himsel…

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Anthony Howard 38:32

26y ago38:32

38:32

Sue Lawley's guest this week is the journalist Anthony Howard. He's worked on The New Statesman, The Observer and The Sunday Times, where as Obituaries Editor, he turned a previously dead-end job into a highly competitive art form. A regular television commentator, he probably inherited his gift for oratory from his father, a parson who gave stirri…

1
Christopher Bruce 37:28

26y ago37:28

37:28

Sue Lawley's guest this week is the artistic director of the Rambert Dance Company Christopher Bruce. As a child he was sent to dance lessons to strengthen his legs after polio had left them severely weakened. Ten years later he was the star of Ballet Rambert. Not content with being dubbed 'the Nureyev of contemporary dance' he went on to become on…

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Michael Green 36:45

26y ago36:45

36:45

This week the castaway on Desert Island Discs is Michael Green. As Chairman of Carlton Communications he is one of the most powerful men in British television and the driving force behind digital TV. In conversation with Sue Lawley, he talks about his life and work and chooses eight records to take to the mythical island. [Taken from the original p…

1
Richard Dreyfuss 37:07

26y ago37:07

37:07

Sue Lawley's guest this week is Richard Dreyfuss. He was already the youngest actor ever to win an Oscar when he starred in the phenomenally successful Jaws and Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Too many drugs and too much drink threatened his career until in 1982 he had a terrible car smash which brought him to his senses. Today, with a dozen mo…

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Helen Bamber 37:36

26y ago37:36

37:36

Sue Lawley's guest this week is Helen Bamber. In 1945, at the age of 20, she travelled to Belsen with the Jewish Relief agency. There she learnt how important it is to listen to those who have suffered. It was a lesson she continued to practice in her work with Amnesty International, and later with the Medical Foundation for the Victims of Torture …

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Stan Tracey 35:00

26y ago35:00

35:00

Sue Lawley's guest this week is the jazz musician Stan Tracey. He's been at the heart of the British Jazz scene since the 1960s when he was resident pianist at Ronnie Scotts. It was at that time he wrote what has been called the greatest of all British jazz albums - his Under Milk Wood suite. [Taken from the original programme material for this arc…

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Ken Loach 38:20

26y ago38:20

38:20

Sue Lawley's guest this week is the film director Ken Loach. Probably best known for his film Kes, his recent film, My Name Is Joe has just won the award for best actor at Cannes. He learnt his craft in television in the 1960s, quickly attracting attention with Up the Junction and Cathy Come Home, which prompted the setting up of the homeless chari…

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Paco Peña 36:47

26y ago36:47

36:47

This week the castaway on Desert Island Discs is the flamenco guitarist Paco Peña. Celebrated thoughout the world for his authentic performances, he was born into a poor family in Southern Spain where music, singing and dancing was part of everyday life. Today, he is regarded as one of the world's foremost traditional Flamenco players. In conversat…

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Richard Dunwoody 34:29

26y ago34:29

34:29

"Sue Lawley's guest this week is the jockey Richard Dunwoody. He's been champion jockey three times and has won the Grand National twice. Now he's hot on the heels of Peter Scudamore's record for the most wins ever. He chooses eight records to take to the mythical island. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Deser…

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Luise Rainer 37:09

26y ago37:09

37:09

Sue Lawley's guest this week is the actress Luise Rainer who recently appeared in the film The Gambler. In 1936 she won the first of two Oscars for her telephone scene in the film The Great Zeigfeld. Despite her success, she felt uncomfortable in Hollywood and made her friends among the European expatriate community, including Schoenburg, Einstein …

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Rt Hon Mo Mowlam MP 35:30

26+ y ago35:30

35:30

Sue Lawley's castaway is Northern Ireland secretary Mo Mowlam. Favourite track: Chicago by Frank SinatraBook: The collected works by Seamus HeaneyLuxury: A globeBy BBC Radio 4

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Fay Maschler 34:14

26+ y ago34:14

34:14

Sue Lawley's guest this week is the award-winning restaurant critic Fay Maschler. Twenty-seven years after she won a competition to write a column for the Evening Standard, she is still eating out three times a week, comparing caramel crackling and moue of mousse, on our behalf. She chooses eight records to take to the mythical island. [Taken from …

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Richard Curtis 35:21

26+ y ago35:21

35:21

Sue Lawley's castaway is scriptwriter & Comic Relief founder Richard Curtis. Favourite track: And I Love Her by The BeatlesBook: Guinness Book of Pop Luxury: Pizza Express in Notting HillBy BBC Radio 4

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Maria Ewing 35:45

26+ y ago35:45

35:45

This week the castaway on Desert Island Discs is the opera singer Maria Ewing. Renowned for her acting ability as much as her voice - she portrayed Carmen as witty, clever and very very dangerous. Her Sheherazade was sexy. While as Salome she brought the audience to the edge of their seats as the last of the seven veils revealed her naked beneath. …

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Nina Cassian 38:57

26+ y ago38:57

38:57

Sue Lawley's guest this week is the Romanian poet Nina Cassian. She was forbidden to return home, after a visit to New York, because of her outspoken critisism the Ceaucescu regime. The loneliness of the unwilling exile is often reflected in her work, but so is love, passion and her wicked sense of humour. [Taken from the original programme materia…

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Andras Schiff 39:25

26+ y ago39:25

39:25

Sue Lawley's guest this week is the pianist Andras Schiff. Born in Hungary, Bartok was the first composer he fell in love with and his music is still a regular part of his repertoire; despite making his fingers bleed. He compares learning a new composition to maturing wine - you can taste it almost immediately but it takes many years to become a vi…

1
Bill Bryson 37:10

26+ y ago37:10

37:10

Sue Lawley's guest this week is the American travel writer Bill Bryson. His inspiration was his father; a great traveller who never quite made it to his intended destination. His best-selling books, Notes from a Small Island and The Lost Continent, chronicle his experiences of facing up to fearsome British landladies and American motels which make …

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Ruth Prawer Jhabvala 36:01

26+ y ago36:01

36:01

Sue Lawley's guest this week is the writer Ruth Prawer Jhabvala. Born in Germany, she came to England as a refugee and moved to India as a young bride where she wrote her first film screenplay in 1961 - in eight days. Since then, she has written over 30 screenplays, all bar one in collaboration with the Merchant-Ivory partnership, including Heat an…

1
David Shepherd 36:15

26+ y ago36:15

36:15

Sue Lawley's guest this week is the wildlife artist David Shepherd. Rejected from the Slade Art School on the grounds of having 'no talent whatsoever' he was taught to paint by a man he met at a cocktail party who told him "you're going to be painting for the Inland Revenue, the Gas Board and the school fees." Famed now for his paintings of elephan…

1
Clare Hollingworth 35:42

26+ y ago35:42

35:42

Sue Lawley's guest this week is the war correspondent Clare Hollingworth. In a career spanning 60 years, her scoops have included identifying Kim Philby as 'the third man' and being the first to spot the massing of German tanks on the Polish border in 1939. She chooses eight records to take to the mythical island. [Taken from the original programme…

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Dave Brubeck 37:12

26+ y ago37:12

37:12

This week the castaway on Desert Island Discs is the jazz pianist Dave Brubeck. One of the most successful musicians of our time, it's nearly 40 years since he famously encouraged us to Take Five, and so changed the sound of jazz forever. In conversation with Sue Lawley, he talks about his life and work and chooses eight records to take to the myth…