Loose Ends

Comic, Strictly winner and Live Comedy Day ambassador Chris McCausland joins Kiri Pritchard-McLean for a chat about siblings. Chris remembers pitched battles aged 11 with his then four year old sister over TV rights.
Comedy cabaret duo Flo and Joan are sisters Rosie and Nicola Dempsey who do perform songs about slipping each other poison in their tea. But we think that's a joke.
The Orielles too are a trio made up of the Hand-Halford sisters who bumped into guitarist Henry at a party aged 9 and are are now on their 4th record.
The best selling thriller writer Dorothy Koomson admits to writing anybody who crosses her into her books, complete with sticky ending.
And the space historian and broadcaster Dallas Campbell explains why the astronomer Galileo may have shopped in a 16th century middle aisle.
Presenter: Kiri Pritchard-McLean
Producer: Olive Clancy

Clive Anderson is joined by The O.C star Mischa Barton who is in a new production of Double Indemity. And it's a double dose of murder and intrigue as we're also joined by best-selling crime writer Ava Glass with her new book 'The Hiding Season'. And from death to life, since we're very grateful comedian Emmanuel Sonibu survived his near fatal heart attack and is here to tell the tale in his stand up show 'Life After Near Death'. Squeeze are back with their first album of new material in 8 years, 'Trixies', as well as Samantha Crain who brings us even more intrigue with her new album 'Gumshoe'.
Presenter: Clive Anderson
Producer: Jessica Treen

Stuart Maconie talks to the Riot Women and In The Thick Of It actress Joanna Scanlan on her lastest project, Mercy - a dark comic thriller.
Faye Tozer is perhaps best known as part of the crowd pleasing, hearts and flowers pop band Steps, but now she's joining the cast of Mean Girls the musical - what does she make of the world of queen bees and "plastics".
Fascinating Aïda's Adèle Anderson on staying fierce and fabulous while on tour with Priscilla Queen of The Desert the musical without her caberet co-stars.
Plus music from smokey-voiced, Americana-inspired English singer song-writer Elles Bailey and BBC Introducing NorthEast indie pop singer ERNIE.
Presenter: Stuart Maconie
Producer: Olive Clancy

Joining Stuart for this week's Loose Ends are...
Comedian and actress Lucy Beaumont on the play that, 40 years ago, inspired her mum to become a writer. It also features a chip-eating Alsatian.
Chef and broadcaster Gizzi Erskine with tales of members of The Damned being left with Courtney Love's baby.
Comedian Alasdair Beckett-King on the good old days of landline phones and pop tarts.
Jonny Balchandani, known to his huge social media following as the Bearded Plantaholic, tells us how he covertly turned his wife's office into a living, breathing jungle.
And there's music from Jesca Hoop and Lail Arad as they perform Morning Morgantown and Big Yellow Taxi from their show The Songs of Joni Mitchell.
Presenter: Stuart Maconie
Producer: Elizabeth Foster

Stuart talks to the award winning writer and composer of Calendar Girls and Kinky Boots - Tim Firth - about his latest stage creation, The Ladies Football Club. Can the man who got his break with a play about two yucca plants strike fresh gold with this tale of the women who began to play football whist working in Sheffield's munitions factories during World War I and end up playing to many thousands in a South Yorkshire women's league.
Taskmaster and Mr Bigstuff star Fatiha El-Ghorri says she's ironing her swaggest hijab to head out on her debut stand up tour - Cockney Stacking Doll. She'll also have the story of her journey out from divorce and back on the dating scene in her new Radio 4 comedy - A Match Made Inshallah.
Tom Hodgkinson's the editor of The Idler and author of books such as How to be Idle, The Idle Parent and - here's the outlier - The Ukelele Handbook. So perhaps busier than he makes out? His new book is a fresh look at one of the world's oldest philosophies - How to Live Like A Stoic. Stoicism is having a moment in the manosphere but he explains how "bro-ism" has got stoicism all wrong.
With music from the cast of the smash hit musical Operation Mincemeat and from BBC Introducing "one to watch" , Lois.
Presenter: Stuart Maconie
Producer: Olive Clancy
Assistant Producer: Samuel Nixon
Technical Producers: John Coles, Amy Brennan, Phillip Halliwell
Production Co-ordinator: Pete Liggins.