Private Passions

BBC Radio 3

4.4 (33)
MUSIC
UPDATED MONTHLY

Guests from all walks of life discuss their musical passions and talk about the influence music has had on their lives.

4D AGO

Pam Ayres

Michael Berkeley’s guest is the poet Pam Ayres, who shares the music that matters most to her, including some seasonal favourites. It’s now 50 years since Pam first won a vast national audience on the TV talent show Opportunity Knocks, with poems including her much-loved wintry verse 'Sling another chair leg on the fire, Mother!' Her musical choices include Rachmaninov, Elgar and Johnny Mathis.

55 min
NOV 23

Louise Penny

The Canadian crime fiction writer Louise Penny has sold more than 18 million books around the world – and she was a late starter: she was 45 when her first book appeared, after working for two decades as a broadcaster and journalist. Success as a fiction writer came quickly: her first novel Still Life won numerous awards, and introduced Chief Inspector Armand Gamache, who works in rural Quebec. Louise has just published her 20th book featuring Gamache: in The Black Wolf, he’s taking on a powerful conspiracy attempting to make Canada the 51st state in a fight over natural resources. Louise's music includes works by Beethoven, Michael Nyman, Bach and Neil Young. Presenter Michael Berkeley Producer Clare Walker

53 min
NOV 16

Lea Ypi

Lea Ypi, a professor of political theory at the London School of Economics, grew up in Albania under communism, when it was the last Stalinist outpost in Europe. She was 10 years old when the Berlin Wall fell, and a year later she saw the collapse of communism in Albania. Statues of Stalin and Enver Hoxha, the country’s leader for 40 years, were toppled. Democratic elections followed - but so did civil unrest. Lea wrote about these turbulent years in her book Free, which won prizes and widespread acclaim: 'essential - just as much for Britons as Albanians' according to one critic. She has delved further into her family history, looking into the past of her grandmother, in her book Indignity. Lea's musical choices include Beethoven, Wagner, Dizdari and Bach.

53 min
NOV 9

Hugh Bonneville

Hugh Bonneville is one of the most familiar faces on British TV and film. You might know him as the Earl of Grantham from Downton Abbey, or the long-suffering Mr Brown in the Paddington films, or the baffled Ian Fletcher in the London Olympics sitcom Twenty Twelve and its BBC-centred sequel W1A. Hugh was captivated by acting from an early age, staging his own plays at home and even making the tickets to sell to his family. More recently he’s has branched out into writing, with a memoir Playing Under the Piano and a children’s book Rory Sparkes and the Elephant in the Room, which is inspired by some of the events of his childhood. Hugh's selection of music includes works by Beethoven, Strauss, Elgar and Faure. Presenter: Michael Berkeley Producer: Clare Walker

48 min
NOV 2

Annabel Croft

Annabel Croft first picked up a tennis racquet at the age of nine. Within six years, she’d become the youngest British player to compete in the Wimbledon main draw for almost a century. At the age of 17, she won the junior championships at both Wimbledon and the Australian Open, and at 18 she was the British number one. Then – aged 21 – she retired from tennis and moved into broadcasting. She was soon back at the world’s major tennis tournaments, this time as a commentator and reporter. In 2023 her competitive spirit found a new outlet: she took part in Strictly Come Dancing on BBC One and came fourth. Her musical choices include works by Pachelbel, Handel, John Rutter and Prokofiev. Presenter Michael Berkeley Producer Clare Walker

56 min
OCT 26

The Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer

The Right Honourable Sir Keir Starmer is the seventh Labour Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. Prior to his political career, he was a barrister and served as Director of Public Prosecutions. He was elected as a Member of Parliament in 2015 and became Labour leader in 2020. A former Guildhall School of Music scholar, Sir Keir Starmer is a flautist but also played piano, recorder, and violin in his youth. He shares his love of music including works by Beethoven, Mozart, Shostakovich and Brahms. Presenter: Michael Berkeley Producer: Clare Walker

52 min
OCT 19

Hollie McNish

Hollie McNish has been writing poems about – as she puts it – ‘anything and everything’ since she was seven years old. Her work now reaches audiences of millions, through her books, performances and short videos, making her one of the UK’s most widely shared poets. In 2017 she won the Ted Hughes Award for her book Nobody Told Me, a collection of poetry and diary entries that she kept from the moment she discovered she was pregnant until her daughter was three. She has published six other collections, including her most recent, Virgin, which explores how one six letter word holds such power. Her choices include music by Telemann, Joseph Bologne Chevalier de Saint-George, Nina Simone and Tchaikovsky. Presenter Michael Berkeley Producer Clare Walker

53 min
OCT 5

Shobana Jeyasingh

The pioneering choreographer Shobana Jeyasingh has produced more than 60 original works, many of them created for outdoor or unusual settings. She was born in India and came to England in her late teens to study English literature at Sussex University. She had learned classical Indian dance as a child and in her early twenties, she drew on that passion, touring first as a dancer and then founding her own dance company in 1989 to develop her own work. Since then, she has collaborated with scientists, film-makers and numerous composers including Errollyn Wallen, Kevin Volans and Michael Nyman. Her most recent work is inspired by The Tempest, and views Shakespeare’s story through the eyes of Caliban, the so-called ‘monstrous’ slave. Shobana's music includes Mozart, Messiaen, Arvo Part and Purcell.

53 min

See All (481)

4.4

out of 5

33 Ratings

Private Passions

Oct 13

Kinley Webb

I chanced upon this show & was so pleased to hear cultured people speak about the musical works associated with their various inspirations. I so appreciate that I am listening to the great classical works, I can note them to replay for myself. Thank you!
One of my favorite podcasts!

Jun 22

BjornLouserson

Has helped me get through a rough patch
Private Passions

07/02/2013

BMaryMcGraw

This is a superb podcast! I am usually left wanting a few more minutes with the guests, which is so much better than become tired of one's voice in the midst of a long interview.
What a wonderful discovery

07/02/2013

LCSD

Intimate, interesting, a special and delightful interview process unlike any other I've experienced. Not your average one-on-one: the interviewer actually listens to his guest and allows them to complete an entire thought! Highly recommended.