How Kate Moss's modelling break came at an unexpected moment

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1. 

   29 Sep 2026 · 3 min

   How Lily Allen brought the house down with a Disney song aged 11

   The singer-songwriter Lily Allen was cast away by Kirsty Young in 2014. Although her school reports painted a mixed picture of Lily's academic achievements, a singing teacher spotted her vocal talent and encouraged her to perform. She brought the house down with a song from the Disney film Dumbo. You can listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds.

2. 

   28 Sep 2026 · 4 min

   How hiding in a toilet helped Steven Spielberg get into the movie business

   The film director Steven Spielberg was cast away by Lauren Laverne in 2022. He gave the world Jaws, ET and Jurassic Park, but Steven Spielberg got his start in the film business when he went on a bus tour of Universal Studios. He also explains why the frequently malfunctioning mechanical shark in Jaws was really a blessing in disguise. You can listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds.

3. 

   25 Sep 2026 · 3 min

   Malorie Blackman on receiving 82 rejection letters from publishers

   The writer Malorie Blackman was cast away by Kirsty Young in 2013. Although she has published more than 70 books for children and young adults - among them her hugely popular Noughts and Crosses series - getting her start as a published author was hard - 82 rejection letters had thudded onto her door mat before she had her first manuscript accepted for publication. She still remembers the day that 83rd letter arrived. You can listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds.

4. 

   24 Sep 2026 · 3 min

   How snooker halls became Ronnie O'Sullivan's "creche" from a young age

   The World Snooker Champion Ronnie O'Sullivan was cast away by Lauren Laverne in 2023. He remembers being dropped off unaccompanied at snooker halls across East London by his father as a young boy and learning to play grown men at adult tables - and beating them. You can listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds.

5. 

   23 Sep 2026 · 3 min

   Delia Smith on her catchphrase - "Let's be havin' you!"

   The cookery writer Delia Smith was cast away by Lauren Laverne in 2023. She fell in love with her husband, the editor Michael Wynn-Jones, over a shared love of food and football and recalls how she came to be known for her catchphrase, "Let's be havin' you!" You can listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds.

6. 

   21 Sep 2026 · 4 min

   Keith Richards on writing "Satisfaction" in his sleep

   The Rolling Stones' guitarist Keith Richards was cast away by Kirsty Young in 2015. He recalls the moment he bumped into his primary school friend Mick Jagger at Dartford train station in 1961, years after losing touch with him. They bonded over a shared love of American blues, which came to define their own sound. Keith Richards laid down the guitar riff for one of the biggest hits, "Satisfaction", on a tape machine in his sleep. You can listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds.

7. 

   13 Sep 2026 · 51 min

   Chaka Khan, singer and songwriter

   Chaka Khan’s unmistakeable voice and musical versatility have made her one of the most influential musicians of the past six decades, with an estimated 70 million records sold. Whether fronting the band Rufus or performing as a solo artist, she's moved effortlessly between funk, soul, jazz, and pop, creating era-defining hits including I'm Every Woman, Ain't Nobody and I Feel For You. She grew up in Chicago, in an artistic family where she was surrounded by music. As a teenager, she became involved with the Affro-Arts Theater, where she was given the Yoruba name Chaka, and a political…

8. 

   6 Sep 2026 · 52 min

   Professor Dame Pamela Shaw

   Professor Dame Pamela Shaw is a pioneering Neurologists and a leading figure in tackling motor neurone disease or MND. She is the founder and Director of SITran – the World leading Sheffield Institute for Translational Neuroscience, which is slowly but surely unlocking the secrets of MND and other devastating neurological conditions. Pam was born in Rothbury, Northumberland, in 1955, and at three moved to Kuwait when her father took up the position of harbour master. She lived there until she was eleven, but with no suitable secondary school available locally, she was sent back to…

9. 

   29 Aug 2026 · 52 min

   Emma Grede, businesswoman

   Emma Grede is the businesswoman behind major fashion brands including Skims and Good American, which she co-founded with Kim Kardashian and Khloé Kardashian, respectively. Last year Forbes included her on their list of America's Richest Self-Made Women, with an estimated net worth of $405 million. She grew up in Plaistow, East London, the eldest of four daughters. Her parents separated when she was five and she was raised by her mum, who worked long hours as a trader at an investment bank. Emma took on a lot of the responsibility at home caring for her sisters. Dyslexia meant she struggled…

10. 

    23 Aug 2026 · 51 min

    Sir Roger Deakins, cinematographer

    Sir Roger Deakins is an acclaimed cinematographer who is known for his visual artistry on films including The Shawshank Redemption, 1917, Fargo, Skyfall and Blade Runner 2049. His talents have been acknowledged with a knighthood, five BAFTAs and two Oscars. Roger was born in Torquay, Devon in 1949. In 1968 he attended the Bath Academy of Art where he was inspired by one of his tutors, the street photographer Roger Mayne, to go out with his camera and capture what he saw. Roger Deakins followed this advice and spent his weekends shooting people and places in British seaside towns. In 1975…