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Olly Smith, Emilia Fox, Ben Elton, Richard Ashcroft

Olly Smith gives us a Taste of Christmas, Emilia Fox on the new series of TV show Delicious and Ben Elton tells us about his new tour. Plus, Richard Ashcroft and The Rock Choir!

Olly Smith reveals the secrets to finding the perfect marriage between food and wine this Christmas ahead of his Taste of Christmas Radio 2 show. Emilia Fox tells Chris the joys of filming in Cornwall with Dawn French for the new series of Delicious. Ben Elton warms up in the wings ahead of his new tour and talks about how proud he is that his British sitcom Upstart Crow has a Christmas Day special this year. Plus, musical maestro Richard Ashcroft plays versions of the festive favourites Santa Claus and Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas like you've never heard them before. Plus we're turning the dial up to eleven with the Rock Choir who are blasting out some belting Christmas tunes. Paul Kerensa, provides the daily Pause For Thought.

2 hours, 59 minutes

Music Played

  • Elton John

    Step Into Christmas

    • Caribou.
    • Mercury.
  • Jax Jones & Years & Years

    Play

    • (CD Single).
    • Polydor.
  • 搁耻苍鈥怐.惭.颁.

    Christmas In Hollis

  • Beastie Boys

    (You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (To Party!)

    • Grand Royal.
  • Wham!

    Last Christmas

    • That's Christmas (Various Artists).
    • EMI.
  • Bryan Ferry

    Let's Stick Together

    • Bryan Ferry/Roxy Music - Street Life.
    • Eg.
  • Michael Bubl茅

    Cold December Night

    • Michael Buble Christmas.
    • 143.
    • 12.
  • P!nk

    A Million Dreams

    • The Greatest Showman: Reimagined (Various Artists).
    • Atlantic.
  • The Housemartins

    Caravan Of Love

    • Music Gala Of The Year '88.
    • Arcade Benelux.
  • The Turtles

    Happy Together

    • Heartbeat - The 60's Gold Collection.
    • Global Television.
  • Rick Astley

    Never Gonna Give You Up

    • Rick Astley - Whenever You Need Someb.
    • RCA.
  • Tom Odell

    Magnetised

    • (CD Single).
    • Columbia.
    • 1.
  • Seasick Steve

    Down on the Farm

    • Hubcap Music.
    • Polydor Records.
    • 1.
  • Faithless

    Insomnia

    • Now 35 (Various Artists).
    • Now.
  • John Gibbons & Nina Nesbitt

    A Spaceman Came Travelling

    • (CD Single).
    • Good Soldier.
  • The Chainsmokers

    This Feeling (feat. Kelsea Ballerini)

    • (CD Single).
    • Disruptor Records.
  • KT Tunstall

    Human Being

    • (CD Single).
    • Virgin Records.
  • Barbra Streisand

    The Rain Will Fall

    • Walls.
    • Sony Music CMG.

Pause For Thought

Pause For Thought

From comedian & writer Paul Kerensa:

Chris, you and I have had quite a ride 鈥 we鈥檝e paused, we鈥檝e thought, we鈥檝e geared up, we鈥檝e thanked something it鈥檚 Friday. It鈥檚 been a joy to join you, but especially to listen, because alongside delicious guests and musical superstars, you have paused and thought and philosophised, more than anyone.

This show鈥檚 generosity and family and warmth, feels straight out of my all-time favourite novel: A Christmas Carol. So influential a book, it even gate-crashes a certain Shakespeare sitcom this Christmas, I hear.

On first release, Dickens鈥 tale literally made people who hated Christmas, go out and buy turkeys. It made factory owners give workers the day off. And I only discovered last week: after its success, Dickens helped found Great Ormond Street Hospital.

I鈥檝e mentioned here before, that place saved my life 鈥 born as I was, with some of my innards being unusually鈥 鈥榦ut-ards鈥. My condition was unfixable till a few years before I appeared. So without their pioneering healthcare 鈥 and, I鈥檝e just learned, without Scrooge 鈥 I literally may not be alive.

Charles Dickens lived a few doors down from the hospital. He campaigned for it, and at a couple of dinners, he fundraised a six-figure sum in today鈥檚 money. He changed opinions, when hospitals weren鈥檛 for those starting life, but those near its end.

Not just generous, but enabling and encouraging others to be generous too 鈥 Dickens echoed Tiny Tim鈥檚 observation, God bless us, every one. I reckon if we鈥檙e asking God to bless everyone, he puts people in place to make that happen.

With Carfest and the vast spondoogles you鈥檝e raised for Children in Need, for today鈥檚 Tiny Tims, it鈥檚 no exaggeration to say you鈥檝e done the Dickens. Generations from now, those repercussions will keep repercussing 鈥 just as I鈥檓 only here now because of the donations at those 150-year-old 鈥楧ine & Dickens鈥 fundraisers.

You鈥檝e made us all want to go and metaphorically buy turkeys. But I鈥檒l also raise a glass of Olly Smith-recommended beverage to the listeners who鈥檝e given 鈥 enabled and encouraged by your-good-self. And surely if we all pass that on, inspiring others鈥 generosity too, then 鈥楪ood Evans鈥, that is a Christmas gift that keeps on giving.

Broadcast

  • Thu 20 Dec 2018 06:30

Farewell Chris Evans: The best bits from his last shows at Radio 2

After eight years of hosting the Breakfast Show, Chris Evans leaves Radio 2.

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成人快手 Radio 2's story-writing competition for kids.