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Keith Urban, Alesha Dixon and Dido

Country star Keith Urban and superstar entertainer Alesha Dixon join Zoe on Friends Round Friday. Plus Dido performs tracks from her new album Still On My Mind live in the studio.

It's Friends Round Friday and Zoe's joined by country star Keith Urban to chat about his latest album Graffiti U and his headline show at C2C Country to Country 2019. Superstar entertainer Alesha Dixon chats about her third book Secret Supervillain vs Lightning Girl and shares the latest Britain's Got Talent gossip. Plus Dido performs tracks from her new album Still on My Mind live in the studio.

Don't forget it's also the final day to submit your 500 Words short stories, and all entries must be received by 7pm.

This year's spectacular 500 Words final will be live from Windsor Castle where superstar celebrities will read the winning stories live on the radio, plus this year we're introducing an extra-special prize!
Six well-known illustrators - Helen Oxenbury, Tony Ross, Susan Varley, Jarvis, David Roberts, and Briony May Smith 鈥 will each be set the task of illustrating one the winning stories.
Not only that, but the Gold winners in each age category will also receive a pile of books, 500 books for their school and an invitation to visit the set of a C成人快手 Production.

With over 800,000 entries since it first launched in 2011, 500 Words is the world鈥檚 most successful story-writing competition for children and is an open invitation to the wide world of imagination.

For further inspiration visit www.bbc.co.uk/500words.

Along with Tina Daheley on news, Richie Anderson on travel and Hugh Ferris on sport, she and the team have the best start to your morning. With celeb guests, quizzes, headlines, tunes chosen by listeners, and more music than you can shake a glitterball at!

There's also a weather update from Matt Taylor, a daily Pause For Thought and listeners on the line, as Zoe entertains the nation with fun for the family!

2 hours, 59 minutes

Last on

Fri 8 Mar 2019 06:30

Music Played

  • Maroon 5

    Moves Like Jagger (feat. Christina Aguilera)

    • (CD Single).
    • A&M.
    • 1.
  • Sigrid

    Don't Feel Like Crying

    • (CD Single).
    • Island.
  • Giorgio Moroder & Philip Oakey

    Together In Electric Dreams

    • Our Friends Electric (Various Artists.
    • Telstar.
  • Calvin Harris & Dua Lipa

    One Kiss

    • (CD Single).
    • Columbia.
  • Michael Bubl茅

    It's A Beautiful Day

    • (CD Single).
    • Reprise.
    • 1.
  • Spiller

    Groovejet (If This Ain't Love) (feat. Sophie Ellis鈥怋extor)

    • (CD Single).
    • Positiva.
  • Tom Odell

    Go Tell Her Now

    • Jubilee Road (Deluxe Edition).
    • Columbia.
  • Archie Bell & the Drells

    Soul City Walk

    • Midnight Soul (Various Artists).
    • Music Club.
  • Emma Bunton

    Baby Please Don't Stop

    • My Happy Place.
    • BMG Rights Management (UK).
  • Santana

    Smooth (feat. Rob Thomas)

    • (CD Single).
    • Arista.
  • George Ezra

    Pretty Shining People

    • Staying At Tamara's.
    • Columbia.
  • The Weeknd

    I Feel It Coming (feat. Daft Punk)

    • (CD Single).
    • Universal Republic Records.
  • James Arthur & Anne-Marie

    Rewrite The Stars

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

    Your Love Gets Sweeter

    • New Hits 98 (Various Artists).
    • Sony Music TV.
  • Prince

    1999

    • 4Ever.
    • Warner Bros.
  • New Order

    Regret

    • Glorious (Various Artists).
    • Columbia.
  • Keith Urban

    Never Comin' Down

    • Graffiti U.
    • Hit Red Records.
  • Clean Bandit

    Mama (feat. Ellie Goulding)

    • What Is Love?.
    • Atlantic.
  • The Wonder Stuff

    The Size Of A Cow

    • Now 1991 - The Millennium Series.
    • Now.
  • Bob Sinclar

    Electrico Romantico (feat. Robbie Williams)

    • (CD Single).
    • TIME Records.

Pause For Thought

Pause For Thought
From comedian & writer Paul Kerensa:聽
I thought I鈥檇 use my allotted 365 words to talk about 500 Words 鈥 deadline in 9 hours 38 minutes... Many will have submitted their stories early. I was at my friend Jo鈥檚 house two months ago, when her son Sam proudly wrote 鈥楾he End鈥 and closed his laptop in delight... Hope he remembered to send it after all that. And I鈥檝e visited schools 鈥 where many have been penning entries for the comp. I鈥檝e been in classrooms encouraging tomorrow鈥檚 writers, reading my attempts at stories 鈥 and since one is about Noah鈥檚 Ark, I always ask the pupils who鈥檚 heard of Noah.
In most cases, about two-thirds of the 5-to-8 year-olds have never heard of him, the flood, or the animals going in two-by-two. The no-Noah knowhow surprised me. Believe it or not, it鈥檚 a great story, retold over thousands of years. And if we want to tell great stories ourselves, we can do worse than draw inspiration from these sacred old tales, their characters, their messages. Modern books have been influenced, from Lord of the Rings to The Handmaid鈥檚 Tale, to Fifty Shades of Grace 鈥 although I may have misread that title. So maybe not that one, but so many others have looked to the Good Book鈥檚 800,000 words. But for me, maybe the shortest Bible verse sums it up in just two words: 鈥淛esus wept鈥. That鈥檚 what changes the plot 鈥 God on Earth, weeping, with us.聽
We spend ages writing or living our stories 鈥 but sometimes it鈥檚 just a few short words that alters everything. The most effective words might go in two by two: A simple 鈥淚鈥檓 sorry鈥. Or 鈥淭hank you鈥, to quote Dido. Or I鈥檒l quote Keith Urban鈥檚 reassuring words: 鈥楤lue Ain鈥檛 Your Colour鈥. We can change someone鈥檚 storyline, or our words confront 鈥 yes sometimes Alesha Dixon needs to tell that boy, he 鈥渄oes nothing鈥.聽
In my life story, I鈥檒l try to choose words that matter: Apologise more freely. Accept apologies too. Be more thankful. Forgive swiftly. Such brief words could change the story of a real-life character who needs to hear them. Whether 500 words or much more, I鈥檒l keep trying to write the right story, before reaching 鈥楾he End鈥, and clicking 鈥楽end鈥.

Broadcast

  • Fri 8 Mar 2019 06:30