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Sophia Loren, Steph McGovern and The Why Workshop

Sophia Loren, the iconic actress who's starred in over 100 films across five decades and worked with Marlon Brando and Cary Grant, chats to Zoe about her latest movie.

Sophia Loren, the iconic actress who's starred in over 100 films across five decades and worked with Marlon Brando and Cary Grant, chats to Zoe about her latest movie. The Life Ahead is adapted from the 1975 novel by French author Romain Gary and is directed by Edoardo Ponti, the son of Sophia Loren and an Italian director with nine films to his credit. Sophia had long loved the book, and admits she may have been complicit in persuading her son to take on the project. She plays Madame Rosa, a Holocaust survivor who cares for the children of "working women" in the city of Bari, in southern Italy. This is her first film role in 11 years. Sophia has starred in some 100 Italian, French and American films over five decades and she鈥檚 won 50 international awards, including an Oscar, seven Golden Globe Awards, a Grammy Award and a BAFTA Award.

TV Presenter Steph McGovern joins Zoe to talk about her Channel 4 television programme 'Steph's Packed Lunch'. Steph is a British journalist and business reporter who's presented on 成人快手 Breakfast and 成人快手 Radio 4's Today show. She moved to Channel 4 in October 2019, hosting 'The Steph Show', and launched her new show 'Steph's Packed Lunch' in September 2020.

It鈥檚 The Why Workshop, and Zoe quizzes the QI Elves with more wonders and ponders, including your questions. You can always send in your questions for the Elves, just email zoe.ball@bbc.co.uk

Along with Adam Porter on news, Richie Anderson on travel and Mike Williams on sport, she and the team have the best start to your morning. With celeb guests, headlines, tunes chosen by listeners, and more music that you can shake a glitterball at!

There's also a daily Pause For Thought with Guvna B and listeners on the line, as Zoe entertains the nation with fun for the family!

2 hours, 59 minutes

Music Played

  • Michael Bubl茅

    It's A Beautiful Day

    • (CD Single).
    • Reprise.
    • 1.
  • Marisha Wallace

    Faith

    • Tomorrow.
    • Decca.
  • George Benson

    Love Ballad

    • George Benson - The Very Best Of.
    • Warner E.S.P..
    • 6.
  • Gloria Estefan & Miami Sound Machine

    1-2-3

    • Gloria Estefan - Greatest Hits.
    • Epic.
  • Melanie

    Brand New Key

    • The Greatest Hits Of 1972 (Various).
    • Premier.
  • The Jacksons

    Can You Feel It

    • Fantastic 80's Go For It! - Various.
    • Parlophone.
  • Electric Light Orchestra

    Mr. Blue Sky

    • ELO - Out Of The Blue.
    • Jet.
  • Jessie Ware

    Remember Where You Are

    • What's Your Pleasure?.
    • Virgin EMI Records.
  • Kenny Loggins

    Danger Zone

    • Top Gun O.S.T. (Various Artists).
    • CBS.
  • Bob Marley & The Wailers

    Stir It Up

    • Bob Marley & The Wailers - Legend.
    • Island.
  • Bob Sinclar

    Love Generation (feat. Gary 鈥淣esta鈥 Pine)

    • Now 63 (Various Artists).
    • Now.
  • Pulp

    Disco 2000

    • Hits.
    • Island.
    • 6.
  • Jason Derulo

    Lifestyle (feat. Adam Levine)

    • (CD Single).
    • Atlantic.
  • Daryl Hall & John Oates

    Maneater

    • Looking Back - The Best Of Hall & Oat.
    • BMG.
  • Ariana Grande

    Test Drive

    • CD Single.
    • Island.
  • Millie

    My Boy Lollipop

    • Young Gifted & Black (Various).
    • Trojan.
  • Rick Astley

    Never Gonna Give You Up

    • Rick Astley - Whenever You Need Someb.
    • RCA.
  • ABBA

    Voulez-Vous

    • Abba Gold.
    • Polydor.
    • 013.
  • Tom Grennan

    Little Bit Of Love

    • Evering Road.
    • Insanity Records.
  • Girls Aloud

    Call The Shots

    • (CD Single).
    • Polydor.
    • 1.
  • Soft Cell

    Tainted Love

    • Hits & Pieces - The Best of Marc Almond & Soft Cell.
    • UMC.
  • Queen

    Don't Stop Me Now

    • Jazz.
    • Island.
    • 12.
  • JC Stewart

    Break My Heart

    • (CD Single).
    • Warner Records.
  • Mary Mary

    Shackles (Praise You)

    • Huge Hits 2000 (Various Artists).
    • Global Television.
  • Regard & RAYE

    Secrets

    • (CD Single).
    • Ministry Of Sound.
  • Nina Simone

    Ain't Got No, I Got Life

    • (CD Single).
    • Sony BMG.
  • Dexys Midnight Runners

    Come On Eileen

    • Fantastic 80's Disc 1 (Various Artis.
    • Columbia.
  • The Beatles

    Yellow submarine

    • The Beatles - 1.
    • Apple.
    • 015.
  • Carole King

    I Feel The Earth Move

    • The Female Touch 2 (Various Artists).
    • Global Television.
  • Tom Jones

    No Hole In My Head

    • Surrounded By Time.
    • EMI.

Pause For Thought

Pause For Thought

So I did a little question and answers thing on my Instagram recently and a question a few people asked was 鈥榃hat do you fear most鈥. I had a little think and to be honest I鈥檇 probably give a different answer depending on what day I was asked. For example, recently the thing I fear most is my 17 month old son鈥檚 new habit of trying to bite me! But聽for the online Q&A聽the answer I gave was 鈥楴ot using my gift.鈥櫬


Over the last year I鈥檝e become fascinated with the story of Vivian Maier. She even inspired my latest album.聽You might have heard of her, but chances are, you haven鈥檛, and the reason I say this is because, for the eighty-three years that she was alive, no one聽had聽heard of her. Throughout the course of her life, she took around 100,000 photographs that depicted working-class Americans聽life, but she hardly printed any of them.聽


She inspired my Instagram answer because it was only after her death that she soared to fame, when a box of her undeveloped negatives were picked up at a local auction by a historian, who decided to look into the story of her life. Her art is now celebrated worldwide, but it was sadly too late for her to reap any of the rewards.聽Vivian Maier鈥檚 story got me thinking. While she was alive, she may not have got the recognition or appreciation that she was clearly deserving of, but she did what she loved anyway and she used her gift of photography having read loads about聽Vivian聽and watched every documentary I could find, it seems that even though life threw it鈥檚 curveballs, she tried to carve out room for what she enjoyed.聽


I鈥檓 a rapper and I haven鈥檛 had a gig since March 2020 and I really miss it, but I also realise how I maybe took it for granted. I like to think of my musical talent as God鈥檚 gift to me, and I guess what I do with it is my gift back to God. Vivian Maier inspired me to do what I love, and use my gift even if nobody cares, and who knows, maybe someday they will.

Broadcast

  • Wed 3 Mar 2021 06:30