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Private Notes
Phil Collins made his name as the drummer and then the lead singer of Genesis, before embarking on a successful solo career with hits including In the Air Tonight. In the 1980s he took on the role of one of the great train robbers in the film Buster and has recently had success with scoring for films such as Disney's Tarzan. Collins talks frankly to Mark Lawson about his three marriages and the various myths that surround him, including that he divorced his second wife by fax.
Antony Sher talks to Mark Lawson about growing up as a white South African, working with his partner Gregory Doran and bringing Shakespeare to life.
British film director Mike Leigh talks to Mark Lawson about his life and career.
Leigh talks about his upbringing in Salford, where his father was a doctor, and his early foray into acting with the local Jewish youth group. After a scholarship to Rada, Leigh did occasionally act, but always wanted to write and direct, and discusses his plays for both stage and television and his films. He talks at length about the collaborative creative process with his actors to build characters and why he doesn't want to work with Hollywood stars, but wouldn't mind a bigger budget.
Private Eye editor Ian Hislop discusses his role as a satirist with Mark Lawson.
He talks about how boarding school became a second home after the premature death of his father, and his own expectation of an early demise.
Christianity has been a consistent factor in his life, and he describes how he regularly flirts with doubt but always returns to faith.
He also reveals the goings on behind the scenes of Have I Got News For You? where he has been a team captain for almost 20 years, and how the long-running spat with Piers Morgan came about.
Mark Lawson talks to actor and director Richard Wilson about his life and work. Best known for playing the irascible character of Victor Meldrew in the hit BBC sitcom One Foot in the Grave, Wilson reflects on the opportunities that have come his way as a result of the staggering success of the series, as well as the drawbacks of being famously associated with one character and a catchphrase.
Wilson talks about life before acting, growing up in Greenock, working as a laboratory technician and doing military service in Singapore. He remembers working with David Lean in A Passage to India and his rise to stardom through sitcoms such as Hot Metal and Tutti Frutti before agreeing to play Victor, a part written for him, after initially turning it down.
He also discusses more recent roles in Merlin and as a documentary presenter, as well as looking forward to future projects and ambitions.
Mark Lawson talks to actress Jane Horrocks about her life's work. Renowned for her performances as Little Voice and Bubble in Ab Fab, Jane tells how a young girl from Rawtenstall in Lancashire rose to fame and acclamation.
In a revealing interview, Jane explores how gender and age can affect career longevity as a performer. Currently starring as Annie Oakley in the Young Vic's Annie Get Your Gun, Jane details her backstage secrets for keeping focused and energetic for eight performances a week.
Imelda Staunton began her stage career playing the likes of St Joan and Piaf in repertory theatre. More recently she has starred as Dolores Umbridge in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, busy-body Miss Pole in Cranford, and the eponymous back street abortionist in Mike Leigh's Vera Drake.
She talks to Mark Lawson about her life and career, from her early ambitions to become an actress to her recent role on the West End stage in Entertaining Mr Sloane, as well as various experiences along the way: working on a Steven Seagal film; auditioning for Cats at Andrew Lloyd Webber's house and her Oscars experience when she was nominated for Best Actress for Vera Drake.
Mark Lawson interviews writer Alan Bennett at the National Theatre in London, where his latest play, 'The Habit of Art', is in production. They cover a range of subjects, from Bennett's childhood to the days of 'Beyond the Fringe' and his subsequent work for stage, television and literature. He admits to being much more open about his personal life than he used to be and speaks frankly about his views on Rupert Murdoch, his political leanings and his lifelong interest in the process of education.
As well as refusing honours from Oxford University, as discussed in this programme, Alan Bennett also turned down a CBE (Commander of the British Empire) in 1988 and a knighthood in 1996.
Mark Lawson talks to AS Byatt after her Man Booker Prize nomination for her novel The Children's Book. Byatt talks about her passion for literature and how she has managed to combine family life with the solitary world of a writer.
