Season 1 - 2003

1. Anthony Minghella

The director of Cold Mountain, released on Boxing Day, and The English Patient in conversation.

2003-12-27 • ? min

2. Professor Colin Blakemore

An interview with Professor Colin Blakemore, who has been at the forefront of UK scientific research for over 30 years.

2004-03-11 • ? min

3. Howard Dean

Interviewing the US politician who lost out in the Democratic presidential nomination battle back in February.

2004-05-26 • ? min

4. Peter Singer

An interview with the controversial bio-ethicist.

2004-06-01 • ? min

5. Derek Walcott

St Lucian poet Walcott discusses his Caribbean childhood and career.

2004-09-28 • ? min

6. John Sulston

The Human Genome Project strove to make information about DNA free to everyone. Its head, Sir John Sulston, talks about what makes him tick.

2004-11-15 • ? min

7. Shaykh Hamza Yusuf

The charismatic Muslim leader discusses Islam and his concerns about President Bush's "war on terror".

2004-12-13 • ? min

8. David Attenborough

The man behind The Blue Planet and much more in conversation.

2005-02-27 • ? min

9. Bill Deedes

The inspiration for Evelyn Waugh 's "Boot" in Scoop and the "Bill" of Private Eye's "Dear Bill", Lord Deedes is a national institution. He was Minister for Information under Harold Macmillan , and later editor of The Daily Telegraph. Mark Lawson finds out what makes him tick.

2005-03-07 • ? min

10. Seymour Hersh

The investigative reporter in conversation.

2005-03-18 • ? min

11. Madeleine Albright

The former US secretary of state speaks frankly about her life and career. Topics covered in BBC4's exclusive interview include her take on the Bush administration and America's place in the world, her affinity with Condoleezza Rice and, bizarrely, Dame Judi Dench.

2005-09-12 • ? min

12. Michael Palin

An evening of Michael Palin programmes begins with an interview about his life and work - from his childhood in Sheffield to his globetrotting of today. New.

2005-09-19 • ? min

13. Sir Tim Berners-Lee

The inventor of the CHOICE worldwide web discusses how he conceived the device that helped to transform the planet.

2005-09-26 • ? min

14. John Simpson

The BBC's world affairs editor tells Lawson about life on both sides of the camera.

2006-01-08 • ? min

15. Robert Winston

Winston discusses his work, as a fertility treatment pioneer, and a TV presenter.

2006-01-15 • ? min

16. PD James

The detective novelist discusses her need to write, the World Wars, religion, and death.

2006-03-11 • ? min

17. Frederick Forsyth

The author discusses his foreign correspondent years, his politics, and the thrillers that made him famous.

2006-01-03 • ? min

18. Griff Rhys Jones

The writer, actor and director recalls his time on Not the Nine o'Clock News, and considers how his generation have gone on to dominate the British media.

2006-04-24 • ? min

19. Julian Fellowes

The actor, director and Oscar-winning writer of Gosford Park on his career.

2006-05-08 • ? min

20. James Lovelock

The environmental thinker issues a stark warning concerning our consumption of fossil fuels and climate change.

2006-05-22 • ? min

21. Bill Oddie

The nature-loving broadcaster reflects on his varied career and his mother's absence as a child.

2006-05-29 • ? min

22. Philip Roth

In a provocative interview, one of the most powerful voices in modern American fiction discusses his disillusionment with the Bush administration.

2006-06-03 • ? min

23. David Baddiel

The star of The Mary Whitehouse Experience, Fantasy Football League and Heresy, and author of Time for Bed discusses his career.

2006-07-12 • ? min

24. Terry Gilliam

In conversation with the film-maker and animator.

2006-07-23 • ? min

25. Clive James

The multi-talented Aussie in conversation.

2006-07-31 • ? min

26. Engelbert Humperdinck

The Leicester love god and crooner is captured in conversation.

2006-08-19 • ? min

27. David Chase

The creator of The Sopranos in conversation.

2006-08-20 • ? min

28. Jilly Cooper

The author of Polo and other "bonkbusters" in conversation.

2006-09-27 • ? min

29. Jack Dee

A lively chat with the sardonic comic kicks off Jack Dee Night.

2006-10-03 • ? min

30. Alexei Sayle

An interview with the straight-talking comedian renowned for his Marxist political views.

2006-10-10 • ? min

31. Marguerite Patten

The food writer and broadcaster reflects on her 1947 TV series and her OBE for "services to the art of cookery".

2006-10-17 • ? min

32. Ridley Scott

The director of Alien, Blade Runner and the Oscar-winning Gladiator discusses his life and career.

2006-10-22 • ? min

33. Claudia Roden

The food writer discusses her passion for Middle Eastern and Mediterranean flavours.

2006-10-24 • ? min

34. lain Banks

The author discusses his influences and inspirations.

2006-11-14 • ? min

35. Terry Pratchett

Interview with the author who has sold over 40 million books worldwide and is best known for the Discworld series.

2006-11-21 • ? min

36. Stephen King

Interview with the renowned horror author, known for popular and influential novels such as Carrie and The Shining.

2006-12-11 • ? min

37. Armando Iannucci

The interviewer meets writer, performer and producer Armando Iannucci.

2007-01-02 • ? min

38. Ian Rankin

Interview with the Scottish novelist and regular Newsnight Review contributor best known for his Inspector John Rebus novels.

2007-03-03 • ? min

39. Nicholas Craig

Former Young Ones star Nigel Planer appears in character as classical actor Nicholas Craig. He talks to Mark Lawson about his prolific 35-year career, and how his relationship with his mother heavily influenced his decision to become a performer.

2007-04-01 • ? min

40. The Teletubbies

The presenter talks to the creators of the children's programme.

2007-05-26 • ? min

41. Biddy Baxter

An interview with the former editor of Blue Peter who designed the show's famous badge and introduced the annual appeals.

2007-05-31 • ? min

42. Stephen Fry

The first in an evening of programmes celebrating the 50th birthday of Stephen Fry , including programmes chosen by Fry himself. Here, Stephen discusses his life, career and personal demons.

2007-08-18 • ? min

43. Sanjeev Bhaskar

Wide-ranging interview with the comedian, actor and writer.

2007-08-20 • ? min

44. David Renwick

The TV writer talks to Mark Lawson about his career.

2007-12-03 • ? min

45. Russell T Davies

Interview with the Doctor Who producer.

2008-01-16 • ? min

46. Nicholas Parsons

Interview with the actor and former game show host.

2008-02-27 • ? min

47. Rabbi Lionel Blue

Featuring an interview with the journalist, broadcaster and Britain's first openly-gay rabbi.

2008-03-05 • ? min

48. Galton and Simpson

Interview with the writers who created Steptoe and Son and Hancock's Half Hour.

2008-03-19 • ? min

49. George Cole

Interview with the veteran actor, who played Arthur Daley in TV series Minder.

2008-03-26 • ? min

50. Barry Cryer

An interview with the comedian who has written for a number of noted performers.

2008-04-02 • ? min

51. Liz Smith

An interview with the actress who starred in The Royle Family and The Vicar of Dibley.

2008-07-14 • ? min

52. Jonathan Meades

A chat with the British writer known for his work as The Times restaurant critic as well as documentaries on architecture.

2008-07-21 • ? min

53. G.F. Newman

The writer who created Judge John Deed and Law and Order discusses his life and career.

2008-08-11 • ? min

54. Melvyn Bragg

The broadcaster discusses his life and career.

2008-09-27 • ? min

55. John le Carre

Author John le Carre discusses his life and work. Now famous for his espionage thrillers, the writer started as a real-life spy working for MI6.

2008-10-05 • ? min

56. Michael Parkinson

The veteran chat-show host becomes an interviewee and talks about his career.

2008-11-09 • ? min

57. Quentin Blake

The journalist interviews British cartoonist, illustrator and children's book author Quentin Blake, most famous for his work on Roald Dahl 's stories.

2008-11-16 • ? min

58. Rolf Harris

The Australian TV star discusses his success as a junior swimming champion and his work on Animal Hospital.

2008-11-23 • ? min

59. Phil Collins

The musician discusses his life and work, including his success with Genesis and as a solo artist. He also talks about his three marriages and tackles the myths that surround him.

2009-01-04 • ? min

60. Maureen Lipman

The actress talks about her life and career as one of Britain's best-loved performers and her collaborations with husband Jack Rosenthal. She also discusses her bereavement since his death.

2009-01-11 • ? min

61. Bill Bryson

The presenter talks to the American travel writer and humorist about his experiences documenting lives in foreign lands and his love of the British countryside and character

2009-01-25 • ? min

62. Sir Antony Sher

Interview with the actor, who has starred in acclaimed TV dramas The History Man and The Jury, and who was one of the first gay celebrities to form a civil partnership.

2009-02-15 • ? min

63. Mike Leigh

The British director discusses his life and career, from his first venture into acting with the local Jewish youth group in his home town of Salford, to becoming an acclaimed scriptwriter for stage and screen.

2009-04-19 • ? min

64. Ian Hislop

Private Eye editor and Have I Got News for You captain Ian Hislop discusses his role as a satirist, in addition to his private life, including how boarding school became a second home after his father's death, and Christianity's influence on his life.

2009-05-09 • ? min

65. William Boyd

The author and screenwriter discusses his life and work, reflecting on how his childhood in West Africa and attendance at a Scottish boarding school has influenced his work.

2009-08-30 • ? min

66. Richard Wilson

Journalist Mark Lawson interviews Richard Wilson about his life and work, as the actor reflects on the success and drawbacks of his most popular role as Victor Meldrew in BBC sitcom One Foot in the Grave.

2009-09-30 • ? min

67. Sir Ranulph Fiennes

An interview with the British RT CHOICE adventurer who this year added reaching the summit of Everest to a list of achievements that includes first man to walk to both the North and South Poles, crossing Antarctica on foot. and authoring numerous books.

2009-11-14 • ? min

68. Jane Horrocks

The actress reflects on her work, explaining how she stays focused while working on stage and revealing how age and gender can hinder a performer's longevity.

2009-11-22 • ? min

69. Imelda Staunton

The journalist talks to the Bafta-winning actress about her career in film, theatre and television, which has included roles in Cranford, Entertaining Mr Sloane and Vera Drake.

2009-11-29 • ? min

70. Alan Bennett

The Alan Bennett tribute continues as the playwright and author discusses some of his well-known works, including The History Boys, Beyond the Fringe and the Talking Heads series.

2009-12-06 • ? min

71. A.S. Byatt

The author and critic, who won the Booker Prize in 1990 for her novel Possession, talks about her career, revealing how she has managed to combine family life with the solitary world of a writer.

2009-12-13 • ? min

72. Brian Cox

Brian Cox talks about his passion for portraying complex and difficult characters, his personal psychological battles and the low point in his career when he almost gave up acting.

2010-02-23 • ? min

73. Tracey Emin

Mark Lawson talks to the enfant terrible of the British art world, Tracey Emin, famed for her unmade bed and a tent embroidered with the names of everyone she had ever slept with.

2010-03-18 • ? min

74. Timothy Spall

Mark Lawson talks to actor Timothy Spall about his life and career. Spall reflects on his working-class roots, on being a 'professional depicter' and his fight with leukaemia.

2010-05-10 • ? min

75. Martin Amis

Mark Lawson talks to notorious literary bad boy Martin Amis, who speaks candidly about his relationship with his father Kingsley and the death of his sister Sally.

2010-05-23 • ? min

76. Vanessa Redgrave

Mark Lawson talks to Oscar-winning actress Vanessa Redgrave about her life and career. She reflects on her acting family, political activism and the loss of her daughter Natasha.

2010-05-30 • ? min

77. Sir David Frost

Renowned broadcaster and satirist David Frost talks about his life and career.

2010-06-13 • ? min

78. Julie Walters

Mark Lawson talks to the actress Julie Walters about her life and career, as she explores her working class roots, struggles with self-confidence and finding peace at 60.

2010-10-31 • ? min

79. Alison Steadman

Mark Lawson talks to actress Alison Steadman about her life and career, as she explores her gift for mimicry, passion for improvisation and joy of working with great dramatists.

2010-11-07 • ? min

80. Tom Jones

Mark Lawson talks to Tom Jones about his life in and out of the limelight. Jones reflects on his upbringing in a coal mining community, early pub tours and international acclaim.

2010-11-14 • ? min

81. Jimmy McGovern

Mark Lawson talks to screenwriter Jimmy McGovern about his life and career in television drama, his memories of working-class Liverpool and the impact of Catholicism on his work.

2010-11-21 • ? min

82. Simon Russell Beale

Mark Lawson talks to the actor Simon Russell Beale about his life on and off stage. He offers insights into how he approaches his diverse roles and his recent career changes.

2010-12-24 • ? min

83. Gilbert and George

Mark Lawson talks to the controversial artists and 'living sculptures' Gilbert and George, who met as students at St Martins School of Art in 1967, about their lives and careers.

2011-02-03 • ? min

84. Sir Anthony Caro

Sculptor Sir Anthony Caro reflects on his time as Henry Moore's assistant, his groundbreaking shift from figurative to abstract sculpture and his position on public art.

2011-02-09 • ? min

85. Anne Robinson

In a candid interview, Anne Robinson reflects on the journey from finishing school to Fleet Street, alcoholism to America and print journalism to prime-time television.

2011-02-28 • ? min

86. David Mitchell

Mark Lawson talks to the comedian David Mitchell about his life and career, from his partnership with Robert Webb to panel show regular and co-host of the series 10 O'Clock Live.

2011-03-22 • ? min

87. Peter Blake

Mark Lawson talks to the artist Sir Peter Blake about his life and 60-year career, including how he became an 'accidental artist' and his reputation as the godfather of Pop Art.

2011-07-11 • ? min

88. Diana Rigg

Mark Lawson talks to Dame Diana Rigg about her life and 50-year career, exploring her conflicted views on being a sex symbol and the pleasures of professional success in her 70s.

2011-09-27 • ? min

89. Rob Brydon

Mark Lawson talks to actor and comedian Rob Brydon about his life and career in entertainment, including writing and performing for radio, film, television, stand-up and theatre.

2011-10-04 • ? min

90. Michael Frayn

Mark Lawson talks to Michael Frayn about his life and 50-year career writing novels, plays, philosophy, memoirs, screenplays, translations, farce, tragedy, verse and drama.

2011-10-11 • ? min

91. Alice Cooper

Mark Lawson talks to Alice Cooper about his life and 45-year career as a musician and actor, including his memories of his Detroit childhood and the perils of addiction.

2011-11-21 • ? min

92. Frank Skinner

Mark Lawson talks to comedian Frank Skinner about a career that has involved stand-up, broadcasting, writing and pop music. Skinner also talks candidly about his personal life.

2012-03-13 • ? min

93. Terry Wogan

Mark Lawson talks to legendary broadcaster Terry Wogan about his life and 50-year career, from his early years on Irish radio to his ever-popular Radio 2 show.

2012-03-20 • ? min

94. Graham Norton

Mark Lawson talks to celebrity interviewer and chat show host Graham Norton about growing up in Ireland, his sexuality and a near fatal mugging whilst he was at drama school.

2012-03-26 • ? min

95. Noel Gallagher

Mark Lawson talks to former Oasis lynchpin Noel Gallagher about his life, career and becoming one of the most successful songwriters of his generation.

2012-03-30 • ? min

96. Mark Gatiss

Mark Lawson talks to writer, actor and comedian Mark Gatiss about his life and career, including how his passion for horror and science fiction have influenced his success.

2012-04-03 • ? min

97. Mark Rylance

Mark Lawson talks to actor Mark Rylance about his life and career, including his lifelong relationship with Shakespeare and how he prepares for his role in the play Jerusalem.

2012-04-15 • ? min

98. Felicity Kendal

Mark Lawson talks to Felicity Kendal about her childhood in India and returning to the UK in the 1960s to become one of the best-loved actors of her generation.

2012-04-22 • ? min

99. Sean Langan

Mark Lawson meets the award-winning journalist and filmmaker Sean Langan, whose kidnap by the Taliban in 2008 inspired BBC Four's hostage drama The Kidnap Diaries.

2012-04-26 • ? min

100. Zoe Wanamaker

Mark Lawson talks to actress Zoe Wanamaker about her life and career. Wanamaker reveals insecurities about her looks and talents, and how her father Sam was a hard act to follow.

2012-04-29 • ? min

101. Sir Patrick Moore

Mark Lawson talks to the astronomer and English eccentric Sir Patrick Moore about his early life, career and the future of space exploration in an interview recorded in 2007.

2013-01-13 • ? min

102. Mark Knopfler

Mark Lawson talks to songwriter Mark Knopfler about his early life and influences, the years with Dire Straits and his quiet contempt for modern TV talent shows.

2013-03-03 • ? min

103. Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais

Mark Lawson talks to prolific writing duo Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais about their careers, from classic comedy The Likely Lads to recent drama Spies of Warsaw.

2013-03-20 • ? min

104. Miriam Margolyes

Mark Lawson talks to character actress and voice artist Miriam Margolyes about her passion for acting, her lively schooldays and her inexorable self-confidence.

2013-04-01 • ? min

105. Michael Ball

Mark Lawson talks to musical theatre star and recording artist Michael Ball about his early career, Eurovision and having a foot in both the Sondheim and Lloyd Webber camps.

2013-04-07 • ? min

106. Bob Geldof

Sir Bob Geldof talks candidly to Mark Lawson about his career in music with the Boomtown Rats, his activism, his family and his very public personal traumas.

2013-10-06 • ? min

107. Steve Coogan

Mark Lawson talks to the writer, comedian, actor and producer Steve Coogan about his life and career, from comic characters Paul Calf and Alan Partridge to straight acting roles.

2013-11-12 • ? min

108. David Bailey

Photographer David Bailey, who has captured many of the 20th century's most iconic faces, talks frankly to Mark Lawson about his life, loves and illustrious career.

2014-03-10 • ? min

109. Joanna Trollope

As she publishes her eighteenth novel, Joanna Trollope talks to Mark Lawson about creativity, divorce and the inescapable drama of domestic life.

2014-03-23 • ? min

110. Julian Barnes

Booker Prize-winning novelist Julian Barnes, whose Levels of Life is a memoir of bereavement following the loss of his wife to cancer, talks about love, death, memory and grief.

2014-03-30 • ? min

111. Jo Brand

Mark Lawson talks to comedian, writer and actress Jo Brand about the 1980s alternative comedy scene, her approach to hecklers and taboos, and her experiences as a TV personality.

2014-07-20 • ? min

112. Michael Morpurgo

Michael Morpurgo reflects on the success of his novel War Horse and the theme of war in his books, and discusses his relationship with his father and friendship with Ted Hughes.

2014-11-16 • ? min

113. Frances de la Tour

Mark Lawson talks to Tony and triple Olivier award-winning actress Frances de la Tour about her life and career, from Miss Jones in Rising Damp to Madame Maxime in Harry Potter.

2015-01-07 • ? min

114. Celia Imrie

From Calendar Girls to Cranford, Celia Imrie has been a familiar face on both TV and film for more than four decades. The actress talks to Mark Lawson about her life and career.

2015-02-08 • ? min

115. Kazuo Ishiguro

Mark Lawson talks to the Booker Prize-winning writer Kazuo Ishiguro about his life and career.

2015-02-22 • ? min

116. Alexander McCall Smith

Mark Lawson talks to author Alexander McCall Smith, whose No.1 Ladies Detective Agency series of books, set in Botswana, have sold in their millions around the world.

2015-03-01 • ? min

117. Jonathan Pryce

From playing princes to professors and cardinals to comedians, Jonathan Pryce is one of Britain's most versatile actors. He talks to Mark Lawson about his life and career.

2015-03-24 • ? min

118. David Hare

Writer and director Sir David Hare talks frankly to Mark Lawson following the publication of his much-anticipated memoir The Blue Touch Paper.

2015-11-15 • ? min