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Private Passions

by BBC Radio 3

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Latest episodes

  • Eric Idle, comedian and writer

    October 25, 2026 · 55 min

    Eric Idle has been making audiences around the world laugh for nearly 60 years. As a member of the legendary Monty Python group, he helped redefine British television comedy – followed by three highly successful original Python films. Eric…

  • Elif Shafak, novelist

    October 18, 2026 · 52 min

    Elif Shafak is a best-selling writer who is as happy telling a story from the point of view of a fig tree or a water droplet as a fellow human being. She began writing in her native Turkish and now writes in English, and her 13 novels…

  • Courtney Pine, saxophonist

    October 12, 2026 · 46 min

    As part of the BBC's collaboration with The Music is Black, the V&A East Museum exhibition celebrating Black British music and musicians, Michael Berkeley talks to the saxophonist and composer Courtney Pine, whose work is recognised at the…

  • Francis Fukuyama, political scientist

    October 4, 2026 · 52 min

    The American political scientist Francis Fukuyama loves big ideas, and his 1992 book The End of History and the Last Man was an international best-seller. It argued that – after the collapse of the Soviet Union - Western liberal democracy…

  • Louisa Young, writer

    September 27, 2026 · 54 min

    Family is at the heart of the work of the writer Louisa Young. Her first book was about her grandmother, Kathleen, a sculptor who was also the widow of the Antarctic explorer Captain Scott. She’s written five books for younger readers with…

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  • Sylvester McCoy, actor

    September 20, 2026 · 51 min

    The actor Sylvester McCoy was a familiar face to millions of TV viewers when he played the Seventh Doctor in Doctor Who in the 1980s. On the big screen, he has played the eccentric wizard Radagast the Brown in Peter Jackson’s Hobbit…

  • Lyse Doucet, journalist

    September 13, 2026 · 58 min

    When Lyse Doucet was a child growing up in a small town in eastern Canada, she borrowed a library book called How to Become a Journalist. It clearly made an impact. She is now the BBC’s chief international correspondent and has reported…

  • Carlos Acosta, dancer

    July 12, 2026 · 53 min

    In the world of dance, Carlos Acosta is a superstar. He grew up in a poor part of Havana, where he was the 11th child in his family, and began his training at the National Ballet School of Cuba. At the age of just 18, he became the…

  • Leslie Cavendish, former Beatles hairdresser

    July 5, 2026 · 54 min

    Leslie Cavendish left school at the age of 15 years, without any artistic qualifications, and decided to become a hairdresser. Within three years, his clients included Terence Stamp, Keith Moon, the Bee Gees, Jane Asher – and the Beatles…

  • John Nichol, writer, former RAF Navigator

    June 28, 2026 · 53 min

    Thirty-five years ago, during the Gulf War, the face of the RAF navigator John Nichol appeared on news bulletins around the world. His Tornado jet had been shot down over Iraq, and he was captured, tortured and paraded on Iraqi…

  • Ruth Ozeki, writer

    June 21, 2026 · 54 min

    Ruth Ozeki won the Women’s Prize for Fiction in 2022 with her novel The Book of Form and Emptiness. The judges called it a ’complete joy to read.’ She’s also a film-maker and a Zen Buddhist priest, and her books draw on her…

  • Jeremy Vine, broadcaster

    June 14, 2026 · 58 min

    Jeremy Vine is one of the most familiar voices and faces in British broadcasting. He's presented his Radio 2 lunchtime show since 2003, and its mixture of music and news reaches 6 million listeners every week. Their personal stories and…

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About the show

Guests from all walks of life discuss their musical passions and talk about the influence music has had on their lives.