He's the nation's most loved maitre d and the first face seen by singletons looking for love of Channel 4's First Dates. But behind the friendliness and warm exterior is a man serious about service and hospitality. Fred speaks to James about his how his parents' career in the French health service made him the man he is today as well as his latest series, Fred's Last Resort which sees him train British contestants in the art of high-end hotel service.

She's best known for starring in Countdown, one of Britain's longest-running television game shows. But Carol Vorderman has managed to fit twice as much into her life as most of us. She speaks to James about her chaotic but loving upbringing, culture shock at Cambridge and new life as 'the country's most vociferous anti-corruption crusader'.

Comedian Phil Wang has decided he's got to start being silly in response to a world which he thinks is getting serious. Born in Stoke on Trent to an English mother, Wang moved to Malaysia where his father is from one week after being born. He speaks to James about going to a Chinese school, his views on empire and his new extended tour, Wang In There, Baby!

Actress Amanda Abbington, star of Sherlock and Netflix thriller Safe, speaks to James about her misdirected early attempts at dancing, the moment she realised she was an actor and the adrenaline rush of the stage. Her latest show The Unfriend is at London's West End Criterion Theatre until April 16.

He is credited with reestablishing the Labour Party as a mainstream, centrist political force after a period of hard-left internal conflict. Sound familiar? The former leader of the Labour Party speaks to James about his Welsh upbringing, enduring marriage and political philosophy.

Broadcaster Terry Christian grew up in a large Irish Catholic family in Manchester where not attending mass or university was out of the question. After dropping out of a chemistry course he didn't want to start, a young Terry caught the eye of a TV producer, kickstarting his presenting career. His big break came in the form of The Word, a youth-led and often anarchic TV show for Channel 4.

Blackadder legend Tony Robinson talks to James about the state of British politics, the power of meditation and the return of Time Team.

Content warning: this episode contains descriptions of racial violence, racial slurs and suicidal feelings. By the time Matthew Collins was 15 years old, he was enthralled by the far-right and had joined the National Front. But after one particularly violent incident in South East London, Collins began passing on his secrets to the other side. Now an activist for the anti-fascist organisation, Hope Not Hate, he tells James his remarkable story.

The internment of Japanese Americans across the U.S. during World War II is not an obvious subject on which to develop a musical, however it is exactly what George Takei, Star Trek legend and social media icon has done. Now in his mid-eighties, Takei brings a show inspired by events from his own childhood to London’s Charing Cross Theatre. Tickets for ‘George Takei’s Allegiance’ are available now until Saturday 8 April.

Back in the day when she was best known as Tricia Armstrong in Coronation Street, Tracy Brabin did not shy away from national politics, appearing in Labour campaigns and using her stardom to generate interest in the political project. But it was the tragedy and brutal murder of her friend Jo Cox in Tracy's hometown which catapulted her into the Commons. Now the first Mayor of West Yorkshire, she speaks to James about her life and the shocking events in the aftermath of Jo's death.

From union General Secretary, to Home Secretary to award-winning writer. By his own admission, Alan Johnson has lived a charmed life. He speaks to James about his tricky early years and political heroes. His book, One of Our Ministers is Missing is his latest spy thriller.

A quick glance at Lisa Nandy's family tree shows that politics runs through her veins, but when she first arrived in the House of Commons it wasn't an easy transition. She speaks to James about her life growing up in Manchester, her political ambitions and a very embarrassing job interview. Her book, How We Build a Country That Works is out now.

Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Ressa's pursuit of the truth has landed her in trouble with the most powerful man in her motherland: President Duterte of the Philippines. Ressa has racked up over 100 hours of potential prison time and multiple warrants for arrest. Her book, How to Stand Up to a Dictator is a story told from the frontline of the digital war, mapping networks of disinformation ranging from Duterte's drug wars to Britain's Brexit.

Dr Gabor Maté is one of the world's most revered physicians, specialising in addiciton, trauma, ADHD, stress and childhood development. As a young person, strangers would stop him in the street to remark upon his frightened-looking demeanour. Dr Maté believes he inherited trauma from his mother, a Hungarian Jewish woman trying to escape the Nazis. His book, The Myth of Normal is his first book in 14 years and seeks to understand and respond to the epidemic of physical and mental illness throughout society.

He’s most famous for his role in HBO’s Succession, playing Logan Roy, the ruthless, capitalist, pater familias at the top of media conglomerate, Waystar Royco. But the actor Brian Cox has lived on both ends of the wealth gap and his latest passion project, How the Other Half Live is a two-part television show exploring money itself. He speaks to James about his own upbringing and how it shaped him. How the Other Half Live was first broadcast on Channel 5 in November 2022 and is available to watch on the catch-up service, My5.

Ever since he arrived on our screens in the early noughties, illusionist Derren Brown’s dramatic television stunts routinely generated controversy, with complaints originating from sources as diverse as the GMB union, church groups and on one occasion, the police. But they were never upheld. Derren speaks to James about the humanity at the heart of his craft and what led him to it. His latest stage performance, Showman runs from December 9 2022 – March 18 2023 and is his most personal show to date.

How does a shy little boy go on to perform to arenas brimming with thousands of screaming fans? Martin Kemp of Spandau Ballet fame speaks to James about how his life was transformed by a local drama school teacher and how it led him to the dizzying heights of rockstar fame. Martin's book, Ticket to the World is a celebration of 80s culture from one man at the centre of it all.

Hey listener, we’ve got a new LBC podcast that we think you’d like called Sweeney Talks with old-school reporter, John Sweeney. John is trouble. He's taken on Vladimir Putin, challenged Donald Trump, and after months of uncovering hard truths in Ukraine, he’s back. John is never silent about what he’s experienced. Sweeney talks, and in this podcast, so do his guests. John speaks to people like him, who are not prepared to be part of the silent majority. They refused to toe the line, and have found themselves in trouble. Big trouble. Activists, agitators, heroes… or villains. You decide. Listen and subscribe to Sweeney Talks on Global Player. https://www.globalplayer.com/podcasts/42KuWd/ Go to Global Player for exclusive bonus episodes where John offers candid reflections on what he's discovered during each interview, what surprised him and what we can learn from it all. https://www.globalplayer.com/podcasts/42KuWb/ Download it from the App Store or go to globalplayer.com

Adrian Chiles has graced our television screens for over two decades. On this episode of Full Disclosure he discusses the pressures of being in the public eye, his Brummie background and his difficulties with alcohol. His latest book, The Good Drinker is out now.

Noel Fitzpatrick is the face of Channel 4's hugely popular factual series, The Supervet. As well as a being a vet Noel has worked as an actor, appearing in Heartbeat and The Bill in the early 2000s. He speaks to James about his life and love for animals. He also speaks bravely to James about his experience of being sexually abused as a child.