She’s got one of the most famous voices on the planet (if you’re under five, or a parent), and now she’s got her sights set on a Christmas number one. We’re joined by Peppa Pig herself, AKA 17-year-old voice artist Harley Bird.
Alison doesn’t want a lot for Christmas. There is just one thing she needs. And we made her wish come true!
This year Alison got to spend a day with the reigning Queen of Christmas... aka Mariah Carey.
"To have written a holiday song like this, that is endorsed, means so much, because I love the holidays"
Mariah on All I Want for Christmas Is You
In the last of our Anton's Christmas Angel's series, Anton meets April Austen, who’s always dreamed of being a West End star - so what does Anton have up his sleeve?
At just 16 years old, a young boy skipped school to appear on a TV talent show New Faces. Nearly 45 years later, that young boy is one of the country’s greatest TV comedy stars, Sir Lenny Henry.
"It took 60 years to live and two years to write. I wrote it on planes, my house in London, the publishers. I spoke it, I wrote it, I banged a computer, I stared at a typewriter until my brain bled and I just got it all out. And then I had to send it to my family. My family were very tricky, because they weren’t used to me being this honest about anything, because comedy, you make it up."
Lenny Henry
The legendary comedian joins us in the studio following the release of his long-awaited memoir Who Am I, Again? to talk about his rocky road to stardom and how he’s survived four decades in showbiz.
Following his recent Golden Globe nomination, we’re joined by acting royalty Brian Cox who, after 54 years in the industry, admits he’s finally arrived at his perfect role: playing media mogul, Logan Roy in the hit HBO drama Succession.
“I remember, I had Mayor Bloomberg, I just did a show on Broadway and he came to see the show. It’s set against a background of Vietnam and he was saying, ‘I was all ready to go to Vietnam, yeah I was absolutely ready’. He said ‘Mind you, I would never have gone as a private, only as a lieutenant.’ And I thought, ‘That says it all.’ It’s that sense of entitlement of, I am who I am. And that’s kind of scary when you meet it head on.”
Brian Cox
The titan of stage and screen joins us on the sofa, ahead of the show’s third series next year.
"One of the girls on the show, she sang her own song about the insecurities that she feels as a young girl.
And it really affected me, and I just went up there and hugged her, and I just wanted her to know - do you know what, you're gonna get through it."
Leona Lewis
It was the competition that changed her life. In 2006 Leona Lewis was propelled to stardom after winning The X Factor, and almost 13 years later she’s returning to where it all began - only this time she’s behind the table. Guest judge Leona is searching for the next pop band to dominate the charts in The X Factor: The Bands.
“When I did the show, 13 years ago, I really loved getting the constructive feedback from the different artists that we worked with every week. So it was important for me to kind of tell them what my experience was going through the show.”
Leona Lewis
Leona joins us ahead of the show’s second episode to tell us how she feels about returning to where it all began, why this series is different from any previous ones, and to sing us a verse of one of our favourite Christmas songs!
"It makes you think about the way you deal with people at work. When I ask them to do something, am I asking them in a way that’s respectful? Or am I asking in a way that’s abusing my power?"
Ben Miller
Sticks and stones may break my bones but... work colleagues will never hurt me? It’s the tagline to ITV’s new psychological drama Sticks and Stones, which explores the world of middle management and workplace bullying.
From the team behind Doctor Foster, the series begins next week and sees stars Ben Miller and Susannah Fielding deal with a fragile colleague who says he’s being bullied.
