Episodes
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Nicola Adams was one of the stand-out stars of the London Games in 2012 when she became the first woman to win an Olympic boxing gold medal.
And then she won gold again in Rio four years later.
Born into a tough life in Leeds in the early 1980s, Nicola immediately loved enjoyed the discipline she found in boxing at the age of 12.
If her punches have unnerved her opponents in the ring, her charm and winning smile have perhaps been even more disarming.
Her Inheritance Tracks will have you heading straight to the gym.
Inherited: Hustlin' by Rick RossPass on: Sure Thing by Miguel
Producer: Ben Mitchell
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Carrie and David Grant are the BAFTA award-winning power couple, broadcasters and vocal coaches to the stars.
If, like me, you remember the early noughties reality song contest Fame Academy, they were the expert vocal coaches that helped the likes of Lemar find their voice.
Their TV and music career has spanned over 35 years winning them a MOBO award and has seen them write a revealing memoir 'A Very Modern Family' which charts their parenting experiences in a neuro diverse family.
What then will these musical aficionados choose as their shared Inheritance Tracks.
Inherited, Carrie: Moon River by Andy WilliamsInherited, David: Concrete Jungle by Bob Marley and The WailersPassed on: The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face by Roberta Flack
Producer: Ben Mitchell
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Since graduating from Durham University, Ed Gamble has become one of the UK’s most successful stand-up comedians. He’s been a Taskmaster champion, a Pointless host and one of the Hunted on Channel 4.
And his “Off Menu” series with James Acaster is one of the most listened-to podcasts in the UK – where guests choose their ideal meal.
But Ed's own love of food hasn’t always been easy. He has Type One Diabetes...and has spoken, and written, movingly about his complicated relationship with eating and weight.
In an interview a couple of years ago he said: I can’t tell day-to- day whether I’m arrogant or I hate myself, but I think somewhere in-between is absolutely ideal for a comedian.
Inherited: Lady Grinning Soul by David BowiePass on: Black Sabbath by Black Sabbath
Producer: Ben Mitchell
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Adam Kay was born in Brighton to Jewish parents, his father was a doctor and he too went into medicine gynaecology and obstetrics.
After a traumatic experience in the operating theatre, Adam left medicine and wrote his first memoir…This is Going to Hurt. It covered his time as a trainee doctor and became not only a bestseller, but was adapted by him, into the TV series of the same name, starring Ben Whishaw as Adam. He won a BAFTA for his writing.
His most recent memoir, Undoctored, was much, much more personal.
Radically honest in fact - from revealing his previous marriage to a woman before finding love with his now husband, to talking about abuse and having an eating disorder.
He’s also written fact and fiction books for children. explaining some of the more astonishing, and often revolting stories from the world of science and medicine.
Inherited: Franz Schubert's Impromptu Op.90 performed by Llŷr WilliamsPassed on: I Never Do Anything Twice by Stephen Sondheim
Producer: Ben Mitchell
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Rachel Stevens shot to fame as part of the iconic group S Club 7 aged just 19, catapulting her to fame, bringing with it all the glamour, glitz and BRIT Awards.
But it was in 1993 when she first caught the attention of talent agents by winning a modelling contest sponsored by UK teen magazine Just 17, beating 5,000 other competitors.
After a stint studying a business diploma at the London College of Fashion and briefly working in PR – she finally decided to pursue her musical dream.
In her memoir Finding my Voice, Rachel talks about the highs and lows of her life and career, from managing lifelong anxiety to dealing with the loss of friend and S Club bandmate Paul Cattermole.
Inherited: That's What Friends Are For by Dionne Warwick ft. Elton John, Stevie Wonder, Gladys KnightPassed on: I Wanna Dance With Somebody by Whitney Houston
Producer: Ben Mitchell
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The comedian and professional quizzer Paul Sinha, grew up with a surgeon father and a midwife mother. He also became a doctor.
His calling however was comedy and although for a while he was a full-time doctor and a part time comedian making people laugh proved irresistible. He became a household name in 2011, when he joined ITV’s show The Chase as one of the Chasers.
Knowing his encyclopaedic knowledge about so many things, we asked him to share with us the tracks that matter most to him.
Inherited: Uptown Top Ranking by Althea & DonnaPass on: Being Boring by the Pet Shop Boys
Producer: Ben Mitchell
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Danny Robins has created all kinds of shows for TV and radio – often embracing the spookier side of life and death. From the BAFTA-nominated Young Dracula on BBC One to The Cold Swedish Winter on BBC Radio 4. For Danny’s new series of the hit podcast – Uncanny – he’s criss-crossing America with a team of paranormal believers and sceptics as they investigate matters that seem to defy logical explanation. With all that in mind, we were fascinated to know Danny would choose as his Inheritance Tracks.
Inherited: Ride On by Christy MoorePass On: Nightrain by Guns ‘n’Roses
Producer: Ben Mitchell
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10 years ago Marlon James published 'A Brief History of Seven Killings' his bestselling novel which would go onto be awarded the Booker Prize.
Born in Jamaica in 1970 his parents shared with him their passion for poetry and Shakespeare – but Marlon preferred to be in his room reading comics like X-Men...the mutant group who went onto inspire him to write his 'Black Leopard, Red Wolf' trilogy.
For those who haven’t already read it, A Brief History of Seven Killings' is broken up into 5 sections, each named after a different piece of music, and music continues to play a prominent role in his writing life.
In his acceptance speech for the Booker Prize back in 2015 he heralded the likes of Bob Marley for championing Carribean voices saying he was: “The first to recognise that the voice coming out our mouths was a legitimate voice for fiction and for poetry”.
With all that in mind we were fascinated to know what Marlon James’s Inheritance Tracks would be.
Inherited: 54/46 Was My Number by Toots and the MaytalsPassed on: Equinox by John Coltrane
Producer: Ben Mitchell
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Actor Kiell Smith-Bynoe is perhaps best known for playing the non-clairvoyant husband Mike in the BBC One series, Ghosts.
Kiell grew up in East London and his future as a thespian was set in stone when at the age of five he began acting in nativity plays.
He studied acting at East 15 Acting School, and he honed his skills by making musical skits in the early years of YouTube, and can now be seen on stage in 'The Government Inspector' and on our screens as the new host of The Great British Sewing Bee.
Thankfully, his career in acting worked out, as in his own words, “My plan B was to be a grime MC”.
So with that in mind we asked Kiell to share his Inheritance Track with us.
Inherited: Never Too Much by Luther VandrosPassed on: Do You Mind by Kyla
Producers: Eirian Jones and Ben Mitchell
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Reece Shearsmith rose to fame with the darkly comic League of Gentleman.
Since then his fascination with the macabre has led to starring roles on TV and stage, as well as to an enduring writing and acting partnership with Steve Pemberton.
He is currently on our screens with his latest and last series of the genius Inside No9 - and these are his Inheritance tracks.
Inherited: White Christmas by Darlene LovePassing on: Tonight we Fly by The Divine Comedy
Producers: Catherine Powell and Ben Mitchell
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Hilary and Michael are an entertainment power-couple.
Having worked as a leading theatrical agent and producer for many years, with clients including Nigel Havers, Judi Dench and Colin Firth – it was at a glitzy party that Michael first set his eyes on the then actress Hilary Gish
Hilary says of that night...“I was looking for an agent, he was looking for a wife.”
They’ve gone on to have three children together, including the actor and comedian Jack Whitehall, and in recent years they’ve turned their family life into an entertainment empire.
As well as starring in their own Netflix series, hosted TV and theatre chat shows, and co-authored books...their podcast, The Wittering Whitehalls, has added yet another string to the brand Whitehall bow.
So, we invited Michael and Hilary to share their Inheritance Tracks with us...
Michael Inherited: Symphony No.3, the 2nd movement, composed by Sergei RachmaninoffHilary Inherited: Let's Dance by David BowiePassing on: Blue in Green by Miles Davis
Producer: Ben Mitchell
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Jamie Laing found fame in the second series of Made in Chelsea in 2011, and has gone on to rebrand himself several times.
First as a veritable Willy Wonka, as the great great grandson of biscuit mogul Sir Alexander Grant, it is perhaps no surprise that he has created his own line of incredibly successful sweets.
These days he is just as at home in the audio studio as he is on the factory floor, having just been named the new co-host of BBC Radio 1’s Going Home programme, and has been a mainstay in the podcast charts for many years; from NewlyWeds, alongside his wife, to his new interview show Great Company.
What then will he choose as his Inheritance Tracks...
Inherited: Man! I Feel Like A Woman! by Shania TwainPassing on: MMMBop by Hanson
Producers: Ribika Moktan and Ben Mitchell
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Star of TV and radio, Vernon Kay comes from a Northern working-class family. His first job, at 14, was putting stickers on boxes of bananas at a ripening factory…and he also worked as caretaker, deep cleaning schools before his break came as a model.
TV came next with stints on T4 and All-Star Family Fortunes and has recently taken over the mid-morning show on Radio 2.
Last November Vernon ran an Ultra Marathon for Radio 2’s BBC Children in Need fundraiser, 115 miles in just four days, and he raised over £6 million!!!
Married to fellow presenter Tess Daly, they have two daughters...so what’s the music he’ll choose to pass on to them?
Inherited: Allentown by Billy JoelPassing on: You Got The Love by Candi Staton
Producer: Ben Mitchell
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Marcus Brigstocke and Rachel Parris are a funny couple. Quite literally!
The comedians have been regulars on comedy quiz panels, with Parris one of the hosts on the Mash Report, and Brigstocke appearing on many programmes here on Radio 4, including the popular I’ve Never Seen Star Wars amongst countless other shows.
They're new podcast ‘How was it for you?’, offers a peek into the joyful mess that ensues when two comedians live together.
So we were fascinated to see what there joint inheritance tracks would be.
Inherited: Marcus - A Forrest by The Cure Rachel - Building Steam with a Grain of Salt by DJ ShadowPassed on:Together - Buona Sera by Louis Prima
Producer: Eirian Jones and Ben Mitchell
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The Michelin starred chef and restaurateur Angela Hartnett likes crisps, prefers cheese to dessert, and her favourite pasta is spaghetti in a tomato sauce. Simple tastes for someone who’s famous for giving people fine dining experiences.
A protegee of Gordon Ramsay, Angela cheffed in some of the best restaurants in the world before opening her own Murano in Mayfair.
She’s famous and in demand for her TV appearances and hosts the excellent and entertaining podcast Dish along with Nick Grimshaw.
Whilst growing up, she inherited the values of wholesome food and the importance of the family meal from her Italian grandmother. So we askes her to share the music that she’s inherited with us.
Inherited: Simply the Best by Tina TurnerPassed on: Nessun Dorma by Giacomo Puccini, performed by Luciano Pavarotti
Producers: Ben Mitchell and Catherine Powell
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The comedian, podcaster and self described Vibe-Magnet John Robins is an Edinburgh Comedy Award winner whose dry stand up has taken him on several sold out tours, a BBC 5 Live programme with Elis James, and the latest series of Taskmaster.
He openly talks about all aspects of his life, from the ridiculous to the sublime, and has been praised for the way he has discussed the way he has dealt with mental health and his sobriety.
A lover of games and music - what then will he chose for his Inheritance Tracks.
Inherited: Enlightenment by Van MorrisonPassed on: The Wild Kindness (feat. Cassie Berman) by Bill Callahan & Bonnie "Prince" Billy
Producer: Ben Mitchell
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Born in Paris, Liz Bonnin grew up in Ireland where she studied biochemistry at Trinity College Dublin.
She joined an all-girl pop band rather than doing a PhD at Oxford and then came TV, initially on entertainment shows before her real calling pulled her back for a Masters in wild animal biology.
When Liz returned to our tv screens it was as a science presenter; Tomorrow’s World, Bang Goes the Theory, Blue Planet Live....
She’s taken viewers from the Galapagos...to the Jurassic Coast and even Arctic...but where will her Inheritance Tracks lead us today?
Inherited: Amélia by MalavoiPassed on: I'm Every Woman by Chakka Khan
Producer: Ben Mitchell
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Broadcaster Lauren Laverne has, arguably, two of the best jobs in radio - 6 Music’s Breakfast Show and Radio 4’s Desert Island Discs.
Her career in entertainment began though as the lead singer and a guitarist in the band Kenickie and her love of performing and sharing music see's her takes Desert Island Discs to the London Palladium for a series of special live shows.
As someone who encourages people to share the music that shaped their lives we were fascinated to hear her Inheritance Tracks.
Inherited: Now Westlin Winds by Dick GaughanPassed on: Hit or Miss by Odetta
Producer: Ben Mitchell
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Natalie Cassidy has grown up in front of the nation. She was only ten years old when she joined the cast of Eastenders.
Over the last 30 years, her character - Sonia - has become one of the most popular residents of Albert Square, as she’s dealt with a teenage pregnancy, a cancer scare and bereavements.
Natalie had to have music lessons when her character famously took up the trumpet on Eastenders, so let’s see if that has influenced her choices as she selects her Inheritance Tracks.
Natalie is the co-host of the podcast, 'Off The Telly' which is available now.
Producer: Lowri Morgan
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Strictly Come Dancing's longest serving professional dancer Karen Hauer was born in Valencia, Venezula where she lived until the age of eight before moving with her family to the Bronx in New York.
Dance allowed Karen to express herself and at the age of nine she won a scholarship to the Martha Graham School of Contempoary Dance. On the show she has danced with the likes of Will Young and Eddie Kadi.
Music gives Karen inspiration for her dance routines and will be touring the UK with the 'Strictly Come Dancing the Professionals Tour' from May 2024.
Inherited: Don't Speak by No Doubt Pass on: Your Song by Elton John
Producer: Lowri Morgan
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