Yes yes it's Friday and another week done. Distinctly dodgy one health wise but I'm not sure you'd have noticed that; no passing presenters hauled in to fill in and no need to resort to extra long songs just yet.

Very short blog yesterday and far more posts. Hmmm. Maybe I should just write less and see what happens? My publisher might not want me to draw too many conclusions from that...

So 2 kids abed, one kid to school and we set off on the trip towards the ARF with a jolly jaunt to 5Live. We're into the season of movie show disruption however. Today we do the show live-streamed from 2 for an hour, it'll be a podcast from 4 and broadcast at 9. I hope that sounds clear. The main radio airwaves (and digital equivalents) are needed for the tennis and who can argue with that when you get matches like Nadal vs Rosol yesterday? Sportsmen and women rarely get days when everything they try comes off but the fifth set for the Czech seemed to be precisely that. In the zone indeed.

So then we need one of your fine choices to kick the Drivetime all requester off, a song to explode out of the radio and batter everyone into submission. Gentle and subtle is not quite what we are after.

Have a nifty and elegant Friday, see you at 5 (and online on 2 etc).

Late blog, life getting in the way. I'll be brief!

Loved the chat with Celia Imrie yesterday. What a woman! Very funny, very smart, very talented. And she was in Star Wars. As I mentioned on the show 'which member of Calendar Girls was in Star Wars?' has to be quite a good quiz question at the very least. In the run of form she's in, that dame-hood can't be far away. It also sounds right. Case closed, point proven.

Today it's Nige's fancy swiss roll. Presumably it won't just be the way my mum used to buy it, though rolled up sponge with stuff inside seems to be what it is, however you tart it up. A fattening treat anyway; I'll eat it so you don't have to.

Oldies please on LIES AND CHEATS. We've heard much in the last few hours of the bankers who have been up too nefarious activities so let's serenade with a few carefully selected tunes.

Have a sprightly and athletic Thursday! See you after 5.

And hi to Lilac Blue!

Enjoyed myself yesterday. It was admittedly unwise to claim I could beat the rest of the team in a 100 meter sprint, but apart from that, a good day (maybe my gastric condition will have to last a little longer). Sitting next to Glenn Frey as he sang "Take It To The Limit" was a memorable few moments. Here was a voice I'd listened too for 4 decades, still sounding great and being charming at the same time. He seemed pleased to be sitting at Elton's piano and still energised by the songwriting and recording process. Wish we could have put the songs on the podcast but sadly that can't be done so iplayer is where you have to go to listen again.

Today its Celia Imrie, one of the many stars of "The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel". Alongside Dames Judi Dench and Maggie Smith, Tom Wilkinson and Dev Patel, it really is a 'feel good' film. And a feel good film because of the charachter's refusal to fade into the darkness and just 'retire'; they all think there is something they still have to contribute/experience. Touching and funny was the verdict from this house and you can hear Celia discuss this and Calendar Girls, Acorn Antiques etc from 6.

And so oldies please on a HOTEL theme. Whichever aspect of hotel life you fancy but it's a pretty rock'n'roll subject I think.

Have a Tiffany-twisted, cool-wind-in-your-hair kind of Wednesday. See you after 5.

So the GP says I can go to work unless I'd rather not. I say I'd rather work thank you. No I haven't been travelling or met exotic animals or birds. A bug it is then. Drink water and take it easy (as The Eagles would say, more of them in a minute). So this is what I am doing. I would rather have a coffee but I'm told that won't help. Same for alcohol and fruit. Bland is the way forward, disappointingly. Thanks for the get well messages, hopefully no one noticed a thing on air. No emergency segues were needed, we kept calm and, well you know the rest.

Today we welcome (in an excited state) the arrival of Glenn Frey to the show. We play his wonderful Eagles tunes with great regularity and his solo stuff is still requested loads. Now he has an album of 14 standards out which take us through the song writing skills of Brian Wilson, Nat King Cole, Dinah Washington and Tony Bennett. He's dedicated it to his parents but the real impetus for the album was Clint Eastwood. He asked him to sing at a party and to try something from the 40's. It went down so well, it was just a matter of time before this album took shape. Glenn will sing tonight and an Eagles standard is promised too.

And oldies please on the theme of SPORTS DAY. 'Tis the season for parents to be rehearsing either their excuses or their sprinting skills, while the children take part in non-competitive, vaguely energetic 'activities'. Some schools did "World Sports Day' yesterday, others have all the fun still to come. Your top sports day tunes please.

Have a groovy and cool Tuesday, see you after 5

Hello and greetings from the estate. Or to be more accurate, my sickbed within the estate. I have spent most of the weekend indisposed, I will spare you the details. The GP may have a few things to say before the show but assuming he gives the all clear, all will be well. Well, nearly well anyway.

Plenty of time to catch up on reading then, so let me mention again our book choice which is "The Age Of Miracles" by Karen Thompson Walker. She's a former book editor at a publisher's and wrote the book early in the morning before work, sometimes on the subway. It's about 'the slowing' of the earth- it's spinning has, inexplicably, started to slow down resulting in longer days. Gravity and tides are thrown into chaos; life in general is about to change for ever. We see this through the eyes of 11 year old Julia, an only child and keen observer of friends, family and the increasing chaos of the world outside. Read a chapter here! Then hear Kate after 6. There'll be a webchat too, once she's finished on air.

And oldies today please (as seems annually appropriate) on the joys of WIMBLEDON. The best way to forget the nonsense and disappointment of the football is to enjoy an iconic festival of sport from SW19. Your tennis,tantrum and strawberry based tunes please.

Have a jolly and spirited Monday, see you (GP willing) at 5.

Friday again my goodness.That was a quick one and a weekend of promise awaits (I think that means I can't remember anything that I'm supposed to be doing but someone will tell me soon). No school run, no art to watch, no exam results to wait for, just sleeping students who are unlikely to be up before the ARF kicks in. I can't remember the last time I slept beyond 7am but that's what a few years on the breakfast shift can do.

It's a 2 show Friday today starting with movies at 2 on 5L. Special guest today is Andrew Garfield who is the new Spiderman in The Amazing Spiderman. And very good he is too. I can't think of any 28 year old actor who could so convincingly be a school kid and then climb buildings. And he is a delight to interview: charming, humble and surprisingly English. Having been brought up in Surrey but born in the USA, his accents are spot on and I think he will win audiences over. Whether it makes the same impact as the last Toby Maguire-based Spiderman is open to question but we are planning a family trip at the earliest opportunity. Go Spidy.

And your All Request Friday awaits at 5. Go on, pick something fabulous.

Have a riveting and sparkly Friday. See you at 5.

Late blog due to meetings and wandering around child 2's final year art show. I missed this due to radio commitments of course but needed to see it before it was taken down and everything disappeared into parent's attics and cupboards. Once your kid's art starts leaving the fridge and has to be displayed in an architecture park, your artistic criticism is limited in its usefulness. But it was, nevertheless, brilliant and will be urging The Culture Show to visit immediately.

It is a fascinating, thrilling and still depressing moment when you realise you can't really help with homework anymore. Sure you can generally advise, but actually help whilst knowing the answer is something else altogether. And I was rubbish at art at school so my adult life has been spent (amongst other things) catching up with those who weren't. I used to walk into the National Gallery once a week, select 2 paintings, learn about them, buy the postcards and...put them on the fridge. So the refrigerator is still the best place to display masterpieces after all.

Today it is Nigel's turn again and he has another piece of Indian superfood for us. He cooked from Gurpareet Bains' last cookbook and I use it all the time (huge exaggeration) at home so this will be something to look forward to.

And songs please. Now Team GB have unveiled their motto for the Olympics which is 'Better Never Stops'. Hmmm. Really, really not sure about that. Incorrect, poor grammar, confusing in my opinion. So tunes please with BETTER MOTTOS THAN TEAM GB. Any song title that might be an improvement on 'better never stops' is welcome. Over to you, there is no consultancy fee.

Have a sweet and gorgeous Thursday, see you after 5

Good morning bloggers, new and vets. A sunny morning (enjoying it while we can) and this house's last exam of the summer. Hooray! A level English is done and dusted this lunchtime and good riddance to Gatsby, Corelli and Satan who have plagued our recent weeks and months. Piles of notes, sweet wrappers and water bottles are littered around the assorted revision points of the house and I imagine a massive clear-out is on the way. Goodbye to all that and hello to the long student summer of distant memory *wistful sigh*.

Last minute revision is tricky when the house is full of folk watching/cheering/shouting/gasping at the football. The usual agonies of a football summer will continue till Sunday at least and it's a fun journey to be on. At least Drivetime doesn't clash with football anymore and Sally can calm down and carry on.

Today we welcome Patricia Hodge to the show who is about to star in a play called Dandy Dick which is off on tour around the UK, starting in Brighton. She is of course Miranda's mother opposite Miranda Hart on TV and she seems to have cornered the ice maiden from the upper classes. Her TV dramas include Mary Fisher in The Life and Loves of a She-Devil and the title role in Jemima Shore investigates...and it will be great to have her on the show.

And for our oldies, we need DRESS CODE TUNES please. The fashion police are out in force at Ascot where a tough new set of rules are in operation; no fascinators, skirts of modest length, shirts and ties and morning suits. No bare shoulders obviously, no strapless off the shoulder and halter neck dresses. All midriffs to be totally covered at all times. Songs for the fashion police please.

Have a well-tailored, appropriately covered Wednesday. See you at 5.

Lovely sunny school run, cheerful banter about tonight's football and the imminent marking/return of exam papers. Flags now turning up in a few places, adding to the post-Jubilee and pre-Olympic bunting and I was thinking that les enfants will have a lot to remember about this summer. Not the weather clearly as the grot returns tomorrow, but everything else seems pretty sparkly.

Really enjoyed yesterday and Sir Ken was just delightful. He manages to combine charm and talent in a way that is remarkable. He would have been happy to stay and talk longer I think; he looks great and the knighthood has really made him proud and settled. Oh, and the new Wallender is terrific stuff. Let's hope he's back soon!

Today we welcome Martin Fry of ABC to Drivetime. I reckon there are a few of you who will have purchased "The Lexicon of Love" in 1982. It was one of those albums that everyone seemed to have. Produced by Trevor Horn, it seemed to be everywhere; All of My Heart, Poison Arrow, The Look of Love, almost every track was played non-stop. There were more hits of course but 1982 and 1983 was a great time for Martin Fry. He has continued to sing and record and wear his gold lamé jacket. Please wear yours for today's show.

And so lets do SONGS OF THE ALPHABET defined in any way you wish.

Have a remarkable and sparkly Tuesday. See you after 5.

And a jolly good Monday to you all. My weekend highlight was to pass away a few hours at Bristol Parkway station where, having missed a train, I got to spend an hour or so with the assorted crisp wrappers and discarded crusts that seem very popular there. We blew away a small space and perched,not breathing, for as long as we could manage. This was on the way back from the Cheltenham Science Festival which was a hoot and met loads of listeners and listener's children. And in a few cases,their children's children. I was, by some way, the least scientific person there but we all got along fine and I got to give Robert Winston a book (my book obviously otherwise that would be stupid). He said he would read it and apparently was seen doing just that yesterday.

And father's day brought chocolate, sherbet lemons and a mug with (wait for it) the periodic table on it. Just in case I need to check my transition metals and noble gasses.

And today (after watching the new Spiderman film) we welcome the freshly knighted SIR Kenneth Brannagh! Yes it's really him! The star of so many films (most recently My Week With Marylin) and director (most recently Thor) is talking Scandinavian cop hit Wallender and sundry matters. So oldies then for THE NEWLY KNIGHTED. KNIGHTS and DAMES are the lowest form of nobility but it sounds pretty darn good to the rest of us. Some love the SIR (Ben Kingsley), some hate it (Ridley Scott), but we salute them all (morning Sir Terry, a secret blog reader).

Have a sane and coherent Monday. See you after 5.

Greetings bloggers. A lovely Friday beckons, weather notwithstanding (I have no basis for this statement and there is more evidence to the contrary. But I make it anyway). Child 1 should be returning to the fold which will be lovely but means we will all have to rearrange our places in the house. Just when you're used to them not being there, they're back. More food required. A lot more food required. Then, just as we get used to being 5 again, child 1 will upsticks and we'll be 4 again. Then 3 (repeat to fade).

Top book launch with Jeremy Vine last night. JV has written a book on his 25 years at the BBC and the room was awash with the nations finest journos: Jon Sopel, Steve Richards, Jonathan Friedland, Justin Webb etc Politicians like IDS and top radio talent like Ken Bruce and Sir Bob Harris. Tim Vine made a hilarious speech which, I can inform you, had IDS in stitches. Haven't read JV's book but it sounds packed with tasty morsels (just done the maths and realised I've been with the BBC for 30 years. I've missed a trick.)

2 shows today and first up it's movies on 5L and guests Robert Pattinson and David Cronenberg who are star and director of Cosmopolis which is out today. We recorded the piece a week back,but there is a frisson in the room when a top heartthrob is in the room (a bit like hanging out with Ken Bruce) and can report R Patz was charming and suave.

Then the ARF for R2 and looking forward to it already. No restrictions for today's opening tune, just the best you can possibly think of to set everyone off in the best possible spirit. Over to you bloggers and blogvets...

Have an organised and waste free Friday. See you after 2&5

Good morning to all bloggers, those who are new and those who have been around for awhile. The blogvets, a years service required. But everyone welcome of course.

Enjoyed yesterday, Tony Parsons always a good listen. In a rather lovely gesture, he bought me a book. He had seen that I had tweeted about having reached 90,000 words for Itch 2 and bought me a collection of Ernest Hemingway's musings On Writing. This is a good thing; guests who bring appropriate gifts for their hosts need to be encouraged. Retiring early, I managed a few pages of Hemingway before disappearing to the land of nod. This was nothing to do with the quality of what I was reading, more the onset of a what I thought was the imminent arrival of a cold. This appears to have disappeared for now and I shall plough on, manfully, not mentioning it to anyone. Please keep this to yourselves.

Nigel today of course and today he offers a courgette, pea and tarragon tart for your delight.

And oldies today for tall people. The annual European Convention for Tall People is meeting in Finland. And they need their tunes.

Have a brisk and efficient Thursday, see you after 5

Now something must be up. Things are not right, no not at all. There is a ball-type thing in the sky which appears to be giving out heat and light. There are folklore tales and songs about this sort of thing happening but it seems frankly ridiculous to me. It'll be gone soon and we can all carry on as normal.

What the weather is doing is almost irrelevant however as I have a denouement to write. Last night I clicked over 90,000 words on the new book (Itch 2? Itch Rocks?) and I can finish anytime I like really but there seem to be a few thousand to go. Pretty soon after finishing this here posting, the weary trudge upstairs will mark the beginning of today's tapping of the keyboard. First I will have to make another coffee and then read the entire contents of the internet. Then I might be ready. The procrastination fairy is due any minute.

Today we have author and columnist Tony Parsons on the show, the best selling author of Man And Boy, One For My Baby and My Favourite Wife. His new novel is Catching The Sun about a man who gives up on the UK and moves his family to Phuket, Thailand. They are seeking a paradise to contrast with life in Blighty but, inevitably, it doesn't quite work out the way they were hoping...

And oldies today please on the return of DALLAS to our screens. After a 20 year absence JR, Bobby, Sue Ellen and their amoral Southfork chums are back on TV screens. Choose a song for them all please in the traditional manner.

Have a smart and ingenious Wednesday, see you after 5.

Greetings from the estate, where even the foxes are too wet to bother being a pest. After a morning with top chap Paul Gambaccini, I'd been walking around for so long and got so wet that I had to find a hair dryer to dry my shoes and socks. Body heat seems enough to gently strew the dampness from most clothing but footwear needs stronger action. So I stood in the gym heating my shoes feeling only slightly stupid but, eventually, had toasty feet. An evening in the theatre was on the cards so couldn't face the thought of moist toes. Today is starting in pretty much the same way with that pesky jet stream which is normally doing it's thing much further north but has swung south and is sucking up air and then leaving us with big winds and torrential rain. Thanks a lot.

The theatre trip was to see tonight's guest Omid Djalili in Joe Orton's What The Butler Saw. Haven't seen a farce for years but had a great time with a top cast including Tim McInnerny and Samantha Bond. The full frontal was a shock (I'd gone with child 2) but iI recovered swiftly and pretended nothing had happened. Omid from 6 (he keeps his clothes on).

And oldies please for the oldest yoga teacher in the world who is Tao Porchon-Lynch and is 93. And is flexible and nimble and everything we all want to be now, never mind at 93. Off you go now.

Have a bendy and pliant Tuesday, see you after 5

Well, well here we are again and that drought is really getting out of hand now. Back to work with rivers of precipitation washing the roads clean and clearing the way so helpfully. Hope your week has been splendid and lovely. It was an interesting few days! A Sunday of getting frozen and sodden by the river (and then came the boats to make it all ok), a Monday of being the voice of god on TV (and a Buckingham Palace party with Macca, Tom Hanks, Robbie and assorted royals to make that ok) followed by a few days of Suffolk chips and ale. So that was ok (as was the appearance of Julia40 at the Itch chat in Blythburgh!). I have no idea what's been happening in R2 world but trust all has been well on DT and all the team are all geared up for today.

It is of course true that some will have half an ear on the England/France match which kicks off at 5 and we will have Matt to fill that role for us. So you don't have to. We do have a splendid book for our book club. It's Gold by Chris Cleave and tells the story of Zoe Castle and Kate Meadows who are the world's top two sprint cyclists as they build to the London games. But, it won't surprise you to learn, it's not really about cycling or sport but family, illness, rivalry and relationships. And a great read too, check out a chapter while you're here. Then Chris will be with us from 6.

And oldies please on the subject of FORGETFULNESS. This is, of course, because David Cameron and his wife, Samantha, left their eight-year-old daughter, Nancy, in a pub after having Sunday lunch there a couple of months ago. She is reported to have spent about 15 minutes at the Plough Inn at Cadsden in Buckinghamshire, before Mr Cameron returned to collect her. It is easily done of course. Many of you will have been forgotten or done the forgetting (admittedly without a security team to help count heads) so songs of forgetfulness will work well.

So have a chillaxed and mellow Monday, see you after 5. Yay we are back!

Well first of all many congratulations to Chris and Natasha on the arrival of Eli (7lbs 13 oz I think Chris said). An exciting time for them and for Noah, Chris sounded elated and emotional talking to Alex and David. I did allow myself a twinge of pity for the production team for the 500 Words competition on Breakfast. Hosting an outside broadcast this big is a really tough gig and for Chris to be whisked away at the last minute is a huge deal for everyone to work around. But what a great idea the show is and a real thrill for the children who won the prizes. Only a Radio 2 breakfast show will do this and the stories were wonderful. I've never been to Hay (though putting that right tomorrow) but how terrific that thousands of kids have enjoyed crafting a story with the hope of attending the festival and winning a medal. Even if child 3 is fed up that he's been excluded due to rules and regs. But well done to all winners!

Off to have a word with Robert Pattinson this morning. He and director David Cronenberg are talking about their new film Cosmopolis. There is a frisson around when certain folk hear that RPatz is in the building and people who should know better are all of a tremble. The Pattinson/Cronenberg interview will go out in a fortnight, today's chat is with Sir Ridley Scott the director and producer of Alien, Gladiator and now Prometheus the extraordinary sort-of-prequel to Alien. And I need to see it again very soon just work it all out...

Then the lovely start to the big bank holiday with the ARF. Tales of extravagant plans will fill the airwaves but your opening song is needed. The tune to launch 4 days of royal pageantry/republican sofa-hiding is your call.

Monday I'll be the voice of god for the Jubilee show and then a week off so Liza with you for a few days. Have a preposterous and extravagant Friday. See you after 5