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Helen Downie and Dr Christian Jessen

Chris speaks to Olympic mum Helen Downie, who's rooting for her daughters, gymnasts Ellie and Becky, in Rio. Plus, Chris checks in with Dr Christian Jessen.

Chris speaks to Olympic mum Helen Downie, who's rooting for her gymnast daughters, Ellie and Becky in Rio. Plus, Chris checks in with Dr Christian Jessen and finds out why we get itchy eyes and how we can relieve irritation. We get the latest Olympic action from Mike Williams and there's a Pause for Thought from Methodist Minister Leslie Griffiths.

2 hours, 59 minutes

Last on

Tue 9 Aug 201606:30
BBC Radio 2

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Clips

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Music Played

  • Queen

    Hammer To Fall

    • Queen - Greatest Hits II.
    • Parlophone.

  • ABC

    The Flames Of Desire

    • (CD Single).
    • EMI.
    • 001.

  • The Temptations

    Ain't Too Proud To Beg

    • The Temptations - The Ultimate Collec.
    • Motown.

  • Coldplay

    Clocks

    • (CD Single).
    • Parlophone.

  • Sheryl Crow

    My Favorite Mistake

  • The Banana Splits

    The Tra La La Song (One Banana, Two Banana)

    • Television's Greatest Hits Vol. 5: In Living Color (Various Artists).
    • TVT Records.

  • AC/DC

    Highway To Hell

    • AC/DC - Highway To Hell.
    • Albert.

  • Beverley Knight & Jamie Cullum

    Private Number

    • Soulsville.
    • East West Records.

  • Cliff Richard

    Devil Woman

    • Cliff Richard - 40 Golden Greats.
    • EMI.

  • White Lies

    Take It Out On Me

    • (CD Single).
    • BMG.

  • Steve Winwood

    Valerie

    • Pure Rock Ballads (Various Artists).
    • Polygram Tv.

  • The Police

    Roxanne

    • The Very Best Of Sting & The Police.
    • A&M.

  • Noah and the Whale

    Tonight's The Kind Of Night

    • (CD Single).
    • Mercury.
    • 1.

  • Dean Martin & Helen O’Connell

    How D'Ya Like Your Eggs In The Morning?

    • Cool Couples (Various Artists).
    • Sanctuary.

  • Bastille

    Good Grief

    • (CD Single).
    • Universal Music.

  • Kylie Minogue

    Spinning Around

    • Now 46 (Various Artists).
    • Now.

  • Gary Barlow

    Let Me Go

    • (CD Single).
    • Polydor.

  • Steely Dan

    Reelin' In The Years

    • A Decade Of Steely Dan.
    • MCA.

  • The O’Jays

    Love Train

    • Now 100 Hits 70s (Various Artists).
    • Now.

  • Go West

    We Close Our Eyes

    • Now 1985 - The Millennium Series.
    • EMI.

  • Bellowhead

    Roll The Woodpile Down

    • Broadside.
    • Navigator Records.
    • 003.

  • Vaults

    Midnight River

    • (CD Single).
    • Virgin EMI.
    • 009.

  • Katrina and the Waves

    Walking On Sunshine

    • The Best Summer Ever (Various Artist.
    • Virgin.

  • Calvin Harris

    Summer

    • Now That's What I Call Music! 88.
    • Sony Music.
    • 5.

  • LeAnn Rimes

    The Story

    • (CD Single).
    • Sony Music.
    • 1.

  • Sister Sledge

    We Are Family

    • Disco Fever (Various Artists).
    • Global Television.

  • The Chiffons

    One Fine Day

    • Absolutely The Best!.
    • Ace.

Chris' Pause for Thought: Leslie Griffiths

Chris' Pause for Thought: Leslie Griffiths

From Leslie Griffiths, Methodist Minister:

Harry Potter’s back. Only this time he’s much older. He’s married to Ginny Weasley and they have three kids. Ron Weasley, not be up-staged by his sister, has married Hermione Granger. They’ve two children and, in a nod towards upward mobility, they’ve double-barrelled their names. The rising generation of wand-waving wizards are off to Hogwarts, just as their parents did before them. Poof! They disappear into a pillar at King’s Cross station and we sit back waiting for the adventures, the cliff-hanging moments, the flirtations with danger and death.

It’s the Time-Turner that gets things into gear with the Harry Potter stories. You can buy a replica quite cheaply with its working miniature hour glass and rotating inner rings, all in 24 carat gold and ready to hang around your neck. It’s interesting what devices authors use to transport their readers into the parallel universes and virtual realities they create. Alice walked through her looking glass; the Narnia kids of C.S.Lewis entered a wardrobe; Dr Who’s tardis is well known while the characters of Philip Pullman, in his fantasy trilogy, kept finding a way through invisible membranes. In these various ways, characters leave the real humdrum world with its duties and predictable routines and, by crossing barriers of time and space, enter into one thrilling experience after another.

Our six-year old grandson startled my wife the other day. “Grandma,” he said, “don’t be worried if I’m keeping quiet. It’s just that my head’s exploding with imagination.”

Writers know how to stimulate the imagination. But so too do those who’ve caught glimpses of deeper truth and wider horizons across the ages. “Your old men shall dream dreams and your young men shall have visions” – thus spoke a prophet thousands of years ago. “I have come to help you to live in the most invigorating way possible” – so spoke Jesus himself. With love for our neighbour, and for God, with hope in our hearts, we can squeeze our daily lives for understanding, enjoyment, meaning and delight in ways almost beyond imagining.

All that and good books too. How blessed can you get?

Broadcast

  • Tue 9 Aug 201606:30
    BBC Radio 2

Farewell Chris Evans: The best bits from his last shows at Radio 2

Farewell Chris Evans: The best bits from his last shows at Radio 2

After eight years of hosting the Breakfast Show, Chris Evans leaves Radio 2.

500 Words

500 Words

BBC Radio 2's story-writing competition for kids.