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Zoe's back and chats to Monty Don and Maxine Peake

Zoe chats to Monty about his 'Adriatic Gardens', plus Maxine tells us all about her new BBC One thriller, 'Rules Of The Game'.

Monty Don is on the show chatting all things gardening. More specifically, his new BBC Two show 'Monty Don's Adriatic Gardens'. In Episode 1, which airs on Friday evening at 8pm, Monty travels to Europe and explores the influence of the Venetians on gardening. Visiting a range of public and private gardens, Monty learns about the impact that history, climate change and culture have had on the people who live there.

Monty Don is of course the UK’s leading garden writer and broadcaster. He's been making television programmes for over 30 years, and has been the lead presenter of the BBC’s 'Gardeners’ World' since 2003. Since 2011 the programme has come from his own garden, Longmeadow, in Herefordshire.

Maxine Peake is also on the show, and tells Zoe all about her new BBC One thriller, 'Rules Of The Game', which is a four-part thriller looking at sexual politics in the workplace.
Maxine is best known for playing: Twinkle in the Victoria Wood sitcom 'dinnerladies', Veronica Ball in the comedy-drama 'Shameless', and Grace Middleton in the drama series 'The Village'. In 2017, she starred in the Black Mirror episode 'Metalhead', and has appeared in multiple Theatre productions, most notably playing 'Hamlet' in 2014, at Manchester's Royal Exchange.

Jay Flynn is back with another round of his Virtual Radio Quiz where he tests the team on their general knowledge to see who comes out on top.

Along with Anthony Birchley on news, Richie Anderson on travel and Mike Williams on sport, Zoe and the team have the best start to your morning.

There's also a Pause For Thought from Alan Sorensen, and your calls, voice notes and messages throughout the show.

2 hours, 59 minutes

Last on

Thu 6 Jan 202206:30
BBC Radio 2

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Music Played

  • Wham!

    Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go

    • Fantastic 80's Disc 1 (Various Artis.
    • Columbia.

  • Pete Tong, Riton & Vula

    Love Can't Turn Around (feat. Jules Buckley)

    • Pete Tong + Friends: Ibiza Classics.
    • Ministry Of Sound.

  • Sugababes

    Round Round

    • (CD Single).
    • Island.

  • Daryl Hall & John Oates

    Out Of Touch

    • Collections.
    • Sony.

  • Jocelyn Brown

    Somebody Else's Guy

    • Heart Full Of Soul 2 (Various Artist.
    • Global Television.

  • Take That

    Giants

    • (CD Single).
    • Polydor.

  • Taylor Swift

    Message In A Bottle (Taylor's Version)

    • Red (Taylor's Version).
    • Virgin EMI Records.

  • Tina Turner

    The Best

    • Tina Turner - Simply The Best.
    • Capitol.

  • Just Jack

    Starz In Their Eyes

    • (CD Single).
    • Mercury.

  • Electric Light Orchestra

    Livin' Thing

    • Light Years - The Very Best Of ELO.
    • Epic.

  • Yola

    Dancing Away In Tears

    • Stand For Myself.
    • Easy Eye Sound.
    • 2.

  • Level 42

    Lessons In Love

    • Now That's What I Call Music '86.
    • Now.

  • Sam Feldt & Rita Ora

    Follow Me

    • (CD Single).
    • Palm Tree Records.

  • Blondie

    Heart Of Glass

    • Billboard Top Hits: 1979 (Various).
    • Rhino.
    • 13.

  • Tears for Fears

    Everybody Wants To Rule The World

    • Rule The World: The Greatest Hits.
    • Virgin EMI Records.
    • 4.

  • Joel Corry

    I Wish (feat. Mabel)

    • About Last Night....
    • Polydor.

  • The Crystals

    Da Doo Ron Ron

    • The Best Of The Crystals.
    • Phil Spector Int.

  • Harry Styles

    Golden

    • Fine Line.
    • Columbia.

  • Happy Mondays

    Step On

    • Now 17, Part 1 (Various Artists).
    • Now.

  • Westlife

    My Hero

    • Wild Dreams.
    • Warner Music.

  • Pat Benatar

    Hit Me With Your Best Shot

    • Pat Benatar Greatest Hits.
    • Capitol.

  • Cameo

    Word Up

    • Platinum - The Definitive R&B Collection (Various Artists).
    • Universal Music TV.

  • Coldplay

    Higher Power

    • Music Of The Spheres.
    • Parlophone.

  • Black Box

    Ride On Time

    • Fantastic 80's - 3 (Various Artists).
    • Sony Tv/Columbia.

  • Snap!

    Rhythm Is A Dancer

    • Holiday Hits: Non Stop Euro Pop (Var).
    • Virgin.

  • UB40

    Red Red Wine

    • Now 1983 - The Millennium Series.
    • EMI.

  • Morgan Wade

    Wilder Days

    • Reckless.
    • Ladylike Records.

  • The Coral

    In The Morning

    • (CD Single).
    • Deltasonic.

Pause For Thought

Pause For Thought

I love New Year, it’s such a brilliant time! In fact, I’m slightly hesitant to say this, but I suspect that deep down I’m really just an unreconstructed Viking, or Pict or pagan of some sort – because I actually love it more than Christmas! “What?! And you a Christian minister…?” Yep. I love it! Pretty well every culture has some kind of new year festival, but we Scots do claim to have the best one, so we call it Hogmanay. Of course, it’s just our version of what everybody else does – have a party, eat (steak pie compulsory), drink, sing, get weepy over the folk who aren’t with us any longer, promise ourselves we’ll get our act together next year, eat some more, drink some more, party some more and have another wee silent tear. Oh, and then party some more again.

One tradition we always followed when I was a boy was that at 2 minutes to midnight, I was sent out the door with a bottle and some shortbread or something to wait till I heard the sound of everybody in the street shouting “Happy New Year!” and the hooters from the ships on the Clyde. Then I had ring the door bell and pretend I was a visitor. Yes…my folks were mad! But many people did this – it was just to make sure that the “first foot” – the first person across the door in the New Year - wasn’t someone who turned up empty handed. And to this day, I still watch to see who’s my first foot. See - pagan superstitions!

But it’s the symbolism of New Year that makes it so special for me, it is sooo perfectly aligned with all that I believe about God: the light beginning to overcome darkness; a new start, the past is officially gone; and a time when there’s so much love, so much hugging (in a covid safe way, of course!), my dad even used to kiss my mum at midnight! Oh, and having a party - at the darkest time… 2022 could be good, could be a disaster, could be both simultaneously! For me – I’ll hang on to these beliefs that each day is a new year, and a time to trust in the light…and, of course, to celebrate!

Broadcast

  • Thu 6 Jan 202206:30
    BBC Radio 2