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We've all heard of Long John Silver, Blackbeard and Captain Jack Sparrow - but a new pirate will soon be taking to the high seas.Hugh Grantleads the star-studded cast of Aardman's newest film 'The Pirates, In An Adventure with Scientists', which also features the voices ofDavid Tennant,Salma HayekandImelda Staunton. The film's director,Peter Lord, came in to speak to us this morning.
The Band Perryare Nashville's newest sensations. BrothersNeilandReidand big sisterKimberleyhave been described as "the hardest working band in country music" which might explain how they've managed to sell more than a million copies of their debut album. They joined Bill and Susanna on the sofa to talk about their self titled album.
The stars of the hugely successful children's TV show 'Press Gang' have been re-united for a new film. 'Wild Bill' centres around a recently released convict who returns home to find his teenage sons fending for themselves after being abandoned by their mum.Dexter Fletchersteps behind the camera for the first time to direct the London gangster story with his good friendCharlie Creed-Milesplaying the eponymous character.
We've hadDavid Walliamsswimming the Thames,Andrew Flintofftrying to eat a muffin in record breaking speed andHelen Skeltontrekking to the South Pole. Now, it's the turn of comedianFrank Skinnerto attempt something equally outrageous. The people at Sport Relief asked Frank to swim 25 metres. Seemingly not a massive challenge, but that's until you consider the fact that Frank's petrified of swimming!
ViolinistDavid Garrettis one of the finest musicians of his generation. He played his first major concert, just over 20 years ago, when he was just ten years old. In recent years he's also recorded cross-over albums, including arrangements of Nirvana, Aerosmith and Led Zeppelin. But now David has moved back to his first love, classical music, with a new album -Legacy.
If you're going to the cinema, there are some essentials you have to stock up on: not just tickets, but popcorn and a drink. But it all adds up, and after being banned from bringing in his own food a man in America is taking his local cinema chain to court. You could pay nearly five pounds for a bucket of popcorn in some cinemas. Film criticKaren KrizanovichandAndrew Myerswho's the CEO of the Everyman Cinemas chain were on the sofa to talk about whether cinemas which charge so much are just being greedy?
She's got a sleek blond hair do and is perfectly groomed and we're reliably told it takes hours to makeElizabethlook so glam. But she's no model; Elizabeth is a seven year old Lhasa Apso who's been crowned queen of the dog world - walking off with the title of Best in Show at this year'sCrufts Dog Show. She joined Bill and Sian with her proud owner,Margaret Anderson.
Sir David Frostis one of the finest broadcasters this country has ever produced. He pioneered the satire boom of the early sixties with That Was the Week That Was. A decade on, he went on to conduct a remarkable series of interviews with disgraced US President Richard Nixon, which have been voted the best in the history of TV. Now in a new one off programme,Frost On Interviews, Sir David analyses the art of interviewing and looks at how it has developed over the past 50 years
Most people would agree that happiness is an important part of life. But is it so important that we should have a Minister in charge of our mental health at the heart of government? That's whatLord Layardis calling for. He is a leading economist who's been looking into ways of improving levels of happiness in the UK for the last ten years. He joined us this morning along withAilsa Harrisonwho's suffered from depression and anxiety.
It's been fifty years sinceDame Daphne Sheldrickfirst began rescuing orphaned baby elephants in Kenya. Since then she has campaigned tirelessly for an end to poaching and for better wildlife conservation. Despite that the number of elephants in Africa is falling as illegal ivory hunting continues. Now she's written a book about her work,An African Love Story.
If someone said to you 'is this a dagger which I see before me?' would you know which Shakespeare play the quote was from? It is, of course, Macbeth. The makers of a new film,The Tragedy of Macbeth, believe that many young people won't recognise the quote. The film starsHannah Taylor GordonandOliver Tobiaswho came into Breakfast to tell us more.
As the bassist for Blur,Alex Jameshad an exciting life and the adoration of millions. But when the band split in 2003 he gave it all up and moved to the countryside to become a cheese maker. It might seem like a strange choice but after learning the ropes, Alex now has a full range of cheeses, some of which have won awards. He describes the transition from Britpop poster boy to cheese-maker in his new book 'All Cheeses Great and Small'.
British engineering, technology and design has given the world the iPad, The Gherkin and the wings of the Airbus A380. But there's concern the UK could soon lose its place at the cutting edge of innovation. So theQueen Elizabeth Prizehas been launched. It's offering a million pounds to anyone who makes significant advances in engineering and nominations open today. One of the judges of the award,Professor Brian CoxandDr Eleanor Stride, an engineer from the University of Oxford, came into Breakfast to tell us more.
WhenJeremy Howe'swife was murdered in a senseless attack almost 20 years ago, he not only had to cope with his own grief, but also had to help his two young daughters deal with the loss of their mother. His moving memoir,Mummydaddy, tells the story of how he and his girls pieced their lives back together bit by bit.
The Ting Tingsburst onto the music scene four years ago with their debut album, which went straight to number one and produced the hitsShut Up And Let Me GoandThat's Not My Name. Now after two years of touring the world, the band is back trying to repeat their success with the second album, Songs FromNowheresville.
Having transformed his life from a nightclub bouncer to an award winning rock 'n' roll star,Meat Loafmade one of the biggest selling records of all timeBat Out of Hellalong the way. But he says his new albumHell in a Handbasketis the most personal album he's ever made.
Ahead of the biggest night in British Music theBrit Awards- the winner of the Critics Choice -Emeli Sandespoke to us before performing live from the studio. Her new albumOur Version of Eventsis out now and she'll be touring the UK from April 4th.
The award-winning children's authorPatrick Nessspoke about why he believes the dark tales in his books are so popular with young people. His new bookA Monster Callsis out now.
And from one of the most popular sitcoms of the nineties -Pauline Quirke, Linda RobsonandLesley Josephwere on the sofa. It's been fourteen years sinceBirds of a Featherended and now they are back playingTracey, SharonandDorienfor a stage version. The tour starts on the 6th March at the New Theatre in Cardiff.
Many people would feel comfortable giving food, clothes or even money to a complete stranger, but what about a kidney? That's exactly what racing commentator and former jockeyRichard Pitmanhas just done, making him one of only 90 people in the UK to donate to an unknown patient. He came in to the studio to tell Bill and Susanna why he did it.
Here's a bit of romance for Valentine's Day - there aren't many couples in the world of showbiz who celebrate their 40th wedding anniversary. The composerCarl Davisand the actressJean Bohttake great pride in their four decades together, despite their demanding careers.
Little Red Riding Hood, Goldilocks and the Three Bears, Jack and the Beanstalk are just some of the traditional fairy tales that have been read to children for years. But future generations might not know anything about them. It appears some parents have decided they're not suitable for young ears. Children's authorChris Priestleywas on the sofa to tell us more.
It's 60 years since the film Singing in the Rain was released. It's been enjoyed by millions ever since and now the classic story is enjoying a revival with the latest stage version returning to the West End of London. Filling the shoes of the original stars Gene Kelly and Debbie Reynolds are two talented performers,Adam CooperandScarlett Strallen.
Ben Fogleisn't one to shrink from a challenge. Over the years, he's been cast away on a remote Scottish island and rowed the Atlantic with James Cracknell. Now he's taken up a new and scary pastime - in the two part documentary, Swimming With Crocodiles.
Events are taking place across the world to celebrate the 200th birthday ofCharles Dickens. Among those paying special tributes with books about him are his great, great, great grand daughter,Lucinda Dickens Hawksley, and the actorSimon Callow, who's performed many times as Dickens.
From the safety and warmth of our studio we kept in touch with the intrepidBlue Peterpresenter,Helen Skelton, during her successful polar challenge forSport Relief.After walking, kite-skiing and cycling 500 miles across the Antarctic to the South Pole, and surviving temperatures of -48 degrees celsius, she came in to tell us all about her latest adventure.
Dawn Frenchwas one half of a hugely successful double act before she endeared herself to viewers wearing a dog collar inThe Vicar of Dibley. Now Dawn has just finished the second series of 'Roger and Val Have Just Got In'. She joined Bill and Sian to let us know what to expect from the programme.
Maziar Baharileft London in June 2009 to cover Iran's presidential election, believing he'd return to his pregnant fiancée, just a few days later. In fact the journalist would spend the next three months in Iran's most notorious prison, enduring brutal interrogation sessions, while terrible threats were made to his family. He's now written about his ordeal in a book called 'Then They Came for Me'.
SingerHeather Novahas always been able to draw on interesting experiences for her work; she grew up on a sailboat in Bermuda and spent some time squatting in a house in West London. Her new album is called '300 Days at Sea' and one of the songs was inspired by the Indonesian tsunami of 2004.
eBooks are continuing to grow in popularity, with more people than ever choosing to read their chosen novels digitally. But not everyone's a fan of the new technology. Now one best-selling American novelist,Jonathan Frantzen, has spoken out against them -- claiming they're damaging society. AuthorsLouise VossandEwan Morrisoncame into Breakfast to talk about the rise of the eReader.
When someone goes to prison, it can be a tough time for their families and partners. Now their lives are being explored in a new BBC drama calledPrisoners' Wives, which starts tonight. Writer of the series,Julie Gearey, and one of the stars of the drama,Emma Rigby, spoke to Bill and Sian about the new series. They were joined by andSharon Harrop, who is a member of the Partners of Prisoners And Families Support Group.
The writerDavid Seidlerwon an Oscar last year for his screenplayThe King's Speech- but it was a script that almost never happened. It was originally meant for the stage before he rewrote it for the cinema. Thankfully though, it made it, and paved the way for the play, which will be performed for the first time in just over a week. David came into Breakfast alongside the directorAdrian Nobleto tell us more.
In a remarkable project,a cloak of gold, spun using silk taken from more than a million spiders will go on display at the Victoria and Albert museum tomorrow. The silk was harvested from the Golden Orb spider which lives in the highlands of Madagascar. The designers,Simon PeersandNick Godleyexplained to Bill and Sian the remarkable procedure to extract the silk.
In the late sixties two French brothers crossed the channel and introduced us Brits to the world of gastronomy. The result was Le Gavroche which soon became the first ever three-starred Michelin restaurant outside France. They are of course theRoux brothers,AlbertandMichel. After conquering the world of cuisine the brothers passed their wealth of culinary knowledge to their sons,AlainandMichel Jnr. All four were on the sofa this morning to talk about the new series,The Roux Legacyon the Good Food Channel.
The story of the Crusades is remembered as a tale of religious fanaticism and violence, a war between Christians and Muslims for control of the Holy Land in the Middle Ages. A new three part series,The Crusades, uses new evidence and eyewitness testimony to shed fresh light on how two of the world's great religions waged war in the name of God. HistorianDr Thomas Asbridgepresents the series and came into Breakfast this morning to tell us more.
This morning in London, the nominees for this year's BAFTA awards have been announced. So, who's hot and who's not? Arts Correspondent Lizo Mzimba was at BAFTA's headquarters in Piccadilly to find out with a little help fromDaniel Radcliffe!
Scott was recognised as a great English explorer, but a new series starting on the BBC this weekend will look at the impact of four great Scottish explorers.The Last Explorersfollows the footsteps of four men who made important discoveries in Japan, Africa, America and Antarctica. The presenterNeil Oliverwas lucky enough to visit these places and joined Bill and Sian on the sofa to talk about the experience.
Since the days of Lassie, Born Free and National Velvet, animals have been taking star billing in films. Some four-legged creatures are stealing the limelight in two Oscar-tipped new movies.Uggieis the nine year old Jack Russell who is starring inThe Artist. He came into Breakfast with his trainerOmar Von Mulleralong withSamantha Dentwho trained the riders and equine stars of Steven Spielberg's new filmWar Horse.
Classical violin performances are usually only heard in concert halls, but not when performed byTasmin Little. She's performed in prisons, hospitals, factories and even on an oil rig. She came into the studio this morning to give Breakfast an exclusive performance.
Charles Dickensis one of the world's greatest writers, so how do you go about finishing a story that he started? That was the challenge taken on by the team behind the BBC's adaptation ofThe Mystery of Edwin Drood.Freddie Fox, who playsEdwin Drood, and the drama's writerGwyneth Hugheswere on the sofa to talk about the project.
There's a new celebrity challenge in town - and it involves cup cakes! ForThe Great Sport Relief Bake Offtwelve well known faces will pick up their aprons and get baking - judging them areMary BerryandPaul Hollywood.