Private Passions

Conversations about how music influences people's lives AI summary

BBC Radio 3 Visit website › Music · EN · 516 episodes · latest 2026-11-08

Rank 2363

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What it is about

Guests from all walks of life discuss their musical passions and talk about the influence music has had on their lives.

Publisher’s own description, taken unchanged from the podcast feed.
(C) BBC 2026

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Latest episodes

Michael Gove, politician and journalist

2026-11-08 · 53 min

Michael Gove, Lord Gove, has been one of the most prominent figures in British politics over the past two decades.As a Conservative MP, he held senior Cabinet roles, including Education Secretary, Justice Secretary and…
Louise Kennedy, writer

2026-11-01 · 53 min

After working as a chef for 30 years, Louise Kennedy changed course and became a writer. Her first novel Trespasses enjoyed the kind of success every author dreams of. It won widespread acclaim and prizes, including…
Eric Idle, comedian and writer

2026-10-25 · 55 min

Eric Idle has been making audiences around the world laugh for nearly 60 years. As a member of the legendary Monty Python group, he helped redefine British television comedy – followed by three highly successful…
Elif Shafak, novelist

2026-10-18 · 52 min

Elif Shafak is a best-selling writer who is as happy telling a story from the point of view of a fig tree or a water droplet as a fellow human being. She began writing in her native Turkish and now writes in English,…
Courtney Pine, saxophonist

2026-10-12 · 46 min

As part of the BBC's collaboration with The Music is Black, the V&A East Museum exhibition celebrating Black British music and musicians, Michael Berkeley talks to the saxophonist and composer Courtney Pine, whose work…
Francis Fukuyama, political scientist

2026-10-04 · 52 min

The American political scientist Francis Fukuyama loves big ideas, and his 1992 book The End of History and the Last Man was an international best-seller.It argued that – after the collapse of the Soviet Union - Western…
Louisa Young, writer

2026-09-27 · 54 min

Family is at the heart of the work of the writer Louisa Young. Her first book was about her grandmother, Kathleen, a sculptor who was also the widow of the Antarctic explorer Captain Scott.She’s written five books for…
Sylvester McCoy, actor

2026-09-20 · 51 min

The actor Sylvester McCoy was a familiar face to millions of TV viewers when he played the Seventh Doctor in Doctor Who in the 1980s. On the big screen, he has played the eccentric wizard Radagast the Brown in Peter…
Lyse Doucet, journalist

2026-09-13 · 58 min

When Lyse Doucet was a child growing up in a small town in eastern Canada, she borrowed a library book called How to Become a Journalist. It clearly made an impact. She is now the BBC’s chief international correspondent…
Carlos Acosta, dancer

2026-07-12 · 53 min

In the world of dance, Carlos Acosta is a superstar. He grew up in a poor part of Havana, where he was the 11th child in his family, and began his training at the National Ballet School of Cuba.At the age of just 18, he…

Episode details from the publisher’s feed. Playback happens at the publisher.

Publisher details

Owner: BBC
Oldest episode in feed: 06/2013 · over 13 years
Typical length: 38 min
Format: Episodic Newest first, episodes stand alone

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