‘Forever’ is Bon Jovi’s 18th album. The one and only Jon Bon Jovi told Nihal Arthanayake about writing the new album, the secrets of a long and successful marriage, how he hopes to be able to sing live again after having surgery on his vocal chords two years ago, and being an unashamed optimist.

Satirical comedian, Michael Spicer, known for going viral and gaining millions of views online thanks to his iconic satirical show, The Room next door, chats to Johnny I’Anson about his journey through comedy. He talks about the state of politics in the past few years to the issues of today. He talks about his constant quest for new and unique content and talks about how he deals with the pressures of constantly trying to make people laugh, while making political points. He also talks about...

‘If there’s something really good that entices you and you want to have the emotion of the people sitting around you, those are the reasons that cinema is going to be there for a long time’ Jerry Bruckheimer is an American film and television producer most known for producing action-packed and explosive blockbusters including the ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ franchise, ‘Top Gun’, and ‘Black Hawk Down’. He's got a new film on Disney called' Young Woman and the Sea' - and it's a bit of a step...

Toby Kebbell on his breakthrough role in Shane Meadows’ Dead Man’s Shoes, and working with huge industry names like Woody Allen, Oliver Stone, M. Night Shyamalan, Guy Ritchie, Val Kilmer and Robert Redford to name but a fraction. “There’s no such thing as a bad student, only a bad teacher.” Toby also gets into all the skills he’s learned for roles - things like horseback riding, playing the piano and most recently being trained to box by legend Carl Froch for new movie Salvable co-starring...

"An honour to be a part of these young people’s lives". Five-time Chortle-award winning comedian Kiri Pritchard-McLean speaks to Nihal Arthanayake about her new show ‘Peacock’, which is based on how she and her partner became foster carers.

Radio genius Richard Bacon is back on the 5 Live airwaves for the latest Headliners slot – so will there yet be a return of the Special Half Hour, 15 years on? A radio mastermind and no slouch in the TV department either, the pair also delve into Richard’s TV production credits both sides of the Atlantic, and discuss how his ADHD diagnosis and near death experience in adulthood have affected him: “’You were meant to die’, I think about that phrase everyday’.” Oh, and how he’s technically...

Australian actress and comedian Rebel Wilson shot to fame in Hollywood in Bridesmaids and the Pitch Perfect trilogy, where she played a character called "Fat Amy”. She has just released her autobiography, ‘Rebel Rising’, charting her course to fame. She also dives deep into her personal and private life, documenting her struggles with weight, romance and fertility.

'I'm not a victim, I call myself a survivor' Former Manchester United defender, Patrice Evra, discusses how he was sexually abused aged 13, and why he's now working with the UN and WHO to ensure other children grow up in a world free of violence and abuse. He also reflects on his time at Manchester United, his early life growing up as one of 24 siblings, and how his partner Margaux changed his life. As a warning to listeners - some of this podcast makes for difficult listening – with...

“When I arrived at the hospital they thought it might already be too late” The Booker Prize-winning author, Sir Salman Rushdie speaks to Nihal. He is one of most famous and most celebrated authors of our time. And in August 2022 he was stabbed on stage in New York. Sir Salman said he is using his new book, ‘Knife’, as a way of fighting back against what happened. As a warning to listeners - some of this podcast makes for difficult listening – with depictions of violence.

Comedian Helen Lederer on evolving attitudes toward neurodiversity, how alternative comedy has developed since the 1980s, and how her definition of happiness changes with age. Helen and Gordon also get into social media and entertainers' relationships with reviews, working with great comedians like Harry Enfield, and why her candid new memoir Not That I’m Bitter proves “you can be funny about sad things”.

Comedian Jason Byrne on varying degrees of honesty from family and different audiences, the list of eccentricities he’s noticed of his Scottish and Irish fans he’s met from world tours, his new show for Edinburgh Festival, and how his late father’s wisdom has helped shape an award-winning one-man play. The pair also get into Jason trying to connect his brand of comedy to children, health, heart disease and being awake during six (yes, six!) stent installs, mental health coping strategies,...

Paralympian and TV presenter Ade Adepitan (now an honorary Scotsman according to Gordon!) reflects on his life and career. Particularly on his surreal experience of visiting an all-white South-African community of Orania for a documentary, and the life-affirming, outlook-changing feat of spending nearly seven hours crawling to the peak of live volcano in Nicaragua. The pair also get into the rise of extremism, the difficulties that come with navigating hostile environments, and how Ade’s...

Actor Danny Mays on working with Michael Douglas on new period drama Franklin and the process of auditioning for and being offered the part of Ed Bancroft. Danny talks through all the different wigs wardrobe had him try on, “One of which I thought I looked like my nan, Molly!”, and living in Paris during filming. The pair also get into being bothered about fame, having performances cut from movies, working with Daniel Day Lewis, and how starring in just one episode of BBC drama Line of...

“What does being in the establishment actually mean?” He’s the best-selling author and screenwriter famous for his Alex Rider series. ‘Close to Death’ is the fifth instalment of Anthony Horowitz’s ‘Hawthorne and Horowitz’ series, in which he appears as a character. He told Nihal Arthanayake all about it, whether or not he thinks he’s in the “establishment”, and what small things in life wind him up the most.

“In that second my life changed”. Broadcaster and DJ Adele Roberts was in the best shape of her life when she found out she had bowel cancer in October 2021. Suddenly she was plunged into the world of cancer treatment, including having a stoma. Less than two years later Adele crossed the finish line of the London Marathon in her best ever time, also breaking the world record as the fastest ever woman to run a marathon with a stoma bag. Now she’s written a book about the last few years of her...

"The food I was eating was linked to my behaviour". He kept us fit during lockdown with his PE with Joe sessions on YouTube. Now Joe Wicks has a new book out. He told Nihal Arthanayake all about it.

I’m used to doing scary things”. Film and stage actor Gillian Anderson - best known for her roles in The X Files, Sex Education and The Crown – speaks to Nihal Arthanayake about her latest role is as Emily Maitlis in the Netflix film ‘Scoop’ - a dramatisation of the BBC Newsnight interview with Prince Andrew.

He’s best known for playing Doctor Who, a young Prince Phillip in The Crown, and Daemon Targaryen in House of the Dragon. Now Matt Smith is starring in a new production of Henrik Ibsen's An Enemy of the People. And has he ever thought about teaming up with some of his celeb friends to buy Blackburn Rovers, a club he has loved since his was a lad?

“Whatever I’ve experienced doesn’t need to define me”. DJ and producer Jax Jones talks to Nihal Arthanayake about making music with the likes of Raye, mentoring, and why he’s not sure he wants to reconnect with his biological father.

Olympic gold medallist diver Tom Daley on his return to the sport after two years out, looking ahead to his fifth Olympic Games in Paris this summer, how his adorable six-year-old son behaves like a ‘pushy parent’ during competition, and finding a balance between regimented training and enjoying himself. Tom also gets into his passion for knitting, learning journalism for his podcast Made With Love, life in Los Angeles, and the ideas and inspiration behind his brand new children’s book Jack...

“I relish being myself, even if it is the complete opposite of everyone else” Singer, actress and Tony, Emmy and Grammy Award winner Cynthia Erivo chats to Nihal Arthanayake about her new film ‘Drift’ and her upcoming role as Elphaba in the Hollywood blockbuster film version of the ‘Wicked’ musical.

Screenwriter and novelist Daisy Goodwin joins Gordon Smart as the two turn their attention to the subject of Daisy’s new book Diva; the infamous Maria Callas. The pair discuss the opera sensation’s career, life and legacy, and why she remains a huge inspiration to modern women. Born in 1923, Maria was “what you might call a girl boss today, she always knew her own value and that is something I think very few women do.” “Wherever she played in the world, people would queue up for weeks...

In May 1997, Eric Cantona stunned Manchester United and their fans by announcing his retirement from football at the age of 30. Alongside the 82 goals he scored for them, he’s remembered for the now infamous kung-fu kick he aimed at a Crystal Palace fan who racially abused him. His post-football career has taken in acting, painting, writing poetry and photography. For his latest creative incarnation, Eric has turned to performing live music.

BAFTA-winning Glaswegian actor Tony Curran on learning about the real King James I, shooting intimate, nude scenes, and working with Julianne Moore and Nicholas Galitzine for new show Mary & George. Tony and Gordon also get into some hilarious stories of their mutual pal, Martin Compston, plus Tony’s career-high roles including his turn as Vincent Van Gogh in Doctor Who’s most replayed scene of all time, and working with the late, great Sean Connery (who had some jokes for Tony’s...