Celebrated actress Jessie Buckley meets with Ian Rickson on the stage of her local theatre, the Hackney Empire in East London, to discuss her fascinating cultural inspirations: a stunning rendition of the contemporary Georgian Christmas song ’Tsiskris Alilo’ by vocal group Ensemble Basiani, which Jessie stumbled across on social media; Leox Carax’s wild Parisian love story ‘Les Amants du Pont-Neuf’, starring Juliette Binoche and Denis Lavant; and the mysticism and mythology in WB Yeats’...

On the stage of the Hackney Empire in East London, Ian Rickson and folk musician and actor Johnny Flynn discuss the cultural highlights that bring Johnny inspiration: D. A. Pennebaker’s seminal documentary ‘Don't Look Back’, which charts Bob Dylan’s 1965 concert tour of England; Alice Oswald’s epic poem ‘Dart’, which tells the sprawling stories of people who live and work on the River Dart in Devon; and Sandy Denny’s soulful and beautiful folk ballad, ‘Who Knows Where the Time Goes’. ‘What...

Comedian, actor and, latterly, life-guru Russell Brand meets with host Ian Rickson on the stage of his local arts centre, Norden Farm Centre for the Arts in Maidenhead. Russell's cultural choices include the film of seminal stand-up Bill Hicks’ blistering stage show ‘Revelations’; Oscar Wilde’s 19th century fable ‘The Selfish Giant’, which offers up salvation through childhood innocence; and the nostalgic longing of Kazumi Nikaido’s song ‘When I Remember This Life’ from the Studio Ghibli film...

Bafta-winning and Oscar-nominated actor Chiwetel Ejiofor meets Ian Rickson on the empty locked-down stage of the Young Vic theatre in London in July 2020. They discuss the deep resonance of Michael Kiwanuka’s soulful song ‘Love & Hate’; Bernardo Bertolucci’s 1970 expressionist political drama ‘Il Conformista’, a film which profoundly altered Chiwetel’s relationship with cinema, and inspired him in making his own directorial debut; and Leonard Cohen’s haunting, wise and romantic poem...

Sat on the set of the lockdown-paused production of ‘Harry Potter and the Cursed Child’ in London’s West End, Ian Rickson meets with international theatre producer, Sonia Friedman in September 2020. After discussing the devastation and uncertainty the pandemic has wrought on the theatre world, including the premature closure of their production of ‘Uncle Vanya’, they consider Sonia's choices: the song ‘The Golden Days’ written for and performed by her sister Maria Friedman, which illuminates...

The Young Vic theatre, London, August 2020. On the stage where she was due to take on the role of Hamlet before lockdown intervened, actress Cush Jumbo discusses her three cultural highlights with host Ian Rickson. These include the transcendent nature - and the producer’s health and safety headache - of classic musical ‘Singin’ in the Rain’; the comfort Cush finds in Shakespeare’s ‘Sonnet 60’; and the stripped-down power of ‘Redemption Song’ by Bob Marley. More details follow below. ‘What...

On the darkened stage of the locked-down Harold Pinter Theatre in London’s West End, Ian Rickson meets with Bafta and Golden Globe-winning actor Ben Whishaw, in July 2020. They discuss pioneering American independent director John Cassavetes’ 1984 film ‘Love Streams’; Joy Williams’ moving and mysterious short story ‘Chaunt’; and the solace offered to teenage Ben within the original and demo versions of 'The Garden' by PJ Harvey. More details follow below. ‘What I Love’ is created and hosted...

Celebrated poet, spoken word performer, writer and recording artist, Kae Tempest – winner of the Ted Hughes Award, and double Mercury Prize nominee – meets with Ian Rickson on the stage of the locked down Harold Pinter Theatre in London’s West End in July 2020. Kae’s choices include the sports documentary series charting Michael Jordan’s tenure with the Chicago Bulls, ‘The Last Dance’; the soulful baroque pop of ‘Four Ethers’ by serpentwithfeet; and William Blake’s 18th century Romantic...

Created and hosted by Ian Rickson, one of British theatre’s most celebrated directors, What I Love is a series of intimate conversations with actors, writers, comedians, and producers, conducted on the empty stages of some of Britain’s most iconic theatres, shut down due to the pandemic. Against this backdrop of isolation and loss, guests explore what matters most to them through sharing three cultural highlights: a cherished piece of writing, a memorable song and a favourite film. Guests...