Inheritance Tracks

Josh Widdicombe is a comedian who many will know from his hit parenting podcast with Rob Beckett – and as one of panellists on Channel 4’s The Last Leg. Raised in a small village on Dartmoor, his love of all things Devon, Plymouth Argyle and the 90’s has informed much of his work – and his new tour is sure to be steeped to perfection. Before becoming a comedian he worked as a bookseller, in a petrol station, and as a sports journalist. And much like Danny Dyer, he found out that he too was related to Royalty on ‘Who Do You Think You Are?’ and Elizabeth the first no less. He’s set to hit the Strictly dancefloor this Christmas for their festive special – so make sure there’s some room around you to chachacha along to his Inheritance Tracks. Inherited: All Things Must Pass by George Harrison Passed on: Mis‐Shapes by PulpProducer: Ben Mitchell and Minnie Harrop

Alex James became famous as the bassist in Blur, indie rock icons who helped define the sound of English guitar music in the 1990’s. Born in Bournemouth and now living in Oxfordshire with his wife and five children, Alex discovered a love of farming, and in particular, cheese, during a quiet period in Blur’s history. The cheese he produces is award winning, among them Blue Monday and Good Queen Maude. His latest book is Over the Rainbow, recounting how Blur staged their comeback and surprised everyone, even themselves.But will his Inheritance Tracks surprise us?Inherited: Good King Wenceslas sung by the Choir of King’s College, Cambridge Passed on: Rasputin by Boney M.Producer: Ben Mitchell and Lowri Rhiannon-Morgan

After working at Pizza Hut in his twenties, Mackenzie Crook suddenly shot to fame playing the hapless paper salesman Gareth Keenan in the smash-hit BBC comedy “The Office” Since then, he’s starred in blockbuster franchises including Pirates of the Caribbean and Game of Thrones, as well as Shakespeare, Dickens and his beloved Worzel Gummidge. He also created, directed and starred in the charming comedy-drama Detectorists, playing one half of an eccentric metal-detecting duo, alongside Toby Jones, which prompted Mackenzie to take up the hobby and search for real-life treasure.So – headphones on – let's start scanning – and see what we can uncover among Mackenzie Crook’s Inheritance Tracks... Inherited: Big Yellow taxi by Joni Mitchell Passed on: River Man by Nick DrakeProducers: Ben Mitchell and Anna Bailey

Two-time World Champion heptathlete, British record holder and Olympic medallist Katarina Johnson-Thompson, known affectionately as KJT, first came to international prominence at the 2012 London Olympics, where she competed as a teenager. She grew up in Liverpool with an English mother who was a dancer and a TV production assistant father from The Bahamas - and music was always part of her life...alongside a clear affinity for athletics. So what then will she choose for her Inheritance Tracks?Inherited: Little Ole Wine Drinker by Dean Martin Passed on: Proud Mary by Tina turnerProducers: Ben Mitchell and Minnie Harrop

Luke Evans says growing up in the South Wales valleys was tough at times. He was an only child in a family of Jehovah’s Witnesses, bullied at school both for his religion – and for being gay. But, that quiet boy from the valleys who tried to blend into the background is now a huge international star. He shot to fame on the West End stage in the early 2000s – with roles in Rent, Miss Saigon and Les Mis. Since then, he’s acted in Hollywood blockbusters like Beauty and the Beast, Fast & Furious Six and The Hobbit. Now in his mid-forties, Luke says he is happy, fulfilled and looking forward – so what songs has he chosen as his Inheritance Tracks.Inherited: Saturday Night at the Movies by The Drifters Passed on: The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face by Roberta FlackProducer: Ben Mitchell

Ellie Taylor is a comedian, actor, writer, award winning podcaster, host of Bake Off the Professionals and a reluctant mother - according to her book. You’ll probably have caught her being clever and funny on any number of TV panel shows, here on Radio 4, and as Sassy Collins on Ted Lasso.She’s about to take part in a celebrity Gladiators special and is going out on tour after four years.We asked her to take a break from writing punchlines and share her Inheritance Tracks with us.Inherited: Piano Man by Billy Joel Passed on: Sunflower Man by The WaifsProducer: Ben Mitchell

Kate Humble has presented the majestic Animal Park from Longleat for more than two decades. As a champion of the environment and rural affairs, she’s been the president of the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust and founded Humble by Nature, a rural skills centre based at her farm here in Wales. But when she’s not frolicking in the fields or mucking out meerkats Kate unwinds at home, often in the kitchen, creating recipes for her latest book. I don’t know about you, but a bit of Beethoven always beats the boredom out of a bolognas...I wonder if Kate’s the same? Inherited: Suzanne by Leonard Cohen Passed on: Ain't got no / I got life by Nina SimoneProducer: Ben Mitchell

There’s so much more to the actor Peter Capaldi than his brilliant, edgy and original Twelfth Doctor in Doctor Who…his career stretches far beyond the Tardis. He won a BAFTA, for playing the ferocious, foul-mouthed spin doctor Malcolm Tucker in The Thick of It, another BAFTA for the film spin off ‘In the Loop', and whilst we’re on awards…He’s also won an Oscar! A punk in his younger days…he’s now writing and recording his own rock music…his debut solo album was released in 2021…so we’re fascinated to hear what he’s chosen as his Inheritance Tracks. Inherited: That's Life by Frank Sinatra Passed on: Waterloo Sunset by The KinksProducers: Ben Mitchell and Anna Bailey

In his regular column Adrian Chiles has written candidly about everything from wearing compression socks to struggling to bend down - even his favourite coat hanger. These musings are now collected in a single book.He admits that his "orgy of oversharing" isn't for everyone, yet insists even life's most mundane details can hold deeper meaning.So, what meaning will we uncover in his musical tastes?Inherited Track: Reuben's Blues by Stan Kenton Pass On: Stop This World by Mose AllisonProducer: Ben Mitchell

This week’s Inheritance Tracks come from the funny and startlingly honest double act and married couple Chris and Rosie Ramsey. They struck gold when they turned their bickering and banter into the wildly successful podcast… Sh*gged, Married, Annoyed… They take the quotidian absurdities of marriage, parenthood…life in general …and transform it all into comedy gold…nothing seems to be off limits! They’ve hosted their own BBC 2 chat show…Chris is a touring stand-up comedian…and they’ve both individually competed on Strictly. Chris and Rosie live just outside the town where they grew up, South Shields, and are now bringing up their family there We wanted to know about the song or piece of music they’ll pass on to them…Rosie - Inherited: Wake up Boo! by The Boo Radleys Chris - Inherited: Real gone Kid by Deacon Blue Pass on: I'm Alive by Celine DionProducer: Ben Mitchell

The best-selling crime-writer Sir Ian Rankin began his life surrounded by food. His dad ran a grocery store in Fife, his mum worked in a school canteen, and Ian's early writing saw him reviewing wine.He says he never intended to turn to crime, so to speak, but it was his creation of the hard-drinking and stubborn Edinburgh detective Inspector John Rebus which changed his writing style – and his life. Beginning with Knots and Crosses in 1987, there have now been 25 Rebus novels - as well as the tv dramas and stage plays – mainly dealing with Scotland’s dark and dangerous underworld. What then will he reveal as his Inheritenace Tracks?Inherited: Seven Drunken Nights by The Dubliners Pass on: Another Man's Rain by Jackie LevenProducers: Ben Mitchell and Noa Dowling

Comedian, actor, Pointless presenter and debut author Alexander Armstrong, grew up in rural Northumberland where his musical ability and joy at being able to entertain began at a young age. He went to both school and Trinity College Cambridge on music scholarships and after a Footlights’ writing stint, he went on to become one half of the BAFTA-winning comedy duo Armstrong & Miller If you’re wondering where his passion for classical music began...his Inheritance Tracks will provide the answer.Inherited: Minuetto Allegretto by the Wombles Passed on: It Must Be Love by MadnessProducers: Ben Mitchell and Noa Dowling

Celia Imrie has worked in television, theatre and films over the past five decades. She’s taken roles at the Royal Shakespeare Company and in big budget films such as The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, Calendar Girls and Mamma Mia! to name but a few. Celia will be starring in the film adaptation of Richard Osman's The Thursday Murder Club. The story follows a group of friends in a retirement home who gather to solve murders but find themselves caught in a real case. So with that in mind, we wanted to solve the mystery of what are Celia’s Inheritance Tracks.Inherited Track: You Know What I Mean by Jeff Beck. Pass On: Merveille by Jean-Louis Aubert.Producer: Noa Dowling

The two-time Sunday Times bestselling author and journalist Candice Brathwaite grew up in Brixton, south London. Candice first became known for her conversations about the often over-looked experience of Black mothers in the UK which became the subject of her raw, searing and witty 2020 book, 'I am Not Your Mother'. She followed that with 'Sista Sista' essays which were equally forceful on the issues of diversity, identity and representation. Her latest book 'Manifesto' is out now. We asked Candice to share with us the tracks that have inspired her. Inherited: Never, Never, Never by John Holt Pass on: Spring 1, Vivaldi re-composed Four Seasons by Max Richter Producer: Lowri Morgan

Leigh Francis’ creation Keith Lemon came to our attention with Bo Selecta in the early noughties, and he hasn’t been off our screens much since, with various sketch and panel shows becoming hits, most notably Celebrity Juice and the revamped Through the Keyhole. Surreal and silly, his is a brand of comedy that has mass appeal, and his new book 'Leigh, Myself and I' charts how "a little boy called Leigh became a naughty bear".What then will his Inheritance Tracks be?Inherited: Stand and Deliver by Adam and the Ants Passed on: New Sensation by INXSProducer: Ben Mitchell

Tim Minchin is the multi-talented Australian musician, comedian, actor, writer, director, who helped bring Matilda from book to stage with his hit musical lyrics. In his new book "You Don't Have To Have A Dream" he shares his thoughts and advice on life, art, success, kindness, love - but it was his dream to be a musician that drove young Tim from an early age.It was his tongue-in-cheek songs and poetry that helped find him fame here in the UK and off the back of his success rebranding Dhal he has turned Groundhog Day into a musical and even trod the boards himself as Judas in Jesus Christ Superstar.With a CV like that – what then will he choose as his Inheritance Tracks.Inherited: What a Wonderful World by Louis Armstrong Passed on: Lullaby of Birdland by Ella FitzgeraldProducer: Ben Mitchell

Nicola Adams was one of the stand-out stars of the London Games in 2012 when she became the first woman to win an Olympic boxing gold medal. And then she won gold again in Rio four years later. Born into a tough life in Leeds in the early 1980s, Nicola immediately loved enjoyed the discipline she found in boxing at the age of 12. If her punches have unnerved her opponents in the ring, her charm and winning smile have perhaps been even more disarming. Her Inheritance Tracks will have you heading straight to the gym.Inherited: Hustlin' by Rick Ross Pass on: Sure Thing by MiguelProducer: Ben Mitchell

Carrie and David Grant are the BAFTA award-winning power couple, broadcasters and vocal coaches to the stars. If, like me, you remember the early noughties reality song contest Fame Academy, they were the expert vocal coaches that helped the likes of Lemar find their voice. Their TV and music career has spanned over 35 years winning them a MOBO award and has seen them write a revealing memoir 'A Very Modern Family' which charts their parenting experiences in a neuro diverse family. What then will these musical aficionados choose as their shared Inheritance Tracks. Inherited, Carrie: Moon River by Andy Williams Inherited, David: Concrete Jungle by Bob Marley and The Wailers Passed on: The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face by Roberta FlackProducer: Ben Mitchell

Since graduating from Durham University, Ed Gamble has become one of the UK’s most successful stand-up comedians. He’s been a Taskmaster champion, a Pointless host and one of the Hunted on Channel 4. And his “Off Menu” series with James Acaster is one of the most listened-to podcasts in the UK – where guests choose their ideal meal. But Ed's own love of food hasn’t always been easy. He has Type One Diabetes...and has spoken, and written, movingly about his complicated relationship with eating and weight.In an interview a couple of years ago he said: I can’t tell day-to- day whether I’m arrogant or I hate myself, but I think somewhere in-between is absolutely ideal for a comedian. Inherited: Lady Grinning Soul by David Bowie Pass on: Black Sabbath by Black SabbathProducer: Ben Mitchell

Adam Kay was born in Brighton to Jewish parents, his father was a doctor and he too went into medicine gynaecology and obstetrics. After a traumatic experience in the operating theatre, Adam left medicine and wrote his first memoir…This is Going to Hurt. It covered his time as a trainee doctor and became not only a bestseller, but was adapted by him, into the TV series of the same name, starring Ben Whishaw as Adam. He won a BAFTA for his writing. His most recent memoir, Undoctored, was much, much more personal. Radically honest in fact - from revealing his previous marriage to a woman before finding love with his now husband, to talking about abuse and having an eating disorder. He’s also written fact and fiction books for children. explaining some of the more astonishing, and often revolting stories from the world of science and medicine. Inherited: Franz Schubert's Impromptu Op.90 performed by Llŷr Williams Passed on: I Never Do Anything Twice by Stephen SondheimProducer: Ben Mitchell