Celebrating the music that special guests cherish and would like to bestow to future generations.
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 Pulp
Producer: 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 Drake
Producers: 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 turner
Producers: 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 Flack
Producer: 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 Waifs
Producer: 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 Simone
Producer: 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 Kinks
Producers: 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 Allison
Producer: 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 Dion
Producer: 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 Leven
Producers: Ben Mitchell and Noa Dowling
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