Madrid Live

16/01/2023

It’s over forty years since the British punk band, The Clash, released their iconic album "London Calling". We pay tribute to the co–founder of the Clash, lead singer and guitarist Joe Strummer, who died twenty years ago.

We also hear about Chris Stewart's best-selling first book, "Driving Over Lemons” where Chris tells us how he fell in love with the Alpujarra mountains in the south of Spain and decided to settle there. We find out how he gets to grips with the terrain, the lifestyle and the locals. We also dip into Chris’s second book, "The Parrot in the Pepper Tree", which focuses on Chris's life before he moved to Spain. For example, did you know that he used to be the drummer with the British band Genesis?

Mon @12.00 on Radio Círculo on www.radiocirculo.es

Also available via this link - http://www.lanuevafactoria.es/madrid_live_chris_stewart/

22/11/2022

Click on this link to listen to the latest edition of Madrid Live.
http://www.lanuevafactoria.es/british-author-alan.../
In this show - Ann Bateson's interview with US photographers Larry Sultan and Mike Mandel who discuss their photobook “Evidence”. Larry and Mike went through thousands of forensic archives, and picked out 60 photos. They realized they could use scientific fact – these photos - to speak about scientific fiction - what our imagination does with images. They published the photos in a book called “Evidence” which is regarded as one of the most influential photobooks in the history of photography. The same photos were also on show at the PhotoEspaña Festival in Madrid.

Also featured in this edition of Madrid Live - British author Alan Bennett & British actress Dame Maggie Smith who talk about the award-winning film "The Lady in the Van" which is based on the true story of a woman who lived in a van on Alan Bennett's drive.

17/10/2022

In today's edition of Madrid Live, we hear from British author Chris Stewart who is probably best known for his best-selling book "Driving Over Lemons".
Today, Chris talks about his latest book “The Last Days of the Bus Club” which focuses on his latest adventures in the Alpujarras.
Chris has become a local literary celebrity and he uses his fame to help his sheep-shearing partner find work on a raucous road trip. He also cooks a TV lunch for visiting British chef, Rick Stein.
Monday 17 October at 12.00 on www.radiocirculo.es

13/10/2022

Here is a link to Ann Bateson's interview with multi-instrumentalist, composer and producer Leo Sidran who performs with The Groovy French Band at the Café Central in Madrid from 14 - 16 October
inclusive.

http://www.lanuevafactoria.es/interview-with-us-multi-instrumentalist-producer-and-composer-leo-sidran/

If you would like to find out more about Madrid Live, go to www.madridlive.fm

10/10/2022

In today's edition of Madrid Live - Ann Bateson's interview with multi-instrumentalist, composer and producer Leo Sidran who performs with his "Groovy French Band" at the Café Central in Madrid from 14 to 16 October.
Leo wrote hit songs for rock musician Steve Miller when he was in his teens. In 2005, he teamed up with singer songwriter Jorge Drexler to co-produce a song called “Al Otro Lado del Río” which is on the soundtrack to the film “The Motor Cycle Diaries”. “Al Otro Lado del Río” won the Oscar for Best Original Song in 2005.
Madrid Live is broadcast at 12.00 on www.radiocirculo.es from the Círculo Bellas Artes in Madrid

02/10/2022

Círculo de Bellas Artes radio, Radio Círculo, starts up again tomorrow and the first show to air is "Madrid Live" at 12.00 on www.radiocirculo.es
This show features Ann Bateson's interview with British new wave icon Nick Lowe who performs in Madrid with US band The Straitjackets on Tuesday 4 October.
Lowe is probably best known for his songs “Cruel to be Kind” and “I Love the Sound of Breaking Glass”. But he was also influential on the British punk and new wave scene in the seventies when he produced innovative musicians such as The Damned and Elvis Costello for Stiff Records. Happily, 50 years on, Nick Lowe’s still making music. He recently released an album with a country and western feel to it called “At My Age”.

28/02/2022

On Madrid Live @15.30 on Radio Círculo - Ann Bateson's interview with acclaimed British novelist Alan Sillitoe who talked about his work a few years ago at Círculo Bellas Artes His best-known novels were probably "Saturday Night and Sunday Morning" and "The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner". Sillitoe's autobiography was recently been published in Spanish by Editorial Impedimenta

28/06/2021

In today's edition of Madrid Live, we jet off to London and the US.

Celebrated British playwright Alan Bennett recently published the third edition of his set of memoirs. It’s called “Keeping On, Keeping On”, and it focuses on work he produced between 2005 to 2014. In those 9 years he wrote "The Habit of Art", "People", "Hymn" and "Cocktail Sticks" - all of which premiered at the National Theatre and were very successful. He also wrote the screenplays for the film versions of “The History Boys” which is probably his most famous play and “The Lady in the Van”.

Now “The Lady in the Van” recently came out on DVD in Spain. It’s based on the true story of a lady called Mary Shepherd who lived in an old van on Alan Bennett’s drive. In today’s show, we hear from Alan Bennett who tells us how “The Lady in the Van” came about. And we also hear from Dame Maggie Smith who plays Mary Shepherd. Maggie Smith, by the way, was nominated for Best Leading Actress at the BAFTA film awards for her role in “The Lady in the Van”.

Plus Ann Bateson's interview with American photographers Larry Sultan and Mike Mandel about their photobook “Evidence”. Larry and Mike went though thousands of forensic archives, and picked out around 60 photos. You see they realised they could use scientific fact – these photos - to speak about scientific fiction… what our imagination does with images. They published those photos in a book called “Evidence” which is regarded as one of the most important photobooks in the history of photography. And the book has just been republished. The photos which you can see in this photobook, “Evidence” have also been on show at the PhotoEspaña Festival in Madrid.

Madrid Live @ 15.30 on Monday on www.radiocirculo.es

14/06/2021

Listen to Madrid Live at 15.30 on Monday on www.radiocirculo.es
In this show, we feature Ann Bateson's interview with directors Andy Hamilton and Guy Jenkin about their award-winning film "What We Did On Our Holiday", starring Billy Connolly, David Tennant and Rosamund Pike.
Andy Hamilton is of course a comedian and a regular panelist on the game show "Have I Got News for You", and Hamilton and Jenkin are the creative team behind the TV show "Outnumbered", starring Hugh Dennis, where the child actors improvise. "Outnumbered" was such a success that Hamilton and Jenkin wanted to work with children in a feature film. The result is "What We Did On Our Holiday" which was one of Madrid's highest grossing films ever and is now available on DVD. This show is also available on the Madrid Live website - www.madridlive.fm

24/05/2021

In today's edition of Madrid Live, we talk to Alma Starkie about her father Walter Starkie who founded the British Council in Spain, and forged important links between the UK and Spain in the nineteen forties. In fact the “success of the British Council in Spain is due to the enduring legacy of Walter Starkie and his excellent work” according to former British Council director Rod Pryde.

But Starkie had another side to him. He was Bohemian, he played the violin and he was passionate about the gypsies.
Monday @ 15.30 on www.radiocirculo.es at the Círculo de Bellas Artes

10/05/2021

In today's edition of Madrid Live, we feature British jazz singer Claire Martin O.B.E. who won the award for best vocalist at the 2018 British Jazz Awards. Claire has performed with many of the jazz greats like Stéphane Grappelli, John Martyn and Kenny Barron. She’s also fronted some of Britain’s most important orchestras like the Halle, the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic and the BBC Big Band. According to Jazz Times USA, “Claire Martin ranks among the four or five finest female jazz vocalists on the planet'. In today's show, you can listen to Ann Bateson's in-depth interview with that fine female jazz vocalist before she appeared at the Café Central in Madrid a few years ago.

Monday @15.30 on www.radiocirculo.es at the Círculo de Bellas Artes

12/04/2021

Today - a Madrid Live Special. We feature my interview with one of the world's greatest war photographers, Sir Don McCullin, who was recently knighted for his services to photography. McCullin has published a set of books entitled "Irreconcilable Truths", which document his life and career and contain over 700 photographs. Many of these photographs appeared in an exhibition of McCullin's work which toured to Madrid a few years ago - which was when I interviewed him.

Monday @15.30 on www.radiocirculo.es at the Círculo de Bellas Artes

THIS SHOW IS ALSO AVAILABLE ON THE MADRID LIVE WEBSITE - WWW.MADRIDLIVE.FM

15/03/2021

Listen to today's edition of Madrid Live at 15.30 on Radio Círculo at the Círculo de Bellas Artes in Madrid. Click on www.radiocirculo.es

In this show, acclaimed British director Ken Loach talks about his film "Jimmy's Hall" which is available on DVD. "Jimmy's Hall" is the true story of an Irishman called Jimmy Gralton who was deported from Ireland without a trial in 1933. His crime was to build a hall where young people could go to classes but also dance and dream. As Ken Loach says, "The hall is in a corner of Ireland where the battle between the interests of the people is counterposed to the interests of the church and the landed class." The Guardian describes "Jimmy's Hall" as "a powerful film in many ways".
We also hear from best-selling British children's author Michelle Paver who won the prestigious Guardian Children's Fiction Prize for "Ghost Hunter", which the judging panel described as "a thrilling story of love, friendship and terrifying evil" and "the perfect book for anyone who likes adventure, prehistory and survival".

01/03/2021

Today - a Madrid Live Special @ 15.30 on www.radiocirculo.es at the in Madrid.
We hear from acclaimed British actor Jeremy Irons who came to Madrid to promote his film “Night Train to Lisbon” which is now available on DVD. Irons plays a Swiss professor called Raimund Gregorius who embarks upon a thrilling adventure in Portugal after saving a young girl from committing su***de.
We also hear from the young British director Lucy Mulloy whose
award-winning debut film “Una Noche” is also available on DVD. "Una Noche” is about three kids who have to get out of Cuba on a particular day because the main character, Raúl, is accused of a crime he didn’t commit. Lucy Mulloy’s mentor is the celebrated American film director Spike Lee.

08/02/2021

The sixth of February marked the International Day of Zero Tolerance to Female Ge***al Mutilation or 'FGM'. It’s estimated that at least 200 million girls and women who are still alive today, have undergone some form of FGM, and around 3 million girls are at risk every year.
In the latest edition of Madrid Live, we wish to raise awareness about FGM by focusing on the true story of Somali nomad Waris Dirie. Waris walked hundreds of miles across the desert when she was 13 to escape from an arranged marriage. Years later, when she was a supermodel, she revealed she’d suffered ge***al mutilation when she was only five. Since then, she’s dedicated her life to fighting this ritual. Waris Dirie wrote her autobiography a few years ago and a film’s been made of the book. It’s called “Desert Flower” and it recently came out on DVD. In this show, we hear from Waris herself, and Sherry Hormann who directed the film.
Music by Aretha Franklin, Ella Fitzgerald, Whitney Houston.
Monday @15.30 on Rad Ío Círculo on www.radiocirculo.es
THIS SHOW IS ALSO AVAILABLE ON WWW.MADRIDLIVE.FM

25/01/2021

Given the present situation, we are going to rebroadcast some Madrid Live highlights on Rad Ío Círculo on www.radiocirculo.es on Mondays @15.30.
Today - Ann Bateson's interview with British new wave icon Nick Lowe who played in Madrid a few years ago. Lowe is probably best known for his songs “Cruel to be Kind” and “I Love the Sound of Breaking Glass”. But he was also influential on the British punk and new wave scene in the seventies when he produced innovative musicians such as The Damned and Elvis Costello for Stiff Records. Happily, 50 years on, Nick Lowe’s still making music. He recently released an album with a country and western feel to it called “At My Age”.

22/04/2020

Download or stream the following editions of Madrid Live on www.madridlive.fm

1. Interview with British author Chris Stewart about his best-selling book "Driving Over Lemons" and a tribute to iconic British punk band The Clash by music journalist David Blundell.

2. Interview with U.S. film director Jeff Feuerzeig about his film "The Devil and Daniel Johnston". Also featured, an interview with Irish author Barry McCrea about his novel "The First Verse" which has been published in Spanish.

3. Interview with U.S. film director Sherry Hormann about the film "Desert Flower" which tells the story of Waris Dirie who suffered ge***al mutilation when she was five.

4. Interview with celebrated British war photographer Sir Don McCullin who was recently knighted for his services to photography.

5. Interview with British directors Andy Hamilton and Guy Jenkin about their film "What We Did On Our Holiday" starring Billy Connolly, David Tennant & Rosamund Pike.

21/04/2020

For some light relief, go to www.madridlive.fm to listen to Ann Bateson's interview with directors Andy Hamilton and Guy Jenkin who talk about their award-winning film "What We Did On Our Holiday", starring Billy Connolly, David Tennant and Rosamund Pike.

Andy Hamilton is of course a comedian and a regular panelist on the game show "Have I Got News for You", and Hamilton and Jenkin are the creative team behind the TV show "Outnumbered", starring Hugh Dennis, where the child actors improvise. "Outnumbered" was such a success that Hamilton and Jenkin wanted to work with children in a feature film. The result is "What We Did On Our Holiday" which was one of the highest grossing films in Madrid ever and is now available on DVD.

Plus music from the soundtrack to the award-winning British film "Pride"

17/03/2020

Click on www.madridlive.fm for the latest edition of Madrid Live which features my interview with one of the world's greatest war photographers, Sir Don McCullin, who was recently knighted for his services to photography. McCullin has published a set of books entitled "Irreconcilable Truths", which document his life and career and contain over 700 photographs. Many of these photographs appeared in an exhibition of McCullin's work which toured to Madrid a few years ago.

09/03/2020

In today's edition of Madrid Live, we feature my interview with one of the world's greatest war photographers, Sir Don McCullin, who was recently knighted for his services to photography. McCullin has published a set of books entitled "Irreconcilable Truths", which document his life and career and contain over 700 photographs. Many of these photographs appeared in an exhibition of McCullin's work which toured to Madrid a few years ago - which was when I interviewed him.

Monday @15.30 on www.radiocirculo.es at the Círculo de Bellas Artes

THIS SHOW WILL SOON BE AVAILABLE FOR DOWNLOAD AND STREAMING ON THE MADRID LIVE WEBSITE - WWW.MADRIDLIVE.FM

03/03/2020

I am delighted to tell you that you can now download or stream recent editions of Madrid Live on www.madridlive.fm

Here is a brief description of the programmes which are available at the moment:

1. Interview with British author Chris Stewart about his best-selling book "Driving Over Lemons" and a tribute to iconic British punk band The Clash.

2. Interview with U.S. film director Jeff Feuerzeig about his film "The Devil and Daniel Johnston". Also featured, my interview with Irish author Barry McCrea about his novel "The First Verse" which has been published in Spanish.

3. Interview with U.S. film director Sherry Hormann about the film "Desert Flower" which tells the story of Waris Dirie who suffered ge***al mutilation when she was five. Waris has dedicated her life to fighting this ritual.

10/02/2020

The sixth of February marked the International Day of Zero Tolerance to Female Ge***al Mutilation or 'FGM'. It’s estimated that at least 200 million girls and women who are still alive today, have undergone some form of FGM, and around 3 million girls are at risk every year.

In the latest edition of Madrid Live, we wish to raise awareness about FGM by focusing on the true story of Somali nomad Waris Dirie. Waris walked hundreds of miles across the desert when she was 13 to escape from an arranged marriage. Years later, when she was a supermodel, she revealed she’d suffered ge***al mutilation when she was only five. Since then, she’s dedicated her life to fighting this ritual. Waris Dirie wrote her autobiography a few years ago and a film’s been made of the book. It’s called “Desert Flower” and it recently came out on DVD. In this show, we hear from Waris herself, and Sherry Hormann who directed the film.

Music by Aretha Franklin, Ella Fitzgerald, Whitney Houston.

Monday @15.30 on www.radiocirculo.es

27/01/2020

In the latest edition of Madrid Live, we pay tribute to visionary artist and musician Daniel Johnston who died a few months ago. We talk to Jeff Feuerzeig who made a documentary about Johnston’s life called "The Devil and Daniel Johnston", which is showing at the Madrid Inverfest festival in February. In the film, Feuerzeig features interviews with people who knew Daniel as well as songs he recorded on cassettes, and video clips about his life.

Daniel Johnston became well known in the '90s when Nirvana lead singer Kurt Cobain referred to him as the "greatest songwriter on Earth". In fact, some of Johnston’s songs were covered by Nirvana, Sonic Youth and even David Bowie.

Plus Ann Bateson's interview with Irish writer Barry McCrea about his novel "The First Verse". Barry’s main character Niall goes to Trinity College, Dublin and meets a couple of students who decide that signs and symbols from books should determine their actions. What starts off being an intriguing game for Niall becomes increasingly dramatic and addictive. "The First Verse", which has been described as "a dazzling fictional and intellectual debut”, has also been published in Spanish.

Monday @ 15.30 on www.radiocirculo.es

THIS SHOW WILL SHORTLY BE AVAILABLE ON THE MADRID LIVE WEBSITE – WWW.MADRIDLIVE.FM

17/01/2020

Click on www.madridlive.fm to listen to Ann Bateson's interview with author Chris Stewart about his best-selling first book, "Driving Over Lemons". Chris tells us how he fell in love with the Alpujarra mountains in the south of Spain and decided to settle there. We find out how he gets to grips with the terrain, the lifestyle and the locals. We also dip into Chris's second book, "The Parrot in the Pepper Tree", which focuses on his life before he moved to Spain. For example, did you know that he used to be the drummer with the British band Genesis?

It’s forty years since the British punk band, The Clash, released their iconic album "London Calling". We pay tribute to the co–founder of the Clash, lead singer and guitarist Joe Strummer, with music journalist David Blundell.

13/01/2020

To kick off the New Year, we feature the first in a series of Ann Bateson's interviews with writer Chris Stewart.

In this week’s show, we hear about Chris’s best-selling first book, "Driving Over Lemons", where Chris tells us how he fell in love with the Alpujarra mountains in the south of Spain and decided to settle there. We find out how he gets to grips with the terrain, the lifestyle and the locals. We also dip into Chris’s second book, "The Parrot in the Pepper Tree", which focuses on Chris's life before he moved to Spain. For example, did you know that he used to be the drummer with the British band Genesis?

It’s forty years since the British punk band, The Clash, released their iconic album "London Calling". We pay tribute to the co–founder of the Clash, lead singer and guitarist Joe Strummer, with music journalist David Blundell.

Mon @15.30 on Rad Ío Círculo on www.radiocirculo.es

Shortly available on the Madrid Live website – www.madridlive.fm

20/12/2019

Click on www.madridlive.fm to listen to Ann Bateson's interview with directors Andy Hamilton and Guy Jenkin who talk about their award-winning film "What We Did On Our Holiday", starring Billy Connolly, David Tennant and Rosamund Pike.

Andy Hamilton is of course a comedian and a regular panelist on the game show "Have I Got News for You", and Hamilton and Jenkin are the creative team behind the TV show "Outnumbered", starring Hugh Dennis, where the child actors improvise. "Outnumbered" was such a success that Hamilton and Jenkin wanted to work with children in a feature film. The result is "What We Did On Our Holiday" which was one of the highest grossing films in Madrid ever and is now available on DVD.

Plus music from the soundtrack to the award-winning British film "Pride".

19/11/2019

Click on www.madridlive.fm to listen to the latest edition of Madrid Live which features Ann Bateson's interview with best-selling British author Ken Follett who talked about his work at the Espacio Fundación Telefónica Madrid tonight with fellow British authors Jojo Moyes, Kate Mosse and Lee Child. Follett’s best-known novels include “Edge of Eternity”, “Winter of the World” and “The Pillars of the Earth”. His recent novel “Column of Fire” is about Queen Elizabeth I who set up the first English secret service to protect herself from assassination. “Column of Fire” has just been published in Spanish.

We also hear from American jazz blues pianist Ben Sidran who performs at the Café Central - Madrid this week. Ben recently published his autobiography - "A Life in the Music." The title describes exactly what life's always been like for Ben. He started playing boogie-woogie piano when he was six and everything he's done since has been driven by music.

Music: Bryan Adams, Kaiser Chiefs, Ben Sidran Quartet

Madrid Live is Madrid's premier English radio programme, focusing on the arts and entertainment scene. It is broadcast on Radio Círculo and presented by British radio journalist Ann Bateson./>

18/11/2019

First up in this week’s edition of Madrid Live - my interview with best-selling British author Ken Follett who talks about his work at the Espacio Fundación Telefónica Madrid this week along with fellow British authors Jojo Moyes, Kate Mosse and Lee Child.

Follett’s best-known novels include “Edge of Eternity”, “Winter of the World” and “The Pillars of the Earth”. His recent novel “Column of Fire” is about Queen Elizabeth I who set up the first English secret service to protect herself from assassination. “Column of Fire” has just been published in Spanish.

We also hear from American jazz blues pianist Ben Sidran who performs at the Café Central - Madrid this week. Ben recently published his autobiography - "A Life in the Music." The title describes exactly what life's always been like for Ben. He started playing boogie-woogie piano when he was six and everything he's done since has been driven by music.

Music: Bryan Adams, Kaiser Chiefs, Ben Sidran Quartet

Monday @15.30 on www.radiocirculo.es

14/11/2019

Listen to Ken Loach and Paul Laverty talk about their award-winning film "Sorry We Missed You" on the Madrid Live website - www.madridlive.fm