Nadiya Hussain and Attenborough part of BBC radio festive feast

Christmas lineup peppered with big names including Bake Off star, Planet Earth narrator and Glenda Jackson

Great British Bake Off star Nadiya Hussain will invite listeners into her home while she cooks a family feast as part of a BBC radio Christmas lineup featuring David Attenborough, Glenda Jackson and Clare Balding.

Hussain will be joined for the two-hour Radio 2 programme on 21 December by presenter and wine expert Olly Smith as she cooks dishes such as salmon kedgeree and gingerbread cake, accompanied by the pair’s favourite songs.

The show is Hussain’s first new programme for the BBC after saying she would be making the corporation her “home”, scotching speculation she would join Channel 4 as a presenter or judge on the channel’s version of Bake Off.

She said: “My birthday is on Christmas Day, so it’s always a big day in my house as we usually all gather for a huge feast. It’ll be great fun giving Radio 2 listeners lots of tips and recipes as they prepare for the festivities, plus I’m really looking forward to welcoming Olly to my home.”

The rest of the BBC’s Christmas radio lineup is peppered with big names.

Christmas morning will be welcomed in on Radio 2 by Clare Balding with guests the archbishop of Westminster and comedian Barry Humphries – better known as Dame Edna Everage – who will present a two-hour festive edition of his Forgotten Musical Masterpieces later that evening.

The station will also broadcast Paul Gambaccini’s exploration of the friendship between the Beatles and Kenny Everett, incorporating archive audio of the comedian and radio DJ and members of the band, as well as new interviews.

Attenborough will occupy the Radio 3 evening slot on Christmas Day, telling the stories behind music he recorded while travelling the world. The Planet Earth narrator has been digging through recordings from places such as New Guinea, Borneo, Paraguay and Tonga, which he was inspired to begin collecting in the 1950s after working on The Song Hunter, which was presented by Alan Lomax and brought a host of traditional musicians from Britain and Ireland to TV for the first time.

“I’m delighted that the music I recorded, all over the world, half a century ago, is coming to light at last,” said Attenborough. “I’m enjoying listening to it very much and I hope the Radio 3 audience will enjoy it too, and the stories of how I met the players and singers who shared with me their fascinating and wonderful music.”

On Radio 4 on Boxing Day the former MP Glenda Jackson will be heard as King Lear, 410 years to the day after the Shakespeare play was performed at the court of King James I. The station will also host Bruce Springsteen’s Desert Island Discs among its Christmas lineup, while the Today programme will bring in guest editors including actor Carey Mulligan.

For modern music lovers there will be a Sound of 2017 poll on Radio 1 searching for up-and-coming talent for the year ahead, while 6 Music will offer shows from three “wise women”: Bat For Lashes’ Natasha Khan, Laura Marling and Annie Nightingale, each playing music that has inspired them, while looking back over 2016 and to the year ahead.

Contributor

Jasper Jackson

The GuardianTramp

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