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Richard Allinson sits in

Richard Allinson sits in for Chris Evans and pays tribute to actor Robin Williams.

Richard Allinson sits in for Chris Evans with a chance to win VIP tickets for 麻豆约拍 Proms In The Park on Saturday 13th September...

We head to the delights of Derbyshire and ponder over poultry with the organiser of the World Hen Racing Championships, Colette Dewsbury...

And today's Pause For Thought pays tribute to Robin Williams with comedic writer Paul Kerensa.

2 hours, 59 minutes

Last on

Tue 12 Aug 2014 06:30
麻豆约拍 Radio 2

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Music Played

  • Ace of Base

    All That She Wants

  • Adele

    Rumour Has It

    • 21.
    • XL.
    • 1.

  • Altered Images

    Happy Birthday

    • Altered Images - Reflected Images.
    • Sony.

  • David Bowie

    The Jean Genie

    • David Bowie - Best Of Bowie.
    • EMI.

  • The Clash

    I Fought The Law

  • Adam Cohen

    We Go 麻豆约拍

    • (CD Single).
    • Cooking Vinyl.

  • Commodores

    Three Times A Lady

    • The Greatest Love (Various Artists).
    • Telstar.

  • Sam Cooke

    (What A) Wonderful World

    • Sam Cooke - The Man & His Music.
    • RCA.

  • Counting Crows

    Earthquake Driver

    • Earthquake Driver.
    • Capitol Records/Virgin EMI.
    • 1.

  • Earth, Wind & Fire

    I've Had Enough

    • The Very Best Of.
    • Telstar.
    • 6.

  • Sophie Ellis鈥怋extor

    The Deer & The Wolf

    • (CD Single).
    • EBGB's.

  • Shaun Escoffery

    Nature's Call

    • Nature's Call.
    • Dome Records.
    • 001.

  • Bryan Ferry

    A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall

    • The Best Of Bryan Ferry.
    • Virgin.

  • Foxes

    Glorious

    • (CD Single).
    • Sony Music.
    • 001.

  • Marvin Gaye

    Too Busy Thinking About My Baby

    • Soul (Various Artists).
    • Polygram Tv.

  • George Thorogood & the Destroyers

    Bad To The Bone

    • 100% Blues & Soul (Various Artists).
    • Telstar.
    • 4.

  • Michael Jackson

    Loving You

    • Xscape.
    • Epic.
    • 3.

  • Carly Rae Jepsen

    Call Me Maybe

    • (CD Single).
    • Interscope.

  • Mamas Gun

    Red Cassette

    • (CD Single).
    • Candelion.

  • Joni Mitchell

    Chelsea Morning

    • The Singer & The Song.
    • Stylus.

  • Procol Harum

    A Whiter Shade Of Pale

    • Procol Harum.
    • Esoteric Recordings.
    • 011.

  • Smokey Robinson & The Miracles

    Going To A Go-Go

    • Supafunky II (Various Artists).
    • Universal.

  • Emeli Sand茅

    Next To Me

    • (CD Single).
    • Virgin.
    • 1.

  • Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band

    Hollywood Nights

    • (CD Single).
    • Capitol.

  • Sly Fox

    Let's Go All The Way

    • Now 1986 (Various Artists).
    • Now.

  • Norman Smith

    Don't Let It Die

    • The Sound Of The Seventies (Various Artists).
    • Warner Music TV.

  • Edwin Starr

    Contact

    • 100 All Time Classic Dance Hits Of The 1970s (Various Artists).
    • Connoisseur.
    • 18.

  • The Style Council

    Shout To The Top

    • Billy Elliot O.S.T. - Various Artists.
    • Polydor.

  • Rosie Vela

    Magic Smile

    • And I Write The Songs (Various Artis.
    • Debutante.

  • Robin Williams

    Prince Ali

    • Aladdin.
    • EMI Gold.
    • 8.

Pause For Thought

From comedian & writer Paul Kerensa:

Some knew Robin Williams as Patch Adams, Mrs Doubtfire, Mork or Aladdin's Genie. But he was never better than as himself: unpredictable, unmatchable and intensely funny. 30 years ago, comics like him paved the way for alternative comedy to reach everywhere 鈥� I even did a show recently at a church conference, and it's this ecclesiastical gig that I wanted to talk to you about today. It was me, and a roomful of vicars. With a couple of bishops, moving diagonally. 聽So I kept things biblical in my routine...


鈥淚鈥檓 going to create a woman!鈥� said God. And Adam replied, 鈥淒o you think I was born yesterday?鈥� And God said, 鈥淲ell you were.鈥� Then Eve came along, thinking, 鈥淚f you were the last man on the planet... oh you are.鈥� Cos she didn鈥檛 know him from... him.


All the vicars fell silent. Not a laugh. You could have heard a cassock drop, and you鈥檇 have noticed it too. Had I offended them? No. They were all writing it down for their sermons. Thanks vicars! 鈥淭hou shalt not steal鈥� 鈥� that includes jokes.


There鈥檚 perhaps a stereotype that Christians are a miserable lot, which is odd, since it鈥檚 a faith of joy and love. I know Muslim comedians who do mosque gigs, and Jewish comics with shows for synagogues. In an ideal world, we鈥檇 all be mingling together at comedy clubs, but I know some churchgoers think the comedy circuit is all sex, drugs and rock 鈥榥鈥� roll 鈥� which is nonsense... I鈥檝e not heard a rock 鈥榥鈥� roll joke for years.


I'd love for the general world to see that people of faith are just people too, who laugh. Yes we鈥檙e irrational, and we love it. But we鈥檙e not going to shove the Scriptures down your throat and shout 鈥淩epent!鈥� Because to be honest, you can鈥檛 repent out loud with a Bible lodged in your gullet. Good people of faith want to serve the community, shine a light on the world, and generally be nice. And people of faith... it鈥檚 good to laugh a little! Embrace culture. Get to a comedy club. Laugh and the world laughs with you. Unless they鈥檙e vicars, in which case they鈥檙e writing it down for their sermons.


Sometimes of course, those making us laugh are hurting most of all. So I'm dedicating this Pause For Thought to the ultimate court jester of our times: Robin Williams.

Broadcast

  • Tue 12 Aug 2014 06:30
    麻豆约拍 Radio 2

Farewell Chris Evans: The best bits from his last shows at Radio 2

After eight years of hosting the Breakfast Show, Chris Evans leaves Radio 2.

500 Words

麻豆约拍 Radio 2's story-writing competition for kids.