麻豆约拍

Libby Purves meets pianist Nicholas McCarthy; actor and director Clarke Peters; shepherdess Amanda Owen and chef and restaurateur Raymond Blanc.

Nicholas McCarthy is a pianist who is making his debut at London's Purcell Room at Southbank Centre. Born without his right hand, he went on to study at the Royal College of Music and is the only one-handed pianist to graduate from the institution. At his concert he will perform a wide variety of repertoire including Chopin, Bach, Strauss, Liszt and Gershwin to showcase both his virtuosic and mainstream appeal. Nicholas McCarthy performs at the Purcell Room, Southbank Centre, London.

Clarke Peters is an actor, singer, writer and director. His many roles have included Lester Freamon in TV's The Wire and Othello alongside Dominic West's Iago. Clarke performed in the original Paris production of Hair and wrote and starred in the award-winning production of Five Guys Named Moe. He is the narrator in the Louis Armstrong Story at the Bristol International Jazz and Blues Festival, reading excerpts from Armstrong's autobiography and letters. The Bristol International Jazz and Blues Festival is at Colston Hall, Bristol.

Amanda Owen is a shepherdess who tends her flock of just over 1,000 sheep at Ravenseat, a hill farm of 2,000 acres at the head of Swaledale in North Yorkshire. In her book, The Yorkshire Shepherdess, she tells of how a rebellious girl from Huddersfield learnt her craft as a shepherdess and how she juggles the demands of her livestock with the demands of raising a large family in such a remote area. The Yorkshire Shepherdess is published by Pan Macmillan.

Raymond Blanc OBE is a chef, restaurateur and writer. His new book Kew On A Plate and its accompanying TV series tell the story of his collaboration with the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew to create a new kitchen garden. The garden celebrates the heritage and botany of popular plants and reveals their growing and cooking secrets. Born in eastern France, Raymond arrived in the UK in 1972. Five years later he opened his first restaurant which went on to win two Michelin stars. Kew on a Plate with Raymond Blanc - Recipes, Horticulture and Heritage is published by Headline.

Producer: Paula McGinley.