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Chris Packham and Midwife of the Year

Chris is joined by Chris Packham who tells us about Springwatch: The Almanac 2019 and gets some last minute tips from Midwife of the Year 2018, Sarah Spencer.

Chris is joined by naturalist and TV presenter Chris Packham who tells us about his involvement with Springwatch: The Almanac 2019, an manual for all the seasons and tells us what we should be looking out for this autumn. Ahead of the twins arrival on Great Job Wednesday we meet Midwife of the Year 2018 Sarah Spencer, who's been delivering babies for over a decade and has some sage advice for Chris. Vassos is joined in the Sports Locker by professional darts player Paul Nicholson. For today鈥檚 Top Tenuous we ask for your claims to the fame of movie sets in your local area and the mid-week Pause For Thought comes from comedian Paul Kerensa.

2 hours, 59 minutes

Last on

Wed 19 Sep 2018 06:30

Music Played

  • Nina Simone

    Ain't Got No, I Got Life

    • (CD Single).
    • Sony BMG.
  • Sophie Ellis鈥怋extor

    Love Is You

  • Led Zeppelin

    Immigrant Song

    • Led Zeppelin III.
    • Atlantic.
  • Bee Gees

    You Should Be Dancing

    • Bee Gees - Their Greatest Hits.
    • Polydor.
  • LunchMoney Lewis

    Bills

    • (CD Single).
    • Columbia.
    • 001.
  • Electric Light Orchestra

    Don't Bring Me Down

    • Light Years - The Very Best Of ELO.
    • Epic.
    • 4.
  • Calvin Harris & Sam Smith

    Promises (feat. Jessie Reyez)

    • (CD Single).
    • Columbia.
  • Pulp

    Do You Remember The First Time?

    • (CD Single).
    • Island.
    • 4.
  • Helen Reddy

    Angie Baby

    • 25 Years Of #1 Hits (Various Artists).
    • Connoisseur.
  • Manic Street Preachers

    People Give In

    • Resistance Is Futile.
    • Columbia.
  • Basement Jaxx

    Do Your Thing

    • (CD Single).
    • XL.
    • 12.
  • The Kinks

    You Really Got Me

    • The Journey - Part 1.
    • BMG.
    • 7.
  • Zara Larsson

    Lush Life

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

    Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)

    • Dancing Queen.
    • Warner Bros.
  • Bow Wow Wow

    Go Wild In The Country

    • Into The Eighties - Various Artists.
    • Global Television.
  • Big Country

    In a Big Country

    • Without The Aid Of A Safety Net.
    • EMI.
  • Cliff Richard & The Shadows

    In The Country

    • Cliff Richard - 40 Golden Greats.
    • EMI.
  • Cornershop

    Brimful of Asha (Norman Cook Remix)

    Remix Artist: Norman Cook.
    • The 1999 Brit Awards (Various Artists.
    • Columbia.
  • Tasmin Archer

    Sleeping Satellite

  • David Bowie

    Heroes

    • David Bowie - Best Of Bowie.
    • EMI.
  • Rick Astley

    Try

    • Beautiful Life.
    • BMG Rights Management.
  • Echo & the Bunnymen

    The Cutter

    • Absolution (Various Artists).
    • Polygram Tv.
  • The Teardrop Explodes

    Reward

    • The Teardrop Explodes - Greatest Hits.
    • Mercury.
  • Kylie Minogue

    A Lifetime To Repair

    • Golden.
    • BMG Rights Management (UK).
  • The Police

    Roxanne

    • The Very Best Of Sting & The Police.
    • A&M.

Pause For Thought

Pause For Thought

聽From comedian & writer Paul Kerensa:

For some reason I thought it鈥檇 be good to Pause For Thought about babies.

Here鈥檚 a fact: each of us, for a brief moment, held the world record for the Youngest Person on the Planet. For that tiniest, most magical of split-seconds, we were the most junior of 7 billion people. Literally our whole life ahead of us, we were special among the whole human race鈥 Then another newer-born overtook us. We were bumped to second, or two-hundredth, or a thousandth youngest 鈥 depending on how busy those few moments were. Suddenly, we were old hands. Been around for seconds. Knew our way around. Experts at existing.

I鈥檓 a fair way behind the Evans family, with just two 鈥榤ini-me鈥檚 rather than an entire minibus-ful. First came our son, rocking our world more than we were rocking him, as a firstborn does. Then our daughter, a Star Wars baby, born on the May the 4th (be with you). The midwives said we had to name her something Star Warsy, like Leia, or Chewbacca. Little Jar-Jar Binks is doing well. And indeed, on Star Wars Day, I got to say, 鈥淚 am your father.鈥

Yes, ours are just two in the 107 billion who鈥檝e ever toddled the earth. But for us, they鈥檙e one in a million: unique, full of hope and possibility. American philosopher Henry David Thoreau wrote, 鈥淓very child begins the world again.鈥 鈥 while Barbara Seifert called a baby 鈥渁 blank cheque made payable to the human race.鈥 The potential, the unknown value, is known to none of us, but tremendously exciting.

It鈥檚 my job to dote on my kids: love them unconditionally, long after the human race has moved onto the newer entrants on life鈥檚 conveyor belt. But I believe in a creator who dotes too, who made life鈥檚 conveyor belt but also sculpted each life with care. God says to Jeremiah in the Hebrew Scriptures, 鈥淏efore I formed you in the womb, I knew you. Before you were born, I set you apart.鈥

Whatever they might be set apart for, bless all babies en route, who for that brief moment are world-record holders, the newest beings on Earth. And as for us, 鈥榚x-babies鈥, may we regain that spirit of possibility 鈥 because that blank cheque is still being cashed, and who knows what value we can be.

Broadcast

  • Wed 19 Sep 2018 06:30

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.