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500 Words 2019 launch!

Zoe launches 500 Words 2019, Â鶹ԼÅÄ Radio 2's story-writing competition for children aged 5-13.

Zoe launches 500 Words 2019, Â鶹ԼÅÄ Radio 2’s story-writing competition for children aged 5-13, and reveals that Windsor Castle will be the spectacular location for this year's 500 Words Final.

Charlie Higson and Frank Cottrell Boyce host a special Breakfast Club for the children of Foulds School, and share their top tips for how to create spectacular short-stories. Plus Windsor Castle’s Learning Curator Richard Williams takes Zoe behind the scenes of the magical final venue in Backstage Ball.

Along with Tina Daheley on news, Richie Anderson on travel and Mike Williams on sport, she and the team have the best start to your morning. With celeb guests, quizzes, headlines, tunes chosen by listeners, and more music that you can shake a glitterball at!

There's also weather with Carol Kirkwood, England number eight Mark Wilson previews the Six Nations, a daily Pause For Thought provided by Senior Rabbi Julia Neuberger and listeners on the line, as Zoe entertains the nation with fun for the family!

With over 800,000 entries since it first launched in 2011, 500 Words is the world’s most successful story-writing competition for children and is an open invitation to the wide world of imagination. 135,000 children across the UK sent in their stories in 2018.

The winners will have their story read live on air by the world’s biggest celebrities to the Breakfast Show’s millions of listeners. Previous names have included Jason Isaacs, Julie Walters, Tom Hiddleston, Sir Kenneth Branagh and Benedict Cumberbatch. Not only will finalists rub shoulders with the most popular entertainers, they'll also be serenaded by fantastic pop-stars performing at the final.

For further inspiration, helpful hints and tips, and to enter, visit www.bbc.co.uk/500words. And teachers and librarians can also sign up on the site to help judge the thousands of entries.

2 hours, 59 minutes

Last on

Tue 29 Jan 2019 06:30
Â鶹ԼÅÄ Radio 2

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Music Played

  • Pet Shop Boys

    It's A Sin

    • Pet Shop Boys - Discography.
    • EMI.

  • Lizzo

    Juice

    • (CD Single).
    • Atlantic.

  • Coldplay

    Every Teardrop Is A Waterfall

    • (CD Single).
    • EMI.
    • 5.

  • Marshmello & Bastille

    Happier

    • (CD Single).
    • Positiva.

  • George Michael

    Faith

    • George Michael - Ladies & Gentlemen.
    • Epic.

  • Earth, Wind & Fire

    September

    • Greatest Hits Of 1978 (Various Artis.
    • Premier.
    • 3.

  • P!nk

    A Million Dreams

    • The Greatest Showman: Reimagined (Various Artists).
    • Atlantic.

  • The Communards

    You Are My World '87 (Remix)

    • Heartbeats (Various Artists).
    • Solitaire Collection.
    • 6.

  • Paolo Nutini

    Pencil Full Of Lead

    • (CD Single).
    • Atlantic.
    • 1.

  • Pulp

    Disco 2000

    • Hits.
    • Island.
    • 6.

  • George Ezra

    Shotgun

    • Staying At Tamara's.
    • Columbia.

  • Culture Club

    Karma Chameleon

    • Fantastic 80's Disc 1 (Various Artis.
    • Columbia.

  • Katy Perry

    Roar

    • (CD Single).
    • Capitol.
    • 1.

  • Take That

    Relight My Fire (feat. Lulu)

    • Simply The Best Radio Hits (Various).
    • Warner E.S.P..

  • Ava Max

    Sweet But Psycho

    • Heaven & Hell.
    • Atlantic.

  • Mark Ronson

    Valerie (feat. Amy Winehouse)

    • (CD Single).
    • Sony BMG.

  • Taylor Swift

    Shake It Off

    • (CD Single).
    • Big Machine.
    • 1.

  • Journey

    Don't Stop Believin'

    • Rock Of America (Various Artists).
    • Trax Label.

  • James Blunt

    You're Beautiful

    • (CD Single).
    • Atlantic.

  • James Arthur & Anne-Marie

    Rewrite The Stars

    • The Greatest Showman: Reimagined (Various Artists).
    • Atlantic.

  • Elvis Presley

    Return To Sender

    • Presley - The All Time Greatest Hits.
    • RCA.

  • Toto

    Africa

    • The All Time Greatest Rock Songs ....
    • Columbia.

  • Blur

    Parklife

    • (CD Single).
    • Parlophone.

  • John Farnham

    You're The Voice

    • Life In The Fast Lane (Various).
    • Telstar.
    • 2.

  • Queen

    Don't Stop Me Now

    • Jazz.
    • Island.
    • 12.

  • Sam Smith & Normani

    Dancing With A Stranger

    • (CD Single).
    • Capitol.

  • Curtis Mayfield

    Move On Up

    • The Old Skool Reunion (Various Artis.
    • Global Television.

Pause For Thought

Pause For Thought

From Julia Neuberger Senior Rabbi at the west London Synagogue:

Today, 500 word stories have been centre-stage on the programme and there’s this great story in the Talmud, the Jewish legal code, that amuses, and, more importantly, makes us think.Ìý It’s about a new kind of oven, which is brought for the rabbis to decide whether it is ritually pure or not. One rabbi, Eliezer ben Hyrcanus, says it’s fine, while the others all say it isn’t. One Rabbi named Eliezer keeps arguing. When he can’t convince his colleagues, he says: “If the law agrees with me, this carob tree will prove it." The carob tree leaps up from the ground and moves away. The other rabbis tell him that, whatever the carob tree does, it’s no proof in a legal debate.

So then Eliezer shouts: "If the law agrees with me, this stream will prove it." And the stream begins to flow backwards. So the other rabbis tell him that a stream is no proof in a legal debate. Frustrated Rabbi Eliezer shouts: "If the law agrees with me, these walls here will prove it." Whereupon the walls of the study hall begin to fall down. At this point another rabbi, Joshua ben Hananiah, interrupts and tells the walls off for interfering in a debate among scholars. Out of respect for Rabbi Joshua, they stop falling down, but out of respect for Rabbi Eliezer, they don’t stand up again either.

Rabbi Eliezer loses the plot: "If the law agrees with me, Heaven will prove it." Along comes a heavenly voice addressing ALL the rabbis: "Why are you arguing with Rabbi Eliezer? The law always agrees with him?Ìý

And then Rabbi Joshua says: “No, the law is not in heaven. The Torah tells us that “The word is very near to you; it is in your mouth and in your heart for you to observe." (Deuteronomy 30:12-14). In other words, this is for human beings to decide.ÌýÌý It’s a brilliant story, just like all the stories will be in the competition starting today. It makes you think, it surprises you- and in the end, it makes a profound point - it’s up to human being to sort out legal problems. God isn’t going to do it for us.

Ìý

Broadcast

  • Tue 29 Jan 2019 06:30
    Â鶹ԼÅÄ Radio 2