Songbook

James Blunt talks about the moment he first knew he wanted to dedicate his life to music, learning the guitar as a teenager, starting out as a songwriter and combining this with an army career and the inspiration behind four of his most famous songs. Songbook performances: - You’re Beautiful - Goodbye My Lover - 1973 - Same Mistake

Snow Patrol guitarist, singer and songwriter, Gary Lightbody, talks about the band’s long climb to success, his musical influences, the fans’ varying interpretations and his musical plans for the future. Songbook performances: - Fifteen Minutes Old - Run - Chasing Cars - If There’s A Rocket Tie Me To It

The Oscar winning writer Don Black talks frankly about writing lyrics for stage, screen and chart hits. Recalling his start as a song plugger on Tin Pan Alley and how this led him to eventually make collaborations with Andrew Lloyd Webber. Don remembers the challenges of writing for Bond films, recalling working with the likes of John Barry, Shirley Bassey, and Tom Jones. Songbook Performances: - Born Free (sung by Don Black) - Ben (sung by Marti Webb) - Tell Me On A Sunday (sung by Marti Webb) - Take That Look Off Your Face (sung by Marti Webb) - As If We Never Said Goodbye (sung by Marti Webb) - Clip of Thunderball (sung by David Arnold) - Clip of Only Myself to Blame (sung by David Arnold) - Clip of The World is Not Enough (sung by David Arnold)

Suede's former frontman talks frankly about: growing up in Haywards Heath, the early days of Suede, living on the dole, brit pop clichés, his prodigious drug use during Suede days and his feelings about drugs now. Songbook Performances: Brett performs two songs from his new album Slow Attack; Hymn and Ashes of Us Two original Suede songs: The Next Life, The Wild Ones, Trash

Sharleen Spiteri and Johnny McElhone, the songwriting partnership behind Texas, talk about their 20 years of success together. Discussing the early days in Glasgow and how they formed their songwriting partnership. How trying to interpret their favourite artists leads them in new musical directions, the excitement they still feel hearing their songs get airplay and how their different personalities combine to create their musical relationship. Songbook performances: - I Don’t Want A Lover - Say What You Want - Black Eyed Boy - Halo - All The Times I Cried

Midge Ure looks back on his Glaswegian youth and how the motivation for forming a band was at first purely to attract girls. The Scottish singer recalls his days with Visage, Ultravox and remembers how his famous collaboration with Bob Geldof came about. Midge talks about leaving the security of writing with bands to launch a solo career and the inspiration behind his hit single If I Was. Songbook Performances: - Fade To Grey - Vienna - Dancing With Tears In My Eyes - Do They Know Its Christmas? - If I Was

Musical legend Ray Davies looks back on his early musical influences – records that his older sister would send from Canada, how the signature Kinks sound was formed by him and his brother playing guitar on a broken amp in their parents’ front room. He talks about their US ban in the 1960s and how it affected the future and the sound of the band; ending the show by talking about the songwriting process and lyrical inspiration behind the Kinks classic song Waterloo Sunset. Songbook performances: - I Need You - Set Me Free - Sunny Afternoon - Waterloo Sunset

Ray Davies continues revealing the inspiration and songwriting process behind some of the Kinks hits. Discussing the process of recently re-recording many of the songs with a choir, going back to his youth as a choirboy, and takes a look at his newer, solo songs, which he personally finds more exposing than writing for a band. Songbook performances: - Autumn Almanac - Picture Book - Johnny Thunder - Shangri La - Working Man's Cafe - After The Fall