Mark Lawson Talks to...

Top scriptwriter Russell T Davies in conversation with Mark Lawson.

Galton and Simpson talk about their famous creations Hancock's Half Hour and Steptoe and Son, how they met each other in hospital, and why they stopped working together.

With a comedy career which kicked off in strip clubs, Barry Cryer became a Windmill regular in the 1950s. A brief foray into musicals and the West End stage followed with Expresso Bongo, before he made his mark on the pop world with a cover of The Purple People Eater, which Barry claims went to Number One in Finland for three weeks. Barry Cryer talks to Mark Lawson about his days writing jokes for The Two Ronnies and Morecambe and Wise, his enduring role as a panellist on BBC Radio 4's I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue, and the eczema that used to plague his life.

Writer and television performer Jonathan Meades discusses his life and career with Mark Lawson. In his unmistakable dark suits and sunglasses, Meades has presented many opinionated and sometimes controversial documentaries on architecture, culture and food. Meades talks about the secrets of his distinctive presenting style, gaining weight as restaurant critic for The Times and his Humanist beliefs.

John le Carre converses with Mark Lawson about his fragmented childhood, life in the diplomatic service, working with Alec Guinness and his book A Most Wanted Man. Le Carre worked as an intelligence officer in the 1970s before turning to writing full time. His personal experiences during the Cold War informed a string of best-selling espionage novels including The Spy Who Came in from the Cold and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. He also wrote the corporate corruption thriller The Constant Gardener, which became a Oscar-winning film.