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Actor and stand up comedian Brennan Reece paints a picture of his family Christmas, from the point of view of the family favourite, on the brink of being usurped by the next generation. He shares his love of Les Dawson, and ponders the beauty and the meaninglessness of the inspirational quotes that decorate his family’s home. Brennan Reece will be touring his show ‘Everglow’ from February 2017. Dates .

Cabaret superstars ‘Bourgeois & Maurice’ gravitate to the dark side, so they were happy to accept our challenge of creating a satirical Christmas song for 2016. ‘Bourgeois & Maurice’s’ alter egos are Liv Morris and George Heyworth, who describe their writing process ‘a bit like backwards Jenga’. To see Bourgeois & Maurice live with their show ‘How to Save the World without Really Trying’, check out their tour dates

2017 sees the 50th anniversary of The Mersey Sound, the seminal poetry anthology by Roger McGough, Brian Patten and Adrian Henri. Roger McGough joins us to reflect on the poems he wrote as a young man, and his blend of confidence and innocence. He also helps us get into the mood for Christmas with his poem ‘Alternative Santa’ as well as asking the audience to help him find appropriate end-rhymes.

Eliza Carthy performs ‘Jack Frost’, written by her uncle Mike Waterson, and lets us into the anti-establishment tradition of singing carols in pubs. She also sings ‘While Shepherd’s Watched Their Flocks by Night’, which is said to have around 150 local variations in  the villages around Sheffield alone. Eliza Carthy & The Wayward Band will be releasing their new album ‘Big Machine’ in February and tour dates are here.