Loose Ends

Stuart Maconie finds himself "i lár an aonaigh" - at the heart of craic, ceol, and much more at the Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann (All-Ireland Fleadh), as Belfast hosts the festival celebrating Irish music and culture for the very first time.
The Fleadh comes second nature to frontman and lead singer of Hothouse Flowers Liam Ó Maonlaí, who was brought up in a household full of traditional Irish music and song. As the band prepares for their "Greatest Hits" tour later this year, Liam reflects on the poignant story behind their hit single "Don't Go", and the time he was left behind by the band's tour bus.
Olivia McVeigh mighn't be in a band, but alongside her fellow podcasters of The Girls Groupchat she's taking the show onstage, alongside Irish girl group legends B*witched and even to ABBA Voyage. She tells Stuart about how her diagnosis of alopecia changed her entire career trajectory, into a world of advocacy and empowering others with the condition.
Emma Southon may have had a very different career as historian if she hadn't hated history so much at school. She talks about her new book Servus: How Slavery Made the Roman Empire, which sets out to give readers a full picture of the reality of enslaved people in Ancient Rome.
And Michael Fry muses on how a period of pure boredom pushed him towards comedy, and why he thinks the medium of radio is ripe for laughs, ahead of his third series of Lunchtime with Michael Fry on BBC Radio Ulster.
Plus, musicians Dónal O'Connor, Neil Martin and Clare Sands give us just a "blaiseadh beag" - a very small taste of the great music coming out of the Fleadh.
Presenter: Stuart Maconie
Producer: Anthony McKee
Technical Producer: Davy Neill
Production Co-ordinators: Sylvie Conway and Caoilfhinn McFadden

TV presenter and wine expert Olly Smith's written a novel - Death by Noir - a crisp murder mystery set among the vineyards of Sussex.
Smack the Pony star Fiona Allen's taking a solo show - White Lies - to the Edinburgh Fringe, all about the fibs people tell to get out of socialising...and their dire consequences.
Tristan Gooley, author of The Hidden Seasons, tells us about 'shooting star' season, what to learn from a single tree and how to navigate using grass as a compass.
Music from Mari Wilson who sang Just What I Always Wanted in the 1980s and has her first new music out for a decade. Plus a song from rising star of lo-fi folk Natalie Wildgoose.
Presenter: Stuart Maconie
Producer: Olive Clancy
Assistant Producer: Lizzie Foster
Technical Producers: John Cole and Kelly Young
Content Assistant: Sam Nixon

Kiri Pritchard-McLean is joined in Salford by writer and Broadchurch creator Chris Chibnall who has turned his hand to crime novels, first with Death at the White Hart and now The Parkwood Murders.
Comedian Ayoade Bamgboye is fresh off the first season of Saturday Night Live UK and she's wrapping up the tour of her hit Edinburgh show Swings and Roundabouts, which earned her the best newcomer award at the festival in 2025, before heading back to the festival this year with a work in progress show.
Wendi Peters played Cilla Battersby-Brown in Eastenders and Dr Nina Bulsara in Doctors. Her latest role is in the new BBC One crime drama series The Hairdresser Mysteries.
Music is from The Anchoress, AKA Catherine Ann Davies who is soon to release a new album As We Once Were, her much anticipated follow up to her critically acclaimed 2021 album The Art of Losing, and Later Youth AKA Joe Dudderidge.
Presenter: Kiri Pritchard-McLean
Producer: Jessica Treen

West End star and Olivier Award winner Ruthie Henshall has a new memoir and as you might expect it's very glamorous and full of tales about the cast of Cats, Les Mis and Crazy for You. It also tells the story of her secret five year relationship with a young Prince Edward, how the now-King of England mixed her first martini and Princess Diana encouraged her to belt out a show tune after dinner.
Performer and all-round master entertainer Joe Pasquale is making his Edinburgh Fringe debut this year - before now he's always been too busy presenting The Price Is Right or competing in Dancing on Ice or winning I'm a Celebrity. Find out about his show - 11 and a half Angry Men.
The comedian Tez Ilyas, star of Man Like Mobeen and The Tez'O Clock Show is also heading for Edinburgh and then out on tour with his new show - Tez Things I Hate About You. He's entered his "uncle stage", he says, and thrives on deinfluencing.
Plus music from soul singer Mica Millar and from The Zutons front man Dave McCabe, now solo.
Presenter Kiri Pritchard-Mclean
Producer Olive Clancy
Assistant producer Lizzie Foster
Production co-ordinator Pete Liggins
Technical producers Amy Brennan and Kelly Young

Stuart Maconie is joined by Nigel Harman, best known for playing lovable rogue Dennis Rickman in Eastenders, he's also much in demand as a panto villian. Trained in musical theatre, he also started in Shrek the Musical and his latest stage role is playing Bruce Bechdel in a musical adaptation of Alison Bechdel's memoir 'Fun Home' at the Royal Exchange Theatre in Manchester. Daliso Chaponda describes himself as a 'comedian, writer and antisocial commentator' and has been touring the country with his latest show Topical Storm. A regular on Radio 4, Daliso tackles not the actual news, but look at news itself. Thriller writer Nikki Smith began her career in finance, and only turned to writing in 2017. Since then she's more than made up for lost time, publishing five best selling books and she's just about to publish book number six, 'The Last Place You Look'.
Music is from Liana Flores who had a viral hit with Rises The Moon in 2022 and has since released her debut album and toured round the world and Ibibio Sound Machine
Presenter: Stuart Maconie
Producer: Jessica Treen