Midweek - Jimmy Connors, Damian Barr, Jonathan Miller and Natalie Coleman

Jimmy Connors, Damian Barr, Jonathan Miller and Natalie Coleman

Download Jimmy Connors, Damian Barr, Jonathan Miller and Natalie Coleman

Libby Purves meets Jimmy Connors; Damian Barr; Jonathan Miller and Natalie Coleman.

During a colourful and successful career tennis player Jimmy Connors won eight Grand Slam titles including Wimbledon twice, the US Open and the Australian Open. Taught to play by his mother, he was known for his brattish and vulgar behaviour and for his rivalries with the likes of McEnroe, Borg and Lendl. His autobiography The Outsider is published by Bantam Press.

Damian Barr is a writer and journalist. His memoir Maggie and Me is about surviving a tough upbringing in Thatcher's Britain. Growing up gay within a chaotic - and at times brutal - family environment, Damian was an isolated and unhappy youngster. But by following Margaret Thatcher's advice to work hard and strive for better, he was able to plan his escape. Maggie and Me is published by Bloomsbury.

Dr Jonathan Miller is an author, director, conductor, comedian and neuropsychologist. He is currently directing Rutherford & Son by Githa Sowerby. The play is a powerful drama about a northern industrial family headed by a domineering, single-minded father. Rutherford & Son is at St. James Theatre, London.

Natalie Coleman is the winner of BBC Masterchef 2013. She battled her way from 50 contestants to take the crown, winning with a dish of roast pork belly served with a quail scotch egg. The former credit controller - who was taught to cook by her grandmother - tried out her Masterchef dishes on her grandfather. She is appearing at the BBC Good Food Show.

Producer: Paula McGinley.


Published on Wednesday, 29th May 2013.

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