Ian Ogilvy, Ella Al-Shamahi, Chris Packham, Ralph McTell

Midweek

The poet Lemn Sissay meets naturalist and broadcaster Chris Packham; singer and songwriter Ralph McTell; actor and director Ian Ogilvy and paleoanthropologist and stand-up comedian Ella Al-Shamahi.

Ian Ogilvy is an actor who is best known for playing Simon Templar in the 1970s TV series The Return of the Saint. He has also appeared in Upstairs Downstairs, I Claudius and films including No Sex Please, We're British. He has written a series of children's books about his hero, Measle Stubbs, which has been translated into over 20 languages. His autobiography, Once a Saint - An Actor's Memoir, is published by Constable.

Ella Al-Shamahi is a geneticist turned paleoanthropologist who also performs stand-up comedy. She is a Neanderthal expert who specialises in cave digs in hostile environments including the Yemen and Iraq. Her latest project is to set up her own cave excavation in the Yemen to test the theory that early humans left Africa not only via Egypt and then Israel but also via islands or land bridges in the Red Sea. She is a National Geographic 2015 Emerging Explorer.

Chris Packham is a naturalist, filmmaker, writer and photographer, best known as presenter of the children's nature series, The Really Wild Show during the 1980s. He has presented the BBC's Springwatch programme since 2009. His memoir, Fingers In The Sparkle Jar, reflects on being an awkward and unusual child with an intense fascination for wildlife who found solace in the natural world. Fingers In The Sparkle Jar is published by Ebury Press.

Ralph McTell is a singer and songwriter who made his debut in 1968 with the album Eight Frames a Second. In 1974 the release of 'Streets of London' earned him an Ivor Novello Award. He is celebrating 50 years on the road with a special performance at the Royal Albert Hall in which all the songs will be chosen by his fans. Ralph McTell's Loyal Command Performance is at the Royal Albert Hall, London.

Producer: Paula McGinley.