:00:00. > :00:06.Join us tonight to see this historic beach transformed by volunteers to
:00:06. > :00:29.mark the place where 9,000 fell. Hello and welcome to the show -
:00:29. > :00:33.we'll be watching that amazing event which took place this weekend with
:00:33. > :00:35.tonight's guest. He's a home-grown Hollywood star - but he can also do
:00:36. > :00:54.this very well. # 16 coaches long
:00:54. > :01:09.# That long black train took my baby back home... It's Hugh Laurie!
:01:09. > :01:15.Welcome back to the UK. You have been away, working on the fantastic
:01:15. > :01:21.House. Did you miss most about being away? So many things. The
:01:21. > :01:29.weather... They don't really have weather over there. No seasons. I
:01:29. > :01:33.miss beer, I know that is the kind of thing people say, because it is,
:01:33. > :01:44.and I am saying it. But I really did miss it. I miss it. Budweiser does
:01:44. > :01:52.not hit the spot. Are you back for good? If you will have me! I feel
:01:52. > :01:54.there is a probationary period, let's see if you can remember which
:01:54. > :01:58.there is a probationary period, side of the road we drive on, I will
:01:58. > :02:03.see why can pass that! But it's wonderful to be back. We will have
:02:03. > :02:07.you back every Monday! Later on we'll be introducing Hugh to a
:02:07. > :02:10.virtuoso who can give any tune you like a classical make over. He's
:02:10. > :02:22.even made a favourite children's TV theme sound like Tchaikovsky.
:02:22. > :02:39.Intriguing. Now let's join Iwan on the sands of Normandy.
:02:39. > :02:52.You are lying there, and thinking, what is going to happen? My personal
:02:52. > :02:56.thoughts were, and my dead? And my sister, my girlfriend, you wonder if
:02:56. > :03:07.you are ever going to see them again. When you see your mates go
:03:07. > :03:12.down, and you can't stop them. 9000 losses of life in just a few hours
:03:12. > :03:18.on the stretch of beach. Today two artists are going to create a visual
:03:18. > :03:26.Robson station to show us that from scene. -- a visual representation.
:03:26. > :03:31.On a simple level, we're going to draw out 9000 silhouettes to
:03:31. > :03:36.represent the people who died, 24 hours of D-day. We are using premade
:03:36. > :03:42.stencils, there are many figures we have drawn around, people using the
:03:42. > :03:48.stencils to rake the sand, so we can show in stark contrast with the sun
:03:48. > :03:53.shining. What we're doing as a piece artwork is an example of what
:03:53. > :03:57.happens in the absence of peace. It is not a stencil of a figure in the
:03:57. > :04:02.San, it is about a life that was lost, they will all be washed away
:04:02. > :04:09.just as they were 70 years ago. How did this idea come about? In 2010, I
:04:09. > :04:15.came to these beaches with my father, I did a tour of the landing
:04:15. > :04:20.sites, and I thought, wait a minute, I am walking on sand. I am a sound
:04:20. > :04:22.artist, and I'm obsessed with the Second World War. How can I produce
:04:22. > :04:36.a piece of that combines the two? The artwork is being created on this
:04:36. > :04:41.beach. This Normandy veteran has come along to see its creation. He
:04:41. > :04:42.was in the second wave of troops to land and has never forgotten the
:04:42. > :04:48.was in the second wave of troops to terrible scenes he saw that day. War
:04:48. > :04:51.is war, and you appreciate people will get killed. When you mention
:04:51. > :04:54.the number that was killed in the will get killed. When you mention
:04:54. > :05:04.few hours, you can imagine what it was like. We lost quite a few.
:05:04. > :05:13.Wounded, killed. And you know, that's the emotional part of it.
:05:13. > :05:20.Every year, there is hundreds of us. It used to be thousands, become
:05:20. > :05:25.the honour pilgrimage. We visit the graves, we lay crosses, Reeves.
:05:25. > :05:29.During the day, it is a very solemn occasion but in the evening, we have
:05:29. > :05:40.a few beers because we know they are with us. Can I stop a minute?
:05:40. > :05:44.100 volunteers worked nonstop to help create this piece of work. Even
:05:44. > :05:47.100 volunteers worked nonstop to with it's only half complete, the
:05:47. > :05:56.images are already starting to have an impact. It's really strange. Out
:05:56. > :06:02.images are already starting to have of respect, I am tiptoeing, almost
:06:02. > :06:05.like I am in a graveyard. You don't want to trade, because it is no
:06:05. > :06:15.longer sounds to me. I am looking at them as people, it is bizarre. The
:06:15. > :06:17.volunteers have only been working for an hour, and it's just
:06:17. > :06:23.unbelievable, the amount of bodies for an hour, and it's just
:06:23. > :06:27.on the ground. Just here, that someone's son, someone's brother, it
:06:27. > :06:33.could have been me or you. That is someone's life that was taken. Just
:06:33. > :06:37.remarkable. Why did you feel the need to come and help out today? I
:06:37. > :06:41.lost my son in Afghanistan last year. I wanted to come and take part
:06:41. > :06:48.lost my son in Afghanistan last in this. It's so emotional, just
:06:48. > :06:53.thinking about it. It really is. I came in memory of my dad, he is a
:06:53. > :07:05.veteran, he died last September. This is where he landed. Well, quite
:07:05. > :07:12.a scene. You did the 9000. Yes, we achieved what we set out to do. Now,
:07:12. > :07:18.I don't know, the event has hit me. I'm feeling a little bit drained but
:07:18. > :07:20.what struck me is it is very quiet. Seems to me, a lot of people are
:07:20. > :07:24.just looking and thinking, probably Seems to me, a lot of people are
:07:24. > :07:32.in shock, really. To me, I am looking up there and inking, that is
:07:32. > :07:40.a lot... A lot for the mind, the eyes and the heart today Kim. -- to
:07:40. > :07:50.take in. Now I am just going to die just what we have done. -- digests.
:07:50. > :07:54.That must be one of the most extraordinary aerial shots we have
:07:54. > :08:02.shown. It sends a chill down the spine. Absolutely amazing.
:08:02. > :08:12.Incredible, brilliant idea. Thanks to all the volunteers. Last time you
:08:12. > :08:21.were here, it was quite a while ago. 1971! Yes, you were talking about
:08:21. > :08:25.your first blues album. You seemed a bit nervous at the time, almost with
:08:25. > :08:29.an actor with a bit of a sideline, you didn't know how well it would be
:08:29. > :08:35.received, but it became a really big success, were you shocked? I was
:08:35. > :08:37.stunned, still am. I didn't think of it as my first album, but I thought
:08:37. > :08:42.of it as my blues album, that would it as my first album, but I thought
:08:42. > :08:47.be the end of it. Nice try, Sony, back in your box! The fact that it
:08:47. > :08:49.went well, people seem to like it and they liked the shows
:08:50. > :08:54.went well, people seem to like it turned up was so amazing. To be able
:08:54. > :09:00.to say, my second blues album, is just an amazing thing! Your first
:09:00. > :09:05.sold over a million, it did incredibly well. Here you are with
:09:05. > :09:12.the second, your barbecue really focused on this. What are you
:09:12. > :09:20.focusing on this time around? It's focused on this. What are you
:09:20. > :09:23.all different! I just wanted to keep going on this journey. I think
:09:24. > :09:28.all different! I just wanted to keep if people will let me do it, I sort
:09:28. > :09:33.of see ten of these, stretching out into the future. Someone will surely
:09:33. > :09:37.of see ten of these, stretching out blow the whistle and say enough! But
:09:37. > :09:44.these are the songs I have loved since I was very young. We go a bit
:09:44. > :09:48.later, we start earlier and finish later, so it's a broader
:09:49. > :09:54.chronology, and we also get a different places. We have an
:09:54. > :09:59.Argentinian tango, and we have songs from different parts of the country.
:09:59. > :10:09.It's more of a mixture of sounds and atmospheres. We also have two
:10:09. > :10:14.wonderful female singers on it as well and I personally think it's
:10:14. > :10:20.more romantic. I was going to say sexier, I bailed out and said
:10:20. > :10:27.romantic! Know it is sexy, but I thought it was you singing, this is
:10:27. > :10:37.you performing the latest single, it is called Junco Partner.
:10:37. > :10:51.# He had friends all over town # Well now he's broke, broken and
:10:51. > :10:52.busted # And there ain't no friends to be
:10:52. > :11:03.found. So you are telling the story
:11:03. > :11:07.blues throughout history, and there is a reason you wanted to go and
:11:07. > :11:18.sing live on the Queen Mary Lynagh. There is, it is a bit of a holy
:11:18. > :11:23.place for me, that was the scene of the rebirth of Professor long-hair.
:11:23. > :11:25.It is actually Paul McCartney, he had a party there, he was in the
:11:25. > :11:34.middle of the tour, he said, where had a party there, he was in the
:11:34. > :11:36.up will we have it? And we headed on the Queen Mary. He arranged to have
:11:36. > :11:46.Professor long-hair and the Meters, the Queen Mary. He arranged to have
:11:46. > :11:49.who both made records that night. The professor had really vanished
:11:49. > :11:54.from the scene, they found him sweeping up in a shop in New
:11:54. > :11:59.Orleans, no one knew where he had disappeared to. It was largely tanks
:11:59. > :12:03.to that record, certainly in my life, that he came back into the
:12:03. > :12:09.public realm and was properly anointed as the king of New Orleans
:12:09. > :12:15.piano. You might be playing him on Radio 2 now! You have a new series
:12:15. > :12:20.on that now. Is this your chance to educate the listeners about these
:12:20. > :12:26.music and bring it into the main team -- mainstream? I would not
:12:26. > :12:30.presume to educate the listeners of Radio 2, who are very savvy bunch. I
:12:30. > :12:36.just hope they enjoy the records we play. But one of the things we have
:12:36. > :12:42.done is take a single song, we do a mystery train, and also with Stagger
:12:42. > :12:47.Lee, which is a song hundreds of mystery train, and also with Stagger
:12:47. > :12:52.people have done, and we follow the progress of that song, the way the
:12:52. > :12:54.story of it has changed as well as the feel of it, and we see the
:12:54. > :12:57.story of it has changed as well as different treatments. We wonder why
:12:57. > :12:59.a song like that survives in a way different treatments. We wonder why
:12:59. > :13:04.that all sorts of other cultural different treatments. We wonder why
:13:04. > :13:11.things vanish. Space hoppers, for example, we don't see them these
:13:11. > :13:16.days! Which is a shame! I would love to commute on a space hopper! But a
:13:16. > :13:18.song like Stagger Lee, no matter what you do, it won't go away. There
:13:18. > :13:23.was something about it that speaks what you do, it won't go away. There
:13:23. > :13:26.to us, musicians keep discovering it and going back to it, there is
:13:26. > :13:37.something about that story that they can't let go full stop it's going to
:13:37. > :13:41.be a brilliant sequence -- series. So you're making this film with
:13:41. > :13:47.George Clooney. George Clooney is making a film with me! Disney have
:13:47. > :13:50.George Clooney. George Clooney is sent us this synopsis, it is top
:13:50. > :13:55.secret. Can you read it for us, because we couldn't quite work out
:13:55. > :14:06.what it says? It's the official one! Really? Bound by a shared destiny, a
:14:06. > :14:09.bright, optimistic teen bursting with scientific curiosity and a
:14:09. > :14:12.former boy-genius inventor jaded by disillusionment embark on a
:14:12. > :14:14.danger-filled mission to unearth the secrets of an enigmatic place
:14:14. > :14:16.somewhere in time and space that exists in their collective memory as
:14:16. > :14:41.Tomorrowland. Do you recognise that? That was
:14:41. > :14:46.very cleverly done. They have given you nothing. I went out on the
:14:46. > :14:57.streets to see whether our left the audience could make a head or tail
:14:57. > :15:08.of it. Tomorrowland is... Well... It seems good but something you
:15:08. > :15:16.cannot understand. I think... I will be honest, it makes no sense
:15:16. > :15:21.battle. There we are. That was brilliantly done! I cannot wait to
:15:21. > :15:31.see it either. I have not got a clue what it is about. That to the
:15:31. > :15:42.music. His album has been out since May. -- back.
:15:42. > :15:48.to stop people from playing music too loud or drinking dodgy cider in
:15:48. > :15:51.a certain part of town. But an ASBO that bans someone from a whole
:15:51. > :16:01.country, that's a new one on us. Miranda is here.
:16:01. > :16:10.With bird numbers in decline, egg collecting was eventually made
:16:10. > :16:16.illegal in 1954. By 2000, it carried a jail sentence. Despite
:16:16. > :16:22.the heavy penalties, illegal egg collectors still target the UK's
:16:22. > :16:27.nesting bird colonies. This Hebridean island is an important
:16:27. > :16:32.site for nesting seabirds, including the largest colony of
:16:32. > :16:39.shearwaters. With only 40 people living on the island, one egg beef
:16:39. > :16:59.hoped his illicit activities would go unnoticed. -- -- thief. I
:16:59. > :17:04.spotted a man going into the genes. I started to watch him through my
:17:04. > :17:10.telescope. I could see him with eggs in his hand. He darted off
:17:10. > :17:15.after around 20 minutes. He went into a black house close to the
:17:15. > :17:19.ruined bothy. I did not see him at all after that. Ali reported this
:17:19. > :17:23.ruined bothy. I did not see him at to the police. They received a
:17:23. > :17:28.second description of a man acting strangely. It immediately raised
:17:28. > :17:31.the suspicions of a national wildlife crime officer. We caught a
:17:31. > :17:36.the suspicions of a national ferry and, as we were crossing to
:17:36. > :17:41.the island, we got a radio transmission to say he was actually
:17:41. > :17:48.on the jetty waiting to catch the ferry boat we were going to be a
:17:49. > :17:54.lighting off. We approached him. I identified myself as a police
:17:54. > :18:00.officer. I asked him his name. He said Matthew gone sure. I recognise
:18:00. > :18:04.that name. I said, I think we have our boy caused the of he was
:18:04. > :18:13.already known to the police as a notorious aches thief. -- we have
:18:13. > :18:22.got our boy. All the artefacts on the table have come out of his bag?
:18:22. > :18:28.Yes, that is right. The small cakes are willow warbler and pipit eggs.
:18:28. > :18:32.Police had enough evidence to charge him with illegal possession
:18:32. > :18:46.of wild bird aches. They wanted proof he had taken them. -- eggs.
:18:46. > :18:50.Their worst DNA of the Gulf family and Shearwater. -- there was DNA.
:18:50. > :18:59.Their worst DNA of the Gulf family This was enough to issue a warrant
:18:59. > :19:07.to raid his East London flat. It included excerpts from some of the
:19:08. > :19:13.rarest birds. -- eggs. At the hearing the prosecution noted that
:19:13. > :19:17.a significant number of the eggs had large untidy holes in them,
:19:17. > :19:22.suggesting they were stolen and blend days before hatching. He
:19:22. > :19:28.would have killed the developing chick in order to preserve the
:19:28. > :19:32.shelf. He was sentenced to six months in prison and to a further
:19:32. > :19:38.six months by the sheriff court in Inverness. They were not his first
:19:38. > :19:42.convictions. The courts needed a new approach to stop this
:19:42. > :19:47.compulsive trophy hunter. In addition to his imprisonment and,
:19:47. > :19:51.in an unprecedented move for a wildlife crime, he was issued with
:19:51. > :19:54.an antisocial behaviour order by English and Scottish courts. The
:19:54. > :19:58.ASBO banned him for life for English and Scottish courts. The
:19:58. > :20:02.entering Scotland during breeding season. It increased penalties for
:20:02. > :20:11.any future crime he may commit, raising the fine from £5,000 to
:20:11. > :20:16.£20,000, and the jail term to five years. Two breeding seasons on and
:20:16. > :20:20.he has not reoffend it. It seems the ASBO may have finally stamped
:20:20. > :20:27.out this crawl and very destructive hangover of a Victorian pastime. --
:20:27. > :20:33.this April. What is the incentive for this? There is no money
:20:33. > :20:38.involved. We're all shaking our heads. It seems the most pointless
:20:38. > :20:44.thing to do. You cannot show it off as a be cannot boast your friends
:20:44. > :20:55.or display it in any way. -- show it off. You cannot boast to your
:20:56. > :20:59.friends. It is a trophy? Absolutely. The RSPB had been building up a
:20:59. > :21:04.profile of people they have caught stealing eggs. They believe it is
:21:04. > :21:08.the thrill of the chase - evading the police. Climbing the tree and
:21:08. > :21:15.scaling down the mountain. People died doing this. It is a crazy
:21:15. > :21:19.thing. There is Hope at hand. Using things like social media it means
:21:19. > :21:24.wildlife crime officers and bird lovers can get together a spread
:21:24. > :21:31.the word about looking after this rare nesting bird. There is at some
:21:31. > :21:41.positive news as well. In a moment, you are going to treat us to a jam
:21:41. > :21:45.session, tinkling the ivories. First, Richard Mainwairing shows us
:21:45. > :21:52.how you can make classical music out of classic children's telly. 40
:21:52. > :21:54.years ago, a group of quirky characters, determined to
:21:54. > :21:59.years ago, a group of quirky Wimbledon Common, became a TV
:21:59. > :22:03.phenomenon. The Wombles also had a musical impact for their
:22:03. > :22:07.distinctive sound. There is a real snobbery about children's
:22:07. > :22:12.television programmes. Some dismiss them as trivial but I think they
:22:12. > :22:17.should be celebrated on musical merit. I have always loved the
:22:17. > :22:24.theme to the Wombles. Mike Batt has been one of the most successful
:22:24. > :22:28.songwriters, creating a Winter's Tale and Bright Eyes was that his
:22:28. > :22:34.Korea First to cough when he was asked to write the theme to the
:22:34. > :22:42.Wombles. -- his career first took off. The characters had to be
:22:42. > :22:48.somewhere in the music. That thing where you don't... It had that kind
:22:48. > :22:53.of jolly quality that eyesore in the Wombles. The team was
:22:53. > :22:57.originally composed and a keyboard. When it was recorded for the album,
:22:57. > :23:02.he used the full range of orchestral instruments, from
:23:02. > :23:07.strings to French horns will start I was passionate about the
:23:07. > :23:11.orchestra. -- French horns. You have it going to you unconsciously
:23:11. > :23:17.as part of your upbringing. Did you ever think this was wasted on a
:23:17. > :23:22.children's television theme? They are young adults. They have very
:23:22. > :23:26.receptive brains. I have the advantage of being a bit of a kid.
:23:26. > :23:32.I wanted it to be something that was of interest to them and also of
:23:32. > :23:37.interest to me. They had eight hit singles and four gold albums.
:23:37. > :23:42.Inspired by my chat with Mike and the success of the Wombles, I had
:23:42. > :23:45.an idea. Can I take some of my favourite television tunes and see
:23:45. > :23:51.an idea. Can I take some of my if they stand up to this treatment?
:23:51. > :24:00.First, the Banana Splits in the style of Mozart.
:24:00. > :24:07.I think that really works. How about the Magic Roundabout in the
:24:07. > :24:27.style of Strauss. Yes, I love that one. But he is the
:24:27. > :24:33.challenge. I have come to Leeds Town Hall for a special performance.
:24:33. > :24:37.I have arranged the Wombles theme in the style of Tchaikovsky for the
:24:37. > :24:45.National Children's Orchestra. Well an audience recognise the tune or
:24:45. > :24:51.appreciate its musical nuances? You are in for a bit of a treat. A
:24:52. > :24:55.well-known piece of music arranged especially for tonight's
:24:55. > :25:21.performance. We hope you really, really enjoy it.
:25:21. > :25:43.It has gone from being the Wombles to the Nutcracker now.
:25:43. > :26:13.That was fabulous. Job done! I loved it. What did the audience
:26:13. > :26:19.think? Did you enjoy it? The Wombles was superb. What did you
:26:19. > :26:27.think of it? It was fabulous. Up did you know what style and was
:26:27. > :26:29.trying to copy? Which composer? Tchaikovsky. Next time you listen
:26:29. > :26:34.to a children's television theme, Tchaikovsky. Next time you listen
:26:34. > :26:44.listen a bit closer. It might just be a classic.
:26:44. > :26:54.Richard, in your words, this and closer, it might be a classic.
:26:54. > :27:09.Richard, in your words, this and believe that was to be see but I am
:27:09. > :27:21.not quite sure. -- Debussy. That was Rhubarb and Custard. In your
:27:21. > :27:24.honour, Hugh, Richard has rearranged the theme from House,
:27:24. > :27:45.which I have to say was pretty special to start with.
:27:45. > :28:22.It is so great to see you play. You saw the piano and you're right, I
:28:22. > :28:27.need to sit back and play. That has nothing on you two. Now we just
:28:27. > :28:36.have enough time for the obligatory Stephen Fry question. There is
:28:36. > :28:40.always a Stephen Fry question. I have a couple as well. You are
:28:40. > :28:45.going to be working together on an Oscar Wilde story that stuck we are.
:28:45. > :28:51.We started recording the voice for an animated film of an Oscar
:28:51. > :28:57.Wilde's story. The Canterbury ghost. It is a very funny script. We are
:28:57. > :29:00.barely adequate but the script is terrific and the animation is
:29:00. > :29:06.terrific and I think it will be really good. It is out in 2015.
:29:06. > :29:12.Plenty of time to work on that one. Anything before then? We are always
:29:12. > :29:17.talking about it but we are doing more talking than doing. The
:29:17. > :29:25.talking is fun. Thank you very much. Thank you for being such a great
:29:25. > :29:30.sport. You can see footage from that series on the red button in a
:29:30. > :29:30.few minutes. Tomorrow, we have James