The writer, satirist and urban explorer Will Self talks to Gyles about his childhood, his career and his life now. From his boyhood as "little Willy", the apple of his mother's eye, who was both enfolded and smothered by her love; to his adolescence when he began smoking, drinking and experimenting with drugs earlier than most; to his student days when his good looks meant he found it easy to get women into bed... this is an absorbing, entertaining and sometimes surprising episode, full of laughs, and full of astute observations (as you might expect from one of our foremost satirists). Will also talks about taking heroin on John Major's plane, being on Shooting Stars and his illness and recent stem cell transplant.

Our thanks to Will for his dazzling conversation, and for being such charming company. And thank you, too, to his wife Nellie for coming along!

Will's new book The Quantity Theory of Morality is out now and is HIGHLY recommended. You can buy a copy here.

Enjoy this... we're sure you will.

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Matt Haig, the international best-selling author of books such as The Midnight Library, Reasons to Stay Alive, and his new release The Midnight Train, is our guest today. And this is one of our most in-depth and fascinating ever discussions of mental health and the true nature of depression. Matt's observations are genuinely illuminating, and full of hope and advice for anyone who has experienced despair. Matt also talks about shop-lifting as a teenager, being ADHD and autistic, and the first book he fell in love with. He talks about meeting his wife, going to Ibiza, and getting drunk in his French oral. He talks about why he writes. This is a refreshing and open conversation, full of wisdom and perception. Our thanks to Matt for this brilliant conversation.

Matt's new book The Midnight Train is out now, published by Canongate.

Enjoy this.

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We're lucky to have the talented actress Anne-Marie Duff (St.Joan, The Magdalene Sisters, Shameless, Bad Sisters, The Virgin Queen) as our guest today, taking Gyles back to her happy childhood in a tight-knit community in West London, where she lay in bed hearing the sounds of piano from the local pub wafting in through the windows, and heard her father singing love songs to her mother. She talks about being a shy and bookish child, sometimes feeling as if she was "on the wrong planet" and finding confidence at a drama group. She talks about her early fascination with theatre, training at the Drama Centre London, her experience playing St Joan at the National Theatre and stage fright. She talks about love, grief, and caring for her brother, Eddie, who had early onset Alzheimer's and sadly died earlier this year.

This is a fascinating, heartfelt and moving interview, full of wisdom and insight. Enjoy this - we know you will. Our thanks to Anne-Marie Duff for her time, energy and for telling her story so beautifully.

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