09/02/2011

This week Libby Purves is joined by Fiona Stanford, Mark Henderson, Father Ray and Raymond Gubbay. Fiona Stanford is married to a high ranking army officer, a former commander of the Welsh Guards. Her book 'Don't Say Goodbye', is the story of the men and women who are left behind when their partners go to war, with first hand accounts from mothers, wives, girlfriends and children. She was prompted to write the book after the death of one of her closest friends husbands', Lieutenant Colonel Rupert Thorneloe who was killed in Afghanistan. Proceeds from the book will go to the Welsh Guards Afghanistan Appeal. 'Don't Say Goodbye' is published by Hodder & Stoughton. In 2003 Mark Henderson was one of eight backpackers taken hostage whilst trekking in the Colombian jungle. He was eventually released after 101 days. In a bizarre twist, eleven months after his release, Mark received an email from Antonio, one of his kidnappers. This email was the start of a five-year correspondence between hostage and kidnapper that eventually drew Mark back to the very jungle where he'd been held hostage, and to a meeting with his kidnapper. The documentary film 'My Kidnapper' is the film Mark made of this extraordinary reunion. Anglican priest Father Ray has been leading his central London parish for the last three years. He has transformed his parish, building a community where many struggle with feelings of anonymity. But now he is prepared to jeopardise all his work for the truth. In a 'First Cut' film for Channel 4, it follows him as he shares a personal secret with his congregation: that he is gay. First Cut: Father Ray Comes Out, is on Channel 4. Raymond Gubbay is the theatre producer and impresario, known for stripping back the elitist veneer from high culture events in Britain, and adding a bit of promotional sparkle. For his latest venture, he is once again bringing Puccini's 'Madam Butterfly' to the Royal Albert Hall, flooding it with 10,000 gallons of water to create a Japanese water garden setting, and playing to 9,000 people each night.