AUTHOR and documentary maker Sarfraz Manzoor takes a look at Lennon's Private Passion – Cape Wrath (Radio 4, today, 2.45pm) as he retraces the steps of the Beatle's summer holidays in Sutherland. Lennon's cousin's father owned a croft in Durness, and cousin Stan recalls the memories of sunny days up on the north-west coast with the singer. Others also remember playing with Lennon as a child, and when he returned in private in 1969 with Yoko Ono.
No doubt part of the soundtrack toManzoor's trip will be 'InMyLife', the song Lennon wrote to commemorate the people of Durness.
Another singer-songwriter inspired by Scotland was the late, great, Hamish Henderson, who this week is celebrated in A
Various Man (Radio 4, Tuesday, 11.30am). The poet took on an international stature thanks to his championing of the Scots tongue through the post-war Scottish folk scene and for his part in creating the School for Scottish Studies at Edinburgh University. It is the university's Dr Fred Freeman who presents this programme, having unearthed archive recordings and interviews with the man Mandela sought out after his release from Robben Island.
As part of its European City of Culture celebrations, Liverpool welcomed home one of its sons in the form of Sir Simon Rattle earlier this month. Your chance to hear his performance conducting the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra is on Radio 3 on Thursday at 7pm. The programme includes the first symphony Rattle ever performed with the orchestra, Sibelius's Fifth, as well as a new work by Australian composer Brett Dean.
The full article contains 263 words and appears in Scotland On Sunday newspaper.
