Josie Long Sits In

2017-10-15: Josie Long sits in, playing music that makes her heart sing. Josie is the host of another BBC radio gem called Short Cuts: if you enjoy thoughtful narration, fascinating stories and bewitching soundscapes, you're in for a treat. (Thoroughly recommended!) 

Alexei Sayle Sits In

2017-10-08: Alexei Sayle sits in, spinning songs and telling stories. You can catch Alexei in the upcoming second series of his radio comedy Alexei Sayle's Imaginary Sandwich Bar (and for more surreal sandwich philosophising, why not try his identically titled new book).

Amy Lamé Sits In

2017-07-30: Amy Lamé sits in. As part of BBC 6 Music's Loud and Proud season, she takes a look at the anthems — both underground and mainstream — that drove the LGBT+ liberation movement. She also chats to writer Martin Aston about how gay music-makers have had a DNA-level involvement in popular music throughout its history. 

The Scott Walker Prom

BBC Radio 3 | 2017-07-25: Prom 15: The Songs of Scott Walker (1967-70). Live from the Royal Albert Hall, a celebration of the extraordinary early solo career of Scott Walker. A 1960s icon, Scott Walker has progressed from Walker Brothers teen idol to avant-garde contemporary musician. His music has influenced a wide range of artists such as David Bowie, Leonard Cohen and Goldfrapp. This Late Night Prom presents tracks from his four self-titled albums with live orchestral backing for the very first time. Jules Buckley and the Heritage Orchestra pay tribute, along with star guests. 

Performers: Jarvis Cocker, John Grant, Richard Hawley, Susanne Sundfør. Orchestra: Heritage Orchestra. Conductor: Jules Buckley. Presenter: Stuart Maconie. 

Scott Walker (2)

2017-07-23: Jarvis welcomes elusive singer-songwriter Scott Walker back to the Sunday Service, ahead of the Late Night Prom The Songs of Scott Walker, which took place at the Royal Albert Hall on Tuesday 25 July. 

Max Richter's Introduction to the Scott Walker Prom

BBC 6 Music | 2017-07-23: Max Richter's Introduction to the Scott Walker Prom. Composer Max Richter maps out the meeting points between Scott Walker's songs and his instrumental music; and considers how these join up with other types of experimental music, both pop and contemporary classical. 

Peter Perrett Sits In

2017-07-16: Peter Perrett sits in. He shares stories about life on the road and explains why his selections mean so much to him. The Only Ones frontman talks about his newly-released solo album, How the West Was Won, on which he collaborated with his talented sons. 

Sparks Sit In (2)

Sparks sit in while Jarvis is away. Brothers Ron and Russell Mael show off gems from their expansive record collection and also unearth some great vintage advertising jingles.

From Manchester with Love

2017-07-02: Jarvis broadcasts live from the Manchester International Festival. Featuring:

• Music for a Busy City: site-specific sound installations created for six spaces around Manchester.

• Left over from last week: two newlyweds share their first dance at Glastonbury; the murmur of the Pyramid Stage crowd listening to politician Jeremy Corbyn. Also, born on this day: Peter Kay.

• Artist Phil Collins discusses his work Ceremony, about Friedrich Engels and his 20 years in Manchester. Phil retrieved an abandoned Soviet-era statue of Karl Marx's collaborator and took it on tour, allowing workers here and abroad to 'meet' him before installing it in Manchester.

• Factory Records graphic designer Peter Saville talks about the True Faith exhibition, which explores the visual identity of New Order and Joy Division and the wealth of art their music has inspired.

• Also at MIF 2017: No End to Enderby, a celebration of the work of writer Anthony Burgess; dance production Available Light; and Ride.

• Karl Hyde of Underworld describes his involvement in theatre performance Fatherland, which is about the expectations and experience of fatherhood.

(Jarvis announced that he will be taking another sabbatical...)

Roving Around Glastonbury

2017-06-25: It's time to head southwest to Avalon, or the Isle of Glass, for some Glastonbury magic. First we're immersed in some of the history and mythology surrounding the site and the festival. Then we grab our wet wipes, wellies and cagoules and embark on an audio ramble around Worthy Farm. Jarvis conveys some of the atmosphere and chats with happy, glittery festival-goers in the fields and backstage. Then he leads us to the Stone Circle and a pop-up peace garden for a mellow moment. Throughout, we get to hear plenty of music from lesser-known acts playing the festival this year. Birthdays: Carly Simon (linking her stammer and creativity), George Michael (on the event that unlocked his love of music), Peter Blake (long-time beard-sporter) and Ricky Gervais (remembering when his teen rebellion was thwarted by his mum).

James Rhodes

2017-06-18: Pianist James Rhodes joins Jarvis to talk about his documentary, Geeking Glenn Gould. A lifelong fan of the Canadian classical superstar, James enthuses about Gould's recordings and genius musical mind; his prescient understanding of the future for recorded music; and his revolutionary approach to Bach. James remembers when he first became entranced by Gould, and affirms how lucky he felt to make this programme about his idol. Jarvis also asks James about his own unorthodox approach to performing and his passion for demystifying the culture of classical. Plus: an astrophysicist enables us to hear a solar flare; Sally Ride became the first US woman to launch into space, this day in 1983; Kraftwerk; and Canada 150 with Robert Lepage. And Jarvis pays tribute to the late Adam West, who was his childhood hero as Batman. Birthdays: Paul McCartney (we hear his advice to young musicians). 

James Rhodes' Spotify playlist of essential classical music is at bit.do/instrumental

A Surrealist Sunday Service

2017-06-11: Don your diving helmet and aqualung, and plunge into the depths for an encounter with 'the marvellous'. Jarvis marks the anniversary of the 1936 London International Surrealist Exhibition. Archive news reports recall the controversy surrounding the event; documentary clips tell how the artworks, found objects and 'primitive' pieces were brought together; and a lady remembers witnessing Dalí nearly dying in a diving suit as he prepared to lecture. The Surrealists used their art to access dreams and the unconscious: an unexplored part of reality. In that spirit, Jarvis tries creating his own expressive Surrealist sound piece with cut-up tape recordings courtesy of William S Burroughs. Birthdays: Barry Adamson (praising Bernard Herrmann), Jacques Cousteau (an Undersea World clip), Gene Wilder (Francophile) and Pete Murphy (on Bauhaus's greatest hit). 

A Virtual Primavera

2017-06-04: Jarvis treats us to a virtual tour of Primavera Sound. Jetting over to Barcelona, we get right into the festival vibe, exploring the concrete wonderland of Parc del Fòrum and enjoying bands playing Primavera this year. We learn a little about the city: Jarvis tells us about their football team, and muses on Orwell's Homage to Catalonia and the Spanish Civil War. He also contemplates Sagrada Família and visits his favourite Barceloní music shop, Wah Wah Records. Plus: an eyewitness remembers Emily Davison's notorious suffragette protest on this day in 1913; a landmark concert for The Clash; and listeners are asked for stories of discovering records on holiday. Birthdays: Russell Brand (on sampling the atmosphere pre-performance), David Yip (reading a poem) and Morgana King.

A Self-Help Cosmic Journey

2017-05-28: Imagine your couch has turned into a spacecraft and let Jarvis guide you on a self-help cosmic journey, exploring inner and outer space as we question our place in the universe. Featuring intriguing excerpts from Walker Percy's book Lost in the Cosmos: The Last Self-Help Book. Along the way, we encounter a tap dancing Thora Hird; Cold War commotion with the aviator who landed in Red Square; a super-serene Jeff Bridges; and a thriller writer's lively appetite for scrambled eggs. Birthdays: Thora Hird, Ian Fleming, Walker Percy and György Ligeti (a unique choral composer). 

The Liverpool Mass and Rousseau's Dream

2017-05-21: Body art, a modernist Mass and a mesmerising painting… On 13th May, Jarvis introduced Pierre Henry's inaugural Mass at Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral. 50 years later than originally planned, the pioneering work by the musique concrète composer was staged in the space by his collaborator Thierry Balasse and arts organisation Bluecoat — we hear all about the event. During his trip, Jarvis was given a book which got him thinking about music and mysticism. Urging us to gaze at Henri Rousseau's painting The Dream, he reads the bewitching poem Yadwigha, On a Red Couch, Among Lilies by Sylvia Plath. Plus: notes from The Ivors awards; and on this day The Empire Strikes Back was released and two landmark solo Atlantic flights were taken. Birthdays: Noel Fielding (on tennis), Henri Rousseau, Martin Carthy ('I don't do jolly'), Mr T and Fats Waller.

Rodney Graham

2017-05-14: Artist and musician Rodney Graham joins Jarvis as a major new retrospective of his work opens at the Baltic in Gateshead. Jarvis recalls his first encounter with Rodney's music at a gallery, and how exciting it was to discover an artist who combined the worlds of art and pop music. He asks Rodney about his time in bands when he was starting out, his recently released album Gondoliers, his influences including Bob Dylan, writer's block and why Rodney returned to music after a long break. They also discuss the exhibition's title, That's Not Me, and how Rodney would describe himself to a customs officer. Birthdays: Bobby Darin, Sofia Coppola, David Byrne (on songwriting with irony) and Mark Zuckerberg (on the importance of friendship).

Sleep Until the Dawn Comes

2017-05-07: Last night (6th May), Jarvis attended a performance of Max Richter's project 'Sleep' at Old Billingsgate Market in London. He aims to give us a flavour of the event, describing the atmosphere, sharing conversations with musicians and audience members, and ending with a drowsy meeting with Max in the morning. Max talks about the challenge of keeping in time with the slow tempo and explains how the ensemble keeps going for eight hours. This is all interspersed with somnolent music and poems, a previous interview with Max, and extracts from the radio play The Dreams. Later, we are roused by clips from International Dawn Chorus Day over on Radio 4, with a poem about the dew, an account of medieval sleep patterns and a star-fade song for the larks. Birthdays: Matt Helders, Anne Dudley (on orchestration) and Michael Rosen (midnight feasting).