Vernon Kay dedicated a chunk of his mid-morning show to a warm, funny-and-serious tribute to Dame Esther Rantzen following news of her death at 86. Vern's Vault became a mini-memorial, with classic That's Life clips including the famous "Whiskey or Brandy" vox pop and "What's in Your Handbag", plus Rantzen's own words on legacy: "I don't expect to be remembered." Listeners flooded in with memories of Sunday nights watching with family, and one, David in Wellington Kent, recalled Rantzen's campaign that led to the hole in pen lids to prevent choking.
Elsewhere, Linda Perry's Tracks of My Years continued to delight, with the songwriter revealing that Beautiful was originally written for herself before Christina Aguilera, nervous and without her entourage, asked to hear it to "break the ice" in the studio – and ended up claiming it as her own. Perry also discussed her comeback solo album Let It Die Here and declared Brandi Carlile "right now Joni Mitchell."
There was proper comedy gold too courtesy of Jeremy Vine, who popped up to preview his own show and revealed he's been having actual rows with AI over football scores and old news bulletins, joking he needs "a core horse" referee. Vern also launched BBC Children in Need's 2026 Gala, confirming a double ABBA Voyage takeover on 8 November, with a special message from Benny Andersson himself.
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