Jeremy Vine Show Live from Sidmouth Folk Festival as part of 21st Century Folk BBC Sounds 28 days left to listen
Legends of folk write and perform songs inspired by five people with a powerful connection to the sea. We talk to Al Kassim, who was rescued by the RNLI off the coast of Portsmouth and now volunteers for the organisation at their busiest lifeboat station. Seth Lakeman and the Fisherman’s Friends write and perform a shanty inspired by Al’s work. Jeremy examines the power of folk music, tries some morris dancing, talks to campaigners who are worried about sewage in the sea, and discusses second homes and the importance of using cash at the coast.

Wednesday 07 August 2024 21:00 BBC Radio 2 Folk Show at Sidmouth Folk Festival
The Folk Show is visiting to coincide with the festival's 70th anniversary and Radio 2's 21st Century Folk, in which five people have folk songs written about their lives. This year, all those lives are linked to the sea. Mark hangs out in the Bedford Hotel on the esplanade and welcomes fantastic musicians, including: Cornish shanty crew Fisherman's Friends, Canadian-American duo Allison de Groot and Tatiana Hargreaves, and outstanding trio McGoldrick McCusker & Doyle.

Mark also catches up with top Scottish band Skipinnish, who are celebrating 25 years in music with big concerts in Inverness, Edinburgh, London and Glasgow. Devon-based musicians Jim Causley and Miranda Sykes, and narrator John Palmer, share their admiration of Sabine Baring-Gould, who collected folk songs in the region. They perform a song from their show, 'Ghosts, Werewolves and Countryfolk'. Bryony Griffith and Alice Jones are active members of the traditional folk and dance scenes, and talk to Mark about Sidmouth Folk Festival's importance for folk dancers,