Rory Stewart, Zucchero, Nina Plapp, Efrem Brynin

Midweek

Politician and writer Rory Stewart; Italian musician Zucchero; cellist Nina Plapp and SAS trainee recruit Efrem Brynin join Libby Purves.

Nina Plapp is a cellist and winner of the Royal Geographical Society and BBC Journey of a Lifetime award. Together with her cello Cuthbert she sets off from the Isle of Wight to Romania and India in search of the roots of gypsy music. Along the way Nina and Cuthbert join a chorus on a train through the desert, get locked inside a cupboard with singing girls in a Rajasthani village and play with the gypsy musicians at a wedding. Her story is told in Journey of a Lifetime on BBC Radio 4.

Rory Stewart OBE is MP for Penrith and The Border and Minister of State at the Department for International Development (DFID). After a period in the army, he joined the Foreign Office, serving in Indonesia and the Balkans and becoming deputy-governor of two provinces in Southern Iraq. His father Brian was a keen walker who accompanied his son on many of his journeys from Iran to Malaysia. Their final walk together takes them along the Marches - the frontier that divides their two countries - Scotland and England. The Marches by Rory Stewart is published by Jonathan Cape.

Efrem Brynin is one of the recruits featured in the Channel 4 series SAS: Who Dares Wins in which team of ex-SAS instructors take 25 rookie soldiers deep into the Amazon rainforest. The men take part in a customised version of the jungle phase of SAS Selection which is designed to find a unique kind of soldier for an elite unit. Efrem's son James, a soldier who was killed in Afghanistan in 2013, was due to embark on SAS training before his death and Efrem's aim is to honour his son's ambitions. SAS: Who Dares Wins is broadcast on Channel 4.

Zucchero is an Italian musician and songwriter. Born Adelmo Fornaciari, he was nicknamed Zucchero - meaning sugar - by his schoolteacher. In a career spanning three decades, he has achieved international success, not least through his collaborations with artists including Eric Clapton, Miles Davis, Ray Charles, B.B King, Sting, Jeff Beck and Andrea Bocelli. His new album Black Cat features contributions from Bono and Elvis Costello and the guitar work of Mark Knopfler. Black Cat is on Wrasse Records. Zucchero performs at the Royal Albert Hall, London.

Producer: Paula McGinley.