Ciarán Hinds’ acting pursuits have taken him far from his roots in Northern Ireland.

A quality actor - he lends himself to both villainy and simmering heroics.

His long career has included intimate Shakespearean theatre productions right through to major franchises like Harry Potter, Game of Thrones, Lord of the Rings and the Disney animated film Frozen.

His latest project ‘The Narrow Road to the Deep North’ is an intimate character study on human spirit – the Prime Video series based on the novel by Richard Flanagan.

He told Jack Tame when he was first introduced to the project, he’d heard of the book but never read it.

“They sent me a couple of scripts and I was immediately hooked by the quality of the writing and the story itself,” Hinds said.

“So I went out and got myself the book.”

“Deeply moved, I was, by the savagery, the cruelty, the brutality, the love, the deep passion, the haunting... it’s a huge and hugely emotional read for anybody,” he told Tame.

“And from then, I said I’m very interested in this project, and so we went on from there.”

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In Beirut’s 7th album, Zach Condon returns to a place he had no plans to ever go back to.

‘A Study of Losses’ was commissioned by the Swedish circus troupe Kompani Giraff, and at first he was hesitant to write a soundtrack for a circus, the idea a reminder of a time he’d been pigeonholed, as he says, “as a whimsical circus waif”.

However, videos of the troupe’s performances and an abstract of the work upon which the new project would be based changed his mind.

Estelle Clifford joined Jack Tame to give her thoughts on Beirut’s new album.

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Nine Hidden Lives by Robert Gold

Secrets only survive in the dark

When journalist Ben Harper is asked to help re-examine an unsolved murder case from thirty years ago, he immediately agrees. It's not just that the victim was also a journalist, murdered after she'd published a series of shocking interviews with victims of domestic abuse. It's also that he understands all too well the need of victim's daughter, Doctor Uma Jha, for answers.

But it's not long before their investigation leads to threats being made on Uma's life. Ben needs to unravel this crime before it's too late, but instead he finds himself tangled in a web of lies and deception. After all, a crime like murder has implications for many people.

People who have been keeping secrets for thirty years, and will do whatever it takes to protect them.

Strangers in Time by David Baldacci

Fourteen-year-old Charlie Matters is up to no good, but for a very good reason. Without parents, peerage, or merit, he steals what he needs, living day-to-day until he’s old enough to enlist to fight the Germans. After barely surviving the Blitz, Charlie knows there’s no telling when a falling bomb might end his life.

Fifteen-year-old Molly Wakefield has just returned to a nearly unrecognizable London. One of millions of children to have been evacuated to the countryside Molly has been away from her home for nearly five years. Her return, however, is not the homecoming she’d hoped for as she’s confronted by a devastating reality: neither of her parents are there.

Without guardians and stability, Charlie and Molly find an unexpected ally and protector in Ignatius Oliver, and solace at his bookshop, The Book Keep. Mourning the recent loss of his wife, Ignatius forms a kinship with both children, and in each other they rediscover the spirit of family each has lost.

But Charlie’s escapades in the city have not gone unnoticed, and someone’s been following Molly since she returned to London. And Ignatius is harboring his own secrets, which could have terrible consequences for all of them.

As bombs continue to bear down on the city, Charlie, Molly, and Ignatius learn that while the perils of war rage on, their coming together and trusting one another may be the only way for them to survive.

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