Midweek - 03/06/2009

Libby Purves is joined by Lawrence Anthony, Jerry Springer, Marty Portas and Sebastian Brooke. Lawrence Anthony is a conservationist and founder of The Earth Organisation. In his book The Elephant Whisperer, he tells the story of how he took on a herd of traumatised elephants on his Thula Thula game reserve in Zululand. He was their last chance of survival, battling to create a bond with the elephants and save them from execution. The Elephant Whisperer is published by MacMillan. Jerry Springer is known throughout the world for his television show, The Jerry Springer Show. He has also been the Mayor of Cincinnati, a political pundit, lawyer, award-winning newscaster, country recording artist and progressive talk-radio broadcaster. He is about to make his West End debut playing Billy Flynn in the musical Chicago for six weeks at the Cambridge Theatre. Mary Portas is one of the UK's foremost authorities on retail and brand communications, known in the trade as The Queen of Shops. In a new three-part series for BBC Two - Mary Queen of Charity Shops - she tries to change the nation's attitude towards charity shops and prove that they can be a good place to shop. Mary is opening a Living and Giving Shop at the Westfield Centre in London. Sebastian Brooke is a sculptor and the founder of The MEMO Project (Mass Extinction Memorial Observatory). It will be a stone monument bearing the images of all the species of plants and animals known to have become extinct in modern times. It will incorporate a bell to be tolled for all extinct species, including the great many 'unknown' species which it is believed perish each year, unseen by scientists.