BBC Radio 2
Vernon Kay
21 Apr 2025
Original Broadcast: 20 Apr 2025
Vernon Kay joins the prolific actor, director, and musician John Simm. Be prepared for some brilliant stories throughout his Tracks Of My Years.
Play Full Interview below – Audio Only (00:56:48):
John is best known for playing Sam Tyler in “Life on Mars”, “The Master” in “Doctor Who” and most recently south-coast sleuth DS Roy Grace in “Grace” on ITV.
In the late 90s, John played lead role of Danny Kavanagh in the hard-hitting Jimmy McGovern TV drama ‘The Lakes’. Other TV credits include “State of Play”, “Crime and Punishment”, “Exile” and “Cracker”. His film roles include “Wonderland”, “Human Traffic” and “24 Hour Party People”, and he has twice been nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Actor.
Besides his love of acting, John was a guitarist, founding member and songwriter with the rock band “Magic Alex”. He supported Echo and the Bunnymen on two tours, as well as playing lead guitar on a few of Ian McCulloch’s solo live shows. He now returns as Detective Superintendent Roy Grace in ITV’s Grace, based on the best-selling novels by author Peter James. On top of that, John is also starring in a brand new drama called “I, Jack Wright”, airing late April on u&alibi. But let’s get into his first choice. He’s chosen Elvis Presley and “A Mess of Blues”.
Music Played
1. Whitney Houston – I Wanna Dance With Somebody
2. Elvis Presley – A Mess Of Blues
3. Ray Charles – What’d I Say
4. Frank Sinatra – Summer Wind
5. The Beatles – What You’re Doing
6. Blondie – Sunday Girl
7. AC/DC – Highway To Hell
8. New Order – Temptation
9. Echo & the Bunnymen – The Killing Moon
10. The Stone Roses – This Is The One
BBC Radio 2’s Vernon Kay joins the prolific actor, director, and musician John Simm.
John Simm Society Blog 