Lena Rowlands and Alice Stadnik interviewed writer and poet Padraig Rooney on this week's show. Padraig Rooney has spent forty years outside his native Ireland and lives in Basel, Switzerland.

Our "Queen of Green" Carrie Aikman came in to talk about living sustainably - and how to do it. Today, she told us about the first of a 12-step month-by-month 'adopt a green habit' challenge. She designated “zero-waste shopping” as this month's habit. How to approach this? Number one: Plan which day you’ll shop and put it in your calendar. Number two: Keep your grocery list handy!

Phoenix is one of the most successful bands to come out of France, together with contemporaries Daft Punk and Air. They broke through internationally with Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix in 2009, when songs like Lisztomania and 1901 put them on the map. Their latest album is Ti Amo, an Italy-flavoured gem of 80s retro pop that'll buoy your spirit.

On this 26th of December 2017, The English Show team brings you a special New Year's Show! It's our "lite" version with more music than ever, each song hand-picked by the team as their track of the year.

Manchester Orchestra - The Moth

Superorganism - Something For Your M.I.N.D.

John Maus - Sensitive Recollections

Jamiroquai - Cloud 9

Courtney Barnett & Kurt Vile - Over Everything

Cage The Elephant - Instant Crush

GusGus - Featherlight