You are about to listen to a BBC podcast and I'd like to tell you a bit about what goes into making one.

I'm Sadata Sese, an assistant commissioner of podcasts for BBC Sounds.

I pull a lot of levers to support a diverse range of podcasts on all sorts of subjects,

relationships, identity, comedy, even one that mixes poetry, music and inner city life.

So one day I'll be helping host develop their ideas, the next fact-checking, a feature,

and the next looking at how a podcast connects with its audience.

And maybe that's you.

So if you like this podcast, check out some others on BBC Sounds.

Hello, today a one-legged pirate with a parrot on his shoulder.

Is he one of fiction's most fascinating villains?

Also a story of Algerian immigrants in France and a writer's journey from grief into mourning.

With me to introduce their goodreads are the actor Alistair Petri,

Mr Groff, the headmaster in the Netflix show Sex Education,

and whose recent film work includes Star Wars and Salfour and White.

This spring you'll be able to catch him in Hugh Lorry's take on Agatha Christie's,

Why Didn't They Ask Evans?

With Alistair is the author Alex Wheatle,

among whose many novels are Brixton Rock, Cronton Knights,

Kane Warriors and Just Out, commotion of the Caribbean.

Alex began writing fiction after a spell in prison

following the 1981 Brixton Uprising.

A film in director Steve McQueen's Small Axe series on BBC One, was inspired by his life.

...