As announced here on December 2nd, a reminder that PBS will air Austin City Limits featuring Coldplay on December 17, 2005.

More details on show times, video clips from the show and artists interviews at pbs.org/klru/austin/

[Thanks Jenny, klru.org]

Coldplay played Green Eyes, Trouble and Shiver as part of wholesale changes to the Earl's Court second night setlist. The full setlist was:

Square One

Politik

Yellow

Speed of Sound

God Put A Smile

X&Y

How You See The World

White Shadows

The Scientist

Til Kingdom Come

Hung Up [acoustic cover]

Green Eyes

Clocks

Talk

Trouble

Shiver

In My Place

Fix You

Reviews and pictures to appear on this site shortly. In the meantime click here for the latest information on this show.

Gwyneth Paltrow & Chris Martin jetted off to an ancient Sri Lankan castle to celebrate their second wedding anniversary, contactmusic.com reported recently.

The couple, who are reportedly expecting their second child, left toddler Apple with family and friends, so they could enjoy a romantic winter getaway at the Amangala hotel, which is located within the walls of a 17th-century fort.

As part of their trip, the pair went scuba diving and shopped for quirky Christmas gifts. Chris Martin and the actress married in Mexico in December 2003.

Source: contactmusic.com

Ray J has been keeping time to Coldplay's hit song "Clocks."

Last month, Ray J covered the Coldplay song during a performance for Pepsi Smash's "Cover Art" on Yahoo Music. Clocks is from Coldplay's second album A Rush of Blood to the Head. Ray J said he chose this song because he "wanted to show another side of Ray J" and "keep it versatile." He added, "I just wanted to do something a little different, you know what I'm saying?"

To check out Ray J's cover of Clocks, click here

Ian Brown [pictured] has slammed fellow British rocker Chris Martin for moaning about the paparazzi, insisting press attention comes with the job.

The former Stone Roses frontman also accuses Coldplay of ripping off other artists on the latest album X&Y. Brown says, "It (Speed of Sound) sounds so like Echo & The Bunnymen, it amazes me how they've got away with it.

"I can't stand the way the guy sells millions of albums, plays stadiums, marries a Hollywood star (Gwyneth Paltrow) and complains about the paparazzi. That comes with the territory. It's a horrible name, Coldplay. It doesn't conjure up any positive thoughts. He looks like he's on the verge of a panic attack."

Coldplayshop have new special limited edition lithograph prints available to purchase online.

Click here to browse the e-shop.

CD:UK (Music)

Lauren Laverne, Myleene Klass and Johny Pitts present the music chart show, with performances from Coldplay and Westlife.

Starting: 11:30am (GMT) on Saturday 17th December. Duration: 1 hour

Showing on ITV1 [uK]

London - Gwyneth Paltrow reportedly finally admitted she is pregnant when she bumped into old friend Orlando Bloom.

Gwyneth and husband Chris Martin have still not confirmed she is expected their second baby, reports the Mirror. Orlando was taken aback by Gwyneth’s curves when they met at the Motorola Grand Classics screening of Annie Hall at Notting Hill’s Electric Cinema.

The Mirror quotes a source as saying: “Orlando hasn’t seen Gwyneth in a while and he remarked how big her chest looked. She just laughed and said: “I know, they are big. I can’t believe it. It’s amazing, isn’t it? It’s the best thing about being pregnant. I love the way I look!”"

And, when another reveller congratulated her on the impending new arrival, she gushed: “I’m a really happy girl right now, things couldn’t be better. I’m feeling great, thanks.”

Although Gwyneth, 33, was enjoying mingling with her showbiz mates she was clearly missing Chris, who is currently in the US on tour with Coldplay. Patting her bump, she added: “It’s a great feeling and a great time, but I wish Chris could be here with me now.”

Source: Ananova.com

Coldplay could be accused of striking down a generation of British rock: Embrace, Athlete, Keane, and Kuwb, even Jamie Cullum are their children.

Where frontman Chris Martin started the dilution of Thom Yorke's genuinely agonised howl into a bleat of polite distress, these others have followed. It has diverted bands who may have been part of the rock tradition straight into the middle of the road. In the process, Martin has become a major rock star, while his band affects EMI's share price as the Beatles once did.

A mix of good and bad reviews - read them in full here

On the heels of an acclaimed headlining slot at September's Austin City Limits Music Festival, Coldplay returns to Austin, bringing a combination of heartfelt ballads and masterful rock to the legendary stage of the Austin City Limits television program. Recently nominated for three Grammy Awards, Coldplay has become one of the biggest bands in the world and is a critical, commercial and fan favorite. A special Austin City Limits featuring a full hour of Coldplay airs Saturday, December 17 on PBS (check AustinCityLimits.com for broadcast dates in your local area).

In one of their most intimate performances of the year, Coldplay presents songs from their newest release, X&Y, as well as a few of their classics. Highlights include the band's performance of "'Til Kingdom Come," a song they wrote in honor of Johnny Cash, followed by a cover of Cash's "Ring of Fire." The audience is also treated to a guest appearance by Michael Stipe, lead singer of REM. Stipe joins Coldplay for two songs, "In the Sun" and "Nightswimming".

"It's a tremendous honor to play Austin City Limits, one of the grandest music showcases anywhere in the world," said Chris Martin, lead vocalist, Coldplay. "It's a humbling experience knowing that we're sharing the same stage as performers like Johnny Cash and Neil Young who have had such a big influence on us as a band."After the episode airs, viewers who log on to AustinCityLimits.com and identify the final song of Coldplay's performance will have a chance to win backstage access to Coldplay's spring U.S. tour and a trip to experience a taping of the Austin City Limits television program in 2006.

Coldplay highlights an incredible season for Austin City Limits, which features performances by Grammy winners, bands on the forefront of rock and music legends including Jack Johnson, Etta James, The Killers, Widespread Panic, John Prine, Gretchen Wilson, Ryan Adams, and Franz Ferdinand among others. A full list of performers is available at AustinCityLimits.com.

For more 30 years, Austin City Limits has presented live music, pure and simple, to audiences across the world on PBS. More than 600 acts have graced the Austin City Limits stage, including legendary artists and rising stars from every musical genre -- from R&B and rock to jazz and alternative music. Austin City Limits is co-production of KLRU-TV and Capital Sports & Entertainment. Funding for Austin City Limits is provided in part by SBC Communications Inc., AMD, Budweiser and the Austin Convention Center Department.

For all their reputation as posh dullards, few bands generate as much liking and loathing as Coldplay. That's been the case since Alan McGee's immortal 'music for bedwetters' jibe five years ago.

Yet Coldplay silenced some of the doubters with 2002's A Rush Of Blood To The Head, where they started shifting toward a similar rarefied territory as Echo & The Bunnymen. On this form, completely dismissing Coldplay began to look very churlish indeed. So what went wrong?

Firstly, X&Y played into their detractors' hands. In place of A Rush Of Blood's roaming adventure came stadium rock by numbers - all gloopy piano ballads, empty air-punching theatrics and lyrics a five-year-old could have written. If this wasn't bad enough, Chris Martin's distinctly un-rock'n'roll manner began to prove equally aggravating: akin to a bumptious medical student during rag week, endorsing Fair Trade, Oxfam and Make Poverty History with enough thumbs aloft gestures to impress Macca.

While still preferable to Thom Yorke's adolescent misanthropy, it wasn't for nothing that one perceptive critic found similarities between Martin's political hand-wringing and that of Tony Blair. All of which has apparently rankled with Coldplay, possibly explaining why their recent live shows have been shockingly good. Coldplay's key strength is uniting anthemic force with gossamer grace and on current form they're pressing those buttons so well, even the mush from X&Y finds much-needed grit and guile. Whether it's enough to banish the posh dullards tag remains to be seen.

Tonight until Fri, Earls Court Exhibition Centre, Warwick Road SW5, 6pm, £32.50 (tomorrow and Fri returns only). Tel: 0870 903 9033. www.eco.co.uk Tube: Earl's Court

Source: thisislondon.co.uk

Details on the new single 'Talk', have been released by coldplay.com:

The fourth single to be released from X&Y, ‘Talk’ is released on Monday 19th December.

The single will be available as a two-track CD, a DVD and 7 inch and includes the brilliant new song ‘Sleeping Sun’. The DVD contains Coldplay’s version of ‘Gravity’ – a song they wrote on tour in 2003 that became a huge hit for Embrace last year – and the Anton Corbijn-directed video for ‘Talk’.

'Talk' is however Coldplay's third single from X&Y.

To celebrate Coldplay's return to the UK, coldplay.com are giving you a chance to win tickets to the forthcoming leg of the tour.

They're giving away four pairs of tickets to the Newcastle or Belfast shows.

To enter, click here" target="_blank">here

A quick reminder of the following pre and general sales dates, report coldplay.com:

LOS ANGELES:

The pre-sale for the LA show on February 4th starts on Thursday 15th Dec at 10am and ends on Friday 16th Dec at 5pm. All the people who registered for pre-sale tickets and who were successful have been sent codes. If you did not get a code then you were not successful in the random lottery for this pre-sale.

The general sale for this show will start on Saturday December 17th, for tickets click here

ANAHEIM:

The presale for the Anaheim show on February 6th starts on Thursday 15th Dec at 10am and ends on Friday 16th Dec at 5pm. All the people who registered for pre-sale tickets and who were successful were sent codes 2 weeks ago. If you did not get a code then you were not successful in the random lottery for this pre-sale.

The general sale for this show will start on Saturday December 17th, for tickets click here

Actor Gael Garcia Bernal, star of the Motorcycle Diaries, has joined actors such as Antonio Banderas and Colin Firth by lending his voice to the 'Big Noise' petition designed to fight worldwide poverty. The Oxfam global petition of 17.8 million people demands that world leaders change trade laws to help small farmers and the poor.

A number of celebrities including Coldplay frontman Chris Martin, Alanis Morrisette, and Djimon Hounsou have joined the fight to demand reform at the World Trade Organization meeting in Hong Kong from December 13-18. The delegation consisting of celebrity campaigners has traveled to Hong Kong to lend their support to Oxfam’s 'Make Trade Fair' campaign.

"The voices of these celebrities joined with the voices of 18 million people across the world creates a powerful force demanding change," said Phil Bloomer, leader of the Oxfam delegation. The celebrity delegation also aims to draw attention to the damage created by wealthy nations when they send their unwanted farm goods to impoverished countries.

Source: backstage.com

Trying to counterattack the iPod+iTunes couple, Microsoft will launch in partnership with MTV a new digital music service called URGE. The service, which is set to debut in 2006 will be integrated into Windows Media Player 11, the upcoming version of Microsoft’s Media Player and feature content from MTV, VH1 and CMT, as well as over 2 million songs from major labels and thousands of independents.

URGE will encompass all musical genres, from alt-country to zydeco. In addition to a broad catalogue of music choices, URGE will deliver a deep well of exclusive MTV Networks programming and original, hand-crafted content.

URGE has already garnered support from Clive Davis, Chairman and CEO BMG U.S., Lyor Cohen, Chairman and CEO of U.S. Recorded Music for Warner Music Group, and musical superstars Alicia Keys, Coldplay's Chris Martin, and Gretchen Wilson.

Upon its debut next year, URGE will be promoted through multiple venues, including the MTV, VH1 and CMT channels, which on average collectively reach more than 165 million viewers U.S., as well as through the respective brands' Web sites and Urge.com. According to the press release, additional details of the new service will be unveiled in January at the International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

As you might remember, for Microsoft and MTV it is not the first love story. Xbox 360 was unveiled at a special MTV show, just a few days before this year E3 Expo.

Source: playfuls.com

Time to take another sneaky peak at some 2005 UK Christmas Number One contenders. Take a look, and place a bet. Then in 2010, when the 2005 Christmas Number One makes you nauseous, you can at least console yourself by remembering that you won a few quid on it.

Coldplay - Coldplay are releasing Talk on December 19th. There are plus points to this announcement - it’s released one week before Christmas so it’ll reach it’s peak position (potentially Christmas Number One) on Christmas day; and also, the song is - surprising - OK. For a Coldplay song. However - so many people already own the Coldplay album that there isn’t a single person in the country who is anticipating the release of Talk - certainly not enough to make it the Christmas Number One. And, although Coldplay are big, they’re no Brenda/Andy/Journey South/Shayne off X Factor, are they? Current Christmas Number One odds - 40/1

Source: http://www.hecklerspray.com

UNIVERSAL CITY, California — So who was the story at the 16th annual KROQ-FM Almost Acoustic Christmas festival this past weekend?

Perhaps the White Stripes, who had the perfect color scheme for the occasion and whose songs made it into multiple sets (Jack Johnson tossed a few "My Doorbell" verses into "The Horizon Has Been Defeated," while Coldplay's Chris Martin inserted "I'm going to Wichita/ A seven nation army couldn't hold me back" into "Speed of Sound").

Or maybe it was Jack Johnson, the only act who actually played almost acoustic and tossed in a Christmas carol ("Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" complete with a new verse in which Rudolph talks back, telling the other reindeer, "How can you look me in the face when yesterday you called me names?).

Depeche Mode were if you asked Chris Martin, who gushed over the British electro-rockers at least a dozen times during Coldplay's set. "I know you're tired, but Depeche Mode are gonna come on, and they've got the best torsos in the whole of the world," he said at one point. "Maybe not L.A. actually, 'cause a lot of you people in L.A. have incredible physiques, that's why we play here so often."

Chris Martin also uncharacteristically did a lot of lyric swapping, ad-libbing lines about the festival. In "Clocks" he sang, "Look at Earth from outer space/ Maybe L.A.'s the center of the whole damn place/ Give me time and give me space/ Give me peace of mind to trust/ Give me Depeche Mode playing after us/ Give me Jack Johnson, let me be/ And give me Death Cab for Cute-tee/ But most of all our favorite types/ Let Coldplay play after the White Stripes."

Martin seemed like a child on Christmas morning from the onset, accidentally breaking a guitar neck while popping a balloon, talking to a fan's mom on a cell phone and even covering a bit of "B.Y.O.B." and dedicating "Trouble" to System of a Down.

Coldplay's set featured one single after another, plus a few X&Y tunes, including "Kingdom Come," which the band performed "almost acoustic." After the tune, which Martin wrote for Johnny Cash before he died, the band segued into Cash's "Ring of Fire," playing the tune with help from the audience.And that was just the second night. Saturday's show was just as jam-packed with memorable moments (special guests, special covers, special shout-outs) as Sunday's, with Korn, Nine Inch Nails and System of a Down topping the heavier lineup.

So basically the story was the event itself, which celebrated its 16th anniversary at the Gibson Amphitheatre (which, to add to the confusion already caused by the event's Almost Acoustic name, is actually not an amphitheater).

Saturday's show kicked off with a showcase of metal and punk newcomers whose futures are looking mighty bright, with Rise Against, Avenged Sevenfold and Thrice. The latter marked their return to the event (after playing in 2003) by bringing along a string section as well as a guest singer for "Red Sky," Deftones frontman Chino Moreno.

"I was just thinking he'd do some harmonies and stuff and he was like, 'Yeah, I got some stuff I wanna sing,' " singer Dustin Kensrue said backstage. "He kinda went off and sang some melodies that he had made up and they were really cool."

Playing between Thrice and Korn, Fall Out Boy met with a mixed reaction but soldiered through a 30-minute set.

"On the night we played we're kind of like Britney Spears," bassist Pete Wentz joked after the show. "If we played tomorrow night it would be like we were Slayer, so Fall Out Boy is somewhere in between the two nights. It's cool. I think it gets real easy to play in front of people who are just gonna drink the Kool-Aid and love your music no matter what, and I think that it's a little bit more of a challenge to go out there and have to earn people and people who are not necessarily very open to being earned. At least at the end of the day hopefully people will respect you for trying."

Korn's set marked their first Los Angeles gig without former guitarist Head, who quit the band earlier in the year to join a Christian ministry, but the band's sound was just as thunderous as ever as it ripped through seven albums' worth of hits, including an epic cover of Pink Floyd's "Another Brick in the Wall, Pts. 1-3."

"As you can tell we're missing our boy Head," singer Jonathan Davis told the crowd before their final tune. "I want everybody to know out there tonight we love that motherf---er very much and respect what he f---ing did. He had to do his own thing, and we have to do ours, and that's to make the best f---ing records and play the best shows, and especially make it so you motherf---ers out there are proud to be Korn fans."

And the sold-out crowd certainly seemed proud as they bounced through one song after another, including new See You on the Other Side tracks like "Liar," which offered a rare glimpse at Davis' singing chops.

Few bands can follow Korn, but it was no problem for Nine Inch Nails, whose Trent Reznor channels his anger similarly to Davis, with his vocal cords stretched and his sweat glands working overtime. There were also more instruments destroyed during their set than played by some of the earlier bands.

So then how do you follow that? System of a Down had the answer, but if you could put it in words, well, it wouldn't be System. The metal mad scientists seemed even a little more mad than usual, especially guitarist Daron Malakian, who disco-danced, dove into the crowd, made a lot of sex jokes (and Bush jokes) and disco-danced some more.

The pinnacle came during what felt like a spontaneous cover of Dire Straits' "Sultans of Swing," during which Malakian replaced the chorus with: "We are the System, we are the System of a Down."

Sunday's show was also sprinkled with some interesting covers, starting with Nada Surf's take on New Order's "Love Will Tear Us Apart." Jack Johnson was the master, though, making live mash-ups with his own tunes and hits from Sublime and the Cars. He also brought out fellow singer/songwriter Matt Costa to strum through a version of the Beatles' "Two of Us."

Hot Hot Heat, Death Cab for Cutie, the Bravery and Depeche Mode rounded out Sunday's show.

Source: MTV

Coldplay and The White Stripes played storming sets at Los Angeles radio station KROQ's Almost Acoustic Christmas show last night (December 11th). Click here for pictures.

Depeche Mode also rounded off the evening celebrating the bands of 2005 with a headlining set at the Gibson Amphitheatre.

The band, who Coldplay's Chris Martin described as "shit hot", closed the night with a set of hits that included 1990 classic 'Enjoy the Silence', 'Never Let Me Down Again' and 'Shake the Disease'.

Coldplay, who had almost the entire 5,000 strong crowd on their feet for their own set, were moved to pay tribute to the reformed eighties act. Just before 'Fix You' Martin suggested the crowd appreciate Depeche Mode as much as he does.

"Please give them the respect they deserve for being the forefathers of modern music," he told the audience.

Coldplay played:

Square One

Politik

Yellow

Speed of Sound

X&Y

Trouble

Til Kingdom Come

Ring Of Fire

Clocks

Talk

Fix YouOther bands on the bill included Death Cab For Cutie, Hot Hot Heat and The Bravery.

Dozens of celebrities also came out to watch the rockers including former '24' star Elisha Cuthbert, The Eagles, Rancid's Tim Armstrong, members of No Doubt, 'Jackass' star Steve-O and Dirty Pretty Things drummer Gary Powell.

The Bravery were the only band who managed to run into problems during the evening, losing sound at one point and Dirt breaking his bass in two at another.

After apologizing to the crowd, frontman Sam Endicott found himself on the receiving end of rapturous applause as they came back from their troubles with hit 'An Honest Mistake'.

Highlights of the evening included a storming set by The White Stripes. Though Jack and Meg White kept to themselves at the show, staying in their dressing room until showtime, fellow performers including Death Cab For Cutie and The Bravery ventured to the venue's pit to see them.

The duo also treated fans to a cover of 'Man' by Yeah Yeah Yeahs during a triumphant career-spanning performance.

Source: NME.com

The Dutch like their music polls, and this one is no exception. Radio Veronica have on the go a top 1000 songs poll. Votings for the 'Radio Veronica' hitparade have closed, but the top three have yet to be decided. Coldplay are among the choices for number one:

Coldplay | Clocks

Queen | Bohemian Rhapsody

November Rain | Guns n Roses

To vote for Coldplay as the winner, click here

Then click: 'Stem hier', Dutch for 'vote here'. In the pop-up, tick 'Clocks' by Coldplay, fill in your name and e-mail (you can choose to fill in fake names) and press Verstuur.

No doubt there will be another poll next week!

Chris Martin [pictured] has pulled out of a money-raising gig for Oxfam at the last minute, despite being one of the charity's top celebrity representatives.

The event, due to take place at the end of this month (December 2005) in London, was postponed to fit around his busy schedule.

A source says, "Chris Martin has always been one of Oxfam's most high-profile supporters. The charity really wants his support and is willing to reschedule and relocate so he can take part."

Source: ContactMusic.com

They are up against multi-million pound campaigns from world-famous acts including Robbie Williams, Crazy Frog and the eventual winner of ITV's talent show The X Factor.

On the face of it, a part-time girls' choir from Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, should stand no chance of snatching the coveted Christmas No. 1 slot in two weeks' time.

But Cantamus - Latin for "we are singing" - a 44-piece ensemble of girls aged between 13 and 19, whose cover of the classic, "Everybody's Gotta Learn Sometime" by The Korgis, is released next week, are quietly sneaking up on the inside track.

Some critics have dismissed the single as a novelty with its "seasonal karaoke choral treatment", but the track is picking up heavy airplay and the influential Johnnie Walker on BBC Radio 2 is a big fan. Walker has raved about the choir's CD, also called Cantamus, which includes a version of "Fix You" by Coldplay and "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" by U2.If they are successful, it would be the first time a choir has beaten off rivals to become the Christmas No. 1 since the St Winifred's School Choir scaled the charts with "There's No One Quite Like Grandma" more than 25 years ago.

The girls are trying to raise £100,000 to fund a trip to Xiamen in China to defend the gold medal they won in 2004 at the World Choir Olympics. They have won numerous other awards including the European Youth Music Festival in Belgium and the Choir of the World at the Llangollen Eisteddfod.

Pamela Cook, 68, musical director and founder of the choir, said: "We are not professional, but we do have professional standards. This is a departure from opera and classical music - our usual work. We have widened our scope and it is very exciting."

Almost all of the singers are from within a five-mile radius of Mansfield, a former mining town, and from what Mrs Cook describes as "decimated mining stock". Despite the impoverished background and the constant need to raise funds, more than half of the girls in the choir go on to become professional musicians. Since the choir was formed in 1968, about 60 girls have entered music college.

Mrs Cook, who was made an MBE in 1984, said: "Their work ethic and commitment is wonderful. This is like an extended family. The single has been very exciting and it would be so nice if it did well."

However, the single does not have an accompanying video and it will have to work hard against the marketing muscle of the likes of Westlife.

The bookmaker William Hill gives odds of 25-1 on Cantamus being the Christmas No. 1. The favourite is the winner of The X Factor at 4-9, in second place is Warwickshire duo Nizlopi at 7-4 and third favourite is Westlife and Diana Ross's collaboration.

Source: http://enjoyment.independent.co.uk

Jay's got Coldplay tonight, December 12th. Frontman Chris Martin, guitarist Jonny Buckland, drummer Will Champion and bassist Guy Berryman visit "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" this Monday to perform their new single "Talk" off Coldplay's third album "X&Y."

Other guests on this evening's show include actor Anthony Hopkins and comedian Howie Mandel.

"The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" airs weeknights at 11:35 pm ET/PT on NBC. Check your local listings for additional details.

Statement issued by 7digital.com:

Coldplay - Talk (Live at Earl's Court)

DOWNLOAD 'TALK' LIVE FROM EARLS COURT

To celebrate the release of the Talk single we are releasing an exclusive, download only live version recorded live and direct from Earls Court 2005! The only way in the world you can get your hands on this exclusive download is to pre-order the track by texting TALK to 81330 or clicking on the Pre Order button below.

The track will then be available to redeem on Monday, December 19th via www.coldplay.com

[P.S. You'll also be able to purchase downloads of Sleeping Sun & Gravity from the official website on the 19th, if you can't find a copy of the CD/DVD and care to support the band.]

More information here

Coldplay (Music)

Killer Album. The essential tracks from an all time classic album.

Starting: 14:00 on Monday 12th December. Duration: 15 minutes

Showing on Q.

Coldplay (Music)

Starting: 14:00 on Thursday 15th December. Duration: 15 minutes

Showing on Q.

CD:UK (Music)

Lauren Laverne, Myleene Klass and Johny Pitts present the music chart show, with performances from Coldplay and Westlife.

Starting: 11:30 on Saturday 17th December. Duration: 1 hour

Showing on ITV1

Storytellers (Music)

Weeks before the much-anticipated release of their album X&Y, Coldplay took to the stage at Brooklyn Academy of Music for an intimate night of storytelling and live music. Storytellers: Coldplay gives viewers a unique opportunity to hear the inspiration and stories behind such hits as Clocks, Yellow, Politik, The Scientist, In My Place and new tracks Speed of Sound and Fix You. As well as debuting new tunes and revisiting old favourites, Chris Martin, Will Champion, Guy Berryman, and Jon Buckland also share a song they wrote for Johnny Cash. And as part of the “storytelling” part of the sold-out gig, Martin reveals that Yellow was inspired by the Yellow Pages and that Speed of Sound was an attempt to rip-off Kate Bush’s Running Up That Hill.

Starting: 23:30 on Saturday 17th December. Duration: 1 hour

Showing on Channel 4.

Storytellers (Music)

Starting: 12:40 on Sunday 18th December. Duration: 1 hour

Showing on E4.

Storytellers (Music)

Starting: 13:40 on Sunday 18th December. Duration: 1 hour

Showing on E4 Plus 1.

Later With Jools Holland (Music)

Jools Holland introduces a diverse mix of new musical talent and established artists. Joining him are Coldplay, Jamiroquai, Magic Numbers, Antony and the Johnsons, Billy Preston and Malian husband and wife duo Amadou and Mariam.

Starting: 00:55 on Friday 23rd December. Duration: 1 hour and 10 minutes

Showing on BBC 2.

More information on the schedule here