Series synopsis
Between the Covers is a British talk television series that premiered on BBC Two on October 9, 2020. It stars Sara Cox.
Sara Cox hosts this new book club bringing the nation together through sharing the pleasure of reading. Each edition features a celebrity panel discussing their favourite book and two review sections.
Premise
Sara Cox hosts this new book club bringing the nation together through sharing the pleasure of reading. Each edition features a celebrity panel discussing their favourite book and two review sections.
Cast and characters
Leading cast
- Sara Cox as Self - Presenter
Guest cast
- Phil Wang as Self
- Sophie Ellis-Bextor as Self
- Tom Allen as Self
- Sara Pascoe as Self
- Lolly Adefope as Self
- Ellie Taylor as Self
- Ricky Wilson as Self
- Richard Osman as Self
- Rebecca Front as Self
- Sophie Ward as Self
- Ade Adepitan as Self
- Bill Bailey as Self
Episodes
This series spans 8 seasons with 50 episodes.
| Season | Episodes | First aired | Last aired |
|---|---|---|---|
| Season 1 | 7 | October 9, 2020 | November 20, 2020 |
| Season 2 | 6 | May 10, 2021 | June 14, 2021 |
| Season 3 | 6 | November 10, 2021 | December 15, 2021 |
| Season 4 | 7 | May 11, 2022 | June 22, 2022 |
| Season 5 | 6 | November 8, 2022 | December 20, 2022 |
| Season 6 | 6 | March 13, 2023 | April 17, 2023 |
| Season 7 | 6 | November 6, 2023 | December 11, 2023 |
| Season 8 | 6 | October 29, 2024 | December 3, 2024 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Episode 1 Sara Cox is joined by Phil Wang, Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Tom Allen and Sara Pascoe to share their favourite books and to discuss "The Midnight Library" by Matt Haig and Sara's book "Sex, Power, Money". |
October 9, 2020 |
| 2 |
Episode 2 Lolly Adefope, Ellie Taylor, Ricky Wilson and Richard Osman share the books that make them cry. They discuss Love After Love by Ingrid Persaud and Richard Osman’s The Thursday Murder Club. |
October 16, 2020 |
| 3 |
Episode 3 Rebecca Front, Sophie Ward, Ade Adepitan and Bill Bailey discuss this week’s book group picks, Fifty-Fifty by Steve Cavanagh and Sophie Ward’s Love and Other Thought Experiments. |
October 23, 2020 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Episode 1 Sara is joined by comedians Mel Giedroyc and Griff Rhys Jones, Strictly’s reigning champion Oti Mabuse and presenter Rick Edwards. They will all be sharing their favourite books, as well as reviewing this week’s two book club picks: our big hitter from last year, The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett, and the first of our new books, The Fine Art of Invisible Detection by Robert Goddard |
May 10, 2021 |
| 2 |
Episode 2 Sara is joined by comedian Rachel Parris, chef and presenter Rick Stein, actor and comedian Rob Delaney and presenter Vick Hope. They share favourite books as well as reviewing the week’s two book club picks - our big hitter from last year, The Lying Life of Adults by Elena Ferrante, and our new book pick, Should We Fall Behind by Sharon Duggal. |
May 17, 2021 |
| 3 |
Episode 3 Sara is joined by author and comedian David Baddiel, actors Adjoa Andoh and Phil Davis, and comedian Katherine Ryan. They will all be sharing their favourite books as well as reviewing this week’s two book club picks: Our Big Hitter from last year, The Girl With The Louding Voice by Abi Daré, and our new book pick, Sixteen Horses by debut author Greg Buchanan |
May 24, 2021 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Episode 1 Sara is joined by Silent Witness star Emilia Fox, comedians Dane Baptiste and Andy Parsons and Harry Potter actor Evanna Lynch to share their favourite books and review the two book club picks. |
November 10, 2021 |
| 2 |
Episode 2 Sara is joined by Cold Feet star John Thomson, comedians Fern Brady and Lou Sanders and Saturday Kitchen’s wine guru Olly Smith to share their favourite books and review the two book club picks. |
November 17, 2021 |
| 3 |
Episode 3 Sara is joined by actors Ben Miller and Kacey Ainsworth, TV judge Rob Rinder and comedian Sindhu Vee. They share their favourite books and review this week’s two book club choices: the new book pick, Still Life by Sarah Winman, and the Booker backlist gem, Exit West by Mohsin Hamid. |
November 24, 2021 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Episode 1 Sara is joined by author and presenter Richard Osman, comedian and Guilty Feminist Deborah Frances-White, actor David Morrissey, and DJ and presenter Vick Hope |
May 11, 2022 |
| 2 |
Episode 2 Sara is joined by newsreader and journalist Sir Trevor McDonald, actors Sarah Hadland and Peter Davison, and comedian and podcaster Cariad Lloyd. |
May 18, 2022 |
| 3 |
Episode 3 Sara is joined by actor Richard E Grant, entrepreneur and Dragon’s Den investor Deborah Meaden, comedian Stephen Bailey and actor, comedian and author Sukh Ojla. |
May 25, 2022 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Episode 1 Sara is joined by broadcaster and author Graham Norton, The One Show’s Alex Jones, actor Amanda Abbington and former marine turned presenter JJ Chalmers. They share their favourite books and review this week’s two book club choices: the new book pick, The Perfect Golden Circle, by Benjamin Myers, and the first in a selection from the Booker Prize backlist, Cloud Atlas, by David Mitchell. |
November 8, 2022 |
| 2 |
Episode 2 Sara is joined by actor and author Ruth Jones, comedian and writer Kae Kurd, Harry Potter star and comedian Jessie Cave, and director and actor Samuel West. They share their favourite books and review this week’s two book club choices: the new book pick, The Second Sight of Zachary Cloudesley by Sean Lusk, and the selection from the Booker Prize backlist, Snap by Belinda Bauer. |
November 15, 2022 |
| 3 |
Episode 3 Sara is joined by actor and author Paterson Joseph, newsreader Sophie Raworth, and comedians Al Murray and Jenny Eclair. They share their favourite books and review the two book club choices: the new book pick, Sometimes People Die by Simon Stephenson, and the selection from the Booker Prize backlist, The Long Song by Andrea Levy. |
November 22, 2022 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Episode 1 Sara Cox is joined by broadcaster Angela Scanlon, DJ Spoony, barrister turned author and broadcaster Rob Rinder, and musician and presenter Cerys Matthews. They share their favourite books and review the two book club choices: the first of the new book picks, In the Blink of an Eye by Jo Callaghan, and the first of a selection of books set in Europe to celebrate Eurovision, Burial Rites by Hannah Kent, which is set in Iceland. |
March 13, 2023 |
| 2 |
Episode 2 Sara is joined by comedians Alan Davies and Ivo Graham and actors Samantha Bond and Sunetra Sarker. They share their favourite books and review the two book club choices: the new book pick, The Space Between Us by Doug Johnstone, and the second of a selection of books set in Europe to celebrate Eurovision, Lullaby by Leïla Slimani, which is set in France. |
March 20, 2023 |
| 3 |
Episode 3 Sara is joined by comedians Mel Giedroyc and Sophie Duker, chef Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall and actor Nigel Havers. They share their favourite books and review the two book club choices: the new book pick, The Weyward by Emilia Hart , and the third of a selection of books set in Europe to celebrate Eurovision, Death and the Penguin by Andrey Kurkov, which is set in Ukraine. |
March 27, 2023 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Episode 1 Sara is joined by actor and comedian Rob Delaney, broadcaster Anita Rani, actor Richard Armitage and comedian Jo Brand. They share their favourite books and review the two book club choices: the new book pick, The Seventh Son by Sebastian Faulks, and the first of a selection of books from the Booker Prize backlist, The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy. |
November 6, 2023 |
| 2 |
Episode 2 Sara is joined by Adrian Edmundson, Annie MacManus, Chris McCausland and Angela Barnes. They share their favourite books and review the two book club choices: the new book pick and the first of a selection of books from the Booker Prize backlist. |
November 13, 2023 |
| 3 |
Episode 3 Sara is joined by broadcaster and author Sandi Toksvig, presenter Alex Jones, comedian and author Adam Kay, and actor Omari Douglas. They share their favourite books and review the two book club choices: the new book pick, Remember, Mr Sharma by AP Firdaus, and the third of a selection of books from the Booker Prize backlist, The Light of Day by Graham Swift. |
November 20, 2023 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Episode 1 Sara is joined by actor and comedian Adrian Edmondson, QI quip-master, comedian, actor and author Alan Davies, Bafta nominee Taj Atwal and comedian and author Sara Pascoe. They share their favourite books and review the book club choice, All the Colours of the Dark by Chris Whitaker. |
October 29, 2024 |
| 2 |
Episode 2 Sara is joined by comedian, actor and author Richard Ayoade, podcaster and author Elizabeth Day, comedian Maisie Adam, and actor and author Stephen Mangan. They share their favourite books and review the book club choice, Glorious Exploits by Ferdia Lennon. |
November 5, 2024 |
| 3 |
Episode 3 Neneh Cherry, Tom Allen, Olly Smith and Sophie Raworth join Sara Cox to review the book club pick, There Are Rivers in the Sky by Elif Shafak, and talk about their favourite books. |
November 12, 2024 |
Production
Release
| Original network/platform | BBC Two |
|---|---|
| First aired | October 9, 2020 |
| Last aired | December 3, 2024 |
| Runtime | 29 minutes |
| Status | continue |