Great Lives is a long running biography show that airs each week on BBC Radio 4. Each week the show's host, Matthew Parris, invites a notable guest to the program and the guest selects an individual who inspired their lives. In spring 2008, Parris invited British poet Simon Armitage on the program and he chose to discuss life of Ian Curtis from Joy Division. As an added bonus, Peter Hook also appeared on the show to add commentary and insight.
One of the highlights from the episode include Peter Hook playing a snippet of an unreleased version of Ian Curtis singing "Love Will Tear Us Apart" (recorded by Malcolm McLaren). Parris, Armitage, and Hook also discussed Curtis' life, lyrics, and final days. Stream the full episode below.
Visit the BBC website to download some free episodes from the Great Lives archive. The episode on Ian Curtis does not appear to be available as a free download however there are several other interesting profiles to download.