NEW SERIES: Award-winning presenter and Countdown lexicographer Susie Dent discovers life lessons from living legends.

Dame Elaine Paige is the undisputed First Lady of Musical Theatre. Catapulted to international stardom as Eva Perón in Evita, she has since defined the West End and Broadway with unforgettable performances in Cats, Chess, Anything Goes, Sunset Boulevard, The King & I and Follies.

Beyond the stage, Elaine has released more than 20 albums, with another on the way, and for the past 22 years has been the trusted voice behind her much-loved BBC Radio 2 show.

On this episode of Experience is Everything, Elaine joins Susie Dent to reflect on the moments that shaped her remarkable career: the time she came within touching distance of walking away from musical theatre, returning to the stage after breast surgery, and the promise she made to the King.

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00:00 – Introducing Dame Elaine Paige
01:44 – Receiving a damehood
04:04 – Advice for young performers
05:45 – Rejection, resilience and success
07:53 – The call that changed everything
11:40 – Overnight fame
14:20 – Hiding from the paparazzi
19:21 – When Elaine met Grizabella
23:25 – Landing the role in Cats
25:54 – Finally making it to Broadway
28:39 – Choosing career over family
31:40 – Her new album: Miscellaneous Paige
33:54 – Radio 2 and finding her funny side
36:07 – Breast cancer and being ignored by her doctor
45:25 – Looking back on a remarkable career