Martin Scorsese is one of the greatest film directors working today. His movies are among the most influential films made in the past century.

Born in Queens, New York in 1942, Scorsese’s experiences in early life formed the basis for much of his filmmaking. His grandparents immigrated to the States from Sicily and this Italian lineage is never far from his offerings on the big screen.

After attending New York University’s film school, he soon began producing work, with his first feature film ‘Who’s That Knocking at My Door’ released in 1967.

A string of critically acclaimed films followed, such as ‘Mean Streets’, ‘Taxi Driver’, ‘Raging Bull’ and ‘Goodfellas.’ It was during this time that his famed relationship with Robert De Niro developed and matured.

Then in the 2000’s, his second key collaborator emerged in Leonardo DiCaprio, with whom he worked on various projects such as ‘Gangs of New York’, ‘The Aviator’ and ‘The Wolf of Wall Street.’

De Niro and Scorsese on the set of 'Raging Bull'

Despite his success, he didn’t receive the Academy Award for Best Director until 2006 for ‘The Departed’ which in some ways represented an acknowledgement for his entire body of work.

Tom Shone has recently published a book chronicling the life and career of Scorsese entitled ‘Martin Scorsese: A Retrospective.’

Tom is among the most respected film critics working today. He is currently a critic for The Economist’s Magazine ‘Intelligent Life’, while he also regularly contributes to The New Yorker, The New York Times and The Guardian. He also teaches film history at New York University.

Does Scorsese’s spirituality influence his work? Why was De Niro so keen to work with him? And is he one of the greatest filmmakers of all time?

Listen in to ‘Talking Books’ as Susan and Tom chat about these issues and assess the incredible career of Martin Scorsese.

Before this, Susan will be talking with Feargal McKay, author of ‘The Complete Book of the Tour de France.’ Feargal is a freelance writer and regularly reviews cycling books for the Podium Café website, while he is also a contributor to sites such as cyclingnews.com.

His new book offers a colossal account of the broad history of the Tour de France. Spanning almost 700 pages, no stone is left unturned in producing a definitive history of this great sporting spectacle.

Who were some of the races great characters of the last 100 years? Who were the French public enamoured with? And what does it take to succeed in such a mentally draining contest?

Join Susan and Feargal as they journey through the annals of this great race.