Love Songs at the BBC

Celine Dion (Performer)

Born: March 30, 1968 in Charlemagne, Quebec

Best Known For: The song My Heart Will Go On, from Titanic.

Early-life: Céline Marie Claudette Dion was born on March 30, 1968, in Charlemagne, Quebec. She is the youngest of 14 children. During her childhood, she enjoyed singing with her brothers and sisters in the small club owned by their parents. At the age of 12, she composed a song in French and sent a demo tape to a record company, where it was picked up by manager Rene Angelil.

Career: In 1983, Dion became the first ever Canadian to receive a gold disc in France. Five years later, representing Switzerland, she won the Eurovision Song Contest. Her first English language album Unison was released in 1990, and a year later, she recorded the theme tune to Disney's Beauty and the Beast. Her 1996 disc Falling into You sold more than 25 million copies, while in 1998, she scored an international hit with the Oscar-winning song My Heart Will Go On from the film Titanic. After taking a break in 1999, she returned to performing in 2002, released a new album, A New Day Has Come, and in 2003 signed a multi-million dollar deal to appear at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas for three years.

Quote: 'I guess it all depends on your nature. Some people can't stand being alone. I love solitude and silence. But when I come out of it, I'm a regular talking machine. It's all or nothing for me.'

Trivia: Dion has sold more than 200 million albums worldwide.

Joe Cocker (Performer)

Jennifer Warnes (Performer)

Jason Donovan (Performer)

Born: June 01, 1968 in Melbourne, Australia

Best Known For: Playing Scott Robinson in Neighbours.

Early-life: Jason Sean Donovan was born in Melbourne, Australia, on June 1, 1968, to actor Terence Donovan and newsreader Sue McIntosh. They split when Jason was a child; he was raised by his father, and as a result spent much of his childhood on TV sets. Jason made his TV debut at the age of 11 in the drama Skyways, which led to parts in shows such as Home and Golden Pennies. His half-sister, Stephanie McIntosh, played Sky Mangel in Neighbours from 2003 to 2007.

Career: Donovan got his big break when he replaced actor Darius Perkins as Scott Robinson in Neighbours in 1986. His three-year stint in the soap gained him international stardom and helped launch a music career. He starred on stage in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and The Rocky Horror Show, but his star waned during the 1990s. He took part in the 2006 series of I'm A Celebrity… Get Me out of Here! It gave his profile a huge boost and landed him a role on ITV's soap Echo Beach. More recently, he has continued to appear in stage productions, traced his family roots on Who Do You Think You Are? and in 2011 took part in the ninth series of Strictly Come Dancing.

Quote: 'I'm older, weathered. But the lines have made me a more interesting person.'

Trivia: He's written an autobiography and returned to the stage in various musical productions.

Kylie Minogue (Performer)

Born: May 28, 1968 in Melbourne, Australia

Best Known For: Neighbours and years of chart hits

Early-life: Born Kylie Ann Minogue on May 28, 1968, in Melbourne, Australia. Her parents are from Maesteg, Wales. The eldest of three children, her sister Dannii is also an actress and singer, while brother Brendan is a cameraman. She wanted a career in showbusiness from an early age. At 10, she had a role in Australian wartime soap The Sullivans and played Jason Donovan's sister in Skyways. She hasn't looked back since.

Career: Playing tomboy Charlene in Neighbours turned her into a star in 1986. Two years later, after becoming one of the show's biggest stars, she left. Minogue settled in the UK and began a successful music career, topping the charts with I Should Be So Lucky. Big-screen offering The Delinquents also boosted her profile. In 2001 she enjoyed her most successful era for years with No 1 album Fever and No 1 single Can't Get You Out Of My Head. She also sang at the Sydney Olympics and provided a voice for the Magic Roundabout movie in 2005. She's successfully battled breast cancer and continues to tour and release albums.

Quote: 'If someone feels they have to live up to a certain image, then I can kind of understand that pressure because I'm considered to be one of those images, and I know how unreal they are.'

Trivia: She has worked as a coach on The Voice UK and The Voice Australia.

Lionel Richie (Performer)

Born: June 20, 1949 in Tuskegee, Alabama

Best Known For: His numerous charts successes.

Early-life: Born Lionel Brockman Richie Jr in Tuskegee, Alabama, on June 20, 1949. He spent his early years, before moving to Illinois, on the campus of the Tuskegee Institute, where most of his family had worked for two generations. He also studied economics there on a tennis scholarship, and considered becoming an Episcopalian priest. Instead, Lionel realised music was his vocation and formed The Commodores with fellow students Milan Williams, Ronald LaPread, William King Jr, Thomas McClary and Walter Orange. They found their name by randomly dropping a finger onto a dictionary page.

Career: The Commodores gained their first record contract in 1968, went on to support the Jackson Five, and became the most popular soul group of the 1970s thanks to hits such as Easy and Three Times a Lady. Lionel began writing songs for other artists, and eventually went solo in 1982. A year later he released the album Can't Slow Down, which spawned the hits All Night Long and Hello. His other hit singles include Dancing on the Ceiling, Say You Say Me and My Destiny. Lionel continues to record, but has slowed down his output. In 2012, he released the album Tuskegee, which featured 13 versions of his hits sung as duets with Country stars.

Quote: 'The music business was not safe, but it was fun. It was like falling in love with a woman you know is bad for you, but you love every minute with her anyway.'

Trivia: Richie has helped to raise more than $3million for the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. He was inspired to help the charity by his grandmother, who was diagnosed with the disease in her 80s, but lived to be 103.

Sasha Duncan (Producer)

10:00 pm - 11:00 pm, Saturday, February 14 on BBC Two HD (102)

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