The Earful Tower: Paris

Christophe Girard, the mayor of the 4th arrondissement. We met him in the town hall to talk about the newly pedestrianized right bank of the River Seine (see pic above), the secrets of his district, and the best coffee in town. We also talked about what a mayor actually does and how to tackle a littering Parisian (not literally tackle, mind you). By the way, below is a pic of his recommendation for a good wine, Chez Julien. Just down the road from here you can find the boys from Le Peloton café. The mayor seems to like these lads a lot, and they've been guests on The Earful Tower before. Get an earful yourself here.

Hey, it's not just the lighter side of France on this show – sometimes we tackle some more serious issues. This time, for example, we talk to Annette Young who fronts the France 24 show "The 51 percent" – which is all about women shaping our world. We talk about being a woman in France, the single mother-of -three Marine Le Pen, and the word Mademoiselle and whether it should be banished. OK, OK, we also put Annette on the spot to name her favourite cafe and bar etc at the end.

From bustling boulevards to Sunday promenades, grab a Vélib bike and discover Paris on two wheels. Our guests for this week are two entrepreneurs who know Paris very well indeed: Paul and Christian from Bike About Tours. They also run a funky coffee shop in the Marais, just off the river Seine, called Le Peloton Cafe.

Stephen Clarke has been writing books about France for almost 15 years. His first novel A Year in the Merde has become a point of reference for anyone who wants to get an entertaining view of life in Paris. The sequel, Merde Actually, even topped Harry Potter in the UK charts. He's here on the Earful Tower to tell us about how it all started and we discuss his latest book Merde in Europe.

We challenged professional cook David Lebovitz to the A-Z of French food – in other words, we put each letter to a food then asked him about it. Where is the best M for market? The best B for baguette in Paris? And what's the deal with F for foie gras. He did really well!

He's English, but lives in France, and has been proudly mocking the French for months on French TV and on YouTube. Paul Taylor joined us in the studio to talk all about the French, his new show, and life in Paris.

Lindsey Tramuta is the woman behind the Lost in Cheeseland blog and Instagram page – and she has just written a book called "The New Paris" (on Amazon here). She joins us in the studio for a hot cappuccino and shares her tips on Instagramming Paris, explains how the city is changing, and reveals more about her new book. She also convinced us to get an Instagram account for the show — which WE HAVE DONE!

If you thought you knew Paris well, think again. Corey Frye, aka the Paris Whisperer, is an American tour guide who knows every nook and cranny of the city. We put him to the test to name the unmissable spot in each of the 20 arrondissements. This list of cafés, restaurants and hidden landmarks will guarantee an amazing time to anyone either visiting or living in the capital.

So what is Franglais Wordplay? Basically – it's mixing a French word and an English word together to help explain France. For example: What's the name for the unwritten rules of breaking bread with the French? Baguettiquette, of course. Expect laughs, groans, and creativity as three journalists present five new examples of "Franglais wordplay" that they've made up. And we even have judges to determine the winner… what's your favourite?

A chat with three fully bilingual guests. These guys didn't learn English and French at school, but by growing up in cross-cultural families. They can switch from one to another without even realising it, and create a language only they can understand: "Franglais".

What's it like to write a memoir about Paris – and what makes Lisa's different? She joined us in the studio to talk about it, read from the book itself, and have a good old laugh about some of the stranger French habits Lisa also co-founded No Love Locks to stop the wave of love-locking tourists who were destroying the bridges of Paris. And it has been pretty successful so far… just don't let her ever catch you hanging a padlock on the Pont des Arts! Check out Lisa's website here.

If you want to know about the how Paris is moving away from the typical cafes and into the new wave of coffee shops, then Tom Clark is your man. He takes us behind the beans of the coffee world, and admittedly catches us out in our blind taste test. In the second part of the show, we discuss driving in Paris, which is a lot less pleasant of an experience than a coffee in Coutume! Find the Coutume coffee shops in Paris via the official site here, and be sure to check out the brand new location on Rue Martel in the tenth.

If you want to find a book in English in Paris, head to the Shakespeare and Company bookshop – which is also where we found journalist-turned-author Elaine Sciolino. She talks all about her new book The Only Street in Paris, Life on the Rue des Martyrs. Rue des Martyrs, in northern Paris, is well worth a visit if you're up that way. Our tip: Take in a coffee at KB at the top of the hill (thought it's far too hipster for Elaine, she says). Find out more about Elaine via her website here, where you can also pick up her book.

Local folk band Slim & the Beast, who have just launched their first EP, bring their gear into the studio for a jam. We also talked to the lads about the French "backwards" slang known as Verlan. If you wanna know more about it then this link will help you out. As for the band, check out their videos here, and follow them on Facebook.