SATURDAY 10 JANUARY 2015

SAT 00:00 Marina Lewycka - A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian (b012brz6)
Episode 5

Father and his young wife Valentina argue over her visa appeal, but everyone has a cunning plan. Read by Sian Thomas.


SAT 00:15 Amanda Vickery - A History of Private Life (b00n7ktf)
Two Widowers

Historian Amanda Vickery presents a series which reveals the hidden history of home over 400 years. She draws on first-hand accounts from letters and diaries, many of which have never been heard before. Including songs which have been specially recorded for the series.

When we think of the history of home, the cosy experiences of the nuclear family spring easiest to mind. But what of those who had no family or home of their own?

The story of two different widowers and their desperate search for a new wife, based on original material from two unusual sets of diaries which Prof Vickery found in Lincoln.

Readers: Deborah Findlay, John Sessions, Madeleine Brolly and Simon Tcherniak.

Singers: Gwyneth Herbert and Thomas Guthrie, with David Owen Norris at the keyboard.

A Loftus production for BBC Radio 4.


SAT 00:30 Edith Wharton - The Reef (b00b719j)
Episode 10

Anna has succumbed to desire, but can she ever know happiness?

Published in 1912, The Reef is one of Edith Wharton's most accomplished yet neglected novels - revealing the submerged and perilous depths beneath the surface of even the most conventional of its characters.

Concluding episode starring Ben Miles as George Darrow, Jodhi May as Sophie, Teresa Gallagher as Anna, Deborah Weston as Adelaide, Julian Ovenden as Owen and Sian Thomas as the Narrator.

Dramatised by Penny Leicester.

Producer: Di Speirs

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2005.


SAT 00:45 EJ Howard - Odd Girl Out (b04wxmvg)
Episode 5

Edmund's attraction intensifies, but Arabella seems to be cooling off. Meanwhile, his absence is noted. Read by Claire Skinner.


SAT 01:00 Jest a Minute (b016w0m2)
Series 2

Episode 1

Rhod Gilbert's comedy quiz from the Glee Club in Cardiff.

With Chris Corcoran, Lloyd Langford, Rob Deering and Tom Craine.

Producers: Paul Forde and Gareth Gwynn.

First broadcast on BBC Radio Wales in 2006.


SAT 01:30 Meet the Parents (b015cvdx)
Series 1

Hardeep Singh Kohli

5/5

Hardeep Singh Kohli speaks to his father about his decision to move to Scotland from India, raising a Sikh family in Glasgow in the 1970s and how being brought up and living a multicultural life has impacted on both of their life paths.


SAT 02:00 Unofficial Rosie (b007jlh0)
5. Count Your Blessings

Private-eye Rosie Monaghan is trying to solve her first case, but the demands of love, children and her bank manager are pressing in...

Paula Wilcox stars in Alan McDonald's thriller serial.

Rosie ...... Paula Wilcox
Margie ...... Elizabeth Estensen
Jerry ...... Christopher Bramwell
Bob ...... Dominic Grounsell
Carol ...... Helen Roberts
Andrew ...... Kim Wall
Mike ...... Steve Hodson
Martin ...... Paul Barber
Andrew ...... Kim Wall
Bill ...... Dominic Letts
Helen ...... Rachel Atkins
Old Woman ...... Diana Payan
Graham ...... David Thorpe

Music composed by Peter Howell.

Director: Tracey Neale

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 1993.


SAT 02:30 Rocking Scots (b007j27y)
Episode 2

2/2. Midge Ure returns to his native Glasgow to explore his musical roots, from his tenement upbringing to joining the short-lived boy band Slik in the 1970s. The 80s and 90s saw a new generation of Scottish artists gain self-confidence in their national identity.

Contributors include Jim Kerr from Simple Minds, Sharleen Spiteri from Texas, Ricky Ross of Deacon Blue and Proclaimers twins Charlie and Craig Reid.


SAT 03:00 Mervyn Peake - The History of Titus Groan (b016n7y3)
Titus Alive

As Titus Groan stumbles on through the world, could he have finally found his way home? Stars David Warner and Luke Treadaway.


SAT 04:00 Elizabeth Jane Howard Short Stories (b01ps9w4)
Child's Play

Kate is not appreciated by her husband or daughter, but receives affection from an unusual source. Read by Matilda Ziegler.


SAT 04:15 Sheridan Le Fanu - Carmilla (b016q2l5)
Laura is a lonely girl living in a solitary castle in the south east of Austria.

Into her life comes the beautiful and mysterious Carmilla, with whom Laura strikes up, what will prove to be, a dangerous friendship...

Starring Anne-Marie Duff as Laura, Brana Bajic as Carmilla, David Warner as Father and Celia Imrie as Madame.

Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu’s gothic novella was first published in 1871.

Dramatised by Don McCamphill.

Producer: Lawrence Jackson

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2003


SAT 05:00 After Henry (b007md8k)
Series 3

The End of a Chapter

"The status quo does suit me rather well."

Sarah's off to Florence, but worries about her mother - and shock news from Clare.

Simon Brett's comedy about three generations of women - struggling to cope after the death of Sarah's GP husband - who never quite manage to see eye to eye.

Sarah ...... Prunella Scales
Eleanor ...... Joan Sanderson
Russell ...... Benjamin Whitrow
Clare ...... Gerry Cowper
Julian ...... Jasper Jacob

Four radio series were made, but instead of moving to BBC TV - Thames Television produced 'After Henry' for the ITV network.

Producer: Pete Atkin

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 1987.


SAT 05:30 Little Blighty on the Down (b007jxb9)
Series 3

Episode 1

Parish Council leader Mrs Roberts wonders how to become more popular. Political satire with Jo Kendall. From July 1990.


SAT 05:55 Kenny Everett - Captain Kremmen (b04wrz9v)
The President Unleashes an Awesome Weapon

Our hero makes contact with Earth, and learns that there may be a mighty price to pay. Kenny Everett's 1976 sci-fi serial starring the world's most fabulous starship captain.


SAT 06:00 David Ashton - The Windbear (b00y1vks)
Taxidermist George feels closer to his work than his wife, so police fear the worst when she goes missing. Stars Bernard Hepton.


SAT 07:30 Back to Front (b007k1fc)
Series 1

1981

The 1981 headline-makers bowled off the newspaper front pages by Ian Botham. Graham Dilley and Simon Callow get nostalgic.


SAT 08:00 Archive on 4 (b00xgr1k)
Going to the Flicks

Episode 1

Barry Norman is one of Britain's best loved film broadcasters, but for this series he is not so much interested in the films as in exploring how the experience of going to the cinema in Britain has changed over the last one hundred years. In fact, his first surprise is the discovery that people are far more likely to recall the general experience of going to the cinema than the individual films they saw.

He draws on BBC archive as well as recordings from the University of Lancaster which have never been broadcast before, and also new interviews to find out how people's experience of this most popular form of entertainment has changed over the decades.

The Silent Era, it turns out, was not all that silent, with plenty of chatting and tea-drinking going on, not to mention children reading out the titles to their illiterate parents and grandparents. Barry then moves on to hear how overwhelmed many viewers were by the sheer luxury of the cinemas built in the inter-war years and how these pleasure palaces offered a few hours of escape from lives which were harsh or sometimes simply dull. He himself recalls going to the pictures in the 1950s, which was the golden age of Saturday morning cinema for children. In the 1960s, with the advent of television, Barry finds out about the ultimately failed attempts to introduce novelties such as Cinerama and The Smellies to cinema and hears confessions about just what went on in the back row!

With contributions from film expert Annette Kuhn and architectural historian Richard Gray, this first part of Barry Norman's memoir of Going to the Flicks is a heady mix of nostalgia and surprise.

Producer : Beaty Rubens.


SAT 09:00 It's a Painful Business: On the Hour with Eddie Mair (b015bf2k)
BBC Radio 4 PM presenter Eddie Mair reveals why he joined the Newsroom in his celebration of the landmark radio series On the Hour.

Featuring:

On the Hour Series 1 ep 4/5
Chris Morris hosts the news spoof, and the sport must go on for bereaved Alan Partridge. With Steve Coogan. From August 1991.

On the Hour Series 2 ep 2/6
Alan Partridge is at the Olympics. Barbara Wintergreen is in America. Chris Morris fronts the news satire. From April 1992

On the Hour Series 2 ep 6/6
An outside broadcast goes down, and a bluebottle rampages across Essex. Chris Morris fronts the news satire. From May 1992.

Knowing Me, Knowing You
Aha! Alan Partridge faces up to a nine-year-old prodigy, a hypnotist and a bad boy lawyer. Stars Steve Coogan. From December 1992.

Armando Iannucci's Charm Offensive
The funny man's radio drop-in centre tackles Live 8 and white-collar boxing matches. With David Mitchell. From June 2005.

On the Hour Christmas Special
All the festive headlines. Chris Morris hosts the steaming flambéed news spoof. With Steve Coogan. From December 1991.


SAT 12:00 Jonathan Franzen - The Corrections Omnibus (b04xmm6t)
Episode 1

First ever dramatisation of Jonathan Franzen's exuberant novel about the tribulations of a dysfunctional Midwestern family, starring Richard Schiff (The West Wing), Maggie Steed, Colin Stinton and Julian Rhind-Tutt. Dramatised by Marcy Kahan.

Cast:

Narrator.....Richard Schiff
Enid Lambert.....Maggie Steed
Alfred Lambert.....Colin Stinton
Gary Lambert.....Richard Laing
Chip Lambert.....Julian Rhind-Tutt
Denise Lambert.....Roslyn Hill
Julia Vrais.....Kelly Burke
Eden Procuro.....Elaine Claxton
Gitanas Misevicius.....Sam Dale
Melissa Paquette.....Bettrys Jones
Caroline Lambert.....Jane Slavin
Caleb Lambert.....Adam Thomas Wright
Jonah Lambert.....Sean McCrystal

Directed by Emma Harding

The Corrections is an acclaimed 2001 novel by American author Jonathan Franzen. It was awarded the National Book Award in 2001, the James Tait Black Memorial Prize in 2002, and was a finalist for the 2002 Pulitzer Prize. In 2005, The Corrections was included in TIME magazine's list of the 100 best English-language novels since 1923.

Jonathan Franzen is the author of four novels (Freedom, The Corrections, Strong Motion, and The Twenty-Seventh City), two collections of essays (Farther Away, How to Be Alone), a personal history (The Discomfort Zone), and a translation of Frank Wedekind's Spring Awakening. He lives in New York City and Santa Cruz, California

Marcy Kahan is a playwright and radio dramatist. Recent radio work includes two series of Lunch for BBC Radio 4 (starring Claire Skinner and Stephen Mangan) and Mr Bridger's Orphan. Theatre work includes 20 Cigarettes (Soho Theatre), the stage version of When Harry Met Sally (Theatre Royal Haymarket) and Goldberg Variations (Miranda Theatre, New York)'.


SAT 13:15 Dickens Confidential (b01kblxg)
Series 1

Railway Kings

Before his novels, famed writer Charles Dickens edited a newspaper. How might he have covered a train crash? Stars Jamie Glover.


SAT 14:00 The Navy Lark (b007k1q5)
Series 2

New at the Helm

A jetty's demolished as Pertwee and Phillips return from leave to meet the new number one, Lieutenant Murray.

Starring Leslie Phillips as the Sub-Lieutenant, Jon Pertwee as the Chief Petty Officer, Stephen Murray as Number One, Richard Caldicot as Commander Povey, Ronnie Barker as AS Johnson, Heather Chasen as Heather, Michael Bates as the Rating and Tenniel Evans as the Admiral.

The Navy Lark ran for an impressive thirteen series on BBC Radio between 1959 and 1976.

Scripted by Lawrie Wyman.

Producer: Alastair Scott Johnston.

First broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in October 1959.


SAT 14:30 As Time Goes By (b04wjsjy)
Series 1

Episode 4

Jean's daughter Judith begins to fall for Lionel, but his publisher, Alistair, starts to fall for Jean...

Starring Judi Dench as Jean and Geoffrey Palmer as Lionel.

With Moira Brooker as Judith, Jon Glover as Alistair and Jenny Funnell as Sandy.

Adapted from his original television series by Bob Larbey.

Producer: Martin Fisher.

A DLT Production in association with the Theatre of Comedy for BBC Radio 2.

First broadcast in April 1997.


SAT 15:00 Archive on 4 (b00xgr1k)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]


SAT 16:00 David Ashton - The Windbear (b00y1vks)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]


SAT 17:30 The Rest is History (b04ws4hy)
Series 1

Episode 4

Frank Skinner loves history, but just doesn't know much of it.

This comedy discussion show with celebrity guests promises to help him find out more about it.

With David Baddiel, Emma Kennedy and historian in residence Dr Kate Williams

Frank and company navigate their way through the annals of time, picking out and chewing over the funniest, oddest, and most interesting moments in history.

Producers: Dan Schreiber and Justin Pollard

An Avalon production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in January 2015.


SAT 18:00 Mike Walker - 2025 (b00hy94c)
1. New Reality

It's a future where computers rule and the possibility of artificial intelligence has become a reality.

Starring Alphonsia Emmanuel, Mona Hammond and Daniela Nardini.

Mike Walker's futuristic two-part sci-fi serial.

Irena ...... Alphonsia Emmanuel
Olivia ...... Mona Hammond
Dr Beth David ...... Daniela Nardini
Henry ...... David Yip
Anno ...... Su-Lin Looi
Praeger ...... John Rowe
Dr Finzey ...... Alastair Danson
Kate ...... Rachel Atkins
Capstick ...... Gerard McDermott
Terry Gupta ...... Ravin J Ganatra

Director: Sally Avens

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 1998.


SAT 19:00 It's a Painful Business: On the Hour with Eddie Mair (b015bf2k)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]


SAT 22:00 Rhod Gilbert's Bulging Barrel of Laughs (b00trxr0)
Episode 3

Welsh comic Rhod Gilbert introduces regulars Lloyd Langford and Greg Davies, plus Sarah Millican who takes a weekly look at The Six Stages of Woman.

With live music from Kid British, including Lost in London, Winner and Two Out of Seven.

Guest comedian is Edinburgh Comedy Award winner Mark Watson.

Join Rhod for his Rant on irritating products, delve into Rhod’s Confessions where Lloyd Langford impresses the girls with his French - and see if Greg Davies can tempt you with his Indecent Proposal.

Producers: Julia Mckenzie and Lianne Coop.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 2 in September 2010


SAT 23:00 The Mark Steel Lecture (b00sbcrc)
Series 3

Mary Shelley

The radical comedian offers his humorous assessment of the life and career of the creator of Frankenstein. From October 2002.


SAT 23:30 Josie Long: All of the Planet's Wonders (b00j0pp8)
Propriety, Plants, Grandparents and Growing Your Own

In her continuing quest to better herself through learning and discovering things in reference books, comedian Josie Long presents a show about propriety, plants, grandparents, being connected to the world around you and growing your own.

With Josie's comedic cohort Maeve Higgins

And guest Isy Suttie.

Producer Colin Anderson

First broadcast BBC Radio 4 in March 2009.


SAT 23:45 Fabulous (b00j2516)
Series 1

Episode 5

Things are looking up for Faye, with invites to management drinks and her boss's wedding.

Daisy Haggard stars as neurotic Faye in Lucy Clarke’s sitcom about a woman who wants to be fabulous but can't cope.

With:

Olivia Colman
Daisy Haggard
Katy Brand
Adam Buxton
Matthew Holness
Joanna Scanlan
Joanna Neary
Eve Dallas

Music by Osymyso.

Producer: Simon Nicholls

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in June 2007.