SATURDAY 07 MARCH 2015

SAT 00:00 The Seventh Test by Vikas Swarup (b04471vk)
The Candy Van

Sapna Sinha works as a sales assistant in a TV showroom in New Delhi. Being the only bread-winner in the family she works long hours to provide for her widowed mother and younger sister. But then a man walks into her life with an extraordinary proposition: pass seven "life" tests of his choosing and she will have wealth and power. At first the tests seem easy, but things are not quite as they seem. Dramatised by Ayeesha Menon and John Dryden from Vikas Swarup's best-selling novel "The Accidental Apprentice".

5) The Candy Van
A thriller set in India from the author of "Slumdog Millionaire".
A van appears in Sapna's neighbourhood, luring children away with sweets, to work in factories. Sapna intervenes, but in so doing sets off a chain of events that lead her into the path of danger. Dramatised from Vikas Swarup's best-selling novel "The Accidental Apprentice".

Writers:
Vikas Swarup is an Indian diplomat and a best-selling novelist. His first novel "Q & A" was made into the Oscar winning film "Slumdog Millionaire" as well as Sony Award winning radio drama serial for BBC Radio .

Ayeesha Menon dramatized Vikas Swarup's other novels SIX SUSPECTS and Q & A, which won a Sony Award for Best Drama. She also wrote for Radio 4 THE MUMBAI CHUZZLEWITS, UNDERCOVER MUMBAI, THE CAIRO TRILOGY and MY NAME IS RED. Her stage play PEREIRA'S BAKERY AT 76 CHAPEL ROAD, which was developed with the Royal Court Theatre, was recently staged by the Curve Theatre, Leicester.

John Dryden wrote the original three-part dramas series SEVERED THREADS, THE RELUCTANT SPY and PANDEMIC, which won the Writer's Guild Award for best radio drama script. His dramatisation of BLEAK HOUSE won a Sony Award for Best Drama. Other dramatisations include A SUITABLE BOY, A HANDMAID'S TALE and FATHERLAND one of the most repeated dramas on R4 Extra.

Overflow and notes:

Production:
Sound Design - Steve Bond
Editing Assistant - Varun Bangera
Script Editor - Mike Walker
Assistant Producer - Toral Shah

Music - Sacha Putnam

Dramatised by Ayeesha Menon and John Dryden from the novel "ACCIDENTAL APPRENTICE" by Vikas Swarup.

Director - John Dryden
Producer - Nadir Khan
A Goldhawk Production for BBC Radio 4.


SAT 00:15 Cosmic Quest (b00c84kg)
Are We Alone?

Heather Couper presents a narrative history of astronomy.

She looks at the prospects for life elsewhere in our own solar system. Could evidence of life have even been discovered already on Mars? She tells the story of the search for extra-terrestrial intelligence as scientists scan the skies for messages from the stars.

Readers are Timothy West, Robin Sebastian, Julian Rhind-Tutt and John Palmer.


SAT 00:30 Book of the Week (b03c31w7)
Seamus Heaney - Beowulf

Episode 5

After King Hrothgar's great victory feast for Beowulf Grendel's mother appears to avenge the death of her son.

Produced in Salford by Susan Roberts.
Radio Drama North.


SAT 00:45 Book of the Week (b00rp7qm)
Hilary Spurling - Burying the Bones

Episode 5

Lindsay Duncan reads the final extract from Hilary Spurling's new book: "Burying The Bones". The distinguished biographer's subject is the astonishing life of Pearl Buck, one of the most successful and popular American novelists of the 20th Century.

In today's episode we learn that as she entered old age, Pearl's indomitable spirit continued to shine as she shocked and surprised her family with a series of bizarre life choices. Pearl never quite recovered her equilibrium after the death of her second husband and, surrounded by a coterie of flamboyant young men, became increasingly cloistered - receiving visitors in a 'throne' room; a strange echo of the last days of her childhood heroine, the last empress of China.

Though her work has now fallen out of fashion, in her day Pearl Buck was a phenomenal bestseller. The novel that made her name was "The Good Earth" which depicted for the first time the gruelling conditions of China's rural poor. Born to Presbyterian missionaries in 1890s China, Buck's first hand experience of the language and people informed her writing and helped to change Western perceptions of that country forever; in recognition of which she won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1938.

Abridger: Alison Joseph.
Producer: Kirsteen Cameron.


SAT 01:00 The Museum of Curiosity (b015yt4k)
Series 4

Ince, Highfield, Edwards

Hosted by the Professor of Ignorance from the University of Buckingham John Lloyd C.B.E. and the intensely curious comedian Dave Gorman.

This week's guests:

Coming from a long line of vicars, Robin Ince is the UK's most rational comedian, and he tests his reason to the limit once every year by performing at least four shows a day at the Edinburgh fringe. His infamous Bad Book Club, which in which he invites his fellow comedians to celebrate awful literature, has become an institution, and his massive Christmas show Nine Lessons and Carols For Godless People is now a huge event, featuring the likes of Jarvis Cocker, Dara O Briain and Richard Dawkins.

Roger Highfield is a scientist, science author and the editor of New Scientist, but if you met him, you wouldn't immediately guess that science is his thing. He's jolly and worldly and has the hearty laugh of a comic supervillain. He first made his name as a scientist be being the first person ever to bounce a neutron off a soap bubble. Roger has written and co-written 9 best-selling science books, including a book on the hows and whys of Dolly the sheep, an explanation of the science of Harry Potter and a biography of Einstein.

Gareth Edwards is a filmmaker whose success and methods of achieving it have sent ripples of fear through the studios of Hollywood. His movie Monsters is an apocalyptic blockbuster which he made for one five hundredth of the budget for Avatar by shooting with a small, mobile team, hiring non-actors on the spot and using dazzling-but-cheap CGI effects.


SAT 01:30 My Life in Five Books (b012rbts)
Series 2

Robin Pilcher

Robin Pilcher didn't take up writing until he was 48 years old but he has made up for his late start by publishing many successful books. An Ocean Apart in 1999 was followed by Starting Over and A Risk Worth Taking and all three were adapted for television. His latest novel, A Matter of Trust has now been published in paperback.

Robin is also passionate about short stories and is a co-director of the website Shortbread Stories.

Chatting to Stuart Cosgrove about his 5 books Robin reveals his love of maps, picks a life changing book and they share a love of John Buchan's books.

Robin picks the following five books:

1: Favourite Childhood Book: A HIGH WIND IN JAMAICA by Richard Hughes

2: Life-Changing book: I HEARD THE OWL CALL MY NAME by Margaret Craven

3: Favourite Reference Book: AA ROAD MAP OF THE BRITISH ISLES

4:Book you've read most often: THE THIRTY-NINE STEPS by John Buchan

5: Favourite novel no one has heard of: LOVESONG by Alex Miller.

Produced by Mike Walker.

First broadcast on Radio Scotland in 2011.


SAT 02:00 The Blackburn Files (b007w3zt)
Series 2

4. A Case of Whistle and Run

A routine case for private eye Stephen J Blackburn starts to look like his final investigation

One of four more cases for the private investigator and his government scheme-funded assistant Tracey. Set in a South Yorkshire town that's seen better days.

CAST:

Stephen J. Blackburn …. Finetime Fontayne
Tracey Duggan …. Judy Flynn
Mam …. Rita May
Angela …. Daryl Fishwick
Rodney …. Christopher Kent

Scripted by Ian McMillan, Martyn Wiley and Dave Sheasby

Producer: Dave Sheasby

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 1991.


SAT 02:30 Freedom Song (b008q0sr)
Tony Phillips tells the story of a memorable performance.

On 9th April 1939, 75,000 concert-goers heard African-American contralto Marian Anderson give a solo recital at the Lincoln Memorial. Across America, millions more listened to the live radio broadcast. Yet Anderson was a victim of racism, barred from Constitution Hall, the largest indoor location in Washington DC, because of her colour.

Contributors include historian John Hope Franklin, concert organiser Dorothy Height, Prof Allan Keiler, soprano Barbara Hendricks and Harry Belafonte.

Music includes Schubert's Liebesbotschaft and Ave Maria.


SAT 03:00 Classic Serial (b03xcxdx)
Jane Austen - Pride and Prejudice

Episode 3

by Jane Austen
Dramatised by Charlotte Jones

Elizabeth has misjudged Wickham's character and he is about to bring further shame on her family. Can she hope to ever see Mr Darcy again after rejecting his offer of marriage?

Directed by Sally Avens

Elizabeth has rejected Darcy's offer of marriage but is beginning to reappraise her judgement of his character after she learns of how Wickham attempted to seduce Darcy's sister. Darcy may have put his proposal badly, pointing out their differences in birth and the behaviour of her family. He may also have attempted to separate her sister Jane from Mr Bingley But it appears he believed that Jane did not love Bingley. And Elizabeth knows that her mother and younger sisters do not always behave with the decorum that might be expected of them and her father is too lazy to correct them. Perhaps the fault is not entirely on Darcy's side.

Published just over 200 years ago Pride and Prejudice remains one of the Nation's favourite novels; with its intellect and wit it appeals to a broad range of readers. It stands the test of time by dealing with the timeless issues of love, social class, money and mistaken judgements and by having a witty and clever though flawed heroine at its heart. Elizabeth Bennet is a thorough radical for her time and perhaps the first heroine to ask is it possible to have it all?

Pippa Nixon takes on the role of Elizabeth; she received rave reviews for her Rosalind in 'As You Like It' ' a rising young star'.

Jamie Parker (Darcy) has played Henry V at the National and is shortly to portray Hamlet on Radio 4.
Double Olivier Award winner Samantha Spiro takes on Mrs Bennet and Toby Jones Mr Collins.


SAT 04:00 Jane Gardam Stories (b054c6gr)
Miss Mistletoe

A large family 'welcomes' a regular Christmas visitor, but one year Miss Mistletoe doesn't join them. Read by Rachel Atkins. From March 2015.


SAT 04:15 Drama (b00771rc)
Juliet Ace - Chocolate Frigates

A naval chef plans a grand farewell dinner for his captain, just as his son is sent to fight in the Iraq war. Stars Todd Carty, Lindsey Coulson, Jamie Kenna and Nick Sayce.


SAT 05:00 Beachcomber... By the Way (b0081b4f)
Series 1

Episode 2

Moonlight on Mrs Parsons, newts in Lord Shortcake's trouser turn-ups, and the police - as ever - on Captain Foulenough's tail.

Richard Ingrams, John Wells, John Sessions and Patricia Routledge recreate the world of the JB Morton.

Running in the Daily Express from 1924 to 1975 – JB Morton’s surreally comic ‘Beachcomber’ column paved the way for a great deal of modern humour.

Adapted by Michael Barfield with Richard Ingrams.

Announcer: Brian Perkins

Producer: Harry Thompson

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1989.


SAT 05:30 Living with the Enemy (b00771l8)
Episode 4

Gyles takes Nick and Sophie to a swanky art exhibition in Mayfair. He's desperate to curry favour and maybe make some money. Can Nick save the day?

Sitcom about a Tory MP-turned-media celebrity and a comedian-turned-holistic therapist.

Written by and starring Nick Revell and Gyles Brandreth

Gyles Brandon ...... Gyles Brandreth
Nick Reynolds ...... Nick Revell
Sophie Okuyu ...... Gugu Mbatha-Raw
Charles Danbury ...... Nickolas Grace
Richard Dowdeswell ...... Martin Hyder
Jana ...... Maria McErlane

Producer: Ed Morrish

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 2006.


SAT 06:00 Shelagh Stephenson - The Memory of Water (b0076z7r)
4 Extra Debut. Ahead of their mother's funeral, three sisters tackle unresolved childhood conflicts and blurred memories. Stars Linda Bassett, Lesley Manville, Elizabeth Berrington.


SAT 07:30 Freedom Pass (b00sqcq3)
Episode 5

Using free bus travel, Alan Coren helps Christopher Matthew to try and find the house where he was born. From September 2005.


SAT 08:00 Archive on 4 (b00nmzp7)
This Is the Army, Mr Jones

Actor and entertainer John Barrowman tells the story of Irving Berlin's groundbreaking army show, This Is The Army, that came to bomb-ravaged London in 1943 before setting out on a world tour that raised military morale from Glasgow to Guam.

The show's choreographer, Robert Sydney, and Irving Berlin's daughter, Mary Ellin Barrett, recall how the show was put together and the effect it had in places as far afield as Washington DC and Tehran, via Bristol, Birmingham, Glasgow, London and the fiercest area of fighting in the south of Italy shortly after the British and American landings there.

Also remembering the show are members of the audience in Birmingham, Glasgow and London, where a young airman by the name of Denis Norden was spellbound by the show at The Palladium.

The programme also features archive recordings made especially for the BBC in the winter of 1943, including a performance from Irving Berlin himself.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 2009.


SAT 09:00 30 Years of Comic Relief (b054q675)
Simon Mayo looks back through the BBC Radio Archive at 30 Years of Comic Relief, including rare interviews and fundraising appeals, Radio 4's The Reunion, Radio 3's In Tune and Radio 1's Record-Breaking Longest Ever Radio Show.


SAT 12:00 The Haunted Road - Omnibus (b054q677)
Police camera operator Leslie Burden assists a colleague in the hunt for a missing woman. With David Caves and Niamh McGrady.


SAT 13:15 John Peacock - London Particulars (b008pbw2)
Out on the Drag

Victorian Peelers Pip and Thomas go undercover to infiltrate a gang, but get more than they bargained for. Stars Todd Carty.


SAT 14:00 Ivy Benson: Original Girl Power (b04lp3x7)
Melanie Chisholm celebrates the musical legacy of British band leader Ivy Benson - who rose to fame in the 1940s with Her All Girl Band - and speaks to some of the surviving members from that era.

Ivy Benson was a gutsy and glamourous woman. 50 years before Melanie was shouting about Girl Power as a member of The Spice Girls, Ivy her band members were risking their lives entertaining Allied troops in war-torn Europe and fighting their very own battle of the sexes back at home.

She was born in Holbeck, Leeds in 1913 and formed her all girl band in 1939 in an attempt to address the inequalities in pay between male and female musicians. Within a few years, Ivy rose to become one of the Britain's best known band leaders with bookings 52-weeks-a-year at top venues including the London Palladium.

In 1943, Ivy won a prestigious contract to become one of the BBC's resident dance bands. This appointment caused controversy in the male dominated musical establishment and led to what became known as The Battle of the Saxes. The Band Leaders Section of the Musicians' Union even sent a delegation to Broadcasting House to complain about Ivy's appointment.

"Speaking from personal experience, I find it incredibly inspiring to hear of Ivy's story. It seems a real shame she isn't better known to my generation. I hope this programme goes a little way to change that. She certainly was the originator of Girl Power!" (Melanie Chisholm).

Contributors include Joyce Clark, June Smith, Margaret Chappell, Gloria Russell, Sylvia England and Patsy O'Hara, who were all members of Ivy's band during its heyday of the 1940s.

Producer: Clair Wordsworth

A Sue Clark production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in October 2014.


SAT 14:30 Yes Minister (b007jznv)
Series 1

The Devil You Know

Cabinet reshuffle rumours unsettle MP Jim Hacker and Sir Humphrey

Starring Paul Eddington, Nigel Hawthorne and Derek Fowlds.

Antony Jay and Jonathan Lynn's satirical sitcom ran on BBC TV between 1980 and 1984. Yes Minister is centred around the hapless Jim Hacker and a collection of civil service underlings headed by the Machiavellian Sir Humphrey Appleby and obsequious Bernard.

Jim Hacker ...... Paul Eddington
Sir Humphrey Appleby ...... Nigel Hawthorne
Bernard ...... Derek Fowlds
Annie ...... Diana Hoddinott
Sir Arnold ...... John Nettleton
George ...... Arthur Cox
Waiter ...... Stuart Organ

Adapted for radio by producer Pete Atkin.

First broadcast on Radio 4 in December 1983.


SAT 15:00 Archive on 4 (b00nmzp7)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]


SAT 16:00 Shelagh Stephenson - The Memory of Water (b0076z7r)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]


SAT 17:30 Gloomsbury (b01nlbff)
Series 1

He's Got to Be Stopped

Vera Sackcloth-Vest is bracing herself for the departure of her adored husband Henry on a Foreign Office posting to Romania.

Her friends Ginny and Lionel Fox have come down to Sizzlinghurst to support her, along with her slightly demented devotee Venus Traduces. Whilst maintaining a veneer of cheerful serenity, Vera is inwardly desperate and hatches several intricate plots to detain him: an ominous dream, a succession of spurious telegrams, an extensive repertoire of ailments. She even attempts, disastrously, to persuade the cook to stage a staff crisis.

Meanwhile, down in the gazebo at midnight, Venus encourages Henry to resist all Vera's attempts to detain him as she will surely give in at the last moment and go with him to Romania.

Cast:
Vera Sackcloth-Vest ..... Miriam Margolyes
Henry Mickleton ..... Jonathan Coy
Mrs Gosling ..... Alison Steadman
Venus Traduces ..... Morwenna Banks
Lionel Fox ..... Nigel Planer
Mrs Ginny Fox ..... Alison Steadman
Mr Gosling ..... Nigel Planer

Produced by Jamie Rix
A Little Brother production for BBC Radio 4.


SAT 18:00 Bruce Bedford - The Gibson (b007js9x)
Episode 6

On the day of the festival, Saul and the Guardians prepare to fight.

Conclusion of Bruce Bedford's time-hopping supernatural thriller serial set in - and under - Bath.

Robert Glenister .... Saul Judd
Sharon Duce .... Elise Judd
Freddie Jones .... The Scribe
Kate Binchy .... The Scribe's Wife
Timothy West .... Selwyn Fist
Zoe Hicks .... Miss Dewhurst
Katy Carmichael .... Tracky
Sam Dastor .... Karim El Hatel
June Barrie .... Chairwoman
Zoe Hicks .... Miss Dewhurst
Melanie Hudson .... Patricia Gwent
Geoffrey Collins .... Control
Phillip Manikum .... Punch
Paul Cresswell .... John
John Adams .... Guardian

Original music composed by Thomas Johnson.
Music realised by Robin Lever.
Special effects: Dick Mills (Radiophonic Workshop)

Directed at BBC Bristol by Andy Jordan

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1992.


SAT 18:30 Paradise Lost in Cyberspace (b007jphb)
Episode 6

The future of the OAPs and, indeed, of the whole of civilisation, hangs in the balance.

Stephen Moore stars in the conclusion of Colin Swash's dystopian comedy set in 22nd-century Britain.

George ...... Stephen Moore
Doris ...... Patsy Byrne
O'Connell ...... Geoffrey McGivern
Mrs Cookson ...... Edna Dore
Andrea Sunbeam ...... Lorelei King

Other parts played by Melanie Hudson, Joanna Brookes, Christopher Douglas, Peter Serafinowcz and Lewis MacLeod.

Producer: Richard Wilson.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 1998.


SAT 19:00 30 Years of Comic Relief (b054q675)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]


SAT 22:00 Meera Syal's Asian Comedy Night (b037sf5k)
Episode 2

Hosts, Meera Syal and Tommy Sandhu continue a special celebration of British Asian stand up comedy from the BBC Radio Theatre in London.

With the Asian Provocateurs, Mickey Sharma, Shazia Mirza, Imran Yusuf, Humza Badman, Kulvinder Ghir, Hyde Panesar and Sami Shah.

Producer: Jon Holmes

Made for the BBC Asian Network by Tonic Productions and first broadcast in July 2012.


SAT 22:30 The Lawrence Sweeney Mix (b00k9pcb)
Series 1

Episode 2

Lover's Leap, a Moon expedition - and so much more!

Josie Lawrence and Jim Sweeney make it up as they go along!

Faced with a live studio audience and a couple of microphones - the masters of improve create sketches from shouted out suggestions.

Producer: Dawn Ellis

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 2007.


SAT 23:00 Mark Steel's in Town (b00s9f90)
Series 2

Kirkwall

The last episode in the series sees the comedian visits Kirkwall in Orkney and encounters Thorfinn The Skullsplitter; an extraordinarily violent ball game and why it's pointless being a hairdresser on the island. From May 2010.


SAT 23:25 The Comedy Club Interviews (b05h7j7g)
From 10pm to midnight, seven days a week, the Comedy Club has two hours of comedy. Plus Arthur Smith chats to writer Craig Green.


SAT 23:30 The Last Hurrah - Interview With the Snowman (b054qc4v)
Episode 1

Rik Mayall is Elton the last remaining talking Snowman - an alcoholic, war-mongering, immortal, immoral tyrant. Duncan Pow is Ed Mullet, an eager young ghost-writer tasked with interviewing Elton for a forthcoming collection of memoirs.

Elton invites Ed to The Last Hurrah, a notorious, near mythical, highly secret and highly disgusting gentlemen's club. As the sherry flows, Elton becomes increasingly inept at hiding his long life of crime.

Specially adapted for radio from the original series "The Last Hurrah" - Rik Mayall is at his anarchic best, in his last great leading role.

Produced by Sweetchuck Productions.