SATURDAY 14 MAY 2016

SAT 00:00 The House on the Borderland by William Hope Hodgson (b007wxhs)
4. The Wound

Back from his voyage, the narrator sees a sinister green hand at his window...

First published in 1908, William Hope Hodgson's fantasy novella is now seen as a classic of early, Edwardian sci-fi.

Concluded by Jim Norton.

Abridged by Doreen Estall.

Producer: Lawrence Jackson

Made for BBC Radio 7 by BBC Northern Ireland.

First broadcast in September 2007.


SAT 00:30 Soul Music (b00mbkk4)
Series 8

Allegri's Miserere

Allegri wrote the chord sequence for his Miserere in the 1630s for use in the Sistine Chapel during Holy Week.

It then went through the hands of a 12-year-old Mozart, Mendelssohn and Liszt until it finally reached England in the early 20th century and got fixed into the version we know today.

The soaring soprano line that hits the famous top C and never fails to thrill has become a firm favourite for concert audiences around the world.

Textile designer Kaffe Fassett, writer Sarah Manguso and conductor Roy Goodman explain how they have all been deeply affected by this beautiful piece of music.

With Peter Phillips.

Series exploring famous pieces of music and their emotional appeal.

Producer: Rosie Boulton

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 2009.


SAT 01:00 Russell Thorndike - Doctor Syn (b00dbwts)
Episode 10

The devastated daredevil sets out to take revenge on his enemies - one by one. Concluded by Rufus Sewell.

Christopher Syn, a brilliant young scholar, is a Doctor of Divinity at Oxford, but his eventual decision to throw away the Bible for the sword in a mad quest for vengeance will influence the rest of his life.

Russell Thorndike's 18th Century, Kent-based adventure features pirates, smuggling, highwaymen, duels, wicked squires and beautiful Spanish ladies. Based on the first two novels (published 1935 and 1936) in the seven-title sequence, 'Doctor Syn on the High Seas' and 'Doctor Syn Returns'. Abridged by Doreen Estall.

Writer Russell Thorndike (1885-1972) is less well-known than his sister, the actress Dame Sybil Thorndike, but his Doctor Syn novels hold a special place in the affection of lovers of atmospheric, swashbuckling storytelling everywhere. His novels have been filmed with actors as diverse as George Arliss, Peter Cushing and Patrick McGoohan in the role of Syn, and the Kent village of Dymchurch holds an official 'Day of Syn' every other year, to commemorate a home-grown literary folk hero.

Producer: Lawrence Jackson

Made for BBC Radio 7 by BBC Northern Ireland

First broadcast in 2006.


SAT 01:30 Big Game, Little Game (b00v1rh8)
Episode 2

In the second of two programmes, Mark Stephen charts a unique swap involving two gamekeepers - one from the Kalahari, the other from the Angus Glens.

Gamekeeper Andy Malcolm is swapping 40,000 acres of heather moorland high in the Angus Glens for a reserve on the edge of the Kalahari in South Africa. The game warden from there will travel to Scotland in a unique swap documented for BBC Radio 4.

The programmes offer the very different perspectives of Scottish gamekeeper Andy Malcolm and his South African counterpart Dylan Smith. Both men track their experiences in the form of audio diaries and in reflections to presenter Mark Stephen who is alongside them in this job exchange. How they deal with issues ranging from land conservation to animal welfare and how far experiences in their own landscapes can translate into ideas for their new ones, is at the heart of the recordings.

Producer: Sue Mitchell.


SAT 02:00 F Scott Fitzgerald - The Great Gatsby (b007jn01)
Episode 5

Nick discovers the reason behind Gatsby's parties - his need to be reunited with someone from his past. Read by Sam Robards.


SAT 02:15 In Search of Ourselves: A History of Psychology and the Mind (b041dn37)
Talking Cures?

Martin considers some of the therapies that combined the psychoanalytic principles of Freud and Jung with the behaviour modifying techniques of the mid-Twentieth Century's other significant psychological movement 'behaviourism'.

With reference to the 'Gloria' tapes that featured the same patient being treated by three different 'talking cures' - Albert Ellis's Rational Emotive Behavioural Therapy, Fritz Perls's Gestalt Therapy and Carl Rogers's Person Centred Therapy.

Series consultant, Professor Daniel Pick, Birkbeck, University of London.

Producer: Alan Hall
A Falling Tree Production for BBC Radio 4.


SAT 02:30 15 Minute Drama (b013ptf6)
Talking About Jane Austen in Baghdad

A House in Chawton

May's name has appeared on a terrorist death list. She and her husband Ali are desperate to escape from Iraq. Bee, a British journalist, has managed to arrange a university place for May, but to get to Britain they must first get to Jordan. At the last moment Ali's Jordanian visa is refused. May resolves to go by herself to Jordan and sort out the problem. This is a true story.

May ..... Souad Faress
Bee ..... Fenella Woolgar
Ali ..... Zubin Varla
Justin ..... Stephen Hogan
Eva/Ayasha ..... Deeivya Meir
Militia Man/Official/Minister ..... Peter Polycarpou
Newsnight director ..... Jonathan Forbes
Lawyer/Octavia ..... Elaine Claxton

Director..... Peter Kavanagh.


SAT 02:45 James Bond - On Her Majesty's Secret Service (b07bft32)
Episode 5

In the guise of Sir Hilary Bray, Bond contacts Blofeld and learns more about his Alpine hideaway. Read by Joanna Lumley. From October 1989.


SAT 03:00 Classic Serial (b01m4c90)
Thomas Mann - Buddenbrooks

Episode 3

The final part of Thomas Mann's Nobel Prize winning story of a 19th Century merchant family struggling to keep pace with changing times. J Thomas and Gerda's son Hanno shows no aptitude for business, but may make a great musician.

Dramatised by Judith Adams with original music by Nico Muhly.

Technical presentation by David Fleming Williams

Produced and directed by Chris Wallis
An Autolycus Production for BBC Radio 4.


SAT 04:00 The Museum of Curiosity (b01nl675)
Series 5

Hughes, Czerski, Finkelman

Professor of Ignorance at the University of Buckingham, Professor John Lloyd CBE is joined by comedian Jimmy Carr for the fifth series.

Three guests are invited to donate one item each and explain why it deserves a place in the museum.

John and Jimmy welcome comedian Sean Hughes, physicist Dr Helen Czerski and cuneiform expert Dr Irving Finkel.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2012.


SAT 04:30 No Commitments (b01773xl)
Series 9

Houseroom

Anna's love-life seems to be on an even keel, but can the same be said for Roger? Stars Angela Thorne. From January 2003.


SAT 05:00 Winston (b007jncr)
Winston in Love

Clip Clop, Clip Clop

Father says he's going to marry Mrs Sunderland and cut the rest of the family off without a bean.

It's his wedding day. But is he serious?

Peter Tinniswood's bawdy comedy serial stars Bill Wallis as Winston, Maurice Denham as Father, Shirley Dixon as Nancy, Liz Goulding as Rosie and Christian Rodska as William.

Director: Shaun MacLoughlin.

First broadcast on BBC Radio in February 1991.


SAT 05:30 The Rest is History (b079mhls)
Series 2

Episode 6

Frank Skinner loves history, but just doesn't know much of it. So he's devised a comedy discussion show in order to find out more about it.

Along with his historian in residence, Professor Kate Williams, Frank is joined by Josie Long and Kevin Eldon, who discuss Captain Blood, Drake's Drum, Bloody Mary and E.R.N.I.E.

Producers: Mark Augustyn and Justin Pollard

An Avalon production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in May 2016.


SAT 06:00 Peter Tinniswood (b007jsl3)
The Village Fete

When Nancy moves to the countryside with her brother, sister and poorly father, everything goes wrong. The Empson family's new house has a gas leak and needs re-wiring and re-roofing.

Nancy doesn't mind. She likes organising. But then Winston, the local poacher and handyman, takes over and invites Nancy to the village fete.

Stars Shirley Dixon as Nancy, Maurice Denham as Father, Liz Goulding as Rosie, Christian Rodska as William and Bill Wallis as Winston.

Peter Tinniswood's play introduces the Empson family - which sparked five series of Winston's adventures for BBC Radio between 1989 and 1994.

Producer: Shaun McLoughlin

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1987.


SAT 07:30 Capturing America: Mark Lawson's History of Modern American Literature (b00r7lyf)
Making Sex Safe

Mark Lawson tells the story of how American writing became the literary superpower of the 20th century, telling the nation's stories of money, power, sex, religion and war.

From the 1950s the phrase 'scandalous bestseller' began to appear on the covers of paperbacks such as Peyton Place by Grace Metalious, Couples by John Updike and Portnoy's Complaint by Philip Roth. And in spite of a widespread belief that America had become unshockable, there continued to be bursts of controversy over works of literature dealing with sex, including Tony Kushner's Angels in America - subtitled A Gay Fantasia on National Themes - Edmund White's A Boy's Own Story, Susanna Moore's In the Cut and Patricia Cornwell's introduction of the first lesbian character in a mainstream crime series. The programme also features Nicholson Baker's response to discovering - in the Starr Report - that his erotically explicit book Vox was one of the love gifts given by Monica Lewinsky to President Clinton.


SAT 08:00 Archive on 4 (b03z3ghc)
Portraying Real Lives

Actress Maxine Peake meets with actors and, in a series of one to one conversations, discusses the challenges of portraying the real-life character as opposed to the fictional.

Maxine Peake has tackled many factual roles, including Tracey Temple in Confessions of a Diary Secretary, Joan le Mesurier in Hancock and Joan, the title role in The Secret Diaries of Miss Anne Lister, Anne Scargill in Queens of the Coal Age, Stephen Hawking's secretary in the 2015 film The Theory of Everything, and her infamous portrayal of Myra Hindley in See No Evil.

Most actors will only face a critical backlash if their portrayal of King Lear or Jimmy Porter does not meet expectation, but what happens if their subject is real? How does this change the actor's approach to the character research, is it better or worse to meet them, does this restrict the boundaries or increase the empathy? And what happens if that character is regarded as evil in the public psyche?

In discussion with friends and colleagues such as Michael Sheen, Sally Hawkins, Patricia Hodge, Monica Dolan, Shaun Evans and Anne Scargill we discover how different the approach can and has to be.

Producer: Elizabeth Foster.

First broadcast as part of BBC Radio 4's Character Invasion. From 2014.


SAT 09:00 I Did It My Way (b0092lb4)
Roy Hudd

Much-loved comedian and actor Roy Hudd talks to Peter Reed about his radio life and times, with behind-the-scenes stories of making his on-air hit shows:

The News Huddlines (06/06/79). Poking fun at topical events and personalities, this series ran for 25 years on BBC Radio 2 when Roy was joined by Chris Emmett and his leading ladies Janet Brown, Alison Steadman and June Whitfield.

The Newly Discovered Casebook of Sherlock Holmes (16/01/1999). Roy dons his deerstalker to investigate 'The Case of the Clockwork Fiend' with June Whitfield.

The Sony Radio Academy Gold award-winning Huddwinks (14/08/86). Chris Emmett and Denise Coffey join Roy for 'Railway '86 - The Movie!': British Rail's new 'Silver Bullet' train ends up as a runaway express to Aberdeen.

Roy also reveals his more dramatic side in Peter Tinniswood's play The Scan (29/09/1999). Compulsive talker Ernest seeks reassurance from a protective nurse. Roy's co-star is Judy Cornwell.

Produced by Mik Wilkojc.


SAT 12:00 PG Wodehouse - Stiff Upper Lip, Jeeves (b007jqb0)
The Menace of Totleigh Towers

Bertie Wooster is obliged to sort out an amorous mix-up between his friends.

PG Wodehouse romp adapted in six parts by Richard Usborne.

Starring Michael Hordern as Jeeves, Richard Briers as Bertie Wooster, Vivian Pickles as Aunt Dahlia, Ann Davies as Emerald Stoker, Douglas Blackwell as the Reverend Harold Pinker and Jonathan Cecil as Boko Fittleworth.

Producer: David Hatch

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1980.


SAT 12:30 J Kingston Platt's Showbiz Handbook (b007jzkv)
Brian Allington

The common image of the breed of actors as selfish, chameleonic and unreliable is almost always quite unjustified.

After all, to be realistic, what sort of professional future could someone like that possibly expect to have?

The doyen of British show business, J Kingston Platt shares reminiscences drawn from the wealth and the poverty of his experience from the past 40 years.

Performed and written by Peter Jones.

Producer: Pete Atkin

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 1986.


SAT 13:00 Writing the Century - Omnibus (b07bkvqz)
The Experience of Love

Christopher Green explores the recent history of Britain's gay and lesbian community. With Jonathan Coy and Adie Allen.


SAT 14:10 Inheritance Tracks (b07bkw1s)
Carlos Acosta

Cuban ballet dancer Carlos Acosta chooses NG La Banda's 'Echale Limon' and Polo Montanez's 'Un Millon de Estrellas'.


SAT 14:15 Frankly Speaking (b07bkwq3)
Edith Sitwell

The British avant garde poet and critic Dame Edith Sitwell answers questions posed by writer Margaret Lane, critic Lionel Hale, and Oscar-winning screenplay writer Paul Dehn.

Aged 68 when interviewed, she recalls her childhood influences and shares her belief in the popularity of poetry.

Dame Edith was born in 1887 and died in 1964.

Launched in 1952 on the BBC Home Service, Frankly Speaking was a novel, ground breaking series. Unrehearsed and unscripted, the traditional interviewee/interviewer pairing was initially jettisoned for three interviewers firing direct questions. Early critics described it as 'unkempt', 'an inquisition' and described the guest as prey being cornered, quarry being pursued - with calls to axe the unscripted interview. But the format won out and eventually won over its detractors.

Unknown or very inexperienced broadcasters were employed as interviewers, notably John Betjeman, Malcolm Muggeridge and Penelope Mortimer. Only 40 or so of the original 100 programmes survive.

First broadcast on the BBC Home Service in 1955.


SAT 14:45 Could Do Better (b03m7dn7)
Terence Stamp

Robert Booth summons Terence Stamp to his study for a quiet word about the actor's school reports. From November 1987.


SAT 15:00 Archive on 4 (b03z3ghc)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]


SAT 16:00 Peter Tinniswood (b007jsl3)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]


SAT 17:30 Capturing America: Mark Lawson's History of Modern American Literature (b00r7lyf)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]


SAT 18:00 Drama (b01pzs6y)
Paul Evans - Chapel of Skins

Recorded high up in the Shropshire hills of the Welsh Marches, and inspired by a living landscape and its history, the Chapel of Skins is a fictional story about a ghostly meeting of ways, written and narrated by Paul Evans with wildlife sound recordings by Chris Watson.

High in the hills of the Welsh Marches, a remote crossroads is marked by a telephone kiosk and an old stone chapel. It is a mysterious and beautiful place, steeped in history because of the ancient tracks which cross here like the centre of a compass.

North, south, east, west: each direction is a 'way' ; a path or opening affording passage from one place to another. Along each way of travel comes a way of being; a voice telling a story. Each story is set in a different time but arrives in the same place. These voices have very different histories but are drawn by necessity to the mystical yet sinister Chapel of Skins which reflects the beauty and harshness of Nature at this crossroads.

The drama becomes intense as each character must tell their stories to the listener before the chapel bell tolls midnight on the twelfth day of the twelfth month of the twelfth year. Only at that moment will the chapel door open in a bizarre midnight ritual and the lost souls find sanctuary. So, the Chapel is a way too, a gateway affording passage from one place to another. If they fail to tell their stories, the fate of these restless figures, these voices in the landscape, is to wander the hills for another hundred years.

Wildlife sound recordist: Chris Watson
Directed and Produced by Sarah Blunt.


SAT 18:45 15 Minute Drama (b011vh4r)
HH Munro - Beasts on the Lawn: Saki

Gabriel Ernest

Beasts on the Lawn: Saki 2011
Original stories by Saki (H.H Munro)
Adapted by Sean Grundy

Beasts on the Lawn is a collection of Edwardian short stories by Saki (H.H Munro) recycled and restaged in a modern day gated community for the far too wealthy for their own good. The tales are woven together by the character of Clovis, a security guard. She recalls the events of strange days and long nights.

Episode Four: Gabriel Ernest

Unpleasant celebrity chef Van Cheele has made quite a name for himself with his particular brand of nasty cooking. One day he finds a filthy naked teenager sunbathing in his large garden on the Munro Estate. The boy claims to enjoy hunting animals and also occasionally humans on the estate. Van Cheele believes that this is a prank by a fellow celebrity chef, but soon discovers that he's truly met his match.

Cast:

Clovis.............................Pippa Haywood
Gabriel Ernest.......................Carl Prekopp
Van Cheele..............................Ed Weeks
Ewa Ptorovisch......................Dolly Wells
Jeff the Man..................Malcolm Hamilton

Director: Alison Crawford.


SAT 19:00 I Did It My Way (b0092lb4)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]


SAT 22:00 What Does the K Stand For? (b03lpjy6)
Series 1

The Cat Next Door

An actress moves in next door to the Amos household and encourages Young Stephen to overcome his stage fright.

Stephen K Amos's sitcom about his teenage years, growing up black, gay and funny in 1980s South London.

Written by Jonathan Harvey with Stephen K Amos.

Himself ... Stephen K Amos
Young Stephen ... Shaquille Ali-Yebuah
Stephanie Amos ... Fatou Sohna
Virginia Amos ... Ellen Thomas
Vincent Amos ... Don Gilet
Miss Collins ... Gemma Whelan
Fola ... Kathryn Drysdale
PE Teacher ... Harry Jardine
Bo Bells ... Rachel Atkins

Producer: Colin Anderson

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 2013.


SAT 22:30 Armando Iannucci - Facts And Fancies (b007jrlr)
From the Man Who Mistook his Bike for Olives

Spotlighting dictators - the producer, writer and performer Armando Iannucci presents his own collection of humorous essays.

Compiled by Jenny Baynes.

Producer: Jonathan James-Moore

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 1997.


SAT 22:45 Ida Barr: Artificial Hip Hop (b00txj0l)
Responsibility

Ida Barr is a music hall singer who has embraced hip hop and rap, reflecting the cultural diversity of London's East End, where she has been living in retirement for several decades.

With her genuine love of talking to people, Ida sets out investigate a new topic in each episode, creating a unique brand of music-hall, hip-hop fusion with beat boxer Shlomo.

Ida’s first topic is "Responsibility".

Written by and starring Christopher Green as Ida Barr.

Producer: Claire Grove

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 2010.


SAT 23:00 Masala FM (b007jyfv)
Episode 2

Maz Mazoo gets an offer from Radio Fun FM, Madoona, the Asian Madonna is intent on making her mark on Masala FM, and Shanta's sick of the pair of them.

Six-part sitcom written by Meera Syal

Starring Sanjeev Bhaskar, Nitin Sawheny, Meera Syal and Nina Wadia.

Music by Nitin Sawhney.

Producer: Liz Anstee

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 1996.


SAT 23:30 The Museum of Everything (b007k4y7)
Series 2

Behind the Magic

The Film Institute has a self-regarding guest; the audio guides start to go wrong - and there's a sneak preview of the Museum's very own behind-the-scenes DVD.

Written and performed by Marcus Brigstocke, Danny Robins and Dan Tetsell.

With Lucy Montgomery.

Music by Dominic Haslam and Ben Walker.

Producer: Alex Walsh-Taylor

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 2005.