In a thrilling conclusion, the Fourth Doctor and Captain Yates learn who's really responsible for the chain of events in the Demon Quest.

Stars Tom Baker as the Doctor, Susan Jameson as Mrs Wibbsey, Richard Franklin as Captain Mike Yates and Nigel Anthony as the Wizard

Written by Paul Magrs

Director: Kate Thomas

Made by BBC Audio and reversioned for broadcast by BBC Radio 4 Extra.

John Wilson continues with the second series of Mastertapes, in which he talks to leading performers and songwriters about the album that made them or changed them. Recorded in front of a live audience at the BBC's iconic Maida Vale Studios. Each edition includes two episodes, with John initially quizzing the artist about the album in question, and then, in the B-side, the audience puts the questions. Both editions feature exclusive live performances.

Programme 3, A-side. "Rumor And Sigh" - Richard Thompson

Named by Rolling Stone Magazine as one of the Top 20 Guitarists of all time, Richard looks back at the making of what is not just his most commercially successful album, but also one of the high points of his career. It was album that earned him a Grammy Nomination for the Best Alternative Music Album (he lost out R.E.M.) and it captures Thompson's obsession with romantic despair and the more miserable quirks of fate. And yet, like all good tragedy, it does not sound depressing - it is instead life affirming.

Richard has said that the albums he considered "successful" were those where his initial concept most closely matched the finished product. By this yardstick, 'Rumor And Sigh' was one of his most successful albums, containing such tracks as "1952 Vincent Black Lightning", "God Loves A Drunk" and "Why Must I Plead".

Producer: Paul Kobrak.

When Kim Drake's fiance is killed on their wedding day, the authorities agree on suicide. But why would computer expert Mike kill himself on his wedding day? Could it be connected to his decision to walk out of his sensitive job at Peregrine Communications Systems?

Shaun Prendergast's techno thriller in six-parts stars Siriol Jenkins as Kim Drake, Neil Roberts as Mike Fisher, Kate Binchy as Anne and Shaun Prendergast as Frank.

Directed by Adrian Bean

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1992.

The secret life of the rubbish skip. They are such a familiar sight on our streets that most of us take the common-or-garden skip for granted.

But to some people they are the focal point of their lives, whether for survival, inspiration for art, or the subject of a university Garbology degree. And what is our fascination with not only keeping an eye on what other people put in them, but also maybe having a rummage, or best of all, spiriting away a discarded piece of treasure?

Writer and gardening expert Alys Fowler, herself no stranger to "liberating" skipped curios for her garden and home, builds a picture of our behaviour in and around these metal Aladdin's caves and unearths amusing and amazing tales to add to skip folklore of recent years.

Forget the old floorboards and broken sofas, afficionados see skips as a source of everything from priceless antiques to free food. And if your community needs affordable extra amenities such as a swimming pool or skateboard park, there's an artist who has created these very things - from old skips.

As Alys looks in a fresh way at skips throughout the land, what secrets and treasures are they about to reveal?

Producer: Neil Cargill
A Pier production for BBC Radio 4.

'Waterline' is Ross Raisin's long-awaited new novel after the success of his prize-winning debut 'God's Own Country'.

'The sun is on his face, and he spots the postie turning in through the gate... He is awake, that's obvious enough, but he has this sense of unrealness. That it's him that's not real. That's aye what it feels like. As if all these goings on around him - the sunshine, the television still quietly on, the post tummelling onto the mat - they are all part of some other life, one that he can see, but he's no a part of.'

After the death of his beloved wife Cathy, ex-Glasgow shipbuilder and union man, Mick Little finds himself struggling. Tracing Mick's journey from his old life in Glasgow to the harsh, alien world of a hotel kitchen to the rough streets of London, this is an intensely moving portrait of a life and a story for our times.

Today: Finally off the streets now, Mick determines to face up to the past. But can there ever be a future for him and his two sons?

'God's Own Country' was nominated for eight major awards, winning the Betty Trask and the Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year awards.

Reader: Alexander Morton
Abridger: Sally Marmion
Producer: Justine Willett.

Clare Balding charts how Britain spread the passion for football around the world. She particularly looks at South America where the game is central to their way of life. The FIFA World Cup has been staged 19 times and on 9 of those occasions, it has been won by either Brazil, Argentina or Uruguay.

Professor Tony Mason from De Montfort University explains that unlike cricket and rugby which was spread by soldiers, civil servants and settlers in British colonies, football took a different route. It was taken around the world by those who had made Britain the greatest trading nation in the world, by managers, engineers and teachers.

Readers, Nyasha Hatendi, Sean Baker and Jane Lawrence
Producer: Garth Brameld.

Honor Blackman, Shelley Conn and Mariah Gale star in Beatrice Hitchman's thrilling debut, adapted by Miranda Davies. A 1914 silent film called Petite Mort holds the key to an infamous murder trial.

1967, Paris. Juliette (Shelley Conn) finally discovers the truth about the film of Petite Mort and the enigmatic Madame Roux (Honor Blackman).

All other parts played by members of the company

Produced and directed by Emma Harding.

By Naoki Higashida
Translated by David Mitchell and KA Yoshida, and introduced by David Mitchell
Read by Kasper Hilton-Hille

Thirteen year old Naoki Higashida invites us into his world, an intimate astonishing insight into the perceptions and feelings of a child with autism. He explains his simple delight in spinning objects, and his own pleasure in movement, which is deeply calming for him and stems from a feeling that in stillness his very soul might detach itself from his body.

Naoki's autism is so severe that he finds it difficult to hold a conversation, and he wrote the book painstakingly, using an 'Alphabet Grid', Japanese character by character. His writing reveals a young teenager sensitive to the feelings and perceptions of others but often isolated from those he loves.

When the author David Mitchell, whose own son has autism, discovered this extraordinary book, he felt that for the first time his own son was talking to him about what was going on inside his head, through the words of the young author.

Abridged and Produced by Allegra McIlroy.

Revenge and treachery link a Sussex country house with the secret societies of 1890s America. With Clive Merrison as Holmes.

Graeme Garden chairs the debating game with Gyles Brandreth, Scott Capurro, Arthur Smith and Paul Daniels. From June 2001.

A legal firm invites John, Ruth and Hilary to a team-building exercise in the country. Starring John Bird, Sarah Lancashire and James Fleet. From March 1999.

Popular poet Pam Ayres is joined in her poetry and sketch show by Felicity Montagu and Geoffrey Whitehead as they look at the season of Summer.

This week she looks subjects such as keeping cool, finding the perfect swimsuit, summer weddings and eating al fresco.

Her poems this week include: No Alarm on the Flight Deck, That Perfect Swimsuit, The Seagull and The Swifts Are Back.

Produced by Claire Jones.

Gaby Roslin hosts the funny, entertaining film quiz with impressions by Alistair McGowan and Ronni Ancona. This week, team captains John Thomson and Ellie Taylor are joined by special guests Sarah Hadland and Marcus Brigstocke.

Presented by Gaby Roslin
Team Captains: John Thomson and Ellie Taylor
Impressionists: Alistair McGowan and Ronni Ancona
Created by Gaby Roslin
Written by Carrie Quinlan and Barney Newman

Produced by Gordon Kennedy, Gaby Roslin and Barney Newman
An Absolutely production for BBC Radio 4.

"They're all the same these places... guided tour of collective farms, National folk-dance company, Kindergarten where they sing you a patriotic song. You go along with it for a couple of days before you put the boot in. Insist on seeing the jails. My name's Owen by the way. I'm doing it for one of the colour mags."

Coffee and literature or art and sugar? Rival Sunday supplement writers clash under 1970s Cuban skies.

Michael Frayn's drama stars Dinsdale Landen as Owen, Morag Hood as Mara, Don Fellows as Ed, Paul Chapman as Angel and Arturo Venegas as Hilberto.
Originally transmitted as the United Kingdom contribution for the "Globe Theatre" season of six plays from around the world, broadcast simultaneously by BBC Radio 4 and BBC World Service.

Director: Matthew Walters

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1987.

"Never mind if it's not a hit every week, it's the originality that counts!"

1969 -1971: Carrying on again on the big screen, The Kenneth Williams Show for BBC TV and a theatre run with Ingrid Bergman.

The UK's much-loved comic actor and master raconteur, Kenneth Williams continues his autobiography.

Abridged in ten-parts by David H Godfrey

Producer: Pamela Howe

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 1985.

"And lo! there also appeared an enormous great basilica, 500 car parks, infinite miracle hamburger stands and souvenir shops."

If the Son of Man returned, how would Christianity celebrate? Ponderings from Leonard Rossiter.

Barry Pilton's mercurial musings. .

Producer: Louise Purslow

First broadcast on BBC Radio 3 in September 1981.

Brian Patten, one of the original Liverpool poets, explores how radical, subversive and occasionally risqué poetry - rooted in the counter-culture of the late 1960s - became available to a mass audience at the end of a phone line for the first time.

Dial-a-Poem changed the public face of poetry for generations.

Producer: Llinos Jones
A Terrier production for BBC Radio 4.

From Jimmy Durante and Jack Benny - via Beyond The Fringe - to Alan Coren, Linda Smith and Victoria Wood.

Comedy writer Denis Norden curates three hours of personally-chosen comedy listening, based on his own collection of comedy albums, and from wading through nine decades of his own accumulated radio memories.

Denis explains to Nick Baker how as a young serviceman, the humour on the American Forces Network played a huge part in widening his comedy horizons. Whether it was Bette Davis sparring with Jimmy Durante or Judy Garland joking with Bob Hope, he salutes the one-liners, irreverent put downs and insults on shows like 'Command Performance'.

Denis also recalls the first American comedy vinyl in Britain and reflects on the topical, improvisational tones of Mort Sahl's jazz-inflected comedic riffs. He and Frank Muir booked Mort on the BBC. We also hear some Shelley Berman and routines chronicling 1960s changing gender relations, with male/female duos like Mike Nichols and Elaine May.

Returning to his British comedy roots, Denis enlarges on his penchant for "acoustic humour" and his love of language-based laughter.

Plus highlights of Denis's own material - leading to a masterclass in the construction of jokes as well as a tribute to his late writing partner, Frank Muir.

Denis Norden's influence on the British comedy landscape includes not only co-creating British sitcom's first dysfunctional family, the Glums (Take it From Here) but also a period as Comedy Consultant for BBC TV, alongside Frank Muir. Later, he and Frank spent decades on BBC Radio's My Word! and My Music! Denis was also ITV's long-serving presenter of comedy cock-ups for 'It'll Be Alright on The Night'.

Made for BBC Radio 4 Extra by Test Bed Productions.

First broadcast in 2013.

Daughter Alison has moved in with her boyfriend, making it one down and three to go for mum Stella.

She and Patrick begin to seriously think about retiring and give country weekending a go. But what's going on while they're away?

Series 3 of Lucy Clare and Ian Davidson's sitcom about topsy-turvy family life.

Stars Duncan Preston as Patrick, Pippa Haywood as Stella, Claudie Blakley as Alison, Bruce MacKinnon as Rick, Catherine Shepherd as Xanthe and Daniela Denby-Ashe as Egg,

Director: Elizabeth Freestone

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 2006.

Wordaholics is Radio 4's brand new comedy panel game all about words.

Gyles Brandreth presides as linguistic brainboxes and comedians including the legendary Stephen Fry, Fresh Meat star Jack Whitehall, Radio 4 regular Milton Jones and Countdown stalwart Susie Dent vie for supremacy in the ring.

Gyles is the longest-serving wordsmith in Countdown's Dictionary Corner and the author of numerous wordplay books. But now it's time for him to encourage other people to show off their knowledge of words and playfulness with language.

Wordaholics is clever, intelligent, witty and unexpected. There are toponyms, abbreviations, euphemisms, old words, new words, cockney rhyming slang, Greek gobbledegook, plus the panellists' picks of the ugliest and the most beautiful words: the whole world of words in twenty-eight minutes.

Find out the meaning of words like giff-gaff, knock-knobbler and buckfitches - the difference between French marbles, French velvet and the French ache - hear the glorious poetry of the English language, as practiced from writers varying from William Shakespeare to Vanilla Ice - and spend half an hour laughing and learning with some of the finest Wordaholics in the business.

Writers: Jon Hunter and James Kettle
Producer: Claire Jones.

Maya Angelou's iconic debut memoir. This beautiful evocation of Angelou's life in the Deep South, begins in 1931.

As an infant Maya and her brother, Bailey are sent to live with their grandmother in Arkansas. Annie, whom they call Momma, runs the only store in the black section of Stamps and becomes the central moral figure in Maya's childhood.

Narrator ( Older Maya) ...... Adjoa Andoh
Maya ...... Indie Gjedsal
Bailey ..... Roshawn Hewitt
Momma ...... Cecilia Noble
Uncle Willie ...... Richard Pepple
Steward .... John Lightbody
Girl ..... Francesca Elise

Omnibus of five episodes dramatised by Patricia Cumper

Director: Pauline Harris

First of six volumes of autobiographies. The books that make up the life and times of Maya Angelou are some of the best, most beautiful and haunting pieces of autobiography written . They run the gamut from life affirming to tragedy and back again with a tone that is a joyous, direct and searingly honest, and are an extraordinary portrait of 20th century black America.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2018.

The actress chooses 'Father and Son' by Cat Stevens, and the final chorus of 'Dialogues of the Carmelites' by Francis Poulenc.

TV reporter Kenneth Allsop shares his passion for wildlife and conservation with Derek Jones.

The Spotted Crake and Little-Ringed Plover are among his choice of recordings from the BBC Sound Archives.

British broadcaster, Kenneth Allsop (1920 -1973) was also an author and naturalist. During the 1960s, he was regular reporter on the BBC current affairs show 'Tonight'.

Produced in Bristol by John Burton and Michael Bowen.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1971.

"I'm here to acquaint you with the details of your forthcoming Court Martial." Now fully recovered, Albert must testify in court...

A classic tale of struggle, power, personalities and tripe. Bill Tidy and John Junkin's family saga - based on Tidy's Daily Mirror cartoon strip (1971-1985) parodying John Galsworthy's 'The Forsyte Saga' novels.

Starring Stephanie Turner as Rebecca Fosdyke, Philip Lowrie as Josiah Fosdyke, David Threlfall as Tom Fosdyke, Enn Reitel as Albert Fosdyke, Christian Rodska as Roger Ditchley, Trevor Cooper as the Sergeant, David Timson as Schmidt, Larry Lamb as Colonel Boodle and David Ross as the Judge.

Other parts played by Nick Revell and Sally Grace.

Producer: Alan Nixon

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 1983.

The Withered Arm

Thomas Hardy's classic short story is a masterful drama of psychological suspense. Dramatised by Louise Doughty, it tells the highly charged tale of two women in the grip of passions beyond their control.

With Victoria Hamilton, Susan Jameson, Ewan Bailey, Nick Sayce.

Directed by Claudine Toutoungi.

A passenger on a summer voyage to New York is curious about an artist, his new wife and his luggage. Read by James Aubrey.

Master character comedian Colin Hoult returns to BBC Radio 4 for the second series of his sinister sketch show. Enter the Carnival of Monsters, a bizarre and hilarious world of sketches, stories and characters, presented by the sinister Ringmaster.

A host of characters are the exhibits at the Carnival - all played by Colin himself.

Meet such monstrous yet strangely familiar oddities as: Wannabe Hollywood screenwriter Andy Parker; Anna Mann - outrageous star of such forgotten silver screen hits such as 'Rogue Baker', 'Who's For Turkish Delight' and 'A Bowl For My Bottom'; and a host of other characters from acid jazz obsessives, to mask workshop coordinators.

Writers Guild Award-winner Colin Hoult is best known for his highly acclaimed starring roles in Paul Whitehouse's 'Nurse', 'Being Human', Rickey Gervais' 'Life's Too Short' and 'Derek', and 'Russell Howard's Good News', as well as his many hit shows at the Edinburgh Festival. He has also appeared and written for a number of Radio 4 series including 'The Headset Set' and 'Colin and Fergus' Digi-Radio'.

'Lewis Carol meets The League Of Gentlemen . A beautifully staged masterclass in character comedy' - Time Out
'Comic gold' - Metro
'Delightfully funny' - The Telegraph

Produced by Sam Bryant.

Comedian Will Smith is obsessed with 1980s detective series Bergerac, so uses an audio book of its star, John Nettles, reading the Tao, to navigate the minefield of his life with the help of a special guest.

Will explores his bad luck with romance, helped by a special guest from the world of Bergerac.

With Amelia Bullmore, John Nettles, Dan Tetsell, Olivia Poulet and Tara Blaise.

From 10pm to midnight, 7 days a week, the Comedy Club has two hours of comedy. Plus Arthur Smith chats to Rebecca Front.

British comedy legend and star of The Fast Show, Down the Line and Bellamy's People, Simon Day debut's his own Radio 4 character comedy show.

Simon Day and his characters welcome listeners to The Mallard, a small provincial theatre somewhere in the UK. Each week one of Simon's characters come to perform at The Mallard and we hear the highlights of that night's show, along with the back stage and front of house goings on at the theatre itself.

Episode 2 of 6: Tony Beckton. Reformed violent criminal Tony Beckton visits the Mallard Theatre to read from his memoirs as part of his rehabilitation.

Tony Beckton / Peter ..... Simon Day
Catherine ..... Catherine Shepherd
Goose ..... Felix Dexter
Ron Bone ..... Simon Greenall
Stacey ..... Susan Harrison

Written by Simon Day
Produced by Colin Anderson.

The sketch show which takes a look at life in Britain in the new millennium - by following the lives of some less than ordinary folk.

Meet Emily Howard - who's a lady, Marjory Dawes and her fat-fighters - and is Daffyd really the only gay in the village?

It became a TV smash hit, but Matt Lucas and David Walliams' oddball comedy premiered first - on BBC radio.

Written and performed by Matt Lucas and David Walliams. With Jean Ainslie, Tom Baker, Samantha Power and Paul Putner.

Music: David Arnold.

Producer: Ashley Blaker

First broadcast as a pilot on BBC Radio 4 in August 2000.

A 1914 silent film called Petite Mort holds the key to an infamous murder trial.

Honor Blackman, Shelley Conn, Mariah Gale and Samantha Spiro star in Beatrice Hitchman's thrilling debut, adapted by Miranda Davies

Concluding Omnibus of the last ten episodes.

1967, Paris. Journalist Juliette Blanc continues to interview Adele Roux, once a star of a famous silent film of 1914, Petite Mort.

1914, Paris. Hurt and confused by Luce's treatment of her, Adele succumbs to temptation and betrays her lover.

Madame Adele Roux .... Honor Blackman
Juliette Blanc .... Shelley Conn
Adele Roux .... Mariah Gale
Andre Durand .... Marcus D'Amico
Luce Durand ("Terpsichore") .... Samantha Spiro
Camille Roux .... Georgie Fuller
Pere Simon .... David Seddon
Mathilde .... Maria Teresa Creasey
Feuillade .... John Norton
Elodie Kernuac .... Priyanga Burford
Inspector Japy .... Michael Bertenshaw
Harbleu .... Michael Bertenshaw
Dr Langlois .... Sean Murray

Director: Emma Harding.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2013.

4 Extra Debut. A fiddle player is reluctant to play a special request at Liam and Anya's wedding party. Read by Mark Lambert.

Kerry Godliman is forced to admit all her list making might be making her seem a little old. So she tries to persuade husband Ben (Ben Abell) that they should host a wild party to try and ensure they're still young at heart.

This week's list includes a Bug Hunt, understanding what on earth iCloud is all about and having a row with Ben!

Point two on her list is buying a new washing machine - but how does she pick the best one? Kerry also needs to visit the optician, which doesn't go to plan, and she has another chat with her ever critical Guilt character.

Kerry has her regular chat with her best friend Hazel (Bridget Christie) and again is forced to understand her increasingly chaotic life.

The cast includes co-writer David Lane Pusey, Rosie Cavaliero, Lucy Briers, Nicholas Le Prevost, Dominic Frisby, Jen Brister and Melissa Bury.

Produced by Paul Russell

An Open Mike production for BBC Radio 4.

Will Ted be able to cope when things take a decidedly chilly turn?

Starring Ted Ray. With Kitty Bluett and Kenneth Connor.

Ray's A Laugh - the successor to ITMA - follows the comedy exploits of Ted's life at home with his 'radio' wife Kitty, as well as in a variety of jobs. It ran from 1949-1961.

Scripted by Bernard Botting and Charles Hart.

BBC Variety Orchestra conducted by Paul Fenoulhet.

Producer: Leslie Bridgmont

First broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in January 1959.

A heckler sparks trouble for Dick - and will Eth ever get married in 'The Glums'?

Starring Professor Jimmy Edwards, Dick Bentley, June Whitfield, Alma Cogan and Wallace Eton.

Classic comedy scripted by Frank Muir and Denis Norden.
Music from The Keynotes and the BBC Revue Orchestra with Harry Rabinowitz.
Announcer. David Dunhill
Producer: Charles Maxwell

First broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in February 1956.

An epic journey, but also an intimate one. After several years of mental illness, Guy Stagg set off one morning, from London, to walk to Canterbury. Ill-prepared and not entirely clear why he was doing this, he nevertheless got there. Exhausted, he lay beneath the Cathedral walls and then decided to continue. A few months later, on New Year's Day, 2013, he set out from Canterbury to follow the paths of the medieval pilgrims to Jerusalem.

Ten months and 5,500 kilometres later, he arrived.

This is the story of his walk. Danger and physical hardship lay in his path but he was also haunted by the memories that he sought to flee and ambushed by echoes of his breakdown.

In this Omnibus of five extracts from Guy's account, follow some of his experiences through snow and storm across the Alps, among other pilgrims in Italy, despairing and alone in Greece, and finally to the incessant rounds of competing worship in Jerusalem.

It's a journey through the pathways of faith and recovery towards healing and understanding.

Written by Guy Stagg
Read by Jonathan Bailey
Abridged by Jill Waters and Isobel Creed
Producer: Jill Waters

A Waters Company production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in five parts in 2018.

Fi Glover with two Tae Kwon Do experts - one four-times world champion - reflecting on the attitudes of the parents of the children they teach and the misconceptions about the art. Another in the series that proves it's surprising what you hear when you listen.

The Listening Project is a Radio 4 initiative that offers a snapshot of contemporary Britain in which people across the UK volunteer to have a conversation with someone close to them about a subject they've never discussed intimately before. The conversations are being gathered across the UK by teams of producers from local and national radio stations who facilitate each encounter. Every conversation - they're not BBC interviews, and that's an important difference - lasts up to an hour, and is then edited to extract the key moment of connection between the participants. Most of the unedited conversations are being archived by the British Library and used to build up a collection of voices capturing a unique portrait of the UK in the second decade of the millennium. You can learn more about The Listening Project by visiting bbc.co.uk/listeningproject

Producer: Marya Burgess.

4 Extra Debut. From Charles Trenet to Gluck, the restaurant critic Fay Maschler shares her castaway choices with Sue Lawley. From March 1999.

True stories told live in in the USA: Jenifer Hixson introduces seven stories about boundaries, curfews and first loves.

The Moth is an acclaimed not-for-profit organisation dedicated to the art and craft of storytelling based in the USA. Since 1997, it has celebrated both the raconteur and the storytelling novice, who has lived through something extraordinary and yearns to share it. Originally formed by the writer George Dawes Green as an intimate gathering of friends on a porch in Georgia (where moths would flutter in through a hole in the screen), and then recreated in a New York City living room, The Moth quickly grew to produce immensely popular events at theatres and clubs around New York City and later around the USA, the UK and other parts of the world.

The Moth has presented more than 15,000 stories, told live and without notes, to standing-room-only crowds worldwide. The Moth podcast is downloaded over 27 million times a year.

Featuring true stories told live on stage without scripts, from the humorous to the heart-breaking.

The Moth Radio Hour is produced by Jay Allison and Atlantic Public Media in Woods Hole, Massachusetts and is distributed by the Public Radio Exchange.

1958. Sylvia Blackwell arrives in the tight-knit community of East Mole to take up the post of Children's Librarian.

Salley Vickers' lyrical tribute to the power of children's literature,.

Omnibus of the first five of ten parts written and abridged by Salley Vickers

Read by Barbara Flynn

The acclaimed author of 'Miss Garnet's Angel', 'Where Three Roads Meet' and 'Dancing Backwards' casts her clear psychoanalytic gaze on small town, post-war England. Economic uncertainty and a growing dissatisfaction with old class distinctions cause friction as a recent library graduate comes to a new town determined to open the world of literature to all the local children.

Producer: Eilidh McCreadie

First broadcast in 10-parts on BBC Radio 4 in June 2018.

Stephen Fry traces the evolution of the mobile phone, from hefty executive bricks that required a separate briefcase to carry the battery to the smart little devices complete with personal assistant we have today.

There are more mobile phones in the world than there are people on the planet: Stephen Fry talks to the backroom boys who made it all possible and hears how the technology succeeded, in ways that the geeks had not necessarily intended.

In the first episode, Stephen Fry meets the men who first dreamt of creating a cellular network. Back in the sixties, two Bell Labs engineers in the US thought perhaps a maximum of 50,000 people might use a cellular phone network. Now, there are billions of phones in the world, all of them dependent on the networks based on their design. It was an enormous technical challenge that took decades to complete; but the main problems were political. Motorola, for example, argued that phone calls were a frivolous waste of radio spectrum compared to more worthy causes like television.

Producer: Anna Buckley.

The locked library of St Agatha's College in Cambridge houses an invaluable collection of 17th-century volumes. It also contains one dead student.

A tragic accident? - or is there some more mysterious and deadly circumstance surrounding the death of model student, Philip Skellow?

If anyone can find out, it's college nurse and amateur sleuth, Imogen Quy, and her policeman friend, Mike.

Jill Paton Walsh's thriller dramatised by Neville Teller.

Stars Carolyn Pickles as Imogen Quy, Richard Derrington as Mike Parsons, Jeffery Dench as Sir William, Marlene Sidaway as Lady Buckmoat, Tracey Wyles as Fran Bullion, Charles Collingwood as Mountnessing, Gillian Goodman as Mrs Skellow and Ian Brooker as Lord Goldhooper.

Directed in Birmingham by Peter Lesley Wild

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2001.

Poet Daljit Nagra revisits the BBC's radio poetry archive with 'What I Read to the Dead' with poetry by Wladislaw Szlengel.

In the last months and days of the Warsaw Ghetto, Wladislaw Szlenge's poetry was an urgent shout of defiance for himself and for those who recited his words and prepared to die.

Writer Eva Hoffman explores the extraordinary verse and his little known life. Before the war and the Nazi invasion of Poland, he'd written poetry in his native tongue and witty lyrics for popular tunes sung in the nightclubs of Warsaw. But confinement in the Warsaw Ghetto and its increasingly tragic circumstances changed Szlengel's work into urgent bulletins for both fellow Jews, trapped inside the walls of their prison city, and his former Polish neighbours.

Szlengel wrote until his last days which came with the discovery of their hiding place in April 1943.

People read aloud Szlengel's verses in their hiding places. In them they recognized not just their plight but their own humanity as family and friends continued to be deported. His poetry survived in versions committed to memory by a handful of survivors, in a small cache of poems kept safe and buried in a unique, secret archive and, decades later, in the form of a sheaf of pages found hidden inside a table marked for firewood.

"'I am looking through and sorting the poems that were written to those who are no more. Read it. This is our history. This is what I read to the dead."

Reader Elliot Levey

Producer Mark Burman

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2013.

The last remaining residents of a drought-stricken hotel receive salvation from an enigmatic source.

Strange and chilling tales from the award-winning master of thrillers Ray Bradbury, who tops and tails these radio dramatisations in his own inimitable style.

Stars Michael Mackenzie, Bob Docherty and Gwynneth Guthrie.

Dramatised by Catherine Czerkawska.

Producer: Hamish Wilson

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1997.

Kate returns to the village where she spent her childhood. There's a reservoir nearby which was formed by flooding a neighbouring village. She believes that on the anniversary of the death of that village, its church bell tolls and voices can be heard calling...

Stars Kate Lee as Kate, Christian Rodska as Mark, Jane Hazelgrove as Young Jane, Craig Masterson as Young Mark, David Fleeshman as Uncle Mike and Ann Rye as Miss Peters.

Script by Berlie Doherty.

Producer: Kay Patrick

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1982.

The writer falls in love, but his cat proves an obstacle to happy-ever-after. Stars Christopher Douglas. From February 2005.

From 10pm to midnight, 7 days a week, the Comedy Club has two hours of comedy. Plus Arthur Smith chats to Rebecca Front.

Can couples counselling calm the ultra-PC social worker's constant criticism of her boyfriend Brian? Stars Sally Phillips. From November 2005.

Peter Purves visits Sheffield singer John and gets cast in Ken's production of Peter Pan. With Milton Jones. From March 2000.

Kim Drake is retracing her dead boyfriend's journey across Europe in an attempt to discover why he apparently killed himself on their wedding day. In the tough city of Hamburg she discovers that Mike had been economical with the truth ...

Stars Siriol Jenkins as Kim Drake, Neil Roberts as Mike Fisher, Kate Binchy as Anne, Shaun Prendergast as Otto/Burns and Kenneth Cranham as Stone.

Shaun Prendergast's techno thriller in six parts.

Directed by Adrian Bean

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1992.

Matthew Bannister tells the story of how London's oldest self-governing orchestra, the LSO, made a spectacular recovery from near financial collapse in the early 1980s.

The London Symphony Orchestra was founded in 1904 by a group of rebellious musicians, as an act of defiance against their conductor Sir Henry Wood. In the words of one of its founders, it was set up as "something akin to a musical republic", run by its own musicians. And 108 years later, the orchestra has done more than just survive -it's flourishing. But the journey hasn't been without its hazards - none more perilous than the financial crisis precipitated by its move to a permanent home in the Barbican concert hall in the early 1980s.

Matthew Bannister tells the story of how the fortunes of London's oldest self-governing orchestra were turned around by one of its own players, the cellist Sir Clive Gillinson. He took the job of Chairman of the Board reluctantly at first - and then pursued his aim to balance the books with increasing determination because, he says, if you believe passionately that something has to exist then other people will believe you too.

We hear from one of the LSO's most famous former principal conductors, André Previn, about his love affair with the orchestra. And its current principal conductor, Valery Gergiev, the Managing Director and musicians tell us what makes the orchestra successful in a very competitive environment - and whether anything remains of the rebellious spirit that brought it in to existence.

Producer: Philippa Goodrich
A White Pebble production for BBC Radio 4.

Roy Hitchcock is a hack journalist on a provincial paper with big ideas and an attitude problem.

When he meets his former English teacher, his private fantasies get a new lease of life as he sets out to win her against all the odds.

Tony Bagley's romantic comedy drama serial with a twist.

Starring Zoe Wanamaker as Miss Callaghan, Martin Clunes as Roy Hitchcock, Toyah Wilcox as Elsa, David Troughton as Mr Say, Keith Drinkel as Joyce, David Holt as Yeats, Melanie Hudson as Sheila and Geoff McGivern as Dick.

Producer: Paul Schlesinger:

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 1993.

It's the final episode of Series 81 featuring Paul Merton, Marcus Brigstocke, Rebecca Front and Gyles Brandreth.

As ever, the panel are tasked with talking on a given subject for sixty seconds without repetition, hesitation or deviation. This week Paul bravely wrestles with a wheelbarrow while Rebecca searches for Romeo and everyone else has a go at talking absolute Cobblers.

Hayley Sterling blows the whistle and the producer is Richard Morris.

Just A Minute is a BBC Studios production.

On his return from a disastrous break, the lad discovers that Sid's rented his house out.

Starring Tony Hancock, Sidney James, Bill Kerr and Kenneth Williams.

Written by Ray Galton and Alan Simpson.

Theme and incidental music composed by Wally Stott. Recorded by the BBC Revue Orchestra conducted by Harry Rabinowitz.

Producer: Dennis Main Wilson

First broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in October 1956.

Shady lawyer Waldorf T Flywheel takes on an amusement arcade.

Recreation of the Marx Brothers' lost shows charting the adventures of shady lawyer Waldorf T Flywheel and his assistant, Emmanuel Ravelli. Originally broadcast with sponsors on America's NBC radio network in the 1930s. The scripts were rediscovered in 1988.

Starring Michael Roberts as Groucho Marx as Waldorf T Flywheel and Frank Lazarus as Chico Marx as Emmanuel Ravelli. With Lorelei King, Graham Hoadly and Vincent Marzello.

Written by Nat Perrin and Athur Sheekman. Adapted by Mark Brisenden.
Music arranged and conducted by David Firman.
Producer: Dirk Maggs
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 1992.

The quotations quiz hosted by Nigel Rees.

As ever, a host of interesting celebrities will be joining Nigel as he quizzes them on the sources of a range of quotations and asks them for the amusing sayings or citations that they have personally collected on a variety of subjects. We discover who the most quotable people they have ever met are and we're treated to their favourite four line humorous poems.

This week Nigel is joined by Woman's Hour's Jenni Murray, News presenter Matt Barbet, Children's Playwright David Wood and Journalist and writer Katharine Whitehorn.

Reader ..... Peter Jefferson.
Produced by Carl Cooper.

A duelling count and a quack apothecary - only Beau Nash can give a looming tragedy a happy ending.

Arnold Evans' six-part comedy series.

Starring David Bamber as Beau Nash, Eiry Thomas as Annie, Andrew Wincott as nt von Richthofen, Simon Ludders as Mr Trout, Richard Nichols as Fintan Fitzgerald and Lesley Rooney as Poppy.

Composer: John Hardy.

Directed at BBC Wales by Alison Hindell

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 1999.

The detective battles to solve the case with the aid of a single dumb-bell and Dr Watson's umbrella...

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes story was first published in 1915.

Starring Clive Merrison as Sherlock Holmes, Michael Williams as Dr John Watson, Iain Glen as John McMurdo, Mark Bonner as Inspector Alec MacDonald, Timothy Bateson as White Mason, Constantine Gregory as Jack McGinty, Amanda Gordon as Ettie Shafter, Stephen Critchlow as Ted Baldwin, Becky Hindley as Ivy Douglas, Gavin Muir as Cecil Barker and Ronald Pickup as the Narrator

Dramatised in two episodes by Bert Coules.

Pianist: Michael Hasiam
Violinist: Abigail Young.

Director: Enyd Williams.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1997.

Emily and Edmund know more about each other than anyone in the world.

But after writing to each other for ten years, they face the crisis of their first face-to-face meeting...

Read by Joanna David.

Elizabeth Taylor's collection of short stories abridged by Richard Hamilton

Producer: Emma Harding

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2003.

A year after her mother's death, 14 year old Sharmila prefers to escape into a world of Hindu myths and legends - rather than confront her guilt and pain...

Tanika Gupta's family drama stars Parminder K Nagra as Sharmila, Souad Faress as Madhu, Lyndam Gregory as Ranjeet, Amanda Gordon as Danny and Akbar Kurtha as Sunil.

Producer: Pam Fraser Solomon

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1998.

1630s Amsterdam: Artist Jan Van Loos falls for his married subject...

Deborah Moggach's bestselling story of passion set during 17th century Holland's tulipomania.

Read by Emma Fielding and William Gaminara.

First published in 1999. Abridged in ten parts by Elizabeth Bradbury.

Producer: Sarah Johnson

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1999.

As Clare Balding continues to explore the unique relationship Britain has had with sport, in today's programme she tells a tale of lies, witch hunts, bigotry and the north/south divide.This isn't the story of a battle-torn country, but of a civil-war within a sport with rugby becoming a symbol of class division and splitting in two.
From the home of The Wigan Wanderers, Professor Tony Collins of The International Centre for Sports History and Culture at De Montfort University explains the birth of Ruby League.
It happened in the late 19th century, a clash between those who could afford to be gentlemen amateurs and those who couldn't. This story goes to the heart of how important class was and is in Britain, it illustrates that sport is just as capable of dividing people as uniting them.
It also shows that sport isn't just a leisure activity - it's about who you play with and how you play.
Readers, Brian Bowles, Stuart McLoughlin and Sean Baker
Producer : Sara Conkey.

First part of Zosia Wand's five part psychological thriller.

Clare returns to her childhood home in Ulverston nineteen years after a tragedy took place, expecting to put the past behind her, but she is shocked to discover the treehouse where it all happened is still there.

Directed by Nadia Molinari.

Home to potato crisps and the machine gun - humourist, writer and broadcaster Alan Coren muses on his beloved part of London.

Abridged in five-parts, Alan Coren (1938-2007) reads from his book A Bit on the Side first published in 1996.

The son of a builder, Coren won a scholarship to Oxford, and also studied at Yale and the University of California. He planned to become a professor, but his experiences in the USA prompted him to take up comic writing. He was editor of 'Punch' magazine from 1978-1987.

Alan was also a regular panellist on BBC radio 4's The News Quiz and a team captain on BBC TV's Call My Bluff.

Producer: Aled Evans

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1999.

A young man, Carl, is beaten up on a train late one night. As he falls into a coma, we travel with him on his journey through the bizarre world of his subconscious as he struggles to wake up.

Tom Goodman-Hill reads Alex Garland's surreal fantasy exploring the lucid, but powerless workings of the mind of a coma patient. This surreal fantasy play tricks on both the story's protagonist and the listener.

Alex Garland is the bestselling author of cult classic, The Beach. He also wrote the screenplay for the zombie hit, 28 Days Later, plus Sunshine, Never Let Me Go and Dredd.

Producer: Gemma Jenkins

Made for BBC 7 and first broadcast in 2004.

Martha Kearney and her guests - novelist, Justin Cartwright and historian, Juliet Barker - discuss favourite books by WG Sebald, TH White and Malcolm Lowry. From 2006.

Under the Volcano by Malcolm Lowry
Publisher: Penguin

The Sword in the Stone by TH White
Publisher: Collins

Austerlitz by WG Sebald, trans. Anthea Bell
Publisher: Penguin.

Arthur's new love Fenchurch - that is her name, for she was conceived in a ticket queue at that eponymous railway station - is troubled by an experience she had once in a cafe in Rickmansworth, which made her think the Earth was being ripped apart. This event is dismissed by the majority of people on the mysteriously re-appeared Earth as a mass hallucination, but to Arthur Dent it sounds suspiciously like the day the Vogon Constructor Fleet blew up his home planet and exiled him to bootless wandering about the Galaxy.

Meanwhile Prostetnic Vogon Jeltz has been called to account for the fact that the Earth he destroyed is still serenely sitting in that quadrant of the galaxy called ZZ9 Plural Z Alpha. Being a planet in a Plural Zone, the Earth actually exists on several levels of Probability, and thus when one Earth is destroyed, chances are pretty good that another will just pop into existence in its place. The Court of Enquiry on Megabrantis is a dangerous place to develop a tickly cough but it is agreed that a new method of destroying ALL the Potential Earths must be found if the paperwork is to be kept in order. This, however, may have to be undertaken in a less overt, more sneaky manner than before.

After a short romantic interlude, which includes the revelation that Fenchurch's feet do not touch the ground and that she shares Arthur's handy knack of flying, the disappearance of all the dolphins shortly before her nervous breakdown suggests to Fenchurch that a Californian scientist and dolphin expert named Wonko The Sane may be able to advise them on what may have occurred. Using contacts like the friendly if decidedly odd journalist Murray Bost Henson to find Wonko's whereabouts, they travel to the USA and meet him in a curious inside-out house on the shores of the Pacific Ocean called The Outside of The Asylum. It is here that Wonko reveals that the grey glass bowls, both inscribed 'So Long And thanks For All The Fish', are in fact vessels bearing the farewell messages of the dolphins.

This mystery solved, Fenchurch has decided she would like to leave the planet.

On the 50th anniversary of Tony Hancock's death, Paul Merton talks to Paul Garner about the late comedian's influence.

The lad announces that he's rejecting society to go and live a truly rural life.

Starring Tony Hancock, Sidney James, Bill Kerr, Kenneth Williams and Hattie Jacques.

Written by Ray Galton and Alan Simpson.

Theme and incidental music composed by Wally Stott. Recorded by the BBC Revue Orchestra conducted by Harry Rabinowitz.

Producer: Dennis Main Wilson

First broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in January 1957.

On the 50th anniversary of Tony Hancock's death, Paul Merton talks to Paul Garner about the late comedian's influence.

Sid persuades the lad to be a director of his guided tours company, but there's a snag!

Starring Tony Hancock. With Sidney James, Bill Kerr, Warren Mitchell, Mavis Villers and Errol McKinnon.

Written by Ray Galton and Alan Simpson.

Theme and incidental music written by Wally Stott.

Producer: Tom Ronald

First broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in November 1959.

Ex-Stasi Agent, Otto, has sent Kim to Copenhagen in search of clues to solve her fiance's death. Will the mysterious Victor solve the riddle, and why does Charles always turn up like a bad penny?

Shaun Prendergast's techo thriller in six-parts stars Siriol Jenkins as Kim Drake, Neil Roberts as Mike Fisher, Kate Binchy as Anne, Shaun Prendergast as Frank and Kenneth as Stone.

Directed by Adrian Bean

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1992.

With the help of writers, historians, musicologists, film buffs and Alan Bennett, Ian Hislop sets out to analyse six images of Henry VIII which turn out to be rather better portraits of the periods in which they were created than they are historical insights into the King himself. However, given that his most famous portrait, by Hans Holbein, is itself an artfully drawn propaganda tool we shouldn't be all that surprised.

Henry has always been associated with numeric scale. The eighth Henry with six wives; nothing associated with him comes in ones and twos. And so it is with the images of our glowering, beefy, puffy-cheeked monarch. The range is enormous, from Hans Holbein's splay-footed heavyweight to the surly athleticism of Jonathan Rhys Meyers in BBC One's The Tudors.

Shakespeare produced an understandably careful dramatic portrait, but the Director Alexander Korda used his 1930's film The Private Life of Henry VIII to show us Charles Laughton as the consummate spoilt brat, a glutton with the heart of a valiant schoolboy and the stomach of several kings. This was the first time we saw a Henry who chucked chicken bones over his shoulder, slapped his thigh and laughed loudly, sure in the knowledge that the world would laugh with him.

And then there are the Operatic versions supplied in the 19th century by Saint Saens and Donnizetti respectively. Here Henry is more monster than man alongside the sad heroines Katherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn. They were, of course, coming from a rather more Catholic perspective. Meanwhile in Restoration History books he's a seventeenth century Hercules.

So who gets closest to the real King?

Ian Hislop enjoys nothing better than debunking myth, and there's plenty of myth that has accrued around Henry, or as the music-hall song had him 'our 'Enery'. But there's quite a lot of truth as well, not about the King but about the ages in which he was re-created. It seems that he and his doings are a perennial story for 'our' times, whenever those times might be.

But if the various images of Henry only serve to enlighten us about other periods long after the Tudors should we resort to the simple shock tactics of Alan Bennett's savvy teacher in The History Boys and say 'for Henry VIII think Stalin?' Who better to answer that than Alan Bennett himself who joins Ian to create a sixth and, for our age, a final image of Henry VIII.

Producer: Tom Alban.

Still finding their feet, Bill and Faith end up bickering, as she struggles to act impulsively...

Sitcom about the battles of divorcees Bill MacGregor and Faith Greyshott trying to forge a relationship whilst balancing the demands of his ex-wife, Liza and her teenage children, Hannah and Joe.

Stars Lynda Bellingham as Faith, James Bolam as Bill, Kelda Holmes as Hannah, Mark Denham as Joe, Celia Imrie as Hilary, John Samson as Alex and Richard Tate as Treadwell.

Series one of four inspired by the real lives of its writers, husband and wife Jan Etherington and Gavin Petrie.

A TV version made by LWT for ITV appeared in 1991 and ran for four series, with a spin-off 'Faith in the Future'.

Producer: Pete Atkin

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 1988.

John Finnemore reads from his hilarious diary, which tells of his six months teaching English to school children in Poland.

Presenter: Rufus Hound
Producer: Harriet Jaine

A Talkback production for BBC Radio 4.

Jean replaces Lionel's secretary, but Mrs Flack is more than they bargain for.

Starring Judi Dench as Jean and Geoffrey Palmer as Lionel. With Moira Brooker as Judith, Philip Bretherton as Alistair and Vivienne Martin as Mrs Flack.

A six-part adaptation by Bob Larbey of series three of his popular BBC TV sitcom. Two former lovers Jean and Lionel have been reunited unexpectedly after losing contact for 38 years.

After falling in love in the early 1950s, army officer Lionel was sent to Korea, but they lost touch after a letter he sent to her never arrived. Both assumed the other had lost interest, but their paths have crossed again on his return to England.

Producer: Martin Fisher

First broadcast on BBC Radio 2 in February 1999.

When the bungling bureaucrats tackle London's parks, they soon get in a flap.

Stars Richard Murdoch and Deryck Guyler.

With Norma Ronald, Ronald Baddiley and John Graham.

Written by Edward Taylor and John Graham.

'The Men from the Ministry' ran for 14 series between 1962 and 1977. Deryck Guyler replaced Wilfrid Hyde-White from 1966. Sadly many episodes didn't survive in the archive, however the BBC's Transcription Service re-recorded 14 shows in 1980 - never broadcast in the UK, until the arrival of BBC Radio 4 Extra.

Producer: Edward Taylor

First broadcast on the BBC Radio 4 in July 1976.

The topical satirical show that mixes political vituperation with media mauling and celebrity savaging.

The series is written by Private Eye writers Tom Jamieson and Nev Fountain, together with Tom Coles, Ed Amsden, Sarah Campbell, Laurence Howarth, James Bugg, Laura Major, Max Davis and others.

The series stars Jon Culshaw, Jan Ravens, Lewis MacLeod, Debra Stephenson and Duncan Wisbey.

A BBC Studios Production.

Theodore Belvawney's education is worth any sacrifice by his parents - who are petty crooks

But his chosen career is cut abruptly short by a series of incidents even they could not have envisaged.

The first series of short stories by WS Gilbert dramatised by Stephen Wyatt.

Starring Jonathan Coy as WS Gilbert, Michael Onslow as Theodore Belvawney, John Webb as Septimus Belvawney, Anny Tobin as Lucretia Belvawney, Stephen Boswell as John Davis, Kim Durham as Stoneleigh and Alexandra Lilley as Belinda Stoneleigh.

Playwright and humourist, Sir William Schwenck Gilbert (1836-1911) is best known for his comic opera collaborations with Sir Arthur Sullivan, which first captivated audiences across the English-speaking world in the late 19th century.

Director: Sue Wilson

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2003.

By John Steinbeck
Dramatised by Donna Franceschild

A Pulitzer Prize winning novel about economic migration and the endurance of the human spirit.

Set against the backdrop of America's Great Depression and Dust Bowl, a family of farmers from Oklahoma head west in search of work, only to discover thousands like them are also on the move.

Stars Robert Sheehan as Tom, Zubin Varla as Preacher Casy, Michelle Fairley as Ma and Steven McNicol as Pa

Michelle Fairley won Best Actress for her performance at the BBC Audio Drama Awards 2013.

Director: Kirsty Williams.

Elderly blind man Harry finds a modicum of independence, but a trip to the fair gives pause for thought.

Read by David Troughton.

Elizabeth Taylor's collection of short stories abridged by Richard Hamilton

Producer: Emma Harding

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2003.

By Paul Jenkins

A satirical drama about greed and the beautiful game.

Footballer Damon Bowen always dreamed of winning the Champions League, but facing the prospect of ending his career at lowly Newport City, things haven't turned out quite how he hoped. Newport are on the verge of financial ruin and any prospect of promotion into the Premiership seems implausible. But Damon's Manager, Harry Hughes, has a plan to change all that.

As football becomes increasingly dominated by record transfer fees and oligarch owners, Red Star Newport imagines what it would mean to set up the first co-operative football club. Initially fuelled by solidarity and a new sense of team spirit, Newport go from strength to strength. But before long the dream sours as it's decided that some players are more equal than others.

Directed by James Robinson
A BBC Cymru Wales Production.

As tulipomania grips Amsterdam, Sophia's attraction to Jan increases. Read by Emma Fielding and William Gaminara.

Clare Balding continues to explore the history of sport in Britain and in today's programme visits one of the oldest tennis clubs in the country in Leamington Spa. In Victorian Britain, lawn tennis took off thanks to the growing numbers of a whole new strata of society - the middle class. Living in suburbia with clean air, space and leisure time, tennis and golf became increasingly popular pastimes. There were 250 clubs in the Lawn Tennis Association by 1900 rising to 3000 by the 1930's and 5000 by the 50's. The middle class had grasped hold of a sport that seemed perfectly designed for polite society. It didn't involve getting dirty or even particularly sweaty and the same could be said for golf. Clare also visits Kenilworth Golf Club where Professor Richard Holt of the International Centre for Sports History and Culture at De Montfort University explains that these clubs were as much about social division as they were about inclusion.
Readers, Nyasha Hatendi and Sean Baker
Producer: Sara Conkey.

Second part of Zosia Wand's pyschological thriller set in Ulverston.

Clare finds that her angry words, impulsively scrawled on the woodland treehouse where her brother Mark fell to his death nineteen years, before impact on each of his friends but not in the way she expected.

Directed by Nadia Molinari.

The humorist, writer and broadcaster muses on his beloved London district's goldfish, geese and foxes.

John Lloyd invites guests David Eagleman, Neil Gaiman and Sarah Millican to add to the collection. From June 2010.

"You miss one target, you hit another!" School assessments and a jumble sale are looming.

Created by Jim Eldridge, ten series of this comedy about a junior school ran between 1985 and 1998. King Street Junior Revisited ran from 2002 to 2005.

Written by Paul Copley.

Stars Karl Howman as Mr Sims, James Grout as the Headmaster, Marlene Sidaway as Miss Lewis, Margaret John as Mrs Stone, Paul Copley as Mr Long, Deirdre Costello as Mrs Patterson, Vivienne Martin as Mrs Rudd, Tom Watson as Mr Holliday, Jacqueline Beatty as Miss Reed, Jodie Beth Meyer as Anita, Jamie Hall as Sean and Matt Sergeant as Alan.

Producer: John Fawcett Wilson

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 1998.

Carl fears the attack has caused brain damage, as he keeps having blackouts. Tom Goodman-Hill reads Alex Garland's novel.

Once acclaimed as one of the UK's most luxurious venues, Geoffrey Wheeler explores its colourful history. With Bruce Forsyth.

Lach was the King of Manhattan's East Village and host of the longest running open mic night in New York. He now lives in Scotland and finds himself back at square one, playing in a dive bar on the wrong side of Edinburgh.

His famous night, held in various venues around New York, was called the Antihoot. Never quite fitting in and lost somewhere lonely between folk and punk music, Lach started the Antifolk movement. He played host to Suzanne Vega, Jeff Buckley and many others. He discovered and nurtured lots of talent including Beck, Regina Spektor and the Moldy Peaches - but nobody discovered him.

In this episode, entranced by the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Lach harvests his extraworldy experiences and starts a new adventure into an unexplored world - comedy.

Produced by Richard Melvin
A Dabster production for BBC Radio.

The Celebrity Voicemail Show is an entirely fictitious comedy show written, improvised and starring only Kayvan Novak in which he imagines what it might be like to hear the answerphone messages of the rich and famous.

This week we listen in to the voicemail of 'Sherlock' star Benedict Cumberbatch.

As they continue their search for the Sword of Asnagar, the noble Questers find themselves coming to the rescue of King Baldwin the Jovial whose mead hall is being terrorised by a terrible creature called "The Grundle". But when Amis, the Chosen One, starts to question whether he is actually all that special after all, the Questers hatch a plan to kill the beast and restore Amis' self-worth.

Meanwhile, time is running out for Lord Darkness. Kreech tells he must find a girlfriend to keep him young, or he'll find his incorporeal essence once more slowly shrivelling and turning to dust. So Darkness starts off on the dating game. Trouble is, it's been a bit of time since he last met a girl, let alone chatted one up...

Starring:
Darren Boyd as Vidar
Kevin Eldon as Dean/Kreech
Dave Lamb as Amis aka The Chosen One
Alistair McGowan as Lord Darkness
Stephen Mangan as Sam
Daniel Rigby as King Baldwin The Jovial
and
Sophie Winkleman as Penthiselea

Written by Anil Gupta and Richard Pinto

Producer: Sam Michell.

A veritable fascinating feast from the nostalgic spoof of boys' adventure story papers. With Peter Baynham. From September 1991.

Following the unsuccessful attempt on Kim's life at Elsinor by Miss Gee, Kim turns to Todd for help. In Paris, Kim and Charles meet Seeta, a fugitive with a dreadful secret.

Shaun Prendergast's techo thriller in six-parts stars Siriol Jenkins as Kim Drake, Neil Roberts as Mike Fisher, Kate Binchy as Anne, Shaun Prendergast as Frank and Kenneth as Stone.

Shaun Prendergast's techo thriller in six parts.

Directed by Adrian Bean

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1992.

John Wilson explores the reasons why some artists use rubbish in their work.

Picasso, Dali, Georges Braque and Joan Miro all used discarded objects in their art, and in the last few decades there has been an explosion of artists using 'found objects' in their work to communicate many different messages about waste, consumerism and the dispensability of modern life.

Some artists are campaigners and artists in equal measure. John meets Fran Crowe, who creates installations and engages in performance art with the rubbish she finds on the beaches near her Suffolk home. He also talks to Sir Peter Blake, who celebrates litter and tries to create something of aesthetic value from it, and sculptor Gavin Turk, who looks for the beauty in objects that have been thrown away.

Stella's luck goes from bad to worse. Not only has daughter Alison moved back in, but granny's come to stay indefinitely!

Where will everyone sleep?

Series 3 of Lucy Clare and Ian Davidson's sitcom about topsy-turvy family life.

Stars Duncan Preston as Patrick, Pippa Haywood as Stella, Claudie Blakley as Alison, Bruce MacKinnon as Rick, Catherine Shepherd as Xanthe, Daniela Denby-Ashe as Egg and Rita Davies as Mother.

Director: Elizabeth Freestone

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 2006.

The hit series returns for a sixth series with more shop based shenanigans and over the counter philosophy, courtesy of Ramesh Mahju and his trusty sidekick Dave. Written by and starring Donald Mcleary and Sanjeev Kohli.

Set in a Scots-Asian corner shop, the award winning Fags, Mags & Bags sees a return of all the shop regular characters, and some guest appearances along the way, from the likes of Julia Deakin and Mina Anwar.

In this episode, the Wall of Crisps is rocked by a political scandal as the placement of bags in the wall of a new range of Scottish political crisps is hotly debated - namely the Prawn Sturgeons, Easy Cheesy Davidsons, Chicken and Chorizo Dugdales, Goats Cheese and Heritage Tomato Harvies, and Fiery Hot Chipotle Rennies.

Join the staff of Fags, Mags and Bags in their tireless quest to bring nice-price custard creams and cans of coke with Arabic writing on them to an ungrateful nation. Ramesh Mahju has built it up over the course of over 30 years and is a firmly entrenched, friendly presence in the local area. He is joined by his shop sidekick, Dave.

Then of course there are Ramesh's sons Sanjay and Alok, both surly and not particularly keen on the old school approach to shopkeeping, but natural successors to the business. Ramesh is keen to pass all his worldly wisdom onto them - whether they like it or not!

Written by Donald Mcleary and Sanjeev Kohli

Producer: Gus Beattie
A Comedy Unit production for BBC Radio 4.

Hard up Able Seaman 'Taffy' finds himself mistakenly promoted aboard HMS Troutbridge.

Stars Jon Pertwee as the Chief Petty Officer, Leslie Phillips as the Sub-Lieutenant, Stephen Murray as the Number One, Ronnie Barker as Able Seaman 'Fatso' Johnson, Richard Caldicote as Captain Povey, Teniel Evans as LS Goldstein and Heather Chasen as WREN Chasen.

Laughs afloat aboard British Royal Navy frigate HMS Troutbridge. The Navy Lark ran for an impressive thirteen series between 1959 and 1976.

Scripted by Lawrie Wyman

Producer: Alastair Scott Johnston.

First broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in February 1961.

Suspense in Kenneth Horne's 'The Portrait of Florian Thrust', plus a bout of bona wrestling for Julian and Sandy.

With Kenneth Williams, Hugh Paddick, Betty Marsden and Bill Pertwee.

Recorded at the BBC's Paris Studio in Lower Regent Street, London. Announcer: Douglas Smith

Round The Horne was born out of the demise of BBC radio comedy Beyond Our Ken, after the end of writer Eric Merriman's involvement. Using the same cast and producer, Barry Took and Marty Feldman were persuaded to write the scripts - which led to four series that ran between 1965 and 1968 - packed full of parodies, recurring characters, catchphrases and double-entendres.

Music by Edwin Braden and the Hornblowers and The Fraser Hayes Four.

Producer: John Simmonds
First broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in May 1966.

Wordaholics is Radio 4's brand new comedy panel game all about words.

Gyles Brandreth presides as linguistic brainboxes and comedians including the legendary Stephen Fry, Fresh Meat star Jack Whitehall, Radio 4 regular Milton Jones and Countdown stalwart Susie Dent vie for supremacy in the ring.

This week linguistic brainbox Natalie Haynes and poet Michael Rosen vie for wordy supremacy with comedians Arthur Smith and Paul Sinha.

Gyles is the longest-serving wordsmith in Countdown's Dictionary Corner and the author of numerous wordplay books. But now it's time for him to encourage other people to show off their knowledge of words and playfulness with language.

Wordaholics is clever, intelligent, witty and unexpected. There are toponyms, abbreviations, euphemisms, old words, new words, cockney rhyming slang, Greek gobbledegook, plus the panellists' picks of the ugliest and the most beautiful words: the whole world of words in twenty-eight minutes.

Find out the meaning of words like giff-gaff, knock-knobbler and buckfitches - the difference between French marbles, French velvet and the French ache - hear the glorious poetry of the English language, as practiced from writers varying from William Shakespeare to Vanilla Ice - and spend half an hour laughing and learning with some of the finest Wordaholics in the business.

Writers: Jon Hunter and James Kettle
Producer: Claire Jones.

Sofa-bound TV presenters Mike and Sue turn their attention to 'ageing' and 'alcohol'.

Starring Robert Duncan and Jan Ravens.

With Roger Blake, Alistair McGowan and Ronnie Ancona.

Written by George Jeffrie and Bert Tyler-Moore from a format by Bill Dare.

Music by Mark Burton.

Producer: Aled Evans

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 1999.

By John Steinbeck
Dramatised by Donna Franceschild

A Pulitzer Prize winning novel about economic migration and the endurance of the human spirit set against the backdrop of America's Great Depression and Dust Bowl.

The Joads have travelled from Oklahoma to California in search of work, only to discover thousands like them have also been on the move. Following a violent altercation with some locals, they head back on the road with their dream of a promised land temporarily in tatters.

Director: Kirsty Williams.

A publican's wife tries to improve her reputation through acts of charity.

Read by Joanna David.

Elizabeth Taylor's collection of short stories abridged by Richard Hamilton

Producer: Emma Harding

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2003.

1933: 18-year-old Thomas Patterson is lying still in Salford Royal Hospital with his eyes bandaged.

Visits from his girlfriend Connie and his mother and father underline both his need for freedom and what he needs to escape from.

David Constantine's love story stars Paul Popplewell as Thomas, Stephen Bent as John, Becky Hindley as Mother and Carla Henry as Connie.

Producer: David Hunter

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2003.

Jan and Sophia's attraction to each other is overwhelming, but can it stay secret? Read by Emma Fielding and William Gaminara.

Clare Balding looks at the relationship between boxing and Britain's ethnic minorities.Through the centuries, immigrants have had to literally fight for recognition in Britain and that means with their fists.
As Clare continues to explore how sport made Britain and Britain made sport, she visits the Lynn Boxing Club in South London.Founded in 1892, it's the oldest continuing amateur boxing club in the country. It was around the time that bare knuckle boxing was starting to decline and amateur boxing, with gloves, took over. As Professor Tony Collins from the International Centre for Sports History and Culture at De Montfort University explains, the history of Boxing is intertwined with the history of black immigrants and the struggle of Jewish sportsmen to find acceptance.
Readers, Brian Bowles and Stuart McLoughlin
Producer: Garth Brameld.

Producer Lucy Lunt,Sara Conkey,Garth Brameld.

The tension mounts in the third part of Zosia Wand's pyschological thriller when the friends receive an anonymous summons to the treehouse. Who wants them back at the treehouse and why?

Directed by Nadia Molinari.

The humorist, writer and broadcaster muses on travelling, and considers acting lessons for posing in holiday snaps.

As Carl gets used to his coma world, he looks for triggers to wake him up. Tom Goodman-Hill reads Alex Garland's novel.

Writer and theatre director, Sir Jonathan Miller talks to Jeremy Nicholas about those moments in music which send a shiver down his spine.

Recalling his life and career - Jonathan's selection ranges from Tchaikovsky to the gripping theme from Dick Barton - Special Agent.

Producer: Andrew Mussett

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1992.

Bishop Rowan Williams gets in deep water after deciding to celebrate Boxing Day with a game of knock down ginger, William Hague finds himself stranded in a snow drift with only some Belgian truffles for food, and John Lydon ends up killing sir Anthony Hopkins. It can only be the weird goings on in the show that imagines the private lives of public people: A Boxing Day edition of The Secret World.

With Margaret Cabourn-Smith, Jon Culshaw, Julian Dutton, Lewis Macleod, Jess Robinson and Duncan Wisbey. Produced by Bill Dare.

Feeling inferior to stylish women, Fay gets lost in a Dirty Dancing fantasy at work. Stars Daisy Haggard. From May 2007.

The Scotsmen dig a suspicious hole for a coffin-shaped wardrobe. Stars Barry Cryer and Graeme Garden. From February 2004.

The 15th century family has land struggles, leaving them living in an overcrowded castle. Improvised saga with Paul Merton. From July 1994.

Acting on information from Seeta, Kim and DS Love follow the trail towards "Bird in Hand". But what secrets will their digging unearth?

Shaun Prendergast's techo thriller in six-parts stars Siriol Jenkins as Kim Drake, Jack Klaff as Todd, Kenneth Cranham as Stone, Okon Jones as Charles and Jonathan Tafler as DS Love.

Directed by Adrian Bean

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1992.

Comedian and writer Dave Cohen seeks help from experts in trying to achieve a 'work-life balance'. He hardly sees his family - during any 'downtime' he is actually looking for more work. Years of freelancing and the current economic climate make it hard to say no to any offer.

Geoff's decision to finally rebel against his domineering Dad doesn't go quite as he'd have liked.

Britain's longest serving PCSO is paired with the laziest in Dave Lamb's sitcom. (Dave is the voice of TV's Come Dine With Me)

Starring Richie Webb (Horrible Histories), Nick Walker and Noddy Holder (from Slade)

Geoff............................Richie Webb
Nigel............................ Nick Walker
The Guv....................... Sinead Keenan
Jermain.........................Leon Herbert
Bernie...........................Chris Emmett
Geoff's Dad.................. Noddy Holder

Producer: Steve Doherty

A Top Dog production for BBC Radio 4.

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 a selection of celebrity guests who help him navigate his way through the annals of time, picking out and chewing over the funniest, oddest, and most interesting moments in history.

The guests are Holly Walsh and Richard Herring, who discuss Burke and Hare, Mussolini, Catherine Parr and the jokes of yesteryear.

Produced by Mark Augustyn and Justin Pollard
An Avalon production for BBC Radio 4.

The showbusiness survivor shares a touching tale of unexpected romance. Written and read by Peter Jones. From September 1993.

With Britain's boots exploding, Neddie Seagoon tackles a national 'scradje' shortage. Stars Spike Milligan. From March 1956.

Peter Jones hosts the entertainment quiz about comedy as he tests a panel of experts: : Leslie Phillips, Ben Travers and Ray Cooney.

Funny You Should Ask ran for 8 series from 1976 to 1982.

Questions compiled by Michael Pointon.

Producer: Paul Mayhew-Archer.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 2 in March 1981.

Forced into a meeting he's been trying to avoid at the cottage, Bertie Wooster gets a warning.

PG Wodehouse romp adapted in seven-parts by Chris Miller.

Starring Michael Hordern as Jeeves, Richard Briers as Bertie Wooster, Michael Kilgarriff as Stilton Cheesewright, Jonathan Cecil as Boko Fittleworth and Denise Bryer as Edwin the Boy Scout.

Producer: Simon Brett

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1978.

By John Steinbeck
Dramatised by Donna Franceschild

A Pulitzer Prize winning novel about economic migration and the endurance of the human spirit set against the backdrop of America's Great Depression and Dust Bowl.

Just as the Joads money and food run out, they find work on a peach farm. But Tom discovers they're breaking a strike led by their old friend Casy the Preacher. Tom and Casy are ambushed by a Deputy Sheriff and a mob of vigilantes and Casy is killed. In his fury, Tom hits back before running for his life.

The Joad family's dream of a promised land is about to end.

Director: Kirsty Williams.

A waiter finds his 'marriage' of convenience breeds its own dangerous fiction when a secret emerges.

Read by David Troughton.

Elizabeth Taylor's collection of short stories abridged by Richard Hamilton

Producer: Emma Harding

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2003.

James Fleet and Emma Fielding star in Nick Warburton's two-hander play about love and loss. A woman walks once a year along the Thames, from Kew to Tower Bridge. Why?

Directed by Peter Kavanagh.

Sophia must act quickly to stop her affair being revealed to her husband. Read by Emma Fielding and William Gaminara.

Clare Balding discovers how working women finally got their sporting chance, through the leisure activities offered by many major employers, at the turn of the twentieth century.The number of female workers in factories, large retailers and service industries was growing hugely and the employers decided to provide them with sports facilities and equipment. Clare visits Bournville, home of Cadbury's, who, like the Lyons company, famous for their tea shops, or Boots in Nottingham, gave access to all their employees to tennis courts, hockey fields, football pitches, lacrosse fields and athletics equipment. She talks to Fiona Skillen from the University of Central Lancashire about the women's football teams of that period, like the Dick Kerr Ladies, that had the power to attract crowds of over twenty thousand spectators but were later banned by the Football Association.
Readers, Jane Lawrence and Sean Baker
Producer: Lucy Lunt.

Zosia Wand's psychological thriller about how the death of a young man nineteen years before continues to haunt a group of friends.

The friends finally begin to talk and remember, but why does this make Guy so anxious?

Directed by Nadia Molinari.

The humorist, writer and self-proclaimed Royalist muses on a menu of exotic and prehistoric dishes.

Panic kicks in as Carl's dream-world dissolves into a void. Will he ever wake up? Tom Goodman-Hill reads Alex Garland's novel.

In his time, Aneurin Bevan was, according to one biographer, "the most colourful and controversial, most loved and most loathed political personality in Britain".

The founding father of the NHS is the choice of Lord Kinnock, the former leader of the Labour Party who, like Bevan, grew up in Tredegar, in the heart of the Welsh coalfields, where he met his hero many times.

Kinnock regards Bevan as a hero on a level with Nelson Mandela and believes it was Nye alone who had the force of personality and political will necessary to get the Health Service established after the war. But the presenter Matthew Parris and his other studio guest, Bevan's biographer, John Campbell are more sceptical. Campbell goes so far as to argue that, the achievement of the NHS not withstanding, Nye Bevan's life was essentially a failure because, in his commitment to socialism, he misread the trend of history so completely.
Now, with the NHS facing radical reform, this programme captures some of the passion and debate that surrounded its inception and provides personal insights into the life and character of the man responsible for its creation.

The producer is Isobel Eaton.

Future subjects in the series include Barry Cryer on JB Priestley.

Made for 4 Extra. Brand new podcast from the team behind the long-running main show, hosted by Kiri Pritchard-McLean.

A dark, David Lynch-ian comedy, ideally suited for an unsettling and surreal late night listen. 'I, Regress' sees Matt Berry (The IT Crowd, Garth Marenghi's Dark Place, Snuff Box) playing a corrupt and bizarre hypnotherapist taking unsuspecting clients on twisted, misleading journeys through their subconscious.

Each episode sees the doctor dealing with a different client who has come to him for a different problem (quitting smoking, fear of water, etc). As the patient is put under hypnosis, we 'enter' their mind, and all the various situations the hypnotherapist takes them through are played out for us to hear. The result is a dream- (or nightmare-) like trip through the patient's mind, as funny as it is disturbing.

Ep 5: Dr Berry's latest patient, Christian Parcel (Nick Lucas) finds himself in the worst place on the planet thanks to some 'experimental hypnotherapy'. But events take a twist that even Dr Berry himself finds hard to control, thanks to a football pitch, a nightclub and a very unusual tattoo...

The cast across the series include Katherine Parkinson (IT Crowd), Morgana Robinson (The Morgana Show), Simon Greenall (I'm Alan Partridge), Jack Klaff (Star Wars, For Your Eyes Only), Tara Flynn (The Impressions Show, Stewart Lee's Comedy Vehicle), Alex Lowe (Barry From Watford, The Peter Serafinowicz Show), and Derek Griffiths (Playschool, Bod, and The Royal Exchange).

A compelling late night listen: tune in and occupy someone else's head!

Produced by Sam Bryant.

From 10pm to midnight, 7 days a week, the Comedy Club has two hours of comedy. Plus Paul Garner chats to Paul Merton.

Stephen K Amos is joined by Suzi Ruffell, Tom Rhodes and Andy Zaltzman to present a guide to penny pinching and austerity.

Additional material by Stephen Grant and Hugh Sington. Produced by Colin Anderson.

Volume Four, Chapter 5: "A Now Tricky Life Woefully Miseried Up" by Mark Evans

Pip and Harry have escaped the exploding desert island, but Harry has been transformed into a dinosaur. Now they must catch Mister Benevolent and prevent him taking over the world, but the trail has lead them to France. Here they must face unimaginable horrors including a bacon free breakfast and a deadly confrontation in a cheese mine. But there is a glimmer of hope in the form of The Scarlet Pimple.

Sir Philip ..... Richard Johnson
Young Pip Bin ..... Tom Allen
Gently Benevolent ..... Anthony Head
Harry Biscuit ..... James Bachman
Grimpunch ..... Geoffrey Whitehead
Ripely ..... Sarah Hadland
Pippa ..... Susy Kane
Reverend Godly Fecund ..... David Mitchell
Frenchman ..... Mark Evans

Writer ..... Mark Evans
Producer ..... Gareth Edwards

Producer Gareth Edwards.