The BBC has announced that it has a sustainable plan for the future of the BBC Singers, in association with The VOCES8 Foundation.
The threat to reduce the staff of the three English orchestras by 20% has not been lifted, but it is being reconsidered.
See the BBC press release here.
RADIO-LISTS: BBC RADIO 4 Extra
Unofficial Weekly Listings for BBC Radio 4 Extra — supported by bbc.co.uk/programmes/
A seal leaves the ocean and turns into a woman. Ishmael falls hopelessly in love. She agrees to marry him - on one condition.
Adapted from traditional sources by David Calcutt
Starring Mary Wimbush as the Old Woman, Susan Mann as the Girl, Stephen Tomlin as Ishmael and Moir Leslie as the Seal-woman
Seal-woman's song by Sue Harris
Directed at BBC Pebble Mill by Nigel Bryant
First broadcast in Thirty Minute Theatre on BBC Radio 4 in 1993.
John Wilson returns with a new 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 2, A-side. "If I Could Only Remeber My Name" with David Crosby
Double inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, David Crosby talkes John Wilson back to the making of his debut solo album, If I Could Only Remember My Name.
Released in 1971, it was one of four high-profile solo albums released more or less simultaneously by each member of the legendary super-group, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. David's If I Could Only Remember My Name boasted a stellar line-up that not only included Neil Young and Graham Nash, but also featured Joni Mitchell and the leading members of both Jefferson Airplane and the Grateful Dead. Initially met with mixed reviews, the album has never been out of print and features some of his most impressive vocal and songwriting work - including the haunting Laughing, the mantra-like Music Is Love and the extended, impressionistic Cowboy Movie.
The B-side of the programme, where it's the turn of the audience to ask the questions, can be heard tomorrow at 3.30pm
Complete versions of the songs performed in the programme (and others) can be heard on the 'Mastertapes' pages on the Radio 4 website, where the programmes can also be downloaded and other musical goodies accessed.
Producer: Paul Kobrak.
VI Warshawski flies to Canada to continue her investigation on the giant freighter the Lucella Weisser. But she's in for a shock when they sail through the Great Lakes Lock.
Sara Paretsky's thriller stars Kathleen Turner as VI Warshawski. With Eleanor Bron as Lottie, William Dufris as Captain Bemis and Keith Drinkel as Mike Sheridan.
Sara Paretsky has created one of the most popular female sleuths in modern crime-fiction. Her heroine, VI Warshawski, is a strong female character in a male-dominated world. VI is comfortable packing heat and trailing nasty suspects but she never loses touch with her basic femininity. Paretsky says of her Warshawski: "I was troubled by the way women were portrayed in (detective fiction) they always seemed either evil or powerless. I thought it was time for a tough, smart, likeable female private investigator".
Kathleen Turner also starred in the same role in the 1991 film 'VI Warshawski'.
Dramatised by Michelene Wandor.
Director: Janet Whitaker
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1993.
Chainsaws, forklift trucks and semtex - in 1990, the French ripped into the traditional circus format with a demented vitality that outraged authorities across the UK. Archaos were the creation of Pierrot Bidon, "part gypsy, part street urchin, very hairy" according to Mark Borkowski. He was their British publicist, and saw it as his job to get them out of the cultural pages and onto the front pages instead.
"The Human Circus Hides Sick Secrets" - a typical tabloid headline that followed Archaos wherever they went. As a result, local councils banned them again and again, a cunning ploy to sell huge numbers of tickets wherever they went.
In Juggling Chainsaws with Archaos, presenter Miles Warde tracks down the British participants who made Archaos more successful here than anywhere else - including their producer Adrian Evans and performers like Mischa Eligoloff, who moved from backstage to fire-eater, hiccupped during a performance, and felt all his paraffin enter his lungs. Or as Pierrot Bidon used to say, "A life without danger is not a life; a show without danger is not a show.".
Rose Tremain returns triumphantly to one of her best loved characters, in the long awaited sequel to her Booker short-listed best-selling novel, Restoration, published in 1989.
Seventeen years after the events related in Restoration, Merivel, a man of wit, wisdom and not a little passion, is facing his final years.
In today's episode: With the King dead and Margaret to be married, it is time to return to Bidnold and to Will Gates at last.
The reader is the stage and screen actor Nicholas Woodeson.
The abridger was Sally Marmion and the producer was Di Speirs.
By 1890, Britain had a state of the art postal service with six daily deliveries in Britain's towns. To achieve this service, delivery staff often worked six day weeks with shifts split over a twelve or fourteen hour day. In sorting offices, postal staff complained of leaky roofs and inadequate toilets. Worse still, postmen weren't permitted their own independent union, and in 1890 frustration turned to industrial action.
As Royal Mail faces an uncertain future, Dominic Sandbrook charts the development of the post office and examines it's impact on literacy, free speech, commerce and communication.
Writer and Presenter: Dominic Sandbrook
Musicians: Sam Lee, Bella Hardy, Mick Sands, Nick Hart
Actors: Morgan George, John Sessions, Simon Tcherniak, Malcolm Tierney, Jane Whittenshaw
Producer: Joby Waldman
A Somethin Else production for BBC Radio 4.
Twenty-six years have passed since the death of Jane Austen. Armed with a lock of Austen's hair as perhaps her best clue, Anne Sharp, former governess to the Austen family and Jane's close friend, has decided at least to tell her story-a story of family intrigues, shocking secrets, forbidden loves, and maybe even murder.
Upon its publication in the UK, Lindsay Ashford's fictional interpretation of the few facts surrounding Jane Austen's mysterious death sparked an international debate and uproar. None of the medical theories offers a satisfactory explanation of Jane Austen's early demise at the age of 41. Could it be that what everyone has assumed was a death by natural causes was actually more sinister? Lindsay Ashford's vivid novel delves deep into Austen's world and puts forth a shocking suggestion-was someone out to silence her?
Andrew Davies, who has a phenomenal track record in adaptation, has collaborated with Eileen Horne in recent years, first as writer and producer on a new TV version of Room with a View (2007) and as writer and editor on The Purple Land for Radio 4 (2011).
Written by Lindsay Ashford
Adapted by Eileen Horne and Andrew Davies
Produced and Directed by Clive Brill
A Pacificus production for BBC Radio 4.
Michael Coveney's biography tells the story of Campbell, the great adventurer of British theatre.
In his later work, Campbell focuses on improvisation; taking the safety-net of the script away from his performers.
Ken Campbell, who died in September 2008, was one of the great mavericks of British theatre.
Ill-suited to a role in conventional theatre, he created a risk-taking confrontational style of performance, which often explored unlikely subject matter.
He became, in director Mike Leigh's words, "The outsider's outsider"
Bob Hoskins, Bill Nighy and Jim Broadbent are amongst the performers whose formative years were spent working with Campbell. What did the director and producer bring to performance that made him such a mesmeric figure?
Writer Michael Coveney is a long-standing theatre critic, who has worked for The Financial Times, The Observer and The Daily Mail. Actor Toby Jones played Truman Capote in 'Infamous' and Swifty Lazar in 'Frost/Nixon' and recently reprised the role of Dobby in the film 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows'. Toby has also appeared in a production of 'The Warp' by Neil Oram, the 22-hour epic created by Ken Campbell.
Read by Toby Jones
Abridged by Pete Nichols
Producer: Karen Rose
A Sweet Talk Production for BBC Radio 4.
By Alan Le May
Dramatised for radio by Adrian Bean
A new adaptation of the classic western novel, upon which the famous film was based. Episode two.
Texas, 1851. It's been three years since the Comanches attacked the Edwards family's settlement on the Texas plains, and kidnapped ten year-old Debbie. Now only Amos Edwards and his nephew Mart remain on the epic search. But Mart is concerned about what Amos might do if he finds Debbie.
Alan Le May's 1954 novel is a timeless work of western fiction and a no-holds-barred portrait of the real American frontier. It explores the fear and the hatred that underpinned the lives of both the white settlers and the Native Americans. And what emerges is a violent account of a creeping genocide, as one culture inevitably triumphs over the other.
John Ford's 1956 film, based on the novel, starred John Wayne as Ethan Edwards (called Amos in the book and radio adaptation). Ford's version of The Searchers was named the Greatest Western Movie of all time by the American Film Institute in 2008.
Directed by James Robinson
A BBC Cymru/Wales Production.
Rhod Gilbert's comedy quiz from the Glee Club in Cardiff.
With Chris Corcoran, Lloyd Langford, Rob Deering and Tom Craine.
Producers: Paul Forde and Gareth Gwynn.
First broadcast on BBC Radio Wales in 2006.
"Anyone brought up on the Bible would automatically know that it's wrong to have a milk bottle on the table."
When Clare revokes her faith in God, her mother and granny are none too pleased.
Stars Prunella Scales as Sarah, Joan Sanderson as Eleanor, Benjamin Whitrow as Russell and Gerry Cowper as Clare.
Written by Simon Brett
Producer: Pete Atkin
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 1989.
Angry Nancy takes action when she hears what old rogue Winston has been up to...
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 4 in April 1994.
Samuel Pepys' diaries make occasional mention of his sister Pauline who has come to visit. She appears not to have been an entirely welcome guest. This comedy is inspired by Pauline, and by many other unwelcome love-lorn house-guests throughout human history...
Meet Pauline Pepys. Her love life is in tatters, her sister-in-law wants her to move out of the spare room, and her best friend is her worst enemy. Oh, and this being London in the 1660s there's a nasty spot of plague about. This episode sees Pauline fall for a handsome executioner, but when he seems to prefer Charlotte she offers to fix Pauline up with a very romantic poet. Meanwhile Elizabeth has arranged for a lavish portrait of herself and Samuel that is not altogether going to plan. And the maid is doing something awful with a dead fish and a goat.
A new historical comedy starring Olivia Colman as hopeless romantic Pauline, Sharon Horgan as her best friend Charlotte the vainest woman in Britain, David Mitchell as a distinctly itchy Samuel Pepys, Katherine Parkinson as Elizabeth his wife, who is very stressed about making the right impression on society; and Tom Hollander as Russell de Bret, a man who in the twenty first century would be a rock star, but has chosen instead the career of public executioner; with Rebekah Staton as the peculiarly fish-obsessed house maid Jane and Dave Lamb as Joth a very angry painter and Wilston, a very sad poet...
Pauline Pepys' Dowry is written by Amy Shindler and Beth Chalmers and produced by Gareth Edwards.
A glamorous invitation to a grand party at Hampton - home of the fabulously wealthy Montdores and their beautiful daughter Polly - brings Fanny into the world of the 1920s aristocracy - and in and out of love when the temperature drops...
Published in 1949, Nancy Mitford's novel dramatised by Claire Luckham.
Stars Amanda Root as Fanny, Barbara Jefford as Lady Montdore, Teresa Gallagher as Polly, Jenny Howe as Veronica, Jon Strickland as Uncle Davey, Patience Tomlinson as Aunt Emily, Tessa Worsley as Aunt Sadie, Ioan Meredith as Uncle Matthew, Stephen Critchlow as Boy Dougdale, Sarah-Jane Holm as Jassy, Tilly Gaunt as Victoria, William Hope as Cedric and Tom Beard as Alfred.
Director: Marion Nancarrow
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1999.
The achievements of Captain Cook's first voyage of 1768-71, in which he literally put New Zealand and the eastern coast of Australia on the map.
Born in 1728, son of a farm labourer in Yorkshire, it's extraordinary that James Cook rose to become the leader of this first voyage of discovery, sponsored by the Admiralty and the Royal Society.
In the first of three programmes, Dr Nigel Rigby of the National Maritime Museum reassesses the life of this complex man.
Reader: Bill Wallis
Music composed and performed by John Metcalfe.
Producer: Mark Smalley
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2002.
Jonathan Agnew, the BBC's cricket correspondent and host of Test Match Special, looks back at the rebel cricket Tours to Apartheid era South Africa. Between 1981-1990 teams 'representing' England, Sri Lanka, West Indies and Australia all toured South Africa, despite a well established sporting boycott being in place.
The Tours were often shrouded in secrecy and rumour with many of the cricketing authorities and players in South Africa unaware the tours were actually taking place until the teams landed. Those players that decided to tour were richly rewarded with rumours some of the more high profile names were offered as much as $250,000 to tour, but the decision to play came with consequences. The tours caused a public outcry with headlines on the front and back pages, questions and debates in parliaments, players were banned from cricket and some, especially the West Indian players, were totally ostracised by their communities and had to make a new life elsewhere.
Rebel Rebel tells the story of these tours and finds out from those who decided to play was it, with the benefit of hindsight, worth the risks to their careers and reputations. Interviewees include Sir Vivian Richards, John Emburey, Clive Rice, Richard Ellison, Franklyn Stephenson, Nigel Felton and Andre Odendaal.
Producer: Mark Sharman
A TBI Media production for BBC Radio 4.
Happy dynamic living! Comedy writers David Renwick and Andrew Marshall - plus original cast members Chris Emmett, Nigel Rees and Fred Harris - recall their cult BBC radio comedy hit.
Discover how Eric Pode of Croydon came to be! Which cast member made the leap from Big Ted and Play School to Radio 4? And why did 'The Burkiss Way' earn itself a mention in the Houses of Parliament?
Enjoy five classic episodes featuring the talents of Jo Kendall, Chris Emmett, Fred Harris and Nigel Rees:
* Skive from School the Burkiss Way:
Can 'Moses Minor' lead the boys of Greyfriars away from the clutches of their oppressors? From February 1977.
* Not the Burkiss Way:
Learn how to offer family planning for rabbits. Michael Parkinson interviews Bugs Bunny. From January 1978.
* Remember the Burkiss Way:
From 3-2-1 to The Generation Game Questions galore in the clash of the game shows! From April 1979.
* Settle out of Court the Burkiss Way:
Find out 'What's My Gender', plus a galactic 'Panorama'. From November 1980.
* Wave Goodbye to CBEs the Burkiss Way
The sketch show team's last-ever episode which provoked controversy. From November 1980.
Produced by Martin Dempsey
First broadcast on BBC Radio 7 in 2009.
Radio 4's word-obsessed comedy panel game returns for a new series - with stars from across the world of wordplay coming together to score points off each other, under the well-read eye of chairman Gyles Brandreth.
This week's panellists are comedians Milton Jones and Alun Cochrane, Dictionary Corner's Susie Dent and Front Row critic Natalie Haynes.
On today's show Milton Jones coins his own new fear - the fear of becoming a monk: 'cloisterphobia'; Alun Cochrane's Yorkshire roots help him guess the meaning of the Polish word 'prozvonit';Susie Dent explains the origin of the phrase 'gingering up' and Natalie Haynes tries to ban the word 'guesstimate'.
Other panellists appearing in the series include Lloyd Langford, Dave Gorman, Richard Herring, Katy Brand, Robin Ince and Alex Horne - plus there's a very special guest appearance from Ainsley Harriott.
They'll be asked to guess the meanings of now-obsolete words, invent their own cliches and cockney rhyming slang, discuss their own favourite words and phrases - and suggest words they would like to ban.
Writers: Jon Hunter and James Kettle.
Producer: Claire Jones.
All set for the Long Distance Bass Drum Race, Neddie Seagoon is duped into villainy. Stars Spike Milligan. From November 1956.
The new young Empress has been on the throne for a year, and the iron-fist of her rule is being felt by all within the Imperial Palace.
Meanwhile, the Empress Teishi is in child-bed. While the Emperor waits fretfully outside, only Lady Shonagon is permitted to attend her.
The final mystery in the long-running thriller set in 10th century Japan - and the final ever encounter with Lady Shonagon and her Lieutenant Yukinari.
The Pillow Book is inspired by the writings of Sei Shonagon, a poet and lady-in-waiting to the Empress of the 10th Century Japanese court.
Shonagon .... Ruth Gemmell
Yukinari .... Cal MacAninch
The Emperor .... Paul Ready
Empress Teishi .... Laura Rees
Empress Shoshi .... Bobby Rainsbury
Written by Robert Forrest.
Director: Lu Kemp.
A BBC Scotland Production first broadcast in five parts on BBC Radio 4 in August 2018.
The actress Josette Simon chooses 'Hit the Road, Jack' by Ray Charles and 'You're the Best Thing That Ever Happened to Me' by Gladys Knight and the Pips.
Jazz legend George Melly visits his beloved Soho haunts in the heart of London, which he first discovered in the 1950s.
With Jeffrey Bernard, Daniel Farson, Norman Balon and Ruby Venezuela.
Down Your Way was one of the BBC's longest-running radio series - starting on the BBC Home Service in 1946 and ending its run on BBC Radio 4 in 1992. Using a variety of hosts, including Richard Dimbleby and Brian Johnston, the programme toured villages, towns and cities across the UK. At the height of its success in the 1950s, the series was attracting 10 million listeners a week.
George Melly: jazz and blues singer, critic and writer - 1926-2007
Producer: Lyn Hartman
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1992.
By Anita Sullivan
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to have eight legs, no bones, and skin that changes colour?
Hester is a Marine Biologist seeking to discover what it means to be an octopus. When she's called in to help the local aquarium try to breed two Giant Pacific Octopus (GPO), she uses the opportunity to carry out a social recognition experiment. Can an octopus recognise an individual human being? As Hester delves deeper into questions of cephalopod consciousness, she develops an attachment with 'Monster' - the male GPO.
"Four-hundred million years ago, when we shared the ocean, I was a bony fish, a prototype. But you... were already you. An octopus. Now I stand here, human. Confounded by you."
A strange and compelling journey into the mind of an ancient creature.
Directed by James Robinson
A BBC Cymru Wales Production.
Marjorie has premonitions, but no-one could have guessed how true they would be on the day of the school photo. Read by Ann Rye.
Tony Hadley joins the quick-fire comic for stand-up, sketches and music. With Angela McHale and Trevor Crook. From March 2005.
Zoe Lyons hosts a night of comedy, introducing some of the best stand-up from 2018's Edinburgh Fringe Festival.
From the largest arts festival in the world comes the finest selection of comedians. Some names you'll know, and there are others who'll be household names in the near future. If they don't become household names, well that's the Fringe for you, but they are all hilarious, unique and welcome at our party.
Featuring: Evelyn Mok, Julia Sutherland, Terry Alderton, Janey Godley, Mickey Bartlett, John Hastings, Maisie Adams and Hal Cruttenden.
Recorded live at BBC at the Edinburgh Festivals in the grounds of George Heriot's School, Edinburgh.
A Dabster production for BBC Radio 4 Extra.
Doctor Who meets Worzel Gummidge, as Nick Golson and Tim de Jongh welcome guest Jon Pertwee. From February 1995.
26 years have passed since the death of Jane Austen. Armed with a lock of Austen's hair as perhaps her best clue, Anne Sharp, former governess to the Austen family and Jane's close friend, has decided at least to tell her story-a story of family intrigues, shocking secrets, forbidden loves, and maybe even murder.
Upon UK publication, Lindsay Ashford's fictional interpretation of the few facts surrounding Jane Austen's mysterious death sparked an international debate and uproar. None of the medical theories offers a satisfactory explanation of her early demise aged 41. Could it be that what everyone has assumed was a death by natural causes was actually more sinister? Lindsay Ashford delves deep into Austen's world and puts forth a shocking suggestion-was someone out to silence her?
Jane..............Elaine Cassidy
Anne.............Ruth Gemmell
Henry............Rupert Evans
Mrs Raike......Susan Brown
Elizabeth.......Lucy Robinson
Cass..............Jasmine Hyse
Dr Sillar..........Nick Murchie
Rebecca...................Lotte Rice
Young Fanny........Eliza Harrison-Dine
Older Fanny.........Alana Ramsey
Written by Lindsay Ashford. Adapted by Eileen Horne and Andrew Davies
Producer: Clive Brill
A Pacificus production first broadcast in five parts on BBC Radio 4 in 2014.
Don't panic! Memories of Dad's Army star Clive Dunn, who played Lance-Corporal Jack Jones for nearly a decade on TV, radio and film between 1968 to 1977.
Recalling highlights from his first 50 years in entertainment, Clive recalls becoming a Prisoner of War and reveals how he met his wife, Priscilla Morgan, after the Second World War.
Clive was aged 68 at the time of recording. He died in Portugal in 2012, aged 92.
Producer: Edward Taylor
First broadcast on BBC Radio 2 in 1988.
John Finnemore, the writer and star of Cabin Pressure, regular guest on The Now Show and popper-upper in things like Miranda, records a fourth series of his hit sketch show.
5/6: This penultimate edition of the series presents the only detectives who've not had their own TV show yet; a well-disguised sketch about the residents of the savannah; and a revolutionary email exchange..
The first series of John Finnemore's Souvenir Programme was described as "sparklingly clever" by The Daily Telegraph and "one of the most consistently funny sketch shows for quite some time" by The Guardian. The second series won Best Radio Comedy at both the Chortle and Comedy.co.uk awards, and was nominated for a Radio Academy award. The third series actually won a Radio Academy award.
In this fourth series, John has written more sketches, like the sketches from the other series. Not so much like them that they feel stale and repetitious; but on the other hand not so different that it feels like a misguided attempt to completely change the show. Quite like the old sketches, in other words, but about different things and with different jokes. (Although it's a pretty safe bet some of them will involve talking animals.)
Written by and starring ... John Finnemore
Also featuring ... Margaret Cabourn-Smith, Simon Kane, Lawry Lewin and Carrie Quinlan.
Producer ... Ed Morrish.
Chaos strikes village shopkeepers Gert and Daisy over a troublesome tree.
Stars Elsie and Doris Waters as Gert and Daisy.
With Joan Sims, Anthony Newley, Ronnie Barker, Hugh Paddick and Iris Vandaleur.
Originally popular regulars in 'Workers' Playtime' on the BBC Home Service during wartime, Gert and Daisy won their own series, Floggit's, where they've inherited a village general store in Russett Green. with a ragbag of local characters to deal with. It ran for 2 series between 1956 and 1957.
Scripted by Terry Nation, John Junkin and Dave Freeman.
Producer: Alastair Scott -Johnston
First broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in August 1956.
Dick Bentley and Jimmy Edwards ponder their future, while 'The Glums' meet Eth's family.
Starring Professor Jimmy Edwards, Dick Bentley, June Whitfield and Wallace Eton.
Classic comedy scripted by Frank Muir and Denis Norden.
Music from The Keynotes and the BBC Revue Orchestra with Peter Akister.
Announcer: Brian Matthews
Producer: Charles Maxwell
First broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in May 1957.
Derived from the juice of the poppy, it relieves our pain and cures our insomnia. It may even inspire great art. It also causes addiction, misery and death. Historian Lucy Inglis's book explores man's long and complex relationship with opium.
"In mankind's search for temporary oblivion," writes Inglis, "opiates possess a special allure. Since Neolithic times, opium has made life seem, if not perfect, then tolerable for millions. However unlikely it seems at this moment, many of us will end our lives dependent on it."
In 17th Century England the invention of laudanum - an easy-to-swallow opium tincture - led to "a new age in drug-taking." A century later, laudanum became popular with writers of the Romantic movement such as Samuel Taylor Coleridge, whose great poem Kubla Khan was famously inspired by a drug-induced dream when he was a young man of 25. (He died aged 61, a housebound addict.)
In the American Civil War morphine was used extensively to relieve the pain of wounded soldiers. After the war, drug addiction among former soldiers was so common it became known as "the army disease." But it was the Vietnam War a century later that brought the idea of the "junkie soldier" into popular culture.
Today, heroin addiction remains a global problem: "Where opiates and opioids are available," says the author, "people will consume them."
Abridged by Anna Magnusson.
Read by Anita Vettesse.
Producer: David Jackson Young.
First broadcast in five-parts on BBC Radio 4 in August 2018.
A love of food is a driving force in their lives, and they know what they'd like served after their deaths. But ultimately all they want is to preserve the natural order of things, as Fi Glover introduces another conversation 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.
From Abba to Nina Simone, polar explorer Ann Daniels shares her castaway choices with Kirsty Young. From January 2007.
Radiolab look behind the curtain of how memories are made...and forgotten. With Jad Abumrad, Robert Krulwich and neurologist, Oliver Sacks.
Radiolab is a Peabody-award winning show about curiosity. Where sound illuminates ideas, and the boundaries blur between science, philosophy, and the human experience.
Hosts Jad Abumrad and Robert Krulwich investigate a strange world.
First broadcast on public radio in the USA.
On a rainy January afternoon, the recently widowed Laura Palfrey arrives at the Claremont Hotel on the Cromwell Road. Apprehensive but doughty, she settles into her room without a view, and begins to meet the other residents.
For the long-term residents of the Claremont Hotel, life revolves around waiting for dinner, the 9 o'clock serial and visitors. Mrs Palfrey assures her new friends that her grandson will soon be making an appearance...
Eleanor Bron reads Elizabeth Taylor's poignant and witty masterpiece.
Published in 1971 Mrs Palfrey at the Claremont is both tender and sharp in its depiction of old age.
Abridger: Robin Brooks
Producer: Natalie Steed
First broadcast in five-parts on BBC Radio 4 in August 2018.
The accent angst of Londoner Penny, born to a Caribbean mother. Kim Normanton meets families who don't all talk the same.
by Paul Sellar
When a group of people meet on a back to work course they pool their various skills to steal a priceless Ming vase from an auction house and return it to its rightful owner. But just who is conning who in this action packed drama?
Producer ..... Sally Avens
Director ..... Marion Nancarrow
This is a caper with a conscience, a heist with a smile on its face. But the drama is firmly based in the real world; an elderly couple recently discovered they were using a Ming vase as an umbrella stand, Government plans include making jobless criminals spend one day a week searching for work and fraud in the UK has increased tenfold since the banking crisis. Paul Sellar weaves a fast-paced yarn around these facts to create a plot full of twists and turns.
Poet Daljit Nagra revisits the BBC's radio poetry archive with 'Poetry and Planets' featuring Simon Armitage plus an interview from 'Start the Week' where he discusses his inspiration.
'Poetry and Planets': When poet Simon Armitage invested in a powerful Russian telescope to scan the night skies above his native Huddersfield, he produced a sequence of almost 90 poems about the constellations and their modem imaginative resonances. Simon introduces and reads his favourite poems from the sequence.
Producer: Robert Ketteridge. From 1998
'Start The Week': Simon Armitage talks about his collection CloudCuckooLand with Melvyn Bragg.
Producer: Olivia Seligman. From 1997.
Infected by the evil Mekon's virus and unable to return to Earth, Dan Dare and the crew of the Anastasia are ordered to the desolate planet of Mars...
Adventures based on the Eagle comic strip 'Dan Dare' created in 1950 by the Reverend Marcus Morris and Frank Hampson.
Starring Ed Stoppard as Dan Dare, Geoff McGivern as Digby, Heida Reed as Professor Peabody, Michael Cochrane as Sir Hubert, Marcus Morris as the Creator, Dianne Weller as the On-board Computer. Hugh Fraser as Ivor Dare, Jake Maskall as Sgt Scott, Jalleh Alizadeh as Corp Dajani, Greg Keith as Dr Harlan Stoll, Diane Spencer as the Teacher and Ryan Sewell as Flamer Spry.
Dramatised by James Swallow.
Director: Andrew Mark Sewell.
Made by B7.
2026: With surroundings destroyed and devoid of human life, an automated house carries on...
Ray Bradbury's short story starring Joan Miller as the Woman and David King-Wood as Commentator
Music composed and conducted by Antony Hopkins
Singers: Ann Dowdall and John Carol Case.
Adapted and produced by Nesta Pain.
First broadcast on the BBC Third Programme in September 1962.
No woman, no job. Dave has no choice but to stow everything. With Reece Shearsmith and Mark Heap. From September 2007.
The horror, carnage and laughter that was the First World War. Recreation of wireless archives with Claire Downes. From September 2002.
From 10pm - midnight, 7 days a week, the Comedy Club has two hours of comedy. Plus Arthur Smith chats to Kiwi comic Jake Howie. Episode 2 of 2.
Adam Riches' new series of comic adventure stories continues with the tale of Mastermind, a blind megalomaniac who is taking a break from world domination to look for love. Aided by a host of absurd henchmen, including some plucked straight from the audience, will Mastermind find what he's looking for or will he end up heartbroken?
Starring Adam Riches, Cariad Lloyd, Jim Johnson and Katharine Bennett-Fox.
Written by Adam Riches
Produced by Simon Mayhew-Archer.
Trying to find a job, can Pod meet the challenge of becoming a first-class umpire? Stars Christopher Douglas. From April 2004.
Everyone wants private eye VI Warshawski off the case, but the next body isn't hers. In fact, she thought he was the villain.
Sara Paretsky's thriller stars Kathleen Turner as VI Warshawski. With James Aubrey as Martin Bledsoe, William Hootkins as Bobby Mallory, Kerry Shale as Murray and Bill Nighy as Roger Ferrant.
Sara Paretsky has created one of the most popular female sleuths in modern crime-fiction. Her heroine, VI Warshawski, is a strong female character in a male-dominated world. VI is comfortable packing heat and trailing nasty suspects but she never loses touch with her basic femininity. Paretsky says of her Warshawski: "I was troubled by the way women were portrayed in (detective fiction) they always seemed either evil or powerless. I thought it was time for a tough, smart, likeable female private investigator".
Kathleen Turner also starred in the same role in the 1991 film 'VI Warshawski'.
Dramatised by Michelene Wandor.
Director: Janet Whitaker
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1993.
Geoffrey Palmer celebrates the songs of Kenneth and George Western and reveals their place in British comedy.
The Western Brothers became famous from the late 1920's onwards for their variety act satirising the establishment of the times. They perfected the aloof exaggerations of two derisive upper-crust society members and became an instant success in the entertainment world.
They toured the variety circuit through the 1930s and 40s with their own aeroplane and always stayed in the very best hotels.
What made their witty songs at the piano so distinct from the rest was their topicality. Many of them were list songs, in which the verses could be altered to fit the stories and personalities of the day. Fellow performers, politicians and especially the stuffiness of the BBC were their targets - then, after war broke out, they laid into the enemy with rather more finesse than most.
They became as famous for their appearance with monocles and old school ties as for their voices. Their photos frequently appeared in newspaper advertisements endorsing a variety of products. Their 'targets' mostly took the gentle barbs in good grace, but there were several occasions when their jokes attracted complaint. These included upsetting the Greek embassy, and suggesting nepotism at the heart of government, which necessitated an immediate written apology.
Contributors include Barry Humphries, Kit Hesketh-Harvey, Mitch Benn, Stan Stennett and the daughters of Kenneth and George Western.
Producer: Stephen Garner.
Pam Ayres regales her Radio 4 audience with poems, stories and sketches, this week on a subject close to her heart: self-sufficiency. She is joined on stage by Felicity Montagu and Geoffrey Whitehead, with Geoffrey playing her long-suffering husband 'Gordon'.
This week Pam talks about her love of allotments, knitting and her more recent love of beekeeping.
Poems include: The Allotment Rustler, Over-Penguinisation, Behold My Bold Provider, Stuck on You and The Litter Moron.
Sketch writers: James Bugg, Grainne McGuire, Andy Wolton and Tom Neenan.
Producer: Claire Jones.
Series 82 continues with another fine cast of players as Paul Merton, Pam Ayres, Josie Lawrence and Julian Clary show their skills with words and refined prevarication.
This week's game features intel on our panellists' favourite breakfast eateries and a small contretemps about canals.
Hayley Sterling blows the whistle.
Producer: Richard Morris
A BBC Studios Production.
Making no money out of being in showbiz, the lad sees his future in selling coffee.
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 December 1956.
Frank Pike and Bert Hodges try to enlist some volunteers to help restore the pier.
A seaside saga of pier perpetuation starring John Le Mesurier as Arthur Wilson, Ian Lavender as Frank Pike, Bill Pertwee as Bert Hodges, Vivienne Martin as Miss Perkins and Glynn Edwards as Fred Guthrie.
After a pilot episode was made in 1981, Arthur Lowe sadly died. So this 13-part series was revamped to feature the Dad's Army characters played by Pertwee and Lavender instead. The series was later adapted for ITV by Yorkshire TV.
Written by Harold Snoad and Michael Knowles, based on the characters originally created by Jimmy Perry and David Croft.
Producer: Martin Fisher
First broadcast on BBC Radio 2 in December 1983.
Gyles Brandreth presides over the comedy panel game where Katy Brand and Alex Horne compete against Richard Herring and Natalie Haynes to find out who knows more about words.
This week Katy Brand reveals an unexpected love of Proverbs in the Old Testament and takes a guess at what 'cougar juice' meant at the turn of the 20th century; Richard Herring explains why his favourite West County word from his schooldays is 'wasp'; Natalie Haynes guesses the meaning of the German word 'zechpreller' which has no direct translation in English, and Alex Horne coins his very own onomatopoeia to describe a snowflake landing on a bubble.
Writers: Jon Hunter and James Kettle
Producer: Claire Jones.
The Dublin theatrical costumiers dress a medieval banquet in a ghostly castle.
Christopher Fitz-Simon's five-part comedy.
Stars David Kelly as Dessie Doyle, Pauline McLynn as Violet Doyle, Eugene O'Brien as Antony Gogan, Frank Kelly as Mr McNamara, Roma Tomelty as Fidelma Fitzpatrick, Birdy Sweeney as High King, Anna Byrne as Cliona O'Sloothrahaun, John Keyes as Cardinal Poggibonsi and Paddy Scully as the Court Jester.
Music played by John Trotter.
Directed at BBC Belfast by Roland Jaquarello.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 1998.
The Last Days of Troy. Simon Armitage's dramatisation of Homer's Iliad . The Greeks are laying siege to Troy to win back their abducted queen, Helen. But as the conflict drags on, and despite battlefields scarlet with blood, opposing forces have reached a bitter stalemate. Desperate and exhausted, both Gods and mortals squabble amongst themselves for the spoils of war and the hand of victory.
The Last Days of Troy reveals a world locked in cycles of conflict and revenge, of east versus west, and a dangerous mix of pride, lies and self-deception.
Lily Cole gives her radio debut as Helen of Troy - the face that launched a thousand ships.
Original Music by Alex Baranowski
Directed for Radio by Susan Roberts
First directed for The Royal Exchange Theatre by Nick Bagnall.
'Beyond the battlefield, the original tale is a back-room story of wounded pride, and the push and pull of family ties and national loyalty - tense and intriguing, with moments of great tragedy and breath-taking humility. Everything we have come to expect of the great myths'
Simon Armitage.
Carol Evans's bra has blown off the washing line into some tall leyandii. As she struggles to retrieve it, two teenage girls next door laugh cruelly at their elderly, widowed neighbour. Their thoughtless comments are juxtaposed with Carol's own recollections of her deceased husband - with whom she continued to enjoy a warm and loving relationship following her mastectomy. Clever and moving story read by Emma Fielding.
Carys Bray's collection of short stories, Sweet Home, won the 2012 Scott Prize.
With psychological insight and lightness of touch frequently found in fairy tales, Carys Bray delves under the surface of ordinary lives to explore loss, disappointment, frustrated expectations and regret. Described as 'not just excellent, but significant', by poet and critic Robert Sheppard, these dark and lyrical stories illuminate extraordinary and everyday occurrences with humanity and humour.
Bray's stories are never afraid to expose the darkness that exists behind suburban front doors, but at their heart are brave, moving evocations of what it means to be at home with those you love.
Abridged by John Peacock
Producer David Blount
Made for BBC Radio 4 Extra by Pier Productions.
The battles of an unmarried British woman in her quest to adopt a Chinese baby girl.
Facing the hurdles of both British and Chinese bureaucracy, the emotional complexities of adoption are revealed when her motivation is questioned...
First of two drama documentaries by Hattie Naylor about the consequences of China's single-child policy.
Yang Chun..... Li-Leng Au
Husband .... Wai-Keat Lau
Ilsa.... Samantha Spiro
Sarah .... Parminder Sekhon
Kevin .... Kwong Loke
Zhang Li.... Imelda Hunter
African woman.... Abi Eniola
British woman .... Carla Simpson
Producer: Janet Whitaker
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2003.
After finishing school, Grace Melbury returns to her small woodland village, where her childhood sweetheart Giles Winterbourne is waiting for her...
First published in 1887, Thomas Hardy's classic tale of thwarted love and ambition set amongst the woodsmen and women of Little Hintock.
Read by Juliet Stevenson.
Producer: Di Speirs
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2000.
In 1870 the telegraph system came under the control of the post office, in the first ever instance of the government nationalising a commercial industry. The aim was to provide an extended and more efficient network, to serve the public and make a profit.
In the late nineteenth century the Post Office became a key instrument of the State.
Providing a national telegraph service, as censor and channel in the first world war, as a model employer in the 1930s and pioneer in communications technology for much of the twentieth century. The last four decades have seen the State pulling away from Royal Mail leaving it's future very much uncertain.
Writer and Presenter: Dominic Sandbrook
Historical Consultant: Iain Stevenson
Musicians: Sam Lee, Bella Hardy, Mick Sands, Nick Hart
Actors: Morgan George, John Sessions, Simon Tcherniak,
Malcolm Tierney, Jane Whittenshaw
Producer: Joby Waldman
A Somethin Else production for BBC Radio 4.
Recently widowed, Eirlys Richards welcomes a new guest at her lively boarding house in Llantwit-on-Sea.
A ten-part series by Christopher Denys set in the 1950s heyday of the Great British seaside holiday.
Starring Nerys Hughes as Eirlys Richards, Russell Boulter as Matthew Dolan, Iwan Thomas as Iorweth Jenkins, Christopher Scott as Arnold Pilton, Andy Hockley as Cox'n Hughes, Ian Brooker as the Newsreader and Tina Gray as Mother.
Director: Sue Wilson
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2003.
Paul McCartney and John Lennon described him as the Beatles' "favorite group," and yet no figure in popular music is as much of a paradox as Harry Nilsson. A major celebrity at a time when stadium rock was in its infancy and huge concerts and festivals were becoming the norm, Nilsson's instrument was the studio, his stage the dubbing booth, his greatest technical triumphs were masterful examples of studio craft, and he studiously avoided live performance.
He was a gifted composer of songs for a wide variety of performers, having created vivid flights of imagination for the Ronettes, the Yardbirds and the Monkees, yet Nilsson's own biggest hits were almost all written, ironically, by other composers and lyricists. He won two Grammies, had two top ten singles, and numerous album successes. Once described by his producer Richard Perry as "the finest white male singer on the planet," near the end of his life, his career was marked by voice-damaging substance abuse.
Kerry Shale reads extracts from this first ever full-length biography of Nilsson, in which author Alyn Shipton traces Nilsson's life from his Brooklyn childhood to his Los Angeles adolescence, and charts his gradual move into the spotlight as a talented songwriter. With interviews from Nilsson's friends, family and associates, and material drawn from an unfinished draft autobiography Nilsson was writing prior to his death, Shipton probes beneath the enigma and the paradox to discover the real Harry Nilsson, and reveals one of the most creative talents in 20th century popular music.
Credits:
NILSSON: THE LIFE OF A SINGER-SONGWRITER
BY ALYN SHIPTON
Read by Kerry Shale
Abridged by Libby Spurrier
Producer: JOANNA GREEN
A Pier production for BBC Radio 4.
After suffering a horrific accident, coma patient, Leon undergoes a brand new medical procedure - with some startling side effects...
Award-winning US writer Ted Chiang's sci-fi thriller is read by Rhashan Stone.
Producer: Gemma Jenkins
Made for BBC 7 and first broadcast in 2004.
Sue MacGregor and her guests - Simon Thurley of English Heritage and psychologist Dr Sue Blackmore - discuss books by Sam Harris, Andrew Roberts and JD Salinger. From 2006.
For Esme with Love and Squalor by JD Salinger
Publisher: Penguin
Waterloo: Napoleon's Last Gamble by Andrew Roberts
Publisher: HarperPerennial
The End of Faith by Sam Harris
Publisher: Free Press.
Hit comedy about three marriages in various states of disrepair. Starring Jack Docherty, Kerry Godliman, John Thomson, Fiona Allen, Charlie Higson and Sally Bretton.
This week Cathy has some big news for Barney: she's pregnant. Alice faces up to the fact she can't get pregnant. And Fiona has a big idea for Evan about a small operation he could have which means she won't ever get pregnant again.
In this week's episode Cathy reveals to a shocked Barney that she is pregnant. Fiona suggests to a shocked Evan that he get a vasectomy. And David suggests to a shocked Alice that they adopt.
Producer ..... Claire Jones.
The best in contemporary comedy. Jon Holmes talks to Nathan Caton.
An energetic, intelligent female-anchored show with a female panel - using the events, trends and talking points they think should really be top of the news agenda in a series of fresh and funny challenges.
Host Jo Bunting is joined by a panel of women including Katie Mulgrew, Sally Philips, Fi Glover and Julia Hartley-Brewer.
Jo Bunting is a producer and writer of topical comedy and satire, with credits including Have I Got News For You, the Great British Bake Off spin off show An Extra Slice with Jo Brand, and the successful topical chat show That Sunday Night Show presented by Adrian Chiles on ITV. Jo was a guest interviewer on Loose Ends for several years and a panellist on Loose Women.
An Avalon production for BBC Radio 4.
Adapted from his sell-out Edinburgh show Tom Wrigglesworth takes an emotional journey exploring his profound relationship with his granddad, and comes to fully understand the influence he has had on his life.
Clayton Phillips's body could only have got into the hold of the Gertrude Rutton one way. VI uses the same vehicle to confront the villain and ends up swimming for her life.
Sara Paretsky's thriller stars Kathleen Turner as VI Warshawski. With Bill Nighy as Roger Ferrant, Peter Marinker as Nils Greyfalk and Kerry Shale as Murray.
Eleanor Bron as Lottie, William Hootkins as Bobby Mallory, James Aubrey as Martin Bledsoe, Peter Marinker as Nils Greyfalk, Teresa Gallagher as Paige Carrington and William Roberts as Clayton Phillips.
Sara Paretsky has created one of the most popular female sleuths in modern crime-fiction. Her heroine, VI Warshawski, is a strong female character in a male-dominated world. VI is comfortable packing heat and trailing nasty suspects but she never loses touch with her basic femininity. Paretsky says of her Warshawski: "I was troubled by the way women were portrayed in (detective fiction) they always seemed either evil or powerless. I thought it was time for a tough, smart, likeable female private investigator".
Kathleen Turner also starred in the same role in the 1991 film 'VI Warshawski'.
Dramatised by Michelene Wandor.
Director: Janet Whitaker
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1993.
Jazz, a music first played in small clubs and now found in large concert halls, also has a long history of heading for the great outdoors.
Kevin LeGendre charts the story of jazz in the open air, starting with a teenage Louis Armstrong leading the band from the Home for Colored Waifs through the streets of New Orleans almost a century ago.
Other legendary jazz performers who swapped smoky interiors for notable fresh air appearances include Duke Ellington, who transformed the fortunes of his orchestra with a storming show at the Newport jazz festival in 1956, and saxophonist Sonny Rollins, who spent months practising high amongst the girders of the Williamsburg Bridge in New York City.
Kevin also hears from musician Gary Bartz, who formed a band without a piano player so that they were free to perform anywhere, and so could escape from the restrictions of the music industry. Offering the other side of the story, the acclaimed singer Bobby McFerrin reveals why he tries to avoid all outdoor performances. And bringing the story right up to the present, Kevin joins saxophonist Soweto Kinch under a flyover in Birmingham, where he has promoted a music festival amidst the concrete and thundering traffic for the past three years.
Producer John Goudie.
Episode 4. Heart Failures
It's the Edinburgh festival in episode 4 of Hilary Lyon's comedy narrative series, 'Secrets and Lattes' and it's drama and fireworks all round.
Business is booming in the Edinburgh cafe that erstwhile free spirit Trisha (played by Julie Graham) has recently opened with her sensible solvent older sister, Clare, (Hilary Lyon) but, sadly, things seem to be unravelling for everybody else on the personal front.
Trisha finds herself not only propping up her sister as she becomes increasingly distraught about her husband's behaviour, but she also ends up providing refuge for teenage waitress Lizzie ( Pearl Appleby) who, despite her buoyant facade, is definitely in need of some tlc.
Thankfully, temperamental opera-loving Polish chef, Krzyzstof (played by Simon Greenall) is back on top form again and it appears that, even for the broken-hearted, eating birthday cake and drinking fizz on the top of a hill can actually be good for you..........
Directed by: Marilyn Imrie
Producers: Moray Hunter and Gordon Kennedy
An Absolute production for BBC Radio 4.
Jake Yapp applies his sharp satirical eye to the modern media, exploring its strengths, weaknesses and idiosyncrasies through stand-up, sketch and music.
Episode 4 - Social Media
Jake turns his focus to Social Media and makes an argument as to why you should delete your accounts and through your laptops out of the window.
Written, performed and composed by Jake Yapp
Starring George Fouracres and Emily Lloyd-Saini
Additional material by Robin Morgan
Produced by Joe Nunnery
A BBC Studios Production.
When Gerald reveals he's happy to pick up hitchhikers in his car, Diana is not impressed...
The convoluted chronicle of an optimistic crime writer written by Basil Boothroyd.
Starring Ian Carmichael as Gerald C Potter and Charlotte Mitchell as his wife and more successful writer, Diana.
With Jo Manning Wilson.
The Small, Intricate Life of Gerald C Potter ran from 1976 to 1981.
Producer: Bobby Jaye
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 1976.
The bungling bureaucrats drop clangers galore, as the bare truth is exposed in Westminster!
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 1977.
'Star Trek' fever erupts, as a German delegation tours the cultural delights of Chesbury.
Lucy Flannery's local government sitcom stars Nelson David, John Duttine, James Grout, Rosy Fordham, Nick Hardy, Howard Lew Lewis, Toby Longworth, Jan Ravens, Vivienne Rochester and June Whitfield.
Producer: Liz Anstee
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 1995.
The Last Days of Troy. Simon Armitage's dramatisation completes Homer's Iliad and Virgil's Aeneid
The Greeks are laying siege to Troy to win back their abducted queen, Helen. But as the conflict drags on, and despite battlefields scarlet with blood, opposing forces have reached a bitter stalemate. Desperate and exhausted, both Gods and mortals squabble amongst themselves for the spoils of war and the hand of victory.
The Last Days of Troy reveals a world locked in cycles of conflict and revenge, of east versus west, and a dangerous mix of pride, lies and self-deception.
Lily Cole gives her radio debut as Helen of Troy - the face that launched a thousand ships.
Original music composed by Alex Baranowski
Directed for Radio by Susan Roberts
First directed for The Royal Exchange Theatre by Nick Bagnall.
4 Extra Debut. A daughter takes her mum to begin a new life in an old people's home, but will they be easily parted? Read by Maureen O'Brien.
The adoration of a lone male through his childhood - and the pressure and hopes heaped on an only child - spark his rebellion as a teenager...
Second of two drama documentaries by Hattie Naylor about the consequences of China's single-child policy.
Grandfather .... Burt Kwouk
Mother.... Sarah Lam
Aunty .... Pik-Sen Lim
Father .... David K S Tse
Wang Lei, aged 16 .... Jonathan Chan-Pensley
Wang Lei, aged 4 .... Jack Miller
Boy .... Wai-Keat Lau
Producer: Janet Whitaker
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2003.
Giles Winterbourne is reunited with his childhood sweetheart Grace, but will she return his love? Read by Juliet Stevenson.
In 1914 the post office was called upon to play a vital role in the country's war effort. Every week twelve and half million letters left Britain for Flanders, and it took 2 days for a letter to reach the front. The post office also supported the army's censorship activities, preventing sensitive information reaching enemy hands and helping to capture spies.
As Royal Mail faces an uncertain future, Dominic Sandbrook charts the development of the post office and examines it's impact on literacy, free speech, commerce and communication. The Post Office has become a cherished social institution, linking people together and extending their vision outward into the wider world.
It's called Royal Mail but it should be known as the People's Post
Writer and Presenter: Dominic Sandbrook
Musicians: Sam Lee, Bella Hardy, Mick Sands, Nick Hart
Historical Consultant: Iain Stevenson
Actors: Morgan George, John Sessions, Simon Tcherniak,
Malcolm Tierney, Jane Whittenshaw
Producer: Joby Waldman
A Somethin Else production for BBC Radio 4.
Henpecked hotelier and lover of Eirlys Richard, Arnold Pilton must battle to replace his chef.
But can he withstand the attentions of the formidable Theda Pilton and her pet poodle?
Christopher Denys' ten-part series set in the booming 1950s seaside resort of Llantwit-on-Sea.
Starring Nerys Hughes as Eirlys Richards, Russell Boulter as Matthew Dolan, Christopher Scott as Arnold Pilton and Tina Gray as Mother.
Director: Sue Wilson
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2003.
Paul McCartney and John Lennon described him as the Beatles' "favorite group," and yet no figure in popular music is as much of a paradox as Harry Nilsson. A major celebrity at a time when stadium rock was in its infancy and huge concerts and festivals were becoming the norm, Nilsson's instrument was the studio, his stage the dubbing booth, his greatest technical triumphs were masterful examples of studio craft, and he studiously avoided live performance.
He was a gifted composer of songs for a wide variety of performers, having created vivid flights of imagination for the Ronettes, the Yardbirds and the Monkees, yet Nilsson's own biggest hits were almost all written, ironically, by other composers and lyricists. He won two Grammies, had two top ten singles, and numerous album successes. Once described by his producer Richard Perry as "the finest white male singer on the planet," near the end of his life, his career was marked by voice-damaging substance abuse.
Kerry Shale reads extracts from this first ever full-length biography of Nilsson, in which author Alyn Shipton traces Nilsson's life from his Brooklyn childhood to his Los Angeles adolescence, and charts his gradual move into the spotlight as a talented songwriter. With interviews from Nilsson's friends, family and associates, and material drawn from an unfinished draft autobiography Nilsson was writing prior to his death, Shipton probes beneath the enigma and the paradox to discover the real Harry Nilsson, and reveals one of the most creative talents in 20th century popular music.
Read by Kerry Shale
NILSSON: THE LIFE OF A SINGER-SONGWRITER
BY ALYN SHIPTON
Abridged by Libby Spurrier
PRODUCER: JOANNA GREEN
A Pier production for BBC Radio 4.
Hosted by the Professor of Ignorance from the University of Buckingham John Lloyd C.B.E. and the intensely curious comedian Dave Gorman.
This week's guests:
Alex Horne is a comedian and writer. He co-presents the anarchic BBC4 comedy panel show We Need Answers with Tim Key and Mark Watson. Alex may have started his career as a stand-up comic by winning a Christmas cracker joke writing competition. Since then, his life has been one long experiment, the biggest of which is a project to become the oldest man in the world. He is still alive to this day and climbing up the chart by a hundred places every minute. Alex is also developing his own unique form of beard and has been trying for some time to get a new word of his own invention into the Oxford English Dictionary.
Sara Wheeler is a traveller and travel writer who has been described as the new Eric Newby. Her travel books include Terra Incognita: Travels in Antarctica; Travels in a Thin Country; and the biography of Apsley Cherry-Garrard, a polar explorer who himself wrote a moving account of his own experience as a survivor of Scott's disastrous 1912 Antarctic expedition. Sara often speaks on behalf of the disenfranchised nomadic peoples of the arctic, such as the Chukchi, who live in the far North Eastern tip of Siberia. When not travelling, Wheeler lives with her family in London.
Alain de Botton is a writer of essayistic books that have been described as a 'philosophy of everyday life' and have been bestsellers in 30 countries. Alain also started and helps to run The School of Life, dedicated to a new vision of education. Alain started writing at a young age. His first book, Essays in Love [titled On Love in the US], was published when he was 23.Alain's next book is titled Religion for Atheists.
With his heightened intelligence, Leon develops ingenious ways to outwit the CIA. Ted Chiang's thriller read by Rhashan Stone.
Michelle McManus talks to her parents about how her dreams of becoming a pop princess turned to reality when she won Pop Idol back in 2003. They discuss what Michelle's success has had on the family and the highlights of her career which include singing for the Pope and the Queen.
Paul Sinha is proudly British. He also loves a quiz. So you would have thought that the UK Citizenship Test, which newcomers to this country must pass to become citizens, would have been right up his street. But the questions in the 2012 and 2013 Home Office guides seem either bizarrely easy - "Where is Welsh most widely spoken?" - or infuriatingly vague - "What happened in the First World War?".
So Paul has created his own test, to better reflect the things that aspiring migrants should understand before they can call themselves British. In this final episode of the four-part series, he looks who and what Britons consider to be "great", and social cohesion - from what you need to know about weddings and marriage to the 2011 summer riots.
The series intertwines the sort of comedy Paul has become known for on The Now Show, The News Quiz, and Fighting Talk, as well as his own Radio 4 shows The Sinha Test and The Sinha Games, and the command of facts and figures he demonstrates on the ITV quiz show The Chase, with a dash of the patriotism that has seen him banned from the bar at the United Nations.
Written and performed by Paul Sinha.
Producer: Ed Morrish.
The best in contemporary comedy. Jon Holmes talks to Nathan Caton.
A revolutionary orator is after more than just Mary's support. 1770 America sitcom stars Andy Hamilton. From February 2000.
Comedy series in which comedian Alan Francis explores the workings of his own mind in relation to his life, friends and long-suffering girlfriend Jane.
Alan has come to the conclusion that he needs to talk to Jane about their relationship.
With Julian Dutton, Barnaby Power, Kali Peacock.
A violent burglary leads Victorian detective Charles Craddock to a sinister rendezvous.
Lucy Greenwood travels from Lancashire to London to work with her uncle Charles at his London book shop - but soon discovers he has another profession as a private investigator.
Chris Thompson's mystery stars Martin Jarvis as Charles Craddock, Emma Tate as Lucy Greenwood, Struan Rodgers as Grout and Stephen Thorne as Leopold Kransky.
Directed by John Taylor.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 5 in 1993.
The extraordinary story of Osel Hita Torres, the Spanish boy who was chosen by the Dalai Lama as the living reincarnation of a great Buddhist lama, or teacher. Jolyon Jenkins goes to meet him in Ibiza, where he now lives, having turned his back on his epic destiny.
In 1987, when he was just two years old, Osel Hita Torres was whisked from his family home in Granada and moved to a monastery in southern India. He had a strange childhood, dressed in a yellow hat, seated on a throne with grown men worshipping him and watching his every move as he grew up. He was separated from his parents and his brothers and sisters for many years.
But at the age of 18 Osel decided to leave the monastery, and cut his ties with Buddhism. He went to high school, and later to film school in Madrid. His defection caused a sensation. He is now 27, and living quietly in Ibiza near his mother Maria. She is a committed Buddhist who still believes that her son is a reincarnation and that it was right to send him to the monastery. Osel has now decided to get involved in Buddhism again, and continue his studies, although he refuses to call himself a lama. Despite his years in the monastery, he is very much a westerner. To his followers, however, he's still known as Lama Osel, and every word he utters is considered to be imbued with wisdom. They want him to return and lead them.
Producer: Beth O'Dea
Music featured in the programme - Yang Chen Ma by Ludo Ji, from the CD Organic Nasha.
Tommy has big celebration plans for Sheila, but then Lewis gets involved.
30 years after sweethearts Tommy Franklin and Sheila Parr won the 1962 Eurovision Song Contest, the musical double-act are back in the big time.
Series 2 of Mike Coleman's six-part sitcom stars June Whitfield and Roy Hudd.
With Pat Coombs, Julian Eardley, Edward Halstead, Paul Rogan and Tracy-Ann Oberman.
Music by Frido Ruth.
Producer: Steve Doherty
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 1999.
Stand-up comic Josh comes to terms with the impending birth of his first child. In the final episode of the series, Josh and his wife Monique's big day finally arrives. Josh has the birth ball and all meditation music but typically, at the crucial moment, disaster strikes.
Written by Josh Howie
Produced by Ashley Blaker
A Black Hat production for BBC Radio 4.
Paranoia sets in when the crew of HMS Troutbridge are charged with a top secret mission.
Stars Leslie Phillips as the Sub-Lieutenant, Jon Pertwee as the Chief Petty Officer, Stephen Murray as the Number One, Ronnie Barker as Captain Bell, Richard Caldicote as Captain Povey and Tenniel Evans as Taffy Goldstein.
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 May 1963.
Kenneth Horne turns journalist for a women's magazine - and Hornerama probes the English.
Starring Kenneth Horne, Kenneth Williams, Hugh Paddick, Betty Marsden and Ron Moody.
Written by Eric Merriman and Barry Took
Music from Pat Lancaster, the Malcolm Mitchell Trio and the BBC Review Orchestra conducted by Paul Fenoulhet.
Announcer: Douglas Smith
A madcap mix of sketches and songs, Beyond Our Ken hit the airwaves in 1958 and ran to 1964 - featuring regulars like Arthur Fallowfield, Cecil Snaith and Rodney and Charles.
The precursor to 'Round The Horne' - sadly only 13 shows survive from the original run of 21 episodes in Series 1. Audio restored using both home and overseas (BBC Transcription Service) recordings.
Producer: Jacques Brown
First broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in July 1958.
Martin Young chairs the quiz looking at lives of the noteworthy and notorious from the history books.
Tackling the biographical teasers are team captains Francis Wheen and Fred Housego with guests Polly Toynbee and Miles Kington.
Producer: Aled Evans
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 1998.
Time-share shock, home shopping revenge - and the perils of redundancy...
The sketch comedy for people growing older disgracefully.
Stars Eleanor Bron, Graeme Garden, Neil Innes, Clive Swift, Roger Blake and Paula Wilcox.
Written by Nicholas Barber and Glenn Dakin, Mike Coleman, Jan Etherington, Graeme Garden, Mike Haskins, Ged Parsons, Bob Sinfield, Chris Thompson and Pete Reynolds.
Script Editor: Ged Parsons.
Music by Ronnie & The Rex and Neil Innes.
Producer: Claire Jones
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 2003.
"Music may go or come but almost always it is African."
Gambian musician, Moses Biama is invited to London to make an album with fading English rock star, Frank.
But the recording doesn't work out the way Frank has planned...
Annie Caulfield's comedy drama about cultural cross purposes and the Music Industry.
Starring Lenny Henry as Moses, Bill Nighy as Frank, Curtis Walker as Moses' brother, Joy Elias-Rilwan as Binta, Donna Croll as Fatima, Joanna Myers as Tara, James Greene as Jack and Mark Straker as the Journalist.
Music composed by Dominique Le Gendre.
Hit single by Neil Arthur and Joe Hagan.
Director: Paul Schlesinger
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1991.
A campaign is started to stop a ring road going through a little wood, but Ruth has an idea. Read by Elizabeth Mansfield.
The eternal triangle.
Going through a mid-life crisis, George is married to the impeccable Sheila and involved with the unpredictable Annabel.
But in the aftermath who was to blame? Did George cheat on Sheila? Was he seduced by Annabel? Or was Annabel his victim?
Three interpretations. Who is to be believed?
Diana Webster's drama stars Celia Imrie as Sheila, John Duttine as George, Clare Holman as Annabel and Sean Hagerty as Dean
Director: Sue Wilson
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2001.
Grace Melbury's timber merchant father starts doubting woodsman Giles's suitability for his daughter. Read by Juliet Stevenson.
In the 1930s the GPO was a model employer, pioneering equal opportunities and offering staff a secure career path. Employees were encouraged to attend academic classes and leisure pursuits, but lateness and inefficiency weren't tolerated.
As Royal Mail faces an uncertain future, Dominic Sandbrook charts the development of the post office and examines its impact on literacy, free speech, commerce and communication. The Post Office has become a cherished social institution, linking people together and extending their vision outward into the wider world.
It's called Royal Mail but it should be known as the People's Post
Writer and Presenter: Dominic Sandbrook
Musicians: Sam Lee, Bella Hardy, Mick Sands, Nick Hart
Historical Consultant: Iain Stevenson
Actors: Morgan George, John Sessions, Simon Tcherniak,
Malcolm Tierney, Jane Whittenshaw
Producer: Joby Waldman
A Somethin Else production for BBC Radio 4.
Frustrated hotel manager Arnold Pilton takes his first steps as an entrepreneur, but it takes Matthew to see the real opportunities...
Christopher Denys' ten-part series set in the booming 1950s seaside resort of Llantwit-on-Sea.
Starring Nerys Hughes as Eirlys Richards, Russell Boulter as Matthew Dolan, Christopher Scott as Arnold Pilton and Terry Molloy as Owain Owen.
Director: Sue Wilson
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2003.
Paul McCartney and John Lennon described him as the Beatles' "favorite group," and yet no figure in popular music is as much of a paradox as Harry Nilsson. A major celebrity at a time when stadium rock was in its infancy and huge concerts and festivals were becoming the norm, Nilsson's instrument was the studio, his stage the dubbing booth, his greatest technical triumphs were masterful examples of studio craft, and he studiously avoided live performance.
He was a gifted composer of songs for a wide variety of performers, having created vivid flights of imagination for the Ronettes, the Yardbirds and the Monkees, yet Nilsson's own biggest hits were almost all written, ironically, by other composers and lyricists. He won two Grammies, had two top ten singles, and numerous album successes. Once described by his producer Richard Perry as "the finest white male singer on the planet," near the end of his life, his career was marked by voice-damaging substance abuse.
Kerry Shale reads extracts from this first ever full-length biography of Nilsson, in which author Alyn Shipton traces Nilsson's life from his Brooklyn childhood to his Los Angeles adolescence, and charts his gradual move into the spotlight as a talented songwriter. With interviews from Nilsson's friends, family and associates, and material drawn from an unfinished draft autobiography Nilsson was writing prior to his death, Shipton probes beneath the enigma and the paradox to discover the real Harry Nilsson, and reveals one of the most creative talents in 20th century popular music.
Reader: Kerry Shale
NILSSON: THE LIFE OF A SINGER-SONGWRITER
BY ALYN SHIPTON
ABRIDGED BY LIBBY SPURRIER
PRODUCER: JOANNA GREEN
A Pier production for BBC Radio 4.
Leon plans for the exciting new way of life that his enhanced mind has revealed. Ted Chiang's thriller read by Rhashan Stone.
The champion of celebratory comedy, Adam Hills chats about some of his most memorable gigs.
Series in which Bruce Morton talks to top stand-up comedians about life, the universe and comedy.
Producer: Carol Purcell
First broadcast on BBC Radio Scotland in Febuary 2006.
6/6: Exit Strategy. In this final episode of the series, Uljabaan is determined to fail his annual inspection, in order to be sent to a better posting. But he'll need Kat and Lucy's help in order to make it work - and he can do without any surprises, such as the identity of the Zone Commander who'll be conducting the inspection...
Welcome To Our Village, Please Invade Carefully is a sitcom about an alien race that have noticed that those all-at-once invasions of Earth never work out that well. So they've locked the small Buckinghamshire village of Cresdon Green behind an impenetrable force field in order to study human behaviour and decide if Earth is worth invading.
The only inhabitant who seems to be bothered by their new alien overlord is Katrina Lyons, who was only home for the weekend to borrow the money for a deposit for a flat when the force field went up. So along with Lucy Alexander (the only teenager in the village, willing to rebel against whatever you've got) she forms The Resistance - slightly to the annoyance of her parents Margaret and Richard who wish she wouldn't make so much of a fuss, and much to the annoyance of Field Commander Uljabaan who, alongside his unintelligible minions and The Computer (his hyperintelligent supercomputer), is trying to actually run the invasion.
Written by Eddie Robson
Script-edited by Arthur Mathews
Produced by Ed Morrish.
The improvised historical family saga's two-part romp about a Victorian travelling circus. Stars Paul Merton. From July 1995.
Can Prentiss and McCabe's medicine help the government sort out the NHS? Stars Stephen Fry and John Bird. From January 2002.
1899: Victorian bookseller-cum-detective Charles Craddock and his niece Lucy investigate mysterious backstage dramas at a London theatre.
Chris Thompson's mystery stars Martin Jarvis as Charles Craddock, Emma Tate as Lucy Greenwood, Struan Rodgers as Grout, David Thorpe as James Price and Colin Pinney as Rufus Weatherby.
Directed by John Taylor.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 5 in 1993.
Clive Anderson, whose father was a bank manager, investigates the demise of the traditional face of our high street banks.
For decades these reliable Captain Mainwarings kept our money safe, were prominent in the Rotary Club and made it their business to know every detail of the local economy. Yet over the years they were gradually phased out, as cash machines and credit cards changed banking for ever, and their risk-averse DNA stood at odds with the desire to sell, sell, sell.
Clive goes in search of the reasons why his father's profession no longer exists, and asks how this change reflects on today's consumer society and the banking industry's rush to lend money.
Interviewees include Duncan Bannatyne, multi-millionaire of Dragon's Den fame, whose branch bank manager set him on the road to a fortune; Sid Brittin, a former old-style Lloyds bank manager, who describes how he had a nervous breakdown under the pressure to meet new targets; John Hackett, HSBC's Chief Operating Officer of Retail, who says that banks are now far more responsive to their customers' needs.
A Perfectly Normal production for BBC Radio 4.
by Katherine Jakeways
Sheila Hancock narrates the bittersweet adventures of the residents of a small market town in Northamptonshire. This week, it's Jan's birthday and she's determined to do something unexpected.
Producer: Steven Canny
As is well-known: Yorkshiremen wear flat caps and Essex girls wear short skirts; Liverpudlians are scallies and Cockneys are wideboys. Northamptonians gaze wistfully at these stereotypes and wish for an identity of any kind and a label less ridiculous than Northamptonians. Northamptonshire, let us be clear, is neither north, nor south nor in the Midlands. It floats somewhere between the three eyeing up the distinctiveness of each enviously. Now Katherine Jakeways is giving Northamptonshire an identity. And she waits, eagerly, for her home-county to thank her. And possibly make her some kind of Mayor.
Joined by nearly all of the incredible cast which graced Series One and Two - including Sheila Hancock as the Narrator, Penelope Wilton, Felicity Montagu, Geoffrey Palmer and Kevin Eldon - and with the exciting addition of Tim Key and Nathaniel Parker - North by Northamptonshire hopes (and promises) to once again delight audience and critics.
'The laughs are cruel, but the monsters of suburbia are curiously sympathetic, and the characters so well drawn and well played that this could run and run.' Time Out.
Hosted by Ahir Shah, Fresh From the Fringe showcases the best comedy from the Edinburgh Festival including performances from Olga Koch, Rosie Jones, Anuvab Pal and sketch comedy duo Egg.
Fresh From The Fringe was produced by Suzy Grant and is a BBC Studios production.
Finally losing patience with Sir Humphrey, MP Jim Hacker's big plans to slim down the Civil Service come home to roost.
Starring Paul Eddington as Jim Hacker, Nigel Hawthorne as Sir Humphrey Appleby and Derek Fowldes as Bernard.
With Bill Nighy as Frank Weisel, Peter Cellier as Sir Frederick and Tenniel Evans as the Foreign Secretary.
Antony Jay and Jonathan Lynn satirical sitcom ran on BBC TV between 1980 and 1984. Yes Minister is centred around the hapless Jim Hacker and a collection of civil service underlings headed by the Machiavellian Sir Humphrey Appleby and obsequious Bernard.
Adapted for radio by producer Pete Atkin.
First broadcast on Radio 4 in 1983.
With the revelation that Neddie was once mass-produced, can the original be found? Stars Harry Secombe. From November 1956.
Consumer champion Esther Rantzen quizzes a panel about herself.
With Sue Perkins, Lucy Porter, Will Smith and Robin Ince.
Series with changing hosts who quiz the panel.
Script by Richard Turner and Simon LIttlefield
Devised and produced by Aled Evans.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2007.
Maud seeks solace in Test Match Special while Alison gets in a flap over a bird fancier.
Second of two series of Sue Limb's Bed and Breakfast sitcom about sisters Alison and Maud and their guests at the Abbeyfield Guest House in Norwich.
Starring Denise Coffey as Alison, Miriam Margolyes as Maud, Chris Emmett as Mr Mullett and Geoffrey Whitehead as Bernard.
Producer: Jonathan James-Moore.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 2004.
Martin Guerre lived in the Pyrenean village of Artigat and was charged with being an impostor on his return after an absence of eight years.
But the trial left many questions unanswered.
Two-part dramatisation by Guy Meredith from the trial notes of the 16th-century French judge, Jean de Coras.
Starring Sean Bean as Martin Guerre and Lesley Dunlop as his wife Bertrande.
Jean de Coras... Olivier Pierre
Sanxi Guerre... Alex Norton
Pierre Guerre... Andrew Melville
Andreu de Rols... John Church
Mme de Rols... Jill Graham
Priest... John Webb
Jean de Loze... Jonathan Adams
Jean d'Escorneboeuf... Keith Drinkel
Catherine Boeri... Siriol Jenkins
Other parts played by John Fleming, Steve Hodson, Geraldine Fitzgerald, Jo Kendall, Federay Holmes, Peter Penry Jones, Eric Allan and Peter Gunn. With Henry Power and Anna Abrahams as the children.
Director: Janet Whitaker
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1992.
When a special gun is auctioned, one collector is alarmed to end up facing the wrong end of the barrel. Read by Joe Dunlop.
An old man has a tale to tell about a piper, a mare and a town plagued with rats.
But no one wants to listen, unless his story makes good TV...
Dave Sheasby's drama stars Bernard Cribbins as Jack, Geraldine Fitzgerald as Kate, Colin Salmon as Gruchen, Giles Fagan as Dave and Andrew Wincott as Nurse Downs.
Music composed and performed by Keith Waite.
Director: Pam Fraser Solomon
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2000.
Ambition and attraction coincide when Grace Melbury encounters young Doctor Fitzpiers. Read by Juliet Stevenson.
When a national post-code system was introduced in the 1970s it met with fierce resistance: from postal workers, concerned about the pace of change, and a general public incensed by "useless symbols". Intended to aid sorting mechanisation, today postcodes are used by geodemographic databases to classify households for the benefit of commerce, government services and political canvassing.
As Royal Mail faces an uncertain future, Dominic Sandbrook charts the development of the post office and examines its impact on literacy, free speech, commerce and communication. The Post Office has become a cherished social institution, linking people together and extending their vision outward into the wider world.
It's called Royal Mail but it should be known as the People's Post
Writer and Presenter: Dominic Sandbrook
Musicians: Sam Lee, Bella Hardy, Mick Sands, Nick Hart
Historical Consultant: Iain Stevenson
Actors: Morgan George, John Sessions, Simon Tcherniak,
Malcolm Tierney, Jane Whittenshaw
Producer: Joby Waldman
A Somethin Else production for BBC Radio 4.
Llantwit-on-Sea's bandmaster Jenks decides he wants to marry Eirlys - but first he needs to hire a private detective...
Christopher Denys' ten-part series set in the booming 1950s seaside resort of Llantwit-on-Sea.
Starring Nerys Hughes as Eirlys Richards, Russell Boulter as Matthew Dolan, Iwan Thomas as Iorweth Jenkins, Siriol Jenkins as Gwenny Jenkins and David Holt as PC Ianto Evans.
Director: Sue Wilson
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2003.
Paul McCartney and John Lennon described him as the Beatles' "favorite group," and yet no figure in popular music is as much of a paradox as Harry Nilsson. A major celebrity at a time when stadium rock was in its infancy and huge concerts and festivals were becoming the norm, Nilsson's instrument was the studio, his stage the dubbing booth, his greatest technical triumphs were masterful examples of studio craft, and he studiously avoided live performance.
He was a gifted composer of songs for a wide variety of performers, having created vivid flights of imagination for the Ronettes, the Yardbirds and the Monkees, yet Nilsson's own biggest hits were almost all written, ironically, by other composers and lyricists. He won two Grammies, had two top ten singles, and numerous album successes. Once described by his producer Richard Perry as "the finest white male singer on the planet," near the end of his life, his career was marked by voice-damaging substance abuse.
Kerry Shale reads from this first ever full-length biography of Nilsson, in which author Alyn Shipton traces Nilsson's life from his Brooklyn childhood to his Los Angeles adolescence, and charts his gradual move into the spotlight as a talented songwriter. With interviews from Nilsson's friends, family and associates, and material drawn from an unfinished draft autobiography Nilsson was writing prior to his death, Shipton probes beneath the enigma and the paradox to discover the real Harry Nilsson, and reveals one of the most creative talents in 20th century popular music.
Credits:
NILSSON: THE LIFE OF A SINGER-SONGWRITER
BY ALYN SHIPTON
ABRIDGED BY LIBBY SPURRIER
READER: KERRY SHALE
PRODUCER: JOANNA GREEN.
Reynolds and Leon prepare for a battle of minds. Who will survive? The climax of Ted Chiang's thriller read by Rhashan Stone.
4 Extra Debut. Media executive and broadcaster Greg Dyke chooses explorer Captain James Cook. With Humphrey Carpenter. From December 2002.
The biographical series in which a distinguished guest chooses someone who's inspired their life. Will their hero stand up to intensive scrutiny and merit the description of having led a great life?
Sketch show from Manchester's Comedy Store with Robin Ince, Helen Moon, Smug Roberts and Kate Ward. From August 2001.
After a rift in the partnership, Sean moves to the Antarctic. Ten years later, Hamish decides to go and find him. With Sean Foley, Hamish McColl, Michael Parkinson. From March 2003.
Sitcom by James Cary, set in Bletchley Park in 1941.
Three code-breakers are forced to share a draughty wooden hut as they try to break German ciphers. Unfortunately, they hate each other.
Charles ...... Robert Bathurst
Archie ...... Tom Goodman-Hill
Minka...... Olivia Colman
Gordon ...... Fergus Craig
Mrs Best ...... Lill Roughley
Joshua ...... Alex MacQueen.
A lonely heart calls her gay best friend for help, dodgy advice on the airwaves - and a mother tries to soothe a crying baby...
Bleak, funny and confusing tales of urban life, after dark.
Stars Paul Merton, Liz Smith, Richard Wilson, Julian Clary, Meera Syal, Julie Balloo, Tilly Vosburgh and Archie.
Scripted by Mandy Wheeler, Joss Bennathan, Rob Colley, Paul Merton, Jo Brooks and Julie Balloo.
Music by Robert Katz.
Producer: Sarah Parkinson
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in June 2001.
Roger McGough is joined by Helen Atkinson-Wood, Philip Jackson and Richie Webb in a hilarious and surreal new sketch show for BBC Radio 4. With sketches about Fandom, Fatherhood and 17th Century France, you'll hear his familiar voice in a whole new light. Expect merriment and melancholy in equal measures, and a whisker of witty wordplay too. Produced by Victoria Lloyd.
How does Maud manage to come up trumps in the middle of the night?
First of two series of Sue Limb's Bed and Breakfast sitcom about sisters Alison and Maud and their guests at the Abbeyfield Guest House in Norwich.
Starring Denise Coffey as Alison, Miriam Margolyes as Maud, Chris Emmett as Mr Mullett, Geoffrey Whitehead as Mr Ducket and Judy Flynn as Mrs Ducket.
Producer: Jonathan James-Moore.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 2002.
Spring, 1900: The reappearance of a woman from his past persuades Victorian private investigator Charles Craddock to help find her kidnapped husband in France, but niece Lucy realises there are hidden perils.
Chris Thompson's mystery stars Martin Jarvis as Charles Craddock, Emma Tate as Lucy Greenwood, Struan Rodgers as Grout, Frances Jeater as Isabelle Vallance and Stephen Thorne as Leopold Kransky.
Directed by Chris Thompson.
Producer: John Taylor
First broadcast on BBC Radio 5 in 1993.
Fashion writer Colin McDowell recalls the rise of the miniskirt and Yves Saint Laurent's 1959 House of Dior collection, which introduced hemlines above the knee, and the shocked reactions of society.
The press were agog at these developments, and even some Dior staff thought that Saint Laurent's designs had gone too far. At the same time in Britain, short skirts became increasingly popular with young women.
McDowell talks to one of the most important designers of the period, Mary Quant, as well as representatives of today's fashion industry, and wonders if womenswear will ever be as shocking again.
An All Out production for BBC Radio 4.
Bossy Rosie and William irk old rogue Winston whose thoughts turns to 'The Forsyte Saga'.
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 4 in April 1994.
The fourth instalment in this acclaimed, occasional series in which acclaimed, occasional writer Henry Normal uses poetry, stories and comedy to tackle those subjects so big only radio can possibly contain them.
In this new episode Henry looks at imagination, perception and how we express ourselves through art and creativity.
From the first cave paintings through to Henry's own experiences of creating, writing and producing some of Britain's best loved comedies over the years, Henry explores the wonders of the human imagination.
Henry Normal is a multi-award winning writer, producer and poet. Co-writer of award winning television programmes such as The Royle Family, The Mrs Merton Show, Coogan's Run and Paul Calf, and producer of, amongst many others, Oscar-nominated Philomena, Gavin and Stacey and Alan Partridge.
He has published several volumes of poetry, including Travelling Second Class Through Hope, Staring Directly at the Eclipse and his new volume, Raining Upwards. And his memoir, A Normal Family: Everyday adventures with our autistic son.
Praise for previous episodes - 'A Normal Family', 'A Normal Life' and 'A Normal Love':
"It's a rare and lovely thing: half an hour of radio that stops you short, gently demands your attention and then wipes your tears away while you have to have a little sit down."
"It's a real treat to hear a seasoned professional like Henry taking command of this evening comedy spot to deliver a show that's idiosyncratic and effortlessly funny."
"Not heard anything that jumps from hilarious to moving in such an intelligent, subtle way as Henry Normal's show.".
Hard times for Radio Prune - are ads the answer? Plus one woman's struggle to get a phone.
Starring Tim Brooke-Taylor, John Cleese, Graeme Garden, David Hatch, Jo Kendall and Bill Oddie.
Sketches written by Graeme Garden and Bill Oddie
Originating from the Cambridge University Footlights revue 'Cambridge Circus', ISIRTA ran for 8 years on BBC Radio and quickly developed a cult following.
Music and songs by Graeme Garden, Liam Cohen and Dave Lee.
Producer: David Hatch/Peter Titheradge
First broadcast on the BBC Radio 2 in March 1970.
Student medic Simon Sparrow gets saddled with vampish landlady, Mrs Robinson.
The misadventures of student doctor Simon Sparrow - adapted for radio by Ray Cooney from Richard Gordon's novel 'Doctor in the House' published in 1952.
Starring Richard Briers as Simon Sparrow, Geoffrey Sumner as Sir Lancelot Spratt, Ray Cooney as Tony Benskin, Edward Cast as Taffy Evans, Norma Ronald as Vera and Ann Murray as Mrs Robinson.
Producer: David Hatch
Recorded at the BBC Paris studio in London.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 1968.
Rhod Gilbert's comedy quiz from the Glee Club in Cardiff.
With Markus Birdman, Lloyd Langford, Chris Corcoran and Steve Williams.
Producers: Paul Forde and Gareth Gwynn.
First broadcast on BBC Radio Wales in 2006.
"I've never seen Clare so sure of herself. Or so sure of anything."
With Julian back on the scene, Clare is ecstatic. But her mother Sarah has concerns.
Simon Brett's comedy about three generations of women - struggling to cope after the death of Sarah's GP husband - who never quite manage to see eye to eye.
Stars Prunella Scales as Sarah, Joan Sanderson as Eleanor, Benjamin Whitrow as Russell, Gerry Cowper as Clare and Jasper Jacob as Julian.
Producer: Pete Atkin
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 1989.
Martin Guerre's wife, Bertrande, has accepted him on his return after eight years' absence and borne him two further children.
But then she accuses him of being an impostor...
Conclusion of a two-part dramatisation by Guy Meredith from the trial notes of the 16th-century French judge, Jean de Coras.
Starring Sean Bean as Martin Guerre and Lesley Dunlop as Bertrande.
Jean de Coras..... Olivier Pierre
Bertrande's Mother... Jill Graham
Pierre Guerre.... Andrew Melville
Sanglas.... Steve Hodson
Mme Sanglas.... Geraldine Fitzgerald
Francoise.... Jo Kendall
Carbon Barrau.... Peter Gunn
Guillem.... Eric Allan
Shepherd / Dominique Pujol... John Fleming
Magistrate .... Peter Penry Jones
Other parts played by Federay Holmes, John Church, Keith Drinkel, Jonathan Adams, John Webb and Siriol Jenkins.
Director: Janet Whitaker
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1992.
Made for 4 Extra. Luke Jones joins Amanda Litherland to recommend political podcasts. Including Slow Burn, an in depth look at the Clinton impeachment, and Caliphate, which examines ISIS.
Doctor Fitzpiers and Grace Melbury's paths cross on Midsummer's Eve in Little Hintock. Read by Juliet Stevenson.
In 1969 the post office ceased being a government industry to become a nationalised industry. It avoided being sold off in the 1980s, only to face even bigger challenges in the 2000s: sustaining the costs of a huge labour force, and rivalry from digital communications. As it sits on the brink of privatisation, what does the Royal Mail mean today?
As Royal Mail faces an uncertain future, Dominic Sandbrook charts the development of the post office and examines its impact on literacy, free speech, commerce and communication. The Post Office has become a cherished social institution, linking people together and extending their vision outward into the wider world.
It's called Royal Mail but it should be known as the People's Post
Writer and Presenter: Dominic Sandbrook
Musicians: Sam Lee, Bella Hardy, Mick Sands, Nick Hart
Historical Consultant: Iain Stevenson
Actors: Morgan George, John Sessions, Simon Tcherniak,
Malcolm Tierney, Jane Whittenshaw
Producer: Joby Waldman
A Somethin Else production for BBC Radio 4.
Deck-chair attendant and fisherman, Cox'n Hughes is victimised by the local fishing community.
Matthew decides to find out why.
Christopher Denys' ten-part series set in the booming 1950s seaside resort of Llantwit-on-Sea.
Starring Nerys Hughes as Eirlys Richards, Russell Boulter as Matthew Dolan, Andy Hockley as Cox'n Hughes, Owen Garmon as Round-the-Bay Baynon and Keith Drinkel as Griff Gadabout.
Director: Sue Wilson
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2003.
Paul McCartney and John Lennon described him as the Beatles' "favorite group," and yet no figure in popular music is as much of a paradox as Harry Nilsson. A major celebrity at a time when stadium rock was in its infancy and huge concerts and festivals were becoming the norm, Nilsson's instrument was the studio, his stage the dubbing booth, his greatest technical triumphs were masterful examples of studio craft, and he studiously avoided live performance.
He was a gifted composer of songs for a wide variety of performers, having created vivid flights of imagination for the Ronettes, the Yardbirds and the Monkees, yet Nilsson's own biggest hits were almost all written, ironically, by other composers and lyricists. He won two Grammies, had two top ten singles, and numerous album successes. Once described by his producer Richard Perry as "the finest white male singer on the planet," near the end of his life, his career was marked by voice-damaging substance abuse.
Kerry Shale reads extracts from this first ever full-length biography of Nilsson, in which author Alyn Shipton traces Nilsson's life from his Brooklyn childhood to his Los Angeles adolescence, and charts his gradual move into the spotlight as a talented songwriter. With interviews from Nilsson's friends, family and associates, and material drawn from an unfinished draft autobiography Nilsson was writing prior to his death, Shipton probes beneath the enigma and the paradox to discover the real Harry Nilsson, and reveals one of the most creative talents in 20th century popular music.
Credits:
NILSSON: THE LIFE OF A SINGER-SONGWRITER
BY ALYN SHIPTON
ABRIDGED BY LIBBY SPURRIER
Reader: Kerry Shale
PRODUCER: JOANNA GREEN
A Pier production for BBC Radio 4.
At the break of dawn, an astronaut and engineer is stranded on an asteroid too close to the sun.
It's a race against time for Colin Sherrard. After an accident, he wakes up on the asteroid, Icarus, which orbits close to the sun. Dawn is only moments away and it's set to get very hot.
With nowhere to hide and his communication is down, can Colin escape before the first rays of the sun find him..?
Read by Tim Pigott-Smith
Arthur C Clarke is one of the world's best-known and most celebrated Sci-Fi writers. His short story "The Sentinel" was the inspiration for Kubrick's seminal film, 2001: A Space Odyssey. Since he began publishing in the 1940s, Clarke displayed an uncanny ability to predict the future. Alongside his literary achievements, he's recognised as the inventor of the communication satellite, a theory he first expounded in a 1945 article, "Extraterrestrial Relays".
Arthur C Clarke: 1917 - 2008
Producer: Gemma Jenkins
Made for BBC 7 and first broadcast in 2005.
John Wilson continues with his new series 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 2, the B-side. Having discussed the making of "If I Could Only Remember My Name", his 1971 album (in the A-side of the programme, broadcast on Monday 18th November and available online), David Crosby responds to questions from the audience and performs live versions of some the tracks from that debut solo album and from his as yet unreleased solo album, "Croz"
Complete versions of the songs performed in the programme (and others) can be heard on the 'Mastertapes' pages on the Radio 4 website, where the programmes can also be downloaded and other musical goodies accessed.
Producer: Paul Kobrak.
Award-winning comedian, Jayde Adams takes us on a journey to the 2018 Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
A Fringe veteran, she gets amongst it, taking us from the big glitzy theatres to the sweaty underground venues where the best shows you've never heard of perform.
This is the full Edinburgh Festival Fringe experience, but in your ears.
A BBC Studios Production.
Local government officer Martin Christmas makes an unusual visit to the fire station. Stars Reece Dinsdale. From October 2006.
It's 1993 and the party of the loony right and centre sweeps to power. Stars Robert Glenister and Rory Bremner. From May 1987.