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 Home Now on 4Extra Contact

RADIO-LISTS: BBC RADIO 4 Extra
Unofficial Weekly Listings for BBC Radio 4 Extra — supported by bbc.co.uk/programmes/



SATURDAY 29 DECEMBER 2018

SAT 00:00 Dermot Bolger - Haunting Women (b016q02f)
The Riding Crop

A bitter dispute between sisters 200 years ago means a precious wedding gift must be cared for in the present.


SAT 00:15 Matt Haig - The Keepers (b047d0wn)
Matt Haig's vision in which a man wonders from his cage in a zoo what it means to be human. In a letter to his daughter he describes the events leading up to the moment humankind's supremacy came to an end.

Read by Barnaby Kay
Produced by Gemma Jenkins

Bestselling author of The Humans, A Boy Called Christmas and How To Stay Alive.


SAT 00:30 Off the Page (b04cnqz1)
Countryside

Rock critic Neil McCormick, poet Dorothea Smartt and writer Andy Miller share their love and fear of rural Britain.

Matthew Parris introduces a group of writers of fact and fiction: new talent and established names. In the context of a discussion of one of the ideas and pre-occupations of our times, each presents a piece on this week's topic.

The best new writing and the freshest conversation from 2002.


SAT 01:00 Miss Marple (b007jvbc)
They Do It With Mirrors

Episode 4

Someone is systematically trying to poison Miss Marple's old friend, Carrie Louise. But who - and why?

Agatha Christie's whodunit stars June Whitfield as Miss Marple. With Ursula Howells as Carrie Louise, Keith Barron as Inspector Curry, Rebecca Lacey as Gina Hudd, Natasha Pyne as Mildred Strete and Nick Waring as Alexis Restarick.

From the book first published in 1952 and dramatised by Michael Bakewell.

Director: Enyd Williams

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2001.


SAT 01:30 About the Boys (b03mfvlc)
From a solo boy chorister singing "Once in Royal David's City" at King's College, Cambridge on Christmas Eve to Aled Jones hitting the Top 10 with "Walking in the Air", the voice of the boy treble has long held a fascination for composers and audiences. But why? Is it because of its impermanence or what it implies about our notions of boyhood? Or is it just the sheer soaring quality?

Christopher Gabbitas knows about being a treble because, as a child, he was a chorister at Rochester Cathedral. He's now a baritone with the world famous a cappella group "The King's Singers", but he remembers his treble days and the repertoire he sang, with great affection. In this programme he asks what it is about the singing voice of a boy which can inspire a range of reactions. And he finds out how different composers through the centuries have used- and continue to gain inspiration from - the treble voice.

Among the people he talks to are his King's Singer colleague, Paul Phoenix, who became famous in the 1970s as the treble soloist for the theme music to the BBC's drama series "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy".

Christopher also meets academic Martin Ashley to hear how the sound of boys' voices has changed over the decades.

And he eavesdrops on a singing lesson to hear what makes a successful treble sound.

We also hear about the way in which composers in opera have used boy's voices from Handel to Britten and into the present day.

And there's an interview with the film composer Elliot Goldenthal who's used treble voices in his scores for "Alien 3" and "Interview with the Vampire".

Producer: Emma Kingsley


SAT 02:00 Book at Bedtime (b040lwwb)
History of the Rain

Episode 5

We are our stories. We tell them to stay alive or to keep alive those who only live now in the telling.

19-year-old Ruth Swain is lying in her childhood home in the small Irish village of Faha in the attic room at the top of the stairs in the bed which her father had to construct in situ and which turned out to be as much boat as bed. She has Something Wrong with her, having collapsed during her fresher year at Trinity in Dublin, and finds herself bedbound in the attic room beneath the rain, in the margins between this world and the next.

Ruth is in search of her father. To understand the father she has lost. To find him Ruth journeys through the ancestry of the curious Swain family - from the Reverend Swain her great-grandfather, to her grandfather Abraham to her father Virgil – and in doing so discovers an enchanting story of pole-vaulting, soldiering, stubbornness, leaping salmon, poetry, the pursuit of the Impossible Standard, and the wild rain-sodden history of fourteen acres of the worst farming land in Ireland. Above all, Ruth embarks on a journey through books. Three thousand, nine hundred and fifty-eight books to be precise, which are piled high and line the walls of her attic room. As Ruth searches for her father in their pages, her story becomes a vital, witty and poignant celebration of imagination, books, love and the healing power of storytelling.

Niall Williams is also the author of bestselling novels including As It is In Heaven, The Fall of the Light, Only Say the Word and Four Letters of Love.

Abridged by Doreen Estall

Read by Ailish Symons

Producer: Heather Larmour

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2014.


SAT 02:15 The Invention of Childhood (b00s9f4y)
A Thousand Histories and Fables

Michael Morpurgo learns about the impact of printing, and how it raised fears among adults that it was corrupting children.


SAT 02:30 Charlotte Bronte - The Professor (b00m1tfr)
Deceit

William now finds himself attracted to the fascinating Zoraide Reuter, head of the girls' school. But not everything is as it seems...

The least-known of Charlotte Bronte's novels: a subtle, ambiguous and unsettling love story dramatised in ten parts by Rachel Joyce.

Starring Paul Venables as William Crimsworth, Roger May as Pelet and Niamh Cusack as Zoraide Reuter.

Director: Tracey Neale

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2005.


SAT 02:45 Book of the Week (b04vjh7p)
Stories in the Stars

26/12/2014

A seasonal reading for clear and frosty nights, when the skies sparkle with thousands of dots forming half remembered, almost traceable shapes. These are the stories behind the names and shapes of the constellations that pattern the night sky.

Stories In The Stars by Susanna Hislop is read by a range of voices and accents from around the country and the globe. It might be one of the stories that the great Egyptian astronomer Ptolemy assigned to them in his masterwork that became known as the Almagest, or it might be a personified first person narration from the constellation Chameleon having a grumble about the number of different names and imagined shapes assigned to him over the millennia.

From Greco-Roman mythology to the lives of the eighteenth century astronomers, this is a delightful miscellany which gives us a reason to step outside, look up and wonder at the magic lantern show above us.

Readers: Colman Domingo, Paul Copley, Maggie Steed

Episode Five:
Virgo - The Maiden points towards Spring. Canis Major is leader of the pack.

Abridged, directed and produced by Jill Waters
A Waters Company production for BBC Radio 4


SAT 03:00 Charles Dickens - The Pickwick Papers (b007jzkz)
Christmas and a Wedding

Back from Ipswich, Samuel Pickwick prepares for his Christmas visit to Dingley Dell...

Charles Dickens 1837 novel dramatised in eight parts by Barry Campbell and Constance Cox.

Charles Dickens ..... Simon Cadell
Mr Pickwick ... Freddie Jones
Mr Winkle .... Philip Bond
Mr Tupman ..... Michael Graham Cox
Mr Snodgrass .... Stephen Thorne
Sam Weller ... Douglas Livingstone
Tony Weller .... John Hollis
Mrs Weller .... Stella Tanner
Mr Stiggins .... Christopher Benjamin
Mr Wardle --- Jack May
Old Mrs Wardle .... Kathleen Helme
Emily .... Heather Bell
Isabella .... Anne Rosenfeld
Arabella Allen .... Rosalind Ayres
Ben Allen ..... Tim Piggott Smith
Bob Sawyer .... Nigel Anthony
Joe .... Michael Troughton
Emma ... Jane Knowles
Coachman ... Michael Goldie
Mr Trundle .... Kenneth Shanley

Director: Jane Morgan

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1977.


SAT 04:00 Bernard Cribbins (m0001sk6)
Punch Line

For his 90th birthday, Bernard Cribbins looks back to his panellist role on Radio 2’s 1975 comedy quiz ‘Punch Line’.

Bernard, Bob Monkhouse and June Whitfield throw the punches.

Terry Wogan referees.

From an idea by MYLES RUDGE , who also wrote the sketches

Producer EDWARD TAYLOR

First Broadcast on BBC Radio 2 in 1975


SAT 04:30 Life in London (b0121lz3)
An End to Life in London

With Bob "on the Fleet" for debts, Tom betrayed by Kate and Jerry so fatigued that rustication is recommended, is this an end to the trio's adventures?

Some years on, an older, more reflective Egan ruminates on the heyday of Life in London.

Conclusion of Pierce Egan’s 19th-century comic novel adapted in six-parts by Dan Tetsell.

Pierce Egan ... Geoffrey McGivern
Theodore Holt ... Giles Taylor
Corinthian Tom ... Greg Wise
George Sala ... Ben Graves
Jerry Hawthorn Mark Gatiss
Fanny Margaret ... Cabourn Smith
Bob Logic ... James Bachman
Corinthian Kate ... Amanda Abbington

Original music by Ben Walker

Producer: Tilusha Ghelani

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in June 2006.


SAT 05:00 Trapped (b0076h5p)
A Boy in a Well

A local TV news team are desperate for a dramatic story to boost their ratings.

Pennine News Network needs a big story to go national and keep them all employed. So when 9-year-old boy falls down a well - will he be trapped long enough for the team to keep their jobs?

Black comedy by Mark Maier and Daniel Maier.

Ben .... Paul Popplewell
Trevor .... Chris Pavlo
Mrs Pickery .... Catherine Tate
MacFee .... Ralph Ineson
Becky .... Catherine Shepherd
Mike .... Paul Copley
Stuart .... Philip Jackson

Producer: Alex Walsh-Taylor

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 2003.


SAT 05:30 The Shuttleworths (m0001q6g)
Visiting Time

John Shuttleworth has to combine his Christmas Broadcast with a visit to the local hospital, as his friend Alan the Opera Singer is in for tests.

John’s wife Mary, along with Ken Worthington and Joan Chitty, accompany him to the hospital for the day trip. Once the rather expensive fee has been paid in the hospital car park, the ladies go off to the café and hospital shop while John and Ken visit the patient.

John has his trusty keyboard with him to play Alan a Christmas medley, but, when he arrives at the ward, Alan is nowhere to be found and his bed is worryingly empty. As Ken begins to panic about Alan’s state of health, John sings his new song Going Rapidly Downhill to take his mind off Alan’s disappearance.

When Joan turns up with some mistletoe, John decides it’s time to go looking for Alan – especially as his tummy is rumbling.

Written and performed by Graham Fellows
Produced by Dawn Ellis
A Chic Ken production for BBC Radio 4


SAT 06:00 Hood (b070n8g7)
Noble Secrets

England, 1201: King John reigns and Phillip De Nicholay, Sheriff of Nottingham, is in trouble. The treasury is empty, looted by his former friend; his position and hopes of marrying the Lady Marion are in danger. His only hope is to recover the money. To do that though, he'll need the help of the notorious outlaws of Sherwood Forest. Phillip is about to learn that his actions will be the making of the man they will come to call Robin Hood.

Stars Lee Ingleby as Philip De Nicholay, Peter Greenall as Little John, Damian Cooper as Will Scarlet and Sean Connolly as Brother Tuck.

Director: Iain Meadows.

Produced by Iain Meadows and Matt Hopper for Spiteful Puppet Entertainment.


SAT 07:15 Lady Curzon and a Pineapple (b00cm6ww)
Ian Peacock picks up his spoon and delves into the history of "The King of Fruits".

The "most wanted" additions to any early 20th-century dinner party were said to have been Lady Curzon and a Pineapple. The former for her wit and charms, the latter for its taste, of course, but also for its status as a symbol of wealth and exoticism. Pineapples are believed to have been discovered by Columbus in 1493, and by the 18th century they were so sought-after that many wealthy landowners were attempting to grow them here in Britain. Some were successfully grown as far north as Falkirk in Central Scotland.

Lucinda Lambton discusses pineapple representation in architecture here and abroad, while Ian meets a young pineapple grower and tastes a one cooked to an ancient recipe on a spit over an open fire.

Producer: Caroline Barbour

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2005.


SAT 07:30 Britain in a Box (m0001sh1)
Series 1

It's Only a Game

Paul Jackson explores how locking strangers in the Big Brother house became the TV phenomenon of a new millennium.

The show, which spawned the reality genre, proved that showing ordinary people could make great TV, thereby democratising the celebrity process. And viewers, who watched in their millions, could change the story as it went on.

Includes insights from John De Mol, the Dutchman who dreamt up The Golden Cage (which later became Big Brother); Tim Gardam, the man who brought it to Channel 4 in July 2000; and former contestants Anthea Turner and Nick Bateman.

Producer: Paul Kobrak

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2003.


SAT 08:00 Archive on 4 (b00765kl)
Twice Nightly

For many years Variety, with its brilliant stars, singers, comedians, chorus girls and novelty acts was the lifeblood of British live entertainment.

Veteran variety star Stan Stennett recreates the heyday of the British variety theatre, revisiting some of its greatest moments and its most enduring stars ... and recalls the shared triumphs and tribulations of a profession whose performers trod the boards twice-nightly in theatres, halls and piers from one end of the country to the other.

Researched and written by Roger Stennett.

Producer: Sara Davies

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2001.


SAT 09:00 The Game's Afoot: Sherlock Holmes Special (b00cm07d)
Hear the evidence gathered clue by clue - as Sherlock Holmes enthusiast, Nick Utechin investigates how the Baker Street sleuth has been portrayed on radio across the decades.

Stretching from the Forties to the Noughties, this 3 hour showcase of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle great detective features some rare recordings of Holmes and Watson in action:

* The Adventure of the Speckled Band (17/05/1945)
Why did Helen Stoner's twin sister die in mysterious circumstances on the eve of her wedding? Stars Cedric Hardwicke as Sherlock Holmes and Finlay Curry as Dr Watson.

* The Red-Headed League (19/10/1954);
The strange case of an ad seeking only red-haired men… Stars Ralph Richardson as Holmes and John Gielgud as Watson.

* The Boscombe Valley Mystery (12/12/1966)
The sleuth probes a murder in Herefordshire, but the crime's roots are down under. Stars Carleton Hobbs as Holmes and Norman Shelley as Watson.

* The Return of Sherlock Holmes: The Solitary Cyclist (17/03/1993)
The sleuth investigates who's following music teacher Violet Smith. Stars Clive Merrison as Holmes and Michael Williams as Watson.

* The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes: The Abergavenny Murder (18/05/2004)
When a man dies in his Baker Street apartment, the detective is bound to investigate. Stars Clive Merrison as Holmes and Andrew Sachs as Watson.

Plus: Nick talks to writer and dramatist Bert Coules.

Produced by Sarah Wade for BBC Radio 4 Extra.


SAT 12:00 Flying the Flag (b00sxjmy)
Series 2

No Sudden Moves

“It's hard enough coping with adult life as it is, without having children going about being cleverer than you are.”

East meets West in an epic chess game where politics, pride and chicken nuggets are at stake...

Alex Shearer's Eastern bloc embassy sitcom.

Starring Dinsdale Landen as HM Ambassador Mackenzie, Peter Acre as William Frost, Moir Leslie as Helen Waterson, Christopher Benjamin as Colonel Surikov and Richard Pearce as Keith Branley.

Producer: Pete Atkin

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 1988.


SAT 12:30 Dilemma (b03w0j4d)
Series 3

Episode 4

Sue Perkins puts Nick Doody, Angela Barnes, Dominic Lawson and Cush Jumbo through the moral and ethical wringer.

The panellists attempt to resolve dilemmas based around horses and awkward family situations, plus a real-life dilemma about identity and an attempt to help an audience member with affairs of the heart.

Devised by Danielle Ward.

Producer: Ed Morrish.


SAT 13:00 Good News Stories (Omnibus) (m0001sh4)
Five short contemporary dramas inspired by stories from the old and new testaments. There’s a plague of frogs, a visitation from an angel and even a miracle - maybe. In anxious, godless times, there is still a chance of redemption.

Five drama gems from much-loved playwright Katie Hims.

LAURA ..... Nadia Clifford
MR VENTURA ..... Michael Bertenshaw
LEILA ..... Jayda Pryce
MOSES ..... Joseph Nicholas
AMBER ..... Ella Purton

Director ..... Mary Peate

First broadcast in five parts on BBC Radio 4 in December 2018.


SAT 14:10 Inheritance Tracks (m0001sh6)
Stephen Mangan

The actor chooses ‘I Recall A Gypsy Woman’ by Don Williams and ‘Who Knows Where the Time Goes?’ by Fairport Convention.


SAT 14:15 Frankly Speaking (b05t3f72)
Harold Lloyd

Silent film comedy great, Harold Lloyd, answers questions from Liam O'Leary and Peter Duval Smith.

Heralding from the same era as Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton, Harold Lloyd was one of the most popular film comedians of the golden age of silent film. After starting acting aged just 12, Lloyd reveals he never wanted to be a matinee idol. He also attributes his success to a good cameraman and carefully crafted stunts.

Launched in 1952, Frankly Speaking was a completely novel and ground breaking BBC series. Initially there were three interviewers and the series was both unrehearsed and unscripted.

First broadcast on the BBC Home Service in 1962.


SAT 14:45 Kenneth Williams - Ad Lib (b05qdpnl)
Episode 1

Kenneth Williams presents the first of a compendium of entertaining reminiscences and personal opinions recorded in front of an audience at BBC Pebble Mill.

Beginning with the tale of his trip to Lichfield - the literary home of Samuel Johnson - the master raconteur shares tales of historical people and places.

Williams winds his way through stories of writers, buildings, the death of Thomas Cromwell and the funding of wars - and touches on the monarchy, the legal system and anecdotes of Prime Ministers past.

Produced by Michael Ford

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1982.


SAT 15:00 Archive on 4 (b00765kl)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]


SAT 16:00 Hood (b070n8g7)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]


SAT 17:15 Lady Curzon and a Pineapple (b00cm6ww)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:15 today]


SAT 17:30 Britain in a Box (m0001sh1)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]


SAT 18:00 Nick Stafford - The Fire Inside (b0075gpk)
A stranger seeks shelter at an isolated farmhouse in the depths of winter. The occupants, Jack and Mavis, put him in an upstairs room, sparking a sinister chain of events - and an investigation into what has really been going on...

Nick Stafford's supernatural tale stars Philip Jackson as Jack, Kate Rutter as Mavis, Jonathan Tafler as Ellis and Stephen Critchlow as Colin.

Director: Claire Grove

First broadcast in the Elemental Tales series on Radio 4 in 1999


SAT 18:45 Fairy Tales Retold by Sara Maitland (b01pt9nf)
Mother Love

Mother Love, a dark and powerful fairy tale of maternal jealousy retold by Sara Maitland. It's read by Lia Williams.

Producer Beth O'Dea.


SAT 19:00 The Game's Afoot: Sherlock Holmes Special (b00cm07d)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]


SAT 22:00 Old Harry's Game (b00wtb2v)
Series 6

Ginger

Satan finally resolves Edith's murder, while she discovers something astonishing about humans descended from angels.

Andy Hamilton's comedy set in Hell.

Starring Andy Hamilton as Satan, Annette Crosbie as Edith, Robert Duncan as Scumspawn and Jimmy Mulville as Thomas.

Other characters played by Michael Fenton Stevens, Philip Pope, Felicity Montagu and Nick Revell.

Producer: Paul Mayhew-Archer

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 2007.


SAT 22:30 Chain Reaction (m0001sh8)
Series 7

Rhys Thomas talks to Simon Day

The Down the Line and The Fast Show comics in the talk-tag show, where this week's guest is next week's interviewer. From July 2011.


SAT 23:00 The Simon Day Show (b01jhjs3)
Series 2

Billy Bleach

Simon Day and his characters welcome listeners to The Mallard, a small provincial theatre somewhere in the UK. Each week one of Simon's comic characters come to perform at The Mallard while the staff struggle with rivalries, self-doubt and the new owner's vision for the theatre's future.
This week popular, Fast Show favourite Billy Bleach returns to The Mallard, the theatre that last series gave him his first big break.

Cast list:
Billy Bleach ..... Simon Day
Emanuel Akinyemi ..... Felix Dexter
Pat Bennet ... Morwenna Banks
Ron Bone ..... Simon Greenall

Written by Simon Day
Produced by Colin Anderson.


SAT 23:30 Mark Watson Makes the World Substantially Better (b00d0sjl)
Series 2

Patience

The comedian examines the virtue of holding your horses. With poetry and songs by Tim Key and Tom Basden. From August 2008.



SUNDAY 30 DECEMBER 2018

SUN 00:00 Nick Stafford - The Fire Inside (b0075gpk)
[Repeat of broadcast at 18:00 on Saturday]


SUN 00:45 Fairy Tales Retold by Sara Maitland (b01pt9nf)
[Repeat of broadcast at 18:45 on Saturday]


SUN 01:00 Good News Stories (Omnibus) (m0001sh4)
[Repeat of broadcast at 13:00 on Saturday]


SUN 02:10 Inheritance Tracks (m0001sh6)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:10 on Saturday]


SUN 02:15 Frankly Speaking (b05t3f72)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:15 on Saturday]


SUN 02:45 Kenneth Williams - Ad Lib (b05qdpnl)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:45 on Saturday]


SUN 03:00 Archive on 4 (b00765kl)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 on Saturday]


SUN 04:00 Hood (b070n8g7)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 on Saturday]


SUN 05:15 Lady Curzon and a Pineapple (b00cm6ww)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:15 on Saturday]


SUN 05:30 Britain in a Box (m0001sh1)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 on Saturday]


SUN 06:00 Charlotte Bronte - The Professor (b00m4vxd)
Omnibus 1/2

Orphaned William Crimsworth is a young man with nothing. As he sets out to make his way in the world he doesn't want to be indebted to anyone. But running parallel with this need for self-control is the desperate need to love - and be loved in return.

The least-known of Charlotte Bronte's novels: a subtle, ambiguous and unsettling love story.

Omnibus of the first five of ten episodes dramatised by Rachel Joyce.

Starring Paul Venables as William Crimsworth, Jonathan Keeble as Edward Crimsworth, Gerard McDermott as Lord Tynedale and Ruth Sillers as Mrs Crimsworth.

Director: Tracey Neale

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2005.


SUN 07:15 Shena Mackay - The New Year Boy (m0001st1)
There’s a bearded man asleep on Monica's sofa, a remnant of last night's party, but just what did he ask her?

Written by Shena Mackay and read by Maggie Steed.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1992.


SUN 07:30 Alex Horne Presents The Horne Section (b01rfy5w)
Series 2

With guest Doc Brown

New series of the comedy show hosted by Alex Horne and his five piece band and specially written, original music. Guests across this series include Phill Jupitus, Charlie Baker, Nick Mohammed, Doc Brown, Matt Lucas and Danny Baker.

This fifth episode explores the theme of children including songs on George Formby, the alphabet and Rastafarians. Guest starring Doc Brown who raps with the band and talks to whales.

Host .... Alex Horne
Trumpet/banjo .... Joe Auckland
Saxophone/clarinet ....Mark Brown
Double Bass/Bass .... Will Collier
Drums and Percussion .... Ben Reynolds
Piano/keyboard .... Ed Sheldrake
Guest performer .... Doc Brown
Producer .... Julia McKenzie.


SUN 08:00 Life With The Lyons (m0001st3)
Accidents Will Happen

When Bebe runs into a car driven by boxer Freddie Mills, Ben sets out to teach her a lesson....

Starring Bebe Daniels, Ben Lyon, Barbara Lyon, Richard Lyon, Horace Percival, Doris Rogers, Molly Weir, Hugh Morton, and special guest Freddie Mills.

Written by Bebe Daniels, Bob Block and Ronnie Hanbury.

Incidental music by Arthur Wilkinson. The BBC Variety Orchestra are conducted by Paul Fenoulhet.

Producer: Tom Ronald.

First broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in October 1951.


SUN 08:30 All Gas and Gaiters (b0082bbs)
The Bishop Rides Again

The Bishop works to secure a bequest. Clerical comedy adapted from TV.

Starring Robertson Hare as the Archdeacon, William Mervyn as the Bishop, Derek Nimmo as Bishop's Chaplain - the Reverend Mervyn Noote and John Barron as the Dean.

The ecclesiastical sitcom started life as a TV pilot in Comedy Playhouse, ahead of a run on BBC1 from 1966 to 1971. Selected scripts were revised and re-recorded for Radio 4.

The series revolves around the intrigues and rivalries of the fictional St Ogg's Cathedral. The regular characters are the easy-going Bishop, the elderly Archdeacon who enjoys a tipple with an eye for the ladies; and the naive and accident-prone Bishop's Chaplain. Their wish to live a quiet bachelor life is under continuous threat from the overbearing Dean.

Back in the swinging 60s, the series initially aroused some controversy because of its portrayal of senior clergy as bungling incompetents, although some clergy quite enjoyed it.

Written by husband-and-wife team Pauline Devaney and Edwin Apps.

Produced by David Hatch.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 1971.


SUN 09:00 Blowing the Bloody Doors Off (Omnibus) (m0001st5)
Hollywood legend and British national treasure Sir Michael Caine, now 85, shares the wisdom, stories, insight and skills that life has taught him in his remarkable career.

One of our best-loved actors, Michael Caine has starred in a huge range of films, including some all-time favourites, from the classic British movies Alfie, Zulu and The Italian Job to the Hollywood blockbusting Dark Knight trilogy, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Hannah and Her Sisters and Cider House Rules. He has excelled in every kind of role - with a skill that's made it look easy.

He knows what success takes - he's made it to the top of his profession from the toughest beginning. But as he says, "Small parts can lead to big things. And if you keep doing things right, the stars will align when you least expect it."

With brilliant new insight into his life and work and with his wonderful gift for story, this is Michael Caine at his wise and entertaining best.

Written and read by Michael Caine
Abridged by Jill Waters and Isobel Creed
Produced by Jill Waters
A Waters Company production for BBC Radio 4


SUN 10:10 The Listening Project (b05413k5)
Victoria and Lisa – Sitting Tall

An enlightening conversation between two physiotherapists about the importance of posture and how differently it's viewed by different cultures, introduced by Fi Glover, 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


SUN 10:15 Desert Island Discs Revisited (m0001st7)
Absent Friends

VS Naipaul

From Dinah Shore to Mahler. Nobel Prize-winning author, Sir VS Naipaul, shares his castaway choices with Roy Plomley. Originally broadcast in 1980.


SUN 11:00 The Moth Radio Hour (b08ch0rn)
Series 4

Holiday Special 2016: Unexpected Gifts of December

True stories told live in in the USA: Sarah Austin Jenness introduces tales of gifts, escapes, blizzards and strange meetings.

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

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

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

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


SUN 11:50 David Attenborough's Life Stories (b010y0r7)
Series 2

Chimps

They say, David Attenborough reports, that we share more of our genes with chimpanzees than any other species alive today. And this proximity of Homo Sapiens to the chimpanzee motivated Sir David even more to film behaviour never before seen. It had been known for some time that chimps hunt monkeys for meat, but it would be a first to film it for television audiences. To film such a hunt required days of waiting and tracking a troop through the Equatorial African forest - and when the hunt came and was over it changed Attenborough's view of chimps and their importance to us, forever.

Written and presented by David Attenborough
Produced by Julian Hector.


SUN 12:00 Life With The Lyons (m0001st3)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]


SUN 12:30 All Gas and Gaiters (b0082bbs)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]


SUN 13:00 Charlotte Bronte - The Professor (b00m4vxd)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]


SUN 14:15 Shena Mackay - The New Year Boy (m0001st1)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:15 today]


SUN 14:30 A Maigret Christmas (Omnibus) (m0001st9)
On Christmas Day, as the snow begins to fall in Paris, Inspector Maigret receives two unexpected visitors. A young girl claims to have seen Father Christmas in her room, behaving strangely and cutting a hole in the floor. He agrees to investigate...

Sir Derek Jacobi reads a classic Inspector Maigret.

Written by Georges Simenon & translated by David Coward.

Abridged by Lauris Morgan-Griffiths.

Producer: Mair Bosworth

First broadcast in five parts on BBC Radio 4 in December 2018.


SUN 15:45 Puzzling Passions (b0075yvk)
Treasure Hunters

Marcel Berlins examines the genuine physical pursuit of a goal. How does one deduce where a prize is buried? From October 2000.


SUN 16:00 PL Travers - Mary Poppins (b00slpvx)
The story of the magical English nanny - poised, punctilious and practically perfect in every way.

Starring Juliet Stevenson as Mary Poppins, who's set to transform the lives of Jane and Michael Banks.

After the Banks family's last nanny walks out in disgust, Mary blows in to number 17 Cherry Tree Lane in London. She's given a week's trial by the children's father, George - but says she'll only stay until the wind changes.

Dramatised by Hazel Marshall, this was the first ever radio adaptation - based on several Mary Poppins stories written by PL Travers .

Juliet Stevenson .... Mary Poppins
Jonathan Bee .... Michael
Sophie Stuckey .... Jane
Deborah Berlin .... Mrs Banks
David Timson .... Mr Banks
Andrew Sachs .... Mr Turvy
Phyllida Law .... Katie Nana
Chris Moran .... Mr Smart
Laura Doddington .... Polly

Other parts played by the cast.

Producer: David Ian Neville.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1994.


SUN 17:00 Poetry Extra (m0001sth)
The Kalevala - Finland's National Epic

Poet Daljit Nagra revisits the BBC's radio poetry archive and selects The Kalevala: Finland’s National Epic.

Storyteller and musician Nick Hennessey travels to Finland to explore the mythical world of the country's national poem, The Kalevala.

First published in 1835, this 50-chapter epic inspired a 19th-century artistic awakening and remains a cornerstone of contemporary Finnish culture. Speaking to musicians and critics, Hennessey finds out how the poem helped shape the nation.

Produced by Phil Smith and Simon Jacobs.

First broadcast on Radio 4 in 2009.

A Unique Broadcasting Company Production for BBC Radio.


SUN 17:30 Alex Horne Presents The Horne Section (b01rfy5w)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]


SUN 18:00 The Prisoner (m0001stk)
Series 1

The Chimes of Big Ben - Part 1/2

A new prisoner arrives in The Village. The woman is strong-minded, independent, and refuses to accept her new number - 8.

She is not a number, she is Nadia. And 6 is convinced that she’s his ticket out of The Village...

The original 17-episode TV series of The Prisoner created intrigue and controversy in equal measure when it first aired in the UK in 1967. In a taut psychological spy thriller the main character, dehumanised as ‘Number 6’, has committed no crime, save for having resigned from some unspecified branch of the British Secret Service. His prison is a heavily guarded coastal village.

Under constant surveillance, Number 6 can trust no-one and relentlessly works to establish who his captors are, a seemingly impossible task when the most senior figure he encounters – Number 2 – changes frequently...

Mark Elstob stars as Agent ZM73 aka Number 6, with Michael Cochrane as Number Two, Kristina Buikaite as Number 8, Helen Goldwyn as the Village Voice, Barnaby Edwards as Danvers and Nicholas Briggs as the Conductor.

Other parts played by members of the cast.

Music - Jamie Robertson
Script Editor - Jamie Anderson .

Written and directed by Nicholas Briggs.

A Big Finish Production - based on the classic ITV series.


SUN 18:40 Jennifer Johnston - The Theft (m0001stm)
The stranger at the house is hostile when the future owner leaves Ireland.

Returning from exile in old age, the owner is compelled to rediscover her early days, and to contact the stranger for the last time.

Anna Massey reads Jennifer Johnston’s intriguing tale.

Producer: Duncan Minshull

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1988.


SUN 19:00 The Moth Radio Hour (b08ch0rn)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:00 today]


SUN 19:50 David Attenborough's Life Stories (b010y0r7)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:50 today]


SUN 20:00 Blowing the Bloody Doors Off (Omnibus) (m0001st5)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]


SUN 21:10 The Listening Project (b05413k5)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:10 today]


SUN 21:15 Desert Island Discs Revisited (m0001st7)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:15 today]


SUN 22:00 Alex Horne Presents The Horne Section (b01rfy5w)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]


SUN 22:30 The Penny Dreadfuls Present (b00gpbcj)
The Brothers Faversham

Horatius Faversham

The tale of Victorian Britain's most decorated soldier. Swashbuckling family romp starring the comedy trio. From January 2008.


SUN 23:00 Clare in the Community (b00zm6g2)
Series 3

The Redcap

Clare has a new student social worker with an army background, which is good as she doesn't have time to toughen up her trainees...

Clare Barker is a social worker with all the politically correct jargon but none of the practical solutions. Award-winning sitcom by Harry Venning and David Ramsden.

Starring Sally Phillips as Clare, Alex Lowe as Brian, Andrew Wincott as Simon, Richard Lumsden as Ray, Gemma Craven as Helen, Ellen Thomas as Irene, Nina Conti as Megan, Mark Straker as Mr Bell, Geraldine McNulty as Colin and Mel Hudson as Peggy.

Producer: Katie Tyrrell

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2006.


SUN 23:30 Radio Active (b007jrdn)
Series 2

The History of Radio Active

From the pirate ships to the life of Norman Tonsil, the National Local Radio Station is awash with nostalgia for its special birthday celebrations!

Starring Helen Atkinson-Wood, Angus Deayton, Geoffrey Perkins, Philip Pope and Michael Fenton-Stevens.

Music by Philip Pope, Steve Brown and Keith McCullock

Written by Angus Deayton and Geoffrey Perkins with Jon Canter and Jimmy Mulville

Producer: Jimmy Mulville

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 1982.



MONDAY 31 DECEMBER 2018

MON 00:00 The Prisoner (m0001stk)
[Repeat of broadcast at 18:00 on Sunday]


MON 00:40 Jennifer Johnston - The Theft (m0001stm)
[Repeat of broadcast at 18:40 on Sunday]


MON 01:00 Charlotte Bronte - The Professor (b00m4vxd)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 on Sunday]


MON 02:15 Shena Mackay - The New Year Boy (m0001st1)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:15 on Sunday]


MON 02:30 A Maigret Christmas (Omnibus) (m0001st9)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:30 on Sunday]


MON 03:45 Puzzling Passions (b0075yvk)
[Repeat of broadcast at 15:45 on Sunday]


MON 04:00 PL Travers - Mary Poppins (b00slpvx)
[Repeat of broadcast at 16:00 on Sunday]


MON 05:00 Poetry Extra (m0001sth)
[Repeat of broadcast at 17:00 on Sunday]


MON 05:30 Alex Horne Presents The Horne Section (b01rfy5w)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 on Sunday]


MON 06:00 Miss Marple (b007jvbg)
They Do It With Mirrors

Episode 5

A chance observation by one of the family gives amateur detective, Miss Marple a key to try and solve the mystery.

Agatha Christie's whodunit stars June Whitfield as Miss Marple. With Ursula Howells as Carrie Louise, Keith Barron as Inspector Curry, Rebecca Lacey as Gina Hudd, Natasha Pyne as Mildred Strete, Nick Waring as Alexis Restarick, Stephen Lucas as Walter Hudd, Peter Howell as Lewis Serrocold and Jill Balcon as Ruth Van Rydock.

From the book first published in 1952 and dramatised by Michael Bakewell.

Director: Enyd Williams

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2001.


MON 06:30 The Living Mountain (b03mfndd)
Robert Macfarlane takes inspiration from writer Nan Shepherd on a very special poetic pilgrimage to the Cairngorms.

Nan Shepherd believed that it was 'a grand thing to get leave to live.' She did this by spending every minute she could in her beloved Cairngorms. In her 88-years, she covered thousands of miles on foot and became minutely aware of the rhythms of these wild places.

She collected her thoughts in 'The Living Mountain'. It's a remarkable love letter to these dramatic landscapes, but convinced that readers didn't want an "aimless, sensual exploration of the Cairngorms," Nan tucked the manuscript away in a drawer and left it there for 30-years.

Four years before she died, her book finally saw the light of day. At just 80-pages, it's small in size, but big in impact and has been described by The Guardian as "the finest book ever written on nature and landscape in Britain".

Robert Macfarlane agrees. He calls 'The Living Mountain' a "wry, beautiful hymn to 'living all the way through'". He thinks this book is hugely important as more and more of us experience less and less contact with the outside world; "We are, literally, losing touch." Nan's writing is the antithesis of this. She plunges readers right into the landscape.

Robert celebrates this intrepid literary spirit by embarking on an autumnal trip right into the heart of Nan's favourite wild places.

Produced by Victoria McArthur and presented by Robert Macfarlane.


MON 07:00 Flying the Flag (b00b5r1h)
Series 2

Political Flu

The political climate in the People's Republic is milder than it used to be, but political sickness can still strike unexpectedly, and earthworm tables are not always the answer...

Alex Shearer's Eastern bloc embassy sitcom.

Starring Dinsdale Landen as HM Ambassador Mackenzie, Peter Acre as William Frost, Moir Leslie as Helen Waterson, Christopher Benjamin as Colonel Surikov, Peter Craze as Nesterov, Paul Gregory as Brodsky and Stephen Greif as the US Ambassador.

Producer: Pete Atkin

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 1988.


MON 07:30 The Unbelievable Truth (m0001qj9)
Series 21

Episode 1

David Mitchell hosts the panel game in which four comedians are encouraged to tell lies and compete against one another to see how many items of truth they're able to smuggle past their opponents.

Sandi Toksvig, Jon Richardson, Lucy Porter and Graeme Garden are the panellists obliged to talk with deliberate inaccuracy on subjects as varied as Denmark, hair, smells and fish.

Produced by Jon Naismith
A Random Entertainment production for BBC Radio 4


MON 08:00 Hancock's Half Hour (b007jsvk)
Series 5

The Election Candidate

The electioneering lad battles to represent East Cheam in the Houses of Parliament.

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

Written by Ray Galton and Alan Simpson.

Theme and incidental music written by Wally Stott.

Producer: Tom Ronald

First broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in March 1958.


MON 08:30 Parsley Sidings (b04dcgpq)
Series 2

The Flower Show

Station Master Horace Hepplewhite digs up trouble when he hosts the village horticultural show.

Starring Arthur Lowe as Horace, Kenneth Connor as Percy/Bradshaw/Vicar, Liz Fraser as Gloria, Ian Lavender as Bert, Bill Pertwee as Phineas Perkins and Garrard Green as the Inspector

Jim Eldridge's eponymous series is set in a sleepy railway station. The Hepplewhites have run 'Parsley Sidings' station for generations and the current Station Master, Horace, hopes that his son Bert will continue the line. Mild-mannered Ticket Clerk Bert wants to work anywhere but on the railways. His colleague, Station Announcer Gloria Simpkins, secretly loves him. Porter Percy Valentine is an archetypal wheeler-dealer and the ancient Signalman, Bradshaw, causes havoc and dispenses home-made remedies in equal measure. The 'Parsley Sidings' nemesis is Phineas Perkins, the station master of Potwhistle Halt, one stop down the line.

Producer: Edward Taylor

First broadcast on BBC Radio 2 in October 1973.


MON 09:00 Just a Minute (b014pw4w)
Series 61

With guests Julian Clary, Phill Jupitus, Josie Lawrence and Rick Wakeman

The popular panel game hosted by Nicholas Parsons. The guests try to speak on a topic given to them without hesitation repetition or deviation. The guests this week are Julian Clary, Phill Jupitus, Josie Lawrence and ex-rocker Rick Wakeman

Producer: Tilusha Ghelani.


MON 09:30 King Street Junior Revisited (m0001tc5)
Series 2

Play On

Sports Day fever is beginning to take over at King Street - though not everyone is infected.

School comedy created and written by Jim Eldridge. Ten series of this King Street Junior ran between 1985 and 1998. King Street Junior Revisited ran from 2002 to 2005.

Stars Carolyn Pickles as Mrs Devon, Marlene Sidaway as Miss Lewis, Michael Cochrane as Mr Maxwell, Paul Copley as Mr Long, Teresa Gallagher as Miss Featherstone, Jacqueline Beatty as Miss Reid and Janice Acquah as Mrs Khan.

With Pax Baldwin, Elisha Mansuroglu, Kimberley Fletcher, Christopher Dunning and Louis Constantine as the children.

Producer: John Fawcett Wilson

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 2003.


MON 10:00 Charles Dickens - The Pickwick Papers (b007jznk)
Trials and Tribulations

The past comes back to haunt the founder of the travelling society, Samuel Pickwick, in a court of law...

Charles Dickens 1837 novel dramatised in eight parts by Barry Campbell and Constance Cox.

Charles Dickens ..... Simon Cadell
Bob Sawyer .... Nigel Anthony
Ben Allen ..... Tim Piggott Smith
Mr Pickwick ... Freddie Jones
Mr Hopkins ... Peter Baldwin
Mrs Raddle ... Pauline Letts
Betsy ....Karen Archer
Sam Weller ... Douglas Livingstone
Tony Weller .... John Hollis
Brother Humm ... Michael Goldie
Brother Tadger ... Eric Allen
Brother Stiggins ...Christopher Benjamin
Mr Perker ... Timothy Bateson
Mr Phunky .... Gavin Campbell
Mr Unwitch... Kenneth Shanley
Sgt Snubbins ... Malcolm Gerard
Sgt Buzz Fuzz ... Peter Vaughan
Justice Stareleigh ... Gerald Cross
Dodson... John Gabriel
Fogg.... Michael Tudor Barnes
Mrs Bardell ... Elizabeth Spriggs
Mrs Cluppins ... Cecile Chevreau
Mrs Sanders ... Diana Bishop
Mr Winkle .... Philip Bond
Mr Tupman ..... Michael Graham Cox
Barmaid ... Brenda Kaye

Director: Jane Morgan

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1977.


MON 11:00 Katherine Mansfield - The Montana Stories (b007647w)
Marriage a la Mode

Isobel has a happy marriage until she falls in with a racy set and begins to neglect her adoring husband. Read by Emilia Fox.


MON 11:15 Gideon Fell - The Blind Barber (b04v36dw)
There is only one clue to a brutal killing on an ocean liner - the engraving on the murder weapon.

Thriller starring Donald Sinden as Dr Gideon Fell, John Hartley as Superintendent Hadley and Patrick Allen as Lord Sturton.

Amateur sleuth, Dr Gideon Fell is an archetypal English eccentric created by American-born John Dickson Carr.

Dramatised by Peter Ling. Director Enyd Williams.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1997


MON 12:00 Hancock's Half Hour (b007jsvk)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]


MON 12:30 Parsley Sidings (b04dcgpq)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]


MON 13:00 Miss Marple (b007jvbg)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]


MON 13:30 The Living Mountain (b03mfndd)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]


MON 14:00 Book at Bedtime (b0415hbz)
History of the Rain

Episode 6

We are our stories. We tell them to stay alive or to keep alive those who only live now in the telling.

19-year-old Ruth Swain is lying in her childhood home in the small Irish village of Faha in the attic room at the top of the stairs in the bed which her father had to construct in situ and which turned out to be as much boat as bed. She has Something Wrong with her, having collapsed during her fresher year at Trinity in Dublin, and finds herself bedbound in the attic room beneath the rain, in the margins between this world and the next.

Ruth is in search of her father. To understand the father she has lost. To find him Ruth journeys through the ancestry of the curious Swain family - from the Reverend Swain her great-grandfather, to her grandfather Abraham to her father Virgil – and in doing so discovers an enchanting story of pole-vaulting, soldiering, stubbornness, leaping salmon, poetry, the pursuit of the Impossible Standard, and the wild rain-sodden history of fourteen acres of the worst farming land in Ireland. Above all, Ruth embarks on a journey through books. Three thousand, nine hundred and fifty-eight books to be precise, which are piled high and line the walls of her attic room. As Ruth searches for her father in their pages, her story becomes a vital, witty and poignant celebration of imagination, books, love and the healing power of storytelling.

Niall Williams is also the author of bestselling novels including As It is In Heaven, The Fall of the Light, Only Say the Word and Four Letters of Love.

Abridged by Doreen Estall

Read by Ailish Symons

Producer: Heather Larmour

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2014.


MON 14:15 The Invention of Childhood (b00sbpg0)
Learn to Die

Exploring a thousand years of British childhood, Michael Morpurgo examines Puritanism and the effects of the Reformation.


MON 14:30 Charlotte Bronte - The Professor (b00m52xf)
Frances

William becomes intrigued by the shy and gentle Frances, but someone is watching him from the shadows.

The least known of Charlotte Bronte's novels: a subtle, ambiguous and unsettling love story dramatised in ten parts by Rachel Joyce.

Starring Paul Venables as William Crimsworth, Roger May as Pelet, Niamh Cusack as Zoraide Reuter and Claire Price as Frances.

Director: Tracey Neale

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2005.


MON 14:45 Book of the Week (b044gmfb)
Doubling Back

Dancing, Kicking up her Legs

A beautiful and moving memoir where the author retraces walks undertaken by others, from the Highlands of Scotland to the Swiss Alps and Kenya.

In 1952 Linda Cracknell’s father embarked on a hike through the Swiss Alps. Fifty years later Linda retraces that fateful journey, following the trail of the man she barely knew. This collection of walking tales takes its theme from that pilgrimage. The walks trace the contours of history, following writers, relations and retreading ways across mountains, valleys and coasts formerly trodden by drovers, saints and adventurers. Each walk is about the reaffirming of memories, beliefs and emotions, and especially of the connection that one can have with the past through particular places.

Part One : Dancing, Kicking Up Her Legs
The author visits a hillside above Loch Ness following in the footsteps of the Scottish novelist, Jessie Kesson.

Reader ..... Teresa Gallagher

Writer ..... Linda Cracknell

Abridger ..... Siân Preece

Producer ..... Gaynor Macfarlane


MON 15:00 Charles Dickens - The Pickwick Papers (b007jznk)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 today]


MON 16:00 Just a Minute (b014pw4w)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]


MON 16:30 King Street Junior Revisited (m0001tc5)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 today]


MON 17:00 Flying the Flag (b00b5r1h)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]


MON 17:30 The Unbelievable Truth (m0001qj9)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]


MON 18:00 Ghost Stories of Walter De La Mare (b00wt987)
All Hallows

On a hot summer's evening, a weary traveller is oppressed by the supernatural atmosphere inside a gigantic cathedral by the sea.

Read by Richard E Grant.

Walter de la Mare (1873-1956) was a popular award-wining poet, short story writer and novelist. He wrote for both children and adults.

Abridged by Doreen Estall.

Producer: Lawrence Jackson

Made for BBC Radio 7 and first broadcast in 2010.


MON 18:30 A Good Read (m0001tc9)
Jean Seaton and Bill Thompson

Sue MacGregor is joined this week by media historian, Professor Jean Seaton, and new media pioneer, Bill Thompson. They'll be discussing the writer who coined the term "cyberspace", a novel about families, their feuds and their food, and a book described by its author as an "anti-memoir".

Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant by Anne Tyler
Publ: Vintage

Making it Up by Penelope Lively
Publ: Penguin

Neuromancer by William Gibson
Publ: Voyager

First broadcast on Radio 4 in 2007.

Produced by Chris Ledgard.


MON 19:00 Hancock's Half Hour (b007jsvk)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]


MON 19:30 Parsley Sidings (b04dcgpq)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]


MON 20:00 Miss Marple (b007jvbg)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]


MON 20:30 The Living Mountain (b03mfndd)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]


MON 21:00 Katherine Mansfield - The Montana Stories (b007647w)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:00 today]


MON 21:15 Gideon Fell - The Blind Barber (b04v36dw)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:15 today]


MON 22:00 The Unbelievable Truth (m0001qj9)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]


MON 22:30 Tina C (b01bm0q4)
Tina C's Global Depression Tour

China

Country legend Tina C challenges the Secretary for the US Treasury, the Chairman of the Federal Reserve and the former CEO of Goldman Sachs that where they have failed, she can come up with a solution to the Global Recession, and sets off on a six country tour to prove it.

This week she's in China.

Tina C...Christopher Green
With Will Hutton, Victoria Inez Hardy and James Lailey.
Musical arrangements by Duncan Walsh Atkins and Christopher Green
Director Jeremy Mortimer.


MON 22:45 Knocker (b008hn0k)
Incentativity

Market researcher Ian Dunn carries out a delicate immigration survey. Stars Neil Edmond and Paula Wilcox. From December 2007.


MON 23:00 Dead Ringers (b06spjqj)
A Look Back at the Year 2020

A New Year's Day edition of Dead Ringers, in which the team imagine what the first day of 2021 looks, or sounds, like.

As we say goodbye to 2020, just who's in power at 10 Downing Street and in the White House; what is the fallout from the EU Referendum; which celebrity couples are in Splitsville; and just what does a virtual reality Gardeners' Question Time sound like? Not to mention a duet between Donald Trump and Boris Johnson.

Starring Jon Culshaw, Lewis MacLeod, Jan Ravens, Debra Stephenson and Duncan Wisbey.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 2016.


MON 23:30 In and Out of the Kitchen (b016ljx7)
Series 1

January 1st to 5th

Each episode of In And Out Of The Kitchen comprises the entries from the kitchen diary of cookery writer, Damien Trench. In a mixture of narrative, dialogue and recipes, Damien unflinchingly captures every angle of his day-to-day life, "no matter how grisly or, indeed, how gristly".

This first episode finds Damien and his partner, Anthony, deciding on their New Year's Resolutions. They start by finally making up their minds to commit to each other...namely, by signing up a builder, Mr Mullaney (played by Brandan Dempsey) to install a new kitchen which Damien hopes will eventually become the food and preparation space that he's always dreamed of.

On top of all this, Anthony decides to get fit and Damien decides to do a radio programme about the French bean. But not everything goes according to plan...

The programme also features Damien's easy-to-follow recipes: for a "Super Simple" Roast Beef, cooking your own pasta, and "Marvellously Moist Muffins".

Cast:

Miles Jupp as Damien Trench
Justin Edwards as Anthony
with
Selina Cadell as Damien's mother
Brendan Dempsey as Mr Mullaney
Philip Fox as Ian Frobisher
and
Alex Tregear as the Researcher

Producer: Sam Michell.



TUESDAY 01 JANUARY 2019

TUE 00:00 Ghost Stories of Walter De La Mare (b00wt987)
[Repeat of broadcast at 18:00 on Monday]


TUE 00:30 A Good Read (m0001tc9)
[Repeat of broadcast at 18:30 on Monday]


TUE 01:00 Miss Marple (b007jvbg)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 on Monday]


TUE 01:30 The Living Mountain (b03mfndd)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 on Monday]


TUE 02:00 Book at Bedtime (b0415hbz)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:00 on Monday]


TUE 02:15 The Invention of Childhood (b00sbpg0)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:15 on Monday]


TUE 02:30 Charlotte Bronte - The Professor (b00m52xf)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:30 on Monday]


TUE 02:45 Book of the Week (b044gmfb)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:45 on Monday]


TUE 03:00 Charles Dickens - The Pickwick Papers (b007jznk)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 on Monday]


TUE 04:00 Just a Minute (b014pw4w)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 on Monday]


TUE 04:30 King Street Junior Revisited (m0001tc5)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 on Monday]


TUE 05:00 Flying the Flag (b00b5r1h)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 on Monday]


TUE 05:30 The Unbelievable Truth (m0001qj9)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 on Monday]


TUE 06:00 Wimsey (b007jvn6)
Strong Poison

Old Bailey

Lord Peter Wimsey attends the trial of Harriet Vane, a young mystery writer accused of poisoning her former lover with arsenic. The evidence against her seems overwhelming, but the shrewd, debonair sleuth harbours doubts over her guilt.

Starring Ian Carmichael as Lord Peter Wimsey, Carleton Hobbs as the Judge, Charlotte Mitchell as the Dowager Duchess, Ann Bell as Harriet Vane and Stephen Thorne as the Attorney-General.

British gentleman detective Lord Peter Wimsey features in a number of detective novels and short stories by English crime writer, Dorothy L Sayers. Strong Poison was first published in 1930.

Classy and sharp-witted, aristocratic amateur sleuth Lord Peter Bredon Wimsey was born in 1890 and educated at Eton and Oxford, before serving in the military during the First World War.

Ian Carmichael appeared as Lord Peter Wimsey for BBC Radio from 1973 to 1983, in addition to the BBC TV adaptations that were broadcast between 1972 and 1975.

Adapted for radio in six episodes by Chris Miller.

Producer: Simon Brett.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 1976.


TUE 06:30 The Topping Tooters of the Town (b01djny3)
'These are the topping tooters of the town, who play "Lilliburlero" to my Lord Mayor's horse through the city.'

In an exhilarating programme, William Lyons (musician and specialist in performance and Renaissance music) celebrates the music of the Waits - a professional band of musicians who played for civic and ceremonial occasions in major towns across the country until 1835.

That skirl of the waits band blasting their way down broad thoroughfares and narrow alleys stirs the blood even amidst the cacophony of modern life. The music of the waits was external and non-exclusive - for the people on the street, not confined within the tapestried walls of the royal court. It could be heard somewhere, every day, within earshot.

We trace the broad repertoire of the Waits, exploring their exceptional place in the culture and life of 16th century England.

They received an annual wage and were granted livery, raising their status above the mistrusted common minstrel.

They were famed in London for their artistry and skill, rivalled only by the Waits in Norwich and occasionally the royal court, although Elizabeth I regularly called upon the waits to play over her own musicians.

Thomas Morley dedicated his 'First Booke of Consort Lessons' [1599] to the London Waits, praising their skill and 'my love towards them'.

They were mostly wind players: shawms, curtals, cornetts, sackbuts, dulcian, recorders and bagpipes.

After their civic duties, Waits were free to solicit work; in London, they increasingly found parts in the new theatres that were springing up through the City and along the Thames. Stage directions in the plays of Shakespeare, Christopher Marlowe and Ben Jonson call for 'hoboys', 'recorders', 'cornetts' and 'shawms'.

Bring on the Waits!

Producer: Kate Bland
A Just Radio production for BBC Radio 4


TUE 07:00 Second Thoughts (b00k2fl1)
Series 3

Room With a Queue

Hannah is off to university, so Bill and Faith bicker over who gets her vacated bedroom.

Sitcom about the battles of divorcees Bill and Faith beginning married life, whilst balancing the demands of his ex-wife, Liza and her teenage children, Hannah and Joe.

Stars Lynda Bellingham as Faith, James Bolam as Bill, Celia Imrie as Hilary, Belinda Lang as Liza, Emma Gregory as Hannah and Mark Denham as Joe.

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

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

Producer: Paul Schlesinger

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 1991.


TUE 07:30 The Tim Vine Chat Show (m0001qw7)
Christmas Special 2018

Tim Vine hears the Christmas stories of the British public and offers up a sack full of seasonal one-liners, definitely not traditional songs and fiendishly silly seasonal games.

Featuring a seasonal lawn-mowing song and a man who lost his Christmas dinner.

Producer: Richard Morris
A BBC Studios Production


TUE 08:00 The Small, Intricate Life of Gerald C Potter (b007jz1f)
Series 3

The Escape

Author Gerald and his wife Diana feel jaded and start planning a break.

The convoluted chronicle of an optimistic author starring Ian Carmichael as Gerald C Potter and Charlotte Mitchell as his wife, Diana.

With Betty Huntley-Wright and Michael McClain.

Written by Basil Boothroyd.

Producer: Bobby Jaye

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 1979.


TUE 08:30 The Men from the Ministry (b01cwpns)
A Great Convenience

The calamitous civil servants have to make a decision about a historic toilet.

One of 14 shows not kept in the archive and re-recorded in 1980 – previously never broadcast in the UK, until the arrival of BBC Radio 4 Extra.

‘The Men from the Ministry’ ran for 14 series between 1962 and 1977.

Stars Richard Murdoch and Deryck Guyler (who replaced Wilfrid Hyde-White from 1966).

With Norma Ronald, Ronald Baddiley and John Graham.

Written by Johnnie Mortimer, Brian Cooke and Edward Taylor.

Producer: Edward Taylor.

Re-recording of ‘A Slight Case of Demolition’ made in May 1980.


TUE 09:00 Dead Ringers (b06spjqj)
[Repeat of broadcast at 23:00 on Monday]


TUE 09:30 Stilgoe's Around (b007k36s)
From 23/04/1984

Vintage Stilgoe? A good year for comedy?

Richard Stilgoe muses on booze at the World Wine Fair, Bristol.

With Emma Thompson and The Cambridge Buskers

Producer: Mike Craig

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 1984.


TUE 10:00 Charles Dickens - The Pickwick Papers (b007jzpx)
Walls and Bars

With the verdict announced, Samuel Pickwick is determined not to pay a penny in damages.

Charles Dickens 1837 novel dramatised in eight parts by Barry Campbell and Constance Cox.

Simon Cadell .... Charles Dickens
Freddie Jones .... Mr Pickwick
Philip Bond .... Mr Winkle
Michael Graham Cox .... Mr Tupman
Stephen Thorne .... Mr Snodgrass
Douglas Livingstone .... Sam Weller
John Hollis .... Tony Weller
Paul Chapman .... Mr Jingle
Timothy Alcock .... Mr Perker
Alan Dudley .... Mr Roker
Paddy Ward .... Mr Namby
Peter Woodthorpe .... Mr Smangle
Michael Goldie .... Mr Mivins
Hugh Dickson .... Chancery Prisoner
Rosalind Ayres .... Arabella Allen
Alison Frazer .... Mary
Kenneth Shanley .... Scientific Gent

Director: Jane Morgan

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1977.


TUE 11:00 Katherine Mansfield - The Montana Stories (b007648f)
The Doll's House

The Burnell children invite their classmates to see their new toy, all except the pauper Kelsey girls. Read by Emilia Fox.


TUE 11:15 Drama (b060bwdj)
Rumpole

Rumpole and the Portia of our Chambers

Rumpole comes close to giving up the law when forced to consider the path his life has taken by a combination of his attraction to his pupil Phillida, an unsettling case involving an Irish terrorist and a devoted father and son, and a visit from an old flame of Hilda’s.

But the love shown by a client’s son for his father convinces Rumpole that he can’t simply quit as husband, parent - or as Old Bailey hack.

The question of what makes a good parent runs throughout the whole episode, with Rumpole asking himself if he’s turning into a bad father, especially in comparison with his client.

Benedict Cumberbatch stars in four Rumpole stories. Written by John Mortimer and adapted by Richard Stoneman.

Cast
Horace Rumpole … Benedict Cumberbatch
Hilda Rumpole … Jasmine Hyde
Phillida Trant … Cathy Sara
Boxey Horne … Stephen Critchlow
Matthew Culp … Samuel Reader

Directed by Marilyn Imrie
Produced by Catherine Bailey
A Catherine Bailey production for BBC Radio 4


TUE 12:00 The Small, Intricate Life of Gerald C Potter (b007jz1f)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]


TUE 12:30 The Men from the Ministry (b01cwpns)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]


TUE 13:00 Wimsey (b007jvn6)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]


TUE 13:30 The Topping Tooters of the Town (b01djny3)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]


TUE 14:00 Book at Bedtime (b0418kgs)
History of the Rain

Episode 7

We are our stories. We tell them to stay alive or to keep alive those who only live now in the telling.

19-year-old Ruth Swain is lying in her childhood home in the small Irish village of Faha in the attic room at the top of the stairs in the bed which her father had to construct in situ and which turned out to be as much boat as bed. She has Something Wrong with her, having collapsed during her fresher year at Trinity in Dublin, and finds herself bedbound in the attic room beneath the rain, in the margins between this world and the next.

Ruth is in search of her father. To understand the father she has lost. To find him Ruth journeys through the ancestry of the curious Swain family - from the Reverend Swain her great-grandfather, to her grandfather Abraham to her father Virgil – and in doing so discovers an enchanting story of pole-vaulting, soldiering, stubbornness, leaping salmon, poetry, the pursuit of the Impossible Standard, and the wild rain-sodden history of fourteen acres of the worst farming land in Ireland. Above all, Ruth embarks on a journey through books. Three thousand, nine hundred and fifty-eight books to be precise, which are piled high and line the walls of her attic room. As Ruth searches for her father in their pages, her story becomes a vital, witty and poignant celebration of imagination, books, love and the healing power of storytelling.

Niall Williams is also the author of bestselling novels including As It is In Heaven, The Fall of the Light, Only Say the Word and Four Letters of Love.

Abridged by Doreen Estall

Read by Ailish Symons

Producer: Heather Larmour

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2014.


TUE 14:15 The Invention of Childhood (b00sbrlb)
It Was a Precious Child

Michael Morpurgo explores how the Puritan ethos affected children and the way of family life.


TUE 14:30 Charlotte Bronte - The Professor (b00m570x)
Loss

William spurns Mademoiselle's advances, and Frances disappears from class.

The least known of Charlotte Bronte's novels: a subtle, ambiguous and unsettling love story dramatised in ten parts by Rachel Joyce.

Starring Paul Venables as William Crimsworth, Roger May as Pelet, Niamh Cusack as Zoraide Reuter, Claire Price as Frances and Penelope Rawlins as Sylvie.

Director: Tracey Neale

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2005.


TUE 14:45 Book of the Week (b044jhsf)
Doubling Back

Baring our Soles

A beautiful and moving memoir where the author retraces walks undertaken by others, from the Highlands of Scotland to the Swiss Alps and Kenya.

In 1952 Linda Cracknell’s father embarked on a hike through the Swiss Alps. Fifty years later Linda retraces that fateful journey, following the trail of the man she barely knew.

This collection of walking tales takes its theme from that pilgrimage. The walks trace the contours of history, following writers, relations and retreading ways across mountains, valleys and coasts formerly trodden by drovers, saints and adventurers. Each walk is about the reaffirming of memories, beliefs and emotions, and especially of the connection that one can have with the past through particular places.

Part Two: Baring Our Soles
While walking barefoot through Kenya, the author discovers the connection between feet and politics.

Reader ..... Teresa Gallagher

Writer ..... Linda Cracknell

Abridger ..... Siân Preece

Producer ..... Gaynor Macfarlane


TUE 15:00 Charles Dickens - The Pickwick Papers (b007jzpx)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 today]


TUE 16:00 All the Way from Memphis (b00jnlsm)
Series 1

Episode 6

James Walton's pop music history quiz with Tracey Macleod, Andrew Collins, Anthony Wilson and Richard Curtis. From January 2005.


TUE 16:30 Up the Garden Path (b00803k9)
Series 2

Arrivals and Departures

Izzy has escaped from the clutches of the adulterous Michael and spent the past year on a teachers' exchange scheme in San Francisco, where she shared a flat with the adoring but unappealing Dick.

As they fly home, Izzy feels her life is more than usually up in the air.

Imelda Staunton stars as Izzy. With Mike Grady as Dick, Marty Cruickshank as Maria, Nicholas Le Prevost as Michael, Phyllida Nash as Louise, Rosemary Martin as Aunt Vinny and David Robb as Charles.

Tumbling from one love entanglement to another, 30-something teacher Izzy Comyn has a predilection for inappropriate men.

An eight-part radio sequel adapted from Sue Limb’s 1984 novel. The second of 3 series which ran from 1987 to 1993. Granada also adapted the series for ITV.

Producer: Jonathan James-Moore

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 1988.


TUE 17:00 Second Thoughts (b00k2fl1)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]


TUE 17:30 The Tim Vine Chat Show (m0001qw7)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]


TUE 18:00 Ghost Stories of Walter De La Mare (b00wv6ln)
Seaton's Aunt

Two boys on holiday stay in the creaking house of an eccentric and sinister aunt, an experience that will mark them forever...

Read by Toby Jones.

Walter de la Mare (1873-1956) was a popular award-wining poet, short story writer and novelist. He wrote for both children and adults.

Abridged by Doreen Estall.

Producer: Lawrence Jackson

Made for BBC Radio 7 and first broadcast in 2010.


TUE 18:30 Sounds Natural (b07m7kcq)
Bill Oddie

From the Bar-Tailed Godwit to the Black-Winged Stilt.

Back in the days when BBC Springwatch wasn't even a twinkle in Auntie's transmitters, Bill Oddie from 'The Goodies' tells Derek Jones about his longstanding love of bird watching, and his travels to see them - aided by recordings from the BBC Sound Archive.

Producer: John Burton.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 1973.


TUE 19:00 The Small, Intricate Life of Gerald C Potter (b007jz1f)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]


TUE 19:30 The Men from the Ministry (b01cwpns)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]


TUE 20:00 Wimsey (b007jvn6)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]


TUE 20:30 The Topping Tooters of the Town (b01djny3)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]


TUE 21:00 Katherine Mansfield - The Montana Stories (b007648f)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:00 today]


TUE 21:15 Drama (b060bwdj)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:15 today]


TUE 22:00 The Tim Vine Chat Show (m0001qw7)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]


TUE 22:30 Think the Unthinkable (b01n2tnx)
Series 4

Barrington General

The wacky management consultants try nursing an ailing hospital back to rude health. Stars Marcus Brigstocke. From October 2005.


TUE 23:00 Beautiful Dreamers (b00w200k)
The River Europe

Nat follows the endurance swimmer and world's fittest alcoholic Craig McKenzie's controversial attempt to complete the world's toughest swim. Featuring contributions from Clive Russell, Ewan Bailey, Morven Christie and Vera Filatova.

Writers ..... James Lever and Nat Segnit.
Producers ..... Steven Canny and Sasha Yevtushenko.


TUE 23:30 The Shuttleworths (b01pjkxj)
Specials

New Year With the Shuttleworths

It's January 1st and John and Mary Shuttleworth have seen the New Year in an inn.

John ruminates on the meaning of life with his agent Ken who's off to buy a sofa.

Written and performed by Graham Fellows.

Producer: Paul Schlesinger

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1993.


TUE 23:45 History Retweeted (b03xf1k0)
The Fall of the Berlin Wall

The programme that sends us back in time as we hear people from the past comment on a series of major world events, in less than 140 characters.

In The Fall of The Berlin Wall, East meets West in the field of online dating, 80's children's programming pops up on your screen, and Tim Berners-Lee tweets about his world-changing new invention.

Turning statuses into sounds, History Retweeted transports us to timelines gone by, feeding hashtags, trolls and trending topics into moments from history.

Featuring the voices of Tim Barnes and Simon Berry, Wayne Forester and Annabelle Llewellyn, Peter Temple and Jelly Macintosh. With Lucy Beaumont as the voice of The Computer.

Written by Tim Barnes and Simon Berry
Produced by Sally Harrison

A Woolyback production for BBC Radio 4.



WEDNESDAY 02 JANUARY 2019

WED 00:00 Ghost Stories of Walter De La Mare (b00wv6ln)
[Repeat of broadcast at 18:00 on Tuesday]


WED 00:30 Sounds Natural (b07m7kcq)
[Repeat of broadcast at 18:30 on Tuesday]


WED 01:00 Wimsey (b007jvn6)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 on Tuesday]


WED 01:30 The Topping Tooters of the Town (b01djny3)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 on Tuesday]


WED 02:00 Book at Bedtime (b0418kgs)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:00 on Tuesday]


WED 02:15 The Invention of Childhood (b00sbrlb)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:15 on Tuesday]


WED 02:30 Charlotte Bronte - The Professor (b00m570x)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:30 on Tuesday]


WED 02:45 Book of the Week (b044jhsf)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:45 on Tuesday]


WED 03:00 Charles Dickens - The Pickwick Papers (b007jzpx)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 on Tuesday]


WED 04:00 All the Way from Memphis (b00jnlsm)
[Repeat of broadcast at 16:00 on Tuesday]


WED 04:30 Up the Garden Path (b00803k9)
[Repeat of broadcast at 16:30 on Tuesday]


WED 05:00 Second Thoughts (b00k2fl1)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 on Tuesday]


WED 05:30 The Tim Vine Chat Show (m0001qw7)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 on Tuesday]


WED 06:00 Wimsey (b007jvn8)
Strong Poison

Ten Minutes in Bloomsbury

Upper crust sleuth Lord Peter Wimsey enlists inside help to try and clear authoress Harriet Vane.

Starring Ian Carmichael as Lord Peter Wimsey, Ambrosine Phillpotts as Miss Climpson, Ann Bell as Harriet Vane and Gabriel Woolf as Chief Inspector Parker.

British gentleman detective Lord Peter Wimsey features in a number of detective novels and short stories by English crime writer, Dorothy L Sayers. Strong Poison was first published in 1930.

Classy and sharp-witted, aristocratic amateur sleuth Lord Peter Bredon Wimsey was born in 1890 and educated at Eton and Oxford, before serving in the military during the First World War.

Ian Carmichael appeared as Lord Peter Wimsey for BBC Radio from 1973 to 1983, in addition to the BBC TV adaptations that were broadcast between 1972 and 1975.

Adapted for radio in six episodes by Chris Miller.

Producer: Simon Brett.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 1976.


WED 06:30 Scientists Go to Hollywood (b00tj5qk)
Adam Rutherford heads to tinsel town to talk to the scientists who have left the lab for the glamour of the film set.
Although the silver screen may not be known for its scientific accuracy, in recent years Hollywood does seem to have come calling, where science is concerned. A growing number of scientists seem to be taking time out of their day job to advise Hollywood directors and producers on the portrayal of science, and scientists, in some very well known films and TV series.
Adam visits the set of one of the most well known science based TV shows, CSI New York to meet the writer and co-producer, himself a former forensic scientist. He talks to physicist Brian Cox about his role as science advisor to the Danny Boyle directed movie Sunshine. He meets the new wave of Hollywood movie makers who are turning to the real life scientists to help improve not only the image of science on screen, but to inspire some of their most fantastical plot line, and finds out whether factually incorrect science in the movies really matters?

According to the US National Academy of Science, it does. So much so that they have now set up a programme specifically designed to help their scientists work with the entertainment industry, to improve and foster a positive image of science on screen. Adam meets the producer of one of last year's biggest Hollywood blockbusters about his ambition to keep the science fact in the science fiction as accurate as possible, and how the scientists he worked with came up with some far more intriguing plot twists and turns than anything his writers could have dreamt up.
Presented by: Adam Rutherford; Produced by Alexandra Feachem


WED 07:00 Second Holmes (b0151ycp)
The Case of the Grandfather's Client

The grandsons of Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson head to Baskerville Hall in a canine caper.

Six light-hearted adventures involving the grandsons of Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson written by Grant Eustace

Starring Peter Egan as Stamford Holmes, Jeremy Nicholas as Dr Watson, Anthony Newlands as Baskerville, Steve Hodson as Fred, Rosalind Hinds as Mrs Garcia, David Gooderson as Michael and Jean Trend as the Doctor.

Producer: Paul Mayhew-Archer

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 1983.


WED 07:30 Count Arthur Strong's Radio Show! (m0001r8n)
Christmas Special 2018: Doorknobs and Matchsticks

Arthur returns to BBC Radio 4 with a celebratory 50th episode of his long running sitcom. The former variety star is understudy on a Christmas production of Bedknobs and Broomsticks. Will he ever get on stage?

Steve Delaney stars as Count Arthur, supported by a host of regular characters created by Mel Giedroyc, Terry Kilkelly, Alastair Kerr and Dave Mounfield.

The 50 episodes of Count Arthur Strong’s Radio Show! comprise seven series and eight specials since the programme first aired in December 2005. Highlights include winning the Sony Radio Award for Best Comedy in 2009 and being voted as the Best Radio Sitcom by the British Comedy Guide in 2016. The long running radio series aired until 2012 when the character stepped on to BBC TV for three series of the BAFTA nominated and critically acclaimed TV sitcom Count Arthur Strong. Since then, Count Arthur has returned to BBC Radio 4 annually with his celebrated Christmas specials.

A Komedia Entertainment production for BBC Radio 4


WED 08:00 The Navy Lark (b01m8504)
Series 6

Open Day

With friends and relatives due for a visit aboard HMS Troutbridge, what has Pertwee got in mind?

Stars Leslie Phillips as the Sub-Lieutenant, Jon Pertwee as the Chief Petty Officer, Stephen Murray as the Number One, Richard Caldicot as Captain Povey, Ronnie Barker as Able Seaman Johnson, Heather Chasen as Mrs Povey and Tenniel Evans as The Admiral.

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 January 1964.


WED 08:30 Beyond Our Ken (m0001ywm)
From 25/06/1959

Kenneth Horne’s at the premiere of ‘Look Out, I’m Livid!’ and Hornerama looks at ships.

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

Written by Eric Merriman and Barry Took

Music from Pat Lancaster, the Fraser Hayes Four and the BBC Variety 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 15 shows survive from the original run of 21 episodes in Series 2. Audio restored using both home and overseas (BBC Transcription Service) recordings.

Producer: Jacques Brown

First broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in June 1959.


WED 09:00 Dilemma (b03wpjg8)
Series 3

Episode 5

Sue Perkins puts Al Murray, Cerrie Burnell, Ben Goldacre and Danielle Ward through the moral and ethical wringer.

Dilemmas for the panellists include deciding between two distinct forms of environmentalism; being taken back to school and having a taxing time.

Devised by Danielle Ward.

Producer: Ed Morrish.


WED 09:30 Big Jim and the Figaro Club (b008g6v4)
Transport of Delight

Demobbed Old Ned heads south after the war and joins a special construction team.

Six anarchic tales from those demob days “when we was going to build the new Jerusalem - you know, before the world turned lax and sour”.

Stars Norman Rossington as Big Jim, Roland Curram as Harold Perkins, Harold Goodwin as Old Ned, David John as Nimrod, Sylvester McCoy as Turps, David Beckett as Chick, Douglas Blackwell as the Farmer and Karen Ascoe as the Farmer’s Daughter.

Narrated by Bernard Cribbins.

Written by Ted Walker.

Producer: Martin Fisher

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 1987.


WED 10:00 Charles Dickens - The Pickwick Papers (b007jzr7)
A Matter of Principle

Holed up in a debtors' prison - will Samuel Pickwick manage to get himself released?

Conclusion of Charles Dickens 1837 novel dramatised in eight parts by Barry Campbell and Constance Cox.

Simon Cadell .... Charles Dickens
Freddie Jones .... Mr Pickwick
Philip Bond .... Mr Winkle
Michael Graham Cox .... Mr Tupman
Stephen Thorne .... Mr Snodgrass
Douglas Livingstone .... Sam Weller
John Hollis .... Tony Weller
Paul Chapman .... Mr Jingle
Timothy Alcock .... Mr Perker
Michael Goldie .... Isaac
Rosalind Ayres .... Arabella Allen
Elizabeth Spriggs .... Mrs Bardell
Pauline Letts .... Mrs Raddle
Cecile Chevreau .... Mrs Cluppins
Kenneth Shanley .... Mr Raddle
Heather Bell .... Tommy Bardell
Margot Boyd .... Mrs Rogers
Peter Wickham .... Mr Jackson
Christopher Benjamin .... Mr Stiggins
Stella Tanner .... Mrs Weller

Director: Jane Morgan

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1977.


WED 11:00 Katherine Mansfield - The Montana Stories (b007648w)
A Cup of Tea

Rosemary Fell is accomplished and rich, but her vanity is exposed when she decides to do a good deed. Read by Emilia Fox.


WED 11:15 Drama (b0612n9s)
Rumpole

Rumpole and the Bubble Reputation

Rumpole meets Erskine-Brown in Pommeroy’s. Erskine-Brown is depressed because he’s doing a sordid ABH and affray which allegedly occurred in a Soho night club.

Rumpole tells him to visit the scene of the crime to get the lay of the land, which they do. They drink with Maurice Machin, the editor of the Daily Beacon, who tells Rumpole that an article in his paper by one “Stella January” alleged that Ameila Nettleship, an author of historical novels, has affairs with married men. She is suing the paper, and Maurice Machin, for libel.

Will Rumpole defend? He agrees.

Meanwhile Erskine-Brown, due to get married to Phillida Trant in a couple of weeks, doesn’t realise his photo has been taken as he ogles the topless dancers. When this photo is published in the papers, Phillida is furious.

Benedict Cumberbatch stars as Rumpole in a story written by John Mortimer and adapted by Richard Stoneman.

Cast:
Horace Rumpole … Benedict Cumberbatch
Hilda Rumpole … Jasmine Hyde
Phillida Erskine-Brown … Cathy Sara
Claude Erskine-Brown … Nigel Anthony
Maurice Machin … Ewan Bailey
Porky Peppiatt … Stephen Critchlow

Directed by Marilyn Imrie
Produced by Catherine Bailey
A Catherine Bailey production for BBC Radio 4


WED 12:00 The Navy Lark (b01m8504)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]


WED 12:30 Beyond Our Ken (m0001ywm)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]


WED 13:00 Wimsey (b007jvn8)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]


WED 13:30 Scientists Go to Hollywood (b00tj5qk)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]


WED 14:00 Book at Bedtime (b0418p85)
History of the Rain

Episode 8

We are our stories. We tell them to stay alive or to keep alive those who only live now in the telling.

19-year-old Ruth Swain is lying in her childhood home in the small Irish village of Faha in the attic room at the top of the stairs in the bed which her father had to construct in situ and which turned out to be as much boat as bed. She has Something Wrong with her, having collapsed during her fresher year at Trinity in Dublin, and finds herself bedbound in the attic room beneath the rain, in the margins between this world and the next.

Ruth is in search of her father. To understand the father she has lost. To find him Ruth journeys through the ancestry of the curious Swain family - from the Reverend Swain her great-grandfather, to her grandfather Abraham to her father Virgil – and in doing so discovers an enchanting story of pole-vaulting, soldiering, stubbornness, leaping salmon, poetry, the pursuit of the Impossible Standard, and the wild rain-sodden history of fourteen acres of the worst farming land in Ireland. Above all, Ruth embarks on a journey through books. Three thousand, nine hundred and fifty-eight books to be precise, which are piled high and line the walls of her attic room. As Ruth searches for her father in their pages, her story becomes a vital, witty and poignant celebration of imagination, books, love and the healing power of storytelling.

Niall Williams is also the author of bestselling novels including As It is In Heaven, The Fall of the Light, Only Say the Word and Four Letters of Love.

Abridged by Doreen Estall

Read by Ailish Symons

Producer: Heather Larmour

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2014.


WED 14:15 The Invention of Childhood (b00sbx09)
The Vast Usefulness of Reading

Michael Morpurgo explores education's expansion for boys in the 17th century, and when boyhood ended and manhood began.


WED 14:30 Charlotte Bronte - The Professor (b00m5qlj)
Turmoil

William realises he loves Frances, so he sets out to find her.

The least-known of Charlotte Bronte's novels: a subtle, ambiguous and unsettling love story dramatised in ten-parts by Rachel Joyce.

Starring Paul Venables as William Crimsworth, Shaun Dooley as Hunsden, Roger May as Pelet, Niamh Cusack as Zoraide Reuter and Claire Price as Frances.

Director: Tracey Neale

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2005.


WED 14:45 Book of the Week (b044j7p6)
Doubling Back

In his Footsteps

A beautiful and moving memoir where the author retraces walks undertaken by others, from the Highlands of Scotland to the Swiss Alps and Kenya.

In 1952 Linda Cracknell’s father embarked on a hike through the Swiss Alps. Fifty years later Linda retraces that fateful journey, following the trail of the man she barely knew.

This collection of walking tales takes its theme from that pilgrimage. The walks trace the contours of history, following writers, relations and retreading ways across mountains, valleys and coasts formerly trodden by drovers, saints and adventurers. Each walk is about the reaffirming of memories, beliefs and emotions, and especially of the connection that one can have with the past through particular places.

Part Three: In His Footsteps
Today, Linda bravely retraces the Alpine ascent made by her father in 1952 and in doing so discovers some truths about the past and about her relationship with her lost father.

Reader ..... Teresa Gallagher

Writer ..... Linda Cracknell

Abridger ..... Siân Preece

Producer ..... Gaynor Macfarlane


WED 15:00 Charles Dickens - The Pickwick Papers (b007jzr7)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 today]


WED 16:00 Dilemma (b03wpjg8)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]


WED 16:30 Big Jim and the Figaro Club (b008g6v4)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 today]


WED 17:00 Second Holmes (b0151ycp)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]


WED 17:30 Count Arthur Strong's Radio Show! (m0001r8n)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]


WED 18:00 Ghost Stories of Walter De La Mare (b00wvd6t)
Crewe

In the chilly waiting-room of a railway station, an old man relates a disturbing history of a haunting in a job he formerly held...

Read by Kenneth Cranham.

Walter de la Mare (1873-1956) was a popular award-wining poet, short story writer and novelist. He wrote for both children and adults.

Abridged by Doreen Estall.

Producer: Lawrence Jackson

Made for BBC Radio 7 and first broadcast in 2010.


WED 18:30 My Life in Five Books (b00tq0ws)
Series 1

Sue Lawrence

3/8
Sue Lawrence's passion for food is well known. A prolific writer of cookery books Sue first came to prominence after winning BBC Master Chef in 1991. Her passion for other books is less well known and in conversation with Stuart Cosgrove she reveals the five titles she'd never be without.


WED 19:00 The Navy Lark (b01m8504)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]


WED 19:30 Beyond Our Ken (m0001ywm)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]


WED 20:00 Wimsey (b007jvn8)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]


WED 20:30 Scientists Go to Hollywood (b00tj5qk)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]


WED 21:00 Katherine Mansfield - The Montana Stories (b007648w)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:00 today]


WED 21:15 Drama (b0612n9s)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:15 today]


WED 22:00 Count Arthur Strong's Radio Show! (m0001r8n)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]


WED 22:30 The Brig Society (b069xxg5)
Series 3

Football Manager

Uh-oh - Marcus Brigstocke has decided to find out about the pure, noble and honest game of football - and also FIFA. He'll be tackling some of the sport's biggest problems, like racism and homophobia - and also FIFA.

And as a football manager, he'll be taking his amateur side all the way to the Premier League. And possibly beyond, if Qatar pay him enough.

Helping him to kick it out of the park will be Margaret Cabourn-Smith ("Miranda"), William Andrews ("Sorry I've Got No Head") and Colin Hoult ("Derek")

Written by Marcus Brigstocke, Jeremy Salsby, Toby Davies, Nick Doody, Steve Punt and Dan Tetsell.

Produced by David Tyler
A Pozzitive production for BBC Radio 4.


WED 23:00 The Ape That Got Lucky (b0081cbz)
Science and Progress

Chris Addison's spoof lectures exploring human evolution. With Geoffrey McGivern as Professor Austin Herring. From August 2005.


WED 23:30 4 at the Store (b00d7jpz)
Series 2

Episode 2

Simon Bligh hosts the stand-up from London's Comedy Store with Alan Carr, Richard Morton and Gina Yashere. From January 2002.



THURSDAY 03 JANUARY 2019

THU 00:00 Ghost Stories of Walter De La Mare (b00wvd6t)
[Repeat of broadcast at 18:00 on Wednesday]


THU 00:30 My Life in Five Books (b00tq0ws)
[Repeat of broadcast at 18:30 on Wednesday]


THU 01:00 Wimsey (b007jvn8)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 on Wednesday]


THU 01:30 Scientists Go to Hollywood (b00tj5qk)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 on Wednesday]


THU 02:00 Book at Bedtime (b0418p85)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:00 on Wednesday]


THU 02:15 The Invention of Childhood (b00sbx09)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:15 on Wednesday]


THU 02:30 Charlotte Bronte - The Professor (b00m5qlj)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:30 on Wednesday]


THU 02:45 Book of the Week (b044j7p6)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:45 on Wednesday]


THU 03:00 Charles Dickens - The Pickwick Papers (b007jzr7)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 on Wednesday]


THU 04:00 Dilemma (b03wpjg8)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 on Wednesday]


THU 04:30 Big Jim and the Figaro Club (b008g6v4)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 on Wednesday]


THU 05:00 Second Holmes (b0151ycp)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 on Wednesday]


THU 05:30 Count Arthur Strong's Radio Show! (m0001r8n)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 on Wednesday]


THU 06:00 Wimsey (b007jvng)
Strong Poison

Norman Urquhart

Lord Peter Wimsey ponders a changed will, and whether Harriet's lover took his own life. Stars Ian Carmichael and Peter Jones.


THU 06:30 The Boy who Bought a Field (b0076x9s)
Francis Pryor meets archaeologist Stuart Wilson, who bought the land covering the lost medieval Welsh town, Trellech. From March 2006.


THU 07:00 Old Dog and Partridge (b007w3j9)
Episode 4

A ladykiller woos Mrs Drummond and Nicola is determined to find the right present for her dad Jack's birthday.

Joe Turner’s six-part sitcom stars Michael Williams as Jack, Lisa Coleman as Nicola, Cherry Morris as Mrs Drummond, Simon Greenall as Andy and Finetime Fontayne as Arthur.

Producer: Liz Anstee

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 1999.


THU 07:30 John Finnemore's Souvenir Programme (b087qjzk)
Series 6

Episode 3

John Finnemore, writer and star of Cabin Pressure and John Finnemore's Double Acts and regular guest on The Now Show and The Unbelievable Truth, returns for a sixth series of his multi-award-winning Souvenir Programme, joined as ever by Margaret Cabourn-Smith, Simon Kane, Lawry Lewin, Carrie Quinlan and, at the piano, Susannah Pearse.

John Finnemore's Souvenir Programme was described by The Radio Times as "the best sketch show in years, on television or radio", and by The Daily Telegraph as "funny enough to make even the surliest cat laugh". Already the winner of a BBC Audio Drama Award and a Radio Academy Silver Award, John was named the 2016 Radio Broadcaster of the Year by the Broadcasting Press Guild for his work on Souvenir Programme.

3/6
This week's Souvenir Programme has sketches about the worst of the bad coppers; a frustrated one hit-wonder; and the return of Patsy Straightwoman in an exciting new format.

Written by & starring ... John Finnemore
Cast ... Margaret Cabourn-Smith
Cast ... Simon Kane
Cast ... Lawry Lewin
Cast ... Carrie Quinlan

Original music composed and performed by ... Susannah Pearse

Production Coordinator...Sophie Richardson

Producer ... Ed Morrish

A BBC Studios Production.


THU 08:00 Something to Shout About (m0001vtg)
Series 2

Episode 7

To get Mavis a better job, her agency colleagues try an ‘Eliza Doolittle’ transformation.

"A light-hearted exposé of the advertising world!". Set in a London ad agency called 'Apsley, Addis, Cohen, Barbican, Blythe, Giddy & Partners'.

Starring Michael Medwin as Michael, Fenella Fielding as Janet, Joan Sims as Mavis, Eleanor Summerfield as Maggie and Nicholas Phipps as Adrian. Other parts by Warren Mitchell.

Series two (of three) written by Myles Rudge with Ronnie Wolfe.

Producer: Eric Miller

First broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in February 1961.


THU 08:30 The Goon Show (b007jpgm)
King Solomon's Mines

Neddie Seagoon loses at roulette, so heads off in search of legendary African riches. Stars Spike Milligan. From December 1957.


THU 09:00 The Write Stuff (m0001vtj)
Series 1

Jane Austen

James Walton hosts his first book quiz testing Sebastian Faulks, John Walsh, Victoria Glendinning and Tracey MacLeod.

Author of the week: Jane Austen.

Reader: Rachel Atkins.

Producer: Jon Rolph

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 1998.


THU 09:30 Rent (b04phhy0)
Series 2

Episode 6

Paul and Ruby are thinking of moving out, and Maria needs more space.

Lucy Flannery's sitcom about the struggles of Maria and Richard and their lodgers.

Stars Barbara Flynn as Maria, Patrick Barlow as Richard, Linda Polan as Amy and Toby Longworth as Paul.

With Vivienne Rochester.

Producer: Liz Anstee.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 1995.


THU 10:00 Classic Serial (b00nhv35)
Guy de Maupassant - Bel Ami

Episode 1

Dramatisation by Frances Byrnes of Guy de Maupassant's story of political corruption in the newspaper world of 19th-century France and the inexorable rise of Georges Duroy - 'Bel Ami' - a charming, ruthless man of little talent but plenty of ambition.

Bel Ami is making the perfect match with a society heiress but his past is about to catch up with him, in the shape of Mme de Marelle, his long-term mistress.

Bel Ami ...... Jonathan Slinger
Marelle ...... Emma Fielding
Madeleine ...... Mali Harries
Forestier ...... Kieran Self
Monsieur Walter ...... Steffan Rhodri
Rachel ...... Sara McGaughey

Other roles played by Richard Nichols.

Directed by Polly Thomas.


THU 11:00 Katherine Mansfield - The Montana Stories (b00764b0)
Honeymoon

By the Mediterranean Sea, Fanny contemplates her future with George, a 'man of the world'. Read by Emilia Fox.


THU 11:15 Drama (b061tqv5)
Rumpole

Rumpole and the Age of Miracles

Hilda’s distant relation, The Reverend Timothy Donkin, looks set to be defrocked as Canon of Lawnchester Cathedral unless Rumpole can convince an Ecclesiastical Court that adultery did not take place in the nearby Saint Edithna Hotel.

Timothy Donkin tells Rumpole that he is married with two sons and, to escape their noise, he writes his sermons in a room at the hotel. Six accusers complained to the Bishop about Timothy Donkin after a hotel maid saw him open his room-door to a woman. He is charged with conduct unbecoming a clerk in Holy Orders.

Rumpole uses his powers of cross-examination - and the portrayal of Hilda as a spooky apparition - to defend the Canon, who irritatingly initially refuses to discuss if, in fact, he did meet anyone in the hotel.

Benedict Cumberbatch stars as Rumpole in a story by John Mortimer and adapted by Richard Stoneman

Cast:
Horace Rumpole … Benedict Cumberbatch
Hilda Rumpole … Jasmine Hyde
Claude Esrkine-Brown … Nigel Anthony
Sam Ballard … Michael Cochrane
Rev. Tim Donkin .. Roger May

Directed by Marilyn Imrie
Produced by Catherine Bailey
A Catherine Bailey production for BBC Radio 4


THU 12:00 Something to Shout About (m0001vtg)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]


THU 12:30 The Goon Show (b007jpgm)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]


THU 13:00 Wimsey (b007jvng)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]


THU 13:30 The Boy who Bought a Field (b0076x9s)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]


THU 14:00 Book at Bedtime (b0418rnf)
History of the Rain

Episode 9

We are our stories. We tell them to stay alive or to keep alive those who only live now in the telling.

19-year-old Ruth Swain is lying in her childhood home in the small Irish village of Faha in the attic room at the top of the stairs in the bed which her father had to construct in situ and which turned out to be as much boat as bed. She has Something Wrong with her, having collapsed during her fresher year at Trinity in Dublin, and finds herself bedbound in the attic room beneath the rain, in the margins between this world and the next.

Ruth is in search of her father. To understand the father she has lost. To find him Ruth journeys through the ancestry of the curious Swain family - from the Reverend Swain her great-grandfather, to her grandfather Abraham to her father Virgil – and in doing so discovers an enchanting story of pole-vaulting, soldiering, stubbornness, leaping salmon, poetry, the pursuit of the Impossible Standard, and the wild rain-sodden history of fourteen acres of the worst farming land in Ireland. Above all, Ruth embarks on a journey through books. Three thousand, nine hundred and fifty-eight books to be precise, which are piled high and line the walls of her attic room. As Ruth searches for her father in their pages, her story becomes a vital, witty and poignant celebration of imagination, books, love and the healing power of storytelling.

Niall Williams is also the author of bestselling novels including As It is In Heaven, The Fall of the Light, Only Say the Word and Four Letters of Love.

Abridged by Doreen Estall

Read by Ailish Symons

Producer: Heather Larmour

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2014.


THU 14:15 The Invention of Childhood (b00scw5x)
But Can She Spin?

Michael Morpurgo learns how girls' education regressed in the 16th century, with the sinful Eve as the main female archetype.


THU 14:30 Charlotte Bronte - The Professor (b00m5tkq)
Joy and Sorrow

Happy news for William and Frances, but the orphan worries for their future.

The least known of Charlotte Bronte's novels: a subtle, ambiguous and unsettling love story dramatised in ten parts by Rachel Joyce.

Starring Paul Venables as William Crimsworth, Shaun Dooley as Hunsden and Claire Price as Frances.

Director: Tracey Neale

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2005.


THU 14:45 Book of the Week (b044j7pj)
Doubling Back

The Heaven above and the Road below

A beautiful and moving memoir where the author retraces walks undertaken by others, from the Highlands of Scotland to the Swiss Alps and Kenya.

Doubling Back is a fascinating and moving account of walking in the footsteps of others. In 1952 Linda Cracknell’s father embarked on a hike through the Swiss Alps. Fifty years later Linda retraces that fateful journey, following the trail of the man she barely knew.

This collection of walking tales takes its theme from that pilgrimage. The walks trace the contours of history, following writers, relations and retreading ways across mountains, valleys and coasts formerly trodden by drovers, saints and adventurers. Each walk is about the reaffirming of memories, beliefs and emotions, and especially of the connection that one can have with the past through particular places.

Part 4 : The Heaven Above and the Road Below
Linda sets out to walk from her front door to the Isle of Skye and, in doing so, uncovers memories of the past and finds inspiration for the future.

Reader ..... Teresa Gallagher

Writer ..... Linda Cracknell

Abridger ..... Siân Preece

Producer ..... Gaynor Macfarlane


THU 15:00 Classic Serial (b00nhv35)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 today]


THU 16:00 The Write Stuff (m0001vtj)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]


THU 16:30 Rent (b04phhy0)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 today]


THU 17:00 Old Dog and Partridge (b007w3j9)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]


THU 17:30 John Finnemore's Souvenir Programme (b087qjzk)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]


THU 18:00 Ghost Stories of Walter De La Mare (b00ww8sr)
A Recluse

One hot evening in the English countryside, a traveller is forced to stay the night at the remote house of a sinister gentleman...

Read by Anthony Head.

Walter de la Mare (1873-1956) was a popular award-wining poet, short story writer and novelist. He wrote for both children and adults.

Abridged by Doreen Estall.

Producer: Lawrence Jackson

Made for BBC Radio 7 and first broadcast in 2010.


THU 18:30 Great Lives (b01hjs17)
Series 27

Goya

Diana Athill joins Matthew Parris to explore the life of the Spanish painter, Francisco de Goya, who has been called the last old masters and the first of the moderns.

The literary editor and memoirist praises Goya for bearing witness truthfully to the horrors of war, for the tenderness of his observations as a painter, his unorthodox style and his desire to keep learning, even in old age.

We know more about Goya thanks to his letters, which have been edited by Dr Sarah Symmons, who also contributes to this programme. They reveal a passionate and playful man, who was fascinated by people and every incarnation of human life and behaviour - including royalty, prostitutes and the elderly. He also wrote openly about professional humiliation and shared intimate details about his private life.

Diana Athill helped establish the publishing company Andre Deutsch, worked with some of the 20th century's greatest writers in her long career, and her six volumes of memoirs include Somewhere Towards the End, an examination of what it means to be old.

Reader Javier Marzan.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2012.


THU 19:00 Something to Shout About (m0001vtg)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]


THU 19:30 The Goon Show (b007jpgm)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]


THU 20:00 Wimsey (b007jvng)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]


THU 20:30 The Boy who Bought a Field (b0076x9s)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]


THU 21:00 Katherine Mansfield - The Montana Stories (b00764b0)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:00 today]


THU 21:15 Drama (b061tqv5)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:15 today]


THU 22:00 John Finnemore's Souvenir Programme (b087qjzk)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]


THU 22:30 iGod (b00wr7v2)
Food

iGOD is a highly original and funny new late-night comedy series for Radio 4. It stars Simon Day (The Fast Show) and David Soul (Starsky & Hutch) and is written by one of the head writers of the BAFTA award-winning The Thick Of It, Sean Gray and produced by Simon Nicholls (Ed Reardon's Week / News At Bedtime).

We all worry about the end of the world, as economists and environmentalists speak in apocalyptic terms everyday. iGOD says that trying to predict the end of the world is as pointless as moisturising an elephant's elbow.

In each episode, an unnamed, all-seeing narrator (David Soul - Starsky and Hutch) shows us that it is stupid to be worrying, as he looks back at some of the most entertaining apocalypses on parallel Earths. Each week our case study is a normal bloke called Ian (Simon Day) who manages to accidentally initiate the apocalypse of a different parallel world through a seemingly harmless single act (telling a lie, being lazy, cooking some lambshanks). A succession of comic vignettes ensue that escalate to the end of a parallel world.

With a full-range of sound effects and wonderfully funny and surreal twists, iGOD will be a true aural extravaganza.

Written by
SEAN GRAY

Produced by
SIMON NICHOLLS.


THU 22:45 The News at Bedtime (m0001vtm)
Episode 1

The News at Bedtime

Programme 1 of 7

New series

Join twin presenters John Tweedledum and Jim Tweedledee for in-depth news analysis covering the latest stories happening this 'once upon a time'.
Today we focus on the scandal of Jack and his genetically modified beanstalk.

Starring Jack Dee and Peter Capaldi.

With Chris Addison, Lewis Macleod, Lucy Montgomery, Vicki Pepperdine and Dan Tetsell

Written by Ian Hislop and Nick Newman

Producer Simon Nicholls


THU 23:00 What the Future? (b04nv4hs)
Series 1

Bees

All the bees are dead. And we love it! Britons revel in sting-less, insect-free summers. But soon all the honey vanishes and instantly becomes the must-have accoutrement for rappers and grime artists. With no pollination, all fruits and vegetables vanish and a panicked government tries to find bees in North Korea and, confusingly, space. Can Brian Cox and Brian May, the country's leading science people, find a solution? Probably not.

Kirsty Wark presents a documentary from the future... Starring Nadia Kamil, Geoffrey McGivern, Kieran Hogson, and Alistair McGowan. With Alice Scott-Gemmill, Elaine Caxton, Sam Dale, Paul Heath, and Bettrys Jones.

Recorded 30 years from now, What the Future plunges into the world of tomorrow and investigates how decisions and actions concerning the current topics of today could have massive repercussions on our later lives. Dealing with issues ripped from the headlines, torn from the news agenda and hacked to shreds from Facebook feeds, WTF investigates how a single alteration now could create a chain reaction that permanently compromises the future for all.

Written by Madeleine Brettingham, Steve Burge and Dale Shaw.
Produced by Victoria Lloyd.


THU 23:30 Party (b00rblxx)
Series 1

Episode 2

Satirical sitcom by Tom Basden about a group of young idealists trying to set up a new political party.

The friends wrangle over their new party's foreign policy. Or at least they would if they had a pen. The arrival of Phoebe's politically astute older boyfriend threatens the party's future, as Jared's insecurities come bubbling to the surface.

Simon ...... Tom Basden
Mel ...... Anna Crilly
Duncan ...... Tim Key
Eamonn ...... Nick Mohammed
Jared ...... Johnny Sweet
Phoebe ...... Katy Wix.



FRIDAY 04 JANUARY 2019

FRI 00:00 Ghost Stories of Walter De La Mare (b00ww8sr)
[Repeat of broadcast at 18:00 on Thursday]


FRI 00:30 Great Lives (b01hjs17)
[Repeat of broadcast at 18:30 on Thursday]


FRI 01:00 Wimsey (b007jvng)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 on Thursday]


FRI 01:30 The Boy who Bought a Field (b0076x9s)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 on Thursday]


FRI 02:00 Book at Bedtime (b0418rnf)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:00 on Thursday]


FRI 02:15 The Invention of Childhood (b00scw5x)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:15 on Thursday]


FRI 02:30 Charlotte Bronte - The Professor (b00m5tkq)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:30 on Thursday]


FRI 02:45 Book of the Week (b044j7pj)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:45 on Thursday]


FRI 03:00 Classic Serial (b00nhv35)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 on Thursday]


FRI 04:00 The Write Stuff (m0001vtj)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 on Thursday]


FRI 04:30 Rent (b04phhy0)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 on Thursday]


FRI 05:00 Old Dog and Partridge (b007w3j9)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 on Thursday]


FRI 05:30 John Finnemore's Souvenir Programme (b087qjzk)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 on Thursday]


FRI 06:00 Wimsey (b007jvnj)
Strong Poison

Miss Murchison

Christmas interrupts Lord Peter Wimsey's investigation, but some suspicious powder isn't what it seems. Stars Ian Carmichael.


FRI 06:30 Precious Metal (b03kv1dz)
The skills of the silversmith are some of the oldest known to man. The creation of beautiful objects in precious metal is an endlessly versatile art form; objects can be tactile, weighty or beguilingly delicate. Their making is spectacular and violent –bashing with hammers, filing, cutting, heating red hot and polishing to perfection. The art of the silversmith is a hard-won product of skill, passion and patience. It produces unique objects of beauty, utility and mystery.

It's also a strange world that brings together ancient and modern –with fiercely guarded craft skills, solitary makers, workshops filled with traditional tools and the latest in digital technologies and precision engineering.

SIlversmithing is also one of this country's quiet success stories. We are now the global centre for contemporary metalwork, attracting students and skilled silversmiths from all over the world. Awareness of this new mood in metalworking is growing: museums are developing collections; British metalworkers are achieving ever-greater international accolades; independent training centres are committed to growing the craft.

Martin Ellis explores the world and work of a number of leading contemporary silversmiths working in this country to see how they work the precious metal to express their vision and tell their stories, from sacred chalices raised out of flat sheets of silver, to intricate objects reflecting back the life of rock pools; fabulously be-jewelled ceremonial scabbards to mysterious silver spoons. He investigates how new generations of silversmiths are learning ancient techniques and how processes like Computer Aided Design and 3D printing offer new opportunities and new challenges to the modern silversmith.

Presenter Martin Ellis

The music was composed by Michael Burdett and Richard Cottle - with sounds from the silversmiths workshops and performed by Little Death Orchestra.

Producer: Mike Greenwood
A Pier production for BBC Radio 4


FRI 07:00 Trapped (b0076h8h)
Clem Walder's Way Out

With three wives, Clem can't keep up his treble life any longer. How can he escape them all?

Black comedy by Mark Maier and Daniel Maier.

Clem .... Alex Lowe
Keith .... Kevin Eldon
Paula .... Laura Shavin
Ben .... Tom Price
Sarah .... Alison Pettitt
Jo .... Rachel Atkins

Producer: Alex Walsh-Taylor

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 2003.


FRI 07:30 The Rivals (b080r360)
Series 4

The Clairvoyants

By Arthur B Reeve.

Dramatised By Chris Harrald.

Inspector Lestrade was made to look a fool in the Sherlock Holmes stories. Now he gets his own back, with tales of Holmes' rivals. After his protégé Constance Dunlap saves a woman from drowning, the woman mumbles "this was meant to happen". Lestrade helps Constance investigate her suspicions that this was no accident and that the woman is in mortal danger.

Lestrade ..... James Fleet
Constance .... Susannah Fielding
Mildred .... Olivia Poulet
Mr Forest and Tom Knowles .... Chris Pavlo
Madame D'Urfe .... Claire Perkins
Jim Dainty .... Brian Protheroe
Penman .... Sean Baker
Secretary .... Kirsty Oswald

Producer: Liz Webb.


FRI 08:00 I'm Sorry, I'll Read That Again... Again! (m0001w95)
Episode 3

Radio Prune’s sporting twist on ballet and Jack the Ripper exposed!

A ‘Best Of’ revival of the BBC classic comedy with a new cast, new musicians, new gags and old favourites

‘I'm Sorry I'll Read That Again’ was a seminal BBC Radio comedy, spawning ‘The Goodies’ and ‘Monty Python's Flying Circus’ and was the forerunner to ‘I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue’. It featured John Cleese, Graeme Garden, Bill Oddie, Tim Brooke-Taylor, David Hatch and Jo Kendall.

The show's mix of anarchic madness, puns, catchphrases galore and gloriously manic characters ran from 1964 to 1973, and had a youth following that made live recordings seem more like a rock concert than a comedy show.

A four-part ‘Best Of’ revival radio series coming off the back of a critically-acclaimed and sold out theatre tour with guest cameos by Graeme Garden, Tim Brooke-Taylor and Jo Kendall at every venue.

Conceived, adapted and directed by Barnaby Eaton-Jones, from scripts and songs by Graeme Garden and Bill Oddie.

Starring Hannah Boydell, David Clarke, Barnaby Eaton-Jones, William KV Browne and Ben Perkins.

Musical accompaniment of The Farrington Four.

Produced by Barnaby Eaton-Jones.


FRI 08:30 Steptoe and Son (b00rzkyb)
Series 1

Wallah, Wallah, Catsmeat

The rag and bone business falters when Hercules the horse needs a vet.

Starring Wilfrid Brambell as Albert and Harry H Corbett as Harold.

Following the conclusion of their hugely successful association with Tony Hancock, writers Ray Galton and Alan Simpson wrote 10 pilots for the BBC TV's Comedy Playhouse in 1962. The Offer was set in a house with a yard full of junk, featuring the lives of rag and bone men Albert Steptoe and his son Harold and it was the spark for a run of 8 series for TV.

Adapted for radio from Galton and Simpson's TV script by Gale Pedrick.

Produced by Bobby Jaye

First broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in August 1966.


FRI 09:00 Guess What? (b066f71q)
Episode 8

Animal, vegetable or mineral?

Barry Took hosts a revised version of popular radio parlour game of 20 questions.

Regular Geoffrey Durham is joined by Chris Serle and Clare Francis.

Written by Michael Dines.

Producer: Andy Aliffe

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 1998.


FRI 09:30 Anything Legal (b0081qyq)
Episode 1

After commuting to work together for 15 years, Charles and George both lose their jobs, but decide to keep it a secret...

A Tale of Two City Gents by Wally K Daly

Starring Donald Hewlett as Charles, Michael Knowles as George, Norma Ronald as Hilary, Tony Anholt as GJ, David Ryall as Charles's Manager, Michael Bilton as Billy and Colin Starkey as Harry the Publican.

Theme music by Jim Parker

Producer: John Fawcett Wilson

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 1984.


FRI 10:00 Classic Serial (b00nnrcq)
Guy de Maupassant - Bel Ami

Episode 2

Dramatisation by Frances Byrnes of Guy de Maupassant's story of political corruption in the newspaper world of 19th-century France and the inexorable rise of Georges Duroy - 'Bel Ami' - a charming, ruthless man of little talent but plenty of ambition.

Bel Ami's first wife and mistress are in the church to see him marry again, but will their knowledge of his past threaten his glittering future?

Duroy ...... Jonathan Slinger
Marelle ...... Emma Fielding
Madeleine ...... Mali Harries
Msr Walter ...... Steffan Rhodri
Rachel ...... Sara McGaughey
Suzanne ...... Catrin Morgan
Mme Walter ...... Nickie Rainsford
The Bishop ...... Richard Nichols

Directed by Polly Thomas.


FRI 11:00 Podcast Radio Hour (m0001w97)
Renay Richardson: Scene On Radio and The Last Days Of August

Amanda Litherland and Renay Richardson recommend podcasts and chat to the creators. This week, Scene On Radio with John Biewen and Jon Ronson's new series The Last Days Of August.


FRI 12:00 I'm Sorry, I'll Read That Again... Again! (m0001w95)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]


FRI 12:30 Steptoe and Son (b00rzkyb)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]


FRI 13:00 Wimsey (b007jvnj)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]


FRI 13:30 Precious Metal (b03kv1dz)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]


FRI 14:00 Book at Bedtime (b0418xyt)
History of the Rain

Episode 10

We are our stories. We tell them to stay alive or to keep alive those who only live now in the telling.

19-year-old Ruth Swain is lying in her childhood home in the small Irish village of Faha in the attic room at the top of the stairs in the bed which her father had to construct in situ and which turned out to be as much boat as bed. She has Something Wrong with her, having collapsed during her fresher year at Trinity in Dublin, and finds herself bedbound in the attic room beneath the rain, in the margins between this world and the next.

Ruth is in search of her father. To understand the father she has lost. To find him Ruth journeys through the ancestry of the curious Swain family - from the Reverend Swain her great-grandfather, to her grandfather Abraham to her father Virgil – and in doing so discovers an enchanting story of pole-vaulting, soldiering, stubbornness, leaping salmon, poetry, the pursuit of the Impossible Standard, and the wild rain-sodden history of fourteen acres of the worst farming land in Ireland. Above all, Ruth embarks on a journey through books. Three thousand, nine hundred and fifty-eight books to be precise, which are piled high and line the walls of her attic room. As Ruth searches for her father in their pages, her story becomes a vital, witty and poignant celebration of imagination, books, love and the healing power of storytelling.

Niall Williams is also the author of bestselling novels including As It is In Heaven, The Fall of the Light, Only Say the Word and Four Letters of Love.

Abridged by Doreen Estall

Read by Ailish Symons

Producer: Heather Larmour

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2014.


FRI 14:15 The Invention of Childhood (b00scz3n)
Overburdened with Children

Michael Morpurgo tells the story of the Poor Law, a forerunner of the welfare state and a safety net for many poor children.


FRI 14:30 Charlotte Bronte - The Professor (b00m5wdp)
Victor

Married to the woman he adores and successful in his work, William is on the verge of bringing his journal to a close

Conclusion of Charlotte Bronte's subtle, ambiguous and unsettling love story dramatised in ten parts by Rachel Joyce.

Starring Paul Venables as William Crimsworth, Shaun Dooley as Hunsden, Claire Price as Frances and Jack Joseph Miller as the Boy

Director: Tracey Neale

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2005.


FRI 14:45 Book of the Week (b044jbjf)
Doubling Back

Walking Home

A beautiful, fascinating and moving memoir where the author retraces walks undertaken by others, from the Highlands of Scotland to the Swiss Alps and Kenya.

In 1952 Linda Cracknell’s father embarked on a hike through the Swiss Alps. Fifty years later Linda retraces that fateful journey, following the trail of the man she barely knew. This collection of walking tales takes its theme from that pilgrimage. The walks trace the contours of history, following writers, relations and retreading ways across mountains, valleys and coasts formerly trodden by drovers, saints and adventurers. Each walk is about the reaffirming of memories, beliefs and emotions, and especially of the connection that one can have with the past through particular places.

Part Five: Walking Home
Linda Cracknell looks to the future as she walks the pilgrimage route of St Cuthbert's Way between Scotland and England and as she follows her own footsteps around her home town of Aberfeldy in Perthshire.

Reader ..... Teresa Gallagher

Writer ..... Linda Cracknell

Abridger ..... Siân Preece

Producer ..... Gaynor Macfarlane


FRI 15:00 Classic Serial (b00nnrcq)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 today]


FRI 16:00 Guess What? (b066f71q)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]


FRI 16:30 Anything Legal (b0081qyq)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 today]


FRI 17:00 Trapped (b0076h8h)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]


FRI 17:30 The Rivals (b080r360)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]


FRI 18:00 Ghost Stories of Walter De La Mare (b00wwd8m)
The Almond Tree

A man looks back on the complex relationship between his parents and a female friend of his father's. It's one that will influence the rest of his life...

Read by Julian Wadham.

Walter de la Mare (1873-1956) was a popular award-wining poet, short story writer and novelist. He wrote for both children and adults.

Abridged by Doreen Estall.

Producer: Lawrence Jackson

Made for BBC Radio 7 and first broadcast in 2010.


FRI 18:30 Off the Page (b04dbz9r)
Mothers

4 Extra Debut. Comedy writer Carole Matthews, novelist Carl Tighe and playwright Alan McDonald celebrate and criticise mothers. From September 2002.

In each programme, Matthew Parris introduces a group of writers of fact and fiction: new talent and established names. In the context of a discussion of one of the ideas and pre-occupations of our times, each presents a piece on this week's topic.

The best new writing and the freshest conversation from 2002.


FRI 19:00 I'm Sorry, I'll Read That Again... Again! (m0001w95)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]


FRI 19:30 Steptoe and Son (b00rzkyb)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]


FRI 20:00 Wimsey (b007jvnj)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]


FRI 20:30 Precious Metal (b03kv1dz)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]


FRI 21:00 Podcast Radio Hour (m0001w97)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:00 today]


FRI 22:00 The Rivals (b080r360)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]


FRI 22:30 What to Do If You're Not Like Everybody Else (b0151pz1)
Series 2

Travel

A second series of this popular and critically acclaimed series from Andrew Lawrence which addresses trying to fit in and find your place in society. This week: travel - an episode exploring how we go about the various journeys we take in everyday life, whether it be the journey to work or to a holiday destination, or just down to the shops.


FRI 22:45 Josie Long: All of the Planet's Wonders (b00j0pp8)
Propriety, Plants, Grandparents and Growing Your Own

Award winning comedian, Josie Long (BBC New Comedy Awards, if.comedy Best Newcomer 2006) presents her first radio series, in which she aims to explore all of the planet's wonders (in detail) over four 14 minute episodes.

This comedy series is all about Long's desire to better herself through learning and her enjoyment of discovering things in old reference books.

Over the series Josie is regularly joined by Irish comedian, Maeve Higgins, and by a variety of comedic guests -Robin Ince, Chris Neill, Daniel Harkin, Henning Wehn, Jesse Thorn and Isy Suttie, plus the occasional actual expert.

Each episode is anchored by Josie and Maeve in the studio, with Josie presenting her essay on the week's subject and Maeve helping with questions, illustrations and interruptions. The guests help to play extra characters or to provide specialist advice.

This week, Josie presents a show about propriety, plants, grandparents, being connected to the world around you and growing your own.

This programme features a guest appearance from actress / comedian Isy Suttie.


FRI 23:00 Elis James's Pantheon of Heroes (b01bpjtg)
Series 1

Inventors

Elis explores historic Welsh figures through sketch and stand-up. Facing judgement are Owain Glyndwr and William Robert Grove. Expect a glorious service station. From February 2012


FRI 23:30 A Look Back at the Future (b01rh3wq)
2001

Recorded in June 1994, Brian Perkins, Kate Robbins and Jeremy Hardy recall a year of turbulent upheaval that was yet to be: 2001 – from the World Cup to the NHS.

Everything you wanted to know then, about the 21st century.

Written by Mark Burton, John O'Farrell and Pete Sinclair.

Producer: Caroline Leddy

First broadcast (with the aid of a crystal ball) on Radio 4 in July 1994.




LIST OF THIS WEEK'S PROGRAMMES
(Note: the times link back to the details; the pids link to the BBC page, including iPlayer)

4 at the Store 23:30 WED (b00d7jpz)

A Good Read 18:30 MON (m0001tc9)

A Good Read 00:30 TUE (m0001tc9)

A Look Back at the Future 23:30 FRI (b01rh3wq)

A Maigret Christmas (Omnibus) 14:30 SUN (m0001st9)

A Maigret Christmas (Omnibus) 02:30 MON (m0001st9)

About the Boys 01:30 SAT (b03mfvlc)

Alex Horne Presents The Horne Section 07:30 SUN (b01rfy5w)

Alex Horne Presents The Horne Section 17:30 SUN (b01rfy5w)

Alex Horne Presents The Horne Section 22:00 SUN (b01rfy5w)

Alex Horne Presents The Horne Section 05:30 MON (b01rfy5w)

All Gas and Gaiters 08:30 SUN (b0082bbs)

All Gas and Gaiters 12:30 SUN (b0082bbs)

All the Way from Memphis 16:00 TUE (b00jnlsm)

All the Way from Memphis 04:00 WED (b00jnlsm)

Anything Legal 09:30 FRI (b0081qyq)

Anything Legal 16:30 FRI (b0081qyq)

Archive on 4 08:00 SAT (b00765kl)

Archive on 4 15:00 SAT (b00765kl)

Archive on 4 03:00 SUN (b00765kl)

Beautiful Dreamers 23:00 TUE (b00w200k)

Bernard Cribbins 04:00 SAT (m0001sk6)

Beyond Our Ken 08:30 WED (m0001ywm)

Beyond Our Ken 12:30 WED (m0001ywm)

Beyond Our Ken 19:30 WED (m0001ywm)

Big Jim and the Figaro Club 09:30 WED (b008g6v4)

Big Jim and the Figaro Club 16:30 WED (b008g6v4)

Big Jim and the Figaro Club 04:30 THU (b008g6v4)

Blowing the Bloody Doors Off (Omnibus) 09:00 SUN (m0001st5)

Blowing the Bloody Doors Off (Omnibus) 20:00 SUN (m0001st5)

Book at Bedtime 02:00 SAT (b040lwwb)

Book at Bedtime 14:00 MON (b0415hbz)

Book at Bedtime 02:00 TUE (b0415hbz)

Book at Bedtime 14:00 TUE (b0418kgs)

Book at Bedtime 02:00 WED (b0418kgs)

Book at Bedtime 14:00 WED (b0418p85)

Book at Bedtime 02:00 THU (b0418p85)

Book at Bedtime 14:00 THU (b0418rnf)

Book at Bedtime 02:00 FRI (b0418rnf)

Book at Bedtime 14:00 FRI (b0418xyt)

Book of the Week 02:45 SAT (b04vjh7p)

Book of the Week 14:45 MON (b044gmfb)

Book of the Week 02:45 TUE (b044gmfb)

Book of the Week 14:45 TUE (b044jhsf)

Book of the Week 02:45 WED (b044jhsf)

Book of the Week 14:45 WED (b044j7p6)

Book of the Week 02:45 THU (b044j7p6)

Book of the Week 14:45 THU (b044j7pj)

Book of the Week 02:45 FRI (b044j7pj)

Book of the Week 14:45 FRI (b044jbjf)

Britain in a Box 07:30 SAT (m0001sh1)

Britain in a Box 17:30 SAT (m0001sh1)

Britain in a Box 05:30 SUN (m0001sh1)

Chain Reaction 22:30 SAT (m0001sh8)

Charles Dickens - The Pickwick Papers 03:00 SAT (b007jzkz)

Charles Dickens - The Pickwick Papers 10:00 MON (b007jznk)

Charles Dickens - The Pickwick Papers 15:00 MON (b007jznk)

Charles Dickens - The Pickwick Papers 03:00 TUE (b007jznk)

Charles Dickens - The Pickwick Papers 10:00 TUE (b007jzpx)

Charles Dickens - The Pickwick Papers 15:00 TUE (b007jzpx)

Charles Dickens - The Pickwick Papers 03:00 WED (b007jzpx)

Charles Dickens - The Pickwick Papers 10:00 WED (b007jzr7)

Charles Dickens - The Pickwick Papers 15:00 WED (b007jzr7)

Charles Dickens - The Pickwick Papers 03:00 THU (b007jzr7)

Charlotte Bronte - The Professor 02:30 SAT (b00m1tfr)

Charlotte Bronte - The Professor 06:00 SUN (b00m4vxd)

Charlotte Bronte - The Professor 13:00 SUN (b00m4vxd)

Charlotte Bronte - The Professor 01:00 MON (b00m4vxd)

Charlotte Bronte - The Professor 14:30 MON (b00m52xf)

Charlotte Bronte - The Professor 02:30 TUE (b00m52xf)

Charlotte Bronte - The Professor 14:30 TUE (b00m570x)

Charlotte Bronte - The Professor 02:30 WED (b00m570x)

Charlotte Bronte - The Professor 14:30 WED (b00m5qlj)

Charlotte Bronte - The Professor 02:30 THU (b00m5qlj)

Charlotte Bronte - The Professor 14:30 THU (b00m5tkq)

Charlotte Bronte - The Professor 02:30 FRI (b00m5tkq)

Charlotte Bronte - The Professor 14:30 FRI (b00m5wdp)

Clare in the Community 23:00 SUN (b00zm6g2)

Classic Serial 10:00 THU (b00nhv35)

Classic Serial 15:00 THU (b00nhv35)

Classic Serial 03:00 FRI (b00nhv35)

Classic Serial 10:00 FRI (b00nnrcq)

Classic Serial 15:00 FRI (b00nnrcq)

Count Arthur Strong's Radio Show! 07:30 WED (m0001r8n)

Count Arthur Strong's Radio Show! 17:30 WED (m0001r8n)

Count Arthur Strong's Radio Show! 22:00 WED (m0001r8n)

Count Arthur Strong's Radio Show! 05:30 THU (m0001r8n)

David Attenborough's Life Stories 11:50 SUN (b010y0r7)

David Attenborough's Life Stories 19:50 SUN (b010y0r7)

Dead Ringers 23:00 MON (b06spjqj)

Dead Ringers 09:00 TUE (b06spjqj)

Dermot Bolger - Haunting Women 00:00 SAT (b016q02f)

Desert Island Discs Revisited 10:15 SUN (m0001st7)

Desert Island Discs Revisited 21:15 SUN (m0001st7)

Dilemma 12:30 SAT (b03w0j4d)

Dilemma 09:00 WED (b03wpjg8)

Dilemma 16:00 WED (b03wpjg8)

Dilemma 04:00 THU (b03wpjg8)

Drama 11:15 TUE (b060bwdj)

Drama 21:15 TUE (b060bwdj)

Drama 11:15 WED (b0612n9s)

Drama 21:15 WED (b0612n9s)

Drama 11:15 THU (b061tqv5)

Drama 21:15 THU (b061tqv5)

Elis James's Pantheon of Heroes 23:00 FRI (b01bpjtg)

Fairy Tales Retold by Sara Maitland 18:45 SAT (b01pt9nf)

Fairy Tales Retold by Sara Maitland 00:45 SUN (b01pt9nf)

Flying the Flag 12:00 SAT (b00sxjmy)

Flying the Flag 07:00 MON (b00b5r1h)

Flying the Flag 17:00 MON (b00b5r1h)

Flying the Flag 05:00 TUE (b00b5r1h)

Frankly Speaking 14:15 SAT (b05t3f72)

Frankly Speaking 02:15 SUN (b05t3f72)

Ghost Stories of Walter De La Mare 18:00 MON (b00wt987)

Ghost Stories of Walter De La Mare 00:00 TUE (b00wt987)

Ghost Stories of Walter De La Mare 18:00 TUE (b00wv6ln)

Ghost Stories of Walter De La Mare 00:00 WED (b00wv6ln)

Ghost Stories of Walter De La Mare 18:00 WED (b00wvd6t)

Ghost Stories of Walter De La Mare 00:00 THU (b00wvd6t)

Ghost Stories of Walter De La Mare 18:00 THU (b00ww8sr)

Ghost Stories of Walter De La Mare 00:00 FRI (b00ww8sr)

Ghost Stories of Walter De La Mare 18:00 FRI (b00wwd8m)

Gideon Fell - The Blind Barber 11:15 MON (b04v36dw)

Gideon Fell - The Blind Barber 21:15 MON (b04v36dw)

Good News Stories (Omnibus) 13:00 SAT (m0001sh4)

Good News Stories (Omnibus) 01:00 SUN (m0001sh4)

Great Lives 18:30 THU (b01hjs17)

Great Lives 00:30 FRI (b01hjs17)

Guess What? 09:00 FRI (b066f71q)

Guess What? 16:00 FRI (b066f71q)

Hancock's Half Hour 08:00 MON (b007jsvk)

Hancock's Half Hour 12:00 MON (b007jsvk)

Hancock's Half Hour 19:00 MON (b007jsvk)

History Retweeted 23:45 TUE (b03xf1k0)

Hood 06:00 SAT (b070n8g7)

Hood 16:00 SAT (b070n8g7)

Hood 04:00 SUN (b070n8g7)

I'm Sorry, I'll Read That Again... Again! 08:00 FRI (m0001w95)

I'm Sorry, I'll Read That Again... Again! 12:00 FRI (m0001w95)

I'm Sorry, I'll Read That Again... Again! 19:00 FRI (m0001w95)

In and Out of the Kitchen 23:30 MON (b016ljx7)

Inheritance Tracks 14:10 SAT (m0001sh6)

Inheritance Tracks 02:10 SUN (m0001sh6)

Jennifer Johnston - The Theft 18:40 SUN (m0001stm)

Jennifer Johnston - The Theft 00:40 MON (m0001stm)

John Finnemore's Souvenir Programme 07:30 THU (b087qjzk)

John Finnemore's Souvenir Programme 17:30 THU (b087qjzk)

John Finnemore's Souvenir Programme 22:00 THU (b087qjzk)

John Finnemore's Souvenir Programme 05:30 FRI (b087qjzk)

Josie Long: All of the Planet's Wonders 22:45 FRI (b00j0pp8)

Just a Minute 09:00 MON (b014pw4w)

Just a Minute 16:00 MON (b014pw4w)

Just a Minute 04:00 TUE (b014pw4w)

Katherine Mansfield - The Montana Stories 11:00 MON (b007647w)

Katherine Mansfield - The Montana Stories 21:00 MON (b007647w)

Katherine Mansfield - The Montana Stories 11:00 TUE (b007648f)

Katherine Mansfield - The Montana Stories 21:00 TUE (b007648f)

Katherine Mansfield - The Montana Stories 11:00 WED (b007648w)

Katherine Mansfield - The Montana Stories 21:00 WED (b007648w)

Katherine Mansfield - The Montana Stories 11:00 THU (b00764b0)

Katherine Mansfield - The Montana Stories 21:00 THU (b00764b0)

Kenneth Williams - Ad Lib 14:45 SAT (b05qdpnl)

Kenneth Williams - Ad Lib 02:45 SUN (b05qdpnl)

King Street Junior Revisited 09:30 MON (m0001tc5)

King Street Junior Revisited 16:30 MON (m0001tc5)

King Street Junior Revisited 04:30 TUE (m0001tc5)

Knocker 22:45 MON (b008hn0k)

Lady Curzon and a Pineapple 07:15 SAT (b00cm6ww)

Lady Curzon and a Pineapple 17:15 SAT (b00cm6ww)

Lady Curzon and a Pineapple 05:15 SUN (b00cm6ww)

Life With The Lyons 08:00 SUN (m0001st3)

Life With The Lyons 12:00 SUN (m0001st3)

Life in London 04:30 SAT (b0121lz3)

Mark Watson Makes the World Substantially Better 23:30 SAT (b00d0sjl)

Matt Haig - The Keepers 00:15 SAT (b047d0wn)

Miss Marple 01:00 SAT (b007jvbc)

Miss Marple 06:00 MON (b007jvbg)

Miss Marple 13:00 MON (b007jvbg)

Miss Marple 20:00 MON (b007jvbg)

Miss Marple 01:00 TUE (b007jvbg)

My Life in Five Books 18:30 WED (b00tq0ws)

My Life in Five Books 00:30 THU (b00tq0ws)

Nick Stafford - The Fire Inside 18:00 SAT (b0075gpk)

Nick Stafford - The Fire Inside 00:00 SUN (b0075gpk)

Off the Page 00:30 SAT (b04cnqz1)

Off the Page 18:30 FRI (b04dbz9r)

Old Dog and Partridge 07:00 THU (b007w3j9)

Old Dog and Partridge 17:00 THU (b007w3j9)

Old Dog and Partridge 05:00 FRI (b007w3j9)

Old Harry's Game 22:00 SAT (b00wtb2v)

PL Travers - Mary Poppins 16:00 SUN (b00slpvx)

PL Travers - Mary Poppins 04:00 MON (b00slpvx)

Parsley Sidings 08:30 MON (b04dcgpq)

Parsley Sidings 12:30 MON (b04dcgpq)

Parsley Sidings 19:30 MON (b04dcgpq)

Party 23:30 THU (b00rblxx)

Podcast Radio Hour 11:00 FRI (m0001w97)

Podcast Radio Hour 21:00 FRI (m0001w97)

Poetry Extra 17:00 SUN (m0001sth)

Poetry Extra 05:00 MON (m0001sth)

Precious Metal 06:30 FRI (b03kv1dz)

Precious Metal 13:30 FRI (b03kv1dz)

Precious Metal 20:30 FRI (b03kv1dz)

Puzzling Passions 15:45 SUN (b0075yvk)

Puzzling Passions 03:45 MON (b0075yvk)

Radio Active 23:30 SUN (b007jrdn)

Rent 09:30 THU (b04phhy0)

Rent 16:30 THU (b04phhy0)

Rent 04:30 FRI (b04phhy0)

Scientists Go to Hollywood 06:30 WED (b00tj5qk)

Scientists Go to Hollywood 13:30 WED (b00tj5qk)

Scientists Go to Hollywood 20:30 WED (b00tj5qk)

Scientists Go to Hollywood 01:30 THU (b00tj5qk)

Second Holmes 07:00 WED (b0151ycp)

Second Holmes 17:00 WED (b0151ycp)

Second Holmes 05:00 THU (b0151ycp)

Second Thoughts 07:00 TUE (b00k2fl1)

Second Thoughts 17:00 TUE (b00k2fl1)

Second Thoughts 05:00 WED (b00k2fl1)

Shena Mackay - The New Year Boy 07:15 SUN (m0001st1)

Shena Mackay - The New Year Boy 14:15 SUN (m0001st1)

Shena Mackay - The New Year Boy 02:15 MON (m0001st1)

Something to Shout About 08:00 THU (m0001vtg)

Something to Shout About 12:00 THU (m0001vtg)

Something to Shout About 19:00 THU (m0001vtg)

Sounds Natural 18:30 TUE (b07m7kcq)

Sounds Natural 00:30 WED (b07m7kcq)

Steptoe and Son 08:30 FRI (b00rzkyb)

Steptoe and Son 12:30 FRI (b00rzkyb)

Steptoe and Son 19:30 FRI (b00rzkyb)

Stilgoe's Around 09:30 TUE (b007k36s)

The Ape That Got Lucky 23:00 WED (b0081cbz)

The Boy who Bought a Field 06:30 THU (b0076x9s)

The Boy who Bought a Field 13:30 THU (b0076x9s)

The Boy who Bought a Field 20:30 THU (b0076x9s)

The Boy who Bought a Field 01:30 FRI (b0076x9s)

The Brig Society 22:30 WED (b069xxg5)

The Game's Afoot: Sherlock Holmes Special 09:00 SAT (b00cm07d)

The Game's Afoot: Sherlock Holmes Special 19:00 SAT (b00cm07d)

The Goon Show 08:30 THU (b007jpgm)

The Goon Show 12:30 THU (b007jpgm)

The Goon Show 19:30 THU (b007jpgm)

The Invention of Childhood 02:15 SAT (b00s9f4y)

The Invention of Childhood 14:15 MON (b00sbpg0)

The Invention of Childhood 02:15 TUE (b00sbpg0)

The Invention of Childhood 14:15 TUE (b00sbrlb)

The Invention of Childhood 02:15 WED (b00sbrlb)

The Invention of Childhood 14:15 WED (b00sbx09)

The Invention of Childhood 02:15 THU (b00sbx09)

The Invention of Childhood 14:15 THU (b00scw5x)

The Invention of Childhood 02:15 FRI (b00scw5x)

The Invention of Childhood 14:15 FRI (b00scz3n)

The Listening Project 10:10 SUN (b05413k5)

The Listening Project 21:10 SUN (b05413k5)

The Living Mountain 06:30 MON (b03mfndd)

The Living Mountain 13:30 MON (b03mfndd)

The Living Mountain 20:30 MON (b03mfndd)

The Living Mountain 01:30 TUE (b03mfndd)

The Men from the Ministry 08:30 TUE (b01cwpns)

The Men from the Ministry 12:30 TUE (b01cwpns)

The Men from the Ministry 19:30 TUE (b01cwpns)

The Moth Radio Hour 11:00 SUN (b08ch0rn)

The Moth Radio Hour 19:00 SUN (b08ch0rn)

The Navy Lark 08:00 WED (b01m8504)

The Navy Lark 12:00 WED (b01m8504)

The Navy Lark 19:00 WED (b01m8504)

The News at Bedtime 22:45 THU (m0001vtm)

The Penny Dreadfuls Present 22:30 SUN (b00gpbcj)

The Prisoner 18:00 SUN (m0001stk)

The Prisoner 00:00 MON (m0001stk)

The Rivals 07:30 FRI (b080r360)

The Rivals 17:30 FRI (b080r360)

The Rivals 22:00 FRI (b080r360)

The Shuttleworths 05:30 SAT (m0001q6g)

The Shuttleworths 23:30 TUE (b01pjkxj)

The Simon Day Show 23:00 SAT (b01jhjs3)

The Small, Intricate Life of Gerald C Potter 08:00 TUE (b007jz1f)

The Small, Intricate Life of Gerald C Potter 12:00 TUE (b007jz1f)

The Small, Intricate Life of Gerald C Potter 19:00 TUE (b007jz1f)

The Tim Vine Chat Show 07:30 TUE (m0001qw7)

The Tim Vine Chat Show 17:30 TUE (m0001qw7)

The Tim Vine Chat Show 22:00 TUE (m0001qw7)

The Tim Vine Chat Show 05:30 WED (m0001qw7)

The Topping Tooters of the Town 06:30 TUE (b01djny3)

The Topping Tooters of the Town 13:30 TUE (b01djny3)

The Topping Tooters of the Town 20:30 TUE (b01djny3)

The Topping Tooters of the Town 01:30 WED (b01djny3)

The Unbelievable Truth 07:30 MON (m0001qj9)

The Unbelievable Truth 17:30 MON (m0001qj9)

The Unbelievable Truth 22:00 MON (m0001qj9)

The Unbelievable Truth 05:30 TUE (m0001qj9)

The Write Stuff 09:00 THU (m0001vtj)

The Write Stuff 16:00 THU (m0001vtj)

The Write Stuff 04:00 FRI (m0001vtj)

Think the Unthinkable 22:30 TUE (b01n2tnx)

Tina C 22:30 MON (b01bm0q4)

Trapped 05:00 SAT (b0076h5p)

Trapped 07:00 FRI (b0076h8h)

Trapped 17:00 FRI (b0076h8h)

Up the Garden Path 16:30 TUE (b00803k9)

Up the Garden Path 04:30 WED (b00803k9)

What the Future? 23:00 THU (b04nv4hs)

What to Do If You're Not Like Everybody Else 22:30 FRI (b0151pz1)

Wimsey 06:00 TUE (b007jvn6)

Wimsey 13:00 TUE (b007jvn6)

Wimsey 20:00 TUE (b007jvn6)

Wimsey 01:00 WED (b007jvn6)

Wimsey 06:00 WED (b007jvn8)

Wimsey 13:00 WED (b007jvn8)

Wimsey 20:00 WED (b007jvn8)

Wimsey 01:00 THU (b007jvn8)

Wimsey 06:00 THU (b007jvng)

Wimsey 13:00 THU (b007jvng)

Wimsey 20:00 THU (b007jvng)

Wimsey 01:00 FRI (b007jvng)

Wimsey 06:00 FRI (b007jvnj)

Wimsey 13:00 FRI (b007jvnj)

Wimsey 20:00 FRI (b007jvnj)

iGod 22:30 THU (b00wr7v2)