SATURDAY 31 JANUARY 2026

SAT 00:00 Soul Music (m0018fzh)
Bruch's Violin Concerto

A Violin Concerto in G minor, Opus 26, became the best-known work of the German composer Max Bruch.

Originally written in 1866, it went through many revisions before finally being completed in 1867. It was performed extensively but having sold both the publishing and the manuscript Bruch died in relative obscurity in 1920.

The Concerto would continue to be played around the world and the second movement in particular, the Adagio, became a much-loved favourite.

Journalist Claire Read describes how much her Mother loved the piece after Claire learned and performed it in school, and how she would listen to it whilst being treated for cancer.

Ukrainian violinist Kostia Lukyniuk recalls playing it with an orchestra in his home town aged 11, and how music still gives him strength as he plays for those battered by the Russian invasion of his home country.

The second movement brings back fond memories for Archers actor June Spencer who listened to it with her husband and their friends on a veranda in Minorca.

Leader of the Welsh National Opera David Adams was inspired to take-up the violin after listening to a recording of David Oistrakh playing this piece, and later performed it at the Fishguard Festival. It was a favourite of his Mum's and that recording was played at her funeral.

The Carnegie Hall was the setting for violinist Shlomo Mintz's most treasured performance and he describes how it feels to play those soaring melodies.

Curator Robinson McClellan at The Morgan Library & Museum in New York explains how the manuscript of this concerto made its way from Germany to the USA, and why this work would later become a source of resentment for this 'establishment' composer.

Produced for BBC Audio in Bristol by Toby Field.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in June 2022.


SAT 00:30 The Arthur Cravan Memorial Society (b01r9c9c)
Arthur Smith pieces together an unreliable portrait of Arthur Cravan - charlatan and genius, the Dada James Dean.

Arthur Cravan was - as he never tired of telling people -- the nephew of Oscar Wilde.

A self-declared citizen of 20 countries, he was a dandy, forger, flaneur, critic, sailor, prospector, card sharp, thief, editor and chauffeur. He was the true father of dada and surrealism whose real work of art was himself.

Between 1911 and 1915, Cravan wrote and published the magazine Maintenant in Paris, which he filled with belligerent diatribes and scandalous braggadocio.

He gave lectures, during which he insulted, mooned and fired guns at the audience. As an act of artistic bravado, he fought the heavyweight boxing champion Jack Johnson, and was knocked out as soon as Johnson tired of the charade.

On the run from the First World War, Cravan set sail from Mexico in 1918, intending to reach South America. He was never seen again. But no one knows what happened to him and no body was ever found. But poems and paintings attributed to Cravan continued to surface.

And who exactly was the person identified as Arthur Cravan spotted in different parts of the world for decades?

Arthur Smith is beguiled by Cravan's sense of provocation, by his desire to live a rich and full life, a poetic life, in spite of it all.

So he's all-set to call the final meeting of the Arthur Cravan Memorial Society to order as he tries to cobble together the truth about this mysterious and fascinating figure.

Producer: Martin Williams

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 2013.


SAT 01:00 Whodunnits (b007jzkx)
Paul Temple and the Spencer Affair

5. A Surprise for Pete Roberts

The death toll mounts - as the suave private detective Paul Temple journeys to an island on the River Thames.

Starring Peter Coke and Marjorie Westbury as BBC radio's smoothest investigator and his glamorous wife.

Another baffling case of dastardly crimes must be solved.

Written by Francis Durbridge.

Paul Temple ...... Peter Coke
Steve ...... Marjorie Westbury
Sir Graham Forbes ...... Lester Mudditt
Det Insp Vosper ...... Hugh Manning
Charlie ...... James Beattie
Adrian Frost ...... Simon Lack
Rupert Dreisler ...... Brewster Mason
Terry Gibson ...... Isabel Dean
Pete Roberts ...... Thomas Heathcote
Warren ...... James Thomason

Other parts played by:

David Spenser

Producer: Martyn C Webster

First broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in December 1957.


SAT 01:30 Maugham's Eye View (b00m4ttw)
5. The Facts of Life

18 year old Nicky is expressly told 'not to gamble, lend money or see women' but on a trip to Monte Carlo he does all three...

A series of Somerset Maugham short stories dramatised by Neville Teller.

Dirk Bogarde is the narrator.

Nicky ...... Paul Rhys
Henry ...... Robert Lang
Melanie ...... Melanie Hudson

Other parts played by:

Geoffrey Whitehead
David Collings
Stephen Critchlow
Patience Tomlinson
Denys Hawthorne
Roger May
Paul Jenkins

Director: Janet Whitaker

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 1996.


SAT 02:00 Taking It Up the Octave (b007511z)
5. First Night Frights

The first night of Carmen is nigh.

The cast's tensions are mounting.

Natasha resorts to verbal abuse, James finds succour in emotional flooding techniques, and Gareth seeks solace in whisky.

Comedy drama series written by Fintan Coyle and Tom Miles.

The mishaps and adventures of the acting troupe at Opera Sunderland.

Derek ...... Andrew Branch
Keyboard Ken ...... Tom Miles
Cilla ...... Carolyn Bonnyman
Gareth ...... Godfrey James
James ...... Simon Butteriss
Natasha ...... Caz Weller
Dwight ...... Jonathan Kydd

Singers:

Alison Porter
Susan Jelley
Henrik Wager
Ian Bloomfield

Producer Chris Neill

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 1997.


SAT 02:30 Steptoe and Son (b007jlqh)
Series 3

Without Prejudice

Harold persuades Albert to leave their city rag and bone yard to move out to suburbia.

Starring Wilfrid Brambell and Harry H Corbett.

Classic sitcom about the lives of rag and bone men Albert Steptoe and his son Harold.

Written for BBC TV and adapted for BBC Radio by Ray Galton and Alan Simpson.

Albert ...... Wilfrid Brambell
Harold ...... Harry H Corbett
Estate Agent ...... Edward Kelsey
Mr Drysden ...... Garrard Green

Other parts played by Trevor Martin.

Producer: Bobby Jaye

First broadcast on BBC Radio 2 in April 1971.


SAT 03:00 The Break (b07h6fmm)
Series 1

Occupied

Andy has found a level of contentment with the world - reading books, watching films, and generally repairing his wounded psyche.

Uncle Jeff is having none of this and reveals a hitherto unknown secret to Andy, that the dusty shop downstairs from his seaside flat belongs to Jeff. When necessary, it seems, he offers the community of Flamford a valuable service as an electrical repair person.

Jeff lures Andy into the shop and shows him how to use the till. Andy realises it's another of his uncle's ploys, and refuses this oblique yet unsubtle job offer. But Jeff, never the one to say "die", takes his nephew on a job search in which Andy is an unwilling participant.

Visits follow to Fish Shop Frank, the Tourist Information Office run by the uniformed and uninformed Steph and Pippa, and Flamford's as-yet-unlicensed zoo.

Written by Ian Brown and James Hendrie.

Jeff ...... Philip Jackson
Andy ...... Tom Palmer
Frank ...... Mark Benton
Corinne ...... Alison Steadman
Joyce ...... Alison Steadman
Mr Truepenny ...... Rasmus Hardiker

Director: Gordon Kennedy

An Absolutely production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in June 2016.


SAT 03:30 Man of Iron: Thomas Telford and the Building of Britain (b08cv2qt)
5. Legacy

Thomas Telford died in September 1834, just as the railway age was dawning.

So he had little idea of how lasting his legacy would be - helping to inspire the Victorian civil engineers who followed him.

Almost everything he built is still in use today.

Julian Glover's biography of Thomas Telford: a shepherd's son, born in the Scottish Borders in 1757, who revolutionised British engineering and set the stage for the Industrial Revolution.

Abridged by David Jackson Young

Concluded by Robin Laing.

Producer: Kirsteen Cameron.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 2017.


SAT 03:45 Ladies of Letters (b007k3c8)
Ladies of Letters.com

10. Christopher

The Mystery Man comes to Irene's door - and she has a confession to make to Vera.

Starring Patricia Routledge and Prunella Scales.

Vera Small and Irene Spencer continue to conduct their long friendship through a candid and not uncritical email correspondence.

Written by Lou Wakefield and Carole Hayman.

Vera …. Patricia Routledge
Irene …. Prunella Scales
Karen …. Julia Ford
Lesley …. Kate Gartside
Howard …. Christopher Kelham

Director: Paul Miller

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 2000.


SAT 04:00 The Personality Test (b00mbl3k)
Series 1

Jennie Bond

Former BBC Royal Correspondent Jennie Bond quizzes a panel about herself.

Battling with queries based on Jennie's life, whims and interests are:

Robin Ince
Will Smith
Natalie Haynes
Sue Perkins

Series in which a fresh host every episode quizzes a comedy panel about themselves.

Script by Richard Turner.

Devised and produced by Aled Evans.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 2006.


SAT 04:30 A Whole 'Nother Story (b007641j)
Series 1

It's a Fig, Not a Date

Cassie and Pete launch into the world of dating agencies.

Cassie's blind date is Simon. He sounds attractive, but his occupation is shrouded in mystery.

Meanwhile, Pete's blind date leads him to realise a few things about Cassie who in turn has been realising a few things about Pete...

Starring Debra Stephenson and Dave Lamb.

Amanda Murphy’s comedy-drama series about a friendship between a man and a woman.

Cassie ...... Debra Stephenson
Pete ...... David Lamb
PJ ...... Brendan Burns
Dad ...... Mike Grady
Mum ...... Anne Reid
Simon ...... Shaun Dooley
Check Out Girl ...... Victoria Ashley

Producer: Graham Frost

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 2001.


SAT 05:00 Drama on 4 (m000tdyq)
Tango Diaries by Ron Hutchinson

Why Tango is such an obsession and a way of life for some people?

Is it the drama, the proximity, the rhythm, the soul-bearing?

A series of compelling vignettes written by Ron Hutchinson.

Five people explain why this astonishing dance means so much to them.

Annie ...... Summer Strallen
Howard ...... Matt Rippey
Ross ...... Damian Lynch
Sean/The Chief ...... Jos Vantyler
Marco/Dance Hall Owner ...... Kerry Shale
Grace/Frannie/Kara ...... Melli Bond
Jeanie ...... Jane Jackson
Stanislav ...... Tomasz Aleksander
Lena ...... Nicola Stuart Hill
Dan ...... Chris Buckley
Nadya/Shoe Lady ...... Flora Montgomery
Archie ...... Richard Wilson

Director: Clive Brill

A Brill production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in March 2021.


SAT 06:00 A Magician Amongst the Spirits by Bert Coules (m002qr87)
A vivid account written by Bert Coules of the life of the great Houdini, the most famous escapologist of them all.

And in particular of how an initial dabbling In the world of Spiritualism for a quick buck was eventually to become a fierce corroding obsession.

Starring Barry Dennen and Pinkie Johnstone.

Written by Bert Coules.

Houdini .... Barry Dennen
Bess .... Pinkie Johnstone
Mrs Weiss .... Hilda Kriseman
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle .... John Bott
Theo Weiss .... Shane Rimmer
Lady Conan Doyle .... Wendy Murray
Rabbi Weiss .... Arnold Diamond
Richter .... James Kerry
Hyman .... Simon Hewitt
Mrs Adams .... Miranda Forbes
Beck .... Hugh Dickson
Reporter .... Alex Jennings
Mrs Sadler .... Petra Davies
Chairman .... Peter Tuddenham
Mrs Coates .... Jean Trend

Director: David Johnston

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 1982


SAT 07:30 With Great Pleasure (b0480341)
Terry Wogan

Sir Terry Wogan chooses the prose and poetry that mean the most to him.

With the help of special guests:

Sir David Jason
Frances Tomelty

Both read works by a variety of writers from Yeats to Robert Frost and PG Wodehouse.

* Sir David Jason reads Vitai Lampada by Sir Henry Newbolt
* Frances Tomelty reads When You Are Old by WB Yeats
* Finbar Furey sings Sweet Sixteen
* Sir David Jason reads an excerpt from Elegy In A Country Churchyard by Thomas Gray
* Sir David Jason reads Gussie's Prizegiving Speech from Right Ho Jeeves by PG Wodehouse
* Frances Tomelty reads Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening by Robert Frost and In Westminster Abbey by Sir John Betjeman
* Finbar Furey sings Raglan Road

Finbar Furey provides live music.

Producer: Maggie Ayre

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 2014.


SAT 08:00 Drama on 4 (m0011545)
Daughter by Testament

Ralph is a wannabe musician trying to come to terms with fatherhood.

Can he handle the responsibility and the restrictions to his freedom?

In other words, can he be a good dad?

Written by and starring Testament.

Ralph...........................Testament
Nola............................Grace Savage
Daughter...................Elise Brooks

Testament is a beatboxer, rapper and theatre maker. He has worked with Leeds Playhouse and The Royal Exchange Manchester.

Grace Savage is a beatboxer, actress, singer and songwriter.

Director: Gary Brown

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 2021.


SAT 08:45 Tales From the Backbench by Peter Tinniswood (b00764rh)
Series 2

The Campaign

Useless and forgetful MP, Sir Plympton Makepeace recalls how he and his fellow candidates resolved to keep the General Election to themselves in the constituency of Witney Scrotum.

He explains how they planned their non-existent campaign from the snug bar of The Jug And Arlott.

Sir Plimpton Makepeace MP returns to share further reminisces about his life in the House of Commons.

Starring Leslie Phillips.

More unreliable parliamentary ramblings written by Peter Tinniswood..

Producer: Enyd Williams

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 2001.


SAT 09:00 The Marx Brothers' Flywheel, Shyster and Flywheel (b0085j9l)
Series 2

Episode 6

Shady lawyer Waldorf T. Flywheel heads to Hollywood and makes a movie.

Recreation of the Marx Brothers' lost shows charting the adventures of shady lawyer Waldorf T. Flywheel and his assistant, Emmanuel Ravelli.

Originally broadcast with sponsors on America's NBC radio network in the 1930s. The scripts were rediscovered in 1988.

Groucho Marx as Waldorf T. Flywheel …. Michael Roberts
Chico Marx as Emmanuel Ravelli …. Frank Lazarus
Miss Dimple …. Lorelei King
Von Blitzen …. Graham Hoadly
Tyrone Price …. Vincent Marzello

Written by Nat Perrin and Athur Sheekman.

Adapted by Mark Brisenden.

Music arranged and conducted by David Firman.

Producer: Dirk Maggs

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in June 1991.


SAT 09:30 The Navy Lark (b0187xy4)
Series 12

The Slogan Contest

A recruitment drive sparks some creative writing aboard HMS Troutbridge, but the Chief does some creative scheming.

Stars Leslie Phillips, Jon Pertwee and Stephen Murray.

Laughs afloat aboard British Royal Navy frigate HMS Troutbridge.

Written by Lawrie Wyman and George Evans.

The Sub-Lieutenant ...... Leslie Phillips
The Chief Petty Officer ...... Jon Pertwee
The Number One ...... Stephen Murray
Captain Povey ...... Richard Caldicot
Mrs Povey ...... Heather Chasen
The Admiral ...... Tenniel Evans
The Rear Admiral ....... Michael Bates

The Navy Lark ran for an impressive 13 series between 1959 and 1976.

Producer: Alastair Scott Johnston.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 2 in June 1971.


SAT 10:00 Conversation Extra (m002qr89)
As I Remember - Lady Asquith

Lady Asquith is perhaps best remembered as Lady Violet Bonham Carter.

She was the grandmother of award-winning actress Helena Bonham Carter.

In conversation with Kenneth Harris, she looks back over her life recalling many of the legendary parliamentarians she’d met.

Originally shown as a TV programme on BBC 1, this radio version was broadcast a few months later.

Lady Asquith was the politically active daughter of UK Prime Minister Herbert Henry Asquith (1908 - 1916), a prominent Liberal politician in her own right and a devoted friend to Winston Churchill, whom she first met at the age of 19.

She recalls luncheon with William Gladstone when she was six and talks about her father; his successor Lloyd George, as well as Winston.

Becoming a Life Peer in 1964, she served on the BBC Board of Governors and was the Liberal Party's first female President.

Kenneth Harris wrote:

“Talking to her on four successive afternoons, I could never take my eyes off her; her face, so dramatic, so mobile, so hypnotic, added an extra significance to everything she said. I wondered then whether vision here did some disservice to the sound, pictures almost distracting the listener from the narrative. I wondered whether sound radio may not have been the better medium for her. I look forward to finding out.”
Baroness Asquith had celebrated her 80th birthday on April 15th 1967.

BBC TV Producer: Margaret Douglas

First broadcast on BBC TV on April 13th 1967.

BBC Radio Producer: George Angell

First broadcast on the BBC Light Programme on 7th July 1967.


SAT 10:50 Inheritance Tracks (b0651qrc)
Helena Bonham Carter

Actress Helena Bonham Carter chooses 'Look Mummy, No Hands' by Fascinating Aida and 'Not While I'm Around' by Stephen Sondheim.


SAT 11:00 A Magician Amongst the Spirits by Bert Coules (m002qr87)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]


SAT 12:30 With Great Pleasure (b0480341)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]


SAT 13:00 Drama on 4 (m0011545)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]


SAT 13:45 Tales From the Backbench by Peter Tinniswood (b00764rh)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:45 today]


SAT 14:00 The Marx Brothers' Flywheel, Shyster and Flywheel (b0085j9l)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]


SAT 14:30 The Navy Lark (b0187xy4)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 today]


SAT 15:00 Conversation Extra (m002qr89)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 today]


SAT 15:50 Inheritance Tracks (b0651qrc)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:50 today]


SAT 16:00 Torchwood (b00lg4nq)
3. Golden Age

On the trail of a dangerous energy field, Torchwood are led to Delhi.

As the energy field grows once more, the team witnesses the simultaneous disappearance of hundreds of people.

Jack discovers that the field centres on an old colonial mansion - Torchwood India.

Shocked to find that Torchwood India is still going strong – having shut it down himself over 80 years previously - he's even more surprised to find that its members, including his old flame the Duchess, haven't aged a day.

Written by James Goss.

Based on a format devised by Russell T Davies.

Jack Harkness …. John Barrowman
Eve Myles …. Gwen Cooper
Ianto Jones …. Gareth David-Lloyd
The Duchess …. Jasmine Hyde
Mr Daz …. Amerjit Deu
Mahajan …. Ravin J Ganatra
Gissing …. Richard Mitchley

Music composed by Murray Gold.

Director: Kate McAll

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 2009.


SAT 16:45 Black and White by Jan Mark (b08bs3pk)
4. Who's a Pretty Boy Then?

When Dad builds a budgerigar aviary on the strange, bare garden patch, the birds’ behaviour turns alarming.

Series of chilling tales of strange and creepy happenings written by Jan Mark.

Abridged by Peter Kerry.

Read by Ann Rye.

Producer: Martin Jameson

First broadcast on BBC Radio 5 in September 1993.


SAT 17:00 A Magician Amongst the Spirits by Bert Coules (m002qr87)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]


SAT 18:30 With Great Pleasure (b0480341)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]


SAT 19:00 Drama on 4 (m0011545)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]


SAT 19:45 Tales From the Backbench by Peter Tinniswood (b00764rh)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:45 today]


SAT 20:00 The Marx Brothers' Flywheel, Shyster and Flywheel (b0085j9l)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]


SAT 20:30 The Navy Lark (b0187xy4)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 today]


SAT 21:00 Conversation Extra (m002qr89)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 today]


SAT 21:50 Inheritance Tracks (b0651qrc)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:50 today]


SAT 22:00 The Penny Dreadfuls (b04v29h5)
Macbeth Rebothered

An alternative tale of Shakespeare's noble king.

A comedy play by The Penny Dreadfuls.

Greg McHugh stars as Macbeth with Susan Calman as the narrator.

Other roles:

Margaret Cabourn-Smith
Humphrey Ker
David Reed
Thom Tuck

Written by David Reed with additional material by Humphrey Ker.

Producer: Julia McKenzie.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 2014.


SAT 22:55 The Comedy Club Interviews (m002qwxh)
Hannah Byczkowski 1/3

From 10pm until midnight, seven days a week, the Comedy Club has two hours of comedy. Plus Esyllt Sears speaks to stand-up comedian, podcaster and Traitors star Hannah Byczkowski.


SAT 23:00 Tom Wrigglesworth's Hang-Ups (b03fdh2c)
Series 1

Time to Celebrate

Tom Wrigglesworth phones home for his weekly check-in with his Mum, Dad and Gran.

This gives us a fascinating and hilarious glimpse into his background and influences shaping his temperament, opinions and hang-ups.

During his first call, we discover why he hates celebrations, why his mum can't stop organising them and why his father needs an electric whisk...

As the conversation unfolds, Tom takes time out to explain the situation, his parents' reactions plus anecdotes from the past illustrating his family's views.

So get underneath the skin of Tom and the Wrigglesworth family in a 30 minute totally legal bit of phone hacking.

Written by Tom Wrigglesworth and James Kettle

Additional Material by Miles Jupp.

Tom ...... Tom Wrigglesworth
Granny ...... Judy Parfitt
Dad ...... Paul Copley
Mum ...... Kate Anthony

Producer: Katie Tyrrell

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 2013.


SAT 23:30 Radio Active (b007jp67)
Series 4

Round Your Parts

Mike Flex, Anna Daptor and Mike Channel make a special visit to meet the residents of the Rural Village of Humpingham.

Radio Active is the one and only local national radio station.

Starring:

Helen Atkinson-Wood
Angus Deayton
Geoffrey Perkins
Philip Pope
Michael Fenton-Stevens

Music by Philip Pope and Steve Brown.

Written by Angus Deayton and Geoffrey Perkins. With Jon Canter, Murray Hunter and John Docherty.

Producer: Jamie Rix

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 1984.

SUNDAY 01 FEBRUARY 2026

SUN 00:00 Torchwood (b00lg4nq)
[Repeat of broadcast at 16:00 on Saturday]


SUN 00:45 Black and White by Jan Mark (b08bs3pk)
[Repeat of broadcast at 16:45 on Saturday]


SUN 01:00 A Magician Amongst the Spirits by Bert Coules (m002qr87)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 on Saturday]


SUN 02:30 With Great Pleasure (b0480341)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 on Saturday]


SUN 03:00 Drama on 4 (m0011545)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 on Saturday]


SUN 03:45 Tales From the Backbench by Peter Tinniswood (b00764rh)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:45 on Saturday]


SUN 04:00 The Marx Brothers' Flywheel, Shyster and Flywheel (b0085j9l)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 on Saturday]


SUN 04:30 The Navy Lark (b0187xy4)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 on Saturday]


SUN 05:00 Conversation Extra (m002qr89)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 on Saturday]


SUN 05:50 Inheritance Tracks (b0651qrc)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:50 on Saturday]


SUN 06:00 Desert Island Discs Revisited (b05vjjwn)
The Interviewers

Sir Terry Wogan

After appearing with Roy Plomley and Sue Lawley, Sir Terry Wogan is back to share his third set of castaway choices with Kirsty Young.

With a career spanning more than five decades, it includes BBC TV chat show Wogan, the Eurovision Song Contest, the quiz Blankety Blank and for many years, hosting BBC Radio 2's breakfast show.

Terry says: "You have to create a kind of little club - you are not talking to an audience, you are talking to one person - and they are only half listening anyway. It's a mistake to think that everyone is clinging to your every word."

Peter Gabriel - That'll Do (feat. Paddy Moloney & Black Dyke Band)
Frank Sinatra - My Funny Valentine
Carly Simon - In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning
O Praise the Lord from Heaven - The Choir of Moscow’s Church of the Ascension of the Lord
Una furtiva lagrima (from Gaetano Donizetti’s L'Elisir d'amore) - Placido Domingo with the Royal Opera House Covent Garden Orchestra
As Time goes By - Jimmy Durante
When You are Old - Gretchen Peters
E lucevan le stelle (from Giacomo Puccini’s Tosca) - Placido Domingo with the Philharmonia Orchestra, conducted by Giuseppe Sinopoli

CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: Peter Gabriel - That'll Do (feat. Paddy Moloney & Black Dyke Band)
BOOK CHOICE: War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy
LUXURY CHOICE: Bottles, pens and paper

Producer: Corinna Jones

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 2012.


SUN 06:45 David Attenborough's Life Stories (b011vjj0)
Series 2

Waterton

Squire Waterton of Walton Hall was an eccentric Englishman and gentleman who made many visits to South America and wrote about his travels.

His travel books are "amongst the oddest I know" Sir David Attenborough tells us, written in an odd, almost biblical style. But nevertheless, they are accounts of natural history 200 years ago.

Attenborough argues that Waterton shouldn't be just remembered for his writing. He should be credited with establishing the first nature reserve in this country.

Appalled by the ravages of the industrial revolution's impact on the landscape, he built a wall around his estate to protect the wildlife - and free of charge allowed people to visit, which they did in their masses.

Written and presented by David Attenborough

Producer: Julian Hector

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in June 2011.


SUN 07:00 Poetry Extra (m002qrhy)
Our Souls So Knit

Poet Daljit Nagra revisits the BBC's poetry archive and selects Our Souls So Knit.

Poet Caroline Bird is on a mission to uncover the extraordinary story behind Victorian poet Michael Field, who was actually two women, Katherine Bradley and Edith Cooper.

Friends and contemporaries of Robert Browning and Oscar Wilde, the women were aunt and niece, but also lovers.

Producer for BBC Audio in Bristol: Sally Heaven

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2021.

***** Daljit also reads from his Poetry Extra Book of the Month: Somewhere There Is a Sky For Us by the Queer Muslim Project.


SUN 07:30 Man of Iron: Thomas Telford and the Building of Britain (Omnibus) (b08dbspl)
"There was no better moment to be born, if you wanted to change the world by building things, than Britain in the second half of the 18th century."

Julian Glover's first full modern biography of Thomas Telford: a shepherd's son who changed the world with his revolutionary engineering.

Telford's life spanned a fascinating time in British history: born in post-Union, post-Enlightenment Scotland, Telford forged a successful career in London and then across the country working on projects that set the stage for the Industrial Revolution.

Born in the Scottish Borders in 1757, Telford's beginnings were not auspicious. But he gained a fine education in his village school and, in that egalitarian time and place, mixed there with children from all different classes. Indeed, contacts from his schooldays played a key role in helping him to become established as one of Britain's leading engineers.

A stonemason turned architect turned engineer Telford built churches, harbours, canals, docks and the famously vertiginous Pontcysyllte aqueduct in Wales. He invented the modern road and created the backbone of our national road network.

His bridges are some of the most dramatic and beautiful ever built, most of all the Menai Bridge, which spans the dangerous channel between the mainland and Anglesey.

Astonishingly, gratifyingly, almost everything he built remains in use today...

Omnibus of five parts abridged by David Jackson Young.

Read by Robin Laing.

Producer: Kirsteen Cameron.

First broadcast in BBC Radio 4 in January 2017.


SUN 08:40 Inheritance Tracks (m002qw42)
Jason Donovan

Jason Donovan first captured hearts our hearts in Neighbours, becoming a household name worldwide, before breaking into the charts and onto the West End stage.

What then will he choose as his Inheritance tracks?

Inherited: It's Still Rock and Roll to Me by Billy Joel
Passing on: Life’s What You Make It by Talk Talk

Producers: Ben Mitchell and Lowri Morgan

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 2025.


SUN 08:50 Ladies of Letters (b0131zs0)
Ladies of Letters.com (Omnibus)

Episode 2

A mystery stalker is proving to be a headache for both Vera and Irene.

Who can it be?

Starring Patricia Routledge and Prunella Scales.

Vera Small and Irene Spencer continue to conduct their long friendship through a candid and not uncritical correspondence, this time via email.

Omnibus of the last five of ten episodes written by Lou Wakefield and Carole Hayman.

Irene …. Prunella Scales
Vera …. Patricia Routledge
Karen …. Julia Ford
Lesley …. Kate Gartside
Howard …. Christopher Kelham

Director: Paul Miller

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 2000.


SUN 10:00 Stilgoe's Around (b007k4ks)
Royal Agricultural Show, Stoneleigh

How do sheep sleep?

Can Ambridge survive Higgs's first words?

Is it safe to shake hands with Christopher Timothy?
Richard Stilgoe is at the Royal Agricultural Show in Stoneleigh, revealing the secrets of farmyard life.

Songs, poems, stories and music by:

Charles Colingwood
Belinda Lang
Peter Blake
Francesca Brill
Kahtryn Tickell

Written by Richard Stilgoe.

Producer: Neil Cargill

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 1989.


SUN 10:30 Take It From Here (b016951g)
From 14/04/1955

The Glums grapple with a crossword and there's a cautionary tale from Monte Carlo.

Starring:

Professor Jimmy Edwards
Dick Bentley
June Whitfield
Wallas Eaton

Music from Alma Cogan, The Keynotes and the Augmented BBC Revue Orchestra conducted by Guy Davies.

Written by Frank Muir and Denis Norden.

Producer: Charles Maxwell

First broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in April 1955.


SUN 11:00 Desert Island Discs Revisited (b05vjjwn)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]


SUN 11:45 David Attenborough's Life Stories (b011vjj0)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:45 today]


SUN 12:00 Poetry Extra (m002qrhy)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]


SUN 12:30 Man of Iron: Thomas Telford and the Building of Britain (Omnibus) (b08dbspl)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]


SUN 13:40 Inheritance Tracks (m002qw42)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:40 today]


SUN 13:50 Ladies of Letters (b0131zs0)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:50 today]


SUN 15:00 Stilgoe's Around (b007k4ks)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 today]


SUN 15:30 Take It From Here (b016951g)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:30 today]


SUN 16:00 Scramble by Martin Kiszko (b007jwnl)
1. Banned

Imagine a Britain in which the state attempts to have absolute control over all its citizens, even to the extent that music and sound recording have been outlawed as subversive.

A tale of love and treachery, in which an individual is pitted against enormous odds.

Starring Clare Corbett.

Written in three-parts by composer Martin Kizsko.

Young Mel ...... Femka Whitney
Mel ...... Clare Corbett
Jason ...... Ben Tinniswood
Commander-in-chief ...... David Collins
Agent Peters ...... Ben Addis
Agent Daniels ...... Simon Winkler
Levant ...... Christian Rodska

Producer: Mark Smalley

Made for BBC 7 and first broadcast in March 2006.


SUN 16:30 The Heart of Hark'un (b007jq9v)
Episode 5

Young novice sorcerer Arcos learns an unpalatable truth about his father from Kaddah.

Starring Francis Thomson.

A fantasy-adventure by Peter Thomson and Jamie Thomson.

Arcos ..... Francis Thomson
Kaddah ..... Trevor Peacock
Vanna ..... Elizabeth Whiting
Shazir ..... Crawford Logan
Bereneth ..... Edward Kelsey
Va ..... Melanie Hudson
Alviza ..... Emma Fielding
Rashiq ..... Theresa Streatfeild

Producer: Peter Hutchings

First broadcast on BBC Radio 5 in September 1991.


SUN 17:00 Desert Island Discs Revisited (b05vjjwn)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]


SUN 17:45 David Attenborough's Life Stories (b011vjj0)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:45 today]


SUN 18:00 Poetry Extra (m002qrhy)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]


SUN 18:30 Man of Iron: Thomas Telford and the Building of Britain (Omnibus) (b08dbspl)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]


SUN 19:40 Inheritance Tracks (m002qw42)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:40 today]


SUN 19:50 Ladies of Letters (b0131zs0)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:50 today]


SUN 21:00 Stilgoe's Around (b007k4ks)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 today]


SUN 21:30 Take It From Here (b016951g)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:30 today]


SUN 22:00 Clare in the Community (b00z60tb)
Series 3

Brenda's Birthday

Clare is coerced into helping Megan organise her one-year-old daughter's birthday party.

Sally Phillips is Clare Barker the social worker who has all the right jargon but never a practical solution.

A control freak, Clare likes nothing better than interfering in other people's lives on both a professional and personal basis. Clare is in her 30s, white, middle class and heterosexual, all of which are occasional causes of discomfort to her.

Clare continually struggles to control both her professional and private life

In today's Big Society there are plenty of challenges out there for an involved, caring social worker. Or even Clare.

Written by Harry Venning and David Ramsden.

Clare ...... Sally Phillips
Brian ..... Alex Lowe
Simon...Andrew Wincott
Ray ..... Richard Lumsden
Helen ..... Gemma Craven
Irene ..... Ellen Thomas
Nina Conti .... Megan
Gordon …. Lewis MacLeod

Producer: Katie Tyrrell

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 2007.


SUN 22:30 The Nick Revell Show (b007k1n0)
Series 2

Homeless

Nick is a struggling writer in his mid-thirties who speaks to his geraniums. They, meanwhile, watch on and take stock of his mishaps.

A sitcom for the 1990s, written by and starring comedian Nick Revell.

With:

Alistair McGowan
Doon MacKichan
Brian Bowles
Charles McKeown
Gabrielle Cowburn

Producer: Ioan Magnusson

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in June 1993.


SUN 22:55 The Comedy Club Interviews (m002qwwy)
Hannah Byczkowski 2/3

From 10pm until midnight, seven days a week, the Comedy Club has two hours of comedy. Plus, Esyllt Sears chats again to stand-up comedian, podcaster and Traitors star Hannah Byczkowski.


SUN 23:00 In and Out of the Kitchen (b01q8l39)
Series 2

Valentine's Day

Tradition in the Trench/MacIlveny household dictates that Valentine's Day is the one day of the year when Damien is not allowed in the kitchen.

This means Anthony can be left alone to cook a special meal to celebrate the occasion... much to Damien's chagrin.

Meanwhile, Damien struggles to finish the links to a new series for Sky Arts all about the dietary habits of the great poets.

And his dad has an unfortunate accident whilst walking the dog...

Sitcom written by and starring Miles Jupp, charting the life of cookery writer Damien Trench and his partner Anthony.

Damien Trench ...... Miles Jupp
Anthony MacIlveny ...... Justin Edwards
Damien's Mother ...... Selina Cadell
Builder ...... Ben Crowe
Mr Mullaney ...... Brendan Dempsey
Marion Duffett ...... Lesley Vickerage

Producer: Sam Michell

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 2013.


SUN 23:30 Hearing with Hegley (b0082c3x)
Series 2

Episode 6

The poet laureate of alternative comedy, John Hegley entertains an audience in Luton

With poems about his father and more.

With:

Keith Moore
Susan Norton
Andrew Bailey
Nigel Piper

Producer: Phil Clarke

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 1998.


SUN 23:45 Bunk Bed (m0014gjz)
Series 9

Episode 6

Patrick Marber and Peter Curran are joined by Jane Horrocks on the pull-out bed.

Together, they remember the sniggering and suggestive noises after lights out when they were younger, and the etiquette and ingredients for a good midnight feast.

Jane relives a traumatic charity auction.

A Foghorn Company production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in February 2022.

MONDAY 02 FEBRUARY 2026

MON 00:00 Scramble by Martin Kiszko (b007jwnl)
[Repeat of broadcast at 16:00 on Sunday]


MON 00:30 The Heart of Hark'un (b007jq9v)
[Repeat of broadcast at 16:30 on Sunday]


MON 01:00 Desert Island Discs Revisited (b05vjjwn)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 on Sunday]


MON 01:45 David Attenborough's Life Stories (b011vjj0)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:45 on Sunday]


MON 02:00 Poetry Extra (m002qrhy)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 on Sunday]


MON 02:30 Man of Iron: Thomas Telford and the Building of Britain (Omnibus) (b08dbspl)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 on Sunday]


MON 03:40 Inheritance Tracks (m002qw42)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:40 on Sunday]


MON 03:50 Ladies of Letters (b0131zs0)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:50 on Sunday]


MON 05:00 Stilgoe's Around (b007k4ks)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 on Sunday]


MON 05:30 Take It From Here (b016951g)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:30 on Sunday]


MON 06:00 Whodunnits (b007jznh)
Paul Temple and the Spencer Affair

6. Home Again

A murder on a lonely island - as the debonair amateur detective Paul Temple spots a clue pointing to Paris.

Starring Peter Coke and Marjorie Westbury as BBC radio's smoothest investigator and his glamorous wife.

Another baffling case of dastardly crimes must be solved.

Written by Francis Durbridge

Paul Temple............Peter Coke
Steve..........Marjorie Westbury
Sir Graham Forbes.............Lester Mudditt
Charlie.........James Beattie
Det Insp Vosper.........Hugh Manning
Eric Landsale.........John Graham
Rupert Dreisler.......Brewster Mason
Adrian Frost........Simon Lack
Warren.......James Thomason
Pete Roberts.........Thomas Heathcote
A Police Sergeant...........Haydn Jones
P C Johnson........Frank Windsor

Producer: Martyn C Webster

First broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in December 1957.


MON 06:30 Maugham's Eye View (b00m9gqx)
6. Before The Party

Kathleen Skinner thinks her sister Millicent is hiding something about her husband's death.

As they want to go to a Garden Party, the truth comes out...

Last in a series of Somerset Maugham short stories dramatised by Neville Teller.

Dirk Bogarde is the narrator.

Mrs Skinner ...... Dorothy Tutin
Millicent Skinner ...... Amanda Waring
Mr Skinner ...... Derek Waring
Kathleen Skinner ...... Caroline Strong
Harold ...... Richard McCabe
Simpson ...... Stephen Critchlow

Director: Janet Whitaker

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 1996.


MON 07:00 In the Chair (b007jsyl)
Episode 5

Links between the serial killings and New Labour appear stronger than ever for maverick hack, George Cragge.

Starring Michael Williams and Barry Foster.

Mark Tavener's blackly humorous murder mystery.

George Cragge …. Michael Williams
DCI Frank Jefferson …. Barry Foster
The Prime Minister …. Hugh Laurie
Crichton-Potter …. Richard Griffiths
Martin McCabe …. John Bird
Charles Prentiss …. Stephen Fry
Marcia Mallon …. Rebecca Front
Jim Hardie …. Kenneth Cranham
Director of Personnel …. Geoffrey Whitehead
The Chancellor …. Simon Greenall
John …. Jonathan Keeble
Caroline …. Susie Brann

Music by Paul Mottram.

Producer: Paul Schlesinger

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 1998.


MON 07:30 Dad's Army (b007jn4c)
Series 2

Branded

Private Godfrey faces ridicule when Captain Mainwaring discovers he was a conscientious objector.

The comic exploits of a Second World War Home Guard platoon in Walmington-on-Sea.

Adapted for radio from Jimmy Perry and David Croft's TV scripts by Michael Knowles and Harold Snoad.

Captain Mainwaring …. Arthur Lowe
Sergeant Wilson …. John Le Mesurier
Corporal Jones …. Clive Dunn
Private Frazer …. John Laurie
Private Godfrey …. Arnold Ridley
Private Pike …. Ian Lavender
Chief Warden Hodges …. Bill Pertwee
Cissy Godfrey …. Nan Braunton
Second Warden …. Michael Sega
Doctor …. Norman Ettlinger
Announcer …. John Snagge

Producer: John Dyas

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 1975.


MON 08:00 Ellie Taylor's Safe Space (m000ynbb)
Series 2

2: Exercise

Ellie Taylor welcomes you to "Safe Space", a place where anyone can offload their controversial opinions without fear of judgment.

She talks to members of the public about their gripes and dislikes.

She's never liked exercise and sets out to convince her studio audience they should avoid it too.

Joining Ella to prove her point is regular sidekick Robin Morgan

With special guest: TV's Mr Motivator, fitness fan and bumbag aficionado - we hear his views on the virtues of moving about a bit.

Written by Ellie Taylor and Robin Morgan

Produced by Sam Michell

A BBC Studios production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in August 2021.


MON 08:30 Girl With Dove by Sally Bayley (m00020s7)
1. Miss Marple

Sally Bayley recalls how a strange home life made her bond with characters from books, abridged in five parts by Katrin Williams.

We are introduced to the household in a village in Sussex, mother, grandmother and some brothers.

One day baby David goes missing and Mummy retires to her bedroom for "two hundred sleeps".

At this point the author turns to Miss Marple to make sense of things.

Abridged in five parts by Katrin Williams:

Read by Lydia Leonard.

Producer: Duncan Minshull

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 2019.


MON 08:45 Ladies of Letters (b007jrrd)
Ladies of Letters Log On

1. Email

The discovery of email doesn't stop the flow of feminine vitriol.

Starring Patricia Routledge and Prunella Scales.

The up and down relationship between two mature ladies shared via their barbed correspondence – now trying to "outsurf" each other on the World Wide Web.

Written by Lou Wakefield and Carole Hayman.

Vera Small .... Patricia Routledge
Irene Spencer .... Prunella Scales
Howard .... Christopher Kelham

Producer: Claire Grove

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 2001.


MON 09:00 The Unbelievable Truth (m002qj0s)
Series 32

6. Men, Statues, Theft and Martial Arts

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.

Miles Jupp, Celya AB, Michelle Wolf and Frankie Boyle are the panellists obliged to talk with deliberate inaccuracy on subjects as varied as men, statues, theft and martial arts.

The show is devised by Graeme Garden and Jon Naismith

Producer: Jon Naismith

A Random Entertainment production for BBC Radio 4


MON 09:30 Centurions (b007jxdl)
Buster Keaton: The General

**** Broadcast to mark 60 years since the death of Buster Keaton on 1st February 1960 aged 70. ****

Film historian David Robinson and writer David Thomson celebrate silent film star Buster Keaton and his movie machine.

As the cinema of silence gave way to the squawking of the talkies Buster Keaton offered up this effortless, immaculate vehicle for his stone faced genius.

The General is a perfect, hilarious and human work of mechanical precision and endless heroism. The tale of a man and his two true loves - a wonderous steam engine and his sweetheart - caught up in the meticulously realized struggle of the American Civil War.

Perhaps his greatest comedy it was also one of Keaton's most painful failures.

Producer: Mark Burman

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 1999.


MON 09:45 Daily Service (m002qrht)
Candlemas: Consecrated to God

Reflection, worship and music with Linden Bicket, a teacher of literature and religion at Edinburgh University's School of Divinity.
Reading: Luke 2: 21-24


MON 10:00 And the Academy Award Goes To... (b008wtbx)
Series 1

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

Paul Gambaccini continues his history of the Oscars, as he examines the first post-war film to win all five of the major Academy Awards.

Milos Foreman (Best Director) reveals how 'One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest' (Best Picture) reflected his views on the Iron Curtain and how the script (Best Writing, Screenplay Adapted From Other Material) came to influence mental health care in America.

Meanwhile, Louise Fletcher (Best Actress in a Leading Role) recalls the experience of working alongside the mixed cast of amateurs and professionals like Jack Nicholson (Best Actor in a Leading Role).

Producers: Paul Kobrak and Sara Jane Hall

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 2008.


MON 10:30 The Brixmis Story (b007nf6t)
They were unsung heroes of the cold war: some of the most effective gatherers of military intelligence behind the iron curtain.

But compared to the glamorous spies of MI6, the Brixmis officers were virtually unknown.

Jolyon Jenkins tells the story of the spies in uniform, who stole bit of Soviet military hardware and went through East German rubbish dumps in search of classified information.

Producer: Jolyon Jenkins

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in June 2007.


MON 11:00 Whodunnits (b007jznh)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]


MON 11:30 Maugham's Eye View (b00m9gqx)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]


MON 12:00 In the Chair (b007jsyl)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]


MON 12:30 Dad's Army (b007jn4c)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]


MON 13:00 Ellie Taylor's Safe Space (m000ynbb)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]


MON 13:30 Girl With Dove by Sally Bayley (m00020s7)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]


MON 13:45 Ladies of Letters (b007jrrd)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:45 today]


MON 14:00 Many a Slip (b007jrx1)
From 20/08/1974

Quizmaster Roy Plomley challenges his contestants to spot the mistakes.

Eleanor Summerfield and Isobel Barnett

battle

David Nixon and Paul Jennings

With some tune-twisters from Steve Race.

Devised and written by Ian Messiter.

Producer: Trafford Whitelock

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 1974.


MON 14:30 Married (b0081fb3)
Series 3

Episode 1

Things are even stranger now that Robin's two universes have collided - and he's surprised to find himself turning into a nice person...

Starring Hugh Bonneville.

Confirmed bachelor Robin Lightfoot is dealing with life in a parallel universe where he has kids and an ex-wife who hates him.

Return of Tony Bagley's comedy drama.

Robin .... Hugh Bonneville
Lesley .... Josie Lawrence
Maxine .... Ann Gosling
Doctor .... Kate Robbins
Alan .... Christopher Kelham
Arthur Smith .... Himself

Producer: Claire Jones

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 2001.


MON 15:00 The No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency (b00k2d8t)
Series 1

The Daddy

Based in Botswana. Owner and founder Precious Ramotswe takes on a new secretary and her first case.

Happy never knew her father. But when someone claiming to be him makes her feed him and do all the chores, she suspects foul play.

Starring Claire Benedict.

Written and dramatised in four parts by Alexander McCall Smith.

Mma Ramotswe ...... Claire Benedict
Happy ...... Gbemisola Ikumelo
Mr Matekoni ...... Joseph Marcell
Mma Makutsi ...... Nadine Marshall
Mr Patel ...... Bhasker Patel
The Daddy ...... Ben Thomas

Director: Gaynor MacFarlane

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 2004.


MON 15:45 I Got the Dog by Susie Maguire (b00tmmb6)
Andria's Story

Andria fell hook, line and sinker for the enigmatic and brooding Russian pianist, Boris.

They met at a street market and the attraction was instant. He posted a little Russian doll through her letterbox with his phone number attached.

How could she resist?

Beds, pianos, dogs and shipwrecks as Rebecca Front reads Andria's story.

Susie Maguire's trilogy of comic stories about the fallout from a break-up.

Who gets left with what? Music, water, transportation, arithmetic, possessions, separations....and love.

Producer: Sarah Langan

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 2010.


MON 16:00 And the Academy Award Goes To... (b008wtbx)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 today]


MON 16:30 The Brixmis Story (b007nf6t)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:30 today]


MON 17:00 Whodunnits (b007jznh)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]


MON 17:30 Maugham's Eye View (b00m9gqx)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]


MON 18:00 In the Chair (b007jsyl)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]


MON 18:30 Dad's Army (b007jn4c)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]


MON 19:00 Ellie Taylor's Safe Space (m000ynbb)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]


MON 19:30 Girl With Dove by Sally Bayley (m00020s7)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]


MON 19:45 Ladies of Letters (b007jrrd)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:45 today]


MON 20:00 Many a Slip (b007jrx1)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:00 today]


MON 20:30 Married (b0081fb3)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:30 today]


MON 21:00 The No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency (b00k2d8t)
[Repeat of broadcast at 15:00 today]


MON 21:45 I Got the Dog by Susie Maguire (b00tmmb6)
[Repeat of broadcast at 15:45 today]


MON 22:00 The Unbelievable Truth (m002qj0s)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]


MON 22:30 Weak at the Top (b00ry9j0)
Series 1

Trout Farm

John Weak discovers there's a "T" missing from the end of HR, when Human Resources has a communal hot flush over his witty entry on Deirdre Simmons's leaving card...

Alexander Armstrong stars in Guy Browning’s sitcom.

Randy, devious, sexist and workshy, John Weak puts the man into management.

John Weak ...... Alexander Armstrong
Hayley ...... Clare Perkins
Sir Marcus ...... Geoffrey Whitehead
Bill Peters ...... Ron Cook
Phil Bellinger ...... Stephen Critchlow
Clare Barrett ...... Colleen Prendergast
Deidre Simmons ...... Susan Jameson
Simon Henshaw ...... Harry Myers

Producer: Jonquil Panting

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 2005.


MON 23:00 The News Quiz (m002qh2l)
Series 119

4. By-elections, hello defections

On the agenda this week is Starmer vs Burnham in Labour's latest civil war, Suella Braverman’s defection to Reform, and working out how to save The Great British pub. To get to the bottom of all this, Andy is joined by Daliso Chaponda, Kiri Pritchard-McLean, Hugo Rifkind and Holly Walsh.

Written by Andy Zaltzman.

With additional material by: Christina Riggs, Cameron Loxdale and Sarah Mills
Producer: Georgia Keating
Executive Producer: Pete Strauss
Production Coordinator: Jodie Charman
Sound Editor: Marc Willcox

A BBC Studios Production for Radio 4.


MON 23:30 Nigel and Earl Sort Out the World (b008vr8l)
The surreal duo tries solving the globe's topical problems in the early ‘90s.

This time, the pair take on the challenges of celebrity plastic surgery, offer election advice to a failing US President, before taking on his duties in a couple of warzones....

Written by Martin Jameson and Joe Turner

Nigel …. Fine Time Fontayne
Earl …. Andrew Livingstone

With

Robert Harley
Joanna Brookes

Producer: Liz Anstey

First broadcast on BBC Radio 5 in August 1992.

TUESDAY 03 FEBRUARY 2026

TUE 00:00 And the Academy Award Goes To... (b008wtbx)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 on Monday]


TUE 00:30 The Brixmis Story (b007nf6t)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:30 on Monday]


TUE 01:00 Whodunnits (b007jznh)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 on Monday]


TUE 01:30 Maugham's Eye View (b00m9gqx)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 on Monday]


TUE 02:00 In the Chair (b007jsyl)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 on Monday]


TUE 02:30 Dad's Army (b007jn4c)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 on Monday]


TUE 03:00 Ellie Taylor's Safe Space (m000ynbb)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 on Monday]


TUE 03:30 Girl With Dove by Sally Bayley (m00020s7)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 on Monday]


TUE 03:45 Ladies of Letters (b007jrrd)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:45 on Monday]


TUE 04:00 Many a Slip (b007jrx1)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:00 on Monday]


TUE 04:30 Married (b0081fb3)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:30 on Monday]


TUE 05:00 The No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency (b00k2d8t)
[Repeat of broadcast at 15:00 on Monday]


TUE 05:45 I Got the Dog by Susie Maguire (b00tmmb6)
[Repeat of broadcast at 15:45 on Monday]


TUE 06:00 Whodunnits (b007jzpv)
Paul Temple and the Spencer Affair

7. Dinner at the Stardust

After the untimely death of actress Mary Dreisler in her London flat, her theatre impresario father has sent for Paul Temple.

Now debonair detective Paul Temple turns his attention from the River Thames to a London nightclub.

Starring Peter Coke and Marjorie Westbury as BBC radio's smoothest investigator and his glamorous wife.

Another baffling case of dastardly crimes must be solved.

Written by Francis Durbridge.

Paul Temple...................Peter Coke
Steve.............Marjorie Westbury
Sir Graham Forbes......Lester Mudditt
Adrian Frost........Simon Lack
Terry Gibson.......Isabel Dean
Rupert Dreisler.........Brewster Mason
Det Insp Vosper.........Hugh Manning
Charlie..........James Beattie
Ritchie.......Hamilton Dyce
Andre Reynaud......Denis Goacher

Other parts played by:

David Spenser
John Graham
Trevor Martin
Haydn Jones

Producer: Martyn C Webster

First broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in December 1957.


TUE 06:30 Cadfael (b007jlcr)
The Virgin in the Ice

1. Casualties of War

Shrewsbury, Winter in the year 1139: Amid a civil war, medieval sleuth Brother Cadfael sets out to find a missing boy and his sister.

Starring Philip Madoc as Brother Cadfael.

Written by Ellis Peters.

Dramatised in five parts by Bert Coules.

Narrator … Sir Michael Hordern
Brother Cadfael … Philip Madoc
Hugh Beringar …. Douglas Hodge
Leonard …. Leonard Fenton
Olivier …. Raad Rawi
Ermina …. Moira Buffini
Ives …. Dean Magri
Elyas …. Crispin Letts
Abbot Radulfus …. John Church

Other parts played by:

Jonathan Tafler
Steve Hodson
Eric Allen
Julian Rhind-Tutt
David Holt

Music by Peter Salem.

Producer: Phil Clarke.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 1992.


TUE 07:00 Oh Mother! (m002qrpl)
The Burglary

Nelly's been burgled and is shaken up.

But she's excited by the prospect of some insurance money...

Starring Mollie Sugden and Patricia Brake.

Christopher Sykes' sitcom about a 38 year old woman still living at home with her mum in Purley, in the Surrey commuter-belt for London.

Nelly …. Mollie Sugden
Beverley …. Patricia Brake
Arthur .... Nicholas Smith
Gerald .... David Tate

Producer: Martin Fisher

First broadcast on BBC Radio 2 in May 1980.

**** Sadly not all episodes have survived in the BBC archive.


TUE 07:30 The Goon Show (b00jctj9)
Series 9

Who Is Pink Oboe?

Cowardly Captain Neddie Seagoon goes to war.

Groundbreaking, surreal BBC radio comedy written by Spike Milligan.

Starring:

Harry Secombe
Spike Milligan

With Peter Sellers away, Graham Stark and Kenneth Connor are enlisted.

First billed as Crazy People, ten series of The Goon Show were recorded between 1951 and 1960, but sadly many of the earliest shows weren’t kept in the archive.

With the Ray Ellington Quartet and Max Geldray.

Orchestra conducted by Wally Stott.

Announcer: Wallace Greenslade

Producer: John Browell

First broadcast on the BBC Home Service in January 1959


TUE 08:00 Jack & Millie (b0b9yw79)
Series 1

Death & The Maven

When Film Club Leo dies suddenly, Jack and Millie have to make a choice between good behaviour and cheesecake.

After a successful pilot, Jeremy Front's comedy is about an older couple trying to grapple with an elusive name, a missing Bette Midler, a rogue knish and a married lifetime's-worth of verbal sparring.

Starring Jeremy Front and Rebecca Front.

So Millie's son Melvin has given her a new tablet with a voice recorder?

So suddenly Jack and Millie have decided to record everything that happens to them? And for this, we should be grateful?

Well Yes! Because this is a comedy show written by Jeremy Front about Jack and Millie Lemman - an older couple fully engaged with contemporary life while being at war with the absurdities of the modern world.

Jack ...... Jeremy Front
Millie ...... Rebecca Front
Shirley ...... Tracy-Ann Oberman
Harry ...... Nigel Lindsay
The Nurse ...... Llewella Gideon
Alan ...... Adam G Goodwin
The Widow ...... Sue Kelvin

Producer: David Tyler

A Pozzitive production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in July 2018.


TUE 08:30 Girl With Dove by Sally Bayley (m0002100)
2. Jane Eyre

Sally Bayley recalls how a strange home life made her bond with characters from books.

One night, an aunt called Di appears. She will come to live with them in Sussex and is the aunt 'who spoke gobbledygook'. Oh dear!

Time, therefore, to dip into the pages of Jane Eyre.

Abridged by Katrin Williams:

Read by Lydia Leonard

Producer: Duncan Minshull

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 2019.


TUE 08:45 Ladies of Letters (b01m7w39)
Ladies of Letters Log On

2. The Show

Vera prepares to host a TV show, while Irene takes a spin.

Starring Patricia Routledge as Vera and Prunella Scales as Irene.

The up and down relationship between two mature ladies shared via their barbed correspondence – now trying to "outsurf" each other on the World Wide Web.

Written by Lou Wakefield and Carole Hayman.

Vera Small .... Patricia Routledge
Irene Spencer .... Prunella Scales
Zizi .... Mia Soteriou

Producer: Claire Grove

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 2001.


TUE 09:00 You Heard It Here First (m002qjc6)
Series 3

3. 'The Irish Comedian Throws His Chair Across the Room'

Chris McCausland asks Ed Byrne and Rachel Fairburn to take on Josh Jones and Janine Harouni. The teams must figure out what on earth is being advertised on TV, guess what opening scenes of famous films are being audio described and make some very strange noises themselves.

Producer: Sasha Bobak
Assistant Producer: Eve Delaney
Executive Producer: Pete Strauss
Production Coordinator: Jodie Charman

A BBC Studios Production.


TUE 09:30 Helen Lewis: Great Wives (m000z0cs)
Series 1

Ghosts

For two decades, Great Lives on BBC Radio 4 and 4 Extra has explored what it takes to change the world.

But Helen Lewis wants to ask a different question:

What does it take to live with someone who changes the world?

Behind the history of genius lies a second, hidden history: the stories of people who give geniuses the time they need to flourish. This series explores the many "supporting roles" needed to sustain an apparently "singular" genius.

For starters, we meet Einstein's wife Mileva, the Curie power couple and a man who falsely claimed to be the genius behind some terrible paintings.

Written by Helen Lewis.

Additional voices from Joshua Higgott

Producer: Richard Morris

A BBC Studios production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in August 2021.


TUE 09:45 Daily Service (m002qrpn)
Candlemas - God's Promise Fulfilled

A space for spiritual reflection with a Bible reading, prayer and a range of Christian music.

Theme: Candlemas - God's promise fulfilled
Presenter: Rev Grace Thomas

Reading: Luke 2:25-32

Music:
All Glory Laud and Honour - Kings College Cambridge
Nunc Dimittis - BBC Philharmonic with the BBC Young Chorister Natalie
To God be the Glory - Daily Service Singers


TUE 10:00 A Good Read (m000jvyt)
Natalie Carter & Melissa Cummings-Quarry

The two founders of Black Girls Book Club, Natalie Carter and Melissa Cummings-Quarry join Harriett Gilbert to talk about their favourite books by Alice Walker, Virginia Woolf and Zora N Hurston.

The Color Purple by Alice Walker
Publisher: Orion

Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
Publisher: Virago

Mrs Dalloway by Virginia Woolf
Publisher: Vintage

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in June 2020.


TUE 10:30 Clocking On (b08rtldq)
Professor Emma Griffin explores how British workers became tied to the clock.

Before industrialisation, workers were accustomed to a loosely regulated working week, influenced more by daylight hours and the agricultural cycle than by the time on the face of a clock.

Indeed, most people didn't own a watch and managed all aspects of their lives without reference to official time.

During the Industrial Revolution, British workers became tied to the clock in a way they never had before.

Emma visits Quarry Bank Mill in Cheshire to discover how 19th century factory owners extracted a long and regular working week from a workforce accustomed to a much more loosely regimented working pattern.

She also visits the Royal Observatory at Greenwich to understand how their precision clocks, which for centuries had been specialist scientific equipment of use only to astronomers, were pressed into service as the regulator of the nation's workforce.

Producer: Melissa FitzGerald

A Blakeway production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in May 2017.


TUE 11:00 Whodunnits (b007jzpv)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]


TUE 11:30 Cadfael (b007jlcr)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]


TUE 12:00 Oh Mother! (m002qrpl)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]


TUE 12:30 The Goon Show (b00jctj9)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]


TUE 13:00 Jack & Millie (b0b9yw79)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]


TUE 13:30 Girl With Dove by Sally Bayley (m0002100)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]


TUE 13:45 Ladies of Letters (b01m7w39)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:45 today]


TUE 14:00 Hidden Treasures (b054z4kp)
Petworth House

A reclining marble sculpture, a very peculiar chair, and some weird and wonderful objects from the kitchen.

Lars Tharp chairs the light-hearted Antiques Quiz.

From the North Gallery of Petworth House in West Sussex - crammed with works of Turner, William Blake, Reynolds and Gainsborough.

With:

Eric Knowles
Clive Farahar
Hilary Kay

Producer: Annie Bristow

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 1998.


TUE 14:30 Ring Around the Bath (b00p8fk7)
Series 1

New House

Patrick and Stella finally find the house of their dreams - a perfect cottage with a garden in the country - but the children aren't budging.

Will their plans be scuppered at the eleventh hour?

Starring Duncan Preston and Penny Downie.

Lucy Clare and Ian Davidson’s sitcom about a topsy-turvy household. Stella is a middle-aged and having a crisis - her grown up children refuse to leave home. What’s worse, husband Patrick doesn't mind.

Patrick …. Duncan Preston
Stella …. Penny Downie
Alison …. Claudie Blakely
Rick …. Bruce McKinnon
Egg …. Daniela Denby-Ashe
Xanthe …. Catherine Shepherd
Digger …. Andrew Westfield
French Teacher …. Aileen Gonsalves

Producer: Elizabeth Freestone

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 2003.


TUE 15:00 The No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency (b00k2lzp)
Series 1

The Bone

Precious Ramotswe has two cases.

She tails Nandira Patel to find out if she has a boyfriend, but it doesn't go quite how she's expecting.

And Precious is hot on the trail of the missing 11 year old boy, after a finger bone is found in a car.

Written and dramatised by Alexander McCall Smith.

Charlie ...... Jude Akuwudike
Mma Ramotswe ...... Claire Benedict
Charlie's assistant ...... Maynard Eziashi
Dr Gulubane ...... Peter Gevisser
Witchdoctor's Wife ...... Heather Imani
Mr JLB Matekoni ...... Joseph Marcel
Mma Makutsi ...... Nadine Marshal
Mr Patel ...... Bhasker Patel
Nandira ...... Tehmina Sacranie

Director: Gaynor MacFarlane

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 2004.


TUE 15:45 I Got the Dog by Susie Maguire (b00tmmyn)
Boris's Story

Boris is an artist - a pianist.

When he's working on a piece, time becomes meaningless; he will play all through the night and not notice.

That enigmatic passion, once the very thing that attracted Andria to him, eventually caused their break up. Boris left, taking his piano and their dog Mimi with him.

Things begin to look up for him when he starts seeing another artist Chiara.

Surely she’ll understand the creative drive..?

John McGlynn reads Boris's story

Susie Maguire's trilogy of comic stories about the fallout from a break-up.

Who gets left with what? Music, water, transportation, arithmetic, possessions, separations....and love.

Producer: Sarah Langan

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 2010.


TUE 16:00 A Good Read (m000jvyt)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 today]


TUE 16:30 Clocking On (b08rtldq)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:30 today]


TUE 17:00 Whodunnits (b007jzpv)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]


TUE 17:30 Cadfael (b007jlcr)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]


TUE 18:00 Oh Mother! (m002qrpl)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]


TUE 18:30 The Goon Show (b00jctj9)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]


TUE 19:00 Jack & Millie (b0b9yw79)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]


TUE 19:30 Girl With Dove by Sally Bayley (m0002100)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]


TUE 19:45 Ladies of Letters (b01m7w39)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:45 today]


TUE 20:00 Hidden Treasures (b054z4kp)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:00 today]


TUE 20:30 Ring Around the Bath (b00p8fk7)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:30 today]


TUE 21:00 The No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency (b00k2lzp)
[Repeat of broadcast at 15:00 today]


TUE 21:45 I Got the Dog by Susie Maguire (b00tmmyn)
[Repeat of broadcast at 15:45 today]


TUE 22:00 You Heard It Here First (m002qjc6)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]


TUE 22:30 Goodness Gracious Me (b007jwpj)
Series 2

Episode 2

The Marriage Emporium running low on Indian brides - and "Fifty Ways To Leave Your Mother".

Starring:

Sanjeev Bhaskar
Kulvinder Ghir
Nitin Sawhney
Meera Syal
Nina Wadia

Gold Winner of the Sony Radio Academy Awards. The sketch comedy show originally ran on BBC Radio 4 from 1996 to 1998, later transferring to TV on BBC TWO from 1998 to 2001.

Written by Richard Pinto, Sharat Sardana, Meera Syal, Sanjeev Bhaskar and Sanjeev Kohli.

Script Editor: Sharat Sardana

Producer: Anil Gupta

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 1997.


TUE 22:55 The Comedy Club Interviews (m002qwyb)
Hannah Byczkowski 3/3

From 10pm until midnight, seven days a week, the Comedy Club has two hours of comedy. Esyllt Sears chats again to stand-up comedian, podcaster and Traitors star Hannah Byczkowski.


TUE 23:00 Susan Calman - Keep Calman Carry On (b0717j1y)
Series 1

Cricket with Andy Zaltzman

Susan Calman is the least relaxed person she knows.

She has no down time, no hobbies (unless you count dressing up your cats in silly outfits) and her idea of relaxation is to play Grand Theft Auto, an hour into which she is in a murderous rage with sky high blood pressure.

Her wife had to threaten to divorce her to make her go on holiday last year. Her first for four years. But she's been told by the same long-suffering wife, that unless she finds a way to switch off, and soon, she's going to be unbearable.

So Susan is looking at her options to try and immerse herself in the pursuits that her friends find relaxing, to find her inner zen and outer tranquillity. Can she ditch the old Susan Calman and attempt to find the new Susan Calm?

This time, in a typically British leisure pursuit; Susan goes to a cricket match with comedian and author, Andy Zaltzman.

Keep Calman Carry On is an audience stand up show in which Susan reports on how successful she's been - both at relaxing and at the pursuit itself - as well as playing in and discussing a handful of illustrative clips from her efforts.

It's an attempt to find out how people find solace or sanctuary in these worlds and how Susan can negotiate her own place in them.

Producer: Lyndsay Fenner.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 2016.


TUE 23:30 Will Smith Presents the Tao of Bergerac (b007w0j4)
2. Individuality

Jersey-born comedian Will Smith continues his obsession with 1980s BBC TV detective series Bergerac.

He's using an audio book of its star, John Nettles, reading the Tao, to navigate the minefield of his life, with the help of a special guest.

Will wonders how he can be an individual without being derided for his choices.

With:

Karl Johnson
Simon Greenall
Rachel Bavidge
Olivia Poulet
John Nettles

Written by Will Smith and Roger Drew.

Producer: Tilusha Ghelani

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 2007.