SATURDAY 07 AUGUST 2021

SAT 00:00 Charles Chilton - Journey into Space (b007jsl4)
The World in Peril

Episode 20

As the invasion fleet reaches Earth, can Jet and his crew save the day?

Concluding the adventures of Captain Jet Morgan, Mitch, Doc and Lemmy.

Jet Morgan …. Andrew Faulds
Lemmy …. Alfie Bass
Doc …. Guy Kingsley Poynter
Mitch …. Don Sharp
Various ….Alan Tylvern
Rogers/The Martian …. David Jacobs

Music composed and orchestra conducted by Van Phillips.

Written and produced by Charles Chilton.

First broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in February 1956.


SAT 00:30 Off the Page (b00w7cww)
My Own Private Utopia

How, and where, and with whom, do you want to lead your life?

Most of us don't ask ourselves this very often, preferring instead to slide along, taking what may be acceptable and conventional as enough. But what if you do pursue an answer, as one of our guests, Tobias Jones, is trying to do, in a ten acre wood?

The full title of Thomas More's work Utopia included the words, "A truly golden little book, no less beneficial than entertaining, of a republic's best state ...." But has Utopia ever been achieved? Rob Penn and Amanda Mitchison think definitely not. The problem is the presence of other people, and so a private Utopia is the best that can ever be achieved. Rob Penn, presenter of a recent tv documentary about building the perfect bike, outlines very clearly what it means to him.

But Tobias Jones, author of the Dark Heart of Italy and Utopian Dreams, argues very clearly that the woodland life he is now establishing with his family and guests should not be so easily dismissed. As Kurt Vonnegut said, "Human beings will be happier not when they cure cancer or get to Mars ... but when they find ways to inhabit primitive communities again."

Presented by Dominic Arkwright.

Producer: Miles Warde

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 2010.


SAT 01:00 Paul Temple (b007s6jt)
Paul Temple and the Lawrence Affair

5. A Present for Steve

More mystery afloat, as the worried detective tackles Salty West and uncovers links to his wife Steve.

Francis Durbridge's thriller stars Peter Coke as Paul Temple and Marjorie Westbury as Steve in another intriguing case for BBC radio's smoothest investigator and his glamorous wife.

Paul Temple …. Peter Coke
Steve …. Marjorie Westbury
Charlie …. James Beattie
Mrs Purdie …. Molly Rankin
Brian Dexter …. Simon Lack
Stan Walters …. Denis Goacher
Salty West …. Brewster Mason
Linda Tico …. Belle Chrystall
Johnny Tico …. Brian Haines
George …. Leonard Trolley
Detective Inspector Ivor …. Manning Wilson
1st Girl/3rd Girl …. Beth Boyd
2nd Girl …. Dorothy Holmes-Gore
Operator/Waiter …. James Thomason

Between 1938 and 1968, Francis Durbridge's incomparably suave amateur detective Paul Temple and glamorous journalist wife Steve solved case after baffling case in one of BBC radio's most popular series. They inhabited a sophisticated, well-heeled world of cocktails and fast cars

Producer: Martyn C Webster

First broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in May 1956.


SAT 01:30 Peeler (m00061r0)
5. Blaggard

Lord Trowle and PC Quin meet in Court and Jeremiah Morley meets his match in Mrs Gascoygne.

Starring Richard E Grant and Mick Ford.

Patrick Carroll’s crime series set in 1830, a year after the Metropolitan Police Act created the 'Peelers'.

PC Martin Quin ...... Mick Ford
Jeremiah Morley ...... James Booth
Sir Robert Peel ...... Norman Jones
Lord Trowle ...... Richard E Grant
Colonel Brown ...... Peter Jeffrey
Richard Mayne ...... Killian McKenna
Maria Staples ...... Joanna Myers
Frederick Roe ...... Timothy Bateson
Lord Laverton ...... James Greene
John Staples ...... Ian Lindsay
Rev Charkes Lyton ...... Timothy Carlton
Florrie ...... Susan Sheridan
Mrs Gregory ...... Elizabeth Kelly
Peter The Screever ...... Frazer Kerr

Singer: Martin Carthy.

Director: Janet Whitaker

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 1991.


SAT 02:00 British Summer Time Begins by Ysenda Maxtone-Graham (m000lnn2)
Journeys Abroad

From driving and camping on the continent to the heady pleasures of an all-inclusive package, the summer holiday as generations of Britons know it is about to change for ever.

Ysenda Maxtone Graham interviews people from all walks of life to discover how they were shaped by the long months of summer in this entertaining and touching chronicle of British school holidays.

Abridged by Rosemary Goring

Read by Fenella Woolgar.

Producer: Eilidh McCreadie

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 2020.


SAT 02:15 Promenade Rock by Christopher Denys (b0076d9g)
5. The Longshoremen

Deck-chair attendant and fisherman, Cox'n Hughes is victimised by the local fishing community.

Matthew decides to find out why.

Christopher Denys' series set in the booming 1950s seaside resort of Llantwit-on-Sea.

Eirlys Richards …… Nerys Hughes
Matthew Dolan …… Russell Boulter
Cox'n Hughes …… Andy Hockley
Round-the-Bay Baynon …… Owen Garmon
Griff Gadabout …… Keith Drinkel

Director: Sue Wilson

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 2003.


SAT 02:30 Sand Between the Toes (m000ygm3)
'One of the best parts was the great build-up to the holiday and seeing all the things being unpacked from the previous year. The nanny would get the bathing dresses out and there would be that glorious smell of the sea that still appeared to be stuck to the sand-shoes, and sometimes if you were lucky, a grain of sand might come out.'

Evocative interviews with people remembering the childhood excitement of looking forward to their annual seaside holiday and their sadness when it was all over.

The sights, sounds and scents of the seaside and an historical document of transport, entertainment, accommodation and food in Britain between the first and second world wars.

Producer Peter Hoare

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 1984.


SAT 03:00 Drama (b0b6fbs1)
Anton Chekhov - Wild Honey

Episode 2

Village schoolmaster Platonov has it all - wit, intelligence, a comfortable and respectable life in provincial Russia, and the attentions of four beautiful women - one of whom is his devoted wife.

As summer arrives and the seasonal festivities commence, the rapidly intensifying heat makes everyone giddy with sunlight, vodka and passion.

Starring David Tennant.

The conclusion of Michael Frayn's adaptation of Anton Chekhov's early play.

Platonov ...... David Tennant
Anna Petrovna ...... Sasha Behar
Dr Triletzky ...... Elliot Levey
Sasha ...... Olivia Darnley
Sofya ...... Eva Feiler
Sergey ...... John Hollingworth
Osip ...... Forbes Masson
Colonel Triletzky ...... Rupert Vansittart
Porfiry Semyonovich Glagolyev ...... Christian Rodska
Gerasim Kuzmich Petrin ...... Ben Onwukwe
Marko ...... Nigel Cooke
Marya Yefimovna Grekova ...... Prisca Bakare

Director: Clive Brill

A Brill production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in June 2018.


SAT 04:00 It's Not What You Know (b037tnxt)
Series 2

Episode 5

What is Masterchef finalist Kirsty Wark's signature dish?

What is Andrew Maxwell's best character trait?

What is Francis Wheen's greatest fear?

All these questions, and more, will be answered in the show hosted by Miles Jupp, where panellists are tested on how well they know their nearest and dearest.

Producer: Sam Michell

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 2013.


SAT 04:30 To the Manor Born (b007n1wj)
An Englishman's Home

When Devere installs new security cameras, Audrey declares war.

Starring Penelope Keith and Keith Barron.

Lady of the manor Audrey fforbes-Hamilton, forced to sell her beloved Grantleigh Estate, has decamped to the tiny Old Lodge cottage with her butler in tow.

From this vantage point, Audrey keeps a close and disapproving eye on new owner, the nouveau-riche Richard DeVere.

Adapted for radio by Peter Spence from his BBC TV script

Audrey fforbes-Hamilton …. Penelope Keith
Richard DeVere ..... Keith Barron
Marjory Frobisher. .... Angela Thorne
Brabinger .... Nicholas McArdle
Mrs Polouvicka ..... Margery Withers
Ned ..... Frank Middlemass
PC Dottle ...... Kevin Eldon

First piloted on radio and then whisked off to TV before it ever appeared, before finally arriving home in 1997

Producer: Jane Berthoud

First broadcast on BBC Radio 2 in March 1997.


SAT 05:00 The Wilsons Save the World (m0002r74)
Series 2

Library

Maxine Wilson continues to occupy the local library despite the council closing it and things take a turn for the worse when it looks like eviction is on the cards.

Daughter Cat can’t really see the point of libraries anyway, with the internet, and it becomes clear that Mike doesn’t fully grasp what they really mean either. As things take a turn towards the more confrontational Mike recruits a veteran activist, much to Max’s horror.

Sitcom about trying to live ethically and do the right thing. Written by Marcus Brigstocke and Sarah Morgan.

Mike ...... Marcus Brigstocke
Max ...... Kerry Godliman
Cat ...... Mia Jenkins
Lola ...... India Brown
Pauline ...... Liza Tarbuck
Various ...... Kiell Smith-Bynoe

Producer: Julia McKenzie

A BBC Studios production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in February 2019.


SAT 05:30 Stand-Up Specials (m000ydpx)
Tessa Coates: Resting Witch Face

Following her two critically-acclaimed stand up shows, Tessa brings her debut radio special to Radio 4 and combines her love of anthropology with her love of witchcraft. This year, all things occult are definitely on the rise. Tarot card sales are the highest they've been for 50 years, books on witchcraft have topped the best-seller list, and on TikTok the hashtag #WitchTok has 13.9 BILLION views. Through history, in times of political unrest we turn to the occult, and the last few years have been nothing but political unrest. Add into that a story about a ghost, a poltergeist, and an exploration of the human imagination. Plus a tarot card reading, finish on a coven initiation spell and you've got Resting Witch Face!

The show was recorded in front of a live audience at the Pleasance in London.


Written by Tessa Coates
Starring Tessa Coates
Additional Material: Amy Annette
Executive Producer: Simon Nicholls
Studio Engineer Jerry Peal
Editor: Chris Maclean
Production Manager: Georgina Brett
Production Co-ordinator: Tamara Shilham
Production Assistant: Emma Tremewan
Production Runners: George Hehir & Tehillah Hinds
Would not have been possible without Katie Churchill
Recorded Live at Pleasance London
A Tiger Aspect production for BBC Radio 4


SAT 06:00 David Buck - Conflict of Doves (b09g357l)
American athlete Jesse Owens dominated the 1936 Berlin Olympic Games - and unsettled Adolf Hitler in the process.

The world event was conceived by the German leader as a public display of Aryan superiority to be captured on film by Leni Riefenstahl.

But the emergence of the black athletes threw the Nazi leadership into confusion as they tried every way to lessen the impact - and to undermine the true sporting spirit of the Games.

Written by David Buck

Adolf Hitler …. John Castle
Leni Riefenstahl …. Cheryl Campbell
Joseph Goebbels …. Nigel Anthony
Avery Brundage …. Don Fellows
Richard Strauss …. Michael Gough
Rudolf Hess …. Brian Hewlett
Reinhard Heydrich …. Stuart Organ
Julius Streicher …. John Hollis
Carl Diem …. David Buck
Hans von Tschammer und Osten …. Bernard Brown
Werner March …. Manning Wilson
Willi …. Tim Reynolds
Max …. Jonathan Tafler
Catering Expert …. Peter Howell
Anatole …. Andrew Branch

Director: Martin Jenkins

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 1986.


SAT 07:30 Great Lives (b08kv5f6)
Series 42

Gary Kemp on EW Godwin

Gary Kemp, songwriter and guitarist with hit 1980s band Spandau Ballet, chooses the architect and designer Edward William Godwin as his great life.

Gary began collecting pieces of Godwin's work as soon as he started making money from hit singles.

He's remained fascinated by the life and work of the man who formed part of the Aesthetic Movement in the 19th century, designed houses for Oscar Wilde and James Whistler, and influenced Charles Rennie Mackintosh.

Presented by Matthew Parris with guest expert, Dr Aileen Reid.

Producer: Maggie Ayre.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 2017.


SAT 08:00 The Motion Show (b07bpq37)
Series 4

Episode 6

Debates galore from designer babies - to banning TV chefs.

Graeme Garden chairs the quirky battle of words and wit.

With Gyles Brandreth, Steve Punt, Marcus Brigstocke and Andy Parsons.

Producer: Helen Williams

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 2001.


SAT 08:30 Smelling of Roses (b007k1tg)
Series 2

Trade Secrets

Confidentiality proves a headache for Rosie when she, Kate and Jo are all asked to organise top secret events...

Prunella Scales stars in Simon Brett's sitcom.

The trials and tribulations of Rosie Burns and her event management company, based in Brighton.

Rosie ...... Prunella Scales
Kate ...... Arabella Weir
Jo ...... Rebecca Callard
Bob ...... Duncan Preston
Tess ...... Annette Badland
Oleg ...... Edward de Souza
Kirsten ...... Gillian Hanna
Robert ...... Simon Trinder

Producer: Maria Esposito

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 2001.


SAT 09:00 The Rudest Man in Britain (b03rxc77)
The Rudest Man in Britain excavates the archives from the perspective of Gilbert Harding - a well-loved radio personality who went on to achieve wider TV exposure as star of long-running panel shows such as 'What's My Line?' once watched by millions.

Clever, amusing and often outrageous, Harding was a familiar voice of wireless who became a pioneer of popular TV. But behind the public persona, there was a troubled and conflicted character.

To create a profile of Gilbert Harding's life and sample his broadcasting work Simon Fanshawe draws on Stephen Wyatt's play Dr Brighton and Mr Harding, in which Harding (played by Roger Allam) wrestles with his inner demons and fantasies, knowing also that he is in increasingly poor health (hence his reason for moving to the coast to embrace 'Dr Brighton').

Simon samples excerpts from:

* Round Britain Quiz,
* What's My Line?
* The Brains Trust

* A complete edition of Twenty Questions – which, as a format, still stands up well.

He also revisits Harding's seminal 1960 BBC Face to Face TV interview with John Freeman, where he broke down on camera when the questioner touched a nerve.

Simon Fanshawe explores the development of many now familiar formats on Radio and TV - and assembles a fascinating and rounded portrait of this tortured but much loved polymath.

Producer: Mike Greenwood

Made for BBC Radio 4 Extra and first broadcast in January 2014


SAT 12:00 Tim FitzHigham: The Gambler (b05nvjm7)
Series 2

Episode 1

Adventuring comedian Tim FitzHigham recreates an 18th century bet.

Can he walk from London's Royal Academy to the Royal Exchange building while blindfolded in under one hour?

Written by and starring Tim FitzHigham.

Additional material by Jon Hunter and Paul Byrne.

Producer: Joe Nunnery.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 2015.


SAT 12:30 Double Income, No Kids Yet (b008x3lt)
Series 3

Episode 1

Andy and Katy have a lovely new baby and Daniel has a brilliant new job.

But Lucy has a horrible new feeling. Is Daniel about to leave her for a woman called Katriona who's obsessed with cheese?

Starring David Tennant and Elizabeth Carling.

David Spicer's comedy drama about modern life and parenthood, as seen through the eyes of two 30-something non-parents.

Daniel …. David Tennant
Lucy …. Liz Carling
Katie …. Tracy-Ann Oberman
Andy …. Tony Gardner
Katriona …. Kate Robbins

Producer: Liz Anstee

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 2003.


SAT 13:00 The Last Seaside Orchestra (b01knsjz)
This is the story of the last professional seaside orchestra in Britain.

Once, classical music had a natural home in holiday resorts across the country: 'Hastings and New Brighton had their own symphony orchestras

The young Malcolm Sargent started out as conductor of the orchestra in Llandudno; Wagner was played in Whitby.' (The Times). But Scarborough Spa Orchestra led the way, based in their magnificent Victorian building on the town's sweeping South Bay.

100 years later they're still there. At a time when orchestras struggle for audiences, conductor Matthew Rowe goes to Scarborough to experience for himself the unique connection between this small group of musicians and the thousands of tourists who come each summer just to hear them play.

The leading musicians, conductors and singers of the 20th century all performed at Scarborough, with names such as violinist Max Jaffa and conductor Alick Maclean drawing huge crowds through the decades. The orchestra plays nine concerts a week, and still generates that kind of anticipation and interest among the audience members.

Matthew believes that a conductor must do more than simply turn his back to the room and perform; he must break down barriers and make classical music less daunting for those who are not aficionados. He's intrigued to know the secret of the Spa Orchestra's warm relationship with their audience.

Recorded on location in Scarborough during the orchestra's 99th summer season, Matthew Rowe traces this musical survival story.

Producer: Serena Field

First broadcast on BBC Radio 3 in July 2011.


SAT 13:45 Summer Picnic by Elizabeth Jane Howard (b08tj1vl)
A woodland glade, a perfect picnic... a girl grows up, a woman grows old.

June Barrie reads Elizabeth Jane Howard's perfectly observed short story.

Producer: Pat Pryor

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in June 1993.


SAT 14:00 Josh Howie's Losing It (b07pgwp0)
Series 1

The Announcement

Stand-up comic Josh comes to terms with the impending birth of his first child.

Josh and his wife Monique attend a family funeral where Josh manages to fall out with everyone and spectacularly fails to keep the news of the pregnancy under wraps.

Sitcom starring Josh Howie and Pippa Evans.

Written by Josh Howie.

With:

Spencer Brown
Carol Dance
Stella Duffy
Kerry Godliman
Steve Jameson
Peter Walsingham

Producer: Ashley Blaker

A Black Hat production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in August 2016. .


SAT 14:30 The Museum of Everything (b00899zt)
Series 1

Welcome to the Museum of Everything

Feel free to wander round our many galleries and experience the history of everything. Learn about the history of everything.

Learn about the history of wicker, tour a stately home and discover the real identity of Jack the Ripper.

Written and performed by:

Marcus Brigstocke
Danny Robins
Dan Tetsell.

With Lucy Montgomery.

Music by Dominic Haslam and Ben Walker.

Producer: Alex Walsh-Taylor

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 2004.


SAT 15:00 Masala FM (b0080p9x)
Episode 6

Love is in the air at Masala FM as their first wedding resulting from Khalid's matrimonial phone-in looms.

But is love blind, or just stupid?

Sitcom written by Meera Syal

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

Music by Nitin Sawhney.

Producer: Liz Anstee

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 1996.


SAT 15:30 The Mark Steel Lecture (b007qhq3)
Series 2

Karl Marx

A profile of the influential revolutionary thinker and philosopher.

Mark Steel lectures humourously about historical figures that have shaped their era.

With:

Martin Hyder
Carla Mendonca

Producer: Lucy Armitage

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 2001.


SAT 16:00 David Buck - Conflict of Doves (b09g357l)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]


SAT 17:30 Great Lives (b08kv5f6)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]


SAT 18:00 Honore de Balzac - The Mysterious Mansion (m000bmh9)
19th century French writer, Honore de Balzac discovers La Grande Breteche - the ruins of an abandoned house and neglected garden in the Loire.

He's determined to uncover the story behind its tragic secrets...

Starring David Calder.

Honore de Balzac's grisly tale dramatised by Peter Mackie.

Balzac ...... David Calder
Jean ...... Dorien Thomas
Faillard ...... Dillwyn Owen
Mde. Faillard ...... Tessa Gearing
Gendarme ...... Christopher Grimes
Rosalie ...... Marilyn Le Conte
De Merret ...... Nigel Carrington
Mde. de Merret ...... Manon Edwards
Duvivier ...... Alan Towner

Director: David Hunter

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 1993.


SAT 19:00 The Rudest Man in Britain (b03rxc77)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]


SAT 22:00 Rigor Mortis (b007rq8g)
Series 2

Episode 6

A department store drama means the pathology team must work on Christmas Day.

Starring Peter Davison.

Laurence Howarth's black comedy set in the world of the pathology lab.

Dr Webster .... Peter Davison
Dr Anderson .... Matilda Ziegler
Professor Donaldson: .... Geoffrey Whitehead
Gordon .... Tom Price
Chloe .... Marianne Levy
Simon .... Gus Brown

Music by Paul Mottram and Stephanie Benavente.

Producer: Dawn Ellis

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 2004.


SAT 22:30 Chain Reaction (b054qfjd)
Series 10

Vic Reeves talks to Olivia Colman

One half of comedy double-act Vic & Bob, Vic Reeves

talks to

Oscar and BAFTA award-winning actress Olivia Colman.

Chain Reaction is the long running hostless chat show where last week's interviewee becomes this week's interviewer.

Producer: Charlie Perkins

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 2015.


SAT 23:00 Sara Pascoe: The Modern Monkey (b09tdtl8)
Series 1

Territory

How does our monkey past influence our modern lives and how come we can still get emotionally hijacked by our primitive emotions?

Sara Pascoe investigates - Territory.

It's a vital resource and we live on a crowded planet but why do have such a visceral reaction when someone intrudes on our personal space?

From the bigger picture concepts of colonialism and national borders, to how you divide your shared bedroom, to the physical limits of our own bodies, this is a frank, funny look at how our evolutionary history shapes the way we see and move through the world.

Recorded on location at The Freud Museum in London.

Written by and starring Sara Pascoe

Producer: Alexandra Smith

A BBC Studios production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in March 2018.


SAT 23:30 Armstrong and Miller (b00t1bct)
Episode 1

Time management plus some special detectives.

Sketches and songs with Ben Miller and Alexander Armstrong in their first series for radio.

With:

Samuel West
Tony Gardiner

Written by Ben Miller, Alexander Armstrong and Tony Gardiner.

Producer: Gareth Edwards

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 1998.


SAT 23:45 The Pin (b07b3snr)
Series 2

Award

Strap in for a 15-minute delve into a world of oddness performed in front of a live studio audience.

The Pin are an award-winning comedy duo, and legends of Edinburgh festival. They deconstruct the sketch form, in a show that exists somewhere between razor-sharp smartness and utterly joyous silliness.

Written by Ben Ashenden and Alex Owen

Performed by:

Ben Ashenden
Alex Owen
Freya Parker
Brian Protheroe

Producer: Sam Bryant

A BBC Studios production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in September 2016.