SATURDAY 28 AUGUST 2021

SAT 00:00 The Coma by Alex Garland (b007jtwc)
5. Stimulus

Fear of never waking up turns to fear of waking up, as Carl starts to stir from his coma.

Alex Garland's surreal fantasy explores the lucid, but powerless workings of the mind of Carl, who is in a coma following a violent assault

It plays tricks on both the story's protagonist and the listener.

Concluded by Tom Goodman-Hill.

Producer: Gemma Jenkins

Made for BBC 7 and first broadcast in December 2004.


SAT 00:30 Off the Page (b011jvyx)
Foreign

When did you first notice that not everyone was like you?

For American satirist Joe Queenan, growing up in an Irish American neighbourhood of Philadelphia, it was the moment he walked into an Italian cheese shop.

Poet Elvis MacGonagall, sole resident of the Graceland caravan park outside Dundee, dodges the question by writing a brilliant poem that rhymes foreign with sporran.

And Amanda Mitchison recounts an episode in a Cairo market where she was continually short-changed in her efforts to buy chicken breast. In short, she says, to be foreign is always to be the fool, unsure how to dress, to speak, and to buy a decent piece of chicken.

New writing and discussion on the subject of Foreign, what it means and why it matters.

Chaired by Dominic Arkwright.

Producer: Miles Warde

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in June 2011.


SAT 01:00 Mark Tavener - High Table, Lower Orders (b00h9t26)
Series 2

Episode 4

One of the students has confessed to murder, but Simon is not convinced he's guilty.

But the investigation is put on hold when Simon finds himself debating against a Government minister about modernisation.

Mark Tavener's comedy thriller set in a Cambridge College riven by argument between traditionalists and modernisers.

Gilbert …. Geoffrey Palmer
Simon …. Samuel West
Zoe …. Sharon Small
Bernard …. Jonathan Coy
The Dean …. Michael Maloney

With Stephen Hogan, Michelle Fairley and David Bannerman

Producer: Dawn Ellis

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 2006.


SAT 01:30 Who Killed Zebedee? by Wilkie Collins (b007jq12)
Episode 2

With just days to live, a Victorian policeman continues his final confession from his death bed.

Mystery still surrounded the brutal murder of John Zebedee.

The constable recalls his determination to solve the case when the rest of the police force had given up.

Detective story by Wilkie Collins, first published in 1881.

Concluded by Ronald Pickup

Producer: Joanne Reardon

Made for BBC 7 and first broadcast in October 2003.


SAT 02:00 Keeping On Keeping On by Alan Bennett (b080j3fp)
2009

Looking back to 2009 - Alan presents writings to the Bodleian Library and describes the long process of finding a sound effect for WH Auden breaking wind.

More unique observations, recollections and reminiscences as author, playwright and author Alan Bennett reads extracts from the third collection of his diaries.

Covering the years 2005 to 2014, it proved to be a packed decade.

Abridged and produced by Gordon House.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 2016.


SAT 02:15 Jane Austen (b085yyzf)
Northanger Abbey

Episode 10

Catherine returns to her home after her abrupt dismissal from Northanger Abbey.

Will she ever know what she did wrong and more importantly will she ever see Henry Tilney again?

The conclusion of Jane Austen's satire poking fun at the popular sensationalist fiction of the day.

Catherine ..... Georgia Groome
Henry ..... Luke Thompson
Mrs Morland ..... Alison Belbin
Mr Morland ..... John Bowler
Harriet ..... Keziah Joseph
George ..... Luke MacGregor
The Book ..... Miriam Margolyes

Dramatised by Hattie Naylor.

Director: Sally Avens

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 2016.


SAT 02:30 The Stationery Cupboard (b01cks4c)
Lucy Mangan loves pens...and paper...and folders.

In fact, from her first fountain pen to the latest leather notebook, Lucy has been thrilled by the smell and feel of fresh stationery. Of course, she's not alone - one of the most popular luxuries for BBC Radio’s Desert Island Discs castaways is pen and paper.

Meet fellow devotees of the paraphernalia of school and office life, as Lucy goes back to her South London junior school to talk to children about pencil cases.

She also meets writers to discuss the merits of the 1920s typewriter, a sleek laptop, and a pile of lined A5 notebooks.

Psychologist Linda Blair explores our attachment to particular designs, and members of the Writing Equipment Society explain why happiness is a collection of 2,000 fountain pens.

Producer: Chris Ledgard

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2012.


SAT 03:00 Marcy Kahan - Killing Katerina (m0001csh)
What do you do when the friend you adore marries a woman you cannot abide?

You joke about thugs and abduction. And then you meet a thug...

Marcy Kahan's urbane comedy of unpleasant manners.

Sally ... Jane Bertlsh
Anthony .... Paul Bhattacharjee
Rory ... Mark Bonnar
Max ... Kerry Shale
Colette ... Emily Raymond
Penelope ... Eleanor Bron
Edgar ... David de Keyser

Producer: Marion Nancarrow

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 2001.


SAT 04:00 The Food Quiz (b0728z3b)
Series 1

Episode 4

Jay Rayner puts well-known gastronomes through their culinary paces.

On the menu:

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall
Heston Blumenthal
Jekka McVicar
Clarissa Dickson Wright

Producer: Rebecca Wells

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 2003.


SAT 04:30 Ballylenon (b007jvg9)
Series 3

Episode 1

It's time for the Tidy Village Competition, but the inevitable factions emerge.

Series set in the sleepy town of Ballylenon, Co Donegal, in 1955, before the days of mass tourism and proper plumbing in every home.

Written by Christopher Fitz-Simon.

T McKenna ...... Phonsie Doherty
Stella McCusker ...... Vera McConkey
Margaret D'Arcy ...... Muriel McConkey
Aine McCartney ...... Vivienne Boal
Gerard McSorley ...... Stumpy Bonnar
John Hewitt ...... Guard Gallagher
Charlie Bonnar ...... Parky McGoldrick

Music arranged and performed by Stephanie Hughes.

Director: Eoin O'Callaghan

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in June 1996.


SAT 05:00 The Wilsons Save the World (m0003cnp)
Series 2

Live Forever

Spurred on by the notoriously anti-environment neighbour ‘BMW Paul’ and his apparent saintly U-turn on plastics and waste, Mike lays down a no-plastic challenge to the family which is taken up with competitive relish.

Meanwhile Max’s Mum Pauline pays another visit and dishes out a heap of straight-talking common sense in her own inimitable way.

It turns out that the purpose of her visit is to drop another bombshell which sends Max reeling and forces her to confront a number of difficult issues head on.

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
BMW Paul…Mike Wozniak

Producer: Julia McKenzie

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


SAT 05:30 Michael Frayn's Magic Mobile (m000j94k)
Episode 2

A second folder of entertaining files from genius comic writer Michael Frayn. A stellar cast includes Joanna Lumley, David Suchet, Susannah Fielding, George Blagden, Jared Harris, Lisa Dillon, Martin Jarvis.

Does your heart sink when asked to ‘listen to the following three options’? Enjoy racy promos of the newest versions of a Jane Austen classic! A filmed documentary dares to ask ‘What is Truth?' Why do we get so enraged with the latest technology? And gorgeous young tv personality Melinda Twinkling presents a reminder of old-school viewing.

CAST:
Joanna Lumley, David Suchet, Susannah Fielding, George Blagden, Jared Harris, Lisa Dillon, Roger Allam, Nigel Anthony, Anna-Louise Plowman, Moira Quirk, Matthew Wolf, Martin Jarvis

Writer: Michael Frayn
Producer: Rosalind Ayres
Director: Martin Jarvis
A Jarvis & Ayres production for BBC Radio 4


SAT 06:00 Raymond Massey - Hanging Judge (m0002c9p)
A prominent judge unyieldingly believes the British judicial system is infallible regarding capital punishment.

But after sentencing a prisoner to death, Sir Francis Brittain is revealed to be leading a dark double-life and is set to be "hoist with his own petard"...

Starring Boris Karloff.

Set between the two world wars. The last hangings were to take place in the United Kingdom in 1964.

Written by actor Raymond Massey - based on Bruce Hamilton’s novel, adapted by John Richmond.

Sir Francis Brittain .... Boris Karloff
Sir George Sidney MCMP …. Hugh Manning
Keith Nottingham KC …. Duncan McIntyre
Miles Lamprey KC …. Howieson Culff
Sir Ronald Pond …. Robert Webber
Colonel George Archer …. Richard Williams
Major the Rt. Hon. Gilbert West …. Norman Claridge
John Teal …. John T. St Barry
Mary Reddish …. Gabrielle Blunt
Roberts …. Richard Hutton

Other parts played by:

Geoffrey Bond
John Cazabon
Brian Hayes
Peter Hoar
Arthur Lawrence
Stanley Mackenzie
Tony Quinn

Boris Karloff (1887-1969) came to fame as the monster in James Whale's 1931 version of ‘Frankenstein’ for Universal Pictures.
He went on to star in many horror films.

Producer: Cleland Finn.

First broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in December 1953.


SAT 07:30 Great Lives (b01mqpgh)
Series 28

George Orwell

Whilst at school, a young Alan Johnson was given some money by a teacher and told to go and buy four copies of any book for the school library. He headed down the Kings Road in Chelsea, stopping only for a sly cigarette along the way. Having already read 'Animal Farm', he picked 'Keep the Aspidistra Flying' and yearned for the life of lead character Gordon Comstock.

Former Home Secretary Alan Johnson tells Matthew Parris, why Orwell was crucial to his education and political development.

But he's surprised to learn that Orwell is not on the National Curriculum, and insists that Orwell would have hated ID cards.

With Jean Seaton, Professor of Media History at the University of Westminster and Chair of the Orwell Prize.

Producers: Beatrice Fenton and Toby Field.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 2012.


SAT 08:00 Whispers (b007k2zk)
Series 2

Episode 3

Which scandal would the panelist like to be involved with..?

Gyles Brandreth hosts the quiz show with scandal on its mind and slander at its heart.

Simon Fanshawe and Charles Collingwood join team captains Lucy Moore and Anthony Holden to run the gauntlet of gossip.

Producer: Elizabeth Freestone

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 2004.


SAT 08:30 Snap (b012h9lq)
Series 3

Episode 1

After 16 years of marriage and one year of divorce, Doug and Molly Brownridge are attempting to rekindle their relationship.

But it’s not easy with two teenage kids embarking on their first romances and Doug's mum dating men like there's no tomorrow...

The return of Paul Mendelson’s sitcom about life for a couple after they've split.

Molly ....... Rebecca Lacey
Doug ....... Paul Venables
Kaz ....... Soumaya Keynes
Ryan ....... Jessie Sullivan
Annie ....... Marlene Sidaway
Dawn ....... Robin Weaver
Raymond ...... Jonathan Tafler

Producer: David Ian Neville

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 2005.


SAT 09:00 Horne of Plenty: Beyond Our Ken to Round The Horne (b007k2b6)
The fascinating inside story behind two of BBC radio's all-time favourite comedies: 'Beyond Our Ken' and 'Round the Horne'.

Presented by a former BBC Head of Radio Light Entertainment, Jonathan James-Moore

Featuring cast members: Ron Moody and Bill Pertwee. Plus, the son of Beyond Our Ken scriptwriter Eric Merriman - Andy Merriman, Lyn Took - who was married to Barry Took, writer for both series – and the last surviving Round The Horne scriptwriter, Brian Cooke.

Extracts from Kenneth Williams diaries are read by David Benson.

Beyond Our Ken ran for 7 series, while Round The Horne ran for 4.

Hear the very first and last editions of both series starring:

Kenneth Horne
Kenneth Williams
Hugh Paddick
Betty Marsden
Bill Pertwee
Ron Moody
Stanley Unwin
Douglas Smith

The FIRST Beyond Our Ken - 1st July 1958:
Kenneth Horne’s diary, poking fun at tax bills and Horn-o-rama.

The LAST Beyond Our Ken - 16th July 1964:
Kenneth Horne’s week, Horn-o-rama and Drama of the Week

The FIRST Round the Horne - 7th March 1965:
Trends, the BBC's Backroom Boys and part one of 'The Clissold Saga'.

The LAST Round The Horne - 9th June 1968:
Nobody knew it was the last show, but a surprise was in store for Julian and Sandy

Producer: Peter Reed

Made for BBC 7 and first broadcast in May 2004.


SAT 12:00 It's Your Round (b00yjs4p)
Series 1

Episode 1

It's the comedy panel show with no format!

Let battle commence in the games each brought along by the panellists:

Rufus Hound
Miles Jupp
Sara Pascoe
Adam Hills

Stand by for "Them Next Door", "What Does My Dad Know?", "Come To Romford!" and "Newspaper Headline or Cryptic Crossword Clue".

All are untried, untested and unpredictable so it could all end in disaster.

Angus Deayton valiantly tries to keep the show together.

Written by: Angus Deayton, Ged Parsons and Paul Powell

Devised by Benjamin Partridge.

Producer: Sam Michell.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 2011.


SAT 12:30 The Tim Vine Chat Show (b0bfydgm)
Summer Extra Special 2018

Tim Vine brings his own brand of sunshine to the radio with the "SummerTim Special" of his acclaimed Chat Show.

From the famous Pavilion Theatre on Cromer Pier.

Seaside one-liners and songs abound as Tim rolls up his trousers, has a paddle and talks at crossed porpoises with the people of Norfolk.

Featuring a man with an interesting collecting hobby and a song about a metronome.

Producer: Richard Morris

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 2018.


SAT 13:00 Archive on 4 (b09vx0db)
Disinformation: A User's Guide

What if there was never a 'Truth' era before 'Post-Truth'?

Phil Tinline mines the archives to trace the story of 'disinformation' - navigating the slippery history of such incidents as the Zinoviev Letter, the Reichstag Fire, the Moscow Trials, the allegations that the US used germ warfare in the Korean War, British operations in Northern Ireland and the CIA's attempt at a pornographic movie.

He tracks the origins of disinformation to struggles between Tsarists and revolutionaries in pre- and post-Revolutionary Russia - a period which produced the notorious forgery The Protocols of the Elders of Zion, which was championed by the Nazis. It was a milieu that shaped the Bolsheviks' ruthless approach to information and disinformation - a mindset they carried with them from the underground to the Kremlin.

Amid the rise of totalitarianism, leading thinkers on left and right alike were worrying about the 'End of Truth' over 70 years before today's furores. Anxiety about truth and its enemies seems to flare up at times when orthodoxies are falling apart - political uncertainty is rife and people become unusually open to the comforting certainty of extreme ideas.

So - if 'fake news' is not as new as advertised, might we have something to learn from this history? Phil uses this long history of deliberate attacks on truth to identify tricks and techniques that are still in use today, drawing on the expertise of Lawrence Bittman, the ex-deputy chief of the Czechoslovak disinformation department.

Speakers include: Gill Bennett, Lawrence Bittman, Richard Evans, Peter Pomeranzev, Robert Service, Lyndsey Stonebridge, Calder Walton, Kathryn Weathersby

Producer: Phil Tinline

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March, then updated for repeat in September 2018.


SAT 14:00 Old Harry's Game (b00w0d8p)
Series 6

Edith

An eminent historian arrives in the infernal kingdom and Satan strikes a bizarre bargain with her.

Andy Hamilton’s devilishly funny sitcom set in Hell.

Satan …. Andy Hamilton
Edith …. Annette Crosbie
Thomas …. Jimmy Mulville
Scumspawn …. Robert Duncan

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

Producer Paul Mayhew-Archer

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 2007.


SAT 14:30 Sisters (b08wn2jr)
Series 2

Blackout

Susan and Fiona are grown up sisters who live together. But that's all they have in common.

Written by Susan Calman.

Their flat is plunged into darkness from a power cut. Next door neighbour and token family member, Blake doesn't provide the necessary support as he’s preoccupied with selling something special online.

As the darkness continues, fear of intruders and speculation about paranormal activity take hold and all three descend into a world of paranoia and mutual suspicion. It's a situation exacerbated by the fact that Susan is harbouring a stray cat and is very keen that Fiona doesn't discover this - especially as Fiona is violently allergic to pets of any description

Susan ...... Susan Calman
Fiona ...... Ashley Jensen
Blake ...... Nick Helm

Producer Paul Schlesinger

A Hat Trick production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in July 2017.


SAT 15:00 Armando Iannucci (b007jzbt)
Series 2

Episode 1

From world religious strife to greeting cards and crank calls.

Armando lannucci hosts wry comical discussion, sketches and music.

With:

Rebecca Front
David Schneider
Richard Herring

Written by Armando Iannucci, Peter Baynham, Richard Herring, Stewart Lee and Ben Moor.

Producer: Sarah Smith

First broadcast on BBC Radio 1 in March 1994.


SAT 16:00 Raymond Massey - Hanging Judge (m0002c9p)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]


SAT 17:30 Great Lives (b01mqpgh)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]


SAT 18:00 The Prisoner (m0001f2x)
Series 1

1. Departure and Arrival - Part 1/2

After quitting his post, secret agent ZM73 wakes up imprisoned in a bizarre village with a new identity.

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...

ZM73/Number 6 …. Mark Elstob
Number 2 …. John Standing
Number 9 …. Sara Powell
The Village Voice …. Helen Goldwyn
Zero Two Six …. Sarah Mowat
Control …. Jim Barclay
Number 34 …. Barnaby Edwards

Music: Jamie Robertson

Script Editor: Jamie Anderson

Written and directed by Nicholas Briggs.

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, ornate coastal village.

A Big Finish Production - based on the classic ITV series - released in August 2015.


SAT 18:45 At The Pit's Mouth by Rudyard Kipling (b03y00mj)
Set in India during the British Raj - a man rides out with his married lover.

Brian Gear reads Rudyard Kipling's cautionary short tale.

Producer Viv Beeby

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 1996.


SAT 19:00 Horne of Plenty: Beyond Our Ken to Round The Horne (b007k2b6)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]


SAT 22:00 Ross Noble Goes Global (b007jvsn)
Series 1

South Africa

Ross Noble continues his comedy travelogues in South Africa.

He entertains the locals with his unique brand of stand-up

Plus, he tries to climb Table Mountain and discovers that Cape Town has some very posh monkeys....

Producer: Danny Wallace

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 2002.


SAT 22:30 Elvenquest (b017mwrv)
Series 4

Queen Eleanor

The noble Questers set off once again to find the Sword of Asnagar, the only thing that can rid Lower Earth from the tyranny of the evil Lord Darkness.

Their search brings them to the kingdom of Premenstrua, where they defeat a band of trolls that have been terrorising the land. As a reward for their heroism, they are offered the Sword of Asnagar by its grateful ruler, Queen Eleanor. But before it's placed in their hands, they must first get her a birthday present...

Meanwhile, Kreech tries to convince Lord Darkness that what he needs to help him maintain eternal dominion over Lower Earth is a personal assistant.

Fantasy-based sitcom set in Lower Earth written by Anil Gupta and Richard Pinto

Vidar - Darren Boyd
Queen Eleanor - Louise Delamere
Dean/Kreech - Kevin Eldon
Amis - Dave Lamb
Sam - Stephen Mangan
Lord Darkness - Alistair McGowan
Penthiselea - Ingrid Oliver

Producer: Sam Michell

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 2013.


SAT 23:00 The Lawrence Sweeney Mix (b00k9pcb)
Series 1

Episode 2

Lover's Leap, a Moon expedition - and so much more!

Josie Lawrence and Jim Sweeney make it up as they go along!

Faced with a live studio audience and a couple of microphones - the masters of improve create sketches from shouted out suggestions.

Producer: Dawn Ellis

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 2007.


SAT 23:30 Armstrong and Miller (b007k3f2)
Episode 4

School band memories, and a town planning thriller.

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

With:

Samuel West
Tony Gardiner

Written by Ben Miller and Alexander Armstrong.

Producer: Gareth Edwards

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 1998.


SAT 23:45 The Pin (b07wgj2v)
Series 2

Evolution

The Pin are out to evolve - which means new features (and new total misunderstandings about how existence works).

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
Leila Hoffman
Tahj Miles

Producer: Sam Bryant

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