SATURDAY 16 OCTOBER 2021

SAT 00:00 James Follett - The Destruction Factor (b007jpbx)
5. Search and Destroy

Despite the national emergency, landowners try to profit from the deadly Exon strain.

Starring Paul Copley and Rosalind Adams.

James Follett’s sci-fi thriller.

Howard Rogers …. Paul Copley
Denise Exon …. Rosalind Adams
Max Flinders …. TP McKenna
Nurse …. Joan Matheson
Prime Minister …. Noel Johnson
Blowers …. Michael Shannon
TV Presenter …. Henry Knowles
TV PA …. Mary Elliott Nelson
Climatorium Technician …. Rod Beacham
Helicopter Pilot …. Peter Wickham
Farmer …. Roy Spencer
Corporal …. Gregory de Polnay
Sachs …. Denis Goacher

Producer: David Spencer

First broadcast as two x 90 minute dramas on BBC Radio 4 in March 1978.


SAT 00:30 Off the Page (b016wx2p)
Away with the Fairies

Dominic Arkwright asks why fairies - once threatening and scary meddlers in human affairs - have become innocent, pink and fluffy?

He's joined by Irish storyteller Eddie Lenihan, fairy illustrator and writer Faye Durston, and folklorist Juliette Wood.

We hear how Eddie successfully campaigned to save an ancient hawthorn near Shannon Airport which was threatened by a new bypass. It was, he argued, the portal to the other world of the fairies of Munster. The tree still stands, though surrounded by cars on three sides.

Producer: Mark Smalley.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 2011.


SAT 01:00 Kill The Pharaoh! (m0010j1m)
3. Strangers in a Cafe

Elizabeth visits the site of the tomb excavated by her late father in the Valley of the Kings.

Accompanying her is a young Egyptian who she suspects is Fuad Yassif - a former friend of her father's.

Suddenly she's plunged into darkness...

Starring Sheila Grant.

Victor Pemberton's archaeological thriller serial set in Egypt.

Elizabeth Warwick ... Sheila Grant
Mahmoud ... James Thomason
Mr Wilder ... John Humphry
Fuad ... David Spenser
Charles Villiers ... Rolf Lefebvre
Margaret Villiers ... Marion Mathie
Achmed Araby ... Haydn Jones
Abdullah ... Antony Viccars
Bertie Pringle ... Barry Lowe
O'Hara ... Denis McCarthy
Captain Aziz ... John Justin
The stranger ... Christopher Bidmead

Producer: John Tydeman

First broadcast on BBC Radio 2 in May 1968.


SAT 01:30 The Dark Island (m000b15z)
5. Escalation

Intelligence offers Jim Nicholson and Bill Grant battle to uncover who's behind the Cold War spy ring....

Starring Edward De Souza.

Robert Barr's espionage serial set in the remote islands of the Outer Hebrides.

Jim Nicholson ...Edward De Souza
Bill Grant ... Geoffrey Frederick
Ian McLeod ... Bryden Murdoch
Mary Somers…Rosemary Miller
Colonel Jamieson / Hotel Manager … Alaric Cotter
Major Williams ... Peter Hawkins

Producer: Peter Titheridge.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 1969.


SAT 02:00 A Better Class of Person by John Osborne (b03h84fl)
10. On the Pier at Morecambe

John Osborne recalls the end of another marriage and penury beckons, but so does success...

Highly-acclaimed first volume of the playwright's autobiography - covering 1929 to 1956 when 'Look Back in Anger' was first performed.

Concluded by Peter Egan.

Abridger/ Producer: Glyn Dearman

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 1994


SAT 02:15 John Reed - Ten Days That Shook the World (b098njdl)
10. The Conquest of Power

The Bolsheviks have defeated the counter-revolution and are getting on with the business of government despite the threat of civil war.

The abolition of all private ownership of land has won over the peasants and, for a moment, the Revolution seems to have accomplished its goals.

The conclusion of John Reed's classic eye-witness account of the Russian Revolution in October 1917.

Stars Richard Laing and Kelly Burke.

John Reed ...... Richard Laing
Louise Bryant ...... Kelly Burke
Trotsky ...... Matthew Gravelle
Lenin ...... Nicholas Murchie
Zinoviev ...... Sion Pritchard
Sverdlov ...... Simon Ludders
Nathanson ...... Philip Fox

With Eiry Thomas, Charlie Clements and Tom Forrister.

The Internationale is sung by Eiry Thomas.

Director: Alison Hindell

A BBC Cymru/Wales production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in October 2017.


SAT 02:30 The Stasi Jigsaw Puzzle (b01mkzgf)
The East German secret service, the Stasi, loved to keep records. It built up a library of hundreds of thousands of files on its own people.

When the order came to destroy those files, in late 1989, there was so much paper to get through that the state's shredders collapsed under the pressure. They then resorted to using chemicals and burning and, finally, to simply tearing them up by hand, until ordinary people themselves stormed the Stasi buildings and rescued what they could. Amongst the files that were rescued, they found 16,000 sackfuls of torn up bits of paper.

A small group of people near Nuremberg has been painstakingly trying to put those bits of paper back together; but the task was going to take 400 years to complete.

Then an expert in image processing, Dr. Bertram Nikolay came forward with his E-puzzler prototype computer, which is being put through its paces. Dr. Nikolay says it will be able to read the scraps of paper and put them back together in just a few years.

Chris Bowlby returns to Berlin, where he spent time as a student in the divided city, and meets the scientists hoping to rescue the destroyed Stasi paper archive.

He also hears some disturbing audio archive which is being catalogued; there are stories from some of the Stasi's victims and we hear how, 20 years after the fall of the Berlin wall, the search for the truth within the archives is as important as ever.

Producer: John Murphy

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 2012.


SAT 03:00 Drama (b08504lg)
Sebastian Baczkiewicz - The Last Submarine Hunter

Sebastian Baczkiewicz's original mystery drama featuring documentary interviews.

In October 2014, reports of a suspected Russian submarine in the Swedish archipelago sparked an international hunt.

Lucas Almquist disappeared at that time.

Now, two years later, Lucas’s sister Lina sets out to find him, and discover the truth about the mystery submarines. Along the way, she meets a retired naval commander and an expert in Unidentified Submerged Objects.

Lina Almquist ...... Ellie Piercy
Inspector Ragnarsson ...... David Menkin
Maya ...... Marion Bailey
Tove ...... Marion Bailey

With thanks to Janne Westerlund, Sven Kviman, Per Andersson, Clas Svahn, Freddie Petersson, Max Bergström, Marie Wennersten, Malcolm Dixelius, Magnus Lindman and Magnus Berg.

Sound Design by Steve Bond

Produced and Directed by Joby Waldman
Executive Producer: Jeremy Mortimer

A Somethin Else production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in December 2016.


SAT 03:45 Moya O'Shea - The Chocolate Lovers' Club (b00w6f7p)
5. Mrs Drexl

A huge cake box sits on the table, as the mysterious Mrs Drexl tells a tale which surprisingly concerns them all - as she explains how she came to be invited to join the club...

At the Muchly Bottom village chocolate lovers' club five women take turns in creating a chocolate delight and tell a chocolate-related tale while eating it.

Conclusion of Moya O'Shea’s delicious five-part drama.

Mrs Drexl ...... Sylvia Sims
Clementine ...... Paula Wilcox
Rosie ...... Helena Breck
Sarah ...... Eleanor Bron
Charlotte ...... Carolyn Pickles
Hot Shot ...... Carl Prekopp
Luke ...... Peter Darney

Director: Tracey Neale

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 2001.


SAT 04:00 It's Not What You Know (b0608h7v)
Series 3

Episode 1

What is Sarah Millican's worst habit?

Who is Richard Osman's mum's favourite recording artist?

What would Nathan Caton be doing if he wasn't a comedian?

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.

In this case, Richard Osman picks his mother, Sarah Millican her mate Lou, and Nathan Caton his brother Mekel to answer questions about each other.

Producer: Matt Stronge.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in June 2015.


SAT 04:30 Clare in the Community (b008h5z7)
Series 1

Last Words

The social worker is wracked with relief when her most detested client passes away.

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.

Starring Sally Phillips and Alex Lowe.

Clare ...... Sally Phillips
Brian ...... Alex Lowe
Megan ...... Nina Conti
Ray ...... Richard Lumsden
Irene ...... Ellen Thomas
Helen ...... Gemma Craven

With Richenda Carey and Andrew Wincott.

Producer: Katie Tyrrell.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 2004.


SAT 05:00 On the Rocks (b05vwtsk)
Series 2

Sermons

Father Tregarthan enlists the help of an unlikely source to help him with his irreligious parishioners on St. Martin's.

Christopher William Hill's comedy set on a remote island of the Isles of Scilly, just before the Second World War.

Frank Gunwallow ..... Joseph Kloska
Tommy Trenear ..... Stuart Fox
Tregarthan ..... Peter Marinker
Ben Trenear ..... Alex Palmer
Morwenna-May ..... Alex Tregear
Signor Di Bicci ..... Sam Dale
Reggie Pender ..... Christopher William Hill

Director: Mary Peate

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 2015.


SAT 05:30 The Confessional (m0010g03)
Series 2

The Confession of Olivia Williams

Following the success of its inaugural series earlier this year and by popular demand, Stephen Mangan is back with the comedy chat show about shame and guilt.

Each week Stephen Mangan invites a different eminent guest into his virtual confessional box to make three 'confessions' to him. This is a cue for some rich and varied storytelling, and surprising insights as their confessions are put under the microscope.

We’re used to hearing celebrity interviews, where stars are persuaded to show off about their achievements and talk about their proudest moments. Stephen is not interested in that. He doesn’t want to know what his guests are proud of, he wants to know what they’re ashamed of. That’s surely the way to find out what really makes a person tick. Settle back for a stimulating journey through the realms of shame, regret, guilt and toe-curling embarrassment.

This week Stephen meets British and Hollywood screen actor Olivia Williams (The Sixth Sense, The Crown)

Other guest in the series: Anthony Horowitz, Ed Byrne, Shaparak Khorsandi, Konnie Huq and David Quantick.
Written and presented by Stephen Mangan
With extra material by Nick Doody
Produced by Frank Stirling
A 7digital production


SAT 06:00 Daphne Du Maurier (b007k4b7)
Rebecca

Arriving at Manderley, the young Mrs de Winter finds the beautiful mansion and its occupants haunted by memories of Rebecca - the first wife of her new husband Maxim...

Christopher Cazenove and Janet Maw star in Daphne Du Maurier’s classic 1938 novel.

Dramatised by Brian Miller.

Maxim de Winter …. Christopher Cazenove
Mrs de Winter …. Janet Maw
Mrs Danvers …. Rosalie Crutchley
Jack Favell …. Nickolas Grace
Colonel Julyan …. Frederick Treves
Mrs Van Hopper …. Irene Sutcliffe
Frith …. John Gabriel
Beatrice …. Margaret Courtenay
Ben …. Danny Schiller
Clarice …. Elizabeth Mansfield
Horridge …. Brian Miller
Tabb …. John Bull
Dr Baker …. Geoffrey Whitehead

Director: Cherry Cookson

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 1989


SAT 07:30 Great Lives (b08zc6fs)
Series 43

Maxine Peake on Ellen Wilkinson

Actress Maxine Peake nominates her working class hero, Ellen Wilkinson, as a great life.

Ellen is regarded as one of the most important figures in the history of British radical left politics. She joined the Communist party, met Lenin and Trotsky in Moscow and then went on to become one of the Labour Party's youngest people entering parliament in 1924.

For Maxine, the tragedy is that Ellen Wilkinson is now virtually a forgotten figure despite her remarkable achievements.

With help from historian Helen Antrobus from the People's History Museum in Manchester, they make the case for Ellen Wilkinson meriting the description of a great life.

Presented by Matthew Parris.

Producer: Perminder Khatkar

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 2017.


SAT 08:00 The Motion Show (m0007rns)
Series 5

Episode 4

From the wonder of umbrellas to banning children in pubs

Graeme Garden hosts the comedy debating show.

With Gyles Brandreth, Boothby Graffoe, Hugh Dennis and Lauren Laverne.

Producer: Jane Berthoud

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 2002.


SAT 08:30 Smelling of Roses (b00d8yxr)
Series 3

Promises, Promises

Tasked with organising an auction of promises for a posh school, Rosie finds that it’s not the parents who are upper-crust so much as the pupils...

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
Jo ..... Rebecca Callard
Bob ..... Duncan Preston
Tess ..... Annette Badland
Greg ..... Leo Dolan
Trevor ..... Jim North

Producer: Maria Esposito

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 2002.


SAT 09:00 Radio Heads (m0010nn4)
Bobby Jaye

After leaving school, Bobby Jaye joined the BBC as a studio manager. He went on to become a BBC radio producer of landmark programmes including The Goon Show, Morecambe and Wise, Steptoe and Son and The Ken Dodd Show.

He became the BBC's Head of Light Entertainment before retiring in 1985.

But Bobby returned in 2003 - as part of a showcase series putting former BBC Radio heads back in charge to make a 3 hour selection from the shows they either produced or commissioned.

Interspersed with his own memories, Bobby selects: .

• THE KEN DODD SHOW
The King of Knotty Ash examines black magic and lands a part in a horror movie. Or does he? With Hugh Paddick and Miriam Margolyes. From August 1972

• STEPTOE AND SON
Series 3 (4/8): TB or not TB
Sixty years of smoking takes its toll on Albert. Adapted from TV, with Wilfrid Brambell and Harry H Corbett. From April 1971.

• AFTER HENRY
Series 1 (3/8): The Cowboy
Sarah's mother and daughter gang up on her when she hires a builder. Stars Prunella Scales and Joan Sanderson. From May 1985.

• RADIO ACTIVE
Series 3 (1/6) Euroshow
The UK’s local national radio station goes continental with reporters in Berlin, Paris and Madrid. Stars Geoffrey Perkins and Angus Deayton. From July 1983.

• THE SMALL INTRICATE LIFE OF GERALD C POTTER
Series 2 (6/6) The Day
The author tries to make amends when he upsets his wife Diana. Stars Ian Carmichael and Charlotte Mitchell. From December 1977.

• YES MINISTER
Series 1 (4/8) The Writing on the Wall
MP Jim Hacker's big plans to slim down the Civil Service come home to roost. Stars Paul Eddington, Nigel Hawthorne and Derek Fowlds. From November 1983.

Bobby Jaye died aged 84 in 2010.

Produced by Sarah Wade and Philippa Law

Made for BBC 7 and first broadcast in November 2003.


SAT 12:00 Forests of the Imagination (m0010nn6)
Eleanor Rosamund Barraclough enters the forests of our imagination, looking for stories. Alternative realities, holy quests and fairy tales hidden among the glories of the Autumn forest.

Despite our evolution in the African rainforests, Eleanor wonders whether it is tales from the frozen North that have given us the most potent forests of the imagination, invading our psyche, inhabiting our stories, inspiring our architecture.

Legendary fairy tale guru Jack Zipes introduces us to the darker side of the Black Forest, the central point of European folklore. Eleanor travels to Shakespeare's Forest of Arden, part real, part imagined - a forest full of magic and mystery, where we can become better versions of ourselves.

We hear tales from the vast frozen Taiga forest, encircling the world in the North.

And in the African rainforest we meet early hominids as they flit in and out of the trees, watching the forest biology shaping what we are and the stories we tell.

On the way we see the strange reality of the forest itself communicating. And as darkness falls, our imagination takes over as we spend a moonlit night in the New Forest, high in an oak tree, in the company of ravens, owls and deer.

Producer: Melvin Rickarby

First broadcast on BBC Radio 3 in October 2018.


SAT 12:45 Elegies From a Suburban Garden (b00zt3pr)
Autumn

"If we're lucky", says botanist Phil Gates" we gardeners get to experience the seasonal rollercoaster of gardening emotions about 70 times. Just 70 spring, summer, autumn and winters in a lifetime ... and with each passing cycle those that remain become even more precious".

With the arrival of autumn, the fruits of all the hard work of the previous months are literally ready to pick. Phil doesn't waste any time gathering in the Autumn-fruiting raspberries.

The other great success in the garden has been the raised beds; and for what feels like weeks now, Phil and his wife have been enjoying home-grown courgettes. In fact Phil is so impressed by his raised beds, that he's beginning to think about transforming all the vegetable area to raised beds ... and having bought a new spade after the old finally collapsed, he's ready to begin!

Before that, though, there are plenty of other tasks to do, such as cutting the hedge, now the nesting season is over, With a hatred of noisy electrical garden tools Phil happily clambers up his ladder with a pair of secateurs and sets too, trimming the beech hedge.

Whilst to some, the garden in Autumn may seem at times a sad place; as leaves fall off the trees, but the red, orange and golden colours of the leaves are for Phil a last 'Hoorah!' as the garden explodes with colour; enjoying its very own firework display. Surrounded by such wonderful colours as well fruits and vegetables to harvest, Autumn is surely a time to feel a sense of elation in the garden.

Producer: Sarah Blunt

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 2011.


SAT 13:00 Pieces of Britney (p09mw6j1)
7. Groundhog Day

Pandora Sykes revisits the events that led to Britney's conservatorship and the key players around that time.

In this eight-part series for BBC Radio 4, Pandora traces Britney’s incredible life: from her hardscrabble childhood in rural Louisiana, to her coronation as the inaugural pop princess of the internet, navigating an insatiable celebrity gossip complex; through to a young mother on trial by the paparazzi.

Britney is a pop culture phenomenon. Pandora looks behind that mask - and beyond Britney herself - to explore how Britney became the most Googled person in the world, for almost 7 years, and what it says, both then and now, about the entertainment industry, politics, sex and how we see women in the public eye.

Britney’s public struggles saw her placed in a conservatorship, in which she lost the right to control her finances and day to day life. Thirteen years later, and she is in court, pleading for this controversial legal arrangement to end. We will look at how Britney has been transformed from girl-next-door teen sensation to pop music’s Rapunzel, trapped in a supposedly rotten system.

Pieces of Britney mixes documentary, archive and interviews to tell Britney’s remarkable story. It also features drama, written by playwright Katie Hims, to bring Britney and her extraordinary world to life.

Pieces of Britney is a sympathetic portrayal of Britney, during a time of cultural reappraisal about how we treat women - famous, or otherwise.

Episode 7 Cast:

Britney . . . . . Samantha Dakin
Lynne . . . . . Laurel Lefkow
Jamie . . . . . Elliot Cowan
Sam . . . . . Paul Chahidi
Adnan . . . . . Adam El Hagar
Other parts played by Joseph Ayre and Julianna Jennings

Sound design by Peter Ringrose
Produced by Sasha Yevtushenko and Anne Isger.


SAT 13:55 Inheritance Tracks (b07g75p5)
Leona Lewis

Singer Leona Lewis chooses 'The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face' by Roberta Flack and 'One Love' by Bob Marley.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2016.


SAT 14:00 Chain Reaction (b0717cpt)
Series 11

1. Ed Byrne interviews Al Murray

Two heavyweights of stand-up are in conversation as Ed Byrne interviews Al Murray.

Ed tackles Al on a vast array of topics from Thackeray's attitude to the Irish to the thorny issue of offence in comedy via how best to talk to McFly.

Ed Byrne is an Irish comedian and actor. His celebrated observational routines made him a leading light of the UK stand-up circuit in the mid-90s and he went on to tour internationally, playing festivals and theatres across the world.

After an early stand-up foray as a character called 'The Murderer', Al Murray created his famous Pub Landlord character in the mid-90s as part of a touring show with Harry Hill. The Pub Landlord went on to tour venues and festivals worldwide before making his own TV chat shows and sitcom. Al also presents history documentaries and stood against Nigel Farage in the 2015 UK General Election.

Chain Reaction is the long running host-less chat show where this week's interviewee becomes next week's interviewer.

Producer: Richard Morris

A BBC Radio Comedy production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in February 2016.


SAT 14:30 The Harpoon (b007k4cc)
Series 1

Episode 1

From patent cures to whaling for the under 5s.

The nostalgic spiffing spoof of adventure story papers for boys. Hip hip!

With:

Susie Brann
Alistair McGowan
Mary Elliot-Nelson
Julian Dutton
Peter Baynham

Producer: Sarah Smith

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 1991.


SAT 15:00 What's Funny About ... (m0010f7z)
Series 2

4. Pamela Stephenson & John Lloyd on Not The Nine O’Clock News

John Lloyd and Dr Pamela Stephenson talk about their pioneering BBC TV sketch show Not The Nine O’Clock News

The duo share the inside story with TV veterans Peter Fincham and Jon Plowman.

Over 17 million viewers tuned in over 4 series to watch Pamela alongside Rowan Atkinson, Griff Rhys Jones, Mel Smith, and Chris Langham perform scripts written by some of the cream of British comedy talent – Richard Curtis, Andy Hamilton, and even (then undergraduate!) Stephen Fry.

John Lloyd recalls how the NTNON team was put together, and how a chance meeting with Pamela at a party led to her becoming the one of the most recognisable faces on British television.

They talk us through some of their favourite sketches and reveal how they created their vast array of characters, from Gerald the Gorilla to Janet Street-Porter (and in particular, the interview that Pamela’s Janet did with Billy Connolly that would change both of their lives).

And John and Pamela discuss the perks and perils of commercial success in the world of comedy, when the business of books, albums, and movies come calling, and how it eventually led the end of Not The Nine O’Clock News.

With Peter and Jon as our guides, we’ll take the opportunity to ask quite how they went about making a great bit of TV comedy? Who came up with it? How did it get written? We’ll talk about the commissioning, the casting, and the reception the show received when it first aired.

We’ll do our very best to winkle out some backstage secrets straight from the horse’s mouth, as we hear the unvarnished truth from the people who were there, and who put these iconic shows on the telly.

Producer: Owen Braben

Made for BBC Radio 4 Extra by Expectation Entertainment.


SAT 16:00 Daphne Du Maurier (b007k4b7)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]


SAT 17:30 Great Lives (b08zc6fs)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]


SAT 18:00 The Double (m0010nn9)
Jonathan Holloway's reimagining of Fyodor Dostoyevsky's nightmare vision of a lonely civil servant driven to madness when his life is stolen by a doppelganger.

It's relocated it to a steampunk version of 19th Century St Petersburg, substituting the labyrinthine Tsarist bureaucracy of the original with the advanced computer systems office of the Russian Federation's Intelligence Services.

To win his superiors' admiration the story's hero, Golyadkin, starts working on perfecting a new cyber-weapon only to find that a new arrival in the office who looks remarkably like him is taking all the credit for his work.

In this fresh adaptation the 21st century begins to intrude - samovars bubble, dances mix trance with live string quartets, electric taxis whine on the highways while horses clatter by and computers are gas-fuelled.

In Golyadkin's fractured mind he's lost all sense of where he exists in time and what we're experiencing is his dream of the future.

Dostoyevsky's themes of grinding bureaucracy, societal pressures inducing feelings of inadequacy and hopelessness are given a bleakly modern twist.

Golyadkin ...... Joseph Millson
The Double ...... Joseph Millson
Andrei Filippovich Olsufy ...... Sean Murray
Dr Rutenspitz ...... Elizabeth Counsell
Klara Olsufyevna ...... Kerry Gooderson
Needles ...... Kerry Gooderson
Marmeladov ...... Lauren Cornelius
Raskolnikov ...... Joseph Ayre
Fatboy ...... Ryan Whittle
Maitre D' ...... Ryan Early

Director: Gemma Jenkins

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in June 2018.


SAT 19:00 Radio Heads (m0010nn4)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]


SAT 22:00 Alex Horne Presents The Horne Section (b01dtmb8)
Series 1

Kevin Eldon

Comedian Alex Horne is joined by his own 5 piece jazz band for music and comedy as they try interactive cookery.

With special guest: comedian Kevin Eldon.

Host .... Alex Horne
Trumpet/banjo .... Joe Auckland
Saxophone/clarinet ....Mark Brown
Double Bass/Bass .... Will Collier
Drums and Percussion .... Ben Reynolds
Piano/keyboard .... Joe Stilgoe
Guest performer ....Kevin Eldon

Producer: Julia McKenzie

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 2012..


SAT 22:30 Chain Reaction (b071vkwl)
Series 11

2. Al Murray interviews Ian Hislop

Pub Landlord creator, Al Murray passes the baton to the comedian and satirist Ian Hislop.

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

After an early foray into stand-up as a character called 'The Murderer', Al Murray created his famous Pub Landlord character in the mid 90s as part of a touring show with Harry Hill. The Pub Landlord went on to tour venues and festivals worldwide before making his own chat show and sitcom for Sky. Outside of the Pub Landlord, Al presents history documentaries - and in 2015 stood as a candidate for parliament against Nigel Farage in the UK General Election.

Al's guest Ian Hislop is much more used to the cut and thrust of British politics both as a long-standing team captain on BBC TV's 'Have I Got News for You' and as the editor of satirical magazine Private Eye. As a dedicated fan and student of history, he has made several acclaimed documentaries on wide-ranging subjects including conscientious objectors and The Beeching Report.

Al grills Ian on his early days writing for such comedians as Harry Enfield, asks how we should define the role of the satirist and poses the intriguing question, 'what's it like being sued?'

Producer: Richard Morris

A BBC Radio Comedy production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in March 2016.


SAT 23:00 The Curried Goat Show (b007k4xf)
Episode 5

The results of the 'I Love Fatima Whitbread' competition are announced.

Will has trouble sleeping while two American sports-casters have trouble with pronunciation.

Sketch-bonanza written by and starring Dan Gaster, Will Ing and Ben Silburn.

With special guest: Paula Wilcox.

Music from The Big Buzzard Boogie Band.

Producer: Maria Esposito.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 2 in February 1998.


SAT 23:30 Cowards (b00fm5s8)
Series 2

Episode 3

Meet a cheery bailiff - and an office induction with a twist...

More from inside the strange and happy world of the Cowards.

Sketch comedy with a comic slant on human frailties

Written by and starring:

Tom Basden
Stefan Golaszewski
Tim Key
Lloyd Woolf

Producer: Victoria Lloyd

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 2008.