SATURDAY 15 JANUARY 2022

SAT 00:00 Five Strange Stories by AL Barker (b09gk3kx)
5. You Have to Laugh

What starts off as a decorator's prank turns out to be not so funny after all.

The last of five stories written by novelist and short story writer, Audrey Lilian Barker.

Read by James Bolam.

Producer: Enyd Williams

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 1992.


SAT 00:15 The Truth About Hawaii by Oliver Emanuel (b09ny2dh)
5. Disaster

Sarah is 10 years old. She's scratched her knee and developed an infection.

Whilst her family prepare for an unexpected future, Sarah's imagination takes her to Hawaii where she's about to meet the king of rock and roll.

Conclusion of Oliver Emanuel's potent and playful drama set in a near-future in which doctors can no longer prescribe antibiotics.

Sarah ...... Jocelyn Brassington
Lizzie ...... Christine Bottomley
Paul ...... Roderick Gilkison
David ...... Robin Laing
Elvis Presley ...... Kevin Mains
Doctor ...... Anita Vettesse

Developed through Wellcome Experimental Stories in consultation with Professor Joanna Coast and Dr Adam Roberts.

Director: Kirsty Williams

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 2018.


SAT 00:30 Shah Rukh Khan's Heroes (b06rcwtd)
Taj Mohammed Khan

Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan begins a selection of his personal heroes with a tribute to his late father - "most important hero of my life".

Named as one of the youngest freedom fighters for India at the time, Taj Mohammed Khan played an integral part in Shah Rukh's life until he died of throat cancer when he was just 15.

Shah Rukh talks about all the lessons his father taught him; kindness, patience, humour and that "it is not special to be special, it is special to be ordinary."

He also credits his father as the reason he entered the industry. Shah Rukh says the great Dilip Kumar was his dad's favourite actor and that's why he decided to play the role of Devdas in the remake, a role originally played by Dilip Kumar.

He also talks about how he wants to be like his dad; a gentleman, a good father and someone with a lot of strength.

The actor explains how he misses his father, "the stories can go on and on about my father, and I can spend a whole lifetime talking about my dad. And tell you how he has had such a major impression on my life and I really do miss him".

First broadcast on the BBC Asian Network in May 2012.


SAT 01:00 Stand By For West (m00046vl)
Battle for Inspector West

4. Bait for a Bogey

Chief Inspector Roger West takes a trip to the seaside - and receives a dinner invitation from a lady.

Starring Patrick Allen.

Created and written by John Creasey.

Dramatised by Maurice Travers.

Chief Inspector Roger West …. Patrick Allen
Janet West .… Sarah Lawson
Michael Grant …. Philip Bond
Christine Grant …. Denise Buckley
Sir Guy Chatworth …. Hamilton Dyce
Arthur Morley …. Preston Lockwood
Julieta …. Eva Stuart
Sir Mortimer Grant …. Humphrey Morton
Carosian …. Francis de Wolff
DS Hubert Gill …. Trevor Bannister

Producer: John Fawcett Wilson

First broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in May1967.


SAT 01:30 What Do You Think? by Francis Durbridge (m0013b2n)
Is a crime writer using his apparent breakdown and plotlines to mask an actual murder?

A one-off crime drama from the pen of Paul Temple creator, Francis Durbridge.

Charles Melford …. Frank Partington
Victor Wade …. Lewis Stringer
Felix Layton …. Rolf Lefebvre
Carol Layton …. Sheila Grant
Mildred Wade …. Peggy Butt
PC Smith …. Jonathan Scott
Sergeant …. William Eedle
Constable …. Lee Fox

Producer: Martyn C. Webster

First broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in September 1962.


SAT 02:00 Born Lippy by Jo Brand (m0001g8p)
5. Being Different

Jo shares her singular perspective on "being different".

Whether it was her rebellious teenage years or moving from a nursing career to the stand-up comedy circuit, Jo knows that it’s hard to find out who and what you are - and also in gaining equality for both sexes.

But she’s hopeful that, as long as we’re on the same page (and that page isn’t 3), there’s scope for great strides forward.

Jo Brand concludes her typically irreverent guide to life.

Jo’s memoir reveals a side of herself that we don’t normally hear - the things she wishes she'd known and the things she hopes for the future.

As you’d expect, she pulls no punches.

Written and read by Jo Brand.

Abridged and produced by Pippa Vaughan

A Loftus Media production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in December 2018.


SAT 02:15 D for Dexter (m000bcdr)
Series 6

Episode 5

Skye has had enough of everything.

But just as she's about to crack, she finds Scarlett at the house in Sidney Street. The boiler is fixed and there's even hot water.

Amanda Whittington's heart-breakingly brave, funny and beautiful story exploring the issue of neglect.

Jak ..... Una McNulty
Dexter ..... Alfie Johnson-McCann
Scarlett ..... Scarlett Courtney
Ryan ..... Adam Courting
Aiden ..... Will Kirk

Music by Tom Constantine.

Director: Mary Ward-Lowery

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 2019.


SAT 02:30 Eddie Goes Country (b01p2w7d)
Eddie Mair has harboured a secret.

But no more - it's a lifelong love of Country music. He wants to know why these three chord melodramas call him and many of his fellow Celts.

While, to the casual listener, Country is often regarded as a twang of twee tunes and lachrymose lyrics for the permanently melancholic, Eddie suggests that it is actually a 'complex state of mind'. He considers the accessible merits of the music and discovers the roots of Country.

Returning to Scotland, Eddie attends the Celtic Connections Music Festival in Glasgow. Here he compares notes, likes and dislikes with fellow broadcaster and Country aficionado Ricky Ross, along with singers Eleanor McEvoy and Dick Gaughan.

On hand to explain the 18th century Scots/Irish exodus to America and Canada is emigration historian Professor James Hunter. And providing a master class on the Celtic musical lineage detected in contemporary Country Music is musicologist Dr. Katherine Campbell from Edinburgh University.

And for the first time, Eddie will reveal where his musical devotion took root. It began on the Sabbath in a yellow Triumph PI. That almost sounds like the beginning of a Country song.

Producers: Jo Coombs & Stewart Henderson

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 2012.


SAT 03:00 Lesley Bruce - Glass (m0013b2r)
In 1761, Benjamin Franklin invented the glass harmonica.

Lesley Bruce’s drama explores the impact of this peculiar instrument on the lives of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Franz Mesmer - as well as two visually-impaired musicians, Marianne Kirschgassner and Marie Therese von Paradis.

Benjamin Franklin .... Jon Strickland
Mozart .... Adam Godley
Franz Mesmer .... Nicholas Farrell
Marianne Kirschgassner .... Tracey Wiles
Herr Kirschgassner .... John Rowe
Marie Therese von Paradis .... Victoria Finney

All other parts played by the cast.

Director Claire Grove

First broadcast in BBC Radio 4 in February 1999.


SAT 04:00 Funny You Should Ask (b0b7hfpc)
From 17/03/1981

Peter Jones hosts the entertainment quiz about comedy as he tests a panel of experts:

Leslie Phillips
Ben Travers
Ray Cooney

Funny You Should Ask ran for 8 series from 1976 to 1982.

Questions compiled by Michael Pointon.

Producer: Paul Mayhew-Archer.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 2 in March 1981.


SAT 04:30 Ballylenon (b007jx54)
Series 5

Episode 1

Phonsie's sale of the Hoover ancestral home sparks much speculation.

Series set in the sleepy town of Ballylenon, Co Donegal in 1956.

Written by Christopher Fitz-Simon.

Phonsie Doherty …. TP McKenna
Muriel McConkey …. Margaret D'Arcy
Vera McConkey …. Stella McCusker
Vivienne Boal …. Aine McCartney
Packy McGoldrick …. Charlie Bonnar
Peg Sweeney …. Marcella Riordan
Father O'Flatley …. John Guiney

Music arranged and performed by Stephanie Hughes.

Director: Eoin O'Callaghan

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in June 1998.


SAT 05:00 The Headset Set (b01292x3)
Series 1

Episode 3

Everyone is falling ill in the open-plan offices of Smile5, the catalogue company that sells anything and everything.

Eavesdrop on both sides of the bizarre, horrific and ludicrous phone calls when customers call in as events unfold with company staff.

Aleesha ..... Chizzy Akudolu
Bernie ..... Margaret-Cabourn Smith
Big Tony ..... Colin Hoult
Sailesh ..... Paul Sharma
Various ..... Philip Fox

Other characters played by the cast.

Written by James Kettle, Stephen Carlin, Celia Pacquola, Andy Wolton, Benjamin Partridge, Colin Hoult, Kevin Core, Madeliene Brettingham, Rebecca Hobbs and Dan Tetsell.

Script editor: James Kettle

Producer: Tilusha Ghelani

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July2011.


SAT 05:30 Now You're Asking with Marian Keyes and Tara Flynn (m00138s6)
The Pink Flamingo Problem

In their first episode, Marian and Tara tackle a problem pink flamingo, a messy daughter and a contested will.

Marian Keyes is a multi award-winning writer, with a total of over 30 million of her books sold to date in 33 languages. Her close friend Tara Flynn is an actress, comedian and writer. Together, these two friends have been through a lot, and now want to use their considerable life experience to help solve your biggest - and smallest - of their listeners' problems.

From dilemmas about life, love and grief, to the perils of laundry or knowing what to say at a boring dinner, we’ll find out what Marian and Tara would recommend - which might not solve the problem exactly, but will make us all feel a bit better.

Recorded in Dublin with emails received from listeners around the world, the hosts invite you to pull up a chair at their virtual kitchen table as they read and digest their inbox.

Got a problem you want Marian and Tara to solve? Email: marianandtara@bbc.co.uk.

Producer: Steve Doherty.
A Giddy Goat production for BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds


SAT 06:00 JB Priestley - The Good Companions (b09sdsrk)
JB Priestley's classic story of a 1929 concert party tour charts new adventures for factory worker Jess Oakroyd and newly independent Miss Trant.

Starring Ralph Ineson, Fenella Woolgar and Roy Hudd.

Dramatised by John Retallack.

Jess Oakroyd ..... Ralph Ineson
Miss Trant ..... Fenella Woolgar
Jimmy Nunn ..... Roy Hudd
Inigo Jollifant ..... Oliver Gomm
Susie Dean ..... Isabella Inchbald
Mr Ridvers ..... Gerard McDermott
Mrs Joe ..... Ellie Darvill
Monte Mortimer ..... Clive Hayward
Leonard Oakroyd ..... Gary Duncan
Mr Joe ..... Philip Bretherton
Morton Mitcham ..... Tayla Kovacevic-Ebong
Jerry Jerningham ..... Adam Fitzgerald
Agent ..... Rupert Holliday Evans
Inspector ..... David Reakes
Box Office Lady ..... Katherine Weare

Music composed by Neil Brand

Musicians Neil Brand, Michael Hammond & Alex Hammond

Director: David Hunter

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 2018.


SAT 07:30 Great Lives (b09jd67j)
Series 44

Louise Richardson on Daniel O'Connell

On a field outside Dublin, Daniel O'Connell met and shot a former royal marine in a duel.

John d'Esterre had been outraged when O'Connell, the later hero of Catholic emancipation, described the mainly Protestant Dublin corporation as a 'beggarly corporation'. O'Connell later claimed that he had practised with two pistols every week, knowing that one day he would be challenged to a duel.

Nominating O'Connell is the vice chancellor of Oxford and terrorism expert Louise Richardson.

It's not the violence of the duel that appeals, but O'Connell's revolutionary way of marshalling huge support for his causes, which were always conducted in a remarkably non-violent way. "The altar of liberty totters when it is cemented only with blood," O'Connell said. He took his seat in Westminster in 1830 and thereafter fought for the abolition of slavery and the repeal of the union, a cause in which he failed.

Patrick Geoghegan, O'Connell's biographer and special advisor to the new Irish prime minister, adds the colour to a truly extraordinary and important life.

Presented by Matthew Parris.

Producer: Miles Warde

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 2017.


SAT 08:00 The Write Stuff (b00775lc)
Series 10

John Le Carré

James Walton takes the chair for the game of literary correctness.

Team captains Sebastian Faulks and John Walsh are joined by Jane Thynne and Wendy Holden.

Author of the week is Carré.

Reader: Beth Chalmers

Producer: Katie Marsden

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 2007.


SAT 08:30 Smelling of Roses (b00f405t)
Series 4

Episode 3

An environmental conference sounds just the sort of job for Rosie Burns, but are her own company's green credentials good enough?

Prunella Scales stars in Simon Brett's sitcom.

The trials and tribulations of Rosie Burns and her event management company, where the clients are only part of the problem...

Rosie ..... Prunella Scales
Jo ..... Rebecca Callard
Bob ..... Duncan Preston
Tess ..... Annette Badland
Patrick ..... James Ellis
Frankie ..... Alison Skilbeck
Kelly ..... Victoria Donavan

Written and produced by Simon Brett.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 2003.


SAT 09:00 Knowing Steve, Knowing You (b06gx1tz)
Comedian and actor Steve Coogan talks to the novelist and screenwriter Frank Cottrell Boyce about his life and career.

Featuring fresh interviews with:

John Thomson
Henry Normal
Michael Winterbottom
Simon Greenall
Graham Duff
Sioned Wiliam
Steve Brown

Featured archive material:

* Knowing Knowing Me, Knowing You: Alan Partridge Documentary:
The hapless host takes a fly-on-the-wall behind-the-scenes look at Pear Tree Productions.
From 03/07/1993

* Nebulous – The Buzzing
Professor Nebulous battles against giant, murderous insects in the sci fi comedy with Mark Gatiss and guest star Steve Coogan.
From 04/10/2005

* Hey, Rrradio!!! (Clip)
Steve Coogan makes his national radio debut on Radio 1 in 1988 with 'A Question of International Revolutionary Politics' in the comedy cabaret extravaganza "Hey, Rrradio!!!"
From 14/10/1988

* The Word Made Fresh (Clip)
Steve Coogan performs his early comedy creation Duncan Thickett in this curtain raiser to the first BBC Radio Young Writers Festival.
From 17/10/1988

* Front Row (Clip)
A clip of Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon talking to John Wilson about their television series "The Trip" on Radio 4's "Front Row".
From 28/10/2010

Producer: Stuart Ross.

Made for BBC Radio 4 Extra and first broadcast in October 2015


SAT 12:00 Ankle Tag (m0000ykt)
Series 2

The Charity Gig

Ex-fraudster Bob gets the opportunity to catch up with a former resident of C Wing, who has written about his time in prison.

The Evans family are back.

Former convict Bob is forced to live with his uptight son Gruff, sympathetic daughter-in-law Alice and granddaughter Carys whilst on parole.

Written by Gareth Gwynn and Benjamin Partridge.

Bob ...... Steve Speirs
Gruff ...... Elis James
Alice ...... Katy Wix
Richard Flint ...... Neil Pearson
Tabitha ...... Adelayo Adedayo
Hakan ...... Naz Osmanoglu
Pam ...... Anna Brophy Leon

Producer: Victoria Lloyd

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


SAT 12:30 Winston (b00pbv78)
Winston Back Home

So This Is What Happiness Is All About

The idyllic return of Winston and Nancy to Winterleaf Gunner proves to be short-lived...

Peter Tinniswood's bawdy comedy serial.

Winston …. Bill Wallis
Father …. Maurice Denham
Nancy …. Shirley Dixon
Rosie …. Liz Goulding
William .… Christian Rodska

Director: Shaun MacLoughlin.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 1994.


SAT 13:00 Archive on 4 (b0b9v0tq)
Could the PM Have a Brummie Accent?

BBC Political Correspondent, Chris Mason, examines the changing accents of politics and politics of accents, with help from politicians, language experts and an impersonator.

The programme examines the ways that stereotypes and prejudices can be loaded onto accents, how the voting public responds to different voices, and what politicians can do and have done about it all.

With the help of the archive, former Labour leader Neil Kinnock and former Conservative minister Edwina Currie reflect on the political soundtrack of their lifetimes. How have their voices, those of their contemporaries and the sound of the national political conversation changed?

How is it possible and when it is sensible to change your accent?

Chris is joined by Steve Nallon, who impersonated Margaret Thatcher on ITV's Spitting Image, to listen back to her as a new backbencher and later as Prime Minister.

And what about the sound of political reporting?

The archive allows the former Today Programme presenter Jack Di Manio to give Chris - a son of the Yorkshire dales - a lesson in speaking 'properly'.

So are we really becoming more open minded about this aspect of political communication? Chris hears from two MPs who say they still struggle to be understood in the Commons today.

Producer: Joey D'Urso

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 2018.


SAT 14:00 Brian Gulliver's Travels (b00yqhrk)
Series 1

Gelbetia

Brian Gulliver, a seasoned presenter of travel documentaries, finds himself in a hospital's secure unit after claiming to have experienced a succession of bizarre adventures.

His begins with the tale of his travels in Gelbetia - a country run by doctors.

Starring Neil Pearson and Mariah Gale.

A satirical adventure story from Bill Dare.

Brian …… Neil Pearson
Rachel …… Mariah Gale
Brendal …… Katherine Jakeways
Dr Malik …… Paul Bhattacharjee
Nurse Hill …… Sean Baker
Judge …… Sam Dale
Juror …… Nyasha Hatendi
Cliptin …… Jane Whittenshaw
Nurse Suzy …… Sally Orrock

For years Bill Dare wanted to create a satire about different worlds exploring Kipling's idea that we travel, 'not just to explore civilizations, but to better understand our own'. But science- fiction and space ships never interested him, so he put the idea on ice. Then Brian Gulliver arrived and meant that our hero could be lost in a fictional world without the need for any sci-fi.

Gulliver's Travels is the only book Bill Dare read at university. His father, Peter Jones, narrated a similarly peripatetic radio series: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.

Producer: Steven Canny

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 2011.


SAT 14:30 Sami Shah's Beginner's Guide to Pakistan (b06d8pql)
Episode 1

Sami Shah is an award-winning comedian and best-selling author, and one of Pakistan's most successful comedians. Yes, Pakistan has comedians.

Sami's travelled to Birmingham - or, to give it its full name, the Islamic Republic of Birmingham - to give a quick guide to the country which has directly and/or indirectly provided the UK with 1.8% of its population: Pakistan.

In this first episode, he looks at the country's political history, from its foundations in British-ruled India right up to the present day.

It's a litany of coups and assassinations, in the middle of which Sami grew up, moved away and came home - to a very different Pakistan from the one he left. Which isn't to say that there weren't more coups and/or assassinations.

Written and performed by Sami Shah.

The Voice of the Guide: Anita Anand

Producer: Ed Morrish

A BBC Radio Comedy production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in September 2015.


SAT 15:00 Laura Solon - Talking and Not Talking (b00bz9zn)
Series 1

Episode 1

Meet a reluctant beekeeper, two feuding librarians and a man determined to strike a deal with Santa.

Perrier award-winning comedian Laura Solon's sketch and character comedy series

With:

Ben Moor
Katherine Parkinson
Ben Willbond

Written by Laura Solon. With additional material by the cast, Carl Cooper, Tony Roche and Andy Marlatt.

Producer: Colin Anderson

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 2007.


SAT 15:30 Listen Against (b00fgt0r)
Series 2

Episode 1

An Archers convention, a live pitbull on BBC Radio 4's Today programme and a Popmaster crisis for Radio 2.

This is the show that prises the back off your radio, fiddles with the programmes inside and then puts it all back together the wrong way round.

Written by and starring Jon Holmes.

With Alice Arnold.

Producer: Sam Bryant

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 2008.


SAT 16:00 JB Priestley - The Good Companions (b09sdsrk)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]


SAT 17:30 Great Lives (b09jd67j)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]


SAT 18:00 Wally K Daly (b007k41c)
Nightmare World

Gary Henderson and old man Jenkins head up a mountain road to Hill House every November 13th.

But on their ascent this year, the mountain begins to shake like hell on earth. And Gary? He meets himself coming back...

As a world-wide power failure brings chaos and terror to Earth, one town in every country undergoes a curious and startling transformation.

Starring James Laurenson, Nigel Anthony, Peter Jeffrey and Geoffrey Whitehead.

Gripping sci-fi thriller by Wally K Daly.

Gary Henderson ...... James Laurenson
Jenkins ...... Nigel Anthony
AP Smith ...... Peter Jeffrey
Prime Minister ...... Geoffrey Whitehead
Venables ...... Joe Dunlop
Kate ...... Melinda Walker
Captain ...... Christopher Scott
Co Pilot ...... Christopher Good
Chief Scientific Officer ...... John Warner
Controller ...... Dominic Rickhards
Colonel ...... Nicholas Courtney
Soldier ...... Ian Michie
Lorna ...... Cara Kelly
Joker ...... Ken Cumberlidge
Billy ...... Sue Sheridan
Pamela ...... Jo Kendall
Jumbo Child ...... Joanna Mackie

Director: David Hitchinson

First broadcast on the BBC World Service in March 1989.


SAT 19:00 Knowing Steve, Knowing You (b06gx1tz)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]


SAT 22:00 Chain Reaction (b00l1pzf)
Series 1

Matt Lucas Interviews Johnny Vegas

'Little Britain' funny man, Matt Lucas interviews up front comic, Johnny Vegas.

This is the tag talk show series where the guest turns interviewer in the next show.

Producer: Tilusha Ghelani

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 2005.


SAT 22:30 The Problem With Adam Bloom (b018zvmk)
Series 3

Reading

Just what is the point of books?

Adam Bloom investigates his fear of reading aloud.

After very negative but funny experiences at school, the comedian managed to avoid reading a book for much of his adult life. But he does find one novel that inspires him to start reading again.

Comedian Adam Bloom sets the world to rights.

Written by and starring Adam Bloom.

With:

Rob Rouse
Hattie Hayridge
Stefano Polini

Producer: Adam Bromley

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 2005.


SAT 23:00 Mr and Mrs Smith (b01b9kdj)
Series 1

Sally's Birthday

Will and Annabelle attend her mum's 60th Birthday Party. Will makes an effort to get on with his straight talking father-in-law John.

Counsellor Guy mediates a recent dispute between Will and Annabelle, with flashbacks to the events that spawned the argument. By the end, the couple find marital equilibrium once more. Sort of.

Will Smith's sitcom about a couple in marriage counselling.

Will Smith ..... Will Smith
Annabelle Smith ..... Sarah Hadland
Guy ..... Paterson Joseph
John ..... Geoffrey Whitehead
Sally ..... Susie Blake
Shop Assistant ..... Tracy Wiles

Producer: Tilusha Ghelani

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 2012.


SAT 23:30 Sami Shah's Beginner's Guide to Pakistan (b06fn26p)
Episode 2

Sami turns his attention to Pakistan's social and cultural history.

From its music and cinema, to its increasing religious conservatism as the nature of Islam in the country has changed through the years, all the way to the best brewery in Pakistan. Alright, the only brewery in Pakistan.

Award-winning Sami Shah is one of Pakistan's most successful comedians.

From Birmingham -Sami concludes his quick guide to Pakistan.

Written and performed by Sami Shah.

The Voice of the Guide: Anita Anand

Producer: Ed Morrish

A BBC Radio Comedy production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in September 2015.