SATURDAY 10 DECEMBER 2022

SAT 00:00 William Boyd - A Haunting (b00765nx)
A landscape architect finds himself taken over by an unseen presence in an aeroplane and is forced to make a strange drawing which he doesn't recognise.

He begins to act out of character, lusting after waitresses and butcher's assistants, growing a beard and behaving so strangely that he seems to have a breakdown...

Published in 2000, William Boyd's ghost story stars John Sessions.

Alexander Reif …. John Sessions
Stella Reif …. Emma Currie
John-Jo Harrigan …. Liam Brennan
Demarco …. Crawford Logan
Leandra …. Eliza Langland
Stewardessr …. Joanna Tope

Other parts played by the cast.

Director: Dave Batchelor

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 2001.


SAT 00:45 HG Wells (m000hhfv)
The Magic Shop

Gip comes across a magic shop with his father - and a very curious place it turns out to be!

The shopkeeper begins with some sleight-of-hand and proceeds to something altogether more sinister.

Not on the whole, a place to take the children...

Garard Green reads HG Wells's short story.

Producer: Mitch Raper

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 1986.


SAT 01:00 Alexander (b007jx2n)
2. I Am Also Alexander

Alexander is used as a pawn in the war between his parents, and is educated by Aristotle.

Starring Michael Maloney, Barry Foster and Simon Ward.

David Wade's serial on the life of Alexander the Great.

Alexander ...... Michael Maloney
Spirit of Achilles ...... Barry Foster
Spirit of Patroclus ...... Simon Ward
King Philip of Macedon ...... Brian Cox
Young Alexander ...... Sam Crane
Hephaistion ...... Alex Jennings
Young Hephaistion ...... Gary King
Queen Olympias ...... Geraldine James
Aristotle ...... John Moffat
Demosthenes ...... Malcolm Sinclair
Lysimachos ...... Keith Drinkel
Leonidas ...... John Webb
Ptolemy ...... Julian Rhind-Tutt
Philotas ...... Michael Onslow
Pusanias ...... James Telfer
Menapis ...... David Thorpe
Aristander ...... Barry Gordon
Demaratos ...... John Evitts

Music: Wilfredo Acosta

Director: Glyn Dearman

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 1993.


SAT 02:00 Hercule Poirot (b0109byt)
Peril at End House

Episode 5

Hercule Poirot summons everyone to End House.

Can the Belgian sleuth finally unmask the murderer?

Conclusion of Agatha Christie's whodunit starring John Moffatt.

Dramatised by Michael Bakewell.

Hercule Poirot …. John Moffatt
Captain Hastings …. Simon Williams
Frederica Rice …. Suzanna Hamilton
George Challenger …. Andrew Wincott
Nick Buckley …. Gemma Saunders
Mr Croft …. Terence Edmond
Mrs Croft …. Richenda Carey
Charles Vyse …. Stephen Critchlow
Chief Inspector Japp …. Bryan Pringle
Jimmy Lazarus …. Sean Arnold

Director: Enyd Williams

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 2000.


SAT 02:30 Patrick O'Brian - Master and Commander (b04t6q1h)
5. The Question of Principle

1800: difficult decision for Jack Aubrey, as the life of a member of the crew is weighed against prize money.

Patrick O'Brian's popular Napoleonic seafaring adventure.

Starring Michael Troughton and Nigel Anthony.

Dramatised by Roger Danes.

Jack Aubrey ...... Michael Troughton
Stephen Maturin ...... Nigel Anthony
Master Henry Ellis ….Nic Knight
Molly Harte …. Frances Jeater
James Dillon….Charlie Simpson
Judge Advocate ….Lloyd Johnston
Watt….Russell Floyd
Marshall….Neville Jason
Babbington….Danny Kanaber (Child)
Lord Keith…. Gavin Muir
Mowett…. Dominic Letts
George Ricketts….Peter Whitman
Charles Ricketts….Tom Bevan

Director: Adrian Bean

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 1995.


SAT 03:00 Dearest Squirrel - the John Osborne Letters (b0b05ywf)
Episode 5

Despite many periods of separation, John Osborne and Pamela Lane managed to remain in love.

However, Pamela's increasing requests for money took their toll on the relationship.

Peter Whitebrook's completely fresh insight into the mind of one of the UK's greatest playwrights.

The letters between John Osborne and his first wife, actress Pamela Lane, are also a love letter to a now defunct system of repertory theatre and life in post-war Britain.

As these letters reveal, soon after their divorce, Osborne and Lane began a mutually supportive, loyal, frequently stormy and sometimes sexually intimate alliance lasting 30 years until Osborne's death. By the mid-1980s, they had become closer and more trusting than they had been since their earliest years together.

Acerbic, witty, candid and heartbreaking, the letters reveal a unique relationship - troubled, tender and enduring.

Concluded by Simon Shepherd and Amanda Root.

Abridged by Polly Coles.

Producer: Clive Brill

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


SAT 03:15 EM Forster - A Passage to India (m00036km)
5. Dilemma

Ronny's rude behaviour towards Fielding and Dr Aziz has dismayed both Mrs Moore and Adela.

But Ronny is relieved when Adela decides she still wants to marry him.

And Aziz has a dilemma.

Tanika Gupta's imaginative and bold adaptation of EM Forster's masterful novel.

Mrs Moore …... Penelope Wilton
Dr Aziz …... Shubham Saraf
Hamidullah ...... Nicholas Khan
Servant ...... Ronny Jhutti
Fielding ..…. Jonathan Firth

Director: Tracey Neale

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 2019.


SAT 03:30 Josie Long: Romance and Adventure (b075tddy)
Series 1

Episode 2

Josie swears off romance and almost immediately finds herself in a budding relationship with Darren's former flatmate, Roddy.

Comedy drama from award-winning comedian Josie Long about a young woman trying to build a new, more fulfilling life for herself in Glasgow.

Based on characters from the short films "Romance and Adventure" and "Let's Go Swimming" by Josie Long and Douglas King.

Josie ...... Josie Long
Darren ...... Darren Osborne
Roddy ...... Sanjeev Kohli
Kerry ...... Hatty Ashdown
Eleanor ...... Clare Grogan
Chris ...... Michael Bertenshaw
Janie ...... Georgie Glen
Mona ...... Rebecca Hamilton
Fraser ...... Chris Pavlo

Written by Josie Long.

Producer: Colin Anderson

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


SAT 04:00 Parsley Sidings (b01ntnsd)
Series 1

The Postal Express

Parsley Sidings' Station Master Horace Hepplewhite hopes a new automated mail system will save the sleepy halt in a trial with his deadly rival.

Starring Arthur Lowe and Ian Lavender.

Jim Eldridge's eponymous series is set in a sleepy railway station.

Horace Hepplewhite …. Arthur Lowe
Bert Heplewhite …. Ian Lavender
Percy Valentine/Bradshaw/The Vicar …. Kenneth Connor
Gloria Simpkins …. Liz Fraser

Re-created announcements …. Keith Skues

Producer: Edward Taylor

First broadcast on BBC Radio 2 in December 1971.


SAT 04:30 Married (b0084rct)
Series 3

Episode 5

Robin has encountered many strange phenomena since the universes collided.

Now he's got to contend with two Arthur Smiths for the price of one.

Starring Hugh Bonneville.

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

Tony Bagley's comedy drama.

Robin .... Hugh Bonneville
Lesley .... Josie Lawrence
Dirk .... Stephen Frost
Maxine .... Ann Gosling
Alan .... Christopher Kelham
Ned .... Sam Bradley
Arthur Smith .... Himself

Producer: Claire Jones

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 2001.


SAT 05:00 Act Your Age (b00fr1tp)
Series 1

Episode 2

Simon Mayo hosts a three-way play-off to establish which generation of comedians is the funniest.

Captains Jon Richardson, Lucy Porter and Roy Walker are joined by guests Milton Jones, Sarah Millican and Adrian Walsh.

Producers: Ashley Blaker and Bill Matthews

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 2008.


SAT 05:30 Bleak Expectations (b00d45vn)
Series 2

A Restoration Re-Ruined Only Even Worse

As the Victorian comic epic continues, Pip finds himself heavily in debt when he has to bribe the whole of the House of Commons not to hang him. But has he found true love at last in the form of wealthy Southern belle Talullah Not-A-Man?

Or is it some sort of fiendishly subtle plot hatched by an evil villain in a frock.

Mark Evans's epic comedy in the style of Charles Dickens.

Volume Two, Chapter the Fourth: a Restoration Re-Ruined Only Even Worse.

Sir Philip...........................Richard Johnson
Mr Benevolent........................Anthony Head
Young Pip..................................Tom Allen
Sternbeater...................Geoffrey Whitehead
Harry Biscuit......................James Bachman
Ripely Fecund......................Sarah Hadland
Pippa/Woman............................Susy Kane
The Bailiff................................Mark Evans

Producer: Gareth Edwards.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 2008.


SAT 06:00 Aldous Huxley - The Gioconda Smile (m001g1jc)
Henry feels anger and guilt as his first wife lies upstairs confined to her bed.

He finds solace in his relationship with Janet Spence and their shared love of art. He also finds pleasure in an affair with Doris.

Then, his wife Emily dies suddenly - but what, exactly, caused her heart failure?

Starring Peter Bowles.

Hell hath no fury drama from a story by Brave New World author, Aldous Huxley.

Based on his short story, the London West End play was a big success in the immediate post-war period.

Dramatised by Cynthia Pughe.

Henry Hutton .... Peter Bowles
Janet Spence .... Judy Loe
Doctor Libbard .... Philip Latham
Nurse Braddock .... Eva Stuart
Doris Mead .... Emily Richard
General Spence/First Warder .... Nat Brenner
Clara .... Maryon Ellor
Second Warder .... John Samson

Director: Alec Reid

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 1989.


SAT 07:30 The Doll Factory by Elizabeth MacNeal (Omnibus) (m00058gy)
Episode 1

Set in London 1850 -1851 at the time of The Great Exhibition - follow the story of a young woman named Iris who we first meet painting the faces of tiny porcelain dolls.

Iris burns to become an artist but her modest upbringing and strict working class parents have always meant this seems to be little more than a dream.

She lives with her twin sister, Rose, in a room above a doll shop in London's Regent Street. When a chance encounter offers the glimpse of a new life she is ready to embrace it.

Written by Elizabeth MacNeal.

Omnibus of five parts abridged by Isobel Creed and Lizzie Davies

Read by Louise Brealey.

Producer: Lizzie Davies

A Waters Company production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in 2019.


SAT 08:45 Voices from Behind the Canvas (m001g1jf)
Olympia by Susie Maguire

Susie Maguire's short story based on Edouard Manet’s ‘Olympia’.

It's told through the eyes of the black cat seen at the foot of the bed on which the model, Victorine Meurent, poses naked for the artist in 1863.

Read by Anton Lesser.

A collection of short stories in which a famous painting, or a character within the painting, tells their tale.

Producer: Julia Butt

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 2001.


SAT 09:00 Life With The Lyons (m001g1jk)
Love Sneaks Up On Richard

Richard loses his heart and Ben loses his new coat.

Sitcom with a real-life American family - starring Bebe Daniels and Ben Lyon.

Joined by their children Barbara and Richard, the series ran for 260 episodes from 1950 to 1961.

With:

Barbara Lyon
Richard Lyon
Molly Weir
Horace Percival
Doris Rogers
Molly Weir
Hugh Morton
Patricia Field

Written by Bebe Daniels, Bob Block and Ronnie Hanbury.

Incidental music by Arthur Wilkinson.

Music played by the BBC Variety Orchestra conducted by Paul Fenoulhet.

Producer: Tom Ronald

First broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in January 1954.


SAT 09:30 Stiff Upper Lip, Jeeves (b007jqb0)
The Menace of Totleigh Towers

Bertie Wooster is obliged to sort out an amorous mix-up between his friends.

PG Wodehouse romp starring Michael Hordern and Richard Briers.

Adapted by Richard Usborne.

Jeeves ...... Michael Hordern
Bertie Wooster ...... Richard Briers
Aunt Dahlia ...... Vivian Pickles
Emerald Stoker ...... Ann Davies
Reverend Harold Pinker ...... Douglas Blackwell
Boko Fittleworth ...... Jonathan Cecil

Producer: David Hatch

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 1980.


SAT 10:00 Sue Perkins' Christmas Comedy Stocking (m000cc9y)
Series 1

1. Radio Active / The Masterson Inheritance

Sue Perkins gets the sherry and chocolates out to accompany some vintage BBC Christmas comedy.

The first of three festive fun-packed stockings:

* RADIO ACTIVE'S CHRISTMAS TURKEY:
The National Local Radio Station links up with Bethlehem and visits some poorly hospital patients.
Stars Helen Atkinson-Wood, Geoffrey Perkins and Angus Deayton.
From 1983.

* THE MASTERSON INHERITANCE CHRISTMAS SPECIAL:
The Masterson family's ancient culture reveals some curious customs.
Improvised historical saga with Paul Merton, Josie Lawrence, Caroline Quentin and Jim Sweeney.
From 1995.

Producer: Sarah Wade

Made for BBC Radio 7 and first broadcast in December 2010.


SAT 11:00 Aldous Huxley - The Gioconda Smile (m001g1jc)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]


SAT 12:30 The Doll Factory by Elizabeth MacNeal (Omnibus) (m00058gy)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]


SAT 13:45 Voices from Behind the Canvas (m001g1jf)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:45 today]


SAT 14:00 Life With The Lyons (m001g1jk)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]


SAT 14:30 Stiff Upper Lip, Jeeves (b007jqb0)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 today]


SAT 15:00 Sue Perkins' Christmas Comedy Stocking (m000cc9y)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 today]


SAT 16:00 William Boyd - A Haunting (b00765nx)
[Repeat of broadcast at 00:00 today]


SAT 16:45 HG Wells (m000hhfv)
[Repeat of broadcast at 00:45 today]


SAT 17:00 Aldous Huxley - The Gioconda Smile (m001g1jc)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]


SAT 18:30 The Doll Factory by Elizabeth MacNeal (Omnibus) (m00058gy)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]


SAT 19:45 Voices from Behind the Canvas (m001g1jf)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:45 today]


SAT 20:00 Life With The Lyons (m001g1jk)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]


SAT 20:30 Stiff Upper Lip, Jeeves (b007jqb0)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 today]


SAT 21:00 Sue Perkins' Christmas Comedy Stocking (m000cc9y)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 today]


SAT 22:00 John Finnemore's Souvenir Programme (b01l1dl0)
Series 2

Episode 1

John Finnemore, the writer and star of Cabin Pressure, with his second series of his hit sketch show.

This episode features an awkward celestial relationship, surprisingly easy contract negotiations, and a trailer for a film about the only mode of transport that hasn't had a film made about it yet.

Written by and starring John Finnemore.

With:

Margaret Cabourn-Smith
Carrie Quinlan
Lawry Lewin
Simon Kane

Producer: Ed Morrish

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 2012.


SAT 22:30 Bussmann and Quantick Kingsize (b044vhlq)
Episode 3

A fraudulently fat sack of sketches, monologues and weird soup, featuring a puritan vet who dishes out tough love to poorly pets.

Originally broadcast live from London's exclusive Imperial Rooms, Mayfair.

Written and performed by Jane Bussmann and David Quantick.

Featuring:

Peter Serafinowicz
Emma Clarke
Steve Brody.

Producer: Phil Bowker

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 1998.


SAT 23:00 Danny Robins Music Therapy (b00fl0p7)
Episode 2

Danny Robins harnesses the power of music to solve problems and generally improve the world.

He's out to write a new town anthem for Middlesbrough - and lend a hand to a love-lorn pensioner - aided by a Status Quo tribute band and a trumpeter.

With Isy Suttie.

Written by Danny Robins, with Isy Suttie and Danielle Ward.

Producer: Ben Walker

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 2008.


SAT 23:30 Radio Shuttleworth (b007jqcl)
Series 2

Richard Whiteley

John hopes TV's Richard Whiteley will host a special Shuttleworth edition of Countdown with wife Mary acting as Carol Vorderman.

But only after Richard's helped with the washing up!

The semi-detached world of aspiring singer-songwriter John Shuttleworth direct from his front room in Sheffield.

With:

John Otway
Jo Enright

Written and performed by Graham Fellows.

Additional material by Martin Willis.

Producer: Dawn Ellis.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 2000

SUNDAY 11 DECEMBER 2022

SUN 00:00 MR James (b09sng2y)
Martin's Close

'What see you in the corner of the court, that you fix your eyes on it and not on me, your Judge?'

Will the trial of Squire George Martin need help from beyond the grave to convict him of murder?

MR James's ghostly tale first published in 1911.

Dramatised by Michael and Mollie Hardwick

Judge Jeffreys ...... Donald Wolfit
Thomas Snell ...... Frank Partington
Betty Clark ...... Barbara Mitchell
George Martin ...... Anthony Hall
Parson Matthews ...... Rolf Lefebvre
Ann Clark ...... Sheila Grant
Clerk of the Court ...... George Hagan
Sarah Arscott ...... Daphne Heard
William Reddaway ...... Francis Larkin
The Recorder ...... Earle Grey
The Attorney General ...... Godfrey Kenton
The Marshal ...... Donald McKillop

Producer: Charles Lefeaux

First broadcast on the BBC Home Service in August 1963.


SUN 00:30 Red As Blood by Tanith Lee (b007jq65)
In a dark Snow White fantasy, the Queen sets out to rescue her step-daughter from her sinister heritage.

Read by Stella Gonet.

Written by Tanith Lee.

Producer: Gemma Jenkins

Made for BBC 7 and first broadcast in October 2003.


SUN 01:00 Aldous Huxley - The Gioconda Smile (m001g1jc)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 on Saturday]


SUN 02:30 The Doll Factory by Elizabeth MacNeal (Omnibus) (m00058gy)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 on Saturday]


SUN 03:45 Voices from Behind the Canvas (m001g1jf)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:45 on Saturday]


SUN 04:00 Life With The Lyons (m001g1jk)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 on Saturday]


SUN 04:30 Stiff Upper Lip, Jeeves (b007jqb0)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 on Saturday]


SUN 05:00 Sue Perkins' Christmas Comedy Stocking (m000cc9y)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 on Saturday]


SUN 06:00 Poetry Extra (m001g1fr)
Poetry Please - Festive Requests

Poet Daljit Nagra revisits the BBC's poetry archive and selects Poetry Please - Festive requests with Roger McGough hosting a varied, warm, yet slush-free selection of Christmas poetry requests.

A moving poem called The Shepherd by Edward Kaulfuss will strike a chord with anyone who has felt estranged at a Christmas gathering.

T.S. Eliot's 'The Journey of The Magi' with its complexities and doubt features alongside other classics like Hardy's ever hopeful poem The Oxen (it wouldn't be Christmas without it, after all) and Laurie Lee's Christmas Landscape. Another thoughtful nativity poem comes from a poet perhaps better known for her caustic wit; Dorothy Parker.

There are some nostalgic poems from Ireland, including Patrick Kavanagh's poem 'A Christmas Childhood' where the six year old Kavanagh saw the magic in the mundane ("my child poet picked out the letters/On the grey stone/In silver the wonder of a Christmas townland") as his father's melodeon called out to his neighbours.

John Montague's poem The Silver Flask marks the brief reunion of a family dispersed from County Tyrone to Brooklyn, where Montague himself was born.

Coventry Patmore's poem The Toys might just move the hardest cynic heart to tears, whilst Hugh MacMillan's 'Saturday Afternoon at the Grotto' injects a healthy sense of Glaswegian realism.

The readers are John Mackay, Ian McElhinney and Eleanor Tremain.

Producer: Sarah Langan

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2012.


SUN 06:30 Dearest Squirrel - the John Osborne Letters (Omnibus) (b0b0552j)
John Osborne meets Pamela Lane in 1951 and within three months the couple are married.

So begins an extraordinary love affair that lasts over 30 years.

Peter Whitebrook's completely fresh insight into the mind of one of the UK’s greatest playwrights.

The letters between John Osborne and his first wife, actress Pamela Lane, are also a love letter to a now defunct system of repertory theatre and life in post-war Britain.

As these letters reveal, soon after their divorce, Osborne and Lane began a mutually supportive, loyal, frequently stormy and sometimes sexually intimate alliance lasting thirty years until Osborne’s death. By the mid-1980s, they had become closer and more trusting than they had been since their earliest years together.

"You are for me what you always were," Pamela told him, "I am in love with you still."

It is, he declared, "my fortune to have loved someone for a lifetime."

Acerbic, witty, candid and heartbreaking, the letters reveal a unique relationship - troubled, tender and enduring.

Author, Peter Whitebrook, was born in London and has written and broadcast extensively on the theatre and literature. His co-adaptation of John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath won a Fringe First Award. His biography of John Osborne was nominated for both the Sheridan Morley Prize for biography and the Theatre Book Prize.

Omnibus of five parts abridged by Polly Coles.

Read by Simon Shepherd and Amanda Root.

Producer: Clive Brill

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


SUN 07:40 Inheritance Tracks (b071bzzn)
Harry Connick Jr

Singer Harry Connick Jr picks 'When The Saints Go Marching In' by Louis Armstrong and 'Somewhere Over the Rainbow' by Judy Garland.


SUN 07:50 EM Forster - A Passage to India (Omnibus) (m0003cdp)
Episode 1

When Mrs Moore and Adela arrive in the Indian town of Chandrapore, they are excited about seeing the 'real India'.

Dr Aziz, a charming young Doctor, puts out the hand of friendship but a mysterious incident occurs while they are exploring the Marabar Caves.

This sets off a train of events that have serious repercussions for everyone including the friendship between Dr Aziz and Mr Fielding, the School Master at Government College.

Muddle and mystery disturb the British Raj sense of order. Is it possible for an Englishman and an Indian to be friends while the British still rule India?

EM Forster's masterful novel.

Omnibus of the first five of ten parts of Tanika Gupta's imaginative and bold adaptation.

Mrs Moore ...... Penelope Wilton
Adela ...... Ellie Kendrick
Dr Aziz ...... Shubham Saraf
Fielding ...... Jonathan Firth
Ronny Heaslop ...... Christopher Harper
Ralph Moore ...... Joseph Ayre
Professor Godbole ...... Thusitha Jayasundera
Hamidullah/Mr Das ...... Nicholas Khan
Mahmoud Ali ...... Ashley Kumar
Mr Turton ...... Tony Turner
Mrs Turton ...... Joanna Monro
Major Callendar ...... Michael Bertenshaw
Mrs Callendar ...... Susan Jameson
Mr McBryde ...... Sam Dale
Dr Panna Lal/Amritrao ...... Ronny Jhutti

With:

Don Gilet
Franchi Webb
Sarah Ovens

EM Forster's A Passage to India is clever and thought provoking. There is an extraordinary richness of emotion and the philosophy is cleverly wrapped within the startling event at the Cave and its haunting echo that plagues both Mrs Moore and Adela. There is mastery, muddle and mystery and this is captured in this imaginative adaptation by Tanika Gupta with its multi-layered soundscape and Indian music.

Tanika brings an insight that combines all the elements together beautifully. In addition to her original writing, Tanika has shown, both on radio and stage, that she can take an existing text and give it a rich an exciting feel. From her Midsummer Night's Dream for the Globe to Jane Austen's Emma for Radio 4 (Memsahib Emma) to Ibsen's A Doll's House.

Director: Tracey Neale

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 2019.


SUN 09:00 Stilgoe's Around (b007k36s)
World Wine Fair, Bristol

Vintage Stilgoe?

A good year for comedy?

Richard Stilgoe muses on booze at the World Wine Fair in Bristol.

With:

Emma Thompson
The Cambridge Buskers

Producer: Mike Craig

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 1984.


SUN 09:30 Something to Shout About (m0001k4j)
Series 2

Episode 4

Janet is turfed out of her flat – and the whole ad agency ends up losing sleep.

"A light-hearted exposé of the advertising world!” Set in a London ad agency called Apsley, Addis, Cohen, Barbican, Blythe, Giddy & Partners.

The second series of Myles Rudge with Ronnie Wolfe’s sitcom.

CAST:

Michael …. Michael Medwin
Janet …. Fenella Fielding
Mavis …. Joan Sims
Maggie …. Eleanor Summerfield
Adrian …. Nicholas Phipps
Other parts played by Warren Mitchell.

Producer: Eric Miller

First broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in January 1961.


SUN 10:00 Desert Island Discs Revisited (m001g1fw)
Lost Gems

Val Doonican

From The Swingle Singers to Charlie Byrd.

Popular Irish singer and guitarist Val Doonican shares his castaway choices with Roy Plomley.

Val hosted numerous TV series for the BBC from 1965 to 1986, pulling in over 17 million viewers

He was also rarely out of the UK charts in the 1960s and '70s with songs like Walk Tall and Elusive Butterfly.

Val died aged 88 in 2015.

DISC ONE: Swingle Singers - Bach English Suite No.2
DISC TWO: Vaughan Williams - Fantasia on a theme by Thomas Tallis
DISC THREE: George Jones - Four-O Thirty-Three
DISC FOUR: Concerto in D - John Williams
DISC FIVE: People Will Say We're in Love (Oklahoma) - Erroll Garner
DISC SIX: Dvorak - Symphony No.8 – Herbert von Karajan conducting the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra
DISC SEVEN: Scarborough Fair - Simon and Garfunkel
DISC EIGHT: As Praias Desertas - Charlie Byrd

BOOK CHOICE – a big anthology of classic literature
LUXURY CHOICE – a guitar
CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE - Scarborough Fair - Simon and Garfunkel

First broadcast on the BBC Radio 4 in January 1970.


SUN 10:30 Susan Hill - Autumn (m001g1g0)
A middle-aged couple attempt to escape from the past by moving house.

As they talk in the garden, they find this is not easy to achieve.

Starring June Brown and Bernard Hepton.

Drama written by Susan Hill.

Eva .... June Brown
Tom .... Bernard Hepton

Director Richard Wortley

First broadcast on BBC Radio 3 in June 1985


SUN 11:00 Poetry Extra (m001g1fr)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]


SUN 11:30 Dearest Squirrel - the John Osborne Letters (Omnibus) (b0b0552j)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]


SUN 12:40 Inheritance Tracks (b071bzzn)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:40 today]


SUN 12:50 EM Forster - A Passage to India (Omnibus) (m0003cdp)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:50 today]


SUN 14:00 Stilgoe's Around (b007k36s)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]


SUN 14:30 Something to Shout About (m0001k4j)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 today]


SUN 15:00 Desert Island Discs Revisited (m001g1fw)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 today]


SUN 15:30 Susan Hill - Autumn (m001g1g0)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:30 today]


SUN 16:00 MR James (b09sng2y)
[Repeat of broadcast at 00:00 today]


SUN 16:30 Red As Blood by Tanith Lee (b007jq65)
[Repeat of broadcast at 00:30 today]


SUN 17:00 Poetry Extra (m001g1fr)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]


SUN 17:30 Dearest Squirrel - the John Osborne Letters (Omnibus) (b0b0552j)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]


SUN 18:40 Inheritance Tracks (b071bzzn)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:40 today]


SUN 18:50 EM Forster - A Passage to India (Omnibus) (m0003cdp)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:50 today]


SUN 20:00 Stilgoe's Around (b007k36s)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]


SUN 20:30 Something to Shout About (m0001k4j)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 today]


SUN 21:00 Desert Island Discs Revisited (m001g1fw)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 today]


SUN 21:30 Susan Hill - Autumn (m001g1g0)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:30 today]


SUN 22:00 Electric Ink (b01jjtn5)
Series 2

Episode 1

Maddox has lost the job of news editor and now faces being sued.

Starring John Sessions and Alex Jennings.

Old hacks meet new media in this satire set in the changing world of the struggling newspaper industry.

Written by Alistair Beaton and Tom Mitchelson.

A group of dysfunctional journalists attempt to cover major news stories at the same time as grappling with the demands of working in a multi-platform environment, watching circulation figures plummet and the recession causing half the workforce to be laid off.

Maddox ..... John Sessions
Oliver ..... Alex Jennings
Freddy ..... Stephen Wight
Carol ..... Polly Frame
Masha ..... Debbie Chazen
Keith ..... Sam Dale

Producer: Sally Avens

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 2010.


SUN 22:30 Son of Cliche (b00p84qh)
Austin Dernoid

David Coleman is the special guest (is it really?), plus Captain Invisible and lesser-known plays by William Shakespeare.

Sketch comedy starring:

Chris Barrie
Nick Maloney
Nick Wilton.

Written by Rob Grant and Doug Naylor.

Producer: Alan Nixon

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 1984.


SUN 22:55 The Comedy Club Interviews (m001gn71)
Bec Hill 1/2

From 10pm until midnight, seven days a week, The Comedy Club has two hours of comedy. And tonight, Jon Holmes chats to the comedian Bec Hill.


SUN 23:00 Detective Sergeant Nick Mohammed (b03bdsyt)
Series 2

Security

DS Nick Mohammed is asked to provide additional security for a major event.

Sitcom written and performed by Nick Mohammed.

Longsuffering constables Colin and Anna aid and abet him in everything he does.

With:

Anna Crilly
Colin Hoult
Margaret Cabourn-Smith
Will Andrews

Script Editor: Johnny Sweet

Producer: Victoria Lloyd

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 2013.


SUN 23:30 At Home With The Snails (b00cbcpb)
Series 2

Episode 4

After faking their deaths, can George and Beverly finally manage to reunite their family?

Conclusion of Gerard Foster's comedy drama

George ..... Geoffrey Palmer
Beverley ..... Angela Thorne
Alex ..... Gerard Foster
Rose ..... Miranda Hart
Hosana ..... Debra Stephenson
Leboeuf ..... Dave Lamb
Yates ..... Tim Verrinder

Producer: Jane Berthoud

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 2002.

MONDAY 12 DECEMBER 2022

MON 00:00 Poetry Extra (m001g1fr)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 on Sunday]


MON 00:30 Dearest Squirrel - the John Osborne Letters (Omnibus) (b0b0552j)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 on Sunday]


MON 01:40 Inheritance Tracks (b071bzzn)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:40 on Sunday]


MON 01:50 EM Forster - A Passage to India (Omnibus) (m0003cdp)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:50 on Sunday]


MON 03:00 Stilgoe's Around (b007k36s)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 on Sunday]


MON 03:30 Something to Shout About (m0001k4j)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 on Sunday]


MON 04:00 Desert Island Discs Revisited (m001g1fw)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 on Sunday]


MON 04:30 Susan Hill - Autumn (m001g1g0)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:30 on Sunday]


MON 05:00 Alexander (b007jx30)
Preparation of the Sacrifice

Young Alexander goes into battle to prove his manhood, meanwhile King Philip's remarriage plans cause tension....

Starring Michael Maloney, Barry Foster and Simon Ward.

David Wade's serial on the life of Alexander the Great.

Alexander ...... Michael Maloney
Spirit of Achilles ...... Barry Foster
Spirit of Patroclus ...... Simon Ward
King Philip of Macedon ...... Brian Cox
Hephaistion ...... Alex Jennings
Queen Olympias ...... Geraldine James
Ptolemy ...... Julian Rhind-Tutt
Philotas ...... Michael Onslow
Pusanias ...... James Telfer
Aristander ...... Barry Gordon
Demaratos ...... John Evitts
Parmenion ...... John Rye
Antipatros ...... David March
Demosthene ...... Malcolm Sinclair
Attalos ...... John Baddeley

Music: Wilfredo Acosta

Director: Glyn Dearman

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 1993.


MON 06:00 Detective (b04f8g8h)
Series 2

1. A Dream of Riches

A robbery from a scrap merchant turns out to be a far from straightforward case - and a 'quiet' student proves to be anything but...

The return of Robert Barr's stories of crime and detection in London.

Starring Ray Brooks as shrewd veteran Detective Sergeant, Dave Brook.

With Christopher Blake as his young assistant, Detective Constable Blair Maxton.

DS Dave Brook …. Ray Brooks
DC Blair Maxton …. Christopher Blake
DC Harrison ...... Peter Cleall
Judy …. Jacqueline Tong
Mrs Brown …. Betty Alberge
Chief Inspector Roach …. Stephen Yardley
Carson …. Tony Caunter
Inspector Stevens …. Nicholas Courtney

Writer Robert Barr is well remembered for his work on BBC TV's 'Z-Cars' and 'Softly Softly'.

Producer: Martin Fisher

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 1982.


MON 06:30 Patrick O'Brian - Master and Commander (b04tvjx3)
6. The Question of Dishonour

1800: The events leading to the loss of the Sophie are revealed. Will Aubrey survive his court martial?

Conclusion of Patrick O'Brian's popular Napoleonic seafaring adventure.

Starring Michael Troughton and Nigel Anthony.

Dramatised by Roger Danes.

Jack Aubrey ...... Michael Troughton
Stephen Maturin ...... Nigel Anthony
Watt….Russell Floyd
James Dillon….Charlie Simpson
Judge Advocate ….Lloyd Johnston
Julius Harte …. Peter Whitman
Babbington….Danny Kanaber (Child)
Mowett….Dominic Letts
Marshall….Neville Jason
Granville/Stirling … Gavin Muir
Molly Harte …. Frances Jeater
Mercedes …. Kristin Milward
Master Henry Ellis ….Nic Knight
David Richards …. Richard Pearce

Director: Adrian Bean

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 1995.


MON 07:00 Book of the Week (b0b6htg8)
The Crossway by Guy Stagg

1. France

An epic journey, but also an intimate one.

After several years of mental illness, Guy Stagg set off one morning, from London, to walk to Canterbury. Ill-prepared and not entirely clear why he was doing this, he nevertheless got there. Exhausted, he lay beneath the Cathedral walls and then decided to continue.

A few months later, on New Year's Day, 2013, he set out from Canterbury to follow the paths of the medieval pilgrims to Jerusalem.

Ten months and 5,500 kilometres later, he arrived.

This is the story of Guy's walk. Danger and physical hardship lay in his path but he was also haunted by the memories that he sought to flee and ambushed by echoes of his breakdown.

Five extracts follow some of his experiences through snow and storm across the Alps, among other pilgrims in Italy, despairing and alone in Greece, and finally to the incessant rounds of competing worship in Jerusalem.

It's a journey through the pathways of faith and recovery towards healing and understanding.

In this episode, Guy leaves England for France, where the weather turns grim and the strangers are kind.

Abridged in five parts by Jill Waters and Isobel Creed

Read by Jonathan Bailey

Producer: Jill Waters

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


MON 07:15 EM Forster - A Passage to India (m0003ctr)
6. Reflections

Aziz ponders over Fielding's reflections, that there is something in India that doesn't suit English ladies.

Meanwhile Adela wonders why the doctor has not yet organised the promised expedition to the mysterious Marabar caves.

Tanika Gupta's imaginative and bold adaptation of EM Forster's masterful novel.

Mrs Moore ...... Penelope Wilton
Adela ...... Ellie Kendrick
Dr Aziz ...... Shubham Saraf
Fielding ...... Jonathan Firth
Servant ...... Ronny Jhutti

Director Tracey Neale

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 2019.


MON 07:30 Dot (b071skpf)
Series 1

The Extraordinary Example of the Ha'penny Exchange

A little East End snotling has infiltrated the Cabinet War Rooms. But Dot's got important propaganda work to do.

How will she dispose of the little gremlin, whilst simultaneously concocting a stirring, yet pithy slogan for the war effort?

For King and country, she'll bally well try!

Comic adventures with Dot and the gals from personnel in the rollicking wartime comedy by Ed Harris.

Dot ..... Fenella Woolgar
Myrtle ..... Kate O'Flynn
Peg ..... Freya Parker
Millicent ..... Jane Slavin
Peabody ..... David Acton
Ha'penny ..... Alicia Ambrose-Bayly
Matron ..... Susan Jameson
Right Honourable Washtunrub ..... Sean Baker

Director: Jessica Mitic

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 2016.


MON 08:00 Brothers in Law (b007jrs5)
Series 1

The Expert Witness

Faced with a case involving osteoarthritis, rookie barrister Roger Thursby must bone up on his medical knowledge.

Henry Cecil's comic legal novel Brothers in Law was first published in 1955.

Adapted for radio from Frank Muir & Denis Norden's BBC TV scripts by Richard Waring.

Roger Thursby ...... Richard Briers
Henry Blagrove ...... Richard Waring
Sally Mannering ...... Ann Davies
Belkin ...... John Bresslin
Rennell ...... Robert Dorning
Eagler ...... Richard Caldlcot
The Judge ...... John Le Mesurier

Other parts played by:

Malcolm Hayes
Fredrick Treves
Clifford Norgate

Restored from BBC Transcription Service tapes - originally edited for sale abroad.

Producer: David Hatch.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in June 1970.


MON 08:30 Legal, Decent, Honest and Truthful (b007k0nh)
Series 1

Episode 2

Activist turned ad writer Ken Handley finds himself assigned to the Conservative Party.

Starring Martin Jarvis.

Guy Jenkin and Jon Canter’s satire set in the competitive world of advertising

Ken Handley ...... Martin Jarvis
John 'Sandy' Beach ...... Christopher Godwin
Freddie ...... Lockwood West
June ...... Wendy Richard
The General....Bill Fraser
Johnnie........Patrick Barr

With:

John Baddeley
Norma Ronald
David Tate
Michael Jayston
Bill Mitchell
Gary Cady

Producer: Pete Atkin

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 1982.


MON 09:00 All the Way from Memphis (b00j6bh8)
Series 1

Episode 3

James Walton hosts the quiz show covering pop history from the ‘50s to the early noughties.

Regulars Tracey MacLeod and Andrew Collins are joined by:

Writer Richard Curtis
Broadcaster Anthony Wilson.

Reader: Beth Chalmers

Written and researched by James Walton

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 2004.


MON 09:30 Romantic Friction (b00764j4)
Clouds

Romance writer, Anna is blissfully happy.

Brian is finding that grading sand paper is fun when he's thinking about Anna.

Even faithful cockney muse Minnie is happy because it looks as if Anna's new-found romance is spilling over into her prose.

But could there be a cloud on the horizon when Brian's old friend Dougie unexpectedly turns up with the tempting offer of building fibreglass ducks in the Shetland Islands?

Starring Samantha Bond and Hugh Bonneville.

Michelle Read's four-part comedy-drama series.

Anna ...... Samantha Bond
Brian ...... Hugh Bonneville
Deirdre ...... Beth Chambers
Fertility Doll ...... Adjoa Andoh
Buddah ...... Kammy Darweish
Brenda ...... Michelle Read
Bob ...... Andrew Wincott
Minnie ...... Sue Elliott-Nicholls
Book ...... Michael Fenton Stevens
Dougie ...... Ewan Bailey

Producer: Dawn Ellis

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 2001.


MON 10:00 Alexander (b007jx30)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:00 today]


MON 11:00 Detective (b04f8g8h)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]


MON 11:30 Patrick O'Brian - Master and Commander (b04tvjx3)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]


MON 12:00 Book of the Week (b0b6htg8)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]


MON 12:15 EM Forster - A Passage to India (m0003ctr)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:15 today]


MON 12:30 Dot (b071skpf)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]


MON 13:00 Brothers in Law (b007jrs5)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]


MON 13:30 Legal, Decent, Honest and Truthful (b007k0nh)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]


MON 14:00 All the Way from Memphis (b00j6bh8)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]


MON 14:30 Romantic Friction (b00764j4)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 today]


MON 15:00 Alexander (b007jx30)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:00 today]


MON 16:00 Detective (b04f8g8h)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]


MON 16:30 Patrick O'Brian - Master and Commander (b04tvjx3)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]


MON 17:00 Book of the Week (b0b6htg8)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]


MON 17:15 EM Forster - A Passage to India (m0003ctr)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:15 today]


MON 17:30 Dot (b071skpf)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]


MON 18:00 Brothers in Law (b007jrs5)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]


MON 18:30 Legal, Decent, Honest and Truthful (b007k0nh)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]


MON 19:00 All the Way from Memphis (b00j6bh8)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]


MON 19:30 Romantic Friction (b00764j4)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 today]


MON 20:00 Radiolab (m000tppy)
Series 7

The Cataclysm Sentence

Radiolab is a Peabody-award winning show about curiosity. Where sound illuminates ideas, and the boundaries blur between science, philosophy, and the human experience.

One day in 1961, the famous physicist Richard Feynman stepped in front of a Caltech lecture hall and posed this question to a group of undergraduate students: “If, in some cataclysm, all of scientific knowledge were to be destroyed, and only one sentence was passed on to the next generation of creatures, what statement would contain the most information in the fewest words?”

Radiolab explores, when in peril, what’s the one sentence you would want to pass on to the next generation?

Jad Abumrad and the Radiolab team investigate a strange world.

From WNYC. First broadcast on public radio in the USA in 2020.


MON 21:00 Unreal: A Critical History of Reality TV (p0c71lf0)
6. Climbing The Ladder: Keeping Up With The Kardashians

Sirin Kale and Pandora Sykes delve into the story of America’s First Family, the Kardashian-Jenners, and how they leveraged reality tv to redefine beauty ideals and create an entirely new category of uber-celebrity. Featuring interviews with Keeping Up With The Kardashian's executive producer for all 20 seasons, plus @NorisBlackBook creator, and many more.

Producer: Hannah Hufford
Executive Producer: Pandora Sykes
Executive Editor: James Cook
Content Producer: Hannah Robins
Technical Producer: Giles Aspen

Archive credits:
Keeping Up With the Kardashians, Bunim-Murray Productions
Oprah's Next Chapter, Harpo Studios
X17onlineVideo's video of Paris Hilton and Kim Kardashian with paparazzi
Kim Kardashian’s Business Advice, Variety


MON 21:50 David Attenborough's Life Stories (b00pf12c)
Series 1

Monstrous Flowers

Series of talks by Sir David Attenborough on the natural histories of creatures and plants from around the world.

Deep in the steamy forests of Sumatra, the largest flowers in the world bloom, albeit for under a week. But why are they so big?


MON 22:00 I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue (m001fw1d)
Series 78

Episode 4

The antidote to panel games pays a return visit to Croydon’s Fairfield Halls. Tony Hawks and Jo Brand take on Marcus Brigstocke and Graeme Garden with Jack Dee in the chair. Colin Sell attempts piano accompaniment.

Producer - Jon Naismith
It is a BBC Studios production


MON 22:30 Dave Podmore (b007t32j)
Dave Podmore's World of Cricket

Episode 3

Asked to advise on a new cricketing film, the star player causes havoc in Hollywood.

Sitcom about the exploits of talentless, amateurish, smug, inept and self-deluding English cricketer Dave Podmore.

Christopher Douglas stars as Pod.

Written by Christopher Douglas, Nick Newman and Andrew Nickolds.

Dave ...... Chris Douglas
Andy ...... Andrew Nickolds

With:

Nicola Sanderson
Chris Pavlo

Producer: Richard Wilson

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in June 2002.


MON 23:00 Dead Ringers (m001fwh2)
Christmas Specials 2022

Episode 1

BBC Radio 4 has a new owner, Woman’s Hour has a new host, and David Beckham gets an unusual new role. Find out what all this can be about on all new Dead Ringers.

Performed by Jon Culshaw, Jan Ravens, Lewis MacLeod, Duncan Wisbey, Naomi McDonald and Anil Desai.

Written by Tom Jamieson and Nev Fountain, Laurence Howarth, Sarah Campbell, Tom Coles and Ed Amsden, James Bugg, Toussaint Douglass, Robert Darke, Sophie Dickson and Edward Tew.

Produced and created by Bill Dare.
Production Co-ordinator: Caroline Barlow


MON 23:30 As Told To Craig Brown (b00b0sh6)
Episode 2

Pondering Tuscan holidays - and what is the greatest fruit or vegetable?

Craig Brown presents a bundle of parody, social observation and nonsense in a romp through anything that's newsworthy and a good many things that aren't.

Narrated by Juliet Stevenson and Steve Wright.

With:

John Humphrys
Ronni Ancona
Jon Culshaw
Lewis MacLeod
Sally Grace
Ewan Bailey
Margaret Cabourn-Smith

Producer: Victoria Lloyd

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 2008.

TUESDAY 13 DECEMBER 2022

TUE 00:00 Alexander (b007jx30)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:00 on Monday]


TUE 01:00 Detective (b04f8g8h)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 on Monday]


TUE 01:30 Patrick O'Brian - Master and Commander (b04tvjx3)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 on Monday]


TUE 02:00 Book of the Week (b0b6htg8)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 on Monday]


TUE 02:15 EM Forster - A Passage to India (m0003ctr)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:15 on Monday]


TUE 02:30 Dot (b071skpf)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 on Monday]


TUE 03:00 Brothers in Law (b007jrs5)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 on Monday]


TUE 03:30 Legal, Decent, Honest and Truthful (b007k0nh)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 on Monday]


TUE 04:00 All the Way from Memphis (b00j6bh8)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 on Monday]


TUE 04:30 Romantic Friction (b00764j4)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 on Monday]


TUE 05:00 Alexander (b007jx34)
The Road to Gordium

Warrior Alexander becomes King of Macedon and sets out to conquer the world.

Starring Michael Maloney, Barry Foster and Simon Ward.

David Wade's serial on the life of Alexander the Great.

Alexander ...... Michael Maloney
Spirit of Achilles ...... Barry Foster
Spirit of Patroclus ...... Simon Ward
Hephaistion ...... Alex Jennings
Queen Olympias ...... Geraldine James
Darius ...... Charles Kay
Harpalos ...... Dominic Letts
Perdikkas ...... Mark Straker
Charidemos ...... Jonathan Adams
Ptolemy ...... Julian Rhind-Tutt
Philotas ...... Michael Onslow
Anteas ...... Barry Gordon
Simmias ...... John Evitts
Antipatros ...... David March
Demosthene ...... Malcolm Sinclair
Nabarzanes ...... John Baddeley

Music: Wilfredo Acosta

Director: Glyn Dearman

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 1993.


TUE 06:00 Detective (b04fc958)
Series 2

2. Two on the Run

Detective Sergeant Dave Brook finds himself pursuing a pair of foolish students - and fighting for a share of police resources.

Stories of crime and detection in London by Robert Barr.

Starring Ray Brooks as shrewd veteran DS Dave Brook and Christopher Blake as his young assistant, DC Blair Maxton.

DS Dave Brook …. Ray Brooks
DC Blair Maxton …. Christopher Blake
Chief Inspector Roach …. Stephen Yardley
DC Harrison …. Peter Cleall
Judy …. Jacqueline Tong
DS Kelly …. John Judd
Anna …. Emily Morgan
Clark …. Gary Cady
Drayton …. Stephen Garlick

Producer: Martin Fisher

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 1982.


TUE 06:30 The Blackburn Files (b007jpvg)
Series 2

1. A Case of Frinks and Moores

When an open-air sculpture exhibition is raided, pitman-turned-private eye Steven J Blackburn is thrown into the jungle of international dealing.

Starring Fine Time Fontayne and Judy Flynn.

The return of ex-pitman turned private investigator, Stephen J Blackburn.

Written by Ian McMillan, Martyn Wiley and Dave Sheasby.

Stephen J. Blackburn …. Finetime Fontayne
Tracey Duggan …. Judy Flynn
Rollo …. Christopher Wilkinson
Kerenski …. John Graham Davies
Dempsey …. Kieran Cunningham

Directed in Sheffield by Dave Sheasby

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in June 1991.


TUE 07:00 Book of the Week (b0b6m6cj)
The Crossway by Guy Stagg

2. The Alps

On foot and alone in winter, the author is determined to cross the Alps.

The monks he encounters along the way are sceptical.

An epic journey, but also an intimate one.

After several years of mental illness, Guy Stagg set off one morning, from London, to walk to Canterbury. Ill-prepared and not entirely clear why he was doing this, he nevertheless got there. Exhausted, he lay beneath the Cathedral walls and then decided to continue.

A few months later, on New Year's Day, 2013, he set out from Canterbury to follow the paths of the medieval pilgrims to Jerusalem.

Ten months and 5,500 kilometres later, he arrived.

This is the story of Guy's walk. Danger and physical hardship lay in his path but he was also haunted by the memories that he sought to flee and ambushed by echoes of his breakdown.

Five extracts follow some of his experiences through snow and storm across the Alps, among other pilgrims in Italy, despairing and alone in Greece, and finally to the incessant rounds of competing worship in Jerusalem.

It's a journey through the pathways of faith and recovery towards healing and understanding.

Abridged by Jill Waters and Isobel Creed

Read by Jonathan Bailey

Producer: Jill Waters

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


TUE 07:15 EM Forster - A Passage to India (m0003cyq)
7. Marabar Caves

Professor Godbole and Mr Fielding may have missed the train but all seems under control.

Aziz leads the ladies into the intriguing Marabar caves bursting with pride and relief.

Tanika Gupta's imaginative and bold adaptation of EM Forster's masterful novel.

Mrs Moore .…. Penelope Wilton
Dr Aziz …... Shubham Saraf
Servant ...... Ronny Jhutti
Professor Godbole ..…. Thusitha Jayasundera
Adela …... Ellie Kendrick
Fielding ..…. Jonathan Firth

Director Tracey Neale

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 2019.


TUE 07:30 Ed Reardon's Week (b01fhys6)
Series 8

Original British Drama

The unexpected consequence of this research is that Ed finds himself working in harmony with the 12-year-olds both on screen and in the coffee stations and tea points of power, to produce a piece of genuinely water-cooler factutainment.

The comical world of an author, pipe smoker, consummate fare-dodger and master of the abusive e-mail.

Starring Christopher Douglas.

Written by Christopher Douglas and Andrew Nickolds.

Ed Reardon ...... Christopher Douglas
Olive ...... Stephanie Cole
Pearl ...... Rita May
Ping ...... Barunka O'Shaughnessy
Pool Manager ...... Nicola Sanderson
Radio DJ ...... Simon Greenall
Stan ...... Geoffrey Whitehead
Policeman ...... Martin Hyder
Jake ...... Sam Pamphilon

Producer: Dawn Ellis

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 2012.


TUE 08:00 The Goon Show (b007jnm5)
Series 7

The Great Bank Robbery

All set for the Long Distance Bass Drum Race, Neddie Seagoon is duped into villainy.

Groundbreaking, surreal BBC radio comedy written by Spike Milligan and Larry Stephens.

Starring:

Peter Sellers
Harry Secombe
Spike Milligan

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

With the Ray Ellington Quartet and Max Geldray.

Orchestra conducted by Wally Stott.

Announcer: Wallace Greenslade

Producer: Pat Dixon

First broadcast on the BBC Home Service in November 1956.


TUE 08:30 In the Balance (b007k26c)
Episode 5

Maverick BBC crime correspondent George Cragge has been murdered - or has he?

Starring Michael Williams and Barry Foster.

Mark Tavener's comedy thriller set in the world of football, the BBC and party politics.

George Cragge …… Michael Williams
Superintendent Jefferson …… Barry Foster
Prime Minister …… Jeremy Clyde
John Matthews …… Jim Carter
Crispin Trent …… Robert Bathurst

With:

Tracy Ann Oberman
Peter Woodthorpe
Susie Brann
Christian Rodska
Ioan Meredith
Shirley Dixon
Dave Lamb
Joanna Monro
Alex Lowe
Christopher Scott
Alice Arnold

Music by Paul Mottram

Producer: Paul Schlesinger

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 1997.


TUE 09:00 Who Goes There? (b007v2sv)
Series 2

Episode 2

Martin Young chairs the quiz looking at lives of the noteworthy and notorious from the history books.

Tackling the biographical teasers are team captains Francis Wheen and Fred Housego.

With guests:

Claire Rayner
Roy Hattersley.

Producer: Aled Evans

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in June 1998.


TUE 09:30 No Commitments (b007jnz1)
Series 7

Soft Soap

Charlotte makes her TV soap debut and Victoria has a change of heart.

Simon Brett’s sitcom about the lives and squabbles of three very different sisters.

Anna …. Rosemary Leach
Charlotte …. Celia Imrie
Victoria …. Angela Thorne
Fran …. Alison Skilbeck
Eddie …. James Greene
Hot Tubes Presenter …. Lisa Coleman
TV Announcer …. Simon Brett

Music by Elizabeth Parker of the BBC Radiophonic Workshop.

Producer: Maria Esposito

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 2001.


TUE 10:00 Alexander (b007jx34)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:00 today]


TUE 11:00 Detective (b04fc958)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]


TUE 11:30 The Blackburn Files (b007jpvg)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]


TUE 12:00 Book of the Week (b0b6m6cj)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]


TUE 12:15 EM Forster - A Passage to India (m0003cyq)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:15 today]


TUE 12:30 Ed Reardon's Week (b01fhys6)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]


TUE 13:00 The Goon Show (b007jnm5)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]


TUE 13:30 In the Balance (b007k26c)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]


TUE 14:00 Who Goes There? (b007v2sv)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]


TUE 14:30 No Commitments (b007jnz1)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 today]


TUE 15:00 Alexander (b007jx34)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:00 today]


TUE 16:00 Detective (b04fc958)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]


TUE 16:30 The Blackburn Files (b007jpvg)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]


TUE 17:00 Book of the Week (b0b6m6cj)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]


TUE 17:15 EM Forster - A Passage to India (m0003cyq)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:15 today]


TUE 17:30 Ed Reardon's Week (b01fhys6)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]


TUE 18:00 The Goon Show (b007jnm5)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]


TUE 18:30 In the Balance (b007k26c)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]


TUE 19:00 Who Goes There? (b007v2sv)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]


TUE 19:30 No Commitments (b007jnz1)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 today]


TUE 20:00 TED Radio Hour (m000pw5z)
Series 7

Approaching with Kindness

A journey through fascinating ideas based on talks by riveting speakers on the TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) stage.

Guy Raz explores how two simple words - ‘thank you’ - can change how you, and those around you, look at the world.

First broadcast in the USA on National Public Radio in 2019.


TUE 20:50 Inheritance Tracks (m0003cds)
Sharon D Clarke

BBC TV’s Holby City actress Sharon D Clarke chooses 'Sweet Jamaica' by Clancy Eccles and 'What's Goin' On' by Marvin Gaye.


TUE 21:00 Unreal: A Critical History of Reality TV (p0c71lxw)
7. The British Docusoap: The Only Way Is Essex & Made In Chelsea

Pandora Sykes and Sirin Kale look at how these BAFTA-winning reality shows became national treasures and explore why the ingredients for a good reality show are the same, wherever they are set. Featuring interviews with Spencer Matthews, Georgia Toffolo, James Lock, plus many more.

Producer: Hannah Hufford
Executive Producer: Pandora Sykes
Executive Editor: James Cook
Content Producer: Hannah Robins
Technical Producer: Giles Aspen

Archive credits:
The British Academy Television Awards: 2011, Whizz Kid Entertainment
The Only Way is Essex, Lime Pictures
Made in Chelsea, Monkey Kingdom
Friday Night with Jonathan Ross, Hot Sauce
The Reality of Reality TV with Fleur East, Bauer Media
What We Don't Post, Nicola Hughes and Tiffany Watson
I’ve Been There: Amy Childs and Cosmetic Surgery, Nine Lives Media


TUE 21:50 David Attenborough's Life Stories (b010t6c0)
Series 2

Butterflies

When massing for their winter torpor in Mexico, the pine trees laden with Monarch Butterflies are one of the most mystical and magical places to be.

David Attenborough is one of many naturalists, writers and broadcasters to marvel at this species migration feat and the spectacle of their over wintering - one of the natural wonders of the world.

David guides us through the butterfly's migration to Canada from Mexico - and back again - gently unpacking their natural history and wonder. And he immerses us in other butterfly congregations during filming trips over the years - but in a clever twist brings us back to his garden with an intriguing thought about the evolution of butterfly behaviour.

Written and presented by David Attenborough

Producer: Julian Hector.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 2011.


TUE 22:00 Hennikay (m001fwb8)
Series 1

The Animo-Expo Pro-Gaming Trade Fair

Bill Bailey stars as Guy Starling, a middle aged man who, after 45 years, and for reasons quite unknown to him, is suddenly revisited by his imaginary childhood friend, Hennikay.

The pressure is on at work. Guy’s company have had their best (only) idea in years (ever) stolen from under their noses by an unscrupulous rival. But luckily Guy has come up with a brilliant new idea, courtesy of his invisible best friend, Hennikay and the race is on for them to develop it before the big trade show.

And even with Guy foolishly introducing his schoolboy mate from 1976 to the wonders of the 21st century internet and the delights of expense account lunching, the friends triumph and, working together at last, they manage to hit the big deadline.

They head triumphantly to the show - where grown-up treachery is afoot and Hennikay has his young, innocent eyes opened to the cheating, lying and general down and dirty bad behaviour that modern adults call business.

Cast:
Guy – Bill Bailey
Tony – Dave Lamb
Marika – Elizabeth Carling
Kallie - Hollie Edwin
Don - Joseph May
TV voices and Pizza Guy - Matt Addis
Hennikay – Max Pattison

Written by David Spicer
Producer: Liz Anstee
A CPL production for BBC Radio 4


TUE 22:30 Tina C (b06s9s02)
Tina C: Herstory

Episode 4

Country music legend Tina C brings us right up to date with a (slightly) festive look at where she is today.

Bob Harris quizzes her about her ambitions for the future, and a live country band take us through some of her biggest hits.

Written and performed by Christopher Green.
Additional voices: Susan Jameson & Leo Wan.
The Band: Duncan Walsh-Atkins, Phil Hardisty, Mark Wraith.
Produced by Victoria Lloyd.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2015.


TUE 23:00 My Teenage Diary (m000j22s)
Series 9

Jenni Murray

Rufus Hound returns with more honest, intimate and hilarious interviews, with famous guests reading from their genuine teenage diaries.

Guests this series include former Goodie Bill Oddie, comedian Shazia Mirza, impressionist Jan Ravens, podcaster Olly Mann and writer Julie Myerson.

In this episode, Rufus talks to Jenni Murray about her years as a schoolgirl in Barnsley. Her diaries open with the bombshell that her mum and dad will be relocating to India, at which point the young Jenni moves in with her grandparents.

Free of her mother's disciplinarian ways, she experiments with makeup and miniskirts, and sings Joan Baez songs at the local folk club. This diary is a true snapshot of life in 60s Britain, complete with a meeting with a Beatle!

Producer: Harriet Jaine
A Talkback production for BBC Radio 4.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2020.


TUE 23:30 Children's Hour with Armstrong and Miller (b00911f4)
Episode 3

In an optimistic attempt at cultural review, Craig Children and Martin Bain-Jones throw a Come As You Aren't party.

Ben Miller and Alexander Armstrong star as the pompous critics.

With:

Charlie Condou
Melissa Lloyd
Tony Gardner

Written by Ben Miller, Alexander Armstrong, David Mitchell and Robert Webb.

Producer: Jon Rolph

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 1998.

WEDNESDAY 14 DECEMBER 2022

WED 00:00 Alexander (b007jx34)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:00 on Tuesday]


WED 01:00 Detective (b04fc958)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 on Tuesday]


WED 01:30 The Blackburn Files (b007jpvg)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 on Tuesday]


WED 02:00 Book of the Week (b0b6m6cj)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 on Tuesday]


WED 02:15 EM Forster - A Passage to India (m0003cyq)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:15 on Tuesday]


WED 02:30 Ed Reardon's Week (b01fhys6)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 on Tuesday]


WED 03:00 The Goon Show (b007jnm5)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 on Tuesday]


WED 03:30 In the Balance (b007k26c)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 on Tuesday]


WED 04:00 Who Goes There? (b007v2sv)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 on Tuesday]


WED 04:30 No Commitments (b007jnz1)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 on Tuesday]


WED 05:00 Alexander (b00cfwr8)
The Hunt of the God King

Alexander pursues Darius, conquers Egypt and falls in love with Barsine.

Michael Maloney and Alex Jennings star in David Wade's serial on the life of Alexander the Great.

Alexander ...... Michael Maloney
Hephaistion ...... Alex Jennings
Achilles ...... Barry Foster
Patroclus ...... Simon Ward
Ptolemy ...... Julian Rhind-Tutt
Philotas ...... Michael Onslow
Perdikkas ...... Mark Straker
Simmias ...... John Evitts
Philip ...... Sean Barrett
Lysimachos ...... Keith Drinkel
Eumenes ...... James Telfer
Artzbazus ...... Philip Anthony
Barsine ...... Teresa Gallagher
Sisygambis ...... Diana Payan
Thais ...... Rachel Atkins
The Eunuch ...... Richard Pearce

Music: Wilfredo Acosta

Director: Glyn Dearman

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 1993.


WED 06:00 Detective (b04fcx1d)
Series 2

3. A Meeting With Anna

Tension between DS Dave Brook and DS Sam Kelly is showing. Meanwhile Anna asks for help. Can she be trusted?

Stories of crime and detection in London by Robert Barr featuring long-serving, ducking-and-diving DS Dave Brook and his assistant, Detective Constable Blair Maxton.

CAST:

DS Dave Brook …. Ray Brooks
DC Blair Maxton …. Christopher Blake
Chief Inspector Roach …. Stephen Yardley
DC Harrison …. Peter Cleall
Judy …. Jacqueline Tong
DS Kelly …. John Judd
Anna …. Emily Morgan
PC Anderson …. Stephen Garlick
Clark …. Gary Cady
Jenkins …. David Milner

Producer: Martin Fisher

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1982.


WED 06:30 The Blackburn Files (b007jpvw)
Series 2

2. A Case of Hearts and Flowers

When his brother-in-law's Filofax is held to ransom, private eye Steven J Blackburn investigates.

One of four more cases for the private investigator and his government scheme-funded assistant Tracey. Set in a South Yorkshire town that's seen better days.

CAST:

Stephen J. Blackburn …. Finetime Fontayne
Tracey Duggan …. Judy Flynn
Mam …. Rita May
Shirley …. Christine Cox

Scripted by Ian McMillan, Martyn Wiley and Dave Sheasby

Producer: Dave Sheasby

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 1991.


WED 07:00 Book of the Week (b0b6p5zk)
The Crossway by Guy Stagg

3. The River Po

An epic journey, but also an intimate one. After several years of mental illness, Guy Stagg set off one morning, from London, to walk to Canterbury. Ill-prepared and not entirely clear why he was doing this, he nevertheless got there. Exhausted, he lay beneath the Cathedral walls and then decided to continue. A few months later, on New Year's Day, 2013, he set out from Canterbury to follow the paths of the medieval pilgrims to Jerusalem.

Ten months and 5,500 kilometres later, he arrived.

This is the story of his walk. Danger and physical hardship lay in his path but he was also haunted by the memories that he sought to flee and ambushed by echoes of his breakdown.

In five extracts from his account, this reading follows some of his experiences through snow and storm across the Alps, among other pilgrims in Italy, despairing and alone in Greece, and finally to the incessant rounds of competing worship in Jerusalem.

It's a journey through the pathways of faith and recovery towards healing and understanding.

In this episode, Guy meets some other pilgrims and also battles with the temptation to break the rules.

Written by Guy Stagg
Read by Jonathan Bailey
Abridged by Jill Waters and Isobel Creed
Produced by Jill Waters

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


WED 07:15 EM Forster - A Passage to India (m0003d6x)
8. Reverberations

Tanika Gupta's imaginative and bold adaptation of E M Forster's masterful novel.

The reverberations of the shocking arrest echo around Chandrapore.

Dr Aziz ..…. Shubham Saraf
Professor Godbole ..…. Thusitha Jayasundera
Turton …... Tony Turner
Mrs Turton …... Joanna Monro
Fielding ..…. Jonathan Firth
Mr McBryde …... Sam Dale
Mrs Callendar …... Susan Jameson
Major Callendar …... Michael Bertenshaw
Adela …... Ellie Kendrick
Ronny ..…. Christopher Harper

Director Tracey Neale

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 2019.


WED 07:30 Relativity (m0001y8z)
Series 2

Episode 2

Holly’s unexpected pregnancy brings the family together once again, as they all comes to terms with it in their own way.

Pete and Billy bond over 59.1% Scotch, Margaret braves the supermarket and Holly won’t come out of her bedroom.

Drawing on his own family, Richard Herring’s comedy drama, builds on the warm, lively characters and family dynamics of the first series.

His affectionate observation of inter-generational misunderstanding, sibling sparring and the ties that bind will resonate with anyone who has ever argued with their dad about who the current Pope is.

Amid the comedy, Richard broaches some more serious highs and lows of family life.

Margaret …… Alison Steadman
Ken …… Phil Davis
Jane …… Fenella Woolgar
Ian …… Richard Herring
Chloe …… Emily Berrington
Pete …… Gordon Kennedy
Holly …… Tia Bannon
Mark …… Fred Haig
Nick …… Harrison Knights
Billy …… Danny Kirrane

Writer Richard Herring is a comedian, writer, blogger and podcaster and the world's premier semi-professional self-playing snooker player.

Sound Design by Eloise Whitmore

Produced by Polly Thomas
Executive Producers: Jon Thoday and Richard Allen Turner

An Avalon Television production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in January 2019.


WED 08:00 Hancock's Half Hour (b007jy6l)
The New Car

The lad thinks he should buy a car to keep up appearances, so Sid offers to help. But there's a big surprise when he takes it for a spin.

Starring Tony Hancock.

With Moira Lister, Bill Kerr, Sidney James and Kenneth Williams.

Written by Ray Galton and Alan Simpson.

Theme and incidental music written by Wally Stott. Recorded by the BBC Revue Orchestra conducted by Harry Rabinowitz.

Producer: Dennis Main Wilson

First broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in December 1954.


WED 08:30 Life, Death and Sex with Mike and Sue (b007jsjq)
Series 1

Friendship

Radio's sofa-bound daytime presenter duo look at sickness, friendship and sick friends.

Bill Dare's sitcom starring Robert Duncan as Mike and Julia Hills as Sue.

With Sally Phillips, Roger Blake, Mark Kilmurry and Dan Strauss.

Music by Mark Burton.

Producer: Pete Sinclair

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 1996.


WED 09:00 The Write Stuff (b00v1qkl)
Series 14

PG Wodehouse

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

Team captains John Walsh and Sebastian Faulks, are joined by Francis Wheen and Ian McMillan.

Author of the week and subject for pastiche is P G Wodehouse - the panel wonder how he might have tackled historical fiction.

Reader: Felicity Duncan

Producer: Sam Michell

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 2010.


WED 09:30 Trevor's World of Sport (b00mqgrp)
Series 2

Episode 4

When his nightmare tennis client makes headlines, the sports agent tries to get tough.

Stars Neil Pearson.

Andy Hamilton's comedy about an honourable sports agent in a dishonourable world.

Trevor …. Neil Pearson
Meryl.........Claire Skinner
Toby.........Matthew Thomas
Sammy …. Paul Reynolds
Ralph …. Michael Fenton Stevens
Theresa …. Rosalind Ayres
Heidrun …. Cosima Shaw
Barry …. Abdul Salis
Samantha.......Amber Sainsbury

Written and produced by Andy Hamilton

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 2005.


WED 10:00 Alexander (b00cfwr8)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:00 today]


WED 11:00 Detective (b04fcx1d)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]


WED 11:30 The Blackburn Files (b007jpvw)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]


WED 12:00 Book of the Week (b0b6p5zk)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]


WED 12:15 EM Forster - A Passage to India (m0003d6x)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:15 today]


WED 12:30 Relativity (m0001y8z)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]


WED 13:00 Hancock's Half Hour (b007jy6l)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]


WED 13:30 Life, Death and Sex with Mike and Sue (b007jsjq)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]


WED 14:00 The Write Stuff (b00v1qkl)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]


WED 14:30 Trevor's World of Sport (b00mqgrp)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 today]


WED 15:00 Alexander (b00cfwr8)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:00 today]


WED 16:00 Detective (b04fcx1d)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]


WED 16:30 The Blackburn Files (b007jpvw)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]


WED 17:00 Book of the Week (b0b6p5zk)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]


WED 17:15 EM Forster - A Passage to India (m0003d6x)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:15 today]


WED 17:30 Relativity (m0001y8z)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]


WED 18:00 Hancock's Half Hour (b007jy6l)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]


WED 18:30 Life, Death and Sex with Mike and Sue (b007jsjq)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]


WED 19:00 The Write Stuff (b00v1qkl)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]


WED 19:30 Trevor's World of Sport (b00mqgrp)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 today]


WED 20:00 Archive on 4 (m000f5zq)
Andrea Levy: In Her Own Words

Profiling the life and work of Andrea Levy, the best-selling author of Small Island, who died in February 2019.

Speaking on condition that the recording would only be released after her death, Andrea Levy gave an in-depth interview to oral historian Sarah O’Reilly for the British Library’s Authors’ Lives project in 2014. Drawing on this recording, along with comments from friends, family and collaborators, this programme explores Levy’s changing attitude towards her history and her heritage and how it is intimately bound up with her writing.

Andrea Levy grew up in North London in the 1960s, the daughter of Jamaican immigrants. Her father Winston came to Britain in 1948 on the Empire Windrush, and her mother Amy arrived six months later. At home, Jamaica was never discussed. Levy recalls how her parents believed that, in order to get on in this country they should live quietly and not make a fuss, and the silence around race in the family home haunted her throughout her life.

Writing came to Levy's rescue. Her first three books - 'Every Light In The House Burnin'' (1994), 'Never Far from Nowhere' (1996) and 'Fruit of the Lemon' (1999) - explored questions of immigrant identity and were semi-autobiographical. Through her writing, she explored the historical connection between Britain and the Caribbean as a profoundly British concern, and her literary project was to make people of both small islands aware of their intertwined history.

It was the publication of the prize-winning Small Island in 2004 that propelled Andrea Levy to international acclaim. The novel told the story of Jamaican families like her own integrating into post-war Britain and drew directly from the experiences of her parents and their passage to the Mother Country. The success of 'Small Island' held deep personal significance for Andrea.

Writing 'The Long Song', her novel set on a 19th century Caribbean slave plantation, was, she says, 'the most terrifying thing to have to go into'. With the recent Windrush scandal and wider debates about the legacy of the slave trade in Britain, Levy’s work could not be more relevant. 'The Long Song' was published in 2010 and was shortlisted for the Booker Prize. But it was during the writing of this book that Andrea was diagnosed with the cancer that would, she knew, eventually kill her.

Andrea Levy speaks here for the first time about living with a terminal illness and her hopes for posterity. And we hear an excerpt from a previously unpublished dialogue from her archives, now housed at the British Library, in which she tackles her imminent demise with her trademark wit and wisdom.

With Gary Younge, Baroness Lola Young, Louise Doughty, Helen Edmundson, Sarah Williams, Margaret Busby, Sharmaine Lovegrove, Catherine Hall and Andrea's husband Bill Mayblin.

Voice actors: Josef-Israel and Lynsey Murrell.

Produced by Melissa FitzGerald & Sarah O'Reilly

A Blakeway production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in 2020.


WED 21:00 Unreal: A Critical History of Reality TV (p0c71mrt)
8. Lifestyles of The Mega-Rich: The Real Housewives & Selling Sunset

Sirin Kale and Pandora Sykes slip into the moneyed world of the Californian 0.01% with the help of a Real Housewife and a Selling Sunset realtor, to examine property porn, toxic wealth, and why audiences want schadenfreude. Featuring interviews with Real Housewife's Taylor Armstrong, Selling Sunset's Mary Fitzgerald, plus the show creators and more.

Producer: Hannah Hufford
Executive Producer: Pandora Sykes
Executive Editor: James Cook
Content Producer: Hannah Robins
Technical Producer: Giles Aspen

Archive credits:
The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, Evolution Media
Dallas, Lorimar Productions
Desperate Housewives, Cherry Productions
Selling Sunset, Done and Done Productions
ABC News, ABC


WED 22:00 Gossip and Goddesses with Granny Kumar (m001fw5d)
Series 2

Episode 3

Granny Kumar is back. After a very successful first series Meera Syal’s glorious comedy creation returns, with her great granddaughter Maya (Ambreen Razia) and arch nemesis “frenemy” Geeta (Harvey Virdi), to chat with the sisters.

"This entertaining anecdote-packed show... creating a party vibe that brings out the best in her female guests." The Observer
"It treads a fine line between the earnest and the rip-roaringly funny... It's the intimacy that makes it" Radio Times

Ummi Kumar gathers together her favourite extraordinary women at Wembley Community Centre, aided by her millennial great granddaughter Maya and her arch nemesis “frenemy” Geeta, leader of the local Asian Ladies Silver Bats community group.

The show is a women only party, where they share stories, laugh loads and chew the fat/dish the dirt/eat the laddoos… A blend of sitcom, silliness and improvised chat, led by the best kind of interviewers who know how to make anyone talk - two really nosey old Indian women.

This series, we’ll be inspired and entertained by
Episode 1: Casualty and Ackley Brisge star Sunetra Sarker, and BBC Breakfast presenter and journalist Naga Munchetty

Episode 2: Multi Olivier award winning actress Sharon D Clark, and stand-up comedian Shazia Mirza

Episode 3: Playwright and novelist Bonnie Greer, and We Are Lady Parts breakout star Anjana Vasan

Episode 4: Vigil and Sarah Jane Adventures star Anjli Mohindra, and musician and presenter Myleene Klass

Cast:
Ummi Kumar – Meera Syal
Geeta Bhandari – Harvey Virdi
Maya Kumar – Ambreen Razia

Written by Meera Syal
Music by Sanjeev Bhaskar
Producer: Liz Anstee

A CPL production, licensed by Hat Trick Productions, for BBC Radio 4


WED 22:30 Arthur Smith's Balham Bash (b00ls6bt)
Series 1

Episode 4

More fun and frolics round at Arthur Smith’s home in Balham, south London.

With comedians Stewart Lee and Reginald D Hunter.

Plus music from Sophie Ellis-Bextor. Will she be in Arthur’s kitchen?

Pippa Evans - as singer-songwriter Loretta Maine - lends a hand.

Producer: Alison Vernon-Smith

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 2009.


WED 22:55 The Comedy Club Interviews (m001gn73)
Bec Hill 2/2

From 10pm until midnight, seven days a week, The Comedy Club has two hours of comedy. And tonight, Jon Holmes chats to the comedian Bec Hill.


WED 23:00 The Million Pound Radio Show (m001g2mq)
Series 5

03/08/1991

Chernobyl five years on, the Middle East and life insurance.

Sharp-edged topical humour in the most expensive show on radio.

Written by and starring Andy Hamilton and Nick Revell

With Jasper Jacob and Felicity Montagu

Producer: Paul Mayhew-Archer

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 1991.


WED 23:30 Radio 9 (b0421tlp)
Series 1

Episode 2

Welcome to Radio 9 – the notional and irrational home of the terminally strange.

More from the Gay Board Game Olympics, plus Radiohead's happy single.

Written and performed by Johnny Daukes and Hils Barker.

With Sarah Walton, John Stevenson, Stefan Frank, Janice Vee, Matt Wilkinson and Michelle Gomez.

Producers: Johnny Daukes and Katie Marsden

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 2003.