SATURDAY 02 SEPTEMBER 2023

SAT 00:00 Anita Sullivan - The Octopus (b03c3cn6)
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to have eight legs, no bones, and skin that changes colour?

Hester is a Marine Biologist seeking to discover what it means to be an octopus. When she's called in to help the local aquarium try to breed two Giant Pacific Octopus (GPO), she uses the opportunity to carry out a social recognition experiment.

Can an octopus recognise an individual human being? As Hester delves deeper into questions of cephalopod consciousness, she develops an attachment with 'Monster' - the male GPO.

"Four-hundred million years ago, when we shared the ocean, I was a bony fish, a prototype. But you... were already you. An octopus. Now I stand here, human. Confounded by you."

Starring Amy Manson.

A strange and compelling journey into the mind of an ancient creature.

Written by Anita Sullivan.

Hester .... Amy Manson
Jenny .... Riann Steele
Simon .... Ronan Summers
Richie .... Aled Pugh

Director: James Robinson

A BBC Cymru Wales production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in October 2013.


SAT 00:45 The Visitor's Book by Stephen Gallagher (b092g86j)
A couple renting a holiday home start to feel that something happened there the year before...

Terence Edmond reads Stephen Gallagher’s short story.

Producer: Duncan Minshull

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 1992.


SAT 01:00 Leslie Charteris - The Saint (b007jtvy)
3. The Saint Plays With Fire

Simon Templar uncovers a fascist conspiracy to seize power in France.

Starring Paul Rhys.

First published in 1938 under the title 'Prelude for War' - one of a long series of novels by Leslie Charteris about the escapades of Simon Templar, alias "The Saint".

Dramatised by Neville Teller.

Simon Templar …. Paul Rhys
Patricia Holm …. Kim Thomson
Valerie …. Fiona Fullerton
Inspector Claude Eustace Tea …. John Baddeley
Peter Quentin …. Jonathan Keeble
Fairweather …. John Hartley
Luker …. Geoffrey Whitehead
General Sangore …. John Turner
Orace …. John Hollis
Knightle …. Andrew Branch
Marteau …. Roger May
Coroner …. David Collings
Bream …. David Timson

Other parts played by the cast.

Director: Matthew Walters

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 1995.


SAT 02:00 Ruth Rendell as Barbara Vine - King Solomon's Carpet (m000wlyg)
4. Out of This World

Axel's influence over the residents of the schoolhouse, near the London Underground, finally extends to Tom...

Conclusion of Ruth Rendell's crime mystery - written under the pen name of Barbara Vine.

Dramatised by Nick Fisher.

Alice .... Kate Fenwick
Axel .... Mark Strong
Tom .... Jonathan Cullen
Daphne .... Linda Polan
Cecilia .... Ann Beach
Jarvis .... Kim Wall
Tina .... Alice Arnold
Jasper .... Stuart Morris
Bienvida .... Verity Waite
Alice's mother .... Shirley Dixon
Newsreader .... Alex Lowe
First doctor .... Christopher Scott
Second doctor .... Colleen Prendergast

Musicians: Polly Hewett, Roland Robert and Christine Messiter.

Director: Marion Nancarrow

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 1996.


SAT 02:30 The Price of Silence (m00101qf)
8. Crackpoint

Maxon has uncovered an elaborate bluff to make the Russians think we’re ahead of them in the nuclear race.

But can he stop Moscow from carrying out their tests?

And is Jaqueline still on his side?

Starring Ian Hendry and Toby Robins.

Stephen Barlay's Cold War nuclear thriller.

Maxon .... Ian Hendry
Jacqueline .... Toby Robins
Nachalnlk .... Paul Hardwick
Sandy .... Peter Tuddenham
Sleet .... Brett Usher
Wennstrom .... Nigel Graham
Ellsberg .... George Coulouris
Petrushka .... Richard Marner
Announcer .... Alex Marshall

Music composed and played by Ed Welch (piano) With Ron Aspery (saxophone)

Director: Peter King.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in June 1983.


SAT 03:00 The Poet and the Echo (m0007l3p)
The Lamb

Writers choose poems as inspiration for contemporary stories.

Inspired by 'The Lamb', from William Blake's Songs of Innocence, a moving story of love and inheritance.

Written by Pippa Goldschmidt.

Read by Kay McAllister.

Producer: Eilidh McCreadie

A BBC Scotland Production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in August 2019.


SAT 03:15 Modern Morality Tales (b070j4h2)
Wrath by Roy Williams

Eve finds herself overcome with anger on the day that she is made redundant.

But does her anger necessarily have to have a destructive end?

Inspired by the medieval morality plays. Roy Williams presents a character whose anger at the inhuman nature of modern life moves her to an act of protest.

In medieval times allegorical plays such as 'Mankind' and 'Everyman' were used to warn audiences that how they lived in the present would affect their afterlife - whether they would end up in Hell, Purgatory or Heaven.

But in a secular age how do we deal with the nature of sins and virtues? Our attitude to good and evil is certainly less black and white. Is it bad to be proud, don't we deserve respect? Can't anger be used to promote change for the better and isn't envy what drives our materialistic lifestyle?

These five tales explore our attitudes to these questions through the character of 'Eve', a 21st-century Everywoman, played by Rebecca Front.

Eve ...... Rebecca Front
Samson ...... Steve Toussaint
Supervisor ...... Nick Underwood
Bus announcements ...... Adie Allen

Director: Sally Avens

First broadcast on BBC Radio 3 in February 2016.


SAT 03:30 The Break (m000jw0b)
Series 3

1. Never The Twin

It's September in Flamford, which can only mean one thing - the Flamford Christmas Market is in full flow.

Jeff persuades his recalcitrant London nephew Andy to join him in a gift-shopping expedition.

Along the way they encounter pokerwork sign-maker and fire hazard Pam, loud, lovelorn and now jobless Town Crier Peter Humfriss and The Ghost of Christmas-Who-Gives-A-Stuff - chiselling pensioner Mr Truepenny.

Christmas, even though it’s September, is also a time for mysteries - one of which sees Jeff and Andy pitted against the enigmatic Applegarth twins.

Created and written by Ian Brown and James Hendrie.

Jeff ...... Philip Jackson
The Applegarth Twins ...... Alison Steadman
Peter Humfriss ...... Mark Benton
Pam ...... Shobna Gulati
Mr Truepenny ...... Rasmus Hardiker
Andy ...... James Northcote

Director: Gordon Kennedy

An Absolutely production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in June 2020.


SAT 04:00 Marriage Lines (b04nqbmh)
Series 1

Four-Part Harmony

Whilst George is in the pub, Kate worries about what he's really up to...

Starring Richard Briers and Prunella Scales.

Richard Waring’s sitcom based on the mutual love and mistrust of two newlyweds.

Originating on BBC TV, it ran between 1963-65 and was adapted in two series for BBC radio due to its popularity.

George ...... Richard Briers
Kate ...... Prunella Scales
Laura ...... Heather Chasen
Peter ...... Geoffrey Matthews

Other parts played by:

Jo Kendall
Nigel Graham

Producer: Charles Maxwell

First broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in June 1965.


SAT 04:30 Charles Dickens (b00rz6m8)
Sketches by Boz - Series 2

Love and Oysters

The tale of John Dounce whose orderly life is disrupted on acquaintance with an oyster seller.

Gloriously comic stories of London Life by Charles Dickens.

Dramatised by Stephen Wyatt

Boz ...... Nicholas Farrell
John ...... David Calder
Fanny ...... Samantha Spiro
Rosa ...... Siriol Jenkins
Dora ...... Elizabeth Conboy
Harris ...... David Allister
Jones ...... loan Meredith

Director: Sally Avens

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 1999.


SAT 05:00 Listomania (b0b1xqns)
Series 1

Episode 6

From the magnificent to the mundane.

From the humble 'to do' list to the bucket list and many more...

Susan Calman hosts the series exploring the world of the lists.

With:

Sara Cox
Elis James
Isy Suttie
Gary Delaney

Written by James Kettle and Juliet Meyers with Max Davis

Producer: Jane Berthoud and Adnan Ahmed.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 2 in March 2015.


SAT 05:30 The Great Pursuit (m001q08m)
2. Blow Ups

"It's the most depraved...obscene novel I've ever read...it'll make millions."

$20,000,000 in fact, provided literary agent Frederick Frensic can ensure Peter Piper keeps pretending to have written the book - while the real author remains anonymous...

Tom Sharpe's anarchic satire of the world of publishing.

Dramatised by Ryan Craig.

Frederick Frensic .... Mark Heap
Peter Piper ..... Adam Godley
Sonia Futtle .... Laurel Lefkow
Hutchmeyer .... John Guerrasio
Baby Hutchmeyer .... Sandra Dickinson
Geoffrey Corkadale .... Nicholas Boulton
Macmordie/Reporter .... Kerry Shale
Marianna Moore .... Alex Tregear

Director: Toby Swift

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 2005.


SAT 06:00 Rose Tremain (m001q62q)
The Birdcage

Stella is an ordinary, suburban young woman.

She seems an unlikely companion for the terminally ill Radcliffe Kent, who is a great musician.

While he lies dying, Stella is there to nurse him - and she both gives and receives something unexpected...

Written by Rose Tremain.

Radcliffe Kent …. Alan Dobie
Stella Bennett …. Maggie McCarthy
Anne Kent …. Barbara Leigh-Hunt
Sgt Bennett .... Norman Jones
Mrs Bennett .... Jane Wenham
Tony Samuels .... John Forbes-Robertson

Director: Penny Gold

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 1984.


SAT 07:15 Modern Morality Tales (b0704thq)
Moderation by Lin Coghlan

Eve comes face to face with her Spiritual Estate Agent after her car crashes into a canal.

In a tale inspired by the medieval morality plays, Lin Coghlan takes a comic look at our attitude towards moderation.

In medieval times allegorical plays such as 'Mankind' and 'Everyman' were used to warn audiences that how they lived in the present would affect their afterlife - whether they would end up in Hell, Purgatory or Heaven.

But in a secular age how do we deal with the nature of sins and virtues? Our attitude to good and evil is certainly less black and white. Is it bad to be proud; don't we deserve respect? Can't anger be used to promote change for the better and isn't envy what drives our materialistic lifestyle?

The last of five tales exploring our attitudes to these questions through the character of 'Eve', a 21st century Everywoman, played by Rebecca Front.

Eve ...... Rebecca Front
Isobel ...... Anastasia Hille
Ana ...... Scarlett Brookes
Jerome ...... Ewan Bailey

Directed by Sally Avens

First broadcast on BBC Radio 3 in February 2016.


SAT 07:30 Losing Earth by Nathaniel Rich (Omnibus) (m0004ljp)
Nathaniel Rich tells the story of how climate change could have been stopped in the 1980s and why it wasn't.

In 1979, the science of climate change was known – what was happening, why it was happening, and how to stop it. In the US, over the next decade a variety of activists, scientists and politicians worked tirelessly to safeguard the environment but despite their efforts they couldn't.

Losing Earth is American novelist Nathaniel Rich’s account of the decade when the world came tantalizingly close to signing a binding treaty that could have made a difference.

Read by Kyle Soller.

Omnibus abridged in five parts by Richard Hamilton

Producer: Elizabeth Allard

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 2019.


SAT 08:45 Kenneth Williams - Ad Lib (b05s3nft)
Episode 3

Master raconteur Kenneth Williams recalls his London childhood – and adventures with his friend Stanley Baxter.

More entertaining reminiscences and personal opinions from the master raconteur.

Recorded in front of an audience at BBC Pebble Mill.

Producer: Michael Ford

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 1982.


SAT 09:00 Not in Front of the Children (b05r7w7g)
Series 1

Spare Time Job

Jen's scheme to make money runs into red tape - and worse.

Starring Wendy Craig and Francis Matthews.

The comedy mishaps of the Corner family - Jennifer and Henry and their three kids Trudi, Amanda and Robin.

Four series were first shown on BBC TV from 1967 to 1970.

Richard Waring adapted his own TV scripts for this radio version, now fully restored from the original reel-to-reel tapes.

Jennifer …. Wendy Craig
Henry …. Francis Matthews
Trudi …. Roberta Tovey
Robin …. Hugo Keith-Johnston
Amanda …. Jill Riddick
Mother …. Fanny Rowe
Mary …. Charlotte Mitchell
Bill Perry …. Michael Kilgarriff
Vera Walters …. Aline Waites
Bobby's Daddy …. David Tate
City Man …. Frederick Treves

Music by Ronnie Hazlehurst.

Producer: Trafford Whitelock.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 1969.


SAT 09:30 Something to Shout About (b07p6k99)
Series 3

Episode 7

It’s Monday morning and the staff is feeling fragile, with the sole exception of Maggie.

She suggests a restorative trip to the countryside, to work on their shampoo campaign...

"A light-hearted exposé of the advertising world!".

Set in a London ad agency called 'Apsley, Addis, Cohen, Barbican, Blythe, Giddy & Partners'.

Written by Myles Rudge and Ronnie Wolfe.

Michael Lightfoot …. Michael Medwin
Maggie …. Eleanor Summerfield
Janet …. Fenella Fielding
Mavis …. Joan Sims
Adrian Beales …. Nicholas Phipps
Other characters …. Warren Mitchell

Producer: John Simmonds

First broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in November 1961.


SAT 10:00 Motherhood: Bump, Birth and Beyond (m001090l)
3. Beyond

Charting the horrors and the highs of becoming a mother, Jessica Fostekew tackles coping with the new arrival.

In the last of three programmes, Jessica dips into the BBC archive.

And she chats to lots of special guests including

Jenny Eclair
Cariad Lloyd
Sara Barron
Richard and Catie Herring
Caroline Mabey
Jen Brister
Hatty Ashdown
Kirsty Newton
Katie Mulgrew
Taylor Glenn
Robin Ince
Laura Lexx
Sindhu Vee
Diane Morgan
Holly Walsh

Producer: Laura Grimshaw.

Made for BBC Radio 4 Extra and first broadcast in March 2018.


SAT 11:00 Rose Tremain (m001q62q)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]


SAT 12:15 Modern Morality Tales (b0704thq)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:15 today]


SAT 12:30 Losing Earth by Nathaniel Rich (Omnibus) (m0004ljp)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]


SAT 13:45 Kenneth Williams - Ad Lib (b05s3nft)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:45 today]


SAT 14:00 Not in Front of the Children (b05r7w7g)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]


SAT 14:30 Something to Shout About (b07p6k99)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 today]


SAT 15:00 Motherhood: Bump, Birth and Beyond (m001090l)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 today]


SAT 16:00 Anita Sullivan - The Octopus (b03c3cn6)
[Repeat of broadcast at 00:00 today]


SAT 16:45 The Visitor's Book by Stephen Gallagher (b092g86j)
[Repeat of broadcast at 00:45 today]


SAT 17:00 Rose Tremain (m001q62q)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]


SAT 18:15 Modern Morality Tales (b0704thq)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:15 today]


SAT 18:30 Losing Earth by Nathaniel Rich (Omnibus) (m0004ljp)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]


SAT 19:45 Kenneth Williams - Ad Lib (b05s3nft)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:45 today]


SAT 20:00 Not in Front of the Children (b05r7w7g)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]


SAT 20:30 Something to Shout About (b07p6k99)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 today]


SAT 21:00 Motherhood: Bump, Birth and Beyond (m001090l)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 today]


SAT 22:00 Bridget Christie Minds the Gap (b01r9swd)
Series 1

Episode 3

Bridget considers women and their relationship with their bodies via a lap dance, TOWIE and a fish called Michael.

Fred MacAulay helps her remember some of the key incidents which brought her to an epiphany and a call to arms.

Stand up comedy series on the state of British feminism today.

Producer; Alison Vernon-Smith

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 2013.


SAT 22:30 Cowards (b007jf0x)
Series 1

Episode 6

Moustaches and job interviews in the bizarre world of the comedy sketch show team.

Written and performed by:

Tom Basden
Stefan Golaszewski
Tim Key
Lloyd Wool

Producer: Victoria Lloyd

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 2007.


SAT 23:00 Ross Noble Goes Global (b01cjg35)
Series 2

Adelaide

Ross travels to Adelaide in Australia and discovers it is a city of weirdness.

Men dressed in leotards wander the streets, and the locals all seem to be hiding something sinister...

A series of travelogues from comedian Ross Noble.

Producer: Danny Wallace

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 2003.


SAT 23:30 The Mark Steel Lecture (b00sdyxt)
Series 3

Muhammad Ali

A profile of Cassius Clay - who was a good showman - and when his fights appeared on local TV, he began his trademark rhyming.

He went on to be recruited to the Nation of Islam at a time of the civil rights movement.

Mark Steel's comic lectures about the lives of historical figures whose ideas and enthusiasm shaped their generation.

With:

Martin Hyder
Mel Hudson

Producer: Lucy Armitage

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 2002.

SUNDAY 03 SEPTEMBER 2023

SUN 00:00 Haunted (b01qrljn)
Esmeralda by John Keir Cross

Felix might finally be free of his wife, but who is the mysterious woman claiming to be his daughter?

A collection of supernatural tales.

John Keir Cross's story dramatised by Patricia Mays

Mr Broome .... George Baker
Esmeralda .... Kim Braden

With:

Pauline Letts
Katherine Parr
David Gooderson
Crawford Logan

Director: Derek Hoddinott

First broadcast on BBC World Service in February 1982.


SUN 00:30 Wally K Daly (b007jv1m)
The Children of Witchwood

4. Return to the Burning Field

After her mystery disappearance, Jackie Lamont has gained strange powers of telepathy.

BQ Brown of the Ministry of Defence continues his investigation linking this to sinister events back in the 17th century….

Starring Wendy Baxter.

The last drama series which Wally K Daly wrote for radio.

Jackie Lamont …. Wendy Baxter
BQ Brown .... Michael Cochrane
Mandy Lamont …. Emily Chennery
Sion Lamont …. Scott Gray
Jason Cranford …. Laurence Saunders
Cheever Cranford …. Jez Thomas
Becky Cranford …. Becky Wright
DC Danny Sparks …. Daniel Settatree
WPC Polly Bell …. Lorraine Coady
Mother/Minister …. Jilly Bond
Iron Peter …. Robert Lister

Directed at BBC Birmingham by Jenny Stephens.

Made for BBC7 and first broadcast in September 2005.


SUN 01:00 Rose Tremain (m001q62q)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 on Saturday]


SUN 02:15 Modern Morality Tales (b0704thq)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:15 on Saturday]


SUN 02:30 Losing Earth by Nathaniel Rich (Omnibus) (m0004ljp)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 on Saturday]


SUN 03:45 Kenneth Williams - Ad Lib (b05s3nft)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:45 on Saturday]


SUN 04:00 Not in Front of the Children (b05r7w7g)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 on Saturday]


SUN 04:30 Something to Shout About (b07p6k99)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 on Saturday]


SUN 05:00 Motherhood: Bump, Birth and Beyond (m001090l)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 on Saturday]


SUN 06:00 Poetry Extra (m001q64x)
The Poetry of History - The English Civil War and Marvell

Poet Daljit Nagra revisits the BBC's poetry archive and selects The Poetry of History - The English Civil War and Marvell.

From a series that investigates the connections between historical events and the poems they inspired.

Jonathan Bate visits Westminster to work on Andrew Marvell's An Horatian Ode upon Cromwell's Return from Ireland, in which the poet wrestles with his loyalty to the recently beheaded King Charles I and his respect for the energy of Oliver Cromwell.

Producer : Tom Alban

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 2006.


SUN 06:30 The Drop by Mick Herron (Omnibus) (m000d7fw)
When retired spy Solomon Dortmund sees an envelope pass from one hand to another in a bustling cafe, he knows he's witnessed more than an innocent encounter.

But by relaying his suspicions to his MI5 handler, he sets in train events which will alter lives.

Set in a snow-dusted London, Mick Herron's taut thriller takes place in the gap where old-style spy craft and modern intelligence analysis don't quite meet.

Omnibus of five parts abridged by Eileen Horne

Read by John Heffernan

Producer: Eilidh McCreadie

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 2020.


SUN 07:40 Inheritance Tracks (m001q654)
Sophie Ellis-Bextor

Singer Sophie Ellis-Bextor chooses ‘Comfortably Numb’ by Pink Floyd and ‘Harmony Hall’ by Vampire Weekend.


SUN 07:50 Girls of Riyadh (Omnibus) (m000fn1v)
The girls of Riyadh are young, attractive and living by Saudi Arabia’s strict cultural traditions.

Well, not quite... In between dating, shopping, drinking, dancing and having fun, they’re still trying to be good Muslims and please their families.

But can you be a 21st century woman and a Saudi woman?

Best-selling novel written by Rajaa Alsanea.

Omnibus of five parts dramatised by Claudine Toutoungi.

Gamrah ...... Lara Sawalha
Sadeem ...... Laila Alj
Michelle ...... Jasmine Jones
Lamees ...... Nyla Levy
Faisal ...... Ikky Elyas
Rashid ...... Elham Ehsas
Firas ...... Moe Bar-El
Pilot/ Bookseller ...... Ian Conningham
Tara ...... Sinead MacInnes

Director: Emma Harding

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 2020.


SUN 09:00 A Life of Bliss (m001q65g)
From 28/05/1957

David made a female friend on a business trip. Will it prove problematic for his engagement?

Starring George Cole.

Godfrey Harrison's sitcom about bashful, bumbling bachelor, David Alexander Bliss.

David Bliss …. George Cole
Ann …. Diana Churchill
Tony ….Colin Gordon
Mrs Bliss …. Gladys Young
Mr Bliss …. Carleton Hobbs
Psyche the Dog …. Percy Edwards
Penny Gaye …. Petula Clark
Honor Marchant …. Gwen Cherrall

Six series of 118 episodes of A Life of Bliss ran on the BBC Home Service from 1953. It moved to BBC TV for a run of six episodes in 1969.

Sadly very few episodes survive in the BBC archive, including the first seven starring David Tomlinson. His replacement George Cole went to to star in the St Trinian's films and later as dodgy Arthur Daley in ITV's Minder.

The BBC Variety Orchestra conducted by Paul Fenhoulet.

Producer: Leslie Bridgmont

First broadcast on the BBC Home Service in August 1957.


SUN 09:30 The Navy Lark (b03t0cq8)
Series 9

Have Been Painting Pink Spots

Pertwee's wheeling and dealing leaves HMS Troutbridge in the firing line.

Starring Leslie Phillips, Jon Pertwee and Stephen Murray.

Laughs afloat aboard British Royal Navy frigate HMS Troutbridge.

Written by Lawrie Wyman.

The Sub-Lieutenant ...... Leslie Phillips
The Chief Petty Officer ...... Jon Pertwee
The Number One ...... Stephen Murray
Landlord ...... Richard Caldicot
Rene ...... Heather Chasen
Able Seaman Johnson ...... Ronnie Barker
The Admiral ...... Tenniel Evans
The Flag Lieutenant ....... Michael Bates

The Navy Lark ran for an impressive 13 series between 1959 and 1976.

Producer: Alastair Scott Johnston.

First broadcast on the BBC Radio 2 in November 1967.


SUN 10:00 Desert Island Discs Revisited (p00935rv)
British Music Makers

Jarvis Cocker

Pulp's singer and musician, Jarvis Cocker is castaway by Sue Lawley.

Jarvis formed the band Pulp in the late 1970s and says that as a gawky, self-conscious teenager he felt pop music did not properly inform him about the disappointments and miseries of growing up - and he was determined to write songs that included "the messy bits and the awkward, fumbling bits".

He had to wait more than a decade to find success - but Pulp went on to become one of the most popular bands of the 1990s, with hits including Do You Remember the First Time? Sorted For Es And Wizz and Common People.

The band's crowning glory was its performance of 'Common People' at the Glastonbury festival in 1995.

The following year, Jarvis Cocker made headlines again - this time the tabloid front pages after he invaded the stage while Michael Jackson was performing at the pop industry's annual awards ceremony. Fans were thrilled, but it marked the beginning of a difficult time in the singer's life.

Now he is married with a young son and living in Paris and has recently written songs for Nancy Sinatra and Marianne Faithfull as well as writing the music for the film Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire.

DISC ONE: Theme - Robert Mellin
DISC TWO: Transmission - Joy Division
DISC THREE: Mouldy Old Dough - Lieutenant Pigeon
DISC FOUR: Ten Guitars - Engelbert Humperdinck
DISC FIVE: The War is Over - Scott Walker
DISC SIX: Lady With the Braid - Dory Previn
DISC SEVEN: I See a Darkness - Johnny Cash
DISC EIGHT: Sailing By - Ronald Binge

BOOK CHOICE: Sombrero Fallout - Richard Brautigan
LUXURY CHOICE: A bed with a mosquito net
CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: Sailing By - Ronald Binge

Desert Island Discs was created by Roy Plomley.

Producer: Leanne Buckle

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 2005.


SUN 10:45 David Attenborough's Life Stories (b00m74rt)
Series 1

Coelacanth

The Coelacanth is a primitive bony fish thought to be an important ancestor to all back-boned animals that ventured onto land.

David Attenborough brought to TV the first film of a living fish in Life on Earth. But is it the living fossil it was claimed to be?

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

Producer: Julian Hector

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 2009.


SUN 11:00 Poetry Extra (m001q64x)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]


SUN 11:30 The Drop by Mick Herron (Omnibus) (m000d7fw)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]


SUN 12:40 Inheritance Tracks (m001q654)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:40 today]


SUN 12:50 Girls of Riyadh (Omnibus) (m000fn1v)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:50 today]


SUN 14:00 A Life of Bliss (m001q65g)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]


SUN 14:30 The Navy Lark (b03t0cq8)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 today]


SUN 15:00 Desert Island Discs Revisited (p00935rv)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 today]


SUN 15:45 David Attenborough's Life Stories (b00m74rt)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:45 today]


SUN 16:00 Haunted (b01qrljn)
[Repeat of broadcast at 00:00 today]


SUN 16:30 Wally K Daly (b007jv1m)
[Repeat of broadcast at 00:30 today]


SUN 17:00 Poetry Extra (m001q64x)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]


SUN 17:30 The Drop by Mick Herron (Omnibus) (m000d7fw)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]


SUN 18:40 Inheritance Tracks (m001q654)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:40 today]


SUN 18:50 Girls of Riyadh (Omnibus) (m000fn1v)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:50 today]


SUN 20:00 A Life of Bliss (m001q65g)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]


SUN 20:30 The Navy Lark (b03t0cq8)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 today]


SUN 21:00 Desert Island Discs Revisited (p00935rv)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 today]


SUN 21:45 David Attenborough's Life Stories (b00m74rt)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:45 today]


SUN 22:00 The Hudson and Pepperdine Show (b0076f55)
Series 3

Looking for Love

With the onset of the warm weather, Mel and Vicki find that romance and dating are the order of the day.

However, they discover carefully following the rules doesn't necessarily guarantee success...

Starring Mel Hudson and Vicki Pepperdine.

With:

Martin Hyder
Lewis MacLeod
Jim North

Written by the cast with Danny Robins, Dan Tetsell and Richie Devlin.

Script edited by Graeme Garden.

Music by Richie Webb.

Producer: Chris Neill

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 2003.


SUN 22:30 Chain Reaction (b03mjcbp)
Series 9

Kevin Bridges talks to Frankie Boyle

Clydebank's razor sharp comic and Glasgow's outspoken comedian in the talk tag show where the guest becomes the next interviewer.

Kevin Bridges chats to his comedy mentor, Frankie Boyle.

Recorded with an audience, the interviews focus on the life, career and the passions of the interviewee, but often prove to be as revealing about the interviewer.

Producer: Carl Cooper

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 2013.


SUN 22:55 The Comedy Club Interviews (m001qfzm)
Simon Farnaby 1/4

From 10pm until midnight, seven days a week, The Comedy Club has two hours of comedy. And tonight, Paul Garner talks to Simon Farnaby.


SUN 23:00 Spats (b007scyr)
Series 1

Science versus The Arts

How will Science fare against The Arts?

Luke Roberts tries to solve the big arguments using light entertainment.

Sketch series written by and starring Luke Roberts.

With:

Stephen Critchlow
Nadia Kamil
Clare Wille

Producer: Ed Morrish

Made for for BBC 7 and first broadcast in July 2007


SUN 23:15 The Hauntening (m000nf3t)
Series 3

Waiting

Modern technology is terrifying.

The average smartphone carries out 3.36 billion instructions per second. The average person can only carry out one instruction in that time. Stop and think about that for a second. Sorry, that’s two instructions - you won’t be able to do that.

But what if modern technology was literally terrifying?

What if there really was a ghost in the machine?

Travel through the bad gateway in this modern ghost story as writer and performer Tom Neenan discovers what horrors lurk in our apps and gadgets.

In this episode – hang on, let me just put you on hold...

Tom ...... Tom Neenan
Heidi ...... Jenny Bede
The Operators ...... Nina Sosanya, Alison Senior, Lucy Thackeray, Robert Wilfort
Tony ...... Dan Tetsell
The Waiter ...... Naz Osmanoglu

Written by Tom Neenan

Director: David Tyler

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


SUN 23:30 Life: An Idiot's Guide (b044mc1g)
Series 3

Belief and Opinion

Stephen K Amos sets out to compile an idiot's guide to belief and opinion.

With assistance from some of the comedy circuit's best stand-ups:

Wil Hodgson
Gavin Webster
Shazia Mirza

Producer: Colin Anderson

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 2014.

MONDAY 04 SEPTEMBER 2023

MON 00:00 Poetry Extra (m001q64x)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 on Sunday]


MON 00:30 The Drop by Mick Herron (Omnibus) (m000d7fw)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 on Sunday]


MON 01:40 Inheritance Tracks (m001q654)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:40 on Sunday]


MON 01:50 Girls of Riyadh (Omnibus) (m000fn1v)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:50 on Sunday]


MON 03:00 A Life of Bliss (m001q65g)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 on Sunday]


MON 03:30 The Navy Lark (b03t0cq8)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 on Sunday]


MON 04:00 Desert Island Discs Revisited (p00935rv)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 on Sunday]


MON 04:45 David Attenborough's Life Stories (b00m74rt)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:45 on Sunday]


MON 05:00 Lewis and Tolkien - The Lost Road (b03hxjrl)
Whether you like or loathe elves and talking lions, JRR Tolkien and CS Lewis each created compelling fictional worlds whose influence has become global.

CS Lewis was an academic and broadcaster whose prolific publication of literary criticism, novels, Christian apologia and the Narnia books for children brought him an international reputation in his lifetime.

By the time of his death in 1973, JRR Tolkien's 'The Lord of The Rings' and 'The Hobbit', (along with other published stories and poems which drew upon the mythology of Middle Earth), had already made him a cult figure around the world.

Starring Haydn Gwynne, Tom Goodman-Hill and Pip Torrens.

Robin Brooks' drama is a playful tribute to the long friendship between the two men, and the way it shaped their achievements.

Elf Queen ...... Haydn Gwynne
JRR Tolkien ...... Tom Goodman-Hill
CS Lewis ...... Pip Torrens
Worm ...... Carolyn Pickles
Betjeman ...... Harry Jardine
Informator ...... John Norton
Marcus ...... Arthur Hughes
Tiny Elf Princess ...... Isabel Brooks

Director: Jonquil Panting.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 2013.


MON 05:45 Short Works (m0006n1h)
I Go To Her Wardrobe by Sabrina Mahfouz

After her Mum's funeral, Rema discovers that there is plenty she never really knew, about herself or her mother.

A story of glitter and grief by award-winning playwright and poet Sabrina Mahfouz.

Director: Becky Ripley.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 2019.


MON 06:00 Whodunnits (b007jvn6)
Wimsey - Strong Poison

1. Old Bailey

Lord Peter Wimsey attends the trial of Harriet Vane, a young mystery writer accused of poisoning her former lover with arsenic.

The evidence against her seems overwhelming, but the shrewd, debonair sleuth harbours doubts over her guilt.

Ian Carmichael stars as the aristocratic sleuth.

British gentleman detective Lord Peter Wimsey created by Dorothy L. Sayers.

Classy and sharp-witted, aristocratic amateur sleuth Lord Peter Bredon Wimsey was born in 1890 and educated at Eton and Oxford, before serving in the military during the First World War.

Ian Carmichael appeared as Lord Peter Wimsey for BBC Radio from 1973 to 1983, in addition to the BBC TV adaptations that were broadcast between 1972 and 1975.

From the book first published in 1930.

Dramatised in in six parts by Chris Miller.

Lord Peter Wimsey …. Ian Carmichael
Harriet Vane …. Anne Bell
Judge …. Carleton Hobbs
Dowager Duchess …. Charlotte Mitchell
Attorney-General …. Stephen Thorne
Sir Impey Biggs …. Robert Gillespie
Sir James Lubbock …. Garard Green
Freddy Arbuthnot …. Christopher Scoular
Hannah Westlock …. Christine Ozanne
Foreman of the Jury …. Clifford Norgate

Producer: Simon Brett.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 1976.


MON 06:30 The Price of Silence (m00100hb)
9. The Price

Old Petrushka, last of the old guard, is dead. What will Russia do next? Who will win the deadly game of "nuclear poker" ?

And what does General Locke have in store for Maxon and Jaqueline?

Starring Ian Hendry and Toby Robins.

Conclusion of Stephen Barlay's Cold War nuclear thriller.

Maxon .... Ian Hendry
Jacqueline .... Toby Robins
the Nachalnik .... Paul Hardwick
Locke .... Alan Tilvern
Nadia .... Zhivlla Roche
Gloucester/Wennstrom .... Nigel Graham
Reporter ... Brett Usher
Stewardess .... Alex Marshall
Beryov .... Peter Gale
Captain .... Stuart Milligan

Music composed and played by Ed Welch (piano) with Ron Aspery (Sax).

Director: Peter King.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in June 1983.


MON 07:00 Underland by Robert Macfarlane (m0004lh3)
1. Caves

Robert Macfarlane muses on the worlds beneath our feet.

In this the Anthropocene Age, life underground is ecologically and delicately poised...and then he recalls a vivid cave journey in the Mendips, with his friend Sean:

"The entry is awkward, a body-bending downwards wriggle before a drop..."

Read by the author.

Abridged in five parts by Katrin Williams.

Producer: Duncan Minshull.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 2019.


MON 07:15 Henry James (m0000nm1)
What Maisie Knew

1. Divorce

Following her parents' divorce, six year old Maisie finds herself at the centre of their bitter struggle.

Written by Henry James

Dramatised in five parts by Amanda Dalton.

Maisie ...... Talia Barnett
Beale Farange …… Andonis Anthony
Ida Farange …... Joanne Mitchell
Miss Overmore / Mrs Beale …… Emma Naomi
Mrs Wix …... Julie Hesmondhalgh
Henry James ...... John Lynch

Director: Nadia Molinari

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 2018.


MON 07:30 A Month of June (b01jxrmw)
3. Now You See Me, Now You Don't

There's skulduggery afoot in Mrs. Ramsbottom's safe house for refugees from the Sorcerers' Circle.

Starring June Whitfield.

Series of comedies written for the legendary actress by Andy Merriman and Peter Morfoot.

Debra Cadabra ..... June Whitfield
Kitty French ..... Barbara Windsor
Harry Halliday ..... Robert Blythe
Billy .... Joe Sims
Fred ..... Patrick Brennan
Mrs Ramsbottom ..... Christine Absalom

Director: David Hunter

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in June 2012.


MON 08:00 Stop Messing About! (b00cft0x)
Series 1

Episode 10

Happy campers on holiday - and Tarzan swings in with Jane and Cheetah.

Starring:

Kenneth Williams
Hugh Paddick
Joan Sims

Announcer: Douglas Smith.

After the unexpected death of Kenneth Horne in 1969, plans for the next series of Round The Horne were axed. Instead - using an old catchphrase of Kenneth Williams as a series title - Kenneth joined Hugh Paddick to continue the comedy tradition and was also reunited with his "Carry On" film co-star Joan Sims.

Written by Johnnie Mortimer, Brian Cooke and Myles Rudge

With the Max Harris Group.

Producer: John Simmonds

First broadcast on BBC Radio 2 in June 1969.


MON 08:30 Radio Cars (m001q61g)
4. A Long Time Dead

Lou lies dying in hospital. Eddie promises him one last favour - and lives to regret it.

Meanwhile back in the office, they have a new cleaner.

Starring Harriet Walter and Gary Waldhorn.

Jennifer Phillips's five-part comedy series set in the offices of a disreputable London cab company.

Eddie .... Gary Waldhorn
Angela .... Harriet Walter
Mrs Corfton-Browne / Rhonda .... Maxine Audley
Nicco .... Neil Dudgeon
Frenchie ....Terence Edmond
Mohammed .... Stefan Kalipha
Lou .... Ronald Herdman
Liam ... Gerard Ohare
Nellie ... Mary Wimbush
Lisette/Nurse .... Joanna Mays
Suzie .... Danielle Allan
Rusty .... Ben Onwukwe

Director: Richard Wortley

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 1991.


MON 09:00 The Write Stuff (b02lyb11)
Series 16

William Blake

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

Team captains John Walsh and Sebastian Faulks are joined by John O'Farrell and Jane Thynne.

This episode focuses on William Blake.

Reader: Beth Chalmers

Producer: Alexandra Smith

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in June 2013.


MON 09:30 Alison and Maud (b007k3lg)
Series 2

Golf Is a Four-Letter Word

Maud seeks solace in Test Match Special while Alison gets in a flap over a bird fancier.

Starring Denise Coffey and Miriam Margolyes.

Sue Limb's Bed and Breakfast sitcom about sisters Alison and Maud and their guests at the Abbeyfield Guest House in Norwich.

Alison ...... Denise Coffey
Maud ...... Miriam Margolyes
Mr Mullet ...... Chris Emmett
Bernard ...... Geoffrey Whitehead

Producer: Jonathan James-Moore.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 2004.


MON 10:00 Lewis and Tolkien - The Lost Road (b03hxjrl)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:00 today]


MON 10:45 Short Works (m0006n1h)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:45 today]


MON 11:00 Whodunnits (b007jvn6)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]


MON 11:30 The Price of Silence (m00100hb)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]


MON 12:00 Underland by Robert Macfarlane (m0004lh3)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]


MON 12:15 Henry James (m0000nm1)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:15 today]


MON 12:30 A Month of June (b01jxrmw)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]


MON 13:00 Stop Messing About! (b00cft0x)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]


MON 13:30 Radio Cars (m001q61g)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]


MON 14:00 The Write Stuff (b02lyb11)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]


MON 14:30 Alison and Maud (b007k3lg)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 today]


MON 15:00 Lewis and Tolkien - The Lost Road (b03hxjrl)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:00 today]


MON 15:45 Short Works (m0006n1h)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:45 today]


MON 16:00 Whodunnits (b007jvn6)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]


MON 16:30 The Price of Silence (m00100hb)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]


MON 17:00 Underland by Robert Macfarlane (m0004lh3)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]


MON 17:15 Henry James (m0000nm1)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:15 today]


MON 17:30 A Month of June (b01jxrmw)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]


MON 18:00 Stop Messing About! (b00cft0x)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]


MON 18:30 Radio Cars (m001q61g)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]


MON 19:00 The Write Stuff (b02lyb11)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]


MON 19:30 Alison and Maud (b007k3lg)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 today]


MON 20:00 Radiolab (m0016p9w)
Series 9

Mixtape 1 - Dakou

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

Radiolab Mixtape is a special 4 part series

Mixtape 1: Dakou - explores how musicians who took the damaged plastic scraps of Western music, changed the musical landscape of China.

Through the 1980s, the vast majority of people in China had never heard Western music, save for John Denver, the Carpenters, and a few other artists included on the hand-picked list of songs sanctioned by the Communist Party. But in the late 90s, a mysterious man named Professor Ye made a discovery at a plastic recycling center in Heping.

Radiolab talks to Chinese historians, music critics, and the musicians who took the damaged plastic scraps of Western music, changed the musical landscape of China, and reimagined rock and roll in ways we never could’ve imagined.

From WNYC. First broadcast on public radio in the USA in 2021.


MON 20:55 Inheritance Tracks (b08r40fk)
David Rodigan

DJ David Rodigan chooses 'You Don't Have To Say You Love Me' by Dusty Springfield and 'Feeling Soul' by Bob Andy.


MON 21:00 Mastertapes (b06sgjsc)
Series 5

Squeeze (the A Side)

Glenn Tilbrook and Chris Difford talk about Squeeze's 1981 album, 'East Side Story'.

Series in which leading performers and songwriters talk about the album that made them or changed them.

Recorded in front of a live audience at the BBC's iconic Maida Vale Studios, each edition includes two episodes - the A-side and B-side.

In the A-side, Glenn and Chris talk to John Wilson.

'East Side Story' was originally intended as a four-sided double LP with each side using a different producer (Dave Edmunds, Nick Lowe, Paul McCartney and Elvis Costello). It was released in 1981 as a single LP with 14 songs. With it Squeeze moved away from their traditional ‘new wave’ sound to a more varied mix of genres that took in rockabilly, R&B, blue-eyed soul, Merseybeat, and psychedelia.

With tracks like Tempted, Is That Love, Messed Around and Labelled with Love (which was only on the album because eventual producer Elvis Costello persuaded Glenn Tilbrook it should be included) the album is packed with keen, precise, funny and sad lyrics about lovers, drunks, deadbeats and lonely working girls – or as Chris Difford describes them: ‘suburban short stories’.

In the B-side of the programme, it's the turn of the audience to ask the questions.

Producer: Paul Kobrak

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 2015.


MON 21:30 Lew Griffin - Eye of the Cricket (b007jwmz)
1. Victim

Lew Griffin is a a black man living in New Orleans, haunted by lost loves - including the son he assumes to be dead.

He's a university lecturer, a novelist and, if he can be persuaded, a Private Eye.

Just as Lew starts to pick up his writing after a four year hiatus, he is interrupted by a call from an Emergency Room medical student.

A victim of a truck accident has been admitted. He was found carrying one of Lew's books - signed - so Lew is invited along to the hospital to try and identify the young man. A student then asks Lew if he can help him track down his brother who has also disappeared.

From a series of detective novels written by James Sallis, first published in 1997.

Read by Ray Shell.

Abridged in ten parts and produced by Gordon House.

Made for BBC 7 and first broadcast in March 2006.


MON 22:00 Just a Minute (m001q0nl)
Edinburgh Festival 2023

2. MacAulay, Brandreth, Parris and McCabe

In this the second of two specials recorded at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Sue Perkins challenges guests including Gyles Brandreth, Susie McCabe, Fred MacAulay and Rachel Parris to speak for 60 seconds without repetition, deviation or hesitation.

Production coordinator: Caroline Barlow
Producer: Rajiv Karia

A BBC Studios Production for Radio 4


MON 22:30 And Now in Colour (b007jvy6)
Series 2

The Grand Tour

The sketch show team take their audience on a luxury excursion to London.

Precision comedy written and performed by:

Tim Firth
Tim de Jongh
Michael Rutger
William Vandyck

Producer: Lissa Evans

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 1991.


MON 23:00 The Naked Week (m001q12j)
The sixth of our satirical specials this summer. From The Skewer’s Jon Holmes comes The Naked Week, a fresh way of dressing the week’s news in the altogether and parading it around for everyone to laugh at.

Host Andrew Hunter Murray (No Such Thing As A Fish, QI Elf, Private Eye) will strip away the curtain and dive into not only the big stories, but also the way in which the news is packaged and presented.

From award-winning writers and a crack team of contemporary satirists - and recorded in front of a live audience - The Naked Week delivers (consensual) topical news nude straight to your ears.

An unusual production for BBC Radio 4


MON 23:30 Lee and Herring's Fist of Fun (b007zmh6)
Edinburgh

Stewart Lee berates Richard Herring for his lack of street cred, Peter Baynham shares some unusual recipes and is Radio 1 really the youth-friendly station it pretends to be?

Stewart Lee and Richard Herring's mix of sharp sketches and situations, stand up topical gags and banter.

Recorded at the Pleasance Theatre during the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

With:

Alistair McGowan
Rebecca Front

Lee and Herring went to write and star in their successful TV transfer to BBC TWO in 1995.

The rest of this series comes from university venues, including Plymouth, Lancaster and Belfast.

Cult BBC Radio 1 series first broadcast in October 1993.

TUESDAY 05 SEPTEMBER 2023

TUE 00:00 Lewis and Tolkien - The Lost Road (b03hxjrl)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:00 on Monday]


TUE 00:45 Short Works (m0006n1h)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:45 on Monday]


TUE 01:00 Whodunnits (b007jvn6)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 on Monday]


TUE 01:30 The Price of Silence (m00100hb)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 on Monday]


TUE 02:00 Underland by Robert Macfarlane (m0004lh3)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 on Monday]


TUE 02:15 Henry James (m0000nm1)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:15 on Monday]


TUE 02:30 A Month of June (b01jxrmw)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 on Monday]


TUE 03:00 Stop Messing About! (b00cft0x)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 on Monday]


TUE 03:30 Radio Cars (m001q61g)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 on Monday]


TUE 04:00 The Write Stuff (b02lyb11)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 on Monday]


TUE 04:30 Alison and Maud (b007k3lg)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 on Monday]


TUE 05:00 HG Wells (b08fdkd1)
Ann Veronica

1. A Fresh Start

Spirited and fiercely intelligent, Ann Veronica is a 21st Century woman in an Edwardian Hobble skirt.

She runs away from her stiflingly conventional home and her domineering father to make a fresh start in London.

A lively and surprising story; not least because it's created by HG Wells.

The storytelling is witty and ironic and Ann Veronica caused a scandal in its time because of the feminist sensibilities of the heroine and also because of the affair Wells was having with Amber Reeves, the woman who inspired the novel's eponymous character.

This is a relatively unknown and unexpected novel by Wells. The Spectator described Ann Veronica as a "poisonous book..." Although unlikely to offend modern listeners, this novel addresses many feminist versus femininity issues that are still relevant today.

The novel deals with the early stages of what is arguably the most important social development of the 20th Century. the education and financial and sexual liberation of women. And the fact is that, nearly 100 years later, the problem of women who want to marry, have children and pursue a liberating career, is still not easy to solve.

Wells makes a good case for freer sexual relationships, but Amber Reeves - and later Rebecca West - were the ones whose lives were changed - by bearing and bringing up a child by him.

Dramatised by Ellen Dryden.

Ann Veronica …... Amy Hoggart
Mr Stanley ..…. Geoffrey Whitehead
HG Wells …... Bill Nighy
Manning ..…. Toby Hadoke
Aunt Molly ..…. Ruth Alexander-Rubin
Constance …... Emily Pithon
Miss Miniver ..…. Victoria Brazier
Ramage …... Jonathan Keeble
Teddy ..…. Ashley Margolis

Director: Pauline Harris

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 2017.


TUE 06:00 Whodunnits (b007jvn8)
Wimsey - Strong Poison

2. Ten Minutes in Bloomsbury

The upper-crust sleuth enlists some inside help to try and clear authoress Harriet Vane of murder.

Ian Carmichael stars as Lord Peter Wimsey – the aristocratic amateur sleuth created by Dorothy L Sayers.

Dramatised by Alistair Beaton

Lord Peter Wimsey …. Ian Carmichael
Harriet Vane …. Anne Bell
Miss Climpson …. Ambrosine Phillpotts
Chief Inspector Parker …. Gabriel Wolf
Marjorie Phelps …. Rosalind Adams
Ryland Vaughan …. Christopher Bidmeed
Nina Kropotky …. Margaret Robertson

Producer: Simon Brett.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 1976.


TUE 06:30 The Hard Buy (m001q685)
1. Difficult for Ricardo

Late 1960s, Casablanca harbour: Wealthy young British playboy Brett Beaumont is aboard his sumptuous, luxury yacht, Mistral

But his glamorous lifestyle is suddenly disrupted when his purser and his funds disappear...

Starring John Rye.

Berkely Mather's eight-part thriller serial.

Brett Beaumont .... John Rye
Max Stanton .... John Hollis
Riken .... Ian Dewar
Natolino .... John Pullen
Bosun .... Antony Viccars
Manuel .... LeRoy Lingwood
James Lander .... Brian Young
Inspector Medi .... Victor Lucas
Bank Manager .... Ian Thompson

Producer: John Tydeman.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 2 in June 1968.


TUE 07:00 Underland by Robert Macfarlane (m0004lc0)
2. Catacombs

Robert Macfarlane describes his travels in various worlds beneath our feet.

This time the adventure is urban. He travels towards a city's catacombs:

"Late in the morning we drop down a set of staircases to a point named on the maps as Hell Well."

Read by the author.

Abridged by Katrin Williams.

Producer: Duncan Minshull

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 2019.


TUE 07:15 Henry James (m0000np1)
What Maisie Knew

2. A New Governess

Maisie forms a strong bond with her new governess Miss Overmore, but everything changes when she meets Maisie's father.

Henry James's story about the complications of love and marriage seen through the eyes of a child.

Dramatised by Amanda Dalton.

Maisie ...... Talia Barnett
Beale Farange …… Andonis Anthony
Miss Overmore / Mrs Beale …… Emma Naomi
Mrs Wix …... Julie Hesmondhalgh
Sir Claude …… Rudi Dharmalingham

Director: Nadia Molinari.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 2018.


TUE 07:30 Bad Salsa (b06z2tj7)
Series 2

The Cycle of Life

Each of the women get to grips with their own particular cancer after-shocks. In this last episode each of them must face their fears.

Series two of the sitcom about three women who meet during cancer treatment and start going to salsa class together to maintain their friendship. As they adjust to life after cancer they realise that they've all changed.

The series is not about cancer, but about life after cancer, how you cope the changes in your outlook, your desires and your expectations. It's also about how other people cope with the change in you.

Written by Kay Stonham.

Chippy ...... Sharon Rooney
Jill ...... Natasha Little
Terri ...... Camille Coduri
Marco ...... Derek Elroy
Gordon ...... Andrew Obeney
Tim ...... Matt Houlihan
Georgie ...... Emily Chase
Joel ...... Joe Johnsey
Colin ...... Chris Pavlo
Dancer ...... Jessica Turner
Barman ...... Leo Wan

Director: Alison Vernon-Smith

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 2016.


TUE 08:00 The Goon Show (b00j1c4f)
Series 9

The Battle of Spion Kop

Things aren't going well in The South African War. Time to send in the cutlery.

Groundbreaking, surreal BBC radio comedy written by Spike Milligan.

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: John Browell

First broadcast on the BBC Home Service in December 1958.


TUE 08:30 Little Blighty on the Down (b00vdbsm)
Series 5

Episode 3

Scandal rocks the Parish Council, but can they keep it off the front pages?

Early '90s political satirical soap opera set in the strangely familiar village of Little Blighty.

Life here is pretty uneventful, though the humdrum happenings include social turmoil, economic upheaval and vicious political squabbles.

Written by Mark Burton, John O'Farrell and Mike Coleman.

Starring:

Jo Kendall
Michael Troughton
John Baddeley
Bernadine Corrigan
Jonathan Kydd
Daniel Strauss

Producer: Lissa Evans

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 1992.


TUE 09:00 Who Goes There? (b0076bdv)
Series 6

Episode 6

Martin Young chairs the biographical quiz show about the noteworthy and notorious.

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

With guests:

Geoffrey Durham
Jenny Colgan

Producer: Elizabeth Freestone

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 2002.


TUE 09:30 No Commitments (b01mtn2p)
Series 10

A Marriage of Inconvenience

Victoria is livid when her daughter's wedding plans are upstaged by her sister Charlotte.

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

Anna .... Rosemary Leach
Victoria .... Angela Thorne
Charlotte ..... Celia Imrie
Roger …. Bill Nighy
Nick …. Kieran Hill

Music by Elizabeth Parker of the BBC Radiophonic Workshop.

Written and produced by Simon Brett

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 2004.


TUE 10:00 HG Wells (b08fdkd1)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:00 today]


TUE 11:00 Whodunnits (b007jvn8)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]


TUE 11:30 The Hard Buy (m001q685)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]


TUE 12:00 Underland by Robert Macfarlane (m0004lc0)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]


TUE 12:15 Henry James (m0000np1)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:15 today]


TUE 12:30 Bad Salsa (b06z2tj7)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]


TUE 13:00 The Goon Show (b00j1c4f)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]


TUE 13:30 Little Blighty on the Down (b00vdbsm)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]


TUE 14:00 Who Goes There? (b0076bdv)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]


TUE 14:30 No Commitments (b01mtn2p)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 today]


TUE 15:00 HG Wells (b08fdkd1)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:00 today]


TUE 16:00 Whodunnits (b007jvn8)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]


TUE 16:30 The Hard Buy (m001q685)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]


TUE 17:00 Underland by Robert Macfarlane (m0004lc0)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]


TUE 17:15 Henry James (m0000np1)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:15 today]


TUE 17:30 Bad Salsa (b06z2tj7)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]


TUE 18:00 The Goon Show (b00j1c4f)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]


TUE 18:30 Little Blighty on the Down (b00vdbsm)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]


TUE 19:00 Who Goes There? (b0076bdv)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]


TUE 19:30 No Commitments (b01mtn2p)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 today]


TUE 20:00 TED Radio Hour (m001q693)
Series 9

The Age of Fraud

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

Manoush Zomorodi explores the explosion of ‘white collar’ fraud in the USA, with forensic accountant, Kelly Richmond Pope.

First broadcast in the USA on National Public Radio in 2023.


TUE 20:50 Inheritance Tracks (b09m5mft)
Tamasin Day Lewis

Chef and food critic, Tamasin Day Lewis selects Johann Sebastian Bach's Brandenburg 6 and Rise and Fall by Fireflies.


TUE 21:00 Mastertapes (b06sgy7p)
Series 5

Squeeze (the B Side)

Following on from the A-side of this two-part programme, the audience ask Glenn Tilbrook and Chris Difford questions about Squeeze's 1981 album, 'East Side Story'.

With John Wilson at the BBC's iconic Maida Vale Studios in London.

Chris and Glenn also perform exclusive live versions of some of the tracks from the album.

Producer: Paul Kobrak

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 2015.


TUE 21:30 Lew Griffin - Eye of the Cricket (b0089k7h)
2. The Past

Writer and detective Lewis Griffin, chooses to dwell on his troubled past when he was rarely sober and lived an itinerant lifestyle.

He waits at the hospital hoping a recovering patient can some light on the mystery of his missing son David.

Detective novel written by James Sallis.

Read by Ray Shell.

Abridged and produced by Gordon House.

Made for BBC 7 and first broadcast in March 2006.


TUE 22:00 The Ultimate Choice (m001k78j)
Series 1

Episode 6: Churchill v Teletubby

Steph McGovern heads to Leeds to ask some seriously funny minds for their definitive answers to the great questions of our age. Or not. Welcome to the world's most devious game of Would You Rather? With guests Daliso Chaponda and Chris McCausland.

Host: Steph McGovern
Guests: Daliso Chaponda and Chris McCausland.
Devised and written by Jon Harvey & Joseph Morpurgo
With additional material from Laura Major
Researcher: Leah Marks
Recorded and mixed by David Thomas
Producer: Jon Harvey
Executive Producers: Ed Morrish and Polly Thomas

Photo: Carolyn Mendelsohn

A Naked Production for BBC Radio 4.


TUE 22:30 Alice's Wunderland (b06d2m05)
Series 3

Episode 3

The Machiavellian Madame Cauchemar is put in charge of the school pantomime.

Will Caroline, daughter of cricket billionaire Clive Spoon, be allowed to take the leading role?

A sketch show written and performed by Alice Lowe.

With Marcia Warren as the narrator.

Also starring:

Richard Glover
Simon Greenall
Rachel Stubbing
Clare Thompson

Producer: Lyndsay Fenner

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 2015.


TUE 22:55 The Comedy Club Interviews (m001qfzp)
Simon Farnaby 2/4

From 10pm until midnight, seven days a week, The Comedy Club has two hours of comedy. And tonight, Paul Garner talks to Simon Farnaby.


TUE 23:00 Meet David Sedaris (m000tfkv)
Series 8

Instalment 2

When the whole world ground to a Covid-fuelled viral halt - world-renowned storyteller David Sedaris recorded this special series of entertaining essays and diary entries at his Sussex home.

This time the focus of David’s sardonic wit and incisive social critiques:

* Unbuttoned

David Sedaris first shared his very particular world view having brought us The SantaLand Diaries back in 1996.

David has become one of America’s pre-eminent humour writers and, in 2019, was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Letters.

The great skill with which he slices through cultural euphemisms and political correctness proves that he's a master of satire and one of the most observant writers addressing the human condition today.

Producer: Steve Doherty.

A Giddy Goat production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in March 2021.


TUE 23:30 Think the Unthinkable (b007m4dz)
Series 2

Riddlington Plastic

The team marvel at the world wide web, and Ryan gets embroiled in a protest.

James Cary’s award-winning sitcom about management consultants.

Ryan ...... Marcus Brigstocke
Sophie ...... Emma Kennedy
Daisy ...... Catherine Shepherd
Owen ...... David Mitchell
Nigel ...... Simon Grenall
Waitress ...... Janice Phayre
Storm ...... Ewan Bailey
Various ...... Geraldine McNulty

Other parts played by the cast.

Music by John Whitehall.

Producer: Adam Bromley.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 2002.

WEDNESDAY 06 SEPTEMBER 2023

WED 00:00 HG Wells (b08fdkd1)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:00 on Tuesday]


WED 01:00 Whodunnits (b007jvn8)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 on Tuesday]


WED 01:30 The Hard Buy (m001q685)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 on Tuesday]


WED 02:00 Underland by Robert Macfarlane (m0004lc0)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 on Tuesday]


WED 02:15 Henry James (m0000np1)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:15 on Tuesday]


WED 02:30 Bad Salsa (b06z2tj7)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 on Tuesday]


WED 03:00 The Goon Show (b00j1c4f)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 on Tuesday]


WED 03:30 Little Blighty on the Down (b00vdbsm)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 on Tuesday]


WED 04:00 Who Goes There? (b0076bdv)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 on Tuesday]


WED 04:30 No Commitments (b01mtn2p)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 on Tuesday]


WED 05:00 HG Wells (b08g3rbp)
Ann Veronica

2. A Quest for Liberation

This witty and lively tale sees Ann Veronica living alone in London in her quest for liberation.

But it's an uphill struggle; she has to fight off the sexual advances of a so called friend, discovers the love of her life is married, and gets arrested and imprisoned for a suffragette raid on the House of Commons.

The storytelling is witty and ironic and Ann Veronica caused a scandal in its time because of the feminist sensibilities of the heroine and also because of the affair Wells was having with Amber Reeves, the woman who inspired the novel's eponymous character. This is a relatively unknown and unexpected novel by Wells.

The Spectator described Ann Veronica as a "poisonous book..." Although unlikely to offend modern listeners, this novel addresses many feminist versus femininity issues that are still relevant today.

The novel deals with the early stages of what is arguably the most important social development of the 20th Century. the education and financial and sexual liberation of women. And the fact is that, nearly 100 years later, the problem of women who want to marry, have children and pursue a liberating career, is still not easy to solve.

Wells makes a good case for freer sexual relationships, but Amber Reeves - and later Rebecca West - were the ones whose lives were changed - by bearing and bringing up a child by him.

Dramatised by Ellen Dryden.

Ann Veronica …... Amy Hoggart
Mr Stanley ..…. Geoffrey Whitehead
H.G. Wells ..…. Bill Nighy
Aunt Molly …... Ruth Alexander-Rubin
Kitty Brett ..…. Verity Henry
Manning ..…. Toby Hadoke
Ramage …... Jonathan Keeble

Director: Pauline Harris

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 2017.


WED 06:00 Whodunnits (b007jvng)
Wimsey - Strong Poison

3. Norman Urquhart

The upper crust sleuth ponders a changed will, and whether Harriet Vane's lover took his own life?

Ian Carmichael stars as Lord Peter Wimsey – the aristocratic amateur sleuth created by Dorothy L Sayers.

Dramatised by Alistair Beaton.

Lord Peter Wimsey …. Ian Carmichael
Bunter …. Peter Jones
Chief Inspector Parker …. Gabriel Woolf
Norman Urquhart …. John Pullen
Hannah Westlock …. Christine Ozanne
Mrs Bullfinch …. Frances Jeater
Pond …. Peter Woodthorpe
Mrs Pettican …. Anne Jameson

Producer: Simon Brett.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 1976.


WED 06:30 The Hard Buy (m001q6gb)
2. ... And Not So Easy for Brett

Wealthy young Brit, Brett Beaumont sails his luxury yacht, Mistral, to Monte Carlo, where his problems really start to mount.

Starring John Rye.

Berkely Mather's thriller serial.

Brett Beaumont .... John Rye
Max Stanton .... John Hollis
Riken .... Ian Dewar
Bosun .... Antony Viccars
James Lander .... Brian Young
Inspector Medi .... Victor Lucas
Hotel Manager .... Geoffrey Wincott
Hotel Reception Clerk .... Nicholas Edmett
Inspector Bertini .... Ian Thompson

Producer: John Tydeman.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 2 in July 1968.


WED 07:00 Underland by Robert Macfarlane (m0004mhx)
3. Karst

Robert Macfarlane is on his travels in various worlds beneath our feet.

On the Italian-Slovenian border he goes underground with the guide Sergio. Underneath the Karst, that is, where:

"a path winds down past blocks of limestone, to a brick hut. The hut is built over the entrance to the abyss..."

Read by the author.

Abridged by Katrin Williams.

Producer Duncan Minshull.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 2019.


WED 07:15 Henry James (m0000nf4)
What Maisie Knew

3. Confusion

With both parents remarried Maisie's confusion grows ever greater as she struggles to gain some stability.

Henry James's story about the complications of love and marriage seen through the eyes of a child.

Dramatised by Amanda Dalton.

Maisie ...... Talia Barnett
Beale Farange …… Andonis Anthony
Ida Farange …... Joanne Mitchell
Miss Overmore / Mrs Beale …… Emma Naomi
Mrs Wix …... Julie Hesmondhalgh
Sir Claude ......Rudi Dharmalingham

Director: Nadia Molinari

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 2018.


WED 07:30 Tom Wrigglesworth's Open Letters (b00yjs4c)
Series 1

Bankers

How do the bankers keep getting away with it?

In another of his series of open letters, Tom Wrigglesworth investigates the myriad examples of corporate lunacy and maddening jobsworths in modern Britain.

Featuring his own funny and ridiculous experiences as well as recounting the absurd encounters of others.

Producer: Simon Mayhew-Archer

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 2011.


WED 08:00 Hancock's Half Hour (b007wp6j)
Series 4

The Last of the McHancocks

The Lad inherits a Scottish castle and starts feuding with his nasty neighbour.

Ray Galton and Alan Simpson's classic comedy about the life and times of Anthony Aloysius St John Hancock.

Starring Tony Hancock.

With:

Sidney James
Bill Kerr
Hattie Jacques
Kenneth Williams

Special guest James Robertson Justice as Seamus McNasty.

Theme and incidental music composed and conducted by Wally Stott.

Producer: Denis Main Wilson

First broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in February 1957.


WED 08:30 Life, Death and Sex with Mike and Sue (b007511h)
Series 4

Episode 5

Lifestyle show hosts Mike and Sue share some eyebrow-raising revelations about their pasts...

Starring Robert Duncan and Jan Ravens.

Written by Ian Brown and James Hendrie from a format by Bill Dare.

With:

Roger Blake
Alistair McGowan
Ronnie Ancona

Music by Mark Burton.

Producer: Aled Evans

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 1999.


WED 09:00 Nature Table (m001ghys)
Series 3

Episode 5

Celebrating the natural world and all its funny eccentricities.

Taking the simple format of a 'Show & Tell', in each episode Sue Perkins is joined by celebrity guests from the worlds of comedy and natural history.

Nature Table has a simple clear brief: to positively celebrate and promote the importance of all our planet's wonderfully wild flora and fauna in a fun and easily grasped way... whilst at the same time having a giggle.

Recorded at The Eden Project.

In this episode, Sue welcomes:

* Wildlife Conservationist Jaclyn Pearson
* Lepidopterist Marcus Rhodes
* Comedian Edward Rowe

Written by Catherine Brinkworth, Jon Hunter, Jenny Laville and Nicky Roberts.

Additional material by Kat Sadler.

Producer Simon Nicholls.

A BBC Studios production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in December 2022.


WED 09:30 Inside Alan Francis (b00j17xy)
Episode 4

Comedy series in which comedian Alan Francis explores the workings of his own mind in relation to his life, friends and long-suffering girlfriend Jane.

Alan leaves home.

With:

Julian Dutton
Barnaby Power
Kali Peacock

Written by Alan Francis, Richard Turner and Anthony Neilson.

With additional material by Julian Dutton and Barnaby Power.

Producer: Julia McKenzie

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 2009.


WED 10:00 HG Wells (b08g3rbp)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:00 today]


WED 11:00 Whodunnits (b007jvng)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]


WED 11:30 The Hard Buy (m001q6gb)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]


WED 12:00 Underland by Robert Macfarlane (m0004mhx)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]


WED 12:15 Henry James (m0000nf4)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:15 today]


WED 12:30 Tom Wrigglesworth's Open Letters (b00yjs4c)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]


WED 13:00 Hancock's Half Hour (b007wp6j)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]


WED 13:30 Life, Death and Sex with Mike and Sue (b007511h)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]


WED 14:00 Nature Table (m001ghys)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]


WED 14:30 Inside Alan Francis (b00j17xy)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 today]


WED 15:00 HG Wells (b08g3rbp)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:00 today]


WED 16:00 Whodunnits (b007jvng)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]


WED 16:30 The Hard Buy (m001q6gb)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]


WED 17:00 Underland by Robert Macfarlane (m0004mhx)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]


WED 17:15 Henry James (m0000nf4)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:15 today]


WED 17:30 Tom Wrigglesworth's Open Letters (b00yjs4c)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]


WED 18:00 Hancock's Half Hour (b007wp6j)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]


WED 18:30 Life, Death and Sex with Mike and Sue (b007511h)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]


WED 19:00 Nature Table (m001ghys)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]


WED 19:30 Inside Alan Francis (b00j17xy)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 today]


WED 20:00 Archive on 4 (b07mvd5z)
Tolkien: The Lost Recordings

Joss Ackland narrates a search through BBC archives for unheard gems from JRR Tolkien, as Oxford Academic Dr Stuart Lee discovers unbroadcast offcuts from an interview given by the author.

Tolkien gave the interview for a BBC film in 1968, but only a tiny part of it was used in the broadcast programme. It was one of only a handful of recorded interviews he gave, and was also to be his last.

Dr Lee’s search for the unbroadcast rushes takes him to the depths of the BBC film archives, and back to the making of the original film Tolkien in Oxford.

For the director Leslie Megahey, only 23 at the time, this was his first film, and the one that launched a prestigious career. The programme reunites him with three others - researcher Patrick O’Sullivan, Tolkien fan Michael Hebbert, and critic Valentine Cunningham who describes how he was brought in to be the voice of dissent challenging the burgeoning Tolkien cult spreading from America.

What emerges is a picture of a playful academic, whose fiction was little respected by adults at the time and looked down on as a lesser form of literature. But he is robustly defended by Professor Tom Shippey and remembered fondly by his colleague Dr Roger Highfield.

Stuart Lee presents the results of his search through the archives to Dr Dimitra Fimi who considers any new words from Tolkien’s mouth as ‘gold’.

While, for Dr Lee, the real dragon’s hoard is the privilege of hearing Tolkien in relaxed mode reflecting on his life as never before.

Producers: Anna Scott-Brown and Adam Fowler

An Overtone production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in August 2016.


WED 21:00 Short Cuts (b06kcbvy)
Series 8

Copycat

Howling like a wolf, stolen identities and poetry composed from borrowed words. Josie Long presents stories of imitation and plagiarism.

Featuring:

Inspiration
Featuring: Tom Robinson

Howling Cameraman
Featuring Rolf Steinmann
Producer: Rachel Simpson

Turd Ferguson
Featuring: Alex Edelman
Producer: Sophie Black

No More Questions
Written and produced by Ross Sutherland

Series Producer: Eleanor McDowall

A Falling Tree production for BBC Radio 4,first broadcast in October 2015


WED 21:30 Lew Griffin - Eye of the Cricket (b0089lr6)
3. Complications

Lewis 'Lew' Griffin is a busy man in New Orleans.

He is meant to be a university lecturer in English literature who is writing a novel. But every so often he is persuaded to turn detective.

He now has a number of mysteries going on all at once.

A man has left hospital claiming to be him, and he's agreed to help a student find his brother - and his neighbours want him to sort out the local hoodlums problem too.

Detective novel written by James Sallis.

Read by Ray Shell.

Abridged and produced by Gordon House.

Made for BBC 7 and first broadcast in March 2006.


WED 22:00 Stand-Up Specials (m000xlkf)
Lucy Porter: Back in the Family Way

Following her previous, very popular In the Family Way shows, Radio 4 favourite Lucy returns with another examination of domestic life, covering everything from the dramatic to the dreary.

This time, Lucy looks at the effects of the pandemic on our relationships with family, friends and neighbours. The last year has been hard on people who were separated from their nearest and dearest, but it’s also been no picnic for those who were locked up with their loved ones.

Home schooling, working from the kitchen table, zoom quizzes with cousins, clapping with the neighbours - Lucy explores all the things that have brought us together, while also driving us apart. We look forward to the year 2041 and ponder what they’ll make of it in the future.

Talented comedian and impressionist Luke Kempner is on hand again to help Lucy bring her thoughts to life. As always, he displays his range of comic voices, including an impressive impersonation of Lucy’s next door neighbour Yvonne.

Back In The Family Way was recorded at Lucy’s local village hall, with a socially distanced audience of her family, friends and neighbours. Let’s see if any of them are still speaking to her after this show.

Written by Lucy Porter
Starring Lucy Porter and Luke Kempner
Additional Material: Gabby Hutchinson Crouch and Mike Shepherd
Production Manager: Sarah Tombling
Studio Engineer and Editor: Jerry Peal
Production Runners: Sahara Dennis, Kareem Elshehawy, Sakshi Gupta
Produced and Directed by Gordon Kennedy
Would not have been possible without Marilyn Imrie

Recorded Live at Pinner Village Hall

An Absolutely production for BBC Radio 4


WED 22:30 World of Pub (b00cm91k)
Series 2

Episode 3

Dodgy Phil hatches a sporting scheme to improve the fortunes of Barry and Garry's bar.

Tony Roche's comedy about the world's worst pub in London's East End.

Dodgy Phil ...... John Thomson
Barry ...... Phil Cornwell
Garry ...... Alistair McGowan

With:

Debra Stephenson
Kim Wall
Tony Roche

Special effects: Carl Phillips and Nick Romero.

Music: Bill Bailey

Producer: Jane Berthoud

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 1999.


WED 22:55 The Comedy Club Interviews (m001qfzr)
Simon Farnaby 3/4

From 10pm until midnight, seven days a week, The Comedy Club has two hours of comedy. And tonight, Paul Garner talks to Simon Farnaby.


WED 23:00 The Harpoon (b007k4cc)
Series 1

Episode 1

From patent cures to whaling for the under 5s.

The nostalgic spiffing spoof of adventure story papers for boys.

Hip hip!

With:

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

Producer: Sarah Smith

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 1991.


WED 23:30 The Guns of Adam Riches (b04f9rz9)
Series 2

Mastermind in Love

The tale of Mastermind, a blind megalomaniac who is taking a break from world domination to look for love.

Aided by a host of absurd henchmen, including some plucked straight from the audience, will Mastermind find what he's looking for or will he end up heartbroken?

Adam Riches introduces a series of one-off comic adventure stories.

Written by Adam Riches.

With:

Cariad Lloyd
Jim Johnson
Katharine Bennett-Fox

Plus a host of unwitting and occasionally unwilling audience shaped co-stars to create a cavalcade of mayhem that explodes deep into your ear flaps.

Producer: Simon Mayhew-Archer

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 2014.