SATURDAY 31 AUGUST 2013

SAT 00:00 The Routemasters by Andrew McGibbon (b007jnsh)
4. Wolfie and Beetie
Raymond and Hildegard kidnap Beethoven and Mozart in their plot to create the greatest ever rock band.
Herr Grubberman comes clean, while Bernie finally discovers the truth about who - or what- is driving the time bus.
Starring Amanda Donohoe as Hilderghast, Andrew McGibbon as Raymond, Karl Minns as the Conductor, Owen Evans as Bernie, Nick Romero as Mozart, Andy Mulligan as Herr Grubberman, Dan Freedman as Glenn Miller, Alex Lowe as Taffy and Sophie Aldred as Spikea.
Written by Andrew McGibbon. Additional material by Rob Colley and Kevin Greening.
Theme by Ozzy Temple and other music by Nick Romero.
Producer: Julian Mayers
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1999.
SAT 00:30 The Lunar Effect (b007k1k4)
The Hiring Fair
Strong moonlight forces spark a sequence of events which echo across generations. Frances Tomelty reads Polly Devlin's tale.
In 1867 a young girl living with her father on their isolated County Tyrone farm often senses the magical attraction of the full moon. On one particular night of bright, silvery moonlight she gives in to strong forces sparking a sequence of events which echo across generations.
SAT 00:45 RL Stevenson - The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde (b00859tj)
Episode 5
It's Henry Jekyll's turn to tell the story, as the bizarre truth is finally revealed. Concluded by Tim Pigott-Smith. From April 1996.
SAT 01:00 Falco (b00qyq1t)
The Iron Hand of Mars
Episode 3
Falco has arrived in Germany and discovered that Gracilis, the Fourteenth Legion's legate, has gone missing. It looks as though he might be involved in some corrupt business with the local potters.
Falco's inquiries get him into trouble with a centurion, and Xanthus the barber reveals an unexpected talent.
Starring Anton Lesser as Marcus Didius Falco, Anna Madely as Helena Justina and David Holt as Xanthus.
Dramatised by Mary Cutler.
Directed at BBC Birmingham by Peter Leslie Wild.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2007.
SAT 01:30 The Tales of Max Carrados (b01709qq)
A Game Played in the Dark
The British Museum contacts blind amateur sleuth, Max Carrados over a horde of stolen ancient coins. Out on his hunt for the currency, Max comes face-to-face with some of his old adversaries. But who will win..?
Read by Arthur Darvill.
Max Carrados first featured in a series of mystery books in 1914. Carrados also shared top billing alongside Sherlock Holmes in 'The Strand Magazine". The character often boasts how much his blindness means his other senses are heightened.
Ernest Bramah excelled in his detailed writing and uncovering of clues. The beneficiary of a large inheritance from an American relative, Carrados is foremost a gentleman who undertakes sleuthing only as an avocation. Though equipped with a keen observer in the perfect manservant Parkinson, Carrados doesn't just sit around deducing. He makes his own observations with ears, nose and fingertips.
Abridged by Paul Kent.
Producer: Neil Gardner
Made for BBC Radio 4 Extra by Ladbroke Radio Productions and first broadcast in 2011.
SAT 02:00 King Street Junior (b007jnrm)
Series 10
Incidental Music
In the face of a bid to reduce class sizes, the governors try to balance school funds.
Created by Jim Eldridge, ten series of this comedy about a junior school ran between 1985 and 1998. King Street Junior Revisited ran from 2002 to 2005.
Written by John Fawcett Wilson.
Stars Karl Howman as Mr Sims, James Grout as the Headteacher, Marlene Sidaway as Miss Lewis, Margaret John as Mrs Stone, Paul Copley as Mr Long, Deirdre Costello as Mrs Patterson, Vivienne Martin as Mrs Rudd, Tom Watson as Mr Holliday, Helena Breck as Miss Hughes and Aaron Keeling as the Dean.
Producer: John Fawcett Wilson
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 1998.
SAT 02:30 Electric Ink (b011qfr8)
Series 1
Episode 4
The paper hires a reality star as a columnist so Maddox must find a way of rewriting her copy without upsetting her.
Old hacks meet new media in Alistair Beaton’s satire set in the changing world of the newspaper industry.
Maddox ...... Robert Lindsay
Oliver ...... Alex Jennings
Amelia ...... Elizabeth Berrington
Tasneem ...... Zita Sattar
Masha ...... Debbie Chazen
Freddy ...... Ben Willbond
Announcer ...... Matt Addis
Debbie ...... Lizzy Watts
With additional material by Tom Mitchelson.
Director: Sally Avens
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in June 2009.
SAT 03:00 John Buchan - Mr Standfast (b00tlmws)
Episode 2
The action moves to France as intrepid hero Richard Hannay and British agent Mary Lamingon attempt to track down the German spy, Moxon Ivery.
When Ivery changes his identity, the trail goes cold – but Mary has a plan to flush him out. Ivery wants to marry her – and Hannay must agree to let Mary become the bait in a deadly trap....
Conclusion of John Buchan's rip-roaring First World War spy thriller first published in 1919.
Brigadier-General Richard Hannay/Cornelius Brand …. David Robb
Sir Walter Bullivant …. Clive Merrison
The Count von Schwabing …. Struan Rodger
Mary Lamington …. Jasmine Hyde
Peter Pienaar …. Jon Glover
Mrs Amelia Gore-Boothe …. Briony McRoberts
Forbes …. Chris Pavlo
The Prefect …. Ben Onwukwe
Dramatised by Bert Coules.
Director: Bruce Young.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 2008.
SAT 04:00 Frederic Raphael - A Fairly Regular Four (b018ts6x)
Cheating, competition and class loom large for a male quartet of tennis players. Read by Norman Rodway.
SAT 04:15 Sherlock Holmes (b007k48r)
The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Series 1
The Singular Inheritance of Miss Gloria Wilson
The detective probes a series of audacious thefts with the return of 'The Ghost'. Stars Clive Merrison and Andrew Sachs.
SAT 05:00 Second Thoughts (b00lh0tj)
Series 4
Sobering Thoughts
Dennis vigorously renews his pursuit of Liza, while the demon drink throws up a problem for Bill and Faith.
Sitcom about the battles of married life for ex-divorcees Bill and Faith, whilst balancing the demands of his ex-wife, Liza and Faith's teenage children.
Stars James Bolam as Bill, Lynda Bellingham as Faith, Belinda Lang as Liza, Julia Sawalha as Hannah, Mark Denham as Joe, Geoffrey Whitehead as Richard and Brian Bowles as Dennis.
Series three of four inspired by the real lives of its writers, husband and wife Jan Etherington and Gavin Petrie.
A TV version made by LWT for ITV appeared in 1991 and ran for four series, with a spin-off 'Faith in the Future'.
Producer: Paul Schlesinger
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 1992.
SAT 05:30 Nineteen Ninety-Eight (b01blmhz)
Episode 1
Can Edward keep his girlfriend and avoid explosions? Orwellian sitcom with David Threlfall and Hugh Laurie. From March 1987.
SAT 06:00 Martyn Wade - Gondal (b00cpvsq)
Paralleling Emily Bronte's life at Haworth with a dramatic reconstruction of Gondal, her epic fantasy world set on a Pacific island from which the ideas for 'Wuthering Heights' evolved.
Martyn Wade's play stars Diana Quick as Augusta, Janet Maw as Emily, John Rowe as Lord Eldred, Nathaniel Parker as Fernando, Clive Francis as Alfred, Linda Polan as Tabitha, Moir Leslie as Angelica, David Thorpe as Alexander, Keith Drinkel as Parry, Annabelle Lanyon as Young Emily, Eric Allan as Gerald, Bernadette Windsor as Young Charlotte and Jill Lidstone as Young Branwell.
Other parts by John Webb, Jillie Meers, Siriol Jenkins and Melanie Hudson.
Music specially composed by Elizabeth Parker of the BBC Radiophonic Workshop.
Director: Cherry Cookson
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1992.
SAT 07:30 The Manuscript Hunter (b00k9d7p)
Mark Whitaker profiles Thomas Staley, who, over the past 20 years, has bought the archives of many of Britain's most important living writers for the University of Texas in Austin. Staley talks about his life in literature and his controversial methods, and Mark reports on efforts to stop the continuing export of Britain's literary heritage.
A Square Dog production for BBC Radio 4.
SAT 08:00 Kenny Everett: The BBC Local Radio Years (b007k059)
Paul Rowley's documentary reveals how the wireless wizard tried to keep himself on-air after BBC Radio 1 sacked him in 1970.
SAT 09:00 Comedy Greats (b007k42m)
The Noughties
Episode 2
Decade by decade, Barry Cryer showcases some of the funniest and finest shows ever broadcast by the BBC.
Yo! From the 21st century of radio comedy, Baz presents another six-pack of noughties favourites:
* Absolute Power
Series 3 (3/6)
Roguish Martin enters the Lords, as Charles takes on a Big Brother 'star'. Stars Stephen Fry and John Bird. From 2002.
* Fags, Mags and Bags
Series 1 (1/6) Raising Keenan
Sanjeev Kohli and Donald Mcleary's Glasgow corner shop sitcom. Owner Ramesh tackles a young tearaway. From 2007.
* The Sunday Format
Series 3 (1/4)
Celebrity eaters choose 'Desert Island Biscs'. Radio's posh paper tells all. With Alexander Armstrong, Emma Kennedy and Tracy-Ann Oberman. From 2001.
* Chain Reaction
Series 1 (2/6) Jimmy Carr interviews Matt Lucas
The deadpan funny man and comedy actor in the tag talk show, where the guest is next interviewer. From 2005.
* Linda Smith's A Brief History of Timewasting
Series 1 (2/6)
Linda Smith gets her neighbour's Jack the Ripper letters authenticated and falls foul of the mafia. With Jeremy Hardy and Don Estelle. From 2001.
* Dead Ringers
Series 6 (5/5)
More celeb sound-alikes as Thora Hird instructs James Bond and Zippy imitates Cherie Blair. Topical impressions with Jon Culshaw, Jan Ravens and Kevin Connelly. From 2002.
Produced and scripted by Peter Reed.
Made for BBC 7 and first broadcast in August 2003.
SAT 12:00 Beatrice Colin - The True Story of Bonnie Parker (b039b647)
Having dropped out of high school and married at 16, the young Bonnie Parker is working as a waitress. Her life is about to change, when she meets Clyde Barrow.
Beatrice Colin's fresh look at the story of Bonnie and Clyde - using historical sources to illustrate how a series of often disastrous decisions led the former waitress from Cement City to end up as one of America's most-wanted criminals.
The press first celebrated and then reviled Bonnie Parker as her notoriety grew. Even during their lifetimes, the depiction of the couple in the press was at considerable odds with the reality of their life on the road. But most of all, this is about a doomed love affair, a 20th Romeo and Juliet, with guns.
Stars Melody Grove as Bonnie, Finn den Hertog as Clyde and Robin Laing as Mr Dove.
With Liam Brennan, James Anthony Pearson and Rosalind Sydney.
Director: Gaynor Macfarlane
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2013.
SAT 13:15 The Charm Factory (b0075cp5)
Series 1
Rags to Riches
Irene shares the screen with heart throb Hugh Lincoln. Where might this lead? Stars Tabitha Wady and Liz Frazer.
SAT 14:00 The Goon Show (b00q9xrg)
Series 5
1985
Winston Seagoon battles the Big Brother Corporation. Can he survive Room 101?

Groundbreaking, surreal BBC radio comedy written by Spike Milligan and Eric Sykes.

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 Bruce Campbell.

Announcer: Wallace Greenslade

Producer: Peter Eton

First broadcast on the BBC Home Service in January 1955.
SAT 14:30 Hancock's Half Hour (b007m9f5)
Series 4
Michelangelo 'Ancock
The lad takes up sculpting. But when he runs out of rocks, it's Sid to the rescue.
Starring Tony Hancock.
With Sidney James, Bill Kerr, Kenneth Williams and Hattie Jacques.
Written by Ray Galton and Alan Simpson.
Theme and incidental music composed 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 November 1956.
SAT 15:00 Kenny Everett: The BBC Local Radio Years (b007k059)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
SAT 16:00 Martyn Wade - Gondal (b00cpvsq)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
SAT 17:30 Jo Caulfield's Speakeasy (b038x4xh)
Episode 4
Comedian Jo Caulfield invites authors, comedians and producers to tell true stories from their lives.
The results are revealing, hilarious and hugely entertaining. The performers are all recorded live at the historic Scottish Story Telling centre in Edinburgh.
Among the stories this week Phil Jupitus remembers a time he was on tour with Madness, Richard Melvin tells us about a works night our that went a bit wrong, there's hip hop from Dave Hook and Josie Long shares an encounter on a bus.
Richard Melvin
A Dabster production Ltd.
SAT 18:00 The Man in Black (b00nlyg9)
Series 2
1. Phish Phood by Kim Newman
A silver-surfer takes on spammers – but the cyber-sharks are circling.
Kim Newman's tale is introduced by Mark Gatiss as sinister raconteur, The Man in Black.
Jim …. John Rowe
Gina …. Melissa Advani
Internet Voices …. Nyasha Hatendi & Liz Sutherland
Horrifying series of tales from The Man in Black. You might meet him at a luggage carousel in an airport, or behind the desk at an employment agency or he might approach you in the corridor of a care home.
Wherever you encounter him, he's eager to pass on his stories. Stories to unsettle and horrify. Stories to haunt you.
The Man In Black first appeared in the 1940s as the chilling voice who introduced a series of terrifying radio dramas. He returned on Radio 4 in the 1970s and then again in the late 80s/early 90s.
Producer: Gemma Jenkins
Made for BBC Radio 7 and first broadcast in October 2009.
SAT 18:25 The Fanthorpe Investigations (b039b74y)
The Catacomb Phenomenon
The strange tale of the Catacomb Phenomenon.
Priest and paranormal investigator Lionel Fanthorpe relates stories from the world of the strange and unexplained.
Producer: Paul Arnold
Made for BBC Radio 4 Extra and first broadcast in 2013.
SAT 18:30 Understand by Ted Chiang (b007jtyf)
Episode 1
After suffering a horrific accident, coma patient, Leon undergoes a brand new medical procedure - with some startling side effects...
Award-winning US writer Ted Chiang's sci-fi thriller is read by Rhashan Stone.
Producer: Gemma Jenkins
Made for BBC 7 and first broadcast in December 2004.
SAT 19:00 Comedy Greats (b007k42m)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
SAT 22:00 4 at the Store (b007jqg1)
Series 1
Episode 3
Stand-up at London's Comedy Store with host Simon Bligh, Rhona Cameron, Omid Djalili and Steve Gribbin. From December 1998.
SAT 22:30 Another Case of Milton Jones (b00rp1wd)
Series 4
Oil Baron and Mining Engineer
In this episode, Milton waves goodbye to the world of dance and musical theatre to pursue his dream of becoming - a miner! And then his fortunes skyrocket when he strikes oil in the middle of the ocean - on an oil tanker. Diamonds, gold, laser beams and Eastenders combine in a glamorous yet gritty tribute to Billy Elliot in "Another Case Of Milton Jones".
He's joined in his endeavours by his co-stars Tom Goodman-Hill (Camelot), Dave Lamb (Come Dine With Me) and Ingrid Oliver (Watson & Oliver).
Britain's funniest Milton and the king of the one-liner returns with a fully-working cast and a shipload of new jokes in this series of daffy comedy adventures.
Each week, Milton is a complete and utter expert at something - Top Gun aviator, Weatherman, Billy Elliot-style dancer, World-beating cyclist, mathematical genius and Extreme Travel Entrepreneur.
And each week, with absolutely no ability or competence, he plunges into a big adventure with utterly funny results.
"Milton Jones is one of Britain's best gagsmiths with a flair for creating daft yet perfect one-liners" - The Guardian
"King of the surreal one-liners" - The Times
"If you haven't caught up with Jones yet - do so!" - The Daily Mail
Written by Milton with James Cary (Think The Unthinkable, Miranda)
Produced & directed by David Tyler
A Pozzitive Production for BBC Radio 4.
SAT 23:00 Nick Fisher - Where a Wall Once Stood (b00874x8)
A missing husband, a severed hand with a wedding ring, and extreme political activists in post-Wall Berlin. What kind of ominous mystery connects them? Stars Douglas Hodge.