The letters of Winston and Clementine Churchill. War, traffic accidents and unexpected house purchases. Starring Alex Jennings.
Robert Booth summons poet and ex-teacher Wendy Cope to his study for a quiet word about her school reports. From November 1988.
Spoof reminiscences of a former variety star. Count Arthur Strong is an expert in everything from the world of entertainment to the origins of the species, all false starts and nervous fumbling, poorly concealed by a delicate sheen of bravado and self-assurance.
After an attempted coach trip to Bridlington goes terribly wrong, Arthur decides the only way out of a sticky situation is to go 'native'.
A dangerous pantomime gang escapes, as the team go 'Nationwide'.
All you have to do is fill in your name here: take out all the vowels and consonants and make an anagram of what remains to gain access to the latest lesson.
With instruction from Jo Kendall, Nigel Rees, Chris Emmett and Fred Harris.
Scripts by Andrew Marshall and David Renwick.
When the cheeky schoolboy's gang needs a meeting venue, it's time for more trickery. Stars Jimmy Clitheroe. From February 1965.
Journeying to Switzerland, Ruth, Bronia, Edek and Jan must avoid the Burgomaster, who hunts Polish refugees. Stars Hester Cox.
Violet Elizabeth Bott arrives in the scruffy schoolboy's life. Martin Jarvis plays all of Richmal Crompton's characters.
4 Extra Debut. From the Beatles to Schumann, character actor Richard Griffiths shares his castaway choices with Sue Lawley. From January 2006.
When the Dutch-Moroccan character at the centre of Abdelkader Benali's short story learns that his mother is ill, he's compelled to make a long-overdue visit to his parents' house in Rotterdam. The visit proves to be the start of a journey through his childhood, family history and sense of himself.
The legendary 'Just a Minute' star recalls his colourful life, and his famous psychoanalyst grandfather Sigmund. From October 2000.
Roy Hudd's son chats to Sally Magnusson about his life with the star of 'News Huddlines', 'Coronation Street' and more.
Miss Marple's friend Mrs McGillicuddy arrives for a visit to St. Mary Mead claiming she's just witnessed a murder during her rail journey from London.
On another train running alongside her carriage, she explains how a blind flew up revealing a man slowly strangling a woman – until she slumped down. But next day, when there are no newspaper reports of a corpse, the spinster sleuth sets about her own murder investigation.
Set in the days of steam railways, Agatha Christie's whodunit stars June Whitfield stars as Jane Marple.
First published in 1957 and dramatised for by Michael Bakewell.
Miss Marple ...... June Whitfield
Mrs McGillicuddy ...... Joan Sims
Lucy Eyelesbarrow ...... Susannah Harker
Detective Inspector Craddock ...... Ian Lavender
Luther Crackenthorpe ...... John Woodnutt
Emma Crackenthorpe ...... Janet Maw
Inspector Bacon ...... Sean Baker
Dr Quimper ...... Stephen Thorne
Cedric ...... Christopher Scott
Harold ...... Keith Drinkel
Alfred ...... Mark Bonner
Bryan ...... Jim Wall
Alexander ...... Jonathan Kitchens
James ...... Rory Jennings
Mrs Kidder ...... Ann Beach
Madam Joilet ...... Joanna Monro
Martine ...... Alice Arnold
Miss Ellis ...... Amanda Gordon
Wimborne ...... Lewis Jones
Inspector Dessin ...... Steve Hodson
Sergeant Wetherall ...... Chris Pavlo
Sergeant Cornish ...... Alex Lowe
With the best of this week's 4 O'Clock Show, Mel Giedroyc heads off to the exotic East on a magic duvet for desert food, extraordinary camel noises and special effects.
The Time Lord and Sarah Jane are in Victorian England to confront an ancient menace held captive in Egypt. Fourth Doctor adventure read by Tom Baker.
What power does the family's ancestral home hold over Roderick and Madeline Usher?
A man's descent into madness seems bound to the house of his ancestors.
First published in 1839, Edgar Allan Poe's gothic horror story in two parts.
Read by Sean Barrett.
Tribute to Simon Hoggart with Andy Hamilton and Fred MacAulay, and the much-missed Linda Smith and Alan Coren. From July 2005.
The best in contemporary comedy. Tonight, Arthur Smith is joined by the lovely ladies of Fascinating Aida.
A message to the nation from Phyllis King and Ivor Cutler.
Visitors bear gifts of words to add to their collection of poems, songs and stories.
With Dylan Edwards , David Lloyd, Ted Harrison and Craig Murray-Orr.
Journalist and broadcaster Jon Ronson tries to find out how to be invisible with the help of a collection of extraordinary stories which try to illuminate the human condition.
He talks to Frank Ahearn, whose job it is to make people vanish; comedian Jon Holmes, whose parents are 'invisible' to him as he is adopted; and Maggie O'Farrell who recalls her time as a chamber maid, cleaning hotel rooms while guests carried on extremely personal activities.
MONDAY 13 JANUARY 2014
MON 00:00 Doctor Who (b018jk6s)
[Repeat of broadcast at
18:00 on Sunday]
MON 00:30 Edgar Allan Poe (b007jpt5)
[Repeat of broadcast at
18:30 on Sunday]
MON 01:00 Desert Island Discs Revisited (b03p8667)
[Repeat of broadcast at
10:00 on Sunday]
MON 01:45 Afternoon Reading (b00nk4lm)
[Repeat of broadcast at
10:45 on Sunday]
MON 02:00 That Reminds Me (b007jnhk)
[Repeat of broadcast at
11:00 on Sunday]
MON 02:30 Dad Made Me Laugh (b00d3k8c)
[Repeat of broadcast at
11:30 on Sunday]
MON 03:00 The Burkiss Way (b00gs0fr)
[Repeat of broadcast at
08:00 on Sunday]
MON 03:30 Miss Marple (b007jvgc)
[Repeat of broadcast at
13:30 on Sunday]
MON 05:00 The Silver Sword - Ian Serraillier (b0112flx)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:00 on Sunday]
MON 05:30 Just William - Live! (b007jy2q)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:30 on Sunday]
MON 06:00 Wimsey (b00scvsc)
Have His Carcase
6. All a Question of Time
Will inspiration strike?
The upper class sleuth battles to finally unmask a killer.
Ian Carmichael stars as Lord Peter Wimsey – the aristocratic amateur detective created by Dorothy L Sayers.
The conclusion dramatised by Alistair Beaton.
Lord Peter Wimsey …. Ian Carmichael
Harriet Vane …. Maria Aitken
Inspector Umpelty …. Nigel Stock
Leila Garland …. Rosalind Ayres
Saunders …. John Webb
Polwhistle …. Alan Dudley
Tom …. Andrew Secombe
Narrator …. John Westbrook
Producer: Martin Fisher
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 1981.
MON 06:30 Dixon of Dock Green (b013216n)
Series 1
Needle in a Haystack
A baby's life is in danger when some pep pills go missing and George Dixon causes a stir at home when he offers PC Crawford the spare room...
Radio revival of BBC TV's famous copper starring David Calder as PC George Dixon and David Tennant as Andy Crawford.
Dixon of Dock Green's roots go back to 1950 film drama 'The Blue Lamp', which ended with Dixon being shot dead. However, Warner's role was resurrected for the BBC TV series running from 1955 to 1976.
PC George Dixon ...... David Calder
PC Andy Crawford ...... David Tennant
Archie ...... Jonah Cook
Billy Monks ...... Michael Carolan
Mary Dixon ...... Charlie Brooks
Nancy Harris ...... Carol MacReady
Mrs Monks ...... Kate Byers
Written by Ted Willis. Dramatised from his TV screenplay by Sue Rodwell.
Produced in Bristol by Viv Beeby and Jeremy Howe.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in June 2005.
MON 07:00 PG Wodehouse (b00bfq14)
What Ho! Jeeves: Joy in the Morning
Sundry Happenings in a Garden
Bertie Wooster must mend bridges after the debacle of the fake burglary.
PG Wodehouse romp adapted in seven-parts by Chris Miller.
Starring Michael Hordern as Jeeves, Richard Briers as Bertie Wooster, Jonathan Cecil as Boko Fittleworth, Peter Woodthorpe as Percy, Lord Worplesden, Bronwen Williams as Florence Craye and Denise Bryer as Edwin the Boy Scout.
Producer: Simon Brett
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1978.
MON 07:30 The Unbelievable Truth (b03nt7cn)
Series 12
Episode 2
David Mitchell hosts the panel game in which four comedians are encouraged to tell lies and compete against one another to see how many items of truth they're able to smuggle past their opponents.
Marcus Brigstocke, Holly Walsh, John Finnemore and Rufus Hound are the panellists obliged to talk with deliberate inaccuracy on subjects as varied as Eton, babies, Russia and hats.
The show is devised by Graeme Garden and Jon Naismith, the team behind Radio 4's I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue.
Producer: Jon Naismith
A Random Entertainment production for BBC Radio 4.
MON 08:00 Round the Horne (b00szhvg)
Series 4
Episode 8
In 'Around The World in Ten Minutes' Douglas Smith plays the world, while Julian and Sandy are bursting into 'Bona Songs'.
Stars Kenneth Horne, Kenneth Williams, Hugh Paddick and Betty Marsden.
Recorded at the BBC's Paris Studio in Lower Regent Street, London. Announcer: Douglas Smith
Round The Horne was born out of the demise of BBC radio comedy Beyond Our Ken, after the end of writer Eric Merriman's involvement. Using the same cast and producer, Barry Took and Marty Feldman were persuaded to write the scripts - which led to four series that ran between 1965 and 1968 - packed full of parodies, recurring characters, catchphrases and double-entendres.
Written by Barry Took, Johnnie Mortimer and Brian Cooke.
Music by the Max Harris Group.
Producer: John Simmonds
First broadcast on the BBC Radio 2 in April 1968.
MON 08:30 The Navy Lark (b03ph1bs)
Frustrating the Spark of Invention
Can Able Seaman Johnson win a 'man-powered flight' competition, despite the assistance of Pertwee?
Stars Leslie Phillips, Jon Pertwee and Stephen Murray.
Laughs afloat aboard British Royal Navy frigate HMS Troutbridge. The Navy Lark ran for an impressive 13 series between 1959 and 1976.
The Sub-Lieutenant ...... Leslie Phillips
The Chief Petty Officer ...... Jon Pertwee
The Number One ...... Stephen Murray
Captain Povey ...... Richard Caldicot
Heather ...... Heather Chasen
Able Seaman Johnson ...... Ronnie Barker
Taffy Goldstein ...... Tenniel Evans
The Padre. ....... Michael Bates
Written by Lawrie Wyman.
Producer: Alastair Scott Johnston.
First broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in October 1967.
MON 09:00 2525 (b03ph1bv)
Episode 4
In the year 2525, if man is still alive, if woman can survive... then it may sound something like this. Set 511 years in the future, 2525 invites you to hear more snippets of our future from talking toilets to the church devoted to the worship of The Beatles.
Written by Colin Birch, Jason Hazeley and Joel Morris, Jane Lamacraft, Alex Lowe, Paul Putner, Tim Perry, John Luke Roberts and Eddie Robson
Produced by Ashley Blaker
A John Stanley production for BBC Radio 4.
MON 09:30 At Home With the Hardys (b007jmtv)
As Time Goes By
At Caroline's party the guests try not to mention the C word - Casablanca. Stars Jeremy Hardy and Kit Hollerbach. From June 1990.
MON 10:00 Lee Hall - Spoonface Steinberg (b007jnsq)
Spoonface is seven years old, autistic and terminally ill with cancer. She's fascinated by opera and by the way her parents behave. With the help of their cleaner, Mrs Spud, she tries to come to terms with her extraordinary life.
Lee Hall's award-winning monologue is performed by Becky Simpson.
First broadcast in 1997, it elicited such an extraordinary response from BBC Radio 4 listeners that a repeat was scheduled within days of the original transmission.
Originally the final part of Hall's quartet of dramas examining the experience of growing up from the perspective of children, Spoonface Steinberg was subsequently adapted for TV and the stage. Lee Hall went on to receive an Academy Award nomination for his screenplay of Billy Elliot, later turned into a stage musical.
Producer: Kate Rowland
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1997.
MON 11:00 Donna Tartt - The Secret History (b03ph302)
Episode 6
Richard recovers from his illness, but makes an odd discovery about Henry. Donna Tartt's thriller, read by William Hope. From April 1995.
MON 11:15 Loose Ends (b03pd2nc)
Ed Byrne, Sanjeev Bhaskar, Peter May, Scottee, Zara McFarlane, Gregory Porter
Clive Anderson talks to Sanjeev Bhaskar about the return of The Kumars. After a 7 year break the multi-award winning, much loved television family bound back with a new home - a flat in Hounslow behind Dad's homewares and gift shop.
Each week Sanjeev struggles to interview celebrity guests despite continued interference by his family members. 'The Kumars' starts on Wednesday 15th January at
9pm on Sky 1HD.
Clive meets Peter May, author of the best-selling Lewis trilogy to learn more about his love of islands... and murder. His latest book is set on an island off the Canadian coast - home to only130 inhabitants - the wealthiest of whom has just been discovered murdered.
'Entry Island' is out now, published by Quercus Books.
Scottee talks to Sue Tilley about her friend, the late Leigh Bowery - legendary performance artist, fashion designer and '80s club promoter. Leigh introduced Sue to Lucian Freud. Freud's 1995 portrait of her, Benefits Supervisor Sleeping, was sold in 2008 for £17.2 million - the highest price paid for a painting by a living artist. Sue's book, Leigh Bowery: The Life and Times of an Icon is available now to download.
Irish comedian Ed Byrne is a miserable old git. So instead of celebrating his 40th birthday, he's used incipient old age to craft a cynical observational show, The Roaring Forties: "There are seven billion people on the planet and I only have time to be friends with10 of them". Is Clive one of them? 'Ed Byrne - The Roaring Forties' is on tour from February 2014.
Music from Grammy-nominated jazz and soul singer Gregory Porter, who sings the title track from his new album 'Liquid Spirit', and from rising young singer Zara McFarlane, who performs 'Open Heart' from her new album 'If You Knew Her'.
Producer: Sukey Firth.
MON 12:00 Round the Horne (b00szhvg)
[Repeat of broadcast at
08:00 today]
MON 12:30 The Navy Lark (b03ph1bs)
[Repeat of broadcast at
08:30 today]
MON 13:00 Wimsey (b00scvsc)
[Repeat of broadcast at
06:00 today]
MON 13:30 Dixon of Dock Green (b013216n)
[Repeat of broadcast at
06:30 today]
MON 14:00 15 Minute Drama (b00gqpr3)
Vita Sackville-West - All Passion Spent
Episode 1
Adaptation of the 1931 novel by Vita Sackville-West about an old widow who defies her children to embark on an independent life after her husband dies.
Lady Slane ...... Honor Blackman
Mr FitzGeorge ...... Alec McCowen
Herbert Holland ...... John Nicholas
Carrie ...... Phyllida Nash
Kay Holland ...... Patrick Romer
Mr Bucktrout ...... Paul Nicholson
Mr Gosheron ...... Peter Ellis
Genoux ...... Sonia Elliman
Police Inspector ...... Russell Boulter
Deborah Holland ...... Annabel Scholey
Directed by Sara Davies.
MON 14:15 A Short History of Ireland (b007k3dq)
The Wars of the Gael and the Gall; Viking Towns and Cities
The country's epic story continues with the terror of the Viking invasion and the big fight back. With Richard Dormer.
MON 14:30 Helen Dunmore - The Betrayal (b00wdflk)
A Tricky Case
In her latest novel, The Betrayal, Helen Dunmore returns to the Soviet Union, and to the city of Leningrad whose history she so powerfully evoked in her best-seller The Siege. Now, a decade later, starvation and bitter cold have been replaced with fear and suspicion, as the people of Leningrad do their best to keep their heads down and their lives unremarkable in an era of accusations, arrests and the midnight knock at the door.
Anna and Andrei have survived the siege, married and together have brought up Anna's brother Kolya. They want their lives to be ordinary - but when the son of a senior secret police official is admitted to the hospital where Andrei is a paediatrican, Andrei finds himself outmanoeuvred by the more politically astute and face to face with a man who has the power to destroy him and his family.
Helen Dunmore's evocative portrait of one couple living in the shadow of Stalin conveys both the sense of all pervading menace, from neighbours, from colleagues, from the state, and the struggle to remain humane and true in the face of it. As the net tightens around Andrei and his life becomes the stuff of nightmares, she also tells a compelling and page-turning tale.
Helen Dunmore is a novelist and short story writer whose many works include 'A Spell of Winter', winner of the Orange Prize and 'The Siege' which was shortlisted for the Whitbread Novel of the Year and the Orange Prize and has sold over 100,000 copies.
The Reader is Sara Kestelman, who also read The Siege in 2001 for Book at Bedtime.
The abridger is Sally Marmion and the producer is Di Speirs.
MON 14:45 Book of the Week (b00vkpk6)
Philip Larkin - Letters to Monica
Episode 1
Philip Larkin's Letters to Monica span the forty years of their relationship from 1946 when they met, until Larkin's death in 1985. They only came to light after Monica Jones died in 2001, when nearly two thousand letters were discovered in Larkin's house in Hull. This never previously published correspondence, edited by Anthony Thwaite, offers a unique insight into Larkin's most intimate thoughts.
Philip Larkin writes to Monica about his poetry, his lack of inspiration, his mundane life in Belfast and then Hull, his relationship with her, with his friends (notably Kingsley Amis), his parents and with his other lover Maeve. They often discuss books and reading, writers and writing, and their shared love animals and Beatrix Potter. Larkin's letters are infused with the music he's listening to, the work he's immersed in, his general domesticity, the food he's eaten, the sounds from the flats below: they paint a vivid picture of the real world that inspired his poetry.
Read by Hugh Bonneville, who recently appeared in ITV's Downton Abbey and BBC TV's The Silence. He has previously played Larkin in Love Again on BBC 4.
In Episode 1, the letters are introduced by Anthony Thwaite, a close friend of Larkin and the editor of the collection Letters to Monica.
The abridger is Miranda Davies and the producer Lucy Collingwood.
Episode 1:
Larkin arrives in Belfast to take up his new job as librarian at the University and struggles to self- publish a collection of poetry.
MON 15:00 Lee Hall - Spoonface Steinberg (b007jnsq)
[Repeat of broadcast at
10:00 today]
MON 16:00 The 4 O'Clock Show (b03ph421)
Mel is back with the first part of classic children's story Emil and the Detectives by Erich Kastner, which tells the tale of a young German boy and his crime-solving friends.
MON 17:00 The World As We Know It (b00fy2qt)
Donna's Leaving Do
The Stranger revealed that the doomsday device was activated by someone inside the house.
Donna thinks it may be time to start afresh somewhere else. But would she really go and will they discover what really caused the end of the world?
Sitcom by Luke Sorba.
Donna ...... Meera Syal
Johnny ...... Toby Longworth
Patrick ...... Luke Sorba
Abigail ...... Carla Mendonca
The Stranger ...... Simon Greenall
Producer: Elizabeth Anstee
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in June 1999.
MON 17:30 PG Wodehouse (b00bfq14)
[Repeat of broadcast at
07:00 today]
MON 18:00 Paradise Lost in Space (b007jnpy)
2. Gifting
Norman and Max are welcomed by the incurably friendly Oblivions and soon they're offering priceless gifts - the secret of fire, contemplation and baked potatoes.
Colin Swash's sci-fi comedy about two space-age humans stranded on a friendly alien planet.
Norman ...... Tony Robinson
Max ...... David Haig
Stella ...... Louise Lombard
Macari ...... Michael Troughton
Terayz ...... Carla Mendonca
Tony ...... Geoff McGivern
Ken ...... Tom Hollander
Inspector Albermarle ...... Andy Rashleigh
Producer: Richard Wilson
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 1995.
MON 18:30 Planet B (b00hxnfg)
Series 1
1. Golden Moments
Grieving for his girlfriend Lioba, John gets a shock.
A malfunction on Planet B means John Armstrong keeps re-living his girlfriend Lioba's funeral over and over again - or does he..?
Ten-part sci-fi series about a mystery virtual world.
Written by Matthew Broughton.
John ...... Gunnar Cauthery
Lioba ...... Donnla Hughes
Medley ...... Lizzy Watts
Cerberus ...... Chris Pavlo
Council Official ...... Paul Rider
Funeral Man ...... Malcolm Tierney
Cherry ...... Janice Acquah
Danny ...... Stephen Critchlow
Arcade Manager ...... Inam Mirza
Director: Jessica Dromgoole
Made for BBC Radio 7 and first broadcast in March 2009.
MON 19:00 Round the Horne (b00szhvg)
[Repeat of broadcast at
08:00 today]
MON 19:30 The Navy Lark (b03ph1bs)
[Repeat of broadcast at
08:30 today]
MON 20:00 Wimsey (b00scvsc)
[Repeat of broadcast at
06:00 today]
MON 20:30 Dixon of Dock Green (b013216n)
[Repeat of broadcast at
06:30 today]
MON 21:00 Donna Tartt - The Secret History (b03ph302)
[Repeat of broadcast at
11:00 today]
MON 21:15 Loose Ends (b03pd2nc)
[Repeat of broadcast at
11:15 today]
MON 22:00 The Unbelievable Truth (b03nt7cn)
[Repeat of broadcast at
07:30 today]
MON 22:30 2525 (b03ph1bv)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:00 today]
MON 22:55 The Comedy Club Interviews (b03sqv11)
The best in contemporary comedy. Tonight, Sara Pascoe is joined by Bob Mortimer's Norwegian son, Daniel Simonsen.
MON 23:00 The Now Show (b03pctrw)
Series 42
Episode 1
Steve Punt and Hugh Dennis are joined by special guest Elis James for a comic romp through the week's news. With Mitch Benn, Jon Holmes and Laura Shavin.
Written by the cast with additional material from Andy Wolton, Jane Lamacraft and Paul Davighi. Produced by Colin Anderson.
MON 23:30 Think the Unthinkable (b007jm3k)
Series 1
Moore and Burmans
Ailing high street retailer Moore and Burman desperately needs help. They must be desperate to enlist the services of Unthinkable Solutions!
Ryan persuades them to go for a radical publicity campaign, Daisy facilitates his nervous breakdown and Sophie decides to take charge of her love life with some decisive action.
James Cary’s award-winning sitcom about management consultants.
Ryan Packer ...... Marcus Brigstocke
Sophie Stott ...... Emma Kennedy
Daisy ...... Catherine Shepherd
Timandra ...... Olivia Colman
Clive ...... Mark Heap
Brian ...... Simon Godley
Boris ...... Simon Greenall
Script associates: Paul Mayhew-Archer and Ed Drew.
Music by John Whitehall.
Producer: Adam Bromley.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 2001.
TUESDAY 14 JANUARY 2014
TUE 00:00 Paradise Lost in Space (b007jnpy)
[Repeat of broadcast at
18:00 on Monday]
TUE 00:30 Planet B (b00hxnfg)
[Repeat of broadcast at
18:30 on Monday]
TUE 01:00 Wimsey (b00scvsc)
[Repeat of broadcast at
06:00 on Monday]
TUE 01:30 Dixon of Dock Green (b013216n)
[Repeat of broadcast at
06:30 on Monday]
TUE 02:00 2525 (b03ph1bv)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:00 on Monday]
TUE 02:30 At Home With the Hardys (b007jmtv)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:30 on Monday]
TUE 03:00 Lee Hall - Spoonface Steinberg (b007jnsq)
[Repeat of broadcast at
10:00 on Monday]
TUE 04:00 Donna Tartt - The Secret History (b03ph302)
[Repeat of broadcast at
11:00 on Monday]
TUE 04:15 Loose Ends (b03pd2nc)
[Repeat of broadcast at
11:15 on Monday]
TUE 05:00 The World As We Know It (b00fy2qt)
[Repeat of broadcast at
17:00 on Monday]
TUE 05:30 PG Wodehouse (b00bfq14)
[Repeat of broadcast at
07:00 on Monday]
TUE 06:00 Paul Temple (b007jn5m)
Paul Temple and the Lawrence Affair
The Little Things
Holidaying out-of-season in the fishing village of Downburgh, the suave detective faces peril linking mystery deaths with a disappearance.
Francis Durbridge's thriller stars Peter Coke as Paul Temple and Marjorie Westbury as Steve in another intriguing case for BBC radio's smoothest investigator and his glamorous wife. With Lester Mudditt as Sir Graham Forbes.
With Leonard Trolley as Bob Gardner and Manning Wilson as Detective Inspector Ivor.
From 1938 to 1969 the fictional crime novelist and detective Paul Temple, together with his Fleet Street journalist Steve, solved case after case in one of BBC radio's most popular series. They inhabited a sophisticated world of chilled cocktails and fast cars, where the women were chic and the men wore cravats - a world where Sir Graham Forbes, of Scotland Yard, usually needed Paul's help with his latest tricky case.
Producer: Martin C Webster
First broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in 1956.
TUE 06:30 Dixon of Dock Green (b0133pl2)
Series 1
Crawford's First Pinch
Some unsavoury postcards turn up on the Dock Green beat and the link to a recent spate of bicycle thefts makes PC Andy Crawford desperate to notch up his first arrest.
Radio revival of BBC TV's famous copper starring David Calder as PC George Dixon and David Tennant as Andy Crawford.
Dixon of Dock Green's roots go back to 1950 film drama 'The Blue Lamp', which ended with Dixon being shot dead. However, Warner's role was resurrected for the BBC TV series running from 1955 to 1976.
PC George Dixon ...... David Calder
PC Andy Crawford ...... David Tennant
Mary Dixon ...... Charlie Brooks
Joe Cooney ...... Tom McClane
Ned Cooney ...... Michael Fenton Stevens
Hilda Cooney ...... Rebecca Smart
Paul De Witt ...... Christian Rodska
Written by Ted Willis. Dramatised from his TV screenplay by Sue Rodwell.
Produced in Bristol by Viv Beeby and Jeremy Howe.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in June 2005.
TUE 07:00 Snap (b00tf82j)
Series 1
Episode 2
After their split, Molly and Doug are determined to prove they can have a life without each other.
And maybe they would, if it wasn't for Doug's elderly mum misbehaving...
Paul Mendelson’s sitcom stars Rebecca Lacey and Paul Venables.
Molly …. Rebecca Lacey
Doug …. Paul Venables
Kaz …. Soumaya Keynes
Ryan …. Jessie Sullivan
Scarlet …. Rebecca Front
Annie …. Marlene Sidaway
Raymond …. Jonathan Tafler
Producer: David Ian Neville
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 2003.
TUE 07:30 Chain Reaction (b03nt8bk)
Series 9
Frankie Boyle talks to Grant Morrison
Comedian Frankie Boyle continues the chain talking to comic book legend Grant Morrison.
They're talking Batman, where ideas come from and the future of humanity.
Chain Reaction is the long-running host-less chat show where last week's interviewee becomes this week's interviewer.
Producer: Carl Cooper
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 2014.
TUE 08:00 The Goon Show (b007jn16)
Series 6
The Tales of Montmartre
Paris, passion and duplicity abound in the tangled lives of two talented painters.
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: Peter Eton
First broadcast on the BBC Home Service in January 1956.
TUE 08:30 The Marx Brothers' Flywheel, Shyster and Flywheel (b007ynfd)
Series 1
Episode 4
It's a dog's life for shady lawyer Waldorf T Flywheel when a Pekingese goes missing.
Recreation of the Marx Brothers' lost shows charting the adventures of shady lawyer Waldorf T Flywheel and his assistant, Emmanuel Ravelli. Originally broadcast with sponsors on America's NBC radio network in the 1930s. The scripts were rediscovered in 1988.
Groucho Marx as Waldorf T Flywheel ...... Michael Roberts
Chico Marx as Emmanuel Ravellias ...... Frank Lazarus
With Lorelei King and Graham Hoadly.
Written by Nat Perrin and Athur Sheekman. Adapted by Mark Brisenden.
Music arranged and conducted by David Firman.
Producer: Dirk Maggs
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in June 1990.
TUE 09:00 The Now Show (b03pctrw)
[Repeat of broadcast at
23:00 on Monday]
TUE 09:30 Spread a Little Happiness (b00ktdb2)
Series 1
Episode 3
Comedy by John Godber and Jane Thornton, set in a Yorkshire sandwich bar.
A recent jog to work seems to have improved more than Hope and Jodie's muscles, judging by the number of breakfast baps they are selling.
Hope ...... Suranne Jones
Jodie ...... Susan Cookson
Dave ...... Neil Dudgeon
Ray ...... Shaun Prendergast
Ben ...... Ben Crowe
Directed by Chris Wallis.
TUE 10:00 David Wade - Alexander (b007jx2h)
The King's Son
Baby Alexander is born and there's friction between King Philip of Macedon and Queen Olympias.
David Wade's six-part serial on the life of Alexander the Great - starring Barry Foster, Simon Ward and Geraldine James.
Translator: Richmond Lattimore
Spirit of Achilles ...... Barry Foster
Spirit of Patroclus ...... Simon Ward
King Philip of Macedon ...... Brian Cox
Queen Olympias ...... Geraldine James
Young Alexander ...... Sam Crane
Antipatros ...... David March
Demosthenes ...... Malcolm Sinclair
Lysimachos ...... Keith Drinkel
Young Hephaistion ...... Gary King
Aristander ...... Barry Gordon
Artabazus ...... Philip Anthony
Kleitos ...... John Evitts
Leonidas ...... John Webb
Pusanias ...... James Telfer
Menapis ...... David Thorpe
Hellanike ...... Patti Holloway
Barsine ...... Oona Beeson
Clotho ...... Rachel Atkins
Lachesis ...... Jill Graham
Atropos ...... Diana Payan
Music: Wilfredo Acosta
Director: Glyn Dearman
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 1993.
TUE 11:00 Donna Tartt - The Secret History (b03ph7cq)
Episode 7
Richard finally learns what Henry and the others were fleeing - a ritual gone wrong. William Hope reads Donna Tartt thriller. From April 1995.
TUE 11:15 Sherlock Holmes (b007jp76)
The Return of Sherlock Holmes - Series 1
Charles Augustus Milverton
To trap an evil blackmailer, the Baker Street sleuth dons a cunning disguise. Stars Clive Merrison and Michael Williams.
TUE 12:00 The Goon Show (b007jn16)
[Repeat of broadcast at
08:00 today]
TUE 12:30 The Marx Brothers' Flywheel, Shyster and Flywheel (b007ynfd)
[Repeat of broadcast at
08:30 today]
TUE 13:00 Paul Temple (b007jn5m)
[Repeat of broadcast at
06:00 today]
TUE 13:30 Dixon of Dock Green (b0133pl2)
[Repeat of broadcast at
06:30 today]
TUE 14:00 15 Minute Drama (b00h438m)
Vita Sackville-West - All Passion Spent
Episode 2
Adaptation of the 1931 novel by Vita Sackville-West.
Lady Slane rejects her children's plans for her old age and begins to make a new life and two eccentric new friends in Hampstead.
Lady Slane ...... Honor Blackman
Mr FitzGeorge ...... Alec McCowen
Herbert Holland ...... John Nicholas
Carrie ...... Phyllida Nash
Kay Holland ...... Patrick Romer
Mr Bucktrout ...... Paul Nicholson
Mr Gosheron ...... Peter Ellis
Genoux ...... Sonia Elliman
Police Inspector ...... Russell Boulter
Deborah Holland ...... Annabel Scholey
Directed by Sara Davies.
TUE 14:15 A Short History of Ireland (b007k3fq)
Brian Boru and the Battle of Clontarf; A Trembling Sod
The country's epic story continues with a long-standing ruler and the impact of events in the year 1014. With James Greene.
TUE 14:30 Helen Dunmore - The Betrayal (b00wgzr2)
A Diagnosis
In her novel, The Betrayal, Helen Dunmore returns to the Soviet Union, and to the city of Leningrad whose history she so powerfully evoked in her best-seller The Siege. Now, a decade later, starvation and bitter cold have been replaced with fear and suspicion, as the people of Leningrad do their best to keep their heads down and their lives unremarkable in an era of accusations, arrests and the midnight knock at the door.
In today's episode: It is 1952, Leningrad and Andrei and Anna are just trying to live ordinary lives. But when the son of the feared secret police official, Vulkov, is admitted into his hospital, Andrei finds himself, against his better judgement, manoeuvred into seeing him. Now he is faced with a vulnerable patient and a worrying diagnosis.
The Reader is Sara Kestelman, the abridger is Sally Marmion and the producer is Di Speirs.
TUE 14:45 Book of the Week (b00vkwrx)
Philip Larkin - Letters to Monica
Episode 2
Episode 2: Larkin gives Monica feedback on her conversational style, meets EM Forster and ponders the difficulty of writing a new novel.
Philip Larkin's Letters to Monica span the forty years of their relationship from 1946 when they met, until Larkin's death in 1985. They only came to light after Monica Jones died in 2001, when nearly two thousand letters were discovered in Larkin's house in Hull. This never previously published correspondence, edited by Anthony Thwaite, offers a unique insight into Larkin's most intimate thoughts.
Philip Larkin writes to Monica about his poetry, his lack of inspiration, his mundane life in Belfast and then Hull, his relationship with her, with his friends (notably Kingsley Amis), his parents and with his other lover Maeve. They often discuss books and reading, writers and writing, and their shared love animals and Beatrix Potter. Larkin's letters are infused with the music he's listening to, the work he's immersed in, his general domesticity, the food he's eaten, the sounds from the flats below: they paint a vivid picture of the real world that inspired his poetry.
Read by Hugh Bonneville, who recently appeared in Downton Abbey and BBC TV's The Silence and played Larkin in Love Again on BBC 4.
The abridger is Miranda Davies and the producer Lucy Collingwood.
TUE 15:00 David Wade - Alexander (b007jx2h)
[Repeat of broadcast at
10:00 today]
TUE 16:00 The 4 O'Clock Show (b03ph8zb)
Mel jumps aboard some famous steam engines with a trip to the National Railway Museum in York, and there's more from current story Emil and the Detectives.
TUE 17:00 Flying the Flag (b00dr99l)
Series 4
Endangered Species
Desperate to be seen to be Green, the Ambassadors from both East and West try to reconcile materialism with ecological common sense.
Agreement on policies proves impossible and time is running out: diplomacy may soon be extinct.
Series 4 of Alex Shearer's Eastern bloc embassy sitcom.
Starring Dinsdale Landen as HM Ambassador Mackenzie, Peter Acre as William Frost, Moir Leslie as Helen Waterson, Christopher Benjamin as Colonel Surikov and Stephen Greif as US Ambassador Spiro Weinberg.
Producer: Neil Cargill
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 1992.
TUE 17:30 Snap (b00tf82j)
[Repeat of broadcast at
07:00 today]
TUE 18:00 Paradise Lost in Space (b007jnt5)
3. Anyone for Tennis?
As the Oblivions have so much time on their hands, it couldn't possibly hurt to introduce them to the gentle game of tennis, could it?
Colin Swash's sci-fi comedy about two space-age humans stranded on a friendly alien planet.
Norman ...... Tony Robinson
Max ...... David Haig
Stella ...... Louise Lombard
Macari ...... Michael Troughton
Terayz ...... Carla Mendonca
Ken ...... Tom Hollander
Producer: Richard Wilson
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 1995.
TUE 18:30 Planet B (b00hxqnk)
Series 1
2. New Boy
Convinced his girlfriend Lioba is alive in a virtual world, a nostalgic leap sends John to a brutal school.
Sci-fi series about a mystery virtual world.
Written by Matthew Broughton.
John ...... Gunnar Cauthery
Lioba ...... Donnla Hughes
Medley ...... Lizzy Watts
Cerberus ...... Chris Pavlo
Teacher ...... Stephen Critchlow
Mark Swift ...... Inam Mirza
Dean Sullivan ...... Robert Lonsdale
Donna Sullivan ...... Manjeet Mann
Pip Blanc ...... Janice Acquah
Roger Farina ...... Malcolm Tierney
Announcer ...... Jonathan Tafler
Random boy ...... Paul Rider
Director: Jessica Dromgoole
Made for BBC Radio 7 and first broadcast in March 2009.
TUE 19:00 The Goon Show (b007jn16)
[Repeat of broadcast at
08:00 today]
TUE 19:30 The Marx Brothers' Flywheel, Shyster and Flywheel (b007ynfd)
[Repeat of broadcast at
08:30 today]
TUE 20:00 Paul Temple (b007jn5m)
[Repeat of broadcast at
06:00 today]
TUE 20:30 Dixon of Dock Green (b0133pl2)
[Repeat of broadcast at
06:30 today]
TUE 21:00 Donna Tartt - The Secret History (b03ph7cq)
[Repeat of broadcast at
11:00 today]
TUE 21:15 Sherlock Holmes (b007jp76)
[Repeat of broadcast at
11:15 today]
TUE 22:00 Chain Reaction (b03nt8bk)
[Repeat of broadcast at
07:30 today]
TUE 22:30 The Mark Steel Lecture (b007qhq3)
Series 2
Karl Marx
The radical comedian offers his assessment of the influential revolutionary thinker and philosopher. From April 2001.
TUE 22:55 The Comedy Club Interviews (b03sqv13)
The best in contemporary comedy. Tonight, Sara Pascoe is joined by Bob Mortimer's Norwegian son, Daniel Simonsen.
TUE 23:00 The Museum of Everything (b007k0zt)
Series 1
School Parties Welcome
The Museum enjoys a visit from some schoolchildren as they learn the origin of scampi in the new Undersea Adventure display.
Written and performed by Marcus Brigstocke, Danny Robins and Dan Tetsell.
With Lucy Montgomery.
Music by Dominic Haslam and Ben Walker.
Producer: Alex Walsh-Taylor
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 2004.
TUE 23:30 Creme de la Crime (b0084ssn)
Series 2
The Spy Who Laughed Me
Michael Feydeau -TV's much loved Inspector Niblett - and crime expert, David Pershore probe a case of treason back in 1945 - a powerful mix of theft, illegality, murder, murder and a bit more murder...
Tales from the vaults of villainy written by and starring Steve Punt and Hugh Dennis.
Director: Adam Bromley
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in June 2002.
TUE 23:45 Mastering the Universe (b00spqnz)
Series 1
Food and Drink
Professor Joy Klamp explores the miserable world of our menus. Stars Dawn French and Christopher Douglas. From November 2005.
WEDNESDAY 15 JANUARY 2014
WED 00:00 Paradise Lost in Space (b007jnt5)
[Repeat of broadcast at
18:00 on Tuesday]
WED 00:30 Planet B (b00hxqnk)
[Repeat of broadcast at
18:30 on Tuesday]
WED 01:00 Paul Temple (b007jn5m)
[Repeat of broadcast at
06:00 on Tuesday]
WED 01:30 Dixon of Dock Green (b0133pl2)
[Repeat of broadcast at
06:30 on Tuesday]
WED 02:00 The Now Show (b03pctrw)
[Repeat of broadcast at
23:00 on Monday]
WED 02:30 Spread a Little Happiness (b00ktdb2)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:30 on Tuesday]
WED 03:00 David Wade - Alexander (b007jx2h)
[Repeat of broadcast at
10:00 on Tuesday]
WED 04:00 Donna Tartt - The Secret History (b03ph7cq)
[Repeat of broadcast at
11:00 on Tuesday]
WED 04:15 Sherlock Holmes (b007jp76)
[Repeat of broadcast at
11:15 on Tuesday]
WED 05:00 Flying the Flag (b00dr99l)
[Repeat of broadcast at
17:00 on Tuesday]
WED 05:30 Snap (b00tf82j)
[Repeat of broadcast at
07:00 on Tuesday]
WED 06:00 Paul Temple (b007rqzp)
Paul Temple and the Lawrence Affair
Salty West
The daughter of the head of CI5, Sylvia Ross has disappeared, but the suave detective and his wife Steve are hot on the trail...
Francis Durbridge's thriller stars Peter Coke as Paul Temple and Marjorie Westbury as Steve in another intriguing case for BBC radio's smoothest investigator and his glamorous wife. With Lester Mudditt as Sir Graham Forbes.
With Dorothy Holmes-Gore as Mary Gardner and James Beattie as Charlie.
From 1938 to 1969 the fictional crime novelist and detective Paul Temple, together with his Fleet Street journalist Steve, solved case after case in one of BBC radio's most popular series. They inhabited a sophisticated world of chilled cocktails and fast cars, where the women were chic and the men wore cravats - a world where Sir Graham Forbes, of Scotland Yard, usually needed Paul's help with his latest tricky case.
Producer: Martin C Webster
First broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in 1954.
WED 06:30 Dixon of Dock Green (b0132tjy)
Series 1
Dixie
When things go missing from the Dixon household Doris, the downtrodden girl from next door, is exposed as a petty thief. But it's Mary Dixon who comes to her rescue, against George's wishes, and who earns the admiration of Andy Crawford...
Radio revival of BBC TV's famous copper starring David Calder as PC George Dixon nnd David Tennant as Andy Crawford.
Dixon of Dock Green's roots go back to 1950 film drama 'The Blue Lamp', which ended with Dixon being shot dead. However, Warner's role was resurrected for the BBC TV series running from 1955 to 1976.
PC George Dixon ...... David Calder
PC Andy Crawford ...... David Tennant
Mary Dixon ...... Charlie Brooks
Mrs Davies ...... Esther Elliott
Doris Monroe ...... Sarah Counsell
Mr Monroe ...... Roland Oliver
Harry Lane ...... Paul Currier
Written by Ted Willis. Dramatised from his TV screenplay by Sue Rodwell.
Produced in Bristol by Viv Beeby and Jeremy Howe.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 2005.
WED 07:00 Tales From the Mausoleum Club (b007jnsr)
Jess of the B'ournevilles
Mr Sturdy arrives at the Club with a tale of West Country paganism. Stars Timothy Spall. From July 2003.
WED 07:30 Mark Steel's in Town (b03nt9w6)
Series 5
Glastonbury
Mark Steel returns to Radio 4 for a fifth series of the award winning show that travels around the country, researching the history, heritage and culture of six towns that have nothing in common but their uniqueness, and does a bespoke evening of comedy in each one.
As every high street slowly morphs into a replica of the next, Mark Steel's in Town celebrates the parochial, the local and the unusual. From Corby's rivalry with Kettering to the word you can't say in Portland, the show has taken in the idiosyncrasies of towns up and down the country, from Kirkwall to Penzance, from Holyhead to Bungay.
This first edition of the series comes from Glastonbury, Somerset, which lives up to every expectation of being the most new-agey, hippyish town Mark has ever visited. He talks about the Tor and King Arthur, visits the two chain shops on the High Street, is given an unusual reason for not being able to get into his dressing room, and makes a crucial mistake when it comes to cider. From January 2014.
Written and performed by ... Mark Steel
Additional material by ... Pete Sinclair
Production co-ordinator ... Trudi Stevens
Producer ... Ed Morrish.
WED 08:00 Hancock's Half Hour (b007jnjm)
Series 5
The Unexploded Bomb
When the lad gets a surprise in the cellar, Sid sees his chance to make some money.
Stars Tony Hancock.
With Sidney James, Bill Kerr, Hattie Jacques and Kenneth Williams.
Written by Ray Galton and Alan Simpson.
Theme and incidental music written by Wally Stott.
Producer: Tom Ronald
First broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in February 1958.
WED 08:30 I'm Sorry, I'll Read That Again (b013n0q0)
Series 8
Episode 8
With the rise of the Common Market in mind, Radio Prune goes International.
Starring Tim Brooke-Taylor, John Cleese, Graeme Garden, David Hatch, Jo Kendall and Bill Oddie.
Sketches written by Graeme Garden and Bill Oddie.
Originating from the Cambridge University Footlights revue 'Cambridge Circus', ISIRTA ran for 8 years on BBC Radio and quickly developed a cult following.
Music and songs by Bill Oddie, Liam Cohen and Dave Lee.
Producer: David Hatch/Peter Titheradge
First broadcast on the BBC Radio 2 in April 1970.
WED 09:00 Winston (b00pync3)
Winston Back Home
A Born Natural
Old rogue Winston's plot to be alone with Nancy gets an unexpected boost from Father.
Peter Tinniswood's bawdy comedy serial stars Bill Wallis as Winston, Maurice Denham as Father, Shirley Dixon as Nancy, Liz Goulding as Rosie and Christian Rodska as William.
Director: Shaun MacLoughlin.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 1994.
WED 09:30 The Adventures of John and Tony (b007k1s6)
The Hiking Holiday
John and his best friend Tony find face dodgy hotels and sinister monks, but love is in the air...
Written by John Hegley.
Starring John Hegley, Simon Munnery, Terry Malloy, Sunny Ormonde and Andy Hockley.
Original music by Nigel Piper.
Director: Anne Edyvean.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 1999.
WED 10:00 David Wade - Alexander (b007jx2n)
I am Also Alexander
Alexander is used as a pawn in the war between his parents, and is educated by Aristotle.
Michael Maloney, Barry Foster and Simon Ward star in 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.
WED 11:00 Donna Tartt - The Secret History (b03phdnz)
Episode 8
After the horrific revelation from Henry, Richard learns more about Bunny's growing significance. Donna Tartt thriller read by William Hope. From April 1995.
WED 11:15 Don Haworth - Recce (b007qspy)
A study of Tom, a seemingly affable man, easy-going and concerned about all the right things.
So why does he find himself isolated and alone with his family on a hillside farm? A TV company's intention to film him at work reveals the reason why.
Don Haworth's drama stars Michael Tudor Barnes as Tom, Joanna Mackie as Angela and Anna Cropper as Joan.
Director: Kay Patrick
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1989.
WED 12:00 Hancock's Half Hour (b007jnjm)
[Repeat of broadcast at
08:00 today]
WED 12:30 I'm Sorry, I'll Read That Again (b013n0q0)
[Repeat of broadcast at
08:30 today]
WED 13:00 Paul Temple (b007rqzp)
[Repeat of broadcast at
06:00 today]
WED 13:30 Dixon of Dock Green (b0132tjy)
[Repeat of broadcast at
06:30 today]
WED 14:00 15 Minute Drama (b00h44b0)
Vita Sackville-West - All Passion Spent
Episode 3
Adaptation of the 1931 novel by Vita Sackville-West.
Lady Slane's retirement in Hampstead is interrupted when she is visited by a figure from her past, whose memories force her to take stock of her own life.
Lady Slane ...... Honor Blackman
Mr FitzGeorge ...... Alec McCowen
Herbert Holland ...... John Nicholas
Carrie ...... Phyllida Nash
Kay Holland ...... Patrick Romer
Mr Bucktrout ...... Paul Nicholson
Mr Gosheron ...... Peter Ellis
Genoux ...... Sonia Elliman
Police Inspector ...... Russell Boulter
Deborah Holland ...... Annabel Scholey
Directed by Sara Davies.
WED 14:15 A Short History of Ireland (b007k3gn)
The Rape of Dervogilla; At Baginbun Ireland Was Lost and Won
The country's colourful and vivid story continues with events leading up to the Norman invasion. With Frances Tomelty.
WED 14:30 Helen Dunmore - The Betrayal (b00wgzrr)
The Best Chance of Survival
As the doctor in charge of Gorya's case, it falls to Andrei to tell his father, Vulkov, what the boy's best, indeed only, chance of survival is. The stakes are raised even higher as the two men meet.
Helen Dunmore's sequel to 'The Siege' read by Sara Kestelman.
Set ten years on, the starvation and bitter cold of the war years of Leningrad have been replaced with fear and suspicion. City residents do their best to keep their heads down and their lives unremarkable in an era of accusations, arrests and the midnight knock at the door.
Helen Dunmore (1952-2017) was the writer of 12 novels and 10 poetry collections winning several accolades for her work.
Abridged by Sally Marmion
Producer: Di Speirs
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2010.
WED 14:45 Book of the Week (b00vkxn5)
Philip Larkin - Letters to Monica
Episode 3
Philip Larkin's Letters to Monica span the forty years of their relationship from 1946 when they met, until Larkin's death in 1985. They only came to light after Monica Jones died in 2001, when nearly two thousand letters were discovered in Larkin's house in Hull. This never previously published correspondence, edited by Anthony Thwaite, offers a unique insight into Larkin's most intimate thoughts.
Philip Larkin writes to Monica about his poetry, his lack of inspiration, his mundane life in Belfast and then Hull, his relationship with her, with his friends (notably Kingsley Amis), his parents and with his other lover Maeve. They often discuss books and reading, writers and writing, and their shared love animals and Beatrix Potter. Larkin's letters are infused with the music he's listening to, the work he's immersed in, his general domesticity, the food he's eaten, the sounds from the flats below: they paint a vivid picture of the real world that inspired his poetry.
Read by Hugh Bonneville, who recently appeared in Downton Abbey and BBC TV's The Silence and played Larkin in Love Again on BBC 4.
The abridger is Miranda Davies and the producer Lucy Collingwood.
Episode 3: Larkin successfully gains the Head Librarianship in Hull, has his collection 'The Less Deceived' published and is frustrated by his new neighbours.
WED 15:00 David Wade - Alexander (b007jx2n)
[Repeat of broadcast at
10:00 today]
WED 16:00 The 4 O'Clock Show (b03phg54)
Mel Giedroyc has a rummage through Rob Brydon's Inheritance Tracks, and there's the next episode of current story Emil and the Detectives.
WED 17:00 No Commitments (b007cnzv)
Series 13
Blue Rabbits
Comedy series by Simon Brett following the fortunes of three fortysomething sisters.
5/6. Blue Rabbits
A generational conflict erupts over how a baby's nursery should be decorated. Meanwhile, has Charlotte finally found true love?
Anna ...... Rosemary Leach
Victoria ...... Angela Thorne
Charlotte ...... Felicity Montagu
Emily ...... Lisa Coleman
Eddie ...... James Green
Nick ...... Kieran Hill
Patrick ...... Michael Simkins.
WED 17:30 Tales From the Mausoleum Club (b007jnsr)
[Repeat of broadcast at
07:00 today]
WED 18:00 Paradise Lost in Space (b007jnx2)
4. Martinis
The dangers of tennis are now apparent to the Oblivions - but Martinis? What could possibly go wrong with Martinis?
Colin Swash's sci-fi comedy about two space-age humans stranded on a friendly alien planet.
Norman ...... Tony Robinson
Max ...... David Haig
Stella ...... Louise Lombard
Macari ...... Michael Troughton
Terayz ...... Carla Mendonca
Ken ...... Tom Hollander
Tony ...... Geoff McGivern
Clive ...... Guy Witcher
Jonathan ...... RossAlistair McGowan
Producer: Richard Wilson
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 1995.
WED 18:30 Planet B (b00hxyy0)
Series 1
3. Freakshow
Searching for his girlfriend Lioba, John arrives at a bizarre music festival - but is this world a trap?
Sci-fi series about a mystery virtual world.
Written by Dawn King.
John ...... Gunnar Cauthery
Lioba ...... Donnla Hughes
Medley ...... Lizzy Watts
Cerberus ...... Chris Pavlo
Ringmaster ...... Paul Rider
Epiphany ...... Janice Acquah
Reporter 2 ...... Dan Starkey
Reporter 3 ...... Inam Mirza
Karen ...... Manjeet Mann
Autograph Hunters ...... Audience/Cast
Other parts played by the cast.
Director: Jessica Dromgoole
Made for BBC Radio 7 and first broadcast in March 2009.
WED 19:00 Hancock's Half Hour (b007jnjm)
[Repeat of broadcast at
08:00 today]
WED 19:30 I'm Sorry, I'll Read That Again (b013n0q0)
[Repeat of broadcast at
08:30 today]
WED 20:00 Paul Temple (b007rqzp)
[Repeat of broadcast at
06:00 today]
WED 20:30 Dixon of Dock Green (b0132tjy)
[Repeat of broadcast at
06:30 today]
WED 21:00 Donna Tartt - The Secret History (b03phdnz)
[Repeat of broadcast at
11:00 today]
WED 21:15 Don Haworth - Recce (b007qspy)
[Repeat of broadcast at
11:15 today]
WED 22:00 Mark Steel's in Town (b03nt9w6)
[Repeat of broadcast at
07:30 today]
WED 22:30 Armando Iannucci's Charm Offensive (b007x6kn)
Series 3
Episode 3
Topical piffle and outrageous fibs from Armando and his special guests Dara O Briain, Simon Evans and David Quantick. From August 2007.
WED 23:00 Old Harry's Game (b007jm9l)
Series 3
This Thing Called Love
Satan worries about his image, and the Professor is concerned over his widow's remarriage.
Andy Hamilton’s devilishly funny sitcom set in Hell.
Satan …. Andy Hamilton
The Professor …. James Grout
Thomas …. Jimmy Mulville
Scumspawn …. Robert Duncan
Other characters played by Philip Pope, Michael Fenton Stevens, Felicity Montagu and Nick Revell
Producer Paul Mayhew-Archer
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 1999.
WED 23:30 Absolute Power (b007v1pd)
Series 2
Episode 3
Can spin kings Prentiss McCabe turn a failed novelist into a best seller? Stars Stephen Fry and John Bird. From February 2001.
THURSDAY 16 JANUARY 2014
THU 00:00 Paradise Lost in Space (b007jnx2)
[Repeat of broadcast at
18:00 on Wednesday]
THU 00:30 Planet B (b00hxyy0)
[Repeat of broadcast at
18:30 on Wednesday]
THU 01:00 Paul Temple (b007rqzp)
[Repeat of broadcast at
06:00 on Wednesday]
THU 01:30 Dixon of Dock Green (b0132tjy)
[Repeat of broadcast at
06:30 on Wednesday]
THU 02:00 Winston (b00pync3)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:00 on Wednesday]
THU 02:30 The Adventures of John and Tony (b007k1s6)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:30 on Wednesday]
THU 03:00 David Wade - Alexander (b007jx2n)
[Repeat of broadcast at
10:00 on Wednesday]
THU 04:00 Donna Tartt - The Secret History (b03phdnz)
[Repeat of broadcast at
11:00 on Wednesday]
THU 04:15 Don Haworth - Recce (b007qspy)
[Repeat of broadcast at
11:15 on Wednesday]
THU 05:00 No Commitments (b007cnzv)
[Repeat of broadcast at
17:00 on Wednesday]
THU 05:30 Tales From the Mausoleum Club (b007jnsr)
[Repeat of broadcast at
07:00 on Wednesday]
THU 06:00 Paul Temple (b007s45n)
Paul Temple and the Lawrence Affair
The Handbag
A drive-by shooting and the victim's last words, pose more Swiss puzzles for the suave detective and his wife.
Francis Durbridge's thriller stars Peter Coke as Paul Temple and Marjorie Westbury as Steve in another intriguing case for BBC radio's smoothest investigator and his glamorous wife. With Lester Mudditt as Sir Graham Forbes.
With Dorothy Holmes-Gore as Mary Gardner, John Gabriel as Ernest de Silva and Arthur Ridley as Detective Inspector Vosper.
From 1938 to 1969 the fictional crime novelist and detective Paul Temple, together with his Fleet Street journalist Steve, solved case after case in one of BBC radio's most popular series. They inhabited a sophisticated world of chilled cocktails and fast cars, where the women were chic and the men wore cravats - a world where Sir Graham Forbes, of Scotland Yard, usually needed Paul's help with his latest tricky case.
Producer: Martin C Webster
First broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in 1954.
THU 06:30 Dixon of Dock Green (b0133g6t)
Series 1
Rock, Rattle and Roll
When a fanatical Spurs fan has his prized football rattle stolen, an FA cup tie provides the perfect excuse for a weekend away in Blackpool for Andy and Mary.
Radio revival of BBC TV's famous copper starring David Calder as PC George Dixon and David Tennant as Andy Crawford.
Dixon of Dock Green's roots go back to 1950 film drama 'The Blue Lamp', which ended with Dixon being shot dead. However, Warner's role was resurrected for the BBC TV series running from 1955 to 1976.
PC George Dixon ...... David Calder
PC Andy Crawford ...... David Tennant
Mary Dixon ...... Charlie Brooks
Ben Harvey ...... Andrew Sachs
Jessie Harvey ...... Jacqueline Tong
Chris Miller ...... Alex McLaren
Jim ...... Stuart Crossman
Written by Ted Willis. Dramatised from his TV screenplay by Sue Rodwell.
Produced in Bristol by Viv Beeby and Jeremy Howe.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 2005.
THU 07:00 Lenin of the Rovers (b00cfzz8)
Series 2
Apocalypse Des
Felchester Rovers take a break in the socialist idyll of El Telvador - but a war is raging. Stars Alexei Sayle. From April 1989.
THU 07:30 John Finnemore's Souvenir Programme (b0156jzr)
Series 1
Episode 1
John Finnemore, writer and star of Cabin Pressure, regular guest on The Now Show and popper-up in things like Miranda and That Mitchell and Webb Look returns with half an hour of his own sketches, each funnier than the last. Although, hang on, that system means starting the whole series with the least funny sketch. Might need to rethink that. OK, it's a new show filled with sketches written and performed by John Finnemore, but now no longer arranged in strict order of funniness. Also, he's cut the sketch that would have gone first.
This week's show sees a big job, a small job, the career path of the average TV executive, and a tiger with a gun.
John Finnemore's Souvenir Programme is written by and stars John Finnemore. It also features Carrie Quinlan (The News Quiz, The Late Edition), Lawry Lewin (The Life & Times of Vivienne Vyle, Horrible Histories) and Simon Kane (Six Impossible Things).
Producer: Ed Morrish.
THU 08:00 Dad's Army (b007jp95)
Series 2
A Wilson (Manager)
Captain Mainwaring is aghast when his chief clerk comes up in the world.
Starring Arthur Lowe as Captain Mainwaring, John Le Mesurier as Sergeant Wilson, Clive Dunn as Corporal Jones, John Laurie as Private Frazer, Ian Lavender as Private Pike and Arnold Ridley as Godfrey.
Adapted for radio from Jimmy Perry and David Croft's TV scripts by Harold Snoad and Michael Knowles.
Producer: John Dyas
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in June 1975.
THU 08:30 Take It From Here (b00cl50x)
From 07/01/1954
The Glums debate culinary insularity, and Jim and Bentley ponder pathos. With Jimmy Edwards and Alma Cogan. From January 1954.
THU 09:00 Four Joneses and a Jenkins (b007jqm4)
December - Sauce for the Goose
Under the shadow of the Long Mynd, Megan is out to save Gudrun from a plucking.
Sue Limb’s pastoral sitcom follows six months in the life of the Jones family, who live on a small farm in rural Wales.
Mr Jones ...... Geoffrey Whitehead
Ma Jones ...... Lisabeth Miles
Megan Jones ...... Rebecca Front
Owen Jones ...... Matthew Morgan
Bootle ...... Michael Fenton Stevens
Mr Jenkins ...... Nickolas Grace
Recorded on location.
Music composed by John Whitehall.
Producer: Jonathan James Moore.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 2000.
THU 09:30 HR (b00txgsc)
Series 2
Consulting
Having nursed Peter through retirement blues, Sam himself succumbs to the dreaded sense of purposelessness. Then Peter gets an ad looking for experienced consultants. They're made!
Nigel Williams' comedy drama series charting the misfortunes of a middle-aged HR officer and his trouble-making colleague.
Peter ..... Jonathan Pryce
Sam ..... Nicholas Le Prevost
Waiter ..... Sam Dale
Director: Peter Kavanagh.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 2010
THU 10:00 David Wade - Alexander (b007jx30)
Preparation of the Sacrifice
Young Alexander goes into battle to prove his manhood, meanwhile King Philip's remarriage plans cause tension....
Michael Maloney, Barry Foster and Simon Ward star in 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.
THU 11:00 Donna Tartt - The Secret History (b03pj28f)
Episode 9
Richard becomes more and more involved in Henry's plans to deal with Bunny. Donna Tartt thriller read by William Hope. From April 1995.
THU 11:15 Andrew Rissik - The Psychedelic Spy (b008kkj9)
Running Scared
Billy Hindle's given up his job as an assassin, but then his old boss Snark turns up.
Andrew Rissik's thriller is set in 1968 and written in the style of the Bond movies.
Starring James Aubrey as Billy Hindle, Gerald Harper as Sir Richard Snark and Lisa Rowe-Beddoe as Marianne.
Directed by Glyn Dearman
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1990.
THU 12:00 Dad's Army (b007jp95)
[Repeat of broadcast at
08:00 today]
THU 12:30 Take It From Here (b00cl50x)
[Repeat of broadcast at
08:30 today]
THU 13:00 Paul Temple (b007s45n)
[Repeat of broadcast at
06:00 today]
THU 13:30 Dixon of Dock Green (b0133g6t)
[Repeat of broadcast at
06:30 today]
THU 14:00 15 Minute Drama (b00h44sj)
Vita Sackville-West - All Passion Spent
Episode 4
Adaptation of the 1931 novel by Vita Sackville-West.
Lady Slane's new-found friendship with Mr FitzGeorge is ended when he dies suddenly, leaving a legacy that comes as a shock to her children.
Lady Slane ...... Honor Blackman
Mr FitzGeorge ...... Alec McCowen
Herbert Holland ...... John Nicholas
Carrie ...... Phyllida Nash
Kay Holland ...... Patrick Romer
Mr Bucktrout ...... Paul Nicholson
Mr Gosheron ...... Peter Ellis
Genoux ...... Sonia Elliman
Police Inspector ...... Russell Boulter
Deborah Holland ...... Annabel Scholey
Directed by Sara Davies.
THU 14:15 A Short History of Ireland (b007k3hm)
A Tale of Two Sieges; Henry II Comes to Ireland
The country's epic story continues with the Norman invasion and the arrival of fresh royalty. With Richard Dormer.
THU 14:30 Helen Dunmore - The Betrayal (b00wgztk)
You Can Be a Doctor Anywhere
Although Volkov's son has been discharged from hospital, Anna and Andrei know they've done the unthinkable and come to the notice of someone powerful enough to destroy their lives.
They must leave nothing to chance, but how far can they escape?
Helen Dunmore's sequel to 'The Siege' read by Sara Kestelman.
Set ten years on, the starvation and bitter cold of the war years of Leningrad have been replaced with fear and suspicion. City residents do their best to keep their heads down and their lives unremarkable in an era of accusations, arrests and the midnight knock at the door.
Helen Dunmore (1952-2017) was the writer of 12 novels and 10 poetry collections winning several accolades for her work.
Abridged by Sally Marmion
Producer: Di Speirs
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2010.
THU 14:45 Book of the Week (b00vky4q)
Philip Larkin - Letters to Monica
Episode 4
Philip Larkin's Letters to Monica span the forty years of their relationship from 1946 when they met, until Larkin's death in 1985. They only came to light after Monica Jones died in 2001, when nearly two thousand letters were discovered in Larkin's house in Hull. This never previously published correspondence, edited by Anthony Thwaite, offers a unique insight into Larkin's most intimate thoughts.
Episode 4:
Larkin works on his poem about 'An Arundel Tomb' which he first saw with Monica and ponders the nature of their relationship.
Read by Hugh Bonneville, who recently appeared in Downton Abbey and BBC TV's The Silence and played Larkin in Love Again on BBC 4.
The abridger is Miranda Davies and the producer Lucy Collingwood.
THU 15:00 David Wade - Alexander (b007jx30)
[Repeat of broadcast at
10:00 today]
THU 16:00 The 4 O'Clock Show (b03pj2vh)
Mel Giedroyc explores the secrets of super sleuth Sherlock Holmes, and there's the fourth part of current story Emil and the Detectives, by Erich Kastner.
THU 17:00 Ballylenon (b007jpnw)
Series 6
Episode 4
Residents await news of Guard Gallagher's performance in New York while the Hawthornes fret about their declining congregation.
Series set in the sleepy town of Ballylenon, Co Donegal in 1956.
Written by Christopher Fitz-Simon.
Starring TP McKenna as Phonsie Doherty, Margaret D'Arcy as Muriel McConkey, Stella McCusker as Vera McConkey, Aine McCartney as Vivienne Hawthorne, Gerard Murphy as Rev Samuel Hawthorne, Gerard McSorley as Stumpy Bonnar, Ali White as Josie Doherty and Charlie Bonnar as Packy McGoldrick.
Music arranged and performed by Stephanie Hughes.
Directed at BBC Belfast by Peter Kavanagh.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1998.
THU 17:30 Lenin of the Rovers (b00cfzz8)
[Repeat of broadcast at
07:00 today]
THU 18:00 Paradise Lost in Space (b007jp0g)
5. Things Hot Up
When Norman introduces the Oblivions to the pleasures of the flesh, one thing leads to another...
Colin Swash's sci-fi comedy about two space-age humans stranded on a friendly alien planet.
Norman ...... Tony Robinson
Max ...... David Haig
Stella ...... Louise Lombard
Macari ...... Michael Troughton
Terayz ...... Carla Mendonca
Clive ...... Guy Witcher
Buzz ...... Peter Serafinowcz
Producer: Richard Wilson
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 1995.
THU 18:30 Planet B (b00hy943)
Series 1
4. New Rome
John and Medley are transported to a world of orgies and circuses, where the slaves seek a new leader.
Ten-part series about a mystery virtual world.
Written by Simon Bowen.
John ...... Gunnar Cauthery
Lioba ...... Donnla Hughes
Medley ...... Lizzy Watts
Cerberus ...... Chris Pavlo
Odius ...... Stephen Critchlow
Magnolia ...... Janice Acquah
Bay ...... Robert Lonsdale
Chi ...... Josef Altin
Viscus ...... Jill Cardo
Cassius Maximus ...... Malcolm Tierney
Malicius ...... Inam Mirza
Bloddy ...... Paul Rider
Red ...... Dan Starkey
Other parts played by the cast.
Director: Pam Marshall
Made for BBC Radio 7 and first broadcast in March 2009.
THU 19:00 Dad's Army (b007jp95)
[Repeat of broadcast at
08:00 today]
THU 19:30 Take It From Here (b00cl50x)
[Repeat of broadcast at
08:30 today]
THU 20:00 Paul Temple (b007s45n)
[Repeat of broadcast at
06:00 today]
THU 20:30 Dixon of Dock Green (b0133g6t)
[Repeat of broadcast at
06:30 today]
THU 21:00 Donna Tartt - The Secret History (b03pj28f)
[Repeat of broadcast at
11:00 today]
THU 21:15 Andrew Rissik - The Psychedelic Spy (b008kkj9)
[Repeat of broadcast at
11:15 today]
THU 22:00 John Finnemore's Souvenir Programme (b0156jzr)
[Repeat of broadcast at
07:30 today]
THU 22:30 Hamish and Dougal: You'll Have Had Your Tea (b0076zx3)
Series 3
There's Something About Mrs Naughtie
Mrs Naughtie comes into a large inheritance from her mysterious Uncle Nab and attracts the not altogether unwelcome advances of Hamish, Dougal and the Laird.
Barry Cryer and Graeme Garden star as the two Scotsmen famed for their appearances on BBC Radio’s I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue.
With Alison Steadman as their cleaning-lady-cum-housekeeper, Mrs Naughtie, and Jeremy Hardy as the local Laird.
Producer: Jon Naismith
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 2006.
THU 22:45 Tina C (b0076q68)
Tina C's Tiny Island Tour
Scotland
The country singer and global activist promotes her new album in Glasgow and traces her tartan in Edinburgh. Stars Christopher Green. From January 2005.
THU 23:00 Inside Alan Francis (b00hlf5j)
Episode 1
Comedian Alan Francis explores the workings of his own mind in relation to his life, friends and long-suffering girlfriend Jane.
Alan realises he must have done something wrong to annoy Jane, but can't remember what it is?
With Julian Dutton, Barnaby Power, Kali Peacock.
Producer Julia McKenzie
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 2009.
THU 23:30 The Problem With Adam Bloom (b018zvmk)
Series 3
Reading
Adam Bloom investigates his fear of reading aloud. Just what is the point of books?
After very negative but funny experiences at school, the comedian managed to avoid reading a book for much of his adult life. But he does find one novel that inspires him to start reading again.
Written by and starring Adam Bloom.
With Rob Rouse, Hattie Hayridge and Stefano Polini.
Producer: Adam Bromley
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 2005.
FRIDAY 17 JANUARY 2014
FRI 00:00 Paradise Lost in Space (b007jp0g)
[Repeat of broadcast at
18:00 on Thursday]
FRI 00:30 Planet B (b00hy943)
[Repeat of broadcast at
18:30 on Thursday]
FRI 01:00 Paul Temple (b007s45n)
[Repeat of broadcast at
06:00 on Thursday]
FRI 01:30 Dixon of Dock Green (b0133g6t)
[Repeat of broadcast at
06:30 on Thursday]
FRI 02:00 Four Joneses and a Jenkins (b007jqm4)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:00 on Thursday]
FRI 02:30 HR (b00txgsc)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:30 on Thursday]
FRI 03:00 David Wade - Alexander (b007jx30)
[Repeat of broadcast at
10:00 on Thursday]
FRI 04:00 Donna Tartt - The Secret History (b03pj28f)
[Repeat of broadcast at
11:00 on Thursday]
FRI 04:15 Andrew Rissik - The Psychedelic Spy (b008kkj9)
[Repeat of broadcast at
11:15 on Thursday]
FRI 05:00 Ballylenon (b007jpnw)
[Repeat of broadcast at
17:00 on Thursday]
FRI 05:30 Lenin of the Rovers (b00cfzz8)
[Repeat of broadcast at
07:00 on Thursday]
FRI 06:00 Paul Temple (b007jn7r)
Paul Temple and the Lawrence Affair
Return to Downburgh
Pondering the mystery over the handbag, the suave detective and his wife, Steve follow up a fresh lead...
Francis Durbridge's thriller stars Peter Coke as Paul Temple and Marjorie Westbury as Steve in another intriguing case for BBC radio's smoothest investigator and his glamorous wife. With Lester Mudditt as Sir Graham Forbes.
With Allan McClelland as Max Burford, John Gabriel as Ernest de Silva, Dorothy Holmes-Gore as Doris and Arthur Ridley as Detective Inspector Vosper.
From 1938 to 1969 the fictional crime novelist and detective Paul Temple, together with his Fleet Street journalist Steve, solved case after case in one of BBC radio's most popular series. They inhabited a sophisticated world of chilled cocktails and fast cars, where the women were chic and the men wore cravats - a world where Sir Graham Forbes, of Scotland Yard, usually needed Paul's help with his latest tricky case.
Producer: Martin C Webster
First broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in 1954.
FRI 06:30 Dixon of Dock Green (b0133ldd)
Series 1
Roaring Boy
Mary and Andy have some exciting news for George, but he's nowhere to be found - and on the other side of Dock Green, a desperate young man with a gun is on the run.
Radio revival of BBC TV's famous copper starring David Calder as PC George Dixon and David Tennant as Andy Crawford.
Dixon of Dock Green's roots go back to 1950 film drama 'The Blue Lamp', which ended with Dixon being shot dead. However, Warner's role was resurrected for the BBC TV series running from 1955 to 1976.
PC George Dixon ...... David Calder
PC Andy Crawford ...... David Tennant
Mary Dixon ...... Charlie Brooks
Doug Beale ...... Carl Prekopp
Diana Johnson ...... Hayley Docherty
Written by Ted Willis. Dramatised from his TV screenplay by Sue Rodwell.
Produced in Bristol by Viv Beeby and Jeremy Howe.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 2005.
FRI 07:00 Chambers (b007znmz)
Series 1
The Cab Rank Rule
Fuller-Carp faces a dilemma when asked to represent animal rights activists, having just accepted an invitation to go fox-hunting with some influential High Court judges.
Nor is it just Fuller-Carp's dignity which is on the line, as LAM (Lawyers against Meat) is ready to pounce...
Clive Coleman’s sitcom about the questionable practices of a group of barristers.
John Fuller Carp ...... John Bird
Hilary Tripping ...... James Fleet
Ruth Quirke ...... Lesley Sharp
Vince ...... Jonathan Kydd
Simon De Vere ...... Jonathan Coy
Rob ...... Paul Shearer
Mr Porteus ...... Keith Drinkel
Mrs Porteus ...... Ann Beach
Producer Paul Schlesinger
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 1996.
FRI 07:30 Warhorses of Letters (b03pdhkq)
Series 3
Episode 1
First in a new series of the world's best-loved epistolary equine comedy-romance, as we reveal more of the recently-discovered, passionate letters between the Duke of Wellington's horse Copenhagen (played by Daniel Rigby) and Napoleon's steed Marengo (played by Stephen Fry), with an introduction by Tamsin Greig.
Beginning at the height of the Battle of Waterloo and Marengo's close brush with death our heroes deal with the aftermath of battle as Marengo becomes part of the spoils of war. Will defeat bring him exile to St Helena at his master's side, or will be be untied with his true love Copenhagen? And if the latter, should they rebrand themselves as hot new power-couple Mopenhagen? Or Carengo?
Written by Robbie Hudson and Marie Phillips
Produced by Gareth Edwards.
FRI 07:45 Political Animals (b01lv38q)
Series 1
Wilberforce
Wilberforce, Chief Mouser to the Cabinet Office 1973-1987, reflects on his life with Margaret Thatcher.
Starring Clive Swift.
The first in a series of four scurrilous talks given by well-known, if unreliable, Downing Street cats.
Tony Bagley assists each feline to relate their trials and tribulations under four different Prime Ministers.
Director: Marc Beeby
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 2012.
FRI 08:00 Steptoe and Son (b007jlqh)
Series 3
Without Prejudice
Harold persuades Albert to leave their rag and bone yard to move out to suburbia.
Starring Wilfrid Brambell as Albert and Harry H Corbett as Harold. With Edward Kelsey, Garrard Green and Trevor Martin.
Following the conclusion of their hugely successful association with Tony Hancock, writers Ray Galton and Alan Simpson wrote 10 pilots for the BBC TV's Comedy Playhouse in 1962. The Offer was set in a house with a yard full of junk, featuring the lives of rag and bone men Albert Steptoe and his son Harold and it was the spark for a run of 8 series for TV.
Adapted for radio from Galton and Simpson's TV script by Gale Pedrick.
Produced by Bobby Jaye
First broadcast on BBC Radio 2 in April 1971.
FRI 08:30 Yes Minister (b007k0fx)
Series 2
The Skeleton in the Cupboard
MP Jim Hacker gets the better of Sir Humphrey over a crisis in Derbyshire.
Starring Paul Eddington, Nigel Hawthorne and Derek Fowlds.
Antony Jay and Jonathan Lynn's satirical sitcom centred around the hapless MP Jim Hacker and a collection of civil service underlings headed by the Machiavellian Sir Humphrey Appleby and obsequious Bernard.
It first ran on BBC TV between 1980 and 1984.
Jim Hacker …. Paul Eddington
Sir Humphrey Appleby …. Nigel Hawthorne
Bernard Woolley …. Derek Fowldes
Dr Cartwright …. Ian Lavender
Alex Andrews …. Clive Merrison
Civil Servant …. Peter Acre
Civil Servant …. Ellen McIntosh
The Man on the Train …. William Eedle
Adapted for radio by producer Pete Atkin.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 1984.
FRI 09:00 Millport (b0076221)
Series 2
Avowal
Irene and Moira aren't speaking, Alberto and Ena have fallen out over the minestrone and Agnes has declared World War III on the Minister's trousers. Just how are villagers going to solve their dispute if no one is talking to each other...
Bittersweet comedy written by and starring Lynn Ferguson as 30-something island barmaid Irene Bruce, who hankers after a better life on the mainland.
Irene ...... Lynn Ferguson
Moira/Agnes ...... Janet Brown
Alberto/Robert ...... Lewis McLeod
Ena/Bunty ...... Gabriel Quigley
Bob/Minister ...... Robert Patterson
Dougie ...... Matt Costello
Music arranged by Olly Fox.
Producer: Lucy Bacon
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 2001.
FRI 09:30 Electric Ink (b01kkqc9)
Series 2
Episode 6
Maddox's future is uncertain as a rather shady character plans to buy the newspaper.
Alistair Beaton and Tom Mitchelson's comic satire set in the struggling world of newspapers.
A group of dysfunctional journalists attempt to cover major news stories whilst grappling with the demands of a multi-platform environment, as circulation figures plummet as the recession means half the workforce is laid off.
Maddox ..... John Sessions
Oliver ..... Alex Jennings
Freddy ..... Stephen Wight
Carol ..... Polly Frame
Masha ..... Debbie Chazen
Andrei Zinoviev ..... Ewan Bailey
Steward ..... Adeel Akhtar
Producer: Sally Avens
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 2011.
FRI 10:00 David Wade - Alexander (b007jx34)
The Road to Gordium
Warrior Alexander becomes King of Macedon and sets out to conquer the world.
Michael Maloney and Barry Foster star in 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.
FRI 11:00 Donna Tartt - The Secret History (b03pm1hw)
Episode 10
The murder has finally been committed. However, a phone call complicates things. Donna Tartt thriller read by William Hope. From April 1995.
FRI 11:15 Andrew Rissik - The Psychedelic Spy (b007k1nx)
Mondays Are Hell
Forced to give up Marianne, assassin Billy Hindle is blackmailed into one last job. Stars James Aubrey and Joanna Lumley.
FRI 12:00 Steptoe and Son (b007jlqh)
[Repeat of broadcast at
08:00 today]
FRI 12:30 Yes Minister (b007k0fx)
[Repeat of broadcast at
08:30 today]
FRI 13:00 Paul Temple (b007jn7r)
[Repeat of broadcast at
06:00 today]
FRI 13:30 Dixon of Dock Green (b0133ldd)
[Repeat of broadcast at
06:30 today]
FRI 14:00 15 Minute Drama (b00h45n1)
Vita Sackville-West - All Passion Spent
Episode 5
Adaptation of the 1931 novel by Vita Sackville-West.
Lady Slane's decision about what to do with the vast fortune left to her by her friend Mr FitzGeorge outrages her family, but a visit from her great-granddaughter brings hope for the future.
Lady Slane ...... Honor Blackman
Mr FitzGeorge ...... Alec McCowen
Herbert Holland ...... John Nicholas
Carrie ...... Phyllida Nash
Kay Holland ...... Patrick Romer
Mr Bucktrout ...... Paul Nicholson
Mr Gosheron ...... Peter Ellis
Genoux ...... Sonia Elliman
Police Inspector ...... Russell Boulter
Deborah Holland ...... Annabel Scholey
Directed by Sara Davies.
FRI 14:15 A Short History of Ireland (b007k3jg)
Conquests and a Failed Treaty; John, Lord of Ireland
The country's epic story. There are terrible battles under King Henry II, and then a new leader arrives. With Frances Tomelty.
FRI 14:30 Helen Dunmore - The Betrayal (b00wgzvb)
We Always Find Them Out
There are rumours about Gorya's health. As Anna and Andrei are given a warning to try to get out of Leningrad, is it already too late to escape the tightening noose?
Helen Dunmore's sequel to 'The Siege' read by Sara Kestelman.
Set ten years on, the starvation and bitter cold of the war years of Leningrad have been replaced with fear and suspicion. City residents do their best to keep their heads down and their lives unremarkable in an era of accusations, arrests and the midnight knock at the door.
Helen Dunmore (1952-2017) was the writer of 12 novels and 10 poetry collections winning several accolades for her work.
Abridged by Sally Marmion
Producer: Di Speirs
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2010.
FRI 14:45 Book of the Week (b00vkyyv)
Philip Larkin - Letters to Monica
Episode 5
Philip Larkin's Letters to Monica span the forty years of their relationship from 1946 when they met, until Larkin's death in 1985. They only came to light after Monica Jones died in 2001, when nearly two thousand letters were discovered in Larkin's house in Hull. This never previously published correspondence, edited by Anthony Thwaite, offers a unique insight into Larkin's most intimate thoughts.
Episode 5: Larkin looks back at his life leading up to his fiftieth birthday and despite the success of The Whitsun Weddings, wonders if he has achieved all that he set out to. Anthony Thwaite concludes the episode.
Read by Hugh Bonneville, who recently appeared in Downton Abbey and BBC TV's The Silence and played Larkin in Love Again on BBC 4.
In Episode 5, the letters are concluded with comment from Anthony Thwaite, a close friend of Larkin and the editor of the collection Letters to Monica.
The abridger is Miranda Davies and the producer Lucy Collingwood.
FRI 15:00 David Wade - Alexander (b007jx34)
[Repeat of broadcast at
10:00 today]
FRI 16:00 The 4 O'Clock Show (b03pm37k)
Mel Giedroyc breaks open the piggy bank and explores the changing value of pocket money through the years. And there's the final part of current story Emil and the Detectives.
FRI 17:00 Huddwinks (b00fsmz6)
Series 2
The Idiots Have Landed!
A Second World War tale of derring-do, to dispose of Adolf Hitler at his Bavarian lodge.
Roy Hudd stars in Laurie Rowley’s comic parodies.
With:
Denise Coffey
Chris Emmett
David Gooderson
Fred Harris
Producer: Jonathan James-Moore
First broadcast on BBC Radio 2 in June 1988.
FRI 17:30 Chambers (b007znmz)
[Repeat of broadcast at
07:00 today]
FRI 18:00 Paradise Lost in Space (b007jp39)
6. Sacrifice
Oblivio is in the grip of an Ice Age.
When the UME spaceship lands on the surface, Norman and Max make a sacrifice...
Conclusion of Colin Swash’s sci-fi comedy about two space-age humans stranded on a friendly alien planet.
Norman ...... Tony Robinson
Max ...... David Haig
Stella ...... Louise Lombard
Macari ...... Michael Troughton
Suzy ...... Carla Mendonca
Louise ...... Ronni Ancona
Ume ...... Lorelei King
Vince ...... Daniel Main
Producer: Richard Wilson
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 1995.
FRI 18:30 Planet B (b00j0hqr)
Series 1
5. The Smart Money
John and Medley are transported to a world of orgies and circuses, where the slaves seek a new leader.
Ten-part series about a mystery virtual world.
Written by Paul May.
John ...... Gunnar Cauthery
Lioba ...... Donnla Hughes
Medley ...... Lizzy Watts
Cerberus ...... Chris Pavlo
Trader 1 ...... Janice Acquah
Trader 2 ...... Robert Lonsdale
Wheeler ...... Paul Rider
Regulator ...... Stephen Critchlow
Lyall ...... Inam Mirza
Fracta ...... Jill Cardo
Other parts played by the cast.
Director: Jessica Dromgoole
Made for BBC Radio 7 and first broadcast in March 2009.
FRI 19:00 Steptoe and Son (b007jlqh)
[Repeat of broadcast at
08:00 today]
FRI 19:30 Yes Minister (b007k0fx)
[Repeat of broadcast at
08:30 today]
FRI 20:00 Paul Temple (b007jn7r)
[Repeat of broadcast at
06:00 today]
FRI 20:30 Dixon of Dock Green (b0133ldd)
[Repeat of broadcast at
06:30 today]
FRI 21:00 Donna Tartt - The Secret History (b03pm1hw)
[Repeat of broadcast at
11:00 today]
FRI 21:15 Andrew Rissik - The Psychedelic Spy (b007k1nx)
[Repeat of broadcast at
11:15 today]
FRI 22:00 Warhorses of Letters (b03pdhkq)
[Repeat of broadcast at
07:30 today]
FRI 22:15 Political Animals (b01lv38q)
[Repeat of broadcast at
07:45 today]
FRI 22:30 I've Never Seen Star Wars (b015fkl4)
Series 4
Kathy Burke
Marcus Brigstocke invites actress Kathy Burke to try some new experiences, like visiting Harrods in London.
Whether the experiences are banal or profound, the show is about embracing the new and getting out of our comfort zones.
The title comes from the fact that the show's producer and creator Bill Dare had never seen the film Star Wars.
Producer: Bill Dare
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 2011.
FRI 22:55 The Comedy Club Interviews (b03sg4zj)
The best in contemporary comedy. Tonight, Arthur Smith chats to comedian Kevin Day.
FRI 23:00 Little Britain (b008l1sx)
Series 1
Episode 5
Back where it premiered, Matt Lucas and David Walliams' oddball TV smash hit - without the cameras.
Hypnotist Kenny Craig goes swimming, ex-mafia man Joey the Stool visits the library and Fat Fighters leader Marjorie Dawes receives some bad news.
The sketch show which examines ordinary life in Britain as lived by some less than ordinary British folk.
With Jean Ainslie, Tom Baker, Samantha Power and Paul Putner.
Music: David Arnold
Producer: Ashley Blaker.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 2001.
FRI 23:30 The Simon Day Show (b01jxtf2)
Series 2
Tony Becton
Simon Day and his characters welcome listeners to The Mallard, a small provincial theatre somewhere in the UK. Each week one of Simon's comic characters come to perform at The Mallard while the staff struggle with rivalries, self-doubt and the new owner's vision for the theatre's future.
This week reformed violent offender Tony Becton returns to The Mallard Theatre with stories of his rehabilitation and new life in a park.
Cast list:
Tony Becton ..... Simon Day
Emanuel Akinyemi ..... Felix Dexter
Pat Bennet ... Morwenna Banks
Ron Bone / Wozak ..... Simon Greenall
Written by Simon Day
Produced by Colin Anderson.