Omnibus. Edwardian short stories by Saki (aka HH Munro) restaged in a modern-day gated community. Adapted by Sean Grundy.
Master raconteur Kenneth Williams recalls his London childhood – and adventures with his friend Stanley Baxter.
More entertaining reminiscences and personal opinions recorded in front of an audience at BBC Pebble Mill.
Comedy by Christopher Douglas and Nicola Sanderson. Beauty Olonga works as a carer for the Featherdown Agency and sees herself as an inspiration to other African girls hoping to achieve their goals in the land of semi-skimmed milk.
Beauty has a particularly difficult client, but is distracted by her latest business venture. Lynette assures Beauty that 'Colour Me Wow' is no pyramid scheme, while Anil shows a surprising new side to himself.
Beauty ...... Jocelyn Jee Esien
Lynette ...... Doon Mackichan
Sandra ...... Nicola Sanderson
Sally ...... Felicity Montagu
Karen ...... Nicola Sanderson
Mrs Gupte ...... Indira Joshi
Anil ...... Paul Sharma
Dr Kavanagh ...... Phyllida Law
Hilary ...... Rachel Atkins
Clare ...... Doon Mackichan
The Archdeacon's not too keen on celebrating the Dean's silver wedding.
Starring Robertson Hare as the Archdeacon, William Mervyn as the Bishop, Jonathan Cecil as Bishop's Chaplain - the Reverend Mervyn Noote and John Barron as the Dean. With Joan Sanderson as Mrs Pugh-Critchley.
The ecclesiastical sitcom started life as a TV pilot in Comedy Playhouse, ahead of a run on BBC1 from 1966 to 1971. Selected scripts were revised and re-recorded for radio.
Written for radio by Pauline Devaney and Edwin Apps.
Producer: David Hatch.
Who will get that job? The sons of Ben Lyon and fellow radio star Ted Ray go head-to-head.
Starring real-life American family: Ben Lyon and his wife Bebe Daniels and their children, Barbara and Richard.
With guest stars: Ted Ray and Robin Ray.
And Doris Rogers as Florrie, Molly Weir as Aggie, Horace Percival as Mr Wimple, David Enders and Hugh Morton.
Life With The Lyons was one the BBC's most popular radio sitcoms between1950 and 1961. It was also adapted for BBC TV.
Written by Bebe Daniels, Bob Block and Ronnie Hanbury.
BBC Variety Orchestra conducted by Paul Fenoulhet.
The simple wonder of flight and the curious idiosyncrasies of life in the cockpit and in the sky are compellingly explored by an airline pilot.
Comedian Griff Rhys Jones inherits 'On the Street Where You Live' from My Fair Lady and passes on 'Bold as Love' by Jimi Hendrix.
Writer, director, scientist and Bach-lover Dr Jonathan Miller makes his second castaway appearance with Sue Lawley. From January 2005.
Britain's favourite TV gardener Alan Titchmarsh talks about his life and career with an audience - and tells some of his favourite poems and funny stories. Hear how Placido Domingo sang to Evelyn Glennie, his attempt to interview Bette Davis - and shaking manure-covered hands with Princess Diana.
Green-fingered he may be, but there's nothing else green about Alan Titchmarsh. A fixture on our TV screens for over three decades, his gardening advice has brought pleasure and delight to millions. Alan's also written novels and books on horticulture.
Nick agrees to Gorsky's plan to arrange a meeting with Natalia, sparking a lavish refurb at the bookshop. Read by Philip Arditti.
Idenborough is selected from Sylvia Townsend Warner's collection, Winter in the Air. In this story, Amabel is taken on a trip through the English countryside. An overnight stay in a picturesque village calls to mind a memory from twenty years before.
The stories in Winter in the Air were written between 1938 and 1950. They capture the mood and atmosphere of the times, and the lot of women in mid twentieth century England. Sylvia Townsend Warner is less well known today, but in her time was a prolific writer of novels, short stories and poetry. She also wrote a biography of T.H. White. These stories remind us that she was a sharp, insightful, and vivid storyteller.
Will Gracie Fields wed her 'Svengali'? And will her marriage be as successful as her career? With Tracy Wiles and Paul Nicholas. From April 1996.
After disturbing a burglar, Sarah Jane Smith investigates a mysterious clinic. Doctor Who spin-off adventure by Stephen Cole, read by Elisabeth Sladen.
Ex-Redcoat Johnny Vegas runs a stressful pottery class, where he believes in the healing power of clay. From September 2002.
Sheffield's aspiring singer-songwriter takes to the airwaves once more from his very own his front room!
Aided by his producer (and sole agent) Ken Worthington, and his hard-to-please wife Mary, the inimitable John Shuttleworth presents celebrity interviews, dodgy keyboard music, and even dodgier jingles.
Can special guest Sir Patrick Moore help John identify the red glow that appears outside the front bay window just before bedtime?
With Sean Cullen and Dylan Goodhew.
Written and performed by Graham Fellows.
Producers: Paul Schlesinger and Martin Willis.
Hamish and Dougal are extremely anxious to enter Fay MacAdemy - the famous Highland talent Contest.
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.
Hamish ...... Barry Cryer
Dougal ...... Graeme Garden
Mrs Naughtie ...... Alison Steadman
The Laird ...... Jeremy Hardy
Sketch show where no sketch features more than one voice.
Written by David Quantick and starring Dan Maier, Lizzie Roper, Graeme Garden, Deborah Norton, Andrew Crawford, Dan Antopolski, Simon Greenall, Kate Gielgud and Bill Oddie as himself.
MONDAY 27 APRIL 2015
MON 00:00 The Sarah Jane Adventures (b01pft3z)
[Repeat of broadcast at
18:00 on Sunday]
MON 01:00 HH Munro - Beasts on the Lawn: Saki 2011 (b0120vy7)
[Repeat of broadcast at
06:00 on Sunday]
MON 02:15 Kenneth Williams - Ad Lib (b05s3nft)
[Repeat of broadcast at
07:15 on Sunday]
MON 02:30 Vesna Goldsworthy - Gorsky (b05s3nfy)
[Repeat of broadcast at
14:30 on Sunday]
MON 03:45 Afternoon Reading (b011jvz1)
[Repeat of broadcast at
15:45 on Sunday]
MON 04:00 Eric Pringle - Gracie (b01ghgjj)
[Repeat of broadcast at
16:00 on Sunday]
MON 05:30 Beauty of Britain (b00njwd9)
[Repeat of broadcast at
07:30 on Sunday]
MON 06:00 Dixon of Dock Green (b0169l6n)
Series 2
Little Boy Blue
PC George Dixon and PC Andy Crawford investigate a break-in at Dock Green's local pinball palace.
Is one-time bad boy Geoff back to his old ways?
Radio revival of BBC TV's famous copper starring David Calder and Hamish Clark.
Written for TV by Ted Willis and adapted for radio by Sue Rodwell
George Dixon ...... David Calder
Andy Crawford ...... Hamish Clark
Geoff ...... Tom Lawrence
Annie ...... Hayley Doherty
Benny ...... Dan Winter
Tony ...... Michael Carolan
Taffy Davies ...... Matthew Thomas
Director: Viv Beeby
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 2006.
MON 06:30 Laugh Out Loud (b0076l9m)
How much of ourselves do we reveal when we laugh?
Nicola Green has recorded people laughing in every conceivable situation, creating music from the sound of pure laughter. This programme blends that music with laughing anecdotes from various well-known voices.
This is a Laughing Portrait - from a baby's first laugh to dying of laughter.
Featuring Paul Merton, Emma Freud and her family, Rev Mark Oakley, Ainsley Harriot, Arthur Smith, Mark Steel and sound artist Scanner.
Producer : Katie Marsden
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2004.
MON 07:00 The Right Time (b007wp6k)
Series 1
Episode 1
The baby boomers see the funny side of everyday modern life. Stars Eleanor Bron, Clive Swift and Neil Innes. From August 2001.
MON 07:30 Dilemma (b05r3ssw)
Series 4
Episode 3
Sue Perkins presents another edition of the show that puts the big moral and ethical questions to a mixed panel, finding the tipping point of their personal morality. This week, it's the turn of comedians Jo Brand and Michael Legge, musician and Radio 3 presenter Mara Carlyle, and journalist Matthew Parris. They discuss, among other things, unfortunate children's names and bad birthday presents, and help the audience with their real life dilemmas - although with "help" like this...
Dilemma is presented by Sue Perkins, and was devised by Danielle Ward.
Devised by ... Danielle Ward
Producer ... Ed Morrish.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 2015.
MON 08:00 Dad's Army (b007jm92)
Series 1
Sorry Wrong Number
A downed German plane sees the Home Guard platoon attempting to employ Captain Mainwaring's phone box drill...
The comic exploits of a Second World War Home Guard platoon in Walmington-on-Sea.
Adapted for radio from Jimmy Perry and David Croft's TV scripts by Michael Knowles and Harold Snoad.
Captain Mainwaring …. Arthur Lowe
Sergeant Wilson …. John Le Mesurier
Corporal Jones …. Clive Dunn
Private Pike …. Ian Lavender
Private Frazer …. John Laurie
Private Walker …. Graham Stark
ARP Warden …. Bill Pertwee
Mrs Pike …. Pearl Hackney
Lieutenant …. John Forrest
Telephonist …. Avril Angers
Announcer …. John Snagge
Producer: John Dyas
First broadcast on the BBC Radio 4 in May 1974.
MON 08:30 The Michael Bentine Show (b00l2mcj)
From 27/05/1984
From a ghost hunter to a collector of holes.
Michael Bentine stars in the ultimate one man show written and performed by the host.
Producer: Jamie Rix
First broadcast on BBC Radio 2 in May 1984
MON 09:00 Booked (b00753mr)
Series 1
Episode 2
Mrs Malaprop shares a Jacuzzi with Eliza Doolittle, and the She Devil flirts with Frankenstein at a rave.
More bizarre couplings from Miles Kington, Dillie Keane, Roger McGough and Mark Thomas.
Ian McMillan chairs the irreverent literary game.
Producer: Marc Jobst
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 1995.
MON 09:30 Says on the Tin (b00gl50p)
Schokolade
Comedy by Christopher William Hill.
Eliott finds nothing to laugh about while promoting a German chocolate called Laughing.
Eliott Thurber ...... Michael Brandon
Esther Finn ...... Samantha Bond
Hannah Walker ...... Pippa Haywood
Zadie ...... Joannah Tincey
Baz ...... Inam Mirza
Mandelbrot ...... Malcolm Tierney
Interpreter ...... Gunnar Cauthery
Other Parts played by Dan Starkey, Janice Acquah and Jonathan Tafler.
MON 10:00 Anthony Trollope - Orley Farm (b00ghrhb)
3. Secrets
Lady Mason has confessed to her terrible secret and her chance of marriage with Sir Peregrine has been shattered.
Will her secret be exposed at the trial and will her beloved son lose Orley Farm?
Starring Tim Pigott-Smith, Samantha Bond and Ronald Pickup.
The conclusion of Anthony Trollope’s compelling, emotional novel
Dramatised by Martyn Wade.
Anthony Trollope ...... Tim Pigott-Smith
Lady Mason ...... Samantha Bond
Sir Peregrine ...... Ronald Pickup
Peregrine Orme ...... Dan Stevens
Mrs Edith Orme ...... Amanda Root
Lucius Mason ...... Jonathan Christie
Sophia Furnival ...... Lydia Leonard
Mr Furnival ...... Robert Maskell
Mrs Furnival ...... Joanna Monro
Lady Staveley ...... Pamela Miles
Judge Staveley ...... Chris Pavlo
Madeline Staveley ...... Manjeet Mann
Augustus Staveley ...... Robert Lonsdale
Felix Graham ...... Gunnar Cauthery
Mr Dockwrath ...... Sam Dale
Joseph Mason ...... Jonathan Tafler
Mr Moulder ...... Stephen Critchlow
Mrs Moulder ...... Jane Whittenshaw
John Kenneby ...... Inam Mirza
Chaffanbrass ...... Malcolm Tierney
Miss Biggs ...... Jill Cardo
Judge ...... Dan Starkey
Director: Tracey Neale
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 2009.
MON 11:00 Helen Simpson - A Bunch of Fives (b01m7tjd)
Café Society
A raw and poignant short story about motherhood and the elusive work-life balance. Read by Tamsin Greig.
MON 11:15 Martyn Wade - Miss Kilmansegg and Her Precious Leg (b00t9xxf)
Comic tale of greed and corruption in Victorian London, based on Thomas Hood's epic poem. With James Grout and Rachel Atkins.
MON 12:00 Dad's Army (b007jm92)
[Repeat of broadcast at
08:00 today]
MON 12:30 The Michael Bentine Show (b00l2mcj)
[Repeat of broadcast at
08:30 today]
MON 13:00 Dixon of Dock Green (b0169l6n)
[Repeat of broadcast at
06:00 today]
MON 13:30 Laugh Out Loud (b0076l9m)
[Repeat of broadcast at
06:30 today]
MON 14:00 Book at Bedtime (b00snqb5)
Lucy Kellaway - In Office Hours
Episode 1
"In Office Hours" is the new novel by Lucy Kellaway about men and women at work, and illicit love. In today's opening episode, changes are underway at the oil giant, AE, and new challenges beckon high flying Stella Bradberry, and the PA Bella Chambers.
The latest novel from the columnist, Lucy Kellaway, is a witty and sharply observed exploration of today's contemporary corporate world, and what happens when passions run high. The economist Stella Bradberry is at the top of her game, juggling a high powered career with motherhood. Bella Chambers is a bright and pretty single mother who was forced to drop out of college, and is working as a PA to make ends meet. Both women work for Atlantic Energy, a global oil company based in London, where risk taking is a way of life. When the Head of Press resigns unexpectedly, new opportunities and challenges open up for Stella and Bella, which ultimately lead them both to embark on obsessive and destructive affairs.
Readers: Hadyn Gwynne has recently returned from Broadway where she was appearing in the award winning hit musical "Billy Elliot" after it transferred from London's West End. Award winning actress Lyndsey Marshal has most recently appeared on stage in "Three Days of Rain" and on television in "Being Human" and "Garrow's Law".
Writer: Lucy Kellaway is the "Financial Times" management columnist. She lives in London and is married with four children.
Abridged by Sally Marmion
Producer Elizabeth Allard.
MON 14:15 On Your Bike (b00yhxbm)
Cycling Soldiers
The bicycle is pressed into service in then Boer War and again in 1914 when thousands sign up to join Cyclist battalions who rode them to the front with full kit and rifles
Presenter: Martin Ellis
Producer: Simon Evans
A Pier Production for BBC Radio 4.
MON 14:30 15 Minute Drama (b00thwrr)
Rosamond Lehmann - Dusty Answer
Episode 1
Rosamund Lehmann's first novel Dusty Answer records the education of Judith Earle, the only child of an academic father and socialite mother. Judith grew up in the seclusion of a large riverside house in the Thames Valley. The house next door is occupied from time to time by the Fyfe family whose children - cousins Charlie, Roddy, Julian and Martin drift in and out of her life.
Part One sees Judith reminiscing about her childhood where the seeds of her strong friendship with the cousins are laid. Many years have passed and the cousins return in adolescence for an atmospheric day of skating on the pond.
DUSTY ANSWER by Rosamund Lehmann dramatised by Lavinia Greenlaw
Narrator ..... Julia Hills
Judith ..... Rosina Carbone
Charlie ..... Jack Farthing
Martin ..... Oliver Gomm
Julian ..... Tom Ferguson
Gardener ..... Stephen Tomlin
Directed by Susan Roberts.
MON 14:45 Book of the Week (b00s8hv6)
Jenny Uglow - A Gambling Man: Charles II and the Restoration
Episode 1
Michael Maloney reads from the book by Jenny Uglow.
Charles II was thirty when he crossed the Channel in fine May weather in 1660. His Restoration was greeted with maypoles and bonfires, like spring after long years of Cromwell's rule. But there was no going back, no way he could 'restore' the old. Certainty had vanished. The divinity of kingship fled with his father's beheading. 'Honour' was now a word tossed around in duels. 'Providence' could no longer be trusted.
As the country was rocked by plague, fire and war, people searched for new ideas by which to live.
Exactly ten years later Charles would stand again on the shore at Dover, laying the greatest bet of his life in a secret deal with his cousin, Louis XIV.
The Restoration decade was one of experiment: from the science of the Royal Society to the startling role of credit and risk, from the shocking licence of the court to the failed attempts at toleration of different beliefs. Negotiating all these, Charles, the 'slippery sovereign', layed odds. Yet while his grandeur, his court and his colourful sex life were on display, his true intentions lay hidden.
A Gambling Man is a portrait of Charles II, exploring his elusive nature through the lens of these ten vital years - and a portrait of a vibrant, violent, pulsing world, in which the risks the king took forged the fate of the nation, on the brink of the modern world.
Written by Jenny Uglow
Read by Michael Maloney
Abridged by Libby Spurrier
Producer: Joanna Green
A Pier production for BBC Radio 4.
MON 15:00 Anthony Trollope - Orley Farm (b00ghrhb)
[Repeat of broadcast at
10:00 today]
MON 16:00 Booked (b00753mr)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:00 today]
MON 16:30 Says on the Tin (b00gl50p)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:30 today]
MON 17:00 The Right Time (b007wp6k)
[Repeat of broadcast at
07:00 today]
MON 17:30 Dilemma (b05r3ssw)
[Repeat of broadcast at
07:30 today]
MON 18:00 Earthsea (b05pktvt)
Series 1
Shadow
Ursula K Le Guin's enduring fantasy saga set on the magical archipelago rich with wizards and dragons. Made for BBC Radio 4 Extra.
Based on the novels A Wizard of Earthsea and The Tombs of Atuan by Ursula Le Guin. Adapted by Judith Adams.
Hungry for power and knowledge, the young wizard Ged tampers with long-held secrets and releases a terrible shadow into the world. Meanwhile, Tenar is taken away from her home and family to become Arha, the guardian of the ominous Tombs of Atuan.
Published between 1968 and 1972, the first three books of Ursula Le Guin's Earthsea cycle (A Wizard of Earthsea, The Tombs of Atuan, The Farthest Shore) are re-told across six intertwined episodes. Set on a vast archipelago of islands, where magic is a central part of life, they tell the stories of Ged and Tenar. Ged is a boy from the island of Gont, born with innate magical talent and a reckless nature, who releases a terrible shadow into the world and must risk everything in order to restore the balance. Tenar, a girl from the island of Atuan, is taken from her home and family to become Arha, the Priestess Ever Reborn, guardian of the ominous Tombs of Atuan. Deep within the Tombs, Ged and Tenar encounter one another and seek a way of bringing peace to the troubled archipelago.
Ged ..... James McArdle
Tenar ..... Aysha Kala
Young Ged ..... Kasper Hilton-Hille
Young Tenar ..... Nishi Malde
Ogion ..... Paul Hilton
Manan ..... Zubin Varla
Thar ..... Souad Faress
Father ..... David Hounslow
Boy ..... Adam Thomas-Wright
Oarsman ..... Mark Edel-Hunt
Witch ..... Jessica Turner
Serret ..... Lucy Hutchinson
Shipmaster ..... Stephen Critchlow
Original music by Jon Nicholls.
Sound design by Caleb Knightley.
Directed by Sasha Yevtushenko.
MON 18:30 A Good Read (b0075mxv)
Mike Figgis and Mike Hodges
Sarah LeFanu and her guests, film directors Mike Figgis and Mike Hodges, discuss three favourite paperbacks by James Blinn, Frederick Exley and Barbara Pym. From 1999.
The Aardvark is Ready for War - by James Blinn
Publisher: Transworld Books
A Fan's Notes by Frederick Exley
Publisher: Yellowstone Press
Excellent Women by Barbara Pym
Publisher: Pan Books.
MON 19:00 Dad's Army (b007jm92)
[Repeat of broadcast at
08:00 today]
MON 19:30 The Michael Bentine Show (b00l2mcj)
[Repeat of broadcast at
08:30 today]
MON 20:00 Dixon of Dock Green (b0169l6n)
[Repeat of broadcast at
06:00 today]
MON 20:30 Laugh Out Loud (b0076l9m)
[Repeat of broadcast at
06:30 today]
MON 21:00 Helen Simpson - A Bunch of Fives (b01m7tjd)
[Repeat of broadcast at
11:00 today]
MON 21:15 Martyn Wade - Miss Kilmansegg and Her Precious Leg (b00t9xxf)
[Repeat of broadcast at
11:15 today]
MON 22:00 Dilemma (b05r3ssw)
[Repeat of broadcast at
07:30 today]
MON 22:30 Hearing With Hegley (b0075s8l)
Series 3
Episode 3
The Luton poet bikes north for a brimful of Birmingham and some bookshop capers. With musician Nigel Piper. From 2000.
MON 22:45 The Problem With Adam Bloom (b007p1nn)
Series 1
Street Crime
Is there an etiquette to being mugged?
Adam Bloom explores the social awkwardness of petty crime.
Rob Rouse helps Adam solve these criminal dilemmas.
Written by Adam Bloom.
Producer: Adam Bromley
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 2003.
MON 23:00 Dead Ringers (b05r71xc)
Series 14
Episode 3
The topical impressions show returns just in time to reflect the build up to one of the most important and incisive votes for decades. Will Austria win again or does Britain's Electro Velvet stand a chance? Satire meets silliness in the flagship comedy for hard working families up and down the country.
Starring Jon Culshaw, Jan Ravens, Duncan Wisbey, Lewis MacLeod and Debra Stephenson.
Producer: Bill Dare.
MON 23:30 Pick Ups (b008q0sz)
Series 1
Episode 3
Mike and Linda meet dates Andrew and Teri at a unique restaurant, with mixed results. Taxi company sitcom stars John Thomson. From January 2008.
TUESDAY 28 APRIL 2015
TUE 00:00 Earthsea (b05pktvt)
[Repeat of broadcast at
18:00 on Monday]
TUE 00:30 A Good Read (b0075mxv)
[Repeat of broadcast at
18:30 on Monday]
TUE 01:00 Dixon of Dock Green (b0169l6n)
[Repeat of broadcast at
06:00 on Monday]
TUE 01:30 Laugh Out Loud (b0076l9m)
[Repeat of broadcast at
06:30 on Monday]
TUE 02:00 Book at Bedtime (b00snqb5)
[Repeat of broadcast at
14:00 on Monday]
TUE 02:15 On Your Bike (b00yhxbm)
[Repeat of broadcast at
14:15 on Monday]
TUE 02:30 15 Minute Drama (b00thwrr)
[Repeat of broadcast at
14:30 on Monday]
TUE 02:45 Book of the Week (b00s8hv6)
[Repeat of broadcast at
14:45 on Monday]
TUE 03:00 Anthony Trollope - Orley Farm (b00ghrhb)
[Repeat of broadcast at
10:00 on Monday]
TUE 04:00 Booked (b00753mr)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:00 on Monday]
TUE 04:30 Says on the Tin (b00gl50p)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:30 on Monday]
TUE 05:00 The Right Time (b007wp6k)
[Repeat of broadcast at
07:00 on Monday]
TUE 05:30 Dilemma (b05r3ssw)
[Repeat of broadcast at
07:30 on Monday]
TUE 06:00 Dixon of Dock Green (b016n8zj)
Series 2
The Gentle Scratcher
Some counterfeit money turns up at the Dock Green Social Club and PC George Dixon thinks he knows who's responsible.
Radio revival of BBC TV's famous copper starring David Calder and Hamish Clark.
Written for TV by Ted Willis and adapted for radio by Sue Rodwell
George Dixon ...... David Calder
Andy Crawford ...... Hamish Clark
Fred ...... Andrew Sachs
Olive ...... Jacqueline Tong
Edwin ...... Geoffrey Collins
Director: Viv Beeby
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 2006.
TUE 06:30 The King of Light Music (b0090qmd)
Alasdair Molloy explores the career of Eric Coates. Although best known for his signature tune to Desert Island Discs and The Dambusters March, Coates's orchestral music is coming back to the concert hall.
Alasdair profiles a man who had to wear shirt, tie and tweed jacket and light up a cigarette before he could sit down and compose, as well as a man keen on photography, fast cars and the Charleston.
TUE 07:00 Nikolai Gogol - Three Ivans, Two Aunts and an Overcoat (b00p2hb2)
The Diary of a Madman
A civil servant's dull existence is transformed when he overhears two dogs talking. With Griff Rhys Jones. From May 2002.
TUE 07:30 The Casebook of Max and Ivan (b05r3w3x)
Series 1
Case #25 - Different Class
Max and Ivan are private detectives for whom no case is too small......Sorry, for whom no fee is too small. Jessica Hynes joins them as they investigate a spate of sporting injuries at a sink school.
Driven by their love of truth, justice (and the need to pay off their terrifying landlord, Malcolm McMichaelmas), they take on crimes that no-one else would consider. In this case, they investigate a suspicious pattern of injuries affecting a school sports team, days before they are due to meet their bitterest rivals in sporting competition.
Max and Ivan - comedians and actors Max Olesker and Ivan Gonzalez - are a critically acclaimed, award-winning double act who have quickly established themselves as one of the most exciting comedy duos on the circuit. Over the course of the series they are dropped into new worlds, and have to use their skills to penetrate deep into each community. If that means Ivan dressing up as a 14 year old German girl, so be it!
Cast:
Max....................Max Olesker
Ivan...................Ivan Gonzalez
Mrs Sampson.....Jessica Hynes
Malcolm..............Lewis MacLeod
Joculo................David Reed
Receptionist......Jessica Ransom
Produced by Victoria Lloyd
A John Stanley production for BBC Radio 4.
TUE 08:00 Round the Horne (b00j05wv)
Series 1
Episode 8
Who killed the Amazing Proudbasket? And Kenneth Horne trolls round to 'Bona Tours' - courtesy of Julian and Sandy.
Starring Kenneth Horne.
With Kenneth Williams, Hugh Paddick, Betty Marsden and Bill Pertwee.
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.
Music by Edwin Braden and the Hornblowers and The Fraser Hayes Four.
Producer: John Simmonds
First broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in April 1965.
TUE 08:30 The Ken Dodd Show (b05s8dnd)
Doddy's Comic Cuts - From 21/01/1974
Doddy sets out in search of normality and looks at the life and works of Shakespeare. With Miriam Margoyles. From January 1974.
TUE 09:00 Dead Ringers (b05r71xc)
[Repeat of broadcast at
23:00 on Monday]
TUE 09:30 Such Rotten Luck (b01nt4qk)
Series 1
In an Unreal City
Woodhouse is confused by contradictory accounts.
The ups and downs of a second class writer
Comedy drama series written by Ronald Hayman.
Woodhouse ...... Tim Pigott-Smith
Gila ...... Zoe Wanamaker
Seamus ...... Stephen Rea
Jutta ...... Susie Bran
Hildegarde ...... Miriam Karlin
Graubart ...... Bill Wallis
Mark Grimshaw ...... Geoffrey Whitehead
Pachmann ...... John Moffatt
Gila’s Dad ...... Benjamin Whitrow
Gila’s Mum ...... Joan Matheson
Frau Graubart ...... Eva Stuart
Sasha ...... Susan Sheridan
Music by Elizabeth Parker of the BBC Radiophonic Workshop
Director: Piers Plowright
First broadcast on BBC Radio 3 in September 1989.
TUE 10:00 Ronald Frame - Greyfriars (b00pd7d2)
With petty thieves at work in the high street and a gang of ruthless house-breakers at work in both the Old and New Town areas of Edinburgh, new police recruits John Gray and his faithful dog have their work cut out.
John Gray served as an Edinburgh policeman for several years in the 1850s and, like other officers on the beat back then, he had to provide his own police dog: the faithful Skye terrier that came to be known as Greyfriars Bobby.
Ronald Frame’s Victorian thriller written for radio stars Crawford Logan and Paul Young.
Bobby ...... Crawford Logan
Jock (John Gray) ...... Paul Young
Aeneas Cairncross ...... Kenny Blythe
Bridie ...... Gayanne Potter
Lachlan Cairncross ...... Simon Tait
Sergeant Mitchell ...... Iain Agnew
McCrae ...... Steven McNicol
Lady Cairncross ...... Vivienne Dixon
Produced at BBC Glasgow by David Ian Neville.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 2002.
TUE 11:00 Helen Simpson - A Bunch of Fives (b01m7w37)
The Phlebotomist's Love Life
A short story in which a woman, who despairs of the Iraq war, forces her lover to a moment of truth. Read by Clare Corbett.
TUE 11:15 The Medical Detectives (b007k0nf)
Death in the Parish
When a cholera epidemic strikes London in 1854, the brilliant but mercurial Dr John Snow investigates. Starring Bill Nighy.
TUE 12:00 Round the Horne (b00j05wv)
[Repeat of broadcast at
08:00 today]
TUE 12:30 The Ken Dodd Show (b05s8dnd)
[Repeat of broadcast at
08:30 today]
TUE 13:00 Dixon of Dock Green (b016n8zj)
[Repeat of broadcast at
06:00 today]
TUE 13:30 The King of Light Music (b0090qmd)
[Repeat of broadcast at
06:30 today]
TUE 14:00 Book at Bedtime (b00snq8t)
Lucy Kellaway - In Office Hours
Episode 2
"In Office Hours" is the new novel by Lucy Kellaway about men and women at work, and illicit love. Today, green issues confront Stella, and Bella starts work for her new boss.
The latest novel from the columnist, Lucy Kellaway, is a witty and sharply observed exploration of today's contemporary corporate world, and what happens when passions run high. The economist Stella Bradberry is at the top of her game, juggling a high powered career with motherhood. Bella Chambers is a bright and pretty single mother who was forced to drop out of college, and is working as a PA to make ends meet. Both women work for Atlantic Energy, a global oil company based in London, where risk taking is a way of life. When new opportunities and challenges open up unexpectedly for Stella and Bella, they ultimately find themselves drawn into obsessive and destructive affairs.
Readers: Haydn Gwynne has recently returned from Broadway where she was appearing in the award winning hit musical "Billy Elliot" after it transferred from London's West End. Award winning actress Lyndsey Marshal has most recently appeared on stage in "Three Days of Rain" and on television in "Being Human" and "Garrow's Law".
Writer: Lucy Kellaway is the "Financial Times" management columnist. She lives in London and is married with four children.
Abridger Sally Marmion
Producer Elizabeth Allard.
TUE 14:15 On Your Bike (b00yhxbp)
Between the Wars
The fitness and outdoor movements of the 1930's coupled with the advent of cheaper mass produced bicycles brought the freedom of the open road to the working classes
Presenter: Martin Ellis
Producer: Simon Evans
A Pier Production for BBC Radio 4.
TUE 14:30 15 Minute Drama (b00thwrp)
Rosamond Lehmann - Dusty Answer
Episode 2
Rosamund Lehmann's first novel Dusty Answer records the education of Judith Earle, the only child of an academic father and socialite mother. Judith grew up in the seclusion of a large riverside house in the Thames Valley. The house next door is occupied from time to time by the Fyfe family whose children - cousins Charlie, Roddy, Julian and Martin drift in and out of her life.
Part Two. Judith realises the Fyfe cousins have returned to the house next door during a midnight swim in the river which joins both gardens . After days spent dancing, playing the piano and getting to know her neighbours again an unexpected telegram arrives form her mother in Paris.
DUSTY ANSWER by Rosamund Lehmann dramatised by Lavinia Greenlaw
Narrator ..... Julia Hills
Judith ..... Rosina Carbone
Roddy ..... Brodie Ross
Martin ..... Oliver Gomm
Julian ..... Tom Ferguson
Tony ..... Jack Farthing
Mamma ..... Melissa Jane Sinden
Directed by Susan Roberts.
TUE 14:45 Book of the Week (b00sbmk0)
Jenny Uglow - A Gambling Man: Charles II and the Restoration
Episode 2
Charles works quickly to re-establish the monarchy and ensure a stable government. A glamorous and decadent court is also making a name for itself with Charles at its centre.
Written by Jenny Uglow
Read by Michael Maloney
Abridged by Libby Spurrier
Producer: Joanna Green
A Pier production for BBC Radio 4.
TUE 15:00 Ronald Frame - Greyfriars (b00pd7d2)
[Repeat of broadcast at
10:00 today]
TUE 16:00 Whispers (b00bzrmj)
Series 2
Episode 2
What is the real truth about Alexander Graham Bell, Walt Disney and Lord Lucan?
Gyles Brandreth hosts the quiz show with scandal on its mind and slander at its heart.
Lynne Truss and Michele Brown join team captains Lucy Moore and Anthony Holden to run the gauntlet of gossip.
Producer: Elizabeth Freestone
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 2004.
TUE 16:30 Such Rotten Luck (b01nt4qk)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:30 today]
TUE 17:00 Nikolai Gogol - Three Ivans, Two Aunts and an Overcoat (b00p2hb2)
[Repeat of broadcast at
07:00 today]
TUE 17:30 The Casebook of Max and Ivan (b05r3w3x)
[Repeat of broadcast at
07:30 today]
TUE 18:00 Earthsea (b05s8j37)
Series 1
Schooling
Ursula K Le Guin's enduring fantasy saga set on the magical archipelago rich with wizards and dragons.
Based on the novels A Wizard of Earthsea and The Tombs of Atuan by Ursula Le Guin. Adapted by Judith Adams.
The young mage Ged is sent to the school for wizards on Roke Island but his pride and recklessness prove fatal. Meanwhile on Atuan, Tenar struggles to understand her role as guardian of the ominous Tombs. Her first official task will fill her with horror.
Published between 1968 and 1972, the first three books of Ursula Le Guin's Earthsea cycle (A Wizard of Earthsea, The Tombs of Atuan, The Farthest Shore) are re-told here across six intertwined episodes. Set on a vast archipelago of islands, where magic is a central part of life, they tell the stories of Ged and Tenar. Ged is a boy from the island of Gont, born with innate magical talent and a reckless nature, who releases a terrible shadow into the world and must risk everything in order to restore the balance. Tenar, a girl from the island of Atuan, is taken from her home and family to become Arha, the Priestess Ever Reborn, guardian of the ominous Tombs of Atuan. Deep within the Tombs, Ged and Tenar encounter one another and discover a way of bringing peace to the troubled archipelago.
Ged ..... James McArdle
Tenar ..... Aysha Kala
Young Ged ..... Kasper Hilton-Hillie
Young Tenar ..... Nishi Malde
Manan ..... Zubin Varla
Kossil ..... Souad Faress
Doorkeeper ..... Stephen Critchlow
Nemmerle ..... Sam Dale
Raven ..... Ayesha Antoine
Jasper ..... Richard Linnell
Vetch ..... Jack Kane
Hand ..... David Acton
Herbal ..... Mark Edel-Hunt
Gensher ..... David Hounslow
Dragon ..... Jessica Turner
Original music by Jon Nicholls
Directed by Sasha Yevtushenko.
TUE 18:30 Frankly Speaking (b05s8j39)
Brian Epstein
Brian Epstein, 29-year-old manager of the Beatles talks about his life to Bill Grundy.
He was a quiet, well-spoken public schoolboy, RADA student, from a very comfortably-off Liverpool family. But knowing nothing of the world of pop - how did Epstein find himself in the world of agents and impresarios?
As well as the Beatles, he represented other artistes including Cilla Black. Three years after this interview, Brian Epstein tragically died at the age of 32, after reportedly taking his own life.
Launched in 1952, Frankly Speaking was a completely novel and ground breaking BBC series. Initially there were three interviewers and the series was both unrehearsed and unscripted.
First broadcast on the BBC Home Service in 1964.
TUE 19:00 Round the Horne (b00j05wv)
[Repeat of broadcast at
08:00 today]
TUE 19:30 The Ken Dodd Show (b05s8dnd)
[Repeat of broadcast at
08:30 today]
TUE 20:00 Dixon of Dock Green (b016n8zj)
[Repeat of broadcast at
06:00 today]
TUE 20:30 The King of Light Music (b0090qmd)
[Repeat of broadcast at
06:30 today]
TUE 21:00 Helen Simpson - A Bunch of Fives (b01m7w37)
[Repeat of broadcast at
11:00 today]
TUE 21:15 The Medical Detectives (b007k0nf)
[Repeat of broadcast at
11:15 today]
TUE 22:00 The Casebook of Max and Ivan (b05r3w3x)
[Repeat of broadcast at
07:30 today]
TUE 22:30 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.
TUE 22:55 The Comedy Club Interviews (b05tr01g)
From
10.00pm to midnight, seven days a week, the Comedy Club has two hours of comedy. Plus Tom Wrigglesworth chats to Ed Byrne.
TUE 23:00 Giles Wemmbley Hogg Goes Off (b00pfp8n)
Series 4
The Orient Express
He's back! But this time, he's got a computer! Budleigh Salterton's most famous citizen has been grounded by both the Home Office and his father, so he's set up GWH Travvel ("2 Ms, 2 Gs, 2 Vs - bit of a mix up at the printers").
Run from his bedroom in Budleigh Salterton, with the help of his long-suffering former Primary School teacher Mr Timmis and the hindrance of his sister Charlotte, it's a one-stop Travel/Advice/Events Management/Website service, where each week his schemes range far and wide - whether it's roaming the country lecturing would-be overlanders on how to pack a rucksack ("If in doubt, put it in. And double it"), or finding someone a zebra for a corporate promotion ("I'll look in the Phone Book - how hard can it be? Now, "A to D"...), GWH Travvel stays true to its motto - "We do it all, so you won't want to".
In this episode; It's a Merger On The Orient Express as Giles takes four cross ladies and a piece of lead piping on a septuagenarian trans-Balkan hen party. With an Agatha Christie theme.
Mysterious jewels, magnificent moustaches and a set of pink fluffy handcuffs add up to a baffling mystery.
Starring Marcus Brigstocke as Giles.
Giles Wemmbley Hogg ..... Marcus Brigstocke
Lady Flench ..... Alison Steadman
Mrs Hadleigh-Broome ..... Morwenna Banks
Mrs Gunthorne ..... Janet Henfrey
Mr Timmis ..... Adrian Scarborough
Charlotte Wemmbley Hogg ..... Catherine Shepherd
Hugo ..... Ben Willbond
David ..... David Armand
Mehmet ..... Nej Adamson
Written by Marcus Brigstocke & Jeremy Salsby.
Producer: David Tyler
A Pozzitive production for BBC Radio 4.
TUE 23:30 Vent (b00v8qdv)
Series 2
Arrival
Comatose Ben takes a final trip around the safe fantasy world of his subconscious.
Dark sitcom following the thoughts of comatose patient Ben written by Nigel Smith.
Starring Neil Pearson as Ben Smith, Fiona Allen as Mary, Josie Lawrence as Mum and Leslie Ash as Blitzkrieg.
With Nicholas Hutchison, Jo Martin, Mark Perry, Laura Aikman and Tim Whitnall.
Producer: Gareth Edwards
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 2007.
WEDNESDAY 29 APRIL 2015
WED 00:00 Earthsea (b05s8j37)
[Repeat of broadcast at
18:00 on Tuesday]
WED 00:30 Frankly Speaking (b05s8j39)
[Repeat of broadcast at
18:30 on Tuesday]
WED 01:00 Dixon of Dock Green (b016n8zj)
[Repeat of broadcast at
06:00 on Tuesday]
WED 01:30 The King of Light Music (b0090qmd)
[Repeat of broadcast at
06:30 on Tuesday]
WED 02:00 Book at Bedtime (b00snq8t)
[Repeat of broadcast at
14:00 on Tuesday]
WED 02:15 On Your Bike (b00yhxbp)
[Repeat of broadcast at
14:15 on Tuesday]
WED 02:30 15 Minute Drama (b00thwrp)
[Repeat of broadcast at
14:30 on Tuesday]
WED 02:45 Book of the Week (b00sbmk0)
[Repeat of broadcast at
14:45 on Tuesday]
WED 03:00 Ronald Frame - Greyfriars (b00pd7d2)
[Repeat of broadcast at
10:00 on Tuesday]
WED 04:00 Whispers (b00bzrmj)
[Repeat of broadcast at
16:00 on Tuesday]
WED 04:30 Such Rotten Luck (b01nt4qk)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:30 on Tuesday]
WED 05:00 Nikolai Gogol - Three Ivans, Two Aunts and an Overcoat (b00p2hb2)
[Repeat of broadcast at
07:00 on Tuesday]
WED 05:30 The Casebook of Max and Ivan (b05r3w3x)
[Repeat of broadcast at
07:30 on Tuesday]
WED 06:00 Dixon of Dock Green (b016q2l1)
Series 2
The Captain
A series of burglaries on empty houses bears all the trademarks of one of Dock Green's most colourful characters.
But is PC Andy Crawford a bit too keen to make an arrest?
Radio revival of BBC TV's famous copper starring David Calder and Hamish Clark.
Written for TV by Ted Willis and adapted for radio by Sue Rodwell
George Dixon ...... David Calder
Andy Crawford ...... Hamish Clark
Tom Carr ...... Jonathan Gunning
The Captain ...... Bill Wallis
Maurie ...... Jonathan Tafler
Director: Viv Beeby
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 2006.
WED 06:30 Lifeboats on the Thames (b00dkff3)
Episode 1
Horatio Clare joins the crews of lifeboats based on the river Thames. Established in 2002 in response to the inquiries into the Marchioness disaster, the four lifeboats are permanently manned and have to respond to a distress call within 30 seconds. The boats are not like familiar sea-going lifeboats but are jet-propelled, capable of travelling at 40 knots.
Horatio attends a night shift with the full-time and volunteer crew at Tower Station, near Waterloo Bridge. He witnesses rescue training and gets a call-out. Moving on to Gravesend, he joins the crew on a melancholy mission, searching for someone feared drowned.
WED 07:00 The Older Woman (b039by7w)
Series 2
Episode 2
Bruce Willis and Arnold Schwarzenegger have changed their image from tough-talking, macho men to gentle, child-caring new men.... can Roy follow suit in his own home movie?
Series two of Tony Bagley's romantic comedy drama serial that mixes fantasy with reality.
Starring Martin Clunes as Roy Hitchcock, Geraldine James as Jane Gallaghan, Nicky Henson as Chad Mann. David Troughton as Colin and Rebecca Front as Mrs Churchill.
Other parts by Peter Serafinowicz and Susannah Corbett.
Producer: Paul Schlesinger:
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 1994.
WED 07:30 Tim FitzHigham: The Gambler (b05r3z49)
Series 2
Episode 4
Adventuring comedian Tim FitzHigham and his old nemesis Alex Horne recreate a 19th century bet; can Tim ride a horse from London to Dover and back before Alex makes 1 million dots on a piece of paper?"
WED 08:00 The Navy Lark (b007m476)
Series 2
The Admiral's Present
The officers of HMS Troutbridge are ordered to attend a party to celebrate the Admiral's 50 years of service.
Starring Leslie Phillips as the Sub-Lieutenant, Jon Pertwee as the Chief Petty Officer, Stephen Murray as Number One, Richard Caldicot as Commander Povey, Ronnie Barker as Lt Commander Stanton, Heather Chasen as Mrs Povey, Michael Bates as the Rating and Tenniel Evans as the Admiral.
The Navy Lark ran for an impressive 13 series on BBC Radio between 1959 and 1976.
Scripted by Lawrie Wyman.
Producer: Alastair Scott Johnston.
First broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in March 1960.
WED 08:30 I'm Sorry, I'll Read That Again (b00tr6nm)
Series 4
Episode 13
'The Curse of the Flying Wombat' climaxes - or does it?
More quick-fire sketches, terrible puns, humorous songs and parodies.
Stars Tim Brooke-Taylor, John Cleese, David Hatch, Jo Kendall and Bill Oddie.
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 Dave Lee and Bill Oddie.
Producer: Humphrey Barclay
First broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in December 1966.
WED 09:00 Trivia Test Match (b00w00bm)
From 29/10/1991
Brian Johnston umpires as Willie Rushton and Robin Bailey battle Tim Rice and Bob 'The Cat' Bevan. From October 1991.
WED 09:30 The Hudson and Pepperdine Show (b00762ck)
Series 2
Episode 4
Mel and Vicki encounter a computer flight simulator with more to offer than flying lessons, while Mel confesses to being a bit too recreational with her pharmaceuticals.
Plus more from the Gory Nuns, the Dirty Sloanes and the Goatee Beard Men's Group.
Variety meets sitcom meets sketch show - written and performed by Mel Hudson and Vicki Pepperdine.
With Martin Hyder and Jim North and Peter Serafinowicz.
Additional material by Martin Hyder and Jim North.
Script editor: Graeme Garden
Music by Richard Webb.
Producers: Helen Williams and Claire Jones.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 2001.
WED 10:00 John Mortimer - The Dock Brief (b007js6p)
A cynical and unsuccessful, elderly barrister is overjoyed to be assigned a 'dock brief - to defend a husband accused of the murder of his wife.
John Mortimer's legal satire stars Michael Hordern as Wilfred Morganhall and David Kossoff as Herbert Fowle.
Music composed and conducted by Antony Hopkins.
Producer: Nesta Pain
First broadcast on the BBC Third Programme in May 1957.
WED 11:00 Helen Simpson - A Bunch of Fives (b01m7xph)
Hurrah for the Hols, pt 1
A couple and their three young children struggle to enjoy a summer holiday in a hotel in Cornwall. Read by Tamsin Greig.
WED 11:15 The Medical Detectives (b007k0pn)
The Last Infirmity
Two ambitious young doctors tackle a yellow fever epidemic in 19th-century Cuba. Starring Colin Stinton and William Hope.
WED 12:00 The Navy Lark (b007m476)
[Repeat of broadcast at
08:00 today]
WED 12:30 I'm Sorry, I'll Read That Again (b00tr6nm)
[Repeat of broadcast at
08:30 today]
WED 13:00 Dixon of Dock Green (b016q2l1)
[Repeat of broadcast at
06:00 today]
WED 13:30 Lifeboats on the Thames (b00dkff3)
[Repeat of broadcast at
06:30 today]
WED 14:00 Book at Bedtime (b00snq8w)
Lucy Kellaway - In Office Hours
Episode 3
In Office Hours is the new novel by Lucy Kellaway about men and women at work, and illicit love. Today, Stella and Bella are seen in a new light when news of a crisis in Russia breaks.
The latest novel from the columnist, Lucy Kellaway, is a witty and sharply observed exploration of today's contemporary corporate world, and what happens when passions run high. The economist Stella Bradberry is at the top of her game, juggling a high powered career with motherhood. Bella Chambers is a bright and pretty single mother who was forced to drop out of college, and is working as a PA to make ends meet. Both women work for Atlantic Energy, a global oil company based in London, where risk taking is a way of life. When the Head of Press resigns unexpectedly, new opportunities and challenges open up for Stella and Bella, which ultimately lead them both to embark on obsessive and destructive affairs.
Readers: Haydn Gwynne has recently returned from Broadway where she was appearing in the award winning hit musical "Billy Elliot" after it transferred from London's West End. Award winning actress Lyndsey Marshal has most recently appeared on stage in "Three Days of Rain" and on television in "Being Human" and "Garrow's Law".
Writer: Lucy Kellaway is the "Financial Times" management columnist. She lives in London is is married with four children.
Abridged by Sally Marmion
Producer Elizabeth Allard.
WED 14:15 On Your Bike (b00yhxbr)
Frugal Years
With petrol rationing during WW2 the bicycle came into its own again to be followed by a golden age of cycling in the 1950's as the nation emerges from the darkness of war
Presenter: Martin Ellis
Producer: Simon Evans
A Pier Production for BBC Radio 4.
WED 14:30 15 Minute Drama (b00thxcp)
Rosamond Lehmann - Dusty Answer
Episode 3
Rosamund Lehmann's first novel Dusty Answer records the education of Judith Earle, the only child of an academic father and socialite mother. Judith grew up in the seclusion of a large riverside house in the Thames Valley. The house next door is occupied from time to time by the Fyfe family whose children - cousins Charlie, Roddy, Julian and Martin drift in and out of her life.
Part Three. Judith arrives in Cambridge and can't find her room. She wonders how she will settle down but soon meets fellow student Jennifer who is to become a great friend. During the winter snow, Roddy comes to visit ..
DUSTY ANSWER by Rosamund Lehmann dramatised by Lavinia Greenlaw
Narrator ..... Julia Hills
Judith ..... Rosina Carbone
Roddy ..... Brodie Ross
Martin ..... Oliver Gomm
Jennifer ..... Annabel Scholey
Geraldine ..... Jemima Foxtrot
Directed by Susan Roberts.
WED 14:45 Book of the Week (b00sbmjr)
Jenny Uglow - A Gambling Man: Charles II and the Restoration
Episode 3
As a keen theatre-goer, Charles takes every opportunity to mingle with his people. But in private he and his wife Catherine of Braganza long for an heir.
Written by Jenny Uglow
Read by Michael Maloney
Abridged by Libby Spurrier
Producer: Joanna Green
A Pier production for BBC Radio 4.
WED 15:00 John Mortimer - The Dock Brief (b007js6p)
[Repeat of broadcast at
10:00 today]
WED 16:00 Trivia Test Match (b00w00bm)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:00 today]
WED 16:30 The Hudson and Pepperdine Show (b00762ck)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:30 today]
WED 17:00 The Older Woman (b039by7w)
[Repeat of broadcast at
07:00 today]
WED 17:30 Tim FitzHigham: The Gambler (b05r3z49)
[Repeat of broadcast at
07:30 today]
WED 18:00 Earthsea (b05s8qzd)
Series 1
Lookfar
Ursula K Le Guin's enduring fantasy saga set on the magical archipelago rich with wizards and dragons.
Based on the novels A Wizard of Earthsea and The Tombs of Atuan by Ursula Le Guin. Adapted by Judith Adams.
At Roke School, Ged released a terrible shadow into the world when he recklessly cast a spell for summoning the dead. It nearly cost him his life then and now it hunts him wherever he goes. He must make a choice: keep running or turn around and become hunter himself.
Ged ..... James McArdle
Tenar ..... Aysha Kala
Ogion ..... Paul Hilton
Vetch ..... Will Howard
Dragon ..... Jessica Turner
Pechvarry ..... Mark Edel-Hunt
Ship's Master ..... Sam Dale
2nd Ship's Master ..... Stephen Critchlow
Raven ..... Syesha Antoine
Skiorh ..... David Hounslow
Jessel ..... Chris Pavlo
Original music by Jon Nicholls
Directed by Sasha Yevtushenko.
WED 18:30 Off the Page (b0076mw8)
Boredom
Matthew Parris and his guests are inspired by boredom. With writers Brian Dooley, Matthew Sharpe and Susan Elderkin. From August 2004.
WED 19:00 The Navy Lark (b007m476)
[Repeat of broadcast at
08:00 today]
WED 19:30 I'm Sorry, I'll Read That Again (b00tr6nm)
[Repeat of broadcast at
08:30 today]
WED 20:00 Dixon of Dock Green (b016q2l1)
[Repeat of broadcast at
06:00 today]
WED 20:30 Lifeboats on the Thames (b00dkff3)
[Repeat of broadcast at
06:30 today]
WED 21:00 Helen Simpson - A Bunch of Fives (b01m7xph)
[Repeat of broadcast at
11:00 today]
WED 21:15 The Medical Detectives (b007k0pn)
[Repeat of broadcast at
11:15 today]
WED 22:00 Tim FitzHigham: The Gambler (b05r3z49)
[Repeat of broadcast at
07:30 today]
WED 22:30 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.
WED 22:55 The Comedy Club Interviews (b05tr06p)
From
10.00pm to midnight, seven days a week, the Comedy Club has two hours of comedy. Plus Tom Wrigglesworth chats again to Ed Byrne.
WED 23:00 Arthur Smith's Balham Bash (b00lgj3p)
Series 1
Episode 1
Comedian Arthur Smith presents comedy and music from his flat in Balham, south London.
Paul Sinha in the lounge, Milton Jones in the bedroom and Glenn Tilbrook in the kitchen provide music and nourishment in the shape of Welsh rarebit.
Pippa Evans - as singer-songwriter Loretta Maine - lends a hand.
Producer: Alison Vernon-Smith
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 2009.
WED 23:30 Lucy Montgomery's Variety Pack (b00wdjff)
Series 1
Episode 3
Peter Andre is revealed as the most dangerous man on Earth.
Multi-paced, one woman Fast Show showcasing the exceptional talent of Lucy Montgomery.
With Philip Pope, Sally Grace, Waen Shepherd and Natalie Walter.
Written by Lucy Montgomery with additional material by Steven Burge, Jon Hunter and Joe Wilkinson.
Music by Philip Pope
Producer: Katie Tyrrell.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 2010.
THURSDAY 30 APRIL 2015
THU 00:00 Earthsea (b05s8qzd)
[Repeat of broadcast at
18:00 on Wednesday]
THU 00:30 Off the Page (b0076mw8)
[Repeat of broadcast at
18:30 on Wednesday]
THU 01:00 Dixon of Dock Green (b016q2l1)
[Repeat of broadcast at
06:00 on Wednesday]
THU 01:30 Lifeboats on the Thames (b00dkff3)
[Repeat of broadcast at
06:30 on Wednesday]
THU 02:00 Book at Bedtime (b00snq8w)
[Repeat of broadcast at
14:00 on Wednesday]
THU 02:15 On Your Bike (b00yhxbr)
[Repeat of broadcast at
14:15 on Wednesday]
THU 02:30 15 Minute Drama (b00thxcp)
[Repeat of broadcast at
14:30 on Wednesday]
THU 02:45 Book of the Week (b00sbmjr)
[Repeat of broadcast at
14:45 on Wednesday]
THU 03:00 John Mortimer - The Dock Brief (b007js6p)
[Repeat of broadcast at
10:00 on Wednesday]
THU 04:00 Trivia Test Match (b00w00bm)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:00 on Wednesday]
THU 04:30 The Hudson and Pepperdine Show (b00762ck)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:30 on Wednesday]
THU 05:00 The Older Woman (b039by7w)
[Repeat of broadcast at
07:00 on Wednesday]
THU 05:30 Tim FitzHigham: The Gambler (b05r3z49)
[Repeat of broadcast at
07:30 on Wednesday]
THU 06:00 Dixon of Dock Green (b016q57t)
Series 2
Andy Steps Up
PC Andy Crawford gets another chance to earn his stripes when some suspiciously priced tins of salmon turn up on Dock Green market.
Radio revival of BBC TV's famous copper starring David Calder and Hamish Clark.
Written for TV by Ted Willis and adapted for radio by Sue Rodwell.
George Dixon ...... David Calder
Andy Crawford ...... Hamish Clark
Duffy ...... Shaun Prendergast
Mrs Jones ...... Carol MacReady
DI Cherry ...... Christian Rodska
Mary Crawford ...... Charlie Brooks
Director: Viv Beeby
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 2006.
THU 06:30 Lifeboats on the Thames (b00dnz10)
Episode 2
Horatio Clare joins the crews of lifeboats based on the River Thames. Established in 2002 in response to the inquiries into the Marchioness disaster, the four lifeboats are permanently manned and have to respond to a distress call within 30 seconds. The boats are not like familiar sea-going lifeboats but are jet-propelled, capable of travelling at 40 knots.
Horatio joins the crews at Chiswick and Teddington, whose work mostly involves helping people who use the river for pleasure rather than business. Horatio explores the changes in the ways that people use the river and the RNLI's response to them, and undergoes storm training at the Lifeboat College in Poole.
THU 07:00 Potting On (b00lg8gt)
Something for Me
Pam has a win on the Premium Bonds.
Gordon earmarks the money for a new office computer, but Pam fancies splashing out on a sports car!
Sitcom about a couple at odds over running a garden centre and growing older.
Starring Pam Ayres as Pam and Geoffrey Whitehead as Gordon.
Written by Chris Thompson and Peter Reynolds with Pam Ayres.
With Trevor Bannister, Karl Theobald and Alex Tregear.
Sitcom by Chris Thompson and Peter Reynolds.
Producer Claire Jones
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 2008.
THU 07:30 Ed Reardon's Week (b03kpnjz)
Series 9
Intellectual Fireworks
Ed appears to have stepped on the gravy train at last as he takes up a professorship at Much Wenlock Court - a prestigious writing retreat. He hopes this will lead him to, at the very least, a contentious Saturday Essay on the Today Programme. However, this retreat has been set up by one Jaz Milvain so could Ed's change in fortune be too good to be true?
Written by Andrew Nickolds and Christopher Douglas
Produced by Dawn Ellis.
THU 08:00 Steptoe and Son (b007jl5j)
Series 1
The Offer
After a row with his father Albert, Harold decides to leave their rag and bone business and take up another offer of employment.
Starring Wilfrid Brambell as Albert and Harry H Corbett as Harold.
Following the conclusion of their hugely successful association with Tony Hancock, Ray Galton and Alan Simpson wrote 10 pilots for 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 BBC radio from Galton and Simpson's TV script by Gale Pedrick.
Produced by Bobby Jaye
First broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in July 1966.
THU 08:30 Not in Front of the Children (b05s7k07)
Series 1
A Real Family Evening
Robin has won a scholarship to boarding school and this is the eve of his departure, so Jennifer is keen to make his last night at home a rather special one.
Starring Wendy Craig and Francis Matthew.
The comedy mishaps of the Corner family - Jennifer and Henry and their three kids Trudi, Amanda and Robin.
Four series were first shown on BBC TV from 1967 to 1970. Richard Waring adapted his own scripts for this radio version, now fully restored from the original reel-to-reel tapes. Wendy Craig won a Best Actress BAFTA award for the TV version of Not in Front of the Children in 1969
Jennifer Corner … Wendy Craig
Henry Corner …. Francis Matthews
Trudie …. Roberta Tovey
Amanda …. Jill Riddick
Robin …. Hugo Keith-Johnston
Music by Ronnie Hazlehurst
Producer: Trafford Whitelock
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 1969.
THU 09:00 Who Goes There? (b0075z3c)
Series 4
Episode 4
Martin Young chairs the quiz which looks at the noteworthy and the notorious from history.
Tackling the biographical teasers are team captains Francis Wheen and Fred Housego with guests Claire Rayner and David Aaronovitch.
Producer: Liz Anstee
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 2000.
THU 09:30 The Sit Crom (b00mf205)
The Wasps' Nest
The search for enemies leads to love triumphing over fire.
Sue Limb's six-part comedy set during the English Civil War.
Sir John Firebasket .... Joss Ackland
Lady Anne Firebasket .... Denise Coffey
Tobias Thynne .... Clive Merrison
Mercy, alias Melissa .... Miriam Margolyes
Father Francis .... Nickolas Grace
Slow Ned .... Chris Emmett
Gazebo Fogg .... Jack Klaff
Posthumous .... Nicky Henson
Counter Tenor .... Peter Hayward
Captain Arise Higgs .... Alun Armstrong
Producer: Jonathan James-Moore
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 1990.
THU 10:00 John Buchan - Greenmantle (b00tkllp)
November 1915
Agent Richard Hannay is summoned to the War Office to foil evil German plans to create holy war in the East. Stars David Robb.
THU 11:00 Helen Simpson - A Bunch of Fives (b01m81sw)
Hurrah for the Hols, pt 2
Funny, sensuous and poignant short story about married love and how children change the rhythm of life. Read by Tamsin Greig.
THU 11:15 The Medical Detectives (b007k0qq)
The Epping Jaundice
A strange epidemic sweeps through the inhabitants of a quiet Essex suburb. Starring Bernard Hepton and Roger Allam.
THU 12:00 Steptoe and Son (b007jl5j)
[Repeat of broadcast at
08:00 today]
THU 12:30 Not in Front of the Children (b05s7k07)
[Repeat of broadcast at
08:30 today]
THU 13:00 Dixon of Dock Green (b016q57t)
[Repeat of broadcast at
06:00 today]
THU 13:30 Lifeboats on the Thames (b00dnz10)
[Repeat of broadcast at
06:30 today]
THU 14:00 Book at Bedtime (b00snq8y)
Lucy Kellaway - In Office Hours
Episode 4
In Office Hours is the new novel by Lucy Kellaway about men and women at work, and illicit love. Today, Stella and Bella reach a turning point.
The latest novel from the columnist, Lucy Kellaway, is a witty and sharply observed exploration of today's contemporary corporate world, and what happens when passions run high. The economist Stella Bradberry is at the top of her game, juggling a high powered career with motherhood. Bella Chambers is a bright and pretty single mother who was forced to drop out of college, and is working as a PA to make ends meet. Both women work for Atlantic Energy, a global oil company based in London, where risk taking is a way of life. When the Head of Press resigns unexpectedly, new opportunities and challenges open up for Stella and Bella, which ultimately lead them both to embark on obsessive and destructive affairs.
Readers: Haydn Gwynne has recently returned from Broadway where she was appearing in the award winning hit musical "Billy Elliot" after it transferred from London's West End. Award winning actress Lyndsey Marshal has most recently appeared on stage in "Three Days of Rain" and on television in "Being Human" and "Garrow's Law".
Writer: Lucy Kellaway is the "Financial Times" management columnist. She lives in London and is married with four children.
Abridged by Sally Marmion
Producer Elizabeth Allard.
THU 14:15 On Your Bike (b00yhxbt)
Rise and Fall
Increasing prosperity and car ownership displaced the bicycle in the 1960's and foreign holidays replaced cycling, campsites and youth hostels. Bicycles belong to the past
Presenter: Martin Ellis
Producer: Simon Evans
A Pier Production for BBC Radio 4.
THU 14:30 15 Minute Drama (b00thxcr)
Rosamond Lehmann - Dusty Answer
Episode 4
Rosamund Lehmann's first novel Dusty Answer records the education of Judith Earle, the only child of an academic father and socialite mother. Judith grew up in the seclusion of a large riverside house in the Thames Valley. The house next door is occupied from time to time by the Fyfe family whose children - cousins Charlie, Roddy, Julian and Martin drift in and out of her life.
Part Four Judith is invited to a picnic with Julian and Martin, and Roddy takes her for a trip in a canoe. Romance rears its head ...but which of the cousins is it to be ?
DUSTY ANSWER by Rosamund Lehmann dramatised by Lavinia Greenlaw
Narrator ...................................Julia Hills
Judith......................................Rosina Carbone
Roddy......................................Brodie Ross
Martin......................................Oliver Gomm
Julian.......................................Tom Ferguson
Mamma ...................................Melissa Jane Sinden
Directed by Susan Roberts.
THU 14:45 Book of the Week (b00sbmjt)
Jenny Uglow - A Gambling Man: Charles II and the Restoration
Episode 4
The Restoration is firmly established and trade is flourishing. Charles' next aim is to make England master of the seas. But he's up against fierce competition and war with the Dutch is imminent.
Written by Jenny Uglow
Read by Michael Maloney
Abridged by Libby Spurrier
Producer: Joanna Green
A Pier production for BBC Radio 4.
THU 15:00 John Buchan - Greenmantle (b00tkllp)
[Repeat of broadcast at
10:00 today]
THU 16:00 Who Goes There? (b0075z3c)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:00 today]
THU 16:30 The Sit Crom (b00mf205)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:30 today]
THU 17:00 Anything Legal (b0089hl7)
Episode 6
Charles and George's new business course sets tongues wagging.
Starring Donald Hewlett and Michael Knowles.
A Tale of Two City Gents by Wally K Daly
Charles ...... Donald Hewlett
George ...... Michael Knowles
Fiona Fenning ...... Jennifer Croxton
Course Chairman ...... Henry Stamper
Advertising Lecturer ...... John Kane
Finance Lecturer ...... Peter Cellier
Mr Hunter ...... Roland MacLeod.
Theme music by Jim Parker
Producer: John Fawcett Wilson
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 1984.
THU 17:30 Potting On (b00lg8gt)
[Repeat of broadcast at
07:00 today]
THU 18:00 Earthsea (b05s8wrb)
Series 1
The Ring
Ursula K Le Guin's enduring fantasy saga set on the magical archipelago rich with wizards and dragons.
Based on the novel The Tombs of Atuan by Ursula Le Guin. Adapted by Judith Adams.
When Tenar is chosen as high priestess to the ancient and nameless Powers of the Earth, everything is taken from her - home, family, even her name. She is now known only as Arha, the Eaten One, and guards the shadowy, labyrinthine Tombs of Atuan. Then Ged comes to steal the Tombs' greatest hidden treasure, the Ring of Erreth-Akbe. Tenar's duty is to protect the Ring, but Ged possesses the light of magic and tales of a world that Tenar has never known. Will she risk everything to escape from the darkness that has become her domain?
Ged ..... James McArdle
Tenar ..... Sysha Kala
Manan ..... Zubin Varla
Kossil ..... Souad Faress
Willow ..... Jessica Turner
Penthe ..... Ayesha Antoine
Original music by Jon Nicholls
Directed by Sasha Yevtushenko.
THU 18:30 Great Lives (b0076l5h)
Series 5
Tom Paine
Writer and political activist George Monbiot chooses 18th-century revolutionary Tom Paine. With Humphrey Carpenter. From April 2004.
THU 19:00 Steptoe and Son (b007jl5j)
[Repeat of broadcast at
08:00 today]
THU 19:30 Not in Front of the Children (b05s7k07)
[Repeat of broadcast at
08:30 today]
THU 20:00 Dixon of Dock Green (b016q57t)
[Repeat of broadcast at
06:00 today]
THU 20:30 Lifeboats on the Thames (b00dnz10)
[Repeat of broadcast at
06:30 today]
THU 21:00 Helen Simpson - A Bunch of Fives (b01m81sw)
[Repeat of broadcast at
11:00 today]
THU 21:15 The Medical Detectives (b007k0qq)
[Repeat of broadcast at
11:15 today]
THU 22:00 Ed Reardon's Week (b03kpnjz)
[Repeat of broadcast at
07:30 today]
THU 22:30 My Teenage Diary (b01ks9zd)
Series 4
Toby Young
My Teenage Diary returns with six more brave celebrities ready to revisit their formative years by opening up their intimate teenage diaries, and reading them out in public for the very first time.
IN this fourth programme in the series, comedian Rufus Hound is joined by writer Toby Young who revisits his teenage years, when he had a lot of fun playing knock down ginger, shooting pea shooters, and skateboarding - but let his academic work suffer.
He reflects on his mis-spent youth and talks about how it has changed his perceptions of young offenders today.
Producer: Harriet Jaine
A Talkback production for BBC Radio 4.
THU 23:00 My Booze Hell, by Little Johnny Cartilage (b007jvc7)
Sugar, Der Der Der Der Der Der, Ah Honey, Honey
Johnny fails to impress Melvyn Bragg while plugging his new book.
The not-terribly-true autobiography of 1970s idol Little Johnny Cartilage.
Written by and starring Johnny Meres.
With:
Melvyn Bragg
Ben Miller
Peter Serafinowicz
Geoff McGivern
Rosemary Martin
Deborah Berlin.
Producer: Gareth Edwards
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 1996.
THU 23:15 Date With Fate (b008zq34)
Along for the Ride
When Colin impersonates a film producer, it sparks dangerous consequences.
Harold Wing Pinero is your host.
Another of four comic close encounters with fate written by Gary Parker and Phil Whelans.
Colin Bond ...... Michael Troughton
Harold Wing Pinero ...... Charles Gray
Monica Ludlow ...... Jenny Howe
Flores ...... Mandy Knight
Ralph ...... Stephen Critchlow
Hostess/Lauren ...... Debbie Stephenson
All other parts ...... Toby Longworth
Producer: Paul Schlesinger
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 1996.
THU 23:30 Hut 33 (b00wfwyl)
Series 2
Getting Heavy
Hut 33 has come bottom in the ranking at Bletchley Park, and the code breakers must do something to prove themselves.
James Cary's sitcom set at Bletchley Park - the top-secret home of the Second World War codebreakers.
Charles …. Robert Bathurst
Archie …. Tom Goodman-Hill
Minka …. Olivia Colman
Mrs Best …. Lill Roughley
Gordon …. Fergus Craig
Joshua … Alex McQueen
With Lisa Sutherland, Arnab Chanda and Ben Crowe.
Producer: Adam Bromley
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in June 2008.
FRIDAY 01 MAY 2015
FRI 00:00 Earthsea (b05s8wrb)
[Repeat of broadcast at
18:00 on Thursday]
FRI 00:30 Great Lives (b0076l5h)
[Repeat of broadcast at
18:30 on Thursday]
FRI 01:00 Dixon of Dock Green (b016q57t)
[Repeat of broadcast at
06:00 on Thursday]
FRI 01:30 Lifeboats on the Thames (b00dnz10)
[Repeat of broadcast at
06:30 on Thursday]
FRI 02:00 Book at Bedtime (b00snq8y)
[Repeat of broadcast at
14:00 on Thursday]
FRI 02:15 On Your Bike (b00yhxbt)
[Repeat of broadcast at
14:15 on Thursday]
FRI 02:30 15 Minute Drama (b00thxcr)
[Repeat of broadcast at
14:30 on Thursday]
FRI 02:45 Book of the Week (b00sbmjt)
[Repeat of broadcast at
14:45 on Thursday]
FRI 03:00 John Buchan - Greenmantle (b00tkllp)
[Repeat of broadcast at
10:00 on Thursday]
FRI 04:00 Who Goes There? (b0075z3c)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:00 on Thursday]
FRI 04:30 The Sit Crom (b00mf205)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:30 on Thursday]
FRI 05:00 Anything Legal (b0089hl7)
[Repeat of broadcast at
17:00 on Thursday]
FRI 05:30 Potting On (b00lg8gt)
[Repeat of broadcast at
07:00 on Thursday]
FRI 06:00 Dixon of Dock Green (b016r51t)
Series 2
Give a Dog a Good Name
PC George Dixon helps the newly promoted DI Andy Crawford trap a particularly vicious criminal - a man with an achilles heel in the shape of a small dog called Shirley.
Radio revival of BBC TV's famous copper starring David Calder and Hamish Clark.
Written for TV by Ted Willis and adapted for radio by Sue Rodwell.
George Dixon ...... David Calder
Andy Crawford ...... Hamish Clark
Duffy ...... Shaun Prendergast
Mrs Jones ...... Carol MacReady
DI Cherry ...... Christian Rodska
Mary Crawford ...... Charlie Brooks
Director: Viv Beeby
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 2006.
FRI 06:30 The Carl Rosa Opera (b00v71w6)
When the German born Karl Rose launched his opera company in 1873 at the Princess' Theatre London, he had no intention of becoming a musical institution running for over a hundred years. A concert violinist, his original motivation was to provide a platform for his wife, the wonderfully named singer Euphrosyne Parepa, but on her premature death he decided to continue his operatic ambitions. Changing his name to Carl Rosa he set about bringing opera to British audiences in English. And rather than rely on a London season he wanted to take his company, full orchestra, chorus, sceneary and soloists on the road.
Keel Watson tells the story of Rosa's success, including the British Premier of Puccini's La Boheme and Madame Butterfly, the former in Manchester. He finds out about the years after Rosa's death and between the wars when the company had its own train at Liverpool Street station and sometimes had three groups on the road at the same time. The tradition, established by Rosa himself, of commissioning new work by British composers, of using local singers and of providing full scale productions complete with elaborate scenery and effects was also maintained, and with Dame Eva Turner, they produced a genuine operatic superstar.
But after the second world war keeping the company going proved increasingly difficult.
Keel hears from the singer Joseph Ward who actually toured with them in the 1950's until the final performance in Nottingham in 1956. He also talks to Kenneth Rear, one of the many people introduced to opera by the Rosa's annual visits, in his case to the Lyceum Theatre Shefffield, and to Peter Malloy who runs the much smaller scale Carl Rosa company of today.
Keel address the challenges that Rosa faced and many opera enthusiasts still face today, of bringing opera to audiences outside the major Metropolitan centres in a form which doesn't undermine its natural scale and spectacle.
Producer: Tom Alban.
FRI 07:00 Rent (b00752yh)
Series 3
Episode 6
It's time for Paul and Ruby to decide upon their future, which could spell the end of life as we know it at chez Reynolds...
Conclusion of series 3 of Lucy Flannery's award-winning sitcom about Maria and Richard Reynolds and their lodgers.
Stars Barbara Flynn as Maria, Patrick Barlow as Richard, Linda Polan as Amy, Vivienne Rochester as Ruby and Dave Lamb as Paul.
Producer: Liz Anstee.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 1997.
FRI 07:30 The Vote Now Show (b05r3zc4)
Series 2
Episode 2
A series of election specials from the Now Show team. Steve Punt and Hugh Dennis are joined by special guests to give their own unique take on the week's election shenanigans.
Episode two features Pippa Evans, Mitch Benn, Andy Zaltzman, Julia Hartley-Brewer and Lolly Adefope.
Producers; Alexandra Smith, Joe Nunnery and Rachel Wheeley.
Executive Producer Alison Vernon-Smith.
FRI 08:00 Hancock's Half Hour (b007k4d6)
Series 4
Back From Holiday
On his return from a disastrous break, the lad discovers that Sid's rented his house out.
Starring Tony Hancock.
With Sidney James, Bill Kerr and Kenneth Williams.
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 October 1956.
FRI 08:30 Play It Cool (b05s7k0b)
Episode 5
The game of boxing is exposed - and back to the era of Suffragettes.
Fast-moving sketches starring Ian Carmichael, Joan Sims and Hugh Paddick.
Films like Private's Progress and I'm All Right Jack helped make Ian Carmichael a major star of both British stage and screen. Play it Cool was his first radio comedy series promising a variety of potty and pompous situations.
Written by Eric Merriman - best known for his work on Beyond Our Ken.
With music from Rosemary Squires, The Mike Sammes Singers and The Ken Thorne Orchestra
Producer: John Simmonds
First broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in August 1964.
FRI 09:00 All the Way from Memphis (b00jj529)
Series 1
Episode 5
James Walton's pop music history quiz with Tracey MacLeod, Andrew Collins, David Hepworth and Carol Decker. From January 2005.
FRI 09:30 Richard Barton: General Practitioner! (b00758fv)
Episode 6
Dick running up a tab in the pub? Strange behaviour from the unimpeachable special agent.
Richard Barton ...... Robert Bathurst
Old Dick Barton ...... Moray Watson
Young Dick Barton ...... Julian Dutton
Sally Phillips ...... Matilda Ziegler
Jock ...... Iain Cuthbertson
Marge ...... Carolyn Jones
Other parts played by Roger Blake.
In 1946, Edward J Mason wrote the first episode of Dick Barton - Special Agent. The BBC Light Programme's hugely popular serial followed the adventures of the ex-Commando and his mates Jock Anderson and Snowy White. Despite facing a series of never-ending cliff-hangers at the hands of dastardly villains, our hero always triumphed. "With one bound Dick was free!".
Half a century later, Edward J's son Lol created Richard Barton, son of Dick, in an affectionate homage to one of BBC Radio's most enduring heroes.
Producer: Jo Clegg
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 1998.
FRI 10:00 John Buchan - Greenmantle (b00tkyn4)
January 1916
Agent Richard Hannay reaches Constantinople, but is he in time to defeat the German's sinister war plans? Stars David Robb.
FRI 11:00 Helen Simpson - A Bunch of Fives (b01m850d)
Scan
Intimate and moving story about a young woman on the brink of romance, who goes alone for a brain scan. Read by Clare Corbett.
FRI 11:15 The Medical Detectives (b007k0rx)
The Stranded Eagle
After Salomon August Andrée's doomed Arctic crossing by hydrogen balloon, investigators piece together events. Stars Ken Stott.
FRI 12:00 Hancock's Half Hour (b007k4d6)
[Repeat of broadcast at
08:00 today]
FRI 12:30 Play It Cool (b05s7k0b)
[Repeat of broadcast at
08:30 today]
FRI 13:00 Dixon of Dock Green (b016r51t)
[Repeat of broadcast at
06:00 today]
FRI 13:30 The Carl Rosa Opera (b00v71w6)
[Repeat of broadcast at
06:30 today]
FRI 14:00 Book at Bedtime (b00snq90)
Lucy Kellaway - In Office Hours
Episode 5
In Office Hours is the new novel by Lucy Kellaway about men and women at work, and illicit love. Today, Bella regrets sending an accusatory email, and Stella crosses the line.
The latest novel from the columnist, Lucy Kellaway, is a witty and sharply observed exploration of today's contemporary corporate world, and what happens when passions run high. The economist Stella Bradberry is at the top of her game, juggling a high powered career with motherhood. Bella Chambers is a bright and pretty single mother who was forced to drop out of college, and is working as a PA to make ends meet. Both women work for Atlantic Energy, a global oil company based in London, where risk taking is a way of life. When the Head of Press resigns unexpectedly, new opportunities and challenges open up for Stella and Bella, which ultimately lead them both to embark on obsessive and destructive affairs.
Readers: Haydn Gwynne has recently returned from Broadway where she was appearing in the award winning hit musical "Billy Elliot" after it transferred from London's West End. Award winning actress Lyndsey Marshal has most recently appeared on stage in "Three Days of Rain" and on television in "Being Human" and "Garrow's Law".
Writer: Lucy Kellaway is the "Financial Times" management columnist. She lives in London is is married with four children.
Abridged by Sally Marmion
Producer Elizabeth Allard.
FRI 14:15 On Your Bike (b00yhxbw)
Renaissance
The mountain bike arrives from California and coincides with a new fashion for fitness and concerns for the environment. Bikes are back in fashion for work and pleasure
Presenter: Martin Ellis
Producer: Simon Evans
A Pier Production for BBC Radio 4.
FRI 14:30 15 Minute Drama (b00thxct)
Rosamond Lehmann - Dusty Answer
Episode 5
Rosamund Lehmann's first novel Dusty Answer records the education of Judith Earle, the only child of an academic father and socialite mother. Judith grew up in the seclusion of a large riverside house in the Thames Valley. The house next door is occupied from time to time by the Fyfe family whose children - cousins Charlie, Roddy, Julian and Martin drift in and out of her life.
Part Five. Whilst travelling in France with her mother, Judith meets up with Julian. They enjoy the French heat together until his sudden departure. Jennifer steps back into her life..
DUSTY ANSWER by Rosamund Lehmann dramatised by Lavinia Greenlaw
Narrator ...................................Julia Hills
Judith......................................Rosina Carbone
Julian.......................................Tom Ferguson
Jennifer ...................................Annabel Scholey
Mamma ...................................Melissa Jane Sinden
Directed by Susan Roberts.
FRI 14:45 Book of the Week (b00sbmjw)
Jenny Uglow - A Gambling Man: Charles II and the Restoration
Episode 5
After The Great Fire of London in 1666, rebuilding work began with a vengeance. But elsewhere, all is not well and Charles is about to take the biggest gamble of his life.
Written by Jenny Uglow
Read by Michael Maloney
Abridged by Libby Spurrier
Producer: Joanna Green
A Pier production for BBC Radio 4.
FRI 15:00 John Buchan - Greenmantle (b00tkyn4)
[Repeat of broadcast at
10:00 today]
FRI 16:00 All the Way from Memphis (b00jj529)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:00 today]
FRI 16:30 Richard Barton: General Practitioner! (b00758fv)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:30 today]
FRI 17:00 Rent (b00752yh)
[Repeat of broadcast at
07:00 today]
FRI 17:30 The Vote Now Show (b05r3zc4)
[Repeat of broadcast at
07:30 today]
FRI 18:00 John Pilkington - Dead Man's Button (b05s925z)
4 Extra Debut. Big Alby refuses to leave the cab of his tower crane, two hundred feet up. Can Hector really get him down? Starring Tony Selby.
FRI 18:30 My Life in Five Songs (b00zm525)
Series 3
Mary Black
Mary Black enjoys a successful career as a singer of both Irish and contemporary songs.
Sharing the stage with some of the biggest names in the business she has recorded numerous albums and has received many international awards.
Recalling the influence singers like Billie Holiday had on her decision to become a singer, Mary also tells Phil Cunningham about her days on the road with the legendary Irish folk group De Dannan.
Picking her 5 tracks Mary also introduces Phil to one of the new young Irish singers she admires and has high hopes for.
Opening with Mary singing Summer Sent You she goes on to pick these five songs:
1: Billie Holiday - God Bless the Child.
2: Sandy Denny with Fairport Convention - Crazy Man Michael.
3: Joni Mitchell - A case of You from the Blue album.
4: De Dannan - Jimmy Byrne's and Dinkies Reel from the album Anthem.
5: Wallis Bird - To My Bones.
FRI 19:00 Hancock's Half Hour (b007k4d6)
[Repeat of broadcast at
08:00 today]
FRI 19:30 Play It Cool (b05s7k0b)
[Repeat of broadcast at
08:30 today]
FRI 20:00 Dixon of Dock Green (b016r51t)
[Repeat of broadcast at
06:00 today]
FRI 20:30 The Carl Rosa Opera (b00v71w6)
[Repeat of broadcast at
06:30 today]
FRI 21:00 Helen Simpson - A Bunch of Fives (b01m850d)
[Repeat of broadcast at
11:00 today]
FRI 21:15 The Medical Detectives (b007k0rx)
[Repeat of broadcast at
11:15 today]
FRI 22:00 The Vote Now Show (b05r3zc4)
[Repeat of broadcast at
07:30 today]
FRI 22:30 Sarah Millican's Support Group (b011ppyc)
Series 2
6. ' I've finally found what I'm looking for...'
"Bullying at work - a trapeze artist who's been pushed off her perch"
"I've finally found what I'm looking for...Terry, it's you!"
Sarah Millican is a life counsellor and modern-day agony aunt tackling the nation's problems head on, dishing out real advice for real people.
Assisted by her very own team of experts of the heart - man of the people local cabbie Terry, and self qualified counsellor Marion,
Sarah tackles the nation's problems head on and has a solution for everything.
Sarah ...... Sarah Millican
Marion ...... Ruth Bratt
Terry ...... Simon Daye
Judy ...... Anna Crilly
Evan ...... Elis James
Written by Sarah Millican.
Producer: Lianne Coop
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 2011
FRI 23:00 The Consultants (b007k2w7)
Series 3
Episode 6
Unisex barbers and wrong telephone numbers. Cerebral sketch show with Neil Edmond and Justin Edwards. From January 2005.
FRI 23:30 Sir Ralph Stanza's Letter from Salford (b0076dyj)
Series 2
Trouble Under the Sonnet
Salford's poet-at-large, respected London bard Sir Ralph Stanza, runs classes in a garage in his mission to bring lyricism to the land of Lowry.
Written by and starring James Quinn.
With:
Stephen Hoyle
Neil Bell
Mark Chatterton
Jemma Thompson
Produced in Manchester by Graham Frost
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 2003.
FRI 23:45 I, Regress (b0194n33)
Series 1
Episode 2
A dark, David Lynch-ian comedy, ideally suited for an unsettling and surreal late night listen. 'I, Regress' sees Matt Berry (The IT Crowd, Garth Marenghi's Dark Place, Snuff Box) playing a corrupt and bizarre hypnotherapist taking unsuspecting clients on twisted, misleading journeys through their subconscious.
Each episode sees the doctor dealing with a different client who has come to him for a different problem (quitting smoking, fear of water, etc). As the patient is put under hypnosis, we 'enter' their mind, and all the various situations the hypnotherapist takes them through are played out for us to hear. The result is a dream- (or nightmare-) like trip through the patient's mind, as funny as it is disturbing.
Episode 2: Robin Hood - no relation - comes to Dr Matt Berry with a fear of spiders. The diagnosis seems to be that this may all be down to an unusually potent encounter between an arachnid and a South African grandmother.. Featuring Simon Greenall (I'm Alan Partridge) and Jack Klaff (For Your Eyes Only, Star Wars).
The cast across the series include Katherine Parkinson (IT Crowd), Morgana Robinson (The Morgana Show), Simon Greenall (I'm Alan Partridge), Jack Klaff (Star Wars, For Your Eyes Only), Tara Flynn (The Impressions Show, Stewart Lee's Comedy Vehicle), Alex Lowe (Barry From Watford, The Peter Serafinowicz Show), and Derek Griffiths (Playschool, Bod, and The Royal Exchange).
A compelling late night listen: tune in and occupy someone else's head!
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2012.