Con-artist Harry targets an item of jewellery, but is he overlooking something more precious?
Starring Orson Welles as Harry Lime.
The films of Orson Welles, such as 'Citizen Kane', 'The Magnificent Ambersons' and 'Touch of Evil' guaranteed his place in the pantheon of silver-screen heroes.
In the celebrated 1949 film adaptation of Graham Greene's novel 'The Third Man', Harry Lime is introduce as one of cinema's most notorious anti-heroes. Sought in post-war Vienna by pulp writer Holly Martins [Joseph Cotton] and British Army Major Calloway [Trevor Howard], Lime manages to steal the show despite being absent for much of it!
This 1951-52 radio prequel to the film, 'The Lives of Harry Lime' earned Welles even more acclaim. His distinctive tones had already served him well as the radio voice of 'The Shadow' between 1937 and 1938, where he portrayed the crusader with distinctly questionable means of thwarting crime.
Stripped of the film cameras, the character of Harry Lime is not ameliorated for this radio outing. He's an out and out rogue. Lime made it to the airwaves thanks to another Harry - Harry Alan Towers, with whom Welles collaborated on 'The Black Museum'. Like its eponymous anti-hero, this series travelled widely, being syndicated across the USA and on Radio Luxembourg.
The music is by Anton Karas, the zither man.
Produced by Towers of London.
Actor and musician Hugh Laurie chooses 'Tumbling Dice' by the Rolling Stones and 'Cantaloupe Island' by Herbie Hancock.
When Taiwan's first abstract artist settled in a Cumbrian farmhouse, his life changed. Deriving inspiration from landscape and local people, he encouraged new British artists and anticipated the success of contemporary Chinese visual art.
Li Yuan Chia was one of the first significant Chinese abstract artists of the 20th century. This programme, presented by Sally Lai, the director of Manchester's Chinese Arts Centre, examines his career from the place he spent the last 28 years of his life: a stone farmhouse, built next to Hadrian's Wall in Cumbria.
Born in China in 1929, Li was educated in Taiwan. He worked and exhibited in Italy before moving to London in 1963. Here, Li's reputation was established with monochrome paintings and scrolls marked with a tiny, isolated dot.
But Li came to dislike the fashionable metropolitan art world of the mid-1960s. In 1968 he met Cumbrian painter Winifred Nicholson, who persuaded Li to move away from the busy capital to a far more remote location, near her own home. With his own hands Li then set about converting a farm building, the Banks, at Brampton, where he built a gallery, library, theatre, printing press, children's art room and photographic darkroom, and opened it to the public. It became a popular attraction for local people, art aficionados and tourists walking Hadrian's Wall.
Over the next ten years over 300 artists exhibited at the Banks, which was also the base from which Li's organisation, the LYC Foundation, was able to commission work by young British artists, some of whom became very successful later, including sculptors and land artists Andy Goldsworthy, David Nash and Bill Woodrow.
Li's own work moved into abstract sculpture, using magnets, gold leaf, plastic discs suspended on plastic thread and additional text. The landscape also affected him, and he began to explore photography and environmental art. Always, he wrote poetry.
But after Arts Council funding became increasingly limited, the LYC Foundation had to struggle to survive. Li continued to produce art, which became increasingly contemplative. He fell ill with cancer and died in 1994. Art historians now acknowledge Li Yuan Chia as having paved the way for the current expansion of Chinese contemporary art. But his former home in Cumbria is derelict.
It's Bank Holiday weekend and Donna, Johnny, Patrick and Abigail see no reason to end their usual habits just because the world has ended.
So they do what they usually do and go away on holiday. But with the choice of anywhere in the world, where will they go?
Sitcom by Luke Sorba.
Donna ...... Meera Syal
Johnny ...... Toby Longworth
Patrick ...... Luke Sorba
Abigail ...... Carla Mendonca
The Stranger ...... Simon Greenall
The nation's favourite wireless entertainment pays a visit to the Alban Arena in St Albans. Regulars Barry Cryer, Graeme Garden and Tim Brooke-Taylor are joined on the panel by Omid Djalili, with Jack Dee in the chair. Colin Sell provides piano accompaniment. Producer - Jon Naismith. It is a BBC Radio Comedy production.
A cinema trip and some illicit cheese sparks Captain Mainwaring's own Battle of Waterloo.
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, Arnold Ridley as Godfrey and Bill Pertwee as Hodges.
Adapted for radio from Jimmy Perry and David Croft's TV scripts by Harold Snoad and Michael Knowles.
Baby Helen is annoying Kate and George's neighbours.
Richard Briers and Prunella Scales star in their second series based on the mutual love and mistrust of a young married couple.
Originating on BBC TV, it was adapted for radio due to its popularity by Richard Waring from his own TV scripts.
A decade later, Richard Briers was starring as Tom Good in The Good Life whilst Prunella Scales starred as Sybil in Fawlty Towers. They remained friends until Richard Briers' death in 2013.
Recorded at the BBC Paris Studio in London.
From bunk chairs to helium-filled bubble wrap.
Dave Gorman asks musical comedian Neil Innes to select the public's best loopy idea.
Award-winning comedian Dave Gorman and a celebrity guest chew over the ridiculous, unworkable but sometimes genius inventions, schemes and policies of the public.
A flu epidemic sparks trouble for head teacher Mr Beeston. Jim Eldridge's sitcom stars Peter Davison. From March 1985.
Gulliver is shipwrecked on the Island of Lilliput where the natives are tiny people living in a miniature society.
With his unique overview of this realm, Gulliver discovers a world of petty politics and small minds. Coerced into a war between two nations who disagree on the best way to eat boiled eggs, Gulliver finds himself betrayed by friends and battered by enemies - escape is his only option if he wants to survive!
Jonathan Swift's classic satire starring Arthur Darvill as Gulliver.
Mary …. Bethan Walker
Gulliver …. Arthur Darvill
Flimnap …. Richard Nichols
Bolgolam, Hurgo …. Sam Dale
Richard Sympson, Reldresal …. Matthew Gravelle
King of Lilliput …. Chris Pavlo
Gulliver's adventures in Lilliput are hilarious, disturbing and profound. This is a story of dishonest politicians, mindless ceremony and wars based on unconvincing arguments. A satire as potent now as it ever was!
Gulliver's Travels quickly became a classic. The book has become not only the defining work of its author but also of its genre - a landmark in English Literature to which all satirists today can trace a heritage.
Adapted in three-parts by Matthew Broughton.
A mystery unfolds in Susie Maguire's trilogy of stories that examine a portrait from three perspectives. The painter's story is read by Burn Gorman.
Tom first lays eyes on Nic in the audience of an art house cinema. She smells of money and he knows she is out of his league, but he decides to ask if he can paint her. She succumbs and finally enters the arena of his scruffy studio. There's a power shift; she may be the femme fatale whose husband owns the building, but this is Tom's domain, and she is the one feeling nervous. He knows all the tricks to put her at her ease. He's used to the idle chit chat between artist and model, the questions about commissions, the subtle pleas for reassurance. He rashly agrees to her request not to exhibit the painting when it's finished, but hopes that once she sees the finished piece, she'll be flattered and have a change of heart. He is already secretly planning further portraits of her as he circles her with his camera snapping away, adjusting her position now and then. Will he keep his promise to keep her portrait for his eyes only, and who is really studying who?
Paolo Baldi - Franciscan priest and philosophy lecturer - accidentally becomes involved in solving a murder at an Italian chip shop.
Starring David Threlfall as Paolo Baldi, Tina Kellegher as Tina Mahon, TP McKenna as Father Troy, Gerard McSorley as Doctor Graham and Owen Roe as Superintendent Rynne.
Murder mystery written by Barry Devlin.
Format by Barry Devlin. Developed and produced by BBC Northern Ireland.
Directed in Belfast by Lawrence Jackson.
Written by Rebecca Hunt.
Set across five days in July 1964 we follow the bizarrely intertwined lives of Sir Winston Churchill, Esther Hammerhans and the unwelcome visitor they both share.
July 1964, and the day looms when Winston Churchill must leave Parliament. Meanwhile Esther, a library clerk, has her own black date in the diary. She also has an unusual visitor.
The reader is Miriam Margolyes.
Series of programmes in which two people from different generations discuss a topic that reveals the changing nature of Britain.
The theme of the first five programmes is Respect.
Kevin Madden started teaching in a Catholic, inner-city Manchester boys' school in 1945. His grandson Patrick McMahon has just started teaching in a mainly moslem school in Rochdale. They discuss the changing nature of respect between pupils and teachers and how schools have reflected wider society.
British attention turns to Afghanistan, and the Guides need the services of a man who could pass for a Shinwari.
MM Kaye's epic of love and war, dramatised by Lucy Catherine.
Narrator ..... Vineeta Rishi
Ash ..... Blake Ritson
Anjuli ..... Ayesha Dharker
Cavagnari ..... Sam Dale
Wally ..... Jonathan Forbes
Battye ..... Jude Akuwudike
As Japan surrenders, the reflections of an ordinary housewife from Barrow-in-Furness in August 1945. Read by Imelda Staunton.
On the run from a women's prison in the Scottish Highlands, Kate and Colleen are given refuge in a vast country mansion by a charming but rather enigmatic host, Adam Strachan.
It could be a decision they come to regret...
The storyline for Marty Ross's supernatural five-part thriller is based around the notion, found in old Scottish folk tales, of the Beatha Greimach - literally 'The Breath
Thief' - a celtic demon said to lure victims into a kiss which would drain the soul from their bodies.
Kate .................................................................. Claire Knight
Colleen ............................................ . Suzanne Donaldson
Strachan ........................................................ Liam Brennan
Old Strachan ............................................... John Shedden
Donnie .......................................................... Lewis Howden
Isla .............................................................. Eileen McCallum
Octavia ......................................................... Lucy Patterson
DC Carbeth ....................................................... James Bryce
WPC Briggs ..................................................... Jill Riddiford
Dennis ............................................................ Finlay McLean
Made for BBC 7 by BBC Radio Scotland. First broadcast in 2007.
Louise Doughty and her guests immunologist Professor Peter Lachmann and Helen Marriage, former director of the Salisbury Festival, discuss favourite paperbacks by Graham Swift, Dodie Smith and Henry Miller. From 2000.
The young aspiring politicians of the new political Party attempt to step up a gear and get the recognition and publicity they deserve.
All they need to do is sort out the diversity of their group first.
Second series of Tom Basden's satirical comedy about a political party run by young idealists.
Simon ...... Tom Basden
Duncan ...... Tim Key
Jared ...... Jonny Sweet
Mel ...... Ann Crilly
Phoebe ...... Katy Wix
Photographer ...... Jane Wittenshaw
Sitcom by Ian Kershaw, set around a Manchester taxi company.
Lind endures a dinner date in a bid to secure the future of Irwell Cars, while Mike's pick-up is on a quest for sexual and personal liberation.
Mike ...... Paul Loughran
Lind ...... Lesley Sharp
Dave ...... Phil Rowson
Alan ...... Parvez Qadir
Simon De Vere ...... James Quinn
Shelly ...... Naomi Radcliffe
Johnny ...... Peter Keeley.
TUESDAY 04 AUGUST 2015
TUE 00:00 Marty Ross - Catch My Breath (b007k378)
[Repeat of broadcast at
18:00 on Monday]
TUE 00:30 A Good Read (b0075tmk)
[Repeat of broadcast at
18:30 on Monday]
TUE 01:00 The Lives of Harry Lime (b0647tth)
[Repeat of broadcast at
06:00 on Monday]
TUE 01:20 Inheritance Tracks (b0647v9f)
[Repeat of broadcast at
06:20 on Monday]
TUE 01:30 Li Yuan-Chia (b00pcf5j)
[Repeat of broadcast at
06:30 on Monday]
TUE 02:00 Book at Bedtime (b00v1npb)
[Repeat of broadcast at
14:00 on Monday]
TUE 02:15 The Generation Gap (b00qszyv)
[Repeat of broadcast at
14:15 on Monday]
TUE 02:30 MM Kaye - The Far Pavilions (b00yqhrf)
[Repeat of broadcast at
14:30 on Monday]
TUE 02:45 Nella Last's Peace: Housewife 49 (b012lq82)
[Repeat of broadcast at
14:45 on Monday]
TUE 03:00 Jonathan Swift - Gulliver's Travels (b01bkyly)
[Repeat of broadcast at
10:00 on Monday]
TUE 04:00 Genius (b00brvcm)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:00 on Monday]
TUE 04:30 King Street Junior (b00tdzjx)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:30 on Monday]
TUE 05:00 The World As We Know It (b00fnrkf)
[Repeat of broadcast at
07:00 on Monday]
TUE 05:30 I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue (b0639jpd)
[Repeat of broadcast at
07:30 on Monday]
TUE 06:00 The Lives of Harry Lime (b0648k4r)
Series 1
A Ticket to Tangier
Anti-hero Harry's persuaded to travel to Morocco, where a dangerous widow needs his assistance.
Starring Orson Welles as Harry Lime.
The films of Orson Welles, such as 'Citizen Kane', 'The Magnificent Ambersons' and 'Touch of Evil' guaranteed his place in the pantheon of silver-screen heroes.
In the celebrated 1949 film adaptation of Graham Greene's novel 'The Third Man', Harry Lime is introduce as one of cinema's most notorious anti-heroes. Sought in post-war Vienna by pulp writer Holly Martins [Joseph Cotton] and British Army Major Calloway [Trevor Howard], Lime manages to steal the show despite being absent for much of it!
This radio prequel to the film, 'The Lives of Harry Lime' earned Welles even more acclaim. His distinctive tones had already served him well as the radio voice of 'The Shadow' between 1937 and 1938, where he portrayed the crusader with distinctly questionable means of thwarting crime.
Stripped of the film cameras, the character of Harry Lime is not ameliorated for this radio outing. He's an out and out rogue. Lime made it to the airwaves thanks to another Harry - Harry Alan Towers, with whom Welles collaborated on 'The Black Museum'. Like its eponymous anti-hero, this series travelled widely, being syndicated across the USA and on Radio Luxembourg.
The music is by Anton Karas, the zither man.
Produced by Towers of London.
First broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in August 1951.
TUE 06:20 Inheritance Tracks (b0648kk8)
Natalie Merchant
Singer Natalie Merchant chose 'The Games People Play' by Petula Clark and her own song, 'Wonder'.
TUE 06:30 Dance of the Seven Veils (b0081kqz)
Although not mentioned by name in the Bible, Salome and her dance have inspired writers and artists through the centuries.
Reem Kelani explores the history and the cultural impact of the exotic Dance of the Seven Veils - from its supposedly ancient Eastern origins to its notorious transformations in the 1890s onwards, as it began to reflect major changes in culture, society and the role of women.
Producer: Megan Jones
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2007.
TUE 07:00 Two Doors Down (b0076h8n)
Series 3
And It Was All Yellow
Rory and Evie throw a party while their parents are away and Sally is out to dinner
Annie McCartney's comedy drama about the bohemian residents of Marlborough Road, Belfast, who are saved from their own chaos by Sally, their cleaning lady.
Sally ...... Frances Tomelty
Saffron ...... Ali White
Trevor ...... Gerard McSorley
Fintan. ...... Gerard Murphy
Clare ...... Marcella Riordan
Anna ...... Hannah R Gordon
Simon ...... Lloyd Houston
Evie ...... Katy Gleadhill
Tony ...... Robert Patterson
Edith ...... Roma Tomelty
Layla ...... Eadaoin Hegarty
Victor ...... Alan McKee
Rory ...... Richard Clements
Director: Tanya Nash
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 2003
TUE 07:30 It's Not What You Know (b0639w41)
Series 3
Episode 5
Which particular football match is Elis James obsessed with? What's Penny Smith's worst habit? What was the worst thing Russell Grant did as a child?
All these burning questions, and more, will be answered in the show hosted by Miles Jupp, where panellists are tested on how well they know their nearest and dearest.
In this case, comedian Elis James picks his radio show co-host, presenter Penny Smith picks her brother-in-law and astrologer Russell Grant picks his mum.
Producer: Matt Stronge.
TUE 08:00 Round the Horne (b007k1g4)
Series 2
Episode 6
Master Spy Kenneth Horne is on the star-studded trail of Doddy's joke thief, while Michael Bain and Barbara Cartload are on 'The Seamus Android Show'.
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 1966.
TUE 08:30 Hello Cheeky (b007jnx4)
From 14/04/1973
What do you get when you fall in love? And bizarre events at Crewe Junction.
Pun-tastic fast-moving comedy sketch series written by and starring John Junkin, Barry Cryer and Tim Brooke-Taylor.
With musical accompaniment from the Denis King Trio.
Producer: David Hatch
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 1973.
TUE 09:00 The Now Show (b063dch8)
[Repeat of broadcast at
23:00 on Monday]
TUE 09:30 Such Rotten Luck (b0648pf9)
Series 2
Kiss My Hand, Iris
Struggling writer Woodhouse continues his fruitless search for literary fame and fortune.
Six further ups and downs in the comic life of a second-class writer.
Comedy drama series written by Ronald Hayman.
Woodhouse ...... Tim Pigott-Smith
Gila ...... Zoe Wanamaker
Seamus ...... Stephen Rea
Wilhelmina ...... Susie Bran
Henrietta ...... Miriam Karlin
McVomitory ...... Bill Wallis
Colonel ...... Benjamin Witrow
Mrs Mellon ...... Sheila Hancock
Mark ...... Geoffrey Whitehead
Penelope ...... Celia Imrie
Music by Elizabeth Parker of the BBC Radiophonic Workshop
Director: Piers Plowright
First broadcast on BBC Radio 3 in December 1991.
TUE 10:00 Jonathan Swift - Gulliver's Travels (b01bwddl)
2 The Voyage to Brobdingnag
Gulliver's adventures continue when he finds himself in Brobdingnag - a land where the inhabitants are enormous!
Here, as a miniature man, Gulliver must fight for survival against rats the size of dogs, a dwarf who is 40 foot high, and the ridicule and humiliation of a scornful court.
Jonathan Swift's classic satire starring Arthur Darvill as Gulliver.
Gulliver …. Arthur Darvill
King …. Sam Dale
Richard Sympson …. Matthew Gravelle
Mary …. Bethan Walker
Dwarf …. Gareth Pierce
Farmer's Wife …. Claire Cage
The Queen …. Lynne Seymour
With his uniquely close-up view, Gulliver sees the people (even the great beauties) as if under a microscope - and they are dirty, stinking and disgusting. He becomes increasingly horrified by humankind, stranded in a frightening land where his only ally is an innocent child. Once again, escape is imperative - if he doesn't, he won't survive...
As an exploration of of man's vanity and complacency, Gulliver's second voyage is an acute satire - as relevant today as ever. Beyond that, it is also a rattling good adventure story - a man lost, swashbuckling his way through manifold giant-sized dangers, desperate to find a way back home.
Adapted by Matthew Broughton.
A BBC Cymru/Wales production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in February 2012.
TUE 11:00 Afternoon Reading (b0132l74)
Susie Maguire - Portrait
The Model's Story
A mystery unfolds in Susie Maguire's trilogy of stories that examine a portrait from three perspectives. The Model's Story is read by Federay Holmes.
Nic wakes up in hospital. She's battered and bruised, and is trying to piece together the events that led her to this state. Her husband Andrew turns up, very concerned and keen to take care of her, but Nic retreats to a local hotel to lick her wounds and reflect on what has happened. She wonders if it all went wrong when she started modelling for Tom. She'd certainly valued that time they shared in his studio, but Andrew would never be able to understand that theirs was a platonic relationship. It's only when she is finally and violently presented with a fragmented image of herself, that she really begins to see the bigger picture, and seeks the courage to do what she has to.
Producer: Sarah Langan.
TUE 11:15 Baldi (b007jlk6)
Series 1
Keepers of the Flame
Paolo Baldi, - priest, philosophy lecturer and accidental sleuth - is caught up in solving the murder of a leading University academic. He follows a trail leading into the past of one of Ireland's most cherished literary figures.
Starring David Threlfall as Paolo Baldi, Tina Kellegher as Tina Mahon, TP McKenna as Father Troy, Gerard McSorley as Doctor Graham, Owen Roe as Superintendent Rynne and Margaret D'Arcy as Mrs Reid.
Murder mystery written by Simon Brett.
Format by Barry Devlin. Developed and produced by BBC Northern Ireland.
Directed in Belfast by Lawrence Jackson.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2000.
TUE 12:00 Round the Horne (b007k1g4)
[Repeat of broadcast at
08:00 today]
TUE 12:30 Hello Cheeky (b007jnx4)
[Repeat of broadcast at
08:30 today]
TUE 13:00 The Lives of Harry Lime (b0648k4r)
[Repeat of broadcast at
06:00 today]
TUE 13:20 Inheritance Tracks (b0648kk8)
[Repeat of broadcast at
06:20 today]
TUE 13:30 Dance of the Seven Veils (b0081kqz)
[Repeat of broadcast at
06:30 today]
TUE 14:00 Book at Bedtime (b00v2zbz)
Rebecca Hunt - Mr Chartwell
Episode 2
Written by Rebecca Hunt.
Set across five days in July 1964 we follow the bizarrely intertwined lives of Sir Winston Churchill, Esther Hammerhans and the unwelcome visitor they both share.
July 1964, and the day looms when Winston Churchill must leave Parliament. Meanwhile Esther, a library clerk, has her own black date in the diary. She also has an unusual visitor.
The reader is Miriam Margolyes.
Abridged and produced by Jill Waters
A Waters Company Production for BBC Radio 4.
TUE 14:15 The Generation Gap (b00qszz5)
Series 1: Respect
Nobility
Series of programmes in which two people from different generations discuss a topic that reveals the changing nature of Britain.
The theme of the first five programmes is Respect.
Viscount De L'Isle and his daughter The Hon Sophia Sidney, whose family have owned Penshurst Place for the past 400 years, discuss the changing attitudes towards the aristocracy during their lifetimes.
A Juniper production for BBC Radio 4.
TUE 14:30 MM Kaye - The Far Pavilions (b00yqn6z)
Episode 17
Ash's reports from Afghanistan seem to fall on deaf ears, and he wonders whether the British have any desire to avoid conflict.
MM Kaye's epic of love and war, dramatised by Lucy Catherine.
Narrator ..... Vineeta Rishi
Ash ..... Blake Ritson
Gulbaz ..... Kaleem Janjua
Anjuli ..... Ayesha Dharker
Cavagnari ..... Sam Dale
Wally ..... Jonathan Forbes
Battye ..... Jude Akuwudike
Zarin ..... Chris Simpson
Directors: Marc Beeby and Jessica Dromgoole
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 2011.
TUE 14:45 Nella Last's Peace: Housewife 49 (b012mdwy)
Episode 2
The Barrow-in-Furness housewife looks forward to the first peace-time Christmas in seven years. Read by Imelda Staunton.
TUE 15:00 Jonathan Swift - Gulliver's Travels (b01bwddl)
[Repeat of broadcast at
10:00 today]
TUE 16:00 Who Goes There? (b064cy21)
Series 6
Episode 4
Martin Young presents the biographical quiz show.
Team captains Francis Wheen and Fred Housego are joined by novelist Lynne Truss and biographer Anthony Holden.
Producer: Elizabeth Freestone
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 2002.
TUE 16:30 Such Rotten Luck (b0648pf9)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:30 today]
TUE 17:00 Two Doors Down (b0076h8n)
[Repeat of broadcast at
07:00 today]
TUE 17:30 It's Not What You Know (b0639w41)
[Repeat of broadcast at
07:30 today]
TUE 18:00 Marty Ross - Catch My Breath (b007k387)
Episode 2
Fugitives Kate and Colleen hide from the police - but who's hiding with them?
Marty Ross's five-part supernatural thriller.
Kate ........................................................... Claire Knight
Colleen ...................................... Suzanne Donaldson
Strachan ................................................... Liam Brennan
Old Strachan ............................................. John Shedden
Donnie ........................................................ Lewis Howden
Isla ......................................................... Eileen McCallum
Octavia ....................................................... Lucy Patterson
DC Carbeth ...................................................... James Bryce
WPC Briggs .............................................. Jill Riddiford
Dennis .......................................................... Finlay McLean
Producer: Bruce Young
Made for BBC 7 by BBC Radio Scotland. First broadcast in 2007.
TUE 18:30 How Tickled Am I? (b007jt19)
Series 3
Gracie Fields
Gracie Fields was one of Lancashire's best-loved exports. Yet the press accused her of treachery when she and her Italian husband moved to America during the Second World War, despite the huge sums she raised abroad for the British war effort.
Mark Radcliffe presents a tribute to the film and music hall star once described as "the British nation's favourite big sister".
Series exploring the tradition of influential northern comedians of the past,
Producer Libby Cross
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2000.
TUE 19:00 Round the Horne (b007k1g4)
[Repeat of broadcast at
08:00 today]
TUE 19:30 Hello Cheeky (b007jnx4)
[Repeat of broadcast at
08:30 today]
TUE 20:00 The Lives of Harry Lime (b0648k4r)
[Repeat of broadcast at
06:00 today]
TUE 20:20 Inheritance Tracks (b0648kk8)
[Repeat of broadcast at
06:20 today]
TUE 20:30 Dance of the Seven Veils (b0081kqz)
[Repeat of broadcast at
06:30 today]
TUE 21:00 Afternoon Reading (b0132l74)
[Repeat of broadcast at
11:00 today]
TUE 21:15 Baldi (b007jlk6)
[Repeat of broadcast at
11:15 today]
TUE 22:00 It's Not What You Know (b0639w41)
[Repeat of broadcast at
07:30 today]
TUE 22:30 Little Britain (b008p522)
Series 2
Episode 2
Back where it started out. Matt Lucas and David Walliams' oddball TV smash hit without the cameras. From February 2002.
TUE 22:55 The Comedy Club Interviews (b0658svz)
The best in contemporary comedy. Tonight Isy Suttie chats to Matt Forde.
TUE 23:00 Rubbish (b00853km)
Series 2
Liar
And why are you late? Disillusioned recycling officer Martin has his patience tested when a game gets out of hand.
Reece Dinsdale stars as local government officer, cynic and manic-depressive, Martin Christmas in Tony Bagley's sitcom.
Martin ...... Reece Dinsdale
Barney ...... Matthew Cottle
John ...... Neil Dudgeon
Sarah ...... Pippa Haywood
Scott ...... Kevin Eldon
Tristana ...... Katy Brand
Karen ...... Orianne Messina
Marie ...... Claire Bartlett
Producer: Claire Bartlett
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 2007.
TUE 23:30 Vent (b01flqm7)
Series 3
Victoria
Ben begins to resent being pushed around, and imagines a different life back in Victorian times when he might have got things his own way a bit more often.
But then he gets into an argument with Benjamin Disraeli...
Starring Neil Pearson.
Nigel Smith's dark sitcom about a man in a coma, travelling through the distinctly odd landscape of his own unconscious mind.
Ben ...... Neil Pearson
Mary ...... Fiona Allen
Mum ...... Josie Lawrence
Blitz ...... Leslie Ash
Nurse ...... Jo Martin
Derek ...... Stephen Frost
Marley ...... Spencer Brown
Disraeli ...... Matthew Kelly
Bea ...... Scarlett Milburn-Smith
Grocer ...... Nigel Hastings
Director: Nigel Smith
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 2009.
WEDNESDAY 05 AUGUST 2015
WED 00:00 Marty Ross - Catch My Breath (b007k387)
[Repeat of broadcast at
18:00 on Tuesday]
WED 00:30 How Tickled Am I? (b007jt19)
[Repeat of broadcast at
18:30 on Tuesday]
WED 01:00 The Lives of Harry Lime (b0648k4r)
[Repeat of broadcast at
06:00 on Tuesday]
WED 01:20 Inheritance Tracks (b0648kk8)
[Repeat of broadcast at
06:20 on Tuesday]
WED 01:30 Dance of the Seven Veils (b0081kqz)
[Repeat of broadcast at
06:30 on Tuesday]
WED 02:00 Book at Bedtime (b00v2zbz)
[Repeat of broadcast at
14:00 on Tuesday]
WED 02:15 The Generation Gap (b00qszz5)
[Repeat of broadcast at
14:15 on Tuesday]
WED 02:30 MM Kaye - The Far Pavilions (b00yqn6z)
[Repeat of broadcast at
14:30 on Tuesday]
WED 02:45 Nella Last's Peace: Housewife 49 (b012mdwy)
[Repeat of broadcast at
14:45 on Tuesday]
WED 03:00 Jonathan Swift - Gulliver's Travels (b01bwddl)
[Repeat of broadcast at
10:00 on Tuesday]
WED 04:00 Who Goes There? (b064cy21)
[Repeat of broadcast at
16:00 on Tuesday]
WED 04:30 Such Rotten Luck (b0648pf9)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:30 on Tuesday]
WED 05:00 Two Doors Down (b0076h8n)
[Repeat of broadcast at
07:00 on Tuesday]
WED 05:30 It's Not What You Know (b0639w41)
[Repeat of broadcast at
07:30 on Tuesday]
WED 06:00 The Lives of Harry Lime (b064czyq)
Series 1
Operation Music Box
The anti-hero meets a woman hunting an antique, which may be more of a wind-up than it first appears.
Starring Orson Welles as Harry Lime.
The films of Orson Welles, such as 'Citizen Kane', 'The Magnificent Ambersons' and 'Touch of Evil' guaranteed his place in the pantheon of silver-screen heroes.
In the celebrated 1949 film adaptation of Graham Greene's novel 'The Third Man', Harry Lime is introduce as one of cinema's most notorious anti-heroes. Sought in post-war Vienna by pulp writer Holly Martins [Joseph Cotton] and British Army Major Calloway [Trevor Howard], Lime manages to steal the show despite being absent for much of it!
This radio prequel to the film, 'The Lives of Harry Lime' earned Welles even more acclaim. His distinctive tones had already served him well as the radio voice of 'The Shadow' between 1937 and 1938, where he portrayed the crusader with distinctly questionable means of thwarting crime.
Stripped of the film cameras, the character of Harry Lime is not ameliorated for this radio outing. He's an out and out rogue. Lime made it to the airwaves thanks to another Harry - Harry Alan Towers, with whom Welles collaborated on 'The Black Museum'. Like its eponymous anti-hero, this series travelled widely, being syndicated across the USA and on Radio Luxembourg.
The music is by Anton Karas, the zither man.
Produced by Towers of London.
First broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in August 1951.
WED 06:20 Inheritance Tracks (b064d0qt)
Tom Conti
Actor Tom Conti selects the Scarlatti Sonata in G major, and 'Piangero La Sorte Mia' from Handel's Giulio Cesare.
WED 06:30 In Search of Beauty (b00p016j)
Erin O'Connor, whose beauty defies convention, discusses this knotty subject-area. What is beauty? Where do our ideas about beauty come from? How is our life-experience affected by how we look?
When Erin was growing up she was convinced she was ugly. She would dart across the road diagonally so she wouldn't draw attention to her nose by crossing in front of stationary cars. She was so self-conscious about her flat-chest that she would regularly wear two padded bras.
But one day she was told she was beautiful, scooped up by the modelling industry and presented as the uber-elegant catwalk queen, sought after and richly rewarded.
What did they see in her that she would never have seen in herself? Beauty?
With the help of renowned facial-reconstructive surgeon Professor Iain Hutchison, who has treated people with severe facial disfigurement; and Professor of Children's Literature, Kim Reynolds who has studied the way beauty is regarded in traditional stories, Erin explores various opinions and experiences of beauty.
Erin also goes behind the scenes at London Fashion Week, to an event called 'All Walks Beyond the Catwalk'; it used a wide range of models - both in size and age - as a way to broaden the range of catwalk models used at such influential events.
WED 07:00 Winston (b007lmgv)
Series 1
What Do You Reckon?
Rosie plans to go to London and set up house. William dreams of esteem and beautiful women. Nancy doesn't relish the prospect of being left alone to care for Father; but she doesn't know about his own plans...
Peter Tinniswood's bawdy comedy serial.
CAST:
Winston …. Bill Wallis
Father …. Maurice Denham
Nancy …. Shirley Dixon
Rosie …. Liz Goulding
William …. Christian Rodska
Directed at BBC Bristol by Shaun MacLoughlin.
First broadcast on BBC Radio in May 1989.
WED 07:30 Simon Evans Goes to Market (b0639xp0)
Series 2
Sugar
Comedian Simon Evans' new series about the economics of some of the goods - or bads - to which we're addicted.
If you crave your daily coffee, can't get by without a cigarette, feel that mid-afternoon slump without your sugar-fix, or can't face an evening without a glass of wine, you are definitely not alone. But have you ever thought about the economics that has made your addiction possible? Who does it profit? And would you want to make some canny investments that take advantage of our human weaknesses?
In this series, Simon Evans looks at the economics, history and health issues behind these oh-so-addictive commodities.
This week it's sugar. Some people say sugar could be the new tobacco - exposed as a health risk that's been knowingly concealed for decades. And the trouble is sugar is in almost everything now - even things that 'look' savoury. What part does economics have to play in how we have got to this point? How do we make sense of what the food industry is doing with sugar? And if we want to invest in this addiction, how do we do it?
With the help of economics guru, More Or Less host Tim Harford and the Queen of investment know-how, Merryn Somerset Webb, plus author David Gillespie, Simon walks us around the economics of this very familiar commodity and pokes fun at our relationship with it.
Presented by Simon Evans, with regular guests Tim Harford and Merryn Somerset Webb.
Written by Simon Evans, Benjamin Partridge and Andy Wolton.
Produced by Claire Jones.
WED 08:00 The Navy Lark (b007zmrl)
Series 3
Families' Day
As the chief fundraises, Cedric Phillips arrives on board HMS Troutbridge to see his brother, 'the Captain'!
Stars Jon Pertwee as the Chief Petty Officer, Leslie Phillips as the Sub-Lieutenant, Stephen Murray as the Number One, Ronnie Barker as Lt Commander Stanton, Richard Caldicote as Captain Povey and Michael Bates as Cedric Phillips. Plus Heather Chasen as Ramona, Tenniel Evans as LS Goldstein, and June Tobin as Charlotte Stanton.
Laughs afloat aboard British Royal Navy frigate HMS Troutbridge. The Navy Lark ran for an impressive thirteen series between 1959 and 1976.
Scripted by Lawrie Wyman.
Producer: Alastair Scott Johnston
First broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in January 1961.
WED 08:30 I'm Sorry, I'll Read That Again (b00wsyk4)
Series 5
Ulysses
An Ancient Greek epic - and Bill Oddie sings the telephone directory.
More quick-fire sketches, terrible puns, humorous songs and parodies.
Stars Tim Brooke-Taylor, John Cleese, David Hatch, Bill Oddie and Jo Kendall.
Written by Tim Brooke-Taylor, Lizzie Evans, Derek Farmer 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 Leon Cohen and Bill Oddie.
Producer: Humphrey Barclay
First broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in July 1967.
WED 09:00 Counterpoint (b064d8b9)
1998
Semi-final 3
Ned Sherrin hosts the musical quiz with Stephen Gore from Bucks, Geoff Pagett from Liverpool and Damien Clark of Kent.
WED 09:30 The Leopard in Autumn (b00761mn)
Series 1
The Pilgrim Industry
Following a fleeting visit from a cardinal, Plethora initiates plans to put Monte Guano on the pilgrimage map.
Neal Anthony's comedy drama about the chaotic lives of the ruling family of Renaissance Italy's most inconsequential city-state.
Stars David Swift as Ludovico, Sian Phillips as Plethora, Graham Crowden as Francesco, Paul Bigley as Alessandro, Saskia Wickham as Rosalie, Nick Romero as Salvatori, Christopher Kelham as Guido and Kim Wall as Brother Michael.
Producer: Helen Williams
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 2001.
WED 10:00 Jonathan Swift - Gulliver's Travels (b01c6trt)
3 The Voyage to Laputa
The last voyages of Jonathan Swift's story are the lesser told. Gulliver finds himself on the floating Island of Laputa, where he encounters mad scientists and the terrifying ghosts of the great and the good. He flees from these intellectual and spiritual horrors, only to finally find a kind of Eden with the Houyhnhnms, a race of intelligent and gentle horses.
However, in this land, humans - or as they are called, the 'Yahoos' - are considered vermin. The dark and traumatizing experiences Gulliver has in this land change his life (and his wife and family's lives) forever.
With the satire here focused on crazy scientific experimentation, superstition, and finally spiritual desolation - Gulliver's Travels is as modern and potent now as it has ever been.
Jonathan Swift's classic satire starring Arthur Darvill as Gulliver.
Gulliver …. Arthur Darvill
Richard Sympson …. Matthew Gravelle
Mary …. Bethan Walker
The Governor of Glubdrubdrib …. Ewan Bailey
The Master Horse …. Sam Dale
Lady Munodi …. Phoebe Waller-Bridge
Adapted by Matthew Broughton.
A BBC Cymru/Wales production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in February 2012.
WED 11:00 Afternoon Reading (b0132p87)
Susie Maguire - Portrait
The Voyeur's Story
The mystery deepens in the final part of Susie Maguire's trilogy of stories that examine a portrait from three perspectives. The Voyeur's Story is read by Bill Paterson.
Andrew is being roundly ignored on the set of the popular TV detective series that he's written, 'Westlake'. Hardly anyone talks to him and he doesn't care much for either the young golden boy director or the arrogant and untalented star of the show, Dean Smith. So he is pleased to make the acquaintance of Tom over lunch.
The episode of Westlake they are filming this week sees the Detective investigating the death of a woman who the viewer only ever sees as a figure in a portrait. Tom is the artist that painted the portrait.
In one scene the actor playing the model's husband slashes at the portrait. Tom flinches; it's clear from his reaction that the painting means something more to him than being just a cog in a make-believe story. And when the loud mouth star of the show makes a crude comment about the model between takes, it's too much for Tom to take, and all hell breaks loose. Andrew is intrigued by Tom's apparent obsession with the model and begins to imagine all kinds of possibilities for this beguiling portrait.
Producer: Sarah Langan.
WED 11:15 Baldi (b007jlkz)
Series 1
Miss Lonelyhearts
Paolo Baldi and Tina investigate the mysterious circumstances surrounding the death of a nurse at an old people's home and uncover an unlikely case of voyeurism.
Starring David Threlfall as Paolo Baldi, Tina Kellegher as Tina Mahon, TP McKenna as Father Troy, Owen Roe as Superintendent Rynne, Margaret D'Arcy as Mrs Reid and Marie Jones as Thelma.
Murder mystery written by Barry Devlin.
Format by Barry Devlin. Developed and produced by BBC Northern Ireland.
Directed in Belfast by Lawrence Jackson.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2000.
WED 12:00 The Navy Lark (b007zmrl)
[Repeat of broadcast at
08:00 today]
WED 12:30 I'm Sorry, I'll Read That Again (b00wsyk4)
[Repeat of broadcast at
08:30 today]
WED 13:00 The Lives of Harry Lime (b064czyq)
[Repeat of broadcast at
06:00 today]
WED 13:20 Inheritance Tracks (b064d0qt)
[Repeat of broadcast at
06:20 today]
WED 13:30 In Search of Beauty (b00p016j)
[Repeat of broadcast at
06:30 today]
WED 14:00 Book at Bedtime (b00v4m08)
Rebecca Hunt - Mr Chartwell
Episode 3
Written by Rebecca Hunt.
Wednesday 22nd July has been a long day for Esther, and it is still not over - Mr Chartwell has promised to tell her more about himself and just what the nature of his work is.
The reader is Miriam Margolyes.
Abridged and produced by Jill Waters
A Waters Company Production for BBC Radio 4.
WED 14:15 The Generation Gap (b00qszyz)
Series 1: Respect
Policemen
Series of programmes in which two people from different generations discuss a topic that reveals the changing nature of Britain.
The theme of the first five programmes is Respect.
Two policemen who have seen changes on the beat in levels of respect from society.
A Juniper production for BBC Radio 4.
WED 14:30 MM Kaye - The Far Pavilions (b00yqn79)
Episode 18
Ash's increasing sense of his own difference from his friends and fellow soldiers drives him to make a move.
MM Kaye's epic of love and war, dramatised by Lucy Catherine
Narrator ..... Vineeta Rishi
Ash ..... Blake Ritson
Anjuli ..... Ayesha Dharker
Zarin ..... Christopher Simpson
Colonel Jenkins ..... Sean Baker
Wally ..... Jonathan Forbes
Directors: Marc Beeby and Jessica Dromgoole
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 2011.
WED 14:45 Nella Last's Peace: Housewife 49 (b012mkj2)
Episode 3
The Barrow-in-Furness housewife worries over the prospects for her husband and sons in January 1946. Read by Imelda Staunton.
WED 15:00 Jonathan Swift - Gulliver's Travels (b01c6trt)
[Repeat of broadcast at
10:00 today]
WED 16:00 Counterpoint (b064d8b9)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:00 today]
WED 16:30 The Leopard in Autumn (b00761mn)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:30 today]
WED 17:00 Winston (b007lmgv)
[Repeat of broadcast at
07:00 today]
WED 17:30 Simon Evans Goes to Market (b0639xp0)
[Repeat of broadcast at
07:30 today]
WED 18:00 Marty Ross - Catch My Breath (b007k391)
Episode 3
Two women. Two Adams - but what's the connection? Are they "Demon" or "Liberator"?
Marty Ross's supernatural five-part thriller.
Kate ........................................................... Claire Knight
Colleen ...................................... Suzanne Donaldson
Strachan ................................................... Liam Brennan
Old Strachan ............................................. John Shedden
Donnie ........................................................ Lewis Howden
Isla ......................................................... Eileen McCallum
Octavia ....................................................... Lucy Patterson
DC Carbeth ...................................................... James Bryce
WPC Briggs .............................................. Jill Riddiford
Dennis .......................................................... Finlay McLean
Producer: Bruce Young
Made for BBC 7 by BBC Radio Scotland. First broadcast in 2007.
WED 18:30 Off the Page (b0076qvj)
How Long Is a Piece of String?
Matthew Parris, Susannah Jowitt, Jasmine Birtles and David Boyle discuss the influence and importance of numbers. From March 2005.
WED 19:00 The Navy Lark (b007zmrl)
[Repeat of broadcast at
08:00 today]
WED 19:30 I'm Sorry, I'll Read That Again (b00wsyk4)
[Repeat of broadcast at
08:30 today]
WED 20:00 The Lives of Harry Lime (b064czyq)
[Repeat of broadcast at
06:00 today]
WED 20:20 Inheritance Tracks (b064d0qt)
[Repeat of broadcast at
06:20 today]
WED 20:30 In Search of Beauty (b00p016j)
[Repeat of broadcast at
06:30 today]
WED 21:00 Afternoon Reading (b0132p87)
[Repeat of broadcast at
11:00 today]
WED 21:15 Baldi (b007jlkz)
[Repeat of broadcast at
11:15 today]
WED 22:00 Simon Evans Goes to Market (b0639xp0)
[Repeat of broadcast at
07:30 today]
WED 22:30 Will Smith's Midlife Crisis Management (b00g0536)
Episode 1
Comedy series in which comedian Will Smith seeks help and advice - primarily from his godfather Peter - on coping with the onset of middle age. Peter invites Tory MP George to help Will speak his mind.
With Roger Allam, Geoffrey Whitehead, Jill Cardo, Gunnar Cauthery, Roger Drew, Donnla Hughes, Robert Lonsdale, Dan Starkey, Malcolm Tierney.
WED 23:00 Revolting People (b00ftcck)
Series 2
A Bunch More Trying Times
Ezekiel gets a shock, and Mary is wooed by a newly arrived Captain. Little does she know he's recently been named "Cad of the Year" by the Bounder's Gazette.
Comedy set just before the American Revolution.
Written by Andy Hamilton and Jay Tarses.
Samuel Oliphant .... Jay Tarses
Sergeant McGurk .... Andy Hamilton
Captain Brimshaw .... James Fleet
Mary .... Jan Ravens
Ezekiel Spriggs .... Hugh Dennis
Cora Oliphant .... Penelope Nice
Joshua Oliphant .... Tony Maudsley
Dashmount .... Michael Fenton Stevens
Producer: Paul Mayhew-Archer
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 2001.
WED 23:30 1966 and All That (b010hcwh)
The 1960s
Albert Einstein discovers the Beatles, while for the first time, the nation discovers sex.
Plus a look at the era of "Flour Power"; the World Cup is won by a team of men all called Bobby; and the with-it Royal try barbecuing.
Craig Brown's satirical history of Britain reaches the 1960s.
With:
Joss Ackland
Eleanor Bron
Rory Bremner
Ewan Bailey
Margaret Cabourn-Smith
John Humphrys
Producer: Victoria Lloyd
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 2006.
THURSDAY 06 AUGUST 2015
THU 00:00 Marty Ross - Catch My Breath (b007k391)
[Repeat of broadcast at
18:00 on Wednesday]
THU 00:30 Off the Page (b0076qvj)
[Repeat of broadcast at
18:30 on Wednesday]
THU 01:00 The Lives of Harry Lime (b064czyq)
[Repeat of broadcast at
06:00 on Wednesday]
THU 01:20 Inheritance Tracks (b064d0qt)
[Repeat of broadcast at
06:20 on Wednesday]
THU 01:30 In Search of Beauty (b00p016j)
[Repeat of broadcast at
06:30 on Wednesday]
THU 02:00 Book at Bedtime (b00v4m08)
[Repeat of broadcast at
14:00 on Wednesday]
THU 02:15 The Generation Gap (b00qszyz)
[Repeat of broadcast at
14:15 on Wednesday]
THU 02:30 MM Kaye - The Far Pavilions (b00yqn79)
[Repeat of broadcast at
14:30 on Wednesday]
THU 02:45 Nella Last's Peace: Housewife 49 (b012mkj2)
[Repeat of broadcast at
14:45 on Wednesday]
THU 03:00 Jonathan Swift - Gulliver's Travels (b01c6trt)
[Repeat of broadcast at
10:00 on Wednesday]
THU 04:00 Counterpoint (b064d8b9)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:00 on Wednesday]
THU 04:30 The Leopard in Autumn (b00761mn)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:30 on Wednesday]
THU 05:00 Winston (b007lmgv)
[Repeat of broadcast at
07:00 on Wednesday]
THU 05:30 Simon Evans Goes to Market (b0639xp0)
[Repeat of broadcast at
07:30 on Wednesday]
THU 06:00 The Lives of Harry Lime (b064dqyd)
Series 1
Two Is Company
The con artist sees dollar signs when the romance between a wealthy heir and heiress runs out of steam.
Starring Orson Welles as Harry Lime.
The films of Orson Welles, such as 'Citizen Kane', 'The Magnificent Ambersons' and 'Touch of Evil' guaranteed his place in the pantheon of silver-screen heroes.
In the celebrated 1949 film adaptation of Graham Greene's novel 'The Third Man', Harry Lime is introduce as one of cinema's most notorious anti-heroes. Sought in post-war Vienna by pulp writer Holly Martins [Joseph Cotton] and British Army Major Calloway [Trevor Howard], Lime manages to steal the show despite being absent for much of it!
This radio prequel to the film, 'The Lives of Harry Lime' earned Welles even more acclaim. His distinctive tones had already served him well as the radio voice of 'The Shadow' between 1937 and 1938, where he portrayed the crusader with distinctly questionable means of thwarting crime.
Stripped of the film cameras, the character of Harry Lime is not ameliorated for this radio outing. He's an out and out rogue. Lime made it to the airwaves thanks to another Harry - Harry Alan Towers, with whom Welles collaborated on 'The Black Museum'. Like its eponymous anti-hero, this series travelled widely, being syndicated across the USA and on Radio Luxembourg.
The music is by Anton Karas, the zither man.
Produced by Towers of London.
First broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in August 1951.
THU 06:20 Inheritance Tracks (b064ds7n)
Eddie Edwards
Ski jumper Eddie Edwards chooses 'Jump' by Van Halen, and 'I Believe I Can Fly' by R Kelly.
THU 06:30 When Cassius Met The Beatles (b00r8b1k)
The tale of an unexpected encounter between 20th century legends - a meeting which created a new template for global celebrity.
February 1964: The Beatles fly into Miami, sparking Beatlemania as they prepare to perform on The Ed Sullivan Show.
Meanwhile in a low-rent Miami gym, the underdog Cassius Clay trains to fight reigning champion Sonny Liston for the world title. The pundits say Clay hasn't a hope. Quite unexpectedly, the paths of these legendary figures cross.
British photographer Harry Benson arranges for The Beatles to visit Cassius Clay in the gym. Clay picks up Ringo and swings him around the ring as if he's no heavier than a toddler, as the other band-members lie at his feet. Clay pretends to knock all four Beatles down with a single punch. The resulting images remain in the memory long after this brief encounter.
The Beatles triumph on TV. Cassius Clay amazes all the boxing writers by defeating Liston. They suddenly both find themselves on the cusp of a new kind of stardom - they're young, outspoken and able to capture the global imagination.
John Wilson reports from Miami on the background to this unique encounter, with the memories of three people who were there at the time: photographer Harry Benson, who was travelling with the Beatles, writer Robert Lipsyte, who was covering the fight for the New York Times as a rookie reporter, and fight doctor Ferdie Pacheco, then working at the gym in Miami. All witnessed the moment when Cassius met The Beatles. John also taps the memories of Paul McCartney.
Producer John Goudie
THU 07:00 PG Wodehouse - The Inimitable Jeeves (b007s5dn)
The Great Sermon Handicap
Can Bertie Wooster beat the odds of disaster in an unusual betting syndicate?
PG Wodehouse's romp starring Michael Hordern and Richard Briers.
Jeeves ...... Michael Hordern
Bertie Wooster ..... Richard Briers
Revrend Heppenstall ..... Maurice Denham
Bingo Little ..... Jonathan Cecil
Eustace ..... David Jason
Claude ..... Jonathan Lynn
Cynthia ..... Carol Marsh
Adapted by Chris Miller.
Producer: David Hatch
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 1973.
THU 07:30 Meet David Sedaris (b063d34q)
Series 5
The Understudy; Big Boy
Two stories from one of the world's best storytellers, David Sedaris, doing what he does best:
The Understudy sees some questionable childcare from the child's point of view.
Big Boy is about a problem many of us have faced when one flush just isn't enough.
Plus some extracts from David's unique diary.
Producer: Steve Doherty
A Giddy Goat production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in July 2015.
THU 08:00 Steptoe and Son (b007jlb0)
Series 2
Pilgrim's Progress
Old soldier Albert is eager to revisit the World War One battlefields of Flanders, but Harold's in the mood to mock.
Starring Wilfrid Brambell as Albert and Harry H Corbett as Harold.
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 the BBC Light Programme in June 1967.
THU 08:30 The Eric Morecambe and Ernie Wise Show (b01k763p)
Series 1
Episode 5
Shock news from Eric: Ernie's set to retire! Plus the torrid tale of Elizabeth Barrett and Robert Browning.
Special singing guest: Laura Lee..
Written by Eddie Braben
With Ann Hamilton and Arthur Tolcher.
Music by Dennis Wilson & His Orchestra.
Producer: John Browell
First broadcast on BBC Radio 2 in February 1975.
THU 09:00 Guess What? (b064dw48)
Episode 6
Animal, vegetable or mineral?
Barry Took hosts a revised version of popular radio parlour game of 20 questions.
Regular Geoffrey Durham is joined by Neil Innes and Jan Ravens.
Written by Michael Dines.
Producer: Andy Aliffe
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 1998.
THU 09:30 Radio Active (b007jrnl)
Series 2
What's Going On
Your indispensable guide to bargains in Margate and mouth-watering lunchtime theatre - from your local national radio station.
Starring Helen Atkinson-Wood, Angus Deayton, Geoffrey Perkins, Philip Pope and Michael Fenton-Stevens.
Music by Philip Pope.
Written by Angus Deayton and Geoffrey Perkins with Richard Curtis, Jon Canter, James Hendrie, Michael Fenton-Stevens and Jimmy Mulville.
Producer: Jimmy Mulville
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 1982
THU 10:00 Herman Melville - Moby Dick (b00ttzkc)
Episode 1
Captain Ahab's obsessive sea chase for the great white whale, as witnessed by sole survivor of the voyage, Ishmael.
Ishmael, now in middle age, looks back on his younger self and remembers how this voyage of a lifetime began.
Herman Melville's 1851 novel dramatised in two-parts by Stef Penney.
Ishmael ..... Trevor White
Young Ishmael ..... PJ Brennan
Captain Ahab ..... Garrick Hagon
Peter Coffin ..... Howell Evans
Queequeg ..... Sani Muliaumaseali'i
Peleg ..... Mark Meadows
Elijahh/Captain Mayhew ..... Dorian Thomas
Starbuck ..... Richard Laing
Stubb ..... Simon Lee Phillips
Archy ..... Adam Redmayne
Daggoo ..... Kobna Holdbrook-Smith
Specially composed music by Stuart Gordon.
Directed at BBC/Cymru Wales by Kate McAll
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 2010.
THU 11:00 Deborah Moggach - Hot Tickets (b03zm4bq)
A waitress falls for a neurotic poet who is just her type, except that sometimes she longs to find 'a real man'. Read by Josie Lawrence.
THU 11:15 Baldi (b007jlld)
Series 1
The Emerald Style
Priestly sleuth Paolo Baldi's attempt to wine and dine his spiritual director Father Troy at a leading Dublin hotel is interrupted by a murder taking place behind-the-scenes that very evening.
Starring David Threlfall as Paolo Baldi, Tina Kellegher as Tina Mahon, TP McKenna as Father Troy, Owen Roe as Superintendent Rynne, Margaret D'Arcy as Mrs Reid and Cathy Belton as Mona.
Murder mystery written by Simon Brett.
Format by Barry Devlin. Developed and produced by BBC Northern Ireland.
Directed in Belfast by Lawrence Jackson.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2000.
THU 12:00 Steptoe and Son (b007jlb0)
[Repeat of broadcast at
08:00 today]
THU 12:30 The Eric Morecambe and Ernie Wise Show (b01k763p)
[Repeat of broadcast at
08:30 today]
THU 13:00 The Lives of Harry Lime (b064dqyd)
[Repeat of broadcast at
06:00 today]
THU 13:20 Inheritance Tracks (b064ds7n)
[Repeat of broadcast at
06:20 today]
THU 13:30 When Cassius Met The Beatles (b00r8b1k)
[Repeat of broadcast at
06:30 today]
THU 14:00 Book at Bedtime (b00v4m0x)
Rebecca Hunt - Mr Chartwell
Episode 4
Written by Rebecca Hunt.
Having agreed that Black Pat aka Mr Chartwell can stay over for a night, Esther is not sure what to expect in the morning.
The reader is Miriam Margolyes.
Abridged and produced by Jill Waters
A Waters Company Production for BBC Radio 4.
THU 14:15 The Generation Gap (b00qszyx)
Series 1: Respect
Post Workers
Series of programmes in which two people from different generations discuss a topic that reveals the changing nature of Britain.
The theme of the first five programmes is Respect.
Alistair Redman is a sub-postmaster on the Scottish Isle of Islay and Elizabeth Stuart drives the post bus around the island. They discuss the changing nature of the post business and how change has to respect the society it operates in.
A Juniper production for BBC Radio 4.
THU 14:30 MM Kaye - The Far Pavilions (b00yqn7c)
Episode 19
The British Mission is welcomed to Kabul, but - it transpires - on a false premise.
MM Kaye's epic of love and war, dramatised by Lucy Catherine.
Narrator ..... Vineeta Rishi
Ash ..... Blake Ritson
Anjuli ..... Ayesha Dharker
Official ..... Kaleem Janjua
Cavagnari ..... Sam Dale
Jenkyns ..... Sean Baker
Wally ..... Jonathan Forbes
Ambrose ..... Iain Batchelor
Nakshband Khan ..... Mozaffar Shafeie
Directors: Marc Beeby and Jessica Dromgoole
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 2011.
THU 14:45 Nella Last's Peace: Housewife 49 (b012n474)
Episode 4
In June 1946, the housewife sees PoWs working in Barrow, and wonders why they can't be repatriated. Read by Imelda Staunton.
THU 15:00 Herman Melville - Moby Dick (b00ttzkc)
[Repeat of broadcast at
10:00 today]
THU 16:00 Guess What? (b064dw48)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:00 today]
THU 16:30 Radio Active (b007jrnl)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:30 today]
THU 17:00 PG Wodehouse - The Inimitable Jeeves (b007s5dn)
[Repeat of broadcast at
07:00 today]
THU 17:30 Meet David Sedaris (b063d34q)
[Repeat of broadcast at
07:30 today]
THU 18:00 Marty Ross - Catch My Breath (b007k3b0)
Episode 4
It's party time for Adam Strachan, but his house guests prove to be far from ordinary...
Marty Ross's supernatural five-part thriller.
Kate ........................................................... Claire Knight
Colleen ...................................... Suzanne Donaldson
Strachan ................................................... Liam Brennan
Old Strachan ............................................. John Shedden
Donnie ........................................................ Lewis Howden
Isla ......................................................... Eileen McCallum
Octavia ....................................................... Lucy Patterson
DC Carbeth ...................................................... James Bryce
WPC Briggs .............................................. Jill Riddiford
Dennis .......................................................... Finlay McLean
Producer: Bruce Young
Made for BBC 7 by BBC Radio Scotland. First broadcast in 2007.
THU 18:30 Great Lives (b0076p53)
Series 6
Edward Elgar
4 Extra Debut. Writer, broadcaster and charity founder Marjorie Wallace chooses composer Edward Elgar. With Humphrey Carpenter. From November 2004.
THU 19:00 Steptoe and Son (b007jlb0)
[Repeat of broadcast at
08:00 today]
THU 19:30 The Eric Morecambe and Ernie Wise Show (b01k763p)
[Repeat of broadcast at
08:30 today]
THU 20:00 The Lives of Harry Lime (b064dqyd)
[Repeat of broadcast at
06:00 today]
THU 20:20 Inheritance Tracks (b064ds7n)
[Repeat of broadcast at
06:20 today]
THU 20:30 When Cassius Met The Beatles (b00r8b1k)
[Repeat of broadcast at
06:30 today]
THU 21:00 Deborah Moggach - Hot Tickets (b03zm4bq)
[Repeat of broadcast at
11:00 today]
THU 21:15 Baldi (b007jlld)
[Repeat of broadcast at
11:15 today]
THU 22:00 Meet David Sedaris (b063d34q)
[Repeat of broadcast at
07:30 today]
THU 22:30 My First Planet (b01fjt0g)
Series 1
The Landing Has Landed
Day 1 on the colony and they've lost the food, the air, the Commander and the Mood Music. Meanwhile, Chief Physician Lillian makes a terrible discovery about Project Adam...
A sitcom set on a shiny new planet where we ask the question - if humankind were to colonize space, is it destined to succumb to self-interest, prejudice and infighting? (By the way, the answer's "yes". Sorry.)
Welcome to the colony. We're aware that having been in deep cryosleep for 73 years, you may be in need of some supplementary information.
Unfortunately, Burrows the leader of the colony has died on the voyage, so his Number 2, Brian (Nicholas Lyndhurst) is now in charge. He's a nice enough chap, but no alpha male, and his desire to sort things out with a nice friendly meeting infuriates the colony's Chief Physician Lillian (Vicki Pepperdine - "Getting On"), who'd really rather everyone was walking round in tight colour-coded tunics and saluting each other. She's also in charge of Project Adam, the plan to conceive and give birth to the first colony-born baby. Unfortunately, the two people hand-picked for this purpose - Carol and Richard - were rather fibbing about being a couple, just to get on the trip.
Add in an entirely unscrupulous Chief Scientist, Mason and also Archer, an idiot maintenance man who believes he's an "empath" rather than a plumber, and you're all set to answer the question - if humankind were to colonize space, is it destined to succumb to self-interest, prejudice and infighting? (By the way, the answer's "yes". Sorry.)
Written by Phil Whelans
Produced & directed by David Tyler
A Pozzitive production for BBC Radio 4.
THU 22:55 The Comedy Club Interviews (b0658t43)
The best in contemporary comedy. Tonight Isy Suttie chats to Matt Forde.
THU 23:00 Lee Mack and Friends at the Fringe (b007kltt)
Episode 1
BAFTA award-winning Lee Mack introduces a top line-up of fellow comics Dara Ó Briain, Alan Carr, Rhod Gilbert and Tim Minchin.
Recorded at The Edinburgh Fringe.
Producer: Will Saunders
First broadcast on BBC Radio 2 in August 2005.
THU 23:30 Goodness Gracious Me (b007jwnv)
Series 2
Episode 1
The Kapoors try social climbing at the golf club - and TV's 'Masterchef' with a twist.
Starring:
Sanjeev Bhaskar
Kulvinder Ghir
Nitin Sawhney
Meera Syal
Nina Wadia
Gold Winner of the Sony Radio Academy Awards. The sketch comedy show originally ran on BBC Radio 4 from 1996 to 1998, later transferring to TV on BBC Two from 1998 to 2001.
Scripted by Richard Pinto, Sharat Sardana, Meera Syal, Sanjeev Bhaskar and Sanjeev Kohli.
Script Editor: Sharat Sardana
Producer: Anil Gupta
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 1997.
FRIDAY 07 AUGUST 2015
FRI 00:00 Marty Ross - Catch My Breath (b007k3b0)
[Repeat of broadcast at
18:00 on Thursday]
FRI 00:30 Great Lives (b0076p53)
[Repeat of broadcast at
18:30 on Thursday]
FRI 01:00 The Lives of Harry Lime (b064dqyd)
[Repeat of broadcast at
06:00 on Thursday]
FRI 01:20 Inheritance Tracks (b064ds7n)
[Repeat of broadcast at
06:20 on Thursday]
FRI 01:30 When Cassius Met The Beatles (b00r8b1k)
[Repeat of broadcast at
06:30 on Thursday]
FRI 02:00 Book at Bedtime (b00v4m0x)
[Repeat of broadcast at
14:00 on Thursday]
FRI 02:15 The Generation Gap (b00qszyx)
[Repeat of broadcast at
14:15 on Thursday]
FRI 02:30 MM Kaye - The Far Pavilions (b00yqn7c)
[Repeat of broadcast at
14:30 on Thursday]
FRI 02:45 Nella Last's Peace: Housewife 49 (b012n474)
[Repeat of broadcast at
14:45 on Thursday]
FRI 03:00 Herman Melville - Moby Dick (b00ttzkc)
[Repeat of broadcast at
10:00 on Thursday]
FRI 04:00 Guess What? (b064dw48)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:00 on Thursday]
FRI 04:30 Radio Active (b007jrnl)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:30 on Thursday]
FRI 05:00 PG Wodehouse - The Inimitable Jeeves (b007s5dn)
[Repeat of broadcast at
07:00 on Thursday]
FRI 05:30 Meet David Sedaris (b063d34q)
[Repeat of broadcast at
07:30 on Thursday]
FRI 06:00 The Lives of Harry Lime (b064fmwy)
Series 1
The Dead Candidate
The con artist tries going straight, but still manages to become embroiled in a dictatorship's shenanigans.
Starring Orson Welles as Harry Lime.
The films of Orson Welles, such as 'Citizen Kane', 'The Magnificent Ambersons' and 'Touch of Evil' guaranteed his place in the pantheon of silver-screen heroes.
In the celebrated 1949 film adaptation of Graham Greene's novel 'The Third Man', Harry Lime is introduce as one of cinema's most notorious anti-heroes. Sought in post-war Vienna by pulp writer Holly Martins [Joseph Cotton] and British Army Major Calloway [Trevor Howard], Lime manages to steal the show despite being absent for much of it!
This radio prequel to the film, 'The Lives of Harry Lime' earned Welles even more acclaim. His distinctive tones had already served him well as the radio voice of 'The Shadow' between 1937 and 1938, where he portrayed the crusader with distinctly questionable means of thwarting crime.
Stripped of the film cameras, the character of Harry Lime is not ameliorated for this radio outing. He's an out and out rogue. Lime made it to the airwaves thanks to another Harry - Harry Alan Towers, with whom Welles collaborated on 'The Black Museum'. Like its eponymous anti-hero, this series travelled widely, being syndicated across the USA and on Radio Luxembourg.
The music is by Anton Karas, the zither man.
Produced by Towers of London.
First broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in August 1951.
FRI 06:20 Inheritance Tracks (b064fmx0)
Beverley Knight
The singer and actress chooses 'Touch the Hem of His Garment' and 'A Change Gonna Come' by Sam Cooke.
FRI 06:30 Percy Edwards Showdown (b00htwx7)
David Attenborough stars in a new role: radio quizmaster - in a show all about Percy Edwards, who enjoyed a 70 year career impersonating birds and beasts.
That was a first, and so is this programme - a documentary game-show, combining the strange story of Percy's life, with archive of his impersonations, interviews with those who knew him, and a quiz.
Contestants include: Bill Oddie and Alex Horne.
Sir David will play bird calls for the teams to identify, some of which will be Percy's impressions, so can they tell the difference? They will also be asked to identity circumstances - a cry of distress, alarm or a sexy song?
Woven into the rounds will be snippets about Percy’s life and impact.
Percy discovered his talent for talking like animals aged seven. Eventually he could produce the sound of over 600 birds, and some other beasts (his was the voice of the killer whale in Orca, the alien in Alien and he provided sheep noises for Kate Bush's song The Dreaming).
Percy Edwards died aged 88 in 1996.
Producers: Emma Legg and Julian May
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 2009.
FRI 07:00 Rent (b064fnvq)
Series 4
Episode 3
Maria and Richard are getting to grips with a welcome new arrival - the nanny.
While Paul and Ruby are about to cope with a rather less welcome arrival...
Lucy Flannery's award-winning sitcom about Maria and Richard Reynolds and their lodgers.
Maria …. Barbara Flynn
Richard …. Patrick Barlow
Ruby …. Vivienne Rochester
Paul …. Dave Lamb
With Sarah Parkinson and Toby Longworth.
Producer: Liz Anstee.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in June 1998.
FRI 07:30 Wordaholics (b01cjm4p)
Series 1
Episode 2
Wordaholics is the comedy panel game all about words.
Gyles Brandreth presides as Natalie Haynes, Michael Rosen, Arthur Smith and Paul Sinha vie for supremacy in the ring.
Wordaholics is clever, intelligent, witty and unexpected. There are toponyms, abbreviations, euphemisms, old words, new words, cockney rhyming slang, Greek gobbledegook, plus the panellists' picks of the ugliest and the most beautiful words: the whole world of words.
Writers: Jon Hunter and James Kettle
Producer: Claire Jones.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 2012.
FRI 08:00 Hancock's Half Hour (b007vh34)
Series 4
Hancock in the Police
When Bill and the lad take to the beat, the crime rate soars after they meet Sid.
Starring Tony Hancock.
With Sidney James, Bill Kerr, Kenneth Williams and Hattie Jacques.
Written by Ray Galton and Alan Simpson.
Theme and incidental music composed by Wally Stott. Recorded by the BBC Revue Orchestra conducted by Harry Rabinowitz.
Producer: Dennis Main Wilson
First broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in February 1957.
FRI 08:30 The Goon Show (b012bz13)
Series 5
The Booted Gorilla (Found?)
A trap must be laid on an African jungle safari, and Bluebottle gets a surprise.
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 November 1954.
FRI 09:00 All the Way from Memphis (b00mdyl9)
Series 2
Episode 4
James Walton and the music quiz for all the young, and not so young, dudes.
Team captains Tracey MacLeod and Andrew Collins are joined by Dave Gorman and Mary Anne Hobbs to be put through their musical paces.
Reader: Beth Chalmers
Written and researched by James Walton
Producer: Dawn Ellis
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2006.
FRI 09:30 Boogie Up the River (b007jv7w)
See You Outside Boots in Oxford
Mark and his manic mutt look for the enigmatic Jennifer in the city of dreaming spires. Stars Timothy Spall. From December 1992.
FRI 10:00 Herman Melville - Moby Dick (b00tycss)
Episode 2
Fedullah's enigmatic prophecy is revealed, as Captain Ahab's obsessive pursuit for the great white whale reaches a boiling, wrenching climax...
Now in middle age, sole survivor Ishmael looks back on his younger self and remembers more of this voyage of a lifetime.
Conclusion of Herman Melville's 1851 novel dramatised by Stef Penney.
Ishmael ..... Trevor White
Young Ishmael ..... PJ Brennan
Captain Ahab ..... Garrick Hagon
Peter Coffin ..... Howell Evans
Queequeg ..... Sani Muliaumaseali'i
Captain Boomer ..... Mark Meadows
Captain Mayhew ..... Dorian Thomas
Starbuck/Gabriel ..... Richard Laing
Stubb ..... Simon Lee Phillips
Archy ..... Adam Redmayne
Daggoo ..... Kobna Holdbrook-Smith
Specially composed music by Stuart Gordon.
Directed at BBC/Cymru Wales by Kate McAll.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 2010.
FRI 11:00 Deborah Moggach - Playing the Part (b03zm819)
A couple are house-sitting in London where they meet an unappealing dog and a celebrity neighbour.
Josie Lawrence reads Deborah Moggach’s short story.
Producer: Pam Fraser Solomon
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 1999.
FRI 11:15 Baldi (b00803g1)
Series 1
Death Cap
At a monastic retreat far out in County Cork, a sudden death among the Franciscan brothers causes Paolo Baldi to suspect foul play.
Starring David Threlfall as Paolo Baldi, Tina Kellegher as Tina Mahon, TP McKenna as Father Troy, Patrick Ryecart as Father Cyril, Barry Cassin as Abbot Frederick and Rudolph Walker as Brother Vincent.
Murder mystery written by Simon Brett.
Format by Barry Devlin. Developed and produced by BBC Northern Ireland.
Directed in Belfast by Lawrence Jackson.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2000.
FRI 12:00 Hancock's Half Hour (b007vh34)
[Repeat of broadcast at
08:00 today]
FRI 12:30 The Goon Show (b012bz13)
[Repeat of broadcast at
08:30 today]
FRI 13:00 The Lives of Harry Lime (b064fmwy)
[Repeat of broadcast at
06:00 today]
FRI 13:20 Inheritance Tracks (b064fmx0)
[Repeat of broadcast at
06:20 today]
FRI 13:30 Percy Edwards Showdown (b00htwx7)
[Repeat of broadcast at
06:30 today]
FRI 14:00 Book at Bedtime (b00v4m42)
Rebecca Hunt - Mr Chartwell
Episode 5
Written by Rebecca Hunt
The weekend is approaching, together with the imminent anniversary of Esther's husband's death. But an unexpected task is set for Esther by her boss at the Westminster Library.
The reader is Miriam Margolyes.
Abridged and produced by Jill Waters
A Waters Company Production for BBC Radio 4.
FRI 14:15 The Generation Gap (b00qsz6f)
Series 1: Respect
Funeral Directors
Series of programmes in which two people from different generations discuss a topic that reveals the changing nature of Britain.
The theme of the first five programmes is Respect.
Michael Ryan, a funeral director in Newport, and his daughter Louise - who, at 21, is the youngest female funeral director in the world - discuss whether changes in funeral styles mean that our respect for the dead has changed.
A Juniper production for BBC Radio 4.
FRI 14:30 MM Kaye - The Far Pavilions (b00yqn7f)
Episode 20
The Guides' heroic last stand at the British Mission in Kabul is watched helplessly by an imprisoned Ash.
Conclusion of MM Kaye's epic of love and war, dramatised by Lucy Catherine.
Narrator ..... Vineeta Rishi
Ash ..... Blake Ritson
Cavagnari ..... Sam Dale
Anjuli ..... Ayesha Dharker
Jenkyns ..... Sean Baker
Wally ..... Jonathan Forbes
Ambrose ..... Iain Batchelor
Nakshband Khan ..... Mozaffar Shafeie
Hassan Gul ..... Sagar Arya
Directors: Marc Beeby and Jessica Dromgoole
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 2011.
FRI 14:45 Nella Last's Peace: Housewife 49 (b012m9yp)
Episode 5
In 1947's bitter winter, the housewife looks back - and ponders the next generation's prospects. Concluded by Imelda Staunton.
FRI 15:00 Herman Melville - Moby Dick (b00tycss)
[Repeat of broadcast at
10:00 today]
FRI 16:00 All the Way from Memphis (b00mdyl9)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:00 today]
FRI 16:30 Boogie Up the River (b007jv7w)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:30 today]
FRI 17:00 Rent (b064fnvq)
[Repeat of broadcast at
07:00 today]
FRI 17:30 Wordaholics (b01cjm4p)
[Repeat of broadcast at
07:30 today]
FRI 18:00 Marty Ross - Catch My Breath (b007k3bt)
Episode 5
The truth about Isla is revealed. Will Kate and Colleen finally manage to escape..?
Conclusion of Marty Ross's supernatural five-part thriller.
Kate ........................................................... Claire Knight
Colleen ...................................... Suzanne Donaldson
Strachan ................................................... Liam Brennan
Old Strachan ............................................. John Shedden
Donnie ........................................................ Lewis Howden
Isla ......................................................... Eileen McCallum
Octavia ....................................................... Lucy Patterson
DC Carbeth ...................................................... James Bryce
WPC Briggs .............................................. Jill Riddiford
Dennis .......................................................... Finlay McLean
Producer: Bruce Young
Made for BBC 7 by BBC Radio Scotland. First broadcast in 2007.
FRI 18:30 Fry's English Delight (b012krqz)
Series 4
Brevity
Stephen Fry explores 'Brevity' - from lyrics to headlines and epitaphs to telegrams.
We've always had a taste for the tweet-sized. Proverbs and aphorisms go back to the ancient Greeks. We explore the possible links between the Tweet and the Haiku - including that tiny rarity, an English Haiku. We visit Bunhill Cemetery in London with writer Kevin Jackson to enjoy the necessary terseness of epitaphs and reflect on a poetic exponent, William Blake.
The concision of telegrams created poetry and humour born of economy. We recall Oscar Wilde's famous telegram exchange with his publisher in which he enquires about sales of his recent book with a lone '?' The response was of course, '!'
One liner-machine Tim Vine joins Stephen in the studio to discuss his affinity with brevity and 'his passion for small hand grenades of wit' as one reviewer put it. He describes the liberation of the bite-size joke and reflects on why he would make the perfect headline writer.
'The pun is the life blood of the headline' according to Kelvin Mackenzie who recalls the origins of his famous headline from the 1980s - 'Gotcha' and reflects on the importance of short words for any tabloid newspaper editor. Laura Barton, writer for the Guardian, explores her love of short writing and of neologisms in pop lyrics. If 'la la' means 'I love you' and 'wop-bop-a-loop-a' was an expression which captured the freedom of 50s rock and roll, what short word sums up the world today?
Aleks Krotoski chooses the word 'Meme' and examines the way technology has given us the means to create ever smaller bespoke packages of information. And more of them. The chopped up doesn't necessarily mean the dumbed down.
Producer: Nick Baker
A Testbed production for BBC Radio 4.
FRI 19:00 Hancock's Half Hour (b007vh34)
[Repeat of broadcast at
08:00 today]
FRI 19:30 The Goon Show (b012bz13)
[Repeat of broadcast at
08:30 today]
FRI 20:00 The Lives of Harry Lime (b064fmwy)
[Repeat of broadcast at
06:00 today]
FRI 20:20 Inheritance Tracks (b064fmx0)
[Repeat of broadcast at
06:20 today]
FRI 20:30 Percy Edwards Showdown (b00htwx7)
[Repeat of broadcast at
06:30 today]
FRI 21:00 Deborah Moggach - Playing the Part (b03zm819)
[Repeat of broadcast at
11:00 today]
FRI 21:15 Baldi (b00803g1)
[Repeat of broadcast at
11:15 today]
FRI 22:00 Shappi Talk (b00lk2zh)
Series 1
Unconventional Parents
Comedy series in which Shappi Khorsandi examines what it is like growing up in multi-cultural families.
Joining Shappi will be comedian John Gordillo who shares his memories of growing up in a Spanish family with a very forceful father. Shappi also chats with another 'related' guest- and also to Lenny Henry 'on location' to talk about his family.
There'll also be a chance for Shappi to chat with the audience and there'll be a song from Hils Barker.
Producer: Paul Russell
An Open Mike Production for BBC Radio 4.
FRI 22:30 Absolute Power (b007qs09)
Series 1
Episode 4
Can Prentiss McCabe come up with a strategy to increase church congregations around the country?
Mark Tavener's comedy about the machiavellian doctors of PR spin with contacts at the highest level of government.
Starring Stephen Fry as Charles Prentiss and John Bird as Martin McCabe.
With:
Tony Gardner
Siobhan Hayes
John Rowe
Alys Torrance
Producer: Paul Schlesinger
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 2000.
FRI 22:55 The Comedy Club Interviews (b06549s0)
The best in contemporary comedy. Arthur Smith is joined by Jess Robinson and Kirsty Newton.
FRI 23:00 I've Never Seen Star Wars (b014gsmn)
Series 4
Frank Skinner
Marcus Brigstocke invites comedian Frank Skinner to try 4 new things, including getting a spray tan and eating Jugged Hare.
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 September 2011.
FRI 23:30 Down the Line (b010dp1c)
Series 4
Episode 6
The return of the ground-breaking, Radio 4 show, hosted by the legendary Gary Bellamy; brought to you by the creators of The Fast Show.
Down The Line stars Rhys Thomas as Gary Bellamy, with Amelia Bullmore, Simon Day, Felix Dexter, Charlie Higson and Paul Whitehouse.
Special guests are Adil Ray and Arabella Weir.
Producers: Charlie Higson and Paul Whitehouse
A Down The Line production for BBC Radio 4.