SATURDAY 28 JANUARY 2017

SAT 00:00 Charles Chilton - Journey Into Space (b007js79)
The World in Peril, Episode 15
Stranded on the surface of the asteroid, Jet Morgan and Doc fight desperately to be rescued. Sci-fi classic from 1956 stars Andrew Faulds and David Jacobs.
SAT 00:30 Soul Music (b01bwmw6)
Series 13, Rachmaninov, 2nd Piano Concerto
Rachmaninov's 2nd Piano Concerto, which was famously featured in David Lean's film "Brief Encounter", is one of the world's most popular pieces of classical. In this programme people describe the way in which Rachmaninov's 2nd Piano Concerto has touched and shaped their lives. The programme features a pianist from Taiwan whose memories of a repressive childhood were dispelled by the emotions contained within this music. Plus a story from an acclaimed pianist from Argentina who was told she would never play the piano again after a serious car accident, but who has recently performed this piece in New York. And finally an account of the place that this piece of passionate and heartfelt music played in the life of John Peel and his family, told by his wife Sheila Ravenscroft.
The concerto is also given historical and musical context in the programme by pianists Peter Donohoe and Howard Shelley.
Producer: Rosie Boulton.
SAT 01:00 Cadfael (b007jlbz)
Monk's Hood, Judgement
With Edwin arrested for murder, Brother Cadfael seeks justice in the local court.
Ellis Peters' medieval thriller narrated by Sir Michael Hordern stars Philip Madoc as Brother Cadfael, Ian Hogg as Sergeant William Warden, Ian Targett as Brother Mark, Geoffrey Whitehead as Prior Robert, Timothy Carlton as Martin Belcott and Richard Pearce as Edwin Gurney.
From the Chronicles of Brother Cadfael by Ellis Peters.
Dramatised by Bert Coules.
Producer: Lissa Evans
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1991.
SAT 01:30 Requiem for a Moth (b010t6nr)
Britain's enthusiasm for moths gets far less attention than its love of bird watching. But "moth-ing" is a fast growing, sociable recreation that draws us closer to the biodiversity of our cities and countryside.
Martin Wainwright seeks out the men and women who pursue the thousands of brightly coloured species of moth.
Composer Sir Harrison Birtwistle talks about his life-long passion for the insects and how his music, receiving its premiere in October 2012, will pay tribute to their enduring appeal.
Martin spends an evening in the woods of Yorkshire welcoming in the new season of moths, and meets Madeleine Moon MP, who reveals why moths are so crucial to our survival and why moth-fancying is a peculiarly British pastime.
Producer: Iain Chambers
A Just Radio production for BBC Radio 4.
SAT 02:00 Book at Bedtime (b00k2yds)
The House of Special Purpose, Episode 5
David Warner reads John Boyne's haunting novel which travels to the heart of the Russian empire where young imperial family bodyguard Georgy Jachmenev is privy to the secrets of Tsar Nicholas and his circle.
In wartime London, Georgy finds himself recruited by an intelligence agency to translate Russian documents.
SAT 02:15 Amanda Vickery - A History of Private Life (b00mvg01)
Every Man's Home Is His Castle
Elaborate rituals of locking up at night, plus records of Old Bailey trials. Amanda Vickery's hidden history of the home over 400 years.
SAT 02:30 Gustave Flaubert - Madame Bovary (b00cvbj4)
Episode 10
Exhausted from her debts and betrayal, Emma opts for a swift course of action. Stars John Hurt and Sarah Smart.
SAT 02:45 Book of the Week (b045kcjh)
A Broken Hallelujah: Leonard Cohen's Secret Chord, Episode 5
As Leonard Cohen turns 80, a new biography by Liel Leibovitz explores the life, work and passion of the poet-turned-musician. What makes Cohen such an enduring international figure in the cultural imagination?
Granted extraordinary access to Cohen's personal papers, Leibovitz evokes a complicated, sometimes contradictory figure. Born into a Canadian religious Jewish family, for years a reclusive lyricist on the Greek island of Hydra, known for his bold political commentary, his devotion to Buddhist thought and his later despair over contemporary Zionism, Cohen hardly follows the rules of a conventional rock star.
An intimate look at a man who, despite battles with stage fright and years spent in hermit-like isolation, is still touring and now seems to be reaching a new peak of popularity.
In the final episode, Cohen begins the 1990s as a hugely successful songwriter, poet and performer. Yet spiritual crises still plague him, and he retreats to the San Gabriel Mountains to spend time with his guru. By 2006, he's forced to start touring again when evidence emerges that a long-time employee and friend may have stolen millions of dollars from him.
Read by Julian Barratt, with Leonard Cohen quotes read by Colin Stinton.
Abridged by: Jo Coombs
Producer: Pippa Vaughan
A Loftus Media production for BBC Radio 4.
SAT 03:00 The Real George Orwell (b01qdr2w)
Homage to Catalonia, Episode 2
Adapted by Mike Walker. The final episode of Eric Blair's autobiographical account of the Spanish Civil War. The fighting at the front is deadlocked. Freezing temperatures, ancient guns and dud ammunition only add to their woes. Eric's spirits are cheered by a visit from his wife, Eileen, but when they take the train to Barcelona they find the atmosphere changed. Last time there were no class divisions, no masters and servants, only comrades. Now the waiters are calling their customers 'Sir' again. To add to the confusion the different factions of the Left are all fighting each other. Then Georges Kopp is arrested and imprisoned; others are tortured. The Blairs begin to realise they are in terrible danger and must flee for their lives.
A BBC/Cymru Wales production, directed by Kate McAll.
SAT 04:00 Who Goes There? (b00kmtcf)
Series 2, Episode 3
Martin Young's famous people quiz. With Francis Wheen, Carmen Calil, Fred Housego and Victoria Glendinning. From July 1998.
SAT 04:30 No Commitments (b007jzbf)
Series 12, Soft Soap
Charlotte's acting career looks set to be revived, but can the same be said for Anna's love life? Stars Celia Imrie. From May 2006.
SAT 05:00 The Secret Life of Rosewood Avenue (b007jx6f)
Mrs Garland's Good Deeds
"The over 70's keep fit club has got completely out of hand, Mr Critchley. Can't you see how cruel it is expecting pensioners to vault over a horse?"
More crazy happenings for hapless vicar Timothy Carswell.
Stephen Sheridan's six-part series stars James Grout as the Reverend Timothy Carswell, Margaret Courtenay as Miss Tilling, Jean Heywood as Miss Tapp, Jacqueline Tong as Hilary and Patricia Hayes as Miss Willow.
Producer: Lissa Evans.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 1991.
SAT 05:30 Robert Newman's Entirely Accurate Encyclopaedia of Evolution (b06kgvcs)
One of Britain's finest comedians, Rob Newman returns to Radio 4 with a witty, fact-packed series mixing stand-up and sketches, challenging notions of Survival of the Fittest and The Selfish Gene with a new theory that's equal parts enlightening and hilarious.
Rob is our guide on a journey through a unique audio A-Z of nature that takes in everything from altruistic amoebae and dancing squid to Richard Dawkins wrestling naked with a postal worker.
Piecing these fragments together allows Rob to correct some major distortions of Darwinism, as well as rejig the theory of natural selection in the light of what we now know about epigenetics, mirror neurons and the Flintstones.
Written by Rob Newman
Starring Claire Price, with Jenni Murray as the voice of the Encyclopaedia.
Producer: Jon Harvey
Executive Producer: Richard Wilson
A Hat Trick production for BBC Radio 4.
SAT 06:00 The Playboy of the Western World (b007jskv)
1907: Pegeen is set to marry a timorous west of Ireland farmer, until a real adventurer walks into her life.
John Millington Synge's play adapted for radio by Peter Kavanagh.
Stars Aisling O'Sullivan as Pegeen Mike, Finbar Lynch as Christy Mahon, Dillie Keane as Widow Quin and Michael Elphick as Old Mahon.
Producer: Peter Kavanagh
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1997.
SAT 07:30 Touchline Tales (b0132pjz)
Series 2, A Game of Two Halves
Old friends Des Lynam and Christopher Matthew return with a second series of the programme in which they head for some famous sporting venues - to enjoy, observe, reminisce and trade tales about some of the greatest pleasures in their lives. This time round, they muse along to the sound of leather on willow at the Oval and drop in on a local equestrian meet in the heart of rural Sussex. But they begin the series amongst the youthful fans at an open day held by Brighton & Hove Football Club.
As a commentator and friend of sporting stars, Des has a fund of stories to tell, and insights to reveal, about the men and women in professional sport - their lives, their characters, their training regimes, their triumphs and their disasters. But Christopher more than matches him with his own experiences as a lifelong spectator at the highest levels of sport (and, like Des, an occasional participant at the lowest), as well as with his observations on sporting events he finds himself attending for the first time.
Indeed, amusing, informative and entertaining talk between old friends is what these programmes are all about.
Recorded entirely on location, their extended discourses have been edited down to a seamless half hour - with each programme capturing the atmosphere, the passion, the frustration, the humour and, at times, the sheer quaintness, of entertainments regularly enjoyed by millions of people up and down the land.
Producer: Paul Kobrak.
SAT 08:00 Archive on 4 (b01p9f64)
Frost on Nixon
Watching Richard Nixon's first inauguration ceremony in January 1969, and hearing the prayer of the Reverend Billy Graham who stood by him at that ceremony, it seemed that here was an honest man of integrity. Yet much detail has emerged since that time demonstrating that the 37th President of the United States was less than upstanding in his dealings with his Democrat opponents and the American people.
But who was Nixon the man? What was he really like? Do all those allegations and solid facts alluding to his dirty tricks - the wire-tapping, the break-ins, the pay-offs, the "Commie" slurs, the Machiavellian manoeuvrings - add up to a thoroughly dishonest and dislikeable man?
Many of the Nixon insiders, some of whom were jailed and several of whom were sacked by their boss after the Watergate scandal, were not critical of Nixon - and others, such as Bob Haldeman, while not admitting to a love of Nixon, still claimed to respect him after the event.
Many observers and colleagues point to Nixon's awkwardness and aloofness, citing that he came across in this way because he was a diffident man who was not a natural politician. His speeches were often mawkishly sentimental and manipulative, simplistic in their appeal to an American down-home conservatism and a hatred of Communism. Yet he won two elections - the second a landslide despite the parlous state of a country being riven in two because of the Vietnam war.
In this programme, the man who got close to Nixon when in 1977 he taped nearly 29 hours of interviews with Nixon, Sir David Frost, searches through the BBC archives and the White House tapes to try to discover just what kind of man Richard Nixon was.
Producer: Neil Rosser
A Ladbroke production for BBC Radio 4.
SAT 09:00 Desert Island Discs at 75 (b08cd2fk)
Kirsty Young celebrates 75 years of Desert Island Discs with some of the wonderful voices in the archive and chooses some of her favourite interviews from her 10 years as presenter.
From Dustin Hoffman to Maya Angelou, Stephen Hawking to Victoria Wood, we have glimpses into the castaways' lives and times.
Coronation Street stalwart, Betty Driver explains why she chose a song she hates to take with her to the island, Dawn French recalls the infamous 'puddle' scene in the Vicar of Dibley and legendary broadcaster Richard Dimbleby describes his very early days in broadcasting. Cilla Black, interviewed in 1964, describes how her career began, Ian Fleming talks about the early days of James Bond and Louis Armstrong reveals how he first began playing the trumpet.
Extracts from the programmes of all the previous presenters - Roy Plomley, Sue Lawley and Sir Michael Parkinson - include the voices of Baroness Barbara Castle, Alfred Wainwright, Russell Harty, Jacqueline de Pre, Catherine Cookson and Lady Thatcher.
Kirsty's favourite moments include Noel Gallagher remembering being forced to dance at his wedding, Sarah Millican explaining why she chose the Frog Chorus and Sir David Attenborough's choice of disc - the Lyre Bird.
Castaways also explain their choice of luxury, introduce a diverse selection of their choice of discs and describe what they would do to survive on the desert island.
Producer: Cathy Drysdale
Made for BBC Radio 4 Extra.
SAT 12:00 Not in Front of the Children (b08bs9qt)
Series 2, Old Grey Mare
Jennifer is 'expecting' and the family are expectant - a country week-end is planned, but some alarms spoil the excursions.
Starring Wendy Craig as Jennifer Corner, Francis Matthews as Henry Corner, Charlotte Mitchell as Mary, Roberta Tovey as Trudi, Hugo Keith-Johnston as Robin, Jill Riddick as Amanda and Ross Hutchinson as Dr Steele.
The second series of comedy mishaps of the Corner family: Jennifer and Henry and their three children Trudi, Amanda and Robin. Not in Front of the Children originally ran for four series from 1967 to 1970 on BBC TV. 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. This was the first of several housewife roles that Wendy Craig was to play on television. Later series included And Mother Makes Three/Five and Butterflies.
Music by Ronnie Hazlehurst
Producer: Trafford Whitelock.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 1970.
SAT 12:30 Nineteen Ninety-Four (b013dntm)
Work Is Freedom
Edward Wilson gets embroiled in mysterious government machinations. Orwellian sitcom starring Robert Lindsay. From March 1985.
SAT 13:00 Louisa May Alcott - Little Women: Omnibus (b08cd2sj)
Episode 2
War is now over, John Brooke is safely home and everyone is looking forward to Meg and John's wedding. Stars Julianna Jennings.
SAT 14:10 Inheritance Tracks (b08cd3vx)
Pam St Clement
Actress Pam St Clement with Bing Crosby & The Andrews Sisters' 'Accentuate the Positive' and Maria Callas's 'Casta Diva'.
SAT 14:15 Sentimental Journey (b08cd3w0)
Eric Newby
Wine, women and a panoramic view of the Appenines.
Arthur Smith joins travel writer Eric Newby returning to Fontanellato, Italy, where he was held as a prisoner of war from 1943.
Producer: Rebecca Moore
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 1999.
SAT 14:45 Uncle Mort's South Country (b007rr6s)
Series 1, In a Jam
Carter's uncle gets time to reflect, stuck on a busy motorway to the coast. Peter Tinniswood's adventures with Sam Kelly.
SAT 15:00 Archive on 4 (b01p9f64)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
SAT 16:00 The Playboy of the Western World (b007jskv)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
SAT 17:30 Touchline Tales (b0132pjz)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
SAT 18:00 Atomic Tales (b007qtm4)
Unstoppable!
A white-knuckle ride of instellar thrills as a space train hurtles towards Earth
1950s American sci-fi spoof starring John Guerrasio, Jeff Harding, Allison Warnyca, Lewis McLeod, Colin Stinton and Liza Ross.
Written by Adam Tandy and Nat Sones.
Producer: Adam Bromley.
Made for BBC 7 and first broadcast in August 2006.
SAT 18:30 Ursula Le Guin - Earthsea (b05sz766)
Dragonfly
Ursula Le Guin's enduring fantasy saga set on the magical archipelago rich with wizards and dragons.
Based on the novel The Farthest Shore by Ursula Le Guin. Adapted by Judith Adams.
It's now over 20 years since the action of The Tombs of Atuan, and magic has gone out of Earthsea. Mages have forgotten their spells and the springs of wizardry have running dry. Ged, Dragonlord and now Archmage of Earthsea, sets out with a young prince to seek the source of the darkness.
Ged ..... Shaun Dooley
Tenar ..... Vineeta Rishi
Arren ..... Will Featherstone
Sailor ..... Jude Akudwudike
Doorkeeper ..... Stephen Critchlow
Summoner ..... Sam Dale
Sopli ..... Chris Pavlo
Hare ..... David Acton
Woman ..... Syesha Antoine
Egre ..... David Hounslow
Woman ..... Jessica Turner
Original music by Jon Nicholls
Directed by Sasha Yevtushenko.
SAT 19:00 Desert Island Discs at 75 (b08cd2fk)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
SAT 22:00 The Simon Day Show (b01kbld1)
Series 2, Brian Pern
Simon Day and his characters welcome listeners to The Mallard, a small provincial theatre somewhere in the UK. Each week one of Simon's comic characters come to perform at The Mallard while the staff struggle with rivalries, self-doubt and the new owner's vision for the theatre's future.
This week brings washed up rocker, Brian Pern to the Mallard Theatre as he's interviewed on stage by pretend 6Music journalist, Ben (Rhys Thomas).
Cast list:
Brian Pern ..... Simon Day
Emanuel Akinyemi ..... Felix Dexter
Pat Bennet ... Morwenna Banks
Ron Bone / Wozak ..... Simon Greenall
Ben ... Rhys Thomas
Written by Simon Day with additional material from Rhy Thomas and Felix Dexter
Original music arranged by Steve Burge
Produced by Colin Anderson.
SAT 22:30 Miranda Hart's Joke Shop (b00mf2n3)
What a Flirt
The tall, life-embracing, self-effacing clown has much to learn about retail and men. With Patricia Hodge. From August 2008.
SAT 23:00 4 Extra Stands Up (b038xn7b)
4 Extra Stands Up, At the Edinburgh Festival
Host Daniel Sloss presents some of the best and brightest comedians from 2013's Edinburgh Fringe Festival:
* Kai Humphries shares some of his northern observations
* Ronny Chieng defends the Chinese
* Eric Lampaert wonders about Wally
* John Moloney reveals all about his cat
* Vikki Stone sings a rude song about her favourite scientist.
Producer: Richard Melvin
Made for BBC Radio 4 Extra by Dabster Productions.

SUNDAY 29 JANUARY 2017

SUN 00:00 Atomic Tales (b007qtm4)
[Repeat of broadcast at 18:00 on Saturday]
SUN 00:30 Ursula Le Guin - Earthsea (b05sz766)
[Repeat of broadcast at 18:30 on Saturday]
SUN 01:00 Louisa May Alcott - Little Women: Omnibus (b08cd2sj)
[Repeat of broadcast at 13:00 on Saturday]
SUN 02:10 Inheritance Tracks (b08cd3vx)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:10 on Saturday]
SUN 02:15 Sentimental Journey (b08cd3w0)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:15 on Saturday]
SUN 02:45 Uncle Mort's South Country (b007rr6s)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:45 on Saturday]
SUN 03:00 Archive on 4 (b01p9f64)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 on Saturday]
SUN 04:00 The Playboy of the Western World (b007jskv)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 on Saturday]
SUN 05:30 Touchline Tales (b0132pjz)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 on Saturday]
SUN 06:00 Gustave Flaubert - Madame Bovary Omnibus (b00cz223)
Episode 2
Emma prepares to leave Charles, but her complicated and unfulfilled love-life is beginning to fall apart. Stars John Hurt and Sarah Smart.
SUN 07:15 The Paper Round (b014pw4p)
Sir Alan Parker
A series in which five public figures revisit the route of their paper round to reveal how it influenced their attitudes to work, creativity and independence.
Having a paper round is a rite of passage for many children, and many successful public figures claim to have braved the early mornings and the elements to deliver newspapers. For some, it's a chance for independence and freedom, or a temporary escape from the horrors at home. For others, it provides money to spend on music, fashion and girl/boyfriends.
Actor and former paper boy Bob Kingdom joins his guests in England, Wales and Northern Ireland as they reflect on the formative years of their paper round.
In the first episode, award-winning film director Sir Alan Parker retraces his route in North London which provided the inspiration for some of the key moments in his films.
Producer: Olivia Landsberg
A Ladbroke Production for BBC Radio 4.
SUN 07:30 Ed Reardon's Week (b03gvqlz)
Series 9, The Personal Statement
Episode 1: "The Personal Statement"
He's back. Despite many thwarted attempts at literary success and a lifetime of scrimping and scraping to keep mind, soul and cat together, the curmudgeon's curmudgeon can never be kept down for long and returns to Radio 4 for a new series.
Ed Reardon once more finds himself grabbing at whatever scraps his agent, Ping, throws his way, with his only source of regular income coming from teaching the increasingly savvy and adventurous pensioners their module in short story writing. Jaz Milvane continues to be his nemesis, somehow making money out of mad schemes whilst Ed makes nothing and his love life remains, like his payment of utility bills, erratic to say the least.
As we renew our acquaintance with Ed we find him grovelling to his former girlfriend Fiona, claiming to be a 'changed man'. But as she quite rightly points out, he's still wearing the same socks and sandals. As Ed tries to get back into her good books, he finds himself retiring from the writing trade and applying for real jobs. So it is, he writes a personal statement and attends his first interview for a salaried position since, well, ever........
Written by Andrew Nickolds and Christopher Douglas
Produced by Dawn Ellis.
SUN 08:00 All Gas and Gaiters (b0082bbs)
The Bishop Rides Again
The Bishop works to secure a bequest. Clerical comedy adapted from TV.
Starring Robertson Hare as the Archdeacon, William Mervyn as the Bishop, Derek Nimmo as Bishop's Chaplain - the Reverend Mervyn Noote and John Barron as the Dean.

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 4.
The series revolves around the intrigues and rivalries of the fictional St Ogg's Cathedral. The regular characters are the easy-going Bishop, the elderly Archdeacon who enjoys a tipple with an eye for the ladies; and the naive and accident-prone Bishop's Chaplain. Their wish to live a quiet bachelor life is under continuous threat from the overbearing Dean.
Back in the swinging 60s, the series initially aroused some controversy because of its portrayal of senior clergy as bungling incompetents, although some clergy quite enjoyed it.

Written by husband-and-wife team Pauline Devaney and Edwin Apps.
Produced by David Hatch.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 1971.
SUN 08:30 The Eric Morecambe and Ernie Wise Show (b01kbqjl)
Series 1, Episode 6
Arty Eric bags a bargain and an industrial espionage drama what Ern wrote.
Special singing guest: Lynsey de Paul
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 March 1975.
SUN 09:00 The Novel of the Century: The Extraordinary Adventure of Les Miserables (b08cd678)
Omnibus: David Bellos explores why Les Miserables is 'France's greatest gift' and describes Victor Hugo's life as he penned this epic.
SUN 10:10 Inheritance Tracks (b08cd9yh)
Matt Baker
TV presenter Matt Baker shares 'Brothers in Arms' by Dire Straits and 'Chitty Chitty Bang Bang' by the Sherman Brothers.
SUN 10:15 Desert Island Discs Revisited (b08cgzmp)
75 years, Malcolm Sargent
4 Extra Debut. From Elgar to Beethoven. Conductor Sir Malcolm Sargent shares his castaway choices with Roy Plomley. From April 1955.
SUN 10:45 Why Bother? (b08ch021)
Prisoner of War
Peter Cook stars as Sir Arthur Streeb-Greebling in a series of exclusive interviews with Chris Morris.
The renowned statesman, scholar and tycoon tries to make more sense of his extraordinary life - by discussing his time in a Japanese concentration camp.
Scripted by Peter Cook and Chris Morris.
Producer: Jane Berthoud
A Talkback production for BBC Radio 3 first broadcast in 1994.
SUN 11:00 The Moth Radio Hour (b08ch0rn)
Series 4, Holiday Special 2016: Unexpected Gifts of December
True stories told live in in the USA: Sarah Austin Jenness introduces tales of gifts, escapes, blizzards and strange meetings.
The Moth is an acclaimed not-for-profit organisation dedicated to the art and craft of storytelling based in the USA. Since 1997, it has celebrated both the raconteur and the storytelling novice, who has lived through something extraordinary and yearns to share it. Originally formed by the writer George Dawes Green as an intimate gathering of friends on a porch in Georgia (where moths would flutter in through a hole in the screen), and then recreated in a New York City living room, The Moth quickly grew to produce immensely popular events at theatres and clubs around New York City and later around the USA, the UK and other parts of the world.
The Moth has presented more than 15,000 stories, told live and without notes, to standing-room-only crowds worldwide. The Moth podcast is downloaded over 27 million times a year.
Featuring true stories told live on stage without scripts, from the humorous to the heart-breaking.
The Moth Radio Hour is produced by Jay Allison and Atlantic Public Media in Woods Hole, Massachusetts and is distributed by the Public Radio Exchange.
SUN 11:55 The Listening Project (b02143tc)
Craig and Luke - No Laughing Matter
Fi Glover Fi Glover introduces a conversation between a veteran stand-up and a newcomer in the series that proves it's surprising what you hear when you listen. What they have in common is the fear of failure and the excitement that comes from living on the edge.
The Listening Project is a Radio 4 initiative that offers a snapshot of contemporary Britain in which people across the UK volunteer to have a conversation with someone close to them about a subject they've never discussed intimately before. The conversations are being gathered across the UK by teams of producers from local and national radio stations who facilitate each encounter. Every conversation - they're not BBC interviews, and that's an important difference - lasts up to an hour, and is then edited to extract the key moment of connection between the participants. Most of the unedited conversations are being archived by the British Library and used to build up a collection of voices capturing a unique portrait of the UK in the second decade of the millennium. You can upload your own conversations or just learn more about The Listening Project by visiting bbc.co.uk/listeningproject
Producer: Marya Burgess.
SUN 12:00 All Gas and Gaiters (b0082bbs)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
SUN 12:30 The Eric Morecambe and Ernie Wise Show (b01kbqjl)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
SUN 13:00 Gustave Flaubert - Madame Bovary Omnibus (b00cz223)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
SUN 14:15 The Paper Round (b014pw4p)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:15 today]
SUN 14:30 Reading Europe: Norway - The Bird Tribunal Omnibus (b08ch51f)
Episode 1
Omnibus. Two people, each with a secret, seek atonement for past sins. Agnes Ravatn's psychological thriller read by Lydia Wilson.
SUN 15:45 David Benedictus - Twitch (b08ch51m)
4 Extra Debut. David Benedictus reads his own story about the success and sacrifice of a talented golfer. From October 1995.
SUN 16:00 Saturday Drama (b01k9lcd)
Menna Gallie - Strike for a Kingdom
By Menna Gallie
Dramatised by Diana Griffiths
It's 1926 and in the small Welsh valleys village of Cilhendre, the miners are on strike. When the local mine's manager is found dead, the murder investigation begins to expose the tensions and secrets of this close knit community.
Paul Rhys stars in a new adaptation of Menna Gallie's classic novel. First published in 1959, Strike for a Kingdom was Menna Gallie's first book. Menna grew up in a small village in the Swansea valley which serves as a template for the fictional Cilhendre. She was six at the time of the miner's strike, though deeply affected by its impact on her community.
Strike for a Kingdom is two things: It's a darkly engrossing murder mystery that keeps you guessing until the end. But it's also a beautifully poetic evocation of a close knit community struggling to survive in a world of extreme poverty.
Directed by James Robinson
A BBC Cymru Wales production.
SUN 17:00 Poetry Extra (b08ch51p)
The House I Grew Up In
BBC Radio 4's Poet in Residence, Daljit Nagra revisits BBC radio's poetry archive with 'The House I Grew Up In', featuring Jackie Kay.
Recalling a childhood in Glasgow which inspired her to write, the poet takes Wendy Robbins to meet her mum and dad back at the family home.
Adopted at birth, Jackie was raised with her brother - the only black children in the neighbourhood. Meeting friends, relatives and neighbours, Jackie reveals how her childhood experiences inspired her to start writing.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2007.
SUN 17:30 Ed Reardon's Week (b03gvqlz)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
SUN 18:00 Spine Chillers (b08ch63p)
4/5 Dracula in White, by Peter Redgrove
Prisoners up and down the country seem to be disappearing mysteriously from Her Majesty's jails.
Fearing they've been used as guinea-pigs in some unspeakable experiments, TV journalist Joanna sets out on a perilous course to verify her worst suspicions...
Peter Redgrove's chilling drama stars Maggie McCarthy as Joanna, Benjamin Whitrow as Dr Exeter- White and Jerold Wells as Sam Mellish.
Directed at BBC Bristol by Brian Miller
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 1984.
SUN 18:45 Ray Bradbury - The Pedestrian (b0076mvx)
4 Extra Debut. Ray Bradbury's vision of a future time when pedestrians will not be allowed to walk by the authorities. Read by David Horovitch.
SUN 19:00 The Moth Radio Hour (b08ch0rn)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:00 today]
SUN 19:55 The Listening Project (b02143tc)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:55 today]
SUN 20:00 The Novel of the Century: The Extraordinary Adventure of Les Miserables (b08cd678)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
SUN 21:10 Inheritance Tracks (b08cd9yh)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:10 today]
SUN 21:15 Desert Island Discs Revisited (b08cgzmp)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:15 today]
SUN 21:45 Why Bother? (b08ch021)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:45 today]
SUN 22:00 Ed Reardon's Week (b03gvqlz)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
SUN 22:30 Cabin Pressure (b00ctl6w)
Series 1, Fitton
Sitcom by John Finnemore about the pilots of a tiny charter airline for whom no job is too small and many jobs are too difficult.
The crew are grounded, so Arthur shows the crew why apples are the secret of happiness and Martin shows Carolyn how to be an air hostess.
Carolyn Knapp-Shappey ...... Stephanie Cole
1st Officer Douglas Richardson ...... Roger Allam
Captain Martin Crieff ...... Benedict Cumberbatch
Arthur Shappey ...... John Finnemore
Mr Goddard ...... Adam G Goodwin
Helena Richardson ...... Melisande Cook.
SUN 22:55 The Comedy Club Interviews (b08ddmgr)
The best in contemporary comedy. Arthur Smith chats to Suzi Ruffell.
SUN 23:00 Newsjack (b08bwvk3)
Series 16, Episode 1
BBC Radio 4 Extra's topical sketch show Newsjack returns for its 16th series with brand new host Angela Barnes.
Irreverent and satirical, Newsjack is the scrapbook sketch show written entirely by the Great British public, and then bought to life by a revolving cast of sketch performers.
In this week's show the cast discover alternative facts in the White House, Meet The Spiralizer and go Trainspotting on Southern Rail.
Cast: George Fouracres, Freya Parker and Jason Forbes.
Producers: Adnan Ahmed and Abby C. Kumar
Script Editors: Ed Amsden and Tom Coles
The programme continues to be a showcase for new comedy writing: anyone can submit material (sketches and one-line jokes) -- these can be submitted every week of the six week run.
Details for submitting material can be found here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00kvs8r
BBC Studios Production.
SUN 23:30 1966 and All That (b01phm54)
The 1980s and 90s
Neil Knock-Knock becomes leader of the Labour Party; Jeffrey Archer reveals he's won the Nobel Prize; Lloads of London goes pear-shaped; and John Minor stands against himself . . . and loses.
Craig Brown's satirical history of Britain reaches the 1980s and 90s.
Stars Joss Ackland, Eleanor Bron, Rory Bremner, Ewan Bailey, Margaret Cabourn-Smith and John Humphrys,
Producer: Victoria Lloyd
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 2006.

MONDAY 30 JANUARY 2017

MON 00:00 Spine Chillers (b08ch63p)
[Repeat of broadcast at 18:00 on Sunday]
MON 00:45 Ray Bradbury - The Pedestrian (b0076mvx)
[Repeat of broadcast at 18:45 on Sunday]
MON 01:00 Gustave Flaubert - Madame Bovary Omnibus (b00cz223)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 on Sunday]
MON 02:15 The Paper Round (b014pw4p)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:15 on Sunday]
MON 02:30 Reading Europe: Norway - The Bird Tribunal Omnibus (b08ch51f)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:30 on Sunday]
MON 03:45 David Benedictus - Twitch (b08ch51m)
[Repeat of broadcast at 15:45 on Sunday]
MON 04:00 Saturday Drama (b01k9lcd)
[Repeat of broadcast at 16:00 on Sunday]
MON 05:00 Poetry Extra (b08ch51p)
[Repeat of broadcast at 17:00 on Sunday]
MON 05:30 Ed Reardon's Week (b03gvqlz)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 on Sunday]
MON 06:00 Poirot (b007jvp9)
Lord Edgware Dies, Episode 1
At a nightclub, Belgian sleuth, Hercule Poirot and Captain Hastings meet the elegant Lady Edgware who has a surprising personal request...
Agatha Christie's whodunit stars John Moffat as Hercule Poirot, Simon Williams as Captain Hastings, Nicola Pagett as Jane and Carlotta, James Greene as Lord Edgware and Norman Jones as Inspector Japp.
From the book first published in 1933 and dramatised by Michael Bakewell.
Director: Enyd Williams
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1992.
MON 06:30 Too Many Books (b01351q2)
It's something that most of us have to do, from time to time: get rid of old books. People moving house, someone whose partner has died, those simply needing more space in the kitchen find that their bookshelves just aren't big enough.
Sarah Cuddon examines the difficult decisions behind the seemingly mundane choices we make when deciding which books stay and which books go.
Amongst the people she talks to are Brian, who lives in Dorset. One shelf at a time, he wades through, weighing up a Delia Smith against a book about Spike Milligan. Does it stay on the shelf? Should it go in the box? Angel is contemplating a vast and varied collection of valuable volumes left after the death of her husband. Whilst Trevor in South East London peruses each title, skimming, pausing to reflect on his attachment to Boswell, Hunter S Thompson and James Lee Burke. They all stare at their shelves and start making painful decisions, based on their human relationship with individual books.
What will happen to them? Are they destined for ebay? A high end auction? Or to get rained-on in a sad-looking plastic bag outside a charity shop?
Sarah visits Britain's largest second hand bookshop. Every book has to justify its shelf space and Sarah discovers the fate of thousands of unwanted ones.
Arriving early, pavement bookseller Mike assesses the clutter and junked belongings at a car boot sale.
As the stories unfold, we learn that the reasons people hold on to them are as individual as the books.
Presenter: Sarah Cuddon
Producer: Tamsin Hughes
A Testbed production for BBC Radio 4.
MON 07:00 Do Nothing 'Til You Hear From Me (b0076hjw)
Series 1, I Could Write a Book
Roy must face up to life after the loss of Leonard, his beloved trombone. Stars Ram Jam Holder. From October 2003.
MON 07:30 The Museum of Curiosity (b08b7t22)
Series 10, Episode 3
This week, Professor John Lloyd his curator Jo Brand welcome a fashion historian with a taste for nautical chic, Amber Butchart; a quizzer with a business head and 57 trillion entries in his address book, Jack Waley-Cohen; and a comedian who's as big Down Under as he is internationally, Jimeoin.
This week, the Museum's guests investigate a failed cure for malaria that made the world go crazy for mauve; an inventive use of adverbs that will obsess inventive punsters; and a new unit of velocity for compressed curd.
Researched by Anne Miller of QI and Mike Turner.
The production coordinator was Sophie Richardson.
The producers were Richard Turner and James Harkin.
It was a BBC Studios Production.
MON 08:00 Not in Front of the Children (b08cgp53)
Series 2, Bundle of Joy
Jennifer's baby is due and everybody is agog, especially the children. Of course, the girls want a sister and son Robin hopes for a brother ...
Starring Wendy Craig as Jennifer Corner, Francis Matthews as Henry Corner, Charlotte Mitchell as Mary, Roberta Tovey as Trudi, Hugo Keith-Johnston as Robin, Jill Riddick as Amanda, Ross Hutchinson as Dr Steele and Alexander John as Dr Walker.
The second series of comedy mishaps of the Corner family: Jennifer and Henry and their three children Trudi, Amanda and Robin. Not in Front of the Children originally ran for four series from 1967 to 1970 on BBC TV. 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. This was the first of several housewife roles that Wendy Craig was to play on television. Later series included And Mother Makes Three/Five and Butterflies.
Music by Ronnie Hazlehurst
Producer: Trafford Whitelock.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 1970.
MON 08:30 Dad's Army (b007k1s5)
Series 1, The Man and the Hour
14th May 1940: George Mainwaring, manager of Swallow's Bank in Walmington-on-Sea, answers his country's wartime call to form a platoon of Local Defence Volunteers - with the help of a misfit bunch of tradesmen and bankers.
Six years after legendary sitcom Dad's Army started on BBC TV, these specially adapted radio versions began recording with the original cast.
Starring Arthur Lowe as Captain Mainwaring, John Le Mesurier as Sergeant Wilson, Clive Dunn as Corporal Jones, Ian Lavender as Private Pike, John Laurie as Private Fraser, James Beck as Private Walker, Arnold Ridley as Godfrey and John Snagge as the announcer.
Adapted from Jimmy Perry and David Croft's original BBC TV scripts by Michael Knowles and Harold Snoad.
Producer: John Dyas
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 1974.
MON 09:00 Just a Minute (b00qtt8c)
Series 56, Episode 8
Nicholas Parsons chairs the devious word game with Graham Norton, Sue Perkins, Paul Merton and Tony Hawks. From February 2010.
MON 09:30 Anything Legal (b0084hrs)
Episode 3
The city gents' new business makes them money, but at what cost? Stars Donald Hewlett and Michael Knowles. From November 1984.
MON 10:00 Nicholas Monsarrat - The Cruel Sea (b01qxyw3)
Episode 1
Dramatised by John Fletcher.
1 of 2.
The first part of Nicholas Monsarrat's searing classic novel about the men and ships who fought who fought in the North Atlantic during the 2nd World War.
Lockhart ..... Gwilym Lee
Ericson ..... Jonathan Coy
Ferraby ..... Carl Prekopp
Wainwright ..... David Seddon
Phillips ..... Peter Hamilton-Dyer
Gregg ..... Harry Livingstone
Mavis ..... Tracy Wiles
Coxswain ..... James Lailey
Donnelly ..... Adam Billington
Sound by Caleb Knightley
Directed by Marc Beeby
The Cruel Sea is the story of the crew of a newly commissioned corvette, Compass Rose, a ship that forms part of the escort to merchant convoys during World War II. The crew are mostly inexperienced men from non-naval backgrounds and the story focuses on their differing reactions to the horrifying experiences they have as German U-boats attack their convoys with increasing success. Some will survive the war, and some won't - but all of them will be changed by their experiences.
But this isn't just a war story. In a surprisingly subtle way, The Cruel Sea also chronicles the often abrasive process by which classes, previously unknown to each other, were thrown together onboard ship and had to learn to rub along - and how the earned respect, in the long term, led to the future Welfare State and the social equity and cooperation of the 50's and 60's.
The novel, published in 1951, was an immediate success and it has never been out of print since. It brings home the realities of the longest battle in the second world war, the Battle for the Atlantic, but it does so not through harrowing depiction of the horrors involved, but through its detailed depiction the people involved, people we come to care about, to admire, and to mourn.
MON 11:00 Tessa Hadley - Married Love (b01dtmr0)
Friendly Fire
Shelley gets to grips with her cleaning job, and her thoughts turn to her son who is serving in Afghanistan. Read by Julia Ford.
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 Not in Front of the Children (b08cgp53)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
MON 12:30 Dad's Army (b007k1s5)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
MON 13:00 Poirot (b007jvp9)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
MON 13:30 Too Many Books (b01351q2)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
MON 14:00 Book at Bedtime (b00k3mdq)
The House of Special Purpose, Episode 6
David Warner reads John Boyne's haunting novel which travels to the heart of the Russian empire where young imperial family bodyguard Georgy Jachmenev is privy to the secrets of Tsar Nicholas and his circle.
Georgy and Anastasia steal out of the Winter Palace in disguise to see the White Nights, but are they being watched?
MON 14:15 Amanda Vickery - A History of Private Life (b00mzw4f)
All My Life Is a Struggle With Dirt
Women's struggle to clean and care for their families in a household moral mission. Amanda Vickery's hidden history of the home.
MON 14:30 Victor Hugo - Les Miserables (b007jmkt)
Episode 1
France 1815: Jean Valjean - sentenced to 19 years hard labour for stealing a loaf of bread - is finally released from prison.
Given shelter by the kind-hearted Bishop of Digne, he's tempted to carry out one more criminal act.
Victor Hugo's epic story of social injustice, dramatised in 25 episodes by Sebastian Baczkiewicz and Lin Coghlan.
Starring Roger Allam as Jean Valjean, Joss Ackland as Victor Hugo, David Schofield as Inspector Javert and David De Keyser as Bishop Myriel.
Producer: Jeremy Mortimer
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 2001.
MON 14:45 Book of the Week (b01d0ky6)
Svetlana Alliluyeva - 20 Letters to a Friend, Episode 1
By Svetlana Alliluyeva. Abridged by Eileen Horne.
Writing as if to a close friend, Josef Stalin's daughter recalls her extraordinary life as an eyewitness to history, beginning with the searing memory of her father's final hours, and the turmoil provoked by his terrible death...
Read by Stella Gonet
Producer: Clive Brill
A Pacificus production for BBC Radio 4.
MON 15:00 Nicholas Monsarrat - The Cruel Sea (b01qxyw3)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 today]
MON 16:00 Just a Minute (b00qtt8c)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
MON 16:30 Anything Legal (b0084hrs)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 today]
MON 17:00 Do Nothing 'Til You Hear From Me (b0076hjw)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
MON 17:30 The Museum of Curiosity (b08b7t22)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
MON 18:00 Charles Chilton - Journey Into Space (b007js9j)
The World in Peril, Episode 16
Captain Jet Morgan and the crew of the Discovery ambush the Lunar Controller.
Continuing the 20-part serial - the third of Charles Chilton's classic sci-fi trilogy set in 1972.
Stars Andrew Faulds as Jet Morgan, Alfie Bass as Lemmy Barnett, Guy Kingsley-Poynter as Doc and Don Sharp as Mitch. With David Jacobs and Alan Tylvern.
Music composed and orchestra conducted by Van Phillips.
Written and produced by Charles Chilton.
First broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in January 1956.
MON 18:30 A Good Read (b0076gdj)
Anthony Green & Kathleen Griffin
Sue MacGregor is joined by the exuberant painter Anthony Green and writer Kathleen Griffin to discuss books by UA Fanthorpe, Ernst Gombrich and Robert Sole. From 2003.
Consequences by UA Fanthorpe
Publisher: Peterloo Poets
The Story of Art by EH Gombrich
Publisher: Phaidon
Birds of Passage by Robert Sole
Publisher: Harvill Press.
MON 19:00 Not in Front of the Children (b08cgp53)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
MON 19:30 Dad's Army (b007k1s5)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
MON 20:00 Poirot (b007jvp9)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
MON 20:30 Too Many Books (b01351q2)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
MON 21:00 Tessa Hadley - Married Love (b01dtmr0)
[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 The Museum of Curiosity (b08b7t22)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
MON 22:30 The Lee Mack Show (b00c4cd2)
Toyah Willcox
Toyah Willcox joins the sharp comedian for stand-up, sketches and music. With Angela McHale and Steve Brown. From April 2005.
MON 22:55 The Comedy Club Interviews (b08dmfzz)
The best in contemporary comedy. Iain Lee chats to Kieran Hodgson.
MON 23:00 News Quiz Extra (b08chtsg)
Series 19, Episode 4
Miles Jupp chews the headline fat with Jeremy Hardy, Zoe Lyons, Helen Lewis and Vicki Pepperdine.
Producer: Hayley Sterling
A BBC Studios Production.
MON 23:45 Why Bother? (b08ch021)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:45 on Sunday]

TUESDAY 31 JANUARY 2017

TUE 00:00 Charles Chilton - Journey Into Space (b007js9j)
[Repeat of broadcast at 18:00 on Monday]
TUE 00:30 A Good Read (b0076gdj)
[Repeat of broadcast at 18:30 on Monday]
TUE 01:00 Poirot (b007jvp9)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 on Monday]
TUE 01:30 Too Many Books (b01351q2)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 on Monday]
TUE 02:00 Book at Bedtime (b00k3mdq)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:00 on Monday]
TUE 02:15 Amanda Vickery - A History of Private Life (b00mzw4f)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:15 on Monday]
TUE 02:30 Victor Hugo - Les Miserables (b007jmkt)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:30 on Monday]
TUE 02:45 Book of the Week (b01d0ky6)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:45 on Monday]
TUE 03:00 Nicholas Monsarrat - The Cruel Sea (b01qxyw3)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 on Monday]
TUE 04:00 Just a Minute (b00qtt8c)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 on Monday]
TUE 04:30 Anything Legal (b0084hrs)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 on Monday]
TUE 05:00 Do Nothing 'Til You Hear From Me (b0076hjw)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 on Monday]
TUE 05:30 The Museum of Curiosity (b08b7t22)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 on Monday]
TUE 06:00 Poirot (b007jvpg)
Lord Edgware Dies, Episode 2
Lord Edgware has been murdered at his house in Regent Gate and Inspector Japp suspects Lady Edgware of the crime.
Agatha Christie's whodunit stars John Moffat as Hercule Poirot, Simon Williams as Captain Hastings, Nicola Pagett as Jane Wilkinson, Jean Reeve as Poirot's Housekeeper, Eric Allan as the Duke of Merton, Brett Usher as Bryan Martin and Norman Jones as Inspector Japp.
From the book first published in 1933 and dramatised by Michael Bakewell.
Director: Enyd Williams
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1992.
TUE 06:30 Mastering the Art of the Kimono (b017chpt)
Japan: Despite being an enduring cultural symbol, the kimono industry in steep decline. Roland Buerk asks why. From November 2011.
TUE 07:00 Life in London (b011vjfn)
The Show Folks
Desperate for money, Pierce Egan tries to get Tom, Bob and Jerry's adventures onto the stage. Stars Greg Wise. From May 2006.
TUE 07:30 John Finnemore's Souvenir Programme (b08b7wd3)
Series 6, Episode 5
John Finnemore, writer and star of Cabin Pressure and John Finnemore's Double Acts and regular guest on The Now Show and The Unbelievable Truth, returns for a sixth series of his multi-award-winning Souvenir Programme, joined as ever by Margaret Cabourn-Smith, Simon Kane, Lawry Lewin, and Carrie Quinlan.
John Finnemore's Souvenir Programme was described by The Radio Times as "the best sketch show in years, on television or radio", and by The Daily Telegraph as "funny enough to make even the surliest cat laugh". Already the winner of a BBC Audio Drama Award and a Radio Academy Silver Award, John was named the 2016 Radio Broadcaster of the Year by the Broadcasting Press Guild for his work on Souvenir Programme.
5/6
This week on Souvenir Programme, we take another tip Behind Closed Doors; a famous author takes drastic measures to improve his sales; and we find out what a certain celebrity is really like.
Written by & starring ... John Finnemore
Cast ... Margaret Cabourn-Smith
Cast ... Simon Kane
Cast ... Lawry Lewin
Cast ... Carrie Quinlan
Original music composed and performed by ... Susannah Pearse.
Production Coordinator...Sophie Richardson
Producer ... Ed Morrish
A BBC Studios Production.
TUE 08:00 Steptoe and Son (b007k0rm)
Series 4, The Lodger
Albert and Harold Steptoe argue over their lack of cash.
Starring Wilfrid Brambell as Albert and Harry H Corbett as Harold. With William Eadie.
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.
Written for TV and adapted for radio by Ray Galton and Alan Simpson.
Produced by Bobby Jaye
First broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in February 1972.
TUE 08:30 The Men From the Ministry (b019drtz)
Where There's a Will
The government is promised millions, but the duo must sort out a sculpture. With Deryck Guyler. Re-recorded in April 1980.
TUE 09:00 News Quiz Extra (b08chtsg)
[Repeat of broadcast at 23:00 on Monday]
TUE 09:45 Why Bother? (b08ch021)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:45 on Sunday]
TUE 10:00 Nicholas Monsarrat - The Cruel Sea (b01qyj6m)
Episode 2
Dramatised by John Fletcher.
2 of 2.
The second part of Nicholas Monsarrat's searing classic novel about the war in the North Atlantic.
Lockhart ..... Gwilym Lee
Ericson ..... Jonathan Coy
Hallam ..... Tracy Wiles
Wainwright ..... David Seddon
Raikes ..... Gerard McDermott
Phillips ..... Peter Hamilton-Dyer
Ferraby ..... Carl Prekopp
Gregg ..... Harry Livingstone
The Operator ..... Adam Billington
Coxswain ..... James Lailey
Sound by Caleb Knightley
Directed by Marc Beeby.
TUE 11:00 Tessa Hadley - Married Love (b01dts86)
Because the Night, pt 1
When her parents decide to have a party, Kristen comes up with an escape plan. Coming of age story read by Susie Riddell.
TUE 11:15 Graham Swannell - The Gift (b05tbrqz)
A young man, dying of an incurable disease, asks an old school friend to join him on a journey to the sun. Stars David Collings.
TUE 12:00 Steptoe and Son (b007k0rm)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
TUE 12:30 The Men From the Ministry (b019drtz)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
TUE 13:00 Poirot (b007jvpg)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
TUE 13:30 Mastering the Art of the Kimono (b017chpt)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
TUE 14:00 Book at Bedtime (b00k3mds)
The House of Special Purpose, Episode 7
David Warner reads John Boyne's haunting novel which travels to the heart of the Russian empire where young imperial family bodyguard Georgy Jachmenev is privy to the secrets of Tsar Nicholas and his circle.
Fear blights Georgy's mind as he recounts the dread that Rasputin would betray him, and the panic of almost losing his beloved wife, Zoya.
TUE 14:15 Amanda Vickery - A History of Private Life (b00mzw4j)
Pots and Pans
What do letters and diaries tell us about running the home in the 16th and 17th centuries? Why do pots and pans matter?
TUE 14:30 Victor Hugo - Les Miserables (b007jmld)
Episode 2
Jean Valjean has broken the terms of his parole, and is on the run. Dramatisation of Victor Hugo's epic novel with Joss Ackland.
TUE 14:45 Book of the Week (b01dd3wj)
Svetlana Alliluyeva - 20 Letters to a Friend, Episode 2
By Svetlana Alliluyeva. Abridged by Eileen Horne.
Svetlana describes her early childhood, which slowly turned from idyll to nightmare as her father's power grew and his tyranny began to destroy close friends and family.
Read by Stella Gonet
Producer: Clive Brill
A Pacificus production for BBC Radio 4.
TUE 15:00 Nicholas Monsarrat - The Cruel Sea (b01qyj6m)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 today]
TUE 16:00 Trivia Test Match (b00whw4d)
From 12/11/1991
Brian Johnston umpires, as Willie Rushton and Paul Merton battle Tim Rice and Alfred Marks. From November 1991.
TUE 16:30 Tony's (b00tr846)
Series 2, Danger in the Night
Someone's got a grudge against hairdressers - so where's the safest place to sleep?
Series 2 of the misadventures in the life of a corner-shop barber starring Victor Spinetti as Tony, Deryck Guyler as Stanley, Deborah Watling as Maisie.
With guests: Norma Ronald, Mike Grady, Edward Kelsey and Robert Gillespie.
Written by Jim Eldridge.
Incidental music by Max Harris.
Producer: John Fawcett Wilson
First broadcast on BBC Radio 2 in February 1981.
TUE 17:00 Life in London (b011vjfn)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
TUE 17:30 John Finnemore's Souvenir Programme (b08b7wd3)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
TUE 18:00 Charles Chilton - Journey Into Space (b007jscg)
The World in Peril, Episode 17
With few resources available, Jet and his crew race to make radio contact. Sci-fi classic from 1956 stars Andrew Faulds and David Jacobs.
TUE 18:30 How Tickled Am I? (b007jp99)
Series 1, Jimmy James
Mark Radcliffe looks at the comedians' comedian, Jimmy James, a teetotaller revered for his stage act of playing a drunk.
TUE 19:00 Steptoe and Son (b007k0rm)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
TUE 19:30 The Men From the Ministry (b019drtz)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
TUE 20:00 Poirot (b007jvpg)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
TUE 20:30 Mastering the Art of the Kimono (b017chpt)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
TUE 21:00 Tessa Hadley - Married Love (b01dts86)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:00 today]
TUE 21:15 Graham Swannell - The Gift (b05tbrqz)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:15 today]
TUE 22:00 John Finnemore's Souvenir Programme (b08b7wd3)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
TUE 22:30 2000 Years of Radio (b007szjn)
Series 2, Beagle FM
1836, and DJ Suzanne Canker joins Charlie Darwin aboard HMS Beagle. Recreation of the wireless archives with Hazel Grain. From September 2002.
TUE 22:45 The Problem With Adam Bloom (b007n101)
Series 1, Gossip
The comedian asks exactly who starts rumours? Brendan Burns and Sarah Kennedy help silence wagging tongues. From August 2003.
TUE 22:55 The Comedy Club Interviews (b08dmg5z)
The best in contemporary comedy. Iain Lee chats to Kieran Hodgson.
TUE 23:00 The Nick Revell Show (b007jp45)
Series 1, Episode 1
The life of a struggling writer with dysfunctional friends and a talking geranium. With Alistair McGowan. From January 1992.
TUE 23:30 Delve Special (b007jmj8)
Series 3, Cowboys
Reporter David Lander investigates Britain's cowboy builders. Stars Stephen Fry and Dawn French. From September 1986.

WEDNESDAY 01 FEBRUARY 2017

WED 00:00 Charles Chilton - Journey Into Space (b007jscg)
[Repeat of broadcast at 18:00 on Tuesday]
WED 00:30 How Tickled Am I? (b007jp99)
[Repeat of broadcast at 18:30 on Tuesday]
WED 01:00 Poirot (b007jvpg)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 on Tuesday]
WED 01:30 Mastering the Art of the Kimono (b017chpt)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 on Tuesday]
WED 02:00 Book at Bedtime (b00k3mds)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:00 on Tuesday]
WED 02:15 Amanda Vickery - A History of Private Life (b00mzw4j)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:15 on Tuesday]
WED 02:30 Victor Hugo - Les Miserables (b007jmld)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:30 on Tuesday]
WED 02:45 Book of the Week (b01dd3wj)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:45 on Tuesday]
WED 03:00 Nicholas Monsarrat - The Cruel Sea (b01qyj6m)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 on Tuesday]
WED 04:00 Trivia Test Match (b00whw4d)
[Repeat of broadcast at 16:00 on Tuesday]
WED 04:30 Tony's (b00tr846)
[Repeat of broadcast at 16:30 on Tuesday]
WED 05:00 Life in London (b011vjfn)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 on Tuesday]
WED 05:30 John Finnemore's Souvenir Programme (b08b7wd3)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 on Tuesday]
WED 06:00 Poirot (b007jvpl)
Lord Edgware Dies, Episode 3
A second victim of murder is revealed - but were they really involved in the death of Lord Edgware? Questions galore for Belgian sleuth, Hercule Poirot.
Agatha Christie's whodunit stars John Moffat as Hercule Poirot, Simon Williams as Captain Hastings, Nicola Pagett as Jane Wilkinson, Clarence Smith as Edgware's Butler, Eva Stuart as Miss Carroll and Norman Jones as Inspector Japp.
From the book first published in 1933 and dramatised by Michael Bakewell.
Director: Enyd Williams
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1992.
WED 06:30 Curb your Judaism (b015n6q1)
Comedian and writer David Schneider investigates why British Jewish comedy has lagged behind compared to its much more self-confident American equivalent. Mention Jewish humour in this country and the first names that spring to mind would most likely all be American: Mel Brooks, Woody Allen, Jackie Mason, Larry David, Jerry Seinfeld and so on.
It's been well-documented how Jews have dominated the US entertainment industry but in the UK, says Schneider, it's been a different story. He investigates why Jewish comics and writers have lagged behind and whether, with the airing of two new Jewish sitcoms on British television, 'Grandma' House' and 'Friday Night Dinner', the tide is finally turning. Does this mean a greater sense of self-confidence for British Jewish comic identity and for the community as a whole, or just a greater acceptance of Jewishness in mainstream media?
Schneider speaks to Robert Popper, the writer of 'Friday Night Dinner', and to Dan Swimer who co-wrote 'Grandma's House' about how both shows were keen to avoid Jewish stereotypes and portray families with universal appeal. Writers Laurence Marks and Maurice Gran talk about their difficulties in getting a Jewish sitcom commissioned in the past and how they decided to write Jewish characters instead, such as Dorian in 'Birds of a Feather'.
Meera Syal discusses the contrast with British Asian comedy and why it's been so successful, while David Baddiel considers how political correctness has impacted on Jewish comedy in this country. Finally Schneider speaks to one of Britain's most successful Jewish comedians Matt Lucas, who says he's now ready to explore his own ethnicity further with his sitcom project 'Four Generations'.
Presented by David Schneider
Producer: Simon Jacobs
A Unique Production for BBC Radio 4.
WED 07:00 An Actor's Life for Me (b007szmj)
Series 1, Separate Troubles
Sue has thrown actor Robert out. What could possibly bring them together again? Stars John Gordon-Sinclair and Caroline Quentin.
WED 07:30 What Does the K Stand For? (b08bb33b)
Series 3, Working for a Living
Sitcom about comedian Stephen K Amos's teenage years in 1980s South London. Written by Jonathan Harvey with Stephen K Amos.
This week Stephen takes his first steps into working life.
Starring Ellen Thomas, Laurie Kynaston, Stephen K Amos, Frances Barber, Bola Okun, Emerald Crankson, Karen Bartke and David Sterne.
Produced by Paul Sheehan.
Production Coordinator Beverly Tagg.
A BBC Studios Production.
WED 08:00 The Navy Lark (b007jmzt)
The TV Documentary
Confusion abounds when HMS Troutbridge gets a telly makeover as a German wartime frigate
Starring Leslie Phillips as the Sub-Lieutenant, Jon Pertwee as the Chief Petty Officer, Stephen Murray as the Commanding Officer, Richard Caldicot as Captain Povey, Heather Chasen as Mrs Povey, Michael Bates as the Rear Admiral and Tenniel Evans as the Admiral.
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 and George Evans.
Producer: Alastair Scott Johnston.
First broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in March 1972.
WED 08:30 Hancock's Half Hour (b007r3dg)
The Expresso Bar
Making no money out of being in showbiz, the lad sees his future in selling coffee.
Starring Tony Hancock, 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 December 1956.
WED 09:00 The Unbelievable Truth (b01gf5wk)
Series 9, Episode 4
David Mitchell hosts the panel game in which four comedians are encouraged to tell lies and compete against one another to see how many items of truth they're able to smuggle past their opponents. Tony Hawks, Arthur Smith, Lucy Porter and Graeme Garden are the panellists obliged to talk with deliberate inaccuracy on subjects as varied as: Restaurants, Barbie dolls, Feet and Garlic.
The show is devised by Graeme Garden and Jon Naismith, the team behind Radio 4's I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue.
Produced by Jon Naismith
A Random Entertainment Production for BBC Radio 4.
WED 09:30 The Newly Discovered Casebook of Sherlock Holmes (b00bf0l6)
Holmes Strikes a Happy Medium
The spoof sleuth tries to unravel murderous goings-on at a seance. Stars Roy Hudd and June Whitfield. From February 1999.
WED 10:00 Leslie Charteris - The Saint (b00b9k9p)
The Saint Overboard
Leslie Charteris' square-jawed, haloed hero Simon Templar - otherwise known as The Saint - sets out to solve the disappearance of missing sunken bullion.
Stars Paul Rhys as Simon Templar, Patsy Kensit as Loretta Page, Jonathan Keeble as Peter Quentin and Geoffrey Whitehead as Vogel.
Dramatised by Neville Teller, this is the 16th book in the adventures of The Saint first published in 1936.
Director: Matthew Walters
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1995.
WED 11:00 Tessa Hadley - Married Love (b01dvvrw)
Because the Night, part 2
Kristen's plan to escape her parents' party hits an annoying snag. Coming of age story concluded by Susie Riddell.
WED 11:15 Clare Seal - Voyages of Descent (b00hhn1g)
Captain Fitzroy sails to tragedy, as Charles Darwin finds fame. Poetic journey of evolution and creation with Fenella Fielding.
WED 12:00 The Navy Lark (b007jmzt)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
WED 12:30 Hancock's Half Hour (b007r3dg)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
WED 13:00 Poirot (b007jvpl)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
WED 13:30 Curb your Judaism (b015n6q1)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
WED 14:00 Book at Bedtime (b00k3mdv)
The House of Special Purpose, Episode 8
David Warner reads John Boyne's haunting novel which travels to the heart of the Russian empire where young imperial family bodyguard Georgy Jachmenev is privy to the secrets of Tsar Nicholas and his circle.
When the Tsar renounces the throne and is captured, Georgy finds himself a fugitive.
WED 14:15 Amanda Vickery - A History of Private Life (b00mzw4l)
Kitchen Physic
Historian Amanda Vickery presents a series which reveals the hidden history of home over 400 years. She draws on first-hand accounts from letters and diaries, many of which have never been heard before. Including songs which have been specially recorded for the series.
From rabies to madness and piles, the housewives of the past were expected to concoct medicines which would cure any condition.
Readers: Deborah Findlay, John Sessions, Madeleine Brolly and Simon Tcherniak.
Singers: Gwyneth Herbert and Thomas Guthrie, with David Owen Norris at the keyboard.
A Loftus production for BBC Radio 4.
WED 14:30 Victor Hugo - Les Miserables (b007jmly)
Episode 3
Jean Valjean wins respect as the Mayor of Montreuil, but life is less rosy for Fantine. Victor Hugo's epic stars Joss Ackland.
WED 14:45 Book of the Week (b01dd3x5)
Svetlana Alliluyeva - 20 Letters to a Friend, Episode 3
By Svetlana Alliluyeva. Abridged by Eileen Horne.
Finally resolving to confront the past, Svetlana describes her paradoxical adoration for a strict and judgmental mother, and the awful truth about her mother's untimely death....
Read by Stella Gonet
Producer: Clive Brill
A Pacificus production for BBC Radio 4.
WED 15:00 Leslie Charteris - The Saint (b00b9k9p)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 today]
WED 16:00 The Unbelievable Truth (b01gf5wk)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
WED 16:30 The Newly Discovered Casebook of Sherlock Holmes (b00bf0l6)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 today]
WED 17:00 An Actor's Life for Me (b007szmj)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
WED 17:30 What Does the K Stand For? (b08bb33b)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
WED 18:00 Charles Chilton - Journey Into Space (b007jsfq)
The World in Peril, Episode 18
With the Martians in pursuit, Jet Morgan and the crew try desperately to get a message to Earth. Sci-fi classic from 1956 stars Andrew Faulds and Alfie Bass.
WED 18:30 Off the Page (b00smq83)
Entitlement
When did what we desire become what we feel we deserve ? In an age when foreign holidays have become routine and over 25,000 public sector workers earn £100,000 a year and more, we tackle this mood of relentless entitlement with Heather Brooke, whose tireless use of the Freedom of Information act helped to break the MPs expenses scandal; stand up Simon Evans, whose routine includes a description of his accent as exotic 'and that's because it is educated'; and Naomi Alderman whose first novel Disobedience won the Orange Award for Young Writers and who feels our sense of entitlement should be replaced by a purer feeling of gratitude. The presenter is Dominic Arkwright and the producer is Miles Warde.
WED 19:00 The Navy Lark (b007jmzt)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
WED 19:30 Hancock's Half Hour (b007r3dg)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
WED 20:00 Poirot (b007jvpl)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
WED 20:30 Curb your Judaism (b015n6q1)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
WED 21:00 Tessa Hadley - Married Love (b01dvvrw)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:00 today]
WED 21:15 Clare Seal - Voyages of Descent (b00hhn1g)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:15 today]
WED 22:00 What Does the K Stand For? (b08bb33b)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
WED 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.
WED 23:00 Life: An Idiot's Guide (b045xxst)
Series 3, Mortality
Stephen K Amos is joined by comedians Jason Cook, Brendon Burns and Robin Ince to present a guide to mortality.
Additional material by Stephen Grant and Hugh Sington. Produced by Colin Anderson.
WED 23:30 Dan and Nick: The Wildebeest Years (b00dbj12)
Tossed in Space
Dan Freedman and Nick Romero serve up a salad family who are Tossed in Space, plus Robin Wood and The Archers abroad. From August 1998.

THURSDAY 02 FEBRUARY 2017

THU 00:00 Charles Chilton - Journey Into Space (b007jsfq)
[Repeat of broadcast at 18:00 on Wednesday]
THU 00:30 Off the Page (b00smq83)
[Repeat of broadcast at 18:30 on Wednesday]
THU 01:00 Poirot (b007jvpl)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 on Wednesday]
THU 01:30 Curb your Judaism (b015n6q1)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 on Wednesday]
THU 02:00 Book at Bedtime (b00k3mdv)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:00 on Wednesday]
THU 02:15 Amanda Vickery - A History of Private Life (b00mzw4l)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:15 on Wednesday]
THU 02:30 Victor Hugo - Les Miserables (b007jmly)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:30 on Wednesday]
THU 02:45 Book of the Week (b01dd3x5)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:45 on Wednesday]
THU 03:00 Leslie Charteris - The Saint (b00b9k9p)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 on Wednesday]
THU 04:00 The Unbelievable Truth (b01gf5wk)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 on Wednesday]
THU 04:30 The Newly Discovered Casebook of Sherlock Holmes (b00bf0l6)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 on Wednesday]
THU 05:00 An Actor's Life for Me (b007szmj)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 on Wednesday]
THU 05:30 What Does the K Stand For? (b08bb33b)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 on Wednesday]
THU 06:00 Poirot (b007jvpv)
Lord Edgware Dies, Episode 4
Inspector Japp has tracked down the taxi driver who drove two very unlikely passengers to Regent Gate on the night of Lord Edgware's murder...
Agatha Christie's whodunit stars John Moffat as Hercule Poirot, Simon Williams as Captain Hastings, Norman Jones as Inspector Japp and Charles Millham as Ronald Marsh.
From the book first published in 1933 and dramatised by Michael Bakewell.
Director: Enyd Williams
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1992.
THU 06:30 Ladies of the Links (b012zwz0)
Marking the bi-centenary of the first ever women's golf tournament, Rhona Cameron plays a round at Musselburgh, both the scene of that historic competition and also her home course.
Records show that during the nineteenth century a women's golf competition was held annually on New Years Day among the fishwives of Musselburgh. The earliest known reference to an open women's golf competition at Musselburgh dates from 9th January 1811.
To ensure a bumper entry from the hard-working women of the fishing community the winner's prize was a 'creel' and a 'skull' (the headdress and basket used to carry fish). The consolation prizes were 'two fine silk handkerchiefs from Barcelona'.
Musselburgh Links is the site of the oldest remaining golf course in the world. This nine-hole course is a relic from the 'cradle of golf' and remains as a testimony to what was the centre of Scottish golf during its greatest era. The course itself is fascinating. Unexpectedly it is on the infield of a race course, slap-bang in the middle of a horse racing track.
Rhona Cameron was born and raised in Musselburgh and is a keen golfer. For this programme she will play a round on the famous Musselburgh links course, whilst exploring the history of this famous game and considering the origins of women's golf more generally.
Producer: Kevin Dawson
A Whistledown Production for BBC Radio 4.
THU 07:00 Mark Tavener - In the Red (b007k0qh)
Episode 6
Reporter George is due in court - while BBC controllers keep on plotting to axe the Director General.
London is plagued by a series of bizarre murders of bank managers. Hot on the trail of the killer are an old-style Chief Police Inspector and BBC Radio's crime correspondent, George Cragge.
A blackly humorous murder mystery set in the world of City finance, the BBC and political parties. Dramatised in seven-parts by Mark Tavener and Peter Baynham from Mark Tavener's novel.
Starring Michael Williams as George Cragge, Stephen Moore as Geoffrey Crichton-Potter, Julian Rhind-Tutt as Henry, Barry Foster as Frank Jefferson, Stephen Fry as Controller Radio 2, John Bird as Controller Radio 4, Peter Serafinowcz as Andrew James and Benjamin Whitrow as Dominic De'ath.
Music by Paul Mottram
Producer: Paul Schlesinger
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1995.
THU 07:30 The Cold Swedish Winter (b06sg2mm)
Series 2, Winter
The second series of this sitcom from Danny Robins (co-creator Lenny Henry comedy Rudy's Rare Records), set and recorded in Sweden and starring Edinburgh Comedy Award-winner Adam Riches, Danny Robins and a cast of Sweden's most popular TV comedy actors.
Geoff has moved to Yxsjö in northern Sweden, to start a new life with his girlfriend Linda in the (frequently frosty) bosom of her family.
This year, new dad Geoff has plenty of fresh experiences to contend with, including three varieties of pickled cabbage, sinister Christmas elves and an unpleasant visit from Sweden's answer to the BNP. It's all worth it though for Linda (Sissela Benn, star of the Swedish version of The Office) and baby John.
While Geoff and Linda now have their own place, he still has to deal with her disapproving Dad, Sten (comedian Thomas Orredsson from Crimes of Passion), her alarmingly flirtatious mother Gunilla (comedian Anna- Lena Bergelin) and her apparently suicidal, arsonist brother, Anders (award-winning stand upFredrik Andersson).
Geoff is determined to be more Swedish than the Swedes as he takes to his new country with renewed enthusiasm, and he has help, in the form of fellow ex-pat, cynical Ian (Danny Robins), an unending source of (slightly misleading) information, and Soran (Farshad Kohlgi of The Killing), a Danish Kurd with Swedophobia.
Episode 1:
Geoff and the Anderssons celebrating baby John's first Christmas, as Geoff unwisely volunteers to organise the festivities for the whole family.
Writer: Danny Robins
Director: Frank Stirling
A Unique production for BBC Radio 4.
THU 08:00 Stop Messing About! (b00c5rfw)
Series 1, Episode 8
Kenneth Williams' admirers are set to meet, some nautical polari - and it's murder in San Francisco.
With Hugh Paddick, Joan Sims and announcer, Douglas Smith.
After the unexpected death of Kenneth Horne in 1969, plans for the next series of Round The Horne were axed. Instead - using an old catchphrase of Kenneth Williams as a series title - Kenneth joined Hugh Paddick to continue the comedy tradition and was also reunited with his "Carry On" film co-star Joan Sims.
Written by Johnnie Mortimer, Brian Cooke and Myles Rudge
With the Max Harris Group.
Producer: John Simmonds
First broadcast on BBC Radio 2 in May 1969.
THU 08:30 The Michael Bentine Show (b00kvkkw)
From 20/05/1984
From a murderous martial art to an unexploded double bass, it's the ultimate one-man show, written by the host. From May 1984.
THU 09:00 The Personality Test (b007vt9q)
Series 3, Eve Pollard
All about Eve - ex-newspaper editor Eve Pollard tests a panel about herself. With Sue Perkins and Will Smith. From August 2007.
THU 09:30 Nineteen Ninety-Four (b013plyd)
Freedom Is Choice
Sub-Officer Edward Wilson probes a mysterious incident in Cumbria. Orwellian sitcom starring Robert Lindsay. From March 1985.
THU 10:00 Leslie Charteris - The Saint (b00b9xgx)
The Saint Closes the Case
Simon Templar is confronted by arch-villain Dr Rayt Marius in a deadly struggle to save the world from an evil weapon.
Stars Paul Rhys as Simon Templar, Kim Thomson as Patricia Holm, Charles Simpson as Roger Conway, John Hollis as Orace, Joshua Towb as Norman Kent, Sandor Eles as Dr Rayt Marius and John Baddeley as Inspector Claude Eustace Teal.
From Leslie Charteris's third book first published in 1930 under the title 'The Last Hero' and dramatised for radio by Roger Danes.
Director: Matthew Walters
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1995.
THU 11:00 Tessa Hadley - Married Love (b01dvzd3)
Journey Home
Snowbound in Paris, Alec worries about why his sister back home hasn't replied to his text. Short story read by Adam Billington.
THU 11:15 Afternoon Drama (b01ghgk5)
Anita Sullivan - The Hedge
By Anita Sullivan.
Marion and Richard live a quiet life in their perfect garden, sheltered from a turbulent world by their manicured hedge. Then one day, after an explosive row with their daughter Sophie, out of the hedge emerges a mysterious hand. Slowly the outside world starts to bleed into their fragile haven.
A strange and darkly allegorical tale about a family and its fears.
Directed by James Robinson
A BBC Cymru Wales Production.
THU 12:00 Stop Messing About! (b00c5rfw)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
THU 12:30 The Michael Bentine Show (b00kvkkw)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
THU 13:00 Poirot (b007jvpv)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
THU 13:30 Ladies of the Links (b012zwz0)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
THU 14:00 Book at Bedtime (b00k3mdx)
The House of Special Purpose, Episode 9
David Warner reads John Boyne's haunting novel which travels to the heart of the Russian empire where young imperial family bodyguard Georgy Jachmenev is privy to the secrets of Tsar Nicholas and his circle.
On the run, Georgy tracks the Imperial Royal Family - and Anastasia - to a house in Yekaterinburg.
THU 14:15 Amanda Vickery - A History of Private Life (b00mzw4n)
Ornamenting the Home
Exploring life at home in the past, historian Amanda Vickery reveals sewing was a housewife's duty and also acted as valuable therapy.
THU 14:30 Victor Hugo - Les Miserables (b007jmmg)
Episode 4
Poorly Fantine fears desertion, while Jean Valjean resolves to let God decide his fate. Victor Hugo's epic stars Joss Ackland.
THU 14:45 Book of the Week (b01dd3xr)
Svetlana Alliluyeva - 20 Letters to a Friend, Episode 4
By Svetlana Alliluyeva. Abridged by Eileen Horne.
Turning to her teenage years, Svetlana writes to her friend of the heartbreaking period before and during the war when she loses a brother and gains a lover, against her father's wishes...
Read by Stella Gonet
Producer: Clive Brill
A Pacificus production for BBC Radio 4.
THU 15:00 Leslie Charteris - The Saint (b00b9xgx)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 today]
THU 16:00 The Personality Test (b007vt9q)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
THU 16:30 Nineteen Ninety-Four (b013plyd)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 today]
THU 17:00 Mark Tavener - In the Red (b007k0qh)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
THU 17:30 The Cold Swedish Winter (b06sg2mm)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
THU 18:00 Charles Chilton - Journey Into Space (b007jshx)
The World in Peril, Episode 19
Despite their best efforts, Jet Morgan and the crew are prised from their ship by the Martians. Sci-fi classic from 1956 stars Andrew Faulds and David Jacobs.
THU 18:30 Great Lives (b00cvbkm)
Series 16, Lord Longford
Series of biographical discussions with Matthew Parris.
Jon Snow argues the case for the prison reform campaigner and former member of Attlee's cabinet. He is assisted by Longford's daughter Rachel Billington and his biographer Peter Stanford.
THU 19:00 Stop Messing About! (b00c5rfw)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
THU 19:30 The Michael Bentine Show (b00kvkkw)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
THU 20:00 Poirot (b007jvpv)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
THU 20:30 Ladies of the Links (b012zwz0)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
THU 21:00 Tessa Hadley - Married Love (b01dvzd3)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:00 today]
THU 21:15 Afternoon Drama (b01ghgk5)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:15 today]
THU 22:00 The Cold Swedish Winter (b06sg2mm)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
THU 22:30 Newsjack (b08cj5yy)
Series 16, Episode 2
This week's stories bashed, mashed and moulded into sketches, one-liners and vox-pops. Trying to make sense of it all is new host, Angela Barnes.
THU 23:00 King Cutler (b0090bdh)
Episode 6
Phyllis King and Ivor Cutler present offbeat humorous songs, stories and poems. With Ted Harrison. From February 1990.
THU 23:30 Old Harry's Game (b00j16ky)
Series 7, Episode 4
Why is a baby in Hell? Only God can bring people back to life, but can God be persuaded?
Stars Andy Hamilton as Satan, Annette Crosbie as Edith, Robert Duncan as Scumspawn, Jimmy Mulville as Thomas and Timothy West as God.
Other roles played by Felicity Montagu
Written by Andy Hamilton.
Producer: Paul Mayhew-Archer
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 2009.

FRIDAY 03 FEBRUARY 2017

FRI 00:00 Charles Chilton - Journey Into Space (b007jshx)
[Repeat of broadcast at 18:00 on Thursday]
FRI 00:30 Great Lives (b00cvbkm)
[Repeat of broadcast at 18:30 on Thursday]
FRI 01:00 Poirot (b007jvpv)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 on Thursday]
FRI 01:30 Ladies of the Links (b012zwz0)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 on Thursday]
FRI 02:00 Book at Bedtime (b00k3mdx)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:00 on Thursday]
FRI 02:15 Amanda Vickery - A History of Private Life (b00mzw4n)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:15 on Thursday]
FRI 02:30 Victor Hugo - Les Miserables (b007jmmg)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:30 on Thursday]
FRI 02:45 Book of the Week (b01dd3xr)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:45 on Thursday]
FRI 03:00 Leslie Charteris - The Saint (b00b9xgx)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 on Thursday]
FRI 04:00 The Personality Test (b007vt9q)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 on Thursday]
FRI 04:30 Nineteen Ninety-Four (b013plyd)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 on Thursday]
FRI 05:00 Mark Tavener - In the Red (b007k0qh)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 on Thursday]
FRI 05:30 The Cold Swedish Winter (b06sg2mm)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 on Thursday]
FRI 06:00 Poirot (b007jvpx)
Lord Edgware Dies, Episode 5
Ross has had to abandon a telephone conversation with Hercule Poirot to answer the doorbell. When he doesn't return, the panic-stricken Belgian sleuth and Captain Hastings hurry round to his apartment.
Will the murderer finally be unmasked?
Agatha Christie's whodunit stars John Moffat as Hercule Poirot, Simon Williams as Captain Hastings, Norman Jones as Inspector Japp, Adjoa Andoh as Jenny Driver, Nicola Pagett as Jane Wilkinson, Brett Usher as Bryan Martin and Paula Jacobs as Ellis.
From the book first published in 1933 and dramatised by Michael Bakewell.
Director: Enyd Williams
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1992.
FRI 06:30 The Man with Many Names (b015ck96)
Brian O'Nolan he was born - or perhaps Brian O Nuallain if you want to be strictly accurate. He spoke Irish at home and learned English second (and German too); yet arguably his greatest work - the Third Policeman - is a tour de force of English linguistical pyrotechnics and Lewis Carroll-like absurdist exoticism - people turning into bicycles is par for the course.
He published his books as Flann O'Brien; he penned a must-read daily column in the Irish Times as Myles na gCopaleen and at various times in his short life wrote as George Knowall, John James Doe, Matt Duffy, Count O'Blather, Brother Barnabas and Sean O'Longain... But as Brian O'Nolan he was also a senior civil servant and adviser to government ministers, and his habit of retiring early to The Scotch House to consume many, many pints of plain, while tolerated for years ended up finishing his career. In fact 'the little weakness' as one contributor calls it finally cost O'Nolan his life.
To mark the centenary of O'Nolan's birth, Peter Day - a longtime Flann fan - travels to Dublin in search of the reality behind the multiple personas, and meets those who drank with him, supped with him at the family dinner table and have made careers out of studying him...
Producer: Simon Elmes.
FRI 07:00 The Secret Life of Rosewood Avenue (b007jx7h)
The Resurrection of Reverend Carswell
"I have something that the Reverend Hornblower will never enjoy; the love and respect of my congregation..."
Shocks galore for the hapless vicar, Timothy Carswell with a disappearing congregation - and shock new title.
Stephen Sheridan's six-part series stars James Grout as the Reverend Timothy Carswell, Margaret Courtenay as Miss Tilling, Jean Heywood as Miss Tapp, Garrick Hagon as the Reverend Hornblower and Elizabeth Mansfield as Mrs Muir.
Producer: Lissa Evans.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 1991.
FRI 07:30 Robert Newman's Entirely Accurate Encyclopaedia of Evolution (b06mts69)
One of Britain's finest comedians, Rob Newman returns to Radio 4 with a witty, fact-packed series mixing stand-up and sketches, challenging notions of Survival of the Fittest and The Selfish Gene with a new theory that's equal parts enlightening and hilarious.
Rob is our guide on a journey through a unique audio A-Z of nature that takes in everything from altruistic amoebae and dancing squid to Richard Dawkins wrestling naked with a postal worker.
Piecing these fragments together allows Rob to correct some major distortions of Darwinism, as well as rejig the theory of natural selection in the light of what we now know about epigenetics, mirror neurons and the Flintstones.
Written by Rob Newman
Starring Claire Price, with Jenni Murray as the voice of the Encyclopaedia.
Producer: Jon Harvey
Executive Producer: Richard Wilson
A Hat Trick production for BBC Radio 4.
FRI 08:00 I'm Sorry, I'll Read That Again (b00pgypp)
Series 1, Episode 2
Popular music under the lofty eye of a BBC Arts show - and a look back to the unusual year of Nineteen Thirty Foot.
More quick-fire sketches, terrible puns, humorous songs plus TV and cinema parodies.
Written and performed by Tim Brooke-Taylor, John Cleese, David Hatch, Jo Kendall, Bill Oddie and Anthony Buffery.
Originating from the Cambridge University Footlights revue 'Cambridge Circus', ISIRTA ran for 8 years on BBC Radio and quickly developed a cult following.
Songs by Bill Oddie and Hugh Macdonald.
Producer: Humphrey Barclay
First broadcast on the BBC Home Service in April 1964.
FRI 08:30 The Goon Show (b007jy5b)
Queen Anne's Rain
Min is counting rain drops, but why is everyone so wet? Is royalty to blame? Stars Spike Milligan. From December 1958.
FRI 09:00 Who Goes There? (b007w4f8)
Series 2, Episode 4
Martin Young's famous people quiz. With Francis Wheen, Fred Housego, Polly Toynbee and Miles Kington. From July 1998.
FRI 09:30 No Commitments (b03905p7)
Series 12, Game, Set and Match
With Emily and Nick safely married, can Victoria persuade Roger to buy a house in France? Stars Celia Imrie. From May 2006.
FRI 10:00 Leslie Charteris - The Saint (b007jtvy)
The Saint Plays With Fire
Heroic adventurer, Simon Templar uncovers a fascist conspiracy to seize power in France.
Stars Paul Rhys as Simon Templar, Kim Thomson as Patricia Holm, Fiona Fullerton as Valerie, John Baddeley as Inspector Claude Eustace Teal, Jonathan Keeble as Peter Quentin, John Hartley as Fairweather and Geoffrey Whitehead as Luker.
From Leslie Charteris's 19th book first published in 1930 and dramatised for radio by Neville Teller.
Director: Matthew Walters
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1995.
FRI 11:00 Tessa Hadley - Married Love (b01dw5lw)
Pretending
Bittersweet recollections of a childhood friendship founded on pretending games. Short story read by Saskia Wickham.
FRI 11:15 Hattie Naylor - The Devil and Paganini (b007591m)
Niccolò Paganini is regarded as one of the world's greatest ever violinists. An English journalist is intent on eliciting the Italian maestro's secret of his genius.
Born in Genoa in 1782, some people believed the brilliant composer and performer sold his soul in a pact with the Devil in order to become a musical prodigy.
Tom Baker stars as Beelzebub in Hattie Naylor's play. With Marcello Magni as Nicolo Paganini and David Bamber as Scotty.
Violinist: Abigail Young
Producer: Jeremy Mortimer
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1998.
FRI 12:00 I'm Sorry, I'll Read That Again (b00pgypp)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
FRI 12:30 The Goon Show (b007jy5b)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
FRI 13:00 Poirot (b007jvpx)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
FRI 13:30 The Man with Many Names (b015ck96)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
FRI 14:00 Book at Bedtime (b00k3mdz)
The House of Special Purpose, Episode 10
David Warner reads John Boyne's haunting novel which travels to the heart of the Russian empire where young imperial family bodyguard Georgy Jachmenev is privy to the secrets of Tsar Nicholas and his circle.
As he recalls the fate of the Russian Imperial Family, Georgy must face another loss, that of his beloved wife.
FRI 14:15 Amanda Vickery - A History of Private Life (b00mzw4q)
Mistress and Servants
Historian Amanda Vickery on the perils of running a house in Lancashire with unreliable servants. From Elizabeth Shackleton's diaries.
FRI 14:30 Victor Hugo - Les Miserables (b007jmmy)
Episode 5
The Mayor of Montreuil reveals his true identity, while Fantine lies dangerously ill. Victor Hugo's epic stars Joss Ackland.
FRI 14:45 Book of the Week (b01dd3y4)
Svetlana Alliluyeva - 20 Letters to a Friend, Episode 5
By Svetlana Alliluyeva. Abridged by Eileen Horne.
Svetlana and her father become estranged after her first love is exiled from Moscow, only to find some accord after the war when she becomes a mother....
Read by Stella Gonet
Producer: Clive Brill
A Pacificus production for BBC Radio 4.
FRI 15:00 Leslie Charteris - The Saint (b007jtvy)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 today]
FRI 16:00 Who Goes There? (b007w4f8)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
FRI 16:30 No Commitments (b03905p7)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 today]
FRI 17:00 The Secret Life of Rosewood Avenue (b007jx7h)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
FRI 17:30 Robert Newman's Entirely Accurate Encyclopaedia of Evolution (b06mts69)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
FRI 18:00 Charles Chilton - Journey Into Space (b007jsl4)
The World in Peril, Episode 20
As the invasion fleet reaches Earth, can Jet Morgan and his crew save the day? Sci-fi classic from 1956 stars Andrew Faulds, Alfie Bass and David Jacobs.
FRI 18:30 Soul Music (b01c7pqb)
Series 13, Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien
The powerful song, Non, je ne regrette rien, made famous by Edith Piaf, is this week's Soul Music.
Written in 1960 by Charles Dumont, in a fit of despair, he gave the music to lyricist Michel Vaucaire, but was surprised by the words he wrote. Dumont thought the song should be about war or revolution. Vaucaire explained he wanted to give the song to Edith Piaf. She was living in Paris at the time, having recently finished her 'suicide tour' during which she had collapsed. At that time, Piaf didn't think much of Charles Dumont and tried to cancel their appointment. But on hearing the song, Piaf told Dumont that with this song, she would sing again.
Contributers include;
Charles Dumont who lives in Paris at the same apartment, with the same piano on which he wrote the song in 1960. He plays the song on the very same piano.
Lord Lamont, who became associated with the song when asked by a reporter which he regretted most - talking about the 'green shoots of recovery' or allegedly singing in the bath after the withdrawal of Britain from the Exchange Rate Mechanism. Lamont famously replied 'Je ne regrette rien.'
Christine Bovill, who tours a one-woman show about Piaf's life.
Carolyn Birke, biographer of Piaf.
FRI 19:00 I'm Sorry, I'll Read That Again (b00pgypp)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
FRI 19:30 The Goon Show (b007jy5b)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
FRI 20:00 Poirot (b007jvpx)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
FRI 20:30 The Man with Many Names (b015ck96)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
FRI 21:00 Tessa Hadley - Married Love (b01dw5lw)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:00 today]
FRI 21:15 Hattie Naylor - The Devil and Paganini (b007591m)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:15 today]
FRI 22:00 Robert Newman's Entirely Accurate Encyclopaedia of Evolution (b06mts69)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
FRI 22:30 Mark Thomas: The Manifesto (b00x9zdj)
Series 3, Episode 2
Comedian-activist, Mark Thomas collates policies suggested by the studio audience to add to his People's Manifesto.
These policies are intended to improve our world, nation or just our own lives, with tonight's agenda including:
1. 50% Minimum Participation in Elections
2. Converting Fast Food into Renewable Gas
3. Imposing an Earning Cap of £30k on All Bank Employees
Plus there are plenty of "any other business?" suggestions from the studio audience.
FRI 22:55 The Comedy Club Interviews (b08dw54z)
From 10pm to midnight, seven days a week, the Comedy Club has two hours of comedy. Plus Arthur Smith chats to Chris McCausland.
FRI 23:00 The Boosh (b007jmg2)
Jazz
The surreal zoo's staff tackle gangsters, a spirit and porpoises. Stars Julian Barratt and Noel Fielding. From October 2001.
FRI 23:30 Inside Alan Francis (b00hv1rj)
Episode 3
Comedy series in which comedian Alan Francis explores the workings of his own mind in relation to his life, friends and long-suffering girlfriend Jane.
Alan and Jane are due to meet at the solicitors.
With Julian Dutton, Barnaby Power, Kali Peacock.