SATURDAY 28 APRIL 2018

SAT 00:00 GK Chesterton - The Man Who Was Thursday (b007wqf0)
The Earth in Anarchy
The allies head for the coastal town using horses, then motor cars to outrun their masked pursuers.
Published in 1908, GK Chersterton's most famous novel is read in 13 parts by Geoffrey Palmer.
Director: Lawrence Jackson
Made for BBC Radio 7 by BBC Northern Ireland.
First broadcast in 2005.
SAT 00:30 Mastertapes (b01p70cv)
Series 1, Corinne Bailey Rae (the B-Side)
John Wilson continues with his new series in which he talks to leading performers and songwriters about the album that made them or changed them. Recorded in front of a live audience at the BBC's iconic Maida Vale Studios. Each edition includes two episodes, with John initially quizzing the artist about the album in question, and then, in the B-side, the audience puts the questions. Both editions feature exclusive live performances.
Programme 6, the B-side. Having discussed the making of her second album, "The Sea" (in the A-side of the programme, broadcast on Tuesday 4th December and available online), Corinne Bailey Rae responds to questions from the audience and, together with pianist Steve Brown, performs acoustic live versions of some of the songs discussed.
Producer: Paul Kobrak.
SAT 01:00 Geoffrey Household - Rogue Justice (b00h9t28)
Episode 5
Fuelled by unremitting vengeance, the aristocratic English hero's personal war with the Third Reich finally comes to an end.
Conclusion of 5 parts read by Michael Jayston.
Geoffrey Household's sequel to his acclaimed British thriller Rogue Male was published over 40 years later in 1982.
Abridged by Patricia Hannah.
Producer: David Jackson Young
Made for BBC 7 by BBC Scotland and first broadcast in 2009.
SAT 01:30 ...But Still They Come (b01pf5cx)
"...But Still They Come' explores the enormous impact and influence of Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of The War of The World's, telling the story of the recording of the original album, the various incarnations produced in the 35 years since its release and the 2012 version, re-recorded for a new generation.
This programme explains how and why Jeff Wayne began working on a concept album based on H.G. Wells' science fiction masterpiece and the years of hard work it took to realise his vision.
In the summer of 1978, the UK album charts were dominated by Disco and Punk, with the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack firmly entrenched at number one. It was an audacious move and a huge gamble to release a double concept album based on a Victorian science fiction novel. But the compelling blend of progressive rock, classical music, Richard Burton's narration and the fascinating story struck a chord with music fans all over the world and the album became a massive hit, supported by the singles Forever Autumn and Eve of the War.
Guests contributing recollections of the part they played in Jeff's creation include David Essex who voiced The Artilleryman and Justin Hayward who sang Forever Autumn. The programme also contains never-before-heard studio interaction with Richard Burton, David Essex and Jeff Wayne during the original recording sessions.
In the years since its release The War Of The Worlds has morphed in to live stage shows, computer games and apps. Now Jeff has re-interpreted the record for a 21st century audience with a new recording featuring Liam Neeson and Gary Barlow (who both contribute to this programme), and Joss Stone.
Produced by Des Shaw and Chris O'Shaughnessy
A Ten Alps production for BBC Radio 4.
SAT 02:00 Book at Bedtime (b03b2zc4)
Jonathan Coe - Expo 58, Episode 10
London, 1958: unassuming civil servant Thomas Foley is plucked from his desk at the Central Office of Information and sent on a six-month trip to Brussels. His task: to keep an eye on The Britannia, a brand new pub which will form the heart of the British presence at Expo 58 - the biggest World's Fair of the century, and the first to be held since the Second World War.
As soon as he arrives at the site, Thomas feels that he has escaped a repressed, backward-looking country and fallen headlong into an era of modernity and optimism. He is equally bewitched by the surreal, gigantic Atomium, which stands at the heart of this brave new world, and by Anneke, the lovely Flemish hostess who meets him off his plane.
But Thomas's new-found sense of freedom comes at a price: the Cold War is at its height, the mischievous Belgians have placed the American and Soviet pavilions right next to each other - and why is he being followed everywhere by two mysterious emissaries of the British Secret Service?
Expo 58 may represent a glittering future, both for Europe and for Thomas himself, but he will soon be forced to decide where his public and private loyalties really lie.
A Pier production for BBC Radio 4.
SAT 02:15 Shakespeare's Restless World (b01ghgk3)
Toil and Trouble
Neil MacGregor, Director of the British Museum, continues his object-based history. Taking artefacts from William Shakespeare's time, he explores how Elizabethan and Jacobean playgoers made sense of the unstable and rapidly changing world in which they lived.
With old certainties shifting around them, in a time of political and religious unrest and economic expansion, Neil asks what the plays would have meant to the public when they were first performed. He uses carefully selected objects to explore the great issues of the day that preoccupied the public and helped shape the works, and he considers what they can reveal about the concerns and beliefs of Shakespearean England.
Programme 10. TOIL AND TROUBLE - The differences between Scottish and English witches are revealed by a model ship, made to be hung in a church.
Producer: Paul Kobrak.
SAT 02:30 15 Minute Drama (b03775fw)
Melissa Murray - Good News, Episode 5
by Melissa Murray.
Part 5
With the discovery that she is not ill, Adrienne faces a life-changing dilemma: whether to sink back into old habits or break away from the routines of work and family life.
Directed by Marc Beeby.
SAT 02:45 Frank W Abagnale (b00tdmc4)
Catch Me If You Can, Episode 5
The authorities have conman Frank Abagnale Jr within their reach, but he's a very slippery catch. Concluded by William Hope. From August 2010.
SAT 03:00 Dawn Lowe-Watson - Closed to Visitors (b04yf35h)
Once an artists' colony, Reedbeck Hall is now as a museum. One afternoon, when it's closed, a young man turns up asking to be shown around. The curator, Sally, is apprehensive but he's very persuasive.
Sally lives to regret her decision.
Dawn Lowe-Watson's drama stars Deborah Findlay as Sally, John Duttine as Frank, Ann Windsor as Pat, Jill Lidstone as Crispin and John Webb and Steve Hodson as the policemen.
Director: Cherry Cookson
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1992.
SAT 04:00 It's Your Round (b01946wq)
Series 2, Episode 3
Another panel of comedians endeavour to beat each other at their own games, watched over by Angus Deayton.
The rounds this episode include:
Will Self's "What's In My Hand?"...further explanation unnecessary.
Glyes Brandreth's "It's My Party", in which panellists must all pitch their own, new political party.
Sara Pascoe's "Tax Loss Entertainment", in which panellists must improvise the worst play in history.
Arthur Smith's "How Much Would It Cost For You To?", a refinement of a game he's played before in which panellists must guess the money they'd require in order to complete various unpleasant tasks.
Producer: Sam Michell.
SAT 04:30 After Henry (b007k47s)
Series 3, Guilty Secrets
'She does have her sensitivities. And this.... for a woman ... any woman ... even my mother - I'd have thought it would strike at the whole image she has of her entire marriage.'
Sarah tidies up husband Henry's study four years after his death.
Simon Brett's comedy about three generations of women - struggling to cope after the death of Sarah's GP husband - who never quite manage to see eye to eye.
Starring Prunella Scales as Sarah, Joan Sanderson as Eleanor, Benjamin Whitrow as Russell, Gerry Cowper as Clare and Paul Sirr as Rod.
Four radio series were made, but instead of moving to BBC TV , Thames Television produced 'After Henry' for the ITV network.
Producer: Pete Atkin
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 1987.
SAT 05:00 The Stanley Baxter Playhouse (b06shzjj)
Series 7, The Pool
Set on one of Scotland's most famous salmon fishing rivers, we meet two old men with a shared love of the art of fishing and a shared past which haunts them both. Geoffrey Palmer joins Stanley Baxter on the edge of a famous salmon pool in Scotland, on a cold wintry day.
Written by Michael Chaplin
Directed by Marilyn Imrie
A Catherine Bailey production for BBC Radio 4.
SAT 05:30 Stand-Up Specials (b09ztzpw)
Tom Allen Is Actually Not Very Nice
A new one-off show as part of Radio 4's season of Sunday night stand-up specials from Tom Allen, star of The Royal Variety Performance, 8 out of 10 Cats and Mock The Week amongst many others.
Tom Allen is Actually Not Very Nice explores what happens when Tom's calm and collected exterior collapses, be it when confronting some rowdy teenagers on a bus or arguing with his Mum's friend Joyce about ham. He used to be such a nice boy but what has happened to turn him naughty?
With help from the assembled studio audience, Tom works out how best to navigate some tricky social situations and how to keep a lid on his fury when confronted with life's small injustices.
Featuring Gabby Best.
Producer: Richard Morris
A BBC Studios Production.
SAT 06:00 Saturday Drama (b01k1ljh)
Robert M Pirsig - Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance is the story of a motorcycle journey across America, a meditation on values and the concept of Quality, and an allegorical tale of a man coming to terms with his past and with his young son.
The narrator takes a cross-country motorcycle trip from Minnesota to California with his son Chris during which the maintenance of the motorcycle becomes an illustration of how to unify the cold, rational realm of technology (the 'classical') with the warm, imaginative realm of artistry (the 'romantic'). As with the practice of Zen, the trick is to engage fully with the activity, to see and appreciate every detail, whether it's hiking in the woods, writing an essay, or tightening the bike chain to ensure a smooth ride.
The narrator wrestles both with the ghost of his past and with some of the most important philosophical questions of the 20th century.
The book touched the zeitgeist of a whole generation in 1974 after being turned down by 121 publishers. It's the biggest selling philosophy book ever with more than 5 million copies sold worldwide, has a huge online following - and has never been dramatized. Writer Peter Flannery (Our Friends in the North, George Gently, The Devil's Whore) adapts his favourite book for radio, with James Purefoy (Rome, Injustice, Ironclad) playing the Dad/Narrator.
Author: Robert M. Pirsig
Dramatist: Peter Flannery
Original music: Jon Nicholls
Sound Design: Eloise Whitmore
Producer: Melanie Harris
A Sparklab production for BBC Radio 4.
SAT 07:30 Kenneth Williams - Just Williams (b007jy3b)
A Facetious Front
'I came into the world on the 22nd of February 1926...'.
A London childhood, a talent for art and wartime life in the army.
The UK's much-loved comic actor and master raconteur, Kenneth Williams reads his autobiography.
Abridged in ten parts by David H Godfrey.
Producer: Pamela Howe
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 1985.
SAT 07:50 Kenneth Williams on Joe Orton (b007jy3n)
Kenneth Williams talks to Ned Sherrin about directing 'Loot' written by his controversial playwright friend, Joe Orton.
Loot had just opened at the Lyric Theatre in Hammersmith, London on Monday 15th September 1980 with John Malcolm starring as 'Inspector Truscott' - the role Williams himself played in the play's premiere back in 1965.
Producer: Ian Gardhouse
Taken from 'Mid-Week: Sherrin after Breakfast' first broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 1980.
SAT 08:00 Archive on 4 (b013rg2p)
When the Eyes of the World Were on the Clyde
"We are not going to strike. We are not even having a sit-in strike. Nobody and nothing will come in and nothing will go out without our permission. And there will be no hooliganism, there will be no vandalism, there will be no bevvying, because the world is watching us." (Jimmy Reid)
Back in 1971, shipyard workers in Glasgow embarked on a paradigm-shifting piece of industrial action. The general public of the 1970s were used to strikes. But a mass work-in in the Clyde ship yards drew support from across the political spectrum, and delivered a humiliating blow to the Heath Government.
In June 1971 John Davies, Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, declared there will be no more state subsidies for the Upper Clyde Shipbuilders - all part of Ted Heath's plans to remove "lame duck" industries from the public purse. Shop steward Jimmy Reid's responded: "We don't only build ships on the Clyde, we build men. They have taken on the wrong people and we will fight."
The eyes of the world's media fell on Clydeside for the fourteen month work-in. Radio Four revisits the dramatic confrontations at Westminster between John Davies and Tony Benn, the Shadow Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, and reveals a private meeting between union leaders and Ted Heath at No 10, where they were reputedly offered whisky, but refused.
Journalist John Lloyd looks back at the extraordinary story of how Clydesiders took their future into their own hands, and looks at its relevance to current day events.
SAT 09:00 Howerd's Ways - The Radio Times of Frankie Howerd (b01gvwzh)
The life and BBC radio career of Frankie Howerd - the celebrated King of Titters. His last agent Tessa Le Bar talks to Peter Reed and shares her memories of this icon of British comedy. Featuring:
* The Frankie Howerd Show:
Doggy doing with the BBC DG and Frankie's memoirs. Titters galore with stand-up and sketches from the legendary comic. With June Whitfield and Ray Fell. First heard on BBC Radio 2 in June 1973.
* Radio Lives - Frankie Howerd:
His highs were high, his lows were low. How did he get to be so funny? Dylan Winter finds out from childhood friends, variety artistes and those who knew Frankie very well. First heard on BBC Radio 4 in June 1973.
* Variety Bandbox:
An early radio appearance for Frankie Howerd on a bill with Philip Slessor, Derek Roy, (Alberto) Semprini, Vanessa Lee and Billy Ternent & His Orchestra. First broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in June 1953
* Now Listen:
Gags from Frankie Howerd, plus sketches with Carol Allen, Robertson Hare and Kenneth Connor. First broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in April 1965.
* Desert Island Discs:
Frankie Howerd chats to Roy Plomley and makes his castaway choices. First heard on BBC Radio 4 in January 1982.
Produced by Mik Wilkojc for BBC Radio 4 Extra.
SAT 12:00 The Wordsmiths at Gorsemere (b00bx21n)
Series 2, 21 July 1799
Dorothy is worried about William's impending marriage. Iris bangs bolsters. Samuel Tailor Cholericke falls from grace. And Thomas de Quinine arrives....
An everyday story of towering genius in Sue Limb's six-part soap opera, set in and around the Lake District at the turn of the 18th century.
Stars Geoffrey Whitehead as William Wordsmith, Denise Coffey as Dorothy Wordsmith, Simon Callow as Samuel Tailor Cholericke, Nickolas Grace as Thomas de Quinine, Miriam Margolyes as Stinking Iris and Chris Emmett as the Leechpedlar.
Music by Stephen Oliver and performed by Cantabile.
Producer: Jonathan James-Moore
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 1987.
SAT 12:30 Stockport, So Good They Named It Once (b01n2p30)
Series 2, Mint
Jason and Michael stake their claim in cyberspace. Meanwhile, the Conroys become the subject of an academic study.
The lives of the Stockport-based, Conroy family - in series 2 of Damian Lanigan and Jim Poyser's comedy drama.
Starring Andrew Knott as Jason, Beverley Callard as Maureen, John Henshaw as Eddie, Jason Done as Michael and Rolf Saxon as Larry.
Music: Big George
Producer: Neil Mossey
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 2000.
SAT 13:00 Curious Under the Stars (b0b0sff9)
The King Under The Hill, Series 4 Omnibus
Glan Don receives a strange visitor.
Comedy drama set in Glan Don, a mysterious village perched on the wild Welsh coast.
Gareth.... Elis James
Diane.... Emma Sidi
Emlyn..... Ifan Huw Dafydd
Megan.... Gwyneth Keyworth
Magda.... Wanda Opalinksa
Gregor.... Marc Danbury
By Annamaria Murphy.
Series created by Meic Povey.
Director: James Robinson
A BBC Cymru Wales Production first broadcast in five parts on BBC Radio 4 in 2018.
SAT 14:10 Inheritance Tracks (b0b0sffh)
Russell Watson
Singer Russell Watson chooses the 'Intermezzo' from Cavalleria Rusticana and 'You Are So Beautiful' sung by Joe Cocker.
SAT 14:15 Sentimental Journey (b007563l)
Ingrid Pitt
Arthur Smith accompanies the star of numerous 'Hammer House of Horror' films, Ingrid Pitt, on a trip back to Argentina.
Producer: Sharon Banoff
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2006.
SAT 14:45 The Fosdyke Saga (b007jrk6)
New Horizons
'One more mouth to feed! That settles it. We're going.'
Lancashire, 1902: Will the luck of the Fosdyke family ever take a turn for the better?
A classic tale of struggle, power, personalities and tripe. Bill Tidy and John Junkin's family saga - based on Tidy's Daily Mirror cartoon strip (1971-1985) parodying John Galsworthy's 'The Forsyte Saga' novels.
Starring Philip Lowrie as Josiah Fosdyke, Miriam Margolyes as Victoria Fosdyke, Christian Rodska as Roger Ditchley, Stephanie Turner as Rebecca Fosdyke and Colin Douglas as Ben Ditchley,
Other parts played by Douglas Blackwell, Christopher Barr, Sally Grace and John Junkin.
Producer: Alan Nixon
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 1983.
SAT 15:00 Archive on 4 (b013rg2p)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
SAT 16:00 Saturday Drama (b01k1ljh)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
SAT 17:30 Kenneth Williams - Just Williams (b007jy3b)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
SAT 17:50 Kenneth Williams on Joe Orton (b007jy3n)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:50 today]
SAT 18:00 Afternoon Drama (b012fqsz)
Torchwood - The Lost Files, The House of the Dead
The brewery have called 'time' and it's the last night at The House of the Dead - the most haunted pub in Wales. Barry the barman has invited renowned psychic, Mrs Wintergreen, to hold a special séance to mark the occasion, and there's a big crowd hoping for the chance of seeing their deceased loved ones for one last time. But when Jack arrives on the scene, he's determined to stop them. Ianto is puzzled by Jack's behaviour, and Gwen is suspicious. Why is Jack acting so strangely? Then the ghosts start arriving - and all hell breaks loose.
By James Goss.
Recorded at The Invisible Studios, by Mark Holden and mixed at BBC Wales by Nigel Lewis.
A BBC/Cymru Wales production, directed by Kate McAll.
SAT 18:45 Edinburgh Haunts (b03ggrql)
The Face at the Window, the Wave of the Hand
By Louise Welsh
Our series of three newly commissioned ghost stories set in Edinburgh concludes with this subtle and uncanny tale from thriller writer Louise Welsh.
'The Face in the Window, the Wave of the Hand' evokes the German folklore of the doppelganger, or double, but is set in a contemporary Edinburgh town house. In traditional tales, your double is a shadow heralding your own death - if you see yourself in passing, it's very bad news.
Read by Monica Gibb.
Produced by Allegra McIlroy.
SAT 19:00 Howerd's Ways - The Radio Times of Frankie Howerd (b01gvwzh)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
SAT 22:00 Old Harry's Game (b007jm9l)
Series 3, This Thing Called Love
Satan worries about his image, and the Professor is concerned over his widow's remarriage. Devilishly funny sitcom stars Andy Hamilton. From March 1999.
SAT 22:30 Ivor Cutler - A Stuggy Pren (b00cmjv9)
Episode 2
Alison O'Kill wants to read Ivor Cutler a poem, while Murray-Orr can't think with the sun in his eyes. From May 1994.
SAT 22:45 Tina C (b007711n)
Tina C's State of the Union Tour, Stockholm
4 Extra Debut. Arriving in Sweden, the country singer and global activist wants to investigate just what is Europe? Stars Christopher Green. From November 2006.
SAT 23:00 Colin Hoult's Carnival of Monsters (b036vtc2)
Series 1, Episode 2
Master character comedian Colin Hoult presents his much anticipated debut comedy series for BBC Radio 4. Enter the Carnival of Monsters, a bizarre and hilarious world of sketches, stories and characters, presented by the sinister Ringmaster.
Meet such monstrous yet strangely familiar oddities as: Thwor - the mighty (but Leeds-based) god of Thwunder; Len Parker - Nottingham-born martial arts and transformers enthusiast; Anna Mann - outrageous star of such forgotten silver screen hits such as 'Rogue Baker', 'Who's For Turkish Delight' and 'A Bowl For My Bottom'; and many more.
Writers Guild Award-winner Colin Hoult is best known for his highly acclaimed starring roles in 'Being Human', 'Life's Too Short', and 'Russell Howard's Good News', as well as his many hit shows at the Edinburgh Festival. He has also appeared and written for a number of Radio 4 series including 'The Headset Set' and 'Colin and Fergus' Digi-Radio'.
'Lewis Carol meets The League Of Gentlemen . A beautifully staged masterclass in character comedy' - Time Out
'Comic gold' - Metro
'Delightfully funny' - The Telegraph
Produced by Sam Bryant.
SAT 23:30 Think the Unthinkable (b00cqh5b)
Series 2, Nambitrea
The consultants advise an African finance minister, and Ryan carries a package. Stars Marcus Brigstocke. From December 2002.

SUNDAY 29 APRIL 2018

SUN 00:00 Afternoon Drama (b012fqsz)
[Repeat of broadcast at 18:00 on Saturday]
SUN 00:45 Edinburgh Haunts (b03ggrql)
[Repeat of broadcast at 18:45 on Saturday]
SUN 01:00 Curious Under the Stars (b0b0sff9)
[Repeat of broadcast at 13:00 on Saturday]
SUN 02:10 Inheritance Tracks (b0b0sffh)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:10 on Saturday]
SUN 02:15 Sentimental Journey (b007563l)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:15 on Saturday]
SUN 02:45 The Fosdyke Saga (b007jrk6)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:45 on Saturday]
SUN 03:00 Archive on 4 (b013rg2p)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 on Saturday]
SUN 04:00 Saturday Drama (b01k1ljh)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 on Saturday]
SUN 05:30 Kenneth Williams - Just Williams (b007jy3b)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 on Saturday]
SUN 05:50 Kenneth Williams on Joe Orton (b007jy3n)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:50 on Saturday]
SUN 06:00 Melissa Murray - Good News (Omnibus) (b037gm2k)
Following a serious misdiagnosis, Adrienne is forced to confront some unexpected issues.
Adrienne ..... Rosie Cavaliero
Mal ..... Neil Dudgeon
Fred ..... Aimie-Ffion Edwards
Louise ..... Christine Absalom
Doctor ..... Nicholas Murchie
Cashier ..... Hannah Wood
Robot ..... Ben Crowe
Barman ..... Michael Shelford
Mary ..... Philippa Stanton
Alan ..... Robert Blythe
Written by Melissa Murray
Directed by Marc Beeby
First broadcast in five parts on BBC Radio 4 in 2013.
SUN 07:15 Daphne Du Maurier - La Sainte Vierge (b007k4bl)
4 Extra Debut. Marie's prayers for the safety of her fisherman husband are answered by a miracle. Classic story read by Lin Sagovsky.
SUN 07:30 The Gobetweenies (b03cv475)
Series 3, Episode 1
Marcella Evaristi's bittersweet take on divorced parenting looks at a north London family through the prism of two go-betweening siblings.
Starring Sarah Alexander as Mimi and Mark Bonnar as Joe, their arrangement comes under strain - newly divorced Mimi is blaming Joe for the failure of her third marriage. But it's hard to establish a regime of minimum contact with her children's father when the new dog has to attend puppy classes.
And no one can decide on his name.
Mimi has decided to branch into teenage fiction but, when the kids discover they are being used as copy, they mutiny. Lucy pretends to have an eating disorder and lies that Tom is now bed-wetting. But Mimi is set on her new writing venture. She's calling it The Gobetweenies and it's all about urban puberty.
Mimi's agent Ruby disapproves. She tells Lucy and Tom about Philip Roth and his warnings on the fall out of writing about your own family. But when Tom starts reading Portnoy, he gets wonderfully inspired.
Written by Marcella Evaristi
Director: Marilyn Imrie
Producer: Gordon Kennedy
An Absolutely production for BBC Radio 4.
SUN 08:00 Ray's a Laugh (b007jrnb)
From 03/10/1958
Can Ted get over the shock of the arrival of a new employee? And Kitty's throwing a house party - on a budget.
Starring Ted Ray. With Kitty Bluett and Kenneth Connor.
Ray's A Laugh - the successor to ITMA - follows the comedy exploits of Ted's life at home with his 'radio' wife Kitty, as well as in a variety of jobs. It ran from 1949-1961.
Scripted by Bernard Botting and Charles Hart.
BBC Variety Orchestra conducted by Paul Fenoulhet.
Producer: Leslie Bridgmont
First broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in October 1958.
SUN 08:30 Take It From Here (b0b0skpv)
From 01/11/1955
Fireworks for Dick Bentley, Ron and Eth open their sweet shop in 'The Glums' - and the life of a country doctor.
Starring Professor Jimmy Edwards, Dick Bentley, June Whitfield, Alma Cogan and Wallace Eton.
Music from The Keynotes and the BBC Revue Orchestra with Charles Shadwell.
Announcer: David Dunhill
Classic comedy scripted by Frank Muir and Denis Norden.
Producer: Charles Maxwell
First broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in November 1955.
SUN 09:00 Sharp: The Women Who Made an Art of Having an Opinion (Omnibus) (b0b0skpx)
A picture of the social and political progress of women through the 20th century from Dorothy Parker to Nora Ephron.
Dorothy Parker, Mary McCarthy, Susan Sontag, Pauline Kael and Nora Ephron -these brilliant women are the central figures of Michelle Dean's book - united by their 'sharpness', the ability to cut to the quick with precision of thought and wit.
The world would not have been the same without Dorothy Parker's acid reflections on the absurdities of her life. Or Mary McCarthy's fiction which is noted for its acerbity in analysing the finer nuances of intellectual dilemmas. Or Susan Sontag's ideas about interpretation, or Pauline Kael's energetic swipes at filmmakers. Or Nora Ephron's biting wit and strong female characters. Together they define the cultural and intellectual history of twentieth century America.
Michelle Dean is a journalist, critic, and the recipient of the National Book Critics Circle's 2016 Citation for Excellence in Reviewing. A contributing editor at the New Republic, she has written for the New Yorker, Nation, New York Times Magazine, Slate, New York Magazine, and Elle.
Abridged by Sara Davies.
Read by Alexandra Mathie.
Producer: Gaynor Macfarlane
First broadcast in five parts on BBC Radio 4 in 2018.
SUN 10:10 The Listening Project (b03c4wgg)
Jan and Louise - Olympic Memories
Fi Glover presents a conversation between Olympic handball player Louise and her games maker mum Jan, about the unforgettable events of their Olympic summer, which included making the Queen laugh, proving once again that it's surprising what you hear when you listen.
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 10:15 Desert Island Discs Revisited (b0b0skpz)
Artists, Yoko Ono
4 Extra Debut. From Edith Piaf to John Lennon, avant-garde artist Yoko Ono shares her castaway choices with Kirsty Young. From June 2007.
SUN 11:00 Radiolab (b0b0skq1)
Series 3, Blame
Radiolab explores blame - why do we need it and can we push pass it to forgiveness? With Jad Abumrad and Robert Krulwich.
Radiolab is a Peabody-award winning show about curiosity. Where sound illuminates ideas, and the boundaries blur between science, philosophy, and the human experience.
First broadcast on public radio in the USA.
SUN 12:00 Ray's a Laugh (b007jrnb)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
SUN 12:30 Take It From Here (b0b0skpv)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
SUN 13:00 Melissa Murray - Good News (Omnibus) (b037gm2k)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
SUN 14:15 Daphne Du Maurier - La Sainte Vierge (b007k4bl)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:15 today]
SUN 14:30 Nikesh Shukla - The One Who Wrote Destiny (b0b0skq3)
Omnibus 2/2
Ba believes in destiny. Mukesh believes in coincidence. Neha believes in patterns and consistency. And Raks believes in the manifest destiny of his own male ego.
Nikesh Shukla's hilarious and moving story about three generations of one family, riven by falling-outs, united by fates and fortunes: featuring Mukesh, Neha, Laila, Ingrid and Ba.
Omnibus of episodes 6 to 10 read by Bhasker Patel, Chetna Pandya, Maya Sondhi, Indira Varma and Taru Devani.
Producer: Mair Bosworth
First broadcast in ten parts on BBC Radio 4 in 2018.
SUN 15:45 The Lore of the Land (b069b4ly)
Episode 2
Fresh water is mysterious, springing up in unexpected places and vanishing just as quickly. Fresh water gives life, allows humans to settle and thrive. But it can also be dangerous - life-taking as well as life-giving. As a result, the folkloric creatures and spirits that are said to live within our rivers, streams and ponds are both kindly and threatening.
In the second episode of her five part series exploring the enduring relevance of the creatures of folklore that are traditionally said to have dwelt in the landscape of Great Britain, medieval literature scholar Dr Carolyne Larrington visits Marden in Herefordshire. Walking along the peaceful River Lugg, Carolyne is accompanied by Sophia Kingshill who has a unique area of expertise - mermaids.
Standing by Marden Church, Sophia tells the tale of the Mermaid of Marden who is said to have stolen the church bell and dragged it down to the watery depths of the Lugg. We also hear the tales of mermaids who, when respected, offer pagan healing remedies, but who can be a malevolent force when challenged by the Christian beliefs of those on dry land.
Many folkloric creatures that live in British ponds and rivers appear in cautionary tales designed to keep children away from the water's edge. There's Peg Powler who pulls children to their watery doom and Jenny Greenteeth who lives amongst the weeds.
Carolyne explains that British folklore offers us a gendered imagining of water, feminine, refreshing and nurturing, but there's also horror and danger below the placid surface; the water-hag and her clutching fingers is never too far away.
Producer: Max O'Brien
A Juniper production for BBC Radio 4.
SUN 16:00 Saturday Drama (b011j2fz)
Mike Walker - Sunk
A drama to mark the 100 year anniversary of the Launch of Titanic (31st May 1911).
This is the fascinating story behind the 1943 Nazi propaganda film, Titanic, which was up until then, the most expensive German film ever. The film was commissioned by Goebbels with a view to discredit British and American capitalists. Ironically, this production became a symbol for the corruption and 'sinking' of the Third Reich itself.
Cast
Walter Zerlett-Olfenius .....Richard Laing
Herbert Selpin.....Blake Ritson
Joseph Goebbels.....Jason Watkins
Hans Nielsen .....Nick Dunning
Sybille Schmitz .....Lucy Cohu
Ernst Fritz Furbringer .....Miche Doherty
Miss Volkmaan.....Séainín Brennan
The Barman.....Paul Kennedy
Producer/Director.....Gemma McMullan
Mike Walker is one of the UK's leading radio dramatists and is also a feature and documentary writer and published author.
SUN 17:00 Poetry Extra (b0b0skq5)
Grace Nichols
Poet Daljit Nagra revisits the BBC's radio poetry archive with 'Stanza on Stage' featuring the poetry of Grace Nichols.
Grace talks to Simon Armitage about her long poem 'Sunris', which she reads with John Agard as Montezuma and accompanying steel drum music by Aubrey Bryan.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1997.
SUN 17:30 The Gobetweenies (b03cv475)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
SUN 18:00 Terry Pratchett (b00bdjq2)
Small Gods, Episode 4
Deacon Vorbis has returned triumphantly to Omnia. He proclaims himself the One True Prophet.
But Brutha knows what really happened in the desert and the Great God Om is still out there, stuck in the body of a tortoise.
Terry Pratchett's comic fantasy stars Anton Lesser as the Narrator, Patrick Barlow as Om, Carl Prekopp as Brutha, Alex Jennings as Vorbis, Gerard McDermott as Didactylos, John Cummins as Urn, Geoffrey Beevers as Nhumrod,, Nick Sayce as Sergeant Simony and Michael Kilgarriff as Death.
Dramatised by Robin Brooks.
Producer: Claire Grove
Director: Gordon House
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 2006.
SUN 18:30 Voices From the Grave (b007jwn6)
The Parson
Back from missionary work abroad, Reverend Martin Stokes stumbles into a nightmare of biblical proportions abroad.
David Varela's horror stars Mark Bazeley as Rev. Martin Stokes, Lynne Verrall as Mrs Cameron, Geoffrey Beevers as Bishop Millcock, Wayne Foskett as Randall, Stephen Hogan as Sid and Gerard McDermott as Joseph.
Voices From The Grave is a series of four chilling and intimate dramas, inspired by existing ghost stories from around Britain. The writers make these stories more than simply scary - they are studies of humanity, love, rage and despair, of passion, longing and pain.
David has written plays for BBC Radio 4 as well as for TV and film.
Producer: Luke Fresle
Made for BBC Radio 7 and first broadcast in 2007.
SUN 19:00 Radiolab (b0b0skq1)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:00 today]
SUN 20:00 Sharp: The Women Who Made an Art of Having an Opinion (Omnibus) (b0b0skpx)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
SUN 21:10 The Listening Project (b03c4wgg)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:10 today]
SUN 21:15 Desert Island Discs Revisited (b0b0skpz)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:15 today]
SUN 22:00 The Gobetweenies (b03cv475)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
SUN 22:30 Brian Gulliver's Travels (b00zdh7k)
Series 1, Sham
Brian Gulliver, a seasoned presenter of travel documentaries, finds himself in a hospital's secure unit after claiming to have had a number of bizarre adventures.
This week he travels to Sham a country where alternative therapies abound.
Written by Bill Dare
Produced by Steven Canny
Brian Gulliver's Travels is a new satirical adventure story from Bill Dare. The series has attracted an excellent cast led by Neil Pearson and award winning star of the RSC's current season, Mariah Gale. Cast includes fantastic actors Tamsin Greig, John Standing, Paul Bhattacharjee, Christopher Douglas, Vicky Pepperdine, Phil Cornwell, Antonia Campbell Hughes, Jo Bobin and Katherine Jakeways.
For years Bill Dare wanted to create a satire about different worlds exploring Kipling's idea that we travel, 'not just to explore civilizations, but to better understand our own'. But science fiction and space ships never interested him, so he put the idea on ice. Then Brian Gulliver arrived and meant that our hero could be lost in a fictional world without the need for any sci-fi.
Satirical targets over the series: the medical profession and its need to pathologize everything; the effect of marriage on children; spirituality and pseudo-science; compensation culture; sexism; the affect of our obsession with fame.
Gulliver's Travels is the only book Bill Dare read at university. His father, Peter Jones, narrated a similarly peripatetic radio series: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.
SUN 22:55 The Comedy Club Interviews (b0b1v3wq)
David Quantick 2/2
From 10.00 to midnight, seven days a week, the Comedy Club has two hours of comedy. Plus Arthur Smith chats to David Quantick.
SUN 23:00 Chat Show Roulette (b05n1gb0)
Episode 2
Justin Edwards is the host of the new improvised chat show. His guests are Mel Giedroyc, Max and Ivan, and Nick Mohammed - with musical accompaniment from James Sherwood.
Devised by Ashley Blaker and Justin Edwards.
Produced by Ashley Blaker
A John Stanley production for BBC Radio 4.
SUN 23:30 Hannah Gadsby: Arts Clown (b054tfhw)
Jan van Eyck's The Arnolfini Portrait
Aussie comedian and art historian Hannah Gadsby continues her comedy lectures about art, looking this week at Jan Van Eyck's masterpiece 'The Arnolfini Portrait'. She shares how she first came to study the portrait, the mystery behind it and why people have remained so fascinated by it down the years.
Born in Tasmania, Hannah's first encounters with art was solely through books. When she worked in a bookshop after graduating, she realised the craze for Dan Brown's 'The Da Vinci Code' had parallels with critics' sleuth-like 'readings' of 'The Arnolfini Portrait'.
In this episode, Hannah explains what makes The Arnolfini Portrait, painted in 1434, so important in the canon of art history. Plus she puts an image of Vladimir Putin in your head that you will find hard to shake.
Hannah is supported by her very own 'Quotebot' on the show. Quotebot has been inputted with everything that has ever been written or said about art, ever. He also sounds remarkably like comedy supremo and all-round boffin John Lloyd.
Written by Hannah Gadsby
Performed by Hannah Gadsby with her Quotebot aka John Lloyd
Script edited by Jon Hunter
Produced by Claire Jones.
SUN 23:45 Mission Improbable (b045by70)
Series 2, Diamonds!
When Jane, Lucy and Amelia take Jane's mother (Felicity Montagu) out for a birthday meal they're not expecting to be thrust into their most dangerous adventure yet, but that's exactly what happens. After failing to decide on a starter and then moaning about her husband's obsession with ladies tennis, Jane's mum casually drops into conversation the fact that her new Russian cleaner has some inside info on a recent high-profile diamond heist.
Jane drags the name Yuri Chekov (Anil Desai) out of her and then heads to the airport immediately with an amorous Lucy and a vodka-swilling Amelia in tow. It is very cold in Russia. Amelia is glad of her vodka as well as her furry hat - a live raccoon called Craig.
Lucy is keen to warm herself up using other means and the bearded stranger staring at her from the other side of the arrivals lounge seems like as good a place to start as any. Jane just wants to grab her bag from the carousel and get after Chekov but the fact that Amelia grabs it for her means that Jane's not in a position to wonder why the bag's got a lot heavier during their flight.
Written by Anna Emerson, Lizzie Bates and Catriona Knox
Audio production by Matt Katz
Produced by Dave Lamb and Richie Webb
A Top Dog Production for BBC Radio 4.

MONDAY 30 APRIL 2018

MON 00:00 Terry Pratchett (b00bdjq2)
[Repeat of broadcast at 18:00 on Sunday]
MON 00:30 Voices From the Grave (b007jwn6)
[Repeat of broadcast at 18:30 on Sunday]
MON 01:00 Melissa Murray - Good News (Omnibus) (b037gm2k)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 on Sunday]
MON 02:15 Daphne Du Maurier - La Sainte Vierge (b007k4bl)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:15 on Sunday]
MON 02:30 Nikesh Shukla - The One Who Wrote Destiny (b0b0skq3)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:30 on Sunday]
MON 03:45 The Lore of the Land (b069b4ly)
[Repeat of broadcast at 15:45 on Sunday]
MON 04:00 Saturday Drama (b011j2fz)
[Repeat of broadcast at 16:00 on Sunday]
MON 05:00 Poetry Extra (b0b0skq5)
[Repeat of broadcast at 17:00 on Sunday]
MON 05:30 The Gobetweenies (b03cv475)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 on Sunday]
MON 06:00 John Mortimer Presents: The Trials of Marshall Hall (b007k2vr)
The Black Trunk
True stories of crime and trial in a bygone age, starring Tom Baker as Britain's celebrated barrister, Sir Edward Marshall Hall.
In his first case, fought in 1894, Sir Edward sets out to save Marie Herman from the gallows - a true story.
Introduced by Rumpole of the Bailey's creator John Mortimer. With Timothy Block, Zelah Clarke and Nicholas Farr.
Dramatised by Michael Butt. Directed by John Taylor.
A Fiction Factory production for BBC Radio 2 from 1996.
MON 06:30 The Ghost Trains of Old England (b00vhhcf)
Just one train a week runs between Stockport and Stalybridge. It never returns. "There is no service from Stalybridge to Stockport", says a platform sign, cryptically. The Stockport-Stalybridge service is what's known as a "parliamentary train" and exists only so that the rail company can avoid going through formal closure proceedings. Running the single weekly service costs only £50, but to close it down would cost far more. Of the intermediate stops on the line, Network Rail notes: "Data collection including observation has been unable to record any use of these stations".
In this programme, Ian Marchant travels these little used lines and forgotten stations. There is Teesside Airport station, the least-used stop in Britain, with just 44 passengers a year. It has only one train a week, is a 20 minutes walk from the airport (a journey which involves negotiating a locked gate), and the airport has a different name anyway.
Then there is the train that goes from Manchester to Brighton - except that since the Manchester to Brighton direct service has been abolished, a semi-secret replacement bus travels once a week from Ealing Broadway to Wandsworth Road, two stations that were never on the Manchester-Brighton route anyway.
Most bizarre is the case of Newhaven Marine, a station which is technically open, and is served by one train a day. But the station is behind a locked fence and passengers are forbidden to get on the train, which does not appear on any timetable. The company offers to provide a taxi service to any passenger "in possession of a valid ticket". But it is impossible to buy a ticket.
Who are the people who use these secret trains which are also buses and taxis? Mostly rail enthusiasts and hobbyists who collect rail tickets. But occasionally a real passenger stumbles across a service and uses it almost by accident. And what does it say about the British attitude to rules that we stick within the letter of the law while entirely subverting their intention?
MON 07:00 Millport (b0076bn3)
Series 3, Progressive Rock
There's much excitement on the Isle of Cumbrae over a make-over for Millport from a national newspaper.
Irene fears the worst and worries the town's unique charm will be ruined by nosy media-meddlers. Is now really the time for her to leave?
Bittersweet comedy written by and starring Lynn Ferguson as 30-something barmaid Irene Bruce, who hankers after a better life on the mainland.
With Janet Brown as Agnes / Moira, Lewis McLeod as Alberto / Ferryman / Robert the dog / Morris, Gabriel Quigley as Ena / Bunty, Robert Paterson as the Minister /Bob and Kenneth Bryans as Dougie.
Producer: Lucy Bacon
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 2002.
MON 07:30 The Unbelievable Truth (b09zv5m0)
Series 20, 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.
John Finnemore, Henning Wehn, Lou Sanders and Graeme Garden are the panellists obliged to talk with deliberate inaccuracy on subjects as varied as The Rolling Stones, vegetarianism, eggs and Harry Potter.
Produced by Richard Turner
A Random Entertainment production for BBC Radio 4.
MON 08:00 Hancock's Half Hour (b00j283q)
The Jewel Robbery
The lad's getting a new car, so Sid makes the most of the opportunity.
Starring Tony Hancock, Bill Kerr, Sidney James. Andree Melly and Kenneth Williams.
Written by Ray Galton and Alan Simpson.
Theme and incidental music composed by Wally Stott. Recorded by the BBC Revue Orchestra conducted by Harry Rabinowitz.
Producer: Dennis Main Wilson
First broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in October 1955.
MON 08:30 Flywheel, Shyster and Flywheel (b0081s3d)
Series 2, Episode 3
Can crooked lawyer Waldorf T Flywheel free his jailed assistant Ravelli?
Recreation of the Marx Brothers' lost shows charting the adventures of shady lawyer Waldorf T Flywheel and his assistant, Emmanuel Ravelli. Originally broadcast with sponsors on America's NBC radio network in the 1930s. The scripts were rediscovered in 1988.
Starring Michael Roberts as Groucho Marx as Waldorf T Flywheel and Frank Lazarus as Chico Marx as Emmanuel Ravelli
With Lorelei King, Graham Hoadly and Vincent Marzello.
Written by Nat Perrin and Athur Sheekman. Adapted by Mark Brisenden.
Music arranged and conducted by David Firman.
Producer: Dirk Maggs
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 1991.
MON 09:00 Just a Minute (b00w78h2)
Series 58, Episode 4
The grandaddy of all panel games with Nicholas Parsons in the chair. This week Paul Merton, Sheila Hancock and Ian MacMillan are panellists. This week the programme is a guest of the British Library as part of its Evolving English Exhibition.
MON 09:30 King Street Junior (b007jnnj)
Series 9, Gridlocked
With the King Street school's summer holidays imminent, it's time for a museum trip. What could possibly go wrong?
Created by Jim Eldridge, ten series of this comedy about a junior school ran between 1985 and 1998. King Street Junior Revisited ran from 2002 to 2005.
Written by Paul Copley.
Stars Karl Howman as Mr Sims, James Grout as the Headmaster, Margaret John as Mrs Stone, Deirdre Costello as Mrs Patterson, Paul Copley as Mr Long, Marlene Sidaway as Miss Lewis, Vivienne Martin as Mrs Rudd, Tom Watson as Mr Holliday, Roger Sloman as the Coach Driver, Philip Philmar as the Traffic Warden, Gwynneth Jones as Mandy, Justin Webb as Desmond, Luke Strain as Gary and Nicky Scarott as Sundar.
Producer: John Fawcett Wilson
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 1997.
MON 10:00 John Buchan - The Thirty-Nine Steps (b00lbnys)
The Milkman Sets Out on His Travels
When a man is murdered in Richard Hannay's London flat, he goes on the run pursued by the police - and a gang of German spies intent on recovering a secret notebook which could destroy the British naval fleet.
First published in 1915, John Buchan's ever popular spy-thriller dramatised in two-parts by Bert Coules.
Stars David Robb as Hannay, Tom Baker as Bullivant, William Hope as Scudder, Struan Rodger as Hawk, Tracy Wiles as Charlotte, Phillip Joseph as Johnners, Thomas Arnold as Jopley, Gordon Reid as Chairman and Kenny Blyth as Crofter.
Producer: Bruce Young
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2001.
MON 11:00 After Milk Wood (b04368ff)
Polly Garter Was My Great Gran
In 'After Milk Wood', three acclaimed writers take their inspiration from Dylan Thomas's greatest work, 'Under Milk Wood'. The stories have been commissioned to commemorate the centenary of the birth of the great Welsh writer, Dylan Thomas, and were recorded at the Laugharne Festival in Wales.
Today Ruth Jones reads her own story, 'Polly Garter Was my Great Gran' - celebrating a colourful life of love.
The Reader is Ruth Jones - Ruth Jones is an acclaimed comedy actor and writer, known best for the BAFTA Award-winning series Gavin and Stacey which she co-wrote and starred in with James Corden. Jones was judged the Best Female Comedy Newcomer at the 2007 British Comedy Awards, and was also nominated for Best Television Comedy Actress. She received an MBE in 2014.
The producer is Justine Willett.
MON 11:15 Robert Barr - Galbraith and the King of Diamonds (b041y015)
Enter a Frightened Lady
Veteran detective Bill Galbraith wants a quiet life, now he's retiring from a long career in the police force.
But his old pal Tommy Evans needs his help over murky goings on from a criminal mastermind...
Starring Bernard Hepton as Galbraith, Richard Davies as Tom Evans, Tom Watson as Cater, Peter Dyneley as Gelder, Eva Haddon as Anne-Marie, Hector Ross as Cornell, Katharine Page as Mary Galbraith and Bruce Alexander as Milne.
Robert Barr also wrote TV scripts for the BBC's Z Cars and Softly Softly, as well as being a prize-winning TV producer.
Producer: John Browell.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 1975.
MON 12:00 Hancock's Half Hour (b00j283q)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
MON 12:30 Flywheel, Shyster and Flywheel (b0081s3d)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
MON 13:00 John Mortimer Presents: The Trials of Marshall Hall (b007k2vr)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
MON 13:30 The Ghost Trains of Old England (b00vhhcf)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
MON 14:00 Donna Tartt - The Secret History (b008001s)
Episode 1
Five American college students murder one of their friends, but will they get away with it? Thriller read by William Hope.
MON 14:15 Shakespeare's Restless World (b01gvkwh)
Treason and Plots
Neil MacGregor, Director of the British Museum, continues his object-based history. Taking artefacts from William Shakespeare's time, he explores how Elizabethan and Jacobean playgoers made sense of the unstable and rapidly changing world in which they lived.
With old certainties shifting around them, in a time of political and religious unrest and economic expansion, Neil asks what the plays would have meant to the public when they were first performed. He uses carefully selected objects to explore the great issues of the day that preoccupied the public and helped shape the works, and he considers what they can reveal about the concerns and beliefs of Shakespearean England.
Programme 11. TREASON & PLOTS - A tabloid history of Shakespeare's England, told through a collection of contemporary accounts of plots to murder Elizabeth I and James I.
Producer: Paul Kobrak.
MON 14:30 15 Minute Drama (b05rnx7m)
Elizabeth von Arnim - The Enchanted April, Episode 1
By Elizabeth von Arnim
Dramatised by Vivienne Allen
While at their Shaftesbury Avenue club on a rainy February day, Rosie and Lottie discover they have been reading the same advertisement in The Times:-
To Those who Appreciate Wisteria and Sunshine. Small mediaeval Italian Castle on the shores of the Mediterranean to be let Furnished for the month of April.
Can they seize this opportunity and escape to the sunny Italian Riviera or is it just an impossible dream?
Produced and Directed by Tracey Neale
An advertisement in The Times, addressed to 'Those who Appreciate Wisteria and Sunshine' is the impetus for a revelatory month for four very different women. High above the bay on the Italian Riviera stands San Salvatore, a mediaeval castle. Beckoned to this haven are Lotty, Rose, Mrs Fisher and Lady Caroline Dester, each craving escape. Lulled by the Mediterranean spirit, they gradually shed their skins and discover a harmony each of them has longed for.
As soon as we arrive in Italy from rainy London the warmth, colour and smells of this enchanting place take over. The descriptions are intoxicating. The four women blossom in the sunshine but there are a few surprises in store for them.
Although these women live in the 1920s, their worries and concerns are as relevant today as they have always been. Times change, fashions change, but people do not change so much. Who wouldn't say no when given the chance to escape from the dismal gloomy rain to the sunshine of the Italian Riviera and have a welcome break from their day to day lives.
MON 14:45 Sissinghurst: An Unfinished History (b010n1c8)
Childhood
Adam Nicolson's story of the popular British garden, started in 1932 by grandparents Vita Sackville-West and Harold Nicolson.
MON 15:00 John Buchan - The Thirty-Nine Steps (b00lbnys)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 today]
MON 16:00 Just a Minute (b00w78h2)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
MON 16:30 King Street Junior (b007jnnj)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 today]
MON 17:00 Millport (b0076bn3)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
MON 17:30 The Unbelievable Truth (b09zv5m0)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
MON 18:00 GK Chesterton - The Man Who Was Thursday (b007jzyb)
The Pursuit of the President
After the sunset confrontation between motor cars, the detectives return to London to accost Sunday.
Published in 1908, GK Chesterton's most famous novel is read in 13 parts by Geoffrey Palmer.
Director: Lawrence Jackson
Made for BBC Radio 7 by BBC Northern Ireland.
First broadcast in 2005.
MON 18:30 A Good Read (b0076wm1)
Fiona Bruce and Gervase Phinn
Sue MacGregor and her guests - TV presenter, Fiona Bruce and uthor and educationalist, Gervase Phinn - talk about favourite books by Khaled Hosseini, Barbara Pym and Christopher Nolan. From 2006.
'The Kite Runner' by Khaled Hosseini
Publisher: Bloomsbury
'Quartet in Autumn' by Barbara Pym
Publisher: Pan Books
'Under the Eye of the Clock' by Christopher Nolan
Publisher: Phoenix.
MON 19:00 Hancock's Half Hour (b00j283q)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
MON 19:30 Flywheel, Shyster and Flywheel (b0081s3d)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
MON 20:00 John Mortimer Presents: The Trials of Marshall Hall (b007k2vr)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
MON 20:30 The Ghost Trains of Old England (b00vhhcf)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
MON 21:00 After Milk Wood (b04368ff)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:00 today]
MON 21:15 Robert Barr - Galbraith and the King of Diamonds (b041y015)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:15 today]
MON 22:00 The Unbelievable Truth (b09zv5m0)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
MON 22:30 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (b0076nbp)
The Tertiary Phase, Fit The Thirteenth
Arthur Dent awakes to find that he has spent the last four years on prehistoric Earth, alone in all that time save for five minutes with an infuriating alien called Wowbagger who arrived, insulted him, and left. Reunited with Ford Prefect, Arthur discovers that the Hitchhikers Guide he threw in the river still works - and is being updated. Rescue appears in the form of a sofa caught in the Space-Time Continuum and Arthur and Ford disappear in a fashion which would cause stern looks from the Campaign For Real Time.
Aboard the Heart of Gold Zaphod Beeblebrox is nursing a large Pan Galactic Gargleblaster and two headaches. He believes that he survived the Total Perspective Vortex while pursuing a Hitchhikers Guide employee called Zarniwoop and that Arthur marooned him by stealing the Heart of Gold, which of course Zaphod himself stole (but then Zaphod thinks he alone has the right to indulge in excitement, adventure and really wild things).
His girlfriend Trillian (who, as Tricia McMillan, is the only human apart from Arthur to survive the Destruction of Earth by the Vogon Constructor Fleet) has no memory at all of these events and is therefore convinced that Zaphod has had a psychotic episode brought on by too many drinks. Tired of his selfishness she snaps and leaves him, having herself beamed by Eddie the shipboard computer in any direction but here.
Meanwhile in the swamps of Squornshellous Zeta, Marvin the Paranoid Android pivots helplessly in circles on an artificial leg, his only company a talkative mattress called Zem ...
MON 22:55 The Comedy Club Interviews (b0b1v40q)
Lee Kern 1/3
From 10.00 to midnight, seven days a week, the Comedy Club has two hours of comedy. Plus Paul Garner chats to the star of Celebrity Bedlam and The Royal Wedding Crashers, Lee Kern.
MON 23:00 News Quiz Extra (b0b0t4dp)
Series 23, Episode 3
Miles Jupp is joined by Andy Hamilton, Hugo Rifkind, Mark Steel and Suzi Ruffell for a satirical look at the week's biggest (and smallest) headlines. Extended edition of Friday's show.
In this episode the panel discuss Trump and Macron's 'bromance', TSB's online banking crisis and a small Australian boy's great adventure.
The Chair's script was written by Max Davis, James Kettle and Danielle Ward with additional material by Heidi Regan and Mike Shephard.
The producer was Joe Nunnery
A BBC Studios Production.
MON 23:45 Helen Keen's It Is Rocket Science (b040lj88)
Series 3, Episode 3
The only factually accurate comedy about the history of space exploration looks at the forgotten and unacknowedged greats of astronomy, the men and (mainly) women who advanced our undestanding of the stars but never quite received the fame they deserved. People such as 18th Century disabled genius Caroline Herschel who polished lenses with dung and discovered new stars; and human computer Henrietta Swann Leavitt who taught Hubble a method for working out the distances between the stars and narrowly missed out on a Nobel prize when it turned out she had died some years earlier.
Starring Helen Keen, Peter Serafinowicz and Susy Kane.
Written by Helen Keen and Miriam Underhill
Produced by Gareth Edwards.

TUESDAY 01 MAY 2018

TUE 00:00 GK Chesterton - The Man Who Was Thursday (b007jzyb)
[Repeat of broadcast at 18:00 on Monday]
TUE 00:30 A Good Read (b0076wm1)
[Repeat of broadcast at 18:30 on Monday]
TUE 01:00 John Mortimer Presents: The Trials of Marshall Hall (b007k2vr)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 on Monday]
TUE 01:30 The Ghost Trains of Old England (b00vhhcf)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 on Monday]
TUE 02:00 Donna Tartt - The Secret History (b008001s)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:00 on Monday]
TUE 02:15 Shakespeare's Restless World (b01gvkwh)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:15 on Monday]
TUE 02:30 15 Minute Drama (b05rnx7m)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:30 on Monday]
TUE 02:45 Sissinghurst: An Unfinished History (b010n1c8)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:45 on Monday]
TUE 03:00 John Buchan - The Thirty-Nine Steps (b00lbnys)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 on Monday]
TUE 04:00 Just a Minute (b00w78h2)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 on Monday]
TUE 04:30 King Street Junior (b007jnnj)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 on Monday]
TUE 05:00 Millport (b0076bn3)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 on Monday]
TUE 05:30 The Unbelievable Truth (b09zv5m0)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 on Monday]
TUE 06:00 John Mortimer Presents: The Trials of Marshall Hall (b007jlzz)
The Camden Town Murder
True stories of crime and trial in a bygone age, starring Tom Baker as Britain's celebrated barrister, Sir Edward Marshall Hall.
Did Bob Wood really murder Emily Dimmock by slitting her throat?
Introduced by Rumpole of the Bailey's creator John Mortimer. With Timothy Block, Kellie Bright, Nicholas Farr, David Glover and Jonathan Tafler.
Dramatised by Michael Butt. Directed by John Taylor.
A Fiction Factory production for BBC Radio 2 from 1996.
TUE 06:30 Chopsticks at Dawn (b00sm4tg)
Chinese decorative arts are revered in the West. From Willow pattern dinner plates to the Brighton Pavilion, their designs are regarded as beautiful and sophisticated. But for the past two centuries European composers and musicians have had no qualms about mercilessly parodying what they thought of as 'Chinese tunes'.
As a girl growing up in Hackney, the opening orientalised-flute strains of the 1970s pop record Kung Fu Fighting by Carl Douglas were enough to send future comedian Anna Chen running for cover.
The same cliches haunt Turning Japanese by The Vapours, Hong Kong Garden by Siouxsie And The Banshees and David Bowie's China Girl. They have all followed a pattern set by Claude Debussy, Malcolm Arnold, Albert Ketelbey and Lancashire Linnet George Formby, who were equally guilty of taking Chinese musical motifs and mangling them - or simply making them up!
How did this mocking abuse of a handful of venerable Far Eastern notes begin?
Musicologist Dr Jonathan Walker accompanies Anna on a historical mission, picking out examples on the piano and explaining why and how our western ears hear certain note configurations as "oriental" - from Chopsticks to Chopin.
They explore the pentatonic scale that chartacterises so much Chinese music, delve into the story of the Opium Wars which triggered a deep British disrespect of Chinese musical culture and unveil the earliest dubious examples of Chinoiserie in Western Music.
And we hear from a new generation of British born Chinese musicians who are putting right the discordant wrongs of the past 200 years.
Producer: Chris Eldon Lee
A Culture Wise production for BBC Radio 4.
TUE 07:00 Stockport, So Good They Named It Once (b01n7jww)
Series 2, Claudine
The Conroys' new neighbours may be rich, but they've got personal problems to share. Stars Beverley Callard. From October 2000.
TUE 07:30 Love in Recovery (b077gjkl)
Series 2, The Wake
Second series of the award-nominated comedy drama set in Alcoholics Anonymous, written by Pete Jackson and inspired by his own road to recovery. Stars Sue Johnston, John Hannah, Eddie Marsan, Rebecca Front, Paul Kaye and Julia Deakin.
Love in Recovery follows the lives of five very different recovering alcoholics. Taking place entirely at their weekly meetings, we hear them moan, argue, laugh, fall apart, fall in love and - most importantly - tell their stories.
In this final episode of the series, the group leave their meeting room to take Andy (Eddie Marsan) to his mum's wake. Andy hasn't seen the rest of his family in a long time and he's nervous, anxious and a little angry. He just wants to say goodbye to his mum and leave. But it's not as simple as that.
Writer Pete Jackson is a recovering alcoholic and has spent time in Alcoholics Anonymous. It was there he found support from the unlikeliest group of disparate souls - with one common bond. As well as offering the support he needed throughout a difficult time, AA also offered a weekly, sometimes daily, dose of hilarity, upset, heartbreak and friendship.
There are lots of different kinds of AA meetings. Love in Recovery is about meetings where people tell their stories. There are funny stories, sad stories, stories of small victories and milestones, stories of loss, stories of hope, and those stories that you really shouldn't laugh at - but still do, along with the storyteller.
Written and created by Pete Jackson
Producer/Director: Ben Worsfield
A Lucky Giant production for BBC Radio 4.
TUE 08:00 As Time Goes By (b007k7c7)
Series 2, Episode 1
Publication day arrives and Lionel is plunged into the hectic world of promotion for his memoirs of life in the army and as a coffee-planter in Kenya.
Starring Judi Dench as Jean and Geoffrey Palmer as Lionel. With Moira Brooker as Judith and Philip Bretherton as Alistair.
A six-part adaptation by Bob Larbey of series two of his popular BBC TV sitcom. Two former lovers Jean and Lionel have been reunited unexpectedly after losing contact for 38 years.
After falling in love in the early 1950s, army officer Lionel was sent to Korea, but they lost touch after a letter he sent to her never arrived. Both assumed the other had lost interest, but their paths have crossed again on his return to England.
Producer: Martin Fisher
First broadcast on BBC Radio 2 in January 1998.
TUE 08:30 The Men From the Ministry (b017071h)
Wool Over Their Eyes
The bungling bureaucrats get sheepish over their latest muddle!
Stars Richard Murdoch and Deryck Guyler.
With Norma Ronald, Ronald Baddiley, John Graham and John Cole.
Written by Edward Taylor and John Graham.
'The Men from the Ministry' ran for 14 series between 1962 and 1977. Deryck Guyler replaced Wilfrid Hyde-White from 1966. Sadly many episodes didn't survive in the archive, however the BBC's Transcription Service re-recorded 14 shows in 1980 - never broadcast in the UK, until the arrival of BBC Radio 4 Extra.
Producer: Edward Taylor
First broadcast on the BBC Radio 4 in June 1975.
TUE 09:00 News Quiz Extra (b0b0t4dp)
[Repeat of broadcast at 23:00 on Monday]
TUE 09:45 Helen Keen's It Is Rocket Science (b040lj88)
[Repeat of broadcast at 23:45 on Monday]
TUE 10:00 John Buchan - The Thirty-Nine Steps (b00lbtl4)
The Coming of the Black Stone
A gang of German spies is hot in pursuit of Richard Hannay and a notebook which contains the secret of the 39 steps.
Hannay must solve the mystery of the steps if he's to save the British naval fleet from certain destruction...
Conclusion of John Buchan's ever popular spy-thriller dramatised in two-parts by Bert Coules
Stars David Robb as Hannay, Tom Baker as Bullivant, Struan Rodger as Hawk, Tracy Wiles as Charlotte, Phillip Joseph as Johnners, Thomas Arnold as Jopley, Gordon Reid as Chairman and Stuart McQuarrie as Sir Harry.
Producer: Bruce Young
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2001.
TUE 11:00 After Milk Wood (b04416sg)
Hares in the Old Plantation
After Milk Wood: three stories by acclaimed writers which take their inspiration from Dylan Thomas's greatest work, 'Under Milk Wood'. The stories have been commissioned to commemorate the centenary of the birth of the great Welsh writer, Dylan Thomas.
Today: Kevin Barry's 'Hares in the Old Plantation' - a teenage boy suffers the torments of unrequited love in rural Ireland.
Writer: Kevin Barry - Barry's debut novel, City of Bohane, won the 2013 International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award; he's winner of the Authors' Club Best First Novel award, winner of the Sunday Times EFG Short Story Award 2012, and was shortlisted for the Costa Award.
Irvine Welsh claims he's: 'The most arresting and original writer to emerge from these islands in years', and Roddy Doyle calls him 'Hilarious and unpredictable - and always brilliant'.
The Reader is Kevin Trainor
The producer is Justine Willett.
TUE 11:15 Robert Barr - Galbraith and the King of Diamonds (b041y956)
Dutch Treat
Veteran detective Bill wanted a quiet life in retirement, but now he's on the trail of a missing diamond courier.
Will he meet the King of Diamonds or even the Joker in Amsterdam?
Starring Bernard Hepton as Galbraith, Tom Watson as Cater, Peter Dyneley as Gelder, Cyril Shaps as Lindemanns, Eva Haddon as Anne-Marie, Trader Faulkner as Dykers, Peter Williams as Brent, Bruce Alexander as Milne and Stephen Grief as Jacobus.
Robert Barr also wrote TV scripts for the BBC's Z Cars and Softly Softly, as well as being a prize-winning TV producer.
Producer: John Browell
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 1975.
TUE 12:00 As Time Goes By (b007k7c7)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
TUE 12:30 The Men From the Ministry (b017071h)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
TUE 13:00 John Mortimer Presents: The Trials of Marshall Hall (b007jlzz)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
TUE 13:30 Chopsticks at Dawn (b00sm4tg)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
TUE 14:00 Donna Tartt - The Secret History (b03njkh0)
Episode 2
A Greek tragedy is set in motion as a new student joins the classics group. Donna Tartt's thriller read by William Hope.
TUE 14:15 Shakespeare's Restless World (b01gvn29)
Sex and the City
Neil MacGregor, Director of the British Museum, continues his object-based history. Taking artefacts from William Shakespeare's time, he explores how Elizabethan and Jacobean playgoers made sense of the unstable and rapidly changing world in which they lived.
With old certainties shifting around them, in a time of political and religious unrest and economic expansion, Neil asks what the plays would have meant to the public when they were first performed. He uses carefully selected objects to explore the great issues of the day that preoccupied the public and helped shape the works, and he considers what they can reveal about the concerns and beliefs of Shakespearean England.
Programme 12. SEX & THE CITY - A delicate glass goblet reveals the twin seductions of Venice: its sought after luxuries and its equally sought after lecherous women.
Producer: Paul Kobrak.
TUE 14:30 15 Minute Drama (b05s2x2f)
Elizabeth von Arnim - The Enchanted April, Episode 2
By Elizabeth von Arnim
Dramatised by Vivienne Allen
Having arrived at their mediaeval castle in darkness,
Lotty and Rose wake up to the radiance of April in Italy.
Directed by Tracey Neale
An advertisement in The Times, addressed to 'Those who Appreciate Wisteria and Sunshine' is the impetus for a revelatory month for four very different women. High above the bay on the Italian Riviera stands San Salvatore, a mediaeval castle. Beckoned to this haven are Lotty, Rose, Mrs Fisher and Lady Caroline Dester, each craving escape. Lulled by the Mediterranean spirit, they gradually shed their skins and discover a harmony each of them has longed for.
TUE 14:45 Sissinghurst: An Unfinished History (b010n4n3)
Family
Adam Nicolson recalls life at the famous Kent garden. His mother leaves the family home, and tourism takes over from farming.
TUE 15:00 John Buchan - The Thirty-Nine Steps (b00lbtl4)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 today]
TUE 16:00 It's Not What You Know (b062khlc)
Series 3, Episode 4
What's Lucy Porter's least favourite town to perform in? Has Cornelius's pal Jonathan ever won any money as a result of a tip from Cornelius? Who is Tom Wrigglesworth's all time hero?
All these burning questions, and more, will be answered in the show hosted by Miles Jupp, where panellists are tested on how well they know their nearest and dearest.
In this case, comedian Lucy Porter picks her agent, comedian Tom Wrigglesworth picks his father, and Cornelius Lysaght picks an old school friend.
Producer: Matt Stronge.
TUE 16:30 The Wordsmiths at Gorsemere (b007jshm)
Series 2, 27 July 1799
Stinking Iris brews Laburnum Tea. Cholericke returns secretly. Dorothy's arrangement for the wedding feast are disturbed. And a honeymoon is embarked upon...
An everyday story of towering genius in Sue Limb's six part soap opera, set in and around the Lake District at the turn of the 18th century.
Stars Geoffrey Whitehead as William Wordsmith, Denise Coffey as Dorothy Wordsmith, Simon Callow as Samuel Tailor Cholericke, Nickolas Grace as Thomas de Quinine, Miriam Margolyes as Stinking Iris and Chris Emmett as the Leechpedlar.
Music by Stephen Oliver and performed by Cantabile.
Producer: Jonathan James-Moore
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 1987.
TUE 17:00 Stockport, So Good They Named It Once (b01n7jww)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
TUE 17:30 Love in Recovery (b077gjkl)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
TUE 18:00 GK Chesterton - The Man Who Was Thursday (b007jvck)
The Six Philosophers
The men pursue Sunday - as he flees them aboard a hot air balloon.
Published in 1908, GK Chesterton's most famous novel is read in 13 parts by Geoffrey Palmer.
Director: Lawrence Jackson
Made for BBC Radio 7 by BBC Northern Ireland.
First broadcast in 2005.
TUE 18:30 The Palace of Laughter (b007svws)
Series 1, London Windmill
Geoffrey Wheeler explores the venue famed for its nude tableaux and known as the "comics' graveyard". From March 2002.
1/6 London Windmill
In the first of a series featuring Variety theatres from all over the UK, Geoffrey Wheeler visits the scene of the infamous Windmill Theatre in London. Famed for its nude dancing girls, the Windmill was also known as the "comics' graveyard" - audiences being more interested in the girls than the gags. Barry Cryer, Arthur English, Pearl Hackney and Eric Barker are among those recalling their Windmill days with a mixture of affection and horror.
TUE 19:00 As Time Goes By (b007k7c7)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
TUE 19:30 The Men From the Ministry (b017071h)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
TUE 20:00 John Mortimer Presents: The Trials of Marshall Hall (b007jlzz)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
TUE 20:30 Chopsticks at Dawn (b00sm4tg)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
TUE 21:00 After Milk Wood (b04416sg)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:00 today]
TUE 21:15 Robert Barr - Galbraith and the King of Diamonds (b041y956)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:15 today]
TUE 22:00 Love in Recovery (b077gjkl)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
TUE 22:30 Tom Wrigglesworth's Hang-Ups (b03fdh2c)
Series 1, Time to Celebrate
When Tom phones home we find out why he hates celebrations, why his mum can't stop organising them and why his father needs an electric whisk.
Classic Wrigglesworth rants combined with a fascinating and hilarious glimpse into his family background and the influences that have shaped his temperament, opinions and hang-ups.
Tom Wrigglesworth's Hang Ups is a 30 minute phone call from Tom ringing his parents for his weekly check-in. As the conversation unfolds, Tom takes time out from the phone call to explain the situation, his parent's reactions and relate various anecdotes from the past which illustrate his family's views. And sometimes he just needs to sound-off about the maddening world around him and bemoan everyday annoyances.
During all this Hang Ups explores class, living away from 'home', trans-generational phenomena, what we inherit from our families and how the past repeats in the present. All in a 30 minute phone call.
'Tom Wrigglesworth's Hang-ups' gets underneath the skin of Tom and the Wrigglesworth family, so sit back and enjoy a bit of totally legal phone hacking.
Written by Tom Wrigglesworth and James Kettle
Additional Material by Miles Jupp
Producer: Katie Tyrrell.
TUE 23:00 Elvenquest (b00wqfnn)
Series 2, Episode 6
The last episode in the series sees the noble band of Questers in a pub and within touching distance of getting their hands on the Sword of Asnagar. However, Lord Darkness still has a few tricks up his sleeve and he's not about to let the possibility of eternal dominion over Lower Earth slip through his fingers without pulling out all the stops. Will the Questers be strong enough to handle the immense power of the Sword. Or, as ever with these things, will they be tempted over to the Dark Side...?
An all-star cast, featuring:
Stephen Mangan as "Sam",
Alistair McGowan as "Lord Darkness",
Kevin Eldon as "Dean/Kreech",
Darren Boyd as "Vidar",
Dave Lamb as "Amis - The Chosen One"
Sophie Winkleman as "Penthiselea"
Written by Anil Gupta and Richard Pinto (Goodness Gracious Me, The Kumars At No.42)
The producer is Sam Michell.
TUE 23:30 The Lawrence Sweeney Mix (b00kpybx)
Series 1, Episode 4
Invention as it happens. Josie Lawrence and Jim Sweeney's improvised sketches, driven by the audience. From March 2007.

WEDNESDAY 02 MAY 2018

WED 00:00 GK Chesterton - The Man Who Was Thursday (b007jvck)
[Repeat of broadcast at 18:00 on Tuesday]
WED 00:30 The Palace of Laughter (b007svws)
[Repeat of broadcast at 18:30 on Tuesday]
WED 01:00 John Mortimer Presents: The Trials of Marshall Hall (b007jlzz)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 on Tuesday]
WED 01:30 Chopsticks at Dawn (b00sm4tg)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 on Tuesday]
WED 02:00 Donna Tartt - The Secret History (b03njkh0)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:00 on Tuesday]
WED 02:15 Shakespeare's Restless World (b01gvn29)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:15 on Tuesday]
WED 02:30 15 Minute Drama (b05s2x2f)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:30 on Tuesday]
WED 02:45 Sissinghurst: An Unfinished History (b010n4n3)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:45 on Tuesday]
WED 03:00 John Buchan - The Thirty-Nine Steps (b00lbtl4)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 on Tuesday]
WED 04:00 It's Not What You Know (b062khlc)
[Repeat of broadcast at 16:00 on Tuesday]
WED 04:30 The Wordsmiths at Gorsemere (b007jshm)
[Repeat of broadcast at 16:30 on Tuesday]
WED 05:00 Stockport, So Good They Named It Once (b01n7jww)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 on Tuesday]
WED 05:30 Love in Recovery (b077gjkl)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 on Tuesday]
WED 06:00 John Mortimer Presents: The Trials of Marshall Hall (b007jm0j)
A Hint of Arsenic
True stories of crime and trial in a bygone age, starring Tom Baker as Britain's celebrated barrister, Sir Edward Marshall Hall.
Sir Edward sets out to prove Harold Greenwood innocent of killing his first wife.
Introduced by Rumpole of the Bailey's creator John Mortimer. With Timothy Block, Robert Blythe and Zelah Clarke.
Dramatised by Michael Butt and directed by John Taylor.
A Fiction Factory production for BBC Radio 2 from 1996.
WED 06:30 Night Visions (b01cwvp1)
A radiophonic journey into the extraordinary world of an aerial crime fighter, peace invader, beholder of night visions and all-seeing eye.
Poet Paul Farley takes a journey into the London night aboard the Metropolitan Police helicopter. From its base deep in Epping Forest the city lights can be seen twinkling in the distance. Once the crew is scrambled and the helicopter takes off the illuminated metropolis begins to move beneath him as the the Air Support Unit dashes through the air from task to task. Be it searching for a missing person on a railway siding or a burglar hiding in gardens, taking on car pursuits or watching a house well out of earshot whilst an armed unit lays siege, it observes London and its inhabitants through thermal image cameras which turn night into day. What the naked eye sees, however, is a vision of sublime beauty as the electric city lights up.
Farley reflects on this world of transformation and in his poem, The Asset, the helicopter takes on a life of its own.
Producer Neil McCarthy.
WED 07:00 Ring Around the Bath (b00v7sp7)
Series 2, All Over Bar the Wrapping Paper
Stella's determined to get away - but a moveable feast is on the family Christmas menu.
Series 2 of Lucy Clare and Ian Davidson's sitcom about topsy-turvy family life.
Stars Duncan Preston as Patrick, Penny Downie as Stella, Claudie Blakley as Alison, Bruce MacKinnon as Rick, Catherine Shepherd as Xanthe, Daniela Denby-Ashe as Egg and Terence Frisch as the Man in Garden Centre.
Producer: Elizabeth Freestone
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 2004.
WED 07:30 Sketchtopia (b0b01jt0)
Series 1, Episode 4
Broadcaster and comedian Hardeep Singh Kohli sets out to find the next generation of white, black, Asian and minority ethnic satirical sketch writers, with a keen eye on finding the funny in a multicultural Britain.
Traditionally, some of the best UK sketch comedy shines a satirical light on social issues of the time, finding comedy from difficult subject matter or awkward social convention. When it comes to multiculturalism, sketch team Goodness, Gracious Me kicked open the door with their classic 90s sketch show, including the legendary Going For An English routine.
Sketchtopia aims to make sharp observations about modern Britain and, most importantly, allow shared experiences, common points of reference and authenticity to come together and hold a mirror up to our society and tell us a truth about ourselves.
Stand-ups and comedy writers from diverse backgrounds have been invited to give us a comic snapshot of UK society through their own observations and experiences. In these divisive times, Sketchtopia aims to poke fun at our multicultural society and tries to discover a diverse, multi-ethnic Utopia through good old-fashioned British sketch comedy.
Host: Hardeep Singh Kohli.
Performer: Vivienne Acheampong
Performer: Luke Manning
Performer: Jamie-Rose Monk
Performer: Nimisha Odedra
Performer: Paul G Raymond.
Script Editors: Sanjeev Kohli and Donny Mcleary
Writers: Sunny Bahia, Alice Gregg, Tamar Broadbent, Maddy Anholt, Karim Khan, Elizabeth Parikh, Stevie Cooke, Ayesha Manazir Siddiqi, Jim Felton, Neil Bratchpiece, Shai Hussain and In Cahoots.
Produced by Gus Beattie
A Gusman production for BBC Radio 4.
WED 08:00 The Navy Lark (b007xwmb)
Johnson's Birthday
'Fatso' Johnson is in hiding on his birthday, but the attention of the crew of HMS Troutbridge is diverted when they find a treasure map.
The show was recorded before an audience of officers and ratings (and family) from real-life frigate HMS Troubridge from which Troutbridge was derived.
Starring Jon Pertwee as the Chief Petty Officer, Leslie Phillips as the Sub-Lieutenant, Stephen Murray as the Number One, Ronnie Barker as AS Johnson, Richard Caldicot as Captain Povey, Tenniel Evans as Sir Willoughby Todhunter-Brown, Heather Chasen as Lady Todhunter-Brown and Michael Bates as Lieutenant Bates.
Laughs afloat aboard British Royal Navy frigate HMS Troutbridge. The Navy Lark ran for an impressive thirteen series between 1959 and 1976.
Scripted by Lawrie Wyman.
Producer: Alastair Scott Johnston
First broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in December 1960.
WED 08:30 Round the Horne (b00jjq7v)
Series 2, Episode 2
Rambling Syd Rumpo sings of gander-boggling, and Kenneth Horne trolls round to Bona Books to let Julian and Sandy vada his new manuscript.
With Kenneth Williams, Hugh Paddick, Betty Marsden and Bill Pertwee.
Recorded at the BBC's Paris Studio in Lower Regent Street, London. Announcer: Douglas Smith
Round The Horne was born out of the demise of BBC radio comedy Beyond Our Ken, after the end of writer Eric Merriman's involvement. Using the same cast and producer, Barry Took and Marty Feldman were persuaded to write the scripts - which led to four series that ran between 1965 and 1968 - packed full of parodies, recurring characters, catchphrases and double-entendres.
Music by Edwin Braden and the Hornblowers and The Fraser Hayes Four.
Producer: John Simmonds
First broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in March 1966.
WED 09:00 The Write Stuff (b04n2ksk)
Series 17, Henry Fielding
Radio 4's literary panel show, hosted by James Walton, with team captains Sebastian Faulks and John Walsh and guests Jane Thynne and John O'Farrell. The author of the week - Henry Fielding.
Produced by Alexandra Smith.
WED 09:30 Life, Death and Sex with Mike and Sue (b0075pbn)
Series 3, Episode 6
Sofa-bound TV presenters Mike and Sue tackle matrimony. What makes it work? Where do couples go wrong?
Starring Robert Duncan and Jan Ravens.
With Ronnie Ancona, Alistair McGowan, Roger Blake and Christopher Douglas.
Written by Christopher Douglas from a format by Bill Dare.
Music by Mark Burton.
Producer: Aled Evans
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 1998.
WED 10:00 Katie Hims - Earthquake Girl (b05wh9n4)
Edie works in a library and is terrified of causing a world catastrophe.
Edie's sister-in-law, Lila, thinks she should go out and find a man, but she'd rather stay in to write a gothic romance, in fact, Edie would be a library if she could...
Katie Hims's award-winning play stars Saskia Reeves as Edie, Jane Hollowood as Lila, Jean Alexander as Mrs Penny, Burt Caesar as Errol Maroon, Philip Rham as the Hero and Barbara Marten as the Library Supervisor.
Directed at BBC Manchester by Kate Rowland.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1997.
WED 11:00 After Milk Wood (b044jh71)
London Choral Celestial Jazz
'After Milk Wood': three stories by acclaimed writers which take their inspiration from Dylan Thomas's 'Under Milk Wood'. The stories have been commissioned to commemorate the centenary of the birth of the great Welsh writer, Dylan Thomas, and were recorded at the Laugharne Festival in Wales.
Today, from the Laugharne Festival, Bernardine Evaristo reads her own short story in verse set in the high-octane, adrenaline-charged streets of contemporary London, which takes its inspiration from Dylan Thomas's 'Under Milk Wood'.
The Reader is Bernardine Evaristo. Writer and poet Bernardine Evaristo's awards include: the EMMA Best Book Award, Big Red Read, Orange Youth Panel Award, a NESTA and the Arts Council Writer's Award. Her books have been a 'Book of the Year' twelve times in British newspapers and magazines and The Emperor's Babe was a Times 'Book of the Decade'. She was made a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in 2004, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts in 2006, and she received an MBE in 2009. Her most recent novel is Mr Loveman.
The producer is Justine Willett.
WED 11:15 Robert Barr - Galbraith and the King of Diamonds (b041ycyn)
Fear Is the Key
The mysterious pack puts pressure on the King of Diamonds - as veteran detective Bill Galbraith races to save a life...
Starring Bernard Hepton as Galbraith, Tom Watson as Cater, Cyril Shaps as Lindemanns, Peter Dyneley as Gelder, Richard Davies as Tom Evans, Eva Haddon as Anne-Marie, Stephen Grief as Jacobus, Trader Faulkner as Dykers and Peter Williams as Brent.
Producer: John Browell.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 1975.
WED 12:00 The Navy Lark (b007xwmb)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
WED 12:30 Round the Horne (b00jjq7v)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
WED 13:00 John Mortimer Presents: The Trials of Marshall Hall (b007jm0j)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
WED 13:30 Night Visions (b01cwvp1)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
WED 14:00 Donna Tartt - The Secret History (b03nnlkd)
Episode 3
The American college students are introduced to the seductive rituals of Dionysius. Donna Tartt's thriller read by William Hope.
WED 14:15 Shakespeare's Restless World (b01gvrxk)
From London to Marrakech
Neil MacGregor, former Director of the British Museum, continues his object-based history. Taking artefacts from William Shakespeare's time, he explores how Elizabethan and Jacobean playgoers made sense of the unstable and rapidly changing world in which they lived.
With old certainties shifting around them, in a time of political and religious unrest and economic expansion, Neil asks what the plays would have meant to the public when they were first performed. He uses carefully selected objects to explore the great issues of the day that preoccupied the public and helped shape the works, and he considers what they can reveal about the concerns and beliefs of Shakespearean England.
Programme 13. FROM LONDON TO MARRAKECH - Sunken gold from West Africa sheds light on the complex relationship Elizabethan England had with the Moors of the Mediterranean.
This programme was originally broadcast in 2012.
Producer: Paul Kobrak.
WED 14:30 15 Minute Drama (b05s33xj)
Elizabeth von Arnim - The Enchanted April, Episode 3
By Elizabeth Von Arnim
Dramatised by Vivienne Allen
Lotty and Rose begin to bask in the delicate warmth and beautiful fragrance of San Salvatore but Mrs Fisher is still finding things to try her patience and Scrap still wants to hide herself away.
Directed by Tracey Neale
An advertisement in The Times, addressed to 'Those who Appreciate Wisteria and Sunshine' is the impetus for a revelatory month for four very different women. High above the bay on the Italian Riviera stands San Salvatore, a mediaeval castle. Beckoned to this haven are Lotty, Rose, Mrs Fisher and Lady Caroline Dester, each craving escape. Lulled by the Mediterranean spirit, they gradually.
WED 14:45 Sissinghurst: An Unfinished History (b010nn2r)
Dealing With the Trust
Reading his account of the famous Kent garden, Adam Nicolson wants to create an organic farm, but others aren't so sure.
WED 15:00 Katie Hims - Earthquake Girl (b05wh9n4)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 today]
WED 16:00 The Write Stuff (b04n2ksk)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
WED 16:30 Life, Death and Sex with Mike and Sue (b0075pbn)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 today]
WED 17:00 Ring Around the Bath (b00v7sp7)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
WED 17:30 Sketchtopia (b0b01jt0)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
WED 18:00 GK Chesterton - The Man Who Was Thursday (b007ww7m)
The Accuser
As Sunday presides over a feast, Lucien Gregory appears. Gabriel Syme finds himself back in Saffron Park.
Published in 1908, GK Chesterton's most famous novel is read in 13 parts by Geoffrey Palmer.
Director: Lawrence Jackson
Made for BBC Radio 7 by BBC Northern Ireland.
First broadcast in 2005.
WED 18:30 The Tingle Factor (b07dnxvk)
Leslie Thomas
Leslie Thomas, Welsh born author of 'The Virgin Soldiers', talks to Robin Ray about the music which stirs his emotions.
In between his music choices, Leslie recalls becoming orphaned and life in a children's home, his national service and how he became a journalist and novelist.
Producer: Andrew Mussett
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1990.
WED 19:00 The Navy Lark (b007xwmb)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
WED 19:30 Round the Horne (b00jjq7v)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
WED 20:00 John Mortimer Presents: The Trials of Marshall Hall (b007jm0j)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
WED 20:30 Night Visions (b01cwvp1)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
WED 21:00 After Milk Wood (b044jh71)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:00 today]
WED 21:15 Robert Barr - Galbraith and the King of Diamonds (b041ycyn)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:15 today]
WED 22:00 Sketchtopia (b0b01jt0)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
WED 22:30 2525 (b03nj185)
Episode 3
In the year 2525, if man is still alive, if woman can survive... then it may sound something like this. Set 511 years in the future, 2525 invites you to hear more snippets of our future from talking billboards to a dieting consumer of planets.
Written by Colin Birch, Ali Crockatt and David Scott, Jason Hazeley and Joel Morris, Jon Hunter, Jane Lamacraft, Stuart Cotterill, John Luke Roberts and Eddie Robson
Produced by Ashley Blaker
A John Stanley production for BBC Radio 4.
WED 22:55 The Comedy Club Interviews (b0b1v423)
Lee Kern 2/3
From 10.00 to midnight, seven days a week, the Comedy Club has two hours of comedy. Plus Paul Garner chats to the star of Celebrity Bedlam and The Royal Wedding Crashers, Lee Kern.
WED 23:00 Clayton Grange (b045z97x)
Series 2, Episode 1
by Neil Warhurst, with additional material by Paul Barnhill
Anthony Head leads the team thinking the unthinkable in a top-secret institute. This is Clayton Grange, where brilliantly stupid scientists are as rubbish at life as they are at science.
This week the team launch their revolutionary spray-on clothes, a local MP comes to visit to boost his election campaign and an embarrassing virus escapes from genetics and threatens the very nature of democracy.
Director: Marion Nancarrow
A new series of this popular comedy which began last year. Actor and musician Anthony Head, probably best known for his roles in "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and as the Prime Minister in "Little Britain", plays Professor Linden Saunders, the keen but hopeless Director of Scientific Institute, Clayton Grange.
Writer/performers Neil Warhurst and Paul Barnhill first appeared on BBC radio in "Beyond the Pole", a comedy about two incompetent explorers, who returned in "Beyond the Back of Beyond", to trek to the Amazon. Neil turned the first series into the film, "Beyond the Pole", released in 2010, starring Stephen Mangan, Rhys Thomas and Alexander Skarsgard, which won Best Comedy at the International Film Festival. Together, Neil and Paul also wrote and performed in two series of "The Spaceship" (BBC7), starring James Fleet and two series of "Edge Falls" (Radio 4) starring Mark Benton and Sarah Lancashire ("If you boiled down modern Britain, the sticky, foul-smelling residue would be a lot like the Edge Falls" The Guardian). Neil (the only member of his immediate family who isn't a scientist) has also written two afternoon plays for Radio 4. Paul and Neil have recently set up Goofus, a company currently working on plays for theatre, one of which is an adaptation of Neil's radio play "Taking Charlie" and is under commission from Soho Theatre.
Neil and Paul play the parts of Geoff and Roger in Clayton Grange.
WED 23:30 The Consultants (b0076q2b)
Series 2, Episode 6
Crossword challenges and dinner with the devil. Offbeat songs and sketches with Neil Edmond, Justin Edwards and James Rawlings. From May 2004.

THURSDAY 03 MAY 2018

THU 00:00 GK Chesterton - The Man Who Was Thursday (b007ww7m)
[Repeat of broadcast at 18:00 on Wednesday]
THU 00:30 The Tingle Factor (b07dnxvk)
[Repeat of broadcast at 18:30 on Wednesday]
THU 01:00 John Mortimer Presents: The Trials of Marshall Hall (b007jm0j)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 on Wednesday]
THU 01:30 Night Visions (b01cwvp1)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 on Wednesday]
THU 02:00 Donna Tartt - The Secret History (b03nnlkd)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:00 on Wednesday]
THU 02:15 Shakespeare's Restless World (b01gvrxk)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:15 on Wednesday]
THU 02:30 15 Minute Drama (b05s33xj)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:30 on Wednesday]
THU 02:45 Sissinghurst: An Unfinished History (b010nn2r)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:45 on Wednesday]
THU 03:00 Katie Hims - Earthquake Girl (b05wh9n4)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 on Wednesday]
THU 04:00 The Write Stuff (b04n2ksk)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 on Wednesday]
THU 04:30 Life, Death and Sex with Mike and Sue (b0075pbn)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 on Wednesday]
THU 05:00 Ring Around the Bath (b00v7sp7)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 on Wednesday]
THU 05:30 Sketchtopia (b0b01jt0)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 on Wednesday]
THU 06:00 John Mortimer Presents: The Trials of Marshall Hall (b007jm10)
A Death at Christmas
True stories of crime and trial in a bygone age, starring Tom Baker as Britain's celebrated barrister, Sir Edward Marshall Hall.
Sir Edward faces a complex case over a troubled ex-soldier charged with murder.
Introduced by Rumpole of the Bailey's creator John Mortimer. With Timothy Block, Robert Blythe and Jonathan Tafler.
Dramatised by Michael Butt. Director Michael Fox.
A Fiction Factory production for BBC Radio 2 from 1996.
THU 06:30 James Last - Non Stop Party People (b00vsvcy)
In a village hall in Lincolnshire determined fans brave the cold of a February night to dance the night away. The only music on the turntable is by James Last, a German bandleader with a fanatical following.
Paul Gambaccini goes in search of the non-stop party people to try to understand Last's enduring appeal.
James Last died aged 86 in 2015.
Producer: Mark Rickards
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2005.
THU 07:00 Hopes and Desires (b0076f3l)
Series 1, Toad Squad
Bitter at being retired prematurely, Reg finds a toad crushed on the road as it was crossing to mate.
Now Reg has a mission. In future none of the toad's fellow creatures will end up looking like flattened gardening gloves...
Nick Warburton's comedy drama stars Philip Jackson as Reg, Amanda Root as Bel and Jonathan Coy as Mr Topping.
Director: Peter Kavanagh
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2003.
THU 07:30 Alone (b0b01rvy)
Series 1, The Long Bad Friday Night
A sitcom, written by Moray Hunter and starring Angus Deayton, about five single, middle aged neighbours living in flats in a converted house in North London.
Mitch (Angus Deayton) is a widower and part-time therapist who is looking to put his life back together now that he is single and living - supposedly temporarily - with Will (Pearce Quigley), his younger, more volatile and unhappily divorced half-brother.
Elsewhere in the building are schoolteacher Ellie (Abigail Cruttenden) who is shy, nervous and desperately missing her ex-boyfriend, overly honest, frustrated actress Louisa (Kate Isitt), and socially inept IT nerd Morris (Bennett Arron).
In The Long Bad Friday Night, Mitch's late wife's sister Helen, (Carrie Quinlan) is keen to meet up with him for a drink. She's too keen for Mitch who hides out upstairs with Ellie while Will attempts to resolve the situation. But his attempts to get rid of Helen don't exactly go to plan. Meanwhile, Louisa needs to piggy back on someone's wi-fi to watch her favourite TV show and winds up having to hang out with Morris.
This Friday night is not panning out well for anyone
An Absolutely production for BBC Radio 4.
THU 08:00 J Kingston Platt's Showbiz Handbook (b007jztn)
The TV Spectacular - A Contradiction in Terms
The veteran of many parts recounts the woeful tale of a 'Gala Night in Venice'. Stars Peter Jones. From June 1986.
THU 08:30 The Goon Show (b007k3lb)
Emperor of the Universe
Bulldog Neddie investigates why 25,000,000 Englishmen have vanished.
Starring Spike Milligan, Peter Sellers and Harry Secombe.
This programme was one of several locked in a BBC cupboard marked 'not for rebroadcast', as the subject matter has somewhat dated since 1957. Repeated as a 'historical curiosity' to celebrate 100 years since the birth of Spike Milligan.
Beginning in May 1951 as 'Crazy People', The Goon Show ran for 10 series stretching the boundaries of radio comedy in new and influential directions concluding in January 1960.
Scripted by Spike Milligan and Larry Stephens.
With the Ray Ellington Quartet and Max Geldray.
Orchestra conducted by Wally Stott.
Announcer: Wallace Greenslade
Producer: Pat Dixon
First broadcast on the BBC Home Service in January 1957.
THU 09:00 Listomania (b055jtlt)
Series 1, Episode 5
Susan Calman hosts the series exploring the world of the list - from the magnificent to the mundane - from the humble 'to do' list to the bucket list and many more...
With Sarah Millican, Andrew O'Neill, Ricky Wilson and Roisin Conaty
Written by James Kettle and Juliet Meyers with Max Davis and Gabby Hutchinson Crouch.
Producer: Sam Bryant
First broadcast on BBC Radio 2 in 2015.
THU 09:30 HR (b01cw7kn)
Series 3, Gambled
Nigel William's retirement comedy series, starring Jonathan Pryce and Nicholas le Prevost. The two friends, having discovered that their pensions are worthless, take every measure thinkable to survive. This week, they hope for a lottery win.
Peter ..... Jonathan Pryce
Sam ..... Nicholas Le Prevost
Dustman ..... Gerard McDermott.
THU 10:00 The Master Of Ballantrae (b00cbcpd)
Episode 1
Two brothers, James and Henry Durie, engage in a bitter struggle over money, power and love in this dark and dramatic adventure story set in 18th-century Scotland and America.
After the Jacobite Rebellion of 1745, the Master flees Scotland for a life of piracy, buried treasure and murder...
First published in 1889, Robert Louis Stevenson's buccaneering tale dramatised in two parts by Chris Dolan.
Starring David Rintoul as James Durie, Liam Brennan as Henry Durie, John Shedden as Ephraim McKellar, Vicki Liddelle as Alison Graeme, Patrick Moy as Chevalier Burke, John Kazek as Captain Teach, Simon Tait as Dutton, Lesley Hart as Jess Broun and Tom Fleming as Lord Durrisdeer.
Producer: Bruce Young
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2004.
THU 11:00 Peter Regent - Figs (b06kq0yy)
On a coach journey in Turkey, a man dreams of eating refreshing figs. Can his fellow travellers help? Read by Nigel Anthony.
THU 11:15 Robert Barr - Galbraith and the King of Diamonds (b041yksc)
The £7,000,000 Touch
The 'King' is taken and double-crossing ends in death.
Retirement continues to elude veteran detective Bill Gailbraith. Bundled into a car, he's face-to-face with Jacobus.
Starring Bernard Hepton as Galbraith, Tom Watson as Cater, Cyril Shaps as Lindemanns, Peter Dyneley as Gelder, Richard Davies as Paul, Eva Haddon as Anne-Marie,
Stephen Grief as Jacobus, Trader Faulkner as Dykers.
Producer: John Browell
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 1975.
THU 12:00 J Kingston Platt's Showbiz Handbook (b007jztn)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
THU 12:30 The Goon Show (b007k3lb)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
THU 13:00 John Mortimer Presents: The Trials of Marshall Hall (b007jm10)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
THU 13:30 James Last - Non Stop Party People (b00vsvcy)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
THU 14:00 Donna Tartt - The Secret History (b03nnqyc)
Episode 4
American college life - sex, drugs, campus parties and country house weekends! Donna Tartt's thriller, read by William Hope.
THU 14:15 Shakespeare's Restless World (b01gvthw)
Disguise and Deception
Neil MacGregor, former Director of the British Museum, continues his object-based history. Taking artefacts from William Shakespeare's time, he explores how Elizabethan and Jacobean playgoers made sense of the unstable and rapidly changing world in which they lived.
With old certainties shifting around them, in a time of political and religious unrest and economic expansion, Neil asks what the plays would have meant to the public when they were first performed. He uses carefully selected objects to explore the great issues of the day that preoccupied the public and helped shape the works, and he considers what they can reveal about the concerns and beliefs of Shakespearean England.
Programme 14. DISGUISE & DECEPTION - Deception and religion, cross-dressing and travelling salesmen are all unpacked via a pedlar's trunk.
This programme was originally broadcast in 2012.
Producer: Paul Kobrak.
THU 14:30 15 Minute Drama (b05s3gz0)
Elizabeth von Arnim - The Enchanted April, Episode 4
By Elizabeth von Arnim
Dramatised by Vivienne Allen
San Salvatore is working its magic on Mellersh too and he in turn has managed to charm both Scrap and Mrs Fisher as the beautiful golden days drop gently one by one.
Directed by Tracey Neale
An advertisement in The Times, addressed to 'Those who Appreciate Wisteria and Sunshine' is the impetus for a revelatory month for four very different women. High above the bay on the Italian Riviera stands San Salvatore, a mediaeval castle. Beckoned to this haven are Lotty, Rose, Mrs Fisher and Lady Caroline Dester, each craving escape. Lulled by the Mediterranean spirit, they gradually.
THU 14:45 Sissinghurst: An Unfinished History (b010nrtr)
Setbacks and Struggles
In his account of the famous Kent garden, Adam Nicolson faces opposition to his plan to return to productive farming.
THU 15:00 The Master Of Ballantrae (b00cbcpd)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 today]
THU 16:00 Listomania (b055jtlt)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
THU 16:30 HR (b01cw7kn)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 today]
THU 17:00 Hopes and Desires (b0076f3l)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
THU 17:30 Alone (b0b01rvy)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
THU 18:00 Richard Matheson - Duel (b007jwll)
Episode 1
The driver of a huge truck plays deadly games with an innocent motorist.
Classic tense thriller by American sci-fi novelist, screenwriter and principal writer of 'The Twilight Zone', Richard Matheson (1926-2013).
Adapted by Steven Spielberg for the big screen in 1971, Duel is also a cult film.
Read by Nathan Osgood.
Producer: Vivien Rosenthal
Made for BBC 7 and first broadcast in 2006.
THU 18:30 Great Lives (b010023x)
Series 24, Thomas Edison
Matthew Parris presents the biographical series in which his guests choose someone who has inspired their lives. Here, Sir Clive Sinclair nominates fellow inventor Thomas Edison. Edison invented sound recording, the electric light bulb and moving pictures, but also had his fair share of duds along the way. Sir Clive invented the first electronic calculator but also the ill-fated C5 electric car. Separated by a century, do the two men have anything in common? Joining the discussion is Edison's biographer Neil Baldwin.
THU 19:00 J Kingston Platt's Showbiz Handbook (b007jztn)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
THU 19:30 The Goon Show (b007k3lb)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
THU 20:00 John Mortimer Presents: The Trials of Marshall Hall (b007jm10)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
THU 20:30 James Last - Non Stop Party People (b00vsvcy)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
THU 21:00 Peter Regent - Figs (b06kq0yy)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:00 today]
THU 21:15 Robert Barr - Galbraith and the King of Diamonds (b041yksc)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:15 today]
THU 22:00 Alone (b0b01rvy)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
THU 22:30 Ross Noble Goes Global (b01c6txd)
Series 2, Belgium
The comedian aims to prove Belgium is not dull, with chocolate, odd statues and the legacy of Jean-Claude Van Damme. From May 2003.
THU 22:55 The Comedy Club Interviews (b0b1v45f)
Lee Kern 3/3
From 10.00 to midnight, seven days a week, the Comedy Club has two hours of comedy. Plus Paul Garner chats to the star of Celebrity Bedlam and The Royal Wedding Crashers, Lee Kern.
THU 23:00 Wondermentalist Cabaret (b00yqspr)
Series 1, Episode 4
Matt Harvey's warm-hearted poetry cabaret, Wondermentalist, is today in the company of fellow poets Les Barker, Pete Hunter and Jude Simpson. Supported by one man house band, Jerri Hart, they vie for the audience's approval at the Comedy Box, Bristol, in the Dead Poets' Slam, wooing us with the deathless words of their best-loved poets from the past. The audience too play their part, composing their own crowd-sourced poem (the subjects of which can vary wildly, from reflecting on the delights and demerits of cheese, to Sunday mornings, and the winter habits of gerbils).
Producer: Mark Smalley.
THU 23:30 The Odd Half Hour (b00vy0f0)
Series 2, Episode 1
Comedy sketch show starring Kevin Bishop, Stephen K Amos, Doon Mackichan, Justin Edwards & Jessica Ransom. Answering the questions you probably never asked, this week's episode explains how the mouse got in the beans and why you should think twice before sponsoring a dog.
Produced by Simon Mayhew-Archer.

FRIDAY 04 MAY 2018

FRI 00:00 Richard Matheson - Duel (b007jwll)
[Repeat of broadcast at 18:00 on Thursday]
FRI 00:30 Great Lives (b010023x)
[Repeat of broadcast at 18:30 on Thursday]
FRI 01:00 John Mortimer Presents: The Trials of Marshall Hall (b007jm10)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 on Thursday]
FRI 01:30 James Last - Non Stop Party People (b00vsvcy)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 on Thursday]
FRI 02:00 Donna Tartt - The Secret History (b03nnqyc)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:00 on Thursday]
FRI 02:15 Shakespeare's Restless World (b01gvthw)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:15 on Thursday]
FRI 02:30 15 Minute Drama (b05s3gz0)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:30 on Thursday]
FRI 02:45 Sissinghurst: An Unfinished History (b010nrtr)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:45 on Thursday]
FRI 03:00 The Master Of Ballantrae (b00cbcpd)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 on Thursday]
FRI 04:00 Listomania (b055jtlt)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 on Thursday]
FRI 04:30 HR (b01cw7kn)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 on Thursday]
FRI 05:00 Hopes and Desires (b0076f3l)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 on Thursday]
FRI 05:30 Alone (b0b01rvy)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 on Thursday]
FRI 06:00 John Mortimer Presents: The Trials of Marshall Hall (b007k2zd)
The Case of the Green Bicycle
True stories of crime and trial in a bygone age, starring Tom Baker as Britain's celebrated barrister, Sir Edward Marshall Hall.
Did Ronald Light shoot a woman cyclist dead? Sir Edward sets out to prove his innocence.
Introduced by Rumpole of the Bailey's creator John Mortimer. With Jonathan Tafler and David Alistair.
Dramatised by Michael Butt.
Director Michael Fox
A Fiction Factory production for BBC Radio 2 from 1996.
FRI 06:30 Mr Pollock's Theatres (b0076dzn)
How did toy theatres begin? With enthusiasts of all ages, Simon Callow explores the world of cardboard make-believe. From May 2003.
FRI 07:00 Andy & Eric Merriman - Minor Adjustment (b0b0x50b)
Lollipops and Roses
Life is disrupted by a well-meaning tv documentary crew. Comedy about a family with a young daughter with Down's syndrome. Stars Peter Davison and Samantha Bond. From July 1996.
FRI 07:30 Stand-Up Specials (b0b0m84n)
Lucy Porter in the Family Way
In recent years, Lucy Porter has become a mum of two and a middle-aged orphan. Now she explores her relationship with the concept of family, and the lasting effects of a childhood spent in Croydon.
Lucy gives helpful tips for children, parents and grandparents alike, explaining helicopter parenting, the value of benign neglect, and the rise of the tiger mother - a mother who comes to tea, eats all the buns and drinks all of daddy's beer!
As she charts the life cycle of a typical nuclear family, Lucy addresses issues like siblings. Why do we all think "it'll be nice for them to have each other to play with" when no siblings have ever played together nicely since the dawn of time?
Lucy takes us right to the end of the parenting process - when you end up having to parent your own parents. How do you tempt your parents out of the Morrison's cafe? Why is it essential to carry a pound coin at all times? What do you do when your dad insists he's a major international songwriter?
This is a warm and witty new show recorded at Stratford Circus Arts Centre, with a lot of laughs and a dollop of poignancy.
Cast:
Lucy Porter
Luke Kempner
Written by Lucy Porter
Additional Material by Gabby Hutchinson Crouch
Studio Manager and Editor- Jerry Peal
Production Manager- Sarah Tombling
Produced by Marilyn Imrie and Gordon Kennedy
Directed by Gordon Kennedy
An Absolutely production for BBC Radio 4.
FRI 08:00 I'm Sorry, I'll Read That Again (b00zn046)
Series 6, Episode 12
Arabian Desert dancers, and the bare truth of Lady Godiva. Songs and sketches with John Cleese and Bill Oddie. From June 1968.
FRI 08:30 Brothers in Law (b007k2wl)
Series 2, Disqualified
Bad driving results in a near-miss for barrister Roger. Stars Richard Briers and Peter Jones. From September 1971.
FRI 09:00 It's Your Round (b019f6kd)
Series 2, Episode 4
Four more panellists attempt to beat each other at their own games, with host, Angus Deayton.
The rounds this episode include:
Will Smith's "Jersey Quiz", all about the weird and wonderful world of his Channel Island birthplace.
Australian actress and comedian, Celia Pacquola's "Now That's Charity!" in which panellists must all pitch a charity which they would use to acquire enough funds to eradicate their personal bêtes noires, like men in flip-flops, Jennifer Aniston films, or people who constantly check their phones.
Jason Solomon's "Tagline Tease" in which panellists have to guess the tagline to a particular film.
Andrew Maxwell's "Boarder, boarder, boarder or boarder"... in which panellists are given a slang term and they have to guess whether it's from the world of snowboarding, surfboarding, clapper-boarding or boarding school.
Producer: Sam Michell.
FRI 09:30 After Henry (b007k4gw)
Series 3, Lines of Communication
Sarah and her mother Eleanor wage a war of attrition, until Russell steps in. Stars Prunella Scales. From October 1987.
FRI 10:00 The Master Of Ballantrae (b00cbmp9)
Episode 2
After the brother's bitter duel, the body of James Durie has mysteriously disappeared. Stars David Rintoul and Liam Brennan.
FRI 11:00 Podcast Radio Hour (b0b0ghlc)
Rhianna Dhillon
Made for 4 Extra. Amanda Litherland is joined by Rhianna Dhillon to recommend some favourite podcasts.
FRI 12:00 I'm Sorry, I'll Read That Again (b00zn046)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
FRI 12:30 Brothers in Law (b007k2wl)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
FRI 13:00 John Mortimer Presents: The Trials of Marshall Hall (b007k2zd)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
FRI 13:30 Mr Pollock's Theatres (b0076dzn)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
FRI 14:00 Donna Tartt - The Secret History (b03npbkf)
Episode 5
Why are four bookworms covered in wounds and bruises? Donna Tartt's thriller, read by William Hope.
FRI 14:15 Shakespeare's Restless World (b01gvwxr)
The Flag That Failed
Neil MacGregor, former Director of the British Museum, continues his object-based history. Taking artefacts from William Shakespeare's time, he explores how Elizabethan and Jacobean playgoers made sense of the unstable and rapidly changing world in which they lived.
With old certainties shifting around them, in a time of political and religious unrest and economic expansion, Neil asks what the plays would have meant to the public when they were first performed. He uses carefully selected objects to explore the great issues of the day that preoccupied the public and helped shape the works, and he considers what they can reveal about the concerns and beliefs of Shakespearean England.
Programme 15. THE FLAG THAT FAILED - The problems in uniting Scotland and England and in creating a Great Britain are encapsulated in a set of designs for a common flag.
This programme was originally broadcast in 2012.
Producer: Paul Kobrak.
FRI 14:30 15 Minute Drama (b05s3nmt)
Elizabeth von Arnim - The Enchanted April, Episode 5
By Elizabeth von Arnim
Dramatised by Vivienne Allen
The arrival of Mr Briggs, the owner of the castle, charms everyone but Scrap. Then another visitor threatens to bring disharmony too. Can the enchantment of San Salvatore win through?
Directed by Tracey Neale.
FRI 14:45 Sissinghurst: An Unfinished History (b010nxrw)
The Way Forward
Concluding his recollections, Adam Nicolson must convince his workers to back the garden's return to a working landscape.
FRI 15:00 The Master Of Ballantrae (b00cbmp9)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 today]
FRI 16:00 It's Your Round (b019f6kd)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
FRI 16:30 After Henry (b007k4gw)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 today]
FRI 17:00 Andy & Eric Merriman - Minor Adjustment (b0b0x50b)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
FRI 17:30 Stand-Up Specials (b0b0m84n)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
FRI 18:00 Richard Matheson - Duel (b007k3qp)
Episode 2
A hunted motorist is forced to become the hunter in a deadly, primordial duel. Classic tense thriller read by Nathan Osgood.
FRI 18:30 Mastertapes (b01p71gb)
Series 1, The Zombies (the A-Side)
John Wilson concludes his series in which he talks to leading performers and songwriters about the album that made them or changed them. Recorded in front of a live audience at the BBC's iconic Maida Vale Studios. Each edition includes two episodes, with John initially quizzing the artist about the album in question, and then, in the B-side, the audience puts the questions. Both editions feature exclusive live performances.
Programme 7. Forty five years after it was recorded, Rod Argent, Chris White and Colin Blunstone recall the making of the Zombies album 'Odessey And Oracle'. When it was released in 1968, after the band had split up, it was indifferently received. But since it has been described as: "one of the great undiscovered works of the psychedelic era" - Pitchfork; "an album that should grace any record collection... essential" - BBC; and "combining the adventure of Sgt. Pepper with the concision of British Invasion Pop" - Rolling Stone.
Those who have cited the Zombies as influences include everyone from Courtney Love to the Magic Numbers and from the Arctic Monkeys to Paul Weller. 'Odessey And Oracle' (the title was mis-spelt by the designer of the cover) contained only one stereotypically summer-of-love hit ('Time Of The Season') - the darker tones and dramatic third-person feel of much of the album (including the likes of 'Care of Cell 44', 'The Butcher's Tale' and 'A Rose For Emily') makes it sound ahead of its time.
Producer: Paul Kobrak.
FRI 19:00 I'm Sorry, I'll Read That Again (b00zn046)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
FRI 19:30 Brothers in Law (b007k2wl)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
FRI 20:00 John Mortimer Presents: The Trials of Marshall Hall (b007k2zd)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
FRI 20:30 Mr Pollock's Theatres (b0076dzn)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
FRI 21:00 Podcast Radio Hour (b0b0ghlc)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:00 today]
FRI 22:00 Stand-Up Specials (b0b0m84n)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
FRI 22:30 Sketchorama (b06172dj)
Series 4, Episode 1
Award winning actress and comedian Isy Suttie presents the pick of the best live sketch groups currently performing on the UK comedy circuit in a new series of BBC Radio 4's sketch act showcase. Each week the show spotlights three up and coming groups featuring character, improv, broken and musical sketch comedy.
There are so many incredibly talented and inventive sketch groups on the British Comedy scene but with no dedicated broadcast format. Sketchorama aims to bring hidden gems and established live acts to the airwaves offering a truly distinctive show for Radio 4.
Producer: Gus Beattie
A Comedy Unit production for BBC Radio 4.
FRI 22:55 The Comedy Club Interviews (b0b1v52t)
Tom Neenan 1/3
The best in contemporary comedy. Arthur Smith talks to Tom Neenan.
FRI 23:00 Spike Milligan - Adolf Hitler: My Part in His Downfall (b00g27cc)
Episode 3
As the conflict rages, feet get sore with some noxious nocturnal bodily habits...
Spike Milligan shares memories of his wartime service.
Published in 1971, Adolf Hitler: My Part in His Downfall is the first volume of the Spike Milligan's idiosyncratic military memoir.
Reversioned into eight parts by BBC Radio 4 Extra.
FRI 23:30 Chain Reaction (b008z74b)
Series 4, Catherine Tate interviews David Tennant
Chat show in which one week's interviewee becomes the next week's interviewer. Catherine Tate takes the host's chair as she talks to - or mercilessly teases - David Tennant.