SATURDAY 12 MAY 2018

SAT 00:00 Terry Pratchett (b010v5f8)
Night Watch, Episode 5
Commander Sam Vimes of the City Watch, thrown back into his own past, has little time left there to undo the harm done by his arch-enemy Carcer, before coming back to his present...
The conclusion of Terry Pratchett's Discworld novel dramatised by Robin Brooks.
Stars Philip Jackson as Sam Vimes, Carl Prekopp as Young Sam, Paul Ritter as Carcer, Clare Corbett as Rosie, Sam Dale as Colon, Ben Onwukwe as Dr Lawn, Joseph Kloska as Reg Shoe, Peter Marinker as Major Clive and Rachel Atkins as Lady Mesarole.
Director: Claire Grove
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2008.
SAT 00:30 Mastertapes (b01pbq46)
Series 1, The Zombies (the B-Side)
John Wilson concludes 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 7, the B-side. Having discussed the making of the Zombies' seminal 1968 album, "Odessey & Oracle" (in the A-side of the programme, broadcast on Tuesday 11th December and available online), Rod Argent, Chris White and Colin Blunstone responds to questions from the audience and perform live versions of some of the songs from the album, still held in such high regard.
Producer: Paul Kobrak.
SAT 01:00 Mark Tavener - High Table, Lower Orders (b008x7tk)
Series 1, Mark Tavener's High Table, Lower Orders
After the attempted poisoning of Zoe, Simon steps up the search for the killer.
Mark Tavener's comedy thriller stars Geoffrey Palmer as Gilbert, Samuel West as Simon and Rebecca Front as Patricia.
Following the death of one of its most prominent Dons, celebrity TV historian Peter Devanti. Simon, an ex-student and disillusioned health and safety officer uncovers more skullduggery.
Script Editor: Paul Schlesinger
Producer: Dawn Ellis
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 2005.
SAT 01:30 Famed for Its Knitting (b01bmlt8)
The life and changing times of Woman's Weekly - "the number-one-selling brand within the mature woman's weekly magazine sector" - as it celebrates its centenary in a period of unprecedented economic turmoil in the publishing industry.In a previous journalistic life, Clare Jenkins was for a while "The Man Who Sees" on Woman's Weekly.The magazine was an anachronism 25 years ago - very old school, very pink, catchlined "Famed for its Knitting" .
"The Man Who Sees" was the resident 'male voice' philosopher .For six months, Clare stood in for the woman (sic) who usually wrote it. At another point, she was the astrologer (when the resident astrologer had a heart attack). For the rest of the time, she was a sub-editor and celebrity interviewer, the celebs being people like Hollywood film stars Joan Fontaine and Gloria Graham, Jenny Agutter and Nicholas Parsons. There was a knitting department, where they made balaclavas and sleeveless jumpers for models like Roger Moore and Sandra Howard .
It was decidedly mono-cultural, too - an edict from on high forbade the use of non-white faces. That same edict forbade any mention of sex in its pages, so the fictional heroines - created by old-style romantic novelists like Netta Muskett and Mary Burchell (a wartime heroine herself, helping Jews to escape from the Nazis) - were virginal and letters mentioning sexual difficulties had to be rewritten before appearing on the problem page.
It still sells 330,000 a week and has achieved a different kind of status after being immortalised in a Victoria Wood song ..."beat me on the bottom with the Woman's Weekly". As it celebrates its centenary ,Clare takes an affectionate but sharp-edged look at everybody's granny's favourite cup-of-tea read. How has it managed to survive?
SAT 02:00 Donna Tartt - The Secret History (b03pm1hw)
Episode 10
The murder has finally been committed. However, a phone call complicates things. Donna Tartt thriller read by William Hope. From April 1995.
SAT 02:15 Shakespeare's Restless World (b01h7cdr)
Shakespeare Goes Global
Neil MacGregor, former Director of the British Museum, brings to an end his object-based history. During the past four weeks he has taken artefacts from William Shakespeare's time and explored 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 asked what the plays would have meant to the public when they were first performed. Carefully selected objects shed light on the great issues of the day that preoccupied the public and helped shape the works, and revealed much about the concerns and beliefs of Shakespearean England.
In this, the final programme of the series, Neil considers how William Shakespeare made the transition from successful playwright to possibly the greatest dramatist the world has known
Programme 20 SHAKESPEARE GOES GLOBAL - The publication of the First Folio of Shakespeare's collected plays in 1623 began the process of turning an early modern playwright into a global phenomenon. An annotated copy of the Collected Works of Shakespeare reveals the extent to which Shakespeare has inspired and influenced audiences across the globe and through the ages.
This programme was originally broadcast in 2012.
Producer: Paul Kobrak.
SAT 02:30 15 Minute Drama (b03cv471)
Jane Harris - Gillespie and I, Episode 5
Victorian gothic mystery by Jane Harris set in Glasgow during the International Exhibition in 1888. Young Sybil's erratic behaviour continues to cause concern when tragedy strikes. Dramatised by Chris Dolan.
SAT 02:45 Book of the Week (b00n58dd)
Michael Palin Diaries - The Python Years, The Life of Brian
The actor and writer recalls how the influential comedy group reconvened in 1977 to make their most controversial film. From October 2006.
SAT 03:00 Edmund Gosse - Father and Son (b0076vm0)
Episode 2
Baptised at the age of ten, lonely Edmund is torn between his father and a terrible secret. Stars Derek Jacobi and Roger Allam. From November 2005.
SAT 04:00 It's Your Round (b019rgtc)
Series 2, Episode 5
Angus Deayton hosts the show which is totally different every time, as it's the panellists themselves that devise the format. Each of the contestants has brought their own round for the other panellists to play. But will they be beaten at their own games?
The rounds featured this episode are:
Lucy Porter's "Who's the Daddy?" in which the other three, childless, male panellists must complete the quote from a 70's parenting bible.
Tom Wrigglesworth's "Dodo's Den" in which each contestant must pitch their idea for a new invention that they think will make them their millions. Examples include the "Herring Aid" and the intriguingly titled "Bam".
Robert Popper's brilliant parlour game, "ORAG" aka "The Opposite Rhyming Animal Game", which is pretty much, er, self-explanatory...
And Lloyd Langford devises a quiz based on Welsh talisman and eccentric, Dr William Price, in his round "The Price Is Right".
Producer: Sam Michell.
SAT 04:30 After Henry (b007jq4g)
Series 3, Intellectual Aspirations
'... but he did look at you twice. So clearly you have something that appeals to him other than your ability to discuss Schopenhauer's Weltanschauung.'
Clare's seeing graduate Julian, but his brainy parents make her feel inadequate.
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 Jasper Jacob as Julian.
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 October 1987.
SAT 05:00 Andy & Eric Merriman - Minor Adjustment (b0b1xt8g)
A Change of Art
Sarah's mother Bea arrives with a horse-box full of expressionist art and three moulting cats.
Six-part comedy series about the Stubbs family - cartoonist Richard, therapist Sarah and their daughters - Kate, aged 16 and three-year-old Amy who has Down's Syndrome.
Written by Son and father team, Andy and Eric Merriman - inspired by Andy's own four-year-old daughter, Sarah. Eric famously wrote legendary BBC comedy series 'Beyond Our Ken'.
Starring Peter Davison as Richard, Samantha Bond as Sarah, Claire Russell as Kate, Sarah Merriman as Amy, Phyllida Law as Bea, Jonathan Adams as Felix Patterson, Simon Fielder as Paul, Zulema Dene as Meg, Colleen Prendergast as the Autograph Hunter and Alice Arnold as the Art Collector.
Producer: Gareth Edwards
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 1996.
SAT 05:30 Stand-Up Specials (b0b1pwqw)
Bilal Zafar's British Muslim Love
A one off stand up show that follows 25-year-old British Muslim comedian Bilal Zafar in his quest to find love.
Bilal is the last of his siblings to be single. His Mum has told him he should really think about marriage and he realises he has no idea how to approach this. Luckily, the world of Muslim dating is vast and Bilal has plenty of fascinating and often very funny options available in his quest for marriage.
Bilal Zafar is the winner of the Hackney New Act of the Year 2016, an Edinburgh Best Newcomer 2016 nominee and Chortle Best Newcomer 2017 nominee.
Written and Performed by Bilal Zafar
Additional Material from Glenn Moore
Produced by Daisy Knight
An Avalon production for BBC Radio 4.
SAT 06:00 Don Taylor - Underworld (b008wd17)
Harry is out of work. Myra is worried about money and Ted is worried about Socialism. Harry decides to retreat to his study, to translate Virgil book six, the famous visit to the Underworld.
But then the broom cupboard opens and 17th century poet John Milton appears, to take him on a very particular journey...
Don Taylor's inventive drama stars Stephen Moore as Harry, Sara Kestelman as Myra, Jack Shepherd as Ted, Michael Pennington as Milton, Oliver Ford Davies as Philosopher, Paul Daneman as the Chairman, David King as Virgil, Cathy Sara as Chloe, Walter Sparrow as Dad, Neville Jason as Mark and Tom Bevan as John.
Producer: Jeremy Howe
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1994.
SAT 07:30 Kenneth Williams - Just Williams (b0b2jc5y)
Stop Messing About
"You've got the part in the film..."
1952: Kenneth arrives on the silver screen and BBC radio want him for Hancock's Half Hour.
The UK's much-loved comic actor and master raconteur Kenneth Williams continues 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 Leonard Rossiter - In a Nutshell (b00sj8xc)
An Instant Opinion
"Nowadays, the key question in any political or philosophical movement is, "Can we get it on a badge?"
Leonard Rossiter (1926-1984) delivers a satirical musing on the effect of slogans on badges and t-shirts.
Written by Barry Pilton.
Producer: Louise Purslow
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 1981.
SAT 08:00 Here's the Thing (b0b2jd1n)
Julie Andrews
Alec Baldwin delves into the life of Oscar-winning actress Julie Andrews, from theatre days to the legacy of "the nannies": Mary Poppins and Maria.
Award-winning actor Alec Baldwin gives the listener a unique entrée into the lives of artists, policy makers and performers. Alec sidesteps the predictable by taking listeners inside the dressing rooms, apartments and offices.
Here's the Thing has its roots in National Public Radio. In 2009, Alec joined with producers Lu Olkowski, Trey Kay, Kathie Russo and Emily Botein to find fresh ways to engage in conversation on the radio. The group developed the idea of a new show that at its heart would look at what makes interesting people tick and create a platform for new and emerging ideas to be presented.
From WNYC Studios, New York. First heard in the USA in 2015.
SAT 08:50 David Attenborough's Life Stories (b0124r4k)
Series 2, Elsa
20/20. David Attenborough tells us how, whilst en route to Madagascar, his bosses in the BBC asked him to break his journey in Kenya to visit the Adamsons. Joy and George Adamson were famous for hand rearing a Lioness whom they called Elsa. Elsa was the central character in the book written by the couple "Born Free". In this Life Story Sir David cleverly takes us from the romanticism of Born Free and being close to habituated lions, to the harsh reality of befriending a big cat.
Written and presented by David Attenborough
Produced by Polly Procter.
SAT 09:00 4 Extra Says I Do (b0b2jd1q)
As the wedding season gets into full swing, boosted by the royals, comedian Lucy Porter rummages through the bottom drawer of the archives for a beady celebration of marriage, for better and for worse. She tracks the shift in nuptial trends since the 1950s, hears from three couples tying the knot in 2018 and a wedding photographer who's chronicled the changes.
Lucy is joined by her real-life husband, the writer, actor and comedian Justin Edwards, to flick through their own wedding album, reminisce about embarrassing best men's speeches and reflect on married life. Who gets first dibs on domestic material when both partners are comedians?
There's archive from Woman's Hour in 1950, with a panel of men reeling off their requirements for the perfect wife.
Trevor, the hapless groom, features in a drama from Blood in the Bridal Shop by Nancy Harris and Louise Ramsden, in which he wonders how his mother in law has turned what promised to be a small private event into the wedding of the year.
Justin Edwards stars as Antony, alongside Miles Jupp as Damien Trench, in an episode of In and Out of the Kitchen in which Antony has to give a best man's speech.
Simon Evans Goes to Market looking at the economics of weddings and marriage.
There's a fly on the wall documentary from the series, Lives in a Landscape, tracking the wedding plans of Ryan and Mimi from Manchester.
And Olivia Colman starts in an episode of Five Wedding Dresses by Katie Hims, as the bride who never wants to take off her wedding dress.
Presenter: Lucy Porter
Producer Lindsay Leonard.
SAT 12:00 The Leopard in Autumn (b00rvzkq)
Series 2, Considering the Lillies of the Field
Prince Ludovico of Monte Guano - besieged ruler of the pettiest state in Italy - battles to raise enough money from his meagre subjects to pay for the new Pope's tribute.
Second series of the comedy drama set in Renaissance Italy devised by Neal Anthony.
Written by Roger Danes.
Stars David Swift as Ludovico, Sian Phillips as Plethora, Graham Crowden as Francesco, Saskia Wickham as Rosalie, Nick Romero as Salvatori, Paul Bigley as Alessandro, Christopher Kelham as Guido and Kim Wall as Vitelozzo.
Producer: Helen Williams
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 2002.
SAT 12:30 Bangers and Mash (b0075gh6)
Episode 1
Martina's not sure if she wants to be a nun anymore, so she takes work with a catering company and soon lands in a crisis of epic proportions...
Six-part comedy series by Katie Hims.
Stars Catherine Harvey as Martina, Mark Straker as Kingsley, Gerard McDermott as Jimmy, Roger May as Juan Jose and Marlene Sidaway as Mrs Olney.
Director: Cat Horn
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 1999.
SAT 13:00 Love Henry James: The Wings of the Dove (b0b2jf8r)
Omnibus 2/2
Milly, now gravely ill but desperate to live her life to the full, has taken residence in Venice. When Merton arrives, she allows herself to hope that he may be the one great passion in her short life.
The conclusion of Linda Marshall Griffiths' 10-part dramatisation of Henry James's passionate and heart-breaking novel about desire and money.
Henry James.....John Lynch
Milly Theale.....Jodie Comer
Lord Mark.....Jack Lowden
Merton Densher.....Nico Mirallegro
Kate Croy.....Aisling Loftus
Directed by Nadia Molinari
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2018.
SAT 14:10 Inheritance Tracks (b0b2jf8t)
John Gordon Sinclair
Actor and writer John Gordon Sinclair inherits 'I Love You Because' by Jim Reeves and passes on 'Aladdin Sane' by David Bowie.
SAT 14:15 With Great Pleasure (b00770bf)
Henry Normal
Comedian, poet and scriptwriter Henry Normal entertains an audience with his favourite poems by Lemn Sissay and John Hegley, extracts from Alan Sillitoe, George Orwell and Oscar Wilde, plus a song from Paul Simon.
With Alice Arnold, Michael Fenton Stevens and Andrew Sachs.
Producer: Viv Beeby
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2006.
SAT 14:45 The Fosdyke Saga (b007jrmx)
Wealth and Debts
"I am no longer a mere working man. I am a dedicated tripe visionary." Josiah Fosdyke's lofty ambitions are soon thwarted.
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, Stephanie Turner as Rebecca Fosdyke, Miriam Margolyes as Victoria Fosdyke, and Colin Douglas as Ben Ditchley.
Other parts played by Christopher Barr, Sally Grace and John Junkin.
Producer: Alan Nixon
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 1983.
SAT 15:00 Here's the Thing (b0b2jd1n)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
SAT 15:50 David Attenborough's Life Stories (b0124r4k)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:50 today]
SAT 16:00 Don Taylor - Underworld (b008wd17)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
SAT 17:30 Kenneth Williams - Just Williams (b0b2jc5y)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
SAT 17:50 Leonard Rossiter - In a Nutshell (b00sj8xc)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:50 today]
SAT 18:00 Aldous Huxley - The Dwarves (b0b2jflw)
Sir Hercules and his wife Filomena are dwarves who have turned their country estate into a haven for others like themselves.
This world of peace and harmony exists for many years until it becomes threatened from a most unexpected quarter.
Based on Chapter 13 of Crome Yellow by Aldous Huxley.
Dramatised by Peter Mackie.
Stars David Learner as Hercules, Claire Faulconbridge as Filomena, Garard Green as the Narrator, Ronald Herdman a Sir Henry, Hedli Niklaus as Lady Sarah, Eric Stovell as Ferdinando, Silas Gregory as Ferdinando & Hercules as boys, Tony Turner as Charles, Rob Swinton as Simon, Alan Devereux as Jenkins, Alex Jones as Gregory and John Dixon as Sebastian.
Harpsichord played by Marlene Fleet.
Violin played by William Hand.
Directed at BBC Pebble Mill by Philip Martin.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1986.
SAT 19:00 4 Extra Says I Do (b0b2jd1q)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
SAT 22:00 Old Harry's Game (b007jmbj)
Series 3, A Four Letter Word
A new arrival in Hell persuades Satan to re-shoot 'Casablanca' - with a mutant alien. Devilish comedy starring Andy Hamilton. From April 1999.
SAT 22:30 Comedy Club at Machynlleth (b0b2jqs5)
2018, Jess Fostekew, Robin Morgan and Laura Lexx
Made for 4 Extra. Jess Fostekew, Robin Morgan and Laura Lexx talk to Amanda Litherland about food at the Machynlleth Comedy Festival.
SAT 22:35 Bird Island (b042z66l)
Series 2, Episode 2
Ben, a young scientist working in Antarctica, tries to adapt to the loneliness by keeping a cheery audio diary on his Dictaphone. This week, Ben tests out a new coat, suitable for the cold climate and Jane celebrates her birthday.
Written by ..... Katy Wix
Produced by ..... Tilusha Ghelani
ABOUT BIRD ISLAND:
Bird Island is an atmospheric non-audience comedy about a cheery scientist based in Sub-Antarctica. Starring Reece Shearsmith, Julian Rhind-Tutt, Alison Steadman and katy Wix.
On the one hand, Ben is on the trip of a lifetime to Sub-Antarctica. On the other, he's trapped in a vast icy landscape with a dodgy internet connection and a dictaphone. Loneliness is something of a problem. So, Ben shares his thoughts with us in the form of an audio 'log'.
His fellow scientist Graham should alleviate this sense of isolation, but the tragi-comic fact is, they are nerdy blokes, so they can only stumble through yet another mumbled exchange. Not to mention the new arrival Jane, who Ben seems to be even more awkward around, for reasons that aren't entirely clear to him.
Apart from his research studying the Albatross on the Island, Ben attempts to continue normal life with an earnestness and enthusiasm which is ultimately very endearing.
Bird Island is written by Katy Wix, one half of the sketch Duo 'Anna and Katy'. Katy is a writer and performer who has made appearances in 'Miranda', 'Outnumbered' and stars as Daisy in 'Not Going Out' and authored 'The Oberon Book of Comic Monologues For Women'.
SAT 22:50 Tina C (b00771b9)
Tina C's State of the Union Tour, Eastern Europe
Can the country singing sensation get a better understanding of Baltic Europe? Stars Christopher Green. From November 2006.
SAT 23:05 Comedy Club at Machynlleth (b0b2jqs7)
2018, Rob Auton
Amanda Litherland chats to poet and comedian Rob Auton at the Machynlleth Comedy Festival.
SAT 23:10 Colin Hoult's Carnival of Monsters (b037j6vl)
Series 1, Episode 4
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 23:40 Comedy Club at Machynlleth (b0b2jqs9)
2018, Olga Koch
Amanda Litherland meets comedian Olga Koch in a school classroom at the Machynlleth Comedy Festival.
SAT 23:45 This Is Craig Brown (b00f41tk)
Travel
The Pedants' Association takes a trip to the seaside. The satirist pokes fun with Edward Fox and Rory Bremner. From March 2004.

SUNDAY 13 MAY 2018

SUN 00:00 Aldous Huxley - The Dwarves (b0b2jflw)
[Repeat of broadcast at 18:00 on Saturday]
SUN 01:00 Love Henry James: The Wings of the Dove (b0b2jf8r)
[Repeat of broadcast at 13:00 on Saturday]
SUN 02:10 Inheritance Tracks (b0b2jf8t)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:10 on Saturday]
SUN 02:15 With Great Pleasure (b00770bf)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:15 on Saturday]
SUN 02:45 The Fosdyke Saga (b007jrmx)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:45 on Saturday]
SUN 03:00 Here's the Thing (b0b2jd1n)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 on Saturday]
SUN 03:50 David Attenborough's Life Stories (b0124r4k)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:50 on Saturday]
SUN 04:00 Don Taylor - Underworld (b008wd17)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 on Saturday]
SUN 05:30 Kenneth Williams - Just Williams (b0b2jc5y)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 on Saturday]
SUN 05:50 Leonard Rossiter - In a Nutshell (b00sj8xc)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:50 on Saturday]
SUN 06:00 Jane Harris - Gillespie and I (b00xj4p0)
Omnibus 1/2
Glasgow, 1888: Tragedy strikes after art-loving Englishwoman, Harriet Baxter - arriving for the city's International Exhibition - meets painter Ned Gillespie and his wife Annie...
Victorian gothic mystery by Jane Harris.
Omnibus of the first five of ten parts, dramatised by Chris Dolan.
Harriet ..................Phyllis Logan
Ned.......................Liam Brennan
Annie ...................Kate Dickie
Elspeth.................Ann Scott-Jones
Sybil......................Helen Mackay
Ramsay................Paul Young
Christina..............Sarah McCardie
McPhail...............Jimmy Chisholm
Caskie................. Steven McNicoll
Judge...................Finlay Welsh
Stirling..................Robert Jack
Director: Bruce Young
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2013.
SUN 07:15 Leslie Norris - The Kingfisher (b0b2mr0b)
4 Extra Debut. From the prize-winning Welsh poet and writer. James reaches 14 and a 'terrible truth' is revealed. Read by Laurence Allan. From November 1993.
SUN 07:30 The Gobetweenies (b03ffskh)
Series 3, Episode 3
Lucy is driving rational science-loving Tom crazy with her passion for astrology. She tries to convince him by swishing her magnificent Leo hair at him.
With her brother mercilessly mocking her gullibility, Lucy decides to read Tom's book, Exploring the Night Sky. When she discovers that starlight comes from extinct stars she has an existential crisis made worse by a recent visit to a ghoulish exhibition about grave robbers and dissectionists. Now she knows the awful truth - the sky is haunted and worse, she herself is actually mortal.
It's very hard being fifteen and finite.
Tom's head is also full of the Burke and Hare-type crimes he learned about at the exhibition. And, when he overhears a late night conversation between his dad Joe and his old school friend, he begins to harbour terrifying suspicions. The old friend, Leon, is a vet and Joe makes a meagre living working for YourPetsPaintedintheAfterlife.com. Tom is convinced that his Dad's old school friend is putting down healthy animals so that Joe can profit from doing their afterlife portraits. Sweeney Dad the Demon Painter!
When Lucy finds out that Tom's rationality and science swottery has led him to insane conclusions, she exacts her own sweet revenge.
Cast:
Joe................................Mark Bonnar
Mimi........................Sarah Alexander
Tom............................Finlay Christie
Lucy...........................Phoebe Abbott
Leon................................Dave Lamb
Writer: Marcella Evaristi
Director: Marilyn Imrie
Producer: Gordon Kennedy
An Absolutely production for BBC Radio 4.
SUN 08:00 Ray's a Laugh (b007jscc)
From 24/10/58
Ted needs some new golf clubs, but the only way he can afford them is via cigarette coupons.
Starring Ted Ray. With Kitty Bluett, Kenneth Connor, Rosalind Knight and Laidman Browne.
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 Home Service in October 1958.
SUN 08:30 Take It From Here (b0b2mr0d)
From 15/11/1955
It's quiz time with Double Your Nothing!, and Ron is drunk after the dance in The Glums.
Starring Professor Jimmy Edwards, Dick Bentley, June Whitfield, Alma Cogan and Wallace Eton.
Classic comedy scripted by Frank Muir and Denis Norden.
Music from The Keynotes and the BBC Revue Orchestra with Charles Shadwell.
Announcer: David Dunhill
Producer: Charles Maxwell
First broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in November 1955.
SUN 09:00 The Language of Kindness (Omnibus) (b0b2mr0g)
In her illuminating memoir, Christie Watson gives an account of her 20-year nursing career. At the heart of her intimate portrait of hospital life are the small acts of kindness and compassion that all of us will receive when we inevitably experience illness, whether it be ourselves or our loved ones.
We accompany Christie when she becomes a student nurse filled with anxiety as she cares for a teenage boy who is about to receive a new heart and lungs. We'll be there when she qualifies and takes up a post in the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit where the children in her care are especially fragile. As the years progress, we'll discover how Christie's expertise develops. It's not long before she's mentoring junior nurses, responding to crash calls, and playing a pivotal role in caring for those at the end of their lives and those who are just beginning. As she nears the end of her years as a nurse, the tables are turned when her father loses his fight to cancer and she receives the kindness and compassion that underpin what it means to nurse and to be nursed.
Christie Watson was a registered nurse for 20 years before becoming a full-time, critically acclaimed and award-winning writer. Her first novel, Tiny Sunbirds Far Away, won the Costa First Novel Award.
Read by Teresa Gallagher
Abridged by Penny Leicester
Produced by Elizabeth Allard
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2018.
SUN 10:10 The Listening Project (b04fc5f5)
Richard and Mark - Men of Metal
Fi Glover with a conversation about the hidden history that is revealed when you go searching with a metal detector and what makes someone look for such discoveries.
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 (b0b2msdp)
The Voice, Suggs
4 Extra Debut. From The Clash to Peggy Lee. Musician and Madness frontman Suggs shares his castaway choices with Sue Lawley. From May 2002.
SUN 11:00 Radiolab (b0b2msdr)
Series 3, Things
Radiolab investigates the objects, their power to move us and our desire to acquire. 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 (b007jscc)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
SUN 12:30 Take It From Here (b0b2mr0d)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
SUN 13:00 Jane Harris - Gillespie and I (b00xj4p0)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
SUN 14:15 Leslie Norris - The Kingfisher (b0b2mr0b)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:15 today]
SUN 14:30 The Valley at the Centre of the World (b0b2msdw)
Omnibus 2/2
As his neighbours gather for Jo and Ryan's house warming, Sandy wrestles with powerful feelings.
Conclusion read by Steven Robertson
Originally abridged in 10 parts by Robin Brooks
Producer: Eilidh McCreadie
Malachy Tallack's debut novel is a quiet yet powerful study of contemporary rural Scotland that asks what remains when a way of life vanishes. Set on the rugged west coast of Shetland, in a community only ever a few steps away from extinction, Tallack's novel tackles big questions about land, inheritance and belonging without ever losing sight of the humanity and integrity of its characters.
Malachy Tallack is the author of two non-fiction titles which fused nature writing, history and memoir; Radio 4 Book of the Week '60 Degrees North' and 'The Un-Discovered Islands'. Malachy won a New Writers Award from the Scottish Book Trust in 2014 and the Robert Louis Stevenson Fellowship in 2015. He is a singer-songwriter, author and journalist.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2018.
SUN 15:45 The Lore of the Land (b069b60w)
Episode 4
The fourth episode of medieval literature scholar Dr Carolyne Larrington's series exploring the enduring relevance of the creatures of British folklore. On the Orkney isles, local storyteller Lynn Barbour is on hand to recount folktales filled with the mysterious beings that are said to live in the sea and on the shore.
Gazing out to sea, Carolyne spies a seal in the bay. Lynn explains that grey seals, known locally as selkies, play an important role in Orkney folklore. It is said that selkies shed their skins and come on land in human form. The selkies are known to have relationships with humans, but these often end badly.
Lynn tells the tale of the Selkie of Wastness in which a man steals a selkie maiden's skin and persuades her to become his wife. We also hear the story of the Selkie of Sule Skerry which features a lonely wife forming a relationship with a selkie man in her husband's absence. The couple have a selkie child, but when the husband returns he kills both the child and the selkie man while hunting.
And there are tales of the Sea Trow, with their faces like monkeys made of jellyfish and the Muckle Mester Stoorworm, a great serpent that once spat out its teeth which formed the Orkney isles. With the sea lapping in the background, Lynn describes the Finn-men who live in a watery city down in the depths of the sea and beckon sailors to join them.
Carolyne explains that these local tales examine the boundary between sea and shore. In Orkney, there are possibilities to cross that boundary close at hand, but the stories warn that you do so at your peril.
Transformation, tragedy, desire and despair mark these tales of sea and shore.
Producer: Max O'Brien
A Juniper production for BBC Radio 4.
SUN 16:00 Gaston Leroux - The Mystery of the Yellow Room (b01gyl0j)
The door was bolted and the windows barred, so how was Mlle Sangerson shot at, knocked unconscious, and left for dead?
Gaston Leroux's classic 'locked room' mystery, dramatised by Stephen Sheridan.
Stars Nicholas Boulton as Rouletabille and Geoffrey Whitehead as Inspector Larson.
Director: David Blount
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1998.
SUN 17:00 Poetry Extra (b0b2msf3)
Postcards from the Village: An East-West Dialogue
Poet Daljit Nagra revisits the BBC's radio poetry archive with Postcards From the Villages: An East-West Dialogue.
An exchange of two villages at the margins of Europe - one in Transylvania, one in Oxfordshire - inspires new poems from Romanian poet Ioana Ieronim and UK poet Fiona Sampson.
Both have written extensively about their own villages - Rasnov and Coleshill - so what happens when they visit each other's 'great good place'? Ioana and Fiona find some curious parallels between two villages that on first encounter seem very different.
Producer: Emma Harding
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2015.
SUN 17:30 The Gobetweenies (b03ffskh)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
SUN 18:00 Ray Bradbury's Tales of the Bizarre (b007jlpl)
Series 2, The Man Upstairs
A new guest in a boarding house is disliked by the grandson of the lady who runs the house. But why? The reason soon becomes startingly clear....
Strange and chilling tales from the award-winning master of thrillers Ray Bradbury, who tops and tails these radio dramatisations in his own inimitable style.
Starring Geoffrey Lee, Finlay Welsh, and Mary Riggans
Producer: Hamish Wilson.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1997.
SUN 18:30 The Female Ghost (b00nj7cx)
The Cold Embrace
When handsome young artist Josef betrays his delicate fiancée, her retribution is eerily appropriate...
The first of four ghostly stories by women dramatised by Christopher Hawes.
Mary Braddon's eerie tale stars Stephanie Turner as Mary Braddon, Jonathan Firth as Josef, Alison Pettitt as Gertrude, Ioan Meredith as the Postmaster, John Hartley as Father, Carolyn Jones as the Woman, Hugh Dickson as the Passenger, Tracy-Ann Oberman as Parisienne and Chris Pavlo as the Fisherman.
Producer: Marion Nancarrow
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1997.
SUN 19:00 Radiolab (b0b2msdr)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:00 today]
SUN 20:00 The Language of Kindness (Omnibus) (b0b2mr0g)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
SUN 21:10 The Listening Project (b04fc5f5)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:10 today]
SUN 21:15 Desert Island Discs Revisited (b0b2msdp)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:15 today]
SUN 22:00 The Gobetweenies (b03ffskh)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
SUN 22:30 Machynlleth Stand-Up Show (b0b2msf5)
2018
Kiri-Pritchard Mclean hosts a showcase from some of the best acts appearing at Wales' premier comedy festival in Machynlleth 2018.
Expect the gags to come thick and fast as comedians Mike Bubbins, Jen Brister, Matt Rees, Sindhu Vee and James Acaster take to the stage.
Recorded in front of a live audience at the BBC Radio Wales Mach Arena.
Made by BBC Radio Wales and first broadcast in 2018.
SUN 22:55 The Comedy Club Interviews (b0b3qqrd)
Scott Bennett 1/1
The best in contemporary comedy. Arthur Smith talks to Scott Bennett.
SUN 23:00 Chat Show Roulette (b05pqx2n)
Episode 4
Justin Edwards is the host of the new improvised chat show. His guests are Adil Ray, Jarred Christmas and Rachel Parris - 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 (b05n00f1)
Picasso's Les Demoiselles d'Avignon
Aussie stand up comedian and art historian Hannah Gadsby presents a comedy art lecture, this week on the subject of Picasso's angry 1907 masterpiece 'Les Demoiselles D'Avignon'.
It was as an art history student in Canberra in her early 20s that she was first introduced to this canvas and it took her a long time to grow to love it. She takes us on her personal journey through hate, to eventual love, explaining along the way why this piece is so pivotal in art history.
With the help of her Quotebot (who sounds remarkably like comedy god and mega boffin John Lloyd) Hannah explores Les Dems' rebellion, anger and revolution and the painting's place in modern art. She also decides Picasso was 'a bit of a dick'.
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 (b046n8q9)
Series 2, Aliens!
As the world's leading expert in the field of horse whispering, Amelia (Anna Emerson) has been invited to speak at the Texas Equine conference. Lucy (Lizzie Bates) is delighted - the trip gives her a good chance of bagging herself a genuine American cowboy - and Jane (Catriona Knox) has decided that, while in Dallas, she'll use the time to get to the bottom of the JFK conspiracy once and for all.
However, an encounter on the flight over with drunken American military man General Dick Munro (Gordon Kennedy) changes their plans dramatically.
Instead of listening to Amelia talk about talking to horses, the team will be chasing aliens across the Arizona desert. So begins a strange odyssey into the twilight zone in which our team of plucky truth seekers are assailed by carjackers, horses, extremely powerful chillies and one of the most annoying Satnav's ever created. Will they make it across the desert one piece? Will there be any aliens waiting for them if they do?
Find out in this final white knuckle adventure of the series.
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 Radio 4.

MONDAY 14 MAY 2018

MON 00:00 Ray Bradbury's Tales of the Bizarre (b007jlpl)
[Repeat of broadcast at 18:00 on Sunday]
MON 00:30 The Female Ghost (b00nj7cx)
[Repeat of broadcast at 18:30 on Sunday]
MON 01:00 Jane Harris - Gillespie and I (b00xj4p0)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 on Sunday]
MON 02:15 Leslie Norris - The Kingfisher (b0b2mr0b)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:15 on Sunday]
MON 02:30 The Valley at the Centre of the World (b0b2msdw)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:30 on Sunday]
MON 03:45 The Lore of the Land (b069b60w)
[Repeat of broadcast at 15:45 on Sunday]
MON 04:00 Gaston Leroux - The Mystery of the Yellow Room (b01gyl0j)
[Repeat of broadcast at 16:00 on Sunday]
MON 05:00 Poetry Extra (b0b2msf3)
[Repeat of broadcast at 17:00 on Sunday]
MON 05:30 The Gobetweenies (b03ffskh)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 on Sunday]
MON 06:00 Mark Tavener - High Table, Lower Orders (b008y4fg)
Series 1, Mark Tavener's High Table, Lower Orders
Exams loom large. Simon Harrison delves into his Health and Safety background for one final ruse. Can he unveil the killer?
Mark Tavener's comedy thriller stars Geoffrey Palmer as Gilbert, Samuel West as Simon and Rebecca Front as Patricia.
Script Editor: Paul Schlesinger
Producer: Dawn Ellis
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 2005.
MON 06:30 John Barry - The Lost Tapes (b01k1my3)
One of Britain's premier film composers, John Barry was renowned for his scores for the early James Bond films as well as Midnight Cowboy, Out of Africa and Dances With Wolves. The winner of five Oscars, Barry, who passed away in 2011, was a private man - but 'John Barry - The Lost Tapes' offers a revealing insight into his working life
Author and broadcaster Eddi Fiegel, during the course of many extensive interviews with John for her biography, also recorded a conversation for BBC radio, which was never broadcast and considered lost.
Barry was a vivid raconteur and recounted the first decade of his career, from fledgling pop musician and producer to Oscar winning-composer. He also gave me some rare insights into his song writing craft.
He talked fondly about his early days with his instrumental group The John Barry Seven, his recordings with Adam Faith, the first venture into film and his remarkable recordings on the James Bond movies. With the success of Goldfinger in 1964, barely a week seemed to go by without John receiving a new film commission. It was a prolific time for him and, over the next two years, his scores included Thunderball, Richard Lester's The Knack and The Ipcress File starring a young Michael Caine. The pair became firm friends.
John's Oscar winning score for Born Free made him an international figure and the royal screening of the film saw a leading British actor 'throw a fit' when upstaged in front of the Royal family.
Producer: John Sugar
A Sugar production for BBC Radio 4.
MON 07:00 Winston (b007tbrv)
Winston in Europe, Don't Gush, Nancy
Father wants to move again. He's got the wanderlust. He's had enough of England. You can't get decent eccles cakes here any longer...
Peter Tinniswood's bawdy six-part comedy serial stars Bill Wallis as Winston, Maurice Denham as Father, Shirley Dixon as Nancy, Liz Goulding as Rosie and Christian Rodska as William.
Director: Shaun MacLoughlin.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 1992.
MON 07:30 The Unbelievable Truth (b0b1qdds)
Series 20, Episode 6
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.
Arthur Smith, Jack Dee, Lucy Porter and Lloyd Langford are the panellists obliged to talk with deliberate inaccuracy on subjects as varied as walking, NASA, soap operas and poets.
Produced by Richard Turner
A Random Entertainment production for BBC Radio 4.
MON 08:00 Hancock's Half Hour (b0186wj0)
The Blackboard Jungle
The lad is a young master in a school full of juvenile delinquents. A parody of the controversial 1955 movie of the same name.
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
Recovered episode first broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in November 1955.
MON 08:30 Flywheel, Shyster and Flywheel (b0084hzr)
Series 2, Episode 5
Shady lawyer Waldorf T Flywheel tries to bamboozle a millionaire.
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 June 1991.
MON 09:00 Just a Minute (b00wld4w)
Series 58, Episode 6
Nicholas Parsons chairs the panel game that rewards those who can talk the hind leg off a donkey.
The panellists on today's show are Paul Merton, Sheila Hancock, Gyles Brandreth and Barnsley poet Ian McMillan.
The aim of the game is to speak on a given subject for sixty seconds without hesitation, repetition or deviation. A task much harder than it sounds...
Today's show comes from the British Library where the show is a guest of the Evolving English exhibition.
MON 09:30 Bangers and Mash (b0075gnn)
Episode 2
Kingsley's done a runner, and the catering company is going bust. Now Jimmy needs to find a book-keeping genius.
Six-part comedy series by Katie Hims.
Stars Catherine Harvey as Martina, Gerard McDermott as Jimmy, Roger May as Juan Jose, Marlene Sidaway as Mrs Olney and Jane Whittenshaw as Carol.
Director: Cat Horn
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 1999.
MON 10:00 George Eliot - The Mill on the Floss (b00grysh)
Boy and Girl
While Mr Tulliver plans a fine education for Tom, Maggie learns of a disaster concerning rabbits left in her care.
The first of a five-part dramatisation of George Eliot 's most popular and widely read novel, first published in 1860.
Starring Michael Fitzgerald as Philip, Terry Molloy as Mr Tulliver, Richard Pearce as Tom, Hilary Martin as Young Maggie, Tina Gray as Mrs Tulliver and Joyce Gibbs as Mrs Glegg.
Adapted by Michelene Wand.
Directed at BBC Pebble Mill by Philip Martin.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1991.
MON 11:00 Short Works: A Season of Murder, Mystery and Suspense (b0b2n44h)
Nobody Move
A woman asks her family not to make mess before a house-viewing. Read by Monica Dolan.
An occasional series of stories from life's murkier places.
Taken from Sophie Hannah's 'Something Untoward: Six Tales Of Domestic Terror (2012)
Sophie Hannah is a best-selling writer of psychological crime fiction. In 2013, her novel 'The Carrier' won the Crime Thriller of the Year Award at the Specsavers National Book Awards.
Produced by Jeremy Osborne
A Sweet Talk Production for BBC Radio 4 Extra.
MON 11:15 Afternoon Drama (b02ynfq9)
Birthday Shoes
By Pat Davis
When Kate finds a little pair of red shoes
hidden in her Mum's linen cupboard, she
remembers the day of her sixth birthday
as if it were yesterday...
Directed by Tracey Neale
The Story:
On the eve of her 40th birthday Kate keeps a vigil at the hospital bedside of her mother Maisie. Although Maisie treated her badly as a child, favouring her younger sister Sarah, it is Kate who is seeing her through this last illness.
While searching Maisie's linen cupboard for another nightdress, Kate is shocked to find a box containing a pair of red shoes. They were the beautiful shoes Kate was given for her sixth birthday but her "happiness soon cracked across" when her mother took the shoes away from her in a burst of anger because Kate had come back from the shops with scuffed shoes. The opening of the shoebox triggers childhood memories for Kate and she is determined to confront her mother with the red shoes that have been hidden away for thirty-four years.
When Sarah finally arrives back from America, too late to say her goodbye to her mother, she is full of remorse for not having being around more. Kate tells her that she let Maisie believe she was Sarah and so allowed Maisie to die content believing "her little angel" had returned in time. The sisters talk of the past and Sarah tells Kate how hard it was to be the favourite and see her sister suffer at their Mother's hands. The air is cleared and when Kate tells Sarah she is pregnant her sister is overjoyed. As one life has ebbed away another has begun to grow and Kate finds herself able to forgive Maisie and let the past go too.
The Writer:
Pat Davis has written another beautiful play in BIRTHDAY SHOES. This story is told with poignancy, humour and shows how complex relationships can be healed through forgiveness. Pat has had seven plays broadcast on Radio Four, five on RTE and her play SOMEONE, SOMEWHERE was awarded a Sony Silver in 2002. She has also had two stage plays performed at the King's Head.
MON 12:00 Hancock's Half Hour (b0186wj0)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
MON 12:30 Flywheel, Shyster and Flywheel (b0084hzr)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
MON 13:00 Mark Tavener - High Table, Lower Orders (b008y4fg)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
MON 13:30 John Barry - The Lost Tapes (b01k1my3)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
MON 14:00 Donna Tartt - The Secret History (b03q8q66)
Episode 11
A reward is offered for Bunny. Charles and Henry find themselves under scrutiny.
MON 14:15 Britain on the Bottle: Alcohol and the State (b00t18nn)
King James I
The early 17th century saw the first moral panic in English history about the social impact of drunkenness, and Mark Whitaker begins his narrative history series on the politics of alcohol with King James I's campaign against it.
At a time of rapid social change, with increasing religious division and political tension, the ruling classes came to see the ale-houses used by the poor as deeply threatening. In the first three years of his reign James passed Acts against the spread of ale-houses and against "the loathsome sin of drunkenness".
But the state had no police force, so it depended on the pulpit to put the fear of God into the country's drinkers. "It is no one sin, but all sins" became the message; the drunkard was someone "wholly at Satan's command".
Drink was a central and celebrated part of daily life. Ale was regarded by the poor as vital to their diet and drinking it was portrayed as a patriotic duty, while the rituals of social and family life for the wealthy were washed down with French or Portuguese wine. Royal celebrations at the Palace of Whitehall were also notoriously drunken affairs.
Actors read extracts from sermons, memoirs and pamphlets.
Producer: Mark Whitaker
A Square Dog production for BBC Radio 4.
MON 14:30 15 Minute Drama (b03dfh0p)
Jane Harris - Gillespie and I, Episode 6
Victorian gothic mystery by Jane Harris, set in Glasgow during the International Exhibition of 1888. The Gillespies' younger daughter, Rose, has been kidnapped. Meanwhile, her elder sister, Sibyl, is recovering after setting fire to herself with paraffin. Dramatised by Chris Dolan.
Gillespie And I (first published in 2011) is the second novel by Jane Harris. Her acclaimed debut novel, The Observations (first published in 2006) was also adapted for Radio 4 as a ten-part serial by dramatist Chris Dolan and producer/director Bruce Young in 2007.
MON 14:45 Book of the Week (b01shw0h)
Richard Holmes - Falling Upwards, Richard Holmes - Falling Upwards
In this heartlifting book, the Romantic biographer Richard Holmes floats across the world following the pioneer generation of balloon aeronauts, from the first heroic experiments of the 1780s to the tragic attempt to fly a balloon to the North Pole in the 1890s.
In a compelling adventure story, dramatic sequences include an unscheduled early flight over the North Sea, the crazy firework flights of beautiful Sophie Blanchard and the heart-stopping escape of two families from East Germany.
Early balloons also played a role in warfare - with the legendary tale of sixty balloons that escaped Paris during the Prussian siege of 1870, and a memorable flight by General Custer in the American Civil War.
These are stories where scientific genius combines with extraordinary courage and the power of an imagination that dares to claim the airy kingdom for itself.
Episode 1 (of 5):
Every balloon tells a story, and more often than not it is one of courage in the face of great perils.
Two determined balloonists take to the skies to raise money for charity. Over two hundred years separate them, but both find themselves sailing out over the sea with nothing but danger ahead.
Read by Rory Kinnear
Abridged and produced by Jill Waters
A Waters Company production for BBC Radio 4.
MON 15:00 George Eliot - The Mill on the Floss (b00grysh)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 today]
MON 16:00 Just a Minute (b00wld4w)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
MON 16:30 Bangers and Mash (b0075gnn)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 today]
MON 17:00 Winston (b007tbrv)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
MON 17:30 The Unbelievable Truth (b0b1qdds)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
MON 18:00 Arthur C Clarke - 2001: A Space Odyssey (b007jscx)
The Road to Extinction
The primate Moonwatcher and his tribe hunt for food - but the appearance of a strange transparent slab sparks new feelings in them...
Arthur C Clarke's ground-breaking novel is set in our present, a vision of a future yet to be, and a past shrouded in mystery.
Read in ten parts by William Roberts - secrets of the story are revealed that the film adaptation missed.
Producer: Dirk Maggs
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2001.
MON 18:15 15 Minute Drama (b04k9gj4)
Michael Faber - The Book of Strange New Things, Episode 1
Joe Armstrong, Hayley Atwell and Dougray Scott star in this adaptation of the powerful new novel by Michel Faber (Under the Skin, Crimson Petal and the White).
Set in the near future, it tells the story of Peter, devoted husband and devoted man of faith, as he is called to the mission of a lifetime, one that takes him galaxies away from his wife, Beatrice.
Adapted for radio by Miranda Emmerson.
Directed by Emma Harding.
Other parts played by members of the company.
MON 18:30 A Good Read (b0b2n5b2)
Joanna Trollope & Jay Parini
Sue MacGregor and her guests, novelist Joanna Trollope and writer Jay Parini, discuss favourite books by Michael Ondaatje, Ernest Hemingway and Edith Wharton. From January 2006.
Coming Through Slaughter, by Michael Ondaatje
Publisher: Bloomsbury
In Our Time, by Ernest Hemingway
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Ethan Frome, by Edith Wharton
Publisher: Penguin 20th Century Classics.
MON 19:00 Hancock's Half Hour (b0186wj0)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
MON 19:30 Flywheel, Shyster and Flywheel (b0084hzr)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
MON 20:00 Mark Tavener - High Table, Lower Orders (b008y4fg)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
MON 20:30 John Barry - The Lost Tapes (b01k1my3)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
MON 21:00 Short Works: A Season of Murder, Mystery and Suspense (b0b2n44h)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:00 today]
MON 21:15 Afternoon Drama (b02ynfq9)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:15 today]
MON 22:00 The Unbelievable Truth (b0b1qdds)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
MON 22:30 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (b0076nj3)
The Tertiary Phase, Fit The Fifteenth
Slartibartfast provides a rather startling Informational Illusion to give Arthur and Ford the history of the Krikkit Wars, an intergalactic conflict of billions of years ago, where a seemingly innocuous and pleasant race of hominids journeyed beyond the black and opaque dust cloud surrounding their solitary planet with its solitary star and were appalled to discover they were not alone in the universe but surrounded by many other planets teeming with life. The Krikkitmen built lethal white robots wielding war clubs which were used to propel small red grenades over vast distances, to destroy everything in their path - in fact, to kill everything everywhere but their masters.
Eventually defeated, the People of Krikkit (along with robots and family pets) are sentenced to have their solar system with its Dust Cloud sealed in a Slo-Time envelope, locked by The Wikkit Gate, upon an asteroid which orbits it. When all of Creation has become extinct the gate will automatically open, allowing them to finish their existence in a dying universe, alone at last as they have so craved.
Unfortunately eleven Krikkit Robots were unaccounted for at the time the punishment was carried out, and these unpleasant machines are now re-uniting the disparate elements of The Key to that Wikkit Gate. Having collected the Wooden Pillar (The Ashes, now reconstituted into a Cricket stump), The Steel Pillar (The Artificial Leg Marvin was fitted with by a kindly scrap collector), they now board the Heart of Gold to steal the Gold Bail (the driving force behind its legendary Improbability Drive). Bad as this might be, worse is to come when the robots are caught in the act by Zaphod Beeblebrox, who discovers they are about to go to a Party, but not intending to take him with them. In fact they add injury to insult and shoot him instead.
Attempting to reach the same party Arthur, Ford and Slartibartfast use the - surprisingly clean - toilet transportation cubicles of the Starship Bistromath. But something goes wrong and Arthur finds himself diverted to a labyrinth wherein dwells a creature who appears to nurse a very deep and ancient grudge against him...
MON 23:00 News Quiz Extra (b0b2n65z)
Series 23, Episode 5
Miles Jupp is joined by Jeremy Hardy, Kiri Pritchard-Mclean, Helen Lewis and Fern Brady in an extended edition of the satirical review of the week's news.
The panel discuss the USA's withdrawal from the Iran Nuclear Deal, Vladimir Putin's surprise fourth term in office and Dr Dre's legal dispute with a gynaecologist of the same name,
The chair's script was written by Madeleine Brettingham, James Kettle and Robin Morgan, with additional material by Mike Shepherd and Catherine Brinkworth.
The Producer is Joe Nunnery
A BBC Studios Production.
MON 23:45 Ivor Cutler - A Stuggy Pren (b00cqd9l)
Episode 3
Ivor Cutler and his friends present dark tales, offbeat songs and some tips for aspiring poets. From June 1994.

TUESDAY 15 MAY 2018

TUE 00:00 Arthur C Clarke - 2001: A Space Odyssey (b007jscx)
[Repeat of broadcast at 18:00 on Monday]
TUE 00:15 15 Minute Drama (b04k9gj4)
[Repeat of broadcast at 18:15 on Monday]
TUE 00:30 A Good Read (b0b2n5b2)
[Repeat of broadcast at 18:30 on Monday]
TUE 01:00 Mark Tavener - High Table, Lower Orders (b008y4fg)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 on Monday]
TUE 01:30 John Barry - The Lost Tapes (b01k1my3)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 on Monday]
TUE 02:00 Donna Tartt - The Secret History (b03q8q66)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:00 on Monday]
TUE 02:15 Britain on the Bottle: Alcohol and the State (b00t18nn)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:15 on Monday]
TUE 02:30 15 Minute Drama (b03dfh0p)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:30 on Monday]
TUE 02:45 Book of the Week (b01shw0h)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:45 on Monday]
TUE 03:00 George Eliot - The Mill on the Floss (b00grysh)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 on Monday]
TUE 04:00 Just a Minute (b00wld4w)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 on Monday]
TUE 04:30 Bangers and Mash (b0075gnn)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 on Monday]
TUE 05:00 Winston (b007tbrv)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 on Monday]
TUE 05:30 The Unbelievable Truth (b0b1qdds)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 on Monday]
TUE 06:00 Hammond Innes - The Doomed Oasis (b007jsql)
The Journey to Arabia
A newspaper article and an almost-forgotten client send young English lawyer George Grant on a mystery trip.
Arabian adventure based on Hammond Innes' 1960 novel adapted in six parts by Rene Basilico.
Starring Tim Munro as George Grant, Robert James as Henry Grant, John Malcolm as Alexander Erkhard, Robert Rietty as Ruffini, Jill Lidstone as Betty, Nadia Hammam as Tessa, Nadim Sawalha as the Taxi Driver, Neville Rofaila as the Hotel receptionist and Ali Refaie as Akhmed.
Producer: John Fawcett Wilson.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 2 in August 1984.
TUE 06:30 The Disappearing Art of the Mix Tape (b00cj8d8)
The home-made compilation cassette was a distillation of its maker's character and emotion
Let's face it: kids with MP3s don't know they're born; they'll never grasp the art of crafting a mix tape. It's something personal, the musical expression of a generation...
The cassette age was a temporary window in which the art form of the bedroom briefly shone. Nothing says I love you like spending five hours in front of a tape deck and record player, wearing out the pause button and your stylus. Summing up your emotions through the strictly limited vocabulary of a small pile of records and what you could steal off Radio 1's chart show. But the tape could communicate so much more than romantic intentions. The tape for a new friend explains what kind of person you want to be, the mix for an old and distant friend tells them the person you have become in their absence.
But the download has killed off the cassette - now everyone has access to an almost infinite record collection and playlists can be of unlimited length. Writer, broadcaster and former NME journalist, David Quantick celebrates that art form. We hear from compilation makers including novelist Iain Banks and poet Simon Armitage and hear some of their favourite mix tape tracks. A professor of medieval history tells us how he had sustained a 30 year friendship with an HMV store manager by exchanging tapes every month. And Elbow's Guy Garvey explains how his sister Becky inspired his musical career with the many cassettes she compiled for him...
TUE 07:00 Stockport, So Good They Named It Once (b01nht5b)
Series 2, Siege
Michael accepts the toughest night shift in Manchester. Will Jason's evening be any easier?
The lives of the Stockport-based Conroy family in series 2 of Damian Lanigan and Jim Poyser's comedy drama.
Starring Jason Done as Michael, Andrew Knott as Jason, Beverley Callard as Maureen, John Henshaw as Eddie, Jo-Anne Knowles as Debbie, Jack Smethurst as Jim and Damian Lanigan as Carl.
Music: Big George
Producer: Neil Mossey
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 2000.
TUE 07:30 Thanks a Lot, Milton Jones! (b0b1r3hv)
Series 3, The Genealogist
Milton becomes an expert genealogist and gets stuck up a rather unexpected family tree.
Mention Milton Jones to most people and the first thing they think is "Help!". Each week, Milton and his trusty assistant Anton set out to help people and soon find they're embroiled in a new adventure. Because when you're close to the edge, then Milton can give you a push.
"Milton Jones is one of Britain's best gagsmiths with a flair for creating daft yet perfect one-liners" - The Guardian.
"King of the surreal one-liners" - The Times
"If you haven't caught up with Jones yet - do so!" - The Daily Mail
Written by Milton with James Cary (Bluestone 42, Miranda), and Dan Evans (who co-wrote Milton's Channel 4 show House Of Rooms), the man they call "Britain's funniest Milton," returns to the radio with a fully-working cast and a shipload of new jokes.
The cast includes regulars Tom Goodman-Hill (Spamalot, Mr. Selfridge) as the ever-faithful Anton, Josie Lawrence and Ben Willbond (The Thick Of It).
With music by Guy Jackson
Produced and directed by David Tyler
A Pozzitive production for BBC Radio 4.
TUE 08:00 As Time Goes By (b007k7f9)
Series 2, Episode 3
Lionel and Jean agree to move in together, but in to which house?
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 February 1998.
TUE 08:30 The Men From the Ministry (b0178qpk)
Chain Reaction
A mix-up over packages sparks perplexity for the bungling bureaucrats.
Stars Richard Murdoch and Deryck Guyler.
With Norma Ronald, Ronald Baddiley, John Graham and Corinna Marlowe.
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 July 1975.
TUE 09:00 News Quiz Extra (b0b2n65z)
[Repeat of broadcast at 23:00 on Monday]
TUE 09:45 Ivor Cutler - A Stuggy Pren (b00cqd9l)
[Repeat of broadcast at 23:45 on Monday]
TUE 10:00 George Eliot - The Mill on the Floss (b00gs5x8)
Home and School
Maggie Tulliver has run away, but will a passion for litigation prove to be her father's undoing? Stars Terry Molloy. From April 1991.
TUE 11:00 Opening Lines (b04fchm0)
Series 16, Baker, Emily and Me by Claire Fuller
A chance to hear Claire Fuller's story again in the series which gives emerging short story writers their radio debut.
Lizzie Watts reads this post-apocalyptic tale set in a world of never-ending rain. A young girl is thrilled to be part of a plan to steal a chicken from the Snatchers.
Produced by Gemma Jenkins.
Claire Fuller's first novel, Our Endless Numbered Days, won the 2015 Desmond Elliot Prize. She has written many short stories and several of these have been selected to be read in public performances by White Rabbit Theatre Company, as well as being published in the literary fiction journals, Vintage Script and From the Depths. Her second novel, Swimming Lessons, was published in 2014.
TUE 11:15 Michael Duke - Faith, Hope and Charity (b0b2n9hy)
Faith
Mairi has fallen in love with the man downstairs. The only trouble is, she has never actually met him - it's only his singing in the shower that has set her lonely heart pounding.
Mairi never loses faith that he is the one for her. But her friends think she is losing the plot - and her friends may well be right...
Mike Duke's trilogy of interlinked plays on contemporary values.
Stars Julie Austin as Mairi, Gary Lewis as Duncan, Julia Duncanson as Tina, Peter Grimes as Mr Ferguson, Deidre Davis as Mrs Ferguson and Eliza Langland as Hilary.
Made by BBC Scotland and directed in Edinburgh by Patrick Rayner.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2002.
TUE 12:00 As Time Goes By (b007k7f9)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
TUE 12:30 The Men From the Ministry (b0178qpk)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
TUE 13:00 Hammond Innes - The Doomed Oasis (b007jsql)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
TUE 13:30 The Disappearing Art of the Mix Tape (b00cj8d8)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
TUE 14:00 Donna Tartt - The Secret History (b03q8tcc)
Episode 12
Lurking in a mailbox is a typewritten revelation which proves to be a shock to all. Donna Tartt thriller read by William Hope. From April 1995.
TUE 14:15 Britain on the Bottle: Alcohol and the State (b00t1qg4)
The Gin Act of 1736
'Madam Geneva', she was called. The provider of 'Dutch Courage'. Mark Whitaker explores the Gin Craze of mid-18th-century England.
William Hogarth's 'Gin Lane' of 1751 is perhaps the best-known piece of propagandist art ever produced in England. It portrays the ravages of the gin addiction that for twenty-five years had dominated the life of the London poor. Gin had first been introduced into the country by William III and the landed classes soon became rich producing the grain from which it was distilled. Governments depended on taxing it.
But by the end of the 1720s people started to recognise the social damage it was causing. Nothing like it had been seen before. The best writers of the day took up the issue. Daniel Defoe wrote against 'the abuse of that nauseous liquor among our lower sort' and argued that it was undermining England's economic power. Henry Fielding called gin a 'diabolical liquor' and wanted it banned completely.
Walpole's government passed a series of gin acts, the most draconian being that of 1736. The liquor trade went underground and government informers roamed the streets. When serious riots broke out in Spitalfields in August 1736, Walpole explained them as the people's desperation at 'the approaching expiration of their darling vice'. But the government was forced to back down.
Actors read extracts from Defoe and Fielding, from Walpole's letters and from parliamentary debates.
Producer: Mark Whitaker
A Square Dog production for BBC Radio 4.
TUE 14:30 15 Minute Drama (b03dsk4l)
Jane Harris - Gillespie and I, Episode 7
Victorian gothic mystery by Jane Harris. The police arrest a suspect for the kidnap of Rose Gillespie. Starring Phyllis Logan, Liam Brennan and Kate Dickie. Dramatised by Chris Dolan.
TUE 14:45 Book of the Week (b01sjsys)
Richard Holmes - Falling Upwards, Episode 2
In this heart-lifting book, the Romantic biographer Richard Holmes floats across the world following the pioneer generation of balloon aeronauts, from the first heroic experiments of the 1780s to the tragic attempt to fly a balloon to the North Pole in the 1890s.
In a compelling adventure story, dramatic sequences include an unscheduled early flight over the North Sea, the crazy firework flights of beautiful Sophie Blanchard and the heart-stopping escape of two families from East Germany.
Early balloons also played a role in warfare - with the legendary tale of sixty balloons that escaped Paris during the Prussian siege of 1870, and a memorable flight by General Custer in the American Civil War.
These are stories where scientific genius combines with extraordinary courage and the power of an imagination that dares to claim the airy kingdom for itself.
Episode 2 (of 5):
What earthly use is a balloon? Early scientists struggled to grasp the opportunities offered by flight but, in turbulent times, the military were quick to make the most of aerial reconnaissance.
Read by Rory Kinnear
Abridged and Produced by Jill Waters
A Waters Company production for BBC Radio 4.
TUE 15:00 George Eliot - The Mill on the Floss (b00gs5x8)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 today]
TUE 16:00 It's Not What You Know (b0640pnx)
Series 3, Episode 6
Who does Susan Calman often get mistaken for? What does Vernon Kay consider his career lowlight? What's the naughtiest thing Sara Pascoe did as a child?
All these burning questions, and more, will be answered in the show hosted by Miles Jupp, where panellists are tested on how well they know their nearest and dearest.
In this case, comedian Susan Calman picks her friend, presenter Vernon Kay picks his old university pal, and comedian Sara Pascoe chooses her mum.
Producer: Matt Stronge.
TUE 16:30 The Wordsmiths at Gorsemere (b007jsn0)
Series 2, 2nd October 1799
Domestic bliss is enhanced by the arrival of John Sheets. Views are exchanged on the desirability of the married state. And a game of cricket is proposed...
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, Miriam Margolyes as Stinking Iris, Chris Emmett as the Leechpedlar and Nicky Henson as John Sheets.
Music by Stephen Oliver and performed by Cantabile.
Producer: Jonathan James-Moore
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in June 1987.
TUE 17:00 Stockport, So Good They Named It Once (b01nht5b)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
TUE 17:30 Thanks a Lot, Milton Jones! (b0b1r3hv)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
TUE 18:00 Arthur C Clarke - 2001: A Space Odyssey (b007jscy)
Tools
Moonwatcher and the rest of the tribe learn how to use tools - with implications for all humanity.
Arthur C Clarke's ground-breaking novel is set in our present, a vision of a future yet to be, and a past shrouded in mystery.
Read in ten parts by William Roberts - secrets of the story are revealed that the film adaptation missed.
Producer: Dirk Maggs
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2001.
TUE 18:15 15 Minute Drama (b04kbjhn)
Michael Faber - The Book of Strange New Things, Episode 2
Joe Armstrong, Hayley Atwell and Dougray Scott star in this adaptation of the powerful new novel by Michel Faber (Under the Skin, Crimson Petal and the White).
Set in the near future, it tells the story of Peter, devoted husband and devoted man of faith, as he is called to the mission of a lifetime, one that takes him galaxies away from his wife, Beatrice.
In today's episode, Peter starts to explore the USIC base on Oasis, but is eager to meet his new flock - the planet's enigmatic native inhabitants. Back on Earth, the weather is doing strange things.
Adapted for radio by Miranda Emmerson
Directed by Emma Harding
Other parts played by members of the company.
TUE 18:30 The Palace of Laughter (b007tzt7)
Series 1, Manchester Playhouse
Geoffrey Wheeler's story of the venue and the neighbouring Hulme Hippodrome. With Morecambe and Wise and Ken Dodd. From April 2002.
TUE 19:00 As Time Goes By (b007k7f9)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
TUE 19:30 The Men From the Ministry (b0178qpk)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
TUE 20:00 Hammond Innes - The Doomed Oasis (b007jsql)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
TUE 20:30 The Disappearing Art of the Mix Tape (b00cj8d8)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
TUE 21:00 Opening Lines (b04fchm0)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:00 today]
TUE 21:15 Michael Duke - Faith, Hope and Charity (b0b2n9hy)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:15 today]
TUE 22:00 Thanks a Lot, Milton Jones! (b0b1r3hv)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
TUE 22:30 Tom Wrigglesworth's Hang-Ups (b03h4294)
Series 1, Horsing Around
Tom is annoyed that his parents don't trust him - even with his own car. He is determined to prove them wrong and what better way - than taking care of his sister Amy when she comes to London? But first he has to persuade mum and dad to trust him.
Tom persuades his parents that he can be trusted to look after his sister Amy when she comes to London.
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.
A fascinating and hilarious glimpse into Tom Wrigglesworth, his family background and the influences that have shaped his temperament,opinions and hang-ups.
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.
Cast:
Tom Wrigglesworth ...Tom
Judy Parfitt ... Granny
Paul Copley ... Dad
Kate Anthony ... Mum
Amy Wrigglesworth ... Amy
Written by Tom Wrigglesworth and James Kettle
Additional Material by Miles Jupp
Producer: Katie Tyrrell.
TUE 23:00 Lewis Macleod Is Not Himself (b04hvy0q)
Episode 2
A brand new impression and sketch show that looks behind the scenes at the life and work of star impressionist Lewis Macleod (Newsjack, Postman Pat, The Phantom Menace, Dead Ringers) with Kate O'Sullivan, Duncan Wisbey and Julian Dutton.
Producer: Lyndsay Fenner.
TUE 23:30 52 First Impressions with David Quantick (b04lstky)
Series 1, Episode 2
Journalist and comedy writer David Quantick has met and interviewed hundreds of people. What were his first impressions, how have they changed and does it all matter?
In this second programme (of four), there are stories about David Bowie, Fidel Castro and his dad, among others.
Producer: Steve Doherty
A Giddy Goat production for BBC Radio 4.

WEDNESDAY 16 MAY 2018

WED 00:00 Arthur C Clarke - 2001: A Space Odyssey (b007jscy)
[Repeat of broadcast at 18:00 on Tuesday]
WED 00:15 15 Minute Drama (b04kbjhn)
[Repeat of broadcast at 18:15 on Tuesday]
WED 00:30 The Palace of Laughter (b007tzt7)
[Repeat of broadcast at 18:30 on Tuesday]
WED 01:00 Hammond Innes - The Doomed Oasis (b007jsql)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 on Tuesday]
WED 01:30 The Disappearing Art of the Mix Tape (b00cj8d8)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 on Tuesday]
WED 02:00 Donna Tartt - The Secret History (b03q8tcc)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:00 on Tuesday]
WED 02:15 Britain on the Bottle: Alcohol and the State (b00t1qg4)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:15 on Tuesday]
WED 02:30 15 Minute Drama (b03dsk4l)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:30 on Tuesday]
WED 02:45 Book of the Week (b01sjsys)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:45 on Tuesday]
WED 03:00 George Eliot - The Mill on the Floss (b00gs5x8)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 on Tuesday]
WED 04:00 It's Not What You Know (b0640pnx)
[Repeat of broadcast at 16:00 on Tuesday]
WED 04:30 The Wordsmiths at Gorsemere (b007jsn0)
[Repeat of broadcast at 16:30 on Tuesday]
WED 05:00 Stockport, So Good They Named It Once (b01nht5b)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 on Tuesday]
WED 05:30 Thanks a Lot, Milton Jones! (b0b1r3hv)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 on Tuesday]
WED 06:00 Hammond Innes - The Doomed Oasis (b007jsqw)
Bahrain-Sharjah-Dubai
An innocent search for an elusive oilman leads lawyer George Grant into a maze of political intrigue.
Arabian adventure based on Hammond Innes' 1960 novel adapted in six parts by Rene Basilico.
Starring Tim Munro as George Grant, Robert Rietty as Ruffini, George Roubicek as Otto Smith, David McAlister as Captain Chuck Berry, Garard Green as Sir Philip Gorde, Helena Breck as Susan Whittaker, Nadim Sawalha as the Waiter and Mohammad Sultan as the Driver.
Producer: John Fawcett Wilson.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 2 in August 1984.
WED 06:30 Reel Histories - Dam Busters (b0076chn)
The most famous bombing mission in history was an operational success, but did the bouncing bomb do anything to shorten the Second World War?
Decades on from 617 Squadron's raid on the Ruhr dams, historians still disagree over the real effects of one of the RAF's finest hours.
Journalist Gerry Northam explores the history behind celluloid images of our past.
Producer: John Byrne
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2003.
WED 07:00 The Leopard in Autumn (b00rzky4)
Series 2, An Englishman Abroad
Monte Guano, the pettiest of Italian states, plays host to an honoured English aristocratic guest - the somewhat suspect Lord Luton.
Second series of the comedy drama set in Renaissance Italy devised by Neal Anthony.
Written by Sue Limb.
Stars David Swift as Ludovico, Sian Phillips as Plethora, Graham Crowden as Francesco, Saskia Wickham as Rosalie, Paul Bigley as Alessandro and Nicholas Grace as Lord Luton.
Producer: Helen Williams
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 2002.
WED 07:30 Daliso Chaponda: Citizen of Nowhere (b0b1sycz)
Series 1, The 'Haters'
Malawian Comedian Daliso Chaponda looks at the relationship between the UK and Africa.
The UK and Africa have had a long a complicated past. This series looks at the history of this relationship and Daliso is our relationship guidance counsellor, helping us navigate the rocky historical waters between the two places.
A Malawian comedian who grew up all over the world, Daliso straddles cultural divides. He will help us all better understand how to sort out our differences. Or not...
In this second episode, Daliso looks at the people on both sides who don't want the relationship to work.
Written and performed by Daliso Chaponda
The Other Guy... James Quinn
Theme music by Lawi
Image by Steve Ullathorne
Production Coordinator... Beverly Tagg
Producer... Carl Cooper
This is a BBC Studios Production.
WED 08:00 The Navy Lark (b007zmrl)
Families' Day
As the chief fundraises, Cedric Phillips arrives on board HMS Troutbridge to see his brother, 'the Captain'!
Stars Jon Pertwee as the Chief Petty Officer, Leslie Phillips as the Sub-Lieutenant, Stephen Murray as the Number One, Ronnie Barker as Lt Commander Stanton, Richard Caldicote as Captain Povey and Michael Bates as Cedric Phillips. Plus Heather Chasen as Ramona, Tenniel Evans as LS Goldstein, and June Tobin as Charlotte Stanton.
Laughs afloat aboard British Royal Navy frigate HMS Troutbridge. The Navy Lark ran for an impressive thirteen series between 1959 and 1976.
Scripted by Lawrie Wyman.
Producer: Alastair Scott Johnston
First broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in January 1961.
WED 08:30 Round the Horne (b007jrj3)
Series 2, Episode 4
The World Cup's gone missing! MI5's Disguise Department run by Julian and Sandy provide a bona disguise for Master Spy Kenneth Horne.
With Kenneth Williams, Hugh Paddick, Betty Marsden and Bill Pertwee.
Recorded at the BBC's Paris Studio in Lower Regent Street, London. Announcer: Douglas Smith
Round The Horne was born out of the demise of BBC radio comedy Beyond Our Ken, after the end of writer Eric Merriman's involvement. Using the same cast and producer, Barry Took and Marty Feldman were persuaded to write the scripts - which led to four series that ran between 1965 and 1968 - packed full of parodies, recurring characters, catchphrases and double-entendres.
Music by Edwin Braden and the Hornblowers and The Fraser Hayes Four.
Producer: John Simmonds
First broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in March 1966.
WED 09:00 Foul Play (b00jh5hn)
Series 3, Death By a Short Hand
Crime writers Lady Antonia Fraser and Anthony Price probe the death of a top jockey. Chaired by Simon Brett. From December 1997.
WED 09:30 The 27-Year Itch (b0b2ndmd)
You're Never Too Old to Stay at Home
Dorothy and Edward visit Clacton to try and pep up their marriage.
Dorothy and Edward Atkinson are Sidcup's premier warring couple with a marriage to challenge even the most determined of counsellors.
Barry Pilton's marital mayhem sitcom stars Hugh Paddick as Edward and Betty Marsden as Dorothy.
With Aubrey Woods and Nigel Lambert.
After notching up multiple BBC radio series together of 'Beyond Our Ken' and 'Round the Horne' - most memorably as aging juvenile Binkie Huckaback and Dame Celia Molestrangler - Hugh and Betty were reunited on-air, almost a decade later in 'The 27 Year Itch'.
Producer: Geoffrey Perkins
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 1978.
WED 10:00 George Eliot - The Mill on the Floss (b00gsj50)
Home and Work
Mr Tulliver is offered an unlikely escape route from his troubles. Philip is enamoured of Maggie. Stars Sylvestra Le Touzel. From April 1991.
WED 11:00 Opening Lines (b04g1bsm)
Series 16, Audiophile by Ian Green
Another chance to hear Ian Green's story in the series which gives emerging short story writers their radio debut.
Bryan Dick reads this off-kilter love story about a young man who falls for the girl next-door when he hears her singing through the adjoining wall of their two flats.
Produced by Gemma Jenkins.
Previously Ian Green's fiction has been performed and recorded at Liar's League London and published in Open Pen magazine. A piece originally performed at Liar's League was also performed at the inaugural Lit Crawl London in 2013.
WED 11:15 Michael Duke - Faith, Hope and Charity (b0b2ndwz)
Hope
Vincent's willingness to talk about his painful experience of the Troubles in Northern Ireland has made him into a media celebrity, but brought him no personal peace dividend.
Julia has her own secret reasons for wanting to know what life is worth in the shadow of those who died. They seem, on the surface at least, to make a hopeless pair...
Mike Duke's trilogy of interlinked plays on contemporary values.
Stars Richard Dormer as Vincent, Wendy Seager as Julia, Steven McNicoll as Stewart, Gary Lewis as Duncan, Peter Grimes as the TV Interviewer and James Bryce as Julia's Father.
Made by BBC Scotland and directed in Edinburgh by Patrick Rayner.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2002.
WED 12:00 The Navy Lark (b007zmrl)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
WED 12:30 Round the Horne (b007jrj3)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
WED 13:00 Hammond Innes - The Doomed Oasis (b007jsqw)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
WED 13:30 Reel Histories - Dam Busters (b0076chn)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
WED 14:00 Donna Tartt - The Secret History (b03q957k)
Episode 13
Despite their best efforts, Richard and Henry cannot stop their role being exposed. Donna Tartt thriller read by William Hope. From April 1995.
WED 14:15 Britain on the Bottle: Alcohol and the State (b00t1qjs)
The Beer Act of 1830
Continuing his narrative history series on the ways in which the British state has dealt with the 'Drink Question', Mark Whitaker looks at the 1830 Beer Act - when parliament made the seemingly bizarre decision that the best way to decrease public drunkenness was to make access to alcohol easier.
Why? It was believed that a recent upsurge in the consumption of spirits was a consequence of the quality of beer being so low; and this was because a handful of major brewers owned the pubs and controlled what they sold. The Times called this arrangement 'an odious monopoly', and the phrase stuck. In 1830 an MP went as far as to call it 'more oppressive to the lower orders than any other that has ever been imposed upon them.'
Free Trade was the solution of the day. The 1830 Beer Act made it possible for anybody who could come up with a payment of two guineas to get a license to sell beer in their own home. Over the next six months 25,000 licenses were taken out, and almost overnight a new landscape of drinking had been created in England.
But within four years a Select Committee on drunkenness was meeting, and it began to be argued that the last thing an industrialising country needed was a drunk work force. For the first time there was serious public discussion as to what the social causes of excessive drinking might be, and people started talking about mass education as the key to change.
Actors read from parliamentary debates, and from journals and newspapers.
Producer: Mark Whitaker
A Square Dog production for BBC Radio 4.
WED 14:30 15 Minute Drama (b03dsm3w)
Jane Harris - Gillespie and I, Episode 8
Victorian gothic mystery by Jane Harris, set in Glasgow during the International Exhibition in 1888. Three accused go on trial - but two of the kidnappers are determined to lay the blame on the person they claim is the ringleader. Dramatised by Chris Dolan.
WED 14:45 Book of the Week (b01sk9yl)
Richard Holmes - Falling Upwards, Episode 3
In this heart-lifting book, the Romantic biographer Richard Holmes floats across the world following the pioneer generation of balloon aeronauts, from the first heroic experiments of the 1780s to the tragic attempt to fly a balloon to the North Pole in the 1890s.
In a compelling adventure story, dramatic sequences include an unscheduled early flight over the North Sea, the crazy firework flights of beautiful Sophie Blanchard and the heart-stopping escape of two families from East Germany.
Early balloons also played a role in warfare - with the legendary tale of sixty balloons that escaped Paris during the Prussian siege of 1870, and a memorable flight by General Custer in the American Civil War.
These are stories where scientific genius combines with extraordinary courage and the power of an imagination that dares to claim the airy kingdom for itself.
Read by Rory Kinnear.
Abridged and Produced by Jill Waters.
A Waters Company production for BBC Radio 4.
WED 15:00 George Eliot - The Mill on the Floss (b00gsj50)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 today]
WED 16:00 Foul Play (b00jh5hn)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
WED 16:30 The 27-Year Itch (b0b2ndmd)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 today]
WED 17:00 The Leopard in Autumn (b00rzky4)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
WED 17:30 Daliso Chaponda: Citizen of Nowhere (b0b1sycz)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
WED 18:00 Arthur C Clarke - 2001: A Space Odyssey (b007jsd9)
Epidemic
Dr Floyd heads out to the moon, amidst fears of a mutated flu epidemic - but why is an astronomer required?
Arthur C Clarke's ground-breaking novel is set in our present, a vision of a future yet to be, and a past shrouded in mystery.
Read in ten parts by William Roberts - secrets of the story are revealed that the film adaptation missed.
Producer: Dirk Maggs
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2001.
WED 18:15 15 Minute Drama (b04kf5zn)
Michael Faber - The Book of Strange New Things, Episode 3
Joe Armstrong, Hayley Atwell and Dougray Scott star in this adaptation of the powerful new novel by Michel Faber (Under the Skin, Crimson Petal and the White).
Set in the near future, it tells the story of Peter, devoted husband and devoted man of faith, as he is called to the mission of a lifetime, one that takes him galaxies away from his wife, Beatrice.
In today's episode, USIC pharmacist Grainger drives Peter out to the nearest settlement for his first encounter with his new flock - the planet's enigmatic native inhabitants. But the letters from his wife Beatrice back on Earth tell of food shortages and natural disaster.
Adapted for radio by Miranda Emmerson
Directed by Emma Harding
Other parts played by members of the company.
WED 18:30 The Tingle Factor (b07h0z8v)
Peter Skellern
Singer-songwriter and pianist, Peter Skellern talks to Robin Ray about the sounds which stirs his emotions.
Recalling his life and career, Peter's selection includes Ketty Lester, Phil Harris and commentary from a legendary Apollo spaceflight.
Producer: Andrew Mussett
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1991.
WED 19:00 The Navy Lark (b007zmrl)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
WED 19:30 Round the Horne (b007jrj3)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
WED 20:00 Hammond Innes - The Doomed Oasis (b007jsqw)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
WED 20:30 Reel Histories - Dam Busters (b0076chn)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
WED 21:00 Opening Lines (b04g1bsm)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:00 today]
WED 21:15 Michael Duke - Faith, Hope and Charity (b0b2ndwz)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:15 today]
WED 22:00 Daliso Chaponda: Citizen of Nowhere (b0b1sycz)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
WED 22:30 2525 (b03q8q1n)
Episode 5
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 the last remaining members of the royal family to the 26th Century ebook readers.
Written by Colin Birch, Jon Hunter, Jane Lamacraft, Alex Lowe, Paul Putner, Victoria Gooch, Alastair Goff and Eddie Robson.
Produced by Ashley Blaker.
A John Stanley production for BBC Radio 4.
WED 22:55 The Comedy Club Interviews (b0b3qrgp)
Lou Conran 1/2
The best in contemporary comedy. Jessica Fostekew chats to Lou Conran.
WED 23:00 Clayton Grange (b047bstc)
Series 2, Episode 3
By Neil Warhurst with additional material by Paul Barnhill.
Geoff can't resist using a 'bring your child to work day' to do some controversial genetic manipulation, whilst Saunders trials a bionic suit that recycles your own urine. Will this be his first success?
Produced and directed by Marion Nancarrow.
Anthony Head returns in this sparkling comedy series, which The Observer described as 'brilliantly silly' and The Mail reviewed as having 'lots of perfectly timed, deadpan acting and a great script.'.
WED 23:30 Delve Special (b00t1qsy)
Series 1, The Shifton Scandal (Part 2)
In his town demolition expose, David Lander examines the influence of a holiday company. Stephen Fry stars as the spoof investigative reporter. From August 1984.

THURSDAY 17 MAY 2018

THU 00:00 Arthur C Clarke - 2001: A Space Odyssey (b007jsd9)
[Repeat of broadcast at 18:00 on Wednesday]
THU 00:15 15 Minute Drama (b04kf5zn)
[Repeat of broadcast at 18:15 on Wednesday]
THU 00:30 The Tingle Factor (b07h0z8v)
[Repeat of broadcast at 18:30 on Wednesday]
THU 01:00 Hammond Innes - The Doomed Oasis (b007jsqw)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 on Wednesday]
THU 01:30 Reel Histories - Dam Busters (b0076chn)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 on Wednesday]
THU 02:00 Donna Tartt - The Secret History (b03q957k)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:00 on Wednesday]
THU 02:15 Britain on the Bottle: Alcohol and the State (b00t1qjs)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:15 on Wednesday]
THU 02:30 15 Minute Drama (b03dsm3w)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:30 on Wednesday]
THU 02:45 Book of the Week (b01sk9yl)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:45 on Wednesday]
THU 03:00 George Eliot - The Mill on the Floss (b00gsj50)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 on Wednesday]
THU 04:00 Foul Play (b00jh5hn)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 on Wednesday]
THU 04:30 The 27-Year Itch (b0b2ndmd)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 on Wednesday]
THU 05:00 The Leopard in Autumn (b00rzky4)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 on Wednesday]
THU 05:30 Daliso Chaponda: Citizen of Nowhere (b0b1sycz)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 on Wednesday]
THU 06:00 Hammond Innes - The Doomed Oasis (b007jsr5)
Escape to Saraifa
A flight into the desert - and a first encounter with a living legend.
Arabian adventure for English lawyer George Grant, based on Hammond Innes' 1960 novel adapted in six parts by Rene Basilico.
Starring Tim Munro as George Grant, Bernard Horsfall as Colonel Whittaker, George Roubicek as Otto Smith, Farouk El-Demerdash as Sheikh Makhmud, Raad Rawi as Prince Khalid, Garard Green as Sir Philip Gorde, Geoffrey Hinsliff as Jack Entwistle, Ali Refaie as the Sheikh's Messenger and Mohammad Sultan as the Palace Guard.
Producer: John Fawcett Wilson.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 2 in August 1984.
THU 06:30 There's More Here Than I Thought (b00jxc77)
Writer Kate Mosse explores the extraordinary life of Winifred Gill. She was an artist, craftswoman, puppeteer and social reformer, and a friend and supporter of painters such as LS Lowry, Duncan Grant, Roger Fry, Vanessa Bell and poet Walter de la Mare, as well as being a tireless letter writer.
Gill died in 1981 and her name has been little known. But thanks to the hard work and persistence of her niece Margaret Bennett and Margaret's cousin Chrystine Bennett, that is about to change. Gill's papers are now in the Bodleian Library in Oxford and, in June 2009, the Courtauld Gallery in London devotes a whole room to her work.
THU 07:00 North by Northamptonshire (b017mx3z)
Series 2, Episode 1
As is well-known: Yorkshiremen wear flat caps and Essex girls wear short skirts; Liverpudlians are scallies and Cockneys are wideboys. Northamptonians gaze wistfully at these stereotypes and wish for an identity of any kind and a label less ridiculous than Northamptonians. Northamptonshire, let us be clear, is neither north, nor south nor in the Midlands. It floats somewhere between the three eyeing up the distinctiveness of each with envious eyes. Now Katherine Jakeways is giving Northamptonshire an identity. And she waits, benevolently, for her home-county to thank her. And possibly make her some kind of Mayor.
Joined by the same incredible cast which graced Series One - including Sheila Hancock as the Narrator, Penelope Wilton, Mackenzie Crook, Felicity Montagu and Kevin Eldon - and with the exciting addition of Geoffrey Palmer, North by Northamptonshire promises once again to delight audience and critics.
Wadenbrook is a small market town in a corner of Northamptonshire, and will be familiar to anyone who has ever lived anywhere. This year, its residents are building up to a Dickensian Festival weekend, so expect mob caps, cravats and shawls which are usually used as cat-blankets. Also expect a great many laughs, a certain amount of loneliness, and the same warmth and affection which underpinned the widely-praised first series.
Written by Katherine Jakeways
Produced by Victoria Lloyd
John Biggins............Keith
Mackenzie Crook.........Rod
Kevin Eldon.........Jonathan / Ken
Shelia Hancock........... Narrator
Jessica Henwick.............Helen
Katherine Jakeways.... Esther / Jacqui
Felicity Montagu..............Jan
Geoffrey Palmer..........Norman
Lizzie Roper............Angela
Penelope Wilton............Mary
Rufus Wright..............Frank.
THU 07:30 Alone (b0b1tblr)
Series 1, Just Say No
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 Just Say No, Mitch's inability to say no causes problems when he agrees to go for drinks with Ellie and a friend of hers, Marie (Hilary MacLean), who is keen to meet him, and then agrees also to help out Morris by making up a four for a dinner party on the same evening.
Louisa meanwhile has a big casting opportunity and, perhaps unwisely, enrols the services of Will to help her film a scene.
An Absolutely production for BBC Radio 4.
THU 08:00 J Kingston Platt's Showbiz Handbook (b007k0bg)
Hollywood and Back
The veteran of many parts recalls one of the worst screen performances never seen. Stars Peter Jones. From June 1968.
THU 08:30 The Goon Show (b0b2r0jv)
The Six Ingots Of Leadenhall Street
On the trial of Moriarty and Grytpype-Thynne, Detective Neddie Seagoon joins an unusual brass band.
Starring Spike Milligan, Peter Sellers and Harry Secombe.
To celebrate 100 years since the birth of Spike Milligan, another rare edition of the series not heard since original broadcast.
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 Eric Sykes.
With the Ray Ellington Quartet and Max Geldray
Orchestra conducted by Wally Stott.
Announcer: Wallace Greenslade
Producer: Peter Eaton
First broadcast on the BBC Home Service in February 1955.
THU 09:00 Funny You Should Ask (b0b2r0jx)
From 20/04/1978
Peter Jones hosts the entertainment quiz about comedy as he tests a panel of experts:
Barry Took, Derek Roy and Mike Burton recall memories of careers and comic colleagues.
Funny You Should Ask ran for 8 series from 1976 to 1982.
Questions compiled by Michael Pointon.
Producer: Bob Oliver Rogers
First broadcast on BBC Radio 2 in April 1978.
THU 09:30 Alison and Maud (b007k244)
Series 1, Lame Ducks
How can Alison avoid a courtship display without hastily inventing a husband?
First of two series of Sue Limb's Bed and Breakfast sitcom about sisters Alison and Maud and their guests at the Abbeyfield Guest House in Norwich.
Starring Denise Coffey as Alison, Miriam Margolyes as Maud, Joss Ackland as Father, Chris Emmett as Mr Mullett and Nickolas Grace as Leslie.
Producer: Jonathan James-Moore.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 2002.
THU 10:00 George Eliot - The Mill on the Floss (b00gsr6p)
Loss and Love
Tom feels betrayed by Maggie and tragedy is looming for the Tullivers. Stars Sylvestra Le Touzel and Michael Fitzgerald. From May 1991.
THU 11:00 Opening Lines (b04gcfmg)
Series 16, The Fox by Fiona Melrose
Another chance to hear Fiona Melrose's story in the series which gives emerging short story writers their radio debut.
Philip Jackson reads Fiona Melrose's meditative tale evoking a rural England, largely untouched by the modern world. A dead fox triggers memories and connections for an elderly farmer.
Produced by Gemma Jenkins.
South African writer, Fiona Melrose was inspired to write this story while living in Suffolk. The story formed the starting point of her first novel, Midwinter, which was published in November of last year.
THU 11:15 Michael Duke - Faith, Hope and Charity (b0b2r0jz)
Charity
Robin is essentially a nice man. But he is also dull, pedantic and certifiably tight with money.
After four woefully unromantic years, his long-suffering wife Rachel is close to the divorce courts. So to save his marriage, Robin embarks on a comically misguided Good Samaritan act...
Mike Duke's trilogy of interlinked plays on contemporary values.
Stars Peter Grimes as Robin, Gary Lewis as Duncan, Julie Austin as Mair, Deirdre Davis as Rachel, Wendy Seager as Julia and Richard Dormer as Vincent.
Made by BBC Scotland and directed in Edinburgh by Patrick Rayner
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2002.
THU 12:00 J Kingston Platt's Showbiz Handbook (b007k0bg)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
THU 12:30 The Goon Show (b0b2r0jv)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
THU 13:00 Hammond Innes - The Doomed Oasis (b007jsr5)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
THU 13:30 There's More Here Than I Thought (b00jxc77)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
THU 14:00 Donna Tartt - The Secret History (b03q9k59)
Episode 14
With their tutor mysteriously absent, things go from bad to worse for the Greek class. Donna Tartt thriller read by William Hope. From April 1995.
THU 14:15 Britain on the Bottle: Alcohol and the State (b00t1qn4)
Temperance and the 1872 Licensing Act
We join presenter Mark Whitaker in the ideal industrial community of Saltaire, near Bradford. Developed between 1850 and 1870, it was planned as an environment in which workers would be diligent, healthy and happy - because they would have no access to alcohol.
At the heart of the village was the Saltaire Club and Institute that was set up 'to supply the advantages of a public-house, but without the evils.' Temperance developed from the 1830s as a movement of the skilled working classes, and in 1853 became organised as a formidable political pressure group - the UK Alliance. It argued for teetotalism, and for the right of ratepayers to ban the liquor trade in their own town.
It had formidable parliamentary support. But it was hated by writers such as Charles Dickens, who ridiculed the idea that prohibition would create a more sober nation. The Times dismissed teetotallers as "intolerant brooding theorists".
The issue came to a head in 1871-2. There was a General Election and Gladstone's Liberals were trying to pass a new Licensing Bill. The campaign was marred by violent confrontations between those who wanted more or less freedom to drink. Gladstone himself hoped to create a more continental drinking culture and reduced the duty on French wine. But he couldn't win. When he lost the next Election in 1874 he complained that he'd been 'borne down in a torrent of gin and beer.'
Actors read from temperance literature, from Dickens and from newspaper reports.
Producer: Mark Whitaker
A Square Dog production for BBC Radio 4.
THU 14:30 15 Minute Drama (b03dvbyr)
Jane Harris - Gillespie and I, Episode 9
Victorian gothic mystery by Jane Harris set in Glasgow during the International Exhibition in 1888. The court considers the identity of the veiled woman who lured Rose away from her family.
Starring Phyllis Logan. Dramatised by Chris Dolan.
THU 14:45 Book of the Week (b01skb21)
Richard Holmes - Falling Upwards, Episode 4
In this heartlifting book, the Romantic biographer Richard Holmes floats across the world following the pioneer generation of balloon aeronauts, from the first heroic experiments of the 1780s to the tragic attempt to fly a balloon to the North Pole in the 1890s.
In a compelling adventure story, dramatic sequences include an unscheduled early flight over the North Sea, the crazy firework flights of beautiful Sophie Blanchard and the heart-stopping escape of two families from East Germany.
Early balloons also played a role in warfare - with the legendary tale of sixty balloons that escaped Paris during the Prussian siege of 1870, and a memorable flight by General Custer in the American Civil War.
These are stories where scientific genius combines with extraordinary courage and the power of an imagination that dares to claim the airy kingdom for itself.
Episode 4 (of 5):
Crowd-pleasing entertainments and spectacular displays grew in popularity, with increasing numbers of young women performing aerial stunts from balloons.
Read by Rory Kinnear
Abridged and Produced by Jill Waters
A Waters Company production for BBC Radio 4.
THU 15:00 George Eliot - The Mill on the Floss (b00gsr6p)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 today]
THU 16:00 Funny You Should Ask (b0b2r0jx)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
THU 16:30 Alison and Maud (b007k244)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 today]
THU 17:00 North by Northamptonshire (b017mx3z)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
THU 17:30 Alone (b0b1tblr)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
THU 18:00 Arthur C Clarke - 2001: A Space Odyssey (b007jsdb)
Moon Base
Dr Floyd reaches Moonbase and discovers there is more to the quarantine scenario than he was expecting...
Arthur C Clarke's ground-breaking novel is set in our present, a vision of a future yet to be, and a past shrouded in mystery.
Read in ten parts by William Roberts - secrets of the story are revealed that the film adaptation missed.
Producer: Dirk Maggs
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2001.
THU 18:15 15 Minute Drama (b04kf8px)
Michael Faber - The Book of Strange New Things, Episode 4
Joe Armstrong, Hayley Atwell and Dougray Scott star in this adaptation of the extraordinary new novel by Michel Faber (Under the Skin, Crimson Petal and the White).
Set in the near future, it tells the story of Peter, devoted husband and devoted man of faith, as he is called to the mission of a lifetime, one that takes him galaxies away from his wife, Beatrice.
In today's episode, Peter shows his Oasan congregation some photos of life on Earth. But as life on Earth becomes increasingly difficult, the distance between him and Beatrice grows ever vaster.
Adapted for radio by Miranda Emmerson
Directed by Emma Harding.
THU 18:30 Great Lives (b010626p)
Series 24, Leonard Bernstein
The conductor Charles Hazlewood chooses the great American composer Leonard Bernstein, music director of the New York Philharmonic and creator of West Side Story, Wonderful Town, and Candide. The charismatic Bernstein clearly influenced Charles Hazlewood's own choice of career - he's an award winning conductor, made his debut at Carnegie Hall in 2003 and recently presented The Birth of British Music on BBC tv. Joining him in the studio is Humphrey Burton, friend and professional colleague of Leonard Bernstein and whose documentaries include The Making of West Side Story. Matthew Parris presents. The producer is Miles Warde.
THU 19:00 J Kingston Platt's Showbiz Handbook (b007k0bg)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
THU 19:30 The Goon Show (b0b2r0jv)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
THU 20:00 Hammond Innes - The Doomed Oasis (b007jsr5)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
THU 20:30 There's More Here Than I Thought (b00jxc77)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
THU 21:00 Opening Lines (b04gcfmg)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:00 today]
THU 21:15 Michael Duke - Faith, Hope and Charity (b0b2r0jz)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:15 today]
THU 22:00 Alone (b0b1tblr)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
THU 22:30 Ross Noble Goes Global (b01cvr0t)
Series 2, Egypt
The comedian entertains bewildered Bedouins in the desert and ponders the merits of doing a wildlife show. From May 2003.
THU 22:55 The Comedy Club Interviews (b0b3qrlq)
Lou Conran 2/2
The best in contemporary comedy. Jessica Fostekew chats to Lou Conran.
THU 23:00 Arthur Smith's Balham Bash (b01075pz)
Series 3, Episode 2
Arthur Smith with more music and comedy from his actual flat in Balham. Jenny Eclair is in the front room, Simon Evans on the landing, John Smallshaw delivers poetry and Alex Wilson and his salsa combo are in the kitchen.
Producer; Alison Vernon-Smith.
THU 23:30 The Odd Half Hour (b00w7bv1)
Series 2, Episode 3
Comedy sketch show starring Kevin Bishop, Stephen K Amos, Doon Mackichan, Justin Edwards & Jessica Ransom. In this third episode, we meet a woman who believes crystals solve everything, learn about a brand new pension plan and also hear Madeline the naughty cellist upset yet another conductor.
Produced by Simon Mayhew-Archer.

FRIDAY 18 MAY 2018

FRI 00:00 Arthur C Clarke - 2001: A Space Odyssey (b007jsdb)
[Repeat of broadcast at 18:00 on Thursday]
FRI 00:15 15 Minute Drama (b04kf8px)
[Repeat of broadcast at 18:15 on Thursday]
FRI 00:30 Great Lives (b010626p)
[Repeat of broadcast at 18:30 on Thursday]
FRI 01:00 Hammond Innes - The Doomed Oasis (b007jsr5)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 on Thursday]
FRI 01:30 There's More Here Than I Thought (b00jxc77)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 on Thursday]
FRI 02:00 Donna Tartt - The Secret History (b03q9k59)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:00 on Thursday]
FRI 02:15 Britain on the Bottle: Alcohol and the State (b00t1qn4)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:15 on Thursday]
FRI 02:30 15 Minute Drama (b03dvbyr)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:30 on Thursday]
FRI 02:45 Book of the Week (b01skb21)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:45 on Thursday]
FRI 03:00 George Eliot - The Mill on the Floss (b00gsr6p)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 on Thursday]
FRI 04:00 Funny You Should Ask (b0b2r0jx)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 on Thursday]
FRI 04:30 Alison and Maud (b007k244)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 on Thursday]
FRI 05:00 North by Northamptonshire (b017mx3z)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 on Thursday]
FRI 05:30 Alone (b0b1tblr)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 on Thursday]
FRI 06:00 Hammond Innes - The Doomed Oasis (b007jsrj)
The Doomed Oasis
A celebration and a shattered dream, as English lawyer George Grant continues his hunt for a missing client.
Arabian adventure based on Hammond Innes' 1960 novel adapted in six parts by Rene Basilico.
Starring Tim Munro as George Grant, Bernard Horsfall as Colonel Whittaker, Raad Rawi as Prince Khalid, John Malcolm as Alexander Erkhard, Garard Green as Sir Philip Gorde, Ali Refaie as Yousif, Farouk El-Demerdash as Sheikh Makhmud and Adam Hussein as Sheikh Abdullah.
Producer: John Fawcett Wilson.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 2 in August 1984.
FRI 06:30 Balalaikas in Blackpool (b0076rqz)
Why did the Soviet Union produce a detailed map of the Lancashire resort? Henry Dodds examines Cold War invasion plans. From May 2005.
FRI 07:00 Andy & Eric Merriman - Minor Adjustment (b0b2rpjy)
Basic Instinct
Richard and Sarah are summoned to see their daughter Kate's headmaster.
Six-part comedy series about the Stubbs family - cartoonist Richard, therapist Sarah and their daughters - Kate, aged 16 and three-year-old Amy who has Down's Syndrome.
Written by son and father team, Andy and Eric Merriman - inspired by Andy's own four-year-old daughter, Sarah. Eric famously wrote legendary BBC comedy series 'Beyond Our Ken'.
Starring Peter Davison as Richard, Samantha Bond as Sarah, Claire Russell as Kate, Sarah Merriman as Amy, Brian Bowles as the Headmaster, Teresa Gallagher as Julia, Kay Stoneham as Mrs Morris and David Cooper as James.
Producer: Gareth Edwards
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 1996.
FRI 07:30 Stand-Up Specials (b0b2hps0)
Pippa Evans Grows Up
Pippa Evans has never felt like a grown-up. In theory she's reached the age where you really should, but somehow it's a feeling that's so far eluded her. In this brand new stand-up show she asks what it means to be a grown-up and how you know when you are one. There are lots of markers of adulthood, standing up for yourself is a sure sign that you're a step further towards it so perhaps this is a trick she must master.
With stand- up and music from her house band, Pippa involves her audience in her journey of self-discovery.
Star of the Now Show, Pippa Evans is a fixture at the Edinburgh Festival with sell-out shows and is a co-founder of the Sunday Assembly.
Producer: Alison Vernon-Smith.
FRI 08:00 I'm Sorry, I'll Read That Again (b0100lqz)
Series 7, Episode 1
Dave the Rave shares all the gossip from this diary and Professor Prune dons his electrical time trousers.
Starring Tim Brooke-Taylor, John Cleese, Graeme Garden, David Hatch, Jo Kendall and Bill Oddie.
Sketches written by Graeme Garden and Bill Oddie.
Originating from the Cambridge University Footlights revue 'Cambridge Circus', ISIRTA ran for 8 years on BBC Radio and quickly developed a cult following.
Music and songs by Liam Cohen, Dave Lee, Graeme Garden and Bill Oddie.
Producer: David Hatch/Peter Titheradge
First broadcast on the BBC Radio 2 in January 1969.
FRI 08:30 Brothers in Law (b007js5z)
Series 2, A Jewel of a Husband
There is double trouble for barrister Roger Thursby in a case of bigamy.
Starring Richard Briers as Roger Thursby, John Glyn-Jones as Grimes, Julia Lockwood as Sally, Bridget Armstrong as Joy, Jean Anderson as Mrs Thursby, Barbara Windsor as Mrs Grant, Frank Thornton as the Judge, John Bluthal as Mr Grant and Peter Tuddenham as Alec.
Written by Henry Cecil and Basil Dawson.
Published in 1955, Henry Cecil's comic legal novel Brothers in Law was adapted first for TV in 1962 by Frank Muir and Denis Norden. It provided the first regular starring role for Richard Briers, who later reprised his role of the idealistic young lawyer Roger Thursby for BBC Radio between 1970 and 1972.
Producer: David Hatch.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 1971.
FRI 09:00 It's Your Round (b01b8zw3)
Series 2, Episode 6
Angus Deayton presides over another episode of the show where the format is, there isn't one. Instead, each of the four panellists has brought their own round for the other panellists to play. How will each round play out? And, more importantly, who will be beaten at their own game?
The rounds featured this episode are:
Alex Horne's "Font, Fighter or Fragrance" in which panellists are given a word and they must guess whether that word refers to a typographical font, the name of a Gladiator from ITV's show "Gladiators" or a "Lynx deodorant" fragrance.
Roisin Conaty's "Four Second Pitch" in which panellists have but four seconds to pitch Angus the elements of an idea for a blockbuster film and a new religion.
Paul Sinha's "World Record Recall" in which panellists have to fill in the missing details from the description of a real record from the Guinness Book of World Records.
And Rufus Hound's "Which Lady Done Say That Thing" in which panellists must guess which audience member said a certain phrase. As the title suggests.
Producer: Sam Michell.
FRI 09:30 After Henry (b007jq6v)
Series 3, A Box of Chocolates
"Any treaty drawn up with my mother would have to include strict boundary agreements. I'm afraid she has the same attitude to frontiers as Genghis Khan. And now I come to think of it, the similarities don't end there."
When Sarah meets an old flame 30 years on, her mother manages to interrupt them once again.
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, Tom Wilkinson as Peter and Julie Berry as the Doctor.
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 October 1987.
FRI 10:00 George Eliot - The Mill on the Floss (b00gszmm)
Loving and Losing
As Philip hatches a plan, Maggie Tulliver's loyalties are sorely tested. With Sylvestra Le Touzel and Richard Pearce. From May 1991.
FRI 11:00 Podcast Radio Hour (b0b2rpk9)
Dolly Alderton: 'Here's The Thing' and 'Ear Hustle'
Dolly Alderton and Amanda Litherland recommend some of their favourite podcasts.
They chat to the actor Alec Baldwin about his podcast Here's the Thing, conversations with artists, policy makers and performers about what makes them tick.
They also listen to Ear Hustle - stories of life inside prison, shared and produced by those living it.
FRI 12:00 I'm Sorry, I'll Read That Again (b0100lqz)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
FRI 12:30 Brothers in Law (b007js5z)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
FRI 13:00 Hammond Innes - The Doomed Oasis (b007jsrj)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
FRI 13:30 Balalaikas in Blackpool (b0076rqz)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
FRI 14:00 Donna Tartt - The Secret History (b03q9ng3)
Episode 15
Richard has been shot and, as events escalate, not everyone will get out alive. Donna Tartt thriller concluded by William Hope. From April 1995.
FRI 14:15 Britain on the Bottle: Alcohol and the State (b00t1qpx)
Political Thinkers and the Drink Question
Mark Whitaker shows how the 'Drink Question' was of central importance for both of England's most original and influential political thinkers of the 19th century - John Stuart Mill and TH Green.
For both of them it raised the question of how far the state could be justified in interfering in the lives of individuals. The debate had started in the letters page of the Times in 1856, in a high-level exchange between the Tory MP Lord Stanley and Samuel Pope, Secretary of the temperance movement the UK Alliance. The latter argued that his rights as a citizen were "invaded" by the behaviour of heavy drinkers; the former that no Englishman would agree to be "coerced for his own benefit".
Mill picked up the topic in his essay On Liberty, published in 1859. Mill was mid-Victorian England's most influential public intellectual, and his books were best-sellers even though his ideas were radical. He insisted that "drunkenness is not a fit subject for legislative purposes", and feared that the weight of public opinion would crush individualism.
TH Green was an academic philosopher at Oxford, and was deeply involved in the temperance movement during the 1870s. He believed that individual freedom lay in pursuing the common good and that mass drunkenness made this impossible in England. He thought that "moderate drinkers" had to sacrifice their pleasure for the sake of society as a whole.
Actors read extracts from their work.
Producer: Mark Whitaker
A Square Dog production for BBC Radio 4.
FRI 14:30 15 Minute Drama (b03dvn0y)
Jane Harris - Gillespie and I, Episode 10
Victorian gothic mystery by Jane Harris set in Glasgow during the International Exhibition of 1888. As the trial reaches its climax young Sybil is called to give evidence. Dramatised by Chris Dolan.
FRI 14:45 Book of the Week (b01skbc2)
Richard Holmes - Falling Upwards, Episode 5
In this heartlifting book, the Romantic biographer Richard Holmes floats across the world following the pioneer generation of balloon aeronauts, from the first heroic experiments of the 1780s to the tragic attempt to fly a balloon to the North Pole in the 1890s.
In a compelling adventure story, dramatic sequences include an unscheduled early flight over the North Sea, the crazy firework flights of beautiful Sophie Blanchard and the heart-stopping escape of two families from East Germany.
Early balloons also played a role in warfare - with the legendary tale of sixty balloons that escaped Paris during the Prussian siege of 1870, and a memorable flight by General Custer in the American Civil War.
These are stories where scientific genius combines with extraordinary courage and the power of an imagination that dares to claim the airy kingdom for itself.
Episode 5 (of 5):
Perhaps the most daring and ambitious of all the balloon adventurers was the Swede, Salomon Andrée, and his efforts to reach the North Pole by balloon in 1897.
Read by Rory Kinnear.
Abridged and Produced by Jill Waters.
A Waters Company production for BBC Radio 4.
FRI 15:00 George Eliot - The Mill on the Floss (b00gszmm)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 today]
FRI 16:00 It's Your Round (b01b8zw3)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
FRI 16:30 After Henry (b007jq6v)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 today]
FRI 17:00 Andy & Eric Merriman - Minor Adjustment (b0b2rpjy)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
FRI 17:30 Stand-Up Specials (b0b2hps0)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
FRI 18:00 Arthur C Clarke - 2001: A Space Odyssey (b007jsdm)
Discovery
Aboard 'Discovery', Dave Bowman learns the spaceship mission has changed course...
Arthur C Clarke's ground-breaking novel is set in our present, a vision of a future yet to be, and a past shrouded in mystery.
Read in ten parts by William Roberts - secrets of the story are revealed that the film adaptation missed.
Producer: Dirk Maggs
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2001.
FRI 18:15 15 Minute Drama (b04kfgcr)
Michael Faber - The Book of Strange New Things, Episode 5
Joe Armstrong, Hayley Atwell and Dougray Scott star in this adaptation of the astonishing new novel by Michel Faber (Under the Skin, Crimson Petal and the White).
Set in the near future, it tells the story of Peter, devoted husband and devoted man of faith, as he is called to the mission of a lifetime, one that takes him galaxies away from his wife, Beatrice. Peter has travelled to a far distant planet, called Oasis, where an enigmatic corporation called USIC have a base. He has been employed as Christian missionary to the native inhabitants - a gentle, peaceable community, who have welcomed Peter to their settlement and are eager to hear the teachings of the Bible, a book they call 'The Book of Strange New Things'.
In today's episode, Peter is called to preside over a funeral service of one of his colleagues on the USIC base. And for Bea, back on Earth, life grows increasingly complicated.
Adapted for radio by Miranda Emmerson.
Directed by Emma Harding.
Other parts played by members of the company.
FRI 18:30 Mastertapes (b01sm7hv)
Series 2, Wilko Johnson (the A-side)
John Wilson returns with the second series of Mastertapes, 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 1, A-side. "Down By The Jetty" with Wilko Johnson.
At the beginning of 2013 Wilko Johnson announced a series of farewell UK concerts in March. The guitarist and founding member of Dr. Feelgood has been diagnosed with terminal cancer and he has chosen not to undergo chemotherapy. But before these final live appearances and before going into the studio to complete a new album, he came to the BBC Maida Vale studios to discuss the making of his very first one: Dr. Feelgood's debut album, "Down By The Jetty".
Released in January 1975 and including 'Roxette', 'She Does It Right' and 'All Through the City', the album has been cited as a major influence by the likes of Paul Weller, the Clash, Blondie and the Ramones.
The B-side of the programme, where it's the turn of the audience to ask the questions, can be heard tomorrow at 3.30pm
Other programmes in the series include Mike Scott talking about the Waterboys' album "Fisherman's Blues" and Richard Thompson revisiting his best selling solo album, "Rumor & Sigh".
Complete versions of the songs performed in the programme (and others) can be heard on the 'Mastertapes' pages on the Radio 4 website, where the programmes can also be downloaded and other musical goodies accessed.
Producer: Paul Kobrak.
FRI 19:00 I'm Sorry, I'll Read That Again (b0100lqz)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
FRI 19:30 Brothers in Law (b007js5z)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
FRI 20:00 Hammond Innes - The Doomed Oasis (b007jsrj)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
FRI 20:30 Balalaikas in Blackpool (b0076rqz)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
FRI 21:00 Podcast Radio Hour (b0b2rpk9)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:00 today]
FRI 22:00 Stand-Up Specials (b0b2hps0)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
FRI 22:30 Sketchorama (b062nrxn)
Series 4, Episode 3
Award winning actress and comedian Isy Suttie presents the pick of the best live sketch groups currently performing on the UK comedy circuit.
The programme showcases 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.
Producer: Gus Beattie
A Comedy Unit production for BBC Radio 4.
FRI 22:55 The Comedy Club Interviews (b0b3qshn)
Sarah Kendall 1/3
The best in contemporary comedy. Arthur Smith talks to Sarah Kendall.
FRI 23:00 Spike Milligan - Adolf Hitler: My Part in His Downfall (b00gf8pm)
Episode 5
A poorly rendered national anthem heralds a peculiar boxing match, and panic breaks out when Spike and his band play at a dance.
Spike Milligan shares more very frank 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 8 parts by BBC Radio 4 Extra.
FRI 23:30 Chain Reaction (b0090s0r)
Series 4, David Tennant interviews Richard Wilson
Who'd believe it! The Time Lord and the famous TV pensioner have a no-holds-barred relay race discussion. From February 2008.