SATURDAY 05 JANUARY 2019

SAT 00:00 Ghost Stories of Walter De La Mare (b00wwd8m)
The Almond Tree
A man looks back on the complex relationship between his parents and a female friend of his father's. It's one that will influence the rest of his life...Read by Julian Wadham.Walter de la Mare (1873-1956) was a popular award-wining poet, short story writer and novelist. He wrote for both children and adults.Abridged by Doreen Estall.Producer: Lawrence JacksonMade for BBC Radio 7 and first broadcast in 2010.
SAT 00:30 Off the Page (b04dbz9r)
Mothers
4 Extra Debut. Comedy writer Carole Matthews, novelist Carl Tighe and playwright Alan McDonald celebrate and criticise mothers. From September 2002.In each programme, Matthew Parris introduces a group of writers of fact and fiction: new talent and established names. In the context of a discussion of one of the ideas and pre-occupations of our times, each presents a piece on this week's topic.The best new writing and the freshest conversation from 2002.
SAT 01:00 Wimsey (b007jvnj)
Strong Poison
Miss Murchison
Christmas interrupts Lord Peter Wimsey's investigation, but some suspicious powder isn't what it seems. Stars Ian Carmichael.
SAT 01:30 Precious Metal (b03kv1dz)
The skills of the silversmith are some of the oldest known to man. The creation of beautiful objects in precious metal is an endlessly versatile art form; objects can be tactile, weighty or beguilingly delicate. Their making is spectacular and violent –bashing with hammers, filing, cutting, heating red hot and polishing to perfection. The art of the silversmith is a hard-won product of skill, passion and patience. It produces unique objects of beauty, utility and mystery.It's also a strange world that brings together ancient and modern –with fiercely guarded craft skills, solitary makers, workshops filled with traditional tools and the latest in digital technologies and precision engineering.SIlversmithing is also one of this country's quiet success stories. We are now the global centre for contemporary metalwork, attracting students and skilled silversmiths from all over the world. Awareness of this new mood in metalworking is growing: museums are developing collections; British metalworkers are achieving ever-greater international accolades; independent training centres are committed to growing the craft.Martin Ellis explores the world and work of a number of leading contemporary silversmiths working in this country to see how they work the precious metal to express their vision and tell their stories, from sacred chalices raised out of flat sheets of silver, to intricate objects reflecting back the life of rock pools; fabulously be-jewelled ceremonial scabbards to mysterious silver spoons. He investigates how new generations of silversmiths are learning ancient techniques and how processes like Computer Aided Design and 3D printing offer new opportunities and new challenges to the modern silversmith.Presenter Martin EllisThe music was composed by Michael Burdett and Richard Cottle - with sounds from the silversmiths workshops and performed by Little Death Orchestra.Producer: Mike GreenwoodA Pier production for BBC Radio 4
SAT 02:00 Book at Bedtime (b0418xyt)
History of the Rain
Episode 10
We are our stories. We tell them to stay alive or to keep alive those who only live now in the telling.19-year-old Ruth Swain is lying in her childhood home in the small Irish village of Faha in the attic room at the top of the stairs in the bed which her father had to construct in situ and which turned out to be as much boat as bed. She has Something Wrong with her, having collapsed during her fresher year at Trinity in Dublin, and finds herself bedbound in the attic room beneath the rain, in the margins between this world and the next.Ruth is in search of her father. To understand the father she has lost. To find him Ruth journeys through the ancestry of the curious Swain family - from the Reverend Swain her great-grandfather, to her grandfather Abraham to her father Virgil – and in doing so discovers an enchanting story of pole-vaulting, soldiering, stubbornness, leaping salmon, poetry, the pursuit of the Impossible Standard, and the wild rain-sodden history of fourteen acres of the worst farming land in Ireland. Above all, Ruth embarks on a journey through books. Three thousand, nine hundred and fifty-eight books to be precise, which are piled high and line the walls of her attic room. As Ruth searches for her father in their pages, her story becomes a vital, witty and poignant celebration of imagination, books, love and the healing power of storytelling.Niall Williams is also the author of bestselling novels including As It is In Heaven, The Fall of the Light, Only Say the Word and Four Letters of Love.Abridged by Doreen EstallRead by Ailish SymonsProducer: Heather LarmourFirst broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2014.
SAT 02:15 The Invention of Childhood (b00scz3n)
Overburdened with Children
Michael Morpurgo tells the story of the Poor Law, a forerunner of the welfare state and a safety net for many poor children.
SAT 02:30 Charlotte Bronte - The Professor (b00m5wdp)
Victor
Married to the woman he adores and successful in his work, William is on the verge of bringing his journal to a closeConclusion of Charlotte Bronte's subtle, ambiguous and unsettling love story dramatised in ten parts by Rachel Joyce.Starring Paul Venables as William Crimsworth, Shaun Dooley as Hunsden, Claire Price as Frances and Jack Joseph Miller as the BoyDirector: Tracey NealeFirst broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2005.
SAT 02:45 Book of the Week (b044jbjf)
Doubling Back
Walking Home
A beautiful, fascinating and moving memoir where the author retraces walks undertaken by others, from the Highlands of Scotland to the Swiss Alps and Kenya.In 1952 Linda Cracknell’s father embarked on a hike through the Swiss Alps. Fifty years later Linda retraces that fateful journey, following the trail of the man she barely knew. This collection of walking tales takes its theme from that pilgrimage. The walks trace the contours of history, following writers, relations and retreading ways across mountains, valleys and coasts formerly trodden by drovers, saints and adventurers. Each walk is about the reaffirming of memories, beliefs and emotions, and especially of the connection that one can have with the past through particular places.Part Five: Walking HomeLinda Cracknell looks to the future as she walks the pilgrimage route of St Cuthbert's Way between Scotland and England and as she follows her own footsteps around her home town of Aberfeldy in Perthshire.Reader ..... Teresa GallagherWriter ..... Linda CracknellAbridger ..... Siân PreeceProducer ..... Gaynor Macfarlane
SAT 03:00 Classic Serial (b00nnrcq)
Guy de Maupassant - Bel Ami
Episode 2
Dramatisation by Frances Byrnes of Guy de Maupassant's story of political corruption in the newspaper world of 19th-century France and the inexorable rise of Georges Duroy - 'Bel Ami' - a charming, ruthless man of little talent but plenty of ambition.Bel Ami's first wife and mistress are in the church to see him marry again, but will their knowledge of his past threaten his glittering future?Duroy ...... Jonathan SlingerMarelle ...... Emma FieldingMadeleine ...... Mali HarriesMsr Walter ...... Steffan RhodriRachel ...... Sara McGaugheySuzanne ...... Catrin MorganMme Walter ...... Nickie RainsfordThe Bishop ...... Richard NicholsDirected by Polly Thomas.
SAT 04:00 Guess What? (b066f71q)
Episode 8
Animal, vegetable or mineral?Barry Took hosts a revised version of popular radio parlour game of 20 questions.Regular Geoffrey Durham is joined by Chris Serle and Clare Francis.Written by Michael Dines.Producer: Andy AliffeFirst broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 1998.
SAT 04:30 Anything Legal (b0081qyq)
Episode 1
After commuting to work together for 15 years, Charles and George both lose their jobs, but decide to keep it a secret...A Tale of Two City Gents by Wally K DalyStarring Donald Hewlett as Charles, Michael Knowles as George, Norma Ronald as Hilary, Tony Anholt as GJ, David Ryall as Charles's Manager, Michael Bilton as Billy and Colin Starkey as Harry the Publican.Theme music by Jim ParkerProducer: John Fawcett WilsonFirst broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 1984.
SAT 05:00 Trapped (b0076h8h)
Clem Walder's Way Out
With three wives, Clem can't keep up his treble life any longer. How can he escape them all?Black comedy by Mark Maier and Daniel Maier.Clem .... Alex LoweKeith .... Kevin EldonPaula .... Laura ShavinBen .... Tom PriceSarah .... Alison PettittJo .... Rachel AtkinsProducer: Alex Walsh-TaylorFirst broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 2003.
SAT 05:30 The Rivals (b080r360)
Series 4
The Clairvoyants
By Arthur B Reeve.Dramatised By Chris Harrald.Inspector Lestrade was made to look a fool in the Sherlock Holmes stories. Now he gets his own back, with tales of Holmes' rivals. After his protégé Constance Dunlap saves a woman from drowning, the woman mumbles "this was meant to happen". Lestrade helps Constance investigate her suspicions that this was no accident and that the woman is in mortal danger.Lestrade ..... James FleetConstance .... Susannah FieldingMildred .... Olivia PouletMr Forest and Tom Knowles .... Chris PavloMadame D'Urfe .... Claire PerkinsJim Dainty .... Brian ProtheroePenman .... Sean BakerSecretary .... Kirsty OswaldProducer: Liz Webb.
SAT 06:00 Hood (b071bplk)
The Scribe of Sherwood
Wandering minstrel, Alan-A-Dale ventures into Sherwood. As a storyteller, he knows one man's laments are another man's inspiration. Caught in a storm, he finds Little John and Will Scarlet in their shelter. Seeking refuge, he joins them and finds John is eager to tell a tale. Just not the one he was bargaining for. The minstrel then finds himself entertaining at the court of Philip De Nicholay, Lord High Sheriff of Nottingham. Here, his songs and stories bring warmth to a cold castle night, but tales of friendship and loves lost give Philip cause to reflect and share a secret with Alan.Stars Peter Greenall as Little John, Damian Cooper as Will Scarlet, Billy Miller as Alan-A-Dale/King John and Sarah McKendrick as Lady Marion.Director: Iain Meadows.Produced by Iain Meadows and Matt Hopper for Spiteful Puppet Entertainment.
SAT 07:00 Great Lives (b00ryg42)
Series 21
Robin Hood
Clive Stafford Smith is a lawyer working for human rights both in Britain and abroad - he campaigns for the rights of prisoners on death row in the US and in Guantanamo Bay. His nomination for a life worth celebrating is at first surprising - it's the entirely fictitious Robin Hood. But, he argues in conversation with medievalist Professor Stephen Knight, the myth has a lot to teach us about the way we treat each other. The presenter is Matthew Parris.Produced by Christine Hall.
SAT 07:30 Swansong (b01ng7ry)
Synchronicity by The Police
Series in which Stuart Maconie examines the final album by a major artist - starting with Synchronicity by The Police.Released in 1983, it was the band's fifth album and it hit the number one spot on both sides of the Atlantic. In America, it knocked the commercial juggernaut of Michael Jackson's Thriller from the top of the charts, selling over 8 million copies in the process. It also produced five international hit singles, including their most famous track Every Breath You Take. As Sting & co toured the world to promote their most successful release, each night playing 60,000 seater venues, at that point in their career they could genuinely lay claim to being the biggest band on planet Earth.Although the split was never officially announced, Synchronicity was to be the last studio album they would ever record. Despite all of the success, the truth was the three members couldn't stand to be in the same room as each other.With archive interviews from Sting and Andy Summers and brand new contributions from Stewart Copeland, manager Miles Copeland, producer Hugh Padgham and journalist John Pidgeon, Stuart Maconie examines what went wrong.First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2012.
SAT 08:00 Archive on 4 (b062dhgb)
How to Make an Archive on 4
Ever wondered how to make an Archive on 4? Here's your chance to find out!Alan Dein enters the strange world of instructional records where you can teach yourself just about anything - from yodelling to training your budgie to talk.It all started in 1901 when Polish émigré Jacques Roston harnessed the new technology of sound recording to teach foreign languages, signing up such luminaries as George Bernard Shaw and JRR Tolkien to lend their support.By the 50s and 60s you could buy LPs on how to do just about anything - from keep fit to playing a musical instrument, relaxation and passing your driving test.Perhaps the most surprising are those which help you to train your pet budgerigar to talk - with help from Sparkie, Britain's favourite budgie, who supposedly had a vocabulary of over 500 words.With help from Sparkie, Alan Dein tells the story of instructional records and, along the way, reveals a few of the secrets of how to make an Archive on 4.Producer: Laurence Grissell.
SAT 09:00 The Lives of Harry Towers (m0001wkw)
Best remembered today as the notorious producer of over 100 cheaply made exploitation movies, Harry Alan Towers began his long career in radio, a medium in which he created dozens of high quality classic shows including, most famously, The Lives of Harry Lime, starring Orson Welles.From his first successful attempts to get his programmes on air in the late 1930s, via some unwanted attention from American law-enforcement authorities, through to his star-studded productions of the ‘50s, The Lives of Harry Towers is presented by Adam Roche and is the story of that pioneering and globe-trotting radio career.
SAT 12:00 Second Holmes (b0151ycp)
The Case of the Grandfather's Client
The grandsons of Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson head to Baskerville Hall in a canine caper.Six light-hearted adventures involving the grandsons of Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson written by Grant EustaceStarring Peter Egan as Stamford Holmes, Jeremy Nicholas as Dr Watson, Anthony Newlands as Baskerville, Steve Hodson as Fred, Rosalind Hinds as Mrs Garcia, David Gooderson as Michael and Jean Trend as the Doctor.Producer: Paul Mayhew-Archer First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 1983.
SAT 12:30 Big Jim and the Figaro Club (b008g6v4)
Transport of Delight
Demobbed Old Ned heads south after the war and joins a special construction team.Six anarchic tales from those demob days “when we was going to build the new Jerusalem - you know, before the world turned lax and sour”.Stars Norman Rossington as Big Jim, Roland Curram as Harold Perkins, Harold Goodwin as Old Ned, David John as Nimrod, Sylvester McCoy as Turps, David Beckett as Chick, Douglas Blackwell as the Farmer and Karen Ascoe as the Farmer’s Daughter.Narrated by Bernard Cribbins.Written by Ted Walker.Producer: Martin FisherFirst broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 1987.
SAT 13:00 15 Minute Drama (m0001wky)
Curtain Down at Her Majesty's - A Play in Five Acts
Curtain Down at Her Majesty's - A Play in Five Acts Omnibus
Michael Chaplin’s five-part drama about the death of Queen Victoria.For two weeks the nation stopped in its tracks, mesmerised by the mortality of a little old lady who had sat on the throne for over sixty years. Her children squabbled, her doctors quarrelled, her army bickered and the public were misled and kept in the dark. This is the remarkable story of Queen Victoria's final days and the chaos and confusion surrounding her funeral, told by those who were there.Based on the book Curtain Down at Her Majesty’s, an eyewitness history by Stewart Richards.Queen Victoria ..... Brigit ForsythOld Winnie Powell ….. Marcia WarrenInterviewer ….. Carl PrekoppMary Tuck ….. Wendy NottinghamYoung Winnie Powell ….. Lauren CorneliusSir James Reid ….. Ross F SutherlandSir Frederick ‘Fritz’ Ponsonby ….. Tom TurnerKaiser Wilhelm ….. Hywel MorganKing Edward VII ….. Gerard McDermottDaniel ….. Douglas Clarke-WoodOther parts played by members of the cast.Production Manager: Sarah TomblingSound Designers: David Chilton and Lucinda Mason BrownDirector: Carl PrekoppProducers: Lucinda Mason Brown and Stewart RichardsA Stewart Richards / Goldhawk Essential co-production first broadcast in five parts on BBC Radio 4
SAT 14:10 Inheritance Tracks (m0001wl0)
Brian Eno
4 Extra Debut. The musician Brian Eno chooses a player piano version of Jerusalem and a gospel choir rendition of Peace Be Still. From 2008.
SAT 14:15 Frankly Speaking (b041459l)
CS Forester
The author of the Hornblower stories, CS Forester is quizzed on his childhood, his "alter ego" and his writing methods.His three interviewers are critic Lionel Hale, journalist Margaret Lane and master mariner Adrian Seligman.CS Forester (1899-1966) wrote 11 books about fictional Royal Navy officer, Horatio Hornblower.Launched in 1952, Frankly Speaking was a completely novel and ground breaking BBC series. Initially there were three interviewers and the series was both unrehearsed and unscripted.First broadcast on the BBC Home Service in 1957.
SAT 14:45 Kenneth Williams - Ad Lib (b05r71h5)
Episode 2
Master raconteur Kenneth Williams talks about the famous people and places in London that are dear to him.More entertaining reminiscences and personal opinions recorded in front of an audience at BBC Pebble Mill.Producer: Michael FordFirst broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1982.
SAT 15:00 Archive on 4 (b062dhgb)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
SAT 16:00 Hood (b071bplk)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
SAT 17:00 Great Lives (b00ryg42)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
SAT 17:30 Swansong (b01ng7ry)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
SAT 18:00 Philip K Dick - Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? (b046j873)
Episode 1
By Philip K. DickDramatised by Jonathan HollowayPhilip K. Dick's cult sci-fi novel inspired the film Blade Runner. Set in a world devastated by nuclear war, a San Francisco bounty hunter is on a mission to retire a group of rogue androids. James Purefoy and Jessica Raine star in this new adaptation.In post-war 1992 androids are becoming indistinguishable from human beings, even in their capacity to love, and bounty hunter Rick Deckard is tasked with locating and retiring a rogue group of escaped androids who have fled a life of slavery and returned to Earth.Directed by Sasha Yevtushenko.
SAT 19:00 The Lives of Harry Towers (m0001wkw)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
SAT 22:00 My Teenage Diary (b04pvf6l)
Series 6
Terry Wogan
Comedian Rufus Hound is joined by the broadcaster Terry Wogan, whose diary describes his life in Limerick when he was 15.The young Terry serves his first Mass, spends hours in the cinema, loves playing Subbuteo with his friends and - when he's tired - simply eats his lunch in bed.Produced by Harriet JaineA Talkback production for BBC Radio 4.
SAT 22:30 Chain Reaction (m0001wl5)
Series 7
Simon Day talks to Peter Hook
The comedian and Joy Division musician in the tag talk show, where the guest is the next interviewer. From August 2011.
SAT 22:55 The Comedy Club Interviews (m0001yzp)
Robert White 1/2
From 10.00pm until midnight, seven days a week, the Comedy Club has two hours of comedy. Plus Arthur Smith chats to Britain’s Got Talent finalist Robert White.
SAT 23:00 The Simon Day Show (b01hvdmy)
Series 2
Geoff Allerton
Simon Day and his characters welcome listeners to The Mallard, a small provincial theatre somewhere in the UK. Each week one of Simon's comic characters come to perform at The Mallard while the staff struggle with rivalries, self-doubt and the new owner's vision for the theatre's future.This week it's the turn of Yorkshire poet Geoffrey Allerton, who's accompanied by amateur journalist friend Duncan (played by Paul Whitehouse).Cast list:Billy Bleach ..... Simon DayEmanuel Akinyemi ..... Felix DexterPat Bennet ... Morwenna BanksRon Bone / Wozac ..... Simon GreenallDuncan... Paul Whitehouse.
SAT 23:30 Mark Watson Makes the World Substantially Better (b00d45ny)
Series 2
Generosity
The comedian examines the virtue of generosity. With poetry and songs by Tom Basden and Tim Key. From August 2008.