SATURDAY 16 FEBRUARY 2019

SAT 00:00 Mark Gatiss - The Devil in Amber (b00vfjsh)
Episode 5
Will spy hero Lucifer Box reach cult leader Olympus Mons' Satanic lair, deep beneath the Swiss Alps, in time to prevent the sacrifice of the "perfect victim"?Mark Gatiss concludes his own fiendishly gripping adventure abridged by David Jackson Young.Producer: Kirsteen Cameron.Made for BBC Radio 4 Extra by BBC Scotland and first broadcast in 2010.
SAT 00:30 Off the Page (b0076cpk)
Treachery
Matthew Parris invites Ann Widdecombe, Guy Browning and Stephanie Merritt to discuss acts of treachery.In each programme, Matthew Parris introduces a group of writers of fact and fiction: 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.Produced by Hilary Dunn.First broadcast on Radio 4 in 2003.
SAT 01:00 Adam Dalgliesh - Cover Her Face (b008yv5r)
Episode 4
Dalgliesh has summoned the entire household to hear his conclusions about Sally Jupp's killer.PD James's first novel, in which she created her famous detective Adam Dalgliesh.Starring Robin Ellis as Adam Dalgliesh, Sian Phillips as Mrs Maxie, Hugh Grant as Felix and Beatie Edney as Deborah. With Melanie Hudson, Susan Sheridan and Jill GrahamDramatised by Neville Teller. Producer: Matthew WaltersFirst broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1993.
SAT 01:30 The Station (b03c45hq)
24 hours in the life of Newcastle upon Tyne Central Station in a dynamic and powerful soundscape using location recordings.From the spring solo of a robin at dawn on the street outside to the pounding roar of heavy goods trains thundering past deserted platforms in the darkness of night.Travelling regularly travels to the station, sound recordist Chris Watson became fascinated by the sounds and acoustics of the building. So he leapt at the chance to record inside day and night over several months, to capture everything from the quiet crackle of overhead wires on a misty dawn to the terrifying roar and clamour of footballs fans and police dogs when Newcastle were at home to Sunderland, and the chanting voices and shouts of fans overwhelmed even the sounds of trains.Designed by John Dobson, the station was opened by Queen Victoria in 1850. Entering through a grand sandstone portico " that would give dignity and certainly put Newcastle on the map" says building historian, Grace McCombie, one is immediately struck by the acoustics. The great sweeping curve of the platforms and the vaulted roof above add to the visual grandeur and scale of the Station, "you stand at one end.. and your eye sweeps along the curves and it's just beautiful… brilliant, brilliant design" says Grace "It's like a huge concert hall" says Chris "and it stamps that acoustic on any sound that is generated within the station; the ebb and flow of people, the tide of trains, ... everything that happens in there".Producer: Sarah BluntFirst broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2013.
SAT 02:00 Book at Bedtime (b04dqwz6)
A Song for Issy Bradley
Episode 10
This is the story of what happens when Issy Bradley dies.It is the story of Ian - husband, father, maths teacher and Mormon bishop - and his unshakeable belief that everything will turn out all right if he can only endure to the end, like the pioneers did. It is the story of his wife Claire's lonely wait for a sign from God and her desperate need for life to pause while she comes to terms with what's happened.It is the story of the agony and hope of Zippy Bradley's first love, the story of Alma Bradley's cynicism and reluctant bravery, and it is the story of seven-year-old Jacob. But mostly it's the story of a family trying to work out how to carry on when their world has fallen apart.Incredibly moving, unexpectedly funny and sharply observed, A Song for Issy Bradley, explores the outer reaches of doubt and faith. Author Carys Bray was brought up in a devout Mormon family. In her early thirties she left the church and replaced religion with writing. She was awarded the Scott prize for her debut short story collection Sweet Home. A Song for Issy Bradley is her first novel.Written by Carys BrayAbridged by Libby SpurrierRead by Emma FieldingProducer: Joanna GreenA Pier production for BBC Radio 4
SAT 02:15 Lucy Kellaway's History of Office Life (b037jn8l)
The Office Is Where We Are
Writer and satirist Lucy Kellaway traces the origins of today's corporate culture. In this episode, Lucy describes the increasingly blurred boundaries between the office and home, looking at the arrival of email, dress-down policies and homeworking. Once the office was an imposing skyscraper, now it has shrunk to the palm of our hand in the form of a smartphone. We can do office work anywhere, so can we ever truly leave it behind? With Chris Grey of Royal Holloway, University of London and Gideon Haigh author of The Office a Hardworking History. Readings by Richard Katz, Sasha Pick, Adam Rojko and Kerry Shale Historical Consultant: Michael Heller Producer: Russell Finch A Somethin' Else production for Radio 4.
SAT 02:30 Lynne Reid Banks - The L-Shaped Room (b00svc1h)
Episode 10
With the baby due, expectant single mother Jane receives unexpected financial help. Stars Lynne Seymour.
SAT 02:45 Book of the Week (b03w38px)
Solomon Northup - 12 Years a Slave
Episode 5
Final extract from the powerful memoir which inspired Steve McQueen's Oscar nominated film of the same title.In this episode we learn how Solomon managed to prove that he was a free man and gained his release from slavery to return home to his family in the north.Solomon Northup's powerful first-hand account of the degradations and evils of slavery was published in 1853 – eight years before the American Civil War and twelve years before the abolition of slavery in the United States in 1865.Reader: Rhashan StoneAbridger: Robin BrooksProducer: Kirsteen Cameron
SAT 03:00 Owen Holder - Alice's Friend (b04hkk1m)
When 84-year-old Alice employs Len as her chauffeur, a genuine friendship gradually develops between them.But Alice's son and daughter don’t approve, thinking Len’s after the old woman's money. Even Len's wife and family begin to resent the amount of time he gives her...Owen Holder’s drama stars Joyce Carey as Alice, Pauline Letts as Enid, Harold Goodwin as Len, David Gooderson as Charles, Jean Trend as Muriel, Spencer Banks as Donald, Stephen Garlick as Robert, Theresa Streatfeild as Phyllis and Owen Holder as Mr Hampton.Pianist: Neil RhodenDirector: Ian CotterellFirst broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1982
SAT 04:00 Foul Play (b00zljzj)
Series 4
Death and Two Copies, Please
Crime writers Tim Heald and Margaret Yorke puzzle over a case of robbery gone wrong.With the help of witnesses played by Maria McErlane and Lee Simpson.Murder mystery panel game chaired by Simon Brett.Producer: Liz AnsteeFirst broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 1998.
SAT 04:30 Anything Legal (b008cxvk)
Episode 7
Charles and George's DIY skills arouse the suspicions of their wives.A Tale of Two City Gents by Wally K DalyStarring Donald Hewlett as Charles, Michael Knowles as George, Dilys Laye as Marjorie and Norma Ronald as Hilary.Theme music by Jim ParkerProducer: John Fawcett WilsonFirst broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 1984.
SAT 05:00 The Cold Swedish Winter (b04dk87p)
Series 1
Spring
A sitcom from Danny Robins, writer of the Lenny Henry comedy Rudy's Rare Records. This series is set and recorded in Sweden and stars Adam Riches, Danny Robins and some of Sweden's most popular TV comedy actors.Geoff, a marginally successful stand-up comic from London, is moving to the tiny, cold and unpronounceable village of Yxsjö in northern Sweden - a culture shock forced on him by his Swedish girlfriend Linda's decision to move home to raise their child.Geoff has to contend with snow, moose, pickled herring, unemployment, snow, Maypole dancing, snowmobiles, snow, meatball rolling, saunas, social democracy, snow, the weirdest pizzas in Europe, bears, deep forests, death metal, illegal alcohol, snow.Above all, he has a new family to contend with. The Andersson's bewilder him - from father Sten who has a worrying tendency to growl like a bear and threaten him with any blunt instrument to hand, to Gunilla who threatens him with naked folk-dancing.It's worth it all for Linda, of course - apart from her new found urge to conform with everything and except for her brother, a Goth with a propensity to set fire to things.Episode 2: SpringIn which Geoff attempts to bond with his new family and embarks on a potentially hazardous fishing trip with the two most taciturn men in Sweden. Will he survive the alcohol? Or the fish?Writer: Danny RobinsDirector: Frank StirlingA Unique production for BBC Radio 4.
SAT 05:30 Clare in the Community (b083p889)
Series 11
Unfaithful
Episode 3 - UnfaithfulBrian's been going through Clare's emails and made an upsetting discovery. He's insisted on a couple's therapy session although Clare isn't taking proceedings entirely seriously.Sally Phillips is Clare Barker the social worker who has all the right jargon but never a practical solution.A control freak, Clare likes nothing better than interfering in other people's lives on both a professional and personal basis. Clare is in her thirties, white, middle class and heterosexual, all of which are occasional causes of discomfort to her.Each week we join Clare in her continued struggle to control both her professional and private life In today's Big Society there are plenty of challenges out there for an involved, caring social worker. Or even Clare.Written by Harry Venning and David RamsdenProducer Alexandra SmithA BBC Studios production.
SAT 06:00 Martyn Read - The Folly (b00mz47c)
Somerset, 1770: Sir Morton Makepeace is devising a play, but his unruly characters disrupt the plot and threaten the building of his Folly.Martyn Read's rollicking comedy stars Freddie Jones as Sir Morton Makepeace.With Elizabeth Spriggs as Clarissa, Lady Mountjoy, Clive Swift as Reverend Wormald, Michael Cochrane as Robert Sutherland, Joanna Myers as Caroline Makepeace and Karl James as Thomas.Director: Sue WilsonFirst broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1991.
SAT 07:30 Last Chance to See (m0002mnh)
Animal, Vegetable or Mineral?
Douglas Adams and conservationist Mark Carwardine go in search of a secretive and confusing creature in the Amazon - the Manatee.Series in which Douglas Adams and Mark Carwardine go in search of weird, exotic endangered animals.Producer: Gaynor ShutteFirst broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1989.
SAT 08:00 Archive on 4 (b064ww32)
Misunderstanding Japan
What images come into your head when you think of Japan?Dr Christopher Harding explores how Western media representations of Japan, from the very first Victorian travellers through to Alan Whicker and Clive James, have revisited the same themes.Often portrayed as workaholics driven by a group mentality, with submissive women and bizarre crazes, Dr Harding asks whether many of these stereotypes have led to the country being misunderstood by people in the West.Have the Japanese had a role in perpetuating some of these stereotypes in an effort to set themselves apart?What do our images, feelings, fears and fantasies about Japan tell us about ourselves?Producer: Keith MooreFirst broadcast on BBC Radio in 2015.
SAT 09:00 Hilarious Histories - What’s So Funny About the Past? (m0002mnk)
Public Historian Greg Jenner embarks on an Arthurian quest to find out how comedy writers make history funny.Greg is the Historical Consultant to all eight series of CBBC’s Emmy and multiple BAFTA Award-winning Horrible Histories. In short, he is both a nerd and a comedy nerd.Over the three hours we'll hear a range of comedy from the BBC archives including Pauline Pepys’ Dowry (starring David Mitchell, Olivia Coleman, Katherine Parkinson and Sharon Horgan), Austentatious (Cariad Lloyd, Rachel Parris, Andrew Hunter-Murray) and stand-up from Eddie Izzard.And, that’s not all; we have also excavated audio of Monty Python discussing the controversy surrounding The Holy Grail and Life of Brian, and a choice selection of shiny trinkets from Horrible Histories.To help Greg grapple with the big questions over accuracy, ethics, and whether Mr Darcy wore underpants, he’ll be chatting to comedian-turned-Classicist Natalie Haynes, Horrible Histories Head Writer Ben Ward, Austentatious improvisers Cariad Lloyd and Andrew Hunter-Murray, and Stephen Fry, who apparently was in a show called Blackadder.
SAT 12:00 Like They've Never Been Gone (b00cfzqy)
Series 4
Episode 1
Tommy and Sheila's sneaky agent schemes to sell off their back catalogue to a record company – but what’s in it for him?Ageing showbiz couple Tommy Franklin and Sheila Parr battle on with their second stab at fame.Series 4 of Mike Coleman’s six-part sitcom starring June Whitfield and Roy Hudd.With Pat Coombs, Julian Eardley and Edward Halstead.Music by Frido Ruth.Producer: Steve DohertyFirst broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in June 2002.
SAT 12:30 Hancock's Half Hour (b008f307)
Series 5
The Junk Man
Griselda's plan to clear out the lad's house backfires spectacularly.Starring Tony Hancock. With Sidney James, Bill Kerr, Hattie Jacques and Kenneth Williams.Written by Ray Galton and Alan Simpson.Theme and incidental music written by Wally Stott.Producer: Tom RonaldFirst broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in May 1958.
SAT 13:00 Life Lines (Omnibus) (m0002mnm)
Carrie faces a series of heart stopping emergencies at work as bad weather sets in and the increased pressure begins to affect her personal life.Al Smith's award-winning drama series set in an ambulance control room returns.Carrie ..... Sarah RidgewayIan ..... Michael JibsonDanny ..... Joe SimmsWill ..... Don GiletBrenda ..... Emma HandyJames ..... Lewis BrayDirector: Sally AvensThe first series of Life Lines won Best Series at the Audio Drama Awards, Best Drama at the Radio Awards and Best Fictional Storytelling at The Audio Radio Industry Awards in 2017.Omnibus first broadcast in five parts on BBC Radio 4 in 2019
SAT 14:10 Inheritance Tracks (m0002mnp)
Rick Wakeman
Renowned keyboard player Rick Wakeman chooses ‘Woodman, Spare That Tree’ by Phil Harris and Prokofiev's ‘Peter and the Wolf’.
SAT 14:15 Frankly Speaking (b07yjqtj)
Baroness Summerskill
Feminist, Labour politician, doctor and writer, Baroness Summerskill answers questions posed by Denzil Batchelor and Stephen Black.The Baroness keeps the interviewers on their toes in a time where women were traditionally not so forthright with their opinions. She was interviewed in 1961 (aged 60) when her time in the House of Commons was nearing an end.Baroness Edith Summerskill was born in 1901 and died in 1980.Launched in 1952 on the BBC Home Service, Frankly Speaking was a novel, ground breaking series. Unrehearsed and unscripted, the traditional interviewee/interviewer pairing was initially jettisoned for three interviewers firing direct questions. Early critics described it as 'unkempt', 'an inquisition' and described the guest as prey being cornered, quarry being pursued - with calls to axe the unscripted interview. But the format won out and eventually won over its detractors.Only 40 or so of the original 100 programmes survive.First broadcast on the BBC Home Service in 1961.
SAT 14:45 Peter Tinniswood - Tales From a Long Room (m0002mnr)
Series 1
What Do I Mean By?
Which is closer to godliness? Cleanliness or cricket? No contest!Robin Bailey reads the third of five stories as the acerbic Brigadier, from Peter Tinniswood's cricket tales.Abridged for radio by the author.Producer: Tony CliffFirst broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1981.
SAT 15:00 Archive on 4 (b064ww32)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
SAT 16:00 Martyn Read - The Folly (b00mz47c)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
SAT 17:30 Last Chance to See (m0002mnh)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
SAT 18:00 Doctor Who (b07g06by)
Industrial Evolution
Episode 1
The Doctor follows time-traveller, Thomas Brewster to 19th century Lancashire, where industrial growth is ahead of schedule.The white heat burns hottest at Samuel Belfrage's brass mill in Ackleton, plagued by more than its fair share of work-related injuries. As Brewster struggles to secure a fair deal for the overworked hands, the Doctor and Evelyn arrive to discover the unexpected truth about Belfrage's business.Starring Colin Baker as the Sixth Doctor, Maggie Stables as Evelyn Smythe, John Pickard as Thomas Brewster, Rory Kinnear as Samuel Belfrage and Stephen Gibson as Warren Brown.Writer: Eddie RobsonProducer: Nicholas Briggs.A Big Finish production.
SAT 19:00 Hilarious Histories - What’s So Funny About the Past? (m0002mnk)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
SAT 22:00 Bridget Christie Minds the Gap (b01r11x0)
Series 1
Episode 1
After noticing that misogyny, like shiny leggings, had made an unexpected comeback - comedian Bridget Christie wonders did it ever really go away?In the first of her four-part stand-up comedy series on the state of British feminism today, Bridget asks why feminism became a dirty word and whether the modern British woman needs it.An incident involving a man, a smell and a well-known bookstore made her ask what place feminism has in modern Britain, whether the fight has been won or is being fought on different fronts. Plus, why did Bic launch the "Bic for Her" - a pen specifically designed for a woman's hand?Fred MacAulay helps her remember some of the key incidents which brought her to an epiphany and a call to arms.Producer; Alison Vernon-Smith.First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2013.
SAT 22:30 Liam Williams: Ladhood (b06pb839)
Series 1
The First Time
Liam Williams - a two-time Edinburgh Festival Award nominated comedian - shares his teenage misadventures in the Yorkshire suburbs.PLEASE NOTE: Due to its subject matter of teenage sex, this episode contains language and content that some listeners may find offensive.With evocative monologues by "Adult Liam" being interjected with flashback scenes from his teenage years, this four-part series was recorded in Leeds and stars teens from Yorkshire.Each episode delves into Liam's memories of his first fight, virginity loss, the best house party ever organised, and his marvellous outwitting of an entire teaching staff.This is the New Labour, post-mining, aspirational heartland, meeting 50 Cent and Generation Y ennui, represented in a bourgeois radio format - by one of Britain's most exciting comedians.Producer: Arnab ChandaA BBC Radio Comedy production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in 2015.
SAT 23:00 The Absolutely Radio Show (b06bfd59)
Series 1
Episode 3
Members of the cast of Channel 4's hugely popular sketch show Absolutely reunite for a brand new series on BBC Radio 4. Pete Baikie, Morwenna Banks, Moray Hunter, Gordon Kennedy and John Sparkes are back together with all new material. They revisit some of their much loved sketch characters and also introduce some newcomers to the line-up.In 2013, the group got back together for Radio 4's Sketchorama: Absolutely Special, which won a BBC Audio Drama Award in the Best Live Scripted Comedy category.The third episode of the series features another meeting of the highly confused Stoneybridge Town Council as well as Denzil and Gwynedd, the far from devoted Swansea couple.We also hear from the Little Girl with her own take on Teenagers, Mr Muzak talks about going to a club with like-minded individuals, and Calum Gilhooley pontificates with Google HR on their logo changes. There's a talking version of Facebook and more from the Regional News team.Produced by Gus Beattie and Gordon KennedyAn Absolutely/Comedy Unit production for BBC Radio 4.
SAT 23:30 Saturday Night Fry (b007jt29)
Episode 3
Stephen Fry serves up more witty banter and sketches.With Hugh Laurie, Jim Broadbent and Julia Hills.Written by Stephen Fry with additional material by Ian Brown and James Hendrie.Producer: Dan PattersonFirst broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 1988.