SATURDAY 23 MARCH 2019

SAT 00:00 Atomic Tales (b007qtm4)
Unstoppable!
A white-knuckle ride of instellar thrills as a space train hurtles towards Earth1950s American sci-fi spoof starring John Guerrasio, Jeff Harding, Allison Warnyca, Lewis McLeod, Colin Stinton and Liza Ross.Written by Adam Tandy and Nat Sones.Producer: Adam Bromley.Made for BBC 7 and first broadcast in August 2006.
SAT 00:30 Off the Page (b0076d68)
Recovery
Writers Robert McCrum and Laura Thompson join poet Martin Newell and host Matthew Parris to talk about healing.In each programme, Matthew Parris introduces a group of writers of fact and fiction. 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 Jane Greenwood. First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2003.
SAT 01:00 Agatha Christie (b01r0gpc)
Murder Is Easy
Episode 3
Luke and Bridget are getting closer, in spite of themselves. As they discover yet another body, they think they know who the murderer is, but will they be able to prove it?Agatha Christie's thriller dramatised in three parts by Joy WilkinsonLuke ..... Patrick BaladiBridget ..... Lydia LeonardLord Whitfield ..... Michael CochraneMiss Waynflete ..... Marcia WarrenMiss Pinkerton ..... Marlene SidawayBilly Bones ..... Patrick BrennanRose ..... Lizzy WattsDr Thomas ..... Will HowardMajor Horton ..... Robert BlytheDirector: Mary Peate
SAT 01:30 A Funny Sort of Sound (b00l92sr)
Julian Clary pays tribute to the wit and ingenuity of comedy musical acts. He considers the appeal of acts like TV's Mr Muscle, Tony Holland, who won Opportunity Knocks six times in a row by flexing his biceps to the tune of Wheels Cha Cha, and Bob - AKA Tray - Blackman, whose act consisted of bashing a tea tray on his head while singing Mule Train.Julian also considers how the genre has evolved from the heyday of music hall theatre, and talks to Ken Dodd and Jim Tavare.A Whistledown production for BBC Radio 4.
SAT 02:00 Mary Wesley - The Camomile Lawn (b00807gp)
Episode 5
Helena leaves her lover to help Richard. A gun shot causes a commotion.A house - with a fragrant lawn stretching down to the Cornish cliffs - is the link between the five cousins which neither the war nor adulthood can break.Published in 1984, Mary Wesley novel abridged in ten parts by Elizabeth Bradbury.Read by Sian Phillips.Producer: Tracey NealeFirst broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1989.
SAT 02:15 A History of Britain in Numbers (b03jfk29)
Living
Andrew Dilnot, chair of the UK Statistics Authority, tells the story of a transformation in personal life in Britain, through the numbers that capture change on the grand scale.He delves into the data for the big patterns and trends in history, finding new ways of thinking about the whole shape of the population - the balance between adults and children, for example, or the shifting shape of what we do with our lives, from infancy to retirement and death. He seeks answers in history to some of the problems that perplex us now, such as how badly austerity has bitten or the paradox of why no-one seems able to afford a house but so many people own one. And he tells these stories not just with data, but through people and the real experiences that bring the numbers to life.In the search for data to measure how we've changed, the programme counts rotten teeth and adds up what people ate, what they own and throw away. What did we earn through the centuries, how do we know, and what could we do with it? What was our health like, or our homes, our jobs or education? What was the status and experience of women? And how has it all changed?Each of these ten programmes takes one theme, to explore how far we have made progress, and why it might continue, or falter.10. LivingIs the history of the economic struggle for survival over, as Keynes once said it would be? If so, has it been replaced with what he said would be a much harder problem - not working out how to survive, but working out how to live? Some think we will only do this when we balance our expectations with the sustainability of the planet; others that it has become a moral problem, not an economic one.Producer: Michael BlastlandA Whistledown production for BBC Radio 4.
SAT 02:30 15 Minute Drama (b04pc6l0)
Inquest
Day Five
by Richard MonksThe inquest into the death of a female soldier found drowned reveals she has been the victim of a sexual assault by a fellow soldier. Over five days we hear witness statements and the coroner must decide whether she took her own life. In today's episode we hear about the final days of Lorna's life and the Coroner reaches his conclusion.Director ..... Sally Avens.
SAT 02:45 Book of the Week (b042bjzl)
Richard Benson - The Valley
Episode 5
Abridged from Richard Benson's epic family saga The Valley, the focus of this Book of the Week is on the story of the author's grandmother - Winnie Hollingworth (1909 - 2002) - and her life in the mining villages of the Dearne Valley in South Yorkshire.This remarkable social history draws on years of research, interviews and anecdote which chart generations of carousing and banter, tears and fights all set against the background of a close-knit community where almost everybody worked either in the mines or the mills.Richard Benson's first book, THE FARM which related the story of his own parents and brother and their livelihood in the Yorkshire Wolds was described as ' an extraordinary mixture of hardness and tenderness, wit and slog.. wonderful ' Ronald Blythe author of Akenfield. It went on to be a no.1 bestseller.This new book is a powerful and moving achievement - it follows Winnie from her first romantic encounter: 'her heart beating hard and fast down in her whalebone and elastic' to her final years sitting in the lounge of a long rubber-tiled room with high-backed chairs around the walls.. ' where 'the residents either roost mutely or chat while their eyes search the room for a younger person who might play the piano for them.'Ep 5. Children become adults, and Winnie and Harry grow frail, but there are still surprises in store.Read by Richard StaceyPRODUCER: JILL WATERSAbridged and directed by Jill WatersA Waters Company production for BBC 4Extra.
SAT 03:00 RD Blackmore - Lorna Doone (b00sp1f1)
Episode 3
When Lorna is taken to London, John fears he’s lost her forever. Meanwhile Carver Doone has murderous plans....Conclusion of RD Blackmore’s popular and enduring romance set on 17th-century Exmoor.Starring David Schofield as John Ridd, Alison Pettit as Lorna Doone, Janet Dale as Mother, Kim Durham as Carver Doone, Graham Padden as Jeremy Stickles, Cornelius Garrett as Tom Faggus, Sunny Ormonde as Lizzie Ridd, Katherine Mount as Annie Ridd, Susan Jeffrey as Gwenny, David Perks as Charlie Doon, Graham Colclough as Counsellor Doone and Jonathan Wyatt as King James.Dramatised by Barry Letts.Directed at BBC Pebble Mill by Brian Lighthill.First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2010.
SAT 04:00 Who Goes There? (b0075z3c)
Series 4
Episode 4
Martin Young chairs the quiz which looks at the noteworthy and the notorious from history.Tackling the biographical teasers are team captains Francis Wheen and Fred Housego with guests Claire Rayner and David Aaronovitch.Producer: Liz AnsteeFirst broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 2000.
SAT 04:30 Mr Finchley Takes the Road (b007k1gh)
Episode 4
All at sea, Mr Finchley discovers the dignity of labour and visits an old haunt.Victor Canning's novel about the adventures of a man and his horse-drawn caravan touring the 1930s countryside of Kent.Richard Griffiths stars as Mr Finchley.With John Bird as Mr Blain, Clive Swift as the Captain, Auriol Smith as Mrs Maberley, Richard Ridings as Duffy and Albert Welling as Mr Greevey.Narrated by James Villiers.Adapted in six parts by Andy and Eric Merriman.Producer: Gareth EdwardsFirst broadcast on BBC Radio 2 in April 1993.
SAT 05:00 The Elephant Man (b007k2c7)
Keeper v Keeper
There's a new arrival at the zoo and Terry must mark his territory.Debbie Barham's eight-part sitcom about sitcom about the life of an elephant zoo keeper.Starring Peter Serafinowicz as Terry Lyon, Chris Emmet as Leonard, Geoff McGivern as George, Geraldine Fitzgerald as Maureen, Richard Pearce as Adam, Joanna Monro as Stephanie and Wayne Forester as Morse.Producer: Richard Wilson.First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 1996.
SAT 05:30 Where's the F in News (m000360t)
Series 2
Episode 2
An energetic, intelligent female-anchored show with a female panel - using the events, trends and talking points they think should really be top of the news agenda in a series of fresh and funny challenges.Host Jo Bunting is joined by a panel of women including comedians Katie Mulgrew and Eleanor Tiernan, along with broadcasters Eve Pollard and Anneka Rice.Jo is a producer and writer of topical comedy and satire, with credits including Have I Got News For You, the Great British Bake Off spin off show An Extra Slice with Jo Brand, and the successful topical chat show That Sunday Night Show presented by Adrian Chiles on ITV. Jo was a guest interviewer on Loose Ends for several years and a panellist on Loose Women.An Avalon production for BBC Radio 4
SAT 06:00 Ian Curteis - Miss Morison's Ghosts (b060bn9s)
Based on what's been called 'the most authenticated ghost story of all time', Ian Curteis's play tells of the paranormal events experienced by two English ladies in the gardens of the Palace of Versailles, France, in 1901.Starring Patrica Hodge as Miss Morison, Juliet Stevenson as Miss Lamont, Robert Hardy as Lord Kedlestone and Toby Longworth as Mr Hodgson.Musical Accompaniment by Tim WoolfeDirected by Dirk MaggsA BBC World Service production first broadcast in 2004.
SAT 07:30 The Road to the National Theatre (m0003s6f)
Whose National Theatre?
James Naughtie concludes his two-part investigation into why the UK took so long to found a National Theatre and whether the struggles and delay resulted in a more creative and versatile organisation.James Naughtie takes up the story from the end of the First World War, but his particular focus is on how the introduction of a National Health Service and National Insurance after the Second World War shifted cultural attitudes.He looks into the legacy of the Festival of Britain and the ways in which this eased the way for a National Theatre company and, eventually, its iconic building on the South Bank.He considers why, when this building was at last opened in 1976, its publicity poster boldly declared "The New National Theatre is Yours".James Naughtie speaks with Nicholas Hytner, Richard Eyre, Michael Frayn and Michael Billington as well as listening to the voices of Laurence Olivier, Sybil Thordyke, Lillian Bayliss and other theatrical luminaries in the BBC Archives, tracing a story in which the arts, history, politics and national identity share the stage.Reader: Simon Russell BealeProducer: Beaty RubensFirst broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2013.
SAT 08:00 Archive on 4 (b06sdxfl)
Jay Rayner Pigs Out
Jay Rayner gets serious and sybaritic about pigs - starting with medieval Britain swarming with wild boars and ending with 21st century pigs cannibalised for human spare parts.Jay muses on recent rumours surrounding a certain Prime Minister and a pigs head. Does the pig-image make it all the more taboo? This is the extraordinary and, at times, shocking tale of our relationship with the allegedly filthy animal.The archive groans and grunts with pig - much of it anthropomorphic, some fact and some fiction.Remember the Tamworth Two who escaped a Wiltshire abattoir in 1998 and went on the run? They were renamed Butch and Sundance and their intelligence was celebrated by the world's press. Rescued by a popular tabloid, they escaped the slaughterhouse. Jay Rayner, on the other hand, has dutifully been to see pigs killed and dealt with the carcasses.Animal lovers beware - this portrait of our fellow omnivores is controversial. Jay is a non-observant Jew who loves pork - he cooks it, eats it, reviews it, reveres it.Jay also considers pig as man's best friend, delighting in the poetry of Dylan Thomas and in another pig fancier, Winston Churchill. The upper classes have always loved their pigs.In the hands of George Orwell however, the intelligence of the pig makes for some dark meat. And Jay hears from comedian Aatif Nawaz who explains why his mother can't even say the word 'p*g.'Plenty here about the pigs' fitness for cannibalising human spare parts too. Our porcine friends share some startling similarities to humans, including the size and pumping capacities of their hearts.Produced by Sarah CuddonA Testbed production for BBC Radio 4.
SAT 09:00 The Real Comedy Controllers: The Things That Made Us Laugh (b007wv2m)
Origins
Instead of guest Comedy Controllers, choosing their comedy favourites, it is now the turn of those who, in their own ways, have to take the blame for many of the shows often featured on Radio 4 Extra. Between them, Paul Jackson, Beryl Vertue, John Lloyd and Jimmy Mulville have well over a 150 years of gut-busting, side-aching woofers, gags and - let's be honest - the occasional horrific mistimed silence.In front of an audience in the iconic Radio Theatre in Broadcasting House - the home of British Radio comedy - they reveal why they do it and what it was (and is) that made them laugh. Over four extended episodes they survey broadcast comedy from its origins before and during the Second World War to the laughs (and groans) of the internet age. And they select their favourite moments.Programme 1. Origins - The Real Comedy Controllers take us back to the stars of Variety and the entertainers of World War II, the men and women (though largely men) who entertained us through the dark days of conflict and the drab times of austerity and rationing. Episodes featured include:* ITMA - It's That Man Again (Victory Edition).Tommy Handley's gang celebrate victory in Europe, as broadcast on 10th May 1945. With the BBC Augmented Variety Orchestra.* The Goon Show - "The Phantom Head Shaver (of Brighton)"As baldness breaks out in Brighton, is there a connection to a glut of cheap tobacco? From October 1954.* The Navy Lark - "The Multiple Mines"A drunken night out sparks chaos when an old mine used as a collection box is set adrift. From May 1959* Hancock's Half Hour - "Sunday Afternoon At Home"Bored and miserable, the lad tries to decide what to do. From April 1958Series Producers: Paul Kobrak and Dixi Stewart.Made for BBC Radio 4 Extra.
SAT 12:00 The Museum of Curiosity (b03bqchn)
Series 6
Watson, Fletcher, Blashford-Snell
The Museum of Curiosity is the natural meeting place for entertaining experts and expert entertainers.This week, it's flinging open its doors, inaugurating a brand new wing of empty plinths is ready to receive 3 new exhibits.Our host is (as ever) the Professor of Ignorance, John Lloyd, and for this series he is joined by a new curator, the comedian Humphrey Ker. This week's generous donors are Egyptologist Prof. Joann Fletcher, who is presenting us with a hugely significant Roman coin; explorer Col. John Blashford-Snell, who brings a compass that led its owner the greatest one-liner in History; and the comedian Mark Watson, who is offering us something rather small and personal.Produced by Richard Turner.First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2013.
SAT 12:30 Dad's Army (b007jl9m)
Series 1
Command Decision
Captain Mainwaring gets an offer of weapons for the platoon, but there's a catch...Six years after legendary sitcom Dad's Army started on BBC TV, these specially adapted radio versions began recording with the original cast.Starring Arthur Lowe as Captain Mainwaring, John Le Mesurier as Sergeant Wilson, Clive Dunn as Corporal Jones, John Laurie as Private Fraser, James Beck as Private Walker, Geoffrey Lumsden as Colonel Square, David Sinclair as the Driver and John Snagge as the announcer.Adapted from Jimmy Perry and David Croft's original BBC TV scripts by Michael Knowles and Harold Snoad.Producer: John DyasFirst broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 1974.
SAT 13:00 A Passage to India (Omnibus) (m0003kcq)
Episode 2
Tanika Gupta's imaginative and bold adaptation of EM Forster's masterful novel.As Aziz ponders over Fielding's reflections, that there is something in India that doesn't suit English ladies, Adela wonders why the doctor has not yet organised the promised expedition to the mysterious Marabar caves.Mrs Moore ..... Penelope WiltonAdela ..... Ellie KendrickDr Aziz ..... Shubham SarafFielding ..... Jonathan FirthRonny Heaslop ..... Christopher HarperRalph Moore ..... Joseph AyreProfessor Godbole ..... Thusitha JayasunderaMr Das ..... Nicholas KhanMahmoud Ali ..... Ashley KumarMr Turton ..... Tony TurnerMrs Turton ..... Joanna MonroMajor Callendar ..... Michael BertenshawMrs Callendar ..... Susan JamesonMr McBryde ..... Sam DaleAnthony/Amritrao ..... Ronny JhuttiWith Don Gilet, Franchi Webb and Sarah OvensProduced and Directed by Tracey Neale
SAT 14:10 Inheritance Tracks (b06djx8l)
Lenny Henry
Comedian, actor and writer Lenny Henry chooses 'Blueberry Hill' by Fats Domino and 'Vide Cor Meum' from the film Hannibal.
SAT 14:15 Down Your Way (m0003kcv)
Ludovic Kennedy on Skye
Broadcaster Ludovic Kennedy visits the Isle of Skye, exploring tales of Highland Clans MacDonald and MacLeod.Down Your Way was a schedule staple for decades - starting on the BBC Home Service in 1946 and ending its run on BBC Radio 4 in 1992. Using a variety of hosts, including Richard Dimbleby and Brian Johnston, the programme toured villages, towns and cities across the UK. At the height of the series' success in the 1950s, it was attracting 10 million listeners a week.Producer: Jill Marshall.First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 1991.
SAT 15:00 Archive on 4 (b06sdxfl)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
SAT 16:00 Ian Curteis - Miss Morison's Ghosts (b060bn9s)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
SAT 17:30 The Road to the National Theatre (m0003s6f)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
SAT 18:00 Nick Fisher - Finding Fellows (m0003kcx)
A computer expert surfs the internet for contacts, concealing his identity.But what is his identity?Nick Fisher’s drama stars Nicholas Woodeson as Richard Fellows, Sarah Rice as Sal, David Brooks as Geoff and Christopher Wright as Tom.Other parts played by Karen Hayley, Alastair Danson, Alison Pettitt and Iwan ThomasDirector: Peter KavanaghFirst broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1997.
SAT 19:00 The Real Comedy Controllers: The Things That Made Us Laugh (b007wv2m)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
SAT 22:00 Chain Reaction (b01l8rbv)
Series 8
Rebecca Front interviews Chris Addison
Rebecca Front talks to her Thick Of It co-star and fellow Nude-a-phobe, comedian Chris Addison about working with Armando Iannucci and embracing his middle-classness through stand-upProducer ..... Carl Cooper"In an unclothed state I look like a child has done a collage with some Twiglets".Chris AddisonOther episodes in the chain include:Rebecca Front being interviewed by the man who knows her best, her big brother, Jeremy Front.Chris Addison in a rare interview with the actually-really-nice-and-he-doesn't-do-any-of-that-weird-stuff-in-real-life, Derren Brown;Derren Brown chatting hair, beliefs and Tim Minchin with comedy musical megastar and fellow sceptic Tim Minchin;A poorly Tim Minchin being handed tissues whilst attempting to interview with no questions a not-at-all-poorly and hilarious Caitlin Moran.Caitlin Moran getting to spend time and talk shoes, Bananarama and women with her comedy hero Jennifer Saunders.And.Jennifer Saunders turning up a week later to find the series has ended. Probably. We weren't there because the series had ended.
SAT 22:30 Richard Herring's Objective (b00vcqm7)
Series 1
The Hoodie
Richard Herring reclaims objects that we've grown to hate - a tracksuit top with a hood. With Emma Kennedy. From October 2010.
SAT 23:00 Beauty of Britain (b0100gqp)
Series 2
Citroen UXB
No professional care-worker can afford to miss Beauty Olonga's survival guide to Britain - its overheated houses, its disappointing church services and its world-class charity shops. Series 2 of this Radio 4 comedy follows Beauty's continuing adventures as the Featherdown Agency sends her to provide care for those who need it - and some who don't, but all of whom have relatives with guilty consciences.Beauty sees herself as an inspiration to other African girls hoping to live the dream in Britain. 'There are plenty of opportunities here. The professional classes are always off sick due to binge drinking and the rest are too lazy to get off the couch to answer the pizza delivery man.'The series breaks the embarrassed silence about what happens to us when we get old and start to lose our faculties. It shows the process in all its chaotic, tragi-comedy but it does so from the point of view of a migrant worker, Beauty, whose Zimbabwean Shona background has taught her to respect age. Beauty sees Britain at its best, its worst and also sometimes without its clothes on running the wrong way down the M6 with a toy dog shouting 'Come on!'In episode one, Beauty is sent to look after Sarah, who lives with both her mother and daughter. A perfect, happy modern family, like the kind Beauty has seen in feel-good British movies. With her own family being very demanding, it is understandable when Beauty begins to get too close.Episode 1 'Citroen UXB'Beauty... Jocelyn Jee EsienJoyce ... Julia McKenzieSarah ... Jenny AgutterLucy ... Catherine ShepherdSally ... Felicity MontaguKaren ... Nicola SandersonThe music for the series was provided by The West End Gospel Choir.Written by Christopher Douglas and Nicola SandersonThe producer is Tilusha Ghelani.
SAT 23:30 The Big Booth (b007k1xy)
Series 1
Episode 3
Marvellous monologues and sketches starring Boothby Graffoe. With Ned Sherrin and singer John Otway. From January 2000.