SATURDAY 20 JULY 2019

SAT 00:00 Good Omens (b04vjll9)
Episode 5
The Four Horsepersons of the Apocalypse assemble and set off for Lower Tadfield, while Aziraphale finds himself inhabiting a most unexpected host body.With a cast led by Peter Serafinowicz and Mark Heap, this is the first ever dramatisation of Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman's Good Omens.Events have been set in motion to bring about the End of Days. The armies of Good and Evil are gathering and making their way towards the sleepy English village of Lower Tadfield. The Four Horsepersons of the Apocalypse - War, Famine, Pollution and Death - have been summoned from the corners of the earth and are assembling.Witchfinder Sergeant Shadwell and his assistant Newton Pulsifier are also en route to Tadfield to investigate some unusual phenomena in the area, while Anathema Device, descendent of prophetess and witch Agnes Nutter, tries to decipher her ancestor's cryptic predictions about exactly where the impending Apocalypse will take place.Atlantis is rising, fish are falling from the sky; everything seems to be going to the Divine Plan.Everything that is but for the unlikely duo of an angel and a demon who are not all that keen on the prospect of the forthcoming Rapture. Aziraphale (once an angel in the Garden of Eden, but now running an antiquarian bookshop in London), and Crowley (formerly Eden's snake, now driving around London in shades and a vintage Bentley) have been living on Earth for several millennia and have become rather fond of the place. But if they are to stop Armageddon taking place they've got to find and kill the one who will the one bring about the apocalypse: the Antichrist himself.There's just one small problem: someone seems to have mislaid him...Crowley ...... Peter Serafinowicz Aziraphale ...... Mark Heap Agnes Nutter ...... Josie LawrenceAnathema Device ...... Charlotte RitchieNewton Pulsifer ...... Colin MorganMadame Tracy ...... Julia DeakinWar ...... Rachael StirlingFamine ...... Paterson JosephPollution ...... Harry LloydDeath ...... Jim NortonBig Ted ...... Mitch BennScuzz ...... Mark BentonPigbog ...... Arsher AliGreaser ...... Ben CroweTyler ...... Andy SecombeMrs Omerod ...... Marcella RiordanJulia ...... Tracy WilesAdaptation and sound design by Dirk Maggs.Producer: Heather Larmour.First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 2014.
SAT 00:30 Off the Page (b0076k37)
The Paranormal
Matthew Parris invites Matt Harvey, Candida Clark and Tibor Fischer to make their unseen presence felt by talking.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 2004.
SAT 01:00 Book at Beachtime (b036yndp)
Jennie Rooney - Red Joan
Episode 5
MI5 have new revelations for Joan about her hidden past.Will love triumph in her world of secrets and betrayal?Read by Olivia Hallinan and Eleanor Bron.Jennie Rooney's intense spy thriller abridged by Alison Joseph.Producer: Elizabeth Allard.Made for BBC Radio 4 Extra and first broadcast in 2013.
SAT 01:30 Just a Simple Old New Zealand Bee Keeper (m0006v5g)
The record-breaking mountaineer Sir Edmund Hillary reflects on an incredible life of adventure.In conversation with Cliff Morgan in Auckland, he remembers his childhood and his father, who was a journalist-turned-beekeeper with strong social views and principles.Sir Edmund remembers first seeing snow, and the tremendous moment he heard news of his successful summit of Everest with Tenzing Norgay, on BBC Radio.A self-confessed "mediocre man", with no particular athletic ability, Hillary believes that it was motivation that led him to success on challenging projects.The conversation also covers diplomacy, in light of his appointment as New Zealand's High Commissioner in Delhi, and his firm belief that the destruction of the natural environment is a worldwide concern.Producer: Vanessa HarrisonFirst broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 1985.
SAT 02:00 Book at Bedtime (b09jh3ks)
Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine
Goodbye, Mummy
Tracy Wiles concludes Gail Honeyman's heartwarming and sometimes heartbreaking new novel - this year's bestselling fiction debut.Eleanor Oliphant is happy. Nothing is missing from her carefully timetabled life. Except, sometimes, everything. But one simple act of kindness is about to shatter the walls Eleanor has built around herself.Today: After being taken back to painful childhood memories, Eleanor finally confronts her mother...Reader: Tracy WilesProducer: Justine WillettAbridger: Richard Hamilton.First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2017.
SAT 02:15 Plants: From Roots to Riches (b04cfvg3)
Botanical Medicine
In 1947 Sir Robert Robinson received the Nobel prize for Chemistry "in recognition of his investigations of plant products of biological importance, especially the alkaloids". This powerful family of plant chemicals was proving a potent medical tool.Professor Kathy Willis traces the natural role of alkaloids in plants and the first attempts to isolate one of the best know - quinine, from chinchona bark growing in the Andes. This development gave rise to the emergence of a new kind of laboratory scientist equally able to handle botanical and chemical data. As Mark Nesbitt, Keeper of Kew's Economic Botany Collection explains, this was to eliminate the chance and guesswork in identifying "good" plants from "bad".Professor Monique Simmons of Kew's Jodrell Laboratory, assesses why chemicals from the plant kingdom are still needed in the fight against some of our most challenging diseases, from breast cancer to cardiovascular disease, and how making the nuanced connections between plant species is central to success in this field.Producer Adrian Washbourne.
SAT 02:30 Gustave Flaubert - Madame Bovary (b00cqzj4)
The Temptation
Emma meets wealthy land owner Rodolphe Boulanger, and succumbs to temptation...A French masterpiece of betrayal and wantonness; the first great novel of adultery starring John Hurt..Narrator ...... John HurtCharles ...... Conrad NelsonEmma ...... Sarah SmartRodolphe Boulanger ...... Jude AkuwudikeMadame Lefrancois ...... Siobhan FinneranMonsieur Homais ...... David FleeshmanGustave Flaubert's novel is dramatised by Diana Griffiths from a translation by Margaret Mauldon.Producer: Pauline HarrisFirst broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2006.
SAT 02:45 Book of the Week (b04fchlh)
Philip Larkin: Life, Art and Love
Episode 5
Larkin finds professional life stressful, sees his poetic future as bleak and - despite continuing relationships with both Monica and Maeve - brings another woman into his life.Concluded by Michael Pennington. Philip Larkin was that rare thing among poets - a household name in his own lifetime. Lines such as 'Never such innocence again' and 'Sexual intercourse began / In nineteen sixty-three' made him one of the most popular poets of the last century.Larkin's reputation as a man, however, has been more controversial. A solitary librarian known for his pessimism, he disliked exposure and had no patience with the literary circus. And when, in 1992, the publication of his Selected Letters laid bare his compartmentalised personal life, accusations of duplicity, faithlessness, racism and misogyny were levelled against him.There is, of course, no requirement that poets should be likeable or virtuous, but James Booth asks whether art and life were really so deeply at odds with each other. Can the poet who composed the moving 'Love Songs in Age' have been such a cold-hearted man? Can he who uttered the playful, self-deprecating words 'Deprivation is for me what daffodils were for Wordsworth' really have been so boorish?A very different public image is offered by those who shared the poet's life - the women with whom he was romantically involved, his friends and his university colleagues. It is with their personal testimony, including access to previously unseen letters, that Booth reinstates a man misunderstood - not a gaunt, emotional failure, but a witty, provocative and entertaining presence, delightful company; an attentive son and a man devoted to the women he loved.Written by James BoothAbridged by Libby SpurrierProduced by Joanna GreenA Pier production for BBC Radio 4
SAT 03:00 Drama (b055f2lg)
John Gabriel Borkman
Episode 2
Now reunited with his first love, will John Gabriel Borkman be able to find real happiness? Or will the continued pursuit of his ambitions lead to his final destruction?David Threlfall stars as the disgraced banker finally being made to atone for his sins. Conclusion of Henrik Ibsen’s rarely-performed but all-too-pertinent play about the dangerous pursuit of power. Produced from a version by David Eldridge John Gabriel Borkman ….. David ThrelfallMiss Ella Rentheim ….. Susannah HarkerMrs Gunhild Borkman ….. Gillian BevanVilhelm Foldal ….. Philip JacksonErhart Borkman ….. Luke NewberryMrs Fanny Wilton ….. Jenny RainsfordMalene ….. Claire CageDirected by Helen PerryA BBC Cymru/Wales production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in 2015.
SAT 04:00 It's Not What You Know (b01c7snf)
Series 1
Episode 1
Miles Jupp takes the chair of It's Not What You Know, a new series which sets out to see how well panellists know those closest to them. For in this show it's not what, but who you know that matters - and more importantly how well you know them.Rachel Johnson, Des Lynam and Mark Steel nominate one of their nearest and dearest to answer a selection of questions - anything from "Who would you like to be stranded on a desert island with?" to "What is your favourite film?" to "How much is a pint of milk?" - and they must then attempt to second-guess how their nominee responded. If they can get it right, or come close, they get points.Each episode also features a very special guest contributor whose answers the panel must also try to predict. In this episode, that very special guest is renowned film director and food critic, Michael Winner.Producer: Sam Michell.First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2012.
SAT 04:30 Mr Finchley Goes to Paris (b00g27dk)
Episode 1
Mr Finchley finds himself on his way to Paris to track down a rather irresponsible client. But before he sets off, he has an important question to put to a certain widow of his acquaintance...Richard Griffiths stars as the shy solicitor's clerk, Edgar Finchley - in a second series of adventures written by Victor Canning.Mrs Crantel ...... Anna CropperMr Sprake ...... James GroutLawrence Hume ...... Piers GibbonMrs Patten ...... Jill GrahamDavid White ...... James TaylorMavis ...... Teresa GallagherThe Frenchman ...... Barry GordonNarrated by James Villiers.Adapted in six parts by Andy and Eric Merriman.Producer: Gareth EdwardsFirst broadcast on BBC Radio 2 in May 1994.
SAT 05:00 Charles Dickens (b00s7fbg)
Sketches by Boz: Series 2
The Boarding House
Mrs Tibbs is the owner of a most respectable Boarding House, until the arrival of a mysterious new lodger.Gloriously comic stories of London Life by Charles Dickens - dramatised by Stephen Wyatt.Boz ...... Nicholas FarrellMrs Tibbs ...... Imelda StauntonMrs Bloss ...... Annette BadlandMr Tibbs ...... Christopher HancockAgnes ...... Tracy-Ann ObermanMr Evenson ...... Stephen CritchlowMr Wisbottle ...... Peter GunnMr O’Bleary ...... Jason O’MaraDirector: Sally AvensFirst broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 1999.
SAT 05:30 The Absolutely Radio Show (m0006s9b)
Series 3
Episode 2
The hugely popular sketch show returns for a third series on BBC Radio 4. Pete Baikie, Morwenna Banks, Moray Hunter, Gordon Kennedy and John Sparkes revisit some of their much-loved characters, and also introduce some newcomers.Absolutely was a big hit on Channel Four in the late 80s and early 90s. In 2013, the group got back together for the Sketchorama: Absolutely Special for BBC Radio 4 - winning a BBC Audio Drama Award in the Best Live Scripted Comedy category. The Absolutely Radio Show followed, with the first two series picking up Celtic Media Award nominations for Best Radio Comedy, while the second series was also nominated for a BBC Audio Drama Award in 2018.This second episode includes The Rev McMinn encountering the European political elite in his local Minimart, Gwynedd’s insomnia driving Denzil to despair and then song, and Frank Hovis fondly remembering his holidays. From the archive, we have never before heard footage from Dunkirk rescuers and four-and-three-quarter year-old Jack gives the eulogy at his Grandpa’s funeral.Written and Performed by: Peter Baikie, Morwenna Banks, Moray Hunter, Gordon Kennedy and John SparkesProduction Manager Sarah TomblingRecording Engineer Dave MurricaneEditor Pete BaikieProducer Gus BeattieProducer Gordon KennedyBBC Executive Sioned WiliamRecording Venue The Oran Mor, GlasgowAn Absolutely production for BBC Radio 4
SAT 06:00 Compton Mackenzie - Whisky Galore (b007jpk9)
In the middle of the Second World War, there's no more whisky left on the small Hebridean islands of Great Todday and Little Todday.That is until a merchant ship bound for New York runs aground carrying 50,000 cases. How will the islanders keep their wonderful secret?Compton Mackenzie's classic tale dramatised by Hector MacMillan.Old/Young Fred ... Bernard HolleyPeggy ... Dolina MacLennanInterviewer ... Donalda SamuelMacroon ... Michael ElderMacrurie ... Bill RiddochDrooby ... John SheddenBiffer ... Paul YoungMrs Biffer ... Eliza LanglandNorman ... Finlay McLeanCatriona ... Alyxis DalyMrs Waggett ... Stella ForgeCaptain Waggett ... Raymond RossFather MacAlister ... John BuickGeorge Campbell ... Tony KearneyMrs Campbell ... Mairead RossDr Mack ... Charles KearneyJocky ... Allan SharpeHugh ... John RamageDirector: Hamish WilsonFirst broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1994.
SAT 07:30 Jarvis and Matthew (b092mbm0)
Grey Hairs and Bus Passes
Close friends Martin Jarvis and Christopher Matthew have been journeying back into their separate and interwoven lives - to their school days in south London and Surrey, to their first forays into work in advertising and in the theatre and to their middle years in film & TV and in print.Now in this final episode, they set out to complete their journey and attempt to tie up their very many loose ends... and get to grips with the looming spectre of retirement.Ten years on from when their pensions should have kicked in (even longer in Christopher's case) they compare notes on how much they've slowed down since... and ask themselves: why do they go on and can they keep it up?Producer: Paul Kobrak.
SAT 08:00 World Book Club (m000704m)
Anuradha Roy - An Atlas of Impossible Longing
Harriet Gilbert talks to Indian writer Anuradha Roy about her much-loved debut novel 'An Atlas of Impossible Longing'.The family saga set in Bengal was rejected 16 times before it was published in 2008. Anuradha discusses her inspiration, characterisation, the caste system and India's historic mistreatment of widows, who have become a tragic motif in Bengali literature.First broadcast on the BBC World Service in 2018.
SAT 08:50 David Attenborough's Life Stories (b00lt16w)
Series 1
Salamander
Series of talks by Sir David Attenborough on the natural histories of creatures and plants from around the world.Sir David's first pet was a fire salamander, given to him by his father on his eighth birthday. He also gave his own son a salamander on his eighth birthday, the legacy of which is very much alive and kicking today.Producer: Julian HectorFirst broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2009.
SAT 09:00 4 Extra at the British Seaside (b038xhc6)
Seaside entertainer Tony Lidington takes a trip to Brighton for BBC Radio 4 Extra and reflects how this city has inspired a wealth of seaside memories captured in the BBC Sound Archive.Tony came to Brighton in the eighties as a student and set up his own Pierrot Troupe The Pierroters named after the rotting West Pier which was the subject of a Kaleidoscope feature made in 1995.There are first hand memories of what it was like to go on a seaside holiday between the wars in 1984 programme called ‘Sand Between the Toes'.Tony meets Max Tyler an expert on the Fol De Rols and he and Tony hear them perform in an extraordinary piece of archive from 1937 when four of the shows hundreds of miles apart were brought together live by the magic of wireless.There are also insights into Brighton's very own Cheeky Chappie as Tony visits a Fish and Chip Shop in Brighton where the Max Miller Society has set up a museum. ‘Casting Shadows' a wonderfully evocative play by Mark Burgess conjures up an imaginary meeting between the actor Laurence Oliver, playwright Terence Rattigan and Brighton's famous seaside entertainer, Max Miller. Roy Hudd headlines as Miller.Gavin Henderson president of the National Piers Society reveals that seaside Piers were initially places of sophistication, almost the arts centres of their day, and Rachel Clark of the West Pier Trust looks to the future and the plans to create a new vertical Pier on Brighton seafront.Tony celebrates the Great Days of the West Pier in his 1995 Archive Hour ‘Oh What a Lovely Pier!' with contributions from among others the late Corin Redgrave.Made for BBC Radio 4 Extra by Pier Productions
SAT 12:00 There Is No Escape (b06grjn7)
Episode 1
Andrew Lawrence's sitcom about a man dissatisfied with his life, whose feeble attempts to run away invariably end with him traipsing home defeated.In this opening episode, Andrew arrives home from work one evening to find the house even more of a mess than usual. An argument with his girlfriend about cleaning escalates and Andrew storms out to find something to eat.After a soul destroying encounter with the woman in the local shop, who can only recommend frozen turkey dinosaurs for his meal, Andrew joins his work mate, Lennie, for a consolation dinner in the pub.Later he returns home and is forced to negotiate about a cleaner through the letterbox before he is finally allowed back in.Starring Andrew Lawrence and Diane Morgan.With Rosie Cavaliero and Marek Larwood. Producer: Jane BerthoudFirst broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 2015.
SAT 12:30 Street and Lane (b00v3n2v)
Series 1
Patio Marital
"Up your Street, Down your Lane".Johnny Street and Arthur Lane are a pair of Yorkshire builders in a white van who battle out their partnership and their future as they tackle a plethora of household repairs.Sitcom written by Ian McMillan and Dave Sheasby.In this opening episode, the duo tool up for a patio job at the home of warring couple.Johnny Street ...... Nick LaneArthur Lane ...... Fine Time FontayneChristine ...... Becky HindleyTom ...... Richard KatzGreat Northern Man ...... Gerard McDermottProducer: David HunterFirst broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 2005.
SAT 13:00 Moon (Omnibus) (m000704p)
It's 50 years since Apollo 11 put human beings on another world in 1969. 4 Extra marks the anniversary week, with an omnibus of the five day journey to the moon, using the astronauts’ own words, which are taken entirely from the transcripts of the mission. We travel with Armstrong, Aldrin and Collins on their epic journey, experiencing everything as they did.A unique perspective on the most historic journey in the history of humanity.Starting from the launch - Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins blast off from the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida and prepare to leave Earth's orbit.Omnibus adapted by Anita SullivanThanks to Professor Chris Welch, International Space University.Neil Armstrong.... Nathan NolanBuzz Aldrin.... Ronan SummersMichael Collins.... Edward HoggNarrator.... Maggie Aderin-PocockDirected by James RobinsonA BBC Cymru Wales Production first broadcast in five parts on BBC Radio 4.
SAT 14:10 Inheritance Tracks (m000704r)
Professor Alice Roberts
Biological anthropologist, Professor Alice Roberts shares A Whiter Shade of Pale by Procol Harum and Ash's Girl from Mars.
SAT 14:15 Pam Ayres' Open Road (b007kd9d)
Series 1
Hickling and the Norfolk Broads
Pam meets a Norfolk Broads river pilot, climbs Britain's tallest windmill and wields a scythe with a legendary reed-cutter.Series in which poet and raconteuse, Pam Ayres takes to the open road, visiting eight places in Britain to hear tales from the people who live there.Producer: Simon ElmesFirst broadcast on BBC Radio 2 in 2000.
SAT 14:45 Ernest Fontwell versus the Experts (m000704t)
The Holiday Experts
Ernest Fontwell needs a holiday, but the fiends in white coats are waiting – at home and abroad.Written by Lawrie Wyman.Starring Frank Thornton as Ernest Fontwell.With Patsy Rowlands, David Tate and Bill Wallis.Producer: Geoffrey PerkinsFirst broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 1979.
SAT 15:00 World Book Club (m000704m)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
SAT 15:50 David Attenborough's Life Stories (b00lt16w)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:50 today]
SAT 16:00 Compton Mackenzie - Whisky Galore (b007jpk9)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
SAT 17:30 Jarvis and Matthew (b092mbm0)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
SAT 18:00 Good Omens (b04vjrjm)
Episode 6
As Aziraphale and Crowley, the Witchfinder Army, and the Horsepersons of the Apocalypse descend on Lower Tadfield, the fate of the Earth rests on the shoulders of Adam YoungWith a cast led by Peter Serafinowicz and Mark Heap, this is the conclusion of the first ever dramatisation of Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman's Good Omens.Events have been set in motion to bring about the End of Days. The armies of Good and Evil are gathering and making their way towards the sleepy English village of Lower Tadfield. The Four Horsepersons of the Apocalypse - War, Famine, Pollution and Death - have been summoned from the corners of the earth and are assembling.Witchfinder Sergeant Shadwell and his assistant Newton Pulsifier are also en route to Tadfield to investigate some unusual phenomena in the area, while Anathema Device, descendent of prophetess and witch Agnes Nutter, tries to decipher her ancestor's cryptic predictions about exactly where the impending Apocalypse will take place.Atlantis is rising, fish are falling from the sky; everything seems to be going to the Divine Plan.Everything that is but for the unlikely duo of an angel and a demon who are not all that keen on the prospect of the forthcoming Rapture. Aziraphale (once an angel in the Garden of Eden, but now running an antiquarian bookshop in London), and Crowley (formerly Eden's snake, now driving around London in shades and a vintage Bentley) have been living on Earth for several millennia and have become rather fond of the place. But if they are to stop Armageddon taking place they've got to find and kill the one who will the one bring about the apocalypse: the Antichrist himself.There's just one small problem: someone seems to have mislaid him...Crowley ...... Peter SerafinowiczAziraphale ...... Mark HeapAgnes Nutter ...... Josie LawrenceAnathema Device ...... Charlotte RitchieNewton Pulsifer ...... Colin MorganMadame Tracy ...... Julia DeakinWar ...... Rachael StirlingFamine ...... Paterson JosephPollution ...... Harry LloydDeath ...... Jim NortonShadwell ...... Clive RussellMelatron ...... Nicholas BriggsBeelzebub ...... Steve ToussantMr Young ...... Simon JonesTyler ...... Andy SecombeDeisenburger ...... Martin ShermaBaddicombe ...... Tom AlexanderGuard ...... Ben CroweSecurity Guard ...... Trevor WhiteAdam ...... Adam Thomas WrightPepper ...... Hollie BurgessWensleydale ...... Bobby FullerBrian ...... Lewis AndrewsAdaptation and sound design by Dirk Maggs.Producer: Heather Larmour.First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 2014.
SAT 19:00 Alan Bennett - The History Boys (b007g95p)
Radio 4 Extra celebrates the 75th birthday of Rising Damp actress Frances de la Tour, with her appearance in Alan Bennett's celebrated play. This radio adaptation features the original National Theatre cast, with Richard Griffiths,, James Corden and Russell Tovey.Set in the 1980s in the fictional Cutlers' Grammar School in Sheffield, it follows a group of history pupils preparing for the Oxbridge entrance exams under the guidance of three contrasting teachers and a headmaster with ambitions to move the school up the academic league table. Frances de la Tour played the role of Mrs Dorothy Lintott on both the London and Broadway stage, winning a Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play in 2006. As well as this radio version, she reprised the role in the 2006 film. Nicknamed Totty by the boys, her character is not respected by the male teachers as being good enough to get them into Oxbridge. But the audience gets to see how perceptive she can be....The History Boys first opened at London’s National Theatre in May 2004 directed by Sir Nicholas HytnerHeadmaster ...... Clive MerrisonMrs Lintott ...... Frances de la TourHector ...... Richard GriffithsTimms ...... James CordenRudge ...... Russell ToveyLockwood ...... Andrew KnottDakin ...... Dominic CooperAkthar ...... Sacha DhawanScripps ...... Jamie ParkerCrowther ...... Samuel AndersonIrwin ...... Geoffrey StreatfeildPosner ...... Samuel BarnettAdapted for radio by Richard Wortley. Solo singer: Samuel BarnettPianists: Jamie Parker and Tom AttwoodProducer David HunterDirector Richard WortleyFirst broadcast on BBC Radio 3 in 2006.
SAT 21:30 Book of the Week (b08ns9tt)
Balancing Acts: Behind the Scenes at the National Theatre
Episode 3
The inside story of 12 years at the helm of the National Theatre. It is a story of lunatic failures and spectacular successes such as The History Boys, War Horse and One Man, Two Guvnors; of opening the doors of the National Theatre to a broader audience than ever before, and changing the public's perception of what theatre is for.It is about probing Shakespeare from every angle and reinventing the classics. About fostering new talent and directing some of the most celebrated actors of our times. Among others, Nicholas Hytner has worked alongside Alan Bennett, Maggie Smith, Mike Leigh, Daniel Day-Lewis, Michael Gambon and Helen Mirren.Intimate, candid and insightful, Balancing Acts is a passionate exploration of the art and alchemy of making theatre.Today Hytner describes his fecund creative relationship with Alan Bennett. How they came to meet and the incredible performances they created together. He remembers fondly their highly successful play 'The History Boys', and how it was brought to life.Written and read by Nicholas HytnerProduced by Simon RichardsonFirst broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2017.
SAT 21:45 Inheritance Tracks (b06dl9pw)
Frances de La Tour
Actress Frances de La Tour chooses 'La Mer' by Charles Trenet and 'The Summer Wind' by Johnny Mercer.
SAT 21:55 The Listening Project (b042lp8t)
Gwen and Clive - Perfect Harmony
Fi Glover introduces a conversation between a theatrical couple who met on stage in Oklahoma at Drury Lane in 1948 and have been together ever since, proving once again that it's surprising what you hear when you listen.The Listening Project is a Radio 4 initiative that offers a snapshot of contemporary Britain in which people across the UK volunteer to have a conversation with someone close to them about a subject they've never discussed intimately before. The conversations are being gathered across the UK by teams of producers from local and national radio stations who facilitate each encounter. Every conversation - they're not BBC interviews, and that's an important difference - lasts up to an hour, and is then edited to extract the key moment of connection between the participants. Most of the unedited conversations are being archived by the British Library and used to build up a collection of voices capturing a unique portrait of the UK in the second decade of the millennium. You can upload your own conversations or just learn more about The Listening Project by visiting bbc.co.uk/listeningprojectProducer: Marya Burgess.
SAT 22:00 The Price of Happiness (b05v6gnt)
Series 1
Children
Stand-up poet Kate Fox explores some of the things she doesn't want and has cheerfully failed to achieve in life, despite feeling society constantly reminds her that, as a woman, she should.Kate kicks off with a look at the subject of children.Are we all wired to be baby-making machines? Not always, no. Some of us would rather spend our hard earned cash in Mango than Mothercare. Prospective parents are plagued by questions - Would I be a good parent? Would a child change my life beyond all recognition? Would having a child mean I could legitimately buy myself Lego and eat jelly?Can legislation across the world be used to either encourage or discourage parenthood? And what's the cost of feeling you have to want the same things as everybody else? Kate and the audience draw up a list of pros and cons of having children, and work out whether the average cost of raising a child could be better spent making our lives more fun and meaningful in other ways.Kate Fox is a comedian and poet from the North East of England. She has contributed poems and comic pieces to many Radio 4 shows including "Saturday Live", "Wondermentalist Cabaret", "From Fact to Fiction", "Woman's Hour" and "Arthur Smith's Balham Bash".Producer: Lianne CoopAn Impatient production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in 2015.
SAT 22:30 Sami Shah's Beginner's Guide to Pakistan (b06fn26p)
Episode 2
Sami Shah is an award-winning comedian and best-selling author, and one of Pakistan's most successful comedians. Yes, Pakistan has comedians. In A Beginner's Guide To Pakistan he has travelled to Birmingham - or, to give it its full name, the Islamic Republic of Birmingham - to give Radio 4 a quick guide to the country who have directly and/or indirectly provided the UK with 1.8% of its population: Pakistan.In this second episode he looks at Pakistan's social and cultural history, from its music and cinema, to its increasing religious conservatism as the nature of Islam in the country has changed through the years, all the way to the best brewery in Pakistan. Alright, the only brewery in Pakistan.Written and performed by ... Sami ShahThe Voice of the Guide ... Anita AnandProducer ... Ed MorrishA Beginner's Guide To Pakistan is a BBC Radio Comedy production first broadcast in 2015.
SAT 22:55 The Comedy Club Interviews (m000704x)
Steve N Allen 1/2
From 10.00pm until midnight, seven days a week, the Comedy Club has two hours of comedy. Plus Jake Yapp chats to The Mash Report’s Steve N Allen.
SAT 23:00 Sketchorama Extra (b04vf070)
In the Summer of 2014, Thom Tuck presented the pick of the best live sketch groups performing on the UK comedy circuit in the third series of BBC Radio 4's award winning sketch act showcase.Twelve acts featured over four shows recorded in front of audiences in London and at the Edinburgh Festival. So much material was performed, that we've put together this hour of unheard sketch gems for this BBC Radio 4 Extra Special.With so many incredibly talented and inventive sketch groups on the British Comedy scene, Sketchorama aims to showcase these hidden gems and established performers.Acts featured in series 3 included Croft & Pearce, Beasts, Mixed Doubles, Bob & Jim, The Real MacGuffins, Lead Pencil, The Colour Ham, and The Birthday Girls.Producer Gus Beattie.Sketchorama Extra is a Comedy Unit Production for BBC Radio 4 Extra.