SATURDAY 27 JULY 2019

SAT 00:00 HG Wells (b01mmrhb)
The First Men in the Moon
Episode 5
Intrepid explorers Bedford and Cavor’s first mission to the moon comes to a surprising and unexpected conclusion.First published in 1901, HG Wells’ novel abridged by Neville Teller.Concluded by Tim Pigott-Smith.Producer: David RoperMade by Heavy Entertainment for BBC Radio 4 and first broadcast in July 2007.
SAT 00:15 15 Minute Drama (b09ny2dh)
The Truth About Hawaii
Disaster
Potent and playful drama set in a near-future in which doctors can no longer prescribe antibiotics. By award-winning dramatist, Oliver Emanuel.Sarah is 10 years old. She's scratched her knee and developed an infection.Whilst her family prepare for an unexpected future, Sarah's imagination takes her to Hawaii where she's about to meet the king of rock and roll.The Truth About Hawaii was developed through Wellcome Experimental Stories in consultation with Prof. Joanna Coast (Professor in the Economics of Health & Care, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol) and Dr Adam Roberts (Senior Lecturer in Antimicrobial Chemotherapy and Resistance at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine).Consultants: Prof Joanna Coast and Dr Adam RobertsDirector: Kirsty Williams.
SAT 00:30 Off the Page (b0076k64)
Multicultural Britain
Matthew Parris welcomes three writers - Reshma S. Ruia, Archie Markham and Leone Ross - to a frank discussion. From 2004.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 (b036q727)
Suzanne Rindell - The Other Typist
Episode 5
Odalie's devilish ingenuity is revealed and Rose is left reeling.Prohibition New York is the setting for Suzanne Rindell's thrilling debut about dangerous friendship in which glitz and sleaze collide.Concluded by Sasha Pick.Abridged by Julian Wilkinson.Producer: Gemma JenkinsMade for BBC Radio 4 Extra and first broadcast in Summer 2013.
SAT 01:30 Character Assassins (b00tpqlf)
The death of fictional superstars by pen, pencil or type lies, quite literally, in the hands of their creators.At the Harrogate Crime Writing Festival 2010, Fiona Lindsay conducts a forensic cross-examination of popular writers, put on trial to reveal their motives for killing off their leading characters. It's an age-old friction in fiction between creator and creation. And the assassination of an author's key character is often a result of a clash of egos. Agatha Christie kept the death of her famous Belgian detective Hercule Poirot secret for 30 years only to confess shortly before her own demise. She had no regrets and, as her biographer Laura Thompson reveals, was in no hurry to get Miss Marple on the case.Sir Arthur Conan Doyle detested Sherlock Holmes' public domination over his own life and murdered him merrily. Yet the firestorm of protest was so intense, resurrection was inevitable. Holmes expert David Stuart Davies and actor Roger Llewellyn incorporate the core of this controversy in their latest play. Colin Dexter claims he didn't kill Morse: 'he died of natural causes'. A nation mourned, but the author is unrepentant, choosing kindly death over morose retirement.Ian Rankin took the opposite view for the demise of Rebus, leaving the coffin lid open for a timely return. But since fictional characters are immortal, why kill them off at all? Characters who become bigger than their authors, beware!! They may have all the best lines, but their creator has the last word.Fiona Lindsay cross-examines the witnesses and interrogates the accused as they try to justify their acts of literal 'murder'.Not so much a whodunit as a 'why did they do it?' Producer: Chris Eldon LeeA Culture Wise production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in 2010.
SAT 02:00 Book at Bedtime (b04tlr0l)
Mary Costello - Academy Street
Episode 5
Shortlisted for the Costa First Novel Award, Mary Costello's debut is a tender portrayal of a quiet woman's life.It's 1962, and Tess has left Ireland to make a new life for herself in America, working as a nurse in New York. Shy and reticent, she has been introduced to her flatmate's cousin, David, and he has left a deep impression upon her.Read by Niamh CusackWritten by Mary CostelloAbridged by Kirsteen CameronProduced by Kirsteen Cameron
SAT 02:15 Plants: From Roots to Riches (b04d4ppb)
A Useful Weed
At a glance, Arabidopsis thaliana (Mouse ear cress) looks little more than a tiny flowering weed. But this nondescript plant became a Rosetta stone for understanding the molecular processes underpinning many plant traits when in 2000 it became the first plant to have its genome fully sequenced.Professor Kathy Willis hears how Arabidopsis bagged the role in plant genetics research similar to that played by mice and fruit flies in animal research, and how amidst arguments for and against the technique of modification, it became a key to introducing new characteristics in a quicker and more targeted way than traditional plant breeding.The overall size of the Arabidopsis genome however, is not typical of many plants. We hear how a new understanding of the surprisingly diverse range of genome sizes within the plant kingdom is shedding light on the speed of a plant's ability to reproduce and adapt in changing conditions, which could play a fundamental role in decoding the patterns of plant distribution we see around the world.With contributions from historian Jim Endersby, plant scientist Prof Liam Dolan and cytogeneticist Ilia Leitch.Producer Adrian Washbourne.
SAT 02:30 Gustave Flaubert - Madame Bovary (b00cvbj4)
Mounting Debts
Emma has tried and exhausted every effort to repay her debts, but feels that she's left with only one course of action...Gripping conclusion of the French masterpiece of betrayal and wantonness.Narrator ...... John HurtEmma ...... Sarah SmartCharlesConrad NelsonMonsieur Homais ...... David FleeshmanBerthe Bovary ...... Daisy Jones Victor Lariviere ...... Martin ReeveJustin ...... Sam CurtisGustave 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 (b04gc8p4)
Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind
And They Lived Happily Ever After
Adrian Scarborough continues reading from Yuval Noah Harari's ground-breaking account of humankind's remarkable history from insignificant apes to rulers of the world.The world's a better place, but are we any happier?Abridged by Penny LeicesterProduced by Gemma Jenkins
SAT 03:00 Sheridan Le Fanu - Uncle Silas (b007jtst)
Revelations
Heiress Maud Knollyes increasingly believes her life is in danger...Conclusion of Sheridan le Fanu's Victorian gothic horror novel dramatised by Alan Drury.Maud .... Teresa GallagherSilas ... George ColeMadame de la Rougierre .... Dorothy TutinLady Monica Knollys ... Joan SimsMary Quince .... Kathleen ByronMilly ... Jane WhittenshawDudley .... Jonathan KeebleZamiel .... George A CooperBeauty .... Becky HindleySarah Mangles ...Linda ReganWyatt .... Pauline LettsTom Brice ..... Roger MayThe Coachman ..... Stephen CritchlowMrs Sewell ..... Joan LittlewoodDr Bryerly .....John HartleyPianist: Michael HaslamDirector: Enyd WilliamsFirst broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 1995.
SAT 04:00 It's Not What You Know (b01ckr46)
Series 1
Episode 2
Joining Miles this time round are "The Thick Of It" star, Rebecca Front, Fast Show actor and character comedian, Simon Day, and award-winning Geordie comic, Jason Cook, all of whom have nominated one of their intimate circle to answer questions about their relationship, in an attempt to prove how well they know them.If the panel can predict the responses their nominees gave, they get points.Rebecca thinks she knows her father, Charles Front, a retired illustrator and calligrapher, pretty well. Simon examines his relationship with best friend, Conrad Butlin, a stylist from Notting Hill in London. And Jason plumps for his mother, Pat, a recruitment consultant from Hebburn in Newcastle - and, it turns out, something of a Loose Women fan...Producer: Sam Michell.
SAT 04:30 Mr Finchley Goes to Paris (b007jzhn)
Episode 2
After a contretemps with a haddock, the shy solicitor's clerk gains a guide and makes a move.Richard Griffiths returns as the shy solicitor's clerk, Edgar Finchley, in a second series of adventures written by Victor Canning.Lawrence Hume ...... Piers GibbonMarie Peters ...... Serena EvansRobert Gillespie ...... James CohenMadame Mignard ...... Jacqueline TongWaiter ...... Keith AndersonNarrated by James Villiers.Adapted for radio by Andy and Eric Merriman.Producer: Gareth EdwardsFirst broadcast on BBC Radio 2 in June 1994.
SAT 05:00 Charles Dickens (b00sb96j)
Sketches by Boz: Series 2
Horatio Sparkins
The socially ambitious Maldertons are delighted when their unmarried daughter receives the attentions of the romantic Mr Sparkins. But who exactly is he?Gloriously comic stories of London Life by Charles Dickens - dramatised by Stephen Wyatt.Boz ...... Nicholas FarrellMr Malderton ...... DavidHaigMrs Malderton ...... Tessa WorsleyTeresa Malderton ...... Sarah-Jane HolmThomas Malderton ...... Adrian SchillerHoratio Sparkins ...... Julian Rhind-TuttFlamwell ...... Patrick BarlowDirector: Sally AvensFirst broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 1999
SAT 05:30 The Absolutely Radio Show (m000700w)
Series 3
Episode 3
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.In the third episode of the series, Calum Gilhooley visits his optician and makes a good point for possibly the first time ever, The Rev McMinn saves his Minimart from chemical attack, and we meet Social Media Blogger and Influencer Susie Twip. From the archive, we hear the "See it. Say it. Sort it." campaign in action.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 Drama (b053rz5r)
Unmade Movies
Harold Pinter's Victory
Harold Pinter's screenplay of Josef Conrad's last major novel, in a special adaptation for radio by Sir Richard Eyre.It's 1900 in the Dutch East Indies. Disenchanted with life and humanity, Heyst, a mysterious Swedish Baron, lives alone on a deserted island.He believes he can avoid suffering by cutting himself off from others, but his life is altered when he visits the neighbouring island for a doctor's check up. Here he meets and falls in love with Lena, a young English violinist, travelling across the Pacific with a small commercial ladies Orchestra.Surrounded by predatory older men, including the hotel manager Schomberg, she is drawn to Heyst and the sense of mystery that surrounds him. Together, in the middle of the night, they escape by boat to his island.Narrator ...... Simon Russell BealeHeyst ...... Bjarne HenriksenLena ...... Vanessa KirbyDavidson ...... Matthew MarshRicardo ...... Mark StrongJones ...... Robert PortalSchomberg ...... Patrick O'KaneMrs Schomberg ...... Helen SchelesingerPedro ...... Martin MarquezChang ...... Paul ChanMrs Zangiacomo ...... Flaminea CinqueSound Design: John Leonard and Wilfredo AcostaDirector: Richard EyreProducer: Laurence BowenA Feelgood Fiction production for BBC Radio 4.
SAT 07:30 Roy Hudd - Stick a Geranium in Your Hat! (b0169n6w)
A Proper Cuppa Coffee
A comic celebration of the words and music of renowned songwriters RP Weston and Bert Lee.Starring Roy Hudd as Bert Weston and Billy Dainty as Bert Lee.Devised and written by Roy Hudd.Musical arrangements by Ian Smith.Producer: Jonathan James-MooreFirst broadcast on BBC Radio 2 in November 1982.
SAT 08:00 World Book Club (b098ply0)
Judith Kerr - When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit
Much-loved German-born, British author and illustrator Judith Kerr talks to Harriett Gilbert about her classic children's novel, When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit.Set during the Second World War, this semi-autobiographical novel traces the story of a young Jewish girl and her family who flee Berlin just as the Nazis come to power. The journey of a family splintered by conflict, driven by fear and eventually rewarded with reunion is seen through the eyes of the nine-year-old Anna.Judith Kerr's novel, by turns heart-lifting and heart-rending has stood the test of time. It continues to be enjoyed by readers of all ages to this day.First broadcast on the BBC World Service in March 2016.
SAT 08:50 David Attenborough's Life Stories (b00lxhb3)
Series 1
Birds of Paradise
Sir David Attenborough talks about the Birds of Paradise, a group of birds which evolved in the relative safety of New Guinea, allowing them to acquire adornments and feathered decorations so resplendent that they fooled the early explorers who discovered them.Series of talks by Sir David on the natural histories of creatures and plants from around the world.Producer: Julian Hector.First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 Extra in 2009.
SAT 09:00 Billy Bragg's Changing Times (m0007497)
These are fractious times. But there have been fractious times before. And of all the ways of looking at history, the instinctive reactions of artists, specifically musicians, to changing times, is one of the most fascinating.From Hamish Henderson to Tom Robinson, the Sex Pistols to U2, and more recently Radiohead and Stormzy, protest music has come a long way.In this programme, Billy Bragg takes time to savour and share the stories of great moments where musicians were inspired by unfolding events to protest, to perform and to preach of an alternative way.Along the way there will be contributions from author’s, artists and academics who have seen technology transform the way in which people create and listen to protest songs. And there will be a chance to hear from those producing protest music in the era of Brexit, Trump and fake news.
SAT 12:00 Best Behaviour (b05vfjtm)
Episode 3
Holly Walsh presents the comedy panel show that lays down the law of modern manners.The guest panellists are comedians Richard Herring, Helen Zaltzman and Lloyd Langford, who are all pitching their ideas for new best behaviour rules to tackle modern life.In this edition, the etiquette of travel is under comic scrutiny - including how to solve the phenomenon of 'man-spreading' on public transport, the need to ban emoticons from text messages, and the modern menace of cycling on pavements.The panel also tackles the tricky etiquette problem of a member of the studio audience - 'how do I get out of nodding to the stranger I walk past every day when walking to work?'Producer: Aled EvansA Zeppotron production for BBC Radio 4.
SAT 12:30 Living with the Enemy (b0077154)
Episode 1
Sitcom written by and starring Nick Revell and Gyles Brandreth who play an alternative comedian-turned-holistic therapist and a Tory MP turned media figure.Gyles Brandon ...... Gyles BrandrethNick Reynolds ...... Nick RevellWith Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Martin Hyder and Nathan Caton.Producer: Ed MorrishFirst broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 2006.
SAT 13:00 House Rules (m0007499)
Series 2 (Omnibus)
Second series omnibus of Ben Lewis’s witty real-time drama set around a kitchen table at the weekly meetings of an argumentative yet lovable blended family. Drawing on her experience as Assistant Chairperson of the Key Stage 3 Debating Society, 14 year-old Amelia has established her very own weekly meetings at home.Every Monday evening, gavel in hand, Amelia calls the Washburn McGintys together to air their grievances and attempt to resolve their problems.But with a new baby due any day, and grandmother Jan still living in the house, there’s an air of uncertainty around what kind of a future the family hope to share.Amelia … Cleo DemetriouJan … Barbara FlynnSean… Jonathan ForbesNicole … Claire RushbrookCallum … Elliot Speller-GillottDirector Kirsty WilliamsFirst broadcast in five parts on BBC Radio 4 in 2019
SAT 14:10 Inheritance Tracks (m000749f)
Bryn Terfel
Bryn Terfel chooses National Anthem ‘Hen Wlad fy Nhadau’ by James James and Eli Jenkin's Prayer by Dylan Thomas and AHD Troyte.
SAT 14:15 Pam Ayres' Open Road (b007kdbd)
Series 1
The Welsh Valleys
Pam returns to Wales to see how the valleys have been transformed since she first visited as a teenager in the 1970s, when the landscape was black with coal dust.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 (m000749h)
The Medical Experts
Frank Thornton ponders on how to beat the medical experts at their own game.Written by Lawrie Wyman.Starring Frank Thornton as Ernest Fontwell.With Patsy Rowlands, David Tate and John BaddeleyProducer: Geoffrey PerkinsFirst broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 1979.
SAT 15:00 World Book Club (b098ply0)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
SAT 15:50 David Attenborough's Life Stories (b00lxhb3)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:50 today]
SAT 16:00 Drama (b053rz5r)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
SAT 17:30 Roy Hudd - Stick a Geranium in Your Hat! (b0169n6w)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
SAT 18:00 Mike Walker - 2025 (b00hy94c)
Episode 1
It's a future where computers rule and the possibility of artificial intelligence has become a reality.Mike Walker's futuristic two-part sci-fi serial.Irena ...... Alphonsia EmmanuelOlivia ...... Mona HammondDr Beth David ...... Daniela NardiniHenry ...... David YipAnno ...... Su-Lin LooiPraeger ...... John RoweDr Finzey ...... Alastair DansonKate ...... Rachel Atkins as KateCapstick ...... Gerard McDermottTerry Gupta ...... Ravin J GanatraDirector: Sally AvensFirst broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 1998.
SAT 19:00 Billy Bragg's Changing Times (m0007497)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
SAT 22:00 The Price of Happiness (b060724p)
Series 1
A Big White Wedding
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.This time, Kate looks at the subject of "A Big White Wedding". Is it every little girl's dream to be walked down the aisle feeling like a Disney Princess, looking like she's been swallowed by taffeta? What if you're more Lightwater Valley Lass than Disney Princess?Kate got married in a lighthouse, with guests waiting to cross the causeway because the lighthouse keeper drew up the wrong tide times. The wedding cost under a thousand pounds and guests brought their own food. To Kate, it was perfect. But would this somewhat unconventional day cost other brides their wedding smiles?Statistics show that males and females still divide domestic duties up in traditional ways, although in Kate's household these roles are almost completely reversed. Is there such a thing as the perfect formula for marriage or is it a tradition as outdated as Morris Dancing with only slightly fewer hankies and bells?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 Revolting People (b0089mbr)
Series 3
Young Love
Captain Brimshaw receives fresh orders from his father - to return to England and marry his cousin...Sitcom set just before the American War of Independence,Written by Andy Hamilton and Jay Tarses.McGurk ...... Andy HamiltonSamuel ...... Jay TarsesCaptain Brimshaw ...... James FleetMary ...... Jan RavensJoshua ...... Tony MaudsleyLord Brimshaw ...... Hugh DennisEmily ...... Penelope NiceProducer: Paul Mayhew-ArcherFirst broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 2004.
SAT 23:00 Mark Steel - Who Do I Think I Am? (b08drbx2)
"I've always known I was adopted, even before I knew where babies who weren't adopted came from."The surprising, moving and incredibly funny story about what Mark Steel discovered in his half-hearted attempt to navigate the red tape required to track down his birth mother.A special performance of his critically acclaimed stand-up show recorded at the BBC Radio Theatre, London."It never really bothered me that I'd never met my mum. It never occurred to me I needed to meet her to 'find out who I was', as it didn't seem likely I'd discover I was someone different to who I thought I was. Could it turn out I was three stone lighter than I thought, or I spoke Italian or supported Arsenal or had a fear of Liquorice Allsorts? But after the birth of my own son, I realised it's quite an event to have a child, and she may well remember giving birth to me, and maybe even the adoption..."Written and performed by Mark Steel. Producer: Carl CooperA BBC Studios Production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in 2017.