SATURDAY 14 DECEMBER 2019

SAT 00:00 William Gibson - Pattern Recognition (b007k21k)
Episode 5
'Coolhunter' Cayce travels to Moscow for an emotional encounter with the maker of "the footage" - the mysteriously compelling online film haunting web-surfers around the world.
But why is Cayce's boss at the ad agency so interested in it?
William Gibson's fast-moving thriller concluded by Lorelei King.
Abridged by Ron Roberts.
Producer: David Jackson Young.
Made for BBC 7 and first broadcast in February 2007.
SAT 00:30 Last Orders (b00qx1m5)
Episode 2
Conclusion of a two-part celebration of the pub landlord and landlady.
With pubs disappearing at the rate of more than three a day, signalling one of the most rapid cultural shifts of recent times, half a dozen landlords and landladies reflect on life as a licensee and explore what we're in danger of losing besides the beer and the buildings.
This rueful view from behind the bar includes reflections on the qualities of a good landlord or landlady; their role as community confessional and settler of tap room fights, dispenser of best bitter and pearls of wisdom.
We hear from old hands like Barbara, an ex-Bunny girl who runs the Grapes in London's Limehouse; Tetley Dave who fought a battle to keep the Shoulder of Mutton from closing in Castleford; Maureen from the Waggon and Horses at Langsett who's famous for her pies; ex miner Dennis from Barnsley, whose bête noir is health and safety; stand-up comedian Toby- who recalls lining up six pints apiece for the miners coming off shift at his auntie's pub in a Yorkshire pit village; and former Cambridge academic Tim, who's taken early retirement to open his first pub in York - the Phoenix- just as many others are shutting up shop.
How have these landlords and landladies kept their marriages together , living and working on the premises? How much of a tempatation was it to hit the top shelf and go for the optics after a hard day's graft behind the bar? Why do they think the pub can teach the next generation how to hold their drink. And how do they handle an objectionable customer without starting a wild-west barroom brawl?
Producer Lindsay Leonard.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 2010
SAT 01:00 Charles Paris: So Much Blood (m000c58m)
The Photo Call
An actor dies as thespian sleuth Charles Paris is rehearsing for the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
A stage dagger turns murderously into a real one...
Francis Matthews stars as Charles Paris.
Six-part thriller serial adapted from his book by Simon Brett.
Charles Paris ...... Francis Matthews
Brian Cassells ...... Hugh Laurie
Frances ...... Jennifer Hilary
James Milne ...... Alan McNaughtan
Maurice Skellern ...... Harry Landis
Pam Northcliffe ...... Sara Corper
Michael Vanderzee ...... Mark Wing-Davey
Martin Warburton ...... Michael Maloney
Willy Mariello ...... Billy McColl
Producer: Martin Fisher
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 1985.
SAT 01:30 In Search of the Holy Whale (b00xnynk)
In this sequel to In Search Of The Holy Quail, broadcaster Marc Riley and two more friends from the world of popular music, Richard Hawley and Jarvis Cocker, set out on a quirky quest to find some of the world's most spectacular and elusive sights.
Riley's whale-watching passion has taken him from Baja, Mexico to Iceland but in 2003 he discovered that some of the most amazing sights could be seen right on our doorstep in Skibereen, Ireland.
Keen to share his discovery, Marc persuades his curious friends to set sail on the very rough seas in the hope of an exhilarating encounter with these elusive creatures. As they struggle to find their sea legs our intrepid three contemplate life, the universe and the most important questions - how do you stop your glasses falling off and why shouldn't you sing to whales?
Producer: John Leonard
A Smooth Operations production first broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 2011.
SAT 02:00 Book at Bedtime (b07hj93g)
Graham Greene: The Third Man
Bloody fool
Harry Lime is very much alive, but no longer the heroic figure from Rollo Martins’ school days. In a snow-covered, war-torn Vienna, Rollo decides to confront his old friend over the terrible crimes he’s said to have committed. But, first he has to track him down....
Samuel West reads the final part of Graham Greene's classic thriller - the inspiration for the 1949 film, starring Orson Welles.
Author: Graham Greene
Reader: Samuel West
Abridger: Richard Hamilton
Producer: Justine Willett
Music from the original soundtrack written and performed by Anton Karas.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in June 2016.
SAT 02:15 Bone Stories (b0910svm)
Series 1
Man-eating Tiger
Evolutionary biologist Ben Garrod stares into the jaws of a man-eating tiger and learns how samples from the bones are providing vital evidence in understanding the role of predation on our evolutionary behaviour. Were our early ancestors primarily hunters or hunted?
Producer Sarah Blunt.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 2017.
SAT 02:30 15 Minute Drama (b019h2b6)
Edith Wharton - Ethan Frome
Episode 5
Mattie and Ethan take desperate measures not to be separated.
Ethan Frome ..... Dominic Mafham
Mattie ..... Jessica Raine
Zeena ..... Laurel Lefkow
Mrs Hale ..... Tracy Wiles
Edith Wharton ..... Fenella Woolgar
by Edith Wharton
dramatised by Lin Coghlan
Directed by Sally Avens
Ethan Frome is one of Edith Wharton's most enduring and powerful stories.
Set against the cold, grey, bleakness of a New England winter. Ethan Frome scrapes a living from his woodlot whilst trapped in an unhappy marriage with his hypochondriac wife, Zeena. A ray of light enters Ethan's life when his wife's cousin Mattie arrives to help. His life is transformed as he falls in love with Mattie but their fate is determined by their circumstances and the stifling conventions of the time.
Ethan Frome was deemed shocking when first published as it appeared to condone infidelity. What many readers did not know was that many of the novella's themes mirrored real events in the life of Edith Wharton. Her own story is told in 'The Jinx Element' that explores her own sexless marriage and a passionate affair that begun when she was 47.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 2012.
SAT 02:45 Book of the Week (b05nvb6f)
Boundless
Episode 5
As the passengers prepare for journey's end, there is an unscheduled stop.
Teresa Gallagher concludes Kathleen Winter's story of her journey as the Writer-in-Residence on a boat travelling through the Northwest Passage, and how the voyage became as much an exploration of her own roots as a venture into the arctic ice fields.
Kathleen Winter was born in Bill Quay, near Gateshead. When she was still young, the family emigrated to Newfoundland. Winter, who now lives in Montreal, was a TV scriptwriter and a newspaper columnist before turning her hand to short stories. Her first collection of stories - 'boYs' - was published in 2007 and her first novel 'Annabel' came out three years later.
'Annabel' was shortlisted for the three main Canadian literary prizes in 2010 - the Scotiabank Giller Prize, the Rogers' Writers' Trust Prize and the Governor General's Award. Boundless was shortlisted for the RBC Taylor Award for non-fiction.
Abridged by Pete Nichols
Producer: Karen Rose
A Sweet Talk production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in March 2015.
SAT 03:00 Grossman's War (b014qxbd)
Life and Fate
A Hero of the Soviet Union
November, 1942. Krymov denounces Grekov as an enemy of the state.
After speeches marking the 25th anniversary of the Revolution at which he is cold-shouldered by his colleagues, he slips out to find Stepan Spiridonov at the Central Power Station. He recalls the heady days of 1917 and Lenin's funeral and compares those ideals with the days of the show-trials.
Kenneth Branagh, Janet Suzman, David Tennant, Kenneth Cranham, Greta Scacchi and Harriet Walter star Vasily Grossman's epic saga.
Nikolai Krymov ..... David Tennant
Stepan Spiridonov ..... Kenneth Cranham
Pryakhin ..... Gerard McDermott
Pavel Andreyev ..... Malcolm Tierney
Ogibalov ..... Carl Prekopp
Makuladze ..... James Lailey
Dramatised by Jonathan Myerson.
Original music by John Hardy with Rob Whitehead.
Translated by Robert Chandler.
Director: Alison Hindell
Set against the ferocious Battle of Stalingrad, Life and Fate is a sweeping historical tale that charts the fate of both a nation and a family in the turmoil of war and is increasingly hailed as the most important Russian novel of the 20th century. Its comparison of Stalinism with Nazism was considered by Soviet authorities to be so dangerous that the manuscript itself was arrested and Grossman was told that it would not be published for at least 200 years. He died in 1964, never knowing that his book would be smuggled to the West and eventually published in 1980.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 2011.
SAT 03:15 Grossman's War (b014qxbs)
Life and Fate
Krymov in Moscow
Moscow, Winter 1942. Commissar Nikolai Krymov has been denounced and arrested. He's taken to the dreaded Lubyanka prison in Moscow: a place where, in the past, he has denounced others.
Meanwhile his ex-wife Zhenya arrives in Moscow, to stay with Viktor and Lyuda, and to face the consequences of her actions.
Kenneth Branagh and David Tennant star in Vasily Grossman's epic saga.
Commissar Nikolai Krymov ..... David Tennant
Viktor Shtrum ..... Kenneth Branagh
Lyuda Shaposhnikova ..... Greta Scacchi
Zhenya Shaposhnikova ..... Raquel Cassidy
Marya Sokolova ..... Harriet Walter
Nadya ..... Ellie Kendrick
Katsenelenbogen ..... Ewan Bailey
NKVD Interrogator ..... Elliot Levey
With Simon Bubb, Elaine Claxton, Jonathan Forbes, James Lailey, Gerard McDermott, Chris Pavlo, Peter Polycarpou, Carl Prekopp, Alun Raglan and Susie Riddell
Dramatised by Jonathan Myerson.
Directors: Alison Hindell and Jonquil Panting
Producer: Alison Hindell
Set against the ferocious Battle of Stalingrad, Vasily Grossman's huge novel charts the fate of both a nation and a family in the turmoil of war and is increasingly hailed as the most important Russian novel of the 20th century. Its comparison of Stalinism with Nazism was considered by Soviet authorities to be so dangerous that the manuscript itself was arrested. Grossman died in 1964, never knowing that his book would be smuggled to the West and eventually published in 1980.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 2011.
SAT 04:00 It's Not What You Know (b0640pnx)
Series 3
Episode 6
Who does Susan Calman often get mistaken for? What does Vernon Kay consider his career lowlight? What's the naughtiest thing Sara Pascoe did as a child?
All these burning questions, and more, will be answered in the show hosted by Miles Jupp, where panellists are tested on how well they know their nearest and dearest.
In this case, comedian Susan Calman picks her friend, presenter Vernon Kay picks his old university pal, and comedian Sara Pascoe chooses her mum.
Producer: Matt Stronge.
SAT 04:30 The Phenomenon Squad (b084p6qt)
Fraud
The undercover police squad try to foil a massive art fraud. But Crispin Pollock has other ideas.
Roy Kinnear and Simon Cadell star in Michael Snelgrove’s sitcom about the less-than-competent leader of a crack undercover police squad.
Supt Brabazon ...... Roy Kinnear
Endicott-Heap ...... Simon Cadell
Sigaloff ...... Royce Mills
WPI Nutkins ...... Susie Blake
MacTooley ...... Alex Norton
Humby ...... Stephen Frost
Crispin ...... Stephen Tomkinson
Mother ...... Julie Berry
Producer: Jonathan James-Moore
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 1987.
SAT 05:00 1834 (b011db7v)
The Time Machine
Jason decides the invention of the toasted sandwich maker will sort out his new 19th-century life.
21st-century teacher, Jason Slater, is coming to terms with waking up in 19th-century Macclesfield.
In Jim Poyser's riotous comedy of transportation and delight, Jason is now Tarquin, third son of Lord Belport with a faithful valet, Ned.
Jason Slater ...... Michael Begley
Ned ...... Joe Caffrey
Hoskins ...... Kenneth Alan Taylor
Lord Belport ...... Mark Chatterton
Stubbs ...... Glenn Cunningham
Millicent ...... Julia Rounthwaite
Directed at BBC Manchester by Polly Thomas.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in June 2003.
SAT 05:30 Fred at The Stand (b09cz4d4)
Series 1
Johns, Storrie, Brister and Graffoe
Fred MacAulay introduces some of the funniest comedians in the UK doing what they do best - pure stand-up comedy. Recorded at The Stand Comedy Club in Edinburgh.
This week, Dave Johns tells tales of coping with stardom following the success of I, Daniel Blake, Glaswegian Ashley Storrie tries to get one over her father at Christmas time, Jen Brister is proud to not to be a biological mother, and Boothby Graffoe is himself and cares not what anyone thinks.
A Dabster production for BBC Radio 4.
SAT 06:00 David Buck - Barnsdale Wake (b05nxrtc)
In the heart of an English forest, King Richard I is encamped with a group of soldiers, prior to moving against a hunted enemy. To entertain his men, he orders two of his ballad singers to recount tales and legends of Robin Hood.
A Ballad play of the life and times of Robin Hood by David Buck.
Robin Hood ...... Bernard Hill
King Richard ...... Julian Glover
Prentis ...... David Timson
Serjeant ...... John Hollis
Blundel ...... Denis Quilley
Boy ...... Simon Hunt
Little John ...... Nigel Graham
Will Scarlet ...... Henry Stamper
Alan-a-Dale ...... Nigel Anthony
Friar ...... Alan Dudley
Much ...... Timothy Bateson
Characters in Ballads:
Bishop of Hereford ...... Timothy Bateson
Bishop of Pontefract ...... Steve Hodson
Scarlock ...... David Peart
Much ...... James Bryce
The Sheriff ...... Michael Bilton
Monk/Foster ...... Peter Tuddenham
Prioress ...... Simon Hunt
Music by Jim Parker.
Musicians: Francis Baines, Philip Thorby and Christopher Wilson
Director: Martin Jenkins.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 1983.
SAT 07:30 Recycled Radio (b04d1kvd)
Series 2
Hell
Welcome to the chopped up, looped up, sped up world of Recycled Radio, old BBC broadcasts turned into something new.
Cartoonist Scarfe scavenges round his studio for depictions of the fiery realms of Satan, Hades and Mephistopheles, otherwise known as Recycled Hell.
This is the archive hour at breakneck speed, and our journey to the underworld makes surprising visits to both Glastonbury and Heathrow Terminal 5. Expect to hear from Dante, Milton and Eddie Mair, along with Tony Blair, Melvyn Bragg and Germaine Greer.
Fun, silly, thoughtful radio about a place that exerts an enormous grip on the imagination of people everywhere.
Producer: Miles Warde.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 2014.
SAT 08:00 Archive on 4 (b05jbcf7)
Remembering Sue Townsend, Aged 68 ¾
"Went out to feed the pig, and saw Townsend being driven along the lane, in her vulgar purple Rolls Royce. She waved, I didn't wave back." @AdrianMole, Jan 19, 2012
In 1970, Sue Townsend was a single mother of three with three jobs. While her children were asleep she secretly wrote semi-autobiographical prose and poetry, which she showed no-one.
In 1980, a young actor asked Sue Townsend if she had anything he could use in an audition for 'Huckleberry Finn' – she gave him some handwritten entries of a diary of Nigel Mole
By 1990 Sue Townsend had become the bestselling author of the 1980's in terms of individual books – out-stripping Jeffrey Archer, Jackie Collins and Barbara Taylor Bradford
Sue Townsend died in 2014. Her legacy of one of the country's greatest comic writers is explored through her own interviews and through her many works (from her 1979 play 'Womberang' to her 2012 bestselling novel 'The Woman Who Went To Bed For A Year'). Excerpts include unpublished and previously unperformed TV soap, 'The Spinney'
Also on hand are: her first and last publishers, Geoffrey Strachan and Louise Moore; theatre director and co-writer Carole Hayman; friend and agent Jane Villiers; and the man who since 1978 stood by her but consistently shunned her limelight, her husband – the normally silent Colin Broadway
Presented by Pearce Quigley, the most recent Adrian Mole on the BBC – the "representative voice from Middle England" who in 2007 was commissioned to present a feature on Tony Blair's ten years as prime minister.
Producer: Paul Kobrak
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 2014.
SAT 09:00 Somebody Laughed: Eddie Braben Brings You Sunshine (b007lm74)
The man who brought sunshine to Eric and Ernie brings some golden rays into your ears - selecting shows what he wrote:
Most famed for his close working with relationship with evergreen double act Eric Morecambe and Ernie Wise, Eddie Braben penned some of their most famous lines.
Of course, that wasn't the only string to his bow – other beneficiaries of his strong comic writing include Ken Dodd and Jimmy Cricket, whose work also features. Eddie himself also steps into the spotlight to helm his own vehicle the Worst Show on the Wireless – joined by Alison Steadman. In between, he reminisces about radio and what it has meant to him.
* Morecambe and Wise (December 1977)
* The Show With Ten Legs (February 1977)
* The Ken Dodd Show - Star Parade (July 1963)
* Jimmy's Cricket Team (June 1991)
* The Worst Show in the Wireless (February 1975)
* The Morecambe and Wise Christmas Show (December 1977)
When Eddie Braben passed away at the age of 82 in May 2013, Bruce Forsyth was one of those keen to pay tribute. Eddie began his writing career penning jokes on the back of paper bags on a fruit and veg stall.
Producer: Martin Dempsey
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 Extra in May 2007.
SAT 12:00 Just a Minute (b01lhbgx)
Series 64
Episode 1
Join Nicholas Parsons and friends for the first of another series of the grandaddy of all panel games.
Panellists Paul Merton, Sue Perkins, Liza Tarbuck and Graham Norton join Nicholas for the verbal equivalent of the Olympics. It's an energetic game this week - but who will win gold medal for the greatest gift of the gab?
Paul talks about The Biggest Fib he Ever Told, Sue Perkins divulges a lot of information about her Famous Friends, Liza Tarbuck speaks knowledgeably on the subject of Fake Tan and Graham Norton gives his tips on How To Annoy The Audience.
Producer: Claire Jones
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 2016.
SAT 12:30 Stilgoe's Around (b007k3xj)
City of London
Richard Stilgoe goes into Britain's financial heartland to dispel the myths of money making.
With Belinda Lang, Tim Piggott Smith, Charles Collingwood and Kathryn Tickell.
Written by Richard Stilgoe.
Producer: Neil Cargill
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 1989.
SAT 13:00 The Country Girls (m000c98x)
Series 3 (Omnibus)
It's the 1960's. Kate and Baba are living in London, with enough to eat, married, dissatisfied.
The third book in Edna O'Brien's frank, funny and subversive trilogy.
Omnibus adapted by Lin Coghlan
Baba ..... Aoibhinn McGinnity
Kate ..... Charlie Murphy
Frank ..... Branwell Donaghey
Eugene ..... Jonathan Forbes
Duncan ..... Paul Hickey
Cash ..... Alfie Todd
Directed by Sally Avens and Jessica Dromgoole
First broadcast in five parts on BBC Radio 4 in 2019.
SAT 14:10 Inheritance Tracks (m000c98z)
Jonathan Van Ness
Jonathan Van Ness of Queer Eye and YouTube’s Gay of Thrones picks ‘You Gotta Be’ by Des'ree and ‘Dream Big’ by Jazmine Sullivan.
SAT 14:15 Down Your Way (m000c991)
Muriel Gray in Glasgow
Broadcaster and author Muriel Gray visits Glasgow, exploring how her childhood city is responding to new challenges.
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: Kate Whitehead
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 1990.
SAT 15:00 Archive on 4 (b05jbcf7)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
SAT 16:00 David Buck - Barnsdale Wake (b05nxrtc)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
SAT 17:30 Recycled Radio (b04d1kvd)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
SAT 18:00 Ray Bradbury - The Shape of Things to Come (b0499l5n)
The crew aboard shape ship ‘Venturer’ blast off from Cape Canaveral, but disaster awaits them in deep space along with some hard decisions...
Ray Bradbury's own adaptation of his short story from ‘The Illustrated Man’.
Hollis ...... Tom Watson
Applegate ...... Finaly Welsh
Stone ...... Rebecca Hawking
Stimson ...... John Yule
Lespere ...... Stuart McQuarrie
Barklay ...... Neil Shackleton
Woode ...... John Adam Baker
Houston Control ...... Lynn Bains
Director: Hamish Wilson
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 1991.
SAT 18:45 E Nesbit - Hurst of Hurstcote (b007jmyy)
"John! John! Let me go! For Heaven's sake let me go! Then she fell back dead."
John Hurst's murky past returns to haunt him when his wife dies unexpectedly of marsh fever.
Linus Roach reads E Nesbit’s Gothic Horror story.
Producer: Gemma Jenkins
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 1996.
SAT 19:00 Somebody Laughed: Eddie Braben Brings You Sunshine (b007lm74)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
SAT 22:00 It's Jocelyn (b08gy87v)
Series 2
Friends
Jocelyn talks about friendship, Princess Pay As You Go gets into podcasting and the traffic wardens have a meeting about a meeting.
Series two of sketches and stand-up from the wonderful mind of Jocelyn Jee Esien.
With Paul Whitehouse as a cockney funeral director, plus the vocal talents of Ninia Benjamin, Curtis Walker, Dee Kaate, Gavi Chera and Karen Bartke.
Producer: Suzy Grant
A BBC Studios production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in March 2017.
SAT 22:30 Revolting People (b00ww9fh)
Series 4
Episode 6
The deserters lobby King George III over the war, and McGurk has plans. 1775 America sitcom stars Andy Hamilton. From June 2006.
SAT 23:00 Colin Hoult's Carnival of Monsters (b037j6vl)
Series 1
Episode 4
Master character comedian Colin Hoult presents his much anticipated debut comedy series for BBC Radio 4. Enter the Carnival of Monsters, a bizarre and hilarious world of sketches, stories and characters, presented by the sinister Ringmaster.
Meet such monstrous yet strangely familiar oddities as: Thwor - the mighty (but Leeds-based) god of Thwunder; Len Parker - Nottingham-born martial arts and transformers enthusiast; Anna Mann - outrageous star of such forgotten silver screen hits such as 'Rogue Baker', 'Who's For Turkish Delight' and 'A Bowl For My Bottom'; and many more.
Writers Guild Award-winner Colin Hoult is best known for his highly acclaimed starring roles in 'Being Human', 'Life's Too Short', and 'Russell Howard's Good News', as well as his many hit shows at the Edinburgh Festival. He has also appeared and written for a number of Radio 4 series including 'The Headset Set' and 'Colin and Fergus' Digi-Radio'.
'Lewis Carol meets The League Of Gentlemen . A beautifully staged masterclass in character comedy' - Time Out
'Comic gold' - Metro
'Delightfully funny' - The Telegraph
Produced by Sam Bryant.
SAT 23:30 Ross Noble Goes Global (b01cvr0t)
Series 2
Egypt
The comedian entertains bewildered Bedouins in the desert and ponders the merits of doing a wildlife show. From May 2003.