SATURDAY 20 JUNE 2020

SAT 00:00 Paradise Lost in Cyberspace (b007jphb)
Episode 6
The future of the OAPs and, indeed, of the whole of civilisation, hangs in the balance.
Stephen Moore stars in the conclusion of Colin Swash's dystopian comedy set in 22nd-century Britain.
George ...... Stephen Moore
Doris ...... Patsy Byrne
O'Connell ...... Geoffrey McGivern
Mrs Cookson ...... Edna Dore
Andrea Sunbeam ...... Lorelei King
Other parts played by Melanie Hudson, Joanna Brookes, Christopher Douglas, Peter Serafinowcz and Lewis MacLeod.
Producer: Richard Wilson.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 1998.
SAT 00:30 Off the Page (b0076xl3)
Mustn't Grumble
Dominic Arkwright discusses the art of complaining with Tom Winsor, Neil Herron and comic Mark Little. From 2006.
SAT 01:00 Dixon of Dock Green (b0169l6n)
Series 2
Little Boy Blue
PC George Dixon and PC Andy Crawford investigate a break-in at Dock Green's local pinball palace.
Is one-time bad boy Geoff back to his old ways?
Radio revival of BBC TV's famous copper starring David Calder and Hamish Clark.
Written for TV by Ted Willis and adapted for radio by Sue Rodwell
George Dixon ...... David Calder
Andy Crawford ...... Hamish Clark
Geoff ...... Tom Lawrence
Annie ...... Hayley Doherty
Benny ...... Dan Winter
Tony ...... Michael Carolan
Taffy Davies ...... Matthew Thomas
Director: Viv Beeby
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 2006.
SAT 01:30 Dick Francis (b011qm8r)
Whip Hand
5. The Finish
Sid Halley believes he knows the truth behind the doping and phoney racing syndicates, but dare he reveal it?
Mick Ford stars in the conclusion of Dick Francis's thriller set in the world of horse-racing.
Dramatised by Alan England.
Sid Halley ...... Mick Ford
Chico Barnes ...... Kim Durham
Rosemary Caspar ...... Patricia Gallimore
Charles ...... Simon Carter
Trevor Deansgate ...... Terry Molloy
Rammileese ...... Andy Hockley
Ullaston ...... Geoff Serle
Jenny ...... Petra Markham
Mark Rammileese ...... Philip Molloy
George Casper ...... Alan Devereux
Producer: Philip Martin
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 1991.
SAT 02:00 Wordaholics (b01cvk8d)
Series 1
Episode 3
Wordaholics is the comedy panel game all about words.
Gyles Brandreth presides as Susie Dent, Natalie Haynes, Jack Whitehall and Milton Jones vie for supremacy in the ring.
Wordaholics is clever, intelligent, witty and unexpected. There are toponyms, abbreviations, euphemisms, old words, new words, cockney rhyming slang, Greek gobbledegook, plus the panellists' picks of the ugliest and the most beautiful words: the whole world of words.
Writers: Jon Hunter and James Kettle
Producer: Claire Jones.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 2012.
SAT 02:30 King of Bath (b045q4t8)
By Any Other Name
No self-respecting Bath heiress would join the travelling players, but when one does, Beau Nash comes to the rescue.
Six-part comedy drama series by Arnold Evans casting the 18th-century dandy Richard 'Beau' Nash in a series of adventures.
Beau Nash ...... David Bamber
Annie ...... Eiry Thomas
Lucy ...... Lynn Seymour
Dr Cheyne ...... Andrew Wincott
Hazlitt ...... Peter Gunn
Fanny ...... Alice Arnold
Composer: John Hardy.
Directed at BBC Wales by Alison Hindell
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 1999.
SAT 03:00 Inspector Resnick (b09qjb6p)
Wasted Years
Episode 1
1992: Two violent robberies force Detective Inspector Resnick to relive memories of 10 years ago.
Tom Wilkinson stars as jazz-loving DI Charlie Resnick in John Harvey's two-part dramatisation of his own novel.
Wasted Years is one of a series of police thrillers set in the industrial wasteland of Nottingham in the 1980s and 1990s.
DI Resnick .... Tom Wilkinson
Millington .... Sean Baker
Elaine .... Jennie Stoller
Ruth ....Gillian Bevan
Kevin .....Daniel Ryan
Lynn..... Kate Eaton
Rains..... Stephen Critchlow
Rylands.... John Turner
Lorna ....Melanie Hudson
Keith ....Tom Bevan
Darren .... Gavin Abbott
Prior... John Hartley
Pam .... Sandra James-Young
Mary .... Becky Hindley
Marjorie .... Zulema Dene
Barrister.... Andrew Branch
Christine .... Jilly Bond
Director: David Hunter
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 1995.
SAT 04:00 Podcast Radio Hour (m000k2gg)
Pride podcasts and Refugee week
Amanda Litherland and Scott Bryan recommend great podcasts and speak to their creators.
First, a selection of new series:
Boom/Bust: The Rise and Fall of HQ Trivia (The Ringer)
Nut Jobs (Audible)
The Stubborn Light of Things (Melissa Harrison)
Changes with Annie Mac
Her Spirit Podcasts
And as we are in the middle of Pride month, some recommended LGBTQ+ listening from:
Pride And Joy (BBC Sounds)
Anthems - Pride (Broccoli Content)
I'm Grand Mam
Growing Up With Galdem
Then we speak to podcaster and refugee Abdulwahab Tahan about his new series Integrate That, launched as part of UK Refugee Week. We hear how the podcast tells stories with refugee voices front and centre.
And continuing our review of some of this year's nominations for the British Podcast Awards, we hear who is nominated in the Best Entertainment category:
George Ezra & Friends
Help I Sexted My Boss
No Country For Young Women
Off Menu with Ed Gamble and James Acaster
Sam Walker's Desert Diaries
Something Rhymes with Purple
SAT 05:00 Man at the Helm (b07wt9c4)
Episode 1
Nina Stibbe’s comic novel set in 1970s Leicestershire about the madcap schemes of three kids to cheer up their recently divorced mum Elizabeth.
Struggling to cope, she's taken to drinking and compulsive playwriting – neither of which impresses villagers already deeply suspicious of an attractive divorcee. Top of their list is to find her a new man in the hope that it will appease the hostile locals.
Adapted in four-parts by Amanda Whittington.
Lizzie ….. Eloise Webb
Amy….. Fern Deacon
Little Jack ….. Ben Barker
Elizabeth ….. Amanda Hale
Mr Lomax ….. Jason Barnett
Dad ….. James Lailey
Mrs Longlady ….. Elizabeth Bennett
Mrs Worth ….. Adie Allen
Director: Gemma Jenkins
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 2016.
SAT 05:30 Cabin Pressure (b00cqhr3)
Series 1
Edinburgh
Sitcom about the pilots of a tiny charter airline for whom no job is too small, but many, many jobs are too difficult.
A very special passenger makes Douglas grovel, Martin crawl, Carolyn frisk and Arthur cry. And drink nail-varnish
Carolyn Knapp-Shappey ...... Stephanie Cole
1st Officer Douglas Richardson ...... Roger Allam
Captain Martin Crieff ...... Benedict Cumberbatch
Arthur Shappey ...... John Finnemore
Mr Birling ...... Geoffrey Whitehead
Philip ...... Adam G Goodwin
Written by John Finnemore
Produced & directed by David Tyler
A Pozzitive production for the BBC
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2008.
SAT 06:00 JB Priestley - I Have Been Here Before (b04hbyf4)
A group of people thrown together by chance when they decide to stay at a remote Yorkshire inn, discover that they're so inter-dependent that a decision taken by any one of them is likely to have a profound effect on the lives of the others.
Have they lived through the experience before? Is there a chance to make different decisions this time?
One of JB Priestley’s trio of ‘Time’ plays - inspired by the concept of whatever happens has already taken place many times over and will do so again...
Sally Pratt.... Lesley Nichol
Sam Shipley .... George A. Cooper
Dr Gortler.... Geoffrey Banks
Walter Ormund ... Ronald Baddiley
Janet Ormund .... Susan Tracy
Oliver Ferrant... Alan Rothwell
Director: Alfred Bradley.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 1984.
SAT 07:30 Great Lives (b04wv045)
Series 35
Philippa Langley on Richard III
When Philippa Langley and other members of the Richard III Society helped to discover the body of the king in a Leicester car park, Richard's life once again became a hotly contested debating point. Philippa joins Matthew Parris to defend Richard III as a Great Life, with expert witness and Richard biographer Annette Carson. Can the man who may have been responsible for the disappearance of the Princes in the Tower really be described as "great"? Or was he the victim of Tudor propaganda and Shakespearian slander?
Producer Christine Hall
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2015.
SAT 08:00 Counterpoint (b00kj2f2)
Series 23
2009 Semi-final 3
Paul Gambaccini chairs the general knowledge music quiz.
The questions cover every aspect of music - from the classical repertoire to world music, show tunes, film scores, jazz, rock and pop.
Three contestants battle it out in the third and last semi-final of the contest:
Andrew Feltham from Kent
Richard Grothusen from Blackpool, Lancashire
David Roy from Hertfordshire
Producer: Paul Bajoria
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 2009.
SAT 08:30 Rent (b04dg72g)
Series 1
Episode 3
Student lodgers Paul and Ruby's scheme to cash in on some treasure found in the attic causes a panic.
House share comedy about taking in lodgers written by Lucy Flannery.
Maria ...... Barbara Flynn
Richard ...... Patrick Barlow
Amy ...... Linda Polan
Ruby ...... Diane Louise-Jordan
Paul ...... Toby Longworth
Producer: Liz Anstee.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 1993.
SAT 09:00 Comedy Greats (b007k35z)
1990s
Episode 1
Decade by decade, Barry Cryer showcases some of the funniest and finest shows ever broadcast by the BBC.
Yo! Well wicked Baz presents six fave shows plucked from the 1990s schedules of BBC Radio 4 and BBC Radio 5:-
* A Look Back At The Nineties
(2/5) 1996:
Recorded in 1993 - Brian Perkins, Kate Robbins and Chris Barrie "look back" at the decade that was yet to happen.
* Hair in the Gate
Series 1 (3/6)
Camilla revamps the TV arts show to keep her cutting edge lover. Stars Harriet Thorpe and Alistair McGowan. From 1993.
* The Now Show
Series 3 (4/13)
Steve Punt and Hugh Dennis poke fun at events of 1999 via sketches, songs and stand-up. With Bert Tyler-Moore, George Jeffrie, Mitch Benn and Marcus Brigstocke.
* Goodness Gracious Me
Series 3 (6/6)
'The Archers' and 'The Waltons' with a twist and The Minx Twins tackle feminism. Stars Sanjeev Bhaskar, Meera Syal, Nina Wadia and Kulvinder Ghir. From 1998.
* On The Town With The League of Gentlemen
(4/6) Gunpowder, Treason and Plot
The eccentric locals of the town of Spent get an unusual new guy for the bonfire. Pre-TV sitcom with Steve Pemberton, Mark Gatiss and Reece Shearsmith. From 1997.
* On The Hour
Series 2 (5/6)
Ireland hits the headlines, as the programme celebrates its 33rd birthday. Chris Morris fronts the news satire. With Steve Coogan, David Schneider, Rebecca Front, Doon Mackichan and Patrick Marber. From 1992.
Produced and scripted by Peter Reed
Made for BBC 7 and first broadcast in July 2003.
SAT 12:00 Albert and Me (b007k0dw)
Series 2
A Moving Story
Single dad Bryan tries to get a loan to move house, but it's not simple.
Stars Robert Lindsay and Pat Coombs.
Robert Lindsay takes over as the single parent struggling to find work and raise his baby son.
In the original 1977 series, Bryan was played by the late Richard Beckinsale who tragically died in 1979. After a six-year hiatus, the series returned with Bryan's mother and baby Albert played once again by the ever-versatile Pat Coombs.
Bryan Archer ...... Robert Lindsay
Mum/Albert ...... Pat Coombs
Mrs Willis ...... Diana King
Mr Benson ...... John Arnatt
Mrs Hagger ...... Dllys Laye
Ron ...... Larry Martyn
Mary ...... Rosalind Adams
Mr Tibbies ...... Roland MacLeod
Incidental music by Max Harris.
Producer: John Fawcett Wilson
First broadcast on BBC Radio 2 in March 1983.
SAT 12:30 The Goon Show (b008p7by)
Series 6
The Pevensey Bay Disaster
To foil Grytpype-Thynne and Moriarty, Neddie Seagoon must plough his way to the Sussex coast.
Groundbreaking, surreal BBC radio comedy written by Spike Milligan and Eric Sykes.
Starring:
Peter Sellers
Harry Secombe
Spike Milligan
First billed as Crazy People, ten series of The Goon Show were recorded between 1951 and 1960, but sadly many of the earliest shows weren’t kept in the archive.
With the Ray Ellington Quartet and Max Geldray.
Orchestra conducted by Wally Stott.
Announcer: Wallace Greenslade
Producer: Peter Eton
First broadcast on the BBC Home Service in April 1956.
SAT 13:00 Dick Francis (b011pp7t)
Whip Hand
1. Swindler
Disabled ex-champion jumping jockey turned investigator Sid Halley faces a daunting treble:
* Guard the Guineas favourite
* Investigate a dubious racing syndicate
* Find the man who's swindled his ex-wife.
Dick Francis's thriller set in the world of horse-racing stars Mick Ford.
Dramatised in five parts by Alan England.
Sid Halley ...... Mick Ford
George Caspar ...... Alan Devereux
Unwin ...... David Vann
Chico Barnes ...... Kim Durham
Rosemary Caspar ...... Patricia Gallimore
Jenny ...... Petra Markha
Charles ...... Simon Carter
Trevor Deansgate ...... Terry Molloy
Other parts played by Susan Sheridan and David Neal.
Producer: Philip Martin
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 1991.
SAT 13:30 Dick Francis (b011psk5)
Whip Hand
2. Hide Out
When the favourite for the Newmarket 2000 Guineas was nobbled, why was Sid Halley hiding out in Paris?
Dick Francis's thriller set in the world of horse-racing stars Mick Ford.
Dramatised by Alan England.
Sid Halley ...... Mick Ford
George Caspar ...... Alan Devereux
Unwin ...... David Vann
Chico Barnes ...... Kim Durham
Rosemary Caspar ...... Patricia Gallimore
Jenny ...... Petra Markha
Charles ...... Simon Carter
Trevor Deansgate ...... Terry Molloy
Martin England ...... Christopher England
Other parts played by Susan Sheridan and David Neal.
Producer: Philip Martin
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 1991.
SAT 14:00 Dick Francis (b011q9fm)
Whip Hand
3. Threats
Determined Sid Halley returns to England determined to overcome threats made against him by a gang of racecourse dopers.
Dick Francis's thriller set in the world of horse-racing stars Mick Ford.
Dramatised by Alan England.
Sid Halley ...... Mick Ford
Unwin ...... David Vann
Chico Barnes ...... Kim Durham
Rosemary Caspar ...... Patricia Gallimore
Jenny ...... Petra Markha
Charles ...... Simon Carter
Trevor Deansgate ...... Terry Molloy
Rammileese ...... Andy Hockley
Mark Rammileese ...... Philip Molloy
John Viking ...... James Simmonds
Ullaston ...... Geoff Serle
Other parts played by David Neal.
Producer: Philip Martin
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 1991.
SAT 14:30 Dick Francis (b011qflj)
Whip Hand
4. Connections
Sid Halley must probe a link between cauliflowers and pig disease - and the loss of three champion racehorses.
Dick Francis's thriller set in the world of horse-racing stars Mick Ford.
Dramatised by Alan England.
Sid Halley ...... Mick Ford
Chico Barnes ...... Kim Durham
Rosemary Caspar ...... Patricia Gallimore
Charles ...... Simon Carter
Rammileese ...... Andy Hockley
Ullaston ...... Geoff Serle
Arnadale ...... David Vann
Louise ...... Susan Sheridan
Martin England ...... Christopher England
Other parts played by David Neal.
Producer: Philip Martin
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 1991.
SAT 15:00 Dick Francis (b011qm8r)
[Repeat of broadcast at 01:30 today]
SAT 15:30 A Good Read (b00rdzv6)
Robert Service and Valentina Polukhina
Two specialists of Russian history and literature, Robert Service and Valentina Polukhina, join Sue MacGregor to discuss books by Mary Renault, Elena Shvarts and Anthony Burgess.
The King Must Die by Mary Renault
Publisher. Arrow Books
Birdsong on the Seabed by Elena Shvarts
Publisher: Bloodaxe
A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess (see compliance notes)
Publisher: Penguin Modern Classics
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 2010.
SAT 16:00 JB Priestley - I Have Been Here Before (b04hbyf4)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
SAT 17:30 Great Lives (b04wv045)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
SAT 18:00 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (b0076rvl)
Quandary Phase
Fit the Twenty-First
Now an item, Arthur and Fenchurch head for California to discover what happened to the dolphins.
Written by Douglas Adams
The Book …. William Franklyn
Arthur Dent …. Simon Jones
Prostentnic Vogon Jeltz ….Toby Longworth
Ford Prefect …. Geoff McGivern
Fenchurch …. Jane Horrocks
Murray Bost Henson …. Stephen Fry
East River Creature …. Jackie Mason
Vogon Councillor …. Dominic Hawksley
Steward …. Simon Greenall
Mrs Kapelsen …. Margaret Robertson
Vogon Clerk …. Michael Cule
Wonko the Sane (John Watson) …. Christian Slater
Music by Philip Pope and Paul ‘Wix’ Wickens
Adapted and Directed by Dirk Maggs
Produced by Helen Chattwell and Bruce Hyman
An Above the Title production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in May 2005.
SAT 18:30 Ray Bradbury's Tales of the Bizarre (b007jlvj)
Series 2
The Scythe
A young farmer gets more than he bargained for when he stumbles across a seemingly deserted farm.
Strange and chilling tales from the award-winning master of thrillers Ray Bradbury, who tops and tails these radio dramatisations in his own inimitable style.
Drew ...... John Guerrasio
Molly ...... Briony Glassco
John ...... Hugh Dickson
Suzie ...... Barbara Barnes
Walt ...... Barclay Wright
Other parts played by the cast.
Producer: Tabitha Potts.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 1997.
SAT 19:00 Comedy Greats (b007k35z)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
SAT 22:00 Mark Watson's Live Address to the Nation (b016lgkl)
Strength
Mark Watson reignites his quest to improve the world, nimbly assisted by Tim Key and Tom Basden.
As broadcast live in November 2011 - Mark invites the audience join in via tweets and messages to work out how we can all make the world a better place.
Asking the big questions crucial to our understanding of ourselves and society - Mark kicks off with a look at "Strength".
Strength comes in many forms. We all need to be strong sometimes in life, whether we're dealing with an emotional fall-out or carrying a really heavy dog to the vet's. Some have inner strength, like people who survive divorce etc; some have outer strength, like guys who pull buses with their teeth in competitions.
But can strength be - ironically - a weakness? Strength can have its downsides. Our fondness for displays of strength has led to disastrous episodes like wars breaking out and 'Gladiators' being brought back. Mr Strong, in the Mr Men books, got strong by eating a barn full of eggs, but must have suffered terrible side-effects. How can we be strong, but remain human?
Mark Watson is a multi-award winning comedian, including the inaugural If.Comedy Panel Prize 2006. He is assisted by Tim Key, winner of Edinburgh Comedy Awards 2009 and Tom Basden who won the If.Comedy Award for Best Newcomer 2007.
Producer: Lianne Coop.
First broadcast live on BBC Radio 4 in November 2011.
SAT 22:30 Chain Reaction (b08g4h8h)
Series 12
Katherine Ryan Interviews Sara Pascoe
Katherine Ryan turns interviewer and invites her chosen guest Sara Pascoe into the Chain Reaction hot seat.
Chain Reaction is the talk show with a twist where one week's interviewee becomes the next week's interviewer. John Cleese was first in the hot seat back in 1991 and since then, a procession of big names from the world of comedy and entertainment including Jennifer Saunders, Jarvis Cocker and Eddie Izzard have helped continue the chain.
Katherine Ryan is a Canadian stand-up star and presenter who is perhaps best known for her live stand-up work - 'Glam Role Model' and 'Kathbum' - as well as appearances on BBC2's Episodes and Taskmaster on Dave. As revealed in her chat with Joe Lycett in the last episode in the Chain, Katherine has a cat called Sara Pascoe and so her choice of interview guest for this week's episode was perhaps never in doubt.
Sara Pascoe (the human) is a comedian, writer and actor known for her acclaimed live shows - Sara Pascoe the Musical and Sara Pascoe vs History to name just two - as well as numerous high profile TV appearances on programmes ranging from Live at the Apollo, Never Mind The Buzzcocks and W1A. Her debut book Animal: The Autobiography of a Female Body was released in 2016. In this programme Katherine and Sara, who both started stand-up in 2007, discuss insects, yoga, hip hop and everything in between.
Producer: Richard Morris
A BBC Studios Production first broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 2017
Photo credit: Matt Stronge.
SAT 23:00 Henry Normal's Encyclopaedia Poetica (m00018d7)
Volume 3
Henry Normal opens volume three of his Encyclopaedia Poetica, celebrating the rich tradition of the poet as a revolutionary, in a cardigan.
This edition's poems cover politics, class, bouncy castles, and the buses, trams and trains of Manchester.
Henry is joined on stage at the Contact Theatre, Manchester, by the poets Kevin Fegan and Lemn Sissay.
Producer: Diane Messias
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in June 1994.
SAT 23:30 Ectoplasm (b007vgvc)
The Curse of Tutancommon
Lord Zimbabwe travels back to Ancient Egypt to uncover the mystery of the tackiest of the Pharoahs whose untimely death has unleashed an evil curse.
Dan Freedman and Nick Romero’s four-part comedy about the exploits of Lord Zimbabwe, occultist and adventurer.
Lord Zimbabwe ...... Nick Romero
Dr Lilac ...... Dan Freedman
Theremin ...... Peter Donaldson
Professor Cockcroft ...... Sophie Aldred
Other parts played by the cast.
Producer: Helen Williams
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 2000.