SATURDAY 14 NOVEMBER 2020

SAT 00:00 Night Terrace (m00058h6)
Series 1
5. Sound & Führer
In the far future, Anastasia and Eddie land in a theme park staffed by surprisingly polite robot Hitlers.
Eddie is pretty grumpy about it, and the park’s owner doesn’t understand why. Anastasia thinks he should get over it, but of course it all goes wrong.
Sci-fi comedy starring Neighbours’ Jackie Woodburne as Anastasia Black. With guest star Alan Brough.
Ben McKenzie ....... Eddie Jones
Petra Elliott ....... "Sue"
Alan Brough ....... Barry
Phil Zachariah ....... The Hitlers
Samantha Streeter ....... The Toy
Writer: John Richards
Producers: Ben McKenzie / John Richards.
A Splendid Chaps production.
SAT 00:30 Off the Page (b008fy2c)
A Little of What You Fancy Does You Good
Dominic Arkwright, Nick Cohen, Sian Berry and Charlie Lee-Potter discuss whether indulgence is allowed anymore. From December 2007.
SAT 01:00 Dick Francis (b007mdwv)
Proof
4. The Discovery
Dodgy drink, a missing racehorse and a body at a restaurant. Wine merchant Tony Beach is in the thick of it...
Nigel Havers stars as Tony Beach.
Dick Francis's thriller dramatised by Ernest Dudley.
Tony Beach …. Nigel Havers
Sgt. Ridger …. Stephen Hattersley
Mrs Palissey …. Sheila Grant
Gerard …. George Parsons
Chief Sup. Wilson …. Manning Wilson
Flora …. Jennifer Piercey
Orkney …. Edward de Souza
Isabella …. Avril Clark
Commentator …. Michael Kilgarriff
P.C. Horton …. James Goode
Director: Matthew Walters
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 1987.
SAT 01:30 Hercule Poirot (b007jwc3)
Taken at the Flood
Episode 5
The Belgian sleuth is going to have to think very fast to unravel the enigma if he's to prevent another murder in the village...
Conclusion of Agatha Christie's whodunit starring John Moffatt as Hercule Poirot.
Lynn Marchmont ...... Susannah Corbett
Rowley CloadeIfan ...... Ifan Meredith
Superintendent Spence ...... Robert Lang
David Hunter ...... Tom George
The Maid ...... Debbie Hunt
Dramatised by Michael Bakewell
Producer: Enyd Williams
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2003
SAT 02:00 Vinegar Girl by Anne Tyler (b07gbb1m)
Episode 5
Dr Battista, an obsessively dedicated scientist, lives with daughters Kate and Bunny in Baltimore.
He’s desperate to keep his brilliant young researcher Pyotr, whose visa is set to expire in weeks.
Pyotr has now apologised over the Doctor’s plan for him to marry Dr Battista’s daughter Kate in order to get a visa.
This has left Kate wondering what she should do next...
Written by Anne Tyler.
Read by Liza Ross
Abridged and Produced by Jill Waters
A Waters Company production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in June 2016.
SAT 02:15 Modesty Blaise: The Silver Mistress (b08drjds)
Episode 5
Sir Gerald Tarrant of British Intelligence has been imprisoned by kidnappers with a bizarre and deadly business plan, and subjected to slow torture in a Pyrenean Chateau by Martial Arts Master, Mr Sexton. Now Modesty and Willy have also been captured, along with Willie's girlfriend Lady Janet, and disgraced pilot, Quinn.
To save her friends Modesty must face Sexton in a fight to the death.
Conclusion of Peter O'Donnell's novel adapted by Stef Penney.
Modesty Blaise . . . Daphne Alexander
Willie Garvin . . . Paul Bazely
Sir Gerald Tarrant . . . Ian McNeice
Clare . . . Clare Grogan
Sexton/Colonel Jim . . . Ewan Bailey
Lady Janet/Angel . . . Sara Markland
Quinn . . . John Ramm
With music by Will Gregory, arranged by Ian Gardiner and performed by the National Orchestra of Wales, conducted by Ben Foster.
Sound by David Thomas
Director: Kate McAll
A Pier production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in February 2017.
SAT 02:30 Norman Wisdom - The Singer and the Song (b010n408)
"Don't laugh at me 'cause I'm a Fool" sang Norman Wisdom in his first film [in a starring role] Trouble In Store in 1953.
Very soon afterwards it reached number three in the hit parade.
Comic legend Norman Wisdom talks about this and the songs special to him.
With Mike Craig.
Producer: Mike Craig
First broadcast on BBC Radio 2 in February 1993.
SAT 03:00 Jane Austen (b007jtdp)
Persuasion
Friendly Persuasion
Louisa Musgrove has become engaged to Captain Benwick and Anne Elliot dares to hope that Captain Wentworth's affections might, once again, be hers...
The conclusion of Jane Austen's novel dramatised by Michelene Wandor.
Anne Elliot …. Juliet Stevenson
Captain Wentworth …. Tim Brierley
Jane Austen …. Sorcha Cusack
Sir Walter Elliot …. Roger Hume
Elizabeth Elliot …. Claire Faulconbridge
Mr Elliot …. Peter Harlowe
Mary Musgrove …. Kathryn Hurlbutt
Charles Musgrove …. Alister Cameron
Henrietta Musgrove …. Alison Dowling
Mrs Musgrove …. Sheila Grant
Lady Russell …. Patricia Gallimore
Sophia Croft …. Tina Gray
Mrs Clay …. Hedli Niklaus
Mrs Smith …. Carole Boyd
Captain Harville …. Paul Alexander
Square piano (William Rolfe and Sons c 1810) played by Kenneth Mobbs
Directed at BBC Pebble Mill by Vanessa Whitburn.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 1986.
SAT 04:00 Wordaholics (b04g8q5c)
Series 3
Episode 2
Comedians Josh Widdecombe and Helen Keen, Dictionary Corner's Susie Dent and classics scholar Natalie Haynes vie for wordy supremacy under the watchful eye of chair Gyles Brandreth.
Lexicographer Susie Dent admits to the words she finds most difficult to spell; science lover Helen Keen grumpily dismantles the portmanteau word 'murse'; Natalie Haynes works out what 'kyacting' is, and does some to boot; while Josh Widdecombe tries to ban the word 'chilllax'.
The panel also guess what some foreign words which have no direct equivalent in English.
Writers: Jon Hunter and James Kettle.
Producer: Claire Jones
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 2014.
SAT 04:30 Ballylenon (b007mf83)
Series 1
Episode 6
Will the "1000 Years" Festival mark the end of the old courthouse battle?
Series set in the sleepy town of Ballylenon, Co Donegal, in 1953, before the days of mass tourism and proper plumbing in every home.
Written by Christopher Fitz-Simon.
Phonsie Doherty ...... TP McKenna
Muriel Maconchy ...... Margaret D'Arcy
Vera Maconchy ...... Stella McCusker
Vivienne Boal ...... Aine McCartney
Guard Gallagher ...... John Hewitt
Stumpy Bonnar ...... Gerard McSorley
Canon Friel ...... Kevin Flood
Aubrey Frawley ...... Dominic Letts
Music arranged and performed by Stephanie Hughes.
Director: Eoin O'Callaghan
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 1994.
SAT 05:00 Jack & Millie (b0bd911s)
Series 1
The Kids Are Alright
All grandkids make mistakes, but only Jack and Millie's do it quite so loudly - and on video.
The annual Summer show at London's Royal Academy and a record-breaking sauna set the scene for a philosophical disquisition on the perils of parenting and the lure of lycra.
Jeremy Front's comedy is about an older couple who are fully engaged with contemporary life while being at war with the absurdities of the modern world.
Starring Jeremy Front and Rebecca Front.
So Millie's son Melvin has given her a new tablet with a voice recorder?
So suddenly Jack and Millie have decided to record everything that happens to them.
Jack ...... Jeremy Front
Millie ...... Rebecca Front
Shirley ...... Tracy-Ann Oberman
Harry ...... Nigel Lindsay
Melvin ...... Harry Peacock
Delphine ...... Jenny Bede
Flight Attendant ...... Lauren O'Rourke
Producer: David Tyler
A Pozzitive production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in August 2018.
SAT 05:30 Love in Recovery (m00027ng)
Series 3
Making Plans
Third series of the award-nominated comedy drama set in Alcoholics Anonymous. Written by Pete Jackson and inspired by his own road to recovery. Stars Rebecca Front, John Hannah, Sue Johnston, Paul Kaye and Johnny Vegas.
Love in Recovery follows the lives of five very different recovering alcoholics. Johnny Vegas is Andy, the sweet but simple self-appointed group leader. Sue Johnston plays straight talking Julie, who's been known to have the odd relapse here and there - and everywhere. Rebecca Front is the snobby and spiky Fiona, an ex-banker who had it all and then lost the lot. John Hannah is Simon, a snide journalist who’s not an alcoholic – he got caught drink driving, his boss made him attend the meeting, but he fell in love with Fiona and stayed. And, despite her best efforts, she fell in love with him too. Paul Kaye is Danno, a down and out two-bit chancer with a shady past but a lot of heart, who’s desperate to turn his life around.
As we follow their weekly meetings, we hear them moan, argue, laugh, fall apart, fall in love and, most importantly, tell their stories.
In episode five, talk turns to weddings. What’s it like to go to a wedding as a recovering alcoholic? As usual, the answers are far from simple and the experiences of the group couldn’t be more different.
Writer Pete Jackson is a recovering alcoholic and has spent time in Alcoholics Anonymous. It was there he found, as most people do, support from the unlikeliest group of disparate souls, all banded together due to one common bond. As well as offering the support he needed throughout a difficult time, AA also offered a weekly, sometimes daily, dose of hilarity, upset, heartbreak and friendship.
Love in Recovery doesn’t seek to represent an AA meeting exactly as it might happen in real life, but to capture the funny stories, the sad stories, the stories of small victories and of huge milestones, stories of loss, stories of hope, and most importantly, the many highs and lows in the journey of recovery.
Cast:
Fiona….. Rebecca Front
Simon….. John Hannah
Julie….. Sue Johnston
Danno….. Paul Kaye
Andy..... Johnny Vegas
Written and created by Pete Jackson
Producer/Director: Ben Worsfield
A King Bert production for BBC Radio 4
SAT 06:00 Anthony Berkeley - The Poisoned Chocolates Case (b097lnkn)
A woman has died from eating poisoned chocolates intended for somebody else...
Can the amateur brains of Roger Sheringham's Crime Circle solve this intriguing crime that’s stumped Scotland Yard over the past year?
Neil Stacy stars in Anthony Berkeley's murder mystery.
Roger Sheringham..................Neil Stacy
Mrs Fielder- Flamming........... Hilda Schroder
Sir Charles Wildman...............Conrad Phillips
Moresby ....................................Victor Winding
Chitterwick.................................Michael Bilton
Bradley/Smithson.....................Geoffrey Collins
Alicia...........................................Jane Wenham
Lockwood..................................William Eedle
Bendix.........................................Mark Straker
Sir Eustace.................................Clive Panto
Mrs Bendix..................................Eileen Tully
Marguerite...................................Deborah Cranston
Dramatised by Neville Teller.
Director: Brian Miller
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 1984.
SAT 07:30 Great Lives (b06d2j24)
Series 37
Toyah Willcox on Katharine Hepburn
Singer Toyah Willcox chooses the actress and Hollywood legend, Katherine Hepburn.
Dubbed an 'oddity' and 'box office poison', she liked to goad the press and public with her eccentric behaviour and unconventional love life. Her career in Hollywood spanned six decades, during which she starred alongside other Hollywood greats, including James Stewart, Cary Grant, Humphrey Bogart and Spencer Tracy.
The four time Oscar award winning actress Katharine Hepburn is this week's Great Life. She is championed by singer and actress Toyah Willcox - who met and worked with her. The expert is Dr Mark Glancy – Reader in Film History, at Queen Mary, University of London. The presenter is Matthew Parris.
Producer: Perminder Khatkar.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2015.
SAT 08:00 The Motion Show (b0075rmr)
Series 1
Episode 3
The merits of watching TV - and retiring at the age of 30.
Dr Phil Hammond watches over proceedings in the quirky debating game.
With Simon Fanshawe, Peter Bradshaw, Brian Sewell and Steve Punt
Producer: Helen Williams
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 1998.
SAT 08:30 North East of Eden (b01hc5tl)
Spirits
The discovery of an ancient relic brings pilgrims to Paradise, but Marcia is also praying for a miracle when errant boyfriend Clem pays a visit.
Rebecca Front and Joan Sims stars in Peter Kerry's sitcom about a GP living on a remote island off the coast of Northumbria.
Dr Marcia Hulme …. Rebecca Front
Auntie Annie …. Joan Sims
Hjorst …. Niall Ashdown
Joseph …. James Garbutt
Mrs Peevis …. Jean Southern
Ralph …. Stephen Thirkeld
William …. Sammy Johnson
Producer: Kathy Smith
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 1997.
SAT 09:00 The Real Comedy Controllers: The Things That Made Us Laugh (b08kbct7)
Satire and Sitcoms
Instead of guest Comedy Controllers, choosing their comedy favourites, it is now the turn of those who, in their own ways, have to take the blame for many of the shows often featured on Radio 4 Extra. Between them, Paul Jackson, Beryl Vertue, John Lloyd and Jimmy Mulville have well over a 150 years of gut-busting, side-aching woofers, gags and - let's be honest - the occasional horrific mistimed silence.
In front of an audience in the iconic Radio Theatre in Broadcasting House - the home of British Radio comedy - they reveal why they do it and what it was (and is) that made them laugh.
The Real Comedy Controllers travel back to the 1960s and 70s to celebrate the satire boom... to trace the development of sitcoms both here and abroad... and to remember the golden years of BBC Entertainment. Featuring:
* Round The Horne
Kenneth Horne blasts off boldly in 'Journey to Uranus', a ditty from Rambling Sid Rumpo and 'Bona Books' with Julian and Sandy. First broadcast in April 1968.
* Steptoe & Son - Come Dancing
Albert sets out to help son Harold to conquer his fear of ballroom dancing. Starring Wilfrid Brambell as Albert and Harry H Corbett as Harold. With Clifford Norgate as the Milkman. First broadcast in June 1974.
* The Eric Morecambe and Ernie Wise Show
The duo welcome Penelope Keith, who does her own intro before performing in Ern's sketch what he wrote. From March 1978.
* The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Primary Phase. Fit the Sixth.
Arthur and company escape from a war, but exactly when have they escaped to? By Douglas Adams. From April 1978.
Series Producers: Paul Kobrak and Dixi Stewart.
Made for BBC Radio 4 Extra and first broadcast in March 2017.
SAT 12:00 Michael Frayn's Pocket Playhouse (b0b49248)
Series 1
Episode 1
An astonishing tour de force of comic imagination and satire.
Martin Jarvis directs Michael Frayn’s masterly comic series with an outstanding cast led by Ian McKellen, Joanna Lumley, Stephen Fry, Alfred Molina, Alex Jennings and Jarvis himself.
Michael Frayn - author of Noises Off - is the most comic philosophical writer of our time.
Each episodes reveals his infectious delight in writing between the lines of theatre, fiction, TV and the media, the church, relationships - life in general.
* Joanna Lumley opens the series with "assembly instructions"
* Alex Jennings is a subversive theatre director
* Ian McKellen meets Mozart (George Blagden)
* Alfred Molina has security problems with packaging
* Lisa Dillon and Edward Bennett are Gainsborough's Mr and Mrs Andrews National Gallery portrait
* Stephen Fry conducts a weird press interview with Martin Jarvis
* Ian McKellen and Joanna Lumley are Mr and Mrs God.
Director: Martin Jarvis
A Jarvis and Ayres production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in June 2018.
SAT 12:30 The Goon Show (b009kmns)
Series 7
The Flea
Neddie Seagoon is Samuel Pepys - and he's facing trouble from a flea called Francoise.
Groundbreaking, surreal BBC radio comedy written by Spike Milligan and Larry Stephens.
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: Pat Dixon
First broadcast on the BBC Home Service in December 1956.
SAT 13:00 Hercule Poirot (b007jwb9)
Taken at the Flood
Episode 1
In the London Blitz of 1944, Belgian sleuth Hercule Poirot hears an intriguing story about a man's disappearance. He little realises that two years later, he'll become involved with the event itself...
Starring John Moffatt as Hercule Poirot.
First published in 1948, Agatha Christie's whodunit dramatised in five parts by Michael Bakewell.
Major Porter ...... Derek Waring
Adela Marchmont ...... Virginia McKenna
Lynn Marchmont ...... Susannah Corbett
Frances Cloade ...... Caroline Wildi
Jeremy Cloade ...... Andrew Sachs
Rowley CloadeIfan ...... Ifan Meredith
Kathie Cloade ...... Elizabeth Proud
Rosaleen Cloade ...... Fritha Goodey
David Hunter ...... Tom George
Producer: Enyd Williams
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 2003.
SAT 13:30 Hercule Poirot (b007jwbk)
Taken at the Flood
Episode 2
The Cloade family are trying to get money from Gordon's young widow. It also looks like they would like her out of the way - permanently.
Agatha Christie's whodunit stars John Moffatt as Hercule Poirot.
Major Porter ...... Derek Waring
Adela Marchmont ...... Virginia McKenna
Lynn Marchmont ...... Susannah Corbett
Frances Cloade ...... Caroline Wildi
Jeremy Cloade ...... Andrew Sachs
Rowley CloadeIfan ...... Ifan Meredith
Kathie Cloade ...... Elizabeth Proud
Rosaleen Cloade ...... Fritha Goodey
David Hunter ...... Tom George
Dramatised by Michael Bakewell.
Producer: Enyd Williams
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 2003.
SAT 14:00 Hercule Poirot (b007jwbr)
Taken at the Flood
Episode 3
The mysterious visitor has been found dead in his hotel room. But who had the motive to murder him - and why?
Agatha Christie's whodunit stars John Moffatt as Hercule Poirot.
Hercule Poirot ...... John Moffatt
Major Porter ...... Derek Waring
Adela Marchmont ...... Virginia McKenna
Lynn Marchmont ...... Susannah Corbett
Frances Cloade ...... Caroline Wildi
Jeremy Cloade ...... Andrew Sachs
Rowley CloadeIfan ...... Ifan Meredith
Kathie Cloade ...... Elizabeth Proud
Rosaleen Cloade ...... Fritha Goodey
David Hunter ...... Tom George
Dramatised by Michael Bakewell.
Producer: Enyd Williams
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 2003.
SAT 14:30 Hercule Poirot (b007jwbx)
Taken at the Flood
Episode 4
The inquest on the death of the stranger has taken place, but Hercule Poirot is greatly disturbed by the shape the case is taking...
Agatha Christie's whodunit stars John Moffatt as Hercule Poirot.
Hercule Poirot ...... John Moffatt
Lynn Marchmont ...... Susannah Corbett
Rowley CloadeIfan ...... Ifan Meredith
Rosaleen Cloade ...... Fritha Goodey
Superintendent Spence ...... Robert Lang
Kathie Cloade ...... Elizabeth Proud
Lionel Cloade ...... Ioan Meredith
Mrs Leadbetter ...... Mary Wimbush
Frances Cloade ...... Caroline Wildi
Jeremy Cloade ...... Andrew Sachs
Dramatised by Michael Bakewell.
Producer: Enyd Williams
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 2003.
SAT 15:00 Hercule Poirot (b007jwc3)
[Repeat of broadcast at 01:30 today]
SAT 15:30 A Good Read (b00yqshz)
Ian Hislop and Jan Etherington
Kate Saunders and her guests - Ian Hislop, editor of Private Eye and star of BBC TV's Have I Got News For You, and Jan Etherington, writer of comedies like Next of Kin, and Second Thoughts - discuss favourite books by WC Sellar & R.J Yeatman, Roger Deakin and Patrick Dennis.
1066 and All That by WC Sellar & RJ Yeatman
Publisher: Methuen
Waterlog by Roger Deakin
Publisher: Vintage
Auntie Mame: An Irreverent Escapade by Patrick Dennis
Publisher: Penguin Modern Classics
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 2011.
SAT 16:00 Anthony Berkeley - The Poisoned Chocolates Case (b097lnkn)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
SAT 17:30 Great Lives (b06d2j24)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
SAT 18:00 Kafka's Metamorphosis (b08vwj7k)
Gregor Samsa's life is dominated by routine - the monotony of his busy commute, mindless call centre job and crowded tower block home is steadily taking its toll.
Then one morning Gregor awakes to find himself transformed into a giant insect. As he attempts to master life with six legs, his family must also learn to live with his new look.
Writer Alan Harris gives Franz Kafka's classic a modern twist with a darkly comic edge.
Gregor ...... Tom Basden
Grete ...... Emma Sidi
Father ...... Kenneth Collard
Mother ...... Felicity Montagu
Pest Controller ...... Tim Key
Juri ...... Simon Ludders
Mr Lazarus ...... Mike Bubbins
Mrs Dawson ...... Alison Belbin
Narrator ...... Peter Marinker
Director: James Robinson
A BBC Cymru Wales production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in June 2017.
SAT 19:00 The Real Comedy Controllers: The Things That Made Us Laugh (b08kbct7)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
SAT 22:00 Saturday Night Fry (b00kvq7w)
1. Pilot Show
Stephen Fry's surreal, erudite sketch show with humorous banter and sketches.
With Hugh Laurie and Emma Thompson.
Special guest: Barry Cryer.
The pilot programme that spawned Stephen Fry's cult series. A show identical in spirit to the great Mary Queen of Scots tapestry that hangs in Osterley House.
Written by Stephen Fry with additional material by Ian Brown and James Hendrie.
Producer: Dan Patterson
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 1987.
SAT 22:30 The Lawrence Sweeney Mix (b008z5ld)
Series 2
Episode 4
Fom something your Dad did to something you save up for...
Josie Lawrence and Jim Sweeney make it up as they go along!
Faced with a live studio audience and a couple of microphones - the masters of improve create sketches from shouted out suggestions.
Producer: Dawn Ellis
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 2008.
SAT 23:00 State of the Nations (b088fp46)
Scotland
Elis James concludes his tour of the four UK nations at The Stand Comedy Club in Glasgow to discuss Scottishness.
With Jim Smith, Fern Brady and Scott Gibson.
The last of four stand-up shows from the four nations of the United Kingdom which explore what it means to be variously Welsh, English, Scottish and Northern Irish in today's United Kingdom
Producer: Richard Morris
A BBC Studios production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in January 2017.
SAT 23:30 The Wilson Dixon Line (b00knt17)
When Love Comes to Town (And Then Leaves Again)
Cowboy philosopher Wilson Dixon talks about love and affairs of the heart.
Hard done by love, he talks about his ex-wife Maureen, who pulled at Wilson's heart like he pulls on his guitar strings. Hold onto your stetson and get ready for the rocky ride of romance.
Continuing his affectionate tribute to the philosophy of country music, Wilson shares more of his viewpoints through songs and anecdotes.
Introduced by Johnnie Walker.
Saddled up with sidekick Snake Wizzelteats, his observations on everyday life draw the audience into world full of larger than life characters and situations.
Written and performed by Jesse Griffin.
Sidekick Snake Wizzelteats is performed by Jesse Budd.
Recorded with an audience at BBC Maida Vale, London.
Producer: Lianne Coop
First broadcast on BBC Radio 2 in May 2009.