SATURDAY 28 NOVEMBER 2020
SAT 00:00 Methuselah's Children by Robert A Heinlein (b007rgl9)
1. Foundation
Set up in the late 19th century, the aim of the Howard Foundation is to prolong human life
Selective breeding via financial encouragement has led to groups of people living for hundreds of years...
Robert Heinlein's sci-fi story first appeared as an expanded full-length novel in 1958.
Read by Paul Birchard
Abrdiged in six parts by Bert Coules.
Produced at BBC Scotland by Bruce Young.
Made for BBC 7 and first broadcast in November 2007.
SAT 00:30 Off the Page (b008jd1m)
When Will You Ever Learn
Dominic discusses our attitudes to errors slight and serious with historian Dominic Sandbrook, performer Dillie Keane and writer Isabel Losada.
Lively discussion series chaired by Dominic Arkwright. .
Producer: Mark Smalley
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 2007.
SAT 01:00 Inspector Purbright - Naked Nuns (m000pt45)
6. A Question of Postage
Inspector Purbright finally learns the identity of the Naked Nuns.
John Rowe stars as Inspector Walter Purbright.
Concluding episode of Colin Watson's serial set in the market town of Flaxborough.
Inspector Purbright …. John Rowe
Sergeant Love …. Paul Downing
Lucy Teatime …. Ann Rye
Bernard …. Joseph Alessi
Pook …. Peter Rylands
Chubb …. Geoffrey Banks
Amis …. Daniel Coll
Tudor …. David Fleeshman
Dramatised by Christopher Denys.
Director: Tony Cliff
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 1993.
SAT 01:30 Miss Marple (b007jvbg)
They Do It With Mirrors
Episode 5
A chance observation by one of the family gives amateur detective, Miss Marple a key to try and solve the mystery.
The conclusion of Agatha Christie's whodunit stars June Whitfield
Miss Marple …. June Whitfield
Carrie Louise …. Ursula Howells
Inspector Curry …. Keith Barron
Gina Hudd …. Rebecca Lacey
Mildred Strete …. Natasha Pyne
Alexis Restarick …. Nick Waring
Walter Hudd …. Stephen Lucas
Lewis Serrocold …. Peter Howell
Ruth Van Rydock …. Jill Balcon
Stephen Restarick …. Daniel Philpott
Juliet Bellever …. Paula Jacobs
Dramatised by Michael Bakewell.
Director: Enyd Williams
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 2001.
SAT 02:00 How Not to Be a Boy by Robert Webb (b092g97b)
5. The Reckoning
The boy becomes a man.
General expectations of masculinity and role models from his past catch-up with Robert and there's a reckoning.
Robert Webb concludes his own funny and moving memoir.
Abridged by Richard Hamilton.
Producer: Elizabeth Allard.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 2017.
SAT 02:15 Shardlake: Revelation (b08k4k7f)
Episode 10
Archbishop Cranmer has asked Shardlake to conduct a secret hunt for a serial killer who is enacting, through a series of gory tableaux, a prophecy from the Book of Revelation.
Though the extraordinary events at the seventh victim's house in Hertfordshire suggest that the prophecy is fulfilled, Shardlake is convinced that the killer has one final, terrible act planned and that it somehow involves Catherine Parr.
The conclusion of CJ Sansom's Tudor crime novel starring Justin Salinger as detective Matthew Shardlake.
Shardlake ...... Justin Salinger
Barak ...... Bryan Dick
Guy ...... Vincent Ebrahim
Harsnet ...... Carl Prekopp
Dorothy ...... Emily Bruni
Cantrell ...... David Seddon
Cranmer ...... Sean Baker
Lockley ...... Patrick Brennan
Adam ...... Luke MacGregor
Tamasin ...... Kirsty Oswald
Bunce ...... Clare Perkins
Other parts played by the cast.
Dramatised by Colin MacDonald.
Director: Kirsteen Cameron
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 2017.
SAT 02:30 The Day of the Jackal (b011v1bl)
Seminal thriller The Day of the Jackal was first published in 1971.
Patrick Humphries explores just what made the book so riveting for him and so ground-breaking for a whole generation of thriller writers influenced by its author, Frederick Forsyth.
The novel was extraordinary for many reasons. For a start, it broke so many of the 'rules' of thriller writing. Harold Harris, Forsyth's editor at publisher Hutchinson and Co, noted all these, but still commissioned him for three novels.
The eponymous Jackal is a mercenary and in the novel he is hired by a real-life terrorist group, Organisation de l'Armee Secrete, whose members were intent on killing the French President Charles De Gaulle. The OAS wanted to retain Algeria as a French colony, and when de Gaulle reneged on his emotional avowal 'Vive l'Algerie francaise' ie 'Long Live French Algeria', and allow self-determination, he became the target of OAS assassins. Of course, as history proves, those assassins were never successful. Forsyth lived through those events as a Reuters correspondent in Paris, so it was an obvious choice of setting for his first attempt at thriller writing.
Patrick talks to an editor at Hutchinson, Tony Whittome, Professor of Modern English Literature John Sutherland, OAS expert Clement Steuer, writers Lee Child, Andrew Rosenheim, Sam Bourne and the Jackal's author, Frederick Forsyth.
Producer: Neil Rosser
A Ladbroke Production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in June 2011.
SAT 03:00 The Inspector Alleyn Mysteries (b0084sb1)
When in Rome
1970s Rome. Chief Detective Inspector Alleyn is incognito and on the trail of a vast drugs syndicate - and some exceptionally unsavoury blackmail.
But he hasn't reckoned on murder...
Another tale of Dame Ngaio Marsh’s gentleman detective.
CDI Alleyn …. Jeremy Clyde
Nigel Bathgate …. Nick Waring
Sonia, Lady Bracely …. Pauline Jameson
Kenneth Dorne …. Tom George
Baron Van der Veghel …. David Swift
Baroness Van der Veghel …. Paula Jacobs
Sophy Jason …. Annabelle Dowler
Barnaby Grant …. Sean Arnold
Major Sweet …. Derek Waring
Sebastian Mailer …. Matthew Devereaux
Father Denys …. James Greene
Valdarno …. Stephen Critchlow
Violetta/Receptionist …. Carolyn Jones
Dramatised by Michael Bakewell.
Director: Enyd Williams
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 2003.
SAT 04:00 Wordaholics (b04hyrq3)
Series 3
Episode 4
Comedian Josh Widdicombe, lexicographer Susie Dent, astronomy enthusiast Helen Keen and comedian Natalie Haynes vie for word supremacy.
Gyles Brandreth is in the chair.
The letter of the week is 'L'.
The panellists are asked to invent new words or phrases - and there are rounds about terms for different occupations and Victorian slang terms.
Writers: Jon Hunter and James Kettle.
Producer: Claire Jones.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 2014.
SAT 04:30 Bookcases (b00svc1m)
Series 1
Gone for a Burton
London 1855: Primus's latest publishing coup is the explorer Richard Burton, but drink and other substances seem to have destroyed Burton's sense of direction.
Martyn Wade's Victorian era comedy stars Michael Cochrane and Maggie Steed.
Primus …. Michael Cochrane
Cordelia …. Maggie Steed
Edith …. Elizabeth Spriggs
Gerald …. David Horovitch
Katie Joiner …. Frances Jeater
Richard Burton …. Norman Rodway
Waiter …. David Antrobus
Director: Cherry Cookson
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 1998.
SAT 05:00 Clare in the Community (b061tppy)
Series 10
Family Values
A family funeral reveals some uncomfortable home truths for the Barker family.
Brian meanwhile has enthusiastically embraced a new fitness regime.
Sally Phillips is Clare Barker the social worker who has all the right jargon but never a practical solution.
A control freak, Clare likes nothing better than interfering in other people's lives on both a professional and personal basis. Clare is in her thirties, white, middle class and heterosexual, all of which are occasional causes of discomfort to her.
Clare continually struggles to control both her professional and private life In today's Big Society there are plenty of challenges out there for an involved, caring social worker. Or even Clare.
Written by Harry Venning and David Ramsden.
Clare ...... Sally Phillips
Brian ...... Alex Lowe
Nali ...... Nina Conti
The Celebrant ...... Richard Lumsden
Bernard ...... Andrew Wincott
Sarah Barker ...... Sarah Thom
Mrs Barker ...... Brigit Forsyth
Roxy ...... Alex Tregear
Producer: Alexandra Smith
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 2015.
SAT 05:30 Dot (b0bd7rw0)
Series 3
Saucepans for Spitfires!
A national initiative to boost morale causes havoc in the personnel team, as Dot and the gals turn on each other.
Retro comic adventures with Dot and the gals from personnel in the rollicking Cabinet War Rooms comedy by Ed Harris.
Dot ...... Fenella Woolgar
Myrtle ...... Kate O'Flynn
Peg ...... Freya Parker
Peabody ...... David Acton
Mrs Background ...... Emma Handy
Ding Dong ...... Ryan Whittle
Director: Sasha Yevtushenko
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 2018.
SAT 06:00 Ronnie Smith - The Flight of Eric Strapp (b00753x0)
Eric Strapp is on the run, but he's innocent of any crime.
George Cole stars in Ronnie Smith's poignant comedy with music.
Eric Strapp - George Cole
Bottles Doone - Stratford Johns
Bosher Doone - Iwan Thomas
Lavenderia Frumpton ...... Rachel Atkins
Doris Plank ...... Tracy-Ann Oberman
Ace High Patel ...... David Bannerman
Moocha Maguire ...... Anthony Ofoegbu
Widow Brown ...... Carolyn Jones
Albert Frumpton ...... Hugh Dickson
Winifred Frumpton ...... Jenny Lee
Slippery Eels ...... Brian Parr
Shirl ...... Sarah Rice
Detective Inspector Crodge ...... David Brooks
Superintendent Beak ...... John Rowe
Prison Officer ...... Alastair Danson
Other parts played by the cast.
Director: Enyd Williams
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 1997
SAT 07:30 Great Lives (b06ry7gq)
Series 38
Roger Saul chooses Gertrude Jekyll
Matthew Parris invites fashion designer Roger Saul, who created the Mulberry brand, to nominate a great life. He has chosen the early 20th century garden designer Gertrude Jekyll whose beautiful gardens instilled in him a love of plants and landscaping.
Inspired by William Morris and the Arts and Crafts movement, together with architect Edward Lutyens, Gertrude Jekyll designed many great gardens including Hestercombe in Somerset and at her home in Surrey.
Producer: Maggie Ayre
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2015.
SAT 08:00 The Motion Show (b0075ryv)
Series 1
Episode 5
Everyone should have a therapist - and is it only sad people who have pets?
Dr Phil Hammond watches over proceedings in the quirky debating game.
With Clive Coleman, Rhona Cameron, Niall Ashdown and John Maloney
Producer: Helen Williams
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 1998.
SAT 08:30 Life in London (b011dg1t)
The Fancy
Tom and Jerry visit a cockfight, try to buy a horse, meet a sporting legend and lay a wager on which is better, London or the West Country.
Meanwhile, garrulous narrator Pierce Egan takes literary critic William Hazlitt to his first boxing match.
Starring Greg Wise, Mark Gatiss and James Bachman.
Pierce Egan’s 19th-century comic novel adapted by Dan Tetsell.
Corinthian Tom .... Greg Wise
Jerry Hawthorn .... Mark Gatiss
Bob Logic .... James Bachman
Plausible Jack .... Ben Graves
William Hazlitt/Tom Cribb .... Alex Mcqueen
Mrs Egan .... Alys Torrence
Pierce Egan .... Geoffrey McGivern
Music: Ben Walker
Producer: Tilusha Ghelani
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 2006.
SAT 09:00 1953: Those Radio Times (b02108v6)
The Glums are thinking of buying a television set. Butter rationing is troubling the Any Questions audience. Stanley Matthews makes the Cup Final. Wilfred Pickles makes an appearance in some Cold War propaganda.
Nick Baker celebrates 1953: Those Radio Times. The year of the Coronation. Taking sounds, songs and radio highlights, he evokes a year shaking off its shabby post-war austerity and preparing for fun, pomp and a great summer of sport.
We hear from Robert Oppenheimer. We hear about Mary Whitehouse's first appearance on Woman's Hour in David Kynaston's Family Britain, read by Dominic West. Lord Hailsham rails against commercial television on London Forum and there's an extraordinary interview with novelist Evelyn Waugh for Frankly Speaking. His grandson claims the programme sent him mad.
Fancy a round of Twenty Questions? Want to know what listeners to the Light Programme woke up to? Listen to eye-witness accounts of flying saucers seen over Cheshire in People Talking. Meet a pre-Animal Magic Johnny Morris in a sweet factory for Pass The Salt.
1953: Those Radio Times pits radio against television in the year it took off and its audience outstripped that of the wireless, for the first time.
Could radio win the battle with a hit from the team at Take It From Here? Or could it do it by landing on the Moon?
Produced by Testbed Productions.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2013.
SAT 12:00 Gilbert Without Sullivan (b0076pj3)
Series 2
The Wedding March
Things go from bad to worse on Woodpecker Tapping’s wedding day. Everything that could go wrong, does.
Jonathan Coy stars as WS Gilbert in the second series of his short stories dramatised by Stephen Wyatt.
WS Gilbert …. Jonathan Coy
Woodpecker Tapping …. Jason Chan
Bapp …. Paul Clarkson
Leonara …. Amy Shindler
Bopaddy …. John Rowe
Anna Maria …. Alex Tregear
Old Poppytop …. Sion Probert
The Marchioness …. Charlotte West-Oram
Playwright and humourist, Sir William Schwenck Gilbert (1836-1911) is best known for his comic opera collaborations with Sir Arthur Sullivan, which first captivated audiences across the English-speaking world in the late 19th century.
Director: Jenny Stephens
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 2004.
SAT 12:30 Married (b00cpcw6)
Series 2
Churlish
Confirmed bachelor Robin Lightfoot wakes up to find himself married in a parallel universe in which the Lib Dems are in power, the Richard Whiteley Experience has just opened in London and alcohol is a class-A drug.
Now Robin's life is about to change again. He's about to be divorced from the woman he was never married to in the first place...
Hugh Bonneville stars in series two of Tony Bagley's comedy.
Robin .... Hugh Bonneville
Lesley .... Josie Lawrence
Dame Jenny Hyde …. Stephanie Lawrence
Dirk .... Steve Frost
Murdo …. Lewis MacLeod
Producer: Claire Jones
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 2000.
SAT 13:00 Miss Marple (b007jv9w)
They Do It With Mirrors
Episode 1
Miss Marple is invited to stay with her old school friend, Carrie at Stoneygates - a Victorian mansion doubling as a rehabilitation centre for delinquents.
As she mulls over Carrie's life history on the train journey, just what is the danger that the sleuth is sensing?
Agatha Christie's whodunit stars June Whitfield as the indomitable amateur detective, Miss Jane Marple.
From the book first published in 1952 and dramatised in five parts by Michael Bakewell.
Miss Marple …. June Whitfield
Carrie Louise …. Ursula Howells
Ruth Van Rydock …. Jill Balcon
Lewis Serrocold …. Peter Howell
Edgar Lawson …. Rhys Meredith
Walter Hudd/Railway porter …. Stephen Lucas
Mildred Strete …. Natasha Pyne
Juliet Bellever …. Paula Jacobs
Gina Hudd …. Rebecca Lacey
Director: Enyd Williams
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 2001.
SAT 13:30 Miss Marple (b007jvb0)
They Do It With Mirrors
Episode 2
Clearly something's wrong at Stoneygates, but for Miss Marple, the most disquieting factors are the jealousies and simmering tensions within the family itself.
Agatha Christie's whodunit stars June Whitfield as Miss Jane Marple.
Miss Marple …. June Whitfield
Carrie Louise …. Ursula Howells
Lewis Serrocold …. Peter Howell
Juliet Bellever …. Paula Jacobs
Gina Hudd …. Rebecca Lacey
Walter Hudd …. Stephen Lucas
Stephen Restarick …. Daniel Philpott
Edgar Lawson …. Rhys Meredith
Mildred Strete …. Natasha Pyne
Alexis Restarick …. Nick Waring
Christian Bulbrandsen …. Stephen Thorne
Dramatised by Michael Bakewell.
Director: Enyd Williams
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 2001.
SAT 14:00 Miss Marple (b007jvb6)
They Do It With Mirrors
Episode 3
At Stoneygates, a murder has taken place in the Victorian mansion doubling as a rehabilitation centre for delinquents.
Amateur sleuth Miss Jane Marple assists the police with their inquiries.
Agatha Christie's whodunit stars June Whitfield.
Miss Marple …. June Whitfield
Inspector Curry …. Keith Barron
Carrie Louise .... Ursula Howells
Lewis Serrocold …. Peter Howell
Juliet Bellever …. Paula Jacobs
Mildred Strete …. Natasha Pyne
Alexis Restarick …. Nick Waring
Gina Hudd …. Rebecca Lacey
Dramatised by Michael Bakewell.
Director: Enyd Williams
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 2001.
SAT 14:30 Miss Marple (b007jvbc)
They Do It With Mirrors
Episode 4
Someone is systematically trying to poison Miss Marple's old friend, Carrie Louise.
But who - and why?
Agatha Christie's whodunit stars June Whitfield.
Miss Marple …. June Whitfield
Carrie Louise …. Ursula Howells
Inspector Curry …. Keith Barron
Gina Hudd …. Rebecca Lacey
Mildred Strete …. Natasha Pyne
Alexis Restarick …. Nick Waring
Edgar Lawson …. Rhys Meredith
Walter Hudd …. Stephen Lucas
Dramatised by Michael Bakewell.
Director: Enyd Williams
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 2001.
SAT 15:00 Miss Marple (b007jvbg)
[Repeat of broadcast at
01:30 today]
SAT 15:30 A Good Read (b00zdl2b)
Russell Kane and Hilary Bradt
Harriett Gilbert and her guests - comedian, Russell Kane and travel guide writer, Hilary Bradt - discuss their favourite books by Sandi Toksvig, Gustave Flaubert and Ruth Rendell.
Flying Under Bridges by Sandi Toksvig
Publisher: Sphere
Three Tales by Gustave Flaubert
Publisher: Oxford University Press
A Judgement in Stone by Ruth Rendell
Publisher: Arrow
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 2011.
SAT 16:00 Ronnie Smith - The Flight of Eric Strapp (b00753x0)
[Repeat of broadcast at
06:00 today]
SAT 17:30 Great Lives (b06ry7gq)
[Repeat of broadcast at
07:30 today]
SAT 18:00 H Rider Haggard - King Solomon's Mines (b08lgbwy)
Episode 2
Extraordinary tales from the golden age of adventure
Tim McInnerny stars as intrepid explorer Allan Quatermain in the second episode of this classic Victorian story - the impossible quest for the fabled King Solomon's Mines, set in a mythical African interior. This gripping story is a treasure hunt, a mystery, a psychological drama, and a kaleidoscope of sound.
Allan Quatermain is writing a journal for his son Harry as he believes he will never return from accompanying Sir Henry Curtis on his mission to find the fabled King Solomon's Mines, in order to find out what has happened to Sir Henry's younger brother George who set out on the same quest the year before. Quatermain, Sir Henry, Captain Good and their bearer Umbopa are being escorted to the town of Loo by Chief Infadoos to meet the blood-thirsty King Twala of the Kukuana and his witch-finder Gagool. The adventurers watch the terrifying night of the great witch hunt when countless Kukuana perish. Their mysterious bearer Umbopa is not what he seems and may be their only hope of survival and of finally finding King Solomon's Mines.
Gagool …. Adjoa Andoh
Sir Henry Curtis …. David Sturzaker
Foulata …. Emmanuella Cole
Twala …. Femi Elufowoju
George …. Finlay Robertson
Infadoos …. Maynard Eziashi
Umbopa …. Sope Dirisu
Captain John Good …. Simon Ludders
Allan Quatermaine …. Tim McInnerny
Scragga …. Tonderaj Munyevu
Written by Rider Haggard
Dramatised by Chris Harrald
Directed by Liz Webb
Adapter Chris Harrald's previous adaptations for Radio 4 include M.R. James' ghost stories, four series of the Edwardian detective series The Rivals and several Classic Serials, including The Lost World and Three Men in a Boat.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 2017.
SAT 19:00 1953: Those Radio Times (b02108v6)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:00 today]
SAT 22:00 Saturday Night Fry (b007jt29)
Episode 3
Stephen Fry serves up more witty banter and sketches.
With Hugh Laurie, Jim Broadbent and Julia Hills.
Written by Stephen Fry with additional material by Ian Brown and James Hendrie.
Producer: Dan Patterson
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 1988.
SAT 22:30 The Maltby Collection (b00mbbkh)
Series 3
Episode 2
Walter has staff to fire and a broken heart to mend, but worst of all, his wife's come back to him and seems intent on pandering to his every whim...
Geoffrey Palmer and Julian Rhind-Tutt star in series 3 of David Nobbs’ sitcom about a small museum of paintings and sculpture.
Rod Millet ...... Julian Rhind-Tutt
Walter Brindle ...... Geoffrey Palmer
Prunella Edgecumbe ...... Rachel Atkins
Susie Maltby ...... Margaret Cabourn-Smith
Julian Crumb-Loosely ...... Ben Willbond
Wilf Arbuthnot ...... Geoff McGivern
Eva Tattle ...... Julia Deakin
Des Wainwright ...... Michael Smiley
Stelios Constantinopoulis ...... Chris Pavlo
Gloria Brindle ...... Helen Atkinson Wood.
Producer: Colin Anderson
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 2009.
SAT 23:00 Elis James's Pantheon of Heroes (b01p7l07)
Series 2
Cultural Heroes
Iolo Morgannwg, Lady Llanover and Michael Heseltine. Determining the ultimate heroes of Wales. From December 2012.
SAT 23:30 The Ape That Got Lucky (b008039f)
Language and Communication
Chris Addison's spoof lectures exploring human evolution. With Geoffrey McGivern as Professor Austin Herring. From August 2005.
SUNDAY 29 NOVEMBER 2020
SUN 00:00 H Rider Haggard - King Solomon's Mines (b08lgbwy)
[Repeat of broadcast at
18:00 on Saturday]
SUN 01:00 Miss Marple (b007jv9w)
[Repeat of broadcast at
13:00 on Saturday]
SUN 01:30 Miss Marple (b007jvb0)
[Repeat of broadcast at
13:30 on Saturday]
SUN 02:00 Miss Marple (b007jvb6)
[Repeat of broadcast at
14:00 on Saturday]
SUN 02:30 Miss Marple (b007jvbc)
[Repeat of broadcast at
14:30 on Saturday]
SUN 03:00 Miss Marple (b007jvbg)
[Repeat of broadcast at
01:30 on Saturday]
SUN 03:30 A Good Read (b00zdl2b)
[Repeat of broadcast at
15:30 on Saturday]
SUN 04:00 Ronnie Smith - The Flight of Eric Strapp (b00753x0)
[Repeat of broadcast at
06:00 on Saturday]
SUN 05:30 Great Lives (b06ry7gq)
[Repeat of broadcast at
07:30 on Saturday]
SUN 06:00 How Not to Be a Boy (Omnibus) (b093m73b)
From comedy's award winning Robert Webb, the omnibus of his funny and moving memoir which looks back on his bittersweet childhood in Lincolnshire, and also has wise words on masculinity's pitfalls.
Best known for his work with David Mitchell in Radio 4's Sony award winning series That Mitchell and Webb Sound and TV's Peep Show, Robert Webb has written a memoir that is both laugh out loud funny and powerfully moving and tender. An uneasy early childhood growing up in Lincolnshire, is followed by schoolboy crushes on girls and boys, to discovering a talent for making people laugh, to grief, and to becoming a husband and father. As his life story unfolds, Robert questions the expectations thrust on boys and men and reflects on how these have shaped the man he is today.
Written and read by Robert Webb
Abridged by Richard Hamilton
Produced by Elizabeth Allard
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 2017.
SUN 07:10 Inheritance Tracks (m000pw2k)
Michael Bond
The Paddington Bear creator chooses ‘The Laughing Policeman’ by Charles Penrose and ‘All Or Nothing At All’ by Frank Sinatra.
SUN 07:15 CJ Sansom - Shardlake: Revelation (Omnibus) (b08l65z1)
Episode 2
Gripping adaptation of C. J. Sansom's bestselling Tudor crime novel, the fourth in the series featuring lawyer detective Matthew Shardlake.
London, 1543. A serial killer is prowling the city, one who treats murder as a holy mission: preying upon radicals and creating gory tableaux inspired by a prophecy from the Book of Revelation. Archbishop Cranmer has asked Shardlake to conduct a secret investigation to catch the killer before word of the bloodshed reaches the King: one of the victims was close to Catherine Parr, Henry's current romantic obsession, and an ally of the reformers cause; Cranmer knows that such a taint will ruin any chance of her becoming Queen.
As the number of victims mounts, Shardlake and his trusty side-kick Barak are constantly wrong-footed - how does the killer know exactly what they plan to do next? Is there an informant amongst Cranmer's staff?
And Shardlake must also attend to another pressing case, that of a young man, Adam Kite, driven mad by the conviction that he is damned and that the Lord has forsaken him. Adam is being held in the Bedlam for his own safety - his wild rants about damnation verge on heresy - but Shardlake hopes his friend Guy the Apothecary can help to ease his suffering.
Cast:
Shardlake ..... Justin Salinger
Barak ..... Bryan Dick
Guy ..... Vincent Ebrahim
Harsnet ..... Carl Prekopp
Dorothy ..... Emily Bruni
Cantrell ..... David Seddon
Cranmer ..... Sean Baker
Lockley ..... Patrick Brennan
Adam ..... Luke MacGregor
Tamasin ..... Kirsty Oswald
Bunce ..... Clare Perkins
Other parts are played by members of the cast.
Writer ..... C. J. Sansom
Dramatist ..... Colin MacDonald
Producer and Director ..... Kirsteen Cameron
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 2017.
SUN 08:30 All Gas and Gaiters (b007jp89)
Series 1
Give a Dog a Bad Name
Confusion reigns when Noote does his aunt a favour - behind the Bishop's back.
Clerical comedy starring Robertson Hare as the Archdeacon, William Mervyn as the Bishop, Derek Nimmo as Bishop's Chaplain - the Reverend Mervyn Noote and John Barron as the Dean. With Joan Sanderson as Mrs Pugh-Critchley.
The ecclesiastical sitcom started life as a TV pilot in Comedy Playhouse, ahead of a run on BBC1 from 1966 to 1971. Selected scripts were revised and re-recorded for radio.
Written and adapted by husband-and-wife team, Pauline Devaney and Edwin Apps.
Producer: David Hatch.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 1971.
SUN 09:00 Mr Willow's Wife (m000pw2m)
5. All In A Good Cause
Felicity Willow decides to raise money for single mothers by staging a rhyming pantomime at her local church hall. Rehearsals go from bad to worse.
Comedy by Ray Cooney and John Chapman
Felicity Willow ..... Moira Lister
Paul Willow ..... Terence Alexander
Nanny ..... Doris Hare
Mrs Cadwalader .... Judith Furse
Mary Flynn ..... Denise Coffey
Vicar ..... Richard Goolden
Mr Smith ..... Harold Bennett
Bill McGuffie (piano)
Producer David Hatch
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 1971.
SUN 09:30 Robin and Wendy's Wet Weekends (b007js43)
Series 1
Police, Camera, Amphibian
Robin's dream comes true as not one but two real criminal offences are committed on his doorstep and the police come to visit.
The only problem is he wasn't there when it happened but Wendy was...
Written by and starring Kay Stonham and Simon Greenall.
Robin ...... Simon Greenall
Wendy ...... Kay Stonham
Maureen ...... Debra Stephenson
Derek ...... Phil Cornwell
Sue ...... Jan Ravens
Glenn ...... Michael Simkins
Darnley ...... Ewan Bailey
Carol ...... Jo Enright
Pikeman ...... Sean McKenna
Producer: Mario Stylianides
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 2002.
SUN 10:00 Desert Island Discs Revisited (m000pw2p)
Coding
Dame Stephanie Shirley
From Bach to Schubert, digital entrepreneur Stephanie Shirley makes her castaway choices. With Kirsty Young. From May 2010.
SUN 10:45 David Attenborough's Life Stories (b00lcmcq)
Series 1
Songsters
Humans aren't the only species who sing. Many birds do and even another ape.
What messages are conveyed in the syllables, melodies and repeated phrases, and who is listening?
Series of talks by Sir David Attenborough on the natural histories of creatures and plants from around the world.
Produce: Julian Hector
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 2009.
SUN 11:00 Radiolab (m0002h2p)
Series 5
Worth
Radiolab makes three, possibly foolhardy, attempts to put a price on the priceless. With Jad Abumrad and Robert Krulwich.
Radiolab is a Peabody-award winning show about curiosity. Where sound illuminates ideas, and the boundaries blur between science, philosophy, and the human experience.
Hosts Jad Abumrad and Robert Krulwich investigate a strange world.
First broadcast on public radio in the USA.
SUN 12:00 Poetry Extra (m000pw2r)
Mother Tongue - The Observing Eye
Poet Daljit Nagra explores the BBC's poetry archive and selects Mother Tongue ep 2/6 the globe-trotting poetry series presented by Helen Mort.
Poet Helen Mort explores exciting voices from around the world. This week, she hears poems in Persian, Spanish, German and Chinese - and in translation - all inspired by the everyday objects and people around them. She considers how through the observing eye of poetry, the ordinary becomes extraordinary.
Tea bags, mushrooms and mosquitoes have all inspired German poet Jan Wagner. His poems give surprising perspectives on the most commonplace objects - they are witty, compassionate and novel. Wagner reads from his collection Self-Portrait with a Swarm of Bees, and talks about the process of translation between German and English.
Nicknamed the Poet of Objects in his native Iran, Iraj Ziayi writes about ordinary household items - chairs, slippers - with heightened intensity. In his poem Six Green Polish Chairs, a collection of childhood memories are triggered by the sight of a particular shade of green. Alireza Abiz translates from the Persian.
Helen Mort travels to Oxford to speak to Theophilus Kwek. Kwek is a young poet and translator from Singapore, whose version of Moving House by Malayan-born poet Wong Yoon Wah, recently won second place in the Stephen Spender prize for poetry in translation. Moving House explores the ordinary details of a house move, with a fascinating personal and political subtext.
Finally, there's poetry by Oscar Cruz, direct from the streets of Santiago de Cuba. Speaking to Cruz's translator Serafina Vick, Helen Mort learns about his mission to bring the everyday life and language of his city - in all its frank reality - into his poems. Muy caliente!
A Whistledown production for BBC Radio 4.
First broadcast in 2017.
SUN 12:30 Paul Sinha's History Revision (b04pss53)
Series 1
Football
In Paul Sinha's History Revision the acclaimed stand-up and eleventh best UK quizzer Paul Sinha looks through all of human history and examines how we came to be where we are. He starts with something everyday, something we all know to be true; he then reveals the quirks of history and the fascinating stories that led up to this point.
In this first edition, Paul takes as his starting point the World Cup Final in June 2014, the biggest sporting event on the planet, a billion people watching twenty-five or so Germans and Argentinians play football in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. How did we end up here? It's a story that takes in fifteenth-century explorers, the slave trade, mass immigration, industrialisation, and British Army medical tests. Because no-one and nothing exists in a vacuum.
Paul Sinha is an acclaimed stand-up who was nominated for the Edinburgh Comedy award for his show Saint or Sinha?. He frequently appears on The News Quiz, The Now Show, and Fighting Talk. He is a resident 'chaser' on the ITV quiz show The Chase. He wrote and starred in one-offs The Sinha Test (2011) and The Sinha Games (2012) on Radio 4 and in 2013 had his own four-part series, Paul Sinha's Citizenship Test.
Written and performed by Paul Sinha.
Produced by Ed Morrish.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 2014.
SUN 13:00 The Workin's of Perkins: The Radio Life of Geoffrey Perkins (b00pk92h)
When British comedy stalwart Geoffrey Perkins died suddenly in 2008 aged 55, he left behind a legacy of programmes that few can equal.
He was involved in ground-breaking TV productions like Spitting Image, Father Ted and The Fast Show. He also kick-started the careers of the likes of Ben Elton and Harry Enfield. However, Perkins' roots were in radio.
His friend and colleague Angus Deayton presents this 3 hour showcase tribute to the producer, writer and performer: Featuring:
* Radio Active,
Series 1 Ep 2/6: Bedrock (Mike Flex Breakfast Show)
The National Local Radio Station offers advice for nuclear war plus guests Status Quid. Stars Geoffrey Perkins, Angus Deayton, Helen Atkinson-Wood, Michael Fenton Stevens and Philip Pope. From 1981.
* Hordes of the Things
Ep 1/4:
The kingdom of Albion is in peril. Andrew Marshall and John Lloyd's epic Tolkien parody with Paul Eddington, Miriam Margolyes and Simon Callow. From 1980.
* Legal, Decent, Honest and Truthful
Series 1 Ep 1/6:
Ken Handley pitches to a motorway services chain. Advertising satire starring Martin Jarvis and Wendy Richard. From 1982
* Ernest Fontwell Versus The Experts
The Communications Experts/The Holiday Experts
How to beat the fiends in white coats and overalls at their own game. Two episodes of this 1979 comedy starring Frank Thornton and Patsy Rowlands.
* The 27-Year Itch
Series 2: Ep 1/6 The Family That Stays Together Lives Apart
Marital mayhem comedy starring Hugh Paddick and Betty Marsden. From 1980.
* The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
The Secondary Phase (6/6) Fit The Twelth
Arthur and Zaphod learn some unpalatable home truths. Stars Peter Jones. From 1980.
Producer: Mik Wilkojc
Made for BBC 7 and first broadcast in 2009.
SUN 16:00 Don Haworth - Ernest's Tower (b03b5408)
Ernest is a fairground stallholder, who lives in the baleful shadow of his Uncle Leo.
Leo allows him to lease a small stall or two, but Ernest has dreams of owning the tallest fairground tower in the country.
Don Haworth’s drama stars Paul Copley as Ernest, Stephen Thorne as Uncle Leo, Robin Herford as the Narrator, Alison Pettitt as Miranda, Elizabeth Bell as Rosie, Sam Kelly as Henson, Terence Edmond as Cech and Helen Ayres as the Waitress.
Original music composed by Simon Morecroft.
Director: Gordon House
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2000.
SUN 17:00 Poetry Extra (m000pw2r)
[Repeat of broadcast at
12:00 today]
SUN 17:30 Paul Sinha's History Revision (b04pss53)
[Repeat of broadcast at
12:30 today]
SUN 18:00 The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving (b007wlpm)
Episode 1
In New York State, a few years after the American War of Independence, a tale of two love rivals and a headless horseman unfolds.
Sleepy Hollow school teacher, Ichabod Crane is determined to win the heart of wealthy farmer's daughter, Katrina Van Tassell. Not only does he face opposition from local buck, Brom Bones, but it would also appear that supernatural forces are against him.
An eccentric New Yorker by the name of Diedrich Knickerbocker narrates this bizarrely comic tale.
Washington Irving's classic tale set in 17th-century America.
Narrated by Martin Jarvis
Musical score and sound design by award-winning composer, David Pickvance.
The Sleepy Hollow choir:
Ayesha Antoine
Delroy Brown
John Cummins
Gerard McDermott
Carolyn Pickles
Sophie Roberts
Nick Sayce
Ella Smith
Producer: Gemma Jenkins
Made for BBC 7 and first broadcast in December 2005.
SUN 18:30 Edgar Allan Poe (b007jpt5)
The Fall of the House of Usher
Episode 1
What power does the family's ancestral home hold over Roderick and Madeline Usher?
A man's descent into madness seems bound to the house of his ancestors.
Sean Barrett reads Edgar Allan Poe's gothic horror story, first published in 1839.
Made for BBC 7 and first broadcast in September 2003.
SUN 19:00 Radiolab (m0002h2p)
[Repeat of broadcast at
11:00 today]
SUN 20:00 Don Haworth - Ernest's Tower (b03b5408)
[Repeat of broadcast at
16:00 today]
SUN 21:00 Desert Island Discs Revisited (m000pw2p)
[Repeat of broadcast at
10:00 today]
SUN 21:45 David Attenborough's Life Stories (b00lcmcq)
[Repeat of broadcast at
10:45 today]
SUN 22:00 Paul Sinha's History Revision (b04pss53)
[Repeat of broadcast at
12:30 today]
SUN 22:30 All the World's a Globe (b007k44p)
Episode 2
From Egypt to origami, the National Theatre of Brent presents the definitive history of Earth. Stars Patrick Barlow. From May 1990.
SUN 22:45 Hearing With Hegley (b007jr05)
Series 2
Episode 2
Songs and poems from the Luton Laureate including tales of the Tate, a jumble sale and an armadillo. From September 1998.
SUN 23:00 Bad Salsa (b06z2tj7)
Series 2
The Cycle of Life
Each of the women get to grips with their own particular cancer after-shocks. In this last episode each of them must face their fears.
A second series of the sitcom about three women who meet during cancer treatment and start going to salsa class together to maintain their friendship. As they adjust to life after cancer they realise that they've all changed.
The series is not about cancer, but about life after cancer, how you cope the changes in your outlook, your desires and your expectations. It's also about how other people cope with the change in you.
Written by Kay Stonham
Directed by Alison Vernon-Smith.
SUN 23:30 We Are Klang: Amazing Lives (b007k3p8)
Explorer
Presumed dead after a 20-year trek, two explorers reveal their findings. Stars Greg Davies and Steve Hall. From April 2007.
MONDAY 30 NOVEMBER 2020
MON 00:00 The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving (b007wlpm)
[Repeat of broadcast at
18:00 on Sunday]
MON 00:30 Edgar Allan Poe (b007jpt5)
[Repeat of broadcast at
18:30 on Sunday]
MON 01:00 The Workin's of Perkins: The Radio Life of Geoffrey Perkins (b00pk92h)
[Repeat of broadcast at
13:00 on Sunday]
MON 04:00 Don Haworth - Ernest's Tower (b03b5408)
[Repeat of broadcast at
16:00 on Sunday]
MON 05:00 Poetry Extra (m000pw2r)
[Repeat of broadcast at
12:00 on Sunday]
MON 05:30 Paul Sinha's History Revision (b04pss53)
[Repeat of broadcast at
12:30 on Sunday]
MON 06:00 Falco (b007wpf1)
The Silver Pigs
Episode 1
Rome, AD 70: Roman sleuth Marcus Didius Falco chances upon an illegal trade in precious metal (the silver pigs) after mounting a rescue from a kidnap gang.
Lindsey Davis's witty and enthralling adventures set in the days of the Roman Empire. Dramatised by Mary Cutler.
Falco …. Anton Lesser
Sosia …. Felicity Jones
Lenia …. Gillian Goodman
Petronius …. Ben Crowe
Decimus …. Robert Lister
Publius …. Richard Derrington
Pertinax/Julius …. Sean Connolly
Falco’s Mother …. Frances Jeater
Marcia …. Helen Monks
Directed in Birmingham by Peter Leslie Wild.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2004.
MON 06:30 Ted Willis - The Left-Handed Sleeper (m000pw5w)
1. Who Goes Home?
MP Mark Ritchie is on the run - tailed by MI5, but who else is chasing him?
Stars Richard Pasco and Annette Crosbie.
Christine Ritchie …. Annette Crosbie
Radio Announcer / Doorkeeper …. Astley Jones
Mark Ritchie …. Christopher Scoular
Det Chief Superintendent …. David Daker
Coombes …. Hugh Dickson
Irvine …. James Kerry
Patrick Cadwall …. Richard Pasco
Telephone Operator / Stewardess …. Rosalind Adams
Detective Constable Green …. Simon Hewitt
Marian Brown …. Thelma Whiteley
Narrator …. Ted Willis
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1982.
MON 07:00 Way Out East (b07mwqfh)
Cludopoly
Comedy by Guy Meredith about a group of expats sharing a flat in Hong Kong. Into the lives of unsuccessful architect James (Tony Gardner) and failed-everything Malcolm (John Gordon Sinclair) comes Zoe (Katherine Kingsley) on a one-way ticket from England to start a new life.
After an unpromising start, she moves in with James and Malcolm, convinced that she can get these two undomesticated alpha males to change their ways and become more organised at home and work. She also becomes part of the scene at the Shakes, the local expat pub run by Wanda (Samantha Bond) and visited by James's boss Mr Ampersand (Nicky Henson) who gives her a job as his PA.
The flatmates share many adventures including a very disorganised pub quiz, a series of domestic mishaps, attempts to fix the result of the Hong Kong Derby and a local marathon, and the annual Hong Kong New Year celebrations.
Katherine Kingsley was Olivier nominated for her role in Piaf and Singin’ in the Rain, John Gordon Sinclair has performed in several musicals and is remembered for the title role in Gregory’s Girl, Tony Gardner is currently one of the stars of the award-winning Last Tango in Halifax, and Samantha Bond has starred in many award-winning television and theatre productions including Downton Abbey. Guy Meredith has written several very successful dramas and comedies for radio, including the long-running series Daunt and Dervish.
Cast:
Zoe ….. Katherine Kingsley
Malcolm ….. John Gordon Sinclair
James ….. Tony Gardner
Wanda ….. Samantha Bond
Ampersand ….. Nicky Henson
Sam ….. Lobo Chan
Mr Kwok ….. David K. Tse
Series Music Composer: David Chilton
Writer: Guy Meredith
Producer: Cherry Cookson
A Goldhawk Essential production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in August 2016.
MON 07:30 Just a Minute (b0938k91)
Compilation
Episode 6
Nicholas Parsons challenges Paul Merton, Rufus Hound, Jenny Eclair and Zoe Lyons to speak on the topics on the cards without deviation, hesitation or repetition.
Hayley Sterling blows the whistle.
Produced by Victoria Lloyd.
A BBC Studios Production.
From 2017.
MON 08:00 Steptoe and Son (b00rlb08)
Series 1
65 Today
Albert's 65th birthday outing turns into a disaster for son Harold.
Starring Wilfrid Brambell as Albert and Harry H Corbett as Harold.
Following the conclusion of their hugely successful association with Tony Hancock, writers Ray Galton and Alan Simpson wrote 10 pilots for the BBC TV's Comedy Playhouse in 1962. The Offer was set in a house with a yard full of junk, featuring the lives of rag and bone men Albert Steptoe and his son Harold and it was the spark for a run of 8 series for TV.
Adapted for radio from Galton and Simpson's TV script by Gale Pedrick.
Produced by Bobby Jaye
First broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in July 1966.
MON 08:30 Harry Worth (b00rl56h)
Thirty Minutes Worth
The Burglar
Cat burglar Fingers Fogerty pays Harry Worth an unwelcome visit.
Starring Harry Worth. With Jacqueline Clarke, Roger John-Lee and Michael Robbins.
Script by Vince Powell.
Producer: Mike Craig
First broadcast on BBC Radio 2 in October 1988.
MON 09:00 The Unbelievable Truth (b080t0pc)
Series 17
Episode 5
David Mitchell hosts the panel game in which four comedians are encouraged to tell lies and compete against one another to see how many items of truth they're able to smuggle past their opponents.
John Finnemore, Frankie Boyle, Jeremy Hardy and Lucy Porter are the panellists obliged to talk with deliberate inaccuracy on subjects as varied as Donald Trump, musicals, weddings and Oxbridge.
The show is devised by Graeme Garden and Jon Naismith, the team behind Radio 4's I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue.
Produced by Jon Naismith
A Random Entertainment production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in October 2016.
MON 09:30 Gilbert Without Sullivan (b0076pmf)
Series 2
A Sensation Novel
Ebeneezer Fudge - writer of melodramatic sensation novels - is disturbed when his characters start coming to life and criticising his preposterous plots.
The second series of short stories by W.S. Gilbert dramatised by Stephen Wyatt.
W.S. Gilbert …. Jonathan Coy
Ebenezer Fudge …. John Rowe
Demon of Romance …. Nicholas Boulton
Lady Rockalda …. Julia Hills
Sir Ruthven Glenaloon …. Hugh Dickson
Herbert …. Jason Chan
Alice Grey …. Wendy Baxter
Playwright and humourist, Sir William Schwenck Gilbert (1836-1911) is best known for his comic opera collaborations with Sir Arthur Sullivan, which first captivated audiences across the English-speaking world in the late 19th century.
Director: Jenny Stephens
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2004.
MON 10:00 Maria Edgeworth - The Absentee (b079z6rw)
Episode 1
Lady Clonbrony, determined to be accepted by fashionable London society, has sunk her family into debt to the moneylender, Mordecai. She wants her son to make a good marriage, but his affections are not to be bought.
Lord Colambre... Stephen Rea
Grace Nugent... Anna Healy
Lord Clonbrony... T P McKenna
Lady Clonbrony... Francine Mulrooney
Whipp ... Ben Onwukwe
Paddy/Larry... Billy Boyle
Sir Terence O'Fay ... James Berwick
Moredecai ... Terence Edmond
Sir James Brooke ... David Bannerman
With Fraser Kerr, Danielle Allan, Emma Gregory,Jenny Howe, Elizabeth Kelly, Auriol Smith, Ian Lindsay and Andrew Wincott.
Published in 1812, Maria Edgeworth's novel is dramatised by Nick McCarty.
Producer: Claire Grove
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1991.
MON 11:00 TED Radio Hour (m000pw5z)
Series 7
Approaching with Kindness
A journey through fascinating ideas based on talks by riveting speakers on the TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) stage.
Guy Raz explores how two simple words - ‘thank you’ - can change how you, and those around you, look at the world.
First broadcast in the USA on National Public Radio in 2019.
MON 11:50 Inheritance Tracks (m000pw61)
Tony Hadley
Singer and ex-Spandau Ballet frontman Tony Hadley chooses My Boy Lollipop by Millie Small and Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen.
MON 12:00 Steptoe and Son (b00rlb08)
[Repeat of broadcast at
08:00 today]
MON 12:30 Harry Worth (b00rl56h)
[Repeat of broadcast at
08:30 today]
MON 13:00 Falco (b007wpf1)
[Repeat of broadcast at
06:00 today]
MON 13:30 Ted Willis - The Left-Handed Sleeper (m000pw5w)
[Repeat of broadcast at
06:30 today]
MON 14:00 Book of the Week (b08nkrc6)
Balancing Acts: Behind the Scenes at the National Theatre
1. A Typical Day
The inside story of twelve years at the helm of Britain's greatest 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. Its cast includes the likes of Alan Bennett, Maggie Smith, Michael Gambon and Helen Mirren.
Intimate, candid and insightful, Balancing Acts is a passionate exploration of the art and alchemy of making theatre.
Today Hynter describes his typical day as the theatre's Director.
Written and read by Nicholas Hytner
Produced by Simon Richardson.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 2017.
MON 14:15 15 Minute Drama (b08gwsjd)
Agnes Grey by Anne Bronte
1. Agnes
Ellie Kendrick stars in Rachel Joyce's latest Bronte adaptation. Anne Bronte's debut novel is the story of Agnes, a young woman who is determined to take care of herself and help the family finances. But what can a young girl with no money, no connections and no prospects do? How does a young woman find her way in the world? - she becomes a governess.
Agnes Grey ..... Ellie Kendrick
Mrs Grey ..... Juliet Aubrey
Mr Grey ..... John Bowler
Mrs Bloomfield ..... Catriona McFarlane
Mr Bloomfield ..... David Sterne
Tom ..... Felix Lailey
Mary Ann ..... Amy Jayne Leigh
Edward Weston ..... George Watkins
Mr Hatfield ..... Luke MacGregor
Rosalie ..... Keziah Joseph
Matilda ..... Natasha Cowley
Mrs Murray ..... Karen Bartke
Nancy ..... Alison Belbin
Agnes Grey, Anne Bronte's debut novel, is the least known of the Bronte novels. Agnes is nineteen and determined to take care of herself - but she has no money, no connections, and no job. She isn't even very confident. So how does a young woman with nothing find her way in the world? She has to be a governess. Even if she knows little about children. And even if they treat her like dirt. As a governess, Agnes is not a part of the family and neither is she a servant. She's isolated and an outsider. This compelling drama tells the story of Agnes's self-discovery and her search for love.
Rachel Joyce had adapted all of Charlotte and now Anne's novels. An award winning writer for radio she is now a successful novelist. Her novels include The Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, Perfect, The Love Song of Miss Queenie Hennessy and a collection of short stories, The Snow Garden & Other Stories.
Produced and directed by Tracey Neale.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 2017.
MON 14:30 The Real Apprentice (b010t5wk)
Seven unemployed men compete to win a builder's apprenticeship in South Wales.
Jon Manel follows their progress, and explores how our concept of apprenticeship has changed over centuries.
The charity Construction Youth Trust took its Real Apprentice scheme to Newport in the summer of 2010. Seven young people who weren't in education or employment were put to work on a building site, redeveloping two flats. The best performer won an apprenticeship with Newport City Homes. Jon Manel watches the competition and hears about the contestants' experience of trying to find work.
But what can the winner expect of his apprenticeship? And how does the experience of today's apprentices compare to that of their predecessors decades - even centuries - ago?
Jon meets a manager at Tata Steel - formerly British Steel - in Port Talbot, who is still with the company nearly forty years after he joined as an apprentice. And then we go back nearly six hundred years to discover the story of a fifteenth century butcher's apprentice from Newbury, recorded in a document in the Berkshire Record Office. Alison Fuller from Southampton University gives a potted history of how the lives of apprentices developed in the intervening years - for better and for worse.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 2011.
MON 15:00 Maria Edgeworth - The Absentee (b079z6rw)
[Repeat of broadcast at
10:00 today]
MON 16:00 The Unbelievable Truth (b080t0pc)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:00 today]
MON 16:30 Gilbert Without Sullivan (b0076pmf)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:30 today]
MON 17:00 Way Out East (b07mwqfh)
[Repeat of broadcast at
07:00 today]
MON 17:30 Just a Minute (b0938k91)
[Repeat of broadcast at
07:30 today]
MON 18:00 Methuselah's Children by Robert A Heinlein (b007rhwz)
2. Immortality
The prospect of immortality sparks riots, so the Government starts mass arrests. Paul Birchard reads Robert Heinlein's novel.
MON 18:30 A Good Read (b00zlkng)
Andi Osho and Toby Young
Sian Williams and her guests - comedian, Andi Osho and journalist, Toby Young - discuss their favourite books by Stewart Lee, Kingsley Amis and Kathryn Stockett.
How I Escaped My Certain Fate by Stewart Lee
Publisher: Faber and Faber
Lucky Jim by Kingsley Amis
Publisher: Penguin
The Help by Kathryn Stockett
Publisher: Penguin
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 2011.
MON 19:00 Steptoe and Son (b00rlb08)
[Repeat of broadcast at
08:00 today]
MON 19:30 Harry Worth (b00rl56h)
[Repeat of broadcast at
08:30 today]
MON 20:00 Falco (b007wpf1)
[Repeat of broadcast at
06:00 today]
MON 20:30 Ted Willis - The Left-Handed Sleeper (m000pw5w)
[Repeat of broadcast at
06:30 today]
MON 21:00 TED Radio Hour (m000pw5z)
[Repeat of broadcast at
11:00 today]
MON 21:50 Inheritance Tracks (m000pw61)
[Repeat of broadcast at
11:50 today]
MON 22:00 Just a Minute (b0938k91)
[Repeat of broadcast at
07:30 today]
MON 22:30 2000 Years of Radio (b007szjn)
Series 2
Beagle FM
1836: DJ Suzanne Canker joins Charlie Darwin aboard HMS Beagle. Recreation of the wireless archives with Hazel Grain. From 2002.
MON 22:45 Little Lifetimes by Jenny Eclair (b07x5vsm)
Series 3
Hannah's Gone
Hannah's Mum ..... Josie Lawrence
Produced by Sally Avens
Four of the country's leading actresses star in this comic series about women facing a crisis in their lives.
When Hannah leaves home her mother is heartbroken, but a visit to her daughter's room sheds some revealing light on Hannah's personality.
MON 23:00 The Now Show (m000ptc3)
Series 57
Episode 5
Steve Punt and Hugh Dennis get to grips (from a safe distance) with all things 2020 in the form of sketches and guest contributions.
This week Catherine Bohart dons The Crown, Eshaan Akbar takes responsibility and musical duo Harry and Chris take us to church...
Additional voices from Emma Sidi and George Fouracres
Written by the cast, with additional material from Jeffrey Aidoo, Laura Major, Georgie Flinn, Charlie George and Simon Alcock
Production Co-Ordinator: Caroline Barlow
Engineer and Editor: David Thomas
Producer: Adnan Ahmed
A BBC Studios Production
MON 23:30 Mitch Benn's Crimes Against Music (b00cbv8k)
Series 2
The Love Song
Mitch goes in search of the Love Song - via a children's encyclopaedia and ox-bow lakes. With Robin Ince and Alfie Joey.
TUESDAY 01 DECEMBER 2020
TUE 00:00 Methuselah's Children by Robert A Heinlein (b007rhwz)
[Repeat of broadcast at
18:00 on Monday]
TUE 00:30 A Good Read (b00zlkng)
[Repeat of broadcast at
18:30 on Monday]
TUE 01:00 Falco (b007wpf1)
[Repeat of broadcast at
06:00 on Monday]
TUE 01:30 Ted Willis - The Left-Handed Sleeper (m000pw5w)
[Repeat of broadcast at
06:30 on Monday]
TUE 02:00 Book of the Week (b08nkrc6)
[Repeat of broadcast at
14:00 on Monday]
TUE 02:15 15 Minute Drama (b08gwsjd)
[Repeat of broadcast at
14:15 on Monday]
TUE 02:30 The Real Apprentice (b010t5wk)
[Repeat of broadcast at
14:30 on Monday]
TUE 03:00 Maria Edgeworth - The Absentee (b079z6rw)
[Repeat of broadcast at
10:00 on Monday]
TUE 04:00 The Unbelievable Truth (b080t0pc)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:00 on Monday]
TUE 04:30 Gilbert Without Sullivan (b0076pmf)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:30 on Monday]
TUE 05:00 Way Out East (b07mwqfh)
[Repeat of broadcast at
07:00 on Monday]
TUE 05:30 Just a Minute (b0938k91)
[Repeat of broadcast at
07:30 on Monday]
TUE 06:00 Falco (b007wpz2)
The Silver Pigs
Episode 2
Roman detective, Falco is investigating the mystery of how a stolen lead ingot containing silver came to be in the bank box of a senator's daughter. And things have taken a turn for the worse, as he's now probing a murder and - worse still - he's forced to visit a remote and dangerous outpost of the Empire - Britain.
Lindsey Davis's witty and enthralling adventure set in the days of the Roman Empire. Dramatised by Mary Cutler.
Falco …. Anton Lesser
Petronius …. Ben Crowe
Decimus …. Robert Lister
Publius …. Richard Derrington
Gaius Hilaris …. Ian Brooker
Helena …. Fritha Goodey
Aelia …. Susan Jeffrey
Triferus/Cornix
Directed in Birmingham by Peter Leslie Wild.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2004.
TUE 06:30 Ted Willis - The Left-Handed Sleeper (m000pxmc)
2. Death in West Hampstead
British Intelligence inform Christine Ritchie that they have been following her husband, MP Mark Ritchie, because they suspect him of being a Soviet spy. Ritchie's loyal secretary Marian Brown shares a flat in West Hampstead and feels Mark has let her down.
Spy serial featuring its author Ted Willis.
Curly …. Alex Jennings
Bedayev …. Andrew Sachs
Christine Ritchie …. Annette Crosbie
Det Chief Supt Dell …. David Daker
Willie …. Jim Reid
Patrick Cadwall …. Richard Pasco
Marian Brown …. Thelma Whiteley
Nurse …. Theresa Streatfield
Letitis …. Wendy Murray
Narrator …. Ted Willis
Directed by Christopher Venning
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 1982.
TUE 07:00 Relativity (m000222b)
Series 2
Episode 3
Drawing on his own family, the second series of Richard Herring’s comedy drama, Relativity, builds on the warm, lively characters and family dynamics of the first series. His affectionate observation of inter-generational misunderstanding, sibling sparring and the ties that bind will resonate with anyone who has ever argued with their dad about who the current Pope is.
Amid the comedy, Richard broaches some more serious highs and lows of family life.
Richard Herring is a comedian, writer, blogger and podcaster and the world's premier semi-professional self-playing snooker player.
Episode 3:
Ian and Chloe’s wedding day is a typically chaotic, argumentative, loving affair. Ken eats the lip balm and Chloe’s estranged parents test Ken and Margaret’s patience.
Cast:
Margaret…………….Alison Steadman
Ken…………………...Phil Davis
Jane/Lorelei…………….Fenella Woolgar
Clive………………Tony Gardner
Ian……………….Richard Herring
Chloe…………..Emily Berrington
Pete………………..Gordon Kennedy
Holly………………...Tia Bannon
Mark………………Fred Haig
Nick………………..Harrison Knights
Registrar………………..Danny Kirrane
Written by Richard Herring
Sound Design by Eloise Whitmore
Produced by Polly Thomas
Executive Producers: Jon Thoday and Richard Allen Turner
An Avalon Television production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in January 2019.
TUE 07:30 Earwig (m000pmx9)
Earwig is a new naturalistic sketch show by BAFTA-winning comedy writer Brian Dooley (The Smoking Room).
While not immediately topical, our characters will of course discuss the main talking points of the day. As people do. They say the age of the expert is over, but this is what you get when amateurs wade in on the big issues.
Every episode we hop around different conversations the length and breadth of Britain. Covering every age, sex, race and class. A snapshot of the country today. An everyday family in Cardiff, a young couple dining out in Canterbury, an office of app-developers in Newcastle, a couple of bricklayers in Sheffield - as varied as possible.
Much of the comedy is observational, but noting everyday eccentricities - and how enjoyably surreal those can be.
Each episode takes a different theme, but loosely so, and not grandly tackling the big questions, though they do of course arise. The theme will be obvious after the first couple of sketches. The theme of the pilot episode is Britain is going through a November heatwave.
At the heart of Earwig is the comedy of overheard conversations, played deadpan and real; a look at what's happening when nothing's happening. To aid this, we recorded on location with an excellent diverse comedy cast (Debbie Chazen (Sherlock, The Smoking Room), Nimisha Odedra (Newsjack), Nathan Bryon (Benidorm), Jason Forbes (Daphne) and Duncan Wisbey (Dead Ringers) that brought genuine regionality to the series.
Earwig is written by Brian Dooley
The cast are Debbie Chazen, Nimisha Odedra, Nathan Bryon, Jason Forbes and Duncan Wisbey.
Production co-ordinator Mabel Wright
Produced by Simon Nicholls
A BBC Studios Production
TUE 08:00 The Goon Show (b007jp0s)
Series 7
The Histories of Pliny the Elder
The Romans hit Britain, but Seagoon, Eccles and Bluebottle are off to Rome's Colosseum. Stars Spike Milligan. From March 1957.
TUE 08:30 At Home With Hinge and Bracket (b008wd18)
6. Benjamin Luxon
Acclaimed baritone star Benjamin Luxon joins the dear ladies for songs and conversation. From December 1990.
TUE 09:00 The Now Show (m000ptc3)
[Repeat of broadcast at
23:00 on Monday]
TUE 09:30 Married (b007tm4g)
Series 2
The Truth Is Out There
Robin's money-making scam in his parallel universe attracts some unwanted attention. Stars Hugh Bonneville. From April 2000.
TUE 10:00 Maria Edgeworth - The Absentee (b07b2phd)
Episode 2
In Ireland, Lord Colambre has become the target of marriage for Lady Dashfort's daughter. Stars Stephen Rea and Anna Healy.
Lord Colambre... Stephen Rea
Paddy... Billy Boyle
Whipp ... Ben Onwukwe
Sir Terence O'Fay ... James Berwick
Lord Clonbrony... T P McKenna
Lady Clonbrony... Francine Mulrooney
Grace Nugent... Anna Healy
0'Halloran.... Shay Gorman
Garraghty...John O'Mahoney
With Fraser Kerr, Danielle Allan, Emma Gregory,Jenny Howe, Elizabeth Kelly, Auriol Smith, Ian Lindsay, Andrew Wincott and Terence Edmond.
Published in 1812, Maria Edgeworth's novel is dramatised by Nick McCarty.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1991.
TUE 11:00 Archive on 4 (b07z2j3r)
Song of the Singer Sewing Machine
The song of the Singer has whirred its way through more than 160 years. There is not a town in the world where this machine has not made its presence felt. Maria Margaronis considers the might of the sewing machine to make empires and change lives for better or worse.
Isaac Singer patented his machine in 1851. That bald fact alone doesn't even begin to describe the individual behind this perfection of technologies and processes. Impresario, inventor, actor and millionaire and father of 22 children with six wives, the last of whom was the model for the Statue of Liberty. There was skull duggery and power play at work in his ability to capture the market - the rise of the first multi-national. As the slogan goes 'Sewing made easy'.
By the late nineteenth century Singer had 86,000 employees and 5,000 branch offices in 190 countries--a reach second only to the Catholic Church.
But we begin on a busy North London road. The shop simply says SINGER, inside is a nest of sewing machines. It is here that Maria Margaronis has brought her mother's old machine and it is here she begins her story, unpicking the threads of time. This machine was one of millions made on Glasgow's Clyde Side. Singer's European heartland until 1980. A place that produced some 36 million machines. Maria Margaronis travels to both Glasgow and to the site of the vast American Singer factory in Elizabethport New Jersey to piece together the story of a once all powerful empire. From the Amazon river where they were traded for emeralds to St Petersburg where the Bolsheviks had the temerity to nationalize the Singer factory. Drawing on oral history, newly recorded interviews and rare gems Maria follows the many threads of Singers presence in the world.
Producer: Mark Burman.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 2016.
TUE 12:00 The Goon Show (b007jp0s)
[Repeat of broadcast at
08:00 today]
TUE 12:30 At Home With Hinge and Bracket (b008wd18)
[Repeat of broadcast at
08:30 today]
TUE 13:00 Falco (b007wpz2)
[Repeat of broadcast at
06:00 today]
TUE 13:30 Ted Willis - The Left-Handed Sleeper (m000pxmc)
[Repeat of broadcast at
06:30 today]
TUE 14:00 Book of the Week (b08ns9sm)
Balancing Acts: Behind the Scenes at the National Theatre
2. Shakespeare
The inside story of twelve years at the helm of Britain's greatest 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. Its cast includes the likes of 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 Hynter recalls his first production of Shakespeare at The National Theatre - Henry V, starring Adrian Lester.
Written and read by Nicholas Hytner
Produced by Simon Richardson.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 2017.
TUE 14:15 15 Minute Drama (b08gxndf)
Agnes Grey by Anne Bronte
2. Rosalie
Ellie Kendrick stars in Rachel Joyce's new Anne Bronte adaptation. With the family fortune lost and her father ill, Agnes is making her way in the world. But she has already been beset with great disappointment. What should she do?
Agnes Grey ... Ellie Kendrick
Mrs Grey ... Juliet Aubrey
Mr Grey ... John Bowler
Mrs Bloomfield .... Catriona McFarlane
Mr Bloomfield .... David Sterne
Tom .... Felix Lailey
Mary Ann ... Amy Jayne Leigh
Edward Weston ... George Watkins
Mr Hatfield ... Luke MacGregor
Rosalie ... Keziah Joseph
Matilda ... Natasha Cowley
Mrs Murray ... Karen Bartke
Nancy ... Alison Belbin
Agnes Grey, Anne Bronte's debut novel, is the least known of the Bronte novels. Agnes is nineteen and determined to take care of herself - but she has no money, no connections, and no job. She isn't even very confident. So how does a young woman with nothing find her way in the world? She has to be a governess. Even if she knows little about children. And even if they treat her like dirt. As a governess, Agnes is not a part of the family and neither is she a servant. She's isolated and an outsider. This compelling drama tells the story of Agnes's self-discovery and her search for love.
Rachel Joyce had adapted all of Charlotte and now Anne's novels. An award winning writer for radio she is now a successful novelist. Her novels include The Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, Perfect, The Love Song of Miss Queenie Hennessy and a collection of short stories, The Snow Garden & Other Stories.
Produced and directed by Tracey Neale.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 2017.
TUE 14:30 Ladies of the Links (b012zwz0)
Marking the bi-centenary of the first ever women's golf tournament, Rhona Cameron plays a round at Musselburgh, both the scene of that historic competition and also her home course.
Records show that during the 19th century a women's golf competition was held annually on New Years Day among the fishwives of Musselburgh. The earliest known reference to an open womens' golf competition at Musselburgh dates from 9th January 1811.
To ensure a bumper entry from the hard-working women of the fishing community the winner's prize was a 'creel' and a 'skull' (the headdress and basket used to carry fish). The consolation prizes were 'two fine silk handkerchiefs from Barcelona'.
Musselburgh Links is the site of the oldest remaining golf course in the world. This nine-hole course is a relic from the 'cradle of golf' and remains as a testimony to what was the centre of Scottish golf during its greatest era. The course itself is fascinating. Unexpectedly it is on the infield of a race course, slap-bang in the middle of a horse racing track.
Rhona Cameron was born and raised in Musselburgh and is a keen golfer. For this programme she will play a round on the famous Musselburgh links course, whilst exploring the history of this famous game and considering the origins of women's golf more generally.
Producer: Kevin Dawson
A Whistledown Production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in August 2011.
TUE 15:00 Maria Edgeworth - The Absentee (b07b2phd)
[Repeat of broadcast at
10:00 today]
TUE 16:00 Dilemma (b03ts4fp)
Series 3
Episode 2
Sue Perkins puts Tony Law, Isy Suttie, Gemma Cairney and Tim Harford through the moral and ethical wringer.
The panellists collectively attempt to resolve dilemmas based around footballing allegiance, supermarket deliveries, getting free 4G technology and a career in statistics.
Devised by Danielle Ward.
Producer: Ed Morrish.
TUE 16:30 Married (b007tm4g)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:30 today]
TUE 17:00 Relativity (m000222b)
[Repeat of broadcast at
07:00 today]
TUE 17:30 Earwig (m000pmx9)
[Repeat of broadcast at
07:30 today]
TUE 18:00 Methuselah's Children by Robert A Heinlein (b007rkc4)
3. New Frontiers
Lazarus Long leads the families on board the colony spaceship 'New Frontiers'. Paul Birchard reads Robert Heinlein's novel.
TUE 18:30 Soul Music (b00dnjrn)
Series 7
So What
On 2nd March 1959, Miles Davis and his sextet began recording a new album: "Kind of Blue".
The first track was "So What" and the album became the best selling Jazz album of all time.
This programme tells the stories of people whose lives have been changed by this piece of music.
Featuring:
Clemency Burton-Hill
Jonathan Eno
Estelle Kokot
Ashley Kahn
Dr Richard Niles
Series exploring famous pieces of music and their emotional appeal.
Producer: Rosa Boulton
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 2008.
TUE 19:00 The Goon Show (b007jp0s)
[Repeat of broadcast at
08:00 today]
TUE 19:30 At Home With Hinge and Bracket (b008wd18)
[Repeat of broadcast at
08:30 today]
TUE 20:00 Falco (b007wpz2)
[Repeat of broadcast at
06:00 today]
TUE 20:30 Ted Willis - The Left-Handed Sleeper (m000pxmc)
[Repeat of broadcast at
06:30 today]
TUE 21:00 Archive on 4 (b07z2j3r)
[Repeat of broadcast at
11:00 today]
TUE 22:00 Earwig (m000pmx9)
[Repeat of broadcast at
07:30 today]
TUE 22:30 The Secret World (b03k2bt9)
Series 4
Episode 2
Sean Connery, Griff Rhys Jones, Pam Ayres, Kirsty Young, Peter Sallis, all have one thing in common. They enjoy nothing more than coming together every week or so for a bit of bare knuckle fighting. Well, they do in the strange alternative universe that is The Secret World. The impressions show with a difference.
With Jon Culshaw, Julian Dutton, Lewis MacLeod, Jess Robinson, Debra Stephenson and Duncan Wisbey.
TUE 23:00 Andrew Lawrence: How Did We End Up Like This? (b01nxwnd)
Money
Sketches, stand-up and song in a comic exploration of money. With Andrew Lawrence and Sara Pascoe. From November 2012.
TUE 23:30 Chain Reaction (b00mgd83)
Series 5
Dave Gorman interviews Frank Skinner
Chat show in which one week's interviewee becomes the next week's interviewer.
Dave Gorman interviews Frank Skinner, asking him about his return to stand up, censorship in comedy and the merits of outdoor toilets.
WEDNESDAY 02 DECEMBER 2020
WED 00:00 Methuselah's Children by Robert A Heinlein (b007rkc4)
[Repeat of broadcast at
18:00 on Tuesday]
WED 00:30 Soul Music (b00dnjrn)
[Repeat of broadcast at
18:30 on Tuesday]
WED 01:00 Falco (b007wpz2)
[Repeat of broadcast at
06:00 on Tuesday]
WED 01:30 Ted Willis - The Left-Handed Sleeper (m000pxmc)
[Repeat of broadcast at
06:30 on Tuesday]
WED 02:00 Book of the Week (b08ns9sm)
[Repeat of broadcast at
14:00 on Tuesday]
WED 02:15 15 Minute Drama (b08gxndf)
[Repeat of broadcast at
14:15 on Tuesday]
WED 02:30 Ladies of the Links (b012zwz0)
[Repeat of broadcast at
14:30 on Tuesday]
WED 03:00 Maria Edgeworth - The Absentee (b07b2phd)
[Repeat of broadcast at
10:00 on Tuesday]
WED 04:00 Dilemma (b03ts4fp)
[Repeat of broadcast at
16:00 on Tuesday]
WED 04:30 Married (b007tm4g)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:30 on Tuesday]
WED 05:00 Relativity (m000222b)
[Repeat of broadcast at
07:00 on Tuesday]
WED 05:30 Earwig (m000pmx9)
[Repeat of broadcast at
07:30 on Tuesday]
WED 06:00 Falco (b007wpsz)
The Silver Pigs
Episode 3
Probing the illegal imports of the ingots, Roman sleuth Falco has chanced upon a sinister plot to overthrow the Emperor Vespasian. And he's also discovered the identity of Helena's ex-husband: which has made him realise the pot is much closer to home than he thought.
Lindsey Davis's witty and enthralling adventure set in the days of the Roman Empire. Dramatised by Mary Cutler.
Falco …. Anton Lesser
Lenia …. Gillian Goodman
Petronius …. Ben Crowe
Decimus …. Robert Lister
Falco’s Mother …. Frances Jeater
Marcia …. Helen Monks
Helena …. Fritha Goodey
Titus …. Jonathan Keeble
Domitian …. Declan Wilson
Directed in Birmingham by Peter Leslie Wild.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2004.
WED 06:30 Ted Willis - The Left-Handed Sleeper (m000py8h)
3. The Executioner
MP Mark Ritchie has fled to Tangier with both MI5 and the KGB on his tail. His secretary has been killed by his exploding suitcase and his wife, Christine, is escorted to a 'safe house'. Meanwhile, his secretary's flatmate disappears.
Spy serial by Ted Willis
Joseph Gaul …. Allan Cuthbertson
Badayev …. Andrew Sachs
Christine Ritchie …. Annette Crosbie
Newscaster / Driver …. Astley Jones
Set Chief Supt Dell …. David Daker
Coombes …. Hugh Dickson
Irvine …. James Kerry
Operator / Secretary …. Madi Hedd
Willie …. Jim Reid
Patrick Cadwall …. Richard Pasco
Ray Markham / Det Sergeant Gunn …. Simon Hewitt
Marian Brown …. Thelma Whiteley
Letitia …. Wendy Murray
Narrator …. Ted Willis
Directed by Christopher Venning
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 1982.
WED 07:00 Michael Frayn's Pocket Playhouse (b0b6phln)
Series 1
Episode 4
Martin Jarvis directs the masterly comic series written by Michael Frayn, the author of Noises Off and the most comic philosophical writer of our time. The outstanding cast is led by Ian McKellen, Joanna Lumley, Stephen Fry, Alfred Molina, Alex Jennings and Jarvis himself.
It's an astonishing tour de force of comic imagination and satire.
Each of the four episodes reveals Frayn's infectious delight in writing between the lines of theatre, fiction, television and the media, the church, relationships - life in general.
In this final episode of the series, Joanna Lumley presents a surprising travel programme, Janie Dee and Alex Jennings have memory lapses, and the ensemble provides an unusual restaurant menu. Meanwhile, Alex Jennings fronts a manic infomercial and Gyles Brandreth chairs the TV-watching Championships, assisted by Nigel Anthony and George Blagden, Alfred Molina and Yeni Alvarez speak "international English", and Martin Jarvis and Rosalind Ayres wonder what's really happening on the radio.
Cast:
Joanna Lumley, Alfred Molina, Yeni Alvarez, Rosalind Ayres, Nigel Anthony, Gyles Brandreth, George Blagden, Martin Jarvis, Lisa Dillon, Edward Bennett, Janie Dee, and Alex Jennings.
Written by Michael Frayn,
Director: Martin Jarvis.
A Jarvis and Ayres production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in June 2018.
WED 07:30 The Wilsons Save the World (m000pp91)
Series 3
Marrow
Mike, high on a Good Life binge, is throwing himself properly into self-sufficiency. He’s turned the front garden into a veg patch and is enjoying feeling like a massive farmer. His joy is shattered when someone starts stealing his veg. Meanwhile Max has developed an unhealthy obsession with True Crime documentaries.
Mike: Marcus Brigstocke
Max: Kerry Godliman
Cat: Aine McNamara
Lola: Jasmine Sakyiama
Jennifer: Vicki Pepperdine
BMW Paul: Mike Wozniak
Writers: Marcus Brigstocke and Sarah Morgan
Producer: Suzy Grant
A BBC Studios production
WED 08:00 Hancock's Half Hour (b007jpl8)
Series 6
The Elopement
With Bill suffering heartache, can The Lad and Sid smooth the path to true love?
Starring Tony Hancock. With Sidney James, Bill Kerr, Lillian Grasson, Wilfred Babbage, Fraser Kerr and Lee Crutchley.
Written by Ray Galton and Alan Simpson.
Theme and incidental music written by Wally Stott.
Producer: Tom Ronald
First broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in November 1959.
WED 08:30 After Henry (b007jqqj)
Series 4
Little Women
"'I don't know which of the two masculine approaches is the more offensive - Gary's straight boorishness or Vernon's patronising, undervaluing gallantry".
Trying to put up a new shelf, Sarah's goes to war in the battle of the sexes.
Simon Brett's comedy about three generations of women - struggling to cope after the death of Sarah's GP husband - who never quite manage to see eye to eye.
Starring Prunella Scales as Sarah, Joan Sanderson as Eleanor, Benjamin Whitrow as Russell, Gerry Cowper as Clare, Frederick Treves as Vernon and Ian Michie as Gary.
Four radio series were made, but instead of moving to BBC TV - Thames Television produced 'After Henry' for the ITV network.
Producer: Pete Atkin
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 1989.
WED 09:00 The Motion Show (b0075s3q)
Series 1
Episode 6
Dr Phil Hammond chairs the debating game with Pete Sinclair, Steve Punt, Michael White and Simon Fanshawe. From November 1998.
WED 09:30 Life in London (b011kpfk)
Mr Lushington
If Pierce can't meet his deadline, how will the audience hear about a visit to the slums, George IV's interior decorating, and a dog fighting a monkey?
Pierce Egan’s 19th-century comic novel adapted in six-parts by Dan Tetsell.
Pierce Egan .... Geoffrey McGivern
Hustle .... Alex Macqueen
Corinthian Tom .... Greg Wise
Pickpocket .... Neil Edmond
Jerry Hawthorn .... Mark Gatiss
Jarvey .... Ben Graves
Bob Logic .... James Bachman
Fishwife .... Laura Shavin
Mrs Egan .... Alys Torrence
Corinthian Kate .... Amanda Abbington
Producer: Tilusha Ghelani
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 2006.
WED 10:00 Twenty Thousand Streets under the Sky (b07g8d1l)
1. The Midnight Bell
London, 1927: Bob meets a prostitute called Jenny and Ella is invited to the theatre by Mr Eccles.
Starring Steven Pacey as Bob, Annette Badland as Ella, Emily Morgan as Jenny and John Moffatt as Ernest Eccles
Patrick Hamilton's semi-autobiographical trilogy set in working class, inter-war London.
Violet.... Alice Arnold
Rex.... Christopher Good
Andy ... David Goudge
Tom ... Paul Downing
Marian .... Margot Boyd
Bella .... Joan Matheson
Ella's mother ..... Anna Cropper
Guvnor .... David King
Mrs Guvnor .... Jo Kendall
Other parts ..... Vincent Brimble, Brian Miller & Joan Walker
Dramatised for radio in three parts by Frederic Bradnum.
Producer: Glyn Dearman
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1989.
WED 11:00 Neil Innes: Dip My Brain In Joy (m000py8k)
1. Bangs, Belches, Smut & Smoke
Diane Morgan celebrates the life and work of Neil Innes, the music and comedy legend of The Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band & The Rutles. A towering talent, occasionally known as the 7th Python & regularly found with a duck on his head. His legacy of music and comedy is rich, inspiring and inspired.
Neil said of his work, “Shakespeare wrote comedies as well as dramas. I’m just like Shakespeare, except with better songs.” His influence permeates modern comedy and his back catalogue is diverse and prolific. Neil wrote and performed anarchic rock with The Bonzos, he penned and performed pitch-perfect pastiches of the Beatles for The Rutles, he appeared in Monty Python and the Holy Grail and Monty Python’s Life of Brian and he is one of only two non-Pythons with a writing credit on Monty Python’s Flying Circus – the other being Douglas Adams. He released over 20 albums including How Sweet To Be An Idiot, Innes Book of Records, and Recycled Vinyl Blues. And on top of being comedically and musically gifted, he was also a really nice man. A beautiful, kind, gentle soul. Considered, absurd, and delightful.
Over the next three weeks, we’re going to celebrate his life, work and absurdist tendencies in this three hour collage of scraps and archive. There are old interviews, performances and programmes, conversations with family, friends and fans including his wife of over fifty years Yvonne, Stephen Fry, Adrian Edmondson, Kevin Eldon, Rick Wakeman and Arthur Smith, bandmates Rodney Slater, Phil Jackson, Ken Thornton, and John Halsey (better known to Rutles fans as Barry Wom), TV producer Ian Keill, record producer Martin Lewis, studio engineer extraordinaire Steve James, musical arranger extraordinaire John Altman, and Pythons Terry Gilliam and Michael Palin.
In Part One, Bangs, Belches, Smut & Smoke, we look at Neil's early life and his musical and artistic influences. And we go out on the road, and into the recording studio, with the group of absurd young men who came together by chance, to mutilate the trad jazz movement of the 1920s, to subvert the new wave of psychedelic pop and to nurture a quite deliberate misunderstanding of anarchy - The Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band.
Neil died on Sunday 29th December 2019. He was 75. At the time of his death, he was working on a new album, and a project called Radio Noir, part-audio memoir, part-experimental work of art, part- exploration of the human brain and you will hear some extracts and some unreleased songs throughout the programme – that have never been broadcast.
Produced for BBC Radio 4 Extra by Laura Grimshaw.
WED 12:00 Hancock's Half Hour (b007jpl8)
[Repeat of broadcast at
08:00 today]
WED 12:30 After Henry (b007jqqj)
[Repeat of broadcast at
08:30 today]
WED 13:00 Falco (b007wpsz)
[Repeat of broadcast at
06:00 today]
WED 13:30 Ted Willis - The Left-Handed Sleeper (m000py8h)
[Repeat of broadcast at
06:30 today]
WED 14:00 Book of the Week (b08ns9tt)
Balancing Acts: Behind the Scenes at the National Theatre
3. Alan Bennett
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 Hytner
Produced by Simon Richardson
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2017.
WED 14:15 15 Minute Drama (b08gy165)
Agnes Grey by Anne Bronte
3. Weston
Ellie Kendrick stars in Rachel Joyce's new Anne Bronte adaptation. Agnes has been a governess in the Murray household for two years. Her charges a pair of ignorant girls. She is lonely and desperate for a friend.
Agnes Grey .... Ellie Kendrick
Edward Weston .... George Watkins
Rosalie ... Keziah Joseph
Matilda ..... Natasha Cowley
Mr Hatfield .... Luke MacGregor
Nancy ..... Alison Belbin
Agnes Grey, Anne Bronte's debut novel, is the least known of the Bronte novels. Agnes is nineteen and determined to take care of herself - but she has no money, no connections, and no job. She isn't even very confident. So how does a young woman with nothing find her way in the world? She has to be a governess. Even if she knows little about children. And even if they treat her like dirt. As a governess, Agnes is not a part of the family and neither is she a servant. She's isolated and an outsider. This compelling drama tells the story of Agnes's self-discovery and her search for love.
Rachel Joyce had adapted all of Charlotte and now Anne's novels. An award winning writer for radio she is now a successful novelist. Her novels include The Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, Perfect, The Love Song of Miss Queenie Hennessy and a collection of short stories, The Snow Garden & Other Stories.
Produced and directed by Tracey Neale.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 2017.
WED 14:30 In Search of the Ideal Music Venue (b04hv9y4)
Trevor Cox Professor of Acoustics from Salford University goes in search of the best venues for different types of music. Trevor is fascinated by the effect that the acoustics have on the enjoyment of different types of live music. He visits various music venues and tries out their acoustics by playing his saxophone. He talks to musicians, sound engineers and experts in acoustics about the venues and the effect that their design has on the audience's enjoyment of music. He asks whether the size and shape of venues has had an effect on the way music is composed. And he travels to Finland to meet Professor Tappio Lokki who can replicate the sound of famous concert halls in his laboratory.
With contributions from acousticians Adrian James, Rob Harris and Niels Adelman-Larsen, sound engineer Derrick Zieba, and musicians Jessica Cottis and Trish Clowes.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 2014.
WED 15:00 Twenty Thousand Streets under the Sky (b07g8d1l)
[Repeat of broadcast at
10:00 today]
WED 16:00 The Motion Show (b0075s3q)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:00 today]
WED 16:30 Life in London (b011kpfk)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:30 today]
WED 17:00 Michael Frayn's Pocket Playhouse (b0b6phln)
[Repeat of broadcast at
07:00 today]
WED 17:30 The Wilsons Save the World (m000pp91)
[Repeat of broadcast at
07:30 today]
WED 18:00 Methuselah's Children by Robert A Heinlein (b007rq8d)
4. The Unknown
100,000 family members settle into their prolonged lives aboard the colony ship. Paul Birchard reads Robert Heinlein's novel.
WED 18:30 Short Cuts (b09tds6x)
Series 15
Unearthly
Josie Long presents short documentaries and stories about unearthly happenings - from the myths surrounding Lake Stechlin, which is said to boil whenever a major catastrophic event happens anywhere in the world, to an uneasy evening at a conference for exorcists.
Possession
Produced by Geoff Bird
Psychic Blob
Originally made for KCRW's Radio Race
Music by The Black Spot
Produced by Jeff Entman
Lake Stechlin
Featuring Jessica J Lee
Series Producer: Eleanor McDowall
A Falling Tree production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in March 2018.
WED 19:00 Hancock's Half Hour (b007jpl8)
[Repeat of broadcast at
08:00 today]
WED 19:30 After Henry (b007jqqj)
[Repeat of broadcast at
08:30 today]
WED 20:00 Falco (b007wpsz)
[Repeat of broadcast at
06:00 today]
WED 20:30 Ted Willis - The Left-Handed Sleeper (m000py8h)
[Repeat of broadcast at
06:30 today]
WED 21:00 Neil Innes: Dip My Brain In Joy (m000py8k)
[Repeat of broadcast at
11:00 today]
WED 22:00 The Wilsons Save the World (m000pp91)
[Repeat of broadcast at
07:30 today]
WED 22:30 Goodness Gracious Me (b00fqbsz)
Series 2
Episode 4
A dizzy Indian ad agency, a lovesick lament to Lahore - and the blundering Bhangra Muffins.
Stars Sanjeev Bhaskar, Kulvinder Ghir, Nitin Sawhney, Meera Syal and Nina Wadia.
Gold Winner of the Sony Radio Academy Awards. The sketch comedy show originally ran on BBC Radio 4 from 1996 to 1998, later transferring to TV on BBC TWO from 1998 to 2001.
Scripted by Richard Pinto, Sharat Sardana, Meera Syal, Sanjeev Bhaskar, Sanjeev Kohli and Nina Wadia.
Script Editor: Sharat Sardana
Producer: Anil Gupta.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 1997.
WED 23:00 Great Unanswered Questions (b00txh88)
Series 2
Episode 2
The show which introduces the funny part of your brain to the intelligent part. Joining comedian Colin Murphy, scientist Dr David Booth and computer nerd Matthew Collins is Irish comedy star Neil Delamere. Who will make the most sense - the geeks or the comedians?
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 2010.
WED 23:30 The Shuttleworths (b007m950)
John Shuttleworth's Open Mind
Vampires
Sheffield's premier singer-songwriter goes in search of the blood-suckers of Whitby, with Fame Academy's Alistair Griffin. From April 2006.
THURSDAY 03 DECEMBER 2020
THU 00:00 Methuselah's Children by Robert A Heinlein (b007rq8d)
[Repeat of broadcast at
18:00 on Wednesday]
THU 00:30 Short Cuts (b09tds6x)
[Repeat of broadcast at
18:30 on Wednesday]
THU 01:00 Falco (b007wpsz)
[Repeat of broadcast at
06:00 on Wednesday]
THU 01:30 Ted Willis - The Left-Handed Sleeper (m000py8h)
[Repeat of broadcast at
06:30 on Wednesday]
THU 02:00 Book of the Week (b08ns9tt)
[Repeat of broadcast at
14:00 on Wednesday]
THU 02:15 15 Minute Drama (b08gy165)
[Repeat of broadcast at
14:15 on Wednesday]
THU 02:30 In Search of the Ideal Music Venue (b04hv9y4)
[Repeat of broadcast at
14:30 on Wednesday]
THU 03:00 Twenty Thousand Streets under the Sky (b07g8d1l)
[Repeat of broadcast at
10:00 on Wednesday]
THU 04:00 The Motion Show (b0075s3q)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:00 on Wednesday]
THU 04:30 Life in London (b011kpfk)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:30 on Wednesday]
THU 05:00 Michael Frayn's Pocket Playhouse (b0b6phln)
[Repeat of broadcast at
07:00 on Wednesday]
THU 05:30 The Wilsons Save the World (m000pp91)
[Repeat of broadcast at
07:30 on Wednesday]
THU 06:00 Falco (b007wpcl)
The Silver Pigs
Episode 4
Falco battles to discover who killed Sosia - and to unmask the plotters against the Emperor. He also discovers that true love can cross the boundaries of the strict Roman class structure...
Lindsey Davis's witty and enthralling adventure set in the days of the Roman Empire. Dramatised by Mary Cutler.
Falco …. Anton Lesser
Decimus …. Robert Lister
Publius …. Richard Derrington
Falco’s Mother …. Frances Jeater
Marcia …. Helen Monks
Helena …. Fritha Goodey
Titus …. Jonathan Keeble
Vespasian …. Michael Tudor Barnes
Directed in Birmingham by Peter Leslie Wild.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2004.
THU 06:30 Ted Willis - The Left-Handed Sleeper (m000q13v)
4. Reunion in Tangier
The disgraced MP Mark Ritchie has fled to a hotel in Tangier. Back in England, friends and foes are making plans to follow him there.
Spy serial written by Ted Willis
Hotel Clerk / Sweeney …. Alex Jennings
Badayev …. Andrew Sachs
Christine Ritchie …. Annette Crosbie
David Hume …. Barry Dennen
Mark Ritchie …. Christopher Scoular
David Hume …. Eric Lander
Shirley Graham …. Frances Jeater
Coombes …. Hugh Dickson
Patrick Cadwall …. Richard Pasco
Jules …. Simon Hewitt
Narrator …. Ted Willis
Directed by Christopher Venning
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 1982.
THU 07:00 Safety Catch (b00vkyz1)
Series 3
Better the Devil You Know
Simon McGrath is a generally nice chap who just happens to be an arms dealer. It's not something he planned, he just fell into it, and despite all his best intentions he just doesn't seem to be able to leave because he has to pay his mortgage like everyone else.
Of course his real love is electronic music and this is just a stop gap until he finds the perfect outlet for his music - okay so the gap has lasted five years but that's not the point. Once he can get himself motivated he'll be out of there and, as his ever supportive mum says, people will always want to kill each other. So that's alright then.
This series sees Simon going to some bizarre lengths to excuse his profession: his attempt at gaining redundancy when an American firm puts in a takeover bid somehow winds up with his promotion; he desperately attempts to give himself compassion fatigue so he won't have to feel guilty about all the bloodshed in the world; he unsuccessfully tries to seek forgiveness and he finally tries to self-motivate himself to sit down in front of a keyboard to compose his electronic masterpiece.
His personal life is as unsatisfactory as his work life and not only do he and Anna have to try and find reasons why they love each other but they have to survive a visit from her parents and his mum's new job at Heathcote Sanders and, as Judith eloquently puts it, to have one member of the family working in the arms trade may be regarded as misfortune, to have two looks like genetic wickedness.
Simon McGrath ...... Darren Boyd
Anna Grieg ...... Joanna Page
Boris Kemal ...... Lewis Macleod
Judith McGrath ...... Sarah Smart
Angela McGrath ...... Brigit Forsyth
Madeleine Turnbull ...... Rachel Atkins
Charles ...... John Schwab
Written by Laurence Howarth
Produced By Dawn Ellis.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2010.
THU 07:30 Mark Steel's in Town (m000pqdt)
Series 10
Mark Steel's Online
Mark Steel returns to Radio 4 with a short series of shows recorded during the coronavirus pandemic.
Following two COVID-friendly live outdoor episodes Mark is back for a special, one-off show performed to a remote, virtual audience where he'll be talking about some of the places he has visited over the course of 10 series of Mark Steel’s in Town. He’ll explore what’s happened since his visits and tell us about some of the things that never made it in to the broadcast shows.
Written and performed by Mark Steel
Production co-ordinator Beverly Tagg
Sound Manager, Marc Willcox
Producer, Carl Cooper
Picture Credit, Tom Stanier
THU 08:00 Beyond Our Ken (m000q13x)
Series 4
Episode 15
Kenneth Horne reveals 'The Kenneth Williams Story' - and 'Hornerama' probes Housing. With Betty Marsden. From January 1961.
THU 08:30 Anything Legal (b0088z2b)
Episode 5
Charles and George hire a secretary to boost their new business offering anything legal...
A Tale of Two City Gents by Wally K Daly
Starring Donald Hewlett as Charles, Michael Knowles as George, Sherrie Hewson as Belinda Bustrom and Helena Breck as the Job Applicant.
Theme music by Jim Parker
Producer: John Fawcett Wilson
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 1984.
THU 09:00 The Write Stuff (m000q140)
Series 6
Jane Austen
James Walton presides over team captains Sebastian Faulks and John Walsh with guests Sue Limb and Joanne Harris. The Author of the Week is Jane Austen and the reader is Beth Chalmers.
Producer Dawn Ellis.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2003.
THU 09:30 Ed Reardon's Week (b007k3lp)
Series 2
Rogue Mail
After his windfall, the curmudgeon is writing about royalty in a remote cottage. Stars Christopher Douglas. From December 2005.
THU 10:00 Twenty Thousand Streets under the Sky (b07gbpn0)
2. The Siege of Pleasure
London, 1927. Prostitute Jenny tells of her fall from grace and Mr Eccles makes plain his feelings for Ella.
Starring Steven Pacey as Bob, Annette Badland as Ella, Emily Morgan as Jenny and John Moffatt as Ernest Eccles
Patrick Hamilton’s semi-autobiographical trilogy set in working class, inter-war London.
Rex.... Christopher Good
Andy .... David Goudge
Marian ....Margot Boyd
Bella .... Joan Matheson
Tom ... Paul Downing
Violet ... Alice Arnold
Prunella .... Elizabeth Mansfield
Guvnor .... David King
Mrs Guvnor .... Jo Kendall
Dramatised for radio in three parts by Frederic Bradnum.
Producer: Glyn Dearman
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1989.
THU 11:00 Desert Island Discs Revisited (m000pw2p)
[Repeat of broadcast at
10:00 on Sunday]
THU 11:45 David Attenborough's Life Stories (b00lcmcq)
[Repeat of broadcast at
10:45 on Sunday]
THU 12:00 Beyond Our Ken (m000q13x)
[Repeat of broadcast at
08:00 today]
THU 12:30 Anything Legal (b0088z2b)
[Repeat of broadcast at
08:30 today]
THU 13:00 Falco (b007wpcl)
[Repeat of broadcast at
06:00 today]
THU 13:30 Ted Willis - The Left-Handed Sleeper (m000q13v)
[Repeat of broadcast at
06:30 today]
THU 14:00 Book of the Week (b08ns9p5)
Balancing Acts: Behind the Scenes at the National Theatre
4. Pullman & Morpurgo
The inside story of twelve years at the helm of Britain's greatest 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. Its cast includes the likes of 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 Hynter shows us how the seemingly impossible can become the most magical when it comes to putting animals on stage, through his productions of Philip Pullman's Dark Materials and Michael Morpurgo's War Horse.
Written and read by Nicholas Hytner
Produced by Simon Richardson.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 2017.
THU 14:15 15 Minute Drama (b08h0656)
Agnes Grey by Anne Bronte
4. Mirth and Mourning
Ellie Kendrick stars in Rachel Joyce's new Anne Bronte adaptation. Agnes is falling in love but she has a rival.
Agnes Grey .... Ellie Kendrick
Edward Weston .... George Watkins
Rosalie ... Keziah Joseph
Matilda ..... Natasha Cowley
Agnes Grey, Anne Bronte's debut novel, is the least known of the Bronte novels. Agnes is nineteen and determined to take care of herself - but she has no money, no connections, and no job. She isn't even very confident. So how does a young woman with nothing find her way in the world? She has to be a governess. Even if she knows little about children. And even if they treat her like dirt. As a governess, Agnes is not a part of the family and neither is she a servant. She's isolated and an outsider. This compelling drama tells the story of Agnes's self-discovery and her search for love.
Rachel Joyce had adapted all of Charlotte and now Anne's novels. An award winning writer for radio she is now a successful novelist. Her novels include The Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, Perfect, The Love Song of Miss Queenie Hennessy and a collection of short stories, The Snow Garden & Other Stories.
Produced and directed by Tracey Neale.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 2017.
THU 14:30 Ay Mariachi (b00xmv28)
Hustling troubadours hit Mexico City by night - Neil McCarthy descends into the meaning, madness and music of mariachi.
THU 15:00 Twenty Thousand Streets under the Sky (b07gbpn0)
[Repeat of broadcast at
10:00 today]
THU 16:00 The Write Stuff (m000q140)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:00 today]
THU 16:30 Ed Reardon's Week (b007k3lp)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:30 today]
THU 17:00 Safety Catch (b00vkyz1)
[Repeat of broadcast at
07:00 today]
THU 17:30 Mark Steel's in Town (m000pqdt)
[Repeat of broadcast at
07:30 today]
THU 18:00 Methuselah's Children by Robert A Heinlein (b007rsz2)
5. New World
After entering the alien temple, a colonist returns as a broken man. Paul Birchard reads Robert Heinlein's novel.
THU 18:30 Great Lives (b0076v1v)
Series 8
Mae West
Writer Kathy Lette chooses Hollywood's 'queen of the quip', Mae West. With Simon Louvish and Francine Stock. From 2005.
THU 19:00 Beyond Our Ken (m000q13x)
[Repeat of broadcast at
08:00 today]
THU 19:30 Anything Legal (b0088z2b)
[Repeat of broadcast at
08:30 today]
THU 20:00 Falco (b007wpcl)
[Repeat of broadcast at
06:00 today]
THU 20:30 Ted Willis - The Left-Handed Sleeper (m000q13v)
[Repeat of broadcast at
06:30 today]
THU 21:00 Desert Island Discs Revisited (m000pw2p)
[Repeat of broadcast at
10:00 on Sunday]
THU 21:45 David Attenborough's Life Stories (b00lcmcq)
[Repeat of broadcast at
10:45 on Sunday]
THU 22:00 Mark Steel's in Town (m000pqdt)
[Repeat of broadcast at
07:30 today]
THU 22:30 The Big Booth (b007k2fv)
Series 1
Episode 5
Boothby Graffoe sorts it out - with monologues and sketches. With Simon Evans and singer Richard Thompson. From January 2000.
THU 23:00 The Kneebone Bonanza (b01rggq5)
Episode 4
The Kneebones are in serious financial trouble. Slick has been carted off to a special unit to cool his temper and Maddy finds a long lost relative.
Maddy ..... Alex Tregear
Loretta ..... Amanda Lawrence
Nurse Keith ..... Ed Gaughan
Receptionist ..... Philippa Stanton
By Carl Grose.
Directed by Claire Grove.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 2013.
THU 23:15 Sir Henry at Rawlinson End (b00s8lgd)
The Hatching
Surreal saga of a dynasty delicately balanced on the edge of sanity. Written by and starring Viv Stanshall. From December 1996.
THU 23:30 Listen Against (b017cjmx)
Series 4
Episode 4
Listen Against is the comedy that takes the back off your radio and television, fiddles round with the programmes inside and then puts them all back the wrong way round.
Using "beautifully crafted, scalpel sharp" (Gillian Reynolds) mash-ups of current and archive programmes Listen Against creates a "sly, sharp, smart, surreal, satirical" world (Sunday Telegraph) where Alice Arnold and Jon Holmes look back in amplitude of at a week's worth of broadcasting like a media tapeworm going through a dog.
Like "the mischievous offspring of Points of View and The Day Today" (Observer) fictional listeners bombard Listen Against with fictional letters and emails complaining about half-fictional programmes while fictional guests and real life presenters (this series includes Melvyn Bragg, Jeremy Vine and Vanessa Feltz) argue with each other in "a gem of a satirical swoop at radio and television." (Guardian).
Written and created by Jon Holmes
Presented by Alice Arnold and Jon Holmes
Cast:
Kevin Eldon (Brass Eye, Big Train)
Justin Edwards (The Thick of It)
Sarah Hadland (Miranda)
James Bachman (Mitchell & Webb)
Kim Wall (Big Train , IT Crowd)
David Mara (RSC & Donmar Warehouse)
Produced by Sam Bryant.
FRIDAY 04 DECEMBER 2020
FRI 00:00 Methuselah's Children by Robert A Heinlein (b007rsz2)
[Repeat of broadcast at
18:00 on Thursday]
FRI 00:30 Great Lives (b0076v1v)
[Repeat of broadcast at
18:30 on Thursday]
FRI 01:00 Falco (b007wpcl)
[Repeat of broadcast at
06:00 on Thursday]
FRI 01:30 Ted Willis - The Left-Handed Sleeper (m000q13v)
[Repeat of broadcast at
06:30 on Thursday]
FRI 02:00 Book of the Week (b08ns9p5)
[Repeat of broadcast at
14:00 on Thursday]
FRI 02:15 15 Minute Drama (b08h0656)
[Repeat of broadcast at
14:15 on Thursday]
FRI 02:30 Ay Mariachi (b00xmv28)
[Repeat of broadcast at
14:30 on Thursday]
FRI 03:00 Twenty Thousand Streets under the Sky (b07gbpn0)
[Repeat of broadcast at
10:00 on Thursday]
FRI 04:00 The Write Stuff (m000q140)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:00 on Thursday]
FRI 04:30 Ed Reardon's Week (b007k3lp)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:30 on Thursday]
FRI 05:00 Safety Catch (b00vkyz1)
[Repeat of broadcast at
07:00 on Thursday]
FRI 05:30 Mark Steel's in Town (m000pqdt)
[Repeat of broadcast at
07:30 on Thursday]
FRI 06:00 VI Warshawski (b007jl4z)
V.I. Warshawski - Bitter Medicine
1. Friendship
Private eye V.I. Warshawski suspects all is not well at a hospital after a young pregnant girl dies.
Author Sara Paretsky’s character is comfortable packing heat and trailing violent suspects, without losing touch with her basic femininity. Dramatised for radio by Michelene Wandor.
CAST:
V.I. Warshawski …. Sharon Gless
Fabiano …. Robert Harper
Bobby Mallory …. Bill Hootkins
Alan Humphries …. Chris Scott
Malcolm Tregiere …. Colin McFarlane
Lottie Herschel …. Eleanor Bron
Carol …. Joanna Monro
Mrs Alvarado …. Shirley Dixon
Consuela …. Teresa Gallagher
Peter Burgoyne …. William Dufris
Producer: Janet Whitaker
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1996.
FRI 06:30 Ted Willis - The Left-Handed Sleeper (m000q2bl)
5. Domino
With all the main characters neatly assembled in Tangier there are deals to be done - and Patrick Cadwall is running out of time. Conclusion of spy drama.
Written by Ted Willis
Sweeney …. Alex Jennings
Bedayev …. Andrew Sachs
Christine Ritchie …. Annette Crosbie
Svanidze …. Barry Dennen
Mark Ritchie …. Christopher Scoular
Det Chief Supt Dell …. David Daker
David Hume …. Eric Lander
Shirley Graham …. Frances Jeater
Ronald Mills …. Nigel Graham
Patrick Cadwall …. Richard Pasco
Mrs Dunning …. Teresa Collard
Marian Brown …. Thelma Whiteley
Narrator …. Ted Willis
Directed by Christopher Venning
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 1982.
FRI 07:00 Clare in the Community (b062n4nb)
Series 10
Sisters
Clare and her estranged sister are forced to co-operate with one another, in between some Sparrowhawk team lead self-defence training.
Sally Phillips is Clare Barker the social worker who has all the right jargon but never a practical solution.
A control freak, Clare likes nothing better than interfering in other people's lives on both a professional and personal basis. Clare is in her thirties, white, middle class and heterosexual, all of which are occasional causes of discomfort to her.
Each week we join Clare in her continued struggle to control both her professional and private life In today's Big Society there are plenty of challenges out there for an involved, caring social worker. Or even Clare.
Clare ...... Sally Phillips
Brian ...... Alex Lowe
Nali/ Megan ...... Nina Conti
Ray ...... Richard Lumsden
Helen ...... Pippa Haywood
Simon ...... Andrew Wincott
Libby ...... Sarah Kendall
Joan/ Sarah Barker ...... Sarah Thom
Scarlett ...... Eleanor Curry
Stine Wetzel ...... Amelia Lowdell
Hunter ...... Neet Mohan
Dylan ...... Elliot Steel
Written by Harry Venning and David Ramsden.
Producer Alexandra Smith.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 2015.
FRI 07:30 Dot (b0bf56gh)
Series 3
Dial M for Myrtle
By Ed Harris
Dark doings in the War Rooms as a suspicious death leaves the gals from personnel with no options other than to investigate. Comic adventures in Ed Harris' witty and quirky wartime comedy.
Director . . . . . Sasha Yevtushenko.
FRI 08:00 The Navy Lark (b018tx2t)
Operation Cowes Barge
HMS Troutbridge heads to the Isle of Wight and Captain Povey needs a favour from the crew.
Starring Leslie Phillips as the Sub-Lieutenant, Jon Pertwee as the Chief Petty Officer, Stephen Murray as the Commanding Officer, Richard Caldicot as Captain Povey, Tenniel Evans as the Admiral, Heather Chasen as Mrs Povey, Michael Bates as Rear Admiral Ironbridge and Norma Ronald as Belinda.
Laughs afloat aboard British Royal Navy frigate HMS Troutbridge. The Navy Lark ran for an impressive thirteen series between 1959 and 1976.
Scripted by Lawrie Wyman and George Evans.
Producer: Alastair Scott Johnston.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 2 in June 1971.
FRI 08:30 King Street Junior (b007jpxr)
Series 2
Assemblies
A new term sees radical plans for assembly. But where have half the children gone? Stars Peter Davison. From February 1987.
FRI 09:00 Wordaholics (b04jlpn3)
Series 3
Episode 5
Stand up comedians Lloyd Langford, Holly Walsh and Paul Sinha and novelist and classicist Natalie Haynes join chair Gyles Brandreth for the panel game for word fans.
Today's Letter of the week is the sinuous letter 'S'. Lloyd Langford has to work out what the Victorian term 'Smothering a parrot' meant. Natalie Haynes works out what a 'Saint Giles Carpet' was. Holly Walsh works out what she'd be doing in the 1700s if she were to ride on 'Shank's mare'. And Paul Sinha works out what a 'spermologer' is.
In a round about portmanteau words Natalie is asked what a 'chork' is; Holly a 'geep'; Paul 'smirting' and Lloyd a 'flexitarian'.
Next the panellists are asked to guess the meaning of some foreign words which have no direct equivalent in English. Lloyd tries to guess the meaning of the Central American word 'chaquetero' and Holly works out what the Chilean phrase 'pagar el piso' means.
The panel then try and ban the words which drive them most mad including 'foodie' and 'chillax'.
Finally they try and decipher what the long-forgotten words from the early 1600s are: 'mulct','matrixe', 'pistated' and 'obnubilate'.
Writers: Jon Hunter and James Kettle.
Producer: Claire Jones.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 2014.
FRI 09:30 Bookcases (b00sxt6h)
Series 1
The Man in White
London 1858: A little bored by Gerald, Cordelia is having fun with the novelist Wilkie Collins, who’s having a spell of writer's block with The Woman in White.
Primus has the answer...or does he?
A four-part comedy written by Martyn Wade.
Primus …. Michael Cochrane
Cordelia …. Maggie Steed
Edith …. Elizabeth Spriggs
Gerald …. David Horovitch
Wilkie Collins …. David Timson
Simeon …. Charles Simpson
George Eliot …. David Antrobus
Director: Cherry Cookson
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 1998.
FRI 10:00 Twenty Thousand Streets under the Sky (b07gcj61)
3. The Plains of Cement
London, 1927. Bob gives Jenny an ultimatum and Ella confronts Mr Eccles.
Starring Steven Pacey as Bob, Annette Badland as Ella, Emily Morgan as Jenny
and John Moffatt as Ernest Eccles
Patrick Hamilton’s semi-autobiographical trilogy set in working class, inter-war London.
Ella's mother ..... Anna Cropper
Prosser.....Geoffrey Whitehead
Prunella ..... Elizabeth Mansfield
Sammy.... Tina Marian
Andy ... David Goudge
Guvnor .... David King
Mrs Guvnor .... Jo Kendall
Other parts ..... Donald Gee, Michael Kilgarriff & Marcia King
Dramatised for radio in three parts by Frederic Bradnum.
Producer: Glyn Dearman
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1989.
FRI 11:00 Podcast Radio Hour (m000q2bn)
Presenters recommend their favourite podcasts and speak to the people who make them.
FRI 12:00 The Navy Lark (b018tx2t)
[Repeat of broadcast at
08:00 today]
FRI 12:30 King Street Junior (b007jpxr)
[Repeat of broadcast at
08:30 today]
FRI 13:00 VI Warshawski (b007jl4z)
[Repeat of broadcast at
06:00 today]
FRI 13:30 Ted Willis - The Left-Handed Sleeper (m000q2bl)
[Repeat of broadcast at
06:30 today]
FRI 14:00 Book of the Week (b08ns9wl)
Balancing Acts: Behind the Scenes at the National Theatre
5. 50 Years
The inside story of twelve years at the helm of Britain's greatest 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. Its cast includes the likes of 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 Hynter looks back at the birth of NT Live and recalls The National's 50th Anniversary commemorations.
Written and read by Nicholas Hytner
Produced by Simon Richardson.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 2017.
FRI 14:15 15 Minute Drama (b08h0c9f)
Agnes Grey by Anne Bronte
5. Seaside
Ellie Kendrick stars in Rachel Joyce's new adaptation of Anne Bronte's debut novel. Agnes's father is seriously ill so she returns home with a heavy heart.
Agnes Grey ..... Ellie Kendrick
Mrs Grey ..... Juliet Aubrey
Edward Weston ..... George Watkins
Rosalie ..... Keziah Joseph
Agnes Grey, Anne Bronte's debut novel, is the least known of the Bronte novels. Agnes is nineteen and determined to take care of herself - but she has no money, no connections, and no job. She isn't even very confident. So how does a young woman with nothing find her way in the world? She has to be a governess. Even if she knows little about children. And even if they treat her like dirt. As a governess, Agnes is not a part of the family and neither is she a servant. She's isolated and an outsider. This compelling drama tells the story of Agnes's self-discovery and her search for love.
Rachel Joyce had adapted all of Charlotte and now Anne's novels. An award winning writer for radio she is now a successful novelist. Her novels include The Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, Perfect, The Love Song of Miss Queenie Hennessy and a collection of short stories, The Snow Garden & Other Stories.
Produced and directed by Tracey Neale.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 2017.
FRI 14:30 State of Grace (b045y41s)
The girls' name Grace fell out of fashion in the1930s but has recently become very popular again. The journalist Grace Dent sets out to discover what makes her name – and the notion - so captivating, by exploring the modern state of grace.
Grace's Nan once told her she was related to real-life Victorian heroine, Grace Darling. It was the first time Grace sensed her name had enviable properties, after years of wanting to be called Joanne.
The word 'grace' is associated with more than twenty different meanings and phrases. Many are theological, but one early definition - of pleasing quality - suggests Grace has some work to do if she wants to achieve the standards inherent in her name. She's not entirely sure she does.
From Greek mythology to Grace Jones, via philosophical reasoning and a morning at The Royal Ballet, Grace reflects on the modern merits of charm, poise and elegance as she searches for inner calm and acceptance in a more secular age.
With contributions from Olivia 'damegrace' Cowley, a soloist with The Royal Ballet; names expert, Carole Hough; Grace Kelly fan and film studies academic, Stella Bruzzi; philosophy professor Miranda Fricker; and Grace Maxwell, whose memoir Falling and Laughing documents the recovery of her husband Edwyn from a near-fatal brain haemorrhage.
Producer: Nick Baker
A Testbed production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in June 2014.
FRI 15:00 Twenty Thousand Streets under the Sky (b07gcj61)
[Repeat of broadcast at
10:00 today]
FRI 16:00 Wordaholics (b04jlpn3)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:00 today]
FRI 16:30 Bookcases (b00sxt6h)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:30 today]
FRI 17:00 Clare in the Community (b062n4nb)
[Repeat of broadcast at
07:00 today]
FRI 17:30 Dot (b0bf56gh)
[Repeat of broadcast at
07:30 today]
FRI 18:00 Methuselah's Children by Robert A Heinlein (b007s5dq)
6. The Secret
Heartbroken Lazarus Long's thoughts begin to turn to home on Earth. Paul Birchard concludes Robert Heinlein's novel.
FRI 18:30 Off the Page (b008kj7x)
Fatherhood
Dominic Arkwright chairs the lively discussion series.
Fatherhood
BBC World Affairs Editor John Simpson became a father for the third time at the age of 61. He joins writer Will Cohu, a self-confessed middle-class would-be super dad, and charity worker Shaun Bailey, determined to defy the negative stereotype of a black father, to discuss the challenges of modern fatherhood.
FRI 19:00 The Navy Lark (b018tx2t)
[Repeat of broadcast at
08:00 today]
FRI 19:30 King Street Junior (b007jpxr)
[Repeat of broadcast at
08:30 today]
FRI 20:00 VI Warshawski (b007jl4z)
[Repeat of broadcast at
06:00 today]
FRI 20:30 Ted Willis - The Left-Handed Sleeper (m000q2bl)
[Repeat of broadcast at
06:30 today]
FRI 21:00 Podcast Radio Hour (m000q2bn)
[Repeat of broadcast at
11:00 today]
FRI 22:00 Dot (b0bf56gh)
[Repeat of broadcast at
07:30 today]
FRI 22:30 What The Future? (b04pshdr)
Series 1
Drugs
Britain, in a desperate attempt to look fashionable, legalises marijuana.
Soon her majesty the Queen lights up the first ceremonial joint on the balcony of Buckingham Palace. Now perpetually stoned, politicians legalise other drugs to perk us all up a bit. But soon a drug addled nation turns to beat poetry, henge sell-offs and injury claims to fund its habit.
Kirsty Wark presents a documentary from the future... Starring Nadia Kamil, Geoffrey McGivern, Kieran Hogson, and Alistair McGowan. With Alice Scott-Gemmill, Max Olesker and Jane Slavin.
Recorded 30 years from now, What the Future plunges into the world of tomorrow and investigates how decisions and actions concerning the current topics of today could have massive repercussions on our later lives. Dealing with issues ripped from the headlines, torn from the news agenda and hacked to shreds from Facebook feeds, WTF investigates how a single alteration now could create a chain reaction that permanently compromises the future for all.
Written by Madeleine Brettingham, Steve Burge and Dale Shaw.
Producer: Victoria Lloyd
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 2014.
FRI 23:00 Tim Key's Late Night Poetry Programme (b03qf2rn)
Series 2
Medicine
Comedian Tim Key grapples with the concept of medicine by telling poems. He also attempts to cure his guitarist, Tom Basden, of an ailment.
Written and presented by Tim Key.
With Tom Basden.
Produced by James Robinson.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 2014.
FRI 23:15 Steven Appleby's Normal Life (b00snqqs)
Series 2
Normal Sleep
The cartoonist searches for the secret meaning of life, said to be written on a sausage. Stars Paul McCrink. From March 2003.
FRI 23:30 My Teenage Diary (b07j4qx6)
Series 7
Chris Packham
Naturalist Chris Packham reads from the nature diaries he kept as a teenager, and is interviewed by Rufus Hound about his formative years - which were mostly spent up trees, looking for birds.
A Talkback production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in July 2016.