SATURDAY 30 JANUARY 2021

SAT 00:00 Charles Chilton - Journey into Space (b007jq7r)
The Red Planet
10. Freighters Approach
Captain Jet Morgan and his crew are on Mars, but he's alarmed when more of the fleet appear to arrive...
Charles Chilton’s 1954 classic set in 1971.
Jet Morgan …. Andrew Faulds
Lemmy …. David Kossoff
Doc …. Guy Kingsley Poynter
Mitch …. Bruce Beeby
Announcer/Various …. David Jacobs
Various …. Anthony Marriott
Music composed and conducted by Van Phillips.
Producer: Charles Chilton
First broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in November 1954.
SAT 00:30 Off the Page (b00hv1dw)
Ambition
Dominic Arkwright, Terence Blacker, Tina Lamb and Shaun Bailey discuss what motivates us to try and succeed in life. From March 2009.
SAT 01:00 Edward J Mason - Red For Danger (m000rnjd)
5. Target Practice
Red Farley is still missing, David Conway has left his flat in the early hours with Kratz following a message from Johnny Johnson to meet him at the foundry works. David and Kratz then find out who is working for whom. Paul Farley and Hugo Norsten will stop at nothing to get their hands on the secret formula for Kratz alloy metal - and then they want to test it out - just to make sure.
Suspense thriller in six-parts by the co-creator of Dick Barton and The Archers.
Starring Anne Cullen, Arnold Peters, Bernard Rebel, Chris Gittins, Dudley Rolph, Gerik Schelderup, Harry Stubbs, June Spencer, Michael Ford, Peter Wilde and Ysanne Churchman.
Written by Edward J Mason
Producer Philip Garston-Jones
First broadcast on the BBC Midland Home Service in November 1954.
SAT 01:30 Robert Barr - Detective (b04fgwcj)
Series 2
5. Four Faces of Crime
DS Brook and DC Harrison meet the eccentric Mr Parsons. Meanwhile a gruesome meat axe murder is investigated...
Stories of crime and detection in London by Robert Barr featuring long-serving, ducking-and-diving DS Dave Brook and his assistant, Detective Constable Blair Maxton.
CAST:
DS Dave Brook …. Ray Brooks
DC Blair Maxton …. Christopher Blake
Chief Inspector Roach …. Stephen Yardley
DC Harrison …. Peter Cleall
Judy …. Jacqueline Tong
Peter Parsons … Derek Francis
Tommy …. Johnny Wade
Producer: Martin Fisher
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1982.
SAT 02:00 The Real Henry James (b072n0zp)
Childhood and Family
Henry James was not only a great novelist - he also wrote a great deal of entertaining non-fiction, producing reviews and essays on a wide variety of subjects. To mark the centenary of his death, these five anthologies reveal James through his letters, memoirs, essays and private notebooks.
Episode 5: Childhood and Family
It may seem paradoxical to end a series on Henry James by going back to his childhood - but that's what James himself did in old age. As he approached 70, James began to look back over his life and career - by then he was the only one of five siblings to survive - and found that his early memories and associations multiplied with an almost uncontrollable vividness.
We hear memories of how he roamed free as a young boy on the streets of New York, and of his father, an eccentric religious philosopher who detested 'prigs'.
We hear too a moving and intimate account of a visit James paid towards the end of his life to the family grave-plot near Harvard - where his parents, his sister Alice, and Wilky, one of his brothers, were buried. James wrote about this only in his private notebooks, which speaks revealingly about the importance of family for him. The programme ends with a passage about the quest for religious faith, and with James's great motto in life, "e kind, be kind, be kind..."
The anthology has been selected by Professor Philip Horne of University College London, who is founding General Editor of a major scholarly edition of James's fiction and has re-transcribed the notebooks for an authoritative new edition.
Reader: Henry Goodman
With introductions by Olivia Williams
Producer: Elizabeth Burke
A Loftus Media production for BBC Radio 4.
SAT 02:15 DCI Alma Blair (b08l7szl)
Dead Pan
Episode 5
The conclusion of Val McDermid's comic crime drama set in a fine dining restaurant - but when Alma and Jo finally get time alone to talk, it is the future of their personal relationship, more than the murder investigation, that is called in to question.
Cast:
DCI Alma Blair ... Julie Hesmondhalgh
DS Jason Trotter .... John Hollingworth
CSM Jo Black .... Jane Hazlegrove
Narrator ... Jonathan Keeble
Mo ... Nitin Kundra
Michelle. .... Rosina Carbone
Richard .... Simeon Truby
All other parts played by members of the cast
Written by Val McDermid
Produced and Directed by Justine Potter
A Savvy production
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2017.
SAT 02:30 The Gentle Art of Tramping (b01mhwx3)
The tramp, or wayfarer, is a romantic figure - almost part of folklore in this day and age. It conjures up the bitter-sweet antics of Charlie Chaplin or the writings of WH Davies, the 'tramp poet': "What is this life if, full of care, we have no time to stand and stare?"
Keen rambler Arthur Smith has a childhood memory of tramps too -- mysterious figures, both fascinating and a little bit fearsome, men who seemed to appear from nowhere and then disappear again.
And what about the present day -- is it even possible to be a tramp in the modern world? Does this wistful, romantic image -- of Chaplin, of the 'tramp poet' and the tramp of Arthur Smith's nostalgic imagination -- bear any relation to the actual lives of those who might step outside of settled society and take to the lanes?
Arthur Smith wants to find out. And he's guided on his journey by The Gentle Art of Tramping. Written by Stephen Graham in 1926, it's an extraordinary, poetic how-to guide to becoming a tramp, which includes colourful advice on all aspects of the tramp's life: carrybags, boots, tobacco and cooking; how to build a fire, whether or not to carry money, and friends met on the way; scrounging, shelter, and reading material.
Does Stephen Graham's discerning tramp resemble the modern wayfarer? With guidebook in hand, Arthur Smith hears the stories of the tramps of today and considers our attachment to the romance of life without ties and responsibilities, even in the face of its sometimes painful reality.
Producer: Martin Williams
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2012.
SAT 03:00 Jane Austen (b007jrff)
Mansfield Park
Portsmouth and After
Both Fanny and Tom face disappointment and hope in equal measure.
Conclusion of Jane Austen’s classic tale dramatised by Elizabeth Proud.
CAST:
Jane Austen …. Hannah Gordon
Fanny …. Amanda Root
Sir Thomas Bertram …. Michael Williams
Mrs Norris …. Jane Lapotaire
Edmund Bertram …. Robert Glenister
Lady Bertram …. Louise Jameson
Mary Crawford …. Teresa Gallagher
Henry Crawford …. Andrew Wincott
Tom Bertram …. Kim Wall
William Price …. Richard Curnow
Mrs Price …. Sunny Ormonde
Mr Price …. Terry Molloy
Susan price …. Katherine Mount
Rebecca …. Anne-Marie Francis
Price children: Tim Black, Stephanie Luxton, Zoe Ganjavi and Richard Ganjavi.
Music composed by Anthea Gomez and played by Christian McKay, Jill Heartfield, Audrey Douglas and Katharine Gittings.
Directed at BBC Pebble Mill by Sue Wilson
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1997.
SAT 04:00 Say the Word (b00764j5)
Episode 1
Frank Delaney's panel game series revolving around the English language from the Ways with Words literary festival in Totnes, Devon.
With Sandi Toksvig, Tommy Pearson, Laura Wright and Christopher Matthew.
On hand to offer a witty perspective on the world of words are the Nimmo Twins
Producer: Simon Elmes
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 2001.
SAT 04:30 Bristow (b007s5dp)
Series 2
Mr Bristow Regrets
The Chester-Perry Dinner Dance is out of bounds to the buying clerk - until he falls in with Tom Paine, troublemaker...
Michael Williams stars as Bristow, the buying clerk from Frank Dickens' famous newspaper cartoon strip. Syndicated internationally, it ran for 41 years in London's Evening Standard.
Bristow ...... Michael Williams
Jones ...... Rodney Bewes
Mrs Purdy ...... Dora Bryan
Hewitt ...... Owen Brenman
Miss Sunman ...... Katy Odey
Hickford ...... Roger Lloyd Pack
Tom ...... Jon Glover
Little Red ...... Simon Schatzberger
Miss Golightly ...... Lucy Akhurst
Miss Peach ...... Carol Starks
Music composed and performed by John Whitehall.
Producer: Neil Cargill
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 1999.
SAT 05:00 Dot (b0736pkk)
Series 1
Eenie Meenie Miney... Spy!
Dot and the gals are tasked with an important mission, to monitor the Russian Ambassador, Comrade Pavlenti Lavovich. But Lavovich seems more interested in singing sensation, Harriet Pertly.
Comic adventures with Dot and the gals from personnel in the rollicking wartime comedy by Ed Harris.
Dot ..... Fenella Woolgar
Myrtle ..... Kate O'Flynn
Millicent ..... Jane Slavin
Peabody ..... David Acton
Comrade Pavlenti Lavovich ..... Nick Underwood
Miss Harriet Pertly ..... Scarlett Brookes
Bomber Johnson ..... Sean Baker
Director: Jessica Mitic
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2016.
SAT 05:30 Stand-Up Specials (m000rm9t)
Jayde Adams: From ASDA to Diva
Jayde Adams is a Bristol born comedian and entertainer who used to work in Asda. Jayde has shot to stardom due to her innate confidence, cracking singing voice and unique personal take on modern life. With three powerhouse Edinburgh shows behind her and a blossoming presenting career on TV she has shot from the fish counter at ASDA to fully fledged diva and is keen to tell everyone about it.
Jayde has a classic case of "you can take the girl out of Bristol, but can't take Bristol out of her" - she says what she sees and is unapologetic about it. It's part of what's got her where she is today - a working class girl riding high on the often middle class wave of show business. She's an upstart, she's new money, she's wearing a sequined dress and singing at you while lying across a piano. But beyond all that, she's a (relatively) normal person with a fascinating journey.
In this special, Jayde combines her wit and world class set of pipes with show-stopping music by Olivier Award winner Richard Thomas (Jerry Springer: The Opera). Jayde will give her unique slant on class, body positivity and being from Bristol. Weaving her hilarious brand of entertaining yet personal stand-up with catchy numbers, Jayde shares how she went from working at ASDA to becoming a fully fledged diva. Jayde's main aim is to bring out the diva in all of us, not just the few. It's dying to escape, and who are we to stop it?
Producer: Hayley Sterling
Production co-ordinator: Caroline Barlow
A BBC Studios Production
SAT 06:00 Hercule Poirot (b00hqjg0)
Elephants Can Remember
Agatha Christie's ELEPHANTS CAN REMEMBER, dramatised by Michael Bakewell
A provocative question posed by a formidable busybody send Hercule Poirot and Ariadne Oliver on a series of journeys to unravel the mystery of a tragedy from the distant past - provoked in equal measure by love and hate.
Hercule Poirot ..... John Moffatt
Ariadne ..... Julia McKenzie
Chief Supt. Garroway .... Trevor Cuthbertson
Celia .... Rachel Bavidge
Desmond .... Ifan Meredith
Mrs Burton-Cox .... Paula Jacobs
Julia .... Jane Wenham
Nanny .... Barbara Atkinson
Mrs Buckle .... Elizabeth Proud
Mrs Rosentelle .... Jill Balcon
Zelie .... Alexandra Bastedo
Mr Goby .... Stephen Thorne
George .... Patrick Garland
Music Composed by Tom Smail
Director Enyd Williams
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 2006
SAT 07:30 Great Lives (b075pz7z)
Series 39
Anthony Horowitz chooses Alfred Hitchcock
Anthony Horowitz regards Alfred Hitchcock as a genius who changed the language of cinema and made some of the most memorable films of the twentieth century.
However, the film director is also seen as a troubled man who was at times abusive towards some of his leading ladies. The expert witness is Nathalie Morris; Senior Curator at the BFI, National Archive.
Presenter: Matthew Parris
Producer: Perminder Khatkar
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2016.
SAT 08:00 The Motion Show (b0075wnx)
Series 2
Episode 2
Dr Phil Hammond chairs the debating game with Tony Hawks, Simon Fanshawe, Stuart Maconie and Steve Punt. From January 2000.
SAT 08:30 Rent (b00752s3)
Series 3
Episode 5
Paul has a very serious question to ask Ruby, and Maria is developing a serious problem with gambling.
Series 3 of Lucy Flannery's award-winning sitcom about Maria and Richard Reynolds and their lodgers.
CAST:
Maria …. Barbara Flynn
Richard …. Patrick Barlow
Amy …. Linda Polan
Ruby …. Vivienne Rochester
Paul …. Dave Lamb
Betting Shop Assistant …. Amanda Davies
Producer: Liz Anstee.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 1997.
SAT 09:00 How to Have a Hit Show (b09sn83p)
Maria Friedman - actress, singer and musical theatre director - explores the BBC archives to hear advice from the great songwriters of the past about How to Have a Hit Show.
The BBC archives teem with interviews with the great songwriters which were carried out for landmark series like "Ragtime to Rock'n'Roll" decades ago, but which have rarely had an airing since, apart from short snippets. All the songwriting greats are there- from early interviews with Rodgers and Hammerstein to Irving Berlin, Yip Harburg, Dorothy Fields and Cy Coleman. More modern songwriters like Stephen Sondheim and many others also feature strongly. Recordings of the legendary song performers also abound - the great names who premiered the seminal show roles like Ethel Merman, and Mary Martin.
This special three-hour showcase compilation takes us through the journey of writing a hit musical show, from first thought to the final performance as seen through the eyes - and ears- of these great names.
Divided into different sections - The Idea, The Producer, The Songs, The Orchestrator etc - Maria uses the archives to take us on a journey which explores all the different facets of songwriting, promoting and plugging within the narrative of composing that one elusive hit show. With examples like Alan Jay Lerner describing how he sweated over one line in a lyric for two months, we provide a window into a creative world interwoven with music.
Maria will also re-introduce us to some standalone programmes featuring the great names of songwriting history and the musicals they created.
Producer: Emma Kingsley
Made for BBC Radio 4 Extra and first broadcast in February 2018.
SAT 12:00 The Jack Benny Program (m000rtsh)
Jack Remembers His Trip To Venice
Jack and Mary have been to Europe, including a visit to Venice.
On radio, The Jack Benny Show ran from February 1932 to May 1955. From that date, new shows were produced for television but there were re-runs on radio until 1958. Over the years, the programme was sponsored by a diverse range of products from jelly, to tyres and cigarettes.
With a fine cast of supporting players Benny made his show into one of the all-time great radio comedies, portraying him as likeable character, despite being vain, argumentative and a skinflint. It’s classic comedy that stood the test of time.
With Eddie Anderson as the irrepressible Rochester, Mary Livingstone, Phil Harris, Dennis Day, The Sportsmen Quartet, announcer Don Wilson and orchestra conducted by Bob Crosby..
First broadcast on the Columbia Broadcasting System in September 1950.
SAT 12:30 The Break (b0b2j4mg)
Series 2
The Longest Day
Welcome back to Flamford.
Series two of the comedy by Ian Brown and James Hendrie set in the eccentric seaside town of Flamford following City burn-out Andy Chambers
In episode one, Andy returns to his uncle's seaside home.
Oddly, the town has been taken over by Brad Pitt and some Hollywood Nazis. Starring Philip Jackson, Tom Palmer and Alison Steadman.
An Absolutely Production
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2018.
SAT 13:00 Archive on 4 (b08rp0gv)
Femmes Fatales
Recorded on location in Manhattan, screen siren Kathleen Turner celebrates the enduring mystique of the femme fatale.
Turner, who famously played the husky-voiced femme fatale Matty Walker in the steamy thriller Body Heat, traces the history of the Femme Fatale in cinema and in film noir where she was so often a central character.
Film noir always come to the fore during moments of deep cultural anxiety. And the character of the femme fatale shines a revealing light on the role of women in society and the relationship between the sexes.
It was towards the end of the Second World War that noir first emerged as a style of filmmaking. These were gritty thrillers that exposed the dark underbelly of the American Dream. In films such as Double Indemnity, Out Of The Past and The Postman Always Rings Twice, the femme fatale was the intelligent but heartless seductress who entrapped the male protagonist, for her own murderous and financial gain.
In the late 70s and early 80s, America experienced another moment of deep cynicism following the Vietnam war and filmmakers returned to film noir, with Kathleen Turner's Matty Walker as the ultimate neo noir femme fatale character in Body Heat. These films, not content with the racy innuendo of 1940s noir, shocked and thrilled audiences with explicit sex scenes. But through her typical tough dame talk, Matty Walker also draws attention to the underestimation of women by men.
With contributions from Eddie Muller (President of the Film Noir Foundation), Professor Ellis Cashmore and Nick James (Editor of the BFI's Sight and Sound magazine), Kathleen introduces standout performances from Lauren Bacall, Barbara Stanwyck, Rita Hayworth, Joan Crawford and Lana Turner.
The film noir femme fatale was a wonderfully meaty role for an up-and-coming Hollywood actress, such as British star Peggy Cummins. Now 91, she reflects on her role as the femme fatale in Joseph H. Lewis' Gun Crazy about an ambitious fairground sharp-shooter who goes on a bank robbing spree with her trigger-happy husband.
Julie Grossman (author of Rethinking The Femme Fatale in Film Noir) argues that we make blithe and easy reference to femmes fatales without considering their social and psychological context. Many 1940s femmes fatales in film noir were deeply interesting characters who felt trapped, bored or led deeply unfulfilling lives.
Kathleen argues that, despite great advances in gender equality since the 1940s, the femme fatale will always be relevant "because men will always be terrified of women."
Producer: Victoria Ferran
A Just Radio production
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2017.
SAT 14:00 Alex Horne Presents The Horne Section (b042jhzs)
Series 3
Sara Pascoe and James Acaster
Stand-up Alex Horne and his band explore the theme of technology through live music and comedy.
With songs about a record player, hoover and a teasmaid amongst others.
They're joined by guest comedians Sara Pascoe and James Acaster.
Producer: Julia McKenzie
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 2014.
SAT 14:30 The Croft & Pearce Show (b0742mqq)
Episode 3
Sketch show series from award-winning duo Croft and Pearce, rising stars of the UK comedy scene.
These Edinburgh Fringe favourites were the break-out hit of BBC Radio 4's Sketchorama and have performed sell-out shows in London, New York and around the UK.
Packed with sharply observed characters, this debut from writer-performers Hannah Croft and Fiona Pearce is not to be missed.
In the third episode, highly-strung ladies June and Jean have a meltdown in John Lewis, a bullish Brown Owl teaches her Brownies troop the importance of stealing, and Jeannette starts to wonder if her cranky 90-year-old Momma will ever die.
Written and performed by Hannah Croft and Fiona Pearce
Producer: Liz Anstee
A CPL production
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2016.
SAT 14:45 The Shuttleworths (b007jtpn)
Series 3
Ping Pong Pangs
Sheffield singer John Shuttleworth tackles a testing table tennis trauma. Stars Graham Fellows. From October 1997.
SAT 15:00 Mark Tavener - Absolute Power (b007vkmz)
Series 2
Episode 4
The prime minister wants Charles and Martin to discredit the chancellor. Stars Stephen Fry and John Bird. From February 2001.
SAT 15:30 The Headset Set (b01ntjqh)
Series 2
Episode 3
EPISODE 3
Audience sketch show set in the world of a call centre called Smile5, a company that sells anything and everything.
Aleesha and other characters ..... Chizzy Akudolu
Bernie and other characters ..... Margaret-Cabourn Smith
Big Tony, Ralph and other characters ..... Colin Hoult
Various ..... Lucy Montgomery
Sailesh, Bradley and other characters ..... Phaldut sharma
Writers ..... Various
Producer ..... Tilusha Ghelani.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2012.
SAT 16:00 Hercule Poirot (b00hqjg0)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
SAT 17:30 Great Lives (b075pz7z)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
SAT 18:00 Robert Westall - The Wheatstone Pond (b00768rk)
Once an Edwardian boating haven, the Wheatstone Pond has acquired a dark and chilling atmosphere – with a vile odour hanging around its waters.
After a tragic suicide, the pond is drained and some rather unusual artefacts begin to emerge...
Robert Westall’s deadly occult mystery dramatised by Martyn Read.
CAST:
Jeff Morgan …. John Duttine
Hermione …. Teresa Gallagher
James …. John Webb
DI Crittenden …. Ian Brooker
Mr Makepiece/Mr Maidment …. Christopher Scott
Mossy …. Peter Meakin
Rose …. Lorna Laidlaw
The Children …. Jack Halsey and Richard Ganjavi
Directed at BBC Birmingham by Rosemary Watts.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2004.
SAT 19:00 How to Have a Hit Show (b09sn83p)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
SAT 22:00 The Party Party (b007jx11)
Episode 1
It's 1993 and the party of the loony right and centre sweeps to power. Stars Robert Glenister and Rory Bremner. From May 1987.
SAT 22:30 What Does the K Stand For? (b0507mbg)
Series 2
A Royal Visit
Mad about the monarchy.
Stephen K Amos's sitcom about growing up black, gay and funny in 1980s south London.
Written by Jonathan Harvey with Stephen K Amos.
Stephen K Amos … Stephen K Amos
Young Stephen … Shaquille Ali-Yebuah
Stephanie Amos … Fatou Sohna
Virginia Amos … Ellen Thomas
Vincent Amos … Don Gilet
Miss Bliss … Michelle Butterly
Jayson Jackson … Frankie Wilson
Margaret Cabourn-Smith … Fergie
Producer: Colin Anderson
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 2015.
SAT 23:00 Mark Steel's in Town (b07wtd76)
Series 7
Lynton and Lynmouth
Don't mention the goats!
Mark visits the lovely seaside towns of Lynton and Lynmouth in North Devon, lovely that is until he mentions the goats, then the rest of the show doesn't go entirely to plan.
Mark Steel's seventh series of the award winning show that travels around the country, researching the history, heritage and culture of six towns that have nothing in common but their uniqueness, and performs a bespoke evening of comedy for the local residents.
Written and performed by ... Mark Steel
Additional material by ... Pete Sinclair
Production co-ordinator ... Hayley Stirling
Producer ... Carl Cooper
A BBC Radio Comedy production first broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2016. .
SAT 23:30 Tudur Owen - Where on Earth is Anglesey? (m0001f1l)
Episode 2
What do CenterParcs, Sky Sports and The Royal Horticultural Society all have in common? They’ve all accidentally omitted Anglesey from their official maps of the UK in the recent past.
It seems that despite being the largest island in the Irish Sea and the largest island of Wales, Anglesey remains a mystery to most and so one man is going to have to work his socks off to put it firmly back on the map.
Hosted by Wales and Anglesey’s very own favourite stand-up, Tudur Owen, this programme is one man’s mission to both rejoice in and roast the island he calls home.
In Episode 2 Tudur introduces us to the people of Anglesey and asks if it's fair to call them a rather unique bunch.
Written by Tudur Owen with additional material by Gareth Gwynn. Also featuring Gareth Pierce and Lisa-Jên Brown.
Recorded at Canolfan Beaumaris on Anglesey.
Producer: Richard Morris
A BBC Studios Production
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2018.