SATURDAY 19 JUNE 2021

SAT 00:00 James Follett - Earthsearch (b007s19b)
Earthsearch I
5. The Pools of Time
Darv and Astra, two of the starship's crew, are in grave danger after being taken prisoner by the inhabitants of Zelda 5.
Their crew mates Telson and Sharna are in hot pursuit aboard the Challenger...
Starring Sean Arnold.
James Follett's adventure serial in time and space.
Commander Telson …. Sean Arnold
Sharna …. Amanda Murray
Astra …. Kathryn Hurlbutt
Darv …. Haydn Wood
Angel One …. Sonia Fraser
Angel Two …. Gordon Reid
Helan …. Judy Franklin
Thorden …. John Bott
Spegal …. Stephen Garlick
Custodian of the Past …. Eve Karpf
Old Man …. Godfrey Kenton
Director: Glyn Dearman
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 1981.
SAT 00:30 Off the Page (b00svndm)
Lost
British backpacker, Jamie Neale, was given up for dead when he was lost for two weeks in the Australian bush in 2009.
He joins Louise Doughty and Hugh Thomson as all three write about and share their experiences of being Lost.
Provocative and thoughtful new writing and discussion, presented by Dominic Arkwright.
Producer: Beatrice Fenton
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 2010.
SAT 01:00 Father Brown Stories (b00y25xk)
Series 1
2. The Queer Feet
Death in a small hotel.
Who stole the silver fish service? How many waiters are there? And how did all this lead to a glimmer of repentance?
Starring Andrew Sachs and Olivier Pierre.
Series of GK Chesterton's stories about the insightful clerical sleuth.
Dramatised by John Scotney.
Father Brown ........ Andrew Sachs
Flambeau ........ Olivier Pierre
Colonel ........ Matt Brenner
Duke ........ Christopher Scott
Hector ........ Kerry Shale
Lever ........ David Graeme
Giovanni ........ Arnold Diamond
Jean-Pierre ........ Robin Summers
Doctor ........ David Sinclair
Audley ........ Alan Thompson
Directed at BBC Bristol by Alec Reid.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 1984
SAT 01:30 Paul Temple (b00rm4xk)
Paul Temple and the Gilbert Case
4. La Mortella
Hot on the heels of a tip from Peter Galino, the debonair sleuth and wife Steve head to London's La Mortella club to hunt down more clues.
Francis Durbridge's thriller starring Peter Coke and Marjorie Westbury in another intriguing case for BBC radio's smoothest investigator and his glamorous wife.
Paul Temple …. Peter Coke
Steve …. Marjorie Westwood
Charlie …. James Beattie
Sir Graham Forbes …. Lester Mudditt
Lynne Ferguson …. Peggy Hassard
Lance Reynolds …. Richard Williams
Louis Fabian …. Olaf Olsen
Waiter …. Arthur Lawrence
Producer: Martyn C Webster
First broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in April 1954.
SAT 02:00 Crime Down Under: The Dry by Jane Harper (b093hf97)
Episode 10
A family has been brutally killed on their farm outside the small Australian country town of Kiewarra. It hasn't rained for two years, farms are failing and tensions in the community are running unbearably high. It seems that Luke Hadler reached snapping point, killed his wife and child and then committed suicide.
When policeman Aaron Falk returns to his hometown for his old friend's funeral he wants to get away again as soon as possible. He certainly doesn't want to be reminded of the secret he and Luke shared twenty years earlier. But as he's unwillingly drawn into the investigation into the Hadler deaths, the past keeps getting in the way. Questions mount and suspicion spreads through the town, and Falk must face what's hidden in his own past to help him solve the secrets of the present.
10/10: Falk and Raco confront the killer, and the threat of tragedy.
Crime Down Under showcases some of the best crime fiction from contemporary Australia.
Jane Harper is a journalist who moved from the UK to Australia in 2008. She lives in Melbourne and currently writes for the Herald Sun. She won the Victorian Premier's Literary Award for an Unpublished Manuscript in 2015, and The Dry is her first novel. It was named the Australian Book Industry Association's Book of the Year, and the Australian Independent Bookseller 2017 Indie Book of the Year.
Read by Richard Goulding
Abridged and produced by Sara Davies.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 2017.
SAT 02:15 Gregory Evans - Blood and Milk (b09d43ws)
Series 3
Episode 5
Having revealed Bren Evans to be a fraud, Megan must now tackle her real enemy. Samuel, meanwhile, is forced to reveal some surprising secrets of his own.
Gregory Evans continues the story of Welsh dairy business owner Megan Evans.
Meg ...... Bettrys Jones
Samuel ...... David Horovitch
Dora Lipski ...... Chetna Pandya
Fred Wensley ...... Samuel James
Iolo Jones ...... Philip Fox
Asher ...... Simon Ludders
Hettie Goldstein ...... Julie Teal
Director: Marc Beeby
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 2017.
SAT 02:30 Melencolia (b044gp6c)
Albrecht Durer was the Steve Jobs of his day.
Master engraver, painter and unafraid of mixing creativity with a keen eye for business. He was well regarded in his own lifetime and acknowledged as the most important artist of the Northern Renaissance.
Among his many works, it's his master print Melencolia 1 which is the most written about and continues to intrigue those who look at it. Created in 1514, it’s perplexed and inspired some of the greatest minds in history. The print adorned the studies of both Sigmund Freud and Albert Einstein.
Dr Janina Ramirez is fascinated by this work and the secrets it contains from the brooding angel to the magic square. She's on a quest to find out if it's possible to decode this intricate engraving.
The art historian sees a couple of prints at the British Museum with Giulia Bartrum and Dora Thornton. She discovers how the work inspired Sir Harrison Birtwistle to compose his Melencolia I for his friend, the clarinettist, Alan Hacker.
Janina lectures her students on the work and hears their initial response to the symbols and she meets former art student, David Lol Perry is mesmerised by the print.
Writer and art historian, Patrick Doorly, author of The Truth about Art sheds light on the print and suggests that in order to truly understand it, you also need to know your Plato.
Join Janina on her quest to decode Durer.
Producer: Sarah Taylor
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 2014.
SAT 03:00 Abdication (b085g2tq)
2. The Crisis of Wallis Simpson
Wallis Simpson's view of the abdication crisis as imagined from memoirs of those involved between December 4th and December 12th 1936 and based with her in the south of France at that time.
With a clearer mind, having fled to France to escape the publicity and press intrusion surrounding her impending marriage to Edward VIII, Wallis tries to persuade the King not to abdicate and convince him they can continue their relationship without the need to marry.
Nicola Baldwin’s take on Edward VIII’s abdication crisis.
Wallis Simpson ...... Frances Barber
Edward VIII ...... Anthony Calf
Kitty Rogers ...... Jane McKenna
Herman Rogers ...... Mark Straker
Lord Brownlow ...... Richard Dillane
Goddard ...... David Collings
George Ladbrook ...... Ben Crowe
Inspector ...... Richard Atlee
Director: Celia de Wolff
A Pier production for Radio 4, first broadcast in December 2016.
SAT 03:45 RK Narayan Stories (b01dbqjv)
Father's Help
Swami is the pupil. Samuel is the teacher. A classroom battle is about to start.
Zia Mohyeddin reads RK Narayan’s short story.
Producer: Duncan Minshull
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 1991.
SAT 04:00 Counterpoint (b00sj69z)
Series 24
2010 Semi-final 2
Paul Gambaccini chairs the second semi-final of 2010’s search to find the nation's musical mastermind.
With questions on all aspects of music and a wide selection of musical extracts to suit all tastes.
Producer Paul Bajoria
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 2010.
SAT 04:30 To the Manor Born (b007jpzw)
The Rhythms of the Earth
Cash-strapped Lady of the Manor, Audrey fforbes-Hamilton has been forced to sell her beloved Grantleigh Estate when her husband died.
With her butler Brabinger in tow, they've decamped to the tiny Old Lodge cottage.
From this vantage point, Audrey is set to keep a close and disapproving eye on the estate's new owner, the nouveau-riche Richard DeVere, a wholesale foods magnate of Czech descendent.
She must educate the new squire into the ways of the Lord of the Manor...
Starring Penelope Keith and Keith Barron.
Adapted for radio by Peter Spence from his BBC TV script.
Audrey fforbes-Hamilton …. Penelope Keith
Richard DeVere …. Keith Barron
Marjory Frobisher …. Angela Thorne
Brabinger …. Nicholas McArdle
Mrs Polouvicka …. Margery Withers
Ned …. Frank Middlemass
First piloted for BBC radio, but whisked off to BBC TV before it ever appeared, before finally arriving home in 1997.
Producer: Jane Berthoud
First broadcast on BBC Radio 2 in January 1997.
SAT 05:00 Fags, Mags and Bags (b0bfywgp)
Series 8
The Rubington's Doobrery 9000
Ramesh gets his fiancé Malcolm jealous when it's revealed that the Cash and Carry promotions manager, Helena fancies him.
More shop based shenanigans and over the counter philosophy, courtesy of Ramesh Mahju and his trusty sidekick Dave.
Set in a Scots-Asian corner shop, the staff continue their tireless quest to bring nice-price custard creams and cans of coke with Arabic writing on them to an ungrateful nation. Ramesh Mahju has built it up over the course of over 30 years and is a firmly entrenched, friendly presence in the local area.
Then of course there are Ramesh's sons Sanjay and Alok, both surly and not particularly keen on the old school approach to shop-keeping, but natural successors to the business. Ramesh is keen to pass all his worldly wisdom onto them - whether they like it or not!
Written by and starring Donald Mcleary and Sanjeev Kohli.
Ramesh ...... Sanjeev Kohli
Dave ...... Donald McLeary
Sanjay ...... Omar Raza
Alok ...... Susheel Kumar
Malcolm ...... Mina Anwar
Helena ...... Lorraine McIntosh
Bra Jeff ...... Steven McNicol
Mr Hepworth ...... Tom Urie
Producer: Gus Beattie for Gusman Productions.
A Comedy Unit production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in August 2018.
SAT 05:30 The Confessional (m000wyx7)
Series 1
The Confession of Nigel Planer
Actor and broadcaster Stephen Mangan presents a comedy chat show about shame and guilt.
Each week Stephen invites a different eminent guest into his virtual confessional box to make three 'confessions' . This is a cue for some remarkable storytelling, and surprising insights.
We’re used to hearing celebrity interviews, where stars are persuaded to show off about their achievements and talk about their proudest moments. Stephen's not interested in that. He doesn’t want to know what his guests are proud of, he wants to know what they’re ashamed of. That’s surely the way to find out what really makes a person tick. Stephen and his guest reflect with empathy and humour on why we get embarrassed, where our shame thresholds should be, and the value of guilt.
In this edition, Nigel Planer - writer, actor and one of the original ‘alternative comedians’, co-founder of The Comic Strip - wrestles with three episodes from his life that have been plaguing his conscience for decades.
Other guests in this series include Cariad Lloyd, Dr Phil Hammond, Clarke Peters, Suzi Ruffell, Marian Keyes, Phil Wang, Joan Bakewell, Lucy Porter and Alastair Campbell.
Written and presented by Stephen Mangan
With extra material by Nick Doody
Devised with Dave Anderson
Produced by Frank Stirling
A 7digital production for BBC Radio 4
SAT 06:00 Thomas Middleton - A Mad World, My Masters (m000x4y1)
Follywit, kept penniless by his rich grandfather Sir Bounteous Progress, is determined to get his hands on some of his future inheritance while he is still young enough to enjoy it.
With the help of his cohorts, wit and disguises, things seem to go his way. But in the end perhaps, the biter will be bit.
Written in the early 1600s, a rare revival of one of Thomas Middleton's greatest Jacobean city comedies.
Starring Roy Marsden and James Villiers.
Dramatised by Peter Barnes.
Follywit .... Roy Marsden
Sir Bounteous Progress .... James Villiers
Francesca .... Theresa Streatfeild
Penitent Brothel .... Ian McDiarmid
Hoboy .... Steve Hodson
Mawworm .... Simon Hewitt
Francesca's Mother .... Brenda Bruce
Harebrain .... Stephen Thorne
Mistress Harebrain .... Miranda Forbes
Posset .... James Kerry
Inesse .... Jim Reid
Sir Colewort/Jasper .... Hugh Dickson
Gunwater/Rafe .... Ronald Baddiley
Constable/Watchman .... Chas Bryer
Footman .... David Gooderson
Director: Penny Gold
First broadcast on BBC Radio 3 in July 1983.
SAT 07:35 Great Lives (b085ttcd)
Series 41
Ruth Holdaway on Helen Rollason
Ruth Holdaway - the former Chief Executive of Women in Sport - picks pioneering sports broadcaster Helen Rollason.
Helen trained as a teacher, but after stints in community and local radio moved to the BBC to report for and later present the BBC’s 'Newsround' for children.
She kept her hand in with sport and made history in 1990 when she was appointed as the first female presenter of BBC TV’s flagship 'Grandstand'. Sport was largely a male-dominated world at the time and there were plenty both inside and outside the Corporation who would have happily have seen her fail.
Presented by Matthew Parris, with John Caunt who helped Helen write her autobiography.
Plus contributions from Clare Balding, James Pearce and Deb Crook.
Producer: Toby Field
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 2016.
SAT 08:00 Whispers (b007k3br)
Series 1
Episode 5
The ins and outs of the abdication crisis in the quiz show that loves scandals.
Hosted by the least discreet man in Britain, Gyles Brandreth.
Biographer Anthony Holden and actress Stella Duffy are joined by writer Lynne Truss and journalist Rowan Pelling.
Producer: Elizabeth Freestone
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 2003.
SAT 08:30 Snap (b00ttmvf)
Series 2
Episode 3
Trying to be mature and adult after their separation, Doug and Molly attempt to bury their differences to find out what's wrong with their son Ryan
Paul Mendelson’s sitcom about life for a couple after they've split.
Molly ....... Rebecca Lacey
Doug ....... Paul Venables
Kaz ....... Soumaya Keynes
Ryan ....... Jessie Sullivan
Annie ....... Marlene Sidaway
Dawn ....... Samantha Spiro
Ansel ....... Richard Firth
Producer: David Ian Neville
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 2004.
SAT 09:00 Fathers and Sons (m0008qlm)
'The Bard of Barnsley', Ian McMillan has some competition... his son Andrew McMillan, is a poet too.
Here, they jointly present this showcase which looks at the Father and Son relationship. Together they dig in the archive to talk masculinity, inheritance and ask ‘how should you bring up a boy?'
The duo discuss the generation gap and the difficulties men often have saying 'I love you', embarrassing incidents, and hopes and dreams for the future..
They also focus on literary heritage, as we hear archive from the famous father and son writers Kingsley and Martin Amis. Ian and Andrew discuss passing on poetry, and the strange experience Andrew had following his dad round on work experience as a poet.
And they also interview the writer Luke Kennard on failing to live up to his father's kindness, and how to bring up boys in the 21st century.
In the archive, we also meet some difficult and emotionally unavailable fathers and ask how not to pass this down to the next generation?
BBC archive featured:
* Tom Wrigglesworth's Hang-Ups (2013)
* Dad Made Me Laugh (2005): Michael Sellers discusses his relationship with his father, Peter
* Amis and Amis (1989): Interview with Kingsley Amis and his son, Martin
* A Death in the Family (2017) : Episode 7 of the Book at Bedtime adaptation of Karl Ove Knausgaad's
* Rudy's Rare Records (2008)
* Fathers and Sons (2017): Episode 4 of Howard Cunnell's Memoir
Producer: Jessica Treen
Made for BBC Radio 4 Extra and first broadcast in September 2019.
SAT 12:00 Big Jim and the Figaro Club (b008g6v4)
Transport of Delight
Demobbed Old Ned heads south after the war and joins a special construction team.
Six anarchic tales from those demob days “when we was going to build the new Jerusalem - you know, before the world turned lax and sour”.
Written by Ted Walker.
Narrated by Bernard Cribbins.
Big Jim …. Norman Rossington
Harold Perkins …. Roland Curram
Old Ned …. Harold Goodwin
Nimrod …. David John
Turps … Sylvester McCoy
Chick …. David Beckett
The Farmer …. Douglas Blackwell
The Farmer’s Daughter …. Karen Ascoe
Producer: Martin Fisher
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 1987.
SAT 12:30 To the Manor Born (b007jpzw)
[Repeat of broadcast at 04:30 today]
SAT 13:00 Archive on 4 (b08tv9th)
Father's Day
Mark Thomas examines how the image of dad has been made and re-made over the decades.
This is a personal journey into the BBC archives and beyond. Mark's own Dad was tough. Mark says he's a softee as a father. Do we need more definition of what it is to be dad?
While motherhood is traditionally twinned with apple pie, one strong image of fatherhood is a man dressed in a batman suit protesting his rights of access to his children. There's no single dominant image, though. We have gay dads, soft dads, disciplinarian dads, workaholic dads, stay-at-home dads and absentee dads.
This is rich and rewarding territory, and the archive comes both from the public and private sphere. We hear experts and writers on fatherhood, famous dads like David Beckham and Sir Bob Geldof, and civilian dads' tales too.
Seismic events and cultural awakenings have shaped and re-shaped the figure of the father and yet today we still question who he really is. Why?
Mark also talks to fatherhood experts and those who have been watching the changing role of the father with a passionate interest over the decades - MP David Lammy, Adrienne Burgess from the Fatherhood Institute and Professor Charlie Lewis.
Producer: Sarah Cuddon
A Testbed production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in June 2017.
SAT 14:00 Listen Against (b0088nnz)
Series 1
Episode 1
A cheeky round-up of a week's worth of BBC radio that never happened.
Alice Arnold and Jon Holmes rewind and mangle real programmes from across the networks - and put them back together the wrong way round.
Featuring Scott Mills, Gordon Brown, Steve Wright and John Humphreys.
The brainchild of writer, comic and broadcaster Jon Holmes.
Producer: Bill Dare
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 2007.
SAT 14:30 Sounding Off with McGough (b007jlwb)
1. Munich and Clichés
Roger McGough looks at life, love, happiness, heroes, villains and embarrassing relations.
Poetic reflections on the business of poetry, to the accompaniment of long-time musical collaborator Andy Roberts.
Recorded in Bath.
Producer: Sara Davies
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 2010.
SAT 14:45 The Shuttleworths (b01mlrf0)
Series 4
Cough in the Loft
The return of Sheffield's favourite singer-songwriter John Shuttleworth and his family.
Wife Mary is busy having a clear-out and asks John to put some things in the loft for storage.
Whilst up there he hears an old digital watch bleeping and he decides to find it. So armed with cheese and piccalilli sandwiches for fortification, he sits and waits until it bleeps once more...
Written and performed by Graham Fellows.
Producer: Dawn Ellis
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 2003.
SAT 15:00 The Mel and Sue Thing (b00769ql)
Episode 1
Weird characters and surreal chat from Mel Giedroyc and Sue Perkins.
Featuring Jane Austen's Last Novella and a duet sung by Cliff Richard and Delia Smith.
Mel and Sue are best known as the scrumptious cake-filling on the BBC's The Great British Bake Off.
With Paul Chahidi
Producer: Elizabeth Freestone.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 2002.
SAT 15:30 Absolute Power (b007xwmc)
Series 3
Episode 2
Can Prentiss and McCabe's medicine help the government to sort out the NHS?
Stephen Fry and John Bird star in Mark Tavener's biting satire.
Charles Prentiss and Martin McCabe are spin masters in the world of government and media relations.
Charles Prentiss …. Stephen Fry
Martin McCabe …. John Bird
Sir Archibald Sullivan …. Tony Gardner
Sandy …. Siobhan Hayes
Clive …. Tom George
Maurice …. David Timson
Producer: Dawn Ellis
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 2002.
SAT 16:00 Thomas Middleton - A Mad World, My Masters (m000x4y1)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
SAT 17:35 Great Lives (b085ttcd)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:35 today]
SAT 18:00 Mike Walker - 2025 (b00hy94c)
1. New Reality
It's a future where computers rule and the possibility of artificial intelligence has become a reality.
Starring Alphonsia Emmanuel, Mona Hammond and Daniela Nardini.
Mike Walker's futuristic two-part sci-fi serial.
Irena ...... Alphonsia Emmanuel
Olivia ...... Mona Hammond
Dr Beth David ...... Daniela Nardini
Henry ...... David Yip
Anno ...... Su-Lin Looi
Praeger ...... John Rowe
Dr Finzey ...... Alastair Danson
Kate ...... Rachel Atkins
Capstick ...... Gerard McDermott
Terry Gupta ...... Ravin J Ganatra
Director: Sally Avens
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 1998.
SAT 19:00 Fathers and Sons (m0008qlm)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
SAT 22:00 Welcome to Wherever You Are (b09hw51s)
Series 1
Episode 3
Andrew Maxwell hosts a truly global stand-up show, in which comedians perform from wherever on the planet they happen to be, to an audience in the BBC Radio Theatre, London.
With:
Urzila Carlson
Rehman Akhtar
Aparna Nancherla.
From New Zealand, South Africa-born Urzila Carlson discusses flip-flops and marriage.
From Bahrain, one of Saudi Arabia's first comedians, Rehman Akhtar talks about public flogging
Plus New York's Aparna Nancherla, who filmed a half-hour special for Netflix. Photo credit: Matt Stronge
Producer: Ed Morrish
A BBC Studios production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in December 2017.
SAT 22:30 Elvenquest (b016pynv)
Series 3
Episode 3
The Questers continue their search for the Sword of Asnagar, the only weapon capable of ridding their land from the tyranny of the evil Lord Darkness.
Now they must take a short cut through the mysterious mines of Grazak-Dun. But the only man who can help them enter the mines is the Master Stonemason of Grazak-Dun. Luckily, he also happens to be Dean's dad.
Problem is, Dean's dad hates Dean. So the Questers must hatch a plan that'll help Dean win back the respect of his father...
Meanwhile, Lord Darkness is given the honour of writing the "Big Book of Evil", a task which he takes on with relish. But he soon finds that, as everyone knows, it's one thing to say you'll write a book, and quite another to actually sit down and write one...
Fantasy-based sitcom set in Lower Earth written by Anil Gupta and Richard Pinto.
Vidar ...... Darren Boyd
Dean/Kreech ...... Kevin Eldon
Amis, aka The Chosen One ...... Dave Lamb
Sam ...... Stephen Mangan
Lord Darkness ...... Alistair McGowan
Little Dick ...... John Sessions
Penthiselea ...... Sophie Winkleman
Producer: Sam Michell.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 2011.
SAT 23:00 The Skivers (b007jpsp)
Series 1
Leslie Phillips
Lecturer Leslie Phillips guest stars in Nick Golson and Tim de Jongh's skilful sketch show.
From the people who brought you ‘And Now in Colour’.
Written and performed by Nick Golson and Tim de Jongh.
With:
Mel Giedroyc
Peter Bradshaw
Producer: Jon Naismith
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 1994.
SAT 23:30 Two Episodes of Mash (b01mx27s)
Series 2
Episode 4
Diane, Joe and David have to do 30 minutes of community service as punishment for their crimes against radio.
Look out for an animation of their Fishing Sketch by Tom Rourke on the BBC Radio 4 Extra website.
A mix of silly, surreal sketches and banter starring Diane Morgan and Joe Wilkinson.
With:
David O'Doherty
Paul Harry Allen
Bobbie Pryor
Gary Newman
Aled Jones.
Producer: Clair Wordsworth.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 2012.