SATURDAY 29 JANUARY 2022

SAT 00:00 A Stir of Echoes by Richard Matheson (b00p689c)
5. The Answer
Following a series of terrifying premonitions, Tom discovers what Helen Driscoll wants.
Tom Wallace lived an ordinary life in a seemingly normal neighbourhood until his brother-in-law hypnotised him at a dinner party - awakening psychic abilities he never knew he possessed...
Richard Matheson’s supernatural novel abridged by Neville Teller.
Concluded by Trevor White.
Producer: Heather Larmour
Made for BBC Radio 7 and first broadcast in November 2009.
SAT 00:30 Shah Rukh Khan's Heroes (b06rlkh5)
Amitabh Bachchan
Shah Rukh Khan's celebration of his personal heroes continues with one of Bollywood's most popular icons, Amitabh Bachchan.
Born in Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh on 11 October 1942, Amitabh has acted in hundreds of films during an astonishing career over four decades. He is considered one of the greatest and most influential actors in Indian cinema’s history.
Shah Rukh describes him as "a hero to millions and billions" and recalls that one of his greatest achievements was when he "was able to stand in the same frame, breathe the same air and that I got to work with him."
With favourite Amitabh films including Amar Akbar Anthony, Shakti, Satte Pe Satta and Lawaaris, Shah Rukh remembers meeting his hero while growing up. His aunt knew this tall actor with intense eyes "would become one of the greatest things Indian cinema has ever seen."
Shah Rukh Khan says the longevity of Amitabh's career is outstanding and praises his professionalism and sheer hard work. He says Amitabh is a perfectionist and always strives to be great.
"He is one of the finest people, finest actors, and a great human being to have come into my life.".
Producer: Ranjit Doal
First broadcast on the BBC Asian Network in May 2012.
SAT 01:00 The Toff on the Farm (b007jrq3)
1. Trouble for Sale
The Honourable Richard Rollison (the Toff) is offered the chance to buy a small farm in Sussex.
But when a man mysteriously disappears, the amateur sleuth soon realises something is amiss...
John Creasey's thriller starring Terence Alexander.
Dramatised in six parts by Roy Lomax
The Toff ...... Terence Alexander
Jolly ...... Robert Dorning
Gillian Selby ...... Heather Stoney
Vicar ...... Jeffrey Segal
Monty Morne ...... Terrence Hardiman
Bert ...... Frank Jarvis
Mr Brandt ...... Ed Bishop
Other parts played by the cast
Producer: John Fawcett Wilson
First broadcast on the BBC World Service in March 1977.
SAT 01:30 Miss Marple (b007jpmx)
A Caribbean Mystery
Episode 5
After two murders and an attempted suicide, amateur sleuth Miss Marple is battling to find a link.
Conclusion of Agatha Christie's whodunit starring June Whitfield.
Dramatised by Michael Bakewell
Miss Marple …. June Whitfield
Mr Rafiel …. George A. Cooper
Tim Kendall …. David Thorpe
Molly Kendall …. Alison Pettit
Esther Walters …. Yvonne Edgell
Evelyn Hillingdon …. Carolyn Jones
Edward Hillingdon …. Christopher Wright
Lucky Dyson …. Tracy-Ann Oberman
Jackson …. Andrew Wincott
Canon Prescott …. David King
Dr Graham .... John Rowe
Director: Enyd Williams
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 1997.
SAT 02:00 Wintering by Katherine May (m001288f)
Episode 5
An imaginative exploration of how to embrace life’s dark seasons and emerge into the light.
Winter is on its way out, and so is Katherine’s time of wintering.
‘Some winters happen in the sun,’ writes Katherine May. ‘This particular one began on a blazing day in early September, a week before my fortieth birthday.’ When her husband becomes dangerously ill, it coincides with a moment in May’s life when she is facing professional and personal stress and an uncertain future, and it ushers in a period of what she calls ‘wintering’. ‘Everybody winters at one time or another; some winter over and over again,’ she explains. ‘Winter is a season in the cold, a fallow period in life when you’re cut off from the world, feeling rejected, sidelined, blocked from progress.’
Described by The Observer’s reviewer as ‘a reading cure’ and ‘a tale of hard-won celebration’, May's book is an honest, reflective, sometimes humorous account of her struggle to deal with her own bad times. She considers the healing power of rest and retreat and the consolations of nature, exploring the many ways in which we experience winter, both seasonal and personal, and offering some strategies for weathering the dark times in the year and our own lives.
Katherine May’s other books include The Electricity of Every Living Thing, her memoir of being autistic, and two novels, The Whitstable High Tide Swimming Club and Burning Out. She is the editor of The Best, Most Awful Job, an anthology of essays about motherhood, and her essays and journalism have been widely published in the UK and America. She lives by the sea in Whitstable.
Reader: Melody Grove
Abridged and produced by Sara Davies
SAT 02:15 Paw Tracks in the Moonlight by Denis O'Connor (b00pbpcm)
Episode 5
It's Christmas Day and Denis O'Connor reflects on how much better his life has become since he rescued the kitten, Toby Jug.
One man's adventures with the cat he rescued in a snowstorm.
Concluded by Kevin Whately.
Abridged and produced by Jane Marshall.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 2009.
SAT 02:30 The Living Mountain (b03mfndd)
Robert Macfarlane takes inspiration from writer Nan Shepherd on a very special poetic pilgrimage to the Cairngorms.
Nan Shepherd believed that it was 'a grand thing to get leave to live.' She did this by spending every minute she could in her beloved Cairngorms. In her 88-years, she covered thousands of miles on foot and became minutely aware of the rhythms of these wild places.
She collected her thoughts in 'The Living Mountain'. It's a remarkable love letter to these dramatic landscapes, but convinced that readers didn't want an "aimless, sensual exploration of the Cairngorms," Nan tucked the manuscript away in a drawer and left it there for 30-years.
Four years before she died, her book finally saw the light of day. At just 80-pages, it's small in size, but big in impact and has been described by The Guardian as "the finest book ever written on nature and landscape in Britain".
Robert Macfarlane agrees. He calls 'The Living Mountain' a "wry, beautiful hymn to 'living all the way through'". He thinks this book is hugely important as more and more of us experience less and less contact with the outside world; "We are, literally, losing touch." Nan's writing is the antithesis of this. She plunges readers right into the landscape.
Robert celebrates this intrepid literary spirit by embarking on an autumnal trip right into the heart of Nan's favourite wild places.
Producer: Victoria McArthur
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 2013.
SAT 03:00 John Harrison - Rediscovering Leo (m0013t7m)
Leo is a reclusive composer.
Pamela is the journalist who seeks to rediscover him.
But in doing so discovers far more than she had expected...
Starring Paul Scofield and Samantha Bond.
Drama written by John Harrison.
Leo .... Paul Scofield
Pamela .... Samantha Bond
Voice A .... John Webb
Voice A .... John Church
Piano: Matthew Scott
Director: Kay Patrick
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 1993.
SAT 04:00 Funny You Should Ask (b04st6lb)
From 19/05/1981
Peter Jones hosts the entertainment quiz about comedy as he tests a panel of experts:
Charles Hawtrey - who reveals his favourite Carry On film.
Tommy Trinder
Ron Goodwin
Funny You Should Ask ran for 8 series from 1976 to 1982.
Questions compiled by Michael Pointon.
Producer: Paul Mayhew-Archer.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 2 in May 1981.
SAT 04:30 Ballylenon (b007jx6s)
Series 5
Episode 3
Some residents try to ensure the cottage sale goes ahead without a hitch.
Series set in the sleepy town of Ballylenon, Co Donegal in 1956.
Written by Christopher Fitz-Simon.
Phonsie Doherty …. TP McKenna
Muriel McConkey …. Margaret D'Arcy
Vera McConkey …. Stella McCusker
Vivienne Hawthorne …. Aine McCartney
Packy McGoldrick …. Charlie Bonnar
Josie Doherty …. Cathy White
Music arranged and performed by Stephanie Hughes.
Director: Eoin O'Callaghan
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in June 1998.
SAT 05:00 The Headset Set (b012lkzw)
Series 1
Episode 5
The team at catalogue company Smile5 discover their colleague Dan has died.
They react in their usual callous and manipulative way. Meanwhile, Ralph the trainer has a new trainee in Philip the artist.
Eavesdrop on both sides of the bizarre, horrific and ludicrous phone calls when customers call in as events unfold with company staff.
Aleesha ..... Chizzy Akudolu
Bernie ..... Margaret-Cabourn Smith
Big Tony ..... Colin Hoult
Sailesh ..... Paul Sharma
Various ..... Philip Fox
Other characters played by the cast.
Written by James Kettle, Stephen Carlin, Celia Pacquola, Andy Wolton, Benjamin Partridge, Colin Hoult, Kevin Core, Madeliene Brettingham, Rebecca Hobbs and Dan Tetsell.
Script editor: James Kettle
Producer: Tilusha Ghelani
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 2011.
SAT 05:30 Now You're Asking with Marian Keyes and Tara Flynn (m0013qxv)
The ‘Resting Bitch Face’ Problem
Marian and Tara discuss serial bad-boy dating, what your face says about you, a missing mojo, personal grooming issues and much more.
Marian Keyes is a multi award-winning writer, with a total of over 30 million of her books sold to date in 33 languages. Her close friend Tara Flynn is an actress, comedian and writer. Together, these two friends have been through a lot, and now want to use their considerable life experience to help solve your biggest - and smallest - problems.
From dilemmas about life, love and grief, to the perils of laundry or knowing what to say at a boring dinner, we’ll find out what Marian and Tara would recommend - which might not solve the problem exactly, but will make us all feel a bit better.
Recorded in Dublin with emails received from listeners around the world, the hosts invite you to pull up a chair at their virtual kitchen table as they read and digest their inbox.
Got a problem you want Marian and Tara to solve? Email: marianandtara@bbc.co.uk.
Producer: Steve Doherty
A Giddy Goat production for BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds
SAT 06:00 Peter Tinniswood (m0008x5q)
Stoker Leishman's Diaries
Frederick Leishman was the lower deck member of a British party which made a dash for the South Pole.
This had fatal consequences for all except himself and his leader.
For years his family have tried to get hold of the Stoker's diaries, believing his account of the epic journey should be worth a fortune.
It turns out to be a revelation...
Robin Bailey stars in Peter Tinniswood's drama.
Frederick Leishman ....Robin Bailey
Mrs Bentall ... Shirley Dixon
Dora .... Barbara Marten
Gordon .... Christian Rodska
Barbara .... Liz Goulding
Edgar ... Martin Matthews
Director: Tony Cliff
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 1981.
SAT 07:30 Great Lives (b09k6pn1)
Series 44
Hertha Ayrton
Helen Arney is a self-confessed science nerd, stand-up entertainer, and once nicknamed a "geek songstress".
Matthew Parris discovers why she's chosen Hertha Ayrton (1854-1923), the pioneering Victorian physicist, inventor and suffragette, as her great life.
Ayrton was the first woman to be admitted into membership of what is today known as the IET, the Institution of Engineering and Technology. Their archivist Anne Locker knows Ayrton's life and works and fields questions from Matthew and Helen.
They discuss how Hertha overcame considerable obstacles to be the first woman who was proposed for the fellowship of the Royal Society. Her candidature was refused on the grounds that as a married woman she had no legal existence in British law.
This did not stop her from patenting over 20 of her inventions, which included a large electric fan designed to disperse mustard gas from the Trenches during the First World War. Fascinated by electricity, her achievements also ranged across mathematics and physics.
Hertha's father was a Jewish immigrant, a watchmaker from Poland, who hawked goods at markets. Nonetheless, Hertha was among the first generation of women to study at Girton College, Cambridge.
Helen Arney, who's one-third of the Festival of the Spoken Nerd, the comedy group that makes science entertaining for audiences, explains why she's championing Ayrton.
Producer: Mark Smalley
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 2018.
SAT 08:00 The Write Stuff (b007765n)
Series 10
Stephen King
James Walton takes the chair for the game of literary correctness.
Team captains Sebastian Faulks and John Walsh are joined by Sabrina Broadbent and Mark Billingham.
Author of the week is Stephen King.
Reader: Beth Chalmers
Producer: Katie Marsden
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 2007.
SAT 08:30 Smelling of Roses (b00fd63v)
Series 4
Episode 5
Rosie had always thought the expression 'Celebrity Gardener' was a contradiction in terms...until she met Bernadette Gittings...
Prunella Scales stars in Simon Brett's sitcom.
The trials and tribulations of Rosie Burns and her event management company, where the clients are only part of the problem..
Rosie Burns …. Prunella Scales
Jo …. Rebecca Callard
Bob …. Duncan Preston
Tess …. Annette Badland
Brad …. Colin Stinton
Bernadette Gittings …. Suzanne Jameson
Crispin Garnett …. George Leyton
Mrs Thompson …. Mary Wimbush
Written and produced by Simon Brett.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 2003.
SAT 09:00 Miranda Hart: From Hampshire to Hollywood (b08r3xx1)
Popular comedian and actress Miranda Hart talks openly about her life, career and creative process with comedy writer and performer Paul Garner.
And they 'gallop' through the BBC archive:
* At Home with the Snails
Miranda stars as Rose, the odious sweetshop owner and sister to Alex, who lives in a shed with his pet snails in this sitcom about a dysfunctional family. From 10/07/2001
* The Hills Are Alive
A monologue written with her sister Alice, in which Miranda plays a lady who dreams of going on a 'Sound of Music' coach tour. From 17/10/2006
* Ears Wide Open: In the Dark
Miranda, in the guise of matchmaker Fliss, attempts to help recently dumped Diane find a new partner at a party where all the lights are kept off. From 31/05/2005
* Miranda Hart’s Joke Shop
The original BBC radio pilot which evolved into the hugely successful BBC TV series 'Miranda'. From 26/05/2007
Producer: Stuart Ross
Made for BBC Radio 4 Extra and first broadcast in May 2017.
SAT 12:00 Foul Play (b00jh5hn)
Series 3
Death By a Short Head
Who killed a top horse jockey?
Crime writers Lady Antonia Fraser and Anthony Price try to solve who committed the dastardly crime.
Murder mystery panel game devised, written and chaired by Simon Brett.
Witnesses played by:
Maria McErlane
Lee Simpson
Producer: Liz Anstee
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 1997.
SAT 12:30 The Michael Bentine Show (b007js4v)
From 22/01/1984
Michael Bentine stars as the great Tibetan mystic U Tug, members of the British Bath Craftsman's Guild, the Toastmaster, the entire United Nations and occasionally himself.
The ultimate one man show written and performed by the host.
Listen in and you’ll believe that telephone boxes can fly.
Producer: Jamie Rix
First broadcast on BBC Radio 2 in January 1984.
SAT 13:00 Nexus: Norfolk's Forgotten TV Station (m0013smq)
Paul Hayes tells the story of Nexus, the student TV station at the University of East Anglia in Norwich
Discover the surprising range of guests who agreed to be interviewed on-air, including Eric Morecambe and Ernie Wise.
Featuring interviews with Philip Bird, Michael Palin and Arthur Smith and many more.
Special thanks to the University of East Anglia, the Students' Union and UEA:TV
Archive Source: Matthew Sylvester and Derek Williams.
Producer Paul Hayes
First broadcast on BBC Radio Norfolk in April 2021.
SAT 14:00 The Mark Steel Solution (b007k111)
Series 3
Charity
What are the motives behind mankind's fundraising efforts for good causes?
Comedian Mark Steel provides alternative solutions to our everyday problems
Written by Mark Steel and Pete Sinclair.
With
Debbie Isitt
Kim Wall
Producer: Phil Clarke
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 1995.
SAT 14:30 The Absolutely Radio Show (b08vxl9m)
Series 2
Episode 1
Stoneybridge Town Council prepare to receive the town's first ever tourist, the Little Girl gives her explanation of Brexit and Calum Gilhooley launches his own YouTube series.
Plus sketches about the downside of voice technology on smartphones, while Melania Trump presents a brand new podcast offering an insight into her life as First Lady.
The cast of TV's hugely popular sketch show return for series two.
Revisiting some of their much-loved sketch characters, while also introducing some newcomers.
Starring:
Pete Baikie
Morwenna Banks
Moray Hunter
Gordon Kennedy
John Sparkes
In 2013, the group that made their name on Channel Four in the 1980s and 90s got back together for Radio 4's Sketchorama: Absolutely Special - which won the BBC Audio Drama Award for Best Live Scripted Comedy. The first series of The Absolutely Radio Show picked up a Celtic Media Award nomination for Best Radio Comedy.
Producers: Gordon Kennedy & Gus Beattie
An Absolutely/Gusman production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in June 2017.
SAT 15:00 The Museum of Everything (b007k4y7)
Series 2
Behind the Magic
The Film Institute has a self-regarding guest; the audio guides start to go wrong - and there's a sneak preview of the Museum's very own behind-the-scenes DVD.
Written and performed by:
Marcus Brigstocke
Danny Robins
Dan Tetsell
With Lucy Montgomery.
Music by Dominic Haslam and Ben Walker.
Producer: Alex Walsh-Taylor
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 2005.
SAT 15:30 The Boosh (b007jmf4)
Stolen
Zookeepers Howard Moon and Vince Noir try to catch an animal thief at Bob Fossil's Zoo - with the help of a deer costume.
Written by and starring Noel Fielding and Julian Barratt,
The Boosh is a surreal adventure based on the Perrier Award-winning comedy show, featuring Howard and Vince's battles with zoo manager Bob Fossil.
Vince is a regular 'Mowgli in flares' due to his affinity with animals and adoration for all things Seventies, whereas Howard likes to think he's more the brains of the duo, destined for better things.
Howard Moon ...... Julian Barrattt
Vince Noir ...... Noel Fielding
Bob Fossil ...... Rich Fulcher
Graham ...... Lee Mack
Bloke ...... Simon Evans
After BBC radio gave them their big break with this series, they transferred to BBC TV where The Mighty Boosh ran for three series.
Producer: Danny Wallace.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 2001.
SAT 16:00 Peter Tinniswood (m0008x5q)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
SAT 17:30 Great Lives (b09k6pn1)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
SAT 18:00 George Orwell - Nineteen Eighty-Four (b01qhd0y)
Episode 1
Winston Smith works for the Ministry of Truth.
Sick and separated from his wife, he lives alone in a one-room flat in Victory Mansions in London, chief city of Airstrip One.
Big Brother stares out from every poster, the Thought Police uncover every act of betrayal.
When Winston finds love, he discovers that life does not have to be dull and deadening, and awakens to new possibilities...
George Orwell's cautionary dystopian tale was first published in 1949, becoming one of the 20th century's most influential novels.
Starring Christopher Eccleston and Pippa Nixon.
Dramatised in two parts by Jonathan Holloway.
Winston Smith...Christopher Eccleston
Julia...Pippa Nixon
O'Brien...Tim Pigott-Smith
Parsons...Kim Wall
Charrington ...Robert Blythe
Syme ...Sam Alexander
Prostitute...Susie Riddell
With Christine Absalom, Don Gilet, Joe Sims and Joshua Swinney
Director: Jeremy Mortimer
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 2013.
SAT 19:00 Miranda Hart: From Hampshire to Hollywood (b08r3xx1)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
SAT 22:00 Chain Reaction (b00lblq9)
Series 1
Stewart Lee interviews Alan Moore
Prickly comedian, Stewart Lee interviews acclaimed writer, Alan Moore.
This is the tag talk show series where the guest turns interviewer in the next show.
Producer: Tilusha Ghelani
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 2005.
SAT 22:30 The Problem With Adam Bloom (b019jtl7)
Series 3
Technology
The comedian explores the barriers and dilemmas which technology creates in normal everyday relationships.
Fast-paced and inventive comedy, written by and starring Adam Bloom
With:
Rob Rouse
Hattie Hayridge
Stefano Paolini
Producer: Adam Bromley
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 2005.
SAT 23:00 Mr and Mrs Smith (b01bwp6g)
Series 1
The Bathroom
Annabelle is annoyed because Will couldn't stand up to their over-enthusiastic builder. Will is furious at Annabelle for hiring the builder.
Guy mediates, but this week the counsellor has his own problems...
Will Smith's sitcom about a couple in marriage counselling.
Counsellor Guy must mediate another dispute between Will and Annabelle, with flashbacks to events that spawned the argument, and by the end, the couple find marital equilibrium once more.
Sort of.
Will Smith ..... Will Smith
Annabelle Smith ..... Sarah Hadland
Guy ..... Paterson Joseph
John ..... Geoffrey Whitehead
Saskia, Sally ..... Susie Blake
Adam ..... Dan Tetsell
Claudia ..... Tracy Wiles
Producer: Tilusha Ghelani
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 2012.
SAT 23:30 The Absolutely Radio Show (b08wmyc7)
Series 2
Episode 2
More from Stoneybridge Town Council, Little Girl and the News News News team.
The cast of TV's hugely popular sketch show are back. revisiting some of their much-loved sketch characters, while also introducing some newcomers to the show.
Starring:
Peter Baikie
Morwenna Banks
Moray Hunter
Gordon Kennedy
John Sparkes
Gus Beattie
In 2013, the group that made their name on Channel Four in the 1980s and 90s got back together for BBC Radio 4's Sketchorama: Absolutely Special - which won the BBC Audio Drama Award for Best Live Scripted Comedy.
Producers: Gordon Kennedy & Gus Beattie
An Absolutely/Gusman production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in July 2017.