SATURDAY 23 APRIL 2022

SAT 00:00 A Short History of Vampires (b00z55h6)
4. Quid Pro Quo by Tanya Huff
Vampires are the ultimate killing machines.
Natalie Haynes examines why this iconic figure in horror-fiction continues to exert such a powerful hold on our imaginations.
And she introduces her final dark story.
In Tanya Huff’s deliciously noir tale of an immortal whose lover is in mortal danger.
Read by Genevieve Adam.
Producer: Gemma Jenkins
Made for BBC Radio 7 and first broadcast in March 2011.
SAT 00:30 Sounds Natural (b07h4xwy)
Percy Edwards
From Willow Warblers to Little Crakes.
Bird-imitator, animal impersonator and entertainer, Percy Edwards discusses his love of the British countryside and, in particular, its birdlife with Derek Jones.
Aided by recordings from the BBC Sound Archive.
Percy Edwards MBE: died aged 88 in 1996.
Producer: John Burton
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 1972.
SAT 01:00 Trueman and Riley (b00j7p9f)
Series 2
5. Love Bytes
With a woman missing, Trueman and Riley are sucked into the virtual world of online role playing.
Starring Robert Daws and Duncan Preston.
Brian B Thompson's ill-matched detective duo.
DI Trueman …... Robert Daws
DS Riley ..…. Duncan Preston
Susan/Lucy Lovestar ..…. Rebecca Manley
Andy …... Matt Addis
Mr Thomas …... Malcolm Tierney
Geoff/Male Voice …... Stephen Critchlow
Male Voice …... Benjamin Askew
Male Voice ..…. Jonathan Tafler
Seductive Female Voice …... Lizzy Watts
Internet Café Owner ..…. Paul Rider
Director: Toby Swift
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 Extra in March 2009.
SAT 01:30 Dick Francis (b007mcnx)
Proof
3. The Boss
The fraud plot thickens, as Tony Beach meets the boss of whisky hauliers Charter Carriers.
Starring Nigel Havers.
Fine living, fast horses, and shattering suspense - Dick Francis's compelling thriller.
Dramatised by Ernest Dudley
Tony Beach …. Nigel Havers
Gerard …. George Parsons
Flora …. Jennifer Piercey
Sgt. Ridger …. Stephen Hattersley
P.C. Horton …. James Goode
Charter …. Chas Bryer
Director: Matthew Walters
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 1987.
SAT 02:00 Mrs Palfrey at the Claremont by Elizabeth Taylor (b0bfxh7g)
5. 'She had such lovely manners'
Mr Palfrey gives Ludo £50 but omits to mention it's a loan. She falls and breaks her hip and is taken to hospital where she is visited by Ludo and Desmond, but not her daughter.
Elizabeth Taylor's poignant and witty masterpiece.
Concluded by Eleanor Bron.
Abridged by Robin Brooks.
Producer: Natalie Steed
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 2018.
SAT 02:15 Katarina Bivald - The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend (m0004sc3)
Episode 5
The people of Broken Wheel long for Sara to stay on and want her to marry Tom who she secretly loves.
But how does he really feel about her and can their wedding go ahead?"
Conclusion of Katarina Bivald's warm, funny and moving story of love and friendship.
The heroine Sara, is in her late 20s, when she leaves her native Sweden to visit her much older pen pal Amy in a remote part of Iowa, a town aptly called Broken Wheel. But, when she arrives, all is not as she had foreseen.
Unexpectedly, she finds herself falling in love - not just with one of the men in question, but with the whole town itself.
Translated from Swedish by Alice Menzies.
Dramatised by Jeremy Raison.
Sara ...... Anna Koval
Tom ...... Richard Goulding
Caroline ...... Lorelei King
Jen ...... Laurel Lefkow
Amy ...... Adjoa Andoh
George ...... William Hope
Andy ...... Martin T Sherman
Grace ...... Kate Harper
.
Director: Cherry Cookson
A Wireless Theatre production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in May 2019.
SAT 02:30 The Lost Art of Churches (b01hl41c)
Large amounts of important, modernist visual art commissioned by the Church in the 20th century are in danger of being forgotten.
No central records exist of these artworks - paintings, sculptures, stained glass, murals, tapestries and icons – with many shut away, victims of a change in fashion or worries about their vulnerability.
Paul Bayley of the ACE Trust (Art and Christian Enquiry, promoting contemporary art in UK churches) locates examples that illustrate the variety of art that can be found if you look for it.
In Hayes, Middlesex, at the Church of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, he finds Annigonni's late 1950s painting of the Madonna and Child featuring an atomic explosion rendered in gold leaf in the background.
At St Johns, Waterloo, he examines two paintings by the German Jewish refugee from the Nazis, Hans Feibusch, who became probably the most prolific church artist in Britain in the last century. And in London’s Soho, in the French-speaking Church of Notre Dame, Paul meets art restorers who have been rescuing unique murals painted by Jean Cocteau, which were damaged by graffiti and spilt soft drinks.
One of the discoveries that most excites Paul is a large crucifixion painted by Graham Sutherland in St Aidan's East Acton, in the early 1960s.
But not all church art, Paul discovers, is situated in church buildings. The Methodist Art Collection was set up to be taken around the country and exhibited in different venues, and is still commissioning new work.
Paul also travels to Northumberland, where, at the tiny church of St John, Healey, he sees award-winning new work in two windows created by James Hugonin and the Danish-born Anne Vibeke Mou.
Producer: Bob Dickinson
A Pennine Production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in May 2012.
SAT 03:00 Elizabeth Gaskell - Wives and Daughters (b007jsxz)
9. Reviving Hopes and Brightening Prospects
"Dead! Osborne! Poor fellow! " said Mrs Gibson, " I knew it would be so though - I was sure of It. But Mr Gibson can do nothing if he's dead. (Poor young man!) I wonder where Roger is now? He ought to come home."
What will become of Osborne's wife and child?
And is a marriage proposal on the way...?
Conclusion of Elizabeth Gaskell's final novel.
Starring Tom Wilkinson, Kathryn Hurlbutt and Angela Pleasence.
Dramatised by Barry Campbell.
Molly .... Kathryn Hurlbutt
Clare .... Angela Pleasence
Mr Gibson .... Tom Wilkinson
Cynthia .... Anne-Louise Lambert
Squire Hamley .... Robert Lang
Roger Hamley .... Michael Troughton
Lady Harriet .... Marian Diamond
Lady Cumnor .... Pauline Letts
Lord Hollingfold .... Geoffrey Collins
Aimee/Maria .... Eileen Tully
Robinson .... Nigel Graham
Mrs Gaskell .... Thelma Whiteley
Music composed by Rachel Portman
Director: Jane Morgan
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 1983
SAT 04:00 I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue (b07m5dz2)
Series 65
From 2016 - The Cliffs Pavilion, Southend-on-Sea
Back at the Cliffs Pavilion in Southend-on-Sea.
Regulars Barry Cryer and Sandi Toksvig are joined on the panel by Miles Jupp and Richard Osman.
Jack Dee in the chair.
Piano accompaniment is provided by Colin Sell.
Producer - Jon Naismith.
A BBC Studios production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast on 1st August 2016.
SAT 04:30 Millport (b00761w5)
Series 2
Happy Returns
It's Irene's 33rd birthday - so the island inhabitants have a few surprises in store...
Bittersweet comedy written by and starring Lynn Ferguson.
Barmaid Irene Bruce is 30-something and hankering after a better life on the mainland.
Irene ...... Lynn Ferguson
Moira/Agnes ...... Janet Brown
Alberto/Robert/Bob ...... Lewis McLeod
Ena/Bunty ...... Gabriel Quigley
Dougie ...... Matt Costello
Music arranged by Olly Fox.
Producer: Lucy Bacon
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 2001.
SAT 05:00 Says on the Tin (b00g4fv7)
Toothpaste
Disgraced maverick US ad man Eliott Thurber is forced to transfer to the new London branch of Parabola Media.
Starring Michael Brandon.
Christopher William Hill's sitcom set in the shallow, dog-eat-dog world of advertising.
Eliott Thurber .... Michael Brandon
Esther Finn .... Samantha Bond
Hannah Walker .... Pippa Haywood
Zadie .... Joannah Tincey
Ted Bruckner .... Malcolm Tierney
Toothrot …. Chris Pavlo
Customs Officer …. Stephen Critchlow
Woman ….Janice Acquah
Child …. Manjeet Mann
Stewardess …. Donnla Hughes
Plaque Inam Mirza
Producer: Liz Webb.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 2008.
SAT 05:30 Desolation Jests (b086s7jt)
Episode 4
David Jason stars in the final episode of David Renwick's post-apocalyptic comedy alongside John Bird, Jan Ravens and Rory Bremner.
Each week J P Doom interviews an iconic cultural behemoth about the comic moments they would most like by their side as they face their own mortality. This week Sydney Pynchlink, the innovative director behind some of the country's most admired weather forecasts chooses the laughs that would comfort them most during the extinction of all life on the planet; including a joke too dangerous for parliament, a horse with three legs, and a lobster with a rather crucial piece of evidence.
Cast:
David Jason
John Bird
Jan Ravens
Rory Bremner
Adie Allen
James Lailey
Nick Underwood
Produced by Gareth Edwards
Production Coordinator: Sophie Richardson
It was a BBC Studios Production.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 2017.
SAT 06:00 Paul Herzberg - Dreaming Up Laura (m0016pb1)
As a young woman, Laura kept a dream diary.
Then she married Garth and her dreams stopped.
15 years later, her marriage under strain, she is reunited with Phil, her estranged cousin, and she begins to discover the person she once was.
Starring Sheila Gish and Henry Goodman.
Written by Paul Herzberg.
Laura Pearce .... Sheila Gish
Phil Fontaine .... Henry Goodman
Garth .... Bill Nighy
Anton Weber .... Nicholas Woodeson
Dilys Crawford .... Amanda Redman
Fran Cole .... Dilys Hamlett
Harry Cole .... Peter Yapp
Young Laura .... Cathy Sara
Young Phil .... David Antrobus
With Becky Hindley, Oliver Senton and Terence Beesley
Original music by Stuart Gordon.
Director: Andy Jordan
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 1995.
SAT 07:30 Great Lives (b0bcgt9x)
Series 46
Hanif Kureishi on David Bowie
"Suddenly this light comes into your life" - says Hanif Kureishi, referring to his hero, his great life, David Bowie.
Hanif, an author, screenwriter and film maker, went on to become friends with Bowie in the 1990's after they worked together when Bowie wrote the soundtrack to Kureishi's TV adaptation 'The Buddha of Suburbia'.
For Hanif it was also Bowie who inspired him to become an author and filmmaker - he says for a "mixed race Pakistani kid living in a crummy terrace bored out of my mind, I wanted to get out - I wanted to explore, I wanted to express myself, I wanted to be free".
Hanif gives his personal insight into the life of David Bowie.
The expert witness is Dylan Jones - author of 'David Bowie A Life' and 'When Ziggy Played Guitar'.
Presenter: Matthew Parris
Producer: Perminder Khatkar
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 2018.
SAT 08:00 I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue (m000l7qh)
Clue at 50
From 1999 - The Theatre Royal, Nottingham
Another half-hour of quality desk-based entertainment for all the family.
From the Theatre Royal in Nottingham.
Jeremy Hardy joins show regulars:
Tim Brooke-Taylor
Graeme Garden
Barry Cryer
Your reluctant chairman is Humphrey Lyttelton.
At the piano - Colin Sell.
Producer: Jon Naismith
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 on 21st June 1999.
SAT 08:30 Spangles 'n' Tights (b04stqd5)
The Movie
Great excitement when the Dublin Theatrical costumiers provide the uniforms for an American film company.
Christopher Fitz-Simon's five-part comedy.
Dessie Doyle …. David Kelly
Violet Doyle … Pauline McLynn
Atony Gogan …. Eugene O'Brien
Mr McNamara …. Frank Kelly
Mike …. Dan Gordon
Mouser Dolan …. Kevin Flood
Ron Berglas as Buddy Kowalski
Gwynne McElveen as Starlet.
Music played by John Trotter.
Directed at BBC Belfast by Roland Jaquarello.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 1998.
SAT 09:00 Shakespeare: Thereby Hangs A Tale (b01ghgjn)
A Celebration of the Swan of Avon presented by actor and broadcaster Sir Simon Russell Beale CBE.
A collection of programmes from the BBC archives inspired by and about the glover's son from Stratford. In true Shakespearian style, there will be comedy, tragedy and history:
* Great Lives – William Shakespeare
Matthew Parris, TV producer and novelist Daisy Goodwin and Shakespeare director Dominic Dromgoole discuss what we know, and don't know, about Will's life.(BBC Radio 4, 2011)
* Macbeth or Unlucky For Some
John Wells stars in a mini-Macbeth from the Edinburgh Festival of 1979. (BBC Radio 4, 1979)
* Lenny and Will
Comic-turned-Shakespearian Lenny Henry goes in search of the Bard in a programme which indirectly led to him playing Othello. With Dame Judi Dench and Sir Peter Hall.(BBC Radio 4, 2006)
* Mrs Shakespeare
Dramatisation of Robert Nye's raunchy novel inspired by Shakespeare's will: "Item: I gyve unto my wief my second best bed with the furniture." Stars Maggie Steed and Kenneth Cranham as William and Anne. (BBC Radio 4, 1998)
* Shakespeare Stories – Romeo & Juliet
Professor Carol Rutter explores Shakespeare's use of literary sources for his plots .(BBC Radio 4, 2005)
* Hark! (clip) attempts to uncover the sounds of Shakespeare's London. (BBC Radio 3, 2008)
* Desmond Olivier Dingle's Compleat Life and Works of William Shakespeare (BBC Radio 4, 1995)
Comedy featuring the National Theatre of Brent, which brings its 'unique' vision to Julius Caesar, with a little help from guest stars Juliet Stevenson and Harriet Walter.
Plus readings of Shakespeare's sonnets, enhanced with music and effects, featuring Sir Ian McKellen.
Producer: Nick St. George.
Made for BBC Radio 4 Extra and first broadcast in April 2012.
SAT 12:00 My Favorite Husband (m000nwds)
April Fool’s Day
Who planted the lipstick covered handkerchief in George Cooper's pocket?
Starring Lucille Ball as Liz and Richard Denning as George.
The story of Liz and George Cooper, a happily married couple living in Sheridan Falls. Based on the novels by Isabel Scott Rorick. Originally called the Cugats, their name by now was changed to Cooper.
Liz Cooper …. Lucille Ball
George Cooper …. Richard Denning
Katy …. Ruth Perrot
Written by Jess Oppenheimer, Bob Carroll Junior and Madelyn Pugh.
Producer: Jess Oppenheimer
The popularity of this radio series led to Lucille’s ground breaking TV sitcom role, I Love Lucy. This was to cement her long-running position as one of America’s favourite entertainers over several decades.
First broadcast in the USA on CBS Radio in April 1949.
SAT 12:30 Fab TV (m0016j53)
The Preventers
A four-part comedy series paying homage to TV's cult action adventure shows of the 1960s and 70s.
The Preventers are an elite, stylish, polo-neck-wearing threesome of international trouble-shooters.
Craig Sturdy, suave and charming; Penelope Cold, enigmatic and foreign and Mike Stallion - the third one.
Written by and starring:
Morwenna Banks
Chris England
Robert Harley
With Ed Devereaux, Desmond Llewelyn, Neil Mullarkey, John Irwin and Emma Myant.
Music by Peter Baikie.
Producer: Phil Clarke
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 1996.
SAT 13:00 Archive on 4 (b0bcdd8j)
The Story of EH Gombrich
For decades EH Gombrich inspired readers across the globe.
Leonie Gombrich and Rob Newman use his archives to tell the story of a man who taught the world how to see and read art.
"There really is no such thing as Art. There are only artists." So begins EH Gombrich's The Story Of Art, currently in its 16th edition and translated into more than 30 languages. It was the book that opened the door to human creativity for millions across the globe.
But what of the man himself? What of the Austrian émigré, who spent 15 years in Britain as a 'restricted alien' before becoming one of the UK's most honoured scholars?
The man who broke the BBC news story alerting Churchill to the death of Hitler; whose vast network of relationships and correspondence with the likes of Karl Popper, Anna Freud and Antony Blunt was like the internet before the internet? And who, through such books as varied as A Little History Of The World and Art & Illusion, taught the world how to see.
Comedian and author Robert Newman has long been fascinated by Gombrich's intellectual circle, which he regularly references in his shows and his writing. He has not only read all of Gombrich's books but has also befriended Leonie Gombrich - who inherited her grandfather's vast private collection of letters which she keeps along with a cache of personal, and previously unheard, private tapes.
Leonie and Rob play excerpts from Gombrich family recordings and from his appearances on shows like Desert Island Discs and BBC Radio 3. They also select choice passages from the letters he sent and received, painting a portrait of another time.
Producers: Dixi Stewart & Paul Kobrak
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 2018.
SAT 14:00 Mark Thomas: My Life in Serious Organised Crime (b007760g)
Stories from comedian Mark Thomas's campaign against the Serious Organised Crime and Policing Act.
This requires anyone wishing to protest around the Houses of Parliament to obtain a police permit.
Thomas has done exactly that; hundreds and hundreds of times.
Producer: Colin Anderson
First broadcast on Radio 4 in March 2007.
SAT 14:30 The Pin (b08y26qt)
Series 3
Party
Having been spurned from the BBC's official office party, Alex and Ben are out to prove they can throw a party too...
More of double-act, The Pin's trademark offbeat nonsense.
Written and performed by Ben Ashenden and Alex Owen.
With:
Liam Williams
Producer: Sam Bryant.
A BBC Studios production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in July 2017.
SAT 15:00 The Lawrence Sweeney Mix (b008vzdy)
Series 2
Episode 2
From a room full of kittens to something you might find behind the sofa...
Josie Lawrence and Jim Sweeney make it up as they go along!
Faced with a live studio audience and a couple of microphones - the masters of improve create sketches from shouted out suggestions.
Producer: Dawn Ellis
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 2008.
SAT 15:30 The Price of Happiness (b08twgfv)
Series 2
The Perfect Body
Quizzical everywoman and stand-up poet Kate Fox explores some of the things she does not want in life (and which she's cheerfully failed to achieve)
Find out how much she’s saved emotionally and financially in the process.
Kate kicks off with the subject of the perfect body.
Every day we’re confronted with images of perfection, but do these unrealistic ideals actually reflect the diverse society we live in?
How guilty should you feel if you both agree that speaking out against the bodily exploitation of Miley Cyrus was an inspiring feminist move, and at the same time find yourself thinking that Sinead O' Connor would look ever so nice with a short bob?
Kate has a past of yo-yo dieting and bad make up application - and somehow missed the memo when "all the ladygardens went Kojak" back in 2006.
With personal grooming over a lifetime coming in at £234,000 for women and £75,000 for men, could this be spent in other ways that make us feel good. A season ticket to Diggerland, a Nando's Gold Card, your own private forest?
Kate Fox is from the North East of England. She’s contributed poems and comic pieces to many Radio 4 shows like Saturday Live, Wondermentalist Cabaret, From Fact to Fiction, Woman's Hour and Arthur Smith's Balham Bash.
Producer: Lianne Coop
An Impatient production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in June 2017.
SAT 16:00 Paul Herzberg - Dreaming Up Laura (m0016pb1)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
SAT 17:30 Great Lives (b0bcgt9x)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
SAT 18:00 Trevor Hoyle - Haunted Hospital (b0076sr6)
A hospital in Rochdale is the setting for this ghost story.
Featuring two parallel storylines, one contemporary and the other set in the late 1800s - drawing on real historical events.
Written by Trevor Hoyle.
Julia/Lizzie ...... Jo-Anne Knowles
Steve/Daniel ...... Michael Begley
Sam ...... Elianne Byrne
Josiah Ogden ...... David Fleeshman
Jacob Pinch ...... Mark Chatterton
Mrs Cragge ...... Barbara Marten
Mr Cragge ...... James Quinn
Irish Woman ...... Martine Harry-Davis
Director: Liz Leonard
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 2005.
SAT 19:00 Shakespeare: Thereby Hangs A Tale (b01ghgjn)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
SAT 22:00 Alex Horne Presents The Horne Section (b01rfy5w)
Series 2
With Doc Brown
Comedy show hosted by Alex Horne and his five piece band and specially written, original music.
This episode explores the theme of children including songs on George Formby, the alphabet and Rastafarians. Guest starring Doc Brown who raps with the band and talks to whales.
Guest starring comedian Doc Brown.
Alex's Horne Section are:
Trumpet/banjo .... Joe Auckland
Saxophone/clarinet ....Mark Brown
Double Bass/Bass .... Will Collier
Drums and Percussion .... Ben Reynolds
Piano/keyboard .... Ed Sheldrake
Producer: Julia McKenzie.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 2013.
SAT 22:30 Agendum (b0bgrhy5)
Series 1
Shock
A current affairs parody and stupidly feasible visit to the 24-hour Hall Of Opinion Mirrors. Because there are two stories to every story.
A deadly pandemic, an inappropriate economic yardstick and a very special anniversary are thrown about by some talking heads who probably came in a taxi.
Chaired by chairperson-in-chief Alexandra Palisades.
Parody created and written by Jason Hazeley and Joel Morris.
Starring Carrie Quinlan as Alexandra Palisades
And the voices of:
Justin Edwards
Melanie Hudson
Kath Hughes
Simon Kane
Tayla Kovacevic-Ebong
Jess Robinson
Luke Sumner
Tony Way
Producer: David Tyler
A Pozzitive production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in September 2018.
SAT 23:00 Tim Key's Suspended Sentence (b0128pyh)
Truths universally acknowledged. Clocks striking 13. Bests and worsts of times. A truly great opening line can make a novel iconic. But what makes these famous first sentences sing to us?
Comedian and poet Tim Key is on the case!
After chasing down the meaning of Nikolai Gogol's enigmatic short story "The Overcoat", Tim tries to sleuth out what makes a great literary opening line with the help of author Joe Dunthorne, comedian Mark Watson, and literary critics Maureen Freely and John Sutherland.
You see, Tim's desperate to write his first novel - it's in him, just waiting, waiting to be unleashed. If only he could think of a good beginning with the ultimate opening line...
Tim also tries to galvanise his imagination - taking a spin of one of the world's strangest literary board games...
The pressure's on, as we hear a roll-call of some of the finest and most famous first lines in publishing history - from Dickens to Dostoevsky to uh, Dan Brown.
Overwhelmed with information, we also hear a crash course on what not to do - as Tim visits Knebworth House, ancestral pile of a man whose most famous first sentence is legendary for all the wrong reasons: Edward Bulwer-Lytton, author of the infamous "It was a dark and stormy night..."
Finally it's time to try out Tim's sentence of the unsuspecting public, as he visits the award-winning Brick Lane Book Club for a focus group...before in the final moments, he unleashes that killer first sentence on the world...(so then Tim: what comes next?).
Producer: Steven Rajam
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 2013.
SAT 23:30 The Skivers (b00jd5jn)
Series 3
Paul McKenna
Hypnotist Paul McKenna gets a taste of his own medicine.
Skilful sketch show written and performed by Nick Golson and Tim de Jongh.
With:
Peter Bradshaw
Sally Phillips
Announcer: Patrick Allen
Producer: Jon Naismith
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 1997