SATURDAY 18 FEBRUARY 2023

SAT 00:00 Doctor Who (m001j5qk)
The War Doctor
7. The Shadow Vortex
Cardinal Ollistra exploits The War Doctor's affection for Earth by sending him to Cold War East Berlin in 1961, on the trail of the Dalek mercenary, Lara Zannis. Her aim is to breach the Earth's quantum shield on a deadly mission for the Dalek Time Strategist.
Caught between MI6 and the KGB, the War Doctor must first escape the Stasi before he can hope to stop her.
John Hurt stars as The War Doctor.
Written by David Llewellyn.
The War Doctor .... John Hurt
Cardinal Ollistra .... Jacqueline Pearce
Lara Zannis …. Neve McIntosh
Lt Kruger …. Timothy Speyer
Kavarin …. Gunnar Cauthery
Professor Crane …. Helen Goldwyn
Haleyna .... Honeysuckle Weeks
Leith …. Matthew Cottle
Dalek Time Strategist/The Daleks .... Nicholas Briggs
Original music written by Howard Carter.
Director: Nicholas Briggs
A Big Finish production.
SAT 01:00 Mr Beluncle (m001j4hh)
3. Taking Charge
Will Mr Beluncle try to avert financial ruin when he's left in charge of the business?
VS Pritchett's satirical novel - set in London's suburbs of the late 1920s.
Linda Truslove has taken her sister Judy Dykes to Bexhill to get away from the Church of the Last Purification and the supposed 'miracle' of being able to walk again.
This leaves Mr Beluncle in sole charge of Bulux.
Starring Freddie Jones.
Dramatised by Frederick Bradnum.
Philip Beluncle .... Freddie Jones
Ethel Beluncle .... Rosemary Leach
Linda Truslove .... Phyllida Nash
Mr Phibbs .... Alfred Burke
Henry .... Stephen Tompkinson
George .... Joseph Wright
Leslie .... Richard Pearce
Grandma .... Gladys Spencer
Mary Phibbs .... Victoria Carling
Kitty Wix .... Zelah Clarke
Mr Chilly ... Paul Sirr
Miss Vanner .... Karen Archer
Fishmonger .... Michael Tudor Barnes
Shop assistant .... Stephen Rashbrook
Music composed by Terence Albright
Director Glyn Dearman
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 1987.
SAT 02:00 Red For Danger (m000rvwq)
6. Under Fire
Even Paul Farley is uneasy, as living targets are lined up to test the Krautz alloy metal.
Can David and Pat outwit the villains who become increasingly reckless under Johnny Johnson?
Suspense-packed thriller serial.
Written by Edward J Mason.
Starring:
Ysanne Churchman
Anne Cullen
Chris Gittins
Arnold Peters
Bernard Rebel
Eddie Robinson
Dudley Rolph
June Spencer
Peter Wilde
Harry Stubbs
Producer Philip Garston-Jones
First broadcast on the BBC Midland Home Service in November 1954.
SAT 02:30 Personal Column (m001j4gg)
This Column Every Friday by Arnold Yarrow
A dodgy insurance broker takes drastic measures to try to avoid being exposed.
Dramas which tell the stories reading between the lines of newspaper personal ads.
Written by Arnold Yarrow.
Helen Winstall .... Mary Wimbush
Percy Winstall .... Charles Leno
Arthur Gartred .... James Bree
Newspaper Clerk .... Jean Aubrey
Series concept originated by Philip Levene.
Producer: John Gibson
First broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in September 1967.
SAT 03:00 The Bookshop by Penelope Fitzgerald (m001j4gt)
5. Christine
10 year old Christine is a formidable organiser for Florence.
Written by Penelope Fitzgerald
Read by Maggie Steed
Abridged and produced by David Hunter
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1996.
SAT 03:15 HighLites - Wash and Blow (b042lmsx)
5. Heading for a Showdown
After a difficult week Shirl has a lot on her mind and it looks like Bev is heading for a showdown.
Comedy drama set in and around Bev's hairdressing salon.
Written by Steve Chambers and Phil Nodding.
Bev ...... Lorraine Ashbourne
Shirley ...... Rosie Cavaliero
Captain Andersen ...... Joel MacCormack
Diane ...... Angela Lonsdale
Producer: Jessica Dromgoole
Director: Colin Guthrie
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 2014.
SAT 03:30 Psmith in the City by PG Wodehouse (b00dp7lw)
Stirring Times with Comrade Waller
Psmith and Mike discover the secret passion of the kindly Head of Cash.
PG Wodehouse’s comic adventures of the extraordinary Psmith and his friend Mike in the world of Edwardian finance.
Dramatised by Marcy Kahan.
PG Wodehouse ..... Simon Williams
Psmith ..... Nick Caldecott
Mike Jackson ..... Inam Mirza
Edward Waller ..... Ryan Watson
Mr Waller ..... Jonathan Tafler
Comrade Prebble ..... Chris Pavlo
Bill ..... Dan Starkey
Ada ..... Jill Cardo
Plebeian ..... Stephen Critchlow
Plebeian ..... Robert Lonsdale
Producer: Abigail le Fleming
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 2008.
SAT 04:00 Mr Willow's Wife (m000p7c4)
2. Together Again
Felicity Willow decides it’s time that she and her husband Paul do more together.
But does he agree?
Starring Moira Lister and Terence Alexander.
Written by Ray Cooney and John Chapman
Felicity Willow ...... Moira Lister
Paul Willow ...... Terence Alexander
Nanny ...... Doris Hare
Madame Rondeberge ..... Miriam Margolyes
Henri Rodeberge ..... John Chapman
Wolfgang Schmidt ..... Ray Cooney
Producer David Hatch
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 1971.
SAT 04:30 The Weekend Starts Here (m001j4h3)
4. What's It Worth?
There’s uproar when a TV show exposes the antics of the owner of Shipcombe Green's antique shop.
Sitcom about a village divided between the full-time resident villagers and the weekenders.
Written by Bill Matthews
Marina .... Diana Hardcastle
Terence .... Philip Bretherton
Mrs Thorogood .... Gillian Barge
Mr Thorogood .... Rupert Vansittart
Christine Harwood .... Susan Brown
Norman Harwood .... Gavin Muir
Felicity .... Gemma Saunders
Robbie .... Tim Treloar
Lawrence Fyffe .... Tom Marshall
Celia Fyffe …. Elizabeth Bell
TV Producer .... Tom George
Other parts played by members of the cast
Music composed and performed by Terry Davies.
Director: Paul Miller
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 1999.
SAT 05:00 The Museum of Curiosity (m000ndbk)
Series 15
Episode 6
Professor of Ignorance John Lloyd and his curator Alice Levine welcome:
* Comedian Hannah Gadsby
* Entomologist and ecologist Dr Sarah Beynon
* Presenter and Paralympian Ade Adepitan
The Museum's Guest Committee donate a wildflower meadow, a headtorch and a tardigrade.
Researchers: Mike Shepherd, Mike Turner, Emily Jupitus and Lydia Mizon of QI.
Producer: Anne Miller
A BBC Studios production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in October 2020.
SAT 05:30 Bleak Expectations (b00nkv3r)
Series 3
A Now Grim Life Yet More Grimified
Pip Bin faces his most gruelling fate yet at the hands of his evil undead ex-guardian and an enormous quantity of cheese.
But can the spirits of Harvest Festival past, present and future show him a way to redemption?
Mark Evans's epic comedy in the style of Charles Dickens.
Sir Philip Bin ...... Richard Johnson
Gently Benevolent ...... Anthony Head
Young Pip ...... Tom Allen
Harry Biscuit ...... James Bachman
Dr Wackwallop ...... Geoffrey Whitehead
Ripely Fecund ...... Sarah Hadland
Pippa ...... Susy Kane
Other parts ...... Mark Evans
Producer: Gareth Edwards
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 2009.
SAT 06:00 Margaret Forster - Lady's Maid (m001jbf7)
The story of how shy Lily Wilson became maid to the poet, Elizabeth Barrett Browning.
Arriving in 1844, Lily's employment in the large Victorian London household lasts for many years.
The friendship between the two women is tainted by Elizabeth's selfish demands.
Yet Wilson learns much from her employer, not least about the vicissitudes of love...
Margaret Forster’s much-acclaimed novel, first published in 1990.
Starring Jane Whittenshaw and Kate Buffery.
Dramatised by Ed Thomason.
Lily Wilson .... Jane Whittenshaw
Elizabeth Barrett Browning .... Kate Buffery
Robert Browning .... Julian Wadham
Timothy .... David Thorpe
Ferdinando .... Andrew Wincott
Lizzie Crow .... Linda Regan
Mrs Robinson .... Zulema Dene
Sarah/Henrietta .... Patience Tomlinson
Tilly .... Sandra James Young
Landor .... Geoffrey Whitehead
Director: Cherry Cookson
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 1995.
SAT 07:30 The Cut Out Girl by Bart van Es (Omnibus) (b0bf49h8)
The story of a man's search for the truth about his family's past
The last time Hesseline - known as Lien - saw her parents was in The Hague as she was collected at the door by a stranger and taken to a city far away to be hidden from the Nazis. She was raised by her foster family as one of their own but then, some years after the war, she became estranged from the family who took her in.
What was her side of the story? Bart van Es - a grandson of the couple who looked after Lien - was determined to find out.
Lien was now in her 80s and living in Amsterdam. Reluctantly, she agreed to meet him and eventually they struck up a remarkable friendship.
The Cut Out Girl combines a powerful recreation of Lien's intensely harrowing childhood story with the wider picture of life in Holland under the Nazi occupation.
Written by Bart Van Es
Omnibus of five parts abridged by Isobel Creed and Lizzie Davies
Read by Daniel Weyman.
Producer: Lizzie Davies
A Waters Company production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in August 2018.
SAT 08:45 Ernest Fontwell Versus The Experts (m0006fwf)
The Motoring Experts
Ernest Fontwell investigates the perils of buying and owning a second-hand car...
The series which helps you to beat the fiends in white coats and overalls at their own game.
Written by Lawrie Wyman.
Starring Frank Thornton as Ernest Fontwell
With:
Patsy Rowlands
Gordon Clyde
David Tate
Producer: Geoffrey Perkins
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 1979.
SAT 09:00 Ray's a Laugh (m001jbfb)
From 23/10/1959
Ted’s grumpier than usual.
Will Kitty take a hint and ease up on the spring cleaning?
Starring Ted Ray.
Ray's a Laugh follows the comedy exploits of Ted's life at home with his 'radio' wife Kitty, as well as in a variety of jobs. It ran from 1949-1961.
Written by Bernard Botting and Charles Hart.
With:
Kitty Bluett
Laidman Browne
Kenneth Connor
Pat Coombs
BBC Variety Orchestra conducted by Paul Fenoulhet
Producer: Leslie Bridgmont
First broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in October 1959.
SAT 09:30 The Eric Morecambe and Ernie Wise Show (b01k763p)
Series 1
Episode 5
Shock news from Eric: Ernie's set to retire!
Plus the torrid tale of Elizabeth Barrett and Robert Browning.
Written by Eddie Braben
Special singing guest: Laura Lee.
Written by Eddie Braben
With:
Anne Hamilton
Arthur Tolcher
Music by Dennis Wilson & His Orchestra.
Producer: John Browell
First broadcast on BBC Radio 2 in February 1975.
SAT 10:00 Isy Suttie's Guide to the Family (m0007yfn)
2. Mementos & Henry
Isy Suttie is back in Derbyshire, the home of her teenage years as she continues ambling through the radio archives to celebrate family life and growing up.
On her travels we hear contributions from her close friends along with some classic BBC comedy.
In the second of three programmes, Isy features:
‘THE SHOE BOX OF MEMORIES’
The concluding part of a programme where Isy searches through a shoe box of special items recalling her teenage adventures in Matlock, evoking bitter sweet memories of her journey to adulthood. With friends Hannah and Caroline she then visits the town to reminisce.
‘AFTER HENRY'
‘Mr Right’ - a classic episode from the popular 1980's sitcom about three generations of women in one family
Starring Prunella Scales.
Producer: Stephen Garner.
Made for BBC Radio 4 Extra and first broadcast in 2015.
SAT 11:00 Margaret Forster - Lady's Maid (m001jbf7)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
SAT 12:30 The Cut Out Girl by Bart van Es (Omnibus) (b0bf49h8)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
SAT 13:45 Ernest Fontwell Versus The Experts (m0006fwf)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:45 today]
SAT 14:00 Ray's a Laugh (m001jbfb)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
SAT 14:30 The Eric Morecambe and Ernie Wise Show (b01k763p)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 today]
SAT 15:00 Isy Suttie's Guide to the Family (m0007yfn)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 today]
SAT 16:00 Doctor Who (m001j5qk)
[Repeat of broadcast at 00:00 today]
SAT 17:00 Margaret Forster - Lady's Maid (m001jbf7)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
SAT 18:30 The Cut Out Girl by Bart van Es (Omnibus) (b0bf49h8)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
SAT 19:45 Ernest Fontwell Versus The Experts (m0006fwf)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:45 today]
SAT 20:00 Ray's a Laugh (m001jbfb)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
SAT 20:30 The Eric Morecambe and Ernie Wise Show (b01k763p)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 today]
SAT 21:00 Isy Suttie's Guide to the Family (m0007yfn)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 today]
SAT 22:00 Two Episodes of Mash (b01mdl9r)
Series 2
Episode 1
Diane Morgan and Joe Wilkinson discover they don't actually have a radio series at all.
A mix of silly, surreal sketches and banter.
The series features an absurd narrative, making fun of its new home at BBC Radio 4, after starting life on BBC Radio 2.
With:
David O'Doherty
Paul Harry Allen
Peter Donaldson
Ken Bruce
Bobbie Pryor
Gary Newman
You can also see an animation of one sketch via the BBC Radio 4 Extra website - it's a fishy tale.
Animation: Tom Rourke.
Producer: Clair Wordsworth
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 2012.
SAT 22:30 Armstrong and Miller (b00t1bct)
Episode 1
Time management plus some special detectives.
Sketches and songs with Ben Miller and Alexander Armstrong in their first series for radio.
With:
Samuel West
Tony Gardiner
Written by Ben Miller, Alexander Armstrong and Tony Gardiner.
Producer: Gareth Edwards
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 1998.
SAT 22:45 The In Crowd (b00fbcc2)
Series 1
Episode 1
Meet a dodgy psychiatrist and map-reading with a twist.
Sketch show from Manchester's Comedy Store.
With
Robin Ince
Helen Moon
Smug Roberts
Kate Ward
Written by Alex Boardman, Carl Cooper, Susan Vale, Sandy Gort, Lavinia Murray and Stan Vernon.
Producer: Graham Frost
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 2001.
SAT 22:55 The Comedy Club Interviews (m001jmr3)
Michael Akadiri 1/3
From 10pm until midnight, seven days a week, The Comedy Club has two hours of comedy. And tonight, Iain Lee talks to Michael Akadiri.
SAT 23:00 Party (b01mqq72)
Series 3
The Curry
Return of the budding visionaries still trying to make political waves.
The group reconvene after their Summer break and their ambition steps up a gear.
Tom Basden's satirical comedy about a political party run by young idealists.
Simon .... Tom Basden
Duncan .... Tim Key
Jared .... Jonny Sweet
Mel .... Anna Crilly
Phoebe .... Katy Wix
Producer : Julia McKenzie.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 2012.
SAT 23:30 Old Harry's Game (b007jvjx)
Series 4
Beauty
The Professor and Thomas discuss the nature of beauty and Satan introduces them to Helen of Troy and her plain friend, Daphne.
Then God turns up for a chat...
Andy Hamilton’s devilishly funny sitcom set in Hell.
Satan …. Andy Hamilton
The Professor …. James Grout
Thomas …. Jimmy Mulville
Scumspawn …. Robert Duncan
God …. David Swift
Helen of Troy …. Felicity Montagu
Daphne …. Geraldine McNulty
Producer: Paul Mayhew-Archer
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 2001.

SUNDAY 19 FEBRUARY 2023

SUN 00:00 Robert Holmes - Aliens in the Mind (b007jlw9)
5. Genetic Revelation
Professor Curtis Lark and John Cornelius have established the existence of another colony of mutants in the heart of London.
But the only person who could fight them is dead...
Starring Peter Cushing and Vincent Price.
Written by Rene Basilico from an idea by Robert Holmes.
John Cornelius .... Peter Cushing
Curtis Lark .... Vincent Price
Flora Kiery .... Sandra Clarke
Ian Sanderson .... Frazer Carr
Gulliver .... William Eadle
Brigadier Sherman .... Clifford Norgates
Gwynt .... Michael Harbour
Manson .... Andrew Sear
Home Office Official .... James Thomason
Producer: John Dyas
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 1977.
SUN 00:30 A Sting in the Tale (b0076jwx)
5. Ghosting by Gregory Evans
For a rising young novelist, ghost-writing seems to be the worst of all possible worlds.
But when Michael Hagen agrees to ghost the autobiography of the super-model Vita, he finds her life dangerously seductive.
How much will he risk for the book - and the woman..?
Series of eerie dramas to send a chill up the spine
Written by Gregory Evans.
Michael Hagen …. Jimi Mistry
Vita …. Honeysuckle Weeks
Hildy …. Frances Jeater
Francine Stock …. Herself
Director: Ned Chaillet
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 2004.
SUN 01:00 Margaret Forster - Lady's Maid (m001jbf7)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 on Saturday]
SUN 02:30 The Cut Out Girl by Bart van Es (Omnibus) (b0bf49h8)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 on Saturday]
SUN 03:45 Ernest Fontwell Versus The Experts (m0006fwf)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:45 on Saturday]
SUN 04:00 Ray's a Laugh (m001jbfb)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 on Saturday]
SUN 04:30 The Eric Morecambe and Ernie Wise Show (b01k763p)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 on Saturday]
SUN 05:00 Isy Suttie's Guide to the Family (m0007yfn)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 on Saturday]
SUN 06:00 Poetry Extra (m001jbhc)
Conversations on a Bench - Falmouth
Poet Daljit Nagra chooses Conversations on a Bench - Falmouth.
Anna Scott-Brown hears stories from people who stop to sit beside her on a bench in Falmouth, Cornwall.
Throughout the programme a specially commissioned work by poet Penelope Shuttle draws on the voices of those passing by – and sometimes pausing on – the bench in Queen Mary Gardens on the seafront.
It is a counter-intuitive approach to the county that gets away from its picture-postcard image, reflecting the poverty and hardship experienced by many in a post-industrial county.
There are stories of love and death, poignantly brought together as Penelope remembers her late husband Peter on whose bench the conversations are taking place.
Hidden lives are revealed and common threads recur as Anna’s gentle but insistent, and sometimes extremely direct, questions elicit poignant and profound responses from those sitting on the bench.
Produced and presented by Anna Scott-Brown.
An Overtone production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in 2020.
SUN 06:30 The Bookshop by Penelope Fitzgerald (Omnibus) (m001jbhh)
Episode 1
When Florence Green plans to open a bookshop in Hardborough - a small town in Suffolk - it is clear she will have powerful local opposition.
"It is a peculiar thing to take a step forward in middle age, but having done it I don't intent to retreat"
Penelope Fitzgerald's novel first published in 1978 - shortlisted for the Booker Prize.
Omnibus of the first five of ten episodes.
Read by Maggie Steed
Abridged and produced by David Hunter.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 1996.
SUN 07:40 Inheritance Tracks (m001jbhn)
William Shatner
Star Trek legend William Shatner chooses ‘Rocket Man’ by Elton John and ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ by Queen.
SUN 07:50 HighLites (Omnibus) (b0435jd5)
Wash and Blow
Bev, the meanest hairdresser in Britain, and Shirl, the stupidest, head out to sea on a cruise round the Fjords.
Bev sees it as a perfect opportunity for a bit of extra business.
Comedy drama set in and around Bev's hairdressing salon.
Omnibus of five parts written by Steve Chambers and Phil Nodding.
Bev ...... Lorraine Ashbourne
Shirley ...... Rosie Cavaliero
Enid ...... Nicola Sloane
Diane ...... Angela Lonsdale
Captain Andersen ...... Joel MacCormack
Producer: Jessica Dromgoole
Director: Colin Guthrie.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 2014.
SUN 09:00 The Betty Witherspoon Show (b01mrq07)
From 15/06/1974
Kenneth and Ted probe the world of booze and do battle with the legend of Lord Nelson.
Kenneth Williams and Ted Ray cross their comedy swords.
Characters, songs and sketches galore.
Starring Ted Ray and Kenneth Williams.
With:
Miriam Margolyes
Nigel Rees
Music by Neil Innes.
Written by Michael Wale and Joe Steeples.
Producer: Simon Brett
First broadcast on BBC Radio 2 in June 1974.
SUN 09:30 Something to Shout About (m0002mtz)
Series 2
Episode 14
Mamma mia! There’s trouble on the menu when Mavis and Janet volunteer to help out at Luigi’s café.
"A light-hearted exposé of the advertising world!"
Set in a London ad agency called 'Apsley, Addis, Cohen, Barbican, Blythe, Giddy & Partners'.
Written by Myles Rudge with Ronnie Wolfe.
Michael …. Michael Medwin
Janet …. Fenella Fielding
Mavis …. Joan Sims
Maggie …. Eleanor Summerfield
Adrian …. Nicholas Phipps
Other parts played by:
Warren Mitchell
Producer: Eric Miller
First broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in April 1961.
SUN 10:00 Desert Island Discs Revisited (b018sk8h)
Longplay
Michael McIntyre
Comedian Michael McIntyre reveals his castaway choices with Kirsty Young.
In a specially extended edition for BBC Radio 4 Extra, Michael shares his life story and explains his musical, book and luxury choices.
Michael McIntyre has gone from being an unknown stand-up with debts of more than £30,000 to become one of the most successful comedians in the business - with awards, chart topping DVDs and sell-out arena shows under his belt.
He says: "I was on the circuit for years, I did get more and more in debt - it really did drag on and I just couldn't get a break. But when my chance came, I'd envisaged it so many times, I wasn't even nervous. I knew I could do it."
DISC ONE: Unfinished Sympathy - Massive Attack
DISC TWO: The Logical Song - Supertramp
DISC THREE: Don’t Play that Song - Aretha Franklin
DISC FOUR: Abracadabra - Steve Miller Band
DISC FIVE: Smile - King Cole
DISC SIX: Miss You - The Rolling Stones
DISC SEVEN: Oh Yoko! - John Lennon
DISC EIGHT: Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered - Ella Fitzgerald
BOOK CHOICE - The Complete Prose by Woody Allen - Woody Allen
LUXURY CHOICE - Writing Materials
CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE - Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered - Ella Fitzgerald
Producer: Leanne Buckle
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 Extra in January 2012.
SUN 11:00 Poetry Extra (m001jbhc)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
SUN 11:30 The Bookshop by Penelope Fitzgerald (Omnibus) (m001jbhh)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
SUN 12:40 Inheritance Tracks (m001jbhn)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:40 today]
SUN 12:50 HighLites (Omnibus) (b0435jd5)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:50 today]
SUN 14:00 The Betty Witherspoon Show (b01mrq07)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
SUN 14:30 Something to Shout About (m0002mtz)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 today]
SUN 15:00 Desert Island Discs Revisited (b018sk8h)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 today]
SUN 16:00 Robert Holmes - Aliens in the Mind (b007jlw9)
[Repeat of broadcast at 00:00 today]
SUN 16:30 A Sting in the Tale (b0076jwx)
[Repeat of broadcast at 00:30 today]
SUN 17:00 Poetry Extra (m001jbhc)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
SUN 17:30 The Bookshop by Penelope Fitzgerald (Omnibus) (m001jbhh)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
SUN 18:40 Inheritance Tracks (m001jbhn)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:40 today]
SUN 18:50 HighLites (Omnibus) (b0435jd5)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:50 today]
SUN 20:00 The Betty Witherspoon Show (b01mrq07)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
SUN 20:30 Something to Shout About (m0002mtz)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 today]
SUN 21:00 Desert Island Discs Revisited (b018sk8h)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 today]
SUN 22:00 Alice's Wunderland (b01kkr59)
Series 1
Episode 1
Take a trip round Wunderland, the Poundland of magical realms.
It's a kingdom much like our own, and also nothing like it in the slightest.
Stay a while and meet waifs and strays, wigshops and witches, murderous pensioners and squirrels of this delightful land as they go about their bizarre business.
Sketch show series written and performed by Alice Lowe.
With:
Richard Glover
Simon Greenall
Rachel Stubbings
Clare Thompson
Marcia Warren
Producer: Sam Bryant
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 2012.
SUN 22:30 Chain Reaction (b00tjsjf)
Series 6
Ruby Wax interviews Harry Shearer
The comedian and The Simpsons' voice artiste in the talk tag show, where the guest becomes the interviewer in the next show.
The UK's favourite sharp tongued American, Ruby Wax takes the microphone to interview voice of The Simpsons, face of Derek Smalls and political satirist Harry Shearer.
Ruby asks Harry to delve into some of his Simpsons characters, where he found the inspiration for Derek Smalls in Spinal Tap and who his favourite political target has been over the years.
Producer: Lianne Coop.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 2010.
SUN 23:00 Safety Catch (b00fkyrd)
Series 1
Loose Lips Sink Ships
Simon discovers Judith's new boyfriend is not the man everyone thought he was.
Starring Darren Boyd as Simon McGrath.
Laurence Howarth’s black comedy of modern morality.
Simon is essentially a nice man who also happens to be an arms dealer.
With:
Joanna Page
Lewis MacLeod
Sarah Smart
Brigit Forsyth
Nicholas Boulton
Producer: Dawn Ellis
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 2007.
SUN 23:30 Rigor Mortis (b007k419)
Series 1
Episode 1
Dr Webster realises that he recognises the man he’s just performed a routine autopsy on, but where from?
His colleague, Professor Donaldson is aghast at the medical ethics of the situation whilst Dr Anderson is convinced that there's some kind of conspiracy going on.
Dr Webster can't understand what all the fuss is about...
Laurence Howarth’s sitcom set in the fascinating, but misunderstood world of the pathology lab.
Dr Anthony Webster ...... Peter Davison
Dr Ruth Anderson ...... Tracy-Ann Oberman
Professor Donaldson ...... Geoffrey Whitehead
Gordon ...... Tom Price
Chloe ...... Marianne Levy
Simon ...... Gus Brown
David/Patient ...... Stephen Critchlow
Elaine ...... Beth Chalmers
Music by Paul Mottram and Stephanie Benavente.
Producer: Dawn Ellis
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in June 2003.

MONDAY 20 FEBRUARY 2023

MON 00:00 Poetry Extra (m001jbhc)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 on Sunday]
MON 00:30 The Bookshop by Penelope Fitzgerald (Omnibus) (m001jbhh)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 on Sunday]
MON 01:40 Inheritance Tracks (m001jbhn)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:40 on Sunday]
MON 01:50 HighLites (Omnibus) (b0435jd5)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:50 on Sunday]
MON 03:00 The Betty Witherspoon Show (b01mrq07)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 on Sunday]
MON 03:30 Something to Shout About (m0002mtz)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 on Sunday]
MON 04:00 Desert Island Discs Revisited (b018sk8h)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 on Sunday]
MON 05:00 Rosamond Lehmann - Invitation to the Waltz (b007628p)
Olivia wakes up on her 17th birthday knowing that something’s changed - but what exactly she doesn't yet understand.
Her very first dance, a week later, is her opportunity to try her wings in the wider world.
Rosamond Lehmann's tender classic about a young girl's adolescent rite of passage.
Dramatised by Tina Pepler.
Olivia Curtis .... Mary Nighy
Kate Curtis .... Rosie Giarratana
Mrs Curtis .... Diana Quick
Mr Curtis ...... Andrew Collins
Uncle Oswald ... David Lloyd
Monsieur Berton .... Mark Meadows
Miss Robinson .... Carol Brannan
Major Skinner ...... Mark Buffery
Marigold ... Nicole Arumugam
With:
Josh Boyden
Sophie Clarke
Jenny Coverack
Tom Espiner
Chris Garner
Ben Tinniswood
Chris Yapp
Oliver Zimmermann
(Olivia's story continues in 'The Weather in the Streets')
Director: Sara Davies
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 2001.
MON 06:00 Burnt (b09snl2d)
1. Mountain Horror
After leaving a glittering party in London, Milkie discovers arson and bloodshed in the mountains of north Wales...
Starring Dennis Waterman.
Nigel Baldwin's taut political thriller in six parts.
Milkie ... Dennis Waterman
The Teller ... Ray Smith
Beth ... Bethan Jones
Valmai ... Annest Wilam
Huw ... Richard Elfyn
Dewi ... Robert David
Rhys ... Terry Victor
Sian ... Sian Summers
Pauline ... Eluned Jones
Gordon ... Michael Povey
Kate ... Tara Dominick
Lord Cambria ... Terry Dauncey
Rushton ... Timothy Bateson
Sharon ... Emma Gregory
Music by Laurie Scott Baker.
Producer: Jane Dauncey
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 1990.
MON 06:30 Hercule Poirot (m0002cd6)
The Mystery of the Blue Train
1. Heart of Fire
The 'Heart of Fire' is one of the world's legendary jewels which once adorned the crown of the Tsars.
But legend proclaims the stunning ruby brings death in its wake. So the American millionaire Rufus Van Aldin may live to regret his purchase...
As the glamorous Blue Train carries the rich and the famous to their beloved Riviera - the future looks far from bright for one passenger...
It's another case for Agatha Christie's Belgian sleuth, Hercule Poirot.
First published in 1928, The Mystery of the Blue Train is based on a short story from 1923, The Plymouth Express.
Dramatised in six parts by Michael Bakewell.
Rufus Van Aldin …. Robert Beatty
Katherine Grey …. Janet Maw
Ruth Kettering …. Avril Clarke
Derek Kettering …. Anthony Smee
Major Knighton …. Michael Deacon
Lady Tamplin …. Gwen Cherrell
Lenox …. Moir Leslie
Mirelle …. Judy Buxton
Dr Harrison …. Peter Woodthorpe
Krassnine …. John Harrison
Olga …. Tessa Worsley
Zia …. Jane Leonard
Scattergood …. Garard Green
Papopolous …. Ronald Herdman
Director: David Johnston.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 1985.
MON 07:00 The Bookshop by Penelope Fitzgerald (m001jc2z)
6. Poltergeist
The poltergeist makes a chilling visit.
And should bookshop owner Florence stock Lolita?
Written by Penelope Fitzgerald
Read by Maggie Steed
Abridged and produced by David Hunter
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in June 1996.
MON 07:15 Maya Angelou's Autobiographies (m00019m7)
The Heart of a Woman
Episode 1
Dramatisation of the fourth volume of Maya Angelou's iconic memoirs.
It's the late 1950's and Maya has moved to Los Angeles. She receives an unexpected visit from singing legend Billie Holiday.
Billie came back a further four times to spend her evenings with Maya and Maya's son Guy, shortly before she died.
Dramatised in five parts by Janice Okoh.
Maya /Narrator ...... Adjoa Andoh
Maya ...... Pippa Bennett-Warner
Billie Holiday ...... Nina Sosanya
Guy ...... Will Romain
Wilkie ...... Steve Toussaint
The books that make up the life and times of Maya Angelou are some of the best, most beautiful and haunting pieces of autobiography written.
They run the gamut from life affirming to tragedy and back again with a tone that is a joyous, direct and searingly honest, and are an extraordinary portrait of 20th century black America.
Director: Pauline Harris
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 2018.
MON 07:30 Bridget Christie: Mortal (m000v7q9)
Life
Following on from her hugely successful, award-winning series – ‘Minds The Gap’ and ‘Utopia’, Bridget Christie turns her attention to Mortality
Like many of us forced to work from home during Covid lockdown, Bridget recorded this series herself in her house, and in her local park, on a pre-sanitised recording device sent to her in the post. Batteries weren’t included. She had to buy them all herself.
In a collection of informative, personal and absurd recordings, she confronts the difficult questions most of us spend our lives avoiding - all whilst being interrupted by cats, bad WiFi, life admin and her own dead self from beyond the grave.
"Does life have meaning?", "How do you live in the moment?", "Why is life like a washing machine cycle?" and "What's that dog barking at?"
If you are mortal, then this is the show for you.
Written and performed by Bridget Christie
With guest appearances from her dad, sister Eileen and friend Ash
Producer: Carl Cooper
A BBC Studios Production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in April 2021.
MON 08:00 Brothers in Law (b007k38w)
Series 1
Special Examiner
Barrister Roger Thursby is sent to Rome to check on a case.
Henry Cecil's comic legal novel Brothers in Law was first published in 1955.
Adapted for radio by Richard Waring from the BBC TV scripts written by Frank Muir and Denis Norden.
Roger Thursby …. Richard Briers
Henry Blagrove …. Richard Waring
Sally Mannering …. Ann Davies
Nina Zoffany …. Fenella Fielding
Chapfield …. Terence Alexander
Restored from BBC Transcription Service tapes - originally edited for sale abroad.
Producer: David Hatch.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 1970.
MON 08:30 Yes Minister (b007k0ww)
Series 2
The Quality of Life
Jim Hacker gets floored by the high rise world of property business.
Starring Paul Eddington, Nigel Hawthorne and Derek Fowlds.
Satirical sitcom centred around hapless MP Jim Hacker and a collection of civil service underlings headed by the Machiavellian Sir Humphrey Appleby and obsequious Bernard.
Written by Antony Jay and Jonathan Lynn
It first ran on BBC TV between 1980 and 1984.
Jim Hacker …. Paul Eddington
Sir Humphrey Appleby …. Nigel Hawthorne
Bernard Woolley …. Derek Fowlds
Sir Desmond …. Richard
Selina Scott …. Herself
Sir Frank …. Jeffrey Wickham
Bill Pritchard …. Antony Carrick
Mrs Philips …. Zulema Dene
Other parts played by:
Helen Atkinson-Wood
Colin Starkey
Mark Straker
Helena Breck
Maggie McCarthy
Robin Summers
Adapted for radio by producer Pete Atkin.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 1984.
MON 09:00 Genius (b0084ffq)
Series 3
Matthew Wright
A coat for showering and anthems of shame?
Dave Gorman asks broadcaster Matthew Wright to select the public's best loopy idea.
Award-winning comedian Dave Gorman and a celebrity guest chew over the ridiculous, unworkable but sometimes genius inventions, schemes and policies of the public.
Producer: Simon Nicholls
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 2007.
MON 09:30 Double Income, No Kids Yet (b007zkzz)
Series 2
Episode 4
When their new and 'ever so slightly unbearable' friends invite them to dinner, Lucy wants to return the offer. But Daniel, who's expected to cook, is less than convinced...
Starring David Tennant and Elizabeth Carling.
David Spicer's comedy drama about modern life and parenthood, as seen through the eyes of two 30-something non-parents.
Daniel ....... David Tennant
Lucy ....... Elizabeth Carling
Katie ....... Samantha Spiro
Andy ....... Tony Gardner
Alison ....... Joanna Brookes
Steve ....... Jonathan Aris
Linda ....... Carla Mendonca
Producer: Liz Anstee
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 2002.
MON 10:00 Rosamond Lehmann - Invitation to the Waltz (b007628p)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:00 today]
MON 11:00 Burnt (b09snl2d)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
MON 11:30 Hercule Poirot (m0002cd6)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
MON 12:00 The Bookshop by Penelope Fitzgerald (m001jc2z)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
MON 12:15 Maya Angelou's Autobiographies (m00019m7)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:15 today]
MON 12:30 Bridget Christie: Mortal (m000v7q9)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
MON 13:00 Brothers in Law (b007k38w)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
MON 13:30 Yes Minister (b007k0ww)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
MON 14:00 Genius (b0084ffq)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
MON 14:30 Double Income, No Kids Yet (b007zkzz)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 today]
MON 15:00 Rosamond Lehmann - Invitation to the Waltz (b007628p)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:00 today]
MON 16:00 Burnt (b09snl2d)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
MON 16:30 Hercule Poirot (m0002cd6)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
MON 17:00 The Bookshop by Penelope Fitzgerald (m001jc2z)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
MON 17:15 Maya Angelou's Autobiographies (m00019m7)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:15 today]
MON 17:30 Bridget Christie: Mortal (m000v7q9)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
MON 18:00 Brothers in Law (b007k38w)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
MON 18:30 Yes Minister (b007k0ww)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
MON 19:00 Genius (b0084ffq)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
MON 19:30 Double Income, No Kids Yet (b007zkzz)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 today]
MON 20:00 Radiolab (m000vq32)
Series 7
Plant Parade
Radiolab explores whether you need a brain to experience the world by looking at the sensory life of plants. With Jad Abumrad and Robert Krulwich.
the boundaries blur between science, philosophy, and the human experience.
Jad Abumrad and the Radiolab team investigate a strange world.
From WNYC. First broadcast on public radio in the USA in 2018.
MON 21:00 Restart (m001jc35)
8. Light of the World
Open the door, what’s my name, play the game to the end…
From the makers of THE CIPHER and PASSENGER LIST an original, mind-bending 8-part thriller.
When British teenager Eddie witnesses his on-line friend, Junior, being abducted from his bedroom, he travels to the US to find him, and is drawn into the secretive world of a video game “detox” camp called Restart. Starring Armin Karima, Akie Kotabe & Lillete Dubey.
Music by Benbrick. Created by Brett Neichin and John Scott Dryden.
Eddie….Armin Karima
Karishma…. Lillete Dubey
Junior…. Zachary Nachbar-Seckel
Francis….Jon Gabrus
Boss….Akie Kotabe
CJ…. Savannah Steyn
Hilly….Jennifer Armour
Dr Lopez….Michaela Moore
Creature….Kerry Shale
Lilya….Nathalie Armin
Salman…. Dana Haqjoo
Mr Priest….Nathan Osgood
Kids at camp: Matteo Caporusso, Vaughn Arthur Endraca, Sebastian Stewart, Michaella Moore, Libbi Fox
Other parts: Joshua C Jackson, Victor Perez, Eric Sirakian, Philip Desmeules, Matilde Gaido
Production:
Created & Written by Brett Neichin & John Scott Dryden
Original music by Benbrick with additional programming by Lostwithyou
Editing & Sound Design - John Scott Dryden, Adam Woodhams & Andreina Gomez
Recording: Sonica Studios, London & Marc Graue Studios, LA.
Sound Engineering - Paul Clark, Tony Diaz & Peter Mack
Script Editing - Farokh Soltani & Mike Walker
Trails - Jack Soper
Assistant Producer - Eleanor Mein
Runner - Jacob Tombling
Producer & Casting - Emma Hearn
Director & Executive Producer - John Scott Dryden
A Goldhawk production for BBC Sounds
MON 21:45 The Boring Talks (m001jc3g)
The Sounds Of Computer Games Loading
James Ward introduces another curious talk about a subject that may seem boring, but is actually very interesting.... maybe.
The clunk and click of the datasette machine. The white noise of the tape loading. The strange and compelling soundtrack of the loading music.
The author and video game Keith Stuart remembers the forgotten whirrs and clicks that made up the soundtrack of his youth.
MON 22:00 Just a Minute (m001j3ky)
Series 90
The Day I Cut My Fringe, Rap Battles and Prawn Cocktail
Sue Perkins challenges Gyles Brandreth, Lucy Porter, Ria Lina and Rhys James to speak for 60 seconds without repetition, deviation or hesitation.
The long-running Radio 4 national treasure of a parlour game returns this week with subjects ranging from Rap Battles to Prawn Cocktail.
Production co-ordinator: Caroline Barlow
Sound editor: Marc Willcox
Producer: Rajiv Karia
A BBC Studios Production
MON 22:30 Woof (b0bgrtmh)
True Tales of Romance and Failure
A Foreign Tongue
Bittersweet comic real life stories written and performed by Chris Neill
With Martin Hyder and Isy Suttie.
We start with Chris Neill's amusing love life tales including his first love, Pierre-Claude from his school French book, an encounter with a violinist and, is France the answer?
Producer: Steve Doherty
A Giddy Goat production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in September 2018.
MON 22:45 Charlotte and Lillian (m00094k1)
Series 2
1. The Game
Charlotte and Lillian are back, spending time together as part of a Befriend the Elderly scheme. They may bicker about everything from signs of dementia to the appeal of Harry Styles, but underneath it’s clear they are two kindred spirits. Two selfish, self-absorbed spirits, but ones who mirror and rely on each other nonetheless.
Very nearly 30, Charlotte is still living at home with her parents and chronically unable to figure out what to do with her life. Beneath her attempt at do-gooding is barely disguised despair. She's terrified she is no good. Useless. Unloveable. She looks to Lillian to provide some meaning to her life - if she can help to improve Lillian’s life somehow, she’d feel a lot better about her own. And there’s all the kudos and social media likes that come with charity work - not to mention the lure of Lillian's large spare room.
Lillian meanwhile is still her ebullient self, but her facade hides a nagging fear of what's to come - her body is giving up on her. Lillian's motto is still “Keep Buggering On” – aka keep getting at Charlotte – but increasingly, she’s forced to wonder why. She masks all this by doubling down and manipulating Charlotte into carrying out all her menial tasks. If Charlotte won’t do them, there are plenty of other volunteers who will.
Charlotte has met a new man, prompting Lillian to offer up her best dating advice. Things may have changed since Lillian’s day, but some of her suggestions contain hard-won, ageless wisdom. The trouble is, Charlotte can't tell which ones – and Lillian may not have her best interests at heart.
Charlotte ...... Helen Monks
Lillian ...... Miriam Margolyes
Written by: Kat Sommers and Holly Walsh.
Producer: Lucy Armitage
A Giddy Goat production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in October 2019.
MON 23:00 The News Quiz (m001j4kj)
Series 110
Episode 8
Andy Zaltzman is joined by Zoe Lyons, Angela Barnes, Hugo Rifkind and Nish Kumar. On the agenda this week is Nicola Sturgeon's surprise resignation, Jeremy Corbyn being barred as a Labour candidate and the case of 200,000 stolen Cadbury Creme Eggs.
Hosted and written by Andy Zaltzman with additional material from Alice Fraser, Catherine Brinkworth, Eleanor Morton, Peter Tellouche and Cameron Loxdale.
Producer: Georgia Keating
Executive Producer: Pete Strauss
Production Co-ordinator: Becky Carewe-Jeffries
Sound Editor: Marc Willcox
A BBC Studios Production
MON 23:30 Lionel Nimrod's Inexplicable World (b007jtql)
Series 2
The Scheme of Things
Where does Britain fit in the Theatre of Being?
Cult New Age comedy that answers the questions which leave other shows scratching their beards.
Starring Stewart Lee and Richard Herring.
With:
Rebecca Front
Armando Iannucci
And the voice of Tom Baker.
Producer: Sarah Smith
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 1993.

TUESDAY 21 FEBRUARY 2023

TUE 00:00 Rosamond Lehmann - Invitation to the Waltz (b007628p)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:00 on Monday]
TUE 01:00 Burnt (b09snl2d)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 on Monday]
TUE 01:30 Hercule Poirot (m0002cd6)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 on Monday]
TUE 02:00 The Bookshop by Penelope Fitzgerald (m001jc2z)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 on Monday]
TUE 02:15 Maya Angelou's Autobiographies (m00019m7)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:15 on Monday]
TUE 02:30 Bridget Christie: Mortal (m000v7q9)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 on Monday]
TUE 03:00 Brothers in Law (b007k38w)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 on Monday]
TUE 03:30 Yes Minister (b007k0ww)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 on Monday]
TUE 04:00 Genius (b0084ffq)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 on Monday]
TUE 04:30 Double Income, No Kids Yet (b007zkzz)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 on Monday]
TUE 05:00 Rosamond Lehmann - The Weather in the Streets (b007669m)
Olivia - whose rite of passage into adulthood was revealed in ‘Invitation to the Waltz’ - is now living a faintly bohemian life in London in the early 1930s.
When she meets up again with Rollo, the handsome and unhappily married son of Lord and Lady Spencer, she falls prey once more to his charm and confidence, and they embark on a passionate and secret affair.
Rosamond Lehmann's classic account of the joy and anguish of an illicit love affair dramatised by Hattie Naylor.
Olivia ..... Eve Best
Rollo ..... Jonathan Firth
Lady Spencer .... Diana Quick
Kate .... Jenny Coverack
Anna ... Dee Sadler
Simon ... Ben Tinniswood
Mrs Curtis .... Jacqueline Tong
Marigold .... Rachel Lewis
With Paul Dodgson, Joshua Boyden and Olivia Crook
Director: Sara Davies
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 2002.
TUE 06:00 Burnt (b09sq996)
2. Politics of Darkness
Did fanatical nationalists attack an old lady? Milkie finds Welsh political currents run dark and deep.
Starring Dennis Waterman.
Nigel Baldwin's taut political thriller serial.
Milkie ... Dennis Waterman
The Teller ... Ray Smith
Beth ... Bethan Jones
Angela ... Tara Dominick
Sharon ... Emma Gregory
Huw ... Richard Elfyn
Sioned ... Sue Roderick
Pauline ... Eluned Jones
Rhys ... Terry Victor
Music by Laurie Scott Baker.
Producer: Jane Dauncey
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 1990.
TUE 06:30 Hercule Poirot (m0002cct)
The Mystery of the Blue Train
2. The Blue Train
Katherine Grey heads to Nice by train but when she gets there, a new acquaintance is found brutally murdered.
Belgian detective, Hercule Poirot is drawn into a tale of murder and deceit, focussed on one of the world’s legendary jewels...
Starring Maurice Denham.
Agatha Christie's thriller based on a short story, The Plymouth Express.
Dramatised by Michael Bakewell.
Hercule Poirot …. Maurice Denham
Katherine Grey …. Janet Maw
Rufus Van Aldin …. Robert Beatty
Ruth Kettering …. Avril Clarke
Derek Kettering …. Anthony Smee
Major Knighton …. Michael Deacon
Mason …. Pauline Letts
Chubby …. Jonathan Owen
Caux …. Adrian Egan
Pavett …. David Learner
Train Conductor …. Richard Durden
Gendarme …. Ronald Herdman
Director: David Johnston.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 1986.
TUE 07:00 The Bookshop by Penelope Fitzgerald (m001jbgd)
7. Invite
The patronising Mrs Gamart is rapped over the knuckles and Florence is invited into Mr Brundish's lair to discuss Lolita.
abridged and produced by David Hunter
Written by Penelope Fitzgerald
Read by Maggie Steed
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1996.
TUE 07:15 Maya Angelou's Autobiographies (m0001b0c)
The Heart of a Woman
Episode 2
Dramatisation of the fourth volume of Maya Angelou's iconic memoirs.
It's 1959 and Maya has moved to New York, to develop her writing but also to get involved in civil rights.
She's inspired by seeing Martin Luther King Jr give a speech in a local church, and decides to create a show in support of his movement, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.
Dramatised in five parts by Janice Okoh.
Narrator/Maya ...... Adjoa Andoh
Maya ...... Pippa Bennett-Warner
Martin Luther King Jr. ...... Steve Toussaint
John Killens ...... Don Gilet
Stanley Levinson ...... Lewis Bray
Guy ...... Will Romain
The books that make up the life and times of Maya Angelou are some of the best, most beautiful and haunting pieces of autobiography written.
They run the gamut from life affirming to tragedy and back again with a tone that is a joyous, direct and searingly honest, and are an extraordinary portrait of 20th century black America.
Produced and directed by Pauline Harris.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 2018.
TUE 07:30 Ed Reardon's Week (b03hnhjw)
Series 9
The Intern
The council is taking a holistic approach to cost-cutting and decides that Ed's writing class needs to get paid for some of their work.
When it transpires that the class feels that they are wasting their time and thinking of joining the 'Bonkers About Baking' class Ed decides to set them the task of writing 'Hedgerow Jottings' and 'Tales from the Towpath' in an attempt to earn money and become real writers.
Meanwhile, when the new intern at the agency turns out to be more than he seems, Ed finds himself maintaining his non-tax paying status by becoming the oldest intern in town and sharing an office with Ping.
The comical world of an author, pipe smoker, consummate fare-dodger and master of the abusive e-mail.
Starring Christopher Douglas.
Written by Christopher Douglas and Andrew Nickolds.
Ed Reardon .... Christopher Douglas
Alex .... Jonathan Bailey
Olive .... Stephanie Cole
Ping .... Barunka O'Shaughnessy
Keely .... Nicola Sanderson
Pearl .... Alison Steadman
Stan .... Geoffrey Whitehead
Producer: Dawn Ellis
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 2013.
TUE 08:00 The Goon Show (b007jnxg)
Series 7
Ill Met by Goonlight
Neddie Seagoon is sent to capture the German general who commands the island of Crete.
Groundbreaking, surreal BBC radio comedy written by Spike Milligan and Larry Stephens.
Starring:
Peter Sellers
Harry Secombe
Spike Milligan
First billed as Crazy People, ten series of The Goon Show were recorded between 1951 and 1960, but sadly many of the earliest shows weren’t kept in the archive.
With the Ray Ellington Quartet and Max Geldray.
Orchestra conducted by Wally Stott.
Announcer: Wallace Greenslade
Producer: Pat Dixon
First broadcast on the BBC Home Service in March 1957.
TUE 08:30 In the Chair (b007jsx5)
Episode 4
Will Charles Prentiss manage to scupper his rival's bid for the job of DG?
Maverick hack George Cragge thinks an unrelated murder may be connected after all.
Mark Tavener's six-part satirical comedy thriller.
George Cragge …. Michael Williams
DCI Frank Jefferson …. Barry Foster
The Prime Minister …. Hugh Laurie
Crichton-Potter …. Richard Griffiths
Martin McCabe …. John Bird
Charles Prentiss …. Stephen Fry
Marcia Mallon …. Rebecca Front
Jim Hardie …. Kenneth Cranham
Director of Personnel …. Geoffrey Whitehead
The Chancellor …. Simon Greenall
John …. Jonathan Keeble
Caroline …. Susie Brann
Newsreader …. Harriet Cass
John Humphrys as Himself
Music by Paul Mottram.
Producer: Paul Schlesinger
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1998.
TUE 09:00 The Motion Show (b0075s3q)
Series 1
Episode 6
Should the beautiful people should inherit the Earth? – and should the police all be like TV copper, Dixon of Dock Green?
Dr Phil Hammond watches over proceedings in the quirky debating game.
With Pete Sinclair, Steve Punt, Michael White and Simon Fanshawe.
Producer: Helen Williams
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 1998.
TUE 09:30 The Patrick and Maureen Maybe Music Experience (b007jvk3)
Episode 1
Unhappily married Patrick and Maureen are meant to be presenting a classical music show together, but they just can’t stop bickering...
Starring Imelda Staunton as Maureen Maybe and Patrick Barlow as Patrick Maybe.
Doctor ...... Peter Jones
Professor ...... Stella Gonet
Bill ...... Simon Roberts
Special guest Jack Davenport.
Written by Patrick Barlow.
Producer: Claire Jones
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 1999.
TUE 10:00 Rosamond Lehmann - The Weather in the Streets (b007669m)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:00 today]
TUE 11:00 Burnt (b09sq996)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
TUE 11:30 Hercule Poirot (m0002cct)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
TUE 12:00 The Bookshop by Penelope Fitzgerald (m001jbgd)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
TUE 12:15 Maya Angelou's Autobiographies (m0001b0c)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:15 today]
TUE 12:30 Ed Reardon's Week (b03hnhjw)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
TUE 13:00 The Goon Show (b007jnxg)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
TUE 13:30 In the Chair (b007jsx5)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
TUE 14:00 The Motion Show (b0075s3q)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
TUE 14:30 The Patrick and Maureen Maybe Music Experience (b007jvk3)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 today]
TUE 15:00 Rosamond Lehmann - The Weather in the Streets (b007669m)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:00 today]
TUE 16:00 Burnt (b09sq996)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
TUE 16:30 Hercule Poirot (m0002cct)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
TUE 17:00 The Bookshop by Penelope Fitzgerald (m001jbgd)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
TUE 17:15 Maya Angelou's Autobiographies (m0001b0c)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:15 today]
TUE 17:30 Ed Reardon's Week (b03hnhjw)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
TUE 18:00 The Goon Show (b007jnxg)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
TUE 18:30 In the Chair (b007jsx5)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
TUE 19:00 The Motion Show (b0075s3q)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
TUE 19:30 The Patrick and Maureen Maybe Music Experience (b007jvk3)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 today]
TUE 20:00 TED Radio Hour (m001jbgj)
Series 9
Preserving Information For All Eternity
A journey through fascinating ideas based on talks by riveting speakers on the TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) stage.
Manoush Zomorodi explores how, in the information age, we can successfully store and preserve our past, present and future.
First broadcast in the USA on National Public Radio in 2022.
TUE 20:50 Inheritance Tracks (m0019kfn)
Sheila Hancock
Actress and author Dame Sheila Hancock, chooses 'The White Cliffs of Dover' by Vera Lynn and 'Feeling Good' by Nina Simone.
TUE 21:00 The Battersea Poltergeist (p094c7b4)
Episode 1: 63 Wycliffe Road
63 Wycliffe Road is an ordinary house on a quiet South London street, but in 1956 it becomes famous as the site of an alleged poltergeist. The strange events focus around teenager Shirley Hitchings – but is it a haunting or hoax? Ghost hunter Harold Chibbett arrives to investigate.
This series blends drama and documentary to explore an intriguing paranormal cold case. As we hear the original haunting brought to life, host Danny Robins begins his own present-day investigation – what really happened to terrify the Hitchings family 65 years ago?
Written and Presented by Danny Robins, starring Dafne Keen (His Dark Materials), Toby Jones (Detectorists), Burn Gorman (Torchwood) and Alice Lowe (Sightseers), with original theme music by Mercury-nominated Nadine Shah and Ben Hillier, this gripping 8-part series interweaves a chilling supernatural thriller set in 50s London with a fascinating modern-day investigation into Britain’s strangest ever haunting – a mystery unsolved... until now.
Cast:
Shirley Hitchings........Dafne Keen
Harold Chibbett.........Toby Jones
Wally Hitchings........Burn Gorman
Kitty Hitchings..........Alice Lowe
Ethel Hitchings..........Sorcha Cusack
John Hitchings........Calvin Demba
Mrs Cameroo..........Amina Zia
Written and presented by Danny Robins
Experts: Ciaran O’Keeffe and Evelyn Hollow
Sound Designer: Richard Fox
Music: Evelyn Sykes
Theme Music by Nadine Shah and Ben Hillier
Produced by Danny Robins and Simon Barnard
Directed by Simon Barnard
Consultant: Alan Murdie
With thanks to James Clark, co-author of 'The Poltergeist Prince of London'
A Bafflegab production for BBC Radio 4
TUE 21:30 Forest 404 (p074lx55)
Ep1: Life in the Fast Times
When Pan finds a 21st century recording of a rainforest, she has no idea what it is…
An environmental thriller starring Pearl Mackie, Tanya Moodie & Pippa Haywood. With theme music by Bonobo. Written by Timothy X Atack and directed by Becky Ripley.
Each episode comes with its own talk and soundscape. And you can take part in our interactive experiment to see how you respond to sounds of nature at: bbc.co.uk/forest
#Forest404
TUE 22:00 Mark Watson Talks a Bit About Life (m001j477)
Series 4
Episode One: Monday
Multi-award winning comedian and author Mark Watson continues his probably doomed, but luckily funny quest to make sense of the human experience.
Expect jokes, observations and interactions galore as Mark is aided, and sometimes obstructed, by the sardonic musical excellence of Flo & Joan. There's also a hand-picked comedy colleague each week - we kick off with Jayde Adams.
This series is about time - the days of the week, the stages of our existence - and the way we use it to make sense of things. We make our way through the working week, starting here with Monday. Why are we so attached to traditional wisdom like 'Monday's child is fair of face'? Why do so many of us dread the start of each week? And what is the biggest pig ever to be born?
Producer: Lianne Coop
An Impatient production for BBC Radio 4
TUE 22:30 The Jason Byrne Show (b01f9sm2)
Series 2
Parents
Award-winning comedian Jason Byrne’s lowdown on what being a mum and dad means.
Stand up and sketches with Laurence Howarth and Anna Bengo.
Producer: Julia McKenzie
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 2009.
TUE 23:00 The Consultants (b0628g9r)
Series 4
Episode 5
Two travellers stumble upon a very unusual pub quiz.
Cerebral sketch show written by and starring Neil Edmond, Justin Edwards and James Rawlings.
Producer: Will Saunders
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 2005.
TUE 23:30 Elvenquest (b00kjjyy)
Series 1
Episode 3
The Quest continues. Sam has his death foretold by the Oracle of Fenrog. Lord Darkness books himself in for a retox and Kreech unwittingly releases the dreaded Night Demon, whose intentions for the future of the universe, as his name suggests, aren’t good.
More comic adventures set in lower Earth where fantasy writer Sam has been coerced into joining a band of intrepid heroes as they battle the dread forces of evil in search of the legendary sword of Asnagar!
Fantasy sitcom written by Anil Gupta and Richard Pinto.
Amis, The Chosen One ...... Dave Lamb
Elf Lord, Vidar ...... Darren Boyd
Dean The Dwarf ...... Kevin Eldon
Sam ...... Stephen Mangan
Lord Darkness ...... Alistair McGowan
Amazon Princess, Penthiselea ...... Sophie Winkleman
Producers: Anil Gupta & Paul Schlesinger
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 2009.

WEDNESDAY 22 FEBRUARY 2023

WED 00:00 Rosamond Lehmann - The Weather in the Streets (b007669m)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:00 on Tuesday]
WED 01:00 Burnt (b09sq996)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 on Tuesday]
WED 01:30 Hercule Poirot (m0002cct)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 on Tuesday]
WED 02:00 The Bookshop by Penelope Fitzgerald (m001jbgd)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 on Tuesday]
WED 02:15 Maya Angelou's Autobiographies (m0001b0c)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:15 on Tuesday]
WED 02:30 Ed Reardon's Week (b03hnhjw)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 on Tuesday]
WED 03:00 The Goon Show (b007jnxg)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 on Tuesday]
WED 03:30 In the Chair (b007jsx5)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 on Tuesday]
WED 04:00 The Motion Show (b0075s3q)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 on Tuesday]
WED 04:30 The Patrick and Maureen Maybe Music Experience (b007jvk3)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 on Tuesday]
WED 05:00 Neil Bartlett - In Extremis (b09w6pd6)
A re-imagining of Oscar Wilde’s hastily arranged sitting with a society palm reader.
On the night of 24 March 1895, Oscar Wilde sent an urgent message to the society palm reader Mrs Robinson, and later that same evening he visited her London flat. Wilde had a momentous decision to make about his forthcoming trial and whether to flee the country.
Corin Redgrave and Sheila Hancock recreate their roles from the Royal National Theatre production in Neil Bartlett's haunting drama.
Mrs Robinson .... Sheila Hancock
Oscar Wilde.... Corin Redgrave
Director: Ned Chaillet
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2002.
WED 05:45 Short Works (m000cn0j)
Singular by Diana Evans
Lisa and Karen have been friends forever, since they sat next to each other at school back in the day.
Lisa is long married with children and wonders what it would be like to be free, whereas Karen is single and wanting to be in a relationship.
They discuss the relative merits of their situation as Karen braves the online dating scene, and reports back to Lisa on a series of dates some of which hold promise, others which very definitely don't.
Written by Diana Evans.
Read by Adjoa Andoh.
Produced by Karen Holden.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 2019.
WED 06:00 Burnt (b09sqfjq)
3. Exploitation
It's not just terrorism, arson and violence. Milkie uncovers corruption reaching right to the top.
Starring Dennis Waterman.
Nigel Baldwin's taut political thriller serial.
Milkie ... Dennis Waterman
Teller .... Ray Smith
Beth .... Bethan Jones
Angela .... Tara Dominick
Huw ... Richard Elfyn
Pauline ... Eluned Jones
Sharon ... Emma Gregory
Phone Man ... Terry Dauncey
Rushton ... Timothy Bateson
Rhys ... Terry Victor
Music by Laurie Scott Baker.
Producer: Jane Dauncey
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 1990.
WED 06:30 Hercule Poirot (m0002c9k)
The Mystery of the Blue Train
3. A Meeting at the Villa Marguerite
With a victim brutally murdered and a fabulous gem stolen, Belgian detective Hercule Poirot starts to “arrange the facts”.
Starring Maurice Denham.
Agatha Christie's thriller based on a short story, The Plymouth Express.
Dramatised by Michael Bakewell.
Hercule Poirot …. Maurice Denham
Katherine Grey …. Janet Maw
Rufus Van Aldin …. Robert Beatty
Derek Kettering …. Anthony Smee
Major Knighton …. Michael Deacon
Lady Tamplin …. Gwen Cherrell
Lenox …. Moir Leslie
Mason …. Pauline Letts
Chubby …. Jonathan Owen
Mr Goby …. Brian Smith
Monsieur Carrege …. Gordon Reid
Servant …. David Learner
Director: David Johnston.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 1986.
WED 07:00 The Bookshop by Penelope Fitzgerald (m001jcc0)
8. Problems
Lolita brings a surge of sales but other problems too.
Written by Penelope Fitzgerald
Read by Maggie Steed
Abridged and produced by David Hunter
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1996.
WED 07:15 Maya Angelou's Autobiographies (m0001b8j)
The Heart of a Woman
Episode 3
Dramatisation of the fourth volume of Maya Angelou's iconic memoirs.
Whilst working for Martin Luther King Jr at the SCLC in New York, Maya becomes engaged to Thomas, a local man, and at the same time falls in love with South African freedom fighter, Vusumzi Make.
After knowing him only a week, she is forced to choose between the two men.
Dramatised in five parts by Janice Okoh.
Narrator/Maya ...... Adjoa Andoh
Maya ...... Pippa Bennett-Warner
Martin Luther King Jr. ...... Steve Toussaint
Vusumzi Make ...... Danny Sapani
Thomas ...... Don Gilet
Hazel ...... Saffron Coomber
The books that make up the life and times of Maya Angelou are some of the best, most beautiful and haunting pieces of autobiography written .
They run the gamut from life affirming to tragedy and back again with a tone that is a joyous, direct and searingly honest, and are an extraordinary portrait of 20th century black America.
Produced and directed by Pauline Harris.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 2018.
WED 07:30 Sarah Kendall: Talking Story (m000x6w9)
Sharon Horgan
Sarah Kendall started her career as a stand-up comedian in the late 90’s in Australia. After 15 years performing stand-up comedy in comedy clubs and at festivals around the world, Sarah moved away from the more traditional joke telling aspect of the job and transitioned into storytelling.
Sarah wanted to create something on stage that felt like the sort of films she loved to watch, so she wrote an hour-long show that was one single story as opposed to a series of jokes and routines. She reimagined her teenage years as though they had been directed by John Hughes, giving her memories a full, cinematic makeover.
She found, in telling these personal stories, that she was connecting with her audience in a way that was more meaningful to her and in a way that she wasn’t able to with the jokes and routines in her previous shows. What is it about stories that brings people together. How do we use stories to make sense of life?
In this series, Sarah will be talking to three different storytellers about what ‘story’ means to them and about how they developed their own style of storytelling in their respective mediums.
In this episode, Sarah talks to writer and director Sharon Horgan about finding the perfect writing partner, how her writing reflects her life and a disastrous audition with Ricky Gervais.
Sarah’s live storytelling shows have been adapted for BBC Radio 4 and have formed two seasons of her series - ‘Sarah Kendall: Australian Trilogy’. The show went on to win numerous awards including the Writers’ Guild of Great Britain Award. Since then, Sarah has gone on to write and star in the award winning and BAFTA nominated sitcom ‘Frayed’.
Produced by Carl Cooper
A BBC Studios production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in June 2021.
WED 08:00 Hancock's Half Hour (b007k1nm)
Series 2
The Rail Strike
The Lad gets a green signal to outwit a rail strike, but a bumpy ride lies ahead.
Starring Tony Hancock.
With Bill Kerr, Sidney James, Andree Melly and Kenneth Williams.
Announcer: Kenneth Williams
Written by Ray Galton and Alan Simpson.
Theme and incidental music composed by Wally Stott. Recorded by the BBC Revue Orchestra conducted by Harry Rabinowitz.
Producer: Dennis Main Wilson
First broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in June 1955.
WED 08:30 Flying the Flag (b00cbcpj)
Series 3
Cultural Exchange
"Someone else's culture is like someone else's toothbrush, William. You wouldn't want to use it yourself, but you're reassured to know they've got one."
With Heavy Metal and Dancing Detectors, Mackenzie and Surikov mix the oil and water of artistic detente.
Series 3 of Alex Shearer's Eastern bloc embassy sitcom.
HM Ambassador Mackenzie …. Dinsdale Landen
William Frost …. Peter Acre
Helen Waterson …. Moir Leslie
Colonel Surikov …. Christopher Benjamin
Grub .... Julian Dutton
Producer: Neil Cargill
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 1990.
WED 09:00 Nature Table (m000f6tn)
Series 1
Episode 1
Comedian, broadcaster and writer Sue Perkins’ ‘Show & Tell’ series celebrating the natural world and all it’s funny eccentricities.
Taking the simple format of a ‘Show & Tell’, each episode Sue is joined by celebrity guests from the worlds of comedy and natural history. Each of the natural history guests brings an item linked to the wild world to share with the audience, be it an amazing fact or funny personal anecdote. Each item is a springboard for an enlightening and funny discussion, alongside fun games and challenges revealing more astonishing facts. We also hear from some of the London Zoo audience, a mix of London Zoo staff and members of the public, as they bring us their own natural history ‘show and tells’ for Sue and the guests to discuss.
Nature Table has a simple clear brief: to positively celebrate and promote the importance of all our planet’s wonderfully wild flora and fauna in a fun and easily grasped way... whilst at the same time having a giggle.
In this episode, Sue is joined by special guests marine biologist Helen Scales, zoologist Lucy Cooke, ethnobotanist James Wong and Australian comedian Felicity Ward. This week’s ‘Show & Tell’ objects include: the fossilised eardrum of a whale, a flower of broccoli and a beaver’s gland.
Written by Catherine Brinkworth, Kat Sadler and Jon Hunter
Produced by Simon Nicholls
A BBC Studios Production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in February 2020.
WED 09:30 A Square of One's Own (m001jccd)
A Study in Hysteria
Psychoanalysis intrudes upon the passions of Lytton Strychnine and Virginia Woof,
Ivan Shakespeare's four-part comedy series based on the life and times of the Bloomsbury Group.
Cast:
Lytton Strychnine .... Toby Longworth
Mrs Virginia Woof .... Sally Grace
Johnny Maynard Coins .... Nicholas Hardy
Mr Clive Pill .... Matthew Bell
Mrs Vanessa Pill .... Sarah Parkinson
Mrs Vita Sockville-Pest .... Joanna Brookes
Dr Sigmund Fraud .... Stanley Kowalski
Other Parts .... Chris Emmett
Producer: Liz Anstee
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in June 1996.
WED 10:00 Neil Bartlett - In Extremis (b09w6pd6)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:00 today]
WED 10:45 Short Works (m000cn0j)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:45 today]
WED 11:00 Burnt (b09sqfjq)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
WED 11:30 Hercule Poirot (m0002c9k)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
WED 12:00 The Bookshop by Penelope Fitzgerald (m001jcc0)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
WED 12:15 Maya Angelou's Autobiographies (m0001b8j)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:15 today]
WED 12:30 Sarah Kendall: Talking Story (m000x6w9)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
WED 13:00 Hancock's Half Hour (b007k1nm)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
WED 13:30 Flying the Flag (b00cbcpj)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
WED 14:00 Nature Table (m000f6tn)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
WED 14:30 A Square of One's Own (m001jccd)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 today]
WED 15:00 Neil Bartlett - In Extremis (b09w6pd6)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:00 today]
WED 15:45 Short Works (m000cn0j)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:45 today]
WED 16:00 Burnt (b09sqfjq)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
WED 16:30 Hercule Poirot (m0002c9k)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
WED 17:00 The Bookshop by Penelope Fitzgerald (m001jcc0)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
WED 17:15 Maya Angelou's Autobiographies (m0001b8j)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:15 today]
WED 17:30 Sarah Kendall: Talking Story (m000x6w9)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
WED 18:00 Hancock's Half Hour (b007k1nm)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
WED 18:30 Flying the Flag (b00cbcpj)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
WED 19:00 Nature Table (m000f6tn)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
WED 19:30 A Square of One's Own (m001jccd)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 today]
WED 20:00 Archive on 4 (m000fn9t)
Everyone's A Star
YouTube is a cultural behemoth. It's the second biggest website on the internet after Google and is watched by people across the world for over a billion hours a day. But what effect is it having on us as individuals, and on our society?
Tech journalist Chris Stokel-Walker charts the video sharing website's rise from an idea in a computer engineering student’s bedroom to a platform with a reach far greater than the BBC and all other television networks put together.
Chris meets one of the internet’s original vloggers, talks to an early YouTube celebrity and finds out what it’s like to become famous on YouTube in 2020. He also explores the dark side of the website. In the past 18 months, YouTube has been accused of driving political extremism and giving credence to conspiracy theories and fake news.
How did one simple design decision taken by higher ups at the company help fuel those accusations? Chris talks to an ex-YouTube insider who helped build the algorithm that lies at the centre of that decision.
We hear from an American teenager who says watching videos on the website was the reason he became a far-right radical. And we talk to an academic whose research helped uncover a shocking and terrible secret that forced YouTube to reckon with its fiercest critics.
Producer: by Joe Sykes
A Somethin' Else production first broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2020.
WED 21:00 The Battersea Poltergeist (p094c8g1)
Episode 2: Shirley
Danny meets the only surviving witness to the haunting – the real-life Shirley Hitchings. What was it like living with a poltergeist? Back in 1956, Harold Chibbett begins his investigation of 63 Wycliffe Road, learning more from the family about the shocking events, as objects appear to move of their own accord.
Written and presented by Danny Robins, starring Dafne Keen (His Dark Materials), Toby Jones (Detectorists), Burn Gorman (Torchwood) and Alice Lowe (Sightseers), with original theme music by Mercury-nominated Nadine Shah and Ben Hillier, this gripping 8-part series interweaves a chilling supernatural thriller set in 1950s London with a fascinating modern-day investigation into Britain’s strangest ever haunting – a mystery unsolved… until now.
Cast:
Shirley Hitchings……..Dafne Keen
Harold Chibbett………Toby Jones
Wally Hitchings……..Burn Gorman
Kitty Hitchings……….Alice Lowe
Ethel Hitchings……….Sorcha Cusack
John Hitchings……..Calvin Demba
Written and presented by Danny Robins
Experts: Ciaran O’Keeffe and Evelyn Hollow
Sound Designer: Richard Fox
Music: Evelyn Sykes
Theme Music by Nadine Shah and Ben Hillier
Produced by Danny Robins and Simon Barnard
Directed by Simon Barnard
Consultant: Alan Murdie
With thanks to James Clark, co-author of 'The Poltergeist Prince of London'
A Bafflegab production for BBC Radio 4
WED 21:30 Forest 404 (p074lxcg)
Ep2: The Fumetown Priest
Pan goes on the run from Daria and The Hands to find answers deep down in Fumetown.
An environmental thriller starring Pearl Mackie, Tanya Moodie & Pippa Haywood. With theme music by Bonobo. Written by Timothy X Atack and directed by Becky Ripley.
Each episode comes with its own talk and soundscape. And you can take part in our interactive experiment to see how you respond to sounds of nature at: bbc.co.uk/forest
#Forest404
WED 22:00 Conversations from a Long Marriage (m001j47n)
Series 4
She Drives Me Crazy
Joanna Lumley and Roger Allam return with the fourth series of Jan Etherington’s award-winning comedy about a long-married couple in love with life and each other.
This week, Amy moves in. She has long, thin legs and lots of black hair, which is why their new rescue dog is called after Amy Winehouse. Joanna’s attempts at training are scuppered by Roger and Amy’s ‘lovefest’, prompting her to observe ‘There are three in this marriage.’
Conversations from a Long Marriage is written by Jan Etherington.
It’s produced and directed by Claire Jones.
And it is a BBC Studios Production.
Wilfredo Acosta - sound engineer
Jon Calver - sound designer
Katie Baum - production coordinator
Conversations from a Long Marriage won Voice of the Listener & Viewer Award for Best Radio Comedy in 2020.
‘Sitcom is what most marriages are really like – repetitive and ridiculous – and Jan’s words are some of the best ever written on the subject’ RICHARD CURTIS
‘This gives me hope that life and marriage might permanently include taking the absolute piss while simultaneously dancing in the kitchen’. EMMA FREUD
‘Can Joanna Lumley and Roger Allam ever have done anything better than Jan Etherington’s two hander? Sublimely funny, touching… This is a work of supreme craftsmanship.’ SIMON O’HAGAN, RADIO TIMES
‘An endearing portrait of exasperation, laced with hard won tolerance – and something like love.’ THE GUARDIAN
‘The delicious fruit of the writer, Jan Etherington’s experience of writing lots of TV and radio, blessed by being acted by Joanna Lumley and Roger Allam. This series makes people laugh’ GILLIAN REYNOLDS. SUNDAY TIMES
‘You’ve been listening at my window, Jan’. JOANNA LUMLEY
WED 22:30 Jason Cook's School of Hard Knocks (b03w32c0)
Asking Out and First Dates
Field marshal of mirth and high priest of Hebburn, Jason Cook dispenses advice on how best to navigate the choppy waters of life and come out the other side without feeling woozy, using the full spectrum of his own experiences as his educational aids.
In this episode, Jason examines how to successfully ask someone out.
Discover the traps to be avoided when going on a first date - using Jason's trademarked "Place, Face, Case" methodology,
Stories from the audience help to throw more light on the matter in hand.
With Zoe Harrison and Neil Grainger.
Producer: Sam Michell
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 2014.
WED 22:55 The Comedy Club Interviews (m001jmr7)
Michael Akadiri 2/3
From 10pm until midnight, seven days a week, The Comedy Club has two hours of comedy. And tonight, Iain Lee talks to Michael Akadiri.
WED 23:00 I've Never Seen Star Wars (b04yk55d)
Series 6
Gyles Brandreth
Marcus Brigstocke persuades his reluctant guest to try new experiences: things they really ought to have done by now. Some experiences are loved, some are loathed, in this show all about embracing the new.
This week, Gyles Brandreth is persuaded to spend a day doing absolutely nothing, and writes his first ever pop song.
Produced by Bill Dare.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 2015.
WED 23:30 Bunk Bed (b0bbrdx9)
Series 5
With sleepover guest Jane Horrocks
Everyone craves a place where their mind and body are not applied to a particular task. The nearest faraway place. Somewhere for drifting and lighting upon strange thoughts which don't have to be shooed into context, but which can be followed like balloons escaping onto the air.
Late at night, in the dark and in a bunk bed your tired mind can wander.
Patrick Marber and Peter Curran welcome BAFTA-winning actor Jane Horrocks who is sleeping over on the pull out bed.
Jane discusses the curse of a happy childhood and David Bowie - and also does her impression of a neighing horse that once brought unwanted attention from a stallion.
"A welcome comfort against the gathering storm clouds" - The Spectator
Producer: Peter Curran
A Foghorn production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in July 2018.
WED 23:45 I, Regress (b01bb70f)
Series 1
Episode 5
A dark, David Lynch-ian comedy, ideally suited for an unsettling and surreal late night listen. 'I, Regress' sees Matt Berry (The IT Crowd, Garth Marenghi's Dark Place, Snuff Box) playing a corrupt and bizarre hypnotherapist taking unsuspecting clients on twisted, misleading journeys through their subconscious.
Each episode sees the doctor dealing with a different client who has come to him for a different problem (quitting smoking, fear of water, etc). As the patient is put under hypnosis, we 'enter' their mind, and all the various situations the hypnotherapist takes them through are played out for us to hear. The result is a dream- (or nightmare-) like trip through the patient's mind, as funny as it is disturbing.
Ep 5: Dr Berry's latest patient, Christian Parcel (Nick Lucas) finds himself in the worst place on the planet thanks to some 'experimental hypnotherapy'. But events take a twist that even Dr Berry himself finds hard to control, thanks to a football pitch, a nightclub and a very unusual tattoo...
The cast across the series include Katherine Parkinson (IT Crowd), Morgana Robinson (The Morgana Show), Simon Greenall (I'm Alan Partridge), Jack Klaff (Star Wars, For Your Eyes Only), Tara Flynn (The Impressions Show, Stewart Lee's Comedy Vehicle), Alex Lowe (Barry From Watford, The Peter Serafinowicz Show), and Derek Griffiths (Playschool, Bod, and The Royal Exchange).
A compelling late night listen: tune in and occupy someone else's head!
Produced by Sam Bryant.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 2012.

THURSDAY 23 FEBRUARY 2023

THU 00:00 Neil Bartlett - In Extremis (b09w6pd6)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:00 on Wednesday]
THU 00:45 Short Works (m000cn0j)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:45 on Wednesday]
THU 01:00 Burnt (b09sqfjq)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 on Wednesday]
THU 01:30 Hercule Poirot (m0002c9k)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 on Wednesday]
THU 02:00 The Bookshop by Penelope Fitzgerald (m001jcc0)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 on Wednesday]
THU 02:15 Maya Angelou's Autobiographies (m0001b8j)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:15 on Wednesday]
THU 02:30 Sarah Kendall: Talking Story (m000x6w9)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 on Wednesday]
THU 03:00 Hancock's Half Hour (b007k1nm)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 on Wednesday]
THU 03:30 Flying the Flag (b00cbcpj)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 on Wednesday]
THU 04:00 Nature Table (m000f6tn)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 on Wednesday]
THU 04:30 A Square of One's Own (m001jccd)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 on Wednesday]
THU 05:00 Nikos Kazantzakis - Zorba the Greek (b007jqzj)
Episode 1
When young writer Nikos encounters zest-filled Zorba, his life is never the same.
This is a middle-aged Greek hero who says yes to every experience and adventure that life has to offer...
Starring Robert Stephens and Michael Maloney.
Nikos Kazantzakis's famous Greek novel.
Dramatisatised in two parts by Nick McCarty.
Zorba …… Robert Stephens
Nikos …… Michael Maloney
Hortense …… Mary Wimbush
Mavrondoni …… Terry Molloy
Mimiko …… Dominic Taylor
Anagnosti …… Roger Hume
Andonis …… Peter Meakin
Mad Woman …… Hedli Niklaus
Villa Girl …… Judy Bennett
Producer: Phillip Martin
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 1993.
THU 06:00 Burnt (b09sqkf5)
4. Trouble Runs Deep
In seeking the killers, Milkie is drawn deeper into trouble - with the Establishment.
Starring Dennis Waterman.
Nigel Baldwin's taut political thriller serial.
Milkie ... Dennis Waterman
The Teller.... Ray Smith
Beth... Bethan Jones
Special Branch Man ... Michael Povey
Special Branch Man ... Chris Durnall
Special Branch Man.... Terry Dauncey
Pauline .... Eluned Jones
Angela... Tara Dominick
Huw ... Richard Elfyn
Music by Laurie Scott Baker.
Producer: Jane Dauncey
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 1990.
THU 06:30 Hercule Poirot (m0002chk)
The Mystery of the Blue Train
4. Le Comte de la Roche
After the murder of Ruth Kettering and theft of her jewels, suspicion falls on her none-too-scrupulous former lover, the Comte de la Roche, who has a weakness for ladies and expensive gems.
But to Hercule Poirot, nothing is as obvious as it seems...
Starring Maurice Denham.
Agatha Christie's thriller based on a short story, The Plymouth Express.
Hercule Poirot …. Maurice Denham
Katherine Grey …. Janet Maw
Rufus Van Aldin …. Robert Beatty
Derek Kettering …. Anthony Smee
Major Knighton …. Michael Deacon
Lady Tamplin …. Gwen Cherrell
Lenox …. Moir Leslie
Mirelle …. Judy Buxton
Mason …. Pauline Letts
Le Comte de la Roche …. Nigel Graham
Monsieur Caux …. Adrian Egan
Monsieur Carrege …. Gordon Reid
George …. Edward de Souza
Hipolyte …. Andrew Branch
Dramatised by Michael Bakewell.
Director: David Johnston.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January1986.
THU 07:00 The Bookshop by Penelope Fitzgerald (m001jcf5)
9. Turning Tide
The tide is unmistakably turning against Florence's enterprise.
Written by Penelope Fitzgerald
Read by Maggie Steed
Abridged and produced by David Hunter
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1996.
THU 07:15 Maya Angelou's Autobiographies (m0001bpm)
The Heart of a Woman
Episode 4
Dramatisation of the fourth volume of Maya Angelou's iconic memoirs.
Maya’s civil marriage to South African freedom fighter Vusumzi Make is going well.
She helps organise a demonstration after the execution of the first legally elected prime minister of the Republic of Congo, Patrice Lumumba. But it gets out of hand and turns out to be much bigger than anticipated.
It leads to her first meeting with Malcolm X.
Dramatised in five parts by Janice Okoh.
Narrator/Maya ...... Adjoa Andoh
Maya ...... Pippa Bennett-Warner
Rosa ...... Saffron Coomber
Malcolm X ...... Don Gilet
Vusumzi Make ...... Danny Sapani
The books that make up the life and times of Maya Angelou are some of the best, most beautiful and haunting pieces of autobiography written .
They run the gamut from life affirming to tragedy and back again with a tone that is a joyous, direct and searingly honest, and are an extraordinary portrait of 20th century black America.
Produced and directed by Pauline Harris.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 2018.
THU 07:30 Sara Pascoe: The Modern Monkey (b09v3fdy)
Series 1
Charity
How does our monkey past influence our modern lives and how come we can still get emotionally hijacked by our primitive emotions?
In a lecture combined with her stand up, Sara Pascoe investigates - Charity
After some of the less pleasant aspects of humans in previous episodes, this show is all about the positive.
There are lots of examples of altruistic behaviour and feats of generosity - the social traits of our species are at the root of why we're so successful. But it's complicated.
Can we find compassion for each other when we're doing the wrong things for the right reasons?
Recorded on location at The Foundling Museum in London.
Written by and starring Sara Pascoe
Producer: Alexandra Smith
A BBC Studios production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in March 2018.
THU 08:00 The Burkiss Way (b00jq7qq)
Series 3
Discover Gravity the Burkiss Way
Fred Harris, Jo Kendall, Nigel Rees and Chris Emmett refuse to mention the unsavoury Eric Pode of Croydon.
Cult sketch comedy series which originally ran from 1976 to 1980.
Written by Andrew Marshall and David Renwick.
Producer: John Lloyd
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 1977.
THU 08:30 The Marx Brothers' Flywheel, Shyster and Flywheel (b0082crd)
Series 2
Episode 4
Can shady lawyer Waldorf T Flywheel save a struggling department store from closure?
Recreation of the Marx Brothers' lost shows charting the adventures of shady lawyer Waldorf T Flywheel and his assistant, Emmanuel Ravelli. Originally broadcast with sponsors on America's NBC radio network in the 1930s. The scripts were rediscovered in 1988.
Groucho Marx as Waldorf T Flywheel ...... Michael Roberts
Chico Marx as Emmanuel Ravellias ...... Frank Lazarus
With Lorelei King, Graham Hoadly and Vincent Marzello.
Written by Nat Perrin and Athur Sheekman. Adapted by Mark Brisenden.
Music arranged and conducted by David Firman.
Producer: Dirk Maggs
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in June 1991.
THU 09:00 Booked (b0075m3b)
Series 5
Episode 5
Ian McMillian asks his contestants to put their thumbs into the rich and sticky pudding of literature, pull out the plums and play the tastiest writing game of the party season.
Poised for battle are Dillie Keane, Mark Radcliffe, Sophie Hannah and Simon Armitage.
Producer: Viv Beeby
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 1998.
THU 09:30 Clare in the Community (b00hklfr)
Series 5
Name Calling
Clare Barker the social worker with all the politically correct jargon but none of the practical solutions.
Society itself has improved little, so there are still plenty of challenges out there for an involved, caring social worker. Or even Clare.
This award winning comedy stars Sally Phillips as Clare Barker - a social worker and control freak who likes nothing better than interfering in other people's lives on both a professional and personal basis. Clare is in her early 30s, white, middle class and heterosexual, all of which are occasional causes of discomfort to her.

The last series saw the personal and professional lives of Clare and her team shaken around and shuffled about, but it is in the nature of hell to be unchanging, and all are present and correct for a further round of frustration, despair, disappointment, team meetings and eleven o'clock cakes.
Clare ..... Sally Phillips
Brian ..... Alex Lowe
Helen ..... Liza Tarbuck
Ray ..... Richard Lumsden
Megan/Nali ..... Nina Conti
Irene ..... Ellen Thomas
Simon ..... Andrew Wincott
Schoolgirl ..... Donnla Hughes
Written by Harry Venning and David Ramsden
Producer: Katie Tyrrell
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 2009.
THU 10:00 Nikos Kazantzakis - Zorba the Greek (b007jqzj)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:00 today]
THU 11:00 Burnt (b09sqkf5)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
THU 11:30 Hercule Poirot (m0002chk)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
THU 12:00 The Bookshop by Penelope Fitzgerald (m001jcf5)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
THU 12:15 Maya Angelou's Autobiographies (m0001bpm)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:15 today]
THU 12:30 Sara Pascoe: The Modern Monkey (b09v3fdy)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
THU 13:00 The Burkiss Way (b00jq7qq)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
THU 13:30 The Marx Brothers' Flywheel, Shyster and Flywheel (b0082crd)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
THU 14:00 Booked (b0075m3b)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
THU 14:30 Clare in the Community (b00hklfr)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 today]
THU 15:00 Nikos Kazantzakis - Zorba the Greek (b007jqzj)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:00 today]
THU 16:00 Burnt (b09sqkf5)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
THU 16:30 Hercule Poirot (m0002chk)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
THU 17:00 The Bookshop by Penelope Fitzgerald (m001jcf5)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
THU 17:15 Maya Angelou's Autobiographies (m0001bpm)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:15 today]
THU 17:30 Sara Pascoe: The Modern Monkey (b09v3fdy)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
THU 18:00 The Burkiss Way (b00jq7qq)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
THU 18:30 The Marx Brothers' Flywheel, Shyster and Flywheel (b0082crd)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
THU 19:00 Booked (b0075m3b)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
THU 19:30 Clare in the Community (b00hklfr)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 today]
THU 20:00 Isy Suttie's Guide to the Family (m0007yfn)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 on Saturday]
THU 21:00 The Battersea Poltergeist (p0955cfy)
Episode 3: Interview with a Ghost
Danny explores possible links between the Battersea case and the Enfield Poltergeist, a famous alleged haunting from 1977. He meets two reporters who covered the case, one of whom claims to have been attacked by the poltergeist. We hear more from the real-life Shirley Hitchings as, back in 1956, teenage Shirley appears to communicate with Donald the Poltergeist, and her story becomes front page tabloid news, gripping the nation.
Written and Presented by Danny Robins, starring Dafne Keen (His Dark Materials), Toby Jones (Detectorists), Burn Gorman (Torchwood) and Alice Lowe (Sightseers), with original theme music by Mercury-nominated Nadine Shah and Ben Hillier, this gripping 8-part series interweaves a chilling supernatural thriller set in 1950s London with a fascinating modern-day investigation into Britain’s strangest ever haunting – a mystery unsolved… until now.
Cast:
Shirley Hitchings……..Dafne Keen
Harold Chibbett………Toby Jones
Wally Hitchings…… Burn Gorman
Kitty Hitchings……….Alice Lowe
Ethel Hitchings……….Sorcha Cusack
John Hitchings……..Calvin Demba
Ronald Maxwell……….Rufus Wright
Joyce Lewis………..Miranda Raison
Written and presented by Danny Robins
Experts: Ciaran O’Keeffe and Evelyn Hollow
Sound Designer: Richard Fox
Music: Evelyn Sykes
Theme Music by Nadine Shah and Ben Hillier
Produced by Danny Robins and Simon Barnard
Directed by Simon Barnard
Consultant: Alan Murdie
With thanks to James Clark, co-author of 'The Poltergeist Prince of London'
A Bafflegab production for BBC Radio 4
THU 21:30 Forest 404 (p074lxj2)
Into the Inner
Pan finds an illegal brain shop to uncover how the recordings have changed her.
An environmental thriller starring Pearl Mackie, Tanya Moodie & Pippa Haywood. With theme music by Bonobo. Written by Timothy X Atack and directed by Becky Ripley.
Each episode comes with its own talk and soundscape. And you can take part in our interactive experiment to see how you respond to sounds of nature at: bbc.co.uk/forest
#Forest404
THU 22:00 Prepper (m0002ltd)
Series 1
Bugging In
Comedy with Sue Johnston and Pearl Mackie.
Trump. ISIS. The Courgette Crisis. Signs of civilisation’s fragility are all around. No wonder the Doomsday Clock just nudged closer to midnight. In this fearscape, more and more ordinary people are wondering how they’d cope if everything we take for granted (law and order, access to healthcare, iceberg lettuces in Sainsburys) was taken away.
Preppers - a large and rapidly growing global community - have taken this thought one step further. They’re actively skilling-up, laying down supplies and readying themselves for the end of the world, in whatever form it comes. Indeed, a prepping shop just opened in Newquay. And if people in Cornwall are prepping, it’s time to worry.
Imagine if Woman’s Hour made a podcast about preparing for the end times. Prepper follows neurotic, debt-ridden Rachel and hard-as-nails ‘Churchill in Spanx’ Sylvia, working class Mancunians who prep and podcast, sharing knowledge with their community, and showing off just how Armageddon-ready they are.
Told through their podcasts from Sylvia’s garage and featuring ‘apoco-tips’, ‘end of days drills’ and interviews with preppers from around the world, Prepper comically explores how two mismatched women live with the possibility of the end of days, and how they bond over their determination to survive. And fend off zombies.
This week - home defence.
Cast:
Sylvia ..... Sue Johnston
Rachel ..... Pearl Mackie
with Simon Holland Roberts
Written by Caroline Moran and James J. Moran
Producer: Steve Doherty
A Giddy Goat production for BBC Radio 4
THU 22:30 Big Problems with Helen Keen (b0608n2d)
Series 1
Boredom
Helen looks at the problem of boredom, and the potential solution that is gamification.
Covering everything from bear-baiting to loyalty points, the show also asks how many times you can spot the mystery word?
Starring Helen Keen with Peter Serafinowicz and Susy Kane.
Written by Helen Keen and Miriam Underhill.
Producer: Gareth Edwards.
First broadcast on BBC Radoi 4 in July 2015.
THU 22:55 The Comedy Club Interviews (m001jmr5)
Michael Akadiri 3/3
From 10pm until midnight, seven days a week, The Comedy Club has two hours of comedy. And tonight, Iain Lee talks to Michael Akadiri.
THU 23:00 The John Moloney Show (b0b2m4jm)
Series 3
How I Became a Comedian
The Godfather of British stand-up comedy on stage exploring the trials of modern life and the tales of his much loved cat Edward.
In this moment of self reflection, John looks back on the beginning of his comedy career. How did such a handsome grammar school boy find his way into the dark and foreboding world of stand-up? Did his family have a influence on his decision? What did his qualifications actually qualify him to do?
John dissects the advice of the Employment Service in Balham and justifies the particular terms and conditions of any future engagement he was willing to accept - lots of travel, the freedom to insult his clients and a maximum of twenty minutes work per night.
Written by and starring John Moloney. With Karen Bartke and Richard Melvin.
Produced by Richard Melvin.
A Dabster production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in May 2018.
THU 23:15 Helen Lederer - All Change (b0bk4nm9)
5. Jealousy: Fact or Fusion
Phil is acting suspiciously. So Helen's worried that out of disgust for his ageing and widening wife, he's been driven into the arms of Yolanda, the temptress from accounts.
She must go into battle to win back her man...
A lighter look at women growing old disgracefully, written by and starring Helen Lederer.
Phil …. Stephen Moore
Yolanda …. Tracy-Ann Oberman
George …. Tom George
Other parts played by members of the cast
Producer: Sally Avens
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 2001.
THU 23:30 Tom Wrigglesworth's Hang-Ups (b06qkp8n)
Series 3
Profit and Loss
Mr and Mrs Wrigglesworth receive some bad news about a friend while Granny helps Tom with a "gambling situation".
Sitcom where Tom Wrigglesworth phones home for his weekly check-in with his Mum, Dad and Gran, giving us a glimpse into his family background and the influences that have shaped his temperament, opinions and hang-ups.
Tom ...... Tom Wrigglesworth
Dad ...... Paul Copley
Mum ...... Kate Anthony
Granny ...... Elizabeth Bennett
Written by Tom Wrigglesworth and James Kettle with additional material by Miles Jupp
Producer: Richard Morris
A BBC Radio Comedy production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in December 2015.

FRIDAY 24 FEBRUARY 2023

FRI 00:00 Nikos Kazantzakis - Zorba the Greek (b007jqzj)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:00 on Thursday]
FRI 01:00 Burnt (b09sqkf5)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 on Thursday]
FRI 01:30 Hercule Poirot (m0002chk)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 on Thursday]
FRI 02:00 The Bookshop by Penelope Fitzgerald (m001jcf5)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 on Thursday]
FRI 02:15 Maya Angelou's Autobiographies (m0001bpm)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:15 on Thursday]
FRI 02:30 Sara Pascoe: The Modern Monkey (b09v3fdy)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 on Thursday]
FRI 03:00 The Burkiss Way (b00jq7qq)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 on Thursday]
FRI 03:30 The Marx Brothers' Flywheel, Shyster and Flywheel (b0082crd)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 on Thursday]
FRI 04:00 Booked (b0075m3b)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 on Thursday]
FRI 04:30 Clare in the Community (b00hklfr)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 on Thursday]
FRI 05:00 Nikos Kazantzakis - Zorba the Greek (b007jqzy)
Episode 2
Zorba returns to Crete to find that Nikos has told the widow Hortense that Zorba will marry her.
Zorba avoids the problem by hurling himself into the construction of a novel means of transportation that he assures Nikos will earn them a fortune...
Starring Robert Stephens and Michael Maloney.
Conclusion of Nikos Kazantzakis's famous Greek novel.
Dramatisatised by Nick McCarty.
Zorba …… Robert Stephens
Nikos …… Michael Maloney
Hortense …… Mary Wimbush
Mavrondoni …… Terry Molloy
Mimiko …… Dominic Taylor
Zacharias …… Roger Hume
Andonis …… Peter Meakin
Father Demetrios …… Paul Webster
Mourner …… Hedli Niklaus
Girl …… Judy Bennett
Widow …… Marian Kemmer
Producer: Phillip Martin
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 1993.
FRI 06:00 Burnt (b09tbs3h)
5. Much Knowledge
As Milkie tries to find out how far the political corruption goes - can he deal with consequences?
Starring Dennis Waterman.
Nigel Baldwin's taut political thriller serial.
Milkie ... Dennis Waterman
The Teller ... Ray Smith
Beth ... Bethan Jones
Angela ... Tara Dominick
Huw ... Richard Elfyn
Sharon ... Emma Gregory
Pauline ... Eluned Jones
Laura ... Richards
Music by Laurie Scott Baker.
Producer: Jane Dauncey
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 1990.
FRI 06:30 Hercule Poirot (m0002cvc)
The Mystery of the Blue Train
5. A Dancer's Revenge
After Ruth Kettering was found murdered on the Blue Train with her priceless rubies stolen, both her husband Derek and former lover are suspects.
So when Belgian detective, Hercule Poirot discovers the latter has recently acquired a set of rubies, the case would seem to be cut and dried.
Or is it..?
Starring Maurice Denham.
Agatha Christie's thriller based on a short story, The Plymouth Express.
Hercule Poirot …. Maurice Denham
Katherine Grey …. Janet Maw
Rufus Van Aldin …. Robert Beatty
Derek Ketterin …. Anthony Smee
Major Knighton …. Michael Deacon
Mirelle …. Judy Buxton
Monsieur Carrege …. Gordon Reid
Le Comte de la Roche …. Nigel Graham
Mason …. Pauline Letts
Zia …. Jane Leonard
Papopoulos …. Ronald Herdman
George …. Edward de Souza
Waiter …. Jamie Roberts
Dramatised by Michael Bakewell.
Director: David Johnston.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1985.
FRI 07:00 The Bookshop by Penelope Fitzgerald (m001jbqh)
10. Conclusions
The final chapter of Florence's business in remote Hardborough. Mr Brandish, a lone supporter of Florence, tackles her biggest critic. But the truth is twisted once again.
Written by Penelope Fitzgerald
Read by Maggie Steed
Abridged and produced by David Hunter
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1996.
FRI 07:15 Maya Angelou's Autobiographies (m0001cbc)
The Heart of a Woman
Episode 5
Dramatisation of the fourth volume of Maya Angelou's iconic memoirs.
Maya and her son Guy join Vus in Egypt. She takes a job as Associate Editor of a newspaper, and faces some difficult truths about Vus.
Dramatised in five parts by Janice Okoh.
Narrator/Maya ...... Adjoa Andoh
Maya ...... Pippa Bennett-Warner
Vusumzi Make ...... Danny Sapani
Guy ...... Tristan Slowley
David Dubois ...... Don Gilet
Zein Negati ...... Steve Toussaint
Omonadia ...... Saffron Coomber
The books that make up the life and times of Maya Angelou are some of the best, most beautiful and haunting pieces of autobiography written .
They run the gamut from life affirming to tragedy and back again with a tone that is a joyous, direct and searingly honest, and are an extraordinary portrait of 20th century black America.
Produced and directed by Pauline Harris.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 2018.
FRI 07:30 Psmith in the City by PG Wodehouse (b00dsr3b)
Psmith Arranges His Future
Psmith's powers of persuasion are put to the test when Mike is dismissed from the bank.
PG Wodehouse’s comic adventures of the extraordinary Psmith and his friend Mike in the world of Edwardian finance.
Dramatised by Marcy Kahan.
PG Wodehouse ..... Simon Williams
Psmith ..... Nick Caldecott
Mike Jackson ..... Inam Mirza
John Bickersdyke ..... Stephen Critchlow
Mr Gregory ..... Chris Pavlo
Jo Jackson ..... Dan Starkey
Producer: Abigail le Fleming
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 2008.
FRI 08:00 Mr Willow's Wife (m000pf9r)
3. Love Thy Neighbour
Felicity decides it's time she meddled in the marriage of chums Diana and Dickie.
Staring Moira Lister and Terence Alexander.
Written by Ray Cooney and John Chapman.
Felicity Willow ... Moira Lister
Paul Willow .... Terence Alexander
Nanny .... Doris Hare
Diana Saunders .... Alethea Charlton
Dickie Saunders .... Ray Cooney
Vicar .... John Chapman
Producer David Hatch
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 1971.
FRI 08:30 The Weekend Starts Here (m001jbqn)
5. Howzat?
Sport and politics collide on the Shipcombe Green cricket square and the course of true love does not run smooth for Felicity and Robbie.
Bill Matthews’ sitcom about the tensions between the residents and second home owners of Shipcombe Green.
CAST:
Marina …. Diana Hardcastle
Terence .... Philip Bretherton
Mrs Thorogood .... Gillian Barge
Mr Thorogood .... Rupert Vansittart
Christine .... Susan Brown
Norman .... Gavin Muir
Felicity .... Gemma Saunders
Robbie .... Tim Treloar
Lawrence Fyffe .... Tom Marshall
Graham/Driver .... Tom George
Other parts played by members of the cast
Music composed and performed by Terry Davies.
Director: Paul Miller
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 1999.
FRI 09:00 Act Your Age (b00pxn13)
Series 2
Episode 1
Simon Mayo hosts the comedy show that pits the comic generations against each other to find out which is the funniest.
Team captains Jon Richardson, Lucy Porter and Adrian Walsh are joined by Kevin Bridges, Jason Byrne and Johnnie Casson.
Producers: Ashley Blaker and Bill Matthews.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 2010.
FRI 09:30 Bleak Expectations (b00nrrd5)
Series 3
A Sort of Fine Life De-Niced Completely
Pip Bin strives to improve working conditions in his bin factory.
But will his quest distract him from a dastardly plan to steal London and sell it to the French?
Mark Evans's epic comedy in the style of Charles Dickens.
Sir Philip Bin ...... Richard Johnson
Gently Benevolent ...... Anthony Head
Young Pip ...... Tom Allen
Harry Biscuit ...... James Bachman
Dr Wackwallop ...... Geoffrey Whitehead
Ripely Fecund ...... Sarah Hadland
Pippa ...... Susy Kane
Producer: Gareth Edwards
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 2009.
FRI 10:00 Nikos Kazantzakis - Zorba the Greek (b007jqzy)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:00 today]
FRI 11:00 Burnt (b09tbs3h)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
FRI 11:30 Hercule Poirot (m0002cvc)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
FRI 12:00 The Bookshop by Penelope Fitzgerald (m001jbqh)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
FRI 12:15 Maya Angelou's Autobiographies (m0001cbc)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:15 today]
FRI 12:30 Psmith in the City by PG Wodehouse (b00dsr3b)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
FRI 13:00 Mr Willow's Wife (m000pf9r)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
FRI 13:30 The Weekend Starts Here (m001jbqn)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
FRI 14:00 Act Your Age (b00pxn13)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
FRI 14:30 Bleak Expectations (b00nrrd5)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 today]
FRI 15:00 Nikos Kazantzakis - Zorba the Greek (b007jqzy)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:00 today]
FRI 16:00 Burnt (b09tbs3h)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
FRI 16:30 Hercule Poirot (m0002cvc)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
FRI 17:00 The Bookshop by Penelope Fitzgerald (m001jbqh)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
FRI 17:15 Maya Angelou's Autobiographies (m0001cbc)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:15 today]
FRI 17:30 Psmith in the City by PG Wodehouse (b00dsr3b)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
FRI 18:00 Mr Willow's Wife (m000pf9r)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
FRI 18:30 The Weekend Starts Here (m001jbqn)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
FRI 19:00 Act Your Age (b00pxn13)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
FRI 19:30 Bleak Expectations (b00nrrd5)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 today]
FRI 20:00 Philip Glass: Taxi Driver (b065tqz1)
Philip Glass revisits his parallel lives in 1970s New York - driving a taxicab through threatening twilight streets while emerging as a composer in Manhattan's downtown arts scene.
The Philip Glass Ensemble formed in 1968 and performed in lofts, museums, art galleries and, eventually, concert halls. Two of Glass's early pieces - the long form Music In Twelve Parts and the opera Einstein on the Beach - secured his reputation as a leading voice in new music.
But America's soon-to-be most successful contemporary composer continued to earn a living by driving a taxi until he was 42.
"I would show up around 3pm to get a car and hopefully be out driving by 4. I wanted to get back to the garage by 1 or 2am before the bars closed, as that wasn't a good time to be driving. I'd come home and write music until 6 in the morning."
Glass's new musical language - consisting of driving rhythms, gradually evolving repetitive patterns and amplified voice, organs and saxophones - reflected the urgency of the city surrounding him. New York, on the brink of financial collapse, was crime-ridden and perilous. Driving a cab offered more than a window on this gritty, late night world. Almost every other month, according to Glass, a driver colleague was murdered. Glass escaped altercations with gangs and robbers in his cab.
Contributors
John Schaefer
Philip Glass
John Gibson
Joan La Barbara
Produced by Paul Smith
A Just Radio production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in August 2015.
FRI 20:30 Soul Music (m000ktx9)
Series 30
Feeling Good
The surprising history behind a track made famous by Nina Simone.
Feeling Good was written for a now obscure musical and originally performed by Cy Grant, the first black man to appear regularly on British TV. Cy Grant's daughter, Samantha Moxon, describes her father's extraordinary life from Prisoner of War camp to a successful career in the arts. The composer, Neil Brand, discusses why the song has gone on to transcend the almost forgotten musical it was created for.
Other speakers are Sam Reynolds, who says the track helped her through challenging times, and musician, Kirsten Lamb, who sings a simplified version with young children at a homelessness project in Massachusetts.
Producer: Karen Gregor
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2020.
FRI 21:00 The Battersea Poltergeist (p095j8fn)
Episode 4: The Underground Exorcist
A psychic medium offers to perform an exorcism to remove Donald the Poltergeist. Broken by sleepless nights and constant fear, the Hitchings family accept – but is this putting teenage Shirley in even more danger? As Danny continues his present day investigation of the case with the help of parapsychologists Ciaran O’Keefe and Evelyn Hollow, he meets a real-life exorcist to learn about the risks involved.
Written and Presented by Danny Robins, starring Dafne Keen (His Dark Materials), Toby Jones (Detectorists), Burn Gorman (Torchwood) and Alice Lowe (Sightseers), with original theme music by Mercury-nominated Nadine Shah and Ben Hillier, this gripping 8-part series interweaves a chilling supernatural thriller set in 1950s London with a fascinating modern-day investigation into Britain’s strangest ever haunting – a mystery unsolved… until now.
Cast:
Shirley Hitchings……..Dafne Keen
Harold Chibbett………Toby Jones
Wally Hitchings…… Burn Gorman
Kitty Hitchings……….Alice Lowe
Ethel Hitchings……….Sorcha Cusack
John Hitchings……..Calvin Demba
Harry Hanks…….. David Troughton
Ronald Maxwell……….Rufus Wright
Joyce Lewis………Miranda Raison
Mrs Hanks……….Lizzie Roper
Christina.........Amina Zia
Written and presented by Danny Robins
Experts: Ciaran O’Keeffe and Evelyn Hollow
Sound Designer: Richard Fox
Music: Evelyn Sykes
Theme Music by Nadine Shah and Ben Hillier
Produced by Danny Robins and Simon Barnard
Directed by Simon Barnard
Consultant: Alan Murdie
With thanks to James Clark, co-author of 'The Poltergeist Prince of London'
A Bafflegab production for BBC Radio 4
FRI 21:30 Forest 404 (p074lxm0)
Of Earthly Delights
Daria and The Hands close in on Pan as they race towards the oil lake.
An environmental thriller starring Pearl Mackie, Tanya Moodie & Pippa Haywood. With theme music by Bonobo. Written by Timothy X Atack and directed by Becky Ripley.
Each episode comes with its own talk and soundscape. And you can take part in our interactive experiment to see how you respond to sounds of nature at: bbc.co.uk/forest
#Forest404
FRI 22:00 The Ultimate Choice (m001jbqv)
Series 1
Series 1 Episode 1
Steph McGovern asks some seriously funny minds to offer definitive answers to the great questions of our age. Or not.
Welcome to the world's most devious game of Would You Rather? With guests Zoe Lyons and Dane Baptiste.
Host: Steph McGovern
Guests: Zoe Lyons and Dane Baptiste
Devised and written by Jon Harvey & Joseph Morpurgo
With additional material from Laura Major
Researcher: Leah Marks
Recorded and mixed by Jerry Peal
Producer: Jon Harvey
Executive Producers: Ed Morrish and Polly Thomas
Photo: Carolyn Mendelsohn
A Naked production for BBC Radio 4
FRI 22:30 Lucy Montgomery's Variety Pack (b01322dm)
Series 2
Episode 3
The human chameleon's host of comic characters from a chicken shop worker to a honeymooner.
Multi-paced, one woman Fast Show starring Lucy Montgomery.
With:
Philip Pope
Sally Grace
Waen Shepherd
Natalie Walter
Iris Walker
Written by Lucy Montgomery with additional material by Steve Burge, Jon Hunter, Barunka O'Shaughnessy and Fay Rusling.
Script Editor: Dan Tetsell
Producer: Katie Tyrrell.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 2011.
FRI 23:00 Hannah Gadsby: Arts Clown (b05n00f1)
4. Picasso's Les Demoiselles d'Avignon
Art historian Hannah Gadsby concludes her comedy lectures with a look at Picasso's angry 1907 masterpiece 'Les Demoiselles D'Avignon'.
It was as a student in Canberra in her early 20s that she was first introduced to this canvas, and it took her a long time to grow to love it. She takes us on her personal journey through hate, to eventual love, explaining along the way why this piece is so pivotal in art history.
With the help of her Quotebot - who sounds remarkably like John Lloyd - Hannah explores 'Les Dems' rebellion, anger and revolution and the painting's place in modern art. She also decides Picasso was 'a bit of a dick'.
Written by Hannah Gadsby.
Script edited by Jon Hunter.
Producer: Claire Jones
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 2015.
FRI 23:15 The Pin (b07vs3n6)
Series 2
Record
The Pin are out to achieve a very rare record... a radio first.
Strap in for a 15-minute delve into a world of oddness performed in front of a live studio audience.
The Pin are an award-winning comedy duo, and legends of Edinburgh festival. They deconstruct the sketch form, in a show that exists somewhere between razor-sharp smartness and utterly joyous silliness.
Written by Ben Ashenden and Alex Owen
Performed by:
Ben Ashenden
Alex Owen
Freya Parker
Brian Protheroe
Producer: Sam Bryant
A BBC Studios production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in September 2016.
FRI 23:30 Arthur Smith's Balham Bash (b00s3h46)
Series 2
Episode 3
Arthur Smith invites us into his Balham flat in south London for comedy, music and entertainment.
With his guests: Doc Brown, Gomez, Henry Paker and Richard Herring.
Producer: Alison Vernon-Smith
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 2010.