SATURDAY 25 MARCH 2023

SAT 00:00 Doctor Who (m001k78p)
The War Doctor
12. The Enigma Dimension - Part 1/2
Reunited with Leela, The War Doctor, steers his TARDIS to Gallifrey to confront the Daleks who are massing to attack his home planet. However, something undefinable is in the way. Is it some form of ultimate Dalek weapon?
John Hurt stars as The War Doctor.
Written by Nicholas Briggs.
The War Doctor .... John Hurt
Cardinal Ollistra .... Jacqueline Pearce
Leela …. Louise Jameson
Castellan Kanteer …. Alan David
Panopticon Guard Lintok …. Jane Slavin
Dalek Time Strategist/The Daleks .... Nicholas Briggs
Other parts played by members of the cast.
Original music written by Howard Carter.
Director: Nicholas Briggs
A Big Finish productions.
SAT 00:35 HG Wells (m001k78w)
The New Accelerator
In the name of science, HG Wells agrees to sample a new drug designed to speed up both body and mind.
Written by HG Wells.
Adapted by Neville Teller.
Read by Timothy Kightley
Producer: Pamela Howe
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1978,
SAT 01:00 Gwyn Thomas - All Things Betray Thee (m0007s2w)
3. The Verdict
The iron workers’ uprising is defeated and Leigh has become an accessory to murder.
Dramatic conclusion of Gywn Thomas's novel.
Dramatised by Alan Plater.
Leigh ... Ian Hughes
John Simon .... Patrick Brennan
Katherine ... Manon Edwards
Helen ..... Melanie Walters
Jefferies .... Laurence Allan
Clark ... Gerald James
Longridge ... Sion Probert
Parr ... Ian Rowlands
Jabez ... Hubert Rees
Penbury .... Bill Stewart
Lemuel ... Ray Llewellyn
Lord Plimmon ... Ric Jerrom
Music by Ruth Wall.
Harp: Ruth Wall
Violin: Alison Frances
Director: Alison Hindell.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 1996.
SAT 02:00 Paul Temple (m00020sj)
Paul Temple and the Geneva Mystery
A Change of Mind
After a curious train journey to Geneva for his investigation, the suave sleuth gets a surprise revelation...
Paul Temple probes the mysterious circumstances surrounding the apparent death of Mrs Milbourne’s husband, Carl, in a car crash in Switzerland. But it's a case, he may soon regret taking on...
Francis Durbridge's thriller featuring Paul Temple and Steve in another intriguing case for BBC radio's smoothest investigator and his glamorous wife.
CAST:
Paul Temple …. Peter Coke
Steve …. Marjorie Westbury
Maurice Lonsdale …. Patrick Barr
Margaret Milbourne …. Isabel Dean
Julia Carrington …. Polly Murch
Walter Neider …. Noel Howlett
Gustav …. Garard Green
Concierge …. Hamlyn Benson
Doctor …. Gordon Faith
Danny Clayton …. Nigel Graham
Vince Langham …. Simon Lack
From 1938 to 1969 the fictional crime novelist and detective Paul Temple, together with his Fleet Street journalist Steve, solved case after case in one of BBC radio's most popular series. They inhabited a sophisticated world of chilled cocktails and fast cars, where the women were chic and the men wore cravats - a world where Scotland Yard usually needed Paul's help with tricky cases.
Producer: Martyn C Webster.
First broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in 1965.
SAT 02:30 Lord of Misrule (m001k78c)
5. The Conjurer's Song
Cwmystwyth, 1752:
Seven years have passed since Gruffydd abducted Madlen from her wedding and an indignant Hywel Bevan walked out on Rhiannon.
Starring Philip Madoc and Meg Wynn Owen.
Hot-blooded historical serial written by Gareth Jones.
Gruffydd .... Philip Madoc
lolo .... Ioan Meredith
Sir John Ffowlke .... Peter Halliday
Madlen .... Meg Wynn Owen
Rhiannon Bevan .... Lisabeth Miles
Mihangel .... Gareth Snook
Rachel .... Donna Edwards
Hannah .... Adrian T Furse
Old Thomas .... Dillwyn Owen
Joshua .... David Charles
Lissi .... Gillian Elisa Thomas
Gwilym Brewer .... Dorien Thomas
Horseman .... Graham Blockey
Directed at BBC Wales by Adrian Mourby.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 1986.
SAT 03:00 Sweet Sorrow by David Nicholls (m0006n10)
5. Incentive
Full Fathom Five Theatre Company will be stuck if Charlie doesn't return to rehearsals - and he does have an incentive to do so.
David Nicholls engaging story of young lovers, Emma and Dexter.
When Charlie Lewis meets Fran Fisher in the summer of 1996, he is at something of a loose end. School is out and so is the sun, but his future is not looking bright. He has been hit hard by his parents' split and is not happy about the role assigned to him by his mother - keeping an eye on his depressed and bankrupt father.
Failure hangs in the air - not just the closure of his father's record shop but also Charlie's inability to complete most of his GCSE exams. But then Fran Fisher almost literally stumbles across him and a whole new world opens up.
Abridged by Isobel Creed and Jill Waters
Producer: Jill Waters
A Waters Company production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in July 2019.
SAT 03:15 A Woman on the Edge of Time by Jeremy Gavron (m0005tp6)
5. Before Her Time
Four decades on, Jeremy Gavron is battling to piece together why his mother Hannah - a bright, pioneering young sociologist - took her own life back in 1965.
Now Jeremy talks to fellow sociologists about the frustrations of his mother's academic career.
Conclusion of Jeremy Gavron's book starring Dominic Mafham.
Dramatised by Sarah Daniels.
Jeremy Gavron ...... Dominic Mafham
Judy Gavron ...... Helen Clapp
Older Leah ...... Debbie Korley
Hannah ...... Sarah Ovens
Ann ...... Elaine Claxton
Bernice ...... Georgie Glen
Aunt Susie ...... Susan Jameson
Director: Emma Harding
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in June 2019.
SAT 03:30 The Wilsons Save the World (m0003cnp)
Series 2
Live Forever
Spurred on by the notoriously anti-environment neighbour ‘BMW Paul’ and his apparent saintly U-turn on plastics and waste, Mike lays down a no-plastic challenge to the family which is taken up with competitive relish.
Meanwhile Max’s Mum Pauline pays another visit and dishes out a heap of straight-talking common sense in her own inimitable way.
It turns out that the purpose of her visit is to drop another bombshell which sends Max reeling and forces her to confront a number of difficult issues head on.
Sitcom about trying to live ethically and do the right thing.
Written by Marcus Brigstocke and Sarah Morgan.
Mike…Marcus Brigstocke
Max…Kerry Godliman
Cat..Mia Jenkins
Lola…India Brown
Pauline...Liza Tarbuck
BMW Paul…Mike Wozniak
Producer: Julia McKenzie
A BBC Studios production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in March 2019.
SAT 04:00 Steptoe and Son (b007jl5j)
Series 1
The Offer
After a row with his father Albert, Harold decides to leave their rag and bone business and take up another offer of employment.
Starring Wilfrid Brambell as Albert and Harry H Corbett as Harold.
Following the conclusion of their hugely successful association with Tony Hancock, Ray Galton and Alan Simpson wrote 10 pilots for BBC TV's Comedy Playhouse in 1962.
The Offer was set in a house with a yard full of junk, featuring the lives of rag and bone men Albert Steptoe and his son Harold and it was the spark for a run of 8 series for TV.
Adapted for BBC radio from Galton and Simpson's TV script by Gale Pedrick.
Produced by Bobby Jaye
First broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in July 1966.
SAT 04:30 Babblewick Hall (b01n6zrr)
Series 1
Episode 3
After a sermon from Parson Flinch on the dangers of worldly lusts, Fenton Babblewick finds himself smitten by the exquisite charms of Miss Lucinda Bluntstone.
However, before any progress can be made Fenton must satisfy the terms and conditions of Lucinda's formidable mother which includes strict stipulations concerning the long-suffering Augustus Snipe - will this prove the end of an enduring master/servant relationship?
Starring Nicholas Le Prevost as Fenton Babblewick and Forbes Masson as Augustus Snipe.
Scott Cherry’s six-part sitcom set in the 18th-century.
Fenton Babblewick ...... Nick Le Prevost
Augustus Snipe ...... Forbes Masson
Barney ...... David Antrobus
Jack ...... Sam Kelly
Molly ...... Gillian Bevan
Flinch ...... Maurice Denham
Mrs Bluntstone ...... Liz Spriggs
Lucinda ...... Tracie Bennett
Smellie ...... David Timson
Hartson ...... Geoffrey Whitehead
Music by Paul Mottram.
Producer: Paul Schlesinger
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 1996.
SAT 05:00 Act Your Age (b00qplyn)
Series 2
Episode 5
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, Ed Byrne and Johnnie Casson are joined by Tom Wrigglesworth, John Bishop and Tom O'Connor.
Producers: Ashley Blaker and Bill Matthews.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 2010.
SAT 05:30 Trevor's World of Sport (b00n490f)
Series 3
Episode 1
The sports agent ends up in court as a witness and tries very hard not to lie. Stars Neil Pearson.
Andy Hamilton's comedy about an honourable sports agent in a dishonourable world.
Trevor …. Neil Pearson
Meryl.........Claire Skinner
Sammy …. Paul Reynolds
Ralph …. Michael Fenton Stevens
Theresa …. Rosalind Ayres
Heidrun …. Cosima Shaw
Barry …. Abdul Salis
Mr Harcourt ...... Robert Duncan
Brock ...... Geoffrey Whitehead.
Written and produced by Andy Hamilton
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 2007.
SAT 06:00 Detective Inspector Crust - The Bell (m001kgg7)
Detective Inspector Crust is on the trail of one of the bridge bells saved during the sinking of the steamship, Titanic
It's a rare collector's item and is set to be part of Elizabeth Bright's dowry.
But Tarrant, a psychotic criminal, is also determined to lay his hands on it...
Starring James Ellis.
Vincent Mclnerney's Liverpudlian comedy thriller.
DI Crust .... James Ellis
Elizabeth .... Teresa Gallagher
Tarrant .... Eric Allan
Father Kennedy .... Peter Caffrey
Minty .... Bill Monks
Mrs Moran .... June Barrie
Dicky Bird .... William Eedle
Eileen .... Sue Jenkins
Gringod .... Gerry Hinks
Mitzi .... Melinda Walker
Jim Rawson .... Sion Probert
George .... Derek Hicks
Director: Shaun MacLoughlin
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 1993
SAT 07:30 Picnic Comma Lightning (Omnibus) (b0076rtx)
An innovative examination of the nature of reality in the 21st century by award-winning author Laurence Scott - part personal memoir, part philosophical exploration. Read by Stephen Mangan.
When he was in his early thirties, Laurence Scott’s parents died soon after one another, and he found his whole world altered beyond recognition. He says, “Death runs like radioactive iodine through your sense of reality, allowing this reality to be looked at in high contrast, its structures glowing. It has a way of making things very true, but also, somehow, less real.”
As he begins to navigate this new reality, he realises that in politics and public life, the nature of reality – what is true and what is fake – has become an urgent issue. Questions of how we experience the real world, how we access its truths, have become mainstream concerns. Today, in an age of online personas, alternative truths, constant surveillance and an increasingly hysterical news cycle, our realities are becoming more flimsy and more vulnerable than ever before.
Laurence Scott is a writer, broadcaster, academic and a Senior Lecturer in English and Creative Writing at Arcadia in London. He is author of The Four-Dimensional Human: Ways of Being in the Digital World, which was shortlisted for the 2015 Samuel Johnson Prize, won the Royal Society of Literature Jerwood Prize, and was named the Sunday Times Thought Book of the Year. In 2011 he was named one of ten New Generation Thinkers by the Arts and Humanities Research Council and the BBC.
Omnibus of five parts read by Stephen Mangan.
Adapted by Elizabeth Burke.
Produced by Alexandra Quinn.
A Loftus production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in July 2017.
SAT 08:45 Ernest Fontwell Versus The Experts (m000749h)
The Medical Experts
Frank Thornton ponders on how to beat the medical experts at their own game.
Written by Lawrie Wyman.
Starring Frank Thornton as Ernest Fontwell.
With Patsy Rowlands, David Tate and John Baddeley
Producer: Geoffrey Perkins
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 1979.
SAT 09:00 We're in Business (b007jydd)
Dudley and Harry's Reunion
With Dudley behind bars, surely Harry's safe from his crooked scheming?
Stars Peter Jones and Harry Worth.
Peter Jones is small-time businessman, Dudley Grosvenor who's always out to make a fast buck - usually at the expense of his side-kick, Harry Worth.
Written by Marty Feldman, Barry Took and Peter Jones.
Dudley ....... Peter Jones
Harry ....... Harry Worth
Miss Boot ....... Irene Handl
With Dick Emery and Frederick Treves.
A selection of surviving episodes from two series broadcast between 1959-1960.
Producer: Charles Maxwell.
First broadcast on the BBC Home Service in February 1960.
SAT 09:30 Whack-O! (b061vkh6)
Potter Takes Over
Sacked over a poetry prize gaff, Professor Jimmy Edwards works hard to get his job back at Chiselbury School.
Matron............. June Whitfield
Mr Potter......... Roddy Maude-Roxby
Lumley...............Roger Shepherd
Taplow...............David Lott
With Graham Aza and John Mitchell.
Starting life on BBC TV before transferring to radio, Chiselbury School is run "for the sons of gentlefolk".
Headmaster, Professor James Edwards, M.A. never misses a trick when it comes to exploiting the students and their parents. Sports pitches are given over to growing vegetables, which the boys nurture for their head to sell. Classes never exceed 95 pupils - 50 if private tuition is paid for at five guineas extra. It's only thanks to the efforts of the devoted deputy head, Mr Pettigrew, that the school exists at all.
Written by Frank Muir and Denis Norden and adapted for radio by David Climie
Producer: Edward Taylor
First broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in July 1961.
SAT 10:00 Steve Penk's Radio Nightmares (m000hfzq)
1. Can I Take That Again?
Broadcaster Steve Penk digs out some of the funniest clips of live radio mistakes.
Plus, exclusive access to his own collection of audio material from around the world.
Radio bloopers have been around for as long as radio itself. They’re mainly endearing and add a humanising element to the radio and to the presenters on it.
A blooper is defined as an embarrassing public blunder, but as long as it's someone else's mistake, most of us are quite capable of getting past the embarrassment to enjoy the humour. The immediacy of live-to-air radio is part of its strength, but also very exposing. If there's a slip of the tongue, it's broadcast into the ether moments later, especially in the early days of broadcast radio when almost everything was done live on the air.
There have been some celebrated 'bloopers' over the years - from 'colourful' language, to laughing fits, technical glitches to amusing mispronunciations.
Includes an episode of Jonathan Hewat’s ‘Can I Take That Again’.
Producer: Stephen Garner
Made for BBC Radio 4 Extra and first broadcast in November 2018.
SAT 11:00 Detective Inspector Crust - The Bell (m001kgg7)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
SAT 12:30 Picnic Comma Lightning (Omnibus) (b0076rtx)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
SAT 13:45 Ernest Fontwell Versus The Experts (m000749h)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:45 today]
SAT 14:00 We're in Business (b007jydd)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
SAT 14:30 Whack-O! (b061vkh6)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 today]
SAT 15:00 Steve Penk's Radio Nightmares (m000hfzq)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 today]
SAT 16:00 Doctor Who (m001k78p)
[Repeat of broadcast at 00:00 today]
SAT 16:35 HG Wells (m001k78w)
[Repeat of broadcast at 00:35 today]
SAT 17:00 Detective Inspector Crust - The Bell (m001kgg7)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
SAT 18:30 Picnic Comma Lightning (Omnibus) (b0076rtx)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
SAT 19:45 Ernest Fontwell Versus The Experts (m000749h)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:45 today]
SAT 20:00 We're in Business (b007jydd)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
SAT 20:30 Whack-O! (b061vkh6)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 today]
SAT 21:00 Steve Penk's Radio Nightmares (m000hfzq)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 today]
SAT 22:00 John Finnemore's Souvenir Programme (b039q252)
Series 3
Episode 2
John Finnemore with another sketch-packed show.
This episode addresses making new friends; the problem with polymath bestselling authors; and a brief history of choice. And the show as a whole is... slightly off.
Written by and starring John Finnemore.
With:
Margaret Cabourn-Smith
Carrie Quinlan
Lawry Lewin
Simon Kane
Producer: Ed Morrish
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 2013.
SAT 22:30 I, Regress (b01rr6cg)
Series 2
Cats
Matt Berry plays a a corrupt and bizarre regression therapist in this dark, Lynch-meets-Kaufman-style comedy.
Unsuspecting clients are taken 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 phobia. 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.
With:
Steve Pemberton
Daisy Haggard
Sally Okafor
A compelling late night listen: tune in and occupy someone else's head!
Producer: Sam Bryant
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 2013.
SAT 22:45 The In Crowd (b008g2dl)
Series 1
Episode 6
Sketch show from Manchester's Comedy Store with Robin Ince, Helen Moon, Smug Roberts and Kate Ward.
A couple air their grievances to the Marriage Guidance Counsellor - including killing Auntie Beryl and Claustrophics Anonymous have moved to smaller premises.
Additional material by Carl Cooper, Susan Vale, Stan Vernon, Lavinia Murray, Robin Ince, Sandy Gort, Alex Boardman, Howard Reed.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 2001.
SAT 23:00 Nick Revell: BrokenDreamCatcher (b0bh5yb1)
Series 1
The Treasure of the Illuminati Leprechauns
Some sinister goings-on at The Vatican can all be safely explained.
A series of contemporary comic tales that could almost be true. Anything can happen when this master storyteller combines comedy with magical realism – and it probably will.
Written and performed by Nick Revell
Produced by Steve Doherty
A Giddy Goat production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in September 2018.
SAT 23:30 Will Smith's Midlife Crisis Management (b00glnb3)
Episode 5
Comedy series in which comedian Will Smith seeks help and advice - primarily from his godfather Peter - on coping with the onset of middle age.
To help Will become less cautious, Peter asks rock singer Alex to advise him. Will surprises Alex by revealing that he was once in a band himself.
Will ...... Will Smith
Peter ...... Roger Allam
Alex ...... Dan Tetsell
Dan ...... Roger Drew
Stripper ...... Manjeet Mann
Stag ...... Paul Rider
Producer: Tilusha Ghelani
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 2009.

SUNDAY 26 MARCH 2023

SUN 00:00 Doctor Who (m001kggn)
The War Doctor
12. The Enigma Dimension - Part 2/2
Leela is within the Enigma.
The Time Lord ponders whether it’s a force for good or evil.
Has it helped to eradicate the Time Lords from history, replacing them with a Dalek timeline on Gallifrey?
John Hurt stars as The War Doctor.
Written by Nicholas Briggs.:
The War Doctor .... John Hurt
Cardinal Ollistra .... Jacqueline Pearce
Leela …. Louise Jameson
Castellan Kanteer …. Alan David
Dalek Time Strategist/The Daleks .... Nicholas Briggs
Other parts played by members of the cast.
Original music written by Howard Carter.
Directed by Nicholas Briggs.
A Big Finish production.
SUN 00:35 The Clocks Go Forward Tonight (b05nk5qq)
Stephen Fry takes a look at why we move the time by an hour twice a year.
Nearly a century after daylight saving time was first introduced we discover that a version of it was actually designed in the 1700s. Stephen considers how daylight saving time would not exist if we hadn't been able to make clocks that could mark the time accurately and how it took thousands of years to reach that point. Then in the early 20th century an Edwardian property developer came up with the format that we use today.
By looking at how time measurement has evolved we learn about the history of daylight saving which has some unusual and quirky moments. We also learn something about ourselves and how the clock now dictates our lives rather than in the past when we simply lived by the sun's light.
Nearly a century after it was first used today nearly a billion people in seventy countries go through the twice yearly ritual of adjusting their clocks to shift the sunlight hours to a more convenient time. But are we making time, or killing time?
Produced by Chris Howells.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 2015.
SUN 02:00 Detective Inspector Crust - The Bell (m001kgg7)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 on Saturday]
SUN 03:30 Picnic Comma Lightning (Omnibus) (b0076rtx)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 on Saturday]
SUN 04:45 Ernest Fontwell Versus The Experts (m000749h)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:45 on Saturday]
SUN 05:00 We're in Business (b007jydd)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 on Saturday]
SUN 05:30 Whack-O! (b061vkh6)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 on Saturday]
SUN 06:00 Poetry Extra (m001kgjc)
Alphabet
Poet Daljit Nagra revisits the BBC's poetry archive and selects Alphabet - a poem by Inger Christensen. Ailbhe Darcy delves into the poem and explores what it means to her.
It was published in 1981, by the Danish poet. Written during the cold war, it's an account of living an ordinary life under the threat of nuclear devastation. The destructive force hanging over the poem is the atomic bomb, but the theme of ecological crisis is resonant today (and something Ailbhe explored in her own poem ‘Alphabet’, written in homage to Christensen, and published in her book 'Insistence').
Ailbhe looks at the remarkable form of Christensen's 'alphabet' - a kind of exploding poem which is organised both in alphabetical order and also according to the Fibonacci Series - and how that structure allowed both Christensen and Darcy to write at a time of crisis.
She talks to translator Susanna Nied and the poets Marie Silkeberg, Joyelle McSweeney and Johannes Goransson about whether 'alphabet' weaves a spell of protection for all the things the poet loved, or catalogues them before they pass out of existence.
Together they reveal a poem which through spirals and counter-spirals encapsulates both the beauty of the natural world and the potential for its extinction.
Produced by Megan Jones for BBC Cymru Wales
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2020.
SUN 06:30 Sweet Sorrow by David Nicholls (Omnibus) (m0006sxh)
Episode 1
Charlie Lewis looks back on the summer after he left school. Those weeks of blazing sunshine remain as vivid as his memories of Fran Fisher.
A decade after the publication of his bestselling novel, One Day, David Nicholls has again created a triumphantly engaging pair of young lovers.
When Charlie Lewis meets Fran Fisher in the summer of 1996, he is at something of a loose end. School is out and so is the sun, but his future is not looking bright. He has been hit hard by his parents' split and is not happy about the role assigned to him by his mother - keeping an eye on his depressed and bankrupt father.
Failure hangs in the air - not just the closure of his father's record shop but also Charlie's inability to complete most of his GCSE exams. But then Fran Fisher almost literally stumbles across him and a whole new world opens up.
David Nicholls' last novel, Us, was longlisted for the Man Booker Prize for Fiction 2014. Earlier this year, he won a BAFTA for Patrick Melrose, his television adaptation of the novels by Edward St Aubyn.
In Sweet Sorrow he gives us a pitch-perfect portrayal of the anguish and joys of adolescence brilliantly laced with wit and compassionate humour.
James Norton, familiar from his roles in McMafia and War and Peace as well as the psychopathic villain in Happy Valley, reads his first book for BBC Radio.
Omnibus of the first five of ten parts abridged by Isobel Creed and Jill Waters.
Produced by Jill Waters.
A Waters Company production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in July 2019.
SUN 07:40 Inheritance Tracks (m001kgjm)
George Takei
Actor George Takei – Star Trek’s Sulu - chooses ‘Mona Lisa’ by Nat King Cole and ‘Don't Fence Me In' by Gene Autry.
SUN 07:50 A Woman on the Edge of Time (Omnibus) (m00061qp)
In 1965, Hannah Gavron – a 29 year old, bright, sophisticated sociologist – gassed herself in a flat in Primrose Hill, north London. She left behind a suicide note, two small children, and an about-to-be-published manuscript: The Captive Wife.
Four decades later, her son Jeremy tries to piece together the events that led to her death.
Omnibus of Jeremy Gavron's book is dramatised by Sarah Daniels starring Dominic Mafham, Helen Clapp and James Bolam.
Jeremy Gavron ...... Dominic Mafham
Judy Gavron ...... Helen Clapp
Young Leah ...... Amy-Jayne Leigh
Young Mima ...... Megan Webb
Bob ...... Sean Baker
Simon ...... Christopher Harper
Nurse ...... Debbie Korley
Hannah ...... Sarah Ovens
Aunt Susie ...... Susan Jameson
Tasha ...... Elaine Claxton
Shirley ...... Catherine Cusack
Susan ...... Georgie Glen
Tom ...... James Bolam
Friend ...... David Hounslow
Director: Emma Harding
First broadcast in five parts on BBC Radio 4 in 2019.
SUN 09:00 Harry Worth (b09mwfjb)
Things Could Be Worse
An Englishman's Home
Harry and his neighbours take on the council when a new bypass threatens their homes.
Written by David McKellar and David Renwick.
Starring Harry Worth.
With John Baddeley, John Graham and Miriam Margolyes.
Producer: Simon Brett.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 1976.
SUN 09:30 Something to Shout About (m0004xwb)
Series 2
Episode 19
A turnip for the books when the agency is asked to help shift 500 tons of root vegetables.
"A light-hearted exposé of the advertising world!". Set in a London ad agency called 'Apsley, Addis, Cohen, Barbican, Blythe, Giddy & Partners'.
Starring Michael Medwin as Michael, Fenella Fielding as Janet, Joan Sims as Mavis, Eleanor Summerfield as Maggie and Nicholas Phipps as Adrian. Other parts by Warren Mitchell.
Series two (of three) written by Myles Rudge with Ronnie Wolfe.
Producer: Eric Miller
First broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in May 1961.
SUN 10:00 Desert Island Discs Revisited (b0132007)
Longplay
Betty Driver
Coronation Street actress Betty Driver reveals her castaway choices with Kirsty Young.
In a specially extended edition for BBC Radio 4 Extra, Betty shares her life story and explains hers musical, book and luxury choices.
For more than 40 years she pulled pints and dished up her hot-pot in the Rovers Return. But her career in showbusiness started decades before she took up residence on Britain's most famous street.
Betty was a child when her mother put her on the stage and she toured the country with an act that showcased her stunning singing voice - it brought success but not happiness. "I did it for over twenty years," she says, "and hated every day of it." Although she has been working now for an incredible 80 years, she says: "I just love work and I will never retire. They'll have to shoot me to get rid of me!"
DISC ONE: I'll Take Romance - Betty Driver
DISC TWO: Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1 in B Flat Minor - Stephen Hough with the Minnesota Orchestra
DISC THREE: Night and Day - Ella Fitzgerald
DISC FOUR: Johann Strauss II’s Thunder and Lightning Polka -Sir Harry Mortimer with the G.U.S. (Footwear) Band
DISC FIVE: Black and White Rag - Winifred Atwell
DISC SIX: Tchaikovsky’s Overture to Swan Lake - Leonard Slatkin conducting the St Louis Symphony Orchestra
DISC SEVEN: Skylark - Hoagy Carmichael
DISC EIGHT: Johannes Brahms’s The Adagio from the Cello Sonata No.2 in F Major - Steven Isserlis
BOOK CHOICE: Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
LUXURY CHOICE: Eau de Soir perfume by Sisley
CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1 in B Flat Minor - Stephen Hough with the Minnesota Orchestra
Desert Island Discs was created by Roy Plomley.
Producer: Leanne Buckle
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 Extra in January 2011.
SUN 11:00 Poetry Extra (m001kgjc)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
SUN 11:30 Sweet Sorrow by David Nicholls (Omnibus) (m0006sxh)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
SUN 12:40 Inheritance Tracks (m001kgjm)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:40 today]
SUN 12:50 A Woman on the Edge of Time (Omnibus) (m00061qp)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:50 today]
SUN 14:00 Harry Worth (b09mwfjb)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
SUN 14:30 Something to Shout About (m0004xwb)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 today]
SUN 15:00 Desert Island Discs Revisited (b0132007)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 today]
SUN 16:00 Doctor Who (m001kggn)
[Repeat of broadcast at 00:00 today]
SUN 16:35 HG Wells (b007jwdh)
The Sea Raiders
After a suspicious-looking object is washed in by the tide, flesh-eating monsters from the deep are soon terrorising residents along the Devon coastline.
HG Wells's thrilling adventure story was first published in 1896.
Read by Robert Bathurst.
English author and political philosopher, HG Wells (1866-1946) is recognised as one of science-fiction's founding-fathers, producing more than 80 books.
George Orwell believed that 'the minds of all of us, and therefore the physical world, would be perceptibly different if Wells never existed.'
Producer: Gemma Jenkins
Made for BBC 7 and first broadcast in 2006.
SUN 17:00 Poetry Extra (m001kgjc)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
SUN 17:30 Sweet Sorrow by David Nicholls (Omnibus) (m0006sxh)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
SUN 18:40 Inheritance Tracks (m001kgjm)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:40 today]
SUN 18:50 A Woman on the Edge of Time (Omnibus) (m00061qp)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:50 today]
SUN 20:00 Harry Worth (b09mwfjb)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
SUN 20:30 Something to Shout About (m0004xwb)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 today]
SUN 21:00 Desert Island Discs Revisited (b0132007)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 today]
SUN 22:00 The Hudson and Pepperdine Show (b0076254)
Series 2
Episode 2
The duo get some help from war veteran and stand-up comedian Edie Trinder, who valiantly steps in when Mel loses her voice. Plus more from the Gory Nuns and the Goatee Beard Men's Group.
Special guest stars are rapper, Eminem and opera diva, Lesley Garrett.
Variety meets sitcom meets sketch show - written and performed by Mel Hudson and Vicki Pepperdine.
With:
Dave Lamb
Martin Hyder
Jim North.
Additional material by Martin Hyder and Jim North.
Script editor: Graeme Garden
Music by Richard Webb.
Producers: Helen Williams and Claire Jones.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 2001.
SUN 22:30 Isy Suttie's Love Letters (b01rszvq)
Series 1
Claire and Leigh
Isy Suttie (Dobby from Channel 4's Peep Show and double British Comedy Award nominee) returns to BBC Radio 4 with these unique tales, recounting a series of love stories affecting people she's known throughout her life, told partly through song.
Sometimes Isy has merely observed other people's love lives; quite often she's intervened, changing the action dramatically - for better or worse. Intertwined within these stories are related real life anecdotes from Isy's own, often disastrous, love life.
In this third episode, Isy looks for signs as to whether her relationship with a poet can survive despite semantic differences, while she lends a helping hand to Matlock's new chef Claire and her Elvis impersonator admirer Leigh.
With her multi-character and vocal skills, plus her guitar, Isy creates a hilarious and deeply moving world, sharing with us her lessons in life and love.
Produced by Lianne Coop.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 2013.
SUN 23:00 Life With Lederer (m001kgkh)
Series 2
The Party
Helen, in nervous anticipation, preps for a dinner party. But the diners are ringing to check who's on the guest list. And Olivia, the inappropriately dressed single introvert, arrives early.
The second series, written by Helen Lederer.
With:
Victoria Finney
Christopher Campbell
Malcolm Raeburn
Produced at BBC Manchester by Paul Z Jackson.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 1991.
SUN 23:15 The Kneebone Bonanza (b01rgm9n)
Episode 4
The Kneebones are in serious financial trouble.
The bailiffs are back and there are cracks appearing in the walls of house.
Scrap dealer Jed Kneebone has died, leaving his children Slick, Dwight and Maddy in serious debt. Maddy reluctantly runs the yard, Slick tries to find work and Dwight does dodgy deals.
Carl Grose's wildly inventive Cornish comedy about family, death, love and hope.
Maddy ..... Alex Tregear
Dwight/Duke ..... Ed Gaughan
Slick ..... Michael Shelford
Director: Claire Grove
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 2013.
SUN 23:30 Rigor Mortis (b007m331)
Series 1
Episode 6
The pathologists are invited to assist the celebrated Dutch anatomist, Professor Raymond van den Hoogenband, in the first ever 'live' radio autopsy.
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
Prof Van den Hoogenband ...... Chris Pavlo
Music by Paul Mottram and Stephanie Benavente.
Producer: Dawn Ellis
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 2003.

MONDAY 27 MARCH 2023

MON 00:00 Poetry Extra (m001kgjc)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 on Sunday]
MON 00:30 Sweet Sorrow by David Nicholls (Omnibus) (m0006sxh)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 on Sunday]
MON 01:40 Inheritance Tracks (m001kgjm)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:40 on Sunday]
MON 01:50 A Woman on the Edge of Time (Omnibus) (m00061qp)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:50 on Sunday]
MON 03:00 Harry Worth (b09mwfjb)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 on Sunday]
MON 03:30 Something to Shout About (m0004xwb)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 on Sunday]
MON 04:00 Desert Island Discs Revisited (b0132007)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 on Sunday]
MON 05:00 JB Priestley - The Good Companions (b007jlnk)
1. Marooned
The Dinky Doos concert party is marooned in a station cafe in the Midlands, their manager having run off with the pianist and all their money.
Enter carpenter Jess Oakroyd, schoolteacher-cum-pianist Inigo Jollifant and Miss Elizabeth Trant with her newly acquired financial independence.
Written by JB Priestley
Dramatised in three parts by Eric Pringle.
Susie Dean .... Helen Longworth
Jess Oakroyd .... Philip Jackson
Elizabeth Trant .... Jemma Churchill
Inigo Jollifant .... Nicholas Boulton
Mrs Oakroyd .... Mia Soteriou
Morton Mitcham .... Gerard McDermott
Leonard Oakroyd .... Carl Prekopp
Mr Medworth .... Ian Masters
Mrs Tarvin .... Paula Jacobs
Music composed by Mia Soteriou
Director Claire Grove
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2002.
MON 06:00 Paul Temple (m0002104)
Paul Temple and the Geneva Mystery
A Surprise For Mrs Milbourne
After the Geneva revelations, the suave sleuth heads to St Moritz, where danger lurks in the snow.
Francis Durbridge's thriller stars Peter Coke as Paul Temple and Marjorie Westbury as Steve in another intriguing case for BBC radio's smoothest investigator and his glamorous wife.
With Patrick Barr as Maurice Lonsdale, Isabel Dean as Margaret Milbourne, Gordon Faith as Hans Schmidt, Peter Bartlett as the Waiter, Gordon Gardner as the Driver, Antony Viccars as the Doctor, Nigel Graham as Danny Clayton, Simon Lack as Vince Langham, Michael McLain as the Man on the Phone, Noel Howlett as Walter Neider, Malcolm Terris as Kroner and Bruce Beeby as Ferdy.
From 1938 to 1969 the fictional crime novelist and detective Paul Temple, together with his Fleet Street journalist Steve, solved case after case in one of BBC radio's most popular series. They inhabited a sophisticated world of chilled cocktails and fast cars, where the women were chic and the men wore cravats - a world where Scotland Yard usually needed Paul's help with tricky cases.
Producer: Martin C. Webster.
First broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in 1965.
MON 06:30 Lord of Misrule (m001kgmp)
6. The Conjurer's Gamble
Gruffydd has failed to sell the villagers' herd at the Autumn Drove, but Iolo has volunteered to take his cattle to England alone.
Angry drovers have attacked the boy and scattered his herd.
Starring Philip Madoc and Ioan Meredith.
Hot-blooded historical serial written by Gareth Jones.
Gruffydd .... Philip Madoc
lolo .... Ioan Meredith
Sir John Ffowlke .... Peter Halliday
Madlen .... Meg Wynn Owen
Mari .... Beth Morris
Rhiannon Bevan .... Lisabeth Miles
Mihangel .... Gareth Snook
Talbot .... Graham Blockey
Horseman .... Dorien Thomas
Tollgate Keeper .... David Charles
Landlord .... Dillwyn Owen
Landlord's Daughter .... Gillian Elisa Thomas
Directed at BBC Wales by Adrian Mourby.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in March 1986.
MON 07:00 Sweet Sorrow by David Nicholls (m0006sgg)
6. Business
While Charlie works a shift at the petrol station, his accomplice Harper arrives to do some business.
David Nicholls engaging story of young lovers, Emma and Dexter.
When Charlie Lewis meets Fran Fisher in the summer of 1996, he is at something of a loose end. School is out and so is the sun, but his future is not looking bright. He has been hit hard by his parents' split and is not happy about the role assigned to him by his mother - keeping an eye on his depressed and bankrupt father.
Failure hangs in the air - not just the closure of his father's record shop but also Charlie's inability to complete most of his GCSE exams. But then Fran Fisher almost literally stumbles across him and a whole new world opens up.
Abridged in ten parts by Isobel Creed and Jill Waters
Producer: Jill Waters
A Waters Company production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in July 2019.
MON 07:15 Flying Visits (m00075hw)
1. Leonardo is not on the horizon
Hayleigh is a resourceful and conscientious care-worker pushed to the limits by a system that still relies on 15 minute homecare visits.
It's not just Mr Ellison's ceiling that is in danger of collapsing.
Hayleigh ...... Claire Rushbrook
Mr Ellison ...... Karl Johnson
Mel ...... Debbie Korley
Chloe ...... Emily Meechan
Councillor ...... Paul Hickey
Written by Charlotte Bogard Macleod.
Directed by David Hunter.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 2019.
MON 07:30 Lobby Land (m00076vg)
Series 2
Brecon Bad
Sam heads to Wales to cover the fallout from the Brecon and Radnorshire by-election, giving Mia the worst birthday of her life.
Starring Yasmine Akram, Charlie Higson, Cariad Lloyd, Dan Tetsell and Daniel Lawrence Taylor.
Written by Jon Harvey, Christopher Davies and Sarah Dempster
Produced by Jon Harvey
A Naked production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in August 2019.
MON 08:00 Round the Horne (b00spqnx)
Series 4
Episode 4
A funny turn round the table with 'The Knights of Camelot' and a bona peek in Kenneth Horne's wardrobe, courtesy of Julian and Sandy.
With Kenneth Williams, Hugh Paddick and Betty Marsden.
Recorded at the BBC's Paris Studio in Lower Regent Street, London. Announcer: Douglas Smith
Round The Horne was born out of the demise of BBC radio comedy Beyond Our Ken, after the end of writer Eric Merriman's involvement. Using the same cast and producer, Barry Took and Marty Feldman were persuaded to write the scripts - which led to four series that ran between 1965 and 1968 - packed full of parodies, recurring characters, catchphrases and double-entendres.
Marty Feldman had moved on so series 4 is written by Barry Took with Brian Cooke & Johnnie Mortimer and Donald Webster.
Music by the Max Harris Group.
Producer: John Simmonds
First broadcast on the BBC Radio 2 in March 1968.
MON 08:30 Legal, Decent, Honest and Truthful (b007jvv7)
Series 2
Episode 2
Three Deborahs, one stingy bank and an impending divorce perplex ad man Ken Handley.
Martin Jarvis stars in Guy Jenkin and Jon Canter’s satire set in the competitive world of advertising
Ken Handley ...... Martin Jarvis
Sandy ...... Christopher Godwin
Freddie ...... Lockwood West
Deborah ...... Rosalind Ayres
Ambrose ...... Paul Jesson
Stella ...... Imelda Staunton
Stella's Heavy ...... Jim Carter
Angus ...... Michael Jenner
Researcher ...... Stacey Tendeter
Subjects ...... David Peart/Michael Jenner
Mr Cheater ...... James Griffiths
With Joss Ackland, James Griffiths, Miriam Margolyes, John Shrapnel and David Tate.
Producer: Pete Atkin
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 1984.
MON 09:00 All the Way from Memphis (b00mdyl9)
Series 2
Episode 4
James Walton and the music quiz for all the young, and not so young, dudes.
Team captains Tracey MacLeod and Andrew Collins are joined by Dave Gorman and Mary Anne Hobbs to be put through their musical paces.
Reader: Beth Chalmers
Written and researched by James Walton
Producer: Dawn Ellis
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2006.
MON 09:30 Ring Around the Bath (b00nwsh4)
Series 1
Pregnancy
A baby scare sparks family chaos.
Who is expecting? And where will the youngster sleep?
Lucy Clare and Ian Davidson's sitcom about a rather topsy turvy household.
Starring Duncan Preston and Penny Downie.
Patrick ...... Duncan Preston
Stella ...... Penny Downie
Alison ...... Claudie Blakely
Rick ...... Bruce McKinnon
Egg ...... Daniela Denby-Ashe
Xanthe ...... Catherine Shepherd
Customer ...... Andrew Westfield
Producer: Elizabeth Freestone
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 2003.
MON 10:00 JB Priestley - The Good Companions (b007jlnk)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:00 today]
MON 11:00 Paul Temple (m0002104)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
MON 11:30 Lord of Misrule (m001kgmp)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
MON 12:00 Sweet Sorrow by David Nicholls (m0006sgg)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
MON 12:15 Flying Visits (m00075hw)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:15 today]
MON 12:30 Lobby Land (m00076vg)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
MON 13:00 Round the Horne (b00spqnx)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
MON 13:30 Legal, Decent, Honest and Truthful (b007jvv7)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
MON 14:00 All the Way from Memphis (b00mdyl9)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
MON 14:30 Ring Around the Bath (b00nwsh4)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 today]
MON 15:00 JB Priestley - The Good Companions (b007jlnk)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:00 today]
MON 16:00 Paul Temple (m0002104)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
MON 16:30 Lord of Misrule (m001kgmp)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
MON 17:00 Sweet Sorrow by David Nicholls (m0006sgg)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
MON 17:15 Flying Visits (m00075hw)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:15 today]
MON 17:30 Lobby Land (m00076vg)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
MON 18:00 Round the Horne (b00spqnx)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
MON 18:30 Legal, Decent, Honest and Truthful (b007jvv7)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
MON 19:00 All the Way from Memphis (b00mdyl9)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
MON 19:30 Ring Around the Bath (b00nwsh4)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 today]
MON 20:00 The Moth Radio Hour (m0015v8h)
Series 12
Truth and Power - Global Stories of Women
True stories told live in the USA: Sarah Austin Jenness introduces stories of female strength and empowerment.
The Moth is an acclaimed not-for-profit organisation dedicated to the art and craft of storytelling based in the USA. Since 1997, it has celebrated both the raconteur and the storytelling novice, who has lived through something extraordinary and yearns to share it. Originally formed by the writer George Dawes Green as an intimate gathering of friends on a porch in Georgia (where moths would flutter in through a hole in the screen), and then recreated in a New York City living room, The Moth quickly grew to produce immensely popular events at theatres and clubs around New York City and later around the USA, the UK and other parts of the world.
The Moth has presented more than 15,000 stories, told live and without notes, to standing-room-only crowds worldwide. The Moth podcast is downloaded over 27 million times a year.
Featuring true stories told live on stage without scripts, from the humorous to the heart-breaking.
The Moth Radio Hour is produced by Jay Allison and Atlantic Public Media in Woods Hole, Massachusetts and is distributed by the Public Radio Exchange.
First heard on PRX in 2020.
MON 20:50 Inheritance Tracks (m0003tbt)
Dave Gorman
Dave Gorman with Dr Hook’s When You're in Love with a Beautiful Woman and Reasons to Be Cheerful by Ian Dury and The Blockheads.
MON 21:00 Mastertapes (b01nq1c0)
Series 1
Suzanne Vega (the A-Side)
John Wilson talks to leading performers and songwriters about the album that made them or changed them: Suzanne Vega discuss her platinum-selling Solitude Standing.
Recorded in front of a live audience at the BBC's iconic Maida Vale Studios, each edition includes two episodes - the A-side and B-side .
In this one (The A side), John asks the artist about the album in question, and then, in the B-side, the audience puts the questions. Both editions feature exclusive live performances.
She explains that it was her manager who saw the potential of "Luka" and convinced her that a song with a social message could be a hit.
She recalls how the tune for "Tom's Diner" came to her while she was walking down Broadway after having been to the real Tom's restaurant.
And she discusses the way in which images and words were part of her life from a very early age and have influenced her work.
In the accompanying programme (The B-side) it'll be the turn of the audience to ask Suzanne the questions.
Producer: Emma Kingsley
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 2012.
MON 21:30 The Ice Princess by Camilla Lackberg (b012l0k9)
1. Deathly Discovery
Swedish thriller in five-parts about dark secrets in an isolated coastal community.
Following the sudden death of her parents in a car accident, writer, Erica Falck, decides to return to her hometown of Fjallbacka - only to become caught up in the apparent suicide of her childhood friend, Alex. With her wrists cut, Alex's frozen body is found lying in an ice-cold bath.
Erica is asked to write a commemorative article by the dead woman's parents. One of her first interviews is with Alex's business partner and best-friend, Francine, who explains why she thinks Alex could never have taken her own life.
Local police detective Patrik Hedstrom is assigned to the case. During the course of the investigation, Erica and Patrik's paths overlap.
It is only when they come together and pool the information they have gathered about the enigmatic Alex and her secretive double life that the truth begins to emerge about this small town and its deeply disturbing past.
Read by Alex Tregear
Written by Camilla Lackberg
Translated by Steven T. Murray
Abridged by Alison Joseph
Produced by Gemma Jenkins
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4Extra in July 2011.
MON 22:00 The Museum of Curiosity (m001k7sj)
Series 17
Episode 5
John Lloyd and Anna Ptaszynski welcome journalist Isabel Hardman, cop turned comedian Alfie Moore and physicist Dr Jessica Wade to the museum this week for an episode full of discovery, deception, and a very frustrated bee.
The Museum’s exhibits were catalogued by Mike Turner, Mandy Fenton and Lydia Mizon of QI.
Producer: Sam Holmes & Leying Lee
Production Co-ordinator: Sarah Nicholls
Sound: David Thomas
A BBC Studios production.
MON 22:30 iGod (b00ws7md)
Ego
We all worry about the end of the world, as economists and environmentalists speak in apocalyptic terms everyday. iGOD says that trying to predict the end of the world is as pointless as moisturising an elephant's elbow.
Late-night comedy starring Simon Day (The Fast Show) and David Soul (Starsky & Hutch) and written by one of the head writers of the BAFTA award-winning The Thick Of It, Sean Gray and produced by Simon Nicholls (Ed Reardon's Week / News At Bedtime).
In each episode, an unnamed, all-seeing narrator (David Soul - Starsky and Hutch) shows us that it is stupid to be worrying, as he looks back at some of the most entertaining apocalypses on parallel Earths. Each week our case study is a normal bloke called Ian (Simon Day) who manages to accidentally initiate the apocalypse of a different parallel world through a seemingly harmless single act (telling a lie, being lazy, cooking some lambshanks). A succession of comic vignettes ensue that escalate to the end of a parallel world.
Written by Sean Gray
Producer: Simon Nicholls
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2010.
MON 22:45 Hamish and Dougal: You'll Have Had Your Tea (b007k154)
Series 2
Fame Idol
Hamish and Dougal are extremely anxious to enter Fay MacAdemy - the famous Highland talent Contest.
Barry Cryer and Graeme Garden star as the two Scotsmen famed for their appearances on BBC Radio’s I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue.
With Alison Steadman as their cleaning-lady-cum-housekeeper, Mrs Naughtie, and Jeremy Hardy as the local Laird.
Hamish ...... Barry Cryer
Dougal ...... Graeme Garden
Mrs Naughtie ...... Alison Steadman
The Laird ...... Jeremy Hardy
Producer: Jon Naismith
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 2004.
MON 23:00 The Now Show (m001k84s)
Series 62
Episode 2
Steve Punt and Hugh Dennis present the week via topical stand-up and sketches. They're joined by Ian Smith with a deep dive on the much anticipated HS2, Sarah Keyworth proving that romance isn't dead & Huge Davies gives his musical take on how different radio stations present big headlines.
The show was written by the cast with additional material from Jade Gebbie, Mike Shephard, Christina Riggs & Cody Dahler.
Voice actors: Gemma Arrowsmith & Luke Kempner
Sound: Marc Willcox & John Hemingway
Executive Producer: James Robinson & Pete Strauss
Producer: Sasha Bobak
Production Coordinator: Sarah Nicholls
A BBC Studios Production for Radio 4
MON 23:30 Masala FM (b007zjm8)
Episode 4
The station's only attracting Z-list Asian celebrities, but then a top member of 'royalty' phones in...
Six-part sitcom written by Meera Syal
Starring Sanjeev Bhaskar, Nitin Sawheny, Meera Syal and Nina Wadia.
Music by Nitin Sawhney.
Producer: Liz Anstee
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 1996.

TUESDAY 28 MARCH 2023

TUE 00:00 JB Priestley - The Good Companions (b007jlnk)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:00 on Monday]
TUE 01:00 Paul Temple (m0002104)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 on Monday]
TUE 01:30 Lord of Misrule (m001kgmp)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 on Monday]
TUE 02:00 Sweet Sorrow by David Nicholls (m0006sgg)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 on Monday]
TUE 02:15 Flying Visits (m00075hw)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:15 on Monday]
TUE 02:30 Lobby Land (m00076vg)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 on Monday]
TUE 03:00 Round the Horne (b00spqnx)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 on Monday]
TUE 03:30 Legal, Decent, Honest and Truthful (b007jvv7)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 on Monday]
TUE 04:00 All the Way from Memphis (b00mdyl9)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 on Monday]
TUE 04:30 Ring Around the Bath (b00nwsh4)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 on Monday]
TUE 05:00 JB Priestley - The Good Companions (b007jlnw)
2. Arrivals
The Dinky Doos' concert party are marooned in a station cafe in the Midlands.
Three strangers arrive out of the blue, and 'The Good Companions' is created with optimism and panache.
Written by JB Priestley
Dramatised by Eric Pringle.
Susie Dean .... Helen Longworth
Jess Oakroyd .... Philip Jackson
Elizabeth Trant .... Jemma Churchill
Inigo Jollifant .... Nicholas Boulton
Mrs Oakroyd .... Mia Soteriou
Morton Mitcham .... Gerard McDermott
Mr Medworth .... Ian Masters
Jerry Jerningham........Ben Crowe
Music composed by Mia Soteriou
Director Claire Grove
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2002.
TUE 06:00 Paul Temple (m00021fn)
Paul Temple and the Geneva Mystery
See You in London
A stabbing in the snow, a fatal fire, blackmail and hush money.
Can the suave sleuth unravel the deadly mystery?
Francis Durbridge's thriller stars Peter Coke as Paul Temple and Marjorie Westbury as Steve in another intriguing case for BBC radio's smoothest investigator and his glamorous wife.
With John Baddeley as Charlie, Wilfrid Carter as Inspector Lloyd, Patrick Barr as Maurice Lonsdale, Isabel Dean as Margaret Milbourne, Frederick Treves as Stone, Nigel Graham as Danny Clayton, Simon Lack as Vince Graham, Polly Murch as Julia Carrington, Alan Haines as the Sergeant, Bryan Colvin as Luigi, Malcom Terris as the Doctor and LeRoy Longwood as the Waiter.
From 1938 to 1969 the fictional crime novelist and detective Paul Temple, together with his Fleet Street journalist Steve, solved case after case in one of BBC radio's most popular series. They inhabited a sophisticated world of chilled cocktails and fast cars, where the women were chic and the men wore cravats - a world where Scotland Yard usually needed Paul's help with tricky cases.
Producer: Martin C. Webster.
First broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in 1965.
TUE 06:30 Lord of Misrule (m001kgx4)
7. The Conjurer Bereft
1745: During the Jacobite Rebellion Gruffydd returned to Wales hoping to reclaim his birthright.
Iolo has been rescued from the toll-gate officers by Mari only to discover that it was her husband he killed in the forest.
Under pressure to prophesy Iolo's return, Gruffydd has believed Mihangel's dream and announced his return for All Souls' Day.
Written by Gareth Jones
Gruffydd ... Philip Madoc
lolo ... Ioan Meredith
Sir John Ffowlke .... Peter Halliday
Madlen .... Meg Wynn Owen
Mari .... Beth Morris
Rhiannon .... Lisabeth Miles
Mihangel .... Gareth Snook
Talbot .... Graham Blockey
Innkeeper .... Dillwyn Owen
Ringmaster .... Dorien Thomas
Gatekeeper .... David Charles
Amaranth .... Helen Roberts
Director: Adrian Mourby
Made by BBC Wales and first broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1986.
TUE 07:00 Sweet Sorrow by David Nicholls (m0006sn3)
7. First Kiss
Looking back to the summer of his sixteenth year, Charlie Lewis remembers the precious time he spent with Fran Fisher, and their first kiss.
A decade after the publication of his bestselling novel, One Day, David Nicholls has again created a triumphantly engaging pair of young lovers.
When Charlie Lewis meets Fran Fisher in the summer of 1996, he is at something of a loose end. School is out and so is the sun, but his future is not looking bright. He has been hit hard by his parents' split and is not happy about the role assigned to him by his mother - keeping an eye on his depressed and bankrupt father.
Failure hangs in the air - not just the closure of his father's record shop but also Charlie's inability to complete most of his GCSE exams. But then Fran Fisher almost literally stumbles across him and a whole new world opens up.
David Nicholls' last novel, Us, was longlisted for the Man Booker Prize for Fiction 2014. Earlier this year, he won a BAFTA for Patrick Melrose, his television adaptation of the novels by Edward St Aubyn.
In Sweet Sorrow he gives us a pitch-perfect portrayal of the anguish and joys of adolescence brilliantly laced with wit and compassionate humour.
James Norton, familiar from his roles in McMafia and War and Peace as well as the psychopathic villain in Happy Valley, reads his first book for BBC Radio.
Produced by Jill Waters
Abridged by Isobel Creed and Jill Waters
A Waters Company production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in July 2019.
TUE 07:15 Flying Visits (m00074hf)
2. Stop all the stop-cocks
Hayleigh is a dedicated care-worker pushed to the limits by a system that still relies on 15 minute visits.
She's been forced to take the law into her own hands.
Hayleigh ..... Claire Rushbrook
Mr. Ellison ..... Karl Johnson
Mel ..... Debbie Korley
Glenn ..... Shaun Mason
Chloe ..... Emily Meechan
Councillor ..... Paul Hickey
Written by Charlotte Bogard Macleod.
Directed by David Hunter.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 2019.
TUE 07:30 Cleaning Up (b052m59s)
1. New Recruit
A new cleaner reports for duty. Turns out he and his boss have met before.
Every night, as time is called and people are spat out onto the streets and squeezed into rides home to dream -tossed beds - others are hard at work. Teams of cleaners are in office spaces scrubbing, vacuuming and cleaning up.
And right at the bottom of the food chain we find our gang - Spit n' Polish tackling the floors of a plush tower block in Manchester city centre.
Written by Ian Kershaw and with a top hole Northern cast, this is a funny, sometimes dark comedy about people who always get the fuzzy end of the lollipop.
Julie ...... Julie Hesmondhalgh
Nobby ...... Paul Barber
Dave ...... John Thompson
Shiv ...... Lauren Socha
Nita ...... Bhavna Limbachia
Our Bri ...... Jack Deam

Produced at BBC Salford by Alison Vernon-Smith
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 2015.
TUE 08:00 The Goon Show (b00cyg6v)
The Missing Battleship
When HMS Boxer is stolen, you just know someone's going to fall in the water. Stars Peter Sellers. From November 1957.
TUE 08:30 For Better or for Worse (b00gl83r)
Series 1
Episode 3
Iris discovers she has competition for Bernard in the form of Crystabelle, the new office secretary.
Gorden Kaye and Su Pollard star in Vince Powell’s sitcom about the turbulent relationship of an odd couple.
Iris ...... Su Pollard
Bernard ...... Gorden Kaye
Wilf ...... David Ross
Daisy ...... Paula Tilbrook
Crystabelle ...... Julie Higginson
Mr Foley ...... Peter Wheeler
Writer Vince Powell (1928–2009) scripted a number of popular TV sitcoms including Love Thy Neighbour, For the Love of Ada and Never Mind the Quality, Feel the Width.
Produced in Manchester by Mike Craig.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 2 in February 1993.
TUE 09:00 Who Goes There? (b00ftbnp)
Series 3
Episode 5
Martin Young chairs the quiz which looks at the noteworthy and the notorious from history.
Tackling the biographical teasers are team captains Francis Wheen and Fred Housego with guests Amanda Foreman and Maria McErlane.
Producer: Liz Anstee
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 2000.
TUE 09:30 No Commitments (b007jp22)
Series 8
New Age Differences
Victoria's keen on her poetry tutor and Charlotte's keen on her spiritual guru
Simon Brett’s sitcom about the lives and squabbles of three very different sisters.
Anna …... Rosemary Leach
Charlotte ..…. Celia Imrie
Victoria …... Angela Thorne
Eddie.........James Greene
Roger ..... Bill Nighy
Music by Elizabeth Parker of the BBC Radiophonic Workshop.
Producer: Maria Esposito
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 2002.
TUE 10:00 JB Priestley - The Good Companions (b007jlnw)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:00 today]
TUE 11:00 Paul Temple (m00021fn)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
TUE 11:30 Lord of Misrule (m001kgx4)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
TUE 12:00 Sweet Sorrow by David Nicholls (m0006sn3)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
TUE 12:15 Flying Visits (m00074hf)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:15 today]
TUE 12:30 Cleaning Up (b052m59s)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
TUE 13:00 The Goon Show (b00cyg6v)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
TUE 13:30 For Better or for Worse (b00gl83r)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
TUE 14:00 Who Goes There? (b00ftbnp)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
TUE 14:30 No Commitments (b007jp22)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 today]
TUE 15:00 JB Priestley - The Good Companions (b007jlnw)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:00 today]
TUE 16:00 Paul Temple (m00021fn)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
TUE 16:30 Lord of Misrule (m001kgx4)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
TUE 17:00 Sweet Sorrow by David Nicholls (m0006sn3)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
TUE 17:15 Flying Visits (m00074hf)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:15 today]
TUE 17:30 Cleaning Up (b052m59s)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
TUE 18:00 The Goon Show (b00cyg6v)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
TUE 18:30 For Better or for Worse (b00gl83r)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
TUE 19:00 Who Goes There? (b00ftbnp)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
TUE 19:30 No Commitments (b007jp22)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 today]
TUE 20:00 TED Radio Hour (m000zm4k)
Series 8
Our Relationship With Water
A journey through fascinating ideas based on talks by riveting speakers on the TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) stage.
Manoush Zomorodi explores the fundamental challenges facing our critical, life giving, relationship with water.
First broadcast in the USA on National Public Radio in 2020.
TUE 20:50 Inheritance Tracks (m0007y2t)
Ozzy Osbourne
Ex-Black Sabbath frontman and Prince of Darkness, Ozzy Osbourne chooses ‘Swannee’ by Al Jolson and ‘Paranoid' by Black Sabbath.
TUE 21:00 Mastertapes (b01nt3yn)
Series 1
Suzanne Vega (the B-Side)
John Wilson talks to leading performers and songwriters about the album that made them or changed them: Suzanne Vega discuss her platinum-selling Solitude Standing.
Following on from the A-side of this two-part programme, now it's the turn of the audience to ask Suzanne the questions.
We hear how the sound of Solitude Standing changed toughened from her previous album, as Suzanne decided to bring out the drums and give the sound an edge.
Suzanne describes writing the song "Gypsy" for a boy she met at summer camp and how the two of them got back in touch when he realised the song was about him.
And we hear how Suzanne has written a follow-up song to the album's hit song "Luka".
Producer: Emma Kingsley
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2012.
TUE 21:30 The Ice Princess by Camilla Lackberg (b012qqvs)
2. Murder?
Scandinavian thriller in five parts by Camilla Lackberg.
A hard-hitting story about the consequences of suppressing painful truths. The beautiful Alexandra Wijkner has been found dead in her bath - possibly after the victim cut her own wrists. However, Alexandra's parents have commissioned successful author, Erica Falk, to write a tribute and they are convinced their daughter's death is not what it seems
Read by Alex Tregear
Written by Camilla Lackberg
Translated by Steven T. Murray
Abridged by Alison Joseph
Produced by Gemma Jenkins
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4Extra in July 2011.
TUE 22:00 Mark Watson Talks a Bit About Life (m001k7w5)
Series 4
Saturday's Child Is...
Multi-award-winning comedian and author Mark Watson continues his probably doomed, but luckily funny quest to make sense of the human experience.

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've been making our way through the working week and tonight we reward ourselves with the weekend. Saturday's child 'works hard for a living'. But is that really what life's about? Would it be better to simply smell the flowers, like Sunday's child? Also, why did Mark recently claim to have been in prison?

Expect jokes, observations and interactions galore as is Mark aided, and sometimes obstructed, by the sardonic musical excellence of Flo & Joan. There's also a hand-picked comedy colleague each week - tonight, we close it out with Zoe Lyons.

Producer: Lianne Coop

An Impatient production for BBC Radio 4
TUE 22:30 Innes Own World (b0178mxy)
Episode 2
A radio programme that takes you inside Neil Innes's head and doesn't let you out for half an hour.
Featuring "The Breakfast Things", Neil's own version of The Today Programme, broadcast from his kitchen table.
Script Editor: John Dowie
Producer: Claire Jones
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 2003.
TUE 23:00 The Damien Slash Mixtape (b08wphwm)
Series 1
Episode 4
Multi-character YouTube star Damien Slash makes the move from online to BBC Radio, in this fast-paced, one-man sketch comedy show.
From the surreal to the satirical, from the zeitgeist to the absurd, Damien serves up a range of high octane characters, all from his own voice. Adverts, actors, hipsters, trolls - no aspect of modern life is left un-skewered.
Written by and starring Damien Slash (aka Daniel Barker).
Additional material by Robin Morgan.
Producer: Sam Bryant
A BBC Studios production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in June 2017.
TUE 23:15 Fabulous (b00hhrhm)
Series 1
Episode 1
Faye is anxious.
She knows today's women are fabulous: they have the job, the house, the colour co-ordinated capsule wardrobe.
They cope with singledom, marriage and having kids with nothing more than a copy of Prima and a poem by Pam Ayres to guide them.
So why can't she pull it off?
Daisy Haggard stars as Faye in Lucy Clarke’s sitcom about a woman who wants to be fabulous but can't cope.
With:
Olivia Colman
Adam Buxton
Katy Brand
Matthew Holness
Laura Solon
Joanna Scanlan
Music by Osymyso.
Producer: Simon Nicholls
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 2007.
TUE 23:30 Old Harry's Game (b00cbpy7)
Series 5
The Crusade
Satan starts a quest to improve mankind by infiltrating the world's great religions.
Andy Hamilton’s devilishly funny sitcom set in Hell.
Satan …. Andy Hamilton
Thomas …. Jimmy Mulville
Scumspawn …. Robert Duncan
Other characters played by Philip Pope, Nick Revell and Michael Fenton Stevens
Producer: Paul Mayhew-Archer
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 2005.

WEDNESDAY 29 MARCH 2023

WED 00:00 JB Priestley - The Good Companions (b007jlnw)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:00 on Tuesday]
WED 01:00 Paul Temple (m00021fn)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 on Tuesday]
WED 01:30 Lord of Misrule (m001kgx4)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 on Tuesday]
WED 02:00 Sweet Sorrow by David Nicholls (m0006sn3)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 on Tuesday]
WED 02:15 Flying Visits (m00074hf)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:15 on Tuesday]
WED 02:30 Cleaning Up (b052m59s)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 on Tuesday]
WED 03:00 The Goon Show (b00cyg6v)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 on Tuesday]
WED 03:30 For Better or for Worse (b00gl83r)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 on Tuesday]
WED 04:00 Who Goes There? (b00ftbnp)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 on Tuesday]
WED 04:30 No Commitments (b007jp22)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 on Tuesday]
WED 05:00 JB Priestley - The Good Companions (b007jlp4)
3. Rock Bottom
'The Good Companions' concert party have hit rock bottom.
Their manager and 'angel', Miss Trant, threatens to pull the plug and leave them all to their fate.
Written by JB Priestley
Dramatised by Eric Pringle.
Susie Dean .... Helen Longworth
Jess Oakroyd .... Philip Jackson
Elizabeth Trant .... Jemma Churchill
Inigo Jollifant .... Nicholas Boulton
Mrs Oakroyd .... Mia Soteriou
Morton Mitcham .... Gerard McDermott
Leonard Oakroyd.........Carl Prekopp
Mr Medworth .... Ian Masters
Jerry Jerningham........Ben Crowe
Music composed by Mia Soteriou
Director Claire Grove
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2002.
WED 06:00 The Sand Leopard (m001kh36)
1. The Charter
Geth Straker - captain of the Peregrine - gets an offer to search for sunken World War Two Italian gold bullion. Stars Neil McCallum.
Starring Neil McCallum.
Berkely Mather's eight-part thriller.
Geth Straker .... Neil McCallum
Casey .... Jerold Wells
Karianides .... Andreas Malandrinos
Landau .... George Hagan
Sergei .... Malcolm Hayes
Perry .... Christine Finn
Waiter .... Philip Morant
Postman .... Anthony Hall
Producer: Robin Midgley
First broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in July 1961.
WED 06:30 Lord of Misrule (m001kh3l)
8. The Conjurer Eclipsed
1745: During the Jacobite Rebellion Gruffydd returned to Wales hoping to reclaim his birthright.
Maddened at Owain's death, Gruffydd has led a riot of revenge through Cwmystwyth. Iolo has been arrested by the Sheriff of Hereford. In despair Gruffydd has admitted to the villagers that he has no magic powers and fled from-them into the woods.
Written by Gareth Jones
Gruffydd .... Philip Madoc
Iolo .... Ioan Meredith
Sir John Ffowlke ....Peter Halliday
Rhiannon Bevan .... Lisabeth Miles
Mihangel .... Gareth Snook
Hannah .... Adrian T Furse
Talbot .... Graham Blockey
Barnabas .... Dillwyn Owen
Amaranth .... Helen Roberts
Servant .... Dorien Thomas
Hywel Bevan .... Robert Blythe
Director: Adrian Mourby
Made by BBC Wales and first broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1986.
WED 07:00 Sweet Sorrow by David Nicholls (m0006tl7)
8. The Plan
Charlie and Fran make a plan to spend the night together after drinks at the pub, and they return to the Manor House under cover of darkness.
A decade after the publication of his bestselling novel, One Day, featuring the story of Emma and Dexter, David Nicholls has again created a triumphantly engaging pair of young lovers.
When Charlie Lewis meets Fran Fisher in the summer of 1996, he is at something of a loose end. School is out and so is the sun, but his future is not looking bright. He has been hit hard by his parents' split and is not happy about the role assigned to him by his mother - keeping an eye on his depressed and bankrupt father.
Failure hangs in the air - not just the closure of his father's record shop but also Charlie's inability to complete most of his GCSE exams. But then Fran Fisher almost literally stumbles across him and a whole new world opens up.
David Nicholls' last novel, Us, was longlisted for the Man Booker Prize for Fiction 2014. Earlier this year, he won a BAFTA for Patrick Melrose, his television adaptation of the novels by Edward St Aubyn.
In Sweet Sorrow he gives us a pitch-perfect portrayal of the anguish and joys of adolescence brilliantly laced with wit and compassionate humour.
James Norton, familiar from his roles in McMafia and War and Peace as well as the psychopathic villain in Happy Valley, reads his first book for BBC Radio.
Produced by Jill Waters
Abridged by Isobel Creed and Jill Waters
A Waters Company production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in July 2019.
WED 07:15 Flying Visits (m000760z)
3. A guide dog called Gandhi
Care-worker Hayleigh has been forced to take elderly client Mr. Ellison with her on her next 15 minute visit to Brenda. But Brenda is a doughty campaigner of old.
Hayleigh ...... Claire Rushbrook
Mr. Ellison ...... Karl Johnson
Brenda ...... Elizabeth Counsell
Chloe ...... Emily Meechan
Mel ...... Debbie Korley
Glenn ...... Shaun Mason
Councillor ...... Paul Hickey
Written by Charlotte Bogard Macleod.
Directed by David Hunter.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 2019.
WED 07:30 Women Talking About Cars (b095tjw0)
Series 2
Claudia Winkleman
Claudia Winkelman is Victoria Coren Mitchell's companion for this week's edition of the show that uses our guest's cars as a way to take us through her life.
Find out everything from friendship and family to the dangers of unfashionable shoes, via the joys of the black cab and the sentimental value of an ageing Volkswagen. Plus Claudia has some thoughts on how to make horses a lot safer...
Series in which famous women look at their lives from the perspective of the cars they have known, the journeys they've been on and the things they keep in their boot for emergencies.
With contributions from our studio audience and tongue in cheek readings from Morwenna Banks
Produced by Gareth Edwards
A BBC Studios Comedy production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in September 2017.
WED 08:00 Hancock's Half Hour (b00j283n)
Series 3
The Bequest
The Lad is set to inherit a fortune, but only if he can find a wife!
Starring Tony Hancock.
With Bill Kerr, Sidney James, Andree Melly and 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 November 1955.
WED 08:30 Life, Death and Sex with Mike and Sue (b01nql85)
Series 2
Education and Money
The lifestyle show hosts focus on "education" and "money".
Series 2 of Bill Dare's sitcom stars Robert Duncan and Jan Ravens.
Mike ...... Robert Duncan
Sue ...... Jan Ravens
With Roger Blake, Alistair McGowan, Sally Philips and Bill Dare.
Music by Mark Burton.
Producer: Jo Clegg
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 1997.
WED 09:00 Nature Table (m000gcwr)
Series 1
Episode 6
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 Perkins is joined by special guests zoologist Lucy Cooke, crustacean expert Miranda Lowe and actress and writer Sally Phillips.
Written by Catherine Brinkworth, Kat Sadler and Jon Hunter
Produced by Simon Nicholls
A BBC Studios Production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in March 2020.
WED 09:30 The Small World of Dominic Holland (m0001mgb)
Fear
The comedian shares his thoughts on how to cope with fear and pain.
Six-part series illustrating the Domedic minutiae of life
Stand-up and sketches with Simon Greenall, Sally Grace and Dave Lamb.
Producer: Maria Esposito
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 2000.
WED 10:00 JB Priestley - The Good Companions (b007jlp4)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:00 today]
WED 11:00 The Sand Leopard (m001kh36)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
WED 11:30 Lord of Misrule (m001kh3l)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
WED 12:00 Sweet Sorrow by David Nicholls (m0006tl7)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
WED 12:15 Flying Visits (m000760z)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:15 today]
WED 12:30 Women Talking About Cars (b095tjw0)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
WED 13:00 Hancock's Half Hour (b00j283n)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
WED 13:30 Life, Death and Sex with Mike and Sue (b01nql85)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
WED 14:00 Nature Table (m000gcwr)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
WED 14:30 The Small World of Dominic Holland (m0001mgb)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 today]
WED 15:00 JB Priestley - The Good Companions (b007jlp4)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:00 today]
WED 16:00 The Sand Leopard (m001kh36)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
WED 16:30 Lord of Misrule (m001kh3l)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
WED 17:00 Sweet Sorrow by David Nicholls (m0006tl7)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
WED 17:15 Flying Visits (m000760z)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:15 today]
WED 17:30 Women Talking About Cars (b095tjw0)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
WED 18:00 Hancock's Half Hour (b00j283n)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
WED 18:30 Life, Death and Sex with Mike and Sue (b01nql85)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
WED 19:00 Nature Table (m000gcwr)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
WED 19:30 The Small World of Dominic Holland (m0001mgb)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 today]
WED 20:00 Archive on 4 (m001kh3y)
Celebrating 50 Years of From Our Own Correspondent
Made to celebrate the 50th anniversary of one of the longest-running BBC programmes - veteran BBC commentator Charles Wheeler looks at how the world of the foreign correspondent has changed since 1955.
Featuring some memorable archive moments 'From Our Own Correspondent'.
With contributions from:
Tony Lawrence
Robert Elphick
Fergal Keane
John Simpson
Bridget Kendal
Broadcast to mark 100 years since the birth of journalist, Charles Wheeler on 26th March 1923.
Producer: Tony Grant
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 2005.
WED 21:00 Short Cuts (b03zy2k6)
Series 5
Trespass
Josie Long ventures where she shouldn't with this sequence of brief encounters, true stories and radio adventures about acts of trespass.
Stories of stolen waxworks, formal letters severing friendships, and travels into unknown territory.
Urban Exploration
Feat. Bradley Garrett
http://www.bradleygarrett.com/stills/
Stealing Snowdon
Produced by Olivia Humphreys, Chloe White and Will Davies
Crown the King
Produced by Adam Kampe
Originally produced for the Third Coast International Audio Festival 'ShortDocs' competition
http://thirdcoastfestival.org/library/collections/4-shortdocs
The Disavowal
Produced by Katie Burningham
Munich
Feat. Phillip Bull Bruckner
Produced by Hana Walker-Brown
Series Producer: Eleanor McDowall
A Falling Tree production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in April 2014.
WED 21:30 The Ice Princess by Camilla Lackberg (b012wzzl)
3. Suspect
Swedish thriller about dark secrets in an isolated coastal community.
An unexpected visitor turns up at Alex's funeral and the police close in on a suspect.
Read by Alex Tregear
Written by Camilla Lackberg.
Translated by Steven T. Murray
Abridged by Alison Joseph
Produced by Gemma Jenkins
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4Extra in July 2011.
WED 22:00 Conversations from a Long Marriage (m001k7nb)
Series 4
6. This Old Heart Of Mine
Episode 6 - 'This Old Heart Of Mine'
Joanna Lumley and Roger Allam return in the fourth series of Jan Etherington’s award-winning comedy, as a long-married couple in love with life and each other. This week, Joanna is accused of ‘mollycoddling’ by Roger, after his health scare. They meet the new partner of their recently widowed friend, Marian, and Roger tells Joanna ‘This is what’ll happen to us! When I’m gone, a few months later, you’ll find someone else and put my photo in a drawer’. But a goddaughter’s joyful wedding brings back memories and they both agree that they’re still keeping the dream alive.
Conversations from a Long Marriage won the Voice of the Listener & Viewer Award for Best Radio Comedy in 2020. Nominated for a Writers Guild Award 2023.
Conversations from a Long Marriage is written by Jan Etherington and produced by Claire Jones. The production coordinator is Katie Baum, the sound engineer is Wilfredo Acosta and sound design is by Jon Calver. It is a BBC Studios Production.
‘Joanna Lumley and Roger Allam have had illustrious acting careers but can they ever have done anything better than Jan Etherington’s two hander? This is a work of supreme craftsmanship.’ RADIO TIMES
‘Peppered with nostalgic 60s hits and especially written for the pair, it’s 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. Treasure this one, produced by Claire Jones. Unlike many a current Radio 4 ‘comedy’, this series makes people laugh’ GILLIAN REYNOLDS. SUNDAY TIMES
‘You’ve been listening at my window, Jan’. JOANNA LUMLEY
WED 22:30 Daphne Sounds Expensive (b07k0dfn)
Series 1
Malaysia
The gang heads off to Malaysia to find Phil's legendary criminal uncle, Pak Belang.
Critically-acclaimed sketch trio, Daphne, pull out all the stops in a dazzling array of peculiar characters, whacky scenarios, dodgy remarks, curious observations, minor altercations and major peacemaking - served on a bed of catchy little numbers with a live nine-piece band.
Written by and starring: Jason Forbes, Phil Wang & George Fouracres
Featuring Sir Willard White, Emma Sidi and David Elms.
Original music composed by Jeff Carpenter
Musical Director: Freddie Tapner
Piano: Freddie Tapner
Drums: Ben Hartley
Bass: Rob Grist
Percussion: Ben Burton
Trumpet: Michael Maddocks
Tenor Sax: Greg Sterland
Trombone: Elliot Pooley
Violin: Hannah Bell
Cello: Nick Squires
Production Coordinator. Hayley Sterling
Producer: Matt Stronge
A BBC Studios production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in July 2016.
WED 23:00 Bilal Zafar's British Muslim Love (b0b1pwqw)
A one off stand up show that follows 25-year-old British Muslim comedian Bilal Zafar in his quest to find love.
Bilal is the last of his siblings to be single. His Mum has told him he should really think about marriage and he realises he has no idea how to approach this. Luckily, the world of Muslim dating is vast and Bilal has plenty of fascinating and often very funny options available in his quest for marriage.
Bilal Zafar is the winner of the Hackney New Act of the Year 2016, an Edinburgh Best Newcomer 2016 nominee and Chortle Best Newcomer 2017 nominee.
Written and Performed by Bilal Zafar
Additional Material from Glenn Moore
Produced by Daisy Knight
An Avalon production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in May 2018.
WED 23:30 This Is Craig Brown (b00f8799)
Communications
Mixing satire, social observation and nonsense, this week Craig Brown examines Romeo and Juliet.
The world telephone premiere of Rome and Juliet takes place and following the difficulties with the internet, a massive technological advance takes place when the book is invented.
With Edward Fox, Rory Bremner, Harry Enfield, Mel Hudson, Hugh Massingbird, Geoffrey McGivern, Felicity Montagu and Hugo Weaving.
Written and introduced by Craig Brown
Script Editor Simon Littlefield
Produced by Simon Nicholls
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 2004.
WED 23:45 Gus Murdoch's Sacred Cows (b00fn9hk)
4. Roads
Fearless reporter Gus Murdoch probes Britain's highways and byways.
Written by and starring Stephen Carlin.
With Neil Edmond, Margaret Cabourn-Smith, John Rowe, Renton Skinner and Marc Willcox.
Producer: Tilusha Ghelani
Made for BBC Radio 7 and first broadcast in November 2008.

THURSDAY 30 MARCH 2023

THU 00:00 JB Priestley - The Good Companions (b007jlp4)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:00 on Wednesday]
THU 01:00 The Sand Leopard (m001kh36)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 on Wednesday]
THU 01:30 Lord of Misrule (m001kh3l)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 on Wednesday]
THU 02:00 Sweet Sorrow by David Nicholls (m0006tl7)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 on Wednesday]
THU 02:15 Flying Visits (m000760z)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:15 on Wednesday]
THU 02:30 Women Talking About Cars (b095tjw0)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 on Wednesday]
THU 03:00 Hancock's Half Hour (b00j283n)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 on Wednesday]
THU 03:30 Life, Death and Sex with Mike and Sue (b01nql85)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 on Wednesday]
THU 04:00 Nature Table (m000gcwr)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 on Wednesday]
THU 04:30 The Small World of Dominic Holland (m0001mgb)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 on Wednesday]
THU 05:00 Marcy Kahan - Blithe Spy (b00tcsps)
The Nazis are in New York – as ‘The Master’, Noel Coward turns spy to battle for Britain.
Marcy Kahan’s highly improbable Second World War espionage adventure featuring a highly improbable and flamboyant spy... with a talent to amuse.
Noel Coward ..... Malcolm Sinclair
Lorn Loraine ..... Eleanor Bron
Neysa McMein ..... Elizabeth McGovern
Jon Smith ..... Adam Sims
FD Roosevelt ..... Bob Sherman
Fortnum ..... Ian Masters
Simpson ..... Kerry Shale
Willoughby ..... Peter Marinker
Conklin ..... Gerard McDermott
Director: Gordon House
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in June 2002.
THU 06:00 The Sand Leopard (m001kh2g)
2. Through The Ditch
Captain Geth Straker sets sail aboard the Peregrine in search of Second World War sunken gold bullion.
But are the two new crew members what they seem?
Starring Neil McCallum.
Berkely Mather's thriller serial.
Geth Straker .... Neil McCallum
Casey .... Jerold Wells
Karianides .... Andreas Malandrinos
Sergei .... Malcolm Hayes
Perry .... Christine Finn
Pete .... David Bauer
Abdul .... Geoffrey Matthews
Customs Officer ... Mohammed Talib
Pilot ... Kenneth Dight
1st Boatman ... Anthony Hall
2nd Boatman .... Arthur Gomez
3rd Boatman .... Hugh Dickson
Producer: Robin Midgley
First broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in 1961.
THU 06:30 Lord of Misrule (m001kh31)
9. The Conjurer Judged
1745: During the Jacobite Rebellion Gruffydd returned to Wales hoping to reclaim his birthright.
Mihangel has been elected conjurer in Gruffydd's place and Madlen has made her peace with the usurper.
Gruffydd's attempt to flee with Rhiannon has been thwarted by the return to Cwmystwyth of Hywel Bevan.
Written by Gareth Jones
Gruffydd .... Philip Madoc
Iolo .... Ioan Meredith
Sir John Ffowlke .... Peter Halliday
Madlen .... Meg Wynn Owen
Rhiannon Bevan .... Lisabeth Miles
Hywel Bevan .... Robert Blythe
Mihangel .... Gareth Snook
Rachel .... Donna Edwards
Hannah .... Adrian T Furse
Talbot .... Graham Blockey
Col Johnes .... James Benson
Gwilym Brewer .... Dorien Thomas
Old Thomas .... Dillwyn Owen
Director: Adrian Mourby
Made by BBC Wales and first broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1986.
THU 07:00 Sweet Sorrow by David Nicholls (m0006sd7)
9. Explanations
After being caught red handed in his voucher scam, and the forced abandonment of his night with Fran, Charlie seeks her out the next day to explain.
A decade after the publication of his bestselling novel, One Day, featuring the story of Emma and Dexter, David Nicholls has again created a triumphantly engaging pair of young lovers.
When Charlie Lewis meets Fran Fisher in the summer of 1996, he is at something of a loose end. School is out and so is the sun, but his future is not looking bright. He has been hit hard by his parents' split and is not happy about the role assigned to him by his mother - keeping an eye on his depressed and bankrupt father.
Failure hangs in the air - not just the closure of his father's record shop but also Charlie's inability to complete most of his GCSE exams. But then Fran Fisher almost literally stumbles across him and a whole new world opens up.
David Nicholls' last novel, Us, was longlisted for the Man Booker Prize for Fiction 2014. Earlier this year, he won a BAFTA for Patrick Melrose, his television adaptation of the novels by Edward St Aubyn.
In Sweet Sorrow he gives us a pitch-perfect portrayal of the anguish and joys of adolescence brilliantly laced with wit and compassionate humour.
James Norton, familiar from his roles in McMafia and War and Peace as well as the psychopathic villain in Happy Valley, reads his first book for BBC Radio.
Produced by Jill Waters
Abridged by Isobel Creed and Jill Waters
A Waters Company production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in July 2019.
THU 07:15 Flying Visits (m0007659)
4. You're on the front line Mrs Wallis
Hayleigh and her feisty clients petition their local MP in the campaign to ban 15 minute visits.
Hayleigh ...... Claire Rushbrook
Mr. Ellison ...... Karl Johnson
Brenda ...... Elizabeth Counsell
Mel ...... Debbie Korley
Chloe ...... Emily Meechan
Louisa Standling ...... Catherine Cusack
George ...... Jonny Holden
Councillor ...... Paul Hickey
Written by by Charlotte Bogard Macleod.
Directed by David Hunter.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 2019.
THU 07:30 On the Rocks (b03jfk21)
Series 1
Spies
It's 1937 on St. Martin's - a remote island of the Isles of Scilly.
Islanders are resisting the attempts of the Penzance GPO man to modernise the post office - around which their world revolves.
Written by Christopher William Hill.
Frank Gunwallow ...... Joseph Kloska
Mary ...... Bec Applebee
Grace ...... Christine Absalom
Tommy ...... Stuart Fox
Ben ...... Alex Palmer
Len ...... Ed Gaughan
Tregarthan ...... Peter Marinker
Morwenna ...... Alex Tregear
Pender ...... Christopher William Hill
Anthony ...... David Seddon
Sound by Jenni Burnett, Anne Bunting and Graham Harper.
Diirector: Mary Peate
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 2013.
THU 08:00 The Burkiss Way (b007jr1v)
Series 3
Not to Be Unwrapped the Burkiss Way
Queen Victoria needs some help with a personal problem - and all is revealed 'Upstairs Downstairs'.
Starring Fred Harris, Jo Kendall, Nigel Rees and Chris Emmett .
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 December 1977.
THU 08:30 The World As We Know It (b00fks6k)
Babytalk
Donna, Johnny, Patrick and Abigail are the last four people left on Earth along with the mysterious stranger in their cellar.
Thoughts turn to the problem of furthering the species. Patrick sets up a test with a baby doll, to decide who would make the best parent.
Sitcom by Luke Sorba.
Donna ...... Meera Syal
Johnny ...... Toby Longworth
Patrick ...... Luke Sorba
Abigail ...... Carla Mendonca
The Stranger ...... Simon Greenall
Producer: Elizabeth Anstee
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 1999.
THU 09:00 The Unbelievable Truth (m000djbg)
Series 23
Episode 4
David Mitchell hosts the panel game in which four comedians are encouraged to tell lies.
They compete against one another to see how many items of truth they're able to smuggle past their opponents.
The panellists are obliged to talk with deliberate inaccuracy on subjects as varied as actors, rules, dogs and Finland.
Sally Phillips
Tony Hawks
Holly Walsh
Henning Wehn
Produced by Jon Naismith.
A Random Entertainment production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in January 2020.
THU 09:30 Clare in the Community (b00j72sb)
Series 5
The 1864 Mining Disaster
Clare organises a charity benefit in a bid to keep the Family Centre open. The benefit will showcase the talents of her colleagues - and Ray's folk songs.
It's the end of the series for Clare in the Community and, possibly, the end of the Sparrowhawk Family Centre.
Sally Phillips plays social worker Clare Barker who has entered a caring profession so that she can sort out other peoples' problems rather than deal with her own.
Clare ..... Sally Phillips
Brian ..... Alex Lowe
Helen ..... Liza Tarbuck
Ray ..... Richard Lumsden
Megan/Nali ..... Nina Conti
Irene ..... Ellen Thomas
Simon ..... Andrew Wincott
Written By Harry Venning And David Ramsden
Producer: Katie Tyrrell
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 2009.
THU 10:00 Marcy Kahan - Blithe Spy (b00tcsps)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:00 today]
THU 11:00 The Sand Leopard (m001kh2g)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
THU 11:30 Lord of Misrule (m001kh31)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
THU 12:00 Sweet Sorrow by David Nicholls (m0006sd7)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
THU 12:15 Flying Visits (m0007659)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:15 today]
THU 12:30 On the Rocks (b03jfk21)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
THU 13:00 The Burkiss Way (b007jr1v)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
THU 13:30 The World As We Know It (b00fks6k)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
THU 14:00 The Unbelievable Truth (m000djbg)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
THU 14:30 Clare in the Community (b00j72sb)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 today]
THU 15:00 Marcy Kahan - Blithe Spy (b00tcsps)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:00 today]
THU 16:00 The Sand Leopard (m001kh2g)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
THU 16:30 Lord of Misrule (m001kh31)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
THU 17:00 Sweet Sorrow by David Nicholls (m0006sd7)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
THU 17:15 Flying Visits (m0007659)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:15 today]
THU 17:30 On the Rocks (b03jfk21)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
THU 18:00 The Burkiss Way (b007jr1v)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
THU 18:30 The World As We Know It (b00fks6k)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
THU 19:00 The Unbelievable Truth (m000djbg)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
THU 19:30 Clare in the Community (b00j72sb)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 today]
THU 20:00 Steve Penk's Radio Nightmares (m000hfzq)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 on Saturday]
THU 21:00 Great Lives (p00glwmb)
Beatrix Potter
Fiona Reynolds, ex-director of the National Trust, chooses the writer, Beatrix Potter. With Francine Stock.
The biographical series in which a distinguished guest chooses someone who's inspired their life.
Will their hero stand up to intensive scrutiny and merit the description of having led a great life? With Anne Hobbs.
Producer: John Byrne
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2005.
THU 21:30 The Ice Princess by Camilla Lackberg (b0131yvq)
4. Confrontation
Swedish thriller in five-parts about dark secrets in an isolated coastal community.
Erica confronts the father of Alex's child and Patrick uncovers a new lead.
Read by Alex Tregear
Written by Camilla Lackberg
Translated by Steven T. Murray
Abridged by Alison Joseph
Produced by Gemma Jenkins
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4Extra in August 2011.
THU 22:00 Meet David Sedaris (m001k7yb)
Series 9
5. My Corona and A Better Place
"When the coronavirus first came onto my radar early in 2020, I wanted nothing more than to get it. Then I listened to a lengthy podcast on how gruesome it was, and decided that instead I wanted Hugh to get it."
Everyone's lockdown experiences were slightly different. Pinned down in New York City, David decided to tackle the mountain of mail he'd received and in "My Corona" he talks us through the process. It's accompanied by the short piece, "A Better Place" which tackles his reaction to some of the platitudes dished up at the reception following his father’s funeral. The show finishes with a selection of extracts from his often caustic diary - including an unexpectedly helpful interaction at a West Sussex cash machine.
The great skill with which he slices through cultural euphemisms and political correctness proves that he's a master of satire and one of the most observant writers addressing the human condition today.
Producer: Steve Doherty
A Giddy Goat production for BBC Radio 4
THU 22:30 Eric Idle - Radio 5 (b04y57sr)
From 19/05/1973
Following his TV success with Monty Python in the 1970s, Eric Idle's first solo venture - predating BBC2's Rutland Weekend Television by a year - was his very own hour-long music and comedy shows for BBC Radio 1.
Ever the innovator, Idle's Radio 5 pre-dated the real BBC network of that name by some 18 years!
Eric links his eclectic choice of music (from the Beach Boys to Joni Mitchell) with self-penned sketches, for which he provides all of the voices.
Sketches include: unusual ways to join the Radio 5 Club and the latest headlines from The World at Radio One.
A weatherman can't quite manage to sign off his bulletin - plus a new panel game called Absolute Rubbish.
Producer: Clive Burrows
First broadcast on BBC Radio 1 medium wave and VHF in May 1973.
THU 23:30 Richard Herring's Objective (b017mt04)
Series 2
The Old School Tie
Richard examines 'The Old School Tie' an object that has come to represent public school networks and contacts. Richard asks if it is acceptable to be prejudice against the posh?
Series in which Richard Herring pokes and prods a variety controversial objects and see if the controversy falls out.
Through vox pops, interviews and stand up comedy, he examines the objects' history, meaning and significance and challenges our assumed logic and stereotypes.
Can we reclaim these objects away from their unfortunate associations?
Written by and starring Richard Herring.
With Emma Kennedy.
Special guest: Alexei Sayle
Producer: Tilusha Ghelani
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 2011.

FRIDAY 31 MARCH 2023

FRI 00:00 Marcy Kahan - Blithe Spy (b00tcsps)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:00 on Thursday]
FRI 01:00 The Sand Leopard (m001kh2g)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 on Thursday]
FRI 01:30 Lord of Misrule (m001kh31)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 on Thursday]
FRI 02:00 Sweet Sorrow by David Nicholls (m0006sd7)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 on Thursday]
FRI 02:15 Flying Visits (m0007659)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:15 on Thursday]
FRI 02:30 On the Rocks (b03jfk21)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 on Thursday]
FRI 03:00 The Burkiss Way (b007jr1v)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 on Thursday]
FRI 03:30 The World As We Know It (b00fks6k)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 on Thursday]
FRI 04:00 The Unbelievable Truth (m000djbg)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 on Thursday]
FRI 04:30 Clare in the Community (b00j72sb)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 on Thursday]
FRI 05:00 Marcy Kahan - Design for Murder (b00t2y9b)
Actor, playwright, songwriter, director and star - Noel Coward never quite added sleuth to his astonishing achievements.
But just before the war with Hitler, there's a gap in his memoirs. Is there a murder mystery within those days...?
Marcy Kahan’s mystery stars Malcolm Sinclair as Noel Coward.
Noel Coward ...... Malcolm Sinclair
Lorn Loraine ...... Eleanor Bron
Winifrid Ashton ...... Krisin Milward
Cole Lesley ...... Tam Williams
Edward Shale ...... Nicholas Boulton
Judith Christopher/Greta Cunningham ...... Gemma Saunders
Tony Morrell ...... Joe Dunlop
Hoskins ...... Don McCorkindale
Piano: Neil Brand
Director: Ned Chaillet
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 2000.
FRI 06:00 The Sand Leopard (m001khgr)
3. The Hi-Jackers
Searching for sunken Second World War gold bullion, the Peregrine has been seized by two new crew members.
But why?
Berkely Mather's thriller serial.
Straker .... Neil McCallum
Casey .... Jerold Wells
Pete .... David Bauer
Abdul .... Geoffrey Matthews
Sergei .... Malcolm Hayes
Perry .... Christine Finn
Producer: Robin Midgley
First broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in 1961.
FRI 06:30 Sherlock Holmes (b04nhm9d)
Sherlock Holmes with Carleton Hobbs - Series 5
The Solitary Cyclist
Who is the strange man following Violet Smith as she cycles to see her mother?
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's great detective investigates.
Starring Carleton Hobbs as Sherlock Holmes and Norman Shelley as Dr Watson.
Violet Smith ...... Jane Wenham
Carruthers: ...... Norman Claridge
Mrs Smith: ...... Gladys Spencer
Woodley ...... Malcolm Hayes
Mrs Hudson ...... Janet Morrison
Landlord ...... Peter O'Shaughnessy
Williamson ...... George Merritt
Adapted for radio by Michael Hardwick.
Producer Graham Gauld
First broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in August 1964.
FRI 07:00 Sweet Sorrow by David Nicholls (m0006tz5)
10. Memories
As Charlie prepares for his imminent wedding to Niamh, memories of the break up with Fran surface, giving Charlie cause for reflection on what happened after they split up.
A decade after the publication of his bestselling novel, One Day, David Nicholls has again created a triumphantly engaging pair of young lovers.
When Charlie Lewis meets Fran Fisher in the summer of 1996, he is at something of a loose end. School is out and so is the sun, but his future is not looking bright. He has been hit hard by his parents' split and is not happy about the role assigned to him by his mother - keeping an eye on his depressed and bankrupt father.
Failure hangs in the air - not just the closure of his father's record shop but also Charlie's inability to complete most of his GCSE exams. But then Fran Fisher almost literally stumbles across him and a whole new world opens up.
David Nicholls' last novel, Us, was longlisted for the Man Booker Prize for Fiction 2014. Earlier this year, he won a BAFTA for Patrick Melrose, his television adaptation of the novels by Edward St Aubyn.
In Sweet Sorrow he gives us a pitch-perfect portrayal of the anguish and joys of adolescence brilliantly laced with wit and compassionate humour.
James Norton, familiar from his roles in McMafia and War and Peace as well as the psychopathic villain in Happy Valley, reads his first book for BBC Radio.
Produced by Jill Waters
Abridged by Isobel Creed and Jill Waters
A Waters Company production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in July 2019.
FRI 07:15 Flying Visits (m00076nt)
5. The Buck stops here
Hayleigh has summoned up her courage to address the Council Committee. Can she persuade them to ban 15 minute homecare visits?
Hayleigh ...... Claire Rushbrook
Mr. Ellison ...... Karl Johnson
Brenda ..... Elizabeth Counsell
Louisa Standling ...... Catherine Cusack
Chloe ...... Emily Meechan
George ...... Jonny Holden
Councillor ...... Paul Hickey
Written by Charlotte Bogard Macleod.
Directed by David Hunter.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 2019.
FRI 07:30 Tim FitzHigham: The Gambler (b05nvjm7)
Series 2
Episode 1
Adventuring comedian Tim FitzHigham recreates an 18th century bet.
Can he walk from London's Royal Academy to the Royal Exchange building while blindfolded in under one hour?
Written by and starring Tim FitzHigham.
Additional material by Jon Hunter and Paul Byrne.
Producer: Joe Nunnery.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 2015.
FRI 08:00 Steptoe and Son (b00rdsv7)
Series 1
The Bird
Harold Steptoe is furious when his date Roxanne is late for dinner.
Starring Wilfrid Brambell and Harry H Corbett.
Following the conclusion of their hugely successful association with Tony Hancock, writers Ray Galton and Alan Simpson wrote 10 pilots for the BBC TV's Comedy Playhouse in 1962.
The Offer featured the lives of rag and bone men Albert Steptoe and son Harold - and was the spark for a run of 8 series on TV.
Albert ...... Wilfrid Brambell
Harold ...... Harry H Corbett
Roxanne ...... Marion Stone
Adapted for radio from Galton and Simpson's TV script by Gale Pedrick.
Producer: Bobby Jaye
First broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in July 1966.
FRI 08:30 Babblewick Hall (b01nchms)
Series 1
Episode 4
With a General Election on the horizon, Fenton Babblewick has the chance to represent his constituents in Parliament, as Babblewicks have been doing for centuries.
Only the rakish Thomas Berridge - confirmed gambler and general desperado - stands between Fenton and a glamorous political career...
Starring Nicholas Le Prevost as Fenton Babblewick and Forbes Masson as Augustus Snipe.
Scott Cherry’s six-part sitcom set in the 18th-century.
Fenton Babblewick ...... Nick Le Prevost
Augustus Snipe ...... Forbes Masson
Barney ...... David Antrobus
Jack ...... Sam Kelly
Molly ...... Gillian Bevan
Berridge ...... Jeremy Clyde
Dribb ...... John Baddeley
Music by Paul Mottram.
Producer: Paul Schlesinger
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 1996.
FRI 09:00 Act Your Age (b00qvm9f)
Series 2
Episode 6
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 Roy Walker are joined by Hills Barker and Cannon and Ball.
Producers: Ashley Blaker and Bill Matthews.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 2010.
FRI 09:30 Trevor's World of Sport (b00n5vsn)
Series 3
Episode 2
Trevor is keen to sign the agency's first Muslim client. But do the others think this is a good idea? And why has Ralph been marooned on an island?
Andy Hamilton's comedy about an honourable sports agent in a dishonourable world.
Trevor ...... Neil Pearson
Sammy ...... Paul Reynolds
Ralph ...... Michael Fenton Stevens
Theresa ...... Rosalind Ayres
Heidrun ...... Cosima Shaw
Barry ...... Abdul Salis
Meryl ...... Claire Skinner
Mohammad ...... Kayvan Novak.
rld.
Written and produced by Andy Hamilton
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 2007.
FRI 10:00 Marcy Kahan - Design for Murder (b00t2y9b)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:00 today]
FRI 11:00 The Sand Leopard (m001khgr)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
FRI 11:30 Sherlock Holmes (b04nhm9d)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
FRI 12:00 Sweet Sorrow by David Nicholls (m0006tz5)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
FRI 12:15 Flying Visits (m00076nt)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:15 today]
FRI 12:30 Tim FitzHigham: The Gambler (b05nvjm7)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
FRI 13:00 Steptoe and Son (b00rdsv7)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
FRI 13:30 Babblewick Hall (b01nchms)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
FRI 14:00 Act Your Age (b00qvm9f)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
FRI 14:30 Trevor's World of Sport (b00n5vsn)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 today]
FRI 15:00 Marcy Kahan - Design for Murder (b00t2y9b)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:00 today]
FRI 16:00 The Sand Leopard (m001khgr)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
FRI 16:30 Sherlock Holmes (b04nhm9d)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
FRI 17:00 Sweet Sorrow by David Nicholls (m0006tz5)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
FRI 17:15 Flying Visits (m00076nt)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:15 today]
FRI 17:30 Tim FitzHigham: The Gambler (b05nvjm7)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
FRI 18:00 Steptoe and Son (b00rdsv7)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
FRI 18:30 Babblewick Hall (b01nchms)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
FRI 19:00 Act Your Age (b00qvm9f)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
FRI 19:30 Trevor's World of Sport (b00n5vsn)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 today]
FRI 20:00 Fast and Furioso (b05zkr4w)
The 21st century is producing musicians whose technical ability is dazzling today’s audiences, and conductor and writer Rainer Hersch comes face to face with virtuosos from very different musical worlds.
He meets Mike Mangini who won the title of World’s Fastest Drummer by hitting a drumpad at over 20 beats a second for a full minute.
There’s the high octane guitar shredder The Great Kat who reckons on saving classical music for the Youtube generation who want their music fast and furious. She obliges by playing Beethoven’s 5th Symphony in 1 minute 14 seconds.
A different point of view comes from pianist Marc-Andre Hamelin and trumpeter Alistair Mackie, who use their virtuosity to bring the most challenging music to their public, whether it’s the rippling trumpet solos in Maxwell Davies Trumpet Concerto, or Godowsky’s arrangement of Chopin’s Revolutionary Etude for left hand alone.
Rainer talks to them about how and why they learn such difficult pieces. For 18 year old student Dominic Doutney, it’s the slow, painstaking practice of Chopin’s Minute Waltz that enables him to speed through it in 57 seconds. Drummer Mike Mangini reckons that his ability to play fast equips him with the skills to deal with any complicated rhythms. He gives Rainer a demonstration of his control by setting his metronome app at one beat per second and increasing the number of beats over the minute tight up to twenty 20 per second – beating his chest with his ever speeding hands!
Producer: Richard Bannerman
A Far Shoreline production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in June 2015.
FRI 20:30 A Good Read (b05xxjgn)
Helen Baxendale & Helen Cross
Actress Helen Baxendale and writer Helen Cross join Harriett Gilbert to recommend favourite books.
Books discussed:
The God of Chance by Kirsten Thorup
Pub: Norvick Press
The Three of Us by Julia Blackburn
Pub: Vintage
Feral: Rewilding the Land, Sea and Human Life by George Monbiot
Pub: Penguin
Producer Mary Ward-Lowery
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2015.
FRI 21:00 The Curious Cases of Rutherford & Fry (m000k2m2)
Series 16
The Seeded Cloud
"Could you make a machine to make it rain in minutes?" asks listener Alexander from Hampshire, aged 12. For this series, with lockdown learning in mind, Drs Rutherford and Fry are investigating scientific mysteries for students of all ages. Rutherford and Fry dive into the clouded story of weather modification.
First, we need to decide where and when we might deploy any rain machine. Liz Bentley, Chief Executive of the Royal Meteorological society, takes us through the science, maths and art of predicting the weather. Hannah heads down to the BBC Weather Centre to meet meteorologist Helen Willetts, who takes us through the highs and lows of forecasting.
And then for the technology itself. Mark Miodownik, scientist and author of Liquid: The Delightful and Dangerous Substances The Flow Through Our Lives, reveals that a technique called cloud seeding has almost certainly been tried in different places around the world for decades. But, whilst it’s supposed to induce showers and even clear the way for sunny spells, the results aren’t always reliable. And even if we can make it rain, Liz explains why messing with the weather may be at our peril.
Presenters: Hannah Fry, Adam Rutherford
Producer: Jen Whyntie
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2020.
FRI 21:30 The Ice Princess by Camilla Lackberg (b01380cm)
5. Revelations
The Swedish thriller about the consequences of suppressing painful truths reaches its chilling conclusion.
Patrik Hedstrom, investigating officer into the murder of Alexandra Wijkner, has arranged a meeting with the victim's parents and her husband, Henrik. He needs them to tell him why no school records exist for Alex in 1977.
Read by Alex Tregear
Written by Camilla Lackberg
Translated by Steven T. Murray
Abridged by Alison Joseph
Produced by Gemma Jenkins
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4Extra in August 2011.
FRI 22:00 The Ultimate Choice (m001kgr7)
Series 1
Episode 6
Steph McGovern is in Leeds to ask some seriously funny minds for their 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 Chris Cantrill and Kiri Pritchard-McLean.
Host: Steph McGovern
Guests: Chris Cantrill and Kiri Pritchard-McLean
Devised and written by Jon Harvey & Joseph Morpurgo
With additional material from Laura Major
Researcher: Leah Marks
Recorded and mixed by David Thomas
Producer: Jon Harvey
Executive Producers: Ed Morrish and Polly Thomas
Photo: Carolyn Mendelsohn
A Naked production for BBC Radio 4
FRI 22:30 Beauty of Britain (b010mryx)
Series 2
The Delegate
Karen of the Featherdown agency sends Beauty to the 'End of Life' care conference on her behalf.
Beauty struggles to understand the peculiar behaviour of the British at a conference and their obsessions with name tags and lanyards, as well as why she is the only carer in attendance. This must be why the keynote speaker, Professor Smythe takes a shine to her?
Starring Jocelyn Jee Esien.
Beauty's adventures continue as the Featherdown Agency sends her to provide care for the elderly.
Beauty’s Zimbabwean Shona background has taught her to respect age. She sees Britain at its best and its worst
Written by Christopher Douglas and Nicola Sanderson
Beauty ...... Jocelyn Jee Esien
Jenny ...... Pippa Haywood
Rob ...... Tony Gardner
Mrs Grace ...... Phyllida Law
Sally ...... Felicity Montagu
Karen/Keely ...... Nicola Sanderson
Music by The West End Gospel Choir.
Producer : Tilusha Ghelani
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 2011.
FRI 23:00 The East Coast Listening Post (m0005t5l)
Series 2
Skull Run
The East Coast Listening Post was created by Edinburgh Comedy Award-nominated duo Lazy Susan.
American reporters and sisters, Jenna and Dana Johnson, return to the UK to investigate the people of Great Britain.
In this episode, Jenna and Dana meet Rhodri Williams from the village of Tregafr, who is defending his right to take part in an ancient Welsh tradition known as Ras y Benglog or The Skull Run.
Written and performed by Celeste Dring and Freya Parker.
With performances from:
David Elms
Steffan Rodri
Producer: Suzy Grant
A BBC Studios Scripted Comedy production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in June 2019.
FRI 23:15 Lenny Henry's Rogues Gallery (b09dz41d)
Series 2
Left Hand of God
Lenny Henry writes and stars in a darkly comic story about Stan Clayton who has been a butcher all his life and hopes his sons will follow in his footsteps.
But when one of them brings home a cherry red Stratocaster one day, it seems that Stan's plans are for the chopping block.
Producer: Sam Michell
A BBC Studios production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in November 2017.
FRI 23:30 Listen Against (b008drpb)
Series 1
Episode 4
A cheeky round-up of a week's worth of BBC radio that never happened.
Rewinding and mangling real programmes from across the networks, Alice Arnold and Jon Holmes take liberties with Steve Wright, Woman's Hour and Eddie Mair.
The brain-child of writer, comic and broadcaster Jon Holmes.
Producer: Bill Dare and Jon Holmes
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 2007.