SATURDAY 08 APRIL 2023

SAT 00:00 James Follett - The Twisted Image (b007mf16)
Two police officers discover the body of a local businessman's wife in the boot of his car.
The Rolls-Royce was stolen from outside his shop in the new town centre.
It should be an open and shut case.
The trouble is - the new town centre won't be built for another five years..?
Starring Douglas Blackwell and Peter Wickham.
A futuristic whodunit by James Follett.
DI Simmonds …. Douglas Blackwell
Sgt Colt …. Peter Wickham
Mrs Francis …. Joan Matheson
Alan …. Alaric Cotter
Helen …. Christine Absalom
Pathologist …. Jonathan Scott
Paul Holden/Doctor …. Gavin Campbell
Councillor Butcher …. William Eedle
Powell …. Cyril Appleton
Policewoman …. Anne Rosenfeld
Producer: Margaret Etall
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 1977.
SAT 00:45 Algernon Blackwood's Ghost Stories (m001kqdx)
2. The Empty House
An aunt and her nephew attempt to spend the night in a haunted house.
Selection of supernatural tales by English short-story writer Algernon Blackwood.
Abridged by Fiona McAlpine
Read by Hugh Ross.
Director: Clive Brill
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 2006.
SAT 01:00 James Hilton - Lost Horizon (b00tp95x)
3. The Inheritance
That four people should be kidnapped in India and flown over a thousand miles to the lamasery of Shangri-La was incredible enough.
But then Hugh Conway discovered during an audience with the High Lama that he was conversing with a man who was 250 years old.
Stars Derek Jacobi.
Conclusion of James Hilton's novel about Shangri-La, the mystical lamasery hidden in the mountains of Tibet.
Dramatisatised by Barry Campbell.
Hugh Conway ...... Derek Jacobi
Mallinson ...... Andrew Branch
Barnard ...... Alan Tilvern
Miss Brinklow ...... Carol Marsh
Chang ...... Garard Green
Hilton ...... Alaric Cotter
High Lama ...... Alan Wheatley
Lo-Tsen ...... Pik-Sen Lim
Rutherford ...... John Livesey
American ...... Crawford Logan
Doctor ...... John Bull
Pianist: Antony Miall
Producer: Graham Gauld
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 1981.
SAT 02:00 The Sand Leopard (m001kp9p)
8. Surface Break
Can Straker and Abdul manage to escape Karianides?
Will they be able to foil him and thwart the Sand Leopard’s sinister plans?
Conclusion of Berkely Mather's thriller serial.
Geth Straker ... Neil McCallum
Casey .... Jerold Wells
Karianides ... Andreas Malandrinos
Sergei .... Malcolm Hayes
Perry ... Christine Finn
Abdul .... Geoffrey Matthews
Arab .... Tom Watson
Arab .... Stanley Lebor
Producer: Robin Midgley
First broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in September 1961.
SAT 02:30 Sherlock Holmes (m0009bwg)
Sherlock Holmes with Carleton Hobbs - Series 5
The Red-Headed League
A red-haired visitor asks the detective to probe a millionaire's bizarre job offer.
Another case for the great detective, Sherlock Holmes.
Starring Carleton Hobbs and Norman Shelley.
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's detective tale first published in 1891.
Adapted by Michael Hardwick.
Sherlock Holmes ...... Carleton Hobbs
Dr Watson ...... Norman Shelley
Jabez Wilson ...... Victor Lonad
Vincent Spaulding ...... Peter Marinker
Duncan Ross ...... Frank Dunn
Inspector Jones ...... Gabriel Woolf
Merryweather ...... Eric Andard
Producer Graham Gauld
First broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in September 1964.
SAT 03:00 Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte (b099b048)
5. Mr Rochester
Lonely, ignored and ill-treated, the orphaned Jane Eyre is growing up.
Jane learns a little of Mr Rochester's history - and comes to his aid for the second time.
Charlotte Bronte's bold and passionate story of a woman's search for independence and love on her own terms.
Abridged by Sally Marmion.
Read by Anne-Marie Duff
Producer: Di Speirs
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 2004.
SAT 03:15 Ship of Lies (m0003zyh)
5. Conspiracy
With Danny missing, and Pinkertons in menacing mood, Emma’s certain she is facing an organised conspiracy. Or could she just be the victim of too much information?
She came to New York to find answers but has instead ended up in a maze of questions. Is Danny right – there is no objective truth? Will the technology of this new century, which promised to reveal it, offer only more ways to avoid and obscure it?
Delirious with exhaustion, she is hit by a car. Waking, she’s in a hospital and a doctor is with her. The doctor encourages Emma to talk. It all comes out in a rush – her grief at her fiancé’s death, inability to accept it, need to get answers, then her journey to New York and the bewildering things she’s found here.
When the doctor asks her if she’s any proof the alleged fiancé even existed, she says his letters to her and photograph are in her stolen purse. She has nothing to prove that he died, or that he ever lived. She doesn’t even have evidence of who she is herself.
"How long will I be here?" she asks.
"As long as it takes to cure you. Or until you can provide the proof that this man really existed."
Produce the facts which prove her case. After all, Facts are facts, aren’t they?
Written by Ron Hutchinson.
Emma …… Jasmine Hyde
Danny …… Colin Stinton
Havermayer …… Matt Rippy
Doctor ....… Patrick Bailey
Nurse …… Laurel Lefkow
Director: Eoin O'Callaghan
A Big Fish Radio production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in April 2019.
SAT 03:30 Tim FitzHigham: The Gambler (b05pnw2q)
Series 2
Episode 2
Adventuring comedian Tim FitzHigham recreates a 19th century bet.
Can his pig (Gwladys) cross a bridge quicker than a waterman can row the width of the river beneath?
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.
SAT 04:00 Steptoe and Son (b00rlb08)
Series 1
65 Today
Albert Steptoe's 65th birthday outing turns into a disaster for his son Harold.
Starring Wilfrid Brambell and Harry H Corbett.
Classic sitcom about the lives of rag and bone men Albert Steptoe and his son Harold.
Written by Ray Galton and Alan Simpson.
Albert ...... Wilfrid Brambell
Harold ...... Harry H Corbett
With:
Ian Burford
David Charlesworth
The 1962 BBC TV comedy pilot 'The Offer' sparked a run of 8 series.
Adapted for BBC radio from the TV script by Gale Pedrick.
Producer: Bobby Jaye
First broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in July 1966.
SAT 04:30 Babblewick Hall (b01nh8zv)
Series 1
Episode 5
A future as a distinguished Parliamentarian beckons Fenton to London.
However, putting the finishing touches to his maiden speech, Fenton Babblewick is unaware of the tortuous journey which lies ahead - and his travelling companions who’ll be the source of much irritation.
Is this the moment Augustus has been waiting for? An escape to London, free at last from the horrors of Yorkshire.
Starring Nicholas Le Prevost and Forbes Masson.
Scott Cherry’s sitcom set in the 18th-century.
Fenton Babblewick ...... Nick Le Prevost
Augustus Snipe ...... Forbes Masson
Barney ...... David Antrobus
Jack ...... Sam Kelly
Mrs Maddison ...... Sara Coward
Maddison ...... John Baddeley
Highwayman ...... Stephen Critchlow
Music by Paul Mottram.
Producer: Paul Schlesinger
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 1996.
SAT 05:00 The Museum of Curiosity (m0010ndq)
Series 16
Episode 1
Professor of Ignorance John Lloyd and his curator Holly Walsh welcome:
* Comedian and writer Jamie MacDonald
* Art critic and author Jennifer Higgie
* Artist Francis Hamel
The Museum's Guest Committee donate a blue badge to talk about the ways the country is becoming more accessible, the first self portrait ever painted of an artist at work at the easel – painted by Catharina van Hemessen in 1548.
Researchers: Mike Shepherd, Mike Turner, Emily Jupitus and Jack Chambers of QI.
Producer: Anne Miller
A BBC Studios production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in October 2021.
SAT 05:30 Trevor's World of Sport (b00nd0th)
Series 3
Episode 3
The sports agent tries to prove that people deserve a second chance.
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
Dean ...... Philip Pope
Written and produced by Andy Hamilton
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 2007.
SAT 06:00 Meeting Jack (m001kvy4)
In 1908, Jack London, the author of 'White Fang', sailed round the South Pacific with his wife Charmian in search of adventure.
They found it in abundance.
As did young Martin Priddy, whose life was forever changed by meeting Jack London.
Starring William Hope and Theresa Gallagher.
Written by Shaun McKenna.
Jack London .... William Hope
Charmian London .... Theresa Gallagher
Martin Priddy .... Jonathan Keeble
Captain Jansen .... Paul Herzberg
Caulfield .... David Collings
Captain Keller .... Paul Jenkins
Johnny .... John Hartley
Aunt Rose .... Zulema Dene
Billy .... Vincent Ebrahim
Roberts .... John Turner
Tesema .... Sandra James Young
Malaitan .... Hakeem Kae-Kazim
Director Andy Jordan
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 1995
SAT 07:30 James Bond - Casino Royale (Omnibus) (m001kvy8)
Episode 1
Agent 007 takes on the fraudster, Le Chiffre.
He's absconded with 25 million francs of Soviet money and is being hunted by the sinister SMERSH.
Casino Royale is Ian Fleming’s first James Bond novel - first published in April 1953.
4 Extra celebrates its 70th anniversary.
Omnibus of the first five of ten parts abridged by Sally Marmion.
Read by Alex Jennings.
Producer: Di Speirs
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 2011.
SAT 08:40 Inheritance Tracks (b09k9ys8)
Roger Moore
Actor and James Bond star, Sir Roger Moore, selects 'Sobre Las Olas' by Juventino Rosas and Frank Sinatra's 'My Way'.
SAT 08:45 Uncle Mort's North Country (b007jrbn)
Series 2
Dark Satanic Writer
Carter Brandon and his Uncle Mort chew the cud as they tour a museum of northern life.
Peter Tinniswood’s continuing tales of Carter Brandon and his curmudgeonly uncle.
Uncle Mort and his Yorkshire based family first appeared in Tinniswood’s novel ‘A Touch Of Daniel’.
In addition to radio adaptations, this earned them a run of four BBC TV series of ‘I Didn't Know You Cared’ from 1975 to 1979.
Uncle Mort …. Stephen Thorne
Carter Brandon …. Peter Skellern
Harry Hardcastle …. Norman Bird
Narrator …. Christian Rodska
Producer: Pete Atkin.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 1989.
SAT 09:00 We're in Business (b007jydz)
The Gorilla
When Dudley breaks the Major's stuffed gorilla, he, Harry and Miss Boot seek a replacement.
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, Hugh Paddick and Paddy Edwards.
A selection of surviving episodes from two series broadcast between 1959-1960.
Producer: Charles Maxwell.
First broadcast on the BBC Home Service in March 1960.
SAT 09:30 Whack-O! (b063j9cg)
The Boxing Championship
Professor Jimmy Edwards must deal with outbreaks of shaving and mixed ballroom dancing at school.
Starting life on BBC TV before transferring to radio, Chiselbury School is run "for the sons of gentlefolk".
Headmaster, Professor James Edwards, MA 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.
Adapted by David Climie.
The Headmaster …. Jimmy Edwards
Mr Potter …. Roddy Maude-Roxby
Lumley …. Roger Shepherd
Alfred Tennyson …. Frederick Treves
With:
Joan Young
Philip Moran
Graham Aza
David Lott
Heather Bennett
Jennie Lathan
Angela Shade
Producer: Edward Taylor
First broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in July 1961.
SAT 10:00 Steve Penk's Radio Nightmares (m000hwfc)
3. Third Time's A Charm
Broadcaster Steve Penk digs out a final batch of some of the funniest clips of live radio mistakes - with 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.
The last of a three-part compilation - including:
Emily Buchanan introducing a blooper reel from ‘A World In Your Ear’.
Producer: Stephen Garner
Made for BBC Radio 4 Extra and first broadcast in November 2018.
SAT 11:00 Meeting Jack (m001kvy4)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
SAT 12:30 James Bond - Casino Royale (Omnibus) (m001kvy8)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
SAT 13:40 Inheritance Tracks (b09k9ys8)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:40 today]
SAT 13:45 Uncle Mort's North Country (b007jrbn)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:45 today]
SAT 14:00 We're in Business (b007jydz)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
SAT 14:30 Whack-O! (b063j9cg)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 today]
SAT 15:00 Steve Penk's Radio Nightmares (m000hwfc)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 today]
SAT 16:00 James Follett - The Twisted Image (b007mf16)
[Repeat of broadcast at 00:00 today]
SAT 16:45 Algernon Blackwood's Ghost Stories (m001kqdx)
[Repeat of broadcast at 00:45 today]
SAT 17:00 Meeting Jack (m001kvy4)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
SAT 18:30 James Bond - Casino Royale (Omnibus) (m001kvy8)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
SAT 19:40 Inheritance Tracks (b09k9ys8)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:40 today]
SAT 19:45 Uncle Mort's North Country (b007jrbn)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:45 today]
SAT 20:00 We're in Business (b007jydz)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
SAT 20:30 Whack-O! (b063j9cg)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 today]
SAT 21:00 Steve Penk's Radio Nightmares (m000hwfc)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 today]
SAT 22:00 John Finnemore's Souvenir Programme (b03bdsny)
Series 3
Episode 4
John Finnemore with another sketch-packed show.
This episode contains a sketch that is much, much too rude; advice on how to deal with bullies; and an accidental visit to Ambridge.
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 (b01s0dlz)
Series 2
Mirrors
Can Dr Berry help Miss Sunday with her phobia of mirrors?
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.
Written by and starring Matt Berry.
With:
Daisy Beaumon
Sally Okafor
Julia Deakin
Michael Shelford
Producer: Sam Bryant.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 2013.
SAT 22:45 Friends Like These (b010m7g6)
Adam and Joe's Famous Guy
"I'm the best at pretending..."
Adam Buxton and Joe Cornish star in the tale of Manthea Shringleton, a journalist sent to interview a reclusive Hollywood star.
Written by Adam Buxton.
Producer: Claudine Toutoungi.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 2006.
SAT 23:00 4 Stands Up (b00f4pxp)
Series 2
Episode 1
Welsh comic Rhod Gilbert invites old hands and fresh faces on the comedy circuit to perform.
Featuring character pieces, double acts and sketches.
With:
Russell Kane
Wilson Dixon
Stephen K Amos
Producer: Tilusha Ghelani
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 2008.
SAT 23:30 A Bit of Fry and Laurie (b0485v71)
First Bit
An unusual first kiss, a vision of the future and some shocking TV soap revelations.
Starring Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie.
On their journey to international stardom - Cambridge Footlights graduates, Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie wrote and starred together in a pilot show for BBC TV.
This was followed by four acclaimed TV series of 'A Bit of Fry & Laurie' from 1989 to 1995.
Hugh Laurie introduces the first of two audio collections of choice comedy morsels culled from the BBC TV soundtracks.
Producer: Aled Evans
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 1994.

SUNDAY 09 APRIL 2023

SUN 00:00 Wally K Daly (b007nfs5)
625Y
2. Elixir of Life
Scientist Kate Brown's attempt to bring her dramatic new gene discovery into the public domain doesn't go to plan...
Starring Amanda Root and Geoffrey Whitehead.
Conclusion of Wally K Daly intriguing sci-fi drama.
Kate Brown …. Amanda Root
Professor Slingsby …. Geoffrey Whitehead
Joe Barnard …. Jon Strickland
Reporter …. Elizabeth Conboy
Prime Minister …. Chris Tranchell
Minister of Defence …. Ian Masters
Major Peters …. Brett Usher
Danny Flowers …. Stuart Milligan
Lab Technician …. Harry Myers
Minister of Health …. Sandra Clark
Director: Gordon House.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 1999.
SUN 00:30 Simon Bovey - Cold Blood (b007s5v2)
2. Cold Heart
At Ellsworth Research Centre, deep in the Antarctic, scientist Russell Bowers is recovering after his incredible trek.
Meanwhile, Commander Taft and meteorologist Anaya are heading to Mitchell Bluff to discover what they can about the attack on Bowers and his team.
Continuing Simon Bovey's sci-fi thriller made in 2005 but set in 2015.
Bowers …. Tim McMullan
Commander Taft …. Tom Mannion
Max Bellingfield …. Stuart McLoughlin
Anaya …. Ndidi Del Fatti
Deborah …. Helen Longworth
Director: Marc Beeby
Made for BBC 7 and first broadcast in January 2005.
SUN 01:00 Meeting Jack (m001kvy4)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 on Saturday]
SUN 02:30 James Bond - Casino Royale (Omnibus) (m001kvy8)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 on Saturday]
SUN 03:45 Uncle Mort's North Country (b007jrbn)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:45 on Saturday]
SUN 04:00 We're in Business (b007jydz)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 on Saturday]
SUN 04:30 Whack-O! (b063j9cg)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 on Saturday]
SUN 05:00 Steve Penk's Radio Nightmares (m000hwfc)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 on Saturday]
SUN 06:00 Poetry Extra (m001kw6n)
Four Seasons - Spring
Daljit Nagra revisits the BBC's poetry archive and selects Four Seasons - Spring - a compilation of poetry broadcast to celebrate the Spring Equinox.
Actors Siobhan Redmond, Adjoa Andoh, Simon Russell Beale, Juliet Stevenson, Anton Lesser, Pippa Haywood and Paul McGann read poetry on the theme of Spring to celebrate the Vernal Equinox.
There are appearances from poets Christine de Luca on Woman's Hour and Caleb Femi with a specially composed Spring poem on Front Row.
Originally broadcast across one day on BBC Radio 4.
Producer: Maggie Ayre
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 2019.
SUN 06:30 Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte (Omnibus) (m001kw6x)
Episode 1
Lonely, ignored and ill-treated, the orphaned Jane Eyre is growing up at Gateshead.
When she arrives at Thornfield Hall, it's not only the presence of Mr Rochester that she finds unsettling...
Charlotte Bronte's bold and passionate story of a woman's search for independence and love on her own terms.
First published in 1847.
Omnibus of the first five of fifteen episodes abridged by Sally Marmion.
Read by Anne-Marie Duff.
Producer: Di Speirs
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 2004.
SUN 07:40 Inheritance Tracks (m001kw75)
Tom Allen
Comedian Tom Allen chooses Saving All My Love for You by Whitney Houston and Chicago by Sufjan Stevens.
SUN 07:50 Ron Hutchinson - Ship of Lies (Omnibus) (m00046fv)
Weeks after her fiancé, a musician who drowned on the Titanic dies, Emma Heyer is still inconsolable.
She reads the reports from the survivors endlessly. Each night she goes into fitful sleep, imagining the dead man’s final moments.
It’s a doubly tragic death because he only joined the ship at the last moment, substituting for another band member who fell ill.
It seems that he died heroically still playing with the other members of the ship’s band. But a disparity - which at first seems minor - is emerging about what they were playing as the ship sank. Some who were on board are adamant it was the hymn Nearer My God To Thee. Others are equally insistent that it was a waltz tune, Song of Autumn.
It seems a simple matter to resolve. She takes the money she’s been saving for the wedding and travels to New York and the headquarters of the White Star line.
The officials have nothing to tell her and, although sympathetic to her loss, seem somewhat over anxious to get rid of her. Just what exactly are they hiding? It’s then that she meets Danny Gunther, a newspaper man hungry for a story.
Omnibus of five parts written by Ron Hutchinson
Emma …… Jasmine Hyde
Danny …… Colin Stinton
Havermayer …… Matt Rippy
Doctor ....… Patrick Bailey
Nurse …… Laurel Lefkow
Director: Eoin O'Callaghan
A Big Fish Radio production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in April 2019.
SUN 09:00 Harry Worth (b09qhsxy)
Things Could Be Worse
It Never Rains ...
Harry goes on holiday to the seaside, but gets treated to a week of typical British weather.
Harry blunders his way through another catalogue of mishaps.
Starring Harry Worth.
With:
John Baddeley
John Graham
Miriam Margolyes
Written by David McKellar and David Renwick.
Producer: Simon Brett.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 1976.
SUN 09:30 Something to Shout About (m00058fy)
Series 2
Episode 21
With holiday fever in the air, Mavis is persuaded to head to Nice.
'A light-hearted exposé of the advertising world!'
Set in a London ad agency called 'Apsley, Addis, Cohen, Barbican, Blythe, Giddy & Partners'.
Written by Myles Rudge with Ronnie Wolfe.
Michael …. Michael Medwin
Janet …. Fenella Fielding
Mavis …. Joan Sims
Maggie …. Eleanor Summerfield
Adrian …. Nicholas Phipps
Other parts played by Warren Mitchell
Producer: Eric Miller
First broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in May 1961.
SUN 10:00 Desert Island Discs Revisited (b0147b28)
Longplay
Lang Lang
Chinese pianist, Lang Lang reveals his castaway choices.
In a specially extended edition for BBC Radio 4 Extra, Lang Lang shares his life story with Kirsty Young and explains her musical, book and luxury choices.
He was five years old when he gave his first public recital in front of an audience of 800 people. It was a pivotal moment and from that point on it was clear where his future lay. His parents were both musical too but, during the cultural revolution, had not been able to pursue their own ambitions.
Lang Lang was born under the one-child rule and so he was, he says, their only chance. Their aim was that he should become the No.1 pianist in China and in the years that followed, family life was sacrificed to that end.
He is now one of the most famous classical musicians in the world.
DISC ONE: Thriller - Michael Jackson
DISC TWO: Frédéric Chopin’s Waltz in D flat major, Op. 64/1 'Minute Waltz' - Arthur Rubinstein
DISC THREE: O sole mio - Singer: Luciano Pavarotti
DISC FOUR: Frédéric Chopin’s Piano Concerto No. 1 in E minor, 2nd movement - Murray Perahia and the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra
DISC FIVE: Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1 in B Flat Minor - Van Cliburn and the RCA Symphony Orchestra
DISC SIX: Franz Liszt’s Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 – Vladimir Horowitz
DISC SEVEN: The Yellow River in Wrath from the Yellow River Piano Concerto - Lang Lang and the China Philharmonic Orchestra
DISC EIGHT: Rhapsody in Blue - Leonard Bernstein
BOOK CHOICE: The Analects of Confucius
LUXURY CHOICE: Two feathered pillows
CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: Franz Liszt’s Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 – Vladimir Horowitz
Producer: Christine Pawlowsky
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 Extra in September 2011 .
SUN 11:00 Poetry Extra (m001kw6n)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
SUN 11:30 Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte (Omnibus) (m001kw6x)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
SUN 12:40 Inheritance Tracks (m001kw75)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:40 today]
SUN 12:50 Ron Hutchinson - Ship of Lies (Omnibus) (m00046fv)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:50 today]
SUN 14:00 Harry Worth (b09qhsxy)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
SUN 14:30 Something to Shout About (m00058fy)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 today]
SUN 15:00 Desert Island Discs Revisited (b0147b28)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 today]
SUN 16:00 Wally K Daly (b007nfs5)
[Repeat of broadcast at 00:00 today]
SUN 16:30 Simon Bovey - Cold Blood (b007s5v2)
[Repeat of broadcast at 00:30 today]
SUN 17:00 Poetry Extra (m001kw6n)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
SUN 17:30 Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte (Omnibus) (m001kw6x)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
SUN 18:40 Inheritance Tracks (m001kw75)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:40 today]
SUN 18:50 Ron Hutchinson - Ship of Lies (Omnibus) (m00046fv)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:50 today]
SUN 20:00 Harry Worth (b09qhsxy)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
SUN 20:30 Something to Shout About (m00058fy)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 today]
SUN 21:00 Desert Island Discs Revisited (b0147b28)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 today]
SUN 22:00 The Hudson and Pepperdine Show (b00762ck)
Series 2
Episode 4
Mel and Vicki encounter a computer flight simulator with more to offer than flying lessons, while Mel confesses to being a bit too recreational with her pharmaceuticals.
Plus more from the Gory Nuns, the Dirty Sloanes and the Goatee Beard Men's Group.
Variety meets sitcom meets sketch show - written and performed by Mel Hudson and Vicki Pepperdine.
With:
Martin Hyder
Jim North
Peter Serafinowicz
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 Chain Reaction (m0001sh8)
Series 7
Rhys Thomas talks to Simon Day
The Down the Line and The Fast show comics in the talk tag show, where the guest is the next interviewer. From
Rhys Thomas (Gary Bellamy, host of Down The Line) interviews actor Simon Day.
They have worked together since The Fast Show, when Simon was an established member of the team, and Rhys was a supporting cast member; Simon also appeared in the sitcom Swiss Toni, which Rhys co-wrote, and provides voices for Down The Line.
Simon comes from a live background, as opposed to Rhys's first break working as a runner on Shooting Stars; he also waited until this year to have his own show, The Simon Day Show, whereas Rhys had written two series of his own sitcom by the age of 21.
All these differences, and all this common ground, makes for an absorbing and hilarious interview.
Producer: Lianne Coop.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 2011.
SUN 22:55 The Comedy Club Interviews (m001l2qk)
Alasdair Beckett-King 1/3
From 10pm until midnight, seven days a week, The Comedy Club has two hours of comedy. And tonight, Jake Yapp talks to Alasdair Beckett-King.
SUN 23:00 Safety Catch (b0178ncg)
Series 2
Brothers in Arms
Darren Boyd is back as reluctant arms dealer Simon McGrath.
He's generally a nice chap - he just happens to work as an arms dealer, or 'Defence and security equipment system solutions broker' as he prefers to call it.
Whilst battling with his conscience he justifies to himself why five years on he's still in a job he just fell into - after all, what he really wants is to pursue is his career in electronic music. But until that takes off he'll stay where he is, and as his mother so eloquently puts it, "any job where you get your own desk and a hot dinner can't be all bad".
And so as we renew our acquaintance with Simon we find him, using his 'flair for original ideas' to go to extreme lengths to prove to everyone just how badly he feels about doing the job he does.
The return of Laurence Howarth's black comedy of modern morality set in the world of arms dealing.
Simon Mcgrath ...... Darren Boyd
Anna Grieg ...... Joanna Page
Boris Kemal ...... Lewis Macleod
Judith McGrath ...... Sarah Smart
Angela McGrath ...... Brigit Forsyth
Madeleine Turnbull ...... Rachel Atkins
Peter ...... Gus Brown
Paramedic ...... Philip Fox
Producer: Dawn Ellis.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 2009.
SUN 23:30 Lemn Sissay's Origin Stories (b07x20c1)
2. Mutatis Mutandis
Batman was an orphan; Lisbeth Salander, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, was an orphan; Superman was an orphan and a foundling. Cinderella was a foster child. Darth Vader - well, they can't all be winners.
Taking a comic and poetic angle, Lemn Sissay compares reality against the treatment of children raised in care, orphans and foster children in popular culture. Because it surely says something about how we view them that we create so many for fiction?
In this episode, Lemn looks at the children at Charles Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters, otherwise known as The X-Men Academy.
More specifically, Rogue and Wolverine, whose dark and tragic origins lie long before either of them reached the School. But there, Xavier - Professor X - sought to teach the children how to control their powers and make the most of them.
Lemn's experiences in children's homes in Wigan was not the same. What difference would it have made it it had been?
Lemn also talks to comedian and care leaver Sophie Willan, who spent most of her childhood in foster care and assisted accommodation.
What superpowers did she discover she had, removed from the security of family?
Written and performed by Lemn Sissay.
Producer: Ed Morrish
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 2016.

MONDAY 10 APRIL 2023

MON 00:00 Poetry Extra (m001kw6n)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 on Sunday]
MON 00:30 Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte (Omnibus) (m001kw6x)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 on Sunday]
MON 01:50 Ron Hutchinson - Ship of Lies (Omnibus) (m00046fv)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:50 on Sunday]
MON 03:00 Harry Worth (b09qhsxy)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 on Sunday]
MON 03:30 Something to Shout About (m00058fy)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 on Sunday]
MON 04:00 Desert Island Discs Revisited (b0147b28)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 on Sunday]
MON 05:00 Anton Chekhov - Wild Honey (b0b6bzhc)
Episode 1
Village schoolmaster Platonov has it all.
He's got wit, intelligence, a comfortable and respectable life in provincial Russia, and the attentions of four beautiful women - one of whom is his devoted wife.
As summer arrives and the seasonal festivities commence, the rapidly intensifying heat makes everyone giddy with sunlight, vodka and passion.
Starring David Tennant.
When Wild Honey was first produced at London's National Theatre in 1984, Ian McKellen played Platonov at the same age as David Tennant is here.
The role is a big show off part and the play is a rumbustious cornucopia of characters and themes covering sexual comedy, morality, melodramatics, the state of contemporary Russia and a hint of tragedy.
The play was discovered in a bank vault in 1920, 16 years after Chekhov's death - with the title page of the play missing, leading to its rather varied history of titles. The original piece was nearly six hours long and Michael Frayn has done a masterful job of turning the work into something quintessentially Chekhovian.
"I love everyone - and everyone loves me. I insult them, I treat them abominably - and they love me just the same!"
Dramatised in two-parts by Michael Frayn.
Platonov ...... David Tennant
Anna Petrovna ...... Sasha Behar
Dr Triletzky ...... Elliot Levey
Sasha ...... Olivia Darnley
Sofya ...... Eva Feiler
Sergey ...... John Hollingworth
Osip ...... Forbes Masson
Colonel Triletzky ...... Rupert Vansittart
Porfiry Semyonovich Glagolyev ...... Christian Rodska
Gerasim Kuzmich Petrin ...... Ben Onwukwe
Marko ...... Nigel Cooke
Marya Yefimovna Grekova ...... Prisca Bakare
Director: Clive Brill
A Brill production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in June 2018.
MON 06:00 Hercule Poirot (b007jlw5)
Murder in Mesopotamia
Episode 1
Amy Leatheran has never felt the lure of the mysterious East, but when she travels to an ancient site deep in the Iraqi desert to nurse the wife of a celebrated archaeologist; events prove stranger than she could ever have imagined.
Her patient's bizarre visions and nervous terror seem unfounded, but as the oppressive tension in the air thickens, events come to a terrible climax - in murder...
Agatha Christie's whodunit in a tale of angst and archaeology.
Starring John Moffatt as Hercule Poirot.
From the book first published in 1936 and dramatised in five parts by Michael Bakewell.
Hercule Poirot …. John Moffatt
Louise Leidner …. Dorothy Tutin
Dr Leidner …. William Franklyn
Amy Leatheran …. Becky Hindley
Dr Reilly …. Norman Rodway
Coleman …. David Jarvis
Sheila Reilly …. Cathy Sara
Miss Johnson …. Elizabeth Spriggs
Father Lavigny …. John Hartley
Richard Carey …. Gavin Muir
Mrs Mercado …. Elaine Claxton
Mercado …. Neville Jason
Producer: Enyd Williams
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 1994.
MON 06:30 Sherlock Holmes (m0009cbv)
Sherlock Holmes with Carleton Hobbs - Series 5
The Three Gables
The Baker Street sleuth faces threats as he investigates a house buyer, who's also after all of its contents...
Another case for the great detective, Sherlock Holmes.
Starring Carleton Hobbs and Norman Shelley.
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's detective tale first published in 1926.
Adapted by Michael Hardwick
Steve Dixie ...... Frank Singuineau
Mary Maberly ...... Grizelda Hervey
Susan ...... Nicolette Bernard
Sutro ...... Allan Haines
Isadora Klein ...... Selma Vas Dias
Inspector Lestrade ...... Humphrey Morton
Producer Graham Gauld
First broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in October 1964.
MON 07:00 Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte (b0076l0p)
6. Jane's Dreams
Accomplished and beautiful, Blanche Ingram's arrival at Thornfield reminds Jane of the reality of her position and dampens her dreams.
Charlotte Bronte's bold and passionate story of a woman's search for independence and love on her own terms.
Abridged in fifteen parts by Sally Marmion.
Read by Anne-Marie Duff
Producer: Di Speirs
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 2004.
MON 07:15 Curious Under the Stars (m0002lt9)
Devil's Bridge
Part 1
A stranger arrives with a plan that threatens the future of the village.
Magical drama set in Glan Don, a mysterious village perched on the wild Welsh coast.
Starring Sion Pritchard, Emma Sidi and Ifan Huw Dafydd.
Written by Annamaria Murphy.
Gareth/Fluffy ...... Sion Pritchard
Diane ...... Emma Sidi
Emlyn ....... Ifan Huw Dafydd
Megan ...... Aimee Ffion Edwards
Matty …... Siw Hughes
Hadrian …... Paul Rhys
Series created by Meic Povey
Director: James Robinson
A BBC Cymru Wales Production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in February 2019.
MON 07:30 Lobby Land (m0007l40)
Series 2
Cometh The Power
Sam and Mia have been nominated for journalism awards at the prestigious DONCASTAs.
But has Sam got a bigger decision to make?
Sam Peakes ...... Yasmine Akram
Tom Shriver MP ...... Charlie Higson
Mia Phillips ...... Cariad Lloyd
Gideon Burnside ...... Dan Tetsell
Nathan Edmonds ...... Daniel Lawrence Taylor
Marcus ...... Joe Da Costa
Written by Jon Harvey, Christopher Davies and Sarah Dempster
Additional material by Laura Major
Producer: Jon Harvey
A Naked production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in August 2019.
MON 08:00 Round the Horne (b00svbbs)
Series 4
Episode 6
Kenneth Horne's in for a shock from sneaky Kenneth Williams in 'Big Broads Don't Squeal' - and bona gifts galore from Julian and Sandy.
One of BBC Radio’s most influential and groundbreaking series packed full of colourful characters, parodies, memorable catchphrases, and double-entendres.
Starring:
Kenneth Horne
Kenneth Williams
Hugh Paddick
Betty Marsden
Announcer: Douglas Smith
Recorded at the BBC's Paris Studio in Lower Regent Street, London.
Music by Edwin Braden and the Hornblowers and The Fraser Hayes Four.
Round The Horne was born out of the demise of BBC radio comedy Beyond Our Ken. Using the same cast and producer, Barry Took and Marty Feldman wrote the brilliantly inventive - and sometimes outrageous - scripts for the first three series.
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 (b00cm8qz)
Series 2
Episode 4
Ken is trying to relax, but even on a date with Deborah, advertising is on his mind.
Starring Martin Jarvis.
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
Corners ...... Don Henderson
Benny ...... Karl Howman
Lesley ...... Pauline Siddle
With:
Joss Ackland
James Griffiths
Miriam Margolyes
John Shrapnel
Imelda Staunton
David Tate
Producer: Pete Atkin
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 1984.
MON 09:00 We've Been Here Before (b00ft41b)
Series 2
Episode 1
Return of the topical historical satirical panel show setting out to prove that there's nothing new under, or in, The Sun.
Hosted by Clive Anderson.
Gyles Brandreth and Arthur Smith
battle it out against
John O'Farrell and Arabella Weir.
Producer: Ed Morrish
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in June 2004.
MON 09:30 Ring Around the Bath (b00p4yp8)
Series 1
The Older Man
Alison has a new boyfriend.
Patrick is delighted but will the others take to her new man as well?
Lucy Clare and Ian Davidson's sitcom about a rather topsy turvy household.
Starring Duncan Preston and Penny Downie.
Stella tries to dejunk the house. Everything useless must go, including her grown-up kids.
Patrick ...... Duncan Preston
Stella ...... Penny Downie
Alison ...... Claudie Blakely
Rick ...... Bruce McKinnon
Egg ...... Daniela Denby-Ashe
Xanthe ...... Catherine Shepherd
Ken.........Andrew Westfield
Producer: Elizabeth Freestone
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 2003.
MON 10:00 Anton Chekhov - Wild Honey (b0b6bzhc)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:00 today]
MON 11:00 Hercule Poirot (b007jlw5)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
MON 11:30 Sherlock Holmes (m0009cbv)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
MON 12:00 Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte (b0076l0p)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
MON 12:15 Curious Under the Stars (m0002lt9)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:15 today]
MON 12:30 Lobby Land (m0007l40)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
MON 13:00 Round the Horne (b00svbbs)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
MON 13:30 Legal, Decent, Honest and Truthful (b00cm8qz)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
MON 14:00 We've Been Here Before (b00ft41b)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
MON 14:30 Ring Around the Bath (b00p4yp8)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 today]
MON 15:00 Anton Chekhov - Wild Honey (b0b6bzhc)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:00 today]
MON 16:00 Hercule Poirot (b007jlw5)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
MON 16:30 Sherlock Holmes (m0009cbv)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
MON 17:00 Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte (b0076l0p)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
MON 17:15 Curious Under the Stars (m0002lt9)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:15 today]
MON 17:30 Lobby Land (m0007l40)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
MON 18:00 Round the Horne (b00svbbs)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
MON 18:30 Legal, Decent, Honest and Truthful (b00cm8qz)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
MON 19:00 We've Been Here Before (b00ft41b)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
MON 19:30 Ring Around the Bath (b00p4yp8)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 today]
MON 20:00 Bookclub (p00fpvjf)
Ian McEwan - Enduring Love
Ian McEwan talks about his tale of stalking, science and psychology, the bestselling ‘Enduring Love’.
In 2000, he joined readers and Jim Naughtie, on Radio 4’s Bookclub to discuss his 1997 novel.
Producer: Karen Holden
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2000.
MON 20:30 My Dream Dinner Party (m00159s9)
Joan Bakewell's Dream Dinner Party
Broadcaster and journalist Joan Bakewell hosts a dinner party with a tasty twist.
All her guests are from beyond the grave, long-time heroes brought back to life by the wonders of the radio archive.
Joan is joined by:
* Hollywood legend Kirk Douglas
* Labour politician Barbara Castle
* Acclaimed playwright Tennessee Williams
* Carry On film star Barbara Windsor
* Artist Louise Bourgeois.
As the chicken and chorizo simmers on the hob, the conversation crackles - from art and obscenity, to the Don Juan complex and parental heartbreak.
Before long, there's an unfortunate tantrum – and Joan is left picking up the pieces.
Written and presented by Joan Bakewell.
Produced by Sarah Peters and Peregrine Andrews
Researcher: Edgar Maddicott
BBC Archivist: Tariq Hussain
Executive Producer: Iain Chambers
A Tuning Fork and Open Audio production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in March 2022.
MON 21:00 Mastertapes (b01nxh51)
Series 1
Brinsley Forde (the A-Side)
Brinsley Forde talks about the inspiration behind Aswad's 1981 album 'New Chapter'.
Series in which leading performers and songwriters talk about the album that made them or changed them.
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.
Both editions feature exclusive live performances.
In this one (The A side), John Wilson asks Brinsley about the album in question.
More than 30 years since its release, Brinsley Forde talks about Aswad's third studio album.
Formed in Ladbroke Grove in West London, Aswad are the band that put UK reggae on the map. They were reknowned for their fusion of styles including dancehall, funk, hip-hop and dub and for bringing strong R&B influences to the reggae scene. New Chapter, their first album for CBS, was both a watershed for the group and a benchmark for British reggae and it features tracks like 'Natural Progression', 'Ina Your Rights', 'Candles' and 'African Children'.
Released in 1981, it went on to influence the likes of Maxi Priest, Soul II Soul and Massive Attack.
In the B-side of the programme, it's the turn of the audience to ask the questions.
Producer: Emma Kingsley
First broadcast on Radio 4 in November 2012.
MON 21:30 The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood (b008fdxv)
6. Ofglen
More surprises from the Commander, as Offred reveals how the current state-of-affairs came about.
Margaret Attwood’s multi-award-winning futuristic dystopian novel.
The Republic of Gilead offers Offred only one function: to breed. If she deviates, she will, like dissenters, be hanged at the wall or sent out to die slowly of radiation sickness.
But even a repressive state cannot obliterate desire - neither Offred's nor that of the two men on which her future hangs.
Abridged in ten parts by Katie Campbell.
Read by Buffy Davis.
Producer: Sally Avens
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 1995.
MON 21:45 The Whisperer In Darkness (m000mbqk)
Episode 6
Heawood receives a warning.
So who can he trust?
An unexpected phone call has turned Matthew Heawood’s attention to a mystery in the gloom of Rendlesham Forest. Folklore, paranormal, otherworldly?
Up for debate, but fertile ground for a new investigative podcast, that’s for sure.
Kennedy Fisher……………….………JANA CARPENTER
Matthew Heawood………………….BARNABY KAY
Albert Wilmarth………………………MARK BAZELEY
Henry Akeley……………….……..….DAVID CALDER
Ben…………………...........…….…….BEN CROWE
Tania…………………..……...............GABRIELLE GLAISTER
Slide……………………....................FERDINAND KINGSLEY
Mystery woman…………........…...NICOLA STEPHENSON
Child's voice…………………..........EDIE SIMPSON
Producer: Karen Rose

Director/Writer: Julian Simpson

Sound Recordist and Designer: David Thomas
Production Coordinators: Sarah Tombling and Holly Slater

Music by Tim Elsenburg
Executive Producer: Caroline Raphael
A Sweet Talk production for BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds, first broadcast in August 2020.
MON 22:00 Just a Minute (m001kppw)
Series 91
1. Quicksand, A Damp Squib, and Why I Could Win ‘The Traitors’
Sue Perkins challenges Paul Merton, Jennifer Saunders, Julian Clary and Lucy Porter to speak for 60 seconds without repetition, deviation or hesitation.
The long-running Radio 4 national treasure of a parlour game is back for a new series with subjects this week ranging from Quicksand to Why I Could Win ‘The Traitors’.
Production co-ordinator: Caroline Barlow
Sound editor: Marc Willcox
Producer: Rajiv Karia
A BBC Studios Production
MON 22:30 iGod (b00x41ns)
Fame
Discover how Parallel Earth 888 was wiped out by Ian's desire for fame, which occurs when a meteor crashes into his nose.
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 and David Soul.
In each episode, an unnamed, all-seeing narrator (David Soul) shows us that it is stupid to be worrying, as he looks back at some of the most entertaining apocalypses on parallel Earths.
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 lamb shanks).
A succession of comic vignettes ensue that escalate to the end of a parallel world.
Ian ...... Simon Day
The Narrator ...... David Soul
Also starring:
Rosie Cavaliero
Alex MacQueen
Dan Tetsell
Written by Sean Gray.
Producer: Simon Nicholls
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 2011.
MON 22:45 Hamish and Dougal: You'll Have Had Your Tea (b007k1n1)
Series 2
The Poison Pen Letters
The elderly Scotsmen investigate who's been snitching with green ink.
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
With:
John Garden
Ros Stephen
Kylie Davies
Scott Hammond
Andrew Davis
Brian Berkins
Producer: Jon Naismith
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 2004.
MON 23:00 The Now Show (m001kr0q)
Series 62
Episode 4
Steve Punt and Hugh Dennis present the week via topical stand-up and sketches. They're joined by David Eagle, Janine Harouni & Jess Robinson.
The show is written by the cast with additional material from Aidan Fitzmaurice, Katie Storey, Privanya Pillay & Cody Dahler.
Voice actors: Daniel Barker & Roisin O'Mahony
Sound: Marc Willcox & Gary Newman
Executive Producer: James Robinson
Producer: Sasha Bobak
Production Coordinator: Sarah Nicholls
A BBC Studios Production
MON 23:30 Masala FM (b0080p9x)
Episode 6
Love is in the air at Masala FM as their first wedding resulting from Khalid's matrimonial phone-in looms.
But is love blind, or just stupid?
Asian radio station sitcom written by Meera Syal.
Starring:
Sanjeev Bhaskar
Nitin Sawheny
Meera Syal
Nina Wadia
Music by Nitin Sawhney.
Producer: Liz Anstee
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 1996.

TUESDAY 11 APRIL 2023

TUE 00:00 Anton Chekhov - Wild Honey (b0b6bzhc)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:00 on Monday]
TUE 01:00 Hercule Poirot (b007jlw5)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 on Monday]
TUE 01:30 Sherlock Holmes (m0009cbv)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 on Monday]
TUE 02:00 Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte (b0076l0p)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 on Monday]
TUE 02:15 Curious Under the Stars (m0002lt9)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:15 on Monday]
TUE 02:30 Lobby Land (m0007l40)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 on Monday]
TUE 03:00 Round the Horne (b00svbbs)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 on Monday]
TUE 03:30 Legal, Decent, Honest and Truthful (b00cm8qz)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 on Monday]
TUE 04:00 We've Been Here Before (b00ft41b)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 on Monday]
TUE 04:30 Ring Around the Bath (b00p4yp8)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 on Monday]
TUE 05:00 Anton Chekhov - Wild Honey (b0b6fbs1)
Episode 2
Village schoolmaster Platonov has it all - wit, intelligence, a comfortable and respectable life in provincial Russia, and the attentions of four beautiful women - one of whom is his devoted wife.
As summer arrives and the seasonal festivities commence, the rapidly intensifying heat makes everyone giddy with sunlight, vodka and passion.
Starring David Tennant.
Conclusion of Michael Frayn's adaptation of Anton Chekhov's early play.
Platonov ...... David Tennant
Anna Petrovna ...... Sasha Behar
Dr Triletzky ...... Elliot Levey
Sasha ...... Olivia Darnley
Sofya ...... Eva Feiler
Sergey ...... John Hollingworth
Osip ...... Forbes Masson
Colonel Triletzky ...... Rupert Vansittart
Porfiry Semyonovich Glagolyev ...... Christian Rodska
Gerasim Kuzmich Petrin ...... Ben Onwukwe
Marko ...... Nigel Cooke
Marya Yefimovna Grekova ...... Prisca Bakare
Director: Clive Brill
A Brill production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in June 2018.
TUE 06:00 Hercule Poirot (b007jlwq)
Murder in Mesopotamia
Episode 2
The Belgian sleuth is on hand when a death occurs in the heat of the desert.
Agatha Christie's whodunit stars John Moffatt as Hercule Poirot.
Dramatised by Michael Bakewell.
Hercule Poirot …. John Moffatt
Coleman …. David Jarvis
Amy Leatheran …. Becky Hindley
Miss Johnson …. Elizabeth Spriggs
Mrs Mercado …. Elaine Claxton
Emmott …. Peter Whitman
Dr Leidner …. William Franklyn
Dr Reilly …. Norman Rodway
Louise Leidner …. Dorothy Tutin
Father Lavigny …. John Hartley
Captain Maitland …. Richard Todd
Producer: Enyd Williams
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 1994.
TUE 06:30 Sherlock Holmes (m0009cq5)
Sherlock Holmes with Carleton Hobbs - Series 5
The Retired Colourman
"Burglary has always been an alternative profession and I have little doubt that I should have come to the front."
A simple case of adultery and theft turns sinister for Sherlock Holmes.
Starring Carleton Hobbs and Norman Shelley.
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's detective tale first published in 1926.
Adapted by Michael Hardwick
Josiah Amberle ...... John Ruddock
Reverend Elman ...... Garard Green
Inspector MacKinnon ...... Michael Kilgarriff
Mrs Hudson ...... Janet Morrison
Barker ...... Denis Goacher
Producer Graham Gauld
First broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in October 1964.
TUE 07:00 Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte (b0076l14)
7. Cries in the Night
A fortune-teller in the library and a cry in the night - the mysteries of Thornfield Hall deepen.
Charlotte Bronte's bold and passionate story of a woman's search for independence and love on her own terms.
Abridged by Sally Marmion.
Read by Anne-Marie Duff
Producer: Di Speirs
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 2004.
TUE 07:15 Curious Under the Stars (m0002m2r)
Devil's Bridge
Part 2
Emlyn strikes a dark deal with Hadrian Bucca.
Magical drama set in Glan Don, a mysterious village perched on the wild Welsh coast.
Starring Sion Pritchard, Emma Sidi and Ifan Huw Dafydd.
Written by Annamaria Murphy.
Gareth/Fluffy ...... Sion Pritchard
Diane ...... Emma Sidi
Emlyn ....... Ifan Huw Dafydd
Megan ...... Aimee Ffion Edwards
Hadrian ..…. Paul Rhys
Series created by Meic Povey
Director: James Robinson
A BBC Cymru Wales production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in February 2019.
TUE 07:30 Cleaning Up (b0543k0g)
3. Getting Stuck
Julie and Nobby find themselves in a sticky situation.
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, vaccuming 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.
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 March 2015.
TUE 08:00 The Goon Show (b00d4182)
Series 8
The Great British Revolution
Angry revolutionary leader Neddie Seagoon is duped into buying worthless weapons.
Ground breaking, surreal BBC radio comedy written by Spike Milligan and Larry Stephens.
With:
Peter Sellers
Spike Milligan
Harry Secombe
First billed as Crazy People, ten series of The Goon Show were recorded between 1951 and 1960, but sadly many of the earliest shows weren’t kept in the archive.
With the Ray Ellington Quartet and Max Geldray.
Orchestra conducted by Wally Stott.
Announcer: Wallace Greenslade
Producer: Roy Speer
First broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in December 1957.
TUE 08:30 For Better or for Worse (b00gszmp)
Series 1
Episode 5
When Bernard is called into work on a Sunday, his fiancee Iris is not impressed
Starring Gorden Kaye and Su Pollard.
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
Mr Cameron ...... Roger John Lee
Produced at BBC Manchester by Mike Craig.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 2 in March 1993.
TUE 09:00 The Motion Show (b0075wj0)
Series 2
Episode 1
This house would rather walk?
I’d rather work for William Hague than Tony Blair?
This house prefers girl babies over boy babies?
Dr Phil Hammond watches over proceedings in the quirky debating game.
With:
Gyles Brandreth
Tony Hawks
Jo Caulfield
Arthur Smith
Producer: Adam Bromley
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 2000.
TUE 09:30 No Commitments (b007jp3j)
Series 8
Wanderlust
Roger is tempted to stray, but he'd be keeping it in the family.
Simon Brett’s sitcom about the lives and squabbles of three very different sisters.
Anna …... Rosemary Leach
Charlotte ..…. Celia Imrie
Victoria …... Angela Thorne
Roger.........Bill NIghy
Chico........Colin Starkey
Music by Elizabeth Parker of the BBC Radiophonic Workshop.
Producer: Maria Esposito
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 2002.
TUE 10:00 Anton Chekhov - Wild Honey (b0b6fbs1)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:00 today]
TUE 11:00 Hercule Poirot (b007jlwq)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
TUE 11:30 Sherlock Holmes (m0009cq5)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
TUE 12:00 Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte (b0076l14)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
TUE 12:15 Curious Under the Stars (m0002m2r)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:15 today]
TUE 12:30 Cleaning Up (b0543k0g)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
TUE 13:00 The Goon Show (b00d4182)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
TUE 13:30 For Better or for Worse (b00gszmp)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
TUE 14:00 The Motion Show (b0075wj0)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
TUE 14:30 No Commitments (b007jp3j)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 today]
TUE 15:00 Anton Chekhov - Wild Honey (b0b6fbs1)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:00 today]
TUE 16:00 Hercule Poirot (b007jlwq)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
TUE 16:30 Sherlock Holmes (m0009cq5)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
TUE 17:00 Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte (b0076l14)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
TUE 17:15 Curious Under the Stars (m0002m2r)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:15 today]
TUE 17:30 Cleaning Up (b0543k0g)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
TUE 18:00 The Goon Show (b00d4182)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
TUE 18:30 For Better or for Worse (b00gszmp)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
TUE 19:00 The Motion Show (b0075wj0)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
TUE 19:30 No Commitments (b007jp3j)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 today]
TUE 20:00 TED Radio Hour (m001l51y)
Series 9
Mind, Body, Spirit: Part 1 - Mind
A journey through fascinating ideas based on talks by riveting speakers on the TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) stage.
Manoush Zomorodi explores mind, body, spirit with fresh ideas on how we think, move, and feel, starting with the mind.
First broadcast in the USA on National Public Radio in 2023.
TUE 20:50 Inheritance Tracks (m000704r)
Professor Alice Roberts
Biological anthropologist, Professor Alice Roberts shares A Whiter Shade Of Pale by Procol Harum and Ash, Girl from Mars.
TUE 21:00 Mastertapes (b01p0bnh)
Series 1
Brinsley Forde (the B-Side)
Following on from the A-side of this two-part programme, now the audience get to ask Brinsley Forde their questions about the inspiration behind Aswad's 1981 album 'New Chapter'.
With John Wilson.
Brinsley performs live versions of some of the tracks from the album which was released more than three decades ago.
Producer: Emma Kingsley
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 2012.
TUE 21:30 The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood (b008flfr)
7. The Wife's Proposal
Serena Joy reveals a radical solution to help Offred's attempt to bear her a child.
Margaret Attwood’s multi-award-winning futuristic dystopian novel.
The Republic of Gilead offers Offred only one function: to breed. If she deviates, she will, like dissenters, be hanged at the wall or sent out to die slowly of radiation sickness.
But even a repressive state cannot obliterate desire - neither Offred's nor that of the two men on which her future hangs.
Abridged by Katie Campbell.
Read by Buffy Davis.
Producer: Sally Avens
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 1995.
TUE 21:45 The Whisperer In Darkness (m000mlbr)
Episode 7
Heawood sets up a new investigation after receiving disturbing information from an army contact.
An unexpected phone call has turned Matthew Heawood’s attention to a mystery in the gloom of Rendlesham Forest. Folklore, paranormal, otherworldly?
Up for debate, but fertile ground for a new investigative podcast, that’s for sure.
Kennedy Fisher.................JANA CARPENTER
Matthew Heawood...........BARNABY KAY
Army friend………………..….STEPHEN MACKINTOSH
Walter Brown………………….KARL JOHNSON
Producer: Karen Rose

Director/Writer: Julian Simpson

Sound Recordist and Designer: David Thomas
Production Coordinators: Sarah Tombling and Holly Slater

Music by Tim Elsenburg
Executive Producer: Caroline Raphael
A Sweet Talk production for BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds, first broadcast in September 2020.
TUE 22:00 You Heard It Here First (m001kpxz)
Series 1
Episode 2
Chris McCausland asks a panel of comedians to live in an audio only world, deciphering brainteaser sound cues for points and pride whilst trying not to muck about too much along the way.
In this episode, contestants try to figure out what on earth is being advertised on the TV, guess what famous objects or locations children are trying to describe, and even work out what chocolate bars are being eaten based on sound alone.
The competing comedians are Alan Davies and Jess Fostekew taking on Suzi Ruffell and Paul Chowdhry.
Producer: Sasha Bobak
Executive Producer: Pete Strauss
Production Co-ordinator: Becky Carewe-Jeffries
Sound editor: Jerry Peal
Theme music ‘Colour me Groovy’ by The Rich Morton Sound
Recorded at the Backyard Comedy Club, Bethnal Green
TUE 22:30 Innes Own World (b017px05)
Episode 4
Neil Innes invites you to join him inside his own mind for half an hour.
There are some stories of working with Monty Python, jingles for products you never thought you needed and a modest little song called Isn't It Great Being A Star?
It's the only show that promises to pluck the eyebrows of intelligence with the sugar tongs of fact.
Written and performed by Neil Innes.
Script Editor: John Dowie
Producer: Claire Jones
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 2003.
TUE 23:00 The (Almost) Accidental Adventures of Bell and Todd (m0004fw9)
A Whale of a Time
Bell and Todd are all at sea - and then a whale called George appears.
Fed up narrating the lives of two men bickering on an allotment, mischievous Diana has thrown Bell and Todd into a mad and a mysterious world of her own devising.
Starring June Whitfield.
John Eggleston's comedy adventure series.
Diana ...... June Whitfield
Bell ...... Matthew Bell
Todd ...... Toby Longworth
Producer: Liz Anstee
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 1997.
TUE 23:15 Fabulous (b00hs90r)
Series 1
Episode 3
Faye's cooker is beeping, work deadlines are looming and flat-hunting sucks...
Lucy Clarke’s sitcom about a woman who wants to be fabulous but can't cope.
Starring Daisy Haggard as Faye.
With:
Olivia Colman
Adam Buxton
Katy Brand
Eve Dallas
Jot Davies
Music by Osymyso.
Producer: Simon Nicholls
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 2007.
TUE 23:30 Old Harry's Game (b00cl63c)
Series 5
I Blame the Media
Whilst Satan's away morally cleansing the media and internet, revolt is brewing in Hell.
Andy Hamilton’s devilishly funny sitcom set in Hell.
Satan …. Andy Hamilton
Thomas …. Jimmy Mulville
Scumspawn …. Robert Duncan
Other characters played by:
Felicity Montagu
Hugh Dennis
Tony Maudsley
Philip Pope
Producer: Paul Mayhew-Archer
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 2005.

WEDNESDAY 12 APRIL 2023

WED 00:00 Anton Chekhov - Wild Honey (b0b6fbs1)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:00 on Tuesday]
WED 01:00 Hercule Poirot (b007jlwq)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 on Tuesday]
WED 01:30 Sherlock Holmes (m0009cq5)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 on Tuesday]
WED 02:00 Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte (b0076l14)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 on Tuesday]
WED 02:15 Curious Under the Stars (m0002m2r)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:15 on Tuesday]
WED 02:30 Cleaning Up (b0543k0g)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 on Tuesday]
WED 03:00 The Goon Show (b00d4182)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 on Tuesday]
WED 03:30 For Better or for Worse (b00gszmp)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 on Tuesday]
WED 04:00 The Motion Show (b0075wj0)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 on Tuesday]
WED 04:30 No Commitments (b007jp3j)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 on Tuesday]
WED 05:00 At Freddie's (b0076d01)
1960s: Freddie Wentworth is the eccentric head of the haphazard Temple Stage School.
He trains children for everything from Shakespeare to panto...
Penelope Fitzgerald's comic novel is a love story for anyone who has ever acted a little or pretended to be what they are not.
Dramatised by Michael Butt.
Freddie Wentworth ... Margaret Tyzack
Miss Blewett .... Dinah Stabb
Hannah Graves.... Laura Doddington
Pierce Carroll.... LLoyd Hutchinson
Oliver Blatt.....Philip Jackson
Boney Lewis..... Nick Boulton
Mattie .... Rory Copus
Jonathan.... Alex Green
Joybelle...... Candice Davies
Director: Claire Grove
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 2003.
WED 06:00 Hercule Poirot (b007jlx8)
Murder in Mesopotamia
Episode 3
The Belgian sleuth must dig for more clues.
Is there a killer amongst a team of desert archaeologists?
Agatha Christie's whodunit stars John Moffatt as Hercule Poirot.
Dramatised by Michael Bakewell.
Hercule Poirot …. John Moffatt
Richard Carey …. Gavin Muir
Amy Leatheran …. Becky Hindley
Dr Reilly …. Norman Rodway
Dr Leidner …. William Franklyn
Sheila Reilly …. Cathy Sara
Miss Johnson …. Elizabeth Spriggs
Producer: Enyd Williams
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 1994.
WED 06:30 No Place To Hide (m001kw7z)
1. How It All Began
Journalist Kathy Swenson, finds herself drawn into a frightening world when an MI6 agent is kidnapped in Paris.
An uncompromising John Rennie is sent to find him.
Starring Margaret Robertson and John Kerry.
Spy-based serial in eight parts written by Ted Allbeury.
Kathy Swenson .... Margaret Robertson
John Rennie .... James Kerry
Rennie's Father .... William Eedle
Young John Rennie .... James Holland
Mary Rennie .... Ellen McIntosh
Adam Fredericks .... Lockwood West
Hugo Paynter .... David Garth
Williams / French Driver .... Michael Jenner
Fleur Mason .... Maggie McCarthy
Director: Christopher Venning
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 1984.
WED 07:00 Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte (b0076l1j)
8. Troubling News
"A tender penchant for Miss Ingram."
As Jane tries to subdue her feelings, there is news from Gateshead - Mrs Reed demands to see her.
Charlotte Bronte's bold and passionate story of a woman's search for independence and love on her own terms.
Abridged by Sally Marmion.
Read by Anne-Marie Duff
Producer: Di Speirs
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 2004.
WED 07:15 Curious Under the Stars (m0002mkl)
Devil's Bridge
Part 3
Diane is seduced by Hadrian’s charms.
Magical drama set in Glan Don, a mysterious village perched on the wild Welsh coast.
Starring Sion Pritchard, Emma Sidi and Ifan Huw Dafydd.
Written by Annamaria Murphy.
Gareth/Fluffy ...... Sion Pritchard
Diane ...... Emma Sidi
Emlyn ...... Ifan Huw Dafydd
Megan ...... Aimee Ffion Edwards
Matty …... Siw Hughes
Hadrian ..…. Paul Rhys
Geraint ...... John Pierce-Jones
Series created by Meic Povey
Director: James Robinson
A BBC Cymru Wales production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in February 2019.
WED 07:30 A Trespasser's Guide to the Classics (b06j2gfy)
Series 1
The Rat-catchers of Yonville
In 19th-century provincial France, a pair of vermin controllers seek their fortune.
Arriving in the market town of Yonville, things start to go wrong when their rat-catching kit goes missing and then when they find themselves entangled in the marital woes of the town's doctor.
The comedy troupe Peepolykus assume the roles of minor characters in great works of fiction and derail the plot of the book through their hapless buffoonery.
Written by John Nicholson, Richard Katz and Javier Marzan
Emma . . . . . Ingrid Oliver
John . . . . . John Nicholson
Javier . . . . . Javier Marzan
Charles . . . . . Richard Katz
Tuvache . . . . . Leo Wan
Hippolyte . . . . . Stephen Critchlow
Justin . . . . . Caolan McCarthy
Homais . . . . . Chris Pavlo
Madame Codoux . . . . . Jessica Turner
Felicite . . . . . Rebecca Hamilton
Director: Sasha Yevtushenko
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 2015.
WED 08:00 Hancock's Half Hour (b00t1bnk)
Series 3
Hancock's Hair
Paranoid over going bald, the Lad pays a visit to Maison James
Ray Galton and Alan Simpson's classic comedy about the life and times of Anthony Aloysius St John Hancock.
Starring Tony Hancock.
With:
Bill Kerr
Sidney James
Kenneth Williams
Andree Melly
Theme and incidental music written by Wally Stott.
Music recorded by the BBC Augmented Revue Orchestra conducted by Harry Rabinowitz.
Producer: Dennis Main Wilson
First broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in January 1956.
WED 08:30 21st Century Blues (m001kw83)
The Exploding Mrs Chaffinch
It's 2099. Atop his desert column, 'Chaff' Chaffinch recalls the rise of noise abatement.
It’s 2099. Donald Pleasence plays ‘Chaff’ Chaffinch. He was born at 23.55 on December 31st 1999 and is now approaching his 100th birthday. Chaff is a stylite – a religious zealot who lives on top of a column overlooking the Ethiopian desert – where he reflects his family history, and on the horrors and absurdities of the new millennium.
Adapted by Steve Walker from his 1995 novel of the same name.
CAST:
Chaff Chaffinch …. Donald Pleasance
Signora Blatta …. Marcella Riordan
Tuna …. Rachel Atkins
Bass …. Malcolm Ward
Nobby … Nicholas Boulton
Mario … Peter Kenny
Cod … David Jarvis
Old Waiter … Gareth Armstrong
Merluzza … Oona Beeson
Sandro … Robert Patterson
Rotenschwein … Peter Whitman
Music arranged and performed by Neil Brand.
The theme sung by Peter Kenny and Nicholas Boulton.
Director: Eoin O'Callaghan
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 1994.
WED 09:00 It's Not What You Know (b037hmyc)
Series 2
Episode 3
Who is Nick Helm's all time hero?
What is the most embarrassing thing Isy Suttie's mum ever did?
Who would play Dougie Anderson in the film of his life?
All these questions, and more, will be answered in the show, where panellists are tested on how well they know their nearest and dearest.
Hosted by Miles Jupp.
Producer: Sam Michell
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 2013.
WED 09:30 Big Broadcast (m0000svb)
Series 3
Quiz
Neil Brand's fast-talking comedy with music.
It's 1932 and Chicago Beefsteak's Hour of Charm is the most successful on Midwest US radio.
But today with the help of a deep-voiced celebrity guest the studio team manage to subvert the new manager's plans to change the format.
Myrna ...... Samantha Spiro
Paul Robeson ...... Chris Jarman
Arthur ...... Ryan Early
Grace ...... Elizabeth Counsell
Jerry ...... Ryan Whittle
Dixie ...... Kerry Gooderson
Princeton ...... Stephen Hogan
Jess ...... Emma Handy
Words and music by Neil Brand
BBC Singers: Helen Neeves, Katherine Nicholson, Chris Bowen, Jamie W Hall.
Director: David Hunter
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 2018.
WED 10:00 At Freddie's (b0076d01)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:00 today]
WED 11:00 Hercule Poirot (b007jlx8)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
WED 11:30 No Place To Hide (m001kw7z)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
WED 12:00 Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte (b0076l1j)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
WED 12:15 Curious Under the Stars (m0002mkl)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:15 today]
WED 12:30 A Trespasser's Guide to the Classics (b06j2gfy)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
WED 13:00 Hancock's Half Hour (b00t1bnk)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
WED 13:30 21st Century Blues (m001kw83)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
WED 14:00 It's Not What You Know (b037hmyc)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
WED 14:30 Big Broadcast (m0000svb)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 today]
WED 15:00 At Freddie's (b0076d01)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:00 today]
WED 16:00 Hercule Poirot (b007jlx8)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
WED 16:30 No Place To Hide (m001kw7z)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
WED 17:00 Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte (b0076l1j)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
WED 17:15 Curious Under the Stars (m0002mkl)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:15 today]
WED 17:30 A Trespasser's Guide to the Classics (b06j2gfy)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
WED 18:00 Hancock's Half Hour (b00t1bnk)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
WED 18:30 21st Century Blues (m001kw83)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
WED 19:00 It's Not What You Know (b037hmyc)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
WED 19:30 Big Broadcast (m0000svb)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 today]
WED 20:00 Archive on 4 (b039g8px)
Southern Journeys
The story of American traditional music is dominated by the father and son team John and Alan Lomax.
They discovered, recorded, and popularised the music of the poor, the dispossessed and voiceless.
During Alan Lomax 's 1959 tour of the southern states, he was accompanied by his then lover, English folk singer Shirley Collins.
Here she tells the story of how he recorded the sounds of a world that was fast disappearing, but which still influences popular music today.
Producer: Jolyon Jenkins
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 2002.
WED 21:00 Short Cuts (b0418kg2)
Series 5
Anonymity
Josie Long presents a sequence of mini documentaries exploring what happens when nobody knows your name.
From our transgressions online through to an unusual love affair between two strangers who had never set eyes on each other, Josie hears how anonymity can both ensnare and liberate us.
Featuring:
Long Distance
Feat. Victor LaValle
Produced by Katie Burningham
Undercover
Feat. Fergal Keane
The Mollusc and the Peacock
Produced by Natalie Kestecher
Anonymous
Produced by Hana Walker-Brown
Series Producer: Eleanor McDowall
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 2014.
WED 21:30 The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood (b008flfs)
8. Jezebels
Offred comes across her old friend in very disturbing surroundings
Margaret Attwood’s multi-award-winning futuristic dystopian novel.
The Republic of Gilead offers Offred only one function: to breed. If she deviates, she will, like dissenters, be hanged at the wall or sent out to die slowly of radiation sickness.
But even a repressive state cannot obliterate desire - neither Offred's nor that of the two men on which her future hangs.
Abridged by Katie Campbell.
Read by Buffy Davis.
Producer: Sally Avens
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 1995.
WED 21:45 The Whisperer In Darkness (m000mrc9)
Episode 8
Does Henry Akeley hold all the answers?
An unexpected phone call has turned Matthew Heawood’s attention to a mystery in the gloom of Rendlesham Forest. Folklore, paranormal, otherworldly?
Up for debate, but fertile ground for a new investigative podcast, that’s for sure.
Kennedy Fisher………….………………JANA CARPENTER
Matthew Heawood………………...…..BARNABY KAY
Albert Wilmarth…………………………MARK BAZELEY
Henry Akeley……………………………..DAVID CALDER
Parker..........................................PHOEBE FOX
Mystery woman……………..............NICOLA STEPHENSON
Male voice……................……………FERDINAND KINGSLEY
Producer: Karen Rose

Director/Writer: Julian Simpson

Sound Recordist and Designer: David Thomas
Production Coordinators: Sarah Tombling and Holly Slater

Music by Tim Elsenburg
Executive Producer: Caroline Raphael
A Sweet Talk production for BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds, first broadcast in September 2020.
WED 22:00 Ellie Taylor's Safe Space (m001kptb)
Series 3
Episode 2: Reality TV
Ellie Taylor welcomes you to "Safe Space", a place where anyone can offload their controversial opinions without fear of judgment.
She talks to members of the public about their gripes and dislikes. This week she wants to prove that reality TV is of cultural significance! It shows people from all walks of life and has provided some of the most memorable TV moments of the last twenty years.
Joining Ellie to prove her point is regular sidekick Robin Morgan.
With special guest: Star of hit BBC reality show The Traitors, Amanda Lovett. She chats to Ellie about what it was like being on The Traitors, why she thinks reality TV is important in bringing people together and why she always carries her Traitors cloak with her.
Written by and starring Ellie Taylor and Robin Morgan.
Producer: Georgia Keating
Executive Producer: James Robinson
Production Co-ordinator: Becky Carewe-Jeffries
Sound editor: Marc Willcox
A BBC Studios production for Radio 4
WED 22:30 Daphne Sounds Expensive (b07lhj87)
Series 1
D.A.P.H.N.E.
Jason has an out-of-this-world plan to increase the show's listenership.
Join critically-acclaimed sketch trio, Daphne, as they 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
David Elms
Original music composed by Jeff Carpenter
Orchestrator: Simon Nathan
Musical Director: Freddie Tapner
Piano: Jeff Carpenter
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 Alex Horne Presents The Horne Section (b01d51th)
Series 1
With David O'Doherty
Comedian Alex Horne and his 5 piece band give us a Latin lesson as they ponder the language that unifies us all.
Special guest: David O'Doherty takes us for a noisy ride in the 'quiet carriage'.
The Band:
Trumpet/banjo .... Joe Auckland
Saxophone/clarinet ....Mark Brown
Double Bass/Bass .... Will Collier
Drums and Percussion .... Ben Reynolds
Piano/keyboard .... Joe Stilgoe
Producer: Julia McKenzie
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 2012.
WED 23:30 Kieran Hodgson's Earworms (b08zd64p)
Series 1
Wagner
Can self-described 'music educator and inspiration' Ralph Lewis (the man behind 'Mozart's Mowing Masterclass' and 'How Clean is your Strauss') persuade self-confessed 'enemy of culture' Paul, that Wagner's worth a listen, and not just music for Nazis?
Critically-acclaimed comedian Kieran Hodgson - as Ralph Lewis - presents comedy intros to the great composers.
Written and starring Kieran Hodgson
With:
Colin Hoult
Harry Enfield
Producer: Sam Ward
A BBC Studios production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in August 2017.
WED 23:45 Jelly Mountain (b00fh6vz)
Episode 2
Ivor Cutler's unique views on how to promote a child's growth
Songs and stories with:
Craig Murray-Orr
Dylan Edwards
Beverley Crew
Alison O'Kill
Producer: Neil Cargill
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 1996.

THURSDAY 13 APRIL 2023

THU 00:00 At Freddie's (b0076d01)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:00 on Wednesday]
THU 01:00 Hercule Poirot (b007jlx8)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 on Wednesday]
THU 01:30 No Place To Hide (m001kw7z)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 on Wednesday]
THU 02:00 Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte (b0076l1j)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 on Wednesday]
THU 02:15 Curious Under the Stars (m0002mkl)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:15 on Wednesday]
THU 02:30 A Trespasser's Guide to the Classics (b06j2gfy)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 on Wednesday]
THU 03:00 Hancock's Half Hour (b00t1bnk)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 on Wednesday]
THU 03:30 21st Century Blues (m001kw83)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 on Wednesday]
THU 04:00 It's Not What You Know (b037hmyc)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 on Wednesday]
THU 04:30 Big Broadcast (m0000svb)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 on Wednesday]
THU 05:00 Edmund Gosse - Father and Son (b0076vhg)
1. Early Years
'Faith is like love; it does not let itself be forced.'
Derek Jacobi stars in a uniquely frank memoir of a Victorian childhood.
Edmund Gosse was raised in the strictly non-conformist Plymouth Brethren. Tender, comic and lyrical, this is his account of the spiritual struggle between a lonely boy and his charismatic father.
Dramatised in two parts by Nick Warburton.
Edmund Gosse ...... Derek Jacobi
Phlip Henry Gosse ...... Roger Allam
Young Edmund ...... Steven Williams
Emily Gosse ...... Kate Buffery
Miss Marks ...... Colleen Prendergast
Mary Grace ...... Sophie Roberts
Miss Flaw ...... Ann Beach
Kate ...... Ayesha Antoine
Mr Punch ...... Geoff Felix
Onion Man ...... Gerard McDermott
Brethren/Villagers ...... Delroy Brown
Brethren/Villagers ...... Nick Sayce
Other parts played by the cast.
Producer: Jonquil Panting
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 2005.
THU 06:00 Hercule Poirot (b007jlxs)
Murder in Mesopotamia
Episode 4
As Belgian sleuth Hercule Poirot continues quizzing the suspects, a second tragedy strikes the archaeological dig.
Agatha Christie's whodunit stars John Moffatt as Hercule Poirot.
Hercule Poirot …. John Moffatt
Mrs Mercado …. Elaine Claxton
Emmott …. Peter Whitman
Mercado …. Neville Jason
Amy Leatheran …. Becky Hindley
Carl Reiter …. Tom Bevan
Dr Leidner …. William Franklyn
Miss Johnson …. Elizabeth Spriggs
Father Lavigny …. John Hartley
Richard Carey …. Gavin Muir
Dramatised by Michael Bakewell.
Producer: Enyd Williams
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 1994.
THU 06:30 No Place To Hide (m001kw53)
2. A Meeting in Amsterdam
Journalist Kathy Swenson, finds herself drawn into a frightening world when an MI6 agent is kidnapped, and uncompromising John Rennie is sent to Amsterdam to find him.
Will John Rennie’s special training help him to track down the missing SIS agent? Stars James Kerry.
Written by Ted Allbeury
John Rennie .... James Kerry
Kathy Swenson .... Margaret Robertson
Derek Humphries .... Julian Wadham
Fleur Mason ....Maggie McCarthy
Hugo Paynter .... David Garth
Mary Rennie .... Ellen McIntosh
Peter Lambert .... Simon Hewitt
Jan Branders .... Ali Refaie
Adele Palmer .... Susannah Fellows
Young Mary .... Samantha Holland
Beth .... Karina Wilsher
Operator / Waitress .... Moir Leslie
Director: Christopher Venning
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1984.
THU 07:00 Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte (b0076l1w)
9. An Encounter
"Do you think, because I am poor, obscure, plain and little, that I am soulless and heartless?" An encounter on a midsummer night's evening in an orchard...
Anne-Marie Duff reads Charlotte Bronte's bold and passionate story of a woman's search for independence and love on her own terms. First published in 1847.
Abridged in 15 parts by Sally Marmion.
Producer: Di Speirs
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2004.
THU 07:15 Curious Under the Stars (m0002mds)
Devil's Bridge
Part 4
Magical drama set in Glan Don, a mysterious village perched on the wild Welsh coast.
The strange cloud above Glan Don finally breaks.
Gareth/Fluffy ...... Sion Pritchard
Diane ...... Emma Sidi
Emlyn ...... Ifan Huw Dafydd
Megan ...... Aimee Ffion Edwards
Matty …... Siw Hughes
Hadrian .….. Paul Rhys
By Annamaria Murphy
Series created by Meic Povey
Directed by James Robinson
A BBC Cymru Wales Production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in February 2019.
THU 07:30 On the Rocks (b03kvby1)
Series 1
Movies
Movies. Morwenna is bored of island life.
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
Morwenna ...... Alex Tregear
Ben ...... Alex Palmer
Tommy ...... Stuart Fox
Tregarthan ...... Peter Marinker
Len ...... Ed Gaughan
Grace ...... Christine Absalom
Pender ...... Christopher William Hill
Sound by Jenni Burnett, Anne Bunting and Graham Harper.
Diirector: Mary Peate
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 2013.
THU 08:00 The Burkiss Way (b007jr74)
Series 3
Around the World the Burkiss Way
Books are plundered, but what the Dickens is going on?
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 January 1978.
THU 08:30 The World As We Know It (b00ftbx1)
The Murderer Is in This Very Room
Things have become a little boring recently in the household.
So, Johnny holds a video festival to try and entertain everyone and The Stranger suggests a game of murder mystery...
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 June 1999.
THU 09:00 The Unbelievable Truth (m000dybw)
Series 23
Episode 6
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 religion, kissing, languages and the Vikings.
Marcus Brigstocke
Lou Sanders
Cally Beaton
Neil Delamere
Produced by Jon Naismith.
A Random Entertainment production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in February 2020.
THU 09:30 The Right Time (b007x046)
Series 1
Episode 2
A sketch show about modern life, written and performed by Baby Boomers who have lived a bit of it.
With Eleanor Bron, Clive Swift, Paula Wilcox, Roger Blake and Neil Innes, Andrew Sachs, Paula Rodgers and Clive Swift.
Written by Colin Bostock-Smith, Peter Spence, John Pidgeon, Simon Brett, Bob Sinfield, Bob Yule, Mike Coleman.
Producer: Helen Williams
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 2001.
THU 10:00 Edmund Gosse - Father and Son (b0076vhg)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:00 today]
THU 11:00 Hercule Poirot (b007jlxs)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
THU 11:30 No Place To Hide (m001kw53)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
THU 12:00 Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte (b0076l1w)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
THU 12:15 Curious Under the Stars (m0002mds)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:15 today]
THU 12:30 On the Rocks (b03kvby1)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
THU 13:00 The Burkiss Way (b007jr74)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
THU 13:30 The World As We Know It (b00ftbx1)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
THU 14:00 The Unbelievable Truth (m000dybw)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
THU 14:30 The Right Time (b007x046)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 today]
THU 15:00 Edmund Gosse - Father and Son (b0076vhg)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:00 today]
THU 16:00 Hercule Poirot (b007jlxs)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
THU 16:30 No Place To Hide (m001kw53)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
THU 17:00 Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte (b0076l1w)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
THU 17:15 Curious Under the Stars (m0002mds)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:15 today]
THU 17:30 On the Rocks (b03kvby1)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
THU 18:00 The Burkiss Way (b007jr74)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
THU 18:30 The World As We Know It (b00ftbx1)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
THU 19:00 The Unbelievable Truth (m000dybw)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
THU 19:30 The Right Time (b007x046)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 today]
THU 20:00 Steve Penk's Radio Nightmares (m000hwfc)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 on Saturday]
THU 21:00 Great Lives (p00glwbn)
Ella Fitzgerald
The entrepreneur Ivan Massow chooses the singer, Ella Fitzgerald.
With Matthew Parris and singer Dame Cleo Laine.
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?
Producer: Isobel Eaton
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2006.
THU 21:30 The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood (m001kw5g)
9. Nick
Offred embarks on Serena Joy's plan and witnesses the brutality of the new regime.
The Republic of Gilead offers Offred only one function: to breed. If she deviates, she will, like dissenters, be hanged at the wall or sent out to die slowly of radiation sickness. But even a repressive state cannot obliterate desire - neither Offred's nor that of the two men on which her future hangs.
Margaret Attwood’s multi award-winning futuristic dystopian novel first published in 1985.
Abridged by Katie Campbell.
Read by Buffy Davis.
Producer: Sally Avens.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1995.
THU 21:45 The Whisperer In Darkness (m000my2n)
Episode 9
An unexpected phone call turns Matthew Heawood’s attention to a mystery in the gloom of Rendlesham Forest. Folklore, paranormal, otherworldly? Up for debate, but fertile ground for a new investigative podcast, that’s for sure. One question still lingers, will our host be re-joined by his roaming researcher, Kennedy Fisher?
The duo’s last venture patched together frantic updates from Baghdad, as they pursued suspected occultists in The Case of Charles Dexter Ward. Very little hope lingered of solving the mystery, and maybe even less that Kennedy would return home safe. But for now, a new investigation calls.
Following the success of The Case of Charles Dexter Ward, (Silver, British Podcast Awards) Radio 4 commissions a return to this HP Lovecraft-inspired universe. Once again, the podcast embraces Lovecraft’s crypt of horror, braving the Sci-Fi stylings of The Whisperer in Darkness.
EKennedy thinks she has experienced a blackout, but an audio file which has mysteriously appeared on her recorder shows otherwise.
Kennedy Fisher………….………………JANA CARPENTER
Matthew Heawood………………...…..BARNABY KAY
Albert Wilmarth…………………………MARK BAZELEY
Henry Akeley……………………………..DAVID CALDER
Parker..........................................PHOEBE FOX
Mystery woman……………..............NICOLA STEPHENSON
Male voice……................……………FERDINAND KINGSLEY
Producer: Karen Rose

Director/Writer: Julian Simpson

Sound Recordist and Designer: David Thomas
Production Coordinators: Sarah Tombling and Holly Slater

Music by Tim Elsenburg
Executive Producer: Caroline Raphael
A Sweet Talk production for BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds, first broadcast in September 2020.
THU 22:00 Susan Calman Makes Me Happy (m000bkf7)
Episode 1
Taking part in Strictly Come Dancing made Susan Calman happy. Completely, totally happy. And having lived with anxiety for so long, it was something of a surprise to discover something new that gave her feelings of joy. So, in Susan Calman Makes Me Happy, she explores and explains the other things in life that bring her happiness.
This week, aided and abetted by her studio audience and wife Lee, she delves into family. Those you’re related to by blood, those you choose and those that choose you.
Produced by Lyndsay Fenner.
Written by Susan Calman and Jon Hunter.
Production Co-ordinator - Tamara Shilham
A Somethin’ Else production for BBC Radio 4.
THU 22:25 The Comedy Club Interviews (m001l48d)
Alasdair Beckett-King 2/3
From 10pm until midnight, seven days a week, The Comedy Club has two hours of comedy. And tonight, Jake Yapp talks to Alasdair Beckett-King.
THU 22:30 Eric Idle - Radio 5 (b048nstt)
From 20/04/1974
Rising prices, bandleader's pets and some startling theories...

An eclectic hour of music choices with self-penned sketches, for which Eric provides all of the voices.

Radio 5 was Eric Idle's first solo venture, post-Monty Python, for BBC Radio 1.

Ever the innovator, Idle's Radio 5 pre-dated the real BBC network of that name by some 18 years!

Producer: Clive Burrows

First broadcast on BBC Radio 1 medium wave and VHF in April 1974.
THU 23:30 A Look Back at the Nineties (b007jqm8)
1996
Coming out to parents with a twist, an unusual Blue Peter appeal - and is the end of the world nigh..?
Recorded in 1993 - the comedy team 'look back' at 1996 - a year that was yet to happen,
Starring:
Brian Perkins
Kate Robbins
Special guest: Hugh Dennis
A satirical review set on New Year's Eve 1999 - the Sony Gold award-winning comedy recalls the events from 1995 to 1999.
Predicted by 'Spitting Image' writers Mark Burton, John O'Farrell and Pete Sinclair.
Producer: Caroline Leddy
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 1993.

FRIDAY 14 APRIL 2023

FRI 00:00 Edmund Gosse - Father and Son (b0076vhg)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:00 on Thursday]
FRI 01:00 Hercule Poirot (b007jlxs)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 on Thursday]
FRI 01:30 No Place To Hide (m001kw53)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 on Thursday]
FRI 02:00 Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte (b0076l1w)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 on Thursday]
FRI 02:15 Curious Under the Stars (m0002mds)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:15 on Thursday]
FRI 02:30 On the Rocks (b03kvby1)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 on Thursday]
FRI 03:00 The Burkiss Way (b007jr74)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 on Thursday]
FRI 03:30 The World As We Know It (b00ftbx1)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 on Thursday]
FRI 04:00 The Unbelievable Truth (m000dybw)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 on Thursday]
FRI 04:30 The Right Time (b007x046)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 on Thursday]
FRI 05:00 Edmund Gosse - Father and Son (b0076vm0)
2. Torn
Baptised aged ten and now growing up, lonely Edmund is torn between his father and the terrible secret in his heart.
Derek Jacobi stars as Edmund Gosse.
Conclusion of Edmund Gosse's uniquely frank memoir of a Victorian childhood. Tender, comic and lyrical, this is his account of the spiritual struggle between a lonely boy and his charismatic father.
Dramatised by Nick Warburton.
Edmund Gosse ...... Derek Jacobi
Phlip Henry Gosse ...... Roger Allam
Young Edmund ...... Steven Williams
Eliza Brightwen ...... ane Whittenshaw
Ella Smith ...... Mrs Brown
Brother Fawkes ...... Gerard McDermott
Preacher ...... Wayne FoskettJ
Teacher ...... John Cummins
Brethren/Villagers ...... Delroy Brown
Brethren/Villagers ...... Nick Sayce
Brethren/Villagers ...... Sophie Roberts
Brethren/Villagers ...... Ayesha Antoine
Producer: Jonquil Panting
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 2005.
FRI 06:00 Hercule Poirot (b007jly9)
Murder in Mesopotamia
Episode 5
Belgian sleuth Hercule Poirot battles to reveal the identity of the desert murderer...
The gripping conclusion of Agatha Christie's whodunit starring John Moffatt as Hercule Poirot.
Hercule Poirot …. John Moffatt
Coleman …. David Jarvis
Captain Maitland …. Richard Todd
Mrs Mercado …. Elaine Claxton
Sheila Reilly …. Cathy Sara
Dr Reilly …. Norman Rodway
Dr Leidner …. William Franklyn
Richard Carey …. Gavin Muir
Amy Leatheran …. Becky Hindley
Producer: Enyd Williams
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 1994.
FRI 06:30 No Place To Hide (m001kwh8)
3. Joanna Appears
Journalist Kathy Swenson, finds herself drawn into a frightening world when an MI6 agent is kidnapped, and uncompromising John Rennie is sent to Amsterdam to find him.
With a British MI6 agent kidnapped, John Rennie must use every lead to try and track down the kidnappers.
Written by Ted Allbeury
John Rennie .... James Kerry
Kathy Swenson .... Margaret Robertson
Khalim Said .... Richard Kay
Adele Palmer .... Susannah Fellows
Jan Branders .... Ali Refaie
Hugo Paynter .... David Garth
Joanna de Vries .... Colette Hiller
Gabriella .... Carole Boyd
Dutchman/Porter .... Mark Straker
Policeman .... Charles Whaley
Piano played by Mary Nash
Director: Christopher Venning
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1984.
.
FRI 07:00 Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte (b0076l2b)
10. A Shocking Revelation
"If either of you know any impediment why ye may not lawfully be joined together...." Believing her happiness with Mr Rochester assured, a shocking revelation threatens Jane's dreams.
Anne-Marie Duff reads Charlotte Bronte's bold and passionate story of a woman's search for independence and love on her own terms. First published in 1847.
Abridged in 15 parts by Sally Marmion.
Producer: Di Speirs
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2004.
FRI 07:15 Curious Under the Stars (m0002mw6)
Devil's Bridge
Part 5
Magical drama set in Glan Don, a mysterious village perched on the wild Welsh coast.
Giant footsteps shake the village of Glan Don, as Hadrian’s secret is revealed.
Gareth/Fluffy ...... Sion Pritchard
Diane ...... Emma Sidi
Emlyn ...... Ifan Huw Dafydd
Megan ...... Aimee Ffion Edwards
Matty …... Siw Hughes
Hadrian …... Paul Rhys
By Annamaria Murphy
Series created by Meic Povey
Directed by James Robinson
A BBC Cymru Wales Production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in February 2019.
FRI 07:30 Tim FitzHigham: The Gambler (b05qgm0y)
Series 2
Episode 3
Adventuring comedian Tim FitzHigham recreates a 19th-century bet.
Can he cook a pudding ten feet under water?
Producer: Joe Nunnery.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2015.
FRI 08:00 Steptoe and Son (b00rq30b)
Series 1
The Stepmother
Harold's not too happy to meet his dad Albert's new girlfriend.
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
Emma …. Joan Lovell
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 (b01nlzcw)
Series 1
Episode 6
The downfall of Squire Fenton and Babblewick Hall appears imminent with the arrival of Fenton's father who has plans for his wayward son. Not least that he should marry the insipid and bewhiskered Harriet.
Meanwhile, Augustus makes a dramatic discovery...
Starring Nicholas Le Prevost as Fenton Babblewick and Forbes Masson as Augustus Snipe.
Conclusion of the first series of Scott Cherry’s sitcom set in the 18th-century.
Fenton Babblewick ...... Nick Le Prevost
Augustus Snipe ...... Forbes Masson
William Babblewick ...... Benjamin Whitrow
Elizabeth Babblewick ...... Pauline Yates
Harriet ...... Courtney King
Septimus Hickey ...... John Moffat
Molly ...... Gillian Bevan
Barney ...... David Antrobus
Jack ...... Sam Kelly
Music by Paul Mottram.
Producer: Paul Schlesinger
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 1996.
FRI 09:00 The Museum of Curiosity (m0010wz0)
Series 16
Episode 2
Professor of Ignorance John Lloyd and his curator Holly Walsh welcome:
* Comedian Evelyn Mok
* Historian Dr Alun Scott
* Screenwriter Allan Scott.
Evelyn talks about the rivalry between Gothenberg and Stockholm and donates the Swedish Dragon Gate to the Museum – it was intended to be the country’s first Chinatown but things didn’t go according to plan. Dr Alun discusses his research into beards which led to the media dubbing him the ‘maven of shaving’ and Allan talks about his time running a Scottish whisky company before becoming a screenwriter and working with Garry Kasparov on The Queen’s Gambit.
Researchers: Mike Shepherd, Mike Turner and Jack Chambers of QI.
Produced by Anne Miller
A BBC Studios production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in October 2021.
FRI 09:30 Trevor's World of Sport (b00nj6fb)
Series 3
Episode 4
The sports agent's business partner Sammy gets a dead cert horse from a corrupt jockey.
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
Dean ...... Philip Pope
Written and produced by Andy Hamilton
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 2007.
FRI 10:00 Edmund Gosse - Father and Son (b0076vm0)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:00 today]
FRI 11:00 Hercule Poirot (b007jly9)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
FRI 11:30 No Place To Hide (m001kwh8)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
FRI 12:00 Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte (b0076l2b)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
FRI 12:15 Curious Under the Stars (m0002mw6)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:15 today]
FRI 12:30 Tim FitzHigham: The Gambler (b05qgm0y)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
FRI 13:00 Steptoe and Son (b00rq30b)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
FRI 13:30 Babblewick Hall (b01nlzcw)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
FRI 14:00 The Museum of Curiosity (m0010wz0)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
FRI 14:30 Trevor's World of Sport (b00nj6fb)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 today]
FRI 15:00 Edmund Gosse - Father and Son (b0076vm0)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:00 today]
FRI 16:00 Hercule Poirot (b007jly9)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
FRI 16:30 No Place To Hide (m001kwh8)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
FRI 17:00 Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte (b0076l2b)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
FRI 17:15 Curious Under the Stars (m0002mw6)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:15 today]
FRI 17:30 Tim FitzHigham: The Gambler (b05qgm0y)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
FRI 18:00 Steptoe and Son (b00rq30b)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
FRI 18:30 Babblewick Hall (b01nlzcw)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
FRI 19:00 The Museum of Curiosity (m0010wz0)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
FRI 19:30 Trevor's World of Sport (b00nj6fb)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 today]
FRI 20:00 Back to Front (b008003m)
Series 3
Red Rum
How an historic third Grand National win saw a famous horse hog the headlines of 1977.
Simon Barnes, Chief Sports Writer for The Times, remembers Red Rum and his historic third win at the Grand National in 1977.
Rummy made all the headlines and for a moment the media celebrated the people's champion who became an icon for the 1970s.
Other news like new revelations about President Kennedy's assassination, took second place.
With Peter O'Sullivan.
Produced by Michael Nangla.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 2003.
FRI 20:30 A Good Read (b05zktnh)
Stephen K Amos & Anneka Rice
Comedian Stephen K Amos and broadcaster Anneka Rice talk about their good reads with Harriett Gilbert.
Stephen K Amos' choice: The Best of Simple by Langston Hughes
Anneka Rice's choice: Mr Pip by Lloyd Jones
Harriett Gilbert's choice: The Flaneur by Edmund White
Produced by Sally Heaven.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2015.
FRI 21:00 The Curious Cases of Rutherford & Fry (m000kgt6)
Series 16
The End of Everything
Everyone knows about the Big Bang being the beginning of the universe and time - but 'When and how is it going to end?' ask brothers Raffie and Xe from Rome. For this series, with lockdown learning in mind, Drs Rutherford and Fry are investigating scientific mysteries for students of all ages. The doctors sift science from philosophy to find out.
Cosmologist Jo Dunkley studies the origins and evolution of the universe. She explains how astrophysical ideas and techniques have evolved to tell us what we now know about our galaxy and far beyond, from the elegant parallax technique to standard candles. This particular distance measure, which uses stars of a known brightness to work out how far away other objects in the universe are, was discovered by American astronomer Henrietta Swan Leavitt in 1912, who worked at the Harvard University as one of several “computers” – women who processed and calculated data and made significant contributions to astronomy.
Curious Cases’ universal guru Andrew Pontzen puts this into context. Because the universe is so enormous, it turns out that these measurements are just the first steps on the cosmic distance ladder – a suite of tools that astrophysicists use to determine distances to celestial objects. Scientists know that objects are moving away from us because the wavelengths of light from them get stretched and appear redder in our telescopes – the so-called red shift effect. But having a handle on the distances to and between those objects allows cosmologists to monitor what’s happening to them over time. And it turns out that not only are they getting further apart, indicating that the universe is expanding, but that this process is accelerating.
So what might happen in the end? Expansion and then collapse – a big crunch? Expansion into the void – a big freeze, or a big rip? Or what if there is more than one universe – might a new one bubble up with totally different laws of physics that would cause our own to cease existing? It turns out that when dealing with predictions for something involving infinite space and time, the possibilities are largely limited by human imagination alone. Ideas are where science starts, but experiments are required to build evidence confirming or rejecting them as fact. The doctors discuss how gravitational wave detectors and quantum computers might one day provide this.
Presenters: Hannah Fry & Adam Rutherford
Producer: Jen Whyntie
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2020.
FRI 21:30 The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood (m001kwhc)
10. Betrayal
Serena Joy confronts Offred in the climax to the chilling, dystopian vision of female subjugation.
The Republic of Gilead offers Offred only one function: to breed. If she deviates, she will, like dissenters, be hanged at the wall or sent out to die slowly of radiation sickness. But even a repressive state cannot obliterate desire - neither Offred's nor that of the two men on which her future hangs.
Margaret Attwood’s multi award-winning futuristic dystopian novel first published in 1985.
Abridged by Katie Campbell.
Read by Buffy Davis.
Producer: Sally Avens.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1995.
FRI 21:45 The Whisperer In Darkness (m000n4yg)
Episode 10
An unexpected phone call turns Matthew Heawood’s attention to a mystery in the gloom of Rendlesham Forest. Folklore, paranormal, otherworldly? Up for debate, but fertile ground for a new investigative podcast, that’s for sure. One question still lingers, will our host be re-joined by his roaming researcher, Kennedy Fisher?
The duo’s last venture patched together frantic updates from Baghdad, as they pursued suspected occultists in The Case of Charles Dexter Ward. Very little hope lingered of solving the mystery, and maybe even less that Kennedy would return home safe. But for now, a new investigation calls.
Following the success of The Case of Charles Dexter Ward, (Silver, British Podcast Awards) Radio 4 commissions a return to this HP Lovecraft-inspired universe. Once again, the podcast embraces Lovecraft’s crypt of horror, braving the Sci-Fi stylings of The Whisperer in Darkness.
Heawood has 48 hours to find a connection between Henry Akeley and Charles Dexter Ward.
Kennedy Fisher.....................JANA CARPENTER
Barnaby Kay.....................MATTHEW HEAWOOD
Mystery woman……………….NICOLA STEPHENSON
Newsreader…………………..FERDINAND KINGSLEY
Albert Wilmarth………………MARK BAZELEY
Henry Akeley………………….DAVID CALDER
Producer: Karen Rose

Director/Writer: Julian Simpson

Sound Recordist and Designer: David Thomas
Production Coordinators: Sarah Tombling and Holly Slater

Music by Tim Elsenburg
Executive Producer: Caroline Raphael
A Sweet Talk production for BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds, first broadcast in October 2020.
FRI 22:00 Angela Barnes: You Can't Take It With You (m0001ygt)
Series 2
Ageing
Award winning comedian and super-sharp everywoman Angela Barnes tackles life and love and, with the help of the audience, packs herself a fantasy coffin.
In part tribute to Angela's beloved late father - a larger than life gregarious character, he was a sex shop manager, naturist, and a big fan of caravans and pranks - Angela celebrates his carpe diem approach to life, and his motto "You Can't Take It With You".
When her father died very suddenly in 2008, Angela and her family proved him wrong and stuffed his coffin with sentimental keepsakes for his final journey. Angela now does the very same thing, nominating objects that she would choose to send on with her as mementoes of her life, and asking the audience to share items they would take with them, all acting as prompts for contemplative, heart-warming and captivating comedy.
Angela Barnes is a vivacious, critically acclaimed stand-up comic from Maidstone, Kent. After a career in health and social care, at the age of 33, she decided to pursue a long-held ambition and give comedy a go. Within a couple of years, Angela and her witty worldview had won the 2011 BBC New Comedy Award by a public vote, secured a weekly star slot in Channel 4's Stand Up For The Week and appeared on numerous radio and television shows including Loose Ends, The Now Show, The News Quiz (BBC Radio 4), Russell Howard's Good News (BBC 3), and Mock The Week and Live at the Apollo (BBC 2). She has been the host of BBC Radio 4 Extra's Newsjack for the last two series.
An Impatient production for BBC Radio 4
FRI 22:30 Beauty of Britain (b010y0sh)
Series 2
Life in the UK
Beauty Oolonga's UK work visa is about to run out.
Will she pass her citizenship test and be granted indefinite leave to remain - and will the handsome, mature Ade be her saviour?
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
Liz ..... Rita May
Helen ..... Nicola Sanderson
Mrs Gupte ..... Indira Joshi
Anil ..... Paul Sharma
Jodie ..... Margaret Cabourn-Smith
Waiter/Receptionist ..... Christopher Douglas
Ade ..... Paterson Joseph
Music by The West End Gospel Choir.
Producer : Tilusha Ghelani
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 2011.
FRI 22:55 The Comedy Club Interviews (m001l2zh)
Alasdair Beckett-King 3/3
From 10pm until midnight, seven days a week, The Comedy Club has two hours of comedy. And tonight, Jake Yapp talks to Alasdair Beckett-King.
FRI 23:00 The East Coast Listening Post (m000677v)
Series 2
Laugh
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 Mick Tanner from the historic town of Luton, who is undergoing therapy to change his laugh in the pursuit love. To meet someone new, Mick agrees to take part in a reality dating show called 'Rapid Banter'.
Written and performed by Celeste Dring and Freya Parker.
With performances from:
David Elms
Nick Mohammed
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 (b09ghmgq)
Series 2
Lemar's Clean Sheet
A white boy from West Virginia is forced to join the Ku Klux Klan by his father, but when his black friends find out, they play a cruel trick on him. Voiced by George Fouracres (Radio 4's Daphne Sound Expensive).
Written by Sir Lenny Henry.
Producer: Sam Michell.
A BBC Studios production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in 2017.
FRI 23:30 Arthur Smith's Balham Bash (b01075pz)
Series 3
Episode 2
Arthur Smith with more music and comedy from his actual flat in Balham, south London.
Jenny Eclair is in the front room, Simon Evans on the landing, John Smallshaw delivers poetry and Alex Wilson and his salsa combo are in the kitchen.
Producer: Alison Vernon-Smith
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 2011.