SATURDAY 20 MAY 2023

SAT 00:00 Body Tourists (m0005mtr)
It's 2045 and scientists have found a way to store memory and personality digitally after death - inserting a chip into other living bodies.
The procedure is still at the trial stage.
Follow consultant Luke Butler and the experiences of the first volunteer bodies - the Hosts - intercut with the experiences of their new inhabitants, the Body Tourists who have been cryogenically frozen in anticipation of being brought back to life.
Hosts are drawn from among the unemployed poor in fenced estates in the north of England, who are paid handsomely for their bodies. After 14 days, each body is returned to its owner.
But Luke has inserted the brain of a dead woman scientist he venerates, Octavia, into the body of a young man he admires, Ryan.
Futuristic drama written by Jane Rogers.
Octavia ...... Susan Brown
Luke ...... Joseph Kloska
Paula ...... Lotte Rice
Ryan ...... Will Taylor
Gemma/Bot ...... Alana Ramsey
Director: Clive Brill.
A Brill production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in June 2019.
SAT 00:45 Roald Dahl (b00pbt9g)
Someone Like You
3. Lamb to the Slaughter
An unfaithful husband is killed with an unusual weapon.
Five darkly comic tales by Roald Dahl.
Storyteller ...... Charles Dance
Mary Maloney ...... Lorelei King
Patrick/Sam/Noonan ...... Kerry Shale
O'Malley ...... Tom Bevan
Dramatised by Stephen Sheridan
Directed by David Blount
A Pier production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in December 2009.
SAT 01:00 Katherine Parker - The One Before The Last (m0005p08)
The poet Rupert Brooke died of illness at the tragically early age of 27 during the First World War.
One of the most beautiful men in England, he had many admirers, but his emotional life was far from trouble-free.
While up at Cambridge, he met Ka Cox - a large, ungainly, matronly woman with whom he had a most complex love affair.
Starring Colin Firth and Emma Piper.
Revealing drama written by Katherine Parker.
Rupert Brooke …. Colin Firth
Katherine ‘Ka’ Cox …. Emma Piper
Mrs Brooke .... Janet Henfrey
Francis Cornford .... Michael Tudor Barnes
Frances Cornford .... Susie Brann
Noel .... Deborah Makepeace
Young Man .... Jonathan Tafler
Statesman .... Peter Howell
Producer: Cherry Cookson
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 1987.
SAT 02:00 Falco (b008kmgp)
Shadows in Bronze
3. Friends
At the villa of Helena's former father-in-law, Falco meets some old friends of the senator's daughter.
Starring Anton Lesser.
Lindsey Davis's witty detective, Marcus Didius Falco patrols the streets of 1st-century Rome.
Dramatised by Mary Cutler.
Falco ....... Anton Lesser
Helena Justina ....... Anna Madeley
Larius ....... Christopher Kelham
Caprenius Marcellus ....... Paul Webster
Aemilius Rufus ....... Timothy Watson
Aenelia ....... Jaimi Barbakoff
Directed at BBC Birmingham by Peter Leslie Wild.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 2005.
SAT 02:30 Doctor Finlay (b00mj1zv)
The Further Adventures of a Black Bag - Series 2
6. The Day Before The Wedding
The GP is introduced to some of the local stag night customs - involving boot polish and Dr Cameron proves there is life in the old dog yet.
Starring John Gordon Sinclair.
AJ Cronin's stories about the early years of the celebrated doctor.
Ready with his black bag, Doctor Finlay sets out to remedy all manner of ailments suffered by his patients in the Scottish Highland town of Levenford.
Dramatised by Sue Rodwell.
Dr Finlay ................................. John Gordon Sinclair
Dr Cameron .......................... Brian Pettifer
Janet MacPherson................Katy Murphy
Peggy Angus.........................Tracy Wiles
John Angus............................Paul Young
Aunt Marion..........................Tina Gray
The Minister..........................Andrew Mackintosh
Freddie Lawrence.................Ed Sinclair
Producer Viv Beeby
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 2004.
SAT 03:00 Hello World: How to be Human in the Age of the Machine by Hannah Fry (b0bh8vny)
Hello World: How to be Human in the Age of the Machine
5: Humans
Society has slowly handed over significant control to computers but how much should we rely on them over our own instincts?
Mathematician Hannah Fry uncovers the hidden algorithms behind almost every aspect of our modern lives; lifting the lid on their inner workings, demonstrating their power and exposing their limitations.
Humans: charting a course to a future where humans and computers work together.
Written and read by Hannah Fry.
Abridged by Robin Brooks.
Producer: Eilidh McCreadie
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 2018.
SAT 03:15 Young Victoria by Juliet Ace (b00xn8hs)
The Death of Albert
Whilst Victoria mourns the death of her mother for months, Bertie's scandalous antics with an actress are making Albert ill.
Imogen Stubbs stars as Victoria.
Written by Juliet Ace, based on the letters and diaries of the young Queen Victoria.
Duchess of Kent ...... Anna Massey
Prince Albert ...... Adrian Lukis
Baroness Lehzen ...... Selina Cadell
Sir John Conroy/MP/Lord Aberdeen ...... John Rowe
Melbourne ...... Christopher Cazenove
WAG/Prince Ernest/Page/Anson/Cubitt ...... Andrew Wincott
William IV/Stockmar/Peel ...... Terence Edmond
Prince of Wales Bertie/Paxton ...... Thomas Arnold
Princess Vicky/Helena ...... Clare Corbett
Prince of Wales Bertie as a child ...... George Allonby
Producer: Cherry Cookson
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 2001.
SAT 03:30 Bridget Christie's Utopia (b09snwmw)
Series 1
Money
As Bridget Christie struggles to come to terms with current world events - Kim Jong-un, the melting polar ice caps, the Brexit negotiations and Nick Knowles singing a cover of The Beatles "Here Comes The Sun", she's embarked on a comic quest for her Utopia.
She's seeking a way of living that will make her less anxious and enable her to have her first happy week since the Brexit vote in 2016.
In this episode, Bridget explores money and being super rich - to see if that will make her happier.
Will auditioning for a lucrative TK Maxx commercial and playing a Capitalists vs Marxists Board game with former Labour leader Ed Miliband enlighten Bridget over the happiness that lots of money could bring her? Could being super rich be the answer to all Bridget's problems and bring her inner calm?
Or will life still be completely rubbish?
Stand-up show recorded in front of a studio audience at the BBC Radio Theatre.
Producer: Simon Nicholls and Alison Vernon-Smith.
A BBC Studios production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in February 2018.
SAT 04:00 Steptoe and Son (b00s7r4n)
Series 1
The Holiday
Harold fancies a holiday by himself in France, but his father Albert is not so keen.
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
Doctor .... Colin Gordon
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 August 1966.
SAT 04:30 Flying the Flag (b00dr99l)
Series 4
Endangered Species
Desperate to be ‘Seen to be Green’, the Ambassadors from both East and West try to reconcile materialism with ecological common sense.
Agreement on policies proves impossible and time is running out: diplomacy may soon be extinct.
Starring Dinsdale Landen.
Eastern Bloc embassy sitcom written by Alex Shearer.
HM Ambassador Mackenzie …. Dinsdale Landen
William Frost …. Peter Acre
Helen Waterson …. Moir Leslie
Colonel Surikov …. Christopher Benjamin
US Ambassador Spiro Weinberg …. Stephen Greif
Producer: Neil Cargill
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 1992.
SAT 05:00 Act Your Age (b00zm0mc)
Series 3
Episode 1
Three-way battle between the comedy generations to find out which is the funniest.
Hosted by Simon Mayo.
Will it be the Up-and-Comers, the Current Crop or the Old Guard who will be crowned, for one week at least, as the Golden Age of Comedy?
With Team Captains:
Holly Walsh
Lucy Porter
Tom O'Connor
Guest Comics:
Henry Paker
Miles Jupp
Duggie Brown
Devised and Produced by Ashley Blaker and Bill Matthews.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 2011.
SAT 05:30 Bleak Expectations (b00w2282)
Series 4
A Wretched Life Made Much, Much Sadder
After an embarrassing disaster involving a bridge and a train full of puppies and orphans Pip and Harry travel to America on the SS Massive Britain, where Pip begins a reading tour.
But all is not as it seems and Mister Benevolent lures our hero into a gunfight at the "All Right I Suppose Corral"
Mark Evans's epic Victorian comedy in the style of Charles Dickens.
Sir Philip ..... Richard Johnson
Young Pip Bin ..... Tom Allen
Gently Benevolent ..... Anthony Head
Harry Biscuit ..... James Bachman
Grimpunch ..... Geoffrey Whitehead
Ripely ..... Sarah Hadland
Pippa ..... Susy Kane
Producer: Gareth Edwards
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 2010.
SAT 06:00 Lord Dracula (b0b49j1n)
It’s 1476 at the mighty castle at Târgovişte, Romania.
Father Benedek chronicles the horrific, bloody reign of the tyrant behind the legend of Count Dracula and vampirism.
Starring Nigel Stock and Kenneth Haigh.
Brian Hayles' epic drama.
Father Benedek …. Nigel Stock
Vlad Dracula …. Kenneth Haigh
Istvan …. John Rowe
Ilonya …. Hedli Niklaus
Captain Ferenez …. Don Henderson
Dr Szentes …. George Woolley
Militsa …. Liane Aukin
Other parts played by:
Patricia Greene
Betty Mallett
Graham Rigby
Philip Barber
Fanfares composed by Stephen Hancock and played by the Langley Band.
Special effects by the BBC Radiophonic Workshop.
Produced at BBC Birmingham by Anthony Cornish.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 1974.
SAT 07:30 The Wall by John Lanchester (Omnibus) (m0003skb)
Ravaged by the Change, an island nation has built the Wall, a high concrete barrier around its entire coastline.
Joseph Kavanagh, a new Defender, has one task: to protect his section of the Wall from the Others, the desperate souls who are trapped on the rising seas beyond the Wall and are trying to get in. Failure will result in death or a fate perhaps worse: being put to sea and made an Other himself.
Kavanagh begins his life patrolling the Wall.
If he’s lucky, if nothing goes wrong, he only has two years of this: 729 more nights.
John Lanchester’s dystopian novel.
Omnibus of five parts abridged by Eileen Horne.
Read by Ben Norris.
John Lanchester is a contributing editor to the London Review of Books and a regular contributor to the New Yorker.
He’s written four novels, The Debt to Pleasure, Mr Phillips, Fragrant Harbour and Capital, and three works of non-fiction: Family Romance, a memoir; and Whoops!: Why everyone owes everyone and no one can pay, about the global financial crisis and How to Speak Money, a primer in popular economics.
His books have won the Hawthornden Prize, the Whitbread First Novel Prize, the EM Forster Award and the Premi Llibreter, been longlisted for the Man Booker Prize and been translated into 25 languages.
Producer: Mair Bosworth
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 2019.
SAT 08:45 The Fosdyke Saga (b007jrmx)
3. Wealth and Debts
"I am no longer a mere working man. I am a dedicated tripe visionary." Josiah Fosdyke's lofty ambitions are soon thwarted.
Lancashire, 1902: Will the luck of the Fosdyke family ever take a turn for the better?
A classic tale of struggle, power, personalities and tripe.
Bill Tidy and John Junkin's family saga - based on Tidy's Daily Mirror cartoon strip (1971-1985) parodying John Galsworthy's 'The Forsyte Saga' novels.
Josiah Fosdyke .... Philip Lowrie
Victoria Fosdyke .... Miriam Margolyes
Ben Ditchley .... Colin Douglas
Rebecca Fosdyke …. Stephanie Turner
Other parts played by:
Christopher Barr
Sally Grace
John Junkin
Producer: Alan Nixon
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 1983.
SAT 09:00 Benny Hill (b08n3y17)
Benny Hill Time
From 05/04/1964
The master of double entendre with a taste of Saint Tropez, Little Bo Peep with a twist and Fred Scuttle gets poetical.
Written by and starring Benny Hill.
With:
Peter Vernon
Jan Waters
Anthony Sharp
Music by:
The Mike Sammes Singers
The Johnnie Spence Orchestra.
Producer: John Browel
First broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in April 1964.
SAT 09:30 Whack-O! (b068j4q8)
The Cricket Pavilion Fire
Cricket ashes of a different kind when the new school pavilion burns down.
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
Matron …. June Whitfield
Brigadier Lumley …. Austin Trevor
Aubrey Potter …. Roddy Maude-Roxby
Alfred Tennyson …. Frederick Treves
Lumley …. Roger Shepherd
Producer: Edward Taylor
First broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in September 1961.
SAT 10:00 Writing... The Midlands (m000s2q8)
3. Kit de Waal and The Shires
Crime writer Mark Billingham was born in The Midlands of England.
In the last of three programmes, he's back in the region that made him a writer to celebrate its literature both past and present.
Along the way Mark meets some of The Midlands’ finest writing talent and browses the BBC archives.
This time he meets the best-selling author of 'My Name is Leon', Kit De Waal, and visits the mystical Sarehole Mill, the inspiration for JRR Tolkein's Hobbiton.
Featured programmes from the BBC Archives:
Shorts: Writing Test – Adrift at the Athena [30/11/14] BBC Radio 4
The Hobbit: The Musical [04/08/2012] BBC Radio 4
Producer: Jessica Treen
Made for BBC Radio 4 Extra and first broadcast in December 2019.
SAT 11:00 Lord Dracula (b0b49j1n)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
SAT 12:30 The Wall by John Lanchester (Omnibus) (m0003skb)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
SAT 13:45 The Fosdyke Saga (b007jrmx)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:45 today]
SAT 14:00 Benny Hill (b08n3y17)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
SAT 14:30 Whack-O! (b068j4q8)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 today]
SAT 15:00 Writing... The Midlands (m000s2q8)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 today]
SAT 16:00 Body Tourists (m0005mtr)
[Repeat of broadcast at 00:00 today]
SAT 16:45 Roald Dahl (b00pbt9g)
[Repeat of broadcast at 00:45 today]
SAT 17:00 Lord Dracula (b0b49j1n)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
SAT 18:30 The Wall by John Lanchester (Omnibus) (m0003skb)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
SAT 19:45 The Fosdyke Saga (b007jrmx)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:45 today]
SAT 20:00 Benny Hill (b08n3y17)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
SAT 20:30 Whack-O! (b068j4q8)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 today]
SAT 21:00 Writing... The Midlands (m000s2q8)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 today]
SAT 22:00 Nick Mohammed in Bits (b00tt5pw)
Mr Swallow
Lifestyle guru Mr Swallow presents his memory technique to a studio audience.
Written by and starring Nick Mohammed.
With:
Colin Hoult
Anna Crilly
Series of one-off comic plays showcasing the best of Nick Mohammed's idiosyncratic comic character creations.
Producer: Victoria Lloyd
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 2010.
SAT 22:30 Mark Watson Makes the World Substantially Better (b00db05r)
Series 2
Diligence
Mark examines hard work and diligence.
The comedian continues his quest to delve into six virtues.
Carefully persisting with more poetry and music:
Tim Key
Tim Minchin
Producer: Katie Marsden
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 2008.
SAT 22:55 The Comedy Club Interviews (m001m8cd)
Clive Anderson 1/3
From 10.00pm until midnight, seven days a week, the Comedy Club has two hours of comedy. Plus Harriet Kemsley chats to Clive Anderson.
SAT 23:00 Vent (b00tv7x3)
Series 2
I Want You
Ben's unconscious mind puts him in a compromising situation with a fellow patient at a familiar Torquay hotel of the 1970s.
He slides in and out of his coma, but every time he wakes, Mary is asleep.
Starring Neil Pearson.
Dark sitcom following the thoughts of a coma patient written by Nigel Smith.
Ben Smith …. Neil Pearson
Mary …. Fiona Allen
Mum …. Josie Lawrence
Blitzkrieg …. Leslie Ash.
With:
Nicholas Hutchison
Jo Martin
Mark Perry
Tim Whitnall
Hils Barker
Clare Grogan
Producer: Gareth Edwards
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 2007.
SAT 23:30 Life: An Idiot's Guide (b01q9771)
Series 2
Technology
Stephen K Amos is joined by three stand-up comedians to consider the pros and cons of living with technology.
With:
Marlon Davis
Jarlath Reagan
Lloyd Langford
Additional material written by Christine Rose, Tom Neenan, Hugh Sington, Jack Bernardt and Stephen Amos.
Producer: Colin Anderson
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 2013.

SUNDAY 21 MAY 2023

SUN 00:00 Kingsley Amis - To See the Sun (b04ttwmp)
Vampires, a mad Scots librarian, a handsome Englishman and a Countess of uncertain age - all in Dacia in the 1920s.
Vampire drama written by Kingsley Amis.
Starring Christopher Cazenove and Gayle Hunnicutt.
Dramatised by John Scotney.
Stephen Hillier ...... Christopher Cazenove
Countess Valvazour ...... Gayle Hunnicutt
Robert McNeil ...... Graham Crowden
Innkeeper ...... Alan Dudley
Magda ...... Jennifer Piercey
Connie ...... Zelah Clarke
From 'Kingsley Amis Sextet' – a season of radio plays adapted from his short stories.
Director: Jane Morgan
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 1987.
SUN 00:30 Ray Bradbury - The Golden Apples of the Sun (b007jn6h)
3. A Sound of Thunder / The Murderer
Two from Ray Bradbury's collection of sci-fi short stories:
A Sound of Thunder - The tale of a risky time-travelling safari trip.
The Murderer - The story of a man who loathes technology...
Starring
Don Fellows
Simon Treves
Ed Bishop
Judy Bennett
Paul Maxwell
Dramatised by Lawrence Gilbert.
Producer: Peter Hutchings
First broadcast on BBC Radio 5 in December 1991.
SUN 01:00 Lord Dracula (b0b49j1n)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 on Saturday]
SUN 02:30 The Wall by John Lanchester (Omnibus) (m0003skb)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 on Saturday]
SUN 03:45 The Fosdyke Saga (b007jrmx)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:45 on Saturday]
SUN 04:00 Benny Hill (b08n3y17)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 on Saturday]
SUN 04:30 Whack-O! (b068j4q8)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 on Saturday]
SUN 05:00 Writing... The Midlands (m000s2q8)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 on Saturday]
SUN 06:00 Poetry Extra (m001m3s5)
Borders Met and Crossed
Poet Daljit Nagra revisits the BBC's poetry archive and analyses captivating poetry programmes - this week The Echo Chamber - Borders Met and Crossed.
Adventures in strong language - performed and from the page - introduced by a master of poetic ceremonies, Paul Farley.
The River Styx where the dead arrive and the shape-shifting places where people become other animals are among the subjects.
Jo Shapcott, James Lasdun and Simon Armitage come to the edge and shout their poems across.
Producer: Tim Dee
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2013.
SUN 06:30 Hello World: How to be Human in the Age of the Machine by Hannah Fry (b0bk19xh)
Hello World: How to be Human in the Age of the Machine (Omnibus)
Society has slowly handed over significant control to computers but how much should we rely on them over our own instincts?
Mathematician Hannah Fry uncovers the hidden algorithms which can be found behind almost every aspect of our modern lives. She lifts the lid on their inner workings, demonstrating their power and exposing their limitations.
Along the way she asks if our personal data ever be safe online and reveals what humans and computers can do when they work together in fields such as medicine, transport and even chess.
Written and read by Hannah Fry.
Omnibus of five parts abridged by Robin Brooks.
Producer: Eilidh McCreadie
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 2018.
SUN 07:40 Inheritance Tracks (m001m3sk)
George Webster
TV presenter George Webster chooses 'I Feel' by Teddy Thompson and 'Any Dream Will Do' by Andrew Lloyd Webber.
SUN 07:50 Young Victoria by Juliet Ace (Omnibus) (b00y1vzm)
Episode 2
The honeymoon is all too soon over for Albert and Victoria, as pressing matters of state require her attention.
But their happiness is made even greater when their first child is expected...
A portrait of this extraordinary queen's younger life and happy years of her marriage, reveals some of her remarkable and long-lasting achievements.
Written by Juliet Ace, based on the letters and diaries of the young Queen Victoria.
Starring Imogen Stubbs.
Omnibus of the last five of ten episodes.
Duchess of Kent ........ Anna Massey
Prince Albert ........ Adrian Lukis
Baroness Lehzen ........ Selina Cadell
Sir John Conroy ........ John Rowe.
Melbourne ........ Christopher Cazenove
WAG ........ Andrew Wincott
William IV ........ Terence Edmond
Prince of Wales Bertie ........ Thomas Arnold
Princess Vicky ........ Clare Corbett
Prince of Wales Bertie as a child ........ George Allonby
Producer: Cherry Cookson
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 2001.
SUN 09:00 Instant Sunshine (b007qtrm)
From 12/04/1985
Entertainment in words and music to help you beat the weather.
Humorous songs performed by the comedy musical cabaret group,
Performed by:
David Barlow
Peter Christie
Miles Kington
Alan Maryon-Davis
Special guests: Father's Footsteps
Producer: Richard Edis
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 1985.
SUN 09:30 The Navy Lark (b007xwmd)
Series 9
Deliberately Abandoned
Can the inept crew of HMS Troutbridge manage to discover where the rest of the fleet has sailed to?
Stars Leslie Phillips, Jon Pertwee and Stephen Murray.
Laughs afloat aboard British Royal Navy frigate HMS Troutbridge.
Written by Lawrie Wyman
The Sub-Lieutenant ...... Leslie Phillips
The Chief Petty Officer ...... Jon Pertwee
The Number One ...... Stephen Murray
Captain Povey ...... Richard Caldicot
Heather ...... Heather Chasen
Commander Bell ...... Ronnie Barker
Uncle ...... Tenniel Evans
The Sea Lord ....... Michael Bates
The Navy Lark ran for an impressive 13 series between 1959 and 1976.
Producer: Alastair Scott Johnston.
First broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in July 1967.
SUN 10:00 Desert Island Discs Revisited (b01nbw56)
By Royal Appointment
Sir Ian McKellen
Sir Ian McKellen shares his castaway choices with Sue Lawley.
The actor grew up in Lancashire attending Wigan Grammar school and then Bolton School where he was Head Boy. His first trip to the theatre was as a three year old when he went to see Peter Pan at Manchester Opera House. At seven, a treasured Christmas present was a fold-away Victorian theatre from Pollocks Toy Theatres. Ian's older sister Jean introduced him to Shakespeare - taking him to see Twelfth Night at Wigan's Little Theatre. His first Shakespeare performance was playing Malvolio from the same play at the amateur Hopefield Miniature theatre when he was 13 years old.
Ian won a scholarship to read English at St Catharine's College, Cambridge and was soon appearing in regular productions, including appearing alongside now famous alumni such as Derek Jacobi, David Frost, Trevor Nunn and Margaret Drabble.
By the time Ian graduated in 1961 he had decided to become an actor, and got his first job in a production of A Man for All Seasons at the Belgrade Theatre in Coventry. He has not been out of work since, appearing at the National Theatre and the RSC, and he has also forged a successful film career.
He's played an acclaimed Richard III for which he also wrote the screenplay, and had parts in X-Men, Gods and Monsters, for which his performance was Oscar-nominated, and playing Gandalf in Lord of the Rings.
Ian was made a Knight of the British Empire for services to the performing arts in the Queen's New Year Honours of 1990.
DISC ONE: Vladimir Horowitz - Stars and Stripes Forever
DISC TWO: Samuel Barber’s Adagio For Strings - Philharmonia Orchestra, conductor: Geoffrey Simon
DISC THREE: Beethoven’s String Quartet No. 13 in B flat major, Op. 130 (2nd movement) - Lindsay String Quartet
DISC FOUR: Rose's turn - Ethel Merman
DISC FIVE: Stormy Weather - Lena Horne
DISC SIX: Mississippi Goddam - Nina Simone
DISC SEVEN: Harrison's Clocks - Joanna MacGregor
DISC EIGHT: Dancing Queen - ABBA
BOOK CHOICE: A dictionary of flora and fauna
LUXURY CHOICE: Grand piano
CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: Stormy Weather - Lena Horne
Producer: Lisa Jenkinson
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 2003.
SUN 10:45 David Attenborough's Life Stories (b011jx7v)
Series 2
Chameleon
Many of the world's chameleons live on the huge continental island of Madagascar off the Eastern coast of Africa.
Some are tiny, as small as a finger nail - others in comparison are giants.
Sir David Attenborough gives us his warm personal insight into the natural history of chameleons through one very special individual - a chameleon he had as a pet, called Rommel.
Producer: Julian Hector
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in June 2011.
SUN 11:00 Poetry Extra (m001m3s5)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
SUN 11:30 Hello World: How to be Human in the Age of the Machine by Hannah Fry (b0bk19xh)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
SUN 12:40 Inheritance Tracks (m001m3sk)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:40 today]
SUN 12:50 Young Victoria by Juliet Ace (Omnibus) (b00y1vzm)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:50 today]
SUN 14:00 Instant Sunshine (b007qtrm)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
SUN 14:30 The Navy Lark (b007xwmd)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 today]
SUN 15:00 Desert Island Discs Revisited (b01nbw56)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 today]
SUN 15:45 David Attenborough's Life Stories (b011jx7v)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:45 today]
SUN 16:00 Kingsley Amis - To See the Sun (b04ttwmp)
[Repeat of broadcast at 00:00 today]
SUN 16:30 Ray Bradbury - The Golden Apples of the Sun (b007jn6h)
[Repeat of broadcast at 00:30 today]
SUN 17:00 Poetry Extra (m001m3s5)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
SUN 17:30 Hello World: How to be Human in the Age of the Machine by Hannah Fry (b0bk19xh)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
SUN 18:40 Inheritance Tracks (m001m3sk)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:40 today]
SUN 18:50 Young Victoria by Juliet Ace (Omnibus) (b00y1vzm)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:50 today]
SUN 20:00 Instant Sunshine (b007qtrm)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
SUN 20:30 The Navy Lark (b007xwmd)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 today]
SUN 21:00 Desert Island Discs Revisited (b01nbw56)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 today]
SUN 21:45 David Attenborough's Life Stories (b011jx7v)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:45 today]
SUN 22:00 Start/Stop (b03c46ts)
Series 1
Lunch
Three couples sail off into the sunset. And sink.
Jack Docherty’s sitcom about love, marriage and despair.
With their marriages in various states of disrepair - a lunch invitation looks like it might change everything.
Starring:
Couple 1:
Barney ...... Jack Docherty
Cathy ...... Kerry Godliman
Couple 2:
Evan ...... John Thomson
Fiona ...... Fiona Allen
Couple 3:
David ...... Charlie Higson
Alice ...... Katherine Parkinson
Producer: Steven Canny
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 2013.
SUN 22:30 Isy Suttie's Love Letters (b041y1n3)
Series 2
Eleanor and Mr Woodfield
Isy Suttie returns to her Derbyshire home town of Matlock and observes the unfolding romance between dinner lady, Eleanor, and teacher, Mr Woodfield.
Both are unhappily married, but find solace in their workplace friendship.
Isy's Sony Award-winning show, recounts a series of love stories affecting people she's known throughout her life, told partly through song.
Sometimes Isy has merely observed other people's love lives; quite often she's intervened, changing the action dramatically - for better or worse. Intertwined within these stories are related real life anecdotes from Isy's own, often disastrous, love life.
With her multi-character and vocal skills, and accompanied by her guitar, Isy creates a hilarious and deeply moving world, sharing with us her lessons in life and love.
Producer: Lyndsay Fenner
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 2014.
SUN 22:55 The Comedy Club Interviews (m001m8cg)
Clive Anderson 2/3
From 10.00pm until midnight, seven days a week, the Comedy Club has two hours of comedy. Plus Harriet Kemsley chats again to Clive Anderson.
SUN 23:00 Andy Hamilton Sort of Remembers (b09bz16d)
Series 1
The Human Body
Andy Hamilton presents more observations and reminiscences about his personal life and his long career in comedy.
A self-confessed hypochondriac, Andy looks at the topic of The Human Body.
Memories include: a GP at University with a penchant for boxing, the unfortunate trick Andy's brain used to play on him every Thursday morning - and the only time he ever wished he had been taller.
Producer: Claire Jones
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 2017.
SUN 23:30 Brian Appleton's History of Rock 'n' Roll (b00fw3zq)
Come Up and See Me
How Brian's interruption of a recording session inadvertently gave Steve Harley and Cockney Rebel their biggest hit.
More revelations from rock musicologist and part-time media studies tutor Brian Appleton
Series of comic lectures, written and performed by Graham Fellows.
Producer: Dawn Ellis
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 2001.
SUN 23:45 Self-Storage (b00fhmzt)
Series 2
Episode 3
It's Dave's birthday, so Ron and Geoff arrange a celebratory meal.
Stars Reece Shearsmith and Mark Heap.
Sitcom written by Tom Collinson about a man living in a storage unit.
Dave ...... Reece Shearsmith
Geoff ...... Mark Heap
Ron ...... Tom Goodman-Hill
Judy ...... Rosie Cavaliero
Sarah ...... Susan Earl
Sioux ...... Helen Longworth.
Producer: Ed Morrish
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 2008.

MONDAY 22 MAY 2023

MON 00:00 Poetry Extra (m001m3s5)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 on Sunday]
MON 00:30 Hello World: How to be Human in the Age of the Machine by Hannah Fry (b0bk19xh)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 on Sunday]
MON 01:40 Inheritance Tracks (m001m3sk)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:40 on Sunday]
MON 01:50 Young Victoria by Juliet Ace (Omnibus) (b00y1vzm)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:50 on Sunday]
MON 03:00 Instant Sunshine (b007qtrm)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 on Sunday]
MON 03:30 The Navy Lark (b007xwmd)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 on Sunday]
MON 04:00 Desert Island Discs Revisited (b01nbw56)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 on Sunday]
MON 04:45 David Attenborough's Life Stories (b011jx7v)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:45 on Sunday]
MON 05:00 The Prisoner (m000jgpv)
Series 3
Free For All
Under constant surveillance, Number 6 can trust no-one. The regime seems to want him to stand in an election candidate to be Number 2.
But when 2’s manifesto seems to be based on the notion of freedom, what platform will 6 decide to stand upon? And can there ever be freedom in the Village?
The original 17 episode TV series of The Prisoner created intrigue and controversy in equal measure when it first aired in the UK in 1967.
In a taut psychological spy thriller the main character, dehumanised as ‘Number 6’, has committed no crime, save for having resigned from some unspecified branch of the British Secret Service. His prison was a heavily guarded coastal village.
Number 6 .… Mark Elstob
Number 43 .… Genevieve Gaunt
Number 2 .… Lorelei King
Journalist .… Alicia Bayley
Operations Controller/Village Voice .… Jennifer Healy
Instructor/Technician .… Glen McCready
Written and directed by Nicholas Briggs.
Script Editor: Scott Handcock
Music composed and performed by Jamie Robertson
Producer: Emma Halgh
A Big Finish production.
MON 06:00 Falco (b008ktyq)
Shadows in Bronze
4. Party
Falco heads to a party thrown by the wealthy and influential Crispus.
Helena gets shocking news and the Roman sleuth receives a nasty surprise.
Starring Anton Lesser.
Lindsey Davis's witty detective, Marcus Didius Falco patrols the streets of 1st-century Rome.
Dramatised by Mary Cutler.
Falco ....... Anton Lesser
Helena Justina ....... Anna Madeley
Aufidius Crispus ....... Bertie Carvel
Petronius ....... Ben Crowe
Silvia ....... Sara Poyzer
Aemilius Rufus ....... Timothy Watson
Aenelia ....... Jaimi Barbakoff
Aufidius Crispus ....... Bertie Carvel
Atius Pertinax ....... Sean Connolly
Directed at BBC Birmingham by Peter Leslie Wild.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 2005.
MON 06:30 The Wolf Far Hence (m001m3s3)
1. The Nightmare
Hardnosed investigator Steve Gardiner heads north to the Highlands in order to try and locate his ex and her new fortune hunting lover.
But is his concern appreciated?
Edward Boyd's six-part serial thriller is set in the remote Scottish Highlands.
Starring Teddy Johnson and Moultrie Kelsall.
Reminiscent of American radio thrillers of the 1950s, Steve appeared previously in ‘The Candle of Darkness’.
Steve Gardiner …. Teddy Johnson
Frank the Barman …. Arthur Boland
Celia Carson …. June Andrews
Old Highlander …. EJP Mace
Woman in the Sportscar …. Leslie Blackater
Hotel Waitress …. Marjorie Dalziel
Judy Clark …. Janet Michael
Peter Calder …. Glen Michael
DI Gordon …. Moultrie Kelsall
Respected Scottish writer Edward Boyd won a Writer’s Guild Award for this series.
Produced at BBC Glasgow by Eddie Fraser.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 1971.
MON 07:00 Book of the Week (b0bgpf4c)
In My Mind's Eye by Jan Morris
1. Driving and Reading
In her published 'diary of my thoughts', Jan Morris, renowned author and traveller, covers much ground:
She is devoted to her Honda Civic Type R, she extols the virtues of small town America, and recalls the recent time when television 'seduced' her into a starring role - with very mixed results!
Read by Janet Suzman.
Abridged in five parts by Katrin Williams.
Producer: Duncan Minshull.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 2018.
MON 07:15 DCI Alma Blair (m0006lmr)
Dead Cert
1. Murder at the Race Course
Detective Chief Inspector Alma Blair is far from chomping at the bit to take on a murder at Cranby race course, where the going is anything but soft.
Starring Julie Hesmondhalgh.
The final furlong of Val McDermid’s 'Dead' series, with Dead Cert.
Written in five parts by Shelley Silas.
DCI Alma Blair ...... Julie Hesmondhalgh
Dr Jo Black ...... Jane Hazlegrove
DS Jason Trotter / Pinky Penwortham ...... Graeme Hawley
Narrator / Dr Hunter Clive ...... Jonathan Keeble
Mo Hamid / Ricky Levey ...... Nitin Kundra
Clare Balding ...... Herself
Other parts played by members of the cast.
Director: Justine Potter
A Savvy production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in July 2019.
MON 07:30 Alexei Sayle's Imaginary Sandwich Bar (b0832mwg)
Series 1
Political Beliefs
Alexei explores his political beliefs system, looking back at his childhood in a communist household, his career as a drug-dealer and his physical attraction to Boris Johnson.
The Godfather of Alternative Comedy delivers a mixture of stand-up, memoir and philosophy from behind the counter of his Imaginary Sandwich Bar.
Written and performed by Alexei Sayle.
Producer: Joe Nunnery
A BBC Studios Production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in November 2016
MON 08:00 Round the Horne (b00tb9j7)
Series 4
Episode 12
As well as making Fleet Street headlines - Kenneth Horne pays a visit to Julian and Sandy's Bona Private Detective Agency.
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 May 1968.
MON 08:30 Dry Slopes (b0729jgv)
Series 2
The Invisible Man
Nobody seems to pay Angus much attention these days.
He tries telling his problems to a psychiatrist, but has trouble making himself heard.
Written by and starring Nick Ball.
Angus ...... Nick Ball
Mum ...... Louisa Rix
With:
Robert Hartley
Wayne Forester
Producer: Gareth Edwards
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 1997.
MON 09:00 The Write Stuff (b01bbb6d)
Series 15
Gustave Flaubert
James Walton takes the chair for the game of literary correctness.
Team captains John Walsh and Sebastian Faulks, are joined by John O'Farrell and Alex Clark.
Author of the week and subject for pastiche is French modernist novelist and firebrand, Gustave Flaubert. What would his 'Dictionary of Received Ideas' be like today?
Reader: Beth Chalmers
Producer: Sam Michell
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 2012.
MON 09:30 Double Income, No Kids Yet (b00934x9)
Series 3
Episode 5
With a new baby on the way, it's time for some house improvements.
So, against their friends' advice, Daniel and Lucy hire a 'reassuringly middle-class' builder called Nigel...
Starring David Tennant and Elizabeth Carling.
David Spicer's comedy drama about modern life and parenthood, as seen through the eyes of two 30-something non-parents.
Daniel …. David Tennant
Lucy …. Liz Carling
Katie …. Tracy-Ann Oberman
Andy …. Tony Gardner
Alison …. Joanna Brookes
Peter …. Robert Harley
Nigel …. Bill Bailey
Doctor …. Polly Frame
Producer: Liz Anstee
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 2003.
MON 10:00 The Prisoner (m000jgpv)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:00 today]
MON 11:00 Falco (b008ktyq)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
MON 11:30 The Wolf Far Hence (m001m3s3)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
MON 12:00 Book of the Week (b0bgpf4c)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
MON 12:15 DCI Alma Blair (m0006lmr)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:15 today]
MON 12:30 Alexei Sayle's Imaginary Sandwich Bar (b0832mwg)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
MON 13:00 Round the Horne (b00tb9j7)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
MON 13:30 Dry Slopes (b0729jgv)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
MON 14:00 The Write Stuff (b01bbb6d)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
MON 14:30 Double Income, No Kids Yet (b00934x9)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 today]
MON 15:00 The Prisoner (m000jgpv)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:00 today]
MON 16:00 Falco (b008ktyq)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
MON 16:30 The Wolf Far Hence (m001m3s3)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
MON 17:00 Book of the Week (b0bgpf4c)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
MON 17:15 DCI Alma Blair (m0006lmr)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:15 today]
MON 17:30 Alexei Sayle's Imaginary Sandwich Bar (b0832mwg)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
MON 18:00 Round the Horne (b00tb9j7)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
MON 18:30 Dry Slopes (b0729jgv)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
MON 19:00 The Write Stuff (b01bbb6d)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
MON 19:30 Double Income, No Kids Yet (b00934x9)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 today]
MON 20:00 Joan Collins - A Life in Lipstick (b07kpbjx)
1. Showbiz, Hollywood and Marriage
Dame Joan Collins gives a candid, wonderfully witty account of her seven decade career in show business, illustrated by a treasure trove of archive clips and music.
In the first of two programmes - with unapologetic frankness, Joan reflects on Hollywood, on TV, on men, losing out on Cleopatra to Elizabeth Taylor, getting older and modern standards of beauty and glamour.
Featuring contributions from:
Sir Roger Moore
Stephanie Beacham
David Hasselhoff
Julian Clary
David Emanuel
Ellis Cashmore
Jo Botting
Joan recalls growing up in a showbiz family - her two aunts worked on the stage whilst her father Joe was an agent to the stars. Whilst still a teenager studying at RADA, Joan was offered a contract by The Rank Organisation. Dubbed the "coffee bar jezebel" by the British press owing to her sultry looks and bad girl roles, Joan reflects on playing a jail bird in the 1953 film Turn The Key Softly.
Spotted by 20th Century Fox, Joan moved to Hollywood at a time when studios controlled their stars with an iron grip. Joan describes how she rebelled by moving in with a young Warren Beatty "He wasn't that beautiful - he had spots".
And then there was Bette Davis: "Bette Davis was the first person I worked with in Hollywood - the first major star. She was even more terrifying than I expected." But roles followed opposite a cluster of Hollywood's leading men including Paul Newman, Bob Hope and Bing Crosby.
Joan speaks candidly about her marriage to Anthony Newley and how the demise of their relationship was immortalised in one of Newley's songs. "I did this film Can Heironymus Merkin Ever Forget Mercy Humppe and Find True Happiness, we have this song Chalk and Cheese which meant we were like Chalk and Cheese and it was never going to work. And that was the end of our marriage."
Producer: Victoria Ferran
A Just Radio production for BBC Radio 2, first broadcast in July 2016.
MON 21:00 Mastertapes (b02mfzt8)
Series 2
Richard Thompson (A-Side)
Richard Thompson talks about his critically acclaimed 1991 album 'Rumor and Sigh'.
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.
In this one (The A-side), Richard talks to John Wilson.
Named by Rolling Stone Magazine as one of the Top 20 Guitarists of all time, Richard looks back at the making of what is not just his most commercially successful album, but also one of the high points of his career. It was album that earned him a Grammy Nomination for the Best Alternative Music Album (he lost out R.E.M.) and it captures Thompson's obsession with romantic despair and the more miserable quirks of fate.
And yet, like all good tragedy, it does not sound depressing - it is instead life affirming.
Richard has said that the albums he considered "successful" were those where his initial concept most closely matched the finished product. By this yardstick, 'Rumor And Sigh' was one of his most successful albums, containing such tracks as "1952 Vincent Black Lightning", "God Loves A Drunk" and "Why Must I Plead".
The B-side of the programme is where it's the turn of the audience to ask the questions.
Producer: Paul Kobrak
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in June 2013.
MON 21:30 Ruth Rendell Stories (b00b5ppw)
1. A Dark Blue Perfume
A retired businessman returns from abroad to search for his ex-wife, who left him years previously for another man.
A short story by British crime author, Ruth Rendell, first published in 1985
Read by John Rowe.
Producer: Julia Butt
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 2001.
MON 21:45 The Shadow Over Innsmouth (m000vh6h)
Episode 11
A foggy seafront town where something's coming from the water. An ancient cult, a stranger with a bandaged face and a body in a shallow grave. The story continues.
True-life mystery podcasters Matthew Heawood and Kennedy Fisher return and this time the story is Kennedy Fisher.
A simple investigation into the disappearance of a young man from a mental health facility has taken them from Rhode Island to Iraq, to the Suffolk countryside – as they realised that everything uncovered in season one threaded through to season two. But towards the end of 'The Whisperer In Darkness', the investigation turned inward as Kennedy discovered a possible family connection to the uncovered conspiracy. And evidence forces Heawood to question Kennedy’s account of her time in Iraq. As Kennedy heads off to Innsmouth, to look into her apparently spooky ancestry, Heawood is going to Iraq to find an answer to the most disturbing of all questions; could Kennedy be a killer?
Both make life-changing discoveries as the two investigations come together, just as the Coronavirus pandemic is sweeping the world.
Episode Six: "Saint Germain"
MATTHEW HEAWOOD ................Barnaby Kay
KENNEDY FISHER...........................Jana Carpenter
ELEANOR PECK...............................Nicola Walker
PARKER...............................................Phoebe Fox
WILMARTH ......................................Mark Bazeley
SLIDE...................................................Ferdinand Kingsley
SOUND....................................................David Thomas
PRODUCTION COORDINATOR......Sarah Tombling
PRODUCER............................................Karen Rose
MUSIC....................................................Tim Elsenburg
WRITTEN AND DIRECTED BY Julian Simpson
A Sweet Talk production, first on BBC Sounds in 2020, and broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 2021.
MON 22:00 Just a Minute (m001lyhf)
Series 91
7. The Letter Q, Chaise Longue and Hazard of the Job
Sue Perkins challenges Paul Merton, Felicity Ward, Ivo Graham and Josie Lawrence 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 The Letter Q to Chaise Longue.
Production co-ordinator: Caroline Barlow
Sound editor: Marc Willcox
Producer: Rajiv Karia
A BBC Studios Production
MON 22:30 And Now in Colour (b00cfzx5)
Series 1
Marathon
The sketch show team and their studio audience enter the London Marathon.
Plus a car valet service with a twist.
Precision comedy written and performed by:
Tim Firth
Tim de Jongh
Michael Rutger
William Vandyck
Producer: Lissa Evans
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 1990
MON 23:00 The News Quiz (m001lz10)
Series 111
Episode 4
Andy Zaltzman finds the funny in the week's headlines, as he quizzes the news. Providing the answers, hopefully, are Neil Delamere, Geoff Norcott, Ashley Storrie, and from the Spectator, Freddy Gray. The panel will be delving into who's not working, who should learn to work and who's trying to nick the work of others.
Written by Andy Zaltzman
With additional material by
Cody Dahler
Alfie Packham
Rebecca Bain
and Davina Bentley
Producer: Sam Holmes
Executive Producer: Richard Morris
Production Co-ordinator: Becky Carewe-Jeffries
Sound Editor: Giles Aspen
A BBC Studios Production
MON 23:30 The Skivers (b007yt85)
Series 2
Adam Ant
The secrets of Des Lynham and Sue Cook are revealed.
Nick Golson and Tim de Jongh's skilful sketch show.
With special guest Adam Ant – with his greatest hits heard as never before...
Written and performed by Nick Golson and Tim de Jongh.
With:
Peter Bradshaw
Mel Giedroyc
Producer: Jon Naismith
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 1995.

TUESDAY 23 MAY 2023

TUE 00:00 The Prisoner (m000jgpv)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:00 on Monday]
TUE 01:00 Falco (b008ktyq)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 on Monday]
TUE 01:30 The Wolf Far Hence (m001m3s3)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 on Monday]
TUE 02:00 Book of the Week (b0bgpf4c)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 on Monday]
TUE 02:15 DCI Alma Blair (m0006lmr)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:15 on Monday]
TUE 02:30 Alexei Sayle's Imaginary Sandwich Bar (b0832mwg)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 on Monday]
TUE 03:00 Round the Horne (b00tb9j7)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 on Monday]
TUE 03:30 Dry Slopes (b0729jgv)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 on Monday]
TUE 04:00 The Write Stuff (b01bbb6d)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 on Monday]
TUE 04:30 Double Income, No Kids Yet (b00934x9)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 on Monday]
TUE 05:00 The Prisoner (m000jpcx)
Series 3
The Girl Who Was Death
Number 6 rides a temporal and topological rollercoaster as the authorities try to break him.
Based on the 1960s TV series of The Prisoner which created intrigue and controversy in equal measure when it first aired in the UK in 1967.
Number 6 …. Mark Elstob
Kate Butterworth …. Lucy Briggs-Owen
Number 43/Anita …. Genevieve Gaunt
Control …. Jim Barclay
Danvers …. Barnaby Edwards
Operations Controller/Village Voice …. Jennifer Healy
Potter/Number 398/Sir Clifford Earl …. Glen McCready
Other parts played by the cast.
Written and directed by Nicholas Briggs.
Script Editor: Scott Handcock
Music composed and performed by Jamie Robertson.
Producer: Emma Halgh
A Big Finish production.
TUE 06:00 Falco (b008l1cb)
Shadows in Bronze
5. Surprise
Roman sleuth Falco closes in on his man, but gets more than he bargained for from Helena's old school friend...
Starring Anton Lesser.
Lindsey Davis's witty detective, Marcus Didius Falco patrols the streets of 1st-century Rome.
Dramatised by Mary Cutler.
Falco ....... Anton Lesser
Helena Justina ....... Anna Madeley
Atius Pertinax ....... Sean Connolly
Larius ....... Christopher Kelham
Silvia ....... Sara Poyzer
Marcellus ..... Paul Webster
Aufidius Crispus ....... Bertie Carvel
Aemilius Rufus ....... Timothy Watson
Gordianus ..... Christian Rodska
Aenelia ....... Jaimi Barbakoff
Directed at BBC Birmingham by Peter Leslie Wild.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 2005.
TUE 06:30 The Wolf Far Hence (m001m40l)
2. The Net
A brutal murder scene is discovered, but it’s not the first killing in the remote Highland village.
Steve Gardiner and DI Gordon investigate.
Starring Teddy Johnson and Moultrie Kelsall.
Edward Boyd's serial thriller set in the remote Scottish Highlands.
Steve Gardiner …. Teddy Johnson
DI Gordon …. Moultrie Kelsall
Judy Clark …. Janet Michael
Doris …. Marjorie Dalziel
Captain Siegfried Bevvis …. Robert Urquhart
Jonathan Ketch …. Walter Carr
Produced at BBC Glasgow by Eddie Fraser.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 1971.
TUE 07:00 Book of the Week (b0bgq6f0)
In My Mind's Eye by Jan Morris
2. By The Sea
Jan Morris's published 'diary of my thoughts' the renowned author and traveller covers much ground:
'I have lived almost all my life by the sea.. most of the books I have written have been about sea cities. I can hardly imagine life far from a shoreline, without a horizon'.
She also ruminates about the origins of catchphrases, do they stand the test of time?
And a late beloved cat called Ibsen.
Abridged by Katrin Williams.
Read by Janet Suzman.
Producer: Duncan Minshull.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 2018.
TUE 07:15 DCI Alma Blair (m0006m3w)
Dead Cert
2. Tough Going
With a horse and jockey dead, Detective Chief Inspector Alma Blair and Detective Sergeant Trotter are about to find the going very tough.
And why is Dr Jo Black left holding the baby?
Starring Julie Hesmondhalgh.
The final furlong of Val McDermid’s 'Dead' series, with Dead Cert.
Written by Shelley Silas.
DCI Alma Blair ...... Julie Hesmondhalgh
Dr Jo Black ...... Jane Hazlegrove
DS Jason Trotter / Pinky Penwortham ......Graeme Hawley
Narrator / Dr Hunter Clive ..... Jonathan Keeble
Mo Hamid / Ricky Levey ...... Nitin Kundra
Clare Balding ...... Herself
Other parts played by members of the cast.
Director: Justine Potter
A Savvy production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in July 2019.
TUE 07:30 North by Northamptonshire (b03q69c1)
Series 3
Episode 5
It's Jan's birthday and she's determined to do something unexpected.
Sheila Hancock narrates the bittersweet adventures of the residents of a small town in Northamptonshire.
Written by Katherine Jakeways.
As is well-known: Yorkshiremen wear flat caps and Essex girls wear short skirts; Liverpudlians are scallies and Cockneys are wideboys. Northamptonians gaze wistfully at these stereotypes and wish for an identity of any kind and a label less ridiculous than Northamptonians. Northamptonshire, let us be clear, is neither north, nor south nor in the Midlands. It floats somewhere between the three eyeing up the distinctiveness of each enviously.
Katherine Jakeways gives Northamptonshire an identity. And she waits, eagerly, for her home-county to thank her. And possibly make her some kind of Mayor.
The Narrator ...... Sheila Hancock
Mary ...... Penelope Wilton
Jan ...... Felicity Montagu
Norman ...... Geoffrey Palmer
Jonathan ...... Kevin Eldon
Rod ...... Tim Key
Orson ...... Nathaniel Parker
Esther ...... Katherine Jakeways
Frank ...... Rufus Wright
Producer: Steven Canny
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 2014.
.
TUE 08:00 The Goon Show (b007jv86)
Series 8
The White Neddie Trade
Fearless Neddie Seagoon launches a career as a nude piano dancer with a difference
Groundbreaking, surreal BBC radio comedy written by Larry Stephens and Maurice Wiltshire.
Starring:
Peter Sellers
Harry Secombe
Spike Milligan
First billed as Crazy People, ten series of The Goon Show were recorded between 1951 and 1960, but sadly many of the earliest shows weren’t kept in the archive.
With the Ray Ellington Quartet and Max Geldray.
Orchestra conducted by Wally Stott.
Announcer: Wallace Greenslade
Producer: Charles Chilton
First broadcast on the BBC Home Service in February 1958.
TUE 08:30 The Marx Brothers' Flywheel, Shyster and Flywheel (b00890mh)
Series 3
Episode 3
Shady lawyer Waldorf T Flywheel starts a bus tour of New York.
Recreation of the Marx Brothers' lost shows charting the adventures of shady lawyer Waldorf T. Flywheel and his assistant, Emmanuel Ravelli.
Originally broadcast with sponsors on America's NBC radio network in the 1930s. The scripts were rediscovered in 1988.
Groucho Marx as Waldorf T Flywheel …. Michael Roberts
Chico Marx as Emmanuel Ravelli …. Frank Lazarus
With:
Lorelei King
Graham Hoadly
Special guest stars:
Spike Milligan
Dick Vosburgh
Written by Nat Perrin and Athur Sheekman.
Adapted by Mark Brisenden.
Music arranged and conducted by David Firman.
Producer: Dirk Maggs
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 1992.
TUE 09:00 Who Goes There? (b0075yw8)
Series 4
Episode 2
Martin Young chairs the quiz which looks at the noteworthy and the notorious from history.
Tackling the biographical teasers are team captains Francis Wheen and Fred Housego.
With guests:
Gyles Brandreth
Sheridan Morley
Producer: Liz Anstee
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 2000.
TUE 09:30 Big Town All Stars (m001m40z)
Series 1
Band Of Gold
The band are on the road. Up the M1, in fact, to play at a big party, which would be more fun if it wasn't Lorelei's ex's engagaement party.
As they cover the miles the band uncover a lot of old scores.
Starring Stephen Tompkinson.
With:
Nicola Walker
Clive Rowe
Bill Dare
Rachel Preece
Adrian Scarborough
Musical Director: David Firman
Producer: Gareth Edwards
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 2000.
TUE 10:00 The Prisoner (m000jpcx)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:00 today]
TUE 11:00 Falco (b008l1cb)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
TUE 11:30 The Wolf Far Hence (m001m40l)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
TUE 12:00 Book of the Week (b0bgq6f0)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
TUE 12:15 DCI Alma Blair (m0006m3w)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:15 today]
TUE 12:30 North by Northamptonshire (b03q69c1)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
TUE 13:00 The Goon Show (b007jv86)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
TUE 13:30 The Marx Brothers' Flywheel, Shyster and Flywheel (b00890mh)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
TUE 14:00 Who Goes There? (b0075yw8)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
TUE 14:30 Big Town All Stars (m001m40z)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 today]
TUE 15:00 The Prisoner (m000jpcx)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:00 today]
TUE 16:00 Falco (b008l1cb)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
TUE 16:30 The Wolf Far Hence (m001m40l)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
TUE 17:00 Book of the Week (b0bgq6f0)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
TUE 17:15 DCI Alma Blair (m0006m3w)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:15 today]
TUE 17:30 North by Northamptonshire (b03q69c1)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
TUE 18:00 The Goon Show (b007jv86)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
TUE 18:30 The Marx Brothers' Flywheel, Shyster and Flywheel (b00890mh)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
TUE 19:00 Who Goes There? (b0075yw8)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
TUE 19:30 Big Town All Stars (m001m40z)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 today]
TUE 20:00 Joan Collins - A Life in Lipstick (b07l5p4c)
2. The 1970s, Dynasty and Damehood
Dame Joan Collins concludes her candid, wonderfully witty account of her seven decade career in show business, illustrated by a treasure trove of archive clips and music.
With unapologetic frankness, she reflects on Hollywood, on TV, on men, losing out on Cleopatra to Elizabeth Taylor, getting older and modern standards of beauty and glamour.
With contributions from Sir Roger Moore, Stephanie Beacham, David Hasselhoff, Julian Clary, David Emanuel, Ellis Cashmore and Jo Botting.
In the last of two programmes, Joan recalls her return to acting in the 1970s. She vividly describes how she almost died whilst filming Empire Of The Ants and her two year battle to find a backer for The Stud - a film based on her sister Jackie's raunchy novel. She celebrates the string of disco hits that featured on the soundtrack.
American TV producer, Aaron Spelling, had been a close friend since the 1950s "We used to hang out at his apartment in Hollywood and he used to talk about how he was going to be a big producer one day. Hahaha I would say." He invited her to play Cleopatra in his hit show Fantasy Island - a role she'd originally been offered by 20th Century Fox in the early 60s until she was replaced by Elizabeth Taylor.
When it came to casting the role of Alexis in Dynasty, Spelling was adamant that Joan be given the part - despite the studio's fierce objections. Joan remembers preparing for the iconic 80s role: "I basically based my character a little bit on Donald Trump who I knew at the time, a feisty go-ahead businessman. I thought this will be good to use this as a basis for how my character is."
She also describes the joys of holidaying in St Tropez, performing in panto with Julian Clary, and receiving her damehood in March 2015.
Producer: Susan Marling
A Just Radio production for BBC Radio 2, first broadcast in July 2016.
TUE 21:00 Mastertapes (b02mxyzm)
Series 2
Richard Thompson (B-Side)
Richard Thompson answers questions from the audience about his 1991 solo album, 'Rumor and Sigh'.
John Wilson talks to leading performers and songwriters 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, with John initially quizzing the artist about the album in question, and then, in the B-side, the audience puts the questions. Both editions feature exclusive live performances.
The B-side. Having discussed the making of "Rumor And Sigh", not just his most commercially successful album, but also a high point of his career in the A-side of the programme, Richard Thompson responds to questions from the audience. He also performs live versions of some to the tracks from the album as well as classic tracks from his days with Fairport Convention.
Producer: Paul Kobrak
First broadcast on Radio 4 in June 2013.
TUE 21:30 Ruth Rendell Stories (b00mqcx9)
2. The Wink
An elderly woman encounters the man who raped her when she was a teenager.
A story by British crime author, Ruth Rendell.
‘The Wink’ was first published in 2000 as one of eleven short stories in the collection ‘Piranha to Scurfy and Other Stories’.
Read by Kathy Staff.
Producer: Julia Butt
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2001.
TUE 21:45 The Shadow Over Innsmouth (m000vgjd)
Episode 12
A foggy seafront town where something's coming from the water. An ancient cult, a stranger with a bandaged face and a body in a shallow grave. The story continues.
True-life mystery podcasters Matthew Heawood and Kennedy Fisher return and this time the story is Kennedy Fisher.
A simple investigation into the disappearance of a young man from a mental health facility has taken them from Rhode Island to Iraq, to the Suffolk countryside – as they realised that everything uncovered in season one threaded through to season two. But towards the end of 'The Whisperer In Darkness', the investigation turned inward as Kennedy discovered a possible family connection to the uncovered conspiracy. And evidence forces Heawood to question Kennedy’s account of her time in Iraq. As Kennedy heads off to Innsmouth, to look into her apparently spooky ancestry, Heawood is going to Iraq to find an answer to the most disturbing of all questions; could Kennedy be a killer?
Both make life-changing discoveries as the two investigations come together, just as the Coronavirus pandemic is sweeping the world.
Episode Six: "Saint Germain"
MATTHEW HEAWOOD ................Barnaby Kay
KENNEDY FISHER...........................Jana Carpenter
ELEANOR PECK...............................Nicola Walker
PARKER...............................................Phoebe Fox
WILMARTH ......................................Mark Bazeley
SLIDE...................................................Ferdinand Kingsley
SOUND....................................................David Thomas
PRODUCTION COORDINATOR......Sarah Tombling
PRODUCER............................................Karen Rose
MUSIC....................................................Tim Elsenburg
WRITTEN AND DIRECTED BY Julian Simpson
A Sweet Talk production, first on BBC Sounds in 2020, and broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 2021.
TUE 22:00 Wosson Cornwall (m001lyx7)
Series 1
4. As Cornish as Penne Pasta and Penguins.
Dawn French and Edward Rowe star in a new sketch show with a Cornish flavour. Park the clichés and open your eyes to the reality of this wondrous funny and feral land.
This week we meet the UK's first Cornish Prime Minister. LJ and Jess are working reception at an organic cider farm and Kerry Kernow shares her unique version of the classic Cornish tale, The Mousehole Cat.
Recorded in front of an audience at the Acorn Theatre in Penzance, Wosson Cornwall? is a sketch show celebrating everything that makes real contemporary Cornwall a culturally rich and funny place - its people, its history and its modern way of life.
This is the final episode in a four part series with an entirely Cornish cast and writing team.
The cast includes Dawn French (Vicar of Dibley / French and Saunders), Edward Rowe (star of Bafta-winning film BAIT and HBO’s Game of Thrones prequel House of the Dragon), Tamsyn Kelly (ITV2’s Stand Up Sketch Show, BBC New Comedian of the Year Award finalist 2021), Joanna Neary (Channel 4 sitcom Man Down and Gary Oldman film The Darkest Hour), Anna Keirle (award-winning Cornish stand-up, actress and writer) and award-winning actor Ciaran Clarke.
Written by James Henry, Morwenna Banks, Catherine Beazley, Max Davis, Jane Harvey, Elyot James, Tamsyn Kelly, Paul Kerensa, Jo Neary, Edward Rowe and Alex Smith.
Script Editor: James Henry
Music: The Jolly Strumpets
Production Co-ordinator: Tamara Shilham
Sound Design: David Thomas
Produced by Simon Nicholls
A Mighty Bunny production for BBC Radio 4
TUE 22:30 The Jason Byrne Show (b01phj38)
Series 3
The Irish and the Scottish Are Black-Belts in Misery
Jason compares international attitudes to other people's good fortune and explains why his Irish background means that revelling in misery is never far away.
Why is British fruit so bitter? Can Jason relieve heart-ache in the audience and what simple pleasures make Jason and his son happy?
Themed audience comedy show with high-energy stand-up and sketches featuring Laurence Howarth and Daisy Haggard.
Producer: Julia McKenzie
First broadcast on BBC Radio 2 in December 2010.
TUE 23:00 Helen Keen's It Is Rocket Science (b00z5hrv)
Series 1
Episode 1
Funny, off-beat but factually accurate account of the science of rockets and the brilliant but occasionally warped brains behind it all.
Helen Keen, Peter Serafinowicz and Susy Kane look at the three fathers of modern rocket science:
* 19th Century self-taught Russian visionary Eduardovich Tsiolkovsky and his dreams of orbiting space stations and Martian colonies;
* American Robert H Goddard, derided in The New York Times in the 1920s for his prediction of a lunar landing (A retraction was printed after the Apollo 11 launch);
* Transylvanian-German Hermann Oberth with his brilliant theories about space travel and his horrifying theories about racial supremacy.
Plus Helen reveals the surprising connection between space travel and a coach tour of the Jewels of the Rhineland.
Written by Helen Keen and Miriam Underhill.
Producer: Gareth Edwards
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 2011.
TUE 23:15 Paperback Hell (m000nmnc)
Series 3
The De Niro Code
Six chapters, by six different authors. All of them imaginary. All of them straight out of the bestseller charts. None of them very good.
This week, we enter a shadowy world of papal conspiracies and numerological secrets in chapters 1 to 10 of "The De Niro Code".
Starring Michael Brandon, Michael Fenton Stevens, Mel Hudson, Alex Lowe and Dan Tetsell,
Written by Danny Robins and Dan Tetsell.
Producer: Lucy Armitage
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 2005.
TUE 23:30 Elvenquest (b00wqfnn)
Series 2
Episode 6
The noble band of Questers are in a pub and within touching distance of getting their hands on the Sword of Asnagar.
Lord Darkness still has a few tricks up his sleeve and he's not about to let the possibility of eternal dominion over Lower Earth slip through his fingers without pulling out all the stops.
Will the Questers be strong enough to handle the immense power of the Sword? Or, as ever with these things, will they be tempted over to the Dark Side...?
Fantasy-based sitcom set in Lower Earth written by Anil Gupta and Richard Pinto.
Sam …. Stephen Mangan
Lord Darkness …. Alistair McGowan
Dean/Kreech …. Kevin Eldon
Vidar …. Darren Boyd
Amis ‘The Chosen One’ …. Dave Lamb
Penthiselea …. Sophie Winkleman
Producer: Sam Michell
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 2010.

WEDNESDAY 24 MAY 2023

WED 00:00 The Prisoner (m000jpcx)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:00 on Tuesday]
WED 01:00 Falco (b008l1cb)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 on Tuesday]
WED 01:30 The Wolf Far Hence (m001m40l)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 on Tuesday]
WED 02:00 Book of the Week (b0bgq6f0)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 on Tuesday]
WED 02:15 DCI Alma Blair (m0006m3w)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:15 on Tuesday]
WED 02:30 North by Northamptonshire (b03q69c1)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 on Tuesday]
WED 03:00 The Goon Show (b007jv86)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 on Tuesday]
WED 03:30 The Marx Brothers' Flywheel, Shyster and Flywheel (b00890mh)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 on Tuesday]
WED 04:00 Who Goes There? (b0075yw8)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 on Tuesday]
WED 04:30 Big Town All Stars (m001m40z)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 on Tuesday]
WED 05:00 The Prisoner (m000jt7v)
Series 3
The Seltzman Connection
Number 6 meets a sinister scientist, and is obliged to relive events with his fiancé, Janet.
Based on the 1960s TV series of The Prisoner which created intrigue and controversy in equal measure when it first aired in the UK in 1967.
Number 6 …. Mark Elstob
Potter/Number 398 …. Glen McCready
Control …. Jim Barclay
Danvers/Marcus Gray …. Barnaby Edwards
Professor Jacob Seltzman …. Richard Dixon
Sarah Mowat …. Janet
Kate Butterworth/Number 2 …. Lucy Briggs-Owen
Other parts played by members of the cast.
Written and directed by Nicholas Briggs.
Script Editor: Scott Handcock
Music composed and performed by Jamie Robertson
Producer: Emma Halgh
A Big Finish production.
WED 06:00 Falco (b008m17q)
Shadows in Bronze
6. Showdown
A final showdown for Roman sleuth Falco - but his reunion with Helena proves bittersweet.
Starring Anton Lesser.
Lindsey Davis's witty detective, Marcus Didius Falco patrols the streets of 1st-century Rome.
Falco ....... Anton Lesser
Petronius ....... Ben Crowe
Helena Justina ....... Anna Madeley
Decimus Camillus ....... Robert Lister
Vespasian ....... Michael Tudor Barnes
Silvia ....... Sara Poyzer
Tullia ....... Fiona Clarke
Gordianus ....... Christian Rodska
Atius Pertinax ....... Sean Connolly
Dramatised by Mary Cutler.
Directed at BBC Birmingham by Peter Leslie Wild.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 2005.
WED 06:30 The Wolf Far Hence (m001m3zy)
3. The Morass
A mild-mannered local knows more than he's telling about the murders at the loch. Despite pressure from the police, he remains tight-lipped.
Edward Boyd’s six-part crime mystery set in the remote Scottish Highlands.
Respected Scottish writer Edward Boyd won a Writer’s Guild Award for this drama. He also wrote ‘The Candle of Darkness’.
CAST:
Steve Gardiner …. Teddy Johnson
DI Gordon …. Moultrie Kelsall
Jonathan Ketch …. Walter Carr
Judy Clark …. Janet Michael
Captain Siegfried Bevvis …. Robert Urquhart
DS Grant …. David Kinnaird
Produced in BBC Glasgow by Eddie Fraser.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1971.
WED 07:00 Book of the Week (b0bgrs9j)
In My Mind's Eye by Jan Morris
3. The First Time
In her published 'diary of my thoughts', Jan Morris, renowned author and traveller, covers much ground:
"It's wonderful, isn't it - how the experience of The First Time loiters in the memory.." Also, a trip in a de Havilland Dragon Rapide biplane and the quirks of keeping old address books.
Read by Janet Suzman.
Abridged by Katrin Williams.
Produced by Duncan Minshull.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 2018.
WED 07:15 DCI Alma Blair (m0006lrk)
Dead Cert
3. Results
The final furlong of Val McDermid’s 'Dead' series, with Dead Cert, written by Shelley Silas.
Murder most foal has returned to Cranby in this terrible tale of whoaaaa! DCI Alma Blair is keen to get results at work, but she and partner Jo are waiting for a different kind of result at home.
DCI Alma Blair ...... Julie Hesmondhalgh
Dr Jo Black ...... Jane Hazlegrove
DS Jason Trotter ...... Graeme Hawley
Narrator / Dr Hunter Clive / Noel Fell ...... Jonathan Keeble
Mo Hamid ...... Nitin Kundra
Clare Balding ...... Herself
Other parts played by members of the cast.
Directed and Produced by Justine Potter
A Savvy production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in July 2019.
WED 07:30 Women Talking About Cars (m0001l8h)
Series 3
4. Una Stubbs
Actress, dancer and national treasure Una Stubbs talks to Victoria Coren Mitchell about her remarkable career from Summer Holiday to Sherlock.
With memories of childhood and motherhood, movies and needlework, Una discusses the vehicles she's driven along the way and why these days she has chosen to live car-free.
Readings by Sarah Hadland.
Sadly Una passed away in August 2021.
Producer: Gareth Edwards
A BBC Studios production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in December 2018.
WED 08:00 Hancock's Half Hour (b007k4m9)
Series 4
The Bolshoi Ballet
The Lad's hopes for a night of dance at London's Covent Garden don't quite go to plan.
Starring Tony Hancock.
With Sidney James, Bill Kerr and Kenneth Williams.
Written by Ray Galton and Alan Simpson.
Theme and incidental music composed by Wally Stott. Recorded by the BBC Revue Orchestra conducted by Harry Rabinowitz.
Producer: Dennis Main Wilson
First broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in October 1956.
WED 08:30 Life, Death and Sex with Mike and Sue (b00751f6)
Series 3
Episode 2
Sofa-bound TV presenters Mike and Sue tackle terrorism and gardening.
Starring Robert Duncan and Jan Ravens.
With Ronnie Ancona. Alistair McGowan, Roger Blake and Tracy-Ann Oberman.
Written by Ian Brown and James Hendrie from a format by Bill Dare.
Music by Mark Burton.
Producer: Aled Evans
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 1998.
WED 09:00 Nature Table (m000vxzc)
Series 2
Episode 2
Sue Perkins’ ‘Show & Tell’ series celebrating the natural world and all it’s funny eccentricities.
Taking the simple format of a ‘Show & Tell’, each episode Sue is joined by celebrity guests from the worlds of comedy and natural history.
Each of the natural history guests brings an item linked to the wild world to share with the audience, be it an amazing fact or funny personal anecdote. Each item is a springboard for an enlightening and funny discussion, alongside fun games and challenges revealing more astonishing facts.
We also hear from some of the London Zoo audience, a mix of London Zoo staff and members of the public, as they bring us their own natural history ‘show and tells’ for Sue and the guests to discuss.
Nature Table has a simple clear brief: to positively celebrate and promote the importance of all our planet’s wonderfully wild flora and fauna in a fun and easily grasped way... whilst at the same time having a giggle.
In this episode, Sue welcomes:
* Zoologist, writer and presenter Lucy Cooke
* Fungi curator at Kew Gardens Lee Davies
* Actress and comedian Sally Phillips
Written by Catherine Brinkworth, Kat Sadler and Jon Hunter
Producer Simon Nicholls.
A BBC Studios production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in May 2021.
WED 09:30 Robin and Wendy's Wet Weekends (b0076svc)
Series 4
Autumn Crocus
Wendy is pregnant and extremely excited at the prospect of becoming a mother at last. Robin is panicking and trying to cram in all those things he wished he'd done before having a baby, like buy a motorbike!
Their next door neighbours, manic depressive Derek, and his bored younger wife, Maureen, are as ever being supportive, in their own special way.
Sitcom about the mundane lives of Robin and Wendy and their friends and neighbours.
Written by Kay Stonham.
Robin ...... Brian Capron
Wendy ...... Kay Stonham
Derek ...... Martin Trenaman
Maureen ...... Amelia Bullmore
With Ralph Ineson, Andy Taylor and Sharon Horgan.
Producer: Claire Bartlett
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2005.
WED 10:00 The Prisoner (m000jt7v)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:00 today]
WED 11:00 Falco (b008m17q)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
WED 11:30 The Wolf Far Hence (m001m3zy)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
WED 12:00 Book of the Week (b0bgrs9j)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
WED 12:15 DCI Alma Blair (m0006lrk)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:15 today]
WED 12:30 Women Talking About Cars (m0001l8h)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
WED 13:00 Hancock's Half Hour (b007k4m9)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
WED 13:30 Life, Death and Sex with Mike and Sue (b00751f6)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
WED 14:00 Nature Table (m000vxzc)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
WED 14:30 Robin and Wendy's Wet Weekends (b0076svc)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 today]
WED 15:00 The Prisoner (m000jt7v)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:00 today]
WED 16:00 Falco (b008m17q)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
WED 16:30 The Wolf Far Hence (m001m3zy)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
WED 17:00 Book of the Week (b0bgrs9j)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
WED 17:15 DCI Alma Blair (m0006lrk)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:15 today]
WED 17:30 Women Talking About Cars (m0001l8h)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
WED 18:00 Hancock's Half Hour (b007k4m9)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
WED 18:30 Life, Death and Sex with Mike and Sue (b00751f6)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
WED 19:00 Nature Table (m000vxzc)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
WED 19:30 Robin and Wendy's Wet Weekends (b0076svc)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 today]
WED 20:00 Archive on 4 (b04n20v4)
Tears of a Clown
Robin Ince looks at the enduring cliché of the Sad Clown. What is the relationship between stand-up comedy and mental health?
"A room filled with comedians standing in silence is rarity, especially after midnight during the Edinburgh Fringe, but this was a scene across the bars and venues when the news of Robin Williams' suicide broke. The death of a comedian resurrects the numerous images of the comedian surrounded by laughter they have created, yet miserable themselves.
"But how true is this image of the melancholy comedian? While the lives of Kenneth Williams, Tony Hancock and Spike Milligan are raked over with new books and documentaries appearing on a yearly basis, hundreds of comedians seemingly live and perform without facing anxiety that reaches clinical levels.
"Is the image of the sad comedian a comfort for an audience: "they made us all laugh and brought so much joy, but don't worry, they were wracked with existential agony for the rest of their lives"?
"Is pain required to create comedy, or would Spike Milligan have created as much, if not more, absurd and delightful comedy had he not been so frequently institutionalised?
"Do plays and documentaries on comedians focus so much on the bleak side of their existence that they create a false vision of perpetual despair?
"Is the act of being a comedian more of a cure than a burden? While others may have no valve to release their festering thoughts, the stand up can transform their ludicrousness or burdensome thoughts into jokes. They are able to laugh at, and with, themselves and even make money out of it too.
"Is comedy just like every other profession, or is there a need for some loss or pain in childhood to create the outsider who wishes to spend each night making themselves face one of the top three fears of human beings, public speaking?
"Romantic vision, bitter truth, debatable myth - can we really work out the formula that makes a comedian?
"Give me the child until they are seven, and I will show you the entertainer?"
-Robin Ince, Aged 45 and 3/4.
Producer: Alex Mansfield
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2014.
WED 21:00 Short Cuts (b04mcp9f)
Series 6
After Dark
Josie Long presents tales of blackouts, late nights and bedtime stories.
Love found after a blackout, telephone counselling for bereaved rock star managers and erotica for the elderly.
Series Producer: Eleanor McDowall
A Falling Tree production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in October 2014.
WED 21:30 Ruth Rendell Stories (b00mr1rm)
3. Computer Seance
Sophia is a medium with a laptop. One day she bumps into Jimmy - who just happens to be her dead brother.
A story by British crime author, Ruth Rendell.
‘Computer Seance’ was first published in 2000 as one of eleven short stories in the collection ‘Piranha to Scurfy and Other Stories’.
Read by Lesley Joseph.
Producer: Julia Butt
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2001.
WED 21:45 The Shadow Over Innsmouth (m000vh6c)
Episode 13
A foggy seafront town where something's coming from the water. An ancient cult, a stranger with a bandaged face and a body in a shallow grave. The story continues.
True-life mystery podcasters Matthew Heawood and Kennedy Fisher return and this time the story is Kennedy Fisher.
A simple investigation into the disappearance of a young man from a mental health facility has taken them from Rhode Island to Iraq, to the Suffolk countryside – as they realised that everything uncovered in season one threaded through to season two. But towards the end of 'The Whisperer In Darkness', the investigation turned inward as Kennedy discovered a possible family connection to the uncovered conspiracy. And evidence forces Heawood to question Kennedy’s account of her time in Iraq. As Kennedy heads off to Innsmouth, to look into her apparently spooky ancestry, Heawood is going to Iraq to find an answer to the most disturbing of all questions; could Kennedy be a killer?
Both make life-changing discoveries as the two investigations come together, just as the Coronavirus pandemic is sweeping the world.
Barnaby Kay and Jana Carpenter star in writer/director Julian Simpson’s H.P. Lovecraft-inspired universe.
Episode Seven: "Rubaiyat"
MATTHEW HEAWOOD ................Barnaby Kay
KENNEDY FISHER...........................Jana Carpenter
ELEANOR PECK................................Nicola Walker
PARKER...............................................Phoebe Fox
JASPER................................................Steven Mackintosh
SLIDE...................................................Ferdinand Kingsley
AKELEY ....................................... ......David Calder
SOUND....................................................David Thomas
PRODUCTION COORDINATOR......Sarah Tombling
PRODUCER............................................Karen Rose
MUSIC.....................................................Tim Elsenburg
WRITTEN AND DIRECTED BY Julian Simpson
A Sweet Talk production, first on BBC Sounds in 2020, and broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 2021.
WED 22:00 Lemn Sissay's Social Enterprise (m000cc6m)
Episode 4
Every year since 2013, the poet, broadcaster and author Lemn Sissay has arranged a Christmas dinner for people aged 18-25 who have left the care system and have no one with whom to have Christmas dinner. No one to give presents or receive them. No-one on the other end of the cracker.
This is not a charity. It isn't even an organisation. It's a project Lemn undertook because he understands how it feels - at 18 he was released from a children's home and given an empty flat in Wigan, with no-one in the world who had known him for longer than a year.
Lemn Sissay’s Social Enterprise is a four-part series for BBC Radio 4, considering what these dinners have taught him about charity, social enterprise, and people, through stand-up, interview and poetry.
This week he explores the idea of time - with the help of Jill Mortimer from Age UK, Anna Chojnicka from the Global Entrepreneurship Network, and comedian and podcaster Deborah Frances-White.
Written and performed by Lemn Sissay
Guest: Jill Mortimer
Guest: Anna Chojnicka
Guest: Deborah Frances-White
Producer: Ed Morrish
A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4
WED 22:30 Pick Ups (b008w3xx)
Series 1
Episode 5
A sticky DIY mishap for cabbie Dave, and Mike's first job is with the menacing Jess.
Comedy set in in a run down taxi office in Manchester.
Written by Ian Kershaw.
Lind ... Sally Lindsay
Mike / Taffy / Timmy ... John Thomson
Dave ... Philip Rowson
Alan/Rebel / Brad ... Ash Tandon
Andrew ...... Paul Warriner
Pat ...... Andrew Grose
Jess .... Fiona Clarke
Producer: Paul Hardy
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 2008.
WED 23:00 The Sofa of Time (b00hxnfl)
Where the Brave Go Shopping
Parker discovers that drinking in gravy makes you shrink, Milford gets rich quick as he changes his £1.40 for 7,000,000 Gravish francs at Papa Mbomba's bureau de change, and Marmite takes the boys to get tooled up at Bravemart for the battle against Raemen Bod.
Continuing the epic and timeless tale of two men and their quest to find "The Sofa of Time", the most magical and powerful item of furniture in the entire universe.
It is said that those who sit on the sofa can be transported to anywhere and anytime.
Fantasy sitcom written by Nick Frost and Matt King.
Milford ...... Matt King.
Parker ...... Nick Frost
Marmite ...... Mark Heap
Raamen Bod ...... Peter Serafinowcz
With Kevin Eldon, Julia Deakin, Janei Anderson, Joseph Marcell, Daisy Jones and Andrew Maxwell.
Producer: Mario Stylianides
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 2002.
WED 23:30 The Mel and Sue Thing (b00769tt)
Episode 2
More comedy mayhem starring Mel Giedroyc and Sue Perkins.
Continuing the adventures of spoilt Harriet and her pushy aunt in the second part of Jane Austen's lost novella, Fanny Adams
Meet the grumpy French au pairs, plus a special preview performance of the Ukranian entry for next year's Eurovision Song Contest.
With Paul Chahidi
Written by Mel Giedroyc and Sue Perkins.
Producer: Elizabeth Freestone.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 2002.

THURSDAY 25 MAY 2023

THU 00:00 The Prisoner (m000jt7v)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:00 on Wednesday]
THU 01:00 Falco (b008m17q)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 on Wednesday]
THU 01:30 The Wolf Far Hence (m001m3zy)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 on Wednesday]
THU 02:00 Book of the Week (b0bgrs9j)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 on Wednesday]
THU 02:15 DCI Alma Blair (m0006lrk)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:15 on Wednesday]
THU 02:30 Women Talking About Cars (m0001l8h)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 on Wednesday]
THU 03:00 Hancock's Half Hour (b007k4m9)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 on Wednesday]
THU 03:30 Life, Death and Sex with Mike and Sue (b00751f6)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 on Wednesday]
THU 04:00 Nature Table (m000vxzc)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 on Wednesday]
THU 04:30 Robin and Wendy's Wet Weekends (b0076svc)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 on Wednesday]
THU 05:00 The Prisoner (m000k1yn)
Series 3
4. No One Will Know
From London, to Kandersfeld, to The Village... Will there ever be an end to it?
Based on the 1960s TV series of The Prisoner which created intrigue and controversy in equal measure when it first aired in the UK in 1967.
Number 6 …. Mark Elstob
Potter/Number 398 …. Glen McCready
Control …. Jim Barclay
Danvers/Marcus Gray …. Barnaby Edwards
Professor Jacob Seltzman …. Richard Dixon
Sarah Mowat …. Janet
Kate Butterworth/Number 2 …. Lucy Briggs-Owen
Other parts played by members of the cast.
Written and directed by Nicholas Briggs.
Script Editor: Scott Handcock
Music composed and performed by Jamie Robertson
Producer: Emma Halgh
A Big Finish production.
THU 06:00 Who Killed Zebedee? by Wilkie Collins (b007jq0p)
1. The Confession
Given just days to live, a Victorian policeman is ready to make his final confession.
He's set to candidly reveal his involvement in a murder case in London many years before.
When he was a young police constable, a woman burst in with news of a gruesome killing...
Detective story by Wilkie Collins, first published in 1881.
Read by Ronald Pickup.
Producer: Joanne Reardon
Made for BBC 7 and first broadcast in October 2003.
THU 06:30 The Wolf Far Hence (m001m42m)
4. The Twist
The killing of a key witness complicates matters even more at the remote Highland loch.
Edward Boyd’s six-part crime mystery set in the remote Scottish Highlands.
Respected Scottish writer Edward Boyd won a Writer’s Guild Award for this drama. He also wrote ‘The Candle of Darkness’.
CAST:
Steve Gardiner …. Teddy Johnson
Jonathan Ketch …. Walter Carr
Mrs McFee …. Pearl Colquhoun
DI Gordon …. Moultrie Kelsall
Judy Clark …. Janet Michael
Elspeth MacDonald …. Mary Riggans
Captain Siegfried Bevvis …. Robert Urquhart
Produced in BBC Glasgow by Eddie Fraser.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1971.
THU 07:00 Book of the Week (b0bgrw3m)
In My Mind's Eye by Jan Morris
4. Home
In her published 'diary of my thoughts', Jan Morris, renowned author and traveller, covers much ground:
What treasures are to be found in Trefan Morys, her 'crumbling' home in North Wales? Then bonding once more with the old Honda car. And thoughts regarding the 'British Empire' of old.
Read by Janet Suzman.
Abridged by Katrin Williams.
Produced by Duncan Minshull.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 2018.
THU 07:15 DCI Alma Blair (m0006l8z)
Dead Cert
4. One Too Many Hurdles
The final furlong of Val McDermid’s 'Dead' series, with Dead Cert, written by Shelley Silas.
Alma, Jo and Jason encounter one too many hurdles as they race towards their goal. But with a dead horse, murdered jockey and a baby in the mix, there is no end in sight.
DCI Alma Blair ...... Julie Hesmondhalgh
Dr Jo Black ...... Jane Hazlegrove
DS Jason Trotter / Pinky Penwortham ...... Graeme Hawley
Narrator / Dr Hunter Clive ...... Jonathan Keeble
Mo Hamid /Ricky Levey ...... Nitin Kundra
Heather Palmer /Dr Binky Lockwood ...... Erin Shanagher
Clare Balding ...... Herself
Other parts played by members of the cast.
Directed and Produced by Justine Potter.
A Savvy production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in July 2019.
THU 07:30 On the Rocks (b05tkllr)
Series 2
Sirens
It's 1938 and with all this talk of looming war, GPO man Frank Gunwallow returns to see if all is still in order at St. Martin's Post Office.
The return of Christopher William Hill's comedy set on a remote island of the Isles of Scilly.
War seems inevitable, but the islanders have their own battles to contend with, stuck on a rock flung 27 miles out into the Atlantic with only their natural grit and gallows humour to see them through.
Frank Gunwallow ...... Joseph Kloska
Morwenna-May ...... Alex Tregear
Tommy Trenear ...... Stuart Fox
Ben ...... Alex Palmer
Mary ...... Bec Applebee
Len ...... Ed Gaughan
Director: Mary Peate
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 2015.
THU 08:00 The Burkiss Way (b007jrnh)
Series 3
The Last Burkiss Way
General Custer tackles his last stand with a battle of one-liners.
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 February 1978.
THU 08:30 Thank You, Mrs Fothergill (b08907nh)
The Alastair Wayne Show
Viewers are in for a big surprise when Alice makes an appearance on a local chat show on ITV
Keith Parry's small town committee sitcom.
Alice Foster …. Sheila Hancock
Phyllis Middleton … Pat Coombs
Mrs Fothergill …. Avis Bunnage
Alastair Wayne …. Nigel Rees
Natalie …. Clovissa Newcombe
Produced in Manchester by Bob Oliver Rogers.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 2 in January 1979.
THU 09:00 Booked (b0075bbm)
Series 6
Episode 6
Ian McMillan chairs the irreverent literary game with Arthur Smith, Stuart Maconie, Sophie Hannah and Linda Smith.
More original writing and outrageous parody gleefully corrupting the world's revered literary works.
Producer: Marc Jobst
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 1999.
THU 09:30 Clare in the Community (b00snrjy)
Series 6
Some Others Do 'Ave 'Em
Clare Barker's back on the social work frontline as a vomiting bug hits her colleagues.
Clare Barker is the self-absorbed social worker who has the right jargon for every problem she comes across, though never a practical solution. But there are plenty of challenges out there for an involved, caring social worker. Or even Clare.
Clare ... Sally Phillips
Brian ... Alex Lowe
Helen ... Liza Tarbuck
Ray ... Richard Lumsden
Libby ... Sarah Kendall
Megan/Na ... Nina Conti
Peggy ... Rosemary Leach
Dolly ... Doreen Mantle
Written by Harry Venning and David Ramsden
Producer: Katie Tyrrell.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in June 2010.
THU 10:00 The Prisoner (m000k1yn)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:00 today]
THU 11:00 Who Killed Zebedee? by Wilkie Collins (b007jq0p)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
THU 11:30 The Wolf Far Hence (m001m42m)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
THU 12:00 Book of the Week (b0bgrw3m)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
THU 12:15 DCI Alma Blair (m0006l8z)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:15 today]
THU 12:30 On the Rocks (b05tkllr)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
THU 13:00 The Burkiss Way (b007jrnh)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
THU 13:30 Thank You, Mrs Fothergill (b08907nh)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
THU 14:00 Booked (b0075bbm)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
THU 14:30 Clare in the Community (b00snrjy)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 today]
THU 15:00 The Prisoner (m000k1yn)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:00 today]
THU 16:00 Who Killed Zebedee? by Wilkie Collins (b007jq0p)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
THU 16:30 The Wolf Far Hence (m001m42m)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
THU 17:00 Book of the Week (b0bgrw3m)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
THU 17:15 DCI Alma Blair (m0006l8z)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:15 today]
THU 17:30 On the Rocks (b05tkllr)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
THU 18:00 The Burkiss Way (b007jrnh)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
THU 18:30 Thank You, Mrs Fothergill (b08907nh)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
THU 19:00 Booked (b0075bbm)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
THU 19:30 Clare in the Community (b00snrjy)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 today]
THU 20:00 Writing... The Midlands (m000s2q8)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 on Saturday]
THU 21:00 Great Lives (b009qr2r)
Peter Cushing
Actor and writer Mark Gatiss chooses an actor most noted for horror film roles, Peter Cushing.
Cushing found fame with the Hammer films of the seventies, but his career on stage, screen, radio and television stretched over forty years, from Laurel and Hardy's stooge, to Grand Moff Tarkin in Star Wars. With expert witness David Miller, presented by Matthew Parris
Producer: Perminder Khatkar.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2008.
THU 21:30 Ruth Rendell Stories (b00b5v5s)
4. The Wrong Category
Ignoring his mother's fears, Barry goes out after dark to visit the sites of six recent murders.
A story by British crime author, Ruth Rendell.
‘The Wrong Category’ was first published in 1982 as one of eleven short stories in the collection ‘The Fever Tree and Other Stories’.
Read by Nick Moran.
Producer: Julia Butt
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2001.
THU 21:45 The Shadow Over Innsmouth (m000vhlf)
Episode 14
A foggy seafront town where something's coming from the water. An ancient cult, a stranger with a bandaged face and a body in a shallow grave. The story continues.
True-life mystery podcasters Matthew Heawood and Kennedy Fisher return and this time the story is Kennedy Fisher.
A simple investigation into the disappearance of a young man from a mental health facility has taken them from Rhode Island to Iraq, to the Suffolk countryside – as they realised that everything uncovered in season one threaded through to season two. But towards the end of 'The Whisperer In Darkness', the investigation turned inward as Kennedy discovered a possible family connection to the uncovered conspiracy. And evidence forces Heawood to question Kennedy’s account of her time in Iraq. As Kennedy heads off to Innsmouth, to look into her apparently spooky ancestry, Heawood is going to Iraq to find an answer to the most disturbing of all questions; could Kennedy be a killer?
Both make life-changing discoveries as the two investigations come together, just as the Coronavirus pandemic is sweeping the world.
Barnaby Kay and Jana Carpenter star in writer/director Julian Simpson’s H.P. Lovecraft-inspired universe.
Episode Seven: "Rubaiyat"
MATTHEW HEAWOOD ................Barnaby Kay
KENNEDY FISHER...........................Jana Carpenter
ELEANOR PECK................................Nicola Walker
PARKER...............................................Phoebe Fox
JASPER................................................Steven Mackintosh
SLIDE...................................................Ferdinand Kingsley
AKELEY ....................................... ......David Calder
SOUND....................................................David Thomas
PRODUCTION COORDINATOR......Sarah Tombling
PRODUCER............................................Karen Rose
MUSIC.....................................................Tim Elsenburg
WRITTEN AND DIRECTED BY Julian Simpson
A Sweet Talk production, first on BBC Sounds in 2020, and broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 2021.
THU 22:00 It's a Fair Cop (m000h25q)
Series 5
3. Wild Westwood
For this week's real case, Alfie goes back to his time on the beat in Scunthorpe for a story about anti-social behaviour and the ever divisive ASBO.
Written and presented by Alfie Moore
Script Editor: Will Ing
Producer: Richard Morris
A BBC Studios Production
THU 22:30 Tom Wrigglesworth's Hang-Ups (b07qbstb)
Series 4
Big Tom and the Hendersons
Dad tries to fight off an unwanted invasion while Granny turns to smuggling.
Listen in on Tom's weekly phone calls home to his Mum, Dad and Gran in Sheffield and get a glimpse into the triumphs and tribulations of the Wrigglesworth clan in all its dysfunctional glory.
Tom ...... Tom Wrigglesworth
Dad ...... Paul Copley
Mum ...... Kate Anthony
Granny ...... Elizabeth Bennett
Cafe owner ...... Ed Kear
Written by Tom Wrigglesworth and James Kettle with additional material by Miles Jupp
Producer: Richard Morris
A BBC Studios production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in September 2016.
THU 22:55 The Comedy Club Interviews (m001mk5s)
Clive Anderson 3/3
From 10.00pm until midnight, seven days a week, the Comedy Club has two hours of comedy. Plus Harriet Kemsley chats again to Clive Anderson.
THU 23:00 Ida Barr: Artificial Hip Hop (b00v1qvw)
Choice
Ida Barr is a music hall singer who has embraced hip hop and rap, reflecting the cultural diversity of London's East End, where she has been living in retirement for several decades.
With her genuine love of talking to people, Ida sets out investigate a new topic in each episode, creating a unique brand of music-hall, hip-hop fusion with beat boxer Shlomo.
Ida’s subject this time is "Choice".
Written by and starring Christopher Green as Ida Barr.
Producer: Claire Grove
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 2010.
THU 23:15 Political Animals (b03k21pc)
Series 2
Bo and Barack
US President Barack Obama's dog, Bo, suffers an identity crisis.
Starring Chris Pavlo.
The first in a series of talks giving an unreliable dog's eye view of Washington life in the White House.
Tony Bagley assists each canine to relate their trials and tribulations under four different Presidents.
Bo ...... Chris Pavlo
West Wing Guy ...... David Seddon
Director: Marc Beeby
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 2013.
THU 23:30 Rigor Mortis (b007qhq4)
Series 2
Episode 3
Pathologist Ruth's fibs over her career and love-life backfire when her mum arrives.
Starring Peter Davison.
Laurence Howarth's black comedy set in the world of the pathology lab.
Anthony Webster …. Peter Davison
Ruth Anderson …. Matilda Ziegler
Ruth’s Mother, Moira …. Paula Wilcox
Professor Donaldson …. Geoffrey Whitehead
Graham …. Tom Price
Chloe …. Marianne Levy
Police Constable …. Gus Brown
Norman Pace …. Lewis Aaltonen
Music by Paul Mottram and Stephanie Benavente.
Producer: Dawn Ellis
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 2004.

FRIDAY 26 MAY 2023

FRI 00:00 The Prisoner (m000k1yn)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:00 on Thursday]
FRI 01:00 Who Killed Zebedee? by Wilkie Collins (b007jq0p)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 on Thursday]
FRI 01:30 The Wolf Far Hence (m001m42m)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 on Thursday]
FRI 02:00 Book of the Week (b0bgrw3m)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 on Thursday]
FRI 02:15 DCI Alma Blair (m0006l8z)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:15 on Thursday]
FRI 02:30 On the Rocks (b05tkllr)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 on Thursday]
FRI 03:00 The Burkiss Way (b007jrnh)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 on Thursday]
FRI 03:30 Thank You, Mrs Fothergill (b08907nh)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 on Thursday]
FRI 04:00 Booked (b0075bbm)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 on Thursday]
FRI 04:30 Clare in the Community (b00snrjy)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 on Thursday]
FRI 05:00 Gary Ogin - Shy Baby (b00zf4j1)
Lionel Stillman has a new job, a girlfriend he thinks he loves, and a secret ambition - to be a stand-up comic. But he also has a problem. People make him nervous.
As Lionel stumbles from bad date with Emma to bad first day at a call centre, he struggles with an inner voice telling him he's boring and useless - "or just plain weird". At first, Emma thinks he's attractively shy. Then she decides he's a drinker.
But Lionel does have friends. At a weekly support group his fellow sufferers Simon, Max and Rosie uncover his ambition to be a comic and encourage him to take it further by setting a challenge: to perform in a comedy club. As the night approaches, the idea seems ludicrous. How can a man who can't bring himself to meet his girlfriend's parents stand up and perform in front of a raucous pub crowd? Rosie holds the key.
Gary Ogin's comedy explores the crippling effects of acute social anxiety on work, hopes and relationships.
Lionel ...... Stuart McLoughlin
Rosie ...... Alex Tregear
Emma ...... Polly Barsby
The play was researched with the help of Social Anxiety support groups in London and Bristol.
Producer: Chris Ledgard.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 2011.
FRI 05:45 Short Works (m0006dwk)
Someone Always Remembers by Xuan Juliana Wang
In Someone Always Remembers, Pei Pei's job in a university snack bar shows her a different kind of life.
A specially commissioned short story of exciting literary talent Xuan Juliana Wang, which followed hot on the heels of the publication of her debut collection, Home Remedies. Her writing has appeared in The Atlantic, The Cut, The Brooklyn Rail and The Pushcart Prize.
Read by Katie Leung.
Produced by Elizabeth Allard.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 2019.
FRI 06:00 Who Killed Zebedee? by Wilkie Collins (b007jq12)
2. Making Peace
With just days to live, a Victorian policeman continues his final confession from his death bed.
Mystery still surrounded the brutal murder of John Zebedee.
The constable recalls his determination to solve the case when the rest of the police force had given up.
Detective story by Wilkie Collins, first published in 1881.
Concluded by Ronald Pickup
Producer: Joanne Reardon
Made for BBC 7 and first broadcast in October 2003.
FRI 06:30 The Wolf Far Hence (m001m44w)
5. The Truth
The body count mounts at the remote Highland loch, but Steve Gardiner has a theory. Stars Teddy Johnson.
Edward Boyd’s six-part crime mystery set in the remote Scottish Highlands.
Respected Scottish writer Edward Boyd won a Writer’s Guild Award for this drama. He also wrote ‘The Candle of Darkness’.
CAST:
Steve Gardiner …. Teddy Johnson
DI Gordon …. Moultrie Kelsall
Sally Stewart …. Tricia Scott
Judy Clark …. Janet Michael
Jacob Purdie …. WHD Joss
Captain Siegfried Bevvis …. Robert Urquhart
Produced in BBC Glasgow by Eddie Fraser.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1971.
FRI 07:00 Book of the Week (b0bgrwlz)
In My Mind's Eye by Jan Morris
5. The Siffleur
In her published 'diary of my thoughts', Jan Morris, renowned author and traveller, covers much ground:
She recalls her late brother Gareth, a 'siffleur' of the highest order. Then ascending Mount Snowdon, Yr Wyddfa, one day. And then a chaotic yet comic walk to lunch on another day.
Read by Janet Suzman.
Abridged by Katrin Williams.
Produced by Duncan Minshull.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 2018.
FRI 07:15 DCI Alma Blair (m0006n0q)
Dead Cert
5. Suspects
The final furlong of Val McDermid’s 'Dead' series, with Dead Cert, written by Shelley Silas.
The equine and human suspects are lined up.
DCI Alma Blair ...... Julie Hesmondhalgh
Dr Jo Black ...... Jane Hazlegrove
DS Jason Trotter ...... Graeme Hawley
Narrator / Dr Hunter Clive / Noel Fell ...... Jonathan Keeble
Mo Hamid ...... Nitin Kundra
Heather Palmer / Dr Binky Lockwood ...... Erin Shanagher
Clare Balding ...... Herself
Other parts played by members of the cast.
Directed and Produced by Justine Potter
A Savvy production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in July 2019.
FRI 07:30 Dr Phil's Bedside Manner (m000z0r7)
Dr Phil visits the Royal Hospital for Children and Young People, Edinburgh.
An innovative mix of comedy performance and documentary in a new series presented by Dr Phil Hammond.
As a doctor and a comedian, Phil knows that humour and laughter are vital coping mechanisms in the NHS, as he travels the UK on a mission to listen to the beating heart of a national institution.
The programmes are an adventurous, hilarious, thought provoking mix of humour and happiness, tragedy and reflection as the personal thoughts, opinions, experiences and hopes of people who work for and use the NHS are revealed.
In each programme, Phil visits one NHS hospital somewhere in the UK and speaks to porters and patients, cleaners and cardiologists, visitors and volunteers, the managers and the medics.
And at each location Dr Phil performs a free stand-up comedy show for the staff based on his listening experiences at that location and the stories of the people he has met.
Dr Phil Hammond hears the stories of staff and patients at a new children's hospital. How does humour help us cope?
Producer: David Morley
A Ride production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in 2021.
FRI 08:00 Steptoe and Son (b00sbh9h)
Series 1
The Bath
Harold's plan for a proper bathroom upset his father Albert.
Starring Wilfrid Brambell as Albert and Harry H Corbett as Harold.
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 was set in a house with a yard full of junk, featuring the lives of rag and bone men Albert Steptoe and his son Harold and it was the spark for a run of 8 series for TV.
Adapted for radio from Galton and Simpson's TV script by Gale Pedrick.
Produced by Bobby Jaye
First broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in September 1966.
FRI 08:30 Flying the Flag (b00dyb0t)
Series 4
No Special Treatment
Official condemnation of the privatisation of the People's Health Service is tempered slightly when the diplomats study the proposals more closely.
Cheap facelifts and hair transplants for embassy staff... isn't there something to be said for the concept after all?
Series 4 of Alex Shearer's Eastern bloc embassy sitcom.
Starring Dinsdale Landen as HM Ambassador Mackenzie, Peter Acre as William Frost, Moir Leslie as Helen Waterson, Christopher Benjamin as Colonel Surikov and Stephen Greif as US Ambassador Spiro Weinberg.
Producer: Neil Cargill
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 1992.
FRI 09:00 Act Your Age (b00zsjz7)
Series 3
Episode 2
Simon Mayo hosts the three-way battle between the comedy generations to find out which is the funniest.
Will it be the Up-and-Comers, the Current Crop or the Old Guard who will be crowned, for one week at least, as the Golden Age of Comedy?
Jon Richardson is joined by Andi Osho, Rufus Hound teams up with Andrew Maxwell and Ted Robbins is paired with both Roger De Courcey and Nookie Bear.
Devised and produced by Ashley Blaker and Bill Matthews.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 2011.
FRI 09:30 Bleak Expectations (b00w7dnw)
Series 4
A Painful Life Further Re-Miserabled
Pip and Harry put to sea with Captain Beehab in a bid to thwart a sea-going Mister Benevolent and rescue Ripely.
But fate has other plans and they are shipwrecked. Pip soon finds himself on a desert island that holds many surprising secrets.
Mark Evans's epic Victorian comedy in the style of Charles Dickens.
Sir Philip ...... Richard Johnson
Young Pip Bin ...... Tom Allen
Gently Benevolent ...... Anthony Head
Harry Biscuit ...... James Bachman
Grimpunch ...... Geoffrey Whitehead
Ripely ...... Sarah Hadland
Pippa ...... Susy Kane
Producer: Gareth Edwards
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 2010.
FRI 10:00 Gary Ogin - Shy Baby (b00zf4j1)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:00 today]
FRI 10:45 Short Works (m0006dwk)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:45 today]
FRI 11:00 Who Killed Zebedee? by Wilkie Collins (b007jq12)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
FRI 11:30 The Wolf Far Hence (m001m44w)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
FRI 12:00 Book of the Week (b0bgrwlz)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
FRI 12:15 DCI Alma Blair (m0006n0q)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:15 today]
FRI 12:30 Dr Phil's Bedside Manner (m000z0r7)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
FRI 13:00 Steptoe and Son (b00sbh9h)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
FRI 13:30 Flying the Flag (b00dyb0t)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
FRI 14:00 Act Your Age (b00zsjz7)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
FRI 14:30 Bleak Expectations (b00w7dnw)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 today]
FRI 15:00 Gary Ogin - Shy Baby (b00zf4j1)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:00 today]
FRI 15:45 Short Works (m0006dwk)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:45 today]
FRI 16:00 Who Killed Zebedee? by Wilkie Collins (b007jq12)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
FRI 16:30 The Wolf Far Hence (m001m44w)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
FRI 17:00 Book of the Week (b0bgrwlz)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
FRI 17:15 DCI Alma Blair (m0006n0q)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:15 today]
FRI 17:30 Dr Phil's Bedside Manner (m000z0r7)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
FRI 18:00 Steptoe and Son (b00sbh9h)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
FRI 18:30 Flying the Flag (b00dyb0t)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
FRI 19:00 Act Your Age (b00zsjz7)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
FRI 19:30 Bleak Expectations (b00w7dnw)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 today]
FRI 20:00 Taking Art To The People (b06mccpr)
Michael Symmons Roberts on the extraordinary vision of Thomas Horsfall, who set out to transform the lives of those in the poorest parts of 19th Century Manchester through art.
Manchester in the 19th Century was the archetypal industrial city, creating huge amounts of wealth but also containing areas where workers and their families faced living conditions that would have been unimaginable before the Second World War.
Among the very poorest areas was Ancoats and the idea of creating an Art Museum there in a bid to transform the lives of those living nearby was, for its time, extremely radical. But that's what philanthropist Thomas Horsfall did, even though his mentor John Ruskin advised him not to bother, believing Manchester to be too far gone on its road to an industrial dystopia. Horsfall soldiered on regardless and not only created the Museum, allowing locals the chance to see prints by the likes of J.M.W. Turner, but also successfully campaigned to change the law to allow children to leave school premises in order to visit galleries, museums and places of historical interest as part of their education.
As Michael Symmons Roberts discovers, the Museum lasted into the middle of the 20th Century, when post-war planners with a zeal for modernity razed it to the ground.
A arts project based in the same area is using the spirit of Horsefall and his vision as the inspiration for a scheme aimed at transforming the lives of young people with mental health issues through their contact and participation in art. Michael meets some of those involved and also explores the city’s current museums and archives to find clues about the life and work of the neglected visionary, Thomas Horsfall.
Producer: Geoff Bird
A Sparklab production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in 2015.
FRI 20:30 A Good Read (b0639w3x)
Miriam Margolyes and Mark Haddon
Actress Miriam Margolyes, writer Mark Haddon and Harriett Gilbert discuss their favourite books by Charles Dickens, Virginia Woolf and Truman Capote.
Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
Publisher: Penguin
To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf
Publisher: Penguin
Breakfast at Tiffany's by Truman Capote
Publisher: Penguin
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 2015.
FRI 21:00 The Curious Cases of Rutherford & Fry (m000qlxm)
Series 17
The Pizza Diet
Can I make a pizza that contains my recommended daily intake of everything? asks listener Paul in Manchester. We investigate whether a pizza can meet our full dietary requirements.
The optimum diet for humans has been long contested. From William the Conqueror's alcohol diet to the infamous apple cider vinegar diet, discovering the healthiest nutrition is a centuries-long work in progress. So could The Pizza Diet be the next food fad? We investigate a theory that a basic margherita pizza – with its components of a flour-filled base, along with a cheese topping – should meet our needs for carbohydrate, protein and fat. Adam meets up with body-weight geneticist Giles Yeo from their respective kitchens for a remote cook-off to find out if it's possible to make this mythical one-meal wonder in practice.
On closer inspection of the evidence-based government dietary requirements, this task appears somewhat challenging. Dietitian Clare Thornton-Wood analyses the components of a margherita and unsurprisingly finds they do not entirely meet the guidance. She then scrutinises our attempt to retrofit a recipe that might do the job. Giles attempts to put our proposed pizza into practice. He has to ad-lib, as the resultant mountain of eclectic toppings – chickpea and sweetcorn pizza, anyone? – and giant base won’t fit in his oven.
Disappointingly for hardcore pizza fans like Paul who may be attempting healthier eating habits in 2021, it seems that this particular approach is not the way forward. Food choice psychologist Suzanna Forwood explains why there is so much more to our dietary decisions than digestive physiology, and offers tips for listeners hoping to make seasonal steps in a healthy direction.
Presenters: Hannah Fry & Adam Rutherford
Producer: Jen Whyntie
A BBC Audio Science Unit production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in 2020.
FRI 21:30 Ruth Rendell Stories (b00b65bw)
5. Burning End
Fed up caring for her mother-in-law, Linda's worried when a glass vase seems to have caused a fire.
A story by British crime author, Ruth Rendell.
‘Burning End’ was first published in 1995 in the collection ‘Blood Lines: Long and Short Stories’.
Read by Sue Johnston.
Producer: Julia Butt
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2001.
FRI 21:45 The Shadow Over Innsmouth (m000vjpd)
Episode 15
A foggy seafront town where something's coming from the water. An ancient cult, a stranger with a bandaged face and a body in a shallow grave. The story continues.
True-life mystery podcasters Matthew Heawood and Kennedy Fisher return and this time the story is Kennedy Fisher.
A simple investigation into the disappearance of a young man from a mental health facility has taken them from Rhode Island to Iraq, to the Suffolk countryside – as they realised that everything uncovered in season one threaded through to season two. But towards the end of 'The Whisperer In Darkness', the investigation turned inward as Kennedy discovered a possible family connection to the uncovered conspiracy. And evidence forces Heawood to question Kennedy’s account of her time in Iraq. As Kennedy heads off to Innsmouth, to look into her apparently spooky ancestry, Heawood is going to Iraq to find an answer to the most disturbing of all questions; could Kennedy be a killer?
Both make shocking, life-changing discoveries as the two investigations come together and reach a gripping conclusion, just as the Coronavirus pandemic is sweeping the world
Barnaby Kay and Jana Carpenter star in writer/director Julian Simpson’s H.P. Lovecraft-inspired universe.
Episode Eight: "Pleasant Green"
MATTHEW HEAWOOD ................Barnaby Kay
KENNEDY FISHER............................Jana Carpenter
ELEANOR PECK................................Nicola Walker
PARKER...............................................Phoebe Fox
CASEY..................................................Kyle Soller
JASPER................................................Steven Mackintosh
WILMARTH........................................Mark Bazeley
MELODY CARTWRIGHT................Karla Crome
SOUND....................................................David Thomas
PRODUCTION COORDINATOR......Sarah Tombling
PRODUCER.............................................Karen Rose
MUSIC......................................................Tim Elsenburg
WRITTEN AND DIRECTED BY Julian Simpson
A Sweet Talk production, first on BBC Sounds in 2020, and broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 2021.
FRI 22:00 Mark Steel's in Town (m0002hmd)
Series 9
The Forest of Dean
Mark Steel returns to Radio 4 with the ninth series of his award-winning show that travels around the country visiting towns that have nothing in common but their uniqueness. After thoroughly researching each town, Mark writes and performs a bespoke evening of comedy for the local residents.
In this episode Mark visits the Forest of Dean in Gloucestershire... and he manages to get out alive.
Written and performed by Mark Steel
Additional material by Pete Sinclair
Production co-ordinator, Hayley Sterling
Sound Manager, Jerry Peal
Producer, Carl Cooper
Picture Credit, Tom Stanier
FRI 22:30 DMs Are Open (m001mn2g)
Series 2
DMs Are Open - LOVE
Hosts Ali Official and Athena Kugblenu are joined by Jason Forbes, Tatty Macleod, and Will Sebag-Montefiore, for an episode of the sketch show written by public submissions. And this week, all sketches, voicenotes and one-liners are about LOVE. Expect a pixie dream girl who’s done being romanticised, a new take on Paul's Letter To The Corinthians, and an excitable Oedipus on Mother’s Day.
Written by Jas Bahia, Carl Carzana, Nathan Cowley, Cody Dahler, Kate Dehnert, David Elliott and Andre Panayi, Alice Etches, Adam Hopkins, Alistair Linsell, Will Sebag-Montefiore, Ali Panting, Emerald Paston, Vicky Richards, Chris Smith, Cassie Smyth.
Voicenotes by Ellie Brennan, Colin Chadwick, Liam Horrigan, Robert Preston, Rachel E Thorn
Script Editors: Nathan D’Arcy Roberts and Cameron Loxdale
Producer: Rajiv Karia
Assistant Producer: Caroline Barlow
Production Co-ordinators: Sarah Nicholls & Becky Carewe-Jeffries
Sound Editor: Sean Kerwin
A BBC Studio Production for BBC Radio 4 Extra.
FRI 23:00 Tim Key's Late Night Poetry Programme (b05419jk)
Series 3
Cookery
This week the comic poet has left the studio for the kitchen, as he peers into 'Tim's shopping bag' and attempts to cook up a feast. He is assisted by his guitarist and commis chef, Tom Basden.
The Edinburgh Comedy Award-winning comedian returns for a third series of his Late Night Poetry Programme. Since series two Tim has been busy touring his latest acclaimed live show, Single White Slut, thrilling audiences at the Old Vic in Daniel Kitson's Tree, as well as filming movies such as Steve Coogan's Alpha Papa and Richard Ayoade's The Double. But now he's back on late night Radio 4 doing what he does best - attempting to recite poetry whilst tormenting his friend and musician, the equally brilliant Tom Basden.
Written and presented by Tim Key
With Tom Basden and Yasmine Akram
Produced by James Robinson
A BBC Cymru Wales Production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in March 2015.
FRI 23:15 Knocker (b008d1f2)
Obselejectivitysence
Market researcher Ian surveys a high-tech future.
Six-part comedy series written by Neil Edmond
Stars Neil Edmond and Paula Wilcox.
Ian grapples with his computer to assist his market research. But he also resorts to the tried and tested method of knocking on doors which reveals that the whole Victorian terrace is being demolished to make way for new buildings. Ian gets to meet some of the tenants.
Ian Dunn.................................Neil Edmond
Mary/Mrs Rapidus..............Paula Wilcox
With Simon Greenall, Ben Onwukwe and Rosie Wilkinson
Produced by Tilusha Ghelani
Made for BBC 7 and first broadcast in December 2007.
FRI 23:30 Les Kelly's Britain (b017cjy8)
Episode 3
Les Kelly hosts a magazine show from hell. Les is a cross between Jeremy Kyle and a slap in the face. He claims this is the only radio show for 'normal, decent people'.
Les asks whether able bodied people should have the same rights as the disabled when it comes to having mobility scooters, guide dogs and hearing aides?
And meet the preacher whose religious education lessons involves twisting balloons into the shape of Moses and Jesus, and a woman with an obsessive hatred of Belgians.
Kevin Bishop stars as Les Kelly.
With:
Alan Francis
Pippa Evans
Laurence Howarth
Julian Dutton
Written by Bill Dare and Julian Dutton.
Producer: Bill Dare
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 2011.