SATURDAY 28 OCTOBER 2023

SAT 00:00 John Wyndham - The Midwich Cuckoos (m001rr9h)
1. The Village
John Wyndham’s sci-fi masterpiece, first published in 1957, is the tale of an English village where a mysterious alien force takes its toll on the woman.
Starring Bill Nighy and Sarah Parish.
Dramatised by Dan Rebellato.
Richard .... Bill Nighy
Janet .... Sarah Parish
Zellaby .... Clive Merrison
Alan .... Nicholas R Bailey
Ferelleyn .... Katherine Tozer
Dr Willers .... Mark Chatterton
Mrs Willers .... Barbara Marten
Reverend Leebody .... Malcolm Raeburn
Miss Lamb .... Christine Brennan
Miss Ogle .... Rebecca Bridle
Director: Polly Thomas
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 2003.
SAT 01:00 Oscar Wilde (b007jnnk)
The Picture of Dorian Gray
2. Retribution
Aristocrat Dorian Gray is living a life of selfish pleasure.
But is retribution on the horizon?
Starring Jamie Glover.
Conclusion of Oscar Wilde's classic novel.
Dramatised by Nick McCarty.
Dorian Gray ...... Jamie Glover
Lord Henry Wotton ...... Ian McDiarmid
Basil Hallward ...... Steven Pacey
Woman ...... Tilly Gaunt
Jim ...... Harry Myers
Duke Geoffrey ...... Edward de Souza
Thornton ...... Stephen Critchlow
Campbell ...... Geoffrey Beevers
Lord ...... Gavin Muir
Woman in Opium Den ...... Elizabeth Bell
Lady Narborough ...... Tessa Worsley
Francis ...... Tom George
Duke John ...... Brett Usher
Duchess ...... Alice Arnold
Director: Gordon House.
First broadcast on the BBC World Service in January 2000.
SAT 02:00 The Candle of Darkness (b0b51vyw)
4. The Latest Victim
Steve Gardiner witnesses the latest deadly attack by 'The Kind Man' - and hears the dying words of the victim...
Starring Teddy Johnson.
Edward Boyd's serial thriller.
Steve Gardiner ...... Teddy Johnson
Jimmy Morton ...... Jimmy Logan
Delia Dewar ...... Effie Morrison
Romily Foster ...... Douglas Murchie
Wilfred Morton ...... Leonard Maguire
Detective Inspector Gordon ...... Moultrie R Kelsall
Lindy Marshall ...... Hannah Gordon
Diana Wheeler-Sproat ...... Eileen McCallum
PC McKenzie ...... John Young
Mr Dunnsmiur ...... Michael Elder
Produced in Glasgow by Eddie Fraser.
First broadcast on the BBC Home Service Scotland in March 1954.
SAT 02:30 The Dark Island (m000b0v9)
4. Suspects
Intelligence offers Jim Nicholson and Bill Grant battle to uncover who is in the spy ring that leads all the way to the Iron Curtain - and beyond...
Starring Edward De Souza.
Robert Barr's espionage serial set in the remote islands of the Outer Hebrides.
Jim Nicholson ...Edward De Souza
Bill Grant ... Geoffrey Frederick
Ian McLeod ... Bryden Murdoch
Mary Somers…Rosemary Miller
Colonel Jamieson … Alaric Cotter
Major Williams ... Peter Hawkins
Producer: Peter Titheridge
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 1969.
SAT 03:00 Heartburn by Nora Ephron (m0007rtd)
5. Revenge
Nora Ephron's tabasco-spiked and bittersweet novel about a marriage on the rocks.
Seven months into her pregnancy, irrepressible food writer Rachel Samstat discovers that her husband Mark - a man who ‘would be capable of having sex with a Venetian blind’ - is in love with another woman.
In between trying to work out what went wrong, trying to win him back and loudly wishing him dead, Rachel offers us her favourite recipes.
Rachel makes a grand gesture of her own...
Nora Ephron was the Academy Award-nominated screenwriter of When Harry Met Sally and Sleepless in Seattle.
The breakdown of Ephron’s own marriage to Carl Bernstein proved the perfect fuel for her only novel. Packed with snappy, hilarious, endlessly quotable one-liners – the stock-in trade of her award-winning screenplays - Heartburn is a rollercoaster of love, betrayal, loss and - most satisfyingly - revenge.
The novel was later made into a successful film starring Meryl Streep and Jack Nicholson. Nora Ephron died aged 71 in 2012.
Abridged by Antonia Hodgson.
Concluded by Julianna Jennings.
Producer: Justine Willett
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 2019.
SAT 03:15 Shakespeare's Restless World (b01ghgk3)
10. Toil and Trouble
The differences between Scottish and English witches are revealed by a model ship, made to be hung in a church.
Object-based history series presented by Neil MacGregor, former Director of the British Museum.
Taking artefacts from William Shakespeare's time, he explores how Elizabethan and Jacobean playgoers made sense of the unstable and rapidly changing world in which they lived.
With old certainties shifting around them, in a time of political and religious unrest and economic expansion, Neil asks what the plays would have meant to the public when they were first performed.
He uses carefully selected objects to explore the great issues of the day that preoccupied the public and helped shape the works, and he considers what they can reveal about the concerns and beliefs of Shakespearean England.
Producer: Paul Kobrak
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 2012.
SAT 03:30 Ed Reardon's Week (b05w000p)
Series 10
My Companion
In his continuing quest for somewhere to live, Ed finds himself living in an empty phone shop, the occupation of which the council hopes will encourage the stakeholders to engage with their creativity.
Far from enticing people in to attend 'slam poetry events', Ed has other things on his mind when he and his ex-wife Janet decide to attend the funeral of an old friend - together. Their children are not happy at this prospect, and neither is Elgar when he's left at a cattery called 'Southpaws'.
Cast:
Ed Reardon........ Christopher Douglas
Cattery Woman.... Joanna Brookes
Olive.................... Stephanie Cole
Eli.......................... Lisa Coleman
Pearl.................... Brigit Forsyth
Ping ...................Barunka O'Shaughnessy
Janet...................... Nicola Sanderson
Jake ......................Sam Pamphillon
Stan........................ Geoffrey Whitehead
Written by Andrew Nickolds and Christopher Douglas.
Produced by Dawn Ellis.
First broadcast on Radio 4 in 2015.
SAT 04:00 Marriage Lines (b04xn1vr)
Series 1
A Nice Surprise
Can Kate and George cope with an unexpected arrival?
Starring Richard Briers and Prunella Scales.
Richard Waring’s sitcom based on the mutual love and mistrust of two newlyweds.
Originating on BBC TV, it ran between 1963-65 and was adapted in two series for BBC radio due to its popularity.
George ...... Richard Briers
Kate ...... Prunella Scales
Miles …. Derek Waring
Arthur …. Frederick Treves
Denis …. Peter Hawkins
Kate’s Mother…, Joan Sanderson
George’s Parents …. Geoffrey Sumner/Diana King
Doctor Bennett …. Frederick Treves
Producer: Charles Maxwell
First broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in August 1965.
SAT 04:30 Kathmandu or Bust (b01pkmq0)
The Truck Stops Here
The travellers have reached.....um, well, actually they're lost in the middle of Uzbekistan and the truck has broken down, again.
The five travellers battle on with their expedition to Kathmandu
Series written by Mike Yeaman and David Napthine.
Simon …. David Haig
Mechanic …. Peter Serafinowicz
Petra …. Michelle Chadwick
Callum …. Forbes Masson
Trigger …. Richard Ridings
Joan …. Sarah Crowden
Ellie …. Lolly Susi
Producer: Lissa Evans
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 1996.
SAT 05:00 The Food Quiz (b0728z3b)
Series 1
Episode 4
Jay Rayner puts well-known gastronomes through their culinary paces.
On the menu:
Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall
Heston Blumenthal
Jekka McVicar
Clarissa Dickson Wright
Producer: Rebecca Wells
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 2003.
SAT 05:30 Plum House (b044j94v)
Pilot
Every year thousands of tourists flock to the Lake District.
But one place they never go to is Plum House - the former country house of minor 18th century poet, George Pudding.
Now a crumbling museum, it struggles to stay open under its eccentric curator, Peter Knight.
Eager young museum administrator Tom Collyer arrives determined to turn the place round, but finds the incompetent staff very resistant to the C-Word - change.
Successful pilot episode for the following series.
Written by Ben Cottam and Paul McKenna.
Peter ...... Simon Callow
Julian ...... Miles Jupp
Maureen ...... Jane Horrocks
Tom ...... Tom Bell
Alan ...... Pearce Quigley
Emma ...... Louise Ford
Des/Charles ...... Rob Jarvis
Director: Paul Schlesinger
Producer: Sarah Cartwright
A Hat Trick production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in May 2014.
SAT 06:00 The Alderman (m001ry94)
Influential Alderman Vernon Vaughan has been nominated parliamentary candidate for the small Welsh town of Belmont.
His course seems set fair for Westminster - until the arrival of a rugby player with quite a tale to tell...
Listeners were originally advised that two days elapse between Act 1 and Act 2: three months between Act 2 and Act 3.
Starring Donald Houston and Mary Wimbush.
Written by Gwyn Thomas.
Alderman Vaughan .... Donald Houston
Violet Vaughan .... Mary Wimbush
Phil Gould …. Ray Smith
Ron Jarvis .... Aubrey Richards
The Major .... Eynon Evans
Sam Smedley …. Douglas Blackwell
Alwyn Molloy .... Bill Ingram
Tessie Taylor .... Emily Davies
The Doctor .... Norman Wynne
Simon Hamberley .... Leuan Rhys Williams
Eric Marsh .... John Dillon
Adapted and produced by Herbert Davies.
First broadcast on the BBC Welsh Home Service in January 1966.
SAT 07:30 Adrian Mole: The Prostrate Years (Omnibus) (m0006fwp)
Episode 1
The sixth and final instalment of Adrian Mole’s diaries by Sue Townsend, one of our most celebrated comic writers.
It starts in 2007 when Adrian has reached the age of 39.
Having fallen into debt, Adrian and his wife Daisy are forced to move into a semi-detached converted pigsty next door to his parents.
Adrian worries that the passion has gone out of his relationship and that his five-year-old daughter Gracie is turning into a tyrant. On top of this, he is having to empty his bladder several times in the night - and getting a doctor’s appointment is far from easy...
Omnibus of the first five of ten episodes abridged by Sara Davies.
Read by Harry McEntire.
In an interview, Sue Townsend once said that The Prostrate Years was her favourite of the Adrian Mole books. Having suffered significant health problems herself, she wanted to write about serious illness while maintaining her inimitable sense of humour.
Producer: Alexa Moore
A Pier production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in June 2019.
SAT 08:45 Could Do Better (b007znr4)
Stephen Fry
Robert Booth summons the writer and comic actor Stephen Fry to his study for a quiet word about his school reports.
Series in which Robert Booth talks to famous comics about their school days.
Producer: Nigel Acheson
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 1987.
SAT 09:00 The Men from the Ministry (b013qzgl)
Safe and Unsound
The bungling bureaucrats spark fears of a top level security leak...
A weekly tribute to all those who work in government departments.
Stars Richard Murdoch and Deryck Guyler.
Written by Edward Taylor and John Graham.
Lennox-Brown …. Deryck Guyler
Lamb …. Richard Murdoch
Mildred Murfin …. Norma Ronald
Sir Gregory Pitkin …. Ronald Baddiley
'Creepy' Crawley/Commander Strange …. John Graham
Mrs Bunting …. Patricia Hayes
Newsreader …. John Cole
The Men from the Ministry' ran for 14 series between 1962 and 1977.
Producer: Edward Taylor
First broadcast on the BBC Radio 4 in April 1973.
SAT 09:30 Something to Shout About (m000kgv7)
Series 3
Episode 18
In the depths of winter, the agency works on promoting struggling Siltford-on-Sea.
"A light-hearted exposé of the advertising world!".
Set in a London ad agency called 'Apsley, Addis, Cohen, Barbican, Blythe, Giddy & Partners'.
Written by Myles Rudge and Ronnie Wolfe.
Michael Lightfoot …. Michael Medwin
Janet Harris …. Fenella Fielding
Maggie Tufnell …. Eleanor Summerfield
Adrian Beales …. Nicholas Phipps
Mr Harper/Mr Blythe …. Warren Mitchell
Shirley …. Sheila Hancock
Producer: John Simmonds.
First broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in January 1962.
SAT 10:00 The Real Comedy Controllers: The Things That Made Us Laugh (m00175j7)
Alternative Comedy...and Beyond
2. The Mary Whitehouse Experience
BBC Comedy Controllers from across the decades look back at radio shows from the past.
Clocking up over 150 years on the job between them, Paul Jackson, Beryl Vertue, John Lloyd and Jimmy Mulville reveal what they do, why they do it and what makes them laugh.
From London's iconic BBC Radio Theatre in Broadcasting House - the home of British Radio comedy.
In the second of three programmes, they travel back to the 1980s to celebrate alternative comedy.
Featuring:
THE MARY WHITEHOUSE EXPERIENCE - from 6th January 1990 - BBC Radio 1.
THE YOUNG ONES: University Challenge sketch - from 12th June 1984
Series Producers: Paul Kobrak and Dixi Stewart.
Made for BBC Radio 4 Extra and first broadcast in April 2017.
SAT 11:00 The Alderman (m001ry94)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
SAT 12:30 Adrian Mole: The Prostrate Years (Omnibus) (m0006fwp)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
SAT 13:45 Could Do Better (b007znr4)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:45 today]
SAT 14:00 The Men from the Ministry (b013qzgl)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
SAT 14:30 Something to Shout About (m000kgv7)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 today]
SAT 15:00 The Real Comedy Controllers: The Things That Made Us Laugh (m00175j7)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 today]
SAT 16:00 John Wyndham - The Midwich Cuckoos (m001rr9h)
[Repeat of broadcast at 00:00 today]
SAT 17:00 The Alderman (m001ry94)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
SAT 18:30 Adrian Mole: The Prostrate Years (Omnibus) (m0006fwp)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
SAT 19:45 Could Do Better (b007znr4)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:45 today]
SAT 20:00 The Men from the Ministry (b013qzgl)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
SAT 20:30 Something to Shout About (m000kgv7)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 today]
SAT 21:00 The Real Comedy Controllers: The Things That Made Us Laugh (m00175j7)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 today]
SAT 22:00 Susan Calman - Keep Calman Carry On (b09jgklb)
Series 2
Baking
Susan Calman is the least relaxed person she knows. Unless she finds a way to switch off, and soon, her wife says she's going to be unbearable.
Susan decided her best bet was to try to immerse herself in the pursuits that her friends find relaxing, to find her inner zen and outer tranquillity.
So now she’s learning how to bake with Great British Bake Off star Selasi Gbormittah.
In this audience stand up show, Susan reveals how successful she's been - both at relaxing and at the pursuit itself - as well as playing in and discussing a handful of illustrative clips from her efforts.
Written by Susan Calman and Jon Hunter.
Producer: Lyndsay Fenner
A BBC Studios production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in December 2017.
SAT 22:30 Cowards (b00fhtm0)
Series 2
Episode 2
Meet a greedy darts player and an irritating rower. Plus a visit to a video rental shop....
More from inside the strange and happy world of the Cowards.
Sketch comedy with a comic slant on human frailties
Written by and starring:
Tom Basden
Stefan Golaszewski
Tim Key
Lloyd Woolf
Producer: Victoria Lloyd
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 2008.
SAT 23:00 Fred at The Stand (m0003zvv)
Series 2
Justin Moorhouse, Gareth Waugh, Ninia Benjamin and Gary Little
Fred MacAulay is back at The Stand Comedy Club in Glasgow doing what he does best - making people laugh.
The series brings another selection of some of the best of stand-up comedians working in the UK right now. Some you’ll know and some you won’t - yet.
Fred introduces four hand picked favourites.
* Gareth Waugh makes a triumphant return to the show, only to discover that the games he played as a child were perhaps not quite the same as everyone else.
* The explosive Ninia Benjamin has strong views on European politics.
* Justin Moorhouse has even stronger views on the extravagance that his kids now expect on holiday.
* To close the show, Fred's invited fellow Scot Gary Little down to The Stand - and if anyone can do an entire set about a frying pan, it's Gary.
Fred At The Stand is the closest thing your ears are going to get to an actual night in a comedy club.
A Dabster production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in 2019.
SAT 23:30 The Shuttleworths (b007jm35)
Series 2
Wireless Wanderings (Part 1)
Sheffield’s aspiring singer/songwriter John Shuttleworth and his agent Ken roam the radio airwaves.
Written and performed by Graham Fellows.
Featuring;
* Alistair Cook’s Letter From America
* Timothy Bentinck and Norman Painting from 'The Archers'
* Sue Lawley from 'Desert Island Discs'
With Charlotte Green.
Producer: Paul Schlesinger
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in June 1995.
SAT 23:45 Armando Iannucci - Facts And Fancies (b007jrkw)
A Switch in Time
Tackling time-wasting and greetings cards
Producer, writer and performer Armando Iannucci presents his own collection of humorous essays.
Compiled by Jenny Baynes.
Producer: Jonathan James-Moore
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 1997.

SUNDAY 29 OCTOBER 2023

SUN 00:00 MR James (b007jxyb)
A Mass of Cobwebs
Out for revenge on the recipients of his estate, a conniving old man causes havoc from beyond the grave.
Stars Peter Howell.
Based on MR James' short story, 'The Tractate Middoth'.
Dramatised by Brian Batchelor.
William Garrett …. Peter Howell
John Eldred …. Edgar Norfolk
Hodgson …. Charles Simon
George Earle …. Derek Martinus
Mrs Simpson …. Sheila Keith
Mary Simpson …. Armine Sandford
Dr Rant …. Norman Claridge
The Coroner …. John Saunders
The Maid …. Audrey Craig-Brown
The Railway Porter …. Norman Bird
Producer: Robin Midgley
First broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in April 1959.
SUN 00:30 The Price of Fear (b01ntkt4)
Meeting in Athens
A young film director mysteriously disappears while holidaying in Greece.
But when his girlfriend enlists Vincent Price to help her find him, they only succeed in uncovering the latest commodity on the black market - death...
Fright master Vincent Price introduces a tale of horror.
Adapted from Maurice Travers story ‘So Cold, So Pale, So Fair’ by Charles Birkin.
Starring:
Kate Coleridge
Steve Plytas
Robin Browne
Michael Deacon
Charles Birkin
Producer: John Dyas
First broadcast on the BBC World Service in September 1973.
SUN 01:00 Koji Suzuki - Ring (b06g63fk)
'Listen. Watch. Until the end. You will be consumed by the lost.'
British journalist Mitchell Hooper lives in Tokyo with his wife Toni. When he begins investigating the mysterious deaths of four teenagers, he discovers a nightmarish secret. They all died after watching the same video tape.
When Mitchell watches the tape himself, he is cursed to die in seven days. And so as the countdown to death begins, he must solve the riddle of the curse.
Ring is Japanese horror at its best - a radio adaptation of the classic novel by Koji Suzuki, which inspired the infamous 1998 film.
Starring Matthew Gravelle (Broadchurch), Eve Myles (Torchwood), Akira Koieyama (Rush) and Naoko Mori (Torchwood).
Written by Koji Suzuki.
Adapted by Anita Sullivan.
Mitchell ...... Matthew Gravelle
Ryugi ...... Akira Koieyama
Toni ...... Eve Myles
Narrator ...... Naoko Mori
Sadako ...... Naoko Mori
Doctor Nagao ...... Masashi Fujimoto
Tomoko ...... Yuriri Naka
Mai ...... Yuriri Naka
Yuna ...... Heather Emmanuel
To turn up the horror put on your headphones and listen to the immersive 'binaural' mix of the programme for a unique 3D listening experience.
Director: James Robinson
A BBC Cymru Wales production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in October 2015.
SUN 01:00 The Alderman (m001ry94)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 on Saturday]
SUN 02:30 Adrian Mole: The Prostrate Years (Omnibus) (m0006fwp)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 on Saturday]
SUN 03:45 Could Do Better (b007znr4)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:45 on Saturday]
SUN 04:00 The Men from the Ministry (b013qzgl)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 on Saturday]
SUN 04:30 Something to Shout About (m000kgv7)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 on Saturday]
SUN 05:00 The Real Comedy Controllers: The Things That Made Us Laugh (m00175j7)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 on Saturday]
SUN 06:00 Poetry Extra (m001rwx5)
The Refuge Box
Daljit Nagra revisits the BBC's poetry archive and chooses Between the Ears: The Refuge Box with poet Katrina Porteous.
Half way between Holy Island and the mainland of Northumbria a flight of steps leads to a wooden cabin on stilts - the Refuge Box.
It was built to save people cut off by the tide from being swept away and drowned.
This is the focus of a radio poem by Katrina Porteous; the physical embodiment of sanctuary, the power of this idea, and its fragility.
Her poetry, recorded all over Holy Island and in the Refuge Box itself, is interspersed by other voices: island fishermen who remember rescues and tragedies, the coastguard and lifeboat crew, the bird warden, the Franciscan vicar of Holy Island, and a refugee who fled her west African homeland to seek sanctuary in Britain.
Beyond the human voices is the poetry of the place itself, the seals singing, the wheeze of swans flying over Holy Island, sudden jet fighters protecting this sanctuary yet violating its peace and, always, the wind and the sea.
Producer: Julian May
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2007.
SUN 06:30 Heartburn by Nora Ephron (Omnibus) (m0007y05)
Nora Ephron's tabasco-spiked and bittersweet novel about a marriage on the rocks.
Seven months into her pregnancy, irrepressible food writer Rachel Samstat discovers that her husband Mark - a man who ‘would be capable of having sex with a Venetian blind’ - is in love with another woman.
In between trying to work out what went wrong, trying to win him back and loudly wishing him dead, Rachel offers us her favourite recipes.
Nora Ephron was the Academy Award-nominated screenwriter of When Harry Met Sally and Sleepless in Seattle.
The breakdown of Ephron’s own marriage to Carl Bernstein proved the perfect fuel for her only novel. Packed with snappy, hilarious, endlessly quotable one-liners – the stock-in-trade of her award-winning screenplays - Heartburn is a rollercoaster of love, betrayal, loss and - most satisfyingly - revenge.
The novel was later made into a successful film starring Meryl Streep and Jack Nicholson. Nora Ephron died aged 71 in 2012.
Omnibus of five parts abridged by Antonia Hodgson.
Read by Julianna Jennings
Producer: Justine Willett
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 2019.
SUN 07:40 Inheritance Tracks (m001rwx7)
Rose Matafeo
New Zealand actor and comedian Rose Matafeo picks ‘Ramblin' Rose’ by Nat King Cole and Where Am I Going?’ by Barbra Streisand.
SUN 07:50 Shakespeare's Restless World (Omnibus) (m001rwx9)
Episode 2
Object-based history series presented by Neil MacGregor, former Director of the British Museum.
Taking artefacts from William Shakespeare's time, he explores how Elizabethan and Jacobean playgoers made sense of the unstable and rapidly changing world in which they lived.
With old certainties shifting around them, in a time of political and religious unrest and economic expansion, Neil asks what the plays would have meant to the public when they were first performed.
He uses carefully selected objects to explore the great issues of the day that preoccupied the public and helped shape the works, and he considers what they can reveal about the concerns and beliefs of Shakespearean England.
Omnibus of eps 6-10 of 20 episodes.
Neil MacGregor shows what Henry V's armoury tells us about the depiction of history on the Elizabeth stage and the differences between Scottish and English witches are revealed by a model ship, made to be hung in a church.
Producer: Paul Kobrak
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 2012.
SUN 09:00 Jerome K Jerome - Three Men in a Boat (b01cj229)
2. Pineapple
"I woke at six the next morning and set to work to wake up Harris with a scull. The third prod did it: and he turned over on the other side, and said he would be down in a minute."
A tin of pineapple takes on a starring role, as George, Harris and J's holiday on the River Thames continues - with Montmorency the dog.
Adapted and performed in three episodes by Jeremy Nicholas.
Music by Jeremy Nicholas.
Performed by The Grimethorpe Colliery Band
Producer: Paul Mayhew-Archer
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 1984.
SUN 09:30 Tony's (b007jt0l)
Series 1
Charles
The misadventures of a corner-shop barber, Tony. Money starts to go missing from the corner-shop barber's till, so who is the thief?
Starring Victor Spinetti as Tony.
Tony …. Victor Spinetti
Hector …. John Laurie
Maisie …. Deborah Watling
Charles …. Royce Mills
Mr White …. David Ryall
Sid …. Gerald Wells
Customers.......Deirdre Costello
Producer: John Fawcett Wilson
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 1979.
SUN 10:00 Desert Island Discs Revisited (m001rwxc)
Black American Icons
Wendell Pierce
Actor Wendell Pierce shares his castaway choices with Lauren Laverne.
Wendell is an American actor best known for his role as Bunk Moreland in the TV series The Wire. Since the series ended in 2008, he has made around 40 film and television appearances, including Treme, Selma and the legal drama Suits, in which he played Robert Zane, the father of Rachel Zane, played by Meghan Markle. His theatre credits range from The Cherry Orchard to Death of a Salesman.
Born in 1963, the youngest of three sons, Wendell grew up in the Pontchartrain Park area of New Orleans, which was the first middle-class African-American suburban-style development in the city. He graduated from the prestigious Juilliard School in New York and his career got off to a flying start with a small part opposite Tom Hanks in a film called The Money Pit. He hasn’t been out of work since.
In 2005, Hurricane Katrina destroyed Wendell’s childhood home in New Orleans and he was instrumental in rebuilding his parents’ house in Pontchartrain Park.
He also built 40 new homes and staged a production of Waiting for Godot on an empty street corner in one of the most devastated districts of the city.
DISC ONE: Jim Henson - Bein' Green (Featuring Kermit The Frog)
DISC TWO: Wynton Marsalis - Green Chimneys
DISC THREE: Funkadelic - One Nation Under a Groove (Part 1)
DISC FOUR: Mahalia Jackson - Take My Hand, Precious Lord
DISC FIVE: Joni Mitchell - Both Sides Now
DISC SIX: Solomon Burke - Don't Give Up on Me
DISC SEVEN: Aaron Copland - Appalachian Spring (Doppio Movimento), performed by New York Philharmonic
DISC EIGHT: John Coltrane - A Love Supreme Part I: Acknowledgement
BOOK CHOICE: The Omni-americans: Black Experience And American Culture by Albert Murray.
LUXURY ITEM: A multi-burner barbecue grill
CASTAWAY'S CHOICE: Take My Hand, Precious Lord by Mahalia Jackson
Producer: Cathy Drysdale
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 2019.
SUN 10:45 David Attenborough's Life Stories (b01130qm)
Series 2
Cuckoo
The Cuckoo is one of the iconic brood parasites of the world - the bird that cons another species into taking its egg as its own and rears the chick to fledging.
In the single frame of the Cuckoo you have a long distance migrant, travelling from Africa to breeding grounds in the temperate north, and back again.
The Cuckoo does not raise its own chick and across a range of Cuckoo individuals, they parasitise several species of bird - all much smaller than they are.
Sir David Attenborough explores the world of the Cuckoo and not only marvels at their natural history but tells the story of how a wildlife cameraman resolved a scientific mystery - and how the Cuckoo itself harbours yet more secrets to science and natural history.
Producer: Julian Hector.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 2011
SUN 11:00 Poetry Extra (m001rwx5)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
SUN 11:30 Heartburn by Nora Ephron (Omnibus) (m0007y05)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
SUN 12:40 Inheritance Tracks (m001rwx7)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:40 today]
SUN 12:50 Shakespeare's Restless World (Omnibus) (m001rwx9)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:50 today]
SUN 14:00 Jerome K Jerome - Three Men in a Boat (b01cj229)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
SUN 14:30 Tony's (b007jt0l)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 today]
SUN 15:00 Desert Island Discs Revisited (m001rwxc)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 today]
SUN 15:45 David Attenborough's Life Stories (b01130qm)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:45 today]
SUN 16:00 MR James (b007jxyb)
[Repeat of broadcast at 00:00 today]
SUN 16:30 The Price of Fear (b01ntkt4)
[Repeat of broadcast at 00:30 today]
SUN 17:00 Poetry Extra (m001rwx5)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
SUN 17:30 Heartburn by Nora Ephron (Omnibus) (m0007y05)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
SUN 18:40 Inheritance Tracks (m001rwx7)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:40 today]
SUN 18:50 Shakespeare's Restless World (Omnibus) (m001rwx9)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:50 today]
SUN 20:00 Jerome K Jerome - Three Men in a Boat (b01cj229)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
SUN 20:30 Tony's (b007jt0l)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 today]
SUN 21:00 Desert Island Discs Revisited (m001rwxc)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 today]
SUN 21:45 David Attenborough's Life Stories (b01130qm)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:45 today]
SUN 22:00 Start/Stop (b07pjkhr)
Series 3
5. BnB
Barney decides to become an Uber driver to boost his income - and to 'bump into' Alice more often - and Cathy decides to rent their spare bedroom out on Air BnB.
Meanwhile Evan and Fiona are arguing, and David writes a raunchy bestseller based - to her horror - around Alice.
Jack Docherty's sitcom about three marriages in various states of disrepair.
Starring:
Couple 1:
Barney ...... Jack Docherty
Cathy ...... Kerry Godliman
Couple 2:
Evan ...... John Thomson
Fiona ...... Fiona Allen
Couple 3:
David ...... Charlie Higson
Alice ...... Laura Aikman
Producer: Claire Jones
A BBC Studio Production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in August 2016.
SUN 22:30 Tim Key's Late Night Poetry Programme (b09v3ff8)
Series 4
Cars
Comic poet Tim Key is broadcasting from a car, as he drives his friend and musician, Tom Basden, to meet his wife for a romantic getaway.
But when they pick up a mysterious hitchhiker, the plans begin to unravel.
Written and presented by Tim Key.
With musical support from Tom Basden.
Producer: James Robinson
A BBC Cymru Wales production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in March 2018.
SUN 23:00 Small Scenes (b04l0y2l)
Series 2
Episode 1
A man uncovers a great Australian conspiracy and a financial advisor starts up a sideline as an assassin's assistant.
Small Scenes is back with more excerpts from odd lives.
Starring:
Daniel Rigby
Sara Pascoe
Mike Wozniak
Cariad Lloyd
Henry Paker
Written by Benjamin Partridge, Henry Paker and Mike Wozniak.
Producer: Simon Mayhew-Archer
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 2014.
SUN 23:30 The Skivers (b00hr7g8)
Series 3
Michael Winner
Calm down, dear! Special guest Michael Winner joins Nick and Tim.
Skilful sketch show written and performed by Nick Golson and Tim de Jongh.
With:
Peter Bradshaw
Sally Phillips
Special guests: Michael Winner and Patrick Allen.
Producer: Jon Naismith
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 1997.

MONDAY 30 OCTOBER 2023

MON 00:00 Poetry Extra (m001rwx5)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 on Sunday]
MON 00:30 Heartburn by Nora Ephron (Omnibus) (m0007y05)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 on Sunday]
MON 01:40 Inheritance Tracks (m001rwx7)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:40 on Sunday]
MON 01:50 Shakespeare's Restless World (Omnibus) (m001rwx9)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:50 on Sunday]
MON 03:00 Jerome K Jerome - Three Men in a Boat (b01cj229)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 on Sunday]
MON 03:30 Tony's (b007jt0l)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 on Sunday]
MON 04:00 Desert Island Discs Revisited (m001rwxc)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 on Sunday]
MON 04:45 David Attenborough's Life Stories (b01130qm)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:45 on Sunday]
MON 05:00 Wilkie Collins - The Moonstone (b007jp8z)
1. A Cursed Diamond
A large diamond given to Rachel Verinder on her 18th birthday vanishes.
Often described as the first and best English detective novel. "The Moonstone" takes its title from the name given to a mysterious diamond, stolen from the Hindus and turning up at the Verinder house on the wild Yorkshire coast in 1848.
In its new life, the moonstone is a present for Rachel on her 18th birthday, but is it destined to remain hers? Some trouble seems to accompany the Moonstone wherever it goes. When Mr Franklin brought it to Rachel in Yorkshire he was followed by three Brahmin priests dedicated to getting the diamond back - by any means.
Novel written by Wilkie Collins and first published in 1868.
Dramatised in six parts by Brian Gear
Gabriel Betteredge ...... John Sharp
Franklin Blake ...... John Telfer
Rachel Verinder ...... Sally Baxter
Godfrey Ablewhite ...... Geoffrey Beevers
Lady Verinder ...... Petra Davies
Rosanna Spearman ...... Tammy Ustinov
Penelope ...... Josie Kidd
Mr Murthwaite ...... Gordon Dulieu
Mr Candy ...... Danny Schiller
The Indian ...... Geoffrey Serle
The Boy ...... Crispian Balmer
Felicity Ablewhite ...... Lisa Penny
Georgia Ablewhite ...... Deborah Jane Sharpe
Music composed and conducted by Sidney Sager.
Directed at BBC Bristol by Brian Miller.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 1979.
MON 06:00 The Candle of Darkness (b0b51vyy)
5. The Angry Mob
After Delia Dewar implicates him, an angry mob turns on Jimmy Morton.
Meanwhile Steve Gardiner discovers his friend's war actions.
Starring Teddy Johnson.
Edward Boyd's serial thriller.
Steve Gardiner .... Teddy Johnson
PC McKenzie .... John Young
PC Robertson .... Kalman Glass
Lindy Marshall .... Hannah Gordon
Jimmy Morton .... Jimmy Logan
Wilfred Morton …. Leonard Maguire
Detective Inspector Gordon .... Moultrie R. Kelsall
Louisa Matthews .... Nancy Mitchell
Romily Foster .... Douglas Murchie
Bill Williams .... Glenn Michael
Produced in Glasgow by Eddie Fraser.
First broadcast on the BBC Home Service Scotland in March 1954.
MON 06:30 The Dark Island (m000b15z)
5. Escalation
Intelligence offers Jim Nicholson and Bill Grant battle to uncover who's behind the Cold War spy ring....
Starring Edward De Souza.
Robert Barr's espionage serial set in the remote islands of the Outer Hebrides.
Jim Nicholson ...Edward De Souza
Bill Grant ... Geoffrey Frederick
Ian McLeod ... Bryden Murdoch
Mary Somers…Rosemary Miller
Colonel Jamieson / Hotel Manager … Alaric Cotter
Major Williams ... Peter Hawkins
Producer: Peter Titheridge.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 1969.
MON 07:00 The Mist in the Mirror by Susan Hill (b036nb75)
1. The Three Notebooks
Some of the extraordinary events that occurred during his travels are revealed by Sir James Monmouth, at a gentleman's club...
Susan Hill's atmospheric and chilling ghost story.
Abridged in five parts by Oliver Reynolds.
Read by Gareth Armstrong
With John Moffatt as the Narrator.
Producer: Jocelyn Boxall
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 1994.
MON 07:15 Shakespeare's Restless World (b01gvkwh)
11. Treason and Plots
A tabloid history of Shakespeare's England, told through a collection of contemporary accounts of plots to murder Elizabeth I and James I.
Object-based history series presented by Neil MacGregor, former Director of the British Museum.
Taking artefacts from William Shakespeare's time, he explores how Elizabethan and Jacobean playgoers made sense of the unstable and rapidly changing world in which they lived.
With old certainties shifting around them, in a time of political and religious unrest and economic expansion, Neil asks what the plays would have meant to the public when they were first performed.
He uses carefully selected objects to explore the great issues of the day that preoccupied the public and helped shape the works, and he considers what they can reveal about the concerns and beliefs of Shakespearean England.
Producer: Paul Kobrak
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 2012.
MON 07:30 Welcome to Our Village, Please Invade Carefully (b01r4ycv)
Series 1
Minimum Volume
Katrina Lyons was only visiting Cresdon Green, the village where she grew up, to borrow some money from her parents.
But when she tried to head back to London, it turned out alien beings known as the Geonin had lowered a force field around the village - refusing to let anyone in or out.
Unfortunately almost everyone in the village is too cowardly, apathetic, polite or stupid to stand up to them, so Katrina’s had to start the resistance movement herself.
Eddie Robson's sitcom about an alien invasion of a small English village.
Starring Hattie Morahan and Julian Rhind-Tutt.
In this episode, Uljabaan is working on an education programme for after the invasion, creating a list of books suitable for children to read. His chosen advisor is Mrs Leeson from the charity shop.
Katrina is confident she could do a better job, and hopes she could use it for subversive purposes - so she volunteers. But can she sneak anything past Uljabaan? And can she convince Lucy she's not really being a traitor?
Katrina Lyons ...... Hattie Morahan
Field Commander Uljabaan ...... Julian Rhind-Tutt
Margaret Lyons ...... Jan Francis
Richard Lyons ...... Peter Davison
Lucy Alexander ...... Hannah Murray
Computer ...... John-Luke Roberts
Producer: Ed Morrish
First broadcast on BBC Radio 2 in March 2013.
MON 08:00 Steptoe and Son (b00t4d75)
Series 2
The Piano
Harold and Albert strike the wrong chord with a grand piano in a top-floor flat.
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
Man .... Brian Oulton
Policeman .... Alan Simpson
Adapted for radio from Galton and Simpson's TV script by Gale Pedrick.
Producer: Bobby Jaye
First broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in July 1967.
MON 08:30 The Wordsmiths at Gorsemere (b007js4t)
Series 1
Episode 1
An Everyday Story of Towering Genius.
Sue Limb’s four-part soap opera set in and around the Lake District at the turn of the 18th century
Dorothy is worried about William. Stinking Iris concocts herbal remedies.
The Leechpedlar delivers a letter and Samuel Tailor Cholericke arrives....
Dorothy Wordsmith ...... Denise Coffey
William Wordsmith ...... Geoffrey Whitehead
Samuel Tailor Cholericke ...... Simon Callow
Stinking Iris ...... Miriam Margolyes
The Leechpedlar ...... Chris Emmett
Music by Stephen Oliver and sung by Cantabile
Producer: Jonathan James-Moore
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 1985.
MON 09:00 The Write Stuff (b04k7kbn)
Series 17
John Osborne
James Walton takes the chair for the game of literary correctness.
Team captains John Walsh and Sebastian Faulks are joined by Mark Billingham and Lynne Truss.
This episode focuses on John Osborne, the creator of 1956's Look Back in Anger.
Reader: Beth Chalmers
Producer: Alexandra Smith
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 2014.
MON 09:30 Snap (b00tzw0w)
Series 2
Episode 5
Doug is dating Kaz's PE teacher but just when the relationship gets a bit more intimate he begins to feel uncomfortable.
Grannie Annie and Ernie are hunky dory so that just leaves Kaz on her own. If Kaz is cool with that why isn't anyone else happy?
Starring Rebecca Lacey and Paul Venables.
Paul Mendelson’s sitcom about life for a couple after they've split.
Molly ....... Rebecca Lacey
Doug ....... Paul Venables
Kaz ....... Soumaya Keynes
Ryan ....... Jessie Sullivan
Annie ....... Marlene Sidaway
Dawn ....... Samantha Spiro
Raymond ...... Jonathan Tafler
Producer: David Ian Neville
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 2004.
MON 10:00 Wilkie Collins - The Moonstone (b007jp8z)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:00 today]
MON 11:00 The Candle of Darkness (b0b51vyy)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
MON 11:30 The Dark Island (m000b15z)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
MON 12:00 The Mist in the Mirror by Susan Hill (b036nb75)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
MON 12:15 Shakespeare's Restless World (b01gvkwh)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:15 today]
MON 12:30 Welcome to Our Village, Please Invade Carefully (b01r4ycv)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
MON 13:00 Steptoe and Son (b00t4d75)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
MON 13:30 The Wordsmiths at Gorsemere (b007js4t)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
MON 14:00 The Write Stuff (b04k7kbn)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
MON 14:30 Snap (b00tzw0w)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 today]
MON 15:00 Wilkie Collins - The Moonstone (b007jp8z)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:00 today]
MON 16:00 The Candle of Darkness (b0b51vyy)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
MON 16:30 The Dark Island (m000b15z)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
MON 17:00 The Mist in the Mirror by Susan Hill (b036nb75)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
MON 17:15 Shakespeare's Restless World (b01gvkwh)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:15 today]
MON 17:30 Welcome to Our Village, Please Invade Carefully (b01r4ycv)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
MON 18:00 Steptoe and Son (b00t4d75)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
MON 18:30 The Wordsmiths at Gorsemere (b007js4t)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
MON 19:00 The Write Stuff (b04k7kbn)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
MON 19:30 Snap (b00tzw0w)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 today]
MON 20:00 Radiolab (m00186b0)
Series 9
Dusty Docs
Radiolab is a Peabody-award winning show about curiosity. Where sound illuminates ideas, and the boundaries blur between science, philosophy, and the human experience.
Radiolab explores British imperial rule in Kenya, and the power documents to prove grave historical wrongs
Jad Abumrad and the Radiolab team investigate a strange world.
From WNYC. First broadcast on public radio in the USA in 2015 and 2021.
MON 20:55 Inheritance Tracks (m0004fw6)
Shakin' Stevens
Singer Shakin' Stevens chooses ‘Brother Can You Spare A Dime’ by Ronnie Lane's Slim Chance and ‘We'll Meet Again’ by Johnny Cash.
MON 21:00 Mastertapes (b08bzf4g)
Series 6
Sir Tom Jones (A-side)
Sir Tom Jones talks about 'Praise & Blame', his 2010 album that saw a return to his musical roots.
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 the A-side, Tom talks to John Wilson about 'Praise and Blame' - the first of a trilogy of albums that would take him back to his musical roots.
Described as a musical "shape shifter" who could "slide from soulful rasp to pop croon, with a voice as husky as it was pretty" (The New York Times), Tom Jones' career has spanned six decades, selling over 100 million records.
In 2010, he released an album of largely unknown gospel covers, including Sister Rosetta Tharpe's Strange Things, Pop Staples' Don't Knock and John Lee Hooker's Burning Hell. The album's stripped-down, live production (by Ethan Johns) led one critic to declare "at last Jones the artist is the match of Jones the entertainer" (The Guardian)
A rare opportunity to hear Sir Tom together with Ethan Johns talk and play their way back to an album that "with its loose, spontaneous sound and... all-pervasive sense of artistic rebirth... is a revelation" (Daily Telegraph)
In the B-side of the programme, it's the turn of the audience to ask the questions.
Producer: Paul Kobrak
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 2017.
MON 21:30 Charles Chilton - Journey into Space (b007jqp2)
The Red Planet
16. Strange Farm
With Mitch still missing, Captain Jet Morgan, Doc and Lemmy set off to find him, with hopes of finding the engineer rapidly diminishing...
Charles Chilton’s 1954 classic set in 1971.
Jet Morgan …. Andrew Faulds
Lemmy …. David Kossoff
Doc …. Guy Kingsley Poynter
Mitch …. Bruce Beeby
Wife …. Madi Hedd
Announcer/Various …. David Jacobs
Music composed and conducted by Van Phillips.
Producer: Charles Chilton
First broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in December 1954.
MON 22:00 Paul Sinha's Perfect Pub Quiz (m001rqr6)
Series 2
Episode 8 - Andover
Who's the most famous man to have been educated in Andover? What was the QE2 supposed to be called? And who is the only actor to appear in all of the top-three highest-grossing movie of all time? This week, Paul Sinha is in Andover to test his audience's knowledge on these questions, and more.
Written and performed by Paul Sinha
Additional material: Oliver Levy
Additional questions: The Audience
Original music: Tim Sutton
Sound engineer: David Thomas
Producer: Ed Morrish
A Lead Mojo production for BBC Radio 4
MON 22:30 Brian Gulliver's Travels (b01mdg8l)
Series 2
Anidara
Brian Gulliver, a seasoned presenter of travel documentaries, finds himself in a hospital's secure unit after claiming to have experienced a succession of bizarre adventures.
More memories as Brian relives his experiences in Anidara where he finds himself put out to stud.
Starring Neil Pearson and Mariah Gale.
A satirical adventure story from Bill Dare.
Brian Gulliver ..... Neil Pearson
Rachel Gulliver ..... Mariah Gale
Computer ..... Duncan Wisby
Gem ..... Gerard McDermot
Markl ..... Harry Livingstone
Dorka ..... Vicki Pepperdine
Liberator ..... Duncan Wisby
Master ..... Patrick Brennan
Producer: Steven Canny
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in June 2012.
MON 23:00 The News Quiz (m001rqzm)
Series 112
Episode 8
Andy Zaltzman quizzes the week's news. Providing the answers, hopefully, are Ian Smith, Ria Lina, Hugo Rifkind, and Robin Morgan
In this final episode of the series Andy and the panel discuss some problematic protests, the looming general election, and BRITS IN SPACE!
Written by Andy Zaltzman
With additional material by
Cody Dahler
Mike Shephard
and Adam Greene
Producer: Sam Holmes
Executive Producer: Richard Morris
Production Co-ordinator: Dan Marchini
Sound Editor: Marc Willcox
A BBC Studios Production
MON 23:30 Forty Nights in the Wildebeest (b007k0yk)
Episode 3
Dan Freedman and Nick Romero push the pun count beyond the pain threshold.
Including:
'Another Gritty Police drama'
A song from 'Very Frank Sinatra'.
Music is performed by the Gents.
Producers: Julian Mayers & Jayne Gibson
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 2000.

TUESDAY 31 OCTOBER 2023

TUE 00:00 Wilkie Collins - The Moonstone (b007jp8z)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:00 on Monday]
TUE 01:00 The Candle of Darkness (b0b51vyy)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 on Monday]
TUE 01:30 The Dark Island (m000b15z)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 on Monday]
TUE 02:00 The Mist in the Mirror by Susan Hill (b036nb75)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 on Monday]
TUE 02:15 Shakespeare's Restless World (b01gvkwh)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:15 on Monday]
TUE 02:30 Welcome to Our Village, Please Invade Carefully (b01r4ycv)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 on Monday]
TUE 03:00 Steptoe and Son (b00t4d75)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 on Monday]
TUE 03:30 The Wordsmiths at Gorsemere (b007js4t)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 on Monday]
TUE 04:00 The Write Stuff (b04k7kbn)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 on Monday]
TUE 04:30 Snap (b00tzw0w)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 on Monday]
TUE 05:00 Wilkie Collins - The Moonstone (b007jp9d)
2. The Police Take Action
Rachel is presented with a precious moonstone when she turns 18, but by the end of her birthday, it has gone missing.
Superintendent Seegrave suspects that an insider is responsible...
Novel written by Wilkie Collins and first published in 1868.
Dramatised by Brian Gear.
Gabriel Betteredge ...... John Sharp
Godfrey Ablewhite ...... Geoffrey Beevers
Franklin Blake ...... John Telfer
Rachel Verrinder ...... Sally Baxter
Penelope Betteredge ...... Josie Kidd
Lady Verinder ...... Petra Davies
Superintendent Seegrave ...... Rex Holdsworth
Nancy ...... Jo Scott Matthews
Rosanna Spearman ...... Tammy Ustinov
Duffy ...... Debby Cumming
Yolland ...... Tom Eastwood
Sergeant Cuff ...... John Franklyn-Robbins
Samuel ...... Matthew Adams
Music composed and conducted by Sidney Sager.
Directed at BBC Bristol by Brian Miller.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 1979.
TUE 06:00 The Candle of Darkness (b0b5t0pp)
6. Who Is 'The Kind Man'?
With locals terrorised by a homicidal maniac in the small Scottish town - can Steve Gardiner finally unravel the identity of 'The Kind Man'?
Meanwhile Steve discovers his friend's war actions.
Starring Teddy Johnson.
Conclusion of Edward Boyd's six-part serial thriller.
Steve Gardiner .... Teddy Johnson
Wilfred Morton .... Leonard Maguire
Romily Foster .... Douglas Murchie
Lindy Marshall .... Hannah Gordon
Detective Inspector Gordon .... Moultrie R. Kelsall
Jimmy Morton .... Jimmy Logan
The Porter .... Eric Wightman
Produced in Glasgow by Eddie Fraser.
First broadcast on the BBC Home Service Scotland in March 1954.
TUE 06:30 The Dark Island (m000b8bx)
6. Capture
Will intelligence officers Jim Nicholson and Bill Grant be able to finally uncover the identity of the deadly double-agent?
Starring Edward De Souza.
Conclusion of Robert Barr's espionage serial set in the remote islands of the Outer Hebrides.
Jim Nicholson ...Edward De Souza
Bill Grant ... Geoffrey Frederick
Ian McLeod ... Bryden Murdoch
Mary Somers…Rosemary Miller
Colonel Jamieson / Hotel Manager … Alaric Cotter
Major Williams ... Peter Hawkins
Producer: Peter Titheridge.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 1969.
TUE 07:00 The Mist in the Mirror by Susan Hill (b036nm98)
2. The Ragged Boy
Sir James Monmouth is obsessed by Conrad Vane.
As he continues his research into the explorer, mysterious events unfold as the mirror mists up...
Susan Hill's atmospheric and chilling ghost story.
Abridged by Oliver Reynolds.
Read by Gareth Armstrong
With John Moffatt as the Narrator.
Producer: Jocelyn Boxall
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 1994.
TUE 07:15 Shakespeare's Restless World (b01gvn29)
12. Sex and the City
A delicate glass goblet reveals the twin seductions of Venice: its sought after luxuries and its equally sought after lecherous women.
Object-based history series presented by Neil MacGregor, former Director of the British Museum.
Taking artefacts from William Shakespeare's time, he explores how Elizabethan and Jacobean playgoers made sense of the unstable and rapidly changing world in which they lived.
With old certainties shifting around them, in a time of political and religious unrest and economic expansion, Neil asks what the plays would have meant to the public when they were first performed.
He uses carefully selected objects to explore the great issues of the day that preoccupied the public and helped shape the works, and he considers what they can reveal about the concerns and beliefs of Shakespearean England.
Producer: Paul Kobrak
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 2012.
TUE 07:30 Making the Best of It (b03vh0cb)
Eking It
After losing his job in Urban Planning, Matt's been eking out the last of his money.
Luckily for him, his ex-partner has a stable job and is still fond of him. Possibly.
Starring Alan Francis, Jo Caulfield and Ewan Bailey.
Series of comedies developed with the Comedians Theatre Company.
Written by Alan Francis and Richard Turner.
Matt ...... Alan Francis
Lisa ...... Jo Caulfield
Doug ...... Ewan Bailey
Henson ...... Ewan Bailey
Dad ...... Ewan Bailey
Policewoman ...... Carolyn Pickles
Mum ...... Carolyn Pickles
Graham ...... Richard Turner
Hayley ...... Carys Eleri
Clive ...... David Seddon
Gregory ...... David Seddon
Director: Jonquil Panting
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 2014.
TUE 08:00 The Goon Show (b007jr24)
Tales of Men's Shirts
It is 1942, and Neddie Seagoon must stop the Germans' secret weapon.
Groundbreaking, surreal BBC radio comedy written by Spike Milligan.
Starring:
Spike Milligan
Peter Sellers
Harry Secombe.
First billed as Crazy People, ten series of The Goon Show were recorded between 1951 and 1960, but sadly many of the earliest shows weren’t kept in the archive.
With the Ray Ellington Quartet and Max Geldray.
Orchestra conducted by Wally Stott.
Announcer: Wallace Greenslade
Producer: John Browell
First broadcast on the BBC Home Service in December 1959.
TUE 08:30 Growing Pains (m001rxdt)
6. Room For One More
A new fostering challenge for Pat and Tom.
Not a baby, but a 13 year old boy called Jason.
Starring Ray Brooks and Sharon Duce.
Steve Wetton’s series featuring the Hollingsworth family, who feel fostering may be their way forward.
Tom Hollingsworth .... Ray Brooks
Pat Hollingsworth .... Sharon Duce
Gran .... Jean Heywood
Miriam .... Jacqueline Tong
Caroline Thornley .... Susan Sheridan
Mark .... Richard Pearce
Lisa .... Tika Viker-Bloss
Simon .... Nicholas Delve
Jason .... Christian Robinson
Producer: Lissa Evans
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 1989.
TUE 09:00 Quote... Unquote (m000c4w7)
Sir Tim Rice, Robin Stevens, Shazia Mirza
Nigel Rees quizzes his celebrity guests on the origins of sayings and well-known quotes, and gets the famous panel to share their favourite anecdotes and quotes.
With:
Lyricist and author Sir Tim Rice
Novelist Robin Stevens
Stand-up comedian and writer Shazia Mirza
Producer: Victoria Lloyd
A BBC Studios production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in December 2019.
TUE 09:30 The Change (b0076cs6)
Series 2
Episode 2
Carol can't enjoy spending time alone away from George, as her family seem to need her more than ever.
Comedy about troubled, hormonal Carol whose husband George has revealed that he's a transvestite.
Starring Lynda Bellingham and Chris Ellison.
Sitcom by Gavin Petrie and Jan Etherington.
Carol …. Lynda Bellingham
George …. Chris Ellison
Violet …. Sylvia Syms
Maureen …. Maureen Beattie
Ken …. James Vaugnan
Sonia …. Emma Kennedy
Jerry …. Barnaby Kay
Dave …. Mark Powley
Man …. Andrew Westfield
Producer: Elizabeth Freestone.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 2003.
TUE 10:00 Wilkie Collins - The Moonstone (b007jp9d)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:00 today]
TUE 11:00 The Candle of Darkness (b0b5t0pp)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
TUE 11:30 The Dark Island (m000b8bx)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
TUE 12:00 The Mist in the Mirror by Susan Hill (b036nm98)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
TUE 12:15 Shakespeare's Restless World (b01gvn29)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:15 today]
TUE 12:30 Making the Best of It (b03vh0cb)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
TUE 13:00 The Goon Show (b007jr24)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
TUE 13:30 Growing Pains (m001rxdt)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
TUE 14:00 Quote... Unquote (m000c4w7)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
TUE 14:30 The Change (b0076cs6)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 today]
TUE 15:00 Wilkie Collins - The Moonstone (b007jp9d)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:00 today]
TUE 16:00 The Candle of Darkness (b0b5t0pp)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
TUE 16:30 The Dark Island (m000b8bx)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
TUE 17:00 The Mist in the Mirror by Susan Hill (b036nm98)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
TUE 17:15 Shakespeare's Restless World (b01gvn29)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:15 today]
TUE 17:30 Making the Best of It (b03vh0cb)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
TUE 18:00 The Goon Show (b007jr24)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
TUE 18:30 Growing Pains (m001rxdt)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
TUE 19:00 Quote... Unquote (m000c4w7)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
TUE 19:30 The Change (b0076cs6)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 today]
TUE 20:00 TED Radio Hour (m0016pb4)
Series 9
The Beauty Ideal
A journey through fascinating ideas based on talks by riveting speakers on the TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) stage.
Manoush Zomorodi and journalist Elise Hu explore the idea of beauty – and how it can be shaped by global norms and vested interests.
First broadcast in the USA on National Public Radio in 2021.
TUE 20:50 Inheritance Tracks (b05vjj7t)
Lulu
Singer Lulu chooses 'Night Time Is the Right Time' by Ray Charles and 'Uptown Funk' by Mark Ronson & Bruno Mars.
TUE 21:00 Mastertapes (b08bzmv3)
Series 6
Sir Tom Jones (B-side)
Following on from the A-side of this two-part programme, the audience ask Sir Tom Jones questions about 'Praise & Blame', his 2010 album that saw a return to his musical roots.
Series in which leading performers and songwriters talk about the album that made them or changed them.
With John Wilson at the BBC's iconic Maida Vale Studios in London.
Sir Tom Jones also performs acoustic live versions of some tracks from the album that led one critic to declare "at last Jones the artist is the match of Jones the entertainer" (The Guardian)
Producer: Paul Kobrak
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 2017.
TUE 21:30 Charles Chilton - Journey into Space (b007jqrd)
The Red Planet
17. Escape!
With Mitch conditioned at a 'sheep station', Captain Jet Morgan and his crew must work out how to plan their escape.
Charles Chilton’s 1954 classic set in 1971.
Jet Morgan …. Andrew Faulds
Lemmy …. David Kossoff
Doc …. Guy Kingsley Poynter
Mitch …. Bruce Beeby
Various …. John Cazabon
Announcer/Various …. David Jacobs
Music composed and conducted by Van Phillips.
Producer: Charles Chilton
First broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in December 1954.
TUE 22:00 Best Medicine (m001rqr2)
Series 1
3. Breast Medicine
Joining Kiri are friend of the show historian Dr Lindsey Fitzharris who shares her own breast cancer recovery story with a detour via Victorian breast cancer surgery, comedian Jordan Gray champions boob jobs, Sarah Kerruish unveils the life-saving power of AI with MIA, an algorithm that can read 80,000 mammograms in a weekend, and Dr Samantha Terry puts forward a case for injectable radioactive therapies that can destroy cancer cells you can't even see.
Best Medicine is your weekly dose of laughter, hope and incredible medicine. Award-winning comedian Kiri Pritchard-McLean is joined by funny and fascinating comedians, doctors, scientists and historians to celebrate medicine’s inspiring past, present and future.
Each week, Kiri challenges her guests to make a case for what they think is 'the best medicine', and each of them champions anything from world-changing science to an obscure invention, an every-day treatment, an uplifting worldview, an unsung hero or a futuristic cure.
Whether it’s micro-robotic surgery, virtual reality syringes, Victorian clockwork surgical saws, more than a few ingenious cures for cancer, world-first lifesaving heart operations, epidurals, therapy, dancing, faith or laughter - it’s always something worth celebrating.
This week, it's a themed show - all the medicines featured have something in common. For one week only it's...Breast Medicine.
Hosted by Kiri Pritchard-McLean
Featuring: Dr Lindsey Fitzharris, Jordan Gray, Sarah Kerruish and Dr Samantha Terry
Written by Charlie George, Kiri Pritchard-McLean and Ben Rowse
Producer: Ben Worsfield
Assistant Producer: Tashi Radha
Executive Producer: Simon Nicholls
Theme tune composed by Andrew Jones
A Large Time production for BBC Radio 4
TUE 22:30 Mr and Mrs Smith (b019rpw8)
Series 1
The Dinner Party
A year into married life and already things are a little creaky.
So, following Will's unimaginative anniversary present (a draining rack), Annabelle's signed them up for a course of marriage counselling.
Following a successful pilot, series one begins written by and starring Will Smith.
Sitcom about a couple in marriage counselling.
Counsellor Guy mediates a recent dispute between Will and Annabelle, with flashbacks to the events that spawned the argument. Sort of.
Will Smith ..... Will Smith
Annabelle Smith ..... Sarah Hadland
Guy ..... Paterson Joseph
Katrina ..... Tracy Wiles
Doug ..... Simon Bubb
Heather ..... Morwenna Banks
Producer: Tilusha Ghelani
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 2012.
TUE 23:00 The Pin (b08zdffq)
Series 3
Christmas
Alex and Ben are putting out a Christmas special - in the height of summer, to avoid competition....
More of double-act, The Pin's trademark offbeat nonsense.
Written and performed by Ben Ashenden and Alex Owen.
With:
Mark Benton
Margaret Cabourn-Smith
Liam Williams
Producer: Sam Bryant.
A BBC Studios production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in August 2017.
TUE 23:30 Elvenquest (b01r9crh)
Series 4
The Great Escape
The Questers discover the Sword of Asnagar but no sooner has Amis had time to wield it than they fall into one of Lord Darkness' evil traps and are marched off to the most escape-proof prison camp in all of Lower Earth.
Meanwhile, with the Sword of Asnagar finally in his hands, Lord Darkness will soon be declared supreme Ruler and commander of the Forces of Evil. But first, he has to organise a festival...
Fantasy-based sitcom set in Lower Earth written by Anil Gupta and Richard Pinto
Sam ...... Stephen Mangan
Vidar ...... Darren Boyd
Dean/Kreech ...... Kevin Eldon
Amis/The Vet/Grunter ...... Dave Lamb
Lord Darkness ...... Alistair McGowan
Penthiselea ...... Ingrid Oliver
Penthiselea's Mother ...... Louise Delamere
Bunny ...... Mike Wozniak
Producer: Sam Michell.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 2013.

WEDNESDAY 01 NOVEMBER 2023

WED 00:00 Wilkie Collins - The Moonstone (b007jp9d)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:00 on Tuesday]
WED 01:00 The Candle of Darkness (b0b5t0pp)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 on Tuesday]
WED 01:30 The Dark Island (m000b8bx)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 on Tuesday]
WED 02:00 The Mist in the Mirror by Susan Hill (b036nm98)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 on Tuesday]
WED 02:15 Shakespeare's Restless World (b01gvn29)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:15 on Tuesday]
WED 02:30 Making the Best of It (b03vh0cb)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 on Tuesday]
WED 03:00 The Goon Show (b007jr24)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 on Tuesday]
WED 03:30 Growing Pains (m001rxdt)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 on Tuesday]
WED 04:00 Quote... Unquote (m000c4w7)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 on Tuesday]
WED 04:30 The Change (b0076cs6)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 on Tuesday]
WED 05:00 Wilkie Collins - The Moonstone (b007jp9t)
3. Surprise Suspect
The Moonstone has been stolen, and all suspicion points to Rachel.
The great Sergeant Cuff of the London Detective Police prepares to make his report to her mother, Lady Verinder.
Novel written by Wilkie Collins and first published in 1868.
Dramatised by Brian Gear.
Sergeant Cuff ...... John Franklyn-Robbins
Gabriel Betteredge ...... John Sharp
Franklin Blake ...... John Telfer
Rachel Verrinder ...... Sally Baxter
Godfrey Ablewhite ...... Geoffrey Beevers
Mr Bruff ...... Nat Brenner
Miss Clack ...... June Barrie
Lucy Yolland ...... Liza Flanacan
Rosanna Spearman ...... Tammy Ustinov
Samuel ...... Matthew Adams
Director: Brian Miller
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 1979.
WED 06:00 Whodunnits (b069ww2b)
Miss Marple's Final Cases
1. Tape-Measure Murder
Gossip spreads through St Mary Mead of a murdered wife and a husband under suspicion.
Then Miss Marple is called as an alibi...
June Whitfield returns as Miss Marple.
Agatha Christie's whodunnit, first published in 1941.
The first of three dramatisations of the best short stories by Joy Wilkinson.
Miss Marple ...... June Whitfield
Bunch ...... Rosie Cavaliero
Inspector Slack ...... Stephen Critchlow
Miss Hartnell ...... Jessica Turner
Miss Politt ...... Alison Pettit
Mr Spenlow ...... Sam Dale
Ted Gerard ...... Chris Pavlo
Director: Gemma Jenkins
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 2015.
WED 06:30 Bill Murphy - Hallows End (b007k2zc)
Wealthy Dubliner Dermot McPhail misguidedly buys a Gothic mansion on the wild coast of west Cork.
But things start going dramatically wrong when the unscrupulous property developer and his pampered wife Clodagh move in during the renovation.
Is someone sabotaging Dermot's dream, or is the ancient curse of Hallows End at work?
Bill Murphy’s whodunnit.
Dermot …. Gerry O'Brien
Clodagh …. Ann Marie Horan
Patrick …. Darragh Kelly
Aoife …. Helen Norton
Martin/Barman …. Simon Delaney
Produced at BBC Northern Ireland by Lawrence Jackson.
Made for BBC Radio 7 and first broadcast in 2007
WED 07:00 The Mist in the Mirror by Susan Hill (b036pqz8)
3. Close to Home
As he obsesses over explorer Conrad Vane, a startling connection comes to light for Sir James Monmouth...
Susan Hill's atmospheric and chilling ghost story.
Abridged by Oliver Reynolds.
Read by Gareth Armstrong
With John Moffatt as the Narrator.
Producer: Jocelyn Boxall
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 1994.
WED 07:15 Shakespeare's Restless World (b01gvrxk)
13. From London to Marrakech
Sunken gold from West Africa sheds light on the complex relationship Elizabethan England had with the Moors of the Mediterranean.
Object-based history series presented by Neil MacGregor, former Director of the British Museum.
Taking artefacts from William Shakespeare's time, he explores how Elizabethan and Jacobean playgoers made sense of the unstable and rapidly changing world in which they lived.
With old certainties shifting around them, in a time of political and religious unrest and economic expansion, Neil asks what the plays would have meant to the public when they were first performed.
He uses carefully selected objects to explore the great issues of the day that preoccupied the public and helped shape the works, and he considers what they can reveal about the concerns and beliefs of Shakespearean England.
Producer: Paul Kobrak
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 2012.
WED 07:30 Shush! (b06b36w6)
Series 1
Top Shelf
Alice and Snoo have to resort to some rather unconventional means to get people into the library.
A very low shelf, a book about zombies, a hosepipe ban and some hummingbirds bring the public flocking in.
Meet Alice, a former child prodigy who won a place at Oxford aged 9 but, because Daddy went too, she never needed to have any friends. She's scared of everything - everything that is, except libraries and Snoo, a slightly confused individual, with a have-a-go attitude to life, marriage, haircuts and reality. Snoo loves books, and fully intends to read one one day.
And forever popping into the library is Dr Cadogan, celebrity doctor to the stars and a man with his finger in every pie. Charming, indiscreet and quite possibly wanted by Interpol, if you want a discrete nip and tuck and then photos of it accidentally left on the photocopier, Dr Cadogan is your man.
Their happy life is interrupted by the arrival of Simon Nielson, a man with a mission to close down inefficient libraries.
Fortunately, he hates his mission. What he really wants to do is once, just once, get even with his inexhaustible supply of high-achieving brothers.
Written by Morwenna Banks, Rebecca Front and Arthur Mathews
Alice ...... Rebecca Front
Snoo ...... Morwenna Banks
Simon Neilson ...... Ben Willbond
Dr Cadogan ...... Michael Fenton Stevens
Dean ...... Simon Greenall
Deaf Action Man ...... Gus Brown
Wifi Customer ...... Philip Pope
Vikram Seth Customer ...... Georgie Fuller
Based on an idea developed with Armando Iannucci.
Producer: David Tyler
A Pozzitive production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in September 2015.
WED 08:00 Hancock's Half Hour (b007jnqr)
Series 5
The Americans Hit Town
Some visiting servicemen get Griselda Pugh all excited - and Sid all keen to rent out the Lad's rooms.
Ray Galton and Alan Simpson's classic comedy about the life and times of Anthony Aloysius St John Hancock.
Starring Tony Hancock.
With:
Sidney James
Bill Kerr
Kenneth Williams
Hattie Jacques
Theme and incidental music composed and conducted by Wally Stott.
Producer: Tom Ronald
First broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in March 1958.
WED 08:30 Ballylenon (b007nfs3)
Series 1
Episode 1
Trouble brews when the McConkey sisters join forces with hotel owner, Phonsie Doherty to campaign for the demolition of the Georgian courthouse to make way for a car park.
Series set in the sleepy town of Ballylenon, Co Donegal, in 1953, before the days of mass tourism in Ireland - and proper plumbing in every home.
Written by Christopher Fitz-Simon.
Phonsie Doherty ...... TP McKenna
Muriel Maconchy ...... Margaret D'Arcy
Vera Maconchy ...... Stella McCusker
Vivienne Boal ...... Aine McCartney
Guard Gallagher ...... John Hewitt
Stumpy Bonner ...... Gerard McSorley
Rev Samuel Hawthorne ...... Gerard Murphy
RL Watson ...... Roma Tomelty
O'Brollochain ...... Kevin Flood
Music arranged and performed by Stephanie Hughes
Director: Eoin O'Callaghan
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in June 1994.
WED 09:00 Counterpoint (b01h6465)
Series 26
2012 Heat 3
Paul Gambaccini chairs the general knowledge music quiz
The questions cover every aspect of music - from the classical repertoire to world music, show tunes, film scores, jazz, rock and pop.
The third trio of 27 competitors are in Salford for the third heat of the series.
Margaret Clewett from Birmingham
Trevor Davys from Nottingham
Donald Stokes from Berwickshire
Producer Paul Bajoria
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 2012.
WED 09:30 The Right Time (b00c34ks)
Series 3
Episode 4
A country house weekend, friends reunited and a dinner party surprise...
The sketch comedy for people growing older disgracefully.
Starring:
Graeme Garden
Eleanor Bron
Neil Innes
Clive Swift
Roger Blake
Paula Wilcox
Written by Colin Bostock Smith, John Dowie, Graeme Garden, Jan Etherington, Mike Haskins, Ged Parsons, David Spicer and Peter Usher.
Script Editor: Ged Parsons.
Music by Ronnie & The Rex and Neil Innes.
Producer: Claire Jones
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 2003.
WED 10:00 Wilkie Collins - The Moonstone (b007jp9t)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:00 today]
WED 11:00 Whodunnits (b069ww2b)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
WED 11:30 Bill Murphy - Hallows End (b007k2zc)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
WED 12:00 The Mist in the Mirror by Susan Hill (b036pqz8)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
WED 12:15 Shakespeare's Restless World (b01gvrxk)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:15 today]
WED 12:30 Shush! (b06b36w6)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
WED 13:00 Hancock's Half Hour (b007jnqr)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
WED 13:30 Ballylenon (b007nfs3)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
WED 14:00 Counterpoint (b01h6465)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
WED 14:30 The Right Time (b00c34ks)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 today]
WED 15:00 Wilkie Collins - The Moonstone (b007jp9t)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:00 today]
WED 16:00 Whodunnits (b069ww2b)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
WED 16:30 Bill Murphy - Hallows End (b007k2zc)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
WED 17:00 The Mist in the Mirror by Susan Hill (b036pqz8)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
WED 17:15 Shakespeare's Restless World (b01gvrxk)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:15 today]
WED 17:30 Shush! (b06b36w6)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
WED 18:00 Hancock's Half Hour (b007jnqr)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
WED 18:30 Ballylenon (b007nfs3)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
WED 19:00 Counterpoint (b01h6465)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
WED 19:30 The Right Time (b00c34ks)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 today]
WED 20:00 Archive on 4 (m000h7cr)
The Hubble Legacy
Astronaut and artist Nicole Stott celebrates the scientific and cultural legacy of the Hubble Space Telescope.
It's a mission that's influenced art, music and science-fiction.
Launched on 24 April 1990 and built to last 15 years, the $1.5 billion Hubble Space Telescope was a disaster. Most serious among a catalogue of flaws was a fault with the primary mirror.
Fortunately, the telescope had always been designed to be serviced in space and, after one of the most challenging and complex space walks in history, scientists downloaded the first new Hubble images.
The results were astounding.
Every week, Hubble delivers 140 gigabytes of science data back to Earth, transforming our view and knowledge of the universe. But what NASA didn’t foresee when it launched the telescope was its cultural legacy. Images from Hubble have appeared on album covers, video games, in movies and on clothing and jewellery.
In sci-fi films and TV shows released before Hubble, space was black with scattered stars. Now, movies are alive with swirling colours.
Pictures from the space telescope can be found on t-shirts, leggings and on desktop screensavers in almost every office across the world. U2, Pearl Jam and the Royal Philharmonic have used Hubble images to inspire their music.
Featuring composer Eric Whitacre and one of the astronauts who launched Hubble, Kathy Sullivan.
Plus archive interviews with astronauts and a wealth of newly remastered NASA archive.
Hubble has changed how we think of ourselves and our place in the universe. The telescope has given humanity a sense of the vastness of the cosmos but, nevertheless, connected us to it like never before.
Producer: Richard Hollingham
A Boffin Media production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in April 2020.
WED 21:00 Short Cuts (b07kpy42)
Series 9
Rivals
Josie Long presents stories about rivalry.
Fights for territory, standing your ground and petty feuds
From a bitter battle conducted in a laundrette to an ongoing argument between academics on either side of the world.
Series Producer: Eleanor McDowall
A Falling Tree production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in July 2016.
WED 21:30 Charles Chilton - Journey into Space (b007jqv2)
The Red Planet
18. Invasion Plans
With Lemmy and Doc at the mercy of the Martians, can Captain Jet Morgan come to their rescue?
Charles Chilton’s 1954 classic set in 1971.
Jet Morgan …. Andrew Faulds
Lemmy …. David Kossoff
Doc …. Guy Kingsley Poynter
Mitch …. Bruce Beeby
Various .... John Cazabon
Announcer/Various …. David Jacobs
Music composed and conducted by Van Phillips.
Producer: Charles Chilton
First broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in January 1955.
WED 22:00 Daliso Chaponda: Citizen of Nowhere (m001rq77)
Series 4
3. "...comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable..."
In this new series, Daliso is in a more philosophical mood. We find him working through his thoughts, feelings, and opinions by sharing his stories with a live audience in his hometown of Manchester.
Episode 3 - 'comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable'
After experiencing the threat of arrest for a joke he once made about Malawi, and as he sometimes gets in trouble for talking about certain topics, this week Daliso is contemplating attitudes towards censorship and freedom of speech, and he's trying to work out where he stands. He gives examples of the kind of things that have caused controversies in the past and asks the audience what they think.
Writer... Daliso Chaponda
Additional Material... Meryl O'Rourke
Production Co-Ordinator... Katie Baum
Sound Manger... Jerry Peal
Theme music by Lawi
Image by Steve Ullathorne
Producer... Carl Cooper
This is a BBC Studios Production for Radio 4.
--
Daliso Chaponda shot to fame on Britain’s Got Talent, making it to the final of the 2017 series and establishing himself a firm favourite with the judges and the British public. He became a Facebook and YouTube star amassing over 200 million views of his performances. He's also appeared on the Royal Variety Performance.
He has performed around the world and at the Edinburgh, Melbourne, Singapore, and Cape Town comedy festivals. He has also toured the UK and Africa to sell out audiences and rave reviews.
In addition to standup comedy, Daliso is also a prolific fiction writer. He has published science fiction, murder mysteries and fantasy fiction in numerous magazines, and anthologies. He is currently working on his new novel and a children’s book.
This is this fourth series of his Rose D'Or nominated Radio 4 series.
WED 22:30 Agendum (m0009bp4)
Series 2
Good Luck Everybody
A current affairs parody and stupidly feasible visit to the 24-hour Hall Of Opinion Mirrors, helmed by helmster Alexandra Palisades, in this parody created by Jason Hazeley and Joel Morris. Because there are two stories to every story.
In this show, we save some succulents, stir the financial soup and discover whether Britain will be better off under a cheese and tomato sandwich.
With Carrie Quinlan as Alexandra Palisades and, at the very least, the voices of:
Justin Edwards
Melanie Hudson
Simon Kane
Tayla Kovacevic-Ebong
Jess Robinson
Kerry Shale
Luke Sumner
Produced by David Tyler
A Pozzitive production for BBC Radio 4.
WED 23:00 The Harpoon (b007m747)
Series 2
Episode 1
Yes, Madam! The Empire's favourite weekly is back on the shelves!
Nostalgia galore in the first of four lovingly hand-tooled issues of this acclaimed comedy series awaits your collection - this one a bumper summer edition.
Written by Julian Dutton and Peter Baynham.
Performed by:
Susie Brann
Alistair McGowan
Mary Elliot-Nelson
Julian Dutton
Peter Baynham
Producer: Sarah Smith
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 1992.
WED 23:30 The Skewer (m001rq84)
Series 10
Episode 3
Fresh from winning Gold for Best Comedy at the British Podcast Awards (and Highly Commended as Podcast of the Year), Jon Holmes's comedy current affairs concept album returns for its 10th series to remix the news into satirical shapes. This week - 'Umble Starmer, Planet Earth III presents All Out War, and The Fall of The House of Sunak.'
The Skewer: Three Twisted Years, a brand new TV version of The Skewer looking back over the last three years is now available on BBC iPlayer.
Creator / Producer: Jon Holmes.
An unusual production for BBC Radio 4
WED 23:45 The Problem With Adam Bloom (b00gl4t1)
Series 2
Insecurity
You should talk about your problems - after all, a problem shared is a problem halved.
Unless you've got a trust phobia, in which case it opens a whole other can of worms.
Written by and starring Adam Bloom.
With Stefano Paolini.
Producer: Adam Bromley
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 2004.

THURSDAY 02 NOVEMBER 2023

THU 00:00 Wilkie Collins - The Moonstone (b007jp9t)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:00 on Wednesday]
THU 01:00 Whodunnits (b069ww2b)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 on Wednesday]
THU 01:30 Bill Murphy - Hallows End (b007k2zc)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 on Wednesday]
THU 02:00 The Mist in the Mirror by Susan Hill (b036pqz8)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 on Wednesday]
THU 02:15 Shakespeare's Restless World (b01gvrxk)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:15 on Wednesday]
THU 02:30 Shush! (b06b36w6)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 on Wednesday]
THU 03:00 Hancock's Half Hour (b007jnqr)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 on Wednesday]
THU 03:30 Ballylenon (b007nfs3)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 on Wednesday]
THU 04:00 Counterpoint (b01h6465)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 on Wednesday]
THU 04:30 The Right Time (b00c34ks)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 on Wednesday]
THU 05:00 Wilkie Collins - The Moonstone (b007jpb6)
4. A Marriage Proposal
Still under suspicion by public opinion for having stolen her own jewel, the Moonstone, Rachel turns for consolation to the arms of Godfrey Ablewhite, and has just accepted a proposal of marriage from him.
Victorian drama by Wilkie Collins.
Cast:
Gabriel Betteredge........John Sharp
Sergeant Cuff..................John Franklyn-Robbins
Godfrey Ablewhite..........Geoffrey Beevers
Franklin Blake....................John Telfer
Rachel Verrinder...............Sally Baxter
Rosanna Spearman..........Tammy Ustinov
Mr Bruff................................Nat Brenner
Lady Verinder.....................Petra Davies
Miss Clack............................June Barrie
Samuel..................................Matthew Adams
Aunt Ablewhite.................Margot Boyd
Ablewhite............................Godfrey Kenton
Indian....................................Geoffrey Serle
Luker....................................Adrian Egan
Murthwaite........................Gordon Dulieu
Lucy......................................Liza Flanagan
Duffy....................................Debby Cumming
Written by Wilkie Collins
Dramatised by Brian Gear
Music composed by Sidney Sager
Directed by Brian Miller
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1979.
THU 06:00 Whodunnits (b06bp2vp)
Miss Marple's Final Cases
2. The Case of the Perfect Maid
Miss Marple uncovers a mystery when she looks into the curious sacking of a lady's maid.
Her investigative skills are also required when her nephew, crime writer Raymond West, arrives on the doorstep with a severe case of writer's block...
June Whitfield stars as Miss Marple
Agatha Christie's whodunnit, first published in 1942.
Short story dramatised by Joy Wilkinson.
Miss Marple ...... June Whitfield
Raymond West ...... Raymond Coulthard
Lavinia Skinner ...... Claudie Blakley
Emily Skinner ...... Tracy Wiles
Inspector Slack ...... Stephen Critchlow
Miss Hartnell ...... Jessica Turner
Edna ...... Alex Tregear
Director: Gemma Jenkins
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 2015.
THU 06:30 What Do You Think? by Francis Durbridge (m0013b2n)
Felix Layton is a successful crime novelist, but he's inclined to confuse fact with fiction.
Now wonder this sparks confusion for the police.
Starring Rolf Lefebvre.
A one-off crime mystery by Paul Temple creator, Francis Durbridge.
Felix Layton …. Rolf Lefebvre
Charles Melford …. Frank Partington
Victor Wade …. Lewis Stringer
Carol Layton …. Sheila Grant
Mildred Wade …. Peggy Butt
PC Smith …. Jonathan Scott
Sergeant …. William Eedle
Constable …. Lee Fox
Producer: Martyn C Webster
First broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in September 1962.
THU 07:00 The Mist in the Mirror by Susan Hill (b036pw9z)
4. The Familiar Surroundings
Another eerie visitation leads Sir James Monmouth north to a grim appointment...
Susan Hill's atmospheric and chilling ghost story.
Abridged by Oliver Reynolds.
Read by Gareth Armstrong
With John Moffatt as the Narrator.
Producer: Jocelyn Boxall
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 1994.
THU 07:15 Shakespeare's Restless World (b01gvthw)
14. Disguise and Deception
Deception and religion, cross-dressing and travelling salesmen are all unpacked via a pedlar's trunk.
Object-based history series presented by Neil MacGregor, former Director of the British Museum.
Taking artefacts from William Shakespeare's time, he explores how Elizabethan and Jacobean playgoers made sense of the unstable and rapidly changing world in which they lived.
With old certainties shifting around them, in a time of political and religious unrest and economic expansion, Neil asks what the plays would have meant to the public when they were first performed.
He uses carefully selected objects to explore the great issues of the day that preoccupied the public and helped shape the works, and he considers what they can reveal about the concerns and beliefs of Shakespearean England.
Producer: Paul Kobrak
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 2012.
THU 07:30 What Does the K Stand For? (b03mhvqf)
Series 1
Tell Them About the Dream, Martin
Young Stephen looks for a hero that he can tell his class about.
Stephen K Amos's sitcom about his teenage years, growing up black, gay and funny in 1980s South London.
Written by Jonathan Harvey with Stephen K Amos.
Stephen K Amos ...... Stephen K Amos
Young Stephen ...... Shaquille Ali-Yebuah
Stephanie Amos ...... Fatou Sohna
Virginia Amos ...... Ellen Thomas
Vincent Amos ...... Don Gilet
Miss Collins ...... Gemma Whelan
Jayson ...... Frankie Wilson
Random Bloke ...... Harry Jardine
Producer: Colin Anderson
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 2013.
THU 08:00 Dad's Army (b007jmrm)
Series 2
If the Cap Fits
When Captain Mainwaring decides to promote fractious Private Frazer, there are some unexpected results...
The comic exploits of a Second World War Home Guard platoon in Walmington-on-Sea.
Adapted for radio from Jimmy Perry and David Croft's TV scripts by Michael Knowles and Harold Snoad.
Captain Mainwaring …. Arthur Lowe
Sgt Wilson …. John Le Mesurier
Cpl Jones …. Clive Dunn
Pt Pike …. Ian Lavender
Pt Frazer …. John Laurie
Pt Godfrey …. Arnold Ridley
Warden Hodges …. Bill Pertwee
Col Square …. Geoffrey Lumsden
The Verger …. Edward Sinclair
Gen Menzies/Sgt McKenzie …. Fraser Kerr
Announcer/Newsreader …. John Snagge
Producer: John Dyas
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 1975.
THU 08:30 Second Thoughts (b007jx69)
Series 2
Youth and Consequences
Bill's new young image leaves Faith feeling old on her birthday.
Sitcom about the battles of divorcees Bill MacGregor and Faith Greyshott trying to forge a relationship whilst balancing the demands of his ex-wife, Liza and her teenage children, Hannah and Joe.
Series two of four inspired by the real lives of its writers, husband and wife Jan Etherington and Gavin Petrie.
A TV version made by LWT for ITV appeared in 1991 and ran for four series, with a spin-off 'Faith in the Future'.
Bill …. James Bolam
Faith …. Lynda Bellingham
Hilary …. Celia Imrie
Liza …. Belinda Lang
Hannah …. Kelda Holmes
Joe …. Mark Denham
Rachel .... Rebecca Front
Gideon .... Ian Targett
Producer: Sioned Wiliam
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 1989.
THU 09:00 The Unbelievable Truth (m000k2td)
Series 24
Episode 1
David Mitchell hosts the panel game in which four comedians are encouraged to tell lies.
They compete against one another to see how many items of truth they're able to smuggle past their opponents.
The panellists are obliged to talk with deliberate inaccuracy on subjects as varied as guitars, tinder and Richard Gere.
With:-
Holly Walsh
Miles Jupp
Sara Pascoe
Frankie Boyle
Producer: Jon Naismith
A Random Entertainment production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in December 2020.
THU 09:30 Stockport, So Good They Named It Once (b007jr8f)
Series 1
Dib Dib Dib
Lovelorn Jason must face life without Debbie. Can Michael and the Sweater Girls' first gig take his mind off being single?
The lives of the Stockport-based, Conroy family - in series 1 of Jim Poyser and Damian Lanigan's comedy drama.
Jason .... Dominic Monaghan
Michael .... Jason Done
Dave .... Stefan Escreet
Eddie .... John McArdle
Collete .... Emma Clarke
Maureen .... Beverley Callard
Debbie .... Jo-Anne Knowles
Mr Bickerstaff .... Dan Maier
Music: Big George
Producer: Neil Mossey
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 1999.
THU 10:00 Wilkie Collins - The Moonstone (b007jpb6)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:00 today]
THU 11:00 Whodunnits (b06bp2vp)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
THU 11:30 What Do You Think? by Francis Durbridge (m0013b2n)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
THU 12:00 The Mist in the Mirror by Susan Hill (b036pw9z)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
THU 12:15 Shakespeare's Restless World (b01gvthw)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:15 today]
THU 12:30 What Does the K Stand For? (b03mhvqf)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
THU 13:00 Dad's Army (b007jmrm)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
THU 13:30 Second Thoughts (b007jx69)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
THU 14:00 The Unbelievable Truth (m000k2td)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
THU 14:30 Stockport, So Good They Named It Once (b007jr8f)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 today]
THU 15:00 Wilkie Collins - The Moonstone (b007jpb6)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:00 today]
THU 16:00 Whodunnits (b06bp2vp)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
THU 16:30 What Do You Think? by Francis Durbridge (m0013b2n)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
THU 17:00 The Mist in the Mirror by Susan Hill (b036pw9z)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
THU 17:15 Shakespeare's Restless World (b01gvthw)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:15 today]
THU 17:30 What Does the K Stand For? (b03mhvqf)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
THU 18:00 Dad's Army (b007jmrm)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
THU 18:30 Second Thoughts (b007jx69)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
THU 19:00 The Unbelievable Truth (m000k2td)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
THU 19:30 Stockport, So Good They Named It Once (b007jr8f)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 today]
THU 20:00 The Real Comedy Controllers: The Things That Made Us Laugh (m00175j7)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 on Saturday]
THU 21:00 Great Lives (m001rxf8)
Burt Lancaster
Broadcaster Gerry Anderson chooses a circus performer who became a Hollywood legend, Burt Lancaster.
Burt Lancaster started as a circus performer and became the biggest Hollywood star of his time. He could be as sinister as Cagney, as sensitive as Brando and as swashbuckling as Flynn - but the only role he ever played was himself.
Broadcaster Gerry Anderson - also famous for being himself - discusses the star's complex talent and complicated life with biographer Kate Buford and presenter Humphrey Carpenter.
Presenter: Humphrey Carpenter
Producer: Peter Everett
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 2004.
THU 21:30 Charles Chilton - Journey into Space (b007jqxb)
The Red Planet
19. The Fifth Column
As Lemmy and Doc master a Martian sphere - Captain Jet Morgan gets a mysterious offer of help...
Charles Chilton’s 1954 classic set in 1971.
CAST:
Jet Morgan …. Andrew Faulds
Lemmy …. David Kossoff
Doc …. Guy Kingsley Poynter
Mitch …. Bruce Beeby
Various .... John Cazabon
Announcer/Various …. David Jacobs
Music composed and conducted by Van Phillips.
Producer: Charles Chilton
First broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in January 1955.
THU 22:00 The Absolutely Radio Show (m000700w)
Series 3
Episode 3
Calum Gilhooley visits his optician and makes a good point for possibly the first time ever, The Rev McMinn saves his Minimart from chemical attack, and we meet Social Media Blogger and Influencer Susie Twip. From the archive, we hear the "See it. Say it. Sort it." campaign in action.
The cast of TV's hugely popular sketch show return for series three.
Revisiting some of their much-loved sketch characters, while also introducing some newcomers.
Starring:
Pete Baikie
Morwenna Banks
Moray Hunter
Gordon Kennedy
John Sparkes
Producers: Gordon Kennedy & Gus Beattie
An Absolutely/Gusman production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in June 2019.
THU 22:30 Alex Edelman's Peer Group (m0001hx0)
Series 2
Personal
American comedian Alex Edelman's second series in which he takes a comic look at what it’s like being a millennial today.
How does Alex feel personally about growing up? - living as a rootless millennial with no home and no family. At 29, is he an adult yet? When will he become an adult? Or indeed feel like one? Is he part of a generation that's increasingly stunted emotionally? And is the internet responsible? He also looks at modern relationships, both in terms of what one expects from one's parents as well as modern attitudes to picking your partner.
Alex's "peer group" are on hand to assist - comedians Alfie Brown, Brandon Wardell, journalist Rebecca Nicholson and cultural commentator David Burstein
Written and presented by Alex Edelman, with additional material by Ivo Graham.
Producer: Sam Michell
A BBC Studios production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in December 2018.
THU 23:00 State of the Nations (b085xcfk)
Wales
Elis James hosts four stand-up shows from the four nations of the United Kingdom.
He's exploring what it means to be variously Welsh, English, Scottish and Northern Irish today.
Elis kicks off at the Lyric theatre in his home town of Carmarthen to share thoughts on Wales and Welshness.
With:
Tudur Owen
Mike Bubbins
Kiri Pritchard-McLean
Producer: Richard Morris
A BBC Studios production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in December 2016.
THU 23:30 A Look Back at the Future (b01rh3wq)
2001
From the World Cup to the future NHS.
Recorded in 1994, the futuristic show recalls the turbulent upheaval of 2001 - that was yet to happen.:
Starring:
Brian Perkins
Kate Robbin
Jeremy Hardy
Series revealing everything you wanted to know back then, about the future 21st century.
Written by Mark Burton, John O'Farrell and Pete Sinclair.
Producer: Caroline Leddy
First broadcast (with the aid of a crystal ball) on BBC Radio 4 in July 1994.

FRIDAY 03 NOVEMBER 2023

FRI 00:00 Wilkie Collins - The Moonstone (b007jpb6)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:00 on Thursday]
FRI 01:00 Whodunnits (b06bp2vp)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 on Thursday]
FRI 01:30 What Do You Think? by Francis Durbridge (m0013b2n)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 on Thursday]
FRI 02:00 The Mist in the Mirror by Susan Hill (b036pw9z)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 on Thursday]
FRI 02:15 Shakespeare's Restless World (b01gvthw)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:15 on Thursday]
FRI 02:30 What Does the K Stand For? (b03mhvqf)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 on Thursday]
FRI 03:00 Dad's Army (b007jmrm)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 on Thursday]
FRI 03:30 Second Thoughts (b007jx69)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 on Thursday]
FRI 04:00 The Unbelievable Truth (m000k2td)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 on Thursday]
FRI 04:30 Stockport, So Good They Named It Once (b007jr8f)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 on Thursday]
FRI 05:00 Wilkie Collins - The Moonstone (b007jpbp)
5. An Appalling Discovery
Franklin Blake makes an appalling discovery at Shivering Sands - and questions who has been responsible for the theft of the Moonstone.
Victorian drama by Wilkie Collins.
Cast:
Gabriel Betteredge........John Sharp
Sergeant Cuff..................John Franklyn-Robbins
Godfrey Ablewhite..........Geoffrey Beevers
Franklin Blake....................John Telfer
Rachel Verrinder...............Sally Baxter
Rosanna Spearman..........Tammy Ustinov
Mr Bruff................................Nat Brenner
Penelope..............................Josie Kido
Rosanna Spearman...........Tammy Ustinov
Jennings...............................Philip Sully
Mr Bruff...............................Nat Brenner
Candy...................................Danny Schiller
Written by Wilkie Collins
Dramatised by Brian Gear
Music composed by Sidney Sager
Directed by Brian Miller
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1979.
FRI 06:00 Whodunnits (b06d8h0y)
Miss Marple's Final Cases
3. Sanctuary
Miss Marple and her god-daughter, Bunch, arrive at the local church to discover a dying man.
His last words provide the clues to unlock an unsolved crime.
June Whitfield stars as Miss Marple
Agatha Christie's whodunnit, first published in 1954.
Short story dramatised by Joy Wilkinson.
Miss Marple ...... June Whitfield
Bunch ...... Rosie Cavaliero
Inspector Slack ...... Stephen Critchlow
Edna ...... Alex Tregear
Mrs Eccles ...... Sally Orrock
Edwin Moss ...... Michael Shelford
Director: Gemma Jenkins
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 2015.
FRI 06:30 Agatha Christie (b00jzckt)
Magnolia Blossom
The 20th century Queen of Crime can still seem astonishingly adult in the 21st century, and when a woman's adultery is exposed it can pale beside the crimes and arrogance of men.
Starring Emilia Fox and Julian Rhind-Tutt.
Mike Walker's revamp of Agatha Christie’s whodunit.
Theo …… Emilia Fox
Vincent …… Julian Rhind-Tutt
Richard …… Alex Jennings
TV News Reader …… Ewan Bailey
Director: Ned Chaillet
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 2002.
FRI 07:00 The Mist in the Mirror by Susan Hill (b036q7t8)
5. Waves of Evil
Sir James Monmouth's eerie obsession reaches a terrifying conclusion, but is that the end of the story?
Conclusion of Susan Hill's atmospheric and chilling ghost story.
Abridged by Oliver Reynolds.
Read by Gareth Armstrong
With John Moffatt as the Narrator.
Producer: Jocelyn Boxall
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 1994.
FRI 07:15 Shakespeare's Restless World (b01gvwxr)
15. The Flag That Failed
The problems in uniting Scotland and England and in creating a Great Britain are encapsulated in a set of designs for a common flag.
Object-based history series presented by Neil MacGregor, former Director of the British Museum.
Taking artefacts from William Shakespeare's time, he explores how Elizabethan and Jacobean playgoers made sense of the unstable and rapidly changing world in which they lived.
With old certainties shifting around them, in a time of political and religious unrest and economic expansion, Neil asks what the plays would have meant to the public when they were first performed.
He uses carefully selected objects to explore the great issues of the day that preoccupied the public and helped shape the works, and he considers what they can reveal about the concerns and beliefs of Shakespearean England.
Producer: Paul Kobrak
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 2012.
FRI 07:30 Ed Reardon's Week (b05wyhnv)
Series 10
Joan of the Junction
Ed tramps along the canal trying to find someone to take him, and Elgar, in.
When he fortunes upon the somewhat colourful Joan he hits the jackpot in more ways than one as not only does he gain a rather comfortable cabin bed, but the pair chat about Joan's rather picaresque life over a can of cider.
Ed discovers she has lived her life in the manner for a perfect Sunday night TV drama. Cue a call to his agent, Ping.
Ed Reardon ...... Christopher Douglas
Suzan ...... Raquel Cassidy
Olive ...... Stephanie Cole
Joan ...... Pam Ferris
Pearl ...... Brigit Forsyth
Bill ...... Geoff McGivern
Ping ...... Barunka O'Shaughnessy
Stan ...... Geoffrey Whitehead
Written by Andrew Nickolds and Christopher Douglas.
Produced by Dawn Ellis.
First broadcast on Radio 4 in June 2015.
FRI 08:00 Albert and Me (b007jv04)
Series 1
Pilot Episode
Single dad Bryan Archer struggles to work as well as bringing up his baby son, Albert.
Stars Richard Beckinsale and Pat Coombs.
The struggles of single parent Bryan Archer to find work while raising his baby son, Albert.
Written by Jim Eldridge.
Bryan Archer …. Richard Beckinsale
Mum/Albert …. Pat Coombs
Dad …. John Comer
Vernon Wordsworth …. Frank Thornton
Anna Jameson …. Sharon Duce
Alice …. Anne Cunningham
Patrick …. Douglas Blackwell
Incidental music by Max Harris.
Producer: John Fawcett Wilson
First broadcast on BBC Radio 2 in January 1977.
FRI 08:30 Kathmandu or Bust (b07rhlzg)
A Sticky Wicket
Nepal is almost in sight and the travellers are in a mellow mood - until their truck is stolen by bandits.
Series written by Mike Yeaman and David Napthine.
Simon …. David Haig
Petra …. Michelle Chadwick
Callum …. Forbes Masson
Trigger …. Richard Ridings
Joan …. Sarah Crowden
Ellie …. Lolly Susi
Bandit …. Lyndam Gregory
Bandit …. Shiv Grewal
Producer: Lissa Evans
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in June 1996.
FRI 09:00 The Food Quiz (b0076mlq)
Series 2
Episode 1
Journalist and food critic Jay Rayner gives his four contestants a good grilling on their knowledge of food and drink.
On the menu:
* Devour the secret of Stephen Fry's home-made mayonnaise
* The song that keeps Josceline Dimbleby happy while cooking
* The store cupboard staple of food writer Elisabeth Luard
* The best way to catch an eel, according to Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall
Producer: Dixi Stewart
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 2004.
FRI 09:30 Plum House (b07fg2q7)
Series 1
Why Why WI?
Comedy about the inept staff at an historic house. Starring Simon Callow and Jane Horrocks.
Every year, thousands of tourists flock to the Lake District. But one place they never go to is Plum House - the former country home of terrible poet George Pudding (1779-1848). Now a crumbling museum, losing money hand over fist, it struggles to stay open under its eccentric curator Peter Knight (Simon Callow).
Can anyone save Plum House from irreversible decline?
Tom Collyer, sent from the Trust to do just that, seems to be the most likely candidate but the challenge is huge as he confronts the reality of winning round Peter Knight's handpicked team - the hopelessly out of touch deputy Julian (Miles Jupp), the corner-cutting gift shop manager Maureen (Jane Horrocks) intent on making profit from extremely cheap plum-themed merchandise, and maintenance man Alan (Pearce Quigley) who has heard the words "health" and "safety" but never in the same sentence.
In this opening episode, the museum's preparations for the annual WI visit include hiding away valuable artefacts as, according to Peter, some members are prone to stealing them. And Julian gives a disastrous lecture on the life and work of George Pudding.
Written by Ben Cottam and Paul McKenna
Peter ...... Simon Callow
Maureen ...... Jane Horrocks
Julian ...... Miles Jupp
Tom ...... Tom Bell
Alan ...... Pearce Quigley
Emma ...... Louise Ford
Mary ...... Kate Anthony
Jean ...... Sandra Maitland
Directed and Produced by Paul Schlesinger
A Hat Trick production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in June 2016.
FRI 10:00 Wilkie Collins - The Moonstone (b007jpbp)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:00 today]
FRI 11:00 Whodunnits (b06d8h0y)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
FRI 11:30 Agatha Christie (b00jzckt)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
FRI 12:00 The Mist in the Mirror by Susan Hill (b036q7t8)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
FRI 12:15 Shakespeare's Restless World (b01gvwxr)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:15 today]
FRI 12:30 Ed Reardon's Week (b05wyhnv)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
FRI 13:00 Albert and Me (b007jv04)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
FRI 13:30 Kathmandu or Bust (b07rhlzg)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
FRI 14:00 The Food Quiz (b0076mlq)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
FRI 14:30 Plum House (b07fg2q7)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 today]
FRI 15:00 Wilkie Collins - The Moonstone (b007jpbp)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:00 today]
FRI 16:00 Whodunnits (b06d8h0y)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
FRI 16:30 Agatha Christie (b00jzckt)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
FRI 17:00 The Mist in the Mirror by Susan Hill (b036q7t8)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
FRI 17:15 Shakespeare's Restless World (b01gvwxr)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:15 today]
FRI 17:30 Ed Reardon's Week (b05wyhnv)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
FRI 18:00 Albert and Me (b007jv04)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
FRI 18:30 Kathmandu or Bust (b07rhlzg)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
FRI 19:00 The Food Quiz (b0076mlq)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
FRI 19:30 Plum House (b07fg2q7)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 today]
FRI 20:00 Beware the Stare! (m001rxk2)
Alan Dein explores the impact of John Wyndham’s Midwich Cuckoos, and its 1960 film version, Village of the Damned.
The Cuckoos are coming. The cuckoos are coming!
Blonde-haired, shiny-eyed and ready to stare mankind into oblivion.
John Wyndham's Midwich Cuckoos and its 1960 film version, Village of the Damned, have spooked generations with their quietly terrifying tale of alien invasion in middle England.
Reuniting the cast and crew from the Village of the damned is just the beginning for Alan Dein as he goes in search of Midwich on film and in print.
What inspired John Wyndham to pen this tale of extra-terrestrial rape, mass infanticide and suicide bombing?
How can we know so little about the man who puts Triffids in the backyard and Cuckoos in our homes?
Producer: Mark Burman
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2004.
FRI 20:30 Soul Music (m000qlwg)
Once In A Lifetime
Stories from people about how ‘Once In A Lifetime’, Talking Heads' existential hit from 1980, touched their lives.
Talking Heads emerged out of the post punk scene of the late 1970s. 'Once In A Lifetime' is the iconic single taken from their album Remain In Light. With its looped synthesizer and Afrobeat inspired by Fela Kuti it seemed to pre-empt the consumerism and ennui of the 1980s.
Writer Ian Gittins interviewed David Byrne and later wrote his book Once In A Lifetime. He says David Byrne had in mind people of a certain middle class existence who seemingly breeze through life with ease when he wrote the lyrics. They may get to middle age or reach a crisis point and ask "How did I get here?" For a song that invites us to question our lives it has a suprisingly emotional core that encourages people to be grateful and make positive changes in their lives where necessary.
For Glaswegian Gerry Murphy that meant becoming more present for his family after serious illness forced him to reconsider the amount of time he devoted to his career. He went on to write a book about his experience - And You May Find Yourself: A Guided Practice To Never Fearing Death Again.
Ian Peddie was inspired by the song to leave his dead end existence in Wolverhampton in the mid 1980s to 'find himself in another part of the world' following his dreams.
Kelly Waterhouse says the song symbolises gratitude for all the things she takes for granted and sometimes struggles with in her life as a busy working mother.
And singer Angelique Kidjo recorded her own version of Once In A Lifetime in 2018 after coming full circle with the song from her arrival in Paris in 1983 after fleeing the dictatorship in her home country of Benin. She heard the song at a student party and recognised the Afrobeats adopted by David Byrne and Brian Eno that made her feel both joyful and homesick at the same time.
Producer: Maggie Ayre
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2020.
FRI 21:00 Monsters of Music with Tom Allen (p0gb53lv)
The Divine Maria Callas with Arielle Free
Maria Callas lived a life dramatic enough to have been an operatic storyline in its own right. From ending up in a love triangle with Jackie Kennedy to being served with legal papers in the middle of a performance, Maria's life was filled with scandal, betrayal and heartbreak.
But was the singer who started her life quite literally singing for her supper the Diva her contemporaries made her out to be? Did the tragedies she faced throughout her life eclipse her musical legacy? In this episode radio presenter and DJ Arielle Free traces the extraordinary highs and lows of Maria's life to find out if she was a villain, a victim, or somewhere in between.
Listen only on BBC Sounds.
Produced by Audio Always
Producer: Rufaro Faith Mazarura
Exec Producer: Jo Meek
Sound Design: Craig Edmondson
FRI 21:30 Charles Chilton - Journey into Space (b007jqz9)
The Red Planet
20. Return to the Moon
Captain Jet Morgan and his crew must battle to outrun the Martian Spheres in their bid to escape...
Conclusion of Charles Chilton’s 1954 classic set in 1971.
CAST:
Jet Morgan …. Andrew Faulds
Lemmy …. David Kossoff
Doc …. Guy Kingsley Poynter
Mitch …. Bruce Beeby
Various .... John Cazabon
Announcer/Various …. David Jacobs
Music composed and conducted by Van Phillips.
Producer: Charles Chilton
First broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in January 1955.
FRI 22:00 Desolation Jests (b086s7jt)
Episode 4
David Jason stars in the final episode of David Renwick's post-apocalyptic comedy alongside John Bird, Jan Ravens and Rory Bremner.
Each week J P Doom interviews an iconic cultural behemoth about the comic moments they would most like by their side as they face their own mortality. This week Sydney Pynchlink, the innovative director behind some of the country's most admired weather forecasts chooses the laughs that would comfort them most during the extinction of all life on the planet; including a joke too dangerous for parliament, a horse with three legs, and a lobster with a rather crucial piece of evidence.
Cast:
David Jason
John Bird
Jan Ravens
Rory Bremner
Adie Allen
James Lailey
Nick Underwood
Produced by Gareth Edwards
Production Coordinator: Sophie Richardson
It was a BBC Studios Production.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 2017.
FRI 22:30 I Think I've Got a Problem (b007wp39)
Series 1
Episode 1
Tom Caine awakes one morning to discover he can't stop singing at inappropriate moments. As a result, he loses his job and his girlfriend Sadie.
Who are the strange bunch of musicians following him around? Why can't anyone else see them? Will Tom reach the high notes?
Andrew McGibbon and Nick Romero's everyday story about a man who can't stop himself from breaking into song.
Suggs ..... Tom Caine
Bob Monkhouse ..... Dr Boone
Mika Simmons ..... Sadie
Phil Cornwell ..... Bouche
Michael Roberts ..... Clammy Clemence
Andrew McGibbon ..... Jake
Nick Romero ..... Monty DeVere
Emma Clarke ..... Miss Lie
Songs: Andrew McGibbon. Nick Romero and Suggs
Director: Chris Neill
Producers: Torquil MacLeod. Julian Mayers and Andrew McGibbon.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 2001.
FRI 23:00 Nick Mohammed in Quarters (b00hdbgz)
Episode 4
A manic anger management facilitator tackles road rage.
Energetic and eccentric sketches from Nick Mohammed
With:
Anna Crilly
Colin Hoult
Producer Victoria Lloyd
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 2009
FRI 23:15 Bunk Bed (m0003z9l)
Series 6
Episode 4
Everyone craves a place where their mind and body are not applied to a particular task. The nearest faraway place.
Somewhere for drifting and lighting upon strange thoughts which don't have to be shooed into context, but which can be followed like balloons escaping onto the air.
Late at night, in the dark and in a bunk bed, your tired mind can wander.
This is the nearest faraway place for Patrick Marber and Peter Curran.
Here they endeavour to get the heart of things in an entertainingly vague and indirect way. This is not the place for typical male banter.
From under the bed clothes, they wrestle life's challenges.
Now they're examining the etiquette of Farmers, David Bowie sex fantasies, hair transplants and the dangerous charm of the song The Air That I Breathe.
Producer: Peter Curran
A Foghorn production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in April 2019.
FRI 23:30 The Boosh (b007jmfm)
Jungle
Howard has had enough of the way Bob Fossil is running the zoo, so he sets off in search of his childhood hero and legendary zookeeper, Tommy.
Written by and starring Noel Fielding and Julian Barratt.
The Boosh is a surreal adventure based on the Perrier Award-winning comedy show, featuring Howard and Vince's battles with zoo manager Bob Fossil.
Howard Moon …. Julian Barrattt
Vince Noir …. Noel Fielding
Bob Fossil …. Rich Fulcher
With Richard Ayoade.
After BBC radio gave them their big break with this series, they transferred to BBC TV where The Mighty Boosh ran for three series.
Producer: Danny Wallace.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 2001.