SATURDAY 23 MARCH 2024

SAT 00:00 Second Body (b01pp897)
Anna is a painter driven to capture the haunting images of death that fill the twilight world of her dreams.
But whose death do they foretell?
BAFTA-winning writer Trevor Preston draws on his own experience as an artist in this dark thriller.
Anna ....... Tara Fitzgerald
Robert ....... Raymond Coulthard
Schuman ....... Kenneth Collard
Munch ....... Ben Crowe
Jacob ....... Stephen Greif
Stella ....... Liza Sadovy
Mr Otis ....... Patrick Brennan
Zelda ....... Sarah Thom
Trevor Preston trained at the Royal College of Art before embarking on a TV career.
He wrote for many of the 1970s and 80s best dramas, including Ace of Wands, Callan, The Sweeney, Minder, Out and Fox, for which Trevor received a BAFTA in 1981.
His film work includes Billy the Kid and the Green Baize Vampire and the Mike Hodges directed I'll Sleep When I'm Dead with Clive Owen.
Trevor has written three radio plays, the first of which, Flaw in the Motor, Dust in the Blood, was shortlisted for the Imison Award and a Mental Health in the Media Award in 2009.
Director: Toby Swift.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 2013.
SAT 00:45 HG Wells (b08wdr4b)
Ghost Stories by HG Wells
The Inexperienced Ghost
When a man comes across an unconvincing apparition, he helps it out. But at a cost.
HG Wells’ short story was first published in The Strand Magazine in 1902.
Abridged by Madge Hart.
Read by David McAlister.
Producer: Pat McLoughlin
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 1985.
SAT 01:00 Charles Dickens - A Tale of Two Cities (b018gzm8)
5. The Substance and the Shadow
Sydney Carton is in Paris with Lucie and her father, determined to try and save Charles Darnay's life.
Then, an encounter in a Paris street with someone from the import-export trade, may just provide the ghost of a chance.
Charles Dickens's novel published in 1859 - set in London and Paris before and during the French Revolution.
Starring Robert Lindsay, Andrew Scott and and Paul Ready.
Dramatised by Mike Walker
Charles Dickens .... Robert Lindsay
Jarvis Lorry .... Jonathan Coy
Miss Pross .... Alison Steadman
Dr Alexandre Manette .... Karl Johnson
Lucie Manette .... Lydia Wilson
Charles Darnay .... Andrew Scott
Sydney Carton .... Paul Ready
Therese Defarge .... Tracy Wiles
Jerry Cruncher .... Carl Prekopp
Barsad .... Gerard McDermott
Court President .... Paul Moriarty
Young Manette .... Christopher Webster
Young Evremonde .... Adam Billington
With Rikki Lawton and Alex Rivers
Music by Lennert Busch.
Directors: Jessica Dromgoole & Jeremy Mortimer
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 2011.
SAT 01:45 Ash on Guavas by Lawrence Scott (m001xclg)
Sarah loves geography and starts to write her essay while her grandparents head up to the hills.
But then, everything is changed by the beautiful but dangerous landscape...
Story set on the Caribbean Island of Montserrat.
Written and read by Lawrence Scott
Producer: Pam Fraser Solomon
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 1997.
SAT 02:00 RD Wingfield (b0089kpv)
RD Wingfield - Daylight Robbery
'Elderly lady living alone in remote house, willing to take in paying guests.'
When Miss Pickering puts this ad in the newspaper, she has an ulterior motive.
So have the four gentlemen who reply...
Starring Monica Grey.
Crime drama by RD Wingfield.
Miss Pickering .... Monica Grey
Colonel Fryatt .... Norman Shelley
Dr Brown .... Jonathan Scott
Harris .... Peter Woodthorpe
Wakeson .... Howard Goorney
Bank Manager .... Lewis Stringer
Woman in Telephone Kiosk .... Daisy Bell
Jones .... Brian Gear
Woman in Crowd .... Elizabeth Havelock
Constable .... Douglas Leach
Car Driver .... David Ponting
Other parts played by the cast.
Directed at BBC Bristol by John Cardy.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in June 1977.
SAT 02:45 Whodunnits (b013gcn9)
Val McDermid - Village SOS
5. Pub Night
DCI Bettany fears she's no closer to finding Colin Arnott's murderer.
Colin's plans to convert a United Reformed chapel into a performing arts centre made him enemies in the village.
Bettany hopes that spending a night in the village pub will bring her closer to the killer.
Detective team created for BBC Radio by award-winning author Val McDermid, creator of TV's Wire in the Blood.
Starring Helen Baxendale.
Village SOS is a fictional version of the BBC ONE series of the same name.
DCI Marion Bettany ..... Helen Baxendale
DS John Hodgson ..... David Seddon
Peter Robson ..... Shaun Prendergast
Kai Ling Arnott ..... Liz Sutherland
Pamela McIntosh ..... Elaine Claxton
Tom Briggs ..... Christian Rodska
Producer / Director: Fiona Kelcher
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 2011.
SAT 03:00 Sunshine and Laughter by Louis Barfe (m000z78r)
5. He Didn't Want to Go
At the height of the duo's brilliant career, Eric Morecambe has a serious heart attack, and a fatal one in 1984.
After a partnership of five decades, Ernie will spend the rest of his life looking for Eric.
The story of Morecambe and Wise written by Louis Barfe.
Abridged by Libby Spurrier.
Concluded by Penelope Keith.
Producer: Celia de Wolff
A Pier production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in September 2021.
SAT 03:15 Cry Babies (m0008y7w)
Series 1
5. Oh No
After her loss Sally and Bea discuss their new circumstances after Eddie returns from abroad.
Sue and Bea are best friends in their late 30s - which means it's crunch time. The decisions they make now will affect them forever.
They meet whenever they can for coffee, but Life - work, money, family - is in danger of pushing them apart.
Starring Ophelia Lovibond and Montserrat Lombard
EV Crowe's frank and funny exploration of female friendship in all its gruesome glory.
Sally .... Montserrat Lombard
Bea .... Ophelia Lovibond
Director: Abigail le Fleming
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 2019.
SAT 03:30 All Those Women (b087ts6z)
Series 2
Episode 3
An unexpected death leads all four of the family to consider what's really important, as well as giving David a chance to spend some quality time (of sorts) with Maggie - much to Hetty's disapproval.
Comedy series by Katherine Jakeways about four generations of women living under one roof.
All Those Women explores familial relationships, ageing, marriages - it's about life and love and things not turning out quite the way that you'd expected them to.
Join Hetty, Maggie, Jen and Emily as they struggle to resolve their own problems, and support one another.
Hetty ...... Marcia Warren
Maggie ...... Lesley Manville
Jen ...... Sinead Matthews
Emily ...... Lucy Hutchinson
David ...... Denis Lill
Vicar ...... Catriona McFarlane
Carol ...... Alison Belbin
Producer: Alexandra Smith
A BBC Studios production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in January 2017.
SAT 04:00 Marriage Lines (b06859bf)
Series 2
Episode 12
What will George and Kate make of their first house?
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 …. Edward de Souza
Mrs Baker …. Gretchen Franklin
Mrs Wheeler …. Norma Ronald
Other parts played by:
John Baddeley
Alec Bregonzi
Producer: Charles Maxwell
First broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in June 1967.
SAT 04:30 Big Jim and the Figaro Club (b008m30v)
Boning Up on History
Harold Perkins wants to dig for post-war Britain, but the workmates decide to soil his plans.
Six anarchic tales from those demob days “when we was going to build the new Jerusalem - you know, before the world turned lax and sour”.
Written by Ted Walker.
Narrated by Bernard Cribbins.
Big Jim …. Norman Rossington
Harold Perkins …. Roland Curram
Old Ned …. Harold Goodwin
Nimrod …. David John
Turps … Sylvester McCoy
Chick …. David Beckett
Harry …. Steven Harrold
Miss Farquhar …. Hilary Mason
Farmer …. Douglas Blackwell
Trev the Rev …. Ben Aris
Producer: Martin Fisher
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 1987.
SAT 05:00 Whispers (b00n90xf)
Series 3
Episode 1
Gyles Brandreth hosts the quiz show with scandal on its mind and slander at its heart.
Joining team captains Lucy Moore and Anthony Holden to run the gauntlet of gossip:
Penny Junor
Julian Fellowes
Producer: Victoria Lloyd
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 2005.
SAT 05:30 Bookcases (b00srvks)
Series 1
Bronte Country
London 1853: The orderly life of religious publishers, Spavin and Spavin, is set to transformed by an actress and her son.
Cordelia is setting her sights on one of the partners, while her son Primus fancies taking over the firm, starting with hopes of 'acquiring' Charlotte Bronte...
Starring Michael Cochrane and Maggie Steed.
Series 1 of Martyn Wade's Victorian era comedy.
Primus …. Michael Cochrane
Cordelia …. Maggie Steed
Gerald …. David Horovitch
Edith …. Elizabeth Spriggs
The Reverend Bronte …. Geoffrey Whitehead
Charlotte …. Sarah Jane Holm
Mrs Gaskell/Emily Bronte …. Frances Jeater
Equity …. David Antrobus
Director: Cherry Cookson
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 1998.
SAT 06:00 Inspector Morse (b007k4jl)
Last Seen Wearing
Inspector Morse is reluctant to take over an old missing person case from a deceased colleague.
But murder is Morse's speciality and the case soon throws up complications.
Stars John Shrapnel and Robert Glenister
Colin Dexter's second Morse crime novel, first published in 1976.
Dramatised by Guy Meredith.
Inspector Morse ...... John Shrapnel
Sergeant Lewis ...... Robert Glenister
Donald Philipson ...... Miles Anderson
Sheila Philipson ...... Melinda Walker
Gwen Taylor ...... Frances Jeater
George Taylor ...... Donald Sumpter
Valerie Taylor ...... Tamsin Greig
Reginald Baines ...... Terence Edmond
Chief Supt. Strange ...... John Hartley
Mrs Ainley ...... Auriol Smith
John McGuire ..... Paul Panting
Sergeant Dickson ..... Lyndam Gregory
David Acum ...... David Jarvis
Joe ...... James Taylor
Versatile Vera ...... Emily Woof
Police Surgeon ...... Don McCorkindale
Sergeant Rogers ...... Michael Onslow
Radio 3 announcer ...... Catriona Young
Theme music by Wilfredo Acosta.
Director: Ned Chaillet
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 1994.
SAT 07:30 To the Lake by Kapka Kassabova (Omnibus) (m000fnv9)
The term ‘Balkanise’ came into being a century ago to describe a region fragmented into smaller mutually hostile states.
Kapka Kassabova explores her own family’s ties to the south-west Balkans and their fractured history of exile, discord and harmony.
It's a place which has at its heart two lakes of exceptional beauty and wilderness, and a gathering of many stories and voices.
Read by Clare Corbett
Omnibus of five parts abridged by Jill Waters and Isobel Creed
Producer: Jill Waters
A Waters Company production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in February 2020.
SAT 08:40 Inheritance Tracks (b07cb4ll)
Rick Astley
Singer Rick Astley chooses 'That's Amore', sung by Dean Martin, and 'Buck Rogers' by Feeder.
SAT 08:45 Singular Women (b00752sz)
Bea
Stewart Permutt's bittersweet comedies of the world according to the first of four very different women.
June Brown plays Bea, the long-suffering companion of a minor, whose unfortunate demise puts her happily into the limelight.
June is best remembered as the iconic soap opera character, Dot Cotton in BBC TV's EastEnders.
Director: Marion Nancarrow
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 1997.
SAT 09:00 Not in Front of the Children (b08kgtqt)
Series 2
Friendships Old, Friendships New
Jennifer finds her first day alone in the new cottage rather lonely.
Starring Wendy Craig and Francis Matthews.
The comedy mishaps of the Corner family - Jennifer and Henry and their three kids Trudi, Amanda and Robin.
Four series were first shown on BBC TV from 1967 to 1970.
Richard Waring adapted his own TV scripts for this radio version, now fully restored from the original reel-to-reel tapes.
Jennifer Corner …. Wendy Craig
Henry Corner …. Francis Matthews
Mary …. Charlotte Mitchell
Trudi …. Roberta Tovey
Amanda …. Jill Riddick
Robin …. Hugo Keith-Johnston
Disc Jockey …. Benny Lee
Mr Hobson …. Jeffrey Segal
Dorothy Jane …. Jordan Rogers
Pam …. Gwenda Wilson
Mrs Hobson …. Olwen Griffiths
Music by Ronnie Hazlehurst
Producer: Trafford Whitelock.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 2 in December 1970.
SAT 09:30 Ray's a Laugh (m001xnqx)
From 22/01/1960
With cauliflowers piled up in the back garden, Ted tries mass producing his mother-in-law's delicious chutney.
But he gets in a right old pickle...
Starring Ted Ray.
Ray's a Laugh follows the comedy exploits of Ted's life at home with his 'radio' wife Kitty, as well as in a variety of jobs. It ran from 1949-1961.
Written by Bernard Botting and Charles Hart.
With:
Kitty Bluett
Kenneth Connor
Pat Coombs
Laidman Browne
BBC Variety Orchestra conducted by Paul Fenoulhet.
Producer: Leslie Bridgmont
First broadcast on the BBC Home Service in January 1960.
SAT 10:00 4 Extra Goes Gardening (m000v35j)
2. At Home with the Snails
Penelope Keith continues her exploration of Gertrude Jekyll's ten-acre garden – the enchanting Munstead Wood in Surrey
In the second of three programmes, Penelope discusses Gertrude's influence and changing horticultural fashions with broadcaster and author, James Wong, author Catherine Horwood and Munstead Wood's head gardener, Annabel Watts.
Horticultural wisdoms and delights featured from the BBC Archive:
* GARDENERS' QUESTION TIME - BBC Home Service - 1947
* RADIO ALLOTMENT - BBC Home Service - 1942
* AT HOME WITH THE SNAILS - BBC Radio 4 - 2001
Made for BBC Radio 4 Extra by Pier Productions and first broadcast in February 2014
SAT 11:00 Inspector Morse (b007k4jl)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
SAT 12:30 To the Lake by Kapka Kassabova (Omnibus) (m000fnv9)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
SAT 13:40 Inheritance Tracks (b07cb4ll)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:40 today]
SAT 13:45 Singular Women (b00752sz)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:45 today]
SAT 14:00 Not in Front of the Children (b08kgtqt)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
SAT 14:30 Ray's a Laugh (m001xnqx)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 today]
SAT 15:00 4 Extra Goes Gardening (m000v35j)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 today]
SAT 16:00 Second Body (b01pp897)
[Repeat of broadcast at 00:00 today]
SAT 16:45 HG Wells (b08wdr4b)
[Repeat of broadcast at 00:45 today]
SAT 17:00 Inspector Morse (b007k4jl)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
SAT 18:30 To the Lake by Kapka Kassabova (Omnibus) (m000fnv9)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
SAT 19:40 Inheritance Tracks (b07cb4ll)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:40 today]
SAT 19:45 Singular Women (b00752sz)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:45 today]
SAT 20:00 Not in Front of the Children (b08kgtqt)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
SAT 20:30 Ray's a Laugh (m001xnqx)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 today]
SAT 21:00 4 Extra Goes Gardening (m000v35j)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 today]
SAT 22:00 Paul Sinha's General Knowledge (m0008257)
Series 1
Episode 2
Paul Sinha - comedian, lapsed GP, Chaser and genuinely the fourth best quizzer in the United Kingdom, is here to tell you about... well, everything.
As a competitive quizzer, Paul learns fascinating facts all the time. As a curious man, he then looks up the stories behind those facts and they often turn out to be even more fascinating. In this series Paul Sinha's improves your general knowledge sharing fascinating facts and hilarious stories.
In this episode, a question about the connection between an Emmy-winning actor and an electro-pop pioneer.
Then we move through the world of sport in search of barely-believable but true facts, including one of Britain's greatest-ever cyclists - and the unusual circumstances around the 1904 Olympic Marathon.
Written and performed by Paul Sinha.
Producer: Ed Morrish
A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in September 2019.
SAT 22:30 That Mitchell and Webb Sound (b03jb1wp)
Series 5
Episode 1
The future of farming? Battery penguins!
Thomas Hardy's exciting idea to make his books even sadder.
And the very confusing goings on in a cash-register shop.
Comedy from the lopsided world of David Mitchell and Robert Webb.
With
Olivia Colman
James Bachman
Producer: Gareth Edwards
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 2013.
SAT 23:00 Please Use Other Door (m0014wv7)
Series 1
Episode 4
A series of sketches taking a sometimes dark look at the world of work, relationships, institutions and families.
Performed by:
Gabby Best
Will Hartley
Chris Ryman
Rebecca Shorrocks
Witney White
Toby Williams
Written by Kat Butterfield and Dan Audritt, Sophie Dickson, Laura Major, Rob Darke, Alex Nash and Sam South, Ed Amsden and Tom Coles, Cody Dahler, Toby Williams, Ed Tew, Anna Goodman, Imogen Andrews, Matt Harrison, Carwyn Blayney, Natasha Dhanraj, Alice Etches and Nathalie Antonia, Chris Ryman, Simon Alcock, Leigh Douglas, Chazz Redhead, Paul F Taylor, Jo Wiggins, Cameron Loxdale, Lewis Cook, Owen Petty, Tom Oxenham, Rebecca Heitlinger and Bill Dare.
Produced and created by Bill Dare
A BBC Studios Production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in March 2022.
SAT 23:30 Sarah Millican's Support Group (b00r7nqc)
Series 1
4. 'My broken heart needs fixing'.
'My broken heart needs fixing but I've only got paper glue'
'Tonight is the night that two become one - I'm leaving you'.
Sarah Millican plays a life counsellor and modern-day agony aunt tackling the nation's problems head on, dishing out real advice for real people.
Assisted by her very own team of experts.
Sarah ...... Sarah Millican
Marion ...... Ruth Bratt
Terry ...... Simon Daye
Marie ...... Jo Neary
Kim ...... Katherine Parkinson
Colin ...... Martin Trenaman
Written by Sarah Millican.
Producer: Lianne Coop
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 2010.

SUNDAY 24 MARCH 2024

SUN 00:00 Charles Chilton - Space Force (b007jmc2)
Series 1
3. The Silver Strangers
"The two strange figures drifted over from their ship to ours - they were heading for the main outside air lock..."
After drifting without power, the crew of Space Force receive a mysterious message and spot a spacecraft...
Starring Barry Foster and Nicky Henson.
Charles Chilton's intergalactic adventure.
Captain Saxon Berry .... Barry Foster
Chipper .... Nicky Henson
Magnus .... Nigel Stock
Lauderic .... Tony Osoba
With:
Wendy Murray
Teresa Stretfeild
Producer: Paul Mayhew-Archer
First broadcast on BBC Radio 2 in April 1984.
SUN 00:30 Susan Hill - The Woman in Black (b007jz83)
3. The Nursery and a Child
As thick fog descends, the ghostly encounters continue for solicitor Arthur Kipps when he returns to the eerie isolated house of the reclusive Mrs Drablow...
Susan Hill's chilling ghost story.
Starring John Woodvine and Robert Glenister.
Dramatised by Jon Strickland.
Young Kipps ...... Robert Glenister
Old Kipps ...... John Woodvine
Esme ...... Paula Tilbrook
Bentley ...... Stuart Richman
Mrs Daily ...... Diane Whitley
Samuel Daily ...... Rod Arthur
Music composed by Derek Pearce.
Directed at BBC Manchester by Chris Wallis
First broadcast on BBC Radio 5 in December 1993.
SUN 01:00 Inspector Morse (b007k4jl)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 on Saturday]
SUN 02:30 To the Lake by Kapka Kassabova (Omnibus) (m000fnv9)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 on Saturday]
SUN 03:40 Inheritance Tracks (b07cb4ll)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:40 on Saturday]
SUN 03:45 Singular Women (b00752sz)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:45 on Saturday]
SUN 04:00 Not in Front of the Children (b08kgtqt)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 on Saturday]
SUN 04:30 Ray's a Laugh (m001xnqx)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 on Saturday]
SUN 05:00 4 Extra Goes Gardening (m000v35j)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 on Saturday]
SUN 06:00 Poetry Extra (m001xlry)
Ted Hughes
Poet Daljit Nagra revisits the BBC's poetry archive and selects a special collection of programmes across the month featuring Ted Hughes and Sylvia Plath.
And we hear from Daljit's poetry writing students at Brunel University, London.
Listening and Writing - Moon Creatures with Ted Hughes - poems of fantasy by Ted Hughes about the Earth-Owl and other moon creatures.
Read and commented on by the poet.
Producer: Sam Langdon
First broadcast on the BBC Home Service in October 1963
And Three Score and Ten
Ted Hughes reads an excerpt of The Captain's Speech from a verse drama broadcast in 1960 and from the 1970s, The Mackerel Song.
Producer: Sharon Sephton
First broadcast on BBC Radio 3 in 2016.
SUN 06:30 Sunshine and Laughter by Louis Barfe (Omnibus) (m001xlsf)
The story of Morecambe & Wise, Britain’s greatest ever comedy double-act.
Eric Morecambe and Ernie Wise met for the first time in the 1930s, while appearing as separate acts in one of Jack Hylton’s touring variety shows.
Both were successful child stars, and each recognised a kindred spirit instantly. They learnt their trade the hard way with periods of 'resting' and several flops, but the hard won experience gained on the way up proved the making of them in a career that lasted half a century.
The story of the much-loved comic duo written by Louis Barfe.
Omnibus of five parts abridged by Libby Spurrier.
Read by actress Penelope Keith, who guested on one of their shows.
Producer: Celia de Wolff
A Pier production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in August 2021
SUN 07:40 Inheritance Tracks (m001xlt0)
James May
Presenter James May with ‘Dream, Darling, Dream’ by McGuinness Flint and ‘Summertime’ by DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince.
SUN 07:50 Cry Babies (Omnibus) (m00093m8)
Sally and Bea are best friends in their late 30s - which means it's crunch time.
The decisions they make now will affect them forever.
They meet whenever they can for coffee, but life - work, money, family - is in danger of pushing them apart.
EV Crowe's frank and funny exploration of female friendship in all its gruesome glory
Omnibus of five parts starring Montserrat Lombard and Ophelia Lovibond.
Sally ...... Montserrat Lombard
Bea ...... Ophelia Lovibond
Dave ...... Shaun Mason
Eddie .... Shaun Mason
Waiter ...Shaun Mason
Director: Abigail le Fleming
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 2019.
SUN 09:00 All Gas and Gaiters (m001xltk)
Series 2
The Bishop Takes Up Business
The Bishop wheels and deals, but it’s his Chaplain who comes out on top.
Ecclesiastical sitcom which started life on BBC TV.
Written and adapted by husband-and-wife team, Pauline Devaney and Edwin Apps.
The Archdeacon …. Robertson Hare
The Bishop …. William Mervyn
The Bishop's Chaplain …. Jonathan Cecil
The Dean …. John Barron
The Man from ‘Everybody’s Mother’ …. Billy Milton
All Gas and Gaiters started life as a TV pilot in Comedy Playhouse, ahead of a run on BBC1 from 1966 to 1971.
Selected scripts were revised and re-recorded for radio.
Producer: John Dyas
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 1972.
***** This programme is an off-air recording, and so does have a few issues with its technical quality – but we hope you enjoy it anyway.
SUN 09:30 The Navy Lark (m001xltz)
Series 10
Harold Wilson Reviews the Fleet
HMS Troutbridge inadvertently hosts a high profile inspection.
Starring Leslie Phillips, Jon Pertwee and Stephen Murray.
Laughs afloat aboard British Royal Navy frigate HMS Troutbridge.
Written by Lawrie Wyman.
Sub-Lieut. Phillips …. Leslie Phillips
Number 1 …. Stephen Murray
CPO Pertwee …. Jon Pertwee
Captain Povey .... Richard Caldicot
WREN Chasen …. Heather Chasen
The Admiral …. Tenniel Evans
Commander Bracewell …. Michael Bates
Harold Wilson …. Alan Reeve-Jones
Mary Wilson …. Elizabeth Morgan
The Navy Lark ran for an impressive 13 series between 1959 and 1976.
Producer: Alastair Scott Johnston
First broadcast on the BBC Radio 2 in January 1969.
SUN 10:00 Desert Island Discs Revisited (m001xlvf)
Comic Castaways 4
Tracey Ullman
Actor and comedian Tracey Ullman is castaway by Lauren Laverne.
Tracey was the first woman to be offered her own TV sketch show – both in Britain and America – and has starred in film and TV dramas alongside Meryl Streep, Cate Blanchett and Hugh Grant. The Emmy-winning Tracey Ullman Show ran for four seasons in the US and provided the launch pad for The Simpsons.
Tracey was born in Slough and as a child she would impersonate people and put on shows for the amusement of her mother after the death of her father. At 12 she won a scholarship to the Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts in London and worked in repertory theatre and the West End in London before her television career took off. She was one of the stars of the BBC’s primetime sketch show Three of a Kind alongside David Copperfield and a young Lenny Henry.
In 1985 she moved to Los Angeles with her husband, the producer Allan McKeown, where her uncanny impressions of Americans from all walks of life won her acclaim and awards in equal measure.
After the death of her husband Tracey returned to the UK in 2016 and was soon back on our screens in a new sketch series, Tracey Ullman’s Show, which showcased her enduring talent for sending up the powerful and the famous, including Dame Judi Dench, Angela Merkel and Theresa May.
DISC ONE: American Girl by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
DISC TWO: You Won't See Me by The Beatles
DISC THREE: Nichols and May At Work by Mike Nichols And Elaine May
DISC FOUR: That's The Way Of The World by Earth, Wind & Fire
DISC FIVE: Everyday I Write the Book by Elvis Costello And The Attractions
DISC SIX: They Don’t Know by Kirsty MacColl
DISC SEVEN: You and I by Stevie Wonder
DISC EIGHT: This Is the Sea by The Waterboys
BOOK CHOICE: The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, Aged 13¾ by Sue Townsend
LUXURY ITEM: Nuts
CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: You and I by Stevie Wonder
Presenter Lauren Laverne
Producer Paula McGinley
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 2021.
SUN 10:45 David Attenborough's Life Stories (b010t6c0)
Series 2
Butterflies
When massing for their winter torpor in Mexico, the pine trees laden with Monarch Butterflies are one of the most mystical and magical places to be.
David Attenborough is one of many naturalists, writers and broadcasters to marvel at this species migration feat and the spectacle of their over wintering - one of the natural wonders of the world.
David guides us through the butterfly's migration to Canada from Mexico - and back again - gently unpacking their natural history and wonder.
He also immerses us in other butterfly congregations during filming trips over the years - but in a clever twist brings us back to his garden with an intriguing thought about the evolution of butterfly behaviour.
Written and presented by David Attenborough
Producer: Julian Hector.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 2011.
SUN 11:00 Poetry Extra (m001xlry)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
SUN 11:30 Sunshine and Laughter by Louis Barfe (Omnibus) (m001xlsf)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
SUN 12:40 Inheritance Tracks (m001xlt0)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:40 today]
SUN 12:50 Cry Babies (Omnibus) (m00093m8)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:50 today]
SUN 14:00 All Gas and Gaiters (m001xltk)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
SUN 14:30 The Navy Lark (m001xltz)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 today]
SUN 15:00 Desert Island Discs Revisited (m001xlvf)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 today]
SUN 15:45 David Attenborough's Life Stories (b010t6c0)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:45 today]
SUN 16:00 Charles Chilton - Space Force (b007jmc2)
[Repeat of broadcast at 00:00 today]
SUN 16:30 Susan Hill - The Woman in Black (b007jz83)
[Repeat of broadcast at 00:30 today]
SUN 17:00 Poetry Extra (m001xlry)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
SUN 17:30 Sunshine and Laughter by Louis Barfe (Omnibus) (m001xlsf)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
SUN 18:40 Inheritance Tracks (m001xlt0)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:40 today]
SUN 18:50 Cry Babies (Omnibus) (m00093m8)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:50 today]
SUN 20:00 All Gas and Gaiters (m001xltk)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
SUN 20:30 The Navy Lark (m001xltz)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 today]
SUN 21:00 Desert Island Discs Revisited (m001xlvf)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 today]
SUN 21:45 David Attenborough's Life Stories (b010t6c0)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:45 today]
SUN 22:00 Moon Night (m001xp15)
Chapter 1. Waxing Crescent
It sits around 240, 000 miles away from earth, yet it dominates our night sky, moves our oceans and has been a source of cultural and artistic wonder for thousands of years.
Across this full moon night, Kevin Fong takes a journey through the BBC Archive for a long look at our relationship with the moon.
Programmes include a lunar adventure with Jarvis Cocker, a study of werewolves with Mark Radcliffe, Helen Sharman hears from those who have stood on the moon itself, and Bill Nighy stars in a drama about how love and the moon could destroy the world.
Going through the night, from 10pm until 5am, join Kevin Fong for a unique night of radio adventures, taking you all the way to the moon and back.
In Chapter 1: Waxing Crescent programmes include;
- Jarvis Cocker's Wireless Nights: Full Moon
- Soul Music - Harvest Moon. How Neil Young's 1992 song, about growing old and enduring love, still has an impact on listeners today. From 2020.
Plus; Rutherford and Fry find out how the moon formed, and we ask the astronomer Patricia Skelton to explain where our names for Full Moons derive from.
SUN 23:20 Moon Night (m001xp18)
Chapter 2. Waxing Gibbous
It sits around 240, 000 miles away from earth, yet it dominates our night sky, moves our oceans and has been a source of cultural and artistic wonder for thousands of years.
Across this full moon night, Kevin Fong takes a journey through the BBC Archive for a long look at our relationship with the moon.
Programmes include a lunar adventure with Jarvis Cocker, a study of werewolves with Mark Radcliffe, Helen Sharman hears from those who have stood on the moon itself, and Bill Nighy stars in a drama about how love and the moon could destroy the world.
Going through the night, from 10pm until 5am, join Kevin Fong for a unique night of radio adventures, taking you all the way to the moon and back.
In Chapter 2: Waxing Gibbous programmes include;
- The Lunar Effect: The Cycle - Michelle Gomez reads John Connolly's short story.
- Howling At The Moon - Mark Radcliffe investigates the cult of the werewolf.
- Why The Moon, Luke? - Artist Luke Jerram is obsessed with the Moon. So he has made one.
Plus; the writer Nell Frizzell shares a personal story about finding connection and companionship with the moon.

MONDAY 25 MARCH 2024

MON 00:45 Moon Night (m001xp1b)
Chapter 3. Full Moon
It sits around 240, 000 miles away from earth, yet it dominates our night sky, moves our oceans and has been a source of cultural and artistic wonder for thousands of years.
Across this full moon night, Kevin Fong takes a journey through the BBC Archive for a long look at our relationship with the moon.
Programmes include a lunar adventure with Jarvis Cocker, a study of werewolves with Mark Radcliffe, Helen Sharman hears from those who have stood on the moon itself, and Bill Nighy stars in a drama about how love and the moon could destroy the world.
Going through the night, from 10pm until 5am, join Kevin Fong for a unique night of radio adventures, taking you all the way to the moon and back.
In Chapter 3: Full Moon programmes include;
- A Sleepwalk on the Severn - The poet Alice Oswald's evocation of the experience of moonrise over the Severn Estuary.
- 28ish Days Later - Day Twenty-One: In the Moonlight
- Ramblings - we join Clare Balding for part of her walk along the South Downs Way, this time at night under a full moon.
MON 01:57 Moon Night (m001xp1d)
Chapter 4. Waning Gibbous
It sits around 240, 000 miles away from earth, yet it dominates our night sky, moves our oceans and has been a source of cultural and artistic wonder for thousands of years.
Across this full moon night, Kevin Fong takes a journey through the BBC Archive for a long look at our relationship with the moon.
Programmes include a lunar adventure with Jarvis Cocker, a study of werewolves with Mark Radcliffe, Helen Sharman hears from those who have stood on the moon itself, and Bill Nighy stars in a drama about how love and the moon could destroy the world.
Going through the night, from 10pm until 5am, join Kevin Fong for a unique night of radio adventures, taking you all the way to the moon and back.
In Chapter 4: Waning Gibbous programmes include;
- Ticket To The Moon - Patrick Moore tells Peter Scott why we should travel to the moon. From 1956.
- Moonwalk Memoirs - Helen Sharman recalls the Apollo missions with some of the men who left their footprints on the lunar surface.
Plus we hear from Mahesh Anand about the future of lunar exploration, and the amateur astronomer Roger Hutchinson shows us how to get close to the moon.
MON 03:30 Moon Night (m001xp1g)
Chapter 5. Waning Crescent
It sits around 240, 000 miles away from earth, yet it dominates our night sky, moves our oceans and has been a source of cultural and artistic wonder for thousands of years.
Across this full moon night, Kevin Fong takes a journey through the BBC Archive for a long look at our relationship with the moon.
Programmes include a lunar adventure with Jarvis Cocker, a study of werewolves with Mark Radcliffe, Helen Sharman hears from those who have stood on the moon itself, and Bill Nighy stars in a drama about how love and the moon could destroy the world.
Going through the night, from 10pm until 5am, join Kevin Fong for a unique night of radio adventures, taking you all the way to the moon and back.
In Chapter 5: Waning Crescent programmes include;
- The Music That Melted - Richard Coles hears musicians gather under the full moon in Norway to make ice music.
- Re: The Moon - by Ross Sutherland, first heard in Short Cuts - Moonlight.
- I Wish to Apologise for My Part in the Apocalypse - Bill Nighy stars in Duncan Macmillan's romantic comedy about the end of the world, a woman who falls in love with the moon, and her husband who falls back in love with her.
MON 05:00 Houdini (m001xlrt)
“A man naked against the world, bound in chains, deprived of all help….Houdini’s death defying escape from a galvanised iron can, filled with water and secured with massive locks….failure means a drowning death!”
The story of the master magician, escapologist, and at the time of his death in 1926, one of the most famous men in the world, Harry Houdini.
Starring Michael Maloney as Houdini.
Written by Bob Sinfield.
Harry Houdini .... Michael Maloney
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle .... Graham Crowden
Bess .... Lorelei King
Lady Conan Doyle .... Gwen Taylor
Dash .... Jack Klaff
Whitehead .... Dan Strauss
Dr Steves .... Dick Vosburgh
Producer: Graham Pass
First broadcast on BBC Radio 2 in October 1996.
MON 06:00 Andrew Sachs - The Revenge (b007jr11)
Que? Andrew Sachs' pioneering thriller featuring sound effects and 11 actors, but no written dialogue.
This experimental play for radio an attempt to tell a story in terms of sounds alone. There is no dialogue, and no coherent speech, yet the play is a thriller with a straightforward storyline full of action and dramatic tension.
Recorded on location using the naturalistic recording techniques of binaural stereo.
Written and interpreted by Andrew Sachs, The Revenge, was the world's first radio drama without words...
With:
Andrew Sachs
Sean Barrett
Fraser Kerr
Graham Ashley
Paul Rosebury
Michael Deacon
Blain Fairman
John Rye
Melody Sachs,
Frances Jeater
Leonard Fenton.
Technical Presentation: Lloyd Silverthorne
Producer: Glyn Dearman
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1978.
MON 06:30 Whodunnits (b007jl9k)
Julie Enfield Investigates - The Smithfield Murders
1. Filth and Fat and Blood and Foam
A gruesome murder at London’s famous Smithfield meat market.
It's just the start of another troubling investigation for Detective Superintendent Julie Enfield.
Starring Imelda Staunton.
Atmospheric thriller in five parts written by Nick Fisher.
DSI Julie Enfield ..... Imelda Staunton
Dad ...... Geoffrey Matthews
DS Lawrence Evans ...... Ross Livingstone
Sally ...... Jane Whittenshaw
Benjamin Travis ...... Geoffrey Whitehead
Joey Jones ...... Don McCorkindale
Miss Sayers ...... Linda Regan
Terence Johns ...... David Bannerman
Rachel Jones ...... Jilly Bond
Micky Matthews ...... John Hollis
Doctor ...... Stephen Thorne
Producer: Richard Wortley
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 1995.
MON 07:00 The Restaurant: A History of Eating Out by William Sitwell (m000h8fx)
1. First Bite
The history of eating out is a story of life - of politics, courage, skill, art, innovation and of luck.   
We start in Pompeii, where  many restaurants doubled up as brothels.    
In the Ottoman Empire, we discover that doner kebabs were cooked in the open air at dainty picnics.
After Henry VIII’s break from Rome and the Dissolution of the Monasteries, travellers were left with nowhere to get a meal and a bed for the night and so the monastic staff who survived the purges needed places to work and very enterprisingly opened taverns which were soon packed with locals and visitors.
By the 1820s, Paris was freed from the restraints of the revolution and became fashionable again with luxurious shops and restaurants and chefs - notably Marie-Antoine Careme who turned French cuisine into Gastronomy and remains an influence on chefs even to this day
The 20th Century saw the birth and domination of fast food.
In 1948, McDonalds became successful and in 1951 a man called Glen Bell found a way to mass produce Tacos. Sushi became a world favourite after a Japanese entrepreneur visited a brewery and was inspired by the conveyer belt system of carrying bottles, which he adapted for his restaurants.
The Indian restaurant started life in the 1940s when a number of cafes sprang up in London’s Brick Lane and Commercial Road to support a community of seamen from Bangladesh.
Albert and the late Michel Roux set the standard of English restaurant food in 1960s London whether it was liked or not. Customers complained that the portions were too small. "This is French gastronomy". But there were enough Londoners to keep the restaurant busy and full from day one.
By March 1968, Le Gavroche was famous.
Written in five parts by William Sitwell.
Read by Lesley Sharp.
A Pier production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in April 2020.
MON 07:15 Life Lines (m000bcm3)
Series 3
1. Emergency
Carrie is an ambulance call handler who must deal with heart-stopping situations.
A man is intent on taking his own life. Can the emergency services get to him in time?
Return of Al Smith's award-winning drama series going behind-the-scenes of an ambulance control room.
Carrie ..... Sarah Ridgeway
Peter ..... Jonjo O'Neill
Will ..... Rick Warden
Ian ..... Mike Jibson
Producer: Sally Avens.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 2019.
MON 07:30 Mum's on the Run (b00tmtjb)
Episode 3
When Jen starts trying to date again, things are bound to go awry.
She manages to get involved in a complicated online mix up which involves the neighbours and the kids' teacher...
Mum's on the Run is a modern-day twist on the single-family situation. It follows the hectic life ("What life?") of single mum, Jen.
Starring Ronni Ancona.
Mother of two, Master of none - Jen seems to spend most of her time as an unpaid chauffeur to a 15 year-old teenage existentialist son, Toby, and a tonally challenged recorder-practising 11 year-old daughter, Felicity
She must also cope with her jazz musician ex-husband, the fiercely competitive and annoying downstairs neighbour and a huge crush on her son's history teacher.
Written by Alexis Zegerman.
Jen ..... Ronni Ancona
Mr. Rigby ..... John Gordon Sinclair
Shelley ..... Alexis Zegerman
Vivienne ..... Christine Kavanagh
Felicity ..... Amy Dabrowa
Toby ..... Alexander Heath
Radio DJ/Waiter ..... Lloyd Thomas
Adam ..... Caleb Hughes
Producer: Dawn Ellis
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 2010.
MON 08:00 Steptoe and Son (b007jn4t)
Series 5
A Star Is Born
Harold falls for the leading lady from his drama society - and Albert makes an entrance.
Starring Wilfrid Brambell and Harry H Corbett.
Classic sitcom about the lives of rag and bone men Albert Steptoe and his son Harold.
Written for BBC TV and adapted for BBC Radio by Ray Galton and Alan Simpson.
Albert ...... Wilfrid Brambell
Harold ...... Harry H Corbett
Rupert ...... Trevor Bannister
With:
Jo Manning Wilson
Michael McClain
Nicolette MacKenzie
Producer: Bobby Jaye
First broadcast on BBC Radio 2 in June 1974.
MON 08:30 Winston (b007qzh8)
Winston Comes to Town
Has Anyone Seen Winston?
The family has moved to London. Old rogue Winston spends hours up a tree in the garden, but then he disappears...
Peter Tinniswood's bawdy comedy serial.
Winston ...... Bill Wallis
Father ...... Maurice Denham
Nancy ...... Shirley Dixon
Rosie ...... Liz Goulding
William ...... Christian Rodska
Director: Shaun MacLoughlin.
First broadcast on BBC Radio in January 1990.
MON 09:00 Many a Slip (b007js4m)
From 25/07/1978
Quizmaster Roy Plomley challenges his contestants to spot the mistakes.
Eleanor Summerfield and Gillian Reynolds
battle
David Nixon and Tim Rice
With some tune-twisters from Steve Race.
Devised and written by Ian Messiter.
Producer: Martin Fisher
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 1978.
MON 09:30 Ring Around the Bath (b01fln4t)
Series 3
Love in a Cottage
Daughter Alison has moved in with her boyfriend, making it one down and three to go for mum Stella.
She and Patrick begin to seriously think about retiring and give country weekending a go. But what's going on while they're away?
Starring Duncan Preston and Pippa Haywood.
Return of Lucy Clare and Ian Davidson's sitcom about topsy-turvy family life.
Patrick …. Duncan Preston
Stella …. Pippa Haywood
Alison …. Claudie Blakley
Rick …. Bruce MacKinnon
Xanthe …. Catherine Shepherd
Egg …. Daniela Denby-Ashe
Director: Elizabeth Freestone
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 2006.
MON 10:00 Houdini (m001xlrt)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:00 today]
MON 11:00 Andrew Sachs - The Revenge (b007jr11)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
MON 11:30 Whodunnits (b007jl9k)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
MON 12:00 The Restaurant: A History of Eating Out by William Sitwell (m000h8fx)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
MON 12:15 Life Lines (m000bcm3)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:15 today]
MON 12:30 Mum's on the Run (b00tmtjb)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
MON 13:00 Steptoe and Son (b007jn4t)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
MON 13:30 Winston (b007qzh8)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
MON 14:00 Many a Slip (b007js4m)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
MON 14:30 Ring Around the Bath (b01fln4t)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 today]
MON 15:00 Houdini (m001xlrt)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:00 today]
MON 16:00 Andrew Sachs - The Revenge (b007jr11)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
MON 16:30 Whodunnits (b007jl9k)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
MON 17:00 The Restaurant: A History of Eating Out by William Sitwell (m000h8fx)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
MON 17:15 Life Lines (m000bcm3)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:15 today]
MON 17:30 Mum's on the Run (b00tmtjb)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
MON 18:00 Steptoe and Son (b007jn4t)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
MON 18:30 Winston (b007qzh8)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
MON 19:00 Many a Slip (b007js4m)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
MON 19:30 Ring Around the Bath (b01fln4t)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 today]
MON 20:00 Radiolab (m001xls9)
Series 11
Clawing Back From The Brink
Radiolab explores tales of the not-so-cute and cuddly clawing their way back from extinction.
With Lulu Miller and Latif Nasser.
Radiolab is a Peabody-award winning show about curiosity. Where sound illuminates ideas, and the boundaries blur between science, philosophy, and the human experience.
The Radiolab team investigate a strange world.
From WNYC. First broadcast on public radio in the USA in 2023.
MON 20:55 Inheritance Tracks (b09lk87r)
Kirstie Allsopp
TV property presenter Kirstie Allsopp selects 'American Pie' by Don Mclean and 'Fix You' by Coldplay.
MON 21:00 A Good Read (b07x2zdd)
Bidisha and Gillian Reynolds
Writer and broadcaster Bidisha and radio reviewer Gillian Reynolds join Harriett Gilbert to discuss favourite books by Jean Rhys, Frances Woods and John Le Carre.
Wide Sargasso Sea, by Jean Rhys
Publisher: Penguin
Hand Grenade Practice in Peking by Frances Woods
Publisher: Slightly Foxed
Call For the Dead by John Le Carre
Publisher: Penguin
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 2016.
MON 21:30 Limelight (m000xkyx)
The House That Vanished
1.The Vanishing
Mystery based on the true story of one man’s search for justice on a remote Irish island, blending documentary and drama.
When Neville Presho returns to Tory Island after many years overseas, he gets the shock of his life – his house has vanished. All that remains is a bathtub, lying upside down on the shore.
Neville first came to the remote Irish island in the 1970s and made a documentary about the islanders' traditional way of life, their culture and language. Neville felt warmly welcomed – now, he faces a wall of silence.
Some talk mysteriously of a whirlwind and a strange glow in the night sky, others say Neville would be better off not asking. No one will tell him what happened, not even the island’s King.
Neville sets out on a search for justice, but his quest will come at great personal cost.
Neville ...... Tony Flynn
Fiona ...... Fo Cullen
Mary Meehan ...... Carol Moore
Patrick Doohan ...... Seán T. Ó Meallaigh
Patsy Dan ...... Mark Lambert
Father O’Neill ...... Niall Cusack
Man 1 ...... Lalor Roddy
Woman ...... Megan Armitage
Man 2 ...... Desmond Eastwood
Film Crew ...... Michael Patrick
Presented by Siobhán McSweeney
Written by Jan Carson
Produced by Conor McKay and Michael Shannon
A BBC Northern Ireland production for Radio 4, first broadcast in July 2021.
MON 22:00 One Person Found This Helpful (m001xdfc)
Series 1
5. The Old Man & The Fishfinger
Frank and guests Scott Bennett, Jo Caulfield, Simon Evans and Esther Manito find out what you think about a scenic fishfinger and a wobbly cupcake.
This is the panel game based on what we all sit down and do at least once a day – shop online and leave a review, as an all-star panel celebrate the good, the bad and the baffling.
Written by Frank Skinner, Catherine Brinkworth, Sarah Dempster, Jason Hazeley, Rajiv Karia, Karl Minns, Katie Sayer & Peter Tellouche
Devised by Jason Hazeley and Simon Evans with the producer David Tyler
A Pozzitive production for BBC Radio 4
MON 22:30 Goodness Gracious Me (b007jv2l)
Series 1
Episode 2
Indian students on a gap year enjoy bustling England's smells at the airport, while the Indian Neighbours are cooking a roast.
Plus Skipinder the Punjabi Kangaroo hops in.
Starring:
Sanjeev Bhaskar
Kulvinder Ghir
Meera Syal
Nina Wadia
Nitin Sawhney
Gold Winner of the Sony Radio Academy Awards. The sketch comedy show originally ran on BBC Radio 4 from 1996 to 1998, later transferring to TV on BBC Two from 1998 to 2001.
Written by Sharat Sardana, Richard Pinto and the cast.
Producers: Gareth Edwards & Anil Gupta.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 1996.
MON 22:55 The Comedy Club Interviews (m001xpcl)
Ray Bradshaw 1/3
From 10pm until midnight, seven days a week, The Comedy Club has two hours of comedy. And tonight, Esyllt Sears interviews the stand-up comedian Ray Bradshaw.
MON 23:00 The Now Show (m001xfx9)
Series 64
Episode 2
Steve Punt and Hugh Dennis present the week via topical stand-up and sketches. Featuring Lucy Porter on Laura Kenny’s retirement, Alasdair Beckett-King on the state of our nation’s health and an original song from Mitch Benn. With voices from Ed Jones and Katie Norris.
The show was written by the cast with additional material from Cody Dahler, Zoe Tomalin, Katie Sayer and Peter Tellouche.
Producer: Sasha Bobak
Executive Producer: James Robinson
Production Coordinator: Caroline Barlow
A BBC Studios Production for Radio 4.
MON 23:30 Dave Podmore (b007ncns)
Dave Podmore's Cricket Fix
Episode 1
What's gone wrong with English cricket recently?
Er.... nothing. But Dave Podmore is going to put that right.
County cricket's arrogant, politically-incorrect, money-grabbing, medium-paced trundler par excellence has a plan and it involves our children.
Christopher Douglas stars as Pod.
Written by Christopher Douglas, Nick Newman and Andrew Nickolds.
Dave ...... Chris Douglas
Andy ...... Andrew Nickolds
With:
Henry Allen
Kieran Cadweller
William Hicks
David Rogers
Fiona Howlett
Montanna Thompson
Producer: Richard Wilson
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 2001.

TUESDAY 26 MARCH 2024

TUE 00:00 Houdini (m001xlrt)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:00 on Monday]
TUE 01:00 Andrew Sachs - The Revenge (b007jr11)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 on Monday]
TUE 01:30 Whodunnits (b007jl9k)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 on Monday]
TUE 02:00 The Restaurant: A History of Eating Out by William Sitwell (m000h8fx)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 on Monday]
TUE 02:15 Life Lines (m000bcm3)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:15 on Monday]
TUE 02:30 Mum's on the Run (b00tmtjb)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 on Monday]
TUE 03:00 Steptoe and Son (b007jn4t)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 on Monday]
TUE 03:30 Winston (b007qzh8)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 on Monday]
TUE 04:00 Many a Slip (b007js4m)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 on Monday]
TUE 04:30 Ring Around the Bath (b01fln4t)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 on Monday]
TUE 05:00 Hidden Treasures (m001xlt2)
Charles Dickens & Wilkie Collins - No Thoroughfare
‘As I strolled past the Foundling Hospital in Bloomsbury the other day I thought of the many babes who had lain in the basket outside the Hospital's gate: and of the many footsteps that had hurried away from that spot, leaving a small life behind them.
Of one set of footsteps in particular, and the strange story with its mystery and its terror, which began in 1835, on a chill November night....'
Two babies at London’s Foundling Hospital are given the same name with disastrous consequences.
Written by Charles Dickens and Wilkie Collins for the London stage in 1867.
Starring John Justin and Gabriel Woolf.
Dramatised by Mollie Hardwick.
George Vendale .... John Justin
Jules Obenreizer .... Gabriel Woolf
Marguerite Obenreizer .... Marika Mann
Walter Wilding .... Lewis Stringer
Mr Bintrey .... Patrick Barr
The Lady .... Nicolette Bernard
Sally Goldstraw .... Molly Rankin
Joey Ladle .... Tom Bowman
Jarvis/1st house agent .... Alan Haines
Madame Dor .... Dorothy Black
Morris/2nd house agent .... Garard Green
Maitre Voigt .... Arthur Ridley
Treasurer/Bank clerk .... Kevin Flood
Producer: Hugh Stewart
First broadcast on the BBC Home Service in July 1964.
*************************************************************************************************************************************************
'No Thoroughfare' is part of BBC Radio 4 Extra's Hidden Treasures collection selected from titles returned to the BBC by various collectors.
Our warm thanks go to the Radio Circle.
TUE 06:30 Whodunnits (b007jl9y)
Julie Enfield Investigates - The Smithfield Murders
2. Blue Bummarees
DSI Julie Enfield's father gets on well with his paid carer, but her investigation darkens amidst the 'Blue Bummarees' of the market.
There's also a surprise flirtation...
Starring Imelda Staunton as Detective Superintendent Julie Enfield.
Written by Nick Fisher.
DSI Julie Enfield ..... Imelda Staunton
Dad ...... Geoffrey Matthews
DS Lawrence Evans ...... Ross Livingstone
Sally ...... Jane Whittenshaw
Paulo ..... Sean Barrett
Benjamin Travis ...... Geoffrey Whitehead
Joey Jones ...... Don McCorkindale
Sadie Stern ...... Linda Regan
Henry Sinclair ...... John Turner
Producer: Richard Wortley
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 1995.
TUE 07:00 The Restaurant: A History of Eating Out by William Sitwell (m000h8pg)
2. Coffee
The history of eating out is a story of life - of politics, courage, skill, art, innovation and of luck.   
We start in Pompeii, where  many restaurants doubled up as brothels.    
In the Ottoman Empire, we discover that doner kebabs were cooked in the open air at dainty picnics.
After Henry VIII’s break from Rome and the Dissolution of the Monasteries, travellers were left with nowhere to get a meal and a bed for the night and so the monastic staff who survived the purges needed places to work and very enterprisingly opened taverns which were soon packed with locals and visitors.
By the 1820s, Paris was freed from the restraints of the revolution and became fashionable again with luxurious shops and restaurants and chefs - notably Marie-Antoine Careme who turned French cuisine into Gastronomy and remains an influence on chefs even to this day
The 20th Century saw the birth and domination of fast food.
In 1948, McDonalds became successful and in 1951 a man called Glen Bell found a way to mass produce Tacos. Sushi became a world favourite after a Japanese entrepreneur visited a brewery and was inspired by the conveyer belt system of carrying bottles, which he adapted for his restaurants.
The Indian restaurant started life in the 1940s when a number of cafes sprang up in London’s Brick Lane and Commercial Road to support a community of seamen from Bangladesh.
Albert and the late Michel Roux set the standard of English restaurant food in 1960s London whether it was liked it or not. Customers complained that the portions were too small. "This is French gastronomy". But there were enough Londoners to keep the restaurant busy and full from day one. By March 1968, Le Gavroche was famous.
Written by William Sitwell.
Read by Lesley Sharp.
A Pier production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in April 2020.
TUE 07:15 Life Lines (m000bfgl)
Series 3
2. Stabbing
A young boy has been stabbed.
Carrie must deal with heart-stopping emergencies every day - even when her own life is in crisis.
Al Smith's award-winning drama series set in an ambulance control room.
Carrie ...... Sarah Ridgeway
Ian ...... Michael Jibson
Will ...... Rick Warden
Martin ...... Shaun Mason
Darren ...... Michael Ajao
Monica ...... Amelia Lowdell
Gracie ...... Laura Christy
Luke ...... Will Kirk
Ailsa ...... Lucy Reynolds
Police Officer ...... Clive Hayward
Man ...... Illy Elyas
Director: Sally Avens
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 2019.
TUE 07:30 Bad Salsa (b091w0f4)
Series 3
Day of the Living Dead
Sitcom about three women who meet during cancer treatment and start going to salsa class together to maintain their friendship.
As they adjust to life after cancer they realise that they've all changed.
It's not about cancer, but about life after cancer, how you cope the changes in your outlook, your desires and your expectations. It's also about how other people cope with the change in you.
In Kay Stonham's final series there's a funeral and a wedding.
But whose funeral and who is marrying who?
Jill ...... Natasha Little
Terri ...... Camille Coduri
Chippy ...... Jessie Cave
Ann ...... Kerry Gooderson
Colin ...... Martin Trenaman
Assistant ...... Philip Fox
Joel ...... Joe Johnsey
Gordon ...... Andrew Obeney
Corinne ...... Kay Stonham
Producer: Katie Tyrrell.
A BBC Studio production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in August 2017.
TUE 08:00 The Goon Show (b007jlfp)
Series 5
The Phantom Head Shaver
As baldness breaks out in Brighton, is there a connection to a glut of cheap tobacco?
Groundbreaking, surreal BBC radio comedy written by Spike Milligan.
Starring:
Peter Sellers
Harry Secombe
Spike Milligan
First billed as Crazy People, ten series of The Goon Show were recorded between 1951 and 1960, but sadly many of the earliest shows weren’t kept in the archive.
With the Ray Ellington Quartet and Max Geldray.
Orchestra conducted by Wally Stott.
Announcer: Wallace Greenslade
Producer: Peter Eton
First broadcast on the BBC Home Service in October 1954.
TUE 08:30 The Michael Bentine Show (b008yrw8)
From 26/02/1984
This is the ultimate one man show.
Michael Bentine stars as everyone from the Metropolitan Police to a dead newsreader.
Written and performed by the host.
Producer: Jamie Rix
First broadcast on BBC Radio 2 in February 1984.
TUE 09:00 Hidden Treasures (b0075xyh)
Petworth House
Check out your chattels and hang on to your heirlooms!
Lars Tharp chairs the light-hearted Antiques Quiz from some of England's finest country houses.
Starting at Petworth House in West Sussex – there are mystery objects, several hidden treasures from the house itself and valuations.
With:
Eric Knowles
Bunny Campione
Producer: Annie Bristow
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 1998.
TUE 09:30 The Change (b0076nxd)
Series 3
Episode 1
Convinced that his wife's having an affair with transvestite George, Ken targets Carol.
Sitcom about a married couple's attempts to smooth over their singularly troubled midlife funk - Carol is hormonal and George is a transvestite.
Onlookers can't quite agree on the nature of their dynamic.
Starring Lynda Bellingham and Philip Jackson
Sitcom by Gavin Petrie and Jan Etherington.
Carol …. Lynda Bellingham
George …. Philip Jackson
Violet ...... Marcia Warren
Maureen …. Maureen Beattie
Ken …. James Vaugnan
Sonia …. Emma Kennedy
Jerry …. Barnaby Kay
Dave …. Mark Powley
Producer: Elizabeth Freestone
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 2004.
TUE 10:00 Hidden Treasures (m001xlt2)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:00 today]
TUE 11:30 Whodunnits (b007jl9y)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
TUE 12:00 The Restaurant: A History of Eating Out by William Sitwell (m000h8pg)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
TUE 12:15 Life Lines (m000bfgl)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:15 today]
TUE 12:30 Bad Salsa (b091w0f4)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
TUE 13:00 The Goon Show (b007jlfp)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
TUE 13:30 The Michael Bentine Show (b008yrw8)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
TUE 14:00 Hidden Treasures (b0075xyh)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
TUE 14:30 The Change (b0076nxd)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 today]
TUE 15:00 Hidden Treasures (m001xlt2)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:00 today]
TUE 16:30 Whodunnits (b007jl9y)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
TUE 17:00 The Restaurant: A History of Eating Out by William Sitwell (m000h8pg)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
TUE 17:15 Life Lines (m000bfgl)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:15 today]
TUE 17:30 Bad Salsa (b091w0f4)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
TUE 18:00 The Goon Show (b007jlfp)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
TUE 18:30 The Michael Bentine Show (b008yrw8)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
TUE 19:00 Hidden Treasures (b0075xyh)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
TUE 19:30 The Change (b0076nxd)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 today]
TUE 20:00 TED Radio Hour (m0019s60)
Series 9
What Lies Beneath
A journey through fascinating ideas based on talks by riveting speakers on the TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) stage.
Manoush Zomorodi investigates the subterranean forces that shape our lives above the ground.
First broadcast in the USA on National Public Radio in 2022.
TUE 20:50 Inheritance Tracks (b09d9cms)
Fergal Keane
BBC correspondent Fergal Keane chooses The Voice Squad's The Parting Glass and Johnny Clegg and Juluka's Scatterlings of Africa.
TUE 21:00 My Dream Dinner Party (m00088fx)
Jane Horrocks's Dream Dinner Party
Actor Jane Horrocks hosts a dinner party with a twist - all her guests are from beyond the grave!
But her heroes are brought back to life by the magic of the BBC radio archive.
An all-star line-up is joining Jane for dinner:
* Singer and entertainer Cilla Black
* Poet and novelist Sylvia Plath
* TV celebrity chef Fanny Craddock (and her sidekick, Jonny)
* Singer-songwriter Ian Dury
* Underwater explorer Jacques Cousteau.
While the Lancashire hotpot bubbles in the oven, the dinner party conversation becomes loud and mischievous – from the thrill of breaking taboos on stage, to the wonder of the sea, from the loneliness of fame to the joy of English eccentricity - and plenty of singing/performance around the dinner table.
Producer: Sarah Peters & Peregrine Andrews
A Tuning Fork and Open Audio production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in September 2019.
TUE 21:30 Limelight (m000xltx)
The House That Vanished
2. The Real King of Tory
Neville sets off on a journey around Ireland in search of clues, but the shock of discovering his house has vanished begins to affect his health.
Feeling like he’s trapped in a nightmare, Neville recalls the peace and tranquility he first found on Tory – and a film he made years before seems to offer a strange prophecy about what may have happened to his house.
A compelling five-part mystery based on the true story of one man’s search for justice on a remote Irish island, blending documentary and drama.
Neville ...... Tony Flynn
Fiona ..... Fo Cullen
Patrick Doohan ...... Seán T. Ó Meallaigh
Council worker ...... Carol Moore
Guard ...... Faolán Morgan
Sean ...... Michael Patrick
Tourism Woman ...... Megan Armitage
Engineer ...... Desmond Eastwood
Presented by Siobhán McSweeney
Written by Jan Carson
Produced by Conor McKay and Michael Shannon
A BBC Northern Ireland Production for Radio 4, first broadcast in July 2021.
TUE 22:00 Tim Key's Poetry Programme (m001xdnb)
1. The Pilot
The poetry show (without the poetry) returns for more comic chaos, with guests Stephen Merchant and Lolly Adefope.
This is a poetry programme like no other – over the course of 6 series Key has performed magic, music, cookery and witchcraft; he’s delivered a baby, gone underground, up the Shard and into space.
And sometimes he finds time to read poems.
This series, regulars Tom Basden and Katy Wix are joined by guest stars Stephen Merchant, Lolly Adefope, Mike Wozniak, Sam Campbell, Simon Armstrong and Morgana Robinson.
Written and presented by Tim Key
Produced by James Robinson
A BBC Studios Audio Production for Radio 4
TUE 22:30 Josh Howie's Losing It (m0000nm5)
Series 2
The Choice
Stand-up comic Josh and his wife battle to come to terms with the arrival of their first child.
Josh and his wife visit a friend to discuss the idea of circumcision.
Unfortunately Josh isn’t entirely comfortable with what they have to say.
Sitcom starring Josh Howie and Pippa Evans.
Written by Josh Howie.
Josh ...... Josh Howie
Monique ...... Pippa Evans
With:
Tova Leigh
Liran Nathan
Producer: Ashley Blaker.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 2018.
TUE 23:00 The John Moloney Show (m0007qfj)
Series 4
Time, Gentlemen Please.
The Godfather of British stand-up comedy is back on the live stage with his trials of modern life.
John is in a ponderous mood, with time on his hands.
There is a very acute essence to life, an intangible force that cannot be measured in space and time. You find it in music, love and moments of spontaneity - even in the FA Cup Final in 1980.
John shows that it's impossible to be "past it" when time doesn't exist at all.
Producer: Richard Melvin.
A Dabster production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in August 2019
TUE 23:15 Tom Parry's Fancy Dressed Life (b08mqtpz)
Series 1
Scary
It's Halloween, the Christmas of Fancy Dress and Tom's friend Ben is having a party.
The curse of the dreaded "internet orderers" and some traumatic memories of cub camp conspire to temporarily undermine Tom's status as local Fancy Dress Hero.
Written by and starring: Tom Parry,
With:
Ben Clarke
Celeste Dring
Gareth Pierce
Tom Parry is an award winning comedian, writer and actor whose credits include Miranda, Phone Shop and Drunk History. For more than a decade he has been part of the multi-award winning sketch team, Pappy's.
Producer: Richard Morris
A BBC Studios production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in April 2017.
TUE 23:30 Pleased to Meet You (b007k2kz)
Series 1
Episode 1
90-something good-time girl Dora Dale spills the beans on her many celebrity friends. And how did the Rat Pack get its name?
Betraying confidences and breaking unwritten rules galore, the friend of the stars reveals some surprising and salacious secrets to Martin Kelner.
Starring Dora Dale.
With Jake Yapp.
Written by Martin Kelner and Jake Yapp.
Produced by BBC Radio Leeds for BBC 7.
First broadcast in July 2006.

WEDNESDAY 27 MARCH 2024

WED 00:00 Hidden Treasures (m001xlt2)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:00 on Tuesday]
WED 01:30 Whodunnits (b007jl9y)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 on Tuesday]
WED 02:00 The Restaurant: A History of Eating Out by William Sitwell (m000h8pg)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 on Tuesday]
WED 02:15 Life Lines (m000bfgl)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:15 on Tuesday]
WED 02:30 Bad Salsa (b091w0f4)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 on Tuesday]
WED 03:00 The Goon Show (b007jlfp)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 on Tuesday]
WED 03:30 The Michael Bentine Show (b008yrw8)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 on Tuesday]
WED 04:00 Hidden Treasures (b0075xyh)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 on Tuesday]
WED 04:30 The Change (b0076nxd)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 on Tuesday]
WED 05:00 Hidden Treasures (m001xm6z)
Edgar Wallace - On the Spot
Edgar Wallace 's most famous play is set against a completely authentic background of gangland life in Chicago during Prohibition of 1920s and 30s USA:
Tony Perelli is the Big Shot with his gunmen and his dames – running a drinks racket.
Playing the organ in his fancy home, he loads "his women with jewels and the coffins of his enemies with orchids” - an appalling figure of polished criminality.
But Detective-Commissioner John Kelly, Chief of Police is after Perelli - and if he catches him, he wants to watch him hang for murder...
Starring Peter Woodthorpe and Trevor Martin
Dramatised by Raymond Raikes.
Tony Perelli .... Peter Woodthorpe
DC John Kelly, Chief of Police .... Trevor Martin
Shaun O'Donnell .... Leslie Heritage
Minn Lee .... Denise Bryer
Angelo Verona .... Robert Rietty
Con O'Hara .... Michael Kilgarriff
Mike Feeney .... Malcolm Hayes
Maria Pouliski .... Sandra Clark
Jimmy McGarth .... John Forrest
Doctor .... Haydn Jones
Priest .... David Neal
Producer Jean Bower
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 1976.
*************************************************************************************************************************************************
'On the Spot' is part of BBC Radio 4 Extra's Hidden Treasures collection selected from titles returned to the BBC by various collectors.
Our warm thanks go to the Radio Circle.
WED 06:30 Whodunnits (b007jlb9)
Julie Enfield Investigates - The Smithfield Murders
3. Chef's Special
There's a fresh dead body down at Clerkenwell.
But DSI Julie Enfield's love affair is hotting up - before she becomes a victim of extreme cold...
Starring Imelda Staunton as Detective Superintendent Julie Enfield.
Written by Nick Fisher.
DSI Julie Enfield ..... Imelda Staunton
Dad ...... Geoffrey Matthews
Stephen Temple ...... Gavin Muir
Alex Wild ...... Deborah Berlin
DC Lawrence Evans ...... Ross Livingstone
Benjamin Travis ...... Geoffrey Whitehead
Henry Sinclair ...... John Turner
Producer: Richard Wortley
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 1995.
WED 07:00 The Restaurant: A History of Eating Out by William Sitwell (m000h7wy)
3. In the Club
The history of eating out is a story of life - of politics, courage, skill, art, innovation and of luck.   
We start in Pompeii, where  many restaurants doubled up as brothels.    
In the Ottoman Empire, we discover that doner kebabs were cooked in the open air at dainty picnics.
After Henry VIII’s break from Rome and the Dissolution of the Monasteries, travellers were left with nowhere to get a meal and a bed for the night and so the monastic staff who survived the purges needed places to work and very enterprisingly opened taverns which were soon packed with locals and visitors.
By the 1820s, Paris was freed from the restraints of the revolution and became fashionable again with luxurious shops and restaurants and chefs - notably Marie-Antoine Careme who turned French cuisine into Gastronomy and remains an influence on chefs even to this day
The 20th Century saw the birth and domination of fast food.
In 1948, McDonalds became successful and in 1951 a man called Glen Bell found a way to mass produce Tacos. Sushi became a world favourite after a Japanese entrepreneur visited a brewery and was inspired by the conveyer belt system of carrying bottles, which he adapted for his restaurants.
The Indian restaurant started life in the 1940s when a number of cafes sprang up in London’s Brick Lane and Commercial Road to support a community of seamen from Bangladesh.
Albert and the late Michel Roux set the standard of English restaurant food in 1960s London whether it was liked it or not. Customers complained that the portions were too small. "This is French gastronomy". But there were enough Londoners to keep the restaurant busy and full from day one. By March 1968, Le Gavroche was famous.
Written by William Sitwell.
Read by Lesley Sharp.
A Pier production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in April 2020.
WED 07:15 Life Lines (m000bfs4)
Series 3
3. Talking
Carrie must deal with heart-stopping emergencies every day as quickly as possible.
Yet when 74-year-old Arthur calls, Carrie knows she must keep him talking or risk him dying...
Al Smith's award-winning drama series set in an ambulance control room
Carrie ...... Sarah Ridgeway
Will ...... Rick Warden
Chris ...... Jonny Holden
Mike ...... Greg Jones
Arthur ...... Neil McCaul
Director: Sally Avens
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 2019.
WED 07:30 Dot (b08q3yjs)
Series 2
Psychology
Peabody's not been the full shilling recently and now Dr Pinkly has arrived to test who is the psychological 'weak link' and everyone's a suspect.
Who will be deemed sane and who will be sent to Sunnyside Sanatorium?
Rollicking war time comedy by Ed Harris about the staff from the personnel department of the Cabinet Rooms.
Dot ...... Fenella Woolgar
Myrtle ...... Kate O'Flynn
Peg ...... Freya Parker
Millicent ...... Jane Slavin
Air Marshal Peabody ...... David Acton
Dr Thomas Pinkly ...... John Dougall
Producer: Jessica Mitic
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 2017.
WED 08:00 Hancock's Half Hour (b009l7jt)
Series 6
The Waxwork
The Lad is set to be immortalised in wax, but the trouble is, it's not quite how he'd envisaged...
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
Warren Mitchell
Theme and incidental music composed and conducted by Wally Stott.
Producer: Tom Ronald
First broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in November 1959.
WED 08:30 Ballylenon (b00grysk)
Series 3
Episode 2
A distinguished relative's arrival rings the alarm for Vera McConkey.
Series set in the sleepy town of Ballylenon, Co Donegal, in 1955, before the days of mass tourism and proper plumbing in every home.
Written by Christopher Fitz-Simon.
Phonsie Doherty ...... T McKenna ..
Vera McConkey ...... Stella McCusker
Muriel McConkey ...... Margaret D'Arcy
Vivienne Boal ...... Aine McCartney
Stumpy Bonnar ...... Gerard McSorley
Guard Gallagher ...... John Hewitt
Parky McGoldrick ...... Charlie Bonnar
Sister Gabriel ...... Marcella Riordan
Josie Doherty ...... Cathy White
Music arranged and performed by Stephanie Hughes.
Director: Eoin O'Callaghan
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in June 1996.
WED 09:00 Dilemma (b0183rb5)
Series 1
Episode 5
Sue Perkins sets moral and ethical posers for:
John Finnemore
Danielle Ward
Alun Cochrane
Dame Ann Leslie
Hypothetical situations involve old ladies shoplifting, gentlemen "pocket-patting", unqualified doctors and fake psychics.
The panel also debates which figure least deserves their place in history out of Albert Einstein, Winston Churchill, and David Attenborough.
There are no "right" answers - but there are some deeply damning ones.
Devised by Danielle Ward.
Producer: Ed Morrish.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 2011.
WED 09:30 The Leopard in Autumn (b00c683t)
Series 1
The Future Begins Here
Prince Ludovico battles his enemies in the local tavern while his wife Princess Plethora tries to reconcile her quarrelsome sons.
More action from the chaotic lives of the ruling family of Renaissance Italy's most inconsequential city-state.
Neal Anthony's 16th century comedy drama.
Ludovico ...... David Swift
Plethora ...... Sian Phillips
Francesco ...... Graham Crowden
Alessandro ...... Paul Bigley
Rosalie ...... Saskia Wickham
Salvatori ...... Nick Romero
Guido ...... Christopher Kelham
Doctor Dolfini ...... Kim Wall
Producer: Helen Williams
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 2001.
WED 10:00 Hidden Treasures (m001xm6z)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:00 today]
WED 11:30 Whodunnits (b007jlb9)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
WED 12:00 The Restaurant: A History of Eating Out by William Sitwell (m000h7wy)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
WED 12:15 Life Lines (m000bfs4)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:15 today]
WED 12:30 Dot (b08q3yjs)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
WED 13:00 Hancock's Half Hour (b009l7jt)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
WED 13:30 Ballylenon (b00grysk)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
WED 14:00 Dilemma (b0183rb5)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
WED 14:30 The Leopard in Autumn (b00c683t)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 today]
WED 15:00 Hidden Treasures (m001xm6z)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:00 today]
WED 16:30 Whodunnits (b007jlb9)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
WED 17:00 The Restaurant: A History of Eating Out by William Sitwell (m000h7wy)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
WED 17:15 Life Lines (m000bfs4)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:15 today]
WED 17:30 Dot (b08q3yjs)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
WED 18:00 Hancock's Half Hour (b009l7jt)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
WED 18:30 Ballylenon (b00grysk)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
WED 19:00 Dilemma (b0183rb5)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
WED 19:30 The Leopard in Autumn (b00c683t)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 today]
WED 20:00 Archive on 4 (m0006kt6)
The Death of the Eccentric
Will Self goes in search of a dying species - the eccentric.
The relationship between true eccentricity and mainstream society is complex, dynamic and now in serious trouble.
Will, who has always been obsessed with the strange and the bizarre, sets sail into the BBC archive to finally understand that elusive quality of eccentricity.
From the cliché of the aristocratic English eccentric to the frontline of subversive art and comedy, this is a story of courageous oddballs whose resistance to social conformity holds lessons for us all.
But the first time Will sees eccentricity clearly may also be the last - he argues that we are witnessing the death of the true eccentric, who is suffocating in the neo-liberal marketplace of difference.
Journalist Yomi Adegoke explodes the cliché of the English eccentric and argues that a more inclusive model is needed. Will challenges psychologist Dr David Weeks and cultural historian Dr Aymes-Stokes to help him define eccentricity. Surrealist painter and zoologist Desmond Morris reveals the cynical calculations of Salvador Dali, and Will debates the value of insider/outsider art with Grayson Perry.
Sociologist Laurie Taylor rails against the imitation of eccentricity by artists and other celebrities while, at the other end of the spectrum, former bank robber Noel Smith describes how the lines between normal behaviour and criminal behaviour mean nothing to some eccentrics.
Comedian Elf Lyons impresses Will with her unique approach to life and performance, but he find psychedelic drug campaigner Countess Amanda Feilding disappointingly down-to-earth.
Producer: Dave Anderson
A 7digital production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in June 2019.
WED 21:00 Short Cuts (m000jmt9)
Kids
Josie Long presents short documentaries and audio adventures with and about kids.
Exploring the world through the eyes of a little boy, beauty pageants for children, a weather forecast takeover and finding a newborn on the subway.
*Let’s Get Lost Together
Featuring Eligh Moon
Produced by Sara Brooke Curtis
*Beauty Queen Dropout
Featuring Samara Addai
Produced by Deborah Shorinde
*The Random Weather Report
Featuring Niamh and Tommy
Produced by Chris Attaway
Originally produced for Audio Playground
audioplayground.xyz
*Bundle on the Subway
Featuring Pete Mercurio and Danny Stewart
Produced by Andrea Rangecroft
A Falling Tree production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in June 2020.
WED 21:30 Limelight (m000xm73)
The House That Vanished
3. Balor's Fort
A compelling five-part mystery based on the true story of one man’s search for justice on a remote Irish island, blending documentary and drama.
Neville tracks down a contractor who offers him new information about events leading up to the disappearance of his house, but Neville’s obsessive search for answers comes at a heavy price.
Neville decides to forgive those he believes have wronged him, leading to a long, dark night of the soul at Balor’s Fort on Tory island.
Presented by Siobhán McSweeney
Neville ...... Tony Flynn
Fiona ...... Fo Cullen
Patrick Doohan ...... Seán T. Ó Meallaigh
John McGinty ...... Seamus O’Hara
Doctor ...... Ian Beattie
Written by Jan Carson
Produced by Conor McKay and Michael Shannon
A BBC Northern Ireland production for Radio 4, first broadcast in July 2021.
WED 22:00 Janey Godley: The C Bomb (m001xdgt)
Series 2
3. Motherhood, Marriage and George Clooney
Facing her own mortality, Janey finds herself reflecting on motherhood and how the pressures on women have changed.
She also speaks honestly about dealing with a terminal diagnosis within her relationship, but is challenged on claims of marital harmony by daughter Ashley.
However as she confesses to some of the mistakes she feels she made as a mother, she is met with compassion and understanding.
Also in this episode, as an atheist, she wonders how things might go at the pearly gates if she’s been wrong this whole time - and explains how George Clooney saved the day.
Reflecting on the past with honesty, vulnerability and empathy for those who let her down, she continues to find humour and insight in both the darkness and the ridiculous.
A mix of stories told onstage to a hometown audience, and candid conversations with her daughter Ashely Storrie, recorded in the living room of the home they share.
Produced by Julia Sutherland
Featuring Ashley Storrie
A Dabster production for BBC Radio 4
WED 22:30 Delve Special (b007jmzk)
Series 4
Not-So-Supergrasses
Supergrasses are criminals. Criminals are liars. Policeman believe supergrasses. Why?
Intrepid reporter David Lander probes the supergrass system and in particular the career of Billy ‘Stick’ Adams.
Presented by David Lander with assistance from Stephen Fry.
Studio production by:
Brenda Blethyn
Robert Bathurst
Clive Mantle
Dramatic reconstructions by:
Janine Duvitski
Philip Pope
Julia Hills
Mark Arden
Researched by Tony Sarchet.
Delve Special ran for four series from 1984 to 1987 and later transferred to TV as: This is David Lander.
Editor: Paul Mayhew Archer
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 1987.
WED 22:55 The Comedy Club Interviews (m001xpcn)
Ray Bradshaw 2/3
From 10pm until midnight, seven days a week, The Comedy Club has two hours of comedy. And tonight, Esyllt Sears interviews the stand-up comedian Ray Bradshaw.
WED 23:00 Rubbish (b0077128)
Series 1
Outsourcing
Martin's boss Roger is suspended after his computer is taken away following a worldwide FBI sting operation.
Martin finds himself acting head, but when he meets the outsourcing partner from hell, he starts to realise he's in over his head.
Reece Dinsdale stars as local government officer, cynic and manic-depressive, Martin Christmas in Tony Bagley's sitcom.
Martin ...... Reece Dinsdale
Roger ...... Paul Copley
Sarah ...... Nicola Walker
Barney ...... James Lance
Karen ...... Oriane Messina
Darren ...... Mark Maier
Producer: Claire Bartlett
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 2006.
WED 23:30 The Skewer (m001xdj2)
Series 11
Episode 6
The week’s biggest stories like you’ve never heard them before. The news, remixed as a satirical comedy concept album. This week - Gove-O-Cop, Foghorn Rishi-horn, and Strange Women Lying In Ponds.

Jon Holmes presents the multi-award winning, Bafta nominated The Skewer. Headphones on.

Producer: Jon Holmes
An unusual production for BBC Radio 4
WED 23:45 Crème de la Crime (b00807sd)
Series 1
Heist Society
A tale of 1960s cunning villainy coinciding with the World Cup.
Recalled by Michael Feydeau -TV's much-loved Inspector Niblett - and crime expert David Pershore
Using a daring mixture of reconstructions, interviews, music and specially made noises, tales from the vaults of villainy.
Written by and starring Steve Punt and Hugh Dennis.
With:
Emma Kennedy
Simon Greenall
Director: Adam Bromley
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 2001.

THURSDAY 28 MARCH 2024

THU 00:00 Hidden Treasures (m001xm6z)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:00 on Wednesday]
THU 01:30 Whodunnits (b007jlb9)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 on Wednesday]
THU 02:00 The Restaurant: A History of Eating Out by William Sitwell (m000h7wy)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 on Wednesday]
THU 02:15 Life Lines (m000bfs4)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:15 on Wednesday]
THU 02:30 Dot (b08q3yjs)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 on Wednesday]
THU 03:00 Hancock's Half Hour (b009l7jt)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 on Wednesday]
THU 03:30 Ballylenon (b00grysk)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 on Wednesday]
THU 04:00 Dilemma (b0183rb5)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 on Wednesday]
THU 04:30 The Leopard in Autumn (b00c683t)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 on Wednesday]
THU 05:00 Hidden Treasures (m001xm5z)
Kingsley Amis - The Riverside Villas Murder
"Don't grow up too fast, Peter. When I was your age I couldn't wait to get out into the world, because I thought it was going to be so marvellous. Well. it isn't. Things like this - they're happening all the time. And it isn't fair. It isn't fair at all."
Set in 1936, an adolescent boy’s coming of age is blighted by a local murder.
Kingsley Amis’s novel, first published in 1973.
Starring Ian Sharrock and Stephen Thorne.
Dramatised by Frederick Bradnum.
Peter Furneaux .... Ian Sharrock
Captain Furneaux .... Stephen Thorne
Colonel Manton .... Peter Jeffrey
Mrs Trevelyan .... Norma Ronald
Mr Langdon .... Malcolm Reid
Daphne Hodgson .... Deborah Paige
Detective Con Barrett .... Paul Meier
Mrs Ellington .... Anne Jameson
Mr Trevelyan .... Leslie Heritage
Mr Hodgson .... Clifford Norgate
Mr Inman .... Steve Hodson
Inspector Cox .... Garard Green
Sergeant Duke .... Douglas Blackwell
Mrs Furneaux .... Joanna Wake
Music performed by Bert Soper's Rhythm Boys.
Director: Harry Catlin
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in June 1976.
*************************************************************************************************************************************************
'The Riverside Villas Murder' is part of BBC Radio 4 Extra's Hidden Treasures collection selected from titles returned to the BBC by various collectors.
Please note that this is a treated off-air recording.
Our warm thanks go to the Radio Circle.
THU 06:30 Whodunnits (b007jlbn)
Julie Enfield Investigates - The Smithfield Murders
4. A Mushroom Diet
The Smithfield community play throws DSI Julie Enfield's meaty murder trail into confusion.
Starring Imelda Staunton as Detective Superintendent Julie Enfield.
Written by Nick Fisher.
DSI Julie Enfield ..... Imelda Staunton
Alex Wild ...... Deborah Berlin
Joey Jones ...... Don McCorkindale
Stephen Temple ...... Gavin Muir
DS Lawrence Evans ...... Ross Livingstone
Benjamin Travis ...... Geoffrey Whitehead
Henry Sinclair ...... John Turner
Sally ...... Jane Whittenshaw
Johnson ...... Jonathan Keeble
Rachel Jones ...... Jilly Bond
Gordon Richards ...... David Timson
Voice 1 ...... David Collings
Voice 2 ...... John Hartley
Producer: Richard Wortley
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 1995.
THU 07:00 The Restaurant: A History of Eating Out by William Sitwell (m000h7qt)
4. Food but Fast
The history of eating out is a story of life - of politics, courage, skill, art, innovation and of luck.   
We start in Pompeii, where  many restaurants doubled up as brothels.    
In the Ottoman Empire, we discover that doner kebabs were cooked in the open air at dainty picnics.
After Henry VIII’s break from Rome and the Dissolution of the Monasteries, travellers were left with nowhere to get a meal and a bed for the night and so the monastic staff who survived the purges needed places to work and very enterprisingly opened taverns which were soon packed with locals and visitors.
By the 1820s, Paris was freed from the restraints of the revolution and became fashionable again with luxurious shops and restaurants and chefs - notably Marie-Antoine Careme who turned French cuisine into Gastronomy and remains an influence on chefs even to this day
The 20th Century saw the birth and domination of fast food.
In 1948, McDonalds became successful and in 1951 a man called Glen Bell found a way to mass produce Tacos. Sushi became a world favourite after a Japanese entrepreneur visited a brewery and was inspired by the conveyer belt system of carrying bottles, which he adapted for his restaurants.
The Indian restaurant started life in the 1940s when a number of cafes sprang up in London’s Brick Lane and Commercial Road to support a community of seamen from Bangladesh.
Albert and the late Michel Roux set the standard of English restaurant food in 1960s London whether it was liked it or not. Customers complained that the portions were too small. "This is French gastronomy". But there were enough Londoners to keep the restaurant busy and full from day one. By March 1968, Le Gavroche was famous.
Written by William Sitwell.
Read by Lesley Sharp.
A Pier production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in April 2020.
THU 07:15 Life Lines (m000bg34)
Series 3
4. Attack
Carrie must deal with heart stopping and starting emergencies every day.
When a young woman is the victim of an acid attack Carrie finds herself talking to both the victim and the perpetrator...
Al Smith's award-winning drama set in an ambulance control room.
Carrie ...... Sarah Ridgeway
Will ...... Rick Warden
Ian ...... Michael Jibson
Jenny ...... Sinead MacInnes
Flo ...... Laura Christy
Man/Paramedic ...... Ikky Elyas
Paramedic ...... Scarlett Courtney
Bill ...... Clive Haywood
Craig ...... Will Kirk
Policeman ...... Shaun Mason
Director: Sally Avens
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 2019.
THU 07:30 What Does the K Stand For? (b08csqyb)
Series 3
Breaking Up Is Hard To Do
Relationships in the Amos household are strained by a new arrival.
Stephen K Amos stars in this sitcom about growing up black, gay and funny in 1980s south London.
Written by Jonathan Harvey with Stephen K Amos.
With:
Ellen Thomas
Laurie Kynaston
Bola Okun
Emerald Crankson
Karen Bartke
David Sterne.
Frances Barber
Producer: Paul Sheehan.
A BBC Studios production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in February 2017.
THU 08:00 Dad's Army (b007jprv)
Series 3
The Godiva Affair
The Home Guard platoon holds a Spitfire fundraiser, but Corporal Jones is pining for Mrs Fox.
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 Harold Snoad and Michael Knowles.
Captain Mainwaring …. Arthur Lowe
Sergeant Wilson …. John Le Mesurier
Corporal Jones …. Clive Dunn
Private Frazer …. John Laurie
Private Pike …. Ian Lavender
Private Godfrey …. Arnold Ridley
Warden Hodges …. Bill Pertwee
Mrs Fox …. Mollie Sugden
Announcer ...... John Snagge
Producer: John Dyas
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 1976.
THU 08:30 Huddwinks (b009kh0z)
Series 1
Railway '86 - The Movie!
British Rail's new 'Silver Bullet' train ends up as a runaway express to Aberdeen.
Roy Hudd stars in Laurie Rowley’s comic parodies.
With:
Denise Coffey
Chris Emmett
David Gooderson
Fred Harris
Producer: Jonathan James-Moore
First broadcast on BBC Radio 2 in August 1986.
THU 09:00 The Unbelievable Truth (m000s81f)
Series 25
Episode 6
David Mitchell hosts the panel game in which three comedic couples are encouraged to tell lies and compete against one another to see how many items of truth they're able to smuggle past their opponents.
The panellists obliged to talk with deliberate inaccuracy on subjects as varied as nudity, horses and Valentine's Day.
Sarah Millican and Gary Delaney
Marcus Brigstocke and Rachel Parris
Lucy Porter and Justin Edwards
Producer: Jon Naismith
A Random Entertainment production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in February 2021.
THU 09:30 A Whole 'Nother Story (b0076bm8)
Series 2
Episode 6
It's crunch time for Cassie, who's decided that having her Dad live with her is no bed of roses.
Even if he is an expert on compost.
And more importantly, she finally hears what her heart has, for a while, been trying to tell her.
Starring Debra Stephenson and David Lamb.
Amanda Murphy’s comedy-drama series about Cassie and Pete, who'd make a great couple - if they weren't so busy being friends.
Cassie ...... Debra Stephenson
Pete ...... David Lamb
Dad ...... Mike Grady
Mum ...... Brigit Forsyth
Jenny ...... Mika Simmons
PJ ...... Brendan Burns
Producer: Graham Frost
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 2002.
THU 10:00 Hidden Treasures (m001xm5z)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:00 today]
THU 11:30 Whodunnits (b007jlbn)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
THU 12:00 The Restaurant: A History of Eating Out by William Sitwell (m000h7qt)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
THU 12:15 Life Lines (m000bg34)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:15 today]
THU 12:30 What Does the K Stand For? (b08csqyb)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
THU 13:00 Dad's Army (b007jprv)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
THU 13:30 Huddwinks (b009kh0z)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
THU 14:00 The Unbelievable Truth (m000s81f)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
THU 14:30 A Whole 'Nother Story (b0076bm8)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 today]
THU 15:00 Hidden Treasures (m001xm5z)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:00 today]
THU 16:30 Whodunnits (b007jlbn)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
THU 17:00 The Restaurant: A History of Eating Out by William Sitwell (m000h7qt)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
THU 17:15 Life Lines (m000bg34)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:15 today]
THU 17:30 What Does the K Stand For? (b08csqyb)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
THU 18:00 Dad's Army (b007jprv)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
THU 18:30 Huddwinks (b009kh0z)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
THU 19:00 The Unbelievable Truth (m000s81f)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
THU 19:30 A Whole 'Nother Story (b0076bm8)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 today]
THU 20:00 4 Extra Goes Gardening (m000v35j)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 on Saturday]
THU 21:00 Great Lives (b0076nys)
Marvin Gaye
Art historian and broadcaster Tim Marlow chooses the outstanding American soul singer Marvin Gaye.
Marvin met an untimely end - shot dead by his father at their Los Angeles home in April 1984.
DJ Norman Jay helps to shed more light on the musician who broke the Motown mould with such classics as 'I Heard it Through the Grapevine'.
Biographical series in which a distinguished guest chooses someone who's inspired their life.
Will their hero stand up to intensive scrutiny and merit the description of having led a great life?
Presenter: Humphrey Carpenter.
Producer: Mark Smalley
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 2004.
THU 21:30 Limelight (m000xmlg)
The House That Vanished
4. The Holy Clay
A compelling five-part mystery based on the true story of one man’s search for justice on a remote Irish island, blending documentary and drama.
It seems Neville can’t stay away from the island that haunts his every waking moment.
A chance encounter on the ferry to Tory offers a new opportunity for justice and Neville finally finds a solicitor willing to listen to his story, but the strain of so many years spent searching for answers puts huge pressure on his marriage.
Neville ...... Tony Flynn
Fiona ...... Fo Cullen
Anton ...... Ian Beattie
Gillespie ...... Patrick Fitzsymons
Clerk ...... Desmond Eastwood
Justice Murphy ...... Mark Lambert
O’Dualachain ...... Faolán Morgan
O’Tuaithail ...... Michael Patrick
John McGinty ...... Seamus O’Hara
Presented by Siobhán McSweeney
Written by Jan Carson
Produced by Conor McKay and Michael Shannon
A BBC Northern Ireland Production for Radio 4, first broadcast in July 2021.
THU 22:00 Conversations from a Long Marriage (m001xdgb)
Series 5
5. Get The Party Started
Roger feels abandoned as Joanna heads off for a daily sunrise swim.
Joanna Lumley and Roger Allam star as the loving, long-married couple, in the 5th series of Jan Etherington’s award-winning comedy.
This week, Roger feels abandoned as Joanna heads off for a daily sunrise swim, reminding him ‘Don’t let your tea get cold!’ Their younger neighbours are having a party. Roger finds excuses not to go - including the dog’s upset tummy. ‘You’re going,’ Joanna snaps. Inevitably, Roger leaves early and Joanna stays, drinking martini in the hot tub. Next morning, she is hungover but Roger’s goddaughter, Rosie, is arriving, with her babies. ‘They like a runny egg with soldiers’, Roger tells her. She begs him to stay and do breakfast but he’s off on a bike ride ‘Don’t let your tea get cold!’
Conversations from a Long Marriage is Written by Jan Etherington. It is produced and directed by Claire Jones. And it is a BBC Studios Production for Radio 4.
Wilfredo Acosta - sound engineer
Charlotte Sewter - studio assistant
Jon Calver - sound designer
Katie Baum - production coordinator
Conversations from a Long Marriage won the Voice of the Listener & Viewer Award for Best Radio Comedy in 2020, was nominated for a Writers’ Guild Award in 2022 and a British Comedy Guide award in 2024.
‘Joanna Lumley and Roger Allam have had illustrious acting careers but can they ever have done anything better than Jan Etherington’s two hander? This is a work of supreme craftsmanship.’ RADIO TIMES
‘Peppered with nostalgic 60s hits and especially written for the pair, it’s an endearing portrait of exasperation, laced with hard won tolerance – and something like love.’ THE GUARDIAN
‘You’ve been listening at my window, Jan’. JOANNA LUMLEY
‘Sitcom is what marriage is really like – repetitive and ridiculous – and Jan’s words are some of the best ever written on the subject’. RICHARD CURTIS
THU 22:30 Clare in the Community (b015zswt)
Series 7
Heroes
Clare encounters Bradley Bigg - Pop's tub-thumping troubadour and Blue Collar balladeer whose music influenced and shaped her as a teenager.
Meanwhile, Brian has to break some bad news to Nali and Helen takes on the role of Health and Safety Officer with uncharacteristic vigour.
Sally Phillips is Clare Barker the social worker who has all the right jargon but never a practical solution.
A control freak, Clare likes nothing better than interfering in other people's lives on both a professional and personal basis. Clare is in her thirties, white, middle class and heterosexual, all of which are occasional causes of discomfort to her.
Each week we join Clare in her continued struggle to control both her professional and private life
In today's Big Society there are plenty of challenges out there for an involved, caring social worker. Or even Clare.
Written by Harry Venning and David Ramsden
Clare ....... Sally Phillips
Brian ....... Alex Lowe
Megan / Nali ....... Nina Conti
Ray / Mr Trueman ....... Richard Lumsden
Helen ....... Liza Tarbuck
Simon/Bradley ....... Andrew Wincott
Libby ....... Sarah Kendall
Chelsy ....... Victora Inez Hardy
Producer Katie Tyrrell
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 2011.
THU 22:55 The Comedy Club Interviews (m001xpcq)
Ray Bradshaw 3/3
From 10pm until midnight, seven days a week, The Comedy Club has two hours of comedy. And tonight, Esyllt Sears interviews the stand-up comedian Ray Bradshaw.
THU 23:00 Foley and McColl: The Interview (b0076d8h)
Placebo
The comedy team behind the Morecambe and Wise tribute ‘The Play What I Wrote’ continue their big interview, spilling the beans to Michael Parkinson.
The duo tell Parky about their lean years.
Written by and starring Sean Foley and Hamish McColl.
With Michael Parkinson.
Director: Sally Avens
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 2003.
THU 23:15 Jigsaw (b01rgj27)
Series 1
Episode 6
A finicky hospital patient – and a will reading with several strange twists.
A rapid-fire and surreal collection of silly, clever, dark sketches.
A rapid-fire and surreal sketch show.
Pieced together by stand-up comedians:
Dan Antopolski
Tom Craine
Nat Luurtsema
Producer: Colin Anderson.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 2013.
THU 23:30 And the Winner Is... (b00rkhb5)
Series 1
Episode 5
Matt Lucas hosts his alternative awards show – The Lucases - with Adam Bloom, Scott Capurro and Andrew Maxwell.
Awards include the Lucas for Most Untrustworthy Profession, The Weariest Cliché, Least Hateful German and Catchiest Theme Tune to an Otherwise Boring TV Show.
Nominations are provided by Matt's guests:
Adam Bloom
Scott Capurro
Andrew Maxwell
But the ultimate decision is down to the whim of the host.
Script written by Ashley Blaker, Bill Matthews and Ged Parsons.
Producer: Ashley Blaker
First broadcast on BBC Radio 2 in 2010.

FRIDAY 29 MARCH 2024

FRI 00:00 Hidden Treasures (m001xm5z)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:00 on Thursday]
FRI 01:30 Whodunnits (b007jlbn)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 on Thursday]
FRI 02:00 The Restaurant: A History of Eating Out by William Sitwell (m000h7qt)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 on Thursday]
FRI 02:15 Life Lines (m000bg34)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:15 on Thursday]
FRI 02:30 What Does the K Stand For? (b08csqyb)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 on Thursday]
FRI 03:00 Dad's Army (b007jprv)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 on Thursday]
FRI 03:30 Huddwinks (b009kh0z)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 on Thursday]
FRI 04:00 The Unbelievable Truth (m000s81f)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 on Thursday]
FRI 04:30 A Whole 'Nother Story (b0076bm8)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 on Thursday]
FRI 05:00 Hidden Treasures (m001xm6s)
JM Barrie - What Every Woman Knows
"Every man who is high up loves to think that he has done it all himself; and the wife smiles, and lets it go at that. It's our only joke. Every woman knows that."
JM Barrie's stage play set in Scotland towards the close of the 19th Century.
Maggie Wylie hides her capabilities to let her husband, John Shand think he has done it all by himself to get into the Houses of Parliament.
But during the newly established 'ladies committees', Lady Sybil becomes a distraction.
Who is really behind John Shand's success?
Starring Phyllis Logan and David Hayman.
Dramatised by Stewart Conn.
Maggie Wylie .... Phyllis Logan
John Shand .... David Hayman
Teller of the Tale .... Tom Fleming
Alick Wylie .... Tom Watson
David Wylie .... John Shedden
James Wylie .... Ray Dunsire
Lady Sybil .... Hetty Baynes
Comtesse de la Briere .....Vivienne Dixon
Venables .... Alan Rothwell
The stage play was first performed at the Duke of York's Theatre in London on 3rd September 1908.
Director Marilyn Ireland
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 1983.
*************************************************************************************************************************************************
'What Every Woman Knows' is part of BBC Radio 4 Extra's Hidden Treasures collection selected from titles returned to the BBC by various collectors.
Our warm thanks go to the Radio Circle.
FRI 06:30 Whodunnits (b007jl8w)
Julie Enfield Investigates - The Smithfield Murders
5. A Passion for Hunting Something
With big business involved, DSI Julie Enfield finds herself trapped with hired killers underneath Smithfield meat market...
Starring Imelda Staunton as Detective Superintendent Julie Enfield.
Conclusion of Nick Fisher's atmospheric thriller.
DSI Julie Enfield ..... Imelda Staunton
Dad ...... Geoffrey Matthews
Stephen Temple ...... Gavin Muir
Alex Wild ...... Deborah Berlin
Joey Jones ...... Don McCorkindale
DS Lawrence Evans ...... Ross Livingstone
Sally ...... Jane Whittenshaw
Rachel Jones ...... Jilly Bond
Benjamin Travis ...... Geoffrey Whitehead
Henry Sinclair ...... John Turner
Johnson ...... Jonathan Keeble
Gordon Richards ...... David Timson
Voice 1 ...... David Collings
Voice 2 ...... John Hartley
Producer: Richard Wortley
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 1995.
FRI 07:00 The Restaurant: A History of Eating Out by William Sitwell (m000h934)
5. Getting Spicy
The history of eating out is a story of life - of politics, courage, skill, art, innovation and of luck.   
We start in Pompeii, where  many restaurants doubled up as brothels.    
In the Ottoman Empire, we discover that doner kebabs were cooked in the open air at dainty picnics.
After Henry VIII’s break from Rome and the Dissolution of the Monasteries, travellers were left with nowhere to get a meal and a bed for the night and so the monastic staff who survived the purges needed places to work and very enterprisingly opened taverns which were soon packed with locals and visitors.
By the 1820s, Paris was freed from the restraints of the revolution and became fashionable again with luxurious shops and restaurants and chefs - notably Marie-Antoine Careme who turned French cuisine into Gastronomy and remains an influence on chefs even to this day
The 20th Century saw the birth and domination of fast food.
In 1948, McDonalds became successful and in 1951 a man called Glen Bell found a way to mass produce Tacos. Sushi became a world favourite after a Japanese entrepreneur visited a brewery and was inspired by the conveyer belt system of carrying bottles, which he adapted for his restaurants.
The Indian restaurant started life in the 1940s when a number of cafes sprang up in London’s Brick Lane and Commercial Road to support a community of seamen from Bangladesh.
Albert and the late Michel Roux set the standard of English restaurant food in 1960s London whether it was liked it or not. Customers complained that the portions were too small. "This is French gastronomy". But there were enough Londoners to keep the restaurant busy and full from day one. By March 1968, Le Gavroche was famous.
Written by William Sitwell.
Read by Lesley Sharp.
A Pier production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in April 2020.
FRI 07:15 Life Lines (m000bgnt)
Series 3
5. Support
Al Smith's award-winning drama series set in an ambulance control room.
When Carrie takes a call from Frances she realises that she's in as much need of emotional as physical support.
Carrie ...... Sarah Ridgeway
Ian ...... Michael Jibson
Frances ...... Rebecca Root
Will ...... Rick Warden
Directed by Sally Avens.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 2019.
FRI 07:30 All Those Women (b088jj62)
Series 2
Episode 4
Layla and Stu are having their new baby Barclay christened and have asked Maggie to be the godmother. She's thrilled. Jen's 'completely fine' with that.
Add in a newly released prison penpal, some impulsive behaviour, and a free bar and inevitably it's not a party that runs very smoothly...
Comedy series by Katherine Jakeways about four generations of women living under one roof.
All Those Women explores familial relationships, ageing, marriages - it's about life and love and things not turning out quite the way that you'd expected them to.
Join Hetty, Maggie, Jen and Emily as they struggle to resolve their own problems, and support one another.
Hetty ...... Marcia Warren
Maggie ...... Lesley Manville
Jen ...... Sinead Matthews
Emily ...... Lucy Hutchinson
Stuart ...... Nick Underwood
Layla ...... Katie Redford
Kenneth ...... Sam Dale
Rosie ...... Catriona McFarlane
Producer: Alexandra Smith
A BBC Studios production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in January 2017.
FRI 08:00 Marriage Lines (b068r53p)
Series 2
Episode 13
It's baby's christening day and George is packing for Africa.
Starring Richard Briers and Prunella Scales.
Richard Waring’s sitcom based on the mutual love and mistrust of two newlyweds.
Originating on BBC TV, Marriage Lines ran between 1963-65 and was adapted in two series for BBC radio due to its popularity.
George Starling …. Richard Briers
Kate …. Prunella Scales
Miles …. Edward De Souza
George’s Mum …. Diana King
George’s Dad …. Geoffrey Sumner
Kate’s Mum …. Joan Sanderson
The Mystery Guest …. Charlotte Mitchell
Other Roles …. Peter Hawkins
Producer: Charles Maxwell
First broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in June 1967.
FRI 08:30 Big Jim and the Figaro Club (b008p8q2)
The Old Dunkirk Spirit
Harold Perkins has no materials to rebuild post-war Britain, which well suits the workmates.
Six anarchic tales from those demob days “when we was going to build the new Jerusalem - you know, before the world turned lax and sour”.
Written by Ted Walker.
Narrated by Bernard Cribbins.
Big Jim …. Norman Rossington
Harold Perkins …. Roland Curram
Old Ned …. Harold Goodwin
Nimrod …. David John
Turps … Sylvester McCoy
Chick …. David Beckett
Fortescue …. Norman Bird
PC Speedworth …. Norman Mitchell
Producer: Martin Fisher
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 1987.
FRI 09:00 Whispers (b007k2sf)
Series 3
Episode 2
Gyles Brandreth hosts the quiz show with scandal on its mind and slander at its heart.
Richard Herring and Louise Doughty join team captains Lucy Moore and Anthony Holden to run the gauntlet of gossip.
Producer: Victoria Lloyd
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 2005.
FRI 09:30 Bookcases (b00svc1m)
Series 1
Gone for a Burton
London 1855: Primus's latest publishing coup is the explorer Richard Burton, but drink and other substances seem to have destroyed Burton's sense of direction.
Martyn Wade's Victorian era comedy stars Michael Cochrane and Maggie Steed.
Primus …. Michael Cochrane
Cordelia …. Maggie Steed
Edith …. Elizabeth Spriggs
Gerald …. David Horovitch
Katie Joiner …. Frances Jeater
Richard Burton …. Norman Rodway
Waiter …. David Antrobus
Director: Cherry Cookson
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 1998.
FRI 10:00 Hidden Treasures (m001xm6s)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:00 today]
FRI 11:30 Whodunnits (b007jl8w)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
FRI 12:00 The Restaurant: A History of Eating Out by William Sitwell (m000h934)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
FRI 12:15 Life Lines (m000bgnt)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:15 today]
FRI 12:30 All Those Women (b088jj62)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
FRI 13:00 Marriage Lines (b068r53p)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
FRI 13:30 Big Jim and the Figaro Club (b008p8q2)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
FRI 14:00 Whispers (b007k2sf)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
FRI 14:30 Bookcases (b00svc1m)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 today]
FRI 15:00 Hidden Treasures (m001xm6s)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:00 today]
FRI 16:30 Whodunnits (b007jl8w)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
FRI 17:00 The Restaurant: A History of Eating Out by William Sitwell (m000h934)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
FRI 17:15 Life Lines (m000bgnt)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:15 today]
FRI 17:30 All Those Women (b088jj62)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
FRI 18:00 Marriage Lines (b068r53p)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
FRI 18:30 Big Jim and the Figaro Club (b008p8q2)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
FRI 19:00 Whispers (b007k2sf)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
FRI 19:30 Bookcases (b00svc1m)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 today]
FRI 20:00 JD Salinger, Made in England (b070hbss)
Mark Hodkinson explores how being stationed in England during Word War Two influenced Catcher in the Rye writer, JD Salinger.
JD Salinger is feted as the writer of one of greatest ever American novels. The Catcher in Rye established him as the most celebrated chronicler of urban New York and, in Holden Caulfield, he created the enduring embodiment of disaffected American youth.
Less well known is that Salinger spent three months in Tiverton, Devon, while preparing to be part of the D Day landings in 1944, and that during this short time he wrote a revealing autobiographical short-story and worked on the development of Holden Caulfield's character. Mark Hodkinson - a Salinger devotee who edited his best-selling biography - travels to Tiverton to retrace Salinger's steps and discover how Devon influenced Salinger's work.
The central character in the short-story, For Esme – with Love and Squalor, is, as Salinger was, a fledgling writer who becomes a US sergeant stationed in Devon. With the help of a local reading group, Mark visits the most likely church featured in the story and learns from people who remember the GIs being in town.
Mark is also accompanied by Dr Sarah Graham of the University of Leicester. They discuss how the story and Salinger's time in Devon informed his work, and life.
The programme also hears an exclusive interview with a 96 year old New Yorker who served with Salinger in Tiverton and remained friends with the reclusive writer for the rest of his life. "Salinger liked Devon," says the veteran soldier, "Any free time he had was taken up by writing on his portable typewriter."
Producer: Ian Bent
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2016.
FRI 20:30 Soul Music (m0011jwq)
Ain't No Mountain High Enough
Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell made Ain't No Mountain High Enough a hit for Motown in 1967. Diana Ross followed suit in 1970 as a solo artist with her version of the song. It has a place in people's hearts with its anthemic themes of love, loyalty, triumph and perseverance.
Cynthia Dagnal-Miron is an African American who grew up in the 1960s and she says the song gave black people a sense of comfort and of being loved. Kevin Patterson recalls meeting an elderly lady in a store in Philadelphia and hearing the song. He learned she had been part of a movement to desegregate a local school in the 1960s and she had sung it then at a talent show.
John Harris says music and being part of a choir were what saved him when he sank into drug addiction and crime and ended up in court. When he got clean he sang that song at the Court's 25th anniversary celebration.
"No wind no rain no winters cold can stop me from getting to you" were the words Lesley Pearl sang to her birth mother as she lay gravely ill in hospital. Lesley had braved Hurricane Sandy to fly to Charleston to be with her and it brought them closer towards the end of her life.
At the height of the pandemic in 2020 when New York was suffering huge numbers of Covid deaths and hospitalisations, nurse Kym Villamer sang it to staff and patients at the hospital where she works to remind them of the perseverance of the human spirit and the goodness of humanity.
An Assistant Professor of Music at Washington University in St Louis breaks down the various musical elements that make it such an enduring powerful uplifting anthem.
Produced by Maggie Ayre.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 2021.
FRI 21:00 And the Academy Award Goes To... (b0520pr1)
Series 5
Midnight Cowboy
An X–rated picture winning the Oscar for Best Picture? From squeaky clean, well-shaved 'Graduate', to sleazy pimp - Dustin Hoffman shows his acting prowess in John Schlesinger's well-deserved but shocking Oscar Best Picture from 1969.
Paul Gambaccini explores though it was a shock, it was not a surprise when 'Midnight Cowboy' won the Oscar for Best Picture of 1969 - not to mention gongs for the director, John Schlesinger, and screen writer, Waldo Salt.
But take a fresh look at this film, 45 years later, and it's obvious why it blasted its way passed the opposition at the Academy Awards. The film was rife with acting talent; a young Dustin Hoffman, messing up his clean cut reputation by taking on the role of a down at heel New York bum; Jon Voight as a naïve but optimistic hustler; Brenda Vaccaro as a lush, fur-coated party girl and Sylvia Miles hilarious in a short but lauded sex scene.
It also brought one of the most extraordinary scriptwriters, Waldo Salt, and one of the first 'out' directors, John Schlesinger, together with one of the least experienced, but adventurous cinematographers, Adam Holender - a moment of production chemistry.
With fresh interviews with Adam Holender, Sylvia Miles, producer Jerome Hellman, Brenda Vaccaro, Waldo Salt's daughter Jennifer, and Schlesinger's long-term partner Michael Childers, Paul Gambaccini presents "And The Academy Award Goes To... Midnight Cowboy."
Producer: Sara Jane Hall
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2015.
FRI 21:30 Limelight (m000xmzn)
The House That Vanished
5. The Hand of God
A compelling five-part mystery based on the true story of one man’s search for justice on a remote Irish island, blending documentary and drama.
Neville finally has his day in court facing the man he believes is responsible for the disappearance of his house, but as he waits to hear the outcome of his case Neville finds himself on the wrong side of the law.
Neville Presho ...… Tony Flynn
Patrick Doohan …... Seán T. Ó Meallaigh
Justice Murphy ...… Mark Lambert
Prosecution barrister …... Faolán Morgan
Defence barrister ...… Michael Patrick
Psychiatrist …... Patrick Fitzsymons
Garda officer ...... Niall Cusack
Reporter ...... Megan Armitage
Hotel owner ...... Lalor Roddy
Presented by Siobhán McSweeney.
Written by Jan Carson
Produced by Conor McKay and Michael Shannon
A BBC Northern Ireland production for Radio 4, first broadcast in July 2021.
FRI 22:00 Jokes (p0hc25z5)
Stuart Mitchell's Cost of Living
5. Stuart Becomes an Orphan
Comedian Stuart Mitchell examines his own cost of living crisis. Stuart looks back at the death of his mum and just when he finds himself back on his feet and truly happy, he receives devastating news about his dad.
Each episode, Stuart looks at a chapter of his own unbelievable, but absolutely true, life story.
A working class boy, with huge aspirations, Stuart achieved everything he dreamed of and more. However, he soon came to realise that the cost of having everything was more than he was willing to pay. A morality tale featuring his time working in Westminster, moving to a highly paid job in banking and willingly losing it all to find happiness; Stuart will make us all question the true cost of living.
Written and performed by Stuart Mitchell
Produced by Lauren Mackay
FRI 22:15 Guy Browning's Small Talk (b0076d5r)
Series 1
How to Poach an Egg
"Eggs are no different from most people. Drop them into hot water and they go to pieces".
Some surreal food for thought.
Written by and starring Guy Browning.
Producer: Jonquil Panting
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 2003.
FRI 22:30 Laura Solon - Talking and Not Talking (b00773md)
Series 1
Episode 4
A day in the life of a lock keeper and a return to Chingley Hall.
Award-winning comedian Laura Solon's sketch and character comedy series
With:
Ben Moor
Katherine Parkinson
Ben Willbond
Written by Laura Solon.
With additional material by the cast, Carl Cooper, Tony Roche and Andy Marlatt.
Producer: Colin Anderson
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 2007.
FRI 23:00 Absolute Power (b007jr82)
Series 1
Episode 6
What better way to increase the nation's feelgood factor than for England to win a major sporting trophy?
An impossible task Prentiss and McCabe?
Mark Tavener's comedy about the machiavellian doctors of PR spin with contacts at the highest level of government.
Starring Stephen Fry as Charles Prentiss and John Bird as Martin McCabe.
With:
Siobhan Hayes
Tony Gardner
Simon Greenall
Beth Chalmers
Producer: Paul Schlesinger
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 2000.
FRI 23:30 Weak at the Top (b00tbb7d)
Series 2
Conference
John Weak designs the perfect company conference using only a video of great sporting moments and that fox from Channel 5 News.
Randy, devious, sexist and workshy, John Weak puts the man into management – in the return of Guy Browning’s sitcom.
Starring Alexander Armstrong as marketing maestro and "totty" magnet John Weak.
John Weak ...... Alexander Armstrong
Hayley ...... Clare Perkins
Sir Marcus ...... Geoffrey Whitehead
Bill Peters ...... Ron Cook
Hayley ...... Clare Perkns
Ross Fullbright ...... Ewan Bailey
Giles Renton Willis ...... Stephen Critchlow
Marian Davis ...... Adjoa Andoh
Camilla Harma-McCall ...... Beth Chalmers
Producer: Jonquil Panting
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in June 2006.