SATURDAY 20 APRIL 2024

SAT 00:00 Soul Music (b03kqf04)
Series 17
Can't Take My Eyes Off You
Few songs can claim to be - quite literally - as far reaching as the 1967 classic 'Can't Take My Eyes off You'.
Former astronaut Christopher Ferguson heard this song as an early morning wake-up call aboard the space shuttle Endeavour.
Mother of two, Michelle Noakes sang this classic piece to the baby she was told she may never be able to carry.
A honeymoon couple recall how their marriage proposal began with a hundred strong 'flash mob' performance of this track.
Singer Frankie Valli reflects on one of the most moving performances he ever gave when he sang 'Can't Take My Eyes off You' to a crowd of recently returned Vietnam Veterans.
DJ Mark Radcliffe recalls the many artists since Valli who have covered this song (not least his mum who sang along to the Andy Williams version).
Composer Bob Gaudio reveals how this piece of music began life in a room overlooking Central Park, with a melody originally penned for a children's nursery rhyme.
Series about pieces of music with a powerful emotional impact
Producer: Nicola Humphries
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 2013.
SAT 00:30 The Last Of The Hardy Players (b00vrxjx)
President of the Hardy Society Julian Fellowes tells the extraordinary story of The Hardy Players.
This is an amateur theatre group inspired and supported by Thomas Hardy.
Julian meets original cast member Norrie Woodhall, who recalls rehearsals at Hardy's home at Max Gate, near Dorchester.
Hardy's celebrity status drew the attention of London critics, who thronged to Dorchester to see and review the Players' performances for the national newspapers. Hardy invited the drama critic of The Times, Harold Child, to stay with him and was rewarded by a whole column for the review and a leading article on the players.
There are many comical anecdotes about the members of the group and their performances which could come directly off the pages of 'Under the Greenwood Tree' or 'The Trumpet Major'. And first readings would take place in presence of Hardy's guests - James Barrie, Sir Henry Newbolt and TE Lawrence among them.
Hardy presented the Players with an original verse play called 'The Famous Tragedy of the Queen of Cornwall' in 1923. Such was the national interest in this play that the BBC (only a year old) broadcast it 'radiated from the Bournemouth station only.' But Hardy refused permission for London productions of his plays, perhaps protective of the special local qualities of the Hardy Players.
The New Hardy Players were formed in 2005, with original Player Norrie Woodhall as President. Norrie was cast by Hardy himself as Tess's sister, Liza Lu, in the stage version of his novel, Tess of the D'Urbervilles.
Producer: Mary Ward-Lowery
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 2010.
SAT 01:00 The Sensitive (b010dp0v)
5. A Casualty Of War
A woman missing since 1945 is seen in a deserted guest house.
Psychic detective Thomas Soutar investigates.
Thomas's mother is forced to relocate her business to an empty guest house owned by retired hotelier and friend, Jack Cameron. Thomas persuades his girlfriend Kat to stay with them.
As tensions rise in the house, Thomas senses a malignant presence – and confesses he’s always had a fascination with the history of the house…
Starring Robin Laing.
Another off-beat adventure of a psychic helping police investigations in Glasgow.
Written by Alistair Jessiman.
Thomas .... Robin Laing
Mrs Soutar .... Sheila Donald
Kat .... Julie Duncanson
Jack .... Paul Young
Mrs Forbes-Brown .... .Edith Macarthur
Director: Bruce Young
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 2011.
SAT 01:45 DS Sue Manson - Final Sacrament (m001yb24)
5. Final Communion
Can Detective Sergeant Sue Manson finally end the hunt for a killer fixated with religious Renaissance art?
Sue is convinced that she knows who the final victim will be - and where the killing will take place...
Starring Annie Farr and Patrick Robinson.
Adapted by Bill Murphy from his own crime thriller novel.
DS Sue Manson .... Annie Farr
DS Brian Torrey .... Patrick Robinson
Inspector Phillips .... David Thorne
Father Raphoe …. Des McAleer
Mags Langon .... Alison Pettit
Elizabeth Gantz .... Jennifer Hill
Raymond Gantz .... Tom George
Producer: Tanya Nash
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 2004.
SAT 02:00 Up the Garden Path (b007x080)
Series 1
Punch Ups and Put Downs
With several other men vying for her attention, Izzy tries to break up with Razors.
Tumbling from one love entanglement to another, 30 something teacher Izzy Comyn has a predilection for inappropriate men.
Imelda Staunton stars as Izzy.
Adapted by Sue Limb from her 1984 novel into three radio series which ran from 1987 to 1993. Granada also adapted the series for ITV.
Izzy ...... Imelda Staunton
Maria ...... Marty Cruickshank
Michael ...... Nicholas Le Prevost
Dick ...... Mike Grady
Gwyn ...... Sion Probert
Class 4C:
Cheryl Miller
Kelda Holmes
Melissa Wilson
Producer: Jonathan James-Moore
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 1987.
SAT 02:30 Albert and Me (b007jzdc)
Series 2
Minder
Bryan is offered a job at last, but where will he find a babysitter?
Stars Robert Lindsay and Pat Coombs.
Single parent Bryan Archer struggles to find work while raising his baby son, Albert.
Written by Jim Eldridge.
Bryan Archer ...... Robert Lindsay
Mum/Albert ...... Pat Coombs
Mrs Willis ...... Diana King
Vera ...... Marcia Warren
Joe ...... Ron Pember
Mr Graham ...... Douglas Blackwell
Job Centre Clerk ...... David Graham
Incidental music by Max Harris.
Producer: John Fawcett Wilson
First broadcast on BBC Radio 2 in March 1983.
SAT 03:00 Plum House (b0b5tr52)
Series 2
Black Pudding
The offer of an honorary degree at a less than prestigious ex-polytechnic sends Peter into a depressive spiral, as he questions whether he has wasted his life.
The team call on the chief psychiatrist to the academic profession, the radical Doctor Bloch.
Starring Simon Callow, Miles Jupp and Jane Horrocks.
Comedy about the inept staff at a historic house.
Every year, thousands of tourists flock to the Lake District. But one place they never go to is Plum House - the former country home of terrible poet George Pudding (1779-1848).
Now a crumbling museum, losing money hand over fist, it struggles to stay open under its eccentric curator Peter Knight. Tom Collyer tries and fails to get the museum back on track, alongside the hopelessly out of touch deputy Julian, corner-cutting gift shop manager Maureen, put-upon education officer Emma, and enthusiastic but dim-witted caretaker Alan.
Written by Ben Cottam and Paul McKenna
Peter ...... Simon Callow
Maureen ...... Jane Horrocks
Julian ...... Miles Jupp
Tom ...... Tom Bell
Alan ...... Pearce Quigley
Emma ...... Louise Ford
Doctor Bloch ...... Steve Pemberton
Steve Clegg ...... Alex Lowe
Vice Chancellor ...... Alex Lowe
Receptionist ...... Sarah Daykin
Producer: Sarah Cartwright
Director: Paul Schlesinger
A Hat Trick production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in June 2018.
SAT 03:30 Small Pleasures by Clare Chambers (m000ss3k)
10. Decision
Jean solves the mystery of Gretchen Tilbury.
Howard makes a decision.
A novel of unexpected second chances set in 1950s England. Written by Clare Chambers.
When the North Kent Echo receives a letter from a woman claiming her daughter was the result of virgin birth, they send feature writer Jean Swinney to investigate.
Jean is almost 40 and and leads a restricted life with her demanding mother. But as she becomes more deeply involved with Gretchen, Howard and Margaret Tilbury, things begin to change.
Concluded by Monica Dolan.
Abridged and produced by Jeremy Osborne
A Sweet Talk production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in March 2021.
SAT 03:45 Virginia Woolf - To the Lighthouse (b04d4p08)
5. Return Home
Ten years have passed and the Ramsays' holiday home on the Isle of Skye has remained empty.
Finally, some of the remaining Ramsay family and other guests return.
Lily Briscoe revisits her unfinished painting and a trip to the Lighthouse is planned.
Virginia Woolf's landmark modernist 1927 novel based on her own early experiences.
Dramatised by Linda Marshall Griffiths.
Mr Ramsay ...... John Lynch
Cam ...... Verity-May Henry
Lily ...... Lyndsey Marshal
James ...... Henry McEntire
Director: Nadia Molinari
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 2014.
SAT 04:00 Whispers (b007k3bv)
Series 3
Episode 5
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
Louise Doughty
Richard Herring
Producer: Victoria Lloyd
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 2005.
SAT 04:30 Do Nothing 'Til You Hear From Me (b0076h4q)
Series 1
Body and Soul
Roy, a 70-year-old jazz trombonist, and George, his best friend and pianist, face up to their own mortality at the funeral of a member of their old band.
Meanwhile, Roy's wife Vi is full of life as her evening class tutor begins to show more than an academic interest in her
Starring Ram John Holder and Sam Kelly.
Sitcom written by Marcus Powell and John Byrne.
Roy ... Ram John Holder
Vi ... Yvonne Brewster
George ... Sam Kelly
Bernadette ... Caroline Lee Johnson
Barry ... George Layton
Victor ... Marcus Powell
Daphne ... Liza Sadovy
Alastair ... Gerald Harper
Producer: Carol Smith
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 2003.
SAT 05:00 Andy Rashleigh - Devonia (b09lt68h)
3. Night Boat
1936: Devonia has a curious group of passengers aboard who may well be spies. Meanwhile, will Harry and Mercy finally tie the knot?
Last of three plays about the life and times of a paddle steamer and its crew depicted across three decades
Starring John Duttine.
Written by Andy Rashleigh.
Harry ...... John Duttine
Mercy ...... Sophie Thompson
Charlotte ...... Selina Cadell
Schubert ...... John Rowe
Newbold ...... David Allister
Wilf ...... Robert Harper
Vincent ...... Stephen Critchlow
Producer: Cherry Cookson
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in June 1999.
SAT 05:45 Missing by Gillian Tindall (b06jv3hm)
An exploration of the effect on a family when their Uncle Elwyn just disappears one day...
An intriguing story with a twist in its tail.
Gillian Tindall's short story read by Alice Arnold.
Producer: Faynia Williams
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in June 1992.
SAT 06:00 Falling Heads (b04144rs)
In 1917, Member of Parliament Noel Pemberton Billing publishes a review of a performance of Oscar Wilde's ‘Salome’.
This accuses the leading actress of treason, and precipitates a libel action.
The scandalous revelations rock Prime Minister David Lloyd George's administration to its very foundations.
It also keeps the nation extremely amused...
Starring Ronald Pickup, Leslie Phillips and Celia Imrie.
Comedy drama written by Colin Haydn Evans.
Noel Pemberton Billing …. Ronald Pickup
Lord Justice Darling …. Leslie Phillips
Maud Allen …. Celia Imrie
Jack Grime …. Robert Whelan
Casson …. Simon Carter
Spencer …. Robert Daws
Repington …. Graham Padden
The General …. Geoffrey Whitehead
Lloyd George …. Norman Rodway
Ransome …. John Howe
Eileen Villiers-Stuart …. Susan Jeffrey
Dr Savage …. Andrew Readman
Other parts played by members of the cast.
Directed at BBC Pebble Mill by Chris Wallis.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 1995.
SAT 07:30 Talking to Strangers by Malcolm Gladwell (Omnibus) (m0008hpr)
Malcolm Gladwell is an international best-selling author and host of the podcast Revisionist History.
His book explores what we should know about the people we don’t know.
And, with his trademark style, he delves into our recent history, in order to understand the world we live in and the people we live amongst more clearly.
Omnibus of five parts abridged by Anna Magnusson.
Read by the author.
Produced by Kirsty Williams with the assistance of Pushkin Industries.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 2019.
SAT 08:45 Robb Wilton: I Should Say So (b01kjtfx)
Series 1
The Poltergeist
Robb Wilton (1881-1957) was one of the most popular music hall and radio comics of the 1930s and 1940s.
Famed as an all-round pessimist - what would he have made of 1980s Britain?
Michael Williams stars as Robb Wilton - making as little sense out of life as he did 40 years before...
Five-part series written by Allen Saddler.
Producer: Brian Miller
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 1986.
SAT 09:00 England, Their England by AG Macdonell (m000xf01)
Episode 1
Young Donald Cameron retires injured from the Great War and finds himself with a commission.
He's set to write a book about the English and their curious habits.
AG Macdonell's classic comic novel, first published in 1933.
Adapted in six parts by Bob Sinfield.
Narrated by Leslie Phillips.
Donald Cameron .... Sam Graham
Davies .... Shaun Prendergast
Ewan Cameron .... Peter Kelly
Gwladys .... Katy Odey
Miss Garrison .... Denise Coffey
Mr Ossory .... Christopher Benjamin
Director: Neil Cargill
A Splice of Life production for BBC Radio 2, first broadcast in September 1994.
SAT 09:30 Ray's a Laugh (m001yhcw)
From 04/03/1960
Ted gets inspired for a campaign when he’s seconded to another advertising agency.
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
Laidman Browne
Pat Coombs
BBC Variety Orchestra conducted by Paul Fenoulhet.
Producer: Leslie Bridgmont
First broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in March 1960.
SAT 10:00 Michael Palin's Radio Adventures (m000rdkd)
3. Ripping Yarns
Actor-adventurer, Michael Palin talks more to John McCarthy about his remarkable life and career as broadcast on BBC radio.
Michael has been a Python, a world traveller, author, actor and screenwriter, and often described as “Britain’s Nicest Man”.
However one area which is often overlooked from his long and impressive career are his fascinating radio contributions.
The last of three programmes featuring extracts from from his mighty canon of work including his famous diaries, interviews about his comedy and travel work, documentaries and dramas.
From London’s BBC Radio Theatre.
Producer: Stephen Garner
Made for BBC Radio 4 Extra and first broadcast in December 2017.
SAT 11:00 Falling Heads (b04144rs)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
SAT 12:30 Talking to Strangers by Malcolm Gladwell (Omnibus) (m0008hpr)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
SAT 13:45 Robb Wilton: I Should Say So (b01kjtfx)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:45 today]
SAT 14:00 England, Their England by AG Macdonell (m000xf01)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
SAT 14:30 Ray's a Laugh (m001yhcw)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 today]
SAT 15:00 Michael Palin's Radio Adventures (m000rdkd)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 today]
SAT 16:00 Hermann Hesse - The Glass Bead Game (b00t1016)
1. Seeds of Unrest
Joseph Knecht is a rising star in the Castalian Order, a band of elite intellectuals who live a closeted life of study and Glass Bead Game playing.
But Joseph's elevation to one of the highest and most respected ranks of The Order coincides with a crisis of conscience.
His ever-deepening doubts about this idealistic and sanitised society threaten to topple its very foundations...
Hermann Hesse's classic novel set in a futuristic, utopian society - first published in 1943.
Starring Derek Jacobi and Tom Ferguson.
Dramatised in two parts by Lavinia Greenlaw
Biographer …. Derek Jacobi
Joseph Knecht …. Tom Ferguson
Young Joseph …. Aidan Parsons
Music Master …. Malcolm Raeburn
Teacher/Van Der Trave …. Terence Mann
Plinio …. David Seddon
Fritz …. Toby Hadoke
Father Jacobus …. David Fleeshman
Bertram …. Jonathan Keeble
String Player: Kevin Flynn
Producer: Charlotte Riches
Director: Susan Roberts
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 2010.
SAT 17:00 Falling Heads (b04144rs)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
SAT 18:30 Talking to Strangers by Malcolm Gladwell (Omnibus) (m0008hpr)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
SAT 19:45 Robb Wilton: I Should Say So (b01kjtfx)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:45 today]
SAT 20:00 England, Their England by AG Macdonell (m000xf01)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
SAT 20:30 Ray's a Laugh (m001yhcw)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 today]
SAT 21:00 Michael Palin's Radio Adventures (m000rdkd)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 today]
SAT 22:00 4 at the Store (b00ct1wm)
Series 1
Episode 2
Simon Bligh hosts more stand-up comedy.
Direct from the Comedy Store in London.
Featuring:
John Mann
Marian Unfaithful
Paul Tonkinson
Producer: Helen Williams
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 1998.
SAT 22:30 That Mitchell and Webb Sound (b03phz0k)
Series 5
Episode 5
Bonus material from David Mitchell and Robert Webb's 5th series - specially compiled for BBC Radio 4 Extra.
Offbeat sketches from the lopsided world of David Mitchell and Robert Webb.
With:
Olivia Colman
James Bachman
Producer: Gareth Edwards
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 Extra in December 2013.
SAT 23:00 Andrew Maxwell's Public Enemies (b03gg7rd)
Nationalism
Andrew looks at Nationalists, from a variety of movements, who are easy to demonise. So very, very easy.
But rather than do that - and it really is very easy - Andrew will explore the reasons for joining such organisations and the logical outcomes of their policies.
Andrew Maxwell is one of the UK's most informed and fearless stand ups. In this series of one-off stand up shows, he uses his trademark intelligence and political incisiveness to dig behind the clichés and assumptions about four possible threats to British society.
Series showcasing a comedian at the top of his abilities tackling difficult and important 'slow news' topics with a depth and perceptiveness that remains outside the remit of mainstream 'topical' comedy.
Written and performed by Andrew Maxwell.
Script edited by Paul Byrne.
Producer: Ed Morrish
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 2013.
SAT 23:30 Hut 33 (b00wbkxg)
Series 2
Where Boffins Dare
The codebreakers are threatened with being sent to Burma after making yet another mistake with a message.
In an attempt to redeem themselves before their superiors, they set out to capture a German spy.
James Cary's sitcom set at Bletchley Park - the top-secret home of the Second World War codebreakers.
Charles …. Robert Bathurst
Archie …. Tom Goodman-Hill
Minka …. Olivia Colman
Mrs Best …. Lill Roughley
Gordon …. Fergus Craig
Joshua … Alex McQueen
With Ben Willbond as Wilhelm.
Producer: Adam Bromley
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in June 2008.

SUNDAY 21 APRIL 2024

SUN 00:00 Hermann Hesse - The Glass Bead Game (b00t1016)
[Repeat of broadcast at 16:00 on Saturday]
SUN 01:00 Falling Heads (b04144rs)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 on Saturday]
SUN 02:30 Talking to Strangers by Malcolm Gladwell (Omnibus) (m0008hpr)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 on Saturday]
SUN 03:45 Robb Wilton: I Should Say So (b01kjtfx)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:45 on Saturday]
SUN 04:00 England, Their England by AG Macdonell (m000xf01)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 on Saturday]
SUN 04:30 Ray's a Laugh (m001yhcw)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 on Saturday]
SUN 05:00 Michael Palin's Radio Adventures (m000rdkd)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 on Saturday]
SUN 06:00 Desert Island Discs Revisited (b06z8dj3)
Racing Castaways
Peter O'Sullevan
The voice of horse racing Peter O'Sullevan is castaway by Sue Lawley.
Due to retire in November 1997, Peter calculates that he's commentated on some 14,000 races.
After calling his last Grand National earlier in 1997, he perhaps breathed a sigh of relief, because even after 50 broadcasts he admits to still finding the responsibility nerve-wracking.
Horses have always been his life. He owns them, bets on them, writes about them and campaigns for their welfare, with the same enthusiasm that he had as a young boy riding with his grandparents' groom, Truelove.
DISC ONE: Louis Armstrong - Panama
DISC TWO: Guamary - Floreo De Llamas (Dance Of The Flames)
DISC THREE: Duke Ellington - It Don't Mean A Thing If It Ain't Got That Swing
DISC FOUR: Édith Piaf - Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien
DISC FIVE: Ella Fitzgerald - Lush Life
DISC SIX: Dave Brubeck - Take Five
DISC SEVEN: Yehudi Menuhin, Stephane Grappelli - The Lady Is A Tramp
DISC EIGHT: Vladimir Ashkenazy with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra - Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 5 in E flat major: "Emperor"
BOOK CHOICE: Ends and Means - Aldous Huxley
LUXURY CHOICE: Bottle Of Calvados
CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: Vladimir Ashkenazy with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra - Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 5 in E flat major: "Emperor"
Producer: Angie Nehring
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 1997.
SUN 06:45 David Attenborough's Life Stories (b011ckxz)
Series 2
Quetzalcoatlus
As Sir David Attenborough explains:
"The biggest animal to fly was not a bird, but a reptile."
It was a Quetzalcoatlus, a pterosaur with at least a 44 foot wingspan. David, a huge fan of palaeontology, is skilled in bringing the past natural histories to life through stories about the discovery of key fossils.
What a creature this "terrible lizard" must have been - big enough to scavenge the bodies of dead Tyrannosaurus and yet able to fly, probably in large numbers. And with a twist so typical of Sir David's writing, he brings this pterosaur to life at the very end.
Written and presented by David Attenborough.
Producer: Julian Hector
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 2011.
SUN 07:00 Poetry Extra (m000gnd5)
The Lament of Swordy Well
Poet Daljit Nagra revisits the BBC's radio poetry archive and chooses The Lament of Swordy Well.
Paul Farley explores ecology, Englishness and 'home' through John Clare's landmark poem.
'My name will quickly be the whole
That's left of Swordy Well.'
So wrote John Clare in the 1830s, before he was committed to the asylum, in one of his most moving and proto-ecological poems. Swordy Well, a tract of limestone heath near Clare's home in Northamptonshire, is not just the subject though - astonishingly it's also the narrator. Through Clare, the place gained a voice - a rarity even today in English poetry.
The site - now Swaddywell - is presently one of scientific interest, and has been preserved for its wildlife and habitat. However following Clare's time - and his poem's catalogue of the place's neglect and abuse following enclosure - the area found itself being used as a racetrack for stock cars, a site for illegal raves and parties, and even became a fly tipping eyesore.
Poet Paul Farley, who has edited John Clare's poems, goes back to the original location and takes the poem back to its source too, meeting with fellow writers, conservationists and locals who remember the partying and racing in Swordy Well. How would the place speak now, nearly two centuries after enclosure?
Responding with a new poem of Paul Farley's, and with a vivid soundscape, The Lament of Swordy Well reflects on the nature of location, ecology, 'home' and voice in the English landscape poem.
Producer: Aasiya Lodhi
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2008.
SUN 07:30 Small Pleasures by Clare Chambers (Omnibus) (m001yhk6)
Episode 2
Gretchen stays home to look after a sick Margaret.
Jean and Howard drive off together to visit Howard’s aunt.
When the North Kent Echo receives a letter from a woman claiming her daughter was the result of virgin birth, they send feature writer Jean Swinney to investigate.
Jean is almost 40 and leads a restricted life with her demanding mother. But as she becomes more deeply involved with Gretchen, Howard and Margaret Tilbury, things begin to change.
Historical romance novel by Clare Chambers, first published in 2020.
Omnibus of the last five of ten episodes.
Read by Monica Dolan
Abridged and produced by Jeremy Osborne
A Sweet Talk production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in February 2021.
SUN 08:40 Inheritance Tracks (m001yhkc)
Jonathan Agnew
Jonathan Agnew chooses 'You're a Lady' by Peter Skellern and 'I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to Be Free' by Nina Simone.
SUN 08:50 Virginia Woolf - To the Lighthouse (Omnibus) (b04dm0jk)
Just before the First World War, Mr and Mrs Ramsay, their eight children and an array of guests are on the Isle of Skye for the summer.
Despite Mr Ramsay's prediction of bad weather, Young James is determined to get to the Lighthouse.
Virginia Woolf's landmark modernist novel based on her own early experiences - first published 1927.
Intensely personal and profoundly universal; a moving portrait of family life that captures the transience of human experience.
Omnibus of five parts dramatised by Linda Marshall Griffiths
Lily ..... Lyndsey Marshal
Mrs Ramsay ..... Charlotte Emmerson
Mr Ramsay ..... John Lynch
James ..... Alex Starke
Mr Tansley ..... Matthew McNulty
Prue ..... Verity-May Henry
Paul ..... Ben Lamb
Minta ..... Olivia Hallinan
Mr Bankes ..... Andonis Anthony
Cam ..... Talia Barnett
Mrs McNab ..... Alexandra Mathie
James (adult) ..... Henry McEntire
Director Nadia Molinari
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 2014.
SUN 10:00 All Gas and Gaiters (b007jpx1)
Series 2
The Bishop Has a Rest
The Bishop’s dream of a peaceful Saturday afternoon at St Oggs is rudely interrupted.
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
Mrs Pugh-Critchley …. Joan Sanderson
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 December 1972.
SUN 10:30 Much Binding in the Marsh (m001yhkj)
From 15/05/1947
The committee examines its finances, and what’s happening in the movies?
Starring Kenneth Horne and Richard 'Stinker' Murdoch.
With:
Sam Costa
Marilyn Williams
Vivienne Chatterton
Maurice Denham
Dick Griffin
Much Binding in the Marsh ran from 1944 to 1954 initially set at a remote RAF station before being converted to a country club and later the action moved to a newspaper. (The show also ran for a season with commercial breaks on Radio Luxembourg).
Written by Richard Murdoch and Kenneth Horne.
Music by Stanley Black and The Augmented Dance Orchestra.
Producer: Leslie Bridgmont
Firs broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in May 1947.
SUN 11:00 Desert Island Discs Revisited (b06z8dj3)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
SUN 11:45 David Attenborough's Life Stories (b011ckxz)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:45 today]
SUN 12:00 Poetry Extra (m000gnd5)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
SUN 12:30 Small Pleasures by Clare Chambers (Omnibus) (m001yhk6)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
SUN 13:40 Inheritance Tracks (m001yhkc)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:40 today]
SUN 13:50 Virginia Woolf - To the Lighthouse (Omnibus) (b04dm0jk)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:50 today]
SUN 15:00 All Gas and Gaiters (b007jpx1)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 today]
SUN 15:30 Much Binding in the Marsh (m001yhkj)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:30 today]
SUN 16:00 Voices from the Grave (b007jwn9)
50 Berkeley Square by Dylan Ritson
The most haunted house in Victorian London is set to give up its dark secret.
A hundred years back in time, Molly discovers that passion never dies.
Molly …. Sophie Roberts
Robert …. Harry Myers
Angel …. John Cummins
‘Voices from the Grave’ is a series of four chilling and intimate dramas, inspired by existing ghost stories from around Britain. The writers make these stories more than simply scary - they are studies of humanity, love, rage and despair, of passion, longing and pain.
Writer Dylan Ritson has a long and successful career in theatre, film and radio. His radio work includes ‘The Dream-Workings’, ‘Brain-Sayings of James Tilly Matthews’ and ‘The Hunting of the Snark’.
Producer: Gemma Jenkins
Made for BBC Radio 7 and first broadcast in 2007.
SUN 16:30 Weird Tales (b00x4gb2)
Series 1
Out of the Depths by Melissa Murray
When Martha discovers her sister Grace has been trying past-life regression to break a cycle of abusive relationships, she decides it is time for them to return to a place from their past.
Travelling to Cornwall, they are forced to confront demons. But which sister needs to be free and what will it cost?
Written by Melissa Murray.
Series of four chilling dramas inspired by Lovecraft's stories of magical rites and forbidden lore.
Martha ...... Elizabeth Berrington
Grace ...... Naomi Frederick
Lovecraft ...... Stephen Hogan
Tom ...... Ed Gaughan
Therapist ...... Caroline Guthrie
Vicar ...... Jonathan Tafler
Producer: Pam Marshall
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 2009.
SUN 17:00 Desert Island Discs Revisited (b06z8dj3)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
SUN 17:45 David Attenborough's Life Stories (b011ckxz)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:45 today]
SUN 18:00 Poetry Extra (m000gnd5)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
SUN 18:30 Small Pleasures by Clare Chambers (Omnibus) (m001yhk6)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
SUN 19:40 Inheritance Tracks (m001yhkc)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:40 today]
SUN 19:50 Virginia Woolf - To the Lighthouse (Omnibus) (b04dm0jk)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:50 today]
SUN 21:00 All Gas and Gaiters (b007jpx1)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 today]
SUN 21:30 Much Binding in the Marsh (m001yhkj)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:30 today]
SUN 22:00 Revolting People (b007jzgq)
Series 1
A Helluva Lot of Storm Clouds
Cora discovers she is pregnant, which is embarrassing as she and Ezekiel haven't yet consummated their marriage.
Meanwhile Mary and Captain Brimshaw can hardly control their passion.
Sitcom set in 1770, just before the American War of Independence.
Written by Andy Hamilton and Jay Tarses.
Samuel Oliphant …. Jay Tarses
Sergeant McGurk …. Andy Hamilton
Mary Oliphant …. Sophie Thompson
Captain Brimshaw …. James Fleet
Ezekiel Spriggs …. Hugh Dennis
Cora Oliphant …. Felicity Montagu
Joshua Oliphant …. Tony Maudsley
Doctor Rutledge …. Philip Pope
Producer: Paul Mayhew-Archer
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 2000.
SUN 22:30 I've Never Seen Star Wars (b00r66c1)
Series 3
Sanjeev Bhaskar
Marcus Brigstocke invites his guest Sanjeev Baskar to try five things he really ought to have done by now, including reading PG Wodehouse.
Whether the experiences are banal or profound, the show is about embracing the new and getting out of our comfort zones.
The title comes from the fact that the show's producer and creator Bill Dare had never seen the film Star Wars.
Producer: Bill Dare
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 2010.
SUN 22:55 The Comedy Club Interviews (m001yrlz)
Steve Bugeja 1/3
From 10pm until midnight, seven days a week, The Comedy Club has two hours of comedy. And tonight, Lou Conran chats to Steve Bugeja.
SUN 23:00 Great Unanswered Questions (b00fjdvj)
Series 1
Episode 3
How do they identify bodies from their dental records - if they don't know who their dentist is?
And why do balls bounce?
Northern Irish comedian Colin Murphy and his cohorts try to answer the most ridiculous of questions with the correct or at the very least, funny answers.
With:
Scientist - Dr David Booth
Comedian and computer geek - Matthew Collins.
Special guest: Stephen Grant
Producer: Jackie Hamilton
First broadcast on BBC Radio Ulster in 2008.
SUN 23:30 The In Crowd (b06ds1y8)
Series 4
Episode 4
Memory issues and is Mary really Mary?
Comedy sketch show from Manchester.
With:
Helen Moon
Robin Ince
Smug Roberts
Kate Ward
Written by Carl Cooper, Susan Vale, Martin Mor, Eliah Chlopicki, Ed Dyson, Rob & Neil Gibbons, Sandy Gort, Susan Murray and Robin Ince.
Producer: Graham Frost
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in June 2004.

MONDAY 22 APRIL 2024

MON 00:00 Voices from the Grave (b007jwn9)
[Repeat of broadcast at 16:00 on Sunday]
MON 00:30 Weird Tales (b00x4gb2)
[Repeat of broadcast at 16:30 on Sunday]
MON 01:00 Desert Island Discs Revisited (b06z8dj3)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 on Sunday]
MON 01:45 David Attenborough's Life Stories (b011ckxz)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:45 on Sunday]
MON 02:00 Poetry Extra (m000gnd5)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 on Sunday]
MON 02:30 Small Pleasures by Clare Chambers (Omnibus) (m001yhk6)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 on Sunday]
MON 03:40 Inheritance Tracks (m001yhkc)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:40 on Sunday]
MON 03:50 Virginia Woolf - To the Lighthouse (Omnibus) (b04dm0jk)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:50 on Sunday]
MON 05:00 All Gas and Gaiters (b007jpx1)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 on Sunday]
MON 05:30 Much Binding in the Marsh (m001yhkj)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:30 on Sunday]
MON 06:00 Galbraith and the Midas Touch (b061fdq3)
1. Watch the Birdie
A photograph circling the heads of three people at a party on a lawn sparks a fresh mystery for veteran detective Bill Galbraith.
After spending days looking for him, Tommy Evans has finally tracked down Galbraith.
Starring Bernard Hepton
Robert Barr's six-part thriller serial.
Bill Galbraith …. Bernard Hepton
Tommy Evans …. Richard Davies
Finch …. Garard Green
Sailor …. Kevork Malikyan
Tully …. Clive Merrison
Bavister …. Eric Richard
Mrs Palmer …. Margery Withers
TV producer Robert Barr, also wrote TV scripts for the BBC's ‘Z Cars’ and ‘Softly Softly’.
Producer: John Browell
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 1977.
MON 06:30 Whodunnits (b007jnj3)
Miss Marple - A Murder Is Announced
Episode 1
The villagers of Chipping Cleghorn, including Miss Jane Marple, are agog with curiosity over an ad in the local gazette which reads:
'A murder is announced and will take place on Friday October 29th at Little Paddocks at 6.30pm'.
As the time approaches, the crowds gather at Little Paddocks and then the lights go out.
Surely it must be a hoax...?
Agatha Christie's whodunnit stars June Whitfield as the deceptively mild sleuth, Miss Jane Marple.
From the book first published in 1950.
Dramatised in five parts by Michael Bakewell.
Miss Marple ...... June Whitfield
Inspector Craddock ...... Ian Lavender
Sir Henry Clithering ...... Graham Crowden
Letty Blacklock ...... Sarah Lawson
Dora Bunner ...... Judy Cornwell
Patrick Simmons ...... Jamie Glover
Miss Hinchliffe ...... Elizabeth Bell
Colonel Easterbrook ...... Jack Hedley
Laura Easterbrook ...... Joanna McCallum
Rev Julian Harmon ...... Ioan Meredith
Bunch Harmon ...... Molly Gaisford
Mitzi ...... Jenny Funnell
Miss Murgatroyd ...... Alice Arnold
Director: Enyd Williams
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 1999.
MON 07:00 The Alan Davies Show (b007js69)
Episode 1
Struggling actor Alan and his friends Kate and Murray find themselves locked in - a lot!
Alan Davies stars in his own six-part sitcom.
Alan Francis and Ronnie Ancona play his long-suffering friends.
Written by Alan Davies, Ben Silburn and Tony Roche.
Alan ...... Alan Davies
Murray ...... Alan Francis
Kate ...... Ronni Ancona
With:
Caroline Loncq
Kevin Eldon.
Producer: Jane Berthoud
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 1998.
MON 07:30 Steptoe and Son (b007jnjq)
Series 6
Loathe Story
Sleepwalking Harold gives dad Albert a fright.
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
Psychiatrist ...... Graham Stark
Bunty ...... Jo Manning Wilson
Mrs Kennington-Stroud ...... Margot Boyd
Producer: Bobby Jaye
First broadcast on the BBC Radio 2 in February 1976.
MON 08:00 Mrs Sidhu Investigates (b096j4lp)
Murder With Masala
1. Samosas, Suspicion and Stately Homes
Mrs Sidhu is Slough's answer to Miss Marple.
She’s a nosey Indian chef who gets mixed up in society crimes.
Since her husband's death, she’s built a successful reputation as a caterer expanding into well-heeled Berkshire, where posh clients pay better.
But when crime strikes, Mrs Sidhu embroils Inspector Burton – while at home, she’s plagued by her wily catering supplier Mr Varma and her wayward son, Tez.
In the opening episode, Mrs Sidhu heads to a posh wedding at Lapsley Hall where the bride appeals for her help in finding her missing maid of honour.
Meanwhile her son Tez is angry when she employs a French sous chef.
Starring Meera Syal.
Suk Pannu's four-part comedy drama.
Mrs Sidhu …… Meera Syal
Josh / Inspector Burton …… Justin Edwards
Jemma / Briony …… Amy Morgan
Mr Varma / Lord Lucas …… Vincent Ebrahim
Mrs Broghan / Lady Lucas …… Rachel Atkins
Tez / Sergeant …… Hamza Jeetooa
Producer: Gordon Kennedy.
An Absolutely production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in October 2017.
MON 08:30 Tom Stoppard: A Life by Hermione Lee (m000n5gn)
1. Childhood
Sir Tom Stoppard is among British theatre’s giants.
Hermione Lee's evocative and immersive biography tells the story of the man and his work. Read by Alex Jennings.
Since 1964 Stoppard has been writing for the theatre, big screen, TV and radio,. His plays are among the most studied of the last century.
As a young child, he was forced to flee Nazi-occupied Czechoslovakia; growing up in India and then England.
A campaigning activist on behalf of Eastern European and Soviet prisoners of conscience - along with the influence of, and his friendship with Vaclav Havel.
And always his work, the writing, rehearsing, casting and his ever present humour.
Tom remains at the forefront of British theatrical life, even in a moment of crisis. His personal and highly acclaimed play, Leopoldstadt, fell victim to Covid-19, when its run in the West End was suspended in March, 2020, before resuming in August, 2021.
Hermione Lee is a leading literary biographer, and with access to private papers, diaries and letters, interviews with the playwright's friends, and Stoppard himself, she has created an intimate portrait of the writer.
Abridged in five parts by Katrin Williams
Producer: Elizabeth Allard.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 2020.
MON 08:45 Subterranean Homesick Blues (b0bh4243)
Series 3
1. Future?
John and Maggie return as the couple attempting to give love one more chance.
Their tempestuous relationship means they couldn't manage a week's holiday together so how is John going to persuade Maggie that they have a future?
Starring Bill Nighy and Anna Calder-Marshall.
The return of AL Kennedy's romantic comedy drama in five parts.
John ...... Bill Nighy
Maggie ...... Anna Calder-Marshall
Director: Sally Avens
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 2018.
MON 09:00 Yesterday in Parliament (m001yhk0)
Susan Hulme reports on new plans to tackle pet abduction. And an expert explains why it's taking so long for Rishi Sunak's Rwanda Bill to clear parliament.
MON 09:30 On the Map (b00rlwxj)
6. World View
Self-confessed map addict Mike Parker continues his exploration of modern cartography.
Mike considers the picture that maps and atlases give us of the wider world and our place in it.
He discovers how cartographers always have to keep one eye on the map and the other on the news as territorial disputes rage, borders change and new countries emerge.
And he visits Jan Morris to look through a collection of maps and atlases accumulated over 60 years of travel writing.
Producer: Jeremy Grange
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 2010.
MON 09:45 Daily Service (m001yhk3)
Our Planet (Earth Day) – Creator God
Presented by Rev Marylee Anderson of The University of Aberdeen’s Multi-faith Chaplaincy.
Reading: Genesis 1: 1-8
MON 10:00 The Moth Radio Hour (m000xz8l)
The Rest is History
True stories told live in the USA: Meg Bowles introduces stories of history, disaster and incredible survival.
In this hour, an ancient instrument, a life-changing disaster, and survival in the face of genocide. People who experienced history, and its artifacts, firsthand.
The Moth is an acclaimed not-for-profit organisation dedicated to the art and craft of storytelling based in the USA. Since 1997, it has celebrated both the raconteur and the storytelling novice, who has lived through something extraordinary and yearns to share it.
Originally formed by the writer George Dawes Green as an intimate gathering of friends on a porch in Georgia (where moths would flutter in through a hole in the screen), and then recreated in a New York City living room, The Moth quickly grew to produce immensely popular events at theatres and clubs around New York City and later around the USA, the UK and other parts of the world.
The Moth has presented more than 15,000 stories, told live and without notes, to standing-room-only crowds worldwide. The Moth podcast is downloaded over 27 million times a year.
Featuring true stories told live on stage without scripts, from the humorous to the heart-breaking.
The Moth Radio Hour is produced by Jay Allison and Atlantic Public Media in Woods Hole, Massachusetts and is distributed by the Public Radio Exchange.
First broadcast in the USA in 2019.
MON 10:55 Inheritance Tracks (m000wyc4)
Steve Davis
Snooker player Steve Davis shares Sea Song by Robert Wyatt and Swimming with the Snake by Tim Smith.
MON 11:00 Galbraith and the Midas Touch (b061fdq3)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
MON 11:30 Whodunnits (b007jnj3)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
MON 12:00 The Alan Davies Show (b007js69)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
MON 12:30 Steptoe and Son (b007jnjq)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
MON 13:00 Mrs Sidhu Investigates (b096j4lp)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
MON 13:30 Tom Stoppard: A Life by Hermione Lee (m000n5gn)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
MON 13:45 Subterranean Homesick Blues (b0bh4243)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:45 today]
MON 14:00 Just a Minute (b008x4fd)
Series 52
Episode 7
Nicholas Parsons presides over the devious game where panellists are challenged to speak for one minute without hesitation, deviation or repetition.
Selected episodes from the show's 40th Anniversary series.
From the Colston Hall, Bristol, now renamed the Bristol Beacon.
With:
Paul Merton
Sue Perkins
Graham Norton
Tony Hawks
Subjects include: Brass Monkeys, Guerilla Tactics and The Missing Link.
Created by Ian Messiter.
Producer: Tilusha Ghelani
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 2008.
MON 14:30 Ring Around the Bath (b01hc2x1)
Series 3
Pressure Times Volume Is a Constant
Egg's boyfriend moves in. Rick moves out - and comes back. And the arrival of Alison's baby is only a couple of months away.
Can Stella keep track of her wayward family?
Series 3 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 15:00 Sally Worboyes - Wild Hops (m001yhkb)
1. Uncertain Times
In 1959, on the hop fields of Kent, the Jacksons join other East End families for what they discover will be the last season hops are picked by hand.
Laura Jackson wonders if this is the end of her affair with the owner of the farm, Robert Wright.
Stars Ellie Haddington, George Innes and Liz Smith.
Love-torn drama written in four parts by Sally Worboyes.
Laura .... Ellie Haddington
Jack .... George Innes
Liz .... Liz Smith
Bert .... Gerry Hinks
Kay .... Melanie Revill
Robert .... Alan Devereux
Marjorie .... Patricia Gallimore
Terry .... Richard Pearce
Zacchi .... Sam Barriscale
Terry's Mom .... Judy Bennett
Raymond .... Richard Allenson
Mrs Brown .... Joyce Gibbs
Janet .... Georgia Greeph
Director: Philip Martin
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 1993.
MON 15:45 Red Roses for a Blue Lady by Christine Harrison (m001yhkk)
"There had been just two women in Mr Stanley's life - Greta Garbo and Mrs Stanley."
A couple prefer films to real life - although Mrs Stanley has concerns...
Christine Harrison's short story read by Menna Trussler
Producer Caroline Sarll
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 1993.
MON 16:00 The Moth Radio Hour (m000xz8l)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 today]
MON 16:55 Inheritance Tracks (m000wyc4)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:55 today]
MON 17:00 Galbraith and the Midas Touch (b061fdq3)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
MON 17:30 Whodunnits (b007jnj3)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
MON 18:00 The Alan Davies Show (b007js69)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
MON 18:30 Steptoe and Son (b007jnjq)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
MON 19:00 Mrs Sidhu Investigates (b096j4lp)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
MON 19:30 Tom Stoppard: A Life by Hermione Lee (m000n5gn)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
MON 19:45 Subterranean Homesick Blues (b0bh4243)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:45 today]
MON 20:00 Just a Minute (b008x4fd)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:00 today]
MON 20:30 Ring Around the Bath (b01hc2x1)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:30 today]
MON 21:00 Sally Worboyes - Wild Hops (m001yhkb)
[Repeat of broadcast at 15:00 today]
MON 21:45 Red Roses for a Blue Lady by Christine Harrison (m001yhkk)
[Repeat of broadcast at 15:45 today]
MON 22:00 It's a Fair Cop (m001y8b8)
Series 8
3. Top Dog
A fan favourite returns this week, Zeus the Police Dog!
But how does our favourite canine copper react when his position as leader of the pack is threatened?
Written and presented by Alfie Moore
Script Editor: Will Ing
Production Co-ordinator: Katie Baum
Producer: Sam Holmes
An EcoAudio Certified Production
A BBC Studios Audio Production
MON 22:30 The Confessional (m0010pny)
Series 2
The Confession of Anthony Horowitz
Stephen Mangan’s comedy chat show about shame and guilt.
Stephen Mangan invites a different eminent guest into his virtual confessional box to make three 'confessions' to him. This is a cue for some rich and varied storytelling, and surprising insights as their confessions are put under the microscope. Settle back for a stimulating journey through the realms of shame, regret, guilt and toe-curling embarrassment
This time, Stephen meets the prolific novelist and screenwriter Anthony Horowitz - author of Foyle’s War and Alex Rider novels.
Subjects up for discussion - posthumous revenge, family relationships and the delights of making things up at inappropriate moments.
Written and presented by Stephen Mangan.
With extra material by Nick Doody.
Producer: Frank Stirling
A 7digital production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in 2021.
MON 22:55 The Comedy Club Interviews (m001yrm1)
Steve Bugeja 2/3
From 10pm until midnight, seven days a week, The Comedy Club has two hours of comedy. And tonight, Lou Conran chats to Steve Bugeja.
MON 23:00 The Now Show (m001y8j1)
Series 64
Episode 6
The Now Show first aired on BBC Radio 4 in September 1998 and this week sees its last ever episode. Steve Punt and Hugh Dennis take a look back over the last 25 years, with help from the voices of Gemma Arrowsmith and Rory Bremner.
They are joined by Glenn Moore investigating the Beijing Half Marathon scandal and Harriet Kemsley on the law firm who accidentally divorced the wrong couple. Plus Jazz Emu looks to the future with an original song accompanied by his band Matt Hutson, Luke Bainbrige and Tom Marlow.
The show was written by the cast with additional material from Mike Shephard, Cameron Loxdale, Carl Carzana and Christina Riggs.
Producer: Sasha Bobak
Executive Producer: Rich Morris
Production Coordinator: Caroline Barlow
A BBC Studios Production for Radio 4.
MON 23:30 Susan Calman - Keep Calman Carry On (b073j5cg)
Series 1
Hillwalking with Muriel Gray
Susan Calman is the least relaxed person she knows.
She has no down time, no hobbies (unless you count dressing up your cats in silly outfits) and her idea of relaxation is to play Grand Theft Auto, an hour into which she is in a murderous rage with sky high blood pressure. Her wife had to threaten to divorce her to make her go on holiday last year. Her first for four years. But she's been told by the same long-suffering wife, that unless she finds a way to switch off, and soon, she's going to be unbearable.
So Susan is looking at her options to try and immerse herself in the pursuits that her friends find relaxing, to find her inner zen and outer tranquillity.
Can she ditch the old Susan Calman and attempt to find the new Susan Calm?
For her first attempt, Susan tries to learn how to unwind, by going hillwalking with Muriel Gray.
Keep Calman Carry On is an audience stand up show in which Susan reports on how successful she's been - both at relaxing and at the pursuit itself - as well as playing in and discussing a handful of illustrative clips from her efforts.
It's an attempt to find out how people find solace or sanctuary in these worlds and how Susan can negotiate her own place in them.
Producer: Lyndsay Fenner.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 2016.

TUESDAY 23 APRIL 2024

TUE 00:00 The Moth Radio Hour (m000xz8l)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 on Monday]
TUE 00:55 Inheritance Tracks (m000wyc4)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:55 on Monday]
TUE 01:00 Galbraith and the Midas Touch (b061fdq3)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 on Monday]
TUE 01:30 Whodunnits (b007jnj3)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 on Monday]
TUE 02:00 The Alan Davies Show (b007js69)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 on Monday]
TUE 02:30 Steptoe and Son (b007jnjq)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 on Monday]
TUE 03:00 Mrs Sidhu Investigates (b096j4lp)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 on Monday]
TUE 03:30 Tom Stoppard: A Life by Hermione Lee (m000n5gn)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 on Monday]
TUE 03:45 Subterranean Homesick Blues (b0bh4243)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:45 on Monday]
TUE 04:00 Just a Minute (b008x4fd)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:00 on Monday]
TUE 04:30 Ring Around the Bath (b01hc2x1)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:30 on Monday]
TUE 05:00 Sally Worboyes - Wild Hops (m001yhkb)
[Repeat of broadcast at 15:00 on Monday]
TUE 05:45 Red Roses for a Blue Lady by Christine Harrison (m001yhkk)
[Repeat of broadcast at 15:45 on Monday]
TUE 06:00 Galbraith and the Midas Touch (b061fpw2)
2. Who Goes Next?
An East End criminal lawyer is threatened and a young man disappears.
Bernard Hepton stars as veteran detective, Bill Galbraith.
Robert Barr's thriller serial.
Galbraith …. Bernard Hepton
Finch …. Garard Green
Andreas …. Kevork Malikyan
Evans …. Richard Davies
Doc McDowall …. Robert Gillespie
Tully …. Clive Merrison
Bavister …. Eric Richard
Mrs Palmer …. Margery Withers
Producer: John Browell
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 1977.
TUE 06:30 Whodunnits (b007jnjp)
Miss Marple - A Murder Is Announced
Episode 2
The invitation to a murder was not a game.
Who wants Letty Blacklock dead? What did Mitzi overhear in the summerhouse?
Agatha Christie's whodunnit starring June Whitfield as Miss Jane Marple.
Dramatised by Michael Bakewell.
Miss Marple ...... June Whitfield
Inspector Craddock ...... Ian Lavender
Letty Blacklock ...... Sarah Lawson
Dora Bunner ...... Judy Cornwell
Mitzi ...... Jenny Funnell
Julia Simmons ...... Angela Sims
Phillipa Haymes ...... Sarah Rice
Director: Enyd Williams
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 1999.
TUE 07:00 The Michael Bentine Show (b00l2mcj)
From 27/05/1984
From a ghost hunter to a collector of holes.
Michael Bentine stars in the ultimate one man show written and performed by the host.
Producer: Jamie Rix
First broadcast on BBC Radio 2 in May 1984
TUE 07:30 The Goon Show (b007k4sy)
Series 5
The Mystery of the Marie Celeste (Solved)
Grytpype-Thynne needs a crew to discover the true fate of the mysterious brigantine.
Groundbreaking, surreal BBC radio comedy written by Spike Milligan and Eric Sykes.
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 November 1954.
TUE 08:00 The Wilsons Save the World (b09gkk3y)
Series 1
Food
Michael and Maxine Wilson and their teenage daughters, Lola and Cat (plus their bearded dragon Chomsky, and about 150,000 bees) have resolved to live a cleaner, greener, serener life.
Starring Marcus Brigstocke and Kerry Godliman.
Sitcom about trying to live ethically and do the right thing.
Written by Marcus Brigstocke and Sarah Morgan.
Millions of people try every day to make 'good' choices and do the 'right thing', be ethical, charitable and community minded. It's hard. Most of us live with hypocrisy and failure all the time but keep on trying.
The Wilsons, good folk that they are, are trying about 20% harder and learning to live with about 19% more failure. They are not giving up.
In this episode, a mealtime fraught with anxiety and multiple dietary preferences shows that maybe they all worry a little bit TOO much about food, and have forgotten how to enjoy it.
Max and Mike decide to use their time away in Cornwall to leave Jennifer and Phillip in charge of mealtimes and see if the common-sense approach pays off.
Mike ...... Marcus Brigstocke
Max ...... Kerry Godliman
Lola ...... India Brown
Cat ...... Mia Jenkins
Jennifer ...... Vicki Pepperdine
Phillip ...... Rupert Vansittart
Marlin ...... Mike Wozniak
Postman ...... Mike Wozniak
Frankie ...... Shannon Murray
TV Presenter ...... Shannon Murray
Producer: Julia McKenzie
A BBC Studios production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in November 2017.
TUE 08:30 Tom Stoppard: A Life by Hermione Lee (m000n5zg)
2. Overnight Success
Hermione Lee's illuminating biography of one of our greatest playwrights, Tom Stoppard, looking in this episode the writing and production of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, and its astonishing reception.
Tom Stoppard is among British theatre’s giants and in Hermione Lee's evocative and immersive biography we come to know the man and his work.
Since 1964 Stoppard has been writing for the theatre, big screen, television, and radio. His plays are among the most studied of the last century.
Hermione Lee is one of our leading literary biographers, and with access to private papers, diaries and letters, interviews with the playwright's friends, and Stoppard himself she has created an intimate portrait of the writer.
Here we learn of his formative years as a young child forced to flee Nazi-occupied Czechoslovakia; growing up in India and then England; his activism and campaigning on behalf of Eastern European and Soviet prisoners of conscience; the influence of, and his friendship with Vaclav Havel, and always his work, the writing, rehearsing, casting and his ever present humour.
In his eighties Tom Stoppard remains at the forefront of British theatrical life. His most recent, personal and highly acclaimed play, Leopoldstadt, fell victim to Covid-19, when its run in the West End was suspended in March, 2020.
Read by Alex Jennings.
Abridged by Katrin Williams
Produced by Elizabeth Allard
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 2020.
TUE 08:45 Subterranean Homesick Blues (b0bh44t3)
Series 3
2. Acceptance
John and Maggie return as the couple attempting to give love one more chance.
John may have moved in with Maggie but how can she get the rest of the village to accept her unconventional lover?
Series 3 of AL Kennedy's romantic comedy drama in five parts.
John ...... Bill Nighy
Maggie ...... Anna Calder-Marshall
Mrs Protheroe ..... Georgie Glen
Director: Sally Avens
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 2018.
TUE 09:00 Yesterday in Parliament (m001yhpp)
The latest news from Westminster - and beyond.
TUE 09:30 On the Map (b00rlwwr)
7. Off the Map
Self-confessed map addict Mike Parker explores modern cartography.
Off the Map. The first step to success in any military campaign is a good map. During the Second World War, intelligence officers prepared meticulously detailed maps for the D-Day landings using a combination of aerial photography, old tourist guides and holiday snaps.
Mike Parker discovers how Germany, and later the Soviet Union, compiled maps of Britain often more detailed than our own. And he visits a Cold War nuclear bunker, one of the many sites that until recently were simply blank spaces on Ordnance Survey maps.
Producer: Jeremy Grange
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 2010.
TUE 09:45 Daily Service (m001yhpr)
Our Planet (Earth Day) - Stewardship
A space for spiritual reflection with a Bible reading, prayer and a range of Christian music.
Theme: Our Planet (Earth Day) - Stewardship
Genesis 1:26-30
Led by Bishop David Walker
Think of a world without any flowers
Coloma Convent Grammar School
For the beauty of the Earth
BBC Young Chorister of the Year 2020
I the Lord of Sea and Sky
Daily Service Singers
TUE 10:00 A Good Read (b081lkmp)
Sally Phillips and Julia Donaldson
‘Bridget Jones’ and ‘Clare in the Community’ actress Sally Phillips and ‘Gruffalo’ author Julia Donaldson talk about books they love with Harriett Gilbert.
A surprising theme of angels emerges in the guests’ selections. A scene in one of the books prompts Sally to talk about why she decided to become a comedian.
Sally Phillips' choice: ‘A Prayer for Owen Meany’ by John Irving
Publisher: Black Swan
Julia Donaldson's choice: ‘The Visiting Angel’ by Paul Wilson
Publisher: Serpent’s Tail
Harriet Gilbert's choice: ‘Outline’ by Rachel Cusk
Publisher: Vintage
Producer: Sally Heaven
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 2016.
TUE 10:30 Find Me A New York Jewish Princess (b00nqf4s)
A light-hearted look at the New York Jewish dating scene through the eyes of presenter Tim Samuels, a London-based single Jew desperate to find the girl of his dreams.
Tim has always thought he would settle down with a nice Jewish girl in Britain, but with his single Jewish friends taking the plunge one after another and no sign of love in his life, Tim, at 33, takes decisive action. He is heading for the bright lights of New York City. He wants to find a Jewish princess with that NY get-up-and-go, someone who will get British humour - and still have lovely teeth (think Cheryl David from Curb Your Enthusiasm or comic Sarah Silverman).
He puts the word out on the NY Jewish singles circuit by way of an advert announcing that he is coming over for a week on an intense dating mission. He scrambles around for something impressive to say in the advert, before setting off for a week of power-dates.
Will he find a New York girl who isn't averse to rainy weekends and watching soccer on the box?
Producer: Mohini Patel
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 2009.
TUE 11:00 Galbraith and the Midas Touch (b061fpw2)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
TUE 11:30 Whodunnits (b007jnjp)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
TUE 12:00 The Michael Bentine Show (b00l2mcj)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
TUE 12:30 The Goon Show (b007k4sy)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
TUE 13:00 The Wilsons Save the World (b09gkk3y)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
TUE 13:30 Tom Stoppard: A Life by Hermione Lee (m000n5zg)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
TUE 13:45 Subterranean Homesick Blues (b0bh44t3)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:45 today]
TUE 14:00 Hidden Treasures (b05ndg4y)
Syon House
From bronze statues to Lalique glass designs.
Lars Tharp chairs the light-hearted Antiques Quiz.
From the London home of the Duke of Northumberland, Syon House.
With:
John Bly
Philippa Glanville
Jane Hay
Peter Brown
Producers: Elizabeth Abrahams and Annie Bristow.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 1998.
TUE 14:30 The Change (b06l3287)
Series 3
Episode 5
The family learn about Carol's condition - and Sonia finally confronts Dave about his suspicious behaviour.
Carol …. Lynda Bellingham
George …. Philip Jackson
Violet ...... Marcia Warren
Maureen …. Maureen Beattie
Ken …. James Vaugnan
Sonia …. Emma Kennedy
Jerry …. Barnaby Kay
Dave …. Mark Powley
Nurse ...... Rosie Armstrong
Series 3 of the sitcom about a married couple's attempts to smooth over their singularly troubled midlife funk - Carol is hormonal and 15-stone George is a transvestite. Onlookers can't quite agree on the nature of their dynamic.
Written by Jan Etherington and Gavin Petrie.
Producer: Elizabeth Freestone
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 2004.
TUE 15:00 Sally Worboyes - Wild Hops (m001yhpt)
2. Betrayal
During the hop picking season of 1959, Marjorie, wife of the farm owner, discovers an affair between her husband and one of the pickers, Laura.
Angrily she demands that he choose between them.
Written by Sally Worboyes.
Jack .... George Innes
Laura .... Ellie Haddington
Liz .... Liz Smith
Bert .... Gerry Hinks
Kay .... Melanie Revill
Zacchi .... Sam Barriscale
Robert .... Alan Devereux
Marjorie .... Patricia Gallimore
Milly .... Judy Bennett
Brian .... Richard Allenson
Janet .... Georgia Greeph
Fisherman .... Ralph Lawton
Terry .... Richard Pearce
Director: Philip Martin
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in June 1993.
TUE 15:45 The Actor by Stan Barstow (b0813q0c)
Shy Albert is asked to play the part of a policeman.He hopes he can make the most of one short scene.
"There's a difference in walkin' the streets looking like a bobby an' walkin' on a stage and reckonin' to be one."
Written and read by John Hartley.
Produced by Angela Dalton.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 1995.
TUE 16:00 A Good Read (b081lkmp)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 today]
TUE 16:30 Find Me A New York Jewish Princess (b00nqf4s)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:30 today]
TUE 17:00 Galbraith and the Midas Touch (b061fpw2)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
TUE 17:30 Whodunnits (b007jnjp)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
TUE 18:00 The Michael Bentine Show (b00l2mcj)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
TUE 18:30 The Goon Show (b007k4sy)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
TUE 19:00 The Wilsons Save the World (b09gkk3y)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
TUE 19:30 Tom Stoppard: A Life by Hermione Lee (m000n5zg)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
TUE 19:45 Subterranean Homesick Blues (b0bh44t3)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:45 today]
TUE 20:00 Hidden Treasures (b05ndg4y)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:00 today]
TUE 20:30 The Change (b06l3287)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:30 today]
TUE 21:00 Sally Worboyes - Wild Hops (m001yhpt)
[Repeat of broadcast at 15:00 today]
TUE 21:45 The Actor by Stan Barstow (b0813q0c)
[Repeat of broadcast at 15:45 today]
TUE 22:00 Thanks a Lot, Milton Jones! (m001y8cw)
Series 6
1. Apple Is the New Black
Star of Mock The Week, Milton Jones ends up in prison for committing a True Crime podcast and asks the question “Sound effects and soundproofing - which came first, the chicken or the eggbox?”
Complete with his unmissable jokes and a fully-working cast.
“The best one-line merchant in British comedy...” - Chortle
"King of the surreal one-liners" - The Times
“Milton Jones is one of Britain’s best gagsmiths with a flair for creating daft yet perfect one-liners” – The Guardian
Written by Milton Jones, James Cary and Dan Evans
Starring Milton Jones, Tom Goodman-Hill, Josie Lawrence, Dan Tetsell and James Akka
With music by Guy Jackson
Produced and directed by David Tyler
A Pozzitive production for BBC Radio 4
TUE 22:30 Josh Howie's Losing It (m000110r)
Series 2
The Cake
Stand-up comic Josh and his wife battle to come to terms with the arrival of their first child.
Josh and Monique organise their son’s first birthday party.
However Monique isn’t happy when she realizes Josh has only invited a certain group of people.
Sitcom starring Josh Howie and Pippa Evans.
Written by Josh Howie.
Josh ...... Josh Howie
Monique ...... Pippa Evans
With:
Dana Alexander
Gavin Forward
Judith Jacob
Ed Kear
Jo Romero
Producer: Ashley Blaker
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 2018.
TUE 23:00 At Home With The Snails (b007k2xv)
Series 1
Episode 3
Beverley hears the patter of tiny feet. George is aghast but then decides that maybe this unexpected event could be turned to his advantage - in a literary sense.
Alex loves the idea of a new brother or sister - but Miranda is not so keen to share her inheritance.
Will the Snails finally be usurped?
Starring Geoffrey Palmer and Gerard Foster.
Gerard Foster's comedy drama about a man with an unusual hobby.
George ..... Geoffrey Palmer
Beverley ..... Angela Thorne
Alex ..... Gerard Foster
Rose ..... Miranda Hart
Producer: Jane Berthoud
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 2001.
TUE 23:30 For One Horrible Moment by Peter Bradshaw (b0082khk)
Episode 1
Peter Bradshaw's hilariously disturbing personal account of one boy's transition into adulthood in 1970s Cambridgeshire at the hands of an eccentric father.
In this opening episode, our young hero's chance playground encounter opens the long-concealed door into a dark erotic journey of the soul.
Read by the author
Producer: Jon Naismith
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 1999
TUE 23:45 Hearing With Hegley (b018sgz6)
Series 2
Episode 1
John Hegley entertains an audience in Luton with poems about his father and more.
John is the poet laureate of alternative comedy,
With contributions from:
Keith Moore
Susan Norton
Andrew Bailey
Nigel Piper
Producer: Phil Clarke
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 1998.

WEDNESDAY 24 APRIL 2024

WED 00:00 A Good Read (b081lkmp)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 on Tuesday]
WED 00:30 Find Me A New York Jewish Princess (b00nqf4s)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:30 on Tuesday]
WED 01:00 Galbraith and the Midas Touch (b061fpw2)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 on Tuesday]
WED 01:30 Whodunnits (b007jnjp)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 on Tuesday]
WED 02:00 The Michael Bentine Show (b00l2mcj)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 on Tuesday]
WED 02:30 The Goon Show (b007k4sy)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 on Tuesday]
WED 03:00 The Wilsons Save the World (b09gkk3y)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 on Tuesday]
WED 03:30 Tom Stoppard: A Life by Hermione Lee (m000n5zg)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 on Tuesday]
WED 03:45 Subterranean Homesick Blues (b0bh44t3)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:45 on Tuesday]
WED 04:00 Hidden Treasures (b05ndg4y)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:00 on Tuesday]
WED 04:30 The Change (b06l3287)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:30 on Tuesday]
WED 05:00 Sally Worboyes - Wild Hops (m001yhpt)
[Repeat of broadcast at 15:00 on Tuesday]
WED 05:45 The Actor by Stan Barstow (b0813q0c)
[Repeat of broadcast at 15:45 on Tuesday]
WED 06:00 Galbraith and the Midas Touch (b061g4g8)
3. Pandora's Box
A file is stolen from a retired lawyer's office and the investigation leads to the hunt for a widow.
Vast wealth and secrets are both linked to a death.
Bernard Hepton stars as veteran detective, Bill Galbraith.
Robert Barr's thriller serial.
Galbraith …. Bernard Hepton
Evans …. Richard Davies
Finch …. Garard Green
Doc McDowall …. Robert Gillespie
Bavister …. Eric Richard
Mrs Palmer …. Margery Withers
Andreas …. Kevork Malikyan
Tully …. Clive Merrison
Thorn …. David Ryall
Producer: John Browell
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 1977.
WED 06:30 Whodunnits (b007jnk6)
Miss Marple - A Murder Is Announced
Episode 3
There is little doubt that the intended murder victim was Miss Blacklock. Will a second attempt be made on her life?
Agatha Christie's whodunnit starring June Whitfield as Miss Marple.
Dramatised by Michael Bakewell.
Miss Marple ...... June Whitfield
Inspector Craddock ...... Ian Lavender
Letty Blacklock ...... Sarah Lawson
Dora Bunner ...... Judy Cornwell
Bunch Harmon ...... Molly Gaisford
Patrick Simmons ...... Jamie Glover
Mitzi ...... Jenny Funnell
Julia Simmons ...... Angela Sims
Phillipa Haymes ...... Sarah Rice
Mrs Goedler ...... Tessa Worsley
Director: Enyd Williams
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 1999
WED 07:00 Never Too Late (b011d6rc)
Series 1
Mildred and the Man
Man-mad Mildred's passions are aroused by the return of an old flame.
Starring Thora Hird.
Terry Gregson's sitcom about a group of highly active pensioners.
Hilda Spriggett …. Thora Hird
Mildred Emmett …. Avis Bunnage
Emily Holroyd …. Megs Jenkins
Albert Pickles …. Kenneth Connor
Tommy Preston …. Joe Gladwyn
Producer: Edward Taylor.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 1981.
WED 07:30 Hancock's Half Hour (b007jpvv)
Series 6
Hancock in Hospital
Laid up with a broken leg, the Lad soon regrets a visit from Sid and Bill.
Starring Tony Hancock.
With Sidney James, Bill Kerr, Joan Frank and Patricia Hayes.
Written by Ray Galton and Alan Simpson.
Theme and incidental music written by Wally Stott.
Producer: Tom Ronald
First broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in December 1959.
WED 08:00 Boswell's Lives (b074wb57)
Series 2
Boswell's Life of Marx
Boswell attempts to write a biography of Karl Marx, but before he can start must help Marx pen his meisterwerk Das Kapital.
Jon Canter’s sitcom sees James Boswell become a time-travelling biographer - doing for other celebrities what he did for Dr Johnson.
James Boswell ..... Miles Jupp
Karl Marx ..... Julian Rhind-Tutt
Producer: Sally Avens
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 2016.
WED 08:30 Tom Stoppard: A Life by Hermione Lee (m000n4z6)
3. Activism
Hermione Lee's illuminating biography of the playwright, Tom Stoppard, turns to his activism and friendship with Vaclav Havel.
Tom Stoppard is among British theatre’s giants and in Hermione Lee's evocative and immersive biography we come to know the man and his work.
Since 1964 Stoppard has been writing for the theatre, big screen, television, and radio. His plays are among the most studied of the last century.
Hermione Lee is one of our leading literary biographers, and with access to private papers, diaries and letters, interviews with the playwright's friends, and Stoppard himself she has created an intimate portrait of the writer.
Here we learn of his formative years as a young child forced to flee Nazi-occupied Czechoslovakia; growing up in India and then England; his activism and campaigning on behalf of Eastern European and Soviet prisoners of conscience; the influence of, and his friendship with Vaclav Havel, and always his work, the writing, rehearsing, casting and his ever present humour.
With a sixty year career, Tom Stoppard remains at the forefront of British theatrical life. His most recent, personal and highly acclaimed play, Leopoldstadt, fell victim to Covid-19, when its run in the West End was suspended in March, 2020.
Read by Alex Jennings.
Abridged by Katrin Williams.
Produced by Elizabeth Allard.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 2020.
WED 08:45 Subterranean Homesick Blues (b0bh52s2)
Series 3
3. Cohabitation
John and Maggie return as the couple attempting to give love one more chance.
John and Maggie are attempting a new phase in their rambunctious relationship - living together. When John fears imminent death, Maggie diagnoses corns but their trip to buy new shoes leaves Maggie staring at the abyss.
Series 3 of AL Kennedy's romantic comedy drama in five parts.
John ...... Bill Nighy
Maggie ...... Anna Calder-Marshall
Director: Sally Avens
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 2018.
WED 09:00 Yesterday in Parliament (m001yjd9)
The latest news from Westminster - and beyond.
WED 09:30 On the Map (b00rlwwt)
8. Whose Map Is It Anyway?
Self-confessed map addict Mike Parker explores modern cartography.
Whose Map Is It Anyway? Thanks to Ordnance Survey, the landscape of the British Isles is probably the most comprehensively mapped of any in the world. But pressure is growing for OS to waive their copyright and make their cartographic data free to use for all-comers.
Mike Parker asks whether the UK's mapping agency can maintain its hold on the national topography - and its reputation.
Producer: Jeremy Grange
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 2010.
WED 09:45 Daily Service (m001yjdc)
Our Planet (Earth Day) – Perfectly formed
A space for spiritual reflection with a Bible reading, prayer and a range of Christian music.
Theme: Our Planet (Earth Day) – Perfectly formed
Psalm 104: 24-31
Led by Rev Dr Kirsty Thorpe
I Sing the Almighty power of God
St Michael's Singers
Breath on me breath of God
Manchester Chorale and Leyland Band
The Perfect Wisdom of our God
Stuart Townend
WED 10:00 Archive on 4 (m0007k9b)
Beckett's Last Tapes
Robert McCrum explores the elusive Samuel Beckett’s astonishing literary career through rare audio tape recordings from the Samuel Beckett Research Centre at the University of Reading.
Housed in the unlikely spot of the Museum of English Rural Life, Beckett - the lifelong outsider - would have enjoyed the absurdity of finding his archives next to dairy farming data and combine harvester records. As a result, perhaps not unintentionally, Beckett's tapes have remained here as a well-kept secret.
Many of the tapes are interviews recorded by Beckett's friend, the scholar James Knowlson, while he was researching an official biography. The interviews they contain reveal fascinating insights into the way Samuel Beckett worked closely and collaboratively with his actors and friends - including Sian Phillips, Paul Daneman, Billie Whitelaw and Harold Pinter - and the respect they showed for him in return.
Taking Krapp's Last Tape as inspiration for this programme, Robert tells the story of the Samuel Beckett archive at Reading and invites surviving collaborators, friends and those who have found inspiration in Beckett's work.
These include:
Tom Stoppard
Edna O'Brien
Sian Phillips
Lisa Dwan
Lady Antonia Fraser
James Knowlson
Robert asks them to listen to extracts from the tapes and reflect on his unique method and the expression of his genius.
Robert aims to gain new insight into the mind of one of the 20th century's literary giants, while bringing out the poignancy and nostalgia involved in revisiting memories and life-events through the tapes.
Producer: Melissa FitzGerald
A Blakeway production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in August 2019.
WED 11:00 Galbraith and the Midas Touch (b061g4g8)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
WED 11:30 Whodunnits (b007jnk6)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
WED 12:00 Never Too Late (b011d6rc)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
WED 12:30 Hancock's Half Hour (b007jpvv)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
WED 13:00 Boswell's Lives (b074wb57)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
WED 13:30 Tom Stoppard: A Life by Hermione Lee (m000n4z6)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
WED 13:45 Subterranean Homesick Blues (b0bh52s2)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:45 today]
WED 14:00 Say the Word (b00764r2)
Episode 3
Frank Delaney's panel game revolving around the English language.
From the Cheltenham Festival of Literature, Gloucestershire.
With:
Pam Ayres
Adam Hart-Davis
Sue Limb
John Julius Norwich
Plus resident jesters - the Nimmo Twins
Producer: Simon Elmes
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 2001.
WED 14:30 Elephants to Catch Eels (b007qcsv)
Series 1
Episode 3
Tamsyn and Jago's smuggling exploits are to be chronicled at close quarters by a group of fly-on-the-wall balladeers.
They get some exciting material as Jago's up before an unusually hard-line judge - and it seems there's no escape from the noose...
18th century Cornish village sitcom by the writers of Dead Ringers - Tom Jamieson and Nev Fountain.
Tamsyn Trelawny …… Lucy Speed
Jago Trelawny …… John Bowe
Major Thomas Falconer …… Cameron Stewart
Captain Marriot …… Andrew McGibbon
Squire Bascombe …… Martin Hyder
Dewey …… Mark Felgate
Judge Pettiforth …… Mark Perry
Anthony the Balladeer …… Michael Fenton Stevens
Producer: Jan Ravens.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 2003.
WED 15:00 Sally Worboyes - Wild Hops (m001yjdf)
3. Crisis
With only two weeks remaining of the 1959 hop picking season, Laura and Jack must resolve the crisis in their marriage.
Stars Ellie Haddington as Laura, and George Innes as Jack.
Written by Sally Worboyes.
Jack .... George Innes
Laura .... Ellie Haddington
Liz .... Liz Smith
Bert .... Gerry Hinks
Kay .... Melanie Revill
Zacchi .... Sam Barriscale
Terry .... Richard Pearce
Robert .... Alan Devereux
Marjorie .... Patricia Gallimore
Milly .... Judy Bennett
Brian .... Richard Allenson
Georgie .... Simon Carter
Mrs Brown .... Joyce Gibbs
Director: Philip Martin
First broadcast on BBC Radio 3 in June 1993.
WED 15:45 Sydney Came to Egypt by Gillian Tindall (b08l6nj3)
A tale of fate and the rediscovery of mystery and meaning in The Land of The Pharaohs.
Written by Gillian Tindall.
Read by Jonathan Tafler.
Producer: Tracey Neale
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 1992.
WED 16:00 Archive on 4 (m0007k9b)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 today]
WED 17:00 Galbraith and the Midas Touch (b061g4g8)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
WED 17:30 Whodunnits (b007jnk6)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
WED 18:00 Never Too Late (b011d6rc)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
WED 18:30 Hancock's Half Hour (b007jpvv)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
WED 19:00 Boswell's Lives (b074wb57)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
WED 19:30 Tom Stoppard: A Life by Hermione Lee (m000n4z6)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
WED 19:45 Subterranean Homesick Blues (b0bh52s2)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:45 today]
WED 20:00 Say the Word (b00764r2)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:00 today]
WED 20:30 Elephants to Catch Eels (b007qcsv)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:30 today]
WED 21:00 Sally Worboyes - Wild Hops (m001yjdf)
[Repeat of broadcast at 15:00 today]
WED 21:45 Sydney Came to Egypt by Gillian Tindall (b08l6nj3)
[Repeat of broadcast at 15:45 today]
WED 22:00 Room 101 with Paul Merton (m001y874)
Series 2
Daliso Chaponda
Paul Merton interviews a variety of guests from the world of comedy and entertainment to find out what they would send to Room 101 as well as the one item they cannot live without.

In this episode, Daliso Chaponda attempts to banish the scourge of ready meals and unsanitary handshakes, as well as people who think a double dip is acceptable.

Additional material: John Irwin and Suki Webster
Produced by Richard Wilson
A Hat Trick production for BBC Radio 4
WED 22:30 The Museum of Everything (b007k498)
Series 2
Under New Management
Discover the secret of computer techniques in film, experience the history of rock'n'roll and meet the Museum's curious new curator.
Written and performed by:
Marcus Brigstocke
Danny Robins
Dan Tetsell
With Lucy Montgomery.
Music by Dominic Haslam and Ben Walker.
Producer: Alex Walsh-Taylor
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 2005.
WED 23:00 Alex Horne Presents The Horne Section (b044h6nv)
Series 3
Adam Buxton
Alex Horne and his band tackle the theme of money, shopping and consumerism - with an advert for milk, a sea shanty and a song about cheese dreams.
With guest comedian:
Adam Buxton.
Alex's Horne Section are:
Joe Auckland
Mark Brown
Will Collier
Ben Reynolds
Ed Sheldrake
With Saxophonist Pedro
Producer: Charlie Perkins
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 2014.
WED 23:30 On Baby Street (b00fhszj)
Series 2
Episode 2
The babies are now three months old, but how are their mothers?
Comedy drama about three new mothers living in the same street.
Written by Jenny Eclair and Julie Balloo.
Mother Nature ....... Jenny Eclair
Geraldine ....... Frances Barber
Yvette ....... Tilly Vosburgh
Shona ....... Claire Skinner
Ian ....... Graham Fellows
Kelly ....... Linda Robson
Dad (Martin) ….. Lee Cornes
Robert/Mr Whitaker …. Hugh Ross
Lillian ....... Eva Stuart
Producer: Jane Berthoud
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 1997.

THURSDAY 25 APRIL 2024

THU 00:00 Archive on 4 (m0007k9b)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 on Wednesday]
THU 01:00 Galbraith and the Midas Touch (b061g4g8)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 on Wednesday]
THU 01:30 Whodunnits (b007jnk6)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 on Wednesday]
THU 02:00 Never Too Late (b011d6rc)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 on Wednesday]
THU 02:30 Hancock's Half Hour (b007jpvv)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 on Wednesday]
THU 03:00 Boswell's Lives (b074wb57)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 on Wednesday]
THU 03:30 Tom Stoppard: A Life by Hermione Lee (m000n4z6)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 on Wednesday]
THU 03:45 Subterranean Homesick Blues (b0bh52s2)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:45 on Wednesday]
THU 04:00 Say the Word (b00764r2)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:00 on Wednesday]
THU 04:30 Elephants to Catch Eels (b007qcsv)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:30 on Wednesday]
THU 05:00 Sally Worboyes - Wild Hops (m001yjdf)
[Repeat of broadcast at 15:00 on Wednesday]
THU 05:45 Sydney Came to Egypt by Gillian Tindall (b08l6nj3)
[Repeat of broadcast at 15:45 on Wednesday]
THU 06:00 Galbraith and the Midas Touch (b061ycw3)
4. Gold Medal
Harry Denning has gone missing so veteran detective Bill Galbraith goes down to the river to investigate.
Starring Bernard Hepton.
Robert Barr's thriller serial.
Galbraith …. Bernard Hepton
Evans …. Richard Davies
Finch …. Garard Green
Doc McDowall …. Robert Gillespie
Chief Inspector Collins …. Michael Kilgarriff
Andreas …. Kevork Malikyan
Tully …. Clive Merrison
Thorn …. David Ryall
Producer: John Browell
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 1977.
THU 06:30 Whodunnits (b007jnkp)
Miss Marple - A Murder Is Announced
Episode 4
Everyone realises that the poison was meant for Miss Blacklock, not Dora Bunner.
Suspicion falls on the members of the group.
Agatha Christie's whodunnit starring June Whitfield as Miss Marple.
Dramatised by Michael Bakewell.
Miss Marple ...... June Whitfield
Inspector Craddock ...... Ian Lavender
Letty Blacklock ...... Sarah Lawson
Bunch Harmon ...... Molly Gaisford
Patrick Simmons ...... Jamie Glover
Mitzi ...... Jenny Funnell
Julia Simmons ...... Angela Sims
Phillipa Haymes ...... Sarah Rice
Miss Murgatroyd ...... Alice Arnold
Miss Hinchliffe ...... Elizabeth Bell
Director: Enyd Williams
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 1999
THU 07:00 Second Thoughts (b00kf4ny)
Series 3
Laugh and Marriage
Bill wants Richard and Liza to cool their ardour, while Faith is stoking the fires.
Starring Lynda Bellingham and James Bolam.
Sitcom about the battles of divorcees Bill and Faith beginning married life, whilst balancing the demands of his ex-wife and her teenage children.
Faith …. Lynda Bellingham
Bill …. James Bolam
Hilary …. Celia Imrie
Liza …. Belinda Lang
Joe …. Mark Denham
Richard …. Geoffrey Whitehead
Marjorie …. Jo Kendall
Alex …. Mark Straker
Inspired by the real lives of its writers, husband and wife Jan Etherington and Gavin Petrie.
A TV version made by LWT for ITV ran from 1991.
Producer: Paul Schlesinger
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 1991.
THU 07:30 Dad's Army (b007jq38)
Series 3
The Great White Hunter
Captain Mainwaring causes chaos trying to track down Private Walker's purloined parachute made of silk.
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
Private Walker …. Larry Martyn
Mrs Pike …. Pearl Hackney
Producer: John Dyas
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 1976.
THU 08:00 Cooking in a Bedsitter (b09jcd4g)
Series 2
Green Pea Sandwiches
Deepak takes Trisha on an outing to Oxford. But it's not quite the punting and picnic she expects.
Extracts from Cooking in a Bedsitter are read by Eleanor Bron.
Beattie Edmondson and Nikesh Patel star in Sue Teddern's romantic comedy, inspired by Katharine Whitehorn's cookery classic.
Katharine Whitehorn ...... Eleanor Bron
Trisha ...... Beattie Edmondson
Deepak ...... Nikesh Patel
Moira ...... Isabella Inchbald
June Ellie ...... Darvill
Policeman ...... Neil McCaul
Julie ...... Abbie Andrews
Director: Emma Harding.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 2017.
THU 08:30 Tom Stoppard: A Life by Hermione Lee (m000n47d)
4. Arcadia
Hermione Lee's illuminating portrait of one of our finest playwrights, Tom Stoppard.
This episode looks at his moving mid-life play, Arcadia, premiered at the National Theatre in 1993.
Tom Stoppard is among British theatre’s giants and in Hermione Lee's evocative and immersive biography we come to know the man and his work.
Since 1964 Stoppard has been writing for the theatre, big screen, television, and radio. His plays are among the most studied of the last century.
Hermione Lee is one of our leading literary biographers, and with access to private papers, diaries and letters, interviews with the playwright's friends, and Stoppard himself she has created an intimate portrait of the writer.
Here we learn of his formative years as a young child forced to flee Nazi-occupied Czechoslovakia; growing up in India and then England; his activism and campaigning on behalf of Eastern European and Soviet prisoners of conscience; the influence of, and his friendship with Vaclav Havel, and always his work, the writing, rehearsing, casting and his ever present humour.
Tom Stoppard remains at the forefront of British theatrical life. His most recent, personal and highly acclaimed play, Leopoldstadt, fell victim to Covid-19, when its run in the West End was suspended in March, 2020.
Read by Alex Jennings.
Abridged by Katrin Williams.
Produced by Elizabeth Allard.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 2020.
THU 08:45 Subterranean Homesick Blues (b0bh5x22)
Series 3
4. Party
John and Maggie return as the couple attempting to give love one more chance.
Maggie wants John to integrate into village life so John decides to throw a dinner party with mixed results.
Series 3 of AL Kennedy's romantic comedy drama in five parts.
John ...... Bill Nighy
Maggie ...... Anna Calder-Marshall
Director: Sally Avens
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 2018.
THU 09:00 Yesterday in Parliament (m001yj0g)
The latest news from Westminster - and beyond.
THU 09:30 On the Map (b00rlwww)
9. Digital Maps
Self-confessed map addict Mike Parker explores modern cartography.
Digital Maps. Who needs traditional paper maps any more when you can download all the maps you need from the internet?
Mike Parker looks at cartography in the digital age and asks whether internet mapping and satellite navigation are actually destroying good map-making and map-reading.
Producer: Jeremy Grange
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 2010.
THU 09:45 Daily Service (m001yj0j)
Our Planet (Earth Day) – Seeds of Faith
A space for spiritual reflection with a Bible reading, prayer and a range of Christian music.
Theme: Our Planet (Earth Day) – Seeds of Faith
Mark 11: 19-26
Led by David Waters
Jesus is Lord, Creation's voice proclaims it
St Martin's Voices
Creation Sings / The Father's Song
Stuart Townend
All things Bright and Beautiful
Cambridge Singers
THU 10:00 Great Lives (b088fg46)
Len Goodman on Lionel Bart
Len Goodman's great life was one of the biggest figures in creating British musicals and pop music in the 1960's.
The writer and lyricist behind the hit musical Oliver, knew everybody who was anybody, made a fortune and partied with Royalty. But like many who flourished in that era he also lost everything in a blitz of booze, drugs and bad behaviour.
Len Goodman makes a case for why he regards Bart as a genius.
With Matthew Parris.
Helping Len him to unravel the story of his hero the expert witness is broadcaster David Stafford who has co-written a biography on Lionel Bart named after Bart's second most famous musical: Fings Aint Wot They Used T'Be .
Producer: Perminder Khatkar.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 January 2017.
THU 10:30 Who Was Opal? (b00pk9y9)
Journalist Melanie McFadyean investigates the strange life of Opal Whiteley.
Opal was a child prodigy from Oregon, whose childhood diary was a huge hit in the early 1920s, but whose artistocratic claims were disputed and ultimately brought her to a sad end in a British psychiatric hospital.
Opal's diary described, in an amusing, poetic style, her upbringing in the backwoods lumber camps at the beginning of the 20th century, and her intimate relationship with the natural world - a relationship in which many of the animals she knew, and even some of the trees, were given names, often taken from classical literature.
But it was the story behind the diary's publication that first raised eyebrows - Opal, as an adult, claimed to a publisher that the original diary had been ripped apart by a jealous sister, but the pieces were preserved for years in a hatbox. Opal was encouraged to paste the diary back together, and the manuscript for the book was transcribed from the results.
Many people were sceptical about the diary's reconstruction, but scepticism turned to outright suspicion when Opal turned her back on her Oregon family, as a result of implications in the diary that she was an orphan and that her real father was a member of the French royal family. Opal's diary still divides opinion in America.
During the Second World War, Opal lived in a London flat, along with thousands of books. But her mental condition deteriorated and she was placed in Napsbury Hospital, near St Albans, in 1948, where she spent the next 44 years until her death in 1992. We hear from people who met her and knew her, hear extracts from the diary, and musical clips from a musical about her life.
Producer: Bob Dickinson
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2010.
THU 11:00 Galbraith and the Midas Touch (b061ycw3)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
THU 11:30 Whodunnits (b007jnkp)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
THU 12:00 Second Thoughts (b00kf4ny)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
THU 12:30 Dad's Army (b007jq38)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
THU 13:00 Cooking in a Bedsitter (b09jcd4g)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
THU 13:30 Tom Stoppard: A Life by Hermione Lee (m000n47d)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
THU 13:45 Subterranean Homesick Blues (b0bh5x22)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:45 today]
THU 14:00 Genius (b008gh91)
Series 2
Chris Addison
Buying socks in threes and happy chickens?
Dave Gorman asks comedian Chris Addison to choose the public's best loopy idea.
Award-winning comedian Dave Gorman and a celebrity guest chew over the ridiculous, unworkable but sometimes genius inventions, schemes and policies of the public.
Producer: Simon Nicholls
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 2006.
THU 14:30 Gilbert Without Sullivan (b0076f7x)
Series 1
Wide Awake
Eligible but gullible Harold Symperson boasts of his fortune, but needs to stay alert when looking for his soulmate...
Series One of short stories by W.S. Gilbert dramatised by Stephen Wyatt.
WS Gilbert …. Jonathan Coy
Harold Symperson …. Richard Derrington
Uncle Sparrow …. Chris Emmett
Georgiana Sparrow …. Julia Hills
Aunt Sparrow …. Joanna Wake
John Sparrow…. Jamie Chapman
James Sparrow …. Tom George
Playwright and humourist, Sir William Schwenck Gilbert (1836-1911) is best known for his comic opera collaborations with Sir Arthur Sullivan, which first captivated audiences across the English-speaking world in the late 19th century.
Director: Sue Wilson
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2003.
THU 15:00 Sally Worboyes - Wild Hops (m001yj0l)
4. Repercussions
As the hop picking season of 1959 nears its close Laura Jackson must face the repercussions of her affair with the farm owner, Robert Wright.
Stars Ellie Haddington as Laura and George Innes as Jack.
Written by Sally Worboyes.
CAST:
Jack .... George Innes
Laura .... Ellie Haddington
Liz .... Liz Smith
Bert .... Gerry Hinks
Kay .... Melanie Revill
Zacchi .... Sam Barriscale
Robert .... Alan Devereux
Marjorie .... Patricia Gallimore
Terry .... Richard Pearce
Mrs Brown .... Joyce Gibbs
Fisherman .... Ralph Lawton
Frank .... David Vann
Director: Philip Martin
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in June 1993.
THU 15:45 The Curtain With the Knot In It by Shena Mackay (m001yj0n)
Alice goes to visit her father at the Croxted Memorial Home.
There are strange occurrences - especially with Pauline and Kevin running things...
A short story by Shena Mackay.
Read by Jane Whittenshaw
Abridged and produced by Duncan Minshull
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 1993.
THU 16:00 Great Lives (b088fg46)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 today]
THU 16:30 Who Was Opal? (b00pk9y9)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:30 today]
THU 17:00 Galbraith and the Midas Touch (b061ycw3)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
THU 17:30 Whodunnits (b007jnkp)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
THU 18:00 Second Thoughts (b00kf4ny)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
THU 18:30 Dad's Army (b007jq38)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
THU 19:00 Cooking in a Bedsitter (b09jcd4g)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
THU 19:30 Tom Stoppard: A Life by Hermione Lee (m000n47d)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
THU 19:45 Subterranean Homesick Blues (b0bh5x22)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:45 today]
THU 20:00 Genius (b008gh91)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:00 today]
THU 20:30 Gilbert Without Sullivan (b0076f7x)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:30 today]
THU 21:00 Sally Worboyes - Wild Hops (m001yj0l)
[Repeat of broadcast at 15:00 today]
THU 21:45 The Curtain With the Knot In It by Shena Mackay (m001yj0n)
[Repeat of broadcast at 15:45 today]
THU 22:00 What's the Story, Ashley Storrie? (m001y8hv)
Making Friends and Growing Up Funny
Relating more to wizards, aliens and ghosts since childhood, Ashley has developed her own unique ways of seemingly 'fitting in’, despite the confusing world of human relationships.
After a childhood full of failed attempts, Ashley spent years obsessing over how to solve the problem of making friends in the only way she knows how - using strategies and methodical research within her peer group.
Now she shares her findings, as well as the epiphany she reached at the end of her study.
And with a Scottish working-class female comic for a mother, she was destined to grow up ‘funny’. Being put to work selling her mum’s show every year during the Edinburgh Fringe resulted in some challenging conversations with members of the public, and surprising encounters with famous faces. If only she’d known the difference between the two at the time.
A juicy peek behind the scenes, from the perspective of a child with autism, forced to share her mum – and her bunk bed – with the world of comedy.
With Rosco McClelland
Produced by Julia Sutherland
Sound Design by Sean Kerwin
A Dabster production for BBC Radio 4
THU 22:30 John Finnemore's Souvenir Programme (b088fg48)
Series 6
Episode 4
Meet a man on the way to St Ives; a President is given two speeches; and we hear from a couple who get on like a house on fire. And, well... Since you ask him for a tale of love...
John Finnemore, writer and star of Cabin Pressure and John Finnemore's Double Acts and regular guest on The Now Show and The Unbelievable Truth, returns for a sixth series of his multi-award-winning Souvenir Programme, joined as ever by Margaret Cabourn-Smith, Simon Kane, Lawry Lewin, and Carrie Quinlan.
John Finnemore's Souvenir Programme was described by The Radio Times as "the best sketch show in years, on television or radio", and by The Daily Telegraph as "funny enough to make even the surliest cat laugh". Already the winner of a BBC Audio Drama Award and a Radio Academy Silver Award, John was named the 2016 Radio Broadcaster of the Year by the Broadcasting Press Guild for his work on Souvenir Programme.
Written by and starring John Finnemore.
With
Margaret Cabourn-Smith
Simon Kane
Lawry Lewin
Carrie Quinlan
Original music composed and performed by ... Susannah Pearse
Producer: Ed Morrish
A BBC Studios production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in January 2017.
THU 22:55 The Comedy Club Interviews (m001yrnq)
Steve Bugeja 3/3
From 10pm until midnight, seven days a week, The Comedy Club has two hours of comedy. And tonight, Lou Conran chats to Steve Bugeja.
THU 23:00 The Mark Steel Revolution (b00fy2lp)
The Industrial Revolution
Radical comic Mark Steele reassesses a period of major change in Britain.
A series of lectures on the theme of revolution, Mark examines some of the major historical forces at work during revolutions as well as holding up a mirror to our own age.
With Martin Hyder and Carla Mendonca.
Producer: Phil Clarke
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 1998.
THU 23:30 Everyone Quite Likes Justin (b01mqmgl)
Series 2
Episode 3
Forever juggling his life, Manchester DJ Russell must also cope with a visit from his dad.
Starring Justin Moorhouse, Anne Reid and Paul Copley.
Sitcom written by Justin Moorhouse and Jim Poyser.
Justin's still living with his father-in-law, still working with his ex-wife and still calling on his Gran for her words of wisdom.
Justin ..... Justin Moorhouse
Gran ..... Anne Reid
Lisa ..... Christine Bottomley
Bryn ..... Lloyd Langford
Ray ..... Paul Copley
Miles ..... Rob Rouse
Dad ..... John Henshaw
Tanya ..... Victoria Elliott
Recorded in front of an audience in Manchester.
Producer: Steven Canny
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 2012.

FRIDAY 26 APRIL 2024

FRI 00:00 Great Lives (b088fg46)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 on Thursday]
FRI 00:30 Who Was Opal? (b00pk9y9)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:30 on Thursday]
FRI 01:00 Galbraith and the Midas Touch (b061ycw3)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 on Thursday]
FRI 01:30 Whodunnits (b007jnkp)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 on Thursday]
FRI 02:00 Second Thoughts (b00kf4ny)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 on Thursday]
FRI 02:30 Dad's Army (b007jq38)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 on Thursday]
FRI 03:00 Cooking in a Bedsitter (b09jcd4g)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 on Thursday]
FRI 03:30 Tom Stoppard: A Life by Hermione Lee (m000n47d)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 on Thursday]
FRI 03:45 Subterranean Homesick Blues (b0bh5x22)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:45 on Thursday]
FRI 04:00 Genius (b008gh91)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:00 on Thursday]
FRI 04:30 Gilbert Without Sullivan (b0076f7x)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:30 on Thursday]
FRI 05:00 Sally Worboyes - Wild Hops (m001yj0l)
[Repeat of broadcast at 15:00 on Thursday]
FRI 05:45 The Curtain With the Knot In It by Shena Mackay (m001yj0n)
[Repeat of broadcast at 15:45 on Thursday]
FRI 06:00 Galbraith and the Midas Touch (b05z865m)
5. Aladdin's Cave
A gambling club owner appears to be at the centre of Bill Galbraith's latest mystery, but he's protected.
Starring Bernard Hepton at the veteran detective.
Robert Barr's thriller serial.
Galbraith …. Bernard Hepton
Evans …. Richard Davies
Finch …. Garard Green
Doc McDowall …. Robert Gillespie
Andreas …. Kevork Malikyan
Thorn …. David Ryall
Rita …. Rosalyn Slater
Producer: John Browell
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1977.
FRI 06:30 Whodunnits (b007jnl4)
Miss Marple - A Murder Is Announced
Episode 5
A further murder has been committed, but just as Miss Marple is piecing her thoughts together - she disappears...
Conclusion of Agatha Christie's whodunnit.
Starring June Whitfield as Miss Jane Marple.
Dramatised by Michael Bakewell.
Miss Marple ...... June Whitfield
Inspector Craddock ...... Ian Lavender
Letty Blacklock ...... Sarah Lawson
Colonel Easterbrook ...... Jack Hedley
Laura Easterbrook ...... Joanna McCallum
Bunch Harmon ...... Molly Gaisford
Patrick Simmons ...... Jamie Glover
Mitzi ...... Jenny Funnell
Julia Simmons ...... Angela Sims
Phillipa Haymes ...... Sarah Rice
Director: Enyd Williams
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 1999
FRI 07:00 Up the Garden Path (b007xwbq)
Series 1
Into the Lion's Den
With Michael messing her about, Izzy's quest to find love gets even more muddled.
Tumbling from one love entanglement to another, 30-something teacher Izzy Comyn has a predilection for inappropriate men.
Imelda Staunton stars as Izzy.
Adapted by Sue Limb from her 1984 novel into 3 radio series which ran from 1987 to 1993. Granada also adapted the series for ITV.
Izzy ...... Imelda Staunton
Michael ...... Nicholas Le Prevost
Dick ...... Mike Grady
Louise ...... Phyllida Nash
Gwyn ...... Sion Probert
Producer: Jonathan James-Moore
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 1987.
FRI 07:30 Albert and Me (b0480vfp)
Series 2
Casual Labour
Single dad Bryan is sacked and advertises for work in a local shop window.
Stars Robert Lindsay and Pat Coombs.
Single parent Bryan Archer struggles to find work while raising his baby son, Albert.
Bryan Archer ...... Robert Lindsay
Mum/Albert ...... Pat Coombs
Mrs Willis ...... Diana King
Fred ...... Harry Fowler
Vikkie ...... Sherrie Hewson
Mr Graham ...... Douglas Blackwell
Mrs Weston ...... Frances Jeater
Amateur Photographer ...... John Tordoff
Written by Jim Eldridge.
Incidental music by Max Harris.
Producer: John Fawcett Wilson
First broadcast on BBC Radio 2 in April 1983.
FRI 08:00 Plum House (b0b6p7g3)
Series 2
Death Comes to Plum House
Tom has organised a Murder Mystery event at Plum House.
But when a storm prevents the visitors from reaching the museum, the team decide to try the game themselves.
Maureen is determined to prove the murderer is Julian, while Peter is carried away with his new person - but a bloodcurdling scream from Alan means the team have a real mystery to solve.
Comedy about the inept staff at a historic house. Starring Simon Callow, Jane Horrocks and Miles Jupp.
Every year, thousands of tourists flock to the Lake District. But one place they never go to is Plum House - the former country home of terrible poet George Pudding (1779-1848).
Now a crumbling museum, losing money hand over fist, it struggles to stay open under its eccentric curator Peter Knight. Tom Collyer tries and fails to get the museum back on track, alongside the hopelessly out of touch deputy Julian, corner-cutting gift shop manager Maureen, put-upon education officer Emma, and enthusiastic but dim-witted caretaker Alan.
Peter ...... Simon Callow
Julian ...... Miles Jupp
Maureen ...... Jane Horrocks
Tom ...... Tom Bell
Alan ...... Pearce Quigley
Emma ...... Louise Ford
Trevor ...... Nico Tatarowicz
Written by Ben Cottam and Paul McKenna
Produced by Sarah Cartwright
Directed by Paul Schlesinger
A Hat Trick production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in June 2018.
FRI 08:30 Tom Stoppard: A Life by Hermione Lee (m000n6qg)
5. On Leopoldstadt
Hermione Lee's vivid biography of one of our finest playwrights, Tom Stoppard, concludes.
In this episode, attention turns movingly to Leopoldstadt - his most recent play, where he reflects on his family and the Holocaust.
Tom Stoppard is among British theatre’s giants and in Hermione Lee's evocative and immersive biography we come to know the man and his work.
Since 1964 Stoppard has been writing for the theatre, big screen, television, and radio. His plays are among the most studied of the last century.
Hermione Lee is one of our leading literary biographers, and with access to private papers, diaries and letters, interviews with the playwright's friends, and Stoppard himself she has created an intimate portrait of the writer.
Here we learn of his formative years as a young child forced to flee Nazi-occupied Czechoslovakia; growing up in India and then England; his activism and campaigning on behalf of Eastern European and Soviet prisoners of conscience; the influence of, and his friendship with Vaclav Havel, and always his work, the writing, rehearsing, casting and his ever present humour.
Sir Tom Stoppard remains at the forefront of British theatrical life. His most recent, personal and highly acclaimed play, Leopoldstadt, fell victim to Covid-19, when its run in the West End was suspended in March, 2020.
Read by Alex Jennings.
Abridged by Katrin Williams.
Produced by Elizabeth Allard.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 2020.
FRI 08:45 Subterranean Homesick Blues (b0bh8vp0)
Series 3
5. Change
John and Maggie return as the couple attempting to give love one more chance.
Why doesn't Maggie want to let her daughter know that John has moved in? Maybe John is going to have to change to take their relationship to the next stage.
Series 3 of AL Kennedy's romantic comedy drama in five parts.
John ...... Bill Nighy
Maggie ...... Anna Calder-Marshall
Director: Sally Avens
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 2018.
FRI 09:00 Yesterday in Parliament (m001yjff)
The latest news from Westminster - and beyond.
FRI 09:30 On the Map (b00rlwwy)
10. Maps of the Mind
Self-confessed map addict Mike Parker explores modern cartography.
Maps of the Mind. The most powerful maps aren't found on paper or a computer screen. They're the maps we hold in our memories and imaginations.
Mike Parker visits a primary school in his home town to compare the pupils' maps with his own, drawn from childhood recollection. And he takes a trip to Ambridge, home of the Archers, to meet Eddie Grundy and ask him for directions around the village.
Producer: Jeremy Grange
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 2010.
FRI 09:45 Daily Service (m001yjfh)
Our Planet (Earth Day) – Lovingly created
A space for spiritual reflection with a Bible reading, prayer and a range of Christian music.
Theme: Our Planet (Earth Day) – Lovingly created
Psalm 19: 1-6
Led by Sandra Godley
Chorus of Creation
Seth Pinnock & A New Thing
FRI 10:00 Soul Music (b00djtj8)
Series 7
Swan Lake
Series exploring famous pieces of music and their emotional appeal.
The story behind Tchaikovsky's ballet Swan Lake.
Tchaikovsky's famous ballet is based on a children's show he wrote for his nephews and nieces.
We hear the story behind the ballet and the impact it's had on those who hear it and dance to it.
CONTRIBUTORS
Dr. Elena Denzhkina-Campbell
Dr. Margaret Reynolds
Tom Conlon
John Warrack
Francesca Allen
Jane Hackett
Barbara Hughes
Sir Roy Strong
Matthew Drury, piano
Marion Tait
Gaylene Cummerfield
Matthew Lawrence
Scott Ambler
Producer: Sarah Conkey
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 2008.
FRI 10:30 Kevin Bacon's Game of Fame (b085h73f)
At the age of 26 Kevin Bacon rocketed to stardom but it was a long slow steady decline after that with a string of box office flops.
By the time Kevin reached thirty he suffered terrible anxiety and hit rock bottom.
Around this time three college students created the game Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon which asserts that the Hollywood star can be connected to any celebrity in six or less steps.
Kevin admits that he was initially horrified by it and thought it was a joke at his expense.
But as the concept hung around he realised that it wasn't going away and so he decided to embrace it and start his foundation the Sixdegrees.org, which tries to arrange celebrity drop-ins to charity events to bolster the efforts of people who run them and give them exposure on social media.
The Six Degrees Game put him at the centre of the Hollywood Universe but is that really a position he deserves?
We join Kevin as he visits a charity event because twenty years ago his name was put to a game.
Gaining access to Bacon he gives an interesting insight into his own philosophy and first-hand experience of fame - having won it lost and claimed it back to some degree.
Produced by Kate Bissell.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 2016.
FRI 11:00 Galbraith and the Midas Touch (b05z865m)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
FRI 11:30 Whodunnits (b007jnl4)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
FRI 12:00 Up the Garden Path (b007xwbq)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
FRI 12:30 Albert and Me (b0480vfp)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
FRI 13:00 Plum House (b0b6p7g3)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
FRI 13:30 Tom Stoppard: A Life by Hermione Lee (m000n6qg)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
FRI 13:45 Subterranean Homesick Blues (b0bh8vp0)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:45 today]
FRI 14:00 Whispers (b007k3jj)
Series 3
Episode 6
Gyles Brandreth hosts the quiz show with scandal on its mind and slander at its heart.
John O'Farrell and Dan Tetsell join team captains Lucy Moore and Anthony Holden to run the gauntlet of gossip.
Producer: Victoria Lloyd
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 2005.
FRI 14:30 Do Nothing 'Til You Hear From Me (b0076h7l)
Series 1
Let's Face the Music
Roy and his newly re-formed quartet prepare for their first gig and decide to inject some new blood by hiring a foxy young singer.
Meanwhile, all is going well as Vi helps Bernadette organise an important corporate event - until their proposed band fail to make an appearance...
Starring Ram John Holder and Sam Kelly.
Sitcom written by Marcus Powell and John Byrne.
Roy ...... Ram Jam Holder
George ...... Sam Kelly
Victor ...... Marcus Powell
Barry ...... George Layton
Vi ...... Yvonne Brewster
Daphne ...... Liza Sadovy
Bernadette ...... Caroline Lee Johnson
Producer: Carol Smith
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 2003.
FRI 15:00 Bartleby the Scrivener (b007jx95)
A man employed as a copyist in a firm of lawyers starts behaving strangely.
It begins with him announcing there are aspects of his work he’d 'prefer' not to do – although he’s excellent at the actual work.
But then the list of things he’d rather avoid doing becomes more sinister...
Ian Holm and Adrian Scarborough star in Herman Melville's short story.
Dramatised by Martyn Wade.
The Lawyer ..…. Ian Holm
Bartleby …... Adrian Scarborough
Turkey ..…. David Collings
Nippers …... Jonathan Keeble
Hudd …... Philip Fox
Norton ..…. John Rowe
Prison Officer ..…. Stephen Hogan
Director: Cherry Cookson
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 2004.
FRI 16:00 Soul Music (b00djtj8)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 today]
FRI 16:30 Kevin Bacon's Game of Fame (b085h73f)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:30 today]
FRI 17:00 Galbraith and the Midas Touch (b05z865m)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
FRI 17:30 Whodunnits (b007jnl4)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
FRI 18:00 Up the Garden Path (b007xwbq)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
FRI 18:30 Albert and Me (b0480vfp)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
FRI 19:00 Plum House (b0b6p7g3)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
FRI 19:30 Tom Stoppard: A Life by Hermione Lee (m000n6qg)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
FRI 19:45 Subterranean Homesick Blues (b0bh8vp0)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:45 today]
FRI 20:00 Whispers (b007k3jj)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:00 today]
FRI 20:30 Do Nothing 'Til You Hear From Me (b0076h7l)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:30 today]
FRI 21:00 Bartleby the Scrivener (b007jx95)
[Repeat of broadcast at 15:00 today]
FRI 22:00 You Heard It Here First (m001ygj0)
Series 2
Episode 3
Chris McCausland asks Jessica Knappett and Andy Parsons to take on Ahir Shah and Desiree Burch, deciphering brainteaser sound cues for points and pride whilst trying not to muck about too much along the way. The teams must figure out what on earth is being advertised on TV, guess what famous objects or locations children are trying to describe, and work out which famous faces are being described by Chris' audio assistance software.
Producer: Sasha Bobak
Assistant Producer: Becky Carewe-Jeffires
Executive Producer: Richard Morris
Production Coordinator: Dan Marchini
A BBC Studios Production
An EcoAudio certified production
FRI 22:30 The Maltby Collection (b00x7glw)
Series 2
Episode 2
Deputy curator Rod Miller holds a museum press conference.
Walter Brindle hits on Susie Maltby...
Starring Julian Rhind-Tutt and Geoffrey Palmer.
David Nobbs’ sitcom about a small art museum staffed by eccentrics and obsessives.
Rod Millet ...... Julian Rhind-Tutt
Walter Brindle ...... Geoffrey Palmer
Prunella Edgecumbe ...... Rachel Atkins
Julian Crumb-Loosely ...... Ben Willbond
Susie Maltby ...... Margaret Cabourn-Smith
Wilf Arbuthnot ...... Geoff McGivern
Eva Tattle ...... Julia Deakin
Des Wainwright ...... Michael Smiley
Stelios Constantinopoulis ...... Chris Pavlo
Wayne ...... John Rowe
Third Mrs Wainwright ...... Liz Sutherland
Other parts played by the cast.
Producer: Colin Anderson
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in June 2008.
FRI 23:00 Jake Yapp's Media Circus (b0bf626v)
Social Media
Jake Yapp applies his sharp satirical eye to the modern media, exploring its strengths, weaknesses and idiosyncrasies through stand-up, sketch and music.
Jake turns his focus to Social Media and makes an argument as to why you should delete your accounts and throw your laptop out of the window.
Written, performed and composed by Jake Yapp.
With:
George Fouracres
Emily Lloyd-Saini
Additional material by Robin Morgan.
Producer: Joe Nunnery
A BBC Studios production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in August 2018.
FRI 23:30 Bird Island (b01jrknt)
Series 1
Episode 1
Ben is on the trip of a lifetime to Sub-Antarctica.
Yet he's trapped in an icy hell with one other person, a dodgy internet connection and a Dictaphone.
Fellow travelling scientist Graham is also a nerd, so he's not much help in alleviating the loneliness. No wonder they both fail to share all the highs and lows of exploring this beautiful, but lonely landscape.
So, Ben tries to socially adapt to his loneliness by keeping a cheery audio diary.
In this opening episode, Ben loses his watch and logs on to a dating website.
Ben ...... Reece Shearsmith
Graham ...... Julian Rhind-Tutt
Written by Katy Wix.
Producer: Tilusha Ghelani
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in June 2012.
FRI 23:45 Tina C Goes Down Under: The Aborogynal Monologues (b00dshmq)
Alice Springs
Country music icon and 2008 presidential hopeful Tina C looks at the Australian obsession with country music and the relationship with the indigenous owners of the land.
Join Tina as she visits the little people of this vast continent, which is damn big and kinda empty.
Written and performed by Christopher Green
Additional voices by Julia Morris
Music production by Duncan Walsh Atkins.
Director Claire Grove.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 2008.