SATURDAY 16 JULY 2016

SAT 00:00 Dangerous Visions (b02x9f4n)
The Testament of Jessie Lamb, Episode 5

Jane Rogers won the Arthur C. Clarke Award 2012 with her novel set in a future where a deadly virus causing pregnant women to die in their millions. Jessie becomes increasingly certain that sacrificing her own life for a healthy baby is the most important thing she can do. But her plan to become a Sleeping Beauty hits an obstacle.

Directed by Nadia Molinari

Dangerous Visions Season:
The adjective Ballardian refers to the writer 'JG Ballard's fearful imaginings of what the near future might be like. Even though the master creator of dystopian futures died four years ago, his vision of
what our future might become feels as relevant, satirical and as scary as ever. Radio 4's Dangerous Visions is a season of dramas that explore contemporary takes on future dystopias. Dramatisations of Ballard's seminal works, Drowned World and Concrete Island, straddle the season, and we have asked five leading radio writers - Nick Perry, Ed Harris, Michael Symmonds Roberts, Michael Butt and Philip Palmer - to imagine what life might be like in the near future if everything goes wrong -
and their Dangerous Visions form the bedrock of the series: clever, imaginative and disturbing takes on just what might happen. What happens if sleep is outlawed? If cloning becomes a matter of course, and your loved ones are capable of being cloned? If North London declares UDI on South London, which has become a wasteland? If human sacrifice becomes a part of society? We are also running a 5 part dramatisation of Jane Roger's award winning terrifying novel The Testament of Jessie Lamb, dramatised by the author.
Dangerous Visions - you will be disturbed as you see the present reflected in the glass of an uneasy future.

SAT 00:15 Bryan Appleyard - The First Church of the New Millennium (b007jqnc)
Episode 5

As architect Stephen Rix builds his cathedral, he makes dramatic decision about his life. Read by David Horovitch.

SAT 00:30 Sounds Natural (b07l1167)
Roger Whittaker

From the Wildebeest to the Paradise Flycatcher. Singer Roger Whittaker shares his fascination for the wildlife of East Africa and Wales with Derek Jones - aided by recordings from the BBC Sound Archive.

Producer: John Burton.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 1973.

SAT 01:00 Dick Barton - Special Agent: The Cabatolin Diamonds (b036ybrp)
Episode 5

Jock manages to infiltrate the ground crew in a risky gambit, while Dick Barton and his chums get more than they bargained for.

The stirring 'Devil's Galop' heralds the arrival of Douglas Kelly as 'Dick Barton - Special Agent' in another thrilling tale of criminal masterminds, espionage and daring adventure.

Originally starring Noel Johnson, Duncan Carse and Gordon Davies, Dick Barton ran on the BBC Light Programme between 1946 and 1951, but sadly, very few original recordings survive.

With the original lost, this is a very authentic sounding re-recording of 'The Cabatolin Diamonds' using the original scripts and music, which was made for international distribution. Happily the audio was rediscovered in 2009, lurking in the vaults of the National Film and Sound Archive in Canberra, Australia.

Script by Geoffrey Webb.

Producer: Morris West

First broadcast in Australia in April 1949.

SAT 01:15 Edgar Wallace - White Face (b012llpk)
Episode 5

Confusion reigns. If Lorna isn't an addict, why does she seem to have a well-used syringe in her possession? Read by Danny Webb.

SAT 01:30 The I Love You Bridge (b01302s4)
A quest for the original lovers of the 'I Love You Bridge' - a fabulously incongruous message painted on a footbridge on a hollowed-out housing estate in Sheffield.

Presented by feature film maker, opera director and screenwriter, Penny Woolcock, in her first radio documentary.

Perhaps you quietly ask yourself "How do they live like this." / Then out of nowhere the answer / "I love you"/ scrawled on the highest bridge." (Rowan Blair Colver). Funny how graffiti can transform cement. How a simple love message scrawled on a bridge between two empty flanks of Brutalist flats can lift our hearts. That's what happened when somebody, somehow, leaned over the perilous edge of this narrow footbridge on Norwich Row at Park Hill flats, high above Sheffield's train station, and painted:

Clare Middleton I love you will u marry me

We call it The I Love You Bridge. It's visible for miles, from town. When we set off on this journey we don't know who wrote it or when, or even if it all went up at once. We don't know whether she said 'Yes' or what happened next. Nobody knows, not even the people who've worked on the Estate for years - caretaker, needle exchange worker, decorator, or the few (like writer, Rowan, above) who still live there; not even the local builders who are regenerating the first flank that the bridge links.

In this programme we follow up all kinds of rumours in the hope of sourcing the graffiti and its lovers.

Producer: Frances Byrnes
A Rockethouse Production for BBC Radio 4.

SAT 02:00 Maggie O'Farrell - The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox (b00770tg)
Can We Visit Kitty Today?

After 61 years, Esme knows the truth and confronts her sister, Kitty. Concluded by Hannah Gordon, Frances Grey and Eleanor Bron.

SAT 02:15 The Invention of Childhood (b00sm8nf)
Charlie Chaplin Went to France to Teach Ladies How to Dance

Michael Morpurgo discovers new forms of entertainment available for children in the first half of the 20th century.

SAT 02:30 15 Minute Drama (b01pgjyc)
A Little Twist of Dahl, The Neck

A series of stories by Roald Dahl

Episode 5: Neck

Charles Dance leads the cast as the urbane Storyteller in dramatisations of five classic tales by Roald Dahl. Bizarre and amusing by turns, these black comedies are justly famous for their surprise endings.

The stories show Dahl at the height of his powers as a writer of adult fiction. They are stylishly plotted, vividly characterised and made unforgettable by their breezy cynicism, presenting as they do, a hilariously bleak view of family life. Their satisfying conclusions invariably leave bullies, schemers, adulterers and frauds soundly punished.

In Neck, Sir Basil Turton, a wealthy newspaper magnate, has recently taken a young wife. Bossy and openly adulterous, the new Lady Turton is despised by Jelks, Sir Basil's butler, for her cruel treatment of his master. One morning she is openly frolicking with her latest lover in the grounds of the estate, when, for a joke, she sticks her head through a hole in one of Sir Basil's priceless Henry Moore sculptures. When she finds she is stuck, Sir Basil with Jelks' assistance, must decide on a course of action.

Produced and directed by David Blount
A Pier production for BBC Radio 4.

SAT 02:45 Book of the Week (b013xn65)
All Made Up, Episode 5

Award-winning author Janice Galloway reads an extract from her new memoir. Teenaged Janice is about to leave the security of Ardrossan Academy for university, a long-cherished dream of her downtrodden mother.

Read by the author and abridged by Sian Preece.

Produced by Eilidh McCreadie.

SAT 03:00 Thomas Hardy - The Return of the Native (b0076sfh)
Episode 3

Clym and Eustacia are married, but her unhappiness and renewed passion for Wildeve threatens all of them. Stars David Calder.

SAT 04:00 Whispers (b007k358)
Series 3, Episode 4

Gyles Brandreth chairs the scandals quiz with Lucy Moore, Anthony Holden, Penny Junor and Julian Fellowes. From October 2005.

SAT 04:30 No Commitments (b01mmrh8)
Series 10, A Bride Too Far

Victoria and Emily battle it out over the wedding, while Charlotte is feeling left out. Stars Celia Imrie. From February 2004.

SAT 05:00 Winston in Europe (b007tzt5)
An Educated Woman

Arriving in France, the old rogue's talk of Flaubert, Baudelaire and Renoir baffles Nancy. Stars Bill Wallis. From March 1992.

SAT 05:30 Rumblings from the Rafters (b07jwt65)
Edible Dormouse and Peacock Butterfly

An Edible Dormouse played by Hugh Dennis and a Peacock Butterfly played by Amanda Abbington reveal the truth about life in an old attic in a house in Amersham in the last of three very funny tales, written and introduced by Lynne Truss, with additional sound recordings by Chris Watson.

The Edible Dormouse is no Common Dormouse. He is Russian and extremely serious-minded. He is obsessed with answering the question, "Why are we here?" both the philosophical question and the literal one. No answer satisfies him. So he has reached his own conclusion, which involves secret agents and a submarine. "I may be rare, cute-looking, and of indisputable foreign origin, but I am not stupid." He is planning a meeting with his fellow Edible Dormice to discuss their next move. He knows this won't be easy. The others think he is mad. Top of the agenda is what they should call themselves. "Imagine how it feels to be one of the only zoological species in existence whose very name says, "Have you ever thought of eating me?"

The Peacock Butterfly is youthful, intelligent, and ever so concerned with being brave and sensible about mortality. Having been born the previous year, she is re-visiting the attic before dying. "I remember when I first came in, I thought hello, this wouldn't be a bad place to pop off, when the time comes." But trying to be brave about her inevitable end is much harder than she expects, "Well, I'm sorry to say that for some completely inexplicable reason I totally lost it at the sycamore! I mean what's wrong with me? " But as she settles down to die, a sudden thought changes everything ...

Edible Dormouse: Hugh Dennis
Peacock Butterfly: Amanda Abbington
Written and introduced by Lynne Truss
Wildlife sound recordings Chris Watson
Producer Sarah Blunt.

SAT 06:00 Noel Coward - Blithe Spirit (b01ghlgw)
When writer Charles Condomine invites a medium to hold a séance at his country house, he anticipates little more than some harmless fakery and a lot of good material for his new novel. Instead, he gets a ghostly visitation from his dead first wife, rather to the chagrin of his very much alive second one...

Noël Coward's classic comedy stars Roger Allam as Charles and Maggie Steed as Madame Arcati.
Adapted for radio by Bert Coules. Director Philip Franks. Producer Patrick Rayner.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2008.

SAT 07:30 The RSC at 50 (b010dp0l)
The New Theatre

James Naughtie explores the history of the Royal Shakespeare Company as it marks its 50th birthday and reopens its main Stratford theatre. Part 3. The new theatre.

The struggle to create a new theatre in Stratford, fit for the diverse work of the Royal Shakespeare Company in the 21st Century, goes right back to its founding in 1961. In the final episode of his three-part series, James Naughtie speaks with the key players about the problems with the Elisabeth Scott Shakespeare Memorial Theatre built in 1932, the triumphant experiments at The Other Place and The Swan, and - built within the original walls - the brand new theatre with its thrust stage which will open with Michael Boyd's production of Macbeth in April 2011.

Former Artistic Directors Trevor Nunn, Terry Hands and Adrian Noble tell Jim about their times with the company while Judi Dench recalls the terror and hilarity of performing with Ian McKellen in Nunn's famously intense production of Macbeth at The Other Place in 1976. Architect Rab Bennetts and current Artistic Director Michael Boyd explain the challenge of creating the new space while the series culminates in an examination of why performing Shakespeare matters to the artistic well-being of the nation.

As Peter Brook says to Jim in a rare interview: "This is Shakespeare. Not "Shakespeare Memorial" but this is Shakespeare as the real, living example that there is something more".

The series as a whole features an exclusive breadth of interviews with the key players of the past half century. With all five artistic directors Peter Hall, Trevor Nunn, Terry Hands, Adrian Noble and Michael Boyd; luminaries such as Peter Brook, Cicely Berry, Greg Doran, Judi Dench, Patrick Stewart and David Tennant; and backstage artists, technicians and craftspeople, James Naughtie explores both the history of the company and the reasons why its work matters to the wider British cultural scene.

Producer: Beaty Rubens.

SAT 08:00 Archive on 4 (b03ddnfm)
Not Enough Hours in the Day

In this Archive on Four Claudia Hammond traces the history of the time use survey.She explores how social change has transformed the way people use their time, with more women working outside the home and the rise of supposedly labour-saving devices. These days men have an average of 5 hours and 48 minutes spare and women have 5 hours and 23 minutes, far more time than most people realise. Going back to the BBC archives and others such as those at Sussex University Claudia compares now with the past.

Eighty years ago the BBC conducted Britain's first ever survey of time use. Its aim was to discover whether anyone would have time to take up a brand new leisure activity - watching TV. In fact last year's time use survey in the US tells us that if people gain any unexpected spare time they spend it watching TV.

But we are unreliable chroniclers of our time: even in the last fortnight we remember only between nine and fifteen things we have done.

The programme will trace the history of the time-use surveys and why they are much harder to conduct than you might think. People hate filling them in. Lawyers have to account for every six minutes of their time in order to charge the right clients, so they're experts on time use, but they detest doing it because it reminds them how fast time goes.

Using the BBC written archives and first-hand accounts of time-use from the Mass Observation Archive at Sussex University Claudia follows the changes in the way time-use has been measured.

We'll also learn hear the idiosyncratic stories of the individuals who recorded their own time use. The Reverend Robert Shields has written what is thought to be the longest diary in the world. It's 30 times longer than Pepys' diary and it fills 91 cardboard boxes. Using six typewriters he noted down everything he did, describing everything from his dreams to his urination. He died in 2007 and won't allow most of it to be read until 2057, but a few pages are available. Then there's Gordon Bell who works for Microsoft and is chronicling every 20 seconds of his life with a photograph and employs people to scan every page he reads from books, so that there's a complete digital record of his life.

SAT 09:00 Sondheim - Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (b07l53b8)
Dennis Quilley and Julia McKenzie star in an exclusive BBC recording of the Royal National Theatre's hit 1993 revival of Stephen Sondheim 's musical thriller. Introduced by Sheridan Morley.

A half-mad barber returns home after escaping from an unjust imprisonment, to take vengeance on the judge who sentenced him, ravished his wife and now plans to marry his daughter. However, Sweeney doesn't limit himself to one victim, he takes revenge against the whole world for his and his daughter's suffering by slitting the throats of his customers, whose corpses are then made into meat pies by his enterprising accomplice, Mrs Lovett.

Music and lyrics written by Stephen Sondheim based on Hugh Wheeler's book, adapted by Christopher Bond.

Starring Dennis Quilley as Sweeney Todd, Julia McKenzie as Mrs Lovett, Adrian Lester as Anthony Hope, Sheila Reid as Beggar Woman/Lucy, Carol Starks as Johanna, Philip Curtis as the Bird Seller, Christopher Benjamin as Judge Turpin, Barry James as Beadle Bamford, Adriana Lewis Morgan as Tobias Ragg, Nick Holder as Adolfo Pirelli and Stephen Hanley as Fogg.

The ensemble players: Di Botcher, Megan Kelly, Mandy Moore, Martin Nelson, Peter Prentice, Ernestina Quarcoo and Rhashan Stone.

Musicians: Colin Wray [trumpet], Dean Foley [horn], Emma Fowler [clarinet], Rachel Edmunds [bassoon], Julia Leighton-Jones [violin], Judith Herbert [cello], David Berry [double-bass] and Philip Hopkins [percussion].

Associate Music Director: Mark Dorrell and Production Music Direct: Paddy Cunneen.

Director: Declan Donnellan

For the BBC: Recording Engineer: Mike Robinson, Sound Balancer: Tim Durham and Producer: John Langridge.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 2 in 1994.

SAT 11:35 Stephen Sondheim in Conversation (b07l56k2)
Legendary composer and lyricist, Stephen Sondheim in conversation with Mark Lawson.

With a string of award-winning shows to his name - including A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Company, Follies, A Little Night Music, Sweeney Todd, Into The Woods and Passion - Stephen discusses his career and shares his views on musical theatre.

Recorded with an audience at the 2010 Cheltenham Literary Festival when Stephen was on a UK book tour, coinciding with his 80th birthday.

First broadcast in Front Row on BBC Radio 4 in 2010.

SAT 12:00 Spangles 'n' Tights (b04ndrcb)
Pursued by a Bear

The struggles of a Dublin theatrical costumier. The local nun's drama group offers hope. With Doreen Keogh. From September 1998.

SAT 12:30 J Kingston Platt (b01rr6y0)
Romance

The showbusiness survivor shares a touching tale of unexpected romance. Written and read by Peter Jones. From September 1993.

SAT 13:00 Life Lines: Omnibus (b07l57yt)
An ambulance call handler's own life is fast becoming as much of an emergency as the calls she takes. Stars Sarah Ridgeway.

SAT 14:10 Inheritance Tracks (b07l58fp)
Steve Earle

Singer Steve Earle chooses 'Shoo-Fly Pie and Apple Pan Dowdy' and 'I Am a Patriot' by Little Steven & The Disciples of Soul.

SAT 14:15 In the Psychiatrist's Chair (b007516l)
Stephen Fry

The actor and writer opens up to Professor Anthony Clare about love, self-loathing and contemplating suicide. From June 1997.

Psychiatrist Dr Anthony Clare's in depth interviews with prominent people from different walks of life.

Born in Dublin, author Anthony held a doctorate in medicine, a master's degree in philosophy and was a fellow of the Royal College of Psychiatrists. After becoming a regular on BBC Radio 4's Stop the Week in the 1980s, he became Britain's best-known psychiatrist and earned his own vehicle, In the Psychiatrist's Chair. Starting in 1982, this series ran until 2001 and also transferred to TV. Series highlights include conversations with Bob Monkhouse, Cecil Parkinson and Gerry Adams.

Anthony Clare died suddenly in Paris aged 64 in 2007.

SAT 15:00 Archive on 4 (b03ddnfm)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]

SAT 16:00 Noel Coward - Blithe Spirit (b01ghlgw)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]

SAT 17:30 The RSC at 50 (b010dp0l)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]

SAT 18:00 The Real George Orwell (b01qldly)
Nineteen Eighty-Four, Episode 2

Dramatised by Jonathan Holloway

Winston Smith has found love and comfort with Julia, and now they are determined to join the Brotherhood, a secret, counter-revolutionary organisation pledged to destroy The Party. But for The Party's enemies, deep in the Ministry of Love, there is the threat of Room 101.

Directed by Jeremy Mortimer.

SAT 19:00 Comedy Greats (b007k42m)
The Noughties, Episode 2

Decade by decade, Barry Cryer showcases some of the funniest and finest shows ever broadcast by the BBC.

Yo! From the 21st century of radio comedy, Baz presents another six-pack of noughties favourites:

* Absolute Power
Series 3 (3/6)
Roguish Martin enters the Lords, as Charles takes on a Big Brother 'star'. Stars Stephen Fry and John Bird. From 2002.

* Fags, Mags and Bags
Series 1 (1/6) Raising Keenan
Sanjeev Kohli and Donald McLeary's Glasgow corner shop sitcom. Owner Ramesh tackles a young tearaway. From 2007.

* The Sunday Format
Series 3 (1/4)
Celebrity eaters choose 'Desert Island Biscs'. Radio's posh paper tells all. With Alexander Armstrong, Emma Kennedy and Tracy-Ann Oberman. From 2001.

* Chain Reaction
Series 1 (2/6) Jimmy Carr interviews Matt Lucas
The deadpan funny man and the 'Little Britain' star in the tag talk show, where the guest is next interviewer. From 2005.

* Linda Smith's A Brief History of Timewasting
Series 1 (2/6)
Linda Smith gets her neighbour's Jack the Ripper letters authenticated and falls foul of the mafia. With Jeremy Hardy and Don Estelle. From 2001.

* Dead Ringers
Series 6 (5/5)
More celeb sound-alikes as Thora Hird instructs James Bond and Zippy imitates Cherie Blair. Topical impressions with Jon Culshaw, Jan Ravens and Kevin Connelly. From 2002.

Produced and scripted by Peter Reed

First broadcast on BBC 7 in 2003.

SAT 22:00 Buy Me Up TV (b009jcxh)
Episode 3

Another chance to hear the comedy series inspired by every shopping channel you've ever seen and every product you've never wanted to buy.

Starring Justin Edwards, Colin Hoult, Katherine Jakeways, Ewen MacIntosh, Alex MacQueen, Greg Proops and this week's special guest, Rich Hall.

SAT 22:25 The Comedy Club Interviews (b07ls9h7)
The best in contemporary comedy. Arthur Smith chats to Fred MacAulay.

SAT 22:30 Knowing Me, Knowing You (b007jvc2)
Episode 6

Cheesy host Alan Partridge meets BBC TV's Commissioning Director and a maverick Lord. Stars Steve Coogan. From January 1993.

SAT 23:00 The Mary Whitehouse Experience (b043bldw)
Series 4, Episode 1

Hugh Dennis, Steve Punt, Rob Newman and David Baddiel scrutinise horse racing and party conferences. From October 1990.

SAT 23:30 2525 (b007znn2)
Episode 1

In the year 2525, if man is still alive, if woman can survive... then it may sound something like this. Set 511 years in the future, 2525 welcomes you into a world of competitive kitchen appliances, robotic stand-up comedians and religions devoted to the worship of The Beatles.

Cast:
Jenny Bede
Jamie Demetriou
Kieran Hodgson
Catriona Knox
Waen Shepherd

Written by Colin Birch, Ali Crockatt and David Scott, Jason Hazeley and Joel Morris, Jon Hunter, Jane Lamacraft, Alex Lowe, Paul Putner, John Luke Roberts and Eddie Robson.

Produced by Ashley Blaker
A John Stanley production for BBC Radio 4.

SUNDAY 17 JULY 2016

SUN 00:00 The Real George Orwell (b01qldly)
[Repeat of broadcast at 18:00 on Saturday]

SUN 01:00 Life Lines: Omnibus (b07l57yt)
[Repeat of broadcast at 13:00 on Saturday]

SUN 02:10 Inheritance Tracks (b07l58fp)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:10 on Saturday]

SUN 02:15 In the Psychiatrist's Chair (b007516l)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:15 on Saturday]

SUN 03:00 Archive on 4 (b03ddnfm)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 on Saturday]

SUN 04:00 Noel Coward - Blithe Spirit (b01ghlgw)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 on Saturday]

SUN 05:30 The RSC at 50 (b010dp0l)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 on Saturday]

SUN 06:00 A Little Twist of Dahl: Omnibus (b01phj36)
Five darkly comic tales by the master of the bizarre - Roald Dahl. With Charles Dance as the storyteller.

SUN 07:15 Out of Armenia (b04w0jxm)
Venice

Guided by an earnest novice monk from the bells of Santa Croce to the Armenian monastery-island of San Lazzaro, Charles Emmerson continues to Venice on his journey through the Armenian diaspora of Europe.

Armenian traders have been in Venice for centuries. Tall tales of Armenians fighting with Venetians at Troy still circulate. But when the island of San Lazzaro, a former leper colony, was turned into an Armenian monastery in the early 18th century, it became a new magnet for Armenians in the city.

Over the years, San Lazzaro developed into a sacred citadel of Armenian culture. The monks collected together manuscripts and books of the Armenian world even as they turned to dust elsewhere. We hear the Armenian religious singing which the monks kept alive, and share the wonder of the Venetian Armenians who first heard it when they were young.

San Lazzaro's reputation spread - it's claimed Byron visited the island to learn the Armenian language by swimming all the way from the Venice shore. Charles learns of the very spot on the island where Byron came to meditate after trying to master the twists and turns of the semi-mystical Armenian alphabet.

Speaking with the monks today, Charles discovers the links which tie the monastery to the outside world, even as it becomes harder and harder to make up a football team for the island's meagre football pitch.

The gardener reveals the monastery's culinary secrets - rose-petal jam, and copious supplies of dairy products from the Lido. And as the mist draws in, and vespers end, the abbot takes out the monastery speedboat to return his visitors to the city. The island falls back into the protective silence of the night.

Produced by Cicely Fell
An Above The Title production for BBC Radio 4.

SUN 07:30 Alex Horne Presents The Horne Section (b01dsy7d)
Series 1, Isy Suttie

Comedian Alex Horne is joined by his own 5 piece jazz band for a brand new series of music and comedy. This time they make music on the subject of 'hard water'; shine a spotlight on the troubled life of the double bassist and reveal the haunting sound of the 'ocarina'. The band are joined by guest comedian Isy Suttie who persuades Alex to sing in a duet...

Producer .... Julia McKenzie.

SUN 08:00 We're in Business (b007jydp)
Dudley's Granny

Dudley and Harry end up at the mercy of a devious criminal.

Stars Peter Jones as Dudley, Harry Worth as Harry and Irene Handl as Granny. With Paddy Edwards, Wallas Eaton and John Graham.

Peter Jones is small-time businessman, Dudley Grosvenor who's always out to make a fast buck - usually at the expense of his side-kick, Harry Worth.

Written by Peter Jones, George Wadmore and George Evans.

A selection of surviving episodes from two series broadcast between 1959-1960.

Producer: Charles Maxwell.

First broadcast on the BBC Home Service in June 1959.

SUN 08:30 Meet the Huggetts (b00ncgg1)
No Fear

Huggett family chaos reigns when young Bobby sets out to play the hero.

Stars Jack Warner as Joe, Kathleen Harrison as Ethel, George Howell as Bobby, Marion Collins as Jane, Charles Leno as Fred Stebbings and Kenneth Connor as Charlie.

Popular working-class family, the Huggetts first hit the cinema screen with a series of Gainsborough films between 1947 and 1949. Their subsequent BBC radio series ran from 1953 to 1962.

Scripted by Eddie Maguire.

Producer: Jacques Brown

First broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in September 1957.

SUN 09:00 Channel Shore - Omnibus (b05x26xr)
Tom Fort travels from the white cliffs of Dover to Land's End in search of maritime tales. Read by Jonathan Coy.

SUN 10:10 Inheritance Tracks (b07l5ftn)
Maria Friedman

Actress-singer Maria Friedman chooses 'Peter and the Wolf' by Prokofiev and 'Bess, You is My Woman Now' by George Gershwin.

SUN 10:15 Desert Island Discs Revisited (b07l5ftq)
Conductors, Marin Alsop

4 Extra Debut. From Aretha Franklin to Gustav Mahler, conductor Marin Alsop shares her castaway choices with Kirsty Young. From September 2014.

SUN 11:00 The Moth Radio Hour (b07l5g62)
Series 3, Live from Dublin

True stories told live in Ireland: Dan Kennedy introduces stories about being different, identification and survival.

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.

SUN 12:00 We're in Business (b007jydp)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]

SUN 12:30 Meet the Huggetts (b00ncgg1)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]

SUN 13:00 A Little Twist of Dahl: Omnibus (b01phj36)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]

SUN 14:15 Out of Armenia (b04w0jxm)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:15 today]

SUN 14:30 Jessie Burton - The Muse: Omnibus (b07l5gk3)
Episode 2

1967: An exhibition of Lawrie's newly discovered Robles is mooted. Read by Martina Laird and Jessica Raine.

SUN 15:45 RK Narayan Stories (b01d9164)
Engine Trouble

At a raffle in India, a poor local man wins an unusual prize. But how to get it home? Read by Zia Mohyeddin.

SUN 16:00 Saturday Drama (b00jgv1s)
Lambeth Palace

Dark comedy by Christopher William Hill imagining the politics behind the scenes in the run-up to the selection of a fictional Archbishop of Canterbury. How far will an ultra-Establishment conservative and a barely-believing liberal go to win the top job in the Church of England?

Michael Lombard ...... Alex Jennings
David Channing ...... Geoffrey Whitehead
Grace Lombard ...... Phoebe Nicholls
Patrick Latimer ...... Murray Melvin
Alicia Latham ...... Susan Jameson
Simon Brooker ...... Philip Fox
Anthony Taylor ...... Sam Dale
Russell Graves ...... Stephen Hogan
Claudia ...... Caroline Guthrie
Robin ...... Jonathan Tafler
Cardinal Daeneker ...... Malcolm Tierney
Seb ...... Benjamin Askew
Jade ...... Lizzy Watts

With Kirsty Wark and Jonathan Dimbleby as themselves.

Other parts played by Janice Acquah, Matt Addis and Paul Rider.

Directed by Mary Peate.

SUN 17:00 Poetry Extra (b07l5hhr)
Tales from Ovid: Semele; Peleus and Thetis; Pygmalion; The Birth of Hercules

BBC Radio 4's Poet in Residence, Daljit Nagra revisits the BBC's radio poetry archive with 'Tales of Ovid'.

Poet Ted Hughes continues reading from his award-winning reworking of Ovid's Metamorphoses - stories of the teeming underworld and overworld of Romanised Greek myth and legend.

Featuring 'Semele', 'Peleus and Thetis' and 'Pygmalion and the Birth of Hercules', this highly praised collection won the 1997 Whitbread prize for poetry and WH Smith Literary Award.

Ted Hughes: born: 1930 and died: 1998.

Producer: Susan Roberts

First broadcast in two-parts on BBC Radio 4 in 1998.

SUN 17:30 Alex Horne Presents The Horne Section (b01dsy7d)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]

SUN 18:00 Simon Bovey - The Voice of God (b007jwl8)
Blowback

Nick battles to find the person responsible for his lover Belinda's death. Stars Clare Corbett and Matthew Dyktynski.

SUN 18:30 Algernon Blackwood - The Willows (b007jvdr)
Episode 4

The Swede offers his opinion on the island's evil forces, and the necessity of offering them a sacrifice. Read by Roger Allam.

SUN 19:00 The Moth Radio Hour (b07l5g62)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:00 today]

SUN 20:00 Channel Shore - Omnibus (b05x26xr)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]

SUN 21:10 Inheritance Tracks (b07l5ftn)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:10 today]

SUN 21:15 Desert Island Discs Revisited (b07l5ftq)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:15 today]

SUN 22:00 Alex Horne Presents The Horne Section (b01dsy7d)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]

SUN 22:25 The Comedy Club Interviews (b07ls9r4)
The best in contemporary comedy. Arthur Smith is joined again by Fred MacAulay.

SUN 22:30 Fabulous (b00hs90r)
Series 1, Episode 3

Faye's cooker is beeping, work deadlines are looming and flat-hunting sucks. Stars Daisy Haggard and Adam Buxton. From May 2007.

SUN 22:45 Peter Bradshaw - For One Horrible Moment (b008756f)
Episode 3

Darkly comic memoirs of growing up in the 1970s. Will father's lecture on sex dampen our hero's ardour? With Peter Bradshaw.

SUN 23:00 The Secret World (b01mqpgm)
Series 3, Episode 2

From Al Pacino to Paul McCartney, Jon Culshaw and friends imagine the private lives of the famous. From September 2012.

SUN 23:30 Laura Solon: Talking and Not Talking (b00773xs)
Series 1, Episode 5

The award-winning comic brings us the torrid tale of Justine's jeans and the sad story of a second gap year. From February 2007.

MONDAY 18 JULY 2016

MON 00:00 Simon Bovey - The Voice of God (b007jwl8)
[Repeat of broadcast at 18:00 on Sunday]

MON 00:30 Algernon Blackwood - The Willows (b007jvdr)
[Repeat of broadcast at 18:30 on Sunday]

MON 01:00 A Little Twist of Dahl: Omnibus (b01phj36)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 on Sunday]

MON 02:15 Out of Armenia (b04w0jxm)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:15 on Sunday]

MON 02:30 Jessie Burton - The Muse: Omnibus (b07l5gk3)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:30 on Sunday]

MON 03:45 RK Narayan Stories (b01d9164)
[Repeat of broadcast at 15:45 on Sunday]

MON 04:00 Saturday Drama (b00jgv1s)
[Repeat of broadcast at 16:00 on Sunday]

MON 05:00 Poetry Extra (b07l5hhr)
[Repeat of broadcast at 17:00 on Sunday]

MON 05:30 Alex Horne Presents The Horne Section (b01dsy7d)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 on Sunday]

MON 06:00 Dick Barton - Special Agent: The Cabatolin Diamonds (b03790m8)
Episode 6

The pursuit does not let up, as special agent, Dick Barton and Freddie track an alluring foe and see the true face of the enemy.

The stirring 'Devil's Galop' heralds the arrival of Douglas Kelly as 'Dick Barton - Special Agent' in another thrilling tale of criminal masterminds, espionage and daring adventure.

Originally starring Noel Johnson, Duncan Carse and Gordon Davies, Dick Barton ran on the BBC Light Programme between 1946 and 1951, but sadly, very few original recordings survive.

With the original lost, this is a very authentic sounding re-recording of 'The Cabatolin Diamonds' using the original scripts and music, which was made for international distribution. Happily the audio was rediscovered in 2009, lurking in the vaults of the National Film and Sound Archive in Canberra, Australia.

Script by Geoffrey Webb.

Producer: Morris West

First broadcast in Australia in April 1949.

MON 06:15 Edgar Wallace - White Face (b012r6vn)
Episode 6

Elk and Bray quiz a suspect. Is he "Thomas"? Quigley gets a tip-off, as the master criminal sets to work. Read by Danny Webb.

Who is White Face? The "Devil of Tidal Basin" - they called him. Out of the slums and filth of London slunk this marauder, dealing death and striking terror into all hearts and confounding the clearest brains of Scotland Yard.

All the ingredients of a great mystery are here - a beautiful young girl, a handsome and romantic stranger from South Africa; a keen crime-reporter from London's Fleet Street in love with the girl; the dull witted inspector of Police countered by the brilliant Superintendent from Scotland Yard.
It's a hunt to expose an arch blackmailer - bent on destroying the lives of his victims.....

Richard Horatio Edgar Wallace (1875-1932) was a prolific British crime writer, journalist and playwright, who wrote 175 novels - including the Four Just Men and Mr JG Reeder series - 24 plays, and countless articles in newspapers and journals. He co-created the movie monster 'King Kong', writing the film's early screenplay. Over 160 films have been made of his novels.

Edgar Wallace's novel abridged by Robin Brooks.

Producer: Clive Brill

Made for BBC Radio 4 Extra by Pacificus Productions and first broadcast in 2011.

MON 06:30 House Beautiful (b00zm1l1)
To tie in with the V&A's exhibition The Cult of Beauty, Laurence Llewelyn Bowen considers the effect of the Aesthetic movement on the home in Britain.

Many artists and craftsmen were repelled by the ugly mass produced goods on show at the 1851 Exhibition. A reactive movement started that made BEAUTY the focus and ambition, not only of art but of all things including household goods and furnishings.

Laurence starts at Leighton House in London, the opulent studio-home of the painter Frederic Lord Leighton, which was open for the public to admire and emulate. Rossetti, Whistler and Wilde also had houses which became hugely fashionable for their muted colour, their harmonious furnishings and their refined collection of art and objects, many from Japan and the Middle East.

Laurence traces the style to the very heart of middle class suburbia where all things 'artistic' became an obsession.

And we hear how much we owe to that movement today - how our glassy home magazines are descendants of the Victorian 'home hints', how the tiles and wallpapers we choose, the idea of lifestyle' and of 'good taste' can be attributed to what happened during the 1870s.

Prodcuer: Susan Marling
A Just Radio production for BBC Radio 4.

MON 07:00 Elephants to Catch Eels (b00v2pbf)
Series 2, Awards

18th century smuggler Tamsyn Trelawny wants to win "Peasants Personality of The Year". Stars Sheridan Smith. From April 2004.

MON 07:30 I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue (b07jyrdj)
Series 65, Episode 3

The nation's favourite wireless entertainment pays a visit to Glasgow's Pavilion Theatre. Old-timers Barry Cryer and Tony Hawks are joined on the panel by locals Susan Calman and Fred Macaulay with Jack Dee in the chair. Colin Sell provides piano accompaniment.

Producer - Jon Naismith.

It is a BBC Studios production.

MON 08:00 Parsley Sidings (b007jp4z)
Series 2, The Entente Cordiale

Cross-channel harmony hits the buffers, when the station is twinned with one in France.

Starring Arthur Lowe as Horace, Kenneth Connor as Valentine /Bradshaw/Head of French Rail, Liz Fraser as Gloria, Ian Lavender as Bert and Roger Delgado as Dupont.

Jim Eldridge's eponymous series is set in a sleepy railway station. The Hepplewhites have run 'Parsley Sidings' station for generations and the current Station Master, Horace, hopes that his son Bert will continue the line. Mild-mannered Ticket Clerk Bert wants to work anywhere but on the railways. His colleague, Station Announcer Gloria Simpkins, secretly loves him. Porter Percy Valentine is an archetypal wheeler-dealer and the ancient Signalman, Bradshaw, causes havoc and dispenses home-made remedies in equal measure. The 'Parsley Sidings' nemesis is Phineas Perkins, the station master of Potwhistle Halt, one stop down the line.

Producer: Edward Taylor

First broadcast on BBC Radio 2 in October 1973.

MON 08:30 J Kingston Platt (b01rtzx7)
Ronnie Melcombe and his Surprising Wife

The showbiz veteran relates a startling tale of a wife addicted to shock. Written and read by Peter Jones. From September 1993.

MON 09:00 The Write Stuff (b00v1qkl)
Series 14, PG Wodehouse

More literary challenges will be set as another series of The Write Stuff starts, seeing the return of host, James Walton, along with novelists, John Walsh and Sebastian Faulks as team captains.

Each episode features an "Author of the Week" whose life and work provide a focus for the questions as well as the basis for the pastiches at the end of the show. This series the following writers will be "Authors of the Week":

- Episode 1: P.G. Wodehouse
- Episode 2: Tennessee Williams
- Episode 3: Marcel Proust
- Episode 4: The Beats (Kerouac, Ginsberg, Burroughs)
- Episode 5: Stephenie Meyer (author of the Twilight series)
- Episode 6: Edgar Allan Poe

As ever, the team captains will be joined by guest panellists from the literary world and this series the guests will include best-selling crime writer, Mark Billingham; Horrid Henry author, Francesca Simon; poet, Ian McMillan; children's author, Sue Limb and journalist and broadcaster, Francis Wheen.

The guest panellists for Episode 1 will be Francis Wheen and Ian McMillan and the show will finish, as ever, with each panellist reading out a pastiche of the "Author of the Week"'s work - this week they imagine how Wodehouse might have tackled historical fiction.

MON 09:30 King Street Junior (b007jnc6)
Series 7, Taking the Rap

School trouble is brewing over a pupil playing truant and a strict disciplinarian on the staff. With Dilys Laye. From May 1992.

MON 10:00 Charles Dickens (b007jzxk)
The Mystery of Edwin Drood, Orphans

The arrival in Cloisterham of Neville and Helena Landless , twins from Ceylon, sets in motion a chain of events which leads to murder....

Charles Dickens's unfinished book completed by Leon Garfield and dramatised for radio in 5-parts by David Buck.

Starring Ian Holm as John Jasper, Mark Payton as Edwin Drood, Gareth Thomas as the Reverend Crisparkle, Simon Treves as Neville, Helena Breck as Helena, Susan Sheridan as Deputy and Mary Wimbush as Princess Puffer.

Pianist: Nicholas Kok

Director: Gordon House

A BBC Radio 4/BBC World Service co-production first broadcast in 1990.

MON 11:00 Patrick O'Brian - Little Death (b04t7kjc)
Haunted by World War Two and vowing not to kill again, an ex-fighter pilot is invited to shoot pigeons. Read by Liam O'Callaghan.

MON 11:15 Afternoon Drama (b013852k)
Rightfully Mine

Ella Hickson is one of the brightest young stars of the British new writing scene. She is currently Pearson playwright in residence at the Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith. Of Ella's second stage play 'Precious Little Talent' the Sunday Times commented:

'Of the young female playwrights sparkling in the West End, Ella Hickson shines the brightest... this fresh, ardent play suggests that it's writer, Ella Hickson, has a wide-open future'.

In 'Rightfully Mine', Ella Hickson explores the relationship between a mother and a daughter and asks what rights raising a child gives you - do the things you do for your children really come for free?

'I suddenly wonder whether the best thing you can ever do for your child is not to sacrifice anything for them, to live, almost in spite of them - that way you'll never hold it against them - you'll never feel that they owe you anything...'

Twenty six year old Amy is desperate to have her own child, but a teenage illness and subsequent operation has made it impossible for her to bear her own. Her last resort is to ask her fifty year-old mother, Celia, to act as surrogate. A favour which Celia gives freely, and Amy is afraid to receive.

Celia: Kath Howden
Amy: Shauna MacDonald
Paul: John Paul Hurley

Written by Ella Hickson
Directed by Lu Kemp.

MON 12:00 Parsley Sidings (b007jp4z)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]

MON 12:30 J Kingston Platt (b01rtzx7)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]

MON 13:00 Dick Barton - Special Agent: The Cabatolin Diamonds (b03790m8)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]

MON 13:15 Edgar Wallace - White Face (b012r6vn)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:15 today]

MON 13:30 House Beautiful (b00zm1l1)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]

MON 14:00 Book at Bedtime (b01k9qrm)
Michael Palin - The Truth, Episode 1

Written by Michael Palin.

Keith Mabbut has completed his book on the Sullom Voe oil terminal but feels decidedly unfulfilled. Returning home to London he is determined to embark on a novel.

Keith is at a crossroads in his life. When he is offered the opportunity of a lifetime - to write the biography of the elusive Hamish Melville, a highly influential activist and humanitarian - he seizes the chance to write something meaningful.

His search to find out the real story behind the legend takes him to the lush landscapes and environmental hotspots of India. The more he discovers about Melville, the more he admires him - and the more he connects with an idealist who wanted to make a difference.

But is his quarry genuinely who he claims to be? Is he really a Gandhi-like leader of the people, a political mover and shaker, an enigma? These are the question Keith must ask himself. But as he soon discovers, the truth can be whatever we make it.

Read by Alex Jennings

Abridged by Libby Spurrier

Producer: Joanna Green
A Pier Production for BBC Radio 4.

MON 14:15 The Invention of Childhood (b00snq94)
The Kiddy and the Pork Chop

Michael Morpurgo looks at the impact of economic improvements on children in the second half of the 20th century.

MON 14:30 15 Minute Drama (b012wdjr)
Ernest Hemingway - A Farewell to Arms, Episode 1

Ernest Hemingway's novel, dramatised by Stephen Keyworth.
1/10 Frederic Henry, an American ambulance driver for the Italian army, plays courtship games with Catherine Barkley, a British nurse.

Cast
Frederic ..... Patrick Kennedy
Catherine ..... Morven Christie
Rinaldi ..... Carl Prekopp
Ferguson ..... Alex Tregear
Manera ..... Jonathan Forbes

Directed by Jessica Dromgoole

As part of the BBC Year of the Book, Radio Four presents Ernest Hemingway's greatest love story set in the Italian conflict in the First World War, where American ambulance driver Frederic Henry and British nurse Catherine Barkley are serving. Despite themselves, they find life and passion beneath the numbness of war and death.
A dramatisation by Steven Keyworth, with Patrick Kennedy (Atonement, War Horse) as Frederic, and Morven Christie (Lost in Austen, The Sinking of the Laconia) as Catherine.

MON 14:45 Book of the Week (b014f9pz)
Tim Jeal - Explorers of the Nile, Episode 1

Nothing obsessed explorers of the mid-nineteenth century more than the quest to discover the source of the White Nile. It was the planet's most elusive secret, the prize coveted above all others. Between 1856 and 1876, six larger-than-life men and one extraordinary woman accepted the challenge. Showing extreme courage and resilience, Richard Burton, John Hanning Speke, James Augustus Grant, Samuel Baker, Florence von Sass, David Livingstone, and Henry Morton Stanley risked their lives and reputations in the fierce competition.

Award-winning author Tim Jeal deploys fascinating new research to provide a vivid tableau of the unmapped 'Dark Continent', its jungle deprivations, and the courage as well as malicious tactics of the explorers. On multiple forays launched into east and central Africa, the travellers passed through almost impenetrable terrain and suffered the ravages of flesh-eating ulcers, paralysis, malaria, deep spear wounds, and even death. They discovered Lakes Tanganyika and Victoria and became the first white people to encounter the kingdoms of Buganda and Bunyoro.

Jeal weaves the story with authentic new detail and examines the tragic unintended legacy of the Nile search that still casts a long shadow over the people of Uganda and Sudan.

Tim Jeal is the author of acclaimed biographies of Livingstone, Baden-Powell, and Stanley, each selected as a Notable Book of the Year by the New York Times and the Washington Post. He lives in London.

Reader: Alex Jennings
Abridger: Libby Spurrier

Producer: Joanna Green
A Pier production for BBC Radio 4.

MON 15:00 Charles Dickens (b007jzxk)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 today]

MON 16:00 The Write Stuff (b00v1qkl)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]

MON 16:30 King Street Junior (b007jnc6)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 today]

MON 17:00 Elephants to Catch Eels (b00v2pbf)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]

MON 17:30 I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue (b07jyrdj)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]

MON 18:00 15 Minute Drama (b03vd7cs)
Ed Harris - The Interplanetary Notes of Ambassador B, Episode 1

Ambassador B should be inspecting minor planets of far-away suns for the peaceful Interplanetary Commonwealth. Instead, her recorded reports reveal that she is veering off-course, pursuing a vendetta and bringing anything but peace.

Mind-bending, interstellar fun and adventure from Sony Gold-winning writer Ed Harris.

1/5 Ambassador B inspects a planet which encourages free speech. But where no one has a word to say about her predecessor, Ambassador A.

Produced and Directed by Jonquil Panting.

MON 18:15 Bryan Appleyard - The First Church of the New Millennium (b007jqp7)
Episode 6

Architect Stephen Rix brings back evidence that his cathedral vision really does exist. Read by David Horovitch.

MON 18:30 A Good Read (b00767sz)
Dolly Dhingra & Tony Wheeler

Matthew Parris and his guests, journalist Dolly Dhingra and founder of the Lonely Planet guides Tony Wheeler, discuss books by Amitav Ghosh, Vikram Seth, Douglas Adams and Mark Carwardine. From 2002.

The Glass Palace by Amitav Ghosh
Publisher: Harper Collins

Last Chance to See by Douglas Adams and Mark Carwardine
Publisher: Pan

The Golden Gate by Vikram Seth
Publisher: Faber.

MON 19:00 Parsley Sidings (b007jp4z)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]

MON 19:30 J Kingston Platt (b01rtzx7)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]

MON 20:00 Dick Barton - Special Agent: The Cabatolin Diamonds (b03790m8)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]

MON 20:15 Edgar Wallace - White Face (b012r6vn)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:15 today]

MON 20:30 House Beautiful (b00zm1l1)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]

MON 21:00 Patrick O'Brian - Little Death (b04t7kjc)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:00 today]

MON 21:15 Afternoon Drama (b013852k)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:15 today]

MON 22:00 I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue (b07jyrdj)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]

MON 22:30 That Mitchell and Webb Sound (b00m6bhh)
Series 4, Episode 1

How to talk to an emperor and inventing Saturday night TV shows. Stars David Mitchell and Robert Webb. From August 2009.

MON 22:55 The Comedy Club Interviews (b07lscfx)
The best in contemporary comedy. Thom Tuck talks to Danish comedian Sofie Hagen.

MON 23:00 Dead Ringers (b07k0k56)
Series 16, Episode 5

It's a momentous week for Theresa May as she makes her first appearance on Dead Ringers as Prime Minister.

Ministers sacked, the Labour party in meltdown, Brexit fears remain unabated this is a fabulous time for Laura Kuenssberg, Andrew Neil, Robert Peston, Jon Snow, Andrew Marr, Kirsty Wark , Hugh Edwards, all feeding off the trough of political failure.

Starring: Jon Culshaw, Jan Ravens and Lewis Macleod.

Written by: Nev Fountain & Tom Jamieson, Laurence Howarth, Ed Amsden & Tom Coles, James Bugg, Laura Major, Sarah Campbell, Max Davies, Jack Bernhardt, Liam Beirne, Alex Harvey and Sara Gibbs.

Produced and created by Bill Dare.
BBC Studios Production.

MON 23:30 Elvenquest (b01r0gjg)
Series 4, The Underworld

The Questers are forced into the Underworld where they must find Penthiselea's mum to ask her an all important question that could finally lead them to the Sword of Asnagar.

Meanwhile, Lord Darkness faces a testing time too, when he tries to raise an army of the dead.

Starring:
Darren Boyd as Vidar
Louise Delamere as Penthiselea's mother
Kevin Eldon as Dean/Kreech
Dave Lamb as Amis/The Gatekeeper
Stephen Mangan as Sam
Alistair McGowan as Lord Darkness
and
Ingrid Oliver as Penthiselea

Written by Anil Gupta and Richard Pinto.

Producer: Sam Michell.

TUESDAY 19 JULY 2016

TUE 00:00 15 Minute Drama (b03vd7cs)
[Repeat of broadcast at 18:00 on Monday]

TUE 00:15 Bryan Appleyard - The First Church of the New Millennium (b007jqp7)
[Repeat of broadcast at 18:15 on Monday]

TUE 00:30 A Good Read (b00767sz)
[Repeat of broadcast at 18:30 on Monday]

TUE 01:00 Dick Barton - Special Agent: The Cabatolin Diamonds (b03790m8)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 on Monday]

TUE 01:15 Edgar Wallace - White Face (b012r6vn)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:15 on Monday]

TUE 01:30 House Beautiful (b00zm1l1)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 on Monday]

TUE 02:00 Book at Bedtime (b01k9qrm)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:00 on Monday]

TUE 02:15 The Invention of Childhood (b00snq94)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:15 on Monday]

TUE 02:30 15 Minute Drama (b012wdjr)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:30 on Monday]

TUE 02:45 Book of the Week (b014f9pz)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:45 on Monday]

TUE 03:00 Charles Dickens (b007jzxk)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 on Monday]

TUE 04:00 The Write Stuff (b00v1qkl)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 on Monday]

TUE 04:30 King Street Junior (b007jnc6)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 on Monday]

TUE 05:00 Elephants to Catch Eels (b00v2pbf)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 on Monday]

TUE 05:30 I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue (b07jyrdj)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 on Monday]

TUE 06:00 Dick Barton - Special Agent: The Cabatolin Diamonds (b03799x2)
Episode 7

After a tip-off courtesy of a cat, Dick and Freddie find themselves confronting knife-wielding apes.

The stirring 'Devil's Galop' heralds the arrival of Douglas Kelly as 'Dick Barton - Special Agent' in another thrilling tale of criminal masterminds, espionage and daring adventure.

Originally starring Noel Johnson, Duncan Carse and Gordon Davies, Dick Barton ran on the BBC Light Programme between 1946 and 1951, but sadly, very few original recordings survive.

With the original lost, this is a very authentic sounding re-recording of 'The Cabatolin Diamonds' using the original scripts and music, which was made for international distribution. Happily the audio was rediscovered in 2009, lurking in the vaults of the National Film and Sound Archive in Canberra, Australia.

Script by Geoffrey Webb.

Producer: Morris West

First broadcast in Australia in April 1949.

TUE 06:15 Edgar Wallace - White Face (b012r9tz)
Episode 7

As more emerges about Bateman's presence in England, crime reporter Quigley gets a lead from a crazy man. Read by Danny Webb.

TUE 06:30 Edward the Black Prince (b00ss2cn)
Episode 1

Edward of Woodstock, Prince of Wales, was known as the Black Prince. Peter and Dan Snow follow in his footsteps to trace the start of the 100 Years' War between England and France, and to find out more about this great figure in 14th century chivalry.

Starting at his tomb in Canterbury they follow his footsteps to Normandy, where he was knighted at 16 and took part in the siege of Caen and the Battle of Crecy. In this great English victory, he commanded the English army, while his father Edward III looked on.

With the help of medieval historians Mark Ormrod and Craig Taylor, and the words of the chroniclers, Peter and Dan discover fascinating details about life in the middle ages at times of war, and about the early life of this great military commander.

Producer: Alyn Shipton
A Unique Production for BBC Radio 4.

TUE 07:00 Spangles 'n' Tights (b04nv8v5)
The Ambassador

The Dublin theatrical costumiers have to create a special cloak for Sir Walter Raleigh. With Sylvia Syms. From October 1998.

TUE 07:30 The Missing Hancocks (b04ly3xv)
The Matador

Between 1954 and 1959, BBC Radio recorded 102 episodes of Ray Galton and Alan Simpson's comedy classic Hancock's Half Hour. The first modern sitcom, it made stars of Tony Hancock, Sid James and Kenneth Williams, and launched Galton and Simpson on one of the most successful comedy-writing partnerships in history. But 20 episodes of the show are missing from the BBC archives, and have not been heard since their original transmission nearly sixty years ago. Now, five of those episodes have been lovingly re-recorded in front of a live audience at the BBC Radio Theatre, featuring a stellar cast led by Kevin McNally as The Lad Himself.

Tonight's episode: The Matador. Tony uses Sid's travel agency to book a holiday in Spain, little knowing that Sid also runs a bullfighting business....

Written by Ray Galton and Alan Simpson, and with the classic score newly recorded by the BBC Concert Orchestra, the show stars Kevin McNally, Kevin Eldon, Simon Greenall, Robin Sebastian and Susy Kane. The Matador was last broadcast in October 1955.

Produced by Ed Morrish and Neil Pearson.

TUE 08:00 Steptoe and Son (b00rq30b)
Series 1, The Stepmother

Harold's not too happy to meet dad Albert's new girlfriend.

Starring Wilfrid Brambell as Albert, Harry H Corbett as Harold and Joan Lovell as Emma.

Following the conclusion of their hugely successful association with Tony Hancock, writers Ray Galton and Alan Simpson wrote 10 pilots for the BBC TV's Comedy Playhouse in 1962. The Offer was set in a house with a yard full of junk, featuring the lives of rag and bone men Albert Steptoe and his son Harold and it was the spark for a run of 8 series for TV.

Adapted for radio from Galton and Simpson's TV script by Gale Pedrick.

Produced by Bobby Jaye

First broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in July 1966.

TUE 08:30 The Men From the Ministry (b017071h)
Wool Over Their Eyes

The bungling bureaucrats get sheepish over their latest muddle. Stars Deryck Guyler and Richard Murdoch. From June 1975.

TUE 09:00 Dead Ringers (b07k0k56)
[Repeat of broadcast at 23:00 on Monday]

TUE 09:30 King of Bath (b0482wzg)
Suffer Little Children

Ambrose needs Uncle Beau's support when he steals some orphans to start a school. Stars David Bamber. From March 1999.

TUE 10:00 Charles Dickens (b007jzyx)
The Mystery of Edwin Drood, A Disappearance

Edwin and Neville attend a dinner hosted by Edwin's guardian Jasper, a meeting destined to be their last. Stars Mark Payton.

TUE 11:00 Patrick O'Brian - The Stag at Bay (b04t922f)
He is writing an article on marriage. She has retreated to her mother's. And the horned beast? Read by Sean Barrett.

TUE 11:15 Tove Jansson - The Summer Book (b007jw2l)
Sophia recalls the holidays spent with her grandmother on an island in the Gulf of Finland. Stars Phyllida Law and Sophie Thompson.

TUE 12:00 Steptoe and Son (b00rq30b)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]

TUE 12:30 The Men From the Ministry (b017071h)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]

TUE 13:00 Dick Barton - Special Agent: The Cabatolin Diamonds (b03799x2)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]

TUE 13:15 Edgar Wallace - White Face (b012r9tz)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:15 today]

TUE 13:30 Edward the Black Prince (b00ss2cn)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]

TUE 14:00 Book at Bedtime (b01kcyz3)
Michael Palin - The Truth, Episode 2

Written by Michael Palin.

Keith Mabbut's ex-wife asks him to meet her new man, his daughter Jay falls in love with an Iranian refugee and Keith's agent Silla telephones with a mysterious offer of work.

Keith Mabbut is at a crossroads in his life. When he is offered the opportunity of a lifetime - to write the biography of the elusive Hamish Melville, a highly influential activist and humanitarian - he seizes the chance to write something meaningful.

His search to find out the real story behind the legend takes Mabbut to the lush landscapes and environmental hotspots of India. The more he discovers about Melville, the more he admires him - and the more he connects with an idealist who wanted to make a difference. But is his quarry genuinely who he claims to be? Is he really a Gandhi-like leader of the people, a political mover and shaker, an enigma? These are the question Keith must ask himself. But as he soon discovers, the truth can be whatever we make it.

Read by Alex Jennings

Abridged by Libby Spurrier

Producer: Joanna Green
A Pier Production for BBC Radio 4.

TUE 14:15 The Invention of Childhood (b00sny0z)
A Prison or a Garden

Michael Morpurgo presents the story of the fight for children's rights in the second half of the 20th century.

TUE 14:30 15 Minute Drama (b012wg2n)
Ernest Hemingway - A Farewell to Arms, Episode 2

Ernest Hemingway's novel, dramatised by Steven Keyworth.
2/10 Frederic is injured while seeing to the suppers of his fellow ambulance drivers

Cast

Frederic ..... Patrick Kennedy
Rinaldi ..... Carl Prekopp
Manera ..... Jonathan Forbes
Gavuzzi ..... James Lailey
Passini ..... Daniel Rabin
Driver ..... Simon Bubb

Directed by Jessica Dromgoole.

TUE 14:45 Book of the Week (b014m7t5)
Tim Jeal - Explorers of the Nile, Episode 2

Burton and Speke are searching for the source of the Nile. But with Burton too ill to travel, Speke goes it alone

Nothing obsessed explorers of the mid-nineteenth century more than the quest to discover the source of the White Nile. It was the planet's most elusive secret, the prize coveted above all others. Between 1856 and 1876, six larger-than-life men and one extraordinary woman accepted the challenge. Showing extreme courage and resilience, Richard Burton, John Hanning Speke, James Augustus Grant, Samuel Baker, Florence von Sass, David Livingstone, and Henry Morton Stanley risked their lives and reputations in the fierce competition.

Award-winning author Tim Jeal deploys fascinating new research to provide a vivid tableau of the unmapped 'Dark Continent', its jungle deprivations, and the courage as well as malicious tactics of the explorers.

Jeal weaves the story with authentic new detail and examines the tragic unintended legacy of the Nile search that still casts a long shadow over the people of Uganda and Sudan.

Tim Jeal is the author of acclaimed biographies of Livingstone, Baden-Powell, and Stanley, each selected as a Notable Book of the Year by the New York Times and the Washington Post. He lives in London.

Reader: Alex Jennings
Abridger: Libby Spurrier

Producer: Joanna Green
A Pier production for BBC Radio 4.

TUE 15:00 Charles Dickens (b007jzyx)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 today]

TUE 16:00 Counterpoint (b00fnm9y)
2005, Final

Ned Sherrin hosts the final with Brian Clements of Chelmsford, Lincoln's John Taylor and Christopher Moore-Bridger of Oswestry.

TUE 16:30 King of Bath (b0482wzg)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 today]

TUE 17:00 Spangles 'n' Tights (b04nv8v5)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]

TUE 17:30 The Missing Hancocks (b04ly3xv)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]

TUE 18:00 15 Minute Drama (b03vgd9l)
Ed Harris - The Interplanetary Notes of Ambassador B, Episode 2

Ambassador B should be inspecting minor planets of far-away suns for the peaceful Interplanetary Commonwealth. Instead, her recorded reports reveal that she is veering off-course, pursuing a vendetta and bringing anything but peace.

Mind-bending, interstellar fun and adventure from Sony Gold-winning writer Ed Harris.

2/5 Pursuing her missing sister into the uncharted planets of the Tundra, Ambassador B finds a world of constant war.

Produced and Directed by Jonquil Panting.

TUE 18:15 Bryan Appleyard - The First Church of the New Millennium (b007jqpm)
Episode 7

Architect Stephen Rix must face the doubts of his family and others about his plan to build a cathedral. Read by David Horovitch.

TUE 18:30 The Tingle Factor (b07l69t1)
Bryan Forbes

Film director, actor, screenwriter and novelist Bryan Forbes talks to Robin Ray about the music that moves him.

Recalling his life and career highlights, Bryan's selection includes the work of Puccini, John Barry and Elton John.

Producer: Emma Kingsley

Bryan Forbes CBE was born: 1926 and died 2013.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1991.

TUE 19:00 Steptoe and Son (b00rq30b)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]

TUE 19:30 The Men From the Ministry (b017071h)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]

TUE 20:00 Dick Barton - Special Agent: The Cabatolin Diamonds (b03799x2)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]

TUE 20:15 Edgar Wallace - White Face (b012r9tz)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:15 today]

TUE 20:30 Edward the Black Prince (b00ss2cn)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]

TUE 21:00 Patrick O'Brian - The Stag at Bay (b04t922f)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:00 today]

TUE 21:15 Tove Jansson - The Summer Book (b007jw2l)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:15 today]

TUE 22:00 The Missing Hancocks (b04ly3xv)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]

TUE 22:25 The Comedy Club Interviews (b07lscnj)
The best in contemporary comedy. Thom Tuck talks again to Danish comedian Sofie Hagen.

TUE 22:30 The Maltby Collection (b00cnclw)
Series 1, Episode 1

The new deputy museum curator gets a shock. Reginald Perrin writer David Nobbs's sitcom with Julian Rhind-Tutt. From June 2007.

TUE 23:00 Mark Watson's Live Address to the Nation (b0174hvv)
Intelligence

Mark Watson continues his quest to improve the world, nimbly assisted by Tim Key and Tom Basden.

As broadcast live in November 2011 - Mark invites the audience join in via tweets and messages to work out how we can all make the world a better place.

Mark asks the big questions that are crucial to our understanding of ourselves and society - in a dynamic and thought provoking new format he opens the floor to the live audience and asks them to jump into the conversation via tweets and messages to work out how we can all make the world a better place.

This week Mark looks at "Intelligence" - A certain amount of intelligence is pretty useful. Without the ability to reflect and calculate, we would all be setting fire to our shoes and buying those novels about women who shop and have relationship issues. Yet intelligence has been something of a curse to many. Galileo was tortured for knowing more about science than the church leaders, and Paxman sighs an awful lot when he's hosting University Challenge.

We all know the phrase 'a little learning is a dangerous thing, but then so is a lot of learning, but then again you wouldn't want none at all. So... oh dear, we're basically ruined. We'd better knock down all our schools and universities.' Are we sometimes too smart for our own good?

Mark Watson is a multi-award winning comedian, including the inaugural If.Comedy Panel Prize 2006. He is assisted by Tim Key, winner of Edinburgh Comedy Awards 2009 and Tom Basden who won the the If.Comedy Award for Best Newcomer 2007.

Produced by Lianne Coop.

First broadcast live on BBC Radio 4 in November 2011.

TUE 23:30 Danny Robins Music Therapy (b00ft476)
Episode 4

Danny Robins harnesses the power of music to improve the world and solve listeners' problems.

Danny campaigns for bagpipes to be celebrated rather than reviled and tries his hand at writing a 'Winterval' No 1 hit single. With Isy Suttie and special musical guest rapper Doc Brown.

WEDNESDAY 20 JULY 2016

WED 00:00 15 Minute Drama (b03vgd9l)
[Repeat of broadcast at 18:00 on Tuesday]

WED 00:15 Bryan Appleyard - The First Church of the New Millennium (b007jqpm)
[Repeat of broadcast at 18:15 on Tuesday]

WED 00:30 The Tingle Factor (b07l69t1)
[Repeat of broadcast at 18:30 on Tuesday]

WED 01:00 Dick Barton - Special Agent: The Cabatolin Diamonds (b03799x2)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 on Tuesday]

WED 01:15 Edgar Wallace - White Face (b012r9tz)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:15 on Tuesday]

WED 01:30 Edward the Black Prince (b00ss2cn)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 on Tuesday]

WED 02:00 Book at Bedtime (b01kcyz3)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:00 on Tuesday]

WED 02:15 The Invention of Childhood (b00sny0z)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:15 on Tuesday]

WED 02:30 15 Minute Drama (b012wg2n)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:30 on Tuesday]

WED 02:45 Book of the Week (b014m7t5)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:45 on Tuesday]

WED 03:00 Charles Dickens (b007jzyx)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 on Tuesday]

WED 04:00 Counterpoint (b00fnm9y)
[Repeat of broadcast at 16:00 on Tuesday]

WED 04:30 King of Bath (b0482wzg)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 on Tuesday]

WED 05:00 Spangles 'n' Tights (b04nv8v5)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 on Tuesday]

WED 05:30 The Missing Hancocks (b04ly3xv)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 on Tuesday]

WED 06:00 Dick Barton - Special Agent: The Cabatolin Diamonds (b0379lbh)
Episode 8

Dick and Freddie strike lucky when they discover the smugglers' secret stash. But their luck doesn't last.

The stirring 'Devil's Galop' heralds the arrival of Douglas Kelly as 'Dick Barton - Special Agent' in another thrilling tale of criminal masterminds, espionage and daring adventure.

Originally starring Noel Johnson, Duncan Carse and Gordon Davies, Dick Barton ran on the BBC Light Programme between 1946 and 1951, but sadly, very few original recordings survive.

With the original lost, this is a very authentic sounding re-recording of 'The Cabatolin Diamonds' using the original scripts and music, which was made for international distribution. Happily the audio was rediscovered in 2009, lurking in the vaults of the National Film and Sound Archive in Canberra, Australia.

Script by Geoffrey Webb.

Producer: Morris West

First broadcast in Australia in April 1949.

WED 06:15 Edgar Wallace - White Face (b012rdgm)
Episode 8

With White Face on the run, Mason tries to get through to Lorna. But what is wrong with Gregory Wicks? Read by Danny Webb.

WED 06:30 Edward the Black Prince (b00sv5pd)
Episode 2

Edward of Woodstock, Prince of Wales, was known as the Black Prince. Peter and Dan Snow follow his career from the time of his first great victory at Crecy to his triumphal years as ruler of all the English possessions in France.

From historians and chroniclers, they hear about the ravages of the Black Death and how Edward then re-established his military supremacy in France with armed raids known as "chevauchees", and a second decisive victory at Poitiers, where he took the French king prisoner.

Edward went on to further military success, but illness and poor decisions cost him much of the territory he had won. Finally he predeceased his father Edward III, having never consolidated his position as the greatest soldier of the age to become King of England himself.

Producer: Alyn Shipton
A Unique Production for BBC Radio 4.

WED 07:00 Robin and Wendy's Wet Weekends (b007jrz3)
Series 1, A Fete Worse than Death

The duo's plan for a model village son et lumiere display goes awry. Stars Simon Greenall and Kay Stonham. From January 2002.

WED 07:30 I've Never Seen Star Wars (b04xp4wx)
Series 6, Rebecca Front

Marcus Brigstocke persuades his guests to try new experiences: things they really ought to have done by now. Some experiences are loved, some are loathed, in this show all about embracing the new.

This week, Rebecca Front, a self-confessed scaredy cat, is persuaded to take her first ride on a motorbike and read her first book about science. But how much of it did she understand?

WED 08:00 The Navy Lark (b014tpqj)
Let Loose with a Chopper

Ordered on to a Nato exercise, the crew of HMS Troutbridge find themselves up in the air.

Stars Leslie Phillips as the Sub-Lieutenant, Jon Pertwee as the Chief Petty Officer, Stephen Murray as the Number One, Richard Caldicot as Captain Povey, Heather Chasen as Heather, Ronnie Barker as Lieutenant Parfitt, Michael Bates as Lieutenant Dingle and Tenniel Evans as the Admiral.

Laughs afloat aboard British Royal Navy frigate HMS Troutbridge. The Navy Lark ran for an impressive thirteen series between 1959 and 1976.

Scripted by Lawrie Wyman

Producer: Alastair Scott Johnston.

First broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in August 1965.

WED 08:30 Hancock's Half Hour (b007jyyw)
Cinderella Hancock

Bill bans the lad from the National Film Ball, but then there's a knock at the door.

Starring Tony Hancock. With Moira Lister, Bill Kerr, Sidney James, Dora Bryan, Paul Carpenter and Kenneth Williams.

Written by Ray Galton and Alan Simpson.

Theme and incidental music composed by Wally Stott. Recorded by the BBC Revue Orchestra conducted by Harry Rabinowitz.

Producer: Dennis Main Wilson

First broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in January 1955.

WED 09:00 Dilemma (b017lfd5)
Series 1, Episode 3

Sue Perkins puts four guests through the moral and ethical wringer in this show show in which there are no "right" answers - but there are some deeply damning ones.

This edition features comedians Shappi Khorsandi and Simon Munnery, broadcaster Fi Glover, and journalist Hugo Rifkind. They attempt to justify the murder of a pet and the theft of a girlfriend. The show was devised by award-winning stand-up and writer Danielle Ward (The News Quiz, Newswipe, Mock The Week).

Producer: Ed Morrish.

WED 09:30 Rent (b04g484m)
Series 1, Episode 6

Richard and Paul are entering a half-marathon, but Maria and Ruby are off down the pub. Stars Patrick Barlow. From June 1993.

WED 10:00 Charles Dickens (b007k006)
The Mystery of Edwin Drood, An Arrival

Jasper is convinced his nephew Edwin has been murdered by Neville Landless. But a stranger seems to disagree. Stars Ian Holm.

WED 11:00 Stan Barstow - One Wednesday Afternoon (b07l6fp2)
4 Extra Debut. A man's existence is shaken to the core when his wife suffers a nasty accident in her workplace. Read by Paul Copley.

WED 11:15 John McGahern - Parachutes (b0075x70)
Dumped by his girlfriend, a man tries to drown his sorrows in the pubs of 1950s Dublin. With Brendan Gleeson and Pauline McLynn.

WED 12:00 The Navy Lark (b014tpqj)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]

WED 12:30 Hancock's Half Hour (b007jyyw)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]

WED 13:00 Dick Barton - Special Agent: The Cabatolin Diamonds (b0379lbh)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]

WED 13:15 Edgar Wallace - White Face (b012rdgm)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:15 today]

WED 13:30 Edward the Black Prince (b00sv5pd)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]

WED 14:00 Book at Bedtime (b01kcztc)
Michael Palin - The Truth, Episode 3

Written by Michael Palin.

Publisher Ron Latham has offered Mabbut a very handsome fee to write the true story of the elusive humanitarian and activist Hamish Melville. But Keith is wary. The offer just seems too good to be true.

Keith Mabbut is at a crossroads in his life. When he is offered the opportunity of a lifetime - to write the biography of the elusive Hamish Melville, a highly influential activist and humanitarian - he seizes the chance to write something meaningful.

His search to find out the real story behind the legend takes Mabbut to the lush landscapes and environmental hotspots of India. The more he discovers about Melville, the more he admires him - and the more he connects with an idealist who wanted to make a difference. But is his quarry genuinely who he claims to be? Is he really a Gandhi-like leader of the people, a political mover and shaker, an enigma? These are the question Keith must ask himself. But as he soon discovers, the truth can be whatever we make it.

Read by Alex Jennings

Abridged by Libby Spurrier

Producer: Joanna Green
A Pier Production for BBC Radio 4.

WED 14:15 The Invention of Childhood (b00sp3dv)
The Disappearance of Childhood

Michael Morpurgo examines how the media and marketing have encroached on the lives of children.

WED 14:30 15 Minute Drama (b012ww6m)
Ernest Hemingway - A Farewell to Arms, Episode 3

Ernest Hemingway's greatest love story, set on the Italian front in the Great War, dramatised by Stephen Keyworth.
3/10 Frederic and Catherine are reunited in a Milan hospital

Cast
Frederic ..... Patrick Kennedy
Catherine ..... Morven Christie
Gage ..... Susie Riddell
Dr Varella ..... Jonathan Forbes
Dr. Valentini ..... James Lailey
House Doctor ..... Carl Prekopp
Porter ..... Daniel Rabin

Directed by Jessica Dromgoole.

WED 14:45 Book of the Week (b014m7ty)
Tim Jeal - Explorers of the Nile, Episode 3

Samuel Baker and his mistress, Florence, leave Gondokoro, in search of Lake Albert

Nothing obsessed explorers of the mid-nineteenth century more than the quest to discover the source of the White Nile. It was the planet's most elusive secret, the prize coveted above all others. Between 1856 and 1876, six larger-than-life men and one extraordinary woman accepted the challenge. Showing extreme courage and resilience, Richard Burton, John Hanning Speke, James Augustus Grant, Samuel Baker, Florence von Sass, David Livingstone, and Henry Morton Stanley risked their lives and reputations in the fierce competition.

Award-winning author Tim Jeal deploys fascinating new research to provide a vivid tableau of the unmapped 'Dark Continent', its jungle deprivations, and the courage as well as malicious tactics of the explorers.

Jeal weaves the story with authentic new detail and examines the tragic unintended legacy of the Nile search that still casts a long shadow over the people of Uganda and Sudan.

Tim Jeal is the author of acclaimed biographies of Livingstone, Baden-Powell, and Stanley, each selected as a Notable Book of the Year by the New York Times and the Washington Post. He lives in London.

Reader: Alex Jennings
Abridger: Libby Spurrier

Producer: Joanna Green
A Pier production for BBC Radio 4.

WED 15:00 Charles Dickens (b007k006)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 today]

WED 16:00 Dilemma (b017lfd5)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]

WED 16:30 Rent (b04g484m)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 today]

WED 17:00 Robin and Wendy's Wet Weekends (b007jrz3)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]

WED 17:30 I've Never Seen Star Wars (b04xp4wx)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]

WED 18:00 15 Minute Drama (b03vgf43)
Ed Harris - The Interplanetary Notes of Ambassador B, Episode 3

Ambassador B should be inspecting minor planets of far-away suns for the peaceful Interplanetary Commonwealth. Instead, her recorded reports reveal that she is veering off-course, pursuing a vendetta and bringing anything but peace.

Mind-bending, interstellar fun and adventure from Sony Gold-winning writer Ed Harris.

3/5 She may have hired a gun-slinging companion, but Ambassador B is about to be disarmed in a way she never dreamed of.

Produced and Directed by Jonquil Panting.

WED 18:15 Bryan Appleyard - The First Church of the New Millennium (b007jqpz)
Episode 8

Can architect Stephen Rix and his developer get planning permission for their cathedral? Read by David Horovitch.

WED 18:30 Off the Page (b00cb5x6)
Nanny Wouldn't Like It

Dominic Arkwright presents a discussion on nannies, with columnist Guy Browning; author of The Victorian Governess, Kathryn Hughes; and Anna Raeburn. Browning considers the nanny as the queen of arrested development, while Hughes volunteers a long list of men who have fallen for the nanny's charms.

WED 19:00 The Navy Lark (b014tpqj)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]

WED 19:30 Hancock's Half Hour (b007jyyw)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]

WED 20:00 Dick Barton - Special Agent: The Cabatolin Diamonds (b0379lbh)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]

WED 20:15 Edgar Wallace - White Face (b012rdgm)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:15 today]

WED 20:30 Edward the Black Prince (b00sv5pd)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]

WED 21:00 Stan Barstow - One Wednesday Afternoon (b07l6fp2)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:00 today]

WED 21:15 John McGahern - Parachutes (b0075x70)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:15 today]

WED 22:00 I've Never Seen Star Wars (b04xp4wx)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]

WED 22:30 The Castle (b01hllj1)
Series 4, Tender Is the Knight

Hie ye to The Castle, a rollicking sitcom set way back then, starring James Fleet ("The Vicar Of Dibley"), Neil Dudgeon ("Life Of Riley"), Martha Howe-Douglas ("Horrible Histories") & Ingrid Oliver

Sir John fills his castle with wounded soldiers and De Warenne fills his trousers with ice. Plus a new valet arrives hotfoot from somewhere called Downton Abbey...

Written by Kim Fuller & Paul Alexander
Music by Guy Jackson

Produced and directed by David Tyler
A Pozzitive production for BBC Radio 4.

WED 23:00 The Mel and Sue Thing (b0076b72)
Episode 6

There is a shocking loss on Leather Island, and Fanny gets a break. Sketches with duo Giedroyc and Perkins. From October 2002.

WED 23:30 The Museum of Everything (b00h3h6c)
Series 3, The Thing

Learn about medieval cooking, and view the most precious exhibit. Stars Marcus Brigstocke and Danny Robins. From August 2006.

THURSDAY 21 JULY 2016

THU 00:00 15 Minute Drama (b03vgf43)
[Repeat of broadcast at 18:00 on Wednesday]

THU 00:15 Bryan Appleyard - The First Church of the New Millennium (b007jqpz)
[Repeat of broadcast at 18:15 on Wednesday]

THU 00:30 Off the Page (b00cb5x6)
[Repeat of broadcast at 18:30 on Wednesday]

THU 01:00 Dick Barton - Special Agent: The Cabatolin Diamonds (b0379lbh)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 on Wednesday]

THU 01:15 Edgar Wallace - White Face (b012rdgm)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:15 on Wednesday]

THU 01:30 Edward the Black Prince (b00sv5pd)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 on Wednesday]

THU 02:00 Book at Bedtime (b01kcztc)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:00 on Wednesday]

THU 02:15 The Invention of Childhood (b00sp3dv)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:15 on Wednesday]

THU 02:30 15 Minute Drama (b012ww6m)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:30 on Wednesday]

THU 02:45 Book of the Week (b014m7ty)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:45 on Wednesday]

THU 03:00 Charles Dickens (b007k006)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 on Wednesday]

THU 04:00 Dilemma (b017lfd5)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 on Wednesday]

THU 04:30 Rent (b04g484m)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 on Wednesday]

THU 05:00 Robin and Wendy's Wet Weekends (b007jrz3)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 on Wednesday]

THU 05:30 I've Never Seen Star Wars (b04xp4wx)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 on Wednesday]

THU 06:00 Dick Barton - Special Agent: The Cabatolin Diamonds (b037bbfq)
Episode 9

Dick and Freddie are recovering, but that doesn't stop their dogged pursuit of their female adversary.

The stirring 'Devil's Galop' heralds the arrival of Douglas Kelly as 'Dick Barton - Special Agent' in another thrilling tale of criminal masterminds, espionage and daring adventure.

Originally starring Noel Johnson, Duncan Carse and Gordon Davies, Dick Barton ran on the BBC Light Programme between 1946 and 1951, but sadly, very few original recordings survive.

With the original lost, this is a very authentic sounding re-recording of 'The Cabatolin Diamonds' using the original scripts and music, which was made for international distribution. Happily the audio was rediscovered in 2009, lurking in the vaults of the National Film and Sound Archive in Canberra, Australia.

Script by Geoffrey Webb.

Producer: Morris West

First broadcast in Australia in April 1949.

THU 06:15 Edgar Wallace - White Face (b012rxzy)
Episode 9

As the law finally catches up with the mysterious master criminal, his shocking true identity is revealed. Read by Danny Webb.

THU 06:30 Sylvie Simmons: The Rock Chick (b010dd43)
Sylvie Simmons left Islington as a teenager in the seventies to freelance as a rock correspondent for the likes of NME, Sounds and Melody Maker. Music journalists were rare on the West Coast back then, female ones even rarer.

Sylvie talks to Nick Barraclough about how it was her dislike of English traditional folk music that drove her from her London home to California, where she encountered a burgeoning music scene. They received her, initially, with scepticism. Her love of the music, though, and her thorough understanding and encyclopaedic knowledge of the scene soon won her respect and affection from musicians and editors alike.

Sylvie recalls the trickier encounters she has had over the years; the blues player who expected more than just a review from her, a shy Michael Jackson who needed an interpreter, an ailing Johnny Cash, awkward but ultimately chummy Donald Fagen and Walter Becker of Steely Dan and a ticking off from Fleetwood Mac's Stevie Nicks.

She reflects on the pros and cons of being a female in what is predominately a male world; the relief of some female stars that they can talk to one who understands, and the fact that of all the genres, heavy rock has the most courteous interviewees, sensitive singer-songwriters not so good, new romantics the worst.

Sylvie also shows Nick her new passion; her impressive ukulele collection and we're treated to an impromptu duet.

Producer: Nick Barraclough
A Smooth Operations production for BBC Radio 4.

THU 07:00 All the Young Dudes (b01c7rsl)
Series 2, Communication Breakdown

The couples need to talk, but is a cosy chat really what's on the agenda? With Jim Sweeney and Stephen Frost. From October 2002.

THU 07:30 The Tim Vine Chat Show (b07k08xb)
Episode 3

A new show from the internationally acclaimed master of the one-liner Tim Vine sees Tim interview members of his live audience as he embarks on a quest to hear the life stories of the Great British public while simultaneously showcasing his trademark gleeful wordplay and preposterous songs.

This week, a job interview for Tim and an encounter with an anaconda.

Producer: Richard Morris
A BBC Studios Production.

THU 08:00 The Small, Intricate Life of Gerald C Potter (b008h45n)
Series 4, The Villa

Headed abroad, author Gerald is not keen to visit his wife Diana's friend.

The convoluted chronicle of an optimistic author starring Ian Carmichael as Gerald C Potter and Charlotte Mitchell as his wife, Diana.

With Lolly Cockerell, Jane Knowles, Brian Haines and Michael Spice.

Written by Basil Boothroyd.

Producer: Bobby Jaye

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 1981.

THU 08:30 Radio Active (b007jvv0)
Series 6, The Fit and Fat Show

Anna Daptor presents her very personal radio guide to staying fit and healthy.

Starring Helen Atkinson-Wood, Angus Deayton, Geoffrey Perkins, Philip Pope and Michael Fenton-Stevens.

Music by Philip Pope, Steve Brown and Michael Fenton-Stevens.

Written by Angus Deayton and Geoffrey Perkins with John Canter.

Producer: Paul Mayhew-Archer

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 1986.

THU 09:00 Booked (b07llch7)
Series 4, Episode 6

Ian McMillan chairs the irreverent literary quiz with Dillie Keane, Miles Kington, Roger McGough and Mark Thomas. From August 1998.

THU 09:30 Tanika Gupta - Pankhiraj (b07lp4lr)
The Wedding

Dida is a storyteller with an unpredictable brand of magic. In Tanika Gupta's four-part comedy, three generations of women collide at a family wedding.

Starring Charubala Chokshi as Dida, Souad Faress as Sripurna, Meera Syal as Malati, Vinny Dhillon as Rehana and Geoffrey Beevers as Geoffrey.

Director: Claire Grove

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 1994.

THU 10:00 Charles Dickens (b007k01g)
The Mystery of Edwin Drood, A Performance

Hunting for proof that his nephew Edwin was murdered by Neville Landless, Jasper finds it in the most tragic way. Stars Ian Holm.

THU 11:00 Deborah Moggach - Suspicion (b07lnn86)
Episode 1

4 Extra Debut. Velda's new boyfriend is handsome and charming. But why is she increasingly suspicious of him? Read by Barbara Flynn.

THU 11:15 Afternoon Drama (b0076x19)
Rani Moorthy - Curry Tales

By Rani Moorthy.

Four cooks share their secrets. The stories include mood fusion curries for New Delhi society, a grandmother's legacy in Malaysia, and an accountant's egg curry in London.

With Rani Moorthy, Pik-Sen Lim, Rina Mahoney, Liz Sutherland.

Director Shabina Aslam.

THU 12:00 The Small, Intricate Life of Gerald C Potter (b008h45n)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]

THU 12:30 Radio Active (b007jvv0)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]

THU 13:00 Dick Barton - Special Agent: The Cabatolin Diamonds (b037bbfq)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]

THU 13:15 Edgar Wallace - White Face (b012rxzy)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:15 today]

THU 13:30 Sylvie Simmons: The Rock Chick (b010dd43)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]

THU 14:00 Book at Bedtime (b01kd08w)
Michael Palin - The Truth, Episode 4

Written by Michael Palin.

Mabbut accepts Ron Latham's offer and uses his contacts to establish Melville's whereabouts. It transpires Melville is working on a project in India and Mabbut heads for Bhubaneswar in search of his elusive subject.

Keith Mabbut is at a crossroads in his life. When he is offered the opportunity of a lifetime - to write the biography of the elusive Hamish Melville, a highly influential activist and humanitarian - he seizes the chance to write something meaningful.

His search to find out the real story behind the legend takes Mabbut to the lush landscapes and environmental hotspots of India. The more he discovers about Melville, the more he admires him - and the more he connects with an idealist who wanted to make a difference. But is his quarry genuinely who he claims to be? Is he really a Gandhi-like leader of the people, a political mover and shaker, an enigma? These are the question Keith must ask himself. But as he soon discovers, the truth can be whatever we make it.

Read by Alex Jennings

Abridged by Libby Spurrier

Producer: Joanna Green
A Pier Production for BBC Radio 4.

THU 14:15 The Invention of Childhood (b00spnnw)
Calling a Hit a Smack

Michael Morpurgo examines how children have fallen between the family and the state, sometimes with tragic results.

THU 14:30 15 Minute Drama (b012wzfg)
Ernest Hemingway - A Farewell to Arms, Episode 4

Ernest Hemingway's greatest novel of love and war, dramatised by Stephen Keyworth. 4/10 Frederic has to go back to the war, and Catherine gives him some parting news.

Cast
Frederic ..... Patrick Kennedy
Catherine ..... Morven Christie
Major ..... James Lailey
Gage ..... Susie Riddell
Van Campen ..... Jane Whittenshaw
Ettore ..... Simon Bubb
Shopkeeper ..... Alex Tregear

Directed by Jessica Dromgoole.

THU 14:45 Book of the Week (b014m912)
Tim Jeal - Explorers of the Nile, Episode 4

Following in the footsteps of Burton, Speke and Baker, Dr Livingstone aims to solve the Nile mystery once and for all.

Nothing obsessed explorers of the mid-nineteenth century more than the quest to discover the source of the White Nile. It was the planet's most elusive secret, the prize coveted above all others. Between 1856 and 1876, six larger-than-life men and one extraordinary woman accepted the challenge. Showing extreme courage and resilience, Richard Burton, John Hanning Speke, James Augustus Grant, Samuel Baker, Florence von Sass, David Livingstone, and Henry Morton Stanley risked their lives and reputations in the fierce competition.

Award-winning author Tim Jeal deploys fascinating new research to provide a vivid tableau of the unmapped 'Dark Continent', its jungle deprivations, and the courage as well as malicious tactics of the explorers.

Jeal weaves the story with authentic new detail and examines the tragic unintended legacy of the Nile search that still casts a long shadow over the people of Uganda and Sudan.

Tim Jeal is the author of acclaimed biographies of Livingstone, Baden-Powell, and Stanley, each selected as a Notable Book of the Year by the New York Times and the Washington Post. He lives in London.

Reader: Alex Jennings
Abridger: Libby Spurrier

Producer: Joanna Green
A Pier production for BBC Radio 4.

THU 15:00 Charles Dickens (b007k01g)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 today]

THU 16:00 Booked (b07llch7)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]

THU 16:30 Tanika Gupta - Pankhiraj (b07lp4lr)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 today]

THU 17:00 All the Young Dudes (b01c7rsl)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]

THU 17:30 The Tim Vine Chat Show (b07k08xb)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]

THU 18:00 15 Minute Drama (b03vgq1x)
Ed Harris - The Interplanetary Notes of Ambassador B, Episode 4

Ambassador B should be inspecting minor planets of far-away suns for the peaceful Interplanetary Commonwealth. Instead, her recorded reports reveal that she is veering off-course, pursuing a vendetta and bringing anything but peace.

Mind-bending, interstellar fun and adventure from Sony Gold-winning writer Ed Harris.

4/5 Landing on an unknown rock, Ambassador B gets a cheery welcome, dinner and even a movie. Too bad the armrests have handcuffs.

Produced and Directed by Jonquil Panting.

THU 18:15 Bryan Appleyard - The First Church of the New Millennium (b007jqq8)
Episode 9

With his cathedral vision still in mind, architect Stephen Rix undertakes a dangerous journey. Read by David Horovitch.

THU 18:30 Great Lives (b0079n8m)
Series 12, Billie Holiday

Series of biographical discussions with Matthew Parris.

5/9. Pauline Black, lead singer with The Selecter, nominates Billie Holiday, one of the greatest jazz singers of all time. Pauline played Billie in an award-winning stage role in 1990. Guest is Julia Blackburn, whose book With Billie was based on the observations of people who knew her.

THU 19:00 The Small, Intricate Life of Gerald C Potter (b008h45n)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]

THU 19:30 Radio Active (b007jvv0)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]

THU 20:00 Dick Barton - Special Agent: The Cabatolin Diamonds (b037bbfq)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]

THU 20:15 Edgar Wallace - White Face (b012rxzy)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:15 today]

THU 20:30 Sylvie Simmons: The Rock Chick (b010dd43)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]

THU 21:00 Deborah Moggach - Suspicion (b07lnn86)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:00 today]

THU 21:15 Afternoon Drama (b0076x19)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:15 today]

THU 22:00 The Tim Vine Chat Show (b07k08xb)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]

THU 22:25 The Comedy Club Interviews (b07lscr8)
The best in contemporary comedy. Thom Tuck talks again to Danish comedian Sofie Hagen.

THU 22:30 The Music Teacher (b03c49xt)
Series 3, Episode 6

Richie Webb returns as multi-instrumentalist music teacher Nigel Penny.

As the local church's bicentennial concert bears down on all at the Arts Centre, Nigel finds himself with an interesting offer from Belinda and a room gradually filling with instruments to boot.

Audio production by Matt Katz
Directed by Nick Walker

Written and produced by Richie Webb
A Top Dog production for BBC Radio 4.

THU 22:45 Can't Tell Nathan Caton Nothing (b02147zz)
Series 2, About Difficult Dads

EPISODE SIX: ABOUT DIFFICULT DADS

Can't Tell Nathan Caton Nothing - tells the story of young, up-and-coming comedian Nathan Caton, who after becoming the first in his family to graduate from University, opted not to use his architecture degree but instead to try his hand at being a full-time stand-up comedian, much to his family's annoyance who desperately want him to get a 'proper job.'

The series is a mix of Nathan's stand-up intercut with scenes from his family life.

Janet a.k.a. Mum - loves Nathan, but she aint looking embarrassed for nobody!

Martin a.k.a. Dad - turning 50 and doesn't want to.

Shirley a.k.a. Grandma - can't believe she left the paradise in the West Indies and came to the freezing United Kingdom for a better life so that years later her grandson could 'tell jokes!' How can her grandson go on stage and use foul language and filthy material... it's not the good Christian way!

Each episode illustrates the criticism, interference and rollercoaster ride that Nathan endures from his disapproving family as he tries to pursue his chosen career.

About Difficult Dads

Nathan's Dad celebrates his 50th birthday but resents being made to feel middle-aged by his son. So, he challenges him to see who is The Man of the House.

Written by Nathan Caton and James Kettle
Additional Material by Ola and Maff Brown
Producer: Katie Tyrrell.

THU 23:00 The Mark Steel Revolution (b00ft5lb)
The Russian Revolution

The radical comedian re-assesses the historical forces and key players. With Carla Mendonca and Martin Hyder. From July 1998.

THU 23:30 Polyoaks (b01p3ntd)
Series 2, The Shaky Shaky Hip

In the NHS satire by Dr Phil Hammond and David Spicer, a general practice somewhere in Bristol is faced with challenges and opportunities in equal measure as they adjust to another 'biggest shake-up of the NHS in a lifetime'.

Of all the doctors at Polyoaks, Hugh is the committed political mover and shaker. To get on politically in the NHS it helps to play squash. And to play squash it helps if your hip is working. Dr Hugh's isn't - and he hates going to see the doctor.

Cast:
Dr Roy Thornton...........................Nigel Planer
Dr Hugh Thornton.........................Simon Greenall
TV's Dr. Jeremy............................David Westhead
Nurse Vera Duplessis....................Polly Frame
Mr. Devlin.....................................Phil Cornwell
Robert..........................................Lewis McLeod

Written by Dr Phil Hammond and David Spicer
Directed by Frank Stirling
Producer: David Spicer
A Unique production for BBC Radio 4.

FRIDAY 22 JULY 2016

FRI 00:00 15 Minute Drama (b03vgq1x)
[Repeat of broadcast at 18:00 on Thursday]

FRI 00:15 Bryan Appleyard - The First Church of the New Millennium (b007jqq8)
[Repeat of broadcast at 18:15 on Thursday]

FRI 00:30 Great Lives (b0079n8m)
[Repeat of broadcast at 18:30 on Thursday]

FRI 01:00 Dick Barton - Special Agent: The Cabatolin Diamonds (b037bbfq)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 on Thursday]

FRI 01:15 Edgar Wallace - White Face (b012rxzy)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:15 on Thursday]

FRI 01:30 Sylvie Simmons: The Rock Chick (b010dd43)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 on Thursday]

FRI 02:00 Book at Bedtime (b01kd08w)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:00 on Thursday]

FRI 02:15 The Invention of Childhood (b00spnnw)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:15 on Thursday]

FRI 02:30 15 Minute Drama (b012wzfg)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:30 on Thursday]

FRI 02:45 Book of the Week (b014m912)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:45 on Thursday]

FRI 03:00 Charles Dickens (b007k01g)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 on Thursday]

FRI 04:00 Booked (b07llch7)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 on Thursday]

FRI 04:30 Tanika Gupta - Pankhiraj (b07lp4lr)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 on Thursday]

FRI 05:00 All the Young Dudes (b01c7rsl)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 on Thursday]

FRI 05:30 The Tim Vine Chat Show (b07k08xb)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 on Thursday]

FRI 06:00 Dick Barton - Special Agent: The Cabatolin Diamonds (b037bh90)
Episode 10

Going to Jean's aid, Dick and Freddie find the distinction between friends and enemies is becoming blurred.

The stirring 'Devil's Galop' heralds the arrival of Douglas Kelly as 'Dick Barton - Special Agent' in another thrilling tale of criminal masterminds, espionage and daring adventure.

Originally starring Noel Johnson, Duncan Carse and Gordon Davies, Dick Barton ran on the BBC Light Programme between 1946 and 1951, but sadly, very few original recordings survive.

With the original lost, this is a very authentic sounding re-recording of 'The Cabatolin Diamonds' using the original scripts and music, which was made for international distribution. Happily the audio was rediscovered in 2009, lurking in the vaults of the National Film and Sound Archive in Canberra, Australia.

Script by Geoffrey Webb.

Producer: Morris West

First broadcast in Australia in April 1949.

FRI 06:15 Edgar Wallace - White Face (b012s2g9)
Episode 10

The master criminal tells all about his humble origins and rise to prominence, and seals his fate. Concluded by Danny Webb.

FRI 06:30 Green Ears (b0122t6q)
Many of us think of our gardens, parks and green urban spaces as retreats and oases of calm from our busy lives, others think of them as places for fun, socialising and play, whereas there are some who think of them as just hard work. Whatever we think, we usually think of them in terms of what they look like, even maybe what they smell like. But in Green Ears, Professor Trevor Cox explores what they sound like.

Acoustics play a massive part in our sense of space. With loud noises like traffic or industrial works actually causing us harm. The right sorts of sounds, at the right volume and pitch though can really help to enhance our sense of tranquillity.

So what are the sounds we most like to hear in our gardens? Water tricking, birds singing, bees buzzing, wind rustling leaves and children playing (quietly or from a distance!) can be as calming as beautiful planting and clever layout. But it has to be the right trickle of water, get it wrong and you may find you want to rush to the loo! too loud and the sense of Niagara Falls in your small back yard can feel threatening. Trevor talks to the scientists who have put it to the test and found the water sound we all seem to enjoy. He talks to garden designers who not only think about harmonising colours and textures of plants, but think about how they'll attract birds and insects into the garden as well as creating cocooned quiet spaces and introducing natural noises.

Plants can also be used to block out or distract you from unwanted sounds. Green walls not only reflect sounds, but they can also absorb them. Again water can be used to distract you from a busy motorway - and these have all been used to varying effect by urban planners aiming to create pockets of peace and calm in busy cities.

Trevor also explores the use of artificial sounds in our green spaces and finds out how a garden in Florence is being used as a sound laboratory to test cutting edge sonic devices to see if they can increase the harmony of the garden.

FRI 07:00 Winston in Europe (b007vcn9)
Where Are We Now?

The old rogue challenges Nancy's intelligence, and Father sings the praises of Crewe toilets. Starring Maurice Denham.

FRI 07:30 Dave Podmore's Big Bake Off Bash (b07kp5gj)
England's sleaziest cricketer Dave Podmore says there's more to cricket than stuffing yourself with cakes and sandwiches half-way through the game, but he can't remember what. Pod's at rock bottom, crying into his cold beans, until he thinks there could be "some light at the end of the doldrum" when he hits on a plan to create the best cricket tea that ever graced a Cath Kidston tablecloth or clogged an English artery, and to do it on the biggest stage of all: The Great British Bake Off.

Logging every glorious calorie along the way is Andy Hamer of Radio One County's ever popular "Triglyceride Watch". It's oven gloves off as Pod battles through the rounds, but will his unorthodox kebab cake rise to the occasion? Let's see how the public votes.

FRI 08:00 Something to Shout About (b07lp1tz)
Series 1, Episode 3

Brave Michael volunteers to shed some pounds for the team's ad campaign for slimmer's bread.

Starring Michael Medwin as Michael, Fenella Fielding as Janet, Joan Sims as Mavis, Eleanor Summerfield as Maggie, Nicholas Phipps as Adrian and Warren Mitchell as the Doctor/Mr Morris .

"A light-hearted exposé of the advertising world!". Set in a London ad agency called 'Apsley, Addis, Cohen, Barbican, Blythe, Giddy & Partners', Something To Shout About ran to 54 episodes over three series

Written by Myles Rudge with Ronnie Wolfe.

Music by The Jingle Belles and The Bernie Fenton Quartet, under the direction of Cliff Adams.

Producer: John Simmonds

First broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in July 1960.

FRI 08:30 The Goon Show (b00cb8ls)
Spon

A certain brown terror awaits Dick Emery, who is filling Harry Secombe's shoes, but not his trousers. From September 1957.

FRI 09:00 Whispers (b007k3bv)
Series 3, Episode 5

Gyles Brandreth hosts the scandals quiz with Lucy Moore, Anthony Holden, Richard Herring and Louise Doughty. From November 2005.

FRI 09:30 No Commitments (b01mtn2p)
Series 10, A Marriage of Inconvenience

Victoria is livid when her daughter's wedding plans are upstaged by her sister Charlotte. Stars Bill Nighy. From February 2004.

FRI 10:00 Charles Dickens (b007k02r)
The Mystery of Edwin Drood, Redress

Neville Landless, whom Jasper thinks killed Edwin, has been found stabbed to death. But Datchery has a plan. Stars John Moffatt.

FRI 11:00 Deborah Moggach - Suspicion (b07lp1v1)
Episode 2

When Velda's boyfriend Kenneth disappears from her flat, she traces him to an unexpected destination. Read by Barbara Flynn.

FRI 11:15 Afternoon Drama (b00rdwrh)
Judith Somerville - Listening to Time

By Judith Somerville. Hans and Anna meet by chance when visiting one of the remote Aran Islands, the extraordinary beauty of which leads to them developing an unexpected and intense bond. For Hans, it is part of a journey of emotional recovery.

Anna ...... Kate Buffery
Hans ...... David Troughton
Mrs O'Flaherty ...... Joanna Monro
German voices ...... Michael Shelford

Directed by Cherry Cookson.

FRI 12:00 Something to Shout About (b07lp1tz)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]

FRI 12:30 The Goon Show (b00cb8ls)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]

FRI 13:00 Dick Barton - Special Agent: The Cabatolin Diamonds (b037bh90)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]

FRI 13:15 Edgar Wallace - White Face (b012s2g9)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:15 today]

FRI 13:30 Green Ears (b0122t6q)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]

FRI 14:00 Book at Bedtime (b01kd0wq)
Michael Palin - The Truth, Episode 5

Written by Michael Palin.

Mabbut has been commissioned to write a book about the elusive activist Hamish Melville. He heads to India in search of his subject but, as he begins to unravel the full story, Mabbut finds himself in deep trouble.

Keith Mabbut is at a crossroads in his life. When he is offered the opportunity of a lifetime - to write the biography of the elusive Hamish Melville, a highly influential activist and humanitarian - he seizes the chance to write something meaningful.

His search to find out the real story behind the legend takes Mabbut to the lush landscapes and environmental hotspots of India. The more he discovers about Melville, the more he admires him - and the more he connects with an idealist who wanted to make a difference. But is his quarry genuinely who he claims to be? Is he really a Gandhi-like leader of the people, a political mover and shaker, an enigma? These are the question Keith must ask himself. But as he soon discovers, the truth can be whatever we make it.

Read by Alex Jennings
Abridged by Libby Spurrier

Producer: Joanna Green
A Pier Production for BBC Radio 4.

FRI 14:15 The Invention of Childhood (b00sprf9)
Reinventing Childhood

Michael Morpurgo recalls the impact of adults on childhood down the centuries up to the present day.

FRI 14:30 15 Minute Drama (b012x129)
Ernest Hemingway - A Farewell to Arms, Episode 5

Ernest Hemingway's beautiful novel of love and war, dramatised by Stephen Keyworth. 5/10 Frederic takes up with a new ambulance unit, and takes part in the great Italian retreat.

Cast
Frederic ..... Patrick Kennedy
Catherine ..... Morven Christie
Bonello ..... Carl Prekopp
Girl ..... Alex Tregear
Bartolomeo ..... Jonathan Forbes
Sergeant ..... James Lailey
Medical Officer ..... Simon Bubb
Piani ..... Daniel Rabin

Directed by Jessica Dromgoole.

FRI 14:45 Book of the Week (b014m93d)
Tim Jeal - Explorers of the Nile, Episode 5

Having found Dr Livingstone, Stanley is determined to continue the doctor's quest to find the source of the Nile

Nothing obsessed explorers of the mid-nineteenth century more than the quest to discover the source of the White Nile. It was the planet's most elusive secret, the prize coveted above all others. Between 1856 and 1876, six larger-than-life men and one extraordinary woman accepted the challenge. Showing extreme courage and resilience, Richard Burton, John Hanning Speke, James Augustus Grant, Samuel Baker, Florence von Sass, David Livingstone, and Henry Morton Stanley risked their lives and reputations in the fierce competition.

Award-winning author Tim Jeal deploys fascinating new research to provide a vivid tableau of the unmapped 'Dark Continent', its jungle deprivations, and the courage as well as malicious tactics of the explorers.

Jeal weaves the story with authentic new detail and examines the tragic unintended legacy of the Nile search that still casts a long shadow over the people of Uganda and Sudan.

Tim Jeal is the author of acclaimed biographies of Livingstone, Baden-Powell, and Stanley, each selected as a Notable Book of the Year by the New York Times and the Washington Post. He lives in London.

Reader: Alex Jennings
Abridger: Libby Spurrier

Producer: Joanna Green
A Pier production for BBC Radio 4.

FRI 15:00 Charles Dickens (b007k02r)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 today]

FRI 16:00 Whispers (b007k3bv)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]

FRI 16:30 No Commitments (b01mtn2p)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 today]

FRI 17:00 Winston in Europe (b007vcn9)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]

FRI 17:30 Dave Podmore's Big Bake Off Bash (b07kp5gj)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]

FRI 18:00 15 Minute Drama (b03vh0c6)
Ed Harris - The Interplanetary Notes of Ambassador B, Episode 5

Ambassador B should be inspecting minor planets of far-away suns for the peaceful Interplanetary Commonwealth. Instead, her recorded reports reveal that she is veering off-course, pursuing a vendetta and bringing anything but peace.

Mind-bending, interstellar fun and adventure from Sony Gold-winning writer Ed Harris.

5/5 Ambassador B decides to turn in her badge on the next planet she finds. But when she gets there, there's no one to surrender to.

Produced and Directed by Jonquil Panting.

FRI 18:15 Bryan Appleyard - The First Church of the New Millennium (b007jqqm)
Episode 10

Architect Stephen Rix's cathedral has finally been built. But what has been the true cost? Concluded by David Horovitch.

FRI 18:30 Sounds Natural (b07lp1v3)
Derek Nimmo

From the Bar-Tailed Godwit to the Natterjack Toad. Actor, producer, author and Just A Minute panellist, Derek Nimmo talks to Derek Jones about his love of wildlife photography and filming, plus his recent trip to Australia - aided by recordings from the BBC Sound Archive.

Derek Nimmo: born 1930 - died 1999.

Producer: John Burton.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 1973.

FRI 19:00 Something to Shout About (b07lp1tz)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]

FRI 19:30 The Goon Show (b00cb8ls)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]

FRI 20:00 Dick Barton - Special Agent: The Cabatolin Diamonds (b037bh90)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]

FRI 20:15 Edgar Wallace - White Face (b012s2g9)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:15 today]

FRI 20:30 Green Ears (b0122t6q)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]

FRI 21:00 Deborah Moggach - Suspicion (b07lp1v1)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:00 today]

FRI 21:15 Afternoon Drama (b00rdwrh)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:15 today]

FRI 22:00 Dave Podmore's Big Bake Off Bash (b07kp5gj)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]

FRI 22:30 BBC Radio New Comedy Award (b07lp1v5)
2016, Heat 6 - Cardiff

Ten new comedians perform in the sixth heat from The Glee Club, Cardiff with host Mae Martin.

FRI 23:25 The Comedy Club Interviews (b07lsdgn)
The best in contemporary comedy. Arthur Smith chats to Andrew Maxwell.

FRI 23:30 Ross Noble Goes Global (b01cvr0t)
Series 2, Egypt

The comedian entertains bewildered Bedouins in the desert and ponders the merits of doing a wildlife show. From May 2003.