The BBC has announced that it has a sustainable plan for the future of the BBC Singers, in association with The VOCES8 Foundation.
The threat to reduce the staff of the three English orchestras by 20% has not been lifted, but it is being reconsidered.
See the BBC press release here.

Radio-Lists Home Now on 4Extra Contact

RADIO-LISTS: BBC RADIO 4 Extra
Unofficial Weekly Listings for BBC Radio 4 Extra — supported by bbc.co.uk/programmes/



SATURDAY 08 FEBRUARY 2020

SAT 00:00 Orbiter X (b0784dyd)
Inside the Moon Station

The crew of Orbiter 2 have been taken to the Moon by the shadowy Unity organisation.

First broadcast in 1959, a bold but perilous plan to conquer space with space station 'Orbiter X' is underway.

Captain Bob Britton …. John Carson
Captain Douglas McClelland …. Andrew Crawford
Flight Engineer Hicks …. Barrie Gosney
Max Kramer …. Gerik Schjelderup
Colonel Kent …. Donald Bisset
Sir Charles Day …. Leslie Perrins

With Ian Sadler and John Cazabon

Written by BD Chapman.

Producer: Charles Maxwell.

First broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in October 1959.


SAT 00:30 Off the Page (b0076r24)
Suspicion

Matthew Parris, Julian Baggini, Will Pavia and Anthony McGowan discuss the impact of suspicious thoughts. From March 2005.


SAT 01:00 David Ellis - Find The Lady (m000dyks)
5. In Which Andrew Marsh Loses a Witness

Andrew discovers there's more to Sheila Ramsey and Margaret Everard than meets the eye - and that his life is in jeopardy...

Noel Johnson stars in a seven-part thriller serial by David Ellis.

Andrew Marsh …. Noel Johnson
Sheila Ramsey …. Jan Edwards
Margaret Everard …. Eva Haddon
Peter Lloyd …. Michael Deacon
Alf Jenkins …. Brian Haines
Joe …. Antony Viccars
Bill Rodney …. Wilfred Carter
Shirley …. Kathleen Helme
Detective Inspector Adams …. John Bentley
Detective Sergeant Rankin …. Henry Stamper
Dr Fergus …. Malcolm Hayes

Producer: Betty Davies.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 2 in February 1969.


SAT 01:30 When Garry Met Tony (b03vtcwl)
BBC Radio 4's "Today" sports presenter Garry Richardson has a secret passion - Big Band. An even greater secret passion is to sing with one.

But Big Band is a dying art whose future depends on a few old timers determined to keep the art alive. Garry meets one of them, Tony Douglas, the charismatic 84-year-old leader of a legendary amateur band who invites Garry to train for the headline vocal spot at their next big booking.

We join Garry as he explores the future of Big Band while on the bumpy road towards vocal stardom. Garry issued a challenge on Radio 4's Saturday Live: "Find me a Big Band for me to sing Frank Sinatra with". Responding to that challenge was Tony Douglas, who now runs the amateur Big Band at the celebrated London adult education institute Morley College - a college whose past staff members include Gustav Holst, Michael Tippett and Ralph Vaughan Williams.

Garry rehearses a Frank Sinatra hit with the Morley Big Band. Along the way, he takes tips from singer Kurt Ellings, big band devotee Michael Parkinson and the legendary big band musician and singer Buddy Greco.

Garry also discovers more about the origins of big band music as dance music, sustaining Second World War morale before declining in the wake of rock and roll. But, as he finds out, the genre has not disappeared but morphed into a diverse and chameleon-like form whose future, while not certain, is fiercely defended by devotees.

The climax of the programme is when Garry finally performs at the Spice of Life jazz club in Soho. Is the man whose only claim to musical ability is playing the vibes with both hands, a second Sinatra?

Producer: Kati Whitaker

A Kati Whitaker production first broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 2014.


SAT 02:00 Hugh Lofting - The Story of Doctor Dolittle (m000dyl3)
Episode 5

The doctor returns to England with his new friend, the Pushmi-Pullyu, a creature now extinct.

Alan Bennett concludes Hugh Lofting's novel.

Producer: Sally Avens.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 1995.


SAT 02:15 A History of the Infinite (b07vwh0m)
The Mathematics of the Infinitely Small

Having looked at the infinite in philosophical and theological terms, it’s time to view it through the lens of mathematics. In the fifth programme in his series, Adrian Moore introduces us to the pivotal role mathematics has played in the quest to understand the infinite.

He begins by enlisting the help of very modern technology and considering the real question put by an 11 year old boy - what is zero divided by zero?

That’s the trigger for Adrian’s investigation of the calculus – the tool we use to reckon with very small quantities. It plays a huge part in many aspects of modern-day design, medicine and statistical work, but what is less well-known is the seventeenth century row between two eminent scientists as to who actually invented it. Adrian meets science writer, Brian Clegg, to find out about the race to claim credit.

It didn’t just cause a storm at its inception - we hear about the disagreements that dogged the calculus’s early days, with the church too getting involved in the disputes about the infinitely small.

But as Adrian discovers, the quest to understand the infinite has left us with a branch of mathematics of unparalleled importance.

A Juniper production first broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 2016.


SAT 02:30 MM Kaye - The Far Pavilions (b00y2x5k)
Episode 5

Ash takes up his post with the Guides in Mardan, but his relationship with Belinda is increasingly troubled.

MM Kaye's epic of love and war, dramatised by Rukhsana Ahmad.

Narrator ..... Vineeta Rishi
Ash ..... Blake Ritson
Gulbaz ..... Kaleem Janjua
Zarin ..... Chris Simpson
Colonel ..... Sam Dale
Khoda-Daad ..... Sam Dastor
Battye ..... Jude Akuwudike
Belinda ..... Leah Brotherhead
George ..... Lloyd Thomas
Mrs Harlowe ..... Christine Kavanagh
Major Harlowe ..... Sean Baker

Directors: Marc Beeby and Jessica Dromgoole

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 2011.


SAT 02:45 Sir Harry Secombe - Goon Abroad (b01494gh)
Sports and Swansea

Goon Show star Sir Harry Secombe recalls his school days in Wales, lessons in sportsmanship, and he makes a few confessions.

Conclusion of the autobiography of comedian and singer Sir Harry Secombe.

Abridged by Elizabeth Proud.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in June 1983.


SAT 03:00 Patrick O'Brian - Desolation Island (b037gnxr)
Episode 2

Jack Aubrey is pursued through the South Atlantic by a powerful Dutch warship whose 74 guns threaten to blow HMS Leopard out of the water.

As the Leopard tries to out-run the enemy, Jack and Stephen have to contend with a fever that lays waste to the crew and an unexpected childbirth. A confrontation with the Dutch ship leaves Jack seriously wounded - and a dangerous situation turns to disaster when his first officer takes command and runs the Leopard into an iceberg.

Conclusion of Patrick O'Brian's novel dramatised by Roger Danes.

Jack Aubrey ...... David Robb
Stephen Maturin ...... Richard Dillane
Louisa Wogan ...... Teresa Gallagher
Michael Herapath ...... Samuel Barnett
Barratt Bonden ...... Sam Dale
Preserved Killick ...... Jon Glover
Lt Grant ...... Jonathan Tafler
Byron ...... Nick Underwood
Jedediah Wilbey ...... Gerard McDermott
Josiah Plaice ...... Lloyd Thomas
Sir Joseph Blaine ...... Michael Bertenshaw

Producer/director: Bruce Young

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 2013.


SAT 04:00 We've Been Here Before (b00g1rsp)
Series 2

Episode 4

Clive Anderson hosts the panel show that pokes fun at events of the past.

The topical historical satirical panel show setting out to prove that there's nothing new under, or in, The Sun.

Nick Revell and Gyles Brandreth battle it out against Helen Atkinson-Wood and John O'Farrell.

Producer: Ed Morrish

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 2004.


SAT 04:30 Dry Slopes (b00lr3nz)
Series 1

The Day of Judgement

Perpetually unemployed and friendless loser Angus Dry agonises over the death of a bee.

Nick Ball’s sitcom about the unemployed son of a high-flying mother.

Angus Dry ...... Nick Ball
Mum ...... Louisa Rix

With Robert Harley, Toby Longworth and Julie Gibbs.

Producer: Gareth Edwards

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 1995.


SAT 05:00 Reluctant Persuaders (b08n46dj)
Series 2

Think Different

Things are looking up for Hardacre's, the worst advertising agency in London. They're pitching for the biggest account of their lives - the cutting edge new smartphone, the Cosmos X10.

It's the day of the big pitch and Hardacre, Joe, Teddy, Amanda, and Laura are waiting to be called in. They may be waiting rather a long time, in fact, as they appear to have turned up six hours early.

As the day unfolds and the wait continues, it emerges that some of the team may have something to hide. Is there more at stake than meets the eye? And what does it have to do with Charles Blackwell, Hardacre's oldest and dearest nemesis?

Edward Rowett's award-winning sitcom.

Rupert Hardacre ...... Nigel Havers
Joe ...... Mathew Baynton
Amanda ...... Josie Lawrence
Teddy ...... Kieran Hodgson
Laura ...... Olivia Nixon
Charles Blackwell ...... Martin Jarvis

An Absolutely production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in April 2017.


SAT 05:30 The Skewer (m000dqhk)
Series 1

Episode 4

From the mind of Jon Holmes comes topical satire like you've never heard it before.


SAT 06:00 Marie Lloyd, Queen of the Halls (b00g46xy)
After collapsing on stage one day in 1922, Marie Lloyd lies dying, battered by life, drink and hard work.

Raunchy to the end, the great music hall star recalls her songs, her audiences, her triumphs and disasters.

Steve Trafford's adaptation of his stage play stars Elizabeth Mansfield , who played Marie in the original one-woman show.

Marie Lloyd ...... Elizabeth Mansfield
Alec Hurley ...... Robert Lister
Bernard Dillon ...... Kilian McKenna
Bella ...... Jenny Howe
Doctor ...... James Greene
Mrs Ormiston Chant ...... Jo Kendall
Percy Courtenay ...... Christopher Good
Grace ...... Sarah Mansfield
Alice ...... Susan Sheridan
Temperance Advocate ...... Mary Allen
Manager ...... Danny Schiller
Mr Blythe Pratt ...... Timothy Alcock
Marconi ...... Ben Onwukwe
Agent ...... Andrew Wincott
Charlie ...... Nigel Carrington
Prince of Wales ...... Michael Kilgarriff
Official ...... Brian Miller
Committee Member ...... Timothy Carlton

Music director: Jack Glover

Musicians:
Maurice Cambridge
Noel Langley
Steve Wilks
Roy Babington
Stephen Rose

Director: Janet Whitaker

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 1990.


SAT 07:30 Journeys Down My Street (b01s09k1)
Ode to Finchleystrasse

Amidst all the coverage of contemporary migration to Britain, it is easy to forget the older generations of immigrants, from across the world, who have settled here and made Britain their home.

In this series, Mike Berlin, an urban historian from Birkbeck College, University of London, visits individual streets at the heart of such communities, to hear the stories of earlier immigrants - their arrival, their early lives and their observations on Britain today.

In this episode:

After the Nazi annexation of Austria in March 1938, Vienna's large Jewish community fled - some to Glasgow and Manchester but the vast majority to the area of North-West London close to Swiss Cottage.

The area became so full of German-speaking refugees that anecdotes tell of war-time bus conductors calling out "Finchleystrasse - Passports Please!" as the bus drew up at the top of the Finchley Road.

The shops and cafes are no longer there, but a vibrant group of elderly refugees share their memories of Finchleystrasse with historian Mike Berlin and reflect on their conflicting desires to recreate the best of Vienna whilst assimilating into British society.

Producer: Beaty Rubens

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 2013.


SAT 08:00 Archive on 4 (b0707r9z)
The Art of the Obit

Matthew Bannister, presenter of BBC Radio 4's obituary programme, Last Word, celebrates the culture, style, purpose and panache of a media institution: the obituary.

Matthew finds out about the delicate work of preparation, as he talks to leading obituary figures about how they choose which lives to cover. He examines some landmark obituaries, and reads from The Times full page obit on Hitler, an indicator of how the often delicate balance between honesty and sensitivity is achieved.

Matthew also reveals some of his own behind-the-scenes stories – like the time he made uncomfortably close contact with the corpse.

And a look at future developments, as some of the leaders in the obituary field reveal moves into the world of the pre-recorded farewell obituary video.

Musician Dave Swarbrick recalls how it felt to see his premature obit in print, and Matthew explores why working in the world of the obit is always surprising and unexpectedly life-affirming.

Producer: Neil George.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 2016.


SAT 09:00 Mark Billingham's Rule Book of Crime (b01r19jd)
Best-selling crime writer Mark Billingham has always been obsessed with the creative criminal minds of the past.

Over three hours, Mark sets out to detect the clues dropped in the BBC archives, by his favourite crime writers:

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Dame Agatha Christie
Raymond Chandler
PD James
Henning Mankell

Clues that reveal why their sleuthing creations - Sherlock Holmes, Miss Marple, Philip Marlowe, Adam Dalgliesh and Kurt Wallander - are so enduring.

Having created his own flawed crime fighter, Detective Inspector Tom Thorne, Mark’s wrestled with the thorny issue of inventing a distinctive new voice amongst a myriad of detecting greats. What’s more important, devious plotting or debauched heroes, a killer in plain sight or rug-pulling twists?

In plundering the archive for answers, Mark has uncovered a hidden BBC radio detecting gem. Debuting in the late 1970s and running for a few seasons into the 1980s, it starred an actor who could be a lead in TV classic Cathy Come Home and voice an iconic children’s cartoon. It was penned by a writer that worked on TV police dramas Z Cars and Softly Softly.

All is revealed in Mark Billingham’s Rule Book of Crime.

Producer: Peter McHugh

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 Extra in March 2013.


SAT 12:00 Whispers (b007k2kr)
Series 2

Episode 1

Revelations about Rasputin and accordion playing from Idi Amin.

Gyles Brandreth hosts the quiz show with scandal on its mind and slander at its heart.

Geoffrey Durham and Valerie Grove join team captains Lucy Moore and Anthony Holden to run the gauntlet of gossip.

Producer: Elizabeth Freestone

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 2004.


SAT 12:30 Married (b00c0c35)
Series 1

Episode 1

Confirmed bachelor Robin Lightfoot wakes up one morning and discovers to his horror that he’s married with two children.

Is it a nightmare, a practical joke or something much more sinister?

Hugh Bonneville stars in the first of three comedy series by Tony Bagley.

Robin ...... Hugh Bonneville
Lesley ...... Josie Lawrence
Julia ...... Barbara Murray
Dirk ...... Steve Frost
Penny ...... Melanie Hudson
Ned ...... Sam Bradley
Maxine ...... Ann Gosling
Policeman ...... Anthony Ofoegbu

Producer Claire Jones

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 1999.


SAT 13:00 24 Kildare Road (Omnibus) (m000f6yw)
Episode 1

Two boys out sledging in their local park find the body of an old woman in the snow. We move backwards and forwards in time meeting people the old woman has met, her friends and her family, to discover what led her to this point.

All the characters connected to the woman have their own stories which combine to form a moving account of modern life and loves.

Omnibus of the first five of ten episodes.

Ryan ..... Harry Grasby
Jackson ..... Aaron Gelkoff
Mick ..... David Reed
Hayley ..... Christine
Marion ..... Marcia Warren
Ozzy ..... Ikky Elyas
Ned ..... Will Kirk
Call Handler ..... Scarlett Courtney
Bloke/Phil ..... Ian Conningham
Kadija ..... Nahel Tzegai
Pat/Shirley ..... Heather Craney
Rose ..... Jessica Turner
Frank/Taxi Driver ..... Neil McCaul
Zoe ..... Amanda Wilkin
Eve ..... Sinead MacInnes
Eli/Ben ..... Greg Jones

Directed by Mary Peate
Written by Katie Hims

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 2010.


SAT 14:10 Inheritance Tracks (m000f6yz)
Jeff Goldblum

Actor and musician Jeff Goldblum chooses 'Misty' by Erroll Garner and 'We'll Meet Again' by Vera Lynn.


SAT 14:15 With Great Pleasure (m000f6z1)
Jude Kelly

Jude Kelly selects works by Shakespeare, Wole Soyinka, David Nobbs and Edward Said, as well as speeches by John F. Kennedy and Leonard Bernstein.

Readers: Diana Quick and John Shrapnel

From London's Southbank Centre, when Jude Kelly was Artistic Director.

Producer: Mark Smalley

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 2008.


SAT 14:45 Uncle Mort's North Country (b007jrb8)
Series 2

My Friend Dornford

Carter Brandon and his uncle's day trip to see Arthur Scargill's 'twin'. Peter Tinniswood's adventures with Jim Broadbent.


SAT 15:00 Archive on 4 (b0707r9z)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]


SAT 16:00 Marie Lloyd, Queen of the Halls (b00g46xy)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]


SAT 17:30 Journeys Down My Street (b01s09k1)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]


SAT 18:00 Guy de Maupassant - The Inn (b09rbpy5)
Published in 1886, Guy de Maupassant's haunting short story is a wintry, snowbound tale of loneliness and dark imaginings, as a young mountain guide finds himself in sole charge of a remote Alpine hotel.

It begins with the first stirrings of a love affair; it ends in mystery and mayhem.

Ulrich ...... Robin Laing
Gaspard ...... Gareth Thomas
Louise Hauser ...... Vicki Liddelle
Jeanne Hauser ...... Kirstin Murray
Jean Hauser ...... John Shedden
Aunt Berthe ...... Tamara Kennedy
Uncle Maurice ...... Sandy Neilson

Dramatised by Sue Glover.

Director: David Jackson Young

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 2006.


SAT 19:00 Mark Billingham's Rule Book of Crime (b01r19jd)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]


SAT 22:00 Josh Howie's Losing It (b07qbcb8)
Series 1

The Letter

Stand-up comic Josh comes to terms with the impending birth of his first child.

Josh and his wife Monique go to the hospital to attend their 20 week scan. Unfortunately Monique has forgotten the appointment letter, which is the only thing Josh can now think about.

Sitcom starring Josh Howie and Pippa Evans.

Written by Josh Howie.

With Jed Aukin, Liz Garland, Michael Legge, Shazia Mirza and Paul Tonkinson.

Producer: Ashley Blaker

A Black Hat production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in August 2016.


SAT 22:30 Masala FM (b0080p9x)
Episode 6

Love is in the air at Masala FM as their first wedding resulting from Khalid's matrimonial phone-in looms.

But is love blind, or just stupid?

Sitcom written by Meera Syal

Starring Sanjeev Bhaskar, Nitin Sawheny, Meera Syal and Nina Wadia.

Music by Nitin Sawhney.

Producer: Liz Anstee

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 1996.


SAT 23:00 Wondermentalist Cabaret (b00yqspr)
Series 1

Episode 4

Matt Harvey's warm-hearted poetry cabaret in the company of fellow poets Les Barker, Pete Hunter and Jude Simpson.

Supported by one man house band, Jerri Hart, they vie for the audience's approval at the Comedy Box, Bristol, in the Dead Poets' Slam, wooing us with the deathless words of their best-loved poets from the past.

The audience too play their part, composing their own crowd-sourced poem (the subjects of which can vary wildly, from reflecting on the delights and demerits of cheese, to Sunday mornings, and the winter habits of gerbils).

Producer: Mark Smalley

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 2011.


SAT 23:30 Mark Thomas Presents (b0076w5y)
Mort Sahl

A one-off performance by the great Mort Sahl , pioneering political comic of the 1950s and 60s, who proves that his grip on events is as sharp and biting as ever.

Series in which Mark Thomas introduces iconic American comedy performers.

Producer: Paul Bajoria

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 2005.



SUNDAY 09 FEBRUARY 2020

SUN 00:00 Guy de Maupassant - The Inn (b09rbpy5)
[Repeat of broadcast at 18:00 on Saturday]


SUN 01:00 24 Kildare Road (Omnibus) (m000f6yw)
[Repeat of broadcast at 13:00 on Saturday]


SUN 02:10 Inheritance Tracks (m000f6yz)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:10 on Saturday]


SUN 02:15 With Great Pleasure (m000f6z1)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:15 on Saturday]


SUN 02:45 Uncle Mort's North Country (b007jrb8)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:45 on Saturday]


SUN 03:00 Archive on 4 (b0707r9z)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 on Saturday]


SUN 04:00 Marie Lloyd, Queen of the Halls (b00g46xy)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 on Saturday]


SUN 05:30 Journeys Down My Street (b01s09k1)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 on Saturday]


SUN 06:00 MM Kaye - The Far Pavilions (Omnibus) (b062n97p)
Episode 1

Following the 1857 Mutiny, Ashton, a young English orphan, is disguised by his ayah as her Indian son, Ashok. And so - as he forgets his true identity - his destiny is set.

MM Kaye's epic of love and war dramatised by Rukhsana Ahmad.

A vast, rich and vibrant tapestry of love and war that moves from the foothills of the Himalayas, to the burning plains, to the besieged British Mission in Kabul, filling them with immediacy, meticulous historical accuracy, and a rare insight into the human heart.

A story of divided loyalties and fierce friendship; of true love made impossible by class and race; a critique of the imperialist adventure; and an examination of the cultural and spiritual clash between East and West peopled by a wonderful cast of characters,

First of four omnibuses spanning the years between the Indian Mutiny in 1857 and the Siege of the British Mission in Kabul in 1879.

Sita / Narrator ..... Vineeta Rishi
Biju Ram ..... Inam Mirza
K-Daad ..... Sam Dastor
Ashok (child) ..... Joseph Samrai
Anjuli (child) ..... Nishi Malde
Hira Lal ..... Sagar Arya
Lalji ..... Nazim Khan
Daya Ram ..... Kaleem Janjua
Pelham Martyn ..... Sam Dale

Directors: Marc Beeby and Jessica Dromgoole

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 2011.


SUN 07:15 First for Radio (b072n8fc)
Series 3

Delamere's Meadow

Two sisters have to find new grazing ground for their ponies and this marks the start of horsey intrigue with Mrs Luckie-Bryant..

Amelia Bullmore reads Nina Stibbe's short story.

Readings of acclaimed novelists' first stories for radio.

Producer: Duncan Minshull

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 2016.


SUN 07:30 Welcome to Our Village, Please Invade Carefully (b01k9hmd)
Pilot

Katherine Parkinson and Julian Rhind-Tutt star in this 'Comedy Showcase' pilot about an alien invasion of a small English village.

The Geonin are not your typical alien invaders. Instead of the usual all-at-once approach to global domination (which usually fails, they've noticed) they've decided to start small. They've encircled a small English village with an impenetrable heat wave, preventing anything coming in or out.

With Cresdon Green as their base, they will learn about humankind, using their knowledge to effectively and efficiently spread their domination over the rest of the world, bit by bit.

Katrina just came back to borrow some money from her parents. And, having been turned down, she's really in no mood to stick around - but the Geonin are not letting anyone in or out, and she has tickets to the theatre in London. So what choice does she have but to start The Resistance?

Kat Lyons ...... Katherine Parkinson
Uljabaan ...... Julian Rhind-Tutt
Mrs Lyons ...... Jan Francis
Mr Lyons ...... Peter Davison
Ron ...... Dave Lamb
Lucy ...... Hannah Murray
Computer ...... John-Luke Roberts
Chris ...... Don Gilet

Two series were commissioned with an amended cast.

Producer: Ed Morrish.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 2 in July 2012.


SUN 08:00 Whack-O! (m000f6xt)
Series 2

Jim's Attempt To Earn Respect

Headmaster Jim is given a week to prove that he has his pupils’ respect.

Starting life on BBC TV before transferring to radio, Chiselbury School is run "for the sons of gentlefolk".

Headmaster, Professor James Edwards, M.A. never misses a trick when it comes to exploiting the students and their parents. Sports pitches are given over to growing vegetables, which the boys nurture for their head to sell. Classes never exceed 95 pupils - 50 if private tuition is paid for at five guineas extra. It's only thanks to the efforts of the devoted deputy head, Mr. Potter, that the school exists at all.

Staff and pupils played by June Whitfield, Roddy Maude-Roxby, Frederick Treves, John Coxall, Roger Shepherd, Graham Aza and David Lott.

Written by Frank Muir and Denis Norden and adapted for radio by David Climie.

Producer: Edward Taylor

First broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in March 1962.


SUN 08:30 Harry Worth in Things Could Be Worse (b09rwg3t)
And So to Bed

Harry has got back problems, but will a reputation for being a hypochondriac work against him?

Written by David McKellar and David Renwick.

Starring Harry Worth.

With John Baddeley, John Graham and Miriam Margolyes.

Producer: Simon Brett.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 1976.


SUN 09:00 This Orient Isle (Omnibus) (b0761127)
Professor Jerry Brotton examines Queen Elizabeth I's fascination with the Orient.

One of the UK's leading experts on cultural exchange, he shows that England's relations with the Muslim world were far more extensive, and often more amicable, than we have ever appreciated, and that their influence was felt across the political, commercial and domestic landscape of Elizabethan England.

Derek Jacobi reads the captivating account of how Britain sent ships, treaties and gifts to the royal families of Morocco and Turkey, including a gold carriage and a full-size pipe organ.

Omnibus of five parts.

Producer: David Roper

A Heavy Entertainment production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in April 2016.


SUN 10:10 The Listening Project (b06418lf)
Robin and Anne – Doing More

Fi Glover introduces a conversation recorded in the mobile Booth at Sutton House in Hackney, where a son admits to his mother that growing up in a politicised home has left him feeling he should probably be taking a firmer stand. Another in the series that proves it's surprising what you hear when you listen.

The Listening Project is a Radio 4 initiative that offers a snapshot of contemporary Britain in which people across the UK volunteer to have a conversation with someone close to them about a subject they've never discussed intimately before. The conversations are being gathered across the UK by teams of producers from local and national radio stations who facilitate each encounter. Every conversation - they're not BBC interviews, and that's an important difference - lasts up to an hour, and is then edited to extract the key moment of connection between the participants. Most of the unedited conversations are being archived by the British Library and used to build up a collection of voices capturing a unique portrait of the UK in the second decade of the millennium. You can learn more about The Listening Project by visiting bbc.co.uk/listeningproject

Producer: Marya Burgess


SUN 10:15 Desert Island Discs Revisited (b06gy2s3)
Fashion

Mario Testino

From Sid Vicious to Caetano Veloso.

One of the world's most successful fashion photographers, Mario Testino shares his castaway choices with Sue Lawley.

Kate Moss, Catherine Zeta Jones and Madonna are among the women who have posed for him and, most famously, he became Princess Diana's favourite photographer. But his route into photography was circuitous.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 2005.


SUN 11:00 Radiolab (m000f6xw)
Series 6

3 Questions

In this episode we ride along on New York City's poop train to find out what happens to poop once it's, well, pooped. Then, we travel to Kenya where legions of athletes, sports gurus, and scientists have tried to figure out why a specific tribe has long-dominated long-distance running. And lastly, we ask why quicksand -once a real fear - no longer scares an 8-year-old.

Radiolab is a Peabody-award winning show about curiosity. Where sound illuminates ideas, and the boundaries blur between science, philosophy, and the human experience.

Hosts Jad Abumrad and Robert Krulwich investigate a strange world.

From WNYC. First broadcast on public radio in the USA in 2015.


SUN 12:00 Whack-O! (m000f6xt)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]


SUN 12:30 Harry Worth in Things Could Be Worse (b09rwg3t)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]


SUN 13:00 MM Kaye - The Far Pavilions (Omnibus) (b062n97p)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]


SUN 14:15 First for Radio (b072n8fc)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:15 today]


SUN 14:30 The Second Sleep (Omnibus) (m000f86d)
Episode 2

After demonstrating electricity at his lecture, Shadwell has been arrested for heresy. Can Fairfax free him?

“Until the close of the early modern era, Western Europeans on most evenings experienced two major intervals of sleep . . . The initial interval of slumber was usually referred to as ‘first sleep’ . . . The succeeding interval was called ‘second’ or ‘morning’ sleep . . . Both phases lasted roughly the same length of time, with individuals waking some time after midnight before returning to rest.
Roger Ekirch, At Day’s Close: A History of Nighttime “

Father Fairfax, a newly ordained priest has been sent by the Bishop of Exeter to the village of Addicott St George to bury Father Lacy who has recently died. But a mysterious figure appears at the funeral casting doubt on the accidental nature of the priest’s death.

Author Robert Harris, the master of plotting is best known for his best-selling fiction; The Ghost Writer, An Officer and a Spy, Fatherland, Enigma and Archangel.

Omnibus of the last five of ten episodes.

Abridger: Jeremy Osborne
Reader: Michael Maloney
Producer: Karen Rose

A Sweet Talk production first broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 2020.


SUN 15:45 Door Stepping (b08zc1jm)
Student Days

One morning you say goodbye to your ordinary house in an ordinary Welsh village, and an ordinary bedroom filled with Blur and Oasis posters, that mum can still invade with the hoover, and suddenly you are standing in front of a beautiful 400 year old building with turrets and clock towers.

You sit on your bed staring at the bare walls, wondering what poster to put up first. Your roommate arrives and you eye each other warily.

Taking that first step away from home, if you are lucky enough to go to university, can be a little more gentle that landing up in the outside world. But what challenges lie ahead?

Jude Rogers continues her journey back to the homes that have shaped her life, and meets the students who have taken up residence in her past rooms - Verity, Annie and Tilly, to find out how their lives contrast with hers.

Producer: Sara Jane Hall

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 2017.


SUN 16:00 Nathaniel Hawthorne - Wakefield (b00rs19x)
A dull middle-aged man whose life has been monotonously ordinary for years, devises a plot to temporarily leave home and observe the effect on his wife from a flat opposite.

But he stays away much longer than expected - and it becomes more and more difficult for him to return...

David Haig stars in Nathaniel Hawthorne's short story dramatised by Martyn Wade.

Wakefield ...... David Haig
Hawthorne ...... John Rowe
Mrs Wakefield ...... Richenda Carey
Mr Lucas Ferris ...... Jonathan Keeble
Mrs Brand ...... Jennie Stoller
Doctor ...... Gordon Reid

Producer: Cherry Cookson

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 2001


SUN 17:00 Poetry Extra (m000f6xy)
James Berry - A Story I Am In

Poet Daljit Nagra revisits the BBC's radio poetry archive and chooses A Story I Am In featuring Jamaican poet James Berry, OBE. With Hannah Lowe. From 2015.

Hannah Lowe looks at the poetry of James Berry OBE, who came to the UK from Jamaica in 1948.

Berry started to write about his experiences and came to play a key role in bringing Caribbean voices into British poetry, editing two seminal anthologies, "Bluefoot Traveller" and "News for Babylon". At the time of recording Berry had just turned 90, and is slipping into the hidden depths of Alzheimer's Disease but, as A Story I Am In shows, he is aware of people and nature around him.

Next Generation poet and academic Hannah Lowe, herself of part-Jamaican origin, explores how James Berry's poems look to his childhood in rural Jamaica, and reflect on the shock of an England that didn't always know how to accept him. In 1981, he won the Poetry Society's National Poetry Competition for the best poem of the year.

Fellow poets John Agard, Grace Nichols and Linton Kwesi Johnson explain how Berry's work and the man himself came to have such a strong influence on them, while Hannah Lowe finds that the poems have helped her trace her own father's journey from Jamaica to London.

As James Berry developed ways to talk of his experiences both in Standard English and Jamaican Patois, the poets discuss how these ways of writing express different feelings and outlooks.

Using archive of Berry reading his own poems and talking about how he came to write poetry, Hannah Lowe seeks out the man and poet. What shines through is a man of great mental strength - genial, kind and acutely aware of the flash points between people.

Producer: Emma-Louise Williams

A Loftus production for BBC Radio 4

First broadcast in 2015.


SUN 17:30 Welcome to Our Village, Please Invade Carefully (b01k9hmd)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]


SUN 18:00 Nightfall (m000f6y0)
Series 3

Child's Play by Arthur Samuels

A couple move into the wife's family home, a place haunted by the unsolved murder of her parents.

Nightfall is a series of supernatural and horror dramas made by Canada’s CBC Radio that ran from 1980-83. It went on to become one of the most popular shows in the network’s history. During 100 episodes over three seasons, Nightfall featured a mix of original stories and adaptations of classic tales.

Mary… Eve Crawford
Arthur… John Stocker
Martha…Denise Fergusson
Dennis… Ron Hartman
Sergeant Doherty… John Grennan
Coroner… Marian Waldman
Little girl… Melanie Brown

Written by Arthur Samuels.

Director: Bill Howell.

First broadcast on CBC Canada in 1982.


SUN 18:30 Brian Aldiss - Hothouse (b00m9p2w)
Episode 1

Millions of years in the future, a colossal banyan tree covers much of the Earth. In its boughs, the last remnants of humanity are fighting for survival, terrorised by carnivorous plants and grotesque insect life.

The Earth has stopped rotating and the Sun's output has increased. Plants are engaged in a constant tropical forest-style frenzy of growth driving other life forms to extinction...

Brian Aldiss's 1962 sci-fi fantasy read by Gareth Thomas.

Abridged in five parts by Lu Kemp.

Producer: Eilidh McCreadie

Made for BBC Radio 7 and first broadcast in 2009.


SUN 19:00 Radiolab (m000f6xw)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:00 today]


SUN 20:00 This Orient Isle (Omnibus) (b0761127)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]


SUN 21:10 The Listening Project (b06418lf)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:10 today]


SUN 21:15 Desert Island Discs Revisited (b06gy2s3)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:15 today]


SUN 22:00 Welcome to Our Village, Please Invade Carefully (b01k9hmd)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]


SUN 22:30 Small Scenes (b04lq2ys)
Series 2

Episode 2

Oxford Zoo is annexed by its own monkey kingdom and a young woman falls under the romantic spell of "The Great Dimbleby."

Symphonious sketch show, starring Daniel Rigby, Sara Pascoe, Mike Wozniak, Cariad Lloyd and Henry Paker.

Written by Benjamin Partridge, Henry Paker and Mike Wozniak.

Producer: Simon Mayhew-Archer.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 2014.


SUN 22:55 The Comedy Club Interviews (m000f8n1)
Arabella Weir 2/2

From 10.00pm until midnight, seven days a week, the Comedy Club has two hours of comedy. Angela Barnes is your host and chats to the comedian, actor and writer Arabella Weir.


SUN 23:00 The Cariad Radio Show (b043659k)
Cariad Lloyd stars in a character-driven audience sketch show including creations like:

* Kooky girl Jooooey
* Terrifying villain Cockney Sam
* Robot Mum (who can search the web for appropriate motherly feelings)
* Cheery Welsh Judith who does all the admin for a sinister cult
* The peculiar arts-and-crafts-fuelled antics of Crafty Jack.

With Tom Golding, Louise Ford, Graham Dickson.

Producers: Rupert Majendie and Gareth Edwards

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 2014.


SUN 23:30 Edge Falls (b007s1dt)
Series 1

Happy Week

The retail park's latest campaign is launched by its politically correct manager, Sonya.

Paul Barnhill and Neil Warhurst's sitcom following the lives of the staff of Edge Falls Retail Village starring Sarah Lancashire and Mark Benton.

Sonya.............................Sarah Lancashire
Mick................................Mark Benton
Rez............................... Emil Marwa
Valerie........................... Sarah Hadland
Colin...............................Anthony Glennon
Milosh.............................John Dougall
John/Jim.........................Neil Warhurst
Karl/Gretel......................Paul Barnhill
Tina................................Jasmine Callan
Cheryl.............................Kitty McDonagh
Mum................................Rachel Bavidge

Director: Sally Avens

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 2007.



MONDAY 10 FEBRUARY 2020

MON 00:00 Nightfall (m000f6y0)
[Repeat of broadcast at 18:00 on Sunday]


MON 00:30 Brian Aldiss - Hothouse (b00m9p2w)
[Repeat of broadcast at 18:30 on Sunday]


MON 01:00 MM Kaye - The Far Pavilions (Omnibus) (b062n97p)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 on Sunday]


MON 02:15 First for Radio (b072n8fc)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:15 on Sunday]


MON 02:30 The Second Sleep (Omnibus) (m000f86d)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:30 on Sunday]


MON 03:45 Door Stepping (b08zc1jm)
[Repeat of broadcast at 15:45 on Sunday]


MON 04:00 Nathaniel Hawthorne - Wakefield (b00rs19x)
[Repeat of broadcast at 16:00 on Sunday]


MON 05:00 Poetry Extra (m000f6xy)
[Repeat of broadcast at 17:00 on Sunday]


MON 05:30 Welcome to Our Village, Please Invade Carefully (b01k9hmd)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 on Sunday]


MON 06:00 David Ellis - Find The Lady (m000f7h9)
6. In Which Andrew Marsh Finds a Friend

Having discharged himself from hospital and assumed a false identity, Andrew Marsh heads to the Excelsior...

Noel Johnson stars in a seven-part thriller serial by David Ellis.

Andrew Marsh …. Noel Johnson
Dr Fergus …. Malcolm Hayes
Constable …. Nicholas Edmett
Judy Randall …. Eva Haddon
Girl at the Station …. Gretta Gouriet
Bill Rodney …. Wilfred Carter
Alf Jenkins …. Brian Haines
Detective Sergeant Rankin …. Henry Stamper
Detective Inspector Adams …. John Bentley
Peter Lloyd …. Michael Deacon

Producer: Betty Davies.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 2 in February 1969.


MON 06:30 The Twilight World of Syd Barrett (b011plrs)
Since his death on the 7th July 2006, Syd Barrett lives on freeze-framed, still young and a striking lost soul of the 1960s whose brief moment of creativity outshines those long years of solitude shut away in a terraced house in his home town of Cambridge.

This revealing programme hears how his band Pink Floyd (and family) coped with Barrett's mental breakdown and explores the hurriedly arranged holiday to the Spanish island of Formentera - where the star unravelled. We also hear about his pioneering brand of English psychedelic pop typified on early Pink Floyd recordings 'Arnold Layne', 'See Emily Play' and the strange songs on Pink Floyd's impressive debut album 'The Piper At the Gates of Dawn'.

Undoubtedly Barrett's experimentation with the drug LSD affected him mentally and the band members reveal how concerned they were when he began to go catatonic on-stage, playing music that had little to do with their material, or not playing at all.

By Spring 1968 Barrett was out of the group and after a brief period of hibernation, he re-emerged in 1970 with a pair of albums, 'The Madcap Laughs' and 'Barrett', but they failed to chart and Barrett retired to a hermit life existing under the watchful gaze of his caring sister Rosemary (featured in the programme)

David Gilmour, Nick Mason and Rick Wright (one of the last interviews before his sad passing) reveal how there was little understanding of mental illness when it came to the drug fused culture of the time. These days a strung out star is hurriedly booked into the Priory and given counselling. Barrett's mental breakdown was not understood and the steps taken to help him were inappropriate and still rankle the members of Pink Floyd today...

Producer: John Sugar

A Sugar Production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in June 2011.


MON 07:00 Chambers (b007jnqh)
Series 1

Trial By Television

Ruth gets a job as "Legal Eagle" on breakfast telly, leaving John Fuller-Carp desperate to make a bigger TV splash.

Clive Coleman’s sitcom about the questionable practices of a group of barristers.

John Fuller Carp ...... John Bird
Hilary Tripping ...... James Fleet
Ruth Quirke ...... Lesley Sharp
Vince ...... Jonathan Kydd
Matthew Hoadley ...... Robert Duncan
Trudy ...... Susie Brann
Sylvie ...... Jane Whittenshaw

Producer Paul Schlesinger

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 1996.


MON 07:30 The Unbelievable Truth (m000dybw)
Series 23

Episode 6

David Mitchell hosts the panel game in which four comedians are encouraged to tell lies and compete against one another to see how many items of truth they're able to smuggle past their opponents.

Marcus Brigstocke, Lou Sanders, Cally Beaton and Neil Delamere are the panellists obliged to talk with deliberate inaccuracy on subjects as varied as religion, kissing, languages and the Vikings.

Produced by Jon Naismith
A Random Entertainment production for BBC Radio 4


MON 08:00 The Enchanting World of Hinge and Bracket (b04vf7q6)
Series 1

The Cubs and Brownies Day Trip

Can the dear ladies survive a trip to the seaside with the Brownies and Cubs?

Starring Dame Hilda Bracket and her lifelong companion Dr Evadne Hinge.

The dear ladies reside in the Suffolk village of Stackton Tressel. This was the genteel setting for three Radio 4 series between 1977 and 1979, with further spin-off seasons on Radio 2 until 1990. In the early 1980s, they expanded over to BBC TV with the series Dear Ladies.

Dame Hilda Bracket ...... George Logan
Dr Evadne Hinge ...... Patrick Fyffe
Walter ...... Joe Gladwin

Scripted by Mike Craig, Lawrie Kinsley and Ron McDonnell.

Produced at BBC Manchester by James Casey.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in June 1977.


MON 08:30 Dad's Army (b007jqbr)
Series 3

My British Buddy

Walmington-on-Sea's warm welcome for some American troops backfires.

The comic exploits of a Second World War Home Guard platoon in Walmington-on-Sea.

Adapted for radio from Jimmy Perry and David Croft's TV scripts by Harold Snoad and Michael Knowles.

Captain Mainwaring …. Arthur Lowe
Sergeant Wilson …. John Le Mesurier
Corporal Jones …. Clive Dunn
Private Frazer …. John Laurie
Private Godfrey …. Arnold Ridley
Private Pike …. Ian Lavender
Hodges Warden …. Bill Pertwee
Private Walker …. Larry Martyn
Colonel Schultz …. Jack Watson
Mrs Fox …. Mollie Sugden
Shirley …. Wendy Richard

Producer: John Dyas

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 1976.


MON 09:00 Whispers (b00bzrmj)
Series 2

Episode 2

What is the real truth about Alexander Graham Bell, Walt Disney and Lord Lucan?

Gyles Brandreth hosts the quiz show with scandal on its mind and slander at its heart.

Lynne Truss and Michele Brown join team captains Lucy Moore and Anthony Holden to run the gauntlet of gossip.

Producer: Elizabeth Freestone

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 2004.


MON 09:30 Huddwinks (b00fsmz6)
Series 2

The Idiots Have Landed!

A Second World War tale of derring-do, to dispose of Adolf Hitler at his Bavarian lodge.

Roy Hudd stars in Laurie Rowley’s comic parodies.

With:

Denise Coffey
Chris Emmett
David Gooderson
Fred Harris

Producer: Jonathan James-Moore

First broadcast on BBC Radio 2 in June 1988.


MON 10:00 Alexandre Dumas - The Count of Monte Cristo (b01p0680)
Episode 1

At the age of 19, seaman Edmond Dantès has a charmed life - about to be promoted to Captain, and engaged to the beautiful Mercédès.

But Marseilles in 1815 is a dangerous place, and three of Dantes' acquaintances set in train a chain of events that will lead Edmond to 14 years of solitary confinement in the notorious Chateau D'If.

Adventure novel by Alexandre Dumas first published in 1844.

Dramatised in four parts by Sebastian Baczkiewicz.

Edmond Dantes ...... Iain Glen
Haydee ...... Jane Lapotaire
Abbe Faria ...... Richard Johnson
Monsieur Morrell ...... Robert Blythe
Danglars ...... Toby Jones
Fernand ...... Zubin Varla
Caderousse ...... Ben Crowe
Jacopo ...... Joe Sims
Captain Patin ...... Patrick Brennan
Albert de Morcerf ...... Will Howard
Antoine ...... Will Howard
Claude ...... Paul Stonehouse
Max Morrell ...... Adam Nagaitis
Mathilde ...... Liza Sadovy
Julie Morrell ...... Eleanor Crooks

Directors: Jeremy Mortimer / Sasha Yevtushenko

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 2012.


MON 11:00 TED Radio Hour (m000f7hd)
Series 6

Where Joy Hides

When we focus so much on achievement and success, it's easy to lose sight of joy.

TED speakers search for joy in unexpected places, and explain why it's crucial to a fulfilling life.

A journey through fascinating ideas based on talks by riveting speakers on the TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) stage.

First broadcast in the USA on National Public Radio in 2018,


MON 11:50 Terry-Thomas - Top of the Town (b012lk2m)
Episode 2

Poking fun at bands in a surviving series extract from gap-toothed, cad playing comic actor, Terry-Thomas.

Top of The Town ran for two series of 16 hour-long programmes, broadcast weekly between 1953 and 1955.

With Joan Sims and Leslie Mitchell.

Programme based on an idea by Terry Thomas

Script editor: Jimmy Grafton

Producer: Dennis Main Wilson.

First broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in January 1954.


MON 12:00 The Enchanting World of Hinge and Bracket (b04vf7q6)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]


MON 12:30 Dad's Army (b007jqbr)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]


MON 13:00 David Ellis - Find The Lady (m000f7h9)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]


MON 13:30 The Twilight World of Syd Barrett (b011plrs)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]


MON 14:00 Paul Murray - The Mark and the Void (b0639k87)
Episode 1

What links the Bank of Torabundo, an art heist, a novel called For the Love of a Clown, a four-year-old boy named after TV detective Remington Steele, a lonely French banker, a tiny Pacific island, and a pest control business run by an ex-KGB man? You guessed it...

Paul Murray’s madcap novel of institutional folly, follows the success of his wildly original Skippy Dies. Read by Peter Serafinowicz.

While marooned at his banking job in the bewilderingly damp and insular realm known as Ireland, Claude Martingale is approached by a down-on-his-luck author, Paul, looking for his next great subject. Claude finds that his life gets steadily more exciting under Paul’s fictionalizing influence; he even falls in love with a beautiful waitress. But can an investment banker be turned into a romantic hero, even with a writer on his side? And is Paul actually on Claude's side at all?

The Mark and the Void is a stirring examination of the deceptions carried out in the names of art, love and commerce – and is also probably the funniest novel ever written about a financial crisis.

Abridged by Sara Davies.

Producer: Jenny Thompson.

Music: Money by The Flying Lizards and Je Veux by Zaz

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 2015.


MON 14:15 A History of the Infinite (b07w99dw)
The Mathematics of the Infinitely Big

Adrian Moore continues his exploration of two and a half millennia of philosophical thought on infinity.

Discover the brilliant but tortured German mathematician, Georg Cantor, who devised a way of distinguishing between infinitely big numbers and of performing calculations with them.

His work was revolutionary but, as Adrian discovers, it greatly polarised opinion amongst his late 19th and early 20th century contemporaries - and we hear how Cantor himself suffered a complete breakdown in his mental health.

As Adrian takes us with him deep into the world of infinite set theory, he enlists the help of Mary Leng, Senior Lecturer in Philosophy at York University, and four very familiar twentieth century friends.

A Juniper production first broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 2016.


MON 14:30 MM Kaye - The Far Pavilions (b00y5htk)
Episode 6

Ash returns to camp with the stolen carbines and is given a new mission which will transform his life.

MM Kaye's epic of love and war, dramatised by Rukhsana Ahmad.

Narrator ..... Vineeta Rishi
Ash ..... Blake Ritson
Gulbaz ..... Kaleem Janjua
Jhoti ..... Joseph Samrai
Kaka-Ji Rao ..... Paul Bhattacharjee
Biju Ram ..... Inam Mirza
Colonel ..... Sam Dale
Battye ..... Jude Akuwudike
Ambrose ..... Iain Batchelor
Clerk ..... Adeel Akhtar

Directors: Marc Beeby and Jessica Dromgoole

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 2011.


MON 14:45 Skyfaring: A Journey with a Pilot (b05nsxyn)
Episode 1

Mark Vanhoenacker always had a passion for flying, but didn’t ever really consider it as a job, until his research as a young academic began to frustrate him and the tug of the skies once more made its presence felt.

Today he is a long distance pilot for one of the world’s major airlines.

In this opening episode: Take-off and the fascination with height - from small town Massachusetts to the busy skies over Europe.

Read by William Hope

Producer: Jill Waters

A Waters Company production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in April 2015.


MON 15:00 Alexandre Dumas - The Count of Monte Cristo (b01p0680)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 today]


MON 16:00 Whispers (b00bzrmj)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]


MON 16:30 Huddwinks (b00fsmz6)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 today]


MON 17:00 Chambers (b007jnqh)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]


MON 17:30 The Unbelievable Truth (m000dybw)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]


MON 18:00 Orbiter X (b077xnzr)
Breakaway

Captain McClelland and Flight Engineer Hicks plan to use an unmanned probe in their desperate bid to return to Earth.

First broadcast in 1959, a bold but perilous plan to conquer space with space station 'Orbiter X' is underway.

Captain Bob Britton …. John Carson
Captain Douglas McClelland …. Andrew Crawford
Flight Engineer Hicks …. Barrie Gosney
Max Kramer …. Gerik Schjelderup
Neasen …. Ian Sadler
Letmann …. John Cazabon
Colonel Kent …. Donald Bisset
Control Officer Brown …. Peter Noel Cook

Written by BD Chapman

Producer: Charles Maxwell

First broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in November 1959.


MON 18:30 A Good Read (b00lp2hn)
Alys Fowler and Professor Athene Donald

Gardener and broadcaster Alys Fowler and physicist Professor Athene Donald join Kate Mosse to discuss favourite paperbacks by Desmond King-Hele, MFK Fisher and Douglas Kennedy.

Erasmus Darwin: A Life of Unequalled Achievement by Desmond King-Hele
Publisher: Giles de la Mare

The Gastronomical Me by MFK Fisher
Publisher: North Point Press

The Woman in the Fifth by Douglas Kennedy
Publisher: Arrow

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 2009.


MON 19:00 The Enchanting World of Hinge and Bracket (b04vf7q6)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]


MON 19:30 Dad's Army (b007jqbr)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]


MON 20:00 David Ellis - Find The Lady (m000f7h9)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]


MON 20:30 The Twilight World of Syd Barrett (b011plrs)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]


MON 21:00 TED Radio Hour (m000f7hd)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:00 today]


MON 21:50 Terry-Thomas - Top of the Town (b012lk2m)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:50 today]


MON 22:00 The Unbelievable Truth (m000dybw)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]


MON 22:30 Bleak Expectations (b00vrxwt)
Series 4

A Tolerable Life De-Happified

Our hero Pip sees his former nemesis - the badly named Gently Benevolent - thwarted and locked up in a prison within a jail within a gaol spelled the other way, and apparently repentant of his crimes. But late one foggy night when Pip is attacked with a bowl of sinister custard he realises a new form of evil is stalking the streets of London, and he is obliged to ask for help from his erstwhile foe. Can Benevolent now be trusted? And who is the sinister evil figure?

Meanwhile, Pip's wife Ripely has become obsessed with cutlery, and the purchase of some diamond-handled dodo knives looks likely to force Pip into bankruptcy. And his best friend Harry Biscuit claims to be having terrible problems with an angry badger, but is it all as it seems?

Mark Evans's epic Victorian comedy in the style of Charles Dickens.

Sir Philip ..... Richard Johnson
Young Pip Bin ..... Tom Allen
Gently Benevolent ..... Anthony Head
Harry Biscuit ..... James Bachman
Grimpunch ..... Geoffrey Whitehead
Ripely ..... Sarah Hadland
Pippa ..... Susy Kane

Producer: Gareth Edwards

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 2010.


MON 23:00 The News Quiz Extra (m000f6cx)
Series 28

Episode 5

Even more bits of news-wrangling in this extended edition of Friday's show. Andrew Maxwell, Zoe Lyons, Daily Telegraph journalist Michael Deacon and stand-up comedian Sophie Duker join Nish this week.

Producer: Richard Morris
A BBC Studios Production


MON 23:45 What to Do If You're Not Like Everybody Else (b00tmtwm)
Series 1

Communication

Andrew Lawrence examines the difficulties of human interaction and communication.

A four part mini-series of short comedic monologues taking a light-hearted look at various aspects of conventional living and the pressure we feel to conform to social norms and ideals.

From South London comedy club 'Up The Creek'.

Written by Andrew Lawrence.

Producer: Jane Berthoud

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 2010.



TUESDAY 11 FEBRUARY 2020

TUE 00:00 Orbiter X (b077xnzr)
[Repeat of broadcast at 18:00 on Monday]


TUE 00:30 A Good Read (b00lp2hn)
[Repeat of broadcast at 18:30 on Monday]


TUE 01:00 David Ellis - Find The Lady (m000f7h9)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 on Monday]


TUE 01:30 The Twilight World of Syd Barrett (b011plrs)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 on Monday]


TUE 02:00 Paul Murray - The Mark and the Void (b0639k87)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:00 on Monday]


TUE 02:15 A History of the Infinite (b07w99dw)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:15 on Monday]


TUE 02:30 MM Kaye - The Far Pavilions (b00y5htk)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:30 on Monday]


TUE 02:45 Skyfaring: A Journey with a Pilot (b05nsxyn)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:45 on Monday]


TUE 03:00 Alexandre Dumas - The Count of Monte Cristo (b01p0680)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 on Monday]


TUE 04:00 Whispers (b00bzrmj)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 on Monday]


TUE 04:30 Huddwinks (b00fsmz6)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 on Monday]


TUE 05:00 Chambers (b007jnqh)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 on Monday]


TUE 05:30 The Unbelievable Truth (m000dybw)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 on Monday]


TUE 06:00 David Ellis - Find The Lady (m000f6cv)
7. In Which Andrew Marsh Finds the Truth

Andrew Marsh finally deduces who is behind him being framed for both cheque book fraud - and murder.

The gripping conclusion of David Ellis's thriller serial starring Noel Johnson.

Andrew Marsh …. Noel Johnson
Joyce Marsh …. Madi Hedd
Roger Sherwin …. Douglas Blackwell
Peter Lloyd …. Michael Deacon
Detective Sergeant Rankin …. Henry Stamper
Detective Inspector Adams …. John Bentley
Alf Jenkins …. Brian Haines
Judy Randall …. Eva Haddon

Producer: Betty Davies.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 2 in February 1969.


TUE 06:30 Soldiers of the Empire (b04l0zq5)
Recruitment and Resistance

Santanu Das tells the story of how one and a half million Indian men - nearly 900,000 soldiers and 600,000 non-combatants -were recruited from the villages and towns of British India to serve the Empire in the First World War.

When India joined the War on August 4th 1914, the powerful native princes and politicians of all sides pledged their support. Colonial adminstrators and local chieftains toured villages to recruit from the so-called "martial races", particularly from the Punjab. Financial incentives were promised and medals were issued to successful recruiters. Singers and poets were hired to entice anyone of fighting age.

Santanu travels to India to meet the grandsons and great-grandsons of soldiers who fought on the western front, Mesopotamia and elsewhere. One speaks with immense pride of his family's help to the Empire in its hour of need; another tells of his sadness at the thought of young men who had only ever handled a sickle, being used as cannon fodder, thousands of miles from home.

In 1917 when the pool of available manpower was drying up, the British stepped up the recruiting drive. Santanu hears tales of coercion, including allegations of water supplies being diverted and even of the kidnapping of wives of men of fighting age.

Of all the colonies in the British, French and German empires, the Indian subcontinent contributed the highest number of men. This is the story of how they were recruited to travel across the Kalopani, the "dark waters", to take part in the world's first industrial war.

Producer: Philippa Goodrich

A Juniper production first broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 2014.


TUE 07:00 HR (b00hv33d)
Series 1

A Role-Play

Peter discovers that he has to reapply for his own job. But he's not the only one...

Nigel Williams’ comedy drama series charting the misfortunes of a middle-aged HR officer and his trouble-making colleague.

Peter ...... Jonathan Pryce
Sam ...... Nicholas Le Prevost

Director: Peter Cavanagh

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 2009.


TUE 07:30 Phil Wang: Wangsplaining (m00057qs)
The UK is more divided than ever, and no one seems able to agree on anything. What does it mean to be British? To be a man? To be white or “of colour”, gay or straight, young or old, or none of the above? It seems we can’t see the woods for the trees.

What’s needed is a little outside perspective. Enter: Phil Wang – a caustic British-Malaysian comedian who grew up on the island of Borneo. A centrist with a heart; an artist with an engineering degree.

In this pilot episode, Phil turns his attention to the British Empire - was British colonialism really one big crime? Modern liberalism would say so, but Phil’s Dad sure misses those prompt British buses – “I wish they’d come take us over again. Maybe I’d get to work on time!”

Written by and starring Phil Wang

Original music by Fauxe

Produced and edited by Matt Stronge

Wangsplaining is a BBC Studios production.


TUE 08:00 The Goon Show (b00q9xrg)
1985

Winston Seagoon battles the Big Brother Corporation. Can he survive Room 101?

Groundbreaking, surreal BBC radio comedy written by Spike Milligan and Eric Sykes.

Starring:

Peter Sellers
Harry Secombe
Spike Milligan

First billed as Crazy People, ten series of The Goon Show were recorded between 1951 and 1960, but sadly many of the earliest shows weren’t kept in the archive.

With the Ray Ellington Quartet and Max Geldray.

Orchestra conducted by Bruce Campbell.

Announcer: Wallace Greenslade

Producer: Peter Eton

First broadcast on the BBC Home Service in January 1955.


TUE 08:30 Round the Horne (b00mlxk1)
Series 3

Episode 12

Kenneth Williams saddles up as a jockey in 'A Man Is Two Foot Tall', but Kenneth Horne is after some advice on Bona Bijou Tourettes from Julian and Sandy.

With Kenneth Williams, Hugh Paddick, Betty Marsden and Bill Pertwee.

Recorded at the BBC's Paris Studio in Lower Regent Street, London. Announcer: Douglas Smith

Round The Horne was born out of the demise of BBC radio comedy Beyond Our Ken, after the end of writer Eric Merriman's involvement. Using the same cast and producer, Barry Took and Marty Feldman were persuaded to write the scripts - which led to four series that ran between 1965 and 1968 - packed full of parodies, recurring characters, catchphrases and double-entendres.

Music by Edwin Braden and the Hornblowers and The Fraser Hayes Four.

Producer: John Simmonds

First broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in April 1967.


TUE 09:00 The News Quiz Extra (m000f6cx)
[Repeat of broadcast at 23:00 on Monday]


TUE 09:45 What to Do If You're Not Like Everybody Else (b00tmtwm)
[Repeat of broadcast at 23:45 on Monday]


TUE 10:00 Alexandre Dumas - The Count of Monte Cristo (b01p3151)
Episode 2

It's 1838, and the Count has arrived in Paris.

His enemies, Baron Danglars, Gerard de Villefort and Fernand de Morcerf have no idea that Edmond Dantes, who they betrayed in Marseilles a quarter of a century earlier, is plotting to destroy them.

Adventure novel by Alexandre Dumas first published in 1844.

The Count/Edmond Dantes ...... Iain Glen
Haydee ...... Jane Lapotaire
Younger Haydee ...... Amber Rose Revah
Baron Danglars ...... Toby Jones
Gerard de Villefort ...... Paul Rhys
Fernand, Count de Morcerf ...... Zubin Varla
Mercedes de Morcerf ...... Josette Simon
Heloise de Villefort ...... Kate Fleetwood
Abbe Faria ...... Richard Johnson
General Noirtier ...... Karl Johnson
Hermine Danglars ...... Stephanie Racine
Albert de Morcerf ...... Will Howard
Jacopo ...... Joe Sims
Max Morrell ...... Adam Nagaitis
Valentine de Villefort ...... Lizzy Watts
Coachman ...... Paul Stonehouse

Dramatised by Sebastian Baczkiewicz.

Music by David Tobin and Jeff Meegan.

Directors: Jeremy Mortimer / Sasha Yevtushenko

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 2012.


TUE 11:00 Imagining Chekhov (b071x87p)
The Death of Anton Chekhov by Alison MacLeod

A set of three stories, commissioned specially for Radio 4. Alison MacLeod explores the life and work of one of the finest short story writers of them all - Anton Pavlovich Chekhov.

This story could be called The Death Of Anton Chekhov By Anton Chekhov. Now very ill, Chekhov travels with Olga to a spa town in Germany in the hope of better treatment.

Reader: Peter Firth

Producer: Jeremy Osborne

A Sweet Talk production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in March 2016.


TUE 11:15 Drama (b05nxmzy)
Duchamp's Urinal

A documentary fiction about how a men's urinal changed the face of the art world at the turn of the 20th century.

Presented by art-historian Ben Street, and a cast of other subversive characters.

Written by Al Smith and Ben Street.

Merce ...... Chris Pavlo
Bellows/Wyatt/Sophisticate/American Voice ...... Sam Dale
Arensberg/Taxi Driver/French Voice/Steiglitz ...... Nick Underwood
John Cage/Joseph Stella/German voice ...... Finn Den Hertog
Marcel Duchamp ...... Samuel Barnett
Johns ...... Mark Edel Hunt
Rauchenberg ...... Neet Mohan

Producer: Lu Kemp.

A BBC Scotland production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in April 2015.


TUE 12:00 The Goon Show (b00q9xrg)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]


TUE 12:30 Round the Horne (b00mlxk1)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]


TUE 13:00 David Ellis - Find The Lady (m000f6cv)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]


TUE 13:30 Soldiers of the Empire (b04l0zq5)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]


TUE 14:00 Paul Murray - The Mark and the Void (b0639w9l)
Episode 2

Novelist Paul shadows his muse at the Bank of Torabundo, but Claude grows increasingly worried he's not interesting enough to star in a novel.

Paul Murray’s madcap novel of institutional folly - a stirring examination of the deceptions carried out in the names of art, love and commerce.

Read by Peter Serafinowicz.

Abridged by Sara Davies.

Producer: Jenny Thompson.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 2015.


TUE 14:15 A History of the Infinite (b07wbtt1)
Crisis and Uncertainty

Adrian Moore’s series on philosophical thought on infinity finds him mired in a near meltdown in mathematics.

Adrian tells the story of the controversy caused by the work of the German mathematician, Georg Cantor, on the infinite.

In a world of paradoxes, we meet the nun who can't decide whether to pray for herself. Her dilemma is beautifully explained by Marcus Giaquinto, Emeritus Professor of Philosophy at UCL, in conversation with Adrian. And we find out how an associated paradox, first posed by one of the giants of 20th century philosophy, Bertrand Russell, devastated the career of another German mathematician and philosopher.

The arguments of the early 20th century no longer plague modern mathematics in the way that they did. As Adrian explains however, by subjecting the infinite to formal scrutiny, mathematicians have ended up confronting puzzles at the very heart of their discipline.

A Juniper production first broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 2016.


TUE 14:30 MM Kaye - The Far Pavilions (b00y8tzs)
Episode 7

The wedding party continues its journey. Ash finds that once again, he is saving the life of a Karidkote prince.

MM Kaye's epic of love and war, dramatised by Rukhsana Ahmad.

Narrator ..... Vineeta Rishi
Ash ..... Blake Ritson
Anjuli ..... Ayesha Dharker
Gulbaz ..... Kaleem Janjua
Jhoti ..... Joseph Samrai
Kaka-Ji Rao ..... Paul Bhattacharjee
Biju Ram ..... Inam Mirza
Shushila ..... Deeivya Meir

Directors: Marc Beeby and Jessica Dromgoole

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 2011.


TUE 14:45 Skyfaring: A Journey with a Pilot (b05pr03b)
Episode 2

‘Place- lag’ and journeying through time zones.

Mark Vanhoenacker always had a passion for flying, but didn't ever really consider it as a job, until his research as a young academic began to frustrate him and the tug of the skies once more made its presence felt.

Today he is a long distance pilot for one of the world's major airlines.

Read by William Hope

Producer: Jill Waters

A Waters Company production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in April 2015.


TUE 15:00 Alexandre Dumas - The Count of Monte Cristo (b01p3151)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 today]


TUE 16:00 The Museum of Curiosity (b06vk8xv)
Series 8

Walsh, Dubner, Bramwell

Professor of Ignorance John Lloyd and his curator Sarah Millican welcome:

* Holly Walsh, comedian and would-be medieval scholar
* Stephen J. Dubner, co-author of Freakonomics, a best-selling book that turned our understanding of economics on its head
* Dr David Bramwell, author, comic, and adventurer whose book The No 9 Bus To Utopia recounts his year-long pilgrimage in search of a Better Life.

The Museum's Guest Committee speculate on what drove medieval monks to draw obscene doodles on sacred manuscripts; why a mind-reading microchip could see the end of civilisation as we know it; and an interesting theory about who all those streakers were at 1970s sports events.

Researchers: Anne Miller and Molly Oldfield of QI.

Producers: Richard Turner and James Harkin.

A BBC Radio Comedy Production first broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 2016.


TUE 16:30 Hopes and Desires (b0076f0c)
Series 1

The Non-Entity

Moscow. Dmitri once made a good living writing dull social-realist stories that pleased the ruling Communist Party.

Now times have changed and his work is ignored. So why has a young woman publisher flown all the way from London to meet him?

Hopes and Desires is a series of comedies about unconscious yearnings.

Kenneth Cranham stars in Marcy Kahan's comedy drama

Dmitri …. Kenneth Cranham
Annoushka …. Eleanor Bron
Claire …. Sylvestra Le Touzel
Robert …. Stephen Critchlow

Director: Peter Kavanagh

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 2003.


TUE 17:00 HR (b00hv33d)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]


TUE 17:30 Phil Wang: Wangsplaining (m00057qs)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]


TUE 18:00 Orbiter X (b077ypfb)
The Price of Survival

Unity are plotting to commandeer the yet to be assembled Orbiter X space station for their own evil purposes.

First broadcast in 1959, a bold but perilous plan to conquer space with space station 'Orbiter X' is underway.

Captain Bob Britton …. John Carson
Captain Douglas McClelland …. Andrew Crawford
Flight Engineer Hicks …. Barrie Gosney
Max Kramer …. Gerik Schjelderup
Gelbin …. Arthur Lawrence
Neasen …. Ian Sadler
Colonel Kent …. Donald Bisset
Sir Charles Day …. Leslie Perrins

Written by BD Chapman

Producer: Charles Maxwell

First broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in November 1959.


TUE 18:30 Pioneers (b01466cy)
Series 2

Shannon Murray

Actress Shannon Murray speaks to Clare English about becoming the UK's first high street disabled model and how she physically and psychologically rebuilt her life after a diving accident.

She explains how she's challenged some of the prejudices and misconceptions surrounding disability.

Producer: Philip Sime

First broadcast on BBC Radio Scotland in 2011.


TUE 19:00 The Goon Show (b00q9xrg)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]


TUE 19:30 Round the Horne (b00mlxk1)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]


TUE 20:00 David Ellis - Find The Lady (m000f6cv)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]


TUE 20:30 Soldiers of the Empire (b04l0zq5)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]


TUE 21:00 Imagining Chekhov (b071x87p)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:00 today]


TUE 21:15 Drama (b05nxmzy)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:15 today]


TUE 22:00 Phil Wang: Wangsplaining (m00057qs)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]


TUE 22:30 Irish Micks and Legends (b051s4t4)
Series 2

King Larry Long Ears

Aisling Bea and Yasmine Akram tell the tale of King Larry Lonshach, a man hiding a terrible, gag inducing secret beneath his crown.

Only his hairdressers ever find out the secret - but that knowledge doesn't end well for them.

Series two of the duo's unique comedic, highly irreverent take on Irish folklore.

Still the very best pals, Aisling and Yasmine take their role explaining Irish legends to the British nation very seriously indeed. That said, it would appear that they haven't had the time to do much research, work out who is doing which parts, edit out the chat or learn how to work the sound desk.

With a vast vault of fantastical myths, mixed with 21st century references to help you along, prepare for some very silly lessons in life, love and the crazy shenanigans of old Ireland and modern Irish.

Producer: Raymond Lau

A Green Dragon Media production first broadcast BBC Radio 4 in February 2015.


TUE 22:45 Terry Alderton: More Crazy Now (b084bpk2)
Giant Hornets

Terry Alderton flexes his comedy muscles with more craziness and nonsense. Street Kid, Victor, Ed and The Bear and, this week, a lot of terrifying, buzzing hornets.

It’s more Terry, more crazy and happening right now. Some bees were harmed during the making of this programme... but not by us.

Written by and starring Terry Alderton.

Featuring Johnny Spurling

Additional material from Johnny Spurling and Richard Melvin.

Producers: Johnny Spurling and Sean Kerwin
Executive Producer: Richard Melvin

A Dabster production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in December 2016.


TUE 22:55 The Comedy Club Interviews (m000f8pc)
Josie Long 1/3

From 10.00pm until midnight, seven days a week, the Comedy Club has two hours of comedy. Harriet Kemsley is your host and chats to the comedian Josie Long.


TUE 23:00 Rudy's Rare Records (b00nvyzv)
Series 1

Roots Manoeuvres

Now all living crammed above an old record store in Birmingham, Grandad Rudy, father Adam and son Richie collide over a local history exhibition.

Written by Danny Robins and Dan Tetsell from an original idea by Lenny Henry.

Adam Sharpe ...... Lenny Henry
Richie Sharp ...... Joe Jacobs
Rudy Sharpe ...... Larrington Walker
Doreen ...... Claire Benedict
Jamelia/Tasha ...... Natasha Godfrey
Clifton ...... Jeffery Kissoon
Alison ...... Tracy-Ann Oberman
Francis ...... Michael Fenton Stevens
Customers ...... Colin Hoult/Doc Brown

Producer: Lucy Armitage.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 2008.


TUE 23:30 John Shuttleworth's Lounge Music (b082wwlw)
Series 2

Episode 1

John Shuttleworth invites celebrated pop stars to his Sheffield home to perform one of their own songs and also, more importantly, one of his.

For starters, John welcomes Chris Difford from Squeeze - but not before he's ejected Ken from the front door with his unwanted request to show John and Chris his new windows.

Chris is soon invited to "show us what you can do" and plays his classic song Up the Junction. John is duly impressed - but the admiration starts to fade when John finds out that Chris once took 50p from his mum's purse to place an advert in a shop window. Can John condone theft and forgive Chris, or will Chris have to redeem himself with his rendition of John's song Fish and Chips?

Also, Tom Robinson gives advice on how to become a radio DJ following pop success in Top Tips on the Telephone.

Written and Performed by Graham Fellows.

Special guests Chris Difford and Tom Robinson.

A Chic Ken production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in November 2016..



WEDNESDAY 12 FEBRUARY 2020

WED 00:00 Orbiter X (b077ypfb)
[Repeat of broadcast at 18:00 on Tuesday]


WED 00:30 Pioneers (b01466cy)
[Repeat of broadcast at 18:30 on Tuesday]


WED 01:00 David Ellis - Find The Lady (m000f6cv)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 on Tuesday]


WED 01:30 Soldiers of the Empire (b04l0zq5)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 on Tuesday]


WED 02:00 Paul Murray - The Mark and the Void (b0639w9l)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:00 on Tuesday]


WED 02:15 A History of the Infinite (b07wbtt1)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:15 on Tuesday]


WED 02:30 MM Kaye - The Far Pavilions (b00y8tzs)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:30 on Tuesday]


WED 02:45 Skyfaring: A Journey with a Pilot (b05pr03b)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:45 on Tuesday]


WED 03:00 Alexandre Dumas - The Count of Monte Cristo (b01p3151)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 on Tuesday]


WED 04:00 The Museum of Curiosity (b06vk8xv)
[Repeat of broadcast at 16:00 on Tuesday]


WED 04:30 Hopes and Desires (b0076f0c)
[Repeat of broadcast at 16:30 on Tuesday]


WED 05:00 HR (b00hv33d)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 on Tuesday]


WED 05:30 Phil Wang: Wangsplaining (m00057qs)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 on Tuesday]


WED 06:00 Falco (b00k7xct)
Venus in Copper

Episode 1

Marcus Didius Falco comes face to face with temptation when he's hired to follow a professional bride with a habit of outliving her husbands.

Anton Lesser stars as Ancient Rome's favourite detective in a gripping serialisation of Lindsey Davis's best seller.

Marcus Didius Falco …. Anton Lesser
Helena Justina …. Ann Madeley
Hyacinthus …. Stephen Critchlow
Pollia …. Julia Hills
Cake Seller/Lusius …. Laurence Saunders
Cossus …. Jonathan Tafler
Tyche …. Bella Merlin

Dramatised by Mary Cutler.

Directed at BBC Birmingham by Peter Leslie Wild.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 2006.


WED 06:30 Soldiers of the Empire (b04lsl23)
The Fight in Fairyland

On 22 October 1914, a Flemish priest from a village near Ypres recorded in his diary that Indian troops had been arriving throughout the hours of darkness in London double decker buses. The First Battle of Ypres had just begun and the Indian soldiers were being moved up to the front line.

Santanu Das tells the story of the Indian Army on the Western Front, from disembarkation in Marseilles where the troops were greeted by excited crowds, to the grim reality of the trenches. Ill-equipped and inadequately trained for industrial combat, they nonetheless resolutely held one third of the British frontline between October and December 1914.

Santanu speaks to the grandchildren and great-grandchildren of officers and men. Some of these descendants have re-discovered diaries and detailed accounts of the war which chronicle their ancesters' encounters with local people and describe the mutual curiosity between the Indian soldiers and the French and Flemish villagers. Close bonds sprang up between the Indians and the local families with whom they billeted, with many sepoys home about their 'French mothers'.

Back in India, the families waited for news from the front which was sometimes very slow to come back. The grandson of one Indian sowar (cavalryman) didn't discover how his grandfather had died until 40 years after the end of the First World War, when he heard from an old comrade how his grandfather died from his wounds after saving the life of a British officer at the Battle of Cambrai.

Producer: Philippa Goodrich

A Juniper TV production first broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 2014.


WED 07:00 The Change (b0076cwf)
Series 2

Episode 3

George's desire to move back in with Carol is not reciprocated.

Lynda Bellingham and Chris Ellison star as troubled hormonal wife Carol who kicked out her mechanic husband George when he revealed he's a transvestite.

Sitcom by Gavin Petrie and Jan Etherington.

Carol …. Lynda Bellingham
George …. Chris Ellison
Violet …. Sylvia Syms
Maureen …. Maureen Beattie
Ken …. James Vaugnan
Sonia …. Emma Kennedy
Jerry …. Barnaby Kay
Dave …. Mark Powley
Di …. Di Aitcheson

Producer: Elizabeth Freestone.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 2003.


WED 07:30 Alex Edelman's Peer Group (m000f07s)
Series 3

Cool

Award-winning comedian Alex Edelman discusses the concept of "cool" and what it means today. With help from his "peer group" at the University of West London, Alex examines what is cool, how to be cool, and why it's still important today.

Alex Edelman's Peer Group is written and performed by Alex Edelman, with additional material from Alfie Brown, Rebecca Nicholson, David Burstein, Catherine Brinkworth and Kat Sadler.

It was produced by Sam Michell.

It is a BBC Studios Production.


WED 08:00 Hancock's Half Hour (b007k4d6)
Series 4

Back From Holiday

On his return from a disastrous break, the lad discovers that Sid's rented his house out.

Starring Tony Hancock.

With Sidney James, Bill Kerr and Kenneth Williams.

Written by Ray Galton and Alan Simpson.

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

Producer: Dennis Main Wilson

First broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in October 1956.


WED 08:30 One Foot in the Grave (b007jmxg)
Alive and Buried

Grumpy Victor Meldrew arrives at work to learn that he's no longer employed and is set to be replaced by a box.

With time passing very slowly in his enforced retirement, Victor gripes about newsreaders and worries about becoming a lavatory junkie.

Richard Wilson stars as Victor and Annette Crosbie as his long-suffering wife Margaret.

Adapted for radio by David Renwick from his BBC TV script.

Victor Meldrew ...... Richard Wilson
Margaret Meldrew ...... Annette Crosbie
Mrs Warboys ...... Doreen Mantle
Nick Swainey ...... Owen Brenman

With Sally Grace and Jeffrey Holland.

Winning numerous awards, it ran for six TV series and numerous specials on BBC ONE from 1990 to 2000.

Producer: Diane Messias

First broadcast on BBC Radio 2 in January 1995.


WED 09:00 Listomania (b09x4n4c)
Pilot Episode

Susan Calman hosts the pilot for the series exploring the world of the list – from the magnificent to the mundane – from the humble 'to do' list to the bucket list...

With Lucy Porter, Joe Lycett, Richard Herring and Katherine Ryan.

Written by James Kettle and Gráinne Maguire.

Producers: Adnan Ahmed and Sam Bryant

First broadcast on BBC Radio 2 in 2014


WED 09:30 Such Rotten Luck (b01nt4qk)
Series 1

In an Unreal City

Woodhouse is confused by contradictory accounts.

The ups and downs of a second class writer

Comedy drama series written by Ronald Hayman.

Woodhouse ...... Tim Pigott-Smith
Gila ...... Zoe Wanamaker
Seamus ...... Stephen Rea
Jutta ...... Susie Bran
Hildegarde ...... Miriam Karlin
Graubart ...... Bill Wallis
Mark Grimshaw ...... Geoffrey Whitehead
Pachmann ...... John Moffatt
Gila’s Dad ...... Benjamin Whitrow
Gila’s Mum ...... Joan Matheson
Frau Graubart ...... Eva Stuart
Sasha ...... Susan Sheridan

Music by Elizabeth Parker of the BBC Radiophonic Workshop

Director: Piers Plowright

First broadcast on BBC Radio 3 in September 1989.


WED 10:00 Alexandre Dumas - The Count of Monte Cristo (b01p6rz5)
Episode 3

With Fernand de Morcerf dead, the Count begins to tighten the net around Baron Danglars and Gerard de Villefort, and their unsuspecting wives.

Adventure novel by Alexandre Dumas dramatised by Sebastian Baczkiewicz.

The Count/Edmond Dantes ...... Iain Glen
Haydee ...... Jane Lapotaire
Mercedes de Morcerf ...... Josette Simon
Gerard de Villefort ...... Paul Rhys
Heloise de Villefort ...... Kate Fleetwood
General Noirtier ...... Karl Johnson
Baron Danglars ...... Toby Jones
Hermine Danglars ...... Stephanie Racine
Fernand de Morcerf ...... Zubin Varla
Caderousse ...... Ben Crowe
Andrea Cavalcanti ...... Will Howard
Madame Lascelles ...... Sarah Thom
Coachman ...... Paul Stonehouse
Bertuccio ...... Paul Stonehouse
Valentine de Villefort ...... Lizzy Watts
Max Morrell ...... Adam Nagaitis
Eugenie Danglars ...... Eleanor Crooks
Jacopo ...... Joe Sims
Operator ...... Robert Blythe
Banker ...... Paul Stonehouse

Music by David Tobin and Jeff Meegan.

Directors: Jeremy Mortimer / Sasha Yevtushenko

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 2012.


WED 11:00 Isy Suttie's Guide to Love and Romance (m000f7pr)
3. Everlasting Love and Breaking Up

Comedian Isy Suttie gets in the mood for Valentine's Day using her unique brand of humour to share her lessons in life and love.

Suttie has often observed other people's love lives and regularly intervened, changing the action dramatically - for better or worse. Discussing 'all things love' in the 21st century with friends, gathering fresh contributions and introducing extracts from The Listening Project she builds a hilarious and often moving account of amour and desire.

Tangled with the speakers and archive, Isy relates real life anecdotes from her own, often disastrous, love life and performs a few new songs on the subject. Featuring a collection of new material, archive clips and her own programmes:

'Isy Suttie's Love Letters: Bob and Marie'

Producer: Stephen Garner

Made for BBC Radio 4 Extra and first broadcast in 2018.


WED 12:00 Hancock's Half Hour (b007k4d6)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]


WED 12:30 One Foot in the Grave (b007jmxg)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]


WED 13:00 Falco (b00k7xct)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]


WED 13:30 Soldiers of the Empire (b04lsl23)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]


WED 14:00 The Mark and the Void (b0639yv1)
Episode 3

Paul is struggling to make a book about banking interesting until he hits upon an idea, maybe Claude should fall in love?

Initially sceptical, Claude's heart begins to beat...

Paul Murray’s madcap novel of institutional folly - a stirring examination of the deceptions carried out in the names of art, love and commerce.

Read by Peter Serafinowicz.

Abridged by Sara Davies.

Producer: Jenny Thompson.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 2015.


WED 14:15 A History of the Infinite (b07wc2sv)
The Cosmos

Does space go on for ever? Are there infinitely many stars?

These are some of the questions Adrian Moore explores in this episode in his series about philosophical thought concerning the infinite.

With the help of the theories of the Ancient Greeks through to those of modern cosmologists, Adrian examines the central question of whether our universe is finite or infinite.

For most of us, looking up at the stars gives us a sense of infinity but, as Adrian discovers, there is a strong body of opinion which suggests that space is finite, albeit unbounded. This is a difficult idea to grasp, but by inviting us to think of ourselves as ants, astrophysics professor Jo Dunkley attempts explain it.

Adrian also tackles the idea of the expanding universe and the logic that leads cosmologists to argue that it all started with a big bang, and may all end with a big crunch.

Finally, we discover from cosmologist John Barrow how the appearance of an infinity in scientists’ calculations sends them straight back to the drawing board. The infinite, which the Ancient Greeks found so troubling, has lost none of its power to disturb.

A Juniper production first broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 2016.


WED 14:30 MM Kaye - The Far Pavilions (b00y8vb6)
Episode 8

As the journey continues, and Ash and Anjuli's love grows, they dread their imminent arrival in Bhithor.

MM Kaye's epic of love and war, dramatised by Rukhsana Ahmad.

Narrator ..... Vineeta Rishi
Ash ..... Blake Ritson
Anjuli ..... Ayesha Dharker
Gulbaz ..... Kaleem Janjua
Biju Ram ..... Inam Mirza
Jhoti ..... Joseph Samrai
Kaka-Ji Rao ..... Paul Bhattacharjee
Shushila ..... Deeivya Meir

Directors: Marc Beeby and Jessica Dromgoole

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 2011.


WED 14:45 Skyfaring: A Journey with a Pilot (b05pr0gq)
Episode 3

A precious passenger and new perspectives on old places.

Mark Vanhoenacker always had a passion for flying, but didn't ever really consider it as a job, until his research as a young academic began to frustrate him and the tug of the skies once more made its presence felt.

Today he is a long distance pilot for one of the world's major airlines.

Read by William Hope

Producer: Jill Waters

A Waters Company production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in April 2015.


WED 15:00 Alexandre Dumas - The Count of Monte Cristo (b01p6rz5)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 today]


WED 16:00 Listomania (b09x4n4c)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]


WED 16:30 Such Rotten Luck (b01nt4qk)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 today]


WED 17:00 The Change (b0076cwf)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]


WED 17:30 Alex Edelman's Peer Group (m000f07s)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]


WED 18:00 Orbiter X (b0783p4d)
Marooned in Space

The evil Unity organization sets about planting an insider within the Commonwealth Space Project headquarters.

First broadcast in 1959, a bold but perilous plan to conquer space with space station 'Orbiter X' is underway.

Captain Bob Britton …. John Carson
Captain Douglas McClelland …. Andrew Crawford
Flight Engineer Hicks …. Barrie Gosney
Max Kramer …. Gerik Schjelderup
Gelbin …. Arthur Lawrence
Captain Jack Bradley …. John Witty
Colonel Kent …. Donald Bisset
Control Officer Brown …. Peter Noel Cook

Written by BD Chapman

Producer: Charles Maxwell

First broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in November 1959.


WED 18:30 The Palace of Laughter (b0082b02)
Series 2

Swansea Grand Theatre

The Grand Theatre Swansea is a South Wales success story.

It's said to be the theatre where Hollywood star Catherine Zeta Jones first stepped on to a stage, and it's now home to the Swansea Ballet Russe and a thriving community theatre programme.

Geoffrey Wheeler discovers the stories behind the Grand's unassuming façade.

Series visiting variety theatres around the United Kingdom.

Producer: Libby Cross

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 2003.


WED 19:00 Hancock's Half Hour (b007k4d6)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]


WED 19:30 One Foot in the Grave (b007jmxg)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]


WED 20:00 Falco (b00k7xct)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]


WED 20:30 Soldiers of the Empire (b04lsl23)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]


WED 21:00 Isy Suttie's Guide to Love and Romance (m000f7pr)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:00 today]


WED 22:00 Alex Edelman's Peer Group (m000f07s)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]


WED 22:30 Mark Watson Makes the World Substantially Better (b00kfx3c)
Series 1

Pride

Mark Watson investigates pride as he continues his quest to free us from the seven deadly sins via stand-up comedy.

Tim Key and Tim Minchin provide sketches, songs and distractions.

Producer: Katie Marsden

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 2007.


WED 22:55 The Comedy Club Interviews (m000f8mr)
Josie Long 2/3

From 10.00pm until midnight, seven days a week, the Comedy Club has two hours of comedy. Harriet Kemsley is your host and chats to the comedian Josie Long.


WED 23:00 Brian Gulliver's Travels (b01mk5nk)
Series 2

Hermicia

Brian Gulliver, a seasoned presenter of travel documentaries, finds himself in a hospital's secure unit after claiming to have experienced a succession of bizarre adventures.

More memories as Brian relives his experiences in Hermicia where charity is strangely in abundance.

Brian Gulliver ..... Neil Pearson
Rachel Gulliver ..... Mariah Gale
Kalfa ..... Colin Hoult
Mena ..... Nina Conti
Boria ..... Martin Treneman
Doctor ..... Patrick Brennan
Rimanda ..... Amaka Okafor

Producer: Steven Canny

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 2012.


WED 23:30 Daphne Sounds Expensive (b07ks18z)
Series 1

Pirates

The gang set sail for New York but are waylaid by George's mathematical ineptitude.

Join critically-acclaimed sketch trio, Daphne, as they pull out all the stops in a dazzling array of peculiar characters, whacky scenarios, dodgy remarks, curious observations, minor altercations and major peacemaking - served on a bed of catchy little numbers with a live nine-piece band.

Written by and starring: Jason Forbes, Phil Wang & George Fouracres

Featuring Sir Willard White, Emma Sidi & David Elms

Original music composed by Jeff Carpenter

Musical Director: Freddie Tapner

Piano: Freddie Tapner
Drums: Ben Hartley
Bass: Rob Grist
Percussion: Ben Burton
Trumpet: Michael Maddocks
Tenor Sax: Greg Sterland
Trombone: Elliot Pooley
Violin: Hannah Bell
Cello: Nick Squires

Production Coordinator: Hayley Sterling
Producer: Matt Stronge

A BBC Studios production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in July 2016.



THURSDAY 13 FEBRUARY 2020

THU 00:00 Orbiter X (b0783p4d)
[Repeat of broadcast at 18:00 on Wednesday]


THU 00:30 The Palace of Laughter (b0082b02)
[Repeat of broadcast at 18:30 on Wednesday]


THU 01:00 Falco (b00k7xct)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 on Wednesday]


THU 01:30 Soldiers of the Empire (b04lsl23)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 on Wednesday]


THU 02:00 The Mark and the Void (b0639yv1)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:00 on Wednesday]


THU 02:15 A History of the Infinite (b07wc2sv)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:15 on Wednesday]


THU 02:30 MM Kaye - The Far Pavilions (b00y8vb6)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:30 on Wednesday]


THU 02:45 Skyfaring: A Journey with a Pilot (b05pr0gq)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:45 on Wednesday]


THU 03:00 Alexandre Dumas - The Count of Monte Cristo (b01p6rz5)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 on Wednesday]


THU 04:00 Listomania (b09x4n4c)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 on Wednesday]


THU 04:30 Such Rotten Luck (b01nt4qk)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 on Wednesday]


THU 05:00 The Change (b0076cwf)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 on Wednesday]


THU 05:30 Alex Edelman's Peer Group (m000f07s)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 on Wednesday]


THU 06:00 Falco (b00k89mm)
Venus in Copper

Episode 2

Falco is searching for the truth about the deaths of Severina's three husbands, when an unexpected offer forces him to question his instincts.

Maybe he should consult his new feathered friend?

Anton Lesser stars as Ancient Rome's favourite detective in a gripping serialisation of Lindsey Davis's best seller.

Marcus Didius Falco …. Anton Lesser
Helena Justina …. Ann Madeley
Pollia …. Julia Hills
Doctor …. Jez Thomas
Thalia …. Chipo Chung
Severina Zotica …. Tracy Wiles
Cossus …. Jonathan Tafler
The Parrot …. Colin Rote
Hortensius Novus …. Ian Brooker

Dramatised by Mary Cutler.

Directed at BBC Birmingham by Peter Leslie Wild.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 2006.


THU 06:30 Simon Schama - Baseball and Me (b00hxv2p)
Episode 1

Historian Simon Sharma explores his passion for baseball - and the Boston Red Sox - in his adopted American home.

Having lived in the USA for over 40 years, Simon first walked into a ballpark in the early 1980s. From the moment he saw the floodlit green of the Fenway Park turf and the theatrical attire of the Boston Red Sox he was smitten. Before then, cricket had been his sport, but all too quickly wickets became bases and bowlers became pitchers.

Simon fell in love with baseball - its statistics, language, characters and history. Now he seeks to explain why he, and the United States, are so infatuated with a game that the British so often dismiss.

Simon gains behind-the-scenes access to his adopted team, the Boston Red Sox. The lockeroom, the scoreboard operator and, most importantly, the man who sells the famous Fenway Frank hotdog are all players in a pageant that holds a nation in its thrall.

Producer: Philip Sellars

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 2009.


THU 07:00 Millport (b008gh00)
Series 1

Ardour

The Minister reveals to Irene his secret yearning for Moira.

After the initial shock, she realises this unlikely romance could prove advantageous...

Bittersweet comedy written by and starring Lynn Ferguson as 30-something, island barmaid Irene Bruce, who hankers after a better life on the Scottish mainland.

Irene ...... Lynn Ferguson
Moira/Agnes ...... Janet Brown
Alberto/Robert/Derek/Bob ...... Lewis McLeod
Ena/Bunty ...... Gabriel Quigley
Doogie ...... Matt Costello
Minister ...... Robert Paterson

Producer: Lucy Bacon

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 2000.


THU 07:30 Elephant in the Room (m0007679)
Episode 6

Sarah Millican hosts a new panel show using surveys to discover who is the most Average Jolene, and who is the most Maverick Matilda. This week's sparkling panel features Zoe Lyons, Kerry Godliman, Lou Conran and Jason Cook.

Surveys on subjects including childhood, daily rituals and favourite cheese are the basis for Sarah's questions to the panellists, discovering who is the closest to, and furthest from, the average. Surprising quirks, hilarious insights and unexpected anecdotes are revealed along the way.

The winner will be the most average. But joint winner will be the most different, the furthest from the norm.

A little bit like a dinner party, but one where you know all of the spoons.

A Chopsy production for BBC Radio 4


THU 08:00 The Ken Dodd Show (b05vrf9c)
From 17/08/1975

The King of Knotty Ash investigates the world of trading and money, as only he can

Starring Ken Dodd.

With Jo Manning Wilson, Miriam Margolyes, Talfryn Thomas, Chris Emmett, Michael McClain and John Graham.

Devised and written by Ken Dodd with Dave Dutton, David McKellar, Maurice Bird, Terry Ravenscroft and Philip and Mike Brennan.

Doddy's Diddy Orchestra conducted by Geoff Alderson.

Producer: Bobby Jaye

First broadcast on the BBC Radio 2 in August 1975.


THU 08:30 I'm Sorry, I'll Read That Again (b00sm5vs)
Series 3

Episode 12

Tim Brown's Schooldays - and John and Mary in the country.

More quick-fire sketches, terrible puns, humorous songs and parodies.

Stars Tim Brooke-Taylor, John Cleese, Graeme Garden, David Hatch, Jo Kendall and Bill Oddie.

Written by Tim Brooke-Taylor, John Cleese, Graeme Garden, Eric Idle and Bill Oddie.

Originating from the Cambridge University Footlights revue 'Cambridge Circus', ISIRTA ran for 8 years on BBC Radio and quickly developed a cult following.

Music and songs by Dave Lee, Bill Oddie and Leon Cohen.
Producer: Humphrey Barclay
First broadcast on the BBC Home Service in May 1966.


THU 09:00 The Write Stuff (m000f7v5)
Series 4

John Updike

James Walton’s literary quiz with Sebastian Faulks, John Walsh, Tracey Macleod and Gary Younge.

Author of the week: John Updike

Reader: Becky Hindley

Producer: Dawn Ellis

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 2001.


THU 09:30 Married (b0081vm4)
Series 1

Episode 2

Confirmed bachelor Robin Lightfoot is not happy. He's accidentally helpful to his new family. Surely he's not growing to like them?

With a new wife and kids, Robin learns more about his parallel universe.

Hugh Bonneville stars in Tony Bagley's comedy.

Robin ...... Hugh Bonneville
Lesley ...... Josie Lawrence
Julia ...... Barbara Murray
Dirk ...... Steve Frost
Ned ...... Sam Bradley
Maxine ...... Ann Gosling
Janet Ellis ...... Elaine
Psychotherapist ...... Simon Roberts
Big Kid ...... Jackson Leach
Nicholas Parsons ...... Himself

Producer Claire Jones

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 1999.


THU 10:00 Alexandre Dumas - The Count of Monte Cristo (b01p9gjy)
Episode 4

Caderousse is dead, and the Count's ward Andrea is poised to marry Eugenie Danglars.

While Heloise de Villefort pursues her own murderous plans to secure General Noirtier's inheritance for her son. The Count's revenge, so long in the planning, is devastating in its conclusion.

Adventure novel by Alexandre Dumas dramatised by Sebastian Baczkiewicz.

The Count/Edmond Dantes ...... Iain Glen
Haydee ...... Jane Lapotaire
Younger Haydee ...... Amber Rose Revah
Mercedes de Morcerf ...... Josette Simon
Fernand, Count de Morcerf ...... Zubin Varla
Gerard de Villefort ...... Paul Rhys
Heloise de Villefort ...... Kate Fleetwood
Abbe Faria ...... Richard Johnson
Baron Danglars ...... Toby Jones
Hermine Danglars ...... Stephanie Racine
Eugenie Danglars ...... Eleanor Crooks
Valentine de Villefort ...... Lizzy Watts
Edouard de Villefort ...... Finn Monteath
Max Morrell ...... Adam Nagaitis
Andrea Cavalcanti ...... Will Howard
Bertuccio ...... Paul Stonehouse
Jacopo ...... Joe Sims
Milly ...... Sarah Thom

Music by David Tobin and Jeff Meegan.

Directors: Jeremy Mortimer / Sasha Yevtushenko

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 2012.


THU 11:00 Here's the Thing (m000f7v7)
Debbie Reynolds and Robert Osborne

Alec Baldwin explores “The Golden Age of Hollywood” with the Hollywood star, Debbie Reynolds and Hollywood film historian, Robert Osborne.

Alec talks with Debbie Reynolds about “Singin’ in the Rain” – her co-stars, the rehearsal process, the whirlwind of excitement the movie generated. Debbie describes the slow death of the studio system. “Everything was done for us, the makeup, the hair. They'd send cars for us. We were very spoiled. We didn't know what to do when they dropped everybody when television came.” Debbie talks frankly about her relationships with men and money.

Alec also visits film historian and host of Turner Classic Movies, Robert Osborne. Osborne details the unlikely adventure in Hollywood that led him to his current profession as the ambassador of a bygone film era. Lucille Ball, Bette Davis, and Olivia de Havilland all play supporting roles in the story of his life.

Here's the Thing has its roots in public radio. In 2009, Alec joined with producers Lu Olkowski, Trey Kay, Kathie Russo, and Emily Botein to find fresh ways to engage in conversation on the radio. The group developed the idea of a new show that at its heart would look at what makes interesting people tick and create a platform for new and emerging ideas to be presented.

From WNYC Studios, New York. First heard in the USA in 2014.

Debbie Reynolds died in 2016, aged 84. Robert Osborne died in 2017, also aged 84.


THU 11:55 Leonard Rossiter - In a Nutshell (b00sj9r3)
Hold the Back Page

"The paper's policy was to identify with the man in the street - and unfortunately, our man in the street seemed to have escaped from some sort of asylum."

A disastrous foray into journalism is recounted in embarrassment by Leonard Rossiter (1926-1984).

Written by Barry Pilton.

Producer: Louise Purslow

First broadcast on BBC Radio 3 in March 1981.


THU 12:00 The Ken Dodd Show (b05vrf9c)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]


THU 12:30 I'm Sorry, I'll Read That Again (b00sm5vs)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]


THU 13:00 Falco (b00k89mm)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]


THU 13:30 Simon Schama - Baseball and Me (b00hxv2p)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]


THU 14:00 Paul Murray - The Mark and the Void (b063d43t)
Episode 4

Devastated after learning he was the mark in Paul and Igor's plan to rob the bank, Claude comes up with an idea to retain Paul's help in his pursuit of Ariadne...

Paul Murray’s madcap novel of institutional folly - a stirring examination of the deceptions carried out in the names of art, love and commerce.

Read by Peter Serafinowicz.

Abridged by Sara Davies.

Producer: Jenny Thompson.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 2015.


THU 14:15 A History of the Infinite (b07wgkzb)
Death and Immortality

In his series on thought about infinity through the centuries, Adrian Moore has considered the topic through the lenses of philosophy, theology and mathematics.

Now, in this penultimate episode, the focus is firmly on us.

Adrian ponders our finite nature and confronts the question of whether, if we could, we really would want to live for ever. He brings us the Czech composer Janacek’s opera, with its eponymous heroine Elina Makropulos. Her father, the court physician, has procured an elixir of life for her but, far from making her eternally happy, her long life has become unbearably tedious.

Some philosophers fully sympathise with Elina Makropulos and celebrate our finite nature. Others lament it. But as Adrian discovers, there is consensus on one point – the fact that one day our life will end doesn’t rob it of meaning.

Indeed, it is our very sense of our own finite nature, argues John Cottingham, Professor Emeritus at Reading University, that produces what St Augustine called ‘the restlessness of the human heart’ - our constant desire to reach out for more.

A Juniper production first broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 2016.


THU 14:30 MM Kaye - The Far Pavilions (b00y8vb8)
Episode 9

On the last leg of the journey, Ash confronts an old enemy. Once in Bhithor, he has a new battle to fight.

M M Kaye's epic of love and war, dramatised by Rukhsana Ahmad.

Narrator ..... Vineeta Rishi
Ash ..... Blake Ritson
Anjuli ..... Ayesha Dharker
Gulbaz ..... Kaleem Janjua
Jhoti ..... Joseph Samrai
Kaka-Ji Rao ..... Paul Bhattacharjee
Biju Ram ..... Inam Mirza
Emissary ..... Lloyd Thomas

Directors: Marc Beeby and Jessica Dromgoole

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 2011.


THU 14:45 Skyfaring: A Journey with a Pilot (b05pr0wl)
Episode 4

Ships in the night...

Mark Vanhoenacker always had a passion for flying, but didn't ever really consider it as a job, until his research as a young academic began to frustrate him and the tug of the skies once more made its presence felt.

Today he is a long distance pilot for one of the world's major airlines.

Read by William Hope

Producer: Jill Waters

A Waters Company production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in April 2015.


THU 15:00 Alexandre Dumas - The Count of Monte Cristo (b01p9gjy)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 today]


THU 16:00 The Write Stuff (m000f7v5)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]


THU 16:30 Married (b0081vm4)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 today]


THU 17:00 Millport (b008gh00)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]


THU 17:30 Elephant in the Room (m0007679)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]


THU 18:00 Orbiter X (b0783r2p)
Operation Salvage

Captain Kent of the CSP embarks on a rescue mission, whilst the crew of Orbiter 2 make plans to get home.

'Orbiter X' is a bold but perilous plan to conquer space with a space station.

Captain Bob Britton …. John Carson
Captain Douglas McClelland …. Andrew Crawford
Flight Engineer Hicks …. Barrie Gosney
Max Kramer …. Gerik Schjelderup
Gelbin …. Arthur Lawrence
Colonel Kent …. Donald Bisset
Captain Jack Bradley …. John Witty
Captain Knight …. John Graham

Written by BD Chapman

Producer: Charles Maxwell

First broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in November 1959.


THU 18:30 Great Lives (b042jhlm)
Series 33

Isy Suttie on Jake Thackray

Jake Thackray hated being known as the north country Noel Coward, but at the height of his fame the description stuck. His songs are very British, but his influences were European - Georges Brassens and Jacques Brel.

Nominating Jake Thackray is Isy Suttie, Dobby from Peep Show and star of the A-Z of Mrs P.
The presenter is Matthew Parris and the producer Miles Warde.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2014.


THU 19:00 The Ken Dodd Show (b05vrf9c)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]


THU 19:30 I'm Sorry, I'll Read That Again (b00sm5vs)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]


THU 20:00 Falco (b00k89mm)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]


THU 20:30 Simon Schama - Baseball and Me (b00hxv2p)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]


THU 21:00 Here's the Thing (m000f7v7)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:00 today]


THU 21:55 Leonard Rossiter - In a Nutshell (b00sj9r3)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:55 today]


THU 22:00 Elephant in the Room (m0007679)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]


THU 22:30 Newsjack (m000f7v9)
Series 22

Episode 1

Newsjack is a scrapbook sketch show written entirely by the Great British public. Hosted by Kiri Pritchard-McLean.


THU 22:55 The Comedy Club Interviews (m000f8n8)
Josie Long 3/3

From 10.00pm until midnight, seven days a week, the Comedy Club has two hours of comedy. Harriet Kemsley is your host and chats to the comedian Josie Long.


THU 23:00 The Skivers (b00d8pgd)
Series 1

Lewis Collins

Secrets of Michael Fish are revealed, and East 17 move house.

Nick Golson and Tim de Jongh's skilful sketch show with special guest Lewis Collins - will he share any tips from TV's The Professionals?

Written and performed by Nick Golson and Tim de Jongh.

With Peter Bradshaw and Mel Giedroyc

Producer: Jon Naismith

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 1994.


THU 23:30 Sam Simmons is Not a People Person (b085xfx5)
Italians

Comedian. Writer. Ex-Zoo Keeper. Bird Watcher. Definitely NOT a people person.

Sam and Henry are making a series about birds, and armed with Sam's 'Big Book of Birds' they're looking out for a different species in each episode.

Sadly, and despite Henry's very best efforts, Sam keeps being distracted by the people they run into. Each encounter sparks an investigation into Sam's past, because once they've sorted out his issues, then they'll really be able to focus on the bird-watching.

They're kicking off in Toronto, on the hunt for a fiddle warbler.

The unique talents of the multi-award winning Sam Simmons have landed.

“If you can imagine someone combining the rage of Basil Fawlty with the lunacy of Spike Milligan you are getting somewhere close to Simmons. Painfully frank, riotously inventive and a deserving award winner.” The Evening Standard (UK)

Written by and starring Sam Simmons

With:
Henry Paker
Sarah Kendall
Mike Wilmot
Freya Parker

Sound design by Craig Schuftan.

Producers: Joseph Nunnery and Alexandra Smith.

A BBC Studios production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in December 2016.


THU 23:45 The Future of Radio (b06yfcq0)
Series 2

The Absence App

These programmes reveal the secret work of the Institute of Radiophonic Evolution in South Mimms - drawing on conference calls, voice notes and life-logs, to tell a compelling and strange story of the technological lengths to which the researchers will go to push forward the boundaries of the emerging digital technologies .

Each week a jiffy bag of sound files arrives at the BBC. We listen to the contents to discover what backroom boffins Luke Mourne and Professor Trish Baldock (ably assisted by Shelley – on work experience) have been up to.

In this episode, they develop the Absence App and use it to disrupt a politically controversial radio broadcast.

Luke..................William Beck
Trish..................Emma Kilbey
Shelley...............Lizzy Watts
Felix....................David Brett

With Chris Stanton and Jessica Carroll

Written by Jerome Vincent & Stephen Dinsdale

Producer David Blount

A Pier production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in December 2016.



FRIDAY 14 FEBRUARY 2020

FRI 00:00 Orbiter X (b0783r2p)
[Repeat of broadcast at 18:00 on Thursday]


FRI 00:30 Great Lives (b042jhlm)
[Repeat of broadcast at 18:30 on Thursday]


FRI 01:00 Falco (b00k89mm)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 on Thursday]


FRI 01:30 Simon Schama - Baseball and Me (b00hxv2p)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 on Thursday]


FRI 02:00 Paul Murray - The Mark and the Void (b063d43t)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:00 on Thursday]


FRI 02:15 A History of the Infinite (b07wgkzb)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:15 on Thursday]


FRI 02:30 MM Kaye - The Far Pavilions (b00y8vb8)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:30 on Thursday]


FRI 02:45 Skyfaring: A Journey with a Pilot (b05pr0wl)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:45 on Thursday]


FRI 03:00 Alexandre Dumas - The Count of Monte Cristo (b01p9gjy)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 on Thursday]


FRI 04:00 The Write Stuff (m000f7v5)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 on Thursday]


FRI 04:30 Married (b0081vm4)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 on Thursday]


FRI 05:00 Millport (b008gh00)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 on Thursday]


FRI 05:30 Elephant in the Room (m0007679)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 on Thursday]


FRI 06:00 Falco (b00k8t30)
Venus in Copper

Episode 3

After a short spell in prison, Falco finds half of Rome is having a party but it seems he isn't invited.

One particular gathering comes to an abrupt halt and as a result, the detective's reputation could be at stake.

Anton Lesser stars as Ancient Rome's favourite detective in a gripping serialisation of Lindsey Davis's best seller.

Marcus Didius Falco …. Anton Lesser
Helena Justina … Ann Madeley
Titus Caesar … Jonathan Keeble
Hyacinthus …. Stephen Critchlow
Viridovix …. Nick Fletcher
Hortensius Felix …. Graham Padden
Severina Zotica …. Tracy Wiles
Pollia …. Julia Hills

Dramatised by Mary Cutler.

Directed at BBC Birmingham by Peter Leslie Wild.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in June 2006.


FRI 06:30 Simon Schama - Baseball and Me (b00j1zzj)
Episode 2

Living for over 40 years in America - English born historian Simon Schama wonders why he's still bewitched by the ever-popular sport of baseball.

Simon watches the Boston Red Sox take on their arch rivals the New York Yankees. Surrounded by 40,000 baying fans, he wonders why baseball, with its slow pace and low scores, has captured the imagination of artists and artisans alike for the last 100 years.

Producer: Philip Sellars

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 2009.


FRI 07:00 The Lentil Sorters (b06nq1f8)
Standard Deviation

A sitcom set in the Office of Local and National Statistics which, depending on who you ask, is either where the real power of government resides, or the place where fun goes to die.

In this opening episode, the team uncover an unexpected statistical correlation between eyebrows, strawberries and dangerous dogs.

Meet the team:

Graham Quicks, Head of the People and Places Department of the LNS. There are three things in the world that Graham will always have faith in – statistics, the supremacy of filofaxes over computers and the idea that cardigans will never go out of style.

Audrey Carr is the Survey Researcher. She believes passionately that statistics should be used as a tool to help the man on the street. Fortunately for her, she’s never actually met “the man in the street”. She’s also passionate about Jane Austen, Les Miserables and pretending that she doesn't work in an office with Daniel.

Daniel Porter is the Data Analyst. He used to work in the City, until the City realised he was a colossal waste of space. Daniel divides his time between manipulating statistics to further his vision of capitalism, necking energy drinks and telling people his thighs are really, really strong. He’s terrible.

Mrs. Wilkins has worked as tea lady, archivist and maintenance guru for 15 years. She knows where the bodies are buried. We must stress that that is a figure of speech.

Graham Quicks ...... Vincent Franklin
Audrey Carr ...... Rebekah Staton
Daniel Porter ...... Kieran Hodgson
Mrs Wilkins ...... Julia Deakin

Special guests:

Spanner ...... Steve Brody
Candlestick ...... Phil Whelans
Terry ...... Charlie Quirke
Bookie ...... Morgan Jones

With Jo Unwin as The Narrator.

Written by Jack Bernhardt

Producer: David Tyler

A Pozzitive production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in November 2015.


FRI 07:30 The Skewer (m000f088)
Series 1

Episode 5

From the mind of Jon Holmes comes topical satire like you've never heard it before.


FRI 08:00 The Burkiss Way (b00d16g6)
Series 5

Sack the Burkiss Way

Confusion at Eddie's 24 Hour Sniffery and let's play 'Family Fortunes'.

Starring Fred Harris, Jo Kendall, Nigel Rees and Chris Emmett.

Cult sketch comedy series which originally ran from 1976 to 1980.

Written by Andrew Marshall and David Renwick.

Producer: David Hatch

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 1980.


FRI 08:30 The Marx Brothers' Flywheel, Shyster and Flywheel (b00801nf)
Series 1

Episode 6

Judgement day dawns for the shady lawyer, Waldorf T Flywheel.

Recreation of the Marx Brothers' lost shows charting the adventures of shady lawyer Waldorf T Flywheel and his assistant, Emmanuel Ravelli. Originally broadcast with sponsors on America's NBC radio network in the 1930s. The scripts were rediscovered in 1988.

Groucho Marx as Waldorf T Flywheel ...... Michael Roberts
Chico Marx as Emmanuel Ravellias ...... Frank Lazarus

With Lorelei King and Graham Hoadly.

Written by Nat Perrin and Athur Sheekman. Adapted by Mark Brisenden.

Music arranged and conducted by David Firman.

Producer: Dirk Maggs

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 1990.


FRI 09:00 Funny You Should Ask (b0b2r0jx)
From 20/04/1978

Peter Jones hosts the entertainment quiz about comedy as he tests a panel of experts:

Barry Took, Derek Roy and Mike Burton recall memories of careers and comic colleagues.

Funny You Should Ask ran for 8 series from 1976 to 1982.

Questions compiled by Michael Pointon.

Producer: Bob Oliver Rogers

First broadcast on BBC Radio 2 in April 1978.


FRI 09:30 Dry Slopes (b00lvl1l)
Series 1

Families and How to Conceive Them

Friendless, jobless Angus breaks free from his sheltered-life shackles to go on a date.

Nick Ball’s sitcom about the unemployed son of a high-flying mother.

Angus Dry ...... Nick Ball
Mum ...... Louisa Rix

With Robert Harley, Toby Longworth and Julie Gibbs.

Producer: Gareth Edwards

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 1995.


FRI 10:00 Peter Tinniswood (b05xgv09)
Crossing the Frontier

Jean is 38, attractive and married. She decides to go on a cruise without her husband.

On the first night out, she sees a row of lights sticking straight out to sea. She feels as if she's entering a strange land with different customs, different values. As if she is becoming a different person.

Written by Peter Tinniswood.

Jean …. Shirley Dixon
Roy …. David Buck
Richard …. Stephen Thorne

Producer: Shaun McLoughlin.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 1985.


FRI 11:00 Podcast Radio Hour (m000f6ys)
Local Podcasts For Local People with Greg Cochrane

Amanda Litherland and Greg Cochrane travel to Shaftesbury to recommend podcasts celebrating local areas, with series from around the UK and beyond.
They meet Keri Jones who makes This Is Alfred, a podcast about the Dorset town, and on the way listen to other series including Speak Up Sunderland, Buddy's Buddies, Gibraltar Stories and Soho Then.


FRI 12:00 The Burkiss Way (b00d16g6)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]


FRI 12:30 The Marx Brothers' Flywheel, Shyster and Flywheel (b00801nf)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]


FRI 13:00 Falco (b00k8t30)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]


FRI 13:30 Simon Schama - Baseball and Me (b00j1zzj)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]


FRI 14:00 The Mark and the Void (b063dgsh)
Episode 5

Claude has asked Paul to help him write his romance with Ariadne, while his imminent report on Royal Irish Bank is revealing all kinds of financial chicanery.

Paul Murray’s madcap novel of institutional folly - a stirring examination of the deceptions carried out in the names of art, love and commerce.

Read by Peter Serafinowicz.

Abridged by Sara Davies.

Producer: Jenny Thompson.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 2015.


FRI 14:15 A History of the Infinite (b07wm0l1)
Where does this leave us?

Adrian Moore reaches the end of his journey through two and half millennia of philosophical thought about the infinite.

In this final episode, he comes to the conclusion that his voyage through the worlds of philosophy, theology, mathematics and cosmology has in the end led him to ourselves and our place in the universe.

With the help of writers and philosophers as diverse as Rene Descartes, Ludwig Wittgenstein and Iris Murdoch, Adrian returns to the theme of our finite nature and how that is fundamental to our sense of what is infinite. He considers the relation between the infinite and the transcendent and examines where the desire to look for something beyond ourselves belongs in a secular society.

Throughout the series, Adrian and his cast of philosophers have made connections, performed calculations and looked up at the stars in their attempts to clarify what we mean by the infinite. But, his history tells us, it all comes back to us and how we relate to what surpasses our finite nature.

A Juniper production first broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 2016.


FRI 14:30 MM Kaye - The Far Pavilions (b00y8vbb)
Episode 10

Ash is caught in a dilemma. He cannot bear the thought of losing Anjuli, and yet must negotiate her wedding price.

MM Kaye's epic of love and war, dramatised by Rukhsana Ahmad.

Narrator ..... Vineeta Rishi
Ash ..... Blake Ritson
Anjuli ..... Ayesha Dharker
Jhoti ..... Joseph Samrai
Kaka-Ji Rao ..... Paul Bhattacharjee
Guard ..... Adeel Akhtar
Rana ..... Kaleem Janjua

Directors: Marc Beeby and Jessica Dromgoole

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 2011.


FRI 14:45 Skyfaring: A Journey with a Pilot (b05pr1jd)
Episode 5

Landing, flying blind and coming home.

Mark Vanhoenacker always had a passion for flying, but didn't ever really consider it as a job, until his research as a young academic began to frustrate him and the tug of the skies once more made its presence felt.

Today he is a long distance pilot for one of the world's major airlines.

Concluded by William Hope

Producer: Jill Waters

A Waters Company production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in April 2015.


FRI 15:00 Peter Tinniswood (b05xgv09)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 today]


FRI 16:00 Funny You Should Ask (b0b2r0jx)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]


FRI 16:30 Dry Slopes (b00lvl1l)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 today]


FRI 17:00 The Lentil Sorters (b06nq1f8)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]


FRI 17:30 The Skewer (m000f088)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]


FRI 18:00 Orbiter X (b0788cnv)
Return to Woomera

Patched up Orbiter 2 heads for Earth - but will CSP realise that the incoming incommunicado ship is friendly?

'Orbiter X' is designed to circle Earth, travelling in a rapid polar orbit - boasting synthetic gravity, produced by the rotation around the central hub.

Captain Bob Britton …. John Carson
Captain Douglas McClelland …. Andrew Crawford
Flight Engineer Hicks …. Barrie Gosney
Colonel Kent …. Donald Bisset
Captain Jack Bradley …. John Witty
Sir Charles Day …. Leslie Perrins
Control Officer Brown …. Peter Noel Cook

Written by BD Chapman.

Producer: Charles Maxwell

First broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in November 1959.


FRI 18:30 Off the Page (b0076svp)
All About Me

Matthew Parris talks about the art of biography, with Lesley Scott, Libby Potter and Paul Barber. From July 2005.


FRI 19:00 The Burkiss Way (b00d16g6)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]


FRI 19:30 The Marx Brothers' Flywheel, Shyster and Flywheel (b00801nf)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]


FRI 20:00 Falco (b00k8t30)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]


FRI 20:30 Simon Schama - Baseball and Me (b00j1zzj)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]


FRI 21:00 Podcast Radio Hour (m000f6ys)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:00 today]


FRI 22:00 The Skewer (m000f088)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]


FRI 22:30 The Harpoon (b007k4lf)
Series 1

Episode 2

A special 'Looking Ahead to Autumn' issue of your nostalgic favourite weekly paper.

With Julian Dutton, Peter Baynham, Alistair McGowan, Mary Elliot-Nelson and Bryonie Pritchard.

Producer: Sarah Smith

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 1991.


FRI 23:00 Innes Own World (b017px05)
Episode 4

Neil Innes invites you to join him inside his own mind for half an hour.

There are some stories of working with Monty Python, jingles for products you never thought you needed and a modest little song called Isn't It Great Being A Star?

It's the only show that promises to pluck the eyebrows of intelligence with the sugar tongs of fact.

Script Editor: John Dowie

Producer: Claire Jones

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 2003.


FRI 23:30 The Maltby Collection (b00ct1wk)
Series 1

Episode 5

The senior management team head off to a conference on the Isle of Wight, leaving Rod in charge of the museum...

Geoffrey Palmer and Julian Rhind-Tutt star in David Nobbs’ sitcom about a small museum of paintings and sculpture.

Rod Millet ...... Julian Rhind-Tutt
Walter Brindle ...... Geoffrey Palmer
Prunella Edgecumbe ...... Rachel Atkins
Julian Crumb-Loosely ...... Ben Willbond
Des Wainwright ...... Michael Smiley
Eva Tattle ...... Julia Deakin
Wilf Arbuthnot ...... Geoff McGivern
Stelios Constantinopolis ...... Chris Pavlo
Dave Edgecumbe ...... Anthony Glennon
Lofty Harmsworth ...... Simon Treves
Gus ...... John Dougall

Producer: Colin Anderson

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 2007.




LIST OF THIS WEEK'S PROGRAMMES
(Note: the times link back to the details; the pids link to the BBC page, including iPlayer)

24 Kildare Road (Omnibus) 13:00 SAT (m000f6yw)

24 Kildare Road (Omnibus) 01:00 SUN (m000f6yw)

A Good Read 18:30 MON (b00lp2hn)

A Good Read 00:30 TUE (b00lp2hn)

A History of the Infinite 02:15 SAT (b07vwh0m)

A History of the Infinite 14:15 MON (b07w99dw)

A History of the Infinite 02:15 TUE (b07w99dw)

A History of the Infinite 14:15 TUE (b07wbtt1)

A History of the Infinite 02:15 WED (b07wbtt1)

A History of the Infinite 14:15 WED (b07wc2sv)

A History of the Infinite 02:15 THU (b07wc2sv)

A History of the Infinite 14:15 THU (b07wgkzb)

A History of the Infinite 02:15 FRI (b07wgkzb)

A History of the Infinite 14:15 FRI (b07wm0l1)

Alex Edelman's Peer Group 07:30 WED (m000f07s)

Alex Edelman's Peer Group 17:30 WED (m000f07s)

Alex Edelman's Peer Group 22:00 WED (m000f07s)

Alex Edelman's Peer Group 05:30 THU (m000f07s)

Alexandre Dumas - The Count of Monte Cristo 10:00 MON (b01p0680)

Alexandre Dumas - The Count of Monte Cristo 15:00 MON (b01p0680)

Alexandre Dumas - The Count of Monte Cristo 03:00 TUE (b01p0680)

Alexandre Dumas - The Count of Monte Cristo 10:00 TUE (b01p3151)

Alexandre Dumas - The Count of Monte Cristo 15:00 TUE (b01p3151)

Alexandre Dumas - The Count of Monte Cristo 03:00 WED (b01p3151)

Alexandre Dumas - The Count of Monte Cristo 10:00 WED (b01p6rz5)

Alexandre Dumas - The Count of Monte Cristo 15:00 WED (b01p6rz5)

Alexandre Dumas - The Count of Monte Cristo 03:00 THU (b01p6rz5)

Alexandre Dumas - The Count of Monte Cristo 10:00 THU (b01p9gjy)

Alexandre Dumas - The Count of Monte Cristo 15:00 THU (b01p9gjy)

Alexandre Dumas - The Count of Monte Cristo 03:00 FRI (b01p9gjy)

Archive on 4 08:00 SAT (b0707r9z)

Archive on 4 15:00 SAT (b0707r9z)

Archive on 4 03:00 SUN (b0707r9z)

Bleak Expectations 22:30 MON (b00vrxwt)

Brian Aldiss - Hothouse 18:30 SUN (b00m9p2w)

Brian Aldiss - Hothouse 00:30 MON (b00m9p2w)

Brian Gulliver's Travels 23:00 WED (b01mk5nk)

Chambers 07:00 MON (b007jnqh)

Chambers 17:00 MON (b007jnqh)

Chambers 05:00 TUE (b007jnqh)

Dad's Army 08:30 MON (b007jqbr)

Dad's Army 12:30 MON (b007jqbr)

Dad's Army 19:30 MON (b007jqbr)

Daphne Sounds Expensive 23:30 WED (b07ks18z)

David Ellis - Find The Lady 01:00 SAT (m000dyks)

David Ellis - Find The Lady 06:00 MON (m000f7h9)

David Ellis - Find The Lady 13:00 MON (m000f7h9)

David Ellis - Find The Lady 20:00 MON (m000f7h9)

David Ellis - Find The Lady 01:00 TUE (m000f7h9)

David Ellis - Find The Lady 06:00 TUE (m000f6cv)

David Ellis - Find The Lady 13:00 TUE (m000f6cv)

David Ellis - Find The Lady 20:00 TUE (m000f6cv)

David Ellis - Find The Lady 01:00 WED (m000f6cv)

Desert Island Discs Revisited 10:15 SUN (b06gy2s3)

Desert Island Discs Revisited 21:15 SUN (b06gy2s3)

Door Stepping 15:45 SUN (b08zc1jm)

Door Stepping 03:45 MON (b08zc1jm)

Drama 11:15 TUE (b05nxmzy)

Drama 21:15 TUE (b05nxmzy)

Dry Slopes 04:30 SAT (b00lr3nz)

Dry Slopes 09:30 FRI (b00lvl1l)

Dry Slopes 16:30 FRI (b00lvl1l)

Edge Falls 23:30 SUN (b007s1dt)

Elephant in the Room 07:30 THU (m0007679)

Elephant in the Room 17:30 THU (m0007679)

Elephant in the Room 22:00 THU (m0007679)

Elephant in the Room 05:30 FRI (m0007679)

Falco 06:00 WED (b00k7xct)

Falco 13:00 WED (b00k7xct)

Falco 20:00 WED (b00k7xct)

Falco 01:00 THU (b00k7xct)

Falco 06:00 THU (b00k89mm)

Falco 13:00 THU (b00k89mm)

Falco 20:00 THU (b00k89mm)

Falco 01:00 FRI (b00k89mm)

Falco 06:00 FRI (b00k8t30)

Falco 13:00 FRI (b00k8t30)

Falco 20:00 FRI (b00k8t30)

First for Radio 07:15 SUN (b072n8fc)

First for Radio 14:15 SUN (b072n8fc)

First for Radio 02:15 MON (b072n8fc)

Funny You Should Ask 09:00 FRI (b0b2r0jx)

Funny You Should Ask 16:00 FRI (b0b2r0jx)

Great Lives 18:30 THU (b042jhlm)

Great Lives 00:30 FRI (b042jhlm)

Guy de Maupassant - The Inn 18:00 SAT (b09rbpy5)

Guy de Maupassant - The Inn 00:00 SUN (b09rbpy5)

HR 07:00 TUE (b00hv33d)

HR 17:00 TUE (b00hv33d)

HR 05:00 WED (b00hv33d)

Hancock's Half Hour 08:00 WED (b007k4d6)

Hancock's Half Hour 12:00 WED (b007k4d6)

Hancock's Half Hour 19:00 WED (b007k4d6)

Harry Worth in Things Could Be Worse 08:30 SUN (b09rwg3t)

Harry Worth in Things Could Be Worse 12:30 SUN (b09rwg3t)

Here's the Thing 11:00 THU (m000f7v7)

Here's the Thing 21:00 THU (m000f7v7)

Hopes and Desires 16:30 TUE (b0076f0c)

Hopes and Desires 04:30 WED (b0076f0c)

Huddwinks 09:30 MON (b00fsmz6)

Huddwinks 16:30 MON (b00fsmz6)

Huddwinks 04:30 TUE (b00fsmz6)

Hugh Lofting - The Story of Doctor Dolittle 02:00 SAT (m000dyl3)

I'm Sorry, I'll Read That Again 08:30 THU (b00sm5vs)

I'm Sorry, I'll Read That Again 12:30 THU (b00sm5vs)

I'm Sorry, I'll Read That Again 19:30 THU (b00sm5vs)

Imagining Chekhov 11:00 TUE (b071x87p)

Imagining Chekhov 21:00 TUE (b071x87p)

Inheritance Tracks 14:10 SAT (m000f6yz)

Inheritance Tracks 02:10 SUN (m000f6yz)

Innes Own World 23:00 FRI (b017px05)

Irish Micks and Legends 22:30 TUE (b051s4t4)

Isy Suttie's Guide to Love and Romance 11:00 WED (m000f7pr)

Isy Suttie's Guide to Love and Romance 21:00 WED (m000f7pr)

John Shuttleworth's Lounge Music 23:30 TUE (b082wwlw)

Josh Howie's Losing It 22:00 SAT (b07qbcb8)

Journeys Down My Street 07:30 SAT (b01s09k1)

Journeys Down My Street 17:30 SAT (b01s09k1)

Journeys Down My Street 05:30 SUN (b01s09k1)

Leonard Rossiter - In a Nutshell 11:55 THU (b00sj9r3)

Leonard Rossiter - In a Nutshell 21:55 THU (b00sj9r3)

Listomania 09:00 WED (b09x4n4c)

Listomania 16:00 WED (b09x4n4c)

Listomania 04:00 THU (b09x4n4c)

MM Kaye - The Far Pavilions (Omnibus) 06:00 SUN (b062n97p)

MM Kaye - The Far Pavilions (Omnibus) 13:00 SUN (b062n97p)

MM Kaye - The Far Pavilions (Omnibus) 01:00 MON (b062n97p)

MM Kaye - The Far Pavilions 02:30 SAT (b00y2x5k)

MM Kaye - The Far Pavilions 14:30 MON (b00y5htk)

MM Kaye - The Far Pavilions 02:30 TUE (b00y5htk)

MM Kaye - The Far Pavilions 14:30 TUE (b00y8tzs)

MM Kaye - The Far Pavilions 02:30 WED (b00y8tzs)

MM Kaye - The Far Pavilions 14:30 WED (b00y8vb6)

MM Kaye - The Far Pavilions 02:30 THU (b00y8vb6)

MM Kaye - The Far Pavilions 14:30 THU (b00y8vb8)

MM Kaye - The Far Pavilions 02:30 FRI (b00y8vb8)

MM Kaye - The Far Pavilions 14:30 FRI (b00y8vbb)

Marie Lloyd, Queen of the Halls 06:00 SAT (b00g46xy)

Marie Lloyd, Queen of the Halls 16:00 SAT (b00g46xy)

Marie Lloyd, Queen of the Halls 04:00 SUN (b00g46xy)

Mark Billingham's Rule Book of Crime 09:00 SAT (b01r19jd)

Mark Billingham's Rule Book of Crime 19:00 SAT (b01r19jd)

Mark Thomas Presents 23:30 SAT (b0076w5y)

Mark Watson Makes the World Substantially Better 22:30 WED (b00kfx3c)

Married 12:30 SAT (b00c0c35)

Married 09:30 THU (b0081vm4)

Married 16:30 THU (b0081vm4)

Married 04:30 FRI (b0081vm4)

Masala FM 22:30 SAT (b0080p9x)

Millport 07:00 THU (b008gh00)

Millport 17:00 THU (b008gh00)

Millport 05:00 FRI (b008gh00)

Nathaniel Hawthorne - Wakefield 16:00 SUN (b00rs19x)

Nathaniel Hawthorne - Wakefield 04:00 MON (b00rs19x)

Newsjack 22:30 THU (m000f7v9)

Nightfall 18:00 SUN (m000f6y0)

Nightfall 00:00 MON (m000f6y0)

Off the Page 00:30 SAT (b0076r24)

Off the Page 18:30 FRI (b0076svp)

One Foot in the Grave 08:30 WED (b007jmxg)

One Foot in the Grave 12:30 WED (b007jmxg)

One Foot in the Grave 19:30 WED (b007jmxg)

Orbiter X 00:00 SAT (b0784dyd)

Orbiter X 18:00 MON (b077xnzr)

Orbiter X 00:00 TUE (b077xnzr)

Orbiter X 18:00 TUE (b077ypfb)

Orbiter X 00:00 WED (b077ypfb)

Orbiter X 18:00 WED (b0783p4d)

Orbiter X 00:00 THU (b0783p4d)

Orbiter X 18:00 THU (b0783r2p)

Orbiter X 00:00 FRI (b0783r2p)

Orbiter X 18:00 FRI (b0788cnv)

Patrick O'Brian - Desolation Island 03:00 SAT (b037gnxr)

Paul Murray - The Mark and the Void 14:00 MON (b0639k87)

Paul Murray - The Mark and the Void 02:00 TUE (b0639k87)

Paul Murray - The Mark and the Void 14:00 TUE (b0639w9l)

Paul Murray - The Mark and the Void 02:00 WED (b0639w9l)

Paul Murray - The Mark and the Void 14:00 THU (b063d43t)

Paul Murray - The Mark and the Void 02:00 FRI (b063d43t)

Peter Tinniswood 10:00 FRI (b05xgv09)

Peter Tinniswood 15:00 FRI (b05xgv09)

Phil Wang: Wangsplaining 07:30 TUE (m00057qs)

Phil Wang: Wangsplaining 17:30 TUE (m00057qs)

Phil Wang: Wangsplaining 22:00 TUE (m00057qs)

Phil Wang: Wangsplaining 05:30 WED (m00057qs)

Pioneers 18:30 TUE (b01466cy)

Pioneers 00:30 WED (b01466cy)

Podcast Radio Hour 11:00 FRI (m000f6ys)

Podcast Radio Hour 21:00 FRI (m000f6ys)

Poetry Extra 17:00 SUN (m000f6xy)

Poetry Extra 05:00 MON (m000f6xy)

Radiolab 11:00 SUN (m000f6xw)

Radiolab 19:00 SUN (m000f6xw)

Reluctant Persuaders 05:00 SAT (b08n46dj)

Round the Horne 08:30 TUE (b00mlxk1)

Round the Horne 12:30 TUE (b00mlxk1)

Round the Horne 19:30 TUE (b00mlxk1)

Rudy's Rare Records 23:00 TUE (b00nvyzv)

Sam Simmons is Not a People Person 23:30 THU (b085xfx5)

Simon Schama - Baseball and Me 06:30 THU (b00hxv2p)

Simon Schama - Baseball and Me 13:30 THU (b00hxv2p)

Simon Schama - Baseball and Me 20:30 THU (b00hxv2p)

Simon Schama - Baseball and Me 01:30 FRI (b00hxv2p)

Simon Schama - Baseball and Me 06:30 FRI (b00j1zzj)

Simon Schama - Baseball and Me 13:30 FRI (b00j1zzj)

Simon Schama - Baseball and Me 20:30 FRI (b00j1zzj)

Sir Harry Secombe - Goon Abroad 02:45 SAT (b01494gh)

Skyfaring: A Journey with a Pilot 14:45 MON (b05nsxyn)

Skyfaring: A Journey with a Pilot 02:45 TUE (b05nsxyn)

Skyfaring: A Journey with a Pilot 14:45 TUE (b05pr03b)

Skyfaring: A Journey with a Pilot 02:45 WED (b05pr03b)

Skyfaring: A Journey with a Pilot 14:45 WED (b05pr0gq)

Skyfaring: A Journey with a Pilot 02:45 THU (b05pr0gq)

Skyfaring: A Journey with a Pilot 14:45 THU (b05pr0wl)

Skyfaring: A Journey with a Pilot 02:45 FRI (b05pr0wl)

Skyfaring: A Journey with a Pilot 14:45 FRI (b05pr1jd)

Small Scenes 22:30 SUN (b04lq2ys)

Soldiers of the Empire 06:30 TUE (b04l0zq5)

Soldiers of the Empire 13:30 TUE (b04l0zq5)

Soldiers of the Empire 20:30 TUE (b04l0zq5)

Soldiers of the Empire 01:30 WED (b04l0zq5)

Soldiers of the Empire 06:30 WED (b04lsl23)

Soldiers of the Empire 13:30 WED (b04lsl23)

Soldiers of the Empire 20:30 WED (b04lsl23)

Soldiers of the Empire 01:30 THU (b04lsl23)

Such Rotten Luck 09:30 WED (b01nt4qk)

Such Rotten Luck 16:30 WED (b01nt4qk)

Such Rotten Luck 04:30 THU (b01nt4qk)

TED Radio Hour 11:00 MON (m000f7hd)

TED Radio Hour 21:00 MON (m000f7hd)

Terry Alderton: More Crazy Now 22:45 TUE (b084bpk2)

Terry-Thomas - Top of the Town 11:50 MON (b012lk2m)

Terry-Thomas - Top of the Town 21:50 MON (b012lk2m)

The Burkiss Way 08:00 FRI (b00d16g6)

The Burkiss Way 12:00 FRI (b00d16g6)

The Burkiss Way 19:00 FRI (b00d16g6)

The Cariad Radio Show 23:00 SUN (b043659k)

The Change 07:00 WED (b0076cwf)

The Change 17:00 WED (b0076cwf)

The Change 05:00 THU (b0076cwf)

The Comedy Club Interviews 22:55 SUN (m000f8n1)

The Comedy Club Interviews 22:55 TUE (m000f8pc)

The Comedy Club Interviews 22:55 WED (m000f8mr)

The Comedy Club Interviews 22:55 THU (m000f8n8)

The Enchanting World of Hinge and Bracket 08:00 MON (b04vf7q6)

The Enchanting World of Hinge and Bracket 12:00 MON (b04vf7q6)

The Enchanting World of Hinge and Bracket 19:00 MON (b04vf7q6)

The Future of Radio 23:45 THU (b06yfcq0)

The Goon Show 08:00 TUE (b00q9xrg)

The Goon Show 12:00 TUE (b00q9xrg)

The Goon Show 19:00 TUE (b00q9xrg)

The Harpoon 22:30 FRI (b007k4lf)

The Ken Dodd Show 08:00 THU (b05vrf9c)

The Ken Dodd Show 12:00 THU (b05vrf9c)

The Ken Dodd Show 19:00 THU (b05vrf9c)

The Lentil Sorters 07:00 FRI (b06nq1f8)

The Lentil Sorters 17:00 FRI (b06nq1f8)

The Listening Project 10:10 SUN (b06418lf)

The Listening Project 21:10 SUN (b06418lf)

The Maltby Collection 23:30 FRI (b00ct1wk)

The Mark and the Void 14:00 WED (b0639yv1)

The Mark and the Void 02:00 THU (b0639yv1)

The Mark and the Void 14:00 FRI (b063dgsh)

The Marx Brothers' Flywheel, Shyster and Flywheel 08:30 FRI (b00801nf)

The Marx Brothers' Flywheel, Shyster and Flywheel 12:30 FRI (b00801nf)

The Marx Brothers' Flywheel, Shyster and Flywheel 19:30 FRI (b00801nf)

The Museum of Curiosity 16:00 TUE (b06vk8xv)

The Museum of Curiosity 04:00 WED (b06vk8xv)

The News Quiz Extra 23:00 MON (m000f6cx)

The News Quiz Extra 09:00 TUE (m000f6cx)

The Palace of Laughter 18:30 WED (b0082b02)

The Palace of Laughter 00:30 THU (b0082b02)

The Second Sleep (Omnibus) 14:30 SUN (m000f86d)

The Second Sleep (Omnibus) 02:30 MON (m000f86d)

The Skewer 05:30 SAT (m000dqhk)

The Skewer 07:30 FRI (m000f088)

The Skewer 17:30 FRI (m000f088)

The Skewer 22:00 FRI (m000f088)

The Skivers 23:00 THU (b00d8pgd)

The Twilight World of Syd Barrett 06:30 MON (b011plrs)

The Twilight World of Syd Barrett 13:30 MON (b011plrs)

The Twilight World of Syd Barrett 20:30 MON (b011plrs)

The Twilight World of Syd Barrett 01:30 TUE (b011plrs)

The Unbelievable Truth 07:30 MON (m000dybw)

The Unbelievable Truth 17:30 MON (m000dybw)

The Unbelievable Truth 22:00 MON (m000dybw)

The Unbelievable Truth 05:30 TUE (m000dybw)

The Write Stuff 09:00 THU (m000f7v5)

The Write Stuff 16:00 THU (m000f7v5)

The Write Stuff 04:00 FRI (m000f7v5)

This Orient Isle (Omnibus) 09:00 SUN (b0761127)

This Orient Isle (Omnibus) 20:00 SUN (b0761127)

Uncle Mort's North Country 14:45 SAT (b007jrb8)

Uncle Mort's North Country 02:45 SUN (b007jrb8)

We've Been Here Before 04:00 SAT (b00g1rsp)

Welcome to Our Village, Please Invade Carefully 07:30 SUN (b01k9hmd)

Welcome to Our Village, Please Invade Carefully 17:30 SUN (b01k9hmd)

Welcome to Our Village, Please Invade Carefully 22:00 SUN (b01k9hmd)

Welcome to Our Village, Please Invade Carefully 05:30 MON (b01k9hmd)

Whack-O! 08:00 SUN (m000f6xt)

Whack-O! 12:00 SUN (m000f6xt)

What to Do If You're Not Like Everybody Else 23:45 MON (b00tmtwm)

What to Do If You're Not Like Everybody Else 09:45 TUE (b00tmtwm)

When Garry Met Tony 01:30 SAT (b03vtcwl)

Whispers 12:00 SAT (b007k2kr)

Whispers 09:00 MON (b00bzrmj)

Whispers 16:00 MON (b00bzrmj)

Whispers 04:00 TUE (b00bzrmj)

With Great Pleasure 14:15 SAT (m000f6z1)

With Great Pleasure 02:15 SUN (m000f6z1)

Wondermentalist Cabaret 23:00 SAT (b00yqspr)