SATURDAY 15 AUGUST 2015

SAT 00:00 Arthur C Clarke Stories (b010tbkp)
The Nine Billion Names of God
The Sentinel
The story from which Arthur C Clarke developed the film '2001: A Space Odyssey' with Stanley Kubrick. Read by John Shrapnel.
SAT 00:15 The Smell by Patrick McGrath (b007jm2c)
Patrick McGrath reads his disturbing Gothic Tale about a father's demonic control over his family.
Producer: Pan Fraser Soloman
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1996.
SAT 00:30 Fry's English Delight (b012qq7l)
Series 4
Persuasion
The language of persuasion interrogated. Advertisers, lawyers, cold callers and politicians are all, in a way, language experts. And we are all targets for people who try to persuade us of something, whether to buy a particular brand of soap powder, change our car insurance, or vote for a political party, for instance. And most of us at one time or another try to persuade other people to do something that we want them to do for us. It might be that it's to give us a job, come on holiday with us, or lend us a fiver until pay day. Is it possible to maximize your chances of success with the right approach, and by simply using the right words control someone else's behaviour?
How did the great persuaders of the past sway their audiences? We look at rhetoric and gesture, as well as hearing from an advertising executive, a professor of political history, a legal expert, and someone who runs one of the country's most successful telemarketing companies. Just how good do you have to be to sell someone something over the telephone? How hard is it to sell anything face-face with your client? We hear what happens when someone from one of Britain's most influential management training institutions observes a man selling sausages for his living from a stall in a London market. Does a humble street trader use the same devices as a vast multi-national corporation when it comes to getting you to put your hand in your pocket? You will listen, won't you? You know you deserve it.
Producer: Ian Gardhouse
A Testbed Production for BBC Radio 4.
SAT 01:00 Nikolai Gogol - The Government Inspector (b00fvg6f)
Episode 2
The "Inspector" becomes plied with cash and love.
A two-part adaptation by Rene Basilico of Gogol's classic comedy - a picture of municipal 'sleaze' and corruption in 19th century Russia.
Stars Julian Rhind-Tutt as Khlestakov, Trevor Peacock as Osip, Bill Wallis as The Mayor and David Gant as The Judge.
Music by Max Harris.
Producer: John Fawcett Wilson
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2002.
SAT 01:30 Put Your Hands Together (b00sq1vv)
In a self-consciously clap-happy exploration of one of the most delightful and satisfying forms of human action and expression, Nick Baker investigates the meanings and motivations, the sounds and symbolism, the elation and frustration of ritually striking one hand with another.
The clapping rhythms of football, flamenco, the nursery and the Pentecostal church are all biologically linked yet subtly different. In this anatomy of a basic human ritual, Nick has collected claps as far apart as Fiji - where a clapping ritual accompanies a narcotic-taking ceremony - and China, where young women on busy high streets clap to attract attention to what's on offer in the stores. Choreographer Luke Creswell, an expert clapper, collects clap-routines in bars all over the world.
What's linked in all cases, according to Professor Colwyn Trevarthen, is humanity's attunement to one of its many internal biological clocks - the one that gives us walking, chewing and nodding our head. He invites listeners to join in with a simple experiment to demonstrate the rhythm of life.
Babies clap early & show awareness of hands in the womb. The clap is not the basis of language development, it is language development. It is display, performance, shared meaning & shared time. Gospel singer Ruby Turner provides musical commentary on how the hand clap moves from babies, through Sunday School, the playground and the church towards soul and R and B.
Do our biological predecessors clap? Perhaps we've been exposed to too many tea commercials. Or maybe chimpanzees have been too exposed to us, primatologist Alison Fletcher explains.
Producer: Tamsin Hughes
A Testbed production for BBC Radio 4.
SAT 02:00 Book at Bedtime (b00v8m6n)
Rebecca Hunt - Mr Chartwell
Episode 10
Written by Rebecca Hunt
Sunday evening, Esther returns home to find Black Pat waiting for her.
The reader is Miriam Margolyes.
Abridged and produced by Jill Waters
A Waters Company Production for BBC Radio 4.
SAT 02:15 The Generation Gap (b00qzrjg)
Series 2: Sex
Prostitution
Series in which two people from different generations discuss a topic that reveals the changing nature of Britain.
The theme of the second series of five programmes is Sex.
Helen worked as a bar hostess and prostitute in the 1970s. She talks to Maria, who is currently funding her way through university by being a sex worker. How do their experiences differ?
A Juniper production for BBC Radio 4.
SAT 02:30 Ayeesha Menon - Undercover Mumbai (b039rwcc)
Five-Star Death
A dead glamour model in a five-star hotel leads Police inspector Alia Khan on the trail of Bollywood's leading heart-throb.
Set and recorded on location in Mumbai, this is a fast paced six-part police thriller. It follows Alia Khan, a young woman inspector in the Bandra Division of the Mumbai Police Force, as she attempts to solve a series of crimes, make sense of her troubled past and cope with being a woman in a male-dominated and chauvinistic police force.
Sound Recordist: Hitesh Chaurasia
Sound Design: Steve Bond
Editing Assistants: Andrew Lewis and Aditya Khanna.
Script Editor: Mike Walker
Assistant Producer: Toral Shah
Producer: Nadir Khan
Music: Sacha Putnam.
Writer: Ayeesha Menon
Director: John Dryden
A Goldhawk production for BBC Radio 4
SAT 02:45 Book of the Week (b00tffmx)
Elena Gorokhova - A Mountain of Crumbs
Episode 5
Robert has returned to Texas but he writes to Elena every week and wonders if she might visit him.
He explains that he can get her a visitors' visa if she goes as his fiancée but Elena explains that it is not getting into America that is the difficult part but getting out of the USSR.
They both understand that there is only one way to achieve this - but are they ready to get married?
Read by Sian Thomas
A Jane Marshall Production for BBC Radio 4.
SAT 03:00 William Makepeace Thackeray - Barry Lyndon (b00t1bsd)
The Squire
Redmond Barry pursues and wins the widowed Lady Lyndon to take the title of Barry Lyndon and play the role of country squire.
However, once arrived at the summit of his good fortune, his luck begins to change for the worse.
Conclusion of William Makepeace Thackeray's classic novel about the rise and fall of an Irish adventurer in the 18th century.
Dramatised by Don McCamphill
Barry ...... Gerard McSorley
Lady Lyndon ...... Tina Kellegher
Chevalier de Balibari ...... David Kelly
Bell Barry ...... Sheila Hancock
Earl of Crabs ...... Kenneth Cranham
Wiggins ...... Jamie Foreman
Redmond ...... Andrew Scott
Furniture Dealer ...... Mark Lambert
Poynings ...... Don Wycherley
Ulick ...... Darragh Kelly
Brendan ...... Eanna MacLiam
Maggie-Rose ...... Alice Barry
Directed at BBC Belfast by Lawrence Jackson.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2003.
SAT 04:00 All the Way from Memphis (b00mjktm)
Series 2
Episode 5
James Walton tests and tickles the knowledge of industry pundits and people passionate about pop music.
Team captains Tracey MacLeod and Andrew Collins are joined by Stewart Lee and David Quantick to be put through their musical paces
Reader: Beth Chalmers
Written and researched by James Walton.
Producer: Dawn Ellis
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2006.
SAT 04:30 Boogie Up the River (b007jv8w)
A Curry at Kelmscot
Jennifer joins Mark and his mutt's Thames quest, but there is a surprise on their menu. Stars Timothy Spall. From January 1993.
SAT 05:00 Rent (b065k7zn)
Series 4
Episode 4
Maria and Richard's lives are now being ruled by Eva, the nanny, while Paul and Ruby have to contend with his disreputable cousin, Dave.
Lucy Flannery's award-winning sitcom about Maria and Richard Reynolds and their lodgers.
Maria …. Barbara Flynn
Richard …. Patrick Barlow
Ruby …. Vivienne Rochester
Paul …. Dave Lamb
With Sarah Parkinson and Toby Longworth.
Producer: Liz Anstee
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in June 1998.
SAT 05:30 Wordaholics (b01cvk8d)
Series 1
Episode 3
Wordaholics is the comedy panel game all about words.
Gyles Brandreth presides as Susie Dent, Natalie Haynes, Jack Whitehall and Milton Jones vie for supremacy in the ring.
Wordaholics is clever, intelligent, witty and unexpected. There are toponyms, abbreviations, euphemisms, old words, new words, cockney rhyming slang, Greek gobbledegook, plus the panellists' picks of the ugliest and the most beautiful words: the whole world of words.
Writers: Jon Hunter and James Kettle
Producer: Claire Jones.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 2012.
SAT 06:00 Shirley Gee - Moonshine (b065x8fy)
London, 1937: Harriet Carmichael must battle new nanny Ada Molesbridge for the love of her young daughter:
ADA: When it comes to whose child, Flora might decide. Who she cleaves to. Whose bed she chooses in the middle of the night. Who she loves.
HARRIET: Don't be ludicrous. She's my daughter, my flesh and blood. She belongs to me.
ADA: Flesh and blood is one thing. But belongs. Slippers, candlesticks, necklaces, they belong. Ask her who she chooses. Go on, wake her. Ask her. We're all people, aren't we. All human beings... Not mistress and servant, you said. Let her choose.
Ada Molesbridge ...... Rosemary Leach
Harriet Carmichael ...... Carole Boyd
David Carmichael ...... John Rowe
Flora ...... Katherine Hughes
Jessie ...... Anne Rosenfeld
Cook ...... Kathleen Helme
Mrs Molesbridge ...... Betty Hardy
For her performance as Ada Molesbridge , Rosemary Leach won the 1977 Imperial Tobacco Award for the Best Actress.
Special music by Roger Limb, BBC Radiophonic Workshop
Director: David Spenser
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 1977.
SAT 07:30 Michael Bentine - The Reluctant Jester (b01r1cc0)
The Reluctant Jester Strikes Back
The Goon Show
Recalling the start of 'The Goon Show' and the characters who inspired his friend Peter Sellers.
Founding member of The Goon Show and one of the foremost comic minds of his generation - Michael Bentine offers more behind-the-scenes tales of his offbeat and extraordinary life in showbiz.
With extracts from some of his most memorable comic performances and eccentric characters.
Recorded at The Maltings Arts Centre, St Albans.
Michael Bentine CBE was born in 1922 and died in 1996.
Producer: Andy Aliffe
First broadcast on BBC Radio 2 in November 1994.
SAT 08:00 Archive on 4 (b01h2c9p)
One Way Ticket - The Beeching Cuts Revisited!
When Dr Richard Beeching unveiled his little book 'Reshaping Britain's Railways' in the early 1960s the nation was left in shock at the scale of the cutbacks he was suggesting.
Britain's railways were losing millions every year. The rise of the car didn't help matters and the Government decided it was time to look afresh at the railways.
The original plan was to close 5,000 miles of railway and 2,000 stations. Around 70,000 people would eventually lose their jobs.
It's acknowledged that Dr Beeching's cuts were seismic but what impact did the decisions made in the early 60s have on future rail policy in the UK? And how much of Beeching's vision for the railways, including more focus on Inter City services, has been realised?
Here Michael Portillo revisits the archives and the events of 1963, hears from some of those working in the industry at the time and looks at how some lines were eventually resurrected and revitalised while others weren't.
As part of the programme Michael travels along the scenic Settle to Carlisle line which lost many of its stations during the Beeching cuts, he hears from rail expert Christian Wolmar and speaks to Richard Spendlove - writer and creator of TV series Oh Dr Beeching who at the time of the cuts was a Station Master in Cambridgeshire.
He also hears from former Transport ministers and secretaries about how the Beeching cuts impacted on Government rail plans and policy over the past five decades.
Finally given the recent huge rise in rail usage, the programme assesses what Dr Beeching would have made of the state of Britain's railways today.
Produced by: Ashley Byrne
A Made in Manchester Limited Production for BBC Radio 4.
SAT 09:00 Peter Ustinov - The Radio Years (b065xb02)
John McCarthy explores the radio archives of Sir Peter Ustinov and reveals the actor and raconteur's fascinating contributions to an eclectic mix of programmes.
Sir Peter Ustinov was a renaissance man whose talents included writing plays, novels and acting. He appeared in over 90 films with memorable roles in Quo Vadis, Spartacus and Death on the Nile.
He was also a theatre director and a much-admired raconteur.
Less well remembered are his diverse and often enthralling radio contributions which started in the 1940's.
For the 60 years which followed Ustinov was a regular BBC radio guest interviewed on various topics including politics, religion, humour and film. He appeared in comedies, dramas, panel games, told absorbing stories about his extraordinary and colourful family history and humorous tales of his eventful tours around the world.
Featuring a collection of Ustinov's radio work along with an illuminating exclusive interview with his daughter:
* In All Directions (1952)
Comedy teaming Ustinov with Peter Jones
* Appointment with Daughter
An exclusive interview with John McCarthy and Sir Peter Ustinov's eldest daughter Tamara
* Encounter in the Balkan Express (1956)
A comedy by Wolfgang Hildesheimer starring Peter Ustinov as Robert Guiscard
* Down Your Way (1991)
A special edition with Ustinov in Leningrad
* Quote Unquote (1992)
A memorable appearance by Ustinov on the popular quotation quiz hosted by Nigel Rees.
SAT 12:00 The Eric Morecambe and Ernie Wise Show (b01kbqjl)
Series 1
Episode 6
Arty Eric bags a bargain and an industrial espionage drama what Ern wrote.
Special singing guest: Lynsey de Paul
Written by Eddie Braben
With Ann Hamilton and Arthur Tolcher.
Music by Dennis Wilson & His Orchestra.
Producer: John Browell
First broadcast on BBC Radio 2 in March 1975.
SAT 12:30 The Goon Show (b007mwv5)
Series 5
The Spanish Suitcase
Neddie Seagoon's brave act lands him in prison, and a jewel thief is on the loose.

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

Starring:

Peter Sellers
Harry Secombe
Spike Milligan

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

With the Ray Ellington Quartet and Max Geldray.

Orchestra conducted by Wally Stott.

Announcer: Wallace Greenslade

Producer: Peter Eton

First broadcast on the BBC Home Service in December 1954.
SAT 13:00 How to Have a Perfect Marriage Omnibus (b065xbjq)
Episode 2
Karen knows her much-loved husband of 19 years is gay. Now it's time to tell the kids. Stars Julia Ford and Greg Wise.
SAT 14:10 Inheritance Tracks (b065xjzp)
Rafe Spall
Actor Rafe Spall chooses 'Cherry Coloured Funk' by the Cocteau Twins and Kate Bush's 'And So Is Love'.
SAT 14:15 In the Psychiatrist's Chair (b065xq81)
Sir Colin Davis
Sir Colin Davis explores the psychological aspects of life as a music conductor with Professor Anthony Clare.
Psychiatrist Dr Anthony Clare's in depth interviews with prominent people from different walks of life. Born in Dublin, author Anthony held a doctorate in medicine, a master's degree in philosophy and was a fellow of the Royal College of Psychiatrists.
After becoming a regular on BBC Radio 4's Stop the Week in the 1980s, he became Britain's best-known psychiatrist and earned his own vehicle, In the Psychiatrist's Chair.
Starting in 1982, this series ran until 2001 and also transferred to TV.
Anthony Clare died suddenly in Paris aged 64 in 2007.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 1994.
SAT 15:00 Archive on 4 (b01h2c9p)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
SAT 16:00 Shirley Gee - Moonshine (b065x8fy)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
SAT 17:30 Michael Bentine - The Reluctant Jester (b01r1cc0)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
SAT 18:00 Paradise Lost in Space (b007jnpy)
2. Gifting
Norman and Max are welcomed by the incurably friendly Oblivions and soon they're offering priceless gifts - the secret of fire, contemplation and baked potatoes.
Colin Swash's sci-fi comedy about two space-age humans stranded on a friendly alien planet.
Norman ...... Tony Robinson
Max ...... David Haig
Stella ...... Louise Lombard
Macari ...... Michael Troughton
Terayz ...... Carla Mendonca
Tony ...... Geoff McGivern
Ken ...... Tom Hollander
Inspector Albermarle ...... Andy Rashleigh
Producer: Richard Wilson
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 1995.
SAT 18:30 Atomic Tales (b007jx70)
And Mother Makes Millions
A chilling world without children? The battle is on to save the human race from ravaged Earth.
1950s American sci-fi spoof.
Starring the talents of:
John Guerrasio
Jeff Harding
Allison Warnyca
Lewis McLeod
Colin Stinton
Liza Ross.
Written by Adam Tandy and Nat Sones.
Producer: Adam Bromley.
Made for BBC 7 and first broadcast in August 2006.
SAT 19:00 Peter Ustinov - The Radio Years (b065xb02)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
SAT 22:00 4 Extra Stands Up with Fred MacAulay (b065xqhy)
Episode 1
Host Fred MacAulay with the best of 2015's comedy Fringe festival in Edinburgh.
Fred welcomes festival favourite performers Janey Godley, Tom Stade and Mark Nelson.
Plus Michael Che, Felicity Ward, Dana Alexander, Robin Grainger and Liam Withnail.
Made for BBC Radio 4 Extra by Dabster Productions.
SAT 23:00 4 at the Store (b00cpvsk)
Series 1
Episode 1
Simon Bligh hosts an evening of stand-up comedy without having to leave your armchair.
Featuring Dominic Holland, Sue Beard and Felix Dexter.
From London's Comedy Store
Producer: Helen Williams
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 1998.
SAT 23:30 The Lawrence Sweeney Mix (b008z5ld)
Series 2
Episode 4
Fom something your Dad did to something you save up for...
Josie Lawrence and Jim Sweeney make it up as they go along!
Faced with a live studio audience and a couple of microphones - the masters of improve create sketches from shouted out suggestions.
Producer: Dawn Ellis
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 2008.


SUNDAY 16 AUGUST 2015

SUN 00:00 Paradise Lost in Space (b007jnpy)
[Repeat of broadcast at 18:00 on Saturday]
SUN 00:30 Atomic Tales (b007jx70)
[Repeat of broadcast at 18:30 on Saturday]
SUN 01:00 How to Have a Perfect Marriage Omnibus (b065xbjq)
[Repeat of broadcast at 13:00 on Saturday]
SUN 02:10 Inheritance Tracks (b065xjzp)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:10 on Saturday]
SUN 02:15 In the Psychiatrist's Chair (b065xq81)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:15 on Saturday]
SUN 03:00 Archive on 4 (b01h2c9p)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 on Saturday]
SUN 04:00 Shirley Gee - Moonshine (b065x8fy)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 on Saturday]
SUN 05:30 Michael Bentine - The Reluctant Jester (b01r1cc0)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 on Saturday]
SUN 06:00 Ayeesha Menon - Undercover Mumbai Omnibus (b03b2nlv)
Alia Khan, a female police officer, tries to solve a series of crimes and make sense of her troubled past. Recorded in Mumbai.
SUN 07:15 Robb Wilton: I Should Say So (b01lk6wp)
Series 1
The Bigamist
Robb Wilton (1881-1957) was one of the most popular music hall and radio comics of the 1930s and 1940s.
Famed as an all-round pessimist - what would he have made of 1980s Britain - trying to solve a tricky marital problem?
Michael Williams stars as Robb Wilton - making as little sense out of life as he did 40 years before...
Written by Allen Saddler.
Produced at BBC Bristol by Brian Miller
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 1986.
SUN 07:30 Ed Reardon's Week (b00dz8ls)
Series 5
Anger Management
Comedy series by Christopher Douglas and Andrew Nickolds.
After a run-in with the Head of Stakeholder Communications Engagement at a local council meeting, Ed finds himself in anger management classes. Could he turn over a new leaf and become a gentler person?
Ed Reardon ...... Christopher Douglas
Sue Fishpool ...... Rachel Atkins
Olive ...... Stephanie Cole
Felix ...... John Fortune
Pearl ...... Rita May
Ping ...... Barunka O'Shaughnessy
Steve Williams ...... Tom Price
Stan ...... Geoffrey Whitehead.
SUN 08:00 Lines From My Grandfather's Forehead (b00g42td)
From 08/03/1971
A eulogy to Beethoven - and the epic tale of the building of a new bus shelter.
A sequential entertainment for radio starring Ronnie Barker.
With Terence Brady, Pauline Yates and Josephine Gordon.
Pianist: Gordon Langford
Written by:
Chris Allen
JHB Peel
John Graham
Allan Scott & Chris Bryant
Peter Spence
Gerald Wiley (Ronnie's Barker's pseudonym)
Producer: John Fawcett-Wilson
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 1971.
SUN 08:30 Whack-O! (b065y6qz)
Exposure!
A sneaky Sunday tabloid is after a school expose. Can Professor Jimmy Edwards fight back?
June Whitfield as Matron
Roddy Maude-Roxby as Aubrey Potter
Frederick Treves as Alfred Tennyson
Roger Shepherd as Lumley
Graham Aza as Figgins
Malcolm Ranson as Marvin
Richard McCarthy Michael Hammond
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 Pettigrew, that the school exists at all.
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 August 1961.
SUN 09:00 Romantic Outlaws: The Extraordinary Lives of Mary Wollstonecraft and Her Daughter Mary Shelley (b065y7d8)
Juliet Aubrey and Ellie Kendrick read Charlotte Gordon's biography of the pioneering feminist and her novelist daughter.
Mary Wollstonecraft, famous for her polemic A Vindication on the Rights of Woman, died ten days after giving birth to her daughter who wrote one of the nineteenth century's most significant novels, Frankenstein. Though she never knew her mother, Mary Shelley was inspired and influenced by the way Wollstonecraft had lived her life, and her philosophy on freedom. Charlotte Gordon's dual biography brings together these visionary women and illuminates the many similarities between the two. Both acquired fame and notoriety through their writing, they married difficult men, had children out of wedlock and were assailed by tragedy. Above all both left legacies that continue to endure.
Read by Juliet Aubrey and Ellie Kendrick
Abridged by Sara Davies
Produced by Elizabeth Allard.
SUN 10:10 Inheritance Tracks (b065y92m)
Patrick Grant
Savile Row designer Patrick Grant chooses 'Sympathy for the Devil' by the Rolling Stones and Radiohead's 'Packt Like Sardines'.
SUN 10:15 Desert Island Discs Revisited (b038l908)
Edinburgh Winners
Emma Thompson
From Joe Cocker to Eric Thompson. Actress and writer Emma Thompson shares her castaway choices with Kirsty Young. From March 2010.
SUN 11:00 TED Radio Hour (b065ydsc)
Series 2
Memory Games
A journey through fascinating ideas based on talks by riveting speakers on the TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) stage.
Guy Raz investigates whether a nimble memory can improve your life, and how a frail one might ruin someone else's.
With Scott Fraser, Daniel Kahneman and Joshua Foer.
First broadcast in the USA on National Public Radio.
SUN 11:50 David Attenborough's Life Stories (b00kvt8f)
Series 1
Monstrous Flowers
Series of talks by Sir David Attenborough on the natural histories of creatures and plants from around the world.

Deep in the steamy forests of Sumatra, the largest flowers in the world bloom, albeit for under a week. But why are they so big?
SUN 12:00 Lines From My Grandfather's Forehead (b00g42td)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
SUN 12:30 Whack-O! (b065y6qz)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
SUN 13:00 Ayeesha Menon - Undercover Mumbai Omnibus (b03b2nlv)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
SUN 14:15 Robb Wilton: I Should Say So (b01lk6wp)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:15 today]
SUN 14:30 Harper Lee - Go Set a Watchman (b065yqml)
Episode 1
Harper Lee's explosive second novel revisits the much-loved characters from To Kill a Mockingbird. Read by Fenella Woolgar.
SUN 15:45 Alex Ferguson - Where the Kids Are At (b065ys33)
"The headmaster was young, naive and very new, and the ladies of his staff were none of these things."
A resented young teacher re-enacts the events of Eyam, the Derbyshire Plague Village, in a history project.
Avril Elgar reads Alex Ferguson’s short story.
Producer: Gillian Hush
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 1991.
SUN 16:00 Eric Pringle - The Voyage of the Swallow (b0662tqb)
Published in 1930, the classic adventure novel Swallows and Amazons was written by "the man who hated children", journalist Arthur Ransome.
Eric Pringle 's drama tells the story of the events leading up to publication of the book.
Starring Richard Briers as Arthur Ransome and Susannah York star as his second wife, Evgenia Ransome.
Arthur Ransome ...... Richard Briers
Evgenia ...... ...... Susannah York
CP ScottMichael Kilgarriff
Dora Altounyan ...... Theresa Streatfield
Molly ...... Adjoa Andoh
Tabitha ...... Siriol Jenkins
Ted Scott ...... Vincent Brimble
Ernest Altounyan ...... Philip Sully
Ivy ...... Ann Davies
Trotsky ...... Philip Beckwith
Cyril Ransome ...... Max Harvey
Young Arthur ...... Nicholas Shelton
Young Billy ...... Neil Roberts
Roger ...... Simon Radford
Nancy ...... Kate Ryan
Susan ...... Daisy Heath
Titty ...... Annie Roddam
Music by Steafan Hannigan and Simon Care
Director: Adrian Bean
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 1991
SUN 17:30 Ed Reardon's Week (b00dz8ls)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
SUN 18:00 Brian Aldiss - Song of the Silencer (b007jrb2)
'We have invented God' - will the creation of the Ultimate Machine wreak havoc on the universe? Read by Nigel Anthony.
SUN 18:30 Berlie Doherty - The Drowned Village (b008kl8w)
Kate returns to the village where she spent her childhood. There's a reservoir nearby which was formed by flooding a neighbouring village. She believes that on the anniversary of the death of that village, its church bell tolls and voices can be heard calling...
Stars Kate Lee as Kate, Christian Rodska as Mark, Jane Hazelgrove as Young Jane, Craig Masterson as Young Mark, David Fleeshman as Uncle Mike and Ann Rye as Miss Peters.
Script by Berlie Doherty.
Producer: Kay Patrick
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1982.
SUN 19:00 TED Radio Hour (b065ydsc)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:00 today]
SUN 19:50 David Attenborough's Life Stories (b00kvt8f)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:50 today]
SUN 20:00 Romantic Outlaws: The Extraordinary Lives of Mary Wollstonecraft and Her Daughter Mary Shelley (b065y7d8)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
SUN 21:10 Inheritance Tracks (b065y92m)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:10 today]
SUN 21:15 Desert Island Discs Revisited (b038l908)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:15 today]
SUN 22:00 Ed Reardon's Week (b00dz8ls)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
SUN 22:30 Mark Steel's in Town (b0184rgq)
Series 3
Holyhead
In this third series comedian Mark Steel visits 6 more UK towns to discover what makes them and their inhabitants distinctive.

He creates a bespoke stand-up show for that town and performs the show in front of a local audience.

As well as shedding light on the less visited areas of Britain, Mark uncovers stories and experiences that resonate with us all as we recognise the quirkiness of the British way of life and the rich tapestry of remarkable events and people who have shaped where we live.

During the series 'Mark Steel's In Town' Mark will visit Berwick-Upon Tweed, Holyhead, Basingstoke, Douglas (Isle of Man), Bungay and Wigan.

Episode 2 - In this episode Mark performs a show for the residents of Holyhead in Anglesey, where he talks about sinking ships, fishy foot nibbling, the town's newest locals, Kate and Wills, and a mayor whose eccentricity puts Boris to shame... From December 2011.

Written by Mark Steel with additional material by Pete Sinclair.
Produced by Sam Bryant.
SUN 22:55 The Comedy Club Interviews (b01mygzv)
For two hours, six nights a week, the Comedy Club offer the best of comedy. Plus Arthur Smith chats again to the Kurupt FM crew.
SUN 23:00 Curiosity Killed the Cabaret (b00tgct1)
The Edinburgh Fringe is the home to some of the best cabaret acts the world has to offer and back in 2010 Fringe Radio 4 bought you a selection of some of the most talked about cabaret acts who appeared over the Festival.
Australian cabaret legend Ali McGregor (La Clique and Opera Burlesque), who recently hosted a Late-Nite Variety-Nite Night at The Assembly Rooms, hosted a special Radio 4 late night review show Curiosity Killed The Cabaret.
She introduced the cream of the cabaret acts appearing at the 2010 Fringe including Frisky and Mannish, Oompah Brass, Asher Treleaven and Fitzrovia Radio Hour.
Producer: Paul Russell
A Open Mike Production for BBC Radio 4.
SUN 23:30 Hamish and Dougal: You'll Have Had Your Tea (b0077007)
Series 3
The Subsidence Adventure
The duo advertise their services as "builders to the gentry" and are soon put to work by the Laird
Barry Cryer and Graeme Garden star as the two Scotsmen famed for their appearances on BBC Radio’s I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue.
With Alison Steadman as their cleaning-lady-cum-housekeeper, Mrs Naughtie, and Jeremy Hardy as the local Laird.
Producer: Jon Naismith
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 2006.
SUN 23:45 Armstrong and Miller (b00t5x2s)
Episode 3
Australian lifestyle, and a Euro rock band.
Sketches and songs with Ben Miller and Alexander Armstrong in their first series for radio.
With Samuel West and Tony Gardiner.
Written by Ben Miller and Alexander Armstrong.
Producer: Gareth Edwards
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 1998.


MONDAY 17 AUGUST 2015

MON 00:00 Brian Aldiss - Song of the Silencer (b007jrb2)
[Repeat of broadcast at 18:00 on Sunday]
MON 00:30 Berlie Doherty - The Drowned Village (b008kl8w)
[Repeat of broadcast at 18:30 on Sunday]
MON 01:00 Ayeesha Menon - Undercover Mumbai Omnibus (b03b2nlv)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 on Sunday]
MON 02:15 Robb Wilton: I Should Say So (b01lk6wp)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:15 on Sunday]
MON 02:30 Harper Lee - Go Set a Watchman (b065yqml)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:30 on Sunday]
MON 03:45 Alex Ferguson - Where the Kids Are At (b065ys33)
[Repeat of broadcast at 15:45 on Sunday]
MON 04:00 Eric Pringle - The Voyage of the Swallow (b0662tqb)
[Repeat of broadcast at 16:00 on Sunday]
MON 05:30 Ed Reardon's Week (b00dz8ls)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 on Sunday]
MON 06:00 W Somerset Maugham - Ashenden, Gentleman Spy (b008g278)
'R'
Ashenden, a writer by profession, has returned from the First World War and is approached by a colonel who offers him a position in the Secret Service.
Ashenden is perfect due to his profession and his knowledge of many European languages. He's despatched to Geneva the next day with the warning that "if he does well, he'll get no thanks, and if he gets into trouble, he'll get no help".
A series of short stories based on William Somerset Maugham's own First World War experiences
Read by Alex Jennings
Abridged by Neville Teller
Producer: Eoin O'Callaghan
Made for BBC Radio 7 and first broadcast in 2007.
MON 06:30 Serbian Trumpets (b00tj82f)
With composer and musician, Llywelyn Ap Myrddin we travel to Guca, officially the Dragacevo Trumpet Festival, a hundred miles south of Belgrade, to explore the sound and culture of this distinctly Balkan music. Played by Roma and Serbs alike, Guca is about the only place the two cultures tolerate one another.
With BBC correspondent Allan Little, the programme reports on the culture and character of the Serbs; following the history of trumpet music which, at the Guca Festival runs parallel with the history of Serbia. The festival began as an expression of Serbian culture, which the founders wanted to celebrate and which had, to some extent, along with other ethnic music through Yugoslavia, been suppressed in the big, 'we are one people' efforts of Tito .
With great emotion for their heritage set against the absorption of Serbian traditions into wider Yugoslavia, the festival became a focus for Serbian trumpeters, but since the recent civil war, other nations in the Balkans have been invited to take part.
The different styles of music create an incredible musical range; the slower, heavier Kolo originating in the West of Serbia, to the heady swirl of dissonant melodies with an oriental flavour, that comes with the Roma Orchestras in the South, to the faster Romanian dance music that originates in the east.
Crucially, music is centre stage - neither Tito or Milosevic were permitted to attend Guca Festival. We will record the great Roma trumpet players: Boban Markovic, famous worldwide for his music in Emir Kusturica's films; along with his son Marco. Sarajevo born, Goran Bregovic along with Golden trumpet winners and musicians who gather at this extraordinary event.
Producer: Kate Bland
A Just Radio production for BBC Radio 4.
MON 07:00 The World As We Know It (b00fy2qt)
Donna's Leaving Do
The Stranger revealed that the doomsday device was activated by someone inside the house.
Donna thinks it may be time to start afresh somewhere else. But would she really go and will they discover what really caused the end of the world?
Sitcom by Luke Sorba.
Donna ...... Meera Syal
Johnny ...... Toby Longworth
Patrick ...... Luke Sorba
Abigail ...... Carla Mendonca
The Stranger ...... Simon Greenall
Producer: Elizabeth Anstee
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in June 1999.
MON 07:30 I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue (b064ygll)
Series 63
Episode 5
The godfather of all panel shows pays a visit to Sheffield City Hall. Old-timers Barry Cryer, Graeme Garden and Tim Brooke-Taylor are joined on the panel by Susan Calman, with Jack Dee in the chair. Colin Sell accompanies on the piano. Producer - Jon Naismith. It is a BBC Radio Comedy production.
MON 08:00 Dad's Army (b00qxh17)
Series 2
War Dance
Captain Mainwaring's platoon dance is disrupted by an announcement from Private Pike.
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 Fraser …. John Laurie
Private Pike …. Ian Lavender
Private Godfrey …. Arnold Ridley
Private Walker …. Larry Martin
Mrs Pike …. Pearl Hackney
Violet Gibbons …. Wendy Richard
Announcer …. John Snagge
Producer: John Dyas
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 1975.
MON 08:30 Marriage Lines (b0663ftq)
Series 2
Episode 10
Can a job abroad solve George and Kate's housing crisis?
Richard Briers and Prunella Scales star in their second series based on the mutual love and mistrust of a young married couple.
Originating on BBC TV, it was adapted for radio due to its popularity by Richard Waring from his own TV scripts.
A decade later, Richard Briers was starring as Tom Good in The Good Life whilst Prunella Scales starred as Sybil in Fawlty Towers. They remained friends until Richard Briers' death in 2013.
Producer: Charles Maxwell
Recorded at the BBC Paris Studio in London.
First broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in May 1967.
MON 09:00 The Write Stuff (b007759c)
Series 10
William Shakespeare
James Walton takes the chair for the game of literary correctness, flanked by captains Sebastian Faulks and John Walsh with guests Sabrina Broadbent and Mark Billingham. Author of the week and subject for pastiche is William Shakespeare and the reader is Beth Chalmers.
MON 09:30 King Street Junior (b00tk76w)
Series 1
Crime and Punishment
A simple case of vandalism - and Mr Brown discovers that there is more to a teacher's life than standing in front of a class.
Created and written by Jim Eldridge.
Ten series of this comedy about King Street Junior School ran between 1985 and 1998. King Street Junior Revisited ran from 2002 to 2005.
Eric Brown ...... Peter Davison
Mr Beeston ...... James Grout
Mr Holliday ...... Tom Watson
Miss Lewis ...... Marlene Sidaway
Mrs Rudd ...... Vivienne Martin
Sam Simmons ...... Tristan McGuire
Susan Atkins ...... Jenny Hasler
Producer: John Fawcett Wilson
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 1985.
MON 10:00 Ayeesha Menon - Undercover Mumbai (b039yp0r)
One Last Sacrifice
As India's general elections draw near, and the world's largest democracy decides its future, A murder and a political scandal leads Police Inspector Alia Khan to unravelling the truth about her policeman father's death. A climactic hour-long final episode of the police detective serial set in Mumbai.
Set and recorded on location in Mumbai, this six-part police detective serial stars Alia Khan, as a young woman officer in the Bandra Division of the Mumbai Police Force, who attempts to solve a series of crimes as she tries to make sense of her troubled past and cope with being a woman in a male dominated and chauvinistic police force. Written by Ayeesha Menon and directed by John Dryden.
PRODUCTION
Sound Recordist - Hitesh Chaurasia
Sound Design - Steve Bond
Editing Assistants - Andrew Lewis & Aditya Khanna.
Script Editor - Mike Walker
Assistant Producer - Toral Shah
Producer - Nadir Khan
Music - Sacha Putnam
Writer - Ayeesha Menon
Director - John Dryden
A Goldhawk Production for BBC Radio 4
www.goldhawk.eu.
MON 11:00 Brian Aldiss Short Stories (b03wpvq8)
The Expensive Delicate Ship
An eerie story within a story, set in some not too distant future but looking back on an ancient biblical flood. Read by Nicholas Farrell.
Brian Aldiss (1925-2017) was one of Britain's most prolific writers of speculative fiction. His first book was written when he was 14. This selection of his shorter fiction celebrates the range of his interests from futuristic creation myths to biting social satire.
Greatly influenced by the science fiction pioneer HG Wells, his writings have been compared to those of Isaac Asimov, Greg Bear and Arthur C Clarke. His complete works are currently being republished.
Produced for BBC Radio 4 Extra by the Waters Company.
MON 11:15 Drama (b00v1rlh)
Emma Smith - Maidens' Trip
By Emma Smith. Dramatised for radio by David Ashton (writer of the popular Radio 4 detective series McLevy).
First published in 1948, this adaptation of Emma Smith's fictionalised memoir opens in 1943 and relates the adventures of three eighteen-year-old girls who'd signed on with the Grand Union Canal Carrying Company to replace workers drafted overseas.
Quite literally thrown in at the deep end Emma, Charity and Nanette embark on their maiden voyage - carrying steel north by canal from London to Birmingham - surmounting the dangerous, back-breaking work thanks largely to an endearing mix of youthful bravado and blissful ignorance. Steering their way through the 'other world' of the boat people, the girls, often out of their depth, face up to an assortment of challenges with courage and good cheer.
Cast:
Tilly.......... Greta Scacchi
Emma...... Emily Wachter
Charity..... Emerald O'Hanrahan
Nanette.... Georgia Groome
Wilfred..... Rufus Wright
Mr Silver... Sean Baker
Eli Silver... Lloyd Thomas
Director.... Kirsteen Cameron.
MON 12:00 Dad's Army (b00qxh17)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
MON 12:30 Marriage Lines (b0663ftq)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
MON 13:00 W Somerset Maugham - Ashenden, Gentleman Spy (b008g278)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
MON 13:30 Serbian Trumpets (b00tj82f)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
MON 14:00 George Orwell - Animal Farm (b00c13tx)
Episode 1
A pig called Old Major has a dream and speaks to the other animals. The world-famous cautionary fable read by Bill Nighy. From June 2003.
MON 14:15 The Generation Gap (b00t6p21)
Series 3: Health Industry
Dentists
Two people from different generations who work in the health industry or have experience of the health industry discuss how technology has changed over their lifetimes.
The series takes a look at a broad spectrum of the health professions from surgeons to nurses, dentists to birthing specialists, and looks at how technology has changed during the course of their working lives.
How does the new technology affect our society? What social changes does our approach to technology reveal?
The series begins with two dentists. Alistair McClean, now retired, worked in Perth as a dentist for 40 years, qualifying in 1964. Elaine Halley also works in Perth but qualified in 1992. They compare notes on the vast change in dental techniques and social changes such as the NHS, fluoride in water and views on cosmetic dentistry.
Producer: Laura Parfitt
A Juniper production for BBC Radio 4.
MON 14:30 15 Minute Drama (b019f8bc)
Edith Wharton - Ethan Frome
Episode 1
Why does Ethan Frome walk with a limp? And what is the tragedy that befell him over twenty years earlier? A visitor to the town attempts to find out.
Ethan Frome ..... Dominic Mafham
Mattie .....Jessica Raine
Zeena .....Laurel Lefkow
Denis Eady ..... Christopher Webster
Post Mistress ..... Adjoa Andoh
Andrew Hale ..... Paul Moriarty
Edith Wharton ..... Fenella Woolgar
written by Edith Wharton
Dramatised by Lin Coghlan
Directed by Sally Avens
Ethan Frome is one of Edith Wharton's most enduring and powerful stories.
Set against the cold, grey, bleakness of a New England winter. Ethan Frome scrapes a living from his woodlot whilst trapped in an unhappy marriage with his hypochondriac wife, Zeena. A ray of light enters Ethan's life when his wife's cousin Mattie arrives to help. His life is transformed as he falls in love with Mattie but their fate is determined by their circumstances and the stifling conventions of the time.
Ethan Frome was deemed shocking when first published as it appeared to condone infidelity. What many readers did not know was that many of the novella's themes mirrored real events in the life of Edith Wharton. Her own story is told in an accompanying play 'The Jinx Element' that explores her own sexless marriage and a passionate affair that begun when she was 47.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 2012.
MON 14:45 Book of the Week (b00thw3j)
Chris Mullin - Decline and Fall: Diaries 2005-2010
Episode 1
The second volume of Chris Mullin's diaries reflect irreverently and humorously on New Labour's last term in office. Today, dismissed from government Mullin contemplates a future at the lower foothills of political life.
Chris Mullin is the former MP for Sunderland South, a journalist and author. His books include the first volume of his acclaimed diaries, "A View From the Foothills." He also wrote the thriller, "A Very British Coup", with the television version winning BAFTA and Emmy awards. He was a minister in three departments, Environment, Transport and Regions, International Development and The Foreign Office.
The reader is Sam Dale.
The abridger is Penny Leicester.
The producer is Elizabeth Allard.
MON 15:00 Ayeesha Menon - Undercover Mumbai (b039yp0r)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 today]
MON 16:00 The Write Stuff (b007759c)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
MON 16:30 King Street Junior (b00tk76w)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 today]
MON 17:00 The World As We Know It (b00fy2qt)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
MON 17:30 I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue (b064ygll)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
MON 18:00 HP Lovecraft - At the Mountains of Madness (b00vkxxk)
Episode 1
High in the Antarctic, a team of scientists make an unexpected discovery. HP Lovecraft's tale of terror read by Richard Coyle.
MON 18:30 A Good Read (b0075tzh)
Lyn MacDonald and Colin Blakemore
Louise Doughty and her guests neurobiologist Sir Colin Blakemore and historian Lyn MacDonald discuss favourite paperbacks by Francoise Sagan, Antony Beevor and Allan Gurganus. From 2000.
Stalingrad by Antony Beevor
Publisher: Penguin
Bonjour Tristesse by Francoise Sagan
Publisher: Penguin
Oldest Living Confederate Widow Tells All by Allan Gurganus
Publisher: Faber.
MON 19:00 Dad's Army (b00qxh17)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
MON 19:30 Marriage Lines (b0663ftq)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
MON 20:00 W Somerset Maugham - Ashenden, Gentleman Spy (b008g278)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
MON 20:30 Serbian Trumpets (b00tj82f)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
MON 21:00 Brian Aldiss Short Stories (b03wpvq8)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:00 today]
MON 21:15 Drama (b00v1rlh)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:15 today]
MON 22:00 I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue (b064ygll)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
MON 22:30 Party (b011vg9k)
Series 2
Prison Ain't All That Bad
The student politicians of the new political Party use prison-based TV shows as the inspiration to formulate their policy on crime and punishment.
Tom Basden's satirical comedy about a political party run by young idealists.
Simon ..... Tom Basden
Duncan ..... Tim Key
Jared ..... Jonny Sweet
Mel ..... Ann Crilly
Phoebe ..... Katy Wix
Producer: Julia McKenzie
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in June 2011.
MON 23:00 Dead Ringers (b0650623)
Series 15
Episode 1
A satirical take on politics, media and celebrity.
Featuring Jon Culshaw, Debra Stephenson, Jan Ravens, Lewis MacLeod and Duncan Wisbey.
Produced by Bill Dare.
MON 23:25 The Comedy Club Interviews (b018pd6q)
For two hours, six nights a week, the Comedy Club offers the best in laughs. Plus Jessica Fostekew chats to 'French' comedian Marcel Lucont.
MON 23:30 Craig Brown's Lost Diaries (b00v1nhb)
January and February
Satirist Craig Brown dips into the private lives of public figures from the 1960s to the present day.
As the New Year begins, great thinkers like Barack Obama, John Prescott and Barbara Cartland turn their thoughts to new beginnings.
Voiced by Jan Ravens, Alistair McGowan, Lewis McLeod, Ewan Bailey, Margaret Cabourn-Smith and Dolly Wells.
Written by Craig Brown.
Producer: Victoria Lloyd
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2010.


TUESDAY 18 AUGUST 2015

TUE 00:00 HP Lovecraft - At the Mountains of Madness (b00vkxxk)
[Repeat of broadcast at 18:00 on Monday]
TUE 00:30 A Good Read (b0075tzh)
[Repeat of broadcast at 18:30 on Monday]
TUE 01:00 W Somerset Maugham - Ashenden, Gentleman Spy (b008g278)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 on Monday]
TUE 01:30 Serbian Trumpets (b00tj82f)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 on Monday]
TUE 02:00 George Orwell - Animal Farm (b00c13tx)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:00 on Monday]
TUE 02:15 The Generation Gap (b00t6p21)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:15 on Monday]
TUE 02:30 15 Minute Drama (b019f8bc)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:30 on Monday]
TUE 02:45 Book of the Week (b00thw3j)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:45 on Monday]
TUE 03:00 Ayeesha Menon - Undercover Mumbai (b039yp0r)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 on Monday]
TUE 04:00 The Write Stuff (b007759c)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 on Monday]
TUE 04:30 King Street Junior (b00tk76w)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 on Monday]
TUE 05:00 The World As We Know It (b00fy2qt)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 on Monday]
TUE 05:30 I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue (b064ygll)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 on Monday]
TUE 06:00 W Somerset Maugham - Ashenden, Gentleman Spy (b008g6v9)
The Traitor
Ashenden is despatched to a small hotel in Lucerne, Switzerland to try and buy the allegiance of a German informant - English charmer Grantley Caypor. But when it transpires that he's not to be bought, Ashenden has few options left and is forced to try and turn him in.
A series of short stories based on William Somerset Maugham's own First World War experiences
Read by Alex Jennings
Abridged by Neville Teller
Producer: Eoin O'Callaghan
Made for BBC Radio 7 and first broadcast in 2007.
TUE 06:30 Sud-U-Like (b00tbcdt)
From the very first UK laundrette in Queensway, West London (opened in 1949) to present day laundry-services, the laundrette has played a vital part in the UK's modern history. But is the popular opinion of laundrettes as unsavoury places to visit only when you are at your lowest a fair assertion?
As Yasmeen Khan discovers, not everyone finds laundrettes depressing places - for many, the local laundrette is as much a community centre and social hub as the pub - more Dot.com than Dot Cotton - such as Manchester's first Internet launderette, where customers can surf the net and watch films while washing their smalls!
Yasmeen also visits the Liverpool offices of Associated Liver Laundrettes, the UK's largest chain of laundrettes, and learns first-hand what business is really like in the clothes-cleaning industry - and what the future holds. The programme will also hear from Yasmeen's family - about why and how they ended up in the laundrette business (5 shops across Huddersfield), what the ups and downs of owning laundrettes were and just how much the people, machines and washing powder impacted on their lives.
Yasmeen takes a trip back to her Yorkshire home town of Huddersfield to visit the only one that has remained as a laundrette. And then there's "that advert", with the guy stripping off in the laundrette in front of the admiring ladies - did it only sell jeans, or did the laundrette business profit as well?
And of course, what programme about laundrettes would be complete without a trip to the most famous laundrette in the country? Yasmeen pops down to Albert Square to learn all about the role the Eastenders washeteria has had in the history of the soap-opera, and to find out why it has remained a key location for so many years.
Produced by Neil Gardner and Yasmeen Khan
A Ladbroke Production for BBC Radio 4.
TUE 07:00 HR (b00tj5qm)
Series 2
Dogging
Comedy drama series by Nigel Williams that charts the misfortunes of a middle-aged HR officer and his trouble-making colleague.
Sam, determined to help depressed Peter find a sense of purpose in his retirement, gets him a dog. But will the scruffy mongrel help Peter? Or will it add to his aggression and sense of injustice?
Peter ..... Jonathan Pryce
Sam ..... Nicholas Le Prevost
Nasty Man ..... Tony Bell
Woman ..... Christine Kavanagh
Man ..... Sam Dale
Director: Peter Kavanagh.
First broadcast on Radio 4 in 2010.
TUE 07:30 Mitch Benn Is the 37th Beatle (b03szxdh)
Musical satirist Mitch Benn explores his comedy connections to the story of The Beatles.
Mitch has realised that over the years many people have claimed the title The Fifth Beatle. In fact, so many of them have been described as such that there are now at least 36 of them. They can't all be right. But some of them are righter than others...
Fifty years on from the release of 'Please, Please Me', Mitch presents his own definitive list of the Beatles. He presents a whistlestop tour through musical history and the enduring legacy of the Fab Four, whilst shamelessly milking his own - incredibly tenuous- connection to it.
Written by and starring Mitch Benn
Producer: Alexandra Smith.
TUE 08:00 Round the Horne (b007jrw6)
Series 2
Episode 8
Kenneth Horne is on the mystery trail of a giant mouse - and down the end of the pier, it's the amazing Gruntfuttock and Julian and Sandy being telepathic.
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 May 1966.
TUE 08:30 Hello Cheeky (b012b8hz)
From 28/04/1973
Mix up over TV newsreaders and the DJs hold forth on Radio 1's Roundtable.
Pun-tastic fast-moving comedy sketch series written by and starring John Junkin, Barry Cryer and Tim Brooke-Taylor.
With musical accompaniment from the Denis King Trio.
Producer: David Hatch
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 1973.
TUE 09:00 Dead Ringers (b0650623)
[Repeat of broadcast at 23:00 on Monday]
TUE 09:30 Such Rotten Luck (b0667t0l)
Series 2
We Poets All Rejoice
Determined to scoop a rival biographer, the struggling writer visits Berlin.
The ups and downs in the comic life of a second-class writer.
Comedy drama series written by Ronald Hayman.
Woodhouse ...... Tim Pigott-Smith
Gila ...... Zoe Wanamaker
Seamus ...... Stephen Rea
Wilhelmina ...... Susie Bran
Dr Vongalis ...... Bill Wallis
Colonel ...... Benjamin Witrow
Ulrike ...... Tara Dominick
Marli Lillene ...... Nickolas Grace
Griselda ...... Victoria Carling
MacGillycuddy ...... James Green
Fenella ...... Maxine Audley
Music by Elizabeth Parker of the BBC Radiophonic Workshop
Director: Piers Plowright
First broadcast on BBC Radio 3 in December 1991.
TUE 10:00 Stella Gibbons - Westwood (b012yw3g)
1. Challis Charm
1943: Margaret Steggles moves to bomb-damaged London to take up her new teaching job.
Through a dropped ration book, she meets the Challises, who live at Westwood, an elegant house in Highgate.
The Challis family have great charm, and, with the casual selfishness of the privileged, they soon take advantage of Margaret's slavish admiration.
Stella Gibbons' gentle comedy adapted in two parts by Lynne Truss.
Narrator/Lady Challis …. Rosemary Leach
Margaret Steggles …. Juliet Aubrey
Gerard Challis …. Michael Fenton Stevens
Hilda Wilson …. Saffron Burrows
Hebe Niland …. Caroline Harker
Zita Mandelbaum …. Mia Soteriou
Seraphina Challis …. Phyllida Nash
Dick Fletcher …. Jonathan Nibbs
Mrs Steggles …. Angela Barlow
Mr Hudson …. Chris Donnelly
Grantey …. Jacqueline Tong
Earl …. Martin T. Sherman
Mrs Wilson …. Barbara Kellermann
Producer: Kate McAll
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 2004.
TUE 11:00 Brian Aldiss Short Stories (b03ws9lr)
Stillthorpe; Headless
Stillthorpe is a gentle fable. Followed by Headless - a blistering satire depicting a world where entertainment has replaced common-sense. Read by Clare Corbett.
Brian Aldiss (1925-2017) was one of Britain's most prolific writers of speculative fiction. His first book was written when he was 14. This selection of his shorter fiction celebrates the range of his interests from futuristic creation myths to biting social satire.
Greatly influenced by the science fiction pioneer HG Wells, his writings have been compared to those of Isaac Asimov, Greg Bear and Arthur C. Clarke. His complete works are currently being republished.
Produced for BBC Radio 4 Extra by the Waters Company.
TUE 11:15 Drama (b00fq1br)
Michael Butt - The Babington Plot
Documentary-style drama by Michael Butt that tells the story of the 1586 plot to assassinate Elizabeth I and return England to Catholic rule under Mary, Queen of Scots. The story is told from the perspective of several of the conspirators - some genuine, some government spies that had infiltrated the group.
Presenter ...... Stephen Greif
Robert Poley ...... Burn Gorman
Thomas Salisbury ...... Sam Barnett
Aloysius Skeres ...... Chris Pavlo
Thomas Phelippes ...... Jonathan Tafler
Robert Bull ...... Stephen Critchlow
Gilbert Gifford ...... Inam Mirza
Don Mendoza ...... Malcolm Tierney
Mistress Bellamy ...... Marlene Sidaway
Jane Tichbourne ...... Janice Acquah
Agnes Lauren ...... Jill Cardo
Shepherd ...... Dan Starkey
Casey ...... Paul Rider
Directed by Sasha Yevtushenko.
TUE 12:00 Round the Horne (b007jrw6)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
TUE 12:30 Hello Cheeky (b012b8hz)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
TUE 13:00 W Somerset Maugham - Ashenden, Gentleman Spy (b008g6v9)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
TUE 13:30 Sud-U-Like (b00tbcdt)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
TUE 14:00 George Orwell - Animal Farm (b00c0r24)
Episode 2
Snowball has big plans for the farmyard revolution, but how will fellow pig Napoleon react? Read by Bill Nighy. From June 2003.
TUE 14:15 The Generation Gap (b00t6rby)
Series 3: Health Industry
Birth
Two people from different generations who work in the health industry or have experience of the health industry discuss how technology has changed over their lifetimes.
St Mary's Hospital has a cutting edge birthing centre for new mothers. Daughter and mother Sarah and Jean compare notes on their experiences of how technology helped their birth experience, and how our attitudes have shifted towards a more natural approach.
Producer: Laura Parfitt
A Juniper production for BBC Radio 4.
TUE 14:30 15 Minute Drama (b019f9hc)
Edith Wharton - Ethan Frome
Episode 2
Zeena goes away to visit a Doctor and Ethan and Mattie are left alone together for the first time.
Ethan Frome ..... Dominic Mafham
Mattie ..... Jessica Raine
Zeena ..... Laurel Lefkow
Andrew Hale ..... Paul Moriarty
Edith Wharton ..... Fenella Woolgar
written by Edith Wharton
Dramatised by Lin Coghlan
Directed by Sally Avens
Ethan Frome is one of Edith Wharton's most enduring and powerful stories. Set against the cold, grey, bleakness of a New England winter. Ethan Frome scrapes a living from his woodlot whilst trapped in an unhappy marriage with his hypochondriac wife, Zeena. A ray of light enters Ethan's life when his wife's cousin Mattie arrives to help. His life is transformed as he falls in love with Mattie but their fate is determined by their circumstances and the stifling conventions of the time.
Ethan Frome was deemed shocking when first published as it appeared to condone infidelity. What many readers did not know was that many of the novella's themes mirrored real events in the life of Edith Wharton. Her own story is told in an accompanying play 'The Jinx Element' which explores her own sexless marriage and a passionate affair that begun when she was 47.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 2012.
TUE 14:45 Book of the Week (b00thw3l)
Chris Mullin - Decline and Fall: Diaries 2005-2010
Episode 2
The second volume of Chris Mullin's diaries reflect irreverently and humorously on New Labour's last term in office. Today, it is 2006 and Mullin looks back on Tony Blair's premiership, and the events leading up to Labour's Black Wednesday.
Chris Mullin is the former MP for Sunderland South, a journalist and author. His books include the first volume of his acclaimed diaries, "A View From the Foothills." He also wrote the thriller, "A Very British Coup", with the television version winning BAFTA and Emmy awards. He was a minister in three departments, Environment, Transport and Regions, International Development and The Foreign Office.
The reader is Sam Dale.
The abridger is Penny Leicester.
The producer is Elizabeth Allard.
TUE 15:00 Stella Gibbons - Westwood (b012yw3g)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 today]
TUE 16:00 Who Goes There? (b0076bdv)
Series 6
Episode 6
Martin Young presents the biographical quiz show.
Team captains Francis Wheen and Fred Housego are joined by broadcaster and magician, Geoffrey Durham and writer Jenny Colgan.
Producer: Elizabeth Freestone
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 2002.
TUE 16:30 Such Rotten Luck (b0667t0l)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 today]
TUE 17:00 HR (b00tj5qm)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
TUE 17:30 Mitch Benn Is the 37th Beatle (b03szxdh)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
TUE 18:00 HP Lovecraft - At the Mountains of Madness (b00vl2hh)
Episode 2
A grisly discovery at Professor Lake's camp sparks a perilous two-man flight over monstrous mountains. Read by Richard Coyle.
TUE 18:30 How Tickled Am I? (b00f670x)
Series 3
Harry Worth
Harry Worth worked as a miner in Barnsley before his talent for comedy came to the fore during the Second World War.
On seeing his act as a less-than-convincing ventriloquist, Stan Laurel advised him to "ditch the dummy". Harry never looked back. His gently dithering characterisations charmed the nation on both radio and TV.
Mark Radcliffe looks back at the life and career of Harry Worth.
Series exploring the tradition of influential northern comedians of the past,
Producer: Libby Cross
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2000.
TUE 19:00 Round the Horne (b007jrw6)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
TUE 19:30 Hello Cheeky (b012b8hz)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
TUE 20:00 W Somerset Maugham - Ashenden, Gentleman Spy (b008g6v9)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
TUE 20:30 Sud-U-Like (b00tbcdt)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
TUE 21:00 Brian Aldiss Short Stories (b03ws9lr)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:00 today]
TUE 21:15 Drama (b00fq1br)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:15 today]
TUE 22:00 Mitch Benn Is the 37th Beatle (b03szxdh)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
TUE 22:30 Little Britain (b008vt68)
Series 2
Episode 4
Back where it started out. Matt Lucas and David Walliams' oddball TV smash hit, without the cameras. From March 2002.
TUE 22:55 The Comedy Club Interviews (b01h0f40)
For two hours, six nights a week, the Comedy Club offers the best in laughs. Plus Jessica Fostekew chats again to 'French' comedian Marcel Lucont.
TUE 23:00 Rubbish (b00899qv)
Series 2
Surveillance
While testing out his latest initiative - a tannoy system that works in conjunction with the CCTV system - Martin becomes its next victim.
Will he be able to clear his name?
Reece Dinsdale stars as local government officer, cynic and manic-depressive, Martin Christmas in Tony Bagley's sitcom.
Martin ...... Reece Dinsdale
Barney ...... Matthew Cottle
John ...... Neil Dudgeon
Banks ...... Ewan Bailey
Tannoy ...... Martin Trenaman
Producer: Claire Bartlett
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 2007.
TUE 23:30 Vent (b01glrp7)
Series 3
The Stand-In
Ben vows to do something alone but buying an envelope at the post office is not that easy.
Starring Neil Pearson.
Nigel Smith's dark sitcom about a man in a coma, travelling through the distinctly odd landscape of his own unconscious mind.
Ben .... Neil Pearson
Mary .... Fiona Allen
Mum .... Josie Lawrence
Blitz .... Leslie Ash
Nurse .... Jo Martin
Derek .... Stephen Frost
Marley .... Spencer Brown
Bea .... Scarlett Milburn-Smith
Mr Shah .... Bruce Alexander
Director: Gareth Edwards
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 2009.


WEDNESDAY 19 AUGUST 2015

WED 00:00 HP Lovecraft - At the Mountains of Madness (b00vl2hh)
[Repeat of broadcast at 18:00 on Tuesday]
WED 00:30 How Tickled Am I? (b00f670x)
[Repeat of broadcast at 18:30 on Tuesday]
WED 01:00 W Somerset Maugham - Ashenden, Gentleman Spy (b008g6v9)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 on Tuesday]
WED 01:30 Sud-U-Like (b00tbcdt)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 on Tuesday]
WED 02:00 George Orwell - Animal Farm (b00c0r24)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:00 on Tuesday]
WED 02:15 The Generation Gap (b00t6rby)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:15 on Tuesday]
WED 02:30 15 Minute Drama (b019f9hc)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:30 on Tuesday]
WED 02:45 Book of the Week (b00thw3l)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:45 on Tuesday]
WED 03:00 Stella Gibbons - Westwood (b012yw3g)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 on Tuesday]
WED 04:00 Who Goes There? (b0076bdv)
[Repeat of broadcast at 16:00 on Tuesday]
WED 04:30 Such Rotten Luck (b0667t0l)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 on Tuesday]
WED 05:00 HR (b00tj5qm)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 on Tuesday]
WED 05:30 Mitch Benn Is the 37th Beatle (b03szxdh)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 on Tuesday]
WED 06:00 W Somerset Maugham - Ashenden, Gentleman Spy (b008gbq1)
Mr Harrington's Washing
In Petrograd, Ashenden encounters a fastidious American businessman called Mr Harrington, whose penchant for spotless laundry has ugly consequences when the Bolsheviks revolt.
Ashenden also crosses paths with his former Russian lover, Anastacia, who's only too eager to help him in his biggest and most important mission yet.
A series of short stories based on William Somerset Maugham's own First World War experiences
Read by Alex Jennings
Abridged by Neville Teller
Producer: Eoin O'Callaghan
Made for BBC Radio 7 and first broadcast in 2007.
WED 06:30 Gauguin: The Right to Dare (b00txhf5)
Paul Gauguin asked August Strindberg to write an introduction to his catalogue exhibition.
In response, Strindberg wrote passionately, but regretfully that he couldn't as he didn't like Gauguin's work and while he struggled to explain his antipathy, he wrote "What is he then? He is Gauguin, the savage who hates the restraints of civilisation, who has something of the Titan who, jealous of the creator, makes his own little creation in his spare time, the child who takes toys apart to make others, the one who renounces and defies, preferring to see the sky red, rather than blue with the crowd."
By the time he's written these words he begins to understand this controversial artist's work and exclaims "Upon my word, it seems to me that, now I've become excited writing, I'm starting to have a certain understanding of Gauguin's art.
The last romantic, the leading light in Symbolist painting, the primitive sophisticate, 'decivilising' painter of the French colonial tropics and revolutionary colourist - Paul Gauguin's work shaped modern art. His rejection of the bourgeois Parisian lifestyle of a stockbroker and wild escape to an archipelago of tiny, remote Pacific islands is the stuff of modern artistic legend. But to this day he remains a very controversial figure, lauded on the one hand and vilified by critics on the other.
Our title is taken from Gauguin's life-maxim - that he demanded "The right to dare to do anything." The 'right to dare' goes to the heart of our argument here - and of our assessment of the contemporary importance of Gauguin's art . We investigate the ways in which Gauguin pushed at the boundaries of convention both in art and life and explore the legacy of that daring in terms of Gauguin's influence today.
Producer: Kate Bland
A Just Radio production for BBC Radio 4.
WED 07:00 Winston (b007mwhn)
Series 1
The Village Fete
Father's enjoyed a remarkable recovery and seems poised to live forever; and Rosie and William plan to stay at home. But Nancy makes a big decision...
Peter Tinniswood's bawdy comedy serial stars Bill Wallis as Winston, Maurice Denham as Father, Shirley Dixon as Nancy, Liz Goulding as Rosie and Christian Rodska as William.
Directed at BBC Bristol by Shaun MacLoughlin.
First broadcast on BBC Radio in May 1989.
WED 07:30 Listen Against (b00fq2sw)
Series 2
Episode 3
Radio 4's new drama 'Peston', 'Thought for the Day' for Satanists and why is Jeremy Vine so charming in person but so tetchy on Radio 2?
The show that look backs in amplitude at rearranged and downright fictional snippets from BBC radio.
Written by and starring Jon Holmes,
With Alice Arnold.
Producer: Sam Bryant
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 2008.
WED 08:00 The Navy Lark (b0080qlm)
Series 3
Onabushkan Flu
With her crew battling flu, HMS Troutbridge must take on board half an Onabushkan crew for a special royal mission.

Stars Jon Pertwee as the Chief Petty Officer, Leslie Phillips as the Sub-Lieutenant, Stephen Murray as the Number One, Richard Caldicote as Captain Povey, Ronnie Barker as Able Seaman Johnson,Tenniel Evans as Able Seaman Goldstein, Heather Chasen as the Queen and Michael Bates as the Aide.

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

Scripted by Lawrie Wyman

Producer: Alastair Scott Johnston.

First broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in January 1961.
WED 08:30 I'm Sorry, I'll Read That Again (b00cylbh)
Series 6
Episode 1
Radio's Dave the Rave - and The Legend of Bunny and Claude.
Starring Tim Brooke-Taylor, John Cleese, Graeme Garden, David Hatch, Bill Oddie and Jo Kendall.
Written by Bill Oddie and Graeme Garden.
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 Leon Cohen and Bill Oddie.
Producer: David Hatch/Peter Titheradge
First broadcast on BBC Radio 2 in April 1968.
WED 09:00 Puzzle Panel (b00x7lb5)
Episode 1
Agitate your grey matter with Chris Maslanka, David Singmaster, William Harston and Professor Angela Newing. From June 1998.
WED 09:30 The Leopard in Autumn (b00c3b7g)
Series 1
The Pride and the Peacemaker
Renaissance Italy's Prince Ludovico buys a cannon, and Princess Plethora wants to confess. Stars David Swift. From April 2001.
WED 10:00 Stella Gibbons - Westwood (b01322b0)
2. Disillusionment
Teacher Margaret Steggles wonders if pompous playwright Gerald Challis really is the man of her dreams?
Conclusion of Stella Gibbons' gentle comedy adapted by Lynne Truss.
Narrator/Lady Challis …. Rosemary Leach
Margaret Steggles …. Juliet Aubrey
Gerard Challis …. Michael Fenton Stevens
Hilda Wilson …. Saffron Burrows
Hebe Niland …. Caroline Harker
Zita Mandelbaum …. Mia Soteriou
Seraphina Challis …. Phyllida Nash
Dick Fletcher …. Jonathan Nibbs
Mrs Steggles …. Angela Barlow
Mr Hudson …. Chris Donnelly
Grantey …. Jacqueline Tong
Earl …. Martin T. Sherman
Mrs Wilson …. Barbara Kellermann
Producer: Kate McAll
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 2004.
WED 11:00 Brian Aldiss Short Stories (b03wt584)
Galaxy Zee
Life in a galaxy where every planet and every city is like a billion others, the controlling Unicrat who created them feels his plan has gone awry. Read by Jack Klaff.
Brian Aldiss (1925-2017) was one of Britain's most prolific writers of speculative fiction. His first book was written when he was 14. This selection of his shorter fiction celebrates the range of his interests from futuristic creation myths to biting social satire.
Greatly influenced by the science fiction pioneer HG Wells, his writings have been compared to those of Isaac Asimov, Greg Bear and Arthur C. Clarke. His complete works are currently being republished.
Produced for BBC Radio 4 Extra by the Waters Company.
WED 11:15 Drama (b009mtcf)
Peter Souter - Goldfish Girl
By Peter Souter
What if you couldn't remember a single minute of the ten years you'd spent with the love of your life? Joe can remember everything about Ally; Ally remembers nothing about Joe.
Joe ..... Alex Jennings
Ally ..... Juliet Stevenson
Directed by Gordon House.
WED 12:00 The Navy Lark (b0080qlm)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
WED 12:30 I'm Sorry, I'll Read That Again (b00cylbh)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
WED 13:00 W Somerset Maugham - Ashenden, Gentleman Spy (b008gbq1)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
WED 13:30 Gauguin: The Right to Dare (b00txhf5)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
WED 14:00 George Orwell - Animal Farm (b00c0grc)
Episode 3
The windmill is smashed, with Squealer blaming Snowball, as Napoleon cements his position on the farm. Read by Bill Nighy. From June 2003.
WED 14:15 The Generation Gap (b00t6rc0)
Series 3: Health Industry
Community Nurses
Two people from different generations who work in the health industry or have experience of the health industry discuss how technology has changed over their lifetimes.
Sharon Dempsey nurses in the community, as did Merle Parke. They compare notes on how technology in their jobs affects the relationship with the patient. From computerising records and using high tech equipment to having machinery that can help patients monitor their own symptoms and help nurses make remote diagnoses.
Producer: Laura Parfitt
A Juniper production for BBC Radio 4.
WED 14:30 15 Minute Drama (b019fxjc)
Edith Wharton - Ethan Frome
Episode 3
Ethan and Mattie's idyll is shattered by the return of Zeena.
Ethan Frome ..... Dominic Mafham
Mattie ..... Jessica Raine
Zeena ..... Laurel Lefkow
Jotham Powell ..... Adam Billington
Denis Eady ..... Christopher Webster
Widow Homan ...... Victoria Inez Hardy
Edith Wharton ..... Fenella Woolgar
Written by Edith Wharton
Dramatised by Lin Coghlan
Directed by Sally Avens
Ethan Frome is one of Edith Wharton's most enduring and powerful stories.
Set against the cold, grey, bleakness of a New England winter. Ethan Frome scrapes a living from his woodlot whilst trapped in an unhappy marriage with his hypochondriac wife, Zeena. A ray of light enters Ethan's life when his wife's cousin Mattie arrives to help. His life is transformed as he falls in love with Mattie but their fate is determined by their circumstances and the stifling conventions of the time.
Ethan Frome was deemed shocking when first published as it appeared to condone infidelity. What many readers did not know was that many of the novella's themes mirrored real events in the life of Edith Wharton. Her own story is told in the play 'The Jinx Element' which explores her own sexless marriage and a passionate affair that begun when she was 47.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 2012.
WED 14:45 Book of the Week (b00thw3n)
Chris Mullin - Decline and Fall: Diaries 2005-2010
Episode 3
The second volume of Chris Mullin's diaries reflect irreverently and humorously on New Labour's last term in office. Today, Tony Blair's final days as Prime Minister.
Chris Mullin is the former MP for Sunderland South, a journalist and author. His books include the first volume of his acclaimed diaries, "A View From the Foothills." He also wrote the thriller, "A Very British Coup", with the television version winning BAFTA and Emmy awards. He was a minister in three departments, Environment, Transport and Regions, International Development and The Foreign Office.
The reader is Sam Dale.
The abridger is Penny Leicester.
The producer is Elizabeth Allard.
WED 15:00 Stella Gibbons - Westwood (b01322b0)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 today]
WED 16:00 Puzzle Panel (b00x7lb5)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
WED 16:30 The Leopard in Autumn (b00c3b7g)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 today]
WED 17:00 Winston (b007mwhn)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
WED 17:30 Listen Against (b00fq2sw)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
WED 18:00 HP Lovecraft - At the Mountains of Madness (b00vlq6b)
Episode 3
Dyer and student geologist Danforth discover sprawling evidence of an incredible ancient civilisation. Read by Richard Coyle.
WED 18:30 Off the Page (b0076r24)
Suspicion
Matthew Parris, Julian Baggini, Will Pavia and Anthony McGowan discuss the impact of suspicious thoughts. From March 2005.
WED 19:00 The Navy Lark (b0080qlm)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
WED 19:30 I'm Sorry, I'll Read That Again (b00cylbh)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
WED 20:00 W Somerset Maugham - Ashenden, Gentleman Spy (b008gbq1)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
WED 20:30 Gauguin: The Right to Dare (b00txhf5)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
WED 21:00 Brian Aldiss Short Stories (b03wt584)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:00 today]
WED 21:15 Drama (b009mtcf)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:15 today]
WED 22:00 Listen Against (b00fq2sw)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
WED 22:30 Will Smith's Midlife Crisis Management (b00g502t)
Episode 3
Comedy series in which comedian Will Smith seeks help and advice - primarily from his godfather Peter - on coping with the onset of middle age. Peter invites American rap star 10 Shot to help Will with his confidence and Will joins a self defence class to stop him being bullied by teenage girls. With Roger Allam, Jimmy Akingbola, Jill Cardo.
WED 23:00 Elis James's Pantheon of Heroes (b01p4734)
Series 2
The Welsh Abroad
Welsh migrants to America, Michael D Jones and Anthony Hopkins. Determining the ultimate heroes of Wales. From December 2012.
WED 23:25 The Comedy Club Interviews (b01dtjg9)
For two hours, six nights a week, the Comedy Club offers the best laughs. Plus Jessica Fostekew chats to Andy Hamilton.
WED 23:30 Hut 33 (b01j9hsk)
Series 3
Know Thyne Enemy
It's 1942 and the war is not going well - so the codebreakers of Bletchley Park are under even more pressure than usual.
Archie, Gordon and Charles try to think like Germans to predict the Enigma machine code...
Stars Tom Goodman-Hill as Archie, Robert Bathurst as Professor Charles Gardner, Fergus Craig as Gordon, Alex MacQueen as 3rd Lt. Joshua Featherstonhaugh-Marshall, Olivia Colman as Minka and Lill Roughley as Mrs Best.
Written by James Cary.
Producer: Adam Bromley
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 2009.


THURSDAY 20 AUGUST 2015

THU 00:00 HP Lovecraft - At the Mountains of Madness (b00vlq6b)
[Repeat of broadcast at 18:00 on Wednesday]
THU 00:30 Off the Page (b0076r24)
[Repeat of broadcast at 18:30 on Wednesday]
THU 01:00 W Somerset Maugham - Ashenden, Gentleman Spy (b008gbq1)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 on Wednesday]
THU 01:30 Gauguin: The Right to Dare (b00txhf5)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 on Wednesday]
THU 02:00 George Orwell - Animal Farm (b00c0grc)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:00 on Wednesday]
THU 02:15 The Generation Gap (b00t6rc0)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:15 on Wednesday]
THU 02:30 15 Minute Drama (b019fxjc)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:30 on Wednesday]
THU 02:45 Book of the Week (b00thw3n)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:45 on Wednesday]
THU 03:00 Stella Gibbons - Westwood (b01322b0)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 on Wednesday]
THU 04:00 Puzzle Panel (b00x7lb5)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 on Wednesday]
THU 04:30 The Leopard in Autumn (b00c3b7g)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 on Wednesday]
THU 05:00 Winston (b007mwhn)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 on Wednesday]
THU 05:30 Listen Against (b00fq2sw)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 on Wednesday]
THU 06:00 W Somerset Maugham - Ashenden, Gentleman Spy (b008gcmq)
Miss King
Agent Ashenden finds his Swiss hotel is a hive of activity for spies from both sides of the war and is summoned to the deathbed of an English governess who wants the ear of one of her countrymen before she dies.
A series of short stories based on William Somerset Maugham's own First World War experiences
Read by Alex Jennings
Abridged by Neville Teller
Producer: Eoin O'Callaghan
Made for BBC Radio 7 and first broadcast in 2007.
THU 06:30 Juggling Chainsaws with Archaos (b00tmtxs)
Chainsaws, forklift trucks and semtex - in 1990, the French ripped into the traditional circus format with a demented vitality that outraged authorities across the UK. Archaos were the creation of Pierrot Bidon, "part gypsy, part street urchin, very hairy" according to Mark Borkowski. He was their British publicist, and saw it as his job to get them out of the cultural pages and onto the front pages instead.
"The Human Circus Hides Sick Secrets" - a typical tabloid headline that followed Archaos wherever they went. As a result, local councils banned them again and again, a cunning ploy to sell huge numbers of tickets wherever they went.
In Juggling Chainsaws with Archaos, presenter Miles Warde tracks down the British participants who made Archaos more successful here than anywhere else - including their producer Adrian Evans and performers like Mischa Eligoloff, who moved from backstage to fire-eater, hiccupped during a performance, and felt all his paraffin enter his lungs. Or as Pierrot Bidon used to say, "A life without danger is not a life; a show without danger is not a show.".
THU 07:00 PG Wodehouse - The Inimitable Jeeves (b007tdnm)
The Metropolitan Touch
Bingo's in love again, so Bertie and his valet are summoned to help.
PG Wodehouse romp dramatised by Chris Miller from the book.
PG Wodehouse's romp starring Michael Hordern and Richard Briers.
Jeeves ...... Michael Hordern
Bertie Wooster ..... Richard Briers
Bingo Little ..... Jonathan Cecil
Steggles ...... Edwin Apps
Kid ...... Denise Bryer
Adapted by Chris Miller.
Producer: David Hatch
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 1973.
THU 07:30 Meet David Sedaris (b064zp7v)
Series 5
Leviathan
Two stories from one of the world's best storytellers, David Sedaris, doing what he does best:
Leviathan deals with a family gathering for Thanksgiving at the seaside.
And there's another instalment from David's diary.
Producer: Steve Doherty
A Giddy Goat production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in August 2015.
THU 08:00 Steptoe and Son (b00t3tws)
Series 2
Sunday for Seven Days
Harold lives to regret taking his dad Albert to the cinema.
Starring Wilfrid Brambell as Albert and Harry H Corbett as Harold. With Peter Hawkins and Nigel Clayton.
Following the conclusion of their hugely successful association with Tony Hancock, writers Ray Galton and Alan Simpson wrote 10 pilots for the BBC TV's Comedy Playhouse in 1962. The Offer was set in a house with a yard full of junk, featuring the lives of rag and bone men Albert Steptoe and his son Harold and it was the spark for a run of 8 series for TV.
Adapted for radio from Galton and Simpson's TV script by Gale Pedrick.
Produced by Bobby Jaye
First broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in July 1967.
THU 08:30 The Marx Brothers' Flywheel, Shyster and Flywheel (b007jv6w)
Series 1
Flywheel, Shyster and Flywheel
Shady lawyer Waldorf T Flywheel and his assistant Ravelli get themselves hired to guard a Rembrandt painting.
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 June 1990.
THU 09:00 Guess What? (b066f71q)
Episode 8
Animal, vegetable or mineral?
Barry Took hosts a revised version of popular radio parlour game of 20 questions.
Regular Geoffrey Durham is joined by Chris Serle and Clare Francis.
Written by Michael Dines.
Producer: Andy Aliffe
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 1998.
THU 09:30 After Henry (b007nf1y)
Series 4
Dependent Relatives
'I'm sorry, Mother. It's just that that's the fourth time you've said you're not feeling at all well in the last hour".
Sarah is missing her daughter Clare - and her mother Eleanor is still very irritating.
Simon Brett's comedy about three generations of women - struggling to cope after the death of Sarah's GP husband - who never quite manage to see eye to eye.
Sarah ...... Prunella Scales
Eleanor ...... Joan Sanderson
Russell ...... Benjamin Whitrow
Clare ...... Gerry Cowper
Four radio series were made, but instead of moving to BBC TV - Thames Television produced 'After Henry' for the ITV network.
Producer: Pete Atkin
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 1989.
THU 10:00 Judith French - The Dutch Mariner (b0076dm8)
A mysterious Dutchman is condemned to sail the seas for all eternity, unless he can find a woman who loves him enough to die for him.
But how do you prove a lover would give their soul to save yours?
In the short, dark days of Norwegian winter, this timeless tale explores the danger of getting what you wish for, the power of love and the strength of evil.
"The Dutch Mariner" is Judith French's retelling of the myth that inspired Wagner's classic opera "The Flying Dutchman".
The Mariner .... Gerard Murphy
The Fiend .... James Laurenson
Senta ....Ellie Beaven
Eric ... Ifan Meredith
Daland ... Pip Donaghy
Producer: Rachel Horan
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 2003.
THU 11:00 Brian Aldiss Short Stories (b03wtf7z)
The Light Really; Apology
Two Brian Aldiss stories: first, a philandering journalist is confined to home; whilst in Apology an elderly aristocrat's memory returns him to an incident that moved him greatly. Read by Ewan Bailey.
Brian Aldiss (1925-2017) was one of Britain's most prolific writers of speculative fiction. His first book was written when he was 14. This selection of his shorter fiction celebrates the range of his interests from futuristic creation myths to biting social satire.
Greatly influenced by the science fiction pioneer HG Wells, his writings have been compared to those of Isaac Asimov, Greg Bear and Arthur C Clarke. His complete works are currently being republished.
Produced for BBC Radio 4 Extra by the Waters Company.
THU 11:15 Drama (b00x44l6)
Chris Wilson - I Before Bee
I Before Bee
by Chris Wilson
A comic and heartwarming play about teenager Michael Croxley whose stammer has contributed to his fear of public speaking. To his horror, Michael finds that he's competing in the national school spelling bee's; when the girl he adores, Lynne Hargreaves, reads a composition of his in double English and discovers he's a whizz with words and his spelling is stupendous she asks him to be part of the school spelling-bee team. How can he refuse? He accepts gallantly. Secretly he sobs to his nana terrified at the prospect. His Scottish Nana comes to the rescue with the help of Robert The Bruce.
Michael ....... Mykola Allen
Lynne ....... Sophie McShera
Nana............Maureen Beattie
Michael Senior....Paul Copley
Serena ....... Poppy Rush
Andre ...... Jack Ryan
Moderator.....Seamus O'Neill
Speech Consultant....Sue Addlestone
Producer/Director - Pauline Harris
The Writer - Chris Wilson is a sports journalist from Hull, who won a BBC Northern Radio writer for new writers -Alfred Bradley Bursary Award. His first play, Lump Boy Logan, starring Annette Badland and William Rush was broadcast on BBC Radio 3 in The Wire strand.
THU 12:00 Steptoe and Son (b00t3tws)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
THU 12:30 The Marx Brothers' Flywheel, Shyster and Flywheel (b007jv6w)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
THU 13:00 W Somerset Maugham - Ashenden, Gentleman Spy (b008gcmq)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
THU 13:30 Juggling Chainsaws with Archaos (b00tmtxs)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
THU 14:00 George Orwell - Animal Farm (b00c0c38)
Episode 4
The farmyard's commandments continue to change. Meanwhile, Napoleon gains a new title. Read by Bill Nighy. From June 2003.
THU 14:15 The Generation Gap (b00t6rc2)
Series 3: Health Industry
Mental Health
Two people from different generations who work in the health industry or have experience of the health industry discuss how technology has changed over their lifetimes.
Una Parker had ECT treatment for severe depression in the 1970s. She talks to Andrew Smith who is in his twenties and is being treated for depression by drug therapy. However, ECT is still used today, though there is much greater knowledge around it. How has technology changed our approach to the treatment of mental health?
Producer: Laura Parfitt
A Juniper production for BBC Radio 4.
THU 14:30 15 Minute Drama (b019gy9t)
Edith Wharton - Ethan Frome
Episode 4
Ethan becomes determined to escape his marriage and runaway with Mattie.
Ethan Frome ..... Dominic Mafham
Mattie ..... Jessica Raine
Zeena ..... Laurel Lefkow
Edith Wharton .... Fenella Woolgar
Written by Edith Wharton
Dramatised by Lin Coghlan
Directed by Sally Avens
Ethan Frome is one of Edith Wharton's most enduring and powerful stories.
Set against the cold, grey, bleakness of a New England winter. Ethan Frome scrapes a living from his woodlot whilst trapped in an unhappy marriage with his hypochondriac wife, Zeena. A ray of light enters Ethan's life when his wife's cousin Mattie arrives to help. His life is transformed as he falls in love with Mattie but their fate is determined by their circumstances and the stifling conventions of the time.
Ethan Frome was deemed shocking when first published as it appeared to condone infidelity. What many readers did not know was that many of the novella's themes mirrored real events in the life of Edith Wharton. Her own story is told in a play 'The Jinx Element' which explores her own sexless marriage and a passionate affair that begun when she was 47.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 2012.
THU 14:45 Book of the Week (b00thw3q)
Chris Mullin - Decline and Fall: Diaries 2005-2010
Episode 4
The second volume of Chris Mullin's diaries reflect irreverently and humorously on New Labour's last term in office. Today, 2008 approaches, and there is mounting disquiet over Gordon Brown's leadership.
Chris Mullin is the former MP for Sunderland South, a journalist and author. His books include the first volume of his acclaimed diaries, "A View From the Foothills." He also wrote the thriller, "A Very British Coup", with the television version winning BAFTA and Emmy awards. He was a minister in three departments, Environment, Transport and Regions, International Development and The Foreign Office.
The reader is Sam Dale.
The abridger is Penny Leicester.
The producer is Elizabeth Allard.
THU 15:00 Judith French - The Dutch Mariner (b0076dm8)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 today]
THU 16:00 Guess What? (b066f71q)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
THU 16:30 After Henry (b007nf1y)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 today]
THU 17:00 PG Wodehouse - The Inimitable Jeeves (b007tdnm)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
THU 17:30 Meet David Sedaris (b064zp7v)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
THU 18:00 HP Lovecraft - At the Mountains of Madness (b00vlw5s)
Episode 4
Investigating fantastic ancient structures high in the Antarctic, Dyer and Danforth face pure terror. Read by Richard Coyle.
THU 18:30 Great Lives (b01mqpgh)
Series 28
George Orwell
Whilst at school, a young Alan Johnson was given some money by a teacher and told to go and buy four copies of any book for the school library. He headed down the Kings Road in Chelsea, stopping only for a sly cigarette along the way. Having already read 'Animal Farm', he picked 'Keep the Aspidistra Flying' and yearned for the life of lead character Gordon Comstock.
In conversation with Matthew Parris, former Home Secretary Alan Johnson explains why Orwell was crucial to his education and political development. He's surprised to learn that Orwell is not on the National Curriculum, and insists that Orwell would have hated I.D. cards. They're joined by Jean Seaton, Professor of Media History at the University of Westminster and Chair of the Orwell Prize.
Orwell was in the news recently when the outgoing Director-General of the BBC, Mark Thompson, turned down a proposal to erect a statue of George Orwell outside BBC Broadcasting House, reportedly telling Joan Bakewell that it was 'far too Left-wing an idea.'
Producers: Beatrice Fenton and Toby Field.
From 2010.
THU 19:00 Steptoe and Son (b00t3tws)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
THU 19:30 The Marx Brothers' Flywheel, Shyster and Flywheel (b007jv6w)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
THU 20:00 W Somerset Maugham - Ashenden, Gentleman Spy (b008gcmq)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
THU 20:30 Juggling Chainsaws with Archaos (b00tmtxs)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
THU 21:00 Brian Aldiss Short Stories (b03wtf7z)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:00 today]
THU 21:15 Drama (b00x44l6)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:15 today]
THU 22:00 Meet David Sedaris (b064zp7v)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
THU 22:30 My First Planet (b01gg8h2)
Series 1
The Noticeboard of Doom
Written by Phil Whelans
Day 27 and the colonists are torn between Richard's newsletter and Archer's hot pants. And which is more dangerous - Brian's monkey wrench or Lillian's "vitamin" drink"?
A sitcom set on a shiny new planet where we ask the question - if humankind were to colonise space, is it destined to succumb to self-interest, prejudice and infighting? (By the way, the answer's "yes". Sorry.)
Welcome to the colony. We're aware that having been in deep cryosleep for 73 years, you may be in need of some supplementary information.
Personnel
Unfortunately, Burrows the leader of the colony has died on the voyage, so his Number 2, Brian (Nicholas Lyndhurst) is now in charge. He's a nice enough chap, but no alpha male, and his desire to sort things out with a nice friendly meeting infuriates the colony's Chief Physician Lillian (Vicki Pepperdine - "Getting On"), who'd really rather everyone was walking round in tight colour-coded tunics and saluting each other. She's also in charge of Project Adam, the plan to conceive and give birth to the first colony-born baby. Unfortunately, the two people hand-picked for this purpose - Carol and Richard - were rather fibbing about being a couple, just to get on the trip.
Add in an entirely unscrupulous Chief Scientist, Mason and also Archer, an idiot maintenance man who believes he's an "empath" rather than a plumber, and you're all set to answer the question - if humankind were to colonise space, is it destined to succumb to self-interest, prejudice and infighting? (By the way, the answer's "yes". Sorry.)
Produced & directed by David Tyler
A Pozzitive Television Ltd Production for BBC Radio 4.
THU 22:55 The Comedy Club Interviews (b018pd6l)
For two hours, six nights a week, the Comedy Club offers the best in laughs. Plus Jessica Fostekew chats again to Andy Hamilton.
THU 23:00 Old Harry's Game (b008m4f8)
Series 1
Introduction
Fed up with eternity, Satan decides Hell needs some new guests.
"I'm bored of skiing across the lake of fire with a nun lashed to each foot. That's the trouble with eternity - it's so hard to set yourself targets."
The opening episode of Andy Hamilton's comedy series set in Hell.
Satan ...... Andy Hamilton
The Professor ...... James Grout
Thomas ...... Jimmy Mulville
Gary, The Demon ...... Steven O'Donnell
Other characters played by Philip Pope, Penelope Nice and Jasper Jacob.
Producer Paul Mayhew-Archer
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 1995.
THU 23:30 Goodness Gracious Me (b007jwqc)
Series 2
Episode 3
A phone-in to match-make partners - and an Asian Babe fancies a job on BBC TV's Newsnight.
Starring:
Sanjeev Bhaskar
Kulvinder Ghir
Nitin Sawhney
Meera Syal
Nina Wadia
Gold Winner of the Sony Radio Academy Awards. The sketch comedy show originally ran on BBC Radio 4 from 1996 to 1998, later transferring to TV on BBC TWO from 1998 to 2001.
Written by Richard Pinto, Sharat Sardana, Meera Syal, Sanjeev Bhaskar and Sanjeev Kohli.
Script Editor: Sharat Sardana
Producer: Anil Gupta.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 1997.


FRIDAY 21 AUGUST 2015

FRI 00:00 HP Lovecraft - At the Mountains of Madness (b00vlw5s)
[Repeat of broadcast at 18:00 on Thursday]
FRI 00:30 Great Lives (b01mqpgh)
[Repeat of broadcast at 18:30 on Thursday]
FRI 01:00 W Somerset Maugham - Ashenden, Gentleman Spy (b008gcmq)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 on Thursday]
FRI 01:30 Juggling Chainsaws with Archaos (b00tmtxs)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 on Thursday]
FRI 02:00 George Orwell - Animal Farm (b00c0c38)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:00 on Thursday]
FRI 02:15 The Generation Gap (b00t6rc2)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:15 on Thursday]
FRI 02:30 15 Minute Drama (b019gy9t)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:30 on Thursday]
FRI 02:45 Book of the Week (b00thw3q)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:45 on Thursday]
FRI 03:00 Judith French - The Dutch Mariner (b0076dm8)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 on Thursday]
FRI 04:00 Guess What? (b066f71q)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 on Thursday]
FRI 04:30 After Henry (b007nf1y)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 on Thursday]
FRI 05:00 PG Wodehouse - The Inimitable Jeeves (b007tdnm)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 on Thursday]
FRI 05:30 Meet David Sedaris (b064zp7v)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 on Thursday]
FRI 06:00 W Somerset Maugham - Ashenden, Gentleman Spy (b008ggv1)
Giulia Lazzari
Agent Ashenden's summoned to a Paris hotel and tasked with ensnaring a known agitator - Indian lawyer, Chandra Lal who's caused much trouble for the British war effort.
When a large reward was offered for his arrest, Chandra fled to Berlin and where he fell in love with an Italian dancer, Giulia Lazzari. But Intelligence Head R has intercepted their love letters sparking a plan to trap him.
A series of short stories based on William Somerset Maugham's own First World War experiences
Read by Alex Jennings
Abridged by Neville Teller
Producer: Eoin O'Callaghan
Made for BBC Radio 7 and first broadcast in 2007.
FRI 06:30 Philip Pullman and Miss Jones (b00775zz)
Terry Jones presides over a conversation between best-selling author Philip Pullman and his former schoolteacher Enid Jones. In an intimate and revealing setting in the Welsh coast town of Harlech, they talk about Philip's first day in school, his early attempts at storytelling, the craft of poetry, reading, writing and other memories.

They reveal how their pupil-teacher relationship has ripened into a friendship that has endured nearly fifty years. Pullman explains the reasons behind his acknowledgement of his former teacher at the end of the His Dark Materials trilogy.
FRI 07:00 Rent (b066fy4b)
Series 4
Episode 5
Paul and Ruby are delighted to see the back of Dave.
Maria and Richard are finding Eva rather harder to get rid of.
Lucy Flannery's award-winning sitcom about Maria and Richard Reynolds and their lodgers.
Maria …. Barbara Flynn
Richard …. Patrick Barlow
Ruby …. Vivienne Rochester
Paul …. Dave Lamb
With Sarah Parkinson and Toby Longworth.
Producer: Liz Anstee
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in June 1998.
FRI 07:30 Wordaholics (b01d0prh)
Series 1
Episode 4
Wordaholics is the comedy panel game all about words.
Gyles Brandreth presides as Natalie Haynes, Michael Rosen, Arthur Smith and Paul Sinha vie for supremacy in the ring.
Wordaholics is clever, intelligent, witty and unexpected. There are toponyms, abbreviations, euphemisms, old words, new words, cockney rhyming slang, Greek gobbledegook, plus the panellists' picks of the ugliest and the most beautiful words: the whole world of words.
Writers: Jon Hunter and James Kettle
Producer: Claire Jones.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 2012.
FRI 08:00 Hancock's Half Hour (b007wp6j)
Series 4
The Last of the McHancocks
The lad inherits a Scottish castle and starts feuding with his nasty neighbour.
Stars Tony Hancock.
With Sidney James, Bill Kerr, Hattie Jacques and Kenneth Williams.
With special guest James Robertson Justice as Seamus McNasty.
Written by Ray Galton and Alan Simpson.
Theme and incidental music written by Wally Stott.
Producer: Denis Main Wilson
First broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in February 1957.
FRI 08:30 The Goon Show (b007jlzb)
Series 5
Ye Bandit of Sherwood Forest
Neddie Seagoon wants fame and riches, but will he risk life and limb for Maid Marion?

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

Starring:

Peter Sellers
Harry Secombe
Spike Milligan

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

With the Ray Ellington Quartet and Max Geldray.

Orchestra conducted by Wally Stott.

Announcer: Wallace Greenslade

Producer: Peter Eton

First broadcast on the BBC Home Service in December 1954.
FRI 09:00 All the Way from Memphis (b00mpqkn)
Series 2
Episode 6
James Walton tests and tickles the knowledge of industry pundits and people passionate about pop music.
Team captains Tracey MacLeod and Andrew Collins are joined by Clare Grogan and Danny Kelly to be put through their musical paces
Reader: Beth Chalmers
Written and researched by James Walton
Producer: Dawn Ellis
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2006.
FRI 09:30 Boogie Up the River (b007jz40)
Lechlade, Twinned with Zanzibar
Mark is celebrating, but with dog hair in the champers. Can a living legend save the day? Stars Timothy Spall. From January 1993.
FRI 10:00 Herman Melville - Bartleby the Scrivener (b007jx95)
A man employed as a copyist in a firm of lawyers starts behaving strangely.
It begins with him announcing there are aspects of his work he’d 'prefer' not to do – although he’s excellent at the actual work.
But then the list of things he’d rather avoid doing becomes more sinister...
Ian Holm and Adrian Scarborough star in Herman Melville's short story.
Dramatised by Martyn Wade.
The Lawyer …. Ian Holm
Bartleby …. Adrian Scarborough
Turkey …. David Collings
Nippers …. Jonathan Keeble
Hudd …. Philip Fox
Norton …. John Rowe
Prison Officer …. Stephen Hogan
Director: Cherry Cookson
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 2004.
FRI 11:00 Brian Aldiss Short Stories (b03wtr47)
Supertoys Last All Summer Long
The short story which became the basis for the Stanley Kubrick-developed Steven Spielberg film A.I. What is real? What is artificial intelligence? Read by Zoe Waites.
Brian Aldiss (1925-2017) was one of Britain's most prolific writers of speculative fiction. His first book was written when he was 14. This selection of his shorter fiction celebrates the range of his interests from futuristic creation myths to biting social satire.
Greatly influenced by the science fiction pioneer HG Wells, his writings have been compared to those of Isaac Asimov, Greg Bear and Arthur C Clarke. His complete works are currently being republished.
Produced for BBC Radio 4 Extra by the Waters Company.
FRI 11:15 Helen Cooper - A9 (b01q19ty)
War hero Bernard Bottomly's three children expect to inherit his millions. But there are strings attached. Stars David Warner.
FRI 12:00 Hancock's Half Hour (b007wp6j)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
FRI 12:30 The Goon Show (b007jlzb)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
FRI 13:00 W Somerset Maugham - Ashenden, Gentleman Spy (b008ggv1)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
FRI 13:30 Philip Pullman and Miss Jones (b00775zz)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
FRI 14:00 George Orwell - Animal Farm (b00c02sc)
Episode 5
As Boxer becomes gravely ill, are all the residents of the farmyard really equal? Concluded by Bill Nighy. From June 2003.
FRI 14:15 The Generation Gap (b00t6rc4)
Series 3: Health Industry
Heart Surgeons
Two people from different generations who work in the health industry or have experience of the health industry discuss how technology has changed over their lifetimes.
Mr Terence Lewis is one of the country's pioneering heart surgeons. He recently retired but he returns to the building named after him at Derriford Hospital in Plymouth to meet heart surgeon Clinton Loyd, who is conducting cutting-edge surgery using minimally invasive techniques. Technology has moved on quickly in the last 50 years, but technology has also got to be measured against cost.
Producer: Laura Parfitt
A Juniper production for BBC Radio 4.
FRI 14:30 15 Minute Drama (b019h2b6)
Edith Wharton - Ethan Frome
Episode 5
Mattie and Ethan take desperate measures not to be separated.
Ethan Frome ..... Dominic Mafham
Mattie ..... Jessica Raine
Zeena ..... Laurel Lefkow
Mrs Hale ..... Tracy Wiles
Edith Wharton ..... Fenella Woolgar
by Edith Wharton
dramatised by Lin Coghlan
Directed by Sally Avens
Ethan Frome is one of Edith Wharton's most enduring and powerful stories.
Set against the cold, grey, bleakness of a New England winter. Ethan Frome scrapes a living from his woodlot whilst trapped in an unhappy marriage with his hypochondriac wife, Zeena. A ray of light enters Ethan's life when his wife's cousin Mattie arrives to help. His life is transformed as he falls in love with Mattie but their fate is determined by their circumstances and the stifling conventions of the time.
Ethan Frome was deemed shocking when first published as it appeared to condone infidelity. What many readers did not know was that many of the novella's themes mirrored real events in the life of Edith Wharton. Her own story is told in 'The Jinx Element' that explores her own sexless marriage and a passionate affair that begun when she was 47.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 2012.
FRI 14:45 Book of the Week (b00thw3s)
Chris Mullin - Decline and Fall: Diaries 2005-2010
Episode 5
The second volume of Chris Mullin's diaries reflect irreverently and humorously on New Labour's last term in office. Today, the 2010 election approaches, and Mullin anticipates the inevitable outcome, as well as his own last days as an MP.
Chris Mullin is the former MP for Sunderland South, a journalist and author. His books include the first volume of his acclaimed diaries, "A View From the Foothills." He also wrote the thriller, "A Very British Coup", with the television version winning BAFTA and Emmy awards. He was a minister in three departments, Environment, Transport and Regions, International Development and The Foreign Office.
The reader is Sam Dale.
The abridger is Penny Leicester.
The producer is Elizabeth Allard.
FRI 15:00 Herman Melville - Bartleby the Scrivener (b007jx95)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 today]
FRI 16:00 All the Way from Memphis (b00mpqkn)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
FRI 16:30 Boogie Up the River (b007jz40)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 today]
FRI 17:00 Rent (b066fy4b)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
FRI 17:30 Wordaholics (b01d0prh)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
FRI 18:00 HP Lovecraft - At the Mountains of Madness (b00vnf09)
Episode 5
Battling in the Antarctic, can Dyer and Danforth escape with their lives? Richard Coyle concludes HP Lovecraft's tale of terror.
FRI 18:30 Fry's English Delight (b012wdjh)
Series 4
Class
Stephen Fry's idiosyncratic meander along the byways of English takes him into dangerous territory: Language and Class. Is it still the contentious issue it used to be?
In the Nineteen Fifties a famous distinction was drawn between what came to be called "U" and "Non-U" words, expressions and pronunciations that were supposed to give a pretty clear indication as to which class the speaker belonged. That's all old hat now surely? Or are there still differences between the way the social classes speak, and are perceived?
Once the social boundaries were very clear. Now they seem a lot more porous. So have we changed the way we speak to cope with social changes? The answer - according to experts in the programme seems to be "yes, but not as much as you might think".
With the help of a socio-linguist, a waspish columnist, a professional voice coach and Yorkshire poet Ian Macmillan, Stephen looks at the history of class and speech, and finds that changes have been subtle. Yet for many old tribalisms remain.
Macmillan helps show how the issues always seem to be debated in a metropolitan context. They take on a very different hue if seen from elsewhere.
Producer: Ian Gardhouse
A Testbed Production for BBC Radio 4.
FRI 19:00 Hancock's Half Hour (b007wp6j)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
FRI 19:30 The Goon Show (b007jlzb)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
FRI 20:00 W Somerset Maugham - Ashenden, Gentleman Spy (b008ggv1)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
FRI 20:30 Philip Pullman and Miss Jones (b00775zz)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
FRI 21:00 Brian Aldiss Short Stories (b03wtr47)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:00 today]
FRI 21:15 Helen Cooper - A9 (b01q19ty)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:15 today]
FRI 22:00 Shappi Talk (b00lszhj)
Series 1
Growing Up in the UK
Shappi is joined with black comedian Ava Vidal who'll be looking back at her unusual childhood. Shappi also chats with another 'related' guest- and this week she talks to author Ben Okri who reveals some amazing story from his childhood with a very alternative father and some childhood challenges.
There'll also be a chance for Shappi to chat with the audience and there'll be a song from Hils Barker.
Producer: Paul Russell
An Open Mike production for BBC Radio 4.
FRI 22:30 Absolute Power (b007jr82)
Series 1
Episode 6
What better way to increase the nation's feelgood factor than for England to win a major sporting trophy?
An impossible task Prentiss and McCabe?
Mark Tavener's comedy about the machiavellian doctors of PR spin with contacts at the highest level of government.
Starring Stephen Fry as Charles Prentiss and John Bird as Martin McCabe.
With:
Siobhan Hayes
Tony Gardner
Simon Greenall
Beth Chalmers
Producer: Paul Schlesinger
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 2000.
FRI 22:55 The Comedy Club Interviews (b068zclc)
For two hours, seven days a week, the Comedy Club offers the best in contemporary comedy. Tonight Arthur Smith chats to John Kearns.
FRI 23:00 I've Never Seen Star Wars (b0153pml)
Series 4
Giles Coren
Marcus Brigstocke invites restaurant critic and die-hard carnivore Giles Coren to be a vegan for a week.
Whether the experiences are banal or profound, the show is about embracing the new and getting out of our comfort zones.
The title comes from the fact that the show's producer and creator Bill Dare had never seen the film Star Wars.
Producer: Bill Dare
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 2011.
FRI 23:30 Lee and Herring's Fist of Fun (b007zmh6)
Edinburgh
Stewart Lee berates Richard Herring for his lack of street cred, Peter Baynham shares some unusual recipes and is Radio 1 really the youth-friendly station it pretends to be?
Recorded at the Pleasance Theatre during the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. With Alistair McGowan and Rebecca Front.
Stewart Lee and Richard Herring's mix of sharp sketches and situations, stand up topical gags and banter.
Lee and Herring went to write and star in their successful TV transfer to BBC TWO in 1995.
The rest of the series comes from university venues, including Plymouth, Lancaster and Belfast.
Cult BBC Radio 1 series first broadcast in October 1993.