SATURDAY 01 APRIL 2017

SAT 00:00 Sheridan Le Fanu - Schalken the Painter (b007sw35)
Episode 2
The ghoulish Vanderhausen seals his deal with Rose's uncle and takes her away. 17th-century mystery concluded by Ian McDiarmid.
SAT 00:30 Soul Music (b01qgr4h)
Series 15, Peggy Lee's Is That All There Is?
Is That All There Is, the Leiber and Stoller song made famous by Peggy Lee, is based upon a short story by Thomas Mann called 'Disillusionment', but those who know and love it feel it's inspirational rather than a cynical, world weary musical take on existentialism and the futility of life.
Soul Music finds the compelling individual stories behind our collective love of music.
Producer: Maggie Ayre.
SAT 01:00 Robert Barr - Detective (b04g457y)
Series 2, The Point of No Return
DS Dave Brook and DC Blair Maxton get moving on the Kemp case, but are they too late...?
Stories of crime and detection in London by Robert Barr.
Starring Ray Brooks as long-serving, ducking-and-diving Detective Sergeant Dave Brook with Christopher Blake as his assistant, Detective Constable Blair Maxton.
With Stephen Yardley as Chief Inspector Roach, Peter Cleall as Detective Constable Harrison, Jacqueline Tong as Judy, John Judd as Detective Sergeant Kelly, Tony Caunter as Carson and Gary Cady as James Clark.
Producer: Martin Fisher
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1982.
SAT 01:30 Miles Jupp in a Locked Room (b01hw6h8)
1/1
There's a fresh corpse! But that room hasn't been opened for years! Locked Room Mysteries astonished and delighted crime fans in the Golden Age of Detective Fiction. But as Miles Jupp discovers, the Locked Room continues to infuriate and delight, inspiring writers in Japan and France. But how many ingenious solutions can be wrung out of a body, a sealed chamber, and the imagination of a dedicated writer? You'll be surprised...
SAT 02:00 Book at Bedtime (b01r9wdk)
Lucy Caldwell - All the Beggars Riding, Episode 10
If wishes were horses, beggars would ride. (Trad.)
After the death of her mother, Lara Moorhouse finds herself besieged with questions about her childhood that she never had the courage to ask her mother when she was alive. In particular, questions about her father.
When Lara and her younger brother Alfie were children, their father, an eminent surgeon, died in a helicopter crash. He had been largely absent from their lives, spending much of his time working in Belfast during the Troubles and only coming back to London two weekends a month to work at the Harley Street Clinic where he had first met their mother years before.
For unbeknownst to her, Lara's father had another life in Belfast; a wife, other children: another family.
As she delves into her parents' lives and the story of their relationship, Lara confronts her own past, and theirs, and discovers an unexpected legacy from her father's hidden double life.
All the Beggars Riding is Lucy Caldwell's third novel. In 2011 Lucy won the The Rooney Prize for Irish Literature and was awarded the prestigious Dylan Thomas Prize for her second novel 'The Meeting Point'. A playwright and novelist Lucy's theatre credits include the award-winning 'Leaves', 'Guardians' and 'Notes to Future Self'. For radio she has written the Imison Award-winning 'Girl from Mars', 'Avenues of Eternal Peace', 'Witch Week' a dramatization of Diana Wynne Jones' novel for BBC Radio 4 Extra, and most recently she adapted her stage play 'Notes to Future Self' for Radio 4.
Read by Anne-Marie Duff
Abridged by Doreen Estall
Producer Heather Larmour.
SAT 02:15 An Eye for Pattern: The Letters of Dorothy Hodgkin (b04lc6h3)
Episode 5
The correspondence of Dorothy Hodgkin (1910-1994) introduced by her biographer, Georgina Ferry.
Later in life, Dorothy combined scientific research with actively campaigning for peace, travelling to China and Russia during the Cold War and later writing to her former student, Margaret Thatcher.
On receiving the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1964, she said she hoped that, in future, a woman winning such a prize would not require any special comment as 'more use is made of the talents that women share equally with men'. Fifty years later her hope has still not been fulfilled. Dorothy Hodgkin remains the only British woman to have been awarded a Nobel Prize for science.
Producer: Anna Buckley.
SAT 02:30 George Eliot - Adam Bede (b007jnwb)
Episode 10
Preacher Dinah visits her cousin Hetty, who languishes under sentence of death in jail. Stars Katherine Igoe and Vicki Liddelle.
SAT 02:45 Book of the Week (b01j6qz4)
Hedge Britannia, Episode 5
Written by Hugh Barker. Read by Tim Key.
Hugh Barker, a hedge enthusiast, has journeyed across Britain to explore its remarkable variety of hedgerows.
Hedge People - from those who created the extravagantly absurd hedges of stately homes to those who campaign today for the preservation of our living margins.
Over the course of his travels he discovers how hedges are amongst our most ancient monuments, meets hedgelaying champions and topiary fanatics, and sees the lengths to which some people will go to annoy the neighbours. Along the way he tells how a connection between paradise and the garden hedge grew up, why the British Army planted a barrier hedge hundreds of miles long in India, and how the notorious enclosures during the Industrial Revolution turned the country upside-down.
Abridged and Produced by Jill Waters
A Waters Company production for BBC Radio 4.
SAT 03:00 Charles Dickens - The Personal History of David Copperfield (b007jn0r)
I Have Loved You All My Life
As tragedy strikes, David is forced to contemplate his future. Stars Miriam Margolyes, Sheila Hancock and Gary Cady.
SAT 04:00 The 3rd Degree (b05wq1jc)
Series 5, University of Surrey
A quiz show hosted by Steve Punt where a team of three University students take on a team of three of their professors.
Coming this week from the University of Surrey, The 3rd Degree is a funny, lively and dynamic quiz show aimed at cultivating the next generation of Radio 4 listeners while delighting the current ones.
The Specialist Subjects in this episode are Politics, Business and Physics and the questions range from Black Friday and the Gang Of Four to Gandhi and George Michael - and the show boasts not one, but two jokes about Quantum Mechanics.
The show is recorded on location at a different University each week, and it pits three Undergraduates against three of their Professors in a genuinely original and fresh take on an academic quiz. Being a Radio 4 programme, it of course meets the most stringent standards of academic rigour - but with lots of facts and jokes thrown in for good measure.
The rounds vary between Specialist Subjects and General Knowledge, quick-fire bell-and-buzzer rounds and the 'Highbrow and Lowbrow' round cunningly devised to test not only the students' knowledge of current affairs, history, languages and science, but also their Professors' awareness of television, film, and One Direction.
The host, Steve Punt, although best known as a satirist on The Now Show also delights in all facets of knowledge, not just in the Humanities (his educational background) but in the sciences as well. He has made a number of documentaries for Radio 4, including The Poet Unwound - The History Of The Spleen, as well as a half-hour comedy for Radio 4's Big Bang Day set in the Large Hadron Collider, called The Genuine Particle.
Producer: David Tyler
A Pozzitive production for BBC Radio 4.
SAT 04:30 Tickets Please (b00ny7k4)
Episode 2
By Mark Maier
The 9.27 London to Exeter emotional rollercoaster continues as the train staff's personal embroilments deepen. Now one of the wedding party is joining in the melee. And why are there fingerholes in the muffins?
Robin..................Jeremy Swift
Nadine...................Alex Kelly
Peter..............Malcolm Tierney
Carol..............Tessa Nicholson
Carl................Nicholas Boulton
Diana...............Melissa Advani
Linda...................Kate Layden
Keith...............Stephen Hogan
other parts played by Piers Wehner, Philip Fox and Joseph Cohen-Cole
Directed by Peter Kavanagh.
SAT 05:00 Romantic Friction (b00764mh)
Episode 4
Brian has gone to the Shetland Isles to make giant fibreglass ducks and romance writer, Anna's head is throbbing because she's been hitting the cooking sherry.
Her book is on hold, her characters are unhappy and her publisher is nagging her for a finished copy. Is there any chance of a happy ending?
Michelle Read's four-part comedy-drama stars Samantha Bond and Hugh Bonneville.
With Beth Chambers, Michelle Read, Kammy Darweish, Adjoa Andoh, Andrew Wincott, Sue Elliott-Nicholls, Michael Fenton Stevens and Ewan Bailey.
Producer: Dawn Ellis
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 2001.
SAT 05:30 Boswell's Lives (b0547ntj)
Series 1, Boswell's Life of Pinter
by Jon Canter
Comedy as James Boswell Dr Johnson's celebrated biographer pursues other legends to immortalise. Today he attempts to write the biography of Pinter but finds himself the victim of a betrayal.
Directed by Sally Avens
Jon Canter is an award winning comedy writer for both television and radio. He recently penned the radio series 'Believe It' starring Richard Wilson but his work goes back to Spitting Image. He is also the author of several books and has been called our greatest living comic novelist.
Miles Jupp is an actor and stand up. Miles Jupp is an actor and stand up. He is best known for hosting The News Quiz on Radio 4.
Harry Enfield is a Bafta award winning performer, writer and director. He starred with Paul Whitehouse in Harry and Paul's Story of the Two's last year winnng a British Comedy Award for best sketch show.
SAT 06:00 Rosemary Timperley - Where Are You, Juliet? (b08l63l0)
Rowena moves into a flat which is strangely haunted by the presence of its previous owner, Juliet. Where is she? What is the mystery surrounding her disappearance?
Rowena's life becomes dominated by the missing girl - the haunting presence of Juliet in the flat driving her to find the answers.
Written by Jill Hyem based on the novel Juliet by Rosemary Timperley.
Stars Julie Berry as Rowena/Juliet, Frank Moorey as Bernard Carter, Linda Gardner as Maggie, Jonathan Tafler as Twist and Edward de Souza as Richard Malengry.
Directed in Manchester by Kay Patrick
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1987.
SAT 07:30 Modern Piperacks and Interesting Umbrella Stands (b00766z9)
Phill Jupitus looks at the heyday of Hobbies Weekly magazine and at a vanished era when men had fun with fretsaws. From March 2002.
SAT 08:00 Camille Paglia - The Modern Battle of the Sexes (b08l650w)
Camille Paglia, one of America's most controversial cultural critics, shares her provocative account of the course of feminism in "The Modern Battle of the Sexes".
From suffrage pioneers to 'date rape' - she accuses modern theoretical feminists of denigrating motherhood and emasculating manhood.
Recorded at the Queen Elizabeth Hall in London, this was originally the third in BBC Radio 3's 'Sounding the Century' lecture series. It's followed by a short and stormy exchange with members of the audience.
Beatrix Campbell takes the chair.
Producer: Abigail Appleton
First broadcast on BBC Radio 3 in 1998.
SAT 08:45 Camille Paglia - You Ain't Heard Nothing Yet (b08l650y)
American academic and social critic, Camille Paglia reflects on the film scores which have inspired her since childhood - including the work of Bernard Herrmann, John Dankworth and Max Steiner.
Producer: Mark Burman
First broadcast on BBC Radio 3 in 2013.
SAT 09:00 Hoax! (b08l65dp)
In this April fool's day special, comedian Jake Yapp delves into the archives to celebrate the history of hoaxing and presents a unique insight into the development and psychology of the art of this form of deception.
Featuring memorable and entertaining extracts along with full BBC radio programmes Jake unearths some lesser known treasures and interviews comedians Jocelyn Jee Esien and Alex Lowe about their experiences.
Chris Powell is on hand to explain the psychology behind the hoax and prankster Steve Penk reveals the joy he gets from making wind-up phone calls.
Programmes include:
* The April Fool Story
Anna Ford explores the history of All Fool's Day in this country and abroad.
* Radio Anarchists
Ned Sherrin tells the story of Coyle and Sharpe
* Mary Toft's Rabbit Tale:
A radio drama based on a true story from 1726 about a woman who convinced her doctors she was giving birth to rabbits
* Down the Line
We join DJ Gary Bellamy for an uncompromising, live phone-in show
Producer: Stephen Garner
Made for BBC Radio 4 Extra and first broadcast in April 2017.
SAT 12:00 Dilemma (b03szh9f)
Series 3, Episode 1
Sue Perkins presents a third series of Dilemma, the panel show where she puts four guests through the moral and ethical wringer by posing a series of finely-balanced dilemmas and then cross-examining them on their answers.
This week, Sue is joined by comedians Kerry Godliman and John-Luke Roberts, journalist and broadcaster Julia Hartley-Brewer and ex-footballer Clarke Carlisle, who collectively attempt to resolve dilemmas based around dinosaur bones, injured guinea pigs, and unethical banks. They also assert their moral correctness over giving directions and selling state secrets.
The show was devised by the actor and award-winning comedian Danielle Ward.
"A non-irritating, hilarious panel show" (Radio Times)
Presenter ... Sue Perkins
Producer ... Ed Morrish.
SAT 12:30 Lines From My Grandfather's Forehead (b00gffj3)
From 15/03/1971
A rival to the Bard of Avon, the challenge of buying an antique teaspoon and a sleepless night.
A sequential entertainment for radio starring Ronnie Barker.
With Terence Brady and Pauline Yates. Pianist: Gordon Langford. Guitarist: Dick Abell.
Written by Terence Brady, Donald Churchill, David Climie, John Graham, Charles Mackay, Spike Milligan, Peter Spence, Roger Till, Gerald Wiley ( Ronnie's Barker's pseudonym) and Gordon Langford.
Producer John Fawcett-Wilson
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 1971.
SAT 13:00 CJ Sansom - Revelation: Omnibus (b08l65z1)
Episode 2
Shardlake's hunt for the killer, intent on enacting a prophecy from the Book of Revelation, continues. Stars Justin Salinger.
SAT 14:10 Inheritance Tracks (b08l6b5x)
Marti Webb
Singer Marti Webb chose 'As Long As He Needs Me' from Oliver and the title song of the musical 'Tell Me On A Sunday'.
SAT 14:15 Pam Ayres' Open Road (b007kdc9)
Saffron Walden, Essex
Pam arrives in Essex to admire Audley End's restored country house kitchen and drops in on Wallace the stuffed lion at the Saffron Walden Museum.
Series in which poet and raconteuse, Pam Ayres takes to the open road, visiting eight places in Britain to hear tales from the people who live there.
Producer: Simon Elmes
First broadcast on BBC Radio 2 in 2000.
SAT 14:45 Uncle Mort's Celtic Fringe (b007jnc8)
Series 1, Seeing Things
As Carter and his uncle journey through Wales, strange apparitions disturb their picnic. With Stephen Thorne and Sam Kelly.
SAT 15:00 Camille Paglia - The Modern Battle of the Sexes (b08l650w)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
SAT 15:45 Camille Paglia - You Ain't Heard Nothing Yet (b08l650y)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:45 today]
SAT 16:00 Rosemary Timperley - Where Are You, Juliet? (b08l63l0)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
SAT 17:30 Modern Piperacks and Interesting Umbrella Stands (b00766z9)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
SAT 18:00 The Twilight Zone (b08l6dc9)
Series 4, To Serve Man
The Kanamits, nine-foot-tall aliens, arrive on Earth with one goal: to serve man. Their visit appears to be altruistic - but what's the catch..?
Written by Rod Serling based on a short story by Damon Knight. Adapted by Dennis Etchison
Stars Blair Underwood, Steve Key, Christian Stolte, Kurt Naebig and Tony Sancho - with Stacy Keach as the narrator.
Originally a cult sci-fi and horror TV series created by Rod Serling and broadcast in the USA on CBS from 1959 to 1964, The Twilight Zone was first adapted by American producer Carl Amari in 2002 as a 40-minute radio drama series.
Rod Serling had managed to electrify the new medium of television - so armed with a licence from CBS and the Serling estate, Amari's slick adaptions are based on the original TV scripts.
Actor Stacy Keach (best known here as TV detective Mike Hammer) takes Serling's original role as narrator - with a full cast, music and sound effects.
Produced and directed by Carl Amari and for Falcon Picture Group.
SAT 18:40 James Follett - Wicca (b007jsfh)
Episode 8
The citizens of Pentworth are still encircled by an invisible force wall, put there by alien visitors who crash landed. Mike Malone and Vikki are in peril. Who, or what, can help?
The second book in James Follett's 'The Silent Vulcan Trilogy' concluded by Nigel Anthony.
Abridged in 8-parts by Miranda Davis.
Producer: Richard Bannerman
Made for BBC 7 and first broadcast in 2004.
SAT 19:00 Hoax! (b08l65dp)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
SAT 22:00 28 Acts in 28 Minutes (b01nv97y)
Series 1, Episode 3
John Humphrys gives 28 performers 60 seconds to entertain. With Frankie Boyle, Lucy Porter and Alex Horne. From July 2006.
SAT 22:30 Will Smith's Midlife Crisis Management (b00grsdt)
Episode 6
Comedy series in which comedian Will Smith seeks help and advice - primarily from his godfather Peter - on coping with the onset of middle age.
Will tackles his lack of success with women with the help of Ed, an American love guru.
Will ...... Will Smith
Peter ...... Roger Allam
Ed ...... Simon Greenall
Girlfriend ...... Jill Cardo
First date ...... Janice Acquah
Second date ...... Donnla Hughes
Third date ...... Dan Starkey
Waiter ...... Roger Drew.
SAT 23:00 Rhod Gilbert's Bulging Barrel of Laughs (b00tw32q)
Episode 4
Welsh comic sensation Rhod Gilbert hosts a brand new audience comedy show for Radio 2 featuring regulars Lloyd Langford and Greg Davies (We Are Klang), along with Sarah Millican who takes a weekly look at The Six Stages of Woman.
Episode four features live music from Goldheart Assembly, including hits "King of Rome", "Engravers Daughter" and new single "Under The Waterway", and the guest comedian is Perrier Award winner, Milton Jones.
Join Rhod for his Rant on misguided advertising, see what punchlines Lloyd Langford offers up in It's a Set Up and see if Greg Davies can tempt you with a life time supply of chocolate if you accept his Indecent Proposal.


SUNDAY 02 APRIL 2017

SUN 00:00 The Twilight Zone (b08l6dc9)
[Repeat of broadcast at 18:00 on Saturday]
SUN 00:40 James Follett - Wicca (b007jsfh)
[Repeat of broadcast at 18:40 on Saturday]
SUN 01:00 CJ Sansom - Revelation: Omnibus (b08l65z1)
[Repeat of broadcast at 13:00 on Saturday]
SUN 02:10 Inheritance Tracks (b08l6b5x)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:10 on Saturday]
SUN 02:15 Pam Ayres' Open Road (b007kdc9)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:15 on Saturday]
SUN 02:45 Uncle Mort's Celtic Fringe (b007jnc8)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:45 on Saturday]
SUN 03:00 Camille Paglia - The Modern Battle of the Sexes (b08l650w)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 on Saturday]
SUN 03:45 Camille Paglia - You Ain't Heard Nothing Yet (b08l650y)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:45 on Saturday]
SUN 04:00 Rosemary Timperley - Where Are You, Juliet? (b08l63l0)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 on Saturday]
SUN 05:30 Modern Piperacks and Interesting Umbrella Stands (b00766z9)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 on Saturday]
SUN 06:00 George Eliot - Adam Bede Omnibus (b00t13s4)
Episode 2
Staffordshire, 1799. Will the captain's military career, or someone else, prevent a marriage to Hetty? Stars Katherine Igoe.
SUN 07:15 A Box of Wittgensteins (b00g9dgp)
The Survivors
The great-niece of the philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein, Margaret Stonborough, talks to the artist and historian Michael Huey as she delves into six boxes of newly-inherited family archives and investigates the lives of her talented, but tortured, forbears.
Margaret and her brother, Jerome Stonborough, discover documents which stir childhood memories of their talented, stylish but difficult family.
SUN 07:30 My Teenage Diary (b04v5fk2)
Series 6, Robert Newman
Rufus Hound is joined by the comedian and author Robert Newman, who reads from his 1981 teenage diaries. The young Newman goes on a CND rally, meets Tony Benn and Joe Strummer, and falls in love on the bus... twice.
Produced by Harriet Jaine
A Talkback production for BBC Radio 4.
SUN 08:00 All Gas and Gaiters (b007jptm)
The Bishop Warms Up
The newly installed central heating at St Ogg's causes temperatures to rise.
Starring Robertson Hare as the Archdeacon, William Mervyn as the Bishop, Jonathan Cecil as Bishop's Chaplain - the Reverend Mervyn Noote and John Barron as the Dean. With Hugh Paddick as Mr Fox, Frank Vickers as Mr Dawson and Dudley Jones as Mr Parry-Jones.
The ecclesiastical sitcom started life as a TV pilot in Comedy Playhouse, ahead of a run on BBC1 from 1966 to 1971.
Written for radio by Pauline Devaney and Edwin Apps.
Producer: David Hatch.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 1972.
SUN 08:30 Emery at Large (b053d96s)
From 21/05/1964
Character comedy supremo Dick Emery spoofs Harley Street doctors and dodgy lonely hearts ads.
With Deryck Guyler, Norma Ronald and a ditty from Paddy Roberts.
Script by John Cleese, George Wadmore and Peter Moore.
Like many of his comedic contemporaries, Dick Emery's career began by entertaining fellow servicemen in the Second World War with Ralph Reader's Gang Show. His early radio career included appearances on Variety Bandbox, Workers' Playtime, Educating Archie and deputising for Harry Secombe in The Goon Show.
After landing his first BBC TV series in 1963, Emery at Large arrived on the BBC Light Programme in 1964 with his last series broadcast in 1967. A further series for BBC Radio 2 followed in 1968 called What About Dick Emery!!
Emery hit his peak as a TV comedy superstar during the 1960s and 70s. His Saturday night BBC TV show ran for an impressive 18 series of 166 episodes. Writers for the show included Mel Brooks, Barry Cryer, Marty Feldman, David Nobbs and even Harold Pinter.
Rated "one of the comedy greats" by David Walliams, Emery's technique was based on creating comedy characters to be used time and time again across each of his series. His style was to be much aped by the likes of Harry Enfield, Paul Whitehouse and shows like Little Britain. His most memorable characters include desperate spinster Hettie, the elderly Lampwick, the toothy vicar, plus blonde bombshell Mandy and her enduring catchphrase, "Ooh, you are awful... but I like you!"
Dick Emery died in January 1983 aged 67.
Producer: Charles Maxwell
First broadcast on the BBC Radio Light Programme in May 1964.
SUN 09:00 Erica Benner - Be Like the Fox: Omnibus (b08l6kth)
A new interpretation on the importance of The Prince in Machiavelli's life and subsequent reputation. Read by Toby Jones.
SUN 10:10 Inheritance Tracks (b08l6lfy)
Duncan Lamont
Saxophonist Duncan Lamont choses Elise Carlisle's 'My Kid's A Crooner' and his own 'It's Such A Little World'.
SUN 10:15 Desert Island Discs Revisited (b08l6lg0)
Centenarians, Clare Hollingworth
4 Extra Debut. From Vera Lynn to Schubert. War journalist and author Clare Hollingworth shares her castaway choices with Sue Lawley. From January 1999.
SUN 11:00 TED Radio Hour (b08l6m77)
Series 4, The Violence Within Us
Guy Raz explores the sinister side of human nature and whether we're all capable of violence. With Steven Pinker.
A journey through fascinating ideas based on talks by riveting speakers on the TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) stage.
SUN 11:55 The Listening Project (b01ngrx0)
Tush and Toller: The Names People Play
Fi Glover presents Radio 4's series that proves it's surprising what you hear when you listen. Fish hawker Tush and retired fisherman Toller discuss the extraordinary names the Hastings fishing community has given its members over the years
The Listening Project is a Radio 4 initiative that offers a snapshot of contemporary Britain in which people across the UK volunteer to have a conversation with someone close to them about a subject they've never discussed intimately before. The conversations are being gathered across the UK by teams of producers from local and national radio stations who facilitate each encounter. Every conversation - they're not BBC interviews, and that's an important difference - lasts up to an hour, and is then edited to extract the key moment of connection between the participants. Many of the long conversations are being archived by the British Library and used to build up a collection of voices capturing a unique portrait of the UK in the second decade of the millennium. You can upload your own conversations or just learn more about The Listening Project by visiting bbc.co.uk/listeningproject
Producer: Marya Burgess.
SUN 12:00 All Gas and Gaiters (b007jptm)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
SUN 12:30 Emery at Large (b053d96s)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
SUN 13:00 George Eliot - Adam Bede Omnibus (b00t13s4)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
SUN 14:15 A Box of Wittgensteins (b00g9dgp)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:15 today]
SUN 14:30 Sarah Pinborough - Behind Her Eyes: Omnibus (b08l6n9m)
Episode 2
Louise experiences David's anger when he finds out about her friendship with Adele. Read by Rosie Cavaliero and Tracy Wiles.
SUN 15:45 Gillian Tindall - Sydney Came to Egypt (b08l6nj3)
4 Extra Debut. A tale of fate and the rediscovery of mystery and meaning in the enigmatic Land of the Pharaohs. Read by Jonathan Tafler.
SUN 16:00 Saturday Drama (b01rkxxy)
Jack Shaefer - Shane
Jack Shaefer's classic western novel is adapted by Frances Byrnes.
A mysterious horseman, all dressed in black and wearing a six shooter, rides into an isolated valley in Wyoming. Call me Shane, he says. He's a skilled gunslinger, and soon finds himself drawn into a conflict between homesteaders Marian and Joe Starrett and ruthless cattle baron Fletcher, who wants to force the Starretts off the land. Marian is caught between the strong, dependable husband whom she loves, and the lean, handsome stranger whom she needs if she's to save her family.
Recorded by Mark Holden
Post production by Nigel Lewis
With music by Fernando Macias-Jimenez
Produced and Directed by Kate McAll
The Oscar winning film 'Shane' starred Paramount idol Alan Ladd in the title role, with Jean Arthur as Marian and Van Heflin as Joe.
Although the story of 'Shane' is fictional, elements of it are based on the 1892 Johnson County War between the small settlers in Wyoming and the bigger, wealthier ranchers.
SUN 17:00 Poetry Extra (b08l6pj7)
John Clare: Under the Influence and Thinking on Their Feet
BBC Radio 4's Poet in Residence, Daljit Nagra revisits the BBC's radio poetry archive with 'Under The Influence' and 'Thinking On Their Feet' - featuring the poetry of John Clare.
* Under The Influence:
Alison Brackenbury describes how her lifelong admiration of Northamptonshire poet John Clare has influenced her own verse. First broadcast on BBC Radio 3 in 2009.
* Thinking On Their Feet:
Novelist Richard Francis walks in the footsteps of the poet John Clare and visits Helpston in Northamptonshire. Joined by academic and writer Simon Koveshi, they discuss John's life and work and how walking helped inspire his poetry. First broadcast on BBC Radio 3 in 2002.
SUN 17:30 My Teenage Diary (b04v5fk2)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
SUN 18:00 The Price of Fear (b007jn3p)
The Family Album
Horror legend Vincent Price introduces a tale of faceless commuter Arthur, who proves to be a formidable adversary as danger strikes.
Stars Maurice Denham as Arthur Goodby, Liz Fraser as Rose Goodby, James Kerry as Harry, Aubrey Morris as Mr Martin and Anthony Newlands as The Coroner.
Scripted by William Ingram.
Producer: John Dyas
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1983.
SUN 18:30 A Sting in the Tale (b0076jps)
Voices From Another Room
An artist starts to hear voices discussing a murder, involving him. Worse, the voices are in the future, and the murder is about to happen ...
Philip Martin's spine-tingling tale stars Neil Dudgeon as Tom Swinnerton, Jenny Howe as Jane Swinnerton, Chris Moran as Richard Cardin, Katie McGuinness as Natalie Hansen and Jaimi Barbakoff as Lily Machin.
Music by Tom Smail,
Director: Peter Kavanagh
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2003.
SUN 19:00 TED Radio Hour (b08l6m77)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:00 today]
SUN 19:55 The Listening Project (b01ngrx0)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:55 today]
SUN 20:00 Erica Benner - Be Like the Fox: Omnibus (b08l6kth)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
SUN 21:10 Inheritance Tracks (b08l6lfy)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:10 today]
SUN 21:15 Desert Island Discs Revisited (b08l6lg0)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:15 today]
SUN 22:00 My Teenage Diary (b04v5fk2)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
SUN 22:30 Down the Line (b012r6vs)
Series 3, Olympics, and Can We Trust the Media?
Britain's Olympic chances, and can we trust phone-ins? Gary Bellamy takes the calls. Stars Rhys Thomas. From February 2008.
SUN 22:55 The Comedy Club Interviews (b08m0cy3)
The best in contemporary comedy. Arthur Smith chats to David Baddiel.
SUN 23:00 The In Crowd (b06ds1y8)
Series 4, Episode 4
Memory issues and is Mary really Mary? Manchester sketch show with Kate Ward, Smug Roberts and Robin Ince. From June 2004.
SUN 23:30 Jon Ronson On (b01s4szv)
Series 7, Pride
Writer and documentary maker Jon Ronson with more fascinating stories shedding light on the human condition.
If you discovered that Hitler was a fugitive on the run, you might call the police. But what if, when he met you, he exclaimed how much he loved your work. Graham Linehan opens the programme with this conundrum, which tells you nothing about Nazi escapees, and everything about what too much pride in your work can do to your morals.
Having a surfeit of pride wraps its tendrils around us, it can affect whole lives - as was the case with Anna, who always held her much loved grandparents up as role models for a long happy marriage. That was until her grandfather died and they discovered a box of cassettes in his office, revealing a secret so shocking it changed Anna's entire understanding of her family.
Luke Wright is a performance poet who once fell foul of his pride when he tried to impress a band he greatly admired. He planned to seduce them with his wit so that they'd want to be his friend. Things began to go awry but pride, that most domineering of masters, forced Luke to struggle on. The gap between his imagined evening and the one that was actually happening widened to epic proportions.
There's a lesson in there somewhere - one that comedian Helen Keen learnt the hard way. A good degree from Cambridge University meant she felt she was sure to walk into a successful career. When she found herself doing filing in a dead end engineering firm in London, she took matters into her own hands and tried to become a spy. MI5 must have collectively raised an eyebrow as she set about trying to convince them of her credentials by weaving together some far-fetched untruths.
Producer: Lucy Greenwell
A Unique production for BBC Radio 4.


MONDAY 03 APRIL 2017

MON 00:00 The Price of Fear (b007jn3p)
[Repeat of broadcast at 18:00 on Sunday]
MON 00:30 A Sting in the Tale (b0076jps)
[Repeat of broadcast at 18:30 on Sunday]
MON 01:00 George Eliot - Adam Bede Omnibus (b00t13s4)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 on Sunday]
MON 02:15 A Box of Wittgensteins (b00g9dgp)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:15 on Sunday]
MON 02:30 Sarah Pinborough - Behind Her Eyes: Omnibus (b08l6n9m)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:30 on Sunday]
MON 03:45 Gillian Tindall - Sydney Came to Egypt (b08l6nj3)
[Repeat of broadcast at 15:45 on Sunday]
MON 04:00 Saturday Drama (b01rkxxy)
[Repeat of broadcast at 16:00 on Sunday]
MON 05:00 Poetry Extra (b08l6pj7)
[Repeat of broadcast at 17:00 on Sunday]
MON 05:30 My Teenage Diary (b04v5fk2)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 on Sunday]
MON 06:00 Chester Himes - Cotton Comes to Harlem (b01pbp6y)
Episode 1
Harlem, 1965: Grave Digger Jones and Coffin Ed Johnson are the most notorious Detectives in the Harlem precinct. Their methods are unorthodox, and some people think they're trigger happy, but ask any law-abiding citizen of Harlem and they'll sing their praises. So when the Reverend Deke O'Malleys Back to Africa movement collects $87,000 from poor black families - only to have it stolen from under their noses - Jones and Johnson get put on the case.
Read by Hugh Quarshie.
Chester Himes' fantastically atmospheric novel is not just a great thriller it reveals the lives of black people in a white city at a time, three years before the death of Martin Luther King, when under Alabama law killing a Negro did not constitute murder. It was filmed in 1970 and has become a cult classic.
Chester Himes was born in 1909, and grew up in a middle class home in Missouri. His first real experience of racism was when a white hospital refused to treat his brother who had damaged his eyes in a schoolboy prank. He went to Ohio state University but was expelled. In 1928 he was arrested and sentenced to 25 years hard labour for armed robbery. He started writing in prison and sold stories to magazines including Esquire. He was released in 1936, lived in Los Angeles for a time - the basis of his novel If He Hollers Let Him Go, and moved to Paris in the 1950s where his Harlem precinct novels were first published. His novel For Love of Imabelle became very successful film A Rage in Harlem.
Hugh Quarshie is a TV regular in Holby City playing Ric Griffin. He has extensive film, tv and radio credits.
Abridged and produced by Chris Wallis.

Made for BBC Radio 4 Extra by Autolycus Productions.
MON 06:30 Land of the Rising Sums (b01nkxkv)
Alex Bellos visits Japan, on a quest to discover why Asian cultures seem so much better at maths and numbers than many western countries. He looks at the cultural difference in the Japanese approach to numbers and asks whether there is something fundamental in Japanese culture that keeps them at the upper end of international numeracy league tables. Alex explores the language used to describe numbers themselves, the songs taught in schools to teach children their times tables, and the passion the Japanese still show for the ancient but foolproof abacus, even in the computer age. He visits the national abacus competition in Kyoto to see the incredible mathematical feats achieved by children as young as 5 and discovers why abacus users actually use a different part of the brain to most people doing mathematical problems, and whether this could be the key to their superior number skills.
Producer: Alexandra Feachem.
MON 07:00 Do Nothing 'Til You Hear From Me (b0076sqs)
Series 2, Thanks for the Memory
No Nothing 'Til You Hear From Me
Series 2
Episode 4 of 4 - Thanks for the Memory
George is surprised when everyone seems to have forgotten his 70th birthday. Roy, concealing his real plans, offers to buy him a bag of chips on the way home from the pub. But an evening of celebration brings back some bittersweet memories.
Don Warrington..... Roy
Yvonne Brewster..... Vi
Sam Kelly..... George
George Layton..... Barry
Caroline Lee Johnson..... Bernadette
Marcus Powell... Victor
Mike Kearsey..... Trombonist
Written by Marcus Powell
Producer Carol Smith.
MON 07:30 Just a Minute (b08k1svf)
Series 77, Episode 6
Just A Minute is 50 years old this year! Nicholas Parsons has been hosting since day one, and continues to host with skill and panache! This week our panellists are Paul Merton, Jenny Eclair, Marcus Brigstocke and Just A Minute newbie, Al Murray. The panel will endeavour to talk on a given subject for sixty seconds without repetition, hesitation or deviation.
What does Jenny think about a dog's dinner? Can Marcus talk about the tube for a full minute? Paul gives it to us straight and Al tells us his views on spam.
Hayley Sterling blows the whistle and it was produced by Matt Stronge.
Just A Minute is a BBC Studios production.
MON 08:00 Not in Front of the Children (b08l6y6m)
Series 2, Domestic Help
Desperate to get a cleaner - how can Jennifer raise the cash?
Starring Wendy Craig as Jennifer Corner, Francis Matthews as Henry Corner, Doris Rogers as Mrs Scraggs, Joan Sanderson as Mrs Foskett-Dyke, Roberta Tovey as Trudi, Jill Riddick as Amanda, Olwen Griffiths as Mrs Hobson, Nigel Lambert as Don Scraggs and Frederick Treves as PC Wilson.
The second series of comedy mishaps of the Corner family: Jennifer and Henry and their three children Trudi, Amanda and Robin. Not in Front of the Children originally ran for four series from 1967 to 1970 on BBC TV. Richard Waring adapted his own scripts for this radio version, now fully restored from the original reel-to-reel tapes.
Wendy Craig won a Best Actress BAFTA award for the TV version of Not in Front of the Children in 1969. This was the first of several housewife roles that Wendy Craig was to play on television. Later series included And Mother Makes Three/Five and Butterflies.
Music by Ronnie Hazlehurst
Producer: Trafford Whitelock.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 2 in December 1970.
MON 08:30 Dad's Army (b007jsg2)
Series 1, Battle School
The Walmington-on-Sea platoon is off to a weekend training camp - subject to Captain Mainwaring and his map...
Six years after legendary sitcom Dad's Army started on BBC TV, these specially adapted radio versions began recording with the original cast.
Starring Arthur Lowe as Captain Mainwaring, John Le Mesurier as Sergeant Wilson, Clive Dunn as Corporal Jones, Arnold Ridley as Private Godfrey, Ian Lavender as Private Pike, John Laurie as Private Frazer, Jack Watson as Major Smith and Alan Tilvern as Captain Rodrigues. With John Snagge as the announcer.
Adapted from Jimmy Perry and David Croft's original BBC TV scripts by Michael Knowles and Harold Snoad.
Producer: John Dyas
First broadcast on the BBC Radio 4 in April 1974.
MON 09:00 Booked (b08l6zhj)
Series 5, Episode 1
4 Extra Debut. Ian McMillan chairs the literary quiz with Dillie Keane, Roger McGough, David Stafford and Arthur Smith. From November 1998.
MON 09:30 The World As We Know It (b00fnrkf)
Around the World in 80 Hours
The world has ended but Donna, Johnny, Patrick and Abigail still take a bank holiday trip. Stars Meera Syal. From June 1999.
MON 10:00 Choderlos de Laclos - Les Liaisons Dangereuses (b007jlpp)
Episode 1
August 1785: The jilted Marquise de Merteuil begins a game of seduction - and revenge...
Choderlos de Laclos's 1782 epistolary novel dramatised in two-parts by Christopher Hampton.
Stars Ciaran Hinds as Le Vicomte de Valmont, Lindsay Duncan as La Marquise de Merteuil, Emma Fielding as Mme de Tourvel, Adam Godley as Chevalier Danceny, Joanna David as Mme de Volanges, Alison Pettitt as Cecile Volanges, Elizabeth Spriggs as Mme de Rosemonde, Charles Simpson as Azolan and Sarah-Jane Holm as Emilie.
Narrator: John Moffatt
Music composed by Ilona Sekacz.
Director: Gordon House:
First broadcast on the BBC World Service in 1998.
MON 11:00 Four Bare Legs in a Bed (b02qt7w2)
Send One Up for Me
The last of three stories from Helen Simpson's collection, Four Bare Legs in a Bed, read by Rosie Cavaliero.
3/3 Send One Up for Me. Tess is in bedsit-land hell.
Producer: Sarah Langan.
MON 11:15 David Pownall - Nyama (b00s0wrb)
David Pownall's cautionary tale about a money-crazed entrepreneur who transports a pickled whale from the Cape of Good Hope round Southern Africa and makes a fortune.
Other parts played by Alison Pettitt, John Biggins, David Seddon, Michael Shelford and Keeley Beresford
Music composed and performed by Russell Taylor and Steve Cooke.
Directed by Peter Kavanagh.
MON 12:00 Not in Front of the Children (b08l6y6m)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
MON 12:30 Dad's Army (b007jsg2)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
MON 13:00 Chester Himes - Cotton Comes to Harlem (b01pbp6y)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
MON 13:30 Land of the Rising Sums (b01nkxkv)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
MON 14:00 John Buchan - Sick Heart River (b00lgnp4)
Episode 1
Sir Edward Leithan, comrade in adventure of Richard Hannay, is drawing his career to a close when he's asked if he'll undertake one last mission...
Paul Young reads John Buchan's last novel set in the Canadian wilderness.
Originally broadcast to mark the 50th anniversary of John Buchan's death, this reading is of his last novel. "Sick Heart River" was completed days before his death and published posthumously in 1941.
Buchan's rich descriptions of the rugged Canadian Northwest Territories are influenced by his real-life voyage down the Mackenzie River in 1937. At that time, Buchan was Governor-General of Canada.
Director: Hamish Wilson
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1990.
MON 14:15 Publishing Lives (b03bqchd)
Series 1, John Murray
As the digital revolution shakes publishing to its foundations, writer and former publisher Robert McCrum explores the stories of five great British publishers. He looks back at their remarkable lives and asks what they can tell us about the challenges facing their successors today.
The story of British book publishing is the story of taking ink and paper, words and ideas, to the people. It's a tale of incredible showmen, hustlers, mavericks, gamblers and talent scouts - people with a global vision and pioneers who found new ways to take books to a mass market.
Robert starts with the John Murray publishing dynasty. In seven generations of John Murrays, the list of authors is a roll-call of English literature: Jane Austen, Lord Byron, Charles Darwin, Walter Scott, Arthur Conan Doyle, John Betjeman, and many more.
In 1768 John Murray set up a publishing company, whose most celebrated author was Lord Byron. When Murray published his 'Childe Harold' in 1812, it was said that Byron 'woke up to find himself famous'. It was also the making of Murray the publisher. Yet Murray participated in one of the most notorious acts in publishing history when he burnt the manuscript of Byron's personal memoirs because he thought the scandalous details would damage Byron's reputation.
During the Victorian age, through charm, luck and hard work, the second John Murray put himself at the centre of the literary scene and transformed his trade as a coarse bookseller into a profession for gentlemen.
Robert meets the seventh and last John Murray, as well as experts in literature and publishing, to discuss one of the oldest publishing houses in Britain.
Produced by Melissa FitzGerald
A Blakeway production for BBC Radio 4.
MON 14:30 George Eliot - Adam Bede (b007jnxd)
Episode 11
In the darkness of her prison cell, preacher Dinah struggles for Hetty's soul.
George Eliot's haunting story of love betrayed and love rewarded dramatised in 15 episodes by Robert Forrest.
An immediate bestseller in 1859, Eliot's second novel established her reputation and paved the way for masterpieces such as The Mill on the Floss and Middlemarch.
Starring Katherine Igoe as Hetty, Victoria Liddelle as Dinah and Crawford Logan as Mr Irwine.
Director: Patrick Rayner.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2001.
MON 14:45 Book of the Week (b01hf0b0)
The Uke of Wallington, Episode 1
Read by Hugh Dennis.
When his children leave home Mark Wallington decides to embark on the rock and roll tour he never had. But with no band to play with, and lacking the skills required to play the guitar, he settles for a 42 night road trip round the open mic sessions of Great Britain with his ukulele. And so, as he meanders through the British summer from Brighton to Cape Wrath, his tour bus the first public transport that comes along he tests to the limit, the theory that you can't hear a ukulele without smiling.
Produced by Jane Marshall
A Jane Marshall Production for BBC Radio 4.
MON 15:00 Choderlos de Laclos - Les Liaisons Dangereuses (b007jlpp)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 today]
MON 16:00 Booked (b08l6zhj)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
MON 16:30 The World As We Know It (b00fnrkf)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 today]
MON 17:00 Do Nothing 'Til You Hear From Me (b0076sqs)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
MON 17:30 Just a Minute (b08k1svf)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
MON 18:00 Charles Chilton - Space Force (b007jmb4)
Series 1, The Voice from Nowhere
"It all began many Earth years ago during the summer of 2010..."
A routine trip to the moon turns into a nightmare in space for Captain Saxon Berry and his crew.
Charles Chilton's intergalatic adventure in six-parts starring Barry Foster as Captain Saxon Berry, Nicky Henson as Chipper, Nigel Stock as Magnus, Tony Osoba as Lauderic,. With Wendy Murray and Teresa Stretfeild.
Charles Chilton wrote and produced many popular and successful radio programmes for the BBC - including the classic 1950s serial 'Journey into Space' - charting the adventures of Captain Jet Morgan. This fired the imagination of millions, years before the first moon landing. It was the last radio drama to record higher ratings than the new young upstart television!
Producer: Paul Mayhew-Archer
First broadcast on BBC Radio 2 in 1984.
MON 18:30 A Good Read (b0076j5c)
Doris Lessing & Kenneth Grange
Sue MacGregor and her guests - novelist, Doris Lessing and designer, Kenneth Grange - discuss books by Claire Messud, Michael Holroyd and John Krakauer. From 2003.
The Last Life by Claire Messud
Publisher: Picador
Basil Street Blues by Michael Holroyd
Publisher: Abacus
Into Thin Air by John Krakauer
Publisher: Anchor (Pan).
MON 19:00 Not in Front of the Children (b08l6y6m)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
MON 19:30 Dad's Army (b007jsg2)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
MON 20:00 Chester Himes - Cotton Comes to Harlem (b01pbp6y)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
MON 20:30 Land of the Rising Sums (b01nkxkv)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
MON 21:00 Four Bare Legs in a Bed (b02qt7w2)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:00 today]
MON 21:15 David Pownall - Nyama (b00s0wrb)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:15 today]
MON 22:00 Just a Minute (b08k1svf)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
MON 22:30 Armando Iannucci's Charm Offensive (b00dbcw2)
Series 4, Episode 5
Comic pilot Armando Iannucci flies Air Hilarious. With Marcus Brigstocke, Andy Parsons and Justin Edwards. From September 2008.
MON 22:55 The Comedy Club Interviews (b08m0d2b)
The best in contemporary comedy. Tom Wrigglesworth chats to Johnny Cochrane.
MON 23:00 The Now Show (b08k4zwm)
Series 50, 31/03/2017
Steve Punt, Hugh Dennis and guests present the week in news through stand-up and sketches.
Kiri Pritchard McLean airs her grievance with the Daily Mail's 'Legs-it' headline, Tudur Owen considers the future for Wales, should Scotland gain independence and broadcaster Peter Curran discusses the early days of the internet with Punt and Dennis.
Production Coordinator: Sarah Sharpe
Producer: Joseph Nunnery
It was a BBC Studios Production.
MON 23:30 The Sofa of Time (b00hy949)
Night of the Sexicle
Sexy assassin Morpheena is called in, while Milford and Parker grab a cab. Stars Mark Heap and Nick Frost. From November 2002.


TUESDAY 04 APRIL 2017

TUE 00:00 Charles Chilton - Space Force (b007jmb4)
[Repeat of broadcast at 18:00 on Monday]
TUE 00:30 A Good Read (b0076j5c)
[Repeat of broadcast at 18:30 on Monday]
TUE 01:00 Chester Himes - Cotton Comes to Harlem (b01pbp6y)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 on Monday]
TUE 01:30 Land of the Rising Sums (b01nkxkv)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 on Monday]
TUE 02:00 John Buchan - Sick Heart River (b00lgnp4)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:00 on Monday]
TUE 02:15 Publishing Lives (b03bqchd)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:15 on Monday]
TUE 02:30 George Eliot - Adam Bede (b007jnxd)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:30 on Monday]
TUE 02:45 Book of the Week (b01hf0b0)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:45 on Monday]
TUE 03:00 Choderlos de Laclos - Les Liaisons Dangereuses (b007jlpp)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 on Monday]
TUE 04:00 Booked (b08l6zhj)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 on Monday]
TUE 04:30 The World As We Know It (b00fnrkf)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 on Monday]
TUE 05:00 Do Nothing 'Til You Hear From Me (b0076sqs)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 on Monday]
TUE 05:30 Just a Minute (b08k1svf)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 on Monday]
TUE 06:00 Chester Himes - Cotton Comes to Harlem (b01pcs3d)
Episode 2
New York, 1965: detectives Grave Digger and Coffin Ed chase the masterminds behind the missing money.

Grave Digger Jones and Coffin Ed Johnson are the most notorious Detectives in the Harlem precinct. Their methods are unorthodox, and some people think they're trigger happy, but ask any law-abiding citizen of Harlem and they'll sing their praises. When the Reverend Deke O'Malleys Back to Africa movement collected $87,000 from poor black families - only to have it stolen from under their noses - Jones and Johnson are determined to get it back.
Hugh Quarshie reads Chester Himes' thriller.
Abridged and produced by Chris Wallis.

Made for BBC Radio 4 Extra by Autolycus Productions.
TUE 06:30 The Barlow-Morgenstern Method (b01j2bmn)
Comedian and songwriter Tony Hawks discovers an unusual reference work, Harold Barlow and Sam Morgenstern's Dictionary of Musical Themes, which takes him on an unexpected journey into the complex world of musical plagiarism.
Along the way he talks to the country's top musicologist, a West End musical director, composer Debbie Wiseman MBE and Neil Innes, who not only won a plagiarism case, but also wrote the Beatles parody The Rutles.
Producer: Isobel Williams
A Bite Yer Legs production for BBC Radio 4.
TUE 07:00 Girlies (b08lb7rd)
Episode 4
Sonal calls on Samina's legal expertise and Jabeen gets welcome news from husband, Joe.
Four-part comedy serial written by Sudha Bhuchar and Shaheen Khan.
Stars Ameet Chaana as Ramesh, Bharti Patel as Vinny, Zita Sattar as Tula, Roger Liddle as Dan, Alice Arnold as Marianne, Sophie Levy as Alia, Nyla Levy as Sara, Shaheen Khan as Jabeen, Sudha Bhuchar as Sonal, Sakuntala Ramanee as Samina, Charubala Chokshi as Masi, Susan Sheridan as Karan, Shiv Grewal as Salim, Burt Caesar as Ali and Omar Salimi as Javed.
Directed at BBC Pebble Mill by Kristine Landon-Smith.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1977.
TUE 07:30 The Missing Hancocks (b08k2ctk)
The Racehorse
The Missing Hancocks recreates those episodes of the classic Hancock's Half Hour that have been wiped or lost from the archive. Something else has gone missing in this episode from the second series - the lad 'imself, who had absconded to Rome. In 1955, he was replaced for the first three episodes by the Goon Show's Harry Secombe. In this recreation, he has been replaced by Andy Secombe - Harry's son. Not heard since then, this is a real piece of comedy history.
The first modern sitcom, Hancock's Half Hour made stars of Tony Hancock, Sid James and Kenneth Williams, and launched Ray Galton and Alan Simpson on one of the most successful comedy-writing partnerships in history. But 20 episodes of the show are missing from the BBC archives. Now, after two highly successful series, another five of those episodes have been lovingly re-recorded in front of a live audience at the BBC Radio Theatre.
Tonight's episode: The Racehorse. With Tony Hancock indisposed, Harry Secombe has 10 bob left so Bill decides to spend it on a racehorse. The fact that it only has three legs doesn't deter Sid from entering it in the Britannia Steeplechase.
Written by Ray Galton and Alan Simpson, and with the classic score newly recorded by the BBC Concert Orchestra, the show stars Andy Secombe, Kevin Eldon, Simon Greenall, Robin Sebastian and Susy Kane. The Racehorse was first broadcast on the 3rd May, 1955.
Produced by Ed Morrish & Neil Pearson.
Written by Ray Galton & Simpson
Music recorded by the BBC Concert Orchestra, conducted by Levon Parikian.
A BBC Radio Comedy Production.
TUE 08:00 Lines From My Grandfather's Forehead (b00glrvd)
From 22/03/1971
A struggling vicar, a Welsh birthday card poet and a perplexed psychoanalyst.
A sequential entertainment for radio starring Ronnie Barker.
With Terence Brady and Pauline Yates. Pianist: Gordon Langford.
Written by Chris Allen, David Climie, Allan Scott and Chris Bryant, and Gerald Wiley.
Producer John Fawcett-Wilson
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 1971.
TUE 08:30 The Men From the Ministry (b01pp3rs)
The Big Rocket
The civil servants bungle in Britain's space race with a mix-up over Mildred. Stars Wilfrid Hyde-White. From November 1962.
TUE 09:00 The Now Show (b08k4zwm)
[Repeat of broadcast at 23:00 on Monday]
TUE 09:30 Joyce Grenfell - Hats Off (b00qs7m8)
Farewell to Fun
The poems of Joyce Grenfell read by Maureen Lipman. Introduced by Janie Hampton. Including Monday Morning Mail and Hats.
TUE 10:00 Choderlos de Laclos - Les Liaisons Dangereuses (b007jptt)
Episode 2
Can Vicomte Valmont and the Marquise de Marteuil win their game of seduction and revenge?
Choderlos de Laclos's 1782 epistolary novel dramatised in two-parts by Christopher Hampton.
Stars Ciaran Hinds as Le Vicomte de Valmont, Lindsay Duncan as La Marquise de Merteuil, Emma Fielding as Mme de Tourvel, John Moffatt as the Narrator, Adam Godley as Chevalier Danceny, Joanna David as Mme de Volanges, Alison Pettitt as Cecile Volanges, Elizabeth Spriggs as Mme de Rosemonde, Charles Simpson as Azolan and Sarah-Jane Holm as Emilie.
Narrator: John Moffatt
Music composed by Ilona Sekacz.
Director: Gordon House:
First broadcast on the BBC World Service in 1998.
TUE 11:00 American Shorts (b02lyb17)
26 Days
A series of newly published stories examine contemporary life across the water:
1. 26 Days by Ron Rash.
Daily life in the American heartlands is overshadowed by the actions of a daughter, who is faraway
in a war-torn land...
Reader Stuart Milligan
Producer Duncan Minshull.
TUE 11:15 Paul Mendelson - Fireworks at the Villa Lucia (b0140v3v)
When Pete - a struggling TV writer - and his wife Julie find themselves staying in the same Italian villa as cult movie director David Joe Jakes, he tries to sell his dog-eared screenplay as the true story of how he met his wife.
The fireworks begin when he pressgangs his wife into pretending to be a fiery, psychotic, Venezuelan ex-soap star - while he masquerades as her psychoanalyst.
Paul Mendelson's comedy drama stars Philip Whitchurch as Pete, Samantha Bond as Julie/Julia, Kerry Shale as David, Megg Nicol as Cassie, Flamina Cinque as Lucia/Mrs Booth and Dan Starkey as Elio/Eric.
Director: David Ian Neville
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2009.
TUE 12:00 Lines From My Grandfather's Forehead (b00glrvd)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
TUE 12:30 The Men From the Ministry (b01pp3rs)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
TUE 13:00 Chester Himes - Cotton Comes to Harlem (b01pcs3d)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
TUE 13:30 The Barlow-Morgenstern Method (b01j2bmn)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
TUE 14:00 John Buchan - Sick Heart River (b00lh0tq)
Episode 2
Undertaking his last mission, Sir Edward Leithen probes the life of a missing New York businessman. Read by Paul Young.
TUE 14:15 Publishing Lives (b03bs6z3)
Series 1, Allen Lane
Allen Lane left school at 16 and had no university education, yet he was fascinated by learning and education, ideas and argument. His revolutionary innovation was to produce a series of inexpensive books, in paper covers, at sixpence apiece - the price of a packet of cigarettes. It was an idea which came to him when, returning from visiting Agatha Christie in the West Country, he could find nothing worth reading on the Exeter railway station bookstall.
Allen Lane's brainwave - the Penguin - was the biggest single innovation in books of the twentieth century. Households across Britain began sprouting those colour-coded spines. Lane's Penguin books revolutionised publishing and changed people's lives.
Allen Lane's populist instincts told him that post-war Britain was hungry for knowledge. Central to post-war renewal, Penguin titles eventually sold 250 million copies. But he never dumbed down. His Pelican titles, specially commissioned non-fiction, became an informal university for 1950s Britons. Pelicans, said Lane, were "another form of education for people like me who left school at sixteen."
Lane was a great innovator and a great risk taker. In 1960 he took the biggest risk of all by publishing the infamous 'Lady Chatterley's Lover', which had become almost a byword for pornography. In publishing the novel, Lane deliberately risked prosecution.
Penguin, that jaunty little bird from the twentieth century, survives in the new century, still one of the most recognised publishing brands in the English-speaking world.
Robert McCrum meets Allen Lane's daughters, as well as experts in literature and publishing, to discuss the man who brought books to the mass market.
Producer: Melissa Fitzgerald
A Blakeway production for BBC Radio 4.
TUE 14:30 George Eliot - Adam Bede (b007jnxz)
Episode 12
Hetty confesses the full horror of her crime, but Dinah makes her own admission. Stars Katherine Igoe and Vicki Liddelle.
TUE 14:45 Book of the Week (b01hjs0l)
The Uke of Wallington, Episode 2
Read by Hugh Dennis
Feeling slightly out of place on his tour bus without a free pass, Mark Wallington meanders along the coast to Portsmouth and takes the ferry to Ryde. Having never quite got over missing the famous performance by Jimi Hendrix at the Isle of Wight Festival in 1970, he has some ghosts to lay to rest. But performing on his ukulele at the Sandown Tap puts a whole new perspective on life.
Produced by Jane Marshall
A Jane Marshall Production for BBC Radio 4.
TUE 15:00 Choderlos de Laclos - Les Liaisons Dangereuses (b007jptt)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 today]
TUE 16:00 Puzzle Panel (b00yyfmh)
Episode 9
More fiendish brain teasers with Chris Maslanka, Tony Buzan, David Singmaster and Robert Eastway. From July 1998.
TUE 16:30 Joyce Grenfell - Hats Off (b00qs7m8)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 today]
TUE 17:00 Girlies (b08lb7rd)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
TUE 17:30 The Missing Hancocks (b08k2ctk)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
TUE 18:00 Charles Chilton - Space Force (b007jmbm)
Series 1, Towards the Unknown
Space Force's crew member, Magnus Carter reveals the true nature of their latest mission
Charles Chilton's intergalatic adventure in six-parts starring Barry Foster as Captain Saxon Berry, Nicky Henson as Chipper, Nigel Stock as Magnus, Tony Osoba as Lauderic. With Wendy Murray and Teresa Stretfeild.
Producer: Paul Mayhew-Archer
First broadcast on BBC Radio 2 in 1984.
TUE 18:30 How Tickled Am I? (b007mw9s)
Series 3, Arthur Askey
'Big-hearted', but also a comedic radical. Mark Radcliffe profiles one of Britain's most successful comic performers.
TUE 19:00 Lines From My Grandfather's Forehead (b00glrvd)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
TUE 19:30 The Men From the Ministry (b01pp3rs)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
TUE 20:00 Chester Himes - Cotton Comes to Harlem (b01pcs3d)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
TUE 20:30 The Barlow-Morgenstern Method (b01j2bmn)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
TUE 21:00 American Shorts (b02lyb17)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:00 today]
TUE 21:15 Paul Mendelson - Fireworks at the Villa Lucia (b0140v3v)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:15 today]
TUE 22:00 The Missing Hancocks (b08k2ctk)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
TUE 22:30 Cowards (b00776sr)
Series 1, Episode 1
Talking coins and cows in the bizarre world of Tom Basden, Stefan Golaszewski, Tim Key and Lloyd Woolf. From April 2007.
TUE 23:00 Concrete Cow (b0076jvx)
Series 1, Episode 4
King Midas is not sure whether life is as good as gold. Sketch show with Robert Webb and Olivia Colman. From September 2002.
TUE 23:30 We Are Klang: Amazing Lives (b007k3p8)
Explorer
Presumed dead after a 20-year trek, two explorers reveal their findings. Stars Greg Davies and Steve Hall. From April 2007.


WEDNESDAY 05 APRIL 2017

WED 00:00 Charles Chilton - Space Force (b007jmbm)
[Repeat of broadcast at 18:00 on Tuesday]
WED 00:30 How Tickled Am I? (b007mw9s)
[Repeat of broadcast at 18:30 on Tuesday]
WED 01:00 Chester Himes - Cotton Comes to Harlem (b01pcs3d)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 on Tuesday]
WED 01:30 The Barlow-Morgenstern Method (b01j2bmn)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 on Tuesday]
WED 02:00 John Buchan - Sick Heart River (b00lh0tq)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:00 on Tuesday]
WED 02:15 Publishing Lives (b03bs6z3)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:15 on Tuesday]
WED 02:30 George Eliot - Adam Bede (b007jnxz)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:30 on Tuesday]
WED 02:45 Book of the Week (b01hjs0l)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:45 on Tuesday]
WED 03:00 Choderlos de Laclos - Les Liaisons Dangereuses (b007jptt)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 on Tuesday]
WED 04:00 Puzzle Panel (b00yyfmh)
[Repeat of broadcast at 16:00 on Tuesday]
WED 04:30 Joyce Grenfell - Hats Off (b00qs7m8)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 on Tuesday]
WED 05:00 Girlies (b08lb7rd)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 on Tuesday]
WED 05:30 The Missing Hancocks (b08k2ctk)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 on Tuesday]
WED 06:00 Chester Himes - Cotton Comes to Harlem (b01pcxq1)
Episode 3
New York, 1965: detectives Digger and Coffin's search for the missing money is getting dangerous.

Grave Digger Jones and Coffin Ed Johnson are the most notorious Detectives in the Harlem precinct. Their methods are unorthodox, and some people think they're trigger happy, but ask any law-abiding citizen of Harlem and they'll sing their praises. When the Reverend Deke O'Malleys Back to Africa movement collected $87,000 from poor black families - only to have it stolen from under their noses - Jones and Johnson are determined to get it back.
Hugh Quarshie reads Chester Himes' thriller.

Abridged and produced by Chris Wallis.

Made for BBC Radio 4 Extra by Autolycus Productions.
WED 06:30 Custodians of the Word (b0076g3d)
Martin Wainwright asks who guards literary reputations after a writer dies? With Andrew Motion. From July 2003.
WED 07:00 The Attractive Young Rabbi (b007k3dm)
Series 3, A Woman's Work
Happy Rabbi Su finds a role model, but Rabbi Abraham would settle for a haircut. Stars Tracy-Ann Oberman. From February 2002.
WED 07:30 Can't Tell Nathan Caton Nothing (b04gwlw4)
Series 3, About Intelligence
EPISODE ONE: ABOUT INTELLIGENCE
In a mix of stand-up and re-enacted family life - Nathan Caton illustrates what can happen when you try to prove to your family how clever you are.
Written by Nathan Caton and James Kettle
Producer: Katie Tyrrell
Can't Tell Nathan Caton Nothing is a series about young, up-and-coming comedian Nathan Caton, who after becoming the first in his family to graduate from University, opted not to use his architecture degree but instead to try his hand at being a full-time stand-up comedian, much to his family's horror and disgust. They desperately want him to get a 'proper job.'
Each episode illustrates the criticism, interference and rollercoaster ride that Nathan endures from his disapproving family as he tries to prove himself.
The series is a mix of Nathan's stand-up intercut with scenes from his family life.
Janet a.k.a. Mum is probably the kindest and most lenient of the disappointed family members. At the end of the day she just wants the best for her son. However, she'd also love to brag and show her son off to her friends, but with Nathan only telling jokes for a living that's kind of hard to do.
Martin a.k.a. Dad works in the construction industry and was looking forward to his son getting a degree so the two of them could work together in the same field. But now Nathan has blown that dream out of the window. Martin is clumsy and hard-headed and leaves running the house to his wife (she wouldn't allow it to be any other way).
Shirley a.k.a. Grandma cannot believe Nathan turned down architecture for comedy. She can't believe she left the paradise in the West Indies and came to the freezing United Kingdom for a better life so that years later her grandson could 'tell jokes!' How can her grandson go on stage and use foul language and filthy material... it's not the good Christian way!
So with all this going on in the household what will Nathan do? Will he persevere and follow his dreams? Or will he give in to his family's interference? Or will he finally leave home?!

Producer Katie Tyrrell.
WED 08:00 The Navy Lark (b007jnrs)
The Talpinium Shell
Chaos afloat as the crew of HMS Troutbridge set out to test a new top secret weapon.
Starring Leslie Phillips as the Sub-Lieutenant, Jon Pertwee as the Chief Petty Officer, Stephen Murray as the Commanding Officer, Richard Caldicot as Professor White, Heather Chasen as Agent No 2, Tenniel Evans as Taffy Goldstienl, Michael Bates as the Padre and June Whitfield as the Mistress.
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 and George Evans.
Producer: Alastair Scott Johnston.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 2 in October 1973.
WED 08:30 Hancock's Half Hour (b007x041)
Series 5, The New Radio Series
Big-headed from TV success, the lad's had enough of radio and is set to retire - until he discovers the plan for his replacement.
Stars Tony Hancock. With Sidney James, Bill Kerr, Hattie Jacques and Kenneth Williams.
Written by Ray Galton and Alan Simpson.
Theme and incidental music written by Wally Stott.
Producer: Tom Ronald
First broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in January 1958.
WED 09:00 Dilemma (b03ts4fp)
Series 3, Episode 2
Sue Perkins presents a third series of Dilemma, the panel show where she puts four guests through the moral and ethical wringer by posing a series of finely-balanced dilemmas and then cross-examining them on their answers.
This week, Sue is joined by comedians Tony Law and Isy Suttie, who battle with problems about footballing allegiance and supermarket deliveries; Radio One's Gemma Cairney, who must decide how far to go to get free 4G technology; and economist, journalist, and presenter of Radio 4's More Or Less Tim Harford, who reveals the nerdy dilemma that spurred him into a career in statistics.
The show was devised by the actor and award-winning comedian Danielle Ward.
"A non-irritating, hilarious panel show" (Radio Times).
WED 09:30 Up the Garden Path (b0081cjz)
Series 2, A Soft-Hearted Little Thing
More tangles in Izzy's love life, when she and Dick head to dinner with Charles. Stars Imelda Staunton. From October 1988.
WED 10:00 Home Front - Omnibus (b083lby6)
12-16 December 1916
In the week in 1916 when Germany offered peace terms to the Allies via neutral America, there are new and rekindled alliances in Tynemouth.
Written by Sebastian Baczkiewicz
Directed by Allegra McIlroy
Editor: Jessica Dromgoole
Sound: Martha Littlehailes
Composer: Matthew Strachan
Consultant Historian: Maggie Andrews.
WED 11:00 American Shorts (b02x5l4s)
First Sale
A series examining everyday life across the water.
Jessica Francis Kane's story is next in the series and a yard sale becomes fraught with unspoken tensions for a young boy as he wonders where his father is.
Read by Kelly Burke
Abridged and produced by Gemma Jenkins
First Sale is taken from Jessica Francis Kane's short story collection, This Close, longlisted for the 2013 Frank O'Connor International Short Story Award.
WED 11:15 Afternoon Drama (b00bzdgb)
Nichola McAuliffe - The Incomparable Witness
The Incomparable Witness
Nichola McAuliffe's drama about Sir Bernard Spilsbury, the father of modern forensics and the most brilliant scientific detective of all time.
The story focuses on Spilsbury as a young man and the case that made his name, the infamous trial of Doctor Crippen in 1910.
Edith (Narrator) ...... Joanna David
Bernard Spilsbury ...... Timothy Watson
Edith (1900-1910) ...... Honeysuckle Weeks
Willcox ...... Dan Starkey
Lord Chief Justice ...... John Rowe
Dr Pepper/Muir ...... Sam Dale
Turnbull ...... Stephen Critchlow
Tobin ...... Chris Pavlo
George ...... Nyasha Hatendi
Gertie ...... Helen Longworth
Directed by Sasha Yevtushenko.
WED 12:00 The Navy Lark (b007jnrs)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
WED 12:30 Hancock's Half Hour (b007x041)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
WED 13:00 Chester Himes - Cotton Comes to Harlem (b01pcxq1)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
WED 13:30 Custodians of the Word (b0076g3d)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
WED 14:00 John Buchan - Sick Heart River (b00lh2k4)
Episode 3
On the trail of missing New Yorker Francis Gaillard, Sir Edward Leithen heads to the wilds of Canada. Read by Paul Young.
WED 14:15 Publishing Lives (b03bs759)
Series 1, Harold Macmillan
As the digital revolution shakes publishing to its foundations, writer and former publisher Robert McCrum explores how Harold Macmillan, the publishing Prime Minister, mixed politics with business.
Harold Macmillan was always a publisher and a politician. In both lives, he was a showman, an operator, and an inveterate reader. Print was in his DNA and books were his business. As a Conservative Prime Minister, he was also a successful publisher with the firm that carried his name.
The firm was founded in 1843 by two outsiders. Brothers Daniel and Alexander Macmillan were Scottish crofters. It's a story whose romantic undertones always stirred Harold Macmillan's love of a good tale.
Under Harold, Macmillan would become a publishing empire with a worldwide reach. As Prime Minister, Macmillan gave independence to Britain's African colonies. Officially, he was letting go. As a publisher, however, he was doing lucrative deals to secure the company's future. Simultaneously with decolonisation, Macmillan oversaw an ambitious expansion programme for the family firm. Macmillan remains one of the largest publishers in the world, operating in over seventy countries.
Today, the digital revolution has made publishing truly global. A world without borders, largely de-coupled from its colonial past. Publishers can now reach new markets across the English-speaking world at the click of a mouse, in a way Harold Macmillan could only dream of.
Robert meets Harold Macmillan's grandson, Lord Stockton, as well as experts in literature and publishing, to discuss the wily publishing Prime Minister.
Produced by Melissa FitzGerald
A Blakeway production for BBC Radio 4.
WED 14:30 George Eliot - Adam Bede (b007jnyk)
Episode 13
As the day of the hanging arrives, Adam pays a visit. Stars Thomas Arnold, Katherine Igoe and Vicki Liddelle.
WED 14:45 Book of the Week (b01hjt9b)
The Uke of Wallington, Episode 3
Read by Hugh Dennis
Having been warned not to go to Wales, when passing through Shrewsbury, Mark Wallington finds himself filling for half an hour in Bangor whilst they wait for the belly dancer to turn up. Then, as he heads for the Wirral, he finds himself playing the ukulele in a bikers' pub in Birkenhead.
Produced by Jane Marshall
A Jane Marshall Production for BBC Radio 4.
WED 15:00 Home Front - Omnibus (b083lby6)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 today]
WED 16:00 Dilemma (b03ts4fp)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
WED 16:30 Up the Garden Path (b0081cjz)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 today]
WED 17:00 The Attractive Young Rabbi (b007k3dm)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
WED 17:30 Can't Tell Nathan Caton Nothing (b04gwlw4)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
WED 18:00 Charles Chilton - Space Force (b007jmc2)
Series 1, The Silver Strangers
"The two strange figures drifted over from their ship to ours - they were heading for the main outside air lock..."
After drifting without power, the crew of Space Force receive a mysterious message and spot a spacecraft...
Charles Chilton's intergalatic adventure in six-parts starring Barry Foster as Captain Saxon Berry, Nicky Henson as Chipper, Nigel Stock as Magnus, Tony Osoba as Lauderic. With Wendy Murray and Teresa Stretfeild.
Producer: Paul Mayhew-Archer
First broadcast on BBC Radio 2 in 1984.
WED 18:30 Off the Page (b00w7cww)
My Own Private Utopia
How, and where, and with whom, do you want to lead your life ? Most of us don't ask ourselves this very often, preferring instead to slide along, taking what may be acceptable and conventional as enough. But what if you do pursue an answer, as one of our guests, Tobias Jones, is trying to do, in a ten acre wood ?
The full title of Thomas More's work Utopia included the words, "A truly golden little book, no less beneficial than entertaining, of a republic's best state ...." But has Utopia ever been achieved ? Rob Penn and Amanda Mitchison think definitely not. The problem is the presence of other people, and so a private Utopia is the best that can ever be achieved. Rob Penn, presenter of a recent tv documentary about building the perfect bike, outlines very clearly what it means to him.
But Tobias Jones, author of the Dark Heart of Italy and Utopian Dreams, argues very clearly that the woodland life he is now establishing with his family and guests should not be so easily dismissed. As Kurt Vonnegut said, "Human beings will be happier not when they cure cancer or get to Mars ... but when they find ways to inhabit primitive communities again."
Dominic Arkwright presents. The producer is Miles Warde.
WED 19:00 The Navy Lark (b007jnrs)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
WED 19:30 Hancock's Half Hour (b007x041)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
WED 20:00 Chester Himes - Cotton Comes to Harlem (b01pcxq1)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
WED 20:30 Custodians of the Word (b0076g3d)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
WED 21:00 American Shorts (b02x5l4s)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:00 today]
WED 21:15 Afternoon Drama (b00bzdgb)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:15 today]
WED 22:00 Can't Tell Nathan Caton Nothing (b04gwlw4)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
WED 22:30 Births, Deaths and Marriages (b03757cy)
Series 2, The X Father
Births, Deaths and Marriages - returning for a second series - is the sitcom set in a Local Authority Register Office where the staff deal with the three greatest events in anybody's life.
Written by David Schneider (The Day Today, I'm Alan Partridge), he stars as chief registrar Malcolm Fox who is a stickler for rules and would be willing to interrupt any wedding service if the width of the bride infringes health and safety. He's single but why does he need to be married? He's married thousands of women.
Alongside him are rival and divorcee Lorna who has been parachuted in from Car Parks to drag the office (and Malcolm) into the 21st century. To her, marriage isn't just about love and romance, it's got to be about making a profit in our new age of austerity.
There's also the ever spiky Mary, geeky Luke who's worried he'll end up like Malcolm one day, and ditzy Anita who may get her words and names mixed up occasionally but, as the only parent in the office, is a mother to them all.
In the second episode, X-Factor voice-over man Peter Dickson comes into the office to register the death of his father. But Malcolm's the only one who's never heard of him. Or the show. Lorna wants to beat her rivals in Parking in the annual talent contest, while everyone else is trying to cope with Jackie, the work experience girl from hell.
Producer: Simon Jacobs
A Unique production for BBC Radio 4.
WED 22:55 The Comedy Club Interviews (b08m0dcb)
The best in contemporary comedy. Tom Wrigglesworth chats to Johnny Cochrane.
WED 23:00 Elis James's Pantheon of Heroes (b03mjvjk)
Series 3, Civilisations
The Celts, The Romans and The Normans. Elis James and guests determine the ultimate heroes of Wales. From December 2013.
WED 23:30 The Mark Steel Lecture (b007k482)
Series 1, Charlie Chaplin
The radical comedian profiles the fascinating life and character of the legendary silent film star. From September 1999.


THURSDAY 06 APRIL 2017

THU 00:00 Charles Chilton - Space Force (b007jmc2)
[Repeat of broadcast at 18:00 on Wednesday]
THU 00:30 Off the Page (b00w7cww)
[Repeat of broadcast at 18:30 on Wednesday]
THU 01:00 Chester Himes - Cotton Comes to Harlem (b01pcxq1)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 on Wednesday]
THU 01:30 Custodians of the Word (b0076g3d)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 on Wednesday]
THU 02:00 John Buchan - Sick Heart River (b00lh2k4)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:00 on Wednesday]
THU 02:15 Publishing Lives (b03bs759)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:15 on Wednesday]
THU 02:30 George Eliot - Adam Bede (b007jnyk)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:30 on Wednesday]
THU 02:45 Book of the Week (b01hjt9b)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:45 on Wednesday]
THU 03:00 Home Front - Omnibus (b083lby6)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 on Wednesday]
THU 04:00 Dilemma (b03ts4fp)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 on Wednesday]
THU 04:30 Up the Garden Path (b0081cjz)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 on Wednesday]
THU 05:00 The Attractive Young Rabbi (b007k3dm)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 on Wednesday]
THU 05:30 Can't Tell Nathan Caton Nothing (b04gwlw4)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 on Wednesday]
THU 06:00 Chester Himes - Cotton Comes to Harlem (b01pcz6p)
Episode 4
New York, 1965: detectives Digger and Ed have taken the biggest gamble of their careers and smuggled Iris out of jail hoping she'll lead them to Deke and the money. So why is she going to church?
Grave Digger Jones and Coffin Ed Johnson are the most notorious Detectives in the Harlem precinct. Their methods are unorthodox, and some people think they're trigger happy, but ask any law-abiding citizen of Harlem and they'll sing their praises. When the Reverend Deke O'Malleys Back to Africa movement collected $87,000 from poor black families - only to have it stolen from under their noses - Jones and Johnson are determined to get it back.
Hugh Quarshie reads Chester Himes' thriller.

Abridged and produced by Chris Wallis.

Made for BBC Radio 4 Extra by Autolycus Productions.
THU 06:30 The Curse of Pendle (b01nxzcj)
Novelist Jeanette Winterson is fascinated by the Pendle witch trials of 1612. 400 years on, in this programme recorded in and around the area, she contemplates their history - a tale of ambition, warring families and the superstitions of James I.
The Pendle witch trials of 1612 involved 12 accused, who were charged with the murder of 10 people by witchcraft. They are the best documented of all the witchcraft trials in English history. This is a fascinating story which moves beyond the localised accusation and hysteria of the well-worn Salem trials in the US and draws in the superstitions of James I, the desires of titled families to attract his good favour, and the local disputes and battles of two 'common' families.
Using the publication of the proceedings by the clerk of the court, Thomas Potts 'The Wonderfull Discoverie of Witches in the Countie of Lancaster', Jeanette Winterson weaves her own telling of the trial through the programme, while unearthing the back story and historic context.
Jeanette explores the local area, visiting key locations as she contemplates the "countie" of the time. Even today this area of Lancashire has an above average proportion of Catholic families and, during the reigns of Elizabeth I and James I, Catholic priests were regularly holding secret mass in the remote area of Pendle Hill. At the same time, James I was obsessed with witchcraft - he even wrote a book about it, Daemonologie.
Finally, Jeanette reflects personally on the trials and what they have meant to the development of the area.
Music composed by David Lloyd-Mostyn and performed by Aquilon
Produced by Kevin Dawson
A Whistledown production for BBC Radio 4.
THU 07:00 In the Chair (b007jsx5)
Episode 4
Will Charles Prentiss manage to scupper his rival's bid for the job of DG? Maverick hack George Cragge thinks an unrelated murder may be connected after all.
Mark Tavener's six-part satirical comedy thriller stars Michael Williams as George Cragge, Barry Foster as DCI Frank Jefferson, Hugh Laurie as the Prime Minister, Richard Griffiths as Crichton-Potter, John Bird as Martin, Stephen Fry as Charles Prentiss, Rebecca Front as Marcia Mallon, Kenneth Cranham as Jim Hardie, Geoffrey Whitehead as Director of Personnel, Simon Greehall as the Chancellor, Jonathan Keeble as John and Susie Brann as Caroline.
Music by Paul Mottram.
Producer: Paul Schlesinger
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1998.
THU 07:30 Meet David Sedaris (b0680s8t)
Series 5, Loggerheads
One of the world's best storytellers is back on BBC Radio 4 doing what he does best.
This week, we find how turtles have featured in the writer's life since childhood in Loggerheads and we hear a final extract from his peerless diaries.
Produced by Steve Doherty
A Giddy Goat production for BBC Radio 4.
THU 08:00 Jim the Great (b0218l5j)
Series 1, The King Jim Abacus Dating Service
The moustachioed monarch has a go at match-making, but warm hearts come with cold feet.
Historical regal romp starring Jimmy Edwards.
With Julian Orchard, John Baddeley, Joan Sanderson, Alexandra Dane, Fred Harris, Nicolette McKenzie and Douglas Blackwell.
Jim The Great ran for 2 series on BBC Radio 2 between 1976 - 1979.
Producer: Edward Taylor
First broadcast on BBC Radio 2 in April 1977.
THU 08:30 Know Your Place (b01b3b6b)
Out of the Closet
Caretaker Ramsay needs help after a close call with the local gangster. Stars Roy Dotrice and Patricia Hayes. From August 1983.
THU 09:00 Guess What? (b0627zhy)
Episode 3
Animal, vegetable or mineral? Barry Took's revised 20 questions. With Geoffrey Durham and Helen Atkinson Wood. From April 1998.
THU 09:30 Country Matters (b00lrv65)
Episode 5
Dave and Cathy face a hectic weekend of visitors to their cottage. Stars Jonathan Tafler and Lesley Sharp. From May 1994.
THU 10:00 Home Front - Omnibus (b083lc03)
19-23 December 1916
In the week, in 1916, when debate raged nationally over the treatment of foreign workers, there's unrest throughout Tyneside.
Written by Sebastian Baczkiewicz
Directed by Jessica Dromgoole
Sound: Martha Littlehailes
Composer: Matthew Strachan
Consultant Historian: Maggie Andrews.
THU 11:00 American Shorts (b02yjbx4)
Thief
A series of recently published stories that reflect on everyday lives across the water.
Set in the author's hometown of Spokane this sharply observed story by Jess Walter features a troubled father who frets about being a good parent as he sets a trap to catch a thief.
Read by John Schwab
Abridged and produced by Gemma Jenkins
Thief is taken from Jess Walter's debut short story collection, We Live In Water.
THU 11:15 Afternoon Drama (b01h6670)
Ronald Frame - The Dreamer
The son of a renowned Nazi hunter attempts to retrieve a stolen Matisse painting. Jane Asher and William Gaminara star in this atmospheric drama by Ronald Frame.
Paulette is a music teacher in Nice. She is being shadowed by a man. Levin, when cornered, claims that he wants to take up the piano again. In fact Levin is the son of a famous Nazi-hunter, recently deceased. Paulette is the daughter of an SS officer who escaped to Buenos Aires. In Paulette's apartment Levin locates the object of his searches - a Matisse painting. But is it an original? Both Paulette and Levin have been held in a dream-like state, troubled by and unable to shake off the past. Paulette moved to Nice, attracted by the image in the painting, and frustrated by her mother's attempts to ruin her romances. Levin was never able to please his father: by finding the painting, will he finally be 'proving' himself?
Producer/ Director: David Ian Neville.
THU 12:00 Jim the Great (b0218l5j)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
THU 12:30 Know Your Place (b01b3b6b)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
THU 13:00 Chester Himes - Cotton Comes to Harlem (b01pcz6p)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
THU 13:30 The Curse of Pendle (b01nxzcj)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
THU 14:00 John Buchan - Sick Heart River (b00lh3hl)
Episode 4
Sir Edward Leithen picks up the missing New Yorker's suspicious trail in the Canadian wilderness. Read by Paul Young.
THU 14:15 Publishing Lives (b03bs78d)
Series 1, George Weidenfeld
Writer and former publisher, Robert McCrum meets George Weidenfeld to talk about his extraordinary publishing life.
Weidenfeld left his native Austria at the time of the Anschluss in 1938, the last survivor of a remarkable band of European émigrés - including André Deutsch, Paul Hamlyn and Ernest Hecht - who transformed the clubby world of British publishing after the Second World War.
Gambler, opportunist, intellectual, socialite, and still working at 94, Weidenfeld is a living witness to the changes that have taken place in British publishing over the last century.
In 1955, the exiled Russian author Vladimir Nabokov's novel 'Lolita' was published in Paris. Graham Greene had recognised it as a masterpiece, but in England the story of an obsessive sexual relationship between a 12-year-old girl and a middle-aged man was too hot to handle.
Only Weidenfeld, an outsider standing apart from the Fifties cultural consensus, dared to take the gamble and defy the censor. 'Lolita' became Weidenfeld's first bestseller - 200,000 copies in hardback alone. It was a milestone for his publishing house and for English literature.
Featuring George Weidenfeld and Lady Antonia Fraser.
Produced by Melissa FitzGerald
A Blakeway production for BBC Radio 4.
THU 14:30 George Eliot - Adam Bede (b007jnz3)
Episode 14
As the journey to the hanging scaffold begins, a visitor arrives. Stars Katherine Igoe, Vicki Liddelle and Thomas Arnold.
THU 14:45 Book of the Week (b01hl295)
The Uke of Wallington, Episode 4
Read by Hugh Dennis
Having meandered through Yorkshire, enjoyed a wonderful Harp quartet in York and promised, in a most un-rock 'n' roll fashion, to be back at his digs by eleven, Mark Wallington's one man ukulele tour round Great Britain finally hits Edinburgh at the height of the Festival. With no venue booked, Mark finds himself taking part in a talent contest and is proudly awarded the title, Uke of Edinburgh.
Produced by Jane Marshall
A Jane Marshall Production for BBC Radio 4.
THU 15:00 Home Front - Omnibus (b083lc03)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 today]
THU 16:00 Guess What? (b0627zhy)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
THU 16:30 Country Matters (b00lrv65)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 today]
THU 17:00 In the Chair (b007jsx5)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
THU 17:30 Meet David Sedaris (b0680s8t)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
THU 18:00 Charles Chilton - Space Force (b007jmd7)
Series 1, The Time Ship
"The ship was as tall as a skyscraper and as long as an ocean liner - its hull was round, like a submarine's."
Taken hostage by the aliens, the crew discover more about their mysterious captors.
Charles Chilton's intergalatic adventure in six-parts starring Barry Foster as Captain Saxon Berry, Nicky Henson as Chipper, Nigel Stock as Magnus, Tony Osoba as Lauderic, Wendy Murray as Ifwa, Theresa Streatfeild as Treia, Lolly Cockerell as Voedica and Jenny Twigge as Jennie.
Producer: Paul Mayhew-Archer
First broadcast on BBC Radio 2 in 1984.
THU 18:30 Great Lives (b00g505c)
Series 17, Beachcomber
Series of biographical discussions with Matthew Parris.
Raymond Briggs celebrates Beachcomber, the newspaper columnist who inspired both Spike Milligan and Private Eye. Richard Ingrams offers details of the column's early life and the current Beachcomber reveals his own influences.
THU 19:00 Jim the Great (b0218l5j)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
THU 19:30 Know Your Place (b01b3b6b)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
THU 20:00 Chester Himes - Cotton Comes to Harlem (b01pcz6p)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
THU 20:30 The Curse of Pendle (b01nxzcj)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
THU 21:00 American Shorts (b02yjbx4)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:00 today]
THU 21:15 Afternoon Drama (b01h6670)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:15 today]
THU 22:00 Meet David Sedaris (b0680s8t)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
THU 22:30 Clare in the Community (b03nt9vm)
Series 9, Stand By Your Man
Episode One - Stand By Your Man
Clare has mysteriously abandoned her honeymoon and come back to work at Sparrowhawk Family Centre. The rest of the social workers have an unfortunate experience on a community project, and Brian struggles to enjoy a holiday on his own.
Sally Phillips is Clare Barker the social worker who has all the right jargon but never a practical solution.
A control freak, Clare likes nothing better than interfering in other people's lives on both a professional and personal basis. Clare is in her thirties, white, middle class and heterosexual, all of which are occasional causes of discomfort to her.
Each week we join Clare in her continued struggle to control both her professional and private life
In today's Big Society there are plenty of challenges out there for an involved, caring social worker. Or even Clare.
Written by Harry Venning and David Ramsden
Producer Alexandra Smith.
THU 23:00 Elastic Planet (b0089jhr)
The Shape
Drugged electricity and artificial icebergs. Johnny Ball guest stars in the cosmic comedy of connections. From May 1995.
THU 23:15 The Shuttleworths (b00sg2n0)
Series 5, A Gig With Billy Joel
When agent Ken Worthington offers John and unpaid gig in a remote village hall, John refuses. But the promise of his own designated parking space causes a serious rethink.
John is created and performed by Graham Fellows, and the series is produced by Dawn Ellis.
THU 23:30 The Penny Dreadfuls Present (b00gpbcs)
More Brothers Faversham, Titus Faversham
The story of Victorian Britain's greatest sporting hero. The comedy trio's swashbuckling family romp. From October 2008.


FRIDAY 07 APRIL 2017

FRI 00:00 Charles Chilton - Space Force (b007jmd7)
[Repeat of broadcast at 18:00 on Thursday]
FRI 00:30 Great Lives (b00g505c)
[Repeat of broadcast at 18:30 on Thursday]
FRI 01:00 Chester Himes - Cotton Comes to Harlem (b01pcz6p)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 on Thursday]
FRI 01:30 The Curse of Pendle (b01nxzcj)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 on Thursday]
FRI 02:00 John Buchan - Sick Heart River (b00lh3hl)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:00 on Thursday]
FRI 02:15 Publishing Lives (b03bs78d)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:15 on Thursday]
FRI 02:30 George Eliot - Adam Bede (b007jnz3)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:30 on Thursday]
FRI 02:45 Book of the Week (b01hl295)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:45 on Thursday]
FRI 03:00 Home Front - Omnibus (b083lc03)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 on Thursday]
FRI 04:00 Guess What? (b0627zhy)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 on Thursday]
FRI 04:30 Country Matters (b00lrv65)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 on Thursday]
FRI 05:00 In the Chair (b007jsx5)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 on Thursday]
FRI 05:30 Meet David Sedaris (b0680s8t)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 on Thursday]
FRI 06:00 Falco (b008kkch)
Shadows in Bronze, Episode 1
Following a plot to depose the Emperor Vespasian, Falco sets out to clear up a few loose ends, only to uncover a nest of vipers.
Anton Lesser stars as Marcus Didius Falco, Lindsey Davis's witty detective, patrolling the streets of 1st-century Rome.
With Ben Crowe as Petronius / Chamberlain, Fiona Clarke as Tullia, Anna Madeley as Helena Justina, Michael Tudor Barnes as Vespasian / Milo and Christian Rodska as Gordianus.
Dramatised by Mary Cutler.
Directed at BBC Birmingham by Peter Leslie Wild.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2005.
FRI 06:30 Krazy Kat (b007x4zy)
Quentin Blake profiles of one of the most influential cartoon strips of the 20th century and its creator George Herriman, the first black cartoonist in print. From August 2007.
FRI 07:00 Old Dog and Partridge (b007jq9s)
Episode 1
When a landlord's daughter offers to help run the pub, his reaction is unexpected. Stars Michael Williams. From December 1998.
FRI 07:30 A Normal Life (b08ktnwk)
Part two in an occasional series in which Henry Normal uses poetry, storytelling and comedy to explore life's big questions.
Last year Henry brought us his acclaimed show - 'A Normal Family', which centred around his son, Johnny, who was diagnosed with "mildly severe" autism. In this profound, funny and moving show, Henry explored what this meant for his family.
This time Henry brings us his new show, 'A Normal Life'. Drawing on his experiences bringing up a child with autism, Henry investigates where edges are, and how we are connected. As well as his trademark humour, the show tackles the subjects of life, death, loneliness, loss, human frailty and other classic conversation stoppers.
Henry Normal is a multi-award winning writer, producer and poet. Co-writer of award winning TV programmes such as The Royle Family, The Mrs Merton Show, Coogan's Run and Paul Calf, and producer of, amongst many others, Oscar-Nominated Philomena, Gavin and Stacey and Alan Partridge.
He has published several volumes of poetry, including The Dream Ticket, Nude Modelling for the Afterlife and Staring Directly at the Eclipse. His last Radio 4 series was 1997's Encyclopaedia Poetica.
Written and performed by - Henry Normal
Producer - Carl Cooper
Production Coordinator - Steve Lanham
This is a BBC Studios Production.
FRI 08:00 I'm Sorry, I'll Read That Again (b00r39q1)
Series 2, Episode 8
Dr Y invents a time-travel machine, plus a never-ending sing-along with the studio audience.
More quick-fire sketches, terrible puns, humorous songs plus TV and cinema parodies.
Stars Tim Brooke-Taylor, Graeme Garden, David Hatch, Jo Kendall and Bill Oddie.
Written by John Esmonde & Bob Larbey, Graeme Garden, David Hatch, Eric Idle, Brian Cooke & Johnnie Mortimer and Bill Oddie.
Originating from the Cambridge University Footlights revue 'Cambridge Circus', ISIRTA ran for 8 years on BBC Radio and quickly developed a cult following.
Music by Dave Lee.
Producer: Humphrey Barclay
First broadcast on the BBC Home Service in November 1965.
FRI 08:30 The Goon Show (b00k7xd2)
The £50 Cure
Kenneth Connor takes Harry Secombe's place, as Ned picks up a lavish NHS prescription for his broken legs. From February 1959.
FRI 09:00 Who Goes There? (b00fj1rj)
Series 3, Episode 1
Martin Young hosts the famous people quiz. With Francis Wheen, Fred Housego, Sue Cook and Annabel Giles. From January 2000.
FRI 09:30 Tickets Please (b00p1nm5)
Episode 3
Confusion reigns when love blossoms among the staff of the 9.27 London to Exeter. Stars Jeremy Swift. From November 2009.
FRI 10:00 Home Front - Omnibus (b083lch3)
26-30 December 1916
In the week in 1916 when Germany's peace offer was rejected by the Allies, Christmas week still brings some festive cheer to Tynemouth.
Written by Shaun McKenna
Directed by Allegra McIlroy
Editor: Jessica Dromgoole
Story-led by Sebastian Baczkiewicz
Sound: Martha Littlehailes
Composer: Matthew Strachan
Consultant Historian: Maggie Andrews.
FRI 11:00 Beatrice Colin - Bear Junction (b0886ywb)
4 Extra Debut. Miss Colleen learns to drive with Mr Podstovski. She is not a good pupil, but he is not a good teacher. Read by Siobhan Redmond.
FRI 11:15 Afternoon Drama (b01k9wfn)
Lavinia Murray - The Beautiful Ugly
The Beautiful Ugly
by Lavinia Murray
This is an imagined day in the life of Hans Christian Andersen as a child. Combining fact with fantasy we explore the remarkable roots of Andresen's magical creativity and enter an icy, snowy, surreal landscape.
Christian finds himself on a quest to save his father's life from the chilling grip of the Ice Maiden.
Christian ..... Ellis Hollins
Merman ..... Jonathan Keeble
Mother ...... Fiona Clarke
Ice Maiden ..... Kathryn Hunt
Father ...... Seamus O'Neil
Producer/Director - Pauline Harris
Further info:- H.C.A. is an awkward, wonderful, off-kilter child, preparing to reach out into the world - unable to reconcile the poverty and dullness into which he was born. And this is the day he becomes aware of his tremendous and exquisite gift for storytelling.
Hans Christian's father has just returned, tired and debilitated, from a two year stint in the Napoleonic Army. He points to the ice patterns on the window. 'See, the Ice Maiden is coming for me!' he laughs. Hans Christian can indeed see the faint silhouette of a woman draped in ice flowers with an icicle crown with her hand held out towards them. Hans Christian's mother, becomes fearful. When her husband has dozed off she tells Hans Christian that the Ice Maiden will surely visit, freeze his father's heart and eyes, and take his soul. She sends Christian on a trip for a talisman from the wise woman. Christian is on a quest - to save his father's soul - from the chilling grip of the Ice Maiden.
The writer - Lavinia Murray - very experienced radio writer, wrote The Tyger Hunt - a drama about an imagined day in the life of William Blake as a child. Other work for Radio 4 includes The Opium Eater, Man of All Work.
FRI 12:00 I'm Sorry, I'll Read That Again (b00r39q1)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
FRI 12:30 The Goon Show (b00k7xd2)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
FRI 13:00 Falco (b008kkch)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
FRI 13:30 Krazy Kat (b007x4zy)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
FRI 14:00 John Buchan - Sick Heart River (b00lh5tt)
Episode 5
Sir Edward Leithen worries that missing Francis Galliard has been abandoned in the freezing Canadian Wilds. Read by Paul Young.
FRI 14:15 Publishing Lives (b03bsb9m)
Series 1, Geoffrey Faber
Geoffrey Faber was a brilliant middleman. He sought out the best new poetry and prose. And he hired a young American banker named T.S. Eliot - not just a poet of genius, but also a gifted publisher. Together, Eliot and Faber built one of the most influential literary lists of the twentieth century.
Faber was a classical scholar, a fellow of All Souls and a member of the Yorkshire brewing family Strong & Co. In 1924, bored with beer, he went into partnership with an Oxford friend, Maurice Gwyer, as a publisher. Gwyer already specialised in medical books and journals, but Faber had other ideas. Within five years he turned a company that published 'The Nursing Mirror' and the 'Hospital Newsletter' into one that hosted Siegfried Sassoon, Ezra Pound and T.S. Eliot.
He championed the notion that Faber & Faber had a responsibility to the world to preserve the best in literature and encouraged enterprises that were not always commercial. Yet it was show business that saved the company when T.S. Eliot's 'Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats' became a hit musical.
In a landscape increasingly dominated by giant media empires, Faber & Faber remains one of the last great independent publishing houses in the UK. As the digital revolution shakes traditional publishing to its foundations, the firm is exploring new ways of presenting its authors, including Eliot, for a new generation of readers.
Robert meets Geoffrey's grandson Toby Faber, and literary and publishing experts, to explore Geoffrey Faber's life and the future of publishing in Britain.
Produced by Melissa FitzGerald
A Blakeway production for BBC Radio 4.
FRI 14:30 George Eliot - Adam Bede (b007jnzn)
Episode 15
The time arrives for Dinah to decide where her heart really lies. Stars Katherine Igoe, Vicki Liddelle and Thomas Arnold.
FRI 14:45 Book of the Week (b01hl415)
The Uke of Wallington, Episode 5
Read by Hugh Dennis
The one man ukulele tour of Great Britain nears its end at the Smoo Cave Hotel in Cape Wrath and as Mark Wallington walks along the beautiful curve of Balnakeil Bay he reflects on his journey. Not only had he learnt a great deal about the music of the British Isles, but people had been really kind and he decided the ukulele really did make them smile.
Producer: Jane Marshall
A Jane Marshall Production for BBC Radio 4.
FRI 15:00 Home Front - Omnibus (b083lch3)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 today]
FRI 16:00 Who Goes There? (b00fj1rj)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
FRI 16:30 Tickets Please (b00p1nm5)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 today]
FRI 17:00 Old Dog and Partridge (b007jq9s)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
FRI 17:30 A Normal Life (b08ktnwk)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
FRI 18:00 Charles Chilton - Space Force (b007jmdr)
Series 1, Threshold of Stars
"And what happens if we fail the test?".
"It's obvious we'll be killed."
Held captive by their abductors, the Space Force crew discover exactly what the aliens are after - while Chipper causes concern.
Charles Chilton's intergalatic adventure in six-parts starring Barry Foster as Captain Saxon Berry, Nicky Henson as Chipper, Nigel Stock as Magnus, Tony Osoba as Lauderic, Wendy Murray as Ifwa, Theresa Streatfeild as Treia, Lolly Cockerell as Voedica and Jenny Twigge as Jennie.
Producer: Paul Mayhew-Archer
First broadcast on BBC Radio 2 in 1984.
FRI 18:30 Soul Music (b01qlpcg)
Series 15, Beethoven's Fifth Symphony
More than just 'da da da dum': Beethoven's 5th Symphony is this week's Soul Music.
It accompanied Sir Robin Knox-Johnston on the regular Bombay to Basra route he sailed during his early days in the Merchant Navy.
Archaeologist and crime novelist, Dana Cameron, spent many a long day in a dark, lonely basement analysing artefacts from a merchant's house in Salem, Massachusetts. A CD player was often her only companion and Beethoven's 5th buoyed her through these arduous days working towards her PhD
And for conductor, Christopher Gayford, it was the piece which provided a breakthrough in his musical life. Recalling the time he spent rehearsing it with the Sheffield Youth Orchestra - for a tour in East Germany - he describes the build up to one of the most memorable performances of his career.
Producer: Karen Gregor.
FRI 19:00 I'm Sorry, I'll Read That Again (b00r39q1)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
FRI 19:30 The Goon Show (b00k7xd2)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
FRI 20:00 Falco (b008kkch)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
FRI 20:30 Krazy Kat (b007x4zy)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
FRI 21:00 Beatrice Colin - Bear Junction (b0886ywb)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:00 today]
FRI 21:15 Afternoon Drama (b01k9wfn)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:15 today]
FRI 22:00 A Normal Life (b08ktnwk)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
FRI 22:30 That Mitchell and Webb Sound (b03jb1wp)
Series 5, Episode 1
Comedy from the lopsided world of David Mitchell and Robert Webb, with Olivia Colman and James Bachman. This week's sketches include the future of farming - battery penguins; Thomas Hardy's exciting idea to make his books even sadder; and the very confusing goings on in a cash-register shop.
FRI 23:00 Everyone Quite Likes Justin (b01n61sf)
Series 2, Episode 6
by Justin Moorhouse and Jim Poyser
Justin's still living with his father-in-law, still working with his ex-wife and still calling on his Gran for her words of wisdom. This week he also has to cope with the build up to the wedding of the year.
Justin ..... Justin Moorhouse
Gran ..... Anne Reid
Lisa ..... Christine Bottomley
Bryn ..... Lloyd Langford
Ray ..... Paul Copley
Tanya ..... Victoria Elliott
Miles ..... Rob Rouse
Producer: Steven Canny
In one version of his life, Justin is a loveable celebrity who is successful, funny, and stopped in the street by adoring fans. He's the man who has everything.
In the more realistic version he's a DJ in a slightly shabby local radio station who gets hassled by the occasional oddball on the street. And he's the man who hopes for everything.
And at home? Well, it's chaotic. His wife has left him, taking custody of his 8-year-old son Justin jnr. So he's back on the market. So he's currently living in his father-in-law's spare room in Bury. The only person who understands him is his Gran, living in luxury in an old folk's home in Warrington. Oh, and his producer Bryn but this might not be such a good thing.
Everyone Quite Likes Justin is written by Justin Moorhouse and Jim Poyser. Justin is a comedian who sells out gigs across the country. He has also written plays, a previous show for Radio 4 and the first series of Everyone Quite Likes Justin. Jim Poyser is a writer and producer of enormous experience in both radio and television.
Recorded in front of an audience in Manchester.
FRI 23:30 The Skivers (b00jd5jn)
Series 3, Episode 4
Hypnotist Paul McKenna gets a taste of his own medicine. Sketch show with Nick Golsen and Tim de Jongh. From January 1997.