SATURDAY 20 JULY 2019

SAT 00:00 Good Omens (b04vjll9)
Episode 5
The Four Horsepersons of the Apocalypse assemble and set off for Lower Tadfield, while Aziraphale finds himself inhabiting a most unexpected host body.With a cast led by Peter Serafinowicz and Mark Heap, this is the first ever dramatisation of Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman's Good Omens.Events have been set in motion to bring about the End of Days. The armies of Good and Evil are gathering and making their way towards the sleepy English village of Lower Tadfield. The Four Horsepersons of the Apocalypse - War, Famine, Pollution and Death - have been summoned from the corners of the earth and are assembling.Witchfinder Sergeant Shadwell and his assistant Newton Pulsifier are also en route to Tadfield to investigate some unusual phenomena in the area, while Anathema Device, descendent of prophetess and witch Agnes Nutter, tries to decipher her ancestor's cryptic predictions about exactly where the impending Apocalypse will take place.Atlantis is rising, fish are falling from the sky; everything seems to be going to the Divine Plan.Everything that is but for the unlikely duo of an angel and a demon who are not all that keen on the prospect of the forthcoming Rapture. Aziraphale (once an angel in the Garden of Eden, but now running an antiquarian bookshop in London), and Crowley (formerly Eden's snake, now driving around London in shades and a vintage Bentley) have been living on Earth for several millennia and have become rather fond of the place. But if they are to stop Armageddon taking place they've got to find and kill the one who will the one bring about the apocalypse: the Antichrist himself.There's just one small problem: someone seems to have mislaid him...Crowley ...... Peter Serafinowicz Aziraphale ...... Mark Heap Agnes Nutter ...... Josie LawrenceAnathema Device ...... Charlotte RitchieNewton Pulsifer ...... Colin MorganMadame Tracy ...... Julia DeakinWar ...... Rachael StirlingFamine ...... Paterson JosephPollution ...... Harry LloydDeath ...... Jim NortonBig Ted ...... Mitch BennScuzz ...... Mark BentonPigbog ...... Arsher AliGreaser ...... Ben CroweTyler ...... Andy SecombeMrs Omerod ...... Marcella RiordanJulia ...... Tracy WilesAdaptation and sound design by Dirk Maggs.Producer: Heather Larmour.First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 2014.
SAT 00:30 Off the Page (b0076k37)
The Paranormal
Matthew Parris invites Matt Harvey, Candida Clark and Tibor Fischer to make their unseen presence felt by talking.In each programme, Matthew Parris introduces a group of writers of fact and fiction: new talent and established names. In the context of a discussion of one of the ideas and pre-occupations of our times, each presents a piece on this week's topic.The best new writing and the freshest conversation from 2004.
SAT 01:00 Book at Beachtime (b036yndp)
Jennie Rooney - Red Joan
Episode 5
MI5 have new revelations for Joan about her hidden past.Will love triumph in her world of secrets and betrayal?Read by Olivia Hallinan and Eleanor Bron.Jennie Rooney's intense spy thriller abridged by Alison Joseph.Producer: Elizabeth Allard.Made for BBC Radio 4 Extra and first broadcast in 2013.
SAT 01:30 Just a Simple Old New Zealand Bee Keeper (m0006v5g)
The record-breaking mountaineer Sir Edmund Hillary reflects on an incredible life of adventure.In conversation with Cliff Morgan in Auckland, he remembers his childhood and his father, who was a journalist-turned-beekeeper with strong social views and principles.Sir Edmund remembers first seeing snow, and the tremendous moment he heard news of his successful summit of Everest with Tenzing Norgay, on BBC Radio.A self-confessed "mediocre man", with no particular athletic ability, Hillary believes that it was motivation that led him to success on challenging projects.The conversation also covers diplomacy, in light of his appointment as New Zealand's High Commissioner in Delhi, and his firm belief that the destruction of the natural environment is a worldwide concern.Producer: Vanessa HarrisonFirst broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 1985.
SAT 02:00 Book at Bedtime (b09jh3ks)
Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine
Goodbye, Mummy
Tracy Wiles concludes Gail Honeyman's heartwarming and sometimes heartbreaking new novel - this year's bestselling fiction debut.Eleanor Oliphant is happy. Nothing is missing from her carefully timetabled life. Except, sometimes, everything. But one simple act of kindness is about to shatter the walls Eleanor has built around herself.Today: After being taken back to painful childhood memories, Eleanor finally confronts her mother...Reader: Tracy WilesProducer: Justine WillettAbridger: Richard Hamilton.First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2017.
SAT 02:15 Plants: From Roots to Riches (b04cfvg3)
Botanical Medicine
In 1947 Sir Robert Robinson received the Nobel prize for Chemistry "in recognition of his investigations of plant products of biological importance, especially the alkaloids". This powerful family of plant chemicals was proving a potent medical tool.Professor Kathy Willis traces the natural role of alkaloids in plants and the first attempts to isolate one of the best know - quinine, from chinchona bark growing in the Andes. This development gave rise to the emergence of a new kind of laboratory scientist equally able to handle botanical and chemical data. As Mark Nesbitt, Keeper of Kew's Economic Botany Collection explains, this was to eliminate the chance and guesswork in identifying "good" plants from "bad".Professor Monique Simmons of Kew's Jodrell Laboratory, assesses why chemicals from the plant kingdom are still needed in the fight against some of our most challenging diseases, from breast cancer to cardiovascular disease, and how making the nuanced connections between plant species is central to success in this field.Producer Adrian Washbourne.
SAT 02:30 Gustave Flaubert - Madame Bovary (b00cqzj4)
The Temptation
Emma meets wealthy land owner Rodolphe Boulanger, and succumbs to temptation...A French masterpiece of betrayal and wantonness; the first great novel of adultery starring John Hurt..Narrator ...... John HurtCharles ...... Conrad NelsonEmma ...... Sarah SmartRodolphe Boulanger ...... Jude AkuwudikeMadame Lefrancois ...... Siobhan FinneranMonsieur Homais ...... David FleeshmanGustave Flaubert's novel is dramatised by Diana Griffiths from a translation by Margaret Mauldon.Producer: Pauline HarrisFirst broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2006.
SAT 02:45 Book of the Week (b04fchlh)
Philip Larkin: Life, Art and Love
Episode 5
Larkin finds professional life stressful, sees his poetic future as bleak and - despite continuing relationships with both Monica and Maeve - brings another woman into his life.Concluded by Michael Pennington. Philip Larkin was that rare thing among poets - a household name in his own lifetime. Lines such as 'Never such innocence again' and 'Sexual intercourse began / In nineteen sixty-three' made him one of the most popular poets of the last century.Larkin's reputation as a man, however, has been more controversial. A solitary librarian known for his pessimism, he disliked exposure and had no patience with the literary circus. And when, in 1992, the publication of his Selected Letters laid bare his compartmentalised personal life, accusations of duplicity, faithlessness, racism and misogyny were levelled against him.There is, of course, no requirement that poets should be likeable or virtuous, but James Booth asks whether art and life were really so deeply at odds with each other. Can the poet who composed the moving 'Love Songs in Age' have been such a cold-hearted man? Can he who uttered the playful, self-deprecating words 'Deprivation is for me what daffodils were for Wordsworth' really have been so boorish?A very different public image is offered by those who shared the poet's life - the women with whom he was romantically involved, his friends and his university colleagues. It is with their personal testimony, including access to previously unseen letters, that Booth reinstates a man misunderstood - not a gaunt, emotional failure, but a witty, provocative and entertaining presence, delightful company; an attentive son and a man devoted to the women he loved.Written by James BoothAbridged by Libby SpurrierProduced by Joanna GreenA Pier production for BBC Radio 4
SAT 03:00 Drama (b055f2lg)
John Gabriel Borkman
Episode 2
Now reunited with his first love, will John Gabriel Borkman be able to find real happiness? Or will the continued pursuit of his ambitions lead to his final destruction?David Threlfall stars as the disgraced banker finally being made to atone for his sins. Conclusion of Henrik Ibsen’s rarely-performed but all-too-pertinent play about the dangerous pursuit of power. Produced from a version by David Eldridge John Gabriel Borkman ….. David ThrelfallMiss Ella Rentheim ….. Susannah HarkerMrs Gunhild Borkman ….. Gillian BevanVilhelm Foldal ….. Philip JacksonErhart Borkman ….. Luke NewberryMrs Fanny Wilton ….. Jenny RainsfordMalene ….. Claire CageDirected by Helen PerryA BBC Cymru/Wales production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in 2015.
SAT 04:00 It's Not What You Know (b01c7snf)
Series 1
Episode 1
Miles Jupp takes the chair of It's Not What You Know, a new series which sets out to see how well panellists know those closest to them. For in this show it's not what, but who you know that matters - and more importantly how well you know them.Rachel Johnson, Des Lynam and Mark Steel nominate one of their nearest and dearest to answer a selection of questions - anything from "Who would you like to be stranded on a desert island with?" to "What is your favourite film?" to "How much is a pint of milk?" - and they must then attempt to second-guess how their nominee responded. If they can get it right, or come close, they get points.Each episode also features a very special guest contributor whose answers the panel must also try to predict. In this episode, that very special guest is renowned film director and food critic, Michael Winner.Producer: Sam Michell.First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2012.
SAT 04:30 Mr Finchley Goes to Paris (b00g27dk)
Episode 1
Mr Finchley finds himself on his way to Paris to track down a rather irresponsible client. But before he sets off, he has an important question to put to a certain widow of his acquaintance...Richard Griffiths stars as the shy solicitor's clerk, Edgar Finchley - in a second series of adventures written by Victor Canning.Mrs Crantel ...... Anna CropperMr Sprake ...... James GroutLawrence Hume ...... Piers GibbonMrs Patten ...... Jill GrahamDavid White ...... James TaylorMavis ...... Teresa GallagherThe Frenchman ...... Barry GordonNarrated by James Villiers.Adapted in six parts by Andy and Eric Merriman.Producer: Gareth EdwardsFirst broadcast on BBC Radio 2 in May 1994.
SAT 05:00 Charles Dickens (b00s7fbg)
Sketches by Boz: Series 2
The Boarding House
Mrs Tibbs is the owner of a most respectable Boarding House, until the arrival of a mysterious new lodger.Gloriously comic stories of London Life by Charles Dickens - dramatised by Stephen Wyatt.Boz ...... Nicholas FarrellMrs Tibbs ...... Imelda StauntonMrs Bloss ...... Annette BadlandMr Tibbs ...... Christopher HancockAgnes ...... Tracy-Ann ObermanMr Evenson ...... Stephen CritchlowMr Wisbottle ...... Peter GunnMr O’Bleary ...... Jason O’MaraDirector: Sally AvensFirst broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 1999.
SAT 05:30 The Absolutely Radio Show (m0006s9b)
Series 3
Episode 2
The hugely popular sketch show returns for a third series on BBC Radio 4. Pete Baikie, Morwenna Banks, Moray Hunter, Gordon Kennedy and John Sparkes revisit some of their much-loved characters, and also introduce some newcomers.Absolutely was a big hit on Channel Four in the late 80s and early 90s. In 2013, the group got back together for the Sketchorama: Absolutely Special for BBC Radio 4 - winning a BBC Audio Drama Award in the Best Live Scripted Comedy category. The Absolutely Radio Show followed, with the first two series picking up Celtic Media Award nominations for Best Radio Comedy, while the second series was also nominated for a BBC Audio Drama Award in 2018.This second episode includes The Rev McMinn encountering the European political elite in his local Minimart, Gwynedd’s insomnia driving Denzil to despair and then song, and Frank Hovis fondly remembering his holidays. From the archive, we have never before heard footage from Dunkirk rescuers and four-and-three-quarter year-old Jack gives the eulogy at his Grandpa’s funeral.Written and Performed by: Peter Baikie, Morwenna Banks, Moray Hunter, Gordon Kennedy and John SparkesProduction Manager Sarah TomblingRecording Engineer Dave MurricaneEditor Pete BaikieProducer Gus BeattieProducer Gordon KennedyBBC Executive Sioned WiliamRecording Venue The Oran Mor, GlasgowAn Absolutely production for BBC Radio 4
SAT 06:00 Compton Mackenzie - Whisky Galore (b007jpk9)
In the middle of the Second World War, there's no more whisky left on the small Hebridean islands of Great Todday and Little Todday.That is until a merchant ship bound for New York runs aground carrying 50,000 cases. How will the islanders keep their wonderful secret?Compton Mackenzie's classic tale dramatised by Hector MacMillan.Old/Young Fred ... Bernard HolleyPeggy ... Dolina MacLennanInterviewer ... Donalda SamuelMacroon ... Michael ElderMacrurie ... Bill RiddochDrooby ... John SheddenBiffer ... Paul YoungMrs Biffer ... Eliza LanglandNorman ... Finlay McLeanCatriona ... Alyxis DalyMrs Waggett ... Stella ForgeCaptain Waggett ... Raymond RossFather MacAlister ... John BuickGeorge Campbell ... Tony KearneyMrs Campbell ... Mairead RossDr Mack ... Charles KearneyJocky ... Allan SharpeHugh ... John RamageDirector: Hamish WilsonFirst broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1994.
SAT 07:30 Jarvis and Matthew (b092mbm0)
Grey Hairs and Bus Passes
Close friends Martin Jarvis and Christopher Matthew have been journeying back into their separate and interwoven lives - to their school days in south London and Surrey, to their first forays into work in advertising and in the theatre and to their middle years in film & TV and in print.Now in this final episode, they set out to complete their journey and attempt to tie up their very many loose ends... and get to grips with the looming spectre of retirement.Ten years on from when their pensions should have kicked in (even longer in Christopher's case) they compare notes on how much they've slowed down since... and ask themselves: why do they go on and can they keep it up?Producer: Paul Kobrak.
SAT 08:00 World Book Club (m000704m)
Anuradha Roy - An Atlas of Impossible Longing
Harriet Gilbert talks to Indian writer Anuradha Roy about her much-loved debut novel 'An Atlas of Impossible Longing'.The family saga set in Bengal was rejected 16 times before it was published in 2008. Anuradha discusses her inspiration, characterisation, the caste system and India's historic mistreatment of widows, who have become a tragic motif in Bengali literature.First broadcast on the BBC World Service in 2018.
SAT 08:50 David Attenborough's Life Stories (b00lt16w)
Series 1
Salamander
Series of talks by Sir David Attenborough on the natural histories of creatures and plants from around the world.Sir David's first pet was a fire salamander, given to him by his father on his eighth birthday. He also gave his own son a salamander on his eighth birthday, the legacy of which is very much alive and kicking today.Producer: Julian HectorFirst broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2009.
SAT 09:00 4 Extra at the British Seaside (b038xhc6)
Seaside entertainer Tony Lidington takes a trip to Brighton for BBC Radio 4 Extra and reflects how this city has inspired a wealth of seaside memories captured in the BBC Sound Archive.Tony came to Brighton in the eighties as a student and set up his own Pierrot Troupe The Pierroters named after the rotting West Pier which was the subject of a Kaleidoscope feature made in 1995.There are first hand memories of what it was like to go on a seaside holiday between the wars in 1984 programme called ‘Sand Between the Toes'.Tony meets Max Tyler an expert on the Fol De Rols and he and Tony hear them perform in an extraordinary piece of archive from 1937 when four of the shows hundreds of miles apart were brought together live by the magic of wireless.There are also insights into Brighton's very own Cheeky Chappie as Tony visits a Fish and Chip Shop in Brighton where the Max Miller Society has set up a museum. ‘Casting Shadows' a wonderfully evocative play by Mark Burgess conjures up an imaginary meeting between the actor Laurence Oliver, playwright Terence Rattigan and Brighton's famous seaside entertainer, Max Miller. Roy Hudd headlines as Miller.Gavin Henderson president of the National Piers Society reveals that seaside Piers were initially places of sophistication, almost the arts centres of their day, and Rachel Clark of the West Pier Trust looks to the future and the plans to create a new vertical Pier on Brighton seafront.Tony celebrates the Great Days of the West Pier in his 1995 Archive Hour ‘Oh What a Lovely Pier!' with contributions from among others the late Corin Redgrave.Made for BBC Radio 4 Extra by Pier Productions
SAT 12:00 There Is No Escape (b06grjn7)
Episode 1
Andrew Lawrence's sitcom about a man dissatisfied with his life, whose feeble attempts to run away invariably end with him traipsing home defeated.In this opening episode, Andrew arrives home from work one evening to find the house even more of a mess than usual. An argument with his girlfriend about cleaning escalates and Andrew storms out to find something to eat.After a soul destroying encounter with the woman in the local shop, who can only recommend frozen turkey dinosaurs for his meal, Andrew joins his work mate, Lennie, for a consolation dinner in the pub.Later he returns home and is forced to negotiate about a cleaner through the letterbox before he is finally allowed back in.Starring Andrew Lawrence and Diane Morgan.With Rosie Cavaliero and Marek Larwood. Producer: Jane BerthoudFirst broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 2015.
SAT 12:30 Street and Lane (b00v3n2v)
Series 1
Patio Marital
"Up your Street, Down your Lane".Johnny Street and Arthur Lane are a pair of Yorkshire builders in a white van who battle out their partnership and their future as they tackle a plethora of household repairs.Sitcom written by Ian McMillan and Dave Sheasby.In this opening episode, the duo tool up for a patio job at the home of warring couple.Johnny Street ...... Nick LaneArthur Lane ...... Fine Time FontayneChristine ...... Becky HindleyTom ...... Richard KatzGreat Northern Man ...... Gerard McDermottProducer: David HunterFirst broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 2005.
SAT 13:00 Moon (Omnibus) (m000704p)
It's 50 years since Apollo 11 put human beings on another world in 1969. 4 Extra marks the anniversary week, with an omnibus of the five day journey to the moon, using the astronauts’ own words, which are taken entirely from the transcripts of the mission. We travel with Armstrong, Aldrin and Collins on their epic journey, experiencing everything as they did.A unique perspective on the most historic journey in the history of humanity.Starting from the launch - Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins blast off from the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida and prepare to leave Earth's orbit.Omnibus adapted by Anita SullivanThanks to Professor Chris Welch, International Space University.Neil Armstrong.... Nathan NolanBuzz Aldrin.... Ronan SummersMichael Collins.... Edward HoggNarrator.... Maggie Aderin-PocockDirected by James RobinsonA BBC Cymru Wales Production first broadcast in five parts on BBC Radio 4.
SAT 14:10 Inheritance Tracks (m000704r)
Professor Alice Roberts
Biological anthropologist, Professor Alice Roberts shares A Whiter Shade of Pale by Procol Harum and Ash's Girl from Mars.
SAT 14:15 Pam Ayres' Open Road (b007kd9d)
Series 1
Hickling and the Norfolk Broads
Pam meets a Norfolk Broads river pilot, climbs Britain's tallest windmill and wields a scythe with a legendary reed-cutter.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 ElmesFirst broadcast on BBC Radio 2 in 2000.
SAT 14:45 Ernest Fontwell versus the Experts (m000704t)
The Holiday Experts
Ernest Fontwell needs a holiday, but the fiends in white coats are waiting – at home and abroad.Written by Lawrie Wyman.Starring Frank Thornton as Ernest Fontwell.With Patsy Rowlands, David Tate and Bill Wallis.Producer: Geoffrey PerkinsFirst broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 1979.
SAT 15:00 World Book Club (m000704m)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
SAT 15:50 David Attenborough's Life Stories (b00lt16w)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:50 today]
SAT 16:00 Compton Mackenzie - Whisky Galore (b007jpk9)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
SAT 17:30 Jarvis and Matthew (b092mbm0)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
SAT 18:00 Good Omens (b04vjrjm)
Episode 6
As Aziraphale and Crowley, the Witchfinder Army, and the Horsepersons of the Apocalypse descend on Lower Tadfield, the fate of the Earth rests on the shoulders of Adam YoungWith a cast led by Peter Serafinowicz and Mark Heap, this is the conclusion of the first ever dramatisation of Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman's Good Omens.Events have been set in motion to bring about the End of Days. The armies of Good and Evil are gathering and making their way towards the sleepy English village of Lower Tadfield. The Four Horsepersons of the Apocalypse - War, Famine, Pollution and Death - have been summoned from the corners of the earth and are assembling.Witchfinder Sergeant Shadwell and his assistant Newton Pulsifier are also en route to Tadfield to investigate some unusual phenomena in the area, while Anathema Device, descendent of prophetess and witch Agnes Nutter, tries to decipher her ancestor's cryptic predictions about exactly where the impending Apocalypse will take place.Atlantis is rising, fish are falling from the sky; everything seems to be going to the Divine Plan.Everything that is but for the unlikely duo of an angel and a demon who are not all that keen on the prospect of the forthcoming Rapture. Aziraphale (once an angel in the Garden of Eden, but now running an antiquarian bookshop in London), and Crowley (formerly Eden's snake, now driving around London in shades and a vintage Bentley) have been living on Earth for several millennia and have become rather fond of the place. But if they are to stop Armageddon taking place they've got to find and kill the one who will the one bring about the apocalypse: the Antichrist himself.There's just one small problem: someone seems to have mislaid him...Crowley ...... Peter SerafinowiczAziraphale ...... Mark HeapAgnes Nutter ...... Josie LawrenceAnathema Device ...... Charlotte RitchieNewton Pulsifer ...... Colin MorganMadame Tracy ...... Julia DeakinWar ...... Rachael StirlingFamine ...... Paterson JosephPollution ...... Harry LloydDeath ...... Jim NortonShadwell ...... Clive RussellMelatron ...... Nicholas BriggsBeelzebub ...... Steve ToussantMr Young ...... Simon JonesTyler ...... Andy SecombeDeisenburger ...... Martin ShermaBaddicombe ...... Tom AlexanderGuard ...... Ben CroweSecurity Guard ...... Trevor WhiteAdam ...... Adam Thomas WrightPepper ...... Hollie BurgessWensleydale ...... Bobby FullerBrian ...... Lewis AndrewsAdaptation and sound design by Dirk Maggs.Producer: Heather Larmour.First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 2014.
SAT 19:00 Alan Bennett - The History Boys (b007g95p)
Radio 4 Extra celebrates the 75th birthday of Rising Damp actress Frances de la Tour, with her appearance in Alan Bennett's celebrated play. This radio adaptation features the original National Theatre cast, with Richard Griffiths,, James Corden and Russell Tovey.Set in the 1980s in the fictional Cutlers' Grammar School in Sheffield, it follows a group of history pupils preparing for the Oxbridge entrance exams under the guidance of three contrasting teachers and a headmaster with ambitions to move the school up the academic league table. Frances de la Tour played the role of Mrs Dorothy Lintott on both the London and Broadway stage, winning a Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play in 2006. As well as this radio version, she reprised the role in the 2006 film. Nicknamed Totty by the boys, her character is not respected by the male teachers as being good enough to get them into Oxbridge. But the audience gets to see how perceptive she can be....The History Boys first opened at London’s National Theatre in May 2004 directed by Sir Nicholas HytnerHeadmaster ...... Clive MerrisonMrs Lintott ...... Frances de la TourHector ...... Richard GriffithsTimms ...... James CordenRudge ...... Russell ToveyLockwood ...... Andrew KnottDakin ...... Dominic CooperAkthar ...... Sacha DhawanScripps ...... Jamie ParkerCrowther ...... Samuel AndersonIrwin ...... Geoffrey StreatfeildPosner ...... Samuel BarnettAdapted for radio by Richard Wortley. Solo singer: Samuel BarnettPianists: Jamie Parker and Tom AttwoodProducer David HunterDirector Richard WortleyFirst broadcast on BBC Radio 3 in 2006.
SAT 21:30 Book of the Week (b08ns9tt)
Balancing Acts: Behind the Scenes at the National Theatre
Episode 3
The inside story of 12 years at the helm of the National Theatre. It is a story of lunatic failures and spectacular successes such as The History Boys, War Horse and One Man, Two Guvnors; of opening the doors of the National Theatre to a broader audience than ever before, and changing the public's perception of what theatre is for.It is about probing Shakespeare from every angle and reinventing the classics. About fostering new talent and directing some of the most celebrated actors of our times. Among others, Nicholas Hytner has worked alongside Alan Bennett, Maggie Smith, Mike Leigh, Daniel Day-Lewis, Michael Gambon and Helen Mirren.Intimate, candid and insightful, Balancing Acts is a passionate exploration of the art and alchemy of making theatre.Today Hytner describes his fecund creative relationship with Alan Bennett. How they came to meet and the incredible performances they created together. He remembers fondly their highly successful play 'The History Boys', and how it was brought to life.Written and read by Nicholas HytnerProduced by Simon RichardsonFirst broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2017.
SAT 21:45 Inheritance Tracks (b06dl9pw)
Frances de La Tour
Actress Frances de La Tour chooses 'La Mer' by Charles Trenet and 'The Summer Wind' by Johnny Mercer.
SAT 21:55 The Listening Project (b042lp8t)
Gwen and Clive - Perfect Harmony
Fi Glover introduces a conversation between a theatrical couple who met on stage in Oklahoma at Drury Lane in 1948 and have been together ever since, proving once again that it's surprising what you hear when you listen.The Listening Project is a Radio 4 initiative that offers a snapshot of contemporary Britain in which people across the UK volunteer to have a conversation with someone close to them about a subject they've never discussed intimately before. The conversations are being gathered across the UK by teams of producers from local and national radio stations who facilitate each encounter. Every conversation - they're not BBC interviews, and that's an important difference - lasts up to an hour, and is then edited to extract the key moment of connection between the participants. Most of the unedited conversations are being archived by the British Library and used to build up a collection of voices capturing a unique portrait of the UK in the second decade of the millennium. You can upload your own conversations or just learn more about The Listening Project by visiting bbc.co.uk/listeningprojectProducer: Marya Burgess.
SAT 22:00 The Price of Happiness (b05v6gnt)
Series 1
Children
Stand-up poet Kate Fox explores some of the things she doesn't want and has cheerfully failed to achieve in life, despite feeling society constantly reminds her that, as a woman, she should.Kate kicks off with a look at the subject of children.Are we all wired to be baby-making machines? Not always, no. Some of us would rather spend our hard earned cash in Mango than Mothercare. Prospective parents are plagued by questions - Would I be a good parent? Would a child change my life beyond all recognition? Would having a child mean I could legitimately buy myself Lego and eat jelly?Can legislation across the world be used to either encourage or discourage parenthood? And what's the cost of feeling you have to want the same things as everybody else? Kate and the audience draw up a list of pros and cons of having children, and work out whether the average cost of raising a child could be better spent making our lives more fun and meaningful in other ways.Kate Fox is a comedian and poet from the North East of England. She has contributed poems and comic pieces to many Radio 4 shows including "Saturday Live", "Wondermentalist Cabaret", "From Fact to Fiction", "Woman's Hour" and "Arthur Smith's Balham Bash".Producer: Lianne CoopAn Impatient production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in 2015.
SAT 22:30 Sami Shah's Beginner's Guide to Pakistan (b06fn26p)
Episode 2
Sami Shah is an award-winning comedian and best-selling author, and one of Pakistan's most successful comedians. Yes, Pakistan has comedians. In A Beginner's Guide To Pakistan he has travelled to Birmingham - or, to give it its full name, the Islamic Republic of Birmingham - to give Radio 4 a quick guide to the country who have directly and/or indirectly provided the UK with 1.8% of its population: Pakistan.In this second episode he looks at Pakistan's social and cultural history, from its music and cinema, to its increasing religious conservatism as the nature of Islam in the country has changed through the years, all the way to the best brewery in Pakistan. Alright, the only brewery in Pakistan.Written and performed by ... Sami ShahThe Voice of the Guide ... Anita AnandProducer ... Ed MorrishA Beginner's Guide To Pakistan is a BBC Radio Comedy production first broadcast in 2015.
SAT 22:55 The Comedy Club Interviews (m000704x)
Steve N Allen 1/2
From 10.00pm until midnight, seven days a week, the Comedy Club has two hours of comedy. Plus Jake Yapp chats to The Mash Report’s Steve N Allen.
SAT 23:00 Sketchorama Extra (b04vf070)
In the Summer of 2014, Thom Tuck presented the pick of the best live sketch groups performing on the UK comedy circuit in the third series of BBC Radio 4's award winning sketch act showcase.Twelve acts featured over four shows recorded in front of audiences in London and at the Edinburgh Festival. So much material was performed, that we've put together this hour of unheard sketch gems for this BBC Radio 4 Extra Special.With so many incredibly talented and inventive sketch groups on the British Comedy scene, Sketchorama aims to showcase these hidden gems and established performers.Acts featured in series 3 included Croft & Pearce, Beasts, Mixed Doubles, Bob & Jim, The Real MacGuffins, Lead Pencil, The Colour Ham, and The Birthday Girls.Producer Gus Beattie.Sketchorama Extra is a Comedy Unit Production for BBC Radio 4 Extra.


SUNDAY 21 JULY 2019

SUN 00:00 Good Omens (b04vjrjm)
[Repeat of broadcast at 18:00 on Saturday]
SUN 01:00 Moon (Omnibus) (m000704p)
[Repeat of broadcast at 13:00 on Saturday]
SUN 02:10 Inheritance Tracks (m000704r)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:10 on Saturday]
SUN 02:15 Pam Ayres' Open Road (b007kd9d)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:15 on Saturday]
SUN 02:45 Ernest Fontwell versus the Experts (m000704t)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:45 on Saturday]
SUN 03:00 World Book Club (m000704m)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 on Saturday]
SUN 03:50 David Attenborough's Life Stories (b00lt16w)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:50 on Saturday]
SUN 04:00 Compton Mackenzie - Whisky Galore (b007jpk9)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 on Saturday]
SUN 05:30 Jarvis and Matthew (b092mbm0)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 on Saturday]
SUN 06:00 Gustave Flaubert - Madame Bovary (Omnibus) (b00ct1wf)
Episode 1
Beautiful Emma meets and marries Doctor Charles Bovary. He's happy for the first time in his life - unlike Emma, who's distraught that her marriage lacks the passion and excitement of her fantasies.A French masterpiece of betrayal and wantonness; the first great novel of adultery.Starring John Hurt as the narrator, Conrad Nelson as Charles, Sarah Smart as Emma and Brigit Forsyth as Madame Bovary Snr.Gustave Flaubert's novel is dramatised by Diana Griffiths from a translation by Margaret Mauldon.Omnibus of the first five of ten episodes.Producer: Pauline HarrisFirst broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 2006.
SUN 07:15 Victorian Love Stories (m0007086)
George Egerton - A Little Grey Glove
A rich man falls hook, line and sinker for a mysterious married woman beside a river bank.Tales of requited and unrequited passion.Simon Tait reads George Egerton's short story.Producer: Julia ButtFirst broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 2001.
SUN 07:30 Susan Calman - Keep Calman Carry On (b0717j1y)
Series 1
Cricket
Susan Calman is the least relaxed person she knows. She has no down time, no hobbies (unless you count dressing up your cats in silly outfits) and her idea of relaxation is to play Grand Theft Auto, an hour into which she is in a murderous rage with sky high blood pressure. Her wife had to threaten to divorce her to make her go on holiday last year. Her first for four years. But she's been told by the same long-suffering wife, that unless she finds a way to switch off, and soon, she's going to be unbearable.So Susan is looking at her options to try and immerse herself in the pursuits that her friends find relaxing, to find her inner zen and outer tranquillity. Can she ditch the old Susan Calman and attempt to find the new Susan Calm?This time, in a typically British leisure pursuit; Susan goes to a cricket match with Andy Zaltzman.Keep Calman Carry On is an audience stand up show in which Susan reports on how successful she's been - both at relaxing and at the pursuit itself - as well as playing in and discussing a handful of illustrative clips from her efforts. It's an attempt to find out how people find solace or sanctuary in these worlds and how Susan can negotiate her own place in them.Producer: Lyndsay Fenner.First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 2016.
SUN 08:00 Whack-O! (b0651n98)
The Popularity Ballot
Professor Jimmy Edwards hatches an elaborate plan to win a cash prize in a school popularity contest.With Roger Shepherd, Roddy Maude-Roxby, Michael Turner Graham Aza, Frederick Treves, Michael Hammond, John Mitchell, John Cazabon and Richard McCarthy.Starting life on BBC TV before transferring to radio, Chiselbury School is run "for the sons of gentlefolk". Headmaster, Professor James Edwards, MA never misses a trick when it comes to exploiting the students and their parents. Sports pitches are given over to growing vegetables, which the boys nurture for their head to sell. Classes never exceed 95 pupils - 50 if private tuition is paid for at five guineas extra. It's only thanks to the efforts of the devoted deputy head, Mr Pettigrew, that the school exists at all.Written by Frank Muir and Denis Norden and adapted for radio by David Climie.Producer: Edward TaylorFirst broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in August 1961.
SUN 08:30 Ray's a Laugh (m0007088)
From 06/02/1959
Concerned about Ted’s memory, Kitty sends him to a hypnotist - with dramatic results.Starring Ted Ray.With Kitty Bluett, Kenneth Connor, Rosalind Knight and Laidman Browne.Ray's A Laugh - the successor to ITMA - follows the comedy exploits of Ted's life at home with his 'radio' wife Kitty, as well as in a variety of jobs. It ran from 1949-1961.Scripted by Bernard Botting and Charles Hart.BBC Variety Orchestra conducted by Paul Fenoulhet.Producer: Leslie BridgmontFirst broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in February 1959.
SUN 09:00 The Remarkable Life of the Skin (Omnibus) (m000708b)
Perched on the exterior of our delicate, intricate bodies, the skin is our largest and fastest-growing organ, weighing nine kilograms and covering two square metres. We see it, touch it and live in it every day. It’s a habitat for a mesmerisingly complex world of micro-organisms. Its physical functions are vital to our health and indeed our survival, and it’s crucial to our sense of identity. Yet how much do we really know about it?Through the lenses of science, sociology and history, Dr Monty Lyman leads us on a journey through the comedy, tragedy and exquisite humanity of our most underrated and overlooked organ. By delving into something that seems so familiar, he reveals how the skin is far stranger and much more complex than we’ve ever imagined.Omnibus written by Dr Monty LymanAbridged by Libby SpurrierRead by Gunnar CautheryProducer: David BlountA Pier production first broadcast in five parts on BBC Radio 4 in 2019.
SUN 10:10 The Listening Project (b042lp8t)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:55 on Saturday]
SUN 10:15 Desert Island Discs Revisited (b071c4vl)
Space
Colin Pillinger
From Al Bowlly to Elvis Presley. Space scientist Professor Colin Pillinger shares his castaway choices with Kirsty Young. From October 2009.
SUN 11:00 The Moth Radio Hour (m0007013)
Series 9
The Ties That Bind
True stories told live in the USA: Catherine Burns introduces tales of the struggles, support and safety of the that family provides.The Moth is an acclaimed not-for-profit organisation dedicated to the art and craft of storytelling based in the USA. Since 1997, it has celebrated both the raconteur and the storytelling novice, who has lived through something extraordinary and yearns to share it. Originally formed by the writer George Dawes Green as an intimate gathering of friends on a porch in Georgia (where moths would flutter in through a hole in the screen), and then recreated in a New York City living room, The Moth quickly grew to produce immensely popular events at theatres and clubs around New York City and later around the USA, the UK and other parts of the world.The Moth has presented more than 15,000 stories, told live and without notes, to standing-room-only crowds worldwide. The Moth podcast is downloaded over 27 million times a year.Featuring true stories told live on stage without scripts, from the humorous to the heart-breaking.The Moth Radio Hour is produced by Jay Allison and Atlantic Public Media in Woods Hole, Massachusetts and is distributed by the Public Radio Exchange.
SUN 12:00 Whack-O! (b0651n98)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
SUN 12:30 Ray's a Laugh (m0007088)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
SUN 13:00 Gustave Flaubert - Madame Bovary (Omnibus) (b00ct1wf)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
SUN 14:15 Victorian Love Stories (m0007086)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:15 today]
SUN 14:30 Sweet Sorrow (Omnibus) (m000708f)
Episode 2
A decade after the publication of his bestselling novel, One Day, featuring the story of Emma and Dexter, David Nicholls has again created a triumphantly engaging pair of young lovers.When Charlie Lewis meets Fran Fisher in the summer of 1996, he is at something of a loose end. School is out and so is the sun, but his future is not looking bright. He has been hit hard by his parents' split and is not happy about the role assigned to him by his mother - keeping an eye on his depressed and bankrupt father.Failure hangs in the air - not just the closure of his father's record shop but also Charlie's inability to complete most of his GCSE exams. But then Fran Fisher almost literally stumbles across him and a whole new world opens up.David Nicholls' last novel, Us, was longlisted for the Man Booker Prize for Fiction 2014. Earlier this year, he won a BAFTA for Patrick Melrose, his television adaptation of the novels by Edward St Aubyn.In Sweet Sorrow he gives us a pitch-perfect portrayal of the anguish and joys of adolescence brilliantly laced with wit and compassionate humour.Omnibus of the last five of ten parts.James Norton, familiar from his roles in McMafia and War and Peace as well as the psychopathic villain in Happy Valley, reads his first book for BBC Radio.Produced by Jill WatersAbridged by Isobel Creed and Jill WatersA Waters Company production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in 2019.
SUN 15:45 Parkmasters (b00773n6)
William Barron and West Park, Macclesfield
William Barron was a zealot for municipal gardens in the benefit that they could raise the moral tone of the nation - the Temperance movement was a great believer in public parks.Historian Tristram Hunt continues his history of the people and ideas behind the creation of public parks.Producer: Erin RileyFirst broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 2007.
SUN 16:00 Drama (b067vjwk)
Closely Observed Trains
It is 1945. For gauche young apprentice Milos Hrma, life at the sleepy railway station in Bohemia is full of complex preoccupations. There is the burden of dispatching German troop trains; the shocking scandal of Dispatcher Hubicka; and the vexing problem of his sexual performance.Classic comedy drama from celebrated Czech write, Bohumil Hrabal.Milos is played by John Bradley who is Samwell Tarley in 'Game of Thrones'. This is John's first radio play.Dramatised by Ian KershawMilos................John BradleyMasha/Virginia....Verity HenryHubicka..............Jason DoneLansky..............Howard ChadwickMother/Viktoria.....Fiona ClarkeSlusny/Father.......Jonathan KeebleZednicek............Hamilton BerstockCLOSELY OBSERVED TRAINS, which became the award-winning Jiri Menzel film of the 'Prague Spring', is a classic of post-war literature, a small masterpiece of humour, humanity and heroism. Director: Gary BrownFirst broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2015.
SUN 17:00 Poetry Extra (m000708j)
Between Stones And Stars
Poet Daljit Nagra revisits the BBC's radio poetry archive and, to mark the 50th anniversary of the Moon Landing selects Between Stones and Stars featuring Canadian Rebecca Elson and her passion for geology and the universe.Rebecca Elson was a remarkable poet and an astronomer. She died in 1999 aged 39, leaving behind a collection of inspiring poems which cover subjects as diverse as Dark Matter, her husband's boxer shorts and the cancer which was killing her. This celebration of her work and life was presented by David Constantine, with contributions from friends and colleagues, readings by Theresa Gallagher and penny whistle, performed specially by Michael Donaghy.Producer Beaty RubensFirst broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2003.
SUN 17:30 Susan Calman - Keep Calman Carry On (b0717j1y)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
SUN 18:00 John Wyndham - Trouble with Lichen (b007k36c)
Episode 1
Biochemist Diana Brackley has stumbled across something earth-shattering - but why does no-one want to know?The scientific world, government, media and the beauty salon are set to collide...Read by Joanna Tope.John Wyndham's 1960 sci-fi novel abridged by Scott Stainton Miller.Producer: Eilidh McCreadieMade for BBC Radio 7 by BBC Scotland and first broadcast in 2007.
SUN 18:30 The Price of Fear (b007jmgf)
Come as You Are
Horror film legend Vincent Price gets a chilling invitation to a very special costume party.Co-starring Morris Perry, Betty Huntley-Wright and Peter Williams.Scripted by Bill Ingram.Producer: John DyasFirst broadcast on the BBC World Service in 1974.
SUN 19:00 The Moth Radio Hour (m0007013)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:00 today]
SUN 20:00 The Remarkable Life of the Skin (Omnibus) (m000708b)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
SUN 21:10 The Listening Project (b042lp8t)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:55 on Saturday]
SUN 21:15 Desert Island Discs Revisited (b071c4vl)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:15 today]
SUN 22:00 Susan Calman - Keep Calman Carry On (b0717j1y)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
SUN 22:30 Hal (b04tdqwq)
Series 1
Fidelity
Hal Cruttenden stars as a 40-something husband and father who, years ago, decided to give up his job and become a stay at home father. His wife, Sam, has a successful business career which makes her travel more and more. His children, Lilly and Molly, are growing up fast, and his role as their father and mentor is diminishing by the day.So what can Hal do as he reaches a crossroads in his life? Help is (sort of) at hand in the form of his eager mates - Doug, Fergus and Barry - who regularly meet at their local curry house for mind expanding conversations that sadly never give Hal the core advice he so desperately needs.Hal is confused even further as he regularly has visions of his long dead and highly macho father, who he's forced to engage in increasingly frustrating conversations.In this last episode of the series, Hal faces a new challenge - unwanted romantic attention. Happily married to Sam and with two adoring daughters, life is a picture of roses at home. But how will Hal cope with the romantic attention of a new, attractive neighbour Angie?The cast includes co-writer Dominic Holland, Ed Byrne, Ronni Ancona, Anna Crilly, Gavin Webster, Dominic Frisby, Samuel Caseley and Emily and Lucy Robbins.Produced by Paul RussellAn Open Mike production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in December 2014.
SUN 22:55 The Comedy Club Interviews (m000708l)
Steve N Allen 2/2
From 10.00pm until midnight, seven days a week, the Comedy Club has two hours of comedy. Plus Jake Yapp chats to The Mash Report’s Steve N Allen.
SUN 23:00 Cabin Pressure (b012x12f)
Series 3
St Petersburg
Some vodka and an unwary bird could spell the end of the line for MJN Air and when Carolyn meets her ex-husband the atmosphere turns even icier.John Finnemore's sitcom about the pilots of a tiny charter airline for whom no job is too small and many jobs are too difficult.With special guest Timothy WestCarolyn Knapp-Shappey ..... Stephanie Cole1st Officer Douglas Richardson ..... Roger AllamCapt. Martin Crieff ..... Benedict CumberbatchArthur Shappey ..... John FinnemoreGordon Shappey ..... Timothy WestTommo ..... Paul ShearerProducer/Director: David TylerA Pozzitive production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in August 2011.
SUN 23:30 Chris Addison's Civilization (b00dy51z)
Cities and Laws
What are the flaws in the urban democratic system?Continuing his journey through the vast and rich subject of civilisation, Chris Addison explains exactly what we need to create a new one.With Professor Austin Herring (Geoffrey McGivern), Jo Enright and Dan Tetsell.Producer: Simon NichollsFirst broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 2006.


MONDAY 22 JULY 2019

MON 00:00 John Wyndham - Trouble with Lichen (b007k36c)
[Repeat of broadcast at 18:00 on Sunday]
MON 00:30 The Price of Fear (b007jmgf)
[Repeat of broadcast at 18:30 on Sunday]
MON 01:00 Gustave Flaubert - Madame Bovary (Omnibus) (b00ct1wf)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 on Sunday]
MON 02:15 Victorian Love Stories (m0007086)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:15 on Sunday]
MON 02:30 Sweet Sorrow (Omnibus) (m000708f)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:30 on Sunday]
MON 03:45 Parkmasters (b00773n6)
[Repeat of broadcast at 15:45 on Sunday]
MON 04:00 Drama (b067vjwk)
[Repeat of broadcast at 16:00 on Sunday]
MON 05:00 Poetry Extra (m000708j)
[Repeat of broadcast at 17:00 on Sunday]
MON 05:30 Susan Calman - Keep Calman Carry On (b0717j1y)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 on Sunday]
MON 06:00 Book at Beachtime (b036myz2)
Suzanne Rindell - The Other Typist
Episode 1
Prohibition New York is the setting for Suzanne Rindell's thrilling debut about dangerous friendship in which glitz and sleaze collide.No-one has ever loved Rose. She's an orphan, she has no friends and she lives for her work. A typist in a police precinct, she prides herself on typing up the goriest of crimes without batting an eyelid. Life is passing her by until one day the beautiful and fascinating Odalie joins the typing pool and overnight turns Rose's world upside down. She introduces her to the whirl and excitement of wild parties, speakeasies and bathtub gin. But will there be a price to pay for all this love?Read by Sasha Pick.Abridged by Julian Wilkinson.Producer: Gemma JenkinsMade for BBC Radio 4 Extra and first broadcast in Summer 2013.
MON 06:30 M1: The Modernist Marvel (b00nk9hz)
Poet and musician John Hegley shares his reflections on Britain's first major motorway which opened in 1959, with a poetic meditation.With his mandolin in tow, John slows down, turns off and seeks out the overlooked sights and sounds of the M1 - the 200-mile stretch of road that's the transport backbone of Britain.John learns why there is no Junction 3, discovers how a scientific formula for loo breaks determined how far apart service stations should be built, and admires the road for the glimpse on the modern world it offers us.Producer: Simon JacobsFirst broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 2009.
MON 07:00 Lucky Heather (b0075s45)
The Searchers
Emma thinks that her mother is having an affair and asks Heather to investigate...Just this side of nosey, Heather is western movie-mad. She's also the Sherlock Holmes of the rundown Sutter Estate.Sue Teddern's six-part comedy series star Lindsey Coulson as Heather. (Carol Jackson in BBC TV's EastEnders until 2015)With Abigail Hart as Natalie, Ben Crowe as Ryan and Kelly Wright as Emma and Zeina Harding-Roots as Gill.Director: David HunterFirst broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 2000.
MON 07:30 I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue (m0006sh7)
Series 71
Episode 4
The 71st series of the multi award-winning comedy panel game chaired by Jack Dee
MON 08:00 A Very Private Man (b09gxsml)
Series 1
Episode 2
David and Helen Parkinson arrive in their new secluded home in the Yorkshire countryside. But David's dream of isolation is even more remote...Rodney Bewes stars in Terry Gregson's north v south sitcom.David Parkinson ...... Rodney BewesHelen Parkinson ...... Ann BellMrs Henderson ...... Daphne OxenfordMrs Arthur ...... Paula TildrookMr Sands ...... Peter WheelerProduced at BBC Manchester by Ron McDonnell.First broadcast on BBC Radio 2 in January 1981.
MON 08:30 Dad's Army (b007jmp0)
Series 2
Don't Forget the Diver
Enlisting the additional services of a bird warbler, a scarecrow and a flock of sheep, Captain Mainwaring's Home Guard platoon mount a river attack on Captain Square's HQ.Starring Arthur Lowe as Captain Mainwaring, John Le Mesurier as Sergeant Wilson, Clive Dunn as Corporal Jones, Ian Lavender as Private Pike, John Laurie as Private Frazer and Arnold Ridley as Godfrey.Adapted for radio from Jimmy Perry and David Croft's TV scripts by Harold Snoad and Michael Knowles.First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 1975.
MON 09:00 The Museum of Curiosity (b04n31cw)
Series 7
Episode 5
The Professor of Ignorance John Lloyd welcomes his latest curator Phill Jupitus. Television and radio presenter, comedy writer and former barrister Clive Anderson, award-winning musician, composer, arranger, conductor and producer Anne Dudley and world famous animator Richard Williams. The Museum's Steering Committee discusses: * How the Old Bailey isn't very old * How the Wool Sack was found to be a sack of horsehair * How Disney provided the perfect workstation for animators Researchers: James Harkin and Stevyn Colgan of QI. Producers: Richard Turner and Dan Schreiber First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2014.
MON 09:30 Street and Lane (b00v8lr4)
Series 1
Blues on the Stairs
Yorkshire builders in a white van - Johnny Street and Arthur Lane – are called to tackle the tricky task of a piano perilously perched on the Edwardian staircase of feisty music teacher Mrs Priam-Rhodes.Sitcom written by Ian McMillan and Dave Sheasby.Johnny Street ...... Nick LaneArthur Lane ...... Fine Time FontayneMrs Priam-Rhodes ...... Margaret RobertsonBen Nevis ...... Kenny Blyth.Producer: David HunterFirst broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 2005.
MON 10:00 Anuradha Roy Introduces - Pather Panchali Song of the Road (m0007052)
Episode 1
Exclusively for Radio 4 Extra, author Anuradha Roy chooses a favourite book from the BBC archives.Pather Panchali: Song of the Road by Bibhuti Bhushan Banerji dramatised by Tanika Gupta from a translation by T.W. Clark & Tarapada Mukerji.A classic story of poverty and sibling love set in a remote Bengali village at the beginning of the twentieth century. The life of a poor Brahmin family is seen through the eyes of young Opu and his older sister Durga. With their father, Horihor, often away from home in search of work, tension mounts as their mother, Shorbojoya, struggles on her own.It is the vivid and moving story of life in a rural village on the brink of change, seen through the eyes of two children. The novel deals with the relationship between destruction and creation, and is an uplifting tale of growth and love. It is a beautiful and atmospheric novel that inspired an iconic film by Satyajit Ray in 1955. The heart of the novel and this dramatisation is the love between brother and sister. It charts family life through a collection of daily events that cumulatively create a vivid and unforgettable world. In Tanika Gupta's dramatisation Opu, now a grown man narrates the story, looking back on his childhood and to the people he has loved, in particular his older sister Durga.Tanika Gupta is an award-winning writer who has written extensively for radio, theatre, film and television. She was recently awarded an MBE; named Asian Woman of Achievement (Arts and Culture) and nominated for an Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement. Her production of A Doll's House for Radio 3 recently won the best adaptation BBC Audio Drama Award.Directed by Nadia MolinariFirst broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2013.
MON 11:00 TED Radio Hour (m0007054)
Series 5
The Digital Industrial Revolution
A journey through fascinating ideas based on talks by riveting speakers on the TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) stage.Guy Raz explores ideas about the exciting - and terrifying - future of human-robot collaboration.First broadcast in the USA on National Public Radio in 2017.
MON 11:50 Inheritance Tracks (b09ycynk)
Mat Horne
Comedian Mat Horne inherits 'Runaway' by Del Shannon and passes on 'Young Shields' by Casiotone for the Painfully Alone.
MON 12:00 A Very Private Man (b09gxsml)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
MON 12:30 Dad's Army (b007jmp0)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
MON 13:00 Book at Beachtime (b036myz2)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
MON 13:30 M1: The Modernist Marvel (b00nk9hz)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
MON 14:00 Book at Bedtime (b04tj8ny)
Mary Costello - Academy Street
Episode 1
A finely wrought and lyrical novel that recounts the life-span of a quiet and shy woman, Tess Lohan; from her childhood in 1940s rural Ireland, her emigration to New York in the early 1960s, becoming a single mother and raising her son in the 1970s and 1980s, right through to the present day.Short-listed on publication for the Irish Book Awards, this beautifully evoked novel opens with Tess aged seven, trying to understand and come to terms with her mother's death.Mary Costello grew up in County Galway. Her collection of short stories, The China Factory, was nominated for the Guardian First Book Award. Academy Street is her debut novel, about which J M Coetzee wrote: "With extraordinary devotion, Costello brings to life a woman who would otherwise have faded into oblivion."Read by Niamh Cusack.Written by Mary Costello.Abridged by Kirsteen Cameron.Produced by Kirsteen Cameron.
MON 14:15 Plants: From Roots to Riches (b04d1kvq)
Signals of Growth
When in 1934 botanist Kenneth Thimann isolated the plant hormone auxin, he put an end to one of the great botanical mysteries - how plants move and respond to their surroundings. For decades plant scientists had been mystified as to how plants, without any apparent nervous system, bent towards light, flowered at the right time of year, or grew away from other plants.Professor Kathy Willis hears from historian Jim Endersby on how the discovery of plant hormones was the culmination of a journey that had involved Charles Darwin and a series of probing experiments published in his book "The Power of Movement in Plants". They discuss how new technologies enabled successful isolation of what we now have come to recognise as a suite of hormones regulating a whole series of plant responses from stem growth to fruiting.We hear how another hormone during the 1950s went on to steal the limelight - gibberellin whose discovery owes much to Japanese rice crops that grew so tall they would simply fall over, rendering them useless. The race to harness the power of gibberellin would lead to dwarf varieties of key crops that transformed global production in what became known as the Green Revolution.Professor Nick Harberd, a plant geneticist at Oxford University, has been researching the molecular basis of plants' response to this powerful hormone and he sheds light on developing crops suitable for harsher environments in future.Producer: Adrian Washbourne
MON 14:30 Gustave Flaubert - Madame Bovary (b00ct506)
The Affairs
Beautiful Emma Bovary is planning to elope with her lover, Rodolphe.A French masterpiece of betrayal and wantonness; the first great novel of adultery starring John Hurt..Narrator ...... John HurtCharles ...... Conrad NelsonEmma ...... Sarah SmartRodolphe Boulanger ...... Jude AkuwudikeMadame Bovary Snr ...... Brigit ForsythMonsieur Lheureux ...... Seamus O'NeillFelicite ...... Sarah Jane HallworthGustave Flaubert's novel is dramatised by Diana Griffiths from a translation by Margaret Mauldon.Producer: Pauline HarrisFirst broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2006.
MON 14:45 Book of the Week (b04g7lhj)
Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind
An Animal of No Significance
4 Extra Debut. Yuval Noah Harari's groundbreaking account of humankind's history - from apes to world dominance. Read by Adrian Scarborough.Adrian Scarborough reads from Yuval Noah Harari's groundbreaking account of humankind's remarkable history from insignificant apes to rulers of the world.100,000 years ago, at least six human species inhabited the earth. Today there is just one.Far-reaching and provocative, Sapiens challenges everything we thought we knew about being human, ending with a look at what lies ahead for humankind.Abridged by Penny Leicester.Produced by Gemma Jenkins.
MON 15:00 Anuradha Roy Introduces - Pather Panchali Song of the Road (m0007052)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 today]
MON 16:00 The Museum of Curiosity (b04n31cw)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
MON 16:30 Street and Lane (b00v8lr4)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 today]
MON 17:00 Lucky Heather (b0075s45)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
MON 17:30 I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue (m0006sh7)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
MON 18:00 HG Wells (b01mlrdw)
The First Men in the Moon
Episode 1
1901: Penniless businessman Mr Bedford meets the brilliant Cavor, a scientist on the brink of developing a material that can block gravity.Together, they prepare to embark on an expedition to the moon...First published in 1901, HG Wells’ novel abridged in five parts by Neville Teller.Read by Tim Pigott-Smith.Producer: David RoperMade by Heavy Entertainment for BBC Radio 4 and first broadcast in July 2009.
MON 18:15 15 Minute Drama (b09ntd0h)
The Truth About Hawaii
The Scratch
Potent and playful drama set in a near-future in which doctors can no longer prescribe antibiotics. By award-winning dramatist, Oliver Emanuel."There is a piece of paper stuck on our fridge.It's always been there.This is what is says:No knivesNo playing outsideAlways wash your hands."It's Monday. Two of these rules are about to be broken. By Friday, this family's world will have turned upside down.The Truth About Hawaii was developed through Wellcome Experimental Stories in consultation with Prof. Joanna Coast (Professor in the Economics of Health & Care, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol) and Dr Adam Roberts (Senior Lecturer in Antimicrobial Chemotherapy and Resistance at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine).Consultants: Prof Joanna Coast and Dr Adam RobertsDirector: Kirsty Williams.
MON 18:30 A Good Read (b00c8yby)
Les Dennis and Michael Simkins
Sue MacGregor and her guests - actors Les Dennis and Michael Simkins - discuss their favourite paperbacks by Saul Bellow, Patrick Hamilton and Gene Wilder.Seize the Day by Saul BellowPublisher: PenguinThe Slaves of Solitude by Patrick HamiltonPublisher: Constable and Robinson LimitedMy French Whore: A Love Story by Gene WilderPublisher: Old StreetFirst broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2008.
MON 19:00 A Very Private Man (b09gxsml)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
MON 19:30 Dad's Army (b007jmp0)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
MON 20:00 Book at Beachtime (b036myz2)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
MON 20:30 M1: The Modernist Marvel (b00nk9hz)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
MON 21:00 TED Radio Hour (m0007054)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:00 today]
MON 21:50 Inheritance Tracks (b09ycynk)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:50 today]
MON 22:00 I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue (m0006sh7)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
MON 22:30 Ivor Cutler - A Wet Handle (b00cgss2)
Episode 1
'I Am a Yellow Fly' and the tale of a greasy button.Songs, stories and poems from humourist Ivor Cutler, with Craig Murray-Orr, Dylan Edwards and Beverley Crew.Producer: Neil CargillFirst broadcast on BBC Radio 3 in June 1997.
MON 22:45 Comedy Club Extra (m0007058)
Comedy Catalysts - Sophie Willan
The multi award-winning comic Harriet Kemsley invites her peers to talk about the trail blazing comedian who inspired them to pick up the mic.In this new short series, broadcast across the week in Radio 4 Extra’s Comedy Club, four of the UK’s most unique stand-up comedians share how their comedy heroes informed their stand-up styles, and changed their lives.The first episode features Sophie Willan talking about her comedy hero; Victoria Wood.Sharp, eccentric and provocative – Sophie Willan has fast become one of the most exciting rising stars in British Comedy. Heralded as a true working class Northerner, Sophie tells Harriet that as a child she used to sit on her grandmother’s step reciting Victoria Wood sketches, and reveled in Victoria’s lyrical Lancastrian speech rhythm, which was the same as her own. She saw herself reflected on TV, and it opened up the world for her.Harriet Kemsley is an award winning comedian, writer and actress, and also a presenter of the Comedy Club on BBC Radio 4 Extra.The series runs from Monday – Thursday. Other guests are:Suzi Ruffle on Ellen DegeneresEvelyn Mok on Maria BamfordSindhu Vee on Carol BurnettProduced by Anne-Marie Luff
MON 22:55 The Comedy Club Interviews (m000705b)
Daisy Earl 1/2
From 10.00pm until midnight, seven days a week, the Comedy Club has two hours of comedy. Plus Jessica Fostekew chats to stand-up comedian Daisy Earl.
MON 23:00 Lobby Land (m0006v00)
Series 2
Episode One - Vis-à-Vis
Topical sitcom following life in Westminster through the eyes of Sam Peakes, a young political editor at a clickbait website, as she tries to make sense of the madness engulfing British politics. Starring Yasmine Akram, Charlie Higson, Cariad Lloyd, Dan Tetsell and Daniel Lawrence Taylor.Cast:Sam Peakes: Yasmine AkramTom Shriver MP: Charlie HigsonMia Phillips: Cariad LloydGideon Burnside: Dan TetsellNathan Edmonds: Daniel Lawrence TaylorWritten by Jon Harvey, Sarah Dempster and Christopher DaviesWith additional material by Laura MajorProduction Co-Ordinator: Tam ShilhamScript Editor: Dan TetsellExecutive Producer: Lucy ArmitageEditor: Jerry PealProducer: Jon HarveyA Naked production for BBC Radio 4
MON 23:30 Radio Active (b007k1hf)
Series 4
Gigantaquiz
Which lucky contestant is going to win the £10,000 jackpot in Radio Active's massive quiz?!!!! Starring Helen Atkinson-Wood, Angus Deayton, Geoffrey Perkins, Philip Pope and Michael Fenton-Stevens.Music by Philip Pope and Steve Brown. With Helen Murry, Nick Wilton and Jamie Rix.Written by Angus Deayton, Geoffrey Perkins with John Buchan.Producer: Jamie RixFirst broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 1984.


TUESDAY 23 JULY 2019

TUE 00:00 HG Wells (b01mlrdw)
[Repeat of broadcast at 18:00 on Monday]
TUE 00:15 15 Minute Drama (b09ntd0h)
[Repeat of broadcast at 18:15 on Monday]
TUE 00:30 A Good Read (b00c8yby)
[Repeat of broadcast at 18:30 on Monday]
TUE 01:00 Book at Beachtime (b036myz2)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 on Monday]
TUE 01:30 M1: The Modernist Marvel (b00nk9hz)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 on Monday]
TUE 02:00 Book at Bedtime (b04tj8ny)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:00 on Monday]
TUE 02:15 Plants: From Roots to Riches (b04d1kvq)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:15 on Monday]
TUE 02:30 Gustave Flaubert - Madame Bovary (b00ct506)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:30 on Monday]
TUE 02:45 Book of the Week (b04g7lhj)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:45 on Monday]
TUE 03:00 Anuradha Roy Introduces - Pather Panchali Song of the Road (m0007052)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 on Monday]
TUE 04:00 The Museum of Curiosity (b04n31cw)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 on Monday]
TUE 04:30 Street and Lane (b00v8lr4)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 on Monday]
TUE 05:00 Lucky Heather (b0075s45)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 on Monday]
TUE 05:30 I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue (m0006sh7)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 on Monday]
TUE 06:00 Book at Beachtime (b036nlk6)
Suzanne Rindell - The Other Typist
Episode 2
New police precinct typist Odalie introduces prim and proper Rose to bathtub gin and her first speakeasy.Prohibition New York is the setting for Suzanne Rindell's thrilling debut about dangerous friendship in which glitz and sleaze collide.Read by Sasha Pick.Abridged by Julian Wilkinson.Producer: Gemma JenkinsMade for BBC Radio 4 Extra and first broadcast in Summer 2013.
TUE 06:30 Celluloid Beatles (b039yp0f)
The Beatles transformed the way we hear music. But their five films - most notably ‘A Hard Day’s Night' and ‘Help!' - also changed the way youth culture was portrayed in the movies. Miranda Sawyer explores The Beatles' foray into film, its wider cultural impact and the financial rewards for the British film industry of the time.Throughout the 1960s, film was central to the Beatles' career and, although their time together was short lived, no fewer than five of their record releases were in support of films - A Hard Day's Night, Help!, Magical Mystery Tour, Yellow Submarine and Let It Be.Beatles' authority Mark Lewisohn and film lecturer Steve Glyn help put the group's movies into context.We also hear from directors Dick Lester (A Hard Day’s Night and Help!) and Michael Lindsey Hogg (Let It Be) who had the pleasure or challenge of directing the Fab Four. Poet Roger McGough talks about his role as script editor for the cartoon animation Yellow Submarine, and editor Roy Benson explains the preparation of Magical Mystery Tour for TV broadcast on Boxing Day in1967.Producer: John SugarA John Sugar production for BBC Radio 4.
TUE 07:00 Living with the Enemy (b0077154)
Episode 1
Sitcom written by and starring Nick Revell and Gyles Brandreth who play an alternative comedian-turned-holistic therapist and a Tory MP turned media figure.Gyles Brandon ...... Gyles BrandrethNick Reynolds ...... Nick RevellWith Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Martin Hyder and Nathan Caton.Producer: Ed MorrishFirst broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 2006.
TUE 07:30 Heresy (m0006snt)
Series 11
Episode 6
Joining Victoria Coren Mitchell to commit heresy about superhero movies and rock stars are Jo Bunting, Phil Wang and Richard Osman.Produced by Victoria Coren Mitchell and Daisy KnightAn Avalon production for BBC Radio 4
TUE 08:00 The Al Read Show (b00ctjz6)
From 14/10/1995
Arriving home late, Al's wife thwarts his efforts to try and relax.A compilation of the legendary Northern comic's 1950s monologues.Originally produced at BBC North by Ronnie TaylorCompilation produced by Mike Craig. First broadcast on BBC Radio 2 in October 1995.
TUE 08:30 To the Manor Born (b007n1wj)
An Englishman's Home
When Devere installs new security cameras, Audrey declares war.Starring Penelope Keith as Audrey fforbes-Hamilton.Keith Barron ..... Richard DeVereAngela Thorne ..... Marjory FrobisherNicholas McArdle ..... BrabingerMargery Withers ..... Mrs PolouvickaFrank Middlemass ..... NedPC Dottle ...... Kevin EldonThe tale of lady of the manor Audrey fforbes-Hamilton, forced to sell her beloved Grantleigh Estate when her husband's death leaves her financially strapped. With butler Brabinger in tow, they've decamped to the tiny Old Lodge cottage.From this vantage point, Audrey keeps a close and disapproving eye on the estate's new owner, the nouveau-riche Richard DeVere, a wholesale foods magnate of Czech descendent.First piloted on radio and then whisked off to TV before it ever appeared, before finally arriving home in 1997. Written for radio by Peter Spence.Producer: Jane BerthoudFirst broadcast on BBC Radio 2 in March 1997.
TUE 09:00 Lobby Land (m0006v00)
[Repeat of broadcast at 23:00 on Monday]
TUE 09:30 So On and So Forth (b05xd44m)
Episode 1
Sketch group So On and So Forth features John Sheerman, Nick Gadd and Martin Allanson, with talented comedy actress Alison Thea-Skot recruited in 2014 to bring some class to the proceedings.So On and So Forth is a sketch group with a very clear, slightly nihilistic perspective on the world. Everything is funny if you look at it the wrong way.They formed as a group in 2010 and have been defining their particularly British style of sketch comedy ever since. They've tested out sketches on the comedy circuit, in pubs and theatres, including a full month at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2011 and several trips to Latitude and the Leicester Comedy Festival.They have also recorded over 30 sketches, which have been posted on their YouTube channel and collectively accrued almost 300,000 views to date.In 2011 they won the Cofilmic award for Best Online Sketch, and one of their YouTube sketches found its way to the USA where it featured on Comedy Central’s hit US show Tosh.0 as video of the week.With one thing leading to another, the group was invited to perform in the second series of Sketchorama on Radio 4. It wasn’t long until Radio 4 Comedy saw their potential and commissioned a four part series for the group.Produced by Gus Beattie.A Comedy Unit production for BBC Radio 4.
TUE 10:00 Anuradha Roy Introduces - Pather Panchali Song of the Road (m000707y)
Episode 2
Exclusively for Radio 4 Extra, author Anuradha Roy chooses a favourite book from the BBC archives - part 2.Pather Panchali: Song of the Road by Bibhuti Bhushan Banerji dramatised by Tanika Gupta from a translation by T.W. Clark & Tarapada Mukerji.A classic story of poverty and sibling love set in a remote Bengali village at the beginning of the twentieth century. The life of a poor Brahmin family is seen through the eyes of young Opu and his older sister Durga. Opu has his first experiences of life outside the village and Durga now a young woman of fourteen begins to look forward to marriage and adult life but with the monsoon rains comes tragedy.Directed by Nadia MolinariIt is the vivid and moving story of life in a rural village on the brink of change, seen through the eyes of two children. The novel deals with the relationship between destruction and creation, and is an uplifting tale of growth and love. It is a beautiful and atmospheric novel that inspired an iconic film by Satyajit Ray in 1955.The heart of the novel and this dramatisation is the love between brother and sister. It charts family life through a collection of daily events that cumulatively create a vivid and unforgettable world. In Tanika Gupta's dramatisation Opu, now a grown man narrates the story, looking back on his childhood and to the people he has loved, in particular his older sister Durga.Tanika Gupta is an award-winning writer who has written extensively for radio, theatre, film and television. She was awarded an MBE; named Asian Woman of Achievement (Arts and Culture) and nominated for an Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement. Her production of A Doll's House for Radio 3 recently won the best adaptation BBC Audio Drama Award.Directed by Nadia MolinariFirst broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2013.
TUE 11:00 Telling Tales (m0007080)
Phoebe Judge
Phoebe Judge is the host and creator of two independently-produced shows, Criminal and This Is Love, which are part of the Radiotopia podcast network. Her favourite thing in the world is to ask questions.Phoebe got her start in radio in 2007, covering a Nantucket murder trial whilst still an intern. Since then, she’s reported from all over the world, and produced and hosted shows on National Public Radio.When Phoebe decided to make Criminal, with Lauren Spohrer, the podcasting landscape was very different - Serial hadn’t yet launched never mind become a cultural phenomenon. They began making Criminal in their free time, finding real characters – scammers, scoundrels and crime fighters – and asking why they do what they do.In 2018 Phoebe celebrated the 100th episode of Criminal, with the tale of Martin McNally, whose decision to hijack a plane led to an extraordinary series of events. She also launched a second podcast, This Is Love, on Valentine’s Day.The podcast shares tales of love, in all its varieties, and the third season led Phoebe to Italy, where she spent ten days capturing cats, priceless violins, and communities who share a passion. We play the first episode, Ugly Club, in which Phoebe heads to the small town of Piobbico, where everyone is a member of the Club dei Brutti.Made for BBC Radio 4 Extra.
TUE 12:00 The Al Read Show (b00ctjz6)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
TUE 12:30 To the Manor Born (b007n1wj)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
TUE 13:00 Book at Beachtime (b036nlk6)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
TUE 13:30 Celluloid Beatles (b039yp0f)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
TUE 14:00 Book at Bedtime (b04tjg2n)
Mary Costello - Academy Street
Episode 2
Mary Costello's finely wrought debut novel tracing the arc of a quiet and sensitive woman's life - from Tess Lohan's childhood in 1940s rural Ireland through to her emigration to America and a career as a nurse in New York."The house is too quiet now." Seven-year-old Tess flounders in the aftermath of her mother's death.Read by Niamh CusackWritten by Mary CostelloAbridged by Kirsteen CameronProduced by Kirsteen Cameron
TUE 14:15 Plants: From Roots to Riches (b04d4hq2)
Unlocking Biodiversity
In 1947 an ambitious project began to survey and catalogue the biodiversity of plants in East Africa. It was to take 60 years and turned out to be one of the largest regional "floras" ever assembled, involving 135 botanists from 21 countries amassing a host of new species to science.Professor Kathy Willis examines the deceptive simplicity of creating Floras - books in which plants are catalogued, described and often lavishly illustrated. She explores how they're proving powerful tools for unlocking the range of newly discovered species for plant enthusiasts and conservationists.And she unlocks the secrets of the rigorous art of botanical illustration, a tradition that goes back as far as when the botanical impresario Sir Joseph Banks first employed an illustrator on board the Endeavour. Kathy Willis discovers why this discipline is unlikely to ever be superseded by photography.With contributions from Henke Beentje, former editor of Flora of Tropical East Africa, senior botanist Iain Darbyshire, Quentin Luke of National Museum of Kenya and illustrator Lucy SmithProducer: Adrian Washbourne
TUE 14:30 Gustave Flaubert - Madame Bovary (b00ctjz2)
An Unexpected Turn
As part of her convalescence, Charles takes Emma to the theatre in Rouen and life takes an unexpected turn.A French masterpiece of betrayal and wantonness; the first great novel of adultery starring John Hurt..Narrator ...... John HurtCharles ...... Conrad NelsonEmma ...... Sarah SmartMonsieur Homais ...... David FleeshmanLeon Dupuis ...... James D'ArcyGustave Flaubert's novel is dramatised by Diana Griffiths from a translation by Margaret Mauldon.Producer: Pauline HarrisFirst broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2006.
TUE 14:45 Book of the Week (b04g8hr4)
Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind
The Cognitive Revolution
Adrian Scarborough continues reading from Yuval Noah Harari's ground-breaking account of humankind's remarkable history from insignificant apes to rulers of the world.How gossip united us and mythology maintained law and orderAbridged by Penny LeicesterProduced by Gemma Jenkins
TUE 15:00 Anuradha Roy Introduces - Pather Panchali Song of the Road (m000707y)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 today]
TUE 16:00 Best Behaviour (b05vfjtm)
Episode 3
Holly Walsh presents the comedy panel show that lays down the law of modern manners.The guest panellists are comedians Richard Herring, Helen Zaltzman and Lloyd Langford, who are all pitching their ideas for new best behaviour rules to tackle modern life.In this edition, the etiquette of travel is under comic scrutiny - including how to solve the phenomenon of 'man-spreading' on public transport, the need to ban emoticons from text messages, and the modern menace of cycling on pavements.The panel also tackles the tricky etiquette problem of a member of the studio audience - 'how do I get out of nodding to the stranger I walk past every day when walking to work?'Producer: Aled EvansA Zeppotron production for BBC Radio 4.
TUE 16:30 Ballylenon (b00pktqz)
Series 7
Episode 6
The question as to exactly how long Councillor Maconchy has been dead is silenced when the sisters claim to have observed Guard Gallagher wearing one of Muriel's dresses...Series set in the sleepy town of Ballylenon, Co Donegal in 1959.Written by Christopher Fitz-Simon.Muriel Maconchy ...... Margaret D'ArcyVera Maconchy ...... Stella McCuskerPhonsie Doherty ...... Gerard MurphyVivienne Hawthorne ...... Annie McCartneyStumpy Bonner ...... Gerard McSorleyGuard Gallagher ...... Frankie McCaffertyMatthew Addis ...... Aubrey FrawleyMark Lambert ...... Terry BlackPianist: Michael HarrisonDirector: Eoin O'CallaghanFirst broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2009.
TUE 17:00 Living with the Enemy (b0077154)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
TUE 17:30 Heresy (m0006snt)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
TUE 18:00 HG Wells (b01mltrs)
The First Men in the Moon
Episode 2
Cavor has invented a new material blocking the effect of gravity. After covering a sphere with the substance, he and Mr Bedford travel far from Earth to the Moon's surface.Here they encounter a strange new world...and new life forms.First published in 1901, HG Wells’ novel abridged by Neville Teller.Read by Tim Pigott-Smith.Producer: David RoperMade by Heavy Entertainment for BBC Radio 4 and first broadcast in July 2007
TUE 18:15 15 Minute Drama (b09nvrhj)
The Truth About Hawaii
Infection
Potent and playful drama set in a near-future in which doctors can no longer prescribe antibiotics. By award-winning dramatist, Oliver Emanuel.Sarah is 10 years old. She's not allowed to play outside. But when her brother takes her into some nearby woods, an everyday scratch turns her whole family's world upside down.The Truth About Hawaii was developed through Wellcome Experimental Stories in consultation with Prof. Joanna Coast (Professor in the Economics of Health & Care, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol) and Dr Adam Roberts (Senior Lecturer in Antimicrobial Chemotherapy and Resistance at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine).Consultants: Prof Joanna Coast and Dr Adam RobertsDirector: Kirsty Williams.
TUE 18:30 Dad Made Me Laugh (b007k14d)
Nick Wisdom
Norman Wisdom's son chats to Sally Magnusson about his life growing up with a famous funny father.Producer: Mike WalkerFirst broadcast on BBC Radio Scotland in Octobber 2005.
TUE 19:00 The Al Read Show (b00ctjz6)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
TUE 19:30 To the Manor Born (b007n1wj)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
TUE 20:00 Book at Beachtime (b036nlk6)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
TUE 20:30 Celluloid Beatles (b039yp0f)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
TUE 21:00 Telling Tales (m0007080)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:00 today]
TUE 22:00 Heresy (m0006snt)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
TUE 22:30 Ivor Cutler - A Wet Handle (b00cl648)
Episode 2
'Walking Down the Road' and 'The Jambeena Body Affair'.Music, prosaic idiosyncrasy and whimsy from the unique Ivor Cutler. With Alison O'Kill and Craig Murray-Orr.Producer: Neil CargillFirst broadcast on BBC Radio 3 in June 1997.
TUE 22:45 Comedy Club Extra (m0007084)
Comedy Catalysts - Sindhu Vee
Harriet Kemsley chats to a comedian about the trailblazing comic who inspired them to pick up the mic.Tonight, Harriet hears Sindhu Vee talk about her hero Carol Burnett.
TUE 23:00 The Croft & Pearce Show (b0738kr6)
Episode 2
A sketch show from award-winning duo Croft and Pearce, rising stars of the UK comedy scene.These Edinburgh Fringe favourites were the breakout hit of BBC Radio 4's Sketchorama and have performed sell-out shows in London, New York and around the UK.Packed with sharply observed characters, this debut from writer-performers Hannah Croft and Fiona Pearce is not to be missed.In the second episode, a failed novelist is unable to hide her bitterness when confronted with an old friend’s success, maths teacher Miss Trent falls hopelessly and publicly in love with a new member of staff, and an IT manager is baffled at the technical ineptitude of his colleague.Written and performed by Hannah Croft and Fiona PearceProducer: Liz AnsteeA CPL production for BBC Radio 4
TUE 23:15 The Literary Adventures of Mr Brown (b071vjrt)
Episode 2
Imagine if London's genteel literary scene had a bit more swag and a gangsta's lean. You've just imagined The Literary Adventures of Mr. Brown.With the help of his naively affable intern, Charlie, the heroic, absurd and frankly bad-ass Kurtis Brown fights for his clients in London's entertainment industry.When you need your fights fought and your books bought, who are you going to call? The best damn literary agent in the world, Kurtis Brown. He'll solve all your problems... For 15%.Written and performed by Chris Gau and Mike Orton-ToliverPerformer: Lola-Rose MaxwellProducer: Zoe RochaExecutive Producer: Ralf LittleA Little Rock production for BBC Radio 4
TUE 23:30 Bussmann and Quantick Kingsize (b007587z)
Episode 2
Sketches, monologues and weird soup, featuring the Ike Turner and Melvyn Bragg Story.Originally broadcast live from London's exclusive Imperial Rooms, Mayfair.Written and performed by Jane Bussmann and David Quantick.Also featuring Peter Serafinowicz, Emma Clarke and Steve Brody.Producer: Phil Bowker.First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 1998.


WEDNESDAY 24 JULY 2019

WED 00:00 HG Wells (b01mltrs)
[Repeat of broadcast at 18:00 on Tuesday]
WED 00:15 15 Minute Drama (b09nvrhj)
[Repeat of broadcast at 18:15 on Tuesday]
WED 00:30 A Good Read (b00c8yby)
[Repeat of broadcast at 18:30 on Monday]
WED 01:00 Book at Beachtime (b036nlk6)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 on Tuesday]
WED 01:30 Celluloid Beatles (b039yp0f)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 on Tuesday]
WED 02:00 Book at Bedtime (b04tjg2n)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:00 on Tuesday]
WED 02:15 Plants: From Roots to Riches (b04d4hq2)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:15 on Tuesday]
WED 02:30 Gustave Flaubert - Madame Bovary (b00ctjz2)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:30 on Tuesday]
WED 02:45 Book of the Week (b04g8hr4)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:45 on Tuesday]
WED 03:00 Anuradha Roy Introduces - Pather Panchali Song of the Road (m000707y)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 on Tuesday]
WED 04:00 Best Behaviour (b05vfjtm)
[Repeat of broadcast at 16:00 on Tuesday]
WED 04:30 Ballylenon (b00pktqz)
[Repeat of broadcast at 16:30 on Tuesday]
WED 05:00 Living with the Enemy (b0077154)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 on Tuesday]
WED 05:30 Heresy (m0006snt)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 on Tuesday]
WED 06:00 Book at Beachtime (b036pqkv)
Suzanne Rindell - The Other Typist
Episode 3
The speakeasy is raided and Rose questions Odalie's motives for working at the police precinct.Prohibition New York is the setting for Suzanne Rindell's thrilling debut about dangerous friendship in which glitz and sleaze collide.Read by Sasha Pick.Abridged by Julian Wilkinson.Producer: Gemma JenkinsMade for BBC Radio 4 Extra and first broadcast in Summer 2013.
WED 06:30 The Ambassador's Reception (b00rv5dc)
"Being thrown out of the US embassy in Ankara with Arthur Miller - a voluntary exile - was one of the proudest moments of my life."In March 1985 Harold Pinter and American playwright Arthur Miller took a trip to Turkey that culminated in their being thrown out of the American Ambassador's dinner party held in Arthur Miller's honour. They were not in Turkey for a play or a literary event but to draw attention to the ruthless limits being set on freedom of expression in Turkey at that time, and the many writers languishing in prison."Mr. Pinter, you don't seem to understand the realities of the situation here. Don't forget, the Russians are just over the border. You have to bear in mind the political reality, the diplomatic reality, the military reality."Writer and journalist Maureen Freely retraces their footsteps and takes us on a journey across Istanbul into the homes and meeting places of the Turkish literati who in the 1980s were oppressed, imprisoned and tortured for their opinions. Until then the world had turned a blind eye to their plight. Did Pinter and Miller's trip draw attention to a regime that was cruelly persecuting its people or were hopes raised only to be quashed again with the realisation that military strategy was more important to the world than human rights?Evoking images of country full of promise yet stunted by doubt and distrust Maureen hears from painters, writers, and publishers - those who remember the trip vividly, those who were locked up for speaking their mind, and the new generation of authors. She finds out whether Turkey is a better, safer and freer place to be a writer today than it was in the spring of 1985 or whether having an opinion that deviates from the official line remains a dangerous path to tread.Producer: Gemma NewbyAn All Out production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in 2010.
WED 07:00 There Is No Escape (b06j21c5)
Episode 2
Andrew finds himself, like so many others across the country, having to spend a few hours over Saturday lunchtime with his girlfriend's parents.But Andrew is determined not to go. He hatches a plan to get his workmate to call him in to an "emergency" at work. But all goes wrong when he gets a flat tyre and the only person who can come to his rescue is his girlfriend's father.Sitcom about a man dissatisfied with his life, whose feeble attempts to run away invariably end with him traipsing home defeated.Starring Andrew Lawrence and Diane Morgan.With Janice Connolly, Marek Larwood and Graham Fellows.Producer: Jane BerthoudFirst broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 2015.
WED 07:30 The Pin (m0006tlx)
Series 4
Ep 3: Crimewave
The latest series from Ben and Alex, aka "The Pin", is a sketch-sitcom hybrid. The award-winning sketch duo are forced to record their latest series in their flat and the boys are glad of the new creative freedom this opportunity presents, away from the "prying eyes of the BBC". Unfortunately this week, a crimewave has hit their neighbourhood, so Ben and Alex are forced to take drastic measures.The Pin At Home is written by Alex Owen and Ben AshendenIt stars:Alex Owen as AlexBen Ashenden as BenPippa Haywood as MichelleCeleste Dring as MariaMark Davison as JamesWill Brown as WesandJames McNicholas as Police OfficerIt was produced by Sam MichellA BBC Studios Production
WED 08:00 The Diary of a Nobody (b01g6khj)
Episode 2
Pompous Pooter must deal with the consequences of his night of excess at the Lord Mayor's Ball.The imaginary journal of a middle-class suburban 'hero' with an over-developed sense of dignity - Charles Pooter.Arthur Lowe continues George and Weedon Grossmith's comic masterpiece of middle-class self-importance in Victorian Britain.One of the classic humorous books of English literature, first published in 1894.Abridged in five parts by Donald Bancroft.Producer: Richard WortleyFirst broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 1977.
WED 08:30 Doctor at Large (b009xxrs)
In General Practice
Simon Sparrow lands a job in Aberdeen, where he's forced to tackle a pepped-up port loving lady. The misadventures of newly qualified doctor, Simon Sparrow - adapted for radio by Ray Cooney from Richard Gordon's 'Doctor at Large' published in 1955.Starring Richard Briers as Simon Sparrow, Geoffrey Sumner as Captain Spratt, Ray Cooney as Tony Benskin, Joan Sanderson as Mrs Russell, Stanley Baxter as Dr Hockett and Joan Sims as Dora.Producer: David HatchFirst broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 1969.
WED 09:00 Act Your Age (b00ftb87)
Series 1
Episode 3
Simon Mayo discovers which generation is the funniest. With Jon Richardson, Lucy Porter and Roy Walker. From December 2008.
WED 09:30 Cleaning Up (b0543k0g)
Episode 3
Julie and Nobby find themselves in a sticky situation.Every night, as time is called and people are spat out onto the streets and squeezed into rides home to dream -tossed beds - others are hard at work. Teams of cleaners are in office spaces scrubbing, vaccuming and cleaning up. And right at the bottom of the food chain we find our gang - Spit n' Polish tackling the floors of a plush tower block in Manchester city centre.Written by Ian Kershaw and with a top hole Northern cast this is a funny, sometimes dark comedy about people who always get the fuzzy end of the lollipop.This four part series is about a group of people who are thrown together by their work and who take as much solace as they can from this.Julie ..... Julie HesmondhalghNobby ..... Paul BarberDave ..... John ThompsonShiv ..... Lauren SochaNita ..... Bhavna LimbachiaOur Bri ..... Jack DeamProduced at BBC Salford by Alison Vernon-SmithFirst broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2015.
WED 10:00 Sheridan Le Fanu - Uncle Silas (b007jtsj)
Knowl, 1864
Maud Knollyes is the daughter and heiress of a rich, eccentric recluse. After he dies, young Maud is placed in the guardianship of her Uncle Silas. This is intended to be a public declaration of one man's confidence in his brother, for Silas was disgraced years before...Sheridan le Fanu's Victorian gothic horror novel dramatised in three parts by Alan Drury.Maud ... Teresa GallagherAustin.... Graham CrowdenMadame de la Rougierre ... Dorothy TutinLady Monica Knollye ... Joan SimsMary Quince ... Kathleen ByronMrs Rusk ... Tessa WorsleyDr Bryerley .... John HartleyDudley ... Jonathan KeebleTom Brice.... Roger MayMr Grimston .... Geoffrey WhiteheadThe Rough Fellow ....Stephen CritchlowPianist: Michael HaslamDirector: Enyd WilliamsFirst broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in Ocotber 1995.
WED 11:00 Poem Stories (b05xcvb8)
Hidden by David Harsent
An original short story by the poet David Harsent. Read by Pippa Haywood.A new series in which poets adapt their own poems into short stories. 'Hidden' springs from David Harsent's poem sequence 'A Dream Book', from his collection 'Fire Songs', which won the 2014 TS Eliot Prize for Best Poetry Collection.David Harsent has published eleven collections of poetry. The most recent, Fire Songs, came from Faber & Faber in August 2014. He is Professor of Creative Writing at the University of Roehampton and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature.Written by David HarsentRead by Pippa HaywoodProduced by Mair Bosworth
WED 11:15 Richard Hurford - How I Wonder What You Are (b0076kcn)
When Alison comes home to an empty house and finds all the star charts gone, she knows her husband Neil has left for Egypt on the trail of a desperate obsession which threatens their marriage.As she journeys down the Nile in pursuit, she is forced to confront emotions that she has buried for the past year, But will she find Neil in time?Written by Richard Hurford. Alison ...... Deborah McAndrewNeil ...... Steve HuisonSuzanne ...... Katherine Dow BlytonGamal ...... Raad RawiRalph ...... Wyllie LongmoreSandra ...... Eileen O'BrienTom ...... Ashley MargolisProducer: Nadia Molinari.First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2004.
WED 12:00 The Diary of a Nobody (b01g6khj)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
WED 12:30 Doctor at Large (b009xxrs)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
WED 13:00 Book at Beachtime (b036pqkv)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
WED 13:30 The Ambassador's Reception (b00rv5dc)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
WED 14:00 Book at Bedtime (b04tlft6)
Mary Costello - Academy Street
Episode 3
Mary Costello's acclaimed debut novel - nominated for the Irish Book Awards - traces the arc of a quiet woman's life: from Tess Lohan's childhood in 1940s rural Ireland through to her emigration to America and a career as a nurse in New York.Life continues for the Lohan family, baby Oliver returns home and Tess is sent away to boarding school. Years pass and then Tess's beloved sister Claire is invited to go out to America and it seems that things will never be the same again.Read by Niamh CusackWritten by Mary CostelloAbridged by Kirsteen CameronProduced by Kirsteen Cameron
WED 14:15 Plants: From Roots to Riches (b04d4mmq)
An Ill Wind
During the early hours of October 16th 1987, hurricane force winds ripped through southern England recording gusts of 110 mph. In just a few hours 15 million trees across the country were felled. Dawn revealed over 700 of Kew's trees sprawled on their sides, their root systems spread in the cool calm air after the storm.Kathy Willis explores how one Kew oak tree - the Turner Oak - that didn't fall, helped transform the understanding of tree planting, arboreal care and provided insights into why trees stay upright.She takes a walk with arborealist Tony Kirkham around Kew Gardens to learn how this natural clearout gave a once in a generation chance to rethink Kew's arboreal canvas. It also created an opportunity for the first-ever comprehensive tree root survey, which has since transformed our approach to tree planting and long-term care that's now finding its way into horticultural practices today.Producer: Adrian Washbourne
WED 14:30 Gustave Flaubert - Madame Bovary (b00ctlgz)
Torment
Emma's sweet murmurs and kisses ravish Léon's soul, but there seems to Leon something shadowy and ominous slipping between them.A French masterpiece of betrayal and wantonness; the first great novel of adultery starring John Hurt..Narrator ...... John HurtCharles ...... Conrad NelsonEmma ...... Sarah SmartMonsieur Homais ...... David FleeshmanLeon Dupuis ...... James D'ArcyMonsieur Lheureux ...... Seamus O'NeillJustin ...... Sam CurtisGustave Flaubert's novel is dramatised by Diana Griffiths from a translation by Margaret Mauldon.Producer: Pauline HarrisFirst broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2006.
WED 14:45 Book of the Week (b04g8q51)
Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind
The Agricultural Revolution
Adrian Scarborough continues reading from Yuval Noah Harari's ground-breaking account of humankind's remarkable history from insignificant apes to rulers of the world.How the agricultural revolution was history's biggest fraud.Abridged by Penny LeicesterProduced by Gemma Jenkins
WED 15:00 Sheridan Le Fanu - Uncle Silas (b007jtsj)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 today]
WED 16:00 Act Your Age (b00ftb87)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
WED 16:30 Cleaning Up (b0543k0g)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 today]
WED 17:00 There Is No Escape (b06j21c5)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
WED 17:30 The Pin (m0006tlx)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
WED 18:00 HG Wells (b01mlzcm)
The First Men in the Moon
Episode 3
The intrepid explorers encounter advanced, intelligent beings on the Moon - but it's a meeting of worlds that proves far from harmonious...First published in 1901, HG Wells’ novel abridged by Neville Teller.Read by Tim Pigott-Smith.Producer: David RoperMade by Heavy Entertainment for BBC Radio 4 and first broadcast in July 2007.
WED 18:15 15 Minute Drama (b09nvs2y)
The Truth About Hawaii
Crisis
Potent and playful drama set in a near-future in which doctors can no longer prescribe antibiotics. By award-winning dramatist, Oliver Emanuel.Sarah is 10 years old. She's not allowed to play outside. But when her brother takes her into some nearby woods, an everyday scratch gets infected and turns her whole family's world upside down.Now Sarah's in an isolated room in hospital. Her family and medical team are hoping this will stop the infection.Whilst Sarah's imagination drifts to Hawaii, her parents are left to make an unbearable choice for their daughter.The Truth About Hawaii was developed through Wellcome Experimental Stories in consultation with Prof. Joanna Coast (Professor in the Economics of Health & Care, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol) and Dr Adam Roberts (Senior Lecturer in Antimicrobial Chemotherapy and Resistance at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine).Consultants: Prof Joanna Coast and Dr Adam RobertsDirector: Kirsty Williams.
WED 18:30 That Reminds Me (b007jp1h)
Series 3
Sheila Steafel
Actress Sheila Steafel shares memories of her stage, film and TV career with an audience.From 'drowning' for Michael Bentine and the unpredictability of Robert Morley to the perils of dancing topless!Producer: Claire JonesFirst broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 2001.
WED 19:00 The Diary of a Nobody (b01g6khj)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
WED 19:30 Doctor at Large (b009xxrs)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
WED 20:00 Book at Beachtime (b036pqkv)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
WED 20:30 The Ambassador's Reception (b00rv5dc)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
WED 21:00 Poem Stories (b05xcvb8)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:00 today]
WED 21:15 Richard Hurford - How I Wonder What You Are (b0076kcn)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:15 today]
WED 22:00 The Pin (m0006tlx)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
WED 22:30 The Future of Radio (b04cffq7)
Series 1
Plastic Fantastic
What is the future of radio? In a world of digital overload can the public be expected to just listen to something without any pictures? Is the radio era over? The Institute of Radiophonic Evolution (IRE), based in South Mimms, is working hard to give radio a bright future.Their secret work is revealed in these programmes which draw on conference calls, voice notes and life-logs, to tell a compelling and strange story of the technological lengths to which the researchers will go to keep radio relevant.Instead of just adding pictures, the lab is working on ways to transmit smells, vibrations, and 3D images, as well as a way of putting radio into listeners' very brains!It sounds impossible, but the IRE boffins believe in making the impossible audible. And that's their motto.Each week a jiffy bag of sound files arrives at BBC Radio 4. We listen to the contents to discover what backroom boffins Luke Mourne and Professor Trish Baldock (ably assisted by Shelley – on work experience) have been up to.In this episode, Luke and Trish seem to have cracked the old Star-Trek conundrum – how do you transport physical objects through space?Luke..........................................William BeckTrish..........................................Emma KilbeyShelley......................................Lizzy WattsFelix..........................................David BrettAileen/Stella..............................Joan WalkerLawrence..................................Chris StantonPianist: Mike WoolleyWritten by Jerome Vincent and Stephen Dinsdale.Producer: David BlountA Pier production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in 2014.
WED 22:45 Comedy Club Extra (m000706k)
Comedy Catalysts - Evelyn Mok
Harriet Kemsley chats to a comedian about the trailblazing comic who inspired them to pick up the mic.Tonight, Evelyn Mok discusses her hero Maria Bamford.
WED 22:55 The Comedy Club Interviews (m000706m)
Daisy Earl 2/2
From 10.00pm until midnight, seven days a week, the Comedy Club has two hours of comedy. Plus Jessica Fostekew chats to stand-up comedian Daisy Earl.
WED 23:00 The Jason Byrne Show (b01g7nry)
Series 2
Holidays
Award-winning comedian Jason Byrne tackles the stress of going on holiday.Stand up and sketches with Laurence Howarth and Daisy Haggard.Producer: Julia McKenzieFirst broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 2009.
WED 23:30 Hamish and Dougal: You'll Have Had Your Tea (b007706g)
Series 3
Look Who's Stalking
The laird appoints Hamish and Dougal as ghillies to a party of chums up for a week of stalking in the Highlands.Unfortunately he's unable to take part himself...Barry Cryer and Graeme Garden star as the two Scotsmen famed for their appearances on BBC Radio’s I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue.With Alison Steadman as their cleaning-lady-cum-housekeeper, Mrs Naughtie, and Jeremy Hardy as the local Laird.Producer: Jon NaismithFirst broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 2006.
WED 23:45 Love in Recovery (b0511svy)
Series 1
Danno
The lives of five very different recovering alcoholics.Set entirely at their weekly meetings, we hear them get to know each other, learn to hate each other, argue, moan, laugh, fall apart, fall in love and, most importantly, tell their stories.Comedy drama by Pete Jackson, set in Alcoholics Anonymous. Starring Sue Johnston, John Hannah, Eddie Marsan, Rebecca Front, Paul Kaye and Julia Deakin.In this episode, Danno deals with the death of his father after returning from his memorial service - in the pub down the road.Danno ...... Paul KayeJulie ...... Sue JohnstonMarion ...... Julia DeakinFiona ...... Rebecca FrontSimon ...... John HannahAndy ...... Eddie MarsanThere are funny stories, sad stories, stories of small victories and milestones, stories of loss, stories of hope, and stories that you really shouldn't laugh at - but still do. Along with the storyteller.Writer Pete Jackson is a recovering alcoholic and has spent time with Alcoholics Anonymous. It was there he found, as many people do, support from the unlikeliest group of disparate souls, all banded together due to one common bond. As well as offering the support he needed throughout a difficult time, AA also offered a weekly, sometimes daily, dose of hilarity, upset, heartbreak and friendship.Director: Ben WorsfieldA Lucky Giant production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in 2015.


THURSDAY 25 JULY 2019

THU 00:00 HG Wells (b01mlzcm)
[Repeat of broadcast at 18:00 on Wednesday]
THU 00:15 15 Minute Drama (b09nvs2y)
[Repeat of broadcast at 18:15 on Wednesday]
THU 00:30 That Reminds Me (b007jp1h)
[Repeat of broadcast at 18:30 on Wednesday]
THU 01:00 Book at Beachtime (b036pqkv)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 on Wednesday]
THU 01:30 The Ambassador's Reception (b00rv5dc)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 on Wednesday]
THU 02:00 Book at Bedtime (b04tlft6)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:00 on Wednesday]
THU 02:15 Plants: From Roots to Riches (b04d4mmq)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:15 on Wednesday]
THU 02:30 Gustave Flaubert - Madame Bovary (b00ctlgz)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:30 on Wednesday]
THU 02:45 Book of the Week (b04g8q51)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:45 on Wednesday]
THU 03:00 Sheridan Le Fanu - Uncle Silas (b007jtsj)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 on Wednesday]
THU 04:00 Act Your Age (b00ftb87)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 on Wednesday]
THU 04:30 Cleaning Up (b0543k0g)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 on Wednesday]
THU 05:00 There Is No Escape (b06j21c5)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 on Wednesday]
THU 05:30 The Pin (m0006tlx)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 on Wednesday]
THU 06:00 Book at Beachtime (b036pvsw)
Suzanne Rindell - The Other Typist
Episode 4
A murderous secret emerges at a glamorous Long Island party.Prohibition New York is the setting for Suzanne Rindell's thrilling debut about dangerous friendship in which glitz and sleaze collide.Read by Sasha Pick.Abridged by Julian Wilkinson.Producer: Gemma JenkinsMade for BBC Radio 4 Extra and first broadcast in Summer 2013.
THU 06:30 In Search of My Lizard Brain (b00rtdps)
At the 3rd annual London Fifty at Hoxton Hall in Shoreditch in January 2010, ventriloquist Nina Conti left Monkey behind and watched 50 hours of improvisation, directed by Dana Anderson, Canadian creator of the Improvathon (or Soapathon) and Adam Meggido, of the innovative London theatre, The Sticking Place.It was Ken Campbell who first brought the idea of the Improvathon - a marathon of improvised drama and comedy - to Britain from Canada, where he'd been inspired by Dana Anderson and his Die-Nasty company at Edmonton's Varscona Theatre.25 actors gathered for the 6pm start on Friday, and most of them were still there when it ended at 9pm on Sunday. So was the audience, though there were some thin periods in the early hours of the morning. The theme was loosely Victorian and on stage at various times were Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, Charles Dickens, Oscar Wilde, Jane Austen and many made up characters.Once the actors have been improvising for 30 hours they experience what Dana calls 'Stargate' and find themselves 'being' rather than acting. They no longer have to think about what to do or say on stage - it just happens. They define this as being in touch with their 'lizard' or instinctual brain.Nina asked Dr Mark Lythgoe, Director of the Centre for Advanced Biomedical Imaging at University College London to account for this; he puts it down to a combination of sleep deprivation and creative high, which leads to disinhibition.For actors and audience the Improvathon proved an extraordinary and compelling experience. Nina was most struck by the sense of community and support it engendered, as the actors pulled together to keep each other going and, by saying 'yes' to every new idea, took themselves and the production to new levels.Producer: Marya Burgess
THU 07:00 Hobby Bobbies (b04tlfs3)
Series 2
Blackmail
A little bit of murky police history comes back to haunt the Haling squad. Will the stench of corruption overpower the whiff of lager at the inter-force darts tournament?Sitcom where Britain's longest serving PCSO -and Britain's laziest - make quite a pairing.Written by Dave Lamb (the voice of Come Dine With Me) and starring Richie Webb (Horrible Histories), Nick Walker, Chris Emmett and Noddy Holder.Geoff...............Richie WebbNigel...............Nick WalkerThe Guv..........Sinead KeenanNina................Pooja ShahBernie.............Chris EmmettGeoff's Dad.....Noddy HolderProducer: Steve DohertyA Top Dog production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in December 2014.
THU 07:30 Welcome to Wherever You Are (m0006sf0)
Series 2
Episode 1
Welcome To Wherever You Are is a truly global stand-up show, in which comedians perform from wherever on the planet they happen to be, via high quality phone lines and internet video, to a live audience in the BBC Radio Theatre at Broadcasting House, London.This episode features acts from Australia, South Africa and Sweden (via New Zealand). First up is Steph Tisdell @StephTisdell, the First Nations Australian stand-up whose big break was victory in the Deadly Funny competition in 2014. Joining Steph is Schalk Bezuidenhout @schalkiebez an Afrikaaner from Cape Town whose show South African White Boy will be at the Edinburgh Festival this summer. Finally there’s the international stand-up stalwart, Al Pitcher @TheAlPitcher who dials in from Sweden to give us the lowdown on life in Stockholm.The show is hosted by Andrew Maxwell, a multiple Edinburgh Comedy Award nominee and a regular on The News Quiz, The Now Show, and who has presented his own Radio 4 series, Andrew Maxwell's Public Enemies.Producer: Richard MorrisProduction co-ordinator: Hayley SterlingA BBC Studios Production
THU 08:00 Brothers in Law (b0524gr2)
Series 1
Breach of Contract
Rookie barrister Roger Thursby must defend a women being sued by a pop star over a pup.Starring Richard Briers as Roger Thursby, Richard Waring as Henry Blagrove and Ann Davies as Sally Mannering. With guest stars Aimi Macdonald and Richard Wattis.Adapted for radio by Richard Waring from the BBC TV scripts.Restored from BBC Transcription Service tapes - originally edited for sale abroad.Published in 1955, Henry Cecil's comic legal novel Brothers in Law was adapted first for TV in 1962 by Frank Muir and Denis Norden. It provided the first regular starring role for Richard Briers, who later reprised his role of the idealistic young lawyer Roger Thursby for BBC Radio between 1970 and 1972.Produced by David Hatch.First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in June 1970.
THU 08:30 The Goon Show (b007jz4z)
The Gold Plate Robbery
Ned Seagoon goes overseas to pursue some stolen booty, but can Bloodnok be far behind? Stars Spike Milligan. From February 1959.
THU 09:00 Booked (b0075m77)
Series 2
Episode 6
John Betjeman writes the copy for a Ford Probe brochure, Shere Khan bumps into a nervous Mrs Tiggy-Winkle at a hunt saboteurs' meeting, and Ted Hughes tries to write a bright and breezy breakfast cereal advert.John Hegley joins regulars Mark Thomas, Dillie Keane and Miles Kington to stir the literary cauldron.Irreverent literary game chaired by Ian McMillan.Producer: Marc JobstFirst broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 1997.
THU 09:30 Richard Barton: General Practitioner! (b00753kj)
Episode 1
In 1946, Edward J Mason wrote the first episode of Dick Barton - Special Agent. The BBC Light Programme's hugely popular serial followed the adventures of the ex-Commando and his mates Jock Anderson and Snowy White. Despite facing a series of never-ending cliff-hangers at the hands of dastardly villains, our hero always triumphed. "With one bound Dick was free!".Half a century later, Edward J's son Lol created Richard Barton, son of Dick, in an affectionate homage to one of BBC Radio's most enduring heroes.When Richard's dad arrives to convalesce after an operation and to start work on his memoirs, strange parallels begin to emerge between past and present, between Dick's old adventures and events in his son's village.Richard Barton ...... Robert BathurstOld Dick Barton ...... Moray WatsonJock ...... Iain CuthbertsonYoung Dick ...... Barton Julian DuttonSally Phillips ...... Sally BartonMrs Cadwalladder ...... Ann BeachFassbinder ...... Kim WallColin Meadows ...... Wayne ForesterProducer: Jo CleggFirst broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 1997.
THU 10:00 Sheridan Le Fanu - Uncle Silas (b007jtsp)
Bartram-Haugh, 1865
Young heiress Maud Knollyes appears to have no choice about her future...Sheridan le Fanu's Victorian gothic horror novel dramatised by Alan Drury.Maud .... Teresa GallagherSilas .... George ColeLady Monica Knollys .... Joan SimsMadame de la Rougierre .... Dorothy TutinMary Quince ... Kathleen ByronMrs Rusk ... Tessa WorsleyMilly ... Jane WhittenshawDudley ... Jonathan KeebleDr Bryerley .... John HartleyZamiel .... George A CooperBeauty ... Becky HindleyWyatt ... Pauline LettsCharke's servant ... David CollingsDr Slaithwaite .....John EvittsTom Brice.... Roger MayThe Coachman .... Stephen CritchlowMr Grimston .... Geoffrey WhiteheadPianist: Michael HaslamDirector: Enyd WilliamsFirst broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 1995.
THU 11:00 Poem Stories (b05xwf5q)
A Potion by Jacob Polley
An original short story by the poet Jacob Polley, read by Bryan Dick.A new series in which poets adapt their own poems into short stories. 'A Potion' springs from Jacob Polley's poem 'The Remedy', from his 2003 collection 'The Brink'.Jacob Polley is the author of three books of poetry, 'The Brink', 'Little Gods' and, most recently, 'The Havocs', as well as a novel, 'Talk of the Town'.Written by Jacob PolleyRead by Bryan DickProduced by Mair Bosworth
THU 11:15 Gertrude Stein and the Liberation Fruitcake (m00070nq)
In 1944, Gertrude Stein bakes a liberation cake whilst reminiscing about the artists and writers she knows.Angela Pleasance stars as the real-life American writer who socialised with leading figures from literature and art, including Pablo Picasso, Ernest Hemingway and Henri Matisse.Patricia Hannah's kitchen monologue mixes gossip, wartime politics and the true meaning of genius.Director: Louise Dalziel.First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2003.
THU 12:00 Brothers in Law (b0524gr2)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
THU 12:30 The Goon Show (b007jz4z)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
THU 13:00 Book at Beachtime (b036pvsw)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
THU 13:30 In Search of My Lizard Brain (b00rtdps)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
THU 14:00 Book at Bedtime (b04tlkp0)
Mary Costello - Academy Street
Episode 4
In this fine debut, shortlisted for the Costa First Novel Award, Mary Costello recounts the life of Irish farmer's daughter, Tess, in a series of spare vignettes that are punctuated by beautifully evoked epiphanies. In tonight's episode, set in 1962, Tess leaves Ireland behind to make a new life for herself in America, joining her beloved sister Claire in New York.Read by Niamh CusackWritten by Mary CostelloAbridged by Kirsteen CameronProduced by Kirsteen Cameron
THU 14:15 Plants: From Roots to Riches (b04d4t17)
Capsules of Life
By the end of the 20th century, concerns raised in the 1992 Rio Earth Summit about the fate of wild plants and their ecosystems meant that conservation in the field now needed to be complemented by methods away from a plant's natural habitat.Professor Kathy Willis pays a visit to the underground vaults of Kew's Millennium Seed Bank Partnership (MSBP), one in a network of 1300 seed banks around the world - and one of the main "ex situ" methods for conserving plant genetic material.Knowing the longevity and quality of seeds is vital if they're to be put to good use in the real world. We hear a testament to the length of seed survival as head of the MSBP reveals recent success in germinating a 200 year old packet of seeds collected from the Dutch East India Company Gardens in South Africa. And Kathy Willis discovers how research into variable climates during crop cycles on seed quality is providing new leads into which varieties of crops seeds to store, to ensure future sustainable food supplies.With contributions from seed morphologist Wolfgang Stuppy, MSB seed manager Janet Terry, Paul Smith head of the MSBP, and Hugh Pritchard head of MSBP seed conservation.Producer Adrian Washbourne.
THU 14:30 Gustave Flaubert - Madame Bovary (b00ctvhj)
Misfortune
By dint of buying on credit and never paying, by constantly trying to fill the void in her inner life, Emma finds herself in serious trouble...A French masterpiece of betrayal and wantonness; the first great novel of adultery starring John Hurt..Narrator ...... John HurtEmma ...... Sarah SmartMonsieur Homais ...... David FleeshmanLeon Dupuis ...... James D'ArcyMonsieur Lheureux ...... Seamus O'NeillRodolphe Boulanger ...... Jude AkuwudikeFelicite ...... Sarah Jane HallworthMaitre Guillaumin ...... Russell DixonGustave Flaubert's novel is dramatised by Diana Griffiths from a translation by Margaret Mauldon.Producer: Pauline HarrisFirst broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2006.
THU 14:45 Book of the Week (b04gc0pj)
Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind
The Scientific Revolution
Adrian Scarborough continues reading from Yuval Noah Harari's ground-breaking account of humankind's remarkable history from insignificant apes to rulers of the world.The discovery of ignorance and the quest for immortality.Abridged by Penny LeicesterProduced by Gemma Jenkins
THU 15:00 Sheridan Le Fanu - Uncle Silas (b007jtsp)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 today]
THU 16:00 Booked (b0075m77)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
THU 16:30 Richard Barton: General Practitioner! (b00753kj)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 today]
THU 17:00 Hobby Bobbies (b04tlfs3)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
THU 17:30 Welcome to Wherever You Are (m0006sf0)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
THU 18:00 HG Wells (b01mm3cf)
The First Men in the Moon
Episode 4
Intrepid explorers Bedford and Cavor must run for their lives to escape the inhabitants of the moon - the Selenites.First published in 1901, HG Wells’ novel abridged by Neville Teller.Read by Tim Pigott-Smith.Producer: David RoperMade by Heavy Entertainment for BBC Radio 4 and first broadcast in July 2007.
THU 18:15 15 Minute Drama (b09nxvy5)
The Truth About Hawaii
The Choice
Potent and playful drama set in a near-future in which doctors can no longer prescribe antibiotics. By award-winning dramatist, Oliver Emanuel.Sarah is 10 years old. She's scratched her knee and developed an infection.Now Sarah's in an isolated room in hospital. Her family and medical team are hoping this will stop the infection, but they're running out of time.Whilst Sarah's imagination drifts to Hawaii, her mother tries to hunt down the antibiotic of last resort.The Truth About Hawaii was developed through Wellcome Experimental Stories in consultation with Prof. Joanna Coast (Professor in the Economics of Health & Care, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol) and Dr Adam Roberts (Senior Lecturer in Antimicrobial Chemotherapy and Resistance at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine).Consultants: Prof Joanna Coast and Dr Adam RobertsDirector: Kirsty Williams.
THU 18:30 Great Lives (b01s8cnz)
Series 30
Bill Shankly
Mumsnet founder Justine Roberts champions the life of the legendary football manager Bill Shankly, who in the 1960s took Liverpool from the second division to become one of the world's greatest sides. Famous for his quip that "football is not a matter of life and death, it's much more important than that", Shankly lived and breathed football; but in his later years he felt that the Liverpool managers had frozen him out of the side he had nurtured, and betrayed him.Shankly came from humble beginnings. After school he worked down the local coal mine until the pit was closed. He never became rich and lived in a modest semi-detached house where Liverpool fans were always welcome. His life was a far cry from that of today's top managers, but through his canny playing of the transfer market, did he anticipate their methods? Matthew Parris chairs the discussion, with the aid of Shankly biographer Stephen Kelly.Producer: Jolyon Jenkins
THU 19:00 Brothers in Law (b0524gr2)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
THU 19:30 The Goon Show (b007jz4z)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
THU 20:00 Book at Beachtime (b036pvsw)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
THU 20:30 In Search of My Lizard Brain (b00rtdps)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
THU 21:00 Poem Stories (b05xwf5q)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:00 today]
THU 21:15 Gertrude Stein and the Liberation Fruitcake (m00070nq)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:15 today]
THU 22:00 Welcome to Wherever You Are (m0006sf0)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
THU 22:30 Ivor Cutler - A Wet Handle (b00cmjvc)
Episode 3
Runaway teaspoons and the spelling of 'marmalade'. Songs, stories and poems from humourist Ivor Cutler, with Craig Murray-Orr,and Alison O'Kill. Producer: Neil CargillFirst broadcast on BBC Radio 3 in June 1997.
THU 22:45 Comedy Club Extra (m00070nt)
Comedy Catalysts - Suzi Ruffell
Harriet Kemsley chats to a comedian about the trailblazing comic who inspired them to pick up the mic.Tonight, Suzi Ruffell talks about her hero Ellen Degeneres
THU 23:00 The Brig Society (b082hzzh)
Series 4
Newspaper Editor
Extra! Extra! Brigstocke starts own newspaper shock! Read all about it on Radio 4 Extra! Plus we reveal the headline of the year that you'll never get to read.Uh-oh - Marcus Brigstocke has decided to sort out the press as he plunges headfirst into the contents of the great British newspaper and comes up smelling of Daily Mail.Helping him to hold the front page will be Margaret Cabourn-Smith ("Miranda"), William Andrews ("Sorry I've Got No Head") and Colin Hoult ("Derek").Written by Marcus Brigstocke, Jeremy Salsby, Toby Davies, Nick Doody, Steve Punt and Dan Tetsell.Producer: David TylerA Pozzitive production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in November 2016.
THU 23:30 The In Crowd (b00sbrl6)
Series 3
Episode 1
Robin Ince, Helen Moon, Smug Roberts and Kate Ward are the strange personalities who make up the In Crowd.Meet the travel agent who won't let anyone go further than Lowestoft, the army officer who can't wait to offer himself up as the first to be eaten in a crisis, the cultural hooligans who smash beautiful things, and Wendy Clapper who thinks a trip to see the Northern Lights means a weekend in Blackpool.Sketch show from Manchester's Comedy Store.Producer: Graham FrostFirst broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 2002.


FRIDAY 26 JULY 2019

FRI 00:00 HG Wells (b01mm3cf)
[Repeat of broadcast at 18:00 on Thursday]
FRI 00:15 15 Minute Drama (b09nxvy5)
[Repeat of broadcast at 18:15 on Thursday]
FRI 00:30 Great Lives (b01s8cnz)
[Repeat of broadcast at 18:30 on Thursday]
FRI 01:00 Book at Beachtime (b036pvsw)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 on Thursday]
FRI 01:30 In Search of My Lizard Brain (b00rtdps)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 on Thursday]
FRI 02:00 Book at Bedtime (b04tlkp0)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:00 on Thursday]
FRI 02:15 Plants: From Roots to Riches (b04d4t17)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:15 on Thursday]
FRI 02:30 Gustave Flaubert - Madame Bovary (b00ctvhj)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:30 on Thursday]
FRI 02:45 Book of the Week (b04gc0pj)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:45 on Thursday]
FRI 03:00 Sheridan Le Fanu - Uncle Silas (b007jtsp)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 on Thursday]
FRI 04:00 Booked (b0075m77)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 on Thursday]
FRI 04:30 Richard Barton: General Practitioner! (b00753kj)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 on Thursday]
FRI 05:00 Hobby Bobbies (b04tlfs3)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 on Thursday]
FRI 05:30 Welcome to Wherever You Are (m0006sf0)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 on Thursday]
FRI 06:00 Book at Beachtime (b036q727)
Suzanne Rindell - The Other Typist
Episode 5
Odalie's devilish ingenuity is revealed and Rose is left reeling.Prohibition New York is the setting for Suzanne Rindell's thrilling debut about dangerous friendship in which glitz and sleaze collide.Concluded by Sasha Pick.Abridged by Julian Wilkinson.Producer: Gemma JenkinsMade for BBC Radio 4 Extra and first broadcast in Summer 2013.
FRI 06:30 Character Assassins (b00tpqlf)
The death of fictional superstars by pen, pencil or type lies, quite literally, in the hands of their creators.At the Harrogate Crime Writing Festival 2010, Fiona Lindsay conducts a forensic cross-examination of popular writers, put on trial to reveal their motives for killing off their leading characters. It's an age-old friction in fiction between creator and creation. And the assassination of an author's key character is often a result of a clash of egos. Agatha Christie kept the death of her famous Belgian detective Hercule Poirot secret for 30 years only to confess shortly before her own demise. She had no regrets and, as her biographer Laura Thompson reveals, was in no hurry to get Miss Marple on the case.Sir Arthur Conan Doyle detested Sherlock Holmes' public domination over his own life and murdered him merrily. Yet the firestorm of protest was so intense, resurrection was inevitable. Holmes expert David Stuart Davies and actor Roger Llewellyn incorporate the core of this controversy in their latest play. Colin Dexter claims he didn't kill Morse: 'he died of natural causes'. A nation mourned, but the author is unrepentant, choosing kindly death over morose retirement.Ian Rankin took the opposite view for the demise of Rebus, leaving the coffin lid open for a timely return. But since fictional characters are immortal, why kill them off at all? Characters who become bigger than their authors, beware!! They may have all the best lines, but their creator has the last word.Fiona Lindsay cross-examines the witnesses and interrogates the accused as they try to justify their acts of literal 'murder'.Not so much a whodunit as a 'why did they do it?' Producer: Chris Eldon LeeA Culture Wise production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in 2010.
FRI 07:00 Charles Dickens (b00sb96j)
Sketches by Boz: Series 2
Horatio Sparkins
The socially ambitious Maldertons are delighted when their unmarried daughter receives the attentions of the romantic Mr Sparkins. But who exactly is he?Gloriously comic stories of London Life by Charles Dickens - dramatised by Stephen Wyatt.Boz ...... Nicholas FarrellMr Malderton ...... DavidHaigMrs Malderton ...... Tessa WorsleyTeresa Malderton ...... Sarah-Jane HolmThomas Malderton ...... Adrian SchillerHoratio Sparkins ...... Julian Rhind-TuttFlamwell ...... Patrick BarlowDirector: Sally AvensFirst broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 1999
FRI 07:30 The Absolutely Radio Show (m000700w)
Series 3
Episode 3
The hugely popular sketch show returns for a third series on BBC Radio 4. Pete Baikie, Morwenna Banks, Moray Hunter, Gordon Kennedy and John Sparkes revisit some of their much-loved characters, and also introduce some newcomers.Absolutely was a big hit on Channel Four in the late 80s and early 90s. In 2013, the group got back together for the Sketchorama: Absolutely Special for BBC Radio 4 - winning a BBC Audio Drama Award in the Best Live Scripted Comedy category. The Absolutely Radio Show followed, with the first two series picking up Celtic Media Award nominations for Best Radio Comedy, while the second series was also nominated for a BBC Audio Drama Award in 2018.In the third episode of the series, Calum Gilhooley visits his optician and makes a good point for possibly the first time ever, The Rev McMinn saves his Minimart from chemical attack, and we meet Social Media Blogger and Influencer Susie Twip. From the archive, we hear the "See it. Say it. Sort it." campaign in action.Written and Performed by: Peter Baikie, Morwenna Banks, Moray Hunter, Gordon Kennedy and John SparkesProduction Manager Sarah TomblingRecording Engineer Dave MurricaneEditor Pete BaikieProducer Gus BeattieProducer Gordon KennedyBBC Executive Sioned WiliamRecording Venue The Oran Mor, GlasgowAn Absolutely production for BBC Radio 4
FRI 08:00 The Burkiss Way (b00jr7fr)
Series 2
Commemorate Jubilees the Burkiss Way
A comedy celebration of the Queen's 25 years on the throne.The Burkiss Way to Dynamic Living is radio's limited edition correspondence course.With mock-hide instruction from Jo Kendall, Nigel Rees, Chris Emmett and Fred Harris.Embossed scrollwork script from Andrew Marshall and David Renwick.A genuine leatherette production by SIMON BRETT (a gift you will treasure for always)Cult sketch show first broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 1977.
FRI 08:30 Steptoe and Son (b007k1hd)
Series 4
The Colour Problem
Albert and Harold Steptoe argue over whether to buy a new TV or a car.Starring Wilfrid Brambell as Albert and Harry H Corbett as Harold. With Jo Manning Wilson and William Bedle.Following the conclusion of their hugely successful association with Tony Hancock, writers Ray Galton and Alan Simpson wrote 10 pilots for the BBC TV's Comedy Playhouse in 1962. The Offer was set in a house with a yard full of junk, featuring the lives of rag and bone men Albert Steptoe and his son Harold and it was the spark for a run of 8 series for TV.Written for TV and adapted for radio by Ray Galton and Alan Simpson.Produced by Bobby JayeFirst broadcast on the BBC Radio 2 in March 1972.
FRI 09:00 It's Not What You Know (b01ckr46)
Series 1
Episode 2
Joining Miles this time round are "The Thick Of It" star, Rebecca Front, Fast Show actor and character comedian, Simon Day, and award-winning Geordie comic, Jason Cook, all of whom have nominated one of their intimate circle to answer questions about their relationship, in an attempt to prove how well they know them.If the panel can predict the responses their nominees gave, they get points.Rebecca thinks she knows her father, Charles Front, a retired illustrator and calligrapher, pretty well. Simon examines his relationship with best friend, Conrad Butlin, a stylist from Notting Hill in London. And Jason plumps for his mother, Pat, a recruitment consultant from Hebburn in Newcastle - and, it turns out, something of a Loose Women fan...Producer: Sam Michell.
FRI 09:30 Mr Finchley Goes to Paris (b007jzhn)
Episode 2
After a contretemps with a haddock, the shy solicitor's clerk gains a guide and makes a move.Richard Griffiths returns as the shy solicitor's clerk, Edgar Finchley, in a second series of adventures written by Victor Canning.Lawrence Hume ...... Piers GibbonMarie Peters ...... Serena EvansRobert Gillespie ...... James CohenMadame Mignard ...... Jacqueline TongWaiter ...... Keith AndersonNarrated by James Villiers.Adapted for radio by Andy and Eric Merriman.Producer: Gareth EdwardsFirst broadcast on BBC Radio 2 in June 1994.
FRI 10:00 Sheridan Le Fanu - Uncle Silas (b007jtst)
Revelations
Heiress Maud Knollyes increasingly believes her life is in danger...Conclusion of Sheridan le Fanu's Victorian gothic horror novel dramatised by Alan Drury.Maud .... Teresa GallagherSilas ... George ColeMadame de la Rougierre .... Dorothy TutinLady Monica Knollys ... Joan SimsMary Quince .... Kathleen ByronMilly ... Jane WhittenshawDudley .... Jonathan KeebleZamiel .... George A CooperBeauty .... Becky HindleySarah Mangles ...Linda ReganWyatt .... Pauline LettsTom Brice ..... Roger MayThe Coachman ..... Stephen CritchlowMrs Sewell ..... Joan LittlewoodDr Bryerly .....John HartleyPianist: Michael HaslamDirector: Enyd WilliamsFirst broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 1995.
FRI 11:00 Podcast Radio Hour (m00070y9)
Liverpool with Caroline Crampton
Amanda Litherland and Caroline Crampton are in Liverpool to sample some of the city's best podcasts: The Anfield Wrap, Sodajerker and Beatles City. Made for 4Extra
FRI 12:00 The Burkiss Way (b00jr7fr)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
FRI 12:30 Steptoe and Son (b007k1hd)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
FRI 13:00 Book at Beachtime (b036q727)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
FRI 13:30 Character Assassins (b00tpqlf)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
FRI 14:00 Book at Bedtime (b04tlr0l)
Mary Costello - Academy Street
Episode 5
Shortlisted for the Costa First Novel Award, Mary Costello's debut is a tender portrayal of a quiet woman's life.It's 1962, and Tess has left Ireland to make a new life for herself in America, working as a nurse in New York. Shy and reticent, she has been introduced to her flatmate's cousin, David, and he has left a deep impression upon her.Read by Niamh CusackWritten by Mary CostelloAbridged by Kirsteen CameronProduced by Kirsteen Cameron
FRI 14:15 Plants: From Roots to Riches (b04d4ppb)
A Useful Weed
At a glance, Arabidopsis thaliana (Mouse ear cress) looks little more than a tiny flowering weed. But this nondescript plant became a Rosetta stone for understanding the molecular processes underpinning many plant traits when in 2000 it became the first plant to have its genome fully sequenced.Professor Kathy Willis hears how Arabidopsis bagged the role in plant genetics research similar to that played by mice and fruit flies in animal research, and how amidst arguments for and against the technique of modification, it became a key to introducing new characteristics in a quicker and more targeted way than traditional plant breeding.The overall size of the Arabidopsis genome however, is not typical of many plants. We hear how a new understanding of the surprisingly diverse range of genome sizes within the plant kingdom is shedding light on the speed of a plant's ability to reproduce and adapt in changing conditions, which could play a fundamental role in decoding the patterns of plant distribution we see around the world.With contributions from historian Jim Endersby, plant scientist Prof Liam Dolan and cytogeneticist Ilia Leitch.Producer Adrian Washbourne.
FRI 14:30 Gustave Flaubert - Madame Bovary (b00cvbj4)
Mounting Debts
Emma has tried and exhausted every effort to repay her debts, but feels that she's left with only one course of action...Gripping conclusion of the French masterpiece of betrayal and wantonness.Narrator ...... John HurtEmma ...... Sarah SmartCharlesConrad NelsonMonsieur Homais ...... David FleeshmanBerthe Bovary ...... Daisy Jones Victor Lariviere ...... Martin ReeveJustin ...... Sam CurtisGustave Flaubert's novel is dramatised by Diana Griffiths from a translation by Margaret Mauldon.Producer: Pauline HarrisFirst broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2006.
FRI 14:45 Book of the Week (b04gc8p4)
Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind
And They Lived Happily Ever After
Adrian Scarborough continues reading from Yuval Noah Harari's ground-breaking account of humankind's remarkable history from insignificant apes to rulers of the world.The world's a better place, but are we any happier?Abridged by Penny LeicesterProduced by Gemma Jenkins
FRI 15:00 Sheridan Le Fanu - Uncle Silas (b007jtst)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 today]
FRI 16:00 It's Not What You Know (b01ckr46)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
FRI 16:30 Mr Finchley Goes to Paris (b007jzhn)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 today]
FRI 17:00 Charles Dickens (b00sb96j)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
FRI 17:30 The Absolutely Radio Show (m000700w)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
FRI 18:00 HG Wells (b01mmrhb)
The First Men in the Moon
Episode 5
Intrepid explorers Bedford and Cavor’s first mission to the moon comes to a surprising and unexpected conclusion.First published in 1901, HG Wells’ novel abridged by Neville Teller.Concluded by Tim Pigott-Smith.Producer: David RoperMade by Heavy Entertainment for BBC Radio 4 and first broadcast in July 2007.
FRI 18:15 15 Minute Drama (b09ny2dh)
The Truth About Hawaii
Disaster
Potent and playful drama set in a near-future in which doctors can no longer prescribe antibiotics. By award-winning dramatist, Oliver Emanuel.Sarah is 10 years old. She's scratched her knee and developed an infection.Whilst her family prepare for an unexpected future, Sarah's imagination takes her to Hawaii where she's about to meet the king of rock and roll.The Truth About Hawaii was developed through Wellcome Experimental Stories in consultation with Prof. Joanna Coast (Professor in the Economics of Health & Care, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol) and Dr Adam Roberts (Senior Lecturer in Antimicrobial Chemotherapy and Resistance at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine).Consultants: Prof Joanna Coast and Dr Adam RobertsDirector: Kirsty Williams.
FRI 18:30 Off the Page (b0076k64)
Multicultural Britain
Matthew Parris welcomes three writers - Reshma S. Ruia, Archie Markham and Leone Ross - to a frank discussion. From 2004.In each programme, Matthew Parris introduces a group of writers of fact and fiction: new talent and established names. In the context of a discussion of one of the ideas and pre-occupations of our times, each presents a piece on this week's topic.The best new writing and the freshest conversation from 2004.
FRI 19:00 The Burkiss Way (b00jr7fr)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
FRI 19:30 Steptoe and Son (b007k1hd)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
FRI 20:00 Book at Beachtime (b036q727)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
FRI 20:30 Character Assassins (b00tpqlf)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
FRI 21:00 Podcast Radio Hour (m00070y9)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:00 today]
FRI 22:00 The Absolutely Radio Show (m000700w)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
FRI 22:25 The Comedy Club Interviews (m00079lr)
The Comedy Club Interview: Abigoliah Schamaun 1/2
From 10.00pm until midnight, seven days a week, the Comedy Club has two hours of comedy. Arthur Smith talks to Abigoliah Schamaun.
FRI 22:30 BBC Introducing Radio 4 Comedy Award (m00070yd)
2019
Heat 4
The fourth heat of BBC Introducing Radio 4 Award 2019, recorded at The Comedy Store in Manchester and hosted by Chris Washington. The best new acts compete for a place in the Edinburgh semi-final of this prestigious new act competition.The acts featured are:Bryan GhoshAideen McQueenCraig KinlochHannah PlattJosh JonesSham ZamanAlfie PackhamKate ChekaEleanor RuthAdrian LanciniThe judges are: Mark Boosey from British Comedy Guide,, BBC Executive Producer Alexandra Smith and comedian and writer Janice Connolly.Produced by Adnan Ahmed. A BBC Studios production.
FRI 23:30 The Big Booth (b007jryj)
Series 2: The Big Booth Too
Episode 6
Half an hour of mistaken identity, stolen photographic negatives and songs about anglepoise lampsWith Big AI, Stephen Frost, Rich Hall, Vivienne Soan, Jim Sweeney and Mariella Frostrup -who is not Magnus Magnusson. Or James Mason.Boothby Graffoe concludes his series of surreal laughs.Written by Boothby Graffoe and Dave Thompson.Producer: Lucy ArmitageFirst broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 2001.