SATURDAY 21 DECEMBER 2019

SAT 00:00 Short Works (m000cbk4)
Patricia Highsmith Stories
The Baby Spoon
Claude is more than irritated by his wife’s attachment to an old silver keepsake.
Read by Greta Scacchi.
Five tales by the celebrated American crime and psychological novelist and short story writer, Patricia Highsmith.
Patricia Highsmith was born in Texas in 1921-1995. She wrote eight collections of short stories and 22 novels, among them the five ‘Ripley’ novels for which she is perhaps best known. Her first, Strangers On A Train, was the basis for the eponymous Hitchcock film of 1951. She died in Switzerland in 1995.
Producer/abridger: Jeremy Osborne
A Sweet Talk Production for BBC Radio 4 Extra
SAT 00:15 Roald Dahl (b0106vcp)
Kiss Kiss
The Landlady
Meet young Billy Weaver, who has just arrived in Bath to take up a new job. He books into a curiously deserted B&B. The landlady, who inhabits a sitting room filled with stuffed animals, is welcoming but odd. Wondering if he's her only guest, Billy checks the register and sees two strangely familiar names.
Taking tea with her later, Billy suddenly remembers reading in the papers that both her former guests disappeared in mysterious circumstances. The landlady tells Billy that, like him, each was a beautiful young man whom she didn't want to leave....
Five classic tales by Roald Dahl starring Charles Dance as the urbane Storyteller and Doreen Mantle as the Landlady.
Taken from the anthology, Kiss, Kiss. Bizarre and amusing by turns, these black comedies are justly famous for Dahl's surprise endings.
Storyteller........Charles Dance
Landlady.........Doreen Mantle
Billy Weaver.....James Joyce
Mr Greenslade...John Rowe
Director: David Blount
A Pier Production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in April 2011.
SAT 00:30 Off the Page (b0076qfw)
The King Is Dead
Matthew Parris discusses succession with Misha Glenny, Richard Gott and Daisy Sampson. From February 2005.
SAT 01:00 Charles Paris: So Much Blood (m000cbjt)
Up In The Castle
With one suspect cleared of murdering Willy Mariello, a bomb is planted in Charles Paris's bag - meaning suspicions shift elsewhere...
Francis Matthews stars as thespian sleuth, Charles Paris.
Conclusion of Simon Brett’s thriller serial adapted from his book.
Charles Paris ...... Francis Matthews
Anna Duncan ...... Kim Thomson
James Milne ...... Alan McNaughtan
Martin Warburton ...... Michael Maloney
Frances ...... Jennifer Hilary
Producer: Martin Fisher
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 1985.
SAT 01:30 Good Grief: The Story of Peanuts (b00vrvdm)
Pete Paphides, writer and music critic, talks to family, friends and fans of Charles Schulz, creator of the Peanuts cartoon. He asks why he related so strongly to long suffering Charlie Brown and why Peanuts was the most successful newspaper comic strip of all time.

Featuring interviews with Schulz's widow, Jean Schulz, two of his children- Craig and Jill, as well as contributions from graphic designer Chip Kidd, comic book artist Chris Ware and life-long fan Russell T. Davies.
He created Peanuts in 1950, and Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Lucy, Linus, Shroeder et al still hold a huge place in people's lives and memories. The Peanuts comic strip was the most popular cartoon strip of all time and crossed boundaries of young and old- some claim it did for comic strips what the Beatles did for music. Others called it 'a beat strip', perfectly reflecting American society. But its appeal was global.
Using the most minimum of lines, Schulz was able to convey emotions and humour. His characters were contemplative, philosophical, isolated, sometimes depressed. And surprisingly they made clever observations about classical music, theology psychiatry and sport. Classic story-lines included the Great Pumpkin, Lucy vying for attention at Shroeder's piano, Linus' blanket, Snoopy versus the Red Baron, and Charlie Brown never kicking the football.
Charlie Brown, the central character was isolated and lonely. A real person, with real problems was a new idea in comics and he spoke to people all over the world- including the presenter of this programme, Pete Paphides, growing up in Birmingham.
Schulz died in 2000.
Producer: Laura Parfitt
A White Pebble Media production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in November 2010.
SAT 02:00 Book at Bedtime (b05vy8cc)
Sarah Hall - The Wolf Border
Episode 5
With the wolves bonding, the time is approaching for their release into the estate where they must mate to guarantee the success of the project.
And Rachel has a new surprise...
Sarah Hall's novel is a compelling story about personal and political borders, about power, land, family and love. At its heart is Rachel Caine, tough, untouchable, an expert on wolves, and long estranged from her home county of Cumbria and her fiery mother and lost brother. Like the wolves she protects and champions, she is wary of human connections, happy in the untamed wilderness.
Set against the dramatic and artfully drawn backdrops of the Lakeland fells, The Wolf Border explores issues of ownership and vested power, of re-wilding and of family bonds as Rachel discovers that she can choose, and change.
Reader: Hattie Morahan
Abridger: Sally Marmion
Producer: Di Speirs
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 2015.
SAT 02:15 Prime Ministers' Props (b07syyrk)
Series 1
Harold Wilson's Pipe and Mac
Professor Sir David Cannadine explores political fame and image by looking at how an object or prop, whether chosen deliberately or otherwise, can come to define a political leader - from Winston Churchill's cigar and siren suit to Margaret Thatcher's handbag.
Sir David looks at the significance of these props of power - what they mean and what they become, and what happens when, almost inevitably, Prime Ministers lose control of their image and their props take on a hostile meaning, very different from their original intentions.
Harold Wilson sought to enhance his political image, in part by wearing a Gannex mac which made him seem ordinary, and also by puffing at his pipe, as memorably expressed in Ruskin Spear's 1974 portrait of him.
Following Stanley Baldwin, who had also made much of his pipe, Harold Wilson hoped to convey an image that was homely, benevolent and avuncular, and to some extent he succeeded. But the unintended consequence was that the pipe also enhanced Wilson's reputation for evasiveness and deviousness. Whenever asked a difficult question by an interviewer, he would delay and distract attention by lighting up - and it was widely believed that, although he puffed his pipe in public, he preferred cigars in private. A rumour that his son, Robin Wilson, scotches.
The Gannex mac was also to become a hostage to fortune for Wilson. While he was the peak of his popularity, the Gannex made him look like a man of the people and the millionaire businessman who invented Gannex, Joseph Kagan, became a close friend of Wilson. But once Kagan fell from grace due to his crooked business dealings, Wilson's Kagan connection was further evidence to his enemies that he was not to be trusted.
Producer: Melissa FitzGerald
A Blakeway production first broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 2016.
SAT 02:30 15 Minute Drama (b04w0k8x)
Nigel Slater - Eating for England
Episode 5
Aunt Elvie, now in a home, continues to play a central part in Nigel's life.
Aunt Elvie......................Celia Imrie
Nigel Slater...................Julian Rhind-Tutt
Waiter...........................Nigel Slater
Nellie.............................Buffy Davies
Cynthia..........................Effie MacMillan
Eating for England, the successor to his highly acclaimed memoir Toast, is part food memoir, part collective memory bank of a nation's taste. Using the book as source material along with further conversations with Nigel, dramatist Sarah Daniels has written a playful reimagining. A grown up Nigel - played by Julian Rhind-Tutt, looks back on his childhood while caring for a now elderly, yet ever sparkling, Aunt Elvie, played by Celia Imrie.
Rich with sounds of the kitchen and recorded on location, with a cameo performance from Nigel himself.
What drives a cook to write about food? Why is there such a powerful link between memory and what we eat? And why is reading about food so irresistibly appetising?
Dramatised by Sarah Daniels.
Sound design by Eloise Whitmore.

Director: Polly Thomas
A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in December 2014.
SAT 02:45 Book of the Week (b059jjn6)
The Utopia Experiment
Episode 5
Dylan finds himself sectioned in a hospital's psychiatric unit. It's not quite dystopia, but it's certainly not the future he had imagined.
Written and concluded by Dylan Evans.
A true story that you couldn't make up - one man's attempt to survive a global catastrophe by setting up a commune in Scotland.
While lecturing in robotics, academic Dylan Evans became increasingly concerned by the visible impacts of global warming, population increase, terrorism - and by our inability to cope with a doomsday scenario in a world engineered to just-in-time living.
The concern became an obsession and Evans left his post to run an experiment. He set up a camp that would create the conditions for a post-apocalyptic world. It was established in the Scottish Highlands with a collection of people chosen for talents and skills necessary in a life without technology or comforts.
The resulting story is a Lord of the Flies for the modern day, treating serious and normally sombre topics with dark humour. At its heart, however, is one man's well-intentioned dream and the price he paid for trying to do something good.
Abridged by Barry Johnston.
Producer: David Roper
A Heavy Entertainment production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in March 2015.
SAT 03:00 Drama (b06rwgd7)
The Arabian Nights
Episode 2
The Hunchback Cycle is told in this episode, including the story of The Barber (Alexei Sayle) and his brothers, as well as lesser known stories.
The immortal stories of The Arabian Nights brought to life in an inventive fresh adaptation by Glen Neath, as present and past merge into one.
Ata Madri (Indira Varma) is in Cairo attempting to retrieve a lost manuscript of The Arabian Nights that is said to contain the real ending of the book. As we follow her search we slip into this sea of stories.
These tales of wonder and imagination have beguiled both east and west over generations and remain as seminal and influential as ever. Here, the stories are told in a rich world of sound by an ensemble of actors from around the world.
Narrator.....................Nadim Sawalha
Madri..........................Indira Varma
Clive, Steward............Ewan Bailey
Ali Zum, Thief, Chief....Waleed Elgadi
Tailor...........................Bhasker Patel
Tailor’s Wife................Alyssa Kyria
Christian, Old Man.......Niall Ashdown
Lame Young Man,
Al-Haddar....................Muzz Khan
Mother,
Beautiful Woman..........Noa Bodner
Barber..........................Alexei Sayle
Jewish Physician’s maid,
Judge’s Daughter.........Sharlit Deyzac
Caliph...........................Renu Setna
Bakbook,
Jewish Physician...........Amir El-Masry
Young Woman..............Laura Hanna
Bakbak.........................Nabil Elouahabi
Blind Beggar.................Noof McEwan
Watchman, Al-Ashar.....Stewart Scudamore
Hasan, Taxi Driver........Nayef Rashed
Sound design by Alisdair McGregor
Music by Michael Ward with David Lewin and Peter Rophone
Director: Boz Temple-Morris
A Holy Mountain production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in December 2015.
SAT 04:00 The Food Quiz (b09k9g9q)
Christmas Special 2004
Journalist and food critic, Jay Rayner gives Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, Clarissa Dickson-Wright, Pat Chapman and Jancis Robinson a festive grilling on their knowledge of food and drink.
Producer: Dixi Stewart
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 2004.
SAT 04:30 The Phenomenon Squad (b0855z15)
The Purge
Brabazon's intrepid team of cops undertake a purge on pornography. But WPI Nutkins wants a wimple.
Roy Kinnear and Simon Cadell star in Michael Snelgrove’s sitcom about the less-than-competent leader of a crack undercover police squad.
Supt Brabazon ...... Roy Kinnear
Endicott-Heap ...... Simon Cadell
Sigaloff ...... Royce Mills
WPI Nutkins ...... Susie Blake
MacTooley ...... Alex Norton
Humby ...... Stephen Frost
Astrid ...... Polly James
Lindquist ...... Neil McCaul
Producer: Jonathan James-Moore
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 1987.
SAT 05:00 1834 (b011klyr)
Strong Continental Lager
21st-century teacher Jason decides 19th-century Macclesfield needs a decent pub with decent beer.
In Jim Poyser's riotous comedy of transportation and delight, Jason is now Tarquin, third son of Lord Belport with a faithful valet, Ned.
Jason Slater ...... Michael Begley
Ned ...... Joe Caffrey
Hoskins ...... Kenneth Alan Taylor
Lord Belport ...... Mark Chatterton
Stubbs ...... Glenn Cunningham
Millicent ...... Julia Rounthwaite
Directed at BBC Manchester by Polly Thomas.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in June 2003.
SAT 05:30 Fred at The Stand (m000cbjx)
Series 1
Cook, Sutherland, Vee and Waugh
Fred MacAulay introduces some of the funniest comedians in the UK doing what they do best - pure stand up comedy. Recorded at The Stand Comedy Club in Edinburgh.
This week, the unstoppable Jason Cook tells a story about performing on a cruise ship, JoJo Sutherland lets slip some of her supermum secrets, Sindu Vee tries to explain the leniency of her parenting compared to what can be found in India, and Scotsman Gareth Waugh has a plan to save the bees.
A Dabster production for BBC Radio 4.
SAT 06:00 James Bond (b01kxzr6)
From Russia with Love
It's 1955 and the Russians plan an act of terrorism. Choice of target? James Bond. To be 'killed with ignominy': a major sex scandal will leave his reputation, and that of MI6, in tatters.
Colonel Rosa Klebb of the KGB devises a plan to lure Bond into their trap, using beautiful Corporal Tatiana Romanova as bait - plus a Spektor, the latest Russian decoding device...
Toby Stephens stars as agent 007.
In Archie Scottney's brilliantly evocative 'radio screenplay', we see another side to 007. Unsure of his judgement, can he bring the lovely Tatiana safely to England, along with the precious Spektor? Will the Russians succeed in having Bond killed?
Martin Jarvis directs an all-star cast.
James Bond ...... Toby Stephens
Rosa Klebb ...... Eileen Atkins
General ...... John Sessions
Kerim ...... Tim Pigott-Smith
Kronsteen ...... Mark Gatiss
Major ...... Jon Glover
May ...... Aileen Mowat
'M' ...... John Standing
Moneypenny ...... Janie Dee
'Q' ...... Julian Sands
Manager ...... Matthew Wolf
Tatiana ...... Olga Fedori
Announcer ...... Micky Stratford
Nash ...... Nathaniel Parker
Ian Fleming ...... Martin Jarvis
Other parts played by members of the cast
Specially composed music by Mark Holden and Michael Lopez.
Director: Martin Jarvis
Producer: Rosalind Ayres
A Jarvis and Ayres production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in July 2012.
SAT 07:30 Recycled Radio (b04f9frk)
Series 2
Truth
Welcome to the chopped up, looped up, sped up world of Recycled Radio, introduced by cartoonist Gerald Scarfe, on the theme of Truth.
Expect contributions from those who can spot a lie from a mile off, including politicians Tony Blair, Bill Clinton and Michael Howard.
And explore the philosophical meaning of Truth with Nicholas Parsons, Melvyn Bragg and Sandi Toksvig.
Produced in Bristol by Melvin Rickarby.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 2014.
SAT 08:00 Archive on 4 (b06z5pts)
David Bowie: Verbatim
With previously unheard interviews, studio out takes and a collection of musings from throughout the years, the story of David Bowie's extraordinary life and career told in his own words.
By his own count, David Bowie inhabited seven different personas throughout his career and, while each one of those creations channelled wildly different musical influences that were often difficult to identify, Bowie was always able to articulate with great conviction which musical universe he was inhabiting at each turn – even if he often contradicted himself.
“I usually don’t agree with what I say very much. I’m an awful liar”, he claimed in 2002, while summarizing his many changes in style.
Producer: Des Shaw
A Ten Alps production first broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 2016.
SAT 09:00 Peel Acres: John Peel Remembered (b04lstp5)
Jarvis Cocker remembers John Peel a decade after his death and talks to his wife Sheila Ravenscroft in their family home.
They look at his legacy in the form of the record collection which shaped the musical taste of the nation, now being put online.
Plus a visit to the John Peel Arts Centre in Stowmarket which, in the Peel tradition, is bringing fresh talent to the public.
Featuring:
* Desert Island Discs – John Peel:
Radio 1’s music guru John Peel looks back over his life and career sharing his castaway choices with Sue Lawley. From January 1990.
* Home Truths:
John Peel presents an edition of Radio 4’s series showcasing the extraordinary stories of ordinary people. From October 2004.
Broadcaster John Peel died on 25th October 2004 aged 65. He championed British music for nearly 40 years on his late-night Radio 1 show. His uncompromising encouragement of new talent transformed the face of music all the way from hippy to house. From 1998, he became the presenter of Radio 4's Home Truths until his death.
Producer: Harry Parker.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 Extra in October 2014.
SAT 11:30 A Good Read (b00763tc)
John Peel & Arabella Weir
Matthew Parris and his guests - broadcaster John Peel and comic actress Arabella Weir - discuss favourite books by Tracy Chevalier, Joshua Slocum and Arthur Mathews.
Girl With A Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier
Publisher: Harper Collins
Sailing Alone Around the World by Joshua Slocum
Publisher: Adlard Coles Nautical
Well Remembered Days by Arthur Mathews.
Publisher: Macmillan
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 2001.
SAT 12:00 The Unbelievable Truth (b06d2g56)
Series 15
Episode 6
David Mitchell hosts the panel game in which four comedians are encouraged to tell lies and compete against one another to see how many items of truth they're able to smuggle past their opponents.
Sarah Millican, Victoria Coren Mitchell, Holly Walsh and Katherine Ryan are the panellists obliged to talk with deliberate inaccuracy on subjects as varied as IKEA, marriage, Switzerland and chewing gum.
The show is devised by Graeme Garden and Jon Naismith, the team behind Radio 4's I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue.
Produced by Jon Naismith
A Random Entertainment production for BBC Radio 4.
SAT 12:30 Electric Ink (b0116gvm)
Series 1
Episode 1
Maddox is an old school journalist struggling to keep up with new technology.
He feels the art of finding stories is being forgotten and he is not about to let that happen.
Old hacks meet new media in Alistair Beaton’s satire set in the changing world of the newspaper industry.
Maddox ...... Robert Lindsay
Oliver ...... Alex Jennings
Amelia ...... Elizabeth Berrington
Tasneem ...... Zita Sattar
Masha ...... Debbie Chazen
Freddy ...... Ben Willbond
Announcer ...... Matt Addis
With additional material by Tom Mitchelson.
Director: Sally Avens
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in June 2009.
SAT 13:00 AL Kennedy - Subterranean Homesick Blues (m000clkx)
Series 4 (Omnibus)
Bill Nighy and Anna Calder-Marshall star in the omnibus of AL Kennedy's comic drama about love in later life.
John and Maggie's wedding day arrives, but will John get there in time and has Maggie actually divorced all her previous husbands?
John ..... Bill Nighy
Maggie ..... Anna Calder-Marshall
Registrar ..... Neil McCaul
Barry ..... Rick Warden
Director: Sally Avens
First broadcast in five parts on BBC Radio 4 in December 2019.
SAT 14:10 Inheritance Tracks (m000clkz)
Norman Jay MBE
DJ and musical pioneer Norman Jay MBE, chooses 'Mona Lisa' by Nat King Cole and 'Optimistic' by Sounds of Blackness.
SAT 14:15 Frankly Speaking (b05ndh2t)
Evelyn Waugh
Brideshead Revisited author Evelyn Waugh is grilled about his life and career by Charles Wilmot, Jack Davies and Stephen Black
Regarded as one of the most brilliant novelists of his day, Waugh loathed the BBC. His grandson Alexander believes that this interview, along with a cocktail of sleeping draughts, helped to send him "rather mad". The author later turned his experience on Frankly Speaking into a scene in his novel 'The Ordeal of Gilbert Pinfold' with Stephen Black becoming the character Angel who haunts Pinfold in his hallucinations.
Launched in 1952 on the BBC Home Service, Frankly Speaking was a novel, ground breaking series. Unrehearsed and unscripted, the traditional interviewee/interviewer pairing was initially jettisoned for three interviewers firing direct questions - straight to the point.
Early critics described it as 'unkempt', 'an inquisition' and described the guest as prey being cornered, quarry being pursued - with calls to axe the unscripted interview. But the format won out and eventually won over its detractors.
Unknown or very inexperienced broadcasters were employed as interviewers, notably John Freeman, John Betjeman, Malcolm Muggeridge, Harold Hobson, Penelope Mortimer, Elizabeth Beresford and Katherine Whitehorn.
Only about 40 of the original 100 programmes survive.
First broadcast on the BBC Home Service in November 1953.
SAT 14:45 A Sacrifice at Christmas (m000cll1)
Two children go in search of a wren.
'That sort of thing is nothing short of paganism. You'd be better off leaving such things alone....'
Dilys Price reads Dafydd Ifans' short story.
Producer: Herbert Williams
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 1985.
SAT 15:00 Archive on 4 (b06z5pts)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
SAT 16:00 James Bond (b01kxzr6)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
SAT 17:30 Recycled Radio (b04f9frk)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
SAT 18:00 Dan Dare (m000cll3)
21st Century Spaceman
Episode 1
Science journalist, Richard Hollingham explores whether the reality of space exploration is catching up with the futuristic Dan Dare universe of the distant past.
The first of a two-part exploration.
Featuring extracts from the audio dramas as well as interviews with British spacecraft engineer Alan Bond, plus actors Ed Stoppard [Dan Dare], Geoff McGivern [Digby], Robert G. Slade [Major Stranks], co-lead writer Richard Kurti and producer/director Andrew Mark Sewell.
A B7 Media Production in association with Boffin Media.
SAT 18:25 Dan Dare (m000cll5)
Series 2
Reign of the Robots 1/2
Dashing test pilot, Dan Dare, Lieutenant Digby and the Eagle Corporation’s Professor Jocelyn Peabody finally return to Earth after battling The Mekon on Venus. Landing in a seemingly deserted central London, they establish that, with the date being 24th June 2045, they have lost ten years.
With limited resources, Dare, Digby and Peabody set about liberating the Earth from an army of ruthless robots. The task becomes more desperate than ever when they discover the alien force behind the invasion.
More adventures based on the Eagle comic strip 'Dan Dare' created in 1950 by the Reverend Marcus Morris and Frank Hampson.
Dan Dare …. Ed Stoppard
Digby …. Geoff McGivern
Professor Peabody …. Heida Reed
The Mekon …. Raad Rawi
George Bryan …. Dean Harris
On-board Computer …. Dianne Weller
Original music: Imran Ahmad
Dramatised by Simon Guerrier from an original story by Frank Hampson.
Director: Andrew Mark Sewell.
Made by B7 Media
SAT 19:00 Peel Acres: John Peel Remembered (b04lstp5)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
SAT 21:30 A Good Read (b00763tc)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:30 today]
SAT 22:00 It's Jocelyn (b08hpf79)
Series 2
Family
It's Jocelyn returns for a second series of sketches and stand-up from the wonderful mind of Jocelyn Jee Esien.
In episode four, Jocelyn talks about family, a spiritual medium goes over to the other side and the doctors receptionist shows her true feelings for 'big bad Don'.
This series Jocelyn is joined by Paul Whitehouse as a cockney funeral director, as well as the vocal talents of Ninia Benjamin, Curtis Walker, Dee Kaate, Gavi Chera and Karen Bartke.
The producer is Suzy Grant and It's Jocelyn is a BBC Studios production.
SAT 22:30 Bridget Christie's Christmas List (b06s9s00)
Father Christmas helps Bridget bring about a feminist Christmas for 2015, whether he wants to or not.
Featuring (much to their surprise) Miles Jupp, Robin Ince, Jon Culshaw and Leo Wan.
A Christmas show for everyone. Even men.
Written by and starring Bridget Christie.
Producer: Alexandra Smith
A BBC Radio Comedy production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in December 2015.
SAT 22:45 Adam and Joe's Famous Guy (b010m7g6)
"I'm the best at pretending..."
Adam Buxton and Joe Cornish star in the tale of Manthea Shringleton, a journalist sent to interview a reclusive Hollywood star.
Written by Adam Buxton.
Producer: Claudine Toutoungi.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 2006.
SAT 22:55 Comedy Club Extra (m000d3wv)
12 Days of Christmas
Episode 1
Jake Yapp and Jon Holmes interview the characters from the carol the 12 Days of Christmas. Tonight, a drumming drummer, a piper piping, and a lord a-leaping.
SAT 23:00 Alexei Sayle's Imaginary Sandwich Bar (b080tynb)
Series 1
Pretending & Sandwiches
The Godfather of Alternative Comedy delivers a mixture of stand-up, memoir and philosophy from behind the counter of his Imaginary Sandwich Bar.
Alexei Sayle explores his impulse to pretend and love of sandwiches.
Along the way he reveals the little known origin of the prawn cocktail, debunks the myth that the Earl of Sandwich was the first person to put a bit of meat between two slices of bread and discusses the hidden depths of Taylor Swift.
Written and performed by Alexei Sayle
Original music and lyrics by Tim Sutton
Producer: Joe Nunnery
A BBC Studios Production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in November 2016.
SAT 23:30 Ross Noble Goes Global (b01dbgvs)
Series 2
Milan
The comedian discovers graffiti, beggars and lycra-clad couriers in the Italian style capital of Europe. From June 2003.


SUNDAY 22 DECEMBER 2019

SUN 00:00 Dan Dare (m000cll3)
[Repeat of broadcast at 18:00 on Saturday]
SUN 00:25 Dan Dare (m000cll5)
[Repeat of broadcast at 18:25 on Saturday]
SUN 01:00 AL Kennedy - Subterranean Homesick Blues (m000clkx)
[Repeat of broadcast at 13:00 on Saturday]
SUN 02:10 Inheritance Tracks (m000clkz)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:10 on Saturday]
SUN 02:15 Frankly Speaking (b05ndh2t)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:15 on Saturday]
SUN 02:45 A Sacrifice at Christmas (m000cll1)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:45 on Saturday]
SUN 03:00 Archive on 4 (b06z5pts)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 on Saturday]
SUN 04:00 James Bond (b01kxzr6)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 on Saturday]
SUN 05:30 Recycled Radio (b04f9frk)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 on Saturday]
SUN 06:00 Nigel Slater - Eating for England (Omnibus) (b04wjh13)
In the bleak Christmas following his mother's death, the young Nigel Slater sought refuge in food.
Sugar mice, pink wafers and mince pies helped him survive. So too did his Aunt Elvie who, against the wishes of his father, encouraged Nigel to cook.
Eating for England, the successor to his highly acclaimed memoir Toast, is part food memoir, part collective memory bank of a nation's taste. Using the book as source material along with further conversations with Nigel, dramatist Sarah Daniels has written a playful reimagining. A grown up Nigel - played by Julian Rhind Tutt, looks back on his childhood while caring for a now elderly, yet ever sparkling, Aunt Elvie, played by Celia Imrie.
Rich with sounds of the kitchen and recorded on location, with a cameo performance from Nigel himself.
Omnibus of five episodes.
What drives a cook to write about food? Why is there such a powerful link between memory and what we eat? And why is reading about food so irresistibly appetising?
Nigel reflects on sugar mice and the bleak Christmas just after his mother's death, when Aunt Elvie helped him through.
Aunt Elvie......................Celia Imrie
Nigel Slater...................Julian Rhind Tutt
Tony..............................Adrian Scarborough
Young Nigel...................Isaac Whitmore
Dramatised by Sarah Daniels
Sound design by Eloise Whitmore
Director: Polly Thomas
A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in December 2014.
SUN 07:15 Nay, Ivy, Nay (b007jqtg)
Ivy covets a sprig of white-berried holly, cultivated by a botany professor in his garden, to decorate her Christmas pudding.
Crawford Logan reads Shena Mackay's modern festive tale.
Producer: Julia Butt
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 1998.
SUN 07:30 Guilt Trip (b07m7833)
Episode 2
It's day six of the walk and Ros is concerned that they aren't doing enough to revive the bond between them, while Laura is worried that she doesn't have a passion and focus in her life.
Will they both find what they are looking for?
Comedy drama written by Katherine Jakeways with Felicity Montagu and Olivia Nixon.
A mother and daughter are undertaking a two week sponsored walk along The Thames Path to raise money for the dead father's charity.
But the mother and father divorced nine years ago and he'd re-married, so relationships between them all have been strained. Things come to a head at any mention of the French Oak gable table that Ros and her now dead ex bought together in Camden. This has somehow ended up in the stepmother's house, much to Ros's annoyance: "I mean she sits at it! It's my table and she sits at it."
Ros ...... Felicity Montagu
Laura ...... Olivia Nixon
Stepmother ...... Katherine Jakeways
Boyfriend ...... Tim Key
With Javone Prince, Evie Killip and Amelia Lowdell.
Producer: Jane Berthoud
A BBC Radio Comedy production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in July 2016.
SUN 08:00 Life With The Lyons (m000cky4)
'Twas The Night Before
Bebe makes some Christmas wishes concerning the gas cooker, plus some news of a birth and Aggie's mother.
Starring real-life American family: Ben Lyon and his wife Bebe Daniels and their children, Richard and Barbara. Life With The Lyons was one the BBC's most popular radio sitcoms between 1950 and 1961. It was also adapted for BBC TV.
With Horace Percival, Doris Rogers, Molly Weir, Norman Shelley, David Enders and Hugh Morton.
BBC Variety Orchestra - Conductor, Paul Fenoulhet
Written by Bebe Daniels, Bob Block and Ronnie Hanbury.
Producer: Tom Ronald
First broadcast on the BBC Light programme in December 1953.
SUN 08:30 The Clitheroe Kid (m000cky6)
Just The Ticket
It’s pantomime time! Oh yes it is! But will the cheeky schoolboy manage to see Cinderella?
The Kid Himself ...... Jimmy Clitheroe
Grandfather ...... Peter Sinclair
Mother ...... Patricia Burke
Susan ...... Diana Day
Alfie ...... Danny Ross
Laundry Man ...... Deryck Guyler
Laundry Woman ...... Betty Alberge
Just 4 feet 3 inches tall, the success of comic entertainer Jimmy Clitheroe (1921-1973) sprang from a BBC Variety Playhouse try-out in the late 1950s. His naughty schoolboy act was a smash and he even wore school uniform during recordings! At its peak, ten million fans were tuning into 'The Clitheroe Kid' on the BBC Light Programme.
Every week, the Kid's schemes sparked havoc - with the ever present threat of a good spanking from Grandad. The Clitheroe Kid clocked up 16 series in its run from 1956 to 1972.
Theme music by Alan Roper and played by the BBC Northern Dance Orchestra directed by Alan Ainsworth
Scripted by James Casey and Frank Roscoe.
Producer: James Casey.
First broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in December 1962.
SUN 09:00 Letters From Tove (Omnibus) (m000cky8)
Out of the thousands of letters Moomin creator Tove Jansson wrote, a cache remains that she addressed to her family, her dearest confidantes, and her lovers, both male and female.
Into these, she spilled her innermost thoughts, defended her ideals and revealed her heart. To read these letters is both an act of startling intimacy and a rare privilege.
Penned with grace and humour, Letters from Tove offers an almost seamless commentary on Tove Jansson's life as it unfolds within Helsinki's bohemian circles and her island home. Spanning fifty years between her art studies and the height of Moomin fame, we hear the bleakness of war, the hopes for love that were dashed and renewed, and her determined attempts to establish herself as an artist.
Translated from the Swedish by Sarah Death
Abridged by Polly Coles
Read by Sarah Lambie
Producer: Clive Brill
A Brill production for first broadcast in five parts on BBC Radio 4 in December 2019.
SUN 10:10 The Listening Project (b085bfyx)
Graham and Lisa - Where Angels Walk
Fi Glover introduces a conversation between a Buddhist Father Christmas and a Baptist chaplain about how they spend Christmas morning in the hospice. Another in the series that proves it's surprising what you hear when you listen.
The Listening Project is a Radio 4 initiative that offers a snapshot of contemporary Britain in which people across the UK volunteer to have a conversation with someone close to them about a subject they've never discussed intimately before. The conversations are being gathered across the UK by teams of producers from local and national radio stations who facilitate each encounter. Every conversation - they're not BBC interviews, and that's an important difference - lasts up to an hour, and is then edited to extract the key moment of connection between the participants. Most of the unedited conversations are being archived by the British Library and used to build up a collection of voices capturing a unique portrait of the UK in the second decade of the millennium. You can learn more about The Listening Project by visiting bbc.co.uk/listeningproject
Producer: Marya Burgess.
SUN 10:15 Desert Island Discs Revisited (m000ckyb)
Absent Friends
Dame June Whitfield
From Noel Coward to Frank Sinatra. Much-loved actress Dame June Whitfield shares her 1990 castaway choices with Sue Lawley.
One of the most familiar and best-loved figures of British comedy over six decades - from Eth in The Glums, June in Terry and June to Mother in Absolutely Fabulous - a consummate professional bringing laughter and fun to millions of people.
Favourite track: The Trolley Song by Judy Garland
Book: A do-it-yourself manual
Luxury: Supply of cocoa butter and hat
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 1990.
SUN 11:00 The Moth Radio Hour (b09k9zzr)
Series 6
Live from the Cowboy Poetry Festival
True stories told live in the USA: Dame Wilburn from the annual National Cowboy Poetry Gathering in Elko Nevada.
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.
First broadcast in the USA in 2017.
SUN 11:50 David Attenborough's Life Stories (b0124r4k)
Series 2
Elsa
David Attenborough recalls how, whilst en route to Madagascar, his BBC bosses asked him to break his journey in Kenya to visit the Adamsons.
Joy and George Adamson were famous for hand rearing a Lioness whom they named Elsa. She was the central character in the book written by the couple "Born Free".
Sir David cleverly takes us from the romanticism of Born Free and being close to habituated lions, to the harsh reality of befriending a big cat.
Producer: Polly Procter
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 2011.
SUN 12:00 Life With The Lyons (m000cky4)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
SUN 12:30 The Clitheroe Kid (m000cky6)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
SUN 13:00 Nigel Slater - Eating for England (Omnibus) (b04wjh13)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
SUN 14:15 Nay, Ivy, Nay (b007jqtg)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:15 today]
SUN 14:30 Philip Pullman - The Book of Dust (Omnibus) (b09dblms)
La Belle Sauvage
Twenty two years after the publication of Philip Pullman's NORTHERN LIGHTS, the author Philip Pullman returned to the world of HIS DARK MATERIALS with a brand new trilogy.
LA BELLE SAUVAGE, read by Simon Russell Beale, is the first volume of THE BOOK OF DUST.
Set ten years before the events of HIS DARK MATERIALS, this novel explores the origins of that story.
Malcolm returns to see Alice at the Priory to try and discover who has been helping Bonneville.
Omnibus of the last five of ten episodes.
Producer: Allegra McIlroy
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 2017.
SUN 15:45 Who Ate All The Pies? (m000ckyf)
Stargazey Pie
Every 23rd December, the village of Mousehole in Cornwall celebrates Tom Bawcock's Eve at the local pub with stargazey pie
It's so-called because the heads of pilchards poke through the crust!
Producer: Julian May
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 2004.
SUN 16:00 Drama (b06p56zj)
The Day of the Locust
Tod is a young scene designer in 1930s Hollywood trying to earn an honest buck and still maintain his artistic integrity. He falls in love with Faye, an aspiring actress and gets sucked into the toxic periphery of the dream factory.
Nathanael West's caustic satire on the flipside of the Hollywood dream.
Dramatised by Jim Poyser
TOD......Simon Lee Phillips
FAYE..... Laura Aikman
HOMER/MIGUEL .....Kerry Shale
ABE/HARRY...... John Guerassio
MRS LOOMIS/ MRS JOHNSON..... ..Teresa Gallagher
CLAUDE....... Louis Labovitch
EARL...... Todd Kramer
Director: Gary Brown
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 2015.
SUN 17:00 Poetry Extra (m000ckyh)
Sir Ian McKellen reads The Rime of the Ancient Mariner
Poet Daljit Nagra revisits the BBC's radio poetry archive and selects The Rime of the Ancient Mariner - the atmospheric poem by Samuel Taylor Coleridge.
Read by Sir Ian McKellen.
A young wedding guest is detained with a 'glittering eye' and a strange tale of the supernatural events he experienced on a long sea voyage.
Specially recorded in Wordsworth's home in Grasmere.
Producer: Susan Roberts.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 on Christmas Day in 2006.
SUN 17:30 Guilt Trip (b07m7833)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
SUN 18:00 The Twilight Zone (m000ckyk)
Night of the Meek
Santa Claus is coming to the department store. And he's late. Henry Corwin is a drunken reprobate of a Santa sacked from his department store, but then, in a New York alleyway, he finds a gift that keeps on giving.
Starring Chris McDonald.
Narrator: Stacy Keach
With Taylor Miller, Turk Muller, Doug James, Peter DaFaria, Peggy Roeder, Adam Tanguay, Richard Henzel, Ric Peeples, Meg Thalken, Lauren Patton. Lucas Elman, Zack Grey, Carl Amari and Roger Wolski
Originally a cult sci-fi and horror TV series created by Rod Serling and broadcast in the USA on CBS from 1959 to 1964, The Twilight Zone was first adapted by American producer Carl Amari in 2002 as a 40-minute radio drama series.
Rod Serling had managed to electrify the new medium of television - so armed with a licence from CBS and the Serling estate, Amari's slick adaptions are based on the original TV scripts.
Actor Stacy Keach (best known as US TV detective Mike Hammer) takes Serling's original role as narrator - with a full cast, music and sound effects.
Produced and directed by Carl Amari for the Falcon Picture Group.
SUN 18:40 Anton Chekhov - A Dreadful Night (b0868d54)
Returning home from a seance one Christmas Eve, Ivan Spektroff is horrified by what’s waiting for him.
Alec McCowen reads Anton Chekhov's atmospheric short story.
Producer: Matthew Walters
First broadcast on BBC Radio 3 in January 1990.
SUN 19:00 The Moth Radio Hour (b09k9zzr)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:00 today]
SUN 19:50 David Attenborough's Life Stories (b0124r4k)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:50 today]
SUN 20:00 Letters From Tove (Omnibus) (m000cky8)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
SUN 21:10 The Listening Project (b085bfyx)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:10 today]
SUN 21:15 Desert Island Discs Revisited (m000ckyb)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:15 today]
SUN 22:00 Guilt Trip (b07m7833)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
SUN 22:30 The Remains of Foley and McColl (b007m4dx)
Subtle
Sean Foley and Hamish McColl investigate the art of subtlety by visiting a Jane Austen novel.
Surreal comedy starring award-winning double act Sean Foley and Hamish McColl, the Right Size.
With Rose English, Count Arthur Strong and Chris Larner.
Producer: Lissa Evans
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 2000.
SUN 22:55 Comedy Club Extra (m000d5z1)
12 Days of Christmas
Episode 2
Jake Yapp and Jon Holmes interview the characters from the carol the 12 Days of Christmas. Tonight, a lady dancing, a maid a-milking, and a swan a-swimming.
SUN 23:00 2000 Years of Radio (b007tcbl)
Series 1
Headless - Civil War Radio
Battle reports as they happen - with all the decapitations and more. Stars Marcus Brigstocke. From November 2000.
SUN 23:15 Hannah Gadsby: Arts Clown (b05n00f1)
Picasso's Les Demoiselles d'Avignon
Aussie stand up comedian and art historian Hannah Gadsby presents a comedy art lecture, this week on the subject of Picasso's angry 1907 masterpiece 'Les Demoiselles D'Avignon'.
It was as an art history student in Canberra in her early 20s that she was first introduced to this canvas and it took her a long time to grow to love it. She takes us on her personal journey through hate, to eventual love, explaining along the way why this piece is so pivotal in art history.
With the help of her Quotebot (who sounds remarkably like comedy god and mega boffin John Lloyd) Hannah explores Les Dems' rebellion, anger and revolution and the painting's place in modern art. She also decides Picasso was 'a bit of a dick'.
Written by Hannah Gadsby
Performed by Hannah Gadsby with her Quotebot aka John Lloyd
Script edited by Jon Hunter
Produced by Claire Jones.
SUN 23:30 The Harpoon (b00g31qh)
Christmas Special
A glowing Yuletide feast in the pages of the golden magazine's bumper Christmas special.
Enjoy the snow-capped lettering and a silver sixpence hidden in the middle.
With Susie Brann, Alistair McGowan, Mary Elliot-Nelson, Peter Baynham and Julian Dutton.
Producer: Sarah Smith
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 1991.


MONDAY 23 DECEMBER 2019

MON 00:00 The Twilight Zone (m000ckyk)
[Repeat of broadcast at 18:00 on Sunday]
MON 00:40 Anton Chekhov - A Dreadful Night (b0868d54)
[Repeat of broadcast at 18:40 on Sunday]
MON 01:00 Nigel Slater - Eating for England (Omnibus) (b04wjh13)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 on Sunday]
MON 02:15 Nay, Ivy, Nay (b007jqtg)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:15 on Sunday]
MON 02:30 Philip Pullman - The Book of Dust (Omnibus) (b09dblms)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:30 on Sunday]
MON 03:45 Who Ate All The Pies? (m000ckyf)
[Repeat of broadcast at 15:45 on Sunday]
MON 04:00 Drama (b06p56zj)
[Repeat of broadcast at 16:00 on Sunday]
MON 05:00 Poetry Extra (m000ckyh)
[Repeat of broadcast at 17:00 on Sunday]
MON 05:30 Guilt Trip (b07m7833)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 on Sunday]
MON 06:00 Cadfael (b007k2mr)
Monk's Hood
1. Troubled Times
The year is 1138, and Brother Cadfael, herbalist of Shrewsbury Abbey, is asked to supply a healing potion for a sick monk - but monk's hood oil can kill as well as cure....
Ellis Peters' medieval thriller narrated by Sir Michael Hordern with Philip Madoc as Brother Cadfael.
From the Chronicles of Brother Cadfael dramatised in five parts by Bert Coules.
Narrator ...... Sir Michael Hordern
Brother Cadfael ...... Phillip Madoc
Brother Mark ...... Ian Targett
Prior Robert ...... Geoffrey Whitehead
Brother Rees ...... Norman Jones
Rishildis Burnel ...... Pat Heywood
Father Heribert ...... Timothy Bateson
Elfrick ...... Mark Straker
Maerreg ...... Kenneth Price
Aldith ...... Jane Whittenshaw
Brother Edmund ...... Timothy Carlton
Brother Petrus ...... Fraser Kerr
Producer: Lissa Evans
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 1991.
MON 06:30 Letters To Father Christmas (b00765hw)
JRR Tolkien immortalised Christmas letters in Letters from Father Christmas.
Charles Dickens penned a letter to Santa in 1843 telling him about his new work, A Christmas Carol.
Carole Boyd takes us from the beautifully penned sentiments of great writers to some of the most original examples of children's letters and explores the origins and continuing popularity of this favourite Christmas tradition.
Producer: Adele Armstrong
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 2001.
MON 07:00 Arrested Development (b0075vh3)
Episode 1
Penny and Dave are getting married, but there are a few hiccups - Penny's hair being just one of them. She wanted the Julia Roberts look but has ended up with a Mrs Merton instead.
Simon Warne's four-part comedy serial.
Penny ...... Letitia Dean
Bob ...... Phil Cornwell
Andy ...... Julian Rhind-Tutt
Joy ...... Maggie McCarthy
Kate ...... Susannah Doyle
Frank ...... Roger Walker
Producer: Tracey Neale
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 2000.
MON 07:30 I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue (m000c9mv)
Series 72
Episode 6
The 72nd series of the multi award-winning comedy panel game chaired by Jack Dee
MON 08:00 The Enchanting World of Hinge and Bracket (b04nqvh4)
Series 1
Desert Island Discs
Roy Plomley joins the dear ladies as they are cast away.
Starring Dame Hilda Bracket and her lifelong companion Dr Evadne Hinge.
The dear ladies reside in the Suffolk village of Stackton Tressel. This was the genteel setting for three Radio 4 series between 1977 and 1979, with further spin-off seasons on Radio 2 until 1990. In the early 1980s, they expanded over to BBC TV with the series Dear Ladies.
Dame Hilda Bracket ...... George Logan
Dr Evadne Hinge ...... Patrick Fyffe
Roy Plomley ...... Himself
Mr Percival ...... Joe Black
Scripted by Mike Craig, Lawrie Kinsley and Ron McDonnell.
Produced at BBC Manchester by James Casey
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 1977.
MON 08:30 Dad's Army (b007jprv)
Series 3
The Godiva Affair
The Home Guard platoon holds a Spitfire fundraiser, but Corporal Jones is pining for Mrs Fox.
Adapted for radio from Jimmy Perry and David Croft's TV scripts by Harold Snoad and Michael Knowles.
Captain Mainwaring …. Arthur Lowe
Sergeant Wilson …. John Le Mesurier
Corporal Jones …. Clive Dunn
Private Frazer …. John Laurie
Private Pike …. Ian Lavender
Private Godfrey …. Arnold Ridley
Warden Hodges …. Bill Pertwee
Mrs Fox …. Mollie Sugden
Producer: John Dyas
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 1976.
MON 09:00 Just a Minute (b01m0lgq)
Series 64
Episode 3
Nicholas Parsons challenges Paul Merton, Gyles Brandreth, Janey Godley and Hannibal Buress to speak for 60 seconds. From 2012.
MON 09:30 Semi Circles (b007jts2)
Series 2
A Complete Break
Ben's exhausted after working hard on his company’s new bedtime drink. So he and his wife Helen plan a holiday...
The improving story of life and improving times in an improving neighbourhood.
Starring Paula Wilcox as Helen and David Wood as Ben
Written by Simon Brett
Helen ...... Paula Wilcox
Ben ...... David Wood
Mrs Kelly ...... Pay Heywood
Alastair ...... Tony Millan
Kevin ...... Stuart Organ
Julian ...... Mark Wing-Davey
Maureen ...... Miranda Forbes
Doctor ...... Robert Rietty
Producer: Pete Atkin
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 1982
MON 10:00 Drama (b081tpw0)
Richard Adams - Watership Down
Episode 1
Fearful that their home in Sandleford Warren is to be destroyed, a band of rabbits begins an epic and perilous journey to Watership Down.
First published in 1972, the award-winning Watership Down was Richard Adams' first novel and began life as improvised stories told to his two young daughters. Once published it became hugely successful, and won its author the Guardian Children's Fiction Award and the Carnegie Medal.
Dramatised in two-parts by Brian Sibley
Hyzenthlay ….. Lyndsey Marshal
Hazel ….. Gunnar Cauthery
Fiver ….. Robert Emms
Bigwig ….. Alex Lanipekun
Blackberry ….. Finlay Robertson
Dandelion ….. Luke MacGregor
Holly/Frith ….. Nicholas Murchie
Strawberry ….. John Dougall
Silver ….. Gavi Singh Chera
Cowslip ….. Keziah Joseph
Kehaar ….. Karen Bartke
Other parts played by John Bowler and David Sterne
Producer: Gemma Jenkins
Director: Marc Beeby
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 2016.
MON 11:00 TED Radio Hour (m000cmmg)
The Consequences of Racism
Guy Raz explores what does it mean to be judged before you walk through the door? What are the real consequences of racism?
A journey through fascinating ideas based on talks by riveting speakers on the TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) stage.
First broadcast in the USA on National Public Radio in 2018.
MON 11:50 Inheritance Tracks (b07djq70)
Don McLean
Singer-songwriter Don McLean chooses 'White Christmas' by Bing Crosby and 'Don't Be Cruel' by Elvis Presley.
MON 12:00 The Enchanting World of Hinge and Bracket (b04nqvh4)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
MON 12:30 Dad's Army (b007jprv)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
MON 13:00 Cadfael (b007k2mr)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
MON 13:30 Letters To Father Christmas (b00765hw)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
MON 14:00 Book at Bedtime (b05vy8dq)
Sarah Hall - The Wolf Border
Episode 6
The wolves are ready for their release into the enclosure on the Earl's estate and Rachel is about to give birth.
Sarah Hall's novel is a compelling story about personal, political and environmental boundaries: about power, land, family and love. At its heart is Rachel Caine, tough, defensive, an expert on wolves, and long estranged from her home county of Cumbria. Now she has returned to supervise a project to re-introduce wolves to England for the first time in 500 years. Like the wolves she protects and champions, she has been wary of human connections.
Set against the dramatic and artfully evoked backdrop of the Lakeland fells, The Wolf Border explores issues of vested power and re-wilding, and of family and motherhood.
Reader: Hattie Morahan
Abridger: Sally Marmion
Producer: Di Speirs
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 2015.
MON 14:15 The History of Pop (m000cmmj)
1. Life Pre-Pop
John Peel presents the definitive history of carbonated water - drinks that have made millions and conquered the world.
The first of a four-part series, looking at pop culture and how it all began...
Broadcaster John Peel was the champion of British music for nearly 40 years on his late-night Radio 1 show, but he was also a regular voice on BBC Radio 4.
Producer: Mark Palmer
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 1999.
MON 14:30 15 Minute Drama (b08575fp)
Jane Austen - Northanger Abbey
Episode 1
Catherine Morland is taken to Bath for the season and finds that in her fertile imagination danger lurks round every corner.
Jane Austen's satire pokes fun at the popular sensationalist fiction of the day.
Dramatised in ten parts by Hattie Naylor
Catherine ..... Georgia Groome
Henry ..... Luke Thompson
Mrs Allen ..... Tracy Wiles
Mr Allen ..... Kim Wall
Isabella ..... Ainsley Howard
Mrs Morland ..... Alison Belbin
Mr Morland ..... John Bowler
Mrs Thorpe ..... Karen Bartke
The Book ..... Miriam Margolyes
Directed by Sally Avens
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 2016.
MON 14:45 Book of the Week (b068td6z)
Maggie Smith - A Biography
Episode 1
Maggie Smith gets the acting bug.
Peter Firth reads Michael Coveney's biography of one of Britain's best-loved actors.
No one does glamour, severity, girlish charm or tight-lipped witticism better than Dame Maggie Smith.
This fresh biography in five parts shines the stage-lights on the life and work of a truly remarkable performer, whose career spans six decades.
From her days as a star of West End comedy and revue, Dame Maggie's path would cross with those of the greatest actors, playwrights and directors of the era. Whether stealing scenes from Richard Burton (by his own admission), answering back to Laurence Olivier, or impressing Ingmar
Bergman, her career can be seen as a Who's Who of British theatre in the twentieth century.
We also hear about her success in Hollywood - inaugurated by her first Oscar for her signature film, The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie - as well as her subsequent departure to Canada for a prolific four-season run of leading theatre roles.
Recently, Dame Maggie has been as prominent on our screens as ever, with high-profile roles as Violet Crawley, the formidable Dowager Countess of Grantham in the phenomenally successful Downton Abbey, and in the Harry Potter films as Professor Minerva McGonagall - a role she describes as 'Miss Jean Brodie in a wizard's hat'.
Yet paradoxically, Dame Maggie remains an enigmatic figure, rarely appearing in public and carefully guarding her considerable talent. Michael Coveney's absorbing biography, drawing on personal archives, interviews and encounters with the actress, as well as conversations with immediate family and dear friends, is therefore as close as it gets to seeing the real Maggie Smith.
Producer: Clive Brill
A Brill production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in in September 2015.
MON 15:00 Drama (b081tpw0)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 today]
MON 16:00 Just a Minute (b01m0lgq)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
MON 16:30 Semi Circles (b007jts2)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 today]
MON 17:00 Arrested Development (b0075vh3)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
MON 17:30 I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue (m000c9mv)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
MON 18:00 Doctor Who (b08dcknc)
Serpent Crest
Tsar Wars, part 1/2
Seized by intimidating robots, the Fourth Doctor and Mrs Wibbsey are taken to an elaborate space palace, 100,000 years in the future.
Tom Baker stars as the Fourth Doctor.
The first part of Serpent Crest - an exciting five-story adventure written by Paul Magrs.
The Doctor ...... Tom Baker
Mrs Wibbsey ...... Susan Jameson
Tsar ...... Michael Jayston
Tsarina ...... Suzy Aitchison
Boolin ...... Simon Shepherd
Producer: Kate Thomas
Made by BBC Audio and reversioned for broadcast by BBC Radio 4 Extra.
MON 18:30 A Good Read (b00kpvbq)
Natalie Haynes and Monty Halls
Kate Mosse and her guests - comedian, Natalie Haynes and and marine biologist and explorer, Monty Halls - discuss favourite books by Mark Dunn, Rowland White and Rafael Sabbatini.
Ella Minnow Pea by Mark Dunn,
Publisher: Methuen
Vulcan 607 by Rowland White,
Publisher: Transworld
Captain Blood by Rafael Sabbatini,
Publisher: Vintage
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 2009.
MON 19:00 The Enchanting World of Hinge and Bracket (b04nqvh4)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
MON 19:30 Dad's Army (b007jprv)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
MON 20:00 Cadfael (b007k2mr)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
MON 20:30 Letters To Father Christmas (b00765hw)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
MON 21:00 TED Radio Hour (m000cmmg)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:00 today]
MON 21:50 Inheritance Tracks (b07djq70)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:50 today]
MON 22:00 I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue (m000c9mv)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
MON 22:30 Bleak Expectations (b00p3380)
Series 3
Lives Lost, Ruined, Wrecked and Redeemed
Comedy Victorian adventure by Mark Evans.
Pip and Ripely find themselves facing a vast and evil undead army. England has only one hope - that Miss Sweetly Delightful can melt Mr Benevolent's cruel, undead heart.
Sir Philip ...... Richard Johnson
Young Pip Bin ...... Tom Allen
Gently Benevolent ...... Anthony Head
Harry Biscuit ...... James Bachman
Bishop Wackwallop ...... Geoffrey Whitehead
Ripely Bin ...... Sarah Hadland
Miss Sweetly Delightful ...... Raquel Cassidy
The Duke of Chelsea ...... Mark Evans.
MON 22:55 Comedy Club Extra (m000d4th)
12 Days of Christmas
Episode 3
Jake Yapp and Jon Holmes interview the characters from the carol the 12 Days of Christmas. Tonight, a goose a-laying, Five Gold Rings and a calling bird.
MON 23:00 Dead Ringers (m000c8rq)
Christmas Specials 2019
Episode 2
With the nation still coming to grips with the election results, the team bring you in-depth analysis, the political comment and a joke about Christmas.
Staring Jon Culshaw, Jan Ravens, Lewis McLeod, Duncan Wisbey, Deborah Stevenson.
The writing team for the series: Tom Jamieson & Nev Fountain, Laurence Howarth, Sarah Campbell, Ed Amsden & Tom Coles, James Bugg, Max Davis, Sara Gibbs, Simon Alcock, Alex Hardy and others.
Producer: Bill Dare
A BBC Studios Production
MON 23:30 Count Arthur Strong's Radio Show! (b06sbpn3)
Christmas 2015
Christmas creeps up on Arthur, leaving him little time to plan his festive arrangements.
Count Arthur Strong - one time Variety Star, now sole proprietor and owner of Doncaster's Academy of Performance - is a show business legend, raconteur, and lecturer extraordinaire. In this one off episode, the sudden arrival of Christmas ("We've only just celebrated Easter!") surprises Arthur. Could the lack of seasonal planning possibly see Arthur miss out on his Turkey?
All false starts and nervous fumbling badly covered up by a delicate sheen of bravado and self-assurance, and an expert in everything from the world of entertainment to the origin of the species, everyday life with Arthur is an enlightening, sometimes frustrating, never dull experience.
Count Arthur is supported by his Radio Repertory Company (like the RSC only better):
Alastair Kerr
Dave Mounfield
Mel Giedroyc
Steve Delaney has been performing as Count Arthur Strong since the late 90s. The character stepped from Edinburgh cult to mainstay of BBC Comedy, with eight series on BBC Radio 4, and a TV sitcom that stepped from BBC2 to BBC1.
A Komedia Entertainment production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in December 2015.


TUESDAY 24 DECEMBER 2019

TUE 00:00 Doctor Who (b08dcknc)
[Repeat of broadcast at 18:00 on Monday]
TUE 00:30 A Good Read (b00kpvbq)
[Repeat of broadcast at 18:30 on Monday]
TUE 01:00 Cadfael (b007k2mr)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 on Monday]
TUE 01:30 Letters To Father Christmas (b00765hw)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 on Monday]
TUE 02:00 Book at Bedtime (b05vy8dq)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:00 on Monday]
TUE 02:15 The History of Pop (m000cmmj)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:15 on Monday]
TUE 02:30 15 Minute Drama (b08575fp)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:30 on Monday]
TUE 02:45 Book of the Week (b068td6z)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:45 on Monday]
TUE 03:00 Drama (b081tpw0)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 on Monday]
TUE 04:00 Just a Minute (b01m0lgq)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 on Monday]
TUE 04:30 Semi Circles (b007jts2)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 on Monday]
TUE 05:00 Arrested Development (b0075vh3)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 on Monday]
TUE 05:30 I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue (m000c9mv)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 on Monday]
TUE 06:00 Cadfael (b007jl9z)
Monk's Hood
2. The Inheritance
Brother Cadfael fears the worst over the sickness of Shrewsbury Abbey's benefactor.
Ellis Peters' medieval thriller narrated by Sir Michael Hordern stars Philip Madoc as Brother Cadfael.
From the Chronicles of Brother Cadfael dramatised by Bert Coules.
Narrator ...... Sir Michael Hordern
Brother Cadfael ...... Phillip Madoc
Sergeant William Warden ...... Ian Hogg
Brother Mark ...... Ian Targett
Prior Robert ...... Geoffrey Whitehead
Brother Rees ...... Norman Jones
Rishildis Burnel ...... Pat Heywood
Elfrick ...... Mark Straker
Maerreg ...... Kenneth Price
Aldith ...... Jane Whittenshaw
Brother Edmund ...... Timothy Carlton
Edwin Gurney ...... Richard Pearce
Sybil Bellecott ...... Petra Markham
Edwy Bellecott ...... Stephen Garlick
Producer: Lissa Evans
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 1991.
TUE 06:30 One Day in Winter: Driving Home for Christmas (b04wgsmt)
Each year nearly 15 and a half million people travel home for the festive period. Just a few of them share their stories as they head home.
Long journeys, short journeys, each trip is for a reason and each trip will trigger a multitude of emotions.
This programme captures those feelings: from the excitement of Christmas that never seems to leave us, the feeling of relief of making it to a safe haven after a difficult year, the feeling of uncertainty and fear of how Christmas will play out, the feeling of stress from the actual journey. Tension levels increase depending on the weather and traffic conditions and the kids in the back of the car gradually getting more and more bored, chiming 'Are we nearly there yet?' every five minutes.
The great Christmas getaway is always wildly anticipated but often fraught and highly stressful: are all the kids in the car, is the snow going to come, will we get caught in a jam?
Feelings and emotions galore as travellers make their journeys home.
Producer: Martin Poyntz-Roberts
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 2014.
TUE 07:00 A Month of June (b01jhdgn)
Spray the Grass Green
It's 1939 and fading Hollywood star Lana Garfield hears the studio wants to dump her.
Contracted to Tantamount Pictures run by the notoriously difficult and womanising studio head, Al Seltzer. Miss Garfield is writing her autobiography with the assistance of British ghost writer George Creighton but is shocked when she hears on a radio gossip programme that Al intends to end her contract.
George and his ex-pat cronies take time off from their cocktails and cricket matches to collude with Al's ambitious and glamorous assistant Betty Stevens in exacting an appropriate revenge.
Written by Andy Merriman and Peter Morfoot.
The first of four comedies written for the many voices of legendary actor June Whitfield.
Lana Garfield ..... June Whitfield
George Creighton ..... David Haig
Al Seltzer ..... Patrick Brennan
Betty Stevens ..... Tracy Wiles
Harry Harcourt-Jones ..... Robert Blythe
Edna Harper ..... Amaka Okafor
Boris Karloff ..... Peter Morfoot
Director: David Hunter
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in June 2012
TUE 07:30 Rhys James (m000c9sf)
Series 2
Rhys James Isn’t… "B"
In an attempt to become more politically engaged, comedian Rhys James tries on opinions like clothes to see how they fit. This week he’s putting his right leg in first.
Last week he was a wishy-washy liberal. Now a week older and more right wing, Rhys asks: can we really be arsed to save the planet… Is it actually woke to teach LGBT+ issues in schools… Are gender-neutral toilets worth it… and Is Facebook really spying on us or do people just want to feel important?
Written and performed by – Rhys James
Produced by – Carl Cooper
Production Co-ordinator – Gwyn Rhys Davies
A BBC Studios production
TUE 08:00 The Goon Show (b007jl4y)
Operation Christmas Duff
In light of a festive pudding shortage for forces overseas, Neddie Seagoon takes action. Soon Richard Dimbleby is reporting on the giant Christmas pudding being mixed at dry dock in Chatham.
Groundbreaking, surreal BBC radio comedy written by Spike Milligan and Larry Stephens.
Starring:
Peter Sellers
Harry Secombe
Spike Milligan
First billed as Crazy People, ten series of The Goon Show were recorded between 1951 and 1960, but sadly many of the earliest shows weren’t kept in the archive.
With the Ray Ellington Quartet and Max Geldray.
Orchestra conducted by Wally Stott.
Announcer: Wallace Greenslade
Producer: Pat Dixon
Made for the BBC General Overseas Service and first broadcast to troops in 1956.
First UK broadcast was Christmas Day 1986 on BBC Radio 4.
TUE 08:30 Round the Horne (m000cm9z)
The Hunchback of Notre Dame
Kenneth Williams, Hugh Paddick, Betty Marsden, and Bill Pertwee go round without poorly Kenneth Horne in a festive special.
Recorded at the BBC's Paris Studio in Lower Regent Street, London.
Announcer: Douglas Smith
Round The Horne was born out of the demise of BBC radio comedy Beyond Our Ken, after the end of writer Eric Merriman's involvement. Using the same cast and producer, Barry Took and Marty Feldman were persuaded to write the scripts - which led to four series that ran between 1965 and 1968 - packed full of parodies, recurring characters, catchphrases and double-entendres.
Music by Edwin Braden and the Hornblowers and The Fraser Hayes Four.
Producer: John Simmonds
First broadcast on the BBC Light Programme Christmas Day 1966.
TUE 09:00 Dead Ringers (m000c8rq)
[Repeat of broadcast at 23:00 on Monday]
TUE 09:30 Stilgoe's Around (b007k4k2)
Brighton Racecourse
Richard Stilgoe's musical revue tackles sporting life from every angle by spending the day at Brighton Races.
With Charles Collingwood, Peter Blake, Belinda Lang and musical guest Kathryn Tickell.
Written by Richard Stilgoe.
Producer: Neil Cargill
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 1989.
TUE 10:00 Drama (b0829dcv)
Richard Adams - Watership Down
Episode 2
The rabbits have found a new home on Watership Down but to ensure the warren's future they must now confront the terrifying General Woundwort.
Conclusion of Richard Adams' award-winning novel from 1972 - dramatised by Brian Sibley
Hyzenthlay ..... Lyndsey Marshal
Hazel ..... Gunnar Cauthery
Fiver ..... Robert Emms
Bigwig ..... Alex Lanipekun
Woundwort ..... Paul Hilton
Blackberry ..... Finlay Robertson
Dandelion ..... Luke MacGregor
Holly/Black Emissary ..... Nicholas Murchie
Kehaar ..... Karen Bartke
Strawberry ..... John Dougall
Silver ..... Gavi Singh Chera
Nelthilta ..... Keziah Joseph
Campion ..... John Bowler
The Farmer ..... David Sterne
Producer: Gemma Jenkins
Director: Marc Beeby
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 2016.
TUE 11:00 Telling Tales (m000cmb2)
Jeremy Dyson
On Christmas Eve, settle in for some ghost stories and strange tales with award-winning author, director and screenwriter Jeremy Dyson.
Jeremy talks about the authors who inspired him, not least Robert Aickman, who preferred the term “strange tales” to “ghost stories” and had a deep reverence for things we cannot understand.
Jeremy began writing his own strange tales when he was still working in a Leeds bookshop, scribbling down notes as he came up with ideas, and selling his first short story to a customer.
But then The League of Gentlemen took off, the comic and occasionally grotesque stage show starring Mark Gatiss, Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith, which transferred to radio, and then television - with award-winning results.
He remembers The League of Gentlemen Christmas Special in 2000, an anthology of spooky stories, which deliver drama, comedy and fear. Jeremy considers it the apotheosis of this series, which celebrated its 20th anniversary with three new episodes and another live tour in 2017.
Jeremy talks about his writing and projects away from Royston Vasey. These include Ghost Stories, the long-running stage show Jeremy co-wrote and directed with Andy Nyman, which was adapted for the big screen last year. The production draws upon all the tricks in the book, to conjure fear in the audience, as the stories unfold.
We also enjoy two unsettling short stories from Jeremy’s debut collection, Never Trust A Rabbit, which was published in 2000 and adapted for BBC Radio 4.
Made for Radio 4 Extra.
TUE 12:00 The Goon Show (b007jl4y)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
TUE 12:30 Round the Horne (m000cm9z)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
TUE 13:00 Cadfael (b007jl9z)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
TUE 13:30 One Day in Winter: Driving Home for Christmas (b04wgsmt)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
TUE 14:00 Book at Bedtime (b05vy8fd)
Sarah Hall - The Wolf Border
Episode 7
As the wolves settle into their new home, Rachel is adjusting to new demands and relationships too.
Sarah Hall's novel is a compelling story about personal, political and environmental boundaries: about power, land, family and love. At its heart is Rachel Caine, tough, defensive, an expert on wolves, and long estranged from her home county of Cumbria. Now she has returned to supervise a project to re-introduce wolves to England for the first time in 500 years. Like the wolves she protects and champions, she has been wary of human connections.
Set against the dramatic and artfully evoked backdrop of the Lakeland fells, The Wolf Border explores issues of vested power and re-wilding, and of family and motherhood.
Reader: Hattie Morahan
Abridger: Sally Marmion
Producer: Di Speirs
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 2015.
TUE 14:15 The History of Pop (m000cmb4)
2. Pop for the Masses
The story of how pop was brought to the masses - and how one Welsh Methodist used pop in the battle against the demon drink.
John Peel presents the definitive history of carbonated water - drinks that have made millions and conquered the world.
Producer: Mark Palmer
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1999.
TUE 14:30 15 Minute Drama (b08584jr)
Jane Austen - Northanger Abbey
Episode 2
Catherine Morland finds the sudden disappearance from Bath of Mr Henry Tilney extremely worrying; can some disaster have befallen him?
Jane Austen's satire on the Gothic Novel.
Catherine ..... Georgia Groome
John ..... Stephen Wight
Isabella ..... Ainsley Howard
Mrs Allen ..... Tracey Wiles
Mr Allen ..... Kim Wall
Henry ..... Luke Thompson
James ..... Finlay Robertson
The Book ..... Miriam Margolyes
Dramatised by Hattie Naylor.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 2016.
TUE 14:45 Book of the Week (b069b4lw)
Maggie Smith - A Biography
Episode 2
Maggie Smith hits Broadway and Edinburgh, and makes her first films.
Peter Firth reads Michael Coveney's biography of one of Britain's best-loved actors.
No one does glamour, severity, girlish charm or tight-lipped witticism better than Dame Maggie Smith. This fresh biography shines the stage-lights on the life and work of a truly remarkable performer, whose career spans six decades.
From her days as a star of West End comedy and revue, Dame Maggie's path would cross with those of the greatest actors, playwrights and directors of the era. Whether stealing scenes from Richard Burton (by his own admission), answering back to Laurence Olivier, or impressing Ingmar
Bergman, her career can be seen as a Who's Who of British theatre in the twentieth century.
We also hear about her success in Hollywood - inaugurated by her first Oscar for her signature film, The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie - as well as her subsequent departure to Canada for a prolific four-season run of leading theatre roles.
Recently, Dame Maggie has been as prominent on our screens as ever, with high-profile roles as Violet Crawley, the formidable Dowager Countess of Grantham in the phenomenally successful Downton Abbey, and in the Harry Potter films as Professor Minerva McGonagall - a role she describes as 'Miss Jean Brodie in a wizard's hat'.
Yet paradoxically, Dame Maggie remains an enigmatic figure, rarely appearing in public and carefully guarding her considerable talent. Michael Coveney's absorbing biography, drawing on personal archives, interviews and encounters with the actress, as well as conversations with immediate family and dear friends, is therefore as close as it gets to seeing the real Maggie Smith.
Producer: Clive Brill
A Brill production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in in September 2015.
TUE 15:00 James Bond (b084t5fw)
Thunderball
It's 1959. Blackmail. The western world is in jeopardy. Can James Bond prevent nuclear disaster?
Toby Stephens stars as agent 007.
SPECTRE’s pilot hijacks a Vindicator bomber carrying two atomic bombs. Once its cargo is delivered to the Bahamas, he is killed and the bombs are secreted on board the cruiser Disco Volante. The British Prime Minister receives a letter from criminal mastermind Ernst Blofeld - two major cities will be decimated unless a huge ransom is paid.
Operation Thunderball attempts to recover the nuclear weapons.
M assigns 007 to the Bahamas. He joins forces with CIA’s Felix Leiter. Bond meets Domino - mistress of Blofeld’s second-in-command, Largo and sister of the dead pilot - and recruits her to spy on Largo.
The ransom deadline nears. After an undersea battle Bond locates the bombs en route to the first target. Will nuclear disaster be averted?
Martin Jarvis directs an all-star cast.
James Bond…..Toby Stephens
Largo…..Tom Conti
Blofeld…..Alfred Molina
Domino…..Janet Montgomery
Dr Wain…..John Sessions
Patricia…..Lisa Dillon
Lippe…James Callis
Leiter…..Josh Stamberg
Governor…..Ian Ogilvy
M…..John Standing
Miss Moneypenny…..Janie Dee
Q…..Julian Sands
Captain Clark…..Nigel Lindsay
Petacchi/Dietl…..Matthew Wolf
Sam…..Alan Shearman
Beresford/Pilot…..Darren Richardson
Kalyagin/Operator…..Aaron Lyons
Santos/Officer…..Simon de Deney
Ian Fleming…..Martin Jarvis
Other parts played by members of the cast
Specially composed music by Mark Holden and Philip Smoot
Dramatised by Archie Scottney
Director: Martin Jarvis
Producer: Rosalind Ayres
A Jarvis and Ayres production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in December 2016.
TUE 16:30 James Bond: Licence to Kilt (b06j628c)
If you think about Scotland and James Bond you'll inevitably think about Sean Connery but what we want discover in this programme is just how Scottish the character of Bond really is?
In this exploration of 007's Scottish roots, we've assembled a team of experts to delve into Bond's literary birth and explore the life and the characters who inspired his creator, Ian Fleming.
They include biographers, historians, adventurers and even Ian's own nephew Fergus Fleming who has a tale to tell surrounding the retired armourer in Glasgow who went on to inspire Fleming to invent Bond's faithful boffin 'Q'.
You'll hear about the Bond family tree, the so-called 'Connery Effect' on the character and about a legacy, which continues both in print and on screen some 60 years later.
We'll take you on a journey from the Jute mills of Dundee to the high society of Mayfair. From the battlefields of World War II to the sun kissed beaches of Jamaica and from the Hollywood hills all the way back to the Highlands
And we'll answer the question, how Scottish is James Bond?
First broadcast on BBC Radio Scotland in October 2015.
TUE 17:00 A Month of June (b01jhdgn)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
TUE 17:30 Rhys James (m000c9sf)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
TUE 18:00 Doctor Who (b08dcrsq)
Serpent Crest
Tsar Wars, part 2/2
Humans try to overthrow the Robotov Tsars. Meanwhile, the Tsarina creates a cyborg boy with a Skishtari Egg at his heart.
Tom Baker stars as the Fourth Doctor.
Continuing an exciting five-story adventure written by Paul Magrs.
The Doctor ...... Tom Baker
Mrs Wibbsey ...... Susan Jameson
Tsar ...... Michael Jayston
Tsarina ...... Suzy Aitchison
Boolin ...... Simon Shepherd
Producer: Kate Thomas
Made by BBC Audio and reversioned for broadcast by BBC Radio 4 Extra.
TUE 18:30 Pioneers (b00wmvmt)
Series 1
David Blunkett
David Blunkett talks about how failure wasn't an option during his rise to political high office.
Blind from birth, he talks openly about the isolation of attending boarding school from the age of four, as well as the trauma of losing his father at the age of twelve.
Coming from a deprived background, David recognised very quickly that his route out of poverty was through education and against all odds, he graduated from Sheffield University at the age of 22.
David went on to become the youngest-ever councillor on Sheffield City Council, and climbed his way through the political ladder to become the first ever blind Home Secretary.
First broadcast on BBC Radio Scotland in 2010.
TUE 19:00 The Goon Show (b007jl4y)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
TUE 19:30 Round the Horne (m000cm9z)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
TUE 20:00 Cadfael (b007jl9z)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
TUE 20:30 One Day in Winter: Driving Home for Christmas (b04wgsmt)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
TUE 21:00 Telling Tales (m000cmb2)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:00 today]
TUE 22:00 Rhys James (m000c9sf)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
TUE 22:30 Armstrong and Miller (b00t5x2s)
Episode 3
Australian lifestyle, and a Euro rock band.
Sketches and songs with Ben Miller and Alexander Armstrong in their first series for radio.
With Samuel West and Tony Gardiner.
Written by Ben Miller and Alexander Armstrong.
Producer: Gareth Edwards
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 1998.
TUE 22:45 Jelly Mountain (b00ftk74)
Episode 5
Musings on a footkerchief and a forest full of girls. Songs and stories from Ivor Cutler, with Beverley Crew. From May 1996.
TUE 22:55 Comedy Club Extra (m000d5tk)
12 Days of Christmas
Episode 4
Jake Yapp and Jon Holmes interview the characters from the carol the 12 Days of Christmas. Tonight, a French Hen, a turtle dove and, everyone’s favourite, a partridge in a pear tree.
TUE 23:00 Vent (b01dlg0k)
Series 3
Ladies and Gentlemen
Ben makes the ambulance journey home to begin life in a wheelchair. On the way he remembers an argument about cheesecake, invents a panel game and meets Buzz Aldrin.
Dark sitcom about a man in a coma, travelling through the distinctly odd landscape of his own unconscious mind.
Written by Nigel Smith.
Ben ...... Neil Pearson
Mary ...... Fiona Allen
Mum ...... Josie Lawrence
Blitz ...... Leslie Ash
Nurse ...... Jo Martin
Derek ...... Stephen Frost
Marley ...... Spencer Brown
Chairman ...... Robert Webb
Buzz ...... Peter Banks
Announcer ...... Bruce Alexander
Bea ...... Scarlett Milburn-Smith
Director: Nigel Smith.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 2009.
TUE 23:30 Think the Unthinkable (b00cttcm)
Series 2
Christmas Party
The consultants' drunken office party looks like a recipe for festive disaster. Starring Marcus Brigstocke. From December 2002.


WEDNESDAY 25 DECEMBER 2019

WED 00:00 Doctor Who (b08dcrsq)
[Repeat of broadcast at 18:00 on Tuesday]
WED 00:30 Pioneers (b00wmvmt)
[Repeat of broadcast at 18:30 on Tuesday]
WED 01:00 Cadfael (b007jl9z)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 on Tuesday]
WED 01:30 One Day in Winter: Driving Home for Christmas (b04wgsmt)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 on Tuesday]
WED 02:00 Book at Bedtime (b05vy8fd)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:00 on Tuesday]
WED 02:15 The History of Pop (m000cmb4)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:15 on Tuesday]
WED 02:30 15 Minute Drama (b08584jr)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:30 on Tuesday]
WED 02:45 Book of the Week (b069b4lw)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:45 on Tuesday]
WED 03:00 James Bond (b084t5fw)
[Repeat of broadcast at 15:00 on Tuesday]
WED 04:30 James Bond: Licence to Kilt (b06j628c)
[Repeat of broadcast at 16:30 on Tuesday]
WED 05:00 A Month of June (b01jhdgn)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 on Tuesday]
WED 05:30 Rhys James (m000c9sf)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 on Tuesday]
WED 06:00 Cadfael (b007jlbb)
Monk's Hood
3. Hunted
Medieval monk Brother Cadfael harbours a young lad suspected of murdering his stepfather.
Ellis Peters' medieval thriller narrated by Sir Michael Hordern with Philip Madoc as Brother Cadfael.
From the Chronicles of Brother Cadfael dramatised by Bert Coules.
Narrator ...... Sir Michael Hordern
Brother Cadfael ...... Phillip Madoc
Sergeant William Warden ...... Ian Hogg
Brother Mark ...... Ian Targett
Prior Robert ...... Geoffrey Whitehead
Brother Rees ...... Norman Jones
Rishildis Burnel ...... Pat Heywood
Elfrick ...... Mark Straker
Maerreg ...... Kenneth Price
Aldith ...... Jane Whittenshaw
Brother Edmund ...... Timothy Carlton
Edwin Gurney ...... Richard Pearce
Sybil Bellecott ...... Petra Markham
Edwy Bellecott ...... Stephen Garlick
Brother Petrus ...... Fraser Kerr
Brother Jerome ...... Andrew Wincott
Groom ...... Nigel Carrington
Producer: Lissa Evans
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 1991.
WED 06:30 Bringing Holly from the Bongs (b06sqkhl)
Christmas 1965: The children of Goostrey Primary School in Cheshire are preparing to perform a special nativity play in the stable of the Crown Inn. Holly from the Bongs has been written especially for them by the famous children’s writer Alan Garner (The Weirdstone of Brisingamen, The Moon of Gomrath, The Owl Service) who lives locally and worked with them to help create the play.
Christmas 2015: The grown-ups who originally performed in the play return to the Crown Inn, 50 years on, to reflect on this unique theatrical experience with Alan Garner – who still regards Holly from the Bongs as his most technically perfect piece of writing.
Leslie Pimlott who played the Doctor in the original production, recalls with other cast members the story of how this customised nativity play was created by Alan Garner. The author spent many afternoons walking the children round the village’s boundaries, fields and The Bongs, the wooded area behind the school to explore the history and living heritage of Goostrey. Leslie celebrates the excitement of taking part in the original production and its memorable first performance half a century ago.
Part nativity play/part mummer’s play Holly from the Bongs is a customised piece of theatre written for the voices of the individual children of Goostrey School in 1965. A stylistic lesson in English writing from the middle ages to the 1960’s that has a very special place in the hearts of the original cast and the village of Goostrey.
Producer: Andy Cartwright
Made for BBC Radio 4 Extra by Soundscape Productions.
First broadcast in December 2015.
WED 07:00 Electric Ink (b011f3pc)
Series 1
Episode 2
Circulation is going through the roof.
Old hacks meet new media in Alistair Beaton’s satire set in the changing world of the newspaper industry.
Maddox ...... Robert Lindsay
Oliver ...... Alex Jennings
Amelia ...... Elizabeth Berrington
Tasneem ...... Zita Sattar
Masha ...... Debbie Chazen
Freddy ...... Ben Willbond
Announcer ...... Matt Addis
With additional material by Tom Mitchelson.
Director: Sally Avens
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in June 2009.
WED 07:30 The Missing Hancocks (m000cc7h)
Prime Minister Hancock
The Missing Hancocks recreates those episodes of the classic Hancock's Half Hour that have been wiped or lost from the archive.
The first modern sitcom, Hancock's Half Hour made stars of Tony Hancock, Sid James and Kenneth Williams, and launched Ray Galton and Alan Simpson as one of the most successful comedy-writing partnerships in history. But 20 episodes of the show were missing from the BBC archives. Now, after four highly successful series, the final batch of those episodes have been lovingly re-recorded in front of a live audience at the BBC Radio Theatre.
Tonight's episode: Hancock stands for Parliament, with no success whatsoever. But in his dreams he's swept to power on a landslide, and the country salutes......Prime Minister Hancock.
Written by Ray Galton and Alan Simpson, and with the classic score re-recorded by the BBC Concert Orchestra, the show stars Kevin McNally, Kevin Eldon, Simon Greenall, Robin Sebastian and Susy Kane. Prime Minister Hancock was first broadcast on the 31st May, 1955.
Produced by Neil Pearson & Hayley Sterling.
Written by Ray Galton & Simpson
Music recorded by the BBC Concert Orchestra, conducted by Levon Parikian.
A BBC Studios Production.
WED 08:00 Hancock's Half Hour (b007jqps)
Series 4
Hancock's Happy Christmas
The festive spirit is in short supply at 23 Railway Cuttings. Then the vicar arrives...
Starring Tony Hancock.
With Bill Kerr, Sidney James, Hattie Jacques and Kenneth Williams.
Children: Michael Anderson and Dorothy Marks.
Written by Ray Galton and Alan Simpson.
Theme and incidental music composed and conducted by Wally Stott.
Producer: Dennis Main Wilson
First broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in December 1956.
WED 08:30 The Eric Morecambe and Ernie Wise Show (b0868hh6)
Series 3
Christmas Radio Show
Legendary comic duo, Eric and Ern are swapping gifts and Ann Hamilton gets invited over for Christmas dinner - with mistletoe!
Plus a song from Vince Hill.
Written by Eddie Braben.
Music by the Max Harris Orchestra.
Producer: Bobby Jaye
First broadcast on BBC Radio 2 on Christmas Day 1977.
WED 09:00 Booked (b0075m92)
Series 3
Episode 6
Ian McMillan chairs the literary quiz with Roger McGough, Mark Thomas, Rory Motion and Dillie Keane. From November 1997.
WED 09:30 An Actor's Life for Me (b0089m77)
Series 2
Fathers and Sons
Yet again, Robert is desperate for work, but is offered a job while he's supposed to be away with Sue.
His plan to get out of the holiday is devious to say the least...
John Gordon Sinclair stars in Paul Mayhew-Archer's sitcom.
Robert Wilson ..... John Gordon Sinclair
Desmond Shaw ..... Gary Waldhorn
Sue ..... Caroline Quentin
With:
Jo Kendall
Joe Dunlop
Danny Schiller
Phil Nice
Jennifer Piercey
Producer: Paul Spencer
First broadcast on BBC Radio 2 in February 1990.
WED 10:00 Classic Serial (b00tt3x1)
Emile Zola - The Ladies' Delight
Episode 1
Business, ambition and fashion all collide in Emile Zola's colourful love story - set in the hustle and excitement of the expansion of one of Paris' first department stores.
Dramatised in two-parts by Carine Adler.
When innocent provincial girl Denise arrives in Paris, she quickly catches the eye of the notorious seducer of women, Octave Mouret. Despite her uncle's disapproval, Denise accepts a job at Mouret's ever expanding department store The Ladies' Delight.
Narrator.....David Hargreaves
Denise.....Georgia King
Mouret.....Lee Williams
Bourdoncle.....Conrad Nelson
Baudu.....Nicholas Blane
Old Bourras/Baron/Vincard.....Will Tacey
Jean/Bauge.....Stephen Hoyle
Deloche/Colomban.....Michael Hugo
Mme Aurelie/Mme Baudu.....Clare Beck
Mme Desforges.....Melissa Jane Sinden
Mme Marty/Pauline.....Maeve Larkin
Clara.....Chantelle Dean
Genevieve/Margueritte/Mme Boves.....Polly Lister
Director: Stefan Escreet
Producer: Charlotte Riches
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 2010.
WED 11:00 Sue Perkins' Christmas Comedy Stocking (m000ckpy)
2. Lines from My Grandfather Christmas's Forehead / Tony Hawks' 12 Days of Christmas
Sue Perkins pours the snowballs and opens her box of dates to accompany some vintage BBC Christmas comedy.
The second of three festive fun-packed stockings:
* Lines from My Grandfather Christmas's Forehead:
How even the best laid festive plans can go awry - and a message from your milkman. A sequential entertainment for Christmas starring Ronnie Barker, Pauline Yates and Terence Brady. From 1971.
* Tony Hawks' 12 Days of Christmas:
To make his girlfriend happy, comedian Tony Hawks tries collecting every item featured in the famous carol. From 2001.
Producer: Sarah Wade
Made for BBC Radio 7 and first broadcast in 2010.
WED 12:00 Hancock's Half Hour (b007jqps)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
WED 12:30 The Eric Morecambe and Ernie Wise Show (b0868hh6)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
WED 13:00 Cadfael (b007jlbb)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
WED 13:30 Bringing Holly from the Bongs (b06sqkhl)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
WED 14:00 Book at Bedtime (b05w3x5j)
Sarah Hall - The Wolf Border
Episode 8
Crisis and Success - Rachel's brother reaches rock bottom while the birth of the pups ensures the survival of the wolf pack.
Sarah Hall's novel is a compelling story about personal and political borders, about power, land, family and love. At its heart is Rachel Caine, tough, untouchable, an expert on wolves, and long estranged from her home county of Cumbria and her fiery mother and lost brother. Like the wolves she protects and champions, she is wary of human connections, happy in the untamed wilderness.
Set against the dramatic and artfully drawn backdrops of the Lakeland fells, The Wolf Border explores issues of ownership and vested power, of re-wilding and of family bonds as Rachel discovers that she can choose, and change.
Reader: Hattie Morahan
Abridger: Sally Marmion
Producer: Di Speirs
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 2015.
WED 14:15 The History of Pop (m000ckq0)
3. Fizzy Frontline
The story of the battle for the palate of the British pop public that has raged through the century.
John Peel continues his definitive history of carbonated water.
Producer: Mark Palmer
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1999.
WED 14:30 15 Minute Drama (b0858kz2)
Jane Austen - Northanger Abbey
Episode 3
Catherine finds her plan to spend more time with Henry Tilney thwarted most disagreeably by John Thorpe.
Jane Austen's satire pokes fun at the popular sensationalist fiction of the day
Catherine ..... Georgia Groome
John ..... Stephen Wight
Isabella ..... Ainsley Howard
Mrs Allen ..... Tracey Wiles
Mr Allen ..... Kim Wall
Henry ..... Luke Thompson
Eleanor ..... Natasha Cowley
James ..... Finlay Robertson
The Book ..... Miriam Margolyes
Dramatised by Hattie Naylor
Director: Sally Avens
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 2016.
.
WED 14:45 Book of the Week (b069b5xj)
Maggie Smith - A Biography
Episode 3
Maggie Smith marries and wins her first major award.
Peter Firth reads Michael Coveney's biography of one of Britain's best-loved actors.
No one does glamour, severity, girlish charm or tight-lipped witticism better than Dame Maggie Smith. This fresh biography shines the stage-lights on the life and work of a truly remarkable performer, whose career spans six decades.
From her days as a star of West End comedy and revue, Dame Maggie's path would cross with those of the greatest actors, playwrights and directors of the era. Whether stealing scenes from Richard Burton (by his own admission), answering back to Laurence Olivier, or impressing Ingmar
Bergman, her career can be seen as a Who's Who of British theatre in the twentieth century.
We also hear about her success in Hollywood - inaugurated by her first Oscar for her signature film, The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie - as well as her subsequent departure to Canada for a prolific four-season run of leading theatre roles.
Recently, Dame Maggie has been as prominent on our screens as ever, with high-profile roles as Violet Crawley, the formidable Dowager Countess of Grantham in the phenomenally successful Downton Abbey, and in the Harry Potter films as Professor Minerva McGonagall - a role she describes as 'Miss Jean Brodie in a wizard's hat'.
Yet paradoxically, Dame Maggie remains an enigmatic figure, rarely appearing in public and carefully guarding her considerable talent. Michael Coveney's absorbing biography, drawing on personal archives, interviews and encounters with the actress, as well as conversations with immediate family and dear friends, is therefore as close as it gets to seeing the real Maggie Smith.
Producer: Clive Brill
A Brill production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in in September 2015.
WED 15:00 James Bond (b00rq1w3)
Goldfinger
Toby Stephens returns as agent 007 James Bond in a thrilling dramatisation of Ian Fleming's 1959 novel, with a glittering cast is led by Ian McKellen in the title role.
Auric Goldfinger is not only a cheat at canasta and golf, he's also an international criminal on a massive scale. His obsession: gold. James Bond is charged by the Bank of England and MI5 to discover what Goldfinger is actually doing with his vast hoards of gold. Is he somehow connected with SMERSH - the feared soviet spy-killing organisation?
When 007 becomes an undercover member of Goldfinger's team he soon learns that the madman's plans are more grandiose than even 'M' could possibly have imagined. Amazingly, robbing Fort Knox is on the agenda - and mass murder...

Directed by Martin Jarvis, with cameo roles by top actors - all delighted to contribute to this remarkable Fleming adventure.
Rosamund Pike plays wacky gang-boss Pussy Galore and Lisa Dillon is the vengeful Tilly Masterton. John Standing reteurns as 'M'. Tom Hollander, Tim Pigott-Smith and American star Hector Elizondo as New York City mobsters. Bond and Goldfinger are joined in the famous golf game by Alistair McGowan as the caddie, Hawker. Henry Goodman, Ian Ogilvy and Lloyd Owen contribute to the excitement. And Jon David Yu throws his bowler-hat with deadly effect as 'Oddjob'.

Goldfinger ...... Ian McKellen
James Bond .....Toby Stephens
'M'..... John Standing
Col.Smithers ..... Ian Ogilvy
Pussy Galore ......Rosamund Pike
Tilly Masterton ..... Lisa Dillon
Johnny Solo .....Tim Pigott-Smith
Mr Strap .....Tom Hollander
Du Pont .....Henry Goodman
Hawker ..... Alistair McGowan
Helmut Springer .....Hector Elizondo
Felix Leiter ..... Lloyd Owen
Jed Midnight .....Nigel Anthony
Jill Masterton ..... Anna Louise Plowman
Oddjob ..... Jon David Yu
Alfred .....Alan Shearman
Nigel .....Matthew Wolf
Fleming .....Martin Jarvis
Doctors & Pilot .....Kyle Stoller
Nurse .....Tracy Pattin
Dramatised by Archie Scottney.
Music composed by Mark Holden and Sam Barbour.
Producer: Rosalind Ayres
Director: Martin Jarvis
A Jarvis & Ayres production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in April 2010.
WED 16:30 James Bond (m0001qy6)
The Woman Who Invented James Bond?
He is the most famous spy of all time, a double "O" agent licensed to kill for his country, who has thrilled readers since his debut in 1953.
But could James Bond have been invented by another writer a full seven years before Ian Fleming introduced him to the world?
Miles Jupp investigates the strange case of Bottome...Phyllis Bottome and asks if she is the woman who invented James Bond.
Producer: David Stenhouse
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 2016.
WED 17:00 Electric Ink (b011f3pc)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
WED 17:30 The Missing Hancocks (m000cc7h)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
WED 18:00 Doctor Who (b08dcw1m)
Serpent Crest
The Broken Crown, part 1/2
The Doctor and Mrs Wibbsey return to Nest Cottage in Hexford, but the year is 1861 and the TARDIS is 150 years away in the future...
Tom Baker stars as the Fourth Doctor.
Continuing Paul Magrs’ five-story adventure.
The Doctor ...... Tom Baker
Mrs Wibbsey ...... Susan Jameson
Rev Dobbs ...... Terence Hardiman
Andrew ...... Guy Harvey
Jake ...... Charlie Mitchell
Producer: Kate Thomas
Made by BBC Audio and reversioned for broadcast by BBC Radio 4 Extra.
WED 18:30 The Palace of Laughter (b007vcw2)
Series 1
Grand Blackpool
Known after its architect Frank Matcham as "Matcham's Masterpiece", the Grand Theatre, Blackpool, is a sumptuously decorated tribute to the greatness of Victorian theatre design.
Bernard Cribbins , Bill Pertwee and Mike Harding are among those recalling their appearances there.
Series in which Geoffrey Wheeler visits variety theatres around the United Kingdom.
Producer: Libby Cross
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 2002.
WED 19:00 Hancock's Half Hour (b007jqps)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
WED 19:30 The Eric Morecambe and Ernie Wise Show (b0868hh6)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
WED 20:00 Cadfael (b007jlbb)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
WED 20:30 Bringing Holly from the Bongs (b06sqkhl)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
WED 21:00 Sue Perkins' Christmas Comedy Stocking (m000ckpy)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:00 today]
WED 22:00 The Missing Hancocks (m000cc7h)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
WED 22:30 Arthur Smith's Balham Bash (b00s7dw0)
Series 2
Episode 4
Arthur Smith invites us into his Balham flat in south London for comedy, music and entertainment.
With his guests: Nine Below Zero, Phill Jupitus, Josh Widdecombe and Marlon Davies.
Producer: Alison Vernon-Smith
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 2010
WED 23:00 Clare in the Community (b00srjdd)
Series 6
Clare v God
Social worker Clare doesn't like people on her patch - especially an interfering Vicar.
Clare Barker is the self-absorbed social worker who has the right jargon for every problem she comes across, though never a practical solution. But there are plenty of challenges out there for an involved, caring social worker. Or even Clare.
Clare ..... Sally Phillips
Brian ..... Alex Lowe
Ray ..... Richard Lumsden
Helen ..... Liza Tarbuck
Megan/Nali ..... Nina Conti
Libby ..... Sarah Kendall
Written by Harry Venning and David Ramsden
Producer: Katie Tyrrell.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in June 2010.
WED 23:30 Absolute Power (b007jqw0)
Series 1
Episode 1
Having left the BBC, Charles Prentiss and Martin McCabe embark on a new career as spin doctors in the world of government and media relations.
They’re visited by the Chairman of the Conservative Party, who offers to establish them on the road to solvency...
Mark Tavener's political comedy stars Stephen Fry as Charles Prentiss and John Bird as Martin McCabe.
With:
Jeremy Clyde
Tony Gardner : Acting (adult)
Simon Greenall
Siobhan Hayes
Martin Hyder
Producer: Paul Schlesinger
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 2000.


THURSDAY 26 DECEMBER 2019

THU 00:00 Doctor Who (b08dcw1m)
[Repeat of broadcast at 18:00 on Wednesday]
THU 00:30 The Palace of Laughter (b007vcw2)
[Repeat of broadcast at 18:30 on Wednesday]
THU 01:00 Cadfael (b007jlbb)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 on Wednesday]
THU 01:30 Bringing Holly from the Bongs (b06sqkhl)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 on Wednesday]
THU 02:00 Book at Bedtime (b05w3x5j)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:00 on Wednesday]
THU 02:15 The History of Pop (m000ckq0)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:15 on Wednesday]
THU 02:30 15 Minute Drama (b0858kz2)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:30 on Wednesday]
THU 02:45 Book of the Week (b069b5xj)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:45 on Wednesday]
THU 03:00 James Bond (b00rq1w3)
[Repeat of broadcast at 15:00 on Wednesday]
THU 04:30 James Bond (m0001qy6)
[Repeat of broadcast at 16:30 on Wednesday]
THU 05:00 Electric Ink (b011f3pc)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 on Wednesday]
THU 05:30 The Missing Hancocks (m000cc7h)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 on Wednesday]
THU 06:00 Cadfael (b007jlbp)
Monk's Hood
Mallilie
Far from helping a murder suspect, Brother Cadfael unwittingly assists the local sheriff.
Ellis Peters' thriller narrated by Sir Michael Hordern stars Philip Madoc as Brother Cadfael, Ian Hogg as Sergeant William Warden, Ian Targett as Brother Mark, Geoffrey Whitehead as Prior Robert, Timothy Carlton as Martin Belcott and Richard Pearce as Edwin Gurney.
From the Chronicles of Brother Cadfael by Ellis Peters.
Dramatised by Bert Coules.
Producer: Lissa Evans
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1991.
THU 06:30 50 Years of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (b04lpxx7)
Writer and Broadcaster Brian Sibley tells the story of James Bond author Ian Fleming's book Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, 50 years on from publication.
Most of us know the film of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang with its inventor father, Caractacus Potts, the twins Jemima and Jeremy and their adventures in their flying car. But few realise that Ian Fleming's original book is quite different. Potts was 'Pott' (or Crack Pott) in the book, the original manuscript's adventures take place in Kent and Northern France, and it was screenwriter Roald Dahl who added the characters of the Child Catcher and Truly Scrumptious.
Brian Sibley speaks to Fleming's nieces, Lucy Fleming and Kate Grimond, and to Ian Fleming bibliographer Jon Gilbert, to hear how Fleming's only children's book was written and published.
Fleming told the original story aurally to his son Caspar, and he only decided to write it down long hand when he was convalescing after serious illness. The book coincided with the last years of Fleming's life and contain some of the elements of the Bond Books – a great adventure story at its heart and the love of cars. The vehicle itself was inspired by Fleming watching the racing at Brooklands and a legendary driver called Count Zborowksi, who had a car named Chitty Bang Bang.
Brian Sibley goes to Brooklands to take a spin on the old race track, as well as talking to original illustrator John Burningham and the writer of the sequels, Frank Cottrell Boyce. He also catches up with legendary composer of the film score Richard M. Sherman.
Producer: Laura Parfitt
A White Pebble Media production for BBC Radio 4
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 2014.
THU 07:00 Ballylenon (b00yync3)
Series 8
The Threat of Television
Ballylenon, County Donegal. Pop. 1,999 was founded by St Lenon of Padua, when he fell into the river at this spot in 953. Ballylenon is situated on the shores of Lough Swilly with entrancing views of Muckish Mountain, in the Diocese of Derry and Raphoe. (Note: Ballylenon is a fictional name, but the other landmarks are identifiable.)
In this society, there exists an uneasy balance of interests. Communication has all the appearances of power, and in Ballylenon, communication means the local Telephone Exchange and Post Office. Both these are firmly in the control of sisters, Vera and Muriel McConkey, who in cahoots with hotelier and funeral undertaker, Phonsie Doherty, would seek to rule the roost in Ballylenon. However, other forces have their own guiding principles, and where the McConkey sisters and Mr Doherty, aided by The Vindicator, would dominate reactionary thinking, a dangerous liberal tendency is championed by Vivienne and Rev. Samuel Hawthorne, and the somewhat unlikely, Guard Gallagher. The antagonism between these camps is only ever thinly veiled.
In this brand new series, Christopher Fitz-Simon takes a jocose but jaundiced look at 1960's Ireland, where we discover Muriel McConachie , 62. Spinster remnant of a family once active in politics, Muriel inherited the corner shop and, due to her Councillor father's influence, has the Post Office franchise. Known as the eyes of Ballylenon, Muriel, the Honouree Secretary of the Development Association, has a long-term 'understanding' with its Chair, Phonsie Doherty. She is a gentle personality, but misses nothing and can see a midge on a mare's arse in Tyrone.
We also discover, Vera McConachie, 61, Muriel's younger and more forthright spinster sister who runs the 10-line manual Telephone Exchange and is known as the Ears of Ballylenon. Every call goes through her switchboard, its content noted, discussed and any necessary action taken. She also writes the Horoscope anonymously for the Donegal Vindicator.
The McConkey's closest confidant is Phonsie [Alphonsus] Doherty. 58. Phonsie is a widower, proprietor of the Swilly Arms Hotel and of Doherty's Estate Agency and Funeral Furnishers and Chair of the Development Association. Up to the present is politically 'in' and therefore in the way of knowing what grants and subsidies are available for all manner of projects. His relationship with Muriel McConachie is proprietorial rather than romantic.
If there is a thorn in the side of this trio it is, Vivienne Hawthorne, 30, the former Miss Boal. Bright, breezy, busy primary schoolteacher. Organist and choir-mistress of the Presbyterian congregation. Though seemingly rationalist, Vivienne is secretly much influenced by horoscopes. She is supporter of cultural causes like the music festival and architectural conservation. And though apparently straightforward, she achieves certain aims by devious means.
Ballylenon by Christopher Fitz-Simon
Muriel McConkey -Margaret D'Arcy
Vera McConkey -Stella McCusker
Phonsie Doherty -Gerard Murphy
Mrs Vivienne Hawthorne -Aine McCartney
Rev. Samuel Hawthorne -Dermot Crowley
Kevin 'Stumpy' Bonnar - Gerard McSorley
Guard Gallagher -Frankie McCafferty
Daniel O'Searcaigh - James Greene
Monsignor McFadden - Niall Cusack
Aubrey Frawley - Chris McHallem
Polly Acton - Joanna Munro
Eamonn Doyle - Patrick Fitzsymons
Mr Boylan - Derek Bailey
Directed By Eoin O'Callaghan.
THU 07:30 Tom Allen Is Actually Not Very Nice (m000cc21)
Episode 3
A new series from Tom Allen, star of Mock The Week, Bake Off Extra Slice, The Apprentice: You're Fired and fresh from a sell out solo performance at The London Palladium.
Tom Allen is Actually Not Very Nice explores what happens when Tom's calm and collected exterior collapses. He used to be such a nice boy but what has happened to turn him naughty?
With help from the assembled studio audience, Tom works out how best to navigate some tricky social situations and how to keep a lid on his fury when confronted with life's small injustices.
Featuring Gabby Best.
Photo credit: Edward Moore @edshots
Producer: Richard Morris
A BBC Studios Production
THU 08:00 The Ken Dodd Show (b05pwkxc)
From 02/05/1965
How not to fix a gas leak with Andy Mann - and The Great Train Robbery's 'unknown man' revealed.
Starring Ken Dodd.
With John Laurie, Patricia Hayes, Judith Chalmers and Wallas Eaton.
Music from Brian Poole and The Tremeloes.
Doddy's Diddy Orchestra conducted by Malcolm Lockyer.
Script by Ken Dodd and Eddie Braben.
Producer: Bill Worsley
First broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in May 1965.
THU 08:30 I'm Sorry, I'll Read That Again (b00s09rq)
Series 3
5/13
Revealing secrets of radio audience research - plus the rhubarb tart song.
More quick-fire sketches, terrible puns, humorous songs and parodies.
Stars Tim Brooke-Taylor, John Cleese, Graeme Garden, David Hatch, Jo Kendall and Bill Oddie.
Written by John Esmond and Bob Larbey, Graeme Garden, Alan Hutchison and Bill Oddie.
Originating from the Cambridge University Footlights revue 'Cambridge Circus', ISIRTA ran for 8 years on BBC Radio and quickly developed a cult following.
Music and songs by Dave Lee, Bill Oddie and John Cleese.
Producer: Humphrey Barclay
First broadcast on the BBC Home Service in April 1966.
THU 09:00 It's Your Round (b00yz3t4)
Series 1
Episode 3
"It's Your Round" is the comedy panel show where the format is simple: there is no format. Instead, each of the panellists has brought along their own round for the others to play, meaning that each show is unique, untried, and unpredictable.
This episode Arthur Smith, Lucy Montgomery, Tom Wrigglesworth and Will Smith battle it out to see who can beat each other at their own games.
Find out the hilarity that ensues when each of them play the games they've brought along. What will Arthur make of Tom's "Re-wound, Sped Up Played Backwards"? How will Twitter-fan Will Smith get on with Lucy's "Twitter-witter-witter-who" game? And how much would it take for Tom Wrigglesworth to change his name to Adolf Hitler when he plays Arthur Smith's round?
Angus Deayton is the host valiantly trying to make sure everyone comes out of it with their reputations intact.
Writers: Angus Deayton and Paul Powell
Devised by Benjamin Partridge
Producer: Sam Michell.
THU 09:30 Change at Oglethorpe (b007k0mg)
The Unquiet American
An exciting new engine could soon be running on the quiet rural railway - but there's a big catch. How can the staff make Oglethorpe look like a busy, modern station?
Peter Morfoot's comedy stars Michael Williams as Rocket, Peter Davison as David, Rosemary Martin as June, Phillippa Wilson as Points, Chris Emmett as Sodd and Don Fellows as York.
Producer: Gareth Edwards
First broadcast on BBC Radio 2 in December 1995.
THU 10:00 Classic Serial (b00tx4kz)
Emile Zola - The Ladies' Delight
Episode 2
By Emile Zola.
Dramatised by Carine Adler.
Business, ambition and fashion all collide in Zola's colourful love story. Set in the hustle and excitement of the expansion of one of Paris' first department stores.
Episode Two
After her dismissal from The Ladies' Delight, Denise is determined to stay in Paris. She rents a room above old Bourras' umbrella shop and quickly sets about trying to find other work. With local shops closing as The Delight expands, the task proves more difficult than she imagined.
Narrator.....David Hargreaves
Denise.....Georgia King
Mouret.....Lee Williams
Bourdoncle.....Conrad Nelson
Baudu.....Nicholas Blane
Old Bourras/Baron/Vincard.....Will Tacey
Jean/Bauge.....Stephen Hoyle
Deloche/Colomban.....Michael Hugo
Mme Aurelie/Mme Baudu.....Clare Beck
Mme Desforges.....Melissa Jane Sinden
Mme Marty/Pauline.....Maeve Larkin
Clara.....Chantelle Dean
Genevieve/Margueritte/Mme Boves.....Polly Lister
Written by Emile Zola
Adapted by Carine Adler
Directed by Stefan Escreet
Producer: Charlotte Riches.
THU 11:00 Maeve Binchy - The Special Sale (m000clsd)
Yvonne's good deed leads to a romantic encounter - thanks to her mother - on the day after Christmas.
Dervla Kirwan reads Maeve Binchy’s seasonal short story.
Producer: Sarah Johnson
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 2000.
THU 11:15 Drama (b04vkjsm)
Roy Smiles - Memories of a Cad
Affectionate comedy drama by Roy Smiles about the relationship between Terry-Thomas and Richard Briers, starring Martin Jarvis and Alistair McGowan.
While holidaying on the island of Majorca in 1984, the infinitely charming actor Richard Briers - then 50 and at the height of his TV sitcom fame - decides to visit the comic movie actor Terry-Thomas in his home on the other side of the island.
The 73 year old Terry-Thomas has been suffering from Parkinson's disease for the past ten years. His memory is fading, his body deteriorating and the work has dried up. He lives in quiet seclusion with his adoring wife Belinda.
He is delighted by the visit of 'young' Richard Briers, who he recognises from the telly. Briers cheers him up by telling him facts about his life Terry has long forgotten - from his cabaret years in the 1930s and his success in the Armed Forces as a Stars In Battledress entertainer, to his work in the movies of the Boulting Brothers peaking with I'm Alright Jack and his glory days in American movies such as Those Magnificent Men In Their Flying Machines and It's A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World, which brought him worldwide fame as a 'bounder.'
Terry-Thomas has forgotten he came from Finchley, that his father worked at Smithfields Market and that it was his fate to be a clerk at the same market until he decided to re-invent himself, aged 17, as the raffish cad the world came to love.
Roy Smiles has previously written the Radio 4 dramas Ying Tong, Good Evening, Pythonesque and Dear Arthur, Love John.
Cast:
Terry-Thomas ..... Martin Jarvis
Richard Briers ..... Alistair McGowan
Belinda ..... Laura Shavin
Spencer Tracy ..... Lewis Macleod
Produced by Liz Anstee
A CPL production for BBC Radio 4
THU 12:00 The Ken Dodd Show (b05pwkxc)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
THU 12:30 I'm Sorry, I'll Read That Again (b00s09rq)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
THU 13:00 Cadfael (b007jlbp)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
THU 13:30 50 Years of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (b04lpxx7)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
THU 14:00 Book at Bedtime (b05w4jzr)
Sarah Hall - The Wolf Border
Episode 9
Sarah Hall's new novel is a compelling story about personal, political and environmental boundaries: about power, land, family and love.
At its heart is Rachel Caine, tough, defensive, an expert on wolves, and long estranged from her home county of Cumbria. Now she has returned to supervise a project to re-introduce wolves to England for the first time in 500 years. Like the wolves she protects and champions, she has been wary of human connections.
Set against the dramatic and artfully evoked backdrop of the Lakeland fells, The Wolf Border explores issues of vested power and re-wilding, and of family and motherhood.
In today's episode there are tensions in the air - and then comes the news that Rachel has feared and she must risk all.
Reader Hattie Morahan
Abridger Sally Marmion
Producer Di Speirs
THU 14:15 The History of Pop (m000clsj)
Fizzing with Health?
In the last of a four-part series, John Peel presents the definitive history of carbonated water.
In this episode John asks - is pop good for you?
Produced by Mark Palmer.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1999.
THU 14:30 15 Minute Drama (b0858w47)
Jane Austen - Northanger Abbey
Episode 4
Catherine fears she has offended Henry and Eleanor Tilney and that she may never see either of them again;
Jane Austen's satire pokes fun at the popular sensationalist fiction of the day.
Catherine ..... Georgia Groome
John ..... Stephen Wight
Isabella ..... Ainsley Howard
Mrs Allen ..... Tracey Wiles
Mr Allen ..... Kim Wall
Henry ..... Luke Thompson
James ..... Finlay Robertson
Eleanor ..... Natasha Cowley
The Book ..... Miriam Margolyes
Dramatised by Hattie Naylor.
Director: Sally Avens
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 2016.
THU 14:45 Book of the Week (b069b5yy)
Maggie Smith - A Biography
Episode 4
Maggie Smith’s film career blossoms.
Peter Firth reads Michael Coveney's biography of one of Britain's best-loved actors.
No one does glamour, severity, girlish charm or tight-lipped witticism better than Dame Maggie Smith. This new biography shines the stage-lights on the life and work of a truly remarkable performer, whose career spans six decades.
From her days as a star of West End comedy and revue, Dame Maggie's path would cross with those of the greatest actors, playwrights and directors of the era. Whether stealing scenes from Richard Burton (by his own admission), answering back to Laurence Olivier, or impressing Ingmar
Bergman, her career can be seen as a Who's Who of British theatre in the twentieth century.
We also hear about her success in Hollywood - inaugurated by her first Oscar for her signature film, The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie - as well as her subsequent departure to Canada for a prolific four-season run of leading theatre roles.
Recently, Dame Maggie has been as prominent on our screens as ever, with high-profile roles such as Violet Crawley, the formidable Dowager Countess of Grantham in the phenomenally successful Downton Abbey, and in the Harry Potter films as Professor Minerva McGonagall - a role she describes as 'Miss Jean Brodie in a wizard's hat'.
Yet paradoxically, Dame Maggie remains an enigmatic figure, rarely appearing in public and carefully guarding her considerable talent. Michael Coveney's absorbing biography, drawing on personal archives, interviews and encounters with the actress, as well as conversations with immediate family and dear friends, is therefore as close as it gets to seeing the real Maggie Smith.
Producer: Clive Brill
A Brill production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in in September 2015.
THU 15:00 James Bond (b09x8sp7)
Moonraker
It's 1954 and British patriot Sir Hugo Drax has built an atomic rocket, Moonraker, vital to Britain's defences.
It's ready for a trial launch. But after a double-murder, James Bond goes undercover at Moonraker's secret base. He and agent Gala Brand discover possible treachery. Can they prevent a catastrophe?
All-star guided missile drama with Toby Stephens and Samuel West.
Martin Jarvis directs Archie Scottney's compelling and surprisingly up-to-date dramatisation of Ian Fleming's novel.
James Bond ...... Toby Stephens
Sir Hugo Drax ...... Samuel West
Sir Winston Churchill ...... John Baddeley
Moneypenny ...... Janie Dee
'M' ...... John Standing
'Q' ...... Julian Sands
Vallance ...... Jared Harris
Prof Train ...... Patricia Hodge
Gala ...... Katherine Kingsley
Basildon ...... Nigel Anthony
Krebs ...... Nigel Anthony
Meyer ...... Simon de Deney
Dr Walter ...... Simon de Deney
Trimble ...... Simon de Deney
Movietone ...... Jon Glover
Minister ...... Jon Glover
Broadcaster ...... Ian Ogilvy
Brevett ...... Matthew Wolf
Countdown ...... Darren Richardson
Captain ...... Kenneth Danziger
Ian Fleming ...... Martin Jarvis
Sound design: Mark Holden
Specially composed music: Mark Holden and Mike Lopez
Producer: Rosalind Ayres
Director: Martin Jarvis
A Jarvis and Ayres production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in March 2018
THU 16:30 The Soviet James Bond (b04v59h9)
In the depths of the Cold War, the Soviets had their own version of James Bond, a superspy whose adventures thrilled readers from Minsk to the Urals.
But whereas Bond enjoyed champagne, gambling and beautiful women, the spy codenamed Stierlitz was a Russian patriot of austere tastes (though he does enjoy vodka and singing Russian songs). In novels like “Diamonds for the Dictatorship of the Proletariat,” Stierlitz carved a parallel path to that being followed by the great 007.
Spy fan Miles Jupp explores the extraordinary legacy of the Soviet James Bond and his creator Julian Semyonov.
Producer: David Stenhouse
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 2014.
THU 17:00 Ballylenon (b00yync3)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
THU 17:30 Tom Allen Is Actually Not Very Nice (m000cc21)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
THU 18:00 Doctor Who (b08dd29j)
Serpent Crest
The Broken Crown, part 2/2
Discovering the awesome power of the Skishtari Egg, the Doctor realises that it can't be entrusted to a child.
Part of Paul Magrs' five-story adventure.
Starring Tom Baker as the Fourth Doctor, Susan Jameson as Mrs Wibbsey, Terence Hardiman as Rev Dobbs, Guy Harvey as Andrew and Charlie Mitchell as Jake.
Producer: Kate Thomas
Made by BBC Audio and reversioned for broadcast by BBC Radio 4 Extra.
THU 18:30 Great Lives (b03zb4bd)
Series 33
Evelyn Glennie on Jacqueline Du Pre
Evelyn Glennie, solo percussionist talks about her admiration for the cellist Jacqueline Du Pre with presenter Matthew Parris.
Producer: Perminder Khatkar
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 2014.
THU 19:00 The Ken Dodd Show (b05pwkxc)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
THU 19:30 I'm Sorry, I'll Read That Again (b00s09rq)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
THU 20:00 Cadfael (b007jlbp)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
THU 20:30 50 Years of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (b04lpxx7)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
THU 21:00 Maeve Binchy - The Special Sale (m000clsd)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:00 today]
THU 21:15 Drama (b04vkjsm)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:15 today]
THU 22:00 Tom Allen Is Actually Not Very Nice (m000cc21)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
THU 22:30 Lewis Macleod Is Not Himself (b04hvy0q)
Episode 2
A brand new impression and sketch show that looks behind the scenes at the life and work of star impressionist Lewis Macleod (Newsjack, Postman Pat, The Phantom Menace, Dead Ringers) with Kate O'Sullivan, Duncan Wisbey and Julian Dutton.
Producer: Lyndsay Fenner.
THU 22:55 Comedy Club Extra (m000d908)
Boxing Day Sports Round-Up
Jake Yapp and Jon Holmes present a rundown of all the Boxing Day sports action.
THU 23:00 Mr and Mrs Smith (b01bwp6g)
The Bathroom
An audience sitcom about a couple in marriage counselling. Annabelle is annoyed because Will couldn't stand up to their over-enthusiastic builder. Will is furious at Annabelle for hiring the builder. Guy mediates, but this week the counsellor has his own problems.
FULL CAST DETAILS:
Will Smith ..... Will Smith
Annabelle Smith ..... Sarah Hadland
Guy ..... Paterson Joseph
John ..... Geoffrey Whitehead
Saskia, Sally ..... Susie Blake
Adam ..... Dan Tetsell
Claudia ..... Tracy Wiles
Written by ..... Will Smith
Produced by ..... Tilusha Ghelani
A year into married life and already things are a little creaky. So, following Will's unimaginative anniversary present (a draining rack), Annabelle has signed them up for a course of marriage counselling.
Each week, counsellor Guy mediates a recent dispute between Will and Annabelle, with flashbacks to the events that spawned the argument, and by the end, the couple find marital equilibrium once more. Sort of.
Guy arbitrates, usually leaning towards Annabelle's more sensible point of view. In contrast to Will's uptightness, Guy is confident and urbane and clearly irritates Will.
The writer and comedian Will Smith leads the starry cast of Mr and Mrs.Smith. Will's writing credits include Armstrong and Miller (BBC1), Harry and Paul (BBC1), Moving Wallpaper (ITV1), Time Trumpet (BBC2), the multi-award winning The Thick Of It (BBC2) in which he also appears as Phil Smith, and the upcoming Veep (HBO).
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2012.
THU 23:30 Cowards (b00fhtm0)
Series 2
Episode 2
Cowards: Sketch show with a comic slant on human frailties. With Tom Basden, Stefan Golaszewski and Tim Key.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 2008.


FRIDAY 27 DECEMBER 2019

FRI 00:00 Doctor Who (b08dd29j)
[Repeat of broadcast at 18:00 on Thursday]
FRI 00:30 Great Lives (b03zb4bd)
[Repeat of broadcast at 18:30 on Thursday]
FRI 01:00 Cadfael (b007jlbp)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 on Thursday]
FRI 01:30 50 Years of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (b04lpxx7)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 on Thursday]
FRI 02:00 Book at Bedtime (b05w4jzr)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:00 on Thursday]
FRI 02:15 The History of Pop (m000clsj)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:15 on Thursday]
FRI 02:30 15 Minute Drama (b0858w47)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:30 on Thursday]
FRI 02:45 Book of the Week (b069b5yy)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:45 on Thursday]
FRI 03:00 James Bond (b09x8sp7)
[Repeat of broadcast at 15:00 on Thursday]
FRI 04:30 The Soviet James Bond (b04v59h9)
[Repeat of broadcast at 16:30 on Thursday]
FRI 05:00 Ballylenon (b00yync3)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 on Thursday]
FRI 05:30 Tom Allen Is Actually Not Very Nice (m000cc21)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 on Thursday]
FRI 06:00 Cadfael (b007jlbz)
Monk's Hood
5. Judgement
With Edwin arrested for murder, Brother Cadfael seeks justice in the local court.
Conclusion of Ellis Peters' medieval thriller.
Narrated by Sir Michael Hordern with Philip Madoc as Brother Cadfael.
From the Chronicles of Brother Cadfael dramatised by Bert Coules.
Narrator ...... Sir Michael Hordern
Brother Cadfael ...... Phillip Madoc
Sergeant William Warden ...... Ian Hogg
Brother Mark ...... Ian Targett
Prior Robert ...... Geoffrey Whitehead
Martin Bellecott ...... Timothy Carlton
Edwin Gurney ...... Richard Pearce
Edwy Bellecott ...... Stephen Garlick
Brother Petrus ...... Fraser Kerr
The Judge ...... Norman Jones
Hugh Beringar ...... Alan Barker
Maerreg ...... Kenneth Price
Brother Simon ...... Michael Turner
Brother Barnabas ...... Terrence Edmond
Father Heribert ...... Timothy Bateson
Producer: Lissa Evans
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 1991.
FRI 06:30 Pantomime (m000clvf)
Theatre critic Michael Billington interviews the actor and writer John Morley, who loved pantomime beyond all other forms of entertainment.
On his death in 1994, John Morley had more than 250 pantomime scripts to his credit. In 1981, when this interview was recorded, he dominated the festive season with ten professional pantomimes in production around the UK, starring the likes of Ken Dodd, Frankie Howerd and Rikki Fulton.
John wrote his first pantomime at the age of 11, staged Dick Wittington while serving as a Captain in the Coldstream Guards, and his first professional production was Puss-in-Boots at the London Palladium.
The pair discuss the long theatrical history of pantomime, from its Greek etymology, to Roman Bacchanalia, the Commedia dell’arte and John Rich’s introduction of Harlequin to Drury Lane in the 18th century.
They also discuss pantomime’s evolution, enduring popularity and important staples, from booing, to ghastly jokes and the song sheet.
We also hear John Morley talking to Ken Dodd, with whom he worked. They reminisce about opulent former productions, including a memorable Cinderella from producer Freddie Carpenter.
Produced by Richard Dunn.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1981.
FRI 07:00 1834 (b011pw52)
Dentists and Lovers
Ned needs root canal work, but 21st-century Jason needs lessons in 19th-century courting.
In Jim Poyser's riotous comedy of transportation and delight, Jason is now Tarquin, third son of Lord Belport with a faithful valet, Ned.
Stars Michael Begley as Jason Slater, Joe Caffrey as Ned, Kenneth Alan Taylor as Hoskins, Mark Chatterton as Lord Belport, Glenn Cunningham as Stubbs and Julia Rounthwaite as Millicent.
Directed at BBC Manchester by Polly Thomas.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 2003.
FRI 07:30 The Shuttleworths (m000clq0)
Your Very Good Elf
John Shuttleworth’s wife, Mary, has cancelled Christmas because their children, Karen and Darren, have decided to spend Christmas Day elsewhere. So, instead of preparing for the big day, John finds himself taking down the Christmas tree and putting away the chocolate brazils.
He is naturally upset at this turn of events, so when Joan Chitty phones for help because her Christmas tree is broken, John happily offers to take the Shuttleworth tree around to Joan’s as a replacement.
John is happy that he is able to decorate a tree after all and has taken his spirit level to ensure the tree is straight. Once the fairy lights are switched on John is happy to enjoy a mince pie with Joan and have a sing-song. However, Joan, wearing a rather skimpy fairy outfit, gets a little too over excited during the music and falls over - breaking the tree!
John beats a hasty retreat to the garden centre where he is enjoying some solitude in one of the garden chalets when Ken Worthing turns up wearing an elf outfit. Apparently, there is chaos in the grotto and Santa has run away.
This could be the perfect chance for John to finally enjoy Christmas by playing the role of Santa – as long as Ken can secure his petrol money as a fee.
Written and performed by Graham Fellows
Produced by Dawn Ellis
A Chic Ken production for BBC Radio 4
FRI 08:00 The Burkiss Way (b007jrxq)
Series 4
Rise from the Grave the Burkiss Way
Dracula and Oedipus Rex get a good going over from Fred Harris, Jo Kendall, Nigel Rees and Chris Emmett.
Cult sketch comedy series which originally ran from 1976 to 1980.
Scripted by David Renwick and Andrew Marshall.
Producer: David Hatch
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 1979.
FRI 08:30 Something to Shout About (m000clvj)
Series 3
Episode 6
Will advertising executive Michael Lightfoot remember his secretary’s birthday?
Janet has surely been leaving enough hints....
"A light-hearted exposé of the advertising world!". Set in a London ad agency called 'Apsley, Addis, Cohen, Barbican, Blythe, Giddy & Partners'.
Michael Lightfoot.................... Michael Medwin
Maggie........................................ Eleanor Summerfield
Janet............................................. Fenella Fielding
Mavis........................................... .Joan Sims
Adrian Beates........................... Nicholas Phipps
Other characters...................... Warren Mitchell
Script by Myles Rudge and Ronnie Wolfe
Producer: John Simmonds
First broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in November 1961.
FRI 09:00 The Food Quiz (b0076mlq)
Series 2
Episode 1
On Jay Rayner's menu are Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, Elisabeth Luard, Josceline Dimbleby and Stephen Fry. From August 2004.
FRI 09:30 The Phenomenon Squad (b0864fjy)
Invaders
Brabazon's cops prepare to greet an alien craft due to land on Salisbury Plain. Stars Roy Kinnear and Simon Cadell. From October 1987.
FRI 10:00 Puss-in-Boots (m000clvl)
Arthur Askey, Anita Harris, Kenneth Connor and Alfred Marks star in this traditional pantomime, recorded in front of a live audience.
Happyland is being terrorised by a giant ogre and his tax-collecting henchman Baron Skinflint.
Tom, the miller’s son, falls in love with Princess Rose Petal, and dreams of winning her heart. His recently widowed mother, Dame Flora, has her sights set on the King.
Then a magic sunbeam transforms his cat into the clever Puss-in-Boots. Can Puss help Tom defeat Baron Skinflint and his greedy ogre and win the princess’ heart?
Featuring rousing songs and terrible jokes, it's perfect seasonal entertainment for all the family. Oh, yes it is!
The orchestra and Charles Young Singers are under the direction of Graham Ripley, who wrote the music.
Dame Flora… Arthur Askey
Puss-in-Boots… Anita Harris
Tom… Billy Boyle
Princess Rose Petal… Julie Dawn Cole
King Tickle… Kenneth Connor
Baron Skinflint… Alfred Marks
Giant… Ian Wallace
Town Crier… Bob Todd
Head of BBC Jokes… Fred Harris
Fairy… Liza Flanagan
Book and lyrics by Chris Emmett.
Producer: Martin Fisher.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 2 on Christmas Day 1979.
FRI 11:00 Podcast Radio Hour (m000clvn)
Presenters recommend their favourite podcasts and speak to the people who make them.
FRI 12:00 The Burkiss Way (b007jrxq)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
FRI 12:30 Something to Shout About (m000clvj)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
FRI 13:00 Cadfael (b007jlbz)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
FRI 13:30 Pantomime (m000clvf)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
FRI 14:00 Book at Bedtime (b05w8dp5)
Sarah Hall - The Wolf Border
Episode 10
Sarah Hall's new novel is a compelling story about personal, political and environmental boundaries: about power, land, family and love.
At its heart is Rachel Caine, tough, defensive, an expert on wolves, and long estranged from her home county of Cumbria. Now she has returned to supervise a project to re-introduce wolves to England for the first time in 500 years. Like the wolves she protects and champions, she has been wary of human connections.
Set against the dramatic and artfully evoked backdrop of the Lakeland fells, The Wolf Border explores issues of vested power and re-wilding, and of family and motherhood.
Today, in the final episode, the chase extends northwards and a new future beckons.
Reader Hattie Morahan
Abridger Sally Marmion
Producer Di Speirs
FRI 14:15 The Snowman (b0075zpl)
From pagan times to contemporary creations – a look at the myths and history surrounding the figure of the snowman. From 2000.
FRI 14:30 15 Minute Drama (b085b9t1)
Jane Austen - Northanger Abbey
Episode 5
Catherine finds herself the recipient of a most pleasing invitation and a most displeasing engagement.
Jane Austen's satire pokes fun at the popular sensationalist fiction of the day.
Catherine ..... Georgia Groome
John ..... Stephen Wight
Isabella ..... Ainsley Howard
Mrs Allen ..... Tracey Wiles
Mr Allen ..... Kim Wall
Henry ..... Luke Thompson
Eleanor ..... Natasha Cowley
General Tilney ..... John Dougall
Frederick Tilney ..... Nick Murchie
Mrs Thorpe ..... Karen Bartke
The Book ..... Miriam Margolyes
Dramatised by Hattie Naylor.
Director: Sally Avens
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 2016.
FRI 14:45 Book of the Week (b069b674)
Maggie Smith - A Biography
Episode 5
Maggie Smith joins the cast of TV’s Downton Abbey.
Peter Firth concludes Michael Coveney's biography of one of Britain's best-loved actors.
No one does glamour, severity, girlish charm or tight-lipped witticism better than Dame Maggie Smith This fresh biography shines the stage-lights on the life and work of a truly remarkable performer, whose career spans six decades.
From her days as a star of West End comedy and revue, Dame Maggie's path would cross with those of the greatest actors, playwrights and directors of the era. Whether stealing scenes from Richard Burton (by his own admission), answering back to Laurence Olivier, or impressing Ingmar
Bergman, her career can be seen as a Who's Who of British theatre in the twentieth century.
We also hear about her success in Hollywood - inaugurated by her first Oscar for her signature film, The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie - as well as her subsequent departure to Canada for a prolific four-season run of leading theatre roles.
Recently, Dame Maggie has been as prominent on our screens as ever, with high-profile roles as Violet Crawley, the formidable Dowager Countess of Grantham in the phenomenally successful Downton Abbey, and in the Harry Potter films as Professor Minerva McGonagall - a role she describes as 'Miss Jean Brodie in a wizard's hat'.
Yet paradoxically, Dame Maggie remains an enigmatic figure, rarely appearing in public and carefully guarding her considerable talent. Michael Coveney's absorbing biography, drawing on personal archives, interviews and encounters with the actress, as well as conversations with immediate family and dear friends, is therefore as close as it gets to seeing the real Maggie Smith.
Producer: Clive Brill
A Brill production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in in September 2015.
FRI 15:00 Puss-in-Boots (m000clvl)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 today]
FRI 16:00 The Food Quiz (b0076mlq)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
FRI 16:30 The Phenomenon Squad (b0864fjy)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 today]
FRI 17:00 1834 (b011pw52)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
FRI 17:30 The Shuttleworths (m000clq0)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
FRI 18:00 Doctor Who (b08dd3sc)
Serpent Crest
Aladdin Time, part 1/2
The Doctor, Mrs Wibbsey and Alex become ensnared within the Skishtari Egg - in a labyrinth of magical rooms and strange characters.
Part of Paul Magrs' five-story adventure.
Starring Tom Baker as the Fourth Doctor, Susan Jameson as Mrs Wibbsey, Guy Harvey as Andrew, Sophie Ward as the Storyteller and Andrew Sachs as Scarf.
Producer: Kate Thomas
Made by BBC Audio and reversioned for broadcast by BBC Radio 4 Extra.
FRI 18:40 Dracula's Guest (b0bf49hl)
A young man sets out on a journey where the elements - and something elemental - are against him.
Bram Stoker’s high-gothic tale, set in the Austrian Alps, read by Bertie Carvel.
Abridged and produced by: Justine Willett.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 3 in 2012.
FRI 19:00 The Burkiss Way (b007jrxq)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
FRI 19:30 Something to Shout About (m000clvj)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
FRI 20:00 Cadfael (b007jlbz)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
FRI 20:30 Pantomime (m000clvf)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
FRI 21:00 Podcast Radio Hour (m000clvn)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:00 today]
FRI 22:00 The Shuttleworths (m000clq0)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
FRI 22:30 In and Out of the Kitchen (b03trnjd)
Series 3
The Funeral
Damien's peace is once again shattered when he is asked to do the food at the funeral of Anthony's maiden aunt.
But things become even more complicated when his literary agent is discovered behaving erratically in a branch of Paperchase and Damien has to look after him.
Meanwhile, Anthony must prepare a song to sing at the funeral.
Producer: Sam Michell.
FRI 23:00 Party (b01mqq72)
Series 3
The Curry
Series 3 of the satirical comedy about a group of young idealists trying to make waves with their new political party.
The group reconvene after their Summer break and the ambition steps up a gear. Written by Tom Basden.
Simon .... Tom Basden
Duncan .... Tim Key
Jared .... Jonny Sweet
Mel .... Anna Crilly
Phoebe .... Katy Wix
Producer .... Julia McKenzie.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 2012.
FRI 23:30 The Mel and Sue Thing (b0076b0y)
Episode 4
Cinema trips, Jane Austen and a new posh British blockbuster. Sketches with Mel Giedroyc and Sue Perkins. From October 2002.