SATURDAY 01 MAY 2021
SAT 00:00 The House on the Borderland by William Hope Hodgson (b007wxhs)
4. The Wound
Back from his voyage, the narrator sees a sinister green hand at his window...
First published in 1908, William Hope Hodgson's fantasy novella is now seen as a classic of early, Edwardian sci-fi.
Concluded by Jim Norton.
Abridged by Doreen Estall.
Producer: Lawrence Jackson
Made for BBC Radio 7 by BBC Northern Ireland.
First broadcast in September 2007.
SAT 00:30 Off the Page (b00nvzyv)
Porky Pies
According to a recent survey we live in a world full of lies - concluding that most people tell at least two important lies a day, a third of conversations involve some sort of deception and 60 per cent of the population have cheated on their partners at least once.
To debate this and seek out the truth about lies are Professor Richard Wiseman, who has spent a lifetime trying to discover the clues that give away deception, writer Ian Leslie, who described the search for the perfect lie detector, and columnist Michele Hanson, whose mother was only ever able to tell the truth.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 2009.
SAT 01:00 Wimsey (b007jzhc)
The Nine Tailors
3 Bunter Breaks the Law
As Lord Peter Wimsey's murder probe moves to the church bell tower, his manservant Bunter uses his initiative.
CAST:
Lord Peter Wimsey …. Ian Carmichael
Bunter …. Peter Jones
Supt Blundell …. Timothy Bateson
Mrs Venables …. Noel Dyson
Will Thoday …. Keith Drinkell
Mary Thoday …. Claire Clifford
Potty Peak …. Anthony Hyde
Mrs Ashton …. Marjorie Withers
Mr Ashton …. Brian Haynes
Sluice Keeper …. Peter Tudenham
Narrator …. John Westbrook
British gentleman detective Lord Peter Wimsey features in a number of detective novels and short stories by English crime writer, Dorothy L Sayers. The Nine Tailors was first published in 1934.
Classy and sharp-witted, aristocratic amateur sleuth Lord Peter Bredon Wimsey was born in 1890 and educated at Eton and Oxford, before serving in the military during the First World War.
Ian Carmichael appeared as Lord Peter Wimsey for BBC Radio from 1973 to 1983, in addition to the BBC TV adaptations that were broadcast between 1972 and 1975.
Adapted for radio in six episodes by Alistair Beaton.
Producer: Martin Fisher
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 1980.
SAT 01:30 Peter Ustinov - Dear Me (m000vjq5)
5. Finding Work
Peter Ustinov struggles with army life but his acting and writing career gradually take over.
His daughter Tamara is born and he has fun working with legendary actors, Ralph Richardson and John Gielgud.
The writer, director and actor continues his autobiography
Abridged by Jack Singleton.
Producer Rosemary Hart
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 1978.
SAT 02:00 A Far Cry from Kensington by Muriel Spark (b09mx8n7)
Episode 10
Muriel Spark's playful and autobiographical novel set amid London's post-war publishing scene.
Although she enjoys her new job and looks forward to the future with William Todd, Nancy dreads the reappearance of hack writer Hector Bartlett.
Read by Maggie Service
Abridged by Rosemary Goring
Producer: Eilidh McCreadie.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 2018.
SAT 02:15 Gudrun (b0b539zy)
Series 4
Episode 10
Lucy Catherine's Viking epic of love, revenge and faith inspired by the Icelandic sagas.
Gudrun waits anxiously for Marlas to return. Will he be able to stop the wedding in time?
Produced and directed by Gemma Jenkins
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in June 2018.
SAT 02:30 Hot Gossip! (b04sy3qp)
2. Brains
In the second of two programmes, Geoff Watts continues to explore the science, history and cultural implications of gossip.
Gossip has a bad reputation and for the most part, deservedly so. Yet, on-going research appears to suggest that gossip does serve a useful purpose. Not least because our brains may be hard wired for it. Researchers in Boston have used a technique known as binocular rivalry (showing different images to left and right eye at the same time) to suggest that gossip acts as an early warning system, that the brain automatically redirects your attention onto people you've heard negative remarks about. Even though this process happens at a sub-conscious level, your brain is sifting through and weeding out anyone in your surroundings that you may be have good reason to distrust.
Elsewhere, researchers in Manchester have been analysing what makes gossip memorable and are now scanning subjects brains to see if there are specific gossip networks which light up. From preliminary results it appears gossip activates areas in the brain similar to those that produce feelings of pleasure and reward. Next they plan to scan their subjects' brains as they tweet.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, in many of these experiments, it is celebrity gossip that tends to produce the largest response. Thanks to what one commentator calls the perfect storm of 24-hour news, reality TV and social media, the all-pervasive celebrity gossip industry exploits our endless appetite for information about people we will never meet. But could even celebrity gossip serve a purpose? Or are we gorging ourselves on trivia whilst ignoring the plight of those closest to us? And can and should anything be done to stem the negative impacts of gossip in a digital age?
Producer: Rami Tzabar
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 2014.
SAT 03:00 William Makepeace Thackeray - Barry Lyndon (b00t1bsd)
The Squire
Redmond Barry pursues and wins the widowed Lady Lyndon to take the title of Barry Lyndon and play the role of country squire.
However, once arrived at the summit of his good fortune, his luck begins to change for the worse.
Conclusion of William Makepeace Thackeray's classic novel about the rise and fall of an Irish adventurer in the 18th century.
Dramatised by Don McCamphill
Barry ...... Gerard McSorley
Lady Lyndon ...... Tina Kellegher
Chevalier de Balibari ...... David Kelly
Bell Barry ...... Sheila Hancock
Earl of Crabs ...... Kenneth Cranham
Wiggins ...... Jamie Foreman
Redmond ...... Andrew Scott
Furniture Dealer ...... Mark Lambert
Poynings ...... Don Wycherley
Ulick ...... Darragh Kelly
Brendan ...... Eanna MacLiam
Maggie-Rose ...... Alice Barry
Directed at BBC Belfast by Lawrence Jackson.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2003.
SAT 04:00 Counterpoint (b00rxh64)
Series 24
2010 Heat 4
The fourth heat in the 2010 series of Counterpoint comes from the BBC Radio Theatre in London, with Paul Gambaccini picking the brains of contestants from East Anglia and the Home Counties.
David Allison from Sheringham, Norfolk
Philip Constantine from Guildford, Surrey
Andrew Langley from Chesham, Buckinghamshire
As always, the questions test the breadth of their musical knowledge and feature a wealth of musical extracts and illustrations.
Producer: Paul Bajoria
First broadcast on Radio 4 in 2010.
SAT 04:30 Two Doors Down (b008gbvs)
Series 2
Mythical Kings and Iguanas
Saffron is a typical mother, multi-tasking her aromatherapy business with trying to feng shui her bathroom and coping with a four year old desperately missing their ex-pet iguana.
So no surprise she needs Sally's help when things go wrong...
Starring Stella McCusker.
Annie McCartney's sitcom about the bohemian Belfast residents of Marlborough Road, saved from chaos by their cleaning lady, Sally.
Sally ...... Stella McCusker
Clare ...... Marcella Riordan
Evie ...... Katy Gleadhill
Trevor ...... Des McAleer
Simon ...... Patrick Gleadhill
Anna ...... Hannah R Gordon
Saffron ...... Ali White
Victor ...... Alan Mckee
Director: Tanya Nash
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 2002.
SAT 05:00 The Break (b07ctt0z)
Series 1
The Key
Welcome to Flamford, the setting for this sitcom starring Philip Jackson, Tom Palmer and Alison Steadman.
Andy Chambers - edgy, sharp-tongued City burn-out - has fled London for his Uncle Jeff's seaside home. When we meet him, all Andy wants to do is sleep, but Jeff is having none of it.
Jeff gets Andy out of bed and gives him breakfast with the promise of an interesting surprise which is safely stowed in the shed. He suddenly realises his keys are missing - his friend Fat Sid borrowed the keys three years ago and hasn't given them back. Jeff leads Andy on a quest around Flamford for Fat Sid and the missing keys.
On their Odyssey they encounter Fish Shop Frank and his outré selection of fish, Pest Control Officer Corinne with whom Jeff has an "understanding", and finally Fat Sid himself in an unexpected new role.
Andy Chambers ...... Tom Palmer
Jeff ...... Philip Jackson
Fish Shop Frank ...... Mark Benton
Pest Control Officer Corinne ...... Alison Steadman
Writers: Ian Brown and James Hendrie
Director: Gordon Kennedy
An Absolutely production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in May 2016.
SAT 05:30 The Confessional (m000vgfs)
Series 1
The Confession of Dr Phil Hammond
Actor, comedian and broadcaster Stephen Mangan presents a new comedy chat show about shame and guilt.
Each week, Stephen invites a different guest into his virtual confessional box to make three confessions - with remarkable storytelling and surprising insights.
We’re used to hearing celebrity interviews where stars are persuaded to show off about their achievements. Stephen's not interested in that. He doesn’t want to know about his guests' proudest moments, he wants to know what they’re ashamed of. That’s surely the way to find out what really makes a person tick.
Stephen and his guest reflect with empathy and humour on why we get embarrassed, where our shame thresholds should be, and the value of guilt.
Series guests include Marian Keyes, Cariad Lloyd, Joan Bakewell, Suzi Ruffell, Clarke Peters and many more.
This week, Phil Hammond, doctor, journalist and the medical correspondent for Private Eye, delivers some eye watering accounts of youthful mistakes, dubious diagnoses and Twitter storms.
Written and presented by Stephen Mangan
With extra material by Nick Doody
Produced by Dave Anderson and Frank Stirling
A 7digital production for BBC Radio 4
SAT 06:00 Martyn Wade - Goodnight to Flamboro' (b007jqdl)
A dramatised account of the First World War call-up and frontline experiences of William Baines, the composer and pianist born in November 1899, at Horbury near Wakefield. When he died aged 23 in 1922, after a long illness, he had written about 150 pieces, mostly for piano. He had an eye, and an ear, for the natural world. Compositions such as Twilight Woods, Paradise Gardens, Purple Heights and this one - Goodnight To Flamboro - capture the mood of the Yorkshire landscapes he loved.
Stars Douglas Hodge, Anne Stallybrass, David Calder and Ann Bell.
Written by Martyn Wade
Produced by Cherry Cookson
First broadcast on BBC Radio 3 in 1989.
SAT 07:30 Great Lives (b018xs8c)
Series 26
Lonnie Donegan
Downton Abbey actor Jim Carter tells Matthew Parris why skiffle king Lonnie Donegan is his hero.
Lonnie Donegan is probably best remembered for the novelty hits "My Old Man's a Dustman" and "Does Your Chewing Gum Lose its Flavour? " However, early hits like "Rock Island Line" were instrumental in inspiring the likes of John Lennon, Brian May and Roger Daltrey to perform.
Donegan played a decisive role in the development of British popular music. His revitalisation of skiffle provided the inspiration for the whole British beat movement that was to come. Ironically, although Donegan was the catalyst, he was soon eclipsed by the young electric guitar heroes of the mid-sixties, and he was left with the comedy and cabaret circuits.
SAT 08:00 The Motion Show (b070wg2g)
Series 3
Episode 4
Graeme Garden's debating game with Gyles Brandreth, Hugh Dennis, Arthur Smith and Antony Worrall Thompson. From August 2000.
SAT 08:30 Smelling of Roses (b007jzm2)
Series 1
Out To Launch
Rosie's company is set to launch the autobiography of the country's most famous footballer, Lloyd Gratton.
The lives of Rosie and her granddaughter Jo are shaken by the return to Rosie's daughter Kate after a long spell working abroad.
Prunella Scales in the first of four series of Simon Brett's sitcom following the trials and tribulations of Rosie Burns and her event-management company based in Brighton.
With Arabella Weir as Kate, Rebecca Callard as Jo, Duncan Preston as Bob, Annette Badland as Tess, Jon Glover as Greg Turnball, Tracy-Ann Oberman as Lalage Croxton-Sackville and Will Ing as Lloyd Gratton.
Producer: Maria Esposito
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 2000.
SAT 09:00 Braden Back on the Beat (b05vj0c8)
Oldie magazine founder Richard Ingrams presents a retrospective of the pioneering star of TV and radio, Bernard Braden.
Compiled from scouring the BBC Sound Archive and liaising with Bernard Braden's family and long-term friend Gillian Best, this 3 hour showcase features:
* Leave Your Name and Number: 21/07/1950
* Bedtime with Braden: 06/04/1951
* The Ransom of Red Chief: date unknown
* Braden Beside Himself: 04/07/1987
* Offbeat with Braden: 23/09/1978
Born in Canada, actor and broadcaster, Bernard Braden (1916 – 1993) made numerous radio and TV appearances in the UK – many with his wife Barbara Kelly. Braden is particularly remembered as a pioneer of UK TV consumer programmes - ‘On the Braden Beat’ (ATV) and ‘Braden's Week’ (BBC).
Producer: Mik Wilkojc.
Made for BBC Radio 4 Extra and first broadcast in May 2015.
SAT 11:30 The Secret Catacombs of Paris (b01b9h73)
Take a trip into the underground maze of Paris, revealing a mysterious and intriguing history.
Famously known as the City of Light, Paris is a diverse metropolis rich in architecture and steeped in history. But it has a dark alter ego that lies 30 metres under the ground, mirroring centuries of bloody wars, revolutions and riots on the surface.
For Paris is porous - built on 177 miles of tunnels that were formed when limestone and gypsum were quarried to build the capital. Most people are only aware of just a tiny fraction of these tunnels - the world famous ossuary known as The Catacombs. The authorities have tried to keep a lid on the full extent of the labyrinthine remainder for hundreds of years. But there are little known entry points everywhere - in basements, in train stations, cellars and sewers.
Throughout history, invaders have always found a way in, whether they were fighting Prussian soldiers, fleeing royalty of the French Revolution, the Nazis or The Resistance. Today they're home to the cataphiles - urban explorers who use the tunnels as an art space, a music venue or even a clandestine meeting point for secret societies.
Architecture and design writer, Jonathan Glancey investigates.
Producer: James Hale
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 January 2012.
SAT 12:00 Act Your Age (b00pxn13)
Series 2
Episode 1
Simon Mayo hosts the comedy show that pits the comic generations against each other to find out which is the funniest.
Team captains Jon Richardson, Lucy Porter and Adrian Walsh are joined by Kevin Bridges, Jason Byrne and Johnnie Casson.
Producers: Ashley Blaker and Bill Matthews.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 2010.
SAT 12:30 The House of the Spirit Levels (b007jr6k)
To Begin At The End
Nick Revell’s six-part comedy serial travels between the Andes, St Petersburg and a town in west Yorkshire, where Tony Hardstaff returns after a 10-year absence.
He encounters his 183-year-old father Obadiah, his Bronte obsessed ex-girlfriend and the Morris Dancing Survivalist Militia.
In this opening episode, Tony is seduced by the charms of the beautiful Natassia Fillipovna Karamazov and has to escape from the ruthless Russian mafia in St Petersburg.
Tony ...... Nick Revell
Natasha Fillipovna ...... Morwenna Banks
The Narrator ...... Alistair McGowan
Mrs Yepanchin ...... Joanna Brooks
Ivan ...... Jonathan Kydd
Sergei ...... Peter Gunn
Kropotkin ...... Peter Serafinowcz
Vladimir ...... Chris Pavlo
Other parts played by the cast.
Music composed by Paul Mottram.
Producer: Paul Schlesinger
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 1997.
SAT 13:00 Archive on 4 (b09x8ygn)
Per Ardua Ad Astra: RAF Voices
From top brass to gunners, pilots and ground crew, the voices of a much-respected service.
When the Royal Flying Corps and the Royal Naval Air Service merged on April 1st, 1918, Britain witnessed the creation of an extraordinary new armed service - one that the existing Army and Navy greeted with suspicion and distrust. Here was a fully-fledged force, complete with exotic flying machines and pilots who seemed to have stepped out of the pages of an adventure book for boys.
Their devil-may-care attitude and sang froid in the face of the fledgling German Air Force, and the completely haphazard construction of the machines they flew, gained them a reputation and respect that the RAF still enjoys a hundred years later.
The average speed of the canvas and wire machines of the First World War was 50mph, while jets today can fly at over 1500 mph, but there was something about the act of flying at speed over the heads of those on the ground that evoked a feeling of freedom. Of course, the WW1 pilots knew and felt this freedom and a mystique grew up around their exploits - a mystique mingled with the bitter-sweet and made even more poignant by the fact that the average life of a First World War pilot was just three weeks. In the Second World War, the lifespan of a fighter pilot was again short and often brutal.
This programme features of the voices of some of the survivors of those conflicts, and from more recent theatres of war such as Desert Storm and Afghanistan. To listen in to the pilots is chilling as they fly through enemy fire and - certainly in the early days - in planes with engines that could fail at any time, where the navigation systems were so rudimentary that they little idea where they were or where they were heading.
A Spools Out production
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2018.
SAT 14:00 Bleak Expectations (b00ngz6q)
Series 3
A Lovely Life Re-Kippered Again Once More
In Mark Evans's Dickensian spoof, even death cannot prevent an old enemy from returning. Stars Tom Allen. From October 2009.
SAT 14:30 The Iguanodon (b0075cbr)
Away and Slightly to the Left
Sam Varley is looking for a lift back to the mainland when his boat is wrecked in a storm.
Mr Brook is looking for an unforgettable adventure at sea, after a lifetime in custards.
Neither of them get quite what they're expecting on a boat called 'The Iguanodon'...
Three-part comedy adventure by Paul Lucas.
Sam Varley ...... Paul Haigh
Mr Brook ...... Bernard Cribbins
Don O'Reilly ...... Dermot Crowley
Isabel ...... Rosemary Leach
The Captain ...... John Arthur
Laura ...... Sally Phillips
Harriet ...... Patsy Byrne
Producer: Jo Clegg
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 1997.
SAT 15:00 1966 and All That (b0100q4y)
The 1920s and 30s
King George utters some unmemorable last words; DH Lawrence of Arabia writes Lady Chatterbox's Llama; and John Yogi Bear discovers the BBC but finds there's not much on.
Craig Brown's satirical history of Britain begins in the 1920s and 1930s.
Stars Joss Ackland, Eleanor Bron, Rory Bremner, Ewan Bailey, Margaret Cabourn-Smith and John Humphrys,
Producer: Victoria Lloyd
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 2006.
SAT 15:30 Chain Reaction (b03m81pm)
Series 9
Terry Christian talks to Kevin Bridges
Manchester's very own Terry Christian talks to Scotland's comedy superstar Kevin Bridges.
Chain Reaction is the long-running host-less chat show where last week's interviewee becomes this week's interviewer.
Producer: Carl Cooper
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 2013.
SAT 16:00 Martyn Wade - Goodnight to Flamboro' (b007jqdl)
[Repeat of broadcast at
06:00 today]
SAT 17:30 Great Lives (b018xs8c)
[Repeat of broadcast at
07:30 today]
SAT 18:00 Fear on 4 (m0008340)
The Hairy Hand of Dartmoor
Alcohol, anger, infidelity and stories of Dartmoor witches are the ingredients in a cocktail party that goes awry for Geoffrey.
Tales of horror and suspense.
Written by Michael McStay.
CAST:
Geoffrey …. Struan Rodger
Abigail …. Angela Pleasence
Kate …. Emily Richard
Henry …. Jonathan Oliver
Peter …. Timothy Carlton
Susan …. Ludmilla Vuli
Director: Ned Chaillet
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 1999.
SAT 18:30 Robert Holmes - Aliens in the Mind (b007jlwv)
6. Final Tribulations
Professor Lark and John Cornelius reveal to Flora's MP father, Ian Sanderson, that he himself is a mutant being - manipulated by some unidentified Controller.
Shocked and horrified, Sanderson helps them trace the organisation...
CAST:
John Cornelius .... Peter Cushing
Curtis Lark .... Vincent Price
Sir Gordon MacLeodan .... Richard Hurndall
Lady MacLeodan .... Joan Benham
Ian Sanderson .... Frazer Kerr
Donald Scholar .... Henry Stamper
Manson .... Andrew Sear
Written by Rene Basilico from an idea by Robert Holmes.
Producer: John Dyas
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1977.
SAT 19:00 Braden Back on the Beat (b05vj0c8)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:00 today]
SAT 21:30 The Secret Catacombs of Paris (b01b9h73)
[Repeat of broadcast at
11:30 today]
SAT 22:00 Rigor Mortis (b007k4q2)
Series 1
Episode 4
The pathologists face doing a holistic, non-invasive autopsy. Stars Peter Davison and Tracy-Ann Oberman. From June 2003.
SAT 22:30 Justin Moorhouse - The Big Am I (b00h34d9)
About to become a dad for a second time, Manchester's Justin Moorhouse has a nagging doubt he may not have got it right the first time round.
Mixing stand-up and sketches and aided by a great comedy cast, Justin asks himself a big question - am I a good dad?
Written and performed by Justin Moorhouse with additional material by Jim Poyser.
Also featuring John Thomson, Steve Edge and Janice Connolly.
Producer: Ben Walker
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 2009.
SAT 23:00 What Does the K Stand For? (b08dnwrr)
Series 3
Let's Talk About Sex
Travel back in time to the 1980s for this sitcom about comedian Stephen K Amos's teenage years growing up gay, funny and black in south London. This week Stephen plucks up the courage to reveal a secret.
Written by Jonathan Harvey with Stephen K Amos.
Starring Ellen Thomas, Laurie Kynaston, Stephen K Amos, Bola Okun, Emerald Crankson, Karen Bartke and David Sterne.
Produced by Paul Sheehan.
Production Coordinator: Beverly Tagg
A BBC Studios Production.
SAT 23:30 I've Never Seen Star Wars (b04xp4wx)
Series 6
Rebecca Front
Marcus Brigstocke persuades his guests to try new experiences: things they really ought to have done by now. Some experiences are loved, some are loathed, in this show all about embracing the new.
This week, Rebecca Front, a self-confessed scaredy cat, is persuaded to take her first ride on a motorbike and read her first book about science. But how much of it did she understand?
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 2015.
SUNDAY 02 MAY 2021
SUN 00:00 Fear on 4 (m0008340)
[Repeat of broadcast at
18:00 on Saturday]
SUN 00:30 Robert Holmes - Aliens in the Mind (b007jlwv)
[Repeat of broadcast at
18:30 on Saturday]
SUN 01:00 Archive on 4 (b09x8ygn)
[Repeat of broadcast at
13:00 on Saturday]
SUN 02:00 Bleak Expectations (b00ngz6q)
[Repeat of broadcast at
14:00 on Saturday]
SUN 02:30 The Iguanodon (b0075cbr)
[Repeat of broadcast at
14:30 on Saturday]
SUN 03:00 1966 and All That (b0100q4y)
[Repeat of broadcast at
15:00 on Saturday]
SUN 03:30 Chain Reaction (b03m81pm)
[Repeat of broadcast at
15:30 on Saturday]
SUN 04:00 Martyn Wade - Goodnight to Flamboro' (b007jqdl)
[Repeat of broadcast at
06:00 on Saturday]
SUN 05:30 Great Lives (b018xs8c)
[Repeat of broadcast at
07:30 on Saturday]
SUN 06:00 Muriel Spark - A Far Cry From Kensington (Omnibus) (b09mwfjj)
Episode 2
Muriel Spark's playful and autobiographical novel set amid London's postwar publishing scene.
Mrs Hawkins is thriving in her new job and continues to lose weight. But a figure from her past is about to make an unwelcome appearance.
Read by Maggie Service.
Abridged by Rosemary Goring.
Producer: Eilidh McCreadie
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 2018.
SUN 07:10 Inheritance Tracks (b065y92m)
Patrick Grant
Savile Row designer Patrick Grant chooses 'Sympathy for the Devil' by the Rolling Stones and Radiohead's 'Packt Like Sardines'.
SUN 07:20 Lucy Catherine - Gudrun (b0b5rxrv)
Series 4 (Omnibus)
Episode 2
Gudrun and Marlas finally arrive in Constantinople and meet Marlas' influential friends. Gudrun allows herself to hope once more that a return to Iceland to rescue her daughter will become a reality. Marlas shows her round the city he loves. She's impressed by its ordered grandeur but there's talk of religious unrest on the streets.
Lucy Catherine's Viking epic of love, revenge and faith inspired by the Icelandic sagas
Gudrun ..... Kate Phillips
Freija ..... Samantha Dakin
Marlas ..... Amir El-Masry
Demetrious ..... Ryan Whittle
Bishop Arascius ..... Sean Murray
Alexandra ..... Lauren Cornelius
Nonna ..... Kerry Gooderson
Director: Gemma Jenkins
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in June 2018.
SUN 08:30 A Life of Bliss (b04d0n5l)
Penny Gay's Return
Shy bachelor David Bliss has got some thinking to do when an old flame arrives in town.
Stars George Cole as David Bliss, Petula Clark as Penny Gay, Diana Churchill as Anne Fellows, Colin Gordon as Tony Fellows, Sarah Lawson as Maxine Avery and animal impersonator Percy Edwards as 'Psyche' the Dog.
Part of a run of 6 episodes from Godfrey Harrison's sitcom about shy, bumbling bachelor David Alexander Bliss. Beginning in 1953, it ran for six series of 118 episodes concluding in 1969 - but very few survive in the BBC archive. (A TV series was made in 1969). For the first 7 episodes, David Tomlinson played David, but the rest starred the future star of The St Trinian's films, destined to find great fame as the dodgy Arthur Daley in ITV's Minder - the late George Cole.
Producer: Leslie Bridgmont
First broadcast on the BBC Home Service in September 1957.
SUN 09:00 Drop Me Here, Darling (m000vq2y)
Moonlight
Leslie is broke and turns to mini-cabbing, but pays the price.
‘Drop Me Here, Darling’ ran from December 1982 to February 1983. It starred Leslie Phillips and Jill Bennett as a recently divorced couple, Leslie and Caroline Duggan. He was a successful businessman but has fallen on hard times - following the ‘80s property crash - and now earns a living by chauffeuring his wealthy ex, who runs the successful Quantum mail order company. Despite being divorced, their lives are interleaved and they keep a close, envious eye on each other’s love lives, divulging an enduring mutual fondness.
CAST:
Leslie Duggan …. Leslie Phillips
Caroline Duggan …. Jill Bennett
Claire/Mini Cab Controller …. Norma Ronald
Her Kobourg/Kelly …. Kenneth Connor
Policeman …. James Taylor
Written by Andrew Palmer.
Producer: Edward Taylor
First broadcast on BBC Radio 2 in February 1983.
SUN 09:30 Robin and Wendy's Wet Weekends (b0141v9z)
Series 3
Anniversary Waltz
Queasy Wendy tackles party food for Maureen, as Robin tries to bond with their foster child. Stars Kay Stonham. From July 2004.
SUN 10:00 Desert Island Discs Revisited (m000vq30)
Comic Castaways 2
Vic Reeves
Sue Lawley's castaway this week is the comedian Jim Moir, best known by the name of his alter ego Vic Reeves. Jim was born in Leeds but soon moved to Darlington with his family. He attended the local school and left with one O level in Art. He fulfilled the expectations of his school by getting a job in a factory, completing his apprenticeship and working there for four years.
However, he was bored so he moved to London with three friends. After trying a few different jobs he began running club nights - with music, acts and entertainment. He would hire a venue and the bands and be the compere.
Jim decided to take on the persona of Vic Reeves as it gave him an excuse to act up. A comedy night came up and instead of booking three comedians, he decided to do the whole night himself. Vic Reeves' Big Night Out was born. After teaming up with Bob Mortimer, a solicitor who had been in the audience of one of his shows, the show went from strength to strength. It was a huge success and TV rights were fought over by the BBC and Channel 4. Since then, he has appeared on both channels with a variety of programmes including The Smell of Reeves and Mortimer, Shooting Stars and Randall And Hopkirk (Deceased). The programmes have won BAFTA Awards for Originality and Best Live Performance plus British Comedy Awards.
Favourite track: Lark Ascending by Vaughan Williams
Book: Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K Jerome
Luxury: Potato seeds
Produced by Lisa Jenkinson
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2003.
SUN 10:45 David Attenborough's Life Stories (b00z62ns)
Series 2
Foreign Fare
We sometimes forget that vegetables that we see as common-place today in all their varieties have wild origins.
The potato for example is a name given to a tuber that both comes from Africa and South America - and the history of their discovery and export into our European markets can be traced by examining how those first explorers named the plants.
Sir David Attenborough traces the discovery of some common vegetables to their wild beginnings - and the fascinating natural history of their use as food.
Producer: Julian Hector
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 2011.
SUN 11:00 Radiolab (m000vq32)
Series 7
Plant Parade
Radiolab explores whether you need a brain to experience the world by looking at the sensory life of plants. With Jad Abumrad and Robert Krulwich.
the boundaries blur between science, philosophy, and the human experience.
Jad Abumrad and the Radiolab team investigate a strange world.
From WNYC. First broadcast on public radio in the USA in 2018.
SUN 11:55 Inheritance Tracks (b065y92m)
[Repeat of broadcast at
07:10 today]
SUN 12:00 Poetry Extra (m000vq34)
What Sweetness Touched Your Tongue
Daljit Nagra revisits the BBC's poetry archive and selects 'What Sweetness Touched Your Tongue?' inspired by Edwardian recipes written by poet Alison Brackenbury's grandmother.
The poet Alison Brackenbury came across a black oilskin notebook that had belonged to her grandmother, Dorothy Eliza Barnes.
The notebook is full of her recipes, for 'Aunt Margaret's Pudding', 'Flamberries Pudding' and other steamed delights, but also bramble vinegar, pork pie filling, wines, even embrocation.
Dot, born in 1894, was a cook to an Edwardian family. Later she married a Lincolnshire shepherd, moving from one remote cottage to another. Her role, her life, was to sustain her family - and feed men.
Brackenbury was inspired to write a sequence of poems in response to the recipes.
In this programme we hear the poems and The Kitchen Cabinet's food historian, Dr Annie Gray, cooks, following the recipes. These dishes are very evocative of Dot's era and her life. Helped by notes in the family Bible, family reminiscence and her own memories of her grandmother (read by the actor Emma Hands), Brackenbury uncovers a life that was full, marked by losses, long and fascinating.
In the 1930s hungry itinerants came to the farm, looking for work, and Dot fed them. Dot kept cooking to the end, dying with her shelves well stocked. She once remarked to her grand-daughter that what they said about the summer before the Great War was true, it was unusually beautiful.
'What Sweetness Touched Your Tongue' is a culinary biography, a radio sketch of an era - in verse. A century on Alison Brackenbury, maginatively establishes a relationship with her grandmother through the recipes and the poems they evoke.
Producer: Julian May
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2018.
SUN 12:30 Natalie Haynes Stands Up for the Classics (b03z9gmm)
Series 1
Sophocles
A fresh look at the ancient world.
Natalie Haynes, critic, writer and reformed stand-up comedian, brings the ancient world entertainingly up to date. In each of the four programmes she profiles a figure from ancient Greece or Rome and creates a stand-up routine around them. She then goes in search of the links which make the ancient world still very relevant in the 21st century.
Episode 2: Sophocles invents modern drama with Oedipus the King. Spoiler alert! – it doesn't end well. This episode includes handy hints on how to get in the mood for a classical tragedy (bring a bottle.) With Professor Edith Hall, poet and playwright Frank McGuinness and TV critic Andrew Collins.
Producer Christine Hall
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2014.
SUN 13:00 Shrinking Violets by Joe Moran (Omnibus) (b07s3jlp)
Joe Moran has spent his life trying to get to grips with his shyness and takes on the hidden world of reticence, navigating the myriad ways scientists and thinkers have tried to explain and cure shyness, and uncovering the fascinating stories of the men and women who were ‘of the violet persuasion’.
"It feels like coming late to a party when everyone else is about three beers in and entering that state that allows them to have fluent exchanges that settle on some pre-agreed theme as if by magic."
Darwin referred to shyness as an "odd state of mind". It has no obvious benefit to our species, so why is it so pervasive, not only in humans but in other creatures – from the Virginia opossum to salamander larvae?
Written by Joe Moran
Omnibus of five parts read by Nigel Planer
Abridged and produced by Hannah Marshall
A Loftus production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in September 2016.
SUN 14:10 Inheritance Tracks (b06sbdn5)
Juliette Lewis
Actress and singer Juliette Lewis chooses 'Peg' by Steely Dan, and 'Voodoo Child/Slight Return' by Jimi Hendrix.
SUN 14:20 How to Survive the Roman Empire, by Pliny and Me (Omnibus) (b06mybd6)
Series 2
The Emperor Domitian rules Rome with a rod of iron, and is dangerously unstable and paranoid. There are spies everywhere. Venta, Pliny, his mother Marcella, and Doris the Greek cook will have to have all their wits about them if they are to prevail.
As a teenager Pliny witnessed the eruption of Vesuvius from his home across the bay. Many years later, following a request from his uncle Tacitus who is an historian, he takes time off from being a lawyer to travel to Pompeii and Herculaneum where he hopes to find out what happened to his uncle, Pliny the Elder, who died in the eruption. But upon returning to his villa outside Rome, he finds a letter from the Emperor which throws the whole household into panic.
Omnibus of the second series of adventures written by Hattie Taylor. Based on real events in 1st century Rome.
Kieran Hodgson returns as Pliny the Younger, with Nigel Barrett as his trusty slave, Venta, captured during the Roman conquest of Britain.
With Joanna Scanlan as Marcella and Mia Soteriou as Doris, the Cook.
Director: Kate McAll
A BBC Cymru/ Wales production first broadcast in five parts on BBC Radio 4 in 2017.
SUN 15:30 Femme Fatale: The Story of Nico (b00gd1t0)
Marc Riley tells the story of Christa Paffgen, the German model and actress who would become better known as Nico, the singer with influential 1960s rock band The Velvet Underground.
Featuring interviews with her son Ari; her manager during her time in Manchester, Alan Wise; her biographer Richard Witts; John Cale, one of her colleagues in The Velvet Underground; and James Young, author and musician who worked with Nico for six years.
Producer: Nicola Swords
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 2009.
SUN 16:00 George Bernard Shaw - The Man of Destiny (m000vq37)
The year is 1796. A mysterious lady arrives at an inn in Northern Italy. Romance and intrigue follow as the beautiful stranger is drawn into a battle of wits with Napoleon Bonaparte, the Man of Destiny.
Starring David Suchet and Paola Dionisotti
Written by George Bernard Shaw
CAST:
Napoleon .... David Suchet
The Lady .... Paola Dionisotti
Lieutenant .... David Timson
Giuseppe .... John Bott
Directed by Pat Trueman
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 1980.
SUN 17:00 Poetry Extra (m000vq34)
[Repeat of broadcast at
12:00 today]
SUN 17:30 Natalie Haynes Stands Up for the Classics (b03z9gmm)
[Repeat of broadcast at
12:30 today]
SUN 18:00 Elizabeth Gaskell - Curious, If True (b00tvmjt)
The Crooked Branch
Farmers Nathan and Hester Huntroyd shower love and money on their handsome son Benjamin.
But he has ambitions above their humble station, and the result is unexpected to say the least...
Elizabeth Gaskell's collection of intriguing "true" tales dramatised by Sally Hedges.
Stars Elizabeth Spriggs as Mrs Gaskell, Peter Meakin as Nathan, Mary Randle as Hester, Kathryn Hunt as Bessy, Crispin Bonham-Carter as Benjamin.
With David Holt, Richard Mitchley and Brett Usher.
Producer: Nigel Bryant
An Armada production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in 1998.
SUN 18:45 Murder & Mystery (m0003l17)
Series 5
Edgar Allan Poe - Morella
What's in a name?
Edgar Allan Poe explores the notion of identity in the first of five stories from the incomparable author.
In a writing career that spanned barely two decades (he died in his 41st year) the American penned over 70 short stories. These he incessantly revised over the years and many became standards of the short form (like ‘The Fall Of The House of Usher’ or ‘The Pit and the Pendulum’).
But for our five fictional tales, we burrow down amongst Poe’s lesser-known, and often dark, gems.
Reader: Owen Teale
Abridger: Pete Nichols
Producer: Karen Rose
Made for BBC Radio 4 Extra by Sweet Talk Productions, first broadcast in March 2019.
SUN 19:00 Radiolab (m000vq32)
[Repeat of broadcast at
11:00 today]
SUN 19:55 Inheritance Tracks (b065y92m)
[Repeat of broadcast at
07:10 today]
SUN 20:00 George Bernard Shaw - The Man of Destiny (m000vq37)
[Repeat of broadcast at
16:00 today]
SUN 21:00 Desert Island Discs Revisited (m000vq30)
[Repeat of broadcast at
10:00 today]
SUN 21:45 David Attenborough's Life Stories (b00z62ns)
[Repeat of broadcast at
10:45 today]
SUN 22:00 Natalie Haynes Stands Up for the Classics (b03z9gmm)
[Repeat of broadcast at
12:30 today]
SUN 22:30 The Iguanodon (b0075cj0)
Big Fat Liars
Don O'Reilly discovers smoking and hiding do not mix - and they all come second in a run-in with some very insistent pirates.
The passengers and crew of 'The Iganodon' are still adrift in the Woe Betides.
Three-part comedy adventure by Paul Lucas.
Sam Varley ...... Paul Haigh
Mr Brook ...... Bernard Cribbins
Don O'Reilly ...... Dermot Crowley
Isabel ...... Rosemary Leach
The Captain ...... John Arthur
Laura ...... Sally Phillips
Harriet ...... Patsy Byrne
Other parts played by Fred Harris and Kevin Eldon.
Producer: Jo Clegg
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 1997.
SUN 23:00 As Told To Craig Brown (b00b0sh6)
Episode 2
Satirist Craig Brown presents a bundle of parody, social observation and nonsense in a romp through anything that's newsworthy and a good many things that aren't.
Narrated by Juliet Stevenson and Steve Wright.
With John Humphrys, Ronni Ancona, Jon Culshaw, Lewis McLeod, Sally Grace, Ewan Bailey and Margaret Cabourn-Smith.
Producer: Victoria Lloyd
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 2008.
SUN 23:30 Lionel Nimrod's Inexplicable World (b007jtn5)
Series 2
The Human Body
Probing human cloning and what to do with our waste?
Series two of the cult comedy that answers the questions which leave other shows scratching their beards.
Starring Stewart Lee and Richard Herring.
With Rebecca Front, Armando Iannucci and the voice of Tom Baker.
Producer: Sarah Smith
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 1993.
MONDAY 03 MAY 2021
MON 00:00 Elizabeth Gaskell - Curious, If True (b00tvmjt)
[Repeat of broadcast at
18:00 on Sunday]
MON 00:45 Murder & Mystery (m0003l17)
[Repeat of broadcast at
18:45 on Sunday]
MON 01:00 Shrinking Violets by Joe Moran (Omnibus) (b07s3jlp)
[Repeat of broadcast at
13:00 on Sunday]
MON 02:10 Inheritance Tracks (b06sbdn5)
[Repeat of broadcast at
14:10 on Sunday]
MON 02:20 How to Survive the Roman Empire, by Pliny and Me (Omnibus) (b06mybd6)
[Repeat of broadcast at
14:20 on Sunday]
MON 03:30 Femme Fatale: The Story of Nico (b00gd1t0)
[Repeat of broadcast at
15:30 on Sunday]
MON 04:00 George Bernard Shaw - The Man of Destiny (m000vq37)
[Repeat of broadcast at
16:00 on Sunday]
MON 05:00 Poetry Extra (m000vq34)
[Repeat of broadcast at
12:00 on Sunday]
MON 05:30 Natalie Haynes Stands Up for the Classics (b03z9gmm)
[Repeat of broadcast at
12:30 on Sunday]
MON 06:00 Wimsey (b007jzjm)
The Nine Tailors
4 The Hunt Moves to France
After intercepting the mystery letter, Lord Peter Wimsey decides it's time to head across the English Channel.
Starring Ian Carmichael as Lord Peter Wimsey, With Peter Jones as Bunter, Timothy Bateson as Superintendent Blundell, Andre Moran as Commissaire Rosier and Lolly Cockerill as Madame Legros.
British gentleman detective Lord Peter Wimsey features in a number of detective novels and short stories by English crime writer, Dorothy L Sayers. The Nine Tailors was first published in 1934.
Classy and sharp-witted, aristocratic amateur sleuth Lord Peter Bredon Wimsey was born in 1890 and educated at Eton and Oxford, before serving in the military during the First World War.
Ian Carmichael appeared as Lord Peter Wimsey for BBC Radio from 1973 to 1983, in addition to the BBC TV adaptations that were broadcast between 1972 and 1975.
Adapted for radio in six episodes by Alistair Beaton.
Producer: Martin Fisher
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 1980.
MON 06:30 Peter Ustinov - Dear Me (m000vpcw)
6. Watching Rome Burn
Early 1950s and the versatile Peter Ustinov is 28 years old and cast as Nero in the film Quo Vadis. He swelters in Rome, before returning to London to pen a play for the Wyndhams Theatre where he has a romantic encounter.
Author and reader Peter Ustinov
Abridged in eight parts by Jack Singleton
Producer Rosemary Hart
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 1978.
MON 07:00 Psmith in the City by PG Wodehouse (b00dgjw3)
First Steps in a Business Career
Comedy series following the adventures of the extraordinary Psmith and his friend Mike in the world of Edwardian finance.
Mike's future looks gloomy when he's forced to give up his dreams of university and work in a bank. But help is at hand...
PG Wodehouse ..... Simon Williams
Psmith ..... Nick Caldecott
Mike Jackson ..... Inam Mirza
John Bickersdyke ..... Stephen Critchlow
Mr Rossiter/Mr Jackson ..... Chris Pavlo
Mr Waller ..... Jonathan Tafler
Bannister ..... Robert Lonsdale
Written by PG Wodehouse.
Dramatised by Marcy Kahan.
Producer: Abigail le Fleming
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 2008.
MON 07:30 Just a Minute (m000vh68)
Series 86
Episode 10
Jo Brand hosts a special episode of Just a Minute where she challenges guests Julian Clary, Gyles Brandreth, Tony Hawks and shappi khorsandi to talk on the subjects of her choice for 60 seconds. Hesitation, deviation, and repetition are strictly forbidden. This episode was produced using remote recording technology, with both panel and audience joining in from their homes all over the world. Caroline Barlow blows the whistle.
Devised by Ian Messiter
Produced by Victoria Lloyd
A BBC Studios Production
MON 08:00 Steptoe and Son (b007jlt3)
Series 3
Cuckoo in the Nest
Harold Steptoe is shocked to meet his older half-brother from Australia.
Starring Wilfrid Brambell as Albert and Harry H Corbett as Harold. With Kenneth J Warren as Arthur.
Following the conclusion of their hugely successful association with Tony Hancock, writers Ray Galton and Alan Simpson wrote 10 pilots for the BBC TV's Comedy Playhouse in 1962. The Offer was set in a house with a yard full of junk, featuring the lives of rag and bone men Albert Steptoe and his son Harold and it was the spark for a run of 8 series for TV.
Adapted for radio from Galton and Simpson's TV script by Gale Pedrick.
Produced by Bobby Jaye
First broadcast on BBC Radio 2 in April 1971.
MON 08:30 Mr Finchley Goes to Paris (b007k087)
Episode 5
Back in London, Robert gets into trouble and the solicitor's clerk receives an unlikely visitor.
Starring Richard Griffiths as shy solicitor's clerk, Edgar Finchley.
Robert Gillespie ...... James Cohen
Mrs Crantell ...... Anna Cropper
Marie Peters ...... Serena Evans
Mr Barker ...... John Bird
Narrated by James Villiers.
Written by Victor Canning and adapted for radio by Andy and Eric Merriman.
Producer: Gareth Edwards
First broadcast on BBC Radio 2 in June 1994.
MON 09:00 Act Your Age (b00q3gjg)
Series 2
Episode 2
Simon Mayo hosts the comedy show that pits the comic generations against each other to find out which is the funniest.
Team captains Jon Richardson, Lucy Porter and Adrian Walsh are joined by Jack Whitehall, Sarah Kendall and Ronnie Golden.
Producers: Ashley Blaker and Bill Matthews.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 2010.
MON 09:30 The Six Mothers-in-Law of Henry VIII (b0076j87)
Episode 5
Henry's VIII 5th wife Catherine Howard was an ambitious girl - one with a reputation and a duchess as her adviser.
An unreliable history, created and written in six parts by Barry Grossman.
Starring Jonathan Coy as Henry VIII, Milton Jones as Thomas Cromwell, Alfred Burke as the Chronicler, Helen Longworth as Catherine Howard, Marcia Warren as Duchess Agnes, Geoffrey McGivern as William of Winchelsea and Gyuri Sarossi as Simon of Southwark.
Music by Jim Parker.
Producer: John Fawcett Wilson
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2003.
MON 10:00 George Eliot - The Mill on the Floss (b00grysh)
Boy and Girl
While Mr Tulliver plans a fine education for Tom, Maggie learns of a disaster concerning rabbits left in her care.
The first of a five-part dramatisation of George Eliot 's most popular and widely read novel, first published in 1860.
Starring Michael Fitzgerald as Philip, Terry Molloy as Mr Tulliver, Richard Pearce as Tom, Hilary Martin as Young Maggie, Tina Gray as Mrs Tulliver and Joyce Gibbs as Mrs Glegg.
Adapted by Michelene Wand.
Directed at BBC Pebble Mill by Philip Martin.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1991.
MON 11:00 TED Radio Hour (m000vpd8)
Series 8
In And Out Of Love
A journey through fascinating ideas based on talks by riveting speakers on the TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) stage.
We think of love as a mysterious, unknowable force. Something that happens to us. But what if we could control it? This hour, TED speakers on whether we can decide to fall in — and out of — love.
Guy Raz explores what is love?
First broadcast in the USA on National Public Radio in 2019?
MON 11:50 Inheritance Tracks (m000vpdk)
Gabrielle
Singer Gabrielle chooses Tina Turner’s What's Love Got To Do With It and Islands in the Stream by Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton
MON 12:00 Steptoe and Son (b007jlt3)
[Repeat of broadcast at
08:00 today]
MON 12:30 Mr Finchley Goes to Paris (b007k087)
[Repeat of broadcast at
08:30 today]
MON 13:00 Wimsey (b007jzjm)
[Repeat of broadcast at
06:00 today]
MON 13:30 Peter Ustinov - Dear Me (m000vpcw)
[Repeat of broadcast at
06:30 today]
MON 14:00 No Room For Secrets by Joanna Lumley (b00g9px4)
The Hall
One of this country's best loved actors, Joanna Lumley, reads from her autobiography.
In this first instalment, Joanna elaborates on her early years in India and her time at boarding school back in England.
Produced by Liz Webb.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 2004.
MON 14:15 Gudrun (m0001d8m)
Series 5
Episode 1
Gudrun, a young woman in 11th century Iceland, must forge her path through a world of unearthly beauty yet uncompromising harshness. Lucy Catherine's Viking epic of love, revenge and faith inspired by the Icelandic sagas.
On a remote island, Gudrun seeks out an old friend.
Gudrun . . . . . Kate Phillips
Freija . . . . . Samantha Dakin
Dag . . . . . Cameron Percival
Sylvia . . . . . Carolyn Pickles
Aoife . . . . . Lucy Doyle
Written By Lucy Catherine.
Directed by Sasha Yevtushenko.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 2018.
MON 14:30 Erin's Model World (b009rx96)
Erin O’Connor is one of the world’s most famous and versatile supermodels. From the cover of Vogue to Marks and Spencer campaigns, she has made her name in the diverse corners of the fashion world.
In Erin’s Model World, the supermodel takes us deep into fashionista territory, to witness the frenzy of the fashion show in the glare of the paparazzi’s flashbulbs.
She’s keen to change the industry from within by improving working conditions of models through the establishment of the first ever models’ union.
Together with Erin’s other ideas, will these steps to improve the health of models carry over to the wider industry?
First broadcast on Radio 4 in 2008.
MON 15:00 George Eliot - The Mill on the Floss (b00grysh)
[Repeat of broadcast at
10:00 today]
MON 16:00 Act Your Age (b00q3gjg)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:00 today]
MON 16:30 The Six Mothers-in-Law of Henry VIII (b0076j87)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:30 today]
MON 17:00 Psmith in the City by PG Wodehouse (b00dgjw3)
[Repeat of broadcast at
07:00 today]
MON 17:30 Just a Minute (m000vh68)
[Repeat of broadcast at
07:30 today]
MON 18:00 The Man in Black (b017glqm)
Series 4
1. Containment by David Lemon
A self-storage facility off the A12 offers hope to a lost soul, but there's a sinister price attached.
Mark Gatiss returns as the sinister raconteur, The Man in Black, to introduce David Lemon's unsettling tale.
Helen ...... Clare Corbett
Andy ...... Rikki Lawton
Tom ...... Carl Prekopp
Peter ...... Gabriel Brody
Lucy ...... Katie Angelou
More horrifying tales from The Man in Black. You might meet him at a luggage carousel in an airport, or behind the desk at an employment agency or he might approach you in the corridor of a care home. Wherever you encounter him, he's eager to pass on his stories. Stories to unsettle and horrify. Stories to haunt you.
Director: Gemma Jenkins
Made for BBC Radio 4 Extra and first broadcast in November 2011.
MON 18:30 A Good Read (b01cw5ng)
Deborah Meaden and Eliza Carthy
Harriett Gilbert invites Deborah Meaden from Dragons' Den, and folk-singer and songwriter Eliza Carthy to pick their favourite books.
Eliza chooses Everything is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer - a story of a young man who goes to the Ukraine in search of the woman who saved his Grandfather from the Nazis, aided by a blind old man, a randy dog and a very, very bad translator.
Deborah's choice is the historical detective story The Instance of the Fingerpost by Iain Pears, the tale of a young woman, Sarah Blundy, accused of murder set against the backdrop of religious, political and intellectual ferment that surrounded England in the 1600s.
Harriett's choice is the idiosyncratic The Emperor's Babe by Bernardine Evaristo. It's a book written entirely in verse and set in Roman Britain, which tells the story of Zuleika, the feisty and precocious daughter of Sudanese immigrants whose head is turned by the arriving Emperor, Septimus Severus.
Producer: Toby Field
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2012.
MON 19:00 Steptoe and Son (b007jlt3)
[Repeat of broadcast at
08:00 today]
MON 19:30 Mr Finchley Goes to Paris (b007k087)
[Repeat of broadcast at
08:30 today]
MON 20:00 Wimsey (b007jzjm)
[Repeat of broadcast at
06:00 today]
MON 20:30 Peter Ustinov - Dear Me (m000vpcw)
[Repeat of broadcast at
06:30 today]
MON 21:00 TED Radio Hour (m000vpd8)
[Repeat of broadcast at
11:00 today]
MON 21:50 Inheritance Tracks (m000vpdk)
[Repeat of broadcast at
11:50 today]
MON 22:00 Just a Minute (m000vh68)
[Repeat of broadcast at
07:30 today]
MON 22:30 Chain Reaction (b03mjcbp)
Series 9
Kevin Bridges talks to Frankie Boyle
Razor sharp Scottish comedian Kevin Bridges talks to his comedy mentor, Frankie Boyle.
Chain Reaction is the long running host-less chat show where last week's interviewee becomes this week's interviewer.
Producer: Carl Cooper
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 2013.
MON 23:00 The News Quiz (m000vjp8)
Series 105
Episode 3
Andy Zaltzman presents a look back at the week's headlines with Simon Evans, Helen Lewis, Elis James and Ria Lina.
This week decorating, vaccinating and electioneering are subject to scrutiny by our teams.
Written by Andy Zaltzman with additional material from Alice Fraser, Mike Shephard, Tasha Dhanraj and Tom Mayhew.
Producer: Richard Morris and Gwyn Rhys Davies
A BBC Studios Production
MON 23:30 Sean Lock - 15 Storeys High (b09k9mvy)
Series 1
Episode 4
Could the detritus of Sean's domestic life have artistic worth previously unappreciated?
The life of Sean Lock at 76, Elderberry House, Maydew Estate, where he fails to keep the world at bay.
Starring Sean Lock, Tracy-Ann Oberman, Peter Serafinowicz, Martin Trenaman and Chris Pavlo.
Written by Sean Lock and Martin Trenaman.
Script Editor: Robert Fraser-Steele
Producer: Chris Neill
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 1999.
TUESDAY 04 MAY 2021
TUE 00:00 The Man in Black (b017glqm)
[Repeat of broadcast at
18:00 on Monday]
TUE 00:30 A Good Read (b01cw5ng)
[Repeat of broadcast at
18:30 on Monday]
TUE 01:00 Wimsey (b007jzjm)
[Repeat of broadcast at
06:00 on Monday]
TUE 01:30 Peter Ustinov - Dear Me (m000vpcw)
[Repeat of broadcast at
06:30 on Monday]
TUE 02:00 No Room For Secrets by Joanna Lumley (b00g9px4)
[Repeat of broadcast at
14:00 on Monday]
TUE 02:15 Gudrun (m0001d8m)
[Repeat of broadcast at
14:15 on Monday]
TUE 02:30 Erin's Model World (b009rx96)
[Repeat of broadcast at
14:30 on Monday]
TUE 03:00 George Eliot - The Mill on the Floss (b00grysh)
[Repeat of broadcast at
10:00 on Monday]
TUE 04:00 Act Your Age (b00q3gjg)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:00 on Monday]
TUE 04:30 The Six Mothers-in-Law of Henry VIII (b0076j87)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:30 on Monday]
TUE 05:00 Psmith in the City by PG Wodehouse (b00dgjw3)
[Repeat of broadcast at
07:00 on Monday]
TUE 05:30 Just a Minute (m000vh68)
[Repeat of broadcast at
07:30 on Monday]
TUE 06:00 Wimsey (b007jzky)
The Nine Tailors
5 A Question of Identity
Following his trip to France, Lord Peter Wimsey takes a step closer to identifying the killer.
Starring Ian Carmichael as Lord Peter Wimsey, With Peter Jones as Bunter, Phillip Latham as the Reverend Theodore Venables, Timothy Bateson as Superintendent Blundell, Stephen Greiff as Nobby Cranton and Noel Dyson as Mrs Venables.
British gentleman detective Lord Peter Wimsey features in a number of detective novels and short stories by English crime writer, Dorothy L Sayers. The Nine Tailors was first published in 1934.
Classy and sharp-witted, aristocratic amateur sleuth Lord Peter Bredon Wimsey was born in 1890 and educated at Eton and Oxford, before serving in the military during the First World War.
Ian Carmichael appeared as Lord Peter Wimsey for BBC Radio from 1973 to 1983, in addition to the BBC TV adaptations that were broadcast between 1972 and 1975.
Adapted for radio in six episodes by Alistair Beaton.
Producer: Martin Fisher
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 1980.
TUE 06:30 Peter Ustinov - Dear Me (m000vqmb)
7. Spartacus
Peter Ustinov describes and imitates the Hungarian director of The Egyptian with great relish. He learns about the fear in the US under Senator McCarthy. His play Romanoff and Juliet is a hit and leads to a rain soaked tennis match at the Soviet Embassy. Ustinov and Laurence Olivier share a scene in Spartacus and both milk it for all its worth. There is a pen portrait of Charles Laughton and Peter and his wife have two more children.
Author and reader Peter Ustinov
Abridged in eight parts by Jack Singleton
Producer Rosemary Hart
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 1978.
TUE 07:00 Beauty of Britain (b010dq6w)
Series 2
The Little Black Shorts
No professional care-worker can afford to miss Beauty Olonga's survival guide to Britain - its overheated houses, its disappointing church services and its world-class charity shops. Series 2 of this comedy follows Beauty's continuing adventures as the Featherdown Agency send her to provide care for the elderly.
Beauty sees herself as an inspiration to other African girls hoping to live the dream in Britain. Beauty sees Britain at its best, its worst and also sometimes without its clothes on running the wrong way down the M6 with a toy dog shouting 'Come on!'
Episode 3 'The Little Black Shorts'
Beauty starts a romance with the handsome but somewhat immature Leon. She also deals with a relationship at the other end of life's journey when she is sent by her agency to look after a warring elderly couple.
Beauty ... Jocelyn Jee Esien
Frank ... Geoffrey Palmer
Joan ... Phyllida Law
Leon ... Lloyd Thomas
Mrs Gupte ... Indira Joshi
Anil ... Paul Sharma
The music was performed by The West End Gospel Choir.
Written by Christopher Douglas and Nicola Sanderson
Produced by Tilusha Ghelani.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 2011.
TUE 07:30 Bridget Christie: Mortal (m000vgj6)
Death
Episode 3 - Death
Following on from her hugely successful, award-winning previous series – ‘Minds The Gap’ and ‘Utopia’, Bridget now turns her attention to Mortality, covering ‘Birth’, ‘Life’, ‘Death’ and ‘The Afterlife’.
Like many of us forced to work from home during lockdown, Bridget has recorded this series herself in her house, and in her local park, on a pre-sanitised recording device sent to her in the post. Batteries weren’t included. She had to buy them all herself.
In a collection of informative, personal and absurd recordings, she confronts the difficult questions most of us spend our lives avoiding - all whilst being interrupted by cats, bad WiFi, life admin and her own dead self from beyond the grave.
If you are mortal, then this is the show for you.
Written and performed by Bridget Christie
With guest appearances from her sister Eileen and her friend Ash.
Producer... Carl Cooper
Sound Mixer... Olga M. Reed
Bridget Christie: Mortal is a BBC Studios Production
TUE 08:00 The Goon Show (b00gklbf)
The Sahara Desert Statue
What is Eccles doing with a cement sack and an imaginary piano? Starring Spike Milligan and Peter Sellers. From November 1958.
TUE 08:30 King Street Junior (b007x07n)
Series 3
Pressures
School life hits breaking point with incessant drilling outside - and a playtime bully. Stars Karl Howman. From March 1998.
TUE 09:00 The News Quiz (m000vjp8)
[Repeat of broadcast at
23:00 on Monday]
TUE 09:30 Four Joneses and a Jenkins (b007jqlp)
September: Watch the Birdie
An everyday story of sheep, sin and scholarship under the shadow of the Long Mynd. Stars Geoffrey Whitehead. From August 2000.
TUE 10:00 George Eliot - The Mill on the Floss (b00gs5x8)
Home and School
Maggie Tulliver has run away, but will a passion for litigation prove to be her father's undoing? Stars Terry Molloy. From April 1991.
TUE 11:00 Archive on 4 (b0b39r1q)
Commuterville
It’s over 175 years since the word "commuter" was used for the first time. (The word does not in fact describe a traveller, it describes a transaction: regular travellers on the railroad into Manhattan were given the opportunity to "commute" their individual tickets into a season pass. Ever since, commuters have been both travellers and revenue stream.)
Today - our great cities inhale and exhale millions of commuters, who start their journey in the darkness of winter mornings in the suburbs, resurface blearily in the heart of the city and return to long tucked-in children in darkness.
It wasn't meant to be like this. Matthew Sweet looks at our imagined world of fantasy journeys and asks if driverless cars, monorails or high-speed transport systems might deliver them in the future.
Producer: Mark Rickards
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 2018.
TUE 12:00 The Goon Show (b00gklbf)
[Repeat of broadcast at
08:00 today]
TUE 12:30 King Street Junior (b007x07n)
[Repeat of broadcast at
08:30 today]
TUE 13:00 Wimsey (b007jzky)
[Repeat of broadcast at
06:00 today]
TUE 13:30 Peter Ustinov - Dear Me (m000vqmb)
[Repeat of broadcast at
06:30 today]
TUE 14:00 No Room For Secrets by Joanna Lumley (b00gdhcg)
The Drawing Room
One of this country's best loved actors, Joanna Lumley, reads from her new autobiography.
In this instalment, Joanna's life as a model and how she broke into acting.
Produced by Liz Webb.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 2004.
TUE 14:15 Gudrun (m0001f07)
Series 5
Episode 2
After a long absence, Gudrun returns to the Sacred Land. Some welcome her as a hero, while others view her as a mortal threat.
Gudrun, a young woman in 11th century Iceland, must forge her path through a world of unearthly beauty yet uncompromising harshness. Lucy Catherine's Viking epic of love, revenge and faith inspired by the Icelandic sagas.
Gudrun . . . . . Kate Phillips
Freija . . . . . Samantha Dakin
Dag . . . . . Cameron Percival
Sylvia . . . . . Carolyn Pickles
Hakon . . . . . Michael Bertenshaw
Bolli . . . . . Lewis Bray
Aslak . . . . . Tony Turner
Sigrid . . . . . Rosie Boore
By Lucy Catherine.
Directed by Sasha Yevtushenko.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 2018.
TUE 14:30 The Strange Case of Lafcadio Hearn (b0075htl)
Journalist Richard Dowden traces his mysterious ancestor, writer Lafcadio Hearn, who's a household name in Japan. From 1999.
TUE 15:00 George Eliot - The Mill on the Floss (b00gs5x8)
[Repeat of broadcast at
10:00 today]
TUE 16:00 The Rest is History (b04v2ssq)
Series 1
Episode 1
Frank Skinner loves history, but just doesn't know much of it.
This comedy discussion show with celebrity guests promises to help him find out more about it.
With Dave Gorman, Sara Pascoe and historian in residence Dr Kate Williams
Frank and company navigate their way through the annals of time, picking out and chewing over the funniest, oddest, and most interesting moments in history.
Producers: Dan Schreiber and Justin Pollard
An Avalon production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in December 2014.
TUE 16:30 Four Joneses and a Jenkins (b007jqlp)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:30 today]
TUE 17:00 Beauty of Britain (b010dq6w)
[Repeat of broadcast at
07:00 today]
TUE 17:30 Bridget Christie: Mortal (m000vgj6)
[Repeat of broadcast at
07:30 today]
TUE 18:00 The Man in Black (b017prn7)
Series 4
2. The Punt by Christina Balit
Mark Gatiss introduces Christina Balit's tale of an ex-alcoholic on the run from more than just his AA buddy.
Jimmy ...... Ian Hogg
Derek ...... James Lailey
The Voice ...... Victoria Inez Hardy
Jak ...... Adjoa Andoh
The Priest ...... Adam Billington
More horrifying tales from The Man in Black. You might meet him at a luggage carousel in an airport, or behind the desk at an employment agency or he might approach you in the corridor of a care home. Wherever you encounter him, he's eager to pass on his stories. Stories to unsettle and horrify. Stories to haunt you.
Director: Selina Ream
Made for BBC Radio 4 Extra and first broadcast in December 2011.
TUE 18:30 Soul Music (b00zlk07)
Series 11
Schubert's Winterreise
Schubert's Winterreise
Written the year before Schubert's death aged just 31, these 24 songs based on poems by Wilhelm Müller describe a journey that takes us ever deeper into the frozen landscape of the soul. Singers Thomas Hampson, Mark Padmore, Alice Coote and David Pisaro describe the experience of immersing themselves in this music. And Bernard Keefe tells of the time he sang these songs in Hiroshima to survivors of the bomb.
Producer: Rosie Boulton
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2011.
TUE 19:00 The Goon Show (b00gklbf)
[Repeat of broadcast at
08:00 today]
TUE 19:30 King Street Junior (b007x07n)
[Repeat of broadcast at
08:30 today]
TUE 20:00 Wimsey (b007jzky)
[Repeat of broadcast at
06:00 today]
TUE 20:30 Peter Ustinov - Dear Me (m000vqmb)
[Repeat of broadcast at
06:30 today]
TUE 21:00 Archive on 4 (b0b39r1q)
[Repeat of broadcast at
11:00 today]
TUE 22:00 Bridget Christie: Mortal (m000vgj6)
[Repeat of broadcast at
07:30 today]
TUE 22:30 Revolting People (b007lrv1)
Series 2
Trying Times
A wife returns, a daughter gives birth and Sergeant McGurk reveals the real reason the English won the Battle of Culloden.
The return of the comedy set just before the American Revolution.
Written by Andy Hamilton and Jay Tarses.
Stars Jay Tarses as Samuel Oliphant, Andy Hamilton as Sergeant McGurk, James Fleet as Captain Brimshaw, Jan Ravens as Mary, Hugh Dennis as Ezekiel Spriggs, Penelope Nice as Cora Oliphant, Tony Maudsley as Joshua Oliphant, Susie Blake as Elizabeth Oliphant and Selina Griffiths as Agnes.
Producer: Paul Mayhew-Archer
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 2001.
TUE 23:00 Small Scenes (b03gbxnj)
Series 1
Episode 3
Discover the cosmetic benefits of old men's legs and a visit to the Witness Protection Conference 2013.
Symphonious sketch series with Daniel Rigby, Mike Wozniak, Sara Pascoe and Henry Paker.
Written by the cast and Benjamin Partridge with additional material from Eddie Robson.
Producer: Simon Mayhew-Archer
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 2013
TUE 23:30 The (Almost) Accidental Adventures of Bell and Todd (m000596w)
Episode 6
Diana really wants to get off on her holiday, but Bell and Todd are still in trouble.
Mischievous narrator Diana has thrown Bell and Todd into a mad and a mysterious world of her own devising.
June Whitfield stars in the conclusion of John Eggleston's six-part comedy adventure series.
With Matthew Bell as Bell and Toby Longworth as Todd
Producer: Liz Anstee
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 1998.
TUE 23:45 Hearing With Hegley (b00bfq19)
Series 1
Episode 6
The poet laureate of alternative comedy, John Hegley, entertains an audience with his book of verse. From December 1996.
WEDNESDAY 05 MAY 2021
WED 00:00 The Man in Black (b017prn7)
[Repeat of broadcast at
18:00 on Tuesday]
WED 00:30 Soul Music (b00zlk07)
[Repeat of broadcast at
18:30 on Tuesday]
WED 01:00 Wimsey (b007jzky)
[Repeat of broadcast at
06:00 on Tuesday]
WED 01:30 Peter Ustinov - Dear Me (m000vqmb)
[Repeat of broadcast at
06:30 on Tuesday]
WED 02:00 No Room For Secrets by Joanna Lumley (b00gdhcg)
[Repeat of broadcast at
14:00 on Tuesday]
WED 02:15 Gudrun (m0001f07)
[Repeat of broadcast at
14:15 on Tuesday]
WED 02:30 The Strange Case of Lafcadio Hearn (b0075htl)
[Repeat of broadcast at
14:30 on Tuesday]
WED 03:00 George Eliot - The Mill on the Floss (b00gs5x8)
[Repeat of broadcast at
10:00 on Tuesday]
WED 04:00 The Rest is History (b04v2ssq)
[Repeat of broadcast at
16:00 on Tuesday]
WED 04:30 Four Joneses and a Jenkins (b007jqlp)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:30 on Tuesday]
WED 05:00 Beauty of Britain (b010dq6w)
[Repeat of broadcast at
07:00 on Tuesday]
WED 05:30 Bridget Christie: Mortal (m000vgj6)
[Repeat of broadcast at
07:30 on Tuesday]
WED 06:00 Wimsey (b007jznj)
The Nine Tailors
6 A Damnable Business
Lord Peter Wimsey identifies the mystery body, but he has yet to name the killer.
Starring Ian Carmichael as Lord Peter Wimsey, With Timothy Bateson as Superintendent Blundell, Philip Latham as The Reverend Theodore Venables and Stephen Greiff as Nobby Cranton..
British gentleman detective Lord Peter Wimsey features in a number of detective novels and short stories by English crime writer, Dorothy L Sayers. The Nine Tailors was first published in 1934.
Classy and sharp-witted, aristocratic amateur sleuth Lord Peter Bredon Wimsey was born in 1890 and educated at Eton and Oxford, before serving in the military during the First World War.
Ian Carmichael appeared as Lord Peter Wimsey for BBC Radio from 1973 to 1983, in addition to the BBC TV adaptations that were broadcast between 1972 and 1975.
Adapted for radio in six episodes by Alistair Beaton.
Producer: Martin Fisher
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 1980.
WED 06:30 Peter Ustinov - Dear Me (m000vqt9)
8. Old Friends
Peter Ustinov is invited to direct opera, He has a turbulent time as a university rector, he speaks of friends and his children. He reconnects with an old flame which transforms his later years. Peter Ustinov concludes his autobiography.
Abridged in eight parts by Jack Singleton
Producer Rosemary Hart
First broadcast on BBC Radio Four in April 1978.
WED 07:00 A Short Gentleman (b019fxjh)
Episode 3
When dealing with his wife's lover, Robert employs his deadliest weapon: being a gentleman.
Hugh Bonneville stars as Robert Purcell, QC, a perfect specimen of the British Establishment, who applies faultless legal logic to his disastrous personal life.
Jon Canter's comic novel 'A Short Gentleman' adapted by Robin Brooks.
Elizabeth ..... Lyndsey Marshal
Max ..... Ted Allpress
Isobel ..... Lauren Mote
Mona/Ticky ..... Katherine Jakeways
Geoffrey ..... Paul Moriarty
Anthony ..... Carl Prekopp
Penelope ..... Tracy Wiles
With Adjoa Andoh, Ewan Bailey, Adam Billington and James Hayes.
Director: Jonquil Painting
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 2012.
WED 07:30 Alone (m000vh5x)
Series 3
Man Down
A sitcom about five single, middle aged neighbours living in flats in a converted house in North London .- written by Moray Hunter and starring Angus Deayton, Abigail Cruttenden, Pearce Quigley, Kate Isitt and Bennett Arron,
Mitch (Angus Deayton) is a widower and part-time therapist who is looking to put his life back together now that he is single and living with Will (Pearce Quigley), his younger, more volatile and unhappily divorced half-brother. Elsewhere in the building are schoolteacher Ellie (Abigail Cruttenden) who is shy, nervous and holds a secret candle for Mitch. Overly honest, frustrated actress Louisa (Kate Isitt), and socially inept IT nerd Morris (Bennett Arron) complete the line-up of mis-matched neighbours.
In the fourth episode, Man Down, Will loses out on a job and resolves to improve himself and turn his life around, Louisa loses touch with reality over a promising work offer, Morris loses his phone, while Ellie seems to lose the plot altogether with Mitch.
Cast:
Angus Deayton- Mitch
Abigail Cruttenden- Ellie
Pearce Quigley- Will
Kate Isitt- Louisa
Bennett Arron- Morris
Created and Written by Moray Hunter
Script Edited by Ian Brown and James Hendrie
Directed by Moray Hunter and Gordon Kennedy
Recorded and Edited by Jerry Peal
Production Manager: Sarah Tombling
Based on an original idea developed in association with Dandy Productions
Recorded at The Soundhouse Studios
Produced by Gordon Kennedy
An Absolutely production for BBC Radio 4
WED 08:00 Hancock's Half Hour (b007jy6l)
The New Car
The lad thinks he should buy a car to keep up appearances, so Sid offers to help. But there's a big surprise when he takes it for a spin.
Starring Tony Hancock.
With Moira Lister, Bill Kerr, Sidney James and Kenneth Williams.
Written by Ray Galton and Alan Simpson.
Theme and incidental music written by Wally Stott. Recorded by the BBC Revue Orchestra conducted by Harry Rabinowitz.
Producer: Dennis Main Wilson
First broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in December 1954.
WED 08:30 No Commitments (b007jmst)
Series 2
Frail Memorials
Sisterly sparring erupts when Anna organises a service for a friend. Stars Rosemary Leach and Josie Lawrence. From July 1993.
WED 09:00 The Motion Show (b071k5vf)
Series 3
Episode 5
Graeme Garden hosts the comic debating show with Gyles Brandreth, Hugh Dennis, Chris Neill and Stuart Maconie. From August 2000.
WED 09:30 Smelling of Roses (b007jrhd)
Series 1
Positive Thinking
Rosie's company goes New Age, promoting the Brighton leg of a lecture tour by a Californian positive-thinking guru.
Prunella Scales stars in the first of four series of Simon Brett's sitcom following the trials and tribulations of Rosie Burns and her event-management company based in Brighton.
With Arabella Weir as Kate, Rebecca Callard as Jo, Duncan Preston as Bob, Annette Badland as Tess, Alison Skilbeck as Darcy Philpotts and Kerry Shale as Lyndon Merchant.
Producer: Maria Esposito
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 2000.
WED 10:00 George Eliot - The Mill on the Floss (b00gsj50)
Home and Work
Mr Tulliver is offered an unlikely escape route from his troubles. Philip is enamoured of Maggie. Stars Sylvestra Le Touzel. From April 1991.
WED 11:00 The Inimitable PG Wodehouse (m000vqtg)
2. Carry On
“Everything in life that’s any fun, as somebody wisely observed, is either immoral, illegal or fattening.” PG Wodehouse, Girl in Blue [1970]
Alexander Armstrong attended the special dedication to PG Wodehouse [1881-1975] at Westminster Abbey in September 2019, where sections of this programme were recorded.
Alexander continues his three-part celebration of the author's work.
Wodehouse was widely regarded as the greatest comic author of the 20th century, and during these three one-hour episodes, we’ll hear a collection of some his best loved work, including a celebration of his creations, such as the feckless Bertie Wooster and his phlegmatic manservant, Jeeves, and his many other characters. All brought to life on radio by stars including Simon Cadell, Michael Hordern and Richard Briers.
We’ll also hear rare interviews and archive along with contributions from fans, friends and family.
Celebrating the comic brilliance of PG Wodehouse is a personal passion for presenter Alexander Armstrong [Armstrong and Miller, Pointless], especially as he’s president of the PG Wodehouse Society – which attracts followers from all over the world.
Producer: Stephen Garner
Made for BBC Radio 4 Extra and first broadcast in January 2020 as part of a three-hour showcase.
WED 12:00 Hancock's Half Hour (b007jy6l)
[Repeat of broadcast at
08:00 today]
WED 12:30 No Commitments (b007jmst)
[Repeat of broadcast at
08:30 today]
WED 13:00 Wimsey (b007jznj)
[Repeat of broadcast at
06:00 today]
WED 13:30 Peter Ustinov - Dear Me (m000vqt9)
[Repeat of broadcast at
06:30 today]
WED 14:00 No Room For Secrets by Joanna Lumley (b00gdw1w)
The Kitchen
One of this country's best loved actors, Joanna Lumley, reads from her new autobiography.
In this instalment, Joanna recalls her home life, holidays and a glimpse of old age.
Produced by Liz Webb.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 2004.
WED 14:15 Gudrun (m0001fcw)
Series 5
Episode 3
Gudrun's has returned to Iceland, hoping for a quiet, modest life with her daughter. But to many, she is a heroine and the rebels seek to recruit her to their cause.
Gudrun, a young woman in 11th century Iceland, must forge her path through a world of unearthly beauty yet uncompromising harshness. Lucy Catherine's Viking epic of love, revenge and faith inspired by the Icelandic sagas.
Gudrun . . . . . Kate Phillips
Freija . . . . . Samantha Dakin
Dag . . . . . Cameron Percival
Sylvia . . . . . Carolyn Pickles
Hakon . . . . Michael Bertenshaw
Bolli. . . . . Lewis Bray
Sigrid . . . . . Rosie Boore
Leif . . . . . Don Gilet
By Lucy Catherine.
Directed by Sasha Yevtushenko.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 2018.
WED 14:30 Rockets in the Desert (b03zbv0c)
At a desolate airfield in the Mojave Desert, a group of entrepreneurs, engineers and rocket scientists is attempting to build a new industry of private spaceflight and exploration.
Some are calling the small town of Mojave the Silicon Valley of space. Others compare what is happening here with Kitty Hawk and the early days of the aviation industry.
Space journalist Richard Hollingham goes inside the workshops and hangars at the Mojave Air and Space Port, where he discovers rockets, space planes and a culture where risk is encouraged.
Richard talks to Virgin Galactic and tours the sixty-year old wooden hangar of lesser-known rivals, XCOR. Both companies are hoping to fly tourists into space. He sees the unremarkable shed where a new lunar lander is taking shape and meets the locals who are pinning their hopes on rocket scientists to revive the depressed local economy.
If the projects being developed in this small desert town are successful, they could ultimately transform access to space and make a difference to all our lives.
Producer: John Watkins
A Boffin Media production
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2014.
WED 15:00 George Eliot - The Mill on the Floss (b00gsj50)
[Repeat of broadcast at
10:00 today]
WED 16:00 The Motion Show (b071k5vf)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:00 today]
WED 16:30 Smelling of Roses (b007jrhd)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:30 today]
WED 17:00 A Short Gentleman (b019fxjh)
[Repeat of broadcast at
07:00 today]
WED 17:30 Alone (m000vh5x)
[Repeat of broadcast at
07:30 today]
WED 18:00 The Man in Black (b0180hnl)
Series 4
3. The Beaten Track by Dawn King
Mark Gatiss introduces Dawn King's tale of a young couple ignoring warnings on a New Zealand getaway.
Aaron ...... Adam Billington
Louise Kirsty ...... Oswald
Motel Owner ...... Jonathan Forbes
Sandy ...... Clare Corbett
James ...... Christopher Webster
More horrifying tales from The Man in Black. You might meet him at a luggage carousel in an airport, or behind the desk at an employment agency or he might approach you in the corridor of a care home. Wherever you encounter him, he's eager to pass on his stories. Stories to unsettle and horrify. Stories to haunt you.
Director: Jeremy Mortimer
Made for BBC Radio 4 Extra and first broadcast in December 2011.
WED 18:30 Short Cuts (m0003czy)
Series 18
Between the Lines
Josie Long presents short documentaries and audio adventures about translation, interpretation and ideas that resonate in the gap between words - from the connection between one man and his translator, through Benjamin Clementine's interpretation of Satie, to the work of an ASL/English interpreter.
In Translation
Featuring Miwako Ozawa and Hiromitsu Shinkawa
A version of this story first appeared in the BBC World Service documentary Found in Translation made by Whistledown Productions
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p03l3jxj
Produced by Rose de Larrabeiti
Gymnopédie
Featuring Benjamin Clementine
Produced by Mooj Zadie
The Go-Between
Featuring Christopher Desloges
Music: Scorch by Nctrnm from the Free Music Archive
Produced by Aliya Pabani
Series Producer: Eleanor McDowall.
A Falling Tree production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in March 2019.
WED 19:00 Hancock's Half Hour (b007jy6l)
[Repeat of broadcast at
08:00 today]
WED 19:30 No Commitments (b007jmst)
[Repeat of broadcast at
08:30 today]
WED 20:00 Wimsey (b007jznj)
[Repeat of broadcast at
06:00 today]
WED 20:30 Peter Ustinov - Dear Me (m000vqt9)
[Repeat of broadcast at
06:30 today]
WED 21:00 The Inimitable PG Wodehouse (m000vqtg)
[Repeat of broadcast at
11:00 today]
WED 22:00 Alone (m000vh5x)
[Repeat of broadcast at
07:30 today]
WED 22:30 Bleak Expectations (b00nkv3r)
Series 3
A Now Grim Life Yet More Grimified
Young Pip is betrayed and receives a spectral visitor. Mark Evans's Dickensian spoof. Stars Tom Allen. From November 2009.
WED 23:00 The Problem With Adam Bloom (b007n101)
Series 1
Gossip
Adam Bloom investigates exactly who starts rumours?
Helping Adam to silence wagging tongues are Sarah Kennedy, Brendon Burns and Stefano Paolini.
Written by Adam Bloom.
Producer: Adam Bromley
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 2003.
WED 23:15 Tina C (b019fyqw)
Tina C's Global Depression Tour
Iceland
Country legend Tina C challenges the Secretary for the US Treasury, the Chairman of the Federal Reserve and the former CEO of Goldman Sachs that where they have failed, she can come up with a solution to the Global Recession, and sets off on a six country tour to prove it.
This week she visits Iceland.
Tina C ...Christopher Green
With Sigrun Davidsdottir and Victoria Inez Hardy
Musical arrangements by Duncan Walsh Atkins and Christopher Green
Director Jeremy Mortimer.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 2012.
WED 23:30 Bunk Bed (b07hhqv2)
Series 3
Episode 4
Award-winning actor and director Kathy Burke has given life to some of our best-loved comedy characters on screen. She won Best Actress at the Cannes Film Festival for her harrowing performance in the film Nil By Mouth. Now, sadly, she has to spend the night with a pair of middle-aged men who can't stop talking.
Together they discuss fatness, smoking in the bath, and the horror of Hollywood stars who improvise.
A Foghorn Company production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in June 2016.
WED 23:45 Fabulous (b00hy947)
Series 1
Episode 4
Today's women seem to have it all: the kids, the husband and the job. So why can't Faye compete?
Faye has money troubles, so she hopes her mum will lend her £10,000.
Lucy Clarke's comedy stars Daisy Haggard, with Adam Buxton, Joanna Scanlan, Joanna Neary, Geoffrey McGivern, Matthew Holness, Anne Reid and Laura Solo.
Produced by Simon Nicholls.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in June 2007.
THURSDAY 06 MAY 2021
THU 00:00 The Man in Black (b0180hnl)
[Repeat of broadcast at
18:00 on Wednesday]
THU 00:30 Short Cuts (m0003czy)
[Repeat of broadcast at
18:30 on Wednesday]
THU 01:00 Wimsey (b007jznj)
[Repeat of broadcast at
06:00 on Wednesday]
THU 01:30 Peter Ustinov - Dear Me (m000vqt9)
[Repeat of broadcast at
06:30 on Wednesday]
THU 02:00 No Room For Secrets by Joanna Lumley (b00gdw1w)
[Repeat of broadcast at
14:00 on Wednesday]
THU 02:15 Gudrun (m0001fcw)
[Repeat of broadcast at
14:15 on Wednesday]
THU 02:30 Rockets in the Desert (b03zbv0c)
[Repeat of broadcast at
14:30 on Wednesday]
THU 03:00 George Eliot - The Mill on the Floss (b00gsj50)
[Repeat of broadcast at
10:00 on Wednesday]
THU 04:00 The Motion Show (b071k5vf)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:00 on Wednesday]
THU 04:30 Smelling of Roses (b007jrhd)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:30 on Wednesday]
THU 05:00 A Short Gentleman (b019fxjh)
[Repeat of broadcast at
07:00 on Wednesday]
THU 05:30 Alone (m000vh5x)
[Repeat of broadcast at
07:30 on Wednesday]
THU 06:00 Wimsey (b007jzpw)
The Nine Tailors
7 All Is Not Explained
Lord Peter Wimsey goes snooping to try and establish who killed Geoffrey Deacon - and how.
Starring Ian Carmichael as Lord Peter Wimsey. With Timothy Bateson as Superintendent Blundell, Philip Latham as The Reverend Theodore Venables, Keith Drinkell as Will Thoday and Malcolm Terris as Jim Thoday.
British gentleman detective Lord Peter Wimsey features in a number of detective novels and short stories by English crime writer, Dorothy L Sayers. The Nine Tailors was first published in 1934.
Classy and sharp-witted, aristocratic amateur sleuth Lord Peter Bredon Wimsey was born in 1890 and educated at Eton and Oxford, before serving in the military during the First World War.
Ian Carmichael appeared as Lord Peter Wimsey for BBC Radio from 1973 to 1983, in addition to the BBC TV adaptations that were broadcast between 1972 and 1975.
Adapted for radio in six episodes by Alistair Beaton.
Producer: Martin Fisher
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 1980.
THU 06:30 Stephen Mollett - Curious Exchange (m000vrtl)
A couple swap their London semi for a villa in Rome, but Jill can't relax following a tragedy a year ago.
Jill .............Louise Jameson
Tim ...........David Yelland
Directed by Sue Wilson
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 1989.
THU 07:00 The Architects (b0536qr7)
Series 2
D.I.Y.
Sir Lucien casts aside his hopes of Brutalism returning to fashion and decides to go into house building.
His loyal team must follow...negotiating marshland, unexploded bombs and homicidal relatives en route.
By Jim Poyser with Neil Griffiths.
Sir Lucien ..... Geoffrey Whitehead
Tim ..... Alex Carter
Sarah ..... Anna Crilly
Matt ..... Dominic Coleman
Lucy ..... Jane Slavin
Darvo/Council Receptionist ..... Ian Conningham
Director: Toby Swift
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2015.
THU 07:30 Rich Hall's (US) Breakdown (m000vhl7)
Rich Hall’s First 100 Days Breakdown
Comedian Rich Hall is joined by Nick Doody to look at the first 100 days of the Biden presidency via the stylings of an American radio talk show.
Starring: Rich Hall, Nick Doody, Lewis MacLeod, Freya Parker, Alonzo Bodden and Merrill Markoe.
It was written by Rich Hall and Nick Doody, with additional material from Tasha Dhanraj and Jenny Laville.
Producer... Hayley Sterling
Production Coordinator... Sarah Sharpe
A BBC Studios Production
THU 08:00 I'm Sorry, I'll Read That Again (b01075d1)
Series 7
Episode 2
A truthful army recruitment campaign - and Professor Prune's travels in his electrical trousers back to the 16th century.
Starring Tim Brooke-Taylor, John Cleese, Graeme Garden, David Hatch, Jo Kendall and Bill Oddie.
Sketches written by Graeme Garden 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 Liam Cohen, Dave Lee, Graeme Garden and Bill Oddie.
Producer: David Hatch/Peter Titheradge
First broadcast on the BBC Radio 2 in January 1969.
THU 08:30 The House of the Spirit Levels (b007n1wk)
Prodigal Son Returns - Veal Off
Tony returns home to Grimedale and discovers how the town has changed. Nick Revell's epic saga with David Swift. From May 1997.
THU 09:00 The Write Stuff (m000vyx5)
Series 7
Catherine Cookson
James Walton's literary quiz.
Team captains Sebastian Faulks and John Walsh are joined by John Sutherland and Sabrina Broadbent.
Author of the week is Catherine Cookson.
Reader: Beth Chalmers
Producer: Katie Marsden
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in June 2004.
THU 09:30 Double Income, No Kids Yet (b007wznq)
Series 2
Episode 1
After yet another late night on the tiles, Lucy decides it is time for them to shape up and get fit.
But having managed to drag Daniel along with her to gym, how can she then persuade him to leave?
The second series of David Spicer's comedy drama about modern life and parenthood, as seen through the eyes of two 30-something non-parents.
Starring David Tennant as Daniel, Liz Carling as Lucy, Samantha Spiro as Katie and Tony Gardner as Andy.
Producer: Liz Anstee
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2002.
THU 10:00 George Eliot - The Mill on the Floss (b00gsr6p)
Loss and Love
Tom feels betrayed by Maggie and tragedy is looming for the Tullivers. Stars Sylvestra Le Touzel and Michael Fitzgerald. From May 1991.
THU 11:00 Desert Island Discs Revisited (m000vq30)
[Repeat of broadcast at
10:00 on Sunday]
THU 11:45 David Attenborough's Life Stories (b00z62ns)
[Repeat of broadcast at
10:45 on Sunday]
THU 12:00 I'm Sorry, I'll Read That Again (b01075d1)
[Repeat of broadcast at
08:00 today]
THU 12:30 The House of the Spirit Levels (b007n1wk)
[Repeat of broadcast at
08:30 today]
THU 13:00 Wimsey (b007jzpw)
[Repeat of broadcast at
06:00 today]
THU 13:30 Stephen Mollett - Curious Exchange (m000vrtl)
[Repeat of broadcast at
06:30 today]
THU 14:00 No Room For Secrets by Joanna Lumley (b00gf8dj)
The Dressing Room
One of this country's best loved actors, Joanna Lumley, reads from her new autobiography.
In this instalment, Joanna recalls her time on Absolutely Fabulous and her life-long love of fashion.
Produced by Liz Webb.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 2004.
THU 14:15 Gudrun (m0001fv8)
Series 5
Episode 4
The rebels want Gudrun to lead them into battle against the authorities. However, she's committed to diplomacy - at least for now.
Gudrun, a young woman in 11th century Iceland, must forge her path through a world of unearthly beauty yet uncompromising harshness. Lucy Catherine's Viking epic of love, revenge and faith inspired by the Icelandic sagas.
Gudrun . . . . . Kate Phillips
Freija . . . . . Samantha Dakin
Dag . . . . . Cameron Percival
Hakon . . . . Michael Bertenshaw
Sigrid . . . . . Rosie Boore
Leif . . . . . Don Gilet
Guard 1 . . . . . Lewis Bray
Frederick . . . . . Simon Scardifield
Heidr . . . . . Jeanette Percival
Written by Lucy Catherine.
Directed by Sasha Yevtushenko.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 2018.
THU 14:30 The Brixmis Story (b007nf6t)
They were unsung heroes of the cold war: some of the most effective gatherers of military intelligence behind the iron curtain. But compared to the glamorous spies of MI6, the Brixmis officers were virtually unknown.
Jolyon Jenkins tells the story of the spies in uniform, who stole bit of Soviet military hardware and went through East German rubbish dumps in search of classified information.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in June 2007.
THU 15:00 George Eliot - The Mill on the Floss (b00gsr6p)
[Repeat of broadcast at
10:00 today]
THU 16:00 The Write Stuff (m000vyx5)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:00 today]
THU 16:30 Double Income, No Kids Yet (b007wznq)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:30 today]
THU 17:00 The Architects (b0536qr7)
[Repeat of broadcast at
07:00 today]
THU 17:30 Rich Hall's (US) Breakdown (m000vhl7)
[Repeat of broadcast at
07:30 today]
THU 18:00 The Man in Black (b0186hf0)
Series 4
4. Reunion by Janice Okoh
Mark Gatiss introduces Janice Okoh's cautionary tale. Joy loses more than her heart in her desperate quest for love.
Joy ..... Nikki Amuka-Bird
Grace ..... Adjoa Andoh
Fiona ..... Karlina Grace
Dr Alex ..... Richard Pepple
Tom ..... Adam Billington
Steve ..... Alex Lanipekun
More horrifying tales from The Man in Black. You might meet him at a luggage carousel in an airport, or behind the desk at an employment agency or he might approach you in the corridor of a care home. Wherever you encounter him, he's eager to pass on his stories. Stories to unsettle and horrify. Stories to haunt you.
Director: Gemma Jenkins
Made for BBC Radio 4 Extra and first broadcast in December 2011.
THU 18:30 Great Lives (b07v0fv2)
Series 40
Eliza Carthy on Caroline Norton
Eliza Carthy chooses the life of 19th-century poet and campaigner Caroline Norton to discuss with Matthew Parris.
Following separation from her controlling husband, Norton fought to gain access to her three children. She campaigned for thirty years resulting in changes to English Law that gave women a separate legal identity for the first time.
Eliza first discovered Caroline Norton when she was researching broadside ballads and came across Norton's verse ' Love not! love not! ye hopeless sons of clay'. It stood out, becoming the inspiration for her track 'Fade and Fall' and sparking an interest in Norton and her extraordinary life. The expert is Dr Diane Atkinson, author of 'The Criminal Conversation of Mrs Norton'.
Producer: Toby Field
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2016.
THU 19:00 I'm Sorry, I'll Read That Again (b01075d1)
[Repeat of broadcast at
08:00 today]
THU 19:30 The House of the Spirit Levels (b007n1wk)
[Repeat of broadcast at
08:30 today]
THU 20:00 Wimsey (b007jzpw)
[Repeat of broadcast at
06:00 today]
THU 20:30 Stephen Mollett - Curious Exchange (m000vrtl)
[Repeat of broadcast at
06:30 today]
THU 21:00 Desert Island Discs Revisited (m000vq30)
[Repeat of broadcast at
10:00 on Sunday]
THU 21:45 David Attenborough's Life Stories (b00z62ns)
[Repeat of broadcast at
10:45 on Sunday]
THU 22:00 Rich Hall's (US) Breakdown (m000vhl7)
[Repeat of broadcast at
07:30 today]
THU 22:30 John Kearns (b05wykhz)
Episode 3 - Lunch Break
John and his work colleagues test each other's patience at the Dinosaur Museum.
The third of four 14-minute vignettes in a series from John Kearns, the winner of the main prize at the 2014 Edinburgh Comedy Festival, as well as the Best Newcomer Award in 2013.
Producer: Arnab Chanda
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2015.
THU 22:45 Warhorses of Letters (b016ldtq)
Series 1
Episode 3
Deep in the British Library tucked into the slipcover of a book on the history of Blenheim Palace a packet of extraordinary letters has been discovered.
"Dear Marengo brackets Napoleon's horse close brackets, I've never written a letter like this before...."
Thus begins the first passionate letter from Copenhagen, the Duke of Wellington's horse, to his hero Marengo in this epistolary equine love story. A story of two horses united by an uncommon passion, cruelly divided by a brutal conflict.
Warhorses of Letters stars Stephen Fry as Marengo, the seasoned, famous and just-a-little-bit-short mount of Emperor Napoleon. Daniel Rigby stars alongside him as Copenhagen, the frisky young racehorse who as our story begins is about to be the new mount for the Duke of Wellington. This collection of their moving letters to each other is introduced by Tamsin Greig.
Our heroes' fortunes fluctuate as the Napoleonic Wars get bloodier and colder making it much harder to send Valentine's cards.
Written by novelists Robert Hudson (The Kilburn Social Club) and Marie Phillips (Gods Behaving Badly).
Directed by Steven Canny
Produced by Gareth Edwards.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 2011.
THU 23:00 1966 and All That (b01075px)
The 1940s
The French Resistance struggle to victory under General de Girl; Hitler gets stuck in a bunker with his Gerbil - and John Humphrys interviews Winston Churchill.
Craig Brown's satirical history of Britain reaches the 1940s.
Stars Joss Ackland, Eleanor Bron, Rory Bremner, Ewan Bailey, Margaret Cabourn-Smith and John Humphrys
Producer: Victoria Lloyd
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 2006.
THU 23:30 Children's Hour with Armstrong and Miller (b00933zr)
Episode 4
Martin Bain-Jones is left in the studio, while Craig Children's got a dubious new job.
Ben Miller and Alexander Armstrong write and star in their first full-length radio comedy series.
With Charlie Condou, Melissa Lloyd and Tony Gardner.
Producer: Jon Rolph
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 1998.
FRIDAY 07 MAY 2021
FRI 00:00 The Man in Black (b0186hf0)
[Repeat of broadcast at
18:00 on Thursday]
FRI 00:30 Great Lives (b07v0fv2)
[Repeat of broadcast at
18:30 on Thursday]
FRI 01:00 Wimsey (b007jzpw)
[Repeat of broadcast at
06:00 on Thursday]
FRI 01:30 Stephen Mollett - Curious Exchange (m000vrtl)
[Repeat of broadcast at
06:30 on Thursday]
FRI 02:00 No Room For Secrets by Joanna Lumley (b00gf8dj)
[Repeat of broadcast at
14:00 on Thursday]
FRI 02:15 Gudrun (m0001fv8)
[Repeat of broadcast at
14:15 on Thursday]
FRI 02:30 The Brixmis Story (b007nf6t)
[Repeat of broadcast at
14:30 on Thursday]
FRI 03:00 George Eliot - The Mill on the Floss (b00gsr6p)
[Repeat of broadcast at
10:00 on Thursday]
FRI 04:00 The Write Stuff (m000vyx5)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:00 on Thursday]
FRI 04:30 Double Income, No Kids Yet (b007wznq)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:30 on Thursday]
FRI 05:00 The Architects (b0536qr7)
[Repeat of broadcast at
07:00 on Thursday]
FRI 05:30 Rich Hall's (US) Breakdown (m000vhl7)
[Repeat of broadcast at
07:30 on Thursday]
FRI 06:00 Wimsey (b007jzr6)
The Nine Tailors
8 Nine Tailors Make a Man
Can upper class sleuth, Lord Peter Wimsey finally solve the baffling mystery of the murder of Geoffrey Deacon?
Starring Ian Carmichael as Lord Peter Wimsey, With Peter Jones as Bunter, Timothy Bateson as Superintendent Blundell, Philip Latham as The Reverend Theodore Venables, Noel Dyson as Mrs Venables, Keith Drinkell as Will Thoday and Alexander John as Harry Gotobed.
British gentleman detective Lord Peter Wimsey features in a number of detective novels and short stories by English crime writer, Dorothy L Sayers. The Nine Tailors was first published in 1934.
Classy and sharp-witted, aristocratic amateur sleuth Lord Peter Bredon Wimsey was born in 1890 and educated at Eton and Oxford, before serving in the military during the First World War.
Ian Carmichael appeared as Lord Peter Wimsey for BBC Radio from 1973 to 1983, in addition to the BBC TV adaptations that were broadcast between 1972 and 1975.
Adapted for radio in six episodes by Alistair Beaton.
Producer: Martin Fisher
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 1980.
FRI 06:30 Paper Doll (b07wzzzb)
" I can see you. I'm watching. Here in the dark, in this corner. I can see you, going through everything, dirtying it all with your fingers. Think you're alone, eh? Think it's just rubbish? Just wait. Soon. You'll find out. Soon. "
Two young men find more than they bargained for when they search for junk in a derelict house.
David Calcutt’s chilling drama stars Richard Pasco as Matthews, Michael Staniforth as Mick and Daniel Abineri as Ronnie.
Directed in Birmingham by Vanessa Whitburn
Michael Staniforth played Mr Claypole in the long-running BBC children's tv series Rentaghost.
First broadcast in Thirty Minute Theatre on BBC Radio 4 long wave only in 1979.
FRI 07:00 The Break (b07dkk0k)
Series 1
Cold Mountain
Andy is beginning to settle in to the unusual seaside town of Flamford. When he and his Uncle Jeff find an abandoned fridge in the street, Jeff seizes the opportunity to teach his nephew the value of entrepreneurship.
Unfortunately, his plans are complicated by a particularly diligent and zealous Police Officer, a hard-nosed private landlord and Fish Shop Frank's refusal to see a business opportunity when it's sat on the pavement outside his chip shop.
Along the way, they meet a pair of half-hearted pirates, an eccentric plutocrat, Jeff's on-off paramour, Corinne and the youngest-sounding pub landlord in Britain.
Andy ...... Tom Palmer
Jeff ...... Philip Jackson
Frank ...... Mark Benton
PC Clark ...... Mark Benton
Corinne ...... Alison Steadman
Joyce ...... Alison Steadman
Morag ...... Alison Steadman
Max ...... Rasmus Hardiker
Julie ...... Shobna Gulati
Writers: Ian Brown and James Hendrie
Director: Gordon Kennedy
An Absolutely production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in June 2016.
FRI 07:30 The Confessional (m000vp1b)
Series 1
The Confession of Clarke Peters
Actor, comedian and broadcaster Stephen Mangan presents a comedy chat show about shame and guilt.
Each week, Stephen invites a different eminent guest into his virtual confessional box to make three 'confessions' to him. This is the cue for some remarkable storytelling, and surprising insights.
This week, Clarke Peters, famous for his roles as Lester Freamon in The Wire and Albert Lambreaux in Treme, surprises with his stories of youthful indiscretions, hidden loot and embarrassing his brother on the Borscht Belt.
We’re used to hearing celebrity interviews where stars are persuaded to show off about their achievements and talk about their proudest moments. Stephen is not interested in that. He doesn’t want to know what his guests are proud of, he wants to know what they’re ashamed of. That’s surely the way to find out what really makes a person tick. Stephen and his guest reflect with empathy and humour on why we get embarrassed, where our shame thresholds should be, and the value of guilt.
Other series guests include Marian Keyes, Cariad Lloyd, Joan Bakewell, Suzi Ruffell and Phil Wang.
Written and presented by Stephen Mangan
With extra material by Nick Doody
Produced by Dave Anderson and Frank Stirling
A 7digital production for BBC Radio 4
FRI 08:00 Dad's Army (b007jscw)
Series 1
Operation Kilt
Captain Mainwaring's squad is challenged to try and capture the headquarters of the Highland platoon.
Six years after legendary sitcom Dad's Army started on BBC TV, these specially adapted radio versions began recording with the original cast.
Starring Arthur Lowe as Captain Mainwaring, John Le Mesurier as Sergeant Wilson, Clive Dunn as Corporal Jones, Arnold Ridley as Private Godfrey, Ian Lavender as Private Pike, John Laurie as Private Frazer, Jack Watson as Captain Ogilvy and Pearl Hackney as Mrs Pike. With John Snagge as the announcer.
Adapted from Jimmy Perry and David Croft's original BBC TV scripts by Michael Knowles and Harold Snoad.
Producer: John Dyas
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 1974.
FRI 08:30 The Wordsmiths at Gorsemere (b00b9xqh)
Series 1
Episode 4
Cholericke is feverish and the arrival of Mary Lump causes concern. Lakeland poets parody with Denise Coffey. From March 1985.
FRI 09:00 Counterpoint (b00s0b33)
Series 24
2010 Heat 5
The fifth heat in the 2010 series of Counterpoint comes from Manchester, with Paul Gambaccini asking the questions. The three contestants are from Teesside, London and Torquay and, as always, the questions test the breadth of their musical knowledge and feature a wealth of musical extracts and illustrations.
Producer: Paul Bajoria
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 2010.
FRI 09:30 Two Doors Down (b008h68b)
Series 2
Draws and Druids
Edith Black's lodger, Victor, the Ulster-Scots poet, has fallen in love with a Celtic druid, Anashuya - and brought her back to Belfast
Series two of Annie McCartney's four-part sitcom about the bohemian residents of Marlborough Road in Belfast saved from chaos by their cleaning lady, Sally.
Starring Stella McCusker as Sally, Marcella Riordan as Clare, Katy Gleadhill as Evie, Alan Mckee as Victor, Laura Hughes as Anashuya, Roma Tomelty as Miss Black, Gerard Murphy as Fintan, Emily Walmsley as Layla, Richard Clements as Rory, Gerry Anderson as Himself and Hannah R Gordon as Anna.
Director: Tanya Nash
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 2002.
FRI 10:00 George Eliot - The Mill on the Floss (b00gszmm)
Loving and Losing
As Philip hatches a plan, Maggie Tulliver's loyalties are sorely tested. With Sylvestra Le Touzel and Richard Pearce. From May 1991.
FRI 11:00 Podcast Radio Hour (m000vrlk)
What's new for May?
Laura Grimshaw and Scott Bryan round up the best new podcasts.
FRI 12:00 Dad's Army (b007jscw)
[Repeat of broadcast at
08:00 today]
FRI 12:30 The Wordsmiths at Gorsemere (b00b9xqh)
[Repeat of broadcast at
08:30 today]
FRI 13:00 Wimsey (b007jzr6)
[Repeat of broadcast at
06:00 today]
FRI 13:30 Paper Doll (b07wzzzb)
[Repeat of broadcast at
06:30 today]
FRI 14:00 No Room For Secrets by Joanna Lumley (b00gfsmh)
The Music Room and The Attic
One of this country's best loved actors, Joanna Lumley, reads from her new autobiography.
In this instalment, Joanna talks about married life and contemplates future resolutions.
Produced by Liz Webb.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 2004.
FRI 14:15 Gudrun (m0001g8t)
Series 5
Episode 5
Gudrun goes on the run. She ends up in the mountains, at the hideaway of a powerful seeress and her followers.
Gudrun, a young woman in 11th century Iceland, must forge her path through a world of unearthly beauty yet uncompromising harshness. Lucy Catherine's Viking epic of love, revenge and faith inspired by the Icelandic sagas.
Gudrun . . . . . Kate Phillips
Freija . . . . . Samantha Dakin
Dag . . . . . Cameron Percival
Heidr . . . . . Jeanette Percival
Volva . . . . . Carolyn Pickles
Written by Lucy Catherine.
Directed by Sasha Yevtushenko.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 2018.
FRI 14:30 Woolf in the Jungle (b043xpqt)
Overshadowed for the greater part of his life by his brilliant wife Virginia, Leonard Woolf is largely remembered as a devoted husband and member of the Bloomsbury set. Yet he was a gifted writer in his own right.
As a young man, Woolf worked as a colonial civil servant in Ceylon, as Sri Lanka was then known. After his return to England in 1911 he wrote 'The Village in the Jungle', the first English novel to portray sympathetically the plight of the rural poor in a remote corner of Empire. Published a decade before Forster's A Passage to India and two decades before Orwell's Burmese Days, it is also seen by some as the first novel to criticise British imperialism. Whilst the book has always been highly regarded in Sri Lanka because it is written from the indigenous perspective, Woolf's novel remains virtually unknown in this country.
A century or so on from the novel's first publication, the writer and broadcaster Nicholas Rankin explores why this is so and asks whether the book and its author deserve a more prominent place in literary history. Among the contributors are the writer Romesh Gunesekera, Woolf's biographer Victoria Glendinning, and Woolf's nephew, publisher Cecil Woolf.
Producer: Dan Shepherd
A Far Shoreline Production
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2014.
FRI 15:00 George Eliot - The Mill on the Floss (b00gszmm)
[Repeat of broadcast at
10:00 today]
FRI 16:00 Counterpoint (b00s0b33)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:00 today]
FRI 16:30 Two Doors Down (b008h68b)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:30 today]
FRI 17:00 The Break (b07dkk0k)
[Repeat of broadcast at
07:00 today]
FRI 17:30 The Confessional (m000vp1b)
[Repeat of broadcast at
07:30 today]
FRI 18:00 The Man in Black (b018j7ww)
Series 4
5. The New Boy by Matthew Wilkie
Mark Gatiss introduces Matthew Wilkie's tale. Craig has a new job, but how far will he go to impress his boss?
Craig ...... Simon Bubb
Mr Rubenstein ...... Stephen Greif
Beth ...... Victoria Inez Hardy
Nelson ...... Adam Billington
William ...... Christopher Webster
More horrifying tales from The Man in Black. You might meet him at a luggage carousel in an airport, or behind the desk at an employment agency or he might approach you in the corridor of a care home. Wherever you encounter him, he's eager to pass on his stories. Stories to unsettle and horrify. Stories to haunt you.
Director: Lucy Collingwood
Made for BBC Radio 4 Extra and first broadcast in December 2011.
FRI 18:30 Off the Page (b00p31l0)
Everyone's A Critic
Are you worried about the future of criticism? You should be. When newspaper editors are forced to make cutbacks, it is critics who are the first in the firing line. But do we really need critics and criticism? Critic and journalist Toby Young is joined by blogger Lynne Hatwell and occupational psychologist Clive Fletcher to write about and discuss criticism and the critics. Dominic Arkwright presents.
Produced by Beatrice Fenton.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2009.
FRI 19:00 Dad's Army (b007jscw)
[Repeat of broadcast at
08:00 today]
FRI 19:30 The Wordsmiths at Gorsemere (b00b9xqh)
[Repeat of broadcast at
08:30 today]
FRI 20:00 Wimsey (b007jzr6)
[Repeat of broadcast at
06:00 today]
FRI 20:30 Paper Doll (b07wzzzb)
[Repeat of broadcast at
06:30 today]
FRI 21:00 Podcast Radio Hour (m000vrlk)
[Repeat of broadcast at
11:00 today]
FRI 22:00 The Confessional (m000vp1b)
[Repeat of broadcast at
07:30 today]
FRI 22:30 The Consultants (b05z6glc)
Series 4
Episode 1
The lighthouse tour and the old-fashioned parents.
Cerebral sketch show written by and starring Neil Edmond, Justin Edwards and James Rawlings.
Producer: Will Saunders
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 2005.
FRI 23:00 The Remains of Foley and McColl (b007jrrn)
Snuff Radio
Sean and Hamish compete in a European Radio Drama competition.
Surreal comedy starring award-winning double act Sean Foley and Hamish McColl, the Right Size.
With Rose English, Count Arthur Strong, Chris Larner and Mark Stevens.
Producer: Lissa Evans
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 2000.
FRI 23:30 Chris Addison's Civilization (b00dr4t0)
Controlling the Universe
Chris Addison goes on a journey through the vast and rich subject of civilisation and explains exactly what we need to create a new one.
In the opening episode, he investigates the notion of a controllable universe.
With Professor Austin Herring (Geoffrey McGivern), Jo Enright and Dan Tetsell.
Producer: Simon Nicholls
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 2006.