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.