SATURDAY 12 APRIL 2025

SAT 00:00 Soul Music (b036k8v8)
Series 16
Rodrigo's Concierto de Aranjuez for Guitar
Written by Joaquin Rodrigo in 1939, the Concierto de Aranjuez is a guitar classic.
He wrote it amid the chaos of the Spanish Civil War, and in circumstances of poverty and personal tragedy.
How has it touched and changed people's lives?
The composer's daughter Cecilia Rodrigo explains how the blind composer was inspired by the fountains and gardens of the palace of Aranjuez. Nelício Faria de Sales recounts an unforgettable performance deep inside one of Brazil's largest caves.
David B Katague remembers how the piece got him through a difficult period of separation from his family in the Philippines.
Guitarist Craig Ogden explains the magic of the piece for a performer.
Actor Simon Callow recalls how hearing the piece was a formative experience for him during his schooldays, when it turned rural Berkshire into a piece of Spain.
Series about pieces of music with a powerful emotional impact
Producer: Melvin Rickarby
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 2013.
SAT 00:30 One Way to Necropolis (b00y35ys)
Alan Dein goes in search of a coffin ticket, a Victorian funeral train and the guardians of what was once the world's largest cemetery.
Departing from London's Waterloo station to Woking, Alan sets out to retrace the route of the Necropolis Railway.
Along the way, he uncovers the story of the station of the dead.
Producer: Neil McCarthy
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 2005.
SAT 01:00 Whodunnits (b011ppfg)
Agatha Raisin - Series 2
5. The Wizard of Evesham
Agatha is alarmed when her wizard of a hairdresser is keen to take care of other things besides her split ends....
She soon discovers that everyone in his salon has a secret and that he practises a very dark magic indeed...
Penelope Keith stars as Agatha Raisin.
MC Beaton’s novel about the PR guru turned amateur sleuth.
Dramatised by David Semple.
Agatha Raisin ...... Penelope Keith
James Lacey ...... Malcolm Sinclair
Mrs Bloxby ...... Liza Sadovy
Mrs Wendle ...... Tina Gray
John Orlando ...... John Cummins
Bobby ...... Matthew Carter
Director: Carol Smith
First broadcast on BBC Radio in November 2005.
SAT 01:30 Paul Temple (b039q5dx)
Paul Temple and the Gregory Affair
10. Presenting Mr Gregory
Paul sends out some invitations to a very special party at the Madrid club.
Conclusion of another intriguing case for BBC radio's smoothest sleuth and his glamorous wife.
Crawford Logan and Gerda Stevenson stars in Francis Durbridge's rebooted 1946 mystery thriller.
The original series wasn't saved in the BBC archive and scripts for episodes 1, 2 and 6 were lost.
Luckily our colleague in Norwegian radio discovered a complete set of scripts in Oslo!
So using the original incidental music, sound effects and vintage microphones - all ten parts of Paul Temple and the Gregory Affair have been recreated.
Paul Temple …. Crawford Logan
Steve …. Gerda Stevenson
Sir Graham Forbes …. Gareth Thomas
Peter Davos …. Richard Greenwood
Kay Wiseman …. Meg Fraser
Inspector Vosper …. Michael MacKenzie
Edward Day …. Nick Underwood
Sir Donald …. Simon Donaldson
Charlie …. Greg Powrie
Producer: Patrick Rayner
Original series first broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in December 1946.
Recreated and first broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 2013.
SAT 02:00 Up the Garden Path (b0089kjs)
Series 3
New Men
Izzy moves into a new flat and faces a new term, but will she ever find a new man?
Tumbling from one love entanglement to another, 30 something teacher Izzy Comyn has a predilection for inappropriate men.
Imelda Staunton stars as Izzy.
A radio sequel adapted in six parts from Sue Limb’s 1984 novel.
The last of 3 series which ran from 1987 to 1993. Granada also adapted the series for ITV.
Izzy ...... Imelda Staunton
Dick ...... Mike Grady
Michael ...... Nicholas Le Prevost
Maria ...... Marty Cruickshank
Louise ...... Phyllida Nash
Razors ...... Rene Zagger
Marianne ...... Deborah Findlay
Gwyn ...... Sion Probert
Brown ...... Geoffrey McGivern
Producer: Jonathan James-Moore
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 1993.
SAT 02:30 The Ken Dodd Show (m0029p9d)
From 26/06/1966
The King of Knotty Ash with everything from murderous thespians to Do-It-Yourself with a twist.
Starring Ken Dodd.
Recovered episode back in the BBC archive.
With:
John Laurie
Patricia Hayes
Graham Stark
Judith Chalmers
The New Faces perform 'I Should Have Known Better'.
Doddy’s Diddy Orchestra conducted by Paul Fenoulhet.
Written by Ken Dodd and Eddie Braben.
Producer: Bill Worsley
First broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in June 1966.
SAT 03:00 Michael Frayn's Magic Mobile (m000j94k)
Episode 2
Michael Frayn’s comic universe at the touch of a button
The glittering cast includes:
Joanna Lumley
David Suchet
Susannah Fielding
George Blagden
Jared Harris
Lisa Dillon
Martin Jarvis
Does your heart sink when asked to ‘listen to the following three options’? Enjoy racy promos of the newest versions of a Jane Austen classic! A filmed documentary dares to ask ‘What is Truth?' Why do we get so enraged with the latest technology?
And gorgeous young tv personality Melinda Twinkling presents a reminder of old-school viewing.
Producer: Rosalind Ayres
Director: Martin Jarvis
A Jarvis & Ayres production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in May 2020.
SAT 03:30 The Great Gatsby by F Scott Fitzgerald (b007jn01)
5. The Past
Nick discovers the reason behind Gatsby's parties - his need to be reunited with someone from his past.
It's the Jazz Age in roaring 1920s America. Nick Carraway has moved to the East Coast, next door to the mysterious playboy, Jay Gatsby.
F Scott Fitzgerald's famous novel about aspiration in boom-time America.
Abridged by Neville Teller.
Read by Sam Robards.
Producer: Duncan Minshull
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 1996.
SAT 03:45 Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray (b007jvyz)
20. Futures
The futures of Becky, Jos, Amelia and William are finally decided.
Stephen Fry concludes one of the greatest comic novels of the Victorian period.
Written by William Makepeace Thackeray.
Dramatised by Stephen Wyatt.
Becky Sharp .... Emma Fielding
Amelia …. Katy Cavanagh
Jos Sedley .... Toby Jones
William Dobbin .... Tom Smith
Director Marc Beeby
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 2004.
SAT 04:00 The Motion Show (b0075wz8)
Series 2
Episode 4
This House believes the book is dead, and it would like to live in the 60s.
Dr Phil Hammond watches over proceedings in the quirky debating game.
With:
Gyles Brandreth
Hugh Dennis
Jeremy Hardy
Arthur Smith
Producer: Adam Bromley
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 2000.
SAT 04:30 1835 (b0129v0m)
Haircut Sir?
Aristocrat Belport and his servant Ned join the police force, and are called upon to solve some murders in the city of London.
But first, to meet police regulations, they must both have hair cut:s - and as luck would have it, there's a barber's on Fleet Street, run by a Mr Sweeney Todd...
Comic saga of an aristocrat and his servant who struggle to find things to do in the mid- 1830s.
Belport ...... Paul Rider
Ned ...... Jason Done
Peel ...... Roy Barraclough
Trollope ...... Simon Greenall
Sweeney Todd ...... Jonathan Keeble
Written and directed at BBC Manchester by Jim Poyser.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in June 2004.
SAT 05:00 Indiana by George Sand (m001qlg9)
2. Risk
Young Indiana, who is married to a much older man, risks everything for love.
But she discovers that handsome Raymon's ideas are very different to her own.
Conclusion of George Sand's 1832 novel.
Starring Helen Longworth and Paul Rhys.
Narrated by Kate Buffery.
Dramatised by Winsome Pinnock
Indiana .... Helen Longworth
Raymon .... Paul Rhys
Colonel Delmare .... Philip Voss
Noun .... Ndidi Del Fatti
Ralph .... Paul Panting
Mme de Ramiere .... Richenda Carey
Captain Random .... Philip Fox
Narrator .... Kate Buffery
Director: Claire Grove
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 2004.
SAT 06:00 A Quick Killing in the City by Ed Thomason (m0029z52)
Set in London on Black Wednesday, October 1992.
An adoption, a young girl, a merchant bank, life in the fast lane, multi-million-pound deals, and a web of villainy.
Was more devalued than just the pound?
Starring Deborah Findlay and Teresa Gallagher.
Written by Ed Thomason.
Penny .... Deborah Findlay
Joanne .... Teresa Gallagher
Sheila .... Jane Hazlegrove
Michael .... David Bark-Jones
Nick .... Christopher Bramwell
Buck .... Garrick Hagon
Gavin .... Oliver Senton
Rupert .... Michael Troughton
Danny .... Terry John
Heather .... Frances Jeater
Mrs Digby .... Jilly Bond
Sevvie .... George Parsons
Pauline .... Annabel Mullion
Alan .... Neville Jason
Sister Gerard .... Kristin Milward
Radio DJ .... David Jarvis
Director: Tracey Neale
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 1994.
SAT 07:30 How I Learned to Understand the World by Hans Rosling (Omnibus) (m0029z54)
Professor Hans Rosling was ‘the man in whose hands data sings’.
He was dubbed ‘a true inspiration’ by Bill Gates and became a viral celebrity thanks to his popular TED talks, which broke down the statistics behind global health and economics.
Passionately driven to dispel common myths about the so-called developing world, he used facts in a new way to share the surprisingly good news about global development.
In his memoir, completed just before he died, the data visionary looks back at the events that shaped his world view.
From curiosity about his family history through to working as a doctor in Mozambique, he pinpoints the encounters that drove him to a life dedicated to fundamentally changing our view of the world.
Written by Hans Rosling with Fanny Härgestam
Translated by Dr Anna Paterson.
Omnibus of five parts abridged by Anna Magnusson.
Read by Adrian Rawlins and Jane Slavin.
Producer: Eilidh McCreadie
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 2021
SAT 08:45 Beryl Reid in Conversation (m0007kch)
Panto and Revue
From air-raids to performing crocodiles.
Beryl Reid looks back to her days in pantomime and revue, remembering some of the more unusual acts with whom she performed.
Series in which Beryl recalls her remarkable life and career.
In conversation with her old friend and fellow actress, Siân Phillips.
Producer: Jon Naismith
First broadcast on BBC Radio 2 in July 1992.
SAT 09:00 Mind Your Own Business! (b009pr6l)
Points of Disagreement
Whizz-kid Jimmy Bright has run out of Whizz.
So staid accountant Russell Farrow grabs the reins, and ends up in a prickly situation...
Starring Bernard Cribbins and Frank Thornton.
Andrew Palmer's sitcom about the battles of whizz kid tycoon Jimmy Bright.
Jimmy Bright ...... Bernard Cribbins
Russell Farrow ...... Frank Thornton
Nan Forbes ...... Annette Crosbie
Sue Plant ...... Annee Blott
With Dennis Ramsden
Producer: Edward Taylor
First broadcast on BBC Radio 2 in January 1988.
SAT 09:30 Beyond Our Ken (m0001q7y)
From 11/6/1959
Kenneth Horne hits the high notes in a song contest and Hornerama tries to fathom water.
A madcap mix of sketches and songs written by Eric Merriman and Barry Took
Starring:
Kenneth Horne
Kenneth Williams
Hugh Paddick
Betty Marsden
Bill Pertwee
Music from Pat Lancaster, the Fraser Hayes Four and the BBC Variety Orchestra conducted by Paul Fenoulhet.
Announcer: Douglas Smith
Beyond Our Ken hit the airwaves in 1958 and ran to 1964 – featuring regulars like Arthur Fallowfield, Cecil Snaith and Rodney and Charles.
The precursor to ‘Round The Horne’ – sadly only 15 shows survive from the original run of 21 episodes in Series 2. Audio restored using both home and overseas (BBC Transcription Service) recordings.
Producer: Jacques Brown
First broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in June 1959.
SAT 10:00 Writing... The Midlands (m000rwbr)
2. Benjamin Zephaniah and Matt Windle
Crime writer Mark Billingham was born in The Midlands of England.
In the second of three programmes, he's back in the region that made him a writer to celebrate its literature both past and present.
Along the way Mark meets some of The Midlands’ finest writing talent and browses the BBC archives.
This time he meets ‘The Poet with a Punch’, Matt Windle
Featuring:
* ONLY ARTISTS: Iqbal Khan meets Benjamin Zephania [06/03/2019] BBC Radio 4
* ANITA AND ME [Ep. 5 15/04/1996] BBC Radio 4
Producer: Jessica Treen
Made for BBC Radio 4 Extra and first broadcast in December 2019.
SAT 11:00 A Quick Killing in the City by Ed Thomason (m0029z52)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
SAT 12:30 How I Learned to Understand the World by Hans Rosling (Omnibus) (m0029z54)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
SAT 13:45 Beryl Reid in Conversation (m0007kch)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:45 today]
SAT 14:00 Mind Your Own Business! (b009pr6l)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
SAT 14:30 Beyond Our Ken (m0001q7y)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 today]
SAT 15:00 Writing... The Midlands (m000rwbr)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 today]
SAT 16:00 Doctor Who (m001gjh8)
The War Doctor
3. The Heart of the Battle
Trapped in a citadel swarming with Daleks, the Time Lord rescue force must find a way to overcome insurmountable odds.
With the Daleks apparently planning to rule the Null Zone, perhaps their thirst for universal conquest and victory has been quenched..?
The War Doctor doesn’t believe so - but how can he prove it without destroying any chance of peace?
As the countdown to the destruction of Keska proceeds, a deadly choice must be made... A choice that will define this Doctor, and perhaps forever cast him in the role of 'monster'.
John Hurt stars as The War Doctor.
The War Doctor …. John Hurt
Cardinal Ollistra …. Jacqueline Pearce
Rejoice …. Lucy Briggs-Owen
Seratrix …. Alex Wyndham
Velkin …. Beth Chalmers
Bennus …. Kieran Hodgson
Garv …. John Bank
The Daleks .... Nicholas Briggs
Original music written by Howard Carter.
Artwork by Tom Webster
Written and directed by Nicholas Briggs.
A Big Finish production.
SAT 17:00 A Quick Killing in the City by Ed Thomason (m0029z52)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
SAT 18:30 How I Learned to Understand the World by Hans Rosling (Omnibus) (m0029z54)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
SAT 19:45 Beryl Reid in Conversation (m0007kch)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:45 today]
SAT 20:00 Mind Your Own Business! (b009pr6l)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
SAT 20:30 Beyond Our Ken (m0001q7y)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 today]
SAT 21:00 Writing... The Midlands (m000rwbr)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 today]
SAT 22:00 The Tim Vine Chat Show (b098jkb4)
Series 2
Greenwich
Tim Vine has been travelling the length and breadth of this fair land to uncover the best stories of the Great British public.
But he also takes every possible opportunity to tell a ridiculous joke and sing a preposterous song along the way.
Tim arrives in London and parks his Chat Show wagon in Greenwich, where he chats to a museum curator about airport security.
Plus there's a song about cake and milk.
Producer: Richard Morris
A BBC Studios production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in October 2017.
SAT 22:30 4 Stands Up (b00f4pxp)
Series 2
Episode 1
Welsh comic Rhod Gilbert invites old hands and fresh faces on the comedy circuit to perform.
Featuring character pieces, double acts and sketches.
With:
Russell Kane
Wilson Dixon
Stephen K Amos
Producer: Tilusha Ghelani
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 2008.
SAT 23:00 The Celebrity Voicemail Show (b06fnh5p)
Series 1
Katie Hopkins
Kayvan Novak imagines what it might be like to hear the answerphone messages of the rich and famous.
This time, we listen into the voicemail of controversial media personality, Katie Hopkins.
An entirely fictitious comedy show written, improvised and starring Kayvan Novak.
Producer: Matt Stronge
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 2015.
SAT 23:15 Armstrong and Miller (b00t5x2s)
Episode 3
Australian lifestyle, and a Euro rock band.
Sketches and songs with Ben Miller and Alexander Armstrong in their first series for radio.
With:
Samuel West
Tony Gardiner
Written by Ben Miller and Alexander Armstrong.
Producer: Gareth Edwards
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 1998.
SAT 23:30 The Simon Day Show (b01kbld1)
Series 2
Brian Pern
Simon Day and his characters welcome you back to The Mallard, a small provincial theatre somewhere in the UK.
Each week one of Simon's comic characters come to perform, while the staff struggle with rivalries, self-doubt and the new owner's vision for the theatre's future.
This time, washed up rocker, Brian Pern is interviewed on stage by pretend BBC 6 Music journalist, Ben.
Written by Simon Day.
Additional material from Rhy Thomas and Felix Dexter.
Brian Pern ..... Simon Day
Emanuel Akinyemi ..... Felix Dexter
Pat Bennet ... Morwenna Banks
Ron Bone / Wozak ..... Simon Greenall
Ben ... Rhys Thomas
Original music arranged by Steve Burge.
Producer: Colin Anderson
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in June 2012.

SUNDAY 13 APRIL 2025

SUN 00:00 Doctor Who (m001gjh8)
[Repeat of broadcast at 16:00 on Saturday]
SUN 01:00 A Quick Killing in the City by Ed Thomason (m0029z52)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 on Saturday]
SUN 02:30 How I Learned to Understand the World by Hans Rosling (Omnibus) (m0029z54)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 on Saturday]
SUN 03:45 Beryl Reid in Conversation (m0007kch)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:45 on Saturday]
SUN 04:00 Mind Your Own Business! (b009pr6l)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 on Saturday]
SUN 04:30 Beyond Our Ken (m0001q7y)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 on Saturday]
SUN 05:00 Writing... The Midlands (m000rwbr)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 on Saturday]
SUN 06:00 Desert Island Discs Revisited (m0029z56)
Chefs and Cooks 2
Delia Smith
Delia Smith CH CBE is castaway by Lauren Laverne.
Delia is one of Britain’s most popular and successful cookery writers and broadcasters.
Her first book, How to Cheat at Cooking, was published in 1971 and she presented her first television series, Family Fare, two years later. Since then she has presented many more series and her books have sold more than 21 million copies in the UK alone. Her widespread influence has led to the phrase ‘the Delia effect’, when large numbers of shoppers sought out her recommendations.
Delia was born in Woking in 1941, and grew up in Bexleyheath. She attended the local secondary modern school, but left without any qualifications. She eventually found work as a pot washer and then a waitress in a French restaurant in London, where the chef encouraged her interest in cooking and food.
In 1969 she landed the job of cookery writer on the Daily Mirror’s new colour supplement. There she honed her simple, no-nonsense instructions and met her husband, Michael Wynn-Jones.
She hung up her apron in 2013 to spend more time on her other passion - football.
Delia and Michael have been long-standing supporters – and, since 1996, majority shareholders - of Norwich City FC. She lives in Suffolk countryside in the same cottage she and Michael bought as their first home.
DISC ONE: The Sound of Silence - Paul Simon
DISC TWO: Within You Without You - The Beatles
DISC THREE: Gnossienne No 1. Composed by Erik Satie and performed by Alexandre Tharaud
DISC FOUR: Caruso – composed by Lucio Dalla and performed by Luciano Pavarotti
DISC FIVE: Kyrie: Call To Prayer – Muezzin from the Muhammad Ali Mosque, Cairo. Performed by Bournemouth Symphony Chorus, Choristers of St. George's Chapel, Windsor and composed by David Fanshawe
DISC SIX: This Woman's Work - Kate Bush
DISC SEVEN: He Moved Through the Fair - Sinéad O'Connor
DISC EIGHT: Happy - Pharrell Williams
BOOK CHOICE: Sister Wendy’s 100 Best-loved Paintings by Wendy Beckett
LUXURY ITEM: The Desert Island Discs archive
CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: Kyrie: Call To Prayer – Muezzin from the Muhammad Ali Mosque, Cairo. Composed by David Fanshawe and performed by Bournemouth Symphony Chorus, Choristers of St. George's Chapel, Windsor
Presenter: Lauren Laverne
Producer: Sarah Taylor
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 2023.
SUN 06:45 David Attenborough's Life Stories (b00lcmcq)
Series 1
Songsters
Humans aren't the only species who sing. Many birds do and even another ape.
What messages are conveyed in the syllables, melodies and repeated phrases, and who is listening?
Series of talks by Sir David Attenborough on the natural histories of creatures and plants from around the world.
Produce: Julian Hector
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 2009.
SUN 07:00 Poetry Extra (m0029z58)
In The Studio - Ben Okri: Inside the mind of a poet
Poet Daljit Nagra revisits the BBC's poetry archive and selects In the Studio - Ben Okri: Inside the Mind of a Poet - revealing the writer's creative process.
Nigerian-British poet and novelist Ben takes us on the journey of a new poem as it forms in his mind and makes its way to the page.
Recorded in 2021, and coinciding with an anthology of his poems, A Fire in My Head, Ben reflects on the poetry writing process and the role of the poet in the 21st century.
Through a mixture of audio diary recorded in London during Lockdown and in conversation with the BBC’s Bola Mosuro, Ben offers a unique insight into his way of bringing one of the most ancient literary forms to life.
Presented by Bola Mosuro.
Producer: Neil McCarthy
First broadcast on the BBC World Service in 2021.
*** And Daljit reads from his Poetry Extra Book of the Month: Invisible Dog by Fabio Morabito.
SUN 07:30 The Great Gatsby by F Scott Fitzgerald (Omnibus) (m0029z5b)
Episode 1
It's the Jazz Age in roaring 1920s America.
Nick Carraway moves to the East Coast, next door to the mysterious playboy, Jay Gatsby.
F Scott Fitzgerald's classic 1925 novel about aspiration in boom-time America.
Omnibus of the first five of ten parts, abridged by Neville Teller.
Read by Sam Robards.
Producer: Duncan Minshull
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 1996.
SUN 08:40 Inheritance Tracks (m0029z5f)
Felicity Jones
Multi-Oscar nominated Felicity Jones with Joan Armatrading’s ‘Love And Affection’ and ‘Pressure Drop’ by Toots and The Maytals.
SUN 08:50 Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray (Omnibus) (b008s959)
Episode 4
Becky Sharp's husband is taken to debtors' prison.
Stephen Fry narrates one of the greatest comic novels of the Victorian period.
Written by William Makepeace Thackeray.
Omnibus of the last five of twenty episodes.
Dramatised by Stephen Wyatt
Becky Sharp .... Emma Fielding
Hester …. Helen Longworth
Mr Moss …. Ian Masters
Rawdon Crawley …. Ray Coulthard
Lord Steyne …. David Calder
Lady Jane …. Jemma Churchill
Pitt .... Jon Glover
Mr Wenham …. Philip Fox
Cpt MacMurdo …. Mark Bonnar
Jos Sedley .... Toby Jones
Polly, the maid …. Joanna McCallum
William Dobbin .... Tom Smith
Mr Sedley …. Ian Masters
Amelia …. Katy Cavanagh
Mr Wenham …. Philip Fox
John Osborne .... Geoffrey Whitehead
with Stephen Fry as the narrator
Director Marc Beeby
First broadcast on Radio 4 in September 2004.
SUN 10:00 Just Fancy (m0029z5k)
From 15/11/1957
How the British treat animals and the UK-American rocket programme.
Series of gently humorous sketches written by and starring Eric Barker.
With:
Eric’s wife - Pearl Hackney
Deryck Guyler
Ruth Porcher
Kenneth Connor
Music directed by Peter Akister
Just Fancy ran for 11 years.
Producer: Charles Maxwell
First broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in November 1957.
SUN 10:30 Take It From Here (b012qr1m)
From 18/03/1954
Pa Glum warns his son Ron about feeling jealous.
Long-running classic comedy written by Frank Muir and Denis Norden.
Starring:
Professor Jimmy Edwards
Dick Bentley
June Whitfield
Alma Cogan
Wallas Eaton
Herbert Mostyn – a bit-part persona adopted, when necessary, by both Frank and Denis.
Music from The Keynotes and the Augmented BBC Revue Orchestra conducted by Harry Rabinowitz.
Producer: Charles Maxwell
First broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in March 1954.
SUN 11:00 Desert Island Discs Revisited (m0029z56)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
SUN 11:45 David Attenborough's Life Stories (b00lcmcq)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:45 today]
SUN 12:00 Poetry Extra (m0029z58)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
SUN 12:30 The Great Gatsby by F Scott Fitzgerald (Omnibus) (m0029z5b)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
SUN 13:40 Inheritance Tracks (m0029z5f)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:40 today]
SUN 13:50 Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray (Omnibus) (b008s959)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:50 today]
SUN 15:00 Just Fancy (m0029z5k)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 today]
SUN 15:30 Take It From Here (b012qr1m)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:30 today]
SUN 16:00 MR James (b007k1j7)
The Backward Glance by Sheila Hodgson
"The object he handed me was made of black silk, beautifully worked. I put the period at late 18th century.
Oh, and one more point about the mask... across the slits which would normally have been left open for the eyes, there had been stitched something which looked like human skin!"
A cycling tour in the Cotswolds comes to sinister conclusion.
Based on MR James’s mysterious tale - adapted by Sheila Hodgson.
MR James …. David March
Nicholas Pawle …. Paul Meier
Margaret Pawle …. Nicolette McKenzie
Eugene Borelman …. Douglas Blackwell
Kitty Kay …. Carole Boyd
Violet …. Heather Bell
Cabby/Stage Doorkeeper …. William Eedle
Director: David Johnstone
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 1977.
SUN 16:45 The Mermayde's Tale by Joe Hollins (m0029z5n)
A woman seeks healing, a fisherman seeks faith and a mermaid seeks a man.
But will they get what they are hoping for..?
Celia Imrie reads a short story written by Joe Hollins
Producer: Liz Taylor
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 1999.
SUN 17:00 Desert Island Discs Revisited (m0029z56)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
SUN 17:45 David Attenborough's Life Stories (b00lcmcq)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:45 today]
SUN 18:00 Poetry Extra (m0029z58)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
SUN 18:30 The Great Gatsby by F Scott Fitzgerald (Omnibus) (m0029z5b)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
SUN 19:40 Inheritance Tracks (m0029z5f)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:40 today]
SUN 19:50 Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray (Omnibus) (b008s959)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:50 today]
SUN 21:00 Just Fancy (m0029z5k)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 today]
SUN 21:30 Take It From Here (b012qr1m)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:30 today]
SUN 22:00 Sara Pascoe: The Modern Monkey (b09snj96)
Series 1
Jealousy
How does our monkey past influence our modern lives and how come we can still get emotionally hijacked by our primitive emotions?
Sara Pascoe investigates an emotion that we don't often like to admit to - Jealousy.
It's unattractive but in evolutionary terms, it's a survival tactic - it's good to be competitive for resources.
But in the modern world, are we just hairless apes comparing ourselves on social media? And what can we do about it?
Recorded on location at The Foundling Museum in London.
Written by and starring Sara Pascoe.
Producer: Alexandra Smith
A BBC Studios production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in February 2018.
SUN 22:30 Colin Hoult's Carnival of Monsters (b037j6vl)
Series 1
Episode 4
Master character comedian Colin Hoult presents a bizarre and hilarious world of sketches, stories and characters.
Introduced by the sinister Ringmaster.
Meet such monstrous yet strangely familiar oddities as:
* Thwor - the mighty (but Leeds-based) god of Thwunder
* Andy Parker - Nottingham-born martial arts and transformers enthusiast
* Anna Mann - outrageous star of forgotten silver screen hits like 'Rogue Baker', 'Who's For Turkish Delight' and 'A Bowl For My Bottom'.
Producer: Sam Bryant
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 2013.
SUN 23:00 The Guns of Adam Riches (b04dmgb0)
Series 2
Bean's Odyssey
An epic journey following Sean Bean's attempts to save his castle, his wife and his phone contract from the ever-growing threat of...the McGann brothers.
Adam Riches introduces a series of one-off comic adventure stories.
Written by Adam Riches.
With:
Cariad Lloyd
Jim Johnson
Plus a host of unwitting and occasionally unwilling audience shaped co-stars to create a cavalcade of mayhem that explodes deep into your ear flaps.
Producer: Simon Mayhew-Archer
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 2014.
SUN 23:30 Rigor Mortis (b00g43w4)
Series 3
Episode 2
Keen to get pregnant, Ruth nags Anthony - but he's distracted by a potential patient.
Starring Peter Davison.
Laurence Howarth's black comedy set in the world of the pathology lab.
Dr Webster .... Peter Davison
Dr Anderson .... Matilda Ziegler
Professor Donaldson .... Geoffrey Whitehead
Gordon .... Tom Price
Chloe .... Marianne Levy
Simon .... Gus Brown
Dorothy …. Joanna Brookes
Music by Paul Mottram and Stephanie Benavente.
Producer: Dawn Ellis
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 2006.

MONDAY 14 APRIL 2025

MON 00:00 MR James (b007k1j7)
[Repeat of broadcast at 16:00 on Sunday]
MON 00:45 The Mermayde's Tale by Joe Hollins (m0029z5n)
[Repeat of broadcast at 16:45 on Sunday]
MON 01:00 Desert Island Discs Revisited (m0029z56)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 on Sunday]
MON 01:45 David Attenborough's Life Stories (b00lcmcq)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:45 on Sunday]
MON 02:00 Poetry Extra (m0029z58)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 on Sunday]
MON 02:30 The Great Gatsby by F Scott Fitzgerald (Omnibus) (m0029z5b)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 on Sunday]
MON 03:40 Inheritance Tracks (m0029z5f)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:40 on Sunday]
MON 03:50 Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray (Omnibus) (b008s959)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:50 on Sunday]
MON 05:00 Just Fancy (m0029z5k)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 on Sunday]
MON 05:30 Take It From Here (b012qr1m)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:30 on Sunday]
MON 06:00 Whodunnits (b011pv6k)
Agatha Raisin - Series 2
6. The Moment of Truth
Agatha must quickly discover the identity of the poisoner, but James is refusing to help.
Has he really ceased to care for her?
Penelope Keith stars as Agatha Raisin.
MC Beaton’s novel about the PR guru turned amateur sleuth.
Concluding episode dramatised by David Semple.
Agatha Raisin …. Penelope Keith
James Lacey …. Malcolm Sinclair
DC Bill Wong …. Stephen Hogan
Mrs Wendle …. Tina Gray
Eve …. Fay Rusling
Bobby …. Matthew Carter
Director: Carol Smith
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 2005.
MON 06:30 Little Novels by Wilkie Collins (m0011l65)
1. Mr Policeman and the Cook
Cornelius Brady used to be a Police Constable.
Now as he lies on his deathbed, he has an astonishing confession to make.
The first of five Victorian mysteries written by Wilkie Collins.
Dramatised by John Arden.
Wilkie Collins...Ronald Pickup
PC Brady...John Quinn
Priscilla...Rachel Atkins
Priest...Hugh Dickson
Pianist: Colin Guthrie.
Director: David Blount.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 1997.
MON 07:00 Second Holmes (b0161p3d)
4. The Case of the Shadowed Minister
The grandsons of Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson help an Member of Parliament who claims he's being followed...
Starring Peter Egan and Jeremy Nicholas.
Six light-hearted adventures by Grant Eustace.
Stamford Holmes …. Peter Egan
Dr Watson …. Jeremy Nicholas
Alex Messinger …. Angela Down
Mr Belling …. Stuart Organ
Michael …. Jim Reid
Mrs Waterfield …. Wendy Murray
Mrs Belling …. Miranda Forbes
Producer: Paul Mayhew-Archer
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 1983.
MON 07:30 Steptoe and Son (b00rvzks)
Series 1
The Economist
Fuming Harold decides their rag and bone business needs some bite.
Starring Wilfrid Brambell and Harry H Corbett.
Classic sitcom about the lives of rag and bone men Albert Steptoe and his son Harold.
Written by Ray Galton and Alan Simpson.
Albert …. Wilfrid Brambell
Harold …. Harry H Corbett
With Ian Burford.
The 1962 BBC TV comedy pilot 'The Offer' sparked a run of 8 series.
Adapted for BBC radio from the TV script by Gale Pedrick.
Producer: Bobby Jaye
First broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in July 1966.
MON 08:00 On the Rocks (b03ls7y4)
Series 1
Barter
Morwenna is trying to improve herself and Frank needs a lesson in island economics.
It's 1937 on St. Martin's - a remote island of the Isles of Scilly.
Islanders are resisting the attempts of the Penzance GPO man to modernise the post office - around which their world revolves.
Written by Christopher William Hill.
Frank Gunwallow ...... Joseph Kloska
Morwenna ...... Alex Tregear
Mary ...... Bec Applebee
Grace ...... Christine Absalom
Tommy ...... Stuart Fox
Ben ...... Alex Palmer
Len ...... Ed Gaughan
Tregarthan ...... Peter Marinker
Sound by Jenni Burnett, Anne Bunting and Graham Harper.
Diirector: Mary Peate
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 2013.
MON 08:30 The Great Gatsby by F Scott Fitzgerald (b007jn11)
6. Bootlegger
Nick is helpless watching Gatsby's faltering attempts to win Daisy Buchanan back.
Can you really repeat the past?
F Scott Fitzgerald's famous novel about aspiration in boom-time America.
Abridged in ten parts by Neville Teller.
Read by Sam Robards.
Producer: Duncan Minshull
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 1996.
MON 08:45 Sister Carrie by Theodore Dreiser (m0029z7b)
1. To Chicago
It's 1899. Pretty 18 year old Caroline Meeber - Sister Carrie to her family - travels to Chicago to try her luck in the big city.
Destiny takes over when Carrie's fresh prettiness attracts the attention of smooth talking salesman, Charlie Drouet.
Will the daily grind of badly paid work in a sweatshop force Carrie into his welcoming arms?
Theodore Dreiser's neglected American classic, first published in 1900.
It's the gripping tale of a young woman's eventful rise to fame and fortune at the turn of the 20th century.
Dramatised by Steve Chambers.
Dreiser .... Russell Dixon
Carrie .... Eve Best
Charlie Drouet ....John Guerrasio
Minnie .... Kate Harper
Beth ....Alison Darling
all other parts played by members of the cast
Director: Polly Thomas
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 2000.
MON 09:00 One Person Found This Helpful (m0029rlv)
Series 2
6. The Slippery Dancefloor
Frank Skinner and guests Phil Wang, Marjolein Robertson, Simon Evans and Dee Allum discover the latest views on the Epic of Gilgamesh and which part of the tiger not to eat.
This is the panel game based on what we all sit down and do at least once a day – shop online and leave a review, as an all-star panel celebrate the good, the bad and the baffling.
Everyone has an online life and, when the great British public put pen to keyboard to leave a review, they almost always write something hilarious. Our all-star panel have to work out just what they were reviewing – and maybe contribute a few reviews of their own. So if you’re the person who went on Trip Advisor to review Ben Nevis as “Very steep and too high”, this show salutes you!
Written by Frank Skinner, Catherine Brinkworth, Sarah Dempster, Jason Hazeley, Rajiv Karia, Karl Minns, Katie Sayer and Peter Tellouche
Devised by Jason Hazeley and Simon Evans with the producer David Tyler
A Pozzitive production for BBC Radio 4
MON 09:30 Macbeth Remixed (b007vyp9)
1. Macbeth - Tyrant or Treasure?
Was the legendary Macbeth a murdering monster, bloody tyrant and paranoid thief of the throne?
Or was he a generous and popular king who ruled a happy Scotland for 17 years?
If you think you know all about him, then think again.
The real Macbeth comes back to life to help sort fact from the more familiar Shakespearean fiction.
Liam Brennan stars as Macbeth.
With members of The National Theatre of Scotland:
Fiona Watson
Alex Woolf
Produced at BBC Scotland by Pennie Latin.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 2007.
MON 09:45 Daily Service (m0029z7f)
Niceen creed 4 - For our sake - For our sake he was crucified…
A space for spiritual reflection with a Bible reading, prayer and a range of Christian music.
Theme: Nicene Creed 4 - For our sake - For our sake he was crucified
Presenter: Paul Kerensa
Reading: Mark 15: 25-32
Music:
Sacrifice - Philippa Hanna feat. Jake Isaac
When I Survey the Wonderous Cross - BBC Young Chorister Naomi Simon
At the Foot of the Cross - Kathryn Scott
MON 10:00 The Tingle Factor (b04t96jg)
Dudley Moore
Dudley Moore shares those musical moments which stir his emotions with Jeremy Nicholas.
From Duke Ellington to Bach, the comic actor and musician also looks back over his life and career.
Producer: Andrew Mussett
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 1992.
MON 10:30 The Business of Music with Matt Everitt (b07752bx)
1. The Pirate Ship
What were the decisions taken which transformed the record industry?
Journalist and broadcaster Matt Everitt finds out from record executives, industry insiders, artists and fans.
In the late 1990s, when Debbie Southwood-Smith was working as an A&R manager at the height of the CD boom, it seemed the money would never run out. She would stay in the Four Seasons Hotel every week, she'd follow bands around the world.
But then, one day, she walked past her younger brother's room and heard the sound of CDs spinning and hard drives whirring. "It was my job to notice trends - but Napster, I didn't see that coming."
Napster’s launch in 1999 shifted the power of the industry.
Since then global music revenues have shrunk by 45%. MP3s and online file-sharing gave listeners the opportunity to take risks without having to buy a CD.
Soon, a generation brought up on free music regarded the music bosses as overfed and considered that downloading was not stealing.
The industry struck back and took legal action - but what a different story it might have been if Napster had been co-opted and been turned into a paid service for the industry.
Secret talks would lead to the launch of iTunes - but people bought tracks, not albums, and revenues fell. The record labels fought digital, and digital won.
Could the music industry have saved itself, or was it the inevitable victim of the sudden shift in technology?
Record executives, managers and industry insiders sharing their thoughts include:
* Roger Ames
* Daniel Glass
* Peter Mensch
* Brian Message
Producer: Barney Rowntree
A Reduced Listening production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in April 2016.
MON 11:00 Whodunnits (b011pv6k)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
MON 11:30 Little Novels by Wilkie Collins (m0011l65)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
MON 12:00 Second Holmes (b0161p3d)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
MON 12:30 Steptoe and Son (b00rvzks)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
MON 13:00 On the Rocks (b03ls7y4)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
MON 13:30 The Great Gatsby by F Scott Fitzgerald (b007jn11)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
MON 13:45 Sister Carrie by Theodore Dreiser (m0029z7b)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:45 today]
MON 14:00 Listomania (b0b0fty3)
Series 1
Episode 4
From the magnificent to the mundane.
From the humble 'to do' list to the bucket list and many more...
Susan Calman hosts the series exploring the world of the lists.
With:
Lucy Beaumont
Nat Luurtsema
Alun Cochrane
Richard Herring
Written by James Kettle and Juliet Meyers with Max Davis and Gabby Hutchinson Crouch.
Producer: Sam Bryant
First broadcast on BBC Radio 2 in March 2015.
MON 14:30 The Small World of Dominic Holland (b007wpz1)
Growing Up
Dominic Holland points out the pitfalls of growing up, becoming an adult and having children.
Series of stand-up and sketches illustrating the Domedic minutiae of life.
With:
Simon Greenall
Sally Grace
Dave Lamb
Producer: Maria Esposito
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 2000.
MON 15:00 A New Way of Living by Martyn Wade (m0029z7h)
Amelia and Des's marriage is one of friendly companionship, but Des has long since decamped to the spare room.
He is forced to come out of it when some rather dreary friends come to stay.
The other couple behave so badly that Des and Amelia begin to see their own relationship in a new light.
Starring Ray Brooks and Alison Steadman.
Written by Martyn Wade.
Des .... Ray Brooks
Amelia .... Alison Steadman
Robert .... Colin Starkey
Jane .... Jennifer Piercey
Director: Cherry Cookson
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 1987.
MON 15:45 Short Works (m000z1k7)
Titania's Town by Peter Hollywood
Hank likes to tell his grandchildren that fairies live at the bottom of his garden.
So he’s affronted when he finds a rat has invaded his backyard.
Peter Hollywood’s original short story read by Stuart Graham.
Peter was born in Newry, Northern Ireland.
He’s the author of Jane Alley, Lead City and Other Stories, Luggage, Hawks and Other Short Stories and Drowning the Gowns.
His stories have appeared in numerous journals and he has had stories featured in anthologies including ‘State of the Art: Short Stories by New Irish Writers’, 'Krino - An Anthology of Modern Irish Writing' and ‘Belfast Stories’.
Producer: Michael Shannon
A BBC Northern Ireland production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 2021.
MON 16:00 The Tingle Factor (b04t96jg)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 today]
MON 16:30 The Business of Music with Matt Everitt (b07752bx)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:30 today]
MON 17:00 Whodunnits (b011pv6k)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
MON 17:30 Little Novels by Wilkie Collins (m0011l65)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
MON 18:00 Second Holmes (b0161p3d)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
MON 18:30 Steptoe and Son (b00rvzks)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
MON 19:00 On the Rocks (b03ls7y4)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
MON 19:30 The Great Gatsby by F Scott Fitzgerald (b007jn11)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
MON 19:45 Sister Carrie by Theodore Dreiser (m0029z7b)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:45 today]
MON 20:00 Listomania (b0b0fty3)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:00 today]
MON 20:30 The Small World of Dominic Holland (b007wpz1)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:30 today]
MON 21:00 A New Way of Living by Martyn Wade (m0029z7h)
[Repeat of broadcast at 15:00 today]
MON 21:45 Short Works (m000z1k7)
[Repeat of broadcast at 15:45 today]
MON 22:00 One Person Found This Helpful (m0029rlv)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
MON 22:30 Big Problems with Helen Keen (b05zl1b6)
Series 1
Other People
Helen looks at the challenges posed by other people.
What are the unspoken rules that make society work?
How can we make the internet polite?
How did air-conditioners win an election?
And are emoticons completely pointless ☹ ?
Comedy series that explores the triumphs and disasters of human ingenuity.
Helen Keen looks at the biggest problems that have faced our species since the dawn of time, and describes humanity's incredible and the surprising ways we have devised to solve them.
Co-starring:
Peter Serafinowicz
Susy Kane
Written by Helen Keen and Miriam Underhill.
Producer: Gareth Edwards
A BBC Radio Comedy production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in June 2015.
MON 23:00 The Naked Week (m0029rrl)
Series 2
Tariffs, Theme Parks, and Twister
The Naked Week team are back to place satirical news-tariffs on current events with a mix of correspondents, guests and, occasionally, live animals.
This week we mourn the death of globalisation, take a tour of Keir's new theme park, and play a game of BBC Balance Local Elections Naked Week Joke Twister.
From The Skewer’s Jon Holmes and host Andrew Hunter Murray comes The Naked Week, a fresh way of dressing the week’s news in the altogether and parading it around for everyone to laugh at.
With award-winning writers and a crack team of contemporary satirists - and recorded in front of a live audience - The Naked Week delivers a topical news-nude straight to your ears.
Written by:
Jon Holmes
Katie Sayer
Gareth Ceredig
Sarah Dempster
Jason Hazeley.
Investigations Team:
Cat Neilan
Louis Mian
Freya Shaw
Matt Brown
Guests: Freya Parker and Alicia Fitzgerald.
Production Team: Laura Grimshaw, Tony Churnside, Jerry Peal, Katie Sayer, Phoebe Butler.
Executive Producer: Philip Abrams
Produced and Directed by Jon Holmes
An unusual production for BBC Radio 4
MON 23:30 Old Harry's Game (b007jmd4)
Series 3
The Beautiful Game
Satan decides to hold a major football tournament in Hell - The Underworld Cup.
Andy Hamilton’s devilishly funny sitcom set in Hell.
Satan …. Andy Hamilton
The Professor …. James Grout
Thomas …. Jimmy Mulville
Scumspawn …. Robert Duncan
Other characters played by:
Felicity Montagu
Philip Pope
Nick Revel
Michael Fenton Stevens
Producer: Paul Mayhew-Archer
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 1999

TUESDAY 15 APRIL 2025

TUE 00:00 The Tingle Factor (b04t96jg)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 on Monday]
TUE 00:30 The Business of Music with Matt Everitt (b07752bx)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:30 on Monday]
TUE 01:00 Whodunnits (b011pv6k)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 on Monday]
TUE 01:30 Little Novels by Wilkie Collins (m0011l65)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 on Monday]
TUE 02:00 Second Holmes (b0161p3d)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 on Monday]
TUE 02:30 Steptoe and Son (b00rvzks)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 on Monday]
TUE 03:00 On the Rocks (b03ls7y4)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 on Monday]
TUE 03:30 The Great Gatsby by F Scott Fitzgerald (b007jn11)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 on Monday]
TUE 03:45 Sister Carrie by Theodore Dreiser (m0029z7b)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:45 on Monday]
TUE 04:00 Listomania (b0b0fty3)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:00 on Monday]
TUE 04:30 The Small World of Dominic Holland (b007wpz1)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:30 on Monday]
TUE 05:00 A New Way of Living by Martyn Wade (m0029z7h)
[Repeat of broadcast at 15:00 on Monday]
TUE 05:45 Short Works (m000z1k7)
[Repeat of broadcast at 15:45 on Monday]
TUE 06:00 The Cry of the Owl by Patricia Highsmith (b012qqvq)
1. Stranger
Robert Forester is now living in Langley, Pennsylvania, after a messy divorce.
He's escaped his oppressive wife and has no need to see a psychiatrist again.
So why is he outside Jenny Theirolf's house, watching her every move?
Starring John Sharian and Adrian Lester.
Patricia Highsmith's intriguing tale of obsession.
Dramatised in five parts by Shaun McKenna.
Robert Forester ...... John Sharian
Greg Wyncoop ...... Adrian Lester
Jenny Theirolf ...... Joanne McQuinn
Jack Neilsen ...... Matt Rippy
Susie ...... Laurel Lefkow
Nickie Jurgen ...... Briony Glassco
Music composed and performed by David Chilton.
Director: Marion Nancarrow
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in June 2002.
TUE 06:30 Little Novels by Wilkie Collins (m0011l97)
2. Miss Jeromette and the Clergyman
Stephen Wheatmeal is to take holy orders, but what should he do about his mistress living in Chelsea?
One of five Victorian mysteries by Wilkie Collins.
Dramatised by John Arden.
Wilkie Collins...Ronald Pickup
Rev Wheatmeal...John Rowe
Young Wheatmeal...David Brooks
Jeromette...Alison Pettitt
Blacklock...David Bannerman.
Pianist: Colin Guthrie
Director: David Blount
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 1998.
TUE 07:00 To the Manor Born (b007k45h)
The Grapevine
Audrey tries to fool Devere that she has been on holiday to Spain.
Starring Penelope Keith and Keith Barron.
Lady of the manor Audrey fforbes-Hamilton, forced to sell her beloved Grantleigh Estate, has decamped to the tiny Old Lodge cottage with her butler in tow. .
From this vantage point, Audrey keeps a close and disapproving eye on new owner, the nouveau-riche Richard DeVere.
Adapted for radio by Peter Spence from his BBC TV script.
Audrey fforbes-Hamilton …. Penelope Keith
Richard DeVere …. Keith Barron
Marjory Frobisher …. Angela Thorne
Brabinger …. Nicholas McArdle
Mrs Polouvicka …. Margery Withers
Ned …. Frank Middlemass
Mrs Plunkett ...... Zulema Dene
First piloted for BBC radio, but whisked off to BBC TV before it ever appeared, before finally arriving home in 1997.
Producer: Jane Berthoud
First broadcast on BBC Radio 2 in January 1997.
TUE 07:30 The Goon Show (b009qwz0)
Series 7
Wings Over Dagenham
Move aside Orville and Wilbur, Neddie Seagoon is the pioneer aviator.
Groundbreaking, surreal BBC radio comedy written by Spike Milligan and Larry Stephens.
Starring:
Peter Sellers
Harry Secombe
Spike Milligan
First billed as Crazy People, ten series of The Goon Show were recorded between 1951 and 1960, but sadly many of the earliest shows weren’t kept in the archive.
With George Chisholm, the Ray Ellington Quartet and Max Geldray.
Orchestra conducted by Wally Stott.
Announcer: Wallace Greenslade
Producer: Pat Dixon
First broadcast on the BBC Home Service in December 1956.
TUE 08:00 A Month of June (b01jrj83)
2. Lost and Found
Retired politician Kate Whittington has agreed to take part in TV reality show 'Lolly in the Loft'.
Starring June Whitfield.
Series of comedies written for the legendary actress by Andy Merriman and Peter Morfoot.
Kate ..... June Whitfield
Virginia ..... Marcia Warren
Sam ..... Ella Smith
Danny ..... Joe Sims
Joel ..... Don Gilet
Terence ..... Robert Blythe
Director: David Hunter
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in June 2012.
TUE 08:30 The Great Gatsby by F Scott Fitzgerald (b007jn1h)
7. True Feelings
Tom is astounded as Gatsby finally confronts him with his true feelings for his wife, Daisy.
F Scott Fitzgerald's famous novel about aspiration in boom-time America. Read in 10-parts by Sam Robards.
Abridged by Neville Teller.
Producer: Duncan Minshull
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1996.
TUE 08:45 Sister Carrie by Theodore Dreiser (m0029z85)
2. Desperate Times
Carrie faces the threats of illness and unemployment. Then then fate throws her into Drouet's path again.
Will Carrie's revulsion at her own dreary life mean she will accept Drouet's offer of assistance and lodgings?
A neglected American classic telling the gripping tale of a young woman's eventful rise to fame and fortune at the turn of the 20th century.
Written by Theodore Dreiser.
Dramatised by Steve Chambers.
Dreiser .... Russell Dixon
Hurstwood .... Liam Cunnlngham
Carrie .... Eve Best
Charlie Drouet ....John Guerrasio
Minnie .... Kate Harper
all other parts played by members of the cast
Director: Polly Thomas
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 2000.
TUE 09:00 Meet David Sedaris (m0029rw7)
Series 10
2. Love on the Spectrum
"The first thing to do was find a nearby hotel. All the choices were bad, but there’s make-your-own-waffles bad and what-are-these-bites-on-my-stomach?-bad, so I called the nearest make-your-own-waffles place."
A long drive south from Bangor, Maine to New York City gives David the chance to think, ask questions, try fast food and fantasise - all in the company of his long-suffering boyfriend, Hugh and their new, Chinese friend Susan Du. This week's story, Love on the Spectrum, like many of David's essays comes straight from the pages of The New Yorker magazine with his unique delivery bringing the words and ideas to glittering life.
David Sedaris has been a contributor to BBC Radio 4 for nearly 30 years - bringing his trademark, sometimes caustic, wit to audiences in the UK and around the world.
Producer: Steve Doherty
A Giddy Goat production for BBC Radio 4
TUE 09:30 Macbeth Remixed (b007vypb)
2. Lady Macbeth - Monster or Princess?
Was Lady Macbeth a barren, ambitious, overbearing monster who goes mad from guilt?
Or was she a true royal princess, hailed first queen of Scots, who had to marry the man who murdered her husband?
If you think you know all about Macbeth then think again as the real Macbeth comes back to life to help sort fact from the more familiar Shakespearean fiction.
Liam Brennan stars as Macbeth with members of The National Theatre of Scotland.
Producer: Pennie Latin
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2007.
TUE 09:45 Daily Service (m0029z8b)
Nicene creed 4 - For our sake - … under Pontius Pilate
A space for spiritual reflection with a Bible reading, prayer and a range of Christian music.
Theme: Nicene creed 4 - For our sake - … under Pontius Pilate
Presenter: Seth Pinnock
Reading: Matthew 27: 20-26
Music:
Were you there? The Spirituals
The Servant King - Graham Kendrick
The Old Rugged Cross - Lou Fellingham & Jocelyn Brown
TUE 10:00 A Good Read (m0000t6x)
Liz Carr and Kate Williams
Actor Liz Carr and historian and writer, Kate William join Harriett Gilbert to discuss their favourite books by Penny Pepper, Murasaki Shikibu and Jenny Erpenbeck.
First In The World Somewhere by Penny Pepper
Publisher: Unbound
Diary of Lady Murasaki by Murasaki Shikibu
Publisher: Penguin [Translator: Richard Bowring]
Visitation by Jenny Erpenbeck
[Translator: Susan Bernofsky)
Publisher: Portobello Books
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 2018.
TUE 10:30 The Business of Music with Matt Everitt (b0785ppx)
2. The Stream Age
Journalist and broadcaster Matt Everett asks what life is like for an artist making music in the streaming age. With so many ways to create, listen to and distribute music, why are artists doing so badly? We hear from Primal Scream's Bobby Gillespie, Radiohead's Ed O'Brien and The Kindness's Adam Bainbridge.
For those artists who have built a fan base, the live music industry can be healthy, but promoters and managers complain of a diminishing number of headline acts. Many of the UK's small music venues are under threat and, while the British music industry is worth £3.8bn, much of that money comes from artists stepping on to the stage. If the music industry is broken, who is going to save it?
Launched in Sweden in 2008, we talk to Spotify about how it managed to make piracy unfashionable but why it still faces accusations of ripping off artists. Faced with such criticism, we hear how they have paid out some $3bn of royalties. But how is that money shared out? Why do some artists receive small royalty cheques for songs that have been streamed thousands of times?
Last year, music sales in the UK rose for the first time in more than a decade, but how much of the growth can be attributed to Adele? We hear how CDs still make up half of the market and talk to Adele's label boss, Richard Russell from XL.
YouTube is now the world's most popular digital music service, used frequently by hundreds of millions. But the viability of free, on-demand streaming services is facing increasing scrutiny. We ask YouTube's Robert Kyncl why the UK labels make less money from his company than from vinyl sales.
Producer: Barney Rowntree
A Reduced Listening production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in April 2016.
TUE 11:00 The Cry of the Owl by Patricia Highsmith (b012qqvq)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
TUE 11:30 Little Novels by Wilkie Collins (m0011l97)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
TUE 12:00 To the Manor Born (b007k45h)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
TUE 12:30 The Goon Show (b009qwz0)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
TUE 13:00 A Month of June (b01jrj83)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
TUE 13:30 The Great Gatsby by F Scott Fitzgerald (b007jn1h)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
TUE 13:45 Sister Carrie by Theodore Dreiser (m0029z85)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:45 today]
TUE 14:00 Act Your Age (b00zsjz7)
Series 3
Episode 2
Three-way battle between the comedy generations to find out which is the funniest.
Hosted by Simon Mayo.
Will it be the Up-and-Comers, the Current Crop or the Old Guard who will be crowned, for one week at least, as the Golden Age of Comedy?
With Team Captains:
Jon Richardson
Rufus Hound
Ted Robbins
Guest Comics:
Andi Osho
Andrew Maxwell
Roger De Courcey and Nookie Bear.
Devised and produced by Ashley Blaker and Bill Matthews.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 2011.
TUE 14:30 Hazelbeach (b00wdhfb)
Series 3
Episode 4
Ronnie decides to run for parliament, James accidentally learns to speak Italian, and Nick finally resolves his relationship with Chloe.
Caroline and David Stafford's comedy about likeable conman Ronnie Hazelbeach.
Ronnie Hazelbeach ...... Jamie Foreman
Nick ...... Paul Bazely
James ...... Neil Stuke
Andrea ...... Joanna Monro
Eric ...... Lloyd Thomas
Chloe ...... Claire Harry
Mrs Danvers ...... Leah Brotherhead
Lord Wilberton ...... Sam Dale
Vicar ...... Iain Batchelor
Director: Marc Beeby
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 2010.
TUE 15:00 One Day by Helen Cross (m0029z8m)
On the anniversary of Shakespeare's birthday in 1932, two young women set off from Birmingham to witness the opening of the new theatre at Stratford.
One dreams of meeting the Prince of Wales (due to open the building) while the other would be happier going to the local cinema.
Meanwhile, the architect, a young woman called Elisabeth Scott and the producer William Bridges-Adams are worrying that the building and the play may not earn the praise they hoped for.
Written by Helen Cross.
Annie .... Catherine Skinner
Florrie .... Jo Rafferty
Elisabeth Scott .... Rachel Atkins
Bridges-Adams .... Jon Glover
John .... Sam Graham
Ethel .... Tina Gray
Joan .... Gillian Goodman
Prince .... Bertie Carvel
Director: Peter Leslie-Wild
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 2004.
TUE 15:45 Short Works (m000zkzk)
Water Duppy by Kandace Siobhan Walker
A mysterious new factory promises jobs and happiness to the people of a small town, but a new worker is wary of the changes it brings.
An original short story from Kandace Siobhan Walker, read by Faith Alabi.
Kandace Siobhan Walker is a writer and filmmaker. Her work has appeared in bath magg and LUMIN and she was the 2021 winner of The White Review Poet’s Prize.
Producer: Naomi Walmsley
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 2021.
TUE 16:00 A Good Read (m0000t6x)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 today]
TUE 16:30 The Business of Music with Matt Everitt (b0785ppx)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:30 today]
TUE 17:00 The Cry of the Owl by Patricia Highsmith (b012qqvq)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
TUE 17:30 Little Novels by Wilkie Collins (m0011l97)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
TUE 18:00 To the Manor Born (b007k45h)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
TUE 18:30 The Goon Show (b009qwz0)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
TUE 19:00 A Month of June (b01jrj83)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
TUE 19:30 The Great Gatsby by F Scott Fitzgerald (b007jn1h)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
TUE 19:45 Sister Carrie by Theodore Dreiser (m0029z85)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:45 today]
TUE 20:00 Act Your Age (b00zsjz7)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:00 today]
TUE 20:30 Hazelbeach (b00wdhfb)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:30 today]
TUE 21:00 One Day by Helen Cross (m0029z8m)
[Repeat of broadcast at 15:00 today]
TUE 21:45 Short Works (m000zkzk)
[Repeat of broadcast at 15:45 today]
TUE 22:00 Meet David Sedaris (m0029rw7)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
TUE 22:30 The Young Postmen (b00fr1vh)
C'est la Legion
It's very important to remember that the French Foreign Legion is a ruthless and violent fighting unit, so if Brian, Derek and Sue find themselves fighting the Tuareg in a fort in Africa then they deserve our admiration.
And anyway, they only joined by mistake.
More surreal escapades of a trio of 'posties'.
Written by and starring Ben Miller.
Brian ...... Ben Miller
Derek ...... John Thomson
Sue ...... Felicity Montagu
Mr Tippett ...... Alastair McGowan
Mr Tilbury ...... Jim Barclay
Tony Hadley ...... Vinnie Jones
Music by Murray Gold
Producer: Gareth Edwards
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 1992.
TUE 22:55 The Comedy Club Interviews (m002b1jk)
Ed Night 1/3
From 10pm until midnight, seven days a week, the Comedy Club has two hours of comedy. Plus Harriet Kemsley chats to fellow comedian Ed Night.
TUE 23:00 The Mark Steel Solution (b007jmsz)
Series 1
People Should Start School at 35
Radical proposals to improve our lives, with the comedian's education shake-up.
Written by Mark Steel and Pete Sinclair, who also perform with the help of Maria McErlane.
Give him 30 minutes and Mark will convince you of anything in the series that aims to prove that the ridiculous really is very sensible indeed.
Producer: Turan Ali
First broadcast on BBC Radio 5 in October 1992.
TUE 23:30 Seekers (b05wyrqg)
Series 2
So What Did I Miss?
Stuart is back from America, and there's been big changes at the Essex job centre while he's been away.

Starring Mathew Horne, Daniel Mays, Tony Way and Zahra Ahmadi.
Return of the sitcom set in an Essex job centre written by Steve Burge.
Stuart ------ Mathew Horne
Joseph ------ Daniel Mays
Terry ----- Tony Way
Nicola ------ Zahra Ahmadi
Vanessa ----- Natalie Walter
Gary Probert ----- Steve Oram
Ralph ------ Ian Conningham
Mr Thompson ------ Sam Dale
Producer: Victoria Lloyd
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in June 2015.

WEDNESDAY 16 APRIL 2025

WED 00:00 A Good Read (m0000t6x)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 on Tuesday]
WED 00:30 The Business of Music with Matt Everitt (b0785ppx)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:30 on Tuesday]
WED 01:00 The Cry of the Owl by Patricia Highsmith (b012qqvq)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 on Tuesday]
WED 01:30 Little Novels by Wilkie Collins (m0011l97)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 on Tuesday]
WED 02:00 To the Manor Born (b007k45h)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 on Tuesday]
WED 02:30 The Goon Show (b009qwz0)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 on Tuesday]
WED 03:00 A Month of June (b01jrj83)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 on Tuesday]
WED 03:30 The Great Gatsby by F Scott Fitzgerald (b007jn1h)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 on Tuesday]
WED 03:45 Sister Carrie by Theodore Dreiser (m0029z85)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:45 on Tuesday]
WED 04:00 Act Your Age (b00zsjz7)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:00 on Tuesday]
WED 04:30 Hazelbeach (b00wdhfb)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:30 on Tuesday]
WED 05:00 One Day by Helen Cross (m0029z8m)
[Repeat of broadcast at 15:00 on Tuesday]
WED 05:45 Short Works (m000zkzk)
[Repeat of broadcast at 15:45 on Tuesday]
WED 06:00 The Cry of the Owl by Patricia Highsmith (b012wzzj)
2. Danger
Jenny has fallen for Robert Forester, though he's not certain of his feelings for her.
Meanwhile, her ex-fiance, Greg, is very certain. He wants Jenny back - and Robert is in the way.
Starring John Sharian and Adrian Lester.
Patricia Highsmith's intriguing tale of obsession.
Dramatised Shaun McKenna.
Robert Forester ...... John Sharian
Greg Wyncoop ...... Adrian Lester
Jenny Theirolf ...... Joanne McQuinn
Jack Neilsen ...... Matt Rippy
Susie ...... Laurel Lefkow
Nickie Jurgen ...... Briony Glassco
Detective Lippenholtz ... Peter Marinker
Music composed and performed by David Chilton.
Director: Marion Nancarrow
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in June 2002.
WED 06:30 Little Novels by Wilkie Collins (m0011lyp)
3. Mr Marmaduke and the Minister
Felicia leaves her father's remote manse to live in London's Belgravia, but her new husband's strange behaviour is a cause for concern.
What secret is he keeping from her?
One of five Victorian mysteries by Wilkie Collins.
Dramatised by John Arden.
Wilkie Collins...Ronald Pickup
Rev Maconochie...Peter Kelly
Felicia...Emma Fielding
Mr Marmaduke...Christopher Wright
Yellow-haired Woman...Carolyn Jones
Pianist: Colin Guthrie
Director: David Blount
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 1998.
WED 07:00 Nineteen Ninety-Four (b0148r4n)
Progress Is Power
'Difficult Day? C'mon, smile it all away!'
Is smiling really the answer to Edward's troubles?
Starring Robert Lindsay.
Futuristic sitcom by Richard Turner and William Osborne with a nod to George Orwell.
Edward ...... Robert Lindsay
Sophie ...... Siobhan Redmond
Charles ...... Paul Shearer
With Stephen Fry, Emma Thompson, Richard Turner, David Goodland and Christopher Barr.
Producer: Nick Symons
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 1985.
WED 07:30 Hancock's Half Hour (b007n162)
Series 4
Anna and the King of Siam
The 1956 musical film release of 'The King and I' inspires the Lad's own unmusical and argumentative version.
Ray Galton and Alan Simpson's classic comedy about the life and times of Anthony Aloysius St John Hancock.
Starring Tony Hancock.
With:
Sidney James
Bill Kerr
Kenneth Williams
Hattie Jacques
Theme and incidental music written by Wally Stott.
Music recorded by the BBC Augmented Revue Orchestra conducted by Harry Rabinowitz.
Producer: Dennis Main Wilson
First broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in November 1956.
WED 08:00 Tom Wrigglesworth's Hang-Ups (m000bmy1)
Series 5
No Rest for the Wrigglesworths
Mr and Mrs Wrigglesworth take a trip down memory lane. And then another trip back up memory lane.
Listen in on Tom's weekly phone calls home to his Mum, Dad and Gran in Sheffield and get a glimpse into the triumphs and tribulations of the Wrigglesworth clan in all its dysfunctional glory.
Tom ...... Tom Wrigglesworth
Dad ...... Paul Copley
Mum ...... Kate Anthony
Granny ...... Elizabeth Bennett
Written by Tom Wrigglesworth and James Kettle.
With additional material by Miles Jupp
Producer: Richard Morris
A BBC Studios production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in November 2019.
WED 08:30 The Great Gatsby by F Scott Fitzgerald (b007jn20)
8. Tragic Consequences
Tom and Gatsby's struggle for Daisy's love sparks some tragic consequences.
F Scott Fitzgerald's famous novel about aspiration in boom-time America.
Abridged in ten parts by Neville Teller.
Read by Sam Robards.
Producer: Duncan Minshull
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 1996.
WED 08:45 Sister Carrie by Theodore Dreiser (m0029zld)
3. Regrets
Carrie's is soon seduced by her protector, Drouet, but she insists they must marry soon.
Meanwhile, handsome bar manager, George Hurstwood, comes calling. He is beguiled by the lovely young Carrie, just as she is enthralled by the older man's sophistication.
A neglected American classic telling the gripping tale of a young woman's eventful rise to fame and fortune at the turn of the 20th century.
Written by Theodore Dreiser.
Dramatised by Steve Chambers.
Dreiser .... Russell Dixon
Hurstwood .... Liam Cunnlngham
Carrie .... Eve Best
Charlie Drouet ....John Guerrasio
Julia .... Kate Harper
other parts played by members of the cast
Director: Polly Thomas
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 2000.
WED 09:00 The Ultimate Choice (m001v3kj)
Series 2
Episode 2: Kim Kardashian v E.T.
Steph McGovern asks some seriously funny minds to offer definitive answers to the great questions of our age. Or not.
Welcome to the world's most devious game of Would You Rather? With guests Amy Gledhill and Ian Smith.
Host: Steph McGovern
Guests: Amy Gledhill and Ian Smith
Devised and written by Jon Harvey & Joseph Morpurgo
With additional material from Laura Major
Researcher: Leah Marks
Recorded and mixed by David Thomas
Producer: Jon Harvey
Executive Producers: Ed Morrish and Polly Thomas
Photo: Carolyn Mendelsohn
A Naked production for BBC Radio 4
WED 09:30 Macbeth Remixed (b007vypc)
3. The Myth of the Witches
The three witches boiling up trouble for the would-be king in their cauldron on the heath is one of the most famous and familiar dramatic images from Shakespeare's Macbeth.
But the witches didn't exist in the real Macbeth's time so how and why did they become part of the myth?
Liam Brennan stars as Macbeth with members of The National Theatre of Scotland.
Producer: Pennie Latin
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2007.
WED 09:45 Daily Service (m0029zlg)
Nicene creed 4 - For our sake - he suffered death…
A space for spiritual reflection with a Bible reading, prayer and a range of Christian music.
Theme: Nicene creed 4 - For our sake - he suffered death…
Presenter: Swarzy Shire
Reading: 1 Peter 2: 20 -25
Music:
How great thou art - Philippa Hanna
Calvary - The Spirituals
In Christ Alone - Susan Ashton
WED 10:00 Archive on 4 (m00127d4)
It’s Not How You Start…
Acclaimed novelist Kate Weinberg discovers why endings matter so much to us and how their function and purpose has changed over time.
Speaking to directors, writers, psychologists and anthropologists, Kate explores why people are drawn to particular endings, and how an unspoken contract between artist and audience depends on the nature and quality of how a work ends.
It feels as if we’re living through a period when thoughts of a catastrophic end to our world are all around us. Kate interrogates a rich archive of writers, thinkers, comedians, film-makers and critics to find out if our current fears are different from those in previous times, and why our understanding of time itself may now need to change.
She explores how all stories rely on our notions of time, and what happens to endings when our concept of time shifts – as could be happening today.
Producer: Jonathan Brunert
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 2021.
WED 11:00 The Cry of the Owl by Patricia Highsmith (b012wzzj)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
WED 11:30 Little Novels by Wilkie Collins (m0011lyp)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
WED 12:00 Nineteen Ninety-Four (b0148r4n)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
WED 12:30 Hancock's Half Hour (b007n162)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
WED 13:00 Tom Wrigglesworth's Hang-Ups (m000bmy1)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
WED 13:30 The Great Gatsby by F Scott Fitzgerald (b007jn20)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
WED 13:45 Sister Carrie by Theodore Dreiser (m0029zld)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:45 today]
WED 14:00 The Museum of Curiosity (b0902v53)
Series 11
Episode 3
Professor of Ignorance John Lloyd and his curator Romesh Ranganathan welcome:
* Internationally acclaimed conductor, actor, writer, comedian and broadcaster, Rainer Hersch
* Doctor, Antarctic explorer, and prospective Martian astronaut, Beth Healey
* Painter, author and textile, ceramics and costume designer, Kaffe Fassett.
The Museum's Guest Committee offer as exhibits a vast home-made architectural folly, a wind instrument that takes you back to school and a station the size of a football pitch that weighs absolutely nothing and moves at 18,000 mph.
Researched by Anne Miller of QI & Mike Turner.
Producers: Richard Turner & James Harkin.
A BBC Studios production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in August 2017.
WED 14:30 All the Young Dudes (b01c7rsl)
Series 2
Communication Breakdown
The couples need to talk, but is a cosy chat really what's on the agenda?
If only everyone would just listen...
The lives of Patrick and Helen back in the town where he was born.
Comedy drama written by and starring Jim Sweeney.
Patrick ...... Jim Sweeney
Helen ...... Cathryn Harrison
Billy ...... Steve Steen
Moira ...... Sadie Shimmin
Joe ...... Stephen Frost
Maria ...... Flaminia Cinque
Charlie ...... Izzy De Rosario
Producer: Steve Doherty
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 2002.
WED 15:00 David Pownall (b0075hlr)
Assassins
1. The Virgin Knife
On July 13 1793, Charlotte Corday, a young girl from Caen in Normandy, journeyed to Paris. Her sole aim was to kill Jean Paul Marat, while he sat in his bath. But what drove her to such extremes?
The first of three plays by David Pownall exploring the hearts and minds of three of history's most celebrated killers.
Charlotte Corday......Samantha Bond
Jean Paul Marat........Gerard Murphy
Director: Eoin O'Callaghan
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1999.
WED 15:45 Short Works (m0012fwy)
Every Ballymena Man's Dream by Gerard McKeown
Someone has been leaving footballs filled with concrete in public places for unsuspecting people to discover.
Or, in one case, try to kick.
Gerard McKeown's short story read by Seamus O'Hara.
Producer: Michael Shannon
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 2021.
WED 16:00 Archive on 4 (m00127d4)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 today]
WED 17:00 The Cry of the Owl by Patricia Highsmith (b012wzzj)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
WED 17:30 Little Novels by Wilkie Collins (m0011lyp)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
WED 18:00 Nineteen Ninety-Four (b0148r4n)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
WED 18:30 Hancock's Half Hour (b007n162)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
WED 19:00 Tom Wrigglesworth's Hang-Ups (m000bmy1)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
WED 19:30 The Great Gatsby by F Scott Fitzgerald (b007jn20)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
WED 19:45 Sister Carrie by Theodore Dreiser (m0029zld)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:45 today]
WED 20:00 The Museum of Curiosity (b0902v53)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:00 today]
WED 20:30 All the Young Dudes (b01c7rsl)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:30 today]
WED 21:00 David Pownall (b0075hlr)
[Repeat of broadcast at 15:00 today]
WED 21:45 Short Works (m0012fwy)
[Repeat of broadcast at 15:45 today]
WED 22:00 The Ultimate Choice (m001v3kj)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
WED 22:30 Can't Tell Nathan Caton Nothing (b01d2hg0)
Series 1
About Dating
Nathan struggles with his family who disapprove not only of his career but his girlfriend too.
Can he persuade them to accept either?
This is the story of young, up-and-coming comedian Nathan Caton, who becomes the first in his family to graduate from University - only to opt for a career in comedy - much to his family's annoyance who want him to get a 'proper job' using his architecture degree.
Each episode shows the criticism, interference and rollercoaster ride that Nathan endures from his family as he pursues his career against their wishes.
A mix of Nathan's stand-up intercut with scenes from his family life.
Written by Nathan Caton.
Additional material by Ola and Maff Brown.
Nathan ..... Nathan Caton
Grandma ..... Mona Hammond
Mum ..... Adjoa Andoh
Dad ..... Curtis Walker
Monica ..... Chizzy Akulolu
Samantha ..... Alex Tregear
Script Editor: James Kettle
Producer: Katie Tyrrell
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 2012.
WED 22:45 Self-Storage (m001mc0t)
Series 2
Episode 4
Dave has a job interview to prepare for, when another job is unexpectedly offered to him.
Stars Reece Shearsmith and Mark Heap.
Sitcom written by Tom Collinson about a man living in a storage unit.
Dave ...... Reece Shearsmith
Geoff ...... Mark Heap
Ron ...... Tom Goodman-Hill
Judy ...... Rosie Cavaliero
Sarah ...... Susan Earl
Sioux ...... Helen Longworth.
Producer: Ed Morrish
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 2008.
WED 22:55 The Comedy Club Interviews (m002b1jt)
Ed Night 2/3
From 10pm until midnight, seven days a week, the Comedy Club has two hours of comedy. Plus Harriet Kemsley chats again to fellow comedian Ed Night.
WED 23:00 The Skivers (b007yt85)
Series 2
Adam Ant
The secrets of Des Lynham and Sue Cook are revealed.
Nick Golson and Tim de Jongh's skilful sketch show.
With special guest Adam Ant – with his greatest hits heard as never before...
Written and performed by Nick Golson and Tim de Jongh.
With:
Peter Bradshaw
Mel Giedroyc
Producer: Jon Naismith
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 1995.
WED 23:30 Keep It Light (m000p6x7)
Critically acclaimed sketch duo Lazy Susan introduce their take on light entertainment.
Comedy magazine show with a mix of character skits and sketches.
Starring and written by Celeste Dring & Freya Parker.
With performances from Shappi Khorsandi and Tom Rosenthal.
Produced by Suzy Grant.
A BBC Studios Production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in November 2020.

THURSDAY 17 APRIL 2025

THU 00:00 Archive on 4 (m00127d4)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 on Wednesday]
THU 01:00 The Cry of the Owl by Patricia Highsmith (b012wzzj)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 on Wednesday]
THU 01:30 Little Novels by Wilkie Collins (m0011lyp)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 on Wednesday]
THU 02:00 Nineteen Ninety-Four (b0148r4n)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 on Wednesday]
THU 02:30 Hancock's Half Hour (b007n162)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 on Wednesday]
THU 03:00 Tom Wrigglesworth's Hang-Ups (m000bmy1)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 on Wednesday]
THU 03:30 The Great Gatsby by F Scott Fitzgerald (b007jn20)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 on Wednesday]
THU 03:45 Sister Carrie by Theodore Dreiser (m0029zld)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:45 on Wednesday]
THU 04:00 The Museum of Curiosity (b0902v53)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:00 on Wednesday]
THU 04:30 All the Young Dudes (b01c7rsl)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:30 on Wednesday]
THU 05:00 David Pownall (b0075hlr)
[Repeat of broadcast at 15:00 on Wednesday]
THU 05:45 Short Works (m0012fwy)
[Repeat of broadcast at 15:45 on Wednesday]
THU 06:00 The Cry of the Owl by Patricia Highsmith (b0131yvn)
3. Determination
As each day passes with Greg still missing after the fight, Detective Lippenholtz is finding Robert's story harder to believe.
Starring Adrian Lester and John Sharian.
Patricia Highsmith's intriguing tale of obsession.
Dramatised by Shaun McKenna.
Robert Forester ...... John Sharian
Greg Wyncoop ...... Adrian Lester
Jenny Theirolf ...... Joanne McQuinn
Jack Neilsen ...... Matt Rippy
Susie ...... Laurel Lefkow
Nickie Jurgen ...... Briony Glassco
Detective Lippenholtz ... Peter Marinker
Jeff Harding … Ralph Jurgen
Music composed and performed by David Chilton.
Director: Marion Nancarrow
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 2002.
THU 06:30 Little Novels by Wilkie Collins (m0011m0y)
4. Miss Bertha and the Yankee
An Englishman and an American are rivals for the affections of a beautiful heiress.
One of five Victorian mysteries by Wilkie Collins.
Dramatised by John Arden.
Wilkie Collins...Ronald Pickup
Bertha Laroche...Alison Pettit
Aunt...Jenny Lee.
Captain Stanwick...David Timson
Lionel Varleigh...David Jarvis
Rector...Ioan Meredith
Pianist: Colin Guthrie
Director: David Blount
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 1998.
THU 07:00 Coming Alive (b00hxyxy)
Series 3
Here Comes the Judge
Ex-con Terry is asked to be a school fancy dress judge, but can he make up with Sandra?
Starring Karl Howman and Phyllis Logan.
Jim Eldridge's sitcom about ex-convict Terry King's efforts to run a community centre.
Terry King …. Karl Howman
Sandra Gaines …. Phyllis Logan
Steve Addison …. Ben Crowe
Mrs McKendrick …. Sandra Voe
Mary Dawson..........Elaine Claxton
Matthew....................George Allonby
Wally...........................Carl Prekopp
Mrs Barnes...............Carolyn Pickles
Producer: Marilyn Imrie
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 2001.
THU 07:30 Parsley Sidings (b007jp4z)
Series 2
The Entente Cordiale
Cross-channel harmony hits the buffers when the station is twinned with one in France.
Jim Eldridge's eponymous series is set in a sleepy railway station. The Hepplewhites have run 'Parsley Sidings' station for generations and the current Station Master, Horace, hopes that his son Bert will continue the line. Mild-mannered Ticket Clerk Bert wants to work anywhere but on the railways. His colleague, Station Announcer Gloria Simpkins, secretly loves him. Porter Percy Valentine is an archetypal wheeler-dealer and the ancient Signalman, Bradshaw, causes havoc and dispenses home-made remedies in equal measure. The 'Parsley Sidings' nemesis is Phineas Perkins, the station master of Potwhistle Halt, one stop down the line.
Horace Heppelwhite …. Arthur Lowe
Valentine/Bradshaw/Head of French Rail …. Kenneth Connor
Gloria Simpkins …. Liz Fraser
Bert Hepplewhite …. Ian Lavender
Dupont …. Roger Delgado
Announcer …. John Dunn
Recovered and improved quality episode.
Producer: Edward Taylor
First broadcast on BBC Radio 2 in October 1973.
THU 08:00 Plum House (m000hfr3)
Series 3
4. Grace and Favour
Manager Tom hopes to earn some much needed funds for the museum by renting out Peter's grace and favour apartment - that's if Julian has remembered to tell Peter to move out.
Meanwhile the museum also welcomes a French artist to paint a picture of the property.
Julian sees her as a potential love interest but it turns out she has eyes only for Tom, much to his initial indifference.
When Tom finally relents to her advances however his timing couldn't be more off...
Comedy about the inept staff at a historic house.
Written by Ben Cottam and Paul McKenna.
Peter ...... Simon Callow
Julian ...... Miles Jupp
Maureen ...... Jane Horrocks
Tom ...... Tom Bell
Alan ...... Pearce Quigley
Emma ...... Louise Ford
Starring Celeste Dring, Jason Forbes and Jade Ogugua.
Producer: Claire Broughton
Director: Paul Schlesinger
A Hat Trick production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in April 2020.
THU 08:30 The Great Gatsby by F Scott Fitzgerald (b007jn2k)
9. Fresh Tragedy
Nick witnesses Gatsby's failure to convince Daisy to be with him and Autumn, as fresh tragedy arrives.
F Scott Fitzgerald's famous novel about aspiration in boom-time America. Read in 10-parts by Sam Robards.
Abridged by Neville Teller.
Producer: Duncan Minshull
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1996.
THU 08:45 Sister Carrie by Theodore Dreiser (m0029zr3)
4. New Passion
Hurstwood's passion for lovely young Carrie grows, whilst his wife needles him at home.
Driven to distraction will Hurstwood decare his love? And what will Carrie do if he does?
A neglected American classic telling the gripping tale of a young woman's eventful rise to fame and fortune at the turn of the 20th century.
Written by Theodore Dreiser.
Dramatised by Steve Chambers.
Dreiser .... Russell Dixon
Hurstwood .... Liam Cunnlngham
Carrie .... Eve Best
Charlie Drouet ....John Guerrasio
Julia .... Kate Harper
other parts played by members of the cast
Director: Polly Thomas
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 2000
THU 09:00 Mark Watson Talks a Bit About Life (m001jc5l)
Series 4
Tuesday's Child Is...
Multi-award winning comedian and author Mark Watson continues his probably doomed, but luckily funny quest to make sense of the human experience.
This series is about time - the days of the week, the stages of our existence - and the way we use it to make sense of things. We make our way through the working week - tonight it's Tuesday. What does 'full of grace' mean in a secular world? Why is it so hard to swim in a straight line? And why did a crumpet almost wreck Mark's relationship with his son?
Expect jokes, observations and interactions galore as Mark is aided, and sometimes obstructed, by the sardonic musical excellence of Flo & Joan. There's also a hand-picked comedy colleague each week - this time it's the turn of Angela Barnes.
Producer: Lianne Coop
An Impatient production for BBC Radio 4
THU 09:30 Macbeth Remixed (b007vypd)
4. The Reality of Macbeth's Landscape
How does William Shakespeare’s dramatic landscape compare with the real thing?
The real Macbeth comes back to life to take us on a tour of the landscape of the famous play.
But just how far-fetched is the blasted heath, Cawdor, Glamis, Birnam Wood and Dunsinane from the landscape of the real Macbeth's story?
Liam Brennan stars as Macbeth with members of The National Theatre of Scotland.
Producer: Pennie Latin
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2007
THU 09:45 Daily Service (m0029zr7)
Nicene creed 4 - For our sake - ...and was buried
A space for spiritual reflection with a Bible reading, prayer and a range of Christian music.
Theme: Nicene creed 4 - For our sake - ...and was buried
Presenter: Rachel Mann
Reading: Mark 15: 42-47
THU 10:00 Great Lives (p00gj7mq)
Albert Einstein
Scientist and broadcaster Kathy Sykes chooses the iconic physicist, Albert Einstein.
Time Magazine called him The Man of the Century and others have said he was 'the greatest Jew since Jesus'.
His theories still make our brains spin, but what was Einstein like as a person?
TV science presenter Professor Kathy Sykes discusses the archetypal crazy genius with Matthew Parris and Einstein's biographer, John Gribbin.
Producer: Peter Everett
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 2006.
THU 10:30 The Goddess of English (b01p0hj6)
India has a new deity, the Goddess of English, worshipped by former Untouchables who see the language as their deliverer from poverty and ignorance. Zareer Masani investigates.
The English language and the educational legacies of the Raj are still hotly contested. Lord Macaulay, the 19th century imperialist who introduced Western education, is reviled by Indian nationalists. The term "Macaulay's Children" is still used by as a pejorative label for anglicised Indians.
Yet Macaulay's ideas have been enthusiastically adopted today by India's Dalits, the former 'Untouchables', For them, English is a liberating force. Their saviour from caste oppression is personified as a goddess, modelled on the Statue of Liberty, in a sari and mounted on a computer.
Zareer visits the elite Cathedral school, where he was a pupil, a English medium school for poorer people, and one that teaches in the local language, Marathi. Talking to teachers, students, business people and politicians, in classrooms, by the pool at the Willingdon club, and in a cramped Dalit flat, Zareer explores the education of upper-class "Macaulay children", and the hunger for English among poor Indians.
English is essential to upward mobility: politicians committed to education in indigenous languages send their own children to English medium schools. Servants spend half their salaries to get their children into these. Yet the teachers themselves might not speak English well. So, is a foreign language really the best medium of instruction for India's educational system? What is the impact on India's indigenous languages? Zareer ponders, too, whether English has now become as native to India as any of its own languages, in its vibrant Indianised form known as 'Hinglish'.
Producer: Julian May
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2012.
THU 11:00 The Cry of the Owl by Patricia Highsmith (b0131yvn)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
THU 11:30 Little Novels by Wilkie Collins (m0011m0y)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
THU 12:00 Coming Alive (b00hxyxy)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
THU 12:30 Parsley Sidings (b007jp4z)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
THU 13:00 Plum House (m000hfr3)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
THU 13:30 The Great Gatsby by F Scott Fitzgerald (b007jn2k)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
THU 13:45 Sister Carrie by Theodore Dreiser (m0029zr3)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:45 today]
THU 14:00 The 3rd Degree (m00219d1)
Series 14
2. University of St Andrews
Steve Punt hosts the battle of wits as three students from the University of St. Andrews take on their professors.
A funny and dynamic general knowledge quiz show with specialist subjects including English, Computer Science and Philosophy.
Questions range from meeting a glistering goldfish, a Belgian biscuit, a Peruvian bird and Nietzsche. Oh, plus Bambi and a Japanese Water Zither.
Producer: David Tyler
A Pozzitive production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in July 2024.
THU 14:30 No Commitments (b00777b1)
Series 13
A Voice From the Past
Charlotte's love life takes a twist, while Emily must fend off more baby name questions.
A sticky evening is in prospect as Roger and Victoria meet up with Nick's parents. Charlotte's complicated love life takes a new turn.
Simon Brett’s sitcom about the lives and squabbles of three very different sisters.
Anna ...... Rosemary Leach
Victoria ...... Angela Thorne
Charlotte ...... Celia Imrie
Roger ...... Jonathan Coy
Brian ...... James Vaughan
Kathryn ...... Bridget McConnel
Patrick ...... Michael Simkins
Music by Elizabeth Parker of the BBC Radiophonic Workshop.
Written and produced by Simon Brett.
First broadcast on BBC Radio in May 2007.
THU 15:00 David Pownall (b05vrjr8)
Assassins
2. A Mere Five Thousand Pounds
On a sunny day in May 1812, as Napoleon's armies massed on the Russian borders, Liverpudlian timber merchant, John Bellingham was feeling aggrieved.
He entered the House of Commons and shot dead the prime minister, Spencer Perceval.
Second of three plays by David Pownall exploring the hearts and minds of three of history's most celebrated killers.
Cast:
John Bellingham.........David Horovitch
Director: Eoin O'Callaghan
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1999.
THU 15:45 Short Works (m000z79s)
A Little Lay-Off by Candy Neubert
A story about football loyalty, hope, and box-to-box mid-field play.
A few times a season, a woman books a night at a hotel in her nearest town - so she can watch Arsenal on TV in her favourite pub.
Candy Neubert's short story read by Chetna Pandya.
Candy Neubert is a poet who has also published novels and short stories.
Producer: Jeremy Osborne
A Sweet Talk Production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in September 2021.
THU 16:00 Great Lives (p00gj7mq)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 today]
THU 16:30 The Goddess of English (b01p0hj6)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:30 today]
THU 17:00 The Cry of the Owl by Patricia Highsmith (b0131yvn)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
THU 17:30 Little Novels by Wilkie Collins (m0011m0y)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
THU 18:00 Coming Alive (b00hxyxy)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
THU 18:30 Parsley Sidings (b007jp4z)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
THU 19:00 Plum House (m000hfr3)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
THU 19:30 The Great Gatsby by F Scott Fitzgerald (b007jn2k)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
THU 19:45 Sister Carrie by Theodore Dreiser (m0029zr3)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:45 today]
THU 20:00 The 3rd Degree (m00219d1)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:00 today]
THU 20:30 No Commitments (b00777b1)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:30 today]
THU 21:00 David Pownall (b05vrjr8)
[Repeat of broadcast at 15:00 today]
THU 21:45 Short Works (m000z79s)
[Repeat of broadcast at 15:45 today]
THU 22:00 Mark Watson Talks a Bit About Life (m001jc5l)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
THU 22:30 The Problem With Adam Bloom (b007rgld)
Series 1
Cutting Corners
Value for money is very important these days. Adam Bloom makes sure you get a full show's worth and are not short changed in any way.
Helping him conserve the Corporation's pennies is Rob Rouse.
Written by Adam Bloom.
Producer: Adam Bromley
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 2003.
THU 22:45 Knocker (b008j006)
Profitch
Market researcher Ian Dunn is hot. It's not a good day for a meat survey.
Ian suffers a shocking epiphany.
Comedy series written by and starring Neil Edmond.
Ian Dunn …. Neil Edmond
Mary …. Paula Wilcox
With:
Simon Greenall
Ben Onwukwe
Rosie Wilkinson
Producer: Tilusha Ghelani
Made for BBC 7 and first broadcast in December 2007.
THU 23:00 The Lee Mack Show (b00bwzv3)
Sophie Ellis-Bextor
Lee Mack presents stand-up comedy, sketches and music.
With:
Sophie Ellis-Bextor
Rhod Gilbert
Angela McHale
Music by Steve Brown, Mark Allis, David Catlin-Birch and Martin Waugh.
Written by Lee Mack and Neil Webster.
Additional material by Paul Kerensa, Greg Bint and Rhod Gilbert.
Producer: Claire Jones
First broadcast on BBC Radio 2 in March 2005.
THU 23:30 Beauty of Britain (b010t6yh)
Series 2
Mission Command
Beauty Oolonga struggles with an irascible gentleman and the Featherdown office struggle with Social Services' new pilot scheme for elder care.
This means assessment exercises are based on the battle principles of General von Moltke of the Prussian Army...'
Starring Jocelyn Jee Esien.
Beauty's adventures continue as the Featherdown Agency sends her to provide care for the elderly.
Beauty’s Zimbabwean Shona background has taught her to respect age. She sees Britain at its best and its worst
Written by Christopher Douglas and Nicola Sanderson
Beauty ..... Jocelyn Jee Esien
Derek ..... Oscar James
Nicole/Topaz/Tiffany ..... Morwenna Banks
Karen ..... Nicola Sanderson
Sally ..... Felicity Montagu
Olivia/PhD Student .....Vicki Pepperdine
Music by The West End Gospel Choir.
Producer : Tilusha Ghelani
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 2011.

FRIDAY 18 APRIL 2025

FRI 00:00 Great Lives (p00gj7mq)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 on Thursday]
FRI 00:30 The Goddess of English (b01p0hj6)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:30 on Thursday]
FRI 01:00 The Cry of the Owl by Patricia Highsmith (b0131yvn)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 on Thursday]
FRI 01:30 Little Novels by Wilkie Collins (m0011m0y)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 on Thursday]
FRI 02:00 Coming Alive (b00hxyxy)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 on Thursday]
FRI 02:30 Parsley Sidings (b007jp4z)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 on Thursday]
FRI 03:00 Plum House (m000hfr3)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 on Thursday]
FRI 03:30 The Great Gatsby by F Scott Fitzgerald (b007jn2k)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 on Thursday]
FRI 03:45 Sister Carrie by Theodore Dreiser (m0029zr3)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:45 on Thursday]
FRI 04:00 The 3rd Degree (m00219d1)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:00 on Thursday]
FRI 04:30 No Commitments (b00777b1)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:30 on Thursday]
FRI 05:00 David Pownall (b05vrjr8)
[Repeat of broadcast at 15:00 on Thursday]
FRI 05:45 Short Works (m000z79s)
[Repeat of broadcast at 15:45 on Thursday]
FRI 06:00 The Cry of the Owl by Patricia Highsmith (b01381wz)
4. Revenge
Robert has been shot. Could Greg Wyncoop - who has not been seen since they both fought by the river - really have done it?
Or is his body lying in the morgue..?
Starring John Sharian and Adrian Lester.
Conclusion of Patricia Highsmith's intriguing tale of obsession.
Dramatised by Shaun McKenna.
Robert Forester ...... John Sharian
Greg Wyncoop ...... Adrian Lester
Jenny Theirolf ...... Joanne McQuinn
Jack Neilsen ...... Matt Rippy
Susie ...... Laurel Lefkow
Nickie Jurgen ...... Briony Glassco
Detective Lippenholtz ... Peter Marinker
Jeff Harding … Ralph Jurgen
Garrick Hagon … Dr Albert Knott
Music composed and performed by David Chilton.
Director: Marion Nancarrow
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 2002.
FRI 06:30 Little Novels by Wilkie Collins (m0011klv)
5. Miss Morris and the Stranger
A governess is the recipient of a generous legacy.
One of five Victorian mysteries by Wilkie Collins.
Dramatised by John Arden.
Wilkie Collins...Ronald Pickup
Nancy Morris...Deborah Berlin
Sextus Sax...Alastair Danson
Sir Gervase Damian...Hugh Dickson
Mrs Fosdyke...Jane Whittenshaw
Miss Melbury...Alison Pettitt
Freddy...Lucas Rush
Miss Ellen...Katie Lucy
Miss Eva...Katie Clarke
Pianist Colin Guthrie
Director: David Blount.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 1998.
FRI 07:00 Up the Garden Path (b008f3kh)
Series 3
Gooseberries and Fools
Can a relationship with her ex-pupil Razors be the best thing for teacher Izzy?
Imelda Staunton stars as Isabelle 'Izzy' Comyn.
With Mike Grady as Dick, Marty Cruickshank as Maria, Nicholas Le Prevost as Michael, Phyllida Nash as Louise, Rene Zagger as Razors, Sion Probert as Gwyn, Neil McCaul as Bill and Judith Jacob as Linda.
Tumbling from one love entanglement to another, 30-something teacher Izzy has a predilection for inappropriate men.
A six-part radio sequel first adapted from Sue Limb’s 1984 novel. The last of three series which ran from 1987 to 1993. Granada also adapted the series for ITV.
Producer: Jonathan James-Moore
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 1993.
FRI 07:30 Ken Dodd's Easter Special (m002b00c)
Spring is in the air, grandad's in the pub but have no fear, Doddy's here!
Ken Dodd's 1988 Easter Special, recorded at the Leeds City Varieties Theatre.
With:
Johnny More
Paula Tilbrook
Sybie Jones
Colin Edwynn
Michael McClain
Written by John Pye, Barry Reeves, Colin Brown and Ken Rock.
Musical Director: Brian Fitzgerald
Produced at BBC Manchester by Mike Craig.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 2 in 1991
FRI 08:00 Michael Frayn's Magic Mobile (m000jf72)
Episode 3
Just sit back and enjoy Michael Frayn’s magical entertainment, directed by Martin Jarvis.
Technical guidance from a star cast, including:
Susannah Fielding
Joanna Lumley
David Suchet
Rosalind Ayres
Adam Godley
Alfred Molina
George Blagden
Lisa Dillon.
Does your computer ever talk back at you? Or your sat-nav? What happens to the huge sums you pay to your gas company? Your chance to join a new How-to-Write course. Or to hear some commercial Brainwaves. Are you confused about cold calling? Any feelings about Quantum Entanglement?
Frayn reveals all. No keys or buttons to press.
Writer: Michael Frayn
Producer: Rosalind Ayres
Director: Martin Jarvis
A Jarvis and Ayres production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in May 2020.
FRI 08:30 The Great Gatsby by F Scott Fitzgerald (b007jn2z)
10. Aftermath
Tragedy has struck, leaving Nick to ponder his life as he struggles to find mourners for a funeral.
F Scott Fitzgerald's famous novel about aspiration in boom-time America. Read in 10-parts by Sam Robards.
Abridged by Neville Teller.
Producer: Duncan Minshull
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1996.
FRI 08:45 Sister Carrie by Theodore Dreiser (m002b00f)
5. Deception
Hurstwood has to think quickly when Carrie raises the question of marriage.
Unwilling to throw away his chance of happiness will he tell Carrie he is already married? Or suggest something which could set the stage for disaster?
A neglected American classic telling the gripping tale of a young woman's eventful rise to fame and fortune at the turn of the 20th century.
Written by Theodore Dreiser.
Dramatised by Steve Chambers.
Dreiser .... Russell Dixon
Hurstwood .... Liam Cunnlngham
Carrie .... Eve Best
Charlie Drouet ....John Guerrasio
Julia .... Kate Harper
Jessica .... Alison Darling
other parts played by members of the cast
Director: Polly Thomas
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 2000.
FRI 09:00 Gossip and Goddesses with Granny Kumar (m000sh97)
Episode 3
Granny Kumar is back!
Left alone while her family are stuck in quarantine on a world cruise, Granny Kumar decides to host her own series, born out of frustration at seeing or hearing the same old parade of guests on chat shows (mainly male, pale and stale).
She wonders why no one interviews any of the sisters and asks them about their extraordinary, complex and uplifting stories.
So, Gossip and Goddesses is born – Ummi Kumar gathers together her favourite inspirational women at Wembley Community Centre, aided by her millennial great granddaughter Maya and her arch nemesis “frenemy” Geeta, leader of the local Asian Ladies Silver Bats community group.
The show is a women-only party, where they share stories, laugh loads and chew the fat/dish the dirt/eat the biscuits…
A blend of sitcom, silliness and improvised chat, led by the best kind of interviewers who know how to make anyone talk - two really nosy old Indian women.
Ummi Kumar ...... Meera Syal
Geeta Bhandari ...... Harvey Virdi
Maya Kumar ...... Ambreen Razia
With guests, stand-up comedian Ayesha Hazerika and Countryfile presenter Anita Rani.
Written by Meera Syal
Music by Sanjeev Bhaskar and Meera Syal
Produced by Liz Anstee
A CPL production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in February 2021.
FRI 09:30 Macbeth Remixed (b007vypf)
5. The Political Spinning of Macbeth
How was Macbeth’s story spun out of all recognition by the politics of kingship?
From the chroniclers of history to the nib of William Shakepeare's quill - if you thought the art of 'spin' was a new phenomenon, think again.
Liam Brennan stars as Macbeth with members of The National Theatre of Scotland.
Producer: Pennie Latin
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2007.
FRI 09:45 Daily Service (m002b00h)
Good Friday from Bishopthorpe, York
Good Friday
Led by Stephen Cottrell, Archbishop of York
Reading: The Passion Gospel
Music:
There is a green hill far away
O sacred head, sore wounded
God so loved the world (Stainer)
When I survey the wondrous cross (Bob Chilcott)
Ebor Singers
Directed by Paul Gameson
FRI 10:00 Soul Music (b0075zyd)
Series 1
Beethoven's Ode to Joy
John Suchet, Hans Rhieburg and Susan Greenfield reflect on the impact of Beethoven's last symphony 'Ode to Joy'.
Series about music that makes the hairs stand up on the back of our necks.
Producer: Sara Conkey
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 2000.
FRI 10:30 The Secret Power of Trees (b01p7fgv)
Britain's woodlands were planted for timber or hunting but nowadays you're as likely to find ex-prisoners or mentally ill elderly folk in the woods.
With the rise of "social forestry", woodlands have come to be seen as therapeutic and healing, and not just by new age eco types. In Japan, doctors take seriously the practice of "forest air bathing", and claim all kinds of health benefits from simply being in the woods.
Ian Marchant explores whether trees really do have miraculous powers and asks what happened to the idea of forests as scary places, full of evil spirits and outlaws.
Producer: Jolyon Jenkins
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 2012.
FRI 11:00 The Cry of the Owl by Patricia Highsmith (b01381wz)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
FRI 11:30 Little Novels by Wilkie Collins (m0011klv)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
FRI 12:00 Up the Garden Path (b008f3kh)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
FRI 12:30 Ken Dodd's Easter Special (m002b00c)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
FRI 13:00 Michael Frayn's Magic Mobile (m000jf72)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
FRI 13:30 The Great Gatsby by F Scott Fitzgerald (b007jn2z)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
FRI 13:45 Sister Carrie by Theodore Dreiser (m002b00f)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:45 today]
FRI 14:00 The Motion Show (b06s1bnp)
Series 2
Episode 5
This House loved going to school, would like to go to the gym, and would really like a month of Sundays.
Dr Phil Hammond watches over proceedings in the quirky debating game.
With:
Hugh Dennis
Jon Plowman
Jenny Eclair
Nick Revell
Producer: Adam Bromley
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 2000.
FRI 14:30 1835 (b012gpr4)
The Reluctant Aristocrat
In order to prove he's not a feckless, idle aristocrat, Belport manages to kick off the world's first rail strike - in the process proving to everyone that he's a feckless, idle aristocrat...
Comic saga of an aristocrat and his servant who struggle to find things to do in the mid- 1830s.
Belport ...... Paul Rider
Ned ...... Jason Done
Arbuthnot ...... Roy Barraclough
George ...... Simon Greenall
Charlie ...... Jonathan Keeble
Written and directed at BBC Manchester by Jim Poyser.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in June 2004.
FRI 15:00 David Pownall (b0075hyg)
Assassins
3. Sic Semper Tyrannis
April 14th 1865: Thirty minutes into the performance of 'Our American Cousin', at the Ford Theatre, Washington, John Wilkes Booth entered President Abraham Lincoln's State Box, and shot him dead.
What set of remarkable circumstances led up to an event that in its time was as momentous as the assassination of JF Kennedy?
The last of three plays by David Pownall exploring the hearts and minds of three of history's most celebrated killers.
John Wilkes Booth........... Nathan Osgood
Davey Herold....................... Carlos Antonio
Director: Eoin O'Callaghan
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1999.
FRI 15:45 Short Works (m000zffn)
Every Second Saturday by Rachael Fulton
A hard-hitting story by the prize-winning Scottish author and journalist, Rachael Fulton
A man rails against the custody settlement which limits time with his son.
Brought up short by a shocking crisis on the way to the football, he is forced to examine his past behaviour.
Read by Andy Clark.
Rachael Fulton’s fiction has been published by the Bridport Prize and The Common Breath, and broadcast on Audible. She was shortlisted for the Sunday Times Short Story Award 2021, Highly Commended in the Bridport Prize 2020 and won Elle Magazine’s New Talent Award.
She is currently working on a short story collection and her debut novel from her home in Scotland.
Producer: Eilidh McCreadie
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 2021.
FRI 16:00 Soul Music (b0075zyd)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 today]
FRI 16:30 The Secret Power of Trees (b01p7fgv)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:30 today]
FRI 17:00 The Cry of the Owl by Patricia Highsmith (b01381wz)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
FRI 17:30 Little Novels by Wilkie Collins (m0011klv)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
FRI 18:00 Up the Garden Path (b008f3kh)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
FRI 18:30 Ken Dodd's Easter Special (m002b00c)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
FRI 19:00 Michael Frayn's Magic Mobile (m000jf72)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
FRI 19:30 The Great Gatsby by F Scott Fitzgerald (b007jn2z)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
FRI 19:45 Sister Carrie by Theodore Dreiser (m002b00f)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:45 today]
FRI 20:00 The Motion Show (b06s1bnp)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:00 today]
FRI 20:30 1835 (b012gpr4)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:30 today]
FRI 21:00 David Pownall (b0075hyg)
[Repeat of broadcast at 15:00 today]
FRI 21:45 Short Works (m000zffn)
[Repeat of broadcast at 15:45 today]
FRI 22:00 Call Jonathan Pie (m0029sw3)
Series 2
3. Arise Sir Roger
The first four episodes of Call Jonathan Pie series 2 are now available on BBC Sounds, subscribe to be alerted when new episodes in the series are released.

Roger has secret reasons for desperately trying to rein Pie in as he gives Britain’s most famous family a right royal kicking.


 Call Jonathan Pie is written and performed by Tom Walker.
With additional material from Nick Revell and Daniel Abelson
Jules ….. Lucy Pearman
Sam ….. Aqib Khan
Roger ….. Nick Revell.

The callers; Laura Shavin, Daniel Abelson, Ed Kear, Sarah Gabriel , Willow Bennison and Adam Byron.

Producers Alison Vernon-Smith and Julian Mayers
A Yada-Yada Audio Production for BBC Radio 4
FRI 22:30 The Absolutely Radio Show (m0006l75)
Series 3
Episode 1
Stoneybridge Council pitches for their own radio station and Calum Gilhooley is interviewed for a job. We also hear from a family agonising about being completely average and from the archive we hear about Two Line Terry’s film career.
The cast of TV's hugely popular sketch show return for series three.
Revisiting some of their much-loved sketch characters, while also introducing some newcomers.
Starring:
Pete Baikie
Morwenna Banks
Moray Hunter
Gordon Kennedy
John Sparkes
In 2013, the group that made their name on Channel Four in the 1980s and 90s got back together for Radio 4's Sketchorama: Absolutely Special - which won the BBC Audio Drama Award for Best Live Scripted Comedy. The first series of The Absolutely Radio Show picked up a Celtic Media Award nomination for Best Radio Comedy.
Producers: Gordon Kennedy & Gus Beattie
An Absolutely/Gusman production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in June 2019.
FRI 22:55 The Comedy Club Interviews (m002b1jy)
Ed Night 3/3
From 10pm until midnight, seven days a week, the Comedy Club has two hours of comedy. Plus Harriet Kemsley chats again to fellow comedian Ed Night.
FRI 23:00 Sarah Keyworth - Are you a Boy or a Girl? (m000pyb4)
Series 1
Top Man
In her first BBC stand-up series, award-winning comedian Sarah Keyworth explores her personal journey with gender fluidity.
Join Sarah as she looks back on her own funny, ridiculous and bizarre experiences, as she attempts to shed light on why gender still remains such an important issue in the 21st Century.
Now in the present day, Sarah reflects that she is now at a point in her life in which she is comfortable in her gender and being androgynous. We hear about a recent trip to Ireland and her love for rock star P!nk.
Producer: Adnan Ahmed
A BBC Studios Production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in December 2020.
FRI 23:15 Tom Mayhew Is Benefit Scum (m0019r5n)
Series 2
These Boots Are Made for Working
In this episode, Tom and his tiny Mum explore jobs, life and ambition. What does it mean to have a successful life and is it even possible when there’s a cost of living crisis?
Tom Mayhew is a critically acclaimed comedian, whose material about being working class – mixing the personal and the political, with the punchline-rate of a one-liner comic – sets him apart from any other act on the circuit.
Tom Mayhew Is Benefit Scum is based on Mayhew's acclaimed Edinburgh show I, Tom Mayhew, which transferred to a sell-out run at the Soho Theatre.
Written and Performed by Tom Mayhew
Featuring Chris Cantrill
Additional Material by Olivia Phipps
Produced by Benjamin Sutton
A BBC Studios production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in August 2022.
FRI 23:30 Cowards (b00776sr)
Series 1
Episode 1
Talking coins and cows in the bizarre world of the comedy sketch show team.
Written and performed by:
Tom Basden
Stefan Golaszewski
Tim Key
Lloyd Woolf
Producer: Victoria Lloyd
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 2007.