SATURDAY 12 JULY 2025

SAT 00:00 Soul Music (b008tn7d)
Series 6
Spem in Alium
Thomas Tallis's work is one of the most elaborate and spectacular pieces of choral music ever written.
Scored for 40 voices, the piece is best sung and heard in the round in order to appreciate an extraordinary sonic experience.
Choral conductor Simon Halsey and Michael Morpurgo discuss the music's spine-tingling effect on both performers and listeners.
Featuring:
Graeme Fife
John Davies
Clive Stafford-Smith
Series about pieces of music with a powerful emotional impact.
Producers: Rosie Boulton & Melvin Rickarby
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 2008.
SAT 00:30 Scientists Go To Hollywood (b00tj5qk)
Adam Rutherford heads to tinsel town to talk to the scientists who have left the lab for the glamour of the film set.
Although the silver screen may not be known for its scientific accuracy, in recent years Hollywood does seem to have come calling, where science is concerned. A growing number of scientists seem to be taking time out of their day job to advise Hollywood directors and producers on the portrayal of science, and scientists, in some very well known films and TV series.
Adam visits the set of one of the most well known science based TV shows, CSI New York to meet the writer and co-producer, himself a former forensic scientist. He talks to physicist Brian Cox about his role as science advisor to the Danny Boyle directed movie Sunshine. He meets the new wave of Hollywood movie makers who are turning to the real life scientists to help improve not only the image of science on screen, but to inspire some of their most fantastical plot line, and finds out whether factually incorrect science in the movies really matters?
According to the US National Academy of Science, it does. So much so that they have now set up a programme specifically designed to help their scientists work with the entertainment industry, to improve and foster a positive image of science on screen.
Adam meets the producer of one of last year's biggest Hollywood blockbusters about his ambition to keep the science fact in the science fiction as accurate as possible, and how the scientists he worked with came up with some far more intriguing plot twists and turns than anything his writers could have dreamt up.
Presenter Adam Rutherford
Producer: Alexandra Feachem
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2010.
SAT 01:00 Dixon of Dock Green (b0133g6t)
Series 1
5. Rock, Rattle and Roll
When a fanatical Spurs fan has his prized football rattle stolen, an FA cup tie provides the perfect excuse for a weekend away in Blackpool for Andy and Mary.
Radio revival of BBC TV's famous copper created and written by Ted Willis.
Starring David Calder and David Tennant.
Dramatised from the TV screenplay by Sue Rodwell.
PC George Dixon ...... David Calder
PC Andy Crawford ...... David Tennant
Mary Dixon ...... Charlie Brooks
Ben Harvey ...... Andrew Sachs
Jessie Harvey ...... Jacqueline Tong
Chris Miller ...... Alex McLaren
Jim ...... Stuart Crossman
Produced in Bristol by Viv Beeby and Jeremy Howe.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 2005.
SAT 01:30 Raffles (m0001ngh)
Series 2
3. The Field of Philippi
Making a nostalgic return to their school, Raffles and Bunny meet old enemy, 'Soapy' Sudborough, who owns the local bank with his father.
Raffles, like Caesar at the field of Philippi, is not one to leave old scores unsettled...
Starring Jeremy Clyde.
EW Hornung's Raffles stories about the 'gentleman thief'.
Dramatised by David Buck.
AJ Raffles ...... Jeremy Clyde
Bunny Manders ...... Michael Cochrane
Sudborough ...... Bernard Brown
Calthorpe ...... Steve Hodson
Bodley ...... Adrian Egan
Lapwing ...... John Baddeley
McNab ...... Michael Deacon
Young Bunny ...... James Dykes
Signature tune composed by Jim Parker.
Director: Gordon House
A BBC Radio 4/ BBC World Service production first broadcast in June 1988.
SAT 02:00 Any Other Business (b012xws9)
Episode 2
There's a hurricane of change in Chesbury, with Labour back in power but with a wafer thin majority.
Lucy Flannery's local government sitcom
Starring:
Nelson David
John Duttine
James Grout
Rosy Fordham
Nick Hardy
Howard Lew Lewis
Toby Longworth
Jan Ravens
Vivienne Rochester
June Whitfield.
Producer: Liz Anstee
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 1995.
SAT 02:30 The Jason Explanation of... (b007jq20)
Communications
David Jason gets chatty with animals and plants - but can a medium reach Doris's dead husband to find out where his money is?
Following in the footsteps of Lord Clark, Dr Bronowski and Professor Galbraith, David Jason unravels the mysteries of the universe and the meaning of life.
With:
Sheila Steafel
Royce Mills
Written by Colin Bostock Smith, Andy Hamilton, Barry Pilton and Alastair Beaton.
Music by John Owen Edwards
Producer: Geoffrey Perkins
First broadcast on the BBC Radio 4 in September 1977.
SAT 03:00 Believe It! (m000mrzr)
Series 5
Brand
Richard Wilson returns with another series of not quite true revelations about his life.
As usual, Richard has many friends to seek advice from. Starring Ian McKellen as Head of Gay, Peter Capaldi and David Tennant as the Two Doctors, and Antony Sher as The Man Addicted To Waitrose - along with an excellent supporting cast.
It’s a mockumentary and spoof autobiography rolled into one.
Written by Jon Canter.
Richard Wilson
Sir Antony Sher
Rebekah Staton - Danielle
Arabella Weir
Sir Ian McKellen
Elliot Levey - The Waiter
Produced and directed by Clive Brill
A Brill production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in September 2020.
SAT 03:30 Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day by Winifred Watson (b00761kk)
5. A New Position
The cat is let out of the bag about Miss Pettigrew's true identity.
Will she be cast out on to the streets?
Winifred Watson's funny and touching bestseller of the 1930s.
Abridged by Elizabeth Bradbury.
Concluded by Maureen Lipman.
Producer: Sarah Johnson
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 2001.
SAT 03:45 Shardlake (m000rnkv)
Lamentation
10. A Monarch's Mercy?
In 1546, the court of Henry VIII is on the edge of anarchy as Catholic and Protestant factions vie for power.
While heretics are burned at the stake, the Queen, Catherine Parr, rashly decides to write a confessional book about her religious beliefs. When the manuscript is stolen its contents could endanger her life. In desperation, she has enlisted the help of her old friend, the lawyer Matthew Shardlake - even though he is already involved in a nasty inheritance case between sibling rivals.
After a brutal struggle, a wounded Barak has been dumped on a rubbish heap by his attackers - while Shardlake is to be escorted from the Tower to Whitehall for an audience with Henry VIII.
Based on the best-selling novel by CJ Sansom.
Dramatised in ten parts by Colin MacDonald
Shardlake …. Justin Salinger
Barak …. Bryan Dick
Queen Catherine …. Jessica Hardwick
Henry VIII …. Michael Mackenzie
William Paget …. Gavin Mitchell
Charles Stice …. Matthew Barker
Produced and directed by Bruce Young
A BBC Scotland production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in January 2021.
SAT 04:00 The Motion Show (b071k5vf)
Series 3
Episode 5
Debates galore over mature students and putting daughters on the stage.
Graeme Garden chairs the quirky battle of words and wit.
From the Pleasance Theatre during the Edinburgh Festival.
With:
Hugh Dennis
Gyles Brandreth
Chris Neill
Stuart Maconie
Producer: Helen Williams
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 2000.
SAT 04:30 Double Income, No Kids Yet (b007wznq)
Series 2
Episode 1
After yet another late night on the tiles, Lucy decides it is time for them to shape up and get fit.
But having managed to drag Daniel along with her to gym, how can she then persuade him to leave?
Starring David Tennant and Elizabeth Carling.
Return of David Spicer's comedy drama about modern life and parenthood - as seen through the eyes of two 30-something non-parents.
Daniel ....... David Tennant
Lucy ....... Elizabeth Carling
Katie ....... Samantha Spiro
Andy ....... Tony Gardner
Producer: Liz Anstee
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in June 2002.
SAT 05:00 Bride and Groom by Alisa Ganieva (b09r3xzw)
2. Will Love Survive?
A death in the settlement further destabilises the community whilst the return of the infamous Khalilbek stirs mixed emotions.
As Marat's wedding date draws closer, the acts of fate that once pushed Marat and Patya closer together, suddenly starts to pull them apart.
Will there be a wedding after all?
Contemporary Russian author, Alisa Ganieva's tragi-comic love story about family expectations, religious and cultural tensions, amid power struggles in rural Dagestan.
Dramatised by Bethan Roberts from the translation by Dr Carol Apollonio.
Patya ...... Aimee-Ffion Edwards
Marat ...... Jacob Ifan
Timur ...... Sion Pritchard
Khadizha ...... Beth Robert
Papa ...... Steve Speirs
Granny ...... Siw Hughes
Colonel Gazier ...... Dafydd Emyr
Khalilbek Ifan ...... Huw Dafydd
Director: Helen Perry
A BBC Cymru/Wales production for BBC Radio 4. first broadcast in February 2018.
SAT 06:00 Whodunnits (b007ylq7)
Hercule Poirot - Appointment with Death
"You do see don't you that she's got to be killed. It's the only solution".
Ominous words heard through an hotel window - and which prophesy murder in the Red Rose city of Petra.
Hercule Poirot over hears some ominous words prophesying a hotel murder.
John Moffatt stars as the Belgian sleuth.
Another Agatha Christie classic whodunit which takes a series of turns that keeps us guessing to the end.
Dramatised by Michael Bakewell
Hercule Poirot .... John Moffatt
Mrs Boynton .... Miriam Karlin
Lady Westholme .... Jill Balcon
Sarah King .... Connie Walker
Dr Gerard .... Sean Baker
Jefferson Cope .... Jonathan Keeble
Colonel Carbury .... John Woodnutt
Miss Pierce .... Jennie Stoller
Lennox .... Roger May
Nadine .... Helen Ayres
Raymond .... Kenny Blyth
Carol .... Jasmine Hyde
Ginerva .... Clare Corbett
Director: Enyd Williams
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 2001.
SAT 07:30 It's Always Summer Somewhere by Felix White (Omnibus) (m002ft26)
Felix White's funny and moving recollections about at growing up.
He tells of his mother's multiple sclerosis and slowly replacing his ambition to be a left-arm spinner in his school cricket team with the dazzling realities of life in a world renowned band, The Maccabees.
Omnibus of five parts adapted for radio by Julian Wilkinson
Felix White is a musician, writer and broadcaster best known as a guitarist in The Maccabees.
He subsequently co-founded independent record label Yala!
Producer: Ciaran Bermingham
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 2022.
SAT 08:45 Diplomatic Dinners (m0009465)
High Spirits
Chris Bowlby hears what it's like to eat for Britain from such wined-and-dined luminaries as Chris Patten and Christopher Meyer.
In this episode, he hears about the perils of alcoholic customs and vodka-soaked diplomacy.
Tasked with standing up for their country what do diplomats do when all they are only capable of is falling down? From Churchill and Stalin through to the Cold War, the toasting rituals at diplomatic gatherings remained warm, but what was the real reason behind this cordiality?
Producer: Mark Savage
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 2006.
SAT 09:00 The Men from the Ministry (b007jqkj)
Take Your Pick
The freezing civil servants head to Wales to tackle a national coal shortage.
Stars Richard Murdoch and Deryck Guyler.
Lennox-Brown …. Deryck Guyler
Lamb …. Richard Murdoch
Mildred Murfin/Myfanwy …. Norma Ronald
Sir Gregory Pitkin/Ivor …. Ronald Baddiley
’Whizzer’ Wilkins/Mr Stack/Dai Laffin/Lord Stilton …. John Graham
Newsreader …. Bryan Martin
Written by Edward Taylor and John Graham.
'The Men from the Ministry' ran for 14 series between 1962 and 1977. Deryck Guyler replaced Wilfrid Hyde-White from 1966. Sadly many episodes didn't make it to the archive, however the BBC's Transcription Service re-recorded 14 shows in 1980 - never broadcast in the UK, until the arrival of BBC Radio 4 Extra.
Producer: Edward Taylor
First broadcast on the BBC Radio 4 in August 1977.
SAT 09:30 All Gas and Gaiters (m000ndqw)
Series 1
The Bishop Turns To Crime
The Bishop has to resort to illegality when he loses the Dean’s key.
The ecclesiastical sitcom started life as a TV pilot in Comedy Playhouse, ahead of a run on BBC1 from 1966 to 1971.
Adapted from their TV script by husband-and-wife team, Pauline Devaney and Edwin Apps.
The Archdeacon …. Robertson Hare
The Bishop …. William Mervyn
The Bishop's Chaplain …. Derek Nimmo
The Dean …. John Barron
Mr Stickles …. Kenneth Connor
Samuel Tutt …. Sam Kydd
Jack …. Ronald Forfar
Producer: David Hatch.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 1971.
SAT 10:00 Laura Barton's American Road Trip (m000c54q)
2. The Southern States
Using BBC Archives, writer Laura Barton takes to the road to continue her audio adventure across the USA - from New York to California.
The second of three episodes features:
* ‘World Roots: An Appalachian Road Trip’ [2009]
* ‘Conversations with the Blues’ [1961]
* ‘French Men Desire Good Children’ [1992]
* ‘South and West’ [2017]
Producer: Luke Doran.
Made for BBC Radio 4 Extra and first broadcast in October 2018.
SAT 11:00 Whodunnits (b007ylq7)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
SAT 12:30 It's Always Summer Somewhere by Felix White (Omnibus) (m002ft26)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
SAT 13:45 Diplomatic Dinners (m0009465)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:45 today]
SAT 14:00 The Men from the Ministry (b007jqkj)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
SAT 14:30 All Gas and Gaiters (m000ndqw)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 today]
SAT 15:00 Laura Barton's American Road Trip (m000c54q)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 today]
SAT 16:00 Doctor Who (m001jlwm)
The War Doctor
9. Eye of Harmony - Part 1/2
In the aftermath of events on Rovidia, a unique opportunity arises to strike a lethal blow to the heart of Gallifrey.
A devastating power is set to be unleashed, and with agents in place ready to do the bidding of the Dalek Time Strategist, the future of the Time War could turn in an instant.
Trapped inside a critically-damaged Battle TARDIS, hopelessly adrift in the Time Vortex, The War Doctor and his allies have a final desperate fight on their hands...
John Hurt stars as The War Doctor.
Written by Ken Bentley.
The War Doctor .... John Hurt
Cardinal Ollistra .... Jacqueline Pearce
Heleyna .... Honeysuckle Weeks
Kalan …. Josh Bolt
Dalek Time Strategist/The Daleks .... Nicholas Briggs
Other parts played by members of the cast.
Original music written by Howard Carter.
Director: Nicholas Briggs
A Big Finish production.
SAT 16:30 Mad Monkton by Wilkie Collins (m000qngx)
'I see the figure of a dark-complexioned man, standing up, with his head uncovered. One of his hands, still clutching a pistol, has fallen to his side; the other presses a bloody handkerchief to his mouth. And thus I have seen him ever since the moment of his death.'
Has the youngest son Alfred inherited the hereditary madness that’s said to blight the Monkton family?
Wilkie Collins's classic story adapted for radio by Michael Robson.
Alfred Monkton … John Castle
Piers Fortune … Gary Bond
Ada Elmslie … Sandra Freeman
Damian … Lewis Stringer
Captain Rounce … Geoffrey Matthews
Devised and directed by Derek Hoddinott.
First broadcast on the BBC World Service in March 1976.
SAT 17:00 Whodunnits (b007ylq7)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
SAT 18:30 It's Always Summer Somewhere by Felix White (Omnibus) (m002ft26)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
SAT 19:45 Diplomatic Dinners (m0009465)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:45 today]
SAT 20:00 The Men from the Ministry (b007jqkj)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
SAT 20:30 All Gas and Gaiters (m000ndqw)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 today]
SAT 21:00 Laura Barton's American Road Trip (m000c54q)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 today]
SAT 22:00 Mark Thomas Presents (b0076vzd)
Stan Freberg
American satirist and comedian Stan Freberg performs at London's Comedy Store at the age of 79.
Stan reprises favourite songs and routines which made him a legend in the 1950s and 60s - to the accompaniment of the original orchestral backing.
Including:
John & Marsha
St George & the Dragonet
Series in which Mark Thomas introduces iconic American comedy performers.
Producer: Paul Bajoria
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 2005.
SAT 22:30 4 Stands Up (b00jjkpk)
Series 3
Episode 2
Chris Addison hosts the stand-up comedy series.
Featuring some of the top names on the circuit.
With:
Sarah Millican
James Sherwood
Jeff Green
Producer: Sam Michell
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 2009.
SAT 23:00 Nick Mohammed in Bits (b00tt5pw)
Mr Swallow
Lifestyle guru Mr Swallow presents his memory technique to a studio audience.
Written by and starring Nick Mohammed.
With:
Colin Hoult
Anna Crilly
Series of one-off comic plays showcasing the best of Nick Mohammed's idiosyncratic comic character creations.
Producer: Victoria Lloyd
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 2010.
SAT 23:30 Chain Reaction (b00m9p30)
Series 3
Clive Anderson and John Lloyd
Presenter Clive Anderson interviews producer and writer John Lloyd.
This is the tag talk show series where the guest turns interviewer in the next show.
John is the man responsible for programmes such as Not the Nine O'Clock News, Blackadder, Spitting Image and QI.
Clive asks John about co-writing and falling out with Douglas Adams and the key to creating great comedy.
Producer: Tilusha Ghelani
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 2007.

SUNDAY 13 JULY 2025

SUN 00:00 Doctor Who (m001jlwm)
[Repeat of broadcast at 16:00 on Saturday]
SUN 00:30 Mad Monkton by Wilkie Collins (m000qngx)
[Repeat of broadcast at 16:30 on Saturday]
SUN 01:00 Whodunnits (b007ylq7)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 on Saturday]
SUN 02:30 It's Always Summer Somewhere by Felix White (Omnibus) (m002ft26)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 on Saturday]
SUN 03:45 Diplomatic Dinners (m0009465)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:45 on Saturday]
SUN 04:00 The Men from the Ministry (b007jqkj)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 on Saturday]
SUN 04:30 All Gas and Gaiters (m000ndqw)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 on Saturday]
SUN 05:00 Laura Barton's American Road Trip (m000c54q)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 on Saturday]
SUN 06:00 Desert Island Discs Revisited (m002fx8f)
Women's Summer Of Sport
Ebony Rainford-Brent
Former cricketer Ebony Rainford-Brent is the first Black woman to play for England and she was part of the team which won the Women’s Cricket World Cup in 2009. Today she is a broadcaster and cricket commentator for Channel 4, Sky Sports and the BBC’s Test Match Special.
Ebony was born in south London and as a child it was football that caught her attention, especially Liverpool FC and her hero Robbie Fowler. At primary school she was encouraged to have a go at cricket through a charity called Cricket For Change which was set up to encourage more state school children into the sport. Holding a bat in her hands for the first time, she hit the ball as hard as she could and, as she watched it soar through the air, she was hooked.
Ebony started out playing for Surrey Cricket Club’s Under 11’s team as a bowler. In 2003 a serious back injury forced her to stop playing and she thought her sporting career was over. She was determined to prove the medics wrong so she retrained as a batswoman as batting was easier on her back.
In 2007 she made her debut for England and two years later was part of the World Cup-winning team. In 2020 Ebony joined forces with Surrey Cricket Club and founded the African-Caribbean Engagement Programme (ACE) to build grassroots cricket programmes for young people in black communities across the UK. In 2021 she was awarded an MBE for her services to cricket and charity.
DISC ONE: Cold Sweat - James Brown
DISC TWO: Girlie Girlie - Sophia George
DISC THREE: Pass Me Over - Anthony Hamilton
DISC FOUR: A Long Walk - Jill Scott
DISC FIVE: Rock Steady - Aretha Franklin
DISC SIX: Never Forget - Take That
DISC SEVEN: Superheroes - Stormzy
DISC EIGHT: Work To Do - The Isley Brothers

BOOK CHOICE: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
LUXURY ITEM: A drum kit
CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: A Long Walk - Jill Scott
Presenter: Lauren Laverne
Producer: Paula McGinley
BBC Studios Audio production for Radio 4, first broadcast in December 2024.
SUN 07:00 Poetry Extra (m002fv6c)
In The Studio - Dana Gioia: Poet Laureate of California
Daljit Nagra revisits the BBC World Service's archive and chooses In the Studio: Dana Gioia: Poet Laureate of California.
Dana Gioia is a man with a mission: to take poetry to the whole state, reading his own work and listening to other poets’ and students, in all its 58 counties.
He lives on an isolated hilltop and writes in a studio resembling a barn, lined with his 6,000 books. Sometimes, when he needs to get away, he works in a beautiful hut, with just a table and a stove, overlooking the hills and the oaks.
Dana takes the BBC’s Julian May to these places and reveals the inspiration of a major new poem, The Ballad of Jesus Ortiz, and the surprisingly physical way he is working on it. There is, however, grave danger, from wildfires that are threatening to destroy his studio-barn, his writing hut, and his home.
Presenter and producer – Julian May
First broadcast on BBC World Service in 2017.
SUN 07:30 Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day by Winifred Watson (Omnibus) (m002fv6f)
Miss Pettigrew is sent to the wrong job by her agency.
Her employer greets her wearing a negligee with a man in her room. In the face of such shocking behaviour, will the innocent spinster blunder or blossom?
Maureen Lipman reads one of her favourite books: Winifred Watson's touching and funny rediscovered bestseller from the 1930s.
Omnibus of five episodes abridged by Elizabeth Bradbury.
Producer: Sarah Johnson
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 2001.
SUN 08:40 Inheritance Tracks (m002fv6h)
Jason Mantzoukas
Comedian and actor Jason Mantzoukas selects When Problems Arise by Fishbone and passes on: Vocalise My Love by Florence Adooni.
SUN 08:50 Shardlake (Omnibus) (m002fv6k)
Lamentation
13/07/2025
In 1546, Catholic and Protestant factions vie for power at the court of Henry VIII while heretics are burned at the stake.
In his search for the Catherine Parr's stolen confessional book, Shardlake makes a disturbing discovery when he interviews a prison guard at the Tower of London.
Based on the best-selling novel by CJ Sansom.
Omnibus of the last five of ten episodes dramatised by Colin MacDonald.
Shardlake …. Justin Salinger
Barak …. Bryan Dick
Queen Catherine …. Jessica Hardwick
Lord Parr …. Robbie Jack
Henry VIII …. Michael Mackenzie
Richard Rich …. Simon Donaldson
William Paget …. Gavin Mitchell
Charles Stice …. Matthew Barker
William Cecil …. James Rottger
Myldmore …. Kenny Blyth
Okedene …. Mark McDonnell
Cranmer …. Crawford Logan
Mary Odell …. Francesca Dymond
Barwic …. Mark Jeary
Elias …. Caleb Hughes
Garet …. Harri Pitches
Other parts played by the cast.
Director: Bruce Young
A BBC Scotland production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in January 2021.
SUN 10:00 Frankie Howerd (m0018q7k)
Series 3
Episode 5
The King of Titters is admitted to hospital where he receives special treatment from the day nurse.
Frankie takes a comic look back through his eventful life and illustrious career.
Written by David McKellar and David Nobbs.
With:
June Whitfield
Ray Fell
Madi Hedd
Denis McCarthy
Producer: David Hatch
First broadcast on BBC Radio 2 in November 1974.
SUN 10:30 Jim the Great (b01sjjwr)
Series 1
The March of Democracy
King Jim is duped into holding an election. But surely he's a shoe-in for the throne?
Historical regal romp starring Jimmy Edwards.
With Julian Orchard, John Baddeley, Andrew Palmer, Ronald Baddiley, Jon Glover and Chris Emmett.
Jim The Great ran for 2 series on BBC Radio 2 between 1976 - 1979.
Producer: Edward Taylor
First broadcast on BBC Radio 2 in April 1977.
SUN 11:00 Desert Island Discs Revisited (m002fx8f)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
SUN 12:00 Poetry Extra (m002fv6c)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
SUN 12:30 Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day by Winifred Watson (Omnibus) (m002fv6f)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
SUN 13:40 Inheritance Tracks (m002fv6h)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:40 today]
SUN 13:50 Shardlake (Omnibus) (m002fv6k)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:50 today]
SUN 15:00 Frankie Howerd (m0018q7k)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 today]
SUN 15:30 Jim the Great (b01sjjwr)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:30 today]
SUN 16:00 Doctor Who (m001js4w)
The War Doctor
9. Eye of Harmony - Part 2/2
As the Daleks pursue their plans, traitor Heleyna realises the impact of her actions.
The War Doctor, Cardinal Ollistra, Heleyna and a Rovidian, Kalan, have escaped Rovidia using a damaged Battle TARDIS.
As the Daleks enforce their Time War strategy, home truths are revealed.
John Hurt stars as the War Doctor.
Written by Ken Bentley.
The War Doctor .... John Hurt
Cardinal Ollistra .... Jacqueline Pearce
Heleyna .... Honeysuckle Weeks
Kalan …. Josh Bolt
Dalek Time Strategist/The Daleks .... Nicholas Briggs
Other parts played by members of the cast.
Original music written by Howard Carter.
Director: Nicholas Briggs
A Big Finish production.
SUN 16:30 Orbit One Zero by Peter Elliott Hayes (b08fxww3)
3. The Power
The mysterious cylinder reveals its contents and - more terrifyingly - its awesome capabilities...
Newspaper reporter, Tom Lambert has decided to reinvestigate the strange events of ten years before, concerning the "cosmic noise". Believing the inside story was never told, he's tracked down the only man who knows, Dr Hayward Petrie.
Told in flashbacks, the story unfolds from Dr Petrie's own recordings of the time when the detection of a strange pattern of signals sparks a mysterious discovery...
Dr Petrie …. Felix Felton
Tom Lambert …. David Spenser
Clifford Brown …. Graydon Gould
Elizabeth Ryder …. Elaine MacNamara
Sir Edward Bancroft …. William Fox
Mr Morgan …. Basil Jones
Written by Peter Elliott Hayes
Producer: David Davis
First broadcast on the BBC Home Service in May 1961.
SUN 17:00 Desert Island Discs Revisited (m002fx8f)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
SUN 18:00 Poetry Extra (m002fv6c)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
SUN 18:30 Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day by Winifred Watson (Omnibus) (m002fv6f)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
SUN 19:40 Inheritance Tracks (m002fv6h)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:40 today]
SUN 19:50 Shardlake (Omnibus) (m002fv6k)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:50 today]
SUN 21:00 Frankie Howerd (m0018q7k)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 today]
SUN 21:30 Jim the Great (b01sjjwr)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:30 today]
SUN 22:00 Colin Hoult's Carnival of Monsters (b050bjhl)
Series 2
Episode 4
Enter the Carnival of Monsters, a bizarre and hilarious world of sketches, stories and characters, presented by the sinister Ringmaster.
A host of characters are the exhibits at the Carnival - all played by Colin himself.
Meet such monstrous yet strangely familiar oddities as: Wannabe Hollywood screenwriter Andy Parker - and Anna Mann - outrageous star of such forgotten silver screen hits such as 'Rogue Baker', 'Who's For Turkish Delight' and 'A Bowl For My Bottom';
Plus a host of other characters from acid jazz obsessives, to mask workshop coordinators.
Producer: Sam Bryant
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 2015.
SUN 22:25 The Comedy Club Interviews (m002fxvp)
Stuart Laws 1/3
From 10pm until midnight, seven days a week, the Comedy Club has two hours of comedy. Plus Stephen Bailey chats to standup comedian and director Stuart Laws.
SUN 22:30 Armando Iannucci (b007jzls)
Series 2
Episode 4
Sex education, mountaineering and the news from a baby’s perspective.
Armando lannucci hosts wry comical discussion, sketches and music.
With Rebecca Front, David Schneider, Andrew Glover, Stewart Lee and Richard Herring.
Written by Armando Iannucci, Peter Baynham, Richard Herring, Stewart Lee and Ben Moor.
Producer: Sarah Smith
First broadcast on BBC Radio 1 in March 1994.
SUN 23:30 Safety Catch (b00vryr6)
Series 3
What's My Motivation
Simon decides it's finally time to get self-motivated and starts composing his electronic music, self-motivation isn't as easy as he'd thought.
To make life even more difficult his mother decides to get a job at Heathcote Sanders.
As Judith eloquently puts it, to have one member of the family working in the arms trade may be regarded as misfortune, to have two looks like genetic wickedness.
Starring Darren Boyd.
Laurence Howarth's black comedy of modern morality set in the world of arms dealing.
Simon McGrath ..... Darren Boyd
Anna Grieg ..... Joanna Page
Boris Kemal ..... Lewis Macleod
Judith McGrath ..... Sarah Smart
Angela McGrath ..... Brigit Forsyth
Madeleine Turnbull ..... Rachel Atkins
Producer: Dawn Ellis
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 2010.

MONDAY 14 JULY 2025

MON 00:00 Doctor Who (m001js4w)
[Repeat of broadcast at 16:00 on Sunday]
MON 00:30 Orbit One Zero by Peter Elliott Hayes (b08fxww3)
[Repeat of broadcast at 16:30 on Sunday]
MON 01:00 Desert Island Discs Revisited (m002fx8f)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 on Sunday]
MON 02:00 Poetry Extra (m002fv6c)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 on Sunday]
MON 02:30 Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day by Winifred Watson (Omnibus) (m002fv6f)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 on Sunday]
MON 03:40 Inheritance Tracks (m002fv6h)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:40 on Sunday]
MON 03:50 Shardlake (Omnibus) (m002fv6k)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:50 on Sunday]
MON 05:00 Frankie Howerd (m0018q7k)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 on Sunday]
MON 05:30 Jim the Great (b01sjjwr)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:30 on Sunday]
MON 06:00 Dixon of Dock Green (b0133ldd)
Series 1
6. Roaring Boy
Mary and Andy have some exciting news for George, but he's nowhere to be found.
Meanwhile on the other side of Dock Green, a desperate young man with a gun is on the run...
Radio revival of BBC TV's famous copper created and written by Ted Willis.
Starring David Calder and David Tennant.
Dramatised from the TV screenplay by Sue Rodwell.
PC George Dixon ...... David Calder
PC Andy Crawford ...... David Tennant
Mary Dixon ...... Charlie Brooks
Doug Beale ...... Carl Prekopp
Diana Johnson ...... Hayley Docherty
Produced in Bristol by Viv Beeby and Jeremy Howe.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 2005.
MON 06:30 Raffles (m0001p33)
Series 2
4. A Bad Night
Raffles' plans to avenge a friend by robbing a private house in Hampton Court are thwarted by a prior engagement at Old Trafford.
He's due to bat for England in the second Test cricket match against Australia.
Bunny, however, nobly steps into the breach...
Starring Jeremy Clyde.
EW Hornung's Raffles stories about the 'gentleman thief'.
Dramatised by David Buck.
AJ Raffles ...... Jeremy Clyde
Bunny Manders ...... Michael Cochrane
Medlicott ...... Anton Lesser
Police Officer ...... John Baddeley
Signature tune composed by Jim Parker.
Director: Gordon House
A BBC Radio 4/ BBC World Service production first broadcast in June 1988.
MON 07:00 The Pasadenas' Almanac (m002ft3v)
A Right Royal How D'You Do
London 1936 - the reigning monarch of England wants to chuck it all in for the woman he loves!
Another musical excursion for the Pasadena Roof Orchestra through great moments in 20th Century history.
Written by Chris Emmett and Tony Hare.
Starring:
June Whitfield
Jeffrey Holland
Chris Emmett
With vocalist Duncan Galloway.
Producer: Richard Wilson
First broadcast on BBC Radio 2 in February 1992.
MON 07:30 Steptoe and Son (b00t4d75)
Series 2
The Piano
Harold and Albert strike the wrong chord with a grand piano in a top-floor flat.
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
Man .... Brian Oulton
Policeman .... Alan Simpson
Adapted for radio from Galton and Simpson's TV script by Gale Pedrick.
Producer: Bobby Jaye
First broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in July 1967.
MON 08:00 Relativity (m000l8dy)
Series 3
Episode 3
Ian takes Chloe and baby Don away, hoping a relaxing weekend at a spa hotel will help.
Meanwhile, Holly is arrested at Extinction Rebellion, while 16 year old brother Nick is struggling to keep her whereabouts secret from their parents.
The third series of Richard Herring’s comedy drama builds on the warm, lively characters and sharply observed family dynamics of previous series.
His affectionate observation of inter-generational misunderstanding, sibling sparring and the ties that bind will resonate with anyone who has ever gone back to live at home, after the age of 40.
Richard Herring is a comedian, writer, blogger and podcaster and the world's premier semi-professional self-playing snooker player.
Margaret …… Alison Steadman
Ken …… Phil Davis
Jane …… Fenella Woolgar
Ian …… Richard Herring
Chloe …… Emily Berrington
Pete …… Gordon Kennedy
Holly …… Tia Bannon
Mark …… Fred Haig
Nick …… Harrison Knights
George …… Danny Kirrane
Producer: Polly Thomas
Executive Producers: Jon Thoday and Richard Allen Turner.
An Avalon Television production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in July 2020.
MON 08:30 Passing by Nella Larsen (m0015lkz)
1. Reunion
In mid-1920s America, the Harlem Renaissance of black culture and society may be underway, but racism still runs deep through the habits and laws of the country.
Clare Kendry has severed all ties to her impoverished past in the black community of Chicago. Elegant, fair-skinned and ambitious, she is now married to a wealthy white man who is unaware of her African-American heritage.
However, when Clare renews her acquaintance with childhood friend Irene, who is similarly light skinned but who has not hidden her background, both women are forced to reassess their friendship and loyalties.
Nella Larsen's intense and psychologically nuanced portrayal of lives and identities dangerously colliding, first published in 1929, has more recently found new audiences in the cinema and also in schools as an English literature A-level set text.
Written by Nella Larsen
Read by Ayesha Antoine
Abridged by Isobel Creed
Produced by Jill Waters
A Waters Company production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast on Radio 4 in March 2022.
MON 08:45 Hardy's Women (m000vq78)
The Woodlanders
1. The Haircut
Plain peasant girl Marty South is living in Little Hintock.
She tells no one of her love for Giles Winterborne.
Thomas Hardy's story of ambition, money and missed chances.
Dramatised in ten parts by Ayeesha Menon.
Marty South......................Katy Sobey
Giles Winterborne........Oliver Hembrough
Grace Melbury.................Holli Dempsey
Edred Fitzpiers................Sacha Dhawan
George Melbury..............Nicholas Murchie
Lucy Melbury..................Jane Slavin
Barber Percomb..............Joshua Riley
Felice Charmond...........Marilyn Nnadebe
Grammer Oliver................Jessica Turner
Suke Damson....................Elinor Coleman
Timothy Tangs................Stewart Campbell
John South..........................Tony Turner
Sound Design: Peter Ringrose
Director: Emma Harding
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 2021.
MON 09:00 I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue (m002fl0f)
Series 83
1. I Hear With My Little Ear
Radio 4's multi award-winning ‘antidote to panel games’ promises yet more quality, desk-based entertainment for all the family.
The series begins at The Bridgewater Hall in Manchester where Rory Bremner and Gary Delaney are pitched against Tony Hawks and Pippa Evans, with Jack Dee in the role of reluctant chairman.
Regular listeners will know to expect inspired nonsense, pointless revelry and Colin Sell at the piano.
Producer: Jon Naismith
A Random production for BBC Radio 4
MON 09:30 Classified Britain (b0b1r93l)
Series 1
Newcastle Courant, 14 October 1842
James Naughtie explores history through front page small ads.
Front page news is a relatively late addition to the newspaper business. For most of their first couple of centuries, British newspapers carried classified ads rather than news on their front page. They transformed the hustle and bustle of the marketplace into newsprint, so you could take it home or to the inn to pore over at your leisure.
James Naughtie travels the country discovering how these front page ads give us a snapshot of time and place, exploring how they weave national and local life together - the heartbeat of history rolling daily or weekly off the presses.
The ads tell us what people were eating, drinking and wearing, what was on stage and what people were playing at home. They mark the mood of the time through notices for public meetings held to stoke up or damp down public fears of crime and political unrest. They are a record of the notices placed for houses and public buildings to be built, licences applied for and subscriptions raised for publications and commemorations. They show the latest labour-saving gadgets 'trending' as technology arrived, and they track jobs and trades on the way up and down as the British Empire waxed and waned. The ever present ads for patent medicines record our most popular ailments.
The classified ads of the Newcastle Courant of 14th October 1842 reveal how new policing was overtaking the hue and cry, and ads for the arrival of a new dentist in town tell the story of the redistribution of teeth from the poor in town to the gentry in the county.
Producer: John Forsyth
A Loftus Media production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in 2018.
MON 09:45 Daily Service (m002ft3y)
What is Grace? - Grace through faith
Christian worship and music presented by Church of Scotland Minister, Rev Owain Jones.
Reading: Ephesians 2: 1-10
MON 10:00 That Reminds Me (b007jmxz)
Series 1
Peter Jones
Much-loved actor Peter Jones reminisces about his showbiz career as he entertains an audience.
Featuring tales of his early years and how he got his breaks on radio and TV.
Producer: Claire Jones
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 1999.
MON 10:30 Rosa and Leos (b00vhg35)
In 1926, the Czech composer Leos Janacek was in Britain on a short visit.
Addressing the Czechoslovak Club in London, he thanked the person who had been responsible for inviting him, discovering his music and championing him in Britain - not a conductor or a performer, but an elderly Englishwoman named Rosa Newmarch.
Although little known today, Rosa was a pivotal figure in making concert-goers in early 20th century Britain appreciate and understand new music from Czechoslovakia, Russia and Finland. She travelled extensively abroad, hearing new works performed and later getting them played in English concert halls. She was friends with composers such as Sibelius and Elgar and she wrote copious programme notes and books on musical trends abroad.
In 1920, Rosa visited Prague for the first time and was immediately taken with the music of Leos Janacek. She eventually met the composer in person and, on her return to England, she began writing about him. She also began mounting performances of his work.
In 1926, she managed to persuade Janacek to come to London. Rosa booked the Wigmore Hall and planned an ambitious programme of her friend's music. However, the visit coincided with the beginning of the General Strike. Although the concert of Janacek's work took place, there was little publicity surrounding it, as there were no newspapers being printed. Still, it was an introduction for concert-goers. Rosa had also planned excursions for Janacek which couldn't take place because of the lack of transport. But he did manage to get to London Zoo, where he took down notes of the noises that the monkeys made.
The friendship between Janacek and Rosa continued until his death two years later and was cemented when he dedicated his well-loved "Sinfonietta" to her.
Music writer and lecturer Peter Avis tells the remarkable and unknown story of Rosa Newmarch and her friendship with Leos Janacek.
With contributions from Rosa's grand-daughter, musical experts and extracts from correspondence of the time, he re-evaluates the significance of Rosa's place in musical history.
Producer: Emma Kingsley
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 2010.
MON 11:00 Dixon of Dock Green (b0133ldd)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
MON 11:30 Raffles (m0001p33)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
MON 12:00 The Pasadenas' Almanac (m002ft3v)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
MON 12:30 Steptoe and Son (b00t4d75)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
MON 13:00 Relativity (m000l8dy)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
MON 13:30 Passing by Nella Larsen (m0015lkz)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
MON 13:45 Hardy's Women (m000vq78)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:45 today]
MON 14:00 Just a Minute (b00tj74s)
Series 57
Episode 5
Nicholas Parsons presides over the devious game where panellists are challenged to speak for one minute without hesitation, deviation or repetition.
With:
Paul Merton
Jenny Eclair
Fred MacAulay
Stephen K. Amos
Subjects include: The Secret of My Success, Small Talk, Pointless Inventions, My Unfinished Screenplay, Human Anatomy and My Inheritance.
Created by Ian Messiter.
Producer: Tilusha Ghelani
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 2010.
MON 14:30 Married (b007w523)
Series 1
Episode 5
Just as he is starting to make the most of his new life, Robin is whisked back to his old universe where his doppelganger has been wreaking havoc...
Hugh Bonneville stars in Tony Bagley's comedy.
Robin ...... Hugh Bonneville
Lesley ...... Josie Lawrence
Dirk ...... Steve Frost
Julia ...... Barbara Murray
Penny ...... Melanie Hudson
Drunk ...... Harry Myers
Producer: Claire Jones
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 1999.
MON 15:00 The Birds Fall Down by Rebecca West (m002ft40)
1. Paris
At the turn of the 20th century, 18-year-old Laura visits her Russian aristocratic grandparents who are in exile in Paris. She meets their loyal secretary Kamensky....
Novel by Rebecca West
Dramatised by Melissa Murray
Laura .................. Sarah-Jane Holm
Kamensky ......... Kenneth Cranham
Count Diakanov .... John Carlisle
Tania ...........................Lorna Heilbron
Edward ......................Hugh Fraser
Chubinov ...................John Rowe
Doctor ........................Geoffrey Whitehead
Station Master ..........Tim Munro
Countess/Nurse ......... Frances Jeater
Porter .............................David Antrobus
Director: Cherry Cookson
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 1998
MON 16:00 That Reminds Me (b007jmxz)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 today]
MON 16:30 Rosa and Leos (b00vhg35)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:30 today]
MON 17:00 Dixon of Dock Green (b0133ldd)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
MON 17:30 Raffles (m0001p33)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
MON 18:00 The Pasadenas' Almanac (m002ft3v)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
MON 18:30 Steptoe and Son (b00t4d75)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
MON 19:00 Relativity (m000l8dy)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
MON 19:30 Passing by Nella Larsen (m0015lkz)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
MON 19:45 Hardy's Women (m000vq78)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:45 today]
MON 20:00 Just a Minute (b00tj74s)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:00 today]
MON 20:30 Married (b007w523)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:30 today]
MON 21:00 The Birds Fall Down by Rebecca West (m002ft40)
[Repeat of broadcast at 15:00 today]
MON 22:00 I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue (m002fl0f)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
MON 22:30 The Right Time (b009z658)
Series 2
Episode 2
Everybody's wearing beige, crossed wires and bailiffs.
Sketch show about life, written and performed by people who've lived a bit.
Starring:
Graeme Garden
Eleanor Bron
Clive Swift
Paula Wilcox
Neil Innes
Roger Blake
Written by Graeme Garden, Neil Innes, John Pidgeon, Jan Etherington, Julie Balloo, Ramone Towers, Trevor Walker, Michael Fitch, John Dowie, Colin Bostock-Smith and Andrew Nickolds.
Music by Ronnie & The Rex.
Producer: Helen Williams
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 2002.
MON 23:00 Dead Ringers (m002flmd)
Series 26
Episode 5
Satirical impressions from the team headed up by Jon Culshaw and Jan Ravens.
MON 23:30 Old Harry's Game (b007jvj6)
Series 4
Sleep
Satan has never been to sleep, so Thomas and the Professor try to give him 40 winks.
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
Michael Fenton Stevens
Nigel Pegram
Producer: Paul Mayhew-Archer
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 2001.

TUESDAY 15 JULY 2025

TUE 00:00 That Reminds Me (b007jmxz)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 on Monday]
TUE 00:30 Rosa and Leos (b00vhg35)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:30 on Monday]
TUE 01:00 Dixon of Dock Green (b0133ldd)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 on Monday]
TUE 01:30 Raffles (m0001p33)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 on Monday]
TUE 02:00 The Pasadenas' Almanac (m002ft3v)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 on Monday]
TUE 02:30 Steptoe and Son (b00t4d75)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 on Monday]
TUE 03:00 Relativity (m000l8dy)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 on Monday]
TUE 03:30 Passing by Nella Larsen (m0015lkz)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 on Monday]
TUE 03:45 Hardy's Women (m000vq78)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:45 on Monday]
TUE 04:00 Just a Minute (b00tj74s)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:00 on Monday]
TUE 04:30 Married (b007w523)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:30 on Monday]
TUE 05:00 The Birds Fall Down by Rebecca West (m002ft40)
[Repeat of broadcast at 15:00 on Monday]
TUE 06:00 Trueman and Riley (b00j1w35)
Series 1
1. Vanished
A man mysteriously disappears en route from London to start a new secret new job in Leeds. But when detectives Trueman and Riley start to probe, they uncover a deeper mystery...
Starring Robert Daws and Duncan Preston.
Brian B Thompson's detective series about the ill-matched duo is set in Leeds.
DI Trueman …. Robert Daws
DS Riley …. Duncan Preston
Janie Tully …. Amy Robbins
Nick Tully …. John Dougal
The Barmaid …. Rachel Bavidge
The duo began life on BBC Radio 4 in 2002, with DI Trueman called back to work after a nervous breakdown in order to solve a high profile murder case, backed up by Detective Superintendent Riley. This was followed by three crime dramas in 2005.
Director: Toby Swift
Made for BBC 7 and first broadcast in March 2007.
TUE 06:30 Raffles (m0001p3l)
Series 2
5. A Trap To Catch A Cracksman
When an American pugilist boasts of inventing a trap to catch the cleverest cracksman alive, it’s a challenge Raffles is quite unable to resist - with disastrous consequences...
Starring Jeremy Clyde.
EW Hornung's Raffles stories about the 'gentleman thief'.
Dramatised by David Buck.
AJ Raffles ...... Jeremy Clyde
Bunny Manders ...... Michael Cochrane
Inspector Mackenzie ...... Henry Stamper
Maguire ...... Alan Tilvern
Hambone ...... Peter Banks
Cruncher ...... Michael Deacon
Ruby ...... Frances Jeater
Cabbie ...... Alan Dudley
Signature tune composed by Jim Parker.
Director: Gordon House
A BBC Radio 4/BBC World Service production first broadcast in June 1988.
TUE 07:00 Winston (b00pync3)
Winston Back Home
A Born Natural
Old rogue Winston's plot to be alone with Nancy gets an unexpected boost from Father.
Peter Tinniswood's bawdy comedy serial.
Winston …. Bill Wallis
Father …. Maurice Denham
Nancy …. Shirley Dixon
Rosie …. Liz Goulding
William .… Christian Rodska
Director: Shaun MacLoughlin.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 1994.
TUE 07:30 The Goon Show (b00cyg6v)
Series 8
The Missing Battleship
When HMS Boxer is stolen, you just know that someone's going to fall in the water.
Groundbreaking, surreal BBC radio comedy written by Spike Milligan and Larry Stephens.
With:
Peter Sellers
Spike Milligan
Harry Secombe
First billed as Crazy People, ten series of The Goon Show were recorded between 1951 and 1960, but sadly many of the earliest shows weren’t kept in the archive.
With the Ray Ellington Quartet and Max Geldray.
Orchestra conducted by Wally Stott.
Announcer: Wallace Greenslade
Producer: Roy Speer
First broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in November 1957.
TUE 08:00 Bad Salsa (b06ycwr6)
Series 2
Last Call for Cuba
One of the women gets some devastating news and Chippy's lie comes back to haunt her.
Series two of the sitcom about three women who meet during cancer treatment and start going to salsa class together to maintain their friendship. As they adjust to life after cancer they realise that they've all changed. This second series begins as Jill has left her husband and son to live at her new boyfriends' parent's house, Camille is planning a huge life change and Chippy has a new live-in wannabe step-father in the shape of Gordon from their salsa class.
The series is not about cancer, but about life after cancer, how you cope the changes in your outlook, your desires and your expectations. It's also about how other people cope with the change in you.
Written by Kay Stonham
Chippy ...... Sharon Rooney
Jill ...... Natasha Little
Terri ...... Camille Coduri
Marco ...... Derek Elroy
Tim ...... Matt Houlihan
Gordon ...... Andrew Obeney
Georgie ...... Emily Chase
Elaine ...... Ayesha Antoine
Joel ...... Joe Johnsey
Consultant 1 ...... Chris Pavlo
Consultant 2 ...... Ayesha Antoine
Director: Alison Vernon-Smith
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 2016.
TUE 08:30 Passing by Nella Larsen (m0015lsl)
2. Afternoon Tea
In mid-1920s America, the Harlem renaissance of black culture and society may be underway but racism still runs deep through the habits and laws of the country.
Clare Kendry has severed all ties to her impoverished past in the black community of Chicago. Elegant, fair-skinned and ambitious, she is now married to a wealthy white man who is unaware of her African-American heritage.
When she renews her acquaintance with her childhood friend Irene, who is similarly light skinned but has not hidden her background, both women are forced to reassess their friendship and loyalties.
Written by Nella Larsen
Read by Ayesha Antoine
Abridged by Isobel Creed
Produced by Jill Waters
A Waters Company production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast on Radio 4 in March 2022.
TUE 08:45 Hardy's Women (m000vp37)
The Woodlanders
2. Grace is Back
Giles Winterborne is distracted by Grace Melbury's return to Little Hintock.
Thomas Hardy's story of love, social ambition and missed chances.
Dramatised by Ayeesha Menon
Marty South........Katy Sobey
Giles Winterborne......Oliver Hembrough
Grace Melbury.......Holli Dempsey
Edred Fitzpiers.......Sacha Dhawan
George Melbury.......Nicholas Murchie
Lucy Melbury.......Jane Slavin
Barber Percomb.......Joshua Riley
Felice Charmond.......Marilyn Nnadebe
Grammer Oliver.......Jessica Turner
Suke Damson.......Elinor Coleman
Timothy Tangs.......Stewart Campbell
John South........Tony Turner
Sound Design: Peter Ringrose
Director: Emma Harding
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 2021.
TUE 09:00 Room 101 with Paul Merton (m001y292)
Series 2
Hannah Fry
Paul Merton interviews a variety of guests from the world of comedy and entertainment to find out what they would send to Room 101, as well as the one item they cannot live without.
In this episode, Hannah Fry tries to convince Paul to send complicated toilet flushes and exams to Room 101, and discusses her particular devotion to a daily ritual that she cannot live without.
Additional Material: John Irwin and Suki Webster
Produced by Richard Wilson
A Hat Trick production for BBC Radio 4
TUE 09:30 Classified Britain (b0b2knmh)
Series 1
Manchester Mercury, 17 August 1819
James Naughtie finds the heartbeat of history in the front page small ads of old UK newspapers.
The classified ads of the Manchester Mercury on 17 August 1819, the day after the Peterloo Massacre, give their own insight into the post Napoleonic war social stress. Rewards are offered for information on "those who have absconded from their families" with their names and descriptions. Special constables have been recruited in Bowden "to enforce obedience of the laws" and auctions are announced for everything from a house to a horse, and from a clementi piano to the "Scotch edition of Shakespeare".
Front page news is a relatively late addition to the newspaper business. For most of their first couple of centuries, British newspapers carried classified ads rather than news on their front page. They transformed the hustle and bustle of the marketplace into newsprint, so you could take it home or to the inn to pore over at your leisure.
James Naughtie travels the country discovering how these front page ads give us a snapshot of time and place, exploring how they weave national and local life together - the heartbeat of history rolling daily or weekly off the presses.
The ads tell us what people were eating, drinking and wearing, what was on stage and what people were playing at home. They mark the mood of the time through notices for public meetings held to stoke up or damp down public fears of crime and political unrest. They are a record of the notices placed for houses and public buildings to be built, licences applied for and subscriptions raised for publications and commemorations. They show the latest labour-saving gadgets 'trending' as technology arrived, and they track jobs and trades on the way up and down as the British Empire waxed and waned. The ever present ads for patent medicines record our most popular ailments.
Producer: John Forsyth
A Loftus Media production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in 2018.
TUE 09:45 Daily Service (m002ftcj)
What is Grace? - The Righteousness of God Through Faith
A space for spiritual reflection with a Bible reading, prayer and a range of Christian music.
Theme: What is Grace? - The Righteousness of God Through Faith
Presenter: Holly Adams
Reading: Romans 3:20-24
Music:
People Get Ready - Dionne Warwick
By Faith - Keith and Kristyn Getty
Hold on to your faith - Soul Sanctuary Gospel Choir
TUE 10:00 A Good Read (m0003ktk)
Nicola Walker and Sarah Ann Kennedy
Actor Nicola Walker and Peppa Pig voice artist Sarah Ann Kennedy discuss their favourite books with Harriett Gilbert. Nicola chooses Animals Strike Curious Poses by Elena Passarello, Sarah Ann chooses Dark Places by Gillian Flynn, and Harriett’s favourite is Boys in the Trees by Carly Simon. How does playing detectives affect how Nicola reads crime fiction? Can spiders weave webs in space, and what did Carly Simon wear when she confronted her husband's mistress?
Producer: Sally Heaven
TUE 10:30 Art of Living (b09drky9)
Songwriting with Soldiers
Trevor Dann reports from the USA on an innovative scheme which helps military veterans suffering with post traumatic stress by pairing them with songwriters.
Former soldiers discuss the therapeutic effects of creating songs about their experiences. The founder of the programme, singer-songwriter Darden Smith, explains how the idea came from his song, Angel Flight, about the pilots who bring home the bodies of deceased servicemen and women. And we hear country artist Maia Sharp working on a song with John who lost the use of his arm in a combat incident which is still classified.
A Trevor Dann Company production, first broadcast on Radio 4 in November 2017.
TUE 11:00 Trueman and Riley (b00j1w35)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
TUE 11:30 Raffles (m0001p3l)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
TUE 12:00 Winston (b00pync3)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
TUE 12:30 The Goon Show (b00cyg6v)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
TUE 13:00 Bad Salsa (b06ycwr6)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
TUE 13:30 Passing by Nella Larsen (m0015lsl)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
TUE 13:45 Hardy's Women (m000vp37)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:45 today]
TUE 14:00 The Food Quiz (b0076mtq)
Series 2
Episode 3
Journalist and food critic, Jay Rayner gives four contestants a good grilling on their knowledge of food and drink.
* What's a fucivore's favourite food?
* How is porridge traditionally eaten?
* Which wine writer had a bit part in a Hollywood blockbuster?
Chewing over these culinary conundrums:
Chef, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall
Food writer, Anissa Helou
Food writer, Sue Lawrence
Greengrocer, Charlie Hicks
Producer: Rebecca Wells
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 2004.
TUE 14:30 Double Science (b013qzgj)
Bonfire Night
Awesome fireworks are promised, but Colin and Kenneth's party doesn't go to plan.
The turmoil continues at Forresters Sixth Form College.
Written by and starring Ben Willbond and Justin Edwards.
With:
Rebecca Front
Raza Jaffrey
Margaret Cabourn-Smith
Alex Macqueen
Producer: Adam Bromley
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in June 2008.
TUE 15:00 The Birds Fall Down by Rebecca West (m002ftcm)
2. Requiem
1905: While staying in France, Laura has discovered that her Russian Grandfather's loyal secretary Kamensky is, in fact, a double agent. She becomes involved in a plan to assassinate him.
Novel by Rebecca West published in 1966
Dramatised in two parts by Melissa Murray
Laura .... Sarah-Jane Holm
Kamensky .... Kenneth Cranham
Count Diakanov .... John Carlisle
Tania .... Lorna Heilbron
Edward .... Hugh Fraser
Chubinov .... John Rowe
Doctor .... Geoffrey Whitehead
Hotel Manager/Inspector ....Tim Munro
Katinka .... Frances Jeater
Policeman .... David Antrobus
Director: Cherry Cookson
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 1998
TUE 16:00 A Good Read (m0003ktk)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 today]
TUE 16:30 Art of Living (b09drky9)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:30 today]
TUE 17:00 Trueman and Riley (b00j1w35)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
TUE 17:30 Raffles (m0001p3l)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
TUE 18:00 Winston (b00pync3)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
TUE 18:30 The Goon Show (b00cyg6v)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
TUE 19:00 Bad Salsa (b06ycwr6)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
TUE 19:30 Passing by Nella Larsen (m0015lsl)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
TUE 19:45 Hardy's Women (m000vp37)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:45 today]
TUE 20:00 The Food Quiz (b0076mtq)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:00 today]
TUE 20:30 Double Science (b013qzgj)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:30 today]
TUE 21:00 The Birds Fall Down by Rebecca West (m002ftcm)
[Repeat of broadcast at 15:00 today]
TUE 22:00 Room 101 with Paul Merton (m001y292)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
TUE 22:30 Inside Alan Francis (b00j17xy)
Episode 4
Comedy series in which comedian Alan Francis explores the workings of his own mind in relation to his life, friends and long-suffering girlfriend Jane.
Alan leaves home.
With:
Julian Dutton
Barnaby Power
Kali Peacock
Written by Alan Francis, Richard Turner and Anthony Neilson.
With additional material by Julian Dutton and Barnaby Power.
Producer: Julia McKenzie
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 2009.
TUE 22:55 The Comedy Club Interviews (m002fxvw)
Stuart Laws 2/3
From 10pm until midnight, seven days a week, the Comedy Club has two hours of comedy. Plus Stephen Bailey chats to standup comedian and director Stuart Laws.
TUE 23:00 The Mark Steel Solution (b007js4r)
Series 2
Transport
Another radical proposal from comedian Mark Steel as he calls for wacky improvements to Britain's crumbling transport system
Alternative solutions written and performed by Mark Steel and Pete Sinclair.
With Kim Wall and Maria McErlane.
Producer Phil Clarke
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 1994.
TUE 23:30 It's Jocelyn (b08g7mjt)
Series 2
Dates
Jocelyn talks about dating, a day in the life of Britain's worst bus driver and Kingston's take away caters for a vegan customer.
More sketches and stand-up from the wonderful mind of Jocelyn Jee Esien.
With Paul Whitehouse as a cockney funeral director
Plus the vocal talents of:
Ninia Benjamin
Curtis Walker
Dee Kaate
Gavi Chera
Karen Bartke
Producer: Suzy Grant
A BBC Studios production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in March 2017.

WEDNESDAY 16 JULY 2025

WED 00:00 A Good Read (m0003ktk)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 on Tuesday]
WED 00:30 Art of Living (b09drky9)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:30 on Tuesday]
WED 01:00 Trueman and Riley (b00j1w35)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 on Tuesday]
WED 01:30 Raffles (m0001p3l)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 on Tuesday]
WED 02:00 Winston (b00pync3)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 on Tuesday]
WED 02:30 The Goon Show (b00cyg6v)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 on Tuesday]
WED 03:00 Bad Salsa (b06ycwr6)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 on Tuesday]
WED 03:30 Passing by Nella Larsen (m0015lsl)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 on Tuesday]
WED 03:45 Hardy's Women (m000vp37)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:45 on Tuesday]
WED 04:00 The Food Quiz (b0076mtq)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:00 on Tuesday]
WED 04:30 Double Science (b013qzgj)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:30 on Tuesday]
WED 05:00 The Birds Fall Down by Rebecca West (m002ftcm)
[Repeat of broadcast at 15:00 on Tuesday]
WED 06:00 Trueman and Riley (b00j1whb)
Series 1
2. Story
A journalist has fallen from a building while working on a story, but was she pushed?
Trueman and Riley get a crash course in internet radio, 'citizen journalism' and fat dogs as they seek to find an answer.
Starring Robert Daws and Duncan Preston.
Brian B Thompson's detective series about the ill-matched duo is set in Leeds.
DI Trueman …. Robert Daws
DS Riley …. Duncan Preston
David …. Anthony Glennon
Harriet …. Jasmine Callan
Aaron …. Paul Richard Biggin
Director: Toby Swift
Made for BBC 7 and first broadcast in March 2007.
WED 06:30 Raffles (m0001qm0)
Series 2
6. The Gift of the Emperor
Raffles plans the most daring enterprise of his career - the theft of a jewel worth £100,000.
But Inspector Mackenzie is hot on his trail.
Could the intrepid cracksman's luck finally run out..?
Starring Jeremy Clyde.
EW Hornung's Raffles stories about the 'gentleman thief'.
Dramatised by David Buck.
AJ Raffles ...... Jeremy Clyde
Bunny Manders ...... Michael Cochrane
Inspector Mackenzie ...... Henry Stamper
Von Heumann ...... Frederick Jaeger
Miss Werner ...... Zelah Clarke
Captain ...... Alan Dudley
Steward ...... Stephen Rashbrook
Signature tune composed by Jim Parker.
Director: Gordon House
A BBC Radio 4/ BBC World Service production first broadcast in July 1988.
WED 07:00 Nineteen Ninety-Eight (b01cvp13)
Episode 5
"Yes, it's all in your soaraway Nineteen Ninety-Eight! Twenty things you never knew about the Edward Wilson Movement. Plus!!! Spend a night in the nick with totty Tabitha - courtesy of Am Jap. And: who is the mysterious Keith?"
Edward Wilson's quest for truth becomes the Movement.
Orwellian sitcom starring David Threlfall.
Written by William Osborne and Richard Turner
Edward Wilson ...... David Threlfall
With:
Pam Ferris
Hugh Laurie
Steve Steen
Rebecca Stevens
Richard Turner
Mike Myers
Produced at BBC Manchester by Nick Symons.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 1987.
WED 07:30 Hancock's Half Hour (b007jnbl)
Series 5
The Scandal Magazine
The Lad takes action over scandal rag Blabbermouth's scurrilous claims of him cavorting with Mabel Biggs the cigarette girl.
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 composed and conducted by Wally Stott.
Producer: Tom Ronald
First broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in January 1958.
WED 08:00 Making the Best of It (b03ttg81)
Shock Jock
DJ Asif has dragged Barry out of his room to act as on air 'posse' in his Lake Vista Care Home radio show.
But can Barry and Asif hold it together in the cupboard next to the vending machine, and make the kind of radio magic which will propel Asif all the way to a photocopying placement with Chris Evans?
Starring Adil Ray and Roy Hudd.
The first in a series of comedies developed with the Comedians Theatre Company.
Written by Dave Florez.
Asif ...... Adil Ray
Barry ...... Roy Hudd
Norman ...... Peter Polycarpou
James ...... Peter Polycarpou
Rupert ...... Peter Polycarpou
Leonard ...... Steve Toussaint
Anish ...... Anil Desai
Kevin ...... Anil Desai
Vlad ...... Anil Desai
Doris ...... Priyanga Burford
Emily ...... Carolyn Pickles
Marie ...... Carolyn Pickles
Director: Jonquil Panting.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 2014.
WED 08:30 Passing by Nella Larsen (m0015lq1)
3. The Letter
Clare is determined to keep in touch with her former friend.
When Clare Kendry renews her acquaintance with childhood friend Irene Redfield, who is similarly light skinned but who has not hidden her heritage, both women are forced to reassess their friendship and loyalties.
Nella Larsen's intense and psychologically nuanced portrayal of lives and identities dangerously colliding, published in 1929, has found new audiences in the cinema and now also as an English literature A-level set text.
Written by Nella Larsen
Read by Ayesha Antoine
Abridged by Isobel Creed
Produced by Jill Waters
A Waters Company production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast on Radio 4 in March 2022.
WED 08:45 Hardy's Women (m000vq59)
The Woodlanders
3. The Elm Tree
At Marty's suggestion, Giles throws a party to impress Grace.
Thomas Hardy's novel tells the tale from Marty South's point of view.
Dramatised by Ayeesha Menon.
Marty South.......Katy Sobey
Giles Winterborne.......Oliver Hembrough
Grace Melbury.......Holli Dempsey
Edred Fitzpiers.......Sacha Dhawan
George Melbury.......Nicholas Murchie
Lucy Melbury.......Jane Slavin
Barber Percomb.......Joshua Riley
Felice Charmond......Marilyn Nnadebe
Grammer Oliver.....Jessica Turner
Suke Damson.....Elinor Coleman
Timothy Tangs.....Stewart Campbell
John South.....Tony Turner
Director: Emma Harding
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 2021.
WED 09:00 Your Mum (m002fbdy)
3. Helen Bauer and Thanyia Moore
Helen tells us about her mum’s spiritual connection to the Titanic, how Hitler inspired her childhood nickname and why her brother’s criminal arrests left her mum beaming with pride. Thanyia explains why her mum is on first-name terms with local gangsters, the deep symbolism of having a manicure and why making Jamaica proud was such an important part of her childhood.
In this series, Laura Smyth sits down with some incredible guests to find out about their mums and explore the many faces of ‘motherhood’. Join her for a nostalgic, shameless, cathartic ride that asks what (if anything) our folks have taught us.
Producer: Sasha Bobak
Production Coordinator: Katie Baum
Executive Producer: Pete Strauss
A BBC Studios Audio Production for Radio 4.
WED 09:30 Classified Britain (b0b3cw94)
Series 1
South London Press, 19 June 1897
James Naughtie explores history through front page small ads. The South London Press of 19 June 1897, a few days ahead of Victoria's Diamond Jubilee, carries ads for an overnight sea trip to witness the review of the fleet at Spithead (food included, bar bill excepted), as well as columns of "buy to let" opportunities as the housing boom spreads south of the river.
Front page news is a relatively late addition to the newspaper business. For most of their first couple of centuries, British newspapers carried classified ads rather than news on their front page. They transformed the hustle and bustle of the marketplace into newsprint, so you could take it home or to the inn to pore over at your leisure.
James Naughtie travels the country discovering how these front page ads give us a snapshot of time and place, exploring how they weave national and local life together - the heartbeat of history rolling daily or weekly off the presses.
The ads tell us what people were eating, drinking and wearing, what was on stage and what people were playing at home. They mark the mood of the time through notices for public meetings held to stoke up or damp down public fears of crime and political unrest. They are a record of the notices placed for houses and public buildings to be built, licences applied for and subscriptions raised for publications and commemorations. They show the latest labour-saving gadgets 'trending' as technology arrived, and they track jobs and trades on the way up and down as the British Empire waxed and waned. The ever present ads for patent medicines record our most popular ailments.
Producer: John Forsyth
A Loftus Media production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in 2018.
WED 09:45 Daily Service (m002ftgm)
What is Grace? - Grace was upon them all
A space for spiritual reflection with a Bible reading, prayer and a range of Christian music.
Theme: What is Grace? - Grace was upon them all
Presenter: Haydon Spenceley
Reading: Acts 4: 31-35
Music:
Amazing Grace - Eternal
Love Divine - David and Yvonne Lyon
Blinded by your grace - Melodees from Heaven
WED 10:00 Archive on 4 (b007lkyc)
Test Match Special: Ball by Ball
Rory Bremner looks back at 50 years of BBC Radio coverage of British test match cricket.
'Test Match Special' has seen a rich variety of commentators, including the poetic elegance of John Arlott, the japes of Brian Johnston and the exuberance of Jonathan Agnew.
For some the atmosphere has resembled that of an elite club, but for thousands of others the experience has been as vivid a depiction of summer as the smell of cut grass.
Producer: Tom Alban
First broadcast ion BBC Radio 4 in May 2007 to mark Test Match Special's 50th anniversary.
WED 11:00 Trueman and Riley (b00j1whb)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
WED 11:30 Raffles (m0001qm0)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
WED 12:00 Nineteen Ninety-Eight (b01cvp13)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
WED 12:30 Hancock's Half Hour (b007jnbl)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
WED 13:00 Making the Best of It (b03ttg81)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
WED 13:30 Passing by Nella Larsen (m0015lq1)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
WED 13:45 Hardy's Women (m000vq59)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:45 today]
WED 14:00 The Museum of Curiosity (b09qcfh1)
Series 12
Episode 5
Professor of Ignorance John Lloyd and his curator Sally Phillips welcome:
* Satirical comedy songstress Dillie Keane
* Intrepid Neanderthal expert Ella Al-Shamahi
* Writer of Notting Hill, Blackadder and The Vicar of Dibley, Richard Curtis
The Museum's Guest Committee tuck into some homemade chutney, get embarrassingly excited about caves and celebrate some choice bits of Australian slang.
Researched by QI & Mike Turner.
Producers: Richard Turner and Anne Miller.
A BBC Studios production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in February 2018.
WED 14:30 Acropolis Now (b007tldm)
Series 2
Sons
The ongoing Spartan siege causes food shortages and emotions run high. But when the fish restaurant closes, a mysterious stranger arrives with an outrageous claim.
Ancient Greek comedy by Lynne Truss.
Heraclitus …….. Stephen Moore
Aristophanes …….. Alan Cox
Oracle …….. Rosemary Leach
Testicles …….. Gavin Muir
Directed at BBC Pebble Mill by Brian King.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 2002.
WED 15:00 The Confessions of Caminada by Christopher Reason (b03ccz12)
Jerome Caminada was a real life detective in nineteenth century Manchester. This drama is based on a case from his memoirs. It is 1889 and eighteen year old Charlie Parton has been convicted of murder of a respected local councillor. He faces execution but prominent social campaigner Mrs Annie Swinton knows the lad and refuses to believe he is guilty.
Caminada................................George Costigan
Annie Swinton..........................Julia Ford
Father Dermot/Bannister..........Russell Dixon
Fletcher/Wood..........................Jonathan Keeble
Moods.......................................Justin Moorhouse
Charlie......................................Oliver Lee
Producer/Director Gary Brown
Manchester is gripped by an economic depression, the political atmosphere is febrile, there are demonstrations on the streets and crime is spiralling. Only this isn't 2013, it's the 1880s and the man keeping chaos at bay is Detective Inspector JEROME CAMINADA. Combining high principles with low cunning, he cracks down on both political dissent and criminality with single-minded ruthlessness. And yet for all his hard nosed pragmatism, he is capable of moments of insight, humour and compassion. The man is an enigma.
WED 16:00 Archive on 4 (b007lkyc)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 today]
WED 17:00 Trueman and Riley (b00j1whb)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
WED 17:30 Raffles (m0001qm0)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
WED 18:00 Nineteen Ninety-Eight (b01cvp13)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
WED 18:30 Hancock's Half Hour (b007jnbl)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
WED 19:00 Making the Best of It (b03ttg81)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
WED 19:30 Passing by Nella Larsen (m0015lq1)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
WED 19:45 Hardy's Women (m000vq59)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:45 today]
WED 20:00 The Museum of Curiosity (b09qcfh1)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:00 today]
WED 20:30 Acropolis Now (b007tldm)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:30 today]
WED 21:00 The Confessions of Caminada by Christopher Reason (b03ccz12)
[Repeat of broadcast at 15:00 today]
WED 22:00 Your Mum (m002fbdy)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
WED 22:30 Linda Smith's A Brief History of Timewasting (b0090xjz)
Series 2
The End of Timewasting
Romance at the fair beckons for Chris and Sir Cliff the tortoise is due for a bionic refit.
Sitcom written by and starring Linda Smith.
With Femi Elufowoju Jnr, Jeremy Hardy, Martin Hyder, Margaret John and Chris Neill.
Special guests: Kim Wall and Mia Soteriou.
Producer: Jon Rolph
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 2002.
WED 23:00 The Skivers (b00jhmlm)
Series 3
Phillip Schofield
Going Live! Phillip Schofield relives his days on children's television.
Skilful sketch show written and performed by Nick Golson and Tim de Jongh.
With:
Peter Bradshaw
Sally Phillips
Announcer: Patrick Allen
Producer: Jon Naismith
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 1997.
WED 23:30 Concrete Cow (b0076js0)
Series 1
Episode 3
The real reason for the discovery of America, the dangers of Tarot, finding lost polar explorers and Lesser Known Novels.
Sketch show made by actors reading out scripts in front of an audience, who laughed, and then keeping the good bits.
Starring
Robert Webb
Olivia Colman
Sally Hawkins
Steven Kynman
Chris Pavlo
Written by James Cary, Sally Hawkins, Catherine Shepherd, Ashley Blake, Jon Holmes and Robin Ince.
Producer: Adam Bromley
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 2002.

THURSDAY 17 JULY 2025

THU 00:00 Archive on 4 (b007lkyc)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 on Wednesday]
THU 01:00 Trueman and Riley (b00j1whb)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 on Wednesday]
THU 01:30 Raffles (m0001qm0)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 on Wednesday]
THU 02:00 Nineteen Ninety-Eight (b01cvp13)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 on Wednesday]
THU 02:30 Hancock's Half Hour (b007jnbl)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 on Wednesday]
THU 03:00 Making the Best of It (b03ttg81)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 on Wednesday]
THU 03:30 Passing by Nella Larsen (m0015lq1)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 on Wednesday]
THU 03:45 Hardy's Women (m000vq59)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:45 on Wednesday]
THU 04:00 The Museum of Curiosity (b09qcfh1)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:00 on Wednesday]
THU 04:30 Acropolis Now (b007tldm)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:30 on Wednesday]
THU 05:00 The Confessions of Caminada by Christopher Reason (b03ccz12)
[Repeat of broadcast at 15:00 on Wednesday]
THU 06:00 Trueman and Riley (b00j2510)
Series 1
3. Bond
Suspicion erupts at a James Bond convention as Trueman and Riley go in search of a stolen ring.
Tracy's ring, as worn by Diana Rigg, in 'On Her Majesty's Secret Service' is the 'holy grail' for collectors.
But exactly what are they prepared to do to get it?
Starring Robert Daws and Duncan Preston.
Brian B Thompson's detective series about the ill-matched duo is set in Leeds.
DI Trueman …. Robert Daws
DS Riley …. Duncan Preston
Karen …. Rachel Bavidge
Bill …. Paul Rider
Gerard …. Mark Straker
Jane …. Christine Kavanagh
Receptionist …. Anthony Glennon
Director: Toby Swift
Made for BBC 7 and first broadcast in March 2007.
THU 06:30 Agatha Christie (m002ftdd)
Swan Song
As if from nowhere, a soprano has emerged to become the Tosca of the day - but like Puccini's Tosca, she carries in her heart a terrible need for revenge.
Operatic emotions accompany the Queen of Crime into the 21st century with Mike Walker's modern dramatisation of one of Christie's most passionate tales.
Polina .... Maria Friedman
Beth .... Emily Woof
Breon .... Sylvester Morand
Dominik .... Ray Lonnen
Dramatised by Mike Walker
Director Ned Chaillet
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 2002.
THU 07:00 Bristow (b00ckd51)
Series 1
The Girl Next Door
When a new face appears in the office opposite the Chester Perry building - she causes quite a stir.
Michael Williams stars as Bristow, the Chester-Perry buying clerk.
He is but a small cog in a gigantic wheel... and he knows it.
Adapted from by Frank Dickens from his famous newspaper cartoon strip. Syndicated internationally, it ran for 51 years from 1961.
Bristow …. Michael Williams
Jones …. Rodney Bewes
Mrs Purdy …. Dora Bryan
Fudge/Station Master/Samson/Hawkins …. Jon Glover
Miss Sunman/Mary …. Katy Odey
Post Boy/Dimkins …. Simon Schatzberger
Miss Prunella Peach/Janet/Mrs Buxton …. Carol Starks
Music: John Whitehall
Producer: Neil Cargill
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 1999.
THU 07:30 The Small, Intricate Life of Gerald C Potter (b007jy9h)
Series 2
The Day
Author Gerald tries to make amends when he upsets his wife Diana.
The convoluted chronicle of an optimistic author who's married to a more successful writer.
Starring Ian Carmichael and Charlotte Mitchell.
Written by Basil Boothroyd.
Gerald C Potter …. Ian Carmichael
Diana …. Charlotte Mitchell
With:
Michael McClain
Jo Manning Wilson
Producer: Bobby Jaye
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 1977.
THU 08:00 Rudy's Rare Records (b00xhh6w)
Series 3
"No Richie, No Cry"
Father and son comedy set in the finest old-school record shop in Birmingham.
Adam and his Dad, Rudy attempt to fill the gap left by Richie having gone to University with Salsa evening classes.
Adam ...... Lenny Henry
Rudy ...... Larrington Walker
Richie ...... Joe Jacobs
Tasha ...... Natasha Godfrey
Clifton ...... Jeffery Kissoon
Doreen ...... Claire Benedict
Written by Danny Robins
Produced by Lucy Armitage
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 2011.
THU 08:30 Passing by Nella Larsen (m0015lwv)
4. Meeting Brian
Irene has reluctantly welcomed Clare back into her life - and now thinks Clare is getting too close to her handsome husband Brian.
Nella Larsen's intense and psychologically nuanced portrayal of lives and identities dangerously colliding was first published in 1929.
Written by Nella Larsen
Read by Ayesha Antoine
Abridged by Isobel Creed
Produced by Jill Waters
A Waters Company production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast on Radio 4 in March 2022.
THU 08:45 Hardy's Women (m000vqq9)
The Woodlanders
4. The Broken Contract
Grace is torn over her old promise to Giles Winterbourne.
Thomas Hardy's novel of love, money and social ambition.
Dramatised by Ayeesha Menon.
Marty South.....Katy Sobey
Giles Winterborne.....Oliver Hembrough
Grace Melbury.....Holli Dempsey
Edred Fitzpiers.....Sacha Dhawan
George Melbury.....Nicholas Murchie
Lucy Melbury.....Jane Slavin
Barber Percomb.....Joshua Riley
Felice Charmond.....Marilyn Nnadebe
Grammer Oliver.....Jessica Turner
Suke Damson.....Elinor Coleman
Timothy Tangs.....Stewart Campbell
John South.....Tony Turner
Director: Emma Harding
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 2021.
THU 09:00 Ashley Blaker's Hyperfixations (m002fljs)
2. Professional Wrestling
"Americans have a long history of taking British things and ballsing them up. They took football and added helmets and cheerleaders; they took ice lollies and called them popsicles; and they took James Corden and then sent him back here."
Among Ashley’s more unusual hyperfixations is a life-long love of professional wrestling. This special interest was first developed on Saturday afternoons at his grandparents’ house watching Big Daddy, Giant Haystacks and Kendo Nagasaki. It continued through the 1980s when Britain was invaded by Hulk Hogan and his colleagues from the then WWF (before they lost a court case to the World Wildlife Fund), and Ashley was fortunate enough to be in attendance at the legendary Summerslam show at Wembley Stadium in 1992, which so many British wrestlers have cited as the day that cemented their love of the grunt and grapple business. This undeniably extraordinary spectacle is sometimes called ‘sports entertainment’ - for many people it is neither!
When Ashley Blaker was diagnosed with autism and ADHD, one of the most significant aspects of his diagnosis is his propensity for hyperfixation in special interests, which he now realises has entirely shaped his past and which he uses to mine comedy for this new series.
It’s no exaggeration to say Ashley’s life has been driven by obsessions. He has variously been a schoolboy with a love of Star Wars and Doctor Who, a wannabe comedian who performed on the London comedy circuit at 16, a trivia nerd who appeared on University Challenge, a history PhD candidate at Cambridge, a BBC producer of hit comedy shows including Little Britain, a fanatical football fan who saw Liverpool play across England and Europe, a strictly Orthodox Jew who went to synagogue three times a day for over ten years, a father of six, and latterly, a heavily tattooed renegade in hiding from his former community.
In this series, Ashley takes a comedic look at each of his obsessions in turn, merging personal memoir with a delve into subjects which have yet to be covered in stand-up comedy shows. The result is a series which, while based on the broader topic of neurodiversity, covers it with the lightest of touches and is focused more on Ashley’s individual hyperfixations, lifting the lid on many of the different worlds he’s inhabited.
Written and performed by Ashley Blaker
co-starring Rosie Holt and Kieran Hodgson
Script Editor: Steve Hall
Recording engineers: Jerry Peal and Jon Calver
Producer: Steve Doherty
A Giddy Goat production for BBC Radio 4
THU 09:30 Classified Britain (b0b48ksj)
Series 1
Hereford Journal, 1 January 1800
James Naughtie explores history through front page small ads. The classified ads in the Hereford Journal of Sunday 1st January 1800 reveal the stresses of a country at war - from "English wines nearly as good as foreign" to the list of the dead and injured from the Battle of Camperdown. The list reveals the breadth of races and countries of origin from Malaya to New York in the crews of Britain's triumphant fleet.
Front page news is a relatively late addition to the newspaper business. For most of their first couple of centuries, British newspapers carried classified ads rather than news on their front page. They transformed the hustle and bustle of the marketplace into newsprint, so you could take it home or to the inn to pore over at your leisure.
James Naughtie travels the country discovering how these front page ads give us a snapshot of time and place, exploring how they weave national and local life together - the heartbeat of history rolling daily or weekly off the presses.
The ads tell us what people were eating, drinking and wearing, what was on stage and what people were playing at home. They mark the mood of the time through notices for public meetings held to stoke up or damp down public fears of crime and political unrest. They are a record of the notices placed for houses and public buildings to be built, licences applied for and subscriptions raised for publications and commemorations. They show the latest labour-saving gadgets 'trending' as technology arrived, and they track jobs and trades on the way up and down as the British Empire waxed and waned. The ever present ads for patent medicines record our most popular ailments.
Producer: John Forsyth
A Loftus Media production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in 2018.
THU 09:45 Daily Service (m002ftdg)
What is Grace? - Slaves to Righteousness
A space for spiritual reflection with a Bible reading, prayer and a range of Christian music.
Theme: What is Grace? - Slaves to Righteousness
Presenter: Laura Darrall
Reading: Romans 6: 12-18
Music
La Cathedrale engloutie - Claude Debussy
Jean-Efflam Bavouzet
CD: Debussy - Complete works for piano (Chandos)
A New Heaven
Libera
CD: Libera - Free (Warner Classics)
Let there be light
Steph MacLeod
CD: Gold (Steph MacLeod Music)
Go forth into the world in peace - John Rutter
Cambridge Singers
CD: John Rutter - The Ultimate Collection (Universal)
THU 10:00 Great Lives (b009y1t0)
Juan Manuel Fangio
Sir Stirling Moss nominates as his Great Life the racing drivers' driver, Juan Manuel Fangio: the quiet, home-loving man who made the record books by winning five World racing titles.
Matthew Parris explores the story behind the name. With Gerald Donaldson.
Producer: Christine Hall
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2008.
THU 10:30 The Nose School (b00tr3ps)
A "Nose" is the nickname for that rare breed, the perfume-creator.
In the world of perfume "Noses" hold the same status as couturiers, painters or composers.
Rosie Goldsmith visits the world-famous Nose School in Versailles to learn the art of perfume-making. She talks to students, teachers and successful "Noses" about this ancient and secretive art which feeds a multi-million pound industry.
Rosie meets some aspiring Nose students, plus the most famous Nose in the world - Jacques Polges of Chanel.
Producer: Anna Raphael
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 2005.
THU 11:00 Trueman and Riley (b00j2510)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
THU 11:30 Agatha Christie (m002ftdd)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
THU 12:00 Bristow (b00ckd51)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
THU 12:30 The Small, Intricate Life of Gerald C Potter (b007jy9h)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
THU 13:00 Rudy's Rare Records (b00xhh6w)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
THU 13:30 Passing by Nella Larsen (m0015lwv)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
THU 13:45 Hardy's Women (m000vqq9)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:45 today]
THU 14:00 The Write Stuff (m00021x7)
Series 1
TS Eliot
James Walton chairs the knockabout book quiz testing Sebastian Faulks, John Walsh, Kate Saunders and Nigel Williams.
Author of the week: TS Eliot
Reader: Rachel Atkins
Producer: Jon Rolph
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 1998.
THU 14:30 Cabin Pressure (b00lt16c)
Series 2
Ipswich
When the crew have to go on a refresher Safety and Emergency Procedures course, it spells trouble for Douglas's inner dog and Martin's inner ear.
Plus, Arthur gets a chance to show off his exceptional eating skills.
Starring Stephanie Cole, Benedict Cumberbatch and Roger Allam.
John Finnemore's sitcom about the pilots of a tiny charter airline for whom no job is too small, but many, many jobs are too difficult.
With special guests:
Phil Davis
Alex Macqueen
Carolyn Knapp-Shappey ...... Stephanie Cole
1st Officer Douglas Richardson ...... Roger Allam
Capt. Martin Crieff ...... Benedict Cumberbatch
Arthur Shappey ...... John Finnemore
Mr Sargent ...... Phil Davis
Dr Peter Duncan ...... Alex Macqueen
Director: David Tyler
A Pozzitive production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in July 2009.
THU 15:00 The Good Soldier Svejk by Jaroslav Hasek (b00ffw77)
1. Arrest
The comedic anti-war adventures of that Czech icon, Josef Svejk. When he seems to celebrate the death of the Archduke Ferdinand, Svejk is arrested and so starts his garrulous progress through the ranks of the Austro-Hungarian military. Is he a certified idiot? Or a clever survivor?
By Jaroslav Hasek
Dramatised by Christopher Reason
Svejk.............................Sam Kelly
Lukas............................Adrian Lukis
Katz...............................James Quinn
Katy...............................Fiona Clark
Teacher........................Mark Chatterton
Wendler.......................Arthur Bostrom
Mrs Muller...................Melissa Jane Sinden
Dr Grunstein...............Stuart Richman
Blahnik..........................Malcolm Raeburn
Orderly..........................Howard Chadwick
Other parts played by members of the cast
Directed by Gary Brown
A BBC Manchester production first broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 2008.
THU 16:00 Great Lives (b009y1t0)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 today]
THU 16:30 The Nose School (b00tr3ps)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:30 today]
THU 17:00 Trueman and Riley (b00j2510)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
THU 17:30 Agatha Christie (m002ftdd)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
THU 18:00 Bristow (b00ckd51)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
THU 18:30 The Small, Intricate Life of Gerald C Potter (b007jy9h)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
THU 19:00 Rudy's Rare Records (b00xhh6w)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
THU 19:30 Passing by Nella Larsen (m0015lwv)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
THU 19:45 Hardy's Women (m000vqq9)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:45 today]
THU 20:00 The Write Stuff (m00021x7)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:00 today]
THU 20:30 Cabin Pressure (b00lt16c)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:30 today]
THU 21:00 The Good Soldier Svejk by Jaroslav Hasek (b00ffw77)
[Repeat of broadcast at 15:00 today]
THU 22:00 Ashley Blaker's Hyperfixations (m002fljs)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
THU 22:30 Delve Special (b00sz32f)
Series 1
The Shifton Scandal
Undercover investigative reporter David Lander begins a four-part expose into irregularities over plans to site a new London airport - near Birmingham.
With serious allegations aimed at a multi-national giant - what exactly has the government's role been in the plans to demolish the town?
And exactly who is the shifty Mr Browncoat?
Studio production by Stephen Fry, Brenda Blethyn and Tony Robinson.
With:
Jack Klaff
James Griffiths
Stephen Frost
Peter Wear
Mark Arden
Dramatic reconstruction by:
Hilda Schroder
Monica Grey
Jon Strickland
Scott Cherry
Researched and compiled by Tony Sarchet.
Editor: Paul Mayhew-Archer.
Delve Special ran for four series from 1984 to 1987 and later transferred to Channel 4 TV as: This is David Lander.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 1984.
THU 22:55 The Comedy Club Interviews (m002fxvy)
Stuart Laws 3/3
From 10pm until midnight, seven days a week, the Comedy Club has two hours of comedy. Plus Stephen Bailey chats to standup comedian and director Stuart Laws.
THU 23:00 The Shuttleworths (b007n13d)
John Shuttleworth's Open Mind
Fairies
John Shuttleworth delves into the world of the little people as he finds out about fairies.
But finding an expert on the subject is proving difficult, until he realises that fairies are normally found at the bottom of the garden
So John enlists gardening expert Kim Wilde. He might even get a few singing tips at the same time?
Sheffield's premier singer-songwriter continues his probe into unsolved phenomena.
Written and performed by Graham Fellows.
Additional material by Dean Wilkinson.
Producer: Dawn Ellis
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 2006.
THU 23:30 The Mel and Sue Thing (b00769tt)
Episode 2
More comedy mayhem starring Mel Giedroyc and Sue Perkins.
Continuing the adventures of spoilt Harriet and her pushy aunt in the second part of Jane Austen's lost novella, Fanny Adams
Meet the grumpy French au pairs, plus a special preview performance of the Ukrainian entry for next year's Eurovision Song Contest.
With Paul Chahidi
Written by Mel Giedroyc and Sue Perkins.
Producer: Elizabeth Freestone.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 2002.

FRIDAY 18 JULY 2025

FRI 00:00 Great Lives (b009y1t0)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 on Thursday]
FRI 00:30 The Nose School (b00tr3ps)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:30 on Thursday]
FRI 01:00 Trueman and Riley (b00j2510)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 on Thursday]
FRI 01:30 Agatha Christie (m002ftdd)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 on Thursday]
FRI 02:00 Bristow (b00ckd51)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 on Thursday]
FRI 02:30 The Small, Intricate Life of Gerald C Potter (b007jy9h)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 on Thursday]
FRI 03:00 Rudy's Rare Records (b00xhh6w)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 on Thursday]
FRI 03:30 Passing by Nella Larsen (m0015lwv)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 on Thursday]
FRI 03:45 Hardy's Women (m000vqq9)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:45 on Thursday]
FRI 04:00 The Write Stuff (m00021x7)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:00 on Thursday]
FRI 04:30 Cabin Pressure (b00lt16c)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:30 on Thursday]
FRI 05:00 The Good Soldier Svejk by Jaroslav Hasek (b00ffw77)
[Repeat of broadcast at 15:00 on Thursday]
FRI 06:00 Trueman and Riley (b00j272j)
Series 1
4. Speed
Detective Riley is feeling angry for being sent on a 'speed awareness' workshop.
But that puts him on the trail of ex-con from the old days in Hull - womanising rip-off merchant Frank Butters...
Starring Robert Daws and Duncan Preston.
Brian B Thompson's detective series about the ill-matched duo is set in Leeds.
DI Trueman …. Robert Daws
DS Riley …. Duncan Preston
Frank Butters …. Sam Dale
Melanie …. Christine Kavanagh
Eric Simonelli …. John Dougal
Inez …. Miranda Keeling
Svetlana …. Jasmine Callan
Director: Toby Swift
Made for BBC 7 and first broadcast in March 2007.
FRI 06:30 Agatha Christie (m002ftf8)
The Case of the Perfect Carer
Renting a flat to elderly sisters in a converted dower house should be a simple job for an estate agent, but Kate finds Bernice anything but easy.
Then a bracelet goes missing and some expensive perfume is stolen from the local chemist.....
Dramatised by Mike Walker.
Bernice ......... Richenda Carey
Carmela ....... Joanna Monro
Kate ......... Carla Simpson
Tim ........... Richard Firth
Morag ....... Joan O'Norman
Music composed and realised by Ben Wallfisch
Director Jeremy Mortimer
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 2003.
FRI 07:00 Any Other Business (b0132mxz)
Episode 3
The new mayor has to chair his very first council meeting - and he's scared witless.
Lucy Flannery's local government sitcom
Starring:
Nelson David
John Duttine
James Grout
Rosy Fordham
Nick Hardy
Howard Lew Lewis
Toby Longworth
Jan Ravens
Vivienne Rochester
June Whitfield.
Producer: Liz Anstee
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in June 1995.
FRI 07:30 The Jason Explanation of... (b007jq4j)
Politics
David Jason and company elect to poke fun at the Houses of Parliament.
Following in the footsteps of Lord Clark, Dr Bronowski and Professor Galbraith, David unravels the mysteries of the universe and the meaning of life.
With:
Sheila Steafel
Royce Mills
Chris Emmett
Written by Colin Bostock Smith, Andy Hamilton, Barry Pilton and Alastair Beaton.
Music by John Owen Edwards
Producer: Geoffrey Perkins
First broadcast on the BBC Radio 4 in September 1977.
FRI 08:00 Believe It! (m000mytw)
Series 5
Autobiography
Richard Wilson returns with another series of not quite true revelations about his life.
Mockumentary and spoof autobiography rolled-into-one.
Jon Canter’s comedic writing is as sharp as ever as he delves into themes such as celebrity, brand awareness and death.
As usual Richard has many friends from whom he seeks advice - as this time he's writing his celebrity autobiography.
Starring:
Head of Gay ........ Ian McKellen
The Two Doctors ........ Peter Capaldi / David Tennant
The Man Addicted To Waitrose ........ Antony Sher
Kenneth ........ John Hollingworth
Camille ........ Rebekah Staton
Produced and directed by Clive Brill
A Brill production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in October 2020.
FRI 08:30 Passing by Nella Larsen (m0015l09)
5. Felise's Party
Clare's husband John Bellew, discovers the truth about his wife and Irene's friend Felise holds a party which ends in a terrible incident.....
In mid-1920s America, the Harlem renaissance of black culture and society may be underway but racism still runs deep through the habits and laws of the country. Clare Kendry has severed all ties to her impoverished past in the black community of Chicago. Elegant, fair-skinned and ambitious, she is now married to a wealthy white man who is unaware of her African-American heritage.
When she renews her acquaintance with her childhood friend Irene, who is similarly light skinned but has not hidden her background, both women are forced to reassess their friendship and loyalties.
Nella Larsen's intense and psychologically nuanced portrayal of lives and identities dangerously colliding, first published in 1929, has recently found new audiences in the cinema and now also as an English literature A-level set text.
Written by Nella Larsen
Read by Ayesha Antoine
Abridged by Isobel Creed
Produced by Jill Waters
A Waters Company production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast on Radio 4 in March 2022.
FRI 08:45 Hardy's Women (m000vrj0)
The Woodlanders
5. A Doctor's Word
Midsummer Eve and Grace is thrown into the arms of her new lover.
But can he be trusted?
Thomas Hardy's novel of love, money and social ambition.
Dramatised by Ayeesha Menon.
Marty South..........Katy Sobey
Giles Winterborne..........Oliver Hembrough
Grace Melbury...........Holli Dempsey
Edred Fitzpiers..........Sacha Dhawan
George Melbury...........Nicholas Murchie
Lucy Melbury...........Jane Slavin
Barber Percomb...........Joshua Riley
Felice Charmond...........Marilyn Nnadebe
Grammer Oliver.........Jessica Turner
Suke Damson...........Elinor Coleman
Timothy Tangs........Stewart Campbell
John South.........Tony Turner
Director: Emma Harding
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 2021.
FRI 09:00 Kat Sadler's Screen Time (m002ftfb)
Series 2
2. Detox
Huge influencer Kat is taking a break from her phone, and tells you how you can do it too.
Sure, her phone is locked in a perspex prison that can't be opened by any force, but that's just a coincidence! With her trusty sidekick Alex Macqueen, they tackle the great outdoors. Kat explains how to cleanse your mind, body and soul by ditching your phone and Alex is trying to get his Duke of Edinburgh bronze award.
Also, Kat's given her PR team in her head the day off, even though they seem very keen to tell her something. Is she running from something in her online life?
Cast
Kat Sadler - Kat
Alex MacQueen - Alex
Abbie Weinstock - Abbie
Al Roberts - Toby
Lizzie Davidson - Various
Jason Forbes - Various
Written by Kat Sadler and Cameron Loxdale
Production Coordinator - Caroline Barlow
Executive Producer - Pete Strauss
Sound Design - Rich Evans
Recorded by Neil Goody at Premises Studios
Produced by Gwyn Rhys Davies. A BBC Studios Audio Production for Radio 4.
FRI 09:30 Classified Britain (b0b52cml)
Series 1
Dundee Courier, 16 November 1922
James Naughtie explores history through front page small ads.
The Dundee Courier of 16th November 1922, the morning after the General Election that saw Winston Churchill displaced by the UK's only ever Prohibitionist MP Edwin Scrymgeour, and the classified ads announce a victory rally. Also, the Colonial Department is recruiting clerks and engineers for Ceylon, Nigeria and South Africa, and the city's fashion shops are competing for the custom of the wives and children of the jute mill owners.
Front page news is a relatively late addition to the newspaper business. For most of their first couple of centuries, British newspapers carried classified ads rather than news on their front page. They transformed the hustle and bustle of the marketplace into newsprint, so you could take it home or to the inn to pore over at your leisure.
James Naughtie travels the country discovering how these front page ads give us a snapshot of time and place, exploring how they weave national and local life together - the heartbeat of history rolling daily or weekly off the presses.
The ads tell us what people were eating, drinking and wearing, what was on stage and what people were playing at home. They mark the mood of the time through notices for public meetings held to stoke up or damp down public fears of crime and political unrest. They are a record of the notices placed for houses and public buildings to be built, licences applied for and subscriptions raised for publications and commemorations. They show the latest labour-saving gadgets 'trending' as technology arrived, and they track jobs and trades on the way up and down as the British Empire waxed and waned. The ever present ads for patent medicines record our most popular ailments.
Producer: John Forsyth
A Loftus Media production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in 2018.
FRI 09:45 Daily Service (m002ftfd)
What is Grace? - Encourage one another
A space for spiritual reflection with a Bible reading, prayer and a range of Christian music.
Theme: What is Grace? - Encourage one another
Presenter: Leslie Griffiths
Reading: 2 Corinthians 13: 11-14
Music:
Morning glory, starlit sky - Wells Cathedral Choir
Holy Spirit, Living breath of God - St Martin's Voices
Something inside so strong - The Spirituals (BBC Recording)
FRI 10:00 Soul Music (b01qlpcg)
Series 15
Beethoven's Fifth Symphony
More than just 'da da da dum': Beethoven's 5th Symphony is this week's Soul Music.
It accompanied Sir Robin Knox-Johnston on the regular Bombay to Basra route he sailed during his early days in the Merchant Navy.
Archaeologist and crime novelist, Dana Cameron, spent many a long day in a dark, lonely basement analysing artefacts from a merchant's house in Salem, Massachusetts. A CD player was often her only companion and Beethoven's 5th buoyed her through these arduous days working towards her PhD
And for conductor, Christopher Gayford, it was the piece which provided a breakthrough in his musical life. Recalling the time he spent rehearsing it with the Sheffield Youth Orchestra - for a tour in East Germany - he describes the build up to one of the most memorable performances of his career.
Producer: Karen Gregor
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 2013.
FRI 10:30 Tough Love: Boys, Books and Romance (b08tgpg3)
Steven Camden writes young adult fiction books about love, from a male perspective. Love is at the heart of all the stories he’s written - but he’s only just realised it.
He has also realised that being a man who writes love stories for boys is pretty unusual.
Is love not a subject that appeals to boys, or is it the books part that puts them off?
Steven meets potential teen readers and talks to fellow authors Chris Vick and Alex Wheatle, along with mental health campaigner Jordan Stephens of Rizzle Kicks.
Presenter: Steven Camden
Producer: Milly Chowles
A Somethin’ Else production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in June 2017.
FRI 11:00 Trueman and Riley (b00j272j)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
FRI 11:30 Agatha Christie (m002ftf8)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
FRI 12:00 Any Other Business (b0132mxz)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
FRI 12:30 The Jason Explanation of... (b007jq4j)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
FRI 13:00 Believe It! (m000mytw)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
FRI 13:30 Passing by Nella Larsen (m0015l09)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
FRI 13:45 Hardy's Women (m000vrj0)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:45 today]
FRI 14:00 The Motion Show (b0075dc8)
Series 3
Episode 6
Debates galore over smelly food on trains - and is sex over-rated?
Graeme Garden chairs the quirky battle of words and wit.
With:
Hugh Dennis
Boothby Graffoe
Steve Punt
Stuart Maconie
Producer: Helen Williams
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 2000
FRI 14:30 Double Income, No Kids Yet (b007xrsn)
Series 2
Episode 2
When Lucy joins a school reunion website and is contacted by an old classmate, youthful indiscretions return to haunt Daniel's best friend Andy.
Starring David Tennant and Elizabeth Carling.
David Spicer's comedy drama about modern life and parenthood, as seen through the eyes of two 30-something non-parents.
Daniel ....... David Tennant
Lucy ....... Elizabeth Carling
Katie ....... Samantha Spiro
Andy ....... Tony Gardner
Amanda ....... Nasreen Hussain
Producer: Liz Anstee.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in June 2002.
FRI 15:00 The Good Soldier Svejk by Jaroslav Hasek (b00fkgnj)
2. Firing Line
Svejk and Lukas have been sent to the Front in disgrace. But Svejk gets waylaid by a gallery of grotesques. Nevertheless, the good soldier - once discharged as an idiot - ploughs his patient furrow to the killing fields of the First World War. Will he survive?
The concluding part of this classic anti-war satire highlighting the incompetencies of those 'in charge'......
Novel by Jaroslav Hašek
Dramatised by Christopher Reason
Svejk.................................Sam Kelly
Lukas..................................Adrian Lukis
Dub..................................Nicholas Blane
Chodounsky................Malcolm Raeburn
Marek..........................Howard Chadwick
Police sergeant....................James Quinn
Von Schwarzberg...............Stuart Richman
Baloun.................................Eric Potts
Lance Corporal...............Mark Chatterton
Maid...................................Szilvi Naray Davey
Vodicka............................Bernard Wrigley
Other parts played by members of the cast
Directed in Manchester by Gary Brown
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 2008.
FRI 16:00 Soul Music (b01qlpcg)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 today]
FRI 16:30 Tough Love: Boys, Books and Romance (b08tgpg3)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:30 today]
FRI 17:00 Trueman and Riley (b00j272j)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
FRI 17:30 Agatha Christie (m002ftf8)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
FRI 18:00 Any Other Business (b0132mxz)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
FRI 18:30 The Jason Explanation of... (b007jq4j)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
FRI 19:00 Believe It! (m000mytw)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
FRI 19:30 Passing by Nella Larsen (m0015l09)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
FRI 19:45 Hardy's Women (m000vrj0)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:45 today]
FRI 20:00 The Motion Show (b0075dc8)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:00 today]
FRI 20:30 Double Income, No Kids Yet (b007xrsn)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:30 today]
FRI 21:00 The Good Soldier Svejk by Jaroslav Hasek (b00fkgnj)
[Repeat of broadcast at 15:00 today]
FRI 22:00 Kat Sadler's Screen Time (m002ftfb)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
FRI 22:30 Tom Wrigglesworth's Open Letters (b00y92mb)
Series 1
Utilities Companies
Tom Wrigglesworth is bemused by the peculiar practices of utilities companies.
In another of his series of open letters, Tom investigates the myriad examples of corporate lunacy and maddening jobsworths in modern Britain.
Featuring his own funny and ridiculous experiences as well as recounting the absurd encounters of others.
Producer: Simon Mayhew-Archer
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 2011.
FRI 23:00 On the Hour (b007jmkm)
Series 2
Episode 1
Pre-natal beauty therapy, DNA shocker – and a special report on sumo wrestlers.
All the news as it happens, if it happens from the BBC's urgent and incisive news overview.
Plus all the sport from Alan Partridge.
Savagely satirical award-winning comedy starring Chris Morris.
With:
Steve Coogan
David Schneider
Rebecca Front
Patrick Marber
Doon Mackichan
Written by Chris Morris, Armando Iannucci, Richard Herring, Steven Wells, Patrick Marber, Andrew Glover and Stewart Lee.
Producer: Armando lannucci
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 1992.
FRI 23:30 Radio Active (b007zn0g)
Series 1
Bedrock (Mike Flex Breakfast Show)
The Mike Flex Breakfast Show features advice in case of nuclear war, a beautiful song from Kate Bosch and Status Quid perform ‘Boring Song’.
With:
Angus Deayton
Helen Atkinson-Wood
Geoffrey Perkins
Philip Pope
Michael Fenton Stevens
Written by Angus Deayton, Philip Pope and Richard Curtis.
Producer: Jimmy Mulville
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 1981.