SATURDAY 24 JANUARY 2026

SAT 00:00 Soul Music (m0029ygx)
Ae Fond Kiss by Robert Burns
Robert Burns began a correspondence with Agnes McElhose, also known as Clarinda and Nancy, a married woman he was besotted with.
When she left Scotland to reunite with her husband he wrote Ae Fond Kiss as a heartfelt farewell.
It was later set to music and is one of his most famous 'songs' along with Auld Lang Syne and My Love Is Like A Red Red Rose.
Karen Matheson, the singer with Capercaillie, talks about its meaning to her and how performing it at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow in 2014 was a very special moment.
Joan Donaldson from Michigan grew up with Scottish music and has called her latest historical novel Ae Fond Kiss. She says she channelled her grief into the characters as a way of dealing with a devastating loss.
Sir Geoff Palmer discovered the song when he arrived in Edinburgh in the 1960s. He has traced Burns' and the song's connection to his home country of Jamaica and feels proud of the links he discovered.
For film maker Karen Guthrie from Ayrshire - Burns' birthplace - coping with and caring for her estranged parents meant long drives home through the countryside he inhabited. It was a journey of rediscovering Scotland's national poet and relating her family's story to Ae Fond Kiss.
Musician Seonaid Aitken plays both versions of the song on the violin and explains how the music conveys the feelings of longing after an unresolved love affair.
Producer: Maggie Ayre
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 2025.
SAT 00:30 Best Friends Forever: Robert Burns and Mrs Dunlop (m00024wg)
Novelist Louise Welsh explores the unlikeliest best friends in Scottish letters: Robert Burns and Frances Dunlop.
In 1786, Mrs Frances Anna Wallace Dunlop a 56-year-old mother, grandmother and woman of letters, started a correspondence with a poet half her age: Robert Burns.
She was a gentlewoman proud of her family’s connection to William Wallace. He was the son of a tenant farmer. It shouldn’t have worked to have a friendship that crossed barriers of age, sex and class like that - and yet she was one of the most important people in Burns’ life.
Thanks to new research by Moira Hansen of Glasgow University, we’re understanding more about this relationship and the foundation of shared experience it was built upon.
Burns’ poetry helped Frances recover from a deep depression and she in turn became the person he reached out to most when he was troubled in mind.
Novelist Louise Welsh joins Moira and Burns expert Professor Gerald Carruthers to explore the relationship, while finding out about Burns' mental health from Professor Daniel Smith.
Historian of emotions, Dr Katie Barclay tells us more about how 18th-century people thought about depression and modern day writer Dr Carolyn Jess Cooke considers the healing power of writing letters.
Producer: Louise Yeoman
First broadcast on BBC Radio Scotland in January 2019.
SAT 01:00 Whodunnits (b0080483)
Baldi - Series 1
6. Devil Take the Hindmost
Crime-solving priest Paolo Baldi investigates the death of a student on campus, following the trail to an arrogant clique that dabbled in the occult.
Is there a rational explanation?
Or was the Devil really involved..?
Starring David Threlfall.
Series of murder mysteries about Franciscan priest and philosophy lecturer turned amateur sleuth, Paolo Baldi.
Written by Annie Caulfield.
Paolo Baldi .... David Threlfall
Tina Mahon ....Tina Kellegher
Father Troy .... T P McKenna
Dr Graham …. Gerard McSorley
Superintendent Rynne .... Owen Roe
Mrs Reid …. Margaret D'Arcy
Eamon …. Gavin Kennedy
Russell …. Conor Delaney
Paul …. Frank Bourke
Laura …. Eva Birthistle
Collet …. Charlie Bonner
John Hayes …. Gordon Fuller
Fireman 1 …. Jim Fox
Fireman 2 …. Malcolm Douglas
Dave …. Joe Savino
Format created by Barry Devlin for Sarah Lawson Productions.
Developed and produced by BBC Northern Ireland.
Directed in Belfast by Lawrence Jackson.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 2000.
SAT 01:45 Decameron Nights: Ten Italian Indelicacies Remixed from Boccaccio (b04tcd6c)
A Quiet Night in Naples
Terry Jones introduces a final tasty Renaissance tale.
The 100 stories which make up Giovanni Boccaccio’s humane and comic masterpiece, come from all over the world.
They are vividly reset by Boccaccio among the flourishing merchant classes in the cities of Renaissance Italy. But their witty, satirical, bawdy voice sounds utterly modern, and their subjects - love, fate, sex, religion, morality - are universal.
“Adventures which end in triumph.”
Country boy Andreuccio comes to Naples to buy a horse. If only life in Naples were so straightforward.
Andreuccio ..... Gunnar Cauthery
Filomena ..... Roslyn Hill
Scarabone ..... Shaun Mason
Neighbour ..... David Acton
Ludo ..... Paul Heath
Bruno ..... Ian Conningham
Sister Lisa ..... Elaine Claxton
Sister Donna ..... Hannah Genesius
Music arranged and performed by Robert Hollingworth and Paula Chateauneuf.
Lyric translations by Silvia Reseghetti
Script consultant: Guyda Armstrong
Produced and directed by Jonquil Panting.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 3 in December 2014.
SAT 02:00 Taking It Up the Octave (b088948k)
4. Prima Donna on Tour
Staging opera can be an exhausting and chaotic business.
Keyboard Ken collapses and has to be rushed to hospital while Natasha, Opera Sunderland's prima donna, tours pubs, clubs and local radio stations trying to drum-up an audience.
Comedy drama series written by Fintan Coyle and Tom Miles.
The mishaps and adventures of the acting troupe at Opera Sunderland.
Natasha ....... Caz Weller
James ....... Simon Butteriss
Derek ....... Andrew Branch
Gareth ....... Godfrey James
Dwight ....... Jonathan Kydd
Keyboard Ken ....... Tom Miles
Cilla ....... Carolyn Bonnyman
Singers:
Kathryn Jenkin
Susan Jelley
Henrik Wager
Jochem van Ast
Music by Tom Miles and Georges Bizet
Producer: Chris Neill
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 1997.
SAT 02:30 Steptoe and Son (b007jlnf)
Series 3
TB or Not TB
Sixty years of smoking takes its toll on Albert Steptoe.
Starring Wilfrid Brambell and Harry H Corbett.
Classic sitcom about the lives of rag and bone men Albert Steptoe and his son Harold.
Written for BBC TV and adapted for BBC Radio by Ray Galton and Alan Simpson.
Albert ...... Wilfrid Brambell
Harold ...... Harry H Corbett
Receptionist ...... Jo Manning Wilson
Producer: Bobby Jaye
First broadcast on BBC Radio 2 in April 1971.
SAT 03:00 The Break (b07gf4s6)
Series 1
Sunday, Flipping Sunday
Dawn breaks on a beautiful Sunday morning in Flamford.
Uncle Jeff is on a quest for spiritual comfort and persuades his nephew Andy to join him by bribing him with the promise of a proper roast dinner.
They find that the local church has installed a new vicar, the Reverend Beverley, who invites Jeff to her bible class that evening. The words "bring a bible" strike a chill to Jeff's heart. He has never owned a bible, and neither has Andy.
They spend the rest of the day trying to find a bible on a Sunday, with Andy's stomach rumbling as he pictures his dinner slipping further away. On their quest they encounter Derek Horrox The Mayor, Peter Humfriss, The Town Crier, and a slightly unnerving bookseller.
Written by Ian Brown and James Hendrie.
Jeff ...... Philip Jackson
Andy ...... Tom Palmer
Reverend Beverley ...... Shobna Gulati
Derek Horrox the Mayor ...... Rasmus Hardiker
Peter Humfriss, the Town Crier ...... Mark Benton
Director: Gordon Kennedy
An Absolutely production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in June 2016.
SAT 03:30 Castle Rackrent by Maria Edgeworth (m002q372)
8. A Hundred Golden Guineas to a Sixpence
Ireland. Old Thady has served under four disastrous generations of the Rackrents:
* Sir Patrick drinks
* Sir Murtagh litigates
* Sir Kit gambles
* Sir Condy (Sir Connolly) merely fritters away the family fortunes
Yet he is still the ever-faithful retainer at the bankrupt Castle Rackrent.
Old Thady remembers when Sir Condy finally agreed a wager too far...
Maria Edgeworth's satire on Anglo-Irish landlords, first published in 1800.
Abridged iby John Scotney.
Concluded by Cyril Cusack.
Producer: Jeremy Howe
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1989.
SAT 03:45 Ladies of Letters (b012xnfv)
Ladies of Letters.com
5. The Stalker
Irene emails about the early arrival of her grandchild, but Vera's getting impatient.
Starring Patricia Routledge and Prunella Scales.
Vera Small and Irene Spencer continue to conduct their long friendship through a candid and not uncritical email correspondence.
Written by Lou Wakefield and Carole Hayman.
Vera …. Patricia Routledge
Irene …. Prunella Scales
Karen …. Julia Ford
Lesley …. Kate Gartside
Director: Paul Miller
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 2000.
SAT 04:00 The Personality Test (b00m5tks)
Series 1
Gyles Brandreth
Broadcaster, author and ex-MP Gyles Brandreth quizzes a panel about himself.
Battling with queries based on Gyles's life, whims and interests are:
Sue Perkins
Alan Carr
Lucy Porter
Series in which a fresh host every episode quizzes a comedy panel about themselves.
Script by Richard Turner.
Devised & produced by Aled Evans.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 2006.
SAT 04:30 A Whole 'Nother Story (b00763xr)
Series 1
Velvet Pants and Padded Bras
After her terrible rejection, Pete tries to convince Cassie that she’s definitely not a sad old cat-keeping spinster.
But it's becoming clear that they haven't been quite as disinterested in each other's love lives as perhaps they've appeared...
Starring Debra Stephenson and Dave Lamb.
Amanda Murphy’s comedy-drama series about a friendship between a man and a woman.
Cassie ...... Debra Stephenson
Pete ...... David Lamb
PJ ...... Brendan Burns
Dad ...... Mike Grady
Mum ...... Anne Reid
Producer: Graham Frost
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 2001.
SAT 05:00 The Middle by Amelia Bullmore (b00p7g8q)
Clare is the golden middle sister in a family headed by a formidable matriarch, Luca.
Clare meets and quickly marries Martin, who falls just as much in love with her fun, sparky family.
But Martin makes a mistake and sets in motion a series of events which brings the family to its knees.
Starring Emma Cunniffe and Ben Miles.
Written by Amelia Bullmore.
Clare ..... Emma Cunniffe
Martin ..... Ben Miles
Nicky ..... Anna Madeley
Justine ..... Eve Matheson
Luca ..... Paola Dionisotti
Karl ..... Nigel Pilkington
Owen ..... Baxter Willis
Mick ..... John Biggins
Ed ..... Piers Wehner
Donna ..... Melissa Advani
Director; Mary Peate
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 2009.
SAT 06:00 Radio Waves by Leigh Jackson (m002qgjn)
Nico is a highly successful woman reporter on a daily news and current affairs programme.
Paul is their latest recruit - young, politically naive and impressionable.
During a difficult period for Nico professionally and emotionally, Paul becomes her ally thereby placing himself in a vulnerable situation.
Stars Jill Baker and Anton Lesser.
Written by Leigh Jackson
Nico .... Jill Baker
Paul .... Anton Lesser
Knight .... Robert Lang
John .... Struan Rodger
Ray .... Stuart Milligan
Ralph .... Peter Howell
Sophie .... Helena Breck
Tony Graff .... Christopher Douglas
Shahin .... Bernard Brown
Mrs Rycroft .... Philippa Hiatt
Driver .... Trevor Nichols
Tea Lady .... Tessa Worsley
Director: Cherry Cookson
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 1985
SAT 07:20 A History of the Bible by John Barton (Omnibus) (m002qgjq)
Professor John Barton investigates the origins, development and contemporary meaning of the greatest of unread bestsellers - the Bible.
From a disparate collection of writings that first emerged deep in the distant past, Barton charts the gradual emergence of both the Old and the New Testaments.
He goes on to chart their evolution into what have become the two revered volumes of authoritative scripture that we know today.
In a series of lively and engaging essays, Barton shows how meaning has both been drawn from the Bible and been imposed up on it and explores how differently Judaism and Christianity approach and interpret the books of both the Old and New Testaments.
Omnibus of five parts adapted by John Barton and Richard Hamilton.
Read by Hugh Bonneville.
Producer: Karen Holden
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 from December 2020.
SAT 08:35 Inheritance Tracks (m001gjh4)
Hugh Bonneville
Actor Hugh Bonneville chooses 'Look What They've Done to My Song, Ma' by Melanie Safka and 'Starman' by David Bowie.
SAT 08:45 Tom Mennard's Local Tales (m002qgjs)
Series 1
Army
Welcome to Tom's world. The scene is the 'Goat and Compasses'.
The cast: Tom, Harry, Charlie and Fred. Well, they're just 'local tales'.
Order yourself a pint, sit yourself down and listen.
Tom's got a tale to tell about his recent army reunion.....
Written by and starring Tom Mennard.
Tom Mennard's Local Tales comedy series ran on BBC Radio 2 between 1981 and 1987.
Tom was later cast in ITV's Coronation Street.
Producer: Mike Craig
First broadcast on BBC Radio 2 in March 1981.
SAT 09:00 The Marx Brothers' Flywheel, Shyster and Flywheel (b0084hzr)
Series 2
Episode 5
Shady lawyer Waldorf T Flywheel tries to bamboozle a millionaire.
Recreation of the Marx Brothers' lost shows charting the adventures of shady lawyer Waldorf T Flywheel and his assistant, Emmanuel Ravelli.
Originally broadcast with sponsors on America's NBC radio network in the 1930s. The scripts were rediscovered in 1988.
Groucho Marx as Waldorf T Flywheel ...... Michael Roberts
Chico Marx as Emmanuel Ravellias ...... Frank Lazarus
With:
Lorelei King
Graham Hoadly
Vincent Marzello
Written by Nat Perrin and Athur Sheekman.
Adapted by Mark Brisenden.
Music arranged and conducted by David Firman.
Producer: Dirk Maggs
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in June 1991.
SAT 09:30 The Navy Lark (b01857zf)
Series 12
Operation Recovery
Trouble afloat as the crew of HMS Troutbridge try to locate an American warhead.
Stars Leslie Phillips, Jon Pertwee and Stephen Murray.
Laughs afloat aboard British Royal Navy frigate HMS Troutbridge.
Written by Lawrie Wyman.
The Sub-Lieutenant ...... Leslie Phillips
The Chief Petty Officer ...... Jon Pertwee
The Number One ...... Stephen Murray
Captain Povey ...... Richard Caldicot
Rita ...... Heather Chasen
LS Goldsein ...... Tenniel Evans
The Padre . ....... Michael Bates
The Navy Lark ran for an impressive 13 series between 1959 and 1976.
Producer: Alastair Scott Johnston.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 2 in June 1971.
SAT 10:00 Conversation Extra (m002qgjv)
Groucho Marx
The great American comedian Groucho Marx recorded at a London press conference in August, 1964.
Hear his replies to journalists posing questions about his life and career.
Edited and introduced by Jo Joseph:
"Being in a room with Groucho Marx is like coming face to face with 20 years of American Vaudeville. The greatness of Groucho is that in his small frame is combined some of the essence of his contemporaries: the gentleness of Eddie Cantor, the belligerence of Jimmy Durante, the dead pan of Jack Benny and George Burns and the simpatica of Charlie Chaplin."
Groucho's answers demonstrate how he was "still king of the ad-lib, master of the spontaneous laugh line..."
Producer: Rayner Heppenstall
First broadcast on BBC Home Service in August 1964.
SAT 10:30 The Marx Brothers in Britain (b00sp198)
Author and historian Glenn Mitchell profiles the fascinating visits to Britain of legendary comedy team The Marx Brothers.
Groucho, Harpo, Chico and (for a while) Zeppo Marx inspired a generation of comedians, not least in Britain via The Goon Show and, by extension, Monty Python's Flying Circus.
Although Britons knew them from their American films, the brothers worked in the UK on several remarkable occasions, the first of which pre-dates their movie career.
Featuring actor Michael Roberts, who plays Groucho in BBC Radio 4 Extra’s ‘Flywheel, Shyster and Flywheel’ - and using archive and new contributions from people that met and worked with them - this programme recreates and explores the eventful visits of the brothers.
Beginning with their first in 1922, with an ensemble that included future `boop-oop-a-doop' girl Helen Kane, the opening night at the London Coliseum saw them the target of flying pennies. With the act not working they reverted to an earlier sketch, moving to the Alhambra for the third week, prior to appearances in Bristol and Manchester where elsewhere on the bill was a young Sandy Powell.
By the time of their next visit, in 1931, the brothers had gone from vaudeville to being the biggest attraction in Broadway musical-comedy. Two of their shows had been filmed - The Cocoanuts and Animal Crackers - and had done sufficient business in the UK for impresario CB Cochran to invite them to star at the Palace, London.
Audiences were thrilled and the brothers enjoyed their second stay in London, even when Harpo and Chico, drawn into a protracted card game in an unheated flat, found themselves burning the furniture to keep warm! The journey back saw Groucho and family strip-searched at US Customs when Groucho put down his occupation as 'smuggler'.
In 1947, Chico accepted a solo engagement at the London Casino. He returned to Britain in January 1949 for an extensive variety tour, joined briefly by Harpo for a four-week engagement at the London Palladium in June.
In a dockside interview - to be heard in the programme - Chico is asked about the Italian accent he used when in character and claims that, after seeing what they'd done to Mussolini, he'd become Greek!
Chico's final UK visit was in 1959 for two BBC appearances, one of which, Showtime hosted by David Nixon.
There will also be interview material from Groucho's various trips to Great Britain between 1954 and 1971. Some of his activities were professional - such as a British TV version of his quiz show You Bet Your Life - while others were purely social, notably his celebrated meeting with TS Eliot.
Contributors include:
* Actor, Ron Moody
* Theatre historian, Chris Woodward
* Fan of The Marx Brothers, Peter Dixon.
Producer: Stephen Garner
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in June 2010.
SAT 11:00 Radio Waves by Leigh Jackson (m002qgjn)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
SAT 12:20 A History of the Bible by John Barton (Omnibus) (m002qgjq)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:20 today]
SAT 13:35 Inheritance Tracks (m001gjh4)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:35 today]
SAT 13:45 Tom Mennard's Local Tales (m002qgjs)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:45 today]
SAT 14:00 The Marx Brothers' Flywheel, Shyster and Flywheel (b0084hzr)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
SAT 14:30 The Navy Lark (b01857zf)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 today]
SAT 15:00 Conversation Extra (m002qgjv)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 today]
SAT 15:30 The Marx Brothers in Britain (b00sp198)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:30 today]
SAT 16:00 Torchwood (b00lg4c7)
2. Asylum
When PC Andy arrests a teenager for shoplifting, he thinks it's a routine case.
Then he sees the weapon she's carrying and decides to call in Torchwood.
Under questioning from Gwen, the girl remembers her name but little else, and when she speaks it's in a strange mix of English and Scandinavian but with a Cardiff accent.
Then the girl's blood tests come through and the Torchwood team is faced with a dilemma.
Written by Anita Sullivan.
Based on a format devised by Russell T Davies.
Jack Harkness …. John Barrowman
Eve Myles …. Gwen Cooper
Ianto Jones …. Gareth David-Lloyd
PC Andy …. Tom Price
Freda …. Erin Richards
Security Guard …. Matthew Gravelle
Policewoman …. Sara McGaughey
Dog Walker …. Dick Bradnum
Girl …. Isabel Lewis
Music composed by Murray Gold.

Director: Kate McAll
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 2009.
SAT 16:45 Black and White by Jan Mark (b088ssr4)
3. Nule
When Martin dresses up the old newel post at the bottom of the stairs to look like a person, it's a big joke.
But soon the newel post becomes more lifelike than Martin bargained for...
Series of chilling tales of strange and creepy happenings written by Jan Mark.
Abridged by Peter Kerry.
Read by Malcolm Raeburn.
Producer: Martin Jameson
First broadcast on BBC Radio 5 in September 1993.
SAT 17:00 Radio Waves by Leigh Jackson (m002qgjn)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
SAT 18:20 A History of the Bible by John Barton (Omnibus) (m002qgjq)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:20 today]
SAT 19:35 Inheritance Tracks (m001gjh4)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:35 today]
SAT 19:45 Tom Mennard's Local Tales (m002qgjs)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:45 today]
SAT 20:00 The Marx Brothers' Flywheel, Shyster and Flywheel (b0084hzr)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
SAT 20:30 The Navy Lark (b01857zf)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 today]
SAT 21:00 Conversation Extra (m002qgjv)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 today]
SAT 21:30 The Marx Brothers in Britain (b00sp198)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:30 today]
SAT 22:00 Bilal Zafar's British Muslim Love (b0b1pwqw)
A one-off stand-up show charting 25-year-old British Muslim comedian Bilal Zafar's quest to find love.
Bilal is the last of his siblings to be single.
His Mum has told him he should really think about marriage and he realises he has no idea how to approach this.
Luckily, the world of Muslim dating is vast and Bilal has plenty of fascinating and often very funny options available in his quest for marriage.
Bilal Zafar is the winner of the Hackney New Act of the Year 2016, an Edinburgh Best Newcomer 2016 nominee and Chortle Best Newcomer 2017 nominee.
Written and performed by Bilal Zafar.
Additional material from Glenn Moore
Producer: Daisy Knight
An Avalon production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in May 2018.
SAT 22:30 Sarah Millican's Support Group (b00r7nqc)
Series 1
4. 'My broken heart needs fixing'.
'My broken heart needs fixing but I've only got paper glue'
'Tonight is the night that two become one - I'm leaving you'.
Sarah Millican plays a life counsellor and modern-day agony aunt tackling the nation's problems head on, dishing out real advice for real people.
Assisted by her very own team of experts.
Sarah ...... Sarah Millican
Marion ...... Ruth Bratt
Terry ...... Simon Daye
Marie ...... Jo Neary
Kim ...... Katherine Parkinson
Colin ...... Martin Trenaman
Written by Sarah Millican.
Producer: Lianne Coop
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 2010.
SAT 23:00 Domestic Science (b09v6yh3)
Series 2
Bath Time
Science you can play along with at home in a look at the domestic phenomena we relate to on a day-to-day basis.
Hosted by Festival of The Spoken Nerd trio:
* Physicist Steve Mould
* Stand up Mathematician Matt Parker
* Physicist and musician Helen Arney.
A heady combination of maths, science and comedy.
In this episode, it's bath time.
Producer: Lyndsay Fenner.
A BBC Studios production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in March 2018.
SAT 23:15 Late (b00762wl)
4. From Travelling to Telephoning
A busy maternity unit, two women on a train fantasise about each others' lives - and a man wonders whether to phone the woman of his dreams.
Bleak, funny and confusing tales of urban life, after dark.
Starring:
Paul Merton
Richard Wilson
Julian Clary
Meera Syal
Julie Balloo
Tilly Vosburgh
Written by Mandy Wheeler, Tilly Vosburgh. Rob Colley, Paul Merton and Julie Balloo.
Music by Robert Katz.
Producer: Sarah Parkinson
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 2001.
SAT 23:30 Radio Active (b008s3jb)
Series 4
The Martin Brown Show
A big break for 'Mr Hospital Radio' himself, as Martin Brown gets his very own show on Radio Active.
Radio Active is the one and only local national radio station.
Starring:
Helen Atkinson-Wood
Angus Deayton
Geoffrey Perkins
Philip Pope
Michael Fenton-Stevens
Music by Philip Pope and Steve Brown.
Written by Angus Deayton and Geoffrey Perkins. With Jon Canter.
Producer: Jamie Rix
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 1984.

SUNDAY 25 JANUARY 2026

SUN 00:00 Torchwood (b00lg4c7)
[Repeat of broadcast at 16:00 on Saturday]
SUN 00:45 Black and White by Jan Mark (b088ssr4)
[Repeat of broadcast at 16:45 on Saturday]
SUN 01:00 Radio Waves by Leigh Jackson (m002qgjn)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 on Saturday]
SUN 02:20 A History of the Bible by John Barton (Omnibus) (m002qgjq)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:20 on Saturday]
SUN 03:35 Inheritance Tracks (m001gjh4)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:35 on Saturday]
SUN 03:45 Tom Mennard's Local Tales (m002qgjs)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:45 on Saturday]
SUN 04:00 The Marx Brothers' Flywheel, Shyster and Flywheel (b0084hzr)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 on Saturday]
SUN 04:30 The Navy Lark (b01857zf)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 on Saturday]
SUN 05:00 Conversation Extra (m002qgjv)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 on Saturday]
SUN 05:30 The Marx Brothers in Britain (b00sp198)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:30 on Saturday]
SUN 06:00 Desert Island Discs Revisited (m002qgql)
Soap Stars
Lesley Manville CBE
Actor Lesley Manville is cast away by Lauren Laverne.
Lesley made her debut on London’s West End stage as a teenager in 1972, and since then has taken on a wide range of roles on stage and screen, including an Oscar-nominated performance in the film Phantom Thread.
She was born in Brighton and first enjoyed performing as a singer, winning competitions with her sister. When she was 15, she commuted daily to the Italia Conti stage school in London. Her first professional role was in a West End musical.
In 1974 she joined the cast of ITV soap opera Emmerdale Farm, playing Rosemary Kendall. After two years she decided to leave, even though the work was well paid, and return to the stage.
At London’s Royal Court, she appeared in some of the most critically-acclaimed new plays of the 1980s including Caryl Churchill’s Top Girls, and Andrea Dunbar’s Rita, Sue and Bob Too. She has also enjoyed a long collaboration with the film director Mike Leigh, memorably playing the alcoholic Mary in Another Year.
Her recent TV roles include starring as Cathy in the popular BBC Two sitcom Mum, for which she won a Royal Television Society Award in 2019. She has also played Princess Margaret in The Crown, including a scene in which Margaret shares her favourite records on a BBC radio programme.
She was appointed a CBE in 2021.
DISC ONE: Over The Rainbow - Eva Cassidy
DISC TWO: My Brother Jake - Free
DISC THREE: O Soave Fanciulla, composed by Giacomo Puccini, performed by Jose Carreras, Richard Stilwell and Teresa Stratas and Metropolitan Opera Chorus, conducted by James Levine
DISC FOUR: Sugar on the Floor - Etta James
DISC FIVE: You Don't Have To Say You Love Me - Dusty Springfield
DISC SIX: Not While I’m Around - Barbra Streisand
DISC SEVEN: Make You Feel My Love - Adele
DISC EIGHT: Phantom Thread III - Jonny Greenwood

BOOK CHOICE: A Botanical Encyclopaedia
LUXURY ITEM: A bed with linen, duvet and pillows
CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: Over The Rainbow - Eva Cassidy
Presenter: Lauren Laverne
Producer: Sarah Taylor
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 2023.
SUN 06:45 David Attenborough's Life Stories (b011jx7v)
Series 2
Chameleon
Many of the world's chameleons live on the huge continental island of Madagascar off the Eastern coast of Africa.
Some are tiny, as small as a finger nail - others in comparison are giants.
Sir David Attenborough gives us his warm personal insight into the natural history of chameleons through one very special individual - a chameleon he had as a pet, called Rommel.
Producer: Julian Hector
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in June 2011.
SUN 07:00 Poetry Extra (m002qgqn)
John Arlott's Poetry Book and Terminates Here
Daljit Nagra revisits the BBC's poetry archive and selects John Arlott's Poetry Book and Terminates Here with Lemn Sissay.
**John Arlott MBE, (born February 1914 - died December 1991), was best known as a BBC radio cricket commentator of unparalleled descriptive powers. But he was also a published poet by the age of 30. He succeeded George Orwell as a BBC Literary Programmes Producer (1945-50).
In this programme, as part of a series he recorded for the BBC World Service, he introduces poetry readings.
John Arlott's Poetry Book
With poems by Sir Walter Raleigh and Sir Philip Sidney.
Presented and produced by John Arlott
First broadcast on BBC World Service in 1985.
**Lemn Sissay OBE, is a poet and broadcaster who overcame a traumatic childhood in care.
In this series he chats to train travellers and commuters.
Terminates Here: Alone
Arriving at the busy interchange at Crewe, Lemn Sissay talks to the people who catch and dispatch the trains. Some are in love, some are in therapy and some are in drag.
Producer - Philip Sellars
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2007.
SUN 07:30 Castle Rackrent by Maria Edgeworth (Omnibus) (m002qgqq)
Episode 2
Ireland. Old Thady has served under four disastrous generations of the Rackrents:
* Sir Patrick drinks
* Sir Murtagh litigates
* Sir Kit gambles
* Sir Condy (Sir Connolly) merely fritters away the family fortunes
Yet he is still the ever-faithful retainer at the bankrupt Castle Rackrent
Now Old Thady recalls how things came to head when Sir Condy's new wife's money ran out....
Maria Edgeworth's satire on Anglo-Irish landlords, first published in 1800.
Omnibus of the last five of eight parts abridged by John Scotney.
Concluded by Cyril Cusack.
Producer: Jeremy Howe
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 1989.
SUN 08:40 Inheritance Tracks (m002qgqs)
Richard E. Grant
Actor Richard E. Grant chooses 'Who Will Buy?' (Oliver!) and 'Don't Rain On My Parade' (Funny Girl), sung by Barbra Streisand.
SUN 08:50 Ladies of Letters (b007jrn5)
Ladies of Letters.com (Omnibus)
Episode 1
India-bound Vera's full of New Millennium resolutions and Irene suggests emailing.
Starring Patricia Routledge and Prunella Scales.
Vera Small and Irene Spencer continue to conduct their long friendship through a candid and not uncritical correspondence, this time via email.
After a long period of silence, Vera decides to offer an olive branch.
Omnibus of the first five of ten episodes written by Lou Wakefield and Carole Hayman.
Irene …. Prunella Scales
Vera …. Patricia Routledge
Karen …. Julia Ford
Lesley …. Kate Gartside
Howard …. Christopher Kelham
Director: Paul Miller
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 2000.
SUN 10:00 Stilgoe's Around (b007k4k2)
Brighton Racecourse
Richard Stilgoe's musical revue tackles sporting life from every angle by spending the day in Sussex at Brighton Races.
With:
Charles Collingwood
Peter Blake
Belinda Lang
Plus musical guest Kathryn Tickell.
Written by Richard Stilgoe.
Producer: Neil Cargill
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 1989.
SUN 10:30 Take It From Here (b015zzmn)
From 07/04/1955
Does Eth still fan the flames of Ron Glum's passion?
Starring:
Professor Jimmy Edwards
Dick Bentley
June Whitfield
Wallas Eaton
Music from Alma Cogan, The Keynotes and the BBC Revue Orchestra conducted by Harry Rabinowitz.
Written by Frank Muir and Denis Norden.
Producer: Charles Maxwell
First broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in April 1955.
SUN 11:00 Desert Island Discs Revisited (m002qgql)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
SUN 11:45 David Attenborough's Life Stories (b011jx7v)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:45 today]
SUN 12:00 Poetry Extra (m002qgqn)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
SUN 12:30 Castle Rackrent by Maria Edgeworth (Omnibus) (m002qgqq)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
SUN 13:40 Inheritance Tracks (m002qgqs)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:40 today]
SUN 13:50 Ladies of Letters (b007jrn5)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:50 today]
SUN 15:00 Stilgoe's Around (b007k4k2)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 today]
SUN 15:30 Take It From Here (b015zzmn)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:30 today]
SUN 16:00 Terry Pratchett (b00bdjq2)
Small Gods
4. Vorbis the Prophet
Deacon Vorbis has returned triumphantly to Omnia. He proclaims himself the One True Prophet.
But Brutha knows what really happened in the desert and the Great God Om is still out there, stuck in the body of a tortoise.
Conclusion of Terry Pratchett's comic Discworld fantasy.
Starring Carl Prekopp, Patrick Barlow, Alex Jennings and Anton Lesser.
Dramatised by Robin Brooks.
Narrator ...... Anton Lesser
Om ...... Patrick Barlow
Brutha ...... Carl Prekopp
Vorbis ...... Alex Jennings
Fergman ...... Gerard McDermott
Urn ...... John Cummins
Nhumrod ...... Geoffrey Beevers
Sergeant Simony ...... Nick Sayce
Death ...... Michael Kilgarriff
Other parts played by the cast.
Producer: Claire Grove
Director: Gordon House
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 2006.
SUN 16:30 The Heart of Hark'un (b007jq8l)
Episode 4
One word is the key to the Grimoire. But is Arcos able to harness its magical power?
Starring Francis Thomson.
A fantasy-adventure by Peter Thomson and Jamie Thomson.
Arcos ..... Francis Thomson
Kaddah ..... Trevor Peacock
Vanna ..... Elizabeth Whiting
Shazir ..... Crawford Logan
Bereneth ..... Edward Kelsey
Va ..... Melanie Hudson
Alviza ..... Emma Fielding
Zander ..... Robert Portal
The General ..... Clarence Smith
Rashiq ..... Theresa Streatfeild
Producer: Peter Hutchings
First broadcast on BBC Radio 5 in September 1991.
SUN 17:00 Desert Island Discs Revisited (m002qgql)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
SUN 17:45 David Attenborough's Life Stories (b011jx7v)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:45 today]
SUN 18:00 Poetry Extra (m002qgqn)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
SUN 18:30 Castle Rackrent by Maria Edgeworth (Omnibus) (m002qgqq)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
SUN 19:40 Inheritance Tracks (m002qgqs)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:40 today]
SUN 19:50 Ladies of Letters (b007jrn5)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:50 today]
SUN 21:00 Stilgoe's Around (b007k4k2)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 today]
SUN 21:30 Take It From Here (b015zzmn)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:30 today]
SUN 22:00 Clare in the Community (b00yrrgb)
Series 3
Letter From America
Needing a new place to stay, Clare goes house-hunting with Brian - and she has an unusual, new pen pal.
Sally Phillips is Clare Barker the social worker who has all the right jargon but never a practical solution.
A control freak, Clare likes nothing better than interfering in other people's lives on both a professional and personal basis. Clare is in her 30s, white, middle class and heterosexual, all of which are occasional causes of discomfort to her.
Clare continually struggles to control both her professional and private life
In today's Big Society there are plenty of challenges out there for an involved, caring social worker. Or even Clare.
Written by Harry Venning and David Ramsden.
Clare ...... Sally Phillips
Brian ..... Alex Lowe
Ray ..... Richard Lumsden
Helen ..... Gemma Craven
Irene ..... Ellen Thomas
Megan ..... Nina Conti
Hannah ..... Alex Tregear
Mr Figgis ..... Roy Hudd
Producer: Katie Tyrrell
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 2006.
SUN 22:30 Listen Against (b00ft3nq)
Series 2
Episode 4
Martin Jarvis reads from a Haynes manual - and it's time to oversee the winter hibernation of Steve Wright in the Blue Peter garden.
More damage from the previous seven days of BBC radio output.
Like Radio 4's Feedback but with less virulence, Listen Against rearranges the reality of BBC radio - until it's too confused to cry.
Starring:
Jon Holmes
Alice Arnold
Written by Jon Holmes, Carl Carter, Matt Charlton, Bill Dare, Sam Bryant, Gareth Gywnn, Joel Morris and Jason Hazeley.
Additional material: James Bachman, David Mara, Kim Wall and Catherine Shepherd.
Producers: Sam Bryant and Jon Holmes
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 2008.
SUN 23:00 In and Out of the Kitchen (b01pz9xz)
Series 2
The Review
Cookery writer Damien Trench once again opens his life up to the public as we follow him through another few days in his life.
It's a new year and Damien and Anthony are undergoing fresh works on their house. They are "going upstairs" (having a loft conversion) and so Mr Mullaney, their builder, is once again installed to look after the project.
Meanwhile, Anthony and Damien discuss what to do with their spare room, and Ian Frobisher, Damien's agent, convinces him to do a restaurant review, as a favour to Pink Floyd.
Sitcom written by and starring Miles Jupp, charting the life of cookery writer Damien Trench and his partner Anthony.
Damien Trench ...... Miles Jupp
Anthony MacIlveny ...... Justin Edwards
Damien's Mother ...... Selina Cadell
Mr Mullaney ...... Brendan Dempsey
Ian Frobisher ...... Philip Fox
Helen ...... Georgina Rich
Waitress ...... Sarah Thom
Producer: Sam Michell
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 2013.
SUN 23:30 Hearing with Hegley (b07yv9n7)
Series 2
Episode 5
The poet laureate of alternative comedy, John Hegley entertains.
Featuring songs and poems about glasses.
With musical accompaniment from Nigel Piper and the Popticians.
Producer: Phil Clarke
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 1998.
SUN 23:45 Bunk Bed (m00146cs)
Series 9
Episode 5
Under cover of darkness, we can share our innermost thoughts without shame or embarrassment.
If human beings were allowed a strictly limited number of orgasms, how would that change our behaviour?
Bed-bound wit, philosophy and story telling from Patrick Marber and Peter Curran.
Producer: Peter Curran
A Foghorn production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in February 2022.

MONDAY 26 JANUARY 2026

MON 00:00 Terry Pratchett (b00bdjq2)
[Repeat of broadcast at 16:00 on Sunday]
MON 00:30 The Heart of Hark'un (b007jq8l)
[Repeat of broadcast at 16:30 on Sunday]
MON 01:00 Desert Island Discs Revisited (m002qgql)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 on Sunday]
MON 01:45 David Attenborough's Life Stories (b011jx7v)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:45 on Sunday]
MON 02:00 Poetry Extra (m002qgqn)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 on Sunday]
MON 02:30 Castle Rackrent by Maria Edgeworth (Omnibus) (m002qgqq)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 on Sunday]
MON 03:40 Inheritance Tracks (m002qgqs)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:40 on Sunday]
MON 03:50 Ladies of Letters (b007jrn5)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:50 on Sunday]
MON 05:00 Stilgoe's Around (b007k4k2)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 on Sunday]
MON 05:30 Take It From Here (b015zzmn)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:30 on Sunday]
MON 06:00 Whodunnits (b007jzds)
Paul Temple and the Spencer Affair
1. My Heart and Harry
Suave amateur private detective Paul Temple is drawn into the murder of the actress daughter of a theatre impresario.
Starring Peter Coke and Marjorie Westbury as BBC radio's smoothest investigator and his glamorous wife.
Another baffling case of dastardly crimes must be solved.
Written by Francis Durbridge.
Paul Temple …… Peter Coke
Steve …… Marjorie Westbury
Det Insp Vosper …… Hugh Manning
Charlie …… James Beattie
Eric Lansdale …… John Graham
Sir Graham Forbes …… Lester Mudditt
Rupert Dreisler …… Brewster Mason
Adrian Frost …… Simon Lack
Judy Milton …… June Turbin
Pete Roberts …… Thomas Heathcote
Between 1938 and 1968, Francis Durbridge's incomparably suave amateur detective and his journalist wife solved case after baffling case. They inhabited a sophisticated, well-heeled world of cocktails and fast cars in one of BBC radio's most popular series.
Producer: Martyn C Webster
First broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in November 1957.
MON 06:30 Maugham's Eye View (b00lqd27)
1. The Creative Impulse
The authoress Mrs Forrester is horrified when her husband runs off with the cook.
But she turns it to creative advantage...
A series of Somerset Maugham short stories.
Dramatised by Neville Teller.
Dirk Bogarde is the narrator.
Mrs Forrester ...... Sylvia Syms
Mr Forrester ...... Desmond Barrit
Mrs Bullfinch ...... Shirley Anne Field
Other parts played by:
Geoffrey Whitehead
Zulema Dene
John Hartley
Tracy Wiles
David Collings
David Timson
Director: Janet Whitaker
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 1996.
MON 07:00 In the Chair (b007jsx5)
Episode 4
Will Charles Prentiss manage to scupper his rival's bid for the job of DG?
Maverick hack George Cragge thinks an unrelated murder may be connected after all.
Starring Michael Williams and Barry Foster.
Mark Tavener's blackly humorous murder mystery.
George Cragge …. Michael Williams
DCI Frank Jefferson …. Barry Foster
The Prime Minister …. Hugh Laurie
Crichton-Potter …. Richard Griffiths
Martin McCabe …. John Bird
Charles Prentiss …. Stephen Fry
Marcia Mallon …. Rebecca Front
Jim Hardie …. Kenneth Cranham
Director of Personnel …. Geoffrey Whitehead
The Chancellor …. Simon Greenall
John …. Jonathan Keeble
Caroline …. Susie Brann
Newsreader …. Harriet Cass
John Humphrys as Himself
Music by Paul Mottram.
Producer: Paul Schlesinger
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in June 1998.
MON 07:30 Dad's Army (b007tbwz)
Series 2
Sergeant, Save My Boy!
Barbed wire traps Private Pike on a seaside minefield - and the tide is starting to turn!
The comic exploits of a Second World War Home Guard platoon in Walmington-on-Sea.
Adapted for radio from Jimmy Perry and David Croft's TV scripts by Michael Knowles and Harold Snoad.
Captain Mainwaring …. Arthur Lowe
Sergeant Wilson …. John Le Mesurier
Corporal Jones …. Clive Dunn
Private Frazer …. John Laurie
Private Godfrey …. Arnold Ridley
Private Pike …. Ian Lavender
Mrs Pike …. Pearl Hackney
Announcer …. John Snagge
Producer: John Dyas
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 1975.
MON 08:00 Ellie Taylor's Safe Space (m000yg46)
Series 2
1: Parties
Ellie Taylor welcomes you to "Safe Space", a place where anyone can offload their controversial opinions without fear of judgment.
She talks to members of the public about their gripes and then reveals one of her own - that parties are awful and should be banned.
Joining Ella to prove her point is regular sidekick Robin Morgan
With special guest: Ella Al-Shamahi, author of "The Handshake: A Gripping History".
Written by Ellie Taylor and Robin Morgan
Producer: Sam Michell
A BBC Studios production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in August 2021.
MON 08:30 Man of Iron: Thomas Telford and the Building of Britain (b08bz7ht)
1. Humble Beginnings
"There was no better moment to be born, if you wanted to change the world by building things, than Britain in the second half of the 18th century."
Julian Glover has written the first full modern biography of Thomas Telford.
He was a shepherd's son who changed the world with his revolutionary engineering.
Telford's life spanned a fascinating time in British history: born in post-Union, post-Enlightenment Scotland, Telford forged a successful career in London and then across the country working on projects that set the stage for the Industrial Revolution.
Born in the Scottish Borders in 1757, Telford's beginnings were not auspicious. But he gained a fine education in his village school and, in that egalitarian time and place, mixed there with children from all different classes. Indeed, contacts from his schooldays played a key role in helping him to become established as one of Britain's leading engineers.
A stonemason turned architect turned engineer Telford built churches, harbours, canals, docks and the famously vertiginous Pontcysyllte aqueduct in Wales.
He invented the modern road and created the backbone of our national road network. His bridges are some of the most dramatic and beautiful ever built, most of all the Menai Bridge, which spans the dangerous channel between the mainland and Anglesey. Astonishingly, gratifyingly, almost everything he built remains in use today.
Read by Robin Laing.
Abridged in five parts by David Jackson Young.
Producer: Kirsteen Cameron.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 2017.
MON 08:45 Ladies of Letters (b007k37q)
Ladies of Letters.com
6. Motherhood
The mystery stalker is a headache for both Vera and Irene. Just who is he?
Starring Patricia Routledge and Prunella Scales.
Vera Small and Irene Spencer continue to conduct their long friendship through a candid and not uncritical email correspondence.
Written in ten parts by Lou Wakefield and Carole Hayman.
Vera …. Patricia Routledge
Irene …. Prunella Scales
Karen …. Julia Ford
Lesley …. Kate Gartside
Howard …. Christopher Kelham
Director: Paul Miller
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 2000.
MON 09:00 The Unbelievable Truth (m002q2rh)
Series 32
5. Sugar, Saints, Spiders and Heavy Metal
David Mitchell hosts the panel game in which four comedians are encouraged to tell lies and compete against one another to see how many items of truth they’re able to smuggle past their opponents.
Holly Walsh, Henning Wehn, Zoe Lyons and Tony Hawks are the panellists obliged to talk with deliberate inaccuracy on subjects as varied as sugar, saints, spiders and heavy metal.
The show is devised by Graeme Garden and Jon Naismith
Producer: Jon Naismith
A Random Entertainment production for BBC Radio 4
MON 09:30 Taking Issue with Shakespeare (m001l23q)
1. Julius Caesar and Populism
Major public figures in conversation with Professor Emma Smith explore whether Shakespeare might help us resolve some challenging contemporary issues.
In this opening episode she discusses the national and international challenges of populism with senior British statesman, Gordon Brown, and Chair of the Royal Shakespeare Company, Baroness Shriti Vadera.
In 1623, the first collected edition of Shakespeare’s plays was published – the so-called First Folio. Without the First Folio, many of the biggest plays – Macbeth, Julius Caesar, Twelfth Night, The Tempest – would probably have been lost forever. More importantly, without the First Folio, we wouldn’t have that cast of characters, scenarios and quotations which reverberate across time and inform our thinking.
Emma Smith is Professor of Shakespeare Studies at the University of Oxford and author of This Is Shakespeare. She brings to bear her deep knowledge of Shakespeare’s plays and of the era in which he wrote them – an era sometimes similar to our own and sometime very different – and her passionate interest in contemporary issues. Can Shakespeare help us grapple with these?
With contributions from Professor Paul Prescott.
Producer: Beaty Rubens
Made to mark the 400th anniversary of the First Folio.
A Just Radio production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in May 2023.
MON 09:45 Daily Service (m002qgqh)
Honest to God - Honest prayers
A space for spiritual reflection with a Bible reading, prayer and a range of Christian music.
Theme: Honest to God - Honest prayers
Presenter: Molly Boot
Reading: Habakkuk 1:1-5
Music:
Sweet Hour of Prayer - Mahalia Jackson
O Lord Hear my Prayer - Taize
What a friend we have in Jesus - Lou Fellingham
MON 10:00 And the Academy Award Goes To... (b008vd2n)
Series 1
Lawrence of Arabia
It's the moment every movie director and actor dreams of.
The gold envelope is slowly opened and the Oscar goes to... them!
Paul Gambaccini reveals how David Lean's Lawrence of Arabia won the Best Picture Award in 1963.
But - away from the red carpet and the bright lights and the tearful speeches - what do the Academy's decisions tell us about the state of America?
Are the awards a hotline to the American psyche, revealing an array of political, cultural and social calculations - conscious or unconscious - behind what are presented as purely artistic judgements.
Producers: Sara Jane Hall & Paul Kobrak
First broadcast on Radio 4 in February 2008.
MON 10:30 My House (b08wqlmc)
Manchester International Festival (MIF) is the world’s first festival of original, new work and special events. It is staged every two years.
In the run-up to MIF17, the Manchester International Festival is running a project called "Festival in My House", inviting and producing ordinary people’s ideas for tiny arts festivals, to be held in their own homes.
Festival In My House brings the arts and MIF into in local communities around Manchester.
Nija Dalal-Small, who held one of these 'tiny festivals' in her own Levenshulme home, visits some of the others - including ones hosting a Parisian post-punk band, a spoken word celebration and a classical music event - as well as attending a festival in a residential home...
Nija speaks with the artists and guests as they experience the arts in this unique, intimate way.
Producers: Nija Dalal-Small and Geoff Bird
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 2017.
MON 11:00 Whodunnits (b007jzds)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
MON 11:30 Maugham's Eye View (b00lqd27)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
MON 12:00 In the Chair (b007jsx5)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
MON 12:30 Dad's Army (b007tbwz)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
MON 13:00 Ellie Taylor's Safe Space (m000yg46)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
MON 13:30 Man of Iron: Thomas Telford and the Building of Britain (b08bz7ht)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
MON 13:45 Ladies of Letters (b007k37q)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:45 today]
MON 14:00 Just a Minute (b011j7vh)
Series 60
Episode 3
Nicholas Parsons presides over the devious game where panellists are challenged to speak for one minute without hesitation, deviation or repetition.
With:
Paul Merton
Fi Glover
Sue Perkins
Stephen Fry
Subjects include: Marbles, Being Treated Like a Princess, My Favourite Composer, CCTV, Aristotle, The Best Sort of Babysitter, Weeding, How to Clean a Chandelier, The Perfect Bestman’s Speech and The Most Beautiful Word in The World
Created by Ian Messiter.
Producer: Claire Jones
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 2011.
MON 14:30 Smelling of Roses (b00fh6w1)
Series 4
Episode 6
For Rosie Burns, life offers a fashion show, a potential romantic interest... and a parting of the ways.
Prunella Scales stars in Simon Brett's sitcom.
A final assignment for Rosie Burns and her event management company, where the clients are only part of the problem.
Rosie Burns …. Prunella Scales
Jo …. Rebecca Callard
Bob …. Duncan Preston
Tess …. Annette Badland
Brad …. Colin Stinton
Henry …. Benjamin Whitrow
Reggie …. Rowland Davies
Written and produced by Simon Brett.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 2003.
MON 15:00 The Eagle of the Ninth by Rosemary Sutcliff (b00sh59l)
1. The Injured Centurion
Young Marcus Aquilla sets out to recover his father's reputation and the lost Eagle of his legion.
Rosemary Sutcliff's great historical adventure novel,. first published in 1954.
Recorded on location in Scotland.
Dramatised in four parts by Sean Damer.
Marcus ...... Tom Smith
Drussilus ...... Paul Morrow
Soldier 1/Galarius ...... Mark Cox
Soldier 2/Placidus ...... Mark Coleman
Maximus/Kaeso/M C ...... Michael Perceval Maxwell
Aquila ...... Raymond Ross
Cottia ...... Donna Morrison
Esca ...... Tony Kearney
Claudius ...... David McKail
Nissa ...... Ceit Kearney
Music composed by David Dorward.
Played by John Kenny and Jim Sutherland.
Producer: Hamish Wilson
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in June 1996.
MON 15:30 Drama on 4 (m000vrjj)
Talawa Stories: Running with Lions by Sian Davila
A British-Caribbean family struggles to come together after the death of their loved one.
With each family member dealing with grief in their own way, they experience challenges to faith and their mental health, and examine the things they do and do not say, as they rediscover the importance of love and joy. 
Written by Sian Davila.
Maxwell ...... Don Warrington
Shirley ...... Sharon D Clarke
Imani ...... Lydia West
Gloria ...... Sharon Duncan-Brewster
Joshua ...... Alfred Enoch
Talawa Theatre is the UK’s outstanding Black theatre company.
Recorded during the national lockdown and in line with Covid safe measures.
Sound Design: Steve Bond
Producer: Ifrah Ismail
Director: Michael Buffong
A Talawa Theatre / feral inc production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in May 2021.
MON 16:00 And the Academy Award Goes To... (b008vd2n)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 today]
MON 16:30 My House (b08wqlmc)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:30 today]
MON 17:00 Whodunnits (b007jzds)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
MON 17:30 Maugham's Eye View (b00lqd27)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
MON 18:00 In the Chair (b007jsx5)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
MON 18:30 Dad's Army (b007tbwz)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
MON 19:00 Ellie Taylor's Safe Space (m000yg46)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
MON 19:30 Man of Iron: Thomas Telford and the Building of Britain (b08bz7ht)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
MON 19:45 Ladies of Letters (b007k37q)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:45 today]
MON 20:00 Just a Minute (b011j7vh)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:00 today]
MON 20:30 Smelling of Roses (b00fh6w1)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:30 today]
MON 21:00 The Eagle of the Ninth by Rosemary Sutcliff (b00sh59l)
[Repeat of broadcast at 15:00 today]
MON 21:30 Drama on 4 (m000vrjj)
[Repeat of broadcast at 15:30 today]
MON 22:00 The Unbelievable Truth (m002q2rh)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
MON 22:30 Weak at the Top (b00rs8gz)
Series 1
Knowing Your Unions
Mean marketing director John Weak discovers there's nothing legally binding about a legally binding contract.
Randy, devious, sexist and workshy, John Weak puts the man into management.
Alexander Armstrong stars in Guy Browning’s sitcom.
John Weak ...... Alexander Armstrong
Hayley ...... Clare Perkins
Sir Marcus ...... Geoffrey Whitehead
Bill Peters ...... Ron Cook
Gary Peyton ...... Ewan Bailey
Giles ...... Stephen Critchlow
Producer: Jonquil Panting
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 2005.
MON 23:00 The News Quiz (m002q35z)
Series 119
3. Bored of peace
This week we'll be looking at Trump's Board of Peace and asking whether Trump is bored of peace. We'll be working out how China managed to afford to get on the central London property ladder with their new mega-embassy, and hoping that a clever cow who can use a tool to scratch its back can up its game and sort out global diplomacy before it's too late. Joining Andy to help make sense of all the madness is Lucy Porter, Alasdair Beckett-King, Stephen Bush and Shappi Khorsandi.
Written by Andy Zaltzman.
With additional material by: Christina Riggs, Cameron Loxdale, Ruth Husko and Dee Allum.
Producer: Georgia Keating
Executive Producer: James Robinson
Production Coordinator: Giulia Lopes Mazzu
Sound Editor: Marc Willcox
A BBC Studios Production for Radio 4.
MON 23:30 Nigel and Earl Sort Out the World (b008s44t)
The surreal duo are back to try to solve the globe's topical problems.
Starring Andrew Livingstone and Fine Time Fontayne.
This time, the pair take on the flagging BBC1 soap opera ‘Eldorado’ and give the Manchester Olympic bid a helping hand.
Written by Martin Jameson and Joe Turner
Nigel …. Fine Time Fontayne
Earl …. Andrew Livingstone
With
Robert Harley
Joanna Brookes
Producer: Liz Anstey
First broadcast on BBC Radio 5 in August 1992.

TUESDAY 27 JANUARY 2026

TUE 00:00 And the Academy Award Goes To... (b008vd2n)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 on Monday]
TUE 00:30 My House (b08wqlmc)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:30 on Monday]
TUE 01:00 Whodunnits (b007jzds)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 on Monday]
TUE 01:30 Maugham's Eye View (b00lqd27)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 on Monday]
TUE 02:00 In the Chair (b007jsx5)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 on Monday]
TUE 02:30 Dad's Army (b007tbwz)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 on Monday]
TUE 03:00 Ellie Taylor's Safe Space (m000yg46)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 on Monday]
TUE 03:30 Man of Iron: Thomas Telford and the Building of Britain (b08bz7ht)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 on Monday]
TUE 03:45 Ladies of Letters (b007k37q)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:45 on Monday]
TUE 04:00 Just a Minute (b011j7vh)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:00 on Monday]
TUE 04:30 Smelling of Roses (b00fh6w1)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:30 on Monday]
TUE 05:00 The Eagle of the Ninth by Rosemary Sutcliff (b00sh59l)
[Repeat of broadcast at 15:00 on Monday]
TUE 05:30 Drama on 4 (m000vrjj)
[Repeat of broadcast at 15:30 on Monday]
TUE 06:00 Whodunnits (b007jzg2)
Paul Temple and the Spencer Affair
2. Concerning Judy Milton
Paul Temple and wife Steve must uncover the link between a rare soundtrack record - and a murder.
After the untimely death of actress Mary Dreisler in her London flat, her theatre impresario father has sent for the debonair sleuth.
Starring Peter Coke and Marjorie Westbury as BBC radio's smoothest investigator and his glamorous wife.
Another baffling case of dastardly crimes must be solved.
Written by Francis Durbridge.
Paul Temple …… Peter Coke
Steve …… Marjorie Westbury
Sir Graham Forbes …… Lester Mudditt
Det Insp Vosper …… Hugh Manning
Judy Milton …… June Turbin
Adrian Frost …… Simon Lack
Rupert Dreisler …… Brewster Mason
Charlie …… James Beattie
Terry Gibson …… Isabel Dean
Peter Wallace …… Frank Partington
Other parts played by:
Will Leighton
Beryl Calder
Producer: Martyn C Webster
First broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in November 1957.
TUE 06:30 Maugham's Eye View (b00lv0y4)
2. The Vessel of Wrath
An unlikely liaison is formed in the Dutch East Indies when a lady missionary inadvertently falls for a drunken dropout.
A series of Somerset Maugham short stories dramatised by Neville Teller.
Dirk Bogarde is the narrator.
Martha Jones ...... Anna Massey
Ginger Ted ...... Bill Nighy
Dutch Controleur ...... Timothy Spall
Mr Jones ...... David Timson
Engineer ...... Andrew Branch
Islander ...... Roger May
Director: Janet Whitaker
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 1996.
TUE 07:00 Oh Mother! (m002qhyy)
The Flat
Daughter Beverley decides she wants to move out. How will her mum Nelly react?
Starring Mollie Sugden and Patricia Brake.
Christopher Sykes' sitcom about a 38 year old woman still living at home with her mum in Purley, in the Surrey commuter-belt for London.
Nelly …. Mollie Sugden
Beverley …. Patricia Brake
Arthur Dodds …. Wilfrid Brambell
Doctor Park …. Denis Ramsden
Producer: Martin Fisher
First broadcast on BBC Radio 2 in April 1980.
**** Sadly not all episodes have survived in the BBC archive.
TUE 07:30 The Goon Show (b00j5h2x)
Series 9
Ned's Atomic Dustbin
Number 10 is keen to secure a nuclear-free rubbish capability, but so is the Kremlin...
Groundbreaking, surreal BBC radio comedy written by Spike Milligan.
Starring:
Peter Sellers
Harry Secombe
Spike Milligan
First billed as Crazy People, ten series of The Goon Show were recorded between 1951 and 1960, but sadly many of the earliest shows weren’t kept in the archive.
With the Ray Ellington Quartet and Max Geldray.
Orchestra conducted by Wally Stott.
Announcer: Wallace Greenslade
Producer: John Browell
First broadcast on the BBC Home Service in January 1959
TUE 08:00 Jack & Millie (b08fh65p)
Pilot: Kafka Died at 39
A phone, a strudel and Franz Kafka combine to make Jack and Millie's day rather complicated.
Jeremy Front's comedy about an older couple getting to grips with a French daughter-in-law, gassy beer, Eye-Closing Leon and a married lifetime's-worth of verbal sparring.
Starring Jeremy Front and Rebecca Front.
So Millie's son Melvin has given her a new tablet with a voice recorder?
Suddenly Jack and Millie have decided to record everything that happens to them? And for this, we should be grateful?
Well yes! Because this is a comedy written by Jeremy Front (writer of the BBC's Charles Paris mysteries) about a Jack and Millie Lemman who are fully engaged with contemporary life whilst at war with the absurdities of the modern world.
Jack ...... Jeremy Front
Millie ...... Rebecca Front
Shirley ...... Tracy-Ann Oberman
Harry ...... Andy Nyman
Melvin ...... Harry Peacock
Delphine ...... Jenny Bede
Carrie ...... Sue Kelvin
Lindsay ...... Rachel Stubbings
Producer: David Tyler
A Pozzitive production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in February 2017.
TUE 08:30 Man of Iron: Thomas Telford and the Building of Britain (b08cv1xh)
2. London Town
After completing his apprenticeship to a stonemason in Langholm, Thomas Telford left for London in 1782.
He carried letters of introduction to the two leading architects of the day: Robert Adam and William Chambers.
But success eluded him in the metropolis.
Instead, he found it in Shropshire, thanks to another Borders' contact, Sir William Pulteney, who invited him to work on the reconstruction of Shrewsbury Castle.
This led on to his appointment as county surveyor and soon Telford was working on a huge number of public and private properties.
Julian Glover's first full modern biography of Thomas Telford: a shepherd's son, who revolutionised British engineering and set the stage for the Industrial Revolution.
Read by Robin Laing.
Abridged by David Jackson Young
Producer: Kirsteen Cameron.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 2017.
TUE 08:45 Ladies of Letters (b007jrp3)
Ladies of Letters.com
7. The Poem
Irene apologises to Vera for her rude email about Howard.
But will she accept?
Starring Patricia Routledge and Prunella Scales.
Vera Small and Irene Spencer continue to conduct their long friendship through a candid and not uncritical email correspondence.
Written by Lou Wakefield and Carole Hayman.
Vera …. Patricia Routledge
Irene …. Prunella Scales
Karen …. Julia Ford
Lesley …. Kate Gartside
Howard …. Christopher Kelham
Director: Paul Miller
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 2000.
TUE 09:00 You Heard It Here First (m002q2jv)
Series 3
2. 'They've Gone, Chris'
Chris McCausland asks Frank Skinner and Dianne Buswell to take on Ivo Graham and Bella Hull. The teams must figure out what on earth is being advertised on TV, guess what famous objects or locations children are trying to describe, and guess how different monkeys are feeling based on sound alone.
Producer: Sasha Bobak
Assistant Producer: Eve Delaney
Executive Producer: Pete Strauss
Production Coordinator: Jodie Charman
A BBC Studios Production.
TUE 09:30 Taking Issue with Shakespeare (m001l27b)
2. Hamlet and Toxic Masculinity
Major public figures, in conversation with Professor Emma Smith, explore whether Shakespeare might help us resolve some challenging contemporary issues.
Emma sets out to persuade Will Self that the kind of toxic masculinity expressed by the self-professed misogynist Andrew Tate finds a chilling counterpart in the misogynist play and character, Hamlet.
Initially, Will is not convinced, but a lively discussion ensues in which the two agree on one thing - the profound impact in Shakespeare’s era of non-gendered child-rearing until the age of seven followed by the “breeching” of boys, which separated them from women and children into their adult lives.
With contributions from Professor Paul Prescott.
Producer: Beaty Rubens
Made to mark the 400th anniversary of the First Folio.
A Just Radio production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in May 2023.
TUE 09:45 Daily Service (m002qhz1)
Honest to God - Holocaust - Honest Lament
A space for spiritual reflection with a Bible reading, prayer and a range of Christian music.
Theme: Honest to God - Holocaust - Honest Lament
Presenter: Bishop David Walker
Reading: Psalm 77
Music:
Breathe on me Breath of God (Ronald Foot)- St Martin's Voices
In Remembrance (Eleanor Daley) - St Martin's Voices
I'll bid my heart be still - Philip Dukes
My song is love unknown - Guildford Cathedral Choir
TUE 10:00 A Good Read (m000g3jp)
Henry Normal & Bobby Seagull
Maths genius Bobby Seagull and poet and comedy writer Henry Normal join presenter Harriett Gilbert to discuss their favourite books by Richard Bach, Brian Bilston and William Golding.
Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach
Publisher: Thorsons
Diary of a Somebody by Brian Bilston
Publisher: Picador
Lord of the Flies by William Golding
Publisher: Faber
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 2020.
TUE 10:30 Words, Words, Words (b00vlv2c)
Sue Perkins explores the house of Samuel Johnson - author of 'A Dictionary of the English Language'.
Published in 1755, this book was to set the standard for all future dictionaries.
Comedian Sue also pays a visit to the British Library for a whirlwind tour of the earliest English dictionaries, with all their attendant quirks and oddities.
With:
* Biographer, Henry Hitchens
* Oxford English Dictionary Editor, John Simpson
* Antiquarian bookseller, Karen Thomson
Producer: Sarah Jane Hall
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 2009.
TUE 11:00 Whodunnits (b007jzg2)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
TUE 11:30 Maugham's Eye View (b00lv0y4)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
TUE 12:00 Oh Mother! (m002qhyy)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
TUE 12:30 The Goon Show (b00j5h2x)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
TUE 13:00 Jack & Millie (b08fh65p)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
TUE 13:30 Man of Iron: Thomas Telford and the Building of Britain (b08cv1xh)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
TUE 13:45 Ladies of Letters (b007jrp3)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:45 today]
TUE 14:00 Hidden Treasures (b0546cwh)
Harewood House
Undiscovered treasures and porcelain posers.
Enthusiasts and experts come together at Harewood House in West Yorkshire, which is crammed with a fine collection of Chippendale furniture.
Lars Tharp chairs the light-hearted antiques quiz.
With:
Philippa Glanville
Henry Sandon
Producer: Annie Bristow
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 1998.
TUE 14:30 Ring Around the Bath (b00p4yp8)
Series 1
The Older Man
Alison has a new boyfriend.
Patrick is delighted but will the others take to her new man as well?
Lucy Clare and Ian Davidson's sitcom about a rather topsy turvy household.
Starring Duncan Preston and Penny Downie.
Stella tries to dejunk the house. Everything useless must go, including her grown-up kids.
Patrick ...... Duncan Preston
Stella ...... Penny Downie
Alison ...... Claudie Blakely
Rick ...... Bruce McKinnon
Egg ...... Daniela Denby-Ashe
Xanthe ...... Catherine Shepherd
Ken.........Andrew Westfield
Producer: Elizabeth Freestone
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 2003.
TUE 15:00 The Eagle of the Ninth by Rosemary Sutcliff (b00shkbx)
2. The Hunter
Marcus, disguised as a travelling oculist, travels north with Esca.
They encounter a survivor of the destruction of the Ninth Legion who tells Marcus where the Eagle may be...
Rosemary Sutcliff's great historical adventure novel, dramatised by Sean Damer.
Recorded on location in Scotland.
Marcus ...... Tom Smith
Drussilus ...... Paul Morrow
Guern ...... Frederick Jaeger
Dergdian ...... Dommnall Ruadh
Lianthan ...... Callum MacKinnon
Esca ...... Tony Kearney
Fionhula ...... Ceit Kearney
Tradui ...... Finlay Welsh
Music composed by David Dorward.
Played by John Kenny and Jim Sutherland.
Producer: Hamish Wilson
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in June 1996.
TUE 15:30 Drama on 4 (m000vz8v)
Talawa Stories: NSA by Charles Entsie
Set within the charged confines of a car, a clandestine encounter between two Black men leads to far more than either had bargained for.
Each man must come to terms with their identities and very different life trajectories.
Written by Charles Entsie.
Man ...... Don Gilet
Boy ...... Idris Debrand
Talawa Theatre is the UK’s outstanding Black theatre company.
Recorded during the national lockdown and in line with Covid safe measures.
Sound Design: Steve Bond
Producer: Alison Holder
Director: Jade Lewis
A Talawa Theatre / feral inc production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in May 2021.
TUE 16:00 A Good Read (m000g3jp)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 today]
TUE 16:30 Words, Words, Words (b00vlv2c)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:30 today]
TUE 17:00 Whodunnits (b007jzg2)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
TUE 17:30 Maugham's Eye View (b00lv0y4)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
TUE 18:00 Oh Mother! (m002qhyy)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
TUE 18:30 The Goon Show (b00j5h2x)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
TUE 19:00 Jack & Millie (b08fh65p)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
TUE 19:30 Man of Iron: Thomas Telford and the Building of Britain (b08cv1xh)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
TUE 19:45 Ladies of Letters (b007jrp3)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:45 today]
TUE 20:00 Hidden Treasures (b0546cwh)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:00 today]
TUE 20:30 Ring Around the Bath (b00p4yp8)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:30 today]
TUE 21:00 The Eagle of the Ninth by Rosemary Sutcliff (b00shkbx)
[Repeat of broadcast at 15:00 today]
TUE 21:30 Drama on 4 (m000vz8v)
[Repeat of broadcast at 15:30 today]
TUE 22:00 You Heard It Here First (m002q2jv)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
TUE 22:30 Goodness Gracious Me (b007jwnv)
Series 2
Episode 1
A Buddhist pest control expert is hampered by his unwillingness to actually kill pests - "I intend to make the mice think about their actions" - plus TV's Masterchef with a twist.
Starring:
Sanjeev Bhaskar
Kulvinder Ghir
Nitin Sawhney
Meera Syal
Nina Wadia
Gold Winner of the Sony Radio Academy Awards. The sketch comedy show originally ran on BBC Radio 4 from 1996 to 1998, later transferring to TV on BBC TWO from 1998 to 2001.
Written by Richard Pinto, Sharat Sardana, Meera Syal, Sanjeev Bhaskar and Sanjeev Kohli.
Script Editor: Sharat Sardana
Producer: Anil Gupta.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 1997.
TUE 23:00 Susan Calman - Keep Calman Carry On (b073j5cg)
Series 1
Hillwalking with Muriel Gray
Susan Calman is the least relaxed person she knows.
She has no down time, no hobbies (unless you count dressing up your cats in silly outfits) and her idea of relaxation is to play Grand Theft Auto, an hour into which she is in a murderous rage with sky high blood pressure.
Her wife had to threaten to divorce her to make her go on holiday last year. Her first for four years. But she's been told by the same long-suffering wife, that unless she finds a way to switch off, and soon, she's going to be unbearable.
So Susan is looking at her options to try and immerse herself in the pursuits that her friends find relaxing, to find her inner zen and outer tranquillity.
Can she ditch the old Susan Calman and attempt to find the new Susan Calm?
For her first attempt, Susan tries to learn how to unwind, by going hillwalking with Muriel Gray.
Keep Calman Carry On is an audience stand up show in which Susan reports on how successful she's been - both at relaxing and at the pursuit itself - as well as playing in and discussing a handful of illustrative clips from her efforts.
It's an attempt to find out how people find solace or sanctuary in these worlds and how Susan can negotiate her own place in them.
Producer: Lyndsay Fenner.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 2016.
TUE 23:30 Will Smith Presents the Tao of Bergerac (b007tz8w)
1. Justice
Jersey-born comedian Will Smith is obsessed with 1980s BBC TV detective series Bergerac.
So when he found an audio book of John Nettles reading the ancient Chinese text of the Tao, it's become a guiding force to navigate the minefield of his life.
For starters, Will is seeking justice.
With:
Adam Buxton
Matt Holness
Simon Greenall
Dan Tetsell
John Nettles
Written by Will Smith and Roger Drew.
Producer: Tilusha Ghelani
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 2007.

WEDNESDAY 28 JANUARY 2026

WED 00:00 A Good Read (m000g3jp)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 on Tuesday]
WED 00:30 Words, Words, Words (b00vlv2c)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:30 on Tuesday]
WED 01:00 Whodunnits (b007jzg2)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 on Tuesday]
WED 01:30 Maugham's Eye View (b00lv0y4)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 on Tuesday]
WED 02:00 Oh Mother! (m002qhyy)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 on Tuesday]
WED 02:30 The Goon Show (b00j5h2x)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 on Tuesday]
WED 03:00 Jack & Millie (b08fh65p)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 on Tuesday]
WED 03:30 Man of Iron: Thomas Telford and the Building of Britain (b08cv1xh)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 on Tuesday]
WED 03:45 Ladies of Letters (b007jrp3)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:45 on Tuesday]
WED 04:00 Hidden Treasures (b0546cwh)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:00 on Tuesday]
WED 04:30 Ring Around the Bath (b00p4yp8)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:30 on Tuesday]
WED 05:00 The Eagle of the Ninth by Rosemary Sutcliff (b00shkbx)
[Repeat of broadcast at 15:00 on Tuesday]
WED 05:30 Drama on 4 (m000vz8v)
[Repeat of broadcast at 15:30 on Tuesday]
WED 06:00 Whodunnits (b007jzhb)
Paul Temple and the Spencer Affair
3. Introducing Pete Roberts
The debonair sleuth is threatened with a revolver - and there's a fresh lead in the hunt for the killer of actress Mary Dreisler.
Francis Durbridge's thriller starring Peter Coke and Marjorie Westbury in another intriguing case for BBC radio's smoothest investigator and his glamorous wife.
Paul Temple ...... Peter Coke
Steve ...... Marjorie Westbury
Det Insp Vosper ...... Hugh Manning
Sir Graham Forbes ...... Lester Mudditt
Charlie ...... James Beattie
Adrian Frost ...... Simon Lack
Peter Wallace ...... Frank Partington
Terry Gibson ...... Isabel Dean
Warren ...... James Thomason
Pete Roberts. ...... Thomas Heathcote
Rupert Dreisler ...... Brewster Mason
Police Sergeant ...... Frank Windsor
Eric Lansdale ...... John Graham
Producer: Martyn C Webster
First broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in November 1957.
WED 06:30 Maugham's Eye View (b00lwx7b)
3. The Round Dozen
With 11 wives behind him, the celebrated bigamist, Mortimer Ells is looking to complete the dozen.
A series of Somerset Maugham short stories dramatised by Neville Teller.
Dirk Bogarde is the narrator.
Mortimer Ellis ...... Michael Williams
Miss Porchester ...... Joanna David
Mr St Clair ...... Denys Hawthorne
Mrs St Clair ...... Zulema Dene
Other parts played by:
Jane Whittenshaw
Paul Jenkins
Stephen Critchlow
Caroline Strong
Director: Janet Whitaker
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 1996.
WED 07:00 If You're So Clever, Why Aren't You Rich? (b00sttpy)
Series 3
Riot Grrrl!
The three London flatmates Judith, David and Giles enter a magazine writing competition - and one of them wins.
Starring Tony Slattery, Paul Bigley and Amanda Root.
Comedy drama series about three promising graduates still underachieving in their 30s.
Written by Paul Shearer and Richard Turner.
Giles ...... Tony Slattery
David ...... Paul Bigley
Judith ...... Amanda Root
Other parts played by:
Paul Shearer
Richard Turner
Janet Ellis
Sue Elliott-Nicholls
Debra Stephenson
Producer: Paul Schlesinger
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in June 1998.
WED 07:30 Hancock's Half Hour (b007jppj)
Series 6
Sid's Mystery Tours
Sid persuades the Lad to become a director of his guided tours company.
But there's a snag..!
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
Warren Mitchell
Mavis Villers
Errol McKinnon
Theme and incidental music composed and conducted by Wally Stott.
Producer: Tom Ronald
First broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in November 1959.
WED 08:00 Plum House (b07j571n)
Series 1
Peter vs Prynne
Tom has organised a special summer event and invited the great and good from the world of George Pudding scholarship to gather round the museum's celebrated plum tree.
It's bound to be a day to remember. But with Peter encountering his arch nemesis - the unbearably pompous Mungo Prynne (Roger Allam), Julian upsetting a neighbouring farmer and Emma rather enjoying the plum punch, will it be remembered for the right reasons?
Starring Simon Callow, Miles Jupp and Jane Horrocks.
Comedy about the inept staff at an historic house written by Ben Cottam and Paul McKenna
Every year thousands of tourists flock to the Lake District. But one place they never go to is Plum House - the former country home of terrible poet George Pudding (1779-1848). Now a crumbling museum, losing money hand over fist, it struggles to stay open under its eccentric curator Peter Knight (Simon Callow).
Can anyone save Plum House from irreversible decline?
Peter ...... Simon Callow
Julian ...... Miles Jupp
Maureen ...... Jane Horrocks
Tom ...... Tom Bell
Alan ...... Pearce Quigley
Emma ...... Louise Ford
Mungo Prynne ...... Roger Allam
Barry Bunting ...... Sean Gilder
Director: Paul Schlesinger
A Hat Trick production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in July 2016.
WED 08:30 Man of Iron: Thomas Telford and the Building of Britain (b08cv2fx)
3. Masterpiece
Thomas Telford's extraordinary career reached its zenith with the construction of the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct, begun in 1795 and opened in 1805.
Still in use today, carrying the Llangollen Canal, it towers 100 feet high and a 1,000 feet long over the valley of the River Dee. Built with simple technology, no safety ropes and no experience of building anything so high, unusual care was paid to protecting the workforce: only one man died during construction (and that death was thought to be due to carelessness).
It is seen as Telford's masterpiece and he chose it above all of his creations as the background to his official portrait in the Institution of Civil Engineers.
Julian Glover has written the first full modern biography of Thomas Telford: a shepherd's son, who revolutionised British engineering and set the stage for the Industrial Revolution.
Read by Robin Laing.
Abridged by David Jackson Young
Producer: Kirsteen Cameron.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 2017.
WED 08:45 Ladies of Letters (b007k39j)
Ladies of Letters.com
8. Homeward Bound
Confusing emails fly rapidly between Irene and Vera. Is Lesley marrying or not?
Starring Patricia Routledge and Prunella Scales, two much-loved actresses who passed away in October last year.
Vera Small and Irene Spencer continue to conduct their long friendship through a candid and not uncritical correspondence, this time via email.
Vera …. Patricia Routledge
Irene …. Prunella Scales
Karen …. Julia Ford
Lesley …. Kate Gartside
Howard …. Christopher Kelham
Written by Lou Wakefield and Carole Hayman.
Director: Paul Miller
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 2000.
WED 09:00 Stand-Up Specials (m002q2ms)
Why in the Name of Pierre Novellie
3. Why Am I British?
In this episode all about what makes us British, Pierre examines key topics such as the bowler hat, the Taliban, what Switzerland gets wrong about sex and the right way to decorate a pavement on a Saturday night.
As Pierre says -
“I’m delighted to be given the chance to perform my own comedy on the BBC, the original source of my obsession with comedy as a child. It’s a chance to bring my stand up to a hypothetically grateful nation.”
Written and performed by Pierre Novellie and produced & directed by David Tyler (“Cabin Pressure”, “One Person Found This Helpful”, “Armando Iannucci’s Charm Offensive” etc)
A Pozzitive production for the BBC
www.pozzitive.co.uk
WED 09:30 Taking Issue with Shakespeare (m001l27w)
3. As You Like It and Town and Country
Major public figures in conversation with Professor Emma Smith, explore how Shakespeare can help us resolve some challenging contemporary issues.
Emma Smith reflects on how Covid led people to move from the city to the country and on why some are now opting to return to the city.
With her international career as a star of television, film and theatre, Fiona Shaw divides her time between New York, London, Sri Lanka and her native Cork. She and Emma share their thoughts on the transformative potential which Shakespeare’s Forest of Arden seems to provide in a play such as As You Like It.
Although the grass often appears to be greener in this so-called “green world”, they wonder why characters almost always return to the city in the end, and what this means particularly for women such as Rosalind, whose time in Arden has appeared to be so transformative.
With contributions from Professor Paul Prescott.
Producer: Beaty Rubens
Made to mark the 400th anniversary of the First Folio.
A Just Radio production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in May 2023.
WED 09:45 Daily Service (m002qjb8)
Honest to God - Honest complaints
A space for spiritual reflection with a Bible reading, prayer and a range of Christian music.
Theme: Honest to God - Honest complaints
Presenter: Georgia Clarke
Reading: Jonah 4
Music:
O God our help in ages past - The Priory Singers
Dear Lord and Father - Daily Service Singers
O love that wilt not let me go - Daily Service Singers
WED 10:00 Archive on 4 (m0015kqr)
Lines of Duty
The extraordinary untold story of a very British hero. A man called Reg, who risked his life and liberty to save Britain’s railways. The secret document he leaked became known as Britain’s Pentagon Papers - and what started out as an attempt to expose the truth soon became a fight for the freedom of the press.
Fifty years on, Lines of Duty tells the incredible story using the whistleblower’s own unpublished account, brought to life by actor Toby Jones, alongside interviews with many of those involved.
Presented by railway historian and broadcaster Tim Dunn, this remarkable tale lifts the lid on the world of Government secrets, espionage and an undercover fightback by a group of railway enthusiasts.
With contributions from Chris Dawson, Ian Yearsley, Chris Bushell, Leslie Huckfield, Colin Hope, Diane Drummond and Lord Faulkner of Worcester.
Presented by Tim Dunn.
Original music by Brollyman
Producer: Phil Higginson
A Yellow Barrels / Terrier Production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in March 2022.
WED 11:00 Whodunnits (b007jzhb)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
WED 11:30 Maugham's Eye View (b00lwx7b)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
WED 12:00 If You're So Clever, Why Aren't You Rich? (b00sttpy)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
WED 12:30 Hancock's Half Hour (b007jppj)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
WED 13:00 Plum House (b07j571n)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
WED 13:30 Man of Iron: Thomas Telford and the Building of Britain (b08cv2fx)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
WED 13:45 Ladies of Letters (b007k39j)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:45 today]
WED 14:00 The Write Stuff (m0009brh)
Series 3
4. Kingsley Amis
James Walton tests Sebastian Faulks, John Walsh, Lynne Truss and Sue Limb in the game of literary correctness.
Author of the week: Chaucer
Reader: Beth Chalmers
Producer: Dawn Ellis
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 2000.
WED 14:30 Alison and Maud (b007k1w7)
Series 1
Fishing for Compliments
Is there something fishy about Bernard, apart from his VAT returns?
Bed and Breakfast for Beginners. First of two series of Sue Limb's sitcom about events at the Abbeyfield Guest House in Norwich.
Starring Denise Coffey and Miriam Margolyes as sisters Alison and Maud.
Alison …. Denise Coffey
Maud …. Miriam Margolyes
Father …. Joss Ackland
Mr Mullett …. Chris Emmett
Bernard …. Geoffrey Whitehead
Marina …. Phyllida Nash
Producer: Jonathan James-Moore
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 2002.
WED 15:00 The Eagle of the Ninth by Rosemary Sutcliff (b00shp2n)
3. The Lost Eagle
Marcus, disguised as Demetrius, and Esca stay with the Epidii for a few weeks.
Using his local knowledge, Esca locates the Eagle of the Ninth deep in the Epidii's barrow.
But can they retrieve it without being caught by Dergdian and his warriors?
Marcus ...... Tom Smith
Esca ...... Tony Kearney
Guern ...... Frederick Jaeger
Dergdian ...... Dommnall Ruadh
Lianthan ...... Callum MacKinnon
Woman ...... Ceit Kearney
Headman ...... Finlay Welsh
Producer: Hamish Wilson
A CBBC production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in June 1996.
WED 15:30 Drama on 4 (m000w5w0)
Talawa Stories: Precious Little Thing by Roberta Livingston
A humorous and heartfelt comedy that explores womanhood, class and how being let down by the system leads to heart-breaking choices.
Willow and Nicole's journeys collide in the dead of night when they unexpectedly meet in the garden of a London mansion. Both desiring something from inside No. 92, they join forces to break in.
But once they do, and get caught by the Nanny Bian, it's soon revealed that they haven't been completely honest with each other.
Nicole ...... Jocelyn Jee Esien
Willow ...... Jacoba Williams
Bian ...... Tuyen Do
Written by Roberta Livingston
Sound Design: Steve Bond
Producer: Ifrah Ismail
Director: Anastasia Osei-Kuffour
A Talawa Theatre / feral inc production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in May 2021.
WED 16:00 Archive on 4 (m0015kqr)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 today]
WED 17:00 Whodunnits (b007jzhb)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
WED 17:30 Maugham's Eye View (b00lwx7b)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
WED 18:00 If You're So Clever, Why Aren't You Rich? (b00sttpy)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
WED 18:30 Hancock's Half Hour (b007jppj)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
WED 19:00 Plum House (b07j571n)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
WED 19:30 Man of Iron: Thomas Telford and the Building of Britain (b08cv2fx)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
WED 19:45 Ladies of Letters (b007k39j)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:45 today]
WED 20:00 The Write Stuff (m0009brh)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:00 today]
WED 20:30 Alison and Maud (b007k1w7)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:30 today]
WED 21:00 The Eagle of the Ninth by Rosemary Sutcliff (b00shp2n)
[Repeat of broadcast at 15:00 today]
WED 21:30 Drama on 4 (m000w5w0)
[Repeat of broadcast at 15:30 today]
WED 22:00 Stand-Up Specials (m002q2ms)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
WED 22:30 A World of Dowie (m00175m2)
1. Relationships
Enter a brave new world created and presented by John Dowie.
For starters, it's time to enter the minefield of relationships.
With:
Jim Sweeney
Steve Steen
Cathryn Harrison
Music from the Ronnie Golden Small Band.
Producer: Paul Mayhew-Archer
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 1991.
WED 23:00 Jamie MacDonald: Life on the Blink (m000wc63)
Series 1
Love Is Blind
Jamie MacDonald is a Glaswegian stand-up comedian who found himself rapidly going blind in his teens. This series shows how Jamie used humour to turn denial into acceptance.
He managed to find the spotlight as the darkness descended and has turned some pretty dark experiences into hilarious stories and anecdotes.
This time he tackles the topic of disability allowance.
Produced by Julia Sutherland
A Dabster production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in May 2021.
WED 23:15 Damien Slash (b08wphwm)
The Damien Slash Mixtape. Series 1
Episode 4
Multi-character YouTube star Damien Slash makes the move from online to BBC Radio, in this fast-paced, one-man sketch comedy show.
From the surreal to the satirical, from the zeitgeist to the absurd, Damien serves up a range of high octane characters, all from his own voice. Adverts, actors, hipsters, trolls - no aspect of modern life is left un-skewered.
Written by and starring Damien Slash (aka Daniel Barker).
Additional material by Robin Morgan.
Producer: Sam Bryant
A BBC Studios production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in June 2017.
WED 23:30 The Skewer (m002q2n6)
Series 15
3. Greenland, Traitors, and Trump
This week, Trump vs The World, Jenrick The Secret Traitor, No Way Nobel, and Peace Board Assemble!
The four-time Gold Comedy winner at the Radio Academy Awards returns as Jon Holmes mashes up news with pop-culture into a current affairs comedy concept album.
Producer: Jon Holmes
An unusual production for BBC Radio 4
WED 23:45 Holland's Shorts (m001nn84)
Episode 3
Dominic ponders the imponderables such as using mobile phones on airplanes and inset days.
Written by and starring Dominic Holland.
With:
Margaret Cabourn-Smith
Martin Hyder
Ed Weeks
Music by Jim Howard.
Producer: Victoria Lloyd
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 2006.

THURSDAY 29 JANUARY 2026

THU 00:00 Archive on 4 (m0015kqr)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 on Wednesday]
THU 01:00 Whodunnits (b007jzhb)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 on Wednesday]
THU 01:30 Maugham's Eye View (b00lwx7b)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 on Wednesday]
THU 02:00 If You're So Clever, Why Aren't You Rich? (b00sttpy)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 on Wednesday]
THU 02:30 Hancock's Half Hour (b007jppj)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 on Wednesday]
THU 03:00 Plum House (b07j571n)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 on Wednesday]
THU 03:30 Man of Iron: Thomas Telford and the Building of Britain (b08cv2fx)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 on Wednesday]
THU 03:45 Ladies of Letters (b007k39j)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:45 on Wednesday]
THU 04:00 The Write Stuff (m0009brh)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:00 on Wednesday]
THU 04:30 Alison and Maud (b007k1w7)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:30 on Wednesday]
THU 05:00 The Eagle of the Ninth by Rosemary Sutcliff (b00shp2n)
[Repeat of broadcast at 15:00 on Wednesday]
THU 05:30 Drama on 4 (m000w5w0)
[Repeat of broadcast at 15:30 on Wednesday]
THU 06:00 Whodunnits (b007jzjl)
Paul Temple and the Spencer Affair
4. That Old Intuition
The suave amateur detective confronts theatre impresario Rupert Dreisler - and fears for his wife Steve.
Francis Durbridge's thriller starring Peter Coke and Marjorie Westbury in another intriguing case for BBC radio's smoothest investigator and his glamorous wife.
Paul Temple ...... Peter Coke
Steve ...... Marjorie Westbury
Sir Graham Forbes ...... Lester Mudditt
Rupert Dreisler ...... Brewster Mason
Pete Roberts ...... Thomas Heathcote
Terry Gibson ...... Isabel Dean
Adrian Frost ...... Simon Lack
Charlie ...... James Beattie
Clutch Brompton ...... Lockwood West
Other parts played by:
Molly Rankin
David Spenser
Beryl Calder
Producer: Martyn C Webster
First broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in December 1957.
THU 06:30 Maugham's Eye View (b00m0gf6)
4. Footprints in the Jungle
A charming couple at the bridge table in the Malaysian country club turn out to have a murder in their past.
A series of Somerset Maugham short stories dramatised by Neville Teller.
Dirk Bogarde is the narrator.
Mrs Cartwright ...... Patricia Hodge
Mr Cartwright ...... David Collings
Gaze ...... Geoffrey Whitehead
Ling Su ...... Benedict Wong
Other parts played by:
John Hartley
Tracy Wiles
Caroline Strong
Stephen Critchlow
Roger May
Director: Janet Whitaker
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 1996.
THU 07:00 Yes Minister (b007jznv)
Series 1
The Devil You Know
Cabinet reshuffle rumours unsettle MP Jim Hacker and Sir Humphrey
Starring Paul Eddington, Nigel Hawthorne and Derek Fowlds.
Antony Jay and Jonathan’s Lynn satirical sitcom ran on BBC TV between 1980 and 1984.
Yes Minister is centred around the hapless Jim Hacker and a collection of civil service underlings headed by the Machiavellian Sir Humphrey Appleby and obsequious Bernard.
Jim Hacker …. Paul Eddington
Sir Humphrey Appleby …. Nigel Hawthorne
Bernard …. Derek Fowlds
Annie …. Diana Hoddinott
Sir Arnold …. John Nettleton
George …. Arthur Cox
Waiter …. Stuart Organ
Adapted for radio by producer Pete Atkin.
First broadcast on Radio 4 in December 1983.
THU 07:30 Give Or Take (m001090j)
5. Making Headlines
Bank clerk Sam Baker has won a fortune on the football pools, but his family think he's burned the cheque...
Wally K Daly's sitcom starring David Roper and Sharon Duce.
Sam …… David Roper
Annabel …… Sharon Duce
Fred …… Bill Owen
Rose …… Patsy Rowlands
Postman …… Richard Davies
Bank Manager …… John Horsley
Announcer: Peter Donaldson
Theme music by Jim Parker.
Producer: John Fawcett Wilson.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 1980.
THU 08:00 All Those Women (b06d2fxv)
Series 1
Episode 3
Hetty's old diaries turn up some uncomfortable home truths for Maggie, who sets out to challenge herself and prove things have changed.
Comedy series by Katherine Jakeways about four generations of women living under one roof.
Hetty, Maggie, Jen and Emily struggle to resolve their own problems, and support one another.
Hetty ...... Sheila Hancock
Maggie ...... Lesley Manville
Jen ...... Sinead Matthews
Emily ...... Lucy Hutchinson
Stu ...... Chris Pavlo
Pat ...... Katherine Jakeways
Layla ...... Katie Redford
Announcement ...... George Watkins
Delivery Man ...... George Watkins
Instructor ...... George Watkins
Script editor: Richard Turner
Producer: Alexandra Smith
A BBC Radio Comedy production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in September 2015.
THU 08:30 Man of Iron: Thomas Telford and the Building of Britain (b08cv2jf)
4. Telford On Tour
After the completion of his masterpiece, the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct in North Wales in 1805, Telford spent the next 30 years of his life involved in a vast range of works up and down the country.
These included the construction of over a thousand bridges; 1200 miles of good road across tough terrain; 43 harbours and fishing ports (from Wick to St Katherine's Docks in London); canals throughout England; and the great new road across Wales to the Menai Bridge and Holyhead.
In particular, his new roads and bridges revolutionised access to the Scottish Highlands, and in 1819 Telford embarked upon a 'promotional tour' of the north of Scotland in the company of the Poet Laureate Robert Southey.
But the Highlands were also the location of one of the great struggles of Telford's career: the Caledonian Canal (designed to link Inverness on the east coast with Fort William on the west). Begun in 1804, construction was slow, difficult and costs kept rising; it was not completed until 1822 - and Telford did not attend the formal opening ceremony.
Julian Glover has written the first full modern biography of Thomas Telford: a shepherd's son, who revolutionised British engineering and set the stage for the Industrial Revolution.
Read by Robin Laing.
Abridged by David Jackson Young
Producer: Kirsteen Cameron.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 2017.
THU 08:45 Ladies of Letters (b007k3bf)
Ladies of Letters.com
9. Brett
Mystery over Irene's burglary, happenings at The Bothy and Karen's whereabouts.
Starring Patricia Routledge and Prunella Scales, two much-loved actresses who passed away in October last year.
Vera Small and Irene Spencer continue to conduct their long friendship through a candid and not uncritical correspondence, this time via email.
Vera …. Patricia Routledge
Irene …. Prunella Scales
Karen …. Julia Ford
Lesley …. Kate Gartside
Howard …. Christopher Kelham
Written by Lou Wakefield and Carole Hayman.
Director: Paul Miller
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 2000.
THU 09:00 What's the Story, Ashley Storrie? (m002q39l)
Series 3
3. Fan Friction
It’s hard navigating the loss of a parent, but when your mum was a famous comedian whose parasocial relationship with her fans blurred the boundaries between personal and private, things can get truly wierrrd.
Ashley finds her grief – and outfit choice - under scrutiny, as she wins a clutch of coveted awards, just week after her mum dies. As an autistic woman who finds being all emotional “gross” and prefers to be be funny rather than talk about how she really feels, she finds herself being glib when answering journalists demented questions, and bemused as an old Ozzie comedian calls to say he’s being haunted by the ghost of her dead mum. Apparently, she really wants Ashley to read his script. Cool.
She’s kept busy dodging her feelings (and the demands of bereaved fans), pondering whether she can one-up the ‘dead mum’ fringe show with merch, and fantasy and reality collide as she finds herself face-to-face with the real-life hunks that inspired some of her wildly popular, but very spicy fictional works…
Produced by Julia Sutherland
Sound Design by Sean Kerwin
A Dabster production for BBC Radio 4
THU 09:30 Taking Issue with Shakespeare (m001l2gh)
4. Macbeth and Monarchy
Major public figures, in conversation with Professor Emma Smith, explore whether Shakespeare might help us resolve some challenging contemporary issues.
Mercy Muroki is a Policy Fellow for the Minister for Women and Equalities, Kemi Badenoch. She is also a passionate royalist who believes in “full-fat” pageantry rather than a slimmed-down version.
On the eve of the coronation of King Charles, Mercy discusses with Emma what kind of monarchy is most likely to unite the nation – a somewhat distant figure, such as Queen Elizabeth II, or a more contemporary hands-on monarch. Might Shakespeare’s description in Macbeth of an ideal king or his depiction of Richard II when stripped of all regalia, help them decide?

With contributions from Professor Paul Prescott
Producer: Beaty Rubens
Made to mark the 400th anniversary of the First Folio.
A Just Radio production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in May 2023.
THU 09:45 Daily Service (m002qjfp)
Honest to God - Honest tears
A space for spiritual reflection with a Bible reading, prayer and a range of Christian music.
Theme: Honest to God - Honest tears
Presenter: Isabelle Hamley.
Reading: Luke 7:36-50
THU 10:00 Great Lives (b008nz63)
Groucho Marx
His wit was acerbic and razor-sharp, and he conquered stage, screen, radio and television in a career that spanned five decades.
But after three marriages and as many divorces, did this great comic lead a truly great life?
Documentary film maker Roger Graef joins Matthew Parris to champion Groucho's claim to greatness. With Glenn Mitchell.
Producer: John Byrne
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2008.
THU 10:30 Art of Living (b09h361g)
When Words Fail, Music Speaks
Producer Peter Curran and Blanche Girouard, who teaches in a mainstream school, capture an extraordinary musical collaboration between school pupils with complex educational needs and professional musicians (William Carslake and Patrick Stockbridge), as they create and perform an original show together.
In this programme, they develop a musical about food, the senses, and being lost in the jungle. It's a noisy, funny and inspirational process.
They have just 48 hours to write the show from scratch, before a performance in front of the whole school. We hear the thoughts and reactions of pupils and composers as they put their shoulders to the task.
The programme also offers a powerful illustration of the skills and effort by dedicated teachers and carers at the school in Telford, as they shape classes and creative experiences around the changing, often complex needs of each young person in their care.
Producer: Peter Curran
A Foghorn Company production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in December 2017.
THU 11:00 Whodunnits (b007jzjl)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
THU 11:30 Maugham's Eye View (b00m0gf6)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
THU 12:00 Yes Minister (b007jznv)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
THU 12:30 Give Or Take (m001090j)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
THU 13:00 All Those Women (b06d2fxv)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
THU 13:30 Man of Iron: Thomas Telford and the Building of Britain (b08cv2jf)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
THU 13:45 Ladies of Letters (b007k3bf)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:45 today]
THU 14:00 Say the Word (b00764zg)
Episode 5
Frank Delaney's panel game revolving around the English language.
With:
Andrew Sachs
Felix Dexter
Helen Lederer
Kathy Lette
Plus words of wit from the Nimmo Twins
Producer: Simon Elmes
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 2001.
THU 14:30 HR (b00tmkg9)
Series 2
Wandering
Sam and Peter wile away retirement blues with a holiday in Spain.
Suddenly Sam, a lifelong virgin, seems to be presented with a life-changing opportunity.
Nigel Williams’ comedy drama series charting the misfortunes of a middle-aged HR officer and his trouble-making colleague.
Sam ..... Nicholas Le Prevost
Peter ..... Jonathan Pryce
Miguel ..... Sam Dale
Gwenda ..... Christine Kavanagh
Director: Peter Kavanagh
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 2010.
THU 15:00 The Eagle of the Ninth by Rosemary Sutcliff (b00sjm9c)
4. A Symbol of Defiance
Marcus and Esca have retrieved the legion's Eagle.
They easily overpower the three tribesmen, which include Lianthan, brother of the chieftain.
But is the battle really over?
Marcus ...... Tom Smith
Esca ...... Tony Kearney
Lianthan ...... Callum MacKinnon
Drussilus ...... Paul Morrow
Aquila ...... Raymond Ross
Claudius ...... David McKail
Cottia ...... Donna Morrison
Sentry 1 ...... Mark Cox
Sentry 2 ...... Mark Coleman
Producer: Hamish Wilson
A CBBC production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in June 1996.
THU 15:30 Surge by Erin Soros (m002qjfr)
British Columbia, 1942. Young Olaf embarks on a perilous dare but he overlooks his duty to his hearing-impaired kid sister.
One of five shortlisted contenders for the 2008 BBC National Short Story Award. This was the third year of the awards and attracted over 600 entries. The winning entry was broadcast on the Today programme in July of that year.
Written by Erin Soros and abridged by Sally Marmion.
Read by Martin Sherman.
Producer: Liz Allard
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 2008.
THU 16:00 Great Lives (b008nz63)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 today]
THU 16:30 Art of Living (b09h361g)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:30 today]
THU 17:00 Whodunnits (b007jzjl)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
THU 17:30 Maugham's Eye View (b00m0gf6)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
THU 18:00 Yes Minister (b007jznv)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
THU 18:30 Give Or Take (m001090j)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
THU 19:00 All Those Women (b06d2fxv)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
THU 19:30 Man of Iron: Thomas Telford and the Building of Britain (b08cv2jf)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
THU 19:45 Ladies of Letters (b007k3bf)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:45 today]
THU 20:00 Say the Word (b00764zg)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:00 today]
THU 20:30 HR (b00tmkg9)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:30 today]
THU 21:00 The Eagle of the Ninth by Rosemary Sutcliff (b00sjm9c)
[Repeat of broadcast at 15:00 today]
THU 21:30 Surge by Erin Soros (m002qjfr)
[Repeat of broadcast at 15:30 today]
THU 22:00 What's the Story, Ashley Storrie? (m002q39l)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
THU 22:30 Fab TV (m0016pb8)
The Return of The Preventers
Comedy series paying homage to TV's cult action adventure shows of the 1960s and 70s.
THE PREVENTERS are an elite, stylish, polo-neck-wearing threesome of international troubleshooters.
In the opening episode, evil mastermind Mordick was destroyed when Atlantasia exploded.
Or was he?
Could he have escaped by laser beam?
Will he bid to take over the world again, or can he be prevented?
Call for the trio of international trouble-shooters?
Yes! It's the return of the Preventers.
Written by and starring:
Morwenna Banks
Chris England
Robert Harley
With:
Ed Devereaux
Desmond Llewelyn
Neil Mullarkey
John Irwin
Music by Peter Baikie.
Producer: Phil Clarke
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 1996.
THU 23:00 Felicity Ward - Appisodes (b0bggh8s)
Series 1
Anxiety
Australian stand-up Felicity Ward tries to solve her mental health issues - one app at a time.
To conclude this series, Felicity attempts to treat her anxiety with the aid of meditation app 'Keep It Down' (as voiced by Rose Matafeo).
Throughout the series, Felicity downloads a new app each week to help her destress, refocus and find practical solutions to her various trouble areas - anxiety, depression, IBS and insomnia.
Written and performed by Felicity Ward.
Script Editor: Gareth Gwynn
Producer: Adnan Ahmed
A BBC Studios production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in August 2018.
THU 23:15 Rosie Jones: Box Ticker (m000htxq)
Being Northern
Stand-up comedy from triple-threat Rosie Jones. She’s disabled, gay and northern - so, of course, she has her own Radio 4 show.
However, she’s not a great example of any of these communities and she’s tired of being asked to speak on their behalf. This show checks what’s really inside the boxes and throws most of it out.
This week, Rosie ticks her last box - being Northern. She grew up in a small town on the east coast, and has enlisted comedian Chris Washington to share his experiences from the other side of the country.
Recorded in a live comedy club, prepare to be shocked and disappointed by Rosie’s lack of respect for your expectations.
A Dabster production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in May 2020.
THU 23:30 Old Harry's Game (b00j4kbz)
Series 7
Episode 5
Hell is not what it was since the baby turned up.
Satan's become a one-man adoption agency whilst his chief demon is reading Penelope Leach.
But can Satan place the baby with a good family?
Andy Hamilton’s devilishly funny sitcom set in Hell.
Satan …. Andy Hamilton
Edith …. Annette Crosbie
Scumspawn …. Robert Duncan
Thomas …. Jimmy Mulville
With:
Mike Fenton Stevens
Philip Pope
Felicity Montagu
Producer: Paul Mayhew-Archer
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 2009.

FRIDAY 30 JANUARY 2026

FRI 00:00 Great Lives (b008nz63)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 on Thursday]
FRI 00:30 Art of Living (b09h361g)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:30 on Thursday]
FRI 01:00 Whodunnits (b007jzjl)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 on Thursday]
FRI 01:30 Maugham's Eye View (b00m0gf6)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 on Thursday]
FRI 02:00 Yes Minister (b007jznv)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 on Thursday]
FRI 02:30 Give Or Take (m001090j)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 on Thursday]
FRI 03:00 All Those Women (b06d2fxv)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 on Thursday]
FRI 03:30 Man of Iron: Thomas Telford and the Building of Britain (b08cv2jf)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 on Thursday]
FRI 03:45 Ladies of Letters (b007k3bf)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:45 on Thursday]
FRI 04:00 Say the Word (b00764zg)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:00 on Thursday]
FRI 04:30 HR (b00tmkg9)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:30 on Thursday]
FRI 05:00 The Eagle of the Ninth by Rosemary Sutcliff (b00sjm9c)
[Repeat of broadcast at 15:00 on Thursday]
FRI 05:30 Surge by Erin Soros (m002qjfr)
[Repeat of broadcast at 15:30 on Thursday]
FRI 06:00 Whodunnits (b007jzkx)
Paul Temple and the Spencer Affair
5. A Surprise for Pete Roberts
The death toll mounts - as the suave private detective journeys to an island on the River Thames.
Francis Durbridge's thriller stars Peter Coke and Marjorie Westbury in another intriguing case for BBC radio's smoothest sleuth and his glamorous wife.
Paul Temple ...... Peter Coke
Steve ...... Marjorie Westbury
Sir Graham Forbes ...... Lester Mudditt
Det Insp Vosper ...... Hugh Manning
Charlie ...... James Beattie
Adrian Frost ...... Simon Lack
Rupert Dreisler ...... Brewster Mason
Terry Gibson ...... Isabel Dean
Pete Roberts ...... Thomas Heathcote
Warren ...... James Thomason
Other parts played by:
David Spenser
Producer: Martyn C Webster
First broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in December 1957.
FRI 06:30 Maugham's Eye View (b00m4ttw)
5. The Facts of Life
18 year old Nicky is expressly told 'not to gamble, lend money or see women' but on a trip to Monte Carlo he does all three...
A series of Somerset Maugham short stories dramatised by Neville Teller.
Dirk Bogarde is the narrator.
Nicky ...... Paul Rhys
Henry ...... Robert Lang
Melanie ...... Melanie Hudson
Other parts played by:
Geoffrey Whitehead
David Collings
Stephen Critchlow
Patience Tomlinson
Denys Hawthorne
Roger May
Paul Jenkins
Director: Janet Whitaker
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 1996.
FRI 07:00 Taking It Up the Octave (b007511z)
5. First Night Frights
The first night of Carmen is nigh.
The cast's tensions are mounting - Natasha resorts to verbal abuse, James finds succour in emotional flooding techniques, and Gareth seeks solace in whisky.
Comedy drama series written by Fintan Coyle and Tom Miles.
The mishaps and adventures of the acting troupe at Opera Sunderland.
Derek ...... Andrew Branch
Keyboard Ken ...... Tom Miles
Cilla ...... Carolyn Bonnyman
Gareth ...... Godfrey James
James ...... Simon Butteriss
Natasha ...... Caz Weller
Dwight ...... Jonathan Kydd
Singers:
Alison Porter
Susan Jelley
Henrik Wager
Ian Bloomfield
Producer Chris Neill
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 1997.
FRI 07:30 Steptoe and Son (b007jlqh)
Series 3
Without Prejudice
Harold persuades Albert to leave their city rag and bone yard to move out to suburbia.
Starring Wilfrid Brambell and Harry H Corbett.
Classic sitcom about the lives of rag and bone men Albert Steptoe and his son Harold.
Written for BBC TV and adapted for BBC Radio by Ray Galton and Alan Simpson.
Albert ...... Wilfrid Brambell
Harold ...... Harry H Corbett
Estate Agent ...... Edward Kelsey
Mr Drysden ...... Garrard Green
Other parts played by Trevor Martin.
Producer: Bobby Jaye
First broadcast on BBC Radio 2 in April 1971.
FRI 08:00 The Break (b07h6fmm)
Series 1
Occupied
Andy has found a level of contentment with the world - reading books, watching films, and generally repairing his wounded psyche.
Uncle Jeff is having none of this and reveals a hitherto unknown secret to Andy, that the dusty shop downstairs from his seaside flat belongs to Jeff. When necessary, it seems, he offers the community of Flamford a valuable service as an electrical repair person.
Jeff lures Andy into the shop and shows him how to use the till. Andy realises it's another of his uncle's ploys, and refuses this oblique yet unsubtle job offer. But Jeff, never the one to say "die", takes his nephew on a job search in which Andy is an unwilling participant.
Visits follow to Fish Shop Frank, the Tourist Information Office run by the uniformed and uninformed Steph and Pippa, and Flamford's as-yet-unlicensed zoo.
Written by Ian Brown and James Hendrie.
Jeff ...... Philip Jackson
Andy ...... Tom Palmer
Frank ...... Mark Benton
Corinne ...... Alison Steadman
Joyce ...... Alison Steadman
Mr Truepenny ...... Rasmus Hardiker
Director: Gordon Kennedy
An Absolutely production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in June 2016.
FRI 08:30 Man of Iron: Thomas Telford and the Building of Britain (b08cv2qt)
5. Legacy
With his death in September 1834, just as the railway age was dawning, Telford had little idea of how lasting his legacy would be: he shaped the lives of the Victorian civil engineers who followed him and almost everything he built is still in use today.
Julian Glover's biography of Thomas Telford: a shepherd's son, born in the Scottish Borders in 1757, who revolutionised British engineering and set the stage for the Industrial Revolution.
Concluded by Robin Laing.
Abridged by David Jackson Young
Producer: Kirsteen Cameron.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 2017.
FRI 08:45 Ladies of Letters (b007k3c8)
Ladies of Letters.com
10. Christopher
The Mystery Man comes to Irene's door - and she has a confession to make to Vera.
Starring Patricia Routledge and Prunella Scales, two much-loved actresses who passed away in October last year.
Vera Small and Irene Spencer continue to conduct their long friendship through a candid and not uncritical correspondence, this time via email.
Vera …. Patricia Routledge
Irene …. Prunella Scales
Karen …. Julia Ford
Lesley …. Kate Gartside
Howard …. Christopher Kelham
Written by Lou Wakefield and Carole Hayman.
Director: Paul Miller
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 2000.
FRI 09:00 Dan Does Dating (m002qgj5)
Series 1
Sophie
Think of the worst date you've been on, or heard about. Now imagine having to go through that every week. That's what happens to Dan Dickerson in Dan Does Dating, a new non-audience sitcom by Michael Beck. And his dates feel the same way.
This week, Dan somehow gets a date with a model. Could this be the start of something, or will it just be some bragging rights on Instagram?
Dan … Christopher Macarthur-Boyd
Sophie… Amy Matthews
Chris … Ray Bradshaw
Jack … Stephen Buchanan
Jamila … Nalini Chetty
Diane … Zara Gladman
Woman … Tina Gray
Habiba … Lubna Kerr
Miranda … Layla Kirk
Robber … Sanjeev Kohli
Arabella … Lisa Livingstone
Karen … Eleanor Morton
Sarah … Sophie Wilkinson
Written by Michael Beck
Recorded and edited by Diane Jardine at Sonido Studios, Clydebank
Produced and directed by Ed Morrish
A Lead Mojo production for BBC Radio 4
FRI 09:30 Taking Issue with Shakespeare (m001l2j7)
5. King Lear and Equality
Major public figures, in conversation with Professor Emma Smith, explore whether Shakespeare might help us resolve some challenging contemporary issues.
Michael Gove, Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, talks about the fundamental sense of a shared humanity which King Lear’s suffering brings to him in this greatest of tragedies, set in a pagan world.
Emma, in turn, points out that the mockery of Malvolio’s aspirational attempts at social climbing in Twelfth Night, a play set in a world closer to that of Shakespeare himself, suggests that achieving the levelling up agenda may be harder than expected.
In spite of frequent claims that Shakespeare is a small-l liberal, Michael Gove makes a compelling case for Shakespeare as a small-c conservative.
With contributions from Professor Paul Prescott.
Producer: Beaty Rubens
Made to mark the 400th anniversary of the First Folio.
A Just Radio production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in May 2023.
FRI 09:45 Daily Service (m002qgxn)
Honest to God - Honest worship
A space for spiritual reflection with a Bible reading, prayer and a range of Christian music.
Theme: Honest to God - Honest worship
Presenter: Paul Kerensa
Reading: 2 Samuel 6:12-18
Music:
Be Thou My Vision - Daily Service Singers
1936 Daily Service Archive - Lord, while for all mankind we pray
How Great Thou Art - Rachel John
FRI 10:00 Soul Music (m0018fzh)
Bruch's Violin Concerto
Violinists from around the world, a journalist and an Archers legend explain why Bruch's Violin Concerto in G minor holds particular significance for them.
A Violin Concerto in G minor, Opus 26, became the best-known work of the German composer Max Bruch. Originally written in 1866 it went through many revisions before finally being completed in 1867. It was performed extensively but having sold both the publishing and the manuscript Bruch died in relative obscurity in 1920. The Concerto would continue to be played around the world and the second movement in particular, the Adagio, became a much-loved favourite.
Journalist Claire Read describes how much her Mother loved the piece after Claire learned and performed it in school, and how she would listen to it whilst being treated for cancer.
Ukrainian violinist Kostia Lukyniuk recalls playing it with an orchestra in his home town aged 11, and how music still gives him strength as he plays for those battered by the Russian invasion of his home country.
The second movement brings back fond memories for Archers actor June Spencer who listened to it with her husband and their friends on a veranda in Minorca.
Leader of the Welsh National Opera David Adams was inspired to take-up the violin after listening to a recording of David Oistrakh playing this piece, and later performed it at the Fishguard Festival. It was a favourite of his Mum's and that recording was played at her funeral.
The Carnegie Hall was the setting for violinist Shlomo Mintz's most treasured performance and he describes how it feels to play those soaring melodies.
Curator Robinson McClellan at The Morgan Library & Museum in New York explains how the manuscript of this concerto made its way from Germany to the USA, and why this work would later become a source of resentment for this 'establishment' composer.
Studio Manager: Ilse Lademann
Produced for BBC Audio in Bristol by Toby Field.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in June 2022.
FRI 10:30 The Arthur Cravan Memorial Society (b01r9c9c)
Arthur Smith pieces together an unreliable portrait of Arthur Cravan - charlatan and genius, the Dada James Dean.
Arthur Cravan was - as he never tired of telling people -- the nephew of Oscar Wilde. A self-declared citizen of twenty countries, he was a dandy, forger, flaneur, critic, sailor, prospector, card sharp, thief, editor and chauffeur. He was the true father of dada and surrealism whose real work of art was himself.
Between 1911 and 1915, Cravan wrote and published the magazine Maintenant in Paris, which he filled with belligerent diatribes and scandalous braggadocio. He gave lectures, during which he insulted, mooned and fired guns at the audience. As an act of artistic bravado, he fought the heavyweight boxing champion Jack Johnson, and was knocked out as soon as Johnson tired of the charade.
On the run from the First World War, Cravan set sail from Mexico in 1918, intending to reach South America. He was never seen again. But no one knows what happened to him and no body was ever found. But poems and paintings attributed to Cravan continued to surface. And who exactly was the person identified as Arthur Cravan spotted in different parts of the world for decades?
Arthur Smith is beguiled by Cravan's sense of provocation, by his desire to live a rich and full life, a poetic life, in spite of it all. And in this programme he'll call the final meeting of the Arthur Cravan Memorial Society to order as he tries to cobble together the truth about this mysterious and fascinating figure.
Producer: Martin Williams
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 2013.
FRI 11:00 Whodunnits (b007jzkx)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
FRI 11:30 Maugham's Eye View (b00m4ttw)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
FRI 12:00 Taking It Up the Octave (b007511z)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
FRI 12:30 Steptoe and Son (b007jlqh)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
FRI 13:00 The Break (b07h6fmm)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
FRI 13:30 Man of Iron: Thomas Telford and the Building of Britain (b08cv2qt)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
FRI 13:45 Ladies of Letters (b007k3c8)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:45 today]
FRI 14:00 The Personality Test (b00mbl3k)
Series 1
Jennie Bond
Former BBC Royal Correspondent Jennie Bond quizzes a panel about herself.
Battling with queries based on Jennie's life, whims and interests are:
Robin Ince
Will Smith
Natalie Haynes
Sue Perkins
Series in which a fresh host every episode quizzes a comedy panel about themselves.
Script by Richard Turner.
Devised and produced by Aled Evans.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 2006.
FRI 14:30 A Whole 'Nother Story (b007641j)
Series 1
It's a Fig, Not a Date
Cassie and Pete launch into the world of dating agencies.
Cassie's blind date is Simon. He sounds attractive, but his occupation is shrouded in mystery.
Meanwhile, Pete's blind date leads him to realise a few things about Cassie who in turn has been realising a few things about Pete...
Starring Debra Stephenson and Dave Lamb.
Amanda Murphy’s comedy-drama series about a friendship between a man and a woman.
Cassie ...... Debra Stephenson
Pete ...... David Lamb
PJ ...... Brendan Burns
Dad ...... Mike Grady
Mum ...... Anne Reid
Simon ...... Shaun Dooley
Check Out Girl ...... Victoria Ashley
Producer: Graham Frost
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 2001.
FRI 15:00 Drama on 4 (m000tdyq)
Tango Diaries by Ron Hutchinson
Why Tango is such an obsession and a way of life for some people?
Is it the drama, the proximity, the rhythm, the soul-bearing? Five people explain why this astonishing dance means so much to them.
Annie ...... Summer Strallen
Howard ...... Matt Rippey
Ross ...... Damian Lynch
Sean/The Chief ...... Jos Vantyler
Marco/Dance Hall Owner ...... Kerry Shale
Grace/Frannie/Kara ...... Melli Bond
Jeanie ...... Jane Jackson
Stanislav ...... Tomasz Aleksander
Lena ...... Nicola Stuart Hill
Dan ...... Chris Buckley
Nadya/Shoe Lady ...... Flora Montgomery
Archie ...... Richard Wilson
Produced and directed by Clive Brill
A Brill production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in March 2021.
FRI 16:00 Soul Music (m0018fzh)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 today]
FRI 16:30 The Arthur Cravan Memorial Society (b01r9c9c)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:30 today]
FRI 17:00 Whodunnits (b007jzkx)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
FRI 17:30 Maugham's Eye View (b00m4ttw)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
FRI 18:00 Taking It Up the Octave (b007511z)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
FRI 18:30 Steptoe and Son (b007jlqh)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
FRI 19:00 The Break (b07h6fmm)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
FRI 19:30 Man of Iron: Thomas Telford and the Building of Britain (b08cv2qt)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
FRI 19:45 Ladies of Letters (b007k3c8)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:45 today]
FRI 20:00 The Personality Test (b00mbl3k)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:00 today]
FRI 20:30 A Whole 'Nother Story (b007641j)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:30 today]
FRI 21:00 Drama on 4 (m000tdyq)
[Repeat of broadcast at 15:00 today]
FRI 22:00 Dan Does Dating (m002qgj5)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
FRI 22:30 Four Sleepless Knights (m002qgxq)
2. Sir Frank's Search for an Ending
Frank has a talent for editing film endings. He's in demand from producers all over Hollywood.
But tonight, the final scene of 'The Black Scorpion', a "civil war serial killer romance" just isn't playing ball - and neither are the lead actors.....
Comedic adventures in insomnia for the night hours written by Toby Jones and Edward Kemp.
Frank...............Toby Jones
Blanche.............Beth Chalmers
Rhett.................Martin Hyder
Blue..................Laurence Howarth
Hank.................Kim Wall
Producer: Dawn Ellis
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 2004.
FRI 22:45 Life With Lederer (m0012g9b)
Series 1
2. The New Home
Helen Lederer shares another recipe for coping with life - how best to move home.
Written by and starring Helen Lederer.
With:
Nigel Carrington
Barbara Dryhurst
Sandra Maitland
Victoria Finney
Malcolm Raeburn
Produced at BBC Manchester by Paul Z Jackson.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 1990.
FRI 23:00 The Masterson Inheritance (b007jq63)
Series 2
The Mastersons Go Down
The Masterson's epic tale of murder, intrigue and a fast-talking parrot aboard a luxury cruiser.
Award-winning improvised historical comedy series.
Based entirely on audience suggestions - this is the unfolding saga of the Mastersons - a family at war with itself.
Starring:
Paul Merton
Josie Lawrence
Jim Sweeney
Phelim McDermott
Lee Simpson
Caroline Quentin
Producer: Phil Clarke
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 1994.
FRI 23:30 Laura Solon - Talking and Not Talking (b00773xs)
Series 1
Episode 5
The torrid tale of Justine's jeans and the sad story of a second gap year.
Award-winning comedian Laura Solon's sketch and character comedy series.
With:
Ben Moor
Katherine Parkinson
Ben Willbond
Written by Laura Solon.
With additional material by the cast, Carl Cooper, Tony Roche and Andy Marlatt.
Producer: Colin Anderson
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 2007.