SATURDAY 31 JANUARY 2026

SAT 00:00 Soul Music (m0018fzh)
Bruch's Violin Concerto
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.
Produced for BBC Audio in Bristol by Toby Field.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in June 2022.
SAT 00:30 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 20 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.
So he's all-set to 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.
SAT 01:00 Whodunnits (b007jzkx)
Paul Temple and the Spencer Affair
5. A Surprise for Pete Roberts
The death toll mounts - as the suave private detective Paul Temple journeys to an island on the River Thames.
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
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.
SAT 01:30 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.
SAT 02:00 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.
SAT 02:30 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.
SAT 03:00 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.
SAT 03:30 Man of Iron: Thomas Telford and the Building of Britain (b08cv2qt)
5. Legacy
Thomas Telford died in September 1834, just as the railway age was dawning.
So he had little idea of how lasting his legacy would be - helping to inspire the Victorian civil engineers who followed him.
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.
Abridged by David Jackson Young
Concluded by Robin Laing.
Producer: Kirsteen Cameron.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 2017.
SAT 03:45 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.
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.
SAT 04:00 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.
SAT 04:30 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.
SAT 05:00 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?
A series of compelling vignettes written by Ron Hutchinson.
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
Director: Clive Brill
A Brill production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in March 2021.
SAT 06:00 A Magician Amongst the Spirits by Bert Coules (m002qr87)
A vivid account written by Bert Coules of the life of the great Houdini, the most famous escapologist of them all.
And in particular of how an initial dabbling In the world of Spiritualism for a quick buck was eventually to become a fierce corroding obsession.
Starring Barry Dennen and Pinkie Johnstone.
Written by Bert Coules.
Houdini .... Barry Dennen
Bess .... Pinkie Johnstone
Mrs Weiss .... Hilda Kriseman
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle .... John Bott
Theo Weiss .... Shane Rimmer
Lady Conan Doyle .... Wendy Murray
Rabbi Weiss .... Arnold Diamond
Richter .... James Kerry
Hyman .... Simon Hewitt
Mrs Adams .... Miranda Forbes
Beck .... Hugh Dickson
Reporter .... Alex Jennings
Mrs Sadler .... Petra Davies
Chairman .... Peter Tuddenham
Mrs Coates .... Jean Trend
Director: David Johnston
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 1982
SAT 07:30 With Great Pleasure (b0480341)
Terry Wogan
Sir Terry Wogan chooses the prose and poetry that mean the most to him.
With the help of special guests:
Sir David Jason
Frances Tomelty
Both read works by a variety of writers from Yeats to Robert Frost and PG Wodehouse.
* Sir David Jason reads Vitai Lampada by Sir Henry Newbolt
* Frances Tomelty reads When You Are Old by WB Yeats
* Finbar Furey sings Sweet Sixteen
* Sir David Jason reads an excerpt from Elegy In A Country Churchyard by Thomas Gray
* Sir David Jason reads Gussie's Prizegiving Speech from Right Ho Jeeves by PG Wodehouse
* Frances Tomelty reads Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening by Robert Frost and In Westminster Abbey by Sir John Betjeman
* Finbar Furey sings Raglan Road
Finbar Furey provides live music.
Producer: Maggie Ayre
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 2014.
SAT 08:00 Drama on 4 (m0011545)
Daughter by Testament
Ralph is a wannabe musician trying to come to terms with fatherhood.
Can he handle the responsibility and the restrictions to his freedom?
In other words, can he be a good dad?
Written by and starring Testament.
Ralph...........................Testament
Nola............................Grace Savage
Daughter...................Elise Brooks
Testament is a beatboxer, rapper and theatre maker. He has worked with Leeds Playhouse and The Royal Exchange Manchester.
Grace Savage is a beatboxer, actress, singer and songwriter.
Director: Gary Brown
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 2021.
SAT 08:45 Tales From the Backbench by Peter Tinniswood (b00764rh)
Series 2
The Campaign
Useless and forgetful MP, Sir Plympton Makepeace recalls how he and his fellow candidates resolved to keep the General Election to themselves in the constituency of Witney Scrotum.
He explains how they planned their non-existent campaign from the snug bar of The Jug And Arlott.
Sir Plimpton Makepeace MP returns to share further reminisces about his life in the House of Commons.
Starring Leslie Phillips.
More unreliable parliamentary ramblings written by Peter Tinniswood..
Producer: Enyd Williams
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 2001.
SAT 09:00 The Marx Brothers' Flywheel, Shyster and Flywheel (b0085j9l)
Series 2
Episode 6
Shady lawyer Waldorf T. Flywheel heads to Hollywood and makes a movie.
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 Ravelli …. Frank Lazarus
Miss Dimple …. Lorelei King
Von Blitzen …. Graham Hoadly
Tyrone Price …. 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 (b0187xy4)
Series 12
The Slogan Contest
A recruitment drive sparks some creative writing aboard HMS Troutbridge, but the Chief does some creative scheming.
Stars Leslie Phillips, Jon Pertwee and Stephen Murray.
Laughs afloat aboard British Royal Navy frigate HMS Troutbridge.
Written by Lawrie Wyman and George Evans.
The Sub-Lieutenant ...... Leslie Phillips
The Chief Petty Officer ...... Jon Pertwee
The Number One ...... Stephen Murray
Captain Povey ...... Richard Caldicot
Mrs Povey ...... Heather Chasen
The Admiral ...... Tenniel Evans
The Rear Admiral ....... 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 (m002qr89)
As I Remember - Lady Asquith
Lady Asquith is perhaps best remembered as Lady Violet Bonham Carter.
She was the grandmother of award-winning actress Helena Bonham Carter.
In conversation with Kenneth Harris, she looks back over her life recalling many of the legendary parliamentarians she’d met.
Originally shown as a TV programme on BBC 1, this radio version was broadcast a few months later.
Lady Asquith was the politically active daughter of UK Prime Minister Herbert Henry Asquith (1908 - 1916), a prominent Liberal politician in her own right and a devoted friend to Winston Churchill, whom she first met at the age of 19.
She recalls luncheon with William Gladstone when she was six and talks about her father; his successor Lloyd George, as well as Winston.
Becoming a Life Peer in 1964, she served on the BBC Board of Governors and was the Liberal Party's first female President.
Kenneth Harris wrote:
“Talking to her on four successive afternoons, I could never take my eyes off her; her face, so dramatic, so mobile, so hypnotic, added an extra significance to everything she said. I wondered then whether vision here did some disservice to the sound, pictures almost distracting the listener from the narrative. I wondered whether sound radio may not have been the better medium for her. I look forward to finding out.”
Baroness Asquith had celebrated her 80th birthday on April 15th 1967.
BBC TV Producer: Margaret Douglas
First broadcast on BBC TV on April 13th 1967.
BBC Radio Producer: George Angell
First broadcast on the BBC Light Programme on 7th July 1967.
SAT 10:50 Inheritance Tracks (b0651qrc)
Helena Bonham Carter
Actress Helena Bonham Carter chooses 'Look Mummy, No Hands' by Fascinating Aida and 'Not While I'm Around' by Stephen Sondheim.
SAT 11:00 A Magician Amongst the Spirits by Bert Coules (m002qr87)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
SAT 12:30 With Great Pleasure (b0480341)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
SAT 13:00 Drama on 4 (m0011545)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
SAT 13:45 Tales From the Backbench by Peter Tinniswood (b00764rh)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:45 today]
SAT 14:00 The Marx Brothers' Flywheel, Shyster and Flywheel (b0085j9l)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
SAT 14:30 The Navy Lark (b0187xy4)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 today]
SAT 15:00 Conversation Extra (m002qr89)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 today]
SAT 15:50 Inheritance Tracks (b0651qrc)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:50 today]
SAT 16:00 Torchwood (b00lg4nq)
3. Golden Age
On the trail of a dangerous energy field, Torchwood are led to Delhi.
As the energy field grows once more, the team witnesses the simultaneous disappearance of hundreds of people.
Jack discovers that the field centres on an old colonial mansion - Torchwood India.
Shocked to find that Torchwood India is still going strong – having shut it down himself over 80 years previously - he's even more surprised to find that its members, including his old flame the Duchess, haven't aged a day.
Written by James Goss.
Based on a format devised by Russell T Davies.
Jack Harkness …. John Barrowman
Eve Myles …. Gwen Cooper
Ianto Jones …. Gareth David-Lloyd
The Duchess …. Jasmine Hyde
Mr Daz …. Amerjit Deu
Mahajan …. Ravin J Ganatra
Gissing …. Richard Mitchley
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 (b08bs3pk)
4. Who's a Pretty Boy Then?
When Dad builds a budgerigar aviary on the strange, bare garden patch, the birds’ behaviour turns alarming.
Series of chilling tales of strange and creepy happenings written by Jan Mark.
Abridged by Peter Kerry.
Read by Ann Rye.
Producer: Martin Jameson
First broadcast on BBC Radio 5 in September 1993.
SAT 17:00 A Magician Amongst the Spirits by Bert Coules (m002qr87)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
SAT 18:30 With Great Pleasure (b0480341)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
SAT 19:00 Drama on 4 (m0011545)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
SAT 19:45 Tales From the Backbench by Peter Tinniswood (b00764rh)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:45 today]
SAT 20:00 The Marx Brothers' Flywheel, Shyster and Flywheel (b0085j9l)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
SAT 20:30 The Navy Lark (b0187xy4)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 today]
SAT 21:00 Conversation Extra (m002qr89)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 today]
SAT 21:50 Inheritance Tracks (b0651qrc)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:50 today]
SAT 22:00 The Penny Dreadfuls (b04v29h5)
Macbeth Rebothered
An alternative tale of Shakespeare's noble king.
A comedy play by The Penny Dreadfuls.
Greg McHugh stars as Macbeth with Susan Calman as the narrator.
Other roles:
Margaret Cabourn-Smith
Humphrey Ker
David Reed
Thom Tuck
Written by David Reed with additional material by Humphrey Ker.
Producer: Julia McKenzie.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 2014.
SAT 22:55 The Comedy Club Interviews (m002qwxh)
Hannah Byczkowski 1/3
From 10pm until midnight, seven days a week, the Comedy Club has two hours of comedy. Plus Esyllt Sears speaks to stand-up comedian, podcaster and Traitors star Hannah Byczkowski.
SAT 23:00 Tom Wrigglesworth's Hang-Ups (b03fdh2c)
Series 1
Time to Celebrate
Tom Wrigglesworth phones home for his weekly check-in with his Mum, Dad and Gran.
This gives us a fascinating and hilarious glimpse into his background and influences shaping his temperament, opinions and hang-ups.
During his first call, we discover why he hates celebrations, why his mum can't stop organising them and why his father needs an electric whisk...
As the conversation unfolds, Tom takes time out to explain the situation, his parents' reactions plus anecdotes from the past illustrating his family's views.
So get underneath the skin of Tom and the Wrigglesworth family in a 30 minute totally legal bit of phone hacking.
Written by Tom Wrigglesworth and James Kettle
Additional Material by Miles Jupp.
Tom ...... Tom Wrigglesworth
Granny ...... Judy Parfitt
Dad ...... Paul Copley
Mum ...... Kate Anthony
Producer: Katie Tyrrell
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 2013.
SAT 23:30 Radio Active (b007jp67)
Series 4
Round Your Parts
Mike Flex, Anna Daptor and Mike Channel make a special visit to meet the residents of the Rural Village of Humpingham.
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, Murray Hunter and John Docherty.
Producer: Jamie Rix
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 1984.

SUNDAY 01 FEBRUARY 2026

SUN 00:00 Torchwood (b00lg4nq)
[Repeat of broadcast at 16:00 on Saturday]
SUN 00:45 Black and White by Jan Mark (b08bs3pk)
[Repeat of broadcast at 16:45 on Saturday]
SUN 01:00 A Magician Amongst the Spirits by Bert Coules (m002qr87)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 on Saturday]
SUN 02:30 With Great Pleasure (b0480341)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 on Saturday]
SUN 03:00 Drama on 4 (m0011545)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 on Saturday]
SUN 03:45 Tales From the Backbench by Peter Tinniswood (b00764rh)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:45 on Saturday]
SUN 04:00 The Marx Brothers' Flywheel, Shyster and Flywheel (b0085j9l)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 on Saturday]
SUN 04:30 The Navy Lark (b0187xy4)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 on Saturday]
SUN 05:00 Conversation Extra (m002qr89)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 on Saturday]
SUN 05:50 Inheritance Tracks (b0651qrc)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:50 on Saturday]
SUN 06:00 Desert Island Discs Revisited (b05vjjwn)
The Interviewers
Sir Terry Wogan
After appearing with Roy Plomley and Sue Lawley, Sir Terry Wogan is back to share his third set of castaway choices with Kirsty Young.
With a career spanning more than five decades, it includes BBC TV chat show Wogan, the Eurovision Song Contest, the quiz Blankety Blank and for many years, hosting BBC Radio 2's breakfast show.
Terry says: "You have to create a kind of little club - you are not talking to an audience, you are talking to one person - and they are only half listening anyway. It's a mistake to think that everyone is clinging to your every word."
Peter Gabriel - That'll Do (feat. Paddy Moloney & Black Dyke Band)
Frank Sinatra - My Funny Valentine
Carly Simon - In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning
O Praise the Lord from Heaven - The Choir of Moscow’s Church of the Ascension of the Lord
Una furtiva lagrima (from Gaetano Donizetti’s L'Elisir d'amore) - Placido Domingo with the Royal Opera House Covent Garden Orchestra
As Time goes By - Jimmy Durante
When You are Old - Gretchen Peters
E lucevan le stelle (from Giacomo Puccini’s Tosca) - Placido Domingo with the Philharmonia Orchestra, conducted by Giuseppe Sinopoli
CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: Peter Gabriel - That'll Do (feat. Paddy Moloney & Black Dyke Band)
BOOK CHOICE: War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy
LUXURY CHOICE: Bottles, pens and paper
Producer: Corinna Jones
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 2012.
SUN 06:45 David Attenborough's Life Stories (b011vjj0)
Series 2
Waterton
Squire Waterton of Walton Hall was an eccentric Englishman and gentleman who made many visits to South America and wrote about his travels.
His travel books are "amongst the oddest I know" Sir David Attenborough tells us, written in an odd, almost biblical style. But nevertheless, they are accounts of natural history 200 years ago.
Attenborough argues that Waterton shouldn't be just remembered for his writing. He should be credited with establishing the first nature reserve in this country.
Appalled by the ravages of the industrial revolution's impact on the landscape, he built a wall around his estate to protect the wildlife - and free of charge allowed people to visit, which they did in their masses.
Written and presented by David Attenborough
Producer: Julian Hector
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in June 2011.
SUN 07:00 Poetry Extra (m002qrhy)
Our Souls So Knit
Poet Daljit Nagra revisits the BBC's poetry archive and selects Our Souls So Knit.
Poet Caroline Bird is on a mission to uncover the extraordinary story behind Victorian poet Michael Field, who was actually two women, Katherine Bradley and Edith Cooper.
Friends and contemporaries of Robert Browning and Oscar Wilde, the women were aunt and niece, but also lovers.
Producer for BBC Audio in Bristol: Sally Heaven
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2021.
***** Daljit also reads from his Poetry Extra Book of the Month: Somewhere There Is a Sky For Us by the Queer Muslim Project.
SUN 07:30 Man of Iron: Thomas Telford and the Building of Britain (Omnibus) (b08dbspl)
"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's first full modern biography of Thomas Telford: 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...
Omnibus of five parts abridged by David Jackson Young.
Read by Robin Laing.
Producer: Kirsteen Cameron.
First broadcast in BBC Radio 4 in January 2017.
SUN 08:40 Inheritance Tracks (m002qw42)
Jason Donovan
Jason Donovan first captured hearts our hearts in Neighbours, becoming a household name worldwide, before breaking into the charts and onto the West End stage.
What then will he choose as his Inheritance tracks?
Inherited: It's Still Rock and Roll to Me by Billy Joel
Passing on: Life’s What You Make It by Talk Talk
Producers: Ben Mitchell and Lowri Morgan
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 2025.
SUN 08:50 Ladies of Letters (b0131zs0)
Ladies of Letters.com (Omnibus)
Episode 2
A mystery stalker is proving to be a headache for both Vera and Irene.
Who can it be?
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.
Omnibus of the last 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 (b007k4ks)
Royal Agricultural Show, Stoneleigh
How do sheep sleep?
Can Ambridge survive Higgs's first words?
Is it safe to shake hands with Christopher Timothy?
Richard Stilgoe is at the Royal Agricultural Show in Stoneleigh, revealing the secrets of farmyard life.
Songs, poems, stories and music by:
Charles Colingwood
Belinda Lang
Peter Blake
Francesca Brill
Kahtryn Tickell
Written by Richard Stilgoe.
Producer: Neil Cargill
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 1989.
SUN 10:30 Take It From Here (b016951g)
From 14/04/1955
The Glums grapple with a crossword and there's a cautionary tale from Monte Carlo.
Starring:
Professor Jimmy Edwards
Dick Bentley
June Whitfield
Wallas Eaton
Music from Alma Cogan, The Keynotes and the Augmented BBC Revue Orchestra conducted by Guy Davies.
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 (b05vjjwn)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
SUN 11:45 David Attenborough's Life Stories (b011vjj0)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:45 today]
SUN 12:00 Poetry Extra (m002qrhy)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
SUN 12:30 Man of Iron: Thomas Telford and the Building of Britain (Omnibus) (b08dbspl)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
SUN 13:40 Inheritance Tracks (m002qw42)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:40 today]
SUN 13:50 Ladies of Letters (b0131zs0)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:50 today]
SUN 15:00 Stilgoe's Around (b007k4ks)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 today]
SUN 15:30 Take It From Here (b016951g)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:30 today]
SUN 16:00 Scramble by Martin Kiszko (b007jwnl)
1. Banned
Imagine a Britain in which the state attempts to have absolute control over all its citizens, even to the extent that music and sound recording have been outlawed as subversive.
A tale of love and treachery, in which an individual is pitted against enormous odds.
Starring Clare Corbett.
Written in three-parts by composer Martin Kizsko.
Young Mel ...... Femka Whitney
Mel ...... Clare Corbett
Jason ...... Ben Tinniswood
Commander-in-chief ...... David Collins
Agent Peters ...... Ben Addis
Agent Daniels ...... Simon Winkler
Levant ...... Christian Rodska
Producer: Mark Smalley
Made for BBC 7 and first broadcast in March 2006.
SUN 16:30 The Heart of Hark'un (b007jq9v)
Episode 5
Young novice sorcerer Arcos learns an unpalatable truth about his father from Kaddah.
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
Rashiq ..... Theresa Streatfeild
Producer: Peter Hutchings
First broadcast on BBC Radio 5 in September 1991.
SUN 17:00 Desert Island Discs Revisited (b05vjjwn)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
SUN 17:45 David Attenborough's Life Stories (b011vjj0)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:45 today]
SUN 18:00 Poetry Extra (m002qrhy)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
SUN 18:30 Man of Iron: Thomas Telford and the Building of Britain (Omnibus) (b08dbspl)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
SUN 19:40 Inheritance Tracks (m002qw42)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:40 today]
SUN 19:50 Ladies of Letters (b0131zs0)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:50 today]
SUN 21:00 Stilgoe's Around (b007k4ks)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 today]
SUN 21:30 Take It From Here (b016951g)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:30 today]
SUN 22:00 Clare in the Community (b00z60tb)
Series 3
Brenda's Birthday
Clare is coerced into helping Megan organise her one-year-old daughter's birthday party.
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
Simon...Andrew Wincott
Ray ..... Richard Lumsden
Helen ..... Gemma Craven
Irene ..... Ellen Thomas
Nina Conti .... Megan
Gordon …. Lewis MacLeod
Producer: Katie Tyrrell
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 2007.
SUN 22:30 The Nick Revell Show (b007k1n0)
Series 2
Homeless
Nick is a struggling writer in his mid-thirties who speaks to his geraniums. They, meanwhile, watch on and take stock of his mishaps.
A sitcom for the 1990s, written by and starring comedian Nick Revell.
With:
Alistair McGowan
Doon MacKichan
Brian Bowles
Charles McKeown
Gabrielle Cowburn
Producer: Ioan Magnusson
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in June 1993.
SUN 22:55 The Comedy Club Interviews (m002qwwy)
Hannah Byczkowski 2/3
From 10pm until midnight, seven days a week, the Comedy Club has two hours of comedy. Plus, Esyllt Sears chats again to stand-up comedian, podcaster and Traitors star Hannah Byczkowski.
SUN 23:00 In and Out of the Kitchen (b01q8l39)
Series 2
Valentine's Day
Tradition in the Trench/MacIlveny household dictates that Valentine's Day is the one day of the year when Damien is not allowed in the kitchen.
This means Anthony can be left alone to cook a special meal to celebrate the occasion... much to Damien's chagrin.
Meanwhile, Damien struggles to finish the links to a new series for Sky Arts all about the dietary habits of the great poets.
And his dad has an unfortunate accident whilst walking the dog...
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
Builder ...... Ben Crowe
Mr Mullaney ...... Brendan Dempsey
Marion Duffett ...... Lesley Vickerage
Producer: Sam Michell
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 2013.
SUN 23:30 Hearing with Hegley (b0082c3x)
Series 2
Episode 6
The poet laureate of alternative comedy, John Hegley entertains an audience in Luton
With poems about his father and more.
With:
Keith Moore
Susan Norton
Andrew Bailey
Nigel Piper
Producer: Phil Clarke
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 1998.
SUN 23:45 Bunk Bed (m0014gjz)
Series 9
Episode 6
Patrick Marber and Peter Curran are joined by Jane Horrocks on the pull-out bed.
Together, they remember the sniggering and suggestive noises after lights out when they were younger, and the etiquette and ingredients for a good midnight feast.
Jane relives a traumatic charity auction.
A Foghorn Company production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in February 2022.

MONDAY 02 FEBRUARY 2026

MON 00:00 Scramble by Martin Kiszko (b007jwnl)
[Repeat of broadcast at 16:00 on Sunday]
MON 00:30 The Heart of Hark'un (b007jq9v)
[Repeat of broadcast at 16:30 on Sunday]
MON 01:00 Desert Island Discs Revisited (b05vjjwn)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 on Sunday]
MON 01:45 David Attenborough's Life Stories (b011vjj0)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:45 on Sunday]
MON 02:00 Poetry Extra (m002qrhy)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 on Sunday]
MON 02:30 Man of Iron: Thomas Telford and the Building of Britain (Omnibus) (b08dbspl)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 on Sunday]
MON 03:40 Inheritance Tracks (m002qw42)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:40 on Sunday]
MON 03:50 Ladies of Letters (b0131zs0)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:50 on Sunday]
MON 05:00 Stilgoe's Around (b007k4ks)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 on Sunday]
MON 05:30 Take It From Here (b016951g)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:30 on Sunday]
MON 06:00 Whodunnits (b007jznh)
Paul Temple and the Spencer Affair
6. Home Again
A murder on a lonely island - as the debonair amateur detective Paul Temple spots a clue pointing to Paris.
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
Charlie.........James Beattie
Det Insp Vosper.........Hugh Manning
Eric Landsale.........John Graham
Rupert Dreisler.......Brewster Mason
Adrian Frost........Simon Lack
Warren.......James Thomason
Pete Roberts.........Thomas Heathcote
A Police Sergeant...........Haydn Jones
P C Johnson........Frank Windsor
Producer: Martyn C Webster
First broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in December 1957.
MON 06:30 Maugham's Eye View (b00m9gqx)
6. Before The Party
Kathleen Skinner thinks her sister Millicent is hiding something about her husband's death.
As they want to go to a Garden Party, the truth comes out...
Last in a series of Somerset Maugham short stories dramatised by Neville Teller.
Dirk Bogarde is the narrator.
Mrs Skinner ...... Dorothy Tutin
Millicent Skinner ...... Amanda Waring
Mr Skinner ...... Derek Waring
Kathleen Skinner ...... Caroline Strong
Harold ...... Richard McCabe
Simpson ...... Stephen Critchlow
Director: Janet Whitaker
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 1996.
MON 07:00 In the Chair (b007jsyl)
Episode 5
Links between the serial killings and New Labour appear stronger than ever for maverick hack, George Cragge.
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
Music by Paul Mottram.
Producer: Paul Schlesinger
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 1998.
MON 07:30 Dad's Army (b007jn4c)
Series 2
Branded
Private Godfrey faces ridicule when Captain Mainwaring discovers he was a conscientious objector.
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
Chief Warden Hodges …. Bill Pertwee
Cissy Godfrey …. Nan Braunton
Second Warden …. Michael Sega
Doctor …. Norman Ettlinger
Announcer …. John Snagge
Producer: John Dyas
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 1975.
MON 08:00 Ellie Taylor's Safe Space (m000ynbb)
Series 2
2: Exercise
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 dislikes.
She's never liked exercise and sets out to convince her studio audience they should avoid it too.
Joining Ella to prove her point is regular sidekick Robin Morgan
With special guest: TV's Mr Motivator, fitness fan and bumbag aficionado - we hear his views on the virtues of moving about a bit.
Written by Ellie Taylor and Robin Morgan
Produced by Sam Michell
A BBC Studios production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in August 2021.
MON 08:30 Girl With Dove by Sally Bayley (m00020s7)
1. Miss Marple
Sally Bayley recalls how a strange home life made her bond with characters from books, abridged in five parts by Katrin Williams.
We are introduced to the household in a village in Sussex, mother, grandmother and some brothers.
One day baby David goes missing and Mummy retires to her bedroom for "two hundred sleeps".
At this point the author turns to Miss Marple to make sense of things.
Abridged in five parts by Katrin Williams:
Read by Lydia Leonard.
Producer: Duncan Minshull
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 2019.
MON 08:45 Ladies of Letters (b007jrrd)
Ladies of Letters Log On
1. Email
The discovery of email doesn't stop the flow of feminine vitriol.
Starring Patricia Routledge and Prunella Scales.
The up and down relationship between two mature ladies shared via their barbed correspondence – now trying to "outsurf" each other on the World Wide Web.
Written by Lou Wakefield and Carole Hayman.
Vera Small .... Patricia Routledge
Irene Spencer .... Prunella Scales
Howard .... Christopher Kelham
Producer: Claire Grove
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 2001.
MON 09:00 The Unbelievable Truth (m002qj0s)
Series 32
6. Men, Statues, Theft and Martial Arts
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.
Miles Jupp, Celya AB, Michelle Wolf and Frankie Boyle are the panellists obliged to talk with deliberate inaccuracy on subjects as varied as men, statues, theft and martial arts.
The show is devised by Graeme Garden and Jon Naismith
Producer: Jon Naismith
A Random Entertainment production for BBC Radio 4
MON 09:30 Centurions (b007jxdl)
Buster Keaton: The General
**** Broadcast to mark 60 years since the death of Buster Keaton on 1st February 1960 aged 70. ****
Film historian David Robinson and writer David Thomson celebrate silent film star Buster Keaton and his movie machine.
As the cinema of silence gave way to the squawking of the talkies Buster Keaton offered up this effortless, immaculate vehicle for his stone faced genius.
The General is a perfect, hilarious and human work of mechanical precision and endless heroism. The tale of a man and his two true loves - a wonderous steam engine and his sweetheart - caught up in the meticulously realized struggle of the American Civil War.
Perhaps his greatest comedy it was also one of Keaton's most painful failures.
Producer: Mark Burman
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 1999.
MON 09:45 Daily Service (m002qrht)
Candlemas: Consecrated to God
Reflection, worship and music with Linden Bicket, a teacher of literature and religion at Edinburgh University's School of Divinity.
Reading: Luke 2: 21-24
MON 10:00 And the Academy Award Goes To... (b008wtbx)
Series 1
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
Paul Gambaccini continues his history of the Oscars, as he examines the first post-war film to win all five of the major Academy Awards.
Milos Foreman (Best Director) reveals how 'One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest' (Best Picture) reflected his views on the Iron Curtain and how the script (Best Writing, Screenplay Adapted From Other Material) came to influence mental health care in America.
Meanwhile, Louise Fletcher (Best Actress in a Leading Role) recalls the experience of working alongside the mixed cast of amateurs and professionals like Jack Nicholson (Best Actor in a Leading Role).
Producers: Paul Kobrak and Sara Jane Hall
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 2008.
MON 10:30 The Brixmis Story (b007nf6t)
They were unsung heroes of the cold war: some of the most effective gatherers of military intelligence behind the iron curtain.
But compared to the glamorous spies of MI6, the Brixmis officers were virtually unknown.
Jolyon Jenkins tells the story of the spies in uniform, who stole bit of Soviet military hardware and went through East German rubbish dumps in search of classified information.
Producer: Jolyon Jenkins
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in June 2007.
MON 11:00 Whodunnits (b007jznh)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
MON 11:30 Maugham's Eye View (b00m9gqx)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
MON 12:00 In the Chair (b007jsyl)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
MON 12:30 Dad's Army (b007jn4c)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
MON 13:00 Ellie Taylor's Safe Space (m000ynbb)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
MON 13:30 Girl With Dove by Sally Bayley (m00020s7)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
MON 13:45 Ladies of Letters (b007jrrd)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:45 today]
MON 14:00 Many a Slip (b007jrx1)
From 20/08/1974
Quizmaster Roy Plomley challenges his contestants to spot the mistakes.
Eleanor Summerfield and Isobel Barnett
battle
David Nixon and Paul Jennings
With some tune-twisters from Steve Race.
Devised and written by Ian Messiter.
Producer: Trafford Whitelock
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 1974.
MON 14:30 Married (b0081fb3)
Series 3
Episode 1
Things are even stranger now that Robin's two universes have collided - and he's surprised to find himself turning into a nice person...
Starring Hugh Bonneville.
Confirmed bachelor Robin Lightfoot is dealing with life in a parallel universe where he has kids and an ex-wife who hates him.
Return of Tony Bagley's comedy drama.
Robin .... Hugh Bonneville
Lesley .... Josie Lawrence
Maxine .... Ann Gosling
Doctor .... Kate Robbins
Alan .... Christopher Kelham
Arthur Smith .... Himself
Producer: Claire Jones
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 2001.
MON 15:00 The No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency (b00k2d8t)
Series 1
The Daddy
Based in Botswana. Owner and founder Precious Ramotswe takes on a new secretary and her first case.
Happy never knew her father. But when someone claiming to be him makes her feed him and do all the chores, she suspects foul play.
Starring Claire Benedict.
Written and dramatised in four parts by Alexander McCall Smith.
Mma Ramotswe ...... Claire Benedict
Happy ...... Gbemisola Ikumelo
Mr Matekoni ...... Joseph Marcell
Mma Makutsi ...... Nadine Marshall
Mr Patel ...... Bhasker Patel
The Daddy ...... Ben Thomas
Director: Gaynor MacFarlane
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 2004.
MON 15:45 I Got the Dog by Susie Maguire (b00tmmb6)
Andria's Story
Andria fell hook, line and sinker for the enigmatic and brooding Russian pianist, Boris.
They met at a street market and the attraction was instant. He posted a little Russian doll through her letterbox with his phone number attached.
How could she resist?
Beds, pianos, dogs and shipwrecks as Rebecca Front reads Andria's story.
Susie Maguire's trilogy of comic stories about the fallout from a break-up.
Who gets left with what? Music, water, transportation, arithmetic, possessions, separations....and love.
Producer: Sarah Langan
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 2010.
MON 16:00 And the Academy Award Goes To... (b008wtbx)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 today]
MON 16:30 The Brixmis Story (b007nf6t)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:30 today]
MON 17:00 Whodunnits (b007jznh)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
MON 17:30 Maugham's Eye View (b00m9gqx)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
MON 18:00 In the Chair (b007jsyl)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
MON 18:30 Dad's Army (b007jn4c)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
MON 19:00 Ellie Taylor's Safe Space (m000ynbb)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
MON 19:30 Girl With Dove by Sally Bayley (m00020s7)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
MON 19:45 Ladies of Letters (b007jrrd)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:45 today]
MON 20:00 Many a Slip (b007jrx1)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:00 today]
MON 20:30 Married (b0081fb3)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:30 today]
MON 21:00 The No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency (b00k2d8t)
[Repeat of broadcast at 15:00 today]
MON 21:45 I Got the Dog by Susie Maguire (b00tmmb6)
[Repeat of broadcast at 15:45 today]
MON 22:00 The Unbelievable Truth (m002qj0s)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
MON 22:30 Weak at the Top (b00ry9j0)
Series 1
Trout Farm
John Weak discovers there's a "T" missing from the end of HR, when Human Resources has a communal hot flush over his witty entry on Deirdre Simmons's leaving card...
Alexander Armstrong stars in Guy Browning’s sitcom.
Randy, devious, sexist and workshy, John Weak puts the man into management.
John Weak ...... Alexander Armstrong
Hayley ...... Clare Perkins
Sir Marcus ...... Geoffrey Whitehead
Bill Peters ...... Ron Cook
Phil Bellinger ...... Stephen Critchlow
Clare Barrett ...... Colleen Prendergast
Deidre Simmons ...... Susan Jameson
Simon Henshaw ...... Harry Myers
Producer: Jonquil Panting
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 2005.
MON 23:00 The News Quiz (m002qh2l)
Series 119
4. By-elections, hello defections
On the agenda this week is Starmer vs Burnham in Labour's latest civil war, Suella Braverman’s defection to Reform, and working out how to save The Great British pub. To get to the bottom of all this, Andy is joined by Daliso Chaponda, Kiri Pritchard-McLean, Hugo Rifkind and Holly Walsh.
Written by Andy Zaltzman.
With additional material by: Christina Riggs, Cameron Loxdale and Sarah Mills
Producer: Georgia Keating
Executive Producer: Pete Strauss
Production Coordinator: Jodie Charman
Sound Editor: Marc Willcox
A BBC Studios Production for Radio 4.
MON 23:30 Nigel and Earl Sort Out the World (b008vr8l)
The surreal duo tries solving the globe's topical problems in the early ‘90s.
This time, the pair take on the challenges of celebrity plastic surgery, offer election advice to a failing US President, before taking on his duties in a couple of warzones....
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 03 FEBRUARY 2026

TUE 00:00 And the Academy Award Goes To... (b008wtbx)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 on Monday]
TUE 00:30 The Brixmis Story (b007nf6t)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:30 on Monday]
TUE 01:00 Whodunnits (b007jznh)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 on Monday]
TUE 01:30 Maugham's Eye View (b00m9gqx)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 on Monday]
TUE 02:00 In the Chair (b007jsyl)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 on Monday]
TUE 02:30 Dad's Army (b007jn4c)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 on Monday]
TUE 03:00 Ellie Taylor's Safe Space (m000ynbb)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 on Monday]
TUE 03:30 Girl With Dove by Sally Bayley (m00020s7)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 on Monday]
TUE 03:45 Ladies of Letters (b007jrrd)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:45 on Monday]
TUE 04:00 Many a Slip (b007jrx1)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:00 on Monday]
TUE 04:30 Married (b0081fb3)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:30 on Monday]
TUE 05:00 The No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency (b00k2d8t)
[Repeat of broadcast at 15:00 on Monday]
TUE 05:45 I Got the Dog by Susie Maguire (b00tmmb6)
[Repeat of broadcast at 15:45 on Monday]
TUE 06:00 Whodunnits (b007jzpv)
Paul Temple and the Spencer Affair
7. Dinner at the Stardust
After the untimely death of actress Mary Dreisler in her London flat, her theatre impresario father has sent for Paul Temple.
Now debonair detective Paul Temple turns his attention from the River Thames to a London nightclub.
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
Adrian Frost........Simon Lack
Terry Gibson.......Isabel Dean
Rupert Dreisler.........Brewster Mason
Det Insp Vosper.........Hugh Manning
Charlie..........James Beattie
Ritchie.......Hamilton Dyce
Andre Reynaud......Denis Goacher
Other parts played by:
David Spenser
John Graham
Trevor Martin
Haydn Jones
Producer: Martyn C Webster
First broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in December 1957.
TUE 06:30 Cadfael (b007jlcr)
The Virgin in the Ice
1. Casualties of War
Shrewsbury, Winter in the year 1139: Amid a civil war, medieval sleuth Brother Cadfael sets out to find a missing boy and his sister.
Starring Philip Madoc as Brother Cadfael.
Written by Ellis Peters.
Dramatised in five parts by Bert Coules.
Narrator … Sir Michael Hordern
Brother Cadfael … Philip Madoc
Hugh Beringar …. Douglas Hodge
Leonard …. Leonard Fenton
Olivier …. Raad Rawi
Ermina …. Moira Buffini
Ives …. Dean Magri
Elyas …. Crispin Letts
Abbot Radulfus …. John Church
Other parts played by:
Jonathan Tafler
Steve Hodson
Eric Allen
Julian Rhind-Tutt
David Holt
Music by Peter Salem.
Producer: Phil Clarke.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 1992.
TUE 07:00 Oh Mother! (m002qrpl)
The Burglary
Nelly's been burgled and is shaken up.
But she's excited by the prospect of some insurance money...
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 .... Nicholas Smith
Gerald .... David Tate
Producer: Martin Fisher
First broadcast on BBC Radio 2 in May 1980.
**** Sadly not all episodes have survived in the BBC archive.
TUE 07:30 The Goon Show (b00jctj9)
Series 9
Who Is Pink Oboe?
Cowardly Captain Neddie Seagoon goes to war.
Groundbreaking, surreal BBC radio comedy written by Spike Milligan.
Starring:
Harry Secombe
Spike Milligan
With Peter Sellers away, Graham Stark and Kenneth Connor are enlisted.
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 (b0b9yw79)
Series 1
Death & The Maven
When Film Club Leo dies suddenly, Jack and Millie have to make a choice between good behaviour and cheesecake.
After a successful pilot, Jeremy Front's comedy is about an older couple trying to grapple with an elusive name, a missing Bette Midler, a rogue knish 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?
So 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 show written by Jeremy Front about Jack and Millie Lemman - an older couple fully engaged with contemporary life while being at war with the absurdities of the modern world.
Jack ...... Jeremy Front
Millie ...... Rebecca Front
Shirley ...... Tracy-Ann Oberman
Harry ...... Nigel Lindsay
The Nurse ...... Llewella Gideon
Alan ...... Adam G Goodwin
The Widow ...... Sue Kelvin
Producer: David Tyler
A Pozzitive production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in July 2018.
TUE 08:30 Girl With Dove by Sally Bayley (m0002100)
2. Jane Eyre
Sally Bayley recalls how a strange home life made her bond with characters from books.
One night, an aunt called Di appears. She will come to live with them in Sussex and is the aunt 'who spoke gobbledygook'. Oh dear!
Time, therefore, to dip into the pages of Jane Eyre.
Abridged by Katrin Williams:
Read by Lydia Leonard
Producer: Duncan Minshull
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 2019.
TUE 08:45 Ladies of Letters (b01m7w39)
Ladies of Letters Log On
2. The Show
Vera prepares to host a TV show, while Irene takes a spin.
Starring Patricia Routledge as Vera and Prunella Scales as Irene.
The up and down relationship between two mature ladies shared via their barbed correspondence – now trying to "outsurf" each other on the World Wide Web.
Written by Lou Wakefield and Carole Hayman.
Vera Small .... Patricia Routledge
Irene Spencer .... Prunella Scales
Zizi .... Mia Soteriou
Producer: Claire Grove
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 2001.
TUE 09:00 You Heard It Here First (m002qjc6)
Series 3
3. 'The Irish Comedian Throws His Chair Across the Room'
Chris McCausland asks Ed Byrne and Rachel Fairburn to take on Josh Jones and Janine Harouni. The teams must figure out what on earth is being advertised on TV, guess what opening scenes of famous films are being audio described and make some very strange noises themselves.
Producer: Sasha Bobak
Assistant Producer: Eve Delaney
Executive Producer: Pete Strauss
Production Coordinator: Jodie Charman
A BBC Studios Production.
TUE 09:30 Helen Lewis: Great Wives (m000z0cs)
Series 1
Ghosts
For two decades, Great Lives on BBC Radio 4 and 4 Extra has explored what it takes to change the world.
But Helen Lewis wants to ask a different question:
What does it take to live with someone who changes the world?
Behind the history of genius lies a second, hidden history: the stories of people who give geniuses the time they need to flourish. This series explores the many "supporting roles" needed to sustain an apparently "singular" genius.
For starters, we meet Einstein's wife Mileva, the Curie power couple and a man who falsely claimed to be the genius behind some terrible paintings.
Written by Helen Lewis.
Additional voices from Joshua Higgott
Producer: Richard Morris
A BBC Studios production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in August 2021.
TUE 09:45 Daily Service (m002qrpn)
Candlemas - God's Promise Fulfilled
A space for spiritual reflection with a Bible reading, prayer and a range of Christian music.
Theme: Candlemas - God's promise fulfilled
Presenter: Rev Grace Thomas
Reading: Luke 2:25-32
Music:
All Glory Laud and Honour - Kings College Cambridge
Nunc Dimittis - BBC Philharmonic with the BBC Young Chorister Natalie
To God be the Glory - Daily Service Singers
TUE 10:00 A Good Read (m000jvyt)
Natalie Carter & Melissa Cummings-Quarry
The two founders of Black Girls Book Club, Natalie Carter and Melissa Cummings-Quarry join Harriett Gilbert to talk about their favourite books by Alice Walker, Virginia Woolf and Zora N Hurston.
The Color Purple by Alice Walker
Publisher: Orion
Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
Publisher: Virago
Mrs Dalloway by Virginia Woolf
Publisher: Vintage
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in June 2020.
TUE 10:30 Clocking On (b08rtldq)
Professor Emma Griffin explores how British workers became tied to the clock.
Before industrialisation, workers were accustomed to a loosely regulated working week, influenced more by daylight hours and the agricultural cycle than by the time on the face of a clock.
Indeed, most people didn't own a watch and managed all aspects of their lives without reference to official time.
During the Industrial Revolution, British workers became tied to the clock in a way they never had before.
Emma visits Quarry Bank Mill in Cheshire to discover how 19th century factory owners extracted a long and regular working week from a workforce accustomed to a much more loosely regimented working pattern.
She also visits the Royal Observatory at Greenwich to understand how their precision clocks, which for centuries had been specialist scientific equipment of use only to astronomers, were pressed into service as the regulator of the nation's workforce.
Producer: Melissa FitzGerald
A Blakeway production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in May 2017.
TUE 11:00 Whodunnits (b007jzpv)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
TUE 11:30 Cadfael (b007jlcr)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
TUE 12:00 Oh Mother! (m002qrpl)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
TUE 12:30 The Goon Show (b00jctj9)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
TUE 13:00 Jack & Millie (b0b9yw79)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
TUE 13:30 Girl With Dove by Sally Bayley (m0002100)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
TUE 13:45 Ladies of Letters (b01m7w39)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:45 today]
TUE 14:00 Hidden Treasures (b054z4kp)
Petworth House
A reclining marble sculpture, a very peculiar chair, and some weird and wonderful objects from the kitchen.
Lars Tharp chairs the light-hearted Antiques Quiz.
From the North Gallery of Petworth House in West Sussex - crammed with works of Turner, William Blake, Reynolds and Gainsborough.
With:
Eric Knowles
Clive Farahar
Hilary Kay
Producer: Annie Bristow
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 1998.
TUE 14:30 Ring Around the Bath (b00p8fk7)
Series 1
New House
Patrick and Stella finally find the house of their dreams - a perfect cottage with a garden in the country - but the children aren't budging.
Will their plans be scuppered at the eleventh hour?
Starring Duncan Preston and Penny Downie.
Lucy Clare and Ian Davidson’s sitcom about a topsy-turvy household. Stella is a middle-aged and having a crisis - her grown up children refuse to leave home. What’s worse, husband Patrick doesn't mind.
Patrick …. Duncan Preston
Stella …. Penny Downie
Alison …. Claudie Blakely
Rick …. Bruce McKinnon
Egg …. Daniela Denby-Ashe
Xanthe …. Catherine Shepherd
Digger …. Andrew Westfield
French Teacher …. Aileen Gonsalves
Producer: Elizabeth Freestone
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 2003.
TUE 15:00 The No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency (b00k2lzp)
Series 1
The Bone
Precious Ramotswe has two cases.
She tails Nandira Patel to find out if she has a boyfriend, but it doesn't go quite how she's expecting.
And Precious is hot on the trail of the missing 11 year old boy, after a finger bone is found in a car.
Written and dramatised by Alexander McCall Smith.
Charlie ...... Jude Akuwudike
Mma Ramotswe ...... Claire Benedict
Charlie's assistant ...... Maynard Eziashi
Dr Gulubane ...... Peter Gevisser
Witchdoctor's Wife ...... Heather Imani
Mr JLB Matekoni ...... Joseph Marcel
Mma Makutsi ...... Nadine Marshal
Mr Patel ...... Bhasker Patel
Nandira ...... Tehmina Sacranie
Director: Gaynor MacFarlane
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 2004.
TUE 15:45 I Got the Dog by Susie Maguire (b00tmmyn)
Boris's Story
Boris is an artist - a pianist.
When he's working on a piece, time becomes meaningless; he will play all through the night and not notice.
That enigmatic passion, once the very thing that attracted Andria to him, eventually caused their break up. Boris left, taking his piano and their dog Mimi with him.
Things begin to look up for him when he starts seeing another artist Chiara.
Surely she’ll understand the creative drive..?
John McGlynn reads Boris's story
Susie Maguire's trilogy of comic stories about the fallout from a break-up.
Who gets left with what? Music, water, transportation, arithmetic, possessions, separations....and love.
Producer: Sarah Langan
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 2010.
TUE 16:00 A Good Read (m000jvyt)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 today]
TUE 16:30 Clocking On (b08rtldq)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:30 today]
TUE 17:00 Whodunnits (b007jzpv)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
TUE 17:30 Cadfael (b007jlcr)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
TUE 18:00 Oh Mother! (m002qrpl)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
TUE 18:30 The Goon Show (b00jctj9)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
TUE 19:00 Jack & Millie (b0b9yw79)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
TUE 19:30 Girl With Dove by Sally Bayley (m0002100)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
TUE 19:45 Ladies of Letters (b01m7w39)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:45 today]
TUE 20:00 Hidden Treasures (b054z4kp)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:00 today]
TUE 20:30 Ring Around the Bath (b00p8fk7)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:30 today]
TUE 21:00 The No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency (b00k2lzp)
[Repeat of broadcast at 15:00 today]
TUE 21:45 I Got the Dog by Susie Maguire (b00tmmyn)
[Repeat of broadcast at 15:45 today]
TUE 22:00 You Heard It Here First (m002qjc6)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
TUE 22:30 Goodness Gracious Me (b007jwpj)
Series 2
Episode 2
The Marriage Emporium running low on Indian brides - and "Fifty Ways To Leave Your Mother".
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 22:55 The Comedy Club Interviews (m002qwyb)
Hannah Byczkowski 3/3
From 10pm until midnight, seven days a week, the Comedy Club has two hours of comedy. Esyllt Sears chats again to stand-up comedian, podcaster and Traitors star Hannah Byczkowski.
TUE 23:00 Susan Calman - Keep Calman Carry On (b0717j1y)
Series 1
Cricket with Andy Zaltzman
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?
This time, in a typically British leisure pursuit; Susan goes to a cricket match with comedian and author, Andy Zaltzman.
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 (b007w0j4)
2. Individuality
Jersey-born comedian Will Smith continues his obsession with 1980s BBC TV detective series Bergerac.
He's using an audio book of its star, John Nettles, reading the Tao, to navigate the minefield of his life, with the help of a special guest.
Will wonders how he can be an individual without being derided for his choices.
With:
Karl Johnson
Simon Greenall
Rachel Bavidge
Olivia Poulet
John Nettles
Written by Will Smith and Roger Drew.
Producer: Tilusha Ghelani
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 2007.

WEDNESDAY 04 FEBRUARY 2026

WED 00:00 A Good Read (m000jvyt)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 on Tuesday]
WED 00:30 Clocking On (b08rtldq)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:30 on Tuesday]
WED 01:00 Whodunnits (b007jzpv)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 on Tuesday]
WED 01:30 Cadfael (b007jlcr)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 on Tuesday]
WED 02:00 Oh Mother! (m002qrpl)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 on Tuesday]
WED 02:30 The Goon Show (b00jctj9)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 on Tuesday]
WED 03:00 Jack & Millie (b0b9yw79)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 on Tuesday]
WED 03:30 Girl With Dove by Sally Bayley (m0002100)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 on Tuesday]
WED 03:45 Ladies of Letters (b01m7w39)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:45 on Tuesday]
WED 04:00 Hidden Treasures (b054z4kp)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:00 on Tuesday]
WED 04:30 Ring Around the Bath (b00p8fk7)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:30 on Tuesday]
WED 05:00 The No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency (b00k2lzp)
[Repeat of broadcast at 15:00 on Tuesday]
WED 05:45 I Got the Dog by Susie Maguire (b00tmmyn)
[Repeat of broadcast at 15:45 on Tuesday]
WED 06:00 Whodunnits (b007jn54)
Paul Temple and the Spencer Affair
8. A Party of Four
The smooth sleuth gathers together the key players in the musical mystery.
Francis Durbridge's thriller starring Peter Coke as Paul Temple and Marjorie Westbury as Steve in the conclusion of another intriguing case.
Paul Temple..............Peter Coke
Steve.........Marjorie Westbury
Sir Graham Forbes........Lester Mudditt
Det Insp Vosper...........Hugh Manning
Andre Reynaud........Denis Goacher
Ritchie.........Hamilton Dyce
Charlie.............James Beattie
Rupert Dreisler...........Brewster Mason
Adrian Frost.......Simon Lack
Pete Roberts.......Thomas Heathcote
Terry Gibson........Isabel Dean
Other parts played by Trevor Martin, Frank Windsor, Haydn Jones, David Spenser, John Graham, Frank Partington and Malcolm Hayes of the Radio Drama Company
Producer: Martyn C. Webster
First broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in January 1958.
WED 06:30 Cadfael (b007jld1)
The Virgin in the Ice
2. Danger From All Sides
Amid bitter civil war in 1139, detective monk Brother Cadfael makes headway in his medieval crime hunt, but it's mixed news...
Starring Philip Madoc as Brother Cadfael.
Written by Ellis Peters and dramatised by Bert Coules.
Brother Cadfael ...... Philip Madoc
Narrator ...... Sir Michael Hordern
Boterel ...... Andrew Wincott
Leonard ...... Leonard Fenton
Elyas ...... Crispin Letts
Ives ...... Dean Magri
Hugh ...... Douglas Hodge
Ermina ...... Moira Buffini
Olivier ...... Raad Rawi
Other parts played by:
Jonathan Tafler
John Fleming
Kate Binchy
Music by Peter Salem.
Producer: Phil Clarke.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 1992.
WED 07:00 If You're So Clever, Why Aren't You Rich? (b00sxkvg)
Series 3
Rain
David is terrified that the landlord will find out he doesn't live in the flat alone. Stars Tony Slattery.
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 (b009rnlw)
Series 6
The Fete
The Lad rashly agrees to tempt Sir Laurence Olivier to open the East Cheam Garden Fete.
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
Wilfred Babbage
Jack Watson
Hugh Morton
Theme and incidental music composed and conducted by Wally Stott.
Producer: Tom Ronald
First broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in December 1959.
WED 08:00 Plum House (b07jyw84)
Series 1
The Rather Risky Ramble
Tom returns from a team building course in London to find the Plum House team have been bickering in his absence.
So he decides to put what he has learned into action.
Peter has a better idea to restore team spirit and suggests the museum's staff go on a walk through the Cumbrian countryside, known as Pudding's Horseshoe. Hiking boots on, the group set off on their ramble on a beautiful sunny day, full of enthusiasm and Kendal Mint Cake.
What can possibly go wrong?
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.
Can anyone save Plum House from irreversible decline?
Peter ...... Simon Callow
Maureen ...... Jane Horrocks
Julian ...... Miles Jupp
Tom ...... Tom Bell
Alan ...... Pearce Quigley
Emma ...... Louise Ford
Director: Paul Schlesinger
A Hat Trick production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in July 2016.
WED 08:30 Girl With Dove by Sally Bayley (m00021fj)
3. Laurie
Sally Bayley recalls how a strange home life made her bond with characters from books.
One day, the man called Laurie returned, to take Mum and the family out to dinner.
Laurie once did something that was similar to a scene in 'Jane Eyre'.
And this is all rather worrying.
Reader: Lydia Leonard
Producer: Duncan Minshull
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 2019.
WED 08:45 Ladies of Letters (b01m7xpk)
Ladies of Letters Log On
3. Visit
Irene is determined to play a starring role in Vera's TV show.
Starring Patricia Routledge as Vera and Prunella Scales as Irene.
The up and down relationship between two mature ladies shared via their barbed correspondence – now trying to "outsurf" each other on the World Wide Web.
Written by Lou Wakefield and Carole Hayman.
Vera Small .... Patricia Routledge
Irene Spencer .... Prunella Scales
Howard .... Christopher Kelham
Karen .... Mia Soteriou
Producer: Claire Grove
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 2001.
WED 09:00 Stand-Up Specials (m002qj6n)
Why in the Name of Pierre Novellie
4. Why Am I So Unfashionable?
In this episode, all about why he’s so unfashionable, Pierre discusses his sinister alter ego, the emoji versus the quill, the most stylish way to visit the off-licence and his uncanny ability to make trousers wet.
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 Helen Lewis: Great Wives (m000z6dq)
Series 1
Muses
For two decades, Great Lives on Radio 4 has explored what it takes to change the world. But Helen Lewis wants to ask a different question: what does it take to live with someone who changes the world?
Behind the history of genius lies a second, hidden history: the stories of people who give geniuses the time they need to flourish. This series explores the many "supporting roles" needed to sustain an apparently "singular" genius.
In this episode, Helen turns her attention to the role of the Muse as she meets many and various historical figures from Elizabeth Siddal to Dora Maar via Alice B Toklas.
Written by Helen Lewis with additional voices from Joshua Higgott
Producer: Richard Morris
Production Coordinator: Sarah Nicholls
Sound Design: Chris Maclean
A BBC Studios production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in August 2021.
WED 09:45 Daily Service (m002qt9x)
Candlemas - A sword will pierce your soul
A space for spiritual reflection with a Bible reading, prayer and a range of Christian music.
Theme: Candlemas - A sword will pierce your soul
Presenter: Becky Silver
Reading: Luke 2:33-35
Music:
Great are you Lord - Rivers and Robots
Thorns in the Straw - Philippa Hanna feat. Graham Kendrick
The Blessing - Kari Jobe
WED 10:00 Archive on 4 (m001b3xv)
Tobacco and Me
How much has the tobacco industry changed over the last 50 years? Peter Taylor uses his own remarkable archive to chart its history and scrutinises the current claim by big tobacco players that they’re now working towards a smoke-free world.
Back in the 1970s multinationals like Philip Morris, which produces Marlboro, the biggest selling cigarette brand in the world, even denied the very basic scientific evidence linking their products to a host of fatal diseases. Peter, then a young TV reporter, investigated the industry in a series of hard-hitting documentaries. Today, Philip Morris International (PMI) is transformed, outlining a strategy over the next decade to stop manufacturing and selling cigarettes. The programme features a rare interview with Philip Morris Executive Chairman Andre Calantzopoulos, the man behind this transformation. He explains PMI’s long-term plan to create “a smoke-free world.”
But can PMI and the industry really be trusted? Is the transformation real or is it just another highly sophisticated public relations campaign to keep former smokers addicted to nicotine? Peter has tracked the epic battle between Big Tobacco and public health for fifty years, and as he reveals, it's a story with a powerful personal connection.
Production Coordinator: Janet Staples
Producer: Jim Frank
Editor: Sam Collyns
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 2022.
WED 11:00 Whodunnits (b007jn54)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
WED 11:30 Cadfael (b007jld1)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
WED 12:00 If You're So Clever, Why Aren't You Rich? (b00sxkvg)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
WED 12:30 Hancock's Half Hour (b009rnlw)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
WED 13:00 Plum House (b07jyw84)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
WED 13:30 Girl With Dove by Sally Bayley (m00021fj)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
WED 13:45 Ladies of Letters (b01m7xpk)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:45 today]
WED 14:00 The Write Stuff (m0009lvw)
Series 3
5. Samuel Beckett
James Walton tests Sebastian Faulks, John Walsh, Jane Thynne and Harry Ritchie in the game of literary correctness.
Author of the week: Samuel Beckett
Reader: Beth Chalmers
Producer: Dawn Ellis
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in June 2000.
WED 14:30 Alison and Maud (b007k244)
Series 1
Lame Ducks
How can Bed and Breakfast landlady Alison avoid a courtship display - without hastily inventing a husband?
Sue Limb's sitcom about events at the Abbeyfield Guest House in Norwich.
Denise Coffey and Miriam Margolyes star as sisters Alison and Maud.
Alison …. Denise Coffey
Maud …. Miriam Margolyes
Father …. Joss Ackland
Mr Mullett …. Chris Emmett
Leslie …. Nickolas Grace
Producer: Jonathan James-Moore.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 2002.
WED 15:00 The No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency (b00k2nk9)
Series 1
The Maid
Precious Ramotswe, owner and founder of the No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency, has good news.
However, she must also face a scheming maid, find out the truth behind a doctor's erratic behaviour and take on a new case about a missing American.
Written and dramatised by Alexander McCall Smith.
Mme Ramotswe ...... Claire Benedict
Mr JLB Matekoni ...... Joseph Marcell
Mma Makutski ...... Nadine Marshall
Mma Potokwani ...... Janice Acquah
Mrs Curtin ...... Nancy Crane
Florence Peko ...... Noma Dumezweni
Philemon ...... Chuk Iwuji
Director: Gaynor MacFarlane
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 2004.
WED 15:45 I Got the Dog by Susie Maguire (b00tmmyj)
Chiara's Story
Susie Maguire's trilogy of comic stories about the fallout from a break up. Who gets left with what? Music, water, dogs, arithmetic, possessions... and love.
Chiara is a performance artist. She does a little bit of dance, singing, theatre and mime.
Boris was her first Russian. Dimitri was her second, although he was more Hampstead than St Petersburg.
All she has left from these relationships is a selection of battle scars. Surely she can salvage something from this? Never one to under-analyse the events in her life, she convinces herself that she can create something from this mess: "Yes," she decides, "I can workshop this." Pretty quickly she's mapped out an entire performance project complete with Rimsky Korsakov, some 'Eugene Onegin-y' type music, with Boris represented by a Nosferatu figure, whilst Andria and Dimitri are played by a pair of coats and hats. With references to film noir, Dali and Eisenstein all chucked into the melting pot for luck.
Will Chiara's creativity bring her salvation? And what happened to the dog?
Vicki Pepperdine reads Chiara's story
Producer: Sarah Langan.
WED 16:00 Archive on 4 (m001b3xv)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 today]
WED 17:00 Whodunnits (b007jn54)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
WED 17:30 Cadfael (b007jld1)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
WED 18:00 If You're So Clever, Why Aren't You Rich? (b00sxkvg)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
WED 18:30 Hancock's Half Hour (b009rnlw)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
WED 19:00 Plum House (b07jyw84)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
WED 19:30 Girl With Dove by Sally Bayley (m00021fj)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
WED 19:45 Ladies of Letters (b01m7xpk)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:45 today]
WED 20:00 The Write Stuff (m0009lvw)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:00 today]
WED 20:30 Alison and Maud (b007k244)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:30 today]
WED 21:00 The No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency (b00k2nk9)
[Repeat of broadcast at 15:00 today]
WED 21:45 I Got the Dog by Susie Maguire (b00tmmyj)
[Repeat of broadcast at 15:45 today]
WED 22:00 Stand-Up Specials (m002qj6n)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
WED 22:30 A World of Dowie (m0017d8t)
2. Lust
The unreconstructed John Dowie escapes from his wife and new baby when the band go on the road - to Edinburgh.
Here, he falls madly in lust...
Enter a brave new world created and presented by John Dowie.
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 John Finnemore's Souvenir Programme (m000vqr4)
Series 9
Episode 1
With no live studio audience this year, John Finnemore has taken the opportunity to try something completely new.
Every episode in this series of Souvenir Programme is made up of scenes from one person's life, played in reverse order.
There's no narrative to the episode; it's still a sketch show, not a sitcom... but the sketches in each episode all happened to one person, played by one member of the cast, over the course of their lifetime.
This episode is all about Russ, and takes place between a Christmas Day Zoom in 2020, and a funeral he attended as a five-year-old in 1990.
Written and performed by John Finnemore.
With:
Lawry Lewin
Margaret Cabourn-Smith
Simon Kane
Carrie Quinlan
Music composed by Susannah Pearse
Music arranged by Susannah Pearse and Tim Sutton
Producer: Ed Morrish
A BBC Studios Production for Radio 4, first broadcast in May 2021.
WED 23:30 The Skewer (m002qj74)
Series 15
4. The Jaws of Andy Burnham
Rylan takes Keir Starmer dating naked, Trump is an Agent of Chaos, Putin has a job interview, and we open the jaws of Andy Burnham.
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 (m001ns7c)
Episode 4
Dominic’s thoughts on caravans, the peril of kidney beans and the lure of arcade games.
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 September 2006.

THURSDAY 05 FEBRUARY 2026

THU 00:00 Archive on 4 (m001b3xv)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 on Wednesday]
THU 01:00 Whodunnits (b007jn54)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 on Wednesday]
THU 01:30 Cadfael (b007jld1)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 on Wednesday]
THU 02:00 If You're So Clever, Why Aren't You Rich? (b00sxkvg)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 on Wednesday]
THU 02:30 Hancock's Half Hour (b009rnlw)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 on Wednesday]
THU 03:00 Plum House (b07jyw84)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 on Wednesday]
THU 03:30 Girl With Dove by Sally Bayley (m00021fj)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 on Wednesday]
THU 03:45 Ladies of Letters (b01m7xpk)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:45 on Wednesday]
THU 04:00 The Write Stuff (m0009lvw)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:00 on Wednesday]
THU 04:30 Alison and Maud (b007k244)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:30 on Wednesday]
THU 05:00 The No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency (b00k2nk9)
[Repeat of broadcast at 15:00 on Wednesday]
THU 05:45 I Got the Dog by Susie Maguire (b00tmmyj)
[Repeat of broadcast at 15:45 on Wednesday]
THU 06:00 A Matter of Honour by Jeffrey Archer (m002qtn8)
1. Fake
The Kremlin - 10th May 1966. The Tsar's Icon is a fake. It is imperative that the original be found - and by 20 June.
Finding it will change the course of human history.
Jeffrey Archer's tale of a secret history that threatens a deadly escalation of the Cold War between the Soviet Union and the United States.
Starring Michael York, Simon Ward and Tom Chadbon.
Dramatised in seven episodes by Brian Sibley.
Adam Scott .... Michael York
Alexander Romanov .... Simon Ward
Lawrence Pemberton .... Tom Chadbon
Brezhnev .... Czeslaw Grocholski
Zaborski .... John Church
Petrova .... Jill Lidstone
Heidi .... Helena Breck
Konstantinov .... George Roubicek
Goering .... Garard Green
Gerald Scott .... Manning Wilson
Mrs Scott .... Pauline Letts
Wainwright .... Eric Stovell
Director: Glyn Dearman
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 November 1986.
**********************************************************************************************************************************************
Our warm thanks go to the Radio Circle for returning this series to the BBC archive.
THU 06:30 Cadfael (b007jldd)
The Virgin in the Ice
3. Found and Lost
As the 1139 English civil war rages in Shropshire, monk-cum-sleuth, Brother Cadfael's brave search for Ermina leads him to the isolated medieval manor of Ledditch.
Starring Philip Madoc as Brother Cadfael.
Written by Ellis Peters and dramatised by Bert Coules.
Brother Cadfael ...... Philip Madoc
Narrator ...... Sir Michael Hordern
Boterel ...... Andrew Wincott
Leonard ...... Leonard Fenton
Elyas ...... Crispin Letts
Ives ...... Dean Magri
Porter ...... Steve Hodson
Hugh ...... Douglas Hodge
Ermina ...... Moira Buffini
Dutton ...... Eric Allan
Music by Peter Salem.
Producer: Phil Clarke.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 1992.
THU 07:00 A Whole New Ball Game (b00ftg1r)
Series 2
And Pigs Can Fry
Is a mock medieval pig roast the soundest way to raise money for a new St. Andrew's 1st XI strip?
Return of the acclaimed comedy of faith, families and football written by Martin Davies.
Father Benedict …… Desmond Barrit
Mrs Patterson …… Brenda Blethyn
Robert Patterson …… Richard Pearce
Barbara Patterson …… Melanie Hudson
Guy Entwhistle …… Martino Lazzeri
Andy Hunt …… Mark Straker
Janet…… Nicola Buckingham
Guy……....Henry Woolley
Producer: Richard Wilson
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 1994.
THU 07:30 Give Or Take (m0010h2v)
6. Besieged!
Sam and Annabel are besieged by the press who want the full story.
But why does Rose start to panic?
Wally K Daly's sitcom starring David Roper and Sharon Duce.
Sam …… David Roper
Annabel …… Sharon Duce
Fred …… Bill Owen
Rose …… Patsy Rowlands
Cedric …… Hugh Paddick
Postman …… Tenniel Evans
Policeman …… David Tate
Reporter …… Vicky Ogden
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 (b06fkd21)
Series 1
Episode 4
It's Maggie's 60th birthday, so bring on the surprise present! And also some unwelcome revelations and a lot of facts about ballooning...
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
David ...... Denis Lill
Niamh ...... Isy Suttie
Gareth ...... Stephen Critchlow
Announcement ...... George Watkins
Script editor: Richard Turner
Producer: Alexandra Smith
A BBC Radio Comedy production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in October 2015.
THU 08:30 Girl With Dove by Sally Bayley (m00021q9)
4. Audrey
Sally Bayley recalls how a strange home life made her bond with characters from books.
Auntie Di and her ways are hard to take, so the author visits the local doctor.
All doctors have 'expert opinions', according to Agatha Christie.
The doctor puts Sally in touch with Audrey, who will help to shape her future life.
Reader: Lydia Leonard
Producer: Duncan Minshull
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 2019.
THU 08:45 Ladies of Letters (b01m81sy)
Ladies of Letters Log On
4. Notes
'Dales Diaries' takes to the air with two charming hostesses.
Starring Patricia Routledge as Vera and Prunella Scales as Irene.
The up and down relationship between two mature ladies shared via their barbed correspondence – now trying to "outsurf" each other on the World Wide Web.
Written by Lou Wakefield and Carole Hayman.
Vera Small .... Patricia Routledge
Irene Spencer .... Prunella Scales
Nigel .... Benedict Sandiford
Benjy .... Nicholas Boulton
Producer: Claire Grove
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 2001.
THU 09:00 What's the Story, Ashley Storrie? (m002qj96)
Series 3
4. The Truth Is, She Never Left You
The story of Ashley’s tumultuous past year concludes and with the help of all the characters she’s created inside her brain to help her get through it, she tells the funny tale of her mum Janey Godley‘s unconventional multi-part send-off which, in her eyes, evoked Evita and saw the wrong people getting the punchlines.
From her pew, at her mum’s funeral, she has to decode bizarre missives from her dyslexic dad, who has fled the country to avoid the whole affair. Never in a million years will you guess where he’s ended up.
She also finds herself in the papers, as she’s papped at the worst possible time, in the worst possible outfit - although on reflection, even she can see the funny side.
Thanks to the therapist she created inside her mind to avoid having to speak to a real person (perfectly healthy, thank you), Ashley finally finds some kind of acceptance, and has some other revelations along the way - like why acting suits her autistic brain and the potato responsible for the chip on her shoulder…
Produced by Julia Sutherland
Sound Design by Sean Kerwin
A Dabster production for BBC Radio 4
THU 09:30 Helen Lewis: Great Wives (m000zdvk)
Series 1
Thanks for Typing
For two decades, Great Lives on Radio 4 has explored what it takes to change the world. But Helen Lewis wants to ask a different question: what does it take to live with someone who changes the world?
Behind the history of genius lies a second, hidden history: the stories of people who give geniuses the time they need to flourish. This series explores the many "supporting roles" needed to sustain an apparently "singular" genius.
In this episode Helen turns her attention to those less well-known other halves who have taken on not just the role of Great Wife but also that of typist.
We meet Sonya Tolstaya, Vera Nabokov and hear what happened when the English professor Bruce Holsinger researched the phrase "my wife typed".
Written by Helen Lewis with additional voices from Joshua Higgott
Producer: Richard Morris
Sound Design: Chris Maclean
A BBC Studios production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in August 2021.
THU 09:45 Daily Service (m002qtnd)
Candlemas: Looking forward
A space for spiritual reflection with a Bible reading, prayer and a range of Christian music.
Theme: Candlemas - Looking forward
Presenter: Richard Littledale
Reading: Luke 2:36-38
Music:
Praise my soul - Daily Service Singers
I know that my redeemer lives (Wesley) - St Michael's Singers
When all thy mercies - Guildford Cathedral Choir
THU 10:00 Great Lives (b0076hh1)
Sarah Bernhardt
Comedienne Jenny Eclair chooses one of the first acting superstars, Sarah Bernhardt - the Madonna of the Victorian era.
She joins presenter Humphrey Carpenter, theatre historian Elaine Aston and actress Frances Barber to shed light on the acclaimed tragedienne Sarah Bernhardt, arguably the world's first international superstar.
The biographical series in which a distinguished guest chooses someone who's inspired their life. Will their hero stand up to intensive scrutiny and merit the description of having led a great life?
Producer: Mark Smalley
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 2003.
THU 10:30 The Human at Play (b08q79q7)
Farrah Jarral asks who gets to play in our society.
Starting with a question about why it's more acceptable for adults to play, she explores the often hidden linguistic, social, economic and political battles over the right to play.
Starting at the London Toy Fair, Farrah travels to Bristol to find out why it became the centre of a play revolution, and she speaks to play advocates, activists and academics.
At the end she comes back to where she began: with the final battle over the right to play, and whether adults can give ourselves permission to play.
Producer: Giles Edwards
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 2017.
THU 11:00 A Matter of Honour by Jeffrey Archer (m002qtn8)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
THU 11:30 Cadfael (b007jldd)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
THU 12:00 A Whole New Ball Game (b00ftg1r)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
THU 12:30 Give Or Take (m0010h2v)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
THU 13:00 All Those Women (b06fkd21)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
THU 13:30 Girl With Dove by Sally Bayley (m00021q9)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
THU 13:45 Ladies of Letters (b01m81sy)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:45 today]
THU 14:00 Say the Word (b007652k)
Episode 6
Frank Delaney's panel game revolving around the English language.
With:
Hunter Davies
Sheila Steafel
Roger McGough
Helen Atkinson-Wood
Plus words of wit from the Nimmo Twins
Producer: Simon Elmes
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 2001.
THU 14:30 HR (b00tppbm)
Series 2
Surfing
Sam and Peter occupy their retirement time surfing the net.
Peter has created a flattering, but deeply inaccurate online profile for himself, and now has a date.
Sam is determined to go along...
Nigel Williams' comedy drama series charting the misfortunes of a middle-aged HR officer and his trouble-making colleague.
Peter .... Jonathan Pryce
Sam .... Nicholas Le Prevost
Janice .... Christine Kavanagh
Drab Woman .... Sally Orrock
Madwoman .... Helen Belbin
Man .... Tony Bell
Director: Peter Kavanagh.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 2010.
THU 15:00 The No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency (b00k2s0q)
Series 1
Tears Of The Giraffe
Precious Ramotswe thinks she is close to finding out what happened to Mrs Curtin's son.
And Mr Matekoni has a big surprise for her...
Written and dramatised by Alexander McCall Smith.
Mme Ramotswe ...... Claire Benedict
Mr J L B Matekoni ...... Joseph Marcell
Mma Makutski ...... Nadine Marshall
Mma Potokwani ...... Janice Acquah
Mrs Curtin ...... Nancy Crane
Philemon ...... Chuk Iwuji
Jeweller ...... Emmanuel Ighodaro
Motholeli/University Secretary ...... Gbemisola Ikumelo
Dr Ranta ...... Willie Jonah
Director: Gaynor MacFarlane
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 2004.
THU 15:45 Short Works (m001vllk)
The Language of Flowers by Elaine Chiew
Willow, a primary school teacher, likes her colleague Geoff.
And Geoff likes her.
But they are no good at reading each other’s signals.
Writer: Elaine Chiew
Reader: Phyllis Ho
Producer: Jeremy Osborne
A Sweet Talk production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in January 2024.
THU 16:00 Great Lives (b0076hh1)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 today]
THU 16:30 The Human at Play (b08q79q7)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:30 today]
THU 17:00 A Matter of Honour by Jeffrey Archer (m002qtn8)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
THU 17:30 Cadfael (b007jldd)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
THU 18:00 A Whole New Ball Game (b00ftg1r)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
THU 18:30 Give Or Take (m0010h2v)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
THU 19:00 All Those Women (b06fkd21)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
THU 19:30 Girl With Dove by Sally Bayley (m00021q9)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
THU 19:45 Ladies of Letters (b01m81sy)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:45 today]
THU 20:00 Say the Word (b007652k)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:00 today]
THU 20:30 HR (b00tppbm)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:30 today]
THU 21:00 The No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency (b00k2s0q)
[Repeat of broadcast at 15:00 today]
THU 21:45 Short Works (m001vllk)
[Repeat of broadcast at 15:45 today]
THU 22:00 What's the Story, Ashley Storrie? (m002qj96)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
THU 22:30 Fab TV (m0016xkj)
Curtis & Ballard (Deceased)
Comedy series paying homage to TV's cult action adventure shows of the 1960s and 70s.
CURTIS AND BALLARD work as a pair of private detectives - but when Ballard is killed by a hit and run steam roller, he returns as a ghost to help solve crimes.
Written by and starring Neil Mullarkey and John Irwin.
With:
Morwenna Banks
Chris England
Robert Harley
Music by Peter Baikie.
Producer: Phil Clarke
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 1996.
THU 23:00 Alex Horne Presents The Horne Section (b042jhzs)
Series 3
Sara Pascoe and James Acaster
Stand-up Alex Horne and his band explore the theme of technology through live music and comedy.
With songs about a record player, hoover and a teasmaid amongst others.
With guest comedians:
Sara Pascoe
James Acaster
Alex's Horne Section are:
Joe Auckland
Mark Brown
Will Collier
Ben Reynolds
Ed Sheldrake
Producer: Julia McKenzie
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 2014.
THU 23:30 Old Harry's Game (b00j7vtm)
Series 7
Episode 6
Satan has worked how to return baby Patrick to Earth behind God's back.
But God is all-seeing and knows what Satan is up to. And now God is pretty angry.
Andy Hamilton’s devilishly funny sitcom set in Hell.
Satan …. Andy Hamilton
God ...... Timothy West
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 06 FEBRUARY 2026

FRI 00:00 Great Lives (b0076hh1)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 on Thursday]
FRI 00:30 The Human at Play (b08q79q7)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:30 on Thursday]
FRI 01:00 A Matter of Honour by Jeffrey Archer (m002qtn8)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 on Thursday]
FRI 01:30 Cadfael (b007jldd)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 on Thursday]
FRI 02:00 A Whole New Ball Game (b00ftg1r)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 on Thursday]
FRI 02:30 Give Or Take (m0010h2v)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 on Thursday]
FRI 03:00 All Those Women (b06fkd21)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 on Thursday]
FRI 03:30 Girl With Dove by Sally Bayley (m00021q9)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 on Thursday]
FRI 03:45 Ladies of Letters (b01m81sy)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:45 on Thursday]
FRI 04:00 Say the Word (b007652k)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:00 on Thursday]
FRI 04:30 HR (b00tppbm)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:30 on Thursday]
FRI 05:00 The No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency (b00k2s0q)
[Repeat of broadcast at 15:00 on Thursday]
FRI 05:45 Short Works (m001vllk)
[Repeat of broadcast at 15:45 on Thursday]
FRI 06:00 A Matter of Honour by Jeffrey Archer (m002qv9q)
2. Surprises
The Kremlin: 6th June 1966. In Russia, Major Romanov is tracking down the Tsar's Icon. In England, Adam Scott has received a strange bequest.
Starring Michael York as Adam Scott, Simon Ward as Alexander Romanov and Tom Chadbon as Lawrence Pemberton.
Jeffrey Archer's tale of a secret history that threatens a deadly escalation of the Cold War between the Soviet Union and the United States.
Dramatised in seven episodes by Brian Sibley.
Adam Scott .... Michael York
Alexander Romanov .... Simon Ward
Lawrence Pemberton .... Tom Chadbon
Sir Morris .... Richard Vernon
Poskonov .... Vladek Sheybal
Brezhnev .... Czeslaw Grocholski
Zaborski .... John Church
Petrova .... Jill Lidstone
Heidi .... Helena Breck
Bischoff .... David March
Sedgewick .... Richard Durden
Pastor .... Ronald Herdman
Cashier .... Elaine Claxton
Harold Wilson .... John Bird
Director: Glyn Dearman
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 November 1986.
FRI 06:30 Cadfael (b007jldr)
The Virgin in the Ice
4. The Wolves' Nest
Brother Cadfael searches for Ives Hugonin and Brother Elyas who are missing in a blizzard.
Starring Philip Madoc as Brother Cadfael.
Written by Ellis Peters and dramatised by Bert Coules.
Brother Cadfael ...... Philip Madoc
Narrator ...... Sir Michael Hordern
Ermina ...... Moira Buffini
Leonard ...... Leonard Fenton
Hugh ...... Douglas Hodge
Le Gaucher ...... Peter Laird
Ives ...... Dean Magri
Olivier ...... Raad Raw
Outlaw ...... Jonathan Adams
Soldier ...... Steve Hodson
Sergeant ...... Jonathan Tafler
Other parts played by the cast.
Music by Peter Salem.
Producer: Phil Clarke.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 1992.
FRI 07:00 My Mammy and Me (m002qv9s)
Series 1
1. Fatal Attraction
Isobel is all dressed up and doesn't want to go to Bingo with Mammy, because she's going out to a singles' club.
Next door neighbour Wullie comes round and offers to go to Bingo with Mammy, but doesn't quite understand the rules...
And Elsie is fretting because she owes someone lots of money.
Out at the singles' club, has Isobel finally found Mr Right?
Mammy ...... Eileen McCallum
Isobel ...... Kate Donnelly
Wullie ...... Jake D'Arcy
Ida ...... Barbara Rafferty
Tom ...... Forbes Masson
Elsie ...... Carolyn Boneyman
Marian ...... Clare Hemphill
Written by Cathy McPhail.
Producer: Kathy Smith
First broadcast on BBC Radio 2 in September 1994.
FRI 07:30 Steptoe and Son (b007jlt3)
Series 3
Cuckoo in the Nest
Harold Steptoe is shocked to meet his older half-brother from Australia.
Starring Wilfrid Brambell 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
Arthur ...... Kenneth J Warren
Other parts played by David Brierly
Producer: Bobby Jaye
First broadcast on BBC Radio 2 in April 1971.
FRI 08:00 The Break (b07j40ww)
Series 1
The Girl from the South
Uncle Jeff, out of the blue, decides that his nephew Andy needs a girlfriend.
Andy decides that he does not. Jeff persists - Fish Shop Frank has his niece visiting from down south, and she is, by all accounts, "a lovely girl".
While waiting for Andy to agree, Jeff takes him to the local hypermarket ostensibly for supplies, but in fact because Jeff has read in a magazine that supermarkets are the ideal place for young singles to meet.
While Jeff is wrongly detained for shoplifting, Andy runs into an old flame from London, Liz. She's staying with her Uncle Frank - so this is the "lovely girl" Jeff's been banging on about! Can Andy rekindle the relationship with his old flame?
Written by Ian Brown and James Hendrie.
Jeff ...... Philip Jackson
Andy ...... Tom Palmer
Frank ...... Mark Benton
Corinne ...... Alison Steadman
Joyce ...... Alison Steadman
Liz ...... Shobna Gulati
Carenza ...... Shobna Gulati
Alan ...... Rasmus Hardiker
Frank 2 ...... Rasmus Hardiker
Director: Gordon Kennedy
An Absolutely production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in July 2016.
FRI 08:30 Girl With Dove by Sally Bayley (m0002222)
5. Colwood
Sally Bayley recalls how a strange home life made her bond with characters from books.
After a visit to the doctor and questions from Audrey, who means well, there is time to be spent at Colwood.
Which requires all the consolatory powers that Jane Eyre can muster.
But destiny does favour Sally.
Reader: Lydia Leonard
Producer: Duncan Minshull
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 2019.
FRI 08:45 Ladies of Letters (b01m850q)
Ladies of Letters Log On
5. Arrivals
Vera has a busy day with a new arrival at Sheepdippers.
Starring Patricia Routledge as Vera and Prunella Scales as Irene.
The up and down relationship between two mature ladies shared via their barbed correspondence – now trying to "outsurf" each other on the World Wide Web.
Written by Lou Wakefield and Carole Hayman.
Vera Small .... Patricia Routledge
Irene Spencer .... Prunella Scales
Producer: Claire Grove
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 2001.
FRI 09:00 Dan Does Dating (m002qrcg)
Series 1
3. Chloe
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 tries dating up the social ladder, and goes to an art gallery with a much posher woman. Can he convince her that he could live a posh life with her?
Dan … Christopher Macarthur-Boyd
Chloe… Eleanor Morton
Chris … Ray Bradshaw
Jack … Stephen Buchanan
Jamila … Nalini Chetty
Diane … Zara Gladman
Waiter / Boy … Kougar Baatarkhuu
Barman ... Jonny Donahoe
Quizmaster … Sanjeev Kohli
Random Woman… Lisa Livingstone
Babysitter / Girl … Amy Matthews
Paramedic … 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 Helen Lewis: Great Wives (m000zmlt)
Series 1
Out of the Shadows
For two decades, Great Lives on Radio 4 has explored what it takes to change the world. But Helen Lewis wants to ask a different question: what does it take to live with someone who changes the world?
Behind the history of genius lies a second, hidden history: the stories of people who give geniuses the time they need to flourish. This series explores the many "supporting roles" needed to sustain an apparently "singular" genius.
In the final episode of the series Helen explores the myth of the solitary genius as we meet Alma Mahler, discover Charles Darwin's "pros and cons" list on the subject of taking a wife and unpick the influential work of the psychologist Hans Eysenck.
Written by Helen Lewis with additional voices from Joshua Higgott
Producer: Richard Morris
Production Coordinator: Sarah Nicholls
Sound Design: Chris Maclean
A BBC Studios production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in August 2021.
FRI 09:45 Daily Service (m002qv9x)
Candlemas – full of grace and wisdom
A space for spiritual reflection with a Bible reading, prayer and hymns, led by Jonathan Thomas.
Theme: Candlemas – full of grace and wisdom
Presenter: Jonathan Thomas
Reading: Luke 2:39-40
Music:
You’re the word of God the Father (Townend / Getty)
How Sweet the name of Jesus Sounds (Newton)
King of Kings, Majesty (Jarrod Cooper)
FRI 10:00 Soul Music (m000d850)
Days
“It’s a goodbye song, but it’s also an inspirational song, it could also mean a new beginning" - Ray Davies
Written by Ray Davies and released by the Kinks in 1968 'Days' had a very different sound to the rest of their repertoire. Sorrowful but uplifting it's been embraced by listeners across the world who have found solace and hope in its lyrics.
Having been covered by numerous artists (most notably Kirsty MacColl), it speaks to people of all generations and captures moments in their lives.
For Sim Wood it's an anthem to great friendships and discovery whilst for actor Gabriel Vick it's a song that has journeyed with him from a place of fond memories to heartfelt remembrance.
John Slater, who was born the same year that it was released, has his own celebratory take on 'Days' and for Laura and John Mapes it's the song that gave them the words they so needed to express.
With contributions from rock critic and writer, Barry Miles.
Producer: Nicola Humphries
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 2020.
*** If you are suffering distress or despair and need support, including urgent support, a list of organisations that can help is available at bbc.co.uk/actionline.
*** Or you can call for free to hear recorded information on 0800 066 066.
FRI 10:30 The Last Picture Show (b0076xk5)
Presenter John Wilson visits the National Gallery and Tate Britain as their Caravaggio and Turner, Whistler and Monet exhibitions come to an end.
He meets members of the art loving public who have arrived just in time - or not - and the experts responsible for taking down and transporting the masterpieces.
Producer Peter McHugh
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 2006.
FRI 11:00 A Matter of Honour by Jeffrey Archer (m002qv9q)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
FRI 11:30 Cadfael (b007jldr)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
FRI 12:00 My Mammy and Me (m002qv9s)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
FRI 12:30 Steptoe and Son (b007jlt3)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
FRI 13:00 The Break (b07j40ww)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
FRI 13:30 Girl With Dove by Sally Bayley (m0002222)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
FRI 13:45 Ladies of Letters (b01m850q)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:45 today]
FRI 14:00 One Person Found This Helpful (m001wjgj)
Series 1
1. My Sphinx Has No Nose
Frank and guests find out what you thought about mead, Poirot and a stinky brontosaurus.
A panel game based on those reviews you leave when you shop online - the good, the bad and the downright baffling.
So, if you’re the person who went on Trip Advisor to review Ben Nevis as “Very steep and too high”, this show salutes you!
With:
Simon Evans
Jessica Fostekew
Amy Gledhill
Ahir Shah
Written by Frank Skinner, Catherine Brinkworth, Sarah Dempster, Jason Hazeley, Rajiv Karia, Karl Minns, Katie Sayer & Peter Tellouche
Devised by Jason Hazeley and Simon Evans with the producer David Tyler
A Pozzitive production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in February 2024.
FRI 14:30 A Whole 'Nother Story (b0076457)
Series 1
I'll Build That Bridge When I Come To It
Pete is in love with Cassie, but is she in love with him?
Cassie and Pete finally kiss, but do they like it?
Will Dad finally sort out the difference between pot plants and people? And what's happened to PJ the postman who does Neil Diamond impressions?
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
Simon ...... Shaun Dooley
Rebecca ...... Mika Simmons
Producer: Graham Frost
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 2001.
FRI 15:00 Wally K Daly (m002qv9z)
Butterflies Don't Count
"The secrets of confession are inviolable - a lovely ringing phrase, but what a price we priests must pay...."
Father Peter can see that his colleague Father Tom is suffering after hearing about a terrible crime.
Starring Kevin Whately and Reginald Marsh.
Wally K Daly adapts his compelling BBC TV drama - first broadcast in 1978 as a Play for Today.
Tom ... Kevin Whately
Peter ... Reginald Marsh
Penitent ... Tony Haygarth
O'Neil ... T P McKenna
May ... Jill Shilling
Doctor ... John Church
Mr James ... Terence Edmond
Mrs James ... Kate Binchy
Directed by David Hitchinson for BBC World Service.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 1992.
FRI 16:00 Soul Music (m000d850)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 today]
FRI 16:30 The Last Picture Show (b0076xk5)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:30 today]
FRI 17:00 A Matter of Honour by Jeffrey Archer (m002qv9q)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
FRI 17:30 Cadfael (b007jldr)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
FRI 18:00 My Mammy and Me (m002qv9s)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
FRI 18:30 Steptoe and Son (b007jlt3)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
FRI 19:00 The Break (b07j40ww)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
FRI 19:30 Girl With Dove by Sally Bayley (m0002222)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
FRI 19:45 Ladies of Letters (b01m850q)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:45 today]
FRI 20:00 One Person Found This Helpful (m001wjgj)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:00 today]
FRI 20:30 A Whole 'Nother Story (b0076457)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:30 today]
FRI 21:00 Wally K Daly (m002qv9z)
[Repeat of broadcast at 15:00 today]
FRI 22:00 Dan Does Dating (m002qrcg)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
FRI 22:30 Four Sleepless Knights (m002qvb1)
3. Sir Geoffrey
Geoff and Liz are on a Dream Holiday but Geoff's snoring is keeping his wife awake, and to make matters worse, the baby is wailing after having a nightmare.
But do 8 month old babies really dream....?
Comedic adventures in insomnia for the night hours written by Toby Jones and Edward Kemp.
Geoff.................Toby Jones
Liz....................Beth Chalmers
Bob...................Ben Ward
Alan Chandos........Martin Hyder
Producer: Dawn Ellis
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 2004.
FRI 22:45 Life With Lederer (m0012mwk)
Series 1
3. Relationships
Helen is after that special someone, but finding a suitable partner proves to be quite a challenge.
Written by and starring Helen Lederer.
With:
Malcolm Raeburn
Diane Whitley
James Quinn
Victoria Finney
Produced at BBC Manchester by Paul Z Jackson.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 1990.
FRI 23:00 The Masterson Inheritance (b007jqqh)
Series 3
The Masterson's Magical Marquee - part 1
The Masterson's travelling Victorian circus and funfair arrives in the village of Ampleforth...
First of a two-part romp in the 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
Lee Simpson
Jim Sweeney
Phelim McDermott
Caroline Quentin
Producer: Phil Clarke
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 1995
FRI 23:30 Laura Solon - Talking and Not Talking (b00y9xdg)
Series 1
Episode 6
Revelations about hats, tents and some disturbing tales from Beatrix Potter.
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.