SATURDAY 21 MARCH 2026

SAT 00:00 Soul Music (b0076bdb)
Series 3
Barber's Adagio for Strings
When Samuel Barber wrote his Adagio at the age of 26, he described it as "a knockout!".
But he could never have anticipated that it would become America's "national funeral music".
Leonard Slatkin talks about conducting it at the 'Last Night of the Proms' after 9/11 (11th September 2001).
Dana Captiano describes hearing it on a road trip across America.
George Little describes hearing it as his mother died.
Series about pieces of music with a powerful emotional impact.
Produced by Rosie Boulton
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 2002.
SAT 00:30 A Dewey Decimal (b00xmljr)
The Dewey Decimal System has organised books in libraries for 140 years.
Its inventor, Melvil Dewey, was so obsessed with efficiency, he had specific pockets for different times of the day.
2004 BBC Mastermind winner, Shaun Wallace, goes to his local library to see how the system works and wonders whether, thanks to the dominance of the internet, we have lost something precious.
Taking part:
* Prof Wayne A Wiegand - biographer of Dewey - Irrepressible Reformer - A Life of Melvil Dewey
* Caroline Kent - of the British Library and also member of the Dewey Decimal editorial policy committee
* Rita Carter - author of Mapping the Mind
* Michele Roberts - author and ex librarian
* Mike (Michael) Jackson - Birmingham City University
* Bernie McManamon - reader development and marketing manager - Brent Libraries
* Sarah Smith - Children and young people's manager - Brent Libraries
* John Humphrys
Reader Kerry Shale
Producer James Cook
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 2007.
SAT 01:00 No Place To Hide (m001l3q5)
8. The Final Encounter
Can John and Joanna manage to escape his complicated past, and find peace and happiness?
Starring John Kerry and Margaret Robertson.
Journalist Kathy Swenson is caught up in the frightening world of espionage.
Conclusion of Ted Allbeury's spy-based serial.
John Rennie .... James Kerry
Kathy Swenson .... Margaret Robertson
Joanna de Vries .... Colette Hiller
Doctor .... Wolf Kahler
Mr Bernstein .... Aaron Swartz
Adam Fredericks .... Lockwood West
Hugo Paynter .... David Garth
Telephone operator/Secretary .... Janie Booth
Director: Christopher Venning
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 1984.
SAT 01:30 Only the Good Die Young (b007jn1q)
6. Virtual Truth
As Miss Gee persuades Kim to tell all about "Bird in Hand", Wilson plays an unexpected hand and Todd approaches his final hour.
Will he take the world with him?
Starring Siriol Jenkins.
Conclusion of Shaun Prendergast's techno thriller.
Kim Drake …. Siriol Jenkins
Todd …. Jack Klaff
Stone …. Kenneth Cranham
Miss Gee …. Ann Davies
DS Love …. Jonathan Tafler
DI Dear …. Eric Allan
Wilson …. Peter Gunn
John Maschler …. Terence Edmond
Anne …. Kate Binchy
Frank …. Shaun Prendergast
Welkin/Journalist …. William Roberts
Computer …. Joanna Wake
Director: Adrian Bean
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 1992.
SAT 02:00 No Commitments (b007jv56)
Series 1
Sisters Of Mercy
Anna is coming to terms with no longer being a carer and having 'no commitments' after the death of her father.
But she struggles to be free of her younger sisters.
Simon Brett’s sitcom about the lives and squabbles of three very different sisters.
Anna …. Rosemary Leach
Victoria …. Nicola Pagett
Charlotte …. Celia Imrie
Delia …. Maxine Audley
Music by Elizabeth Parker of the BBC Radiophonic Workshop.
Producer: Paul Schlesinger
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 1992.
SAT 02:30 Steptoe and Son (b007jmhk)
Series 4
A Box in Town
Albert hinders the romantic endeavours of his son Harold.
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
With:
Yootha Joyce
Katherine Parr
Sheila Grant
Producer: Bobby Jaye
First broadcast on BBC Radio 2 in February 1972.
SAT 03:00 Mark Steel's in Town (m001bssk)
Series 12
Tring
Mark Steel continues his award-winning show travelling around the country visiting towns that have nothing in common but their uniqueness.
After thoroughly researching each town, he writes and performs a bespoke evening of comedy for a local audience.
Mark moves on to Tring in Hertfordshire and discovers the home of the Natural History Museum, and the former private museum of Walter Rothschild, where he goes to see the exhibit of fleas dressed as Mexicans.
Written and performed by Mark Steel.
Additional material by Pete Sinclair.
Producer: Carl Cooper
A BBC Studios production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in August 2022.
SAT 03:30 Short Works (m00297dp)
A Little Fine by Tendai Huchu
"Everything is more perfect in the story inside your head..."
When a man returns home to Bindura, Zimbabwe after years of living in the West, he finds old connections strained by his long absence. Books must bridge the gap.
Written by Tendai Huchu.
Read by Manu Kurewa.
Writer Tendai Huchu was born in Zimbabwe and lives in Edinburgh.
He is the author of "The Hairdresser of Harare" and the Edinburgh Nights series of contemporary fantasy novels for young adults.
Producer: Eilidh McCreadie
A BBC Audio Scotland Production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in March 2025.
SAT 03:45 Ladies of Letters (b00nnp61)
Ladies of Letters Crunch Credit
5. Compound
Irene is horrified that her whole family are now living in Vera's compound.
Grandmothers Irene Spencer and Vera Small continue their tempestuous correspondence in tough economic times.
Starring Patricia Routledge as Vera and Prunella Scales as Irene.
Written by Lou Wakefield and Carole Hayman.
Vera Small …. Patricia Routledge
Irene Spencer …. Prunella Scales
Michaela Thorogood …. Caroline Guthrie
Producer: Liz Webb
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 2008.
SAT 04:00 The Personality Test (b00mf3kk)
Series 2
Roy Hattersley
Former Labour party Deputy Leader and writer, Roy Hattersley quizzes a panel about his own political career, whims and interests.
With:
Sue Perkins
Lucy Porter
Robin Ince
Mark Dolan
Series with changing hosts who quiz the panel.
Script by Richard Turner and Simon LIttlefield.
Devised and produced by Aled Evans.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 2006.
SAT 04:30 King Street Junior Revisited (b00jv8vr)
Series 3
Ice
Winter is inevitable, a disappearing lollipop-lady is not.
But the two in combination spark real problems for the staff at King Street Junior.
School comedy created and written by Jim Eldridge.
Mrs Devon ...... Carolyn Pickles
Miss Lewis ...... Marlene Sidaway
Mr Maxwell ...... Michael Cochrane
Mr Long ...... Paul Copley
Miss Featherstone ...... Teresa Gallagher
Miss Reid ...... Jacqueline Beatty
Mrs Khan ...... Janice Acquah
Luch ...... Rebecca McElroy
Amanda ...... Jodie Devlin
Jacinda ...... Katie Walker
Ten series of this King Street Junior ran between 1985 and 1998.
King Street Junior Revisited ran from 2002 to 2005.
Producer: John Fawcett Wilson
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 2004.
SAT 05:00 Dewey Eyed by Sarah Naomi Lee (b00jcgxc)
Philippa is a librarian from a long line of librarians.
When her father dies and her mother loses her wits, Philippa tries the only language Vera understands, that of the Dewey cataloguing system.
Can it help guide her back to sanity?
Starring Olivia Colman and Sheila Reid.
Written by Sarah Naomi Lee
:
Philippa .... Olivia Colman
Vera .... Sheila Reid
Sheila .... Caroline Guthrie
Alistair .... Paul Rider
Director: Jessica Dromgoole
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 2009
SAT 05:45 Short Works (b09jx8mt)
The Boundary by Jhumpa Lahiri
A new story for the BBC by Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Jhumpa Lahiri.
Set in a remote Italian village, a teenage girl, of immigrant parents, wonders why her life is so different from those of the happy, glossy young families who come to holiday there.
Read by Deeivya Meir.
Jhumpa Lahiri has won numerous awards, including the Pulitzer Prize for her debut short story collection, The Interpreter of Maladies and the Frank O'Connor Award for her collection Unaccustomed Earth.
She has recently been awarded the 29th PEN/Malamud Award for Excellence in the Short story
Abridged and produced by Justine Willett.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 2017
SAT 06:00 Douglas Livingstone (m002szld)
Road to Rocio
**** This programme was suggested by Ursula Stone as part of BBC Radio 4 Extra’s All Request Weekend ****
What was Rocio all about?
Religion, booze, sex, macho men, brotherhood, singing and dancing - all those things came into it.
But for the four English people who went on the pilgrimage to this tiny place in the south of Spain, it was difficult to find out why it meant so much to the Spaniards.
Perhaps it was something to do with a face..?
Written by Douglas Livingstone
Dianne ... Sara Kestelman
Brian ... James Bolam
Richard ... Michael Kitchen
Pauline ... Christine Absalom
Federico ... Carlos Douglas
Sylvia ... Jane Wenham
Air Hostess ... Jean Trend
Carlos ... Trader Faulkner
Jose ... Clive Panto
Spanish TV man ... John Bull
Directed by Jane Morgan
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 1983.
**** To nominate a programme from the archives that you would like to hear again, please email radio4extra@bbc.co.uk ****
SAT 07:30 The Milligan Papers (m002szlg)
The Incurables Part 1
**** This programme was suggested by Steve Mawer as part of BBC Radio 4 Extra’s All Request Weekend ****
It's beleaguered Britain in 1941, where a team of British scientists are working on a new bomb set to harness the power of the prune.
Madcap comedy series starring Spike Milligan.
Written by John Antrobus.
With:
John Bluthal
Chris Langham
John Antrobus
Announcements: Eugene Fraser
Music: George Chisholm and His Gentlemen of Jazz
Producer: Paul Spencer
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 1987.
**** To nominate a programme from the archives that you would like to hear again, please email radio4extra@bbc.co.uk ****
SAT 08:00 TV Dinners (m002szlk)
Every Cloud Has a Silver Lining
**** This programme was suggested by Hilary Shaw as part of BBC Radio 4 Extra’s All Request Weekend ****
A man called Geoffrey remembers his boyhood with two neglectful and oblivious parents.
His American mother looked after him just enough to avoid prosecution - and his father who made him a hat out of his pet dog.
Darkly comic tale written by Keith Lawes
Mr Greenfield ........................................ Timothy West
Mrs Greenfield ...................................... Maggie Steed
Geoffrey Greenfield (as a man) ...... Jonathan Coy
Geoffrey Greenfield (as a boy) ....... Harry Capehorn
Producer Phil Bowker
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 1997.
**** To nominate a programme from the archives that you would like to hear again, please email radio4extra@bbc.co.uk ****
SAT 08:15 Up Against It by Joe Orton (m002szln)
**** This programme was suggested by Derek Parsons as part of BBC Radio 4 Extra’s All Request Weekend ****
Adrift in a world run by monstrous tweed-suited women shod in thick leather brogues, three men decide to start a worldwide revolution to overthrow the matriarchy.
Joe Orton's unfinished film screenplay, written for the Beatles in 1967.
Adapted for radio by John Fletcher.
Starring Damon Albarn, Leo McKern, Sylvia Sims, Joseph Fiennes and Prunella Scales.
Orton was found dead on the very day he was due to meet director Richard Lester about the making of the film.
In this first production of the play, Blur's Damon Albarn provides a musical link to the original Beatles casting.
By turns funny, moving, sexual and surreal, the play celebrates the ferocity of Orton's farce, the music of the Beatles and the 1960s Summer of Love.
Narrator .... Leo McKern
Ian McTurk .... Douglas Hodge
Jack Ramsay .... Damon Albarn
Prime Minister .... Prunella Scales
Connie Boon .... Sylvia Syms
Christopher Low .... Joesph Fiennes
Rowena Torrence .... Louise Lombard
Patricia Dromgoole .... Jacinta Mulcahy
Mayor .... Kenneth Cranham
Bernard Coates .... David Calder
Father Brodie .... Mark Lambert
With Allan Mitchell, Edward Halstead and Mark Webb.
With thanks to Sir John Gielgud and Joe Dowling.
Music: Damon Albarn
Producer: Hilary Norrish
Director: John Adams
An Armada Production for BBC Radio 3, first broadcast in September 1997.
**** To nominate a programme from the archives that you would like to hear again, please email radio4extra@bbc.co.uk ****
SAT 09:45 Borderlands (b0076q3t)
The Debatable Lands by Julia Darling
**** This programme was suggested by Bee Knightley as part of BBC Radio 4 Extra’s All Request Weekend ****
After receiving bad news, Rona travels to the debatable lands between England and Scotland in search of silence and a space to think.
However, it's an encounter with a neighbour that forces her to confront her situation.
Read by Gina McKee
Producer: Emma Harding
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 2005.
**** To nominate a programme from the archives that you would like to hear again, please email radio4extra@bbc.co.uk ****
SAT 10:00 No Background Music by Normi Noel (m002szlq)
**** This programme was suggested by Sue Durley as part of BBC Radio 4 Extra's All Request Weekend ****
A former Vietnam triage nurse struggles with flashback phantoms who disrupt her life and haunt her dreams.
Starring Sigourney Weaver.
Written by Normi Noel.
Director: Gregory Whitehead.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 2005.
**** To nominate a programme from the archives that you would like to hear again, please email radio4extra@bbc.co.uk ****
SAT 11:00 Douglas Livingstone (m002szld)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
SAT 12:30 The Milligan Papers (m002szlg)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
SAT 13:00 TV Dinners (m002szlk)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
SAT 13:15 Up Against It by Joe Orton (m002szln)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:15 today]
SAT 14:45 Borderlands (b0076q3t)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:45 today]
SAT 15:00 No Background Music by Normi Noel (m002szlq)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 today]
SAT 16:00 On the Beach by Nevil Shute (b0120ykk)
1. Aftermath
**** This programme was suggested by Marilyn Grant and Margaret Hopkins as part of BBC Radio 4 Extra’s All Request Weekend ****
A cloud of deadly radioactivity is moving slowly towards Australia, one of few places on Earth where life has survived.
Starring Claudia Harrison and Richard Dillane.
Nevil Shute 's compelling account of the aftermath of a nuclear world war.
Dramatised in two parts by Mike Walker.
Mary .... Claudia Harrison
Moira .... Indira Varma
Dwight Towers .... William Hope
Peter Holmes .... Richard Dillane
Tim Osborne.... James Gordon-Mitchell
The Admiral .... Jonathan Tafler
Ryan .... Inam Mirza
A Farmer .... Stephen Critchlow
Other parts played by:
Jill Cardo
Gunnar Cauthery
Robert Lonsdale
Chris Pavlo
Dan Starkey
Director: Toby Swift
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 2008.
**** To nominate a programme from the archives that you would like to hear again, please email radio4extra@bbc.co.uk ****
SAT 17:00 Douglas Livingstone (m002szld)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
SAT 18:30 The Milligan Papers (m002szlg)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
SAT 19:00 TV Dinners (m002szlk)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
SAT 19:15 Up Against It by Joe Orton (m002szln)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:15 today]
SAT 20:45 Borderlands (b0076q3t)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:45 today]
SAT 21:00 No Background Music by Normi Noel (m002szlq)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 today]
SAT 22:00 Craig Brown's Lost Diaries (b00vhf5y)
July and August
Satirist Craig Brown dips into the private lives of public figures from the 1960s to the present day.
School's out for Summer for Barack Obama, Frank McCourt and Germaine Greer.
Written by Craig Brown.
Voiced by:
Jan Ravens
Alistair McGowan
Lewis McLeod
Ewan Bailey
Margaret Cabourn-Smith
Dolly Wells
Producer: Victoria Lloyd
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 2010
SAT 22:30 Sarah Millican's Support Group (b010twf6)
Series 2
1. 'My partner is too controlling - a fight for the TV remote'
"My partner is too controlling - a fight for the television remote"
"I'm a non drinker with no friends - should I just buy a cat?"
Sarah Millican returns as a life counsellor and modern-day agony aunt tackling the nation's problems head on, dishing out real advice for real people.
Assisted by her very own team of experts of the heart - man of the people local cabbie Terry, and self qualified counsellor Marion.
Sarah tackles the nation's problems head on and has a solution for everything.
Sarah ...... Sarah Millican
Marion ...... Ruth Bratt
Terry ...... Simon Daye
Linda ...... Diane Morgan
Matthew ...... Will Smith
Written by Sarah Millican.
Producer: Lianne Coop
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 Extra in May 2011.
SAT 23:00 Life: An Idiot's Guide (b0436hkz)
Series 3
Multiculturalism
Stephen K Amos sets out to compile an idiot's guide to multiculturalism.
With assistance from some of the comedy circuit's best stand-ups:
Stephen Grant
Nish Kumar
Andrew Maxwell
Producer: Colin Anderson
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 Extra in May 2014.
SAT 23:30 The Harpoon (b00cmgpb)
Series 3
Episode 3
Across the Atlantic alone, and great beverages from history.
More nostalgic fun in the spoof of boys' adventure story papers - this time, incorporating 'Lathe Monthly'.
Written by Julian Dutton and Peter Baynham.
Performed by:
Alistair McGowan
Peter Baynham
Susie Brann
Mary Elliot-Nelson
Julian Dutton
Producer: Sarah Smith
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 1994.

SUNDAY 22 MARCH 2026

SUN 00:00 On the Beach by Nevil Shute (b0120ykk)
[Repeat of broadcast at 16:00 on Saturday]
SUN 01:00 Douglas Livingstone (m002szld)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 on Saturday]
SUN 02:30 The Milligan Papers (m002szlg)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 on Saturday]
SUN 03:00 TV Dinners (m002szlk)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 on Saturday]
SUN 03:15 Up Against It by Joe Orton (m002szln)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:15 on Saturday]
SUN 04:45 Borderlands (b0076q3t)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:45 on Saturday]
SUN 05:00 No Background Music by Normi Noel (m002szlq)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 on Saturday]
SUN 06:00 Stan (b0076mjl)
**** This programme was suggested by Susan Turner and Simon Brown as part of BBC Radio 4 Extra’s All Request Weekend ****
August, 1957. Death is threatening to separate the legendary, pioneering film duo, Laurel and Hardy.
Stan Laurel tries to summon up a poignant and powerful farewell to his ailing partner Oliver Hardy.
Starring Tom Courtenay and Ewan Bailey.
Written by Neil Brand.
Stan .... Tom Courtenay
Ollie .... Ewan Bailey
Uncle Cecil .... Ed Bishop
Woman .... Barbara Barnes
Director: Ned Chaillet
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 2004.
**** To nominate a programme from the archives that you would like to hear again, please email radio4extra@bbc.co.uk ****
SUN 06:45 I, An Actor (m002szp8)
**** This programme was suggested by Keverne Smith as part of BBC Radio 4 Extra’s All Request Weekend ****
Nicholas Craig is the greatest actor in the world.
He begins reading his autobiography, illustrated with less successful performances by:
* Nigel Planer
* Christopher Ryan
* Chrissy Roberts
* Christopher Douglas
Although he disapproves of awards, Nicholas relives the moment when his got a gong for his part in The Cuckold of Leicester.
He shows a group of would-be thespians how to deliver a line by Oscar Wilde and remembers, with great fondness, playing Stanley Matthews the 'demon of the dribble' in a co production with Australian TV.
Researched by Nigel Planer and Christopher Douglas
Producer Bill Dare
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 1989.
**** To nominate a programme from the archives that you would like to hear again, please email radio4extra@bbc.co.uk ****
SUN 07:00 Poetry Extra (m002szpc)
Poetry Please: Pot Luck
**** This programme has been suggested by Maurice Peckman as part of BBC Radio 4 Extra’s All Request Weekend. *******
Roger McGough presents a pot luck of poetry from Byron and Keats to Charles Tomlinson.
Producer Sally Heaven.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2015.
**** To nominate a programme from the BBC poetry archive that you would like to hear again, please email radio4extra@bbc.co.uk and tell us details of why you'd like to hear it.****
SUN 07:30 Kenny Everett on Radio Merseyside (m002szpj)
**** This programme was suggested by Paul Phippin, Alan Galliott and Adrian Dayne as part of BBC Radio 4 Extra’s All Request Weekend ****
A revealing interview with arguably Britain’s most creative broadcaster first heard on his local station, BBC Radio Merseyside.
Thanks to 4 Extra, this is the first national airing of an episode of the weekly series 'Somebody In Particular', subtitled 'Whatever Happened to Maurice Cole?' (Kenny Everett’s real name). The “wireless wizard” talks to Iain Mann about leaving school at 15, training to be a priest and joining pirate radio.
Kenny joined BBC Radio 1 for its opening in 1967 - but was sacked three years later after insulting the wife of a Government Minister.
He joined Capital Radio at the launch of Independent Local Radio in 1973. He had to give up the breakfast show after collapsing and saying he hoped to end his career on Radio 3 “drinking tea and slapping disc-jockeys’ wrists” as “the naughty young old boy of the BBC”.
At the time of the interview, Kenny was still broadcasting on London's Capital Radio at weekends having seemingly turned his back on TV after what he called “an awfully disastrous series” on London Weekend Television which “tore my soul apart”, insisting “I’m a radio chap”. The Kenny Everett Video Show ran until 1981 before he returned to the BBC later that year for the Kenny Everett Television Show and a Saturday morning programme on BBC Radio 2.
Kenny moved back to Capital, helping relaunch the full AM only service of Capital Gold in 1988. He was still working there shortly before his death from an AIDS-related illness on 4th April1995, at the age of 50.
Presenter: Iain Mann
Audio supplied by Paul Rowley
First broadcast on BBC Radio Merseyside in February 1976.
**** To nominate a programme from the archives that you would like to hear again, please email radio4extra@bbc.co.uk ****
SUN 08:00 Gormenghast by Mervyn Peake (m0001cs3)
**** This programme was suggested by Sally Newman, John Parker and Caroline Errington as part of BBC Radio 4 Extra’s All Request Weekend ****
As young Titus approaches his destiny in Gormenghast, he faces the rise of the ruthlessly ambitious Steerpike.
Second of two plays based on the Gormenghast novels written by Mervyn Peake.
Starring Sting.
Dramatised by Brian Sibley.
Steerpike .... Sting
The Artist .... Freddie Jones
Dr Prunesquallor .... Bernard Hepton
Irma Prunesquallor .... Judy Parfitt
Gertrude .... Eleanor Bron
Clarice & Cora .... Sheila Hancock
Fuchsia .... Jill Lidstone
Flay .... Cyril Shaps
Barquentine .... Maurice Denham
Bellgrove .... Michael Aldridge
Nannie Slagg .... Hilda Schroder
Titus aged 7 .... Vicky Ireland
Titus aged 17 .... Julian Firth
Schoolmasters:
Mulefire .... Arnold Diamond
Cutflower .... David Garth
Shrivell .... Alan Thompson
Shred .... David Sinclair
Opus Fluke .... John Forbes Robertston
Perch-Prism .... David Gooderson
Director: Glyn Dearman
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 1984.
**** To nominate a programme from the archives that you would like to hear again, please email radio4extra@bbc.co.uk ****
SUN 09:30 Letter from America (m002szpq)
50th Anniversary Re-record of the First Ever Letter in 1946
**** This programme was suggested by Fiona Mcphail, Robert Stallard, Jill Smith and Nick Stewart as part of BBC Radio 4 Extra’s All Request Weekend ****
Alistair Cooke re-presents his first broadcast - describing his return from an austere Britain to a bountiful New York.
Recorded to mark the programme's 50th anniversary in 1946, with reflections on its context.
Alistair weekly 15-minute talks on American life, history and politics ran on BBC radio until his retirement aged 95.
He died a just few weeks later on 30th March 2004.
Producer: Tony Grant
First re-broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 1996.
**** To nominate a programme from the archives that you would like to hear again, please email radio4extra@bbc.co.uk ****
SUN 09:45 Hoax! (m002szpt)
From 7/11/1986
**** This programme was suggested by Phill Cranny as part of BBC Radio 4 Extra’s All Request Weekend ****
A team of celebrity panellists try to hoax their sceptical chairman Tim Brooke-Taylor.
Leslie Thomas, Maureen Lipman and Frank Thornton tell the stories.
Devised by Ian Messiter.
Producer: Edward Taylor
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 1986.
**** To nominate a programme from the archives that you would like to hear again, please email radio4extra@bbc.co.uk ****
SUN 10:15 Injury Time (m002szpx)
Series 1
Summer Christmas Special
**** This programme was suggested by Nigel Wheatley, Jeremy Forty, Ian Beadle and Richard Dixon as part of BBC Radio 4 Extra’s All Request Weekend ****
Raucous and roguish sketch comedy fun.... including the ultimate TV sitcom:
‘Happy Ever Not In Front of My Wife's Neighbour's Drink Problem’
Written and performed by:
Robert Bathurst
Jimmy Mulville
Emma Thompson
Rory McGrath
Martin Bergman
It’s the Injury Time Summer Christmas Special….
Producer: Geoffrey Perkins
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 1980.
**** To nominate a programme from the archives that you would like to hear again, please email radio4extra@bbc.co.uk ****
SUN 10:45 John Walters: Idle Thoughts (m002szq1)
MFC Sound
**** This programme was suggested by Phil Cranny as part of BBC Radio 4 Extra’s All Request Weekend ****
Stand by for MFC - Me, Fish, Cat Radio!
Radio creative John Walters riffs on Thought for the Day, Sailing By and Composer of the Week. He then interviews his goldfish for Desert Island Discs and lets Frank Sinatra sing the football results.
Producer Cathie Mahoney
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 1992.
**** To nominate a programme from the archives that you would like to hear again, please email radio4extra@bbc.co.uk ****
SUN 11:00 Stan (b0076mjl)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
SUN 11:45 I, An Actor (m002szp8)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:45 today]
SUN 12:00 Poetry Extra (m002szpc)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
SUN 12:30 Kenny Everett on Radio Merseyside (m002szpj)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
SUN 13:00 Gormenghast by Mervyn Peake (m0001cs3)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
SUN 14:30 Letter from America (m002szpq)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 today]
SUN 14:45 Hoax! (m002szpt)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:45 today]
SUN 15:15 Injury Time (m002szpx)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:15 today]
SUN 15:45 John Walters: Idle Thoughts (m002szq1)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:45 today]
SUN 16:00 East of the Sun and West of the Moon (m002szq4)
**** This programme was suggested by Jenny Bayliss as part of BBC Radio 4 Extra’s All Request Weekend ****
Coronation Street's Helen Worth and Martin Jarvis star in a Norwegian fairy tale.
A polar bear s really a bewitched prince...
Dramatised by Louis MacNeice
Helga .... Helen Worth
Bear Prince / East Wind / South Wind .... Martin Jarvis
Mother .... Victoria Hardcastle
Father / West Wind / North Wind .... Christopher Godwin
Halvor .... Tony Robinson
Stepmother .... Rosalie Williams
Longnose .... Vikki Chambers
First / Second / Third crone .... Kathleen Helme
Prisoner / Parrot ... Charles Cookson
Music composed by Anthea Gomez and sung by Sally Jones
Directed by Alfred Bradley
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 1983.
**** To nominate a programme from the archives that you would like to hear again, please email radio4extra@bbc.co.uk and tell us why****
SUN 17:00 Stan (b0076mjl)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
SUN 17:45 I, An Actor (m002szp8)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:45 today]
SUN 18:00 Poetry Extra (m002szpc)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
SUN 18:30 Kenny Everett on Radio Merseyside (m002szpj)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
SUN 19:00 Gormenghast by Mervyn Peake (m0001cs3)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
SUN 20:30 Letter from America (m002szpq)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 today]
SUN 20:45 Hoax! (m002szpt)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:45 today]
SUN 21:15 Injury Time (m002szpx)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:15 today]
SUN 21:45 John Walters: Idle Thoughts (m002szq1)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:45 today]
SUN 22:00 Detective Sergeant Nick Mohammed (b039q25j)
Series 2
Jury
Detective Sergeant Nick Mohammed has his day in court, but the judge seems unimpressed by his testimony.
Sitcom written and performed by Nick Mohammed.
Special constables Colin and Anna aid and abet him in everything he does.
With:
Anna Crilly
Colin Hoult
Margaret Cabourn-Smith
Will Andrews
Producers: Tilusha Ghelani and Victoria Lloyd
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 2013.
SUN 22:30 Weak at the Top (b00tbb7d)
Series 2
Conference
John Weak designs the perfect company conference using only a video of great sporting moments and that fox from Channel 5 News.
Alexander Armstrong stars as the marketing maestro and "totty" magnet, in the return of 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
Ross Fullbright ...... Ewan Bailey
Giles Renton Willis ...... Stephen Critchlow
Marian Davis ...... Adjoa Andoh
Camilla Harma-McCall ...... Beth Chalmers
Producer: Jonquil Panting
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in June 2006.
SUN 22:55 The Comedy Club Interviews (m002tb7j)
Hannah East 1/3
From 10.00pm until midnight, seven days a week, the Comedy Club has two hours of comedy. Plus Esyllt Sears speaks to sports presenter, podcaster and comedian Hannah East.
SUN 23:00 Ed Reardon's Week (b09bysnl)
Series 12
Diabetes Day
As the new columnist for 'Your Motorhome' magazine, Ed is enjoying a comfortable life on the open road searching out top tips for mobile homeowners.
He's finding inspiration at every turn and, in particular, at car parks - namely the hospital car park where he has to attend his diabetes clinic, and subsequently the swimming pool car park to resume a swim regime when challenged about his health by the hospital.
Will his tip of letting down one's tyres to get under car park height barriers prove a hit with the readers?
Written by Andrew Nickolds and Christopher Douglas
Ed Reardon ...... Christopher Douglas
Receptionist ...... Nicola Sanderson
Ping ...... Barunka O'Shaughnessy
Jaz Milvain ...... Philip Jackson
Maggie ...... Monica Dolan
Stan ...... Geoffrey Whitehead
Pearl ...... Brigit Forsyth
Olive ...... Stephanie Cole
Policeman ...... Dan Tetsell
Producer: Dawn Ellis
A BBC Studios production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in October 2017.
SUN 23:30 I've Never Seen Star Wars (b00hq2xz)
Series 2
Jan Ravens
Jan Ravens tries her hand at boxing, reading a book by Andy McNab - and threading hair.
But can she build a brick wall?
Series in which Marcus Brigstocke invites celebrities to try new experiences.
Producer: Bill Dare
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 2009.

MONDAY 23 MARCH 2026

MON 00:00 East of the Sun and West of the Moon (m002szq4)
[Repeat of broadcast at 16:00 on Sunday]
MON 01:00 Stan (b0076mjl)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 on Sunday]
MON 01:45 I, An Actor (m002szp8)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:45 on Sunday]
MON 02:00 Poetry Extra (m002szpc)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 on Sunday]
MON 02:30 Kenny Everett on Radio Merseyside (m002szpj)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 on Sunday]
MON 03:00 Gormenghast by Mervyn Peake (m0001cs3)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 on Sunday]
MON 04:30 Letter from America (m002szpq)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 on Sunday]
MON 04:45 Hoax! (m002szpt)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:45 on Sunday]
MON 05:15 Injury Time (m002szpx)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:15 on Sunday]
MON 05:45 John Walters: Idle Thoughts (m002szq1)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:45 on Sunday]
MON 06:00 Whodunnits (b007jv9w)
Miss Marple: They Do It With Mirrors
1. Danger
Miss Marple is invited to stay with her old school friend, Carrie at Stoneygates - a Victorian mansion doubling as a rehabilitation centre for delinquents.
As she mulls over Carrie's life history on the train journey, just what is the danger that the sleuth is sensing?
Agatha Christie's whodunnit, first published in 1952.
June Whitfield stars as the indomitable amateur detective, Miss Jane Marple.
Dramatised in five parts by Michael Bakewell.
Miss Marple …. June Whitfield
Carrie Louise …. Ursula Howells
Ruth Van Rydock …. Jill Balcon
Lewis Serrocold …. Peter Howell
Edgar Lawson …. Rhys Meredith
Walter Hudd/Railway porter …. Stephen Lucas
Mildred Strete …. Natasha Pyne
Juliet Bellever …. Paula Jacobs
Gina Hudd …. Rebecca Lacey
Director: Enyd Williams
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 2001.
MON 06:30 Rogue Justice by Geoffrey Household (b00h76wt)
1. Air Raid
The hero - an anonymous, wealthy Englishman - is now caged in a German prison with scores to settle.
But there's been an air raid....
Read by Michael Jayston.
Geoffrey Household's sequel to his acclaimed British thriller 'Rogue Male' was published over 40 years later in 1982.
Abridged in five parts by Patricia Hannah.
Producer: David Jackson Young
Made for BBC 7 by BBC Scotland and first broadcast in February 2009.
MON 07:00 Home Again (m0005tnr)
Poling Off
Fulton and Margaret prepare to rededicate their vows.
Starring Robin Bailey.
As suddenly as he disappeared, Fulton Jones returned to his family – wife Margaret, and children Rosie and Martin.
He went to the newsagent to buy matches 20 years before and, bold as brass, waltzed back assuming his role as father figure once more. Margaret is perplexed, whilst Rosie and Martin are furious with him.
Sitcom written by Peter Tinniswood.
Fulton …. Robin Bailey
Margaret …. Doreen Mantle
Rosie …. Liz Goulding
Martin …. David Troughton
Cyrilla …. Ursula Smith
Ernest Blackrock …. Christopher Benjamin
Producer: Griff Rhys Jones
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in June 1980.
MON 07:30 Dad's Army (b007jntl)
Series 2
Getting the Bird
Lance Corporal Jones is short of meat at his butcher's shop, so Private Walker arranges a special off-ration supply.
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 Harold Snoad and Michael Knowles.
Captain Mainwaring …. Arthur Lowe
Sergeant Wilson …. John Le Mesurier
Corporal Jones …. Clive Dunn
Private Frazer …. John Laurie
Private Pike …. Ian Lavender
Private Godfrey …. Arnold Ridley
Private Walker …. Larry Martyn
The Vicar ...... Frank Williams
Sergeant Wilson’s Daughter ...... Diana Bishop
Announcer …. John Snagge
Producer: John Dyas
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 1975.
MON 08:00 Boswell's Lives (b053bq4l)
Series 1
Boswell's Life of Freud
Boswell attempts to write a biography of Sigmund Freud but finds it's Freud who is asking all the questions.
Jon Canter’s sitcom sees James Boswell become a time-travelling biographer - doing for other celebrities what he did for Dr Johnson.
James Boswell ..... Miles Jupp
Sigmund Freud ..... Henry Goodman
Producer: Sally Avens
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 2015.
MON 08:30 The Music Room by William Fiennes (b00jlzzd)
1. Diagnosis
William Fiennes' memoir of his magical childhood in a moated castle in which he grew up with his severely epileptic brother.
Five-year-old William is preoccupied with fishing for pike in the castle's moat.
His older brother Richard's seizures become increasingly worse, and a severe form of epilepsy is diagnosed.
Abridged in five episodes by Viv Beeby.
Read by Dan Stevens.
Producer: Elizabeth Allard
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 2009.
MON 08:45 The Beginning of Spring by Penelope Fitzgerald (b00txgs7)
1. Abandoned
The winter of 1913 finds Frank Reid, owner of a printing company, abandoned by his wife.
First Nellie takes their three children with her, then she sends them back to Frank.
What is he to do?
Penelope Fitzgerald's novel of an English family in Moscow, first published in 1988.
Dramatised in five parts by Penny Leicester.
Narrator: Clare Higgins.
Frank ........ Richard McCabe
Selwyn ........ David Bamber
Nellie ........ Jennifer Lee
Jellicorse/Dolly ........ Charlotte Ellis
Other parts played by:
Sonia Ritter
Rachel Atkins
Samuel Barnet
Richard Bremmer
David Collins
Producer: Tim Dee
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 2010.
MON 09:00 Unspeakable (m002sn98)
Series 3
1. Skedaddling Squirrels
In this episode we hear Tim Vine's word for suspicious squirrels, Olga Koch with an improvement on 'Googling oneself', and Aurie Styla's word for leaving a party early.
Ever struggled to find the right word for a feeling or sensation? Unspeakable sees comedian Phil Wang and lexicographer Susie Dent invite celebrity guests to invent new linguistic creations, to solve those all too relatable moments when we're lost for words.
Hosts: Phil Wang and Susie Dent
Guests: Olga Koch, Aurie Styla and Tim Vine
Created by Joe Varley
Writers: Matt Crosby and James Farmer
Recorded by Jerry Peal
Producer: Jon Harvey
Executive Producers: Joe Varley and Akash Lockmun
A Brown Bred production for BBC Radio 4
MON 09:30 Letter from America (m002szmd)
500th Letter
**** This programme was suggested by Robert Stallard, Fiona Mcphail, Jill Smith and Nick Stewart as part of BBC Radio 4 Extra’s All Request Weekend ****
Alistair Cooke reflects on all the changes he has witnessed in his 500th Letter from America.
He also remembers Lindsay Wellington, the BBC head who came up with the idea of weekly letters in 1946 to help people in the UK understand American life.
Alistair's weekly 15-minute talks on American life, history and politics broadcast on BBC radio from 1946 – 2004.
First broadcast on the BBC Home Service in September 1957.
**** To nominate a programme from the archives that you would like to hear again, please email radio4extra@bbc.co.uk ****
MON 09:45 Daily Service (m002szmg)
Flesh is weak – Tyndale 500: The spirit is willing
Christian reflection and music with Fr Philip Blackledge of Holy Trinity Scottish Episcopal Church in Melrose.
Reading: Matthew 26:36-41
MON 10:00 And the Academy Award Goes To... (b0713m2n)
Series 6
The French Connection
An American crime classic.
Paul Gambaccini on the story behind 1971's winner for Best Picture.
An early example of the new wave in American films, The French Connection went on to win 5 Oscars.
It set both its leading man (Gene Hackman) and its young director (William Friedkin) off on what were to become glittering careers.
It was the first R-rated movie to win the Best Picture Oscar and one of the earliest to show the newly complete World Trade Towers.
Producer: Paul Kobrak
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 2016.
MON 10:30 Warpaint: The Story Of Camouflage (b00768wm)
How did artists battle to pioneer the creation of the first effective forms of military camouflage during the First World War?
Patrick Wright investigates.
Featuring:
* Anthony Penrose
* Norman Wilkinson
* Roy Behrens
* Richard Murray
* Peter Gross
Producer: John Goudie
First broadcast on BBC radio 4 in August 2002.
MON 11:00 Whodunnits (b007jv9w)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
MON 11:30 Rogue Justice by Geoffrey Household (b00h76wt)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
MON 12:00 Home Again (m0005tnr)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
MON 12:30 Dad's Army (b007jntl)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
MON 13:00 Boswell's Lives (b053bq4l)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
MON 13:30 The Music Room by William Fiennes (b00jlzzd)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
MON 13:45 The Beginning of Spring by Penelope Fitzgerald (b00txgs7)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:45 today]
MON 14:00 Just a Minute (b011p7t2)
Series 60
Episode 4
Nicholas Parsons presides over the devious game where panellists are challenged to speak for one minute without hesitation, deviation or repetition.
With:
Paul Merton
Julian Clary
Gyles Brandreth
Tony Hawks
Subjects include: The First Signs of Summer, The Perfect Marriage, The Reasons Not To Go On Holiday, Dividing Household Chores, A Good Laugh, Shift Work, My Favourite Made Up Word and Worms
Created by Ian Messiter.
Producer: Claire Jones
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in June 2011.
MON 14:30 The Six Mothers-in-Law of Henry VIII (b0076hy9)
Episode 2
The mother of Anne Boleyn has a gentleman admirer.
Why should that threaten danger for the Queen?
Jonathan Coy stars as Henry VIII
An unreliable history, created and written in six parts by Barry Grossman.
Henry VIII ...... Jonathan Coy
Lady Boleyn ...... Diane Fletcher
Anne Boleyn ...... Lydia Leonard
Thomas Cromwell ...... Milton Johns
The Chronicler ...... Alfred Burke
Maurice Crumb ...... David Holt
Music by Jim Parker.
Producer: John Fawcett Wilson
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 2003.
MON 15:00 Drama on 4 (b00d0hw2)
Alan and Jean's Incredible Journey by Ian Kershaw
Alan and Jean embark on their holidays with a difference.
They're spending it at home in their own bedroom.
Starring Julie Hesmondhalgh and George Costigan.
Poignant comedy written by Ian Kershaw.
Alan ........ George Costigan
Jean ........ Julie Hesmondhalgh
Dawn ........ Rina Mahoney
Barbara ........ Melissa Jane Sinden
Kid ........ Daniel Rogers
Director: Gary Brown
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 2008.
MON 15:45 Short Works (m0012swr)
The Riots by Dawn Watson
Two sub-editors at a Belfast newspaper connect amid personal struggles against a backdrop of summer rioting in the city.
An original short work for the BBC by Northern Irish writer Dawn Watson.
Read by Aoibhéann McCann.
Dawn Watson published her debut poetry pamphlet 'The Stack of Owls is Getting Higher' in 2019.
She has short stories in anthologies including 'Still Worlds Turning' and 'Belfast Stories'. Dawn has taught undergraduate Creative Writing at the Seamus Heaney Centre in Queen’s University since 2018. She is a former national tabloid sub-editor and lives in Belfast.
Producer: Michael Shannon
A BBC Northern Ireland production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in December 2021.
MON 16:00 And the Academy Award Goes To... (b0713m2n)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 today]
MON 16:30 Warpaint: The Story Of Camouflage (b00768wm)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:30 today]
MON 17:00 Whodunnits (b007jv9w)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
MON 17:30 Rogue Justice by Geoffrey Household (b00h76wt)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
MON 18:00 Home Again (m0005tnr)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
MON 18:30 Dad's Army (b007jntl)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
MON 19:00 Boswell's Lives (b053bq4l)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
MON 19:30 The Music Room by William Fiennes (b00jlzzd)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
MON 19:45 The Beginning of Spring by Penelope Fitzgerald (b00txgs7)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:45 today]
MON 20:00 Just a Minute (b011p7t2)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:00 today]
MON 20:30 The Six Mothers-in-Law of Henry VIII (b0076hy9)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:30 today]
MON 21:00 Drama on 4 (b00d0hw2)
[Repeat of broadcast at 15:00 today]
MON 21:45 Short Works (m0012swr)
[Repeat of broadcast at 15:45 today]
MON 22:00 Unspeakable (m002sn98)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
MON 22:30 Listen Against (b00tt5mb)
Series 3
Episode 3
Michael Burke becomes trapped in the Moral Maze, and Any Answers gets a game-show makeover.
Another week's worth of radio and TV that never happened.
Presenters:
Alice Arnold
Jon Holmes
Featuring:
James Bachman
Stephen Critchlow
Sarah Hadland
David Schnieder
David Mara
Written by Jon Holmes, Sam Bryant, John Luke-Roberts, Gareth Gwynn, Jason Hazely, Joel Morris, Bill Dare, Carl Carter and Jon Hunter.
Producers: Sam Bryant and Jon Holmes
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 2010.
MON 23:00 The Naked Week (m002snj6)
Series 4
Shipping, Shopping and Shagg... you know what, never mind
The team launch the Naked Week Investment Portfolio for Hard Done-By Young People and go shipping, shopping and shagg...you know what, never mind.
From The Skewer’s Jon Holmes and host Andrew Hunter Murray comes The Naked Week, a fresh way of dressing the week’s news in the altogether and parading it around for everyone to laugh at.
With award-winning writers and a crack team of contemporary satirists - and recorded in front of a live audience - The Naked Week delivers a topical news-nude straight to your ears.
Written by:
Jon Holmes
Katie Sayer
Gareth Ceredig
James Kettle
Jason Hazeley
Additional Material:
Karl Minns
Viverinne Hopley Jones
Cooper Mawhinny Sweryt
Darren Phillips
Kevin Smith
Investigation team:
Cat Neilan
Katie Sayer
Becky Pinnington
Abigail Mableson
Mia Jones
Ben Stanton
Nathaniel Peutherer
Cailtin Holtzman
Paola Matha
with thanks to Richard Danbury.
Guests: Rosalie Minnitt, Jo Saunderson, and the voice of the Shipping Forecast Amanda Litherland.
Production Team: Tony Churnside, Jerry Peal, David Riffkin.
Production Coordinator: Molly Punshon
Assistant Producer: Katie Sayer
Executive Producer: Philip Abrams
Produced and Directed by Jon Holmes
An unusual production for BBC Radio 4
MON 23:30 Rob Newman (b08mb1g6)
Rob Newman's Neuropolis
Love on the Brain
One of Britain's finest comedians, Rob Newman, is our guide on a unique audio odyssey of the brain, taking in everything from love and guilt to robot co-workers and the unlikely importance of prehistoric trousers.
It's a witty, fact-packed series mixing stand-up and sketches, challenging notions of neuroscience with a new theory that's equal parts enlightening and hilarious.
Rob offers an alternative to some of the more bizarre claims in modern popular science, as well as rejigging theories of our brains in light of what we know about nature, artificial intelligence and Belinda Carlisle.
Created by the award-winning team behind Robert Newman's Entirely Accurate Encyclopaedia of Evolution.
Written by and starring Rob Newman.
Co-starring:
Claire Price
Richard McCabe
Producer: Jon Harvey
Executive Producer: Richard Wilson
A Hat Trick production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in April 2017.

TUESDAY 24 MARCH 2026

TUE 00:00 And the Academy Award Goes To... (b0713m2n)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 on Monday]
TUE 00:30 Warpaint: The Story Of Camouflage (b00768wm)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:30 on Monday]
TUE 01:00 Whodunnits (b007jv9w)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 on Monday]
TUE 01:30 Rogue Justice by Geoffrey Household (b00h76wt)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 on Monday]
TUE 02:00 Home Again (m0005tnr)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 on Monday]
TUE 02:30 Dad's Army (b007jntl)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 on Monday]
TUE 03:00 Boswell's Lives (b053bq4l)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 on Monday]
TUE 03:30 The Music Room by William Fiennes (b00jlzzd)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 on Monday]
TUE 03:45 The Beginning of Spring by Penelope Fitzgerald (b00txgs7)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:45 on Monday]
TUE 04:00 Just a Minute (b011p7t2)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:00 on Monday]
TUE 04:30 The Six Mothers-in-Law of Henry VIII (b0076hy9)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:30 on Monday]
TUE 05:00 Drama on 4 (b00d0hw2)
[Repeat of broadcast at 15:00 on Monday]
TUE 05:45 Short Works (m0012swr)
[Repeat of broadcast at 15:45 on Monday]
TUE 06:00 Whodunnits (b007jvb0)
Miss Marple: They Do It With Mirrors
2. Disquiet
Clearly something is wrong at Stoneygates.
But for Miss Marple, the most disquieting factors are the jealousies and simmering tensions within the family itself.
Agatha Christie's whodunnit stars June Whitfield as the amateur sleuth.
Dramatised by Michael Bakewell.
Miss Marple …. June Whitfield
Carrie Louise …. Ursula Howells
Lewis Serrocold …. Peter Howell
Juliet Bellever …. Paula Jacobs
Gina Hudd …. Rebecca Lacey
Walter Hudd …. Stephen Lucas
Stephen Restarick …. Daniel Philpott
Edgar Lawson …. Rhys Meredith
Mildred Strete …. Natasha Pyne
Alexis Restarick …. Nick Waring
Christian Bulbrandsen …. Stephen Thorne
Director: Enyd Williams
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 2001.
TUE 06:30 Rogue Justice by Geoffrey Household (b00h8qlv)
2. Flight
Facing a perilous flight across occupied Europe, the aristocratic English hero must rely on his wits.
Read by Michael Jayston.
Geoffrey Household's sequel to his acclaimed British thriller 'Rogue Male' was published over 40 years later in 1982.
Abridged by Patricia Hannah.
Producer: David Jackson Young
Made for BBC 7 by BBC Scotland and first broadcast in February 2009.
TUE 07:00 Flying the Flag (b00sxjmy)
Series 2
No Sudden Moves
“It's hard enough coping with adult life as it is, without having children going about being cleverer than you are.”
East meets West in an epic chess game where politics, pride and chicken nuggets are at stake...
Starring Dinsdale Landen.
Eastern Bloc embassy sitcom written by Alex Shearer.
HM Ambassador MacKenzie …. Dinsdale Landen
William Frost …. Peter Acre
Helen Waterson …. Moir Leslie
Keith Branley …. Richard Pearce
Colonel Surikov …. Christopher Benjamin
Producer: Pete Atkin
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 1988.
TUE 07:30 The Goon Show (b007jr24)
Series 10
Tales of Men's Shirts
It is 1942, and Neddie Seagoon must stop the Germans' secret weapon.
Groundbreaking, surreal BBC radio comedy written by Spike Milligan.
Starring:
Spike Milligan
Peter Sellers
Harry Secombe.
First billed as Crazy People, ten series of The Goon Show were recorded between 1951 and 1960, but sadly many of the earliest shows weren’t kept in the archive.
With the Ray Ellington Quartet and Max Geldray.
Orchestra conducted by Wally Stott.
Announcer: Wallace Greenslade
Producer: John Browell
First broadcast on the BBC Home Service in December 1959.
TUE 08:00 The Fair Intellectual Club (b0833vn0)
A Sojourn with Mr Swift
It's festival time in Edinburgh, but in the early 18th century it's not a place for comedians and actors, but priests and storytellers like Jonathan Swift.
This young Irish clergyman wants help with his tales, and the members of the Fair Intellectual Club are keen to help him win the So You Think You're Holy competition.
Alison's idiot brother Robert needs assistance too - and an unfortunate mix-up leads to the creation of a literary masterpiece.
Lucy Porter's sitcom set in early 18th Century Scotland.
Alison ....... Jessica Hardwick
Ishbel ....... Caroline Deyga
Margory ....... Samara MacLaren
Robert ....... Simon Donaldson
Kennedy ....... Gordon Kennedy
Mr Swift ....... Keith Fleming
Music by Aly Macrae
Director: Marilyn Imrie
Producer: Gordon Kennedy
An Absolutely production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in November 2016.
TUE 08:30 The Music Room by William Fiennes (b00jtxx7)
2. Playground
Eight-year-old William makes a playground of the castle's attic spaces and is intrigued by a secret door.
Richard experiences dark mood swings, but also finds a new pleasure when he takes up pipe smoking.
William Fiennes' memoir of his magical childhood in a moated castle in which he grew up with his severely epileptic older brother, Richard.
Abridged by Viv Beeby.
Read by Dan Stevens.
Producer: Elizabeth Allard
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 2009.
TUE 08:45 The Beginning of Spring by Penelope Fitzgerald (b00ty4k8)
2. Selwyn
The winter of 1913 finds Frank Reid, owner of a printing company, abandoned by his wife.
Frank Reid is not being helped by his accountant, Selwyn.
Penelope Fitzgerald's novel of an English family in Moscow.
Dramatised by Penny Leicester.
Narrator: Clare Higgins.
Frank ........ Richard McCabe
Selwyn ........ David Bamber
Nellie ........ Jennifer Lee
Jellicorse/Dolly ........ Charlotte Ellis
Other parts played by:
Sonia Ritter
Rachel Atkins
Samuel Barnet
Richard Bremmer
David Collins
Producer: Tim Dee
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 2010.
TUE 09:00 Wing It (m002sn4s)
Series 2
3. A Miracle at Spoons
Cariad Lloyd, Steen Raskopoulos, Luke Manning, and Emily Lloyd-Saini join host Alasdair Beckett-King for more improv comedy mayhem. Featuring some excited nuns, enemies who become lovers, and a fairy godmother.
"No Script. No Prep. No Clue."
Presented by Alasdair Beckett-King
Devised by Sam Holmes
Producer: Sam Holmes
Executive Producer: James Robinson
Production Co-ordinator: Katie Baum
Sound Editor: Chris Maclean
TUE 09:30 Letter from America (m002szsr)
1000th Letter - Vietnam
**** This programme was suggested by Robert Stallard, Fiona Mcphail, Jill Smith and Nick Stewart as part of BBC Radio 4 Extra’s All Request Weekend ****
Alistair Cooke reflects on devastating effects of the war in Vietnam in his 1000th Letter from America.
How the national mood begins to change over the Vietnam war - and how America began to move from early indifference to the recognition of a nightmare.
Alistair's weekly 15 minute talks on American life, history and politics broadcast on BBC radio from 1946 – 2004.
First broadcast on the BBC Home Service in March 1968.
**** To nominate a programme from the archives that you would like to hear again, please email radio4extra@bbc.co.uk ****
TUE 09:45 Daily Service (m002szst)
Renew a right spirit within me
A space for spiritual reflection with a Bible reading, prayer and a range of Christian music.
Theme: Flesh is weak - Renew a right spirit within me
Presenter: Imogen Ball
Reading: Psalm 51 10-17
Music:
Lord you have my heart - Elle Limbear
I will sing with the spirit - BBC Young Choristers 2022 Naomi and Luca
Create in me a clean heart - Donnie McLurkin
TUE 10:00 A Good Read (m000n5yp)
Ruth Jones & Dominic Cooke
Writer, actor and Gavin and Stacey creator Ruth Jones and theatre and film director Dominic Cooke join Harriett Gilbert to discuss their favourite books by Kate Atkinson, Siri Hustvedt and John Lah
Ruth and Dominic are old friends, but did they enjoy one another's books?
And what happened to Ruth's pottery robot in her third set art class?
Behind the Scenes at the Museum by Kate Atkinson
Publisher: Black Swan
What I Loved by Siri Hustvedt
Publisher: Sceptre
Prick Up Your Ears, John Lahr's biography of Joe Orton.
Publisher: Bloomsbury
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 2020.
TUE 10:30 Gift Of The Gods (b08bbg1l)
It's the sweetest thing known to humans for thousands of years.
Beekeeper and classicist Martha Kearney travels to Greece to explore how honey shaped our world mythically, socially and politically.
Martha visits the legendary birthplace of Zeus, a cave in Crete where the baby God was said to have been raised by bees.
Then to the Archaeological Museums of Heraklion and Eleftherna to look at bee artefacts from the Bronze Age with Professors Katerina Kopaka and Nikos Stampolides.
Martha goes to the Ancient Agora in Athens to see where the fabled honey of Attica was sold and journeys to Mount Hymettus on the trail of beehives at an ancient farmhouse.
She also visits Cretan beekeepers Dimosthenis Issaakidis and Mihalis Tsigenis to compare modern beekeeping methods with those from antiquity, and discusses the impact of honey on society and politics with archaeologist Lucia Nixon over sacred honey drinks.
Producer: Dixi Stewart
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 2017.
TUE 11:00 Whodunnits (b007jvb0)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
TUE 11:30 Rogue Justice by Geoffrey Household (b00h8qlv)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
TUE 12:00 Flying the Flag (b00sxjmy)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
TUE 12:30 The Goon Show (b007jr24)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
TUE 13:00 The Fair Intellectual Club (b0833vn0)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
TUE 13:30 The Music Room by William Fiennes (b00jtxx7)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
TUE 13:45 The Beginning of Spring by Penelope Fitzgerald (b00ty4k8)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:45 today]
TUE 14:00 Genius (b008h5bx)
Series 2
Carol Vorderman
Rotating rooms and a flexible retirement plan?
Dave Gorman asks TV’s Carol Vorderman to choose the public's best loopy idea.
Award-winning comedian Dave Gorman and a celebrity guest chew over the ridiculous, unworkable but sometimes genius inventions, schemes and policies of the public.
Producer: Simon Nicholls
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 2006.
TUE 14:30 Mum's on the Run (b00tgd1j)
1. Mum Taxi
Mum's on the Run is a modern-day twist on the single-family situation.
Starring Ronni Ancona.
It follows the hectic life ("What life?") of single mum, Jen. Mother of two, Master of none - Jen seems to spend most of her time as an unpaid chauffeur to a 15 year-old teenage existentialist son, Toby, and a tonally challenged recorder-practising 11 year-old daughter, Felicity.
She also has to cope with her jazz musician ex-husband, the fiercely competitive and annoying downstairs neighbour, plus a huge crush on her son's history teacher.
How Jen drops the kids off at school at the beginning of the day but ends up collecting them from a nightclub at the end of it.
Six-part sitcom written by Alexis Zegerman.
Jen ...... Ronni Ancona
Mr. Rigby ...... John Gordon Sinclair
Shelley ...... Alexis Zegerman
Vivienne ...... Christine Kavanagh
Keith ...... Kevin Eldon
Felicity ...... Amy Dabrowa
Toby ...... Alexander Heath
Karina ...... Amaya Rowlands
Connor ...... Pip Woolley
Cashier ...... Iain Batchelor
Doorman ...... Jude Akuwudike
Leona ...... Sam Dale
Producer: Alison Vernon-Smith
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 2010.
TUE 15:00 Mr and Mrs Nobody by Keith Waterhouse (b055knqf)
A delightful diary account which reveals the day-to-day activities of one Charles Pooter, a London clerk, and his long-suffering wife Carrie.
Starring Dame Judi Dench and Michael Williams.
Written by Keith Waterhouse.
Based on George and Weedon Grossmith's 19th Century comic masterpiece 'The Diary of a Nobody'.
Carrie Pooter ...... Judi Dench
Charles Pooter ...... Michael Williams
Incidental music composed by Colin Sell.
Played by Colin Sell and Peter Ripper.
Director: Gordon House
First broadcast on the BBC World Service in May 1990.
TUE 16:00 A Good Read (m000n5yp)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 today]
TUE 16:30 Gift Of The Gods (b08bbg1l)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:30 today]
TUE 17:00 Whodunnits (b007jvb0)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
TUE 17:30 Rogue Justice by Geoffrey Household (b00h8qlv)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
TUE 18:00 Flying the Flag (b00sxjmy)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
TUE 18:30 The Goon Show (b007jr24)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
TUE 19:00 The Fair Intellectual Club (b0833vn0)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
TUE 19:30 The Music Room by William Fiennes (b00jtxx7)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
TUE 19:45 The Beginning of Spring by Penelope Fitzgerald (b00ty4k8)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:45 today]
TUE 20:00 Genius (b008h5bx)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:00 today]
TUE 20:30 Mum's on the Run (b00tgd1j)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:30 today]
TUE 21:00 Mr and Mrs Nobody by Keith Waterhouse (b055knqf)
[Repeat of broadcast at 15:00 today]
TUE 22:00 Wing It (m002sn4s)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
TUE 22:30 Goodness Gracious Me (b01nwbhk)
Series 3
Episode 1
The Kapoors visit a stately home and food for thought from Smeeta Smitten, Showbiz Kitten.
Plus discover why the royal family are Indian...
Starring:
Sanjeev Bhaskar
Kulvinder Ghir
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 May 1998.
TUE 22:55 The Comedy Club Interviews (m002tb7y)
Hannah East 2/3
From 10.00pm until midnight, seven days a week, the Comedy Club has two hours of comedy. Plus Esyllt Sears chats again to sports presenter, podcaster and comedian Hannah East.
TUE 23:00 My Teenage Diary (m000hvlp)
Series 9
Shazia Mirza
Rufus Hound returns for another series of honest, intimate and hilarious interviews, with famous guests reading from their genuine teenage diaries.
Rufus kicks off with comedian Shazia Mirza as she discusses her experiences growing up in a strict Muslim family in the UK.
In her teenage diaries, the young Shazia describes arguing with her parents, getting a Saturday job in McDonalds, bumping into a Rick Astley lookalike in a pub and dreaming about becoming a grand slam tennis ace.
Producer: Harriet Jaine
A Talkback production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in May 2020.
TUE 23:30 Chain Reaction (b01m19nz)
Series 8
Tim Minchin talks to Caitlin Moran
The musical comedian and the journalist in the talk tag show where the guest is the next interviewer.
Tim Minchin is not well but still has a great time putting the world to rights in his attempt to interview journalist and author, Caitlin Moran, despite having no questions and no voice.
Recorded with an audience, the interviews focus on the life, career and the passions of the interviewee, but often prove to be as revealing about the interviewer.
Producer: Carl Cooper
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 2012.

WEDNESDAY 25 MARCH 2026

WED 00:00 A Good Read (m000n5yp)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 on Tuesday]
WED 00:30 Gift Of The Gods (b08bbg1l)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:30 on Tuesday]
WED 01:00 Whodunnits (b007jvb0)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 on Tuesday]
WED 01:30 Rogue Justice by Geoffrey Household (b00h8qlv)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 on Tuesday]
WED 02:00 Flying the Flag (b00sxjmy)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 on Tuesday]
WED 02:30 The Goon Show (b007jr24)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 on Tuesday]
WED 03:00 The Fair Intellectual Club (b0833vn0)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 on Tuesday]
WED 03:30 The Music Room by William Fiennes (b00jtxx7)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 on Tuesday]
WED 03:45 The Beginning of Spring by Penelope Fitzgerald (b00ty4k8)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:45 on Tuesday]
WED 04:00 Genius (b008h5bx)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:00 on Tuesday]
WED 04:30 Mum's on the Run (b00tgd1j)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:30 on Tuesday]
WED 05:00 Mr and Mrs Nobody by Keith Waterhouse (b055knqf)
[Repeat of broadcast at 15:00 on Tuesday]
WED 06:00 Whodunnits (b007jvb6)
Miss Marple: They Do It With Mirrors
3. Inquiry
At Stoneygates, a murder has taken place in the Victorian mansion doubling as a rehabilitation centre for delinquents.
Amateur sleuth Miss Jane Marple assists the police with their inquiries.
Agatha Christie's whodunnit stars June Whitfield.
Dramatised by Michael Bakewell.
Miss Marple …. June Whitfield
Inspector Curry …. Keith Barron
Carrie Louise .... Ursula Howells
Lewis Serrocold …. Peter Howell
Juliet Bellever …. Paula Jacobs
Mildred Strete …. Natasha Pyne
Alexis Restarick …. Nick Waring
Gina Hudd …. Rebecca Lacey
Director: Enyd Williams
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 2001.
WED 06:30 Rogue Justice by Geoffrey Household (b00h8x8g)
3. Interception
The aristocratic English hero is intercepted in his struggle to cross wartime enemy territory on horseback.
Read by Michael Jayston.
Geoffrey Household's sequel to his acclaimed British thriller 'Rogue Male' was published over 40 years later in 1982.
Abridged by Patricia Hannah.
Producer: David Jackson Young
Made for BBC 7 by BBC Scotland and first broadcast in February 2009.
WED 07:00 After Henry (b007jmgk)
Series 1
The Older Man
Widow Sarah battles to bring up her 18-year-old daughter Clare, hindered by her meddling mother Eleanor.
The debut episode of Simon Brett's comedy about three generations of women - struggling to cope after the death of Sarah's GP husband - who never quite manage to see eye to eye.
Sarah …. Prunella Scales
Eleanor …. Joan Sanderson
Russell …. Benjamin Whitrow
Clare …. Gerry Cowper
Nick …. James Griffiths
Four radio series were made, but instead of moving to BBC TV - Thames Television produced 'After Henry' for the ITV network.
Producer: Pete Atkin
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 1985.
WED 07:30 Hancock's Half Hour (b00dyp5l)
Series 1
The First Night Party
The Lad throws a launch party - with cocktails and dinner - for his very first half hour.
But things don't quite go to plan...
Ray Galton and Alan Simpson's classic comedy about the life and times of Anthony Aloysius St John Hancock.
Starring Tony Hancock.
With:
Moira Lister
Bill Kerr
Sidney James
Gerald Campion
Kenneth Williams.
Theme and incidental music written by Wally Stott.
Music recorded by the BBC Revue Orchestra conducted by Harry Rabinowitz.
Producer: Dennis Main Wilson
First broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in November 1954.
WED 08:00 Reluctant Persuaders (m000tt9m)
Series 4
6. Join Our Club
It’s the biggest night of Joe Starling’s life. After a rough year, his work has been nominated for one of advertising’s most prestigious awards - an A&D Pen.
Joe, Hardacre, Amanda and Teddy arrive at the ceremony to eat, drink, and be merry – and celebrate the agency’s rise to respectability.
But when a familiar foe resurfaces things begin to veer off course, and what should be a night of triumph turns into one of recrimination and revelation, that threatens the future of Hardacre’s itself.
Edward Rowett's award-winning sitcom, based on an original idea by Edward Rowett and Robert Frimstone.
Hardacre .... Nigel Havers
Joe .... Mathew Baynton
Amanda .... Josie Lawrence
Teddy .... Rasmus Hardiker
Charles Blackwell .... Martin Jarvis
MC .... Victoria Rigby
Waitress .... Olivia Penhallow
Producer: Gordon Kennedy
An Absolutely production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in April 2021.
WED 08:30 The Music Room by William Fiennes (b00jtxx1)
3. Swords and Cannonballs
Richard is captivated by a heron, but is also gripped by a furious black mood. Nine-year-old William and his friends play with antique swords and cannonballs.
William Fiennes' memoir of his magical childhood in a moated castle in which he grew up with his severely epileptic older brother, Richard.
Read by Dan Stevens.
Abridged in five episodes by Viv Beeby.
Producer: Elizabeth Allard
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 2009.
WED 08:45 The Beginning of Spring by Penelope Fitzgerald (b00tys98)
3. Nannying
The winter of 1913 finds Frank Reid, owner of a printing company, abandoned by his wife.
Frank Reid is not being helped by his accountant, Selwyn.
The English Chaplaincy has a scary resident and now a shop girl looks set to take on the nannying duties.
Penelope Fitzgerald's novel of an English family in Moscow.
Dramatised by Penny Leicester.
Narrator: Clare Higgins
Frank ........ Richard McCabe
Selwyn ........ David Bamber
Nellie ........ Jennifer Lee
Jellicorse/Dolly ........ Charlotte Ellis
Other parts played by:
Sonia Ritter
Rachel Atkins
Samuel Barnet
Richard Bremmer
David Collins
Producer: Tim Dee
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 2010.
WED 09:00 Stand-Up Specials (m002sr12)
Live from the UK
S2 E4: Shut Up About Car Insurance!
Angela Barnes traverses the country once again to the best comedy clubs in the country, bringing you the funniest stand ups around.
So if you want to know what to expect at a valleys wedding, why being a Scottish Dr Who isn't groundbreaking, and the best way to survive a dinner party, then this is the programme for you.
In this episode, you can hear;
Ayo Adenekan at Monkey Barrel in Edinburgh
Sarah Levine at Hot Water Comedy Club in Liverpool
Priya Hall at the Swansea Grand
Jo Caufield at Monkey Barrel in Edinburgh
Additional Material by Ruth Husko
Recorded by David Thomas and Sean Kerwin
Sound design by David Thomas
Production Coordinator: Jodie Charman
Executive Producer: Pete Strauss
Produced by Gwyn Rhys Davies. A BBC Studios Audio Production for Radio 4.
WED 09:30 Letter from America (m002t2b1)
Groucho Marx & Bing Crosby
**** This programme was suggested by Robert Stallard, Fiona Mcphail, Jill Smith and Nick Stewart as part of BBC Radio 4 Extra’s All Request Weekend ****
Alistair Cooke remembers two great American talents who both died in 1977:
* Comedian and actor, Groucho Marx - aged 86
* Actor and crooner, Bing Crosby - aged 74.
His weekly 15 minute talks on American life, history and politics were broadcast on BBC radio from 1946 – 2004.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 1977.
**** To nominate a programme from the archives that you would like to hear again, please email radio4extra@bbc.co.uk ****
WED 09:45 Daily Service (m002t2b3)
Flesh is weak - Made flesh
A space for spiritual reflection with a Bible reading, prayer and a range of Christian music.
Theme: Flesh is weak - Made flesh
Presenter: Gemma Simmonds
Reading: John 1 1-8
Music:
God of grace and god of glory - Daily Service Singers
Lux Beata Trinitas (Gjeilo) - Daily Service Singers plus Claire Fillhart on flute
God is love - St Martins voices
WED 10:00 Archive on 4 (b0075qwl)
Alistair Cooke's Century
A portrait of the 20th century as viewed through the eyes of one of the world's greatest broadcasters - Alistair Cooke.
Combining extracts from the 2,654 editions of BBC Radio 4’s Letter from America with reflections from Alistair, the programme follows the key elements of what is often referred to as the American century.
Biographer Nick Clarke joins Alistair Cooke to listen to some of the gems from his career, talking about the differences between UK and US English, Bobby Kennedy's assassination, golf and so much more.
Producer: Tony Grant
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 1999.
WED 11:00 Whodunnits (b007jvb6)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
WED 11:30 Rogue Justice by Geoffrey Household (b00h8x8g)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
WED 12:00 After Henry (b007jmgk)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
WED 12:30 Hancock's Half Hour (b00dyp5l)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
WED 13:00 Reluctant Persuaders (m000tt9m)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
WED 13:30 The Music Room by William Fiennes (b00jtxx1)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
WED 13:45 The Beginning of Spring by Penelope Fitzgerald (b00tys98)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:45 today]
WED 14:00 The Museum of Curiosity (m000ndbk)
Series 15
Episode 6
Professor of Ignorance John Lloyd and his curator Alice Levine welcome:
* Comedian Hannah Gadsby
* Entomologist and ecologist Dr Sarah Beynon
* Presenter and Paralympian Ade Adepitan
The Museum's Guest Committee donate a wildflower meadow, a headtorch and a tardigrade.
Researchers: Mike Shepherd, Mike Turner, Emily Jupitus and Lydia Mizon of QI.
Producer: Anne Miller
A BBC Studios production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in October 2020.
WED 14:30 Turf Wars (b00zm084)
How's Your Mother?
In a gossipy village, Humphrey Partridge is reckoned to be anti-social, indeed stand-offish.
But he always has an excuse - namely that he has to look after his ailing elderly mother. It raises eyebrows at work.
No-one has ever met the legendary matriarch. Not even nosy Raj, the local postman.
But then one morning when Humphrey is at work, Raj notices a fire in Humphrey's house, breaks in to put it out and makes an extraordinary discovery.
Soon police are digging in Humphrey's garden.
But just what is Humphrey's dark secret?
Written by Simon Brett.
Humphrey Partridge ... Michael Maloney
Mrs Denton .... Sally Orrock
Mrs Jones .... Christine Kavanagh
Raj / Sgt. Wallis .... Adeel Akhtar
Mr Denton / Trevor .... Sam Dale
Director: Peter Kavanagh
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 2011.
WED 15:00 Drama on 4 (m000tvgw)
Lights Up: Dedication by Nick Dear
1. Trial
Nick Dear’s stage play Dedication was written for the Nuffield Theatre in Southampton in 2016 – a year dedicated to the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death. It was written to commemorate both Nick’s and Shakespeare’s connection with Southampton. Nick Dear grew up in the city.
Shakespeare’s relationship with the Earl of Southampton has been the centre of much debate. Was he perhaps Shakespeare’s lover? Shakespeare dedicated his poems The Rape of Lucrece and Venus and Adonis to Southampton and it has been suggested that Southampton is the fair youth of the Sonnets.
Nick plays with three possibilities that may or may not explain an important period of Shakespeare’s life, sometimes referred to as The Lost Years, giving the audience the opportunity to make up their own minds. Much more is known about the Earl of Southampton than about William Shakespeare. It’s entirely possible that they never met, but it is equally possible they were lovers. No-one knows.
Dear puts Shakespeare on trial, where he is questioned about his relationship with the gay, cross dressing Earl of Southampton. It is set in Elizabethan England and it is a play of intrigue, sex, politics and power.
Writer: Nick Dear
William Shakespeare .... Alfred Enoch
Harry, Earl of Southampton .... Tom Glenister
Lord Chief Justice .... Sam Dale
Other roles played by: Nick Armfield, Tallulah Bond, Declan Mason and Finlay Paul
Sound Designer: Lucinda Mason Brown
Director: Celia de Wolff
A Pier production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in April 2021.
WED 16:00 Archive on 4 (b0075qwl)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 today]
WED 17:00 Whodunnits (b007jvb6)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
WED 17:30 Rogue Justice by Geoffrey Household (b00h8x8g)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
WED 18:00 After Henry (b007jmgk)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
WED 18:30 Hancock's Half Hour (b00dyp5l)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
WED 19:00 Reluctant Persuaders (m000tt9m)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
WED 19:30 The Music Room by William Fiennes (b00jtxx1)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
WED 19:45 The Beginning of Spring by Penelope Fitzgerald (b00tys98)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:45 today]
WED 20:00 The Museum of Curiosity (m000ndbk)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:00 today]
WED 20:30 Turf Wars (b00zm084)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:30 today]
WED 21:00 Drama on 4 (m000tvgw)
[Repeat of broadcast at 15:00 today]
WED 22:00 Stand-Up Specials (m002sr12)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
WED 22:30 The Maltby Collection (b00mqhqt)
Series 3
Episode 5
The museum is due to send an exhibition of its finest artefacts around Europe.
But can Walter find a suitably experienced and diplomatic member of staff to curate it?
Starring Geoffrey Palmer and Julian Rhind-Tutt.
David Nobbs’ sitcom about a small art museum staffed by eccentrics and obsessives.
Rod Millet ...... Julian Rhind-Tutt
Walter Brindle ...... Geoffrey Palmer
Prunella Edgecumbe ...... Rachel Atkins
Susie Maltby ...... Margaret Cabourn-Smith
Julian Crumb-Loosely ...... Ben Willbond
Wilf Arbuthnot ...... Geoff McGivern
Eva Tattle ...... Juklia Deakin
Des Wainwright ...... Michael Smiley
Stelios Constantinopoulis/Van Driver ...... Chris Pavlo
Barman ...... Stephen Hogan.
Producer: Colin Anderson
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 2009.
WED 23:00 Felicity Ward - Appisodes (m000q8zt)
Series 2
Smoking
Comedy series in which Australian stand-up Felicity Ward uses phone apps to help her cope with modern life.
In this episode, Felicity enlists the help of an anti-smoking app “Stop Smoking with Barbara” (voiced by Fern Brady). Can a phone app help her kick the habit and set her on the path to a better healthier Felicity?
Written and performed by Felicity Ward.
Script Editor: Gareth Gwynn
Producer: Adnan Ahmed
A BBC Studios Production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in December 2020.
WED 23:15 Jamie MacDonald: Life on the Blink (m001ljn0)
Series 2
Limb Broccoli
Jamie MacDonald is a Glaswegian stand-up comedian who found himself rapidly going blind in his teens.
Jamie examines pre-conceptions about disability, challenges stereotypes, and takes a hilarious trip down memory lane to see how far things have come.
In this episode, he battles with officious front of house staff who can’t do too much to help, and he experiences the exact opposite experience at the airport where he’s left to find his own way to Marseille.
Producer: Julia Sutherland
A Dabster production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in May 2023.
WED 23:30 Radio Shuttleworth (b007jq8z)
Series 2
Barbara Dickson
Sheffield's aspiring singer-songwriter John Shuttleworth takes to the airwaves once more from his very own his front room.
Aided by his producer (and sole agent) Ken Worthington, and his hard-to-please wife Mary, the inimitable John Shuttleworth presents a mixture of celebrity guests, domestic chores and music.
Bill Bailey drops in for "Impress an Impresario" while Hattie Hayridge telephones to "Make Mary Merry"
Special guest Barbara Dickson pops in for a chat, but her timing couldn't have been worse as John is expecting a rush of callers responding to his advert for the sale of son Darren's cabin bed.
Written and performed by Graham Fellows.
Additional material by Martin Willis.
Producer: Dawn Ellis.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 2000.

THURSDAY 26 MARCH 2026

THU 00:00 Archive on 4 (b0075qwl)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 on Wednesday]
THU 01:00 Whodunnits (b007jvb6)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 on Wednesday]
THU 01:30 Rogue Justice by Geoffrey Household (b00h8x8g)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 on Wednesday]
THU 02:00 After Henry (b007jmgk)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 on Wednesday]
THU 02:30 Hancock's Half Hour (b00dyp5l)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 on Wednesday]
THU 03:00 Reluctant Persuaders (m000tt9m)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 on Wednesday]
THU 03:30 The Music Room by William Fiennes (b00jtxx1)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 on Wednesday]
THU 03:45 The Beginning of Spring by Penelope Fitzgerald (b00tys98)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:45 on Wednesday]
THU 04:00 The Museum of Curiosity (m000ndbk)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:00 on Wednesday]
THU 04:30 Turf Wars (b00zm084)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:30 on Wednesday]
THU 05:00 Drama on 4 (m000tvgw)
[Repeat of broadcast at 15:00 on Wednesday]
THU 06:00 Whodunnits (b007jvbc)
Miss Marple: They Do It With Mirrors
4. Poison
Someone is systematically trying to poison Miss Marple's old friend, Carrie Louise.
But who?
And why?
Agatha Christie's whodunnit stars June Whitfield as the amateur sleuth.
Dramatised by Michael Bakewell.
Miss Marple …. June Whitfield
Carrie Louise …. Ursula Howells
Inspector Curry …. Keith Barron
Gina Hudd …. Rebecca Lacey
Mildred Strete …. Natasha Pyne
Alexis Restarick …. Nick Waring
Edgar Lawson …. Rhys Meredith
Walter Hudd …. Stephen Lucas
Director: Enyd Williams
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 2001.
THU 06:30 Rogue Justice by Geoffrey Household (b00h91l2)
4. Trouble
The aristocratic English hero makes it to Romania, but trouble is in store on the way to Istanbul.
Read by Michael Jayston.
Geoffrey Household's sequel to his acclaimed British thriller 'Rogue Male' was published over 40 years later in 1982.
Abridged by Patricia Hannah.
Producer: David Jackson Young
Made for BBC 7 by BBC Scotland and first broadcast in February 2009.
THU 07:00 Tales From the Mausoleum Club (b007k243)
Heart of Skegness
The Honourable Clarence Green becomes more entranced as he listens to a story of a journey into the very darkest part of barbarism.
Starring Jim Broadbent and Matt Frewer.
Star-packed curious and macabre comedy series set in a very exclusive London club.
Written by Ian Brown and James Hendrie.
Curtis …. Jim Broadbent
Johnson …. Matt Frewer
Captain White …. Richard Pearson
Green …. Royce Mills
Mrs Jeeves …. Sheila Steafel
The Boss …. Bill Wallis
Bannister …. Ron Pember
Welch …. Michael Ripper
Music by Max Harris.
Producer: Paul Spencer
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 1987.
THU 07:30 The Burkiss Way (b00jr7fp)
Series 2
Make Short Programmes the Burkiss Way
The Eurovision Raquel Welch Gag Contest begins in the correspondence course that promises you one free laugh.
With short comedic instruction from:
Jo Kendall
Nigel Rees
Chris Emmett
Fred Harris
A short comedy script by Andrew Marshall and David Renwick.
Short sharp production by Simon Brett.
Cult sketch show first broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 1977.
THU 08:00 All Those Women (b086tfbm)
Series 2
Episode 2
It's time for some well-earned relaxing after Maggie won some vouchers to a spa.
But what should be the opportunity for a bit of a lie down soon gets a bit fraught. 'There's a fine line between a spa day and a detention centre isn't there?'
Comedy series by Katherine Jakeways about four generations of women living under one roof.
All Those Women explores familial relationships, ageing, marriages - it's about life and love and things not turning out quite the way that you'd expected them to. Every week we join Hetty, Maggie, Jen and Emily as they struggle to resolve their own problems, and support one another.
Hetty ...... Marcia Warren
Maggie ...... Lesley Manville
Jen ...... Sinead Matthews
Emily ...... Lucy Hutchinson
Sylvia ...... Clare Perkins
Producer: Alexandra Smith
A BBC Studios production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in January 2017.
THU 08:30 The Music Room by William Fiennes (b00jtxx3)
4. Problems
Richard's behaviour becomes increasingly problematic, but his interest in Hilaire Belloc's Cautionary Tales gives him and his family an unexpected moment of pleasure.
William Fiennes' memoir of his magical childhood in a moated castle in which he grew up with his severely epileptic older brother, Richard.
Read by Dan Stevens.
Abridged in five episodes by Viv Beeby.
Producer: Elizabeth Allard
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 2009.
THU 08:45 The Beginning of Spring by Penelope Fitzgerald (b00tz3yw)
4. Too Beautiful
The winter of 1913 finds Frank Reid, owner of a printing company, abandoned by his wife.
Frank Reid is not being helped by his accountant, Selwyn.
The English Chaplaincy has a scary resident and now a shop girl is taking on the nannying duties.
Lisa, the new nanny, is too beautiful for Frank, even with her plaits cut off.
Penelope Fitzgerald's novel of an English family in Moscow.
Dramatised by Penny Leicester.
Narrator: Clare Higgins
Frank ........ Richard McCabe
Selwyn ........ David Bamber
Nellie ........ Jennifer Lee
Jellicorse/Dolly ........ Charlotte Ellis
Other parts played by:
Sonia Ritter
Rachel Atkins
Samuel Barnet
Richard Bremmer
David Collins
Producer: Tim Dee
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 2010.
THU 09:00 The Matt Forde Focus Group (m002sr53)
Series 2
The Politics of Incentives
Governments are constantly trying to nudge, cajole, bribe and even threaten people into behaving differently. Sometimes it works. Sometimes it goes badly wrong.
Top comedian Matt Forde convenes his Focus Group in front of a live theatre audience, with a politically eclectic panel — Baroness Ayesha Hazarika, former Tory MP Dehenna Davison, and Green Party MP Siân Berry — to dig into one of politics' most fascinating and frustrating puzzles: why do incentives so often produce exactly the opposite of what was intended?
Written and performed by Matt Forde
Additional writing from Karl Minns, Katie Storey and Richard Garvin
Producer: Richard Garvin
Co Producer: Daisy Knight
Broadcast Assistant: Sahar Rajabali
Sound Design and Editing: David Thomas
An Avalon production for BBC Radio 4
THU 09:30 Letter from America (m002t2fp)
2000th Letter
**** This programme was suggested by Robert Stallard, Fiona Mcphail, Jill Smith and Nick Stewart as part of BBC Radio 4 Extra’s All Request Weekend ****
1987, 21:30 on BBC Radio 4 FM
By the age of 78, Alistair Cooke had continued - almost without interruption - to send his weekly observations on American life and politics.
For his 2,000th letter, the veteran broadcaster reflects on health, illness, the AIDS epidemic and longevity.
His weekly 15 minute talks on American life, history and politics were broadcast on BBC radio from 1946 – 2004.
Producer: Margaret Hill
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in June 1987.
**** To nominate a programme from the archives that you would like to hear again, please email radio4extra@bbc.co.uk ****
THU 09:45 Daily Service (m002t2fr)
Flesh is weak - Inner conflict
A space for spiritual reflection with a Bible reading, prayer and a range of Christian music.
Theme: Flesh is weak - Inner conflict
Presenter: Jay Hulme
Reading: Romans 7:15-25
Music:
May You Find a Light - The Brilliance
One - Sleeping at Last
I Wait - All Sons and Daughters
THU 10:00 Great Lives (m0007qzh)
Caroline Quentin nominates Sir John Vanbrugh
Marking the 300th Anniversary of Sir John Vanbrugh's death
From acting in TV's Men Behaving Badly and Jonathan Creek to restoring dozens of period properties and touring India for TV, Caroline Quentin loves variety.
When she discovered the life of the playwright and architect Sir John Vanbrugh, she had found a kindred spirit.
Caroline appeared in an RSC production of The Provoked Wife by Vanbrugh - who also designed Blenheim Palace and Castle Howard.
Architectural critic and broadcaster, Jonathan Glancey, joins Caroline and presenter Matthew Parris, to explore the full and meandering life of this flamboyant figure.
Producer Camellia Sinclair
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 2019.
THU 10:30 Loud Organs His Glory (b0103wyx)
Anyone who has watched a BBC Prom or visited St Paul's or Salisbury or Hereford or Truro Cathedral will have seen a "Father Willis" organ.
Discover the story of the man who through a blend of engineering ability, musical ambition and massive self-confidence became the dominant organ builder of the Victorian era. It was an era in which huge organs were suddenly required in both cathedrals and the new town halls appearing all over the country.
Simon Townley tells the story of 'Father' Henry Willis from his relatively humble beginnings as the son of a London builder to the heights of Victorian society. By winning a competition at the Great Exhibition in 1851, Willis set himself on a road which was to lead to the building of over a thousand organs. Many are still working today, even if they've been altered over the years. What makes the Willis organs special, and makes organists today acknowledge their greatness in hushed tones, is the subject of this programme.
Simon visits the current Willis factory in Liverpool where new organs are still built and old Willis machines are revitalised.
He plays the organ in Winchester Cathedral, the organ that won the Great Exhibition competition and was squeezed into the cathedral by the then organist SS Wesley, and he finds out more about the man whose love of yachting was matched only by his belief that anything was possible when it came to the building of organs. If that meant splitting an organ in two, putting the two parts on either side of a cathedral transept and linking the whole lot through a system of subterranean pipes then that's what he would do... and he did, in the case of St Paul's Cathedral.
But essentially the Father Willis story is about the details that earned his reputation. The reed technology that no one at the time could match, the use of new steam-generated wind and the design of organ consoles that gave organists like Willis himself a control that they'd never enjoyed before.
It's a story of the king of instruments built at a time of supreme national self-confidence by a man who embodied the spirit of the age and gave it voice.
Producer: Tom Alban
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 2011.
THU 11:00 Whodunnits (b007jvbc)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
THU 11:30 Rogue Justice by Geoffrey Household (b00h91l2)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
THU 12:00 Tales From the Mausoleum Club (b007k243)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
THU 12:30 The Burkiss Way (b00jr7fp)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
THU 13:00 All Those Women (b086tfbm)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
THU 13:30 The Music Room by William Fiennes (b00jtxx3)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
THU 13:45 The Beginning of Spring by Penelope Fitzgerald (b00tz3yw)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:45 today]
THU 14:00 Who Goes There? (b00766zc)
Series 6
Episode 3
Martin Young chairs the biographical quiz show about the noteworthy and notorious.
Tackling the biographical teasers are team captains Francis Wheen and Fred Housego.
With guests:
Geoffrey Durham
Jenny Colgan
Teams battle to prove that it's not what you know but who you know that counts.
Producer: Elizabeth Freestone
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 2002.
THU 14:30 Ballylenon (b00yqtqm)
Series 8
Crime Fiction
A writer finds the local denizens of Ballylenon ideal for a salacious work of fiction...
Written by Christopher Fitz-Simon.
Series set in the sleepy town of Ballylenon, Co Donegal in the 1960s.
Ballylenon, County Donegal. Pop. 1,999 was founded by St Lenon of Padua, when he fell into the river at this spot in 953. Ballylenon is situated on the shores of Lough Swilly with entrancing views of Muckish Mountain, in the Diocese of Derry and Raphoe. (Note: Ballylenon is a fictional name, but the other landmarks are identifiable.)
Written by Christopher Fitz-Simon.
Muriel McConkey ...... Margaret D'Arcy
Vera McConkey ...... Stella McCusker
Phonsie Doherty ...... Gerard Murphy
Mrs Vivienne Hawthorne ...... Aine McCartney
Rev. Samuel Hawthorne ...... Dermot Crowley
Kevin 'Stumpy' Bonnar ...... Gerard McSorley
Guard Gallagher ...... Frankie McCafferty
Daniel O'Searcaigh ...... James Greene
Monsignor McFadden ...... Niall Cusack
Aubrey Frawley ...... Chris McHallem
Polly Acton ...... Joanna Munro
Eamonn Doyle ...... Patrick Fitzsymons
Mr Boylan ...... Derek Bailey
Pianist: Michael Harrison
Director: Eoin O'Callaghan
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 2011.
THU 15:00 Drama on 4 (m000tvlt)
Lights Up: Dedication by Nick Dear
2. Aftermath
Nick Dear’s stage play Dedication was written for the Nuffield Theatre in Southampton in 2016 – a year dedicated to the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death. It was written to commemorate both Nick’s and Shakespeare’s connection with Southampton. Nick Dear grew up in the city.
Shakespeare’s relationship with the Earl of Southampton has been the centre of much debate. Was he perhaps Shakespeare’s lover? Shakespeare dedicated his poems The Rape of Lucrece and Venus and Adonis to Southampton and it has been suggested that Southampton is the fair youth of the Sonnets.
Nick plays with three possibilities that may or may not explain an important period of Shakespeare’s life, sometimes referred to as The Lost Years, giving the audience the opportunity to make up their own minds. Much more is known about the Earl of Southampton than about William Shakespeare. It’s entirely possible that they never met, but it is equally possible they were lovers. No-one knows.
Dear puts Shakespeare on trial, where he is questioned about his relationship with the gay, cross dressing Earl of Southampton. It is set in Elizabethan England and it is a play of intrigue, sex, politics and power.
Writer: Nick Dear
William Shakespeare .... Alfred Enoch
Harry, Earl of Southampton .... Tom Glenister
Lord Chief Justice .... Sam Dale
Other roles played by:
Nick Armfield, Tallulah Bond, Declan Mason and Finlay Paul
Sound Designer: Lucinda Mason Brown
Director: Celia de Wolff
A Pier production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in April 2021.
THU 15:45 Short Works (b0952svn)
BBC National Short Story Award 2017
Dear Mister Burke by Tea Obreht
Mrs Mary Winters determines to get to the bottom of the mystery concerning Colonel McCabe. Does he lie at Elk Point, after all?
Originally broadcast as one of a series of commissioned short stories to celebrate the 2017 BBC National Short Story Award. Tea Obreht is an American novelist who won the Orange Prize for Fiction in 2011 for 'The Tiger's Wife', her debut novel.
Reader: Sara Kestelman
Producer: Duncan Minshull
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 2017.
THU 16:00 Great Lives (m0007qzh)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 today]
THU 16:30 Loud Organs His Glory (b0103wyx)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:30 today]
THU 17:00 Whodunnits (b007jvbc)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
THU 17:30 Rogue Justice by Geoffrey Household (b00h91l2)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
THU 18:00 Tales From the Mausoleum Club (b007k243)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
THU 18:30 The Burkiss Way (b00jr7fp)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
THU 19:00 All Those Women (b086tfbm)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
THU 19:30 The Music Room by William Fiennes (b00jtxx3)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
THU 19:45 The Beginning of Spring by Penelope Fitzgerald (b00tz3yw)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:45 today]
THU 20:00 Who Goes There? (b00766zc)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:00 today]
THU 20:30 Ballylenon (b00yqtqm)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:30 today]
THU 21:00 Drama on 4 (m000tvlt)
[Repeat of broadcast at 15:00 today]
THU 21:45 Short Works (b0952svn)
[Repeat of broadcast at 15:45 today]
THU 22:00 The Matt Forde Focus Group (m002sr53)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
THU 22:30 Brian Gulliver's Travels (b01mqq6h)
Series 2
Kognitia
Brian Gulliver, a seasoned presenter of travel documentaries, finds himself in a hospital's secure unit after claiming to have experienced a succession of bizarre adventures.
More memories as Brian relives his experiences in Kognitia where selective memory is taken to a new extreme.
Brian Gulliver ..... Neil Pearson
Rachel Gulliver ..... Mariah Gale
Kalmena ..... Debra Stephenson
Lamet ..... Duncan Wisbey
Door ..... Harry Livingstone
PA ..... Amaka Okafor
Producer: Steven Canny
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 2012.
THU 23:00 At Home with the Snails (b007k2ql)
Series 1
Episode 2
Alex is obsessed with snails, but can women ever replace them in his affections?
Starring Geoffrey Palmer and Gerard Foster.
Gerard Foster’s surreal comedy about the eccentric and dysfunctional Fisher family.
Alex …. Gerard Foster
George …. Geoffrey Palmer
Beverly …. Angela Thorne
Rose …. Miranda Hart
Colette …. Magali Domec
Producer: Jane Berthoud
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 2001.
THU 23:30 Small Scenes (b04mcw89)
Series 2
Episode 3
A man gets lost in a breakfast buffet and a stag party goes very wrong.
Symphonious sketch show.
Starring:
Daniel Rigby
Sara Pascoe
Mike Wozniak
Cariad Lloyd
Henry Paker
Written by Benjamin Partridge, Henry Paker and Mike Wozniak.
Additional material from Olly Cambridge.
Producer: Simon Mayhew-Archer.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 2014.

FRIDAY 27 MARCH 2026

FRI 00:00 Great Lives (m0007qzh)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 on Thursday]
FRI 00:30 Loud Organs His Glory (b0103wyx)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:30 on Thursday]
FRI 01:00 Whodunnits (b007jvbc)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 on Thursday]
FRI 01:30 Rogue Justice by Geoffrey Household (b00h91l2)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 on Thursday]
FRI 02:00 Tales From the Mausoleum Club (b007k243)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 on Thursday]
FRI 02:30 The Burkiss Way (b00jr7fp)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 on Thursday]
FRI 03:00 All Those Women (b086tfbm)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 on Thursday]
FRI 03:30 The Music Room by William Fiennes (b00jtxx3)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 on Thursday]
FRI 03:45 The Beginning of Spring by Penelope Fitzgerald (b00tz3yw)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:45 on Thursday]
FRI 04:00 Who Goes There? (b00766zc)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:00 on Thursday]
FRI 04:30 Ballylenon (b00yqtqm)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:30 on Thursday]
FRI 05:00 Drama on 4 (m000tvlt)
[Repeat of broadcast at 15:00 on Thursday]
FRI 05:45 Short Works (b0952svn)
[Repeat of broadcast at 15:45 on Thursday]
FRI 06:00 Whodunnits (b007jvbg)
Miss Marple: They Do It With Mirrors
5. Killer
A chance observation by one of the family gives Miss Marple a key to try and finally solve the mystery.
June Whitfield stars as the amateur sleuth.
Conclusion of Agatha Christie's whodunnit.
Dramatised by Michael Bakewell.
Miss Marple …. June Whitfield
Carrie Louise …. Ursula Howells
Inspector Curry …. Keith Barron
Gina Hudd …. Rebecca Lacey
Mildred Strete …. Natasha Pyne
Alexis Restarick …. Nick Waring
Walter Hudd …. Stephen Lucas
Lewis Serrocold …. Peter Howell
Ruth Van Rydock …. Jill Balcon
Stephen Restarick …. Daniel Philpott
Juliet Bellever …. Paula Jacobs
Director: Enyd Williams
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 2001.
FRI 06:30 Rogue Justice by Geoffrey Household (b00h9t28)
5. Vengeance
Fuelled by unremitting vengeance, the aristocratic English hero's personal war with the Third Reich finally comes to an end.
Concluded by Michael Jayston.
Geoffrey Household's sequel to his acclaimed British thriller Rogue Male was published over 40 years later in 1982.
Abridged by Patricia Hannah.
Producer: David Jackson Young
Made for BBC 7 by BBC Scotland and first broadcast in February 2009.
FRI 07:00 No Commitments (b007jv5t)
Series 1
Empty Vessels
Anna agrees to babysit for Charlotte, but an uninterrupted evening was never on the cards.
Simon Brett’s sitcom about the lives and squabbles of three very different sisters.
Anna …. Rosemary Leach
Victoria …. Nicola Pagett
Charlotte …. Celia Imrie
Delia …. Maxine Audley
Patrick …. Andrew Wincott
Music by Elizabeth Parker of the BBC Radiophonic Workshop.
Producer: Paul Schlesinger
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 1992.
FRI 07:30 Steptoe and Son (b007jmlj)
Series 4
The Three Feathers
Harold Steptoe is convinced a commode will make him rich.
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
With:
Douglas Blackwell
Leslie Heritage
Producer: Bobby Jaye
First broadcast on the BBC Radio 2 in February 1972.
FRI 08:00 Mark Steel's in Town (m001btgs)
Series 12
The Isles of Scilly
Mark Steel visits the small archipelago off the southwestern tip of mainland Cornwall, The Isles of Scilly.
Mark Steel is back with the 12th series of his award winning show that travels around the country visiting towns that have nothing in common but their uniqueness. After thoroughly researching each town, Mark writes and performs a bespoke evening of comedy for a local audience.
In this third episode Mark visits The Isles of Scilly, dipping into local history and tales of shipwrecks.
Written and performed by Mark Steel
Additional material by Pete Sinclair
Producer: Carl Cooper
A BBC Studios production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in September 2022.
FRI 08:30 The Music Room by William Fiennes (b00jtxx5)
5. Leaving
William, now 17, prepares to leave home. Richard enjoys holidays with his parents and his days find a more even keel, but sadness looms.
William Fiennes' memoir of his magical childhood in a moated castle in which he grew up with his severely epileptic older brother, Richard.
Read by Dan Stevens.
Abridged in five episodes by Viv Beeby.
Producer: Elizabeth Allard
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 2009.
FRI 08:45 The Beginning of Spring by Penelope Fitzgerald (b00tzmqn)
5. Question
The winter of 1913 finds Frank Reid, owner of a printing company, abandoned by his wife.
Frank Reid is not being helped by his accountant, Selwyn.
The English Chaplaincy has a scary resident and now a shop girl has taken on nannying duties.
Frank Reid has something to ask beautiful new nanny Lisa
Penelope Fitzgerald's novel of an English family in Moscow.
Dramatised by Penny Leicester.
Narrator: Clare Higgins
Frank ........ Richard McCabe
Selwyn ........ David Bamber
Nellie ........ Jennifer Lee
Jellicorse/Dolly ........ Charlotte Ellis
Other parts played by:
Sonia Ritter
Rachel Atkins
Samuel Barnet
Richard Bremmer
David Collins
Producer: Tim Dee
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 2010.
FRI 09:00 'Whatever Next?' with Miles Jupp (m001cq4l)
Series 1
Episode 2
Miles Jupp and guests with whimsical sketches.
In this episode, the Auctioning of the Sequestered Cattle…
Miles interviews the BBC’s social mobility tsar, helps Seann Walsh launch his new podcast Who Would You Like to Have a Pint with?, and tries to persuade David Suchet to revisit a familiar role.
Starring Miles Jupp.
With:
Vicki Pepperdine
Julia Davis
Seann Walsh
Jocelyn Jee Essien
Philip Fox
Justin Edwards
Dominique Moore
David Gower
Written by Miles Jupp & James Kettle.
Script edited by Graeme Garden.
Producer: Victoria Lloyd
A Random Entertainment Production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in October 2022.
FRI 09:30 Letter from America (m002t2gr)
Last Letter
**** This programme was suggested by Robert Stallard, Fiona Mcphail, Jill Smith and Nick Stewart as part of BBC Radio 4 Extra’s All Request Weekend ****
58 years after his first broadcast, Alistair Cooke's final letter considers how the war in Iraq is a key element in the run-up to the US Presidential Election.
His weekly 15 minute talks on American life, history and politics were broadcast on BBC radio from 1946 – 2004.
Alistair died in New York, on 30th March 2004, aged 95.
Producer: Tony Grant
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 2004.
**** To nominate a programme from the archives that you would like to hear again, please email radio4extra@bbc.co.uk ****
FRI 09:45 Daily Service (m002t2gt)
Flesh is weak - Walk by the spirit
A space for spiritual reflection with a Bible reading, prayer and a range of Christian music.
Theme: Flesh is weak - Walk by the spirit
Presenter: Leslie Griffiths
Reading: Galatians 5 13-18
Music:
We walk by faith - Daily Service Singers
O for a closer walk with God - St Martin's Voices
Guide me o thou great Jehovah - Rachel John
FRI 10:00 Soul Music (b00mw5v5)
Richard Strauss' Four Last Songs
An exploration of the impact of Four Last Songs by Richard Strauss, which deal with the themes of love and death.
Richard Strauss was 84 when he completed his last work. It was the Four Last Songs, which, although about death, convey a sense of calm acceptance. It was written of its time in 1948, but it still touches the hearts of many listeners today.
As the soprano voice delves ever deeper into the richness of the music, interviewees tell how the Four Last Songs have brought calm and beauty at key moments in their lives.
Series exploring famous pieces of music and their emotional appeal.
Contributors
Alan Yentob
Michael Kennedy
Gillian Weir
Margaret Nelson
Jamie Nichols
Gabe Meline
Producer: Rosie Boulton
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2009.
FRI 10:30 Passports Please (b08nrzpr)
Migration researcher Katy Long tells the extraordinary story of what Bertolt Brecht called ‘the most distinguished part of man’s anatomy’: the passport.
Katy shows how out of step today’s modern, biometric, highly securitized and nationalized idea of a passport is with the document’s origins, and how it came to be this way. She reveals a document which was once merely to demonstrate personal identity, how in the 18th century many British citizens travelled on French passports because they were cheaper; while after the French revolution, French citizens were often issued British passports.
Not only were passports personal, and optional, but Katy shows how they were also intended to be temporary, and how Britain was the greatest opponent of the system.
As so often, it was the First World War which changed everything, and Katy travels to Geneva to the archives of the League of Nations which, tasked with abolishing passports, instead laid down the rules for a new international passport system which still largely operates today.
Presenter: Katy Long
Producer: Giles Edwards
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2017.
FRI 11:00 Whodunnits (b007jvbg)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
FRI 11:30 Rogue Justice by Geoffrey Household (b00h9t28)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
FRI 12:00 No Commitments (b007jv5t)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
FRI 12:30 Steptoe and Son (b007jmlj)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
FRI 13:00 Mark Steel's in Town (m001btgs)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
FRI 13:30 The Music Room by William Fiennes (b00jtxx5)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
FRI 13:45 The Beginning of Spring by Penelope Fitzgerald (b00tzmqn)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:45 today]
FRI 14:00 The Personality Test (b00mk68l)
Series 2
Rick Wakeman
Progressive rock legend, Rick Wakeman quizzes a panel about all things Wakeman.
With:
Sue Perkins
Will Smith
Robin Ince
Lucy Porter
Series with changing hosts who quiz the panel
Script by Richard Turner and Simon Littlefield.
Devised and produced by Aled Evans.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 2006.
FRI 14:30 King Street Junior Revisited (b00jzy3h)
Series 3
Filling In
Supply teachers may come in all shapes and sizes, but, whichever, they’re invariably in short supply.
But is King Street lucky to get Mrs Harper..?
School comedy created and written by Jim Eldridge.
Mrs Devon ...... Carolyn Pickles
Miss Lewis ...... Marlene Sidaway
Mr Maxwell ...... Michael Cochrane
Mr Long ...... Paul Copley
Miss Featherstone ...... Teresa Gallagher
Miss Reid ...... Jacqueline Beatty
Mrs Khan ...... Janice Acquah
Mrs Harper ...... Jillie Meers
Daniel ...... John McCrea
Ten series of this King Street Junior ran between 1985 and 1998.
King Street Junior Revisited ran from 2002 to 2005.
Producer: John Fawcett Wilson
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 2004.
FRI 15:00 Drama on 4 (m000vpxw)
South on the Great North Road by Michael Chaplin
"Many have gone before us now. Many have tried and failed somehow. Many souls on the Queen's highway. Where many a tail light glowed. With the promise of a better life. Heading South on the Great North Road, South on the Great North Road."
The drama is inspired by the song Going South On The Great North Road from Sting's 2016 album 57th and 9th. Sting says both the road and the journey to London have resonances for him: 'It's about my journey from Newcastle to make my fortune. In my young life I covered enough road miles to recall that relentless gravitational pull, the promise of a different kind of life down that road'.
Down the centuries, countless young people from the North and other points of the compass have made similar journeys. The central character in this play is one of them, and the drama reveals how that journey threatens to tear Peggy Charlton apart. In her 30s, Peggy (a long-standing name for the Charlton family girls) has the Great North Road in her blood and bones.
Sting's haunting song, which he has performed acapella for the production, is the counterpoint to this drama written by Michael Chaplin.
Peggy ..... Jessica Johnson
Steve ..... Stephen Tompkinson
Kelly ..... Laura Jane Matthewson
Joe ..... Tom Glenister
Jean ..... Judi Earl
The Singer ..... Sting
Director: Eoin O’Callaghan
Producer: Marilyn Imrie
A Big Fish Radio production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in May 2021.
FRI 16:00 Soul Music (b00mw5v5)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 today]
FRI 16:30 Passports Please (b08nrzpr)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:30 today]
FRI 17:00 Whodunnits (b007jvbg)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
FRI 17:30 Rogue Justice by Geoffrey Household (b00h9t28)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
FRI 18:00 No Commitments (b007jv5t)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
FRI 18:30 Steptoe and Son (b007jmlj)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
FRI 19:00 Mark Steel's in Town (m001btgs)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
FRI 19:30 The Music Room by William Fiennes (b00jtxx5)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
FRI 19:45 The Beginning of Spring by Penelope Fitzgerald (b00tzmqn)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:45 today]
FRI 20:00 The Personality Test (b00mk68l)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:00 today]
FRI 20:30 King Street Junior Revisited (b00jzy3h)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:30 today]
FRI 21:00 Drama on 4 (m000vpxw)
[Repeat of broadcast at 15:00 today]
FRI 22:00 'Whatever Next?' with Miles Jupp (m001cq4l)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
FRI 22:30 Unnatural Acts (b00jz5yt)
Series 1
Chips With Everything
Is Kit really married to a dirty ruskie commie pinko lefty agitator agent?
A sitcom about a happily-married pair of young people and their crazy friends.
Jeremy.....Jeremy Hardy
Kit.............. Kit Hollerbach
Paul............Paul B Davies
Caroline.... Caroline Leddy
Written by Jeremy Hardy, Kit Hollerbach, Paul B Davies, Caroline Leddy, Peter Sinclair and Steve Punt.
Producer: David Tyler
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 1987.
FRI 22:55 The Comedy Club Interviews (m002tb8j)
Hannah East 3/3
From 10.00pm until midnight, seven days a week, the Comedy Club has two hours of comedy. Plus Esyllt Sears chats once more to sports presenter, podcaster and comedian Hannah East.
FRI 23:00 The Hudson and Pepperdine Show (m0018x7h)
Series 4
Jon Plowman Show
Do the bright lights of television beckon for Mel and Vicki?
Written by and starring Mel Hudson and Vicki Pepperdine.
With:
Martin Hyder
Jim North
Additional material by Paul Kerensa, Rhodri Crooks, Jim North, Danny Robins and Dan Tetsell
Music by Richie Webb
Producer: Chris Neill
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 2005.
FRI 23:30 Hal (b08n22ry)
Series 2
Exes
Hal's vision of himself as a romantic partner are confounded as Sam reveals she's catching up with a 'blast from the past'. And refugee housemate Mahmoud causes a stir.
Hapless house husband Hal Cruttenden is still trying to cope with his mid-life crisis and doubting his every move.
Written by Hal Cruttenden and Dominic Holland.
Hal ...... Hal Cruttenden
Sam ...... Kerry Godliman
Penny ...... Ronni Ancona
Instructor ...... Ronni Ancona
Pippa ...... Abigail Cruttenden
Fergus ...... Ed Byrne
Barry ...... Gavin Webster
Oberon ...... Arthur Hughes
Therapist ...... Jonathan Kydd
Ian ...... Jonathan Kydd
Assistant ...... Jonathan Kydd
Josh ...... Simon Greenall
Mahmoud ...... Arian Nik
Producer: Paul Russell
An Open Mike production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in April 2017.