SATURDAY 18 APRIL 2026

SAT 00:00 Soul Music (m0017k0j)
Purple Rain
"I never meant to cause you any sorrow, I never meant to cause you any pain..."
True stories of what Prince's epic ballad means to different people around the world, from the very first jam in 1983 to the global hit that reigns over us today.
Bobby Z, the drummer from Prince and The Revolution, remembers the buzz of the first ever performance of Purple Rain, and how the recording from that night lives on.
Susan Rogers, Prince's recording engineer, tells stories from the Purple Rain tour, when the crew took bets on how long Prince's guitar solos would last.
Comedian Sindhu Vee first heard the song as a teenager growing up in India and was knocked sideways by it.
Weather reporter Judith Ralston describes the beautiful and rare weather phenomenon of purple rain.
Social historian Zaheer Ali sees the song as a cry out for change, bringing audiences from different backgrounds together in cross-genre harmony.
And finally, an intensive care hospital nurse played Purple Rain to Kevin Clarke while he was in a coma, because his sister knew he loved the song and hoped it might pull him through.
Producer: Becky Ripley
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 2022.
SAT 00:30 A Portrait Of... (b09b0shf)
Edward Watson
Follow artist Fiona Graham-Mackay as she paints a portrait of Edward Watson, Principal of the Royal Ballet.
The relationship between an artist and her sitter is unique, a bit like being in the therapist's chair. The painter stripping away the layers to reveal the true likeness of her subject and, in the hush of the studio, conversations meander in unexpected ways.
"It's an adventure - waiting to see what comes out."
While Fiona sketches and paints, we hear about Edward's life as a ballet dancer, overcoming his self-doubt, being an introverted performer, and those lonely moments on stage in front of an audience.
Fiona Graham-Mackay has painted hundreds of portraits, including Prince Michael of Kent, Seamus Heaney and Lord Carrington.
In all her sittings she has always been fascinated by the conversations with her subjects and continues to be amazed by how people open up in ways that surprise even themselves as she paints them. What is revealed goes beyond anything you might expect in an ordinary interview.
Producer: Eve Streeter
A Pier production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in October 2017.
SAT 01:00 The Toff (b007jrfz)
The Toff and the Runaway Bride
4. Death Is No Alibi
As the murder count mounts, the police hunt Richard - and there's a discovery in the River Thames...
Terence Alexander stars as the Toff - upper-class amateur sleuth, the Honourable Richard Rollison.
John Creasey’s detective novel dramatised by Roy Lomax.
The Toff ...... Terence Alexander
Jolly ...... Robert Dorning
Inspector Ellerby ...... Roger Gartland
Sergeant ...... Michael Shannon
Inspector Reno ...... Godfrey James
Robert Lawn ...... Kevin Brennan
Barbara Lessing ...... Rosalind Shanks
Producer: John Fawcett Wilson.
First broadcast on the BBC World Service in June 1975.
SAT 01:30 The Bounce Back by Berkely Mather (m002v1rk)
4. Just a Detail
Young Creech approaches Sutcliffe.
Army battalion pay day might be a very good opportunity for a robbery....
Starring Harold Kasket.
Another in a series of Berkely Mather's plays all based on the theme of retribution.
Sutcliffe .... Hector Ross
Falder .... Wilfred Barrage
Creech .... Anthony Hall
Briggs .... Haydn Jones
Meldrum .... Alan Dudley
Mr Capper .... John Baddeley
Barmaid .... Gudrun Ure
Lt Partington .... Douglas Hankin
Mr Bradshaw .... Hamlyn Benson
Loder .... Leroy Lingwood
Other parts played by members of the BBC Drama Repertory Company.
Producer: Martyn C Webster
First broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in February 1967.
************************************************************************************************
Recovered archive from an off-air recording. With thanks to our friends at the Radio Circle.
SAT 02:00 No Commitments (b007jmrw)
Series 1
Old Embers
Victoria reunites her sister Anna with an old flame.
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
Guy …. David Swift
Wilson/The Waiter …. Neil Roberts
Music by Elizabeth Parker of the BBC Radiophonic Workshop.
Producer: Paul Schlesinger
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 1992.
SAT 02:30 Steptoe and Son (b007k27m)
Series 5
The Desperate Hours
After news of a jail break at Wormwood Scrubs, Albert and Harold get some unwelcome visitors.
Starring Wilfrid Brambell and Harry H Corbett.
With Leonard Rossiter.
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
Johnny Spooner …. Leonard Rossiter
Frank Ferris …. Paddy Joyce
Producer: Bobby Jaye
First broadcast on the BBC Radio 2 in May 1974.
SAT 03:00 Mark Steel's in Town (m001cdrp)
Series 12
Paris
Mark Steel continues his award winning show that travels around the country visiting towns that have nothing in common but their uniqueness.
After thoroughly researching each location, Mark writes and performs a bespoke evening of comedy for a local audience.
Mark brushes up on his French and visits Paris. Yeah, that Paris. The one in France.
He's set to perform an evening of comedy on board a boat on the River Seine. As he immerses himself in the French capital, he shares his thoughts on the best things in Paris.
Written and performed by Mark Steel.
With special thanks to Mark's French teacher Fatima Belaouzi.
Additional material by Pete Sinclair.
Producers: Carl Cooper and Richard Morris
A BBC Studios production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in September 2022.
SAT 03:30 Goon Abroad by Sir Harry Secombe (b01494gh)
5. Sports and Swansea
The Goon Show star Sir Harry Secombe recalls his school days in Wales, lessons in sportsmanship, and he makes a few confessions.
Conclusion of the autobiography of much-loved comedian and singer Sir Harry Secombe.
Abridged by Elizabeth Proud.
Producer: Enyd Williams
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in June 1983.
SAT 03:45 The Enchanted April by Elizabeth von Arnim (b05s3nmt)
5. A Mysterious Visitor
The arrival of Mr Briggs, the owner of the castle, charms everyone but Scrap.
Then another visitor threatens to bring disharmony too.
Can the enchantment of San Salvatore win through?
A chance advertisement in The Times, addressed to 'Those who Appreciate Wisteria and Sunshine' is the impetus for a revelatory month for four very different women.
High above the bay on the Italian Riviera stands San Salvatore, a mediaeval castle. Beckoned to this haven are Lotty, Rose, Mrs Fisher and Lady Caroline Dester, each craving escape.
Lulled by the Mediterranean spirit, they gradually shed their skins and discover a harmony each of them has longed for.
Elizabeth von Arnim’s novel is dramatised by Vivienne Allen
Lotty Wilkins …. Pippa Nixon
Rose Arbuthnot …. Lyndsey Marshall
Lady Caroline ‘Scrap’…. Rhiannon Neads
Mrs Fisher …. Joanna Monro
Mellersh …. Stephen Critchley
Frederick …. Chris Pavlo
Briggs … Neet Mohan
Francesca .... Jessica Turner
Narrator …. Jenny Funnell
Director: Tracey Neale
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 2015.
SAT 04:00 The Personality Test (b00n02yq)
Series 2
Claire Rayner
Agony aunt Claire Rayner quizzes a panel about herself.
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 January 2007.
SAT 04:30 King Street Junior Revisited (b00kfsky)
Series 3
This Is Your Life
It's excitement all round as the staff and children prepare to celebrate the return of Head Teacher, Mrs Devon
School comedy created and written by Jim Eldridge
Mrs Devon ...... Carolyn Pickles
Miss Lewis ...... Marlene Sidaway
Mr Maxwell ...... Michael Cochrane
Miss Featherstone ...... Teresa Gallagher
Miss Reid ...... Jacqueline Beatty
Mr Long ...... Paul Copley
Mrs Khan ...... Janice Acquah
Paul Devon ...... Christopher Ravenscroft
Roscoe ...... Daryl Moore
Tracy ...... Reanna Calvert
Brandon ...... Charlie Barker
Kylie ...... Elisha Mansuroglu
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.
SAT 05:00 Drama on 4 (m0004f00)
The Ferryhill Philosophers by Michael Chaplin
Google Grief and All The Gold Of Darius
Hermione and Joe confront the complexities and joys of friendship and love in both their lives and face up to commitments.
Ex-Durham miner Joe and University philosopher Hermione are an unlikely duo who face life’s big questions together.
Starring Alun Armstrong and Deborah Findlay.
Written by Michael Chaplin.
Joe Snowball .... Alun Armstrong
Hermione Pink .... Deborah Findlay
Gloria .... Tracy Whitwell
Lucy .... Lauren Kellegher
Peter .... Dean Bone
Director: Marilyn Imrie
A Catherine Bailey production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in April 2019.
SAT 05:45 Anita and Me by Meera Syal (b007jy1l)
4. Celebrations
It's a busy time for Meena with Diwali, the fair coming to town, then an ambulance...
12-year-old Meena Kumar is an Asian girl living a fairly uneventful life in the Black Country village of Tollington near Wolverhampton in the 1970s.
She's surrounded by her loving, if slightly eccentric, Punjabi family.
But then one day she met Anita Rutter.....
Actress and comedy writer Meera Syal continues her first novel.
Abridged by Doreen Estall.
Producer: Di Speirs
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 1996.
SAT 06:00 The Revengers' Comedies by Alan Ayckbourn (b007jz46)
Episode 1
Two strangers meet on Albert Bridge, intent on committing suicide.
But a bargain is struck to exact revenge on behalf of the other.
Alan Ayckbourn’s epic two part dark comedy of passion and payback.
First performed on stage in Scarborough in 1989, it then transferred to the West End in 1991.
Starring Lia Williams and Jon Strickland.
Dramatised by Richard Wigmore.
Karen Knightly …. Lia Williams
Henry Bell …. Jon Strickland
Imogen …. Barbara Flynn
Oliver Knightly …. Adam Godley
Bruce Tick …. Jeff Shankely
Colonel Marcus Lipscott …. Jack May
Winnie …. Jenny Howe
Anthony Staxton-Billing …. George Parsons
Percy Cutting …. Malcolm Ward
Norma …. Deborah Berlin
Lady Ganton …. Margaret John
Lydia/Hilary Tick …. Natasha Pyne
Tracey Willingforth …. Susannah Corbett
Director: Gordon House
First broadcast on BBC World Service in January 1995.
SAT 07:30 A Tomb with a View by Peter Ross (Omnibus) (m002v96v)
“The dead and the living are close kin. We think of them, visit them, sometimes speak with them and will, one day, join them.”
In this compassionate celebration of life and remembrance, Orwell Fellow Peter Ross uncovers the stories behind the headstones in graveyards across the UK.
Omnibus of five episodes abridged by Anna Magnusson.
Read by Andy Clark.
Producer: Eilidh McCreadie
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 2023.
SAT 08:45 The Fosdyke Saga (b007jrqq)
6. The Smell of Sausage
"Agreed. Schmidt and Fosdyke - Berlin..."
Tom Fosdyke strikes a deal over Bavarian sausages.
A classic tale of struggle, power, personalities and tripe.
Bill Tidy and John Junkin's saga - based on Tidy's Daily Mirror cartoon strip (1971-1985) parodying John Galsworthy's 'The Forsyte Saga' novels.
Josiah Fosdyke …. Philip Lowrie
Rebecca Fosdyke …. Stephanie Turner
Tom Fosdyke …. David Threlfall
Albert Fosdyke …. Enn Reitel
Roger Ditchley …. Christian Rodska
The Sergeant …. Trevor Cooper
Schmidt …. David Timson
Other parts played by
Larry Lamb
Nick Revell
Arthur Smith
Producer: Alan Nixon
First broadcast on BBC Radio 2 in November 1983.
SAT 09:00 The Marx Brothers' Flywheel, Shyster and Flywheel (b00890mh)
Series 3
Episode 3
Shady lawyer Waldorf T Flywheel starts a bus tour of New York.
Recreation of the Marx Brothers' lost shows charting the adventures of shady lawyer Waldorf T. Flywheel and his assistant, Emmanuel Ravelli.
Originally broadcast with sponsors on America's NBC radio network in the 1930s. The scripts were rediscovered in 1988.
Groucho Marx as Waldorf T Flywheel …. Michael Roberts
Chico Marx as Emmanuel Ravelli …. Frank Lazarus
With:
Lorelei King
Graham Hoadly
Special guest stars:
Spike Milligan
Dick Vosburgh
Written by Nat Perrin and Athur Sheekman.
Adapted by Mark Brisenden.
Music arranged and conducted by David Firman.
Producer: Dirk Maggs
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 1992.
SAT 09:30 Beyond Our Ken (m000nljc)
Series 4
Episode 8
Albert Skinny on Picture Go Round and Hornerama takes a look at our public services.
A madcap mix of sketches and songs written by Eric Merriman.
Starring:
Kenneth Horne
Kenneth Williams
Hugh Paddick
Betty Marsden
Bill Pertwee
Music from Janet Waters, The Hornets and the BBC Variety Orchestra conducted by Paul Fenoulhet.
Incidental music by Edwin Braden.
Announcer: Douglas Smith
Producer: Jacques Brown
First broadcast on BBC Light Programme in December 1960.
SAT 10:00 4 Extra Goes Gardening (m000v35j)
2. At Home with the Snails
Penelope Keith continues her exploration of Gertrude Jekyll's ten-acre garden – the enchanting Munstead Wood in Surrey
In the second of three programmes, Penelope discusses Gertrude's influence and changing horticultural fashions with broadcaster and author, James Wong, author Catherine Horwood and Munstead Wood's head gardener, Annabel Watts.
Horticultural wisdoms and delights featured from the BBC Archive:
* GARDENERS' QUESTION TIME - BBC Home Service - 1947
* RADIO ALLOTMENT - BBC Home Service - 1942
* AT HOME WITH THE SNAILS - BBC Radio 4 - 2001
Made for BBC Radio 4 Extra by Pier Productions and first broadcast in February 2014
SAT 11:00 The Revengers' Comedies by Alan Ayckbourn (b007jz46)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
SAT 12:30 A Tomb with a View by Peter Ross (Omnibus) (m002v96v)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
SAT 13:45 The Fosdyke Saga (b007jrqq)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:45 today]
SAT 14:00 The Marx Brothers' Flywheel, Shyster and Flywheel (b00890mh)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
SAT 14:30 Beyond Our Ken (m000nljc)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 today]
SAT 15:00 4 Extra Goes Gardening (m000v35j)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 today]
SAT 16:00 Ghosts of Albion - Legacy (m000kx00)
As their magician grandfather lays dying, siblings William and Tamara Swift discover their demon fighting legacy - as defenders of Albion.
Stars Jasmine Hyde and Rory Kinnear.
Set in Victorian England, this is the scene-setter for the ‘Ghosts of Albion’ fantasy series.
Created by Amber Benson and Christopher Golden.
William Swift …. Rory Kinnear
Tamara Swift …. Jasmine Hyde
Lord Byron …. Joe McFadden
Queen Bodicea …. Emma Samms
Lord Nelson …. Anthony Daniels
Nigel Townshend …. Paterson Joseph
Ludlow Swift …. Leslie Phillips.
Henry Swift …. Roy Skelton
Script Editor: Martha Hiller
Director: Amber Benson
Producer: Jelena Djordjevic
Made for BBC Online and first broadcast on BBC 7 in June 2003.
SAT 17:00 The Revengers' Comedies by Alan Ayckbourn (b007jz46)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
SAT 18:30 A Tomb with a View by Peter Ross (Omnibus) (m002v96v)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
SAT 19:45 The Fosdyke Saga (b007jrqq)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:45 today]
SAT 20:00 The Marx Brothers' Flywheel, Shyster and Flywheel (b00890mh)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
SAT 20:30 Beyond Our Ken (m000nljc)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 today]
SAT 21:00 4 Extra Goes Gardening (m000v35j)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 today]
SAT 22:00 The Absolutely Radio Show (b069h77m)
Series 1
Episode 2
Cast members of Channel 4's hugely popular TV sketch show Absolutely reunite.
They're revisiting some much-loved sketch characters, with some newcomers too.
Starring:
Pete Baikie
Morwenna Banks
Moray Hunter
Gordon Kennedy
John Sparkes
The Stoneybridge Town Council attempt to cover up a possible bribery scandal, Denzil and Gwynned discuss son Codfyl's starring role in a nativity play, the Little Girl's very personal take on having her Tonsils out and Calum Gilhooley tries to get an appointment with a doctor for something "quite urgent".
Mr Muzak sings about the joys of being alone with your computer and the Commissionaire very nearly undergoes an appendectomy.
There's more from Talking Facebook and the People's War, with stories from those who were nearly there.
Producers: Gus Beattie and Gordon Kennedy
A Comedy Unit production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in September 2015.
SAT 22:30 Sarah Millican's Support Group (b011j6lq)
Series 2
5. 'I'm a mother in need of quiet'
"Sibling Rivalry: The grass is always greener in my brother's massive garden"
"I'm a mother in need of quiet - do drum kits have a mute button?"
Sarah Millican is 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
Melissa ...... Isabel Fay
Michael ...... Miles Jupp
Janet ...... Annie Aldington
Written by Sarah Millican.
Producer: Lianne Coop
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 2011.
SAT 22:55 The Comedy Club Interviews (m002vgnd)
Simon Evans 1/3
From 10pm to midnight, seven nights a week, The Comedy Club brings you two hours of the funny stuff. Tonight, Jon Holmes chats with Simon Evans.
SAT 23:00 Life: An Idiot's Guide (b045fzcm)
Series 3
Penny Pinching and Austerity
Stephen K Amos sets out to compile an idiot's guide to penny pinching and austerity.
With assistance from some of the comedy circuit's best stand-ups:
Suzi Ruffell
Tom Rhodes
Andy Zaltzman
Additional material by Stephen Grant and Hugh Sington.
Producer: Colin Anderson
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in June 2014.
SAT 23:30 Radio Active (b007k2hv)
Series 5
Episode 3
It's presenter Martin Brown's one and only chance to do something useful with his life
Radio Active's owner Sir Norman Tonsil generously pays for him to become an all-round entertainer... for as long as it keeps him away from the radio station...
Starring:
Helen Atkinson-Wood
Angus Deayton
Geoffrey Perkins
Philip Pope
Michael Fenton-Stevens
Music by Philip Pope and Steve Brown.
Written by Angus Deayton and Geoffrey Perkins with John Canter, John Docherty, Moray Hunter and Richard Curtis.
Producer: Jamie Rix
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 1985.

SUNDAY 19 APRIL 2026

SUN 00:00 Ghosts of Albion - Legacy (m000kx00)
[Repeat of broadcast at 16:00 on Saturday]
SUN 01:00 The Revengers' Comedies by Alan Ayckbourn (b007jz46)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 on Saturday]
SUN 02:30 A Tomb with a View by Peter Ross (Omnibus) (m002v96v)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 on Saturday]
SUN 03:45 The Fosdyke Saga (b007jrqq)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:45 on Saturday]
SUN 04:00 The Marx Brothers' Flywheel, Shyster and Flywheel (b00890mh)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 on Saturday]
SUN 04:30 Beyond Our Ken (m000nljc)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 on Saturday]
SUN 05:00 4 Extra Goes Gardening (m000v35j)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 on Saturday]
SUN 06:00 Desert Island Discs Revisited (m002v848)
Sporting Champions
Ronnie O'Sullivan
Snooker player Ronnie O'Sullivan OBE is castaway by Lauren Laverne.
Ronnie is currently ranked the number one snooker player in the world, and is widely regarded as one of the finest players in the history of the sport.
He has won the Masters a record seven times and he jointly holds the record for winning the World Snooker Championship seven times. Since 1997 he has held the world record for the fastest 147 break, leading to his nickname 'the Rocket'.
Ronnie grew up in Essex and his father gave him his first snooker cue when he was seven. He took to the game immediately: he was playing on a full size snooker table when he was just eight, and two years later he was beating adult players.
By the age of 12, he was winning cash prizes in local tournaments, and was soon earning more than his teachers.
Ronnie turned professional when he was 16, and quickly established himself as a star player and a fans' favourite - but he has also made headlines away from the snooker table, with accounts of his depression and struggles with alcohol and drugs. For many years he has kept his physical and mental health in check through his passion for running.
He received an OBE in 2016 for services to snooker.
DISC ONE: Lose Yourself - Eminem
DISC TWO: Careless Whisper - Wham!
DISC THREE: Step by Step - Whitney Houston
DISC FOUR: Real Gone Kid - Deacon Blue
DISC FIVE: You’re So Vain - Carly Simon
DISC SIX: Maybe Tomorrow - Stereophonics
DISC SEVEN: Drops of Jupiter (Tell Me) - Train
DISC EIGHT: That’s All - Genesis
BOOK CHOICE: Running with the Kenyans by Adharanand Finn
LUXURY ITEM: A painting set
CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: That’s All - Genesis
Producer: Sarah Taylor
Extended 2024 version of a programme first broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 2023.
SUN 07:00 Poetry Extra (m002v84b)
Deaths Of The Poets and Terminates Here
Daljit Nagra revisits the BBC's poetry archive and selects Deaths Of The Poets with Paul Farley and Michael Symmons Roberts and Terminates Here with Lemn Sissay.
* DEATHS OF THE POETS - The Names of the Bridges
Paul Farley and Michael Symmons Roberts explore the lifes and deaths of John Berryman and Sylvia Plath.
Abridged by Lauris Morgan Griffiths
Producer: Simon Richardson
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2017.
* TERMINATES HERE – Love
Presenter Lemn Sissay meets passengers and staff at Carnforth Station in Lancashire.
Producer: Philip Sellars
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2017.
SUN 07:30 Goon Abroad by Sir Harry Secombe (Omnibus) (m002v84d)
The life and times of comedian and singer Sir Harry Secombe.
He's fondly remembered for his work on BBC Radio 4 Extra's The Goon Show.
Autobiography first published in 1982.
Omnibus of five episodes abridged by Elizabeth Proud.
Sir Harry begins by recalling his Swansea childhood, his travels and his life in comedy.
Producer: Enyd Williams
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in June 1983.
SUN 08:40 Inheritance Tracks (b07jl6y2)
Hayley Mills
Actress Hayley Mills chooses 'Blue Skies' by Willie Nelson and the theme from the soundtrack to the film Whistle Down the Wind.
SUN 08:50 The Enchanted April by Elizabeth von Arnim (Omnibus) (b05ssp09)
While at their Shaftesbury Avenue club on a rainy February day, Rosie and Lottie discover they’ve been reading the same advertisement in The Times:-
‘To those who Appreciate Wisteria and Sunshine. Small mediaeval Italian Castle on the shores of the Mediterranean to be let Furnished for the month of April.’
Can they seize this opportunity and escape to the sunny Italian Riviera - or is it just an impossible dream?
Elizabeth von Arnim’s novel, first published in 1922.
Omnibus of five parts dramatised by Vivienne Allen.
Narrator...Jenny Funnell
Lotty ... Pippa Nixon
Rose ... Lyndsey Marshal
Mrs Fisher ... Joanna Monro
Caroline (Scrap) ... Rhiannon Neads
Mellersh ... Stephen Critchlow
Briggs ... Neet Mohan
Frederick ... Chris Pavlo
Francesca ... Jessica Turner
Director: Tracey Neale
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 2015.
SUN 10:00 Instant Sunshine (b00lh3hd)
From 29th August 1988
Instant Sunshine have been together for 21 years.
Never heard of them?
Don't worry because they're aiming to become famous in the next half an hour!
Humorous songs performed by the comedy musical cabaret group,
Performed by:
David Barlow
Peter Christie
Miles Kington
Alan Maryon-Davis
Producer: David Rayvern Allen
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 1988.
SUN 10:30 Jim the Great (b011qgtk)
Series 2
Chase Me, Charlemagne
Who is Erasmus?
Why is the last King now a Chancellor?
It's all to do with Europe.
Back in the days of yore, one particular chieftain was very hard up....King Jim.
A historical regal romp starring Jimmy Edwards.
Written by Andrew Palmer.
King Jim …. Jimmy Edwards
Queen Esmerelda …. Joan Sanderson
The Chancellor …. Julian Orchard
Charlemagne .... Chris Emmett
With John Baddeley.
Following a successful pilot, ‘Jim The Great’ ran for three series on BBC Radio 2 between 1976 and 1979.
Producer: Edward Taylor
First broadcast on BBC Radio 2 in September 1979.
SUN 11:00 Desert Island Discs Revisited (m002v848)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
SUN 12:00 Poetry Extra (m002v84b)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
SUN 12:30 Goon Abroad by Sir Harry Secombe (Omnibus) (m002v84d)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
SUN 13:40 Inheritance Tracks (b07jl6y2)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:40 today]
SUN 13:50 The Enchanted April by Elizabeth von Arnim (Omnibus) (b05ssp09)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:50 today]
SUN 15:00 Instant Sunshine (b00lh3hd)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 today]
SUN 15:30 Jim the Great (b011qgtk)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:30 today]
SUN 16:00 Terry Pratchett (b010nyk4)
Night Watch
2. Stuck
Chasing a villain called Carcer, Commander Sam Vimes of the City Watch has been thrown back in time.
The Old Watch are a lack-lustre bunch and they've taken him prisoner.
Terry Pratchett's Discworld novel.
Dramatised by Robin Brooks.
Sam Vimes ...... Philip Jackson
Young Sam ...... Carl Prekopp
Carcer ...... Paul Ritter
Tilden ...... Peter Marinker
Rosie ...... Clare Corbett
Colon ...... Sam Dale
Dr Lawn ...... Ben Onwukwe
Knock ...... Matt Addis
Director: Claire Grove
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 2008.
SUN 16:30 Fear on 4 (b007jmv9)
Series 2
Snipe 3909
The telephone can be a vital lifeline in our lives.
A lifeline, however, that can become horribly tangled.
The Man in Black reveals how a phone instils growing fear in house seller Mary Luckham.
Fear on 4 brings you more in a series of nerve-tinglers.
Written by Graeme Fife
The Man in Black …. Edward de Souza
Mary …. Hannah Gordon
Hampton …. Peter Tuddenham
Rachel …. Caroline John
Craig …. Gregory de Polnay
Simon …. Michael Deacon
James Elwin …. Peter Sowerbutts
PC Martin …. Peter Craze
Police sergeant …. Joe Dunlop
Bloggs …. Dominic Rickhards
PC. …. Christopher Scott
Director: Gerry Jones
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 1989.
SUN 17:00 Desert Island Discs Revisited (m002v848)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
SUN 18:00 Poetry Extra (m002v84b)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
SUN 18:30 Goon Abroad by Sir Harry Secombe (Omnibus) (m002v84d)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
SUN 19:40 Inheritance Tracks (b07jl6y2)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:40 today]
SUN 19:50 The Enchanted April by Elizabeth von Arnim (Omnibus) (b05ssp09)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:50 today]
SUN 21:00 Instant Sunshine (b00lh3hd)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 today]
SUN 21:30 Jim the Great (b011qgtk)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:30 today]
SUN 22:00 Revolting People (b007jrt6)
Series 1
More Storm Clouds
Baltimore 1770. The reception of Cora and Ezekiel’s ‘wedding of the year’ ends in drunken chaos.
Sitcom set just before the American War of Independence.
Written by Andy Hamilton and Jay Tarses.
Samuel Oliphant …. Jay Tarses
Sergeant McGurk …. Andy Hamilton
Cora Oliphant …. Felicity Montagu
Ezekiel Spriggs …. Hugh Dennis
Mr Snavely …. Michael Fenton Stevens
Captain Grimshaw …. James Fleet
Joshua Oliphant …. Tony Maudsley
Mary Oliphant …. Sophie Thompson
Mrs Arbuthnot …. Susie Blake
Producer: Paul Mayhew-Archer
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 2000.
SUN 22:30 The Penny Dreadfuls (b0bgb26r)
Don Quixote
Published in two volumes in the early 17th Century, Cervantes' Spanish classic Don Quixote is famous as the world's first modern novel.
It's a ground-breaking piece of art that influenced countless generations of writers and at 800 plus pages of dense prose, one of the most unreadable novels ever.
Never fear! David Reed has read it so that you don't have to and condensed this mighty tome into an hour's rip-roaring entertainment.
It's a meditation on the age of chivalry, insanity and truth. A quest of windmills, magic and donkeys.
Join peasant Sancho and the man who thinks he's a Knight as they travel together locked together in a quest to save those who don't want saving and unravel enchantments which may or may not only exist in their minds.
Sylvester McCoy stars as Don Quixote.
Sancho ...... Thom Tuck
Narrator ...... Amanda Abbington
All other roles played by The Penny Dreadfuls:
Humphrey Ker
David Reed
Thom Tuck
And:
Margaret Cabourn-Smith
Vivienne Acheampong
Producer: Julia McKenzie
A BBC Studios production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in August 2018.
SUN 23:30 Paperback Hell (m000nmnc)
Series 3
The De Niro Code
Six chapters, by six different authors.
All of them imaginary. All of them straight out of the bestseller charts.
None of them very good.
This time, we enter a shadowy world of papal conspiracies and numerological secrets in chapters 1 to 10 of "The De Niro Code".
Written by Danny Robins and Dan Tetsell.
Starring:
Michael Brandon
Michael Fenton Stevens
Mel Hudson
Alex Lowe
Dan Tetsell
Producer: Lucy Armitage
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 2005.
SUN 23:45 Bunk Bed (m001p1x0)
Series 10
Episode 2
Late at night our tired minds can wander through funny, bizarre and poignant territory before we drift off.
This is what it sounds like when two Herberts sound off to delight.
Patrick Marber and Peter Curran discuss dreams and places of inspiration and bliss.
Also a comparison of male relationships to cartoon characters Dastardly and Muttley.
Producer: Peter Curran
A Foghorn production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in July 2023.

MONDAY 20 APRIL 2026

MON 00:00 Terry Pratchett (b010nyk4)
[Repeat of broadcast at 16:00 on Sunday]
MON 00:30 Fear on 4 (b007jmv9)
[Repeat of broadcast at 16:30 on Sunday]
MON 01:00 Desert Island Discs Revisited (m002v848)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 on Sunday]
MON 02:00 Poetry Extra (m002v84b)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 on Sunday]
MON 02:30 Goon Abroad by Sir Harry Secombe (Omnibus) (m002v84d)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 on Sunday]
MON 03:40 Inheritance Tracks (b07jl6y2)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:40 on Sunday]
MON 03:50 The Enchanted April by Elizabeth von Arnim (Omnibus) (b05ssp09)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:50 on Sunday]
MON 05:00 Instant Sunshine (b00lh3hd)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 on Sunday]
MON 05:30 Jim the Great (b011qgtk)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:30 on Sunday]
MON 06:00 The Toff (b007jrjk)
The Toff and the Runaway Bride
5. Motive for Murder
With fresh clues discovered over Barbara's history - the Toff is Paris-bound, when police stop his car...
Terence Alexander stars as the Toff - upper-class amateur sleuth, the Honourable Richard Rollison.
John Creasey's detective novel dramatised by Roy Lomax.
The Toff ...... Terence Alexander
Jolly ...... Robert Dorning
Inspector Ellerby ...... Roger Gartland
Lady Gloria ...... Peggy Ann Wood
Sergeant ...... David Graham
Police Constable ...... John Bull
Producer: John Fawcett Wilson.
First broadcast on the BBC World Service in June 1975.
MON 06:30 The Bounce Back by Berkely Mather (m002v9mw)
5. Never Let Your Left Hand Know . . .
Handcuffed together, do Sandley and Tupperton have a plan after they escape from prison?
Starring Patrick Barr and Lewis Stringer.
Another in a series of Berkely Mather's plays all based on the theme of retribution.
Katherine Cawley .... Sheila Grant
Sandley .... Patrick Barr
Tupperton .... Lewis Stringer
George Cawley .... Jonathan Scott
PC Hunt .... Brian Hewlett
Police Sergeant .... Alan Dudley
Newsreader .... Douglas Hankin
Man in car .... Frank Henderson
Producer: Martyn C Webster
First broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in February 1967.
************************************************************************************************
Recovered archive from an off-air recording. With thanks to our friends at the Radio Circle.
MON 07:00 Control Group Six (b00752tl)
Series 1
Episode 4
Can an unusual source help Dr Heaven complete his mission, before things explode in his face?
A bizarre four-part comedy - half sketch show and half psychological thriller. Written and performed by Richard Bean, Andrew Clifford and Clive Coleman. With Geraldine Fitzgerald and Mandy Knight.
Control Group Six is a company town, like any other with a high murder-rate. But only one man possesses the experience, the post-Jungian insight and the gullibility to enter such a dangerous environment - Dr Heaven, company psychologist.
Producer: Colin Swash
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1995.
MON 07:30 Dad's Army (b007jp6h)
Series 2
Fallen Idol
During platoon training, fellow officers lead Captain Mainwaring astray.
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
Captain Reed …. Jack Watson
Captain Square …. Geoffrey Lumsden
Sergeant Major …. Michael Brennan
Pritchard …. Norman Ettlinger
Announcer…. John Snagge
Producer: John Dyas
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in June 1975.
MON 08:00 The Architects (b03xgslr)
Series 1
What's the Point?
With Sir Lucien's signature brutalist style hopelessly out of fashion, he seeks to overcome his creative block in the spas of Baden-Baden.
Unfortunately for Tim, he needs someone to share the experience with.
Stars Dominic Coleman, Ingrid Oliver and Geoffrey Whitehead.
Sitcom set in a struggling architectural practice.
Written by Jim Poyser and Neil Griffiths.
Matt ...... Dominic Coleman
Sarah ...... Ingrid Oliver
Sir Lucien ...... Geoffrey Whitehead
Tim ...... Alex Carter
Hayley ...... Aisling Bea
Nurse ...... Carolyn Pickles
Gregory Nettles ...... Sean Murray
Mr Russell ...... Steve Toussaint
Lotte ...... Georgie Fuller
Director: Toby Swift
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 2014.
MON 08:30 I Am, I Am, I Am by Maggie O'Farrell (b091swkv)
1. Neck
A memoir with a difference, subtitled: "Seventeen Brushes With Death".
Award-winning novelist Maggie O'Farrell tells her life through a series of vignettes of her near-death experiences.
These include:
* A childhood illness she was not expected to survive
* A terrifying encounter on a remote mountain path
* A mismanaged labour in an understaffed hospital
Her book started out as a private project, a way for O'Farrell to help her young daughter who suffers from a serious immunology disorder, including severe eczema and allergies that can cause anaphylactic shock:
"I've asked myself, when she has been very ill, how do you carry on when death is a daily possibility?"
Read by Hattie Morahan
Maggie O'Farrell's novels include "Hamnet" "After You'd Gone", "My Lover's Lover", "The Distance Between Us", which won a Somerset Maugham Award, "The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox", "The Hand That First Held Mine", "Instructions for the Heatwave", and "This Must Be The Place".
Abridged in five parts and produced by Kirsteen Cameron
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 2017.
MON 08:45 Under One Roof (m002v9my)
Stairway to Heaven
1. Plans
Gillian lives with her 19-year-old daughter and 89-year-old mother, plus her beloved boxer dog.
Life is a constant balancing act, lived in the eye of the storm.
The art of ascent and descent is under secret discussion....
Starring Paola Dionisotti.
Series of five parts based on the original stories by Michele Hanson.
Written by Michele Hanson and Jenny Landreth.
Gillian .... Paola Dionisotti
Bernice .... Edna Doré
Chloe .... Luisa Bradshaw-White
Rosemary .... Angela Down
Tanya .... Alison Pettitt
Lift Workman .... David Antrobus
Director: Marilyn Imrie
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in June 1998.
MON 09:00 Unspeakable (m002v0zf)
Series 3
5. How to Cull Friends and Nickname People
This episode we hear Desiree Burch's word for pruning your friends list, Max Fosh's description for the nicknames that children give you, and Rebecca Front's coinage for bingeing on junk TV.
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: Desiree Burch, Max Fosh and Rebecca Front
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 Networking Nation (b04l0gdl)
1. Networks Are Everywhere
Julia Hobsbawm is a businesswoman who has made networking her personal passion and her professional living.
Her impact on the practical study of networking made her the world's first Visiting Professor in Networking at a major British business school.
In this series of five programmes, she takes us on a journey around different and surprising worlds of networks and networking to see if we are, in fact, a Networking Nation.
Julia begins by looking at networking in the 21st century and discovers that it has a lot in common with networking back in the 17th.
Producer: Karen Gregor
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 2014.
MON 09:45 Daily Service (m002v9n0)
Living Faithfully - What does the Lord require of you?
A space for spiritual reflection with a Bible reading, prayer and a range of Christian music:
Theme: Living Faithfully - What does the Lord require of you?
Presenter: Rebecca Thomas
Reading: Micah 6:6-8
Music:
Act Justly, Love Mercy, Walk Humbly - Pat Barrett
God of Justice - Tim Hughes
Take My Life and Let It Be - The Festival Choir and Hosanna Chorus
MON 10:00 Musical Genes (b00f1w1v)
Series 1
Matt Monro Jr
Tom Morton meets the professional musician son of legendary singer Matt Monro.
Born Terry Parsons, Matt became one of the world's most popular balladeers.
His son Matt Junior looks back at their lives together.
Series searching for the true story behind some of our best-loved musicians.
Producer: Deirdre Waldie
First broadcast on BBC Radio Scotland in October 2008.
MON 10:30 There's More Here Than I Thought (b00jxc77)
Winifred Gill was an artist, craftswoman, puppeteer and social reformer.
She was also a friend and supporter of painters such as LS Lowry, Duncan Grant, Roger Fry, Vanessa Bell and poet Walter de la Mare.
Yet whereas their reputations are secure, Winifred Gill's name is barely known. But thanks to the hard work and persistence of her niece Margaret Bennett and Margaret's cousin Chrystine Bennett, all that's changed.
Writer Kate Mosse sets out to explore Winifred's fascinating life.
She visits London's East End where the artist spent the last 27 years of her life - before she died aged 90 in 1981.
Kate journeys to the Bodleian Library in Oxford, which now houses Winifred's papers - and also the Courtauld Gallery in London which included her in an art exhibition about the Omega Workshops.
Kate discovers a talented, hardworking woman. who was involved in many important social and artistic movements of the 20th century.
Producer: Lucinda Montefiore
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 2009.
MON 11:00 The Toff (b007jrjk)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
MON 11:30 The Bounce Back by Berkely Mather (m002v9mw)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
MON 12:00 Control Group Six (b00752tl)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
MON 12:30 Dad's Army (b007jp6h)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
MON 13:00 The Architects (b03xgslr)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
MON 13:30 I Am, I Am, I Am by Maggie O'Farrell (b091swkv)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
MON 13:45 Under One Roof (m002v9my)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:45 today]
MON 14:00 Just a Minute (b0135t7q)
Series 61
From 15/08/2011
Nicholas Parsons presides over the devious game where panellists are challenged to speak for one minute without hesitation, deviation or repetition.
With:
Phill Jupitus
Julian Clary
Josie Lawrence
Rick Wakeman
Subjects include: My First Time Wearing Spectacles, Cartoons, King Arthur, Eurostar, Water Cooler Moments, The Red Carpet, The Smartest Person I Know, The Way To A Welshman’s Heart
Created by Ian Messiter.
Producer: Tilusha Ghelani
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 2011.
MON 14:30 The Six Mothers-in-Law of Henry VIII (b0076jd8)
Episode 6
The King acquires a sixth wife, Catherine Parr - now thrice-married - and a near-professional mother-in-law.
Jonathan Coy stars as Henry VIII
An unreliable history, created and written in six parts by Barry Grossman.
Henry VIII ...... Jonathan Coy
Thomas Cromwell ...... Milton Johns
The Chronicler ...... Alfred Burke
Catherine Parr ...... Rachel Atkins
Mother ...... Sally Grace
Producer: John Fawcett Wilson
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 2003.
MON 15:00 Drama on 4 (m0004lfs)
The Ferryhill Philosophers by Michael Chaplin
Two Georges and An Epigram of Epicurus
A sad farewell and a glad welcome to the world.
Life goes on triumphantly in Ferryhill as Joe welcomes his first grandchild and faces a family dilemma, while Hermione says goodbye to George.
Ex-Durham miner Joe and University philosopher Hermione are an unlikely duo who face life’s big questions together.
Starring Alun Armstrong and Deborah Findlay.
Written by Michael Chaplin.
Joe Snowball .... Alun Armstrong
Hermione Pink .... Deborah Findlay
George .... Geoffrey Palmer
Gloria .... Tracy Whitwell
Lucy ... Lauren Kellegher
Peter .... Dean Bone
Rose .... Linda Broughton
Director: Marilyn Imrie
A Catherine Bailey production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in April 2019.
MON 15:45 Anita and Me by Meera Syal (b007jy30)
5. Theft
When baby brother Sunil arrives home, there is a flurry of excitement.
Meena and Anita decide to form their own gang...
12-year-old Meena Kumar is an Asian girl living a fairly uneventful life in the Black Country village of Tollington near Wolverhampton in the 1970s.
She's surrounded by her loving, if slightly eccentric, Punjabi family.
But then one day she met Anita Rutter.....
Actress and comedy writer Meera Syal continues her first novel.
Abridged by Doreen Estall.
Producer: Di Speirs
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 1996.
MON 16:00 Musical Genes (b00f1w1v)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 today]
MON 16:30 There's More Here Than I Thought (b00jxc77)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:30 today]
MON 17:00 The Toff (b007jrjk)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
MON 17:30 The Bounce Back by Berkely Mather (m002v9mw)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
MON 18:00 Control Group Six (b00752tl)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
MON 18:30 Dad's Army (b007jp6h)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
MON 19:00 The Architects (b03xgslr)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
MON 19:30 I Am, I Am, I Am by Maggie O'Farrell (b091swkv)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
MON 19:45 Under One Roof (m002v9my)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:45 today]
MON 20:00 Just a Minute (b0135t7q)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:00 today]
MON 20:30 The Six Mothers-in-Law of Henry VIII (b0076jd8)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:30 today]
MON 21:00 Drama on 4 (m0004lfs)
[Repeat of broadcast at 15:00 today]
MON 21:45 Anita and Me by Meera Syal (b007jy30)
[Repeat of broadcast at 15:45 today]
MON 22:00 Unspeakable (m002v0zf)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
MON 22:30 Damien Slash (m000mzsr)
The Damien Slash Mixtape. Series 3
Episode 3
Multi-character YouTube star Damien Slash is back for a third round of zeitgeisty sketches in this new fast-paced, one-man sketch comedy show.
Meet the guy who does the photography for cigarette packets, Laurence the gamer and a Eurocrat who wants you to know exactly what he makes of your Brexit…
Written by and starring Damien Slash (aka Daniel Barker).
Additional Material from Tom Savage.
Guest starring Natasia Demetriou.
Producer: Benjamin Sutton
A BBC Studios production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in September 2020.
MON 22:45 Tarot: Soundbleed (m0010p2c)
Episode 3
Tarot: Soundbleed is the brainchild of a multi-award winning sketch supergroup, which unites Gein's Family Giftshop and Goose, alongside stand-up and writer Kiri Pritchard-McLean.
In August 2019, Tarot were the 5th best-reviewed act in Edinburgh, the fourth best show of the year according to The List, and the best show of the year according to Chortle.
Throughout their richly soundscaped first series, Soundbleed harnesses the group's inventive writing, rapid gag rate and fine ear for character.
In this episode, a self-defence class, the recording of an audiobook and the alibi of a ‘professional’ ghost hunter.
Written and performed by:
Adam Drake
Edward Easton
Kath Hughes
Ben Rowse
Kiri Pritchard-McLean
Produced by Hayley Sterling.
A BBC Studios Production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in October 2021.
MON 22:55 The Comedy Club Interviews (m002vgky)
Simon Evans 2/3
The Comedy Club keeps the laughs coming from 10pm to midnight, every night of the week. Tonight, Jon Holmes picks up his chat with Simon Evans.
MON 23:00 The News Quiz (m002v063)
Series 120
1. Messiah or Doctor?
After six weeks off air Andy Zaltzman is back. Helping him kick off the series are Andrew Maxwell, Zoe Lyons, Stephen Bush and Kiri Pritchard-McLean. They’ll be tackling the big questions - how is the country feeling ahead of the potentially seismic elections on 7th May? Why is Donald Trump feuding with the Pope and why are mini-gherkins now harder to find than ever?
Written by Andy Zaltzman.
With additional material by: Mike Shephard, Ruth Husko, Dee Allum and Angela Channell
Producer: Georgia Keating
Executive Producer: Pete Strauss
Production Coordinator: Asha Osborne-Grinter
Sound Editor: Marc Willcox
A BBC Studios Production for Radio 4.
MON 23:30 The Museum of Everything (b007k3wp)
Series 2
The Museum Reopens
Discover the fate of Badgerland as well as finding out about the life and work of Victorian author Thomas Queesley.
Feel free to wander around our many galleries and experience the history of everything.
Written and performed by:
Marcus Brigstocke
Danny Robins
Dan Tetsell.
With Lucy Montgomery.
Music by Dominic Haslam and Ben Walker.
Producer: Alex Walsh-Taylor
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 2005.

TUESDAY 21 APRIL 2026

TUE 00:00 Musical Genes (b00f1w1v)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 on Monday]
TUE 00:30 There's More Here Than I Thought (b00jxc77)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:30 on Monday]
TUE 01:00 The Toff (b007jrjk)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 on Monday]
TUE 01:30 The Bounce Back by Berkely Mather (m002v9mw)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 on Monday]
TUE 02:00 Control Group Six (b00752tl)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 on Monday]
TUE 02:30 Dad's Army (b007jp6h)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 on Monday]
TUE 03:00 The Architects (b03xgslr)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 on Monday]
TUE 03:30 I Am, I Am, I Am by Maggie O'Farrell (b091swkv)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 on Monday]
TUE 03:45 Under One Roof (m002v9my)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:45 on Monday]
TUE 04:00 Just a Minute (b0135t7q)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:00 on Monday]
TUE 04:30 The Six Mothers-in-Law of Henry VIII (b0076jd8)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:30 on Monday]
TUE 05:00 Drama on 4 (m0004lfs)
[Repeat of broadcast at 15:00 on Monday]
TUE 05:45 Anita and Me by Meera Syal (b007jy30)
[Repeat of broadcast at 15:45 on Monday]
TUE 06:00 The Toff (b007jrmb)
The Toff and the Runaway Bride
6. Confrontation in Paris
Can the Honourable Richard Rollison finally unravel the mystery - and reveal the murderer's identity?
Terence Alexander stars as the Toff - an upper-class amateur sleuth.
Gripping conclusion of John Creasey's thriller.
Dramatised by Roy Lomax.
The Toff ...... Terence Alexander
Jolly ...... Robert Dorning
Carruthers ...... David Graham
Major Guy Lessing ...... Alan Cuthbertson
Robert Lawn ...... Kevin Brennan
Barbara Lessing ...... Rosalind Shanks
Inspector ...... Jean Dryant
Producer: John Fawcett Wilson.
First broadcast on the BBC World Service in June 1975.
TUE 06:30 The Bounce Back by Berkely Mather (m002vbr4)
6. Quick Returns
Will disreputable jewellery dealer Mr Cronshaw be tempted by the offer of a valuable watch?
Starring Alan Dudley and Jane Wenham.
The last in a series of Berkely Mather's plays all based on the theme of retribution.
Cronshaw .... Alan Dudley
Blevins .... Ronald Herdman
Jackie-Jackie .... Garard Green
Anne Archer .... Jane Wenham
Brady .... Bruce Beeby
Bill Wybrow .... Nigel Graham
Producer: Martyn C Webster
First broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in March 1967.
***********************************************************************************************
Recovered archive from an off-air recording. With thanks to our friends at the Radio Circle.
TUE 07:00 Minor Adjustment (b0b0x50b)
Lollipops and Roses
Daughter Kate launches a campaign to help a lollipop man and family life is disrupted by a well-meaning TV documentary crew.
Six-part comedy series about the Stubbs family - cartoonist Richard, therapist Sarah and their daughters - Kate, aged 16 and three-year-old Amy who has Down's Syndrome.
Starring Peter Davison and Samantha Bond.
Written by son and father team, Andy and Eric Merriman - inspired by Andy's own four-year-old daughter, Sarah.
Eric famously wrote legendary BBC comedy series 'Beyond Our Ken'.
Richard ...... Peter Davison
Sarah ...... Samantha Bond
Ron Miller ...... Peter Jones
Kate ...... Claire Russell
Amy ...... Sarah Merriman
Emma ...... Heather Jones
Michael ...... Stephen Critchlow
Chris ...... Keith Drinkel
Producer: Gareth Edwards
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 1996
TUE 07:30 The Goon Show (b007k0fk)
Series 10
The Last Smoking Seagoon
Neddie Seagoon is quitting nicotine, but Grytpype-Thynne has other ideas.
The final regular episode of the classic, long-running BBC radio comedy written by Spike Milligan.
Starring:
Spike Milligan
Peter Sellers
Harry Secombe
Ellis Powell
First billed as Crazy People, ten series of The Goon Show were recorded between 1951 and 1960, but sadly many of the earliest shows weren’t kept in the archive.
With the Ray Ellington Quartet and Max Geldray.
Orchestra conducted by Wally Stott.
Announcer: Wallace Greenslade
Producer: John Browell
First broadcast on the BBC Home Service in January 1960.
TUE 08:00 It's a Fair Cop (m001y1yq)
Series 8
2. Anger Management
Policeman turned stand-up Alfie Moore takes his audience through another real-life crime scenario.
How does a Police Officer deal with anger?
Have you ever let your anger get the better of you?
Alfie is sent to a neighbour dispute only to arrive to find a crazed man wielding a fencing post...
Join Alfie and his audience cops as they decide the best course of action to deal with a man who might be a danger to himself and others.
Written and presented by Alfie Moore
Script Editor: Will Ing
Producer: Sam Holmes
A BBC Studios Audio production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in April 2024.
TUE 08:30 I Am, I Am, I Am by Maggie O'Farrell (b092qh8k)
2. Cerebellum
Maggie recalls the moment at when she woke up to find the world 'looked completely different'.
Aged just eight, she'd contracted encephalitis - an illness that continues to have an impact upon her life.
Maggie O'Farrell's startling memoir, in which the bestselling author recounts her life through a series of near-death experiences.
Read by Hattie Morahan.
The book started out as a private project, a way for O'Farrell to help her daughter who suffers from a serious immunology disorder, including severe eczema and allergies that can cause anaphylactic shock:
"I've asked myself, when she has been very ill, how do you carry on when death is a daily possibility?"
Abridged and produced by Kirsteen Cameron
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 2017.
TUE 08:45 Under One Roof (m002vbr6)
Stairway to Heaven
2. Olga
Gillian is finding dealing with her daughter and mother difficult enough, and then her friend Olga arrives.
Gillian lives with her 19-year-old daughter and 89-year-old mother plus her beloved boxer dog.
Life is a constant balancing act, lived in the eye of the storm.
Starring Paola Dionisotti as Gillian.
Series based on the original stories by Michele Hanson.
Written by Michele Hanson and Jenny Landreth.
Gillian .... Paola Dionisotti
Bernice .... Edna Doré
Chloe .... Luisa Bradshaw-White
Rosemary .... Angela Down
Olga .... Frances Jeater
Director: Marilyn Imrie
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in June 1998.
TUE 09:00 Nature Table (m002tzqf)
Series 5
2: Miraculous Marine Midges and Church-Eating Fungus
In this episode Sue checks out a fiendish Church-eating fungus, the mad lifecycle of Marine Midges and a potential orgasm fungus.
‘Sue Perkins’ Nature Table - possibly the funniest “natural science” series, ever.’ Pick of the Week, The Telegraph
Recorded at the Natural History Museum, this episode of Sue Perkins’ ARIA-winning ‘Show and Tell’ wildlife comedy features special guests: comedian Sara Pascoe, the Natural History Museum’s Queen of flies Dr. Erica McAlister and Fungarium Collections Manager at Kew Gardens, Lee Davies.
Nature Table has a simple clear goal: to positively celebrate our planet’s wonderfully wild (and funny) flora and fauna in a fun accessible way... whilst always having a giggle.
Hosted by: Sue Perkins
Guests: Sara Pascoe, Dr. Erica McAlister, Lee Davies and Elizabeth.
Written by: Jon Hunter and Jenny Laville.
Additional material by: Jade Gebbie.
Researcher: Catherine Beazley
Executive Producer: James Robinson
Sound Editor: Jerry Peal
Music by: Ben Mirin
Production Coordinator: Sarah Nicholls & Caroline Barlow
Producer: Simon Nicholls
A BBC Studios Production for Radio 4.
TUE 09:30 Networking Nation (b04l0tvn)
2. Networking Selfie
Julia Hobsbawm is a businesswoman who has made networking her personal passion and her professional living.
Her impact on the practical study of networking made her the world's first Visiting Professor in Networking at a major British business school.
She's on a journey around different and surprising worlds of networks and networking to see if we are, in fact, a Networking Nation.
Now Julia's looking at some of the resistance to the very idea of networking and asks whether the benefits outweigh the negatives.
Producer: Karen Gregor
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 2014.
TUE 09:45 Daily Service (m002vbr8)
Living Faithfully - Queen's 100th birthday
A space for spiritual reflection with a Bible reading, prayer and a range of Christian music.
Theme: Living Faithfully - Queen's 100th birthday
Presenter: Richard Carter
Music:
I vow to thee my country
The Oxford Trinity Choir
The Arts and the Hours - Rameau
Vikingur Ólafsson
CD: Debussy - Rameuu. - Vikingur Ólafsson (DG)
The Lord's my shepherd (Crimond)
BBC recording
O God our help in ages past
St Martin's Voices
BBC recording
TUE 10:00 A Good Read (m000p10f)
Arabella Weir & Deborah Levy
Comedian Arabella Weir and novelist Deborah Levy join Harriett Gilbert to discuss favourite books by Paul Beatty, Marguerite Duras and Evan S Connell.
The Sellout by Paul Beatty
Publisher: One World
The Lover by Marguerite Duras
Publisher: Everyman's Library (translator: Barbara Bray)
Mrs Bridge by Evan S Connell
Publisher: Penguin
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 2020.
TUE 10:30 The Age of Emotion (b0910svk)
We’re bombarded with emotions these days – in the news, in advertising.
We expect our politicians to show their emotions in order to seem authentic, and in schools and work places emotional resilience classes and emotional therapies are on the rise.
As we seem to be casting off the traditional stiff upper lip, psychotherapist Philippa Perry asks whether, in this new age of emotion, we're putting how we feel before what we think.
She goes to the country’s first, so-called positive university in Buckingham which is introducing mindfulness classes.
She asks whether getting young people more in touch with their emotions is helping them deal with the challenges of life - or creating a generation of emotional snowflakes.
Philippa also explores the trend for big brands wanting big data about our emotions, and speaks to journalist Julia Raeside and historian Tiffany Watt Smith about how our emotions have changed, and the impact of the media on how we experience our own emotions.
Producer: Jo Wheeler
A Just Radio production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in August 2017.
TUE 11:00 The Toff (b007jrmb)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
TUE 11:30 The Bounce Back by Berkely Mather (m002vbr4)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
TUE 12:00 Minor Adjustment (b0b0x50b)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
TUE 12:30 The Goon Show (b007k0fk)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
TUE 13:00 It's a Fair Cop (m001y1yq)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
TUE 13:30 I Am, I Am, I Am by Maggie O'Farrell (b092qh8k)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
TUE 13:45 Under One Roof (m002vbr6)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:45 today]
TUE 14:00 Genius (b008jf2r)
Series 2
Armando lannucci
Aeroplane parachutes and ASBO flip-flops.
Dave Gorman asks writer and producer Armando Iannucci 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 October 2006.
TUE 14:30 Mum's on the Run (b00tt5vn)
Episode 5
Battling lippy kids, annoying neighbours and a jazz playing ex-husband means Jen's failing to be the yummy mummy she longs to be.
The desire to impress Mr Rigby and silence nagging children persuades Jen to attempt some charitable work. But a botched attempt to give blood and a disastrous baking error lead only to further humiliation.
Starring Ronni Ancona.
Mother of two, Master of none - the hectic life ("What life?") of single mum, Jen.
Written by Alexis Zegerman.
Jen ..... Ronni Ancona
Mr. Rigby ..... John Gordon Sinclair
Shelley ..... Alexis Zegerman
Felicity ..... Amy Dabrowa
Toby ..... Alexander Heath
Chugger ..... Lloyd Thomas
Nurse/David's Mum ..... Sally Orrock
Producer: Dawn Ellis
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 2010.
TUE 15:00 Queen Lucia by EF Benson (b08yr2ss)
1. The Guru
Summer 1920: Lucia (Mrs Philip Lucas) returns to her beloved Riseholme after the exhausting social round in London.
But all, it seems, is not well.
In her absence an upstart has assumed control of the cultural life of the village.
The light of battle enters Lucia's eye.
Based on EF Benson's novel, first published in 1920.
Starring Barbara Jefford and Jonathan Cecil
Comedy drama adapted in five parts and narrated by Aubrey Woods.
Lucia ....... Barbara Jefford
Georgie Pillson .... Jonathan Cecil
Daisy Quantock ..... Jane Wenham
Colonel Boucher .... Bernard Brown
Robert Quantock.... Anthony Newlands
Peppino .... David Garth
Guru ... Badi Uzzaman
Grosveno .... Narissa Knights
Station staff .... Michael Jenner
Station staff ..... Mark Straker
Producer: John Cardy
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 1984.
TUE 15:45 Anita and Me by Meera Syal (b007jy5m)
6. Revelations
Meena visits a fortune teller who foretells things about her relationship with Anita.
12-year-old Meena Kumar is an Asian girl living a fairly uneventful life in the Black Country village of Tollington near Wolverhampton in the 1970s.
She's surrounded by her loving, if slightly eccentric, Punjabi family.
But then one day she met Anita Rutter.....
Actress and comedy writer Meera Syal continues her first novel.
Abridged by Doreen Estall.
Producer: Di Speirs
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 1996.
TUE 16:00 A Good Read (m000p10f)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 today]
TUE 16:30 The Age of Emotion (b0910svk)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:30 today]
TUE 17:00 The Toff (b007jrmb)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
TUE 17:30 The Bounce Back by Berkely Mather (m002vbr4)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
TUE 18:00 Minor Adjustment (b0b0x50b)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
TUE 18:30 The Goon Show (b007k0fk)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
TUE 19:00 It's a Fair Cop (m001y1yq)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
TUE 19:30 I Am, I Am, I Am by Maggie O'Farrell (b092qh8k)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
TUE 19:45 Under One Roof (m002vbr6)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:45 today]
TUE 20:00 Genius (b008jf2r)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:00 today]
TUE 20:30 Mum's on the Run (b00tt5vn)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:30 today]
TUE 21:00 Queen Lucia by EF Benson (b08yr2ss)
[Repeat of broadcast at 15:00 today]
TUE 21:45 Anita and Me by Meera Syal (b007jy5m)
[Repeat of broadcast at 15:45 today]
TUE 22:00 Nature Table (m002tzqf)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
TUE 22:30 Goodness Gracious Me (b01pdy85)
Series 3
Episode 5
The man who insists Superman is Indian, and the Bhangra Muffins are acting cool.
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 Editors: Sharat Sardana and Richard Pinto
Producer: Anil Gupta.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in June 1998.
TUE 23:00 My Teenage Diary (m000jmtm)
Series 9
Julie Myerson
Rufus Hound with more honest, intimate and hilarious interviews, with famous guests reading from their genuine teenage diaries.
In this episode, writer Julie Myerson delves into the diaries of her most formative years.
Producer: Harriet Jaine
A Talkback production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in June 2020.
TUE 23:30 Forty Nights in the Wildebeest (b007k0yk)
Episode 3
Dan Freedman and Nick Romero push the pun count beyond the pain threshold.
Including:
'Another Gritty Police drama'
A song from 'Very Frank Sinatra'.
Music is performed by the Gents.
Producers: Julian Mayers & Jayne Gibson
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 2000.

WEDNESDAY 22 APRIL 2026

WED 00:00 A Good Read (m000p10f)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 on Tuesday]
WED 00:30 The Age of Emotion (b0910svk)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:30 on Tuesday]
WED 01:00 The Toff (b007jrmb)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 on Tuesday]
WED 01:30 The Bounce Back by Berkely Mather (m002vbr4)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 on Tuesday]
WED 02:00 Minor Adjustment (b0b0x50b)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 on Tuesday]
WED 02:30 The Goon Show (b007k0fk)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 on Tuesday]
WED 03:00 It's a Fair Cop (m001y1yq)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 on Tuesday]
WED 03:30 I Am, I Am, I Am by Maggie O'Farrell (b092qh8k)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 on Tuesday]
WED 03:45 Under One Roof (m002vbr6)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:45 on Tuesday]
WED 04:00 Genius (b008jf2r)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:00 on Tuesday]
WED 04:30 Mum's on the Run (b00tt5vn)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:30 on Tuesday]
WED 05:00 Queen Lucia by EF Benson (b08yr2ss)
[Repeat of broadcast at 15:00 on Tuesday]
WED 05:45 Anita and Me by Meera Syal (b007jy5m)
[Repeat of broadcast at 15:45 on Tuesday]
WED 06:00 John le Carré (m002v84n)
The Spy Who Came in From the Cold
1. Berlin
Berlin.
An icy October day.
British intelligence officer Alec Leamas waits at the checkpoint for one of his agents to cross over to the West....
Starring Colin Blakely.
John le Carré’s Cold War espionage novel, first published in 1963.
Adapted in six parts by Rene Basilico.
Alec Leamas .... Colin Blakely
Control .... Allan McClelland
George Smiley .... Michael Turner
American .... Kerry Shale
Elvira .... Brigitte Kahn
Peter Guillam .... Douglas Blackwell
Fawley .... Marc Sinden
Miss Thursby .... Gwen Cherrell
Miss Larrett .... Anne Jameson
Elsie / Air Hostess .... Sandra Clark
First checkpoint Guard .... Paul Humpoletz
Second Guard .... Richard Durden
Third Guard / Landlord .... Michael Mellinger
Theme music by Max Harris.
Producer: John Fawcett Wilson
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 1986.
WED 06:30 Falco (b008kkch)
Shadows in Bronze
1. Vipers
Following a plot to depose the Emperor Vespasian, Falco sets out to clear up a few loose ends, only to uncover a nest of vipers.
Starring Anton Lesser.
Lindsey Davis's witty detective, Marcus Didius Falco is back patrolling the streets of 1st-century Rome.
Dramatised in six parts by Mary Cutler.
Falco ....... Anton Lesser
Petronius / Chamberlain ....... Ben Crowe
Tullia ....... Fiona Clarke
Helena Justina ....... Anna Madeley
Vespasian / Milo ....... Michael Tudor Barnes
Gordianus ....... Christian Rodska
Directed at BBC Birmingham by Peter Leslie Wild.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 2005.
WED 07:00 After Henry (b007k18q)
Series 1
Gossip
Rumours abound - as Sarah and her mother unwittingly conspire together.
Simon Brett's comedy about three generations of women.
Struggling to cope after the death of Sarah's GP husband, the trio never quite manage to see eye to eye.
Sarah …. Prunella Scales
Eleanor …. Joan Sanderson
Russell …. Benjamin Whitrow
Clare …. Gerry Cowper
Vicar …. John Nettleton
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 May 1985.
WED 07:30 The Missing Hancocks (b04nvkjn)
Series 1
The Hancock Festival
This is a recreation of a classic episode missing from series 1 either wiped or lost from the archive.
The size of Somerset Maugham's pay packet inspires the Lad to become a writer.
His friends are recruited to bring his dramatic offerings to life.
The first modern sitcom, Hancock's Half Hour made stars of Tony Hancock, Sid James and Kenneth Williams. It also launched Ray Galton and Alan Simpson as one of the most successful comedy-writing partnerships in history.
But 20 episodes of the show were missing from the BBC archives.
The lost programmes have been lovingly re-recorded in front of a live audience at the BBC Radio Theatre.
Written by Ray Galton and Alan Simpson
Tony Hancock …. Kevin McNally
Bill Kerr …. Kevin Eldon
Sid James …. Simon Greenall
Moira Lister …. Margaret Cabourn-Smith
With:
David Cann
Classic Hancock score re-recorded by the BBC Concert Orchestra, conducted by Levon Parikian.
Producers: Ed Morrish and Neil Pearson
The lost original recording was first broadcast on the 30th November, 1954.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 2014.
WED 08:00 What Does the K Stand For? (b08dnwrr)
Series 3
Let's Talk About Sex
Stephen plucks up the courage to reveal a secret.
Stephen K Amos stars in this sitcom about growing up black, gay and funny in 1980s south London.
Written by Jonathan Harvey with Stephen K Amos.
With
Stephen K Amos
Ellen Thomas
Laurie Kynaston
Bola Okun
Emerald Crankson
Karen Bartke
David Sterne
Producer: Paul Sheehan
A BBC Studios production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in February 2017.
WED 08:30 I Am, I Am, I Am by Maggie O'Farrell (b092qhgc)
3. Abdomen
Maggie O'Farrell recalls her first son's difficult birth and the impact of a stranger's compassionate gesture as doctors battled to save her life.
Startling memoir, in which the bestselling author recounts her life through a series of near-death experiences.
Read by Hattie Morahan.
The book started out as a private project, a way for O'Farrell to help her young daughter who suffers from a serious immunology disorder, including severe eczema and allergies that can cause anaphylactic shock:
"I've asked myself, when she has been very ill, how do you carry on when death is a daily possibility?"
Abridged and produced by Kirsteen Cameron
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 2017.
WED 08:45 Under One Roof (m002v84r)
Stairway to Heaven
3. Cleaning
Domestic routines are wearing Gillian down.
Her mother has a solution, but will Gillian agree to it?
Gillian lives with her 19-year-old daughter and 89-year-old mother plus her beloved boxer dog.
Life is a constant balancing act, lived in the eye of the storm.
Starring Paola Dionisotti as Gillian.
Series based on the original stories by Michele Hanson.
Written by Michele Hanson and Jenny Landreth.
Gillian ... Paola Dionisotti
Bernice ... Edna Doré
Rosemary ... Angela Down
Olga ... Frances Jeater
Kathy ... Tilly Vosburgh
Herbie ... Geoffrey Whitehead
Director: Marilyn Imrie
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in June 1998.
WED 09:00 Maria Shehata is Wisdomless (m002v042)
When Maria Shehata decides to follow her heart and travel 6000 miles from LA to London she hopes to, at long last, fulfil the hopes of her Coptic Egyptian parents. Will she finally find true love, self-worth and a career ?
Written and Performed by Maria Shehata
Producer: Alison Vernon-Smith
Production Coordinator: Ellie Dobing
Sound Designer: David Thomas
A Yada Yada Audio production for BBC Radio 4
WED 09:30 Networking Nation (b04l10j5)
3. The Science of Networks
Julia Hobsbawm is a businesswoman who has made networking her personal passion and her professional living.
Her impact on the practical study of networking made her the world's first Visiting Professor in Networking at a major British business school.
She's taking a journey around different and surprising worlds of networks and networking to see if we are, in fact, a Networking Nation.
Now Julia's looking at the science of networks.
Producer: Karen Gregor
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 2014.
WED 09:45 Daily Service (m002v84w)
Living Faithfully - How to live with patience
A space for spiritual reflection with a Bible reading, prayer and a range of Christian music.
Theme: Living Faithfully - How to live with patience
Presenter: Georgia Clarke
Reading: Colossians 3:12–17
Music:
Be still my soul - The Priests
Let all the world - St Martin's Voices (BBC Recording)
Guide Me, O Thou Great Redeemer - Lucy Grimble
WED 10:00 Archive on 4 (m00180jt)
Encounters with Elizabeth
Meticulous preparation, perfected protocol, polished routines – all feature in a Platinum Jubilee portfolio of stories about the day her subjects met Queen Elizabeth II.
Presented by the distinguished royal biographer and historian, Robert Lacey,
Some encounters are official, like the weekly prime-ministerial meetings or the regular audiences she holds with the Privy Council and her military chiefs-of-staff.
Others are more ad-hoc, with camera-wielding crowds on royal walkabouts or visits overseas. But all are met with nerves: bouquets are dropped, coffee spilled, welcoming parties caught off-guard.
Robert’s collection of tales from around the world features all of these, and the inside story of how the Queen has dealt with over-assertive premiers, talkative Americans and how Her Majesty proof-read an article about her clothes, and even corrected the journalist’s spelling.
A Jubilee collection of stories from the archive and new-minted tales of royal encounters from:
* The Editor-in-Chief of Majesty magazine, Ingrid Seward
* Former First Sea Lord, Admiral Alan West and others.
Producer: Simon Elmes
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in June 2022.
*** Born 21st April 1926, Queen Elizabeth II joins 4 Extra's 100 Club. She died on 8th September 2022, aged 96.
WED 11:00 John le Carré (m002v84n)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
WED 11:30 Falco (b008kkch)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
WED 12:00 After Henry (b007k18q)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
WED 12:30 The Missing Hancocks (b04nvkjn)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
WED 13:00 What Does the K Stand For? (b08dnwrr)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
WED 13:30 I Am, I Am, I Am by Maggie O'Farrell (b092qhgc)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
WED 13:45 Under One Roof (m002v84r)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:45 today]
WED 14:00 The Write Stuff (m000f7v5)
Series 4
John Updike
Panel game of literary correctness
Hosted by James Walton.
With
Sebastian Faulks
John Walsh
, Tracey Macleod
Gary Younge
Author of the week: John Updike
Reader: Becky Hindley
Producer: Dawn Ellis
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 2001.
WED 14:30 Alison and Maud (b007k3lg)
Series 2
Golf Is a Four-Letter Word
Maud seeks solace in Test Match Special while Alison gets in a flap over a bird fancier.
Starring Denise Coffey and Miriam Margolyes.
Sue Limb's Bed and Breakfast sitcom about sisters Alison and Maud and their guests at the Abbeyfield Guest House in Norwich.
Alison ...... Denise Coffey
Maud ...... Miriam Margolyes
Mr Mullet ...... Chris Emmett
Bernard ...... Geoffrey Whitehead
Producer: Jonathan James-Moore.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 2004.
WED 15:00 Queen Lucia by EF Benson (b08yr2sv)
2. Some Arrivals and a Precipitant Departure
Disaster strikes in Riseholme and has to be hushed up to spare a multitude of blushes.
Comedy series based on EF Benson's 1920's novel.
Starring Barbara Jefford and Jonathan Cecil
Dramatised and narrated by Aubrey Woods.
Lucia ... Barbara Jefford
Georgie Pillson .... Jonathan Cecil
Lady Ambermere ... Fabia Drake
Olga Bracely ... June Tobin
Daisy Quantock ... Jane Wenham
Peppino ... David Garth
Guru ...Badi Uzzaman
Hermy .... Helen Atkinson Wood
Ursy ....Moir Leslie
Foljambe .... Helena Breck
Porter ....Michael Jenner
Tiptree ...Leonard Fenton
Producer: John Cardy
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 1984.
WED 15:45 Anita and Me by Meera Syal (b007jy6w)
7. Grandmother
Meena is called on to help with baby Sunil and sets about healing the rift with Anita.
12-year-old Meena Kumar is an Asian girl living a fairly uneventful life in the Black Country village of Tollington near Wolverhampton in the 1970s.
She's surrounded by her loving, if slightly eccentric, Punjabi family.
But then one day she met Anita Rutter.....
Actress and comedy writer Meera Syal continues her first novel.
Abridged by Doreen Estall
Producer: Di Speirs
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 1996.
WED 16:00 Archive on 4 (m00180jt)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 today]
WED 17:00 John le Carré (m002v84n)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
WED 17:30 Falco (b008kkch)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
WED 18:00 After Henry (b007k18q)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
WED 18:30 The Missing Hancocks (b04nvkjn)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
WED 19:00 What Does the K Stand For? (b08dnwrr)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
WED 19:30 I Am, I Am, I Am by Maggie O'Farrell (b092qhgc)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
WED 19:45 Under One Roof (m002v84r)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:45 today]
WED 20:00 The Write Stuff (m000f7v5)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:00 today]
WED 20:30 Alison and Maud (b007k3lg)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:30 today]
WED 21:00 Queen Lucia by EF Benson (b08yr2sv)
[Repeat of broadcast at 15:00 today]
WED 21:45 Anita and Me by Meera Syal (b007jy6w)
[Repeat of broadcast at 15:45 today]
WED 22:00 Maria Shehata is Wisdomless (m002v042)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
WED 22:30 Sir Ralph Stanza's Letter from Salford (b00767tq)
Series 1
Chips off an Angry Block
The distinguished-but-hip London poet Sir Ralph Stanza is the new poet-in-residence for Salford.
He's determined to track down his muse, whichever chippy she works in.
Thanks to a specially-funded scheme, Sir Ralph is now striding the streets, wearing a Panama hat, blazer and silk scarf.
His goal is to mix with the people of Salford and express their angst through his verse.
Written by and starring James Quinn as Sir Ralph Stanza.
With:
Alison Darling
Jack Deam
Mark Chatterton
Stephen Hoyle
Producer: Graham Frost
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 2002.
WED 22:45 Heidi Regan: No Worries (m000xm7z)
Episode 2
As someone who tends to worry in 'normal' times, the pandemic of course offered some exciting new areas of exploration for the anxious mind.
Having a partner who is a GP has both helped and not helped Heidi with that: worrying about her being safe, but also, yay, on tap medical advice!
That said, examining rashes of a loved one over dinner isn’t really the romance her partner signed up for.
As Heidi and her partner ponder some of the big questions in life, Heidi's brain resorts, as it always does, to distracting them (and the audience) with increasingly silly jokes as she makes an argument for the pros and cons of joking your way through life.
In this episode, she realises repressing worries could lead to them bubbling up uninvited.
Written and performed by Heidi Regan.
With thanks to Nick Elleray
Producer: Julia McKenzie
A BBC Studios Production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in July 2021.
WED 22:55 The Comedy Club Interviews (m002vgpy)
Simon Evans 3/3
The Comedy Club - Two hours of comedy, every night from 10pm. Tonight, Jon Holmes wraps up his three-part chat with Simon Evans.
WED 23:00 Thom Tuck - Goes Straight to DVD (b01rl8nd)
Steven Seagal
Comedian Thom Tuck draws more parallels between underrated straight-to-DVD movies with captivating tales from his own life experience.
This time it’s action films!
Steven Seagal has made 27 sub-masterpieces which went straight-to-DVD. Thom has managed to extricate himself from the same number of scrapes during his life. He grabbed a man's face! Seagal punched a man's face!
It’s all backed by cinematic music, so we can rest easy.
Producer: Lianne Coop
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 2013.
WED 23:30 Radio Shuttleworth (b007wwdf)
Series 2
Peter Purves
John discovers Blue Peter's Peter Purves has always wanted to play a nasty character. Would he audition for the role of Captain Hook in the drop-in centre's production of Peter Pan?
The semi-detached world of aspiring singer-songwriter John Shuttleworth direct from his front room in Sheffield.
Written and performed by Graham Fellows.
With:
Phil Nichol
Milton Jones
Additional material by Martin Willis.
Producer: Dawn Ellis.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 2000

THURSDAY 23 APRIL 2026

THU 00:00 Archive on 4 (m00180jt)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 on Wednesday]
THU 01:00 John le Carré (m002v84n)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 on Wednesday]
THU 01:30 Falco (b008kkch)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 on Wednesday]
THU 02:00 After Henry (b007k18q)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 on Wednesday]
THU 02:30 The Missing Hancocks (b04nvkjn)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 on Wednesday]
THU 03:00 What Does the K Stand For? (b08dnwrr)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 on Wednesday]
THU 03:30 I Am, I Am, I Am by Maggie O'Farrell (b092qhgc)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 on Wednesday]
THU 03:45 Under One Roof (m002v84r)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:45 on Wednesday]
THU 04:00 The Write Stuff (m000f7v5)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:00 on Wednesday]
THU 04:30 Alison and Maud (b007k3lg)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:30 on Wednesday]
THU 05:00 Queen Lucia by EF Benson (b08yr2sv)
[Repeat of broadcast at 15:00 on Wednesday]
THU 05:45 Anita and Me by Meera Syal (b007jy6w)
[Repeat of broadcast at 15:45 on Wednesday]
THU 06:00 John le Carré (m002v88g)
The Spy Who Came in From the Cold
2. Outside
After his abrupt departure from British Intelligence, Alec Leamas tries desperately to cope with life outside the Service.
Starring Colin Blakely.
John le Carré’s Cold War espionage novel, first published in 1963.
Adapted by Rene Basilico.
Alec Leamas .... Colin Blakely
Liz Gold .... Janet Maw
Miss Crail .... Dilys Laye
Publican .... Ron Pember
Tart .... Helen Keating
Peter Guillam .... Douglas Blackwell
Pitt .... Keith Smith
Greengrocer .... Brian Smith
Doctor .... Peter Howell
Grocer / Delaney .... Peter Childs
Theme music by Max Harris.
Producer: John Fawcett Wilson
First broadcast on BBC Radio in May 1986.
THU 06:30 Falco (b008klh0)
Shadows in Bronze
2. Resort
Probing the murder of a conspirator against the Emperor, Roman sleuth Falco is sent to a fashionable resort.
Starring Anton Lesser.
Lindsey Davis's witty detective, Marcus Didius Falco patrols the streets of 1st-century Rome.
Dramatised by Mary Cutler.
Falco ....... Anton Lesser
Petronius ....... Ben Crowe
Vespasian ....... Michael Tudor Barnes
Silvia ....... Sara Poyzer
Larius ....... Christopher Kelham
Caprenius Marcellus ....... Paul Webster
Helena Justina ....... Anna Madeley
Directed at BBC Birmingham by Peter Leslie Wild.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 2005.
THU 07:00 Tales From the Mausoleum Club (b007jnsr)
Jess of the B'ournevilles
Mr Sturdy arrives at the Club with a tale of West Country paganism.
Stars Timothy Spall.
Star-packed curious and macabre comedy series set in a very exclusive London club.
Written by Ian Brown and James Hendrie.
Thomas Sturdy ...... Timothy Spall
Jess ...... Rosalind Ayres
Storm ...... Oliver Cotton
Azreal Beech ...... Nicholas Clay
Hon Clarence Green ...... Royce Mills
Felch ...... Michael Ripper
Old Jabez ...... Jonathan Kydd
Hangman ...... Michael Fenton Stevens
Shepherd ...... Nick Revell
Music: Max Harris
Producer: Paul Spencer.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 1987.
THU 07:30 The Burkiss Way (b00jr7fw)
Series 2
Skive from School the Burkiss Way
Can Moses Minor lead the boys of Greyfriars away from the clutches of their oppressors?
Continuing The Burkiss Way to Dynamic Living.
With hints on truancy from:
Jo Kendall
Nigel Rees
Chris Emmett
Fred Harris
Forged sick notes written by Andrew Marshall and David Renwick.
And a variety of excuses from producer: Simon Brett.
Cult sketch show first broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 1977.
THU 08:00 Hennikay (m001fclc)
Series 1
1. Close-Contact Paint-Based Combat Manoeuvres
Stressed out businessman Guy Starling, a middle aged man aged 45, for reasons quite unknown to him, is suddenly revisited by his imaginary childhood friend, Hennikay.
Starring Bill Bailey as Guy Starling.
After closing the biggest deal in the history of Maidstone, Guy’s boss decides to reward him with an adventure-based, corporate team-building day out, which has him running around the woods shooting paint pellets at middle managers.
Not only does Guy have to deal with his scheming, back-stabbing co-workers, desperate to ruin his career and steal his glory, he also has to cope with Hennikay, his imaginary childhood friend who has turned back up in his life and is stubbornly refusing to leave, running riot in the woods with a paint gun.
But as the paint splatters and the deals sour, Guy soon discovers that in the cut-throat world of grown-up business, the only person who he can trust is the 11-year-old boy he invented back in 1976.
Acclaimed comedian (and Strictly Come Dancing champion) Bill Bailey leads a cast which includes Dave Lamb and Elizabeth Carling in this warm, funny look at childhood, adulthood and some of the follies of modern life - where a man with a confused child in his head might just be the sanest person in the room.
Written by David Spicer.
Guy ..... Bill Bailey
Tony ..... Dave Lamb
Marika ..... Elizabeth Carling
Kallie ..... Hollie Edwin
Simon ..... Alistair McGowan
Hennikay ..... Max Pattison
Producer: Liz Anstee
A CPL production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in November 2022.
THU 08:30 I Am, I Am, I Am by Maggie O'Farrell (b092qhtp)
4. Lungs
Maggie O'Farrell and her young son come close to drowning while swimming off the coast of East Africa.
Startling memoir, in which the bestselling author recounts her life through a series of near-death experiences.
Read by Hattie Morahan.
The book started out as a private project, a way for O'Farrell to help her young daughter who suffers from a serious immunology disorder, including severe eczema and allergies that can cause anaphylactic shock:
"I've asked myself, when she has been very ill, how do you carry on when death is a daily possibility?"
Abridged and produced by Kirsteen Cameron
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 2017.
THU 08:45 Under One Roof (m002v88l)
Stairway to Heaven
4. Installation
Gillian’s secret stairlift plan is finally happening.
But will she be able to keep her mother away long enough?
Gillian lives with her 19-year-old daughter and 89-year-old mother plus her beloved boxer dog.
Life is a constant balancing act, lived in the eye of the storm.
Starring Paola Dionisotti as Gillian.
Series based on the original stories by Michele Hanson.
Written by Michele Hanson and Jenny Landreth.
Chloe .... Luisa Bradshaw-White
Gillian .... Paola Dionisotti
Bernice .... Edna Doré
Esther .... Ann Beach
Lift Workman/Care Asst .... David Antrobus
Man in Day Care Centre .... Geoffrey Whitehead
Director: Marilyn Imrie
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in June 1998.
THU 09:00 The Matt Forde Focus Group (m002v1bn)
Series 2
6. The Politics of the Ban
Every Government promises to protect people. The question is always: from what, and at whose expense? Banning something is the bluntest instrument in politics - and the most revealing. It says: this thing is so dangerous, so wrong, or so offensive that the state must make it disappear.
Top political comedian Matt Forde convenes his Focus Group in front of a live theatre audience with a forensically matched panel — Baroness Sayeeda Warsi, Clive Lewis MP, and comedian Geoff Norcott — to ask what the political ban actually is: a tool of principle, a gesture of power, or a way of avoiding the harder question.
Written and presented by Matt Forde
With additional Material from Karl Minns, Ruth Husko and Richard Garvin
Produced by Richard Garvin
Co-Producer Daisy Knight
Sound Design and Edit: David Thomas
Executive Producers: Jon Thoday and Richard Allen Turner
An Avalon production for BBC Radio 4
THU 09:30 Networking Nation (b04l3bqz)
4. The World of Work
Julia Hobsbawm is a businesswoman who has made networking her personal passion and her professional living.
Her impact on the practical study of networking made her the world's first Visiting Professor in Networking at a major British business school.
She's taking a journey around different and surprising worlds of networks and networking to see if we are, in fact, a Networking Nation.
Now Julia's looking at how the world of work runs on human networks and networking.
Producer: Karen Gregor
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 2014.
THU 09:45 Daily Service (m002v88q)
Living Faithfully - The Good Samaritan
A space for spiritual reflection with a Bible reading, prayer and a range of Christian music.
Theme: Living Faithfully - The Good Samaritan
Presenter: Bishop David Walker
Reading: Luke 10:33–37
Music:
When I Needed a Neighbour - St Martin's Voices
Precious Lord, Take my hand - Daily Service Singers (BBC Recording)
The Lord's Prayer (Joanna Forbes L'estrange) - Daily Service Singers
Lord of All Hopefulness - Daily Service
THU 10:00 Great Lives (m000z5j8)
Josiah Wedgwood
When Josiah Wedgwood had part of an injured leg amputed, he encouraged his workers to celebrate the anniversary as St Amputation Day.
This remarkable man from Stoke on Trent built a pottery empire that made him famous round the world.
He's nominated here, on location, by the former MP for Stoke Central, Tristram Hunt, now head of the Victoria and Albert museum in London.
Featuring an interview with the head of Royal Staffordshire, Norman Tempest.
Plus readings from Brian Dolan's biography, The First Tycoon.
Presented by Matthew Parris
Produced for BBC audio in Bristol by ex-Stoke resident Miles Warde
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 2021.
THU 10:30 Miniature Mountains (b0076f9s)
From 'currant buns' to models of the Matterhorn?
Gardening writer Stephen Anderton explores the changing fashions in rock gardening.
He looks at the influence of the Northamptonshire landowner who wanted a landscape for his gnomes.
Plus the diminutive Yorkshireman who described his alpines as 'sulky' but who changed our view of the rockery.
Producer: Robyn Read
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 2003.
THU 11:00 John le Carré (m002v88g)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
THU 11:30 Falco (b008klh0)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
THU 12:00 Tales From the Mausoleum Club (b007jnsr)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
THU 12:30 The Burkiss Way (b00jr7fw)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
THU 13:00 Hennikay (m001fclc)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
THU 13:30 I Am, I Am, I Am by Maggie O'Farrell (b092qhtp)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
THU 13:45 Under One Roof (m002v88l)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:45 today]
THU 14:00 Foul Play (b00yy8yz)
Series 4
Deadline News
Crime writers Ruth Dudley Edwards and Robert Richardson try to solve the murder of a model.
Simon Brett hosts the murder mystery panel game
Witnesses played by:
Maria McErlane
Lee Simpson
Producer: Liz Anstee
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 1998.
THU 14:30 HR (b01by7c0)
Series 3
Married
Discovering that their pensions are worthless, the chums contemplate the unthinkable: welcoming a female lodger into their home.
Nigel Williams' comedy series stars Jonathan Pryce and Nicholas le Prevost.
Sam ...... Nicholas Le Prevost
Peter ...... Jonathan Pryce
Lupin ....... Sara Crowe.
Producer: Peter Kavanagh
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 2012.
THU 15:00 Queen Lucia by EF Benson (b08yr2sx)
3. A Fresh Rebellion
Not for the first time, Lucia, the uncrowned Queen of Riseholme, faces rebellion.
For the very first time, Georgie Pillson falls in love.
Comedy series based on EF Benson's novel.
Starring Barbara Jefford and Jonathan Cecil
Dramatised and narrated by Aubrey Woods.
Lucia ... Barbara Jefford
Georgie Pillson ... Jonathan Cecil
Lady Ambermere ... Fabia Drake
Olga Bracely ... June Tobin
Daisy Quantock ... Jane Wenham
Peppino ... David Garth
Grosvenor ... Narissa Knights
Miss Lyall ... Ellen McIntosh
Mrs Weston... Margot Boyd
Colonel Boucher ... Bernard Brown
Footman ... Colin Starkey
Producer: John Cardy
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 1984.
THU 15:45 Anita and Me by Meera Syal (b00fy2qp)
8. Conflict
Meera Syal's best-seller based on her own experiences as a teenager growing up in the Black Country in the 1970s, which was turned into a film, in 2002 starring Sanjeev Bhaskar, Kathy Burke and Lynn Redgrave.
Meena has resumed her relationship with her gang of white friends, Anita, Fat Sally and Cherie......Anita's mother, Deidre has walked out on her family and, taking pity on Anita, Meena's mother decides to invite her to tea.
Actress and comedy writer Meera Syal continues her first novel - abridged in ten parts by Doreen Estall.
Producer: Di Speirs
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1996.
THU 16:00 Great Lives (m000z5j8)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 today]
THU 16:30 Miniature Mountains (b0076f9s)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:30 today]
THU 17:00 John le Carré (m002v88g)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
THU 17:30 Falco (b008klh0)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
THU 18:00 Tales From the Mausoleum Club (b007jnsr)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
THU 18:30 The Burkiss Way (b00jr7fw)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
THU 19:00 Hennikay (m001fclc)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
THU 19:30 I Am, I Am, I Am by Maggie O'Farrell (b092qhtp)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
THU 19:45 Under One Roof (m002v88l)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:45 today]
THU 20:00 Foul Play (b00yy8yz)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:00 today]
THU 20:30 HR (b01by7c0)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:30 today]
THU 21:00 Queen Lucia by EF Benson (b08yr2sx)
[Repeat of broadcast at 15:00 today]
THU 21:45 Anita and Me by Meera Syal (b00fy2qp)
[Repeat of broadcast at 15:45 today]
THU 22:00 The Matt Forde Focus Group (m002v1bn)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
THU 22:30 Alex Edelman's Peer Group (m000fq8j)
Series 3
The Future
Award-winning comedian Alex Edelman discusses the future and how it might look.
With help from his "peer group" at the University of Arts London, he examines what issues lie ahead for humanity and how we might be able to save it.
Written and performed by Alex Edelman.
With additional material from Alfie Brown, Rebecca Nicholson, David Burstein, Catherine Brinkworth and Kat Sadler.
Producer: Sam Michell
A BBC Studios production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in February 2020.
THU 23:00 Beyond The Back of Beyond (m002v88x)
2. Death
In the Amazon, Mark and Brian encounter the Kalimeri.
But the tribesmen are unimpressed by their presents - including a plastic figure of a Jawa from Star Wars, despite its original packaging.
Sitcom written by and starring Paul Barnhill and Neil Warhurst.
Mark .... Neil Warhurst
Brian .... Paul Barnhill
Luke .... Mark Benton
Mawa .... Jacey Salles
Producer: Sally Avens
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 2002.
THU 23:15 Life on Egg (b09jvp37)
Series 1
Mistress of Disguise
The Egg, floating on a giant prehistoric egg in the middle of the ocean, is Britain's most remote prison.
Harry Hill stars as the Governor.
So there's no better place to send Patsy Potts, one of the nation's most tricky prisoners, who's a master of disguise and escaped from every other prison they've tried to keep her in.
But when Tim arrives on The Egg with Patsy in the helicopter, she's nowhere to be found, and worse, no-one knows what she actually looks like...
Governor Harry ...... Harry Hill
Anne ...... Karen Bartke
Peter ...... Marek Larwood
The Minister ...... Tanya Moodie
Tim the Helicopter Pilot ...... Dan Maier
Prisoner Gyles Brandreth ...... Gyles Brandreth
Written by Dan Maier
Producer: Sam Michell
A BBC Studios production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in December 2017.
THU 23:30 The Pin (m0006tlx)
Series 4
Crimewave
Comedy from Ben and Alex, aka "The Pin", in a sketch-sitcom hybrid.
The award-winning sketch duo are forced to record their latest series in their flat and the boys are glad of the new creative freedom this opportunity presents, away from the "prying eyes of the BBC".
Unfortunately this week, a crimewave has hit their neighbourhood, so Ben and Alex are forced to take drastic measures.
Written and performed by Alex Owen and Ben Ashenden
With:
Pippa Haywood
Celeste Dring
Mark Davison
Will Brown
James McNicholas
Producer: Sam Michell
A BBC Studios production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in July 2019.

FRIDAY 24 APRIL 2026

FRI 00:00 Great Lives (m000z5j8)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 on Thursday]
FRI 00:30 Miniature Mountains (b0076f9s)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:30 on Thursday]
FRI 01:00 John le Carré (m002v88g)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 on Thursday]
FRI 01:30 Falco (b008klh0)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 on Thursday]
FRI 02:00 Tales From the Mausoleum Club (b007jnsr)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 on Thursday]
FRI 02:30 The Burkiss Way (b00jr7fw)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 on Thursday]
FRI 03:00 Hennikay (m001fclc)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 on Thursday]
FRI 03:30 I Am, I Am, I Am by Maggie O'Farrell (b092qhtp)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 on Thursday]
FRI 03:45 Under One Roof (m002v88l)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:45 on Thursday]
FRI 04:00 Foul Play (b00yy8yz)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:00 on Thursday]
FRI 04:30 HR (b01by7c0)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:30 on Thursday]
FRI 05:00 Queen Lucia by EF Benson (b08yr2sx)
[Repeat of broadcast at 15:00 on Thursday]
FRI 05:45 Anita and Me by Meera Syal (b00fy2qp)
[Repeat of broadcast at 15:45 on Thursday]
FRI 06:00 John le Carré (m002v89k)
The Spy Who Came in From the Cold
3. Released
Alec Leamas is released from prison. Out in the cold again, he will need contacts as he faces an uncertain future.
Starring Colin Blakely.
John le Carré’s Cold War espionage novel, first published in 1963.
Adapted in six parts by Rene Basilico.
Alec Leamas .... Colin Blakely
Ashe .... With Trevor Baxter
Kiever .... Carl Duering
George Smiley .... Michael Turner
Peter Guillam .... Douglas Blackwell
Tony .... Edward De Souza
Prison governor .... Alan Thompson
Warder .... Ronald Herdman
Chief officer .... Robin Summers
Theme music by Max Harris.
Producer: John Fawcett Wilson
First broadcast on BBC Radio in May 1986.
FRI 06:30 Falco (b008kmgp)
Shadows in Bronze
3. Friends
At the villa of Helena's former father-in-law, Falco meets some old friends of the senator's daughter.
Starring Anton Lesser.
Lindsey Davis's witty detective, Marcus Didius Falco patrols the streets of 1st-century Rome.
Dramatised by Mary Cutler.
Falco ....... Anton Lesser
Helena Justina ....... Anna Madeley
Larius ....... Christopher Kelham
Caprenius Marcellus ....... Paul Webster
Aemilius Rufus ....... Timothy Watson
Aenelia ....... Jaimi Barbakoff
Directed at BBC Birmingham by Peter Leslie Wild.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 2005.
FRI 07:00 No Commitments (b007jmsc)
Series 1
A Complete Break
Victoria and Charlotte arrange sister Anna's holiday, but she has her own plans...
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
Roger …. Stephen Moore
Eddie …. James Greene
Patrick …. Nicholas Murchie
Mrs Motson …. Alison Reid
Music by Elizabeth Parker of the BBC Radiophonic Workshop.
Producer: Paul Schlesinger
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 1992.
FRI 07:30 Steptoe and Son (b007jn1s)
Series 5
Come Dancing
Albert sets out to help son Harold to conquer his fear of ballroom dancing.
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
Milkman ...... Clifford Norgate
Producer: Bobby Jaye
First broadcast on BBC Radio 2 in June 1974.
FRI 08:00 Tudur Owen: Zoo (m000k3gj)
1. Opening
Tudur Owen first brought us 'Where on Earth is Anglesey?', introducing us to his homeland, Ynys Môn and hinted at the rather unconventional goings-on there.
One such eccentric event is the incredible but true story of how he and his family somewhat unwittingly became the owners of what the News of the World would go on to describe as “The Worst Zoo in Britain”.
Join Tudur for an engrossing caper about a corrupt animal wrangler, a family on the brink and a climactic wallaby chase across the Menai Strait.
All the events in this story are almost true.
Written and performed by Tudur Owen.
With:
Lisa-Jên Brown
Fergus Craig
Producer: Richard Morris
A BBC Studios production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in June 2020.
FRI 08:30 I Am, I Am, I Am by Maggie O'Farrell (b092sh31)
5. Daughter
Maggie O'Farrell's startling memoir, in which the bestselling author recounts her life through a series of near-death experiences.
The book started out as a private project, a way for O'Farrell to help her young daughter who suffers from a serious immunology disorder, including severe eczema and allergies that can cause her anaphylactic shock: "I've asked myself, when she has been very ill, how do you carry on when death is a daily possibility?"
In this final episode, O'Farrell describes the challenges she and her family face trying to give her daughter as normal life a life as possible.
Reader: Hattie Morahan
Writer: Maggie O'Farrell
Abridger: Kirsteen Cameron
Producer: Kirsteen Cameron
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 2017.
FRI 08:45 Under One Roof (m002v89m)
Stairway to Heaven
5. Breakthrough
Gillian’s romantic life might be improving, but will her mother ever agree to use the stairlift?
Gillian lives with her nineteen-year-old daughter and eighty-nine-year-old mother and her beloved boxer dog. Life is a constant balancing act, lived in the eye of the storm.
Starring Paola Dionisotti as Gillian.
Fifth episode in a series based on the original stories by Michele Hanson.
Chloe .... Luisa Bradshaw-White
Gillian .... Paola Dionisotti
Bernice .... Edna Doré
Rosemary .... Angela Down
Boyfriend .... John Rowe
Programme Voice .... Geoffrey Whitehead
Written by Michele Hanson and Jenny Landreth.
Director: Marilyn Imrie
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in June 1998.
FRI 09:00 Stand-Up Specials (m0017t5d)
The Rest Of Us
Northern Ireland's Mary Flanigan, Scotland's Eleanor Morton and Wales's Esyllt Sears look into the history of Great British science and technology.
They'll be highlighting figures who you may not be as familiar with as you should be.
From gin and tonic to radar and completely useless units of measurement, Mary, Eleanor and Esyllt will tell you things you didn't know, and give a new perspective on things you did.
Written by and starring Mary Flanigan, Eleanor Morton and Esyllt Sears
Recorded and mixed by David Thomas
Producer: Ed Morrish
A Lead Mojo production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in May 2022.
FRI 09:30 Networking Nation (b04l3lxp)
5. Nation of Networkers
Julia Hobsbawm is a businesswoman who has made networking her personal passion and her professional living.
Her impact on the practical study of networking made her the world's first Visiting Professor in Networking at a major British business school.
In this series of five programmes, She takes us on a journey around different and surprising worlds of networks and networking to see if we are, in fact, a Networking Nation.
In this final episode - Julia asks if we are, in fact, a Networking Nation.
Producer: Karen Gregor
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 2014.
FRI 09:45 Daily Service (m002v89p)
Living Faithfully - Daily life and faith
A space for spiritual reflection with a Bible reading, prayer and a range of Christian music:
Theme: Living Faithfully - Daily life and faith.
Presenter: David Lewis.
Reading: Deuteronomy 6:4-9
Hymns: A mighty fortress is our God (Ein feste Burg)
Be thou my vision (Slane)
Name of all majesty (Majestas)
FRI 10:00 Soul Music (b05tkzn5)
Series 20
The Lord Is My Shepherd
This much-loved hymn based on Psalm 23 has been set to music many times, including Brother James' Air and Crimond.
The Queen requested the Crimond version at her wedding. Harriet Bowes Lyon's tells the story that her mother, Lady Margaret Colville, (formerly Lady Margaret Egerton) taught the descant to the Queen and Princess Margaret, and was summoned to sing it when, two days before the wedding, the descant music could not be found.
Howard Goodall, who wrote a new setting for 'The Vicar of Dibley' describes how he composed it in a taxi. Selina Scott says that the Crimond always puts her in mind of her Scottish grandmother.
Contributors:
Howard Goodall
Ian Bradley
Marion Dodd
Emily Badger
Athena Kruger
Esther Sternberg
Selina Scott
Harriet Bowes-Lyon
Adrian Goldberg
Producer: Sara Conkey
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 2015.
FRI 10:30 Sid James - Not Just a Dirty Laugh (b01s4762)
Marking the centenary of Sid James, comedian Lee Mack examines recently discovered archives and rare recordings offering a unique insight into the actors lesser known work on radio, stage and screen.
Actors Bernard Cribbins, Lance Percival and Liz Fraser reveal their own experiences of working with Sid and we hear from his daughter, the author, Reina James who provides the programme with previously unheard material from the family archives of her father's years in South Africa.
Throughout the programme Christopher Fairbank provides the voice of Sid for sketches found in the BBC's written archives and quotes excerpts from interviews given during his extraordinary life.
Born in Johannesburg in May 1913, Sid James arrived in Britain in 1946 and came to prominence as sidekick to ground breaking comedy actor Tony Hancock. He later became a household name as the star of the Carry On series of films
As Lee Mack discovers there's more skill to Sid James' performances than is often evident. He'd already made numerous screen appearances before Hancock and the Carry Ons with straight roles and comic support in films by Powell and Pressburger and Ealing Comedies. His early radio work includes parts alongside Peter Sellers and Dennis Price, on stage he performed in Guys and Dolls and starred in Citizen James - his own television situation comedy scripted for him by Galton and Simpson.
Presenting a fascinating collection of extracts never before broadcast on radio this documentary puts the emphasis on the unfamiliar with interviewees adding another dimension to Sid's story by revealing his early career and assessing his copious talents.
Producer: Stephen Garner
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 2013.
FRI 11:00 John le Carré (m002v89k)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
FRI 11:30 Falco (b008kmgp)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
FRI 12:00 No Commitments (b007jmsc)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
FRI 12:30 Steptoe and Son (b007jn1s)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
FRI 13:00 Tudur Owen: Zoo (m000k3gj)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
FRI 13:30 I Am, I Am, I Am by Maggie O'Farrell (b092sh31)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
FRI 13:45 Under One Roof (m002v89m)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:45 today]
FRI 14:00 Wordaholics (b01c7lk6)
Series 1
Episode 1
Clever, intelligent, witty and unexpected! Wordaholics is the comedy panel game all about words.
Gyles Brandreth presides over toponyms, abbreviations, euphemisms, old words, new words, cockney rhyming slang, Greek gobbledegook, plus the panellists' picks of the ugliest and the most beautiful words.
Ready to vie for wordy supremacy in the ring:
Stephen Fry
Natalie Haynes
Milton Jones
Lloyd Langford
Written by Jon Hunter and James Kettle.
Find out the meaning of words like giff-gaff, knock-knobbler and buckfitches, plus the difference between French marbles, French velvet and the French ache.
Hear the glorious poetry of the English language, as practised by writers varying from William Shakespeare to Vanilla Ice - and spend half an hour laughing and learning with some of the finest Wordaholics in the business.
Producer: Claire Jones.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 2012.
FRI 14:30 Time for Mrs Milliner (m002v89r)
Episode 1
A four-part comedy drama written by Lynne Truss, starring Jane Asher.
Susan is determined that for just 30-minutes each week she will sit down and enjoy her favourite TV show 'Mrs Milliner', set in the world of hat selling.
But every time she settles down to watch, somebody or something stops her - in this episode, it's a possessive boyfriend and an accident prone window cleaner.
If only Susan could be more like Mrs Milliner, a forceful captain-of-industry, who not only gets her own way, but also makes the most fantastical hats.
Mrs Milliner .... Jane Asher
Susan .... Caroline Harker
Gerald .... Jonathan Coy
Gordon .... Jason Hughes
Elsie and Lady Hannington .... Beth Chalmers
Lord Hannington and cockney driver .... Stephen Critchlow
Producer Dawn Ellis
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 2003.
FRI 15:00 Queen Lucia by EF Benson (b08yr2sz)
4. Purgatory and a Princess
Lucia fails to comprehend but Colonel Boucher's eyes are opened - and Daisy get the message.
Comedy series based on EF Benson's novel.
Starring Barbara Jefford and Jonathan Cecil
Dramatised and narrated by Aubrey Woods.
Lucia .... Barbara Jefford
Georgie Pillson .... Jonathan Cecil
Olga Bracely ..... June Tobin
Colonel Boucher .... Bernard Brown
Mrs Weston .... Margot Boyd
Princess Popoffski .... Margaret Robertson
Daisy Quantock .... Jane Wenham
Peppino .... David Garth
Grosvenor .... Narissa Knights
Footman ... Colin Starkey
Cortese ... Nicholas Courtney
Princess's secretary .... Arnold Diamond
Producer: John Cardy
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 1984.
FRI 15:45 Anita and Me by Meera Syal (b00fwq9n)
9. Robert
Papa says the family can visit India at Christmas. Mama has discovered that the diamond necklace, that Meena borrowed without permission, is missing and an Indian bank manager, is assaulted in Tollington.
Actress and comedy writer Meera Syal continues her first novel - abridged in ten parts by Doreen Estall.
Producer: Di Speirs
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1996.
FRI 16:00 Soul Music (b05tkzn5)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 today]
FRI 16:30 Sid James - Not Just a Dirty Laugh (b01s4762)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:30 today]
FRI 17:00 John le Carré (m002v89k)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
FRI 17:30 Falco (b008kmgp)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
FRI 18:00 No Commitments (b007jmsc)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
FRI 18:30 Steptoe and Son (b007jn1s)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
FRI 19:00 Tudur Owen: Zoo (m000k3gj)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
FRI 19:30 I Am, I Am, I Am by Maggie O'Farrell (b092sh31)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
FRI 19:45 Under One Roof (m002v89m)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:45 today]
FRI 20:00 Wordaholics (b01c7lk6)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:00 today]
FRI 20:30 Time for Mrs Milliner (m002v89r)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:30 today]
FRI 21:00 Queen Lucia by EF Benson (b08yr2sz)
[Repeat of broadcast at 15:00 today]
FRI 21:45 Anita and Me by Meera Syal (b00fwq9n)
[Repeat of broadcast at 15:45 today]
FRI 22:00 Stand-Up Specials (m0017t5d)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
FRI 22:30 Josh Howie's Losing It (m0000qv9)
Series 2
The Covenant
Stand-up comic Josh and his wife try to come to terms with the arrival of their first child.
Josh tries to convince a mohel that Monique was born Jewish – and there’s an unusual item to dispose of.
Sitcom starring Josh Howie and Pippa Evans.
Written by Josh Howie.
Josh ...... Josh Howie
Monique ...... Pippa Evans
With:
Paul Chahidi
Caroline Mabey
Natasha Radski
Xavi Spencer
Emma Jay Thomas
Producer: Ashley Blaker
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 2018.
FRI 23:00 The Mark Steel Lecture (b007jlw6)
Series 2
Lord Byron
The life and times of the 'mad, bad and dangerous to know' Romantic poet, Lord Byron.
Mark Steel lectures humourously about historical figures that have shaped their era.
With:
Melanie Hudson
Martin Hyder
Producer: Lucy Armitage
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 2001.
FRI 23:30 The Show What You Wrote (b036kysj)
Series 1
Historical
This is the ketch show made up entirely from sketches sent in by the public.
We've picked the best sketches from thousands of submissions to make each show, based on different themes, from kitchen sink drama, to suspense heavy thrillers.
This episode is all about history.
Recorded in Manchester in front of a live audience.
Starring:
John Thomson
Helen Moon
Fiona Clarke
Gavin Webster
Written by Adam Lebovits, Alex Clissold-Jones, Allnutt & Simpson, Andrew Spence, Callum Scott, Charlie Mizon, Dave McKeon, Eleanor Green, Graham Kilvington, Kev Core, Matthew Smith, Michael DeFroand, Phil Collinge, Rob Hayes, Sam Gore, Simon Copley & Oliver Taylor, Simon Ounsworth, Tom Neenan.
Script Editor: Jon Hunter
Producers: Carl Cooper & Alexandra Smith
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 2013.