SATURDAY 23 MAY 2026

SAT 00:00 Soul Music (m000xr7r)
Smalltown Boy by Bronski Beat
This disco classic tells a powerful story: that of a young, gay man leaving his homophobic small town for the freedom of the big city.
Released in 1984, Smalltown Boy continues to resonate and has become an anthem for the LGBTQ+ community.
The track appeared on their album 'The Age of Consent' which drew attention to the inequality between the ages at which heterosexual people and homosexual men were legally able to have sex.
Taking part in the programme:
Shaun Dellenty, an ex primary school leader and author who developed an award winning LGBT+ training programme 'Celebrating Difference-Inclusion For All' which he now delivers to students and staff around the world.
Paul Flynn, journalist and author of 'Good As You, 30 Years of Gay Britain'.
Diane Anderson-Minshall, CEO and Editorial Director of Pride Media.
Colin Crummy, freelance journalist
Neil Brand, pianist, composer, writer and broadcaster
Adam Carver aka Fatt Butcher, drag artist, creative producer, and community organiser.
Archive: The audio of Jimmy Somerville is taken from the BBC archives
Music: various versions of Smalltown Boy by Jimmy Somerville, and Bronski Beat. Also covers by Dido, and Orville Peck.
Producer: Karen Gregor for BBC Audio in Bristol
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 2021.
SAT 00:30 The Symbols of Bliss (b08y26qf)
Charles Bliss was a remarkable utopian visionary.
His experiences as a young witness to the pogroms and then Dachau and Buchenwald made him determined to put all his effort into finding a means of bringing about peace between nations.
His big inspiration was his belief that conflict arose when people misunderstood each other, or misinterpreted the other’s language.
A new visual language based on ideograms would, he felt, prevent such misunderstanding - and he spent years both perfecting and then trying to sell his new system, which he named Semantography and which has become commonly known as Blissymbolics. 
As Michael Symmons Roberts will explain, Bliss and his wife Claire sent thousands of letters to academics and librarians across the world without success, but then decades later his language was taken up in an entirely unexpected way - as a means of communicating with children with cerebral palsy.
Sadly this apparent turn of good fortune did not lead to a happy ending, and Bliss died an apparently frustrated and lonely man.
Nonetheless, as Michael will explain, he was a great utopian visionary whose determined effort to change the world single-handedly might not have finally paid off, but he left a great legacy behind in his linguistic achievement and in the thousands whom he helped to communicate with the world.
Michael meets one of those people, Peter Zein, as well as Shirley McNaughton, the nurse who was one of the key figures in applying Blissymbolics to special needs education, and Brian Stride, a personal friend and admirer of Bliss. 
Producer: Geoff Bird
A Sparklab production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in July 2017.
SAT 01:00 The Events at Black Tor (b0891m27)
6. The Deepest Dark
As the sect begin their ceremony, the police move in.
As Jamie moves closer, he recognises one of the worshippers in the firelight...
Starring Brian Peck, Juliet Cooke and Bob Grant.
A mysterious letter has sparked a terrifying chain of events for policeman Jamie and his wife Pam.
Conclusion of Roy Clarke's thriller serial set on the bleak Yorkshire Moors.
PC Jamie Hewitt ...... Brian Peck
Pam Hewitt ...... Juliet Cooke
Sergeant ...... James Beck
Father Probert ...... Bob Grant
Superintendent... David Mahlowe
Brown.............. Colin Edwynn
Palmer.............. John Nettles
Dog handler.... Robert Powell
Director: Alan Ayckbourn
First broadcast on BBC Radio 2 in May 1968.
SAT 01:30 Charles Chilton - Journey into Space (b007jmt2)
Operation Luna
5. The First of Many
The stalled rocket ship prevents Captain Jet Morgan and his crew from making their return to Earth.
Starring Andrew Faulds and Guy Kingsley-Poynter.
Written and produced by Charles Chilton.
Jet Morgan …. Andrew Faulds
Lemmy Barnett …. Alfie Bass
Doc …. Guy Kingsley-Poynter
Mitch …. David Williams
Other parts played by:
David Jacobs
Music composed and orchestra conducted by Van Phillips.
The original 1953 recordings of this futuristic series were erased.
This series was re-recorded and first broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in April 1958.
SAT 02:00 Dry Slopes (b00ly7c2)
Series 1
Dry Wit
Friendless, jobless Angus writes a requiem to himself. He is really a genius, you know
Nick Ball’s sitcom about the unemployed son of a high-flying mother.
Angus Dry ...... Nick Ball
Mum ...... Louisa Rix
With:
Robert Harley
Toby Longworth
Julie Gibbs
Producer: Gareth Edwards
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 1995.
SAT 02:30 Steptoe and Son (b007jnfd)
Series 5
Men of Letters
Albert butts in as Harold attempts to write an article for the church magazine.
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
The Vicar …. Anthony Sharp
With:
Norman Bird
Jeanne Cook
Michael McClain
Producer: Bobby Jaye
First broadcast on the BBC Radio 2 in June 1974.
SAT 03:00 To Hull and Back (b09tcnm7)
Series 3
Fourth in Show
When Sophie's new boyfriend Imran tells her he doesn't like her glasses, she's desperate for a pair of Givenchy designer specs.
But the salon's client list is still worryingly short and she can't get the money together.
So when she hears a dog show is coming to town with big cash prizes to be won for well groomed pets, Sophie realises how she might be able to make her designer dreams a reality.
Meanwhile, Sheila makes a worrying discovery and Jean meets a potential girlfriend...
Starring Lucy Beaumont and Maureen Lipman.
Lucy Beaumont’s warm-hearted sitcom about Sophie's efforts to escape her overbearing mother, Sheila.
Sophie ...... Lucy Beaumont
Sheila ...... Maureen Lipman
Jean ...... Kerrie Marsh
Ernie ...... Norman Lovett
Baker ...... Debra Baker
Dotty ...... Annie Sawle
Producer: Sam Michell
A BBC Studios production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in March 2018.
SAT 03:30 The Diaries of Adrian Mole (b0b9zgd1)
The Growing Pains of Adrian Mole
5. The Love of a Good Woman
Adrian Mole runs away from home with the dog, but nobody seems to notice his absence.
Margaret Thatcher calls a general election.
The second book in the exquisitely funny Adrian Mole series by Sue Townsend.
Abridged by Sara Davies.
Read by Harry McEntire,
Producer: Alexa Moore
A Pier production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in July 2018.
SAT 03:45 The Little Ottleys (b012r998)
Series 2
5. Cat out of the Bag
Has Madame Frabelle discovered Edith's secret love for Aylmer?
Ada Leverson's witty and wonderful social comedy set in early 20th century London.
Dramatised by Martyn Wade.
Ada Leverson ........... Haydn Gwynne
Edith ........... Juliet Aubrey
Bruce ........... Bertie Carvel
Aylmer ........... Jonathan Firth
Madame Frabelle ........... Jane Whittenshaw
Director: Tracey Neale.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 2011.
SAT 04:00 Wordaholics (b01d0prh)
Series 1
Episode 4
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:
Natalie Haynes
Michael Rosen
Arthur Smith
Paul Sinha
Written by Jon Hunter and James Kettle
Producer: Claire Jones.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 2012.
SAT 04:30 Ballylenon (b007nfs3)
Series 1
Episode 1
Series set in the sleepy town of Ballylenon, Co Donegal, in 1953, before the days of mass tourism in Ireland - and proper plumbing in every home.
Trouble brews when the McConkey sisters join forces with hotel owner, Phonsie Doherty.
They're campaigning for the demolition of the Georgian courthouse to make way for a car park.
Written by Christopher Fitz-Simon.
Written by Christopher Fitz-Simon
Phonsie Doherty ...... TP McKenna
Muriel Maconchy ...... Margaret D'Arcy
Vera Maconchy ...... Stella McCusker
Vivienne Boal ...... Aine McCartney
Guard Gallagher ...... John Hewitt
Stumpy Bonner ...... Gerard McSorley
Rev Samuel Hawthorne ...... Gerard Murphy
RL Watson ...... Roma Tomelty
O'Brollochain ...... Kevin Flood
Music arranged and performed by Stephanie Hughes.
Director: Eoin O'Callaghan
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in June 1994.
SAT 05:00 Marvellous Party by Jon Wynne-Tyson (b08n400b)
1950s Las Vegas: sparks fly as Noel Coward gets a visit from his old close friend, Esme Wynne-Tyson.
Starring Stanley Baxter and Dorothy Tutin.
A child actress in London’s West End, Esme became a close friend of the young Noel Coward.
Here her son, Jon, imagines a meeting in the city of Las Vegas, between his mother and Coward in middle-age.
Written and adapted for radio by Jon Wynne-Tyson.
Noel ...... Stanley Baxter
Esme ...... Dorothy Tutin
Gary ...... Peter Whitman
Waiter/Bellboy/Engineer ...... David Holt
Director: Neil Cargill
First broadcast on the BBC World Service in May 1994.
SAT 06:00 Single Spies: An Englishman Abroad and A Question of Attribution by Alan Bennett (m002wskl)
**** 4 Extra marks 75 years since British diplomats turned KGB spies, Guy Burgess and Donald Maclean, defected to the Soviet Union on May 25th 1951
Two classic Alan Bennett spy dramas performed together.
An Englishman Abroad
1958. A squalid flat in Moscow. Over a paltry lunch, exiled spy Guy Burgess interrogates actress Coral Browne about English society gossip and then asks her to get him some new clothes from London.
Guy Burgess .... Simon Callow
Coral .... Brigit Forsyth
Tailor .... Robert Pickavance
Tolya/Shop assistant .... Peter Swander
Pianola and Balalaika played by Matthew Compton and David Carol.
A Question of Attribution
Set in the 1960s, before Professor Anthony Blunt, the director of the Courtauld Institute, was exposed and disgraced as a spy. Blunt is replacing a Titian at the Palace when Her Majesty the Queen comes in. The painting is a fake.
Anthony Blunt .... Edward Petherbridge
Chubb .... Nicky Henson
The Queen .... Prunella Scales
Colin .... Harry Myers
Restorer .... Robert Pickavance
Philips .... Dan Stevens
Producer Susan Roberts
First broadcast on Radio 4 in September 2006.
SAT 07:30 Witness History: The Cambridge Spies (p0061yb8)
**** 4 Extra marks 75 years since British diplomats turned KGB spies, Guy Burgess and Donald Maclean, defected to the Soviet Union on May 25th 1951
Guy Burgess and Donald Maclean were recruited as communist spies while at university in Cambridge.
But their activities in Britain only came to light at the height of the Cold War in February 1956.
Louise Hildago follows their story.
Presenter/Producer: Louise Hildago
First broadcast on the BBC World Service in February 2010.
SAT 07:40 Humanly Possible by Sarah Bakewell (Omnibus) (m002wsks)
Prize-winning writer Sarah Bakewell explores 700 years of humanist freethinking, enquiry and hope.
It begins in Tuscany in the 1300s where life is uncertain and conflict and hostilities are rife. Into this febrile atmosphere come Petrarch and Boccaccio.
Omnibus of five episodes abridged by Richard Hamilton.
Read by Emma Fielding.
* In this series, we encounter Petrarch and Boccaccio who look back to the ancients for models of good living based on friendship, wisdom and the power of words.
* Then we encounter Erasmus and find out about his views on education and civility.
* We'll also come across Wilhelm von Humboldt who re-designed Prussia's education system in the nineteenth century and ensured that it was founded on principles of mutual kindness and liberty.
* Moving on to the mid-19th century we meet Darwin who with his ground breaking theories on evolution, and the writings of TH Huxley gave rise to scientific humanism.
* In the concluding episode, the 20th century's humanists are compelled to confront the horrors of the WWII and its far-reaching consequences.
Sarah Bakewell is the award-winning author of 'How to Live' and 'At the Existentialist Cafe'. Here Bakewell delves into the lives of the thinkers who throughout history have set about understanding what it means to be human, and so created the school of thought that we know today as humanism.
Producer: Elizabeth Allard
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 2023.
SAT 08:45 The Fosdyke Saga (b007js01)
11. Blackmail
"He's blackmailing me. We're done for!" Roger Ditchley starts menacing the Fosdyke family.

A classic tale of struggle, power, personalities and tripe.
Bill Tidy and John Junkin's family saga - based on Tidy's Daily Mirror cartoon strip [1971-1985] parodying John Galsworthy's 'The Forsyte Saga' novels.
Rebecca Fosdyke …. Stephanie Turner
Josiah Fosdyke …. Philip Lowrie
Victoria Fosdyke …. Miriam Margolyes
Tom Fosdyke …. David Threlfall
Albert Fosdyke …. Enn Reitel
Roger Ditchley …. Christian Rodska
von Richtofen …. Larry Lamb
With:
Trevor Cooper
David English
Nick Maloney
Nick Revell
Producer: Alan Nixon
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 1983.
SAT 09:00 The Eric Morecambe and Ernie Wise Show (b01jt0yr)
Series 1
Episode 3
Ernie takes Eric to a wig boutique and the BBC's offering Ern a lucrative new contract - but what about Eric?
Starring Ernie Wise and Eric Morecambe.
Written by Eddie Braben.
Special singing guest: Anita Harris.
With:
Anne Hamilton
Arthur Tolcher
Music by Dennis Wilson & His Orchestra.
Producer: John Browell
First broadcast on BBC Radio 2 in February 1975.
SAT 09:30 Beyond Our Ken (m000q13x)
Series 4
Episode 15
Kenneth Horne reveals the first words spoken by baby Ken in 'The Kenneth Williams Story'.
Plus 'Hornerama' investigates housing.
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
The precursor to ‘Round The Horne’, ‘Beyond Our Ken’ hit the airwaves in 1958 and ran to 1964
Producer: Jacques Brown
First broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in January 1961.
SAT 10:00 The Inimitable PG Wodehouse (m000vhrf)
1. In the Offing
“Everything in life that’s any fun, as somebody wisely observed, is either immoral, illegal or fattening.” PG Wodehouse, Girl in Blue [1970]
Alexander Armstrong attended the special dedication to PG Wodehouse [1881-1975] at Westminster Abbey in September 2019, where sections of this programme were recorded.
Wodehouse was widely regarded as the greatest comic author of the 20th century, and you can enjoy a collection of some his best loved work.
First of a three-part celebration featuring such creations as the feckless Bertie Wooster and his phlegmatic manservant, Jeeves, and many others.
All are brought to life on radio by stars including:
Simon Cadell
Michael Hordern
Richard Briers
We’ll also hear rare interviews and archive along with contributions from fans, friends and family and Part One includes: What Ho Jeeves! - Joy In the Morning: Florence Craye. Trapped in Steeple Bumpleigh, Bertie Wooster meets an old flame. PG Wodehouse romp stars Richard Briers and Michael Hordern.
Celebrating the comic brilliance of PG Wodehouse is a personal passion for presenter Alexander Armstrong, especially as he’s president of the PG Wodehouse Society – which attracts followers from all over the world.
Producer: Stephen Garner
Made for BBC Radio 4 Extra and first broadcast in January 2020.
SAT 11:00 Single Spies: An Englishman Abroad and A Question of Attribution by Alan Bennett (m002wskl)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
SAT 12:30 Witness History: The Cambridge Spies (p0061yb8)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
SAT 12:40 Humanly Possible by Sarah Bakewell (Omnibus) (m002wsks)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:40 today]
SAT 13:45 The Fosdyke Saga (b007js01)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:45 today]
SAT 14:00 The Eric Morecambe and Ernie Wise Show (b01jt0yr)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
SAT 14:30 Beyond Our Ken (m000q13x)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 today]
SAT 15:00 The Inimitable PG Wodehouse (m000vhrf)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 today]
SAT 16:00 Spine Chillers (b0886z49)
Figures by Colin Haydn Evans
As soon as Ann saw the house she knew it had to be hers.
Its past turns out to be part of her future.
So all she has to do is sit in the upstairs room - kept locked for so long - and wait...
Starring Anna Massey.
Written by Colin Haydn Evans.
Ann ...... Anna Massey
Ralph Symons ...... Blain Fairman
Rebecca Symons ...... Jill Lidstone
Peter Fuller ...... Jon Strickland
Alex Slade ...... Michael Bilton
Director: Ian Cotterell
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 1984.
SAT 16:45 Edinburgh Haunts (b03dvx6d)
I Remember Yesterday by Val McDermid
A young woman haunts 'the Serpent's Back' of The Royal Mile in Edinburgh.
To the strains of Donna Summer's 1970s song 'I Remember Yesterday' - she is out to seek revenge...
Written by bestselling crime writer Val McDermid.
Series of new ghost stories set in Edinburgh from leading Scottish writers.
Read by Hannah Donaldson
Producer: Allegra McIlroy
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 2013.
SAT 17:00 Single Spies: An Englishman Abroad and A Question of Attribution by Alan Bennett (m002wskl)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
SAT 18:30 Witness History: The Cambridge Spies (p0061yb8)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
SAT 18:40 Humanly Possible by Sarah Bakewell (Omnibus) (m002wsks)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:40 today]
SAT 19:45 The Fosdyke Saga (b007js01)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:45 today]
SAT 20:00 The Eric Morecambe and Ernie Wise Show (b01jt0yr)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
SAT 20:30 Beyond Our Ken (m000q13x)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 today]
SAT 21:00 The Inimitable PG Wodehouse (m000vhrf)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 today]
SAT 22:00 Paul Sinha's Perfect Pub Quiz (m0016xvv)
Series 1
Round 3: Four-Letter Words
The problem with quizzes is that the same questions keep coming up, like 'Who was the first US President to be assassinated?' **
So the more quizzes you do the more predictable they get. Luckily, here comes quizzer, comedian and Rose d’Or winner Paul Sinha with his latest series.
He’s inviting the audience to tell him their favourite quiz questions, before offering up not just different and surprising questions, but also the fascinating stories behind the answers.
The answers to every question this week are four-letter words - such as 'quiz', not the ones you're thinking of.
It’s facts, jokes, stories and puns – just the way you like them.
Written and performed by Paul Sinha.
Additional material: Oliver Levy
Additional questions The Audience
Original music: Tim Sutton
Sound engineer: Jerry Peal
Producer: Ed Morrish
A Lead Mojo production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in May 2022.
** Abraham Lincoln, as you well know.
SAT 22:30 Ivo Graham's Obsessions (m000dqh7)
Joe Lycett's Obsessions - Series 2
Mary Berry and Holly Walsh
Joe Lycett is back to explore the nation's weird and wonderful obsessions.
He's joined on the sofa by a selection of famous and not-so-famous guests.
National treasure Mary Berry shares her love of her dog Darcy, whilst comedian Holly Walsh reveals her obsession with badgers.
Joe also welcomes members of the public to share their secret passions, as well as this week's VOP (very obsessed person), Lucy Harper, a YouTube ASMR artists.
Written and performed by Joe Lycett
With material from James Kettle.
Additional material from Catherine Brinkworth and Kat Sadler.
Producer: Suzy Grant
A BBC Studios Audio production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in January 2020.
SAT 22:55 The Comedy Club Interviews (m002x1s9)
Patrick Monahan 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 Patrick Monahan.
SAT 23:00 Tom Wrigglesworth's Hang-Ups (b04svfsc)
Series 2
The Separatists
When the lights from a new zebra crossing outside Tom's parent's house causes insomnia in the Wrigglesworth household, Tom's dad is forced to take matters into his own hands and cause a fuss.
Not perhaps in the way everyone else would though...
Meanwhile, Tom is down in London preparing himself for a visit from the bailiffs.
Tom ...... Tom Wrigglesworth
Granny ...... Judy Parfitt
Dad ...... Paul Copley
Mum ...... Kate Anthony
Written by Tom Wrigglesworth and James Kettle. With Miles Jupp.
Producer: Katie Tyrrell
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 2014.
SAT 23:30 Radio Active (b007k39v)
Series 5
Did You Catch It?
Sir Norman Tonsil attempts to review his radio station's output, including a novel way of choosing the Choir of the Year.
Radio Active is the one and only local national radio station.
Starring:
Helen Atkinson-Wood
Geoffrey Perkins
Angus Deayton
Philip Pope
Michael Fenton-Stevens
Music by Philip Pope and Richard Curtis.
Written by Angus Deayton and Geoffrey Perkins with Jeremy Pascall.
Producer: Jamie Rix
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 1985.

SUNDAY 24 MAY 2026

SUN 00:00 Spine Chillers (b0886z49)
[Repeat of broadcast at 16:00 on Saturday]
SUN 00:45 Edinburgh Haunts (b03dvx6d)
[Repeat of broadcast at 16:45 on Saturday]
SUN 01:00 Single Spies: An Englishman Abroad and A Question of Attribution by Alan Bennett (m002wskl)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 on Saturday]
SUN 02:30 Witness History: The Cambridge Spies (p0061yb8)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 on Saturday]
SUN 02:40 Humanly Possible by Sarah Bakewell (Omnibus) (m002wsks)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:40 on Saturday]
SUN 03:45 The Fosdyke Saga (b007js01)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:45 on Saturday]
SUN 04:00 The Eric Morecambe and Ernie Wise Show (b01jt0yr)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 on Saturday]
SUN 04:30 Beyond Our Ken (m000q13x)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 on Saturday]
SUN 05:00 The Inimitable PG Wodehouse (m000vhrf)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 on Saturday]
SUN 06:00 Desert Island Discs Revisited (m002wsrj)
Naturalist Castaways
Isabella Tree
Conservationist Isabella Tree is castaway by Lauren Laverne.
Isabella wrote the award-winning book ‘Wilding: the Return of Nature to a British Farm’, which tells the story of rewilding a 3,500 acre farm estate in Sussex, which she oversaw with her husband Charlie.
The adopted daughter of Michael Tree and Lady Anne Cavendish, Isabella grew up in Mereworth Castle in Kent, and then in Shute House, a vicarage in Dorset. Following her expulsion from two secondary schools, she attended Millfield School as a sixth former, where mutual friends introduced her to her future husband.
After reading classics at the University of London, she went on to work as a journalist and travel writer for the Evening Standard and The Sunday Times. Her first book, The Bird Man, about the Victorian ornithologist John Gould, was published in 1991.
She married Charles Burrell in 1993 and settled at Knepp, a dairy and arable farm in Sussex. She continued to travel, writing books about Papua New Guinea, Nepal and Mexico.
In 2000 Isabella and Charlie closed the farm business at Knepp, and turned the estate into a conservation project, letting the land develop on its own, and eventually introducing free-roaming animals – cattle, pigs, deer and ponies.
Two decades later, the project has seen extraordinary increases in wildlife, fungi, and vegetation with extremely rare species like turtle doves, nightingales, peregrine falcons and purple emperor butterflies breeding there. The soil is richer in micro-organisms which help to recapture carbon from the air and promote a functioning ecosystem where nature is given as much freedom as possible.
She lives at Knepp with her husband Charlie and has two children, Ned and Nancy.
DISC ONE: ‘The Whole of the Moon’ by The Waterboys
DISC TWO: ‘These Foolish Things’ by Billie Holiday
DISC THREE: ‘Life’s a Gas’ by T. Rex
DISC FOUR: ‘Where’s the Telephone Bill? by Bootsy’s Rubber Band
DISC FIVE: ‘Three Little Birds’ by Bob Marley
DISC SIX: Mozart’s Clarinet Quintet, played by the Brindisi String Quartet
DISC SEVEN: BBC Sound recording of Nightingales And Bombers The Night Of The Mannheim Raid
DISC EIGHT: ‘Dancing in the Moonlight’ by Toploader
BOOK CHOICE: War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy
LUXURY ITEM: Mask, snorkel and a neoprene vest
CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: These Foolish Things by Billie Holiday
Presenter: Lauren Laverne
Producer: Cathy Drysdale
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 2019.
SUN 06:45 Witness (b04wmy4c)
The Making of Kind of Blue
***Visionary jazz musician Miles Davis joins BBC Radio 4 Extra's 100 Club – born 26th May 1926. He died in 1991 aged 65***
Drummer Jimmy Cobb recalls playing with Miles Davis on the album that changed jazz for ever.
Kind of Blue was recorded in just two sessions at 30th Street Studios in New York City in 1959.
Presenter: Mike Lanchin
Producer: Kirsty Reid
First broadcast on BBC Radio in December 2014.
SUN 07:00 Poetry Extra (m002wsrl)
Conversations on a Bench - Ilford
Poet Daljit Nagra revisits the BBC's poetry archive and selects Conversations on a Bench – Ilford.
Anna Scott-Brown hears more stories from the people who stop to sit beside her on benches around the country.
In this edition, she’s on a bench in Ilford in East London.
Throughout the programme, a specially commissioned work by the poet Hussain Manawer draws on the voices of those passing by – and sometimes pausing on – the bench beside Valentines Mansion in Valentines Park.
It creates a portrait of a diverse London borough built on farmland, and the constant flow of people arriving and moving on. From the first white middle class residents to the Jews and people of the Windrush generation, arrivals from Asia and latterly Somali - immigrants and refugees.
Rising crime is pushing some people out, and the bench is dedicated to Levi Miller who took his own life. But what we learn from Ilford is that, if the same energy that depresses you can be used for living life, life can be different.
Presented and produced by Anna Scott-Brown
An Overtone production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in March 2020.
SUN 07:30 The Growing Pains of Adrian Mole (Omnibus) (b007js72)
Adrian Mole goes on holiday with his parents to Skegness and makes an unwelcome discovery.
Read by Harry McEntire.
Sue Townsend is one of our most celebrated comic writers.
'The Growing Pains' is the second book serialised in her exquisitely funny Adrian Mole series
Omnibus of five episodes abridged by Sara Davies.
Adrian's parents are back together.
As the summer holidays begin, Adrian is still troubled by his spotty skin, but he continues to feel that his intellectual prowess sets him apart from his peers.
His aspirations for poetic fame and fortune are undimmed. Whilst his mother heads off with her women's group to Greenham Common, Adrian's own interest in politics starts to grow, alongside his dislike for Margaret Thatcher.
As his parents struggle to make ends meet and to sort out their differences, Adrian enjoys a more settled relationship with Pandora but is eager to move things on a stage further.
Producer: Alexa Moore
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2018.
SUN 08:40 Inheritance Tracks (m002wsrn)
Matt Edmondson
BBC Radio 1 DJ Matt Edmondson chooses ‘I Want It That Way’ by Backstreet Boys and ‘Green Light’ by Lorde.
SUN 08:50 The Little Ottleys (b012wzzb)
Omnibus
Series 2
It's 1916. The Little Ottleys, as they were called, have a new daughter and have moved from their very concise flat to a very concise house.
Time has passed and Edith has tried to forget Aylmer Ross, but some startling news is about to break...
Continuing Ada Leverson's witty and wonderful social comedy set in Edwardian London
Omnibus of five parts dramatised by Martyn Wade.
Ada Leverson .......... Haydn Gwynne
Edith .......... Juliet Aubrey
Bruce .......... Bertie Carvel
Aylme .......... .Jonathan Firth
Madame Frabelle .......... Jane Whittenshaw
Hyacinth .......... Alex Tregear
Dulcie .......... Leah Brotherhead
Lady Conroy .......... Joanna Monro
Director: Tracey Neale
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 2011.
SUN 10:00 Meet the Huggetts (b00nm0k5)
Transatlantic Tangle
The Huggett family are baffled by a mystery letter that arrives from America.
Starring Jack Warner and Kathleen Harrison.
The popular working-class Huggett family first hit the cinema screen with a series of Gainsborough films between 1947 and 1949.
This subsequent BBC radio series ran from 1953 to 1962.
Selection of surviving episodes in the BBC Archive.
Written by Eddie Maguire.
Joe …. Jack Warner
Ethel …. Kathleen Harrison
Bobby …. George Howell
Jane …. Marion Collins
Fred Stebbings …. Charles Leno
Mamie Webb …. Patrica Hayes
Producer: Jacques Brown
First broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in September 1957.
SUN 10:30 Frankie Howerd (m002wsrq)
From 14/08/1966
The King of Titters has problems with taxes and his TV is on the blink.
But he still has time to play the hero at sea.
Written by Charles Hart and Peter Bishop.
Starring Frankie Howerd.
With:
June Whitfield
Wallas Eaton
Robertson Hare
Producer: Bill Worsley
First broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in August 1966.
***Recovered audio. Our thanks to our friends at the Radio Circle***
SUN 11:00 Desert Island Discs Revisited (m002wsrj)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
SUN 11:45 Witness (b04wmy4c)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:45 today]
SUN 12:00 Poetry Extra (m002wsrl)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
SUN 12:30 The Growing Pains of Adrian Mole (Omnibus) (b007js72)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
SUN 13:40 Inheritance Tracks (m002wsrn)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:40 today]
SUN 13:50 The Little Ottleys (b012wzzb)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:50 today]
SUN 15:00 Meet the Huggetts (b00nm0k5)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 today]
SUN 15:30 Frankie Howerd (m002wsrq)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:30 today]
SUN 16:00 Ancient Sorceries by Algernon Blackwood (b007jvxm)
2. Feeling Watched
On impulse, Vesin gets off his train home and decides to spend the night in a small, sleepy, medieval village town whose mysterious inhabitants surreptitiously watch him.
He intends to stay one night but he stays longer than planned and gets to know the streets of the town.
He feels watched even though no one appears to take any notice of him.
Vesin starts wondering whether the people actually come alive at night and wonders if the town is in the hands of cats.
Vesin begins to feel uneasy and that strange forces are tugging at his very being...
Algernon Blackwood's dark tale unabridged in four parts.
Read by Philip Madoc.
Producer: Lawrence Jackson
Made for BBC 7 by BBC Northern Ireland and first broadcast in September 2005.
SUN 16:30 Fear on 4 (b007jn9t)
Series 2
The Horn
Three strangers are trapped in a snowstorm on a remote stretch of motorway.
They find themselves listening for the sound of a horn which they believe will lead them to safety.
They are very much mistaken...
The Man in Black sets the chilling scene...
Fear on 4 brings you more in a series of nerve-tinglers.
Written by Stephen Gallagher
The Man In Black …. Edward de Souza
Nathan …. John Castle
Mick …. Philip Sully
David …. Peter Gunn
The Snowplough Driver …. Christopher Scott
The Girl (spectral voice) …. Cara Kelly
Director: Martin Jenkins
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 1989.
SUN 17:00 Desert Island Discs Revisited (m002wsrj)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
SUN 17:45 Witness (b04wmy4c)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:45 today]
SUN 18:00 Poetry Extra (m002wsrl)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
SUN 18:30 The Growing Pains of Adrian Mole (Omnibus) (b007js72)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
SUN 19:40 Inheritance Tracks (m002wsrn)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:40 today]
SUN 19:50 The Little Ottleys (b012wzzb)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:50 today]
SUN 21:00 Meet the Huggetts (b00nm0k5)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 today]
SUN 21:30 Frankie Howerd (m002wsrq)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:30 today]
SUN 22:00 Clare in the Community (b008nzwn)
Series 4
Mother Of All Mothers
Clare's mother piles pressure onto Clare and Brian's already faltering relationship.
Sally Phillips is Clare Barker the social worker who has all the right jargon but never a practical solution.
A control freak, Clare likes nothing better than interfering in other people's lives on both a professional and personal basis. Clare is in her 30s, white, middle class and heterosexual, all of which are occasional causes of discomfort to her.
Clare continually struggles to control both her professional and private life.
In today's Big Society there are plenty of challenges out there for an involved, caring social worker. Or even Clare.
Written by Harry Venning and David Ramsden.
Clare ...... Sally Phillips
Brian ..... Alex Lowe
Ray ..... Richard Lumsden
Helen ..... Gemma Craven
Irene ..... Ellen Thomas
Megan ..... Nina Conti
Simon ..... Andrew Wincott
Celia Barker ..... Brigit Forsyth
Malcolm Barker ..... Martin Hyder
Producer: Katie Tyrrell
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 2008.
SUN 22:30 Hamish and Dougal: You'll Have Had Your Tea (b007k0x6)
Series 2
The Vampire of the Glen
Suspicions are alerted when the laird asks the duo to dig a hole big enough to fit a coffin-shaped wardrobe.
Barry Cryer and Graeme Garden star as the two Scotsmen famed for their appearances on BBC Radio’s I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue.
With Alison Steadman as their cleaning-lady-cum-housekeeper, Mrs Naughtie, and Jeremy Hardy as the local Laird.
Hamish ...... Barry Cryer
Dougal ...... Graeme Garden
Mrs Naughtie ...... Alison Steadman
The Laird ...... Jeremy Hardy
Producer: Jon Naismith
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 2004.
SUN 22:45 Steven Appleby's Normal Life (b00slshn)
Series 2
Normal Reality
Cartoonist Steven Appleby is only mildly surprised to be identified as the Earth's supreme being by alien civilisations throughout the universe.
But where does reality end and fantasy begin?
Paul McCrink stars as Steven Appleby with what he laughably describes as "insights into normal, everyday life".
Written by Steven Appleby.
With:
Rosalind Paul
Ewan Bailey
Nigel Betts
Rachel Atkins
Producer: Toby Swift
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 2003
SUN 23:00 In and Out of the Kitchen (b03wp5j6)
Series 3
The Works Barbecue
Damien reluctantly helps out at Anthony's barbecue for some work colleagues.
Sitcom written by and starring Miles Jupp, charting the life of cookery writer Damien Trench and his partner Anthony.
Damien Trench ...... Miles Jupp
Anthony ...... Justin Edwards
Mr Mullaney ...... Brendan Dempsey
Marion Duffett ...... Lesley Vickerage
Damien's Mother ...... Selina Cadell
Brutus ...... David Seddon
Steven ...... Ade Oyefeso
Producer: Sam Michell
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 2014.
SUN 23:30 I've Never Seen Star Wars (b00r66c1)
Series 3
Sanjeev Bhaskar
Marcus Brigstocke invites his guest Sanjeev Baskar to try five things he really ought to have done by now, including reading PG Wodehouse.
Whether the experiences are banal or profound, the show is about embracing the new and getting out of our comfort zones.
The title comes from the fact that the show's producer and creator Bill Dare had never seen the film Star Wars.
Producer: Bill Dare
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 2010.

MONDAY 25 MAY 2026

MON 00:00 Ancient Sorceries by Algernon Blackwood (b007jvxm)
[Repeat of broadcast at 16:00 on Sunday]
MON 00:30 Fear on 4 (b007jn9t)
[Repeat of broadcast at 16:30 on Sunday]
MON 01:00 Desert Island Discs Revisited (m002wsrj)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 on Sunday]
MON 01:45 Witness (b04wmy4c)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:45 on Sunday]
MON 02:00 Poetry Extra (m002wsrl)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 on Sunday]
MON 02:30 The Growing Pains of Adrian Mole (Omnibus) (b007js72)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 on Sunday]
MON 03:40 Inheritance Tracks (m002wsrn)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:40 on Sunday]
MON 03:50 The Little Ottleys (b012wzzb)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:50 on Sunday]
MON 05:00 Meet the Huggetts (b00nm0k5)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 on Sunday]
MON 05:30 Frankie Howerd (m002wsrq)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:30 on Sunday]
MON 06:00 Detective (b04f8g8h)
Series 2
1. A Dream of Riches
A robbery from a scrap merchant turns out to be a far from straightforward case.
Plus a 'quiet' student proves to be anything but...
The return of Robert Barr's stories of crime and detection in London.
Starring Ray Brooks as shrewd veteran Detective Sergeant, Dave Brook.
With Christopher Blake as his young assistant, Detective Constable Blair Maxton.
DS Dave Brook …. Ray Brooks
DC Blair Maxton …. Christopher Blake
DC Harrison ...... Peter Cleall
Judy …. Jacqueline Tong
Mrs Brown …. Betty Alberge
Chief Inspector Roach …. Stephen Yardley
Carson …. Tony Caunter
Inspector Stevens …. Nicholas Courtney
Writer Robert Barr is well remembered for his work on BBC TV's 'Z-Cars' and 'Softly Softly'.
Producer: Martin Fisher
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 1982.
MON 06:30 Charles Chilton - Journey into Space (b007jmtk)
Operation Luna
6. The Irresistible Force
Captain Jet Morgan decides to investigate the dark side of the moon, before the ship returns to Earth.
Starring Andrew Faulds and David Williams.
Futuristic tale set in 1965 written and produced by Charles Chilton.
Jet Morgan …. Andrew Faulds
Lemmy Barnett …. Alfie Bass
Doc …. Guy Kingsley-Poynter
Mitch …. David Williams
Other parts played by:
David Jacobs
Music composed and orchestra conducted by Van Phillips.
The original 1953 recordings of this futuristic series were erased.
This series was re-recorded and first broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in April 1958.
MON 07:00 For Better or for Worse (b00g2glt)
Series 1
Episode 1
Dithering Bernard tries to get engaged to his flighty partner Iris.
Will she manage to persuade Bernard to buy her an engagement ring at last?
Starring Gorden Kaye and Su Pollard.
Vince Powell’s sitcom about the turbulent relationship of an odd couple.
Iris ...... Su Pollard
Bernard ...... Gorden Kaye
Wilf ...... David Ross
Daisy ...... Paula Tilbrook
Mr Foley ...... Peter Wheeler
Mr Matthews ...... John Jardine
Miss Parker ...... Julie Higginson
Vince Powell (1928–2009) wrote for many popular TV sitcoms including Love Thy Neighbour, For the Love of Ada and Never Mind the Quality, Feel the Width.
Producer: Mike Craig
First broadcast on BBC Radio 2 in February 1993.
MON 07:30 Dad's Army (b007jpp4)
Series 3
The Honourable Man
With a visitor from the Soviet Union due to pay a visit, Captain Mainwaring is feeling peeved with Sergeant Wilson.
The comic exploits of a Second World War Home Guard platoon in Walmington-on-Sea.
Adapted for radio from Jimmy Perry and David Croft's TV scripts by Harold Snoad and Michael Knowles.
Captain Mainwaring …. Arthur Lowe
Sergeant Wilson …. John Le Mesurier
Corporal Jones …. Clive Dunn
Private Frazer …. John Laurie
Private Pike …. Ian Lavender
Private Godfrey …. Arnold Ridley
Private Walker …. Larry Martin
Warden Hodges …. Bill Pertwee
The Town Clerk …. Julian Orchard
Russian Visitor .... Fraser Kerr
Announcer ...... John Snagge
Producer: John Dyas
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 1976.
MON 08:00 The Break (b0b3c42y)
Series 2
Van Crazy
Jeff and Andy borrow a van from Frank setting them on the road to ruin - or rather, a nude beach, A&E and a search for some drip trays.
Starring Philip Jackson, Tom Palmer and Alison Steadman.
Comedy by Ian Brown and James Hendrie set in the eccentric seaside town of Flamford following City burn-out Andy Chambers.
Frank … Mark Benton
Mrs Truepenny … Alison Steadman
Jeff … Tom Palmer
Andy … Philip Jackson
Truepenny … Rasmus Hardiker
Rev Bev … Shobna Gulati
Producer: Gordon Kennedy
An Absolutely production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in May 2018.
MON 08:30 The Lonely Londoners by Sam Selvon (b03phdbr)
1. Arrivals
Moses Aloetta is an old hand having lived in London for ten years.
He goes to Waterloo station to meet another boat train of hopeful new arrivals from the West Indies.
They've come to find work and wealth in the capital of the mother country, but they meet with a cold welcome and bitter weather.
Despite this, Moses and his friends of the Windrush generation go about making new lives for themselves with vigour and panache.
They navigate the rules and regulations of their new home, lending support to each other when needed, learning to survive.
It's not long before, as Moses puts it “the boys coming and going, working, eating, sleeping, going about the vast metropolis like veteran Londoners.”
Sam Selvon's rich and touching 1956 novel about the lives of a group of Caribbean immigrants in London.
Abridged in five parts by Lauris Morgan-Griffiths
Read by Don Warrington.
Producer: Sara Davies
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 2014.
MON 08:45 The Little Ottleys (b01lhbg6)
Series 3
1. "Something's Cropped Up"
Summer 1916: The Little Ottleys, as that fine-looking yet tall couple had been known - are a couple no longer......
Continuing Ada Leverson's witty social comedy set in early 20th century London.
Bruce Ottley headed off to America with widow Madame Frabelle. But he found life with her to be less than idyllic, and decides to return to England.
However, his wife Edith, is all set to marry the love of her life - Aylmer Ross. She takes pity on her former husband who now cuts rather a pathetic figure, and allows him into the spare room. How on earth can she tell Aylmer?
Dramatised in five episodes by Martyn Wade, taken from three of Ada Leverson's short novels written between 1908 and 1916:
* Love's Shadow
* Tenterhooks
* Love At Second Sightt
They were grouped together in n 1962 under the title of 'The Little Ottleys'.
Narrator Ada Leverson ........ Haydn Gwynne
Edith ........ Juliet Aubrey
Alymer ........ Jonathan Firth
Bruce ........ Ifan Meredith
Music: "Forgotten Dreams" - Max Jaffa with the Palm Court Orchestra
Director: Tracey Neale
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 2012.
MON 09:00 The Unbelievable Truth (m002wj0q)
Series 33
4. Advertising, The Beatles, Theatre and Underwear
David Mitchell hosts the panel game in which four comedians are encouraged to tell lies and compete against one another to see how many items of truth they’re able to smuggle past their opponents.
Henning Wehn, Holly Walsh, Miles Jupp and Lucy Porter are the panellists obliged to talk with deliberate inaccuracy on subjects as varied as advertising, The Beatles, theatre and underwear.
The show is devised by Graeme Garden and Jon Naismith.
Producer: Jon Naismith
A Random Entertainment production for BBC Radio 4
MON 09:30 Property of the BBC (m001f50h)
Three Documents
Historian Robert Seatter selects three objects from the BBC’s archive store and tells the stories behind their creation
What do they tell us about the changing history of the organisation and the expansion of the media and the nation at large?
Robert’s choices are unexpected, revelatory and sometimes, with the cruel benefit of hindsight, funny.
In this opening episode, Robert reveals the contents of three key documents from the archive.
1) LORD REITH’S JOB APPLICATION:
John Reith, the BBC's founder, applied to become the first General Manager of the British Broadcasting Company (later Corporation) after seeing an advertisement for the role in The Morning Post newspaper.
There is no application form as such, simply a covering letter and CV, which is entitled 'Attachment'.
2) DESERT ISLAND DISCS
The series proposal letter written by Roy Plomley in his pyjamas apparently, on the evening of 3rd November 1941.
3) DAVID BOWIE
The legendary singer’s audition rejection letter. David Bowie and the Lower Third band came before the BBC selection panel in November 1965 and performed seven numbers, only two of which met any level of approval. The panel did not hold back.
He was "devoid of personality”, and “amateur sounding”. His sound was “not particularly exciting” and he would "not improve with practice”.
Robert explores themes of language and protocol of the early BBC, the formats that endure and the power of the industry gatekeepers of the time.
Robert is joined by Bowie biographer Kevin Cann.
Reader: Roger Ringrose.
Producer: Mohini Patel
Made to mark the BBC Centenary, first broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 2022.
MON 09:45 Daily Service (m002wsvz)
Pentecost - Pentecost
A space for spiritual reflection with a Bible reading, prayer and a range of Christian music. From St Margaret's Church, Prestwich.
Theme: Pentecost
Presenter: Bishop David Walker
Reading: Acts 2 1-13
Music:
Come Holy Spirit come - St Margaret's Parish Choir
Spirit of holiness - St Margaret's Parish Choir
Sent by the Lord am I - St Margaret's Parish Choir
MON 10:00 Last Chance to See (m0002mnh)
Animal, Vegetable or Mineral?
Douglas and Mark go in search of a secretive - and confusing - creature in the Amazon: the Manatee.
Series in which writer Douglas Adams and conservationist Mark Carwardine go in search of weird, exotic endangered animals.
Producer: Gaynor Shutte
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 1989.
MON 10:30 Blue Canvas: The Artist Miles Davis (b07c2w62)
***Visionary jazz musician Miles Davis joins BBC Radio 4 Extra's 100 Club – born 26th May 1926. He died in 1991 aged 65***
Miles Davis remains one of the most influential musicians from the last century, despite his death in 1991.
But what's less well known is that he dedicated the final years of his life to painting with the same fervent energy he had devoted to music.
"A painting is music you can see, and music is a painting you can hear." Miles Davis
New York artist Jo Gelbard who became Miles Davis's companion during the last years of his life, tells the story of his little known life as a painter, alongside interviews with his friends and family.
The story begins with Davis' sudden stroke in 1982, when he took up art as a therapy after his illness. Soon after, he met Gelbard who was 24 years his junior and they embarked on a turbulent relationship which resulted in an extraordinary artistic collaboration.
Davis's son Erin recalls how his father always carried two things - his trumpet case and his paint brushes - and he sat surrounded by canvases in the apartment they shared, painting with a furious energy.
Musician and painter Robert Wilburn III who spent alot of time with Davis during his final decades, discusses the relationship between art and music, rhythm, colour and space in his performances and his paintings.
And the author George Cole, who wrote a book about the final years of the trumpeter's life, talks about the importance of his art.

Woven into the programme is a soundtrack of Davis' music, and clips from a never-before-broadcast interview with the writer Scott Gutterman, the author of a book about the trumpeter's art, and who recorded with Davis over several months shortly before he died in 1991.
Producer: Jo Wheeler
A Freewheel production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in May 2016.
MON 11:00 Detective (b04f8g8h)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
MON 11:30 Charles Chilton - Journey into Space (b007jmtk)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
MON 12:00 For Better or for Worse (b00g2glt)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
MON 12:30 Dad's Army (b007jpp4)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
MON 13:00 The Break (b0b3c42y)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
MON 13:30 The Lonely Londoners by Sam Selvon (b03phdbr)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
MON 13:45 The Little Ottleys (b01lhbg6)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:45 today]
MON 14:00 Just a Minute (b014pw4w)
Series 61
Episode 7
Nicholas Parsons presides over the devious game where panellists are challenged to speak for one minute without hesitation, deviation or repetition.
With:
Julian Clary
Josie Lawrence
Phill Jupitus
Rick Wakeman
Subjects include: My First Day At School, Tintinnabulation, Swimming With Dolphins, Postage Stamps, Dress Down Friday, Lords Cricket Ground, Why Poems Should Rhyme, Mediocrity, Roses and Cuckoo Clocks
Created by Ian Messiter.
Producer: Tilusha Ghelani
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 2011.
MON 14:30 King Street Junior Revisited (b00kk7pr)
Series 4
Another Year, Another Head
A surprise awaits the school staff at King Street returning from their summer holiday.
School comedy created and written by Jim Eldridge.
Mrs Eastwood …. Brigitte Forsythe
Miss Lewis …. Marlene Sidaway
Mr Maxwell …. Michael Cochrane
Miss Featherstone …. Teresa Gallagher
Miss Reid …. Jacqueline Beatty
Mrs Khan …. Janice Acquah
Mr Long …. Paul Copley
Rory …. Charlie Barker
Natasha …. Leah Verity-White
Paula …. Rebecca McElroy
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 April 2005.
MON 15:00 Double Indemnity by James M Cain (b03jyp1c)
Walter Huff has a good steady job in the insurance business and leads a quiet life.
Then he meets and falls in love with Phyllis, an unhappily married woman, enquiring about accident insurance for her husband.
They come up with a plan in which Phyllis's husband will die an unlikely death, by falling from a moving train. The 'accidental' nature of his demise will trigger the 'double indemnity' clause of the policy, forcing the insurance company to pay the widow twice the normal amount.
The couple carry out their plan but things soon turn sour.
The insurance investigator is suspicious, and so are Phyllis's daughter, and her mysterious boyfriend Nino.
Starring Trevor White and Christy Meyer.
James M Cain's crime novel, first published in 1943.
Dramatised by Stef Penney.
Walter Huff.......Trevor White
Phyllis Nirdlinger......Christy Meyer
Keyes...................Mitchell Mullen
Lola......................Ashleigh Haddad
Nino.....................Martin Sherman
Director: Kate McAll
A BBC/Cymru Wales production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in 2013.
MON 16:00 Last Chance to See (m0002mnh)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 today]
MON 16:30 Blue Canvas: The Artist Miles Davis (b07c2w62)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:30 today]
MON 17:00 Detective (b04f8g8h)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
MON 17:30 Charles Chilton - Journey into Space (b007jmtk)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
MON 18:00 For Better or for Worse (b00g2glt)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
MON 18:30 Dad's Army (b007jpp4)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
MON 19:00 The Break (b0b3c42y)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
MON 19:30 The Lonely Londoners by Sam Selvon (b03phdbr)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
MON 19:45 The Little Ottleys (b01lhbg6)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:45 today]
MON 20:00 Just a Minute (b014pw4w)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:00 today]
MON 20:30 King Street Junior Revisited (b00kk7pr)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:30 today]
MON 21:00 Double Indemnity by James M Cain (b03jyp1c)
[Repeat of broadcast at 15:00 today]
MON 22:00 The Unbelievable Truth (m002wj0q)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
MON 22:30 Sindhustan (b0bbrdxf)
Fruits of Labour
Stand-up comedian Sindhu Vee looks at being a parent in a multi-generational family.
Children are great. I mean soooo boring. But great!
Born in India, educated in Delhi, Toronto, Chicago and Oxford, married to a Dane, and with three London born kids still living at home (and calling her mate) former investment banker Sindhu Vee has a unique perspective on parenting.
At least the dog - a giant Labrador from Wales - understands her.
Written and performed by Sindhu Vee.
Script Editor: Robin Morgan
Producer: Victoria Lloyd
A BBC Studios production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in July 2018.
MON 22:45 Jessica Fostekew: Sturdy Girl Club (m001l2dv)
Series 1
4. Bodybuilding
In the final episode of Jessica Fostekew's stand up series about big strong girls, we arrive at the most aesthetic and least functional of all the strength sports:
Bodybuilding - The Schwarzenegger in swimwear one
It's an area in which Jess is way out of her depth, having flirted with the weightlifting movements by accident over the years, but never daring to face the gruelling diet.
Luckily she's got two brilliant interviewees on hand to help her get deep into the nitty gritty of things - champion bodybuilder Frances Amies-Winter and actor and former bodybuilder Megan Prescott. We also find out about the history of the sport as part of circus tradition, and Jess goes to Fran's gym to train with her on 'leg day'.
Yes - she can still just about walk.
Written and performed by Jessica Fostekew
Producer: Lyndsay Fenner
A Mighty Bunny production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in April 2023.
MON 23:00 The News Quiz (m002wkwy)
Series 120
Episode 6
Recorded at this year's Hay Festival, Andy Zaltzman quizzes the week's news with panellists Kiri Pritchard-McLean, Robin Morgan, Stephen Bush and Chloe Petts.
MON 23:30 The Museum of Everything (b007k4y7)
Series 2
Behind the Magic
The Film Institute has a self-regarding guest - and the audio guides start to go wrong.
Plus a sneak preview of the Museum's very own behind-the-scenes DVD.
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 May 2005.

TUESDAY 26 MAY 2026

TUE 00:00 Last Chance to See (m0002mnh)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 on Monday]
TUE 00:30 Blue Canvas: The Artist Miles Davis (b07c2w62)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:30 on Monday]
TUE 01:00 Detective (b04f8g8h)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 on Monday]
TUE 01:30 Charles Chilton - Journey into Space (b007jmtk)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 on Monday]
TUE 02:00 For Better or for Worse (b00g2glt)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 on Monday]
TUE 02:30 Dad's Army (b007jpp4)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 on Monday]
TUE 03:00 The Break (b0b3c42y)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 on Monday]
TUE 03:30 The Lonely Londoners by Sam Selvon (b03phdbr)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 on Monday]
TUE 03:45 The Little Ottleys (b01lhbg6)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:45 on Monday]
TUE 04:00 Just a Minute (b014pw4w)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:00 on Monday]
TUE 04:30 King Street Junior Revisited (b00kk7pr)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:30 on Monday]
TUE 05:00 Double Indemnity by James M Cain (b03jyp1c)
[Repeat of broadcast at 15:00 on Monday]
TUE 06:00 Detective (b04fc958)
Series 2
2. Two on the Run
Detective Sergeant Dave Brook finds himself pursuing a pair of foolish students - and fighting for a share of police resources.
Starring Ray Brooks as shrewd veteran DS Dave Brook and Christopher Blake as his young assistant, DC Blair Maxton.
Stories of crime and detection in London by Robert Barr.
DS Dave Brook …. Ray Brooks
DC Blair Maxton …. Christopher Blake
Chief Inspector Roach …. Stephen Yardley
DC Harrison …. Peter Cleall
Judy …. Jacqueline Tong
DS Kelly …. John Judd
Anna …. Emily Morgan
Clark …. Gary Cady
Drayton …. Stephen Garlick
Producer: Martin Fisher
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 1982.
TUE 06:30 Charles Chilton - Journey into Space (b007jmvs)
Operation Luna
7. Is this The Earth?
Captain Jet Morgan's crew are being pursued on the dark side of the moon.
But they drift dangerously off course...
Starring Andrew Faulds and Alfie Bass.
Written and produced by Charles Chilton.
Jet Morgan …. Andrew Faulds
Lemmy Barnett …. Alfie Bass
Doc …. Guy Kingsley-Poynter
Mitch …. David Williams
Other parts played by:
David Jacobs
Music composed and orchestra conducted by Van Phillips.
The original 1953 recordings of this futuristic series were erased.
This series was re-recorded and first broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in May 1958.
TUE 07:00 Minor Adjustment (b0b51x67)
Foetal Attraction
Sarah wants a third child. Richard suggests a holiday might be more fun.
Sitcom 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
Kate …. Claire Russell
Amy …. Sarah Merriman
Emma …. Heather Jones
Joni …. Lorelei King
George …. Philip Pope
Eddy …. Simon Treves
Daniel …. Daniel Merriman
Mary …. Alison Pettit
Saxophonist …. John Barnes
Uncle Chuckles …. Bill Pertwee
Producer: Gareth Edwards
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 1996.
TUE 07:30 The Goon Show (m001trbt)
Vintage Goons
The Kippered Herring Gang
Neddie is on the trail of the notorious gang that leaves a unique calling card – a kippered herring. Stars Harry Secombe.
Ground-breaking, surreal BBC radio comedy written by Spike Milligan.
Starring:
Peter Sellers
Harry Secombe
Spike Milligan
Vintage Goons is a series of re-recorded episodes made by the original cast for sale abroad.
With The Ray Ellington Quartet and Max Geldray.
Orchestra conducted by Wally Stott.
Announcer: Wallace Greenslade
Producer: Roy Speer
First broadcast on the BBC Home Service in February 1954.
Re-recording from December 1957 by the BBC Transcription Service made for broadcast overseas.
TUE 08:00 Boswell's Lives (b0741lv3)
Series 2
Boswell's Life of Muhammad Ali
Banned from boxing and in the wilderness, can Boswell help Muhammad Ali out of it and make The Greatest – Greatester?
Jon Canter’s sitcom sees James Boswell become a time-travelling biographer - doing for other celebrities what he did for Dr Johnson.
James Boswell ..... Miles Jupp
Muhammad Ali ..... Lenny Henry
Boxing Commentator ..... Ewan Bailey
Producer: Sally Avens
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 2016.
TUE 08:30 The Lonely Londoners by Sam Selvon (b03phxkx)
2. Job Hunting
Moses has met Sir Galahad off the boat train at Waterloo and sets about introducing him to his new home.
Galahad is keen to show he's not overawed by London, but a trip to the employment exchange leaves him in need of Moses' help.

Sam Selvon's rich and touching 1956 novel about the lives of a group of Caribbean immigrants in London.
Abridged by Lauris Morgan-Griffiths
Read by Don Warrington.
Producer: Sara Davies
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 2014.
TUE 08:45 The Little Ottleys (b01ljk6c)
Series 3
2. Vincy
Edith is now divorced from Bruce and is due to marry Aylmer.
Their friend Vincy Wenham Vincy must get up to speed on the situation.
Ada Leverson's witty social comedy set in early 20th century London.
Dramatised by Martyn Wade
Ada/Narrator .......... Haydn Gwynne
Bruce .......... Ifan Meredith
Edith .......... Juliet Aubrey
Aylmer .......... Jonathan Firth
Vincy Wenham Vincy .......... Sam Alexander
Music used: "Forgotten Dreams" - Max Jaffa with the Palm Court Orchestra
Director: Tracey Neale
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 2012.
TUE 09:00 One Person Found This Helpful (m002wj7y)
Series 4
1. Mozart vs A Screaming Goat
Frank Skinner and guests Dee Allum, Pierre Novellie, Zoe Lyons and Hasan Al-Habib discuss the tactics of Genghis Khan, the ethics of mousetraps and the morals of forgetting to wear trousers. Also, Swedish sheep wagons.
Everyone has an online life, and when the great British public put pen to keyboard to leave a review, they almost always write something hilarious. And our all-star panel have to work out just what they were reviewing – and maybe contribute a few reviews of their own. So if you’re the person who went on Trip Advisor to review Ben Nevis as “Very steep and too high”, this show salutes you!
Written by Frank Skinner, Catherine Brinkworth, Sarah Dempster, Jason Hazeley, Karl Minns, Katie Sayer & Peter Tellouche
Devised by Jason Hazeley and Simon Evans with the producer David Tyler
A Pozzitive production for BBC Radio 4
TUE 09:30 Property of the BBC (m001f4v3)
Three Microphones
Historian Robert Seatter selects three more objects from the BBC’s archive store and tells the stories behind their creation
What do they tell us about the changing history of the organisation, and about the expansion of the media and the nation at large?
Robert’s choices are unexpected, revelatory and sometimes, with the cruel benefit of hindsight, funny.
In this selection, Robert focuses on three early microphones developed by BBC engineers.
1) The MEATSAFE Microphone - first used at the BBC’s Savoy Hill studios in 1923, it had a microphone stand which resembled a domestic meat storage container, hence the nickname.
2) The EDWARD VIII abdication microphone - a special microphone, used only once on that momentous occasion.
3) And the LIP Mic - a clever piece of kit that solved a very real technical problem- how to deliver commentary in a noisy environment.
Robert explores themes of innovation, intimacy of the medium, the BBC voice and the nation.
With special guest: sound artist Nick Ryan
Producer: Mohini Patel
Made to mark the BBC Centenary, first broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 2022.
TUE 09:45 Daily Service (m002wv3d)
Pentecost - Spirit on all people
A space for spiritual reflection with a Bible reading, prayer and a range of Christian music.
Theme: Pentecost - Spirit on all people
Presenter: Canon Grace Thomas
Reading: Acts 2 14-21
Music:
He's got the whole world in his hands - St Martin's Voices
Every time I feel the spirit - Nat King Cole
Praise - Becca Folkes & Psalms x Saints
TUE 10:00 A Good Read (m000p6x1)
Yasmin Khan & David Mitchell
Travel and food writer Yasmin Khan and novelist David Mitchell join Harriett Gilbert to discuss their favourite books by Anne Tyler, Madeline Miller and Ryszard Kapuściński.
Circe by Madeline Miller
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Shah of Shahs by Ryszard Kapuściński
Publisher: Penguin
Redhead by the Side of the Road by Anne Tyler
Publisher: Penguin
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 2020.
TUE 10:30 Laura Mvula's Miles Davis (p04qs3d5)
***Visionary jazz musician Miles Davis joins BBC Radio 4 Extra's 100 Club – born 26th May 1926. He died in 1991 aged 65***
Singer-songwriter and composer Laura Mvula’s musical inspiration is the visionary American jazz musician Miles Davis.
‘He has always been and will always remain one of the greatest inspirations of my musical life. To me he was and is an icon, a pioneer, the unique innovator. He never held himself back – maybe that’s what first attracted me to him and his sound’.
Picking up on these opening remarks, Laura is joined by three guests, all of whom are equally great admirers of Miles Davis, but who have different perspectives:
* Jazz musicians Jason Yarde and Laura Jurd
* Music broadcaster & journalist Kevin Le Gendre
They each consider the impact and legacy of Miles Davis, a unique musician who repeatedly reinvented himself musically, and single-handedly shape-shifted the language of jazz, for nearly half a century.
With glimpses of music from Miles Davis’s vast discography, the programme paints a unique and personal portrait of one of the 20th century’s greatest musical creators and iconclasts.
Laura Mvula is one of the most exciting music talents to emerge in Britain in recent years.
Growing up in Birmingham’s Kings Heath to parents from Jamaica and St Kitts, Mvula cut her musical teeth singing in and directing local church and gospel choirs, and performing with soul group Judyshouse, before going on to Birmingham Conservatoire to study composition with, among others, composer Joe Cutler.
After working as a music supply teacher in Birmingham schools, she sent demo recordings of her songs to record labels; the result has been spectacular international success that ranges from touring the world with her band, to composing for the Royal Shakespeare Company.
Laura Mvula cites Miles Davis as one of her greatest influences – first urged by her father to watch documentaries about him, then given albums by a relative, her initial puzzlement grew into unbounded admiration for a black musician who refused utterly to be bounded by musical style or social position.
His appetite for musical innovation and experiment, his dismissal of the idea of musical mistakes, his vision for successful creative collaboration – all of these characteristics and more combined to create a template for the sort of musician Laura Mvula has aspired to become.
Producer: Lyndon Jones for Music Department, BBC Wales.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 2017.
TUE 11:00 Detective (b04fc958)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
TUE 11:30 Charles Chilton - Journey into Space (b007jmvs)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
TUE 12:00 Minor Adjustment (b0b51x67)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
TUE 12:30 The Goon Show (m001trbt)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
TUE 13:00 Boswell's Lives (b0741lv3)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
TUE 13:30 The Lonely Londoners by Sam Selvon (b03phxkx)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
TUE 13:45 The Little Ottleys (b01ljk6c)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:45 today]
TUE 14:00 Genius (b0080rmy)
Series 3
Germaine Greer
Lego prisons? A tea tray as a system of measurement?
Dave Gorman asks writer Germaine Greer to select 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 2007.
TUE 14:30 The Cavity Within (b00770ns)
Episode 4
Dentist Marty has high hopes for a relationship.
The zoo brings out the animal in Pete.
Sitcom with teeth written by Jim Poyser.
Marty .... Chris O'Dowd
Pete .... Jeff Rawle
Tim .... Mark Straker
Anna .... Christine Kavanagh
Daisy .... Sara Crowe
Mr Holmes......John Rowe
Lady Fotherington-Dilkes......Tracy Wiles
Bucked-Tooth Girl......Bethan Walker
With: Emma Noakes
Director: Peter Kavanagh
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 2006.
TUE 15:00 A Question of Guilt by Philip Levene (m002wv3g)
"I tell you I didn't do it! I never killed Mrs Lacey!"
1962: Peter Harris finds himself in prison for killing his landlady but he swears he's innocent.
If he didn't do it, who did?
Starring Michael Deacon and Timothy Bateson.
Written by Philip Levene.
Peter Harris .... Michael Deacon
Ted Brophy .... Timothy Bateson
Sam Waites (Plates) .... Anthony Hall
Prison Officer Lomax .... Godfrey Kenton
Colonel Yates .... Manning Wilson
Miss Turner .... Diana Olsson
Mousey Doyle .... Alan Barry
Dave Elton .... Fraser Kerr
Mr Crowley .... Brian Haines
Producer: Betty Davies
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 1973.
TUE 16:00 A Good Read (m000p6x1)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 today]
TUE 16:30 Laura Mvula's Miles Davis (p04qs3d5)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:30 today]
TUE 17:00 Detective (b04fc958)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
TUE 17:30 Charles Chilton - Journey into Space (b007jmvs)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
TUE 18:00 Minor Adjustment (b0b51x67)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
TUE 18:30 The Goon Show (m001trbt)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
TUE 19:00 Boswell's Lives (b0741lv3)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
TUE 19:30 The Lonely Londoners by Sam Selvon (b03phxkx)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
TUE 19:45 The Little Ottleys (b01ljk6c)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:45 today]
TUE 20:00 Genius (b0080rmy)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:00 today]
TUE 20:30 The Cavity Within (b00770ns)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:30 today]
TUE 21:00 A Question of Guilt by Philip Levene (m002wv3g)
[Repeat of broadcast at 15:00 today]
TUE 22:00 One Person Found This Helpful (m002wj7y)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
TUE 22:30 And the Winner Is... (b00rkhb5)
Series 1
Episode 5
Matt Lucas hosts his alternative awards show – The Lucases - with Adam Bloom, Scott Capurro and Andrew Maxwell.
Awards include the Lucas for Most Untrustworthy Profession, The Weariest Cliché, Least Hateful German and Catchiest Theme Tune to an Otherwise Boring TV Show.
Nominations are provided by Matt's guests:
Adam Bloom
Scott Capurro
Andrew Maxwell
But the ultimate decision is down to the whim of the host.
Script written by Ashley Blaker, Bill Matthews and Ged Parsons.
Producer: Ashley Blaker
First broadcast on BBC Radio 2 in 2010.
TUE 22:55 The Comedy Club Interviews (m002x1x3)
Patrick Monahan 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 Patrick Monahan.
TUE 23:00 Josie Long: Romance and Adventure (b076p08g)
Series 1
Episode 3
Josie's 32nd birthday has her questioning whether her dream of one day having a family is now unrealistic.
Comedy drama about a young woman trying to build a more fulfilling life for herself in Glasgow.
Based on characters from the short films "Romance and Adventure" and "Let's Go Swimming" by Josie Long and Douglas King.
Josie ...... Josie Long
Darren ...... Darren Osborne
Roddy ...... Sanjeev Kohli
Kerry ...... Hatty Ashdown
Eleanor ...... Clare Grogan
Chris ...... Michael Bertenshaw
Mona ...... Rebecca Hamilton
Fraser ...... Chris Pavlo
Genevieve ...... Puja Panchkoty
Written by Josie Long.
Producer: Colin Anderson
A BBC Radio Comedy production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in April 2016.
TUE 23:30 Chain Reaction (b03mjcbp)
Series 9
Kevin Bridges talks to Frankie Boyle
Clydebank's razor sharp comic and Glasgow's outspoken comedian in the talk tag show where the guest becomes the next interviewer.
Kevin Bridges chats to his comedy mentor, Frankie Boyle.
Recorded with an audience, the interviews focus on the life, career and the passions of the interviewee, but often prove to be as revealing about the interviewer.
Producer: Carl Cooper
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 2014.

WEDNESDAY 27 MAY 2026

WED 00:00 A Good Read (m000p6x1)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 on Tuesday]
WED 00:30 Laura Mvula's Miles Davis (p04qs3d5)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:30 on Tuesday]
WED 01:00 Detective (b04fc958)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 on Tuesday]
WED 01:30 Charles Chilton - Journey into Space (b007jmvs)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 on Tuesday]
WED 02:00 Minor Adjustment (b0b51x67)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 on Tuesday]
WED 02:30 The Goon Show (m001trbt)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 on Tuesday]
WED 03:00 Boswell's Lives (b0741lv3)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 on Tuesday]
WED 03:30 The Lonely Londoners by Sam Selvon (b03phxkx)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 on Tuesday]
WED 03:45 The Little Ottleys (b01ljk6c)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:45 on Tuesday]
WED 04:00 Genius (b0080rmy)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:00 on Tuesday]
WED 04:30 The Cavity Within (b00770ns)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:30 on Tuesday]
WED 05:00 A Question of Guilt by Philip Levene (m002wv3g)
[Repeat of broadcast at 15:00 on Tuesday]
WED 06:00 Detective (b04fcx1d)
Series 2
3. A Meeting With Anna
Tension between DS Dave Brook and DS Sam Kelly is showing.
Meanwhile Anna asks for help. Can she be trusted?
Stories of crime and detection in London by Robert Barr.
Starring Ray Brooks as shrewd veteran Detective Sergeant Dave Brook and Christopher Blake as Detective Constable Blair Maxton.
DS Dave Brook …. Ray Brooks
DC Blair Maxton …. Christopher Blake
Chief Inspector Roach …. Stephen Yardley
DC Harrison …. Peter Cleall
Judy …. Jacqueline Tong
DS Kelly …. John Judd
Anna …. Emily Morgan
PC Anderson …. Stephen Garlick
Clark …. Gary Cady
Jenkins …. David Milner
Producer: Martin Fisher
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 1982.
WED 06:30 Charles Chilton - Journey into Space (b007jmw8)
Operation Luna
8. The Time Travellers
Captain Jet Morgan and his crew find themselves on a curiously familiar planet as visitors arrive.
Starring Andrew Faulds and Guy Kingsley-Poynter.
Futuristic tale set in 1965 written and produced by Charles Chilton.
Jet Morgan …. Andrew Faulds
Lemmy Barnett …. Alfie Bass
Doc …. Guy Kingsley-Poynter
Mitch …. David Williams
Other parts played by:
David Jacobs
Music composed and orchestra conducted by Van Phillips.
The original 1953 recordings of this futuristic series were erased.
This series was re-recorded and first broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in May 1958.
WED 07:00 Gush (b04yg54m)
Episode 2
Prince Saudi's oil deal will bring peace to the civilised world.
What could possibly go wrong?
Well, Cravate and Pomeroy's bitter rivalry could mess things up for a start.
Meanwhile, in a 1960s flashback, Cravate's wedding to Lady Arabella ends in a vow to end all vows.
Ian Hislop and Nick Newman's epic tale of power, love, passion and oil.
Foxwell Cravate ...... Martin Jarvis
Max Pomeroy ...... Mac McDonald
Arabella Derbyshire ...... Felicity Montagu
Iolanthe Diamond ...... Caroline Quentin
Charles Ambrose Fortescue de Vere ...... Jonathan Coy
Prince Saudi ...... Julian Dutton
With Toby Longworth and Steve Steen.
Church organist: John Whitehall
Producer: Colin Swash
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 1994.
WED 07:30 Hancock's Half Hour (b007k0pd)
Series 1
The Sheik
The Lad signs to Sid's new studio, but filming doesn't quite go to plan.
Ray Galton and Alan Simpson's classic comedy about the life and times of Anthony Aloysius St John Hancock.
Starring Tony Hancock.
With:
Moira Lister
Bill Kerr
Sidney James
Kenneth Williams
Theme and incidental music written by Wally Stott.
Music recorded by the BBC Revue Orchestra conducted by Harry Rabinowitz.
Producer: Dennis Main Wilson
First broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in February 1955.
WED 08:00 Rudy's Rare Records (b00nsfzp)
Series 1
Take Me Home, Country Roads
Three generations of men and their musical tastes collide in this family sitcom set in a Birmingham record shop.
Starring Lenny Henry.
Written by Danny Robins and Dan Tetsell from an original idea by Lenny Henry.
Rudy Sharpe owns an old record store in Birmingham - the last bastion of black music in Handsworth. When he suffers a 'heart attack', his neurotic, middle-aged, middle-class, divorcee son Adam and 17 year old grandson Richie come up from London to look after him.
Crammed together, living in the tiny flat above the shop, the three men are set to clash on a daily basis.
Whilst Rudy and Richie share a love of reggae and soul music, Adam is the odd one out - thanks to his tastes in classical music.
Adam Sharpe ...... Lenny Henry
Richie Sharp ...... Joe Jacobs
Rudy Sharpe ...... Larrington Walker
Doreen ...... Claire Benedict
Tasha ...... Natasha Godfrey
Clifton ...... Jeffery Kissoon
Alison ...... Tracy-Ann Oberman
Customers ...... Colin Hoult/Doc Brown
Producer: Lucy Armitage.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 2008.
WED 08:30 The Lonely Londoners by Sam Selvon (b03phxyk)
3. Aunt Tanty
Moses's friend Tolroy was horrified when his entire family turned up at Waterloo, wanting to enjoy his new prosperity in London.
He has eventually got them settled off the Harrow Road, and Aunt Tanty is rapidly becoming a well-known character in the area.
But she still hasn't ventured into the centre of the city by tube or bus, something that she decides to remedy.
Sam Selvon's rich and touching 1956 novel about the lives of a group of Caribbean immigrants in London.
Abridged by Lauris Morgan-Griffiths.
Read by Don Warrington.
Producer: Sara Davies
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 2014.
WED 08:45 The Little Ottleys (b01ljk4p)
Series 3
3. Miss Flummerfelt
Edith still hopes that Bruce will go away again - soon.
Meanwhile, Bruce meets another friend for tea - and Vincy sees them.
Ada Leverson's witty social comedy set in early 20th century London.
Dramatised by Martyn Wade
Ada/Narrator .......... Haydn Gwynne
Bruce .......... Ifan Meredith
Edith .......... Juliet Aubrey
Aylmer .......... Jonathan Firth
Vincy .......... Sam Alexander
Miss Flummerfelt..............Susie Riddell
Music used: "Forgotten Dreams" - Max Jaffa with the Palm Court Orchestra
Director: Tracey Neale
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 2012.
WED 09:00 Stand-Up Specials (m002wjmg)
Ian Smith Is Stressed - Series 2
1. Community
Ian Smith is back on his quest for calm. In this episode, Ian is going through one of the most stressful life experiences... moving house. Is he middle class now? How can he keep in touch with his friends? And just how much damage can an entire chickpea cause? Let’s find out together in Ian Smith is Stressed.
Written and performed by Ian Smith
Additional Material from Mike Shephard and Rhiannon Shaw
Featuring Stuart Laws
Assistant Producer - Em Humble
Production Manager - Laura Shaw
Produced by Benjamin Sutton
A Daddy’s SuperYacht Production for BBC Radio 4
WED 09:30 Property of the BBC (m001f5jr)
Three Items of Clothing
Historian Robert Seatter selects three more objects from the BBC’s archive store and tells the stories behind their creation.
What do they tell us about the changing history of the organisation and about the expansion of the media and the nation at large.
Robert’s choices are unexpected, revelatory and sometimes, with the cruel benefit of hindsight, funny.
In this selection, Robert unpacks three iconic items of clothing, created for both the fictional and the real world:
1) The WHITE LINEN SHIRT worn by Colin Firth as Mr Darcy in the famous lake scene in the 1995 Andrew Davies BBC TV production of ‘Pride and Prejudice’.
2) A FLAK JACKET designed to protect the wearer from high explosive weaponry especially shrapnel and worn by John Simpson, BBC World Affairs Editor, when accompanying a convoy of US Special forces and Kurdish fighters in Northern Iraq in April 2003.
3) THE BAKER BOY or Newsboy cap worn by the character Tommy Shelby played by Cillian Murphy in BBC TV’s 'Peaky Blinders'.
Sharing her insights into the designs and the role of the BBC as trendsetter and social influencer is fashion designer and The Great British Sewing Bee BBC TV judge, Esme Young.
Producer: Mohini Patel
Made to mark the BBC Centenary, first broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 2022.
WED 09:45 Daily Service (m002wv3t)
Pentecost - My tongue rejoices
A space for spiritual reflection with a Bible reading, prayer and a range of Christian music.
Theme: Pentecost - My tongue rejoices
Presenter: Seth Pinnock
Reading: Acts 2 Acts 2 22-28
Music:
You are Good - Becca Folkes & Psalms x Saints
If my people - Lucy Grimble & Seth Pinnock
WED 10:00 Archive on 4 (b00f90yf)
Stella Rimington & The Cambridge Spies
**** 4 Extra marks 75 years since British diplomats turned KGB spies, Guy Burgess and Donald Maclean, defected to the Soviet Union on May 25th 1951
The latest edition of this occasional series, in which a major public figure is given a chance to venture into the BBC's vast archives, to explore a time or a person who has had a big impact on them.
In this edition, the former Director General of MI5, Dame Stella Rimington, uses the BBC Archives to re-examine the impact on her life of the 'Cambridge spies' and the sense of paranoia, unease and self-doubt that this spread through elements of the British Establishment.
Using the archive, Rimington revisits the moment when, as a sixteen year old in 1951, her father was shocked to read about the disappearance of Guy Burgess and Donald Maclean - just the first instance of how the Cambridge spies' treachery has overshadowed her life.
She listens to rare recordings of Maclean himself, of friends of Burgess reminiscing about him, and of key moments in the unfolding of the story, such as the day when Mrs Thatcher revealed 'Fourth Man' Anthony Blunt's identity - a moment she remembers not as traumatic but cathartic.
Stella explores how their treachery continued to reverberate throughout her time in the security service, from her senior colleague Peter Wright's apparent paranoia, to her interrogations in the 1970s of the 'Fifth Man', John Cairncross, who only spoke publicly after he was outed in 1990. And she talks to Cairncross' niece about the impact the Cambridge spies' treachery has had on her life.
She explores the rich archive of dramas based on Burgess' life to anatomise how he has come to be remembered - in performances by the likes of Anthony Hopkins, Alan Bates, Rupert Everett and Tom Hollander. Has he become rather sentimentalised in the British imagination?
And she digs deeper, to find out more about Burgess' time working as a producer at the BBC itself, and asks whether any of his programmes survive in the BBC archive.
Producer: Phil Tinline
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 2008.
WED 11:00 Detective (b04fcx1d)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
WED 11:30 Charles Chilton - Journey into Space (b007jmw8)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
WED 12:00 Gush (b04yg54m)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
WED 12:30 Hancock's Half Hour (b007k0pd)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
WED 13:00 Rudy's Rare Records (b00nsfzp)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
WED 13:30 The Lonely Londoners by Sam Selvon (b03phxyk)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
WED 13:45 The Little Ottleys (b01ljk4p)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:45 today]
WED 14:00 The Museum of Curiosity (m00114hf)
Series 16
Episode 3
Professor of Ignorance John Lloyd and his curator Holly Walsh welcome:
* Impressionist Jon Culshaw
* Comedian Rosie Jones
* Writer Elisabeth Robinson.
Jon Culshaw shares both his favourite people to impersonate and his passion for astronomy.
Rosie Jones talks about becoming Team GB’s cheerleader at the 2021 Paralympic Games and her passion for puzzles.
And Elisabeth Robinson discusses what she’s learned about the creative process in Hollywood as well as her fascination with the high seas.
This series was recorded remotely.
Museum’s exhibits were catalogued by Mike Shephard, Mike Turner and Mandy Fenton and Lydia Mizon of QI.
Producer Anne Miller
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 2021.
WED 14:30 Getting Nowhere Fast (b008gdc5)
Series 2
Episode 2
Merv is becoming very aware that those he once described as 'old' will soon include himself.
Has he prepared for this? Has he ever really thought about it? No - he's still struggling with the idea of being a menopausal flower child.
So what does a penniless Child of The Sixties do as a pensioner?
Go back to the garden of course. Merv tries out the Commune again.
Sitcom written by and starring Mervyn Stutter.
Merv ...... Mervyn Stutter
Pam ...... Lill Roughley
Dibden ...... John Challis
PC Dilkes ...... Michael Mears
Chantal ...... Tracy-Ann Oberman
Nev ...... Gyuri Sarossy
Producer: Mario Stylianides
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 2003.
WED 15:00 Whodunnits (m002wv3y)
Gideon Fell - The Black Spectacles
Three people witness a murder, yet none of them can agree about what they have seen.

Can Dr Gideon discover what happened?

Starring Donald Sinden as Dr Gideon Fell, John Hartley as Chief Superintendent Hadley and Yasmeen Brett as Marjorie Wills.

Written by John Dickson Carr.

Dramatised by Peter Ling.

Dr Gideon Fell .... Donald Sinden
Chief Superintendent Hadley .... John Hartley
Major Crowe .... Reginald Marsh
Marjorie Wills .... Yasmeen Brett
George Harding .... Andrew Wincott
Dr Joseph Chesney .... James Taylor
Professor Ingram .... Colin Pinney
Mr Watkins .... Christopher Wright
Sergeant Harris .... Nick Ash

Director: Enyd Williams

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 May 1998.
WED 16:00 Archive on 4 (b00f90yf)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 today]
WED 17:00 Detective (b04fcx1d)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
WED 17:30 Charles Chilton - Journey into Space (b007jmw8)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
WED 18:00 Gush (b04yg54m)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
WED 18:30 Hancock's Half Hour (b007k0pd)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
WED 19:00 Rudy's Rare Records (b00nsfzp)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
WED 19:30 The Lonely Londoners by Sam Selvon (b03phxyk)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
WED 19:45 The Little Ottleys (b01ljk4p)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:45 today]
WED 20:00 The Museum of Curiosity (m00114hf)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:00 today]
WED 20:30 Getting Nowhere Fast (b008gdc5)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:30 today]
WED 21:00 Whodunnits (m002wv3y)
[Repeat of broadcast at 15:00 today]
WED 22:00 Stand-Up Specials (m002wjmg)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
WED 22:30 Britain in Bits with Ross Noble (m00013rr)
Series 1
Episode 3
Ross Noble's surreal magazine show featuring celebrity guests and stories from around Britain - the best bits, the worst bits, the fascinating bits and the downright strange bits.
Nick Knowles joins Ross in the studio.
Piers reports from England's oldest festival, Terri reports on some of the ancient loopholes enshrined in UK law, and the team investigate the mysterious appearance and then disappearance of an old man.
Written by and starring Ross Noble.
With:
Hadley Fraser
George Fouracres
Emma Sidi
Summer Strallen
Producer: Matt Stronge
A BBC Studios production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in October 2018.
WED 23:00 Welcome to Wherever You Are (b09h6k1g)
Series 1
Episode 2
Andrew Maxwell hosts a truly global stand-up show, in which comedians perform from wherever on the planet they happen to be, to an audience in the BBC Radio Theatre, London.
With:
Tats Nzonzo
Sharul Channa
Ari Eldjárn
Tats Nkonzo reveals how the Rainbow Nation is doing;
Andrew finds out if Singapore has changed since he was last there with Sharul Channa;
And get up to speed with Iceland/Denmark rivalry with Reykjavik's own Ari Eldjárn.
Producer: Ed Morrish
A BBC Studios production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in December 2017.
** Photo credit: Matt Stronge
WED 23:30 The Skewer (m002wjmv)
Series 16
Episode 5
Jon Holmes brings you the week's biggest stories like you've never heard them before.
WED 23:45 The East Coast Listening Post (m0006ds4)
Series 2
Tattoo
American reporters and sisters, Jenna and Dana Johnson, are back in the UK to investigate the people of Great Britain.
Jenna and Dana meet Bella Watson, a woman who drunkenly got a Union Jack tattoo on her forehead whilst on holiday with friends.
They discover that Bella was goaded into getting the tattoo to prove to a bully that she wasn’t a ‘wet’.
Bella then arranges to meet the bully to forgive them.
Written and performed by Celeste Dring and Freya Parker.
The East Coast Listening Post was created by Edinburgh Comedy Award-nominated duo Lazy Susan.
With performances from:
David Elms
Kat Bond
Original score by Owain Roberts
Script editor: Matthew Crosby
Producer: Suzy Grant
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 2019.

THURSDAY 28 MAY 2026

THU 00:00 Archive on 4 (b00f90yf)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 on Wednesday]
THU 01:00 Detective (b04fcx1d)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 on Wednesday]
THU 01:30 Charles Chilton - Journey into Space (b007jmw8)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 on Wednesday]
THU 02:00 Gush (b04yg54m)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 on Wednesday]
THU 02:30 Hancock's Half Hour (b007k0pd)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 on Wednesday]
THU 03:00 Rudy's Rare Records (b00nsfzp)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 on Wednesday]
THU 03:30 The Lonely Londoners by Sam Selvon (b03phxyk)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 on Wednesday]
THU 03:45 The Little Ottleys (b01ljk4p)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:45 on Wednesday]
THU 04:00 The Museum of Curiosity (m00114hf)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:00 on Wednesday]
THU 04:30 Getting Nowhere Fast (b008gdc5)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:30 on Wednesday]
THU 05:00 Whodunnits (m002wv3y)
[Repeat of broadcast at 15:00 on Wednesday]
THU 06:00 Detective (b04fgp85)
Series 2
4. Contract to Kill
DC Blair Maxton finds himself in line for a possible promotion, while DS Dave Brook gets a visit from a mystery woman...
Stories of crime and detection in London by Robert Barr.
Starring Ray Brooks as shrewd veteran Detective Sergeant Dave Brook and Christopher Blake as Detective Constable Blair Maxton.
DS Dave Brook …. Ray Brooks
DC Blair Maxton …. Christopher Blake
Chief Inspector …. Stephen Yardley
DC Harrison …. Peter Cleall
Judy …. Jacqueline Tong
DS Kelly …. John Judd
Anna …. Emily Morgan
Tessa Mitchell …. Deidre Costello
Ronald Blake …. Roy Holder
Desk Sergeant …. Steve Hodson
Producer: Martin Fisher
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 1982.
THU 06:30 Charles Chilton - Journey into Space (b007jmwq)
Operation Luna
9. An Offer of Help
Captain Jet Morgan and his crew have returned to Earth, but it's not as they left it.
Starring Andrew Faulds and Guy Kingsley-Poynter.
Written and produced by David Williams.
Jet Morgan …. Andrew Faulds
Lemmy Barnett …. Alfie Bass
Doc …. Guy Kingsley-Poynter
Mitch …. David Williams
Other parts played by:
David Jacobs
Music composed and orchestra conducted by Van Phillips.
The original 1953 recordings of this futuristic series were erased.
This series was re-recorded and first broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in May 1958.
THU 07:00 Mind Your Own Business! (m002wmpc)
Series 3
Turned Out Mice Again
Nan and Jimmy are tasting some new cheese samples which have arrived at Brightco, then they hear that the cost-cutting Russell Farrow has got rid of pest control......
Written by Andrew Palmer
Jimmy Bright .... Bernard Cribbins
Russell Farrow .... Frank Thornton
Nan Forbes .... Annette Crosbie
Sue Plant .... Annee Blott
Dodge .... John Kane
Producer Edward Taylor
First broadcast on BBC Radio 2 in May 1990.
THU 07:30 I'm Sorry, I'll Read That Again (b00f6r5f)
Series 2
Episode 1
A trendy couple debate "what's in and what's out" - and a lonesome two-headed giant.
More quick-fire sketches, terrible puns, humorous songs plus TV and cinema parodies.
Stars Tim Brooke-Taylor, Graeme Garden, David Hatch, Jo Kendall and Bill Oddie.
Written by John Cleese, Graeme Garden, Tony Hendra, Brian Cooke, Johnnie Mortimer and Hugh Woodhouse.
Originating from the Cambridge University Footlights revue 'Cambridge Circus', ISIRTA ran for 8 years on BBC Radio and quickly developed a cult following.
Songs by Bill Oddie and Jean Hart with music by Dave Lee.
Producer: Humphrey Barclay
First broadcast on the BBC Home Service in October 1965.
THU 08:00 All Those Women (b09ppwdz)
Series 3
Episode 2
Maggie's in a flap after her free-spirited cousin Max arrives for a visit.
Meanwhile Jen turns out to be an unexpected source of parenting wisdom for Layla.
Comedy series by Katherine Jakeways about four generations of women living under one roof.
All Those Women explores familial relationships, ageing, marriages - it's about life and love and things not turning out quite the way that you'd expected them to.
Join Hetty, Maggie, Jen and Emily as they struggle to resolve their own problems, and support one another.
Hetty ...... Marcia Warren
Maggie ...... Lesley Manville
Jen ...... Sinead Matthews
Emily ...... Lucy Hutchinson
Layla ...... Katie Redford
Max ...... Vincent Franklin
Producer: Alexandra Smith
A BBC Studios production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in February 2018.
THU 08:30 The Lonely Londoners by Sam Selvon (b03phyb4)
4. The Dark Side of London
Galahad is getting on well in London.
In fact he sometimes feels like a king as he strolls through the park, three or four pounds in his pocket, sharp clothes on, off to meet a new girl under the clock in Piccadilly tube station.
But there's a darker side to the city, and a hungrier one, that prompts Galahad into a high-risk exploit.
Sam Selvon's rich and touching 1956 novel about the lives of a group of Caribbean immigrants in London.
Abridged by Lauris Morgan-Griffiths.
Read by Don Warrington.
Producer: Sara Davies
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 2014.
THU 08:45 The Little Ottleys (b01ljl52)
Series 3
4. Sleepless Nights
Witty portrait of love and jealousy set in High Society Edwardian London. Martyn Wade is a skilled and talented radio writer and dramatist. He has a sure and dry comic touch which is ideal for continuing the stories created by Ada Leverson, who was a contemporary and friend of Oscar Wilde.
The Ottley's Sloane Street residence is still out of bounds to Aylmer. As a result, he suspects the worst.
Meanwhile, Bruce tries to keep his association with Miss Flummerfelt a secret.
Their mutual friend Vincy Wenham Vincy struggles to keep everyone in the dark.
Ada/Narrator.........................Haydn Gwynne
Bruce.........................................Ifan Meredith
Edith..........................................Juliet Aubrey
Aylmer.....................................Jonathan Firth
Vincy.........................................Sam Alexander
Miss Flummerfelt.................Susie Riddell
Music Used
"Forgotten Dreams" - Max Jaffa with the Palm Court Orchestra
Directed by Tracey Neale
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 2012.
THU 09:00 Ellie Taylor's Safe Space (m001kh34)
Series 3
1: The Internet
Ellie Taylor welcomes you to "Safe Space", a place where anyone can offload their controversial opinions without fear of judgment.
This week she wants to abolish the Internet, arguing that the online world isn't real and as a society we're far too reliant on it. Joining Ellie to help prove her point is regular sidekick Robin Morgan.
With special guest: Author, Filmmaker and Co-Host of MTV's Catfish UK, Oobah Butler. Oobah's best known for creating The Shed at Dulwich, a fictional restaurant which in 2017 became the top-rated venue in London on TripAdvisor, despite having never served a dish. He chats to Ellie about how he used the Internet to create his fictional restaurant and why he thinks people are too ready to trust what they read online.
This series was first broadcast in March 2023.
Written by and starring Ellie Taylor and Robin Morgan.
Producer: Georgia Keating
Executive Producer: James Robinson
Production Co-ordinator: Becky Carewe-Jeffries
Sound editor: Marc Willcox
A BBC Studios production for Radio 4
THU 09:30 Property of the BBC (m001f4xn)
Three Maps
Historian Robert Seatter selects three objects from the BBC’s archive store and tells the stories behind their creation - what they tell us about the changing history of the organisation, about expansion of the media and the nation at large. Robert’s choices are unexpected, revelatory and sometimes, with the cruel benefit of hindsight, funny.
In today’s programme, Robert unpacks three very different and significant maps associated with BBC output.
i) A very early Shipping Forecast chart from 1925, when the famous broadcast was launched in partnership with the Met Office in order to save lives at sea.
ii) A football grid designed to make the sport comprehensible in the early days of radio, and the source of that everyday phrase ‘back to square one…’
iii) A handy map of the broadcast itinerary of the 1953 Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, the UK’s first big television moment of the last century.
Robert explores themes of lifeline broadcasting and myth-making, early attempts at ‘visualising’ radio, and the post-war arrival of mass media television in the UK.
He is joined by Shipping Forecast enthusiast, the poet Imtiaz Dharker.
Producer: Mohini Patel
Made to mark the BBC Centenary, first broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 2022.
THU 09:45 Daily Service (m002wt63)
Pentecost - Feast of Our Lord Jesus Christ, the Eternal High Priest
A space for spiritual reflection with a Bible reading, prayer and a range of Christian music.
Theme: Pentecost - Feast of Our Lord Jesus Christ, the Eternal High Priest
Music:
O God of Earth and Altar - Cathedral Choir, Conductor - Amy Howe, Organist - Benjamin Newlove
O bread of heaven - Cathedral Choir, Conductor - Amy Howe, Organist - Benjamin Newlove
Levate portae capita vestra, Ravelli - Cathedral Choir, Conductor - Amy Howe, Organist - Benjamin Newlove
Responsorial psalm for day - - Cathedral Choir, Conductor - Amy Howe, Organist - Benjamin Newlove
THU 10:00 Great Lives (b09z4k9z)
Adrian Utley of Portishead on Miles Davis
**Visionary jazz musician Miles Davis joins BBC Radio 4 Extra's 100 Club – born 26th May 1926. He died in 1991 aged 65***
Miles Davis - trumpeter, composer, bandleader - is championed by Adrian Utley of Portishead.
"He's always been really important in my life, right from early on when my dad used to play him. It was part of the atmosphere of our house."
From the early years with Charlie Parker and via Kind of Blue to playing in front of 600,000 hippies on the Isle of Wight, Miles Davis was a musician who never stood still. "Always listen for what you can leave out," he used to say.
Portishead's seminal 1990s album Dummy seems to have taken advice from the man. As Adrian Utley explains to presenter Matthew Parris:
"The darkness and the sense of space is the thing that I have assimilated from Miles ... he's in my DNA."
With Richard Williams, author of The Blue Moment: Miles Davis's Kind of Blue and the Remaking of Modern Music.
Producer: Miles Warde
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 2018.
THU 10:30 Listed (b00dsr38)
Concrete council-flats, brutalist office-blocks, modernist monsters, the architecture that seemed so modern and confident in its day now looks - to most people - shabby, unfriendly or downright ugly.
Much of it has already been cleared away, and much more is scheduled to go.
Yet, even as the bulldozers rev up and the wrecking balls prepare to swing, a few anguished voices are crying "No!"
Lucinda Lambton reports on the struggle to save buildings from the 1960s and the 1970s that are now unfashionable and in danger of demolition.
Producer: Jolyon Jenkins
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 2008.
THU 11:00 Detective (b04fgp85)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
THU 11:30 Charles Chilton - Journey into Space (b007jmwq)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
THU 12:00 Mind Your Own Business! (m002wmpc)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
THU 12:30 I'm Sorry, I'll Read That Again (b00f6r5f)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
THU 13:00 All Those Women (b09ppwdz)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
THU 13:30 The Lonely Londoners by Sam Selvon (b03phyb4)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
THU 13:45 The Little Ottleys (b01ljl52)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:45 today]
THU 14:00 Foul Play (b00zshr5)
Series 4
Dead as a Parrot
Crime writers Ian Rankin and Stella Duffy try to solve a mystery case of a killing involving footballers and models.
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 October 1998.
THU 14:30 His Master's Voice (b007s1vx)
2. Frequent Flyer
Following a successful first edition, Keith decides that the next edition of Blue Touch should focus on the Tory's green agenda, much to the chagrin of Lord Malan, who spends his life on planes and likes watching ice melt.
Starring Robert Hardy.
Mark Tavener's political satire set in the offices of 'The Blue Touch Paper' - an archaic Tory magazine.
Lord Malan .... Robert Hardy
Keith .... Tony Gardner
Anna .... Amelia Bullmore
Giles .... Michael Maloney
Katrina .... Rachel Atkins
With:
Beth Chalmers
Simon Treves
Eve Webster
Producer: Dawn Ellis
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 2007.
THU 15:00 Drama on 4 (m001thxf)
A Grain of Wheat by Ngugi wa Thiong'o
**** BBC Radio 4 Extra marks one year since the death of a titan of modern African literature, Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o. He died on 28th May 2025 aged 87.
Written in 1967 and set four years earlier, on the eve of Kenyan independence, A Grain Of Wheat covers the years of the Mau Mau rebellion and is widely recognised as a classic of post-colonial African literature.
Ngugi states, "The characters are fictitious… But the situation and the problems are real – sometimes too painfully real for the peasants who fought the British, yet who now see all that they fought for being put on one side."
The story of a nation being born from a struggle against colonialism through the transitional times of the Emergency and the half-life in internment camps. Every character, black and white, male and female has a part to play in this ordeal of violent change.
The ‘Present’ of the story is the four days preceding the day of the Uhuru celebrations when Kenya became an independent nation, presided over by Jomo Kenyatta, Burning Spear, on 12th December 1963.
Written by Ngugi wa Thiong'o
Adapted by Michael Eaton
Cast, in alphabetical order:
John Thompson …….. Philip Jackson
Kihika/Gikonyo …….. Ivanno Jeremiah
General R …….. Denver-Isaac Kwashe
Margery Thompson …….. Sarah Lawrie
Karanja …….. Wela Mbusi
Narrator …….. JC Niala
Mumbi …….. Bel Odawa
Mugo …….. Jude Owusu
Creative Consultant: JC Niala
Director: David Morley
A Perfectly Normal production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in December 2023.
THU 16:00 Great Lives (b09z4k9z)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 today]
THU 16:30 Listed (b00dsr38)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:30 today]
THU 17:00 Detective (b04fgp85)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
THU 17:30 Charles Chilton - Journey into Space (b007jmwq)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
THU 18:00 Mind Your Own Business! (m002wmpc)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
THU 18:30 I'm Sorry, I'll Read That Again (b00f6r5f)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
THU 19:00 All Those Women (b09ppwdz)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
THU 19:30 The Lonely Londoners by Sam Selvon (b03phyb4)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
THU 19:45 The Little Ottleys (b01ljl52)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:45 today]
THU 20:00 Foul Play (b00zshr5)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:00 today]
THU 20:30 His Master's Voice (b007s1vx)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:30 today]
THU 21:00 Drama on 4 (m001thxf)
[Repeat of broadcast at 15:00 today]
THU 22:00 Ellie Taylor's Safe Space (m001kh34)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
THU 22:30 Any Bloke (b00807sf)
Series 1
Principles
"Grandma says Ben and Jessica have a lovely school uniform - with hats... well your cousins go to a different type of school."
Phil's worried that Sarah and Fay are plotting behind his back about Sophie's education.
Starring Jim Sweeney and Caroline Quentin
Gary Brown's comedy series about family life in the 1990s.
Phil.......Jim Sweeney
Sarah....Caroline Quentin
Fay.......Shirley Stelfox
Liam....Steve Steen
Gerald....Lloyd Peters
Gavin......Paul Clarkson
Sophie....Nadine Balantyne
With;
Rachel Atkins
Mark Straker
Producer: Ann Jobson
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 1993.
THU 22:55 The Comedy Club Interviews (m002x1zr)
Patrick Monahan 3/3
The Comedy Club - Two hours of comedy, every night from 10pm. Tonight, Jon Holmes wraps up his three-part chat with Patrick Monahan.
THU 23:00 At Home with the Snails (b007jvlw)
Series 2
Episode 1
George and Beverley decide to feign their deaths to see how their children will cope with the grief.
He wants to write a book about it all.
She hopes they’ll realise how much they miss them, so that they can become one big happy reunited family.
But will their plan actually work?
Return of Gerard Foster's comedy drama series.
George ..... Geoffrey Palmer
Beverley ..... Angela Thorne
Alex ..... Gerard Foster
Rose ..... Miranda Hart
Hosana ..... Debra Stephenson
Producer: Jane Berthoud
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 2002.
THU 23:30 Small Scenes (b0745q59)
Series 3
Episode 4
More overblown, melodramatic scenes from modern life.
Meet the woman who uncovers the conspiracy behind cryptic crosswords, a captain who's inappropriately cool in a crisis and the perils of dating a banker.
Award-winning sketch show.
Starring:
Daniel Rigby
Mike Wozniak
Cariad Lloyd
Henry Paker
Jessica Ransom
Written by Benjamin Partridge, Henry Paker and Mike Wozniak, with additional material from the cast.
Produced by Simon Mayhew-Archer.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 2016.

FRIDAY 29 MAY 2026

FRI 00:00 Great Lives (b09z4k9z)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 on Thursday]
FRI 00:30 Listed (b00dsr38)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:30 on Thursday]
FRI 01:00 Detective (b04fgp85)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 on Thursday]
FRI 01:30 Charles Chilton - Journey into Space (b007jmwq)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 on Thursday]
FRI 02:00 Mind Your Own Business! (m002wmpc)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 on Thursday]
FRI 02:30 I'm Sorry, I'll Read That Again (b00f6r5f)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 on Thursday]
FRI 03:00 All Those Women (b09ppwdz)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 on Thursday]
FRI 03:30 The Lonely Londoners by Sam Selvon (b03phyb4)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 on Thursday]
FRI 03:45 The Little Ottleys (b01ljl52)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:45 on Thursday]
FRI 04:00 Foul Play (b00zshr5)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:00 on Thursday]
FRI 04:30 His Master's Voice (b007s1vx)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:30 on Thursday]
FRI 05:00 Drama on 4 (m001thxf)
[Repeat of broadcast at 15:00 on Thursday]
FRI 06:00 Detective (b04fgwcj)
Series 2
5. Four Faces of Crime
DS Brook and DC Harrison meet the eccentric Mr Parsons.
Meanwhile a gruesome meat axe murder is investigated...
Stories of crime and detection in London by Robert Barr.
Starring Ray Brooks as shrewd veteran Detective Sergeant Dave Brook and Christopher Blake as Detective Constable Blair Maxton.
DS Dave Brook …. Ray Brooks
DC Blair Maxton …. Christopher Blake
DC Harrison …. Peter Cleall
Chief Inspector Roach …. Stephen Yardley
Judy …. Jacqueline Tong
Peter Parsons … Derek Francis
Tommy …. Johnny Wade
Producer: Martin Fisher
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 1982.
FRI 06:30 Charles Chilton - Journey into Space (b007jmx1)
Operation Luna
10. The Citadel
Stranded in Earth's past, the Voice tries tempting Captain Jet Morgan and his crew out into the city of the aliens.
Starring Andrew Faulds and Alfie Bass.
Futuristic tale set in 1965 written and produced by Charles Chilton..
Jet Morgan …. Andrew Faulds
Lemmy Barnett …. Alfie Bass
Doc …. Guy Kingsley-Poynter
Mitch …. David Williams
Other parts played by:
David Jacobs
Music composed and orchestra conducted by Van Phillips.
The original 1953 recordings of this futuristic series were erased.
This series was re-recorded and first broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in May 1958.
FRI 07:00 Flying the Flag (b00br86w)
Series 3
Whose Rubbish Is It Anyway?
"Lights going up, walls coming down - the West is starting to look a bit lost without someone to blame for all its troubles".
Her Majesty's Ambassador Mackenzie continues to dispense his own blend of British Foreign Policy, despite the arrival of Glastnost, Perestroika - and a container ship of toxic waste...
Starring Dinsdale Landen.
Return of the Eastern Bloc embassy sitcom written by Alex Shearer.
HM Ambassador Mackenzie …. Dinsdale Landen
Helen …. Moir Leslie
Spiro …. Stephen Greif
Christopher Benjamin …. Colonel Surikov
William Frost …. Peter Acre
Producer: Neil Cargill
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 1990.
FRI 07:30 Steptoe and Son (b007jnjq)
Series 6
Loathe Story
Sleepwalking Harold gives dad Albert a fright.
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
Psychiatrist ...... Graham Stark
Bunty ...... Jo Manning Wilson
Mrs Kennington-Stroud ...... Margot Boyd
Producer: Bobby Jaye
First broadcast on the BBC Radio 2 in February 1976.
FRI 08:00 To Hull and Back (b09v2x5b)
Series 3
Welcome to the Family
Sophie auditions for the panto at New Hull Theatre so she can show Imran she's more than just a hairdresser.
But when Sophie doesn't get a part, Sheila decides to take matters into her own hands so she can see her daughter on that famous stage, fulfilling her dreams.
And of course, more importantly, so she can impress the committee for Kirkella ladies golf...
Starring Lucy Beaumont and Maureen Lipman.
Lucy Beaumont’s warm-hearted sitcom about Sophie's efforts to escape her overbearing mother, Sheila.
Sophie ...... Lucy Beaumont
Sheila ...... Maureen Lipman
Jean ...... Kerrie Marsh
Nigel the Director ...... Mike Bubbins
Imran ...... Shane Zaza
Producer: Sam Michell
A BBC Studios production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in March 2018.
FRI 08:30 The Lonely Londoners by Sam Selvon (b03phydw)
5. Contemplation
As summer comes to the city, Moses's friend Harris organises a dance.
Meanwhile, Moses contemplates his life after ten years in London.
Sam Selvon's rich and touching 1956 novel about the lives of a group of Caribbean immigrants in London.
Abridged by Lauris Morgan-Griffiths.
Read by Don Warrington.
Producer: Sara Davies
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 2014.
FRI 08:45 The Little Ottleys (b01ljwm2)
Series 3
5. What's to be Done?
Written and dramatised from the novels of Ada Leverson by Martyn Wade.
Aylmer confronts Vincy - believing him to be involved with Edith and Miss Flummerfelt calls round to see Bruce - and meets Edith. There's also news that someone is returning from Wyoming....
Ada/Narrator.......................Haydn Gwynne
Edith.........................................Juliet Aubrey
Aylmer.....................................Jonathan Firth
Bruce........................................Ifan Meredith
Vincy........................................Sam Alexander
Miss Flummerfelt..................Susie Riddell
Directed by Tracey Neale
Music Used
"Forgotten Dreams" - Max Jaffa with the Palm Court Orchestra
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 2012.
FRI 09:00 Hajj & Seek (m002wskk)
A spiritual journey like no other… just with more chaos, queueing, and a missing pair of sandals.
Blending storytelling, stand-up and documentary, comedian Ali Shahalom (aka Ali Official) takes us on a deeply personal comic journey through one of the most important acts of worship in Islam: Hajj. What begins as a sacred pilgrimage becomes a test of patience, endurance, and broadband speed.
From battling the notoriously stressful Nusuk booking system (“depression you pay for”) to convincing his entire family to commit to the trip, Ali charts every step of the journey with warmth, honesty and razor-sharp humour. There are frozen bank accounts, passport panics, and a £40,000 leap of faith - and that's all before he’s even left the UK.
Written and performed by Ali Shahalom
Script editor - Laura Major
Sound design - Andy Goddard
Producer - Victoria Lloyd
A Mighty Bunny Production for BBC Radio 4
FRI 09:30 Property of the BBC (m001f5gs)
Three Objects of Children’s Broadcasting
Historian Robert Seatter selects three objects from the BBC’s archive store and tells the stories behind their creation - what they tell us about the changing history of the organisation, about expansion of the media and the nation at large. Robert’s choices are unexpected, revelatory and sometimes, with the cruel benefit of hindsight, funny.
In today’s programme, Robert enters the special space of Children’s broadcasting, the place where we first engage with a wider world, creating memories that stay with us forever. He chooses three seminal objects that are sure to strike a chord.
i) Those talkative Watch with Mother puppets Bill and Ben, with their famous nonsense language.
ii) Then the anarchic plasticine Morph, only 12 cm high, but a creative force to be reckoned with.
iii) And finally, the Blue Peter badge – what every child of the 1960s onwards desired - motivating the show’s young viewers to participate in all manner of creative activities as well as social action campaigns for communities near and far.
Robert explores themes of language and imagination, of inspiring creativity in young minds, and finally of broadcasting and citizenship. He is joined by animator extraordinaire and proud Blue Peter gold badge-wearer, Nick Park.
Producer: Mohini Patel
Made to mark the BBC Centenary, first broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 2022.
FRI 09:45 Daily Service (m002wvzm)
Pentecost - The promise for all
A space for spiritual reflection with a Bible reading, prayer and a range of Christian music. From St Margaret's Church, Prestwich.
Theme: Pentecost - The promise for all.
Presenter: Sue Walker
Reading: Acts 2 38-47
Music:
Holy Spirit, living breath of God - Maggie's Music Makers and the Daily Service Singers
Build your kingdom here - Maggie's Music Makers and the Daily Service Singers
Love divine - Maggie's Music Makers and the Daily Service Singers
FRI 10:00 Soul Music (b00dnjrn)
Series 7
So What
***Visionary jazz musician Miles Davis joins BBC Radio 4 Extra's 100 Club – born 26th May 1926. He died in 1991 aged 65***
On 2nd March 1959, Miles Davis and his sextet began recording a new album: "Kind of Blue".
The first track was "So What" and the album became the best selling Jazz album of all time.
This programme tells the stories of people whose lives have been changed by this piece of music.
Featuring:
Clemency Burton-Hill
Jonathan Eno
Estelle Kokot
Ashley Kahn
Dr Richard Niles
Series exploring famous pieces of music and their emotional appeal.
Producer: Rosie Boulton
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 2008.
FRI 10:30 The Lost Cockney Voice (b08n4hmh)
What does the way we speak say about us?
Why do we still judge each other that way? And why do so many of us still feel the need to “improve” our accent to fit in?
Cole Moreton did that as a teenager, trying to escape the East End, but now he goes back to understand where he came from - and to search for the unique but vanishing voice of his late grandmother’s generation.
They grew up during and after wartime listening to posh announcers on the wireless and sounded half Cockney, half like the Queen. Can there be any women like that left in the same place today, transformed as it is by immigration and gentrification?
The East Enders have left for Essex and Kent and experts say true Cockney will die out within a couple of decades. Meanwhile a new accent is emerging on the old streets - Multicultural London English. Cole meets modern grandmothers of all backgrounds in the East End today, as he searches in vain for the voice of his Nan.
The real Queen sounds more like a Cockney than she used to - but she’s not available for interview. Dame Vera Lynn sings him a bedtime lullaby. June Brown, who plays Dot Cotton, says they don’t talk proper Cockney on EastEnders any more - it’s all “lazy talk” now.
But finally, Cole finds Beryl, a formidable force in Forest Gate at the age of 91, who sounds exactly like his Nan.
Presenter: Cole Moreton
Producer: Jonathan Mayo
A TBI Media production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in April 2017.
FRI 11:00 Detective (b04fgwcj)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
FRI 11:30 Charles Chilton - Journey into Space (b007jmx1)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
FRI 12:00 Flying the Flag (b00br86w)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
FRI 12:30 Steptoe and Son (b007jnjq)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
FRI 13:00 To Hull and Back (b09v2x5b)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
FRI 13:30 The Lonely Londoners by Sam Selvon (b03phydw)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
FRI 13:45 The Little Ottleys (b01ljwm2)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:45 today]
FRI 14:00 Wordaholics (b01dhhps)
Series 1
Episode 5
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:
Jack Whitehall
Milton Jones
Natalie Haynes
Susie Dent
Written by Jon Hunter and James Kettle.
Producer: Claire Jones
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 2012.
FRI 14:30 Ballylenon (b007k4hw)
Series 1
Episode 2
A "gramophone record recital" is the Irish town's cultural highlight of 1953 - the start of something big?
Series set in the sleepy town of Ballylenon, Co Donegal, in 1953, before the days of mass tourism and proper plumbing in every home.
Written by Christopher Fitz-Simon.
Phonsie Doherty ...... TP McKenna
Muriel Maconchy ...... Margaret D'Arcy
Vera Maconchy ...... Stella McCusker
Vivienne Boal ...... Aine McCartney
Guard Gallagher ...... John Hewitt
Stumpy Bonnar ...... Gerard McSorley
Eithne Ni Phartalain ...... Marcella Riordan
Aubrey Frawley ...... Dominic Letts
Music arranged and performed by Stephanie Hughes
Director: Eoin O'Callaghan
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in June 1994.
FRI 15:00 The Quest Of Donal Q (b018cbcj)
Based on the template of Don Quixote, The Quest of Donal Q, is the story of two rival brothers who journey through Scotland in search of a childhood sweetheart.
Written by David Ashton especially for Brian Cox and Billy Connolly.
Donal (Billy) and Sandy (Brian) were separated in an orphanage. Donal was adopted by a wealthy couple and taken off to California while Sandy was never chosen and was left to live in not quite so sunny Dundee.
The estranged brothers meet up 10 years later and must seek out the girl they both loved at the orphanage - beautiful Jeanette - who apparently needs a knight in shining armour.
So begins a journey that will make or break the bond between brothers.
Donal ....................... Billy Connolly
Sandy ...................... Brian Cox
Hamish/Mr Quigley.... John Kielty
Jeanette/Leonora ...... Sandy McDade
Fergus/Mungo .......... Forbes Masson
Mother/Maybelle ....... Lindy Whiteford
Mary ........................ Helen Mackay
Margo/Mrs Quigley.... Tracey Wiles
Gilchrist.................... Carl Prekopp
Prester John/Ernie .... David Ashton
Candy ...................... Victoria Inez Hardy
Director: David Ian Neville
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 2012.
FRI 16:00 Soul Music (b00dnjrn)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 today]
FRI 16:30 The Lost Cockney Voice (b08n4hmh)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:30 today]
FRI 17:00 Detective (b04fgwcj)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
FRI 17:30 Charles Chilton - Journey into Space (b007jmx1)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
FRI 18:00 Flying the Flag (b00br86w)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
FRI 18:30 Steptoe and Son (b007jnjq)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
FRI 19:00 To Hull and Back (b09v2x5b)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
FRI 19:30 The Lonely Londoners by Sam Selvon (b03phydw)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
FRI 19:45 The Little Ottleys (b01ljwm2)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:45 today]
FRI 20:00 Wordaholics (b01dhhps)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:00 today]
FRI 20:30 Ballylenon (b007k4hw)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:30 today]
FRI 21:00 The Quest Of Donal Q (b018cbcj)
[Repeat of broadcast at 15:00 today]
FRI 22:00 Hajj & Seek (m002wskk)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
FRI 22:30 Tom Allen Is Actually Not Very Nice (m000c0cl)
Episode 1
Tom Allen is Actually Not Very Nice explores what happens when Tom's calm and collected exterior collapses.
He used to be such a nice boy but what has happened to turn him naughty?
With help from the assembled studio audience, Tom works out how best to navigate some tricky social situations and how to keep a lid on his fury when confronted with life's small injustices.
Featuring Gabby Best.
Producer: Richard Morris
A BBC Studios production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in December 2019.
*** Photo credit: Edward Moore @edshots
FRI 23:00 The Mark Steel Lecture (b007qhq3)
Series 2
Karl Marx
A profile of the influential revolutionary thinker and philosopher.
Mark Steel lectures humourously about historical figures that have shaped their era.
With:
Martin Hyder
Carla Mendonca
Producer: Lucy Armitage
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 2001.
FRI 23:30 Laura Solon - Talking and Not Talking (b00c1d22)
Series 2
Episode 4
'China Lion', pepping up your sex life and why it is not a good idea to tell lies on your CV.
Award-winning comedian Laura Solon's sketch and character comedy series
With:
Rosie Cavaliero
Ben Moor
Ben Willbond
Written by Laura Solon.
With additional material by Ben Moor, Charlie Miller, Andy Marlot, Jon Walsh and Holly Walsh.
Producer: Colin Anderson
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in June 2008.