Radio 3 Drama & Readings, 2005
General notes: As programming is generally scheduled around evening concerts, start times have been noted after the date; Repeats again not marked in listings so I've noted them when I remember; I've given up on the 'Sunday Feature' as it appears to be solely documentary; Listings are missing for 14-08 to 18-08-2005, 27-10 to 08-11-2005, 21-11 to 22-11-2005 and 13-12 to 17-12-2005.
Barry Hodge
DRAMA ON 3:
Sunday evenings, times and durations as noted.
(02-01-2005; 20:15) Thinking Earth
- Earth Mapping (Various) A nightmare journey from Kabul, a migration of birds in Greenland and a man lying on his back in a car park looking at the sky, while in Ireland Kevin tries to get lost in a wood in order to remember a day in his childhood when he first learned about mapping and why sometimes it is important to lose your way. A meditation on mapping with contributions from international artists, writers, environmentalists, composers and members of the public including: Lin Coghlan, Lyn Gardner, John Hull, Paul Heritage, Kazuko Hohki, Vivienne Jake, Silke Mansholt, Graeme Miller, David Qujaukitsoq, Shirazuddin Siddiqi, Karen Wimhurst and Paddy Woodworth. Thinking Earth is one of a trilogy of complementary programmes broadcast on Radio 4 (8.00pm January 1st) , BBC World Service (11.00pm January 1st) and Radio 3. Cleary - Jim Norton, Kevin - Lloyd Hutchinson, Younger Kevin - Daniel Price. Music by Billy Cowie. Produced by Pam Marshall. (75m)
(01-01-2005; 20:00) Features Like Mine (Ted Whitehead)
A new play written especially for Radio 3, from one of Britain's greatest living dramatists Ted Whitehead, about a man returning to his home town and re-examining his relationship with his father. Tony - Jonathan Pryce, Bridget - Sue Johnston, Dominic - Tom Bell. Written by Ted Whitehead. Directed by Bruce Hyman. (90m)
(16-01-2005; 18:45) The Fire Raisers
(Max Frisch, trans Michael Bullock, adap Charles Wood) An intriguing, entertaining and provocative comedy, which has rightly become known as a classic of the European stage. The Biedermanns are a bourgeois family, paranoid about protecting their home. Yet when the homeless, sinister Schmitz seeks shelter, he manages to hoodwink his way into the house. Herr Biedermann - Jim Broadbent, The Author - Simon McBurney, Mrs Biedermann - Harriet Walter, Eisenring - Phil Daniels, Schmitz - Ralph Ineson, Anna - Tamzin Griffin. (75m)
(23-01-2005; 20:00) Embers
(Sandor Marai, trans Carol Brown Janeway, adap Lou Stein) What is the true nature of the bonds of friendship? How deep are those bonds when challenged by betrayal, passion, and a thirst for revenge? Patrick Stewart stars in this drama, adapted by Lou Stein from Sandor Marai's recent best-selling novel. In a gripping battle of wills, two men meet after a gap of forty-one years to unlock the truth behind an act of betrayal which shattered both their lives. Set in a vast, perfectly preserved aristocratic Hungarian castle in 1940, a 75-year old career military man, Henrik (known simply as the General by his servants) patiently waits for a guest whom he has not seen for 41 years. When his great childhood friend, Konrad, does appear, the General invites his guest to dine with him at the table which was last used 41 years ago, the day he discovered Konrad's passionate relationship with his young wife, Krisztina and his best friend's plan to kill him. The moment has come for the General to take revenge on Konrad's betrayal of their friendship. The General - Patrick Stewart, Nini - Sara Kestelman, Konrad - David Horovitch, Young General - Jamie Glover, Young Konrad/Gamekeeper/Servant - Laurence Kennedy, Krisztina - Jenny Agutter. Original Music by Deirdre Gribbin. Produced and directed by Lou Stein. (90m)
(30-01-2005; 20:15) Something Dark
(wri/performed by Lemn Sissay) Fostered as a baby and brought up in care from the age of 11, Lemn Sissay spent most of his adult life searching for his family. Something Dark is a poetic retelling of this dramatic journey. With music by Jim Parris. Produced by Shabina Aslam. (75m)
(06-02-2005; 20:15) Red Razzmatazz
(David Zane Mairowitz & Dominic Muldowney) A new radio opera set in Moscow, in 1949. With jazz more or less forbidden, a young and crazy unemployed musician - reputed to be the best saxophonist in Russia - imports an illegal saxophone into the Soviet Union. Crooked Jimmy - Nick Holder, Rivka - Natalie Turner Jones, Vinogradeff/ Chorus - Richard Morris, Commissar/ Radio Voice - Stephen Boxer, Chorus of comissars - Gordon Adams, Mary Carewe, Jonathan Williams, Dominic Muldowney (composer). Written and directed by David Zane Mairowitz. (75m)
(13-02-2005; 18:30) The Beaux' Stratagem
(George Farquhar, adap/dir John Tydeman) The Restoration comedy in which two penniless beaux flee London society for the countryside and evolve a stratagem for each to ensnare a wife of fortune and beauty. Archer, a beau - Jasper Britton, Aimwell, another beau - Alex Jennings, Count Bellair - Anthony Jackson, Boniface, a Landlord - Anthony Jackson, Cherry, his daughter - Teresa Gallagher, A countrywoman - Teresa Gallagher, Squire Sullen - Mark Straker, Scrub, his servant - Giles Fagan, Mrs Sullen, his wife - Zoë Waites, Gypsy, her servant - Frances Jeater, Lady Bountiful - Frances Jeater, Dorinda, her daughter - Sophie Thompson, Foigard, a priest - Nigel Anthony, Gibbet, a highwayman - Timothy Bentinck, Sir Charles Freeman - Timothy Bentinck. Produced by Nicolas Soames. (120m)
(20-02-2005; 20:00) Losses At Sea
(Graham Reid) The moving dramatisation of the sinking of The Princess Victoria. On the 31st of January, 1953 during the great storm that devasted coastal areas around the UK, the ferry between Stranraer and Larne sank off the County Down Coast. Up to 130 souls were lost, and a few remain unaccounted for. Losses at Sea is an imagined journey of two of these people told in tandem with the real stories of those who lost their lives that day. Dennis Walker - Richard Dormer, Christine Bell - Valerie Lilley, Sir Walter Smiles - Walter McMonagle, Maynard Sinclair - Ian McIlhinney, Sarah Cunningham - Julia Dearden, Ronald McNeill - Stuart Graham, Agnes McNeill - Nuala O'Neill, Violet Dingle - Cathy Sara, Eileen Prentice - Tara Lynne O'Neill, Captain James Ferguson - David Bannerman, Robert Burns - Mark Claney, Roseann Baxter - Carol Moore, Donnelly - Mark O'Shea, Pat - Dan Gordon, Brian - Miche Doherty, James Carlin - John Hewitt, Andrew - James Doran. Directed by Stephen Wright. (90m)
(27-02-2005; 20:00) The Gospel According To Mary Magdalene
(Tom Kelly) Two stories of devotion, love and death set in Palestine 2000 years ago and Britain today. Based on the documentary evidence of the Gospel of Mary Magdalene, published in 1955, this historic and domestic drama offers an alternative to the current pop mysticism. Mary Magdalene - Jane Lapotaire, Ruth - Claire Skinner, Matthew Levi - Peter Egan, Simon Peter - David Schofield, Mother - Polly James, Thompson - Danny Webb, Ruthie - Samantha Spiro. Directed by Marina Caldarone. (90m)
(06-03-2005; 20:00) Playing With Fire / The Pelican
(August Strindberg) A double bill of Strindberg plays: Playing With Fire (1892) stars Fiona Shaw and Jonathan Coy, and The Pelican (1907) stars Janet McTeer, Naomi Frederick and Rory Kinnear. (90m)
(13-03-2005; 20:00) Hotel Cristobel
(Caryl Phillips) A Caribbean island provides the setting for an intense and personal three-way struggle for control of a fading hotel. (90m)
(20-03-2005; 20:05) Glengarry Glen Ross
(David Mamet) Mamet's own radio adaptation of his Pulitzer Prize-winning drama in which Chicago real-estate salesmen grind out a living in a never-ending scramble for their share of the American dream. Richard Roma - Alfred Molina, George Aaronow - Stacy Keach, Shelly Levene - Hector Elizondo, James Lingk - Bruce Davison, John Williamson - Richard Cox, Dave Moss - Kristoffer Tabori, Officer Baylen - Chris Hatfield. Directed by Rosalind Ayres. (85m)
(27-03-2005; 20:10) Faustus
(David Mamet) British Premiere of Mamet's new play Faustus. In a timeless setting Mamet directs his own working of the Faustian legend. Neglectful of his son on his birthday, Faustus is drawn into a deadly wager with the party 'entertainer' in which logic and reason are shown to be feeble weapons against the power of chance, mystery and magic. Will intellectual pride precede the ultimate fall of man? Faustus - Ed O?Neill, The Friend - Ed Begley Jr, The Magus - Ricky Jay, Faustus? Wife - Rebecca Pidgeon, The Child - C Mamet. (80m)
(03-04-2005; 20:10) The Don
(Jeff Young) Inspired by Cervantes? Don Quixote, The Don is a gentle dreamer, dishevelled and battered by too many years spent in life's shadows. Through the clubs and pubs of Northern England, The Don, played by Bill Nighy, staggers forever in pursuit of his imaginary lover Dulcie ? his muse, his ideal 'lady', with his neighbour Sancho in tow. The Don - Bill Nighy, Sancho - Danny Webb, Priest - Sam Kelly, Receptionist - Rosie Cavaliero, Barber - Deka Walmsley, Steve - Declan Wilson, Landlady - Elizabeth Bell, Man - Oliver Jackson. Music composed and performed by Harvey Brough, with lyrics by Jeff Young, Dulcie voiced by Clara Sanabras, Mike Outram (guitar). Directed by Kate Rowland. (80m)
(10-04-2005; 20:00) Snow
(Orhan Pamuk, dram James Friel, trans Maureen Freely) Ka, a poet and political exile, returns to Turkey to write an investigative piece about troubling events in the mysterious, snow shrouded city of Kars; a place haunted by the silences of its own history. Snow is a spectacular tour de force, evoking the spiritual fragility of the non -western world, its ambivalence about the godless West, and its fury. Orhan - Robert Glenister, Ka - William Houston, Ipek - Lia Wiliams, Kadife - Jasmine Hyde, Necip/Fazil - Philip Arditti, Turgut Bey - Philip Jackson, Sunay Zaim - Jak Klaff, Funda Esser - Nina Wadia, Director - Nadim Sawalha, Blue - Michael Maloney, Cavit/ Agent - Ben Crowe, Z Demirkol - Stephen Critchlow. Additional music composed and performed by Melanie Pappenheim. Directed by Marilyn Imrie. (90m)
(17-04-2005; 19:20) Volpone
(Ben Jonson) In this classic satirical comedy of the English Renaissance, the wealthy Volpone pretends to be old and infirm, attracting greedy Venetians to his bedside. Volpone - Ian McDiarmid, Mosca - Tom Hollander, Celia - Olivia Williams, Corvino - Malcolm Sinclair, Voltore - Patrick Barlow, Corbaccio - John Rowe, Bonario - Chris Moran, Androgyno - Declan Wilson, Nano - David Thorpe, Castrone - Aimi Barbakoff, Avoc 1 - Ioan Meredith, Avoc 2 - Philip Fox, Avoc 3 - John Paul Ryan. Music performed by Mia Soteriou and Steve Bentley-Klein. Music by Mia Soteriou. Directed by Peter Kavanagh. (130m)
(24-04-2005; 20:05) Festen
(Thomas Vinterberg, Mogens Rukov & Bo hr. Hansen, adap David Eldridge) Director Rufus Norris introduces David Eldridge's multi-award winning adaptation of Festen - an uncompromising story of denial set over one weekend in a remote Danish mansion. The original West End cast have recreated their performances for Drama on 3. Actors include Jane Asher, Stephen Moore, Claire Rushbrook, Luke Mably and Patrick Robinson. This landmark production contains strong language and descriptions of sexual violence. Festen was originally a Dogme film and play by Thomas Vinterberg, Mogens Rukov and Bo hr. Hansen. Christian - Luke Mably, Michael - Rory Kinnear, Helene - Claire Rushbrook, Mette - Lisa Palfrey, Helge - Stephen Moore, Else - Jane Asher, Helmut - Michael Thomas, Poul - Sam Cox, Grandfather - Sam Beazley, Pia - Ruth Millar, Kim - Andrew Frame, Lars - Andrew Maude, Gbatokai - Patrick Robinson. Music by Orlando Gough. Directed by Rufus Norris. (85m)
(01-05-2005; 19:00) Don Carlos
(Friedrich Schiller, trans/adap Mike Poulton) Derek Jacobi stars in the acclaimed Sheffield Theatre production of the play by Friedrich Schiller in a new translation by Mike Poulton. King Philip II of Spain holds on to power through the terror of the Inquisition and his spies at Court. His son Don Carlos seeks his father's trust yet hides his feelings for his father's wife, Elizabeth of France, to whom he was betrothed before Philip married her. The Court watches and listens. King Philip II - Derek Jacobi, Don Carlos - Richard Coyle, Queen Elizabeth - Claire Price, Rodrigo Marquis of Posa - Elliot Cowan, Duke of Alba - Ian Hogg, Domingo - Michael Hadley, Princess Eboli - Charlotte Randle, Count Lerma - Roger Swaine, Duchess of Olivarez - Una Stubbs, The Grand Inquisitor - Peter Eyre, Page to the Queen - Stuart Burt, Duke of Medina Sidonia - Brian Poyser, Count Cordua - Andrew McDonald, Prince of Parma - Paul Keating. Original music by Adam Cork. Directed by Michael Grandage and Andy Jordan. (150m)
(08-05-2005; 19:50) If Not Now, When?
(Primo Levi, adap Jeremy Howe) To mark the 60th anniversary of the end of the Second World War, a radio version of this extraordinary play about a group of Jewish partisans making their way across war torn Europe, fighting their way west from Russia. Narrator - Corin Redgrave, Mendel - Mark Meadows, Gedaleh - Jonathan Tafler, Dov/Captain Smirnov - Kenneth Collard, Ulybin/Edek - Carl Prekopp, Pavel - Chris MacDonnell, Jozek/Chaim - Chris Donnelly, Piotr - Nitzan Sharron, Leonid - Jonathan Gunning, Mottel - Chris Garner, Line - Hayley Doherty, Rokhele - Amy Clifton. Original music composed by Gary Yershon and played by Graeme Taylor, Giles Broadbent and Gary Yershon. Produced by Iain Hunter and Jeremy Howe. (100m)
(15-05-2005; 20:00) Portugal
(Zoltan Egressy, trans/adap Ryan Craig from a literal translation by Katalin Trencsenyi) In a pub in a rural village in Hungary, the regulars are looking forward to the annual funfair and the prospect of a visit by a famous football team - real diversions from the only constant one of alcohol. Instead Nick, a stranger from Budapest on his way to Portugal, appears and triggers mayhem, capturing the heart of the landlord's daughter and provoking intense jealousy in Turnip, her 'fiancé'. The little world of Ergacs is turned upside-down. Landlord - Alun Armstrong, Ribbon - Sheridan Smith, Turnip - Darryl Clark, Peg - Pearce Quigley, Woman/Wife - Sally Rogers, Priest - Philip Fox, Nick - Bertie Carvel, Satan - Jon Glover. Director - Anastasia Tolstoy. (90m)
(22-05-2005; 20:00) A Taste Of Honey
(Shelagh Delaney) A new radio production of one of the great stage plays of the 20th Century. The powerful story of a pregnant teenage girl and her feckless mother trading insults and repartee in 1950s Salford. Helen - Siobhan Finneran, Jo - Beth Squires, Peter - Charles Lawson, Boy - Richard Mylan, Geof - Andrew Sheridan. Adapted and directed for radio by Polly Thomas. (90m)
(29-05-2005; 20:10) King Baabu
(Wole Soyinka) A comic and outlandish look at dictatorship. Nigerian Nobel Prize winner Wole Soyinka's play dramatises life under the brutal regime of General Sani Abacha, and is adapted for radio by the playwright for its British premiere. Maku Makubeti - Paterson Joseph, Ma Makube - Susan Aderin, Tikim - Wale Ojo, Chaplain/Shoki - Patrice Naiambana, Marabout/Kpoki - Marcia Hewitt, Fatasimu/officers - Anthony Ofoegbu, Drumming and Musical Director - Tunji Oyelana, Trumpet/bugle - Tobias Sturmer. Directed by Pauline Harris. (80m)
(05-06-2005) No programme
(The Beethoven Experience coverage)
(12-06-2005; 20:00) The Maids
(Jean Genet, trans Neil Bartlett) Genet's darkly disturbing play about suppressed hatred and oppression. Set in 1940s Paris, two sisters indulge in erotic and secret rituals of revenge against their wealthy employers - with fatal consequences. Claire - Victoria Hamilton, Solange - Janet McTeer, Madame - Rebecca Johnson. Music composed by David Pickvance. Directed by Gemma Jenkins. (90m)
(19-06-2005) No programme
(BBC Cardiff Singer Of The World 2005 Final coverage)
(26-06-2005; 20:00) The Lion Of Chechnya
(Leila Aboulela) In the 19th century, the warrior Imam Shamyl united the tribes of the Caucasus to fight Russian colonial expansion. Shamyl became a legendary figure and attracted the support of Queen Victoria who feared Russia's increasing power would threaten Britain's interests in India. After an early military defeat, Shamyl was forced to hand over his eight-year-old son Jamal to the Russians. Jamal grew up devoted to Russia and the Tsar. Years later, in an attempt to win the release of his son, Shamyl kidnapped a Georgian princess. Shamyl - Raad Rawi, Princess Anna - Katherine Igoe, Prince David - Matthew Pidgeon, Tsar - Michael Cochrane, Madame Drancy - Caroline Loncq, Alexander - Jordan Waller, Jamal - Shiv Grewal, Khazi - Ben Onwukwe, Chouanette - Abigail Thaw, Ameena - Sarah Ozeke, Zaidette - Nina Wadia, Jamaluddin - Renu Setna, Lezgin - Harry Myers, Cousin/Sergeant/Russian General - Richard Katz. Producer/Director Bruce Young. (90m)
(03-07-2005; 19:50) A Day In The Death Of Joe Egg
(Peter Nicholls) This 1967 play by Peter Nicholls is a groundbreaking work that retains an undiminished capacity to disconcert - a brilliant, heartbreaking and comic drama about a couple's relationship as parents of a profoundly mentally disabled child. Brian - Christopher Eccleston, Sheila - Kaye Wragg, Joe - Chloe Pabst-Bohan, Pam - Julia Rounthwaite, Freddie - Michael Maloney, Grace - Lynda Baron. Produced, adapted and directed by Pauline Harris. (100m)
(10-07-2005; 19:55) Afric Lives - Bloodlines
(Various) A dynamic gathering of Black British spoken word artists exploring blood, lineage and Africa. It was recorded live at the Albany Theatre, Deptford as part of the Africa Lives on the BBC season and was developed in association with Apples and Snakes. Cast includes: Zena Edwards, Malika Booker, Charlie Dark, Jan Blake, Tuup, Ebele, Jason Grant, Janine La Rosa, Jay Bernard. Marque Gilmore (composer). Shabina Aslam (producer). (95m)
(17-07-2005) No programme
(BBC Proms 2005 coverage)
(24-07-2005) No programme
(BBC Proms 2005 coverage)
(31-07-2005; 20:15) Venus & Adonis
(William Shakespeare) The Bard's exquisite retelling of a classical myth concerning desire and loss. Narrator - Nicholas Boulton, Venus - Claire Skinner, Adonis - Chris Moran. Directed by Sara Benaim. (75m)
(07-08-2005) No programme
(Repeat of The Wire's 'S' in usual slot - see below)
(14-08-2005) Unknown
(no information)
(21-08-2005; 20:30; Rpt) Arden Of Faversham
(adap/dir John Tydeman) The first English murder thriller written by an unknown contemporary of Shakespeare (though he himself may have provided an authorial hand). It was based on true events of the period and mixes high drama with low comedy as class-envy, greed and passion drive the story to its tragic conclusion, despite many humorous pitfalls on the way. Alice, the young wife of well-to-do Arden, has fallen in love with Mosby, a one-time butcher with social aspirations. The solution is to murder Arden. Arden, a merchant - Michael Pennington, Franklin, his friend - David Burke, Alice, his wife - Emily Hamilton, Michael, their servant - Giles Fagan, Mosby, a steward - Michael Maloney, Susan, his sister - Victoria Woodward, Black Will, a rogue - Anthony Jackson. Adapted and directed by John Tydeman. (105m) (NB: Listings actually noted this as a repeat, with date/time details!)
(28-08-2005; 20:00) Women Beware Women
(Thomas Middleton) The Jacobean classic in which the women are the worst betrayers. When Leantio's beautiful wife Bianca catches the eye of the Duke, the worldly Livia arranges an assignation, plunging Bianca into the vice and corruption of the court. Livia - Penny Downie, Bianca - Beth Chalmers, Leantio - John McAndrew, Mother - Manon Edwards, Guardiano - Bill Wallis, Isabella - Sara McGaughey, Hippolito - Andrew Wincott, Fabritio - James Greene, Duke - Nigel Terry, Cardinal - Dorien Thomas, Ward - Robert Harper, Sordido - Simon Ludders. Directed by Alison Hindell. (135m)
(04-09-2005) No programme (BBC Proms 2005 coverage)
(11-09-2005; 20:00) The Orchid Grower
(Sebastian Baczkiewicz) In 1964, KGB officer Yuri Nosenko defected to the USA in what should have been a major coup for the CIA. Sebastian Baczkiewicz tells the incredible story of Nosenko's four years of torture and imprisonment without trial as civil war raged within the CIA over his bona fides. A co-production with CBC, Canada, and based on an idea by journalist and Cold War expert Tom Mangold. Phil Kovacs (old) - Kenneth Welsh, Phil Kovacs (young) - John Cleland, James Angleton - Michael Murphy, Yuri Nosenko - Leo Vernik, Fran Kovacs - Emma Campbell, Andy Dawson - Greg Ellwand, Stan Forbes - Rod Wilson, Frank Holmes - John Robinson, Stacey - Tara Samuels, Richard Helms - Chuck Shamata, Dr Delamore - Michael Caruana, Cal - Patrick McManus, Bruce Solie - Barry Flatman, Durand - Jonathan Higgins, CIA Doctor - Gerry Mendicino. Directed by Toby Swift. (90m)
(18-09-2005; 20:00) War With The Newts
(Karel Capek, dram George Poles) When humanity encounters another race of intelligent bipeds sharing the Earth, what choice is there but to exploit it? When the existence of a group of speaking newts comes to the attention of ruthless GH Bondy and his Salamander Syndicate the newts find themselves turned into a commodity, and fought over by nations. At its heart, this joyously funny satire is a plea for decency and tolerance towards others, as relevant now as when it was first written in the 1930s. Capek - Dermot Crowley, Olga - Sally Hawkins, Van Toch - Henry Goodman, Povondra - Geoffrey Beevers, Mrs Povondra - Tina Gray, GH Bondy - Adrian Scarborough, Ensemble - Ben Crowe, Martin Hyder and Geoff McGivern. (90m)
(25-09-2005; 19:30) The Rivals
(Richard Brinsley Sheridan, adap/dir David Timson) 1775: The fashionable world descends on Bath, to take the waters and embroil themselves in a little romantic intrigue. Miss Lydia Languish, with a face and a fortune, is being wooed by no less than three rivals for her hand. Mrs Malaprop - Patricia Routledge, Sir Anthony Absolute - Geoffrey Palmer, Jack Absolute - Michael Maloney, Lydia Languish - Sarah Crowe, Faulkland - David Bamber, Bob Acres - Peter Gunn, Julia - Lucy Whybrow, Sir Lucius O'Trigger - Sean Barrett, Lucy - Clare Corbett, Fag - Nick Fletcher, David - Stephen Critchlow, Thomas, the coachman - Barrie Jaimeson. (120m)
(02-10-2005; 20:10) Days & Nights In Bedlam
(Fred D'Aguiar) Set in a London mental hospital in the early 1980s. When Otis is taken to the closed ward, he is desperate to return to his Queen Penelope, and his Kingdom. While the staff diagnose him as delusional, fellow patients Larry and Harry plot to reach this Kingdom first - and take Otis' Queen as their own. Otis - Mo Sesay, Gary - Don Gilet, Deirdre - Daniela Nardini, April - Alex Tregear, Harry - Stephen Critchlow, Larry - Carl Prekopp, Penelope - Janice Acquah. Carol Bayne (director/producer). (80m)
(05-10-2005; 21:30) Betrayal
(Harold Pinter) Pinter himself plays Robert, Patricia Hodge is Emma, and Michael Gambon is Jerry in the 1990 production of the celebrated study of infidelity and friendship. With Christopher Good and Elizabeth Mansfield. Directed by Ned Chaillet. (65m)
(09-10-2005; 19:30) The Radetzky March
(Joseph Roth, trans Michael Hofmann, adap Mike Walker) The story of the end of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, told through three generations of loyal servants to the Emperor - the men of the Trotta family. From the second half of the 19th Century when a Trotta saves the life of Franz Joseph on the battlefield, to the beginning of the 20th Century when world war and old age wipe the Trottas and their Empire from the map of Europe. Joseph Roth - Bill Wallis, Emperor Franz Joseph - John Woodvine, Joseph Trotta/Chojnicki/postman - Brian Pettifer, Franz Trotta - Richard Bremmer, Carl Joseph Trotta - Elliot Levey, Moser/Wagner - Nicky Henson, Jacques/Dr Skvoronnek - Clive Swift, Frau Slama/Valli von Taussig - Eleanor Tremain. With Paul Nicolson, Paul Dodgson, David Collins and Chris Garner. Music arranged and performed by Alexander Balanescu. Directed by Tim Dee. (120m)
(16-10-2005; 19:25) A Bequest To The Nation
(Terence Rattigan) With Kenneth Branagh, Janet McTeer, Amanda Root and John Shrapnel. The passionate relationship between Lord Nelson and Emma Hamilton causes tensions and friction amongst Nelson's family and colleagues. What does the greatest naval hero of the day see in this drunken, vulgar woman? Rattigan's play sets out to explain this enigma. Set in Bath and London, Autumn 1805. Lord Nelson - Kenneth Branagh, Emma Hamilton - Janet McTeer, Frances, Lady Nelson - Amanda Root, Lord Minto - John Shrapnel, George Matcham, Junior - Steven France, Captain Hardy - Gerard Horan, Lord Barham - Stephen Thorne, George Matcham, Senior - Anthony Jackson, Katherine Matcham - Patience Tomlinson. (125m)
(23-10-2005; 20:00) Talking To Terrorists
(Robin Soans) A play based on interviews with people involved in terrorism around the globe, and those seeking to counter it. The writer, director and actors involved carried out the interviews to try to discover what makes ordinary people do extreme things. Plus contributions from peacemakers, politicians, warriors, journalists, hostages and psychologists. The stories take us from Uganda, Israel, Turkey, Iraq and Ireland to the heart of the British establishment. An ex-member of the National Resistance Army, Uganda - Chip Chung, An ex-member of the UVF - Jonathan Cullen, Edward, a psychologist - Christopher Ettridge, An ex-member of the Kurdish Workers' Party - Alexander Hanson, An ex-member of the IRA - Lloyd Hutchinson, Rima, a journalist - Catherine Russell, The ex-head of the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, Bethlehem - Chris Ryman, An ex-Secretary of State - June Watson. Directed by Max Stafford-Clark. (90m)
(30-10-2005) Unknown
(no information)
(06-11-2005) Unknown
(no information)
(13-11-2005; 19:15) Much Ado About Nothing
(William Shakespeare) The delightful comedy sparkles with the verbal sparring of our two reluctant lovers in a world where nothing is quite what it seems. David Tennant and Samantha Spiro star as Benedick and Beatrice, with an introduction by Sir Richard Eyre. Leonato - David Swift, Beatrice - Samantha Spiro, Hero - Emilia Fox, Antonio/Sexton - Sean Baker, Don Pedro - David Westhead, Claudio - Chiwetel Ejiofor, Benedick - David Tennant, Don John - Julian Rhind-Tutt, Borachio -Stephen Critchlow, Conrade - Jonathan Keeble, Dogberry - David Haig, Verges - Peter Gunn, Margaret - Maxine Peake, Ursula - Helen Ayres, Friar Francis - Dermot Crowley. Original music written and performed Simon Oakes and Adam Wolters. Directed by Sally Avens. (135m)
(20-11-2005; 20:30) Macbeth
(William Shakespeare) Sir Richard Eyre made his radio directorial debut for this version of The Bard's tale of power and jealousy. Macbeth - Ken Stott, Lady Macbeth/Third Witch - Phyllis Logan, Macduff - Tom Mannion, Banquo - Liam Brennan, Duncan - Hugh Ross, Malcolm - Alan Cox, Lennox - Paul Higgins, Ross - Alastair Galbraith, Porter - Kenny Ireland, Old Man - Graham Crowden, Doctor - Ken Drury, Seyton - Iain Stuart Robertson, First Witch/Lady Macduff - Tracy Wiles, Second Witch/Gentlewoman - Kathleen McGoldrick. (110m)
(27-11-2005; 20:00) Pericles
(William Shakespeare) The romantic adventure full of tyrants, incest, murder, knights, teenagers, pirates, brothels, sublime poetry, young love, a great hero and the goddess Diana. A multicultural cast, world music and the poet Benjamin Zephaniah, give this timeless tale a contemporary twist. Pericles - Tom Mannion, Gower - Benjamin Zephaniah, Antiochus/Cerimon - Raad Rawi, Marina/Antiochus' daughter - Helen Longworth, Helicanus - Sean Scanlan, Master - Dermot Crowley, Fisherman - Paul Dinnen, Simonides - Lorcan Cranitch, Thaisa - Katherine Igoe, Dionyza - Adjoa Andoh, Cleon - Peter Gevisser, Diana - Sian Phillips, Bawd/Lychorida - Ayesha Antoine, Philemon/Bolt - Nick Sayce, Lysimachus - Ifan Meredith, Leonine - Delroy Brown. Directed by Gaynor Macfarlane. (100m)
(04-12-2005; 19:45) The Sicilian Expedition
(John Fletcher) Almost 2500 years ago, a confident young general persuaded Athens to launch an attack on Sicily. Alcibiades was a member of the Athenian baby boomer generation, whose elders had fought to give their children a society of justice, wealth and education. The baby boomers explored every sexual avenue, took drugs to excess, and became the greatest consumers of the most exotic products in human history. Then it all went wrong. Within two years of the defeat in Sicily, imperial, democratic Athens, the pinnacle of human civilisation, lay in ruins. Yet, as the city endured its death agonies, something new and wonderful was born: the Socratic idea of universal love. Socrates - James Laurenson, Alcibiades - Julian Rhind-Tutt, Callias - Richard Nichols, Theodote - Mia Soteriou, Nicias - Jonathan Nibbs, Taureas - Matthew Morgan, Agathon - Richard Mitchley, Spartan Soldier - Nathan Sussex, Bagoas - Brendan Charleson, Mantitheus - Jonathan Floyd, Mother - Christine Pritchard. Original Music by John Hardy. Directed by Kate McAll. (105m)
(11-12-2005; 20:15) Andalus
(Jason Webster, dram Tina Pepler) A young English writer sets out to discover Spain's hidden Moorish past. He visits an enormous, plastic-sheeted farm and witnesses farmers terrorising the largely North African workforce. His life is threatened as he covertly tours this agricultural gulag, but is saved by an illegal immigrant. The unlikely pair of writer and desperado take off on a rollercoaster ride through Andalucía. Jason - Joe McFadden, Zine - Omar Berdouni, Lucia - Azucena Duran, Salud, Carmen - Nuria Benet, Mother, doctor - Montserrat Gili, Amadeo, priest - Javier Marzan, Pedro, Sergio - Luis Soto, Old man - Nayef Rashed. Produced by Steven Canny. (90m)
(18-12-2005) No programme
(A Bach Christmas coverage)
(25-12-2005; 20:05) Mr Fielding's Scandal Shop
(Liz Kuti) In 1737, Henry Fielding, author of Tom Jones and scourge of Walpole's corrupt parliament, astonished the world by rejoining the Establishment. London's most infamous libertine became a magistrate - outlawing plays and players. But at what cost, to himself and to those who had loved and admired him? Henry Fielding - Richard McCabe, Charlotte Charke - Lizzie McInnerny, Robert Walpole - Ron Cook, Richard Yates - Nickolas Grace, Eliza Hayward - Frances Tomelty, Mary Fielding - Alison Pettitt, The Ale House maid - Amy Marston, Mr Ravenhill - Christopher Adlington, Colley Cibber - Robert Price. Directed by Eoin O'Callaghan. (85m)
TWENTY-MINUTES:
Various dramatic twenty-minute pieces that are used as mid-concert interval pieces during Performance On 3 and Opera On 3; Writer/reader credits have been noted where available; Documentaries/talks have been omitted.
(01-01-2005; 10:50) Immendorf
(Rufus Stone) A monologue for radio performed by Patience Tomlinson. July 1945. Schloss Immendorf is on fire, set alight by retreating Nazis. Inside, priceless works of art are being reduced to ashes, including many paintings by Vienna's star painter Gustav Klimt. Outside, Klimt's lifelong companion Emilie Floge watches - and remembers. (NB: Not billed as a 'Twenty Minutes', but in the same mid-concert slot.)
(12-01-2005; 20:20) The Second Strongest Man
(David Bezmozgis, read by David Jarvis) A story from Bezmozgis's debut collection Natasha and Other Stories, set in the Russian-Jewish enclaves of Toronto. The Russian émigrés of Toronto eagerly anticipate the arrival of a team of Russian weightlighters.
(11-02-2005; 20:30) The Bride From Odessa
(Edgardo Cozarinsky, trans Nick Caistor, abr/prod Duncan Minshull, read by Sam Dastor) This story describes the lives of some bold émigrés. This dramatic port is but the starting point... what about the life to come in Argentina?
(22-03-2005; 20:30) Africa Season - My Mother Used To Live On A Farm In Africa
(Abdulrazak Gurnah, read by Ndidi Ama) In the first in Radio 3's Africa Season, a series of short stories about 'land'. Munah remembers a difficult episode from her past.
(08-04-2005; 19:55) Africa Season - The Eyes Of The Statue
(Camara Laye, read by Adjoa Andoh) A young girl battles through undergrowth that seems intent on swamping the city. Nature is triumphant.
(11-04-2005; 19:50) Africa Season - The Knife Grinder's Tale
(Yvonne Adhiambo Owuor, read by Jude Akuwundike) The scene of a murder is the place where Ogwang struggles to bridge the distance between love and death in the face of violence.
(13-04-2005; 20:15) Demon Dog
(Nu Nu Yi, trans Anna Allott, read by Stella Gonet) The Burmese writer's disquieting story. The children report a disturbing prescence in the bushes which leads to an unexpected discovery.
(05-05-2005; 19:55) Living With Mahler
- Armando Iannucci chronicles his relationship with Mahler's music and talks about musical personality with conductor Gilbert Kaplan and critic Hilary Finch. (NB: Not exactly dramatic, but Iannucci does seem to create comic worlds with these pieces.)
(11-05-2005; 20:10) Trespass
(Julian Barnes, read by David Thorpe) Geoff thinks he can impress Lynn by taking her hiking, with all the right equipment and know-how. Then things go wrong in the ferns at Froggatt Edge.
(16-05-2005; 20:15) The Clarinet Players
(William Palmer, read by Tobias Menzies) A young boy's grandfather dies, leaving him facing an important decision.
(20-05-2005; 20:25) Africa Season - Abidjan Blues
(Veronique Tadjo, read by Janice Acquah) In a series of readings for Radio 3's Africa Season, streetlife is the theme. Akissi finally returns to Cote d'Ivoire, but it's to bury her father. It feels like she's severing her last links with the city of her birth. Until, that is, she retraces her father's footsteps in the capital. (NB: Also listed in exact same fashion for 23-05-2005; 19:45.)
(26-05-2005; 20:20) Africa Season - Lagos, Lagos
(Chimamanda Ngozi, read by Susan Aderin) As Chidra was being driven across Lagos, she was struck by how dissatisfied the people looked. She too was one of those dissatisfied people. But she hoped it would end today.
(17-06-2005; 20:15) The Tournament
(John Clarke, read by Jon Glover) Extract from the novel.
(20-06-2005; 20:20) Joyce Grenfell At The Aldeburgh Festival
- Writer and entertainer Joyce Grenfell was a fan of Aldeburgh, not missing a festival from 1962 until her death in 1979, and writing daily letters of her experiences to her friend Virginia Graham. Janie Hampton, Grenfell's biographer, presents a compilation of these letters, read by Maureen Lipman, revealing a candid, gossipy and surprisingly insightful portrait of the Festival, Benjamin Britten and Aldeburgh itself. Part 1: Britten - Grenfell's growing friendship with Britten led to her creating and recording a special song to celebrate the 20th Festival. Soon after, the recording was lost, only to be discovered nearly 40 years later during the research for this programme.
(23-06-2005; 20:20) Joyce Grenfell At The Aldeburgh Festival
- Part 2.
(24-06-2005; 20:15) Joyce Grenfell At The Aldeburgh Festival
- Part 3.
(01-07-2005; 20:20) Bricks & Brothels
- Poet and local resident, Alison Brackenbury, explores Cheltenham, introducing new poems she has written that reveal the town's sometimes hidden aspects.
(24-07-2005; 20:10) Towards The Light
- Three writers from three different faiths create a lyrical meditation on death and the subsequent journeys made by the soul: Hattie Naylor writes on Soka Gakkai Buddhism, Fidelma Meehan on Bahai and Father Peter Hunter on Catholicism. All address the profound mystery of the soul's migration.
(25-07-2005; 19:40) The Second Strongest Man
(David Bezmozgis, unknown reader) A story from Bezmozgis' debut collection. The Russian emigres of Toronto eagerly await the arrival of a team of Russian weightlifters.
(28-07-2005; 20:25) The Red Balloon
(Peter Sheridan, read by Brian Blessed) A new fairytale about a walk in the woods.
(01-08-2005; 20:20) Unknown Title
- A short story from novelist Ronald Frame, which takes a young girl from a provincial town in pre-War Scotland on an evocative life journey to the New World, South America and back again.
(07-08-2005; 16:50) Africa Lives
- End Of Skill (Mamle Kabu, read by Chuk Iwuji) A part of the BBC's Africa Lives Season. Descended from a long line of distinguished master weavers, Jimmy is expected to follow tradition. Instead, he leaves his village home behind him and heads for the streets of Accra where he plans to make his fortune, and break with his past. Produced by Elizabeth Allard. (NB: First time the season was called 'Africa Lives' - or was this a follow-up/new season...?)
(08-08-2005; 20:15) Now Wakes The Sea
(J G Ballard, read by David Rintoul) A man lives far from the coast, yet dreams that a mass of water approaches. Who will believe him?
(11-08-2005; 20:25) Africa Lives
- Ouagadougou (Emmanuel Dangola, abr/prod Duncan Minshull, read by Damian Lynch) Emmanuel Dangola's story forms part of a series of tales about 'home'. Dangola asks - why eat imported foods when the local town can provide white worms and grilled grasshoppers? Both are delicious with ginger! Part of the Africa Lives on the BBC season.
(25-08-2005; 20:15) The Violin
(wri/read by Christopher Hope) A new short story about Fred, a Parisian janitor whose life is suddenly transformed by the exotic Yuliah, a Russian violinist.
(06-09-2005; 19:55) The View From Yves Hill
(William Boyd, abr/prod Duncan Minshull, read by Oliver Ford Davies & Harry Myers) Playful, grumpy, kindly, bitter - what do we really know about the once grand man of letters who lives in a flat near Hyde Park and feasts on tinned mandarins with condensed milk? Well, perhaps he will tell us if he's in the right mood.
(24-09-2005; 20:45) Errand
(Raymond Carver) Julian Evans introduces Carver's powerful short story, which evokes the death of Anton Chekhov during a heat wave in 1904. (25m)
(30-09-2005; 20:25) Africa Season - Mago
(Sefi Atta, read by Anthony Ofoegbu) In a series of readings for Radio 3's Africa Season, myth is the theme. The newspapers in Lagos report that assailants are roaming the streets, slapping innocent people on the chest and stealing from their hypnotised victims. This is Mago. Terrified of Mago, Fidelis falls victim to a petty theft and must rely on his own imaginative myth-making to get himself out of trouble.
(23-11-2005; 20:20) Africa Season - Nana
(Margaret Busby, read by Glenna Foster-Jones) Nana is a title that means Chief. When a British woman enjoying a holiday in Ghana is ritually ambushed, she has to confront some age-old traditions that come of being born into a royal family. Produced by Pam Fraser Solomon.
(28-11-2005; 20:00) Amulet & Feathers
(Leila Aboulela, read by Rakie Ayola) Maryam sets out to avenge the death of her father. However, mysterious encounters with the spirit world lead to an unexpected outcome.
(03-12-2005; 21:00) Exit, Pursued By VAT Man
(Fay Weldon) A specially commissioned story takes Hermione from A Winter's Tale and gives her a modern day dilemma no less dramatic than the original. (15m) (NB: An 'Interval' during 'Opera On 3 - A Midsummer Night's Dream'.)
BETWEEN THE EARS
Saturday nights, times and durations as noted; Writer credits, and in some cases entry titles, aren't always given - and these 'experimental radiophonic features' appear from their synopses to be less and less drama-driven; Lots of repeats this year!
(08-01-2005; 22:30) Criss-Cross
- Mixed race children are Britain's fastest growing ethnic group, but how do they see themselves? This programme explores the joys and the challenges of mixed race identity. (30m)
(22-01-2005; 22:30; Rpt) Trimming Pablo
- Sheffield, 13th November 1950 - What was left behind? Memory, history and imagination. The Second World Peace Conference was a disaster - condemned by the government and reduced to a single night of speeches. The only communist from abroad allowed to attend was Picasso. In Trimming Pablo, Dave Sheasby has written and compiled a cubist entertainment using archive, drama and music which recalls the artist's one night in Sheffield. (30m) (NB: Rpt of 03-07-2004; 21:45.)
(29-01-2005; 22:30) Strata
- Voices mix with sound and music to tell the story of the landscape of South Yorkshire. (30m)
(19-02-2005; 22:15; Rpt) Words Per Minute
- A portrait of a British call shop - a place of phone booths and cut price calls, where people from all over the world gather to make long distance phone calls, cramming in the maximum 'words per minute' to family and friends back home. Conversations overheard give a fleeting and poignant insight into immigrant life in Britain today, in turns both touching and disturbing. Told through the spoken word with new works 'overheard' from Kapka Kassabova, Imtiaz Dharker, Yang Lian, Malika Booker and Dorothea Smartt, and the personal emotions of recent asylum seekers. (20m) (NB: Rpt of 17-07-2004; 22:00)
(26-02-2005; 22:15; Rpt) I Made Pizza For Kim Jong Il
- Come on a journey to the corridors and kitchens of power of the world's most secretive state. Italian chef Ermanno Furlanis was recruited to work in a seaside pleasure palace, making and baking pizza for the "Dear Leader", Kim Jong il. His story is contrasted with the harrowing tale of North Korean student Kang Hyeok, as he searches for food amidst the country's continuing famine. He meets starving children, grain thieves and degraded beggars who know nothing of their leader's magnificent banquets. (20m) (NB: Rpt of 14-08-2004; 22:40)
(05-03-2005; 22:30) Ports
- In Paul Farley's evocative radio poem, three ports - Carthage, Liverpool and Rotterdam - speak to each other across the centuries and down the sea lanes. From the ruins of the great Phoenician harbour, we follow the radar-blip of commerce as it travels on from the abandoned Liverpool dockside to the cranes and containers of Europe's busiest port. (30m)
(12-03-2005; 22:30) Killing Time
- Cornelia Parker explores the indeterminate nature of waiting. (30m)
(26-03-2005; 22:40) Pliny's Naturalis Historia
- Pliny the Elder was passionate about directly observing the natural world. So passionate, in fact, that he was killed when he got too close to Vesuvius in AD 79. Two years earlier, however, he had completed his Naturalis Historia, which included four volumes of observations of the animal kingdom. In this programme, Sean Barret and Mia Soteriou read the Latin text, accompanied by a soundscape of specially composed music, mixed with animal recordings gathered from Bristol?s famous Natural History Unit. (20m)
(04-06-2005; 22:00) The Darkest Place In England
- Poet and writer, Lavinia Greenlaw goes in search of darkness - nowadays banished as much from our imaginations as from our night skies. Is there anywhere truly dark left in England? How can we live without the dark? Can we recover its pleasures and its perils? With photographer Garry Fabian Miller and literary critic Alan Downie. (30m)
(11-06-2005; 22:15) The Third Generation
- How do the grandchildren of Holocaust survivors come to terms with the experiences of their grandparents as they reach young adulthood? Anne Karpf talks with medical student Shoshana Burke, rock musician Sam Fluskey and musicians Simon, Benjamin and Jo Wallfisch. The programme climaxes with a piece of music, Requiem, specially composed by Benjamin Wallfisch, and performed in the studio by his brother Simon, his father, the distinguished cellist Raphael Wallfisch, and his grandmother, Anita Lasker-Wallfisch, whose cello-playing famously saved her life in Auschwitz. (30m)
(18-06-2005; 22:15) Gateshead Multi-Storey Car Park
- As Gateshead's brutalist car park and shopping centre face possible demolition as part of the town's ongoing redevelopment, Between the Ears presents an unlikely journey through the concrete building, created entirely out of the sounds and personal perspectives found there, manipulated and processed on analogue tape. (20m)
(25-06-2005; 22:15; Rpt) Hearing Voices
- A composed documentary by sound artist John Wynne which features recordings of several click languages from the Kalahari Desert in Botswana. (30m) (NB: Rpt of 24-07-2004; 22:15)
(02-07-2005; 21:45; Rpt) Walking Against The Wind
- Another airing of Bonnie Greer's specially-written radio poem. "What is it that a stranger knows? Walking through grey days, grimy streets, wandering, wondering... " Playwright and critic Bonnie Greer keeps moving through the streets of London and across the geographical unconscious to the beat of broken language, foreign voices, and untold stories. (30m)
(09-07-2005; 22:40) Doing The To Do List
- Get up, do tax, extend overdraft, give pills to cat, explore foreign rights, check diving charts, book honeymoon, pack knickers, have baby - anything and everything can go on The To Do List. Trying to make sense out of the busy muddle that makes up our lives is a vital part of survival for many. And ticking off the items is a blissful joy, while the un-ticked glower back and are moved on to the next page. Whether it's a nuclear submarine commander remembering his medals, or a poet sorting out the polystyrene under the sink, or the comedian just trying not to lose it, 'Doing The To Do List' taps into people's need - sometimes their obsessive need - to put order into the threatening chaos of their lives. Hold tight for a bumpy ride through The To Do List. (20m)
(20-08-2005; 21:40) The Abandoned Road
- Near the French home of the writer Adam Thorpe lies a three-kilometre vestige of the former main road to the nearest village. Abandoned 100 years ago, this old Languedoc road is now the haunt only of badgers, a shepherdess and her brother - and the memories of former times. Adam's walk along the abandoned road is the starting point for a meditation in words and sound on the significance of roads and what it means when they fall into disuse. (30m)
(03-09-2005; 21:05) A Strange Eventful History
- The passing of time is made audible in the hopes, fears and regrets of seven everymen. With a double soundtrack of music tracing the arch of Western civilisation and golden songs from the last 70 or so years. Devised and produced by Alan Walker and Antony Pitts. (35m)
(05-11-2005) Unknown
(A new regular series may have started this week, though information is missing.)
(12-11-2005; 21:45) Peter Blake's Mystery Tour
- British painter Peter Blake takes listeners on a magical journey in an old char-à-banc bus. He is joined by characters who have peopled his imagination over the years - Elvis, Ian Dury, Frankie Howerd and Kim Novak, to name a few. (30m)
(19-11-2005; 22:15) A Very English Ganges
- Every Hindu traditionally wishes to have their ashes scattered on the holy waters of the Ganges. But what of the British Hindu community who have made their homes here? While many make the long trip to India with the ashes of a loved one, others have adapted this ancient ritual to modern life in this country, and have quietly found an alternative 'English Ganges' closer to home. Poet Debjani Chatterjee portrays Hindus scattering ashes on British rivers. She takes us on a poetic journey - of the soul and of a generation finding new ways to uphold tradition, based on the Hindu belief that ultimately all rivers become one. (20m)
(26-11-2005; 22:45) Sound Relations
- Is our voice something that we inherit? Do we sound like relatives who died decades ago and who we never met? Oral historian Alan Dein tries to plug the gap in our self-perception in a series of sound experiments. He listens to fathers, cousins, grandmothers and great-grandfathers as far back as sound recording goes, on archive, home-made cassettes and through personal memories. (30m)
(03-12-2005; 22:50) Between The Ears
- A portrait of poet Jan Michelle Kerouac (1952-1996) made by her friend Marjorie Van Halteren in remembrance of her astonishing spirit. Jan Kerouac met her famous father Jack Kerouac only twice. When she was a teenager, he said to her "Write a book. Use my name". But in the end his name turned out to be the last part of him that she really needed. She took up writing of her own accord and it became her lifeline. Towards the end of her life, Jan even talked of changing her famous name so that she could continue to do what she loved above all in peace - to write. But her grip on health loosened and her life ended in the midst of the kind of confusion that the estates of famous writers too often come to today. Her identity was overshadowed by a drama made up of all the greed and obsession concerning Jack's papers and works. Marjorie Van Halteren was crushed by Jan's untimely death aged just 44. In this programme, Marjorie has tried to evoke the last time she saw her friend, acting on a desire to bring Jan back fr the listener. (20m) (NB: No individual title given.)
(10-12-2005; 22:30) The Pembrokeshire Underground
- What do you think of while travelling on the Tube? Writer Dan Anthony has several thoughts. Join him as he takes a ride on the train line of the mind, heading west on The Pembrokeshire Underground. Featuring the voices of Phil Rowlands, Gillian Elisa Thomas, Alun Owen, Alun Lewis and Gary Jones. (30m)
(17-12-2005) Unknown
(no information)
(24-12-2005) No programme
(A Bach Christmas coverage)
(31-12-2005; 20:20) Guest + Host = Ghost
- A journey into one man's isolation, written and narrated by Peter Blegvad, with readings by Nick Cave. (25m)
THE WIRE
Thursday nights, times and durations as noted; Billed as 'A new wave of drama'; Near-monthly plays broadcast through the year, with various Saturday night repeats during the Summer months.
(13-01-2005; 22:00) God Can See Down Entries
(Linda Brogan) Josie is married to Brian - entrepreneurial, hedonistic and ambitious, they sell drugs for Brian's best friend Francis in Manchester's Moss Side. Josie and Francis are also best friends, poised for ever on the brink of becoming lovers. As allegiances go into freefall, the most primitive desires surface. Spanning 30 years, this is an impressionistic, poetic journey of three people locked in to a downward spiral. Josie - Rachel Davies, Brian - Neil Dudgeon, Francis - Lorcan Cranitch. Directed by Robert Delamere. (45m) (NB: Rptd 27-08-2005; 21:45)
(03-02-2005; 22:00) Disenchantment
(Paddy Cunneen) An expressionistic interpretation of the life and work of Bruno Bettelheim. Towards the end of his life, the great psychologist meditates on the story of Hansel and Gretel. He finds uncomfortable parallels between the fairy tale and the facts of his own life. Did Hansel escape unscathed from the witch? Is recovery from abuse ever possible? Is there such a thing as "Happily Ever After"? The Mother and The Witch - Susan Engel, The Psychologist and all other voices -. Jack Klaff. Director: Paddy Cunneen. Sound Editor: Paul Arditti. Producer: Gaynor Macfarlane. (30m) (NB: Rptd 23-07-2005; 21:45)
(03-03-2005; 22:00) The Tragical Comedy Or Comical Tragedy Of Mr.Punch
(Neil Gaiman) Adapted by Neil Gaiman from the graphic novel by Neil Gaiman and Dave McKean, Mr Punch Never Dies... A small boy goes to stay with his grandparents in Southsea, spending his days at his grandfather's failed arcade on the seafront. When Swatchell, a Punch and Judy professor, sets up his booth in the arcade the boy becomes fascinated by the story played out by these strange violent wooden puppets - particularly when strange parallels start to develop between the story of Mr. Punch and events in his own family's life. Narrator - Richard Dillane, Swatchell - Alexander Morton, Grandfather - Hugh Dickson, Morton - Karl Johnson, Boy - Jonathan Bee, Mermaid - Rachel Atkins, Grandmother - Susan Jameson, Father - Stuart McLoughlin, Mr Punch - Geoff Felix, Sister - Frankie Dean. Music by Dave McKean and Ashley Slater. Directed by Lu Kemp. (60m)
(05-05-2005; 22:00) Stone Baby
(Sean Buckley) Xavier has no brothers or sisters or mates at school. But he's got a bump. Something inside. Someone. He feels it move; hears its tiny heart beat in tandem with his. It's true and real and mine and... stop blowing smoke in my face! It's very bad for his health. Xavier - Louis Dunsford, Nan - Edna Dore, Stone Baby - Carl Prekopp, Chloe - Chenade la Roy John, David - Alex Matten, Gerald - Joseph Tremain, Teacher - Richard Katz, Nurse - Susan Jameson, Doctor - Nicholas Boulton, TV contestant - Hugh Dickson. Directed by Toby Swift. (45m) (NB: Rptd 12-08-2006)
(02-06-2005; 22:00) The Miracle Of Reason
(Nick Dear) When was the last time you were frightened? The mystery of other people is at the heart of Nick Dear's new play. When Josh and Amanda escape London for a weekend of passion in a remote house, a game of truth serves to chip away at the veneer of civilisation, but layers of logic are there for protection. What happens when they are gone? Amanda McLeish - Frances Tomelty, Josh James - Jasper Britton. Music by Neil Brand. Directed by Ned Chaillet. (55m)
(07-07-2005; 22:00) Medium Risk
(Mark Norfolk) Thomas O'Scorby is on the Sex Offenders Register as a result of an earlier unsubstantiated incident. When a child goes missing in his area, he must face the fear and paranoia of acquaintances, friends and even himself. Thomas O'Scorby - Kevin Doyle, Stuart Craven - Ray Stephenson, Gwyneth Mulvey - Susan Jameson, Janet Davis - Emily Joyce, Rhys Talbot - Roger Evans, PC Steve Larkin - Riley Stuart, PC Joe Bennett - Gerard McDermott. Producer: Liz Webb. (45m) (NB: Rptd 02-09-2006)
(16-07-2005; 22:00; Rpt) The Colony
(Dennis Kelly) Paul collects ants; Vinnie wants to be a war reporter; Louise watches the world go by from her flat as she looks after her sick mother; and Ade remembers his son and the bullet that killed him. When a child crawls along a balcony, untended, each of them watches, caught up in their own obsessions. Paul - Adam Godley, Vinnie - Bryan Dick, Ade - Jude Akuwudike, Sarah - Gillian Wright, Louise - Carolyn Tomkinson. Produced by Pam Marshall. (60m) (NB: Rpt of 03-06-2004; 22:00)
(23-07-2005; 21:45; Rpt) Disenchantment
(Paddy Cunneen) (30m) (NB: Rpt of 03-02-2005 - see above.)
(30-07-2005; 21:15; Rpt) Hoop Lane
(Patrick Marber) An old man takes a walk around a cemetery to compose himself before a funeral. His sister fondly torments him with her conflicting views of the past.Him - Warren Mitchell, Her - Maureen Lipman, Gravedigger - Tom Mannion, Rabbi - Adrian Scarborough. Directed by Mary Peate. (25m) (NB: Rpt of 04-11-2004; 22:00)
(06-08-2005; 21:30; Rpt) My Arm
(wri/perf Tim Crouch) This study of bloody-mindedness, modern art and how the things we do when we're ten stick with us for life is written and performed by Tim Crouch and features Owen Crouch within a specially created soundscape by Chris Dorley-Brown. (60m) (NB: Rpt of 01-07-2004; 22:00)
(07-08-2005; 18:30; Rpt) 'S'
(Kazuko Hohki) A teenage girl living in Tottenham believes she is the moon princess in a famous Japanese folk story. Tottenham street and Japanese serenity collide. The first full length radio drama from Kazuko Hohki, half of the Frank Chickens - a fantastical, funny story with music. Japanese - Kazuko Hohki, Young - Louisa Lytton, Father - David Hounslow, Wayne - Aml Ameen, Shopkeeper - Stefan Kalipha. Directed in Manchester by Polly Thomas. (45m) (NB: Rpt of 02-12-2004; 22:00; Broadcast in the usual Sunday eveing 'Drama on 3' slot, billed still billed as 'The Wire' - the lister also used this as the title of the play, also refering to the main character as 'Japanese' rather than 's' as on original broadcast.)
(13-08-2005; 21:00) Unknown
(NB: There was a repeat episode broadcast, but the listings are missing.)
(20-08-2005; 22:10; Rpt) Plague
(Lucy Gannon) Set in Derbyshire during the Plague. With the arrival of a recently orphaned boy in need of shelter, Samuel's unthinking existence ignites to become a joyful, brief, but glorious flame. His sexual awakening unleashes a feeling he has never experienced before - a feeling that is unforgivable, and previously unimaginable. Samuel - Pete Meakin, Sarah - Esther Coles, Peter - Marc Jordan, Narrator - Ellie Haddington. Directed by Lucy Hannah. (50m) (NB: Rpt of 05-05-2004; 22:00)
(27-08-2005; 21:45; Rpt) God Can See Down Entries
(Linda Brogan) (45m) (NB: Rpt of 13-01-2005 - see above.)
(03-09-2005; 21:40; Rpt) The Lamb's Snow
(Lin Coghlan) A radio drama 'road-movie' about eight lost souls on different journeys, whose paths cross one magical night in their search for love and happiness. Franky - Elliot Jordan, Bren - Petra Letang, Derry - Ken Campbell, Clegs - Christopher Fulford, Gino - Ben Crowe, Julie - Julie Peasgood, Radu - Ryan Dougal, Nadia - Lauren McDonald, Stokes - Martin Hyder, Lenny - Tom George. Directed by Tanya Nash. (60m) (NB: Rpt of 02-09-2004; 22:00)
(08-09-2005; 21:05) It's Enough To Believe You're In Danger
(Michael Butt) On the 6 March 1988, three IRA members were shot on the Rock of Gibraltar. In this experimental play, the award winning author Michael Butt attempts to explode the well worn mythologies and presents both the hunters and the hunted as individuals who had begun to query their reasons for being there. Author - Stephen Boxer, Webster - Henry Goodman, Maddie - Alison Pettitt, Woman - Pamela Miles, Sean Savage/Soldier - Nick Danan, Bandmaster - Ian Bartholomew, McGrory - Gerard Murphy, Mairead Farrell - Brid Brennan, Daniel McCann - Michael Colgan. (45m)
(06-10-2005; 22:00) Dead Code: Ghosts Of The Digital Age
(Jeff Noon) Set in the ruins of a housing estate in a futuristic, post-digital age world, where music haunts the streets, Joe and Dixie are struggling with the loss of Charlie. Dixie is doing her best to hold on to Joe, but will she succeed when the force of Charlie's memory is so strong? Dixie - Emma Atkins, Joe - Paul Simpson, Bags - Jason Done, DJ Broken Tongue - Lemn Sissay, Luna - Alison Carney. With original music by Vini Reilly of The Durutti Column, songs by Urban Blue and sound design by Steve Brooke. Directed by Nadia Molinari. (45m)
(03-11-2005; 22:00) Watch The Spider
(Andrew McLay) No synopsis available. (45m)
(08-12-2005; 22:15) Iona
(Rhiannon Tise) Andrew is haunted by the memory of a woman he once loved. He hears her voice everywhere and is desperate to recapture that part of his life. His longing leads him on a bizarre search of the surreal to find the lost memories and discarded moments of their life together. Andrew - Tony Kearney, Iona - Tracy Wiles, Martin - Alan Westaway, Margot - Carolyn Pickles, Kathleen - Jayne McKenna, James - Nick Sayce, Phil, council man - Crawford Logan, Nikki - Isabelle Joss. (45m)
OTHER
Pieces that don't fit within the usual slots:
(03-07-2005; 19:30) The Sea, The Sea
- Fiona Talkington and Ian McMillan host an evening of drama, music, commissioned poetry, features and listener contributions in celebration of the sea that surrounds all our lives. With: The Tempest (William Shakespeare) Stranded on a lonely island the exiled Duke of Milan, Prospero, using his magic arts and with the help of the spirit Ariel, raises a great storm. A shipwreck brings ashore a suitor for his young daughter Miranda, his traitorous brother Antonio and his former Neapolitan enemies. He has the choice between revenge and forgiveness. Prospero - Philip Madoc, Ariel - Nina Wadia, Miranda - Catrin Rhys, Caliban - Josh Richards, Gonzalo - Rudolph Walker, Alonso - James Laurenson, Sebastian - Christian Rodska, Antonio - Ioan Meredith, Ferdinand - Andrew Cryer, Trinculo - Ben Crowe, Stefano - Harry Myers, Boatswain - Phillip Joseph, Master/Adrian - Sean Baker, Iris - Janice Acquah, Ceres - Jasmine Hyde, Juno - Clare Corbett. Music by Billy Cowie. Directed by David Hunter. Between each act of the play there are reports from seabird encrusted rocks around Britain, ancient sea poetry made new and listeners' seaside stories. Plus live music and sea poetry from Ian McMillan and accordionist Luke Carver Goss, and guests Coope Boyes and Simpson perform shanties. (270m)
