Radio 3 Drama & Readings, 2006

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; Listings are missing for 09-01-2006, 19-06-2006, 27-06 to 14-07-2006, 23-07 to 06-08-2006 and 14-08 to 27-08-2006 (some titles have been entered from elsewhere).

Barry Hodge

DRAMA ON 3:

(01-01-2006; 20:00) The Club
(Gregory Whitehead) At the height of the American 'Gilded Age', members of an elegant New England social and croquet club performed an elaborate if somewhat distasteful ritual. In 1915, sculptress Frieda Hopkins created Seven Feet With Four Toes in solid alabaster. Almost a century later the sculptures now act as iconic magnets for post-feminists and foot fetishists from around the globe. Queen of Clubs - Elizabeth Aspenlieder, Genealogist - George Bergen, The Curator - Hillary Deeley, Mushroom Mike - Mike Dowling, Marilyn Mathiessen - Marilyn Hunter, Jacqui Rivers - Karen Lee, Sarah Fitzgibbons - Sara Paul, Mira - Anne Undeland, Charles Dove - Jon Swan, Brace Winter - Gregory Whitehead. Songs composed and performed by Richard Busch. (90m)

(08-01-2006; 20:00) Black Dirt
(Nell Leyshon) Frank Lovell lies ill in bed, surrounded by his son who has learning difficulties, his daughter and son- in law. As the morphine enters his bloodstream, suppressed memories of a past tragedy resurface. Entwined with the story of the young Frank and his sister Iris are fables - Bible stories and the legends of Kings Arthur and Alfred. Amongst the portrait of a family and the secrets and lies that bind them together, is an examination of Englishness and a rural landscape which is fast disappearing. Father - Peter Hamilton Dyer, Mother - Rosalind March, Young Frank Lovell - Jack Thompson Rylance, Iris - Carly Bawden, Father - Peter Hamilton Dyer, Mother - Rosalind March, Frank Lovell - Ewan Hopper, Margaret Lovell - Helen Slesinger, George Lovell - Alan Williams, Brian - Robert Pickavance. Directed in Manchester by Susan Roberts. (90m)

(15-01-2006; 20:00) Writing The City
(Various) New plays celebrating Leeds by Tajinder Hayer, Jodie Marshall, Alan Plater, Jane Rogers and Eamon Rooney; with Simon Armitage and Michelle Scally-Clarke performing new poems. (90m)

(22-01-2006; 20:00) Hold My Breath
(Ryan Craig) The life of a young Black school teacher with a profound love of life, her students and Plato, is turned upside down by an unexpected and appalling accusation. This and the lack of support from her boyfriend is enough to set her off on an odyssey from her East London flat to a bizarre encounter in Oxford Circus with a man she meets over the internet. Tessa - Ayesha Antoine, Russ - Nick Sayce, Tony - Delroy Brown, Sparks - John Cummins, Sadie - Ella Smith, Fran - Sophie Roberts, Luke - Carl Prekopp, Linda - Claire Louise Cordwell, Norris - Philip Fox. David Pickvance (original music). Produced by Steven Canny. (75m)

(29-01-2006; 20:30) Pale Fire
(Vladimir Nabokov, dram Robert Forrest) A dramatisation of Nabokov's great novel by the Sony Award-winning playwright. Published in 1962, Pale Fire ranks alongside James Joyce's Ulysses and Marcel Proust's À La Recherche du Temps Perdu as one of the masterpieces of 20th century fiction. Comic, tragic, heartbreaking, Shakespearean in its almost infinite depth and beauty, it moves between leafy Appalachia and the mysterious far northern kingdom of Zembla, telling the story of a homely American poet and his regally demented neighbour. Charles Kinbote - Finlay Welsh, John Shade - Angus MacInnes, Sybil Shade - Joanna Tope, Professor Hurley - Crawford Logan, Odon - Richard Greenwood, Disa - Gayanne Potter. Director Patrick Rayner. (105m)

(05-02-2006; 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. Orhan - Robert Glenister, Ka - William Houston, Ipek - Lia Williams, Kadife - Jasmine Hyde, Necip/Fazil - Philip Arditti, Turgut Bey - Philip Jackson, Sunay Zaim - Jack Klaff, Funda Esser - Nina Wadia, Director - Nadim Sawalha, Blue - Michael Maloney, Cavit/Agent - Ben Crowe,Z Demirkol - Stephen Critchlow. Director Marilyn Imrie. (90m)

(12-02-2006; 20:15) I Thought I Heard Buddy Bolden Shout
(Laurence Allan) Summertime Jones, an old time jazz enthusiast, sets off on a quest from Tiger Bay in Cardiff to the US. As Hurricane Katrina hits New Orleans, Summertime tries to reach his city of dreams. Buddy Bolden is one of the original greats of the American jazz scene and this musical road movie captures the spirit of Bolden. Summertime - Lennie James, Buzz - Joanna Griffiths, Cordelli - Kerry Shale, Brady - Colin Stinton, Lips - Ram John Holder, Freddie - Jim Findley, Elaine/Susan - Carolyn Pickles, Dermot/Willy - Patrick Brennan, Kid - Benjamin Mackenzie. Original jazz music composed by Rob Smith.Claude Deppa (cornet/trumpet/flugel horn), Gareth Roberts (trombone), Rob Smith (saxophone, clarinet). Director Kate Rowland. (75m)

(19-02-2006; 20:00) Revenge
(Michael Duke) A production for radio of Michael Duke's acclaimed play for Tinderbox Theatre Company about lives shattered by tragic, violent loss during the conflict in Northern Ireland. Finding themselves left behind by the peace process, one family is suddenly faced with an agonising moral choice. It's Samhain, the Celtic festival of New Year, when during the hours of darkness the veil between the living and the dead is lifted. On this night, they can bring back to life those they lost and long for, but there will be a high price to pay. Old Woman - Barbara Adair, Boy - Daniel McGrady, Father - Lalor Roddy, Mother - Marcella Riordan, Grandfather - Al Logan, Bride - Abigail McGibbon, Woman 1 - Libby Smyth, Woman 2 - Brigid Erin Bates, Son/David - Michael Condron, Peter - Packy Lee, Mae - Gemma Burns, Angela - Carol Moore, Bomber - Richard Dormer. Music composed by Neil Martin, and performed by Neil Martin, Colin Stark and Mary Dillon. Directed by Anna Newell. (90m)

(26-02-2006; 20:00) Lost In Liverpool
(story Val McDermid, wri Martin O'Brien, Christine Marshall, Barbara Phillips, Jonathan Larkin, Charlotte Allan & Paul Butler) A tense thriller recorded on location in the famous Williamson tunnels under Liverpool. Morgan McCarthy is missing; so is a priceless map of the Williamson tunnels. Why has she taken it? Who is after her? Why do they want the map so badly? Williamson - Stuart Richman, Jerry/Anthony - Samuel James Hudson, Morgan - Katy Cavanagh, Radio reporter/Passenger 1/Slave - Danielle Henry, Dermot - John McArdle, Michael - Matthew Lewney, Tommy - Paul Regan, Mary/Jo - Ann Rye. Producers Gary Brown and Polly Thomas. (90m)

(05-03-2006; 19:30) Shylock
(Arnold Wesker) One of the foremost playwrights of his generation creates a startling new perspective on an age-old story. Shylock's close friend Antonio needs a loan, but 16th-century Venetian law discriminates against Jews. For Shylock's own protection, Antonio persuades him to agree a bond. They laugh as Shylock invents the absurd forfeit of a pound of flesh - but their mockery of the law may easily turn to tragedy. Shylock Kolner - Henry Goodman, Antonio - Ronald Pickup, Portia Contarini - Juliet Stevenson, Nerissa - Noma Dumezweni, Bassanio - Toby Stephens, Rivka - Sheila Steafel, Jessica - Lydia Leonard, Tubal di Ponti - Jonathan Tafler, Lorenzo - Geoffrey Streatfeild, Graziano - Nicholas Boulton, Rebecca da Mendes - Jennie Stoller, The Doge/Solomon Usque - Geoffrey Beevers, Roderigues da Cunha - Anthony Glennon, Singer - Annette Ross. Producer/Director David Hitchinson. (120m)

(12-03-2006; 18:30) Swan Song
(Anton Chekhov, trans Michael Frayn) Following his final performance in a run-down provincial theatre, an elderly Russian actor confronts his ghosts. Did he ever really have talent? The actor - Paul Scofield, The prompter - Alec McCowen. Director Martin Jenkins. (20m)

(12-03-2006; 19:00) The History Boys
(Alan Bennett, adap Richard Wortley) From Nicholas Hytner's National Theatre production. More than three decades on from Forty Years On, Bennett turns his attention once more to education - encompassing both the tussles of staffroom rivalry and the anarchy of adolescence. Hector - Richard Griffiths, Irwin - Geoffrey Streatfeild, Mrs Lintott - Frances de la Tour, The Headmaster - Clive Merrison, Crowther - Samuel Anderson, Posner - Samuel Barnett, Dakin - Dominic Cooper, Timms - James Corden, Akthar - Sacha Dhawan, Lockwood - Andrew Knott, Scripps - Jamie Parker, Rudge - Russell Tovey. Samuel Barnett (singer), Jamie Parker, Tom Attwood (piano). Producer David Hunter. (150m) (NB: Rptd 31-12-2006.)

(19-03-2005; 20:15) When You Cure Me
(Jack Thorne) Rachel and Peter are 17 and in love. It's love's young dream, but then Rachel gets ill - seriously ill. She doesn't want her mum to fuss. She doesn't want Alice to pretend she's her best friend, and she certainly doesn't want Alice's boyfriend telling bad jokes at her bedside. The only person she wants is Peter, but Peter doesn't know what he wants. Produced in association with The Bush Theatre, London. Rachel - Morven Christie, Peter - Samuel Barnett, James - Daniel Bayle, Alice - Lisa McDonald, Angela - Gwyneth Strong. Producer Steven Canny. (75m)

(26-03-2006; 20:10) Handprint
(Debbie Tucker Green) Every tiny nuance is captured in an intense encounter between a man and a woman in a bar. Over the course of one evening, we discover what led them both here and what compels them to keep talking to each other. Woman - Nadine Marshall, Man - Paterson Joseph, Wife - Angela Wynter, Narrator - Noma Dumezweni, Sister - Jo Martin, Dad - Ram John Holder, Vocalist - Sharon D Clarke. Director Mary Peate. (80m)

(02-04-2006; 20:00) The Royal Court, 50 Years On
(Various) Live performances of new plays from writers hailing from the era when the English Stage Company launched at The Royal Court on April 2, 1956. They include Wole Soyinka, Arnold Wesker, Timberlake Wertenbaker, Joe Penhall and Laura Wade. The evening is compered by Richard Wilson and music is by Stephen Warbeck. (90m)

(09-04-2006) No programme
(see below for Becket Night information)

(16-04-2006; 19:30) Waiting For Godot
(Samuel Beckett) As part of Radio 3's Samuel Beckett season, a performance of his classic, Waiting for Godot. Two tramps wait on a lonely road for the elusive Godot. They pass the time with storytelling, and their everyday conversation takes on a universal significance. Vladimir - Sean Barrett, Estragon - David Burke, Lucky/narrator - Nigel Anthony, Pozzo - Terence Rigby, Boy - Zachary Fox. Director John Tydeman. (120m)

(30-04-2006; 20:00) Billiards At Half Past Nine
(Heinrich Böll, dram Claire Luckham) The action takes place in Germany in the summer of 1958 when the Faehmel family meet to celebrate Heinrich Faehmel's eightieth birthday. In the course of one day Böll reveals the crucial incidents in the past of a family of architects, from the Wilhelminian empire through Weimar and Hitler to the prosperous West Germany of the 1950s. Based on Böll's novel of the same name, it is a searing examination of the moral crises of post war Germany. Billiards at Half Past Nine is considered to be the novel which won Böll the Nobel Prize. Robert - Michael Maloney, Jochen - Sam Beazley, Schrella - Kenneth Cranham, Nettlinger - Henry Goodman, Ruth - Jasmine Hyde, Joanna - Dilys Laye, Heinrich - Geoffrey Palmer, Hugo - Paul Ready, Joseph - Daniel Weyman, Young Heinrich - Oscar Fletcher. Composer/Music Arranger - Orlando Gough, Solo Songs - Melanie Pappenheim, Choir - Christ Church, Knightsbridge, German Speaking Church Choir. Director - Roxana Silbert. (90m)

(07-05-2006; 19:50) The Possessed
(Fyodor Dostoevsky, adap Lou Stein) A group of dissidents and self-proclaimed revolutionaries are intent on causing chaos in a small town in 1870s Russia - spurred on by a demonic and manipulative ringleader. Govorov - John Sessions, Varvara Petrovna - Susannah York, Peter Verhovensky - Paul McGann, Nikolai Stavrogin - Benedict Cumberbatch, Liza/Marya - Anne-Marie Duff, Virginsky/Kirillov - Dexter Fletcher, Liputin/Stepan - Roger Lloyd Pack, Shatov - Brian Bovell. English translation by Tatiana Bazhenova. Original music by Deirdre Gribbin and produced by Lou Stein. (100m)

(14-05-2006; 20:05) The Maids
(Jean Genet, trans Neil Bartlett) In 1940s Paris, two sisters indulge in erotic and secret rituals of revenge against their wealthy employers - with fatal consequences. A new translation for radio by Neil Bartlett of Genet's darkly disturbing play about suppressed hatred and oppression. Claire - Victoria Hamilton, Solange - Janet McTeer, Madame - Rebecca Johnson. Music composed by David Pickvance. Directed by Gemma Jenkins. (85m)

(21-05-2006; 19:30) The Pretenders
(Henrik Ibsen, trans Michael Meyer) In a bitter struggle for absolute power, three single minded and self-centred men drag their country into bloody civil war. Haakon - Michael Sheen, Nicholas - Paul Scofield, Skule - Gerard Murphy, Ragnhild, his wife - Sarah Badel, Margaret, his daughter - Jasmine Hyde, Sigrid, his sister - Maureen O'Brien, Dagfinn - David Bannerman, Gregorious - John Evitts, Paul Flida - Carl Prekopp, Ivar Bodde - Ian Masters, Peter - James D'Arcy, Jatgheir - Ben Crowe, Baard Bratte - David Collings, Sigard - Sam Crane. Director Martin Jenkins. (120m)

(28-05-2006; 19:30) The Lysistrata Project
(Aristophanes, adap Ryan Craig) A contemporary re-working of Aristophanes' classic play, developed with the help of young people living and studying in London. Lacy - Ayesha Antoine, Lucas - Javone Prince, Mike - Mohammed George, Kelly - Gbemisola Ikumelo, Colin - Carl Prekopp, Maria/Tanya - Claire Louise Cordwell, Jake/Dave - Mark Monero. Director Marc Beeby. (120m)

(04-06-2006; 20:00) Breakfast With Mugabe
(Fraser Grace) The year is 2001. President Mugabe and his wife are holed up in the State House in Harare, in paranoid terror. He is being stalked by an ngozi or bitter spirit - the murderous ghost of a long-dead comrade. Fearing for his sanity, Mugabe turns to a white psychiatrist for help. Witty and provocative, Fraser Grace's new play imagines the combative relationship between the black president and his white psychiatrist. In a series of bruising encounters, Breakfast with Mugabe explores the conflict between despotism and liberalism in modern Zimbabwe. Grace Mugabe - Noma Dumezweni, Robert Mugabe - Joseph Mydell, Gabriel Marunda - Christopher Obi, Andrew Peric - David Rintoul. Director Antony Sher. (90m)

(11-06-2006; 19:30) Gilgamesh
(trans Stephen Mitchell, adap Jeremy Howe) A radio drama version of Gilgamesh, adapted by Jeremy Howe, from the English version by Stephen Mitchell. Music by Paul Dodgson. The epic of Gilgamesh was written in ancient Mesopotamia over 4000 years ago. Many people think it was the first story to be written down. It tells of the prowess of King Gilgamesh and his acquisition of a friend, Enkidu, and their adventures in the wilderness, battling monsters, in search of immortality. Gilgamesh - Joe Dixon, Enkidu - Adam Levy, Narrator - Kenneth Cranham, Shamhat, Ishtar - Kananu Kirimi, Lady Ninsun, Scorpion woman - Eve Matheson, Prologue, Anu - Robert Gwilym, Soldier, Utnapishtim - Bill Wallis, Humbaba, Ninurta - David Collins, Scorpion man; Ea - Chris Donnelly, Urshanabi; Enlil - Paul Nicholson. Producer Tim Dee. (120m)

(18-06-2006; 20:00) Features Like Mine
(Ted Whitehead) A man returns to his home town and re-examines his relationship with his father. Tony - Jonathan Pryce, Bridget - Sue Johnston, Dominic - Tom Bell. Director Bruce Hyman. Producer Helen Chattwell. (90m)

(25-06-2006; 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. But he was to suffer years of torture and imprisonment without trial as civil war raged within the CIA. 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. Co-producer Greg DeClute. Director Toby Swift. (90m)

(02-07-2006) Unknown
(no information)

(09-07-2006) Unknown
(no information)

(16-07-2006) No programme
(BBC Proms 2006 coverage)

(23-07-2006; ??:??) Nirvana
(Jin Yun Doggie) No information.

(30-07-2006; ??:??) The Ormolu Clock
(Muriel Spark) No information.

(06-08-2006; ??:??) Mrs Warren's Profession
(George Bernard Shaw) No information.

(13-08-2006; 18:30) Mr Puntila & His Man Matti
(Bertolt Brecht, adap Lee Hall) One of Brecht's best comedies, adapted and updated by award winning writer Lee Hall. A drunken chaotic landowner leans heavily on his stoic chauffeur in a series of ever more outrageous escapades. A witty modern musical version of a comedy classic. Mr Puntila - Vincent Ebrahim, Matti - Derek Riddell, Judge - Robert Pickavance, Eva/Milkmaid - Emma Cunniffe, Attache - Mark Chatterton, Moonshine - Emma Julia Rounthwaite, Chemist's Assistant - Vashti Maclachlan, Telephonist - Paula Sims, Lawyer - Graeme Hawley, Parson - Declan Wilson. Mark Cresswell (ukelele), Sian Hicks (double bass), Chris Larner (composer/musical director). Director Polly Thomas. (90m)

(20-08-2006) Unknown
(no information)

(27-08-2006) Unknown
(no information)

(03-09-2006) No programme
(BBC Proms 2006 coverage)

(10-09-2006; 20:00) Hippomania
(Snoo Wilson) With Laurence Olivier preparing to film the patriotic epic Henry V in neutral Ireland during the Second World War, and the poet John Betjeman attracting the suspicious attentions of the IRA, it is a heady time in Dublin. Snoo Wilson's astonishing fantasia that springs from real events in Betjeman's life conjures up Nazis, assassins and fairies - as the poet wanders blithely through seats of power, pubs and a cemetery. John Betjeman - Anthony Calf, Penelope - Anastasia Hille, Edna - Patricia Leventon, Sir Oswald Mosley - Andrew Woodall, Diana Mosley - Victoria Woodward, Betterton/Lord Powerscourt - Ian Masters, Officer, MI6/Sweeney - Owen Sharpe, Susan Hilton - Katherine Igoe, James Blair/Declan - Stephen Hogan, Dannan - Renee Weldon, Bridy - Aoife McMahon, Titannicus - Gerard Murphy, Eammon de Valera/MacNamara - John Rogan, Laurence Olivier - Nicholas Boulton, Olawalu - Jimmy Akingbola, Princess Sobietska - Ndidi del Fatti, Conor - Andrew Scott, Guy Burgess - Tam Williams, Evelyn Waugh - Snoo Wilson. Music direction by Jay Owen. Director Ned Chaillet. (90m)

(17-09-2006; 19:50) A Day In The Death Of Joe Egg
(Peter Nichols, adap Pauline Harris) Comic drama about a couple's relationship as parents of a profoundly mentally disabled child. Written in 1967, Joe Egg is a groundbreaking work that retains an undiminished capacity to disconcert. Brian - Christopher Eccleston, Sheila - Kaye Wragg, Joe - Chloe Pabst-Bohan, Pam - Julia Rounthwaite, Freddie - Michael Maloney, Grace - Lynda Baron. (100m)

(24-09-2006; 19:25) A Bequest To The Nation
(Terence Rattigan, adap/dir David Timson) Starring Kenneth Branagh. 1805 - the passionate relationship between Lord Nelson and Emma Hamilton causes tensions and friction among Nelson's family and colleagues. What does the greatest naval hero of the day see in this drunken, vulgar and blowsy woman? 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, Captain Blackwood - Roger May, Rev William Nelson - Roy Spencer, Betsy/Francesca - Alison Pettitt, Emily - Tilly Gaunt. Produced by Nicolas Soames. (125m)

(01-10-2006; 20:00) Let Me
(Howard Barker) At the height of the Barbarian invasions, a Roman land owner finds his home surrounded by the invaders. The elderly patrician was never a warrior, but can he bring himself to surrender and betray centuries of tradition and culture? The drama - a new commission from Howard Barker (also born in 1946) - helps to mark the 60th anniversary of the launch of the Third Programme (the original name for Radio 3). Copolla - Edward Petherbridge, Aphrodite - Barbara Jefford, Euclid - Andrew Woodall, Agricola - Sam Dale, Barbarian child - Emma Noakes. Producer/director Peter Kavanagh. (90m)

(08-10-2006; 20:15) Hold My Breath
(Ryan Craig) The life of an idealistic young black school teacher is turned upside down by an unexpected and appalling accusation. She sets off on a chaotic odyssey from her East London flat to a bizarre encounter in Oxford Circus with a man she meets in a chatroom. Tessa - Ayesha Antoine, Russ - Nick Sayce, Sparks - John Cummins, Sadie - Ella Smith, Fran - Sophie Roberts, Tony - Delroy Brown, Luke - Carl Prekopp, Linda - Claire Louise Cordwell, Norris - Philip Fox. Original music by David Pickvance. Producer Steven Canny. (75m)

(15-10-2006; 20:40) An Enemy Of The People
(Ibsen, adap Martin Lynch) This version of classic drama is set in contemporary Belfast. The killing of a Catholic man leads to his own community struggling to come to terms with the truth. However, one woman is determined to get justice for her murdered brother-in-law. But at what cost? Moya McGovern - Susan Lynch, Caroline McGovern - Seainin Brennan, Sean Gillen - Charles Lawson, Mr Gillen/Solicitor - Harry Towb, Dominic/Frankie - Patrick O?Kane, Manus - Lloyd Hutchinson, Mrs McGovern - Eileen Pollock. Director Roland Jaquarello. (95m)

(22-10-2006; 20:10) Days & Nights In Bedlam
(Fred D'Aguiar) When Otis is taken to the closed ward of a London mental hospital, he is desperate to return to his Queen Penelope, and his Kingdom. Whilst the staff diagnose him as delusional, fellow patients Larry and Harry plot to reach this Kingdom first and take his queen for their own. Otis - Mo Sesay, Gary - Don Gilet, Deirdre - Daniela Nardini, April - Alex Tregear, Harry - Stephen Critchlow, Larry - Carl Prekopp, Penelope - Janice Acquah. Music composed by David Pickvance. Director Carol Bayne. (80m)

(29-10-2006; 20:15) Death & The Penguin
(Andrei Kurkov, trans George Bird) Andrei Kurkov's memorable satire about an obituarist and his relationship with a penguin, set in post-Soviet Ukraine. Matt Thompson's adaptation was largely recorded on location in Kiev. Viktor - Paul Ewing, Igor - James Bryce, Sonya - Kate Bennett, Nina - Katrina Bryan, Sergey - Jimmy Harrison, Pidpaly - John McKie, Misha Non-Penguin - Stewart Potter, Lyosha - Andrei Kurkov. Music and effects by Joe Acheson. Director Matt Thompson. (90m)

(05-11-2006) No programme
(Free Thinking - A Festival Of Ideas For The Future coverage)

(12-11-2006; 20:45) In Parenthesis
(David Jones) Private John Ball and his fellow Royal Welch Fusiliers embark for France in December 1915. Six months later, the majority of this band of comrades are killed or wounded at the Battle of the Somme. A dramatisation of this unique prose-poem to mark Remembrance Sunday. Action - Sian Phillips, Thought - Sara McGaughey, Memory - Manon Edwards, Prologue - Dorien Thomas, John Ball - Steven Meo, Dai Evans - Oliver Ryan, Crower - Thomas Arnold, Jenkins - Rhodri Hugh, Lewis - Iestyn Jones, Snell - Simon Ludders, Quilter - David Middleton, Wastebottom - Matthew Morgan, Clark - Carl Prekopp, Watcyn - Aled Pugh, Wyatt - Keiron Self, Saunders - Nathan Sussex. Adapted by Douglas Cleverdon. Music by John Hardy. Director Alison Hindell. (90m)

(19-11-2006; 20:05) True West
(Sam Shepard) Screenwriter Austin's work on a film script is disrupted by the arrival of his elder brother Lee. The differences between successful, creative professional Austin and brutish, desert-living Lee could not be more marked. Or could they? Lee - David Soul, Austin - Richard Laing, Saul - Kenneth Jay, Mom - Liza Ross. Director Peter Kavanagh. (85m)

(26-11-2006; 20:15) The Violence Of Silence
(Marida Chheang & Sotheavy At, trans Kunthy Sok) A compelling, soul-searching drama documentary that explores the human cost of the genocide in Cambodia as the past and the present collide. Featuring personal testimonies from Khmer Rouge survivors recorded on location in Phnom Penh. Poetry by Simon Armitage, read by Mark Strong. Sophal - Kulikar Sotho, Chhun - Sylyvann Borei, Yin - Saveth Dy, San - Sonak Kouv, Thida - Rebecca Phouek. Directed by Kate Rowland. (75m)

(03-12-2006; 19:30) Fuente Ovejuna
(Lope de Vega, adap/dir David Timson) A play is based on real events in 15th-century Spain, in which the people of a small village rose up against a tyrannical overlord and exacted a savage and brutal revenge for years of repression. When called to account by the reigning monarchs Isabella and Ferdinand, the village stood together. Commander - Brian Cox, Laurencia - Maxine Peake, Esteban - Clive Swift, Captain Flores - Jonathan Keeble, Sergeant Ortuno - Martin George, Grand Master Rodrigo - Oliver Le Sueur, Pascuala - Alison Pettit, Frondoso - Carl Prekopp, Mengo - Stephen Critchlow. (120m)

(10-12-2006; 18:30) The Thebans:
Oedipus Tyrannos; Oedipus At Kolonos; Antigone (Sophocles, trans Timberlake Wertenbaker) Wertenbaker's translation of Sophocles's trilogy of three passionate and tragic tales of bloody deeds, family feuds, justice, power and fate. Oedipus - John Lynch, Jocasta - Fiona Shaw, Kreon - Michael Feast, Teiresias - Kenneth Cranham, Antigone - Nadine Marshal, Ismene - Vinette Robinson, Theseus - Jude Akuwudike, Polyneikes - William Ash, Haimon - Adrian Bower, Messenger from Corinth ?... Russell Dixon, Chorus - Brigit Forsyth, Deborah McAndrew, James Nickerson, Sarah Parks, Stuart Richman and Declan Wilson, Singer/oboist - Belinda Sykes, Percussionist - Martin Allen. Original music by Gary Yershon. Director Nadia Molinari. (240m)

(17-12-2006; 19:00) Cymbeline
(William Shakespeare) Shakespeare's play, set during the Roman invasion of Britain, centres around the banishment of the man who has incurred the wrath of the king by secretly marrying his daughter. Confusion follows in an intricate plot in which nobody is quite who they seem to be. Cymbeline - Bill Wallis, Imogen - Nia Roberts, Posthumus - William Houston, Queen - Sian Phillips, Iachimo - Andrew Wincott, Cloten - Russell Gomer, Pisanio - Joseph Kloska, Belarius - Gareth Armstrong, Guiderius - Christian Shaw, Arviragus - Meilyr Sion, Caius Lucius - John Labanowski, Cornelius - Richard Elfyn, Philario - Dorien Thomas, Lady - Manon Edwards. Original music by John Hardy. Directed by Alison Hindell. (150m)

(24-12-2006; 20:15) For The Time Being
- A Christmas Oratorio (W H Auden) The postwar passion play is a modern mystery cycle which reinterprets faith for those exposed to the horrors of the Second World War. Narrator - Rufus Sewell, Mary - Emma Noakes, Joseph - John Dougall, Gabriel - Saikat Ahamed, Herod - Joseph Kloska, Wise Man 1 - John Rowe, Wise Man 2 - Rudolph Walker, Wise Man 3 - Peter Marinker, Shepherd 1 - Gerard McDermott, Shepherd 2 - Mark Straker, Shepherd 3 - Paul Richard Biggin, Rachel - Bethan Walker, Fugal-Chorus - Tracy Wiles, Recitative - Damian Lynch, Child - Grainne Hails. Directed by Jessica Dromgoole, David Hunter and Conor Lennon. (75m)

(31-12-2006; 18:30; Rpt) The History Boys
(Alan Bennett, adap Richard Wortley) (150m) (NB: Rpt of 12-03-2006 - see above.)

TWENTY-MINUTES:

(09-01-2006; 20:25) Poem For A Concert Hall
(Liz Lochhead) To mark the opening of the City Halls, Glasgow's poet laureate Liz Lochhead reads her new specially composed poem to celebrate the changing face of the city. Set against her words are the voices of other Glaswegians who remember the past and what life was like in the tenements and back streets.

(01-02-2006; 20:30) This Morning
A Letter Arrived (Joseph Roth, read by David Horovitch) An elegy to the narrator's Russian hometown which was destroyed in the First World War.

(15-02-2006; 20:30) Such Good Taste
- Armando Ianucci explores the notion of 'good taste' in music. He also reveals his own surprising musical tastes. (NB: Again, I include another of Iannucci's comic 'worlds'.)

(18-02-2006; 19:15) Aciro's Song
(Jackee Budesta Batanda) A specially commissioned short story by the Ugandan writer. Set in a refugee camp, Aciro anxiously awaits the return of her daughter who has gone foraging for food. (25m) (NB: An overlength 'Interval'.)

(24-05-2006; 20:05) 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 the starting point, but what about the life to come in Argentina?

(14-06-2006; 20:10) The Violin
(Christopher Hope) Novelist Hope, father of violin star Daniel, narrates his short story about Fred the Parisian janitor, whose life is suddenly transformed by the exotic Yuliah.

(12-08-2006; 19:15) Mozart's Journey To Prague 2/5
- Eating The Orange (Eduard Morike, trans David Luke, narr Jack Klaff) In this fictional classic, the Maestro and his wife undertake a delightful journey from Vienna to Prague, with many adventures to be had, and much thought on creativity and family life. (NB: Due to missing listings, I don't know when Parts 1, 3 & 4 were broadcast.)

(28-08-2006; 20:30) Mozart's Journey To Prague 5/5
- Burning Out (Eduard Morike, trans David Luke, narr Jack Klaff) See note above.

(02-09-2006; 19:05; Rpt) This Morning A Letter Arrived
(Joseph Roth, read by David Horovitch) (NB: Rpt of 01-02-2006 - see above.)

(03-09-2006; 18:55) Swan Moving
(Elizabeth Taylor, abr/prod Duncan Minshull, read by Anna Massey) In Taylor's classic story a visitor comes to a scruffy, neglected village at the end of summer and in his splendour, has a mysterious effect on all its inhabitants.

(04-09-2006; 19:40) The Right Thing To Say
(Kathy Page, read by Tim Beckmann) A specially-commissioned story from Canada in which the 20 minutes of the Prom interval form the fateful hinge of two peoples lives. For Marcia, it's the revelation of a genetic secret; for Don, it's a very personal challenge.

(23-11-2006; 20:20) Spem In Alium
(Graeme Fife, read by David Oyelowo) A short story that evokes the sensuality of Tallis' music and reflects the complexities and contradictions in a composer who has come to be regarded as one of the fathers of English church music.

BETWEEN THE EARS

(07-01-2006; 22:00) Virgins & Virginals:
The Shadowy World Of John Bull - The life of the keyboard composer John Bull is cloaked in mystery. He's glimpsed only fleetingly as a player in the murky secret theatre of the court of Elizabeth I. In this free elaboration on Bull's life, his times and his music, expert witnesses - including the virginalist Sophie Yates, the writer Charles Nicholl, the scholars David Smith and Martin Souter - offer a portrait of the man and his art within a musical frame composed by Steven Faux and featuring the saxophone of Will Gregory. (30m)

(25-02-2006; 22:40) Project Jericho
- Dramatist Gregory Whitehead uncovers the latest attempts to harness sound as a weapon as Between the Ears decodes the sonic meaning of Jericho. (20m)

(04-03-2006; 22:30) A Ship Of Voices
- A celebration of the white vessel that is BBC Broadcasting House in London, including the voices, sounds and music that inhabit its walls. (30m)

(11-03-2006; 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 the erupting volcano Vesuvius in AD 79. Two years earlier, however, he had completed his Naturalis Historia, which included four volumes of observations of the animal kingdom. Sean Barrett and Mia Soteriou read the Latin text, while a soundscape of specially composed music, mixed with animal recordings gathered from Bristol's Natural History Unit, provides the translation. Adapted and produced by Kate McAll. Music by Adrian Lee, Simon Rogers and Sylvia Hallett. (20m)

(18-03-2006; 22:35) Not In My Name
- Written and composed by Antony Pitts and Gary Watt. Featuring John Crook, Christopher Gunness and Sally Phillips. (40m)

(25-03-2006; 22:30) The Darkest Place In England
- Poet and writer Lavinia Greenlaw goes in search of the endangered dark. Is there anywhere truly dark left in England? Can we recover its pleasures and its perils? (30m)

(16-04-2006; 21:30) A Ship Of Voices
- A celebration of the famous BBC Broadcasting House building in London; focusing on the voices, sounds and music that inhabit its walls. (30m) (NB: Broadcast on a Sunday.)

(03-06-2006; 22:30) Maysles In The Dakota
- Paul McCartney and Martin Scorsese explore the life and times of Albert Maysles. Along with his brother David, Maysles played an important role in the mid-20th Century documentary film-making revolution. He developed the genre of 'direct cinema' with his classics What's Happening!, The Beatles in the USA in 1964, Salesman and the controversial Gimme Shelter in 1970 - which explored the Rolling Stones' tour of America. (30m)

(10-06-2006; 22:10) Flotsam
- Film-maker Tessa Sheridan was born on a London barge. Since then the dark and seductive Thames has exerted a profound tug on her imagination. As the hustle and bustle of city life gives way to the still of night, she goes in search of the sounds and secrets hidden within the river's murky depths. (30m)

(17-06-2006; 22:00) Gateshead Multi-Storey Car Park
- As Gateshead's car park and shopping centre face possible demolition as part of the town's ongoing redevelopment, Between the Ears presents an unlikely sonic journey through the concrete buildings. (20m)

(24-06-2006; 22:40) Between The Ears
- The words of the Occasional Offices of the 1662 Book of Common Prayer are celebrated in an audio art work by Roger Elsgood and Robin Rimbaud. (20m) (NB: This untitled edition was linked to the preceding programme 'The Verb', a talk about the changing language of the Book of Common Prayer.)

(22-07-2006; 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? Whilst 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)

(12-08-2006; 21:30) Virgins & Virginals:
The Shadowy World Of John Bull (30m) (NB: Rpt of 07-01-2006 - see above.)

(02-09-2006; 21:45) Horse Whisperer
- Stephen 'Yarmy' Dyble is a familiar figure at Newmarket Racecourse, generally known by trainers to be the man to turn to when only his horse whispering talents will calm difficult thoroughbreds. After months of following the training techniques of Yarmy, director Lou Stein and composer Deirdre Gribbin create an impressionistic portrait of the horseman and his almost magical ability to turn problem horses into champions. (20m)

(23-09-2006; 22:15) 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, Kim Novak to name a few...one in particular though is the White Knight played by John Hurt. (30m)

(30-09-2006; 22:15) Three & The Third
- Alan Hall brings together voices from 60 years of BBC cultural broadcasting to celebrate the anniversary of the start of the Third Programme. (30m) (NB: Rptd 30-12-2006)

(04-11-2006; 22:15) Affirmation
- As part of Radio 3's Free Thinking Festival of Ideas for the Future, New York artist Julianne Swartz introduces a specially commissioned version of her Affirmation sound installation in Liverpool. The building comes alive with the sounds of disembodied voices, allowing the public space to become an arena for private moments. (30m)

(11-11-2006; 22:15) Cloudscape
- A composer, an artist, a meteorologist, a glider pilot and a cloud-chaser reflect on the meaning and inspiration of clouds. Sometimes they are flocks of celestial sheep herded across the sky on a summer afternoon, others sail majestically overhead like battleships while some are stratospheric wisps of angel hair. Too often maligned or ignored, clouds are nature's poetry. So is it really so bad to have a cloud hanging over you? (30m)

(18-11-2006; 22:15) The Soldiers' Poet
- Wilfred Owen wrote that he was a 'poets' poet'. He also wrote, in the preface to War Poems, 'Above all I am not concerned with Poetry. My subject is War, and the pity of War'. He is, then, a soldiers' poet. In the concluding programme of Wilfred Owen Week, serving soldiers - including one who joined as a boy soldier, a woman corporal, a major who, like Owen himself, was awarded the Military Cross, and General Sir Richard Dannatt, Chief of the General Staff - each choose an Owen poem to read. They speak of the impact it has on them, and on soldiers who have served in Northern Ireland, Bosnia, Sierra Leone and Iraq. (30m)

(25-11-2006; 22:30) Tiles Of The Alhambra
- This experimental feature celebrates the extraordinary tiles which adorn the Moorish palace of The Alhambra in Granada. Each room has elaborate tiles which are full of precise symmetries, different patterns, colours and geometric complexities. The feature presents an aural picture of six tiles from the simplest repeated square pattern to the explosion of shapes and patterns in the Hall of the Ambassadors which seem to represent infinity itself. Weaving through the feature are the sounds of the Alhambra with fountains, channels of water, the sumptuous gardens and the reflection of tiles in pools of water. With contributions from art historians Michael Jacobs, Robert Irvin and Dalu Jones, and mathematician Marcus du Sautoy. Featuring music specially commissioned for the programme by the Spanish composer Carlos Miranda. (30m)

(02-12-2006; 22:30) The Edge
- Dermot Healy's home is disappearing into the sea. (30m)

(09-12-2006; 22:30) Bread On The Waters
- A look at the theory and practice of Bottle Evangelism, in which the word of God is sealed in glass flasks and floated across the oceans. (30m)

(16-12-2006; 22:30) The Charming Mr Kharms
- A look at the life and career of Daniil Kharms, a Russian absurdist who wrote hilarious microscopic playlets about the silliness of the human condition. He continually fell foul of the authorities and died in prison in 1942. With music by Haflidi Hallgrimsson. (30m)

(30-12-2006; 22:30; Rpt) Three & The Third
(NB: Rpt of 30-09-2006 - see above.)

THE WIRE

(05-01-2006; 21:45) Miscreant Mothers
(Rebecca Papworth) A modern day fairy tale which skillfully blends fable and tabloid tales with music and chorus. Missy and Ruth embark on an odyssey of reckless behaviour with a baby, across three countries. Ruth - Sarah Smart, Missy - Denise Black, Harry/Sailor - Jeff Hordley, Oscar/Priest - Geoffrey Wilkinson, Sergeant West/Big Ian - Gerard Fletcher. With original music and chorus by Andy Burton, Chrissie Lockwood and Gill Bond. (45m) (NB: Rptd 22-07-2006; 21:30)

(02-02-2006; 22:00) Babble
(Glenn Patterson) Skinny is sent to plant a flag on Belfast's tallest unlit bonfire on the 11th night. But while he's up there, he experiences a curious and unexpected exaltation. Despite the cries of the mob demanding the bonfire be lit, he begins to wonder why he should ever come back down? Skinny - Gerard Jordan, Boss - Gerard Murphy. Music and sound score by Gordon Delap. Director Eoin O'Callaghan. (45m)

(02-03-2006; 22:00) Not Talking
(Mike Bartlett) Mike explores the corrosive power of silence through his grandfather's experiences as a conscientious objector in the Second World War and a contemporary story from the armed forces. James - Richard Briers, Lucy - June Whitfield, Mark - Carl Prekopp, Amanda - Lyndsey Marshal. Director Steven Canny. Producer Claire Grove. (60m) (NB: Rptd 15-07-2006; 22:00 and 29-12-2007; 21:30)

(04-05-2006; 22:00) Last Suppers
(Pearse Elliot) Jonah Toomb, a once renowned chef, stands on Death Row. There is nothing to do but wait for the inevitable. Or is there? Jonah embarks on a mission to ensure that the night before execution, each condemned inmate will have one last divine culinary experience. Jonah Toomb - Jared Harris, Tee Pee - George Harris, Warden - Larry Lamb, Al Bird - Patrick Robinson, Barracuda - Stanley Townsend, Jello - Andrew French, Pecker Wood - John Guerrasio, Martha - Amber Batty, Linda - Ginny Holder. Producer - Gemma Mcmullan. Director - Pearse Elliott. (60m) (NB: Rptd 11-08-2007; 20:45)

(01-06.2006; 22:00) Donna Love Bite
(Gill Adams) One night, three kids on a coastal ride to Hull, Hell and back. What happens in a moment to turn a good girl bad? Donna doesn't want to miss out on her first date with Stu and her one big chance to have some real fun, so decides she has no choice but to take her little sister Kylie with her. But driving around in a stolen car, drugs, drink and a nasty bit of happy slapping soon turns Donna's dream date into anything but fun. (60m) (NB: Rptd 15-09-2007; 21:30)

(06-07-2006; 22:00) Kitty Elizabeth Must Die
(Louise Ironside) A black comedy about giving birth to your fantasies, and then, lucratively, killing them off. Angie will do whatever it takes to have her own child. After two unsuccessful rounds of IVF and with the debt collectors now knocking at the door, the future is not looking bright. Then Angie finds diapersanddreams.com, a website for mothers to be, and with it an international, supportive - and seemingly gullible - community of pregnant women. Angie - Pauline Lockhart, Davie - Paul Blair, Mrs Maxwell - Joanna Tope, Postie - Finlay Welsh, Scummy Mummy - Lisa Gardner, MummaMia - Vicki Liddelle, Betty Bump - Alibe Parsons, Baby Face - Samantha Young. (45m) (NB: Rptd 01-09-2007; 20:45, from where I got the synopsis.)

(15-07-2006; 22:00; Rpt) Not Talking
(Mike Bartlett) (60m) (NB: Rpt from 02-03-2006; 22:00 - see above.)

(22-07-2006; 21:30; Rpt) Miscreant Mothers
(Rebecca Papworth) (45m) (NB: Rpt of 05-01-2006 - see above.)

(05-08-2006; ??:??; Rpt) Dead Code: Ghosts Of The Digital Age
(Jeff Noon) (NB: Rpt of 06-10-2005; 22:00)

(12-08-2006; 20:45; Rpt) 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. 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. Director Toby Swift. (45m) (NB: Rpt of 05-05-2005; 22:00)

(02-09-2006; 21:00; Rpt) 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 the press, the local authorities, local people, his friends and ultimately himself. Thomas O'Scorby - Kevin Doyle, Stuart Craven - Michael Hodgson, Gwyneth Mulvey - Susan Jameson, Janet Davis - Emily Joyce, Rhys Talbot - Roger Evans, PC Steve Larkin - Riley Stewart, PC Joe Bennett - Gerard McDermott. Producer Liz Webb. (45m) (NB: Rpt of 07-07-2005; 22:00)

(14-09-2006; 22:00) Quarantine
(Jeff Young) Milton lives in fear. But while everyone else is scared of terrorists and bird flu, Milton is scared of envelopes, of germs in mayonnaise, of letterboxes and pizza delivery bikes. When he's nominated for the Pamphleteer of the Year Award, Milton has to find a Plus One. Doreen Wilson, a 73-year-old agoraphobic recluse, agrees to be his date. Milton Parker - Ian Puleston-Davies, Maurice Parker - Robert Blythe, Micky Mason - Brendan Charleson, Doreen Wilson - Celia Hewitt, Barman/Master of Ceremonies - Dick Bradnum. Specially composed music by Paul Simpson. (60m) (NB: Rptd 25-08-2007)

(05-10-2006; 22:00) Stripped: A Life In Bank Statements
(Stefan Weigl, trans Paul Knight) Stefan Weigl's play depicts a man's financial meltdown through the voice of his bank account. With a specially created soundtrack by artist Chris Dorley-Brown. Voice of the Bank Statements - Tracy Wiles, Wolf Lotter - Peter Marinker. (55m)

(02-11-2006; 22:00) DJs, Doormen & Dealers
(Jeffrey Caffrey) A thriller set in a Manchester nightclub where footballers mingle with shop girls and gangsters. For the weekend, everyone is a millionaire. With Sam Yates, Craig Cheetham, Ray Emmet Brown, Hayley Doherty. Directed by Melanie Harris. (45m) (NB: Rptd 29-09-2007; 21:00)

(07-12-2006; 22:00) Soft Message
(Various; Non Drama) Drunken goths and other Radio 3 listeners are interviewed on their mobile phones. (30m)

OTHER

(09-04-2006; 20:10) Beckett Night - Embers
(Samuel Beckett) Part of Radio 3's celebration of the centenary of the playwright's birth. Henry sits on the strand haunted by the sound of the sea. He conjures up voices, evocations, stories and sounds from his past as he tries to drown out the inescapable presence of the sea. Henry - Michael Gambon, Ada - Sinead Cusack, Addie - Carly Baker, The Music Master - Alvaro Lucchesi, The Riding Master - Rupert Graves. Maebh Martin (piano). Arranger Neil Martin. Director Stephen Rea. Producer Stephen Wright. (35m) (NB: Preceded by a 10m introduction by Robbie Meredith.)

(09-04-2006; 21:25) Beckett Night - Krapp's Last Tape
(Samuel Beckett) On his 69th birthday, Krapp sits down to record a tape as he has done every year. Krapp - Corin Redgrave. Directors Polly Thomas and Carrie Rooney. (30m) (NB: Preceded by a 40m documentary 'Beckett & His Actors': "Famously reticent about explaining the meaning of his plays, Beckett found other ways to inspire actors, and was one of the most unusual and particular directors of his time. Stephen Rea, who himself worked with Beckett, takes a close-up look at the mind of the playwright. Beckett's most celebrated interpreters, including Billie Whitelaw and Sir Peter Hall, share their memories of working with one of the greatest figures in 20th Century theatre.")

(09-04-2006; 21:55) Beckett Night - Not I
(Samuel Beckett) Beckett's short monologue for a woman's voice, performed by Juliet Stephenson. (5m) (NB: This concluded the 2-hour slot.)

(28-09-2006; 20:30) Radio Poem - The Hungarian Road:
(wri/perf George Sirtes) No synopsis. (30m) (NB: A part of the near 3-hour 'Hungarian Evening', the rest being music/documentary: "It was 50 years ago in late October that the people of Hungary rose against their Soviet occupiers...")

(13 to 17-11-2006; 14:00/23:55) The Complete War Poems Of Wilfred Owen
- Paul Farley introduces readings of Wilfred Owen's poems about the mental toll of the First World War, read by Ben Whishaw. (10 x 5m) (NB: Twice-daily series, same times each day - 2pm and 11:55pm.)
1: '1914', 'Dulce et Decorum Est' and 'Futility'.
2: 'The Parable Of The Old Man & The Young' and 'S.I.W.'.
3: 'The Asleep' and one of Owen's most startling poems, 'Strange Meeting'.
4: 'A Terre', Owen's longer philosophical poem.
5: 'The Chances', 'Mental Cases' and 'Six O'Clock In Princes Street'.
6: 'The Letter', written in the voice of a soldier as he writes home, and 'Insensibility'.
7: 'Spring Offensive' and 'The Dead Beat'.
8: 'Has Your Soul Sipped?', Owen's early experiment in consonantal rhyme, followed by 'Exposure', in which he used this to great effect.
9: 'Disabled' and 'Happiness'.
10: 'Le Christianisme', 'The Unreturning' and 'The Next War'.

(30-12-2006; 20:10) Pinter's Family Voices (Harold Pinter)
One of Pinter's finest radio pieces, recorded at the recent Sheffield Crucible Theatre's Pinter season. This short but powerful insight into a family stars Timothy West, Prunella Scales and their son Samuel West. (35m)

(30-12-2006; 20:45; Rpt) Voices (Harold Pinter)
First broadcast to mark the occasion of Harold Pinter's 75th birthday in October 2005, Voices is a powerful and disturbing collaboration between the Nobel Prize-winning playwright and a cutting-edge composer that heightens some of Pinter's most painful images. The tormentors and the tormented so potently etched in Pinter's political plays find a stunning musical counterpoint in James Clarke's score recently commended at the 2006 Prix Italia. Voices: Harry Burton, Anastasia Hille, Andy de la Tour, Douglas Hodge, Gabrielle Hamilton, Roger Lloyd-Pack, Gawn Grainger, Harold Pinter, Indira Varma. Music: Apartment House; Eileen Aagaard; Prometheus Ensemble; Rolande van der Paal; Etienne Siebens; BBC Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Martyn Brabbins and David Porcelijn; Fatma Mehralieva. (45m)

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