R4 Drama 2024
			I'm typing these entries out, summarising them from RT, removing spoilers and editing / adding notes where necessary. Typos are gradually being removed. The page is generally updated at the end of each month. To locate a play, use Control-F which will bring up a search box. The page lists afternoon dramas. .........ND The Saturday and Sunday plays are labelled as such in the lists. Plays made by independent production companies are indicated by 'Indie'. THE PLAYS: 1 Jan: No Drama No afternoon play on New Year's Day ... that's disappointing. 2 Jan: Yusuf and the Whale By 'Maatin'. Set in Yemen, 2023. In one of the poorest countries in the world, with civil war raging, life isn’t easy, and most days the fishermen return with barely enough to eat, let alone to sell. But fisherman’s son Yusuf is an eternal optimist and dreamer, who keeps the community’s spirits high with tales of whales and his dreams of the Gulf’s glorious past. But when disaster strikes, and Yusuf’s optimism is tested, he ends up at sea in the strangest of scenarios. Yusuf ..... Bilal Hasna, Zulaikha ..... Danusia Samal, Fatima ..... Sirine Saba, Khaled ..... Stewart Scudamore, Abdo ..... Fayez Bakhsh, Nabil/Mahdi ..... Yassine Mkhichen. Produced by Anne Isger; sound by Pete Ringrose and Ali Craig. BBC Studios production. 3 Jan: This Thing of Darkness, 1 - A Dangerous Animal Series 3. By Frances Poet with monologues by Eileen Horne. Alex Bridges is an expert forensic psychiatrist and psychotherapist, assessing and treating perpetrators of serious crime. The drama explores the psychological impact of murder on teenage perpetrators and follows the fortunes of participants in a Long Sentence therapy group. Co-offenders are now together in Group therapy. Is that a good idea? Dr Alex Bridges ….. Lolita Chakrabarti, Anthony ….. Lorn Macdonald, Finn ….. Reuben Joseph, Twitch …. Brian Ferguson, Simon ….. Shaun Mason, Donna ….. Karen Bartke, Mental Health Nurse ….. Elysia Welch. Sound Design: Fraser Jackson. Series Consultant: Gwen Adshead. Series format created by Lucia Haynes, Audrey Gillan, Eileen Horne, Gaynor Macfarlane, Anita Vettesse and Kirsty Williams. Thanks to Victoria Byrne, Barlinnie Prison, Vox Liminis Distant Voices Project and Fergus McNeill. Produced by Gaynor Macfarlane and Kirsty Williams. BBC Scotland. 4 Jan: McLevy in the New World, 1: Shake Hands With The Devil Brian Cox as Inspector James McLevy in a new two-part adventure by David Ashton. Rpt. At the end of the last series, Jean and the Inspector fled from Leith on a steamer bound for San Francisco. McLevy was accused of killing two suspects, assaulting his chief constable, and indirectly causing the death of Lieutenant Roach. Faced with career-ending disgrace he opts to scarper – and Jean, gallantly but perhaps rashly, decides to go with him. They arrive in San Francisco at the height of the Gold Rush in 1849 like two innocents in a shark pool. Well, maybe not quite so innocent… McLevy ..... Brian Cox, Jean Brash ..... Siobhan Redmond, Forbes ..... Matthew Marsh, Templeton ..... Joseph Balderrama, Brennan ..... Des McAleer, George Taylor ..... Gunnar Cauthery, Flaxman ..... Jason Barnett, Cathleen/ Maria ..... Ellie Media, Other parts played by the cast. Producer: Bruce Young. 5 Jan: Boswell: Boswell's Life of Gandhi Series 3. Rpt. By Jon Canter. Produced by Sally Avens. Comedy - James Boswell becomes a time travelling biographer. Today he meets Gandhi, and attempts to become a better man under Gandhi's guidance. However, abstinence drives Boswell to distraction and worse. 6 Jan: Electric Decade - USA, 1 By John Dos Passos, dram. Robin Brooks. Rpt. The USA trilogy: The 42nd Parallel, 1919 and The Big MoneyUSA is a long saga following a group of characters through the opening decades of the 20th century, from post-war boom to the Great Depression. We follow key individuals, drawn from all walks of life, as their paths cross. One by one we are introduced to them, and follow each from infancy to maturity. In ep. 1 we meet John Moorehouse, a young man on the make, Eleanor Stoddard, a young woman with artistic ambitions, and Janey Williams, a girl growing up in the poorer part of town. John Moorehouse ..... Tom Bateman, Eleanor Stoddard ..... Tanya Reynolds, Eveline Hutchins ..... Hannah Genesius, Janey Williams ..... Sheila Atim, Annabelle Strang ..... Jessica Phillippi, Rochevillain /Oliver Taylor ..... Jacob Fortune-Lloyd, Freddy Sergeant / Alec ..... Calam Lynch, Joe Williams ..... Adam Courting, Gertrude Staple ..... Laurel Lefkow, McGill ..... Eric Meyers, Jerry Burnham/ Oppenheimer ..... Will Howard. Producer - Fiona McAlpine. Sound Design - Lucinda Mason Brown. Production Manager - Lucy Barter. Broadcast Assistant - Georgia Brown. Indie (Allegra). 7 Jan: Sunday afternoon: Our Man in Havana, 1 By Graham Greene, ad. Jeremy Front. Wormold, a vacuum cleaner salesman in Havana, is recruited as a spy for MI6. Eager to stay on the books but with nothing to report, he begins to make up sources and stories until they start to become alarmingly true. Wormold ….. Rory Kinnear, Hawthorne ….. Miles Jupp, Hasselbacher ….. Kenneth Collard, Milly ….. Kitty O’Sullivan, Chief ….. Michael Bertenshaw, Lopez ….. Martin Marquez, Miss Jenkinson ….. Jessica Turner, Ethel/Iris ….. Rhiannon Neads, Barman/Policeman 1 ….. Jot Davies, Joe/Policeman 2 ….. Josh Bryant-Jones. Produced by Tracey Neale. Technical Producer - Keith Graham Production Co-Ordinator - Ben Hollands 8 Jan: No Drama No-drama Monday. 9 Jan: Babydyke By Rashida Seriki of the Talawa Theatre. When Tara’s girlfriend Phoenix comes over for dinner, Tara is forced to make a choice -to stay and support her father as he struggles with his mental health and suicidal thoughts, or cross into a new reality: live her truth as a queer woman. Phoenix – Bola Akeju, Tara – Babriye Bukilwa, Lesley – Wil Johnson, Maureen – Lorraine Adeyefa. Creative team: Director – Tian Brown-Sampson, Series Producer – Alison Holder, Executive Producer – Caroline Raphael, Sound Design – Lucinda Mason-Brown, and David Chilton. Dramaturg – malakai sargeant, Production Coordinator– Alex Lynch, Talawa New Work Producer - David Gilbert, Casting Assistant – Melissa Vitalis Smith. Indie (Talawa Theatre) 10 Jan: This Thing of Darkness, 3-2: Elephant in the Room By Frances Poet; monologues by Eileen Horne. The drama explores the psychological impact of murder on teenage perpetrators and follows the fortunes of participants in a Long Sentence therapy group. How much do childhood experiences affect the mind of a murderer? Alex Bridges ….. Lolita Chakrabarti, Anthony ….. Lorn Macdonald, Finn ….. Reuben Joseph, Twitch …. Brian Ferguson, Simon ….. Shaun Mason, Donna/The Governor….. Karen Bartke, Dani ….. Elysia Welch, Dead Elvis….Andy Clark. Sound Design: Fraser Jackson. Series Consultant: Dr Gwen Adshead. Series format created by Lucia Haynes, Audrey Gillan, Eileen Horne, Gaynor Macfarlane, Anita Vettesse and Kirsty Williams. Thanks to Victoria Byrne, Barlinnie Prison, Vox Liminis Distant Voices Project and Fergus McNeill. Produced by Gaynor Macfarlane and Kirsty Williams for BBC Scotland. 11 Jan: McLevy in the New World, 2 By David Ashton. Rpt. Episode title: Part 2: A Stirring in the Blood. Adrift in San Francisco, Jean and McLevy are thrown closer together – an intimacy which doesn’t always suit either of them! In this wild lawless West they are soon investigating crooked gambling rings and dodgy land deals – but when a poker player is found murdered the local Mayor decides McLevy is the chief suspect. The resourceful (former) Inspector has to take to the streets disguised as a tramp. Rpt. from Apr 2022. McLevy ..... Brian Cox, Jean Brash ..... Siobhan Redmond, Mayor Brennan ..... Des McAleer, George Taylor ..... Gunnar Cauthery, Cathleen/ Maria ..... Ellie Mejia, Eduardo Diaz ..... Joseph Balderrama, Flaxman ..... Jason Barnett, Other parts played by the cast. Producer: Bruce Young. 12 Jan: Limelight - Cobalt, 1 Series creators Eno Mfon and Darragh Mortell. This episode written by Eno. Maita goes to see her dad for her birthday, but he's not in...and there's something strange about his flat. When she goes to look for him down the docks where he works, she discovers there is more than just her dad that has gone missing. 30m. Maita - Saffron Coomber, Julian - John Pfumojena, Bevin - Tonderai Munyevu, Kat - Caitlin Richards, Tony - Dean Rehman, Meditation voice, TikToker - Kitty O'Sullivan, Newsreader, TikToker - Rhiannon Neads, Not Jehovahs, TikTokers - Tyler Cameron and John Lightbody, Music composed by Kaidi Tatham. Sound: Catherine Robinson and Nigel Lewis. Director: John Norton. BBC Wales. 13 Jan: Saturday Play: USA, 2 By John Dos Passos, dram. Robin Brooks from John Dos Passos's USA trilogy: The 42nd Parallel, 1919 and The Big Money. Janey Williams’s fate becomes tangled with that of Moorehouse. Eveline Hutchins shows us her side of the story. Daughter is a Texan belle. Richard Savage is a young man in a hurry. John Ward Moorehouse ..... Tom Bateman, Eleanor Stoddard ..... Tanya Reynolds, Eveline Hutchins ..... Hannah Genesius, Janey Williams ..... Sheila Atim, Richard Savage ..... Luke Thallon, Daughter (Anne Elizabeth) ..... Kelly Burke, Jack Washburn ..... Christopher Ragland, Bud ..... Gabriel Freilich, Gertrude Staple ..... Laurel Lefkow, Jerry Burnham ..... Will Howard, Freddy Sergeant ..... Calam Lynch. Other parts played by members of the company. Producer / Director - Fiona McAlpine. Sound Design & Music Arrangement - Lucinda Mason Brown. Production Manager - Lucy Barter. Broadcast Assistant - Georgia Brown. Indie (Allegra). 14 Jan: Sunday afternoon: Our Man in Havana, 2 By Graham Greene, ad. Jeremy Front. James Wormold's wife has left him and he is now making a living as a vacuum cleaner salesman. He meets Milly's admirer, Captain Segura. M16 have sent Beatrice Severn from London to Havana to work with James. Suspicion beings to fall on Doctor Hasselbacher. Wormold ….. Rory Kinnear, Beatrice ..... Emily Berrington, Hasselbacher ..... Kenneth Collard, Milly ..... Kitty O'Sullivan, Hawthorne ….. Miles Jupp, Captain Segura ..... Joseph Balderrama, Carter ..... John Lightbody, Teresa/Iris ..... Rhiannon Neads, Chief/Dr Braun ..... Michael Bertenshaw, Sanchez/Waiter/British Ambassador ..... Martin Marquez, MacDougall/Joe/Policeman 2 ...... Josh Bryant-Jones, Rudy/Policeman 1 ..... Jot Davies, Mistress of Sanchez/Ambassador's Assistant ..... Jessica Turner, Directed by Tracey Neale. 15 Jan: No Drama No-drama Monday, rpt. 16 Jan:Copper & Lead By Lydia Luke. From the Black Theatre Company, Talawa. Drama about a black couple. Nancy meets Jeremiah, a Jamaican Brummie and she falls for him. They’re soon married with a home and two children, but one of them is hiding a secret. Cast, in order of appearance: Nancy – Petra Letang, Joyce – Phoebe McIntosh, Friend 1, 2, 3 & Doctor – Alison A Addo, Jeremiah – Karl Collins, Agnes – Mellieha Mazombwe. Creative team: Director – Phillip J Morris, Series Producer – Alison Holder, Executive Producer – Caroline Raphael, Sound Design – Lucinda Mason-Brown and David Chilton, Dramaturg – Malakai Sargeant, Production Coordinator – Alex Lynch, Talawa New Work Producer - David Gilbert, Casting Assistant – Melissa Vitalis Smith. Indie (Talawa Theatre). 17 Jan: This Thing of Darkness, 3-3 -A Pint with Pals. By Frances Poet, with monologues by Eileen Horne. Alex Bridges is a forensic psychiatrist and psychotherapist, assessing and treating perpetrators of serious crime. This drama explores the psychological impact of murder on teenage perpetrators and follows the fortunes of participants in a Long Sentence therapy group. Dr Alex Bridges ….. Lolita Chakrabarti, Anthony ….. Lorn Macdonald Finn ….. Reuben Joseph, Twitch …. Brian Ferguson, Simon ….. Shaun Mason, Dani ….. Elysia Welch, Dead Elvis….Andy Clark. ‘Autopilot’ composed by Jill O'Sullivan & Lee and performed by Jill O'Sullivan & Louis Abbott. Sound Design: Fraser Jackson. Series Consultant: Gwen Adshead. Series format created by Lucia Haynes, Audrey Gillan, Eileen Horne, Gaynor Macfarlane, Anita Vettesse and Kirsty Williams. Thanks to Victoria Byrne, Barlinnie Prison, Vox Liminis Distant Voices Project and Fergus McNeill. Produced by Gaynor Macfarlane and Kirsty Williams. BBC Scotland. 18 Jan: The Call By Ron Hutchinson. The play is inspired by a recent story coming out of Gaza and is located in a non-specific location. A woman caller wakens a college professor just before dawn. She says she works for the Intelligence Services and that he, the teacher, is to stay on the phone as he is to evacuate all the neighbours in his block after which it is going to be destroyed by a missile. He is to remain calm and follow instructions: the missile will not be launched until he has cleared theapartments. But perhaps he is not the benign teacher his neighbours imagine him to be. Cast - Paul Rhys, Jane Slavin, Tayla Kovacevic-Ebong. Producer: Eoin O'Callaghan. Indie (Big Fish). 19 Jan: Cobalt, 2 By Darragh Mortell. 30m drama series. Maita goes to see her dad for her birthday, but he's not in, and there's something strange about his flat. When she goes to look for him at the docks where he works. He's not there. Series creators Eno Mfon and Darragh Mortell. Music by Kaidi Tatham; Maita - Saffron Coomber, Julian - John Pfumojena, Mum - Caitlin Richards, Gurai - Chipo Kureya, Derek - John Lightbody, Taxi Driver/ Barman - Dalumuzi Moyo, Highfield Resident - Bevin Magama, Newsreaders and TikTokers - Kitty O'Sullivan, Rhiannon Neads & Tyler Cameron. Sound: Catherine Robinson and Nigel Lewis. Producer: John Norton. BBC Wales. 20 Jan: Saturday Play - USA, 3: Margo Dowling, Charley Anderson, Richard Savage. By John Dos Passos. Rpt. Margo Dowling is a would-be actress, Charley Anderson is a working-man turned war hero, and Richard Savage is now Moorehouse’s no. 2 on Madison Avenue. John Ward Moorehouse ..... Tom Bateman, Eveline Hutchins ..... Hannah Genesius, Janey Williams ..... Sheila Atim, Richard Savage ..... Luke Thallon, Margo Dowling ..... Genevieve Gaunt, Charley Anderson ..... Tayla Kovacevic-Ebong, Agnes ..... Laurel Lefkow, Frank / Doctor .... Eric Meyers, Tony Garrido ..... Jacob Fortune-Lloyd, Sam Margolies/ Jerry ..... Will Howard, Mo Askew..... Christopher Ragland, Tad Whittlesea..... Gabriel Freilich, Nat Benton ..... Calam Lynch, Doc Bingham ..... Robert G.Slade, Myra Bingham ..... Lily Lefkow-Green, Althea Bingham ..... Georgia Brown. Other parts played by members of the company. Producer - Fiona McAlpine. Sound Design & Music Arrangement - Lucinda Mason Brown. Production Manager - Lucy Barter. Indie (Allegra). 21 Jan: Sunday afternoon: Oil on Water From the novel by Helon Habila. Dram. Rex Obano. Rpt. A contemporary thriller about neocolonial corruption, ecological devastation and journalistic ethics in the badlands of the oil-rich Niger Delta. Two reporters risk everything in search of the perfect story after the British wife of an oil company executive is kidnapped. The story begins in Port Harcourt, Nigeria - Rufus has yet to make his mark as a journalist. Then he accepts an assignment to interview the hostage held by militants. Rufus ….. Idris Debrand, Zaq ….. Cyril Nri, Gloria ….. Tamara Lawrance, The Major & The Professor ….. Danny Sapani, Naman & Ibiram ….. Peter Bankole, Tamuno & other voices …. Seun Shote, Joseph, & other voices ….. Uché Gabriel Akujobi, Michael ….. Jordan Nash, James Floode ….. Matthew Gravelle, Isabel Floode ….. Claire Price. Other characters play by the cast. Sound Design ….. Adam Woodhams, Mixing ….. Steve Bond, Executive Producer ….. Sara Davies, Produced and Directed by Nicolas Jackson. Indie (Afonica). 22 Jan: No drama 23 Jan: Talawa Stories: The Master’s House By Babriye Bukilwa. Four women stripped of their identities and renamed April, May, September and December plot their escape from the master’s house and the violence of patriarchy. Set in an unspecified location. December – Unique Spencer May – Heather Agyepong April – Danielle Kassarate September - Jumoke Fashola Man/Master – Mohammed Mansaray Director – Malakai Sargeant Series Producer – Alison Holder Executive Producer – Caroline Raphael Sound Design – Lucinda Mason-Brown & David Chilton Production Coordinator – Alex Lynch Talawa New Work Producer - David Gilbert Casting Assistant – Melissa Vitalis Smith Indie (Talawa Theatre). 24 Jan: This Thing of Darkness, 3-4: The Christmas Killers By Frances Poet; monologues by Eileen Horne. Alex Bridges, a forensic psychiatrist and psychotherapist, assessing and treating perpetrators of serious crime.This episode looks at the psychological impact of murder on teenage perpetrators and follows the fortunes of participants in a long-sentence therapy group. Dr Alex Bridges ….. Lolita Chakrabarti, Anthony ….. Lorn Macdonald, Finn ….. Reuben Joseph, Twitch …. Brian Ferguson, Simon ….. Shaun Mason, The Governor….. Karen Bartke, Dani ….. Elysia Welch, Dead Elvis….Andy Clark. Sound Design: Fraser Jackson Series Consultant: Gwen Adshead Series format created by Lucia Haynes, Audrey Gillan, Eileen Horne, Gaynor Macfarlane, Anita Vettesse and Kirsty Williams. Thanks to Victoria Byrne, Barlinnie Prison, Vox Liminis Distant Voices Project and Fergus McNeill. Produced by Gaynor Macfarlane and Kirsty Williams. BBC Scotland. 25 Jan: McLevy in the New World (Series 2) - Fate Takes a Hand By David Ashton. A welcome return for McLevy. Set in San Francisco, 1849. At the height of the California Gold Rush, the ex-police officer sets himself up as a private investigator hoping for a rich client. But his first case turns out to be less than lucrative – a poor black cook accused of murdering his wealthy white employer. McLevy ..... Brian Cox Jean ..... Siobhán Redmond George Taylor.... Bryan Dick Isaac ..... Ben Onwukwe Sarah ..... Ayesha Antoine Henrietta ..... Nicole Ansari Pierce..... Sandy Grierson Malachi Fallon ..... Forbes Masson Sam Barton ..... Gerard McDermott Other parts played by the cast. Producer/Director: Bruce Young. 26 Jan: Cobalt, 3 By Eno Mfon. Maita is in Zimbabawe looking for her dad. She's not ready for what she finds. 30m. Maita - Saffron Coomber Julian - John Pfumojena Mum - Caitlin Richards Chiedza - Chipo Mushuku Music by Kaidi Tatham. Sound: Catherine Robinson and Nigel Lewis. Director: John Norton. BBC Wales. 27 Jan: Saturday Play slot - Tam O'Shanter By Robert Burns: his narrative poem reimagined for a contemporary audience by Gary McNair. (....was it Burns Night last night? - Ed) . Tam has something of a thirst for alcohol. His wife’s warned him of the trouble he’s likely to get in if he doesn’t change his ways. Does Tam listen? No. But he’s about to face the night of his life, when her prophesy becomes reality. 55m. Performed by Gary McNair, with music and original composition by Michael John McCarthy and Malin Lewis. Studio and Live Recordings by Fraser Jackson, Kris McConnachie and Sean Mullervy. Sound Design by MJMc; produced by Kirsty Williams. 28 Jan: Sunday afternoon - The Medici, 2-1: Alessandro Series 2 title -The Inheritors. By Catherine Johnson. Alessandro de Medici, known as The Moor, was the first hereditary Medici duke. He was popular with the Florentine people but his cousins Ippolito and Lorenzino never forgave him for taking up what they felt was Ippolito's birthright. The assassination attempts started ... Alessandro de Medici- Elliott Barnes-Worrell, Lorenzino de Medici- Sion Daniel Young, Ippolito de Medici - Jacob Ifan, Taddea Malaspina - Kiran Sonia Sawar, Simonetta da Collevecchio - Marsha Millar, Giorgio Vasari - Nico Pimpare, Pope Clement - Arwel Gruffydd, Emperor Charles V - Michael Bertenshaw, Margaret - Kitty O'Sullivan, Scoronconcolo - Tyler Cameron, Strozzi - John Lightbody, Young Alessandro - Hardy Yusuf, Young Ippolito - Huw Huckstep. Series Creator: Mike Walker. Sound: Catherine Robinson Director: John Norton. BBC Wales. 29 Jan: No Drama No Drama Monday, rpt. Please write to the BBC about this. The Director-General, Tim Davie, BBC Broadcasting House, London, W1A 1AA should find him. 30 Jan: Exodus to Shanghai As the Nazi regime rose to power in the 1930s, Jews in Germany and Austria faced increasing discrimination and violence. Many were tripped of their citizenship, names, and the means to earn a living. Many were desperate to escape and began looking for potential safe havens around the world. But - the US only wanted refugees who could support themselves. The UK would only grant entry to women willing to work as housekeepers. Then a rumour began to spread that Shanghai would accept anyone. This drama-documentary is composed of the accounts of five people, taken from research done by Steve Hochstadt in the 80s. The words of Ernest Culman are read by Anton Lesser; Paul Reisman by Henry Goodman; Melitta Colland by Joanne Whalley; Trude Reisman by Samantha Spiro; and Gerard Kohbieter by Elliot Levey. Music composed by John Biddle; sound design by Iain Hunter. Adapted and produced by Kate McAll. Indie (Rhiannon Media). 31 Jan: This Thing of Darkness, 3-5: The Dandelion and the Orchid By Frances Poet, with monologues by Eileen Horne. The drama explores the psychological impact of murder on perpetrators and follows the fortunes of participants in a Long Sentence therapy group. Dr Alex Bridges ….. Lolita Chakrabart, Anthony ….. Lorn Macdonald, Finn ….. Reuben Joseph, Dani ….. Elysia Welch. Sound Design: Fraser Jackson Series Consultant: Dr Gwen Adshead Series format created by Lucia Haynes, Audrey Gillan, Eileen Horne, Gaynor Macfarlane, Anita Vettesse and Kirsty Williams. Thanks to Victoria Byrne, Barlinnie Prison, Vox Liminis Distant Voices Project and Fergus McNeill. Produced by Gaynor Macfarlane and Kirsty Williams. BBC Scotland. 1 Feb: McLevy in the New World, 2-2: Fire Burn and Cauldron Bubble By David Ashton. In 1849, at the height of the California Gold Rush, Jean’s deadly enemy, the rival brothel madam known as the Countess, arrives in San Francisco after escaping from prison in Scotland. Jean fears the Countess is plotting to settle old scores – but McLevy is distracted by a new case, the killing of a Mexican rancher after a gambling dispute. McLevy ..... Brian Cox, Jean ..... Siobhán Redmond, Countess.... Nicole Ansari, George Taylor ..... Bryan Dick, De Pendray ..... Nicholas Boulton, Regina ..... Laurel Lefkow, Malachi Fallon ..... Forbes Masson, Gambler..... Josh Bryant-Jones, Other parts played by the cast. Producer/Director: Bruce Young. 2 Feb: Cobalt, 4 By Darragh Mortell. News about dad comes through, and Maita and Julian decide to drive to Nigeria. 30m. Maita - Saffron Coomber, Julian - John Pfumojena, Manfred - Jude Akuwudike, Kenny - Ashley Zhangazha, Morgue Assistant - Diana Yekinni, Newsreaders - Tyler Cameron, Diana Yekinni, Bevin Magama, Sound: Catherine Robinson and Nigel Lewis, Music by Kaidi Tatham, Director: John Norton. BBC Wales. 3 Feb: Saturday Play - A Close Approximation of You By Oliver Emanuel. Rpt. When Kay first meets Michael he’s singing into a mirror at himself. He's a theoretical physicist and his job is to explore the possibility that there is a mirror version of our world. It's a thrilling piece of imaginative writing. The play is broadcast in loving memory of the writer, who died recently, far too young. Kay … Anneika Rose, Michael … Sandy Grierson, Detective…Itxaso Moreno John and Security Guard…Richard Conlon, Jess and the Agent…Gabriel Quigley. Sound recording: Andy Hay and Kris McConnachie. Sound design: Fraser Jackson. Produced by Kirsty Williams. 4 Feb: Sunday afternoon: The Medici, 2-2 By Mike Walker. Catherine de Medici, orphaned within weeks of her birth, raised in a nunnery, and sold into a political marriage, becomes the dauphine of France, but her husband is in love with Diane de Poitiers. Catherine de Medici - Catrin Aaron, Silvestri - Julian Lewis Jones, Diane de Poitiers - Juliette Aubrey, Prince Henri and King Francis - Arthur Hughes, Guise - Joel MacCormack, Nurse - Heather Craney, Ippolito de Medici - Jacob Ifan, Pope Clement - Arwel Gruffydd, Young Catherine - Grace Nettle. Series Creator: Mike Walker. Sound: Catherine Robinson. Producer: John Norton. BBC Wales. 5 Feb: No Drama No-drama Monday, again. 6 Feb: The Great Delay By Theo Toksvig-Stewart. America in the early 1990s is the setting for this drama, inspired by real events, The subjectivity of memory is scrutinised in a story that imagines the workings of a big of a PR company as it tried to shape the world’s response to climate change. Bob ….. Luke Treadaway, Sal ….. Olivia Williams, Ken ….. Rhashan Stone, Casey ….. Kitty O’ Sullivan. With Michael Bertenshaw, Rhiannon Neads and Josh Bryant-Jones. Produced by Gemma Jenkins. 7 Feb: Mediocre White Male By Will Close and Joe Von Malachowski. Welcome to Lander Castle and Gardens, one of England's least visited heritage sites. Steeped in history dating back to the Middle Ages, Lander Castle's many attractions include jousting, its bucolic gardens, live actors and, of course, the legendary Turret of Terror, where the spirit of the castle's former owner Sir Fulke Treville is said to haunt the halls. It's nearing the end of the day at the castle and visitors are thinning out. Up in the Turret, the statue of Sir Fulke has a story to share. Performed by Will Close, with additional parts played by Rhiannon Neads, Kitty O'Sullivan, Josh Bryant-Jones, Tyler Cameron and Will Kirk. Produced by Sasha Yevtushenko. 8 Feb: Sick By Annalisa Dinnella. Rpt. Kate is the perfect Mum, wife and daughter. Then for the first time in her charmed life, things do not go to plan. In her second pregnancy, Kate develops extreme morning sickness. Described as a 'vom-com'. Naomi…...Cariad Lloyd, Kate…....Margaret Cabourn-Smith, Evelyn….....Alison Steadman, Dr Manning/Smart Phone…Teresa Gallagher, Dan/Nurse Craig……Alex Lowe, John…....Sean Baker, Young Kate…….Kathleen Keaney, Young Naomi…….Lola Page, Sophie…….Sophie Xu. Sound design: David Thomas. Producer: Karen Rose. Indie (Sweet Talk). 9 Feb: Cobalt, 5 By Eno Mfon; music by Kaidi Tatham. Maita - Saffron Coomber, Julian - John Pfumojena, Manfred - Jude Akuwudike, Bevin - Tonderai Munyevu, Lagos Police Officer - Richard Pepple, Criminals - Tyler Cameron, John Lightbody. Sound: Catherine Robinson and Nigel Lewis. Producer: John Norton. BBC Wales. 10 Feb: Saturday Play - Southall Uprising By Satinder Chohan. Another play in the "Turning Point" series, based on true events. It's set and recorded in Southall and marks the 45th anniversary of the Southall riots. The National Front booked to hold a meeting at Southall Town Hall on 23 April 1979; a provocative gesture. Southall contained a high number of people from the Indian subcontinent, Africa and the West Indies. The National Front was opposed to immigration and in favour of repatriation. This small, hard-working immigrant community was forced to defend and assert its rights to live, work and exist in Britain. Rami….Gavi Singh Chera, Kiyana....Grace Saif, Bhupi…Zainab Hasan, AsimGurjeet Singh, Dad/Shera/Uncle Monu…Ameet Chana, Mum/Aunty...Manjinder Virk Police Officers and Protestors: ....John Lightbody and Tyler Cameron; Protestors.....members of the Punjabi Theatre Academy Tajinder Pal Singh, Balvinder Kumar, Balwinder Jhim, Nahar Singh Gill and students from Praxis Performing Arts at Uxbridge College: Alannah Dolphin, Keira Doyle, Chiana Elliott, Rico Joseph, Jevounghn Gregg Fuller. Tay Furzer-Pickett, Ronan Kubilius. Peelo Mookodi, Quinn (Rebecca) Puse, Max Mcdermott, Jason O’Connor, Sienna O' Connor, Lilly Poore, Michael Stone, Hannah Williams, Natalie Young. Production Co-ordinator: Lorna Newman; Technical Production, Location Recording and Sound Design: Sharon Hughes; Producer: Nadia Molinari. BBC Drama North. Thanks to Janpal Basran and Southall Community Alliance; Robert Lane; Tajinder Pal Singh; Saravanaa Bhavan Southall and to all those who contributed their stories and experiences. 11 Feb: Sunday afternoon: The Medici, 2-3 By Mike Walker. Episode title: Blood on the Streets Catherine de Medici, orphaned within weeks of her birth, was raised in a nunnery, then sold into a political marriage in the French House of Valois. Her husband is now King Henri II and Catherine has secured her position by producing an heir, but religious conflict between Protestants and Catholics is on the rise across Europe, and when Henri dies it is left to Catherine to try to hold France together. Catherine de Medici - Catrin Aaron, Silvestri - Julian Lewis Jones, Diane de Poitiers - Juliette Aubrey, King Henri II - Arthur Hughes, Guise - Joel MacCormack, Nurse - Heather Craney, Isabelle - Nia Gandhi, Coligny - Ian Dunnett Jnr, Le Conde - Matthew Bulgo, Cardinal Guise - Tom Mumford, Margot - Poppy Almond. Sound: Catherine Robinson, Producer: John Norton. BBC Wales. 12 Feb: No Drama No drama, again. 13 Feb: The New Sugar By Ben Tagoe. Set in a changing Barbados where big pharma and local Rastafarians fight over the right to grow ecently-legalised cannabis. Charlene ..... Alexandra Mardell, Frank ..... Richard Laing, Richard ..... Kieran Smith, Derek ..... Everal A. Walsh, Ras Kwame ..... Don Gilet. Produced by Gaynor Macfarlane. 14 Feb: Trespass By David Pownall; his last play. David died in 2022. A complicated plot, looking at many of today's problems through a moment in history when the peasant-poet John Clare takes part in a remarkable poetry festival. Note Nigel Anthony in the cast! Probably the longest-serving radio drama actor in the country. Lord Tim.........Robert Glenister, John Clare........Adrian Scarborough, Marjorie........Clare Corbett, The Earl........Nigel Anthony, Gregory.........Luke Nunn, Hugh........Hasan Dixon, Sarah.....Lucy Phelps, Produced by Martin Jenkins. Sound Design by David Thomas, Production Co-ordinator: Sarah Tombling, Production Manager: Sarah Wright. Indie (Pier). 15 Feb: No Alternative By Ian Billings. The play is based on true events and is about the rise of the alternative comedy movement. It follows the fate of a fictional comedy duo, Erica and Ernie about to perform publicly for the first time. Andy de la Tour, one of the original performers at The Comedy Store, acts as a guide. Spliced into the drama are the archived voices of: Eddie Izzard, Arthur Smith, Ben Elton, Ade Edmundson, Arnold Brown, Alexei Sayle, Harry Enfield, Helen Lederer, Cliff Shaw, Tony Allen, Pauline Melville, Jenny Éclair, John Dowie, Jo Brand, Dawn French, Jennifer Saunders, Nigel Planer and Rik Mayall. Comedy Club ….. Andy de la Tour, Ernie ….. James McNicholas, Erica ….. Emma Sidi, Tommy ….. Don Gilet, Ernie’s mum ….. Rhiannon Neads, Ronnie Williams ….. Samuel James, Chicken Shop Owner ….. Tyler Cameron, Mr Melter ….. Zachary Lowe-McAlley Anthony ….. Josh Bryant-Jones, Marxist Juggler ….. Ian Billings, Welsh Gwen ….. Carys Eleri, TV Presenter ….. Rosie Mellett. Piano and trumpet played by Peter Ringrose. Produced by Gemma Jenkins. 16 Feb: Love and Other Lies,1: Romance By Sarah Cartwright. A comic thriller. An online flirtation turns bad and Josie goes from being attracted to being scared and overwhelmed. 30m. Josie ..... Jessica Gunning, Larry ..... Paul Ready, Tyler ..... Anthony J. Abraham, Aiden ..... Ed Coleman, Emma ..... Kitty O'Sullivan, Nick ..... Josh Bryant-Jones. Script Producer ..... Anne Isger. Technical Producers ..... Peter Ringrose & Alison Craig. Composer ..... Alexandra Hamilton-Ayres. Producer ..... Sally Avens. 17 Feb: Saturday Play: Hardy's Women -The Hand of Ethelberta The novels of Thomas Hardy, through the eyes of some of his female protagonists. Adapted by Katherine Jakeways. Rpt. All of London Society is in pursuit of Ethelberta's hand, but the infamous poet is not exactly the lady they think she is. Her claim to distinction is one of brains rather than blood. Her sister is her maid, her brother her butler, and she has just a year left before the whole family are left homeless and penniless. She must find a rich husband before the truth gets out. Her many ridiculous suitors pursue her half way across France. Ethelberta - Rebecca Humphries, Picotee - Abra Thomspon, Christopher Julian - Alfred Enoch, Lord Mountclere - Adrian Scarborough, Neigh - Simon Armstrong Ladywell - Lee Mengo Chickerel & Mountclere's brother - Michal Bertenshaw, Aunt Charlotte & Mrs Petherwin - Heather Craney, Menlove & Faith - Catriona McFarlane, Joe - Tom Forrister. Harp - Alis Huws. Piano - Branwen Munn. Produced by John Norton. BBC Wales 18 Feb: Sunday afternoon - Siddhartha By Herman Hesse, ad. Hattie Naylor, from the novel (transl. Hilda Rosner.) Set in ancient India. Spiritual journey of discovery of Siddhartha, the son of a high caste Brahmin. He sets out on a quest for spiritual wholeness and enlightenment with his friend Govinda. Siddhartha..... Jaz Singh Deol, Kamala ..... Amrita Acharia, Govinda …..Sid Sagar, Vasudeva ….. Rehan Sheikh, Father..… Kriss Dosanjh, Mother .…. Sudha Bhuchar, Boy ..... Adrian Paul Jeyasingham, Girl ..... Sophie Khan Levy. Other voices played by the cast. Production Manager ….. Anna de Wolff Evans. Executive Producer ..... Sara Davies. Sound Design ..... Adam Woodhams. Mix ..... Steve Bond. Producer ..... Nicolas Jackson. Indie (Afonica). 19 Feb: Sabine, 1 By Mark Healy. When Sabine’s body is found beneath the cliffs in an apparent suicide, her sister Elly is convinced she was murdered. Elly's hunt for the killer takes her deep into the secret life her sister kept hidden. She goes to Brighton to pack up her sister’s university room and wait for the results of the post-mortem. But things aren’t quite right, and Elly starts to unearth Sabine's secrets. This is a new five-part murder mystery. 30m. Elly ..... Sorcha Groundsell, Sabine ..... Freya Mavor, Mia ..... Aisling Loftus, Gabe ..... Tommy Sim’aan, Daniel ..... Ivanno Jeremiah, Sullivan ..... John Lightbody, Poppy ..... Juliana Lisk, Elly’s Mum ..... Jessica Turner. Produced by Anne Isger. Sound by Keith Graham, Ali Craig and Pete Ringrose. Production Co-ordination by Gaelan Davis-Connolly. 20 Feb: A Small Stubborn Town By Andrew Harding, dram. Jonathan Myerson. A dramatisation of true events where the people of Voznesensk in Ukraine defended their town against the Russian army. In March 2022, as Russians rolled across the Ukrainian border, the locals of Vozesensk were faced with a terrifying choice. This small farming town had what Russian army needed – a river crossing. With the Ukrainian army fighting elsewhere, the civilians living there had to decide whether to defend their town – or let the soldiers through towards Odessa. What happened there was to change the course of the war. Andrew Harding, BBC correspondent, went there afterwards to do interviews and wrote a book about it which has now been dramatised. The characters depicted are not fictional. A cast of Ukrainian and Russian actors play the ordinary people of Voznesensk caught up in this extraordinary situation. Yevhenii ..... Greg Kolpakchi, Andrii ..... Ed Ashe, Natasha ..... Helga Ronen, Svetlana ..... Kate Anstey, Ghost ..... Dennis Good, Formosa ..... Ivan Ivashkin, Valentin ..... Ivantiy Novak, Zhenia ..... Oleksandr Yatsenko. Sound design by Alisdair McGregor. Produced by Boz Temple-Morris. Indie (Holy Mountain) 21 Feb: Our Liam of Lourdes By Alex Oates. Rpt. Liam is an atheist, a disciple of Dawkins and a gay man. He's also in crisis, and he really doesn't want to be in Lourdes. What good are the healing waters? Liam ..... Joseph Ayre, Toby ..... Paul Ready, Noah ..... Ross K Foad, Maureen ..... Susan Jameson, Dan ..... Christopher Harper, Waiter ..... Pierre Elliott, Worker ..... Sarah Ovens Redcap ..... Franchi Webb. Producers ..... Jessica Dromgoole & Sally Avens. 22 Feb: Second Hand Rose By Philip Meeks. Barnaby is an 80-year-old man and a female impersonator. He is stubbornly trying to keep performing despite his frailty. Then a young care nurse comes into his life and his preconceptions and certainties disappear. Rpt. Barnaby ..... Donald McBride, Jojo ..... Felix Mufti-Wright, Akshay ..... Rajat M Bose, Noreen, Big Thora ..... Susan Twist, Conductor ..... Hamilton Berstock. Producer - Gary Brown. Production Co-ordinator - Vicky Moseley. Studio Manager - Amy Brennan. Sound - Sharon Hughes. BBC Drama North. 23 Feb: Love and Other Lies - 2, Wedlock By Sarah Cartwright. Josie has been the victim of a romance scam. Enlisting the help of Tyler, her daughter's hot headed boyfriend, she believes they have killed her catfisher (a person who takes information and images and uses them to create a new identity). , but now his gang are after them both and they are going to make them pay one way or another. 30m. Josie ..... Jessica Gunning, Tyler ..... Anthony J. Abraham, Larry ..... Paul Ready, Emma ..... Kitty O'Sullivan, Aiden/Man ..... Ed Coleman, Clerk ..... Rhiannon Neads. Script Producer ..... Anne Isger. Composer ..... Alexandra Hamilton-Ayres. Technical Producers ..... Peter Ringrose & Alison Craig. Director ..... Sally Avens. 24 Feb: Saturday Play slot - Cane By (male) author Jean Toomer. 'Cane' is sometimes considered a novel, but it's more a collection of short stories and poetry. Each section depicts a view of African American life in the United States. The title refers to the sugar cane which grows on Southern plantations. The first section is largely set in Georgia; the second in urban settings including Washington DC and Chicago, and the third section is a longer story set in Georgia. Dramatisation is by Janice Okoh. Jean T's parents were both mixed-race; Jean never called himself black or white; he preferred just to be considered an American. An interesting character. Cast: Carleen Anderson, Peter Bankole, Pippa Bennett-Warner, Saffron Coomber, Alfred Enoch, Clarke Peters, Sule Rimi, Danielle Vitalis, with original music by Carleen Anderson. Produced by John Norton BBC Wales. 25 Feb: Sunday afternoon: Tristram Shandy: In Development By Christopher Douglas; a radio play about making a radio play. Rpt. The production team is working out a new way of presenting Laurence Sterne's curiously-disordered eighteenth century novel.Iits many hilarious digressions and bawdy interludes have made it a classic. The creative team making the recording includes the actors who will play the novel's main characters. Everyone has a slightly different theory of how to approach this game-changing venture. A famous actor is also expected to join them at some point. What could possibly go wrong? ..... this play won the 2021 Tinniswood Award . Jason........Tim McInnerny, Philippa........Monica Dolan, Chris.......Christopher Douglas, Rosie.......Mina Anwar, Clare.......Emily Pithon, Johnny/Gary.......Simon Greenall, Roberta/Sam......Nicola Sanderson, Producer - Gary Brown. 26 Feb: Sabine, 2 By Mark Healy. Part 2 of 5. 30m. Elly’s been staying in Sabine’s flat to pack up her things. But after finding some surprising evidence in her sister's room, Elly’s desperate to find out who ‘F’ is. Elly ..... Sorcha Groundsell, Sabine ..... Freya Mavor, Oakley ..... Rupert Evans, Daniel ..... Ivanno Jeremiah, Gabe ..... Tommy Sim’aan, Mia ..... Aisling Loftus, Ziggy ..... Ian Dunnett Jr, Poppy ..... Juliana Lisk. Produced by Anne Isge.r Sound by Keith Graham, Ali Craig and Pete Ringrose. Production Co-ordination by Gaelan Davis-Connolly. 27 Feb: A Tsar in London By Mike Walker, from an idea by Michael Crick. BBC blurb: A tragicomic take on the months Tsar Peter the Great spent in London learning about ship-building and naval tactics, destroying the house and garden of diarist John Evelyn; roistering with the ambitious young actress Letitia Cross; and preparing himself for an onslaught upon Evelyn’s treasured holly hedge, Russia’s backward society and the peace of Northern Europe. Peter . . . . . Greg Kolpakchi, Letitia . . . . . Siena Kelly, John . . . . . Michael Bertenshaw, Ben . . . . . John Lightbody, Foreign Secretary . . . . . Josh Bryant-Jones, Lucy . . . . . Kitty O’Sullivan. Sound design: Andy Garratt & Peter Ringrose. Producer: Sasha Yevtushenko. 28 Feb: Sappho in Fragments By Hattie Naylor. Sappho adores her brother Charaxus. But nothing is the same after his trip to Egypt. His irrational obsession with the courtesan-slave Rhodopis threatens to destroy their family. Sappho is a superstar. But she must still take care of the family's reputation. Her brothers are liabilities, and she has plenty of enemies. Only her devoted servant Timas knows how to take care of her. The play envisages a vivid episode in the youthful life of this elusive and unforgettable poet. Sappho ... Thalissa Teixeira, Timas ... Rhiannon Neads, Andromeda/Rhodopis ...Anna Spearpoint, Gorgo ... Juliana Lisk, Charaxus ... Joseph Tweedale, Larichus/Fotis ... Oliver Hembrough, Captain/Agapios ... Ian Dunnett Jnr, Cleis ... Amanda Lawrence. Historical consultant ... Professor Edith Hall. Music by Liz Hanks from her album 'Land', released on Hudson Records. Produced by Mary Ward-Lowery. 29 Feb: The Listening Room By Harriet Madeley. Rpt. What happens when perpetrators and victims of violent crimes come face to face? The play tells, in their own words, the true stories of five people whose lives have been turned upside-down through violent crimes. It uses interview material. The actors listened to the original interviews before performing the play. Mark Knightley - Ray, Cathy Tyson - Vi, Ryan Gerald - Jacob, Neran Persaud - Khamran, Leo Wan - Tim. Music: Jethro Cooke. Producers: Andrew Wilkie (Prison Radio Association) and Mel Harris. A collaboration between the theatre company Crowded Room, the Prison Radio Association charity and BBC Radio 4. ....Best classed as 'indie', I think - ND. 1 Mar: Love and Other Lies, 3 By Sarah Cartwright. Episode title: Dream Job. Josie & Tyler are working for a catfishing gang (taking information and images and using them to create a new identity); blackmailed into the work after they killed a member of the gang. Now the police want to talk to Josie. Josie ..... Jessica Gunning, Larry ..... Paul Ready, Tyler ..... Anthony J Abraham, Daria ..... Margaret Cabourn-Smith, Aiden ..... Ed Coleman, Emma ..... Kitty O'Sullivan, Gemma ..... Rhiannon Neads, Nick ..... Josh Bryant-Jones, Detective ..... John Lightbody. Script Producer ...... Anne Isger. Technical Producers ..... Peter Ringrose & Alison Craig. Composer ..... Alexandra Hamilton-Ayres. Director ..... Sally Avens. 2 Mar: Saturday Play Arthur (or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire) A 75-minute drama by Ray Davies and Paul Sirett. Rpt. The title is also an album by The Kinks, originally released in October 1969. The songs feature autobiographical stories and characters from Ray Davies' early life and offer a snapshot of this period in British history. The story: - a working-class family is torn apart when Ray's brother-in-law, Arthur, decides to move his family half way around the world to Australia. Family members are all trying to come to terms with what it means to live in post-war Britain - the lost empire, the lack of respect, broken institutions, a country in flux, and whether or not to join the Common Market. The songs are performed by The Kinks and Rosie Cavaliero; guitar by Bill Shanley. Arthur…..Lee Ross, Rose…......Rosie Cavaliero, Ray…...Stephen Lloyd, Dave…....Mark Newnham, Terry…....Ben Norris, Bobby…....Arthur Hughes, Julie/Sally…....Emerald O'Hanrahan Mr Henderson...David Holt, Mum……Karen Spicer, Dad/Jones……Wayne Norman. Sound Engineers: David Thomas and Matt Jaggar. Production Coordinator: Sarah Tombling. Musical Director: Harvey Brough. Producers: Karen Rose and Ray Davies. Director: Karen Rose. Indie (Sweet Talk). 3 Mar: Sunday Afternoon - Don't Look Now Daphne du Maurier, dram. Katie Hims. John and Laura take a holiday in Venice. They have recently lost their daughter. They meet two sisters, one of whom claims to have had a vision of their dead daughter. Adapted from the short story. Don’t Look Now is part of a collection of dramas in Daphne du Maurier: Double Exposure, a celebration of the imaginative variety and power of one of our most underestimated but prolific and radical female writers. It is the first of three dramatisations of short stories which are taboo-busting excursions into the dark unvisited realms of the inner life . You can also hear The Blue Lenses and The Little Photographer. [A biographical play about Daphne goes out on Wednesday afternoon.] John ..... Jamie Parker, Laura ..... Aisling Loftus, Christine ..... Mabel Cresswell, Jonny ..... Bertie Cresswell, Dorcas .... Rebecca Crankshaw, Hilda ..... Jessica Turner, Manager ..... Alessandro Dowling, Detective ..... Ian Dunnett Junior, Brit ..... John Lightbody. Pianist ..... Ian Dunnett Junior. Producer: Sally Avens. 4 Mar: Sabine, 3 By Mark Healy; comedy thriller. After a terrifying night, Elly is sure she knows who killed Sabine. But now the evidence has now been stolen. 30m. Elly ..... Sorcha Groundsell, Sabine ..... Freya Mavor, Mia ..... Aisling Loftus, Oakley ..... Rupert Evans, Daniel ..... Ivanno Jeremiah Becca ..... Rhiannon Neads, Poppy ..... Juliana Lisk Sullivan ..... John Lightbody. Directed by Anne Isger. Sound by Keith Graham, Ali Craig and Pete Ringrose. Production Co-ordinator: Gaelan Davis-Connolly. BBC. 5 Mar: Land of My Father By Sian Owen, set in 1984. A play about the children of the Miners' Strike. In a mining village in the Welsh Valleys, Alys is doing her O-Levels, and life is normal and dull. Then the Miners’ Strike starts and everything changes. Forty years later, after the breakup of her marriage, Alys takes her son on a day out in the Valleys. Soon she finds herself revisiting the year that drastically altered her family’s lives. Young Alys... Caitlin Griffiths, Older Alys... Mali Harries, Cai.... Shaheen Jafargholi, Samuel.... Nicholas McGaughey, Sue... Lisa Zahra, Jacob.... Jamie Redford, Cai’s Dad and Eddie.... Rhys Ap William, Sarah.... Jemima Nicholas, Paul.... Rory Kelleher. Production Co-ordinator: Lindsay Rees. Sound Design: Catherine Robinson and Nigel Lewis. Director and Producer, Fay Lomas. BBC Wales. 6 Mar:Beside Myself By Moya O'Shea. A biographical play about Daphne du Maurier. It opens with her making her way along the clifftops near Kilmarth; she has writers' block. The routine of her walks is well known to her fans and they often seek her out. So when a stranger approaches, Daphne is not optimistic. But as they walk along Daphne, finds herself revealing much to him about her life. Daphne ..... Helena Bonham Carter, Man ..... Bill Nighy, Terry ..... Alex Tregear Lawyer ..... Ian Dunnett Junior. Producer..... Tracey Neale. 7 Mar: Dragons of the Pool By Kathryn Golding. Fictional story inspired by the true story of the Chinese seamen forcibly repatriated from Liverpool in 1945-46. The drama is set over 50 years and follows the story of middle-aged Leigh (Xinyu) and her long lost father. Leigh Jones ..… Liz Sutherland, Maggie Jones ..... Lucy Speed, Li Hauyu….. Jeremy Ang Jones, Tan Mingze ….. Jon Chew, Li Xinyi ….. Gabby Wong. Producer.... Polly Thomas. Director..... Shan Ng Original Music..... Ruth Chan, Sound Designer.... Alisdair McGregor, Sound Recordist.... Wilfredo Acosta. Production Manager .... Darren Spruce, Executive Producer.... Polly Thomas. Thanks go to Yvonne Foley, founder of Dragons and Lions, for her time and help with research. Indie (Naked Productions). 8 Mar: Love and Other Lies, 4: Happy Family By Sarah Cartwright. Comedy thriller, continued. Josie and Tyler have discovered they're not murderers. They didn't kill the man who they thought was sextorting Josie. So why won't Tyler let Josie go to the police? What exactly is he hiding from her? And who is Pauline? Josie ..... Jessica Gunning, Tyler ..... Anthony J Abraham, Larry ..... Paul Ready, Daria ..... Margaret Cabourn-Smith, Nick ..... Josh Bryant-Jones, Gemma ..... Rhiannon Neads, Man/Aiden ..... Ed Coleman, Emma ..... Kitty O'Sullivan. Script Producer ..... Anne Isger. Technical Producers ..... Peter Ringrose & Alison Craig. Composer ..... Alexandra Hamilton-Ayres. Director ..... Sally Avens. 9 Mar: Saturday Play - This Is for Everyone By Matthew Broughton. A drama about the creation of the World Wide Web, and its impact on one family in the decades that follow. In August 1991, the first website goes live. At exactly the same time, a baby is born... Julie....Claudie Blakley, Vic....Dana Haqjoo, Young Lucy...Astrid le Fleming, Lucy....Katie Redford, Young Ben....Bertie Creswell, Ben....Luke Nunn, Narrator....Peter Marinker. With the voices of Josh Bryant-Jones, Jessica Enemokwu, Laura Power, Maxim Reston. Technical producers (ie SMs)...Keith Graham, Andy Garratt, Peter Ringrose. Production co-ordinator...Jonathan Powell. Produced by Abigail le Fleming. Extract from 2012 Olympics opening ceremony is © International Olympic Committee. There are also extracts of Sir Tim Berners-Lee from an interview with CNBC, and The Richard Dimbleby Lecture: The World Wide Web - A Mid-Course Correction, BBC. 10 Mar: Sunday Afternoon: The Blue Lenses & The Little Photographer By Daphne du Maurier. Two dramas looking at the dark side of human nature. 1. An eye operation changes how Marda West sees the world and the people in it. Marda ….. Bethany Muir, Jim ….. Oliver Chris, Nurse Ansel ….. Rhiannon Neads, The Surgeon ….. Michael Bertenshaw Nurse Brand ….. Anna Spearpoint Eric ….. Ian Dunnett Junior. Adapted by Anna Linstrum. Producer .... Gemma Jenkins. 2. The beautiful but bored Madame la Marquise is on holiday in the South of France. One day she meets the local photographer. As Monsieur Paul studies her she feels the thrill of being looked at. Madame la Marquise ..... Lucy Boynton, Monsieur Paul ..... Ian Dunnett Junior, Edouard ..... John Lightbody, Miss Clay ..... Jessica Turner, Celeste ..... Rosie Coleman, Helene ..... Maisie Avis, Mademoiselle Paul ..... Rhiannon Neads. Adapted by Vivienne Allen. Producer..... Tracey Neale. 11 Mar: Sabine, 4 By Mark Healy. Elly’s found a USB drive of Sabine’s secret recordings, meant for her eyes only. A dangerous side of Sabine’s hidden life is revealed, in the weeks leading up to her death. In this episode, Sabine tells her own story. Sabine ..... Freya Mavor, Oakley ..... Rupert Evans, Daniel ..... Ivanno Jeremiah, Becca ..... Rhiannon Neads Ziggy ..... Ian Dunnett Jr, Rutherford ..... Jessica Turner. Produced by Anne Isger. Sound by Keith Graham, Ali Craig and Pete Ringrose. Production Co-ordinator: Gaelan Davis-Connolly. 12 Mar: Hello, I Appear to Have Killed My Husband By Eugene O’Hare. A tense and powerful drama about a woman in a controlling marriage who finally snaps. It’s New Year’s Day. Jane is serving the lunch. Roger is reading the newspaper. But very soon everything in their world will be turned upside down. Jane … Michelle Fairley, Roger … Patrick O’Kane, Gina … Laura Dos Santos, Lindy … Rosie Smith, Marianna…Kathy Kiera Clarke, Dáithí ... Eugene O’Hare. Sound Design by Fraser Jackson. Producer: Kirsty Williams. 13 Mar: Mouth By Chrissy Jamieson Jones. Heidi's husband has died in a car crash. A female ex-colleague comes round and Heidi's life is turned upside down. The drama won the 2023 Alfred Bradley Bursary Award for writers from the North of England who are new to radio. Heidi ..... Gillian Kearney, Laura ..... Christine Bottomley, Harry ..... Matthew Devlin. Production Co-ordinator - Pippa Day. Studio Manager - Amy Brennan. Sound Design - Sharon Hughes. Producer - Gary Brown. 14 Mar: I’m Dying To Help By Jon Canter. As people continue to live longer, they cost the NHS and Social Services far too much. In this futuristic dark comedy, a new Prime Minister and her aide come up with a radical solution. Rpt. Sam . . . Tony Robinson, Prime Minister . . . Haydn Gwynne, Ella . . . Sophia di Martino, Gerry . . . Paul Hickey, Mr King . . . David Hounslow, Chrissy and Bianca . . . Debbie Korley, Sue . . . Helen Clapp, Mrs Griffin . . . Susan Jameson. Produced by Sally Avens. 15 Mar: Love and Other Lies, 5. Long Life By Sarah Cartwright. Josie's catfisher may have weaved a sophisticated web of fake identities but Josie & Tyler are close to working out his true identity. All they have to do is find him & persuade him to stop blackmailing them. Josie ..... Jessica Gunning, Tyler ..... Anthony J Abraham, Larry ..... Paul Ready, Emma ..... Kitty O'Sullivan, Aiden ..... Ed Coleman, Daria ..... Margaret Cabourn-Smith, Aiden's Mother ..... Jessica Turner. Script Producer ..... Anne Isger. Production Co-ordinator ..... Gaelan Davis-Connolly. Technical Producers ..... Peter Ringrose & Alison Craig. Composer ..... Alexandra Hamilton-Ayres. Producer..... Sally Avens. 16 Mar: Saturday Play slot - Family Business By Alecky Blythe. The play is created from edited recordings collected in John Lewis stores across the UK. In 2014, Alecky started writing a play, focusing on customers in John Lewis, shopping. She recorded interviews with shoppers leaving home, furnishing flats, dealing with families, weddings, divorces, affairs, christenings and retirement. Ten years later, she returned to talk to the same people. Alecky's plays are created from recorded conversations which are edited and become the text. The actors don't use scripts; they hear the lines through earpieces in the studio and reproduce what they hear. The actors: Debbie Chazen, Chris Lew Kum Hoi, Andrew Leung, Sarita Gabony, Joe Bolland, Claire Lams and Barry McCarthy. Produced by Alecky Blythe and James Dacre; music and sound design by Adam Cork. Audio production by Richard Power and Frank Stirling. Indie; from 7digital working with the Royal & Derngate, Northampton and Living Theatre Productions. 55m. 17 Mar: Heart of Darkness By Joseph Conrad; ad. Anita Sullivan. Rpt. Recent production in a new setting - the 21st century. Maya is an environmental scientist, sent into the Congo rainforest after contact is lost with a research team. Maya…. Georgia Henshaw, Leon…. Peter Bankole, Blaise…. Jude Akuwudike, Daisy…. Ashleigh Haddad, Kurtz…. Stephen Hogan, The Commissioner…. Steve Toussaint. Script Consultant…. Ange Kasongo. Lingala Consultant…. Tracey Nyemba. (Lingala is a Bantu language used in the Congo). Produced by James Robinson. BBC Wales. 18 Mar: Sabine, 5 By Mark Healy. Using Sabine's USB drive, Elly retraces her sister’s movements on the night she died. It’s a race against time to find Sabine’s killer and avert further tragedy. Elly ..... Sorcha Groundsell, Sabine ..... Freya Mavor, Mia ..... Aisling Loftus, Oakley ..... Rupert Evans, Daniel ..... Ivanno Jeremiah, Ziggy ..... Ian Dunnett Jr, Becca ..... Rhiannon Neads, Rutherford ..... Jessica Turner, Poppy ..... Juliana Lisk. Produced by Anne Isger. Sound by SMs Keith Graham, Ali Craig and Pete Ringrose. Production Co-ordinator: Gaelan Davis-Connolly. 30m. 19 Mar: The Mini-Break By Chloe Myerson. Esme is meeting her boyfriend’s parents for the first time. But when she discovers a dark family secret, making a good impression becomes the least of her worries. The story is inspired by the writing of Hans Christian Andersen, famous for his creepy fairy tales. Esme ..... Máiréad Tyers, Danny ..... Josh Bryant-Jones, Susanna ..... Jane Slavin, Tim ..... Nicholas Woodeson, The Storyteller .... David Menkin Agneta ..... Kitty O’Sullivan. Produced by Anne Isger. Sound by Ali Craig and Andy Garratt. 20 Mar: Emergency Alert: Ballistic Missile Inbound By Dan Scott. The residents of a village in England all receive the same alarming message on their mobile phones. It leads to the question - what do you do if you have only moments to decide and it may be the last decision you make? Noelle ..... Dorothy Atkinson, Hassan ..... Hasan Dixon, Sam ..... Anna Spearpoint, Voice 2/Kristen ..... Rhiannon Neads, Voice 1/Max ..... John Lightbody, Adam ..... Ian Dunnett Jnr. Production Coordinators ..... Sara Benaim and Daniel Bishop. Sound by Andrew Garratt and Peter Ringrose. Produced by Toby Swift. 21 Mar: Making Plans with Nigel By Stuart Houghton. Rpt. When 45-year-old writer and IT nerd Stu finds a lump in his left breast he googles for reassurance, then ignores it. That's not a good strategy. His semi-autobiographical drama is set in the period leading up to the 2016 EU referendum. Stuart.....Mark Benton, Natalie…Sally Lindsay, Nigel Farage.......Lewis MacLeod, Ben…..John Ramm, Fiorentina/Nurse.......Becky Wright, Mr Kashap……Paul Bazeley, Barbara…Cherrelle Skeete, Doctor Miller/Miriam…Emma Fielding, Jim/Brian……Ben Crowe; all other parts played by members of the cast. Producer: Karen Rose. Sound Design: David Thomas. Broadcast Assistant: Sarah Tombling. Indie (Sweet Talk). 22 Mar: Silos, 1: Silo 605 By Anita Sullivan. 'Take a deep sleep vacation. No work, no stress. Guaranteed sweet dreams.' But weather patterns are changing. Ill-equipped governments and flawed technology try to meet the challenges. Nat, a newly qualified lawyer in stasis law, must deal with the fallout. This new drama is set on Lanza, a fictional island, possibly a few years from now. Nat - Anastasia Hille, Riv - Paul Bazely, Rozmay - Rakie Ayola, Carol - Rebekah Staton, Barry - Ben Crowe, Honour - Raad Rawi, Jodie - Anna Fenton-Garvey, Infovert Voice - Teresa Gallagher, Director: Karen Rose. Producer: Sarah Tombling. Sound Designer: David Thomas. Composer: Simon Slater. Indie (Sweet Talk). 30m. 23 Mar: Saturday Play: Goblin Market By Christina Rossetti, a poem dramatized by Jessica Dromgoole, with the addition of original songs. The drama was created and recorded in lockdown, with the actors and singers all in separate rooms in different locations, and the interviewees all recording themselves. The programme is a testament to the skills of the sound engineer. 55m. Christina Rossetti ..... Ellie Piercy, Laura ..... Kathleen Cranham, Lizzie ..... Anjana Vasan, Goblins ..... Ed Gaughan, Joel MacCormack & Chris Lew Kum Hoi, Children ..... Eliza & Orla Pearce. Singers ..... Stephen Jeffes, Tom Raskin & Edward Price. Singing producer ..... Jonathan Manners. Composer ..... James Maloney. Sound ..... Peter Ringrose. Documentary producer ..... Georgia Catt. Drama producer..... Jessica Dromgoole. 24 Mar: Sunday afternoon: The Dumb Waiter By Harold Pinter; first broadcast in 1981 in the 'Hidden Treasure' series; from a private collection of radio plays. An uneasy comedy set in the basement of an old house, where two armed men are sitting, connected to the rooms above by a dumbwaiter and an intercom. The dumbwaiter goes up and down, bearing notes ordering food which the men cannot provide- so what are they doing there? Ben: Bob Hoskins; Gus: Roy Kinnear. Produced by Dickon Reed, for BBC World Service. 44m. This play was never repeated on R4 or R3 so is not listed on BBC Genome. 25 Mar: Traitor By Dennis Potter, from 1981. In a dingy flat in Moscow, he sits alone - a traitor to his family, his friends, his colleagues. Then the international press descend upon him and he gives his first interview - an interview which brings forth terrible, haunting memories. In the new Hidden Treasures series. Harris: Denholm Elliott; James: Ian Ogilvy. Adapted for radio and produced by Derek Hoddinott. A World Service production. 45m. 26 Mar: Holding Back the Tide - The Woman in Puce By Nick Warburton. When Richard and Clare Wells inherit a house in Breck Howe they also inherit a sitting tenant, John Hector, who views the house and the town as his own personal fiefdom. Today John's bravado takes a battering when his past returns to haunt him. Richard Wells ..... Paul Ritter, Clare Wells ..... Kate Duchene, John Hector ..... Philip Jackson, Vanessa ..... Jessica Turner. Produced by Sally Avens. 27 Mar: Holding Back the Tide - Good Fences By Nick Warburton. Clare and Richard Wells have inherited a house in Breck Howe and a sitting tenant, John Hector, who views the house and the town as his own personal fiefdom.When a new neighbour moves in next door it's not long before John and he lock horns over rights of way. Richard Wells ..... Paul Ritter, Clare Wells ..... Kate Duchene, John Hector ..... Philip Jackson, Mrs Cardabbon ..... Sue Jameson, Morton ..... Sue Jameson, Hedley ..... Nick Murchie. Produced by Sally Avens. 28 Mar: Holding Back the Tide - Walk On By Nick Warburton. The arrival of a touring theatre company in Breck Howe makes Richard question the mundanity of his life running the B&B. And when auditions are held for extras John Hector is determined to steal the limelight putting Richard's dreams of escape in jeopardy. Richard Wells ..... Paul Ritter, Clare Wells ..... Kate Duchene, John Hector ..... Philip Jackson, Mrs Cardabbon ..... Sue Jameson, Theatre Director ..... Nick Murchie. Produced by Sally Avens. 29 Mar: Silos - 2: Acclimatisation By Anita Sullivan. A dystopian future where one's environmental impact is paid for by being locked into a silo in suspended animation. The more you consume, the longer your time in the silo. 'Why not try an acclimatisation session and see for yourself? You don't even have to shut the lid!' As Riv persuades Nat to step into a tube, Marvin digs deeper into the tech and is alarmed by what he finds. 30m. Nat - Anastasia Hille, Riv - Paul Bazely, Rozmay - Rakie Ayola, Carol - Rebekah Staton, Honour - Raad Rawi, Dizzy - Waleed Akhtar, Tiger - Tayla Kovacevic-Ebong, Marvib - Lee Rufford, Infovert Voice - Teresa Gallagher, Police Officer - Ben Crowe, Writer: Anita Sullivan, Director: Karen Rose, Producer: Sarah Tombling, Sound: : David Thomas, Composer: Simon Slater, Exec Producer: Rosalynd Ward. Legal Advisor on Stasis Rights: Elizabeth Barrett. Cultural Advisor: Francis Gallop. Interviewees: Ben Fletcher, Leon Kruger, Mareike Guensche, Camy Creffield, Liz Aggiss, Kiwi Sam. Indie (Sweet Talk). 30 Mar: Saturday Play: For Thy Great Pain Have Mercy on My Little Pain By Victoria MacKenzie, abridged by Eileen Horne. England, 1413. Plague and war are commonplace, the church is all powerful and women rarely read let alone write. Two extraordinary individuals come together in Norwich and, comparing their experiences of faith and family, secure a legacy that will ring through the ages. The play explores belief, power, femininity and the vital importance of books. Performed by Jessica Gunning and Jane Lapotaire; produced by Eilidh McCreadie. 75m. 31 Mar: Sunday afternoon: Howl's Moving Castle By Robert Valentine. Fantasy, published 1986. In the land of Ingary, Sophie Hatter is resigning herself to an uninteresting life working in a hat shop, when a castle appears above the town of Market Chipping and refuses to stay still. Visiting the shop one day, the dreaded Witch of the Waste transforms Sophie into an old crone. Setting off into the countryside to seek her fortune, Sophie soon runs into the sinister moving castle. But the castle belongs to the dreaded Wizard Howl whose appetite, they say, is satisfied only by the souls of young girls. Rpt. from 2021. Narrator: Robert Bathurst, Old Sophie: Julia McKenzie, Howl: Iwan Rheon, Michael: Angus Imrie, Calcifer: Dan Starkey, Miss Angorian: Gwyneth Keyworth, The Witch of the Waste: Pippa Bennett-Warner, Young Sophie: Dakota Blue-Richards, Neil: Gerran Howell. Based on the novel by Diana Wynne Jones. Sound Design: Richard Fox. Music: Evelyn Sykes. Directed by Simon Barnard. Indie (Bafflegab Productions) 1 Apr: William's Castle By Jay Sykes. Based on a true story. In 1897, a young orphaned Sunderland choirboy faces his last few days at the orphanage. He is haunted by dreams of his late father lost at sea. Troubled by his fate, he scribbles a plea to be remembered in the margins of an order of service: "Dear friend. Whoever finds this letter, don't tear it up or throw it away. Keep it, in remembrance of me. Signed, William Elliott." Over a hundred years later, as the church is being restored, this scrap of paper is found. The discovery of his hidden letter inspires the community of Hendon in Sunderland to reach back through history. What happened to him? Tracey ..... Charlie Hardwick, Paige ..... Becky Lindsay, Sharon / Erin ..... Christina Berriman Dawson, Governor ..... Ken Smithson, Young William ..... Mikki Hodgson, Older William …. Lyndan Trenholm, Interviewer / Thomas ..... Daniel James. Also used are the voices of Stevie Hardy, Ian Sherlock, William 'Bill' Dove, and the young singers of the Sunderland Music Hub’s Sunderland Youth Choir. Original music by Holly Rees and Paige Temperley. Songs 'William's Castle' and 'Remember Me' were created as part of We Make Culture's 'Songs of the Street' project, funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund. With thanks to 17Nineteen, Lily Daniels, Tracey Mienie, Sharon Vincent, Lizzie Nixon, the Sunderland Youth Choir, and the Local History Library at Elephant Tea Rooms. Produced by Jay Sykes; directed by Polly Thomas Production Manager: Darren Spruce. Studio Recording: Andy Bell. Sound Design: Jay Sykes and Lucinda Mason Brown. Executive Producers: Chantal Herbert and Eloise Whitmore. Indie (Sister Sounds) 2 Apr: Jazz and Dice By Leanne Allen. Two teenage girls, best friends and lovers, anticipate their future together as one of them goes off to university, causing a rift between them. Nevaeh, also known as Dice, is secretly dating her best friend Jazz. When Jazz goes off to university, Dice is left heartbroken, and her mother is left to pick up the pieces. Leanne started writing in 2018 when she attended the Writing for Radio course at Moniack Mhor. Her first radio drama for community radio and R4 was a series of three shorts called Connections, broadcast in Nov 2020. Today's drama is her first full-length R4 play. Dice ..... Carly Houston, Jazz ..... Lucy Fallon, Laurie ..... Claire Rushbrook, Sat Nav/Registrar ..... Garry Robson. Co-Producers.... Polly Thomas and Krishna Istha. Sound Recordist, Louis Blatherwick. Sound Designer, Paul Cargill. Executive Producer, Eloise Whitmore. Indie (Naked Productions). 3 Apr: Top of the World By Hugh Costello. Top of the World is Gloria’s podcast promising healing with altitude. She’s a relationship therapist who takes troubled couples for mountain walks. A couple has felt their ten year marriage crumble as political arguments became personal and Covid lockdown kept them from their one shared interest. Can Gloria help? Rpt. from 1 Mar 2021. Gloria: Jeany Spark, Sian: Siwan Morris, Jamie: Robert Wilfort, Tom: Matthew Aubrey. Producer: Alasdair Cross. 4 Apr: The Ventriloquist's Dummy By Amanda Dalton. No one seems to know what is wrong with Jess. No one but The Gut, that is. But Jess isn’t listening. This drama documentary explores the history of ventriloquism, the relationship between mind and body and the mysterious wisdom of the gut: the 'second brain'. . Jess.....Christine Bottomley, Eurycles.....Sanjeev Bhaskar, The Gut.....Meera Syal. Programme Consultant Dr Nick Read' Produced by Nadia Molinari. 5 Apr: Silos -3: Playlist By Anita Sullivan. The dystopian drama continues... Marvin reveals disturbing information about Riv. But Nat ignores his advice and returns to Silo 605 and is persuaded to try a playlist. As Hanna takes over Jodie's room, Nat's experience both asleep and awake gets even stranger. Nat - Anastasia Hille, Riv - Paul Bazely, Rozmay - Rakie Ayola, Carol - Rebekah Staton, Hanna - Bryony Hannah, Honour - Raad Rawi, Dizzy - Waleed Akhtar, Jodie - Anna Fenton-Garvey, Marvin - Lee Rufford, Infovert Voice - Teresa Gallagher, Ivan - Ben Crowe, Director: Karen Rose, Producer: Sarah Tombling, Sound: David Thomas, Composer: Simon Slater, Exec Producer: Rosalynd Ward. Legal Advisor on Stasis Rights: Elizabeth Barrett. Cultural Advisor: Francis Gallop. Interviewees: Ben Fletcher, Leon Kruger, Mareike Guensche, Camy Creffield, Liz Aggiss, Kiwi Sam. Indie (Sweet Talk). 6 Apr: Saturday Play: Weir of Hermiston, 1 By Robert Stevenson, dram. Colin MacDonald in two 55m parts. Set in Edinburgh and the Borders in the early 19th century. Robert died halfway through writing the novel - but, using the author’s notes, Colin MacDonald completed the story and then set it for radio. Eager young law student, Archie Weir, publicly denounces the capital punishment favoured by his father, the “hanging judge”, Lord Hermiston. Kirstie…Phyllis Logan, Archie Weir…...Jack Lowden, Young Archie……Billy Thomson, Lord Hermiston …Paul Young, Frank Innes …Finn Den Hartog, Jean Weir.…Karen Bartke, Christina Elliot….Helen Mackay, Davie Leslie....Simon Tait, Glenalmond/Forbes…Kenny Blyth, Miller/ Laidlaw ....Alasdair Hankinson, Pringle /Jopp …Owen Whitelaw. Other parts played by the cast. Producer: Bruce Young. 7 Apr: Sunday afternoon: Frank Bascombe 1 - The Sportswriter By Richard Ford, dram. Robin Brooks. Richard's Frank Bascombe books follow the life of his ever-hopeful hero Frank, and give a portrait of American life. Over the year, we will follow Frank for four weekends of his life spread over four decades, beginning in the early 1980s and finishing in the present day. There will be dramatistions of four Frank Bascombe books: The Sportswriter, Independence Day, The Lay of the Land, and Let Me Be Frank With You. In this first episode, Frank has experienced divorce, bereavement and now has a new girlfriend. Frank: Kyle Soller, Ann, the ex-wife:Lydia Wilson, Walter Luckett: Martin T Sherman, Vicki Arcenault: Yolanda Kettle, Lynette Arcenault: Laurel Lefkow, Wade Arcenault: Brandon Burke, Herb Wallagher and Benivalle: William Hope, Fincher andCafe Arcenault:Eric Stroud, Catherine Flaherty: Georgia Brown, Sound Design: Joseff Harris and Alisdair McGregor, Broadcast Assistant: Hermione Sylvester, Produced by Fiona McAlpine. Indie (Allegra). 8 Apr: Another Place By Siân Owen. A woman's struggle to connect to her severely deaf baby son. Lizzy finds out that Charlie might have a problem with his ears when he's three weeks old, after a routine neonatal screening. So they send him to get tested further. This is Sian's second radio play for R4. Her own son was born with hearing loss. Lizzy…. Alexandria Riley, Joel…. Matthew Gravelle, Seren…. Carys Eleri, Natasha…. Eiry Thomas, Charlie…. Zachary Cox. Directed by Carl Prekopp. Produced by James Robinson. BBC Wales. 9 Apr: Master Mason By Lizzy Mansfield. This comedy takes us back to the golden age of cathedral building and the moment that stonemason Bill Mason gets the call. When the Bishop asks, you don't say no. Bill ..... Edward Hogg, Penelope ..... Laura Elphinstone, Eliza ..... Kathryn Drysdale, Bishop ..... Michael Bertenshaw, Messenger ...... Aaron Gelkoff, Tom Farmer ..... John Lightbody. Sound Designer ... Peter Ringrose. Production Coordinator ..... Jenny Mendez. Produced by Toby Swift. BBC. 10 Apr: The Performer, 1 By William Humble; a monologue in two 45-minute parts, performed by Stephen Fry. Like many adolescents, Matthew lives in a fantasy land. But whereas other 13 year-old boys hero-worship John Lennon or Mick Jagger, Matthew’s idol is Sir Laurence Olivier. He's always been intrigued by the story Dad often tells over Sunday lunch about the day he was stuck in London because of a train strike, and ended up going to the theatre to see the great Sir Laurence Olivier in Terence Rattigan’s play The Sleeping Prince. Puzzling thing is - Dad isn't interested in the theatre. And then one day, Dad goes missing. Indie (Pier Productions). 11 Apr:The Performer, 2 Conclusion of William Humble's monologue, performed by Stephen Fry. Indie (Pier). 12 Apr: Silos, 4: Stasis By Anita Sullivan. BBC blurb:" 'We're missing our targets for renewable energy ...' Nat discovers that everything is connected. But have they run out of time?" Nat - Anastasia Hille, Riv - Paul Bazely, Rozmay - Rakie Ayola, Carol - Rebekah Staton, Ivan - Ben Crowe, Hanna - Bryony Hannah, Honour - Raad Rawi, Dizzy - Waleed Akhtar, Jodie - Anna Fenton-Garvey, Marvin - Lee Rufford, Infovert Voice - Teresa Gallagher, Director: Karen Rose, Producer: Sarah Tombling, Sound: David Thomas. Composer Simon Slater. Exec Producer: Rosalynd Ward. Legal Advisor on Stasis rights: Elizabeth Barrett. Cultural Advisor: Francis Gallop. Interviewees: Ben Fletcher, Leon Kruger, Mareike Guensche, Camy Creffield, Liz Aggiss, Kiwi Sam. Indie (Sweet Talk). 13 Apr: Saturday Play - Weir of Hermiston, 2 By Robert L Stevenson, dram. Colin MacDonald, conclusion. Kirstie……...Phyllis Logan, Archie Weir….....Jack Lowden, Lord Hermiston …....Paul Young, Frank Innes …....Finn Den Hertog, Christina Elliot….....Helen Mackay, Dand Elliot…....Simon Donaldson, Davie Leslie……...Simon Tait, Lord Hume/Auctioneer…...Kenny Blyth, Kelly/ Warder .......Alasdair Hankinson, Pringle /Campbell…...Owen Whitelaw Other parts played by the cast. Producer/Director : Bruce Young. 14 Apr: Sunday afternoon - The Shell Seekers, 1 By Rosamunde Pilcher, dram. Lin Coghlan. Set in Gloucestershire, London, Cornwall and Ibiza and shifting between 1939 and 1985. Artist's daughter Penelope Keeling has a prized possession - The Shell Seekers, painted by her father. When her adult children learn their grandfather's work is now worth a fortune, each has an idea as to what Penelope should do. But she has no intention of settling sweetly into pensioned-off old-age. The Narrator, Rosamunde Pilcher ..... Jessica Turner, Penelope ..... Emma Fielding, Olivia ..... Emily Berrington, Nancy ..... Jasmine Hyde, Young Penelope ..... Kitty O'Sullivan, Noel/Ambrose ..... Will Kirk, Cosmo ..... John Lightbody, Antonia ..... Imogen Front, Danus ..... Ian Dunnett Jnr, Lawrence ..... Michael Bertenshaw Doris ..... Debra Baker, Miss Pawson ..... Anna Spearpoint. Produced by Tracey Neale. 15 Apr: The Flowers Are Perfect in the Garden y Lucy Caldwell. A man spends his final days in a hospice surrounded by his wife and once estranged children, who have travelled far and wide to be by his bedside. It is time for memories and renewal. Pat ... Dermot Crowley, Mary ... Dearbhla Molloy, Oisín ... Patrick O'Kane, Emma ... Charlene McKenna, Emma (child) ... Clara Murphy, Oisín (child) ... Alex Warburton, Letitia ... Deborah Bahi, Corazón ... Maria Cristina Crampton Other parts played by Alice Hoskyns and Tom Glenister. Producer... Celia de Wolff BBC Northern Ireland. 16 Apr: Song of the Reed: Swallowtail By Steve Waters. A seasonal drama following the life of Fleggwick, a fictional wetlands nature reserve, over the period of one year. Fleggwick, like the ecosystem it protects, is under threat. Its funding is shaky. Recorded on location at RSPB’s Strumpshaw Fen. Factually-based, informed by conservation projects taking place in the wetlands of Norfolk. In this episode, the observers hope to see a swallowtail butterfly. The future of the reserve may depend on it. Liv ..... Sophie Okonedo, Ian ..... Mark Rylance, Tam ..... Ella Dorman Gajic, Kay ..... Molly Naylor, Sadegh ..... Zaydun Khalaf, Nikki ..... Karen Hill, Voice of the Reed ..... Christine Kavanagh. Other parts played by staff and volunteers at RSPB Strumpshaw Fen. Music by Michael Somerset Ward with Rebecca Hearne. Sound Design by Alisdair McGregor. Produced by Boz Temple-Morris. Indie (Holy Mountain). 17 Apr: Bat Girls, 1: Naila's Story By Kamal Kaan and Mary Cooper. Naila is a bright teenager who loves cricket, and gets involved in the school female cricket team. The team shows real promise and starts to do very well. But there's a good chance that sport and medicine - her preferred University option - don't mix. Naila......Yazmin Kayani Karishma..... Amy Leigh Hickman Roshina.......Saba Amini Mariya.....Natalie Davies Qadir/Tahir.......Ash Tandon Mrs. Hemingway and Mum.... Purvi Parmar Mr Chatterjee........Sushil Chudasama Production Co-ordinator - Lorna Newman Studio Manager - Amy Brennan Script Advisers - Sara De Jong and Zainab Goreja Sound Design - Sharon Hughes Producer - Gary Brown BBC; special thanks to Duckinfield Cricket Club, Shivanie Patel (Bradford Park Avenue Ladies' Cricket Club), Katie Stewart (Yorkshire Cricket Board) and Mariam Ali - (Refugee Action, Bradford) 18 Apr: Scenes from a Zombie Apocalypse By Katie Hims and Paul Elliott. Rpt. When the world goes off track, sometimes children understand it best. A modern horror story. Bo .... Orla Pearce, Ellie .... Eliza Pearce, Bernadette Strange .... Laura Elphinstone, David Chase .... David Sturzaker, PC Blake .... Nicholas Murchie, PC Ackie .... Marilyn Nnadebe, Fiona .... Jessica Turner, Jerry .... Tony Turner, Man .... Joshua Riley, Alison .... Elinor Coleman, Shopkeeper/Saeed/Lawton .... Hasan Dixon, Mum /Paramedic .... Jane Slavin, Driver/Dr Simms .... Stewart Campbell. Producer: Jessica Dromgoole. First broadcast 2021. 19 Apr: Silos - 5: Collective By Anita Sullivan. Riv has revealed the secret of the silos. But without him, it's difficult getting in. And on top of that, they will need the password. 30m. Nat - Anastasia Hille, Rozmay - Rakie Ayola, Hanna - Bryony Hannah, Honour and James - Raad Rawi, Dizzy-Waleed Akhtar, Marvib - Lee Rufford, Tiger -Tayla Kovacevic-Ebong, Ivan – Ben Crowe, Jodie - Anna Fenton-Garvey, Infovert Voice- Teresa Gallagher, Director: Karen Rose, Producer: Sarah Tombling, Sound: David Thomas, Composer: Simon Slater, Exec Producer: Rosalynd Ward, Legal Advisor on Stasis Rights: Elizabeth Barrett, Cultural Advisor: Francis Gallop, Interviewees: Ben Fletcher, Leon Kruger, Mareike Guensche, Camy Creffield, Liz Aggiss, Kiwi Sam. Indie (Sweet Talk). 20 Apr: Saturday Play: Elegies, 1: Milton's Lycidas The stories behind two influential poetic elegies. (Tennyson's In Memoriam is the second). They were both written in response to the sudden death of a young male friend. Emily Tennyson ..... Holliday Grainger, John Milton ..... Nico Mirallegro, Alfred Lord Tennyson ..... James Cooney, John Milton senior ..... Conrad Nelson, Diodati ..... Ashley Margolis. Adapted from Lyciad by Michael Symmons Roberts. Produced by Susan Roberts. BBC North. 21 Apr: The Shell Seekers, 2 By Rosamunde Pilcher;dram. Lin Coghlan. Penelope's children attempt to persuade her to sell any of her father's sketches that she can find. She had hidden them away and the children don't know she has them. She's waiting to have them valued. Then there's her father's famous painting - The Shell Seekers. The Narrator, Rosamunde Pilcher ..... Jessica Turner, Penelope ..... Emma Fielding, Olivia ..... Emily Berrington, Nancy ..... Jasmine Hyde, Noel ..... Will Kirk, Young Penelope ..... Kitty O'Sullivan, Richard ..... Carl Prekopp, Antonia ..... Imogen Front, Danus ..... Ian Dunnett Jnr, Lawrence ..... Michael Bertenshaw, Doris ..... Debra Baker, Mr Brookner/Soldier ..... John Lightbody, Mrs Enderby ..... Juliana Lisk. Produced by Tracey Neale. 22 Apr: Devoted By Ray Connolly. Rpt. In 2020 writer Ray Connolly spent six months in hospital with Covid. For part of that time he was in a coma. Unaware of what was going on, his mind was filled with fantasies. Only when he recovered did he discover that his wife, Plum, had sent daily bulletins on his condition to their children, some of which had made harrowing reading. The play tells of how Plum dreaded phone calls from the hospital, but also of how music was used to break into Ray’s coma and help get him back to health. Ray.........Philip Jackson, Plum.........Alison Steadman, Louise.......Natalie Grady, Dominic........Matthew Gravelle, Kieron........Joseph Millson, Nurse Hannah.......Marilyn Nnadebe, Newsreader.......Leah Marks, Producer - Gary Brown. Sound Designer - Sharon Hughes. 23 Apr: Song of the Reed: Whirlpool By Steve Waters. More from Fleggwick where the search is on to find the miniscule Whirlpool Ramshorn Snail, a tiny creature whose presence would strengthen the case for the reserve as a habitat for rare species.wetlands of Norfolk, and everywhere. This episode also features Tom Fewins of the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust, playing himself. Recorded on location in the Norfolk wetlands. Liv...............Sophie Okonedo, Ian...............Mark Rylance, Tam.............Ella Dorman Gajic, Kay..............Molly Naylor, Sadegh......Zaydun Khalaf, Theo............Tom Goodman-Hill, Nikki.............Karen Hill, Tom...............Tom Fewins, Voice of the Reed...........Christine Kavanagh, Other parts played by staff and volunteers at RSPB Strumpshaw Fen. Music by Michael Somerset Ward, with Rebecca Hearne. Sound design by Alisdair McGregor. Produced by Boz Temple-Morris. Indie (Holy Mountain). 24 Apr: Bat Girls, 2: Karishma's Story By Kamal Kaan and Mary Cooper. It is 2018. Karishma has made it into the county youth squad. But it's not so simple, as she's not actually getting picked for the team. Is she not good enough? Or is it it something to do with who she is? Karishma.......Amy Leigh Hickman, Naila.......Yazmin Kayani, Roshina and the doctor: .......Saba Amini, Meghan........Sydney Martin, Mr. Chatterjee and Nish......Sushil Chudasama, Jack.......William Fox. Production Co-ordinator - Lorna Newman. Studio Manager - Amy Brennan. Script Advisers - Sara De Jong and Zainab Goreja. Sound Design - Sharon Hughes. Producer - Gary Brown. BBC. Thanks to Duckinfield Cricket Club, Shivanie Patel (Bradford Park Avenue Ladies' Cricket Club), Katie Stewart (Yorkshire Cricket Board) and Mariam Ali - (Refugee Action, Bradford). 25 Apr: In Good Faith By Mark Lawson. The silence of a Child Intensive Care Unit, broken by the whirs and bleeps of artificial life support. A youngish woman slowly walks out, telling a nurse that she needs to be in court, and that she thinks the child just smiled. Sometime later at the High Court, in a legal antechamber, the same woman is sitting in an an emergency hearing to decide between the claims of the mother and father of a child in a Persistent Vegetative State. Mrs Justice Penley - Susan Jameson, Phoebe - Macy Nyman, Peq (Deborah) - Jeany Spark, Xzr (Andrew) - Tayla Kovacevic-Ebong, Jya (Craig), Court Clerk / male nurse - Tom Glenister, Bea Jenkins KC - Jane Slavin, Emily Leaning KC - Lizzy McInnerny, Producer/Director: Eoin O'Callaghan, Indie (Big Fish). 26 Apr: Money Gone, 1: Insufficient Funds By Ed Sellek. Set in the near future: It's Valentine’s Day 2025. The UK awakes to find that no-one can get access to their money. Ross sees an opportunity as the country descends into chaos, but Grace has picked the worst day to run away. Pascal ..... Robert Bathurst, Patricia ..... Josette Simon, Emily ..... Charlotte Richie, Ross ..... Aaron Heffernan, Grace ..... Lauren Douglin, Chris ..... Fergus Craig, Stuart ..... Raj Ghatak, Glenn ..... Simon Darwen, Gavin ..... Chris Lew Kim Hoi, Bex ..... Sylvie Churnside-Reed, The Home Secretary ..... Leah Marks, The Danish Prime Minister ..... Charlotte Melen, The Chancellor ….. Graeme Hawley, Maggie Philbin ..... herself. Also heard are the voices of: Ruby Evans, Megan Maguire, George Styman, Molly Diamond, Lawrence Carter, Samuel Carrera Briega, Maya Dhokia, Marco Bosin Salome, Christopher Hoop, Evie Barrow, Neve Clark, Niamh Brockbank, Ruby Mutluay and Ryan Gaul. Directed by Tony Churnside. Storyline Consultant: Diane Coyle. Production: Leah Marks and Louis Blatherwick Original Music and Sound Design by Eloise Whitmore and Tony Churnside. Producer: Eloise Whitmore. Indie (Naked Productions). 30m. 27 Apr: Saturday Play: Elegies, 2 Written and adapted from Tennyson's In Memoriam, by Michael Symmons Roberts. The original piece was written in response to the sudden of a young friend. The dead man was prodigiously gifted and also a poet. Holliday Grainger ..... Emily Tennyson, James Cooney ..... Alfred Lord Tennyson, Ashley Margolis ...... Diodati. Produced by Susan Roberts; BBC North. 28 Apr: My Mother Said I Never Should, 1 By Charlotte Keatley. The story focuses on four generations of women at significant moments in their lives, 1923-1987. The choices of one generation affect the potential of the next... we all know that, but this illustrates it. Doris..... Lesley Nicol, Margaret.....Siobhan Finneran, Jackie.....Cecilia Appiah, Rosie.....Bebe Massey, Child Doris.....Matilda Kent, Child Margaret.....Isla Pritchard, Child Jackie.....Mimi-Raie Mhlanga, Pianist Adam Hutchins, Sound Design by Sharon Hughes, Production Co-ordinator Pippa Day Produced by Nadia Molinari. A BBC Studios Audio Production. This production was dedicated to the memory of Wyllie Longmore, actor and teacher, who died in 2023. 29 Apr: The Train at Platform 4, 1: Coffee By Steve Punt and Hugh Dennis. 30m. A new sitcom set in the claustrophobic carriages of a cross-country rail service. It's day one of a new franchise and train manager Sam has high hopes for their maiden voyage. But the marketing team's offer of free coffee for all customers soon threatens to derail the smooth running of the service. Sam…. Rosie Cavaliero, Gilbert…. Kenneth Collard, Dev….. Ali Shahalom, Tasha….. Amy Gledhill, Pensioner 1…. Hugh Dennis, Pensioner 2…. Gemma Arrowsmith, Student…. Justice Ritchie, Lawyer…. Steve Punt. Producer… James Robinson. BBC. 30 Apr: Song of the Reed: Eel By Steve Waters. Ian has gone to work for neighbouring landowner Theo Buckhurst as Liv prepares to sell up. But nature has a different plan. Recorded on location at Strumpshaw Fen. We hear the sounds from the reserve as well as snippets about the conservation measures being taken in the face of environmental change in the Norfolk wetlands. Liv - Sophie Okonedo, Ian - Mark Rylance, Tam - Ella Dorman Gajic, Kay - Molly Naylor, Theo - Tom Goodman-Hill, Nikki - Karen Hill, Charlie - Jimmy Rutherford, Voice of the Reed - Christine Kavanagh. Other parts played by staff and volunteers at RSPB Strumpshaw Fen. Music by Michael Somerset Ward, with Rebecca Hearne. Cello played by Liz Hanks. Sound design by Alisdair McGregor. Produced by Boz Temple-Morris. Indie (Holy Mountain). 1 May: Bat Girls - 3: Roshina's Story By Kamal Kaan and Mary Cooper. Roshina was in the Bat Girls team that won the Yorkshire Schools' final and got to the national final. But now she has a domestic problem. Her father was an interpreter for the British Army in Afghanistan, and if the family stayed there they would be in danger. They are now in the UK with their asylum claim pending. Will they be allowed to remain so that can Roshina can achieve her dream of going to university and also of becoming a cricket umpire? Roshina.........Saba Amini, Karishma......... Amy Leigh Hickman, Naila/ Damsa.......... Yazmin Kayani, Hamid/Salim......... Peter Singh, Matt/Logan/Silkstone..... Liam Fox, Shivanie.........Shivanie Patel, Production Co-ordinator - Lorna Newman, Studio Manager - Amy Brennan, Script Advisers - Sara De Jong and Zainab Goreja, Sound Design - Sharon Hughes, Producer - Gary Brown. BBC. 2 May: Beltane By Ben Lewis. BBC Blurb: "Soulful drama full of wit and wisdom about love, loss and new beginnings. Woven together with an exploration of the seasons and Pagan perspective on the wonders of nature". Neve McIntosh, Charithra Chandran, Bryan Dick. Music performed by Anna Massie. Sound Design by Kris McConnachie. Directed by Kirsty Williams. BBC Scotland. 3 May: Money Gone, 2. By Ed Sellek. In the 'Limelight' series. As the UK descends into chaos, some people take advantage. The Prime Minister learns there’s more about what’s going on, but staff walk-outs causes a more serious problem. Would you continue to do your job in you weren't getting paid? Pascal ..... Robert Bathurst, Patricia ..... Josette Simon, Emily ..... Charlotte Ritchie, Ross ..... Aaron Heffernan, Grace ..... Lauren Douglin, Stuart ..... Raj Ghatak, Chris ..... Fergus Craig, Glenn ..... Simon Darwen, Adam ..... Chris Lew Kum Hoi, Bex ..... Sylvie Churnside-Reed, Jeremy Vine ..... himself. Directed by Tony Churnside. SMs: Leah Marks and Louis Blatherwick. Original music and sound design by Eloise Whitmore and Tony Churnside. Theme sung by Ellie Akhgar. Producer: Eloise Whitmore. Exec Producer: John Dryden. Indie (Naked Productions). 4 May: Saturday Play: Chicken Soup with Barley By Arnold Wesker. A semi-autobiographical 'state of the nation' stage play from 1956. The Kahns are communists, and the play traces their relationship with the party from the high of Cable Street, when working men and women successfully forced Mosley's parading fascists into retreat, to the low of Soviet tanks rolling into Hungary. But Sarah Kahn, the matriarch of the family, clings to communism come what may. Sarah Kahn ..... Debbie Chazen, Harry Kahn ..... Elliot Levey, Ronnie Kahn ..... Joshua Ginsberg, Ada Kahn ..... Imogen Front, Cissie Kahn ..... Susannah Wise, Monty /Man ..... Joel Gillman, Hymie Kossof ..... Russell Bentley, Dave Simmonds ..... Dan Wolff, Prince Silver ..... Ashley Margolis, Bessie Blatt ..... Anna Spearpoint. Produced by Sally Avens. BBC. 5 May: Sunday afternoon slot: My Mother Said I Never Should, 2 By Charlotte Keatley, contd. The drama traces four generations of women through the changes of the twentieth century. The four women revisit Doris's snowbound house following Jack's death. As they pack up the objects and clothes of 70 years of family life, memories and other things are revealed. Doris..... Lesley Nicol, Margaret.....Siobhan Finneran, Jackie.....Cecilia Appiah, Rosie.....Bebe Massey, Doris as a child.....Matilda Kent, Margaret as a child .....Isla Pritchard, Jackie as a child....Mimi-Raie Mhlanga. Pianist - Adam Hutchins. Sound Design by Sharon Hughes. Production Co-ordinator Pippa Day. Produced by Nadia Molinari. The production is dedicated to the memory of actor Wyllie Longmore. 6 May: The Train at Platform 4, ep. 2 - Cat Punt and Dennis's new sitcom, set in the claustrophobic carriages of a cross-country rail service. It's Friday night and everyone's looking forward to their weekend plans. But the journey home is struck with disaster when a celebrity cat goes missing on the train. She's going to miss a crucial audition if the train crew can't find her. Meanwhile, Dev agonises about his receding hairline. Sam…. Rosie Cavaliero, Gilbert…. Kenneth Collard, Dev….. Ali Shahalom, Tasha….. Amy Gledhill, Cat Lady.... Freya Parker, American.... Hugh Dennis, Passenger.... Steve Punt. Producer… James Robinson. BBC. 30m. 7 May: Song of the Reed - Bittern By Steve Waters; last episode. Life on a wetlands nature reserve in Norfolk over one year. Ian returns to Fleggwick for the first time since suffering serious injuries. Recorded on location at RSPB Strumpshaw Fen in Norfolk every three months, documenting the way the wetlands change during the year. This episode features the Bittern – a bird known for its booming call. Liv - Sophie Okonedo, Ian - Mark Rylance, Tam - Ella Dorman Gajic, Kay - Molly Naylor, Theo - Tom Goodman-Hill, Nikki - Karen Hill, Sadegh - Zaydun Khalaf, Voice of the Reed - Christine Kavanagh. Other parts played by staff and volunteers at RSPB Strumpshaw Fen. Music by Michael Somerset Ward, with Rebecca Hearne. Sound design by Alisdair McGregor. Produced and Directed by Boz Temple-Morris. Indie (Holy Mountain). 8 May: The Missed Lives of Max and Judy, 1 By Janina Matthewson. Max and Judy are 18 when they first meet during a University lecture. They become friends. Just friends. And they meet up for commisoration chicken to discuss their failed relationships. A 'timeslip' story. Narrator ….. Alison Steadman, Judy ….. Danusia Samal, Max …… Carl Prekopp, Professor & Doctor ….. Nicholas Boulton, Daniel ….. Curtis Kemlo Greta …… Natasha Arancini. All other parts played by members of the cast. Director, Sound Design & Original Music, Jonathan Mitchell. Sound Engineer, Paul Clark. Production Assistant, Charlotte Rose. Producer & Casting, Emma Hearn. Executive Producer, John Scott Dryden. Indie (Goldhawk). 9 May: The Missed Lives of Max and Judy, 2 Continued from yesterday. When it seems that Judy and Max might become romantically involved, a misunderstanding drives them apart. But their guardian-angel causes them to wake the next morning to find themselves 50 years older, having lived separate full lives. Narrator …… Alison Steadman, Judy …… Danusia Samal, Max …… Carl Prekopp, Fiona …… Laura Elphinstone, Jeremy …… Nicholas Boulton, Author …… Curtis Kemlo, Neighbour …… Natasha Arancini. Other parts played by members of the cast. Production team - as yesterday. Indie (Goldhawk). 10 May: Money Gone, 3 - Land of Milk and Honey By Ed Sellek. Grace stops to help at an understaffed hospital as the Prime Minister asks MI5 to find the cause of the financial chaos. Pascal ..... Robert Bathurst, Patricia ..... Josette Simon, Emily ..... Charlotte Ritchie, Ross ..... Aaron Heffernan, Grace ..... Lauren Douglin, Stuart ..... Raj Ghatak, Chris ..... Fergus Craig, Glenn ..... Simon Darwen, Adam ..... Chris Lew Kum Hoi, Bex ..... Sylvie Churnside-Reed, Journalist ..... Zoe Kleinman. Directed by Tony Churnside. Storyline Consultant: Diane Coyle. Production: Leah Marks and Louis Blatherwick. Original Music and Sound Design by Eloise Whitmore and Tony Churnside. Theme sung by Ellie Akhgar. Producer: Eloise Whitmore. Exec Producer: John Dryden. Indie (Naked Productions). 11 May: Saturday Play - Also Sprach Zarathustra By Simon Scardifield and Andrew Day, taking a lighthearted look at Nietzsche's famous book. 60m. Also Sprach Zarathustra (the book).....Zubin Varla, Pride and Prejudice (ditto).....Clare Corbett, On the Road.....Carl Prekopp, Madame Bovary.....Olivia Ross. Other parts played by Roger Ringrose, Charlotte East, Luke Nunn, Emma Handy, Simon Scardifield and Ian Dunnett Jnr. Produced by Emma Harding. 12 May: Sunday afternoon: The Man Who Fell to Earth Written by Stephen Keyworth, adapted from Walter Tevis's novel, courtesy of Studiocanal. A ratther sad sci-fi story, based on the film starring David Bowie. An alien arrives in Kentucky with five years to save the handful of survivors of his dying planet, and to save humanity from itself. But it's not as straightforward as he thought. He finds solace with two fellow outsiders; Betty-Jo, who falls quietly in love with him, and a widowed scientist Nathan. And the government is watching. 60m. Thomas Newton, the alien: Harry Treadaway, Nathan Bryce: Christopher Eccleston, Betty-Jo: Laura Aikman, Farnsworth: Stuart Milligan, CIA Director Bowen: Glen McCready, Canutti: Ako Mitchell, Brinnarde: Andre Refig, Doctor Martinez: Fiona Sheehan, Sarah Miller: Alix Dunmore. Sound Design by Jon Nicholls. Original score by Gazelle Twin. Directed by Simon Barnard. Indie (Bafflegab). 13 May: The Train at Platform 4, ep.3 - Schoolkids By Steve Punt and Hugh Dennis. 30m. Sitcom, set in the claustrophobic carriages of a cross-country rail service. Sam and the rest of the crew struggle to contain a party of schoolchildren. But Dev sees a business opportunity - to get the kids' snack money. Meanwhile the rail inspector is on the train ... Sam…. Rosie Cavaliero, Gilbert…. Kenneth Collard, Dev….. Ali Shahalom, Tasha….. Amy Gledhill, Mr Bagnall.... Steve Brody, Teacher.... Katy Wix, Passenger.... Hugh Dennis. Producer… James Robinson. BBC. 14 May: Seven Pomegranate Seeds By Colin Teevan. Summer, and a young girl is stolen under the ground… Up in the world, her mother searches for her lost child, her grief so powerful that the ground hardens into winter. The tale draws on Greek mythology to weave a new contemporary story. Based on the stage play, which contained seven of Euripedes’ female characters - Persephone, Hypsipyle, Medea, Alcestis, Phaedra, Creusa and Demeter. In this new adaptation for radio, the myths are drawn into one compelling story. Cast: Niamh Cusack, Ruth Bradley, Leah McNamara. Produced by Allegra McIlroy. BBC Northern Ireland. 15 May: The Interrogation, 7-1: Dan By Roy Williams. Crime drama in which suspects are subjected to a grilling from DI Max Matthews and DS Sean Armitage. Dan's wife is in hospital after a suicide attempt and Dan can't understand what's wrong with her. Max ..... Kenneth Cranham, Sean ..... Alex Lanipekun, Dan ..... Navin Chowdhry. Music ..... David Pickvance. Director ..... Mary Peate. Producer ..... Jessica Dromgoole. 16 May: Camberwell Green, 1 A two-part crime thriller set in a London bus control centre. Part 1: All Routes. On her first day as a bus controller, Marilyn faces severe disruption when a street protest turns violent. Liaising with emergency services and redirecting drivers, she must rescue her old friend Frankie. Marilyn ..... Chizzy Akudolu, Vincent ..... Lloyd Hutchinson, Frankie ..... Michelle Greenidge, Steve ..... Nicholas Gleaves, Nell ..... Tia Bannon. Other roles played by Nick Armfield, Ginny Holder, Alice Hoskyns, Sean Kearney and Finlay Paul. Produced by Celia de Wolff. Indie (Pier). 17 May: Money Gone, 4: Keep the Receipt By Ed Sellek. Grace’s problems get worse as Chris is led further astray. The Prime Minister finds out the true cause of the crisis, but can she stop it? 30m. Pascal ..... Robert Bathurst, Patricia ..... Josette Simon, Emily ..... Charlotte Ritchie, Ross ..... Aaron Heffernan, Grace ..... Lauren Douglin, Stuart ..... Raj Ghatak, Chris ..... Fergus Craig, Karen ..... Melody Brown, Glenn ..... Simon Darwen, Adam ..... Chris Lew Kum Hoi, Bex ..... Sylvie Churnside-Reed, Journalist ..... Zoe Kleinman. Directed by Tony Churnside. SMs: Leah Marks and Louis Blatherwick. Original Music and Sound Design by Eloise Whitmore and Tony Churnside. Theme sung by Ellie Akhgar. Producer: Eloise Whitmore. Exec Producer: John Dryden. Indie (Naked Productions). 18 May: Saturday Play - Song from Far Away By Simon Stephens and Mark Eitzel. Willem is a young Dutch man, who has deserted his family to live in New York as a high-flying financier. When his younger brother dies unexpectedly, he reluctantly returns home. Throughout the drama (actually a monologue), Willem is haunted by a song. 55m. Willem ..... Will Young. Sound Designer: Jon Nicholls. Assistant Producer: Louis Blatherwick. Production Manager: Darren Spruce Producer: Polly Thomas Executive Producer: Eloise Whitmore Recorded by John Merriman, at Crown Lane Studios. Based on the original stage production directed by Kirk Jameson. 19 May: Sunday afternoon: The Good Soldier By Ford Maddox Ford, ad. Sebastian Baczkiewicz, from the novel. John Dowell recounts the ‘saddest story ever told’, in which ‘good soldier’ Edward Ashburnham's libido leaves countless lives in ruins. John Dowell…. Kyle Soller, Florence Dowell…. Tonya Cornelisse, Edward Ashburnham…. Patrick Baladi Leonora Ashburnham…. Fiona O’Shaughnessy, Major Hazleton…. Mark Bonnar, Nancy Rufford…. Ashna Rabheru, Jimmy Doyle…. Ronan Summers Maisie Maidan…. Cecilia Appiah. Directed by James Robinson. BBC Wales. 20 May: The Train at Platform, 4 - Gilbert By Steve Punt and Hugh Dennis. Last episode of the series (though I hear more have been commissioned). When First Class Steward Gilbert discovers his step-sister is a passenger on the train, he's forced to spend the journey hiding from her. It seems that his whole life Gilbert has been living a lie. Meanwhile, Sam must contend with a carriage full of Roundheads on their way to a re-enactment of the Battle of Naseby, armed with a collection of very realistic pikes. Sam…. Rosie Cavaliero, Gilbert…. Kenneth Collard, Dev….. Ali Shahalom, Tasha….. Amy Gledhill, Jocasta.... Anna Crilly, Colleague.... Justice Ritchie, Roundhead 1.... Hugh Dennis, Roundhead 2.... Steve Punt. Producer… James Robinson. BBC. 21 May: The Invitation By Katherine Chandler. Comedy drama. When her eight-year-old daughter is the only one in the class who doesn't get a party invitation, Lizzie challenges the birthday girl's mum, Jo. As their two world views collide, all hell breaks loose. What are the rules here? Jo - Siwan Morris, Lizzie - Kimberley Nixon, Huw - Tomos Eames, Ritchie Tyne- Nathan Sussex, Mrs Wilson - Zoe Davies, Margaret - Hannah McPake, The Postman - Anthony Corria, Micha - Joséphine López-Norton, Ellie - Raphaëlle López-Norton. Production Coordinator: Eleri McAuliffe. Sound Design: Catherine Robinson and Nigel Lewis. Producer: John Norton. BBC Wales. 22 May: The Interrogation - Nadine By Roy Williams. Rpt. From series 7. Detectives D.I. Matthews and D.S. Armitage have to interview Nadine, who Sean has known since childhood and what's more, she's a police officer, so it's uncomfortable for everyone. Max ..... Kenneth Cranham, Sean ..... Alex Lanipekun, Nadine ..... Bianca Stephens. Music ..... David Pickvance. Director ..... Mary Peate. Producer ..... Jessica Dromgoole. 23 May: Camberwell Green, part 2 - On Diversion. By Nicola Baldwin. Continued from last week. With her husband Steve held hostage by Bianca’s armed robbers, bus controller Marilyn comes up with a scheme to help him escape. Marilyn ..... Chizzy Akudolu, Vincent ..... Lloyd Hutchinson, Frankie ..... Michelle Greenidge, Steve ..... Nicholas Gleaves, Nell ..... Tia Bannon. Other roles played by Nick Armfield, Ginny Holder, Alice Hoskyns, Sean Kearney and Finlay Paul. Indie (Pier), produced by Celia de Wolff. 24 May: Money Gone, 5 - OK Computer By Ed Sellek. Grace gets some unexpected help, and the P.M. works with MI5 in a final race to solve the financial chaos, but there are unintended consequences. A fast-paced satirical drama. Pascal ..... Robert Bathurst, Patricia ..... Josette Simon, Emily ..... Charlotte Ritchie, Ross ..... Aaron Heffernan, Grace ..... Lauren Douglin, Stuart ..... Raj Ghatak, Chris ..... Fergus Craig, Karen ..... Melody Brown, Glenn ..... Simon Darwen, Bex ..... Sylvie Churnside-Reed, Journalist ..... Zoe Kleinman. Also ncluding the voices of Ruby Evans, Megan Maguire, George Styman, Molly Diamond, Lawrence Carter, Samuel Carrera Briega, Maya Dhokia, Marco Bosin Salome, Christopher Hoop, Evie Barrow, Neve Clark, Niamh Brockbank, Ruby Mutluay, Ryan Gaul. Directed by Tony Churnside. Production: Leah Marks and Louis Blatherwick. Original Music and Sound Design by Eloise Whitmore and Tony Churnside. Theme sung by Ellie Akhgar. Producer: Eloise Whitmore. Exec Producer: John Dryden. Indie (Naked). 25 May: Saturday Play - Brief Lives, 12-1 By Tom Fry and Sharon Kelly, rpt. Brief Lives has been running since 2007 and signs off after 12 series and 58 episodes. Part 1 of this 90-minute story... Sarah and Frank are finally going to get married. But then Sarah loses a work file that could put her in danger and Frank has a visitor from his past. Maybe Fat Doug can help. Frank........David Schofield, Sarah..........Kathryn Hunt, Fat Doug.......Eric Potts, Johnnie..........Greg Wood, Jade.................Erin Shanagher, Michael..........Tachia Newell. Producer..... Gary Brown. 26 May: Sunday afternoon -The Raiders, 1 By S.R. Crockett. Adapted for radio by Clara Glynn. this is an action romance set in the wild country of Galloway. Patrick ..... Kyle Gardiner, May ..... Jessica Hardwick, Silver Sand ..... Sandy Grierson, Eppie ..... Laura Lovemore, Richard Maxwell/Ivie ..... Kenny Blyth, Kennedy ..... Reuben Joseph, Will ..... James Rottger, Gil ..... Robin Laing, Granny Eggface ..... Anne Lacey, Marion ..... Rosie Smith. Literary Consultant: Cally Phillips. Produced by Gaynor Macfarlane. 27 May: John Finnemore's Souvenir Programme - 2024 Special By John Finnemore. This year's show is all about the village John has moved into since last year's show - and the big, collective decision they made last night. Presented by ... John Finnemore, Ensemble ... Margaret Cabourn-Smith, Simon Kane, Lawry Lewin, Carrie Quinlan. Music composed by Susannah Pearse. Theme tune also arranged by Susannah Pearse and performed by her, with Sally Stares. Studio managers ... Chris Maclean & Jon Calver. Sound design ... Rich Evans. Production coordinator ... Katie Baum. Executive producer ... Richard Morris. Producer ... Ed Morrish. 28 May: Flixborough 74 By Helen Cross. Drama-doc; it's now fifty years since the Flixborough disaster in North Lincolnshire. At 4.53pm on 1st June 1974, an enormous explosion silenced the nearby town of Scunthorpe. It was one of the UK's worst-ever chemical explosions, and it turned the Nypro chemical plant (producing caprolactam) at Flixborough into a wasteland, burning for ten days and scorching surrounding fields. Two hundred houses were destroyed, over a thousand properties damaged and it sent a toxic gas cloud drifting towards Yorkshire. Thirty-six people were seriously injured and twenty-eight men died.As the play begins, Pete and Les are trying to restart the reactors at the Nypro chemical works when they notice a rise in pressure. Les...John Godber, Peggy...Jane Thornton, Arlene...Martha Godber, Pete...Peter Caulfield, Sports Commentator...James Hoggarth, Narrator...Helen Cross, Sound Design...Mary Ward-Lowery and Ilse Lademann. Music by Ben Nicholls. Director...Mary Ward-Lowery. Thanks to Paul and Joyce Freear, Andrew Green, Margaret and David Humphries and Ian Johnson for their generous assistance in the making of the programme. 29 May: The Interrogation, Series 7 - Evie By Roy Williams, rpt. Roy Williams' contemporary crime drama. D.I. Max Matthews and D.S. Sean Armitage pride themselves on their confounding interrogation technique, but nothing has prepared them for Evie. Max ..... Kenneth Cranham, Sean ..... Alex Lanipekun, Evie ..... Marcia Warren, Ronald ..... Sean Baker, PC Jones ..... Helen Clapp. Music ..... David Pickvance, Director ..... Jessica Dromgoole, Producer ..... Mary Peate. 30 May: Nearly Light By Kit Witherington. In North London, Elly is 15 and can no longer face the classroom, or even leaving the house. After months of lockdown, she prefers the solace of her bedroom. In Manchester, Ciaran is 16, lives with his mum, and spends his nights gaming. The play explores what happens when these two worlds collide. Elly ….. Addison Aston, Ciaran ….. Ché Bradley, Jules ….. Roisin Rae, Mike ….. Brooks Livermore Teddy ….. Marloe Mead, Jackie ….. Christine Bottomley. Director : Jelena Budimir. Sound Designer : Steve Brooke. Production Manager : Darren Spruce. Producer : Polly Thomas. Thanks to Angus Blue for the use of his gaming track, Revving Up. Indie (Naked) 31 May: The Specialist, 1 By Matthew Broughton. Medical thriller, 30m. After the old GP dies, Anna Diaz, a young doctor from Cardiff is sent to deal with the strange medical cases breaking out in the remote Welsh village of Bly. Original music by Sion Orgon and Rhodri Davies. Anna Diaz- Saran Morgan, Ged Diaz - Sion Daniel Young, Ruth - Michelle Bonnard, Mr Devonshire - Pal Aron, Mr Dartington - Ifan Huw Dafydd, Raymond - Ioan Hefin. Production Coordinator - Eleri McAuliffe. Sound Design by Catherine Robinson. Produced by John Norton. BBC Wales. 1 Jun: Saturday Play slot: Brief Lives 12-2 Continued from last Saturday, rpt. By Tom Fry and Sharon Kelly Ep. 2 of 2. Frank's visitor from the past has landed them all in trouble. You don't mess with Manchester's most violent crime family. Can Frank and Sarah smooth it over? Or will it end in tragedy? Frank..........David Schofield, Sarah..........Kathryn Hunt, Fat Doug.......Eric Potts, Johnnie..........Greg Wood, Jade.................Erin Shanagher Michael..........Tachia Newell, Baz.................Lloyd Peters. Producer - Gary Brown. 2 Jun: Sunday afternoon - The Raiders, 2 By SR Crockett. Adapted for radio by Clara Glynn. Patrick Heron is imprisoned in a room in the Murder House and his fate appears to be sealed. Patrick ..... Kyle Gardiner, May ..... Jessica Hardwick, Silver Sand ..... Sandy Grierson Eppie ..... Laura Lovemore, Kennedy ..... Reuben Joseph, Will/Hector ..... James Rottger, Gil ..... Robin Laing, Lady Grizel ..... Anne Lacey, Marion ..... Rosie Smith, Literary Consultant: Cally Phillips. Produced by Gaynor Macfarlane. 3 Jun: Fags, Mags and Bags 11-1 By Donald Mcleary and Sanjeev Kohli. New series, ep1: The Pump Rubicon. Set in a Scots-Asian corner shop. Shop-based shenanigans and over-the-counter philosophy from Ramesh and his sidekick Dave. In this episode, Malcolm decides to practice her counselling skills on Sanjay and Grebo as their burgeoning relationship is already in deep trouble. Ramesh: Sanjeev Kohli, Dave: Donald Mcleary, Sanjay: Omar Raza, Alok: Susheel Kumar, Malcolm: Mina Anwar, Lovely Sue: Julie Wilson-Nimmo, Bishop Briggs: Michael Redmond, Mrs Begg: Marjory Hogarth, Grebo: Manjot Sumal. Producer: Gus Beattie for Gusman Productions. A Comedy Unit production, BBC. 4 Jun: A Tale of Ossian By Robert Forrest. An old man turns up in hospital with his head full of stories and his pockets full of leaves. No-one knows who he is. But when he finally begins to talk, the woman who sits across from him finds herself pulled into his world and captivated by his stories. See also Robert's page. Isobel … Wendy Seager, Ossian … Finlay Welsh, Helen … Anne Louise Ross, Dermot … Scott Miller, Fingal … Finn Den Hertog. Sound Design and original music by Niall Young. Produced by Kirsty Williams. 5 Jun: The Interrogation - Billy By Roy Williams, rpt. From series 7. Another case for D.I. Matthews and D.S. Armitage to solve. Today they are interviewing Billy, who, along with the rest of his family, is already well known to the police, but this time he's here of his own free will. Max ..... Kenneth Cranham, Sean ..... Alex Lanipekun, Billy ..... Daniel Kendrick, Officer ..... Joseph Ayre, Trevor ..... David Hounslow. Music ..... David Pickvance. Director ..... Mary Peate. Producer ..... Jessica Dromgoole. 6 Jun: Voodoo Macbeth By Sharon Oakes; rpt. from 28 Jan 2021. In 1936, the newly-formed Federal Theatre Project’s Negro Unit decided to stage a production of Macbeth. The production was spectacularly successful: Voodoo Macbeth (q.v.) directed by Orson Welles. We follow the trials and tribulations of mounting a huge production with only a handful of trained actors, an inexperienced yet wildly ambitious director, and a cast of nearly 150 including Haitian voodoo drummers and a witchdoctor. The play was a significant theatrical event for several reasons: its radical interpretation of the play, its success in promoting African-American theatre, and its role in securing the reputation of its 20-year-old director, Orson Welles. Orson Welles – Tom Bateman, Jack Carter – Ariyon Bakare, Edna Thomas – Clare Perkins, John Houseman – John Hollingworth, Abe Feder/John Barrymore – Tom Lawrence, All other parts – Adam Courting, Maggie Service, Lloyd Thomas. Produced by Gaynor Macfarlane. 7 Jun: The Specialist, 2 By Matthew Broughton. 30m. Anna tries to treat Mr Dartington and they clean up the surgery, but nobody comes, so she starts to go through Dr Price's notes. With original music by Sion Orgon and Rhodri Davies. Anna Diaz- Saran Morgan, Ged Diaz - Sion Daniel Young, Ruth - Michelle Bonnard, Mr Dartington - Ifan Huw Dafydd, Maggie - Catrin Aaron. Production Coordinator Eleri McAuliffe. Sound Design by Catherine Robinson. Produced by John Norton. BBC Wales. 8 Jun: Saturday Dramas ... Orwell vs Kafka Day Readings from Orwell's Nineteen Eighty Four. 9am: The year is 1984. War and revolution have left the world unrecognisable. Great Britain, now known as Airstrip One, is ruled by the Party, and its leader, Big Brother, stares out from every poster. The Thought Police uncover every act of betrayal, and no one is free. Winston Smith works at The Ministry of Truth, carefully rewriting history, but he dreams of freedom and of rebellion. When he falls in love with Julia, their affair is an act of rebellion against the Party. But nothing is secret. And Room 101 awaits... Read by Martin Freeman. 10am: Ep 1: Battle of the Adjectives Ian Hislop and Helen Lewis explore the two adjectives that have arisen from the writing of both men. But what exactly do we mean by Orwellian or Kafkaesque? Ian and Helen find a vivid illustration of the dystopias conjured up by Orwell and Kafka in the form of the Post Office horizon scandal, hearing from Alan Bates about his experience of striving against injustice in a system that seemed stacked against him. Producer: Tom Alban. 2: 'If there is hope, it lies in the proles.' 1100 hrs: Winston is unnerved by attention from a dark-haired girl from the Anti-Sex League. Could she be a spy? Reader: Rhashan Stone. Abridger: Robin Brooks. Producer: Justine Willett. 3: 'Have you done this before?' 1515 hrs: Juliet Stevenson reads the next bit ... today the girl with the dark hair passes Winston a note - and everything changes.... Abridged by Robin Brooks, as above. 9 Jun: Sunday afternoon: The Trial By Franz Kafka, dram. Ed Harris. On the morning of his thirtieth birthday, Josef K is arrested. But his crime is not revealed. In attempting to establish his innocence, K steps into a nightmarish world of institutional absurdity he can’t escape. K ..... Iwan Rheon. Franz/Albert ..... Phil Davis. Willem/Magistrate ..... Lee Ross. Mrs Godbee ..... Nina Wadia. Eliška/Supervisor ..... Celeste Dring. Edmund ..... Rick Warden. Thrasher ..... Jason Barnett Dr Huld ..... Adrian Scarborough. Leni ..... Gwyneth Keyworth. Block ..... Mark Heap. Producer ..... Anne Isger, Sound ..... Pete Ringrose and Keith Graham. Production Co-ordinators ..... Sara Benaim and Daniel Bishop. Abigail Le Fleming played the recorder. 10 Jun: Fags, Mags and Bags A new series (the eleventh). Comedy drama set in a Scots-Asian corner shop. Producer Gus Beattie. Indie (Gusman productions). 30m. 11 Jun: Franz and Felice By Ed Harris. In the Orwell vs Kafka series. A quirky look at Franz Kafka’s most significant romantic relationship. Franz and Felice follows the twists and turns of the writer’s relationship with Felice Bauer, how events in their relationship went into Kafka’s stories and imagination. Narrator . . . . . Anton Lesser, Franz . . . . . Ashley Margolis, Felice . . . . . Abigail Weinstock Ottla . . . . . Anna Spearpoint, Guide . . . . . Clare Corbett, Max . . . . . Ian Dunnett Jnr, Grete . . . . . Lily Anne Lefkow. Production co-ordinator: Ben Hollands. Sound design: Peter Ringrose. Producer: Sasha Yevtushenko. BBC. 12 Jun: The Interrogation - Carly By Roy Williams; rpt. from Series 7. Carly bit a police officer, but that's not why D.I. Max Matthews and D.S. Sean Armitage want to talk to her. Max ..... Kenneth Cranham, Sean ..... Alex Lanipekun, Carly ..... Lizzy Watts, Nathan ..... Joseph Ayre. Music ..... David Pickvance. Director ..... Jessica Dromgoole. Producer ..... Mary Peate. 13 Jun: The Queen of the Isle of Wight By Barney Norris. Lin and Cath never wanted to leave the island, but now Cath has left. Lin has to find a different way of living. Lin ..... Caroline Catz, Anna ..... Claudie Blakley, Becky ..... Charlotte Beaumont, Matt ..... Finlay Robertson. Produced by Sally Avens. 14 Jun: The Specialist, 3 By Matthew broughton. The cases are increasing; the patients are worsening. Anna and Ged must try to identify the cause. Anna Diaz- Saran Morgan, Ged Diaz - Sion Daniel Young, Ruth - Michelle Bonnard, Raymond - Ioan Hefin, Nell - Diana Yekinni, Maggie - Catrin Aaron, Sian Ellis - Ceri Lloyd, Mr Dartington - Ifan Huw Dafydd. Original music by Sion Orgon and Rhodri Davies. Production Coordinator Eleri McAuliffe. Sound Design by Catherine Robinson. Produced by Fay Lomas. BBC Wales. 15 Jun: Saturday Play - Orwell vs Kafka: Restless Dreams By Dan Rebellato. Restless Dreams is set on a train. Max Brod’s is one of the passengers; it's 1939 and he's fleeing the Nazis. WW2 is about to break out. In his suitcase are manuscripts, the unpublished works by Franz Kafka – of no contemporary value but inestimable treasures for the future. In his will, Kafka instructed Brod, his friend and executor, to burn these papers after his death. Brod didn’t, ensuring Kafka’s writings made it out into the world. When guards challenge Brod’s identity, he decides to hide his treasures somewhere on the train before they're taken off him. This is easier said than done. There's a Philosophers' carriage, a circus-troupe carriage, and other oddities not usually seen on trains. And no-one he meets seems to talk much sense. The writer uses many dramatic devices in this play which can only work on radio. It's a cracking story - and a masterclass in how to write for the medium. 55m. Max Brod ….. Anton Lesser, Elsa/Ilse ….. Tracy-Ann Oberman, Hanna/Eva/Ottili ….. Annie Cowan, Franz Kafka/Titorelli ….. Henry Goodman, Train Guard/Kasper ….. Guy Rhys. Producer ……..Polly Thomas Sound Designer……..Eloise Whitmore Production Manager……..Darren Spruce Executive Producer……Eloise Whitmore Indie (Naked productions). 16 Jun: Suunday afternoon - Orwell vs Kafka: The Man Who Disappeared, 1 By Franz Kafka, adapted for radio by Ed Harris. It is about an innocent’s misadventures in early 20th century America. After a family scandal, the young immigrant Karl Rossman is expelled from his home and sent to America by his parents. Karl is soon swept up in an country which is both a land of endless promise and monstrous brutality. The story was Franz Kafka’s first attempt at a novel but remained unfinished at the time of his death and published posthumously. Kafka had never visited America and the fantastical world of the novel is clearly inspired by the myths and fears wrapped up in the country’s economic boom of the early 1900s. Karl . . . . . Divian Ladwa, Narrator . . . . . Fenella Woolgar, Jacob . . . . . Karl Johnson, Mr Green . . . . . Ed Gaughan, Delamarche . . . . . Charlie Anson, Robinson . . . . . Ian Dunnett Jnr, Head Cook . . . . . Jessica Turner, Klara . . . . . Anna Spearpoint. Production co-ordinator: Ben Hollands. Sound design: Peter Ringrose. Producer: Sasha Yevtushenko. BBC. 17 Jun: Fags, Mags and Bags Comedy drama set in a Scots-Asian corner shop. Producer Gus Beattie. Indie (Gusman productions). 30m. 18 Jun: Riot Girls - The Fall Down, 1 By Melissa Murray. Seven mysterious women arrive on Earth, without fanfare and without a spaceship. They apparently offer incredible solutions to the world's problems. But who are they and what do they want? Maya.....Lauren Cornelius, Barry.....Hasan Dixon, Jan.....Lyndsey Marshall, Martin/ Stevens.....David Sturzaker, Doctor Ramsey.....Tony Turner, Horace.....Fanta Barrie, Renata/ Job Centre.....Jane Slavin, Army leader.....Nicholas Murchie, Young Man.....Stewart Campbell. Produced by Emma Harding. Sound design by Caleb Knightley. 19 Jun: Vital Signs By Ben Musgrave. A drama inspired by a true story. Ben suffers from a phobia of blood, the heart and medical intervention. On a day in 2018, his greatest fear came true. His heart stopped. Ben..... Joel MacCormack, Ben's Partner..... Rhiannon Neads, The Consultant..... Neil McCaul, The Psychotherapist..... Christine Kavanagh, The Sonographer..... Jasmine Hyde, The Mother..... Grace Cooper Milton, Cath..... Eimear Fearon. With contributions from Dr Boon Lim, Consultant Cardiologist at Hammersmith Hospital. Produced by Anne Isger. Sound Design by Pete Ringrose. 20 Jun:Middle Men By Sid Sagar. Comedy drama about soccer, focusing on three referees up for promotion. Then an unexpected assessor turns up. [Sid has some experience as a referee; he has spent many Sundays reffing semi-professional games.] Gareth ..... James Doherty, Janet ..... Fay Ripley, Joe ..... Luke Newberry, Imran ..... David Mumeni, Kerry ..... Anna Spearpoint, Footballers ..... Olatunji Ayofe and Brandon Grace. Producer..... Anne Isger. Sound ..... Keith Graham and Ali Craig. Production Co-ordinators ..... Luke MacGregor, Dan Bishop and Sara Benaim. 21 Jun: The Specialist, 4 By Matthew Broughton. The storm rages outside, and soon no one can come into or out of Bly. Things in the surgery become increasingly chaotic. The pathogen is now spreading more quickly.. Anna Diaz - Saran Morgan, Ged Diaz - Sion Daniel Young, Ruth - Michelle Bonnard, Raymond - Ioan Hefin, Nell - Diana Yekinni, Maggie - Catrin Aaron, Original music by Sion Orgon and Rhodri Davies. Production Coordinator Lindsay Rees. Sound Design by Catherine Robinson Produced by Fay Lomas. BBC Wales. 22 Jun: Saturday Play - Afterplay By Brian Friel. A chance encounter in a down-at-heel café in the 1920s. They fall into conversation and something of their lives is gradually revealed. Sonya is an estate manager; Andrey is a violinist. He's reserved. Sonya, more direct, confides she’s in love with the local doctor, and has been for years. Andrey…Alex Jennings, Sonya… Janie Dee. Director: Martin Jarvis. Producer: Rosalind Ayres. Indie (Jarvis & Ayres). 45m. 23 Jun: Sunday afternoon -Orwell vs Kafka: The Man Who Disappeared, 2 By Franz Kafka, ad. Ed Harris. An innocent's experiences in early 20th century America. After a family scandal, immigrant Karl Rossman is expelled from his home and sent to America by his parents. His uncle Jacob looks after him and introduces him to big business and high society. But it doesn't go smoothly. Karl misbehaves. Karl . . . . . Divian Ladwa, Narrator . . . . . Fenella Woolgar, Robinson . . . . . Ian Dunnett Jnr, Delamarche . . . . . Charlie Anson, Brundelda . . . . . Jasmine Hyde, Catling . . . . . Ewan Bailey, Giancomo . . . . . Anna Spearpoint, Head Cook . . . . . Jessica Turner. Production co-ordinator: Ben Hollands. Sound design: Peter Ringrose. Producer: Sasha Yevtushenko. BBC Studios. 24 Jun: Fags, Mags and Bags Sitcom set in a corner shop. New series. 25 Jun: Riot Girls - The Fall Down, 2 Maya and Jan have been kidnapped by The Seven, a mysterious group of women who have arrived on Earth offering solutions to the world's problems. Feminist dystopian drama. Maya.....Lauren Cornelius, Jan.....Lyndsey Marshall, Horace.....Fanta Barrie, Renata.....Jane Slavin, Petri.....Elinor Coleman, Robin.....David Sturzaker, Doctor Ramsey.....Tony Turner. Produced by Emma Harding. Sound design by Caleb Knightley. 26 Jun: The Breach By Owen Whitelaw; thriller. The story is set on a remote Scottish island and spans two time zones 4000 years apart. In the present day, several preserved bodies are found in a peat bog. Two archaeologists try to work out why they are there. Gwen/Rachel ..... Hannah Donaldson, Mara/ Ellen ..... Isabelle Joss, Peter/Mike ..... Robert Jack, Caden ..... Owen Whitelaw, Onora ..... Anne Lacey, Adriana ..... Louise Ludgate. Producer: Bruce Young. 27 Jun: Casting Shadows By Jonathan Holloway. A light-hearted drama-documentary about the pioneer film-makers in Brighton & Hove, 1895-1905. Their work transformed film-making and they invented a number of the techniques used today in cinema. This happened pre-Hollywood, which was launched a decade later. The main characters in the play are: the showman-filmmaker George Albert Smith; his actor-comedienne wife, Laura Bayley, Smith’s (unsung) co-director; his colleague James Williamson; and Charles Urban from America, the world’s first 'movie mogul'. Smith - Karl Davies, Williamson -Tom Cotcher, Laura -Jenny Funnell, Urban - Roger Alborough, Prof Sally Field - Hilary Maclean, Pearl - Madeline Hatt, Harry - Paul Bazely and Tony - Russell Floyd. Narrated by film historian, Frank Gray. Sound Design: David Thomas. Production Co-ordinators: Sarah Tombling and Sarah Wright. Producer: Andy Jordan Indie (Pier). 28 Jun: The Specialist, 5 By Matthew Broughton. Ged is sick, the situation in Bly is going from bad to worse, and help is very slow in coming from Cardiff, but Anna and Nell have one last desperate thing to try. Anna Diaz- Saran Morgan, Ged Diaz - Sion Daniel Young, Ruth - Michelle Bonnard, Raymond - Ioan Hefin, Nell - Diana Yekinni, Mr Devonshire - Pal Aron. Original music by Sion Orgon and Rhodri Davies. Production Coordinator Eleri McAuliffe. Sound Design by Catherine Robinson. Produced by John Norton. BBC Wales. 29 Jun: Saturday Play - The Painted Hall By Ian Kelly. The Painted Hall, one of the most spectacular baroque interiors in Europe and one of the largest ‘paintings' in the world, was created by the artist James Thornhill between 1707 and 1726. Over twenty years, he adapted his design to reflect changes in royal succession, science and navigation. He was later asked to write a guide to explain what it all meant. His only daughter fell in love with a lowly paint-mixer: William Hogarth. James Thornhill ..... Hugh Bonneville, Dame Dolly Broadbent ..... Jane Asher, Jane Hogarth ..... Genevieve Gaunt, William Hogarth ..... Ryan Early, Obadiah Neptune ..... Ben Onwukwe, John Worley ..... Trevor Fox, Housekeeper ..... Sarah Ridgeway. Produced by Clive Brill. Indie (Brill Productions) 30 Jun: Sunday afternoon - Frank Bascombe: An American Life, 2: Independence Day By Richard Ford, ad. Robin Brooks. Six years after we first met him, Frank has ditched the world of sports writing, and is now an estate agent. He still has contact with his divorced wife Ann, and is trying to get to grips with his troubled son Paul. He’s supposed to be taking Paul on a road-trip, but it doesn't go to plan. Frank Bascombe: Kyle Soller, Ann : Lydia Wilson, Sally: Jennifer Armour, Paul: Christopher Buckley, Charley: William Hope, Clarissa: Karolina Ezrow, Charlane : Isaura Barbé-Brown, Dr. Tisaris: Angelique Fernandez, Sound Design: Joseff Harris and Alisdair McGregor. Broadcast Assistant: Hermione Sylvester. Produced by Fiona McAlpine. Indie (Allegra productions). 1 Jun: Saturday Play slot: Brief Lives 12-2 Continued from last Saturday, rpt. By Tom Fry and Sharon Kelly Ep. 2 of 2. Frank's visitor from the past has landed them all in trouble. You don't mess with Manchester's most violent crime family. Can Frank and Sarah smooth it over? Or will it end in tragedy? Frank..........David Schofield, Sarah..........Kathryn Hunt, Fat Doug.......Eric Potts, Johnnie..........Greg Wood, Jade.................Erin Shanagher Michael..........Tachia Newell, Baz.................Lloyd Peters. Producer - Gary Brown. 2 Jun: Sunday afternoon - The Raiders, 2 By SR Crockett. Adapted for radio by Clara Glynn. Patrick Heron is imprisoned in a room in the Murder House and his fate appears to be sealed. Patrick ..... Kyle Gardiner, May ..... Jessica Hardwick, Silver Sand ..... Sandy Grierson Eppie ..... Laura Lovemore, Kennedy ..... Reuben Joseph, Will/Hector ..... James Rottger, Gil ..... Robin Laing, Lady Grizel ..... Anne Lacey, Marion ..... Rosie Smith, Literary Consultant: Cally Phillips. Produced by Gaynor Macfarlane. 3 Jun: Fags, Mags and Bags 11-1 By Donald Mcleary and Sanjeev Kohli. New series, ep1: The Pump Rubicon. Set in a Scots-Asian corner shop. Shop-based shenanigans and over-the-counter philosophy from Ramesh and his sidekick Dave. In this episode, Malcolm decides to practice her counselling skills on Sanjay and Grebo as their burgeoning relationship is already in deep trouble. Ramesh: Sanjeev Kohli, Dave: Donald Mcleary, Sanjay: Omar Raza, Alok: Susheel Kumar, Malcolm: Mina Anwar, Lovely Sue: Julie Wilson-Nimmo, Bishop Briggs: Michael Redmond, Mrs Begg: Marjory Hogarth, Grebo: Manjot Sumal. Producer: Gus Beattie for Gusman Productions. A Comedy Unit production, BBC. 4 Jun: A Tale of Ossian By Robert Forrest. An old man turns up in hospital with his head full of stories and his pockets full of leaves. No-one knows who he is. But when he finally begins to talk, the woman who sits across from him finds herself pulled into his world and captivated by his stories. See also Robert's page. Isobel … Wendy Seager, Ossian … Finlay Welsh, Helen … Anne Louise Ross, Dermot … Scott Miller, Fingal … Finn Den Hertog. Sound Design and original music by Niall Young. Produced by Kirsty Williams. 5 Jun: The Interrogation - Billy By Roy Williams, rpt. From series 7. Another case for D.I. Matthews and D.S. Armitage to solve. Today they are interviewing Billy, who, along with the rest of his family, is already well known to the police, but this time he's here of his own free will. Max ..... Kenneth Cranham, Sean ..... Alex Lanipekun, Billy ..... Daniel Kendrick, Officer ..... Joseph Ayre, Trevor ..... David Hounslow. Music ..... David Pickvance. Director ..... Mary Peate. Producer ..... Jessica Dromgoole. 6 Jun: Voodoo Macbeth By Sharon Oakes; rpt. from 28 Jan 2021. In 1936, the newly-formed Federal Theatre Project’s Negro Unit decided to stage a production of Macbeth. The production was spectacularly successful: Voodoo Macbeth (q.v.) directed by Orson Welles. We follow the trials and tribulations of mounting a huge production with only a handful of trained actors, an inexperienced yet wildly ambitious director, and a cast of nearly 150 including Haitian voodoo drummers and a witchdoctor. The play was a significant theatrical event for several reasons: its radical interpretation of the play, its success in promoting African-American theatre, and its role in securing the reputation of its 20-year-old director, Orson Welles. Orson Welles – Tom Bateman, Jack Carter – Ariyon Bakare, Edna Thomas – Clare Perkins, John Houseman – John Hollingworth, Abe Feder/John Barrymore – Tom Lawrence, All other parts – Adam Courting, Maggie Service, Lloyd Thomas. Produced by Gaynor Macfarlane. 7 Jun: The Specialist, 2 By Matthew Broughton. 30m. Anna tries to treat Mr Dartington and they clean up the surgery, but nobody comes, so she starts to go through Dr Price's notes. With original music by Sion Orgon and Rhodri Davies. Anna Diaz- Saran Morgan, Ged Diaz - Sion Daniel Young, Ruth - Michelle Bonnard, Mr Dartington - Ifan Huw Dafydd, Maggie - Catrin Aaron. Production Coordinator Eleri McAuliffe. Sound Design by Catherine Robinson. Produced by John Norton. BBC Wales. 8 Jun: Saturday Dramas ... Orwell vs Kafka Day Readings from Orwell's Nineteen Eighty Four. 9am: The year is 1984. War and revolution have left the world unrecognisable. Great Britain, now known as Airstrip One, is ruled by the Party, and its leader, Big Brother, stares out from every poster. The Thought Police uncover every act of betrayal, and no one is free. Winston Smith works at The Ministry of Truth, carefully rewriting history, but he dreams of freedom and of rebellion. When he falls in love with Julia, their affair is an act of rebellion against the Party. But nothing is secret. And Room 101 awaits... Read by Martin Freeman. 10am: Ep 1: Battle of the Adjectives Ian Hislop and Helen Lewis explore the two adjectives that have arisen from the writing of both men. But what exactly do we mean by Orwellian or Kafkaesque? Ian and Helen find a vivid illustration of the dystopias conjured up by Orwell and Kafka in the form of the Post Office horizon scandal, hearing from Alan Bates about his experience of striving against injustice in a system that seemed stacked against him. Producer: Tom Alban. 2: 'If there is hope, it lies in the proles.' 1100 hrs: Winston is unnerved by attention from a dark-haired girl from the Anti-Sex League. Could she be a spy? Reader: Rhashan Stone. Abridger: Robin Brooks. Producer: Justine Willett. 3: 'Have you done this before?' 1515 hrs: Juliet Stevenson reads the next bit ... today the girl with the dark hair passes Winston a note - and everything changes.... Abridged by Robin Brooks, as above. 9 Jun: Sunday afternoon: The Trial K ..... Iwan Rheon. Franz/Albert ..... Phil Davis. Willem/Magistrate ..... Lee Ross. Mrs Godbee ..... Nina Wadia. Eliška/Supervisor ..... Celeste Dring. Edmund ..... Rick Warden. Thrasher ..... Jason Barnett Dr Huld ..... Adrian Scarborough. Leni ..... Gwyneth Keyworth. Block ..... Mark Heap. Producer ..... Anne Isger, Sound ..... Pete Ringrose and Keith Graham. Production Co-ordinators ..... Sara Benaim and Daniel Bishop. Abigail Le Fleming played the recorder. 10 Jun: Fags, Mags and Bags A new series (the eleventh). Comedy drama set in a Scots-Asian corner shop. Producer Gus Beattie. Indie (Gusman productions). 30m. 11 Jun: Franz and Felice By Ed Harris. In the Orwell vs Kafka series. A quirky look at Franz Kafka’s most significant romantic relationship. Franz and Felice follows the twists and turns of the writer’s relationship with Felice Bauer, how events in their relationship went into Kafka’s stories and imagination. Narrator . . . . . Anton Lesser, Franz . . . . . Ashley Margolis, Felice . . . . . Abigail Weinstock Ottla . . . . . Anna Spearpoint, Guide . . . . . Clare Corbett, Max . . . . . Ian Dunnett Jnr, Grete . . . . . Lily Anne Lefkow. Production co-ordinator: Ben Hollands. Sound design: Peter Ringrose. Producer: Sasha Yevtushenko. BBC. 12 Jun: The Interrogation - Carly By Roy Williams; rpt. from Series 7. Carly bit a police officer, but that's not why D.I. Max Matthews and D.S. Sean Armitage want to talk to her. Max ..... Kenneth Cranham, Sean ..... Alex Lanipekun, Carly ..... Lizzy Watts, Nathan ..... Joseph Ayre. Music ..... David Pickvance. Director ..... Jessica Dromgoole. Producer ..... Mary Peate. 13 Jun: The Queen of the Isle of Wight By Barney Norris. Lin and Cath never wanted to leave the island, but now Cath has left. Lin has to find a different way of living. Lin ..... Caroline Catz, Anna ..... Claudie Blakley, Becky ..... Charlotte Beaumont, Matt ..... Finlay Robertson. Produced by Sally Avens. 14 Jun: The Specialist, 3 By Matthew broughton. The cases are increasing; the patients are worsening. Anna and Ged must try to identify the cause. Anna Diaz- Saran Morgan, Ged Diaz - Sion Daniel Young, Ruth - Michelle Bonnard, Raymond - Ioan Hefin, Nell - Diana Yekinni, Maggie - Catrin Aaron, Sian Ellis - Ceri Lloyd, Mr Dartington - Ifan Huw Dafydd. Original music by Sion Orgon and Rhodri Davies. Production Coordinator Eleri McAuliffe. Sound Design by Catherine Robinson. Produced by Fay Lomas. BBC Wales. 15 Jun: Saturday Play - Orwell vs Kafka: Restless Dreams By Dan Rebellato. Restless Dreams is set on a train. Max Brod’s is one of the passengers; it's 1939 and he's fleeing the Nazis. WW2 is about to break out. In his suitcase are manuscripts, the unpublished works by Franz Kafka – of no contemporary value but inestimable treasures for the future. In his will, Kafka instructed Brod, his friend and executor, to burn these papers after his death. Brod didn’t, ensuring Kafka’s writings made it out into the world. When guards challenge Brod’s identity, he decides to hide his treasures somewhere on the train before they're taken off him. This is easier said than done. There's a Philosophers' carriage, a circus-troupe carriage, and other oddities not usually seen on trains. And no-one he meets seems to talk much sense. The writer uses many dramatic devices in this play which can only work on radio. It's a cracking story - and a masterclass in how to write for the medium. 55m. Max Brod ….. Anton Lesser, Elsa/Ilse ….. Tracy-Ann Oberman, Hanna/Eva/Ottili ….. Annie Cowan, Franz Kafka/Titorelli ….. Henry Goodman, Train Guard/Kasper ….. Guy Rhys. Producer ……..Polly Thomas Sound Designer……..Eloise Whitmore Production Manager……..Darren Spruce Executive Producer……Eloise Whitmore Indie (Naked productions). 16 Jun: Suunday afternoon - Orwell vs Kafka: The Man Who Disappeared, 1 By Franz Kafka, adapted for radio by Ed Harris. It is about an innocent’s misadventures in early 20th century America. After a family scandal, the young immigrant Karl Rossman is expelled from his home and sent to America by his parents. Karl is soon swept up in an country which is both a land of endless promise and monstrous brutality. The story was Franz Kafka’s first attempt at a novel but remained unfinished at the time of his death and published posthumously. Kafka had never visited America and the fantastical world of the novel is clearly inspired by the myths and fears wrapped up in the country’s economic boom of the early 1900s. Karl . . . . . Divian Ladwa, Narrator . . . . . Fenella Woolgar, Jacob . . . . . Karl Johnson, Mr Green . . . . . Ed Gaughan, Delamarche . . . . . Charlie Anson, Robinson . . . . . Ian Dunnett Jnr, Head Cook . . . . . Jessica Turner, Klara . . . . . Anna Spearpoint. Production co-ordinator: Ben Hollands. Sound design: Peter Ringrose. Producer: Sasha Yevtushenko. BBC. 17 Jun: Fags, Mags and Bags Comedy drama set in a Scots-Asian corner shop. Producer Gus Beattie. Indie (Gusman productions). 30m. 18 Jun: Riot Girls - The Fall Down, 1 By Melissa Murray. Seven mysterious women arrive on Earth, without fanfare and without a spaceship. They apparently offer incredible solutions to the world's problems. But who are they and what do they want? Maya.....Lauren Cornelius, Barry.....Hasan Dixon, Jan.....Lyndsey Marshall, Martin/ Stevens.....David Sturzaker, Doctor Ramsey.....Tony Turner, Horace.....Fanta Barrie, Renata/ Job Centre.....Jane Slavin, Army leader.....Nicholas Murchie, Young Man.....Stewart Campbell. Produced by Emma Harding. Sound design by Caleb Knightley. 19 Jun: Vital Signs By Ben Musgrave. A drama inspired by a true story. Ben suffers from a phobia of blood, the heart and medical intervention. On a day in 2018, his greatest fear came true. His heart stopped. Ben..... Joel MacCormack, Ben's Partner..... Rhiannon Neads, The Consultant..... Neil McCaul, The Psychotherapist..... Christine Kavanagh, The Sonographer..... Jasmine Hyde, The Mother..... Grace Cooper Milton, Cath..... Eimear Fearon. With contributions from Dr Boon Lim, Consultant Cardiologist at Hammersmith Hospital. Produced by Anne Isger. Sound Design by Pete Ringrose. 20 Jun:Middle Men By Sid Sagar. Comedy drama about soccer, focusing on three referees up for promotion. Then an unexpected assessor turns up. [Sid has some experience as a referee; he has spent many Sundays reffing semi-professional games.] Gareth ..... James Doherty, Janet ..... Fay Ripley, Joe ..... Luke Newberry, Imran ..... David Mumeni, Kerry ..... Anna Spearpoint, Footballers ..... Olatunji Ayofe and Brandon Grace. Producer..... Anne Isger. Sound ..... Keith Graham and Ali Craig. Production Co-ordinators ..... Luke MacGregor, Dan Bishop and Sara Benaim. 21 Jun: The Specialist, 4 By Matthew Broughton. The storm rages outside, and soon no one can come into or out of Bly. Things in the surgery become increasingly chaotic. The pathogen is now spreading more quickly.. Anna Diaz - Saran Morgan, Ged Diaz - Sion Daniel Young, Ruth - Michelle Bonnard, Raymond - Ioan Hefin, Nell - Diana Yekinni, Maggie - Catrin Aaron, Original music by Sion Orgon and Rhodri Davies. Production Coordinator Lindsay Rees. Sound Design by Catherine Robinson Produced by Fay Lomas. BBC Wales. 22 Jun: Saturday Play - Afterplay By Brian Friel. A chance encounter in a down-at-heel café in the 1920s. They fall into conversation and something of their lives is gradually revealed. Sonya is an estate manager; Andrey is a violinist. He's reserved. Sonya, more direct, confides she’s in love with the local doctor, and has been for years. Andrey…Alex Jennings, Sonya… Janie Dee. Director: Martin Jarvis. Producer: Rosalind Ayres. Indie (Jarvis & Ayres). 45m. 23 Jun: Sunday afternoon -Orwell vs Kafka: The Man Who Disappeared, 2 By Franz Kafka, ad. Ed Harris. An innocent's experiences in early 20th century America. After a family scandal, immigrant Karl Rossman is expelled from his home and sent to America by his parents. His uncle Jacob looks after him and introduces him to big business and high society. But it doesn't go smoothly. Karl misbehaves. Karl . . . . . Divian Ladwa, Narrator . . . . . Fenella Woolgar, Robinson . . . . . Ian Dunnett Jnr, Delamarche . . . . . Charlie Anson, Brundelda . . . . . Jasmine Hyde, Catling . . . . . Ewan Bailey, Giancomo . . . . . Anna Spearpoint, Head Cook . . . . . Jessica Turner. Production co-ordinator: Ben Hollands. Sound design: Peter Ringrose. Producer: Sasha Yevtushenko. BBC Studios. 24 Jun: Fags, Mags and Bags Sitcom set in a corner shop. New series. 25 Jun: Riot Girls - The Fall Down, 2 Maya and Jan have been kidnapped by The Seven, a mysterious group of women who have arrived on Earth offering solutions to the world's problems. Feminist dystopian drama. Maya.....Lauren Cornelius, Jan.....Lyndsey Marshall, Horace.....Fanta Barrie, Renata.....Jane Slavin, Petri.....Elinor Coleman, Robin.....David Sturzaker, Doctor Ramsey.....Tony Turner. Produced by Emma Harding. Sound design by Caleb Knightley. 26 Jun: The Breach By Owen Whitelaw; thriller. The story is set on a remote Scottish island and spans two time zones 4000 years apart. In the present day, of several preserved bodies are found in a peat bog. Two archaeologists try to work out why they are there. Gwen/Rachel ..... Hannah Donaldson, Mara/ Ellen ..... Isabelle Joss, Peter/Mike ..... Robert Jack, Caden ..... Owen Whitelaw, Onora ..... Anne Lacey, Adriana ..... Louise Ludgate. Producer: Bruce Young. 27 Jun: Casting Shadows By Jonathan Holloway. A light-hearted drama-documentary about the pioneer film-makers in Brighton & Hove, 1895-1905. Their work transformed film-making and invented a number of the techniques used today in cinema. This happened pre-Hollywood, which was launched a decade later. The main characters in the play are: the showman-filmmaker George Albert Smith; his actor-comedienne wife, Laura Bayley, Smith’s (unsung) co-director; his colleague James Williamson; and Charles Urban from America, the world’s first 'movie mogul'. Smith - Karl Davies, Williamson -Tom Cotcher, Laura -Jenny Funnell, Urban - Roger Alborough, Prof Sally Field - Hilary Maclean, Pearl - Madeline Hatt, Harry - Paul Bazely and Tony - Russell Floyd. Narrated by film historian, Frank Gray. Sound Design: David Thomas. Production Co-ordinators: Sarah Tombling and Sarah Wright. Producer: Andy Jordan Indie (Pier). 28 Jun: The Specialist, 5 By Matthew Broughton. Ged is sick, the situation in Bly is going from bad to worse, and help is very slow in coming from Cardiff, but Anna and Nell have one last desperate thing to try. Anna Diaz- Saran Morgan, Ged Diaz - Sion Daniel Young, Ruth - Michelle Bonnard, Raymond - Ioan Hefin, Nell - Diana Yekinni, Mr Devonshire - Pal Aron. Original music by Sion Orgon and Rhodri Davies. Production Coordinator Eleri McAuliffe. Sound Design by Catherine Robinson. Produced by John Norton. BBC Wales. 29 Jun: Saturday Play - The Painted Hall By Ian Kelly. The Painted Hall, one of the most spectacular baroque interiors in Europe and one of the largest ‘paintings' in the world, was created by the artist James Thornhill between 1707 and 1726. Over twenty years, he adapted his design to reflect changes in royal succession, science and navigation. He was later asked to write a guide to explain what it all meant. His only daughter fell in love with a lowly paint-mixer: William Hogarth. James Thornhill ..... Hugh Bonneville, Dame Dolly Broadbent ..... Jane Asher, Jane Hogarth ..... Genevieve Gaunt, William Hogarth ..... Ryan Early, Obadiah Neptune ..... Ben Onwukwe, John Worley ..... Trevor Fox, Housekeeper ..... Sarah Ridgeway. Produced by Clive Brill. Indie (Brill Productions) 30 Jun: Sunday afternoon - Frank Bascombe: An American Life, 2: Independence Day By Richard Ford, ad. Robin Brooks. Six years after we first met him, Frank has ditched the world of sports writing, and is now an estate agent. He still has contact with his divorced wife Ann, and is trying to get to grips with his troubled son Paul. He’s supposed to be taking Paul on a road-trip, but it doesn't go to plan. Frank Bascombe: Kyle Soller, Ann : Lydia Wilson, Sally: Jennifer Armour, Paul: Christopher Buckley, Charley: William Hope, Clarissa: Karolina Ezrow, Charlane : Isaura Barbé-Brown, Dr. Tisaris: Angelique Fernandez, Sound Design: Joseff Harris and Alisdair McGregor. Broadcast Assistant: Hermione Sylvester. Produced by Fiona McAlpine. Indie (Allegra productions). 1 Jul: Fags, Mags and Bags Series 11, continued. From the BBC Comedy Unit. 30m. 2 Jul: Riot Girls -The Fall Down, 3 By Melissa Murray, cont. Dystopian drama. Maya and Horace have escaped from The Seven's compound and go to Manchester in order to rescue Jan's baby. Jan has been taken back to the compound. Meanwhile, the fall down is getting quicker; people falling out of one world into another. Maya.....Lauren Cornelius, Jan.....Lyndsey Marshall, Horace.....Fanta Barrie, Renata.....Jane Slavin, Petri.....Elinor Coleman, Mary.....Marilyn Nnadebe, Floran.....Jessica Turner, Barry.....Hasan Dixon, Young Man.....Stewart Campbell Doctor Ramsey.....Tony Turner, Produced by Emma Harding, Sound design by Caleb Knightley. 3 Jul: Waking Beauty By Alex Clarke. Winner of the Alfred Bradley Award. Seventeen-year-old Vanilla’s fall from a tree becomes a wake-up call for those close to her. Displaced and disconnected, the Byrne family learn how to reconnect with each other – even though one of them is asleep. Orla ..... Sade Malone, Mary ..... Michelle Fairley, Siobhan..... Lucy Gaskell, Gemma ..... Sacha Parkinson, Father Robin .... .Joseph Alessi, Produced by Nadia Molinari. BBC Drama North. 4 Jul: Assisted By Greg Wilkinson. A play about an AI (Artificial Intelligence) assistant, Alivia. Jordan and Connie want their next electronic assitant to make their lives a little bit better. The play speculates on what might happen if AI becomes too dominant in our lives. Alivia ..... Tamsin Greig, Connie ..... Emma Wilkinson-Wright, Jordan ..... Jude Owusu. Producer: Sarah Lawrie. Executive Producer: David Morley. Sound Presentation: Wilfredo Acosta. Indie (Perfectly Normal). 5 Jul: The Skies Are Watching, 1 By John Frechette. Another thriller from Goldhawk. Episode title - The Woman on the Plane. Heather Haskins went missing two years ago. She was discovered aboard a flight without a ticket or identification and she now believes she’s a woman named Coral Goran and that it’s 1938. Her family struggles to come to terms with it. The drama won the Audio Fiction Award at the Tribeca Film Festival, New York, Jun 2024. Heather - Caitlin Stasey, Vance - Jake Roberts, Rodney - David Yow, Jana - Caroline Morahan, Constance - Guinevere Turner, Andie - Elizabeth Halpern. Created and Produced by Jon Frechette and Todd Luoto. Music - Lars Koller, Jon Frechette. Editing and Sound Design - Jon Frechette. Production Manager - Kurt Koller. Executive Producer - John Scott Dryden. Indie (Goldhawk). 6 Jul: Saturday Play - Breaking the Rules: The Great Cricket Con By Ayeesha Menon. In July 2022, journalists in Gujarat reported that in a village in north-west India, police had arrested a gang of villagers for running a fake cricket tournament made to look like the Indian Premier League. The villagers broadcast it on betting websites and targeted gamblers from Russia. This is a rama-doc looking at the police allegations and media coverage of the story. Narrator . . . . . Ayesha Dharker, Shoeb . . . . . Hiran Abeysekera, Asif . . . . . Sid Sagar, Jain . . . . . Tony Jayawardena, Farooq . . . . . Sagar Arya, Shuks . . . . . Danny Ashok, Misha . . . . . Greg Kolpakchi. Production Co-ordinator: Luke MacGregor. Additional reporting: Harita Kandpal in Delhi and Laxmi Patel in Gujarat. Sound design: Peter Ringrose. Producer: Sasha Yevtushenko. BBC. 55m. 7 Jul: Sunday afteernoon: A Vindication of Frankenstein's Monster, 1 By Linda M Griffiths, based on Mary Wollstonecraft's A Vindication of the Rights of Woman. In the first episode, Lizzie visits Mary Wollstonecraft’s world at the end of the 1700s. She looks at Mary's extraordinary life, notes her bravery and her quick mind. She also chooses the wrong men. But Lizzie is creating a Virtual Reality world and Mary is at the centre of it. Lizzie.....Lydia Wilson, Mary.....Daisy Head, Max.....Sacha Dhawan, Joseph/Talleyrand-Perigord/ Father.....Andonis Anthony, Eliza/ Jane Austen/ Mother......Erin Shanager, Fuseli.....Harry Taurasi, Sound design by Sharon Hughes. Production co-ordinators Vicky Moseley and Lorna Newman. Produced by Nadia Molinari 8 Jul: Fags, Mags and Bags More of the sitcom, series 11. 9 Jul: Faith, Hope and Glory - Jim By Roy Williams. Series 5. It is 1983. Jim, now the star of a primetime TV sit-com, is dealing with difficulties on every front. Only his ex-wife Hope really understands what he is facing but has to remind him of some familiar hard truths. Is Jim ready to actually listen? Meanwhile, it's election time. - There are tensions between right and left, and young and old, and within families as a new generation of Black Britons take their place in Thatcher’s Britain. Jim ….. Martins Imhangbe, Hope ….. Danielle Vitalis, Sheila ….. Keziah Joseph, Jimmy ….. Michael Ajao, Bert / Dr Pearl ….. Ben Crowe, Lorraine ….. Rebecca Crankshaw, Bradley / Taxi Driver ….. Samuel James. Produced by Pat Cumper. Directed by Anthony Simpson-Pike. 10 Jul: Faith, Hope and Glory - Clement By Rex Obano. Series 5. Election day, 1983. Gloria panics when she thinks her hospitalised ex-husband Clement might tell their daughter Joy the truth of how she came into their lives. As they try to work out what's wrong with him, her well-meaning intervention in Joy’s marriage risks making things worse. Joy ….. Cherrelle Skeete, Gloria ….. Jaye Griffiths, Dr Genghis Khan…..Asif Khan, Hopeton ….. Solomon Israel Mabel ….. Dorothea Myer-Bennett, Hospital Sister ….. Ruth Everett, Nurse ….. Marilyn Nnadebe, Children ….. Jaiden Dosanjh and Saara Gurjee. Produced by Pat Cumper. 11 Jul: Faith, Hope and Glory: Serena-Hope By Carol Russell. A disillusioned and lonely Faith has decided to retire to Antigua. But then her estranged daughter Serena-Hope arrives in London seeking a legal pupillage and her son Winston is falsely arrested. Will that give her reason to stay? Serena-Hope …. Bethan Mary-James, Faith ..... Shiloh Coke, Merlene ..... Sharon Duncan-Brewster, Winston ..... Daniel Francis-Swaby, David Wolff / Desk Sergeant …..Simon Ludders, Delroy ..... Olatunji Ayofe, PC Grant / Reporter ….. Ian Dunnett Jnr. Directed by Pat Cumper. 12 Jul: The Skies Are Watching, 2 By Jon Frechette. Episode title - The Man from Kecksburg. 30m. Coral’s adult son, a ufologist named David Vance, meets Heather with her family’s permission, to try to understand why she thinks she's his mother. He shares the story of what happened on the night Coral disappeared. Heather - Caitlin Stasey, Vance - Jake Roberts, Rodney - David Yow, Jana - Caroline Morahan, Constance - Guinevere Turner, Interrogator - Travis Harmon, Dr. Finkel - Brad Griffith. Produced by Jon Frechette and Todd Luoto. Executive Producer - John Scott Dryden. Indie (Goldhawk). 13 Jul: Saturday Play: Breaking the Rules - This Week Is Family Week By Avin Shah. A drama-doc about totalitarianism. Set in Xinjiang Province, China in the present day. In that province, the Uyghur (Turkish) student, Nur, looks almost Chinese, and exploits it as much as possible in a society where her countrymen live under constant surveillance. Nur and her mother, Meryem, want to avoid being sent to one of the re-education prison camps. But they are assigned a live-in Chinese 'relative', more accurately described as a spy, who comes to live with them for a week to ensure lifestyle conformity. "Cook together, eat together, study together, travel together, sleep together!" The story is fictional but based on testimonies from the 2021 independent Uyghur Tribunal and on research by Raminder Kaur, who served on the tribunal, plus interviews with Uyghur and Chinese consultants. Nur......Aruhan Galieva, Meryem.....Camilla Anvar, Guard and various other roles.....Daniel York Loh. Other members of the cast have chosen to remain anonymous. BBC Wales, produced by Emma Harding. 55m. At the new broadcast time 3.00 for the Saturday afternoon drama. 14 Jul: Sunday afternoon: A Vindication of Frankenstein's Monster, 2 By L.M.Griffiths, continued from last Sunday. In Sweden Lizzie meets Vic, a neuro-scientist working with Artificial Intelligence implant technology. Vic wants to implant an AI into a human body.Vic talks to Lizzie about donating her body, in the event of her death, so that Mary's AI consciousness can be freed. Lizzie and The Creature.....Lydia Wilson, Mary.....Daisy Head, Vic.....Vinette Robinson, Max.....Sacha Dhawan, Eli.....Joel Fry, Polly.....Anneika Rose. Based on Mary Shelley's 'Frankenstein' and Mary Wollstonecraft's 'Letters written in Sweden, Norway, and Denmark'. Sound design: Sharon Hughes. Production co-ordinators Vicky Moseley and Lorna Newman. produced by Nadia Molinari. 15 Jul: Ed Reardon's Week, 1 Series 15. 30m. Comedy. The series is dedicated to Andrew Nickolds, who sadly passed away mid-way through writing it. Author of several plays, television dramas, works of non-fiction, letters to the BBC about the pitiful decline in standards of literature and grammar, and master of the abusive email – Ed Reardon is back. Ed Reardon - Christopher Douglas, Ping - Barunka O’Shaughnessy, Jaz Milvain - Philip Jackson, Eli - Lisa Coleman, Stan - Geoffrey Whitehead, Olive - Sally Grace, Winnie - Ellen Thomas. Written by Andrew Nickolds and Christopher Douglas. Produced by Dawn Ellis. Production Co-ordinator Katie Baum. Sound Jon Calver. 16 Jul: Almonds and Raisins, 1 Based on the novel by Maisie Mosco; dram. Adam Usden. A Jewish family saga, beginning in Manchester in 1905. The Sandberg family have escaped persecution from their homeland in Russia. They arrive as refugees in Strangeways, Manchester, to start a new life. Avraham, a cobbler, tries to find work in the many Jewish garment factories housed in the cramped terraces. Background: From 1791 to 1917 thousands of Jews lived in the west of the Russian Empire. When the Tsar was assassinated (1881), the Jews were unfairly blamed and persecuted. Thousands fled; many of them to England: Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester. The Jewish garment industry became a familiar part of the British high street: M&S, Burtons, Moss Bros. Avraham ...... Daniel Abelson, Sarah, his wife ...... Emma Leah Goldman, David ...... Aaron Gelkoff, Sammy ...... Yoni Bronks, Isaac ...... David Fleeshman, Rabbi Lensky ...... Jack Wagman, Malka ...... Katie Bernstein, Chaim ...... Lishai Rice, Uncle Mottel ...... Lloyd Peters. Casting co-ordinators-Vicky Moseley and Pippa Day. Production co-ordinator-Lorna Newman. Studio Manager- Amy Brennan. Sound Designer- Sharon Hughes. Producers- Jessica Mitic and Gary Brown. 17 Jul:Almonds and Raisins, 2 By Maisie Mosco / Adam Usden, cont. Avraham has found work in one of the many cramped garment factories in Strangeways, whilst his wife Sarah finally has a home of her own. Their son David has his barmitzvah coming up and is determined to get an English education. But with financial worries never far away, will it be possible? David ..... Aaron Gelkoff, Sarah ..... Emma Leah Golding, Avraham ..... Daniel Abelson, Sammy ..... Yoni Bronks, Sigmund ..... Jack Wagman, Rachel ..... Leah Marks, Miriam ..... Severn Seymour, Butcher ..... Lloyd Peters. Production team- see 16 Jul. 18 Jul: Almonds and Raisins, 3 Continued from yestreday. David starts school at Manchester Grammar where he is one of the only Jewish pupils. He makes friends with a non-Jewish boy who invites him to a birthday celebration. David ..... Aaron Gelkoff, Sarah ..... Emma Leah Golding, Avraham ..... Daniel Abelson, Sammy ..... Yoni Bronks, Sigmund ..... Jack Wagman, Rachel ..... Leah Marks, Isaac ..... David Fleeshman, Miriam ...... Severn Seymour, Radinsky ..... Hamilton Berstock, Jim ..... Olly Rhodes. Production team - see 16 Jul. 19 Jul: The Skies Are Watching, 3: Transmissions By Jon Frechette and Todd Luoto. Vance and Heather return to Kecksburg, the site of Coral’s abduction, where they are special guests at the annual UFO Festival. The truth about Jana’s agenda is revealed. Heather - Caitlin Stasey, Vance - Jake Roberts, Rodney - David Yow, Jana - Caroline Morahan, J.D. - James Bacon, Lee - Jameson Cush, Travis - Jonathan Shockley. Production team - see 12 Jul. Production Manager - Kurt Koller Executive Producer - John Scott Dryden. Indie (Goldhawk). 20 Jul: Saturday Play - Cry If You Want To By Emma V Crowe. Single parent Ana thinks she isn't being paid fairly at work. She's tried her boss; she's tried HR; no luck. - Now she decides to find out how much her colleague Dave earns in order to make her case. One night she arrives at his flat to ask him. Ana....Ellie Kendrick, Dave....Sam Swann. Production co-ordinator....Gaelan Davis-Connolly. Sound by Ali Craig, Keith Graham and Andrew Garratt. Produced by Abigail le Fleming. 55m. 21 Jul: Sunday afternoon: A Vindication of Frankenstein's Monster, 3 Continued from last Sunday. By L.M.Griffiths / Mary Shelley. Vic implants the AI consciousness into Lizzie's body. But it doesn't go to plan. When 'the Creature' starts to look at Lizzie's memories she begins to remember her daughter. Creature.....Lydia Wilson Vic.....Vinette Robinson Max.....Sacha Dhawan Eli.....Joel Fry Polly.....Anneika Rose Mary.....Daisy Head. Sound design by Sharon Hughes. Production co-ordinators Vicky Moseley and Lorna Newman. Produced by Nadia Molinari. 22 Jul: Ed Reardon's Week, 15-2 Ed starts to work with pallet wood. 23 Jul: The Words By Maryam Hamidi. Drama about the differing experiences of fleeing your homeland and starting again as an adult and as a child. Ashraf is nervous. It’s the day of his substantive interview for asylum. Sitting next to him is Interpreter 691. Sitting across from them is an interviewer that Ashraf cannot fully understand. Everything he says matters. But everything he says, will be resaid and reinterpreted by another. Ashraf … Mohsen Ghaffari, Nahid … Shireen Farkhoy. Music performed by Dr Parmis Mozafari. Produced by Kirsty Williams. 24 Jul: Oak Tree Close A boy who believes he has magical teeth meets a King in a tree in Boscobel in 1651. A ballad in seven scenes, tracing the life of an ancient oak. The play includes a new song - Where My Tooth Once Grew - by Johnny Flynn and Robert MacFarlane. Thomas (1651) ..... Rui Greaves, Charles ..... Johnny Flynn, Helen ..... Maya Coates Lizzie ..... Elinor Coleman Arthur ..... Taylor Simner, Harry ..... Laurie Kynaston, George ..... Joel MacCormack, Padma (1981) ..... Jiyan Kaur Deol Mr Andrews ..... Stewart Campbell Thomas (2021) ..... Laurie Kynaston Padma (2021) ..... Priyanga Burford. Writers: Maud Dromgoole (1651), Sonia Jalaly (1727), Hatty Jones (1787), Joel MacCormack (1891), Margaret Perry (1919), Priyanga Burford (1981) and Max Levine (2021). Musical director, Peter Ringrose. Production Coordinator, Anne Isger. Producer: Jessica Dromgoole. 25 Jul: The Poor Olympics and the Flying Housewife By Sean Grundy. A drama about true events, broadcast the day before the 2024 Olympics. It’s 1948. London is picked to host the Olympics. But GB is skint, hungry and tired after eight years of rationing and a £7,000 million war debt. It has nothing left, including hope. This Olympics are set to be an embarrassing failure. In the middle of impending doom, young GB athletes Dorothy Manley, Maureen Gardner and Evelyn Betchley arrive, all set to race veteran Dutch runner Fanny Blankers-Koen (‘FBK’). At 30, mother-of-two FBK is considered too old to compete and battles with the anti-sportswomen male Establishment, led by Avery Brundage, President of the International Olympic Committee, who preaches how sport endangers female fertility. Cast: Martin Bonger, Hollie Burgess, AK Golding, Sandra-Mae Lux, Remmie Milner, Wilf Scolding and Kerry Shale. Soundtrack by Sister Rosetta Tharpe and Ella Fitzgerald. Directed by Sean Grundy Executive Producer: Boz Temple-Morris. Recorded by Wilfredo Acosta. Sound Design by Alisdair McGregor. Produced by Cara Jennings. Indie (HandDrawn productions). 26 Jul: The Skies Are Watching, 4 - Aftermath By Jon Frechette. 30m. In the aftermath of the UFO Festival, as Vance’s warnings about the extraterrestrials seem to come true, Jana wonders who she can trust. The search for the shooter leads to a surprising discovery. Heather - Caitlin Stasey, Vance - Jake Roberts, Rodney - David Yow, Jana - Caroline Morahan, Constance - Guinevere Turner J.D. - James Bacon Lee - Jameson Cush Andie - Elizabeth Halpern, Officer - Ayla Glass. Music: Blue Dot Sessions. Editing and Sound Design - Jon Frechette Directed by Jon Frechette and Todd Luoto. Production Manager - Kurt Koller. Executive Producer - John Scott Dryden. Indie (Goldhawk). 27 Jul: Saturday Play - A House Called Insanity By Stephen Wyatt. Elsy Borders became a national figure in the late 1930s, but no play celebrating her achievements has been written until now. She was working-class but in spite of that, she was determined to expose the poor quality of workmanship in house-building which continues to resonate today with scandals such as Grenfell Tower. She took the unprecedented step of refusing to pay her mortgage because of the the dire state of their new, poorly-built house on an estate in Kent. When the building society sued for repossession, Elsy counter-claimed for damages. The play includes contributions from Stella Etheridge, Jeremy Tagg and Phillipa Tagg who are current residents of the Coney Hall Estate where Elsy lived. Elsy Borders.........Anne-Marie Duff, Jim Borders......Karl Davies, Roxburgh......Sam Dale, Librarian.....Jenny Funnell, Judge.......Nigel Anthony, Agent......Andrew Branch, Michael.......Harry Myers, Pamela .....Betsy Horsfall, Directed by Martin Jenkins. Sound Design by David Thomas. Production Co-ordinator: Sarah Tombling. Production Manager: Sarah Wright. Indie (Pier). 28 Jul: Sunday afternoon - Moscow Notebooks By Michael Symmons Roberts. Poet Osip Mandelstam was a celebrated poet in Stalin's Russia. The trouble started when he wrote a poem making fun of Stalin. When the poem comes to his attention, he is not amused and Mandelstam is persecuted. Osip's reputation was only reinstated by Gorbachev, decades later. The play includes new versions of Mandelstam's poems by Michael Symmons Roberts. Mandelstam........Jonathan Tafler, Nadezhda...........Clare Lawrence Moody, Goldfinch/Akhmatova.....Erin Shanagher, Christophorovich.......Jonathan Keeble, Pasternak........Jack Wagman. Production Co-ordinator - Pippa Day. Studio Manager - Amy Brennan. Sound Design- Steve Brooke. Producer - Gary Brown. BBC. 29 Jul: Ed Reardon, 15-3 Comedy slot. With a warning from Ping ringing in his ears, Ed decides it’s time to collaborate, something he hasn’t done since the early 80‘s. By Andrew Nickolds and Christopher Douglas; produced by Dawn Ellis. 30 Jul: Who Cares By Matt Woodhead. Tale of 3 young carers in Salford who had no choice but to become the adult in their families. Based on over a hundred hours of interviews. Nicole ..... Lizzie Mounter, Jade ..... Jessica Temple, Connor ..... Luke Grant. Produced by Toby Swift. 31 Jul: Cov By Amanda Dalton, Sujana Crawford and Raef Boylan. 1. A Syrian refugee tries to navigate her way around her new home. 2. A city centre leisure complex which divides opinion is under threat. 3. An elderly woman returns home in search of peace. Three stories written by Coventry writers. Jean ..... Sandra Maitland, Adi/the elephant ..... Nitin Ganatra, Sana/Saf ..... Lara Sawalha, Pooja ..... Duaa Karim, Dan ..... Graeme Hawley, Libby ..... Helen O'Hara, Anya ..... Lauren Tanner. Producer - Gary Brown. The dramas in order are - 'Building a Life' by Sujana Crawford. 'Elephant' by Raef Boylan. 'Home' by Amanda Dalton. Amanda also wrote the links between the dramas. 1 Aug: Severn By Keri Collins. Edward is a lave net fisherman who spends his days wading and sifting in the tricky tidal waters of the River Severn. Something unexpected turns up in his net. And for those who don't know, a lave net is apparently a big net mounted on a pole, used to fish in estuaries. - Jason Hughes, Ellie - Remy Beasley, Lizzie - Katharine Rogers, Boatyard Jack - Joe Sims, John - Christian Patterson, Maria - Lucy Rivers, Mick - Stuart McLoughlin, Holly - Amelie Anthony. Production Coordinator - Eleri McAuliffe. Sound Design - Nigel Lewi.s Field Recordings - Jonathan Thomas. Producer - John Norton. BBC Wales. 2 Aug: The Skies Are Watching, 5 By Jon Frechette and Todd Luoto. Episode title - The Future of What? J.D. sends Heather, Jana and Constance to a rendezvous with members of a UFO cult. BBC blurb...."Did Vance’s prediction of an alien invasion come true, or was it all a veiled act of terrorism"? Heather - Caitlin Stasey, Rodney - David Yow, Jana - Caroline Morahan, Constance - Guinevere Turner, J.D. - James Bacon. Producers: Jon Frechette and Todd Luoto Music - Lars Koller, Jon Frechette, Blue Dot Sessions, Editing and Sound Design - Jon Frechette, Production Manager - Kurt Koller, Executive Producer - John Scott Dryden. Indie (Goldhawk). 3 Aug: Saturday Play: Mahabharata Now, 3: Dance of Defiance By Richard Kurti and Bev Doyle. The saga continues as Yash and Padma arrive in Manchester to begin their four year exile. Now they are an ethnic minority in a country where race is an increasingly charged issue and, with no money, they are powerless to insulate themselves from trouble. Meanwhile, in Mumbai, Dhruv is working hard to secure his grip on power. Dhruv: Neil Bhoopalam, Yash: Tavish Bhattacharyya, Padma: Ira Dubey, Shaks: Vivek Madan, Karthik: Sukant Goel, Gopi: MIna Anwar, Nyra: Abir Abrar, Swati: Rina Fatania, Emmi: Ayla Wheatley, Landlord: Dean Harris, Andy: Kenny Blyth, Warehouse Supervisor: Sean Connolly. Other characters played by Abir Abrar, Omkar Kulkarni, Devika Shahani Punjabi and Prerna Chawla. Sound Supervisor (Mumbai): Ayush Ahuja. Sound Design and Post Production: Wilfredo Acosta. Original Music: Imran Ahmad. Producer (Mumbai): Nadir Khan. Producers in England: Helen Quigley and Andrew Mark Sewell. Director: Jatinder Verma. Indie (B7 Productions). 4 Aug: Sunday afternoon: Death at La Fenice, 1 By Donna Leon, ad. Dave Britton from the novel. A world famous conductor is found dead in his dressing room between acts in La Traviata. Venice is horrified. What damage will this do to the city’s reputation? And that of its great opera house, La Fenice? With Julian Rhind-Tutt, Tayla Kovacevic-Ebong, David Horovitch, Clive Hayward, Jeany Spark, Siobhan Redmond, Jane Slavin, Hugh Ross, Susan Jameson. Music by Julie Cooper Produced by Eoin O'Callaghan. Indie (Big Fish). 5 Aug: More Ed Reardon, 4 6 Aug: Wholesome By Georgia Affonso. A comedy-drama. Sally Turner is about to retire and has made no plans, telling everyone she just wants some peace and quiet. But when 22 year old Lizzie Fisher interviews for Sally’s job, Sally impulsively offers her the spare room. Sally.....Olwen May, Lizzie.....Amber Grappy, Olly/Keelan.....Tachia Newall, Ange/Gwyneth....Susan Twist, Steve/ The GP.....Jason Done, Sound design by Sharon Hughes, Production Co-ordinator Pippa Day, Producer - Lorna Newman. BBC studios. 7 Aug: Contender By Melanie Spender, a new writer for R4. A drama about swimming, ruthless ambition and abuse of power. Aspiring Olympian Hannah is excited by Ben, her new coach. But his methods are not the usual ones.... Hannah ..... Hannah Tointon, Ben ..... Elliot Cowan, Luke ..... Tayla Kovacevic-Ebong, Andrea ..... Jasmine Hyde. Sound by Cal Knightley, Mike Etherden and Pete Ringrose. With thanks to Caitlin McClatchey. Produced by Ciaran Bermingham. 8 Aug: Belgrano, 1 Rpt. from 2 May 2022. By Richard Monks, in two parts (second part will follow). Forty years after the Falklands War we revisit the story of Clive Ponting, a civil servant who leaked documents about the sinking of the Argentinian Cruiser, General Belgrano. Ponting was put on trial for his breach of the Official Secrets Act; the judge directed the jury to convict him.] The drama looks at what drove Ponting to turn his back on Whitehall. The writer used Government Papers, newspaper reports, interviews and court transcripts and Ponting’s own account when writing the drama. There are some imagined scenes and characters. Clive Ponting ..... John Heffernan, Sally Ponting .... Ruth Everett, Richard Mottram ..... Geoffrey Streatfield, Ffion ..... Dorothea Myer-Bennett, Tam Dayell/Michael Heseltine/Inspector Hughes ..... Ewan Bailey, Peter Blaker/Admiral Sir John Fieldhouse ..... Neil McCaul, Wreford-Brown/John Stanley ..... Michael Begley, John Nott/Inspector Broome ..... Matthew Durkan, Jerry Wiggin/Second Officer ..... Tayla Kovacevic-Ebong, Cleaner/P.A. ..... Rebecca Crankshaw. Producer: Sally Avens. 9 Aug: 11 Minutes Dead, 1 By Lucy Catherine, in the 'Limelight' series. 30m. A paranormal thriller about near-death experience. After losing consciousness in a surfing accident, Beth is faced with a frightening vision of the future. When she awakes, she discovers that she has returned with mysterious new abilities. But it's not all good ... Beth . . . . . Scarlett Brookes, Roz . . . . . Claire Lams, Jenny . . . . . Maureen Beattie, Pete . . . . . Narinder Samra, Jem . . . . . Paul Ready, David . . . . . Tony Jayawardena, Sammi . . . . . Mabel Cresswell. Production Co-ordinator: Gaelan Davis-Connolly. Sound Design: Peter Ringrose. Producer: Sasha Yevtushenko. 10 Aug: Mahabharata Now, 4: Dance of Defiance By Ayeesha Menon. In Mumbai, Dhruv is working hard to reinvent his public persona and doing everything he can to secure his grip on power. Shaks is no longer willing to go along with Dhruv's corruption and, making his way to Manchester, he becomes determined to help Yash and Padma complete their exile and succeed in taking over Hasta Enterprises. Dhruv: Neil Bhoopalam, Yash: Tavish Bhattacharyya, Gita: Shernaz Patel, Padma: Ira Dubey, Shaks: Vivek Madan, Karthik: Sukant Goel, Gopi: Mina Anwar, Dr. Sareek: Nitin Ganatra, Abhay: Ronny Jhutti, Swati: Rina Fatania, Bakhtiyar: Omkar Kulkarni, Lawyer: Devika Shahani Punjabi, Reporter: Prerna Chawla. Other roles played by Abir Abrar; Sean Connolly, Omkar Kulkarni, Devika Shahani Punjabi and Prerna Chawla. Sound Supervisor (Mumbai): Ayush Ahuja. Sound Design and Post Production: Wilfredo Acosta. Original Music: Imran Ahmad. Producer (Mumbai): Nadir Khan Producers, UK: Helen Quigley and Andrew Mark Sewell. Director: Jatinder Verma. Indie (B7 Media). 11 Aug: Sunday afternoon - Death at La Fenice, 2 By Dave Britton, adapted from Donna Leon's novel. The Diva Patrelli’s sudden departure from Venice has made her a suspect in the murder of Maestro Wellauer with whom she had a fractious relationship. But Commissario Brunetti’s interview with the now aging soprano, Clemenza Santini reveals that the Maestro had more than one mortal enemy in Venetian music circles. Julian Rhind-Tutt, Tayla Kovacevic-Ebong, David Horovitch, Clive Hayward, Jeany Spark, Siobhan Redmond, Jane Slavin, Hugh Ross, Susan Jameson. Music by Julie Cooper. Produced by Eoin O'Callaghan. Indie (Big Fish). 12 Aug: Ed Reardon Continuing the series of repeats from August last year. 13 Aug: Life Lines , 7-1 By Al Smith. Drama set in an ambulance control room. Every day Carrie has to deal with emergencies calmly and with a clear head; from a young boy having to give his father CPR to a woman giving birth in a swimming pool. But when her friend and colleague, Will, asks her to lie on his behalf she is forced to choose between her friendship and her job. Carrie ..... Sarah Ridgeway, Will ..... Rick Warden, Ian ..... Michael Jibson, Divya/CSC Co-ordinator ...... Vineeta Rishi, Donald .... Neil McCaul, Eleanor / Paramedic ..... Emma Handy, Nikki/Operator..... Gabrielle Scawthorn, Callum/Gary...... David Angland, Beth ...... Cecilia Appiah, Schoolgirl/Naomi.... Shreya Lallu, Andy.... Nuhazet Diaz Cano, Production Co-ordinator ...... Maggie Olgiati, Technical Producers ...... Peter Ringrose & Alison Craig, Producer ...... Sally Avens. 14 Aug: Life Lines, 2 Concluding part of the story begun yesterday. Additional cast: Upstairs Ange / Jan ..... Rebecca Crankshaw Ross ..... Jonnie Broadbent Claire..... Gabrielle Scawthorn Ronnie.... Shreya Lallu Vix ..... Andi Bickers Mark/Tony.... Nuhazet Diaz Cano Production team: as yesterday. 15 Aug: Belgrano, part 2 By Richard Monks, rpt. Continued from a week ago; originally broadcast on 3 May 2022. Now Ponting is put on trial and we are kept in suspense until we hear the verdict. The trial ultimately led to changes in the Official Secrets Act. Clive Ponting ..... John Heffernan, Sally Ponting .... Ruth Everett, Brian Raymond ..... Sam Troughton, David Leigh ..... Joseph Kloska, Richard Mottram ..... Geoffrey Streatfeild, Bruce Laughland ..... Neil McCaul, Mr Amlot ..... Michael Begley, Mr Justice McCowan ..... Matthew Durkan, Clerk ..... Tayla Kovacevic-Ebong, Bow Street Judge ..... Chris Jack, Librarian/Hotel Manager. ..... Rebecca Crankshaw. Producer: Sally Avens. 16 Aug: 11 Minutes Dead, 2 By Lucy Catherine. Paranormal thriller about Near Death Experience. 30m. After losing consciousness in a surfing accident, Beth is faced with an alarming vision of the future. When she awakes, she has new abilities, but something sinister has followed her back from the other side. Beth returns to the scene of her accident and goes in search of a scientist who might be able to help. Beth . . . . . Scarlett Brookes, Roz . . . . . Claire Lams, Jenny . . . . . Maureen Beattie, Sammi . . . . . Mabel Cresswell, Stefan . . . . . Mark Edel-Hunt, Iskra . . . . . Anna Savva, Jem . . . . . Paul Ready, Teacher . . . . . Tony Jayawardena. Production Co-ordinator: Gaelan Davis-Connolly. Sound Design: Peter Ringrose. Producer: Sasha Yevtushenko. 17 Aug: Saturday Play: Stalingrad, 1. Viktor Shtrum By Vasily Grossman. Translated by Robert and Elizabeth Chandler; dramatised by Mike Walker. Grossman's account of the battle of Stalingrad. The play records the approach of war to the city of Stalingrad, through the lives of the Shaposhnikov family and their partners. Atomic scientist Viktor Shtrum works for the Soviet state whilst his family work in the city’s power stations, factories and hospitals. Viktor Shtrum ….. Kenneth Branagh, Lyuda Shaposhnikova ..... Greta Scacchi, Alexandra ….. Ann Mitchell, Zhenya ….. Doon Mackichan, Stepan Spiridonov ….. Kenneth Cranham, Nina ….. Danusia Samal, Vera ….. Scarlett Courtney, Tolya ….. Will Kirk, Novikov ….. Rick Warden, Lenya ….. Greg Jones, Pryahkin ….. Clive Hayward, Yeremenko ….. Neil McCaul, Apparatchik ….. Adam Courting, Driver ….. Ikky Elias, Woman….. Sinead MacInnes. Music composed by John Hardy, with Rob Whitehead, and performed by Oliver Wilson-Dixon, Tom Jackson, Stacey Blythe, and Max Pownall. Produced by Jonquil Panting. Series Produce: Alison Hindell. 18 Aug: Sunday afternoon - Clear Light of Day, 1 By Anita Desai; ad. Jane Rogers. In August 1947, the partition of India caused up to two million deaths. This semi-autobiographical novel, set in Delhi, follows a Hindu family torn apart by the tragedy when one of the siblings marries a Muslim. The drama is told from the perspective of 20 years later, in 1967. Bim - Meera Syal, Tara - Ayesha Dharker, Raja - Amit Shah, Dr Biswas - Akbar Kurtha, Sharma Bakul - Nitin Ganatra, Cobbler/Mira - Neelam Bakshi, Biswas mother (Ep 2), Father (Ep 1) - Amerjit Deu, Father Misra (Ep 2)/Jaya - Zainab Hasan, Sarla - Kiran Sonia Sawar, Mulk - Gavi Singh Chera, Produced by Clive Brill.Indie (Brill Productions). 19 Aug: Ed Reardon Comedy, rpt. 20 Aug: Whose Baby? By Ishy Din. Bilal, a teenager keen on school drama and the youngest of 4 boys in an Asian family, discovers a family secret. The question is - who has fathered the child? (Sorry about the cryptic description but I'm avoiding spoilers. ) Billy – Gurjeet Singh, Big Mam – Mina Anwar, Kaneeze/Iram – Perveen Hussain, Maz/Bash – George Bukhari, Raf/Mo – Sid Akbar Ali. Producer – Julia Ford, Executive Director – Jeremy Mortimer, Sound Designer – Eloise Whitmore. Indie (Sparklab). 21 Aug: Perfidy and Perfection By tthe late Yuri Rosovsky. A beautifully constructed comic duet told entirely via the couple’s letters. Starring two American actors, directed by Martin Jarvis. Rpt. from 2022. This romance is set in 1912 Boston, then Paris, Rome and beyond. A penniless young fortune hunter James, having borrowed money, is setting out to court homely charitable-worker Julia, daughter of a rich Bostonian. She falls under James’ spell. But father objects. (...Specially composed music by A-Mnemonic.) There's a brilliant twist at the end. James… Simon Helberg, Julia… Jocelyn Towne. Producer: Rosalind Ayres. Director: Martin Jarvis. Indie (Jarvis and Ayres) 22 Aug: Barbeque 67 - The Original Summer of Love By Andy Barrett, rpt from 30 May 2022. A story about the first UK rock festival. With accounts from those who took part, including Geno Washington, Zoot Money and Pink Floyd’s Nick Mason. It's set near Spalding, Lincolnshire in 1967.The area is now home to labourers from Eastern Europe. A retired tulip farmer, Doug, who went to that amazing festival, meets a young Rumanian woman, who shares his enthusiam for Jimi Hendrix. On 29th May 1967 thousands of people descended on a giant agricultural shed, the Tulip Bulb Auction Hall. They heard Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Geno Washington, Pink Floyd, The Move, Zoot Money and local band Sound Force Five. Doug - Robert Glenister, Tereza - Anamaria Marinca, John - Gerard McDermott, Young Doug - Tom Glenister, Young John - Joe Parker, Jimi Hendrix - Shaq B. Grant, Stefan - Timotei Cobeanu, Mr Carlton - Roger Alborough. Additional real-life contributors: Jane Cooper, Lynton Guest, Doug Kendall, Christopher Longstaff, Rob Mardle, Vic Martin, Nick Mason, Zoot Money, Rob Offer, Mick Peacey, Alastair Stewart, Colin Ward, Geno Washington. Sound Design: David Thomas, Director: Andy Jordan, Producer: Jonathan Banatvala, Executive Producer: Melanie Nock. Indie (An International Arts Partnership production). This is the group responsible for the annual UK International Radio Drama Festival in Canterbury. 23 Aug: 11 Minutes Dead, 3 By Lucy Catherine. Continued from last Friday. Beth’s new psychic powers are tested and produce extraordinary results, but at a cost. Beth . . . . . Scarlett Brookes, Jem . . . . . Paul Ready Roz . . . . . Claire Lams, Sammi . . . . . Mabel Cresswell, Stefan . . . . . Mark Edel-Hunt, Traveller . . . . . Maureen Beattie. Production Co-ordinator: Gaelan Davis-Connolly, Sound Design: Peter Ringrose, Producer: Sasha Yevtushenko. 24 Aug: Saturday Play - Stalingrad, 2:Viktor's Struggle By Vasily Grossman, trans. Robert and Elizabeth Chandler; dramatised by Mike Walker. Continued from last Saturday. Viktor Shtrum ….. Kenneth Branagh, Lyuda Shaposhnikova ..... Greta Scacchi, Alexandra ….. Ann Mitchell, Zhenya ….. Doon Mackichan, Stepan Spiridonov ….. Kenneth Cranham, Nina ….. Danusia Samal, Vera ….. Scarlett Courtney, Tolya ….. Will Kirk, Nikolai Krymov ...... Mark Bonnar, Novikov ….. Rick Warden, Lenya ….. Greg Jones, Pryahkin ….. Clive Hayward, Yeremenko ….. Neil McCaul, Apparatchik ….. Adam Courting, Driver ….. Ikky Elias, Woman….. Sinead MacInnes. Music composed by John Hardy, with Rob Whitehead, and performed by Oliver Wilson-Dixon, Tom Jackson, Stacey Blythe, and Max Pownall. Produced by Jonquil Panting. Series Producer Alison Hindell. 25 Aug: Sunday afternoon - Clear Light of Day, 2 Dramatized by Jane Rogers; continued from last Sunday. For summary, see 18 Aug. Bim - Meera Syal, Tara - Ayesha Dharker, Raja - Amit Shah, Dr Biswas - Akbar Kurtha, Sharma Bakul - Nitin Ganatra, Cobbler/Mira - Neelam Bakshi, Biswas mother (Ep 2), Father (Ep 1) - Amerjit Deu, Father Misra (Ep 2)/Jaya - Zainab Hasan, Sarla - Kiran Sonia Sawar, Mulk - Gavi Singh Chera, Produced by Clive Brill. Indie (Brill Productions). 26 Aug: Stand Up Just William - All The News Martin Jarvis performs (in a theatre in front of an audience) as Richmal Crompton's immortal schoolboy character William. In this episode, William starts a newspaper. Producer: Rosalind Ayres. 27 Aug: Jason's Mates By Peter Strickland, film maker. Peter has written and directed several Radio 4 dramas. In this play, he satirises the corruption which permeates some democracies at local level. He uses the style of old, children’s television animation in order to create a highly stylised world of reality-based but fictionalised political corruption. Every incident in the play is loosely based on real life practices or occurrences. As for the plot: Jason is the Mayor of the town of Ramsonlea. An election is approaching and an opposition candidate, Ernest, is promising to sort out the corruption and nepotism which has occurred under Jason’s watch. Jason………Richard Bremmer, Wilf……Hugh Dennis, Portie Winterworth……Toby Jones, Lance Winterworth…..Leo Bill, Ernest Montague…….Paul Ready, Professor Pontifex…. Fatma Mohamed, The Narrator….. Stephanie Racine, Original music…….Jon Fletcher, Lyrics……Peter Strickland, Sound Design………………Eloise Whitmore, Directed by Peter Strickland, Executive Producer: Polly Thomas, Indie (Naked Productions). 28 Aug: Tether By Isley Lynn. Set in 2010. Becky's a blind marathon runner, She needs a new guide. Mark is a former 'Olympic Hopeful', after a fresh chance at a medal. He may be the person she's looking for. Becky – Mared Jarman, Mark – Tommy Sim’aan, News Reporters – Cellan Wyn, Gemma and News Reporter – Anna Spearpoint, Access Consultant – Margo Cargill, Production Coordinator – Eleri McAuliffe Sound Design by Nigel Lewis, Produced by Fay Lomas. BBC Wales. 29 Aug: Red Lines By Craig Oliver and Anthony Seldon. A behind-the-scenes drama about how Prime Minister Cameron and President Obama failed to enforce the "red line" against chemical weapons use by Syria's President Assad, who was aided by Russia's Vladimir Putin. Craig Oliver was David Cameron's former Head of Communications and Anthony Seldon is a historian. Assad was aided by Vladimir Putin, and the writers believe these events in 2013 were a step on the road to the invasion of Ukraine. David Cameron - Toby Stephens, Putin, Nick Clegg and Douglas Alexander - Nicholas Boulton, Samantha Cameron - Sarah Lawrie, Narrator - Veronica Roberts, Barack Obama - Wil Johnson, George Osborne, Ed Miliband, William Hague and Craig Oliver - Jon Culshaw, Theresa Villiers - Sarah Lawrie, Ed Llewellyn, George Young and Hilary Benn - Wilf Scolding. Other parts played by members of the cast. Producer - Richard Clemmow. Director - David Morley. Indie (Perfectly Normal) 30 Aug: 11 Minutes Dead, 4 By Lucy Catherine, cont'd. Paranormal thriller. After seeing a vision of her daughter's impending death and recognising the man who will be responsible, Beth goes on the run. Beth . . . . . Scarlett Brookes, Jem . . . . . Paul Ready Roz . . . . . Claire Lams, Sammi . . . . . Mabel Cresswell, Pete . . . . . Narinder Samra, Cerys . . . . . Lisa Palfrey Iskra . . . . . Anna Savva. Production Co-ordinator: Gaelan Davis-Connolly. Sound Design: Peter Ringrose. Producer: Sasha Yevtushenko. 31 Aug: Saturday Play - Stalingrad, 3 -Nikolai Krymov By Vasily Grossman; trans. Robert and Elizabeth Chandler; dram. Jonathan Myerson. In this episode we meet old-school Bolshevik Commissar Nikolai Krymov in the thick of the Russian army’s retreat before Operation Barbarossa, and follow the 'unknown' soldiers on the battlefield, giving their lives to hold the line at the Volga. Nikolai Krymov ...... Mark Bonnar, Pyotr Vavilov ..... Richard Elfyn, Nastya Vavilov ..... Gwawr Loader, Tolya ….. Will Kirk, Filyashkin ..... Francois Pandolfo, Kovalyov ..... Gareth Pierce, Lena ..... Caitlin Richards, Malyarchuk ….. Simon Ludders, Rezchikov ..... Marc Danbury, Usurov ..... Adam Courting, Vera ..... Scarlett Courtney, Stepan Spiridonov ….. Kenneth Cranham, Marusya Spiridonova ..... Eiry Thomas. Music composed by John Hardy, with Rob Whitehead, and performed by Oliver Wilson-Dixon, Tom Jackson, Stacey Blythe, and Max Pownall. Produced by Jonathan Myerson. Series Producer Alison Hindell. 1 Sep: Mahabharata Now, 5: Dance of Deceit By Ayeesha Menon, I think ... no credit in RT. Adaptation of the ancient Indian poem Mahabharata. Set as a family epic in the 21st century in Mumbai (Bombay), the series is powered by the conflicts within a turbulent business empire. Now the battle to control Hasta Enterprises escalates. Shaks, the eldest son, believes he is now the rightful heir and should control the company. It puts him on a collision course with Yash and Dhruv. Gita fears the conflict will destroy the business empire her husband created. Cast: Neil Bhoopalam, Tavish Bhattacharyya, Ira Dubey, Shernaz Patel, Vivek Madan, Sukant Goel, Abir Abrar, Devika S Punjabi, Zeus Paranjape, Bhavnisha Parmar and Prerna Chawla. Producer: Jatinder Verma. 2 Sep: Plum House, 3-1: Better the Devil By Ben Cottam and Paul McKenna. The comedy set in a small museum. Tom is put on leave to recover from his unhappy heartache. A troubleshooter from Head office arrives to knock the museum into shape. Simon Callow, Jane Horrocks, Miles Jupp, Pearce Quigley and Tom Bell.Guest starring this week; Pip Torrens and Alex Lowe. Directed by Paul Schlesinger. Produced by Claire Broughton. BBC Studios. 30m. 3 Sep: A Spark of Darkness, 1 By David Barnes. A Hitchcock-inspired thriller. When naval dockyard electrician John Derrick is told his apprentice has died in an accident, he refuses to believe it. But neither the Navy, nor the police, nor his own boss will tell him what happened. With his reputation on the line, John takes endeavours to find the truth.. John.......Joplin Sibtain, Tony......Rob Jarvis, Surina.......Kiran Landa, Joy...... Nina Yndis, Deborah......Heather Craney, AJ......Ammar Duffus, Maddie......Lily Anne Lefkow, Kev.....Max Olesker, Marcus Clarke.....Chris Anderson, Duty Guard.....Jo Troy. Director and Sound Designer: Andy Goddard. Composer: Odinn Orn Hilmarsson. Producer & Casting Director: Emma Hearn. Exec Producer: John Dryden. Indie (Goldhawk). 4 Sep: A Spark of Darkness, 2 Continued from yesterday. Indie. 5 Sep: Stealing Shelley’s Heart By Hattie Naylor. The poet Percy Shelley has sailed a ship into a storm off the Italian coast. His wife, Mary, and lover, Jane, wait anxiously for news. Mary Shelley.....Olivia Vinall, Jane Williams.....Kerry Gooderson, Florenza.....Flaminia Cinque Lorenzo.....Luca Malacrino, Trelawny/ Italian fisherman.....Massimiliano Acerbi, Shelley.....Jack Hammett. Production co-ordinator.....Lindsay Rees. Sound design.....Nigel Lewis. Director.....Emma Harding. BBC Wales. 6 Sep: 11 Minutes Dead, 5 By Lucy Catherine. Paranormal thriller continued from last week. 30m. Time is running out for Beth as she seeks to evade the dark forces pursuing her. She turns to the man who poses the greatest threat. Beth . . . . . Scarlett Brookes, Jem . . . . . Paul Ready, Stefan . . . . . Mark Edel-Hunt, Roz . . . . . Claire Lams, The Traveller . . . . . Maureen Beattie, Sammi . . . . . Mabel Cresswell. Production Co-ordinator: Gaelan Davis-Connolly. Sound Design: Peter Ringrose. Producer: Sasha Yevtushenko. 7 Sep: Saturday Play: Stalingrad, 4: The Volga By Vasily Grossman, trans. Robert & Elizabeth Chandler. Dram. Jonathan Myerson. 3pm. The soldiers of the Third Reich draw ever nearer to the Volga, where Krymov and his men struggle to hold the line. After three years of rewrites to satisfy the censors, this book was finally published in the Russia. The communists soon started denouncing the writer for depicting non-heroic Russians. But as a former war correspondent, Grossman told the truth about the battle of Stalingrad, and the men and women caught up in it. Nikolai Krymov ...... Mark Bonnar, Pyotr Vavilov ..... Richard Elfyn, Nastya Vavilov ..... Gwawr Loader, Tolya ….. Will Kirk, Filyashkin ..... Francois Pandolfo, Kovalyov ..... Gareth Pierce, Lena ..... Caitlin Richards, Malyarchuk ….. Simon Ludders, Rezchikov ..... Marc Danbury, Usurov ..... Adam Courting, Vera ..... Scarlett Courtney, Stepan Spiridonov ….. Kenneth Cranham, Marusya Spiridonova ..... Eiry Thomas. Original music by John Hardy with Rob Whitehead; performed by Oliver Wilson-Dixon, Tom Jackson, Stacey Blythe, and Max Pownall. Directed by Jonathan Myerson; Series Producer Alison Hindell. 8 Sep: Sunday pm: Mahabharata Now, 6: By Ayeesha Menon, Richard Kurti and Bev Doyle. With the company partitioned, Dhruv and Yash can begin to put their stamp on the divisions they now control. Dhruv and Shaks are quick to make ruthless decisions at the expense of their employees, while Yash is inspired by quality and integrity, no matter what the financial cost. Dhruv …….... Neil Bhoopalam, Yash ….... Tavish Bhattacharyya, Padma .... Ira Dubey, Gita ……... Shernaz Patel, Shaks …... Vivek Madan, Karthik .... Sukant Goel, Nyra……... Abir Abrar, Vidya……….... Irawati Karnik, Olivia…….. Malaika Choudhury, Lawyer….. Devika Shahani Punjabi, Mr. Desai…... Aseem Hattangady, Priest………... Mukul Chadda, Johar…... Akash Khurana, Landlord.. Zeus Paranjape, Account Manager…... Garima Yajnik, gAbbI……. Helen Quigley, GP200….. Bhavnisha Parmar, GOPI…….. Prerna Chawla. Other roles played by Omkar Kulkarni, Zeus Paranjape, Prerna Chawla and members of the cast. Sound Supervisor (Mumbai) …..... Ayush Ahuja, Sound Engineer (Mumbai) …..... Ashyar Bulsara, Sound Design and Post Production … Peregrine Andrews, Original Music ….... Imran Ahmad, Producers .….... Helen Quigley and Andrew Mark Sewell. Producer (Mumbai) ………. Nadir Khan, Director …...... Jatinder Verma. Indie (B7 Media). 9 Sep: Plum House, 3-2: So British By Ben Cottam and Paul McKennaPlum House's curator Peter Knight (Simon Callow) finds unlikely TV fame, whilst being featured on an ancestry show helping celebrity guest Derren Brown trace his roots to the museum. Simon Callow, Jane Horrocks, Miles Jupp, Pearce Quigley, Tom Bell and Louise Ford with this week's guests Emma Denly and Alex Lowe. Directed by Paul Schlesinger. 30m. Produced by Claire Broughton. 10 Sep: Going Dark By Marcella Evaristi. In 1642, the lives of three actors are devastated by a theatre ban which will last 18 years. They witness the upheavals of plague, Civil War, Puritan persecution and the execution of their Royal patron, Charles I. The play celebrates the remarkable survival and ultimate Restoration triumph of these real-life friends who finally returned to the stage as celebrated players in 1660. Michael…...Justin Salinger, Charlie……Daniel Boyd, Walter…....Joel MacCormack, Mattie…….Melody Grove, Robin…..Stephen Boxer, Isobel……..Candida Benson, Susannah……Lauren Cornelius. Producer: Bruce Young BBC Scotland. 11 Sep: Tribe of Two By Malaika Kegode. Mari has never felt she belongs, living in a sleepy market town in Devon. There are annoyances that come with being a mixed-race kid in noughties rural England. Then there’s Baba, her larger-than-life Zimbabwean father, a musician with more than local fame. He's desperate for Mari to learn his songs. But she feels little connection to a country and a culture she's never experienced. Mari ..... Mae Munuo, Makenda ….. Mogali Masuku, Baba ..... Cyril Nri, Mum/Chrissie ..... Mary Woodvine, Ben ….. Nay Oliver Murphy, Salt Peter/Hippy ….. Stephen Kennedy, The Jess’s/Form teacher ….. Jade Matthew, Lad ..... Flynn Hallman. Other voices played by the cast. Composer: Harry Wrigley. Mbira player and composer, Otto Gumaelius. Sound design, Adam Woodhams. Mix, Steve Bond. Producer: Jesse Fox. Executive producer: Nicolas Jackson. Indie (Afonica). 12 Sep: Edith Sitwell in Scarborough By Mary Cooper, based on an idea by Lavinia Murray. Delightful mixture of fact and fantasy exploring the extraordinary poet, writer and critic Edith Sitwell. Edith returns to Scarborough where she was born, and meets her younger self to wreak revenge on her parents. She was subjected to cruelty from them as a child. Dame Edith - Glenda Jackson, Miss Edith - Bella Ramsey, Lady Ida - Julia Davis, Sir George - Jonathan Keeble, Moat - Roger Ringrose. Producer: Pauline Harris. 13 Sep: Central Intelligence, 1 By Greg Haddrick, who created the series with Jeremy Fox. The inside story of the CIA from the perspective of Eloise Page (Kim Cattrall), who joined on the Agency’s first day in 1947 and, in a 40-year career, became one of its most powerful women. Eloise takes the listener on a journey through the highs and lows of US foreign policy, spanning the world events that shaped her career, as well as portraying her relationships with early CIA leaders. In this first episode, there are tensions with Russia in war-torn Europe, and a letter is found in Hitler’s safe. In the 'Limelight' series. 30m. Eloise Page..........Kim Cattrall, Allen Dulles..........Ed Harris, Richard Helms..........Johnny Flynn, Frank Wisner..........Geoffrey Arend, Young Eloise Page..........Elena Delia, General Vyshinsky..........Matthew Marsh, Erna Flegwel..........Sarah Alles-Shahkarami, Princess Tanda..........Isabella Nefar, Antoine Guerini..........Walles Hamonde, Tom Polgar..........Jamie Bogyo, Nadia..........Arita Sadiku. Original music by Sacha Puttnam. Sound Designers & Editors: John Scott Dryden, Adam Woodhams, Martha Littlehailes & Andreina Gomez Casanova. Script Consultant: Misha Kawnel. Script Supervisor: Alex Lynch. Trails (?): Jack Soper, Archive Research: Andy Goddard & Alex Lynch, Production Assistant: Jo Troy, Sonica Studio Sound Engineers: Mat Clark & Paul Clark, Sonica Runner: Flynn Hallman, Marc Graue Sound Engineers, LA: Juan Martin del Campo & Tony Diaz. Margarita Mix, Santa Monica Sound Engineer, LA: Bruce Bueckert. Mirrortone Sound Engineers, NY: Collin Stanley Dwarzski & James Quesada. Director: John Scott Dryden. Producer & Casting Director: Emma Hearn. Executive Producers: Howard Stringer, Jeremy Fox, Greg Haddrick and JSD. Indie (Goldhawk). 14 Sep: Saturday Play -The Goat Doctor By Graeme Garden. Comedy play based on fact. Doctor John Romulus Brinkley (1885-1941) was a poor boy from the Appalachian Mountains who became a quack doctor and one of the richest men in America. His practice took off after he apparently successfully grafted the testicles of a goat onto a farmer to revive his flagging vigour. Brinkley's fame spread, and to advertise his services he set up a Radio station. At its height XER, broadcasting from Mexico to reach the Canadian Border, was the most powerful and popular station in the world. Dr John Romulus Brinkley - Ray Porter. Narrator - Kerry Shale. Minnie Brinkley - Laurence Bouvard. with Tom Alexander, Jennifer Armour, Karen Bartke, Graeme Garden, James Morley, Michael Roberts, William Roberts, Martin T Sherman. Director: Dirk Maggs. Producer: David Morley. Indie (Perfectly Normal). 15 Sep:Sunday afternoon: Mahabharata Now, 7 By Richard Kurti and Bev Doyle. Episode title: Dance of Deceit.The unrest caused by Dhruv and Shaks' layoffs spills out into the streets of Mumbai with tragic consequences. Yash's move to right the wrong with the employees succeeds, but later in the Hasta bar, Nyra receives wisdom from Gopi that seems utterly contrary to everything she and her father are trying to achieve. Nyra makes a decision which devastates Yash and drives her mother Padma further towards an act of desperation. Dhruv …….......…. Neil Bhoopalam, Yash .......... Tavish Bhattacharyya, Padma …….......... Ira Dubey, Gita ........…. Shernaz Patel, Shaks ................. Vivek Madan, Karthik ….......…... Sukant Goel, Nyra……........……. Abir Abrar, Vidya…........ Irawati Karnik, Olivia…....... Malaika Choudhury, Lawyer…….......…. Devika Shahani Punjabi, Mr. Desai…......…. Aseem Hattangady, Priest…….......…… Mukul Chadda, Johar……........…… Akash Khurana, Landlord…......….. Zeus Paranjape, Account Manager…...… Garima Yajnik, Gabbi…....... Helen Quigley, GP200........ Bhavnisha Parmar, GOPI…........ Prerna Chawla. Other roles played by Abir Abrar; Devika Shahani Punjabi, Mukul Chadda, Akash Khurana and members of the cast. Sound Supervisor (Mumbai) …....……... Ayush Ahuja, Sound Engineer (Mumbai) …….....….…. Ashyar Bulsara, Sound Design and Post Production …. Peregrine Andrews, Original Music ….........……... Imran Ahmad, Producers .……..........… Helen Quigley and Andrew Mark Sewell. Producer (Mumbai) ……..…....…… Nadir Khan. Director ............ Jatinder Verma. Indie (B7 Media). 16 Sep: Plum House, 3: A Knight to Remember Series 3. 30m comedy slot. Plum House has once again been invited to the Museum of the Year awards in London. Manager Tom is determined that he and Peter attend as the house has been nominated, despite the rest of the team thinking it's a waste of time. While Tom and Peter are away, Julian is left in charge and much to Alan and Maureen's consternation decides that now's the time for him to raise his social media game by posing in a suit of armour. Plum House features Simon Callow, Jane Horrocks, Miles Jupp, Pearce Quigley, Tom Bell and Louise Ford. Guest starring this week: Alex Lowe. Written by Ben Cottam and Paul McKenna. Directed by Paul Schlesinger. Produced by Claire Broughton. BBC Studios. 17 Sep: Half Lives Sara is trying to reach a society 10,000 years in the future. Hannah is just trying to get through the week. She works as operations manager at a nuclear processing plant that’s about to be decommissioned. Its nuclear waste will be packed into canisters and buried deep underground. Sara is a linguist, sent to shadow Hannah, to develop a way of warning future generations about the dangers of the waste that lies buried. The challenge is that today’s languages are unlikely to survive the vast timeframes needed. Hannah…. Lois Meleri Jones, Sara… Indra Ove, The Myth… Kezrena James, Tegwyn… Wyn Bowen Harries, Eric…. Dion Lloyd, John…. Rhys Ap William. Production co-ordinators… Eleri McAuliffe and Lindsay Rees, Sound designer… Catherine Robinson, Director and Producer… Fay Lomas, BBC Wales. 18 Sep: Riot Girls - Dykes, 1 An original three part series by Sarah Daniels, which follows the friendship of three radical lesbian feminists from the 1970s to today, and takes in the campaigning of the ‘70s and ‘80s, Clause 28 in the 1990s, and the more recent fractures in the LGBTQ+ community. Starring Nichola McAuliffe, Jessica Turner, Jelena Budimir, Lucy Reynolds, Scarlett Courtney and Sinead MacInnes. This is the fourth season of Riot Girls. (In a weak moment I wondered whether we will ever get a series entitled Quiet Girls - Ed. ) Pat.....Nichola McAuliffe, Lynn/Liam.....Jelena Budimir, Miley.....Katie Angelou, Younger Pat.....Lucy Reynolds, Younger Bex.....Scarlett Courtney, Younger Lynn.....Sinead MacInnes Headmaster.....Neil McCaul, Pat’s Dad.....Ian Conningham. Produced by Emma Harding. 19 Sep: The Ballad of Bobby Sands By Tom Kelly, who imagines the final days of MP and IRA hunger striker Bobby Sands in a play about political and religious conviction, grief and a mother’s love. Rpt. Bobby Sands ..... Jonjo O'Neil, Rosaleen ..... Frances Tomelty, Father Faul ..... Lloyd Hutchinson. Director ..... Emma Harding. Producer ..... Marc Beeby. 20 Sep: Central Intelligence, 2 By Greg Haddrick and Jeremy Fox. More on the CIA. In this episode, Intelligence indicates the Russians will soon try to take over Europe. How can Stalin be stopped? Eloise Page..........Kim Cattrall, Allen Dulles..........Ed Harris, Richard Helms..........Johnny Flynn, Frank Wisner..........Geoffrey Arend, Young Eloise Page..........Elena Delia, General Vandenberg..........Rob Benedict, General Bedell-Smith..........Kerry Shale, President Truman..........Eric Meyers, Julia Helms..........Julee Cerda, General Gehlen..........Rufus Wright, George Kennen..........Philip Desmeules, George Polk & Tom Polgar..........Jamie Bogyo, Secretary..........Natasha Arancini, Stalin..........Hubert Hanowicz, Dennis Helms..........Leela-Grace Dryden. Original music by Sacha Puttnam. Sound Designers & Editors: John Scott Dryden, Adam Woodhams, Martha Littlehailes & Andreina Gomez Casanova Script Consultant: Misha Kawnel, Script Supervisor: Alex Lynch, Archive Research: Andy Goddard & Alex Lynch. Production Assistant: Jo Troy. Sonica Studio Sound Engineers: Mat Clark & Paul Clark. Sonica Runner: Flynn Hallman. Marc Graue Sound Engineers, LA: Juan Martin del Campo & Tony Diaz. Margarita Mix, Santa Monica Sound Engineer, LA: Bruce Bueckert. Mirrortone Sound Engineers, NY: Collin Stanley Dwarzski & James Quesada. Producer & Casting Director: Emma Hearn, Executive Producers: Howard Stringer, Jeremy Fox, Greg Haddrick and John Scott Dryden. Indie (Goldhawk) 21 Sep: Saturday Play:Clash, 1 By Ellen Wilkinson, ad. Sharon Oakes. Joan is born into a working class family, fights for social equality but is enchanted by world of ease and luxury represented by Mary Maud Meadowes and Tony Dacre. Note that Ellen Wilkinson was one of the first women MPs and cabinet members. Joan Craig - Kate O’Flynn, Tony Dacre -Paul Ready, Gerry Blain - Luke Nunn, Mary Maud Meadowes - Jane Whittenshaw, William Royd - Roger Ringrose, Helen Dacre - Emma Handy , Harry Browne - Stefan Adegbola , Factory worker - Charlotte East Chemical Worker - Ian Dunnett Jnr. Sound - Peter Ringros.e Producers - Ciaran Bermingham and Jessica Dromgoole. 22 Sep:Sunday afternoon - Man Friday By Edson Burton. A re-imagining of Daniel Defoe’s classic story, from the perspective of Man Friday. Kofi is having a bad day when he first meets the shipwrecked Robinson Crusoe. Lost at sea and out of provisions, his starving shipmates have decided to eat him. When they come upon a deserted island, it seems the perfect venue for a beach barbecue. But Kofi spies a footprint in the sand which raises his hopes of rescue. Crusoe appears, raving, clothed only in branches, with a goat for backup. They somehow frighten off the pirates, and are alone. This island is as foreign to Kofi as it is to Crusoe, and brings up all the same issues: loneliness, abandonment, and how to survive. Kofi ... CJ Beckford, Crusoe ... Alexander Kirk, Captain/Sailor 1/Sally ... Joseph Tweedale, Sailor 2 ... John Rutledge. Original music by Seckou Keita. Engineered by Andy Bell at Hudson Records. Additional music and sound design by Ilse Lademann. Producer ... Mary Ward-Lowery. 23 Sep: Plum House, 4 Series 3. By Ben Cottam and Paul McKenna; 30m comedy slot. This week, manager Tom hopes to earn some funds for the museum by renting out Peter's apartment - if Julian has remembered to tell Peter to move out. Meanwhile the museum welcomes a French artist to paint a picture of the property. Simon Callow, Jane Horrocks, Miles Jupp, Pearce Quigley, Tom Bell and Louise Ford. Guests this episode: Celeste Dring, Jason Forbes and Jade Ogugua. Directed by Paul Schlesinger. Produced by Claire Broughton. BBC 24 Sep: The Most Important Conversations Happen in Bed By Natasha Sutton Williams. (Her first drama for BBC Radio). Across 50 years of bedsheets, the love story of two extraordinary women unfolds against the backdrop of evolving LGBTQ+ rights in Britain. The romance between Margo and Lucille ... Lie your head on the same pillow as Margo and Lucille as they have the most important conversations of their lives in the privacy of their bed, about the dreams, frustrations and secrets they dare not speak in public. Margo (17 years)……..Tamara Brabon, Lucille (17 years)………Laura Marcus, Margo (29/40 years)……..Lucy Ellinson, Lucille (29/40 years)………Kelly Hotten, Margo (66 years)……..Cara Chase Lucille (66 years)………Alexandra Mathie. Produced by Rachel Austin, Production Manager - Darren Spruce, Executive Producer - Eloise Whitmore. Indie (Naked Productions). 25 Sep:Riot Girls, 2, Dykes By Sarah Daniels. Ep. 2. Season 4. The angry, pioneering 1970s give way to the more repressive 1980s, and Mrs. Thatcher's introduction of Clause 28 (which prohibited the "promotion of homosexuality" by local authorities). Pat.....Nichola McAuliffe, Lynn/Liam.....Jelena Budimir, Miley.....Katie Angelou, Younger Pat.....Lucy Reynolds, Younger Bex.....Scarlett Courtney, Younger Lynn.....Sinead MacInnes, Flick.....Laura Christy, Marc.....Ian Conningham, Policeman.....Neil McCaul. Directed by Emma Harding. 26 Sep: OK Boomer By Kevin Core. A baby boomer and provocative streamer Trudy makes pronouncements on younger generations, and it gives her a big following. Her two daughters don't like it. But the death of Trudy’s father brings these three very different generations together. Trudy.........Susan Twist, Jenny..........Erin Shanagher, Chloe.........Sade Malone, Craig............Gareth Cassidy, Praj...........Sushil Chudasama, Dan...........Tarek Slater. Production Co-ordinator - Vicky Moseley, Studio Manager - Amy Brennan, Sound Designer - Simon Highfield, Producer - Gary Brown. BBC. 27 Sep: Central Intelligence, 3 In the 'Limelight' series. This episode written by Felicity Packard. The inside story of the CIA from the perspective of Eloise Page (Kim Cattrall), who joined on the Agency’s first day in 1947 and, in a 40-year career, became one of its most powerful women. Eloise takes the listener on a journey through the highs and lows of US foreign policy, spanning the staggering world events that shaped her career, as well as portraying her relationships with early CIA leaders, Allen Dulles (Ed Harris) and Richard Helms (Johnny Flynn). In this episode, there's a plan to fight communism in Europe by turning a group of Albanian farmers into an elite commando squad. But is intelligence watertight? 30m. Eloise Page..........Kim Cattrall, Allen Dulles..........Ed Harris, Richard Helms..........Johnny Flynn, Frank Wisner..........Geoffrey Arend, Young Eloise Page..........Elena Delia, Virginia Hall..........Jennifer Armour, Admiral Hillenkoetter..........Matthew Marsh, James Jesus Angleton..........Philip Desmeules, Kim Philby..........Rufus Wright, Colonel Smiley..........Wayne Forester German Woman on tape..........Sarah Alles-Shahkarami, German Colonel on tape..........Walles Hamonde, Secretary..........Natasha Arancini, Albanian Girl..........Arita Sadiku. Original music by Sacha Puttnam. Drama series created by Jeremy Fox & Greg Haddrick. Producer: Emma Hearne. Production team - see 20 Sep. Indie (Goldhawk). 28 Sep: Saturday Play - Clash, 2 By Ellen Wilkinson, ad. Sharon Oakes. BBC blurb: Political romance, set during the General Strike, looking at the clash between North and South, work and life, tradition and emerging roles. Joan Craig bridges all these divides with energy and talent, but ultimately has to choose whose side she's on. (...don't we all? ... - Ed) Joan Craig - Kate O’Flynn, Tony Dacre -Paul Ready, Gerry Blain - Luke Nunn, Mary Maud Meadowes - Jane Whittenshaw, William Royd - Roger Ringrose, Bunny Royd - Emma Handy, Ben Lewis - Stefan Adegbola, Dolly -Charlotte East, Alaric -Ian Dunnett Jnr, Sally -Cecilia Appiah. Sound - Peter Ringrose. Producers - Ciaran Bermingham and Jessica Dromgoole. 29 Sep: Sunday afternoon - Hard Times, 1 By Charles Dickens, dram. Graham White. "Now, what I want is Facts. Teach these boys and girls nothing but Facts. Facts alone are wanted in life."The story is a vivid story for our own age - a short, sharp satire of target-driven education, business, and the denial of the imagination. Headmaster Thomas Gradgrind has developed a rigid, facts-driven curriculum for his school. And at home, he raises his two children, Tom and Louisa, within a similar system of utilitarian metrics. But the human spirit has an inherent thirst for wonder and Louisa struggles inside the constraints of her education. Thomas Gradgrind…..David Morrissey, Louisa Gradgrind…..Rachel Harper, Tom Gradgrind…..Ike Bennett, Josiah Bounderby…..Shaun Dooley Sissy Jupe…..Janey Orchard, Mrs Sparsit…..Jan Ravens, James Harthouse…..Will Close, Stephen Blackpool…..Arthur Hughes, Rachael…..Claire Cage, Mrs Gradgrind/Margaret/Josephine…..Julie Barclay, Mr M’Choakumchild/Slackbridge/Collins…..Richard Elfyn, Bitzer…..Aaron Anthony Sleary…..Patrick Robinson. Production co-ordinators Lindsay Rees and Eleri Sydney McAuliffe. Sound by Rhys Morris, Nigel Lewis and Catherine Robinson Produced by Emma Harding. BBC Wales. 30 Sep: Plum House, 5 30m comedy slot. Series 3. By Ben Cottam and Paul McKenna. Ep. title - All in Good Faith. The team welcome a new vicar to their parish, played by Robert Bathurst. Peter is his biggest fan, but the others have varying levels of interest. Simon Callow, Jane Horrocks, Miles Jupp, Pearce Quigley, Tom Bell and Louise Ford. Guests Robert Bathurst and Alex Lowe. Directed by Paul Schlesinger. Produced by Claire Broughton. BBC 1 Oct: Daniel is Free By Hugh Costello. A 26-year-old is released from prison because of a government early-release scheme. Shaun Chambers as Daniel; Jane Slavin as Alice, with Ian Conningham, Lizzy McInnerny, Alex Constantinidi and Matthew Aubrey. Producer: Eoin O'Callaghan. 2 Oct: Riot Girls - Dykes, 3 By Sarah Daniels. Episode title: 'Cis Man that is born of Cis Woman'. The story follows the friendship of three radical lesbian feminists from the 1970s to today, and takes in the pioneering campaigning of the ‘70s, the backlash of Clause 28 in the late '80s, and recent fractures in the LGBTQ+ community. This is the fourth season of Riot Girls. Pat.....Nichola McAuliffe, Lynn/Liam.....Jelena Budimir, Miley.....Katie Angelou, Andrea.....Heather Craney. Produced by Emma Harding. 3 Oct: A Daughter's a Daughter Adapted by Malcolm McKay from the novel by Agatha Christie (writing as Mary Westmacott). Agatha wrote six novels under this pseudonym. In this story, a widow lives a quiet life with her daughter Sarah. Whilst her daughter is away, Ann decides to marry Richard Cauldfield, a reliable but uninspiring businessman. Sarah does not like it. Ann Prentice ….. Nancy Carroll, Dame Laura Whitstable ….. Sylvestra Le Touzel, Sarah Prentice ….. Natalie Mitson, Richard Cauldfield ….. Tom Goodman-Hill, Gerry Lloyd ….. Tom Glenister, Lawrence Steene ….. Taheen Modak. Produced by Catherine Bailey. Indie (Catherine Bailey Productions). 4 Oct: Central Intelligence, 4 By Felicity Packard. The inside story of the CIA from the perspective of Eloise Page. Continued from last Friday. In this episode, with failures mounting, a US war hero is appointed to shake up the CIA, but there's a spy... Eloise Page..........Kim Cattrall, Allen Dulles..........Ed Harris, Richard Helms..........Johnny Flynn, Frank Wisner..........Geoffrey Arend, Young Eloise Page..........Elena Delia, Clover Dulles..........Laurel Lefkow, General Bedell-Smith..........Kerry Shale, Kim Philby..........Rufus Wright, James Jesus Angleton..........Philip Desmeules, Virginia Hall..........Jennifer Armour, President Truman..........Eric Meyers, Admiral Hillenkoetter..........Matthew Marsh, Colonel Smiley..........Wayne Forester, David Lilienthal..........Adam Sina, Macy Dulles..........Will Hislop, Bido..........Andi Jashy. Original music by Sacha Puttnam. Production: Created by Greg Haddrick & Jeremy Fox. Sound Designers & Editors: John Scott Dryden, Adam Woodhams, Martha Littlehailes & Andreina Gomez Casanova. Script Consultant: Misha Kawnel. Script Supervisor: Alex Lynch. Archive Research: Andy Goddard & Alex Lynch. Production Assistant: Jo Troy. Sonica Studio Sound Engineers: Mat Clark & Paul Clark. Sonica Runner: Flynn Hallman. Marc Graue Sound Engineers, LA: Juan Martin del Campo & Tony Diaz. Margarita Mix, Santa Monica Sound Engineer, LA: Bruce Bueckert. Mirrortone Sound Engineers, NY: Collin Stanley Dwarzski & James Quesada. Director: John Scott Dryden. Producer & Casting: Emma Hearn. Executive Producers: Howard Stringer, Jeremy Fox, Greg Haddrick and John Scott Dryden. Indie (Goldhawk). 5 Oct: Saturday drama: It Can't Happen Here By Sinclair Lewis, adapted by Mike Walker from the novel. This is a dystopian political story set in 1930s America. Doremus Jessup - Ben Miles, Lorinda Bryant - Debora Weston, The Presenter - Ashleigh Haddad, President Berzelius "Buzz" Windrip - Nathan Osgood, Bishop Prang - Stuart Milligan, Shad Ladue - Nathan Nolan. Production Co-ordinator - Eleri McAuliffe. Sound Design - Catherine Robinson and Nigel Lewis. Producer - John Norton. BBC Wales. 6 Oct: Sunday afternoon - Hard Times, 2 Dickens, dram. Graham White. "Now, what I want is Facts. Teach these boys and girls nothing but Facts. Facts alone are wanted in life." Louisa and Tom have grown up in the rigid, utilitarian system of their father, Thomas Gradgrind. Hoping to help her brother, Louisa has entered into a loveless marriage with Coketown banker and mill-owner, Bounderby. But when a millworker is suspected of robbing the bank, Louisa starts to fear that her brother may have had a hand in the plot. Thomas Gradgrind ….. David Morrissey, Louisa Gradgrind ….. Rachel Harper, Tom Gradgrind ….. Ike Bennett, Josiah Bounderby ….. Shaun Dooley, Sissy Jupe ….. Janey Orchard, Mrs Sparsit ….. Jan Ravens, James Harthouse ….. Will Close, Stephen Blackpool ….. Arthur Hughes, Rachael ….. Claire Cage, Josephine ….. Julie Barclay, Slackbridge/Collins ….. Richard Elfyn, Bitzer ….. Aaron Anthony, Sleary ….. Patrick Robinson. Production co-ordinators Lindsay Rees and Eleri Sydney McAuliffe. SMs Rhys Morris, Nigel Lewis and Catherine Robinson. Directed by Emma Harding, BBC Wales. 7 Oct: Plum House, rpt Series 3, ep. 6: Fete and Fortune. 30m. The annual summer fete in the grounds of Plum House itself. Mayor Gerry is minded to move the fete to a different location if this year's festivities are the disaster they were last year so everyone is told to be on best behaviour. Simon Callow, Jane Horrocks, Miles Jupp, Pearce Quigley, Tom Bell and Louise Ford. This episode features guests Miranda Richardson and Alex Lowe. Written by Ben Cottam and Paul McKenna; directed by Paul Schlesinger and produced by Claire Broughton. 8 Oct: Mediation - Tanglewood By Clara Glynn. As the pressure on the UK’s courts intensifies, more and more cases are going through mediation as an alternative form of conflict resolution. Can meditation help when a new documentary about the classic film 'Tanglewood' brings back conflicting memories for its child star and its director? Murdo ..... Liam Brennan, Laura ..... Gabriel Quigley, Henry ..... Crawford Logan, Alice ..... Jessica Hardwick, Sandra ..... Barbara Rafferty. Produced by Gaynor Macfarlane. 9 Oct: Mediation - Spilt Milk By Clara Glynn. It's been a year since Kirsten and Bill opened their home to a Ukrainian family. Now relationships have become strained, can mediation help them to find agreement? Murdo ..... Liam Brennan, Kirsten ..... Kirsty Stuart, Bill ..... Michael Nardone, Larissa ..... Vera Graziadei, Mykola ..... Dmitry Everdeen. Produced by Gaynor Macfarlane. 10 Oct: Mediation - Crossing the Line By Clara Glynn. Mia works for a leading Edinburgh tech company. She alleges sexual harassment and discrimination against her older boss, Daniel. Can mediation offer a way to avoid a costly Employment Tribunal? Murdo ..... Liam Brennan, Mia ..... Hiftu Quasem, Daniel ..... Andy Clark, Susanna ..... Maryam Hamidi. Produced by Gaynor Macfarlane. 11 Oct: Central Intelligence, 5 By Greg Haddick. The mysterious death of two agents, a mail interception program and the surprise discovery of a network of anti-communist insurgents behind the Iron Curtain. 30m. Eloise Page……….Kim Cattrall, Allen Dulles……….Ed Harris, Richard Helms……….Johnny Flynn, Frank Wisner……….Geoffrey Arend, Kermit Roosevelt……….Rob Benedict, Young Eloise Page……….Elena Delia, General Bedell-Smith and General Eisenhower……….Kerry Shale, Julia Helms……….Julee Cerda, Clover Dulles………Laurel Lefkow, Lyman Kirkpatrick……….Akie Kotabe, Macy Dulles……….Will Hislop, Yvonne De Carlo……….Natasha Arancini, Chief Postal Officer……….Dana Hajdoo, Tom Polgar……….Jamie Bogyo. Other parts were played by members of the cast. Production team - see 4 Oct. 12 Oct: Saturday Play - The English Are Coming By Hattie Naylor. Ghosts of the past awaken as a community is torn apart by the housing crisis in Cornwall. No longer able to buy or rent in their own town, residents form an action group to put outsiders off coming to the area. Small acts of protest land them in trouble when the fight between locals and the hated English - the Emmet - escalates. Sadie and Morwenna ..... Sofia Oxenham, Rowena and Lina ….. Susan Penhaligon, Tamara ..... Sirine Saba, Richard and Peter ..... Tristan Sturrock, Gerren and Cory ..... Will Howard, Gavin ..... Richard Corgan, Bennath ..... Tamsyn Kelly. Other voices played by the cast. Executive Producer: Sara Davies. Production Manager: Anna de Wolff Evans. Sound design by Adam Woodhams. Directed and produced by Nicolas Jackson. Indie (Afonica). 13 Oct: Sunday afternoon - Little Dorrit, 1 Dickens, dram. Mike Walker. Arthur Clennam returns to England after 20 years in China. He brings with him a watch, with ‘Do Not Forget’ worked in beads on the casing. Dickens writes from personal experience; his father spent time in the Marshalsea prison in Southwark. Charles Dickens/ Rigaud ..… Jason Watkins, Arthur Clennam ..… Samuel Barnett, Amy Dorrit ..… Kitty Archer, William Dorrit ..… Paul Bradley, Frederick Dorrit ..... David Tarkenter, Mrs Clennam ..… Claire Price, Merdle ….. Joseph Millson, Mrs General ..… Nisha Nayar, Pancks ..… Carl Prekopp, Maggy ..… Lauren Cornelius, Jerry Flintwich / Dan Doyce …. Shaun Mason, Affery ..… Sarah Thom, Tite Barnacle Snr. .… Ewan Bailey, Tite Barnacle Jr ..… Tayla Kovacevic-Ebong. Production Co-ordinator: Annie Keates-Thorpe. Sound Design: Alisdair McGregor, Markus Andreas. Director: Jeremy Mortimer. Executive Producer: Joby Waldman. Indie (Reduced Listening) 14 Oct: Hopping By Susan Harrison and Lucy Trodd. 30m. Set in Kent, from the 1930s up to modern times. In the present day, Loverin (a woman's name, apparently) is researching her family tree online. She tends to be more interested in the human stories than the historical facts and figures. In East London lives the Turner family, whose members go hop-picking every year. The first day of hop picking is the annual competition between the Kent folk and the Londoners. Narrator ... Nancy Zamit, Aunt Lil ... Rosie Cavaliero, Clara ... Susan Harrison, George/ Neil ... Dan Starkey, Will/ Hut Hopper ... Gemma Arrowsmith, Ada ... Jade Johnson, Rose ... Lucy Trodd. Violinist ... Oliver Izod. Original music by Susan Harrison, Lucy Trodd and Duncan Walsh Atkins. Produced by Catherine Bailey. Indie (Catherine Bailey Productions). 15 Oct: Gut By Frances Poet. Stranger danger. How do you parent in a world that has lost its innocence? Can you trust your gut? For Lucy one possible incident infects her marriage, her family and her sanity. Lucy ..... Jeany Spark, Rory ..... Joseph Kloska, Morven ..... Jessica Turner, Joshua ..... Elizabeth Poet, Strangers ..... Neil McCaul, Will Kirk, Greg Jones. Producer: David Hunter. 16 Oct: Shrapnel By Isabel Wright. Nadine has escaped from a war-torn city, and assumes that she can handle anything. But her mind remains trapped and under siege. Nadine ..... Monica Dolan, Rafael .... Javier Marzan, Donna ..... Nicola Ferguson, Sofia ..... Sinead MacInnes, John ..... Ikky Elyas, Girl ..... Asiyah Williams. BBC Scotland. Produced by Gaynor Macfarlane. 17 Oct: Sleaze By Joe von Malachowski and Will Close. A play about am young couple, both teachers, and their young daughter. Tthe husband used to be in a band; one of the band's old songs suddenly hits the charts. The play delves into the ambiguities of memory and how the stories we tell of our life shift. Original music composed and played by Phil McDonnell. Siobhan ..... Lydia Wilson, Max ..... Will Close, Ivan ..... Jonny Weldon, Hooper ..... Matthew Durkan, Chloe ..... Crystal Condie, Lucy ..... Jadie Rose Hobson. Director: Anne Isger. Production Co-ordinator: Gaelan Davis-Connolly. SMs: Pete Ringrose, Ali Craig, Mike Etherden. BBC Studios. 18 Oct: Central Intelligence, 6 Continued from last Friday. The discovery of a network of spies deep behind Soviet lines leads to the most brilliant operation of the Cold War. 30m. Eloise Page……….Kim Cattrall, Allen Dulles……….Ed Harris, Richard Helms……….Johnny Flynn, Frank Wisner……….Geoffrey Arend, Kermit Roosevelt……….Rob Benedict, Young Eloise Page……….Elena Delia, General Bedell-Smith and General Eisenhower……….Kerry Shale, James Jesus Angleton……….Philip Desmeles, Clover Dulles……….Laurel Lefkow, Julia Helms……….Julee Cerda, Lyman Kilpatrick……….Akie Kotabe, John Foster Dulles………. Nathan Osgood, Bill Machle & Sienko……….Hubert Hanowicz. Producers: John Dryden, Emma Hearn. 19 Oct: Saturday play - Guilt Trip By Jeremy Front. Saul gave up worshipping God to follow Art. Now he has a chance to interview an elderly painter, Maeve Goring. As Saul gets tangled in Maeve's world he begins to question the rules that the Art world is built upon. He also manages to break every one of the ten commandments during a single weekend. Saul ..... Alex Waldmann, Joy ..... Jemima Rooper, Lisa ..... Jenna Augen, Maeve ..... Elizabeth Counsell, The Omniscient Presence ..... Allan Corduner. Producer ..... Sally Avens 20 Oct: Sunday afternoon- Little Dorrit: Episode 2 Dickens, adap. Mike Walker. Arthur Clennam has given up his place in the family firm and secured himself a role as partner in Dan Doyce’s engineering venture, a scheme funded by financier and ‘man of the age’ Mr Merdle. Meanwhile Arthur is still trying to solve the riddle of the inscription on his father’s watch case - ‘Do Not Forget’ - and feels that this must be linked in some way to William Dorrit, imprisoned in the Marshalsea for debts, and his daughter Amy. Charles Dickens/ Rigaud ..… Jason Watkins, Arthur Clennam ..… Samuel Barnett, Amy Dorrit ..… Kitty Archer, William Dorrit ..… Paul Bradley, Frederick Dorrit ..... David Tarkenter, Mrs Clennam ..… Claire Price, Merdle ….. Joseph Millson, Mrs General ..… Nisha Nayar, Pancks ..… Carl Prekopp, Maggy ..… Lauren Cornelius, Jerry Flintwich / Dan Doyce …. Shaun Mason, Affery ..… Sarah Thom, Tite Barnacle Snr. .… Ewan Bailey, Tite Barnacle Jr ..… Tayla Kovacevic-Ebong. Production Co-ordinator: Annie Keates-Thorpe. Sound Design: Alisdair McGregor, Markus Andreas. Producer: Jeremy Mortimer. Executive Producer: Joby Waldman. Indie (Reduced Listening). 21 Oct: Jack & Millie, 3-1 Out of Town By Jeremy Front. Comedy. Jack & Millie decide to improve Mel’s mental health by taking him to the wilds of Chigwell for the weekend. The series isabout an older couple fully engaged with contemporary life and at war with the absurdities of the modern world. Jack - Jeremy Front, Millie - Rebecca Front, Shirley - Tracy-Ann Oberman, Harry - Nigel Lindsay, Melvin - Tim Downie, Delphine - Jenny Bede. Produced by David Tyler Indie (Pozzitive productions) 22 Oct: Trust Series 5, ep. 1: Apocalypse When? By Jonathan Hall; comedy drama set in a school. An Ofsted inspection is looming for East Salford Academy. They must get ready. The core leadership team is knee deep in policies and strategies and Sir Ken, the head of Quays Academy Trust is on hand to give unsolicited advice. Yvette ..... Julie Hesmondhalgh, Tim ..... Ashley Margolis, Sir Ken ..... Jonathan Keeble, Carol/Joy ..... Susan Twist, Danny/Pavel ..... Jon-Paul Bell, Mina/Rachel ..... Sade Malone. Production Co-ordinator - Lorna Newman. Technical Team - Amy Brennan, Mitch Goodall. Sound Designer - Sharon Hughes. Producer - Gary Brown. BBC. 23 Oct: Trust, 5-2: The War Room By Jonathan Hall. The Inspectors have arrived and the core leadership team is trying to remain calm. It doesn't help that Yvette's mother has had an accident, Sir Ken has arrived back from Corfu the worse for wear, and the staff room malcontent Dave Lubbock feels no obligation to remain silent. Yvette ..... Julie Hesmondhalgh, Tim ..... Ashley Margolis, Sir Ken/Inspector ..... Jonathan Keeble, Carol/Joy ..... Susan Twist, Dhrutti ..... Mina Anwar, Dave ..... Lloyd Peters. Production Co-ordinator - Lorna Newman. Technical Team - Amy Brennan, Mitch Goodall. Sound Designer - Sharon Hughes. Producer - Gary Brown. BBC. 24 Oct: Trust, 5-3: RI By Jonathan Hall. Yvette and Tim have to pick up the pieces after the OFSTED inspection. Staff morale is rock bottom, and there is a rumour that Quays Academy Trust is going to offload its failing schools. Yvette ..... Julie Hesmondhalgh, Tim ..... Ashley Margolis, Ken/Pastor Eugene ..... Jonathan Keeble, Carol/Joy ..... Susan Twist, Billy ..... Jason Done, Taran/Ritchie ..... Hamish Rush. Production Co-ordinator - Lorna Newman. Tech Team - Amy Brennan & Mitch Goodall. Sound Designer - Sharon Hughes. Producer - Gary Brown. 25 Oct: Central Intelligence, 7 By Maryam Master. The CIA has a new head; America’s most famous spy, Allen Dulles. In his quest to stop the spread of communism, there's a mission to create unrest on the streets of Iran. Eloise Page..........Kim Cattrall, Allen Dulles..........Ed Harris, Richard Helms..........Johnny Flynn, Frank Wisner..........Geoffrey Arend, Kermit Roosevelt..........Rob Benedict, President Eisenhower..........Kerry Shale, Foster Dulles..........Nathan Osgood, Rocky Stone..........Akie Kotabe, Roya..........Isabella Nefar, Assadollah Rashidian & Iranian Press Editor..........Adam Sina, Imam Khomeini..........Dana Haqjoo, Mohammed Mossadegh and General Riahi..........Bijan Daneshmand, Bobak..........Majid Mehdizadeh-Valoujerdy, Billy Graham..........Philip Desmeules, Immigration Officer..........Walles Hamonde. Original music by Sacha Puttnam. 30m. 26 Oct: Saturday Play - Snares By Clare Bayley. A remote valley, echoing with birdsong. An expensive off-grid eco house, going to ruin. A wire fence garlanded with dead crows. And a visionary environmentalist, fast disappearing down a rabbit-hole of conspiracy theories. Following Skye's burnout, she and her partner Kezia hope to start again in the eco community set up by Skye's friend Tobias, an idealistic disruptor. It remains to be seen whether Tobias is the visionary environmentalist he claims to be. This play is in the 'Breaking the Rules' series. BBC, 55m. Skye......Rebecca Banatvala, Kezia.....Sarah Kameela Impey, Tobias.....Rupert Hill, Fiona......Jenny Platt, Produced by Nadia Molinari. Sound design by Sharon Hughes. Production co-ordinator: Pippa Day. Musical Director: Akintayo Akinbode. BBC. 27 Oct: Sunday afternoon - Little Dorrit, 3 Dickens, ad. Mike Walker. Continued from last Sunday. Charles Dickens/ Rigaud ..… Jason Watkins, Arthur Clennam ..… Samuel Barnett, Amy Dorrit ..… Kitty Archer, William Dorrit ..… Paul Bradley, Frederick Dorrit ..... David Tarkenter, Mrs Clennam ..… Claire Price, Merdle ….. Joseph Millson, Mrs General ..… Nisha Nayar, Pancks ..… Carl Prekopp, Maggy ..… Lauren Cornelius, Jerry Flintwich / Dan Doyce …. Shaun Mason, Affery ..… Sarah Thom, Tite Barnacle Snr. .… Ewan Bailey, Tite Barnacle Jr ..… Tayla Kovacevic-Ebong. Production Co-ordinator: Annie Keates-Thorpe. Sound Design: Alisdair McGregor, Markus Andreas. Producer: Jeremy Mortimer. Executive Producer: Joby Waldman. Indie (Reduced Listening). 28 Oct: Jack & Millie, 3-2: Matters of Life & Death 30m comedy slot. By Jeremy Front. Millie makes Jack ask Harry something serious while Shirley accidentally makes Millie watch Harvey wearing a Virtual Reality suit. Jack - Jeremy Front, Millie - Rebecca Front, Shirley - Tracy-Ann Oberman, Harry - Nigel Lindsay, With guests: Bhasker Patel as the Waiter, Tony Way as the Sauna Guy, Katy Wix as Solange. Produced by David Tyler. Indie (Pozzitive) 29 Oct: The Zinoviev Letter By Simon Bovey. A political drama about the conspiracy that triggered the collapse of the first Labour government in 1924. Based on the limited amount of historical information available. Ramsay MacDonald ….. Mark Bonnar, JD Gregory ….. Sam Troughton, Major Sir Desmond Morton ….. Max Bennett, Sir Eyre Crowe and Thomas Marlowe ….. Jonathan Coy, Aminta Bradley Dyne ….. Jaimi Barbakoff, News Vendor ….. Luke MacGregor. Produced by Gemma Jenkins. 30 Oct: Pilgrim - Belle Meadow Fayre, 1 A Pilgrim two-part special by Sebastian Baczkiewicz. Each year at Belle Meadow Fayre, the Greyfolk meet to celebrate the burial of John Barleycorn, a ritual to mark autumn's end. But this year there’s a problem: Old Johnny John John has gone missing. Autumn shows no sign of abating and without the sacred ceremony at Belle Meadow, winter will not come. Pilgrim must sort it out. Pilgrim ….. Paul Hilton, Vass ….. Toby Jones, Kara ….. Holli Dempsey, Clemira ….. Sirine Saba, Rana ….. Shreya Lallu, Keith ….. David Hounslow, Mr Summerskill ….. Carl Prekopp, Benji ….. Nuhazet Diaz Cano, The Girl . . . . . Agnes Dromgoole. Production co-ordinator: Maggie Olgiati. Foley artist: Alison Craig. Sound design: Peter Ringrose. Producer: Sasha Yevtushenko. BBC. 31 Oct: Pilgrim - Belle Meadow Fayre, 2 Continued from yesterday; by Sebastian Baczkiewicz. The rogue faerie Kara has caused havoc in the village of Woodwarthing by taking Old Johnny John John hostage, whose annual sacrifice is required for the seasons to change. It's down to Pilgrim to find him and face down his kidnapper. Production team - see yesterday's entry. BBC. 1 Nov: Central Intelligence, 8 By Maryam Master. As tensions mount in Iran, CIA operative Kim Roosevelt is tasked with persuading a fearful Shah to dismiss his socialist-leaning Prime Minister. 30m. Eloise Page..........Kim Cattrall, Allen Dulles..........Ed Harris, Richard Helms..........Johnny Flynn, Frank Wisner..........Geoffrey Arend, Young Eloise Page..........Elena Delia, Kermit Roosevelt..........Rob Benedict, Clover Dulles..........Laurel Lefkow, Foster Dulles..........Nathan Osgood, The Shah..........Majid Mehdizadeh-Valoujerdy, Queen Soraya..........Isabella Nefar, Assadollah Rashidian..........Adam Sina, Princess Ashraf..........Sarah Alles-Shahkarami, President Eisenhower..........Kerry Shale, Imam Khomeini & General Fazlollah Zahedi..........Dana Haqjoo, Mohammed Mossadegh, Nassiri, & General Riahi..........Bijan Daneshmand, Rocky Stone..........Akie Kotabe. Original music by Sacha Puttnam. 2 Nov: Saturday Play - Dead Girls Tell No Tales By Joanna Toye. It's sometimes said that the death of Grace Archer in September 1955 was a plot device to thwart the launch night of ITV. This play looks at the Archers' archives to reveal what really inspired 20 million people to tune in and left tens of thousands of listeners distraught. Dan Archer/Harry Oakes ..... Jon Culshaw, Doris Archer/Gwen Berryman ..... Pam Ferris, Phil Archer/Norman Painting ..... Lex Shrapnel, Grace Archer/Ysanne Churchman ..... Eleanor Tomlinson, Christine Archer/Lesley Saweard ..... Georgie Fuller, John Tregorran /Basil Jones ..... Geoffrey Streatfeild, Carol Grey/Anne Cullen ..... Sally Bretton, Godfrey Baseley ..... Simon Russell Beale, Tony Shryane ..... John Hopkins, Valerie Hodgetts ..... Claudie Blakley, Geoffrey Webb ..... David Reed, Edward J Mason ..... Miles Jupp, BBC Announcer ..... Zeb Soanes, TV Interviewer ..... Paddy O'Connell, Ysanne Churchman ..... Herself. OTHER ROLES: David Hounslow, Sam Dale, Chris Pavlo, Jessica Turner, Alex Tregear. Producer ..... Sean O'Connor. Rpt from Sept 2015. 3 Nov: Sunday afternoon - Our Mutual Friend, 1: The Mouth of the River By Dickens, dram. Dan Rebellato. All about money. The third and final adaptation for the R4 Dickensian season. We see a London of inequalities and cruelties, ignorance is held up as knowledge, vast wealth is built by a few; money is made fishing corpses out of the Thames. In this episode, narrator and lawyer Mortimer Lightwood introduces us to the highs and lows of London life, from the murky river, where Gaffer and his daughter Lizzie Hexam scrape a living dredging its dark waters, to the glittering well-heeled dining rooms and salons of the Podsnaps and Veneerings, and the squeezed middle of the Wilfers. John Harmon arrives, heir to a fortune – but only if he marries a woman he has never met, Bella Wilfer. Then Harmon goes missing. Gaffer Hexam ..... Michael Garner, Silas Wegg and Rogue Riderhood ..... Mat Fraser, Lizzie Hexam ..... Bukky Bakray, Mortimer Lightwood ..... Sule Rimi, Eugene Wrayburn ..... Issam Al Ghussain, Mr Podsnap and Mr Boffin ..... Gordon Kennedy, Mr Veneering and Mr R Wilfer ..... Henry Goodman, Mrs Veneering and Mrs Wilfer ..... Liz Sutherland- Lim, John Rokesmith and Headstone ..... Jeremy Ang Jones, Mrs Podsnap and Mrs Boffin ..... Frances Grey, Bella Wilfer ..... Bettrys Jones, Jenny Wren and Lavinia Wilfer ..... Delilah Tahiri, Betty Higden..... Lucy Speed. Sound Designer: Jon Nicholls. Assistant Producer: Nicola Miles Wildin. Production Manager: Darren Spruce. Studio Assistant: Louis Blatherwick. Executive Producer: Eloise Whitmore. Producer: Polly Thomas. Indie (Thomas Carter Projects). 4 Nov: Jack & Millie, 3-3 - The Moth Whisperer. By Jeremy Front. Comedy slot, 30m. Jack - Jeremy Front, Millie - Rebecca Front, Shirley - Tracy-Ann Oberman, Harry - Nigel Lindsay, Melvin - Tim Downie, Delphine - Jenny Bede, With guest Joseph May as Ethan. Produced by David Tyler. Indie (Pozzitive). 5 Nov: Life and Time, 1: Fourteen Years By James Fritz. Play set behind prison walls. Two prisoners are on ‘Imprisonment for Public Protection’ sentences. The first is a young man who has committed his first offence. The second is a returning prisoner who is now in his late 70s and struggling to cope with life in prison. Background: In 2002 the Home Secretary David Blunkett introduced a new type of sentence, intended to protect the public from those who had committed serious crimes. Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) gave judges the power to grant open-ended, indeterminate sentences to those regarded as too dangerous to be released when the term of their original sentence had expired. But theory and practice turned out to be different. Martin ….. Connor Finch, John ….. Kenneth Cranham, Prison Officer Rose ….. Robert Glenister, Kate ….. Kacey Ainsworth, Sammy ….. Ty Tennant. Producer.... Tracey Neale. Sound Design, Keith Graham. Production Co-Ordinator, Ben Hollands. 6 Nov: Life and Time, 2: Forty Minutes By James Fritz.Two prisoners are on ‘IPP' sentences. The first is a young man who has committed his first offence. The second, John, (a reoffender) is now in his late 70s; he has mobility problems and is struggling to cope with life in prison. In this episode, John's cellmate is on work duty, and John falls seriously ill. Martin ….. Connor Finch, John ….. Kenneth Cranham, Prison Officer Rose ….. Robert Glenister, Lee ….. Carl Prekopp, Margaret ….. Tracy Wiles. Produced by Tracey Neale. 7 Nov: Their Humble Servants By Jonathan Myerson. The play explores the workings of Buckingham Palace from the bottom up. Rpt. from 2019. An intruder has been detected in the palace grounds on the eve of a banquet being thrown by Lord Melbourne and in the week when the Abdication Bill is due to pass. How will the staff deal with it? The Royals do not take appear in this fictional drama - just their servants. Jeremy Stearn: Dominic Rowan, Michaela Arlington: Ayesha Antoine, Howard Patchett: Alec Newman, Gerard Derbyshire: Paul Chahidi, Pippa Wall: Harriett Hare, Rev Cecilia: Tanya Loretta Dee, Lord Melbourne and fisherman: Jack Staddon, Other parts played by members of the cast. Producer: Clive Brill. Indie (Brill Productions). 8 Nov:Central Intelligence, 9 By Greg Haddrick. More on the CIA. 30m. News starts to trickle through that the coup in Iran has failed. The CIA’s man on the ground, Kim Roosevelt, goes rogue to try to turn things around. Eloise Page..........Kim Cattrall, Allen Dulles..........Ed Harris, Richard Helms..........Johnny Flynn, Frank Wisner..........Geoffrey Arend, Kermit Roosevelt..........Rob Benedict, General Fazlollah Zahedi..........Dana Haqjoo, Nasiri & General Riahi..........Bijan Daneshmand, Queen Soraya..........Isabella Nefar, The Shah..........Majid Mehdizadeh-Valoujerdy, Assadollah Rashidian..........Adam Sina, Rocky Stone..........Akie Kotabe, Clover Dulles..........Laurel Lefkow, Clare Boothe Luce..........Jennifer Armour, Bellboy..........Will Hislop. Music is by Sacha Puttnam. Producer: John Dryden. Producer & Casting Director: Emma Hearn. Executive Producers: Howard Stringer, Jeremy Fox, Greg Haddrick and John Dryden. Indie (Goldhawk) 10 Nov: Sunday afternoon - Our Mutual Friend, 2. The Bend of the River Dramatized by born-and-bred Londoner Dan Rebellato from the novel. the novel which is about “…money, money, money, and what money can make of life!”[Bella Wilfer, Book 3, Chapter 4.] After the death of her father, Lizzie finds herself in receipt of the attentions of Bradley Headstone, so seeks shelter with kindly Mr Riah; young Georgiana Podsnap gets to know the ironically named Fascination Fledgeby, thanks to the Lammles; opportunistic social climbers. That's enough of the plot - we don't want spoilers here. Silas Wegg ..... Mat Fraser, Lizzie Hexam ..... Bukky Bakray, Mortimer Lightwood ..... Sule Rimi, Eugene Wrayburn ..... Issam Al Ghussain, Mr Podsnap and Mr Boffin ..... Gordon Kennedy, Mr Riah, Mr Veneering and R Wilfer ..... Henry Goodman, Mrs Wilfer and Mrs Veneering ..... Liz Sutherland- Lim, John Rokesmith and Headstone ..... Jeremy Ang Jones, Mrs Podsnap and Mrs Boffin ..... .Frances Grey, Bella and Sophronia Lammle ..... Bettrys Jones, Jenny Wren and Lavinia Wilfer ..... Delilah Tahiri, Georgiana Podsnap ..... Clare Lawrence-Moody, Fascination Fledgeby ..... Harrison Knights, Alfred Lammle ..... Harley Viveash, Betty Higden ..... Lucy Speed. In Love composed and sung by Harrison Knights. Sound design: Jon Nicholls. Assistant producer: Nicola Miles Wildin. Production Manager: Darren Spruce. Studio assistant: Louis Blatherwick. Executive Producer: Eloise Whitmore. Producer: Polly Thomas. Indie (Thomas Carter Projects). 11 Nov: Jack & Millie, 3-4 Sunrise, Sunset By Jeremy Front. Comedy slot. Rpt. 30m. Whilst Mel and Del’s daughter Scarlette is arrested for locking on to a TV celebrity, a combination of fake superfood and mispronounced turmeric lead to a wellness disaster. Jack & Millie Lemman are an older couple, fully engaged with contemporary life whilst being at war with the absurdities of the modern world. Jack - Jeremy Front, Millie - Rebecca Front, Shirley - Tracy-Ann Oberman, Harry - Nigel Lindsay, Melvin - Tim Downie, Delphine - Jenny Bede. With guest Joseph May as Ethan; Imogen Front as Scarlette. Produced by David Tyler. Indie (Pozzitive). 12 Nov: The Mosquito By Anita Sullivan. It's set at a fictional COP conference, with a talking Mosquito. Peter is a politician representing the UK at COP in Paris. He didn’t really want this assignment, but now he’s caught between the painfully keen business analyst who's taken the place of his PA, and the changing landscape of contemporary politics. Interviews are used (by permission) from: https://hub.connectingclimateminds.org/lived-experiences Peter- Robert Bathurst, The Mosquito- Laila Alj, Farah - Laila Alj, Addy - Audrey Brisson, Faith - Ruth Everett, Miles - Laurence Saunders, The Volunteer and other roles - Nuhazet Diaz Cano. Production Co-ordinators - Eleri McAuliffe and Noa Dowling. Sound Design - Catherine Robinson. Produced by John Norton. BBC Wales. 13 Nov: If It Kills Me By Eve Steele. Charlotte was a dancer who led an active life until a bout of Covid 19 transforms into Long Covid. Now her life is on hold. She can no longer do the job she loves or participate fully in family life. But then she becomes involved in something that finally brings her back to life. The play is inspired by the writer's real-life experience of the illness. Charlotte...........Eve Steele, Remi........Tachia Newall, Jasmine...........Sade Malone, Jess/Eco Farmer........Danielle Henry, Pauline/Podcast.......Eithne Brown, Greg/TV Presenter......Jon-Paul Bell. Rap Vocals by Tom Vernon. Production Co-ordinator - Vicky Moseley. Studio Manager - Amy Brennan. Sound Design - Sharon Hughes. Producer - Gary Brown. [Risk factors for Long Covid are higher age, being female, having asthma, and having had a more severe initial infection of the virus, which seems to have leaked from a laboratory in Wuhan, China. There are no validated effective treatments. Over 400 million people globally have experienced Long Covid. Reparations from China would be appropriate.] 14 Nov: Eavesdropper By Jeremy Raison. Claire is a secret agent, charged with the surveillance of potential terrorists. Her work is challenging but dangerous and, on a mission, she ignores instructions, with almost fatal consequences. Suffering acute acoustic trauma, she is fitted with a new hearing device which she is promised will prevent her from becoming permanently deaf. That's how the story begins. Claire ..... Lydia Leonard Paul ..... Lee Ingleby Voice ..... Anton Lesser Mike ..... David Rintoul Greta ..... Amaka Okafor Valteri ..... Stephen Critchlow Nurse ..... Rachel Atkins Voices ..... David Holt Receptionist ..... Beth Eyre Producer: Cherry Cookson. Indie (Rockethouse). 15 Nov: Central Intelligence, 10 By Greg Haddrick. Emboldened by success in Iran, CIA boss Allen Dulles turns his attention to Guatemala, where the socialist-leaning reforms of President Arbenz are having a negative impact on US interests. If a popular uprising can be engineered, the spread of socialism amongst America’s neighbours can be nipped in the bud. But short-term wins can lead to unforeseen consequences. 30m. Eloise Page..........Kim Cattrall, Allen Dulles..........Ed Harris, Richard Helms..........Johnny Flynn, Frank Wisner..........Geoffrey Arend, Kermit Roosevelt..........Rob Benedict, President Eisenhower..........Kerry Shale, Foster Dulles..........Nathan Osgood, Al Haney..........Majid Mehdizadeh-Valoujerdy, Richard Bissell..........Philip Desmeules, Tracy Barnes..........Adam Sina, Arbenz..........Walles Hamonde, David Philips..........Wayne Forester, Office Junior ..........Natasha Arancini. Original music by Sacha Puttnam. Director: John Scott Dryden. Producer & Casting Director: Emma Hearn. Indie (Goldhawk). [Note from Goldhawk: Series 2 of 'Central Intelligence' will be released in 2025.] 16 Nov: Saturday Play - The Markov File By Marek Horn. Georgei Markov was poisoned by the Soviets in 1978 by a man with ricin administered from the tip of an umbrella. This play examines what happened. Simon McBurney - Georgi Markov, Christopher Eccleston - President Zhivkov, Lucy Phelps - Zlatka Dubova, Ben Onwukwe - Peter Udell / Pesho / Colonel Kolev, Steve Brody - Kiro / Pavel Matev, Joshua James - Zahariev / Anastas Stoyanov, Conrad Nelson - Mihail Antonov, Kate Anstey - Lada Galina, David Burnett - Dr Riley / Vanelin Kostev, Howard Ward - Piccadilly / Nikolai Markov, Assistant Producer - Lucy Vallance, Producer - Hunter Charlton, Executive Producer - David Hunter, Sound Design - John Scott. With thanks to Luke MacGregor, without whom this drama would not have been possible. Indie (Ember Productions). 17 Nov: Sunday afternoon - Our Mutual Friend, 3: The Source of the River Dickens, dram. Dan Rebellato. The Lammles resort to more betrayal to save themselves from financial ruin. Silas Wegg digs deep in the dust to find hidden treasure. The mystery of who killed John Harmon is finally solved. Silas Wegg and Rogue Riderhood ..... Mat Fraser, Lizzie Hexam ..... Bukky Bakray, Mortimer Lightwood ..... Sule Rimi, Eugene Wrayburn ..... Issam Al Ghussain, Mr Podsnap and Mr Boffin ..... Gordon Kennedy, Mr Riah, Mr Veneering and R Wilfer ..... Henry Goodman, Mrs Wilfer and Mrs Veneering ..... Liz Sutherland- Lim, John Rokesmith and Headstone ..... Jeremy Ang Jones, Mrs Podsnap and Mrs Boffin ..... Frances Grey, Bella and Sophronia Lammle ..... Bettrys Jones, Jenny Wren and Lavinia Wilfer ..... Delilah Tahiri, Georgiana Podsnap ..... Clare Lawrence-Moody, Fascination Fledgeby ..... Harrison Knights, Alfred Lammle ..... Harley Viveash. Sound designer: Jon Nicholls. Assistant producer: Nicola Miles Wildin. Production Manager: Darren Spruce. Studio assistant: Louis Blatherwick. Image: YanKi Darling. Executive Producer: Eloise Whitmore. Producer: Polly Thomas. Indie (Thomas Carter Projects). 18 Nov: Hennikay, 1-1 Comedy slot. Episode title: Close-Contact Paint-Based Combat Manoeuvres By David Spicer. Bill Bailey as Guy Starling, a middle-aged man who, after 45 years is revisited by his imaginary childhood friend, Hennikay. In this episode Guy has to go on a team-building day. 30m. Guy ..... Bill Bailey, Tony ..... Dave Lamb, Marika ..... Elizabeth Carling, Kallie ..... Hollie Edwin, Simon ..... Alistair McGowan, Hennikay ..... Max Pattison. Producer: Liz Anstee. Indie (CPL). 19 Nov: The Goddess By Neil D'Souza. Geri returns to India to deal with her estranged father's estate but her Aunt is convinced of foul play in the sale of the family farm. As Geri investigates she finds herself caught up in the clash of values between an older more spiritual India and the new commercialism revolutionising the way people live. Geri ..... Shelley Conn, Alice ..... Taru Devani, Krishna Rao ..... Vincent Ebrahim, Jeevan ..... Nikesh Patel, Nanda/Bank Manager/ Announcer ..... Sagar Arya, Abhilash/Taxi Driver ..... Neil D’Souza, The Goddess ..... Aroop Shergill. Producer ..... Sally Avens. 20 Nov: Chloe's Ark By Leanne Allen. Brooke - a young wheelchair-user needs someone to do her odd jobs. She's found Chloe, who is affordable, quick, and pretty. A romantic comedy. Brooke. ..... Amy Trigg, Chloe. ..... Harmony Rose-Bremner, Ted. ..... Michael Bertenshaw, Jan/Handler. ..... Jane Slavin, Ian/Courier/Operator. ..... Paul Chahidi. Sound ...... Martha Littlehailes. Director. ..... Jessica Dromgoole. Producer. ..... Mary Peate. 21 Nov: One Hundred and Fifty Days By the late Oliver Emanuel. In 2023, Oliver was part way through writing a new play for radio when something happened to him and he found he could no longer read. This is his story: part audio play and part autobiography. A man and a woman are caught in a rip tide, the life they might have had together flashing in front of their eyes. Another man and woman are caught in an impossible situation, the life they have together flashing in front of their eyes. The broadcast is drawn from The Great Wave - Oliver's unfinished radio play and from 'All My Reading' – his creative response to the experience of brain cancer. The two pieces of writing were edited together by Victoria Beesley and Kirsty Williams. Performed by Robin Laing, Shauna Macdonald and Robert Jack. Sound Design by Fraser Jackson. Produced by Kirsty Williams. 22 Nov: Aldrich Kemp and The Rose of Pamir, 1: Mothers By Julian Simpson. A break-in at the Linnean Society triggers a race for the mysterious and elusive Rose of Pamir. 30m. Clara Page - Phoebe Fox, Aldrich Kemp – Ferdinand Kingsley, Mrs Boone – Nicola Walker, Nakesha Kemp – Karla Crome, Aunt Lily – Susan Jameson, The Underwood Sisters – Jana Carpenter, Mrs Bartholomew – Kate Isitt, Lionel – Steven Mackintosh, Selina – Catherine Kanter, Hazlitt & Sir Peregrine – Ben Crowe, Recruitment Consultant – Bec Boey. Directed by Julian Simpson. Music composed by Tim Elsenburg. Sound Design: David Thomas Producer: Sarah Tombling. Production Assistant: Ethan Elsenburg. Executive Producer: Karen Rose. 23 Nov: Saturday Play - Berlin Alexanderplatz, 1 By Alfred Doblin, trans. Michael Hofmann, dram. Simon Scardifield. Set in Berlin in 1929. Ex-convict Franz Biberkopf is back on the streets of Berlin determined to go straight. But it's not that easy. Rpt. Narrator ..... Claes Bang, Franz ..... Lee Ross, Mack ..... Samuel James, Otto ..... Neil McCaul, Pretzel Woman ..... Ria Marshall, Lina ..... Jasmine Hyde, Conductor ….. Mark Edel Hunt, Eliser ..... Justice Ritchie, Minna ..... Grace Cooper Milton, Speaker ..... Chris Jack, Alice ..... Christine Kavanagh. Produced by Emma Harding and Marc Beeby. Directed by David Hunter and Gemma Jenkins. 24 Nov: Sunday afternoon - Frank Bascombe: An American Life, 3: The Lay of the Land By Richard Ford, dram. Robin Brooks. We follow the fortunes of his hapless but hopeful hero Frank. It's set in America; over the year we have been checking in with Frank during four weekends of his life, over four decades, from the early 1980s to Christmas 2012.In this episode, set in 2000, Frank, now in his mid-50s, is enjoying a successful career in property, but has some domestic problems. Frank: Kyle Soller, Ann : Kelly Burke, Clarissa: Hannah Genesius, Sally: Melody Grove, Paul: Christopher Buckley, Cookie/Jill: Lily Anne Lefkow, Detective Marinara: Eric Stroud, Thom / Paramedic: Robert Mountford Officer Greggs: Amelia Parillon, Nick Feenster: Tayla Kovacevic-Ebong. Dramatised from the Bascombe novels. Sound Design: Joseff Harris and Alisdair McGregor, Broadcast Assistant: Hermione Sylvester. Produced by Fiona McAlpine. Indie (Allegra) 25 Nov: Hennikay, 1-2: Grown-Up Stuff By David Spicer. Time has passed and Hennikay is still in Guy’s life. One Saturday morning, after a heavy Friday night out in Maidstone, Guy tries to lay down some ground rules. Then Guy discovers a strange woman in his spare bedroom. Comedy slot, 30m. Guy – Bill Bailey, Tony – Dave Lamb, Nikita - Polly Frame, Lyrissa - Tracy-Ann Oberman, Harry - Paul Panting, Hennikay – Max Pattison. Producer: Liz Anstee. Indie (CPL). 26 Nov:One Eighty, Fan By Ali Taylor. Rom-com about two middle-aged neighbours who decide to tackle the energy crisis by sharing an oven. Tom ..… Grant O’Rourke, Geri ….. Sally Reid, Zack ..… Lewis MacDougall. Sound Design by Kris McConnachie. Producer: Kirsty Williams. 27 Nov: The Curse of the Five Elements - Fire By Simon Wu. A murder mystery set in the Sung Dynasty, 960 - 1279 A.D. The protagonist, Judge Bao (999 - 1062) was a real person, the illegitimate child of an African father and Chinese mother. He became the most famous judge in Chinese history. The story: On the wedding night of a well to do family, the groom is murdered, his bride vanishes, linked to a five-element curse (fire, metal, water, wood, earth). By chance, Judge Bao is in town and begins investigating the mystery. Simon's play "The Disappearance of Mr. Chan" went out on R4 in 2020. He co-wrote three radio plays—Looking for Stones, Bare Branches, and Demolition Man— for World Service. His online radio play Diwali and Curry featured in the Urban Scrawl project. Judge Bao ..... John MacMillan, Tiger ..... Jon Chew, Ping Ping /Manager ..... Emma Fischer, Lady Fan /Little Wind/Miss Wu ..... Liz Sutherland-Lim, Master Ming /Liu Yong ..... Jeff D'Sangalang. Original Music, Ruth Chan. Producer, Shan Ng. Sound Designer, Eloise Whitmore. Xiqin player, Li Yan Wen. Production Manager, Darren Spruce. Producer, Polly Thomas. Indie (Naked). 28 Nov: Sparks By Jessica Butcher. What do you do if you’re female and in your twenties and very definitely a feminist, but you also really want to fall madly in love with someone. And maybe have a kid... And then you meet that someone. And it’s perfect. And then it’s not. And you'd like to talk to your Mum about it, but she died. Musical drama with original music by Anoushka Lucas. Performed by Jessica and Anoushka. Originally directed on stage by Jessica Edwards. Produced for radio by Emma Harding. 29 Nov: Aldrich Kemp and The Rose of Pamir, 2: The Music Box By Julian Simpson. 30m. Clara Page's investigation of the Linnean Society break-in provided the first clues in the search and now Clara and Aldrich are heading south-west in a bid to beat the other side. Clara Page - Phoebe Fox, Aldrich Kemp – Ferdinand Kingsley, Mrs Boone – Nicola Walker, Sebastian Harcourt & Dutch Interviewer – Kyle Soller, Aunt Lily – Susan Jameson, The Underwood Sisters – Jana Carpenter, Mrs Bartholomew – Kate Isitt, Lionel – Steven Mackintosh, Selina & Miss Evesham – Catherine Kanter, Mister Dalton – Karl Davies, Directed by Julian Simpson. Music by Tim Elsenburg. Sound Design: David Thomas. Producer: Sarah Tombling. Production Assistant: Ethan Elsenburg. Executive Producer: Karen Rose. Indie (Sweet Talk). 30 Nov: Saturday Play: Berlin Alexanderplatz, 2 By Alfred Doblin, trans. Michael Hofmann, dram. Simon Scardifield. Franz is betrayed by a business partner ex-con and gives in to the call of the criminal underworld. Narrator ..... Claes Bang, Franz ..... Lee Ross, Mack ..... Samuel James, Reinhold ….. David Hounslow, Pums ..... Neil McCaul, Herbert ….. Mark Edel Hunt, Eva ….. Clare Corbett, Franzi ..... Ria Marshall, Lina ..... Jasmine Hyde, Slaughterman ..... Justice Ritchie, Cilly ..... Grace Cooper Milton, Keyboard ..... Chris Jack, Alice ..... Christine Kavanagh. Produced by Emma Harding and Marc Beeby. Directed by David Hunter and Gemma Jenkins. 1 Dec: Sunday afternoon - Frank Bascombe, 4 By Richard Ford, dram. Robin Brooks. This episode takes place in the run-up to Christmas 2012, in the wake of Hurricane Sandy. Frank has four very different encounters. As usual, it is not a very easy ride. Frank: Kyle Soller Sally: Melody Grove Arnie : Nathan Osgood Ann : Kelly Burke Clarissa: Hannah Genesius Ms. Pines: Alana Maria Buck : Eric Stroud Eddie: Robert G Slade Finesse: Amelia Parillon Ezekiel: Tayla Kovacevic-Ebong Sound Design: Joseff Harris and Alisdair McGregor. Broadcast Assistant: Hermione Sylvester. Produced by Fiona McAlpine. Indie (Allegra). 2 Dec: Hennikay, 1-3 By David Spicer. Comedy series, 30m. The Animo-Expo Pro-Gaming Trade Fair. Guy and his imaginary friend from 1976. Guy – Bill Bailey, Tony – Dave Lamb, Marika – Elizabeth Carling Kallie - Hollie Edwin, Don - Joseph May TV voices and Pizza Guy - Matt Addis, Hennikay – Max Pattison. Producer: Liz Anstee. Indie (CPL) 3 Dec: Precious Blood - A Tender Voice By Philip Palmer. A Welsh Noir thriller by Philip Palmer about a tight-knit community with dark secrets at its heart. The death of revered choirmaster, Ifor Hopkins, unlocks deep-seated resentments and violence threatens to break out when his disgraced son attends the funeral. Ifor ….. Owen Teale, Michael ….. Oliver Ryan, Eddie ….. Richard Corgan, DI Montgomery ….. Elen Rhys, Detective Superintendent Sanderson ….. Pooky Quesnel, Kayla ….. Amy Morgan, Mair ….. Sian Rees-Williams. Singing Direction by Jonathan Manners. Produced by Gemma Jenkins. 4 Dec: Precious Blood - A Pure Heart By Philip Palmer, continued. The discovery of a diary calls into question the saintly nature of a pillar of the community and leads to the re-opening of a cold case. Michael ….. Oliver Ryan, DI Montgomery ….. Elen Rhys, Detective Superintendent Sanderson ….. Pooky Quesnel, Ifor ….. Owen Teale, Eddie ….. Richard Corgan, Kayla ….. Amy Morgan, Mair ….. Sian Rees-Williams. Singing Direction by Jonathan Manners. Produced by Gemma Jenkins. 5 Dec: Precious Blood - Sweet Beginning By Philip Palmer; final episode. Despite uncovering a miscarriage of justice, police investigators are no closer to solving the murder of Michael Hopkins. Detective Superintendent Sanderson ….. Pooky Quesnel, Ifor ….. Owen Teale, Mair ….. Sian Rees-Williams, Michael ….. Oliver Ryan, DI Montgomery ….. Elen Rhys, Eddie ….. Richard Corgan, Kayla ….. Amy Morgan. Singing Direction by Jonathan Manners. Produced by Gemma Jenkins. 6 Dec: Aldrich Kemp and The Rose of Pamir, 3 - American Cryptography By Julian Simpson. Clara Page and Aldrich Kemp travel to New York and call in a favour, but who else is lurking in Manhattan? Meanwhile, Mrs Bartholomew and Mrs Boone are facing challenges of their own back in Blighty. Clara Page - Phoebe Fox, Aldrich Kemp – Ferdinand Kingsley, Mrs Boone – Nicola Walker, Nakesha – Karla Crome, Sebastian Harcourt – Kyle Soller, Aunt Lily – Susan Jameson, The Underwood Sisters & Forsaken McTeague – Jana Carpenter, Mrs Bartholomew – Kate Isitt, Lionel – Steven Mackintosh, Selina – Catherine Kanter, Vartan - Ben Crowe. Written and directed by Julian Simpson. Music composed by Tim Elsenburg. Sound Design: David Thomas. Producer: Sarah Tombling. Production Assistant: Ethan Elsenburg. Executive Producer: Karen Rose. Indie (Sweet Talk). 30m. 7 Dec: Saturday Play - Berlin Alexanderplatz, 3 A repeat, but broadbast in 60m episodes rather than the 2 x 2-hour broadcasts which went out in 2022. A dramatization by Simon Scardifield from Michael Hofmann's translation of Alfred Doblin's novel set in Berlin. Bruised and battered from his run-in with the ruthless Berlin underworld, Franz is offered another shot at redemption when he comes under the protective influence of two friends from his past. Narrator ..... Claes Bang, Franz ..... Lee Ross, Reinhold ….. David Hounslow, Eva ….. Clare Corbett, Herbert ….. Mark Edel Hunt, Pums ..... Neil McCaul, Mitzi ….. Hannah Genesius, Oskar ….. Ryan Whittle, Mack ..... Samuel James Schnapps ..... Jasmine Hyde, Beer ….. Michael Begley, Willi ..... Justice Ritchie, The Neighbour..... Grace Cooper Milton, Keyboard ..... Chris Jack, Alice ..... Christine Kavanagh, Produced by Emma Harding and Marc Beeby. Directed by David Hunter and Gemma Jenkins. Rpt. 8 Dec: Sunday afternoon: The Girl of the Sea of Cortez By Peter Benchley; adapted for radio by Anita Sullivan. A Mexican girl fights family and tradition to protect the marine habitat she loves. Paloma ..... Jamila Hache, Miranda ….. Raquel Cassidy, José ..... Óscar Camacho Juanjo ..... Armando Rey, Azul ….. Carlos Alfredo Jr. Manolo ..... Braulio Hernández. Other characters played by Sergia Sánchez and Alejandra Gollas. Sound design by Adam Woodhams. Produced by Nicolas Jackson. Indie (Afonica). 9 Dec: Hennikay, 1-4 30m comedy-drama slot. By David Spicer, rpt. Bill Bailey as Guy Starling, a middle aged man who is suddenly revisited by his imaginary childhood friend, Hennikay. Guy has lost his job. Guy – Bill Bailey, Tony – Dave Lamb, Marika – Elizabeth Carling, Sheila - Miranda Richardson, Hennikay – Max Pattison. Producer: Liz Anstee. Indie (CPL). 10 Dec: The Heat of the Sun By Viv Groskop; a new play. Betty is a woman who made her home in Spain, working hard in anticipation of an early retirement in the Spanish community. Now in her 70s, Betty has a problem. The local infrastructure can't cope with the influx of tourists, there are water shortages, and it's very very hot. Betty - Joanna David, Sue - Jane Slavin, Andy - Ian Conningham, Pilar - Jacey Salles Sarah - Rebecca Birch, Produced by Eoin O'Callaghan. Indie (Big Fish). 11 Dec: Lenin Forever! A first radio play by Orlando Wells. A comedy bassed on the story of two scientists having to embalm the body of Vladimir Ilyich Lenin for public display. It's set in 1924; Lenin is dead and Stalin has seized power. and his shadow falls over the lives of millions of Russians. A group of senior Bolshevikswant to build a shrine to their deceased leader. The Communist regime is still young and the new building might help legitimise the new regime. Vladimir . . . . . Matthew Steer, Boris . . . . . Ashley Margolis, Faina . . . . . Rhiannon Neads, Krasin . . . . . Kenneth Collard, Dzerzhinsky . . . . . David Hounslow, Lenin . . . . . Gyuri Sarossy, Nadya . . . . . Ruth Everett. The guitarist is Ian Dunnet Jnr. Studio managers: Peter Ringrose and Alison Craig. Sound design: Peter Ringrose. Production co-ordinator: Gaelan Davis-Connolly. Producer: Sasha Yevtushenko. 12 Dec: Lives in Transit By Rosemary Jenkinson, based on a true story. Asha suffered rape and violence in Somalia at the hands of terrorists. She gives her few remaining dollars to a trafficker in the hope of getting to Ireland. But after years of failed asylum applications Asha’s troubles are still not over. Rpt. from Jan 2021. Asha Suleman ... Raquel McKee, Thomas ... Jonathan Harden, Interpreter ... Farshid Rokey, Civil Servant ... Ainé McCartney The Landlord ... Tony Flynn, Yasmin ... Nimmy March, Producer ... Eoin O'Callaghan. BBC Northern Ireland. 13 Dec: Aldrich Kemp and The Rose of Pamir, 4 By Julian Simpson. Episode title - The Missing Child. Family challenges are coming from all directions as Clara races to a Manhattan rooftop and Mrs Bartholomew visits Themis House. Clara Page - Phoebe Fox, Aldrich Kemp – Ferdinand Kingsley, Mrs Boone – Nicola Walker, Nakesha – Karla Crome, Sebastian Harcourt & the Dutch waiter – Kyle Soller, Aunt Lily – Susan Jameson, The Underwood Sisters & Forsaken McTeague – Jana Carpenter, Mrs Bartholomew – Kate Isitt, Lionel – Steven Mackintosh, Selina – Catherine Kanter, Hazlitt - Ben Crowe. Directed by Julian Simpson. Music composed by Tim Elsenburg. Sound Design: David Thomas. Producer: Sarah Tombling. Production Assistant: Ethan Elsenburg. Executive Producer: Karen Rose. Indie (Sweet Talk). 30m. 14 Dec: Saturday Play - Berlin Alexanderplatz, 4 Dramatization by Simon Scardifield from Michael Hofmann's translation of Alfred Doblin's novel. Conclusion. Narrator ..... Claes Bang, Franz ..... Lee Ross, Reinhold ….. David Hounslow Eva ….. Clare Corbett, Herbert ….. Mark Edel Hunt, Pums ..... Neil McCaul, Mitzi ….. Hannah Genesius, Oskar ….. Ryan Whittle, Lawyer ..... Jasmine Hyde, Crooner ….. Michael Begley, Policeman ..... Justice Ritchie, Second Building ..... Grace Cooper Milton, Keyboard ..... Chris Jack, Alice ..... Christine Kavanagh. Produced by Emma Harding and Marc Beeby. Directed by David Hunter and Gemma Jenkins. Compiled by Nigel Deacon / Diversity website Back to top
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