Saturday Play, 2008 onwards

The Saturday Plays are also described in the complete-year listings. This page covers 2008 - 2014.



2008
5 1 2008 14:30 Underneath the Lintel
Greg Berger's quirky and touching one-man play. A lonely Dutch librarian tells the poignant story of his quest to prove and justify his life. His extraordinary journey begins when; to his astonishment; a book is returned 113 years overdue. Richard Schiff stars.

12 1 2008 14:30 Passion Play
Peter Nichols's acclaimed study of adultery and betrayal. James and Eleanor are happily married; or so they think. Kate; the young widow of one of their oldest friends; makes it clear to James that she thinks him very attractive. It is an offer he finds very difficult to resist. James ...... Nicholas Le Prevost Eleanor ...... Joanna David Agnes ...... Gemma Jones Kate ...... Emily Bruni Directed by Colin Guthrie.

19 1 2008 14:30 The Tennis Court
Jonathan Smith's love story is set in England and India during WWII. Sam Greenwood is posted to India with the 14th Army while his haemophiliac brother Arthur has to remain at home in Kent. Under siege in the small hilltop town of Kohima in northern India; Sam steels himself for the Japanese onslaught; but is haunted by events at home and a secret he has not shared with Arthur. Sam ...... Dan Stevens Arthur ...... Jot Davies Mother ...... Celia Imrie Lettie ...... Jasmine Hyde Pearce ...... Thomas Arnold Penny ...... Cressida Trew Tom ...... Martin T Sherman Directed by Bruce Young

26 1 2008 14:30 The Listening Room
Psychological thriller by Steve Gough set in the year 2036; exploring truth; confidentiality and morality. Kathleen works on a national helpline in a call centre named The Listening Room. She starts to receive calls from a man who has a terrible secret of international importance. He has been manipulated by the powers-that-be into committing dreadful crimes; but can she believe him? And should she confide in anyone else? Kathleen ...... Becky Hindley Robert ...... Kevin Doyle John ...... Lloyd Hutchinson Lisa ...... Fiona Clarke Directed by Pauline Harris

2 2 2008 14:30 Flashman at the Charge
George MacDonald Fraser's dramatisation of his own novel; repeated as a tribute to the author who died last month. 1/2. Adventurer; cad; lecher and coward Harry Flashman suffers the ill fortune of being caught up in the Charge of the Light Brigade. His resourcefulness in surviving the debacle finds him in the frozen Russian wastes; with cruel enemies on one side and bewitching beauties on the other. With Joss Ackland; Angus Wright; Jayne McKenna; Tracy-Ann Oberman. Directed by Patrick Rayner.

9 2 2008 14:30 Flashman at the Charge
George MacDonald Fraser's dramatisation of his own novel; repeated as a tribute to the author who died last month. 2/2. Adventurer; cad; lecher and coward Harry Flashman is in possession of secret intelligence vital to the safety of British India. He finds himself riding with the descendants of Tamurlaine and Genghis Khan against the might of imperial Russia. With Joss Ackland; Angus Wright; Jayne McKenna. Directed by Patrick Rayner.

16 2 2008 14:30 Spellbound
Amanda Dalton's adaptation of Francis Beeding's murder mystery The House of Dr Edwardes; upon which Hitchcock's film Spellbound was based. The new head of a mental hospital is not what he claims to be - but who is he? Directed by Susan Roberts.

23 2 2008 14:30 The Voyage of the Demeter
Robert Forrest's chilling tale of the supernatural; set on a schooner sailing from Bulgaria to England in 1867. Something very unpleasant is lurking aboard the ship; and the voyage becomes a terrifying ordeal. Ripelski ...... Finlay Welsh Robash ...... Gary Lewis Kanesky ...... Steven McNicoll Bretov ...... Grant O'Rourke Gentleman ...... Alexander Morton

1 3 2008 14:30 Missing Dates
By Simon Gray. Brothers Michael and Jason vie with each other for the attention of Anita; but what is it that she wants? Jason ...... Toby Stephens Michael ...... Jasper Britton Anita ...... Monica Dolan Wendy ...... Faye Castelow Dominic ...... Joseph Kloska Directed by Jane Morgan. .

8 3 2008 14:30 Blinded by the Sun
A new radio version of Stephen Poliakoff's 1996 National Theatre play about a scientific fraud in an English university. The pressure to succeed leads a scientist to claim a major breakthrough in the energy field. But when he fails to replicate his experiment; the fallout causes long-term conflict amongst a previously close set of colleagues. Al Golfar ...... Alex Jennings Elinor Brickman ...... Harriet Walter Christopher Lathwell ...... Steven Pacey Joanna ...... Jodie Whittaker Professor ...... John Rowe Ghislane Lathwell ...... Christine Kavanagh Barbara ...... Helen Longworth Charlie ...... Christian Rodska Directed by Peter Leslie Wild. .

15 3 2008 14:30 The Dark Side
Comic adventure by David Chapel. 1/2. James is an idealistic MP's researcher more concerned with ethics than power. However; when he is sacked; he finds himself on the other side of politics as a reluctant lobbyist. James ...... Sam Troughton Gila ...... Jemima Rooper Annie ...... Christine Bottomley Cairncross ...... Karl Johnson Brannigan ...... Stephen Critchlow Tone ...... Ben Crowe Hartigan ...... Helen Longworth Pikey ...... Chris Pavlo Harris ...... John Rowe Huxtable ...... Ben Onwukwe Mo ...... Liz Sutherland Directed by Jonquil Panting.

22 3 2008 14:30 The Dark Side
Comic adventure by David Chapel. 2/2. Can the idealistic James cut it as a lobbyist or will his politics betray him; along with his clients? James ...... Sam Troughton Gila ...... Jemima Rooper Annie ...... Christine Bottomley Cairncross ...... Karl Johnson Greenglass ...... Stephen Critchlow Mo ...... Liz Sutherland Wanless ...... Ben Crowe Ripley ...... Peter Marinker Miss Fremantle ...... Liza Sadovy Directed by Jonquil Panting.

29 3 2008 14:30 1968: 4.4.68
Jon Sen's play recalls the events of the last days of Martin Luther King's life before the civil rights leader was assassinated. Martn Luther King ...... Danny Sapani Ralph Abernathy ...... Shaun Parks Louve ...... Michael Begley Harry ...... Trevor Cooper Radio reporter ...... Peter Marinker Charles Cabbage ...... Danny Lee Wynter Jesse Jackson ...... Richie Campbell Original music composed by Philip Guyler.

5 4 2008 14:30 Shell Shocked
Gregory Burke's moving story of two brothers who are separated in the trenches of the First World War and whose lives take very different paths. Tommy ...... John Buick Mr Leitch ...... Angus McInnes Mr Macleod ...... Paul Young Pat ...... John Kielty Major Munro/Lord Bruce ...... Richard Greenwood Billy/Doctor ...... Jordan Young Directed by Gaynor Macfarlane.

12 4 2008 14:30 Journey into Space: Frozen in Time
A tribute to Charles Chilton's iconic 1960s series Journey into Space. The crew of the spacecraft Ares awake from suspended animation in 2013 to find themselves unwittingly caught up in a seismic deception. At stake is not only their own lives but also the very future of the planet Earth. Captain Jet Morgan ...... David Jacobs Mitch ...... Michael Beckley Doc and Ed ...... Alan Marriott Lemmy ...... Chris Moran Astrid ...... Emma Fielding Jensen ...... Stephen Hogan Radio Operator and Female Voice ...... Kate Harbour Music by David Chilton. Directed by Nicholas Russell-Pavier.

19 4 2008 14:30 Dr Johnson's Dictionary of Crime
Comic thriller by David Ashton. Samuel Johnson and James Boswell tackle the teeming London underworld of 1781. How can a man who has shot another at point blank range be saved from the gallows; and how can the power and vested interest of a man highly placed in His Majesty's Government be defeated? Dr Johnson ...... Timothy West James Boswell ...... Stuart McQuarrie Hester Thrale ...... Joanna David Lord Spencer ...... David Shaw-Parker Capt John Porteous ...... Oliver Milburn Tobias Boothroyd ...... Harry Myers Caroline Spencer ...... Abigail Hollick Lady Crewe ...... Teresa Gallagher Serena Boothroyd ...... Cathy Sara Silas Pike ...... Ron Cook Directed by Marilyn Imrie.

26 4 2008 14:30 The Small Back Room
Richard Stevens's dramatisation of Nigel Balchin's tense WWII thriller. Sammy Rice is called in to try and solve the mystery of a series of unexploded bombs that are being scattered after German air raids. They lie dormant and then inexplicably explode on human contact. Holland/Brine ...... Paul Jesson Sammy ...... Damian Lewis Tilly ...... Dominc Rowan Waring ...... Nick Rowe Sue ...... Rebecca Saire Mair ...... Christopher Benjamin Stuart ...... Will Keen Joe ...... Stuart Laing Pinker/Strang ...... Sean Baker

3 5 2008 14:30 Cigarettes and Chocolate
Anthony Minghella's Giles Cooper Award winning radio play; first broadcast nearly twenty years ago; repeated as a tribute to the author who died recently. Gemma's unexplained silence is the catalyst for a reaction amongst her friends and lovers both unfaithful and unrequited; which starts as mild irritation but becomes increasingly uncontrolled as her passive but forceful refusal to speak drives them to distraction. Lorna ...... Juliet Stevenson Rob ...... Bill Nighy Gemma ...... Jenny Howe Gemma's Mother ...... Joan Campion Alastair ...... Alex Norton Gail ...... Jane Gurnett Sample ...... Christopher Ravenscroft Concepcion ...... Sally Eldridge Directed by Anthony Minghella and Robert Cooper.

10 5 2008 14:30 Two Planks and a Passion
Anthony Minghella's tender and comic account of a provincial Easter six hundred years ago; repeated as a tribute to the author. The citizens of York are preparing to perform the Mystery Cycle for Richard II and his long-suffering queen; Anne of Bohemia. The royal visit is cause for anxiety; civic pride and very hard work; but most of all it inspires the Guildsmen of York to give their best ever performance of the Passion Play. Richard II ...... Bill Nighy Earl of Oxford ...... Tim McInnerny Catherine La Kolve ...... Julia McKenzie The Archbishop ...... Julian Fellowes Edward Young ...... David Battley Will Bluefront ...... Chris Jury Queen Anne ...... Sophie Thompson Walter Painter ...... Craig Heaney Father Melton ...... Terrance Hillier Sarah Zachary ...... Felicity Montagu Geoffrey le Kolve ...... Ken Jones Alice Selby ...... Jean Boht William Selby ...... James Grout Directed by Anthony Minghella and Bruce Hyman. .

17 5 2008 14:30 The Accountant of Solyanka Square
By Sebastian Baczkiewicz. Now that Andrei's business interests are legitimate; he never talks about how he made his millions. But when he is kidnapped by his estranged son Victor; who will stop at nothing to get answers; he is forced to reveal his secrets. Andrei ...... Steven Mackintosh Victor ...... Steven Webb Alina ...... Kate Ashfield Chubatkin ...... Struan Rodger Valentin ...... Ben Crowe Orlovsky ...... John Rowe Verzirov ...... Stephen Critchlow Vzrovskaya ...... Liz Sutherland Directed by Sasha Yevtushenko.

24 5 2008 14:30 Dr No
Hugh Whitemore's dramatisation of Ian Fleming's 1958 novel; to celebrate the author's centenary. Bond is sent to investigate a strange disappearance on the island of Jamaica and discovers that the heart of the mystery lies with a sinister recluse known as Dr No. M ...... John Standing James Bond ...... Toby Stephens Dr No ...... David Suchet Armourer ...... Peter Capaldi Chief of Staff ...... Nicky Henson Moneypenny ...... Janie Dee Airport Announcer/Receptionist ...... Inika Leigh Wright Airport Official/Pus-Feller/Henchman ...... Kobna Holdbrook-Smith Quarrel ...... Clarke Peters Miss Chung/Sister Lily ...... Kosha Engler Pleydell Smith ...... Samuel West Miss Taro/Telephonist/Sister May/Tennis girl ...... Jordanna Tin Librarian ...... Lucy Fleming Honey Rider ...... Lisa Dillon Guard/Henchman/Crane Driver ...... Jon David Yu Acting Governor of Jamaica ...... Simon Williams Voice of Ian Fleming ...... Martin Jarvis Original music by Mark Holden and Samuel Barbour. Directed by Martin Jarvis.

31 5 2008 14:30 Let's Murder Vivaldi
New radio production of David Mercer's 1968 play. Monica and Gerald are not happy together. Gerald keeps bringing home sensitive young women; of whom Julie is the latest. Julie and her boyfriend Ben are not happy together either. When Julie walks out on Ben and Monica suggests divorce to Gerald; Julie and Gerald decide they should go away together. They think that spending a night on the Suffolk coast might resolve everything - in one way or another. Ben ...... Toby Stephens Julie ...... Clare Lawrence Monica ...... Haydn Gwynne Gerald ...... Patrick Malahide

7 6 2008 14:30 Sacred Statues
By William Trevor. Penniless sculptor Corry struggles to make ends meet for his pregnant wife Nuala and their children. Unbeknown to him; Nuala comes up with a shocking plan. Nuala ...... Eileen Walsh Corry ...... Gary Lydon Mrs Falloway ...... Judy Parfitt Etty ...... Ger Ryan Mr Renne ...... Kieran Lagan Boys ...... Adam Maul; Davis Best

14 6 2008 14:30 Betrayal
- Plenty David Hare's play contrasts the experiences of an Englishwoman helping the French Resistance during the Second World War with her life over the following twenty years. The drama offers a unique view of postwar history as well as making a powerful statement about changing values and the collapse of ideals embodied in a single life. Susan Traherne ...... Miranda Richardson Alice ...... Hattie Morahan Brock ...... Ben Miles Lazar ...... Michael Gould Frenchman 1/Begley ...... Jonathan Cullen Darwin ...... Geoffrey Palmer Mick ......Paul Anderson Louise ...... Emilie-Kate Owen Aung ...... Chooi Beh Priest/Announcer ...... Dale Rapley Dorcas ...... Ellie Beaven Charleson ...... Angus Wright Frenchman 2 ...... Sylvester Morand Directed by John Dove.

21 6 2008 14:30 Beat the Dog in His Own Kennel
Fast-moving thriller by Gary Brown; set soon after the Second World War and based on real events as Britain attempts to block the establishment of an independent Jewish state. A young Jewish lad from the East End; released from prison after causing trouble at a Fascist rally; is approached by a member of the Jewish underground who is planning to assassinate foreign secretary Ernest Bevin. He finds himself out of his depth and torn between two loyalties. Harry ...... Jonathan Tafler Dov ...... Richard Katz Thompson ...... Robert Lister Sarah ...... Amy Shindler Joey ...... Dan Crow Avi ...... Stephen Greif Len ...... Ben Crowe Directed by Peter Leslie Wild.

28 6 2008 14:30 Rebus - Black and Blue
By Ian Rankin; dramatised by Chris Dolan. 1/2. Investigating the violent death of a North Sea oil worker in Edinburgh; Rebus uncovers a variety of possible motives. His inquiries take him from Edinburgh to Glasgow and Aberdeen before he finds his investigation overlapping with a major hunt for a serial killer who has struck in all three cities. John Rebus ...... Ron Donachie Ludo Lumsden ...... Iain Robertson Siobhan Clarke ...... Gayanne Potter Jack Morton ...... Simon Tait Tracy Minchell ...... Irene Allan Judd Fuller ...... Simon Donaldson Edward Grogan ...... Mark McDonnell Briony McLean ...... Natalie Bennett Ryan Slocum ...... John Kazek Eve Cudden ...... Juliet Cadzow Joe Toal ...... Laurie Ventry Directed by Bruce Young.

5 7 2008 14:30 Rebus: Black and Blue
By Ian Rankin; dramatised by Chris Dolan. 2/2. While investigating the violent death of a North Sea oil worker in Edinburgh; Rebus becomes a suspect in the police hunt for a serial killer known as Johnny Bible. Undeterred; Rebus pursues both murder investigations; but soon begins to fear that the man responsible for a series of unsolved murders in the 1960s is also tracking his enquiries. John Rebus ...... Ron Donachie Jack Morton ...... Simon Tait Ludo Lumsden ...... Iain Robertson Siobhan Clarke ...... Gayanne Potter Ryan Slocum ...... John Kazek Eve Cudden ...... Juliet Cadzow Mrs Slocum ...... Irene Allan Joanna Bruce ...... Natalie Bennett Edward Grogan ...... Mark McDonnell Judd Fuller ...... Simon Donaldson Stanley Toal ...... Stevie Hannan Directed by Bruce Young.

12 7 2008 14:30 A Night with Johnny Stompanato
Jonathan Holloway's hard-boiled Hollywood drama is based on a true story. One night in 1958; police were called to the home of superstar Lana Turner. The actress's current boyfriend Johnny Stampanato lay in a pool of blood; stabbed to death by Lana's daughter Cheryl. At the subsequent inquest; Turner gave the performance of her life. Lana Turner ...... Laurence Bouvard Johnny Stampanato ...... John Guerrasio Cheryl ...... Georgie Moffett Del ...... Demetri Goritsas McGinley ...... John Chancer Geisler ...... Paul Mohan Langhauser ...... John Telfer Bill Brooks ...... Oliver Millingham Annie ...... Kim Baker Directed by Sara Davies.

19 7 2008 14:30 The Test
Taut psychological thriller by Peter Whalley. John Newland's life is turned upside down when an old murder case from 20 years ago; in which he was a suspect; is reopened. He now must take a DNA test; and is terrified that his wife will at last discover the terrible and strange lie he has been living for 20 years. John Newlands ...... David Bamber Sue Newlands ...... Denise Black Mike ...... David Fleeshman David ...... Seamus O'Neill DI Musker ...... Craig Cheetham Directed by Pauline Harris.

26 7 2008 14:30 These Are the Times A Life of Thomas Paine
By Trevor Griffiths. 1/2. Common Sense Penniless; Paine arrives in America as the struggle for independence is beginning. His ideas and his writings take him straight to the heart of events and his words are read out to Washington's army. Tom Paine ...... Jonathan Pryce Benjamin Franklin ...... Alan Howard Thomas Jefferson ...... Ken Cranham Governor Morris ...... Robert Glenister Marthe Daley ...... Kelly Hunter George Washington ...... Philip Jackson Rittenhouse ...... Jack Shepherd Sam Adams ...... Paul Jesson Joseph ...... Nick Rowe Lafayette ...... John McAndrew Mrs Downey ...... Marcella Riordan House Speaker ...... Hugh Ross Will ...... Kwayedza Kureya Lotte ...... Julia Reinstein Music by John Tams. Directed by Clive Brill.

2 8 2008 14:30 These Are the Times A Life of Thomas Paine
By Trevor Griffiths. 2/2. Age of Reason Paine is again embroiled in revolution; this time in France. During the Reign of Terror; his best efforts for the new Republic result in his imprisonment; and American help is a long time coming. Tom Paine ...... Jonathan Pryce Carney ...... Romola Garai Thomas Jefferson ...... Ken Cranham Governor Morris ...... Robert Glenister Danton ...... Francois Guetary Short ...... Will Keen Lafayette ...... John McAndrew Edmund Burke ...... Paul Jesson Bancal ...... Hugh Ross Clio Rickman ...... Jack Shepherd Monroe ...... Nick Rowe Sally Hemmings ...... Clare Perkins Father ...... Christopher Obi Thomas ...... Kwayedza Kureya Music by John Tams. Directed by Clive Brill.

9 8 2008 14:30 Dover and the Unkindest Cut of All
Comedy thriller by Joyce Porter; set in the 1970s; dramatised by Paul Mendelson. Chief Inspector Dover's annual seaside break becomes a busman's holiday with the death of a local policeman. Was it suicide and was it linked to the recent murder of a well-known gangster? It's another strange case for Scotland Yard's laziest detective. Chief Inspector Dover ...... Kenneth Cranham Sgt McGregor ...... Stuart McQuarrie Chief Constable ...... Philip Madoc Mrs Dover ...... Carolyn Pickles Sgt Rhys-Smith ...... Gareth Armstrong Joey the Jock ...... Ben Crowe Miss Ffiske ...... Jennifer Hill Sandra Pugh ...... Siwan Morris Directed by David Ian Neville.

16 8 2008 14:30 The Balloonists
Craig Stephens's boisterous comedy about infamous Victorian balloonist Henry Coxwell; who convinces beleaguered theatre impresario George Hansum to stage his most celebrated and near fatal flight. Can Hansum pull off such a daring and spectacular venture and save his theatre from closure? Henry Coxwell ...... Patrick Driver James Glaisher ...... Sam Dale George Hansum ...... Kim Wall Clara Fry ...... Alex Kelly Charles Fry ...... Alex Jones Roger Barrington ...... Greg Hobbs Directed by Kate Chapman.

23 8 2008 14:30 Little Nell
Simon Gray's play is inspired by Claire Tomalin's book The Invisible Woman; the story of Nelly Ternan and Charles Dickens. The lies Nelly told to protect the secret of her relationship with the great author had lasting and damaging effects. Sir Henry Dickens ...... Philip Voss Geoffrey Robinson ...... Crispin Redman Nelly Ternan ...... Monica Dolan Charles Dickens ...... Michael Pennington Jane ...... Maria Miles George Wharton Robinson ...... Nicholas Boulton Rev Benham ...... Nicholas Le Prevost Pianist ...... Charlotte Brennan Directed by Jane Morgan.

30 8 2008 14:30 Agatha Christie's Endless Night
Joy Wilkinson's adaptation of Christie's psychological thriller. Lonely drifter Mike Rogers finally settles down when he meets young heiress Ellie Guteman. They build the house of their dreams in a beautiful and remote area; ignoring rumours of a curse. With their arrival; however; the curse seems to come to life; and they find themselves in grave danger. Directed by Sam Hoyle.

6 9 2008 14:30 One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich
Mike Walker's adaptation of Alexander Solzhenitsyn's classic portrayal of life in Stalin's prison camps; repeated as a tribute to the author; who died last month. With Neil Dudgeon; Philip Jackson; Paul Chan; Jonathan Tafler. Directed by Ned Chaillet.

13 9 2008 14:30 Just Between Ourselves
A radio version of Alan Ayckbourn's celebrated 1977 stage play; a bitter-sweet comedy about love; marriages and mothers. Dennis ...... Stephen Critchlow Vera ...... Samantha Spiro Marjorie ...... Auriol Smith Neil ...... Chris Pavlo Pam ...... Alison Pettitt Music composed by David Chilton. Directed by Gordon House.

20 9 2008 14:30 Bora Bora
By Lynne Truss. Art historian Alec; the brother of a famous actor; has lived his life in the shadows following a traumatic event in his childhood. When a biographer joins a painting holiday organised by Alec; his arrival disturbs the calm. Alec must face a terrible truth about his life and about the nature of forgiveness. Alec Bosanquet ...... Derek Jacobi Tony Bosanquet ...... Corin Redgrave Margaret ...... Cheryl Campbell Charlie ...... Adrian Bower Rosa ...... Eve Pearce Jean ...... Jill Johnson With Stephen Critchlow and Rachel Atkins. Directed by Ned Chaillet.

27 9 2008 14:30 Dr Freud Will See you Now Mr Hitler
By Laurence Marks and Maurice Gran. At the age of six; Adolf Hitler suffered from recurring nightmares. The village doctor recommended a child psychiatrist in Vienna; a young man named Sigmund Freud. Adolf's brutal father; however; wouldn't hear of it. But what if.... Adolf Hitler ...... Toby Jones Sigmund Freud ...... Allan Corduner Anna Freud ...... Sophie Winkleman Martha ...... Christine Kavanagh Dr Bloch; Otto Rank ...... John Dougall Alois; Yung; Forster; Rothmeyer ...... Sam Dale Klara ...... Jasmine Callan Major Beck ...... Mark Straker Soldier ...... Anthony Glennon Directed by Peter Kavanagh.

4 10 2008 14:30 The Last Confession
By Roger Crane; adapted by Martin Jenkins. Conspiracy thriller that goes behind the scenes at the Vatican; uncovering the bitter rivalries; political skulduggery and crises of faith surrounding the untimely death of Pope John Paul I in 1978. Benelli ...... David Suchet Confessor ...... Keith Drinkel Luciani ...... Richard O'Callaghan Villot ...... Nigel Anthony Marcinkus ...... Peter Marinker Pope Paul VI ...... Bernard Gallagher Felici ...... Crawford Logan Ottaviani ...... Donald Sinden Suenens ...... Andrew Branch Gantin ...... Cyril Nri Lorscheider ...... Paul Humpoletz Baggio/Buzzonetti ...... Robert Pugh Magee ...... Roger May Sister Vincenza ...... Jean Trend Lorenzi ...... Ben Warwick Directed by David Blount

11 10 2008 14:30 Conclave
Gripping drama by Hugh Costello. After the short reign and mysterious death of Pope John Paul I; the election of a new Pope takes place in an atmosphere of high tension between opposing factions within the Vatican; including those who want to elect the first non-Italian Pope for over four hundred years. Cardinal Franz Koenig ...... David Calder Hannah Popper ...... Alison Reid Cardinal Giovanni Benelli ...... Nicholas Le Prevost Cardinal Karol Wojtyla ...... Andrew Hilton Cardinal Jean Villot ...... Nigel Anthony Cardinal Aloisio Lorscheider ......Paul Humpoletz Cardinal Giuseppe Siri ...... Paul Nicholson Cardinal John Krol ...... Christian Rodska Monsignor Virgilio Noe ...... Jonathan Nibbs Cardinal Johannes Willebrands ...... Bill Wallis Cardinal Paulo Evaristo Arns ...... David Collins Uli Melzer ...... Paul Dodgson With John Sandeman and Kristian Phillips.

18 10 2008 14:30 Saturday Play The Haverstock Hill Murder
By George R Sims; dramatised by Roger Danes. Renowned Victorian lady detective Dorcas Dene is commissioned by a desperate mother to save her son from the gallows after he is accused of the brutal murder of his wife. The problem is that the victim named her husband as the assailant with her dying breath. Paul Dene ...... Greg Powrie Dorcas Dene ...... Lucy Paterson Mrs.Hannaford ...... Edith Macarthur Inspector Swanage ...... Finlay McLean PC Hargreaves ...... Mark McDonnell Charles Hannaford ...... Nick Farr Flash George ...... Terry Wale Martha Drayson ...... Noreen Leighton Produced by Patrick Rayner. Directed by David Ian Neville.

25 10 2008 14:30 Saturday Play Adulteries of a Provincial Wife
By Stephen Wakelam. Gustave Flaubert's masterpiece Madame Bovary was published 150 years ago. Who was the inspiration for Emma and how did his own life become embroiled in his writing? With Daniel Evans; Robert Glenister; Anastasia Hillie; Jennie Stoller.

1 11 2008 14:30 Saturday Play The Late Mr Shakespeare
By Robert Nye; dramatised by Jonathan Broadbent. Pickleherring; a former boy actor in Shakespeare's company; reminisces from the vantage point of old age on his time spent with The Bard. As he finally finds love with a prostitute named Polly; the lessons he learned from Shakespeare finally start to become clear. Pickleherring ...... Jim Broadbent Boy ...... George Longworth Polly ...... Jill Cardo Pompey Bum ...... Dan Starkey Directed by Jeremy Mortimer.

8 11 2008 14:30 Saturday Play Von Ribbentrop's Watch
By Laurence Marks and Maurice Gran. Wine shop owner Gerald desperately needs money: his business is failing and the landlord has raised the cost of the lease. When he inherits a watch that used to belong to wartime Nazi Joachim Von Ribbentrop he believes that his financial troubles are over. But it sparks conflict with his wife and brother; who question the ethics of the potential sale. Gerald ...... Allan Corduner Ruth ...... Harriet Walter Lila ...... Miriam Margolyes David ...... Nicholas Woodeson Sasha ...... Sophie Winkleman.

15 11 2008 14:30 By Paul Viragh. The playwright draws on his own family's experiences in his drama Cry Hungary. In October 1956; thousands of Hungarians rise up against the oppressive Soviet-backed government. Peter; a chosen son of the working classes; arrives in Budapest to study at the university. He falls in love with Eva; a committed communist. When Peter becomes involved in the demonstrations; Eva finds her loyalties severely tested. Peter Kovacs ...... Lee Ingleby Eva Toth ...... Naomi Frederick Janos ...... Christopher Fox Imre Toth ...... Larry Lamb Szentendy ...... Mark Straker Istvan ...... Joseph Kloska AVO Officer ...... Sam Dale AVO Sergeant ...... Paul Richard Biggin Boy ...... Emma Noakes Director Toby Swift.

22 11 2008 14:30 Saturday Play Murder Every Monday
Mark Gatiss's adaptation of Pamela Branch's comedy. Clifford Flush and the other members of the Asterisk Club are forced to leave London in a hurry; and take up residence in the dilapidated Dankry Manor; where they establish themselves as 'homicide consultants'. All goes well until someone is murdered on the premises. Armitage/Paget ...... Simon Williams Clifford Flush ...... John Castle Mrs Barratt ...... Barbara Kirby Colonel Quincey ...... Graham Crowden Creaker ...... David Ryall Cyril Revere ...... Mark Gatiss Chloe Carlisle ...... Stephanie Beacham Manelli ...... Mark Benton Bill Thurlow ...... Ian Hallard Dina Parrish ...... Cal Jaggers.

29 11 2008 14:30 Saturday Play Boscobel
Historical thriller by Ian Curteis that charts the fortunes of the future Charles II in the immediate aftermath of his father's defeat. After the execution of his father; the young Charles flees England. Over the course of a 40-day journey; he must learn how to live rough; evade capture and earn the kindness of strangers. Charles ......Simon Woods Derby/John Penderel ...... Kevin Eldon Wilmot ...... Chris Larkin George Penderel/Whitgreave ...... Simon Treves Gifford/Woolf ...... Malcolm Brown Carlis/Colonel ...... Stephen Carlile Betty/Jane ...... Kate Sachs Mrs Woolf/Cook ...... Jill Shilling Directed by Dirk Maggs.

6 12 2008 14:30 Saturday Play Giving Up the Ghost
By Lynne Truss. In a house full of carbon monoxide; firefighter Scott gets separated from his colleagues and begins to experience the last terrible moments of his friend Jacko's life; who had died in similar circumstances eight months earlier. Scott ...... Adrian Bower Alan ...... Struan Rodger Philip ...... Jeff Rawle Giggsy ...... Joe Absolom Mike ...... Brendan Charleson H/Jacko ...... Richard Nichols Lucy ...... Sara McGaughey Directed by Kate McAll.

13 12 2008 14:30 Saturday Play Blithe Spirit
Bert Coules' adaptation of the Noel Coward comedy. When writer Charles Condomine invites a medium to hold a seance at his country house; he receives a ghostly visitation from his dead first wife; to the chagrin of his very much alive second one. Charles ...... Roger Allam Madame Arcati ...... Maggie Steed Elvira ...... Zoe Waites Ruth ...... Hermione Gulliford Dr Bradman ...... David Killick Mrs Bradman ...... Tilly Tremayne Edith ...... Natalie Cassidy Directed by Philip Franks. Broadcast: 13 Dec 200814:30BBC Radio 4

20 12 2008 14:30 Saturday Play Mrs Klein
Last broadcast 20 Dec 2008; 14:30 on BBC Radio 4. Synopsis:Nicholas Wright's dramatisation of the troubled relationship between influential child psychoanalyst Melanie Klein and her own children. Faced with coming to terms with the news of the death of her son; Mrs Klein decides against going to his funeral. Frustrated with her mother's behaviour; Klein's daughter Melitta confronts her with some home truths. Mrs Klein ...... Janet Suzman Melitta ...... Eve Best Paula ...... Clare Corbett Directed by Alison Hindell. Broadcast: 20 Dec 200814:30BBC Radio 4

27 12 2008 14:30 Saturday Play Tom and Viv
Synopsis:Michael Hastings's study of the marriage of TS Eliot and Vivienne Haigh-Wood. When the ambitious young poet Tom fell in love with beautiful; charismatic Viv; little did he know the nightmare world that they would both enter. Tom ...... Benedict Cumberbatch Viv ...... Lia Williams Rose ...... Judy Parfitt Maurice ...... David Haig Charles ...... John Rowe Louise ...... Emily Randall Janes ...... Chris Pavlo Dr Todd ...... Gunnar Cauthery Barrister ...... Jonathan Tafler Directed by Peter Kavanagh. Broadcast: 27 Dec 200814:30BBC Radio 4




2009

3 1 2009 Saturday BBC Radio 4 14:30 Saturday Play Tom and Viv Tom and Viv Synopsis :Spy thriller by Melissa Murray; based on real events. Leon Theremin; inventor of the musical instrument that bears his name; leads a double life as a Soviet spy. When he plants a bug in the US Embassay in London; he has to save himself and his former lover from both the CIA and the KGB. Leon Theremin ...... Tom Hollander Alex Forsythe ...... Juliet Aubrey Olga ...... Ania Sowinski Will ...... Trystan Gravelle Sergei/Ambassador ...... Stephen Critchlow Boss ...... Malcolm Tierney Ambassador's wife/Waitress ...... Janice Acquah Bart ...... Jonathan Tafler News seller/Man 2 ...... Chris Pavlo Bellboy/Man 1 ...... Dan Starkey. Broadcast: 03 Jan 2009 14:30BBC

10 1 2009 Saturday BBC Radio 4 14:30 Saturday Play Walter Now Walter Now Synopsis :Update on the 1982 by David Cook; starring Ian McKellen as Walter; a man with learning difficulties. Walter is now a pensioner; living alone in a hostel. His support worker puts him forward for a house share with three other people; all of whom are half his age. Will they accept him and will he be able to cope with independent living? Walter ...... Ian McKellen Steph ...... Becky Hindley Mr Herd ...... Maloclm Tierney Mary ...... Anna-Marie Heslop Bernard ...... Robert Lonsdale Terry ...... Gunnar Cauthery Tom ...... Edmund Davies Mrs Hall ...... Jill Cardo Boy ...... Ceallach Spellman Directed by Claire Grove. Broadcast: 10 Jan 2009 14:30 BBC radio 4

17 1 2009 Saturday BBC Radio 4 14:30 Saturday Play Piper Alpha Piper Alpha Listen:Next on: 17 Jan 2009; 14:30 on BBC Radio 4 Synopsis :By Stephen Phelps. On 6 July 1988; a North Sea oil rig was destroyed by a series of explosions and a massive fire; resulting in the death of 167 men. Based on Lord Cullen's Public Inquiry; the play chronicles the disaster minute-by-minute as it happened. With Ewan Bailey; Nigel Betts; Kenny Blyth; Mark Bonnar; Liam Brennan; Stephen Critchlow; Ben Crowe; Nyasha Hatendi; Chris Pavlo; Roshan R Rohatgi; John Rowe; Dan Starkey; John Kay Steel and Joan Walker. Directed by Toby Swift. Broadcast: 17 Jan 2009 14:30 BBC radio 4 Radio 4

24 1 2009 Saturday BBC Radio 4 14:30 Saturday Play Quartermaine's Terms Synopsis :Simon Gray's funny and moving play is set in a school for teaching English to foreigners in the 1960s. It deals with the concerns of seven teachers over several years and in particular the progress of Quartermaine; a lonely man and ineffective teacher.With Michael Palin; Francesca Faridany; James Fleet; Clive Francis. Directed by Maria Aitken.Broadcast: 24 Jan 2009 14:30BBC Radio 4

31 1 2009 Saturday BBC Radio 4 14:30 Saturday Play Master Class Synopsis :Comedy by David Pownall; set in Moscow in 1948. Stalin and his sidekick Zhdanov invite Prokofiev and Shostakovich to the Kremlin for a music lesson Stalin ...... Kenneth Cranham Zhdanov ...... Trevor Cooper Prokofiev ...... Bruce Alexander Shostakovich ...... John Light. Broadcast: 31 Jan 2009 14:30 BBC Radio 4

7 2 2009 Saturday BBC Radio 4 14:30 Saturday Play On the Ceiling Synopsis:By Nigel Planer. High up on the wooden scaffolding tower of the Sistine Chapel; two fresco plasterers prepare the ceiling for their boss; Michelangelo; who has not bothered to turn up again. As they do so; they bemoan the uselessness of the great master. Lapo ...... Phil Daniels Loti ...... Bryan Dick Pope Julius ...... Gary Waldhorn Cardinal Alidosi ...... Roger Lloyd Pack Directed by Mary Peate. Broadcast: 07 Feb 2009 14:30BBC Radio 4 (FM only)

14 2 2009 Saturday BBC Radio 4 14:30 Saturday Play Joan of Arc; and How She Became a Saint Synopsis:By Patrick Barlow. Comic interpretation of the story of Joan of Arc. Joan of Arc ...... Dawn French Jean du Cauchon ...... Jim Broadbent The Dauphin ...... Samuel Barnett Jean de Metz ...... Andrew Dunn St Catherine ......Anne Reid St Margaret ...... Maggie Steed Alphonse ...... Marc Wootton Chorus played by Patrick Barlow; Beth Nestor; Carrie Quinlan; Humphrey Ker; David Reed; Thom Tuck. Directed by Patrick Barlow. Broadcast: 14 Feb 200914:30BBC Radio 4 (FM only)

21 2 2009 Saturday BBC Radio 4 14:30 Saturday Play The Lady in the Van Synopsis:Adaptation of the autobiographical stage play by Alan Bennett about his relationship with Miss Shepherd; an eccentric old vagrant who took refuge in a van in his front garden in 1971 and ended up staying there for over 15 years. Miss Shepherd ...... Maggie Smith Alan Bennett ...... Adrian Scarborough Alan Bennett 2 ...... Alan Bennett Mam ...... Marcia Warren Rufus ...... Matt Addis Pauline ...... Janice Acquah Underwood ...... Stephen Critchlow Social Worker ...... Caroline Guthrie Fairchild ...... Philip Fox Doctors ...... Jonathan Tafler and Malcolm Tierney Adapted and directed by Gordon House. Broadcast: 21 Feb 2009 14:30 BBC Radio 4

28 2 2009 Saturday BBC Radio 4 14:30 BBC Radio 4 Programmes Saturday Play The Complete Ripley The Talented Mr Ripley Synopsis:Series of plays based on the novels by Patricia Highsmith about the suave and amoral Tom Ripley. Tom is barely one step ahead of his creditors when a stranger offers him a free trip to Europe and a fresh start. Tom wants money and success and he is willing to kill for it. Tom Ripley ...... Ian Hart Dickie Greenleaf ...... Stephen Hogan Marge Sherwood ...... Barbara Barnes Mr Greenleaf ...... Malcolm Tierney Mrs Greenleaf ...... Janice Acquah Roverini ...... Stephen Critchlow Buffi ...... Matt Addis Directed by Claire Grove. Broadcast: 28 Feb 2009 14:30 BBC Radio 4 (FM only)

7 3 2009 Saturday BBC Radio 4 14:30 Saturday Play The Complete Ripley Ripley Under Ground Synopsis:Second in a series of five plays based on the novels by Patricia Highsmith about the suave and amoral Tom Ripley. With a dead man's money safely stowed in the bank; Tom is living in luxury in a chateau in France with his beautiful French wife. But the clever art forgery which funds Tom's expensive tastes is about to be uncovered. Tom Ripley ...... Ian Hart Heloise ...... Helen Longworth Bernard Tufts ...... Benedict Sandiford Jeff Constant ...... Stephen Hogan Madame Annette ...... Caroline Guthrie Murchison ...... Malcolm Tierney Webster ...... Stephen Critchlow Directed by Claire Grove. Broadcast: 07 Mar 2009 14:30 BBC Radio 4 (FM only)

14 3 2009 Saturday BBC Radio 4 14:30 Saturday Play The Complete Ripley Ripley's Game Synopsis:Third in a series of five plays based on the novels by Patricia Highsmith about the suave and amoral Tom Ripley. Tom sets up a man he dislikes to carry out two perfect murders; but an attack of conscience prompts him to take on the Mafia. Tom Ripley ..... Ian Hart Heloise ...... Helen Longworth Madame Annette ...... Caroline Guthrie Reeves Minot ...... Paul Rider Jonathan Trevanny ...... Tom Brooke Simone Trevanny ...... Janice Acquah Gauthier ...... Philip Fox Marcangelo ...... Matt Addis Lippo ...... Sam Dale Directed by Steven Canny. Broadcast: 14 Mar 2009 14:30 BBC Radio 4

21 3 2009 Saturday BBC Radio 4 14:30 Saturday Play The Complete Ripley The Boy Who Followed Ripley Synopsis:Fourth in a series of five plays based on the novels by Patricia Highsmith about the suave and amoral Tom Ripley. A rich young man arrives at Belle Ombre and he and Tom end up having to fight for their lives in sexually ambiguous; underworld Berlin. Tom Ripley ...... Ian Hart Frank Pierson ...... Nicholas Hoult Heloise ...... Helen Longworth Lily Pierson ...... Janice Acquah Reeves Minot ...... Paul Rider Eric Lanz ...... Jonathan Tafler Ralph Thurlow ...... Philip Fox Max ...... Matt Addis Directed by Steven Canny and Claire Grove. Broadcast: 21 Mar 2009 14:30 BBC Radio 4

28 3 2009 Saturday BBC Radio 4 14:30 Saturday Play The Complete Ripley Ripley Under Water Synopsis Last in a series of five plays based on the novels by Patricia Highsmith about the suave and amoral Tom Ripley. Strange new neighbours show an overdeveloped interest in Ripley's past. Tom discovers they are not who they say they are; but will his shady dealings be exposed after all? Tom Ripley ...... Ian Hart Heloise ...... Helen Longworth Madame Annette ...... Caroline Guthrie David Pritchard ...... William Hope Janice Pritchard ...... Janice Acquah Jeff Constant ...... Stephen Hogan Cynthia Gradnor ...... Lizzy Watts Policeman ...... Matt Addis Directed by Steven Canny. Broadcast 28 Mar 2009 14:30 BBC Radio 4

4 4 2009 Saturday BBC Radio 4 14:30 Saturday Play Lambeth Palace Synopsis Dark comedy by Christopher William Hill imagining the politics behind the scenes in the run-up to the selection of a fictional Archbishop of Canterbury. How far will an ultra-Establishment conservative and a barely-believing liberal go to win the top job in the Church of England? Michael Lombard ...... Alex Jennings David Channing ...... Geoffrey Whitehead Grace Lombard ...... Phoebe Nicholls Patrick Latimer ...... Murray Melvin Alicia Latham ...... Susan Jameson Simon Brooker ...... Philip Fox Anthony Taylor ...... Sam Dale Russell Graves ...... Stephen Hogan Claudia ...... Caroline Guthrie Robin ...... Jonathan Tafler Cardinal Daeneker ...... Malcolm Tierney Seb ...... Benjamin Askew Jade ...... Lizzy Watts With Kirsty Wark and Jonathan Dimbleby as themselves. Other parts played by Janice Acquah; Matt Addis and Paul Rider. Directed by Mary Peate. Broadcast Sat 4 Apr 2009 14:30 BBC Radio 4

11 4 2009 Saturday BBC Radio 4 14:30 Saturday Play Man of the Moment
A new production of the dark comedy by Sir Alan Ayckbourn; to mark the occasion of the playwright's 70th birthday. A career criminal; who has written an autobiography and is now a television celebrity; agrees to participate in a reality TV show filmed at his Mediterranean villa. Jill Rillington ...... Lisa Dillon Trudy Parks ...... Janie Dee Douglas Beechey ...... Alex Jennings Vic Parks ...... Tim Pigott-Smith Kenny Collins ...... Damian O'Hare Sharon ...... Ella Smith Ruy ...... Alan Shearman Floor Manager ...... Michael Simkins David ...... John Baddeley Film crew ...... Kenneth Danziger; Matthew Wolf Children ...... Matilda and Alfie Wickham Directed by Martin Jarvis. Broadcast Sat 11 Apr 2009 14:30 BBC Radio 4

18 4 2009 Saturday BBC Radio 4 14:30 Saturday Play Road to Durham
Douglas Livingstone's play about Bevin Boys; the young men who were sent down the mines instead of joining the armed forces in the Second World War. Two 80-year-old former Bevin Boys; who have not seen each other for 63 years; decide to go to the Durham Miners' Gala together and confront their memories of the past. Christopher ...... Timothy West Benny ...... Douglas Livingstone Young Christopher ...... Fergus Rees Young Benny ...... Sam Fletcher Sally ...... Faye Castelow Jim ...... Christoher Connel Michael ...... David Whitaker Older Sally ...... Jane Whittenshaw Headmaster ...... Brian Lonsdale With recordings made at the Durham Miners' Gala and at West Pelton Primary School. Directed by Jane Morgan A Unique production for BBC Radio 4. Broadcast Sat 18 Apr 2009 14:30 BBC Radio 4

25 4 2009 Saturday BBC Radio 4 14:30 Saturday Play The Killing of Sister George
John Tydeman's adaptation of the stage play by Frank Marcus. The audience ratings for the popular daily serial Applehurst are on the slide. Will the leading character have to be sacrificed to save the show? June 2009 Buckridge (Sister George) ...... Sarah Badel Alice 'Childie' McNaught ...... Lucy Whybrow Mrs Mercy Croft ...... Anna Massey Madme Xenia ...... Frances Jeater Bill ...... Tom Bevan Fred ...... Keith Drinkel Directed by John Tydeman. Broadcast Sat 25 Apr 2009 14:30 BBC Radio 4

2 5 2009 Saturday BBC Radio 4 14:30 Saturday Play The Admirable Crichton
Adaptation of JM Barrie's classic satire about the changing fortunes of Crichton; the perfect butler. Liberal aristocrat Lord Loam favours a return to nature; with masters and servants living together as equals; but Crichton is the perfect butler and the perfect snob who adores the intricacies of the class system. He cannot help but be horrified by his master's opinions; and it will take a sea change to alter them. Crichton ...... Russell Tovey JM Barrie ...... David Bannerman Lady Mary ...... Beth Chalmers Lord Loam ...... David Timson Lady Agatha ...... Martha Howe-Douglas Ernest Woolley ...... Gunnar Cauthery Tweeny ...... Lizzy Watts Rev John Treherne ...... Adrian Grove Lord Brocklehurst ...... Stephen Hogan Lady Brocklehurst ...... Tina Gray Directed by Fiona Kelcher. Broadcast Sat 2 May 2009 14:30 BBC Radio 4

9 5 2009 Saturday BBC Radio 4 14:30 Saturday Play Point of Departure
By Francis Turnly. Controversial African leader Jonah Kotto is attending a peace summit in Belfast where Alec Murray is assigned to his security detail. When security at Stormont is breached Alec fears for Kotto's life; but is there a real threat; and; if so; how serious is it? Alec Murray ...... Patrick Fitzsymons Jonah Kotto ...... George Harris Grace ...... Ellen Thomas Clive ...... Adrian Lukis Miller ...... David Schofield Hannah ...... Aislin McGuckin Victor ...... Jude Akuwudike De Silva ...... Jimmy Akingbola Ambassador/Reporter ...... Ian McElhinney Photographer ...... Chris Patrick-Simpson Doctor/Simon ...... Ian Beattie Samuel Muntanga ...... Mark Asante Daniel Kenyatta ...... George B Seremba Newscaster ...... Fo Cullen Reporters ...... Laura Conway; Brian Murray Directed by Heather Larmour. Broadcast Sat 9 May 2009 14:30 BBC Radio 4

16 5 2009 Saturday BBC Radio 4 14:30 Saturday Play Something Wrong about the Mouth
By David Edgar. A love story told at the border between memory and fiction; trust and betrayal; East and West. Soho; 1958. A mysterious American wants to commission a portrait of a woman he can't produce; in a dress he can only describe; at an event which never happened. Gene Pew ...... Damian Lewis Desmond McElwee ...... Bill Paterson Mrs Pew ...... Lisa Dillon Dr Frisch ...... David De Keyser The Hotelier ...... Andrew Sachs Peter Szabo ...... Julian Rhind-Tutt Other parts played by Carolyn Pickles; Éva Magyar; Kenneth Collard; Christine Kavanagh and Joseph Kloska. Directed by Jonquil Panting. Broadcast Sat 16 May 2009 14:30 BBC Radio 4 (FM only)

23 5 2009 Saturday BBC Radio 4 14:30 Saturday Play The Complete Smiley - Call for the Dead
Dramatisation by Robert Forrest of John le Carré's first novel. London; the late 1950s; and a disenchanted George Smiley is engaged in the routine job of security vetting. When a Foreign Office civil servant commits suicide not long after being cleared of Communist sympathies; Smiley investigates and uncovers a deadly conspiracy with its roots in his own wartime past. George Smiley ...... Simon Russell Beale Inspector Mendel ...... Kenneth Cranham Elsa Fennan ...... Eleanor Bron Ann Smiley ...... Anna Chancellor Peter Guillam ...... Richard Dillane Maston ...... James Laurenson Dieter Frey ...... Henry Goodman Adam Starr/Mundt ...... Sam Dale Ludo Oriel ...... Janice Acquah Nursing Sister ...... Caroline Guthrie With Benjamin Askew and Jonathan Tafler. Related Links The Complete Smiley Home Broadcast Sat 23 May 2009 14:30 BBC Radio 4

30 5 2009 Saturday BBC Radio 4 14:30 Saturday Play The Complete Smiley - A Murder of Quality
Dramatisation of the novel by John le Carré; his second to feature spymaster George Smiley; set in a public school in the early 1960s. When the wife of one of the masters is found bludgeoned to death; Smiley; out of loyalty to an old friend; finds himself investigating her death - an investigation that lifts the lid on a world of hidden passions and murderous hatreds. George Smiley ...... Simon Russell Beale Fielding ...... Geoffrey Palmer Ailsa ...... Marcia Warren Rigby ...... Sam Dale Rode ...... Geoffrey Streatfeild Ann Snow ...... Alison Pettitt Janie ...... Amanda Lawrence Shane Hecht ...... Liza Sadovy Snow ...... Matt Addis D'Arcy ...... Philip Fox Hecht/Vicar ...... Malcolm Tierney Perkins ...... Benjamin Askew Girl ...... Lizzy Watts Directed by Marc Beeby. Broadcast Sat 30 May 2009 14:30 BBC Radio 4

6 6 2009 Saturday BBC Radio 4 14:30 Saturday Play Devastated Areas
Adam Thorpe's play explores civilian grief during and after the Great War of 1914-1918 in three interweaving stories. In Berlin; a sculptress is working on a memorial statue to the volunteers; in the valley of the Somme a glazier is repairing the blown-out windows of a church; and on the Berkshire Downs a gardener tends his roses. Sofie ...... Eliza Langland Ernst ...... Finlay Welsh Reg ...... Richard Greenwood Jess ...... Lucy Paterson Auguste ...... Jimmy Chisholm Monsieur le Curé ...... Gareth Thomas Mrs Lombard ...... Noreen Leighton Colin ...... Matthew Pidgeon Pianist Leon Coates. Broadcast Sat 6 Jun 2009 14:30 BBC Radio 4 (FM only)

13 6 2009 Saturday BBC Radio 4 14:30 Saturday Play J'Accuse
By Hattie Naylor. Dramatisation inspired by a newspaper article written by Emile Zola in response to the Dreyfus Affair of the 1890s; when a Jewish army officer was persecuted and wrongly imprisoned by the French military and judicial establishment. Louis Gregori gives a right-wing and nationalistic perspective on the events that led him to believe that the murder of the guiltless Dreyfus was the correct and only action. Louis ...... Mark Heap Dominique ...... Kathryn Hunt Arnaud ...... Graeme Hawley Zola ...... Conrad Nelson Eugene/Dreyfus ...... Paul Mundell Gustav ...... Jonathan Keeble Directed by Pauline Harris. Broadcast Sat 13 Jun 2009 14:30 BBC Radio 4 (FM only)

20 6 2009 Saturday BBC Radio 4 14:30 Saturday Play Killing the Butterfly
In Colin MacDonald's romantic thriller; two murder witnesses are put under police protection pending the High Court trial. But something goes badly wrong and they have to flee for their lives; never knowing who it's safe to trust. Barker ...... Simon Tait Hannah ...... Vicki Liddelle DCI Mulhall ...... Gayanne Potter DS Whitton ...... James Bryce Andrew ...... Kenny Blythe Matthew ...... John Paul Hurley Kayleigh ...... Laura Smales. Broadcast Sat 20 Jun 2009 14:30 BBC Radio 4

27 6 2009 Saturday BBC Radio 4 14:30 Saturday Play Journey into Space - The Host .
Julian Simpson's adaptation of the classic 1950s science fiction series created by Charles Chilton. After receiving a distress call from an abandoned freighter; Jet Morgan and his crew must find a way to defeat the vastly superior Host. If they fail; they will not only all perish; but mankind will become a dispensable stepping stone to a new chapter in evolution. Jet ...... Toby Stephens Doc/Enceladus Control ...... Alan Marriott Lemmy ...... Jot Davies Mitch ...... Chris Pavlo The Host ...... David Jacobs Edie ...... Jana Carpenter JJ Andreev ...... Basher Savage Original music & sound design by David Chilton. A Goldhawk Essential production for BBC Radio 4. Broadcast Sat 27 Jun 2009 14:30 BBC Radio 4

4 7 2009 Saturday BBC Radio 4 14:30 Saturday Play Utz
Dramatisation by Gregory Norminton of the last novel written by Bruce Chatwin. A British academic travels to 1960s Prague to research the art collection of Rudolf II and meets the eccentric and dogged porcelain collector; Kaspar Joachim Utz. From this encounter an extraordinary story of obsession and survival emerges. For years; Utz has protected his vast collection of Meissen figurines from Nazis; Stalinist ideologues and the demands of communist museum curators. Utz/Janitor ...... Jack Klaff Marta ...... Pam Ferris Dr Orlik/Curator ...... Sam Kelly Narrator ...... Daniel Weyman Oxford Don/Man/Head Waiter ...... Gregory Norminton Elena/Teresa Kryl ...... Michaela Stonisova Ana/Photographer ...... Dolya Gavanski Directed by Marilyn Imrie A Corporation For Independent Media production for BBC Radio 4. Broadcast Sat 4 Jul 2009 14:30 BBC Radio 4

11 7 2009 Saturday BBC Radio 4 14:30 Saturday Play The Windsor Jewels
FM only. Robin Glendinning's black comedy tells the story of a real mystery. In 1946; the Duke of Windsor (formerly Edward VIII) and his wife (formerly Wallis Simpson) paid a visit to Britain; hoping to secure a government job for the Duke and a title for the Duchess. During the visit; the Duchess' jewels; worth millions; were stolen. Conspiracy theories abounded. Was it an inside job by the Royal Family; or even an insurance fraud by the Duke and Duchess? Duke of Windsor ...... Jon Glover Duchess of Windsor ...... Christine Kavanagh Capstick ...... Christian Rodska Evans ...... Chris Yapp Miss Martin/Mrs Jones/Resident ...... Amy Clifton Bevin/Gardener ...... Alan Moore Attlee ...... Paul Humpoletz Lascelles/Newsreel ...... David Collins First Hack ...... Stephen Perring Second Hack ...... Paul Mohan. Broadcasts Sat 2 Jun 200714:30 BBC Radio 4Sat 11 Jul 2009 14:30 BBC Radio 4 (FM only)

18 7 2009 Saturday BBC Radio 4 14:30 Saturday Play Statement of Regret
By Kwame Kwei-Armah. The Year of Obama should be an opportunity for Kwaku's black policy think-tank to flourish. But Kwaku is still grieving for his father and his latest misjudged proposal is about to explode. Kwaku ...... Don Warrington Michael ...... Colin McFarlane Idrissa ...... Nyasha Hatendi Adrian ...... Damian Lynch Issi ...... Janice Acquah Junior ...... Jimmy Akingbola Lola ...... Ellen Thomas Val ...... Trevor Laird Soby ...... Oscar James Directed by Alison Hindell. Broadcast Sat 18 Jul 2009 14:30 BBC Radio 4 (FM only)

25 7 2009 No information.

1 8 2009 Saturday BBC Radio 4 14:30 Saturday Play Last Night; Another Soldier
By Andy McNab. Eighteen-year-old Briggsy is just three weeks into his first posting in Afghanistan and is thrilled to be part of the action. But when his Rifle Section loses a man in battle; Briggsy is forced to confront the realities of war. Briggsy ...... Russell Tovey Si ...... Lloyd Thomas Flash ...... Paul Rider Toki ...... Damian Lynch Mackenzie/John ...... Stephen Hogan Mum/Helicopter pilot/Radio Operator ...... Janice Acquah Emma/Tannoy ...... Caroline Guthrie Newsreader/Cookie ...... Matt Addis Directed by Vernee Samuel. Broadcast Sat 1 Aug 2009 14:30 BBC Radio 4 (FM only)

8 8 2009 Saturday BBC Radio 4 14:30 Saturday Play The Song Thief
Romantic drama by Michael Chaplin. A young composer arrives in Northumberland; looking for an old man reputed to have written a hauntingly beautiful love song. He embarks on a cold-hearted campaign to make the old man's daughter fall in love with him. Abel Humble ...... Ron Cook Stephen Haggard ...... Nicholas Boulton Dodd Armstrong ...... Christopher Connel Mary Humble ...... Colleen Prendergast Willie Sparke ...... Donald McBride Isabella Sparke ...... Joyce Gibbs Concertina/Fiddle ...... Sheena Masson Directed by Marilyn Imrie A Catherine Bailey production for BBC Radio 4. Broadcast Sat 8 Aug 2009 14:30 BBC Radio 4 (FM only)

15 8 2009 Saturday BBC Radio 4 14:30 Saturday Play Trumbo
Christopher Trumbo's drama about his father; the American screenwriter and novelist Dalton Trumbo's ordeal at the hands of the House Un-American Activities Committee and its anti-communist witch-hunt. Trumbo was one of the original Hollywood Ten - those accused in 1947 and subsequently blacklisted; ostracised and forced into poverty; obscurity and in some cases exile; because of their beliefs. The play is based on transcripts of those now notorious HUAC hearings and the extraordinary letters written by his father during this period; both to his son and to others. Dalton Trumbo ...... Corin Redgrave Narrator ...... Nick Waring Directed by Roger Mitchell. A Catherine Bailey Limited production for BBC Radio 4. Broadcast Sat 15 Aug 2009 14:30 BBC Radio 4

22 8 2009 Saturday BBC Radio 4 14:30 Saturday Play Slow Boat to Leningrad
Black comedy by David Pownall following events of August 1939; when the British and French were seriously out-manoeuvred by Stalin and Hitler when they unexpectedly agreed to sign a non-aggression pact. Doumenc ...... Keith Drinkel Drax/Chamberlain ...... Geoffrey Whitehead Burnett ...... Ian Masters Ribbentrop ...... Nicholas Boulton Hitler ...... Michael Maloney Stalin ...... Michael Jayston Voroshilov/Churchill ...... Christian Rodska Molotov ...... Jonathan Tafler Directed by Martin Jenkins A Pier production for BBC Radio 4. Broadcast Sat 22 Aug 2009 14:30 BBC Radio 4 (FM only)

29 8 2009 Saturday BBC Radio 4 14:30 Saturday Play Lockerbie on Trial
With the Lockerbie bombing once again in the news; another chance to hear Peter Goodchild's dramatised reconstruction of the extraordinary story of one of the longest; costliest and most complicated trials in legal history. Few would have predicted the verdict in February 2001; when Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi was convicted and Al Amin Khalifa Fhimah acquitted of blowing up Pam Am flight 103. The prosecution are sure they have got their men; but a succession of witnesses who prove to be CIA double agents; convicted terrorists and arms dealers with shady histories begin to undermine a case which is skilfully and passionately contested by the defence. Presented by Sheena MacDonald. With Ian McDiarmid; Denis Lawson and Hugh Fraser. Broadcast Sat 29 Aug 2009 14:30 BBC Radio 4

5 9 2009 Saturday BBC Radio 4 14:30 Saturday Play Phone Phone:
By Peter Jukes. Eliot is stuck in a rut. When his friend Roy; a local gangster; is taken ill; he hands Eliot his mobile phone; telling him to wait for it to ring. The phone thrusts Eliot into an underworld which is sometimes glamorous; often dangerous; and always unexpected. Eliot ...... Freddy White Kathleen ...... Jemima Rooper Sparky ...... Jimmy Akingbola Roy Peters ...... Richard Ridings Iverson ...... Caroline Guthrie Crimp ...... Paul Rider Ze ...... Nabil Elouahabi Rachel ...... Lizzy Watts Baltazar ...... Matt Addis Sarasi ...... Janice Acquah Vince ...... Jonathan Tafler Teenager ...... Benjamin Askew Directed by Sasha Yevtushenko. Broadcast Sat 5 Sep 200914:30BBC

12 9 2009 Saturday BBC Radio 4 14:30 Saturday Play The Conflict is Over
Dramatisation by Michael Eaton of the events that led to the signing of the Downing Street Declaration in December 1993 and the subsequent IRA ceasefire in August 1994; told through the relationship between John Major and Albert Reynolds. John Major ...... Michael Maloney Albert Reynolds ...... Dermot Crowley Martin Mansergh ...... Patrick Drury Robin Butler ...... Thomas Wheatley Patrick Mayhew ...... Michael Cochrane Martin McGuinness ...... Lloyd Hutchinson Bill Clinton ...... Matthew Marsh Directed by Nicolas Kent A Promenade production for BBC Radio 4. Broadcast Sat 12 Sep 200914:30BBC Radio 4

19 9 2009 Saturday BBC Radio 4 14:30 Saturday Play Choice of Straws
Dramatisation by Roy Williams of the novel by ER Braithwaite. 1960; London's East End: twins Jack and Dave Bennett are a happy-go-lucky; rootless pair. If they do occasionally rough-up a black guy it's just a game to them - until a victim in Whitechapel fights back and Dave pulls a knife. Jack ...... Harry Hepple Dave ...... Luke Norris Michelle ...... Gugu Mbatha-Raw Mum ...... Ellie Haddington Dad ...... David Hargreaves Ruth ...... Annabelle Dowler Mr Spencer ...... Alex Lanipekun Officer ...... Stephen Hogan Directed by Claire Grove. Broadcast Sat 19 Sep 200914:30BBC

26 9 2009 Saturday Play: The Shocking Tale of Margaret Seddon
John Fletcher's Edwardian murder story is based on real events. Frederick and Margaret Seddon take wealthy Mrs Barrow into their Islington home as a lodger. The summer of 1911 proves scorchingly hot and when Mrs Barrow dies; leaving all her money to Fred; suspicions are aroused. Was her death caused by the heatwave; or the 'English Cholera' - or could the arsenic-laced fly papers have something to do with it? Margaret Seddon ...... Lynne Seymour Fred Seddon ...... Bertie Carvel Miss Barrow ...... Annette Badland Hook/Attorney General Isaacs ...... Dick Bradnum Benny/Vicar ...... Brendan Charleson Dr Sworn/Hangman ...... Dorien Thomas Maggie ...... Anwen Carlisle Ada ...... Isabel Lewis Directed by Nigel Lewis.

3 10 2009 Saturday BBC Radio 4 14:30 No information

10 10 2009 Saturday BBC Radio 4 14:30 Saturday Play Shadowlands
Adaptation by Archie Scottney of the play by William Nicholson. The moving true story of the 1950s relationship between Oxford don and author CS Lewis and divorced American writer Joy Gresham. CS 'Jack' Lewis ...... Martin Jarvis Joy Gresham ...... Joanne Whalley 'Warnie' Lewis ...... Kenneth Danziger Rev Harry Harrington ...... Julian Sands Prof Christopher Riley ...... Julian Holloway Douglas ...... Zach Callison Alan Gregg ...... Darren Richardson Registrar ...... Jean Gilpin Doctor ...... Matthew Wolf Priest/Oakley ...... Alan Shearman Nurse ...... Daisy Hydon Directed by Rosalind Ayres A Jarvis and Ayres production for BBC Radio 4. Broadcast Sat 10 Oct 2009 14:30 BBC Radio 4

17 10 2009 Saturday BBC Radio 4 14:30 Saturday Play Emil and the Detectives
Dramatisation by Katie Hims of the comic children's detective novel by Erich Kaestner. Country boy Emil Tischbein; up from Neustadt for the first time; enlists the aid of hundreds of Berlin street boys to help him catch a thief. Emil ...... Joshua Swinney Kaestner ...... Bruce Alexander Grundeis ...... Ewan Hooper Gustav ...... Daniel Cooper Professor ...... Neil Reynolds Traut ...... Bertie Gilbert Peters ...... Josh Robinson Tuesday ...... Harry Child Pony ...... Agnes Bateman Mrs Tischbein ...... Melissa Advani Cashier ...... Tessa Nicholson Jeschke ...... John Biggins Guard ...... Rhys Jennings Taxi Driver ...... Joseph Cohen-Cole Grandma ...... Kate Layden Directed by Jessica Dromgoole. Broadcast Sat 17 Oct 2009 14:30 BBC Radio 4

24 10 2009 Saturday BBC Radio 4 14:30 Saturday Play Bullitt
Dramatisation of Robert L Pike's gritty detective story; set in New York's rough 52nd Precinct in 1963. Lieutenant Clancy; head throbbing from days without sleep; is assigned to protect important Mafia witness Johnny Rossi. But when he is found dead; Clancy has only a matter of hours to find the killer before his enemy; Assistant District Attorney Chalmers; finds out. Lieutenant Clancy ...... Jason Isaacs Ada Chalmers/Barnett/Renick/Johnny Rossi ...... Kerry Shale Detective Kaprowski ...... Lou Hirsch Captain Wise/Johnny Rossi/Ships Officer ...... John Biggins Dr Willard/Pete Rossi ...... Stephen Hogan Doc Freeman/Sergeant ...... Bruce Alexander Detenctive Mark Kelly ...... Sasha Pick Ann Renick/LAPD Officer ...... Emerald O'Hanrahan Hotel Manager/Chalmers' Secretary ...... Kate Layden Directed by Pauline Harris. Broadcast Sat 24 Oct 2009 14:30 BBC Radio 4

31 10 2009 Saturday BBC Radio 4 14:30 Saturday Play The Voyage of the Demeter
Robert Forrest's chilling tale of the supernatural; set on a schooner sailing from Bulgaria to England in 1867. Something very unpleasant is lurking aboard the ship; and the voyage becomes a terrifying ordeal. Ripelski ...... Finlay Welsh Robash ...... Gary Lewis Kanesky ...... Steven McNicoll Bretov ...... Grant O'Rourke Gentleman ...... Alexander Morton. Broadcasts Sat 23 Feb 200814:30 BBC Radio 4Sat 31 Oct 2009 14:30 BBC Radio 4

7 11 2009 Saturday BBC Radio 4 14:30 Saturday Play All Quiet on the Western Front
Dramatisation by Dave Sheasby of Erich Maria Remarque's haunting; comic; lyrical and desperate story of a group of young German soldiers enduring and coming to terms with the realities of the First World War. Paul Baumer ...... Robert Lonsdale Kropp ...... Simon Trinder Muller ...... Gunnar Cauthary Leer ...... Lloyd Thomas Tjaden ...... Joseph Arkley Katczinsky ...... Stephen Critchlow Cook ...... Malcolm Tierney Westhaus ...... Stuart McLoughlin Captain Bertinck ...... Dan Starkey Kemmerich ...... Luke Walker Himmelstoss ...... Tim Treloar Detering ...... Nick Sayce Mother ...... Janice Acquah French girl ...... Donnla Hughes Erna ...... Jill Cardo Mrs Kemmerich ...... Carolyn Pickles Orderly ...... Inam Mirza Mittlestaedt ...... Paul Rider Major ...... Chris Pavlo Nurse ...... Manjeet Mann Directed by David Hunter. Broadcast Sat 7 Nov 2009 14:30 BBC Radio 4

14 11 2009 Saturday BBC Radio 4 14:30 Saturday Play 1989: The Shape of the Table
Originally staged by the National Theatre in 1990; David Edgar's powerful play charts the dramatic and dangerous transition of a fictional eastern European country from hard-line communism to the beginnings of western-style democracy. It is 1989; crowds are gathering in the streets and the Soviets are refusing to send in the troops. The government is on its own and faces a stark choice - suppress the demonstrators or instigate reform. Pavel Prus ...... Tim McInnerny Josef Lutz ...... Henry Goodman Michal Kaplan ...... Jeremy Clyde Victor Spassov ...... Michael Elwyn Petr Vladislav ...... Jonathan Keeble Jan Matkovic ...... Robert Lister Andrei Zietek ...... Joseph Kloska Vera Rousova ...... Carolyn Pickles Jan Milev ...... Christian Rodska Victoria Brodskaya ...... Laura Matthews Monica Freie ...... Emerald O'Hanrahan Original music by Malcolm McKee Direcred by Peter Leslie Wild. Broadcast Sat 14 Nov 2009 14:30 BBC Radio 4

21 11 2009 Saturday BBC Radio 4 14:30 Saturday Play The Great Tennessee Monkey Trial
In 1925; the same year that Franz Kafka's The Trial was published; one of the most unusual trials ever seen in a United States courtroom took place. Earlier that year; the state of Tennessee had passed the Butler Act; which made the teaching of evolution illegal. In the stifling July heat; and in a courtroom hung with banners proclaiming 'Read Your Bible Daily'; 24-year-old teacher John Scopes stood trial. Adapted from the original trial transcript by Peter Goodchild. John Scopes ...... Neil Patrick Harris William Jennings Bryan ...... Edward Asner Dudley Field Malone ...... Stacy Keach Clarence Darrow ...... John de Lancie Judge John Raulston ...... Jerry Hardin Attorney General Stewart ...... Rob Nagle Arthur Garfield Hays ...... Arye Gross Howard Morgan ...... Tirosh Schneider Mr Riley ...... David Selby Mr Robinson ...... James Gleason Mr White ...... David Alan Novak Court Usher ...... Matt Gaydos Directed by Kate McAll. Broadcast Sat 21 Nov 2009 14:30 BBC Radio 4

28 11 2009 Saturday BBC Radio 4 14:30 Saturday Play A Family Affair
On 22nd November 1990; following dissention in the Conservative ranks and an equivocal leadership ballot; Margaret Thatcher made the dramatic decision to offer her resignation as prime minister. Michael Dobbs' play follows Thatcher's last traumatic days in power; seen from the perspective of her husband; Denis; and her family. Margaret Thatcher ...... Clare Higgins Denis Thatcher ...... Stephen Moore Carol Thatcher ...... Monica Dolan Mark Thatcher ...... William McGeogh Bill ...... Benjamin Whitrow Sir Geoffrey Howe ...... John McEnery Anthony ...... Kevin Doyle Minister ...... Sean Campion Christine ...... Sara Stewart Directed by Roland Jaquerello A Fiction Factory production for BBC Radio 4. Broadcast Sat 28 Nov 2009 14:30 BBC Radio 4

5 12 2009 Saturday BBC Radio 4 14:30 Saturday Play Dover Beats the Band
Comedy thriller by Joyce Porter; dramatised by Paul Mendelson. Inspector Dover; with less than total enthusiasm; investigates the murder of a mild-mannered philatelist in a holiday camp. His sergeant; however; cares a bit too much. But as the investigation begins to uncover a sinister conspiracy; even Scotland Yard's laziest detective becomes determined to catch the killer. Chief Inspector Dover ...... Kenneth Cranham Sergeant McGregor ...... Stuart McQuarrie Dr Hirst/Nora Hull ...... Joanna Tope Captain Maguire/Sven ...... Michael Mackenzie Sir Egbert Rankin/Rupert Pettit ...... Finlay McLean Inspector Telford/Osmond ...... Nick Underwood Sandra/Doreen Knapper ...... Lucy Paterson Mavis/WPC Elvira Marchmount ...... Samantha Young Other parts played by members of the cast. Directed by David Ian Neville. Broadcasts Sat 13 Oct 200714:30 BBC Radio 4 (FM only)Sat 5 Dec 2009 14:30 BBC

12 12 2009 Saturday BBC Radio 4 14:30 Saturday Play The Middle
By Amelia Bullmore. Clare is the golden middle sister in a family headed by a formidable matriarch; Luca. Clare meets and quickly marries Martin; who falls just as much in love with her fun; sparky family. But Martin makes a mistake and sets in train a series of events which brings the family to its knees. Clare ...... Emma Cunniffe Martin ...... Ben Miles Nicky ...... Anna Madeley Justine ...... Eve Matheson Luca ...... Paola Dionisotti Karl ...... Nigel Pilkington Owen ...... Baxter Willis Mick ...... John Biggins Ed ...... Piers Wehner Donna ...... Melissa Advani Directed by Mary Peate. Broadcast Sat 12 Dec 2009 14:30 BBC Radio 4

19 12 2009 Saturday BBC Radio 4 14:30 Saturday Play The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
Dramatisation by Linda Marshall of L Frank Baum's children's classic. When a tornado strikes her farmhouse in Kansas; young Dorothy is lifted to the magical world of Oz; where she embarks upon a perilous journey to find her way back home. Dorothy ...... Amelia Clarkson Wizard of Oz/Kalidah/Uncle Henry ...... Jonathan Keeble Scarecrow ...... Kevin Eldon Tinman ...... Burn Gorman Lion ...... Zubin Varla Witch of the North/South/West/Aunt Em .......Emma Fielding King Monkey/Miner ...... Andrew Westfield Munchkin/Gatekeeper ...... Graeme Hawley With Original Music by Olly Fox. Directed by Nadia Molinari. Part of the BBC Christmas 2009 season. Broadcast Sat 19 Dec 2009 14:30

26 12 2009 Saturday BBC Radio 4 14:30 Saturday Play Educating Rita
By Willy Russell. A comic; sparky and touching portrayal of the relationship between a working-class Open University student and her middle-aged; alcohol-fuelled tutor. Rita ...... Laura Dos Santos Frank ...... Bill Nighy Directed by Kirsty Williams Part of the BBC Christmas 2009 season. Broadcast Sat 26 Dec 2009 14:30 BBC Radio 4 (FM only)

2010
02 jan private lives noel coward helena bonham carter bill nighy
09 jan just between ourselves ayckbourn 1977 dir gordon house
16 jan dover and the sleeping beauty paul mandelson
23 jan raven black anne cleeves dram iain finlay macleod
30 jan dr johnsons dictionary of crime david ashton

06 feb the small back room nigel balchin dram richard stevens ww2
13 feb slaughterhouse five kurt vonnegut dave sheasby 90m
20 feb murder in samarkand craig murray 105min
27 feb othello shakespeare with lenny henry 120min

06 mar vincent price and the horror of the english bloodbeast 'witchfinder general' play matthew broughton
13 mar confessions of a medium a.l.kennedy
20 mar playing with trains stephen polikoff part 1
27 mar playing with trains part 2 stephen poliakoff

03 apr goldfinger james bond ian fleming 90m
10 apr the believers christian pop group 1963 frank cottrrell boyce
17 apr scream edvard munch theft boz temple-morris kris hollington
24 apr the tennis court jonathan smith

01 may the indian in the cupboard lynne reid banks dram jane purcell
08 may an english tragedy ronald harwood ww2 john amery treason
15 may the jubilee singers adrian mitchell,ad celia hewitt negro spirituals just after slavery abolished; true story
22 may sacred statues william trevor
29 may an inspector calls j.b.priestley

05 jun the iceman simon bovey
12 jun bloody sunday ad. richard norton taylor
19 jun mountain of light simon bovey-the great exhibition, london, 1851
26 jun the pianist wladyslaw szpilman warsaw ghetto nazi occupation

03 jul avoid london-area-closed-mike walker
10 jul going to ground ww2 drama simion passmore
17 jul the moscow prodigal
24 jul the white chameleon christopher hampton
31 jul writing on wigan pier david pownall george orwell-related

07 aug rebus strip jack ian rankin part 1 sat play
13 aug tall stories no author credited - dir mary peate
21 aug bora bora lynne truss
28 aug boscobel ian curteis

04 sep translations michael duke / brian friel
11 sep spitfire mike walker
18 sep the white man's burden paul theroux about rudyard kipling
25 sep walter now david cook

02 oct the kane conspiracy jonathan holloway about citizen kane
09 oct theramin melissa murray
16 oct utz bruce chatwin /gregory norminton porcelain collector 1960s prague
23 oct beat the dog in his own kennel gary brown
30 oct the vanishing tim krabbe oliver emanuel

06 nov five days in may matthew solon
13 nov and then there were none agatha christie /joy wilkinson
20 nov a month in the country j.l.carr adap dave sheasby
27 nov the caretaker harold pinter

04 dec the gambler dostoyevsky
11 dec on the ceiling nigel planer frescoes, sistene chapel
18 dec shirley valentine willy russell monologue
25 dec pat and margaret victoria wood 90m


2011

01 jan the lady in the van, alan bennett, producer gordon house
08 jan to catch a thief, david dodge, made into a film (hitchcock), dram. jean buchanan
15 jan master harold and the boys, athol fugard, black waiters, apartheid/south africa
22 jan playback, jonathan myerson, political docu-drama, kissinger, nixon, 1973 october war
29 jan my dear children of the whole world, author not credited in RT -possibly hugh costello? -pope pius and his refusal to condemn the nazis in his xmas speech of 1942

05 feb the big sleep, raymond chandler, new dramatisation by robin brooks. with toby stephens.
12 feb the lady in the lake, raymond chandler, dram. stephen wyatt, toby stephens, philip marlowe
19 feb farewell my lovely, raymond chandler, dram. robin brooks, with toby stephens
26 feb playback, raymond chandler, dram. stephen wyatt, 90m

05 mar vanunu: a time to be heard, jon set, nuclear whistleblower in israel
12 mar the gun, mike walker, dram. of c.s.forester's guerilla warfare story,napoleonic spain
19 mar landfall, mike walker, sci-fi; five misfits head to a planet where there's a mining operation ...
26 mar leverage, simon passmore, conspiracy thriller

02 apr one chord wonders, frank boyce's plays about the punk generation 30 years on
09 apr one chord wonders- blitzkrieg bop
16 apr one chord wonders- damned, damned, damned: more about the pop music industry.
23 apr one chord wonders-this is the modern world
30 apr one chord wonders- television's over, f.c.boyce

07 may a change in the willows, ian buchan, toad of toad hall updated, 60m saturday play
14 may deep down 'n dirty rock n roll, mark d. markham. a rock band's comeback tour.
21 may five days in may, matthew solon, collapse of the labour government's support in 2010 and its replacement with a coalition
28 may sunk, mike walker, chilling tale about the nazi propaganda film 'titanic' commissioned by goebbels

4 jun little platoons, steve waters, a group of parents wants to set up its own school
11 jun the browning version, terence rattigan
18 jun in praise of love, terence rattigan, husband tries to keep his wife from knowing she has a terminal illness, unaware that she already knows, 1973 production, producer john tydeman, dir c de wolff
25 jun cause celebre, terence rattigan centenary, trial involving adultery and murder, 2 hours, saturday play.

2 jul, white knights, ann cleves dram. i.f.macleod, detective story set in shetlands
9 jul the penny dreadfuls present -revolution. comedy troupe.
16 jul the purple land, w.hudson dram andrew davies, 90m, political strife in south america and an elopement
23 jul playing with fire, david edgar, 90m, political drama
30 jul the great tennessee monkey trial, peter goodchild, teaching of evolution illegal

6 aug ian fleming, doctor no, james bond story, rpt, jarvis & ayres production. david suchet and toby stephens. 90m.
13 aug frances byrne, belle amie, sequel to maupassant's novel bel ami.
20 aug douglas livingstone, road to durham, rpt, the bevin boys, going down the mines instead of joining the armed forces
27 aug winston graham, marnie, a woman poses as a secretary to steal from her employers. used by alfred hitchcock in a psychological thriller. dram. shaun mckenna. saturday play.

3 sep john godber, september in the rain, based on a stage performance from 1983 about j.b's grandparents
10 sep michael eaton, washington 9/11, drama about the terrorist attacks on the twin towers, new york
17 sep ann cleves dram i.f.macleod: raven black, murder in the snow
24 sep life and fate: jonathan myerson, dram, fortress stalingrad

1 oct chandler- the long goodbye, 1/4, dram stephen wyatt, 90m
8 oct chandler-the high window, 2/4, dram. robin brook, 90m
15 oct chandler, the little sister, dram stephen wyatt, 90m
22 oct chandler- poodle springs, 4/4, dram. robin brooks
29 oct ray bradbury dram diana griffiths, something wicked this way comes, gothic horror

5 nov amelia bullmore, the middle, martin marries into a family but his one mistake leads to a family crisis
12 nov amy rosenthal, bar mitzvah boy, coming-of-age for a 13 year old youth, adap from jack rosenthal's book
19 nov alan garner, dram. peter thomson: the weirdstone of brisingamen
26 nov joyce porter, dram. paul mandelson, dover and the unkindest cut of all; death of a local policeman

3 dec paul mendelson, dover and the sleeping beauty
10 dec penelope fitzgerald, the gate of angels dram y.antrobus; edwardian london and cambridge;love,religion, physics and chance...
17 dec timberlake wertenbaker, our country's good, convicts sent to australia in 1780s (linked play r3 the next day, same cast)
24 dec ian fleming, goldfinger, rpt, with ian mckellen, jarvis & ayres production, 90min
31 dec bryony lavery, the million pound banknote, adap. from mark twain's short story


2012

7 Jan: Saturday Drama - The Quest of Donal Q
By David Ashton. Based on the template of Don Quixote, The Quest of Donal Q, is the story of two rival brothers who journey through Scotland in search of a childhood sweetheart. Written for and starring Brian Cox and Billy Connolly. Donal and Sandy have been separated as kids in an orphanage. Donal was adopted by a rich couple and taken off to grow up in sunny California, Sandy was never chosen and lived all his life in Dundee. It's ten years since the brothers last met since they had a fierce falling out. Now Donal turns up at Sandy's tobacconist shop to demand that his brother drops everything and travels on an urgent mission. The Quest is to find a girl they were both in love with at the Orphanage. CAST: Donal ....... BILLY CONNOLLY, Sandy ...... BRIAN COX , Hamish/Mr Quigley.... JOHN KIELTY, Jeanette/Leonora ...... SANDY McDADE, Fergus/Mungo .......... FORBES MASSON, Mother/Maybelle ....... LINDY WHITEFORD, Mary ........ HELEN MACKAY, Margo/Mrs Quigley.... TRACY WILES, Gilchrist.... CARL PREKOPP, Prester John/Ernie .... DAVID ASHTON, Candy ...... VICTORIA INEZ HARDY. Producer.......David Ian Neville.

14 Jan: Saturday Drama - Tom and Viv
By Michael Hastings. Benedict Cumberbatch stars in the story of TS Eliot's marriage to Viv Haigh-Wood. Radio 4 commemorates the recent death of Michael Hastings with this his best known play. Its subject is the marriage of the young TS Eliot and Vivienne Haigh-Wood. Tom ..... Benedict Cumberbatch, Viv..... Lia Williams, Maurice....David Haig, Rose..... Judy Parfitt, Charles.. John Rowe, Louise....Emily Randall, Janes..... Chris Pavlo, Dr Todd.... Gunnar Cauthery, Barrister... Jonathan Tafler. Adapted and produced by Peter Kavanagh.

21 Jan: Saturday Drama - The Jinx Element
By Stephen Wakelam. Edith Wharton's private life was as dramatic as many of her novels. An encounter with a journalist was to have an enormous effect on her marriage and work. Edith Wharton ..... Fenella Woolgar, Henry James ..... Allan Corduner, Morton ..... Patrick Baladi, Teddy Wharton ..... Nathan Osgood, Cook/Manservant ..... James Lailey, Mrs Gross/French Admirer ..... Rachel Atkins, English Waiter/French Waiter ..... Simon Bubb. Produced by Sally Avens.

28 Jan: Saturday Drama - The Believers
Liverpool, 1963. By Frank C Boyce; comedy drama. The Merseybeat boom is about to take off. And with it, The Believers, a Christian pop band determined to spread the Word. If only they were all singing from the same hymn sheet. James.........Ray Quinn, Debbie.........Samantha Robinson, Billy.......Kieran Lynn, Warren.........John Biggins, Reverend Michaels......Rufus Wright, Elder Wardle......Gary Bleasdale, Jenny.......Alison Pettitt. Other parts played by Joanna Monro, David Seddon, Laura Molyneux, Jill Cardo and Keely Beresford. Original music by Carl Hunter and Mel Bowen. Produced by Toby Swift.

4 Feb: Saturday Drama - Private Peaceful
By Michael Morpurgo; dramatised by Simon Reade with music by Coope Boyes and Simpson. In WW1 over 300 British soldiers were executed by firing squad, some for desertion and cowardice. Many were traumatised by shell-shock. Some 90 years later they received posthumous pardons from the British Government, after a campaign helped by Michael Morpurgo's novel Private Peaceful . Recorded on location in Iddesleigh - the Devon village where the book is set with Michael Morpurgo playing the Vicar and Nicholas Lyndhurst Seargent Hanley. YOUNG TOMMO Ted Allpress, YOUNG CHARLIE Harvey Allpress, YOUNG MOLLY Amy Reade, YOUNG JIMMY Daniel Houghton, TOMMO Paul Chequer, CHARLIE Mark Quartley, MOLLY Annette Chown, JIMMY Ben Allen, HAZEL/ANNA Alison Reid, MR MUNNINGS/FARMER COX Nick Brimble, JAMES/MOLLY'S FATHER/PATRON Christopher Bianchi, COLONAL/OLD MAN Peter Ellis, VICAR Michael Morpurgo, TOMMO Paul Chequer, CHARLIE Mark Quartley, SERGEANT HANLEY Nicholas Lyndhurst, JIMMY Ben Allen, CAPTAIN WILKES/BRIGADIER Jonathan Keeble, BUCKLAND/DOCTOR Terence Mann. Organist - Marjorie Cleverdon Music - Coope Boyes and Simpson. Producer Susan Roberts.

11 Feb: Saturday Drama - Freud: The Case Histories, Dora
Deborah Levy's dramatisation of Sigmund Freud's case study 'Dora' translated by Shaun Whiteside.1899 finds a father imploring Sigmund Freud to treat his daughter after discovering her intention to end her life. When Dora first comes to Freud she suffers from a loss of voice, a debilitating cough and a limp. Dream analysis is the key to unlocking the causes of Dora's condition. Freud.....Robert Glenister, Dora.....Olivia Hallinan, Papa.....Gerard McDermott, Mama.....Tracy-Ann Oberman, Herr K/Coachman....Alun Raglan, Frau K..... Susie Riddell, Madame Petrova....Tracy Wiles. Producer Elizabeth Allard.

18 Feb: Saturday Drama - Freud: The Case Histories, The Wolf Man
Deborah Levy's dramatisation of Sigmund Freud's case study 'The Wolf Man- The History of an Infantile Neurosis' translated by Louise Adey Huish. It is 1910 when the depressed son of a wealthy Russian landowner arrives in Vienna. Sergei Pankejeff, 24 years old, is suffering from debilitating fears and phobias. Freud's treatment of Pankejeff is centred around an enigmatic dream his patient had as a very young child; a dream of white wolves. Freud invites Sergei to return to his childhood as a means of understanding his current depression. Analysing the child inside the man Freud unlocks the meaning of the wolves that haunt Sergei's dreams FREUD.....Robert Glenister, SERGEI PANKEJEFF (80).....Andrew Sachs, SERGEI PANKEJEFF (23).....Blake Ritson, SERGEI PANKEJEFF (10).....Ted Allpress, FATHER/FENCING MASTER.....Alun Raglan, MOTHER.....Susie Riddell, ANNA.....Amelia Clarkson, NANJA.....Elaine Claxton, GRANDFATHER/LATIN MASTER/BOOKSELLER.....Jonathan Oliver, TAILOR.....Simon Bubb, VIOLINIST.....Ruth Schulten. Producer Nadia Molinari.

25 Feb: Saturday Drama - Noughts and Crosses
By Malorie Blackman, dramatised for radio by Janice Okoh. Callum and Sephy have known each other since they were babies, when his Mum worked for hers. But Callum is a Nought - a second class citizen - and Sephy a Cross, one of the elite. Her father is also one of the country's leading policiticians. No matter how much they may want to be together, the world is telling them they can't. And soon bigger things will prevail. Like the bombing.......... Sephy ..... Zawe Ashton, Callum ..... Rikki Lawton, Meggie/Jasmine ..... Adjoa Andoh, Ryan/Andrew Dorn ..... Carl Prekopp, Jude ..... Alex Lanipekun, Lynette/Sarah ..... Tracy Wiles, Kamal ..... Jude Akuwudike, Kelani Adams ..... Nikki Amuka Bird, Mr Pingule ..... Israel Oyelumade, Mr Stoll ..... Richard Pepple, Soanes ..... Gerard McDermott, Shania ..... Victoria Inez Hardy. Producer Marion Nancarrow.

3 Mar: Saturday Drama - An American Rose
By Charlotte Jones. The Kennedys were the most famous family in England when Joseph became American Ambassador in London. But daughter Rosemary's behaviour began to cause the family increasing concern. Rosemary Kennedy ..... Fenella Woolgar, Kathleen Kennedy ..... Lydia Wilson , Rose Kennedy ..... Lisa Eichhorn, Deborah Mitford ..... Tilly Gaunt, Billy Hartington ..... Carl Prekopp , Dr Freeman ..... Don Gilet, Sister Margaret ..... Tracy Wiles, John White ..... Harry Livingstone. Produced by Claire Grove. Directed by Sally Avens. The play is inspired by the lives of two of JFK's sisters, 'Rosemary' Kennedy, who died in 2005, but underwent a prefrontal lobotomy aged 23 and Kathleen 'Kick' Kennedy who married the heir to the Duke of Devonshire.

10 Mar: Saturday Drama - Rebus: Strip Jack, Rebus: Strip Jack, part 1.
Ian Rankin's Edinburgh detective, Inspector Rebus, investigates the disappearance of an MP's wife. Ron Donachie stars in a two-part dramatisation by Chris Dolan.

17 Mar: Saturday Drama - Rebus: Strip Jack, Rebus: Strip Jack, part 2
Final part of Ian Rankin's crime thriller. Inspector Rebus investigates the death of an MP's wife. Set in Edinburgh and the Highlands in 1992. In Edinburgh a man confesses to the murder of two women - but Rebus isn't convinced. Much to his superior's dismay, Rebus ignores the confession and disappears north to investigate a wild party deep in the Scottish countryside. D.I. Rebus ..... Ron Donachie, D.S. Holmes ....... Andy Clark, WPC Moffat.... Lisa Gardner, Gregor Jack.... Gavin Kean, McMillan....Liam Brennan, C.S. Watson..... Douglas Russell, Ronald Steele.... Robin Laing, Helen/Cathy ..... Emma Currie, Costello/Rab ..... Lewis Howden, Patience...... Monica Gibb, Kemp..... Laurie Brown. Other parts played by the cast. Producer/director Bruce Young.

24 Mar: Saturday Drama - Otherwise Engaged
A new production of Simon Gray's play. A London publisher is at home trying to enjoy a Saturday afternoon at home listening to Wagner. SIMON......JAMES PUREFOY, STEPHEN......ALEX MACQUEEN, JEFF...... EWAN BAILEY, DAVINA......HATTIE MORAHAN, WOOD......NIGEL PLANER, BETH......TRACY WILES, DAVE......RIKKI LAWTON. Producer - PETER KAVANAGH.

31 Mar: Saturday Drama - The Jubilee Singers
By Adrian Mitchell. Play about the Jubilee Singers of Fisk University, Tennessee, who in the years immediately after slavery brought their great 'Sorrow Songs' from the plantations to Europe. Mitchell, who died suddenly in 2008, was a poet, playwright and human rights campaigner. He was inspired to write this musical play by the true story of the Welsh journalist who toured with the black American Jubilee singers in their first European tour in the late nineteenth century. The singers enchanted Queen Victoria and Gladstone, and Swing Low Sweet Chariot was heard in England for the first time when they sang it to packed concert halls throughout the country. Mitchell's play was conceived for the theatre but it has not yet had a stage production; this is its premiere; adapted for radio under the guidance of Adrian's widow Celia Mitchell. The play stars London black gospel choir Nitrovox, with musical directors Felix Cross and Allyson Devenish and a black cast. Cast: Adjoa Andoh, Felix Dexter, Nadine Marshall, Tanya Moodie, Alibe Parsons, Clive Rowe, Ray Shell, Jonathan Pryce. Producer: Marilyn Imrie. Indie: A Pacificus production.

2012

7 April: Saturday Drama - The Voysey Inheritance
Harley Granville Barker's play from 1905. Edward discovers that in inheriting his father's impressive family business, he is inheriting a Ponzi scheme. For years his father has been making free with clients' capital and speculating, as his own father did before him. Edward must decide whether to continue the business and try to put matters right - a seemingly impossible task - or to expose the crime and bring his family to certain ruin. Edward............ Samuel Barnett, Mr Voysey............ . Clive Merrison, Mr George Booth........... Gawn Grainger, Trenchard Voysey.......... Richard Dillane, Major Booth Vosey............ Alan Cox, Denis Tregoning............. Joseph Arkley, Mrs Voysey............... Phyllida Law, Honor Voysey........... Amanda Lawrence, Peacey......... Paul Moriarty. Adapted for radio and produced by Lu Kemp.

14 April: Saturday Drama - Mountain of Light
By Simon Bovey. 1851: London buzzes with the wonders at The Great Exhibition in Hyde Park. To John Rayverne, housebreaker, it's harvest time as fine houses stand empty while the occupants attend the spectacle. But his activities are spotted...... In return for not being delivered to the police, he is forced to agree to the impossible - to attempt to steal the Koh-i-Noor diamond, the largest in the world. John.......Carl Prekopp, Emily.......Lizzy Watts, Hawkesworth....Ben Crowe, Rilke.......Harry Myers, Hobbs....Sam Dale, Galloway......Michael Shelford, Cobbet.....David Seddon, Wyatt.....Nigel Hastings. Producer Marc Beeby.

21 April: Saturday Drama - An Inspector Calls
By J. B. Priestley. The Birlings are celebrating the engagement of their daughter Sheila when a police Inspector calls. Each member of the family is questioned about their relationship with a young woman, Eva Smith. And they each have to face up to their role in her tragic story. Inspector Goole ... Toby Jones, Arthur Birling....David Calder, Sibyl Birling...Frances Barber, Sheila Birling ... Morvern Christie, Eric Birling ... Sam Alexander, Gerald Croft ...Geoffrey Streatfeild, Edna... Vineeta Rishi. Produced by Jeremy Mortimer.

28 April: Saturday Drama - The Caretaker
By Harold Pinter. Two brothers shelter an elderly, homeless man after a fight in a café. But his problems are far from over. Davies... David Warner, Aston... Tony Bell, Mick... Daniel Mays. Producer Peter Kavanagh.

5 May: Saturday Drama - A Month in the Country
By J. L. Carr, dramatised by Dave Sheasby; his last work for radio. WW1 survivor Tom Birkin spends a summer uncovering a medieval mural in the Yorkshire village of Oxgodby. Here he discovers treasures, riches he thought the war had blown away for ever. Cast Birkin ..... Rupert Evans Alice ..... Hattie Morahan Keach ..... Stephen Critchlow Moon ..... Blake Ritson Kathy ..... Leah Brotherhead Station Master ..... Tony Bell Produced by David Hunter

12 May: Saturday Drama - Othello
Northern Broadside's version of Shakespeare's tragedy of love turned sour by unfounded jealousy. Othello's descent into deluded rage is orchestrated by the dazzling villainy of his lieutenant Iago. Original stage production created by Northern Broadsides and West Yorkshire Playhouse and staged in London by Sonia Friedman Productions. IAGO ..... Conrad Nelson, RODERIGO ..... Matt Connor, BRABANTIO ..... Geoff Leesley, OTHELLO ..... Lenny Henry, CASSIO ..... Richard Standing, DUKE / GRATIANO ..... David Beckford, SENATOR / LODOVICO ..... Simon Holland Roberts, DESDEMONA ..... Jessica Harris, MONTANO ..... Andy Cryer, EMILIA ..... Sara Poyzer, HERALD / GENTLEMAN ..... Chris Pearse, BIANCA ..... Victoria Gee. Director: Barrie Rutter. Producer: David Hunter. Music arranged by Conrad Nelson and performed by the cast.

19 May: Saturday Drama - Kind Hearts and Coronets - Like Father, Like Daughter
Sequel to a well known radio and film classic. The action takes place some years after the death of the 10th Earl of Chalfont, a man who has systematically murdered his family in order to inherit his title. David Spicer's new version of this brilliantly simple story has something to offer both those who know the original and those who come to it for the first time. The cast includes Natalie Walter, Simon Greenall, Jane Whittenshaw, Sally Orrock, David Holt, Steve Hodson....and Alistair McGowan as the entire Gascoyne family. Producer: Frank Stirling. Indie (Unique production).

26 May: Saturday Drama - The Haunted Hotel
By Wilkie Collins; dramatised by Rod Beacham. This gothic horror tale is a powerful combination of ghost story and detective mystery. In 1860, the formidable Countess Narona marries a rich young aristocrat in London - but shortly after travelling to Venice her husband dies, apparently of natural causes, leaving the Countess a rich woman. Years later, guests in a Venetian hotel encounter the terrifying apparition of a murder victim seeking revenge. Henry Westwick ............. HARRY LLOYD, Agnes Lockwood ............ JASMINE HYDE , Countess Narona............ ADJOA ANDOH , Francis Westwick ........... SIMON BUBB , Suzannah Westwick....... KATHERINE IGOE, Emily Ferrari ..... ALEX RIVERS, Megan ..... ........JOSIE KIDD , Doctor Wybrow........ ......GERARD McDERMOTT, Carstairs ....... JAMES LAILEY , Doctor Bruno............... ...ROD BEACHAM. Other parts played by the cast. Producer: Bruce Young.

2 June: Saturday Drama - The Forgotten
By Hattie Naylor. A young girl emerges from a forest after a nameless war, knowing nothing of where she has come from or where she has been. She finds the local doctor, Charonne, trapped in the briar. After she has freed him he takes her back to his village where she lives in secret in his house. But she has been spotted by the villagers who wish to call Charonne to account for his conduct in the war. As the pressure on Charonne mounts he disappears into a familiar story in which the young girl takes a leading role. A retelling of the story of The Sleeping Beauty. Cast: Anton ...... John Biddle, Ireena and Rosa ...... Laura Greenwood, Young Charonne ...... Harry McEntire, Charonne ....... Tim McMullan, Sylvanne ....... Ruth Mitchell, Marie ....... Sally Orrock. Producer: Paul Dodgson. Indie (Pier productions).

9 June: Saturday Drama - Talking It Over
By Julian Barnes, dramatised by Julia Stoneham. Stuart and Oliver have been friends since school but are rather different. Oliver is charismatic and has this way of talking. Stuart is shy and no good at saying what he means. But then Stuart meets Gillian and things begin to change . Stuart ................ Carl Prekopp, Oliver .... Nicholas Boulton, Gillian ................ Hermione Norris, Madame Rives .... Tracy Wiles. Directed by Tracey Neale.

ULYSSES DAY, 16 June 2012
A marathon for radio drama listeners: a day devoted to 'Ulysses', by James Joyce.

Broadcast at 9.10am: 'Stately plump' Buck Mulligan calls Stephen Dedalus to the top of the Martello tower overlooking Dublin Bay - and so begins James Joyce's celebrated account of the 16th June 1904. The combined stories of Stephen and Leopold Bloom as they meander through the city. In a landmark project a new dramatisation of Ulysses is broadcast across one day - morning, afternoon and evening. With live commentary from Mark Lawson, broadcasting from Dublin. Dramatised by Robin Brooks. Narrator...Stephen Rea, Stephen Dedalus...Andrew Scott, Malachi 'Buck' Mulligan...Kevin Trainor, Haines...Harry Livingstone, Mary Dedalus...Janet Moran, Young Man...Ronan Raftery, Singer Daire Halpin. Pianist Colin Guthrie. Produced and Directed by Jeremy Mortimer. Executive Producer Claire Grove. (Ulysses chapter 'Telemachus').

Broadcast at 9.30am: 8.15 am and Stephen Dedalus breakfasts with Mulligan and the Englishman Haines before walking out along the strand to the swimming place at Forty Foot hole. Narrator...Stephen Rea, Stephen Dedalus...Andrew Scott, Malachi Mulligan...Kevin Trainor, Haines...Harry Livingstone, Young Man...Ronan Raftery, Produced and directed by Jeremy Mortimer. (Ulysses chapter 'Telemachus').

Broadcast at 10:15: Stephen Dedalus collects his wages from Headmaster Deasy, who wants Stephen to deliver a letter about the recent outbreak of Foot and Mouth disease to the editor of the Evening Telegraph. Narrator...Stephen Rea, Stephen Dedalus... Andrew Scott, Mr Deasy...Jim Norton, Sargent...Joshua Ellershaw, Usher...Aidan Dunlop. (Ulysses chapter 'Nestor').

Broadcast at 10.30am: 7 Eccles Street, Dublin. The home of Leopold and Marion (Molly) Bloom. Bloom, we are told, 'eats with relish the inner organs of beasts and fowls' and cooks himself a pork kidney for breakfast. While Molly receives a letter from her concert promoter Hugh 'Blazes' Boylan who has arranged to visit her later in the day. Bloom prepares to attend Paddy Dignam's funeral at Glasnevin cemetery. Narrator...Stephen Rea, Leopold Bloom...Henry Goodman, Molly Bloom...Niamh Cusack, Milly Bloom...Grainne Keenan, Martin Cunningham...Stephen Hogan, Simon Dedalus...Des McAleer, Martha Clifford... Christine Absalom, With Pip Donaghy, Jonathan Forbes, Peter Hamilton Dyer Gerard McDermott, John Rogan. (Ulysses chapters 'Calypso' 'Lotus Eaters', and 'Hades').

Broadcast at 1200 hrs. Stephen walks on Sandymount Strand before visiting the offices of the Evening Telegraph, where he catches a glimpse of advertising salesman Leopold Bloom. Stephen takes the Editor out for a drink, while Bloom slips into Davy Byrne's pub for a cheese sandwich. Dramatised by Robin Brooks. Narrator...Stephen Rea, Leopold Bloom...Henry Goodman, Molly Bloom...Niamh Cusack, Stephen Dedalus...Andrew Scott, Simon Dedalus...Des McAleer, Miles Crawford...Jonathan Forbes, Dilly Dedalus...Bronagh Taggart, Blazes Boylan...Sean Campion, Josie Breen...Grainne Keenan, Bantam Lyons...John Rogan. With Christine Absalom, Pip Donaghy, Aidan Dunlop, Peter Hamilton Dyer, Stephen Hogan, Gerard McDermott, Ronan Raftery. Produced and Directed by Jeremy Mortimer. (Ulysses chapters 'Proteus' 'Aeolus' and 'Lestrygonians').

Broadcast at 1430 hrs: The Library, through the Lunchtime Streets, to the Ormond Hotel
Stephen tries to get commissioned for an article at the National Library, while Leopold Bloom takes lunch at the Ormond Hotel and listens to Simon Dedalus and Benjamin Dollard sing at the piano. It is mid-afternoon and Hugh 'Blazes' Boylan is on his way to his adulterous assignation with Molly Bloom in Eccles Street. Narrator...Stephen Rea, Leopold Bloom...Henry Goodman, Stephen Dedalus...Andrew Scott, Molly Bloom...Niamh Cusack, Simon Dedalus...Des McAleer, Richard Best...John Rogan, John Eglinton...Peter Hamilton Dyer, Malachi Mulligan...Kevin Trainor, Patrick Dignam...Joshua Ellershaw, Hugh 'Blazes' Boylan...Sean Campion, Lenehan...Lorcan Cranitch, Benjamin Dollard...Gerard McDermott, Martin Cunningham...Stephen Hogan, Miss Kennedy...Denise Gough, Miss Douce...Bronagh Taggart, With Aidan Dunlop, Peter Hamilton Dyer, Jonathan Forbes, Grainne Keenan, Harry Livingstone. Produced and directed by Jeremy Mortimer. Indie: Goldhawk Productions. (Ulysses chapters 'Scylla and Charybdis', 'Wandering Rocks' and 'The Sirens').

Broadcast at 17:26: Bloom gets into an argument with the 'Citizen' which climaxes in mock-heroic battle, when Bloom makes a dignified retreat and his opponent flings a biscuit tin after him. This episode is narrated by an anonymous crony of the 'Citizen', an anti-Semitic Nationalist bigot. Repulsive as he is, he provides an opportunity for Bloom to show his true heroism by arguing against prejudice and preaching a doctrine of love and understanding. Leopold Bloom...Henry Goodman, Citizen...Pip Donaghy, Unnamed Narrator...Jim Norton, Joe Hynes...John Rogan, Terry O'Ryan, Martin Cunningham...Stephen Hogan, Alf Bergan...Ronan Raftery, Lenehan...Lorcan Cranitch. Directed by Jonquil Panting. Produced by Jeremy Mortimer. (Ulysses chapter 'Cyclops').

Broadcast at 2000 hrs: James Joyce's Ulysses - Part 6: From Sandymount Beach at Evening, to the Maternity Hospital, and into Nighttown. Bloom cannot go home. For he knows that Molly has an adulterous appointment with Hugh 'Blazes' Boylan. So he stands on the beach at nightfall watching Gerty MacDowell enjoy the fireworks. Meanwhile, at the maternity hospital in Holles Street, Mina Purefoy is still struggling - after three days - to give birth. Near the ward, Stephen Dedalus joins a raucous group of medical students and Bloom joins the party, which then moves off to Bella Cohen's brothel. Dramatised by Robin Brooks. (Contains strong language.) Narrator...Stephen Rea, Leopold Bloom...Henry Goodman, Stephen Dedalus...Andrew Scott, Molly Bloom...Niamh Cusack, Bella Cohen...Frances Barber, Gerty MacDowell...Denise Gough, Cissy Caffrey, Nurse Callan...Bronagh Taggart, Edy Boardman...Grainne Keenan, Tommy...Aidan Dunlop, Lenehan...Lorcan Cranitch, Malachi Mulligan...Kevin Trainor, Private Compton...Peter Hamilton Dyer, Private Carr...Ronan Raftery, Rudolph Bloom... Pip Donaghy, Hugh 'Blazes' Boylan... Sean Campion, Zoe... Susie Riddell, with Christine Absalom, Aidan Dunlop, Jonathan Forbes, Stephen Hogan John Rogan, Harry Livingstone, Gerard McDermott, Janet Moran. Directed by Jeremy Mortimer and Jonquil Panting. Produced by Jeremy Mortimer. (Ulysses chapters 'Nausicaa', The Oxen of the Sun', 'Circe', 'Eumaeus').

Broadcast at 2215 hrs: Mark Lawson chairs a discussion about the powerful influence of Ulysses today and in the years since its publication in 1922, with guests including Anne Fogarty, Professor of James Joyce Studies at UCD, Declan Kiberd, author of Ulysses and Us. Producer: Phil Tinline.

Broadcast at 2300hrs (last part) - From a Cabman's Shelter, to Eccles Street and Home
Bloom takes Stephen home, and gives him a cup of cocoa. They talk, relieve themselves in the garden, and go their separate ways. Bloom joins Molly in bed, home at last. In her bed, Molly Bloom lies and muses, reliving the afternoon's sexual encounter with Blazes Boylan, and winding up all the threads and themes of the day. Dramatised by Robin Brooks. Contains very strong language. Narrator...Stephen Rea, Leopold Bloom...Henry Goodman, Stephen Dedalus...Andrew Scott, Molly Bloom...Niamh Cusack, Dilly Dedalus...Bronagh Taggart, Sinbad...Pip Donaghy. With Peter Hamilton Dyer, Stephen Hogan, Gerard McDermott, Ronan Raftery. Singer Daire Halpin. Pianist Colin Guthrie. Produced and Directed by Jeremy Mortimer. Executive Producer Claire Grove. (Ulysses chapters 'Eumaeus', 'Ithaca', and 'Penelope').

23 June: Saturday Drama - Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance
Dramatized by Peter Flannery from the novel by Robert Pirsig. This is the story of a motorcycle journey across America, a meditation on values and the concept of Quality, and an allegorical tale of a man coming to terms with his past and with his young son. The narrator wrestles both with the ghost of his past and with some of the most important philosophical questions of the 20th century. 90m. Cast: Dad/Narrator/Phaedrus ...... James Purefoy, Chris ...... Max Cazier, John ...... Sean Power, Sylvia ...... Lucy Newman-Williams, Gennie ...... Caitlin Thorburn, Professor ...... Paris Arrowsmith, Students ....... Arts Ed, School of Acting. Original music: Jon Nicholls. Sound Design: Eloise Whitmore. Producer: Melanie Harris. Indie production (Sparklab).

30 June: Saturday Drama - Strike for a Kingdom
By Menna Gallie; dramatised by Diana Griffiths.It's 1926 and in the small Welsh valleys village of Cilhendre, the miners are on strike. When the local mine's manager is found dead, the murder investigation begins to expose the tensions and secrets of this close-knit community. DJ Williams .. Paul Rhys, The Inspector .. Anthony O'Donnell, Gerwin/Jack .. Matthew Gravelle, Jess .. Eiry Thomas, Elwyn .. Iestyn Jones, PC Thomas .. Lee Mengo, Mrs Williams .. Sharon Morgan. Producer James Robinson. BBC Wales.

2012

7 July: Saturday Drama - The Hound of the Baskervilles
By Arthur Conan Doyle, dram. Steven Canny & John Nicholson. When Sherlock Holmes hears the strange tale of the Hound of the Baskervilles, he despatches Watson to Dartmoor to begin solving the mystery. Hostile yokels, alarming acquaintances, an escaped murderer and the deadly Grimpen Mire conspire to make Watson more baffled than ever, until Holmes turns up to take over. This is Peepolykus Theatre Company's comic version of the tale, recorded in front of a live audience in Bristol. Sherlock Holmes .... Javier Marzan, Dr Watson .... John Nicholson, Sir Henry Baskerville .... Jason Thorpe, Stapleton / Barrymore .... Richard Nichols, Cecile / Mrs Barrymore .... Hayley Carmichael. Producer Alison Hindell. Recorded at the Queen Elizabeth's Hospital School Theatre.

14 July: Saturday Drama - Betrayal
Harold Pinter's drama about a love affair and the intricate nature of deceit which is told in reverse time from its poignant ending to its thrilling first kiss. Emma ..... Olivia Colman, Jerry ..... Andrew Scott, Robert ..... Charles Edwards, Waiter ..... Gerard McDermott. Producer Gaynor Macfarlane. Andrew Scott won the 'best actor' award for his performance. See 2012 Audio Drama Awards.

21 July: Saturday Drama - From Russia with Love
Ian Fleming, adap. Archie Scotney. It's 1955 and the Russians plan an act of terrorism. The target is James Bond. To be 'killed with ignominy': a major sex scandal will leave his reputation, and that of MI6, in tatters. Colonel Rosa Klebb of the KGB devises a plan to lure Bond into their trap, using beautiful Corporal Tatiana Romanova as bait - plus a Spektor, the latest Russian decoding device. MI6 learns that Tatiana wants to defect and 'M' orders Bond to Istanbul. When Tatiana makes contact she seems to be in love with him - but is she? General/Rene ...... John Sessions, Kronsteen ...... Mark Gatiss, Major/KGB director/Barman ...... Jon Glover, Rosa Klebb ...... Eileen Atkins, James Bond ...... Toby Stephens, May ...... Aileen Mowat, 'M' ...... John Standing, Moneypenny ...... Janie Dee, 'Q' ...... Julian Sands, Kerim ...... Tim Pigott-Smith, Manager/Conductor ...... Matthew Wolf, Tatiana ...... Olga Fedori, Announcer ...... Micky Stratford, Nash ...... Nathaniel Parker, Ian Fleming ...... Martin Jarvis. Music by Mark Holden and Michael Lopez. Director: Martin Jarvis. Producer: Rosalind Ayres. Indie production (Jarvis & Ayres).

28 July: Saturday Drama - A Special Kind of Dark
A year ago Caspar was locked up and declared criminally insane. Finally he breaks his silence to reveal a deadly tale of love and politics. But is he telling the truth? A psychological thriller by Adrian Penketh. Adrian Penketh has written a number of plays for Radio 4, including THE WATERBUCKS, which was shortlisted for the Imison Award, and an adaptation of Balzac's THE WILD ASS'S SKIN which was runner-up for the Prix Italia in 2011. Caspar ...... Paul Rhys, Helene ...... Fenella Woolgar, Felix ...... David Schofield, Baptiste ...... Christopher Fairbank, Elodie Testoud ...... Matilda Ziegler, TV Director ...... Sam Alexander, Producer ...... Toby Swift.

4 Aug: Saturday Drama - Spitfire!
A moving drama by Mike Walker about the most famous British fighter aircraft in history, first broadcast in September 2010 to mark the 70th anniversary of the Battle of Britain. Framed by recollections from veteran Geoffrey Wellum, the drama features specially made recordings of RAF Battle of Britain Memorial Flight Spitfires, including the only Spitfire still flying today to have fought in the Battle. The drama traces RJ Mitchell's design from creation to legend and the fortunes of two young pilots who join a frontline Spitfire squadron just as the Battle of Britain begins. Many factors were important in the Battle, but it was the excellence of the Spitfire which most famously evened the odds in the fight against the Luftwaffe. Mike Walker's drama takes us close to this magnificent aircraft and gives us a feeling of what it was like to fly the legendary plane which became, in test pilot Jeffrey Quill's words, 'a symbol of defiance and victory'. Pirate ........ Rory Kinnear, Ted ........ Joel Coen, RJ Mitchell ........ Samuel West, Tony ........ Samuel Barnett, Stanley Baldwin ........ David Horovitch, Air Marshal Dowding ........ David Troughton, Squadron commander ........ Stephen Critchlow, Newsreel announcer ........ Ben Crowe, Sammy ........ Lucas Motion, Alice ........ Abigail Thaw, Daphne ........ Ruth Wilson, Producer ........ Amber Barnfather. Technical Advisor: Patrick Bishop. Original music and sound design: David Chilton. Indie (Goldhawk Essential production).

11 Aug: Saturday Drama - The Moscow Prodigal
By Michael Butt, based on an idea by Vitaly Yerenkov. Vasily returns to Moscow after ten years in England. His attempts to build a new life there have not been a success - he has been eking out an existence as a minicab driver. At the airport he is met by his childhood friend, Andrei, who now works for the Minister of the Interior. Andrei's expansive manner and expensive air of money and power seem to hint at a more thuggish way of climbing the ladder. Vasily ........ Yasen Peyankov, Olga ........ Anne Bobby, Irina ........ Angelique Doudnikova, Marco ........ Michael Levi Harris, Sasha ........ Stass Klassen, Andrei ........ Moti Margolin, Anna ........ Nicole Rosengurt, Gryzlov ........ Peter von Berg, Mama ........ Tatyana Zbirovskaya. Technical production by Scott Lehrer. Music composed for the play by Gene Pritzker. Producer Judith Kampfner. Indie. (Waters Company).

18 Aug: Saturday Drama - These Are the Times, Common Sense
First part of Trevor Griffiths' two-part life of Thomas Paine, These are the Times. It starts with Paine's arrival in America in 1774, a penniless immigrant from England. He finds himself in the middle of the ferment of the struggle for American Independence and sets about writing for the cause with such passion and brilliance that General Washington has his words read out to the soldiers before a crucial battle. But he makes enemies as well as friends in high places. Music by John Tams. Directed by Clive Brill. Produced by Ann Scott. Indie. (Greenpoint production in association with Richard Attenborough)

25 Aug: Saturday Drama - These Are the Times, Age of Reason
The second and final part of Trevor Griffiths' two-part life of Thomas Paine. He is again embroiled in a revolutionary situation. This time it's in France, where the struggle and outcome are totally different from his American experience. All his hopes for change, and his work for a new Constitution and the rule of Law are swept away by the Terror. He is attacked as a dangerous influence in England, imprisoned in France and makes it back to America - but to an unexpected reception. Music by John Tams. Other production details - see last Saturday's entry.

1 Sept: Saturday Drama - South Downs
The Chichester Festival production of David Hare's play, brought to radio. Set in the 60s in Lancing College, Sussex, where the author went to school. A bright young student is cut off from his fellow boys by virtue of his own intellect, background and questioning spirit. The school, with its unyielding and rigid outlook on life, leaves the boy isolated and confused but an unlikely meeting with the free-spirited mother of another pupil (Anna Chancellor) offers the boy a future with hope. Produced by Catherine Bailey. Directed by Jeremy Herrin. Indie production (Catherine Bailey).

2 Sept: Classic Serial - The Grapes of Wrath, Episode 1
By John Steinbeck. Dramatised by Donna Franceschild. A play about economic migration and the endurance of the human spirit. Set against the backdrop of America's Great Depression and Dust Bowl, a family of farmers from Oklahoma head west in search of work but discover thousands of others are also on the move. Tom ........ Robert Sheehan, Preacher Casy ........ Zubin Varla, Ma ........ Michelle Fairley, Pa ........ Steven McNicoll, Al ........ Finn den Hertog, Rosasharn ........ Melody Grove, Ruthie ........ Nicola Jo Cully, Connie ........ Nick Underwood, Grampa ........ Jim Bryce, Wilson ........ Jimmy Chisholm, Ragged Man ........ Jimmy Chisholm, Sairy ........ Irene MacDougall, Scrapyard Man ........ Gavin Mitchell, Floyd ........ Gavin Mitchell, Producer ........ Kirsty Williams.

8 Sept: Saturday Drama - Blasphemy and the Governor of Punjab
Drama-doc; John Dryden. On 4th January 2011, self-made millionaire businessman and governor of Punjab, Salmaan Taseer, was gunned down in the car park of a popular Islamabad market. He had been leading a campaign to amend Pakistan's blasphemy laws, after an illiterate 45-year-old Christian woman, Asia Bibi, from a village in his province had been sentenced to death for blasphemy. Within hours of his death, a Facebook fan page for the assassin Mumtaz Qadri had over 2000 members, before site administrators shut it down. When Qadri was transferred to jail, he was garlanded with roses by a crowd of lawyers offering to take on his case for free. President Asif Ali Zardari, an old friend of Taseer's, didn't go to the funeral for fear of inflaming public opinion. Leaders of state-funded mosques refused to say funeral prayers for the slain governor. The Interior Minister even gave an impromptu press conference announcing that he too would kill any blasphemer "with his own hands". Using his contacts in Pakistan, presenter Owen Bennett-Jones has interviewed Taseer's family and friends and the family of the assassin. He has also secured access to court documents including the killer's confession. The programme includes interviews and dramatic reconstructions. Cast:... Sagar Arya, ... Amerjit Deu, ... Asif Khan, ... Faryal Khan, ... Najma Khan, ... Abid Majid, ... Mariam Majid, ... Ayeesha Menon, ... Aatif Nawaz, ... Hassani Shapi. Presented by Owen Bennett-Jones. Sound Design - Steve Bond. Executive Producer: Jeremy Skeet. Director: John Dryden. Indie (Goldhawk).

15 Sept: Saturday Drama - Payback
By Jonathan Myerson. 6th October 1973. Golda Meir has become Prime Minister of Israel in her seventies. Syrian and Egyptian troops are massing on Israel's borders, but despite eleven warnings of impending war in the past month, the Israeli cabinet has not called up the reserve. In Florida, Richard Nixon awaits the final verdict of the Washington Appeal court on his objections to surrendering the Watergate Tapes. In New York, Henry Kissinger is about to be woken at his room in the Waldorf Astoria, with news of a new Middle East War. The drama investigates how domestic and international politics were about to combine, to change the Middle East forever. Henry Kissinger ........ Henry Goodman, Richard Nixon ........ Peter Marinker, Golda Meir ........ Sara Kestelman, Simcha Dinitz ........ Kerry Shale, Al Haig ........ Kerry Shale, Anatoly Dobrynin ........ Ewan Bailey, James Schelsinger ........ Sam Dale, Jacob Javits ........ Sean Baker, other parts:...... Christine Kavanagh. Producer ........ Jonquil Panting.

22 Sept: Saturday Drama - Private Peaceful
By Michael Morpurgo, dramatized by Simon Reade. Music by Coope Boyes and Simpson. During WW1, 300 British soldiers were executed by firing squad, some for desertion and others for cowardice. Many were traumatised by shell-shock. 90 years later they received posthumous pardons from the British Government. Some agreed with this; others, especially old soldiers, did not. Recorded on location in Iddesleigh - the Devon village where the book is set. It's a very moving play. Production details: Young Tommo ....... Ted Allpress, Young Charlie ....... Harvey Alpress, Young Molly ....... Amy Reade, Young Jimmy ....... Daniel Houghton, Tommo ....... Paul Chequer, Charlie ....... Mark Quartley, Molly ....... Annette Chown, Jimmy ....... Ben Allen, Hazel ....... Alison Reid, Anna ....... Alison Reid, Mr Munnings ....... Nick Brimble, Farmer Cox ....... Nick Brimble, James ....... Christopher Bianchi, Molly's Father ....... Christopher Bianchi, Patron ....... Christopher Bianchi, Colonel ....... Peter Ellis, Old Man ....... Peter Ellis, Vicar ....... Michael Morpurgo, Sergeant Hanley ....... Nicholas Lyndhurst, Captain Wilkes ....... Jonathan Keeble, Brigadier ....... Jonathan Keeble, Buckland ....... Terence Mann, Doctor ....... Terence Mann, Producer ....... Susan Roberts. The Organist was Marjorie Cleverdon. Music - Coope Boyes and Simpson.

29 Sept: Saturday Drama - Close the Coalhouse Door
By Alan Plater. A musical about coal mining.... with songs by Alex Glasgow. Based on the stories of Sid Chaplin, with additional material by Lee Hall. Northern Stage and Live Theatre's production of the celebrated sixties political docudrama. An exhilaratingly furious and funny ride through the strikes, victories and frustrations of British mining history. It also captures the political anger of the time. Sid Chaplin's stories outline all the major strikes, victories and disappointments in British mining history from the formation of the first unions in 1830s all the way through to the 1960s. Alan Plater uses the dramatic device of a Geordie family celebration as a framework to tell this history whilst their own story unfolds in 1968. One son, Frank, has left behind the mines to study at university, while his brother John is a dissatisfied pitman. Frank brings home his liberated girlfriend free-spirited student Ruth who threatens to tear them apart in the central love story. Musical arrangements and additional music by Sam Kenyon. Directed for the stage by Samuel West. Produced by Gary Brown.

2012

6 Oct: Saturday Drama - The Air Gap
By Steve Waters. "A hypothetical question: if you had free rein over classified networks for long periods of time, say 8-9 months, and you saw incredible things, awful things, things that belonged in the public domain, not on some server stored in a dark room in Washington DC, what would you do?" - Bradley Manning, from an unverified chat log with a hacker. "Air gap" is the term for the separation between the civilian internet and the military and diplomatic computer network. In April 2010 this air gap was breached, leading to the biggest information leak in history. One month later Bradley Manning, a soldier in the US Army, was arrested and accused of releasing classified information to WikiLeaks. He was taken to the military prison at Quantico, Virginia, held in solitary confinement for ten months and, his lawyers argue, subjected to cruel and unusual treatment. After two-and-a-half years, a trial date has now been set for February 2013. This factually-based drama combines dramatised accounts of Bradley Manning's experiences with imagined conversations and characters. It takes place in Quantico and the operating base near Baghdad where Manning was stationed leading up to his arrest. It's here he sees the war on terror documented in action reports and in video material, including the now infamous "collateral murder" video. Bradley Manning ...... Greg Wohead, Corporal ...... Michael Walters, Brig Guard ...... Corey Turner, Brig Guard ...... Chris McKinney, Intelligence Operative ...... Serena Bobowski, Psychiatrist ...... Nancy Crane, Lawyer ...... Dominic Hawksley, Commanding Watch Officer ...... Nathan Osgood, Producer....... Boz Temple-Morris. Sound and music by Alisdair McGregor and Howard Jacques. Indie production (Holy Mountain).

13 Oct: Saturday Drama - Love Me Do
By Laurence Marks and Maurice Gran. The Cuban missile crisis took place fifty years ago. For thirteen days in October there was a possibility of a nuclear exchange. As the crisis unfolds, two Americans trapped in London find themselves thrown together. Dorothy ...... Miranda Raison, Shack ...... Adam James, Richard ...... Stephen Hogan, Candice ...... Susie Riddell, Lindsay ...... Christine Kavanagh, Patrick ...... Stephen France, Marie ...... Francesca Spencer, Martin ...... Patrick Brennan, Jonathan ...... Don Gilet, Dentist ...... Joe Sims, General Power ...... Robert Blythe, Lady Compton ...... Christine Absalom, Chris Schenkel ...... Paul Stonehouse, Comic ...... Adam Nagatis, with Eleanor Crooks, Sarah Thom, Will Howard. Producer ...... Sally Avens.

20 Oct: Saturday Drama - The Gothic Imagination: Bloody Poetry
By Howard Brenton; ad. Alison Hindell. In Switzerland 1816, by the shore of Lake Geneva, the poet Shelley, his future wife Mary, and her step-sister Claire, meet Lord Byron. They find they are natural allies in a world which is threatened by their radical politics and unconventional attitudes to sexual freedom. Close friendships and treacherous affairs are begun, and a journal which bears witness to it all is kept by Byron's companion and doctor, William Polidori. And on one particular evening, in a thunderstorm, stories are told that were to inspire Mary Shelley to create the myth of Frankenstein. Unfortunately their dreams of a utopian future were to be swallowed up in lives of excess, illness and tragic accidents. Howard Brenton's play was first performed in 1984. Cast: Percy Bysshe Shelley ......... Oliver Ryan, Mary Shelley ......... Clare Corbett, George, the Lord Byron ......... Patrick Kennedy, Claire Clairmont ......... Sarah Ovens, Dr William Polidori ......... Gareth Pierce. Producer ......... Alison Hindell.

27 Oct: Saturday Drama - The Martin Beck Series, Roseanna
Dramatized by Jennifer Howarth. This is the first in the Martin Beck series, written over ten years from 1965 - 1975 by husband and wife Maj Sjowall and Per Wahloo.The books give a realistic portrait of Sweden in the mid-sixties: not the liberal place it was thought to be, but a society suffering from a stifling bureaucracy and a creeping rottenness behind the surface sheen. Confronting the dark side of this society are stubborn, logical, anti-social Detective Inspector Martin Beck, his closest friend Detective Inspector Lennart Kollberg - overweight, hedonistic, opinionated; Detective Inspector Frederick Melander, with a memory like a card-index file and a noxious pipe clamped in his jaws, and their colleagues in the murder squad. In Roseanna, they are faced with the body of an unknown girl found in a canal dredger. The long investigation ends with a risky and frightening sting. Martin Beck ......... Steven Mackintosh, Lennart Kollberg ......... Neil Pearson, Ahlberg ......... Jonathan Tafler, Kafka ......... Garrick Hagan, Bengtsson ......... John Mackay, Inga Beck ......... Lucy Black, Sonja Hansson ......... Susie Riddell, Police Doctor ......... Patrick Brennan, Mulvaney ......... Harry Livingstone, Miss Peterson ......... Amaka Okafor, Siv Lindberg ......... Amaka Okafor, Colonel ......... Robert Blythe, Miss Gota ......... Jenny Harrold, Doctor ......... Christine Absalom, Producer ......... Sara Davies. Original music by Elizabeth Purnell. Directed by Sara Davies.

3 Nov: Saturday Drama: Martin Beck: The Man Who Went Up in Smoke
By Maj Sjowall & Per Wahloo; 60m; dramatised for radio by Katie Hims. Having just arrived on a beautiful, remote island for his much-needed summer break with his family, Beck is summoned back to Stockholm, where he is sent on a seemingly pointless unofficial mission to Budapest, in search of a journalist. It is only when Beck has almost given up that the truth emerges. Martin Beck ....... Steven Mackintosh, Lennart Kollberg ....... Neil Pearson, Gunnarsson ....... Justin Salinger, Ari Boeck ....... Georgia Groome, Szluka ....... Patrick Brennan, Frobe ....... Joe Sims, Inga Beck ....... Lucy Black, Molin ....... Robert Blythe, Foreign Office Man ....... Sam Alexander, Embassy Man ....... Harry Livingstone, Frau Boeck ....... Christine Absalom, Steffi ....... Amaka Okafor, Radeberger ....... Don Gilet, Gun Kollberg ....... Sally Orrock, Narrator 1 ....... Lesley Sharp, Narrator 2 ....... Nicholas Gleaves. Original Music composed by Elizabeth Purnell. Directed by Mary Peate. A previous 90m dramatization by Colin Tucker, from 197, starred John Rowe as Martin Beck.

10 Nov: Saturday Drama: Martin Beck -The Man on the Balcony
By Maj Sjowall & Per Wahloo. Translated by Alan Blair; dramatised by Katie Hims. Someone is assaulting and killing young girls in the parks of Stockholm. With only a brutal mugger and a three year-old boy for witnesses, the investigation is stalling. It's only a tiny detail surfacing in Beck's mind that puts the murder squad on the trail of the killer, but will they get him before he strikes again? Martin Beck ....... Steven Mackintosh, Lennart Kollberg ....... Neil Pearson, Gunvald Larsson ....... Ralph Ineson, Frederik Melander ....... Adrian Scarborough, Karin Carlsson ....... Beth Goddard, Lena Oskarsson ....... Katie Angelou, Ingrid Oskarsson ....... Susie Riddell, Bo Oskarsson ....... Greta Dudgeon, Mrs Andersson ....... Christine Absalom, Wilheim Engstrom ....... Patrick Brennan, Officer Kvant ....... Sam Alexander, Doctor ....... Sam Alexander, Officer Kristiansson ....... Don Gilet, Ingemund Fransson ....... Robert Blythe, Lundgren ....... Joe Sims, Kvist ....... Harry Livingstone, Lisbeth ....... Amaka Okafor, Girl ....... Kellie Shirley, Narrator 1 ....... Lesley Sharpe, Narrator 2 ....... Nicholas Gleaves, Producer ....... Mary Peate. Original Music composed by Elizabeth Purnell.

17 Nov: Saturday Drama: Martin Beck - The Laughing Policeman
Ep. 4 of 5. Dramatized by Jennifer Howarth. Beck is now a Detective Superintendant. The Laughing Policeman begins on the evening of a big demonstration in Stockholm against the Vietnam war; as the police are dealing with protesters outside the American embassy, a mass shooting on a bus in a suburb ends with nine dead, including one of Martin Beck's team. The trail to find the murderer leads Beck back to an unsolved case from the past which had puzzled the Swedish police for years. (The previous dramatization of this story was by Bert Coules in 2002; Richard Greenwood played Martin Beck) Martin Beck ....... Steven Mackintosh, Lennart Kollberg ....... Neil Pearson, Frederick Melander ....... Adrian Scarborough, Inga Beck ....... Lucy Black, Ingrid Beck ....... Lauren Crace, Einar Ronn ....... Russell Boulter, Asa Torell ....... Clare Corbett, Schwerin ....... Robert Blythe, Gun Kollberg ....... Sally Orrock, Mechanic ....... Sam Alexander, Blonde Malin ....... Christine Absalom, Workman ....... Harry Livingstone, Birgersson ....... Jonathan Tafler, Car Showroom Manager ....... Robert Blythe, Forsberg ....... Patrick Brennan, Producer ....... Sara Davies. Dramatised for radio by Jennifer Howarth. Original Music by Elizabeth Purnell.

24 Nov: Saturday Drama - Martin Beck - The Fire Engine That Disappeared
By Maj Sjowall & Per Wahloo, translated by Joan Tate, dramatised by Katie Hims. The apartment of a suspect being staked out by Gunvald Larsson explodes, killing three people. Arson and murder isn't at first suspected - much to Larsson's fury - but when it becomes clear that the fire was started on purpose, the case hinges on the needle-in-a-haystack chance of finding a man who fits an impossibly vague description who was somewhere in the area around the time of the fire. Martin Beck ..... Steven Mackintosh, Lennart Kollberg ..... Neil Pearson, Larsson ..... Ralph Ineson , Ronn ..... Russell Boulter , Gun Kollberg ..... Sally Orrock, Nadja ..... Christine Absalom, Mansson ..... Stuart McQuarrie, Zachrisson ..... Joe Sims, Stromgren ..... Harry Livingstone, Hammar ..... Patrick Brennan, Hjelm ..... Robert Blythe, Skacke ..... Sam Alexander, Mrs Borg ..... Susie Riddell, Ingrid Beck ..... Lauren Crace, Doris Martensen ..... Keely Beresford , Mats ..... Greta Dudgeon, Narrator 1 ..... Lesley Sharp, Narrator 2 ..... Nicholas Gleaves, Original Music composed by Elizabeth Purnell. Producer Mary Peate.

1 Dec: Saturday Drama: A Slow Air
By David Harrower. Siblings Morna and Athol haven't spoken to each other for fourteen years. As they recount their troubled history, they tell the story of modern Scotland. Athol lives in Houston, round the corner from where the Glasgow Airport bombers planned their raid in 2007. SNP supporter Morna remembers the good old days of well-intended protest. Athol ....... Lewis Howden, Morna ....... Susan Vidler, Director ....... David Harrower , Producer ....... Gaynor MacFarlane.

8 Dec: Saturday Drama - Educating Rita
By Willy Russell. A portrayal of the relationship between a working-class Open University student and her middle-aged, alcohol-fuelled tutor. Rita ....... Laura Dos Santos, Frank ....... Bill Nighy, Producer ....... Kirsty Williams.

15 Dec: Saturday Drama: Pinocchio
By Carlo Collodi. Classic tale of a wooden puppet who wants to be a boy. Dramatised by Linda Marshall Griffiths. When Geppetto's wooden puppet miraculously comes to life, Geppetto names him Pinocchio and imagines a bright future together. Pinocchio must understand what it is to be a boy and the first step is school. But danger and folly lurk around every corner and it is hard for Pinocchio to find the right path in a world peopled by amazing characters: the tyrannical puppet master with a heart; the cruel tricksters Fox and Cat; the Fairy with Blue Hair; and the children turned donkey. Will Pinocchio find his way to becoming a real boy? Pinocchio ....... Ellis Hollins, Geppetto ....... Steve Evets, Fox ....... Lee Ingleby, Coachman ....... Lee Ingleby, Cricket ....... Lee Ingleby, Cat ....... William Ash, Hawker ....... William Ash, Giangio ....... William Ash, Blue Fairy ....... Lyndsey Marshal, Candlewick ....... Tom Rolinson, Harlequin ....... Tom Rolinson, Puppeteer ....... Jonathan Keeble, Policeman ....... Jonathan Keeble, Auctioneer ....... Jonathan Keeble, Producer ....... Nadia Molinari. Musical score by Olly Fox. Sound Design by Steve Brooke.

22 Dec: Saturday Drama: Alice through the Looking Glass
By Lewis Carroll, dramatised by Stephen Wyatt. It's mid-winter, the snow is falling against the window, and Alice is learning how to play chess but then, on a whim, she goes to the mirror and pretends her black kitten is the Red Queen and suddenly everything changes ... she crashes through the looking glass and enters a world set out like a giant chess board, where she has to work out the rules of the game. Lewis Carroll sets everything out for her, but there's a twist; Radio 4 can be found on the other side of the glass. Mathematician Carroll prefaced his book with a chess problem. It is claimed the game is a part of a sequence of numbers - that Alice's journey is code - that Carroll was flirting with numerology and esotericism. Carroll loved number games and puzzles. He was extremely bright; he regularly invented things. He was the Mark Zuckerberg of his time. With Jim Al-Khalili, Roger McGough, Jenni Murray, Jane Garvey, Eric Robson, Pippa Greenwood, Peter Donaldson, Kirsty Young, Andrew Marr, Evan Davies, Garry Richardson & Melvyn Bragg, along with some actors: Alice ....... Lauren Mote, Lewis Carroll ....... Julian Rhind-Tutt, The Red Queen ....... Carole Boyd, The White Queen ....... Sally Phillips, Humpty Dumpty ....... Nicholas Parsons, Tweedledee ....... Alistair McGowan, Tweedledum ....... Alistair McGowan, The White Knight ....... John Rowe, The White King ....... Robert Blythe, Messenger ....... Ben Crowe, Guard ....... Patrick Brennan, Pudding ....... Stephanie Racine. Not sure who produced this one...

29 Dec: Saturday Drama - Red Shoes
A tale collected by Hans Christian Andersen, adapted and re-imagined for radio by Frances Byrnes. The teenage Karen is vain and skittish and demands a forbidden pair of red shoes. But as she had been warned on many occasions, the shoes are so imbued with sin and lasciviousness that they will destroy her both spiritually and corporeally... Karen ....... Lizzy Watts, Give ....... Lizzy McInnerny, Old Lady ....... Barri Adair, The Soldier ....... Richard Dormer, The Shoemaker ....... David Horowitz, The Pastor ....... Patrick Fitzsymons, The Executioner ....... Mark Lambert, The Little Girl ....... Amy Lee Farmer, Producer ....... Eoin O'Callaghan .


2013

5 Jan: Saturday Drama - White Snow
Dramatized by Frances Byrnes. The title is as written. A re-imagined version of the Grimms' fairy tale, Snow White. We meet a fun loving and light hearted Queen, who having been wooed by an emotionally arrested king, soon finds that her main rival is his somewhat spooky and unhealthily translucent daughter, Snow White, a child keenly aware of her power over him. Livia - Lizzy McInnerny; Mirror - David Horovitch; King - Richard Dormer; Snow - Lizzy Watts; Rumour - Julia Dearden; Maid - Barri Adair; Hunt - Chris McHallem; Dwarf 1 - Patrick Fitzsymons; Producer - Eoin O'Callaghan.

12 Jan: Saturday Drama - Skios
By Michael Frayn, dram. Archie Scottney. On the Greek island of Skios, guests of a celebrated foundation prepare for the yearly lecture, given by scientific guru Dr Norman Wilfred. He turns out to be surprisingly charismatic. In fact he's not Dr Wilfred but a handsome chancer called Oliver Fox who has allowed himself to be misidentified. Meanwhile sexy Georgie, awaiting Oliver, is trapped in a remote villa with the real Dr Wilfred; he has lost his luggage and himself. Martin Jarvis says: 'A joy to direct.Much laughter in studio and on location as we recorded Michael Frayn's philosophic farce of pretension, delusion and mislaid identity.' Dr Wilfred - Hugh Bonneville; Oliver Fox - Tom Hollander; Nikki Hook - Lisa Dillon; Georgie - Janie Dee; Mr Friendly - Stacy Keach; Mrs Toppler - Susan Sullivan; Mr Chailey - Ian Ogilvy; Mrs Chailey - Joanne Whalley; Annuka Vos - Amita Dhiri; Elli..Agni Scott; Spiros - Jon Glover; Stavros - Jon Glover; Patrick - Matthew Wolf; Eric - Matthew Wolf; Official - Nigel Anthony; Ditmuss - Kerry Shale; Mrs Friendly - Jennifer Bassey; Suki Brox..Cindy Katz; Papadopoulou - Andre Sogliuzzo; Reg Bolt - Darren Richardson; Mrs Skorbatova - Janine Barris; Harold - Alan Shearman; Bishop - Alan Shearman; Director - Martin Jarvis; Producer - Rosalind Ayres. Sound design: Mark Holden and Wes Dewberry. Indie (Jarvis & Ayres).

19 Jan: Saturday Drama - Headlong
By Robin Brooks. 90m. Martin is asked to value some paintings and, though he's no expert, he is immediately sure one of them is a priceless missing masterpiece. He sets about acquiring it without telling the owner what he thinks he has found and rapidly gets in so deep that he puts everything at risk, including his marriage and the painting itself. With Toby Jones; Gina McKee; Tim McInnerney; Denise Gough. Directed by Clive Brill. Produced by Ann Scott. Indie (Greenpoint production for BBC Radio 4)

26 Jan: Saturday Drama - Animal Farm
By George Orwell. One night, on an English farm, Major the boar recounts his vision of an utopia where his fellow creatures own the land along with the means of production and are no longer the slaves of humans. Before long, his dream comes true and for a short while all animals really are equal. But the clever pigs educate themselves and soon learn how to extend their own power, inevitably at the expense of the rest of the community. George Orwell described his short novel as a fairy story and it is deceptively simple to read. Regularly on the school syllabus, this well-loved tale is, of course, a satire on the Soviet Communist system and it still reads as a powerful warning despite the changes in world politics since it was first published in 1945. This production uses Orwell's own radio version which was first produced in 1947. Narrator - Tamsin Greig; Napoleon - Nicky Henson; Squealer - Toby Jones; Snowball - Patrick Brennan; Boxer - Ralph Ineson; Clover - Liza Sadovy; Major - Robert Blythe; Benjamin - Paul Stonehouse; Muriel - Sarah Thom; Mollie - Lizzy Watts; Actor - Eleanor Crooks; Actor - Ben Crowe; Actor - Will Howard; Actor - Gerard McDermott; Actor - Adam Nagaitis; Actor - Stephanie Racine; Director - Alison Hindell; Producer - Alison Hindell; Writer - George Orwell; Musical director - Neil Brand; Adapted from his own novel by George Orwell

2 Feb: Saturday Drama - Boots on the Ground
Thriller by Don Webb. Danny Marks arrives at a Military Research centre. He's a volunteer for speed reaction testing; trying to improve reaction times under duress. His mate Billy Rogers was on the same course, but he's gone missing. Has he just done a bunk? Or is it something more sinister? A dark, contemporary thriller by veteran TV writer. Marks - Lee Ingleby; Joanie - Sue Kelly; Dr Callard - Gillian Kearney; Dr Ainsworth - Malcolm Raeburn; Tasker - Jonathan Keeble; Rogers - Greg Wood; Producer - Gary Brown.

9 Feb: Saturday Drama - The Liberty of Norton Folgate
By Mark Davies. London's rich past as a melting pot of cultures is one of the themes of Madness's 2009 album - The Liberty of Norton Folgate, which has inspired this new play. Gazi and Sitara have been serving full English breakfasts at the Union Cafe on London's Norton Folgate for thirty years. But now the council has served a demolition order. Himself - Suggs; Himself - Chas Smith; Himself - Mike Barson; Gazi - Vincent Ebrahim; Sitara - Pooja Ghai; Aki - Avin Shah; Sunshine - Danny Sapani; Jess - Stephanie Racine; Ralph - Patrick Brennan; Hughie - Adam Nagaitis; Connor - Paul Stonehouse; Iona - Eleanor Crooks. Produced by Jeremy Mortimer.

16 Feb: Saturday Drama - The Wind in the Willows
Adapted for actors and orchestra by Neil Brand, for the 90th anniversary of the first Radio Drama broadcast on the BBC. A new version, using the BBC Symphony Orchestra and a special cast and recordined in front of an audience in the Maida Vale Studios. Toad - Stephen Mangan; Mole - Claire Skinner; Badger - Philip Jackson; Rat - Carl Prekopp; Otter - Patrick Brennan; Bargee - Liza Sadovy; Judge - Paul Stonehouse; Girl - Stephanie Racine. Director - David Hunter. Music: BBC SO; leader Steven Bryant; Conductor Timothy Brock; Producer Ann McKay. Singers: Genevieve Hamilton; Amanda Morrison; Julia Batchelor-Wlash; Jonathan English; Daniel Auchincloss and William Gaunt.

23 Feb: Saturday Drama - Well, He Would, Wouldn't He?
By Charlotte Williams. In 1963, at the age of 18, Mandy Rice-Davies found herself at the centre of one of the most sensational scandals of the 20th century. She was a witness in the trial of Stephen Ward who was charged with living off the earnings of prostitutes. At the age of 16 Mandy had run away to London and become a dancer at Murray's Club in the West End, where she'd met Christine Keeler and society osteopath, Stephen. Soon she was mixing with London's elite and living as Peter Rachman's mistress. But when there was a shooting incident at Stephen's flat, and news broke of Christine's secret affair with Government Minister John Profumo, events began to spiral out of control. Fifty years later, Mandy looks back at those events and the impact they've had on her life. Mandy (younger) - Aimee Ffion-Edwards; Christine Keeler - Lyndsey Marshall; 'Pops' Murray - Steven Marzella; Stephen Ward/Peter Rachman - Ewan Bailey; Lord Astor - Adrian Schiller; Eugene Ivanov - Alex Dower; Johnny Edgecombe - Anthony Courier. Producer Kate McAll. BBC Wales.

2 Mar: Saturday Drama - The Iraq Dossier
By David Morley, compiled from emails, memos, testimony submitted to the various inquiries into the 2003 invasion of Iraq and interviews with the late Brian Jones, a specialist with the MOD with knowledge of nuclear, biological and chemical weapons. The dossier "Iraq's Weapons of Mass Destruction" lead to the headline "just 45 minutes from attack", persuaded MPs to vote for an invasion of Iraq, and hardened public opinion against Saddam Hussein. The drama goes behind the scenes of MI6, the Ministry of Defence and Downing Street to dramatise one of the most controversial episodes in British politics. Other participants: Richard Dearlove, head of MI6; John Scarlett, Chairman of the Joint Intelligence Committee and Tony Blair's adviser, Alastair Campbell. Narrator - Lindsay Duncan; Dr Brian Jones - Richard E Grant; John Scarlett - Anton Lesser; Richard Dearlove - Peter Firth; Alastair Campbell - Andrew Dunn; Robert Green - David Caves; Mark Allen - Stephen Critchlow; Henry Brown - Jon Glover; Tony Cragg - Keith Wickham; Sally Morgan - Felicity Duncan; Jones' Boss - Tom Goodman-Hill; Danny Pruce - Tom Alexander. Producer: Richard Clemmow. Indie. (Perfectly Normal).

9 Mar: Saturday Drama - Hedda Gabler
By Ibsen, ad. Brian Friel. Directed by Psyche Stott from the Old Vic production. Hedda Gabler is the beautiful trapped and doomed heroine; and Thea, the less admired but much freer new woman. Both women ultimately take their fate into their own hands. The play is set in the drawing room of the richly appointed new home to which George Tesman has brought his bride Hedda, after a lengthy honeymoon, spent mainly visiting research libraries for his current study on 'domestic craft and husbandry as practised in Holland and parts of Belgium in the tenth century'. The very different aspirations of husband and wife are soon apparent as a stream of visitors arrives. Hedda Gabler - Sheridan Smith; George Tesman - Adrian Scarborough; Aunt Juliana - Anne Reid; Thea Elvsted - Fenella Woolgar; Judge Brack - Darrell D'Silva; Eilert Loevborg - Daniel Lapaine; Bertha - Buffy Davis. Producer: Polly Thomas. Executive producer: Melanie Harris. Indie (Sparklab).

16 Mar: Saturday Drama - Neverwhere
By Neil Gaiman. Beneath the streets of London there is another London. A subterranean labyrinth of sewers and abandoned tube stations. A somewhere that is Neverwhere. An act of kindness sees Richard Mayhew catapulted from his ordinary life into a subterranean world under the streets of London. Stopping to help an injured girl on a London street, Richard is thrust from his workaday existence into the strange world of London Below. This is the beginning of a six part adaption of Neil Gaiman's novel adapted by Dirk Maggs for Radio 4 and Radio 4 Extra. Richard Mayhew - James McAvoy; Lady Door - Natalie Dormer; Marquis de Carabas - David Harewood; Hunter - Sophie Okonedo; Croup - Anthony Head; Vandemar - David Schofield; Old Bailey - Bernard Cribbins; Jessica - Romola Garai; Gary - Paul Chequer; Anaesthesia - Yasmin Page; Lord Ratspeaker - Johnny Vegas; Iliaster - Paul Stonehouse; Varney - Stephen Marcus; Letting Agent - Stephen Marcus; Sylvia - Karen Archer; Lord Portico - John Glover; Mr Figgis - Neil Gaiman; Fop (with no name) - Neil Gaiman; Director - Dirk Maggs; Producer - Heather Larmour .

23 Mar: Saturday Drama - Hombre
By Elmore Leonard, adapted by Robert Ferguson. John Russell has been raised as an Apache. Now he's on his way to live as a white man. But when the stagecoach passengers learn who he is, they want nothing to do with him. That is, until outlaws ride down on them and they must rely on Russell to lead them out of the desert. Carl Allen - Trevor White; John Russell - Elliot Cowan; Mr Mendez - Javier Marzan; Miss McLaren - Kelly Burke; Dr Favor - Nicholas Murchie; Frank Braden - Steven Hartley; Audra Favor - Laurel Lefkow; Lamar Dean - Ben Crowe; Early - Will Howard; Ex-Soldier - Rick Warden; Sheriff Lyons - Michael Shelford. Producer: Sasha Yevtushenko; Sound Design: Colin Guthrie; Production Co-Ordinator: Selina Ream; Studio Managers: Martha Littlehailes; Graham Harper; Michael Etherden.

30 Mar: Saturday Drama - Shane
From Jack Shaefer's novel, adapted by Frances Byrnes. A mysterious horseman, all dressed in black and wearing a six shooter, rides into an isolated valley in Wyoming. Call me Shane, he says. He's a skilled gunslinger, and soon finds himself drawn into a conflict between homesteaders Marian and Joe Starrett and ruthless cattle baron Fletcher, who wants to force the Starretts off the land. Marian is caught between the strong, dependable husband whom she loves, and the lean, handsome stranger whom she needs if she's to save her family. Although the story of 'Shane' is fictional; elements of it are based on the 1892 Johnson County War between the small settlers in Wyoming and the bigger; wealthier ranchers. Shane - Joshua Stamberg; Marian Starrett - Jennifer Westfeldt; Joe Starrett - Jeff Mash; Bobby - Finley Jacobsen; Actor - Gordon Clapp; Actor - Rod McLachlan . Recorded by Mark Holden. Post production by Nigel Lewis. With music by Fernando Macias-Jimenez. Produced by Kate McAll.

2013

6 Apr: Saturday Drama - Present Laughter
By Noel Coward. The play follows a few days in the life of successful and self-obsessed actor Garry Essendine as he prepares to go on tour to Africa. Amid a series of events bordering on farce, Garry must deal with interruptions including the numerous women who want to seduce him, a young aspiring actress, Daphne, and Joanna who is the wife of his manager Henry and who is already having an affair with his producer Morris. He must also deal with placating his long suffering secretary Monica, avoiding his estranged wife Liz Essendine, being confronted by the obsessed young playwright Roland Maule and the unbearable inevitability of all that comes with turning forty. Garry Essendine - Samuel West; Monica - Frances Barber; Roland Maule - Freddie Fox; Liz Essendine - Janie Dee; Fred - Kim Wall; Daphne - Lily James; Joanna - Susannah Harker; Henry - Jonathan Coy; Morris - Anthony Calf; Miss Erikson - Hazel Ellerby; Lady Saltburn - Sarah Badel. Producer: Celia de Wolff. Indie. (Pier production)

13 Apr: Saturday Drama - Great Escape: The Justice
By Robin Brooks / Robert Radcliffe. Seventy years ago this month, a group of Air Force officers began work on an ambitious plan to tunnel their way out of a German POW camp called Stalag Luft Three. A year later the tunnel was ready and seventy-six made their escape. All but three were recaptured, and fifty were executed on orders from German High Command. The British Government vowed to avenge the murders, and within weeks of the war's end, sent RAF investigators into the ruins of Germany, with orders to track down the killers, and bring them to justice. This is the story of the escape, the murders, and the postwar manhunt in the chaos of divided Germany, through the eyes of one of the senior investigating officers. Sqn Ldr McKenna - Stephen Tompkinson; Nixon - Gunnar Cauthery; Schulmann - Ewan Bailey; Max Wielen - Nicholas Murchie; Emil Schulz - Rick Warden; Oberst von Lindeiner - Robert Blythe; Roger Bushell - Ben Crowe; Paul Brickhill - Michael Shelford; Nils Fuglesang - Will Howard; Marie - Amaka Okafor; Gluck - Paul Stonehouse; Angela Schulz - Hannah Wood; Producer - Jonquil Panting.

20 Apr: Saturday Drama - Before the Fact
Emilia Fox, Ben Caplan and Patricia Hodge star in a dramatisation of the novel on which Alfred Hitchcock based his film, 'Suspicion'. Dramatized by Ronald Frame. It is set in the early 1930s. Lina, a girl in her late twenties from a wealthy family, is in danger of becoming a spinster. Life changes for the better when she meets Johnnie Aysgarth, a charming stranger who proposes marriage. Johnnie saves Lina from a boring life with her parents and whisks her off on an extravagant honeymoon. But on their return Lina begins to discover that Johnnie is not all he seems. His gambling threatens to ruin them but there are indications that this is may not be his only crime. Lina - Emilia Fox; Johnnie - Ben Caplan; Miss Sedbusk - Patricia Hodge; Capt Melbeck - Sam Dale; Thwaite - David Timson; Ethel - Hannah Wood; Dr Fielding - Rick Warden. Producer: David Ian Neville.

27 Apr: Saturday Drama - The Browning Version
By Terence Rattigan, celebrating his centenary. Set in an English public school on the last day of the summer term, buried emotions re-surface when unpopular classics master Andrew Crocker Harris is given a present on his final day. A once-brilliant classicist, now known by boys and staff alike as 'The Crock', is retiring due to ill health. When a pupil presents him with an unexpected gift (a copy of Browning's translation of the Agamemnon) The Crock, also known as the Himmler of the Lower Fifth, is overwhelmed. His dammed-up misery, disappointment and humiliation are released and the way is paved for a series of surprising revelations and decisions. Taplow - Matthew Wolf; Frank Hunter - Ioan Gruffudd; Millie Crocker-Harris - Joanne Whalley; Andrew Crocker-Harris - Michael York; Headmaster - Ian Ogilvy; Peter Gilbert - Stuart Bunce; Mrs Gilbert - Kate Maberly. Director: Martin Jarvis. Produced by Rosalind Ayres. Indie. (Jarvis & Ayres)

4 May: Saturday Drama - Love, etc
By Julian Barnes, dramatised by Julia Stoneham. The sequel to Talking It Over. Set ten years later we now have the chance to pick up from where we left Stuart, Oliver and Gillian in France. All those years ago, Oliver wrecked Stuart's marriage, took up with his wife and then moved to France. Stuart - Carl Prekopp; Oliver - Nicholas Boulton; Gillian - Hermione Norris; Sophie - Lauren Mote. Producer Tracey Neale.

11 May: Saturday Drama - Pepys: Fire of London
Pepys, dram. Hattie Naylor. London in 1666 was a health and safety nightmare. It was illegal to build with wood and thatch but people did it anyway. Foundries were forbidden in the city but that didn't stop them operating. Charles II had banned dangerous overhanging windows but this was ignored by local government who carried on building them. Many homes still contained muskets and gunpowder left over from Cromwell's time. Six hundred tons of gunpowder were stored in the Tower of London. Riverfront warehouses were full of oil and tallow. There was no fire service. In Pudding Lane, on 2 September, after a day of slaving over a hot oven, Thomas Farrinor, baker to King Charles II, went to bed unaware that his oven was still alight. Samuel Pepys' diary reveals the unfolding drama. Theme music: Gather Ye Rosebuds While Ye May; words by Robert Herrick and music by William Lawes; sung by Bethany Hughes. Lute; baroque guitar and theorbo played by David Miller. Violin and viol by Annika Gray; and recorders by Alice Baxter. Historical consultant: Liza Picard; Sound by Nigel Lewis; Samuel Pepys - Kris Marshall; Elizabeth Pepys - Katherine Jakeways; Will - John Biddle; King Charles - Ewan Bailey; Jane - Rebecca Newman; Mayor Bludworth - Matthew Gravelle; Mr Howells - Dick Bradnum; Mr Houblon - Richard Nichols; Mrs Wood - Siriol Jenkins; Mrs Batelier - Eiry Thomas; BBC Wales; producer Kate McAll.

18 May: Saturday Drama - The Last Tycoon
By F Scott Fitzgerald, dram. Bill Bryden. Haunted by the death of his wife, 1930s Studio Head Monroe Stahr works eighteen hour days, making the studio millions. Then there is an earthquake... The story is based on Fitzgerald's own experiences working in Hollywood as a screenwriter. Munro Stahr - Aidan Gillen; Kathleen - Charlotte Emmerson; Bremmer - Jack Shepherd; Cecilia - Hilary Connell; Brady - Michael Feast; Tony Rodriquez - Karl Johnson; Boxley - Trevor Ray; Fleishacker - John Guerrasio; Miss Doolan - Angela Douglas; Director - Bill Bryden; Producer - Laurence Bowen. Production Associate - John Tams. Sound Design - Mark Smith. Indie. (Feelgood).

25 May: Saturday Drama - The Prince
By Machiavelli, adapted by Jonathan Myerson. Five hundred years after writing his most provocative political tract, Niccolo Machiavelli appears before an infernal court to appeal against the harsh treatment his works have received over time. Rather than being seen as a description of political cynicism and opportunism, he argues that "Machiavellian" should be a compliment and The Prince has in fact been an infallible guidebook followed closely by all successful leaders. Machiavelli - Damian Lewis; Judge - Nigel Cooke; Prosecution - Christian Rodska; Defence - Helen McCrory; Clerk - Meera Syal; Cesare Borgia - Joseph Kloska; Plato - Joseph Kloska; Defendant - Joseph Kloska. Producer Clive Brill. Indie (Pacificus).

1 Jun: Saturday Drama - The Letter of Last Resort
The Letter of Last Resort is a hand-written letter from the Prime Minister to the commanding officer of each of Trident's submarines. It contains instruction on what action the commanding officer of the submarine should take in the event that Britain is obliterated by nuclear attack and all those in authority deceased. The letter can only say one of two things: retaliate, or, don't retaliate. Each new British prime minister must write the letter upon taking office. Set in the near future, David Greig's play is a conversation between a new woman prime minister and the Head of Arrangements at the end of her first day. To summarize: To write 'retaliate' is monstrous and irrational. To write 'don't retaliate' renders the whole nuclear project valueless. Prime Minister - Belinda Lang; John - Simon Chandler; Director - Nicolas Kent; Producer - Lu Kemp.

8 Jun: Saturday Drama - The Weather Girl
By Fay Weldon, specially commissioned for BBC Radio 4. Dr Pania Abbott, a clinical psychologist, is assigned to assess a young woman on remand in prison. Abigail turns out to be a startlingly untypical prisoner as she begins to reveal the background to her appalling crimes and her own troubled life. Abigail - Amy Nuttall; Pania - Rachel Pickup; Christa - Jane Bertish; Joanna - Jane Bertish; Sir Timothy - Tim Woodward; Benjamin - Tim Woodward; Amelia - Leah Whitaker; Derek - Neet Mohan; Ahmed - Neet Mohan; Little Abigail - Bea King; Director - Roland Jaquarello. Producer - John Taylor. Indie (Fiction Factory).

15 Jun: Saturday Drama - Dangerous Visions: The Sleeper
Sci-fi thriller by Michael Symmons Roberts. In a futuristic Britain where society is strained to breaking point by 24-hour wakefulness, a teenage girl with the ability to fall asleep is ruthlessly pursued by the authorities for being subversive. She takes refuge with a wealthy man who says he will protect her. Keller - Matthew Beard; Ella - Sarah Churm; Jamie - Henry Devas; Sara - Rachel Austin; Davis - Jason Done; Harper - Maxine Peake; Somnos - Danielle Henry; Hypnos - Kevin Doyle; Writer - Michael Symmons Roberts; Director - Susan Roberts; Composer - Stephen Deazley; Producer Susan Roberts.

22 Jun: Saturday Drama - Suspicion for 10 Voices
By Mark Lawson. During the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, England was a Protestant country standing alone against European and papal enemies. Fear of a Roman Catholic fifth column was rife. But when William Byrd, Elizabeth's favourite composer, is arrested and charged with placing secret papist messages within the music of the Chapel Royal, the court is shocked and panic takes hold among the recusant community. William Byrd - Simon Russell Beale; Juliana Byrd - Rebecca Saire; Sir Francis Walsingham - Anton Lesser; Thomas Philippes - Gerard Murphy; Thomas Tallis - Jon Glover; Fr. Rodrigues - Neil Brand; Richard the boy singer - Joseph Hancock; Musical Director: Neil Brand. Directed by Eoin O'Callaghan; Indie (Big Fish production).

29 Jun: Saturday Drama - The Stuarts
By Mike Walker: 'It Came In with a Lass'. Queen Mary arrives in Scotland enshrouded in mist and must learn, rapidly, to distinguish her friends from her enemies, as they strive to control her. From her earliest years Mary was at the centre of a power struggle: as a child queen, with contending regents; then on her own behalf, balancing powerful men - the King of France, Darnley and Bothwell - against each other and using her own considerable powers to ensure her survival. Mary - Jeany Spark; John Knox - Brian Cox; Darnley - Tom Mison; Moray - John Mackay; Bothwell - Michael Bertenshaw; Randolph - Bruce Alexander; Flamina - Wunmi Mosaku; Rizzio - David Seddon; Ruthven - Sean Murray; Soldier - Ben Crowe. Sergeant - Paul Stonehouse. Produced by Jessica Dromgoole & Sasha Yevtushenko. Sound design by Colin Guthrie. Production co-ordinator: Phil Hawkins. Studio managers: Martha Littlehailes; Anne Bunting; Alison Craig. 90m.

2013

6 Jul: Saturday Drama - The Martin Beck Killings
Episode title: Murder at the Savoy, by Maj Sjowall & Per Wahloo. Translated by Amy and Ken Knoespel; dram. Jennifer Howarth. The Martin Beck books were written over ten years from 1965-75 by the Swedish husband and wife team of Maj Sjowall & Per Wahloo. In this story, Martin Beck and Lennart Kollberg are called to Malmo in Southern Sweden when an industrialist is shot whilst having dinner at the city's best hotel. There are people in high places who want the case cleared up quietly and quickly, but Beck refuses to give way to pressure. Narrators - Lesley Sharp and Nicholas Gleaves. Martin Beck - Steven Mackintosh; Lennart Kollberg - Neil Pearson; Gunvald Larsson - Ralph Ineson; Per Mansson - Tom Mannion; Zachrisson - Joe Sims; Asa Torell - Clare Corbett; Malm - Nicholas Murchie; Edvarsson - Will Howard; Mats Linder - Paul Mundell; Charlotte Palmgren - Philippa Stanton; Bertil Svensson - Rick Warden; Sara Moberg - Joanna Brookes; Sister - Carolyn Pickles; Gun Kollberg - Sally Orrock; Helena Hansson - Hannah Wood; Broberg - Michael Shelford; Victor Palmgren - Robert Blythe. Original Music composed by Elizabeth Purnell. Produced by Sara Davies.

13 Jul: Saturday Drama - The Martin Beck Killings.
Episode title: The Abominable Man. By Maj Sjowall & Per Wahloo. Translator Thomas Teal, dramatised by Katie Hims. Martin Beck is called in to work in the middle of the night to see the butchered body of a senior policeman. He begins to investigate, dogged by a sense that catastrophe is imminent. 90m. Narrators - Lesley Sharp and Nicholas Gleaves; Martin Beck - Steven Mackintosh; Lennart Kollberg - Neil Pearson; Gunvald Larsson - Ralph Ineson; Einar Ronn - Wayne Foskett; Frederik Melander - Adrian Scarborough; Malm - Nicholas Murchie; Hult - Sean Baker; Mrs Nyman - Christine Absalom; Stefan Nyman - Matthew Watson; Bodil - Greta Dudgeon; Mrs Eriksson - Dinah Stabb; Mr Eriksson - John Rowe; Kvant - Sam Alexander; Kristiansson - Don Gilet; The Rump - Robert Blythe; Doctor - Michael Shelford; Bohlin - Rick Warden; Man 1 - Ben Crowe; Man 2 - David Seddon; Woman in the Records Department - Joanna Brookes; Official 1 - Paul Stonehouse; Composer - Elizabeth Purnell; Producer - Mary Peate. Studio Managers: Caleb Knightley; Graham Harper; Mike Etherden; Martha Littlehailes; Alison Craig. Production Coordinators: Jenny Mendez and Hannah Robins.

20 Jul: Saturday Drama - The Martin Beck Killings
Episode title: The Locked Room, by Maj Sjowall & Per Wahloo, translated by Paul Britten Austin; dramatised by Katie Hims. On his return to work after recuperating from a bullet wound in the chest, Martin Beck's first case concerns the body of a man shot dead, found in a sealed room. There is no gun. Narrators - Lesley Sharp and Nicholas Gleaves; Martin Beck - Steven Mackintosh; Lennart Kollberg - Neil Pearson; Gunvald Larsson - Ralph Ineson; Einar Ronn - Wayne Foskett; Bulldozer Olsson - Michael Maloney; Malm - Nicholas Murchie; Sten - Rick Warden; Police Commissioner - Rick Warden; Mauritzon - Ewan Bailey; Ake - Ben Crowe; Manager - Ben Crowe; Doctor - Ben Crowe; Monita - Philippa Stanton; Clerk - Joanna Brookes. Insurance Woman - Joanna Brookes; Pathologist - Hannah Wood; Ingela - Hannah Wood; Gustavsson - David Seddon; Rhea - Nadine Marshall; Zachrisson - Joe Sims; Hjelm - Robert Blythe; Warehouse Man - Old - Robert Blythe; Warehouse Man - Young - Matthew Watson; Detective Sergeant - Matthew Watson. Original music by Elizabeth Purnell. Produced by Mary Peate. SMs: Caleb Knightley; Graham Harper; Mike Etherden; Alison Craig.

27 Jul: Saturday Drama - The Martin Beck Killings
Episode title: Cop Killer, by Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö, translated by Thomas Teal. Dramatised for radio by Jennifer Howarth. The murder of a woman in a small village outside Malmö in Southern Sweden wouldn't normally warrant the attentions of Martin Beck and his team, but she lived next door to a man who has killed once before. Narrators: Lesley Sharp and Nicholas Gleaves. Martin Beck - Steven Mackintosh; Lennart Kollberg - Neil Pearson; Gunvald Larsson - Ralph Ineson; Hergot Allwright - Howard Coggins; Einar Ronn - Wayne Foskett; Music by Elizabeth Purnell. Produced by Sara Davies.

3 Aug: Saturday Drama - The Martin Beck Killings
Episode title: The Terrorists, by Maj Sjöwall & Per Wahlöö, translated by Joan Tate and dramatised by Katie Hims. Martin Beck reluctantly takes on a security operation set up to protect a controversial American Senator from a terrorist attack whilst he is in Sweden on an official visit. Meanwhile, a young woman is accused of bank robbery. Narrators: Lesley Sharp and Nicholas Gleaves; Martin Beck - Steven Mackintosh; Kollberg - Neil Pearson; Larsson - Ralph Ineson; Einar Ronn - Wayne Foskett; Frederik Melander - Adrian Scarborough; Skacke - Sam Alexander; Rhea - Nadine Marshall; Crasher - Robert Blythe; Bulldozer Olsson - Michael Maloney; Rebecka Lind - Hannah Wood; Malm - Nicholas Murchie; Mr Bondesson - Ben Crowe; Eric Moller - Ben Crowe; American Senator - Ben Crowe; National Police Commissioner - Rick Warden; Taxi Driver - Rick Warden; Kristiansson - Don Gilet; Court Official - Matthew Watson; Policeman - Matthew Watson; Heydt - Alex Lanipekun; Airforce Commander - Paul Stonehouse; Judge - John Rowe; Prime Minister - John Rowe; Kirsten - Joanna Brooks; Mrs Cosgrove - Joanna Brooks; Neighbour - Joanna Brooks; Levallois - David Seddon; Kvastmo - David Seddon; Ruth Salmonsson - Philippa Stanton; Gun Kollberg - Sally Orrock; Adaptor - Katie Hims; Director - Mary Peate. Producer Mary Peate.

10 Aug: Saturday Drama: A Life in Film
By Fred Raphael. 90m. Play about the American film director Jake Liebowitz, charting his long career. Jake Liebowitz disappears unexpectedly from his home in France, presumed dead by drowning. His friend Alexandra Crawley, a film critic who has followed the ups and downs of his career, presents a look back at his movies. But will she find the truth about his death in the films? The play explores five decades of American film-making. Alexandra Crawley - Eleanor Bron; Jake Liebowitz - William Hope; Benny - Jeff Mash; Schumann - Jeff Mash; Stanley Oppenheim - Jeff Mash; Sidney - Nathan Osgood; Tony - Nathan Osgood; Spencer Ginsberg - Nathan Osgood; Rose - Laurel Lefkow; Katya - Laurel Lefkow; Kathie - Laurel Lefkow; Tony Price - William Roberts; Mr Joseph - William Roberts; Howard Slater - William Roberts; George - Kevin Millington; Barry - Kevin Millington; Charlie - Joseph Kloska; Mark - Joseph Kloska; Bishop Kennedy - Stephen Critchlow; Iakobos - Stephen Critchlow; Joanna - Denica Fairman; Elaine - Denica Fairman; Nurse - Denica Fairman; Candice - Tanya Moodie; Barbara - Tanya Moodie; Martin - Eric Meyers; Sidney - Eric Meyers; Rubik - Michael Roberts; Max - Michael Roberts; Writer - Frederic Raphael; Director - Dirk Maggs; Producer - Jo Wheeler; Indie (Perfectly Normal production for BBC Radio 4).

17 Aug: Saturday Drama - Statement of Regret
90m. By Kwame Kwei-Armah. Rpt. from Sat 18 Jul 09. The Year of Obama should be an opportunity for Kwaku's black policy think tank to flourish. But Kwaku is still grieving for his father and his own latest misjudged proposal is about to explode. First produced by the National Theatre in 2007. Kwaku - Don Warrington; Michael - Colin McFarlane; Idrissa - Nyasha Hatendi; Adrian - Damian Lynch; Issi - Janice Acquah; Junior - Jimmy Akingbola; Lola - Ellen Thomas; Val - Trevor Laird; Soby - Oscar James; Writer - Kwame Kwei-Armah; Director - Alison Hindell; Producer - Alison Hindell.

24 Aug: Saturday Drama - And Then There Were None
Rpt. from 13 Nov 10. 90m Agatha Christie's detective story without a detective, adapted by Joy Wilkinson. Ten guests are separately invited to an island by a person none of them knows very well. When they arrive, it seems they have all been invited for different reasons. Nothing quite adds up. An anonymous voice accuses each of them of having murdered someone. By the end of the first night, one of the guests is dead. Stranded by a violent storm and tormented by the nursery rhyme 'Ten Little Soldier Boys', the ten guests fear for their lives. Who is the killer? Vera Claythorne - Lyndsey Marshal; Cyril - Harry Child; Captain Lombard - Alex Wyndham; Emily Brent - Joanna Monro; Dr Armstrong - Sean Baker; Mr Justice Wargrave - Geoffrey Whitehead; Anthony Marston - Lloyd Thomas; Mr Blore - Sam Dale; Narracott - Adeel Akhtar; General MacArthur - John Rowe; Mr Rogers - Wayne Foskett; Mrs Rogers - Sally Orrock; Hugo - Henry Devas; Gramophone Voice - Jude Akuwudike; Writer - Agatha Christie; Adaptor - Joy Wilkinson; Director - Mary Peate.

31 Aug: Saturday Drama - This Sporting Life
By David Storey. "British New Wave". 90m version of the novel, dram. Andrew Lynch. The trapped needs and desires of Arthur Machin and juxtaposed with the physical aggression of the rugby pitch. Jane Anderson, RT: "Machin's fate is changed by a ...punch-up, which sees him move from low-paid industrial worker to feted local sports star. A wealthy rugby league club owner is impressed by the unflinching power of his rage..." Arthur Machin - James Purefoy; Mrs Hammond - Emily Watson; Maurice Braithwaite - John Thomson; Judith Parkes - Sheridan Smith; Mr Weaver - Philip Jackson; Mrs Weaver - Julia Davis; Dai - Peter Temple; Slomer - Peter Temple; Lynda Hammond - Sophie Wright; Mam (Machin) - Gwyneth Powell; Dad (Machin) - Wayne Forester; Commentator - Ray French; Director - Johnny Vegas; Producer - Sally Harrison; Adaptor - Andrew Lynch; Author - David Storey; Producer Sally Harrison,

7 Sep: Saturday Drama - For Services Rendered
By Somerset Maigham, ad. Lu Kemp. Anti-war play, with the aristocratic Ardsley family fighting for survival against the changing landscape of a post-first-world war England. Cracks appear in Ethel's marriage to a former officer, and Eva devotes herself to her brother Stanley, blinded in active duty. Meanwhile Lois loses hope of finding a husband, living in a backwater. Leonard - David Calder; Ethel - Mariah Gale; Sydney - Tom Espiner; Charlotte - Sian Thomas; Lois - Louise Brearley; with Cath Whiteford; Michael Schaeffer; Justin Salinger; Ron Cook; Hetty B Russell; John Rowe and Philippa Stanton. Producer Lu Kemp.

14 Sep: Saturday Drama - Undercover Mumbai
By Ayeesha Menon. This is the culmination of the 15 minute drama transmitted [9-13 Sept]. It's an Indian detective story, set in Bombay (Mumbai) and recorded there using Indian actors. As the general elections get closer, a murder and a political scandal lead Alia into an investigation about the death of her policeman father. Alia - Prerna Chawla; Nakul - Anand Tiwari; Insp. Desai - Rajit Kapur; Mrs. Gomes - Radhika Mittal; Popo - Rohit Malkani; Alia's father - Zafar Karachiwala; Vikram - Darius Shroff; Cmmr. Kripalani - Jayant Kripalani. Supporting cast - Karan Pandit; Faezeh Jalali; Anahita Oberoi; Devika Shahani-Punjabi; Sohrab Ardeshir; Kenny Desai; Nadir Khan; Vivek Madan; Ayeesha Menon and Ankur Vikal. Producer Nadir Khan; producer John Dryden. Indie (Goldhawk Essential). These Goldhawk productions are well-known for their realism.

21 Sep: Saturday Drama - Rumours.
By Colin Shindler. 75m. The play looks at the Profumo affair, from behind the scenes. In 1963, the satirical magazine Private Eye was caught up in the wave of scandal associated with John Profumo which brought down the government. This coincided with a cultural shift away from some of the values of the past. Richard Ingrams - Harry Hadden-Paton; Willie Rushton - Ewan Bailey; Christopher Booker - Gunnar Cauthary; Horld MacMillan - John Rowe; Timothy Bly - Nicholas Murchie; Sylvia - Philippa Stanton; Sandra - Joannah Tincey; Frank - Ben Crowe; Randolph Churchill - Sean Murray; Harold Wilson - Paul Stonehouse; reporter - David Seddon. Producer Marc Beeby.

28 Sep: Saturday Drama - The Million Pound Bank Note
By Mark Twain, dram. Bryony Lavery. A penniless American finds himself at the centre of a £20,000 bet between two Englishmen. Stranded in London, he is given a £1 million note, but must survive for a month without spending any of it. Henry Adams - Trevor White; Miss Portia Langham - Verity-May Henry; Trubshaw - Conrad Nelson; Bosun - Conrad Nelson; Vesuvius - Conrad Nelson; Basil - Jonathan Keeble; Mr Raymond - Jonathan Keeble; Majordomo - Jonathan Keeble; Abel - Malcolm Raeburn; Concierge - Malcolm Raeburn; Mrs Harris - Kathryn Hunt; Tod - Stephen Hoyle; Bellboy - Stephen Hoyle; Lloyd Hastings - John Guerrasio; American Ambassador - John Guerrasio; Producer - Pauline Harris; Producer - Sharon Sephton; Adaptor - Bryony Lavery; Author - Mark Twain; Producers Pauline Harris and Sharon Sephton.

2013

5 Oct: Saturday Drama - Calum's Road
By Colin MacDonald, based on a true story, inspired by Roger Hutchinson's book of the same name. The events take place on Raasay, a very small island off the east coast of Skye. Calum McLeod petitions the council to build a road linking the isolated (northern) part of the island with the schools and medical facilities in the south. When his requests are denied, he embarks on a ten-year project to lay the road himself. Calum MacLeod - Ian McDiarmid; Terry - Bryan Dick; Lexie MacLeod - Monica Gibb; Julia MacLeod - Helen Mackay; Katie - Helen Mackay; Donald - Iain MacRae; Sellar - Robin Laing; Iain - Finn den Hertog; Other parts are played by members of the cast; Producer - Kirsteen Cameron; Writer - Colin MacDonald; Dramatiser: Colin MacDonald

12 Oct: Saturday Drama - The Confessions of Caminada
By Christopher Reason. An 18-year-old man faces execution after being convicted of murder, but a prominent social campaigner refuses to believe he's guilty. The play is based on a true case from the memoirs of 19th-century detective Jerome Caminada. The detective - George Costigan; Annie Swinton - Julia Ford; Father Dermot / Bannister - Russell Dixon; Fletcher / Wood -Jonathan Keeble; Moods - Justin Moorhouse; Charlie - Oliver Lee. Producer Gary Brown.

19 Oct: Saturday Drama- Goodbye
Young mother Lizzie has breast cancer but finds comfort and support in her oldest friend Jen, who promises to help her get through her treatment. The play is a glimpse into the lifelong friendship and how the illness pulls them together at first and then almost drives them apart. The play was very favourably reviewed by Jane Anderson of RT. The supporting cast includes MB's son and also her daughter Dolly Banks-Baddiel, who sings the song woven into the play 'I will follow you into the Dark'. 75m. Lizzie - Olivia Colman; Jen - Natascha McElhone; Matt - Darren Boyd; Nick - John Simm; Pat - Alison Steadman; Cissy - Seren Deeks; Billy - Ezra Banks-Baddiel; Maddie - Harley Bird; with Olivia Poulet; Sean Murray; Judy Flynn; Joal McCormack; Zubin Varia; Christopher Simons; Morwenna Banks; Dolly Banks-Baddiel. Producer Heather Larmour

26 Oct: Saturday Drama: Topaz
Comedy drama by Lucy Gannon about the Victorian poet William Topaz McGonagall, a notoriously bad rhymester. When the play starts, he is tired of the ridicule his work has received, and devises a plot to rescue his reputation. Accompanied by his long-suffering son Billy, he walks from Dundee to Balmoral, hoping that an audience with Queen Victoria will be enough to secure him the fame and fortune his literary efforts have been unable to provide. William McGonagall - Brian Cox; Queen Victoria - Niamh Cusack; Billy - Sandy Grierson; Jean - Maureen Beattie; Gatekeeper - Stuart McQuarrie; Shepherd - Andrew Neil; Ellen - Colette O'Neil; Circus Master - Sean Murray; Dougie - Ali Craig; Queen's Maid - Amaka Okafor; Director - Bruce Young; Producer - Bruce Young; Writer - Lucy Gannon.

2 Nov: Saturday Drama - The Right Honourable
By Mike Bartlett. 60m. Politics; Nerys Jones is a new MP. When she arrives at the House of Commons, the leader of her party, offers to be her personal tour guide. She can't work out why he is being so generous, until she becomes involved in a series of events testing her integrity and her ability to compromise. Nerys - Alexandra Roach; Mark - Peter Firth; Giles - AntonLesser; Steve - Alun Raglan; Paul - Gerard McDermott; Andrew - Paul Bazely; Constituent - Di Botcher. Indie (Pacificus); produced by Clive Brill and directed by Claire Grove.

9 Nov: Saturday Drama - Joan of Arc, and how she became a saint
By Patrick Barlow, but not as 'National Theatre of Brent'. The story of the Maid of Orleans in a new interpretation. Joan is a West Country girl more inclined to stay at home than rescue France. It takes her guardian angels some time to lure her away from the family home. Joan of Arc - Dawn French; St Catherine - Anne Reid; St Margaret - Maggie Steed; Madame Dupont - Maggie Steed; Bertram - Nell Barlow; The Storyteller - Nell Barlow; Monsieur Dupont - John Ramm; Duke de la Rennes - John Ramm; Monsieur D'Arc - Kevin Eldon; Bishop de la Tremouille - Kevin Eldon; Madame D'Arc - Cheryl Campbell; Queen Ysabella - Cheryl Campbell; Alphonse Dupont - Marc Wootton; Pastor - Patrick Barlow; Jean de Metz - Andrew Dunn; Dauphin of France - Samuel Barnett; Jean du Cauchon; Chief Inquisitor - Jim Broadbent; Crowd and courtiers played by Beth Nestor; Carrie Quinlan; Humphrey Ker; David Reed & Thom Tuck; Writer - Patrick Barlow; Director - Patrick Barlow; Producer Lucy Armitage.

16 Nov: Saturday Drama - Air Force One
By Christopher Lee. Play which looks at the events following the assassination of President Kennedy in 1963. When the body has returned from the mortuary, vice-president Johnson pressures judge Sarah Hughes to swear him in as Commander-In-Chief before he boards Air Force One. As the presidential party flies back to Washington, Jackie Kennedy has to come to terms with the sudden violent death of her husband. Narrator - Josh Stamberg; Lyndon B Johnson - Stacy Keach; Jackie Kennedy - Glenne Headly; Lady Bird Johnson - Susan Sullivan; Rufus Oldman - Steven Weber; Art Thorn - Nicholas Hormann; Roy Kellerman - JD Cullum; Marie Fehmer - Janine Barris; Rose Kennedy - Jennifer Bassey; Rankin - Gordon Clapp; Doctor Rose - Gordon Clapp; Judge Hughes - Anna Mathias; White House radio - Matthew Wolf; Jack Valenti - Matthew Wolf; AF1 operator - Andre Sogliuzzo; Dean Rusk - Andre Sogliuzzo; 86972 - John Sloan; Actor - Tracy Pattin; Actor - Darren Richardson; Writer - Christopher Lee; Director - Martin Jarvis; Other parts: Tracy Pattin; Darren Richardson; Sound design: Wesley Dewberry; Mark Holden; Producer - Rosalind Ayres; Indie (Jarvis & Ayres production for BBC Radio 4).

23 Nov: Saturday Drama - Solomon and Marion
By Lara Foot. The writing of the play was triggered by the murder of actor Brett Goldin in 2006 in Cape Town. Marion is a divorcee; she lives alone in the countryside but over a fairly long period she gets the feeling of being under surveillance. Eventually a stranger knocks at her door. They become friends, but the reason the newcomer has sought her out is to reveal a truth about the past. Marion - Janet Suzman; Solomon - Khayalethu Anthony; Witness - Lara Foot; Composer Brydon Bolton; Sound Nigel Lewis; Director - Alison Hindell. Producer - Alison Hindell. 75m.

30 Nov: Saturday Drama - The Postman Always Rings Twice
By James Cain, dram. Charlotte Greig. This story was made famous by a film version with lust, murder and betrayal in fairly equal measure. A Californian drifer, Frank Chambers, is hired as a mechanic by the owner of a Greek diner. He soon begins an affair with the Greek's wife. They plot to run away together, but that's when the problems start. Frank Chambers - Ronan Summers; Cora Papadakis - Samantha Dakin; Nick Papadakis - Chris Pavlo; Sackett - Kerry Shale; Author - James M Cain; Adaptor - Charlotte Greig; Director - Kate McAll; Producer Kate McAll. BBC/Cymru Wales production 60m.

7 Dec: Saturday Drama - Angel Maker
By Carine Adler. A penniless Jew from Hungary arrives in 1950s London. She is desperate for a new start in life. She and her daughter are forced to rely on an old flame. His family are not keen on her; she's hardly top-drawer. She has to turn their sexual attraction into something more permanent. Also - the phrase 'angel maker' - think for a minute about what it might mean... any cryptic crossword solvers out there? Lili - Anamaria Marinca; Sam - Adam Levy; Rosie - Ashley Ogden; Julia - Harriet Chandler Judd; Jean - Edward Akrout; Rebecca - Rosina Carbone; Jacob - Stuart Richman; Mrs Mills - Maggie Fox; Writer - Carine Adler; Producer - Charlotte Riches; Director - Charlotte Riches; Producer Charlotte Riches

14 Dec: Saturday Drama - Winter Exercise
By Philip Palmer. A very interesting drama-documentary, of interest to anyone involved (like the present writer) in civil defence during the Cold War era. Global tensions had increased, and war between the Soviet and Western blocs seemed a real possibility. And so, for two weeks in March, a group of top civil servants met daily as part of Wintex-Cimex, a biennial exercise to test the UK Government's readiness for each stage of a descent into nuclear conflict. David Aaronovitch presented a documentary drama based on the recently-released Cabinet Office file. A nationwide exercise of military and civil defence personnel, Wintex-Cimex, would reveal the readiness of Britain to deal with the consequences of a nuclear exchange and what would inevitably follow: violence, breakdown of law and order, food shortages, attacks by enemy special forces at large in the country; perhaps even biological or chemical warheads. The emergency ‘Cabinet’ is forced to decide whether the UK should use its nuclear weapons, and how many, and where they should be targeted. Narrator - Carolyn Pickles; Prime Minister - Tim Woodward; Foreign Secretary - Thomas Wheatley; Home Secretary - Simon Treves; Defence Secretary - Steve Toussaint; Chair; Joint Intelligence Committee - John Norton; Scottish Secretary - Sean Murray; Chief of Defence Staff - David Seddon; Writer - Philip Palmer; Director - Toby Swift; Producer - Phil Tinline.

21 Dec: Saturday Drama - The Wild Bride
Blues-infused fairly tale by Carl Grose, adapted for radio by Emma Rice and Carl Grose. A girl's father accidentally sells his daughter's soul to the devil. She rejects Satan but the price is high... The Devil - Stuart McLoughlin; The Wild Bride - Audrey Brisson; Father - Stuart Goodwin; King - Stuart Goodwin; King's Mother - Emma Rice; Writer - Carl Grose; Adaptors - Carl Grose and Emma Rice; Director - James Robinson; Composer - Stu Barker; Musical Director - Ian Ross; Violinist - Patrycja Kujawska; Sound Design - Simon Baker and Nigel Lewis; Indie (Kneehigh Theatre production). A BBC Cymru Wales Production.

28 Dec: Saturday Drama - Otherwise Engaged
By Simon Gray. Publisher and Wagner-lover Simon Hench intends to spend the afternoon listening to 'Parsifal', but his quiet afternoon is jeopardised by a series of interruptions. 90m. Simon - James Purefoy; Stephen - Alex MacQueen; Jeff - Ewan Bailey; Davina - Hattie Morahan; Wood - Nigel Planer; Beth - Tracy Wiles; Dave - Rikki Lawton; Director - Peter Kavanagh; Writer - Simon Gray; Producer Peter Kavanagh.


2014



ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
Many thanks to Prof. Sheila Wigmore for compiling the 2013 entries.

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