R4 Drama 2025
I'm typing these entries out, summarising them from RT, removing spoilers and editing / adding notes where necessary. Typos are gradually being removed. The page is generally updated at the end of each month.
To locate a play, use Control-F which will bring up a search box. The page lists afternoon dramas. .........ND
The Saturday and Sunday plays are labelled as such in the lists.
Plays made by independent production companies are indicated by 'Indie'.
THE PLAYS:
1 Jan 2025: Solomon Browne
By Callum Mitchell; his first work for radio. 40 years on, this is the story of the Penlee lifeboat disaster. The setting is Mousehole, 19th December 1981. The famous Christmas harbour lights illuminate the fishing village in a quiet corner of Cornwall. But a storm is coming and the events of this night will leave an indelible mark on the community. The programme is a poetic drama-documentary, weaving together monologue, recorded testimonies and the genuine radio communications from the disaster. It is written by Newlyn resident Callum Mitchell, and the programme was made in Cornwall, with the help of some of the family members of the men lost. The result is a celebration and a memorial to the men of the lifeboat Solomon Browne: Trevelyan Richards, Stephen Madron, Nigel Brockman, John Blewett, Charles Greenhaugh, Kevin Smith, Barrie Torrie and Gary Wallis.
Helping tell their story are:
Neil Brockman, son of Nigel Brockman. Neil was 17 at the time and a member the lifeboat crew, alongside his dad. Jane Torrie is the sister of Barrie Torrie. The night of the disaster she was busy babysitting her brother’s two children, as he set out into the storm. Jo Payne, is the daughter of Charlie Greenhaugh, member of the lifeboat crew and also landlord of the Ship Inn that overlooks Mousehole’s harbour. And Baden Madron, brother of Stephen Madron.
The Penlee lifeboat disaster was a tragedy that tore the village of Mousehole apart, days before Christmas, but through the darkness of the storm, shines the light of a coastal community intent on remembering the bravery of its lost neighbours.
The Voices: Jo Payne, Baden Madron, Jane Torrie and Neil Brockman. The Narrator: Callum Mitchell. Music by Edward Norris. Sound design by Nigel Lewis. 'Calm is the Sea' performed by Mousehole Male Voice Choir. BBC Wales.
2 Jan 2025: The Bolt
By Tim Price. Tensions flare in the North Wales climbing community when a steel bolt appears on a sea cliff in Anglesey. Rhodri, a passionate adventure climber is totally against using bolts, but he's desperate to get the first ascent on a new climbing route, one that could really change his fortunes, and the future of his marriage is dependent on raising enough money to qualify for a spouse visa.
Rhodri - Sion Eifion,
Matilde - Norah Lopez Holden,
Gwion - Dion Lloyd,
Aubrey - Ian Dunnett Jnr,
Emily - Lauren Morais,
Dan - Nuhazet Diaz Cano,
Josepa - Zoila Garman.
Production Co-ordinators - Eleri McAuliffe and Lindsay Rees.
Sound Design - Catherine Robinson
Directed by John Norton.
BBC Wales.
3 Jan 2025: Don't Listen to This, 2
By Anthony Del Col. 30m. E-sports psychologist, Cressida Yang is pulled back into the competitive gaming world. In the last couple of days, two esports players made contact with her just before they died. Cressida is unnerved. She visits the hotel where Khaan, one of the deceased players, was staying.
Cressida Yang...... Sophie Wu,
Blu_Devil ..... Thaddea Graham,
Park ..... Nikesh Patel,
Rooftop ..... Jonny Weldon,
Oliver/Officer Patel ..... Jaz Singh Deol,
Beckett Knox/Lars Persson ...... Samuel James,
Ziggy..... Andi Bickers
Teammate ..... Dan 'Foxdrop' Wyatt
Warstrm ..... Ian Dunnett Jnr.
Production co-ordinator- Pippa Day.
Technical Producer and Sound Designer- Sharon Hughes.
Assistant Technical Producer- Mike Etherden.
Director- Jessica Mitic.
Co-Producers- Nadia Molinari, Jessica Mitic, Lorna Newman.
BBC.
4 Jan: Saturday - No drama
5 Jan: Sunday afternoon - Behind the Scenes at the Museum, 1
By Kate Atkinson. Part 1 of 3. Dram. Katie Hims. Ruby Lennox’s family is ostensibly ordinary. In 1951 Ruby Lennox is conceived to the chimes of midnight; chimes from the clock on the mantlepiece which once belonged to her great grandmother, Alice. The Lennoxes live above the shop in York. We go back to 1919, and meet Ruby’s grandmother Nell, a young woman, falling in love at the brink of war.
Ruby ..... Rosie Cavaliero,
Bunty ..... Kate O’Flynn,
George ..... Samuel James,
Nell ..... Jessica Turner,
Jack ..... Nuhazet Diaz Cano,
Frank .....Paul Adeyefa,
Albert ..... Ian Dunnett Jnr,
Young Nell ..... Shreya Lallu,
Young Lilian .... Andi Bickers,
Alice/Babs ..... Ruth Everett,
Jean-Paul ..... Charlie Anson,
Young Patricia ..... Paige Brearley,
Young Gillian ..... Olive Connolly.
Producer ..... Anne Isger.
Production Co-ordinators ..... Jenny Mendez and Maggie Olgiati.
Sound ..... Keith Graham, Ali Craig, Andy Garratt.
6 Jan: Hennikay, 2-4
30m comedy slot with Bill Bailey. New series. By David Spicer.
7 Jan: The Concierge, 1
Thriller by Simon Scardifield and Andrew Day.
Joe is the perfect right hand man, working hard to create a positive image of his rich Russian employer and helping him to avoid UK sanctions. But now Demidov's Ukrainian daughter-in-law is asking for Joe's help. .
Joe.....Sean Delaney,
Alex.....Steffan Cennydd,
Oksana... Anastasiya Ador,
Piotr.....Juris Zagars,
Kim.....Suzanne Packer,
Stef.....Rhys Parry Jones
Phil.....Sion Pritchard.
Production co-ordinators.....Eleri Sydney, McAuliffe and Lindsay Rees.
Sound designers....Jonathan Thomas, Nigel Lewis and Catherine Robinson.
Assistant Producer.....Fay Lomas.
Producer.....Emma Harding.
BBC Wales.
8 Jan: The Concierge, 2
Continued from yesterday. Yesterday, Joe was the perfect right-hand man to his rich Russian employer, Mr Demidov. Today, he’s on the hunt for a missing person.
Joe.....Sean Delaney,
Ales.....Steffan Cennydd,
Piotr.....Juris Zagars,
Stef.....Rhys Parry Jones,
Kim ....Suzanne Packer,
Beautician/Receptionist… Andi Bickers,
Clerk… Artur Zai Barrera,
Cashier,Maksym… Sion Pritchard.
Production co-ordinators.....Eleri Sydney McAuliffe and Lindsay Rees.
Sound designers....Jonathan Thomas, Nigel Lewis and Catherine Robinson.
Producer.....Fay Lomas.
BBC Wales.
9 Jan: The Concierge, 3
By Simon Scardifield and Andrew Day, continued from yesterday; final episode. Whilst working for his rich Russian employer, Joe’s always looked the other way when necessary. But now he finds himself in danger.
Joe…Sean Delaney,
Poitr… Juris Zagars,
Oksana…Anastasiya Ador
Stef…Rhys Parry Jones
Kim…Suzanne Packer
Alex…Steffan Cennydd,
Ilya…Artur Zai Barrera,
Air Steward… Andi Bickers.
Production co-ordinators.....Eleri Sydney McAuliffe and Lindsay Rees.
Sound designers....Jonathan Thomas, Nigel Lewis and Catherine Robinson.
Ukrainian translations... Irena Taranyuk.
Producers..... Emma Harding and Fay Lomas.
BBC Wales.
10 Jan: Don't Listen to This, 3
By Anthony Del Col. Psychological thriller, set in the world of competitive gaming (e-sports). Cressida Yang and her former nemesis, Blu_Devil are trying to find out what happened to two e-sports players who died in mysterious circumstances. After attending the funeral of Lars Persson, they find another lead. 30m.
Cressida Yang ..... Sophie Wu,
Blu_Devil ..... Thaddea Graham,
Park ..... Nikesh Patel,
Rooftop ..... Jonny Weldon,
Gerald Lee ...... David K. S. Tse,
Officer Patel ....... Jaz Singh Deol,
Beckett Knox ....... Samuel James,
Teammate ...... Dan Foxdrop Wyatt,
Warstrm ..... Ian Dunnett Jnr.
Production co-ordinator- Pippa Day.
Assistant Technical Producer- Mike Etherden.
Technical Producer and Sound Designer- Sharon Hughes.
Director- Lorna Newman.
Co-Producers- Nadia Molinari, Jessica Mitic, Lorna Newman.
Thanks to Nimitt Mankad, Anthony Wastella and Geoff Moore.
BBC Studio.
11 Jan: Saturday Play - Return to Vegas
Musical drama by Roland Gift, soul singer; rpt. from 2020.
Johnny Holloway, an ex-pop star wrongly convicted of drug dealing, gets out of prison. Johnny asks to be taken to the wake of his colleague Frank to pay his respects. When he gets there, he finds he has inherited his nightclub - the Las Vegas. Recorded on location in Gerry’s Club in Soho, London, with music written by Roland and Barson and performed by Roland along with members of the cast.
Johnny………….. Roland Gift,
Sean……………. Ian Puleston-Davies,
Ezra…………. Miles Richardson,
Ricky...... Carl Prekopp,
Pearl...... Sophie Melville,
Carol….. Katy Cavanagh-Jupe,
Barry…………… Bill Fellows,
Frank........Robert Glenister,
Eloise…………Claudia Jolly.
Mourners and punters: Poppy Allen-Quarmby, Tallulah Bond, Zooey Gleaves, Tom Glenister, Ellis Howard, Jonny Lavelle, Declan Mason.Producer: Celia de Wolff,
Sound Design: David Chilton.
Indie (Pier productions).
12 Jan: Sunday afternoon- Behind the Scenes at the Museum, 2
By Kate Atkinson. Continued from last Sunday. Bunty’s disappeared, so Ruby, Gillian and Patricia spend a week on holiday in Whitby with George’s friend Doreen. But the fun can’t last forever..
Ruby ..... Rosie Cavaliero,
Bunty ..... Kate O’Flynn,
George/Edmund ..... Samuel James,
Doreen ..... Laura Dos Santos,
Young Ruby ..... Matilda Kent,
Young Gillian ..... Ava Talbot,
Young Patricia ..... Frankie-Jae Simmonds,
Lilian ..... Andi Bickers,
Nell ..... Shreya Lallu,
Paddy ..... Nuhazet Diaz Cano,
Mac ..... Ian Dunnett Jnr.
Producer ..... Anne Isger.
Production Co-ordinators ..... Jenny Mendez and Maggie Olgiati.
Sound ..... Keith Graham, Ali Craig, Andy Garratt.
13 Jan: Hennikay, 2-5
By David Spicer; 30m comedy series with Bill Bailey.
14 Jan: The Gift: Switched, 1
Series 2. By Jenny Kleeman. An at-home DNA test, taken by chance when a game of golf is rained off, gives some surprising information. A man and three women have reassess everything they thought they knew about their families. A DNA test can have unforeseen consequences. Revealing your genetic past could disrupt your future. It may be better not to know.
Presenter: Jenny Kleeman,
Producer: Conor Garrett,
Production Coordinator: Gill Huggett,
Editor: Philip Sellars.
Commissioning Executive: Tracy Williams.
Commissioning Editor: Dan Clarke.
BBC Studio.
15 Jan: The Elder Son, 1 of 2
By Alexander Vampilov, translated from the Russian by Jan Butler.
Adapted for radio by Tom Wainwright. Set in (and making fun of) Brezhnev's Russia. On a cold winter night, two young men miss their last train home and find themselves stranded. To keep warm until morning, they talk themselves into the home of some strangers. But the young men have arrived at a bad time; - the daughter is on the verge of marrying a dreadful bore and the son is in the midst of a self-esteem crisis. The visitors become badly entangled in the family's drama.
Volodya . . . . . . Stewart Campbell,
Silva . . . . . Ian Dunnett Jnr,
Sarafanov . . . . . Tony Turner,
Nina . . . . . Elinor Coleman,
Vasya . . . . . Aaron Gelkoff,
Natasha . . . . . Lauren Cornelius,
Kudimov . . . . . Hasan Dixon
Neighbour . . . . . Nicholas Murchie.
Music arranged and performed by Ian Dunnett Jnr.
Producer: Sasha Yevtushenko.
16 Jan: The Elder Son, 2
By Alexander Vampilov; conclusion, continued from yesterday.
Silva . . . . . Ian Dunnett Jnr,
Sarafanov . . . . . Tony Turner,
Nina . . . . . Elinor Coleman,
Vasya . . . . . Aaron Gelkoff,
Natasha . . . . . Lauren Cornelius,
Kudimov . . . . . Hasan Dixon.
Music arranged and performed by Ian Dunnett Jnr.
Produced by Sasha Yevtushenko.
17 Jan: Don't Listen to This, 4
By Anthony Del Col. Continued from last Friday. 30m.
Cressida is forced into hiding when she is blamed for a string of murders which has sent shockwaves through the e-sports community. She is determined to locate the Poka Yoke server and shut down the killer cutscene forever and embarks on a dangerous journey.
Cressida Yang ..... Sophie Wu,
Blu_Devil ..... Thaddea Graham,
Park ..... Nikesh Patel,
Rooftop ..... Jonny Weldon,
Soji Sanada.....Togo Igawa,
Gerald Lee ...... David K. S. Tse,
Beckett Knox ....... Samuel James,
Warstrm ..... Ian Dunnett Jnr.
Production co-ordinator- Pippa Day.
Assistant Technical Producer- Mike Etherden.
Technical Producer and Sound Designer- Sharon Hughes.
Director- Nadia Molinari.
Co-Producers- Nadia Molinari, Jessica Mitic, Lorna Newman
Thanks to Nimitt Mankad, Anthony Wastella and Geoff Moore.
BBC Studio.
18 Jan: Saturday Play - On a Lost Highway
By Ed Thomas. Remi wakes on a road with no memory of who she is or how she got there. She must try to piece together the fragments of her mind, work out who she is, and what went wrong. This is the first audio drama recorded in BBC Wales’ brand new headquarters in Central Square, Cardiff, in the 'Dylan Thomas Audio Drama Studio'.
Remi.... Rakie Ayola,
The Lover.... Richard Harrington,
Mother.... Sian Phillips,
The Stranger.... Valene Kane,
Johnny Grecco.... Ronan Summers;
produced by James Robinson
for BBC Wales.
19 Jan: Sunday afternoon - Behind the Scenes at the Museum, 3
By Kate Atkinson; final episode. Ruby’s growing up, and in doing so, she must unearth the ghosts of her past which have lain buried for a lifetime. Dram. Katie Hims.
Ruby ..... Rosie Cavaliero,
Bunty ..... Kate O’Flynn,
George ..... Samuel James,
Young Ruby ..... Maddie Evans
Young Patricia ..... Lauren Patel
Clive ..... Ian Dunnett Jnr,
Nell ..... Jessica Turner,
Older Patricia ..... Jane Slavin,
Alice ..... Ruth Everett,
Jean-Paul ..... Charlie Anson
Bernard ..... David Hounslow,
Daisy ..... Shreya Lallu.
Producer ..... Anne Isger.
Production Co-ordinators ..... Jenny Mendez and Maggie Olgiati.
Sound ..... Keith Graham, Ali Craig, Andy Garratt.
BBC Studio.
20 Jan: Hennikay, 2-6
Comedy series; Bill Bailey as Guy; Max Lester as his imaginary friend. Guest Monica Dolan. Producer: Liz Anstee. 30m.
21 Jan: This Thing of Darkness, 3-2: The Elephant in the Room
By Frances Poet, with monologues by Eileen Horne.
Dr Alex Bridges is a forensic psychiatrist and psychotherapist, assessing and treating perpetrators of serious crime.
This drama explores the psychological impact of murder on teenage perpetrators and follows the fortunes of participants in a Long Sentence therapy group. How much do childhood experiences affect the mind of a murderer?
Dr Alex Bridges..... Lolita Chakrabarti,
Anthony..... Lorn Macdonald,
Finn..... Reuben Joseph,
Twitch …. Brian Ferguson
Simon..... Shaun Mason,
Donna/The Governor….. Karen Bartke,
Dani..... Elysia Welch,
Dead Elvis….Andy Clark.
Sound Design: Fraser Jackson.
Series Consultant: Dr Gwen Adshead.
Series format created by Lucia Haynes, Audrey Gillan, Eileen Horne, Gaynor Macfarlane, Anita Vettesse and Kirsty Williams.
Thanks to Victoria Byrne, Barlinnie Prison, Vox Liminis Distant Voices Project and Prof. Fergus McNeill.
Produced by Gaynor Macfarlane and Kirsty Williams.
Directed by Gaynor; BBC Scotland.
22 Jan: Endless Second
By Theo Toksvig-Stewart. Drama about consent. Two students fall in love, but a drunken evening changes everything.
M ..... Sam Otto,
W ..... Louisa Harland.
Technical Producers ..... Martha Littlehailes, Alison Craig, Anne Bunting, Mike Etherden.
Production Co-ordinator ..... Gaelan Connolly.
Producer ..... Abigail le Fleming.
This play was originally produced by Cut the Cord Theatre. Then it opened at Theatre503, the Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2019, the Park Theatre and the Pleasance, Islington. Theo is a dyslexic writer and actor based in London and the proud son of lesbian parents. He is developing a number of television projects including a show based on his 'unconventional' uprbinging. [I'm fairly sure this is his second play on radio 4 - Ed.]
23 Jan: Safe Space
By Caitlin Magnall-Kearns. A comedy drama about a woman’s fight for love - and the ability to step outside her own front door.
Agoraphobia and panic disorder have left Paula housebound. She's just about coping, until she meets cool and fearless Niamh. Suddenly Paula wants more, including love, laughs and adventures. Can it happen for her?
Paula … Thaddea Graham,
Niamh … Vanessa Ifediora,
Dad … Jonjo O’Neill,
Liam … Matty Loane,
Gerard ... Conor MacNeill,
Ellen … Kate Perry,
Andy … Sean Kearns.
Other voices played by the cast.
Sound Designer: David Thomas.
Producer: Anna Hinds.
Director: Celia de Wolff.
Indie (Fabel Radio productions)
24 Jan: Don't Listen to This, 5
By Anthony Del Col. Cressida is shocked to discover the truth about Soji Sanada but together they must race to stop the killer and delete the remaining lethal cutscenes. 30m.
Cressida Yang ..... Sophie Wu,
Blu_Devil ..... Thaddea Graham,
Park ..... Nikesh Patel,
Rooftop ..... Jonny Weldon,
Soji Sanada.....Togo Igawa,
Officer Patel ....... Jaz Singh Deol,
Beckett Knox ....... Samuel James
Teammate ...... Dan Foxdrop Wyatt
Warstrm ..... Ian Dunnett Jnr.
Production co-ordinator- Pippa Day.
Assistant Technical Producer- Mike Etherden.
Technical Producer and Sound Designer- Sharon Hughes.
Director- Nadia Molinari.
Co-Producers- Nadia Molinari, Jessica Mitic, Lorna Newman.
Thanks to Nimitt Mankad, Anthony Wastella and Geoff Moore.
BBC.
25 Jan: Saturday Play - The Plague
By Neil Bartlett, adapted from 'The Plague' by Albert Camus. His 55m adaptation focuses the story on five characters, using only words contained in the novel. It has echoes of the recent pandemic. In the story, hope surfaces when there is talk of a serum but, with the first attempts at a cure, who should be the guinea pigs ? The drama was about a community facing lockdown; it was recorded by actors, locked down in their own homes during the pandemic. You can't tell - which is a tribute to the sound engineers.
Doctor Rieux ............ Sara Powell,
Raymond Rambert .... Billy Postlethwaite,
Mr Cottard ................ Joe Alessi,
Jean Tarrou .............. Jude Aduwudike,
Mr Grand .................. Colin Hurley.
Directed by Neil Bartlett; producer was Turan Ali. Indie (Bona Broadcasting). Rpt.
26 Jan: Sunday afternoon -The History of Mr Polly, 1
By H.G.Wells, dramatized in two 55m episodes by Stephen Sheridan. Ep. 1: Beginnings and the Bazaar. In the first episode, Mr Polly – romantic, dreamer, and gentleman’s outfitter - takes stock of his life so far. He remembers his early years as an apprentice draper, and the fun he used to have with his friend, Parsons. He is saved from the drudgery of his apprenticeship when his father dies, leaving him an inheritance. This enables him to marry his cousin, Miriam, and buy a shop of his own. But 15 years on, he concludes he has wasted his life.
Narrator ..... Stephen Mangan,
Alfred Polly ..... Paul Ready,
Miriam ..... Clare Corbett,
Garvace /Penstemon ..... Trevor Littledale,
Parsons ..... James Joyce,
Harold Johnson ..... Nigel Anthony,
Mrs Larkins ..... Rachel Atkins,
Annie ..... Emma Kilbey,
Christabel ..... Ela Chapman,
Rumbold ..... Richard Attlee,
Schoolmaster ..... Julian Parkin.
Producer: David Blount. Indie (Pier).
27 Jan: Charles Paris: Situation Tragedy, 1
By Jeremy Front, from a story by Simon Brett. The return of the actor-cum-amateur sleuth, Charles Paris. When Charles lands a role in a not-very-good sitcom, the cast and crew begin to die in a series of grisly accidents. As Charles searches for the perpetrator, Frances (his wife), and Maurice (his agent), are furious. Maurice is also living with them following a skiing collision with George Clooney. 4 x 30m.
Charles ...... Bill Nighy,
Frances ...... Suzanne Burden,
Maurice ..... Jon Glover
Ash Amos .... Phaldut Sharma,
Judy Gilmore ...... Christine Kavanagh,
Stevie Dean/Howard Langridge .... Tony Turner,
Scott......Joseph Ayre.
Sadie .... Maggie Service.
Technical Producers..... Peter Ringrose & Alison Craig.
Director ..... Sally Avens.
28 Jan: This Thing of Darkness, Series 3
Episode title - A Pint with Pals. By Frances Poet, with monologues by Eileen Horne.
Alex Bridges is a forensic psychiatrist and psychotherapist, assessing and treating perpetrators of serious crime. This episode looks at the psychological impact of murder on teenage perpetrators and follows the fortunes of participants in a Long Sentence therapy group.
Dr Alex Bridges..... Lolita Chakrabarti,
Anthony..... Lorn Macdonald,
Finn..... Reuben Joseph,
Twitch …. Brian Ferguson,
Simon..... Shaun Mason,
Dani..... Elysia Welch,
Dead Elvis….Andy Clark.
‘Autopilot’ composed by Jill O'Sullivan & Lee and performed by Jill O'Sullivan & Louis Abbott as part of the Vox Liminis' Distant Voices project.
Sound Design: Fraser Jackson.
Series Consultant: Dr Gwen Adshead.
Series format created by Lucia Haynes, Audrey Gillan, Eileen Horne, Gaynor Macfarlane, Anita Vettesse and Kirsty Williams.
Thanks to Victoria Byrne, Barlinnie Prison, Vox Liminis Distant Voices Project and Fergus McNeill.
Produced by Gaynor Macfarlane and Kirsty Williams.
BBC Scotland.
29 Jan: A Tale of Two Trumpets
By Sylvia-Anne Parker. The writer dedicates this production to the memory of her audio drama mentor, Oliver Emanuel. This is a music-fuelled drama set in the court of Henry VIII and inspired by the life of Black Tudor and royal trumpeter - John Blanke. When Catherine of Aragon and Henry VIII lose a child, the King prepares a celebration of the baby prince’s life and calls in the trailblazing trumpeter John Blanke to help him.
And then John sees an opportunity to help Henry VIII's private passions.
John … Nicholas Pinnock with Bryon Wallen on trumpe,t
Henry VIII … Rory Kinnear with Jacob Heringman on lute,
Dominic … Harry Lloyd with David McCallum on trumpet,
Harriet … Ayesha Antoine,
Remi and Compton …Yinka Awoni,
Catherine … Ruth Everett.
Studio Production: Alison Craig and Mike Etherden.
Production Co-ordinator: Rosalind Gibson.
Sound Design: Fraser Jackson.
Produced by Kirsty Williams.
30 Jan: Transparency
By Mark Lawson; new play. Emma, a journalist and author, is meets the Prime Minister. The PM says that the new government has decided to declassify the records on Operation Buffalo, a top secret security operation. In the interests of "transparency”, Emma will be given access to most of the records and will meet some of the people mentioned. It could transform her career, but she is increasingly affected, psychologically and emotionally, by exploring something that the state no longer wishes to be kept secret. She starts to wonder if Operation Buffalo ever existed or whether it's been invented purely for the purpose of disclosure.
Emma Eaves - Emily Beecham,
Helen Dorchester, PM - Jane Slavin,
Jack Cade - David Horovitch,
Dan Stockton - Tom Glenister,
Witness C - Nicholas Murchie,
Political Editor - Mark Lawson,
Producer: Eoin O'Callaghan. Indie (Big Fish).
31 Jan Exemplar - Series 2, episode 1
By Ben & Max Ringham and Dan Rebellato. A television actor hires Jess and Maya to analyse a voicemail, leaked to the press, that suggests he supplied the drugs that killed his younger co-star. The suspicion is that the recording has been doctored.
This episode marks the return of a modern-day thriller set in the world of audio forensics. And just to remind you: Exemplar, in this context, concerns “an audio recording made by a forensic analyst to recreate the precise audio conditions of a piece of evidence in a criminal or civil case.” The first series of Exemplar won Best Series at the 2022 BBC Audio Drama Awards.
Jess..... Gina McKee,
Maya..... Shvorne Marks,
DS Serena Gray….. Clare Perkins,
Adam..... Afnan Iftikhar,
Jason..... Benjamin Cawley,
Chris..... Malcolm Ridley.
Audio forensic consultants: James Zjalic, plus Dr Katherine Earnshaw and Bryony Nuttall, forensic specialists in speech and audio at the Forensic Voice Centre.
Police consultant: Alex Ashton.
Sound recordist: Alisdair McGregor.
Production coordinator: Annie Keates Thorpe.
Sound design: Ben and Max Ringham with Lucinda Mason Brown.
Original music: Ben and Max Ringham.
Directors: Polly Thomas and Jade Lewis.
Indie (Reduced Listening). (....these are fascinating .... Ed).
1 Feb: Saturday Play - Fusion Confidential
By Marcy Kahan. A comedy about nuclear science - and opera. Dedicated young physicist, Jane, makes a discovery that she believes will enable nuclear fusion and pave the way for limitless clean energy. She confides in her opera-singer flatmate, Elvira. But Elvira realises that her brilliant, idealistic friend will need to be protected from all the vested interests out in the world. (....An entertaining and highly enjoyable romp! - Ed. )
Elvira.....Charlotte Ritchie,
Jane.....Cecilia Appiah,
Alex.....Adam Fitzgerald
Luba Lampedusa.....Tamara Ustinov,
Alicia Mittelbaum.....Charlotte East
Dmitri 2.....Carl Prekopp.
With additional music from Helen Neeves, Tom Raskin and Jessica Gillingwater from the BBC Singers, and pianist Christopher Weston.
Technical producer.....Keith Graham.
Produced by Emma Harding. BBC studio.
2 Feb: Sunday afternoon: The History of Mr Polly, 2
By H.G.Wells. Making an End to Things. Second and final episode. Alfred Polly is an ordinary middle-aged man who is tired of his wife’s nagging and his dreary job as a gentleman’s outfitter in a small town. When faced with bankruptcy, he decides that the only way to escape his frustrating existence is to burn his shop to the ground and kill himself. In this episode, Mr Polly attempts to put his plan of arson and self-destruction into practice.
Narrator ..... Stephen Mangan,
Alfred Polly ..... Paul Ready,
Miriam ..... Clare Corbett,
Annie ..... Emma Kilbey,
Rumbold ..... Richard Attlee,
Captain Boomer ..... Trevor Littledale,
Gambell ..... Julian Parkin,
Rusper ..... Nigel Anthony,
Mrs Rumbold ..... Jean Trend,
Flo ..... Karen Ascoe,
Uncle Jim ..... Ben Crowe
Miss Polly ..... Betsy Horsfall,
Horace ..... James Joyce,
Gwendoline ..... Ela Chapman.
Dramatised by Stephen Sheridan.
Producer: David Blount.
Indie (Pier Productions).
3 Feb: Charles Paris: Situation Tragedy, 2
By Jeremy Front, dram. from the story by Simon Brett. Charles has landed a role in an unfunny sitcom when a PA falls through a glass roof and dies, but was it an accident or murder? Charles has some suspects in his sights. 30m. episodes.
Charles Paris ..... Bill Nighy,
Frances ..... Suzanne Burden,
Maurice ..... Jon Glover,
Aah Amos ..... Phaldut Sharma,
Judy Gilmore ..... Christine Kavanagh,
Scott / Argyll / Art Tutor ..... Joseph Ayre,
Howard Langridge.....Tony Turner
Cberyl .....Anna Spearpoint.
Technical Producers ..... Peter Ringrose & Alison Craig.
Producer ..... Sally Avens.
4 Feb: This Thing of Darkness , 3-4- The Christmas Killers
By Frances Poet with monologues by Eileen Horne.
The drama explores the psychological impact of murder on teenage perpetrators and follows the fortunes of participants in a Long Sentence therapy group.
Dr Alex Bridges..... Lolita Chakrabarti,
Anthony..... Lorn Macdonald,
Finn..... Reuben Joseph
Twitch …. Brian Ferguson,
Simon..... Shaun Mason,
The Governor….. Karen Bartke
Dani..... Elysia Welch
Dead Elvis….Andy Clark.
Sound Design: Fraser Jackson.
Series Consultant: Dr Gwen Adshead.
Produced by Gaynor Macfarlane and Kirsty Williams.
BBC Scotland.
5 Feb: Margaret White and the Alcoran of Mahomet
By Hannah Khalil. 1649 was a significant year in British History because King Charles I was executed for treason. A lesser known but arguably equally important historical moment also occurred in that same year: the first publication of the Koran in English. It was instigated by an English woman, Margaret, the wife of a printer called Robert White based in Fleet Street, London. This drama, based on historical research, imagines the circumstances of the Koran's publication.
Margaret ......... Erin Shanagher,
Ayesha ..................Laila Alj,
Robert ...................Graeme Hawley,
Nicholas ............ Jon-Paul Bell,
Sergeant ............ Hamilton Berstock.
Production Co-ordinator - Pippa Day.
Studio Manager- Amy Brennan.
Sound Designer- Sharon Hughes.
Producer r- Jessica Mitic.
With thanks to Professor Suzanne Trill, the Arab British Centre and Dr Johnson’s House Museum. Historical consultant-Professor Matthew Birchwood. BBC Studio.
6 Feb: Chicken Burger N Chips
By Corey Bovell. Corey and his friends are hanging out at a local fried chicken shop. It's their last summer together before going to university. Then along comes Jodie, alluring and intelligent, and awakens him to the progressing changes in south London's Lewisham Borough. Corey must now consider the choices that will affect his future.This is an audio adaptation of a one-person play.
Indie (Unedited Productions). Presumably performed by the writer; I haven't listened yet..
7 Feb: Exemplar: 2-2
By Ben and Max Ringham, with Dan Rebellato. When an unheard track by 90s band The Daisy Chains is discovered, argument ensues over ownership. Jess and Maya are asked to work out who really wrote the song.They have an old school tape-recording of the original track as a clue. The series is created by sound designers Ben and Max Ringham, and based on actual research. A fascinating listen.
Jess..... Gina McKee,
Maya..... Shvorne Marks,
Seb..... Afnan Iftikhar,
Lucia..... Tracey Wilkinson
Clare..... Amy McAllister.
Audio forensic consultants: James Zjalic, plus Dr Katherine Earnshaw and Bryony Nuttall, forensic specialists in speech and audio at the Forensic Voice Centre.
Police consultant: Alex Ashton.
Sound recordist: Alisdair McGregor.
Production coordinator: Annie Keates Thorpe.
Sound design: Ben and Max Ringham with Lucinda Mason Brown.
Original music: Ben and Max.
Producers: Polly Thomas and Jade Lewis.
Indie (Reduced Listening).
8 Feb: Saturday Play: Bartleby the Scrivener
By Herman Melville. Alex Jennings reads Herman Melville's classic tale of a lawyer's attempts to make sense of the perplexing defiance of his mild-mannered office clerk. Published 1853. Produced by Mary Ward-Lowery. BBC. Editing and Sound Design by Mair Bosworth. Abridged by Sara Davies. Studio Engineering by Mike Etherden.
Mixed by Ilse Lademann. 55m.
9 Feb: Sunday afternoon: That Hideous Strength, 2.
By CS Lewis: The people from NICE. It's the late 1940s and Britain is trying to recover from the war. The establishment of NICE (National Institute for Coordinated Experiments) seems to offer a positive future. There are confident predictions of a cure for cancer and new treatments for antisocial behaviour that will made prisons redundant. A tech revolution is blooming without restraint and NICE are secretly experimenting with the creation of trans-human beings of superior intellect.
Jane has nightmares about a severed head that talks. She tries to talk to her husband Mark about it, but he's not listening. When Mark's college sell Bragdon Wood to NICE, he's surprised to find himself offered a job there.
Jane ..... Anneika Rose,
Mark ..... Joel MacCormack,
Curry / Ransom ..... Oliver Hembrough,
Feverstone / Briers ..... Simon Armstrong,
Hardcastle ..... Jane Slavin,
Mrs Dimble ..... Siobhan Redmond,
Grace ..... Jane Gurnett,
Wither ..... Matthew Bulgo,
Frost / Hingest ..... David Menkin
Alcasan / Taxi Driver ..... Kiren Kebaili-Dwyer.
Dramatised by Melissa Murray.
Production co-ordinators: Lindsay Rees and Eleri Sydney McAuliffe.
Sound design by Catherine Robinson and Nigel Lewis.
Directed by John Norton and Emma Harding.
BBC Wales.
10 Feb: Charles Paris: Situation Tragedy, 3
By Simon Brett, ad. Jeremy Front. Charles has landed a role on a sitcom. Then a PA and a Director have grisly accidents. Charles is sure that there is murder afoot and his suspicions turn to his fellow cast members.
Charles ..... Bill Nighy
Frances.... Suzanne Burden
Maurice ..... Jon Glover
Aah Amos ..... Phaldut Sharma
Judy Gilmore..... Christine Kavanagh
Stevie Dean ..... Tony Turner.
SMs: ... Peter Ringrose & Alison Craig.
Production Co-ordinator ..... Luke MacGregor.
Produced by Sally Avens.
11 Feb: This Thing of Darkness 3-5
The Dandelion and the Orchid. By Frances Poet with monologues by Eileen Horne. Alex Bridges is a forensic psychiatrist and psychotherapist, assessing and treating perpetrators of serious crime. How thin is the line between love and hate?
Dr Alex Bridges..... Lolita Chakrabarti,
Anthony..... Lorn Macdonald,
Finn..... Reuben Joseph,
Dani..... Elysia Welch.
Sound Design: Fraser Jackson.
Series Consultant: Dr Gwen Adshead.
Series format created by Lucia Haynes, Audrey Gillan, Eileen Horne, Gaynor Macfarlane, Anita Vettesse and Kirsty Williams.
Thanks to Victoria Byrne, Barlinnie Prison, Vox Liminis Distant Voices Project and Fergus McNeill.
Produced by Gaynor Macfarlane and Kirsty Williams
BBC Scotland.
12 Feb: When Alan Met Ray
By Ian Pearce and Andrew McGibbon. Set in 1948 in Milford Tuberculosis Sanatorium, Surrey. 18-year-old Ray Galton is told he has only six weeks to live. He begins painful treatment to limit the spread of the infection. By chance he meets Alan Simpson, the same age, who is in a similar state. They become friends and discover shared interests - football, girls, watching comedy films and listening to the hospital radio.
They're surrounded by a range of characters trapped with them: fellow patients, compassionate nurses and an uncooperative head doctor who is a stickler for rules. Alan and Ray start writing comedy sketches which they aim to perform on the sanatorium hospital radio. But first they have to get past the radio committee - headed, of course, by the Chief Physician and the presenter of the dismal hospital radio service, Alastair McGuire.
Alan Simpson ..... Paul Whitehouse,
Ray Galton ..... Harry Enfield,
Young Ray ..... Don Gilet,
Young Alan ..... Lee Ross,
Dr Ducaine ..... Tony Gardner,
Sylvia ..... Mika Simmons,
Harry ..... Simon Greenall,
Wally ..... Phil Cornwell,
Dr Franklin ..... Toby Longworth
Mac Maguire ..... Andrew McGibbon
Junior Doctor ..... Ian Pearce,
Alan’s Mum ..... Karen Bartke.
Script Editor: David Quantick.
Original music composed by Ozzie Temple and arranged by Duncan Lamont. Produced by Andrew McGibbon. Indie (Curtains for Radio Productions)
13 Feb: Only One Word for Love
By Peter Souter and Susie Dent. A romance, with some information about sculling. When lexicologist, Daisy, decides to learn how to scull as part of her recovery from a mastectomy, she discovers her coach is as tongue-tied as she is garrulous. Over ten lessons as Daisy swaps lexicological nuggets for tips on her technique we discover why Dylan is so monosyllabic. We listen as they begin to define themselves other than by what they have lost.
Daisy ..... Jessica Raine,
Dylan ..... Rupert Evans.
Technical Producers ..... Andrew Garratt & Alison Craig.
Production Co-ordinator ..... Sara Benaim & Jenny Mendez.
Producer ...... Sally Avens.
14 Feb: Exemplar: 2-3
By Ben and Max Ringham, with Dan Rebellato. Audio analysts Jess and Maya are hired to support a police sting operation to infiltrate a suspected drugs gang. A terrified teenager agrees to carry a wire when he goes to collect a package. Jess and Maya try to work out how to trap the drug runner, using sound cues from the route he takes. 30m.
Jess..... Gina McKee
Maya..... Shvorne Marks
Killian..... Benjamin Cawley
DS Gray..... Clare Perkins
Luke Watson..... Malcolm Ridley
Lara..... Jessica Taylor
Audio forensic consultants: James Zjalic, plus Dr Katherine Earnshaw and Bryony Nuttall, forensic specialists in speech and audio at the Forensic Voice Centre.
Police consultant: Alex Ashton.
Sound recordist: Alisdair McGregor.
Production coordinator: Annie Keates Thorpe.
Sound design: Ben and Max Ringham with Lucinda Mason Brown.
Original music: Ben and Max Ringham.
Directors: Polly Thomas and Jade Lewis.
Indie (Reduced Listening).
15 Feb: Saturday Play: When Maggie Met Larry
By Tim Walker. "In real life, you only get one take..."
Before Margaret Thatcher became leader of the Conservative Party 50 years ago, she discreetly turned to Laurence Olivier, to prepare her for the greatest role of her life. In the play, Tim imagines how Olivier helped transform Thatcher into the formidable character so many remember today. The meeting was kept secret because Thatcher had a reputation as a "housewife" who empathised with the problems of ordinary people. However, Lord Tim Bell, one of her image advisers, said in a newspaper interview just before his death that the two had met. Olivier subsequently put Margaret Thatcher in touch with Catherine Fleming, the National Theatre's respected voice coach who had helped him perfect the deep voice he needed to play Othello. Invoices Fleming submitted to the Conservative Party for work with Thatcher between 1972 and 1976 are still held in the National's archive. [....superb play .... - Ed]
Laurence Olivier ... Derek Jacobi,
Margaret Thatcher ... Frances Barber.
Producer ... Richard Clifford.
Indie (Catherine Bailey, in association with the Michael Grandage Company).
16 Feb: Sunday afternoon: That Hideous Strength, 2
By C.S.Lewis. Episode title - The return of Merlin.
There's an old myth that Merlin is buried under Bragdon Wood.
Jane ..... Anneika Rose,
Mark ..... Joel MacCormack,
Hardcastle ..... Jane Slavin
Merlin ..... Ifan Huw Dafydd,
Ransom ..... Oliver Hembrough,
Mrs Dimble .... Siobhan Redmond,
Grace ..... Jane Gurnett,
Feverstone ..... Simon Armstrong,
Wither .... Matthew Bulgo
Frost ..... David Menkin,
Alcasan ..... Kiren Kebaili-Dwyer.
Dramatised by Melissa Murray.
Production co-ordinators: Lindsay Rees and Eleri Sydney McAuliffe.
Sound design by Catherine Robinson and Nigel Lewis.
Directed by John Norton and Emma Harding.
BBC Wales.
17 Feb: Charles Paris: Situation Tragedy, 4
By Jeremy Front, based on the novel by Simon Brett. The situation comedy that Charles has a part in has turned into a situation tragedy after a third death. He's certain that these are not simply a set of random accidents. He finds inspiration in his search from a series of crime novels.
Charles: ...... Bill Nighy,
Frances ..... Suzanne Burden,
Maurice... Jon Glover,
Ash Amos ..... Phaldut Sharma,
Judy Gilmore.... Christine Kavanagh,
Stevie Dean .....Tony Turner,
Barmaid/voice Abbie Andrews.
Production Co-ordinator ..... Luke MacGregor.
Technical Producers ..... Peter Ringrose & Alison Craig.
Producer ..... Sally Avens.
18 Feb: Undercover - The Fury, 1
By Rachel Smith. Violence between rival gangs. A young woman makes a call to emergency services; there has been a stabbing. Somewhere close by, another man is hitting a lad in a rival football gang. But this man is an undercover officer.He has been sent in to find out the movements and plans of "The Fury".
Jason ..... Tachia Newall,
Bethany ..... Lauren-Nicole Mayes,
Mikey ..... Joe Gill,
Reece ..... Hamish Rush,
Sadie ..... Sacha Parkinson,
Leo ..... Alfie Corbett,
Di Kane ..... Krissi Bohn
DCI Richards..... Jason Done
Emergency call handler.... Dionne Hunter
Barwoman ..... Aimée Uwera
Rival firm members ..... Louis Brown, Darren McColl.
Police officers ..... Ethan Cale, Daniel Fitzpatrick.
Football fans: Students from Burnley College: Andrew Jennings, Artur Karlovec, Chloe Conway, Daisy Whittam, Daniel Fisk, Gemma Henderson, Jack Dobbie, Jemima Olaiya, Joseph Butterworth, Kaja Stefaniak, Kenny Conroy-Hargreaves, Kye Jones, Lauren Haigh, Leah Rowley, Marianna Morante, Maxwell Hopkinson, Rebecca Timms, Tom Capstick, Vincent Harper.
Produced by Nadia Molinari.
Sound Design and Technical Production by Sharon Hughes.
Assistant Technical Producer Amy Brennan.
Production co-ordinator, Lorna Newman.
Script Consultant Russell Lane.
BBC Studio.
19 Feb: Undercover - The Fury, 2
By Rachel Smith. Following Callum Matthews' murder, undercover police officer Jason has successfully infiltrated the inner sanctum of the notorious violent football firm The Fury. But will Jason manage to get to the truth of Callum's murder without risking his own safety and that of the people he loves?
Cast and production team: as yesterday, with the addition of:
Angela: Angela Lonsdale,
Pete Jedson .....Reuben Johnson,
Additional voices .... Ethan Cale, Daniel Fitzpatrick, Dionne Hunter. Producer: Nadia Molinari.
20 Feb: The Fury, 3
By Rachel Smith. As undercover officer Jason gets closer to the truth about Callum's death, The Fury top boy Mikey has his own investigation under way. Will Mikey's suspicions pose a threat?Production team: see 18 Feb. Producer: Nadia Molinari.
21 Feb: Exemplar, 4
By Ben and Max Ringham, with Dan Rebellato. Jess is observing as her old adversary, gang leader Danny Fenchurch, is questioned by the police. Will he crack? Meanwhile, back at Veritas, Maya is trying to crack a bizarre code on a video of a man being held captive by the gang. When DS Gray takes charge, the interrogation gets more heated.
The drama is created by sound designers Ben and Max, and rooted in factual research.
Jess..... Gina McKee,
Maya..... Shvorne Marks,
D S Gray..... Clare Perkins,
Danny Fenchurch..... Mark Stobbart,
Jemma..... Amy McAllister,
Kirsty..... Molly Roberts.
Audio forensic consultants: James Zjalic, plus Katherine Earnshaw and Bryony Nuttall, forensic specialists in speech and audio at the Forensic Voice Centre.
Police consultant: Alex Ashton.
Sound recordist: Alisdair McGregor.
Production coordinator: Annie Keates Thorpe.
Ben and Max did the sound design along with Lucinda Mason Brown, and composed the music.
Directors: Polly Thomas and Jade Lewis.
Iindie (Reduced Listening). 30m.
22 Feb: The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter, 1
By Carson McCullers, dram. Amanda Dalton.
The play is set in a small mill town in the 1930s in the middle of the Deep South of America. It's the story of Mick Kelly, a tomboy who loves music and dreams of buying a piano. John Singer, is a lonely deaf-mute who comes to lodge in Mick's house. He attracts disparate unhappy people and changes their lives.
Cast for this episode:
Mick Kelly ..... Coco Green,
Bubber..... Aaron Gelkoff,
John Singer ..... David Bower,
Biff Brannon ..... Michael S. Siegel,
Jake ..... Andonis Anthony,
Alice Brannon.... Laurel Lefkow,
Portia ..... Anna Jobarteh,
Dr. Benedict Copeland ..... Delroy Brown,
Etta Kelly ..... Lily Green,
Willie Copeland ..... Tachia Newall,
Harry Minowitz ..... Eric Sirakian.
Produced by Susan Roberts. BBC Drama North.
23 Feb: Sunday afternoon: Spring Awakening, 1
By Theo Toksvig-Stewart. A fresh take on Frank Wedekind’s classic about teenagers discovering sex and identity in a repressive society. Teenagers Wendla, Melchoir, and Moritz are taking their first steps into adulthood. But in a world where everyone is haunted by the battle between shame and pleasure, openness feels impossible. How can their parents offer help when conversations about sex, desire and relationships are taboo? The teenagers have only each other for guidance. In this episode,
Moritz is disturbed by dreams, and worried about falling behind at school. Wendla is eager for her life to start, and burning with questions. She meets Melchior, who seems to offer some answers.
Melchior ..... Jake Kenny-Byrne,
Wendla ..... Shreya Lallu,
Moritz ..... David Angland,
Ilse.. Madeleine Gray,
Hanschen ..... Patrick Dineen,
Ernst..... Aaron Gelkoff,
Fanny ..... Lisa McGrillis,
Gabor ..... Sam James,
Bergmann ..... Jasmine Hyde.
Groundsman, Kahlbauch and Knochenbruch.... John Bowler.
Directed by Anne Isger.
Sound by Keith Graham and Mike Etherden.
Production co-ordination by Gaelan Davis-Connolly.
24 Feb: Conversations from a Long Marriage
By Jan Etherington. 30m comedy slot. Series 4 episode 1. She Drives Me Crazy. With Joanna Lumley and Roger Allam. Produced by Claire Jones.
Wilfredo Acosta - sound engineer.
Jon Calver - sound designer.
Katie Baum - production coordinator.
An earlier series of this comedy won The Voice of the Listener & Viewer Award for best radio comedy in 2020.
25 Feb: Body Horror, 1
By Lucy Catherine, rpt. from March 2020. The transplant industry is prospering, and Caroline gets a new body. Three-part dystopian thriller set in London in 2050.
Caroline ..... Jill Halfpenny,
Gloria ..... Shelley Conn,
Rowan ..... Adam Courting,
Anastasia ..... Samantha Dakin,
Tom ..... Ian Conningham,
Waiter ..... Greg Jones,
Bar Guy ..... Ikky Elyas,
Virtual James ..... Will Kirk
Government Computer ..... Neil McCaul,
Work Computer ..... Sinead MacInnes
Lift Voice ..... Lucy Reynolds.
Producer: Toby Swift.
Developed through the Wellcome Trust Experimental stories scheme.
26 Feb: Moorgate, 1 - Outside
By Laurence Marks and Maurice Gran. At 8.46am on Friday February 28, 1975, a packed rush-hour tube train smashed into a dead-end tunnel at Moorgate station. The front carriage was forced upwards into the tunnel roof, killing the driver, Les Newson. Forty-two passengers also died and, to this day, nobody knows why Les Newson acted what he did. On that wintry morning, Chief Inspector Brian Fisher worked on rescuing the survivors, all trapped in the dark. It was to be the biggest call out since the Blitz for London's emergency services. In 1975, Laurence Marks was a young journalist working for the Sunday Times, investigating how the disaster occurred. He had more than just a professional desire to discover the facts - his father had been a passenger in the second carriage and was among the dead.
Brian Fisher ..... Jonathan Aris,
Brian Goodfellow ..... Lorne MacFadyen,
Margaret Liles ..... Lizzy Watts,
Jeffrey Benton ..... Tyger Drew-Honey
Trevor ..... Matt Addis,
Mrs Liles ..... Joanna Brookes,
Val Benton ..... Jessica Dennis
Dave ..... Paul Panting,
Jimmy Young ..... Alistair McGowan.
Producer: Liz Anstee.
Indie (CPL productions)
27 Feb: Moorgate,2 - Inside
Continued from yesterday.
Brian Fisher ..... Jonathan Aris,
Brian Goodfellow ..... Lorne MacFadyen,
Margaret Liles ..... Lizzy Watts,
Jeffrey Benton ..... Tyger Drew-Honey,
Dr Glyn Evans ..... Matt Addis,
Shameen ..... Barkha Bahar,
Mrs Liles ..... Joanna Brookes,
Val Benton ..... Jessica Dennis,
Dr Ashley Brown ..... Paul Panting,
David Coleman ..... Alistair McGowan.
Producer: Liz Anstee.
Indie (CPL).
28 Feb: Exemplar, 2-5
By Dan Rebellato, with Ben and Max Ringham. Continued from last week. When Veritas is hit by a cyber attack, Jess and Maya have to work with DS Gray to identify the attackers and stop them. The episode provided an exciting conclusion to the series.
Jess..... Gina McKee,
Maya..... Shvorne Marks
DS Gray..... Clare Perkins,
Jill..... Tracey Wilkinson,
Dan..... Malcom Ridley.
Audio forensic consultants: James Zjalic, plus Katherine Earnshaw and Bryony Nuttall, forensic specialists in speech and audio.
Police consultant: Alex Ashton,
Sound recordist: Alisdair McGregor,
Production coordinator: Annie Keates Thorpe,
Sound design: Ben and Max Ringham with Lucinda Mason Brown.
Original music: also by Ben and Max.
Producers: Polly Thomas and Jade Lewis.
Indie (Reduced Listening)
1 Mar: Saturday Play - The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter, 2
By Carson McCullers, dram. Amanda Dalton.
Details - see last Saturday. The novel has a good reputation and was published when the writer was only 23; it was very popular. Incidentally, Carson is a woman's name - I didn't know. The BBC blurb says that the story explores loneliness, the human need for understanding and the search for love.
Cast:
Mick Kelly ..... Coco Green,
Bubber..... Aaron Gelkoff,
John Singer ..... David Bower,
Biff Brannon ..... Michael S. Siegel,
Jake ..... Andonis Anthony,
Alice Brannon.... Laurel Lefkow,
Portia ..... Anna Jobarteh,
Dr. Benedict Copeland ..... Delroy Brown,
Etta Kelly ..... Lily Green,
Willie Copeland ..... Tachia Newall,
Harry Minowitz ..... Eric Sirakian.
Produced by Susan Roberts. BBC Drama North.
2 Mar: Sunday afternoon - Spring Awakening, 2
By Franz Wedekind; version by Theo Toksvig-Stewart.
Teenagers Wendla, Melchoir, and Moritz are taking their first steps into adulthood. But in a world where everyone is haunted by the battle between shame and pleasure, openness feels impossible. How can their parents offer help when conversations about sex and relationships are taboo?
Melchior..... Jake Kenny-Byrne
Moritz.... David Angland
Wendla..... Shreya Lallu
Ilse ..... Madeleine Gray
Ernst ..... Aaron Gelkoff
Hanschen ..... Patrick Dineen
Fanny ..... Lisa McGrillis
Gabor ..... Sam James
Bergmann..... Jasmine Hyde
Herr Stiefel..... Matthew Wellard
Groundskeeper / Kahlbauch / Knochenbruch..... John Bowler
Produced by Anne Isger.
Sound by Keith Graham and Mike Etherden.
3 Mar: Conversations from a Long Marriage,
Series 4 ep. 2
By Jan Etherington. Joanna Lumley and Roger Allam return with the fourth series of Jan Etherington’s award-winning comedy about a long-married couple.
This week, Joanna’s goddaughter, Jools, discovers she cannot have children and wants advice from her godmother. Roger and Joanna recall the day they learned they would never become parents but Joanna reassures Jools that she's lucky. 'I have a love affair with my husband and I don’t have to share it with hordes of kids’. 30m.
Sound engineer: Wilfredo Acosta. The sound designer is Jon Calver. The production coordinator is Katie Baum. Produced by Claire Jones.
4 Mar: Body Horror, 2
By Lucy Catherine. Former mortician Caroline has had a full body transplant, but there are shadows left by the body's previous occupant.
Caroline ..... Jill Halfpenny,
Gloria ..... Shelley Conn,
Paulina ..... Chetna Pandya,
Anastasia ..... Samantha Dakin,
Trevor ..... Clive Hayward,
Mel ..... Liza Sadovy,
Karina ..... Heather Craney,
Che ..... Ikky Elyas,
BodyEx Computer ..... Scarlett Courtney,
Young Mum ..... Lucy Reynolds,
Security Guard ..... Greg Jones.
Produced by Toby Swift. Rpt. from Mar 2020.
5 Mar: Shandyland
By Gareth Farr. On Christmas Eve 2002, a girl is born in a seemingly ordinary family-run Northern pub. That baby is Amy and from the moment of her birth the fate of the pub is inextricably linked with her own. The play is narrated by Amy. Shandyland started life as a stage play but was cancelled during rehearsals because of lockdown- Covid 19.
Sally . . . . . Siobhan Finneran,
Amy . . . . . Sophie Cox
Brendan . . . . . Pearce Quigley,
Karen . . . . . Leah Brotherhead
Mark . . . . . Matthew Durkan,
Jack . . . . . David Hounslow,
Younger Amy . . . . . Maddie Evans,
Even Younger Amy . . . . . Miriam Mitic.
Sound design: Peter Ringrose.
Production coordinator: Gaelan Connolly-Davis.
Director: Sasha Yevtushenko.
6 Mar: Fran and Joe - World Book Date
By Katie Redford. In December 2022, Christmas Wings, a drama set in the wings of a primary school Nativity play told the story of two teachers, Fran and Joe, who have a heart-to-heart after a stolen kiss at the Christmas party. Listeners wanted to know what happened next.
Katie obliges with 'World Book Date'.
Fran..... Fiona Button
Joe..... Nikesh Patel
Miss Pear..... Joanna Monro
Amber..... Lena Raymen
Produced by Tracey Neale.
7 Mar: One Five Seven Years (157 Years), 1 - Anya
By Marietta Kirkbride. Imagine you could live for two lifetimes. Would you want to? How would it change you and those you love? What would you do with all those extra years? What second chances might you get? Would it be a blessing or a curse? Anya works in an ELS diagnostics laboratory. When she and boyfriend Luke disagree about testing to see if they have the 'double-life' gene, their world is turned inside out. 30m; in the Limelight series. Rpt. from Sep 2022.
:
Anya..... Rose Wardlaw,
Luke..... Ragevan Vasan,
Esther..... Jessica Murrain,
Tarik..... Asif Khan,
Lucy..... Clare Corbett,
Pete …. Jacob Tombling,
Caller ..... Pamela Miles,
Selwyn..... Anton Lesser.
Sound Design..... Adam Woodhams and Steve Bond,
Theme Music..... Ioana Selaru and Axel Kacoutie.
Academic Consultants..... Tamas David-Barrett & James Fasham.
Executive Producer..... Sara Davies.
Series created by Marietta Kirkbride
Directed and Produced by Nicolas Jackson.
Indie (Afonica).
8 Mar: Saturday Play - The English Lesson
By Tamsin Oglesby. Farooq is a recent immigrant to the UK and a keen student of English. He becomes close friends with his teacher, Johnny, but a sharing of language is not the same as mutual cultural understanding. 3pm; 55m. Rpt. from Sep 2020.
Johnny.....Danny Sapani,
Farooq.....Ben Turner,
Lola/ Student.....Kate O'Flynn,
Dad.....Patrick Fitzsymons.
Producer..... Emma Harding.
9 Mar: Sunday afternoon - Brat Farrar, 1
Claudine Toutoungi’s adaptation of Josephine Tey’s doppelganger thriller set in a post-war English landscape. A stranger arrives at the door of a wealthy family estate claiming to be the missing heir. Claudine's latest play for radio is The Voice in my Ear, currently on BBC Sounds.
Brat Farrar..... Levi Brown,
Alec..... Alex Macqueen,
Simon Ashby..... Louis Landau,
Beatrice Ashby..... Kate Fleetwood,
Jane Ashby..... Ava Talbot,
Ruth Ashby..... Grace Baker,
Eleanor Ashby..... Rose Basista,
Nancy..... Ruth Everett,
Sandal..... David Hounslow,
Sheila Parslow..... Andi Bickers,
With Ian Dunnett Jnr. and Samuel James.
Piano performed by Peter Ringrose.
Produced by Gemma Jenkins.
Production Co-ordinator: Sara Benaim.
Sound Designer: Andy Garratt.
10 Mar: Conversations from a Long Marriage, 4-3 By Jan Etherington. Episode title: The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea. 30m. Comedy slot. This week, Roger is invited to talk about his Fleet Street career, on a cruise ship. Initially scathing about ‘a floating tower block’, Joanna is won round by the attractive Carlos, in the salsa class. With Joanna Lumley and Roger Allam. Producer: Claire Jones. Production coordinator: Katie Baum Studio engineer: Wilfredo Acosta Sound Design: Jon Calver.
11 Mar: Body Horror, 3
By Lucy Catherine. Caroline's new body is starting to shut down. Her fate lies in the hands of the medics.
Caroline ..... Jill Halfpenny,
Gloria ..... Shelley Conn,
Anastasia ..... Samantha Dakin,
Paulina ..... Chetna Pandya,
Mel ..... Liza Sadovy,
Trevor ..... Clive Hayward,
Che ..... Ikky Elyas,
Karina ..... Heather Craney,
Stan ..... Neil McCaul,
Car Salesman ..... Ian Conningham,
Library Computer ..... Sinead MacInnes,
BodyEx Computer ..... Scarlett Courtney,
Hotel Computer ..... Laura Christy,
Benefits Office Computer ..... Adam Courting.
Produced by Toby Swift. Rpt. from Mar 2020.
12 Mar: Rivers
By Jeremy Hylton Davies. At a protest in Cardiff in 2024, Carmel remembers the summer that changed her life, the summer of 1978: first love, divisive politics, riots, carnival and Rock Against Racism.
Young Carmel - Emily Burnett,
Carmel - Suzanne Packer,
Anita - Rakie Ayola,
Stuart - Matthew Aubrey,
Lyron - Connor Allen
Josie - Iesha Henry-Cameron
The Reporter - Dick Bradnum.
Special thanks to Keith Murrell.
Production Co-ordinators - Eleri McAuliffe and Lindsay Rees.
Sound Design - Nigel Lewis.
Director - John Norton.
Producer - Emma Harding.
BBC Wales.
13 Mar: Still Here?
By Louise Page; her first radio play. Set in 1933 and 2023. Claire, a podcaster, tries to find out what happened to her great-aunts, the conjoined twins Viola and Dahlia. They were starring in the 1933 film Freaky when they mysteriously vanished. The film director Harry was documenting the making of Freaky when they disappeared. He couldn’t find them. In 2023, with a job at the same film studio, will Claire be able to track them down?
Cast:
Claire..... Cerrie Burnell,
Harry..... Jon Furlong,
Dahlia/Anne..... Delilah Tahiri,
Viola/Fiona..... Rachel Denning,
Officer Rogers/Technician and Tom..... Guy Rhys,
Mrs Jules/Nana..... Naomi Wirthner,
Sound Designer : Steve Brooke.
Production Manager : Darren Spruce.
Producer : Polly Thomas.
Directed by Nickie Miles-Wildin. Indie (Naked Productions).
14 Mar: One Five Seven Years, 2: Uche
Eno Mfon and Marietta Kirkbride. As Extended Life Syndrome testing spreads across the globe, a small village in eastern Nigeria rejects the science in favour of “traditional” methods of detection leaving 16-year-old Uche in fear for her life. 30m. Rpt. from Sep 2022.
Uche..... Faith Omole,
Halima..... Emmanuella Cole,
Nkechi..... Juliet Agnes,
Big Sister..... Jolade Obasola,
Gloria..... Yetunde Oduwole,
Mother..... Luyanda Unati Lewis-Nyawo,
Henry..... Valentine Olukoga.
Other voices played by the cast.
Sound Design..... Adam Woodhams and Steve Bond.
Theme Music..... Ioana Selaru and Axel Kacoutie.
Academic Consultants..... Tamas David-Barrett & James Fasham.
Executive Producer..... Sara Davies.
Produced by Nicolas Jackson.
Indie (Afonica).
15 Mar: Saturday Play - Venus and Adonis
By Shakespeare, 1593, launching his career as a poet. A 'minor epic', a popular genre of the time. During his lifetime if was Shakespeare's most popular published work. He found the story of the encounter between Venus and the boy hunter in book 10 of Ovid’s Metamorphoses. In Ovid, Adonis is the lover of Venus, and his death is an accident of the hunt. Shakespeare transforms the story by having his Adonis reject Venus’s advances. His Venus is highly verbal; a plentiful source of arguments for making love.
Venus ..... Adjoa Andoh,
Narrator ..... Rachel Sanders,
Adonis ..... Joseph Kloska.
Music by Joseph Bedell.
Produced by Clive Brill.
Indie (Brill Productions).
16 Mar: Sunday afternoon - Brat Farrar, 2
By Josephine Tey, ad. Claudine Toutoungi. Brat has wormed his way into the Ashby family by claiming to be the missing heir to the estate. But was the real Patrick murdered?
Brat Farrar..... Levi Brown,
Alec..... Alex Macqueen,
Simon Ashby..... Louis Landau
Beatrice Ashby..... Kate Fleetwood
Jane Ashby..... Ava Talbot
Ruth Ashby..... Grace Baker,
Eleanor Ashby..... Rose Basista,
Macallan..... Ian Dunnett Jnr,
George Peck..... Samuel James,
With Ruth Everett, Andi Bickers and David Hounslow.
Produced by Gemma Jenkins.
Production Co-ordinator: Sara Benaim.
Sound Designer: Andy Garratt.
17 Mar: Conversations from a Long Marriage, 4-4
By Jan Etherington. 30m. comedy drama slot. Ep. title: Every Little Thing. This week, everything is making Roger grumpy. Roger claims he’s perfectly normal, but Joanna discovers it’s her fault he’s feeling low.
With Joanna Lumley and Roger Allam.
Producer: Claire Jones.
Production coordinator: Katie Baum.
Studio engineer: Wilfredo Acosta.
Sound Design: Jon Calver.
18 Mar: Waiting for Waiting for Godot
By actor, writer and comedian Adrian Edmondson, who has been obsessed with Samuel Beckett's's masterpiece since his schooldays. On 16th March 2020 the Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, gave a press conference in Downing Street to bring the public up to date with how he would deal with Coronavirus. One of the meaasures to delay and flatten the peak of the epidemic was to recommend that people should avoid social venues such as pubs, clubs and theatres. The next day, 17th March, a group of actors are waiting on stage. They are half way through a run of Waiting for Godot. Will the show go on? Will it close? Will they ever get paid? Will they ever work again? The person who can answer these questions still hasn’t turned up.
The Sofa Surfer - Adrian Edmondson,
The Equity Dep - Kiell Smith-Bynoe,
The Hoarder - Simon Callow,
Unlucky Jim - Christopher Ryan,
Voice on Tannoy - Madeleine Paulson,
Producer: Caroline Raphael,
Sound: David Thomas.
Indie (A Dora production).
19 Mar: Schism, 1 of 2
Thriller by Nicholas Meiklejohn, set on a Scottish island. When Matthew goes missing, Crow starts to ask questions and discovers the religious community he’s grown up in is really not what it seems.
Crow ..... Séamus McLean Ross,
Matthew ..... Anthony Aje,
Gabriel ..... Euan Munro
Nora ..... Mercy Ojelade,
Ruth ..... Kirsty Stuart,
John-Henry ..... Cal Macaninch,
Ramsey ..... Robin Laing.
Production Co-ordinator: Ellie Marsh.
Studio production: Niall Young and Gav Murchie.
Produced by Gaynor Macfarlane and Kirsty Williams.
Sound Design and original music by Niall Young.
Directed by Finn Den Hertog.
20 Mar:Schism, 2 of 2
By Nicholas Meiklejohn. Continued from yesterday. Crow has grown up within an isolated religious community on a Scottish island. At 16, Matthew moves from his life in London to the community with his mum. Crow and Matthew bond and soon develop a relationship. But homosexuality is not accepted within the faith. When Matthew goes missing, Crow starts to ask questions. He finds that his religion’s strict rules can only broken by the powerful.
Cast & production details - see 19 Mar.
21 Mar: One Five Seven Years, 3: Jacob
By Marietta Kirkbride. Jacob has ELS (extended life syndrome) and is serving life for a murder he committed when he was nineteen. But how many years is a life sentence when you live to 150? 30m.
Jacob..... Robert Emms,
Miles..... Ben Crowe,
Mum.....Sirine Saba,
Psychiatrist..... Asif Khan,
Lawyer..... Jessica Murrain,
Inmate..... Simon Darwen,
Other voices played by the cast.
Sound Design..... Adam Woodhams and Steve Bond.
Theme Music..... Ioana Selaru and Axel Kacoutie.
Academic Consultants..... Tamas David-Barrett & James Fasham.
Executive Producer..... Sara Davies.
Produced by Nicolas Jackson.
Indie (Afonica). Rpt. from Oct 2022.
22 Mar: Saturday Play - First Out
By David Eldridge. Jim and Mike are identical twins. As children they were inseparable; now they barely speak to each other. They have gone through the pandemic and the death of their parents. Over forty years we see what drove them apart: both nature and nurture. Can they go forward by finding some common ground? 55m.
Jim ..... Peter Sullivan,
Mike ..... Sam Troughton
Teenage Jim ..... Tom Glenister
Teenage Mike ..... Josh Barrow
Jim as a child ..... Aaron Gelkoff,
Mike as a child ..... Bert Davis,
Producer ..... Sally Avens.
23 Mar: Sunday afternoon - Kramer versus Kramer, 1 of 2
By Avery Corman, ad. Sarah Wooley. New York, 1977. Workaholic Ted Kramer is forced to re-think his priorities when his wife Joanna leaves him. He is now sole guardian of their five-year-old son. The novel led to a change in divorce and family relations in the United States.
Ted ..… Jacob Fortune-Lloyd,
Joanna ..… Lydia Wilson,
Charlie ..… Jonathan Slinger,
Thelma ..… Chloe Pirrie,
Billy ..… Owen Rye,
Jim..... Jammy Kasongo,
Mrs Colby, Ted’s Mom and Martha ..… Laurel Lefkow,
Mrs Willewska and Mrs Evan ..… Tracy Wiles,
Betty, Mrs Roberts and Cynthia ..… Kelly Burke.
Rhoda..... Sarah Wooley.
Researcher: Bethany Woodhead.
Studio Production: Keith Graham and Gary Newman.
Sound design: Keith Graham.
Produced by Gaynor Macfarlane and Carl Prekopp.
Directed by Carl Prekopp.
24 Mar: Conversations from a Long Marriage, 4-5
By Jan Etherington. 30m comedy-drama slot. Ep. title 'We Are Family'. This week, Roger’s formidable Auntie Hilda, with resemblances to Bertie Wooster's Aunt Agatha, announces she’s coming to live with them. It's a nightmare. Joanna Lumley and Roger Allam; produced by Claire Jones.
25 Mar: Faith, Hope and Glory, series 5.
Ep. title: Joy and Hopeton. By Rex Obano. Set in 1988.
Margaret Thatcher is now in her third term as Prime Minister. Hopeton is lonely and frustrated, living at his friend's boxing gym while fighting to get Joy and his family back. Meanwhile Joy is fighting to build a new life with Dhiren, combining their differing cultures.
Joy ..... Cherrelle Skeete,
Hopeton ..... Solomon Israel,
Dhiren Patel ..... Vikash Bhai,
Duke/Waiter ..... David Webber,
Glory ..... Trinity Benjamin,
Gujarati woman/Customer ..... Chetna Pandya,
Job Centre Assistant/Boxer/Store Manager ..... Lloyd Thomas.
Production Co-ordinators are Maggie Olgiati and Jenny Mendez.
Produced by Pat Cumper.
Directed by Anthony Simpson-Pike.
BBC Studio.
26 Mar: Faith, Hope and Glory, next episode
Ep.title: Serena-Hope and Errol. Lawyer Serena-Hope gets a call from her 'ex', Errol, asking for help with his daughter's legal troubles. Only Errol is also the absent father of Serena-Hope's own 9 year-old daughter. Should she help?
Serena-Hope ..... Bethan Mary-James,
Errol ..... Kenton Thomas,
Hira, Errol's daughter ..... Sabrina Sandhu,
Faith ..... Shiloh Coke,
David Wolff/Peter Street ..... Simon Ludders,
Judge/Giorgio ..... Enzo Squillino Jr.
Maggie/Sally ..... Adelle Leonce,
Prosecutor/Clerk ..... Ian Dunnett Jnr.
Production team - see yesterday's entry.
27 Mar: Faith, Hope and Glory, next episode
Ep. title: Jimmy and Cynthia. By Roy Williams. 1988. August Bank Holiday. Hope’s son, Jimmy, throws a garden party to impress family and his new white friends. But his desperate pursuit of what he considers success creates family tensions and attracts some unwelcome attention.
Jimmy ..... Michael Ajao,
Cynthia ..... Ayesha Antoine,
Sheila ..... Keziah Joseph
Connor ...... Eugene O’Hare
DC Rogers ..... Dan Li.
Production team - as on 25 Mar.
28 Mar: One Five Seven Years, 4: Saul
By Vanessa Montfort. Retired couple Elia and Mark are celebrating their pearl wedding anniversary when they discover one of them has ELS. The bond between them is tested as they deal with the fallout and face up to a momentous decision. Rpt. from Oct 2022.
Elia .. Raquel Cassidy,
Mark..... James Wilby,
Simon..... Ben Crowe,
Anne..... Clare Corbett,
Keith..... Jonathan McGuinness,
Carol..... Rosie Cavaliero,
Saul..... Joel MacCormack.
Other voices played by the cast.
Sound Design..... Adam Woodhams and Steve Bond.
Theme Music..... Ioana Selaru and Axel Kacoutie.
Academic Consultants..... Tamas David-Barrett & James Fasham.
Executive Producer..... Sara Davies.
Series created by Marietta Kirkbride.
Produced by Nicolas Jackson.
Indie (Afonica). 30m.
Compiled by Nigel Deacon / Diversity website
