The Saturday Play: Bullitt Radio 4, Saturday 2.30pm
Jason Isaacs plays New York cop Lieutenant Clancy, assigned to protect an importnat Mafia witness who then turns up dead. Despite its name, this is not a radio adaptation of the Steve McQueen film, but rather the novel that was adapted into the movie: Robert L Pike’s Mute Witness.
The Wire: Me and Cilla Radio 3, Saturday 9.15pm
A club singer with leukaemia is preparing for Christmas as her husband’s affair with the neighbour is rearing its ugly head, and their son is preparing to make his first appearance in public in women’s clothing. God bless Radio 3, it manages to air in three quarters of an hour plots that would keep Radio 4’s Afternoon Play going for an entire week.
Jodie Prenger Radio 2, Sunday 1pm
The Oliver! star sits in for Elaine Paige while she tours Australia.
Free Thinking 2009 Radio 3, Sunday from 8pm
Radio 3’s annual “festival of ideas” returns, running all weekend at the Sage Gateshead. This year’s key theme is the 21st century family — and, at 8.20pm, Drama on 3: Beware the Kids continues the theme. Written by Fiona Evans and Karen Laws, it will be recorded at this week’s festival.
Reece Shearsmith’s Haunted House Radio 4, Thursday 11.30am
Timed well to air as Halloween approaches, the League of Gentleman actor (and Stage Podcast interviewee) Shearsmith talks to horror enthusiast (and fellow League-member) Mark Gatiss, Vic Reeves and Yvette Fielding about what makes a story scary.
Bleak Expectations Radio 4, Thursday 6.30pm
A third series of the splendid Victorian send-up. Sir Philip continues to tell his life story, which this week includes a seance gone wrong, an inspector calling, and a possessed evil pigeon.
MAIDA VALE AT 75: Friday Night is Music Night Radio 2, Friday 7.30pm
MAIDA VALE AT 75: Brief Encounter Radio 2, Friday 9.15pm
The culmination of a week of celebrations of the BBC’s Maida Vale studios sees all of the Corporation’s national networks dedicate part of their schedules to honouring the studio complex. Radio 2’s principal contributions (among many) include a special Friday Night is Music Night starring Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, followed by a special live broadcast adaptation of Brief Encounter, David Lean’s 1945 film, itself based on Coward’s play Still Life. Meanwhile, on Radio 7…
MAIDA VALE AT 75: Blue Veils and Golden Sands Radio 7, Friday 11.15am
Sophie Thompson stars as Delia Derbyshire in this drama about the woman who, through her work with the BBC Radiophonic Workshop (itself based at Maida Vale) would inspire a generation of musicians. Oh, and who would turn Ron Grainer’s more conventional score into something haunting, mysterious and quite magical for a new 1963 science fantasy TV series going by the name of Doctor Who…
MAIDA VALE AT 75: Selected Radiophonic Works Radio 7, Friday 8pm
Richard Coles delves through the archives of the Radiophonic Workshop to explore some of the themes, incidental music and sound effects it created for BBC shows.
Leave a comment