Saturday Play: The Great Tennessee Monkey Trial Radio 4, Saturday 2.30pm
From the same source material as Inherit the Wind, currently running at the Old Vic, this week’s Saturday Play is a slice of verbatim theatre, adapted from the court transcripts of the Scopes Monkey Trial in 1925. A young teacher is tried when he intentionally violates a Tennessee state law prohibiting the teaching of evolution. A superlative American cast is headed by Neil Patrick Harris (How I Met Your Mother, Dr Horrible’s Singalong Blog), Ed Asner (Lou Grant, Disney Pixar’s Up), Stacy Keach (Mike Hammer, Prison Break) and John de Lancie (Star Trek: The Next Generation).
Elaine Paige on Sunday Radio 2, Sunday 1pm
Returning from her Australian tour, EP wrests back control of the Sunday lunchtime airwaves. The studio guest Jane Horrocks, currently on stage in Annie Get Your Gun, while Priscilla: Queen of the Desert star Oliver thornton sings a number from the show.
The Archers Radio 4, Sunday 7pm
A sad day, as we hear the last contribution to the series of Norman Painting, who played Phil Archer from the series’ inception until his death last month.
Drama on 3: Don Quixote by Thomas D’Urley Radio 3, Sunday 8.30pm
First performed in 1694, this play takes Cervantes’ novel and marries it with music from Henry Purcell and others. Commissioned and originally performed for the 300th anniversary of Purcell’s death in 1995, Don Taylor’s adaptation is repeated here as part of Radio 3’s weekend commemorating the 350th anniversary of his birth. The late Paul Scofield plays Don Quixote, Roy Hudd is his servant Sancho Panza, with other roles played by Roger Allam, Douglas Hodge and Bill Wallis.
Our Mutual Friend Radio 4, Monday-Friday 10.45am, repeated 7.45pm
We reach the halfway point in Dickens’ morality tale. Sadly, the drama isn’t part of BBC Radio’s series catch-up trial on iPlayer, so if you’ve missed the first episodes it’s too late — but it’s a compelling adaptation nonetheless.
Vent Radio 4, Tuesday 11pm
After last week’s Friday Play precursor, we return to the conventional half-hour series format. Neil Pearson is awake from his coma and is returning home in a wheelchair. On the way, he muses about an argument about cheesecake, has an imaginary conversation with Buzz Aldrin, and invents a panel game. Neil Pearson, Fiona Allen and Josie Lawrence star.
Ballylenon Radio 4, Wednesday 11.30am
The whimsical comedy drama set in the Irish town of Ballylenon in the 1950s returns. Which is either a recommendation or a warning, depending on your point of view.
The Now Show Radio 4, Friday 6.30pm
The zodiac of topical satire falls back squarely into the Punt and Dennis constellation after a six-week sojourn in the Toksvig-Hardy cluster.
The Friday Play: Shirleymander Radio 4, Friday 9pm
Tracy-Ann Oberman stars as the Council Leader in Gregory Evans’s tragi-comedy about Dame Shirley Porter and her time in charge of Westminster Council during the 1980s.
Good news - Our Mutual Friend is being series stacked on iplayer, so you can catch up on all the episodes during the run.