A BBC Radio 4 full-cast crime drama

The Recall Man

Seven gripping dramas featuring forensic psychologist and memory expert Dr Joe Aston 
 
Returning to his home town of Middlesborough on a six-month attachment to the Teesside police, criminal psychologist Joe Aston is called in for seven unusual and baffling cases. As a specialist in the controversial field of 'recovered memory', his skills are crucial: only he can uncover the truth by persuading victims, witnesses and suspects to remember what they'd rather forget... 
 
In Doctor Joe Aston Investigates, the 'recall man' tackles the only suspect in a murder case: a scientist suspected of killing her boss. 
 
Making Waves finds a confused diver claiming to have witnessed an old murder: can his memory be trusted? 
 
In Over the Border, Aston probes a taxi driver who may be the sole witness to a gangland killing, but claims to remember nothing. 
 
In Stepping Out, he finds his position under threat when rival psychologist Beth Webster is hired to investigate a spate of attacks on young women. 
 
Taken by Surprise sees Aston resorting to unorthodox methods to secure an identification of the main suspect in a kidnapping case. 
 
In Can't See for Looking, a witness to an arson attack swears she saw a rhinoceros throwing a petrol bomb: can Aston discover what she really saw? 
 
Finally, in Best Forgotten, the forensic psychologist uncovers fresh information about an unsolved robbery from 1952 - but the newfound facts have some unwelcome implications... 
 
Written by David Napthine and Steven Chambers, these gripping dramas star Jeremy Swift as Dr Joe Aston, with Paul Brennen as DC Patten, Janet Dibley as DI Reynolds and Andrew Harrison as DC Hamilton. 
 
 
Credits 
Written by David Napthine and Steven Chambers 
Produced and directed by Toby Swift and Mary Peate 
 
Starring Jeremy Swift as Dr Joe Aston 
 
Doctor Joe Aston Investigates 
Grace Hayle - Rosie Cavaliero 
Dl Karen Dennis - Carolyn Pickles 
Tom Aston - Colin MacLachlan 
DC Patten - Paul Brennen 
DC Talbot - Sue Scott Davison 
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4, 7 December 2001 
 
Making Waves 
DC Patten - Paul Brennen 
Defence Counsel - Andrew Harrison 
George - James Gaddas 
Jane - Elizabeth Carling 
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4, 31 October 2003 
 
Over the Border 
DC Patten - Paul Brennen 
DI Reynolds - Janet Dibley 
Tommy - Vincent Friell 
DC Hamilton - Andrew Harrison 
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4, 7 November 2003 
 
Stepping Out 
DI Reynolds - Janet Dibley 
Beth - Tessa Peake-Jones 
Linda - Sue Scott Davison 
Nicola - Suzanne Heathcote 
DC Hamilton - Andrew Harrison 
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4, 14 November 2003 
 
Taken by Surprise 
DC Patten - Paul Brennen 
DI Reynolds - Janet Dibley 
Bill - Andrew Dunn 
Tony - Gerard McDermott 
Moira - Susan Jameson 
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4, 26 September 2005 
 
Can't See for Looking 
DC Patten - Paul Brennen 
DI Reynolds - Janet Dibley 
Donna - Sharon Percy 
Billy - Michael Imerson 
Alison - Colleen Prendergast 
Steve - Wayne Foskett 
Asif - Shiv Grewal 
Mickey - Michael Hodgson 
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4, 3 October 2005 
 
Best Forgotten 
DC Patten - Paul Brennen 
DI Reynolds - Janet Dibley 
Tom - Colin MacLachlan 
Frankie - Maurice Roëves 
Sue - Sheila Tait 
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4, 10 October 2005 
 
© 2021 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd 
(p) 2021 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

A BBC Radio 4 comedy

HighLites: Series 1-6

All six series of the BBC radio comedy centred around a village hairdressing salon - plus pilot episode 
 
Based in the little town of Bridgeford, High-Lites salon boasts the most misanthropic hairdresser in Britain: sharp-tongued, mean-minded Bev. With the help of her soft-hearted (though slightly dim) assistant Shirley, she tends to the tresses of a motley crew of local characters. As she cuts their hair, she finds out everything that's going on in their lives - and wastes no time in spreading some gossip of her own... 
 
In the pilot episode, one of her little lies takes on a life of its own - and a dodgy dryer nearly spells disaster. Series 1 finds the salon on the brink of bankruptcy, forcing Bev to take desperate measures to keep it afloat. In HighLites: Retouched, the two stylists go mobile when their premises are shut down by Environmental Health, and in HighLites: Split Ends, Bev tries to undercut her rival, Anton, to secure a lucrative wedding hair gig. 
 
HighLites: Wash and Blow finds the hairdressing duo heading out on a cruise, hoping to drum up a little business below deck. But it's not all plain sailing... In HighLites: Dye Another Day, Bev and Shirl are faced with a huge tax bill, and connive to inherit from a wealthy old man's will. And in HighLites: Natural Bounce, the world's worst hairdressers discover that there's money to be made in fitness, and decide to open a gym above the salon - but is this an expansion too far? 
 
Co-written by Steve Chambers and Phil Nodding, this fast-paced, farcical comedy stars Lorraine Ashbourne as Bev and Rosie Cavaliero as Shirley, with a supporting cast including Marlene Sidaway, Sheila Reid, Angela Lonsdale, Adjoa Andoh, Adam Nagaitis and Joel MacCormack. 
 
 
Production credits 
Written by Steve Chambers and Phil Nodding 
Produced by Jessica Dromgoole 
Directed by Colin Guthrie and Liz Webb 
 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 15 December 2009 (Pilot), 13-17 February 2012 (HighLites), 8-12 October 2012 (HighLites: Retouched), 2-6 December 2013 (HighLites: Split Ends), 5-9 May 2014 (HighLites: Wash and Blow), 8-12 June 2015 (HighLites: Dye Another Day), 25-29 July 2016 (HighLites: Natural Bounce) 
 
Cast 
Beverley - Lorraine Ashbourne 
Shirley - Rosie Cavaliero 
Matthew - Rhys Jennings/Owen Pullar 
Alice - Emerald O'Hanrahan/Marlene Sidaway 
Enid - Kate Layden/Nicola Sloane/Sheila Reid/Susan Jameson 
Nigel - John Biggins/Simon Bubb/John Norton/Chris Pavlo 
Lois - Joannah Tincey/Stephanie Racine 
Butt - Ewan Hooper/James Lailey/Robert Blythe/Sean Murray 
Paramedic - Joseph Cohen-Cole 
John - Carl Prekopp 
Henry - Gerard McDermott 
Melvin - Adam Billington 
Diane - Alex Rivers/Angela Lonsdale 
Wendy - Victoria Inez Hardy/Eleanor Crooks/Rhiannon Neads/Nicola Ferguson 
Harriet - Adjoa Andoh/Carolyn Pickles 
Hilary - Nicola Sloane 
Belinda - Stephanie Racine 
Satnav/Nurse/Tannoy - Sarah Thom 
Antony - Adam Nagaitis 
Gordon - Ben Crowe 
Lucinda - Liza Sadovy 
Ronnie - Michael Bertenshaw 
Liz - Christine Absalom 
Tess - Priyanga Burford 
Captain Andersen - Joel MacCormack 
Julie - Carys Eleri 
Doug - Stephen Critchlow 
Annabeth - Jane Slavin 
Daz/Tony - Sam Rix 
Beryl - Melanie Kilburn 
With Adie Allen and Scarlett Brookes 
 
 
©2021 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2021 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

All six series of the BBC radio comedy centred around a village hairdressing salon - plus pilot episode 
 
Based in the little town of Bridgeford, High-Lites salon boasts the most misanthropic hairdresser in Britain: sharp-tongued, mean-minded Bev. With the help of her soft-hearted (though slightly dim) assistant Shirley, she tends to the tresses of a motley crew of local characters. As she cuts their hair, she finds out everything that's going on in their lives - and wastes no time in spreading some gossip of her own... 
 
In the pilot episode, one of her little lies takes on a life of its own - and a dodgy dryer nearly spells disaster. Series 1 finds the salon on the brink of bankruptcy, forcing Bev to take desperate measures to keep it afloat. In HighLites: Retouched, the two stylists go mobile when their premises are shut down by Environmental Health, and in HighLites: Split Ends, Bev tries to undercut her rival, Anton, to secure a lucrative wedding hair gig. 
 
HighLites: Wash and Blow finds the hairdressing duo heading out on a cruise, hoping to drum up a little business below deck. But it's not all plain sailing... In HighLites: Dye Another Day, Bev and Shirl are faced with a huge tax bill, and connive to inherit from a wealthy old man's will. And in HighLites: Natural Bounce, the world's worst hairdressers discover that there's money to be made in fitness, and decide to open a gym above the salon - but is this an expansion too far? 
 
Co-written by Steve Chambers and Phil Nodding, this fast-paced, farcical comedy stars Lorraine Ashbourne as Bev and Rosie Cavaliero as Shirley, with a supporting cast including Marlene Sidaway, Sheila Reid, Angela Lonsdale, Adjoa Andoh, Adam Nagaitis and Joel MacCormack. 
 
 
Production credits 
Written by Steve Chambers and Phil Nodding 
Produced by Jessica Dromgoole 
Directed by Colin Guthrie and Liz Webb 
 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 15 December 2009 (Pilot), 13-17 February 2012 (HighLites), 8-12 October 2012 (HighLites: Retouched), 2-6 December 2013 (HighLites: Split Ends), 5-9 May 2014 (HighLites: Wash and Blow), 8-12 June 2015 (HighLites: Dye Another Day), 25-29 July 2016 (HighLites: Natural Bounce) 
 
Cast 
Beverley - Lorraine Ashbourne 
Shirley - Rosie Cavaliero 
Matthew - Rhys Jennings/Owen Pullar 
Alice - Emerald O'Hanrahan/Marlene Sidaway 
Enid - Kate Layden/Nicola Sloane/Sheila Reid/Susan Jameson 
Nigel - John Biggins/Simon Bubb/John Norton/Chris Pavlo 
Lois - Joannah Tincey/Stephanie Racine 
Butt - Ewan Hooper/James Lailey/Robert Blythe/Sean Murray 
Paramedic - Joseph Cohen-Cole 
John - Carl Prekopp 
Henry - Gerard McDermott 
Melvin - Adam Billington 
Diane - Alex Rivers/Angela Lonsdale 
Wendy - Victoria Inez Hardy/Eleanor Crooks/Rhiannon Neads/Nicola Ferguson 
Harriet - Adjoa Andoh/Carolyn Pickles 
Hilary - Nicola Sloane 
Belinda - Stephanie Racine 
Satnav/Nurse/Tannoy - Sarah Thom 
Antony - Adam Nagaitis 
Gordon - Ben Crowe 
Lucinda - Liza Sadovy 
Ronnie - Michael Bertenshaw 
Liz - Christine Absalom 
Tess - Priyanga Burford 
Captain Andersen - Joel MacCormack 
Julie - Carys Eleri 
Doug - Stephen Critchlow 
Annabeth - Jane Slavin 
Daz/Tony - Sam Rix 
Beryl - Melanie Kilburn 
With Adie Allen and Scarlett Brookes 
 
 
©2021 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2021 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Steve Chambers

Full Cast

Sean Baker

Philip Jackson

Christopher Scott

Julia Ford

Colleen Prendergast

Pauline Letts

John Hartley

Gavin Muir

Michael Tudor Barnes

A BBC Radio 4 Full-Cast Drama

The complete Series 1 and 2 of the historical drama set in a bustling Midlands railway station in the Victorian era 
 
In these two series, set on selected dates in January 1895 and December 1896, we follow the day-to-day shenanigans of Bridgford station master Joe Braddock and his staff, along with a motley crew of passengers and passers-by. Each episode is a self-contained drama, as well as telling the ongoing story of the crises and challenges tackled by the team, and their rivalries, enmities, friendships and burgeoning romances. 
 
As Series 1 begins, a goods train is derailed - just as a VIP visitor is about to arrive. As the crew scramble to clear the line, it becomes evident that the accident has damaged the Sherwood Tunnel: and something sinister lurks within. When a man is found dead, a public inquiry is launched - and as a second disaster looms, Signalman Fred Roberts fights to clear his name... 
 
In Series 2, newly promoted Regional Superintendent Archibald Cripps is hatching a plot to replace Joe as Station Manager. Adding to Joe's worries are a painful tooth, pickpockets, fare-dodgers and his daughter Josie's relationship with porter Jack Robson. But when a train gets stuck in a snowdrift, with a young pregnant woman on board, it's up to Joe and his rescue party to save the day - even if it means getting fired... 
 
Written by Steve Chambers (HighLites), these gentle, engaging plays take us back to a bygone age of travel, when the railways ruled the roost. They star Sean Baker as Joe Braddock, with a full cast including Philip Jackson, Christopher Scott, Julia Ford, Colleen Prendergast, Pauline Letts and John Hartley. 
 
 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 4 January-1 February 1995 (Series 1), 27 November-18 December 1996 (Series 2) 
 
Credits 
Written by Steve Chambers 
Directed by David Hunter, Celia de Wolff and Marion Nancarrow 
Technical presentation by Richard Beadsmore, Keith Graham, David Blount, Tim Sturgeon, Ian Harker and Hilary Carruthers 
 
Cast 
Joe Braddock - Sean Baker 
Tidmarsh - Philip Jackson/Christopher Scott 
Josie - Julia Ford/Colleen Prendergast 
Ada - Pauline Letts 
Fred Roberts - John Hartley 
Mr Cripps/Moran/Woodcock - Gavin Muir 
Phoebe - Becky Hindley 
Sydney - Tom Bevan 
Jackson - Joshua Towb/Chris Pavlo 
Wheeler - Tom Knight/Keith Drinkel 
Robson - Lloyd Notice/Robert Harper 
Mrs Brook Hammond - Frances Jeater 
General Booth/Blind man - Michael Tudor Barnes 
Parkin - Michael Tudor Barnes/Stephen Thorne 
Girl thief/Sheena - Deborah Berlin 
Professor Geider - David Collings 
McCarthy - Ian Masters 
Lydia - Geraldine Fitzgerald 
Hancock - Nicholas Collett/Alex Lowe 
Ellen Davison - Annabel Mullion 
Sarah - Elizabeth Anson 
Crippled John - Ronald Herdman 
Russian acrobat - David B Miller 
Reverend Sentence/Dr Keeble - George Parsons 
Meat porter - Ian Peck 
Purvis - Oliver Senton 
Nellie - Jane Slavin 
Hall/Mr Newton - Peter Whitman 
Sheena MacDonald - Deborah Berlin 
Mrs MacDonald/Miss Walker - Jilly Bond 
Mr MacDonald - Peter Yapp 
Dr Pettigrew - David Holt 
Tuffnell/Mr Alcock - Don McCorkindale 
Sir James Chettle/Ridley - Stephen Thorne 
Mrs Peabody - Joyce Gibbs 
Hickman - Tim Seely 
Jamie - Ian Taylor 
Captain Hargreaves - Mark Bonnar 
Bishop - James Taylor 
Bert - Peter Gunn 
Colonel Smithers-Jenkins/Holbrook/Farmer White/Mr Jenkins - Ioan Meredith 
Florrie - Amanda Gordon 
Flora - Tracy Wiles 
Mrs Ellen Scrimshaw - Ann Beach 
Dr Marie Pascal - Alice Arnold 
Harry - James Daley 
Dora - Ashley Moore 
Paper Seller - Kim Wall 
Janet/Jane Cakebread - Joanna Monro 
Mary - Adjoa Andoh 
Miss Joseph - Mary Roscoe 
Mrs Gunn/Lady Casterton - Shirley Dixon 
 
©2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

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