Joseph Delaney used to be an English teacher, before becoming the best-selling author of the Spook's series, which has been published in 30 countries and sold over 4.5 million copies worldwide. The first book, The Spook's Apprentice, was adapted into a major motion picture starring Jeff Bridges and Julianne Moore.

Joseph Delaney

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BBC Radio Comedy

Sue Perkins chairs these two scintillating series from 2025 
 
The BBC’s longest-running radio panel game is back for twelve more episodes, as host Sue Perkins challenges contestants to extemporise for 60 seconds on any subject that comes up on the cards – without hesitation, deviation or repetition. 
 
Topics include Snake Oil, Getting Butterflies, Negotiating with a Toddler, The Life of a Strawberry, Mr Darcy, When I Was Staying at The White Lotus, My Favourite Pizza Topping, Oasis Tickets and Paddington Bear. Tackling these tricky themes are a host of star guests including Paul Merton, Gyles Brandreth, Julian Clary, Josie Lawrence, Desiree Burch, Emma Sidi, Paterson Joseph, Charlotte Ritchie, Daliso Chaponda and – returning to play the game after ten years away – Stephen Mangan. 
 
All are funny, fluent and fearless – but can they avoid trips, slips, stutters and hiccups to gain the glory of a perfect, uninterrupted minute? 
 
 
Production credits 
Devised by Ian Messiter 
Chaired by Sue Perkins 
Produced by Rajiv Karia and Georgia Keating 
Production Coordinator: Sarah Nicholls 
Sound Editor: Marc Willcox 
Executive Producer: James Robinson 
Additional material by Eve Delaney 
 
Series 94 featuring: Paul Merton, Laura Smyth, Julian Clary, Desiree Burch, Tony Hawks, Ian Smith, Zoe Lyons, Charlotte Ritchie, Josie Lawrence, Ivo Graham, Sara Pascoe, Daliso Chaponda 
 
Series 95 featuring: Paul Merton, Lucy Porter, Zoe Lyons, Stephen Mangan, Tony Hawks, Desiree Burch, Gyles Brandreth, Emma Sidi, Julian Clary, Paterson Joseph, Rachel Parris 
 
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4, 20 January-24 February 2025 (Series 94), 18 August-22 September 2025 (Series 95) 
 
© 2025 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) © 2025 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Just a Minute 2025: The Complete Series 94 & 95

The BBC Radio 4 Topical Comedy

Alfie Moore

A third collection of stand-up comedy series from ex-police officer Alfie Moore 
 
Ever wondered what sort of a copper you might make? 
 
In these three series, policeman turned stand-up Alfie Moore gives his audience of deputies the chance to find out, as he swears them in and presents them with some real-life scenarios to see how they’ll deal with the dilemmas he faced. Sharing hilarious anecdotes from his time on the front line and giving a helpful breakdown of the ins and outs of British law, he invites them to explain what decisions they would have made – and why... 
 
With 18 years’ experience as a bobby on the beat, Alfie’s seen it all, and the stories from his casebook range from a delicate situation involving a worried daughter, an elderly father and his much younger girlfriend to a caravan conundrum, a neighbour dispute that turns dangerous and a potential case of coercive control. He also tackles the thorny issue of knife crime, takes us through the 10-week journey of training a new recruit – and tells a heartwarming tale of our favourite canine copper, Zeus the Police Dog. 
 
Also included is a Christmas Special, in which Alfie introduces us to a cavalcade of festive characters, including a gas station Grinch, an inebriated Mary and Joseph, and a Christmas Eve saviour. 
 
 
Series 7: 
<ol><li>Workplace Theft</li><li>Custody Officer</li><li>Vulnerable Adult</li><li>Student Officer</li><li>Caravan Conundrum</li><li>Speeding</li></ol>Christmas Special 
 
Series 8: 
<ol><li>Bounty Hunter</li><li>Anger Management</li><li>Top Dog</li><li>Knife Crime</li><li>The Make Off</li><li>Domestic Violence</li></ol>Series 9: 
<ol><li>Bus Stop Assault</li><li>Freedom of Expression</li><li>Suspicious Death</li><li>Citizen’s Arrest</li><li>The Steelworks</li><li>Misrepresentation</li></ol> 
Production credits 
Written and presented by Alfie Moore 
Produced by Sam Holmes 
Script Editor: Will Ing 
Production Co-ordinators: Katie Baum, Becky Carewe-Jeffries & Caroline Barlow 
A BBC Studios Production 
 
© 2024 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2024 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

It’s a Fair Cop: Series 7-9

The BBC Radio 4 Stand-Up Comedy

All three series of the award-winning topical panel show from 2025 
 
Andy Zaltzman returns for a triple helping of comic quizzing, as he serves up a satirical smorgasbord of choice news morsels for his esteemed panellists to feast on. Making short work of them are some of the biggest names in British and international comedy and journalism, including Sara Barron, Ria Lina, Nish Kumar, Pierre Novellie, Armando Iannucci, Zing Tsjeng, Ava Santina, Mark Steel, Adam Kay, Geoff Norcott, Susie McCabe and Ian Smith. 
 
Kicking off with a ‘Best of 2024’ compilation episode, revisiting and revelling in the previous year’s funniest moments, the team proceed to tuck into 2025’s most pertinent topics, among them the presidential inauguration, the election of the world’s first American Pope, Donald Trump’s tariff turmoil, the Birmingham bin workers’ strike, Budget talks, the Boriswave and the stripping of both Royal titles and Royal crown jewels. 
 
They also take time to savour some of the year’s smaller stories – including the overdue return of the woolly mammoth, the death of the semi-colon, pop stars popping to the stars, Yorkshire gladiators, telepathic Google searches and chimps drunk on fruit. And as soaring cocoa prices impact Britain’s sweet treats, the panel chew over the big question of the moment: are things better or worse than they used to be? 
 
Production credits 
Written and hosted by Andy Zaltzman 
With additional material by Simon Alcock, Rebecca Bain, Chris Ballard, Daman Bamrah, Samira Banks, Carwyn Blayney, Catherine Brinkworth, Angela Channell, Ruby Clyde, Cody Dahler, Eve Delaney, Tasha Dhanraj, David Duncan, Jain Edwards, Milo Edwards, Alice Fraser, Jade Gebbie, Marty Gleeson, Alexandra Haddow, Miranda Holmes, Ruth Husko, Alex Kealy, Ralph Jones, Sam Lake, Sascha LO, Cameron Loxdale, Laura Major, Christian Manley, Stuart McPherson, Meryl O'Rourke, Alfife Packham, Ben Pope, Christina Riggs, Mike Shephard, Peter Tellouche and John Tothill 
 
Produced by Sam Holmes, Rajiv Karia and Gwyn Rhys Davies 
Executive Producers: James Robinson, Pete Strauss and Richard Morris 
Production Co-ordinators: Jodie Charman, Beanna Olding, Caroline Barlow and Giulia Lopes Mazzu 
Sound: Sean Kerwin, David Thomas, Mark Willcox 
 
Series 116 featuring: Anushka Asthana, Angela Barnes, Sara Barron, Scott Bennett, Simon Evans, Daniel Finkelstein, Alice Fraser, Ayesha Hazarika, Athena Kugblenu, Nish Kumar, Jay Lafferty, Laura Lexx, Ria Lina, Zoe Lyons, Alex Massie, Andrew Maxwell, Susie McCabe, Val McDermid, Stuart Mitchell, Glenn Moore, Geoff Norcott, Pierre Novellie, Lucy Porter, Hugo Rifkind, Paul Sinha, Ian Smith and Zing Tsjeng 
 
Series 117 featuring: Anushka Asthana, Sara Barron, Alasdair Beckett-King, Ed Byrne, Daliso Chaponda, Jessica Fostekew, Armando Iannucci, Alex Kealy, Athena Kugblenu, Marie Le Conte, Ria Lina, Zoe Lyons, Andrew Maxwell, Glenn Moore, Geoff Norcott, Pierre Novellie, Lucy Porter, Hugo Rifkind, Ava Santina, Ian Smith, Mark Steel, Zing Tsjeng, Felicity Ward and Cindy Yu 
 
Series 118 featuring: Celya AB, Sara Barron, Alasdair Beckett-King, Scott Bennett, Stephen Bush, Daliso Chaponda, Kate Cheka, Neil Delamere, Simon Evans, Ayesha Hazarika, Adam Kay, Coco Khan, Laura Lexx, Ria Lina, Zoe Lyons, Andrew Maxwell, Susie McCabe, Geoff Norcott, Pierre Novellie, Lucy Porter, Hugo Rifkind, Ava Santina, Ash Sarkar, Ahir Shah, Ian Smith, Tiff Stevenson and Cindy Yu 
 
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4, 3 Jan 2025, 10 Jan-28 February 2025 (Series 116), 18 Apr-6 Jun 2025 (Series 117), 5 Sep-24 Oct 2025 (Series 118) 
 
© 2025 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2025 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

The News Quiz 2025: The Complete Series 116, 117 and 118

The Topical BBC Radio 4 Panel Show

Three series of the satirical radio panel show chaired by Sandi Toksvig 
 
Ever since 1977, The News Quiz has been finding the hilarity in the headlines and providing witty commentary on stories big and small. In these 25 episodes from 2009, the inimitable Sandi Toksvig is in the hot seat, presiding over an all-star panel of journalists and comedians. 
 
Bringing their A-game to the show are regulars including Jeremy Hardy, Andy Hamilton, Mark Steel, Francis Wheen, Sue Perkins and Carrie Quinlan, as well as relative newcomers such as Chris Addison, Phill Jupitus, Rory Bremner, Robin Ince and David Mitchell. 
 
Each episode brings a fresh crop of news for the team to get their teeth into, and among the topics under discussion are Barack Obama's first 100 days, MP's expenses, Twitter's shakedown of super-injunctions, North Korea's nuclear ambitions, the Iraq inquiry and the perils of drunken trampolining. Rounding off the proceedings are newsreaders Harriet Cass, Peter Donaldson, Charlotte Green, Corrie Corfield, Neil Sleat, Carolyn Brown and Rory Morrison, with a selection of classic comic cuttings sent in by listeners. 
 
Production credits 
Chaired by Sandi Toksvig 
Chair's script written by Stephen Carlin, Lucy Clarke, Rhodri Crooks, Jon Hunter, Simon Littlefield, Suk Pannu, James Sherwood and Danielle Ward 
 
With additional material by Nathon Caton, Matt Charlton, Steve Day, Gary Delaney, Miriam Elia, Gareth Gwynn, Elliot Howe, James Kettle, Benjamin Partridge, Dale Phillips, Dominic Philpott, Rory Stamp, John-Luke Roberts and Holly Walsh 
 
Produced by Victoria Llloyd, Katie Tyrrell and Ed Morrish 
A BBC Studios Production 
 
Series 67 featuring: Chris Addison, Clive Anderson, Dave Gorman, Andy Hamilton, Jeremy Hardy, Laurence Howarth, Shappi Khorsandi, Phill Jupitus, Fred MacAulay, David Mitchell, Sue Perkins, Carrie Quinlan, Mark Steel, Danielle Ward, Francis Wheen 
 
Series 68 featuring: Rory Bremner, Andy Hamilton, Jeremy Hardy, Robin Ince, Phill Jupitus, Josie Long, Fred MacAulay, Sue Perkins, Steve Punt, Carrie Quinlan, Hugo Rifkind, Mark Steel, Danielle Ward, Francis Wheen, Andy Zaltzman 
 
Series 69 featuring: Rory Bremner, Simon Evans, Andy Hamilton, Jeremy Hardy, Robin Ince, Miles Jupp, Fred MacAulay, David Mitchell, Andy Parsons, Sue Perkins, Carrie Quinlan, Hugo Rifkind, Paul Sinha, Mark Steel, Holly Walsh, Danielle Ward, Francis Wheen 
 
News items read by Harriet Cass, Peter Donaldson, Charlotte Green, Corrie Corfield, Neil Sleat, Carolyn Brown and Rory Morrison 
 
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4, 9 January-27 February 2009 (Series 67), 1 May-19 June 2009 (Series 68), 25 September-20 November 2009 (Series 69) 
 
© 2023 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2023 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd.

The News Quiz 2009

Series 67, 68 and 69 of the topical BBC Radio 4 comedy panel show

Tim McGarry

David Hume

Comedian Tim McGarry and Orangeman Dr David Hume investigate Irish history from different perspectives 
 
'We're basically the Little and Large of Irish history' Tim McGarry 
 
Tim McGarry and Dr David Hume couldn't be less alike. Tim's a six-foot-four funnyman from Belfast, while David's a vertically challenged historian from Ballycarry. But although they disagree about almost everything, they have a great rapport and a passionate interest in their native island - and in this fascinating series, they join forces for some good-natured, intelligent debate about Irish history, politics and culture. 
 
Travelling the length and breadth of Éire and Northern Ireland, they visit important historical sites, gain new insights into pivotal stories and people, and interview a wide range of experts to give listeners the long and the short of it. Mixed in with the discussions are humorous sketches, bringing the history alive and providing light relief. 
 
Over 41 episodes, Tim and David lock horns and trade blows over controversial topics including the 1798 Rebellion, the Great Famine, the Battle of the Boyne, the birth of the Orange Order, the Irish War of Independence and Civil War, and Home Rule. They also consider Ulster heroine Mary McCracken, ask whether renowned figures such as Sir Winston Churchill, Lord Edward Carson and James Craig were heroes or villains, and wonder whether the Vikings and Oliver Cromwell were really that bad. Plus, in the 2-part special The Long and the Short of Christmas, the duo unite to take a light-hearted but scholarly look at the history of the festive season, from the birth of Jesus to modern times. 
 
Winner of the Gold Award for Specialist Speech Programme at the 2021 IMRO Radio Awards, this wry, engaging and eye-opening series is full of jokes, facts, opinions - and arguments. Irish history has never been so much fun! 
 
Production credits 
Presented by Tim McGarry and Dr David Hume 
Produced by Zoe Robinson 
 
First broadcast on BBC Radio Ulster & BBC Radio Foyle on 20 July-10 August 2014 (Series 1), 19 July-23 August 2015 (Series 2), 6 November-4 December 2016 (Series 3), 3 December 2017-7 January 2018 (Series 4), 9 May-13 June 2020 (Series 5), 24-25 December 2020 (The Long and the Short of Christmas), 24 April-29 May 2021 (Series 6), 27 August-1 October 2022 (Series 7). 
 
© 2023 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2023 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd.

The Long and the Short of It

A BBC History of Ireland

Maya Angelou

A BBC Radio 4 dramatisation of Maya Angelou's poignant, powerful autobiography, starring Adjoa Andoh, Indie Gjesdal and Pippa Bennett-Warner. 
 
Abandoned by their parents, Maya and her older brother Bailey are sent to live with their grandmother and uncle in the small Southern town of Stamps in Arkansas. Struggling with rejection, they endure the prejudice of their white neighbours and suffer several racist incidents. 
 
One day, their father unexpectedly returns and takes the children to live with their mother in St Louis, Missouri. Aged only eight, Maya is abused by her mother's boyfriend, an experience that haunts her for a lifetime. Filled with guilt and shame, she refuses to speak to anyone except Bailey – until she meets Mrs Bertha Flowers, who encourages her love of books, helping her to find her voice and regain her own strong spirit. 
 
Maya Angelou’s debut memoir is a modern American classic, beloved worldwide, which recounts a youth filled with curiosity, wonder, disappointment, frustration, tragedy, and hard-won independence. This radio dramatisation, starring Adjoa Andoh, Indie Gjesdal and Pippa Bennett-Warner, plays out her extraordinary story with dramatic verve and poetic brilliance. 
 
Cast: 
Narrator (Older Maya)...Adjoa Andoh 
Maya...Indie Gjedsal/Pippa Bennett-Warner 
Bailey...Roshawn Hewitt 
Momma...Cecilia Noble 
Uncle Willie/Freeman/Daddy...Richard Pepple 
Steward/Lawyer...John Lightbody 
Girl...Francesca Elise 
Mother...Ellen Thomas 
Bertha Flowers...Nikki Amuka-Bird 
Spanish voices... Maider Jáuregui, Rocío Mesonero, Celia Romo, Julio Villa-García, Hugo Sánchez and Francisco Oda-Ángel @ Instituto Cervantes,Manchester 
Receptionist...Lauren Cornelius 
 
Dramatised by Patricia Cumper 
Produced by Pauline Harris

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

A BBC Radio 4 dramatisation

Sally Magnusson

Tracing Your Roots explores one of the UK's most popular pastimes: researching family history. Bestselling author Sally Magnusson follows the genealogy trail back in time, uncovering facets of social history through personal stories and giving you the information you need to add branches to your own family tree. With the right tools, you can not only find lost ancestors, but discover what they did for a living, what their lives were like, and maybe even what kind of people they were... 
 
Accompanied by resident genealogist Nick Barratt, who offers insider tips and ideas, she talks to professional and amateur researchers, revealing the wealth of resources available and how to make the most of them. In these six series, the duo determine what clues can be gleaned from photographs, diaries and DNA analysis, learn about unravelling wartime secrets, investigate how stories handed down through generations can offer a new slant on history and hear how the manner of an ancestor's death can offer clues to the life they led. They also explain why shady characters are good news for family history hunters, tackle the issues of illegitimacy and immigration, track down relatives who vanished without trace and probe mysteries surrounding name changes and adoption. 
 
Fascinating family stories are unearthed, as they talk to families including one woman who believes her grandmother may have been the illegitimate daughter of Louis XVI, another whose ancestor was locked away indefinitely on the Queen's orders, and two correspondents with Caribbean roots who suspect there is slavery on their family tree. Two follow-up episodes see Sally and Nick revisiting their favourite Tracing Your Roots tales, finding out what families did next and unveiling new information and lasting repercussions... 
 
In addition, a themed show, tied in with the British Library's 'History of the World in 100 Objects' project, investigates family heirlooms, and four special episodes mark events including the 90th anniversary of World War One, Scotland's Homecoming Year and the 2011 Census. 
 
Production credits 
Presented by Sally Magnusson, with resident genealogist Nick Barratt 
Produced by Anne McNaught (Series 1-2), Moira Hickey (Series 3, 5), Claire White (Series 4) and Lucy Lloyd (Series 6) 
 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 12 March-16 April 2007 (Series 1), 24 October-28 November 2007 (Series 2), 11 May 2008 (Family History Special), 20 August-24 September 2008 (Series 3), 7 November 2008 (90th Anniversary of World War 1 Special), 2 August 2009 (Homecoming Scotland Special), 31 August-28 September 2009 (Series 4), 14 September-12 October 2010 (Series 5), 20 March 2011 (Census Special), 13 September-11 October 2011 (Series 6) 
 
©2021 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2021 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Tracing Your Roots

A BBC family history show

Sean Bean

The Second World War ended over 75 years ago, and the number of men and women who lived through it is rapidly dwindling. But its legacy casts a long shadow, and the memories of those who experienced the conflict left both powerful stories and often a complex inheritance behind for their children and grandchildren. 
 
In this series, Sean Bean investigates how the trauma of profound wartime experiences - whether spoken or unspoken - can be transferred down through subsequent generations. For although physical wounds may heal, emotional wounds can remain to inform family dynamics for good or ill. 
 
From prisoners of war and hero soldiers to infamous traitors and long-lost relatives, Sean meets 10 families who have been forever changed by World War II. He talks to Gethin Jones, whose father was a conscientious objector; Anne Godden and Barbara Sherman, daughters of returning soldiers whose marriages broke down; Tom Boden, who lived through the bombing of Liverpool and was evacuated twice; Ingrid Von Oelhafen, who discovered she was the victim of the Nazi's 'Lebensborn' programme in which children were stolen from their parents; and Stella Collis, daughter of a German POW who was interred at Wormwood Scrubs. 
 
We also hear the moving story of Barclay Patoir, who came to Britain from Guyana and survived war and prejudice to marry and raise a family; the extraordinary experiences of Kurt Marx, a Kindertransport refugee, and his wife Ingrid, who lived through Auschwitz; and the children of Nazi sympathiser John Beckett talk about their complicated, conflicted legacy. Shafquat Towheed reflects on the ways that his father's experience of the Bengal Famine stayed with him throughout his life - and the ways in which it is remembered. And in a fascinating voyage of discovery, Niki MacCarthy journeys to Nagasaki to find out about her father Aidan's life-saving medical work, and uncover the truth behind a very special family heirloom. 
 
©2021 BBC Worldwide Ltd (P)2014 BBC Worldwide Ltd 
Presented by Sean Bean 
Produced by Martin Williams, Kate Bissell and Mark Rickards 
 
Featuring: Gethin and Adam Russell-Jones; Betty and Max Paschal; Kurt, Michael and Johanna Marx; Anne Godden and Barbara Sherman; Clare Beckett-Wrighton and Francis Beckett; Juliet Weller; Shafquat Towheed, Niki and Adrienne MacCarthy; Tom Boden, Dawn Hann, Evie Thame and Michael Thame; Ingrid Von Oelhafen 
 
With thanks to: Michael Newman of the Association of Jewish Refugees, Diya Gupta and Brian Hann 
 
For more information about Kurt Marx's wartime experiences, please see Refugee Voices, a project of the AJR: https://www.ajrrefugeevoices.org.uk/ 
 
And for more information about the legacy of such experiences please visit the Second Generation Network and the Holocaust Memorial Trust: https://secondgeneration.org.uk/ and https://www.het.org.uk/ 
 
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4, 13 May-10 August 2020

Legacy of War

A BBC World War 2 History

Clive Anderson

Clive Anderson and guests poke fun at the past in this panel show with a yesteryear twist 
 
Originally broadcast on Radio 4 in 2003-4, We&rsquo;ve Been Here Before is the topical, satirical, historical panel game that aims to show beyond all doubt that there&rsquo;s nothing new in the news. Hosted by award-winning comedian, broadcaster and Whose Line Is It Anyway? star Clive Anderson, it takes a wry, witty look at long-gone days through a present-day lens, as the panellists battle it out to discover who&rsquo;s got the best memory for detail when it comes to raking up the past. 
 
Gyles Brandreth, Jimmy Carr, Chris Addison, Mark Steel, Natalie Haynes, Richard Herring, Robin Ince and Steve Punt are among the stellar guests striving to identify news clips from years gone by, and to spot the parallels with contemporary events. From reality TV, BBC-bashing and striking unions to celebrity American presidential hopefuls, European referendums and Prime Ministers under pressure, they find that the stories they sift through sound strangely familiar. 
 
Still funny and relevant over 20 years after it first aired, this entertaining series is the ultimate proof that what goes around comes around. It&rsquo;s a blast from the past with a modern perspective &ndash; and any similarity to current events is entirely the idea... 
 
Production credits 
Presented by Clive Anderson 
Reader: Lewis MacLeod 
Produced by Adam Bromley (Series 1) and Ed Morrish (Series 2) 
 
Series 1 featuring: Gyles Brandreth, Jimmy Carr, John O'Farrell, David Quantick, Jon Holmes, Simon Brett, Lewis Shaffer, Steve Punt, Robin Ince, Maureen Lipman, Simon Brett 
 
Series 2 featuring: Gyles Brandreth, John O'Farrell, Arthur Smith, Arabella Weir, Natalie Haynes, Richard Herring, Mark Steel, David Quantick, Chris Addison, Nick Revell, Helen Atkinson-Wood 
 
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4, 1-29 August 2003 (Series 1), 11 June-2 July 2004 (Series 2) 
 
&copy; 2024 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2024 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd.

We’ve Been Here Before: The Complete Series 1 and 2

The BBC Radio Comedy Panel Show

Fergal Keane

A BBC Radio collection about Ireland and the Irish, hosted by Fergal Keane - plus bonus material 
 
Award-winning BBC foreign correspondent Fergal Keane grew up in Dublin and County Cork, and has always felt a deep attachment to his ancestral homeland. In these six absorbing programmes, he takes a wide-ranging look at Ireland's history, culture and people, in topics ranging from the political to the personal . Also included are two moving autobiographical pieces about fatherhood and his own childhood. 
 
How the Irish Shaped Britain explores the profound influence the Irish have had on the United Kingdom over many centuries. Beginning in the ancient Celtic world, Fergal travels through the time of the Vikings to the 19th and 20th Century and on to the present day, examining how Irish migrants and their descendants have shaped literature, business, sport and the physical landscape. 
 
Troubles Shared sees Fergal and fellow journalist Peter Taylor discussing their experiences of reporting on the Northern Ireland conflict. Over two episodes, they revisit the province to talk about what they saw, and ask what it all means now. Meanwhile, No Man is an Island takes Fergal from the Republic to Northern Ireland, as he charts the seismic changes that have taken place in both regions and reflects on the sectarian feuding which has dominated the history of Ulster. 
 
Keane on Keane... finds him presenting a profile of his uncle, celebrated playwright John B Keane. Visiting Dublin and the dramatist's home town of Listowel, Fergal hears how a country publican became an internationally-acclaimed writer. Another iconic figure is recalled in United Irishman, in which Keane recounts the colourful life of Wolfe Tone, the Protestant founding father of Irish republicanism. 
 
There Will Be Sunlight Later gives Fergal's impressions of life in Northern Ireland, as he talks to the country's citizens and listens to their poetry and music. And in two bonus essays, Letter to Daniel and My Grandmother's House, we receive insights into Fergal's own family life, through his poignant message to his newborn son and his recollections of his early days and his grandparents' home in Cork. 
 
 
How the Irish Shaped Britain 
Presented by Fergal Keane 
Produced by John Murphy &amp; Adele Armstrong 
Mixed by Eloise Whitmore 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 11-25 January 2021 
 
Troubles Shared 
Presented by Fergal Keane and Peter Taylor 
Produced by Conor Garrett 
First broadcast BBC Radio Ulster, 31 October-7 November 2020 
 
No Man is an Island 
Presented by Fergal Keane 
Produced by Tony Grant 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 18 November and 9 December 1996 
 
Keane on Keane... 
With Fergal Keane and John B Keane 
Produced by Chris Spurr 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 6 January 2005 
 
United Irishman 
Presented by Fergal Keane 
Produced by Chris Bowlby 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 14 November 1998 
 
There Will Be Sunlight Later 
Presented by Fergal Keane 
Produced by Cathy Packe 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 25 October 1990 
 
From Our Own Correspondent: Letter to Daniel 
Read by Fergal Keane 
Produced by Tony Grant 
First broadcast as BBC Radio 4, 15th February 1996 
 
My Grandmother's House 
Read by Fergal Keane 
Produced by Tony Grant 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 2 January 1999 
 
© 2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd 
(P) 2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

How the Irish Shaped Britain

And 5 other BBC documentaries on Ireland

Daliso Chaponda

Britain’s Got Talent star Daliso Chaponda takes a comic look at the relationship between the UK and Africa in these two BBC Radio 4 series 
 
The UK and Africa have had a long and complicated past. These two series look at the history of this relationship, with Daliso as our relationship guidance counsellor, helping us navigate the rocky historical waters between the two places.A Malawian comedian who grew up all over the world, Daliso straddles cultural divides. He will help us all better understand how to sort out our differences. Or not... 
 
Along with his sidekick ‘The Other Guy’ (James Quinn), Daliso explores how the UK and Africa first met; looks at the people on both sides who don't want the relationship to work; considers charities and organisations who want to help and discusses the process of immigration. In addition, he talks about his personal experience of both cultures, from growing up in Africa to his experiences of racism in England. 
 
Shrewd, daring and irreverent, Daliso Chaponda finds the comedy in complex issues, raising awareness as well as laughs in this hilarious and thought-provoking show. 
 
Nominated for the 2019 Rose d'Or Award for Audio Entertainment. 
 
Written and performed by Daliso Chaponda 
The Other Guy: James Quinn 
Additional material: Scott Bennett 
Voice of: Dylan Morris 
Theme music by Lawi 
Producer: Carl Cooper 
Production Coordinator: Beverly Tagg 
A BBC Studios Production 
Photo by Steve Ullathorne 
 
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4, 2-23 May 2018 (Series 1), 23 Oct - 13 Nov 2019 (Series 2)

Daliso Chaponda: Citizen of Nowhere

Series 1 and 2

Four further series of the award-winning satirical panel show 
 
For over 45 years, The News Quiz has been taking a scalpel to the headlines, dissecting them with its inimitable blend of satire, silliness and sharp-witted commentary. These 32 episodes, first broadcast between April 2018 and May 2019, find the team tackling stories big and small from that news-packed year. 
 
Miles Jupp is in the chair for three of the four series, while in Series 97 he shares presenting duties with guest hosts Simon Evans, Susan Calman, Fred MacAulay, Bridget Christie, Jo Brand and Lucy Porter. Jostling for a by-line are panellists including Rory Bremner, Phill Jupitus, Paul Sinha, Neil Delamere, Felicity Ward, Ayesha Hazarika, Phil Wang, Jayde Adams, Katie Perrior, Kiri Pritchard-McLean, Geoff Norcott, Kemah Bob and Andy Zaltzman. 
 
Topics under the magnifying glass include the treatment of the Windrush Generation, the fire at Notre Dame Cathedral, Greta Thunberg, Vladimir Putin, a Royal Wedding, a Royal baby and Theresa May's resignation. In addition, there's a special 'Best of 2018' show and a tribute to Jeremy Hardy, who died in 2019. 
 
Production credits 
Chaired by Miles Jupp, Simon Evans, Susan Calman, Fred MacAulay, Bridget Christie, Jo Brand and Lucy Porter 
Chair's script written by Ed Amsden, Madeleine Brettingham, Catherine Brinkworth, Liam Byrne, Sarah Campbell, Lucy Clarke, Tom Coles, Max Davis, Nick Doody, Clint Edwards, Dan Evans, Jessica Fostekew, Gabby Hutchinson-Crouch, Jon Hunter, James Kettle, Jenny Laville, Laura Major, Robin Morgan, Sarah Morgan, Benjamin Partridge, Mike Shephard, Ian Smith, Katie Storey and Danielle Ward 
With additional material by Simon Alcock, Gemma Arrowsmith, Dan Beckett, Adele Cliff, Lee Dilley, Charlie Dinkin, Will Duggan, Edward Easton, Alice Etches, Jules Garnett, Sara Gibbs, Alex Hardy, Cameron Loxdale, Tom Mayhew, Jane McCutcheon, Eleanor Morton, Dan Page, Heidi Regan, Vivienne Riddoch, Nathan Roberts, Phoebe Roy, Kat Sadler, Esyllt Sears, Michael Stranney and Edward Tew 
Produced by Joe Nunnery, Sam Michell, Richard Morris and Victoria Lloyd 
A BBC Studios Production 
 
Series 96 featuring: Angela Barnes, Fern Brady, Desiree Burch, Susan Calman, Michael Deacon, Neil Delamere, Simon Evans, Daniel Finkelstein, Kerry Godliman, Andy Hamilton, Jeremy Hardy, Helen Lewis, Zoe Lyons, Vicki Pepperdine, Lucy Porter, Kiri Pritchard-McLean, Hugo Rifkind, Suzi Ruffell, Mark Steel, Holly Walsh, Felicity Ward, Francis Wheen, Andy Zaltzman 
 
Series 97 featuring: Jayde Adams, Angela Barnes, Katy Brand, Rory Bremner, Jen Brister, Susan Calman, Daliso Chaponda, Neil Delamere, Simon Evans, Deborah Frances-White, Andy Hamilton, Ayesha Hazarika, London Hughes, Rhys James, Phill Jupitus, Helen Lewis, Lloyd Langford, Andrew Maxwell, Katie Perrior, Lucy Porter, Hugo Rifkind, Mark Steel, Eleanor Tiernan, Sindhu Vee, Phil Wang, Danielle Ward, Felicity Ward, Francis Wheen 
 
Series 98 featuring: Jen Brister, Desiree Burch, Susan Calman, Neil Delamere, Simon Evans, Andy Hamilton, Ayesha Hazarika, Nish Kumar, Helen Lewis, Zoe Lyons, Andrew Maxwell, Katie Perrior, Lucy Porter, Kiri Pritchard-McLean, Hugo Rifkind, Tim Shipman, Paul Sinha, Eleanor Tiernan, Phil Wang, Danielle Ward, Francis Wheen 
 
Series 99 featuring: Angela Barnes, Kemah Bob, Frankie Boyle, Jen Brister, Desiree Burch, Alun Cochrane, Neil Delamere, Simon Evans, Kerry Godliman, Andy Hamilton, Julia Hartley-Brewer, Ayesha Hazarika, Helen Lewis, Zoe Lyons, Fred MacAulay, Andrew Maxwell, Geoff Norcott, Rachel Parris, Katie Perrior, Lucy Porter, Hugo Rifkind, John Robins, Mark Steel, Ellie Taylor, Danielle Ward, Andy Zaltzman 
 
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4, 13 April-1 June 2018 (Series 96), 31 August-19 October 2018 (Series 97), 28 December 2018-15 February 2019 (Series 98), 12 April-31 May 2019 (Series 99) 
 
© 2023 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2023 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd.

The News Quiz: 2018 – 2019

Series 96, 97, 98 and 99 of the topical BBC Radio 4 comedy panel show

Scarlett Moffatt

Scott Dobinson

Gogglebox star Scarlett Moffatt attempts to uncover the truth about conspiracy theories - and win over her non-believer boyfriend Scott 
 
'Moffatt and Dobinson are delightful' The Guardian 
 
Scarlett Moffatt is obsessed by the unsolved and the unexplained. But her boyfriend Scott Dobinson is more sceptical, preferring facts and evidence to her bizarre conspiracy theories. Can she persuade him to keep an open mind - or even come around to her way of thinking? 
 
Crowned 'Queen of the Jungle' in series 16 of I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!, Scarlett knows all about tough challenges. But now she's facing her greatest one yet - convincing Scott that the weird and wonderful theories could, just possibly, be true... From the Bermuda Triangle to mermaids and the moon landing, she puts her favourite conspiracies out there for Scott to debunk. Did a UFO crash-land in Roswell? What's lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness? Are celebrity clones walking among us? And is Prince Charles actually a vampire? 
 
Scarlett gets some backup from her friends (or, as Scott puts it, gang up on him). She chats to This Country star Daisy May Cooper about whether the pyramids were built by time travellers, seeks illumination about the Illuminati with actor and DJ Dev, and speculates with Joe Swash (EastEnders, Dancing on Ice) about whether our phones are spying on us. She also quizzes social media superstar Arron Crascall about The Mandela Effect, a phenomenon that gives the world false memories, and uncovers the secrets behind beloved films and children's TV with stand-up comedian Helen Bauer. But will they get behind #TeamScarlett or defect to #TeamScott - and what side are you on? 
 
Whether you're a believer like Scarlett or a cynic like Scott, you'll love their daft banter, affectionate bickering and light-hearted debates as they try to sift the truth from the myths in these lively, hilarious shows. 
 
©2021 BBC Worldwide Ltd (P)2021 BBC Worldwide Ltd 
Presented by Scarlett Moffatt and Scott Dobinson and co-created by Scarlett Moffatt 
Made for BBC Sounds and first broadcast on BBC Radio 1, 4 May-27 July 2020

Scarlett Moffatt Wants to Believe

A BBC Radio Show

Miles Jupp

Miles Jupp probes mysteries both fictional and autobiographical in these ten radio investigations 
 
Actor and comedian Miles Jupp puts his inquiring mind and talent for comic analysis to work, as he turns his quizzical gaze on the world of fiction. 
 
In these ten entertaining documentaries, he explores why some books, games and binge-watched box sets are, as they say, 'literally unputdownable'; peers into Plotto, an ingenious manual of story devices, to discover whether it really can make writing easy; takes a sideways look at some familiar characters from literature, including James Bond, Dracula, Fu Manchu and Carruthers; delves into the intricacies of the locked-room murder; and revisits his old prep school to find out whether a book of stirring 19th-century verse can work its magic on today's young people. And there's a shock in store for Miles as, researching his Huguenot ancestors, he finds cracks appearing in his family tree... 
 
Included in this collection are: 
Miles Jupp is Literally Unputdownable 
Miles Jupp and the Plot Device 
The Soviet James Bond 
The Woman Who Invented James Bond? 
The Trainspotter's Guide to Dracula 
Miles Jupp in a Locked Room 
Fu Manchu in Edinburgh 
By Jove, Carruthers! 
Miles Jupp's Muscular Lines 
Miles Jupp is Insufficiently Belgian 
 
 
Production credits 
Presented by Miles Jupp 
Produced by David Stenhouse 
Actor: David Jackson Young, with additional contributions from Crawford Logan, David Rintoul and Samantha Bond 
 
Miles Jupp is Literally Unputdownable first broadcast BBC Radio 4, 28 June 2020 
Featuring DJ Taylor; Paula Hawkins; Jed Mercurio; Will Storr and Frederick Forsyth 
 
Miles Jupp and the Plot Device first broadcast BBC Radio 4, 31 December 2015 
Featuring Mike Ashley; Professor Paul Collins of the University of Portland Oregon; John Harvey; Jeffrey Marks; Val McDermid and Damon Rochefort 
 
The Soviet James Bond first broadcast BBC Radio 4, 18 December 2014 
Commissioned by BBC Radio 4 and produced by BBC Radio Scotland 
Featuring Professor Ian Christie of Birkbeck College; Mark Liederman, Professor of Russian Studies at the University of Colorado Boulder; Olga Semyonova; Vitali Vitaliev and Simon Winder 
 
The Woman Who Invented James Bond? first broadcast BBC Radio 4, 10 December 2016 
Featuring Pam Hirsch; John Pearson; Nigel West and Simon Winder 
 
The Trainspotter's Guide to Dracula first broadcast BBC Radio 4, 31 October 2017 
Featuring Sir Christopher Frayling; Andras Hlavacska; Zita Hummer; Tudor Salajan; Alexandru Simon and Dacre Stoker 
 
Miles Jupp in a Locked Room first broadcast BBC Radio 4, 21 May 2012 
Featuring Robert Adey; Mike Ashley; Paul Doherty; Jasper Fforde; Christopher Fowler; Paul Halter; Daniel Mallory; Denise Mina; John Pugmire and Soji Shamada 
 
Fu Manchu in Edinburgh first broadcast BBC Radio 4, 6 April 2010 
Featuring Sascha Auerbach; Paul Bailey; Alan Bennell; Grant Buttars; Owen Dudley Edwards; Bill Maynard; Dr Jonathan Murray; Matthew Sweet and Shenxiao Tong 
Reader: Crawford Logan 
 
By Jove, Carruthers! first broadcast BBC Radio 4, 12 May 2009 
Featuring Louis Barfe; Owen Dudley Edwards; Bruce Durie; Roger Johnson; Sam Llewellyn and Celia Mitchell 
 
Miles Jupp's Muscular Lines first broadcast BBC Radio 4, 3 January 2010 
Featuring Leslie Barr; Colonel Tim Collins, OBE; Owen Dudley Edwards; Sir Ranulph Fiennes and vox pops with pupils from St George's School, Windsor Castle 
 
Miles Jupp is Insufficiently Belgian first broadcast BBC Radio 4, 25 March 2015 
Written by Miles Jupp and David Stenhouse with additional material by James Kettle 
Featuring Nick Barrett; Bella Jupp, Gillian Jupp, Rob Jupp, Rupert Jupp, Thomas Jupp, Christine Sas and Lieven Schiere

Miles Jupp is Literally Unputdownable

Ten lively literary investigations

Phil Hammond

Tony Gardner

All three series of Phil Hammond and Tony Gardner's award-winning comedy show exploding the myths of medicine 
 
'Very funny indeed' Daily Telegraph 
 
Broadcaster Dr Phil Hammond and actor Tony Gardner are best known for their respective roles in Trust Me, I'm a Doctor and Fresh Meat. But in the 1990s, then junior doctors, they made their names as the comedy double-act Struck Off and Die. A huge hit at the Edinburgh Fringe, the show transferred to radio in 1993, winning both a Writer's Guild and a Sony Award. Mixing dark, irreverent jokes, sardonic sketches and improvised interviews, it demystified the mysterious workings of the medical profession - and 30 years on, it remains as hilarious and relevant as when it was first broadcast. 
 
Series 1 sees the two doctors bringing their scalpel-sharp wit to bear on public and private health care, exposing the plight of the NHS; debunking the widespread myth that 'doctor knows best' and giving us their insiders' view of topics including surgeons, GPs, nurses, and birth and death. 
 
In Series 2, they take a four-part satirical look at Shakespeare's 'Ages of Man', examining the important role doctors play in every stage of our lives. Together, they give us the lowdown on childhood, reveal everything we need to know about sex, consider marriage and the menopause and tell the unexpurgated truth about old age. 
 
And in Series 3, Struck Off and Die's Family Health Companion, Drs Hammond and Gardner tackle issues such as stress, embarrassing sexual problems, the doctor-patient relationship, medical politics and medical training. Plus, there's a speculative probe into the medicine of the future - including doctorless surgeries, do-it-yourself operations and the virtual-reality hospital... 
 
Also included are excerpts from Radio 4's Edinburgh 90, featuring the Struck Off and Die duo entertaining the 1990 Fringe Festival audience with their anarchic insights. 
 
Production credits 
Written by and starring Phil Hammond and Tony Gardner 
With Felicity Montagu, Julian Dutton, Joanna Brookes, Tom Berrington, Philippa Fordham and David Wolstencroft 
Produced by Jon Magnusson and Helen Williams 
Edinburgh 90 produced by Sarah Smith 
 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 13 July 1991 (Edinburgh 90), 13 August - 3 September 1993 (Series 1), 19 August - 9 September 1994 (Series 2), 29 March - 3 May 2000 (Series 3) 
 
© 2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd.

Struck Off and Die: The Complete Series 1-3

A Classic BBC Radio 4 Sketch Comedy

Michael Portillo

Michael Portillo uncovers the forgotten events concealed by famous moments in history 
 
History is complicated, and to make sense of it, we construct a narrative, editing and shaping the past to form a coherent story. But in doing so, there is much we leave out, leading to gaps in our collective memory. In this series, broadcaster and former politician Michael Portillo revisits some of history's best-known moments to fill in some of these gaps, rediscovering forgotten events that augment our understanding and shift our perspective. 
 
Reappraising milestones such as the Spanish Armada, the French Revolution, the First World War and the Great Depression, he probes our selective amnesia, asking what we have mythologised, and what we've ignored. Was Alfred the Great really a bold English hero, or an Anglo-Saxon spin doctor? Why is Georgian England remembered for its elegant architecture and regency refinement when this period of history was full of riots and political strife? And could the Bengal famine of 1943, a horrific event in British India that cost at least 1.5 million lives, have been avoided? 
 
Talking to leading historians and experts, Portillo peels back the layers of history to uncover the uncomfortable truths and murky, ambiguous stories behind iconic events such as the 'Glorious Revolution' of 1688, the struggle for Indian independence and the Boston Tea Party. He also reveals a Suffragette plot to assassinate Herbert Asquith; shows how a disastrous attempt at overseas colonisation led to the 1707 Act of Union merging England and Scotland; and takes a look at the real losers of the Battle of Trafalgar - the Spanish. 
 
Not revisionist, but restorative, this fascinating series challenges the orthodox view of history without glossing over its complexities, presenting a surprising, thought-provoking re-evaluation of our past and reminding us that the events we choose to remember are not always those that are the most significant. 
 
Production credits 
Presented by Michael Portillo 
Produced by Julia Adamson, Tom Alban, Marya Burgess, Joanne Cayford, James Cook, James Crawford, Neil George, Laurence Grissell, Julia Johnson, Roger Mahony, Neil McCarthy, Paula McGinley and Philip Sellars 
Consultant: Chris Williams of the Open University 
 
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 on the following dates: 
 
Series 1 
The Battle of Mers-el-Kebir 16 May 2005 
The Spanish Armada 23 May 2005 
The French Revolution 6 June 2005 
 
Series 2 
Jack the Ripper 27 November 2006 
The First World War 4 December 2006 
The 1945 Labour Government 11 December 2006 
 
Series 3 
On Suffragettes 24 December 2007 
The Darien Scheme 31 December 2007 
The Bengal Famine 7 January 2008 
The Battle of Trafalgar 14 January 2008 
 
Series 4 
The League of Nations 15 December 2008 
Alfred the Great 22 December 2008 
 
Series 5 
Chamberlain and 'Peace for our Time' 1938 14 December 2009 
The Hanseatic League 21 December 2009 
The Glorious Revolution 28 December 2009 
 
Series 6 
King Harold 15 November 2010 
The Violent Side of Indian Independence 29 November 2010 
The Great Depression in the USA 6 December 2010 
 
Series 7 
The Real Boston Tea Party, 1773 13 November 2011 
Police Strike 20 November 2011 
The English Armada 4 December 2011 
 
Series 8 
The Georgian Façade 11 June 2012 
 
© 2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd.

Things We Forgot to Remember

A BBC Radio 4 history series

Six BBC Radio 4 dramatisations of Maya Angelou's evocative, extraordinary memoirs, starring Adjoa Andoh and Pippa Bennett-Warner 
 
The books that make up the life and times of Maya Angelou are among the most beautiful and haunting pieces of autobiography ever written. Joyous, direct and searingly honest, they run the gamut from life-affirming to tragic, and back again. 
 
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings charts Maya’s childhood in the Deep South in the 1930s; while Gather Together In My Name recounts her descent into prostitution and narcotics. Singin’ and Swingin’ and Gettin’ Merry Like Christmas sees her forging a career in showbusiness, and in The Heart of a Woman, she moves to New York and becomes involved in civil rights. All God’s Children Need Travelling Shoes explores her time in Ghana during the 1960s, and in A Song Flung up to Heaven, she returns to America to work with Malcolm X and Martin Luther King. When tragedy strikes, her friend James Baldwin helps her out of her devastation – and new opportunities beckon for Maya. 
 
Angelou’s memoirs have become modern classics, beloved worldwide, and these stunning dramatisations illuminate her incredible resilience, creativity and power, painting an extraordinary portrait of 20th century black America.

The Maya Angelou Autobiographies

Six BBC Radio 4 dramatisations

Michael Portillo presents these specially selected shows exploring the history of democracy and the modern political system 
 
In a parliamentary career spanning over 20 years, Michael Portillo served as a Conservative MP and held numerous Cabinet posts. Few people are better placed to comment on politics than him, and in these thought-provoking programmes, he gives us his take on the development of democracy and contemporary political theory. 
 
In the three-part series Democracy on Trial, Portillo investigates the difficult and dangerous global journey taken by this fragile ideal over 2,500 years, and the surprisingly tenuous grip it holds upon the world today. From Athens in the fifth century BC to the present day, he examines the effectiveness of a form of government we take for granted, and analyses its rise, fall and future. 
 
For Whom the Division Bell Tolled sees him looking at the history and peculiarities of the back-bencher, asking historians whether these traits have been present since the very first Parliaments in the 1300s. Across three episodes, he traces the origins of the back-bench revolt, recalls the good and noble works of back-benchers from the past, and wonders whether those on the back bench have always been more interested in keeping their jobs than changing the world. 
 
In The Right Stuff, Portillo considers the lasting influence of the author and philosopher Ayn Rand, questioning whether her work remains a blueprint for those on the political right. Talking to contemporaries and critics, he probes the origins and impact of Rand's writings, and assesses how her controversial ideas relate to the current political landscape. 
 
Capitalism on Trial finds him pondering years of bailouts, stagnating growth and market instability, and asking whether free-market capitalism is looking a little tarnished. Over two programmes, he talks to leading thinkers including Amartya Sen, Will Hutton and Gillian Tett as he weighs up the costs and benefits of the economic system that governs our lives. 
 
Finally, in Things We Forgot to Remember: The 1945 Labour Government, Portillo looks back at Clement Attlee's postwar government, querying how radical their agenda really was and how much our collective memory of it is due to myth-making by subsequent Labour administrations. 
 
Production credits 
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 on the following dates: 
 
Democracy on Trial 
Episode 1 11 May 2010 
Episode 2 18 May 2010 
Episode 3 25 May 2010 
Produced by Philip Sellars and Julia Johnson 
 
For Whom the Division Bell Tolled 
Episode 1 14 May 2008 
Episode 2 21 May 2008 
Episode 3 28 May 2008 
Produced by Philip Sellars 
 
The Right Stuff 11 November 2008 
Produced by Owen McFadden 
 
Capitalism on Trial 
Episode 1 27 September 2011 
Episode 2 4 October 2011 
With Amartya Sen, Will Hutton, Ha-Joon Chang, Gillian Tett, Nigel Lawson and Hernando De Soto 
Produced by Julia Johnson 
 
Things We Forgot to Remember: The 1945 Labour Government 6 May 2007 
With Denis Healey, Peter Carrington and Tony Benn 
Produced by Julia Adamson 
 
© 2023 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2023 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd.

Michael Portillo: On Politics

A BBC Radio Collection

James Fritz

*Winner: Best Original Series at the 2026 BBC Audio Drama Awards* 
*Winner: Connor Finch: The Marc Beeby Award for Best Debut Performance at the 2026 BBC Audio Drama Awards* 
 
What is life really like behind prison walls? 
 
In six interlinked full-cast plays, acclaimed playwright James Fritz take us into that world, exploring the experiences of both prisoners and jailors. From prisoner scandals to the pressures on officers and the high-stakes decisions faced by the parole board, Life and Time shines a light on the hidden workings of England’s flawed penal system.Series 1, The Prisoners: Two inmates are on ‘Imprisonment for Public Protection’ sentences – open-ended, indeterminate sentences that leave them trapped inside with no fixed release date. First-time offender Martin is tormented by the feeling that time is spinning out of control, falling through his fingers day by day. Will there ever be an end to this Kafkaesque nightmare? Meanwhile, elderly John falls seriously ill while his cellmate is on work duty. Alone and incapacitated, he can’t even call for help – will anyone come and save him?Series 2, The Officers: Veteran Prison Officer, Michael, is becoming increasingly disillusioned by the prison crisis. Assigned to show new recruit Rihanna Campbell the ropes, he fears that for all her polished boots and shining ideals, she hasn’t a clue what lies ahead… Soon, Rihanna finds herself under pressure as she struggles to cope with her role as key worker to a particularly challenging prisoner. Can a young, poorly trained officer perform miracles, or will she be broken by the system?Series 3, Parole: Martin becomes eligible for release. As the day of his hearing arrives, he must convince the two members of the parole board that he deserves his freedom. But his record outside implies he might be dangerous, while his record inside implies he is potentially unstable. It’s up to the parole board to decide his fate – and it’s not going to be easy...Featuring hyper-realistic sound design, naturalistic dialogue and compelling characters, this powerful, gritty drama won Bronze at the 2025 ARIAS (Audio and Radio Industry Awards). It stars Kenneth Cranham as John, Connor Finch as Martin, Robert Glenister as Michael and Rebekah Murrell as Rihanna.Production creditsWritten by James FritzProduced and directed by Tracey NealeSound Design/Technical Producer: Keith GrahamProduction Coordinators: Ben Hollands and Mike Etherden© 2026 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P) 2026 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Life and Time

A Full-Cast BBC Radio Prison Drama

Lenny Henry

Lenny Henry presents this groundbreaking BBC radio series exploring a century of black British theatre, TV and film 
 
In this fascinating ten-part series, Lenny Henry traces the long and painful road that black Britons have travelled on stage and screen, from the overt racial discrimination of the 19th Century, via the thinly veiled slurs that persisted through the first 70 years of the 20th, to today's more equal society. 
 
Interviewing playwrights, actors, directors and filmmakers – including Mustapha Matura, Roy Williams, Lolita Chakrabarti, Michael Buffong, Horace Ové and Steve McQueen – he tells the story of black drama and the influential artists who have shaped it over the past hundred years. 
 
Beginning with the breakthrough arrival of Kwame Kwei-Armah's celebrated tragedy Elmina's Kitchen to the West End, he goes on to examine the evolving depiction of Afro-Caribbeans on TV from Love Thy Neighbour to Desmond’s; explores the complex stage history of Othello; focuses on how Caribbean migration has been reflected on stage and screen; and journeys back to the 1960s and 70s to explore the spirit of protest that welled up with the advent of the Black Power movement. 
 
In addition, he looks at the burgeoning black theatre companies of the 1970s and 80s; charts the breakthrough of a host of powerful new voices in the 90s; scrutinizes attitudes towards homosexuality; investigates the current blossoming of new theatrical voices with roots in Africa and concludes with a look at future prospects and opportunities for black British talent.

Raising the Bar: 100 Years of Black British Theatre and Screen

Rib Davis

Eight dramatised documentaries of landmark trials that changed the law 
 
What do you do when a judge sentences your child to be beaten? 
 
If someone who has been stabbed dies after refusing a blood transfusion, is it a straight case of murder? 
 
How did a murder case end up changing the law for battered women who kill? 
 
In this gripping series, Helena Kennedy, celebrated human rights lawyer, broadcaster and civil liberties expert and playwright Rib Davis bring to life eight groundbreaking twentieth century trials. With the help of a full cast they reveal how the British legal system has been influenced by powerful, human stories that redefined the law to better reflect our modern society. 
 
A Case of Blasphemous Obscenity - Mary Whitehouse brings a libel case against the editor of Gay News, for publishing an allegedly obscene poem. 
 
A Bunch of Twigs - The parents of four 15-year-old boys, sentenced to be birched, launch an appeal against corporal punishment. 
 
The Case of The Ladies' Directory - What is moral? Publishing information on how to contact sex workers brings Fredrick Shaw to court on moral grounds. 
 
85 Burglaries and a Phone Tap - Who's listening? The trial of eight people in 1978 leads to a much more important investigation into State secrecy. 
 
I've Only Just Learnt To Cry - The tragic story of Emma Humphries, who in 1985 was tried for the murder of her boyfriend. 
 
Only a Phase - A group of young men in 1970s Belfast appeal to the British Government for gay rights. 
 
Breaking the Chain - A young Jehovah's Witness is stabbed and dies. The court must decide if it was murder or if she contributed to her own death by refusing a blood transfusion. 
 
On Self Deliverance - Murder or 'mercy'? An organisation finds itself in court after offering practical help to those wishing to commit suicide. 
 
Presented by Helena Kennedy 
Written by Rib Davis 
 
First Broadcast BBC Radio 4, 10-31 July 1998 (Series 1) and 1-22 December 1999 (Series 2) 
© 2023 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P) 2023 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Unwritten Law

A BBC Radio True Crime Series

Lyse Doucet

Five remarkable women. Five stories from across the world, where these influential people made an impact on democracy in their nations. 
 
Broadcast in January 2018 to mark the 100th anniversary of the first time British women won the vote, this fascinating series sees BBC Chief International Correspondent Lyse Doucet travel across the globe, meeting women from Northern Ireland, Saudi Arabia, Iceland, Afghanistan and Liberia. She hears reflections from some of the world's most influential women's rights activists, including former presidents, and shares her own experiences of reporting from some of the most troubled regions. 
 
In Belfast Lyse speaks to Monica McWilliams, who was one of only two local women who were at the table during negotiations which led to the Good Friday Agreement of 1998. She then travels to Saudi Arabia to meet Madeha Al Ajroush, who battled for 30 years to get women the right to drive. 
 
In 1980, Iceland did something no other nation had done: they elected a female head of state. Lyse Doucet travels to Reykjavik to meet Vigdis Finnbogadottir. Now 87, she was president for exactly sixteen years and remains the longest-serving elected female head of state of any country to date. 
 
Lyse then meets the formidable Shukria Barakzai, Afghanistan's ambassador to Norway. Shukria was one of only a handful of female MPs to speak up for women's rights in Afghanistan, and faced death threats for her views. Finally, Lyse Doucet travels to Liberia to talk to President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, the first elected female head of state in Africa. 
 
These inspiring in-depth interviews reveal the behind the scenes stories of key moments in our global history, and show that the victory of 1918 for women in Britain has continued to resonate through the last century. 
 
Originally broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 2018 as Her Story Made History. 
 
Producer: Ben Carter 
Researcher: Louise Byrne

Remarkable

Five women who dared to make a difference

Mary Portas

Mary, Queen of Shops star and style doyenne Mary Portas explores what style means to us and the way we live today. Looking at the worlds of fashion, design, architecture and interiors, she discovers how they reveal the desires, passions and beliefs not just of individuals, but of society. 
 
She considers British design with Tom Dixon, winner of the London Design Medal 2019; discusses the future of fashion with distinguished trends forecaster Lidewij Edelkoort; and talks activism, sustainability and eco-innovation with Carry Somers, Phoebe English and Cyrill Gutsch. Jay Blades of The Repair Shop gives us some insight into restoring furniture; Fashion Revolution founder Orsola de Castro reveals how looking after your clothes can be a radical act; and author Kassia St Clair explains how technology influence the colours we see, the clothes we buy and our home decoration choices. 
 
Plus, Mary examines how the pandemic has impacted the way we dress, shop and live as she looks at home offices and high streets, and asks if the habits we've adopted will last beyond lockdown. And there's fun with fashion correspondent Miss Jason, of Jason's Closet fame, as he visits cities across the UK to find out what people are wearing and buying. 
 
A fabulous celebration of all things sartorial and aesthetic, this smart, sassy series will enlighten and delight - and make you think about your own relationship with style. 
 
Presented by Mary Portas 
Fashion correspondent: Miss Jason 
Produced by Ekene Akalawu and Jessica Treen, 
With: Tom Dixon, Carry Somers, Deyan Sudjic, Mateo Kries, Lidewij Edelkoort, Ben Derbyshire, Jessica Mairs, Phoebe English, Charlotte Fiell, Zheng Qu, Cyrill Gutsch, Sarah Mower, Susie Lau, Lizzie Ostrom, Jay Blades, Brad Callahan, Ruth Wassermann, Sonia Solicari, Jane Shepherdson, Tahlia Gray, Anki Josefsson, Orsola de Castro, Michelle Ogundehin, Ben Francis, Kassia St Clair, Christopher Kane and Tammy Kane 
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4, 17 September 2019-23 February 2021 
 
 
Copyright © 2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Mary Portas on Style

Tim FitzHigham

Award winning comedian-author-adventurer, Tim FitzHigham and his nemesis Alex Horne embark on recreating bizarre and amusing bets from the 18th and 19th century in this engaging radio series. 
 
'His unflappable pluck in the face of impossible (or at least ridiculous) odds seldom fails to amuse' 
The Guardian 
 
Award-winning comedian Tim FitzHigham has a history of performing eccentric, record-breaking feats, including rowing across the Channel in a Victorian bathtub and blowing up the world's largest human-inflated balloon (he passed out twice during the attempt). Now, in this BBC Radio 4 series - based on his hugely successful 2011 Edinburgh Fringe show - he takes on some of the greatest (and oddest) bets in history, as he seeks to win a series of wacky wagers placed by Georgian and Victorian gamblers. 
 
In these nine episodes, he attempts to make a woollen coat from scratch - going from the sheep's back to his own back in a single day, tries to toss a cheeseboard over 4½ miles in under 100 throws, strives to outrun a racehorse in a 100-yard dash and endeavours to travel 25mph on water utilising only the methods existing in 1765. 
 
Tim also sets out to navigate central London blindfolded, bets that his pig can go over a bridge faster than a rower can scull across the river beneath it; and finds out if it's possible to cook a pudding ten feet underwater. In addition, accompanied by his nemesis Alex Horne, he recreates two legendary bets involving sending a missive 50 miles in an hour (using only the means available to a gentleman in 1753), and riding a horse from London to Dover and back before Alex can make a million dots on a piece of paper... 
 
Production credits 
Performed, written by and starring Tim FitzHigham with Alex Horne, Olivia Fitzroy and Bob Slayer 
Additional material by Paul Byrne, Jon Hunter and Joe Oldak 
Produced by Colin Anderson and Joe Nunnery 
Coat material supplied by the Derbyshire Guild of Spinners, Weavers and Dyers 
 
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4, 17 February 2013 (Pilot), 6-27 April 2014 (Series 1) 1-22 April 2015 (Series 2) 
 
© 2021 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd © 2021 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

The Gambler: Complete Series 1-2

A BBC Comedy

Various

Part of BBC Radio 3's 'The Essay' strand, The Book That Changed Me features writers, academics and other eminent professionals discussing the literary works that have had the greatest impact on their lives. 
 
This fascinating selection contains some of the best episodes from the series, including legendary songwriter Steve Earle on Truman Capote's masterpiece In Cold Blood; academic Monica Siddiqui on Austen's Pride and Prejudice; and Tony Blair's onetime strategist Alastair Campbell on Flaubert's seminal Madame Bovary. 
 
Renowned film director Richard Eyre reveals how Angus Calder's social history The People's War evokes memories of his childhood; neurobiologist Colin Blakemore explains why he loves Darwin's lesser-known work, The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals; visual artist Tacita Dean describes how Marguerite Yourcenair's Fires helped her find her voice as a writer, feminist and filmmaker; and David Simon, creator of TV's The Wire, relates how James Agee's Let Us Now Praise Famous Men made him realise the importance of reportage. 
 
Absorbing and enlightening, this entertaining collection sheds new light on the intellectual lives of a host of famous names, and celebrates the transformative power of literature. 
 
Production credits 
Produced by Smita Patel 
 
First broadcast on BBC Radio 3 on the following dates: 
 
Homage to Catalonia by George Orwell 14 March 2011 
With Alan Johnston 
The Wrench by Primo Levi 15 March 2011 
With Edmund de Waal 
The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals by Charles Darwin 17 March 2011 
With Colin Blakemore 
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen 18 March 2011 
With Mona Siddiqui 
Othello by William Shakespeare 25 October 2011 
With Musa Okwonga 
David Copperfield by Charles Dickens 20 January 2014 
With Alan Johnson 
In Cold Blood by Truman Capote 19 January 2015 
With Steve Earle 
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott 20 January 2015 
With Jude Kelly 
What a Carve-Up! by Jonathan Coe 21 January 2015 
With Jon Ronson 
A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens 22 January 2015 
With Lolita Chakrabarti 
Let Us Now Praise Famous Men by James Agee 31 October 2016 
With David Simon 
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee 1 November 2016 
With Pauline Black 
The Autobiography of Malcolm X by Alex Haley and Malcolm X 2 November 2016 
With Ben Anderson 
Fires by Marguerite Yourcenair 3 November 2016 
With Tacita Dean 
The People's War by Sir Richard Eyre 4 November 2016 
With Angus Calder 
Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys 2 April 2018 
With Afua Hirsch 
War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy 3 April 2018 
With Henry Marsh 
The Arabian Nights translated by Richard Francis Burton 4 April 2018 
With Zarah Hussain 
Madame Bovary by Gustav Flaubert 5 April 2018 
With Alastair Campbell 
Pyramids by Terry Pratchett 6 April 2018 
With Inua Ellams 
 
© 2023 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2023 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd.

The Book That Changed Me: 20 Essays on Influential Literature

A BBC Radio 3 Collection

Stephen K Amos

Jonathan Harvey

Stand-up meets sitcom in Stephen K Amos&rsquo;s semi-autobiographical show about growing up black, gay and funny in 1980s London 
 
&lsquo;One of the most likable figures in British comedy Radio Times 
 
Comedian Stephen K Amos is one of eight children, whose parents came to London from Nigeria in the 60s. In these three series, co-written with multi-award-winning British playwright Jonathan Harvey, he takes us back in time to the 1980s, as he reminisces about his dysfunctional childhood and formative experiences, and shares the dramas and traumas of his teenage years. 
 
We join his younger self as he wrestles with his identlty; falls in love; overcomes his stage fright and takes the lead role in the school play, Balham Side Story. And as he takes his first steps into working life, he gets caught up in the Brixton riots, worries about his parents splitting up, and finally plucks up the courage to reveal a secret&hellip; 
 
Shaquille Ali-Yebuah stars as Young Stephen, and each show is hosted by Stephen K Amos himself, adding stand-up narration and his own comic perspective. Among the cast are Ellen Thomas and Don Gilet as Stephen&rsquo;s mum and dad, Fatou Sohna as Stephanie Amos, Gemma Whelan as Miss Collins, Michelle Butterly as Miss Bliss and Frankie Wilson as Jayson Jackson. 
 
And the answer to the show&rsquo;s title? You&rsquo;ll have to listen and find out... 
 
Production credits 
 
Stephen K Amos &ndash; Himself 
Young Stephen &ndash; Shaquille Ali-Yebuah 
Stephanie Amos &ndash; Fatou Sohna 
Virginia Amos &ndash; Ellen Thomas 
Vincent Amos/Tanktop &ndash; Don Gilet 
Miss Collins &ndash; Gemma Whelan 
Jayson Jackson/John the Baptist &ndash; Frankie Wilson 
PE Teacher/Red Coat/Philip/Check-in guy/Random Bloke &ndash; Harry Jardine 
Fanni &ndash; Emerald O'Hanrahan 
Fola &ndash; Kathryn Drysdale 
Bo Bells/Taxi driver/Stephanie Turner &ndash; Rachel Atkins 
Samaritan/Policeman/Taxi driver &ndash; David Seddon 
Miss Bliss &ndash; Michelle Butterly 
Mary Magdalene/Bette Davis/Sophie &ndash; Nadia Kamil 
Boy Roy &ndash; Ryan Watson 
Miss Hunt/Moira Stuart/Fergie &ndash; Margaret Cabourn-Smith 
Princess &ndash; Jocelyn Jee Esien 
Dustin &ndash; Laurie Kynaston 
With Frances Barber, Bola Okun, Emerald Crankson, Karen Bartke and David Sterne 
 
Written by Jonathan Harvey with Stephen K Amos 
Produced by Colin Anderson and Paul Sheehan 
Violin played by Rachel Barnes 
Cover photography by Pal Hansen 
 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 27 November 2013-1 January 2014 (Series 1), 31 December 2014-4 February 2015 (Series 2), 25 January-15 February 2017 (Series 3) 
 
&copy; 2024 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2024 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd.

What Does the K Stand For?

A BBC Radio 4 Sitcom About Growing up Black, Gay and Funny in 1980s London

Sandi Toksvig hosts these three sensational series of 'the finest topical panel game known to radio' 
 
For over 40 years, The News Quiz has been scrutinising the headlines to give us its unique, sardonic take on the stories that are making a splash. In these 25 episodes, we raid the archives from 2010 to rediscover the highs, lows and mediums of that action-packed year. 
 
Sandi Toksvig is in the chair once more, attempting to corral panellists including Micky Flanagan, Armando Iannucci, Fred MacAulay, Milton Jones, Gyles Brandreth, Bridget Christie, Will Smith, Ava Vidal and Danielle Ward. 
 
Together, they probe topics including Sarah Palin's Fox News gig; Greece's precarious economy; the eruptions of Eyjafjallajökull; the Commonwealth Games, Australia's Next Top Model, the General Election and the Conservative/LibDem coalition government - as well as the battling Milliband brothers and fibbing toddlers. Plus, newsreaders Carolyn Brown, Harriet Cass, Corrie Corfield, Peter Donaldson, Charlotte Green, Rory Morrison and Neil Sleat light up each episode with the funny stories, misprints and typos sent in by listeners. 
 
Production credits 
Chaired by Sandi Toksvig 
Chair's script written by Stephen Carlin, Lucy Clarke, Rhodri Crooks, Gareth Gwynn, Simon Littlefield, John-Luke Roberts and James Sherwood 
 
With additional material by Jack Bernhardt, Carl Carter, Nathon Caton, Hannah George, Ivo Graham, Elliot Howe, Jon Hunter, Nadia Kamil, Lee Kern, James Kettle, Benjamin Partridge, John Robins, Dale Shaw, Russell Thompson, Andy Wolton and Mike Wozniak 
 
Produced by Sam Bryant and Victoria Lloyd 
A BBC Studios Production 
 
Series 70 featuring: Susan Calman, Jack Dee, Micky Flanagan, John Gordillo, Andy Hamilton, Jeremy Hardy, Milton Jones, Miles Jupp, Fred MacAulay, Victoria Mather, Sue Perkins, Carrie Quinlan, Will Smith, Ava Vidal, Danielle Ward, Francis Wheen 
 
Series 71 featuring: Susan Calman, Jack Dee, Andy Hamilton, Armando Iannucci, Jeremy Hardy, Phill Jupitus, Miles Jupp, Fred MacAulay, David Mitchell, Sue Perkins, Hugo Rifkind, Will Smith, Mark Steel, Ava Vidal, Danielle Ward, Francis Wheen 
 
Series 72 featuring: Gyles Brandreth, Rory Bremner, Susan Calman, Bridget Christie, Andy Hamilton, Jeremy Hardy, Phill Jupitus, Miles Jupp, Fred MacAulay, Sue Perkins, Will Smith, Mark Steel, Ava Vidal, Francis Wheen 
 
News items read by Carolyn Brown, Harriet Cass, Corrie Corfield, Peter Donaldson, Charlotte Green, Rory Morrison and Neil Sleat 
 
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4, 8 January-26 February 2010 (Series 70), 16 April-11 June 2010 (Series 71), 24 September-12 November 2010 (Series 72) 
 
© 2023 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2023 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd.

The News Quiz 2010

Series 70, 71 and 72 of the topical BBC Radio 4 comedy panel show

Susan Morrison

Comedian Susan Morrison zips through the centuries to explore Scottish history in this brilliant BBC radio series 
 
Glaswegian comedian and history enthusiast Susan Morrison mines the rich, sometimes murky, depths of Scotland's past. Aided by a host of 'history detectives', the amazing stories she uncovers are sometimes dark, sometimes funny - but always fascinating. 
 
From Black Flag pirates to WW2 spies, from jousting knights to accused witches, and from princess nuns to lion-taming ancestors, Susan examines the lives of ordinary and extraordinary people. Mary Queen of Scots and King Robert Bruce rub shoulders with medieval heresy hunters and male prostitutes, Highland bandits mingle with heroic nurses, and a revolutionary football player shares the spotlight with a ghost-busting minister in these 40 enthralling episodes. 
 
We meet a female slave owner, a dashing privateer, a First World War poet and a family planning pioneer; visit a Pictish monastery, a Goth pub and the lost village of Lassodie; find out about some of the bloodiest, most destructive campaigns on Scottish soil - the 16th Century wars of the 'Rough Wooing' - and dig deep into the intriguing world of Victorian true crime, and the grisly world of 18th Century dissection... 
 
Plus, there's a wealth of special shows themed around topics including Halloween, the Diaspora Tapestry, Suffragettes, the Scottish Women's Institute and World War One. 
 
Bin your Outlander box set and wave bye-bye to Braveheart - this is Scotland like you've never seen it before. 
 
©2021 BBC Worldwide Ltd (P)2021 BBC Worldwide Ltd 
Presented by Susan Morrison 
Resident historian and producer: Dr Louise Yeoman 
 
First broadcast on BBC Radio Scotland, 16 May 2017- 6 December 2018.

Time Travels in Scotland

A BBC History

Andrea Catherwood

Ian Hislop

Allan Little

Jeremy Bowen

A BBC Radio 4 season exploring the history and future of the United Kingdom 
 
In this remarkable collection exploring the state of the United Kingdom and the future of its union, five presenters examine the identities, history and struggles of the nations, and ask what keeps them together as a united country. 
 
In the first episode, Jonathan Freedland and a team of historians and BBC correspondents take The Long View of the Union of the United Kingdom, at the constitutional, economic and cultural bonds between the nations, particularly after Brexit and the COVID-19 pandemic, and at three moments in the UK's history when its future was under similar scrutiny. 
 
In A Sea Between Us, Andrea Catherwood looks back at the Ireland she left, when the the IRA was still active, the prospect of a united Ireland seemed remote, and unionist parties enjoyed a comfortable majority at the polls. Now, she meets voices from Belfast's unionist community, looks at the Northern Ireland Protocol's potential damage to Northern Ireland's place in the UK, and talks to those from a traditionally pro-union background, who now say they're agnostic about their country's place in the UK. 
 
The Ghost Kingdoms of England sees Ian Hislop telling the stories of the four great Anglo-Saxon Kingdoms - East Anglia, Northumbria, Mercia and Wessex - celebrating their golden ages and trying to understand their journey from groupings of North Sea peoples to powerful kingdoms, and eventually a single entity. He talks to such varied experts as curator of Medieval coinage Gareth Williams, head of archeology at Durham University Sarah Semple, writer Bernard Cornwell, and art historian Janina Ramirez, as he uncovers how the regional identities have left their mark, and how the nations stabilised into becoming 'England'. 
 
In Two Kingdoms, Allan Little presents the epic story of how and why Scotland entered into union with England, why that Union endured for so long, and the historic changes that have brought Scotland closer to independence than it's been since 1707. This is a story about the emergence of a powerful partnership forged in Empire, industry and war, and Allan asks what happens when their values diverge and then clash, with profound consequences for millions of people on both sides of the border. 
 
The final episodes, Being Welsh, see Jeremy Bowen examine what it means to be Welsh, taking in Welsh politics, language, history and culture from the starting point of a Cardiff Stadium rugby match. With contributions from Jac Larner, Martin Johnes, and Siân James, as well as Rhys Jones, Rebecca Thomas, and Uzo Iwobi, Being Welsh investigates the distinct identities across the country, the construction of modern Wales, and the complicated relationship between Wales and England. 
 
'Sensitive but to the point... clear and fair' Guardian 
 
Presented by Jonathan Freedland, Andrea Catherwood, Ian Hislop, Allan Little and Jeremy Bowen 
Produced by Mohini Patel, Conor Garrett, Tom Alban, Jonathan Brunert, Caitlin Smith and Glyn Tansley 
 
The Long View 
Produced by Mohini Patel 
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 2021 
 
A Sea Between Us 
Produced by Conor Garrett 
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 2021 
 
The Ghost Kingdoms of England 
Produced by Tom Alban 
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 2021 
 
Two Kingdoms 
Produced by Jonathan Brunert and Caitlin Smith 
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 2021 
 
Being Welsh 
Produced by Glyn Tansley 
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January and February 2022 
 
© 2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P) BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

This Union

A BBC Radio 4 series exploring the history and future of the U.K.

Four more series of the long-running satirical panel show chaired by Miles Jupp 
 
Since its inception in 1977, The News Quiz has been taking an irreverent sideways look at the headlines, playfully poking fun at the issues, incidents and individuals that make the news. These 32 episodes, first broadcast between January 2017 and February 2018, see Miles Jupp in the chair once more, as he shepherds the panellists through the top stories from that eventful period. 
 
With him are an eager pack of newshounds including Rich Hall, Romesh Ranganathan, Charlie Higson, Katy Brand, Andrew Maxwell, Angela Barnes, Desiree Burch, Llloyd Langford, Vicki Pepperdine and Gina Yashere. Between them, they find the funny in topics ranging from pie selections to the General Election, as well as Brexit, Theresa May, North Korea's nuclear stand-off, a cabinet reshuffle and Coronation kerfuffle, a risqué Georgian lifestyle manual, and the potential discovery of Santa Claus' grave... 
 
Lighting up each episode are the humorous press cuttings contributed by listeners, read by newsreaders Corrie Corfield, Caroline Nicholls, Neil Sleat, Alan Smith, Zeb Soanes and Diana Speed. 
 
Production credits 
Chaired by Miles Jupp 
Chair's script written by Ed Amsden, Madeleine Brettingham, Liam Byrne, Sarah Campbell, Tom Coles, Max Davis, Nick Doody, Clint Edwards, Gareth Gwynn, Gabby Hutchinson-Crouch, Jon Hunter, James Kettle, Jenny Laville, Robin Morgan, Sarah Morgan, Tom Neenan, Benjamin Partridge, David Reed, Ahir Shah and Danielle Ward 
With additional material by Simon Alcock, Daniel Audritt, Scott Bennett, Catherine Bohart, Rebecca Channon, Sophie Duker, Jessica Fostekew, Sara Gibbs, Danielle Grufferty, Alex Hardy, Sian Harries, Daniel Hooper, Ben Hillyar, Rahul Kohli, Stephanie Laing, Caroline Mabey, Laura Major, David Mayes, Stuart Mitchell, Glen Moore, Saskia Preston, Kiri Pritchard-McLean, Mike Shephard, Laura Sleep, Ian Smith, Katie Storey, David Reed and Suzi Ruffell 
Produced by Richard Morris and Joe Nunnery 
A BBC Studios Production 
 
Series 92 featuring: Angela Barnes, Katy Brand, Susan Calman, Michael Deacon, Simon Evans, Daniel Finkelstein, Kerry Godliman, Andy Hamilton, Isabel Hardman, Jeremy Hardy, Charlie Higson, Sarah Kendall, Helen Lewis, Lloyd Langford, Zoe Lyons, Andrew Maxwell, Andy Parsons, Vicki Pepperdine, Lucy Porter, Romesh Ranganathan, Mark Steel, Holly Walsh, Francis Wheen, Gina Yashere 
 
Series 93 featuring: Angela Barnes, Katy Brand, Desiree Burch, Susan Calman, Peter Curran, Simon Evans, Daniel Finkelstein, Rich Hall, Andy Hamilton, Jeremy Hardy, Sarah Kendall, Helen Lewis, Lloyd Langford, Zoe Lyons, Kiri Pritchard-McLean, Andrew Maxwell, Hugo Rifkind, John Robins, Suzi Ruffell, Mark Steel, Holly Walsh, Francis Wheen 
 
Series 94 featuring: Angela Barnes, Fern Brady, Katy Brand, Desiree Burch, Simon Evans, Daniel Finkelstein, Kerry Godliman, Rich Hall, Andy Hamilton, Isabel Hardman, Jeremy Hardy, Sarah Kendall, Lloyd Langford, Helen Lewis, Zoe Lyons, Andrew Maxwell, Lucy Porter, Kiri Pritchard-McLean, Hugo Rifkind, Suzi Ruffell, Mark Steel, Holly Walsh 
 
Series 95 featuring: Angela Barnes, Fern Brady, Katy Brand, Desiree Burch, Susan Calman, Daliso Chaponda, Simon Evans, Kerry Godliman, Andy Hamilton, Isabel Hardman, Jeremy Hardy, Lloyd Langford, Helen Lewis, Zoe Lyons, Fred MacAulay, Andrew Maxwell, Peter Oborne, Vicki Pepperdine, Lucy Porter, Hugo Rifkind, Mark Steel, Andy Zaltzman 
 
News items read by Corrie Corfield, Caroline Nicholls, Neil Sleat, Alan Smith, Zeb Soanes and Diana Speed 
 
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4, 6 January-24 February 2017 (Series 92), 21 April-9 June 2017 (Series 93), 8 September-27 October 2017 (Series 94), 5 January-23 February 2018 (Series 95) 
 
© 2023 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2023 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd.

The News Quiz: 2017 – 2018

Series 92, 93, 94 and 95 of the topical BBC Radio 4 comedy panel show

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