Steve Roud was Local Studies Librarian for the London Borough of Croydon and served as Honorary Librarian of the Folklore Society for over fifteen years. He has been researching British folklore for over thirty years and is the joint author of the Oxford Dictionary of English Folklore, plus other books on traditional drama and folk song, and the Penguin Guide to the Superstitions of Britain and Ireland, which won the Katharine Briggs Folklore Award in 2004. His publications include London Lore (2008) and The Lore of the Playground (2010). He also compiles the Folk Song Index and the Broadside Index, two internationally acclaimed computer databases of traditional folk and popular song. He lives in Sussex.

Steve Roud

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Mark Wallington

A full-cast BBC Radio adaptation of Mark Wallington's comic tale of one man and his dog, starring Timothy Spall 
 
In a bid to impress his not-quite-girlfriend Jennifer, Mark persuades her to accompany him on a journey to discover the true source of the river that flows past her London flat. Setting himself up with a classic Victorian camping skiff, he's ready for adventure and romance - but his plans are scuppered at the last minute by his manic mongrel mutt, Boogie. 
 
Boogie has bad breath, terrible wind and a tendency to moult all over your toast - and on top of all that, he can't swim. But Mark can't leave him behind - his friends refuse to look after him, and he has a reputation at all the kennels (the last time he stayed in one, even the other dogs complained). 
 
Taking to the water, Mark comes face-to-face with a colourful assortment of river dwellers and dreams of Delia Smith, while Boogie meets his first Canada goose - and headbutts a swan... As they scull upstream, they pursue the elusive Jennifer, who leaves a trail of terrible poems, exotic takeaways and answerphone messages, but is somehow always elsewhere. Will she ever join Mark on his quest? Will they ever find the source of the Thames? And will Boogie ever learn to curb his disgusting habits? 
 
Adapted by Mark Wallington from his own hilarious novel, this light-hearted, engaging dramatisation will delight fans of Three Men in a Boat and Bill Bryson. It stars Timothy Spall as Mark, Ronald Herdman as Boogie and Carla Mendonça as Jennifer. 
 
 
Adapted by Mark Wallington from his own novel 
Produced by Caroline Leddy 
 
Cast 
Mark/Narrator - Timothy Spall 
Boogie/Dorchester Man/Landlord - Ronald Herdman 
Jennifer Conway - Carla Mendonça 
Michael - Gary Parker 
P.A/Royal Lady - Ainslie Foster 
Fiddy - Jon Glover 
Dario/Boat Guide/Boater/Farmer - Mark Straker 
Pensioner/Landlord/Fisherman 1 - John Church 
Douglas/Fisherman 3/Archie - David Holt 
Marsha - Melanie Hudson 
Mrs Matheson/Graveyard Woman - Ann Windsor 
Lock Keeper - Terence Edmond 
Kevin/Fisherman 2 - Rod Smith 
Rita/Christine/Dorchester Lady - Jill Graham 
Delia Smith/Sandra/Betty - Melinda Walker 
Cruiserman/Cricketer - John Fleming 
Fisherman/Barman - Jonathan Adams 
Cox - Jonathan Tafler 
Mrs Byron/Shopkeeper - Margaret Stallard 
Percy - Eric Allen 
'A Bit of Alright'/Curator/Canoeist - Nicholas Murchie 
Sam Tucker - Geoffrey McGivern 
Laundrette Attendant/Girl - Kate Binchy 
Barman - Simon Godley 
Adolescent Girl - Julie Gibbs 
Old Lady - Jillie Meers 
 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 17 December 1992-21 January 1993 
 
© 2023 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2023 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Boogie Up the River

A Full-Cast BBC Radio Comedy Travelogue

Alistair Sooke

30 leading cultural figures choose an artwork from the Museum of Modern Art's collection, and discuss the response it provokes in them 
 
Art critic and broadcaster Alastair Sooke, accompanied by some of the world's leading creative thinkers, takes an in-depth look at the outstanding exhibits in New York's MoMA, exploring how the way we 'see' art is shaped by our experiences and perspectives. His guests include some of the sharpest minds of our time - artists, writers, designers, comedians, musicians and scientists, among them Steve Martin, Margaret Cho, John Waters, Roxane Gay, Fiona Shaw, Orhan Pamuk and Stanley Tucci. 
 
Each guest selects a piece of art that speaks to them - one that's inspiring, startling, intriguing or challenging. Some pick familiar works, others ones they've never seen before, and their choices range from paintings and sculptures to photographs, films and even symbols. Drawing on their personal history and expert knowledge, they share their thoughts, insights and observations. 
 
How does a cosmologist view Van Gogh's The Starry Night? What does a jazz pianist see in Mondrian's Broadway Boogie Woogie? What will a top fashion designer decode from the clothes painted by an artist in Harlem in the 1930s? And what will a psychologist make of Picasso's unflinching depictions of man's inhumanity, The Charnel House and Guernica? 
 
These questions, and many more, will be answered in this eye-opening series. Revealing, surprising and perceptive, it deconstructs the gallery experience, bringing us a new way of looking at, and appreciating, art. 
 
Copyright © 2021 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2021 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd 
Produced by Paul Kobrak and Tom Alban 
The Way I See It is a co-production of the BBC and the Museum of Modern Art, New York 
 
Tracklist: 
1. Starry Night and Janna Levin 
2. Steve Martin and the Lonely Synchromists 
3. Jason Moran and Piet Mondrian 
4. Neri Oxman and the Endless House 
5. Steven Pinker and Picasso 
6. Steve Reich on Richard Serra's Equal 
7. Margaret Cho and Lady Vengeance 
8. Duro Olowu on William H Johnson's 'Children' 
9. Michael Bierut on Ed Ruscha's OOF 
10. John Waters on Lee Lozano's Untitled 1963 
11. Roxane Gay and Christ's Entry into Journalism 
12. Es Devlin on Felix Gonzalez-Torres's Perfect Lovers 
13. Hisham Matar with Man Sleeping Along the Seine 
14. Renee Fleming chooses Colors for a Large Wall 
15. The Director's Choice 
16. Fiona Shaw on Georgia O'Keeffe's Lake George, Coat and Red 
17. Bryan Stevenson on Jacob Lawrence's Migration Series 
18. Richard Serra on Jackson Pollock 
19. Madeleine Thien on Vija Celmins' Bikini 
20. Zac Posen on Constantin Brancusi's Bird in Space 
21. Mark Morris on Florine Stettheimer's Costume Design for Orphée 
22. Sarah Sze and Siddhartha Mukherjee on Louise Bourgeois's Quarantania, I 
23. Orhan Pamuk on Taglioni's Jewel Casket by Joseph Cornell 
24. Liz Diller on Marcel Duchamp's Network of Stoppages 
25. Isabella Boylston on Maya Deren and Talley Beatty 
26. Stanley Tucci and Giacometti's Head of a Man on a Rod 
27. Lady Ruth Rogers on Henri Rousseau's The Dream 
28. Yves Behar and the IEC's Power Symbol 
29. David Henry Hwang on Martin Wong's Stanton near Forsyth Street 
30. Alastair Sooke

The Way I See It

The landmark BBC art series in partnership with MoMA

Bill Bryson

In an ageing Chevrolet Chevette, he drove nearly 14,000 miles through 38 states to compile this hilarious and perceptive state-of-the-nation report on small-town America. 
 
From the Deep South to the Wild West, from Elvis' birthplace through to Custer's Last Stand, Bryson 
visits places he re-named Dullard, Coma, and Doldrum (so the residents don't sue or come after him with baseball bats). But his hopes of finding the American dream end in a nightmare of greed, ignorance, and pollution. This is a wickedly witty and savagely funny assessment of a country lost to itself, and to him. 
 
Travel through small-town America with Kerry Shale's popular BBC Radio 4 reading of Bill Bryson's comic travelogue.

The Lost Continent

Robert M. Pirsig

Peter Flannery

An odyssey into life’s challenging questions during an unforgettable summer motorcycle trip 
 
Acclaimed as one of the most exciting books in the history of American letters, Robert M. Pirsig’s Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance became an instant bestseller upon its publication in 1974. A powerful examination of how we live, as well as a breath-taking meditation on how to live better, it tells the epic story of a father and son’s motorcycle trip across America’s Northwest in the 1960s. 
 
Pirsig’s modern classic transformed a generation and continues to inspire millions of readers today. Dramatised for radio for the first time by Peter Flannery (Our Friends in the North, George Gently, The Devil’s Whore), this fantastic full-cast production stars James Purefoy (Rome, Injustice, Ironclad) and adds a new and original dimension to an iconic work. Following a father and his young son on their cross-country summer adventure from Minnesota to California, it is a story of love, fear, growth, discovery and acceptance. Both personal and philosophical, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance is also a compelling study of relationships, values, enlightenment and meaning. 
 
The maintenance of the motorcycle throughout the journey illustrates how to unify the cold, rational realm of technology with the warm, imaginative realm of artistry. Resonating with the confusions and the wonders of existence, the narrator wrestles with some of the most important philosophical questions of the 20th century. His need to also reconcile his past and present selves drives him and his son forward, to a point where all is either lost or won on the Chautauqua spiritual journey. 
 
This audio edition includes a bonus 10 minutes of material that was not broadcast on the radio. 
 
NB: the recording contains strong language. 
 
Production credits 
Author: Robert M. Pirsig 
Dramatist: Peter Flannery 
Original music: Jon Nicholls 
Sound Design: Eloise Whitmore 
Producer: Melanie Harris 
 
A Sparklab production for BBC Radio 4. 
 
© 2012 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P) 2012 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Zen And The Art Of Motorcycle Maintenance®

This highly entertaining BBC Radio 4 series is written and presented by Bill Bryson and based on his bestselling book, 'Mother Tongue'. In it he romps through the history of Britain to reveal how English became such an infuriatingly complex – but ultimately world-beating – language.  But why English? Why don’t we speak Gallic, or any other of the European languages? According to Bryson, it’s down to the remarkable ability for the English language to assimilate other vocabularies, to adapt and – above all – to survive.  From the old English words that are still in everyday use, such as ‘eat’, ‘drink’, ‘man’ and ‘wife’, to the current hybrid language of the 21st century with its many diverse dialects, Bryson, in his unique and ever-affable style, guides us through the development of English into a rich and expressive language.  Bryson explains how English has been shaped through invasion and conquest, as well as the rules that brought order to a disorderly language, the million and one ways to have fun with the English language, and the struggle with phrasal verbs (including the way things often get lost in the translation).  And finally, he contemplates the future of English. Does Estuary English really Rule OK?   '...Worth a listen for anyone who is interested in how we came to have such a rich language' - Sunday Times

Journeys In English

Brian Johnston

Down Your Way was one of the most popular programmes on BBC Radio from 1946 until 1992. Every week the presenter would visit a different city, town or village in the UK and interview six local people about its history, traditions and customs. Brian Johnston presented the series for fifteen years and for this recording, his son Barry has selected more of the fascinating people and places that his father visited on his travels. Brian meets famous people such as the former England footballer Nat Lofthouse, Australian cricket legend Sir Donald Bradman, and steeplejack and TV personality Fred Dibnah, as well as marvellous local characters, including the British snuff champion, a lady gurning champion, and a Scottish sheep shearer. He also takes a boat trip down the River Thames, visits Tower Bridge and Abbey Road studios, and goes to Salisbury Cathedral and Wigan Pier. This delightful recording illustrates the rich and colourful heritage of the people and places of Great Britain.

Brian Johnston Down Your Way: Favourite People And Places Vol. 2

BBC Radio

Douglas Adams and Mark Carwardine travel the world in pursuit of species on the brink of extinction 
 
In 1985, The Observer magazine sent Douglas Adams to Madagascar to look for the exotic and potentially extinct aye-aye lemur. There he met zoologist Mark Carwardine, and together they made a radio pilot about their travels, In Search of the Aye-Aye. This led to a hugely popular radio series, Last Chance to See, later adapted as a bestselling book. Douglas Adams died in 2001, but his friend Stephen Fry took his place for a follow-up 20th anniversary television series, broadcast on BBC Two in 2009. 
 
This collection includes the initial pilot show and the complete BBC radio series from 1989, in which Adams and Carwardine embark on a quest to track down weird and wonderful threatened species across the globe. Voyaging from New Zealand to Chile, they hope to encounter the flightless Kakapo parrot, the river dolphin revered as the ‘goddess of the Yangtze’ and the secretive, confusing manatee – as well as the randy Rodrigues fruit bat, the terrifying (and smelly) Komodo dragon and the solitary Juan Fernandez fur seal. 
 
Funny, thought-provoking and poignant, Last Chance to See combines Adams’ inimitable humour and Carwardine’s expertise to provide a unique snapshot of our vanishing world and the rare creatures that inhabit it. 
 
Sadly the Kakapo remains critically endangered, and Yangtze River dolphin was declared functionally extinct in 2006. Part travelogue, part natural history show, this unforgettable account of a remarkable voyage of discovery serves as a reminder to protect our planet while we still can. 
 
Track listing: 
1 In Search of the Aye-Aye 
2 Ralph, The Fragrant Parrot of Codfish Island (the kakapo) 
3 Gone Fishing! (the Yangtze River dolphin) 
4 Animal, Vegetable or Mineral? (the Amazonian manatee) 
5 The Answer is Blowing in the Wind (the Rodrigues fruit bat) 
6 A Man-Eating, Evil-Smelling Dragon (the Komodo dragon) 
7 The Sultan of Juan Fernandez (the Juan Fernandez fur seal) 
 
Presented by Douglas Adams and Mark Carwardine 
 
Natural Selection: In Search of the Aye-Aye 
Produced by Tim Grout Smith 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 1 November 1985 
 
Last Chance to See 
Narrated by Peter Jones 
Produced by Chris Muir 
Series producer: Gaynor Shutte 
Additional music by Steven Faux 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 4 October 1989-8 November 1989

Last Chance to See: The original BBC Radio series

In search of the world's most endangered species

Down Your Way was one of the most popular programmes on radio and spanned six decades. Every week the presenter would visit towns and villages throughout the UK, discovering fascinating people and places. Brian Johnston presented the series for fifteen years and 733 programmes. For this recording, his son Barry has selected the most eccentric, famous and interesting people, and the most colourful places, that his father visited on his travels. Along the way Brian meets such famous people as Sir Roger Bannister, HRH Prince Philip, Denis Compton and John Laurie (Private Frazer in Dad’s Army), as well as Frank Searle, who has spotted the Loch Ness Monster. Brian also takes in Land’s End, Alice Springs, and even goes underground to visit the Cabinet War Rooms and the Bank of England’s gold vault. Released for the first time on audio, this recording includes part of Brian Johnston’s final programme. It presents a timeless view of Britain, a land peopled by countless characters among its rich heritage.

Brian Johnston Down Your Way: Favourite People And Places Vol. 1

Will Self

Will Self takes a 1,000-mile tour of the UK by bus and coach, exploring urban Britain and British identity at a time of flux. Bus and coach windows afford him a different perspective on the nation. He eschews the bright lights of the big cities, heading instead for smaller urban centres. His objective is to speak to Britons about how they view their cities and themselves in 2018. 
 
Over ten programmes, Will's trip takes him to Plymouth, Swansea, West Bromwich, Wolverhampton, Preston, Middlesbrough, East Kilbride and Derry-Londonderry. In the fish and chip shops, the B&amp;Bs, the pubs and car repair garages, Will debates the state of British identity - and discovers that Britain today has become a highly debatable land. 
 
Produced by Laurence Grissell.

Will Self's Great British Bus Journey

Robert Macfarlane

Deborah Levy

Jenn Ashworth

Kamila Shamsie

Michael Donkor

Michèle Roberts

Lucy Hughes-Hallett

Ross Raisin

Owen Sheers

Nicholas Shakespeare

Nat Segnit

Sophie Coulombeau

Christopher Hope

Scarlett Thomas

Erica Wagner

Nicola Barker

Ian Samson

Kirsty Gunn

Philip Hoare

22 writers talk about their memorable excursions and the act of walking, and share their creative observations 
 
In these six series, taken from BBC Radio 3's The Essay, an array of novelists, poets, journalists and biographers chart the varied and inspiring walks they have taken around Britain and elsewhere. Here are treks taken at daybreak and after dark; in winter and in spring; in the footsteps of the past; and - in the case of Robert Macfarlane - along the ridges of the South Downs. 
 
Dawnwalks and Night Walks find Nicholas Shakespeare, Nicola Barker, Kamila Shamsie, Ian Sansom, Lucy Hughes-Hallett, Owen Sheers, Janice Galloway and John Walsh taking early morning and late-night strolls around locations ranging from their back garden and local cemetery to Manhattan, Paris, Tasmania and the Antarctic. 
 
Springwalks and Winterwalks feature Michele Roberts, Ross Raisin, John Walsh, Kirsty Gunn, Philip Hoare, Deborah Levy, Christopher Hope, Scarlett Thomas, Erica Wagner and Owen Sheers, as they sample the transforming qualities of spring and the wonders of winter. From Poland and the Languedoc to Hampstead Heath and the Yorkshire Wolds, they delight in the details of the landscape and reflect on what it means to them. 
 
Strange Strolls sees Jenn Ashworth, Michael Donkor, Stephanie Victoire, Nat Segnit and Sophie Coulombeau embarking on walks of entertaining eccentricity, revisiting favourite places including Wandsworth Bridge, the Blue Ridge mountains of Appalachia and Ibiza. 
 
And in A Five-Day Journey, Robert Macfarlane walks the length of the South Downs in monsoon rain and in sunshine, discovering its chalk trails and its ghosts. He ponders the relationship between paths and stories; explores the poet Edward Thomas' love affair with tracks; considers the concept of the Aboriginal Australian songline; re-imagines the life of artist Eric Ravilious; and contemplates the sometimes eerie relationship between walking, collecting and creation. 
 
Intimate, evocative and immersive, these 30 uplifting programmes transport us to a wealth of wonderful places, and offer fascinating personal insight into the inner worlds of our walker-writers. 
 
Production credits 
Produced by Duncan Minshull, Ciaran Bermingham and Tim Dee 
 
First broadcast on BBC Radio 3 on the following dates: 
 
Dawnwalks 
Nicholas Shakespeare 28 March 2016 
Nicola Barker 29 March 2016 
Kamila Shamsie 30 March 2016 
Ian Sansom 31 March 2016 
Lucy Hughes-Hallett 1 April 2016 
 
Night Walks 
Nicholas Shakespeare 27 October 2008 
Owen Sheers 28 October 2008 
Janice Galloway 29 October 2008 
Kamila Shamsie 30 October 2008 
John Walsh 31 October 2008 
 
Springwalks 
Michele Roberts in Poznan 31 March 2014 
Ross Raisin in the Yorkshire Wolds 1 April 2014 
John Walsh 2 April 2014 
Kirsty Gunn in Sutherland 3 April 2014 
Philip Hoare in Sholing 4 April 2014 
 
Winterwalks 
Deborah Levy on Hampstead Heath 18 February 2013 
Christopher Hope in Languedoc 19 February 2013 
Scarlett Thomas 20 February 2013 
Erica Wagner 21 February 2013 
Owen Sheers in Poland 22 February 2013 
 
Strange Strolls 
Jenn Ashworth - The Abiding Mental Riches of Preston 10 February 2020 
Michael Donkor - On Westminster Bridge 11 February 2020 
Stephanie Victoire - Dark Hollow Falls 12 February 2020 
Nat Segnit - The Other Ibiza 13 February 2020 
Sophie Coulombeau - Walking Matilda 14 February 2020 
 
A Five-Day Journey 
Marking 2 November 2009 
Haunting 3 November 2009 
Singing 4 November 2009 
Flying 5 November 2009 
Collecting 6 November 2009 
 
© 2023 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2023 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd.

Writers on Walks: A BBC Radio 3 Collection

30 Reflections from Exploring on Foot

Bruce Chatwin

A collection of full-cast dramas and readings from the giant of travel writing – plus a bonus documentary 
 
Author and adventurer Bruce Chatwin was one of the 20th Century’s most charismatic writers. His first book, In Patagonia, changed the face of travel writing and made him a literary sensation. Collected here are dramatisations and readings of some of his best-known work, as well as a bonus programme shedding light on his relationships and writing. 
 
In Patagonia – Chatwin’s picaresque masterpiece has been described as ‘probably the most influential travel book written since the war’. This transportive dramatisation stars Russell Tovey as a writer on a quest to the very end of the world in search of mythical beasts. 
 
On the Black Hill – Recorded on location in the Black Mountains, this is the moving tale of the lifelong bond between two identical twins, and their unbreakable tie to the land they farm. Ioan Meredith stars as Lewis and Benjamin Jones. 
 
What Am I Doing Here? – Patrick Malahide reads five essential pieces taken from Chatwin’s posthumous collection of essays. In 'The Volga', ‘Your Father’s Eyes Are Blue Again’, ‘The Bey’, ‘The Albatross’ and 'Konstantin Melnikov', we are taken on a cruise down Russia's great brown waterway on the Maxim Gorky, hear of hope regained, and share a toast to fantastic projects realised and unrealised. 
 
The Songlines – Michael Siberry reads this 10-part abridged account of Chatwin’s travels across Australia in search of the Aboriginal ‘songlines’: invisible pathways that are both intricate sources of personal identity and territorial markers. 
 
The Essay: Postcards: Bruce Chatwin – Chatwin’s editor and biographer Susannah Clapp looks through the postcards she received from him over the years, reflecting on what these missives reveal about the iconic writer. 
 
 
Cast and credits 
Written by Bruce Chatwin 
 
Text copyright © Bruce Chatwin 1977 (In Patagonia), 1982 (On the Black Hill), 1987 (The Songlines) 
What Am I Doing Here? copyright © The Estate of Bruce Chatwin 1989 
 
In Patagonia 
Cast: Russell Tovey, David Sterne, Noni Lewis, Hasan Dixon, Melissa Vaughan, Ewan Bailey, Florencia Cordeu, Helen Schlesinger, Julio Galán 
Directed by Ciaran Bermingham 
Adapted by Sebastian Bazckiewicz 
Production Co-ordinator: Jenny Mendez 
Piano: Satoshi Kubo 
Sound: Keith Graham and Jenni Burnett 
With thanks to Susannah Clapp 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 6 Aug 2023 
 
On the Black Hill 
Cast: Ioan Meredith, Gwen Watford, Ian Hogg, Robin Davies, Gerald James, June Barrie, Dorien Thomas, Sue Broomfield, Sue Soames, Peter Howell, Huw Tudor, Matthew Routley, Simon Price, Claire Watkins, Sian Watkins 
Directed on location in the Black Mountains by Adrian Mourby, BBC Wales 
Dramatised by Charles Way with Robert Blythe 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 2 Mar 1987 
 
The Volga 
Read by Patrick Malahide 
First broadcast BBC Radio 3, 11-12 May 1989 
 
What Am I Doing Here? 
Read by Patrick Malahide 
First broadcast BBC Radio 3, 3 Sep 1990 
 
Konstantin Melnikov 
Read by Patrick Malahide 
First broadcast BBC Radio 3, 10 Sep 1990 
 
The Songlines 
Abridged in ten episodes by David Buck 
Read by Michael Siberry 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 22 Jun-3 Jul 1987 
 
The Essay: Postcards: Bruce Chatwin 
Presented by Susannah Clapp 
First broadcast BBC Radio 3, 1 Jul 2009 
 
© 2024 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2024 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

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