Drama of the Week

Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch train station. North Wales.Enid’s dead husband Oscar was famed for his quirky train announcements at the station. When, overnight, his recordings are replaced with automated announcements, Enid and 18-year-old station cafe assistant, Cadi, start a quiet protest, that soon becomes a lot louder...All Change at Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch is a comedy drama by Neil Williams (Good Morning, Yvette’s Nan, Radio 4), starring Siw Hughes and Angharad Phillips.Enid… Siw HughesCadi…. Angharad PhillipsWend… Lisa ZahraOscar…. Richard ElfynCecil… Sion PritchardDylan… Luke BaileyInfluencer/ Automated Train Announcer …. Kellie-Gwen MorganAutomated Voice in Spanish... Maria Claudia PerroneWriter… Neil WilliamsSound Designer… Nigel LewisProduction Co-ordinator… Eleri McAuliffeDirector/Producer…. Fay LomasA BBC Audio Drama Wales Production.

Transcribed - Published: 25 April 2025

The Film by Martin Jameson April 1945. A Ministry of Information army film crew enters Bergen-Belsen to record the unimaginable horrors of the Holocaust that many were already refusing to believe. But faced with all this footage, the head of the unit - Sidney Bernstein, is overwhelmed. He needs to get a film out there as soon as possible, but how to do justice to such suffering? So he summons his friend Alfred Hitchcock from Hollywood. And Bernstein - who later establishes Granada Television - determines that together they can create an irrefutable cinematic testimony. Sidney Bernstein - Henry Goodman, Alfred Hitchcock - Jeremy Swift, Richard Crossman - Geoffrey Streatfeild, Mrs Haig - Fenella Woolgar, Secretary - Hamilton Berstock. Production Co-ordinator - Vicky Moseley, Sound Design - Sharon Hughes, Technical Producer - Peter Ringrose, Studio Manager - Alison Craig and Producer/ Director - Gary Brown.A BBC Studios Audio Production for Radio 4.With grateful thanks to documentary film maker Jane Wells, daughter of Sidney Bernstein, who generously helped with the research for this drama.

Transcribed - Published: 18 April 2025

By Rex Obano1988. Margaret Thatcher is now in her third term as Prime Minister. Hopeton is lonely and frustrated, living at his friend's boxing gym while fighting to get Joy and his family back. Meanwhile Joy is fighting to build a new life with Dhiren, combining their differing cultures. Can both of them succeed in getting their life back?Joy ..... Cherrelle Skeete Hopeton ..... Solomon Israel Dhiren Patel ..... Vikash Bhai Duke/Waiter ..... David Webber Glory ..... Trinity Benjamin Gujarati woman/Customer ..... Chetna Pandya Job Centre Assistant/Boxer/Store Manager ..... Lloyd ThomasProduction Co-ordinators are Maggie Olgiati and Jenny Mendez Produced by Pat Cumper Directed by Anthony Simpson-Pike A BBC Studios Audio Production for BBC Radio 4***** Faith, Hope and Glory began following the lives of Hope, Faith (Eunice) and Gloria in the UK in 1946. Three generations of three families bound together by the fate of one baby lost and found on Tilbury Dock. All three are now settled in their lives in 1980s Britain.We have reached the late 1980s. A new generation of Black Britons is gaining in confidence and and seizing their place in Thatcher’s Britain, making their mark on the political, social, and creative fabric of their home and forming new bonds with other. Joy has married Dhiren and is adapting to his religion and way of life as he takes steps into hers to create a blended family. Joy’s ex-husband, Hopeton, is desperate not to let that happen.

Transcribed - Published: 28 March 2025

By Gareth FarrOn Christmas Eve 2002, a girl is born in a seemingly ordinary family-run Northern pub. That baby is Amy and from the moment of her birth the fate of the pub is inextricably linked with her own. Cracks that have always existed break wide open and as she grows, the foundations of this legendary local pub start to shake.Narrated by Amy, through intimate and lyrical language, we are guided through the first twenty-one years of her life to a point where she alone must decide the future of those closest to her.Sally . . . . . Siobhan Finneran Amy . . . . . Sophie Cox Brendan . . . . . Pearce Quigley Karen . . . . . Leah Brotherhead Mark . . . . . Matthew Durkan Jack . . . . . David Hounslow Younger Amy . . . . . Maddie Evans Even Younger Amy . . . . . Miriam MiticSound design: Peter Ringrose Production coordinator: Gaelan Connolly-DavisDirector: Sasha YevtushenkoGareth Farr is an award-winning playwright. He started work as an actor, working at the Royal Shakespeare Company, Royal Court and West End as well at several regional theatres and on many TV roles. Gareth’s first stage play Britannia Waves the Rules (Manchester Royal Exchange) won a judge’s award at the Bruntwood Prize for Playwrighting. His other works include The Quiet House (Birmingham Rep Theatre and Park Theatre London), Biscuits For Breakfast (Hampstead Theatre) and A Child of Science (Bristol Old Vic – nominated for Best New Play at UK Theatre Awards 2024.). Shandyland started life as a stage play but was cancelled during rehearsals due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was shortlisted for the George Devine Award in 2021.

Transcribed - Published: 7 March 2025

An AI wellness app observes its user, encouraging her on daily runs and healthy shopping trips.But when does ‘wellness’ become too much?A new short story by award-winning Manon Steffan Ros (writer of The Blue Book of Nebo), read by Kezrena James, produced by Fay Lomas.

Transcribed - Published: 28 February 2025

Distant football chants, a heart pounding with adrenalin, a violent fight between rival gangs. A desperate young woman makes a call to emergency services, there has been a stabbing. Somewhere close by in another street, another man is landing blows on a lad in a rival football firm. Welcome to The Fury.But this man is an undercover officer, and this won’t be the last time he has to put himself in danger to prove himself. He has been sent in to gain intelligence on the movements and plans of The Fury. An unlikely member of The Fury is Bethany, a tough nut, a survivor. She was the young woman on the call to emergency and it was her brother Callum that lay dying at her feet. As a result of this fresh murder, violence between the rival gangs is expected to escalate and the undercover operation is under threat. But how can our undercover officer leave now when he is at the heart of The Fury and then there is the question of saving Bethany….will he manage to get to the truth without risking his own safety and that of the people he loves?JASON ..... Tachia Newall BETHANY ..... Lauren-Nicole Mayes MIKEY ..... Joe Gill REECE ..... Hamish Rush SADIE ..... Sacha Parkinson LEO ..... Alfie Corbett DI KANE ..... Krissi Bohn DCI RICHARDS ..... Jason Done EMERGENCY CALL HANDLER .... Dionne Hunter BARWOMAN ..... Aimée Uwera RIVAL FIRM MEMBER ..... Louis Brown RIVAL FIRM MEMBER ..... Darren McColl POLICE OFFICERS ..... Ethan Cale, Daniel FitzpatrickFOOTBALL FANS: Students from Burnley College: Andrew Jennings, Artur Karlovec, Chloe Conway, Daisy Whittam, Daniel Fisk, Gemma Henderson, Jack Dobbie, Jemima Olaiya, Joseph Butterworth, Kaja Stefaniak, Kenny Conroy-Hargreaves, Kye Jones, Lauren Haigh, Leah Rowley, Marianna Morante, Maxwell Hopkinson, Rebecca Timms, Tom Capstick, Vincent HarperWritten by Rachel Smith Produced and Directed by Nadia Molinari Sound Design and Technical Production by Sharon Hughes Assistant Technical Producer Amy Brennan Production co-ordinator, Lorna Newman Script Consultant Russell LaneA BBC STUDIOS AUDIO PRODUCTION FOR BBC RADIO 4

Transcribed - Published: 21 February 2025

1649 was a significant year in British History because King Charles I was executed for treason. A lesser known, but arguably equally important, historical moment occurred in that same year: the first publication of the Qu'ran in English. Surprisingly, it was instigated by an English woman, called Margaret White, who was the wife of a printer called Robert based in Fleet Street, London.Based on historical research, this drama imagines the circumstances as to how the Qu'ran came to be first published in the English language.Cast: Margaret ......... Erin Shanagher Ayesha ..................Laila Alj Robert ...................Graeme Hawley Nicholas ............ Jon-Paul Bell Sergeant ............ Hamilton BerstockProduction Co-ordinator - Pippa Day Studio Manager- Amy Brennan Sound Designer- Sharon Hughes Producer/Director- Jessica MiticWith thanks to Professor Suzanne Trill, the Arab British Centre and Dr Johnson’s House Museum Historical consultant-Professor Matthew BirchwoodA BBC Studios Audio Production for Radio 4.

Transcribed - Published: 7 February 2025

By Sylvia-Anne Parker.A music-fuelled drama set in the court of Henry VIII and playfully inspired by the life of Black Tudor and royal trumpeter - John Blanke.When Catherine of Aragon and Henry VIII lose a child, the King prepares a celebration of the baby prince’s life and calls in the trailblazing trumpeter John Blanke to help him…And when John sees an opportunity to also help Henry VIII's private passions, little does he know that his timely intervention will change the course of history in more ways than one…Cast:John … Nicholas Pinnock with Bryon Wallen on trumpet Henry VIII … Rory Kinnear with Jacob Heringman on lute Dominic … Harry Lloyd with David McCallum on trumpet Harriet … Ayesha Antoine Femi and Compton …Yinka Awoni Catherine … Ruth EverettStudio Production: Alison Craig and Mike Etherden Production Co-ordinator: Rosalind GibsonSound Design: Fraser Jackson.Directed by Kirsty WilliamsThe writer dedicates this production to the memory of her audio drama mentor, Oliver Emanuel.

Transcribed - Published: 31 January 2025

by Theo Toksvig-Stewart.Unflinching drama about consent. Two students fall in love, but one drunken evening changes everything.Starring Sam Otto (The State, Snowpiercer) and Louisa Harland (Derry Girls).M ..... Sam Otto W ..... Louisa HarlandTechnical Producer ..... Martha Littlehailes Technical Producer ..... Alison Craig Technical Producer ..... Anne Bunting Technical Producer ..... Mike Etherden Production Co-ordinator ..... Gaelan Connolly Writer ..... Theo Toksvig-Stewart Director ..... Abigail le FlemingTHE PLAY Endless Second was originally produced by Cut the Cord Theatre and directed by Camilla Gütler, starring Madeleine Gray alongside Theo Toksvig-Stewart. It opened at Theatre503 before transferring to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2019 where it was shortlisted for the Holden Street Theatre Award and the Sit Up Award. The play then transferred to the Park Theatre and Pleasance Islington as part of their 'Best of the Fringe' seasons.THE WRITER Theo is a dyslexic writer and actor based in London. He was part of the BBC Writersroom Drama Room 2019/2020 and the Minack Emerging Playwrights Programme 2021. He was most recently commissioned by Applause as a South East Writer in residence. In 2020, he was commissioned by Warts and All Theatre to write an adaptation of Robyn Hood, developed with children in care in Wellingborough. His first play, An Opera from the East, was produced at Drama Centre London. The proud son of lesbian parents, Theo is developing a number of television projects including a show based on his 'unconventional' uprbinging.

Transcribed - Published: 24 January 2025

by Frances Poet with monologues by Eileen Horne.Part One – A Dangerous AnimalDr Alex Bridges is an expert forensic psychiatrist and psychotherapist, assessing and treating perpetrators of serious crime.This gripping drama explores the psychological impact of murder on teenage perpetrators and follows the fortunes of participants in a Long Sentence therapy group.Has Dr Bridges made a mistake in putting co-offenders together in Group therapy?Dr Alex Bridges ….. Lolita Chakrabarti Anthony ….. Lorn Macdonald Finn ….. Reuben Joseph Twitch …. Brian Ferguson Simon ….. Shaun Mason Donna ….. Karen Bartke Mental Health Nurse ….. Elysia WelchSound Design: Fraser JacksonSeries Consultant: Dr Gwen AdsheadSeries format created by Lucia Haynes, Audrey Gillan, Eileen Horne, Gaynor Macfarlane, Anita Vettesse and Kirsty Williams.Thanks to Victoria Byrne, Barlinnie Prison, Vox Liminis Distant Voices Project and Prof Fergus McNeill.Produced by Gaynor Macfarlane and Kirsty WilliamsA BBC Scotland Production directed by Gaynor Macfarlane and Kirsty Williams

Transcribed - Published: 17 January 2025

Joe (Sean Delaney) is the perfect right hand man, working hard to create a positive image of his rich Russian employer (Juris Zagars) and help him to avoid UK sanctions. But now Demidov's Ukrainian daughter-in-law is asking for Joe's help. Thriller by Simon Scardifield and Andrew Day.JOE.....Sean DelaneyALEX.....Steffan CennyddOKSANA Anastasiya AdorPIOTR.....Juris ZagarsKIM.....Suzanne PackerSTEF.....Rhys Parry JonesPHIL.....Sion PritchardProduction co-ordinators.....Eleri Sydney McAuliffe and Lindsay ReesSound designers....Jonathan Thomas, Nigel Lewis and Catherine RobinsonAssistant Producer.....Fay LomasDirector.....Emma HardingA BBC Audio Wales production

Transcribed - Published: 10 January 2025

Afternoon Drama by Tim Price, author of the National Theatre hit Nye.Tensions flare in the North Wales climbing community when a steel bolt appears on a sea cliff in Anglesey. Rhodri, a passionate adventure climber is totally against using bolts, but he's desperate to get the first ascent on a new climbing route, one that could really change his fortunes, and the future of his marriage is dependent on raising enough money to qualify for a spouse visa.CASTRhodri - Sion EifionMatilde - Norah Lopez HoldenGwion - Dion LloydAubrey - Ian Dunnett JnrEmily - Lauren MoraisDan - Nuhazet Diaz CanoJosepa - Zoila GarmanProduction Co-ordinators - Eleri McAuliffe and Lindsay ReesSound Design - Catherine RobinsonDirected by John NortonA BBC Audio Wales Production

Transcribed - Published: 3 January 2025

By Anthony Del ColGripping psychological thriller, set in the world of competitive gaming (esports).Cressida Yang was once a top esports psychologist, until she was scapegoated for the burn out of one of her clients. When her former colleague, Park, ropes her back in to do one last session to help out an underperforming player from his new team Klub Kinetic, Cressida is thrust back into dangerous a world she thought she had left behind.Cressida Yang...... Sophie Wu Blu_Devil ..... Thaddea Graham Park ..... Nikesh Patel Rooftop ..... Jonny Weldon Oliver/Officer Patel ..... Jaz Singh Deol Khaaan/Gonzalez ..... Nuhazet Diaz Cano Teenager ..... Andi Bickers Teammate ..... Dan 'Foxdrop' Wyatt Warstrm ..... Ian Dunnett JnrProduction co-ordinator- Pippa Day Assistant Technical Producer- Mike Etherden Technical Producer and Sound Designer- Sharon Hughes Director- Nadia Molinari Co-Producers- Nadia Molinari, Jessica Mitic, Lorna NewmanWith thanks to Nimitt Mankad, Anthony Wastella and Geoff Moore.A BBC Studios Audio Production for BBC Radio 4

Transcribed - Published: 27 December 2024

By Svetlana Petriychuk Translated by Anna RazumnayaSvetlana Petriychuk's provocative, documentary-style play tells the story of a Russian woman who began an online relationship with an Islamic State fighter, and left everything behind as she travelled to join him in IS group-controlled Syria. When she eventually returns to Russia, she is tried as a terrorist. Over the last decade, there have been hundreds of such cases in Russia and other former Soviet republics.The play, originally performed in Moscow in 2021, attempts to understand what motivated these women's choices: what is driving them to abandon their lives and for what promise? The play draws heavily on the Russian fairy tale of the same name, in which the heroine Maryushka sacrifices everything to travel to a faraway land in search of her beloved prince.In 2022, the original stage production of Finist the Bright Falcon was awarded two awards at the Golden Mask festival, the main national theatre prize in Russia.In July 2024, the playwright Svetlana Petriychuk and the play's director Zhenya Berkovich were sentenced to six years in prison on charges that the play “justifyies terrorism.” The charges are widely seen as a politically motivated attack on freedom of expression in Russia.The Defendant . . . . . Sabrina Sandhu The Judge . . . . . Clare Corbett Other parts . . . . . Nadia Albina, Ruth Everett, Shreya Lallu, Andi BickersThe original stage production was directed by Zhenya Berkovitch. It was translated from the Russian by Anna Razumnaya. The translation consultant was Professor Julie Curtis.Finist the Bright Falcon was produced for radio by Sasha Yevtushenko.A BBC Studios Audio production for Radio 4.

Transcribed - Published: 20 December 2024

Inspired by true events, Orlando Wells' irreverent and anarchic comedy tells the story of two scientists tasked with embalming the body of Vladimir Ilyich Lenin for public display.It's 1924. Lenin is dead. Stalin has seized power and his shadow falls over the lives of millions of Russians. A group of senior Bolsheviks, the self-proclaimed Immortalisation Commission, request the services of two scientists to aide their cause: ensure the Revolution’s survival by building a shrine to their deceased messianic leader. The country's future hangs in the balance; the Communist regime is still in its infancy and a personality cult might be instrumental in legitimising Russia's new overlords. Although it has never been done before, the scientists are under no illusion of the consequence of failure.Vladimir . . . . . Matthew Steer Boris . . . . . Ashley Margolis Faina . . . . . Rhiannon Neads Krasin . . . . . Kenneth Collard Dzerzhinsky . . . . . David Hounslow Lenin . . . . . Gyuri Sarossy Nadya . . . . . Ruth EverettThe guitarist is Ian Dunnet Jnr.Studio managers: Peter Ringrose and Alison Craig. Sound design: Peter Ringrose. Production co-ordinator: Gaelan Davis-Connolly. Director: Sasha Yevtushenko.Orlando Wells is a writer and an actor. Lenin Forever! is his first radio play. He has also written five original theatre plays: The Winter Room (RSC fringe festival), Cold Enough, The Tin Horizon (Theatre 503), Four Days in Hong Kong (The Orange Tree) about Edward Snowden’s exposure of the NSA’s spy programme, and The Woodcutter’s Tale. He adapted Patrick Hamilton’s The Duke in Darkness for the Chiswick Playhouse; and co-wrote the libretto for the experimental opera, Triptych, at the Print Rooms and Wilton’s Music Hall. He was a series-writer for the animated children programs Inspired by true events, Orlando Wells' irreverent and anarchic comedy tells the story of two scientists tasked with embalming the body of Vladimir Ilyich Lenin for public display.It's 1924. Lenin is dead. Stalin has seized power and his shadow falls over the lives of millions of Russians. A group of senior Bolsheviks, the self-proclaimed Immortalisation Commission, request the services of two scientists to aide their cause: ensure the Revolution’s survival by building a shrine to their deceased messianic leader. The country's future hangs in the balance; the Communist regime is still in its infancy and a personality cult might be instrumental in legitimising Russia's new overlords. Although it has never been done before, the scientists are under no illusion of the consequence of failure.Vladimir . . . . . Matthew Steer Boris . . . . . Ashley Margolis Faina . . . . . Rhiannon Neads Krasin . . . . . Kenneth Collard Dzerzhinsky . . . . . David Hounslow Lenin . . . . . Gyuri Sarossy Nadya . . . . . Ruth EverettThe guitarist is Ian Dunnet Jnr.Studio managers: Peter Ringrose and Alison Craig. Sound design: Peter Ringrose. Production co-ordinator: Gaelan Davis-Connolly. Director: Sasha Yevtushenko.Orlando Wells is a writer and an actor. Lenin Forever! is his first radio play. He has also written five original theatre plays: The Winter Room (RSC fringe festival), Cold Enough, The Tin Horizon (Theatre 503), Four Days in Hong Kong (The Orange Tree) about Edward Snowden’s exposure of the NSA’s spy programme, and The Woodcutter’s Tale. He adapted Patrick Hamilton’s The Duke in Darkness for the Chiswick Playhouse; and co-wrote the libretto for the experimental opera, Triptych, at the Print Rooms and Wilton’s Music Hall. He was a series-writer for the animated children programs Xolight and Noksu.

Transcribed - Published: 13 December 2024

By Ali Taylor.Rom-com about two 40-something neighbours who decide to take on the energy crisis by sharing an oven.Tom ..… Grant O’Rourke Geri ….. Sally Reid Zack ..… Lewis MacDougallSound Design by Kris McConnachieDirected by Kirsty WilliamsAn EcoAudio certified from BBC Audio Scotland for BBC Radio 4

Transcribed - Published: 29 November 2024

In 2023, award winning audio dramatist Oliver Emanuel was part way through writing a new play for radio when something happened to him and he found he could no longer read. This is his story: a powerful and poetic drama that is part audio play and part autobiography...A man and a woman are caught in a rip tide, the life they might have had together - flashing in front of their eyes.Another man and a woman are caught in an impossible situation, the life they have together - flashing in front of their eyes.One Hundred and Fifty Days is drawn from The Great Wave - Oliver Emanuel's unfinished audio drama and from All My Reading – his creative response to the experience of brain cancer.These two pieces of writing were edited together by Victoria Beesley and Kirsty Williams.Performed by:Robin Laing Shauna Macdonald Robert JackSound Design by Fraser JacksonDirected by Kirsty WilliamsDetails of support with cancer are available at bbc.co.uk/actionline.

Transcribed - Published: 22 November 2024

A new satire from award winning writer Anita Sullivan, set at a fictional COP conference, with a talking Mosquito. Developed with leading climate scientists.Peter is a hapless politician representing the UK at COP in Paris. Hoping to retire soon – he didn’t really want this assignment, but now he’s caught like a rabbit in the headlights between the fiercely intelligent business analyst who has taken the place of his usual PA, and the changing landscapes of contemporary politics and climate crisis speak. Will he talk absolute rubbish? Will he keep his job? Will he sell our children’s future to the highest bidder? What is African Horse Flu? And can anyone else hear that whining voice?The Mosquito was developed through OKRE Experimental Stories supported by Wellcome, in consultation with Professor Andy Morse (Professor of Climate Impacts at the University of Liverpool) and Dr Omnia El Omrani (Climate and Health Policy Fellow at Imperial College London).Interviews are used with permission from:https://hub.connectingclimateminds.org/lived-experiencesCASTPeter- Robert BathurstThe Mosquito- Laila AljFarah - Laila AljAddy - Audrey BrissonFaith - Ruth EverettMiles - Laurence SaundersThe Volunteer and other roles - Nuhazet Diaz CanoProduction Co-ordinators - Eleri McAuliffe and Noa DowlingSound Design - Catherine RobinsonDirected by John Norton.A BBC Audio Wales production for Radio 4.

Transcribed - Published: 15 November 2024

A Pilgrim two-part special by Sebastian Baczkiewicz.Each year at Belle Meadow Fayre, the Greyfolk meet to celebrate the burial of John Barleycorn, a ritual to mark autumn's end. But this year there’s a problem: Old Johnny John John has gone missing.Autumn shows no sign of abating and without the sacred ceremony at Belle Meadow, winter will not come. The Greyfolk are angry. It's down to Pilgrim to find Old Johnny John John and face down his kidnapper, the rogue faerie Kara.Pilgrim, cursed with immortality by the King of the Greyfolk, is forever forced to walk between the human world and the world of Faerie in a never-ending quest to preserve the uneasy balance between the two.Pilgrim ….. Paul Hilton Vass ….. Toby Jones Kara ….. Holli Dempsey Clemira ….. Sirine Saba Rana ….. Shreya Lallu Keith ….. David Hounslow Mr Summerskill ….. Carl Prekopp Benji ….. Nuhazet Diaz Cano The Girl . . . . . Agnes DromgooleProduction co-ordinator: Maggie Olgiati Foley artist: Alison Craig Sound design: Peter Ringrose Director: Sasha YevtushenkoA BBC Studios Audio production for Radio 4.

Transcribed - Published: 1 November 2024

Siobhan and Max seem to lead a blissfully boring family life, complete with a young daughter and stable careers as teachers. But when Max’s old band - one hit wonders 15 years ago - reform following a hit new cover of their song, Siobhan begins to question the stories she has told herself about their relationship and their past. Then troubling allegations about the band begin to emerge…Sleaze is an exploration of the culture of the early 2000s - in the music scene and more generally - and the generational shift that has occurred since then. The play delves into the ambiguities of memory and how the stories we tell of our life shifts as time moves on, and cultural tides change. It deals with challenging themes involving sexual assault and inappropriate relationships.Sleaze is written by Joe von Malachowski and Will Close (the writing partnership behind Mediocre White Male). Featuring original music composed and performed by Phil McDonnell.CAST: Siobhan ..... Lydia Wilson Max ..... Will Close Ivan ..... Jonny Weldon Hooper ..... Matthew Durkan Chloe ..... Crystal Condie Lucy ..... Jadie Rose HobsonWriters: Joe von Malachowski & Will Close Director: Anne Isger Production Co-ordinator: Gaelan Davis-Connolly Sound: Pete Ringrose, Ali Craig, Mike EtherdenOriginal music by Phil McDonnellA BBC Studios Audio Production for BBC Radio 4

Transcribed - Published: 18 October 2024

by Clara GlynnIt's been a year since Kirsten and Bill opened their home to a Ukrainian family. Now relationships have become strained, can mediation help them to find agreement?Murdo ..... Liam Brennan Kirsten ..... Kirsty Stuart Bill ..... Michael Nardone Larissa ..... Vera Graziadei Mykola ..... Dmitry EverdeenDirected by Gaynor MacfarlaneAs the pressure on the UK’s courts intensifies, more and more cases are going through mediation as an alternative form of conflict resolution. In our series we present cases in which opposing versions of the truth have hardened into what seems like irreconcilable positions. The mediator has to try to find compromise, agreement and a way forward.Series consultant - Charlie IrvineA BBC Audio Scotland production

Transcribed - Published: 11 October 2024

"Now, what I want is Facts. Teach these boys and girls nothing but Facts. Facts alone are wanted in life."Charles Dickens' novel - subtitled 'For These Times' - is a vivid story for our own age - a short, sharp satire of target-driven education, business, and the denial of the imagination. Headmaster Thomas Gradgrind has developed a rigid, facts-driven curriculum for his school. And at home, he raises his two children, Tom and Louisa, within a similar system of utilitarian metrics. But the human spirit has an inherent thirst for wonder and Louisa struggles inside the constraints of her education.Dramatised by Graham WhiteThomas Gradgrind…..David MorrisseyLouisa Gradgrind…..Rachel HarperTom Gradgrind…..Ike BennettJosiah Bounderby…..Shaun DooleySissy Jupe…..Janey OrchardMrs Sparsit…..Jan RavensJames Harthouse…..Will CloseStephen Blackpool…..Arthur HughesRachael…..Claire CageMrs Gradgrind/Margaret/Josephine…..Julie BarclayMr M’Choakumchild/Slackbridge/Collins…..Richard ElfynBitzer…..Aaron AnthonySleary…..Patrick RobinsonProduction co-ordinators Lindsay Rees and Eleri Sydney McAuliffeSound by Rhys Morris, Nigel Lewis and Catherine RobinsonDirected by Emma Harding, BBC Audio Wales

Transcribed - Published: 4 October 2024

By Kevin CoreBaby boomer streamer Trudy Stark's clickbait pronouncements on younger generations have resulted in a big online following, much to the embarrassment of her two struggling daughters 37-year-old Jenny, and 22-year old Chloe. For them there’s nothing funny in being mocked by the boomers with charmed lives who scooped up the nation’s wealth. But the death of Trudy’s father brings these three very different generations together – and as the war between 'Boomer', 'Millennial' and 'Gen Z' rages, they begin to reveal how unreliable these labels are.Trudy..........................Susan Twist Jenny..........................Erin Shanagher Chloe..........................Sade Malone Craig...........................Gareth Cassidy Praj...............................Sushil Chudasama Dan..............................Tarek SlaterProduction Co-ordinator - Vicky Moseley Studio Manager - Amy Brennan Sound Designer - Simon Highfield Director/ Producer - Gary BrownA BBC Studios Audio Production.

Transcribed - Published: 27 September 2024

Sara is trying to reach a society 10,000 years in the future.Hannah is just trying to get through the week.Hannah works as operations manager at a nuclear processing plant that’s about to be decommissioned. Its nuclear waste will be packed into canisters and buried deep underground.But the waste will remain deadly for thousands of years.Sara is a linguist, sent to shadow Hannah, to develop a way of warning future generations about the dangers of the waste that lies buried.The challenge: today’s languages are unlikely to survive the vast timeframes needed.As Hannah and Sara bring their very different perspectives to a tense working environment, tempers flare and connections are made.Natasha Kaeda’s drama asks, how do we care for future generations?CastHannah…. Lois Meleri JonesSara… Indra OvéThe Myth… Kezrena JamesTegwyn… Wyn Bowen HarriesEric…. Dion LloydJohn…. Rhys Ap WilliamProduction co-ordinators… Eleri McAuliffe and Lindsay ReesSound designer… Catherine RobinsonDirector and Producer… Fay LomasBBC Audio Drama Wales

Transcribed - Published: 20 September 2024

A new short story by Emma Smith-Barton, read by Mia Khan.Just after giving birth, Sadia turns into a statue. At least, that’s how she feels. One moment she’s reaching out to pull the curtains shut, and the next she’s frozen to the spot. All she can do is look out of the window – and try to understand what’s happening to her.Emma Smith-Barton’s short stories have appeared in Mslexia and the Bristol Short Story Prize anthology. Her first novel, The Million Pieces of Neena Gill, was shortlisted for the Waterstone’s Children’s Book Prize, the Branford Boase Award, and the Romantic Novelists' Association Debut Romanic Novel Award.Reader: Mia KhanSound: Catherine RobinsonProducer: Fay LomasA BBC Audio Drama Wales Production

Transcribed - Published: 13 September 2024

Daisy Johnson is a multi-award-winning short story writer whose debut novel Everything Under was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize.In The Stranger she weaves a gentle romantic story beginning with an unusual flatshare to save money, then twists it into a suspenseful thriller all in the space of 14 minutes - read by Saffron Coomber.Saffron Coomber has recently starred in Sir Lenny Henry's Windrush drama Three Little Birds, was in Small Axe by Steve McQueen, and made her West End debut as Shakespeare's muse in Emilia by Morgan Lloyd MalcolmWritten by Daisy Johnson Read by Saffron Coomber Produced by Allegra McIlroy

Transcribed - Published: 6 September 2024

It’s 2010. Becky's a marathon runner, who's blind. She's after a new guide. Mark's a former 'Olympic Hopeful'. He's after a fresh chance at a medal.Together, they start training for the Paralympics…Tether, by Evening Standard Award-winner Isley Lynn, travels the miles and years of their partnership. It stars Mared Jarman and Tommy Sim’aan.Becky – Mared JarmanMark – Tommy Sim’aanNews Reporters – Cellan WynGemma and News Reporter – Anna SpearpointAccess Consultant – Margo CargillProduction Coordinator – Eleri McAuliffeSound Design by Nigel LewisDirected by Fay LomasA BBC Audio Wales production for Radio 4With thanks to Robert Matthews, Noel Thatcher, Nick Gleeson, George Ferguson, Carla Lever, Mike Lloyd, Metro Blind Sport, East London Vision, British Paralympic Association, British Blind Sport, Extant Theatre Company, Gareth Burrell, British Athletics, Irina Khapugina, International Paralympic Committee, Rafael Maranhao, Bethany Pitts, Lee Drage, Maisie Greenwood, Jon McLeod, Bruce Lynn.

Transcribed - Published: 30 August 2024

by Al SmithCARRIE ..... Sarah Ridgeway WILL ..... Rick Warden IAN ..... Michael Jibson DIVYA /CSC CO-ORDINATOR ...... Vineeta Rishi DONALD .... Neil McCaul ELEANOR/PARAMEDIC ..... Emma Handy NIKKI/OPERATOR ...... Gabrielle Scawthorn CALLUM/GARY ...... David Angland BETH ...... Cecilia Appiah SCHOOL GIRL/ NAOMI .... Shreya Lallu ANDY ...... Nuhazet Diaz CanoProduction Co-ordinator ...... Maggie Olgiati Technical Producers ...... Peter Ringrose & Alison Craig Director ...... Sally AvensThe award winning drama set in an Ambulance Control Room. Every day Carrie has to deal with emergencies calmly and with a clear head; from a young boy having to give his father CPR to a woman giving birth in a swimming pool, but when her friend and colleague, Will, asks her to lie on his behalf she is forced to choose between her friendship and her job.

Transcribed - Published: 16 August 2024

Paranormal thriller about Near Death Experience.After losing consciousness in a surfing accident, Beth is faced with a horrifying vision of the future. When she awakes, she discovers not only that she has returned with mysterious new abilities but that something sinister has followed her back from the other side.Written by Lucy CatherineBeth . . . . . Scarlett Brookes Roz . . . . . Claire Lams Jenny . . . . . Maureen Beattie Pete . . . . . Narinder Samra Jem . . . . . Paul Ready David . . . . . Tony Jayawardena Sammi . . . . . Mabel CresswellProduction Co-ordinator: Gaelan Davis-Connolly Sound Design: Peter Ringrose Director: Sasha YevtushenkoThe full series of 11 Minutes Dead is available now on BBC Sounds.

Transcribed - Published: 9 August 2024

Edward is a lave net fisherman who spends his days wading and sifting in the tricky tidal waters of the River Severn. When something unexpected turns up in his net, an old mystery rushes back into his life like a spring tide. Starring Jason Hughes and Remy Beasley.Writer - Keri CollinsCASTEdward - Jason HughesEllie - Remy BeasleyLizzie - Katharine RogersBoatyard Jack - Joe SimsJohn - Christian PattersonMaria - Lucy RiversMick - Stuart McLoughlinHolly - Amelie AnthonyProduction Coordinator - Eleri McAuliffeSound Design - Nigel LewisField Recordings - Jonathan ThomasDirector - John NortonA BBC Audio Wales ProductionWith thanks to : Black Rock Lave Net Heritage Fishery

Transcribed - Published: 2 August 2024

by E.V Crowe.Single parent Ana is pretty sure she isn't being paid fairly at work. She's tried her boss; she's tried HR - to no avail. So now she needs to find out how much her colleague Dave earns in order to make her case. So one night, she turns up at his flat to ask him...Crackling two-hander from award-winning writer E.V Crowe that asks: how far would you go to get what's fair?Ana....Ellie Kendrick Dave....Sam SwannProduction co-ordinator....Gaelan Davis-Connolly Sound by Ali Craig, Keith Graham and Andrew Garratt Written by E.V Crowe Directed by Abigail le FlemingThe Writer E V Crowe is a graduate of the Royal Court Young Writers Programme Super Group, and a writer for Theatre, Film, TV, Radio and Dance. She has had four plays on at the Royal Court. Her work for radio includes the award-winning How To Say Goodbye Properly and two series of comic but political two-hander Cry Babies.This drama was originally broadcast on BBC Radio 4.

Transcribed - Published: 26 July 2024

Xinjiang Province, China. Uyghur student, Nur, is able to 'pass' as Han Chinese, and exploits this as much as possible in a society where Uyghur people live under constant surveillance.Nur and her mother, Meryem, want to avoid being sent to one of the re-education prison camps, where it is thought a million people - mostly Uyghur - have been detained without trial. But then they are assigned a live-in Chinese 'relative' by the authorities - Auntie Wang Shu - who comes to stay in their apartment as part of a Family Week initiative to ensure lifestyle conformity: "Cook together, eat together, study together, travel together, sleep together!"But Wang Shu has other motives, which involve marrying her son to a Uyghur woman. And she has Nur in her sights as a prime candidate. Any missteps by Nur or Meryem could result in their being sent into re-education. But will Nur play by the rules?A fictional story inspired by real accounts. Writer Avin Shah has drawn on testimonies from the 2021 independent Uyghur Tribunal (chaired by Sir Geoffrey Nice, chief prosecutor on the trial of Slobodan Milošević) and on research by Raminder Kaur, Professor of Anthropology and Cultural Studies at the University of Sussex, who served on the tribunal, as well on interviews with other Uyghur and Chinese cultural and political consultants.Nur......Aruhan GalievaMeryem.....Camilla AnvarGuard and various other roles.....Daniel York LohOther members of the cast have chosen to remain anonymous.It was a BBC Audio Wales production, directed by Emma Harding.

Transcribed - Published: 19 July 2024

Based on the novel by Maisie Mosco Dramatized by Adam UsdenEpisode 1An epic Jewish family saga, beginning in Manchester in 1905. The Sandberg family have escaped persecution from their homeland in Russia. They arrive as refugees in Strangeways, Manchester, where they must start a new life. Avraham, a cobbler from Dvinsk tries to find work in the many Jewish garment factories housed in the cramped terraces. His wife Sarah tries to settle the kids but has her heart set on her own home.Sarah ...... Emma Leah Golding Avraham ...... Daniel Abelson David ...... Aaron Gelkoff Sammy ...... Yoni Bronks Isaac ...... David Fleeshman Rabbi Lensky ...... Jack Wagman Malka ...... Katie Bernstein Chaim ...... Lishai Rice Uncle Mottel ...... Lloyd PetersCasting co-ordinators-Vicky Moseley and Pippa Day Production co-ordinator-Lorna Newman Studio Manager- Amy Brennan Sound Designer- Sharon Hughes Director/Producers- Jessica Mitic and Gary BrownA BBC Studios Audio ProductionFrom 1791 to 1917 thousands of Jews lived in 'The Pale of Settlement' in the west of the Russian Empire. Then after 1881 when the Tsar was assassinated, the Jews were unfairly blamed and there were many violent pogroms. Thousands fled to America and Western Europe to escape. For many English Jews this is their family's story. Their ancestors mainly went to the East End of London. But several thousand settled in northern cities such as Leeds, Liverpool and Manchester. The Jewish garment industry of the north went on to change the landscape of the British high street. Brands like Marks and Spencer (set up in Leeds Market), Burtons and Moss Brothers were part of the warp and the weft of twentieth century retailing.

Transcribed - Published: 19 July 2024

Episode 1 of 3Starting with Mary Wollstonecraft’s ground-breaking feminist text, A Vindication of the Rights of Woman (1792), and moving into a radical re-imagining of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (1818), through to the contemporary world of Artificial Intelligence, Linda Marshall Griffiths' drama asks what would happen if a woman created a woman?In the first episode of this three part drama Lizzie walks through Mary Wollstonecraft’s world at the end of the 18th Century and she has questions. Tracing Wollstonecraft's extraordinary life, she is challenged by her bravery, her incredible mind and her capacity to fall in love with the wrong men. But this is not time-travel, Lizzie is creating a Virtual Reality world at the centre of which is Mary Wollstonecraft. But as the ‘AI’ Wollstonecraft comes to life, trapped in her virtual world, she begins to question exactly what has changed for women more than two hundred years after the publication of her manifesto - have women achieved equality and freedom? And Lizzie, pregnant and recently diagnosed with an aneurysm, must decide whether to allow her life to be constrained by her health, her lover Max, her impending motherhood or whether to complete her work, following Wollstonecraft’s journey to Norway.Lizzie.....LYDIA WILSON Mary.....DAISY HEAD Max.....SACHA DHAWAN Joseph/Talleyrand-Perigord/ Father.....ANDONIS ANTHONY Eliza/ Jane Austen/ Mother......ERIN SHANAGER Fuseli.....HARRY TAURASIWritten by Linda Marshall Griffiths based on Mary Wollstonecraft's A Vindication of the Rights of Woman Sound design by Sharon Hughes Production co-ordinators Vicky Moseley and Lorna Newman Directed by Nadia MolinariA BBC Studios Audio Production for Radio 4

Transcribed - Published: 12 July 2024

Alfred Bradley Award Winner Alex Clarke's moving original drama.Seventeen-year-old Vanilla’s fall from a tree becomes a wake-up call for those close to her. Displaced and disconnected, the Byrne family learn how to reconnect with each other – even though one of them is asleep.ORLA ..... Sade Malone MARY ..... Michelle Fairley SIOBHAN ..... Lucy Gaskell GEMMA ..... Sacha Parkinson FATHER ROBIN .... .Joseph AlessiDirected by Nadia MolinariAudio Drama North Production

Transcribed - Published: 5 July 2024

A therapist finds herself in conversation with Robert Burns.

Transcribed - Published: 28 June 2024

Franz Kafka’s dark comic fantasy about an innocent’s misadventures in early 20th century America.After a mysterious family scandal, the young immigrant Karl Rossman is expelled from his Bohemian home and dispatched to America by his parents. Adrift in this strange new world, Karl is soon swept up in an America that is by turns a land of endless promise and monstrous brutality.The Man Who Disappeared (also known as Amerika) was Franz Kafka’s first attempt at a novel but remained unfinished at the time of his death and only published posthumously. Kafka had never visited America and the fantastical world of his novel is clearly inspired by the myths and fears wrapped up in the country’s great economic boom of the early 20th century, particularly the rapid rise of big business and industrialisation.A new adaptation by Ed Harris.Karl . . . . . Divian Ladwa Narrator . . . . . Fenella Woolgar Jacob . . . . . Karl Johnson Mr Green . . . . . Ed Gaughan Delamarche . . . . . Charlie Anson Robinson . . . . . Ian Dunnett Jnr Head Cook . . . . . Jessica Turner Klara . . . . . Anna SpearpointProduction co-ordinator: Ben Hollands Sound design: Peter Ringrose Director: Sasha YevtushenkoA BBC Studios Audio productionEd Harris is an award-winning dramatist and comedy writer. He has had over 20 audio plays broadcast on BBC Radio 3 and 4, as well as three series of his popular wartime sitcom, Dot. His work has won numerous awards including two Writers’ Guild Awards, a BBC Audio Drama Award and a Sony Gold/Radio Academy Award. His stage plays include Strangers Like Me (National Theatre Connections), Mongrel Island (Soho Theatre), Never Ever After (shortlisted for the Meyer-Whitworth Award) and What The Thunder Said (Theatre Centre). He is a current Royal Literary Fellow at Brighton University and Writer-in-Residence for the Oxford Kafka 2024 programme at Oxford University.

Transcribed - Published: 21 June 2024

By Ed HarrisAn intimate and mischievously punk telling of Franz Kafka’s most significant romantic relationship. Franz and Felice follows the twists and turns of the writer’s relationship with Felice Bauer, how events in their relationship burst violently into Kafka’s stories and imagination, and how his stories responded. And how everything, real and invented, played out in the shadow of his father, the dark presence always ready to enter from the room next door.Narrator . . . . . Anton Lesser Franz . . . . . Ashley Margolis Felice . . . . . Abigail Weinstock Ottla . . . . . Anna Spearpoint Guide . . . . . Clare Corbett Max . . . . . Ian Dunnett Jnr Grete . . . . . Lily Anne LefkowProduction co-ordinator: Ben Hollands Sound design: Peter Ringrose Director: Sasha YevtushenkoA BBC Studios Audio productionEd Harris is an award-winning dramatist and comedy writer. He has had over 20 audio plays broadcast on BBC Radio 3 and 4, as well as three series of his popular wartime sitcom, Dot. His work has won numerous awards including two Writers’ Guild Awards, a BBC Audio Drama Award and a Sony Gold/Radio Academy Award. His stage plays include Strangers Like Me (National Theatre Connections), Mongrel Island (Soho Theatre), Never Ever After (shortlisted for the Meyer-Whitworth Award) and What The Thunder Said (Theatre Centre). He is a current Royal Literary Fellow at Brighton University and Writer-in-Residence for the Oxford Kafka 2024 programme at Oxford University.This drama was originally broadcast on BBC Radio 4.

Transcribed - Published: 14 June 2024

Atmospheric drama by Robert Forrest.An old man turns up in hospital with his head full of stories and his pockets full of leaves. No-one knows who he is. But when he finally begins to talk, the woman who sits across from him finds herself pulled into his world and captivated by his stories.Cast in Order of Appearance:Isobel … Wendy Seager Ossian … Finlay Welsh Helen … Anne Louise Ross Dermot … Scott Miller Fingal … Finn Den HertogSound Design and original music by Niall Young Directed by Kirsty Williams

Transcribed - Published: 7 June 2024

Dark Medical Thriller by Matthew Broughton, creator of Tracks and Broken Colours.With original music by Sion Orgon and Rhodri Davies.CASTAnna Diaz- Saran MorganGed Diaz - Sion Daniel YoungRuth - Michelle BonnardMr Devonshire - Pal AronMr Dartington - Ifan Huw DafyddRaymond - Ioan HefinOriginal music by Sion Orgon and Rhodri DaviesProduction Coordinator Eleri McAuliffeSound Design by Catherine RobinsonDirected by John NortonA BBC Audio Wales production for Radio 4

Transcribed - Published: 31 May 2024

Comedy drama by Katherine Chandler, starring Siwan Morris and Kimberley Nixon.When her eight-year-old daughter is the only one in the class who doesn't get a party invitation, Lizzie challenges the birthday girl's mum, Jo. As their two world views collide, all hell breaks loose. What are the rules here?CASTJo - Siwan MorrisLizzie - Kimberley NixonHuw - Tomos EamesRitchie Tyne- Nathan SussexMrs Wilson - Zoe DaviesMargaret - Hannah McPakeThe Postman - Anthony CorriaMicha - Joséphine López-NortonEllie - Raphaëlle López-NortonProduction Coordinator: Eleri McAuliffeSound Design: Catherine Robinson and Nigel LewisProducer: John NortonA BBC Audio Wales Production

Transcribed - Published: 24 May 2024

A new drama about motherhood and chaos, from Olivier-Award-winning writer Lolita Chakrabarti, starring Meera Syal.Three generations of ultra-successful women in one family:Maya, a self-help guru with an avid following, has an American TV deal in the offing. Nina, her daughter, a psychiatrist, is expanding her thriving practice. Amber, Nina's daughter, has an offer from Cambridge.But a fault line will soon tear everything apart.Deeply visceral, often sharply funny, Calmer explores mental health and the intense love and competition in mother-daughter relationships.By Lolita ChakrabartiMaya…. Meera SyalNina… Lolita ChakrabartiAmber… Payal MistryMichael… Julian WadhamJude… Benjamin WesterbyGrace… Sophie MelvilleProduction co-ordinator: Lindsay ReesOriginal music… Lee AffenSound design: Nigel LewisDirected by Fay LomasA BBC Audio Drama Wales Production

Transcribed - Published: 12 May 2024

By Ben Lewis. Soulful and witty drama about love, nature and the love of nature.

Transcribed - Published: 3 May 2024

Shakespeare's exhilarating late play of lovers under strain and leaders under pressure. Staged in an alternative present-day Britain.An ineffectual ruler governs a divided, insular Britain, alienated from the rest of Europe. That ruler, Cymbeline (Michael Maloney), refuses to pay the taxes demanded by a foreign power, clinging to mythical notions of sovereignty. "Britain's a world by itself and we will nothing pay for wearing our own noses." But Cymbeline's judgement is clouded by grief, having lost his two older children as babies. When his daughter Imogen (Lydia Wilson) rebels and marries boyfriend Posthumus (Daniel Rock) in secret, Cymbeline is enraged and banishes Posthumus. But waiting in the wings is a power-hungry figure, plotting to seize control by any means necessary.Adapted and directed for radio by Emma HardingIntroduced by Professor Edith HallImogen ..... Lydia WilsonCymbeline ..... Michael MaloneyPosthumus Leonatus ..... Daniel RockIachimo ..... Philip ArdittiQueen ..... Amanda LawrenceCloten ..... Will CloseCaia Lucius ..... Greta ScacchiPisanio ..... Ayesha DharkerBelarius ..... Ifan Huw DafyddGuiderius ..... Zak Ghazi-TorbatiArviragus ..... Matthew AubreyCornelia ..... Nadia WilliamsPhilario ..... Harry TaurasiJailer. .... Philippe SpallSue Sayer ..... Sara GregoryOriginal music composed by Joseph Howard, performed by Zak Ghazi-Torbati, Joseph Howard and Eosaph Caimbeul.Shakespeare consultant, Paul PrescottProduction co-ordinator, Eleri Sydney McAuliffeSound design, Catherine RobinsonA BBC Audio Drama Wales production

Transcribed - Published: 28 April 2024

by Kamal Kaan and Mary Cooper Episode 1 - Naila's StoryNaila is a bright teenager in Bradford. Her parents want her to go to university to study medicine, and they don't want any distractions. But Naila loves cricket, and gets involved in the nascent school female cricket team. Three of the girls become firm friends and call themselves 'Bat Girls'. The team shows real promise and starts to do very well. But will this get in the way of Naila's parents' ambitions for her?NAILA..............................................Yazmin Kayani KARISHMA................................... Amy Leigh Hickman ROSHINA .......................................Saba Amini MARIYA...........................................Natalie Davies QADIR/ TAHIR...............................Ash Tandon MRS HEMINGWAY/ MUM........ Purvi Parmar MR CHATTERJEE...........................Sushil ChudasamaProduction Co-ordinator - Lorna Newman Studio Manager - Amy Brennan Script Advisers - Sara De Jong and Zainab Goreja Sound Design - Sharon Hughes Director/Producer - Gary BrownA BBC Studios Audio ProductionSpecial thanks to Duckinfield Cricket Club, Shivanie Patel (Bradford Park Avenue Ladies' Cricket Club), Katie Stewart (Yorkshire Cricket Board) and Mariam Ali - (Refugee Action, Bradford)Show less

Transcribed - Published: 19 April 2024

The master mason is dead; long live the master mason. Lizzy Mansfield's comedy takes us back to the golden age of cathedral building and the moment humble stonemason Bill Mason gets the call. When the Bishop asks, you don't say no. But is he the one really calling the shots?Bill ..... Edward Hogg Penelope ..... Laura Elphinstone Eliza ..... Kathryn Drysdale Bishop ..... Michael Bertenshaw Messenger ...... Aaron Gelkoff Tom Farmer ..... John LightbodySound Designer ... Peter Ringrose Production Coordinator ..... Jenny MendezDirected by Toby SwiftA BBC Studios Audio production for BBC Radio 4

Transcribed - Published: 12 April 2024

Esme’s meeting her boyfriend’s parents for the first time. But when she discovers a dark family secret, making a good impression becomes the least of her worries… Chloë Myerson’s modern-day folk-horror story about family and fate, inspired by the writing of Hans Christian Andersen.CAST Esme ..... Máiréad Tyers Danny ..... Josh Bryant-Jones Susanna ..... Jane Slavin Tim ..... Nicholas Woodeson The Storyteller .... David Menkin Agneta ..... Kitty O’SullivanWritten by Chloë Myerson Directed by Anne Isger Sound by Ali Craig and Andy GarrattA BBC Audio Production

Transcribed - Published: 22 March 2024

Entertaining drama from award-winning writer Matthew Broughton exploring probably the biggest turning point in recent history: the creation of the World Wide Web, and its impact on one family in the decades that follow.In August 1991, the first website goes live. At exactly the same time, a baby is born...Julie....Claudie Blakley Vic....Dana Haqjoo Young Lucy...Astrid le Fleming Lucy....Katie Redford Young Ben....Bertie Creswell Ben....Luke Nunn Narrator....Peter Marinker With the voices of Josh Bryant-Jones, Jessica Enemokwu, Laura Power, Maxim Reston.Technical producers...Keith Graham, Andy Garratt, Peter Ringrose Production co-ordinator...Jonathan PowellWritten by Matthew Broughton Directed by Abigail le FlemingA BBC Audio Production for BBC Radio 4Extract from 2012 Olympics opening ceremony, BBC audio, © International Olympic Committee. Extracts of Sir Tim Berners-Lee from an interview with CNBC, and The Richard Dimbleby Lecture: The World Wide Web - A Mid-Course Correction, BBC

Transcribed - Published: 15 March 2024

It’s 1984. In a mining village in the Welsh Valleys, Alys is doing her O-Levels, falling in love, and just being a teenager.Then, the Miners’ Strike starts. And everything changes.Forty years later, reeling from her marriage break up, Alys takes her son on a day out in the Valleys: to the zip wire above the site of Tower Colliery. Soon, she finds herself revisiting the year that altered her family’s lives irrevocably.Siân Owen’s drama is about the children of the Miners’ Strike - and its legacy.By Siân OwenYoung Alys... Caitlin GriffithsOlder Alys... Mali HarriesCai.... Shaheen JafargholiSamuel.... Nicholas McGaughey Sue... Lisa ZahraJacob.... Jamie RedfordCai’s Dad and Eddie.... Rhys Ap WilliamSarah.... Jemima NicholasPaul.... Rory KelleherProduction Co-ordinator, Lindsay ReesSound Design, Catherine Robinson and Nigel LewisDirector and Producer, Fay LomasA BBC Audio Drama Wales Production

Transcribed - Published: 8 March 2024

Written by Mike Walker, from an idea by Michael Crick.A tragicomic take on the months Tsar Peter the Great spent in London learning about ship-building and naval tactics, destroying the house and garden of diarist John Evelyn; roistering with the ambitious young actress Letitia Cross; and preparing himself for an onslaught upon Evelyn’s treasured holly hedge, Russia’s backward society and the peace of Northern Europe.Peter . . . . . Greg Kolpakchi Letitia . . . . . Siena Kelly John . . . . . Michael Bertenshaw Ben . . . . . John Lightbody Foreign Secretary . . . . . Josh Bryant-Jones Lucy . . . . . Kitty O’SullivanSound design: Andy Garratt & Peter Ringrose Director: Sasha YevtushenkoThis drama was originally broadcast on BBC Radio 4.

Transcribed - Published: 1 March 2024