Episodes
| Episode | Title | First Broadcast | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | First Of Millions | 20230513 | The first of a collection of dramas illuminating historical turning points. Inspired by true events, writer Ryan Craig tells the story behind the pioneering science that led to the birth of the first IVF baby. At the heart of a story which celebrates the science and people involved is the working relationship between Physiologist, Robert Edwards and Obstetrician, Patrick Steptoe. Both mavericks who came into conflict with the establishment they conducted much of their ground-breaking research in a make-shift laboratory at the Oldham hospital where Steptoe worked and where John and Lesley Brown were finally to become parents. Robert Edwards - ¦.. Vincent Franklin Patrick Steptoe - ¦.. Pip Torrens Lesley Brown - ¦.. Katy Sobey John Brown - ¦.. Luke Allen-Gale The Writer - ¦.. Ryan Whittle Ruth Edwards and Louise Brown - ¦.. Katherine Press Barry Bavister - ¦.. Hasan Dixon The Cambridge Master - ¦.. Roger Ringrose Jean Purdy - ¦.. Kymberley Cochrane Professor H怀怀g - ¦.. Ewan Bailey Dr Hinton - ¦.. Georgie Glen The Vicar - ¦.. Samuel James Fiona - ¦.. Leah Marks Directed by Gemma Jenkins This factually-based drama includes some imagined characters and scenes. Medical drama about the pioneering science that led to the birth of the first IVF baby. |
| 02 | Wasps In A Jam Jar | 20230610 | ~Turning Point: Wasps in a Jam Jar by Jonathan Maitland. Elspeth was married to Geoffrey Howe. She was the complete opposite of the other woman in his life, Margaret Thatcher. Elspeth was Chair of the Broadcasting Standards Commission and a vocal supporter of the homeless. She was a feminist, whereas Mrs Thatcher thought a woman's place was in the home. This rivalry played a substantial part in Geoffrey Howe's famous resignation speech in 1990. Arguably the speech was a major turning point in contemporary history. It meant the end of Mrs Thatcher. But most significant of all, the European battle lines in the Conservative Party were indelibly drawn that day. There's a straight line from that speech to the Brexit referendum. This comedy drama by journalist Jonathan Maitland dramatises the events leading up to the speech. Elspeth Howe...................................Penelope Wilton Margaret Thatcher.........................Harriet Walter Geoffrey Howe................................James Fleet Alan Clark/Nigel Lawson.............Jonty Stephens Ian Gow/Brian Walden.................Simon Greenall Journalist...........................................Jonathan Maitland Commons Speaker.........................Hamilton Berstock Production Co-Ordinator - Pippa Day Tech Team - Keith Graham & Jenni Burnett Sound Design - Sue Stonestreet Director/Producer -Gary Brown A BBC Audio Drama North Production. This drama is an adaptation of Jonathan Maitland's stage play 'Dead Sheep'. Jonathan Maitland is a well known broadcast journalist who has worked extensively for BBC, ITV and Radio 4. He is now a playwright with several plays already produced. His new play 'The Interview' will premiere at the Park Theatre in Oct 2023. Penelope Wilton and Harriet Walter in a comedy drama about Geoffrey Howe's resignation. |
| 03 | A Ghastly Mistake | 20230701 | Born Elizabeth Forbes in 1912, Dr Ewan Forbes goes to the Scottish courts to protect his marriage, his practice and above all his claim to be heir-male to the Craigevar Baronetcy. In 1967, John Forbes Sempill takes out a civil court case against his cousin, Ewan to establish his right to inherit the Baronetcy of Craigievar in Scotland - a title which could only be passed down the male line. Ewan, otherwise next in line, was registered at birth as Elizabeth, a girl. But, from the age of 6 he has lived as boy and man. A qualified GP he has successfully amended his birth certificate and married his housekeeper `Patty`. The sudden death of Ewan's older brother, William Baronet of Craigevar, instantly changes Ewan's quiet rural life. His cousin challenges for the title, claiming that Ewan is female and cannot inherit. Ewan feels obliged to defend his position - to protect his marriage, his way of life and his identity. The hearing may be held `in camera` out of the public gaze, but the testimony from the court records, reveals a disturbing personal examination and enquiry for both Ewan and Patty. The play presents their personal struggle to confirm Ewan's gender and preserve the legality of their marriage against their moral obligations in the eyes of God to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. Nicholas McInerney's new play looks at the events of Ewan's life through the eyes of the late Gwendolyn Forbes Sempill, formidable as Ewan's mother and champion. It intertwines scenes from childhood with critical moments of the hearing taken verbatim from the court transcript. Interpolated throughout the play are moments of verbatim testimony from people identifying as `trans`, from the 1950s to today. With Frances Barbour and Kit Green. An International Arts Partnership production for BBC Radio 4 Born Elizabeth in 1912, Ewan Forbes defends his claim to the family baronetcy as heir-male |
| 04 | Behind Beyond The Fringe | 20230805 | May 14th 1961 - Reviewing the hottest ticket in town, Observer theatre critic Ken Tynan effused: 'Future historians may well thank me for providing them with a full account of the moment when English comedy took its first decisive step into the second half of the twentieth century. Like the 'angry young' novels and 'kitchen sink' dramas of a few years earlier, 'Beyond the Fringe' was a cultural and political turning point, introducing new voices and fresh attitudes to a generation hungry for change. 'Beyond the Fringe' not only transformed the style of British comedy, lighting the fuse of the satire boom, it also fired a broadside at The Establishment and sent a blast of fresh air through the fusty corridors of power. Before the Beatles made the 60s swing the Fab Four of comedy, Bennett, Cook, Miller and Moore opened the door to 'the permissive society', auguring the death of deference which still clung to paternalistic, post-colonial Britain. Jeremy Front's drama takes a look at how four young men were brought together to stage a comedy show and ended up staging a revolution. With thanks to John and Josh Bassett for their help in researching the play. Johnny Bassett - Patrick Walshe McBride Dudley Moore - Ian Dunnett Jnr Alan Bennett - Matthew Durkan Jonathan Miller - Tom Durant-Pritchard Peter Cook - David Reed Robert Ponsonby - Hasan Dixon Donald Langdon - Samuel James Stella/Waitress/ASM/ Mrs Grossett/Eleanor Fazan - Rhiannon Neads Writer - Jeremy Front Technical Producer - Peter Ringrose Director - Sally Avens How Beyond The Fringe changed the face of British comedy |
| 05 | The Fall | 20231104 | by Clara Glynn The extraordinary story of the mistake that caused one of the most significant turning points of the 20th century. In November 1989 the repressive tyranny of the GDR ended and with it the Cold War, bringing in 33 years of peace - which only recently ended. At a routine press conference on November 9, 1989, an East German spokesperson, Günter Schabowski, was handed an announcement about relaxed travel regulations for the people of East Germany. He mistakenly announced that the checkpoints in the Berlin Wall which up until then were guarded by soldiers with orders to shoot anyone trying to cross were now open. They weren't, but that announcement was all East Berliners needed to storm the Wall and demand they be allowed to cross into West Berlin. After that, the Wall became obsolete, and soon fell. This is a story of misguided good men doing their best, evil men doing their worst and an incompetent bureaucrat who accidentally changes the world. Erich Honecker - Gary Lewis Erich Mielke - Crawford Logan Egon Krenz - Adam McNamara Gerhard Lauter - Robin Laing Erika Lauter - Lisa Livingstone Günter Schabowski/Mikhail Gorbachev - Michael Nardone Monika Folke - Elysia Welch Vladimir Putin - Michael Guest Sound design by Fraser Jackson Directed by Gaynor Macfarlane The story of the mistake that caused one of the crucial turning points of the 20th century At a routine press conference on November 9, 1989, an East German spokesperson, Günter Schabowski, was handed an announcement about relaxed travel regulations for the people of East Germany. He mistakenly announced that the checkpoints in the Berlin Wall — which up until then were guarded by soldiers with orders to shoot anyone trying to cross — were now open. They weren't, but that announcement was all East Berliners needed to storm the Wall and demand they be allowed to cross into West Berlin. After that, the Wall became obsolete, and soon fell. By Clara Glynn. This is a story of misguided good men doing their best, evil men doing their worst and an incompetent bureaucrat who accidentally changes the world. |
| 06 | First Folio | 20231111 | Drama from BBC Radio 4 Mike Harris reimagines the collation of Shakespeare's First Folio through the efforts of his colleagues John Heminges and Henry Condell. The First Folio, which was published 400 years ago, gathers 36 plays for the first time - although how much was accurate and how much reinvented through memory and scraps of manuscript remains a subject of debate. To add a bit of fun to the whole procedure, Mike Harris imagines a young girl - Rosalind - desperate to act and write in a world where it's the last thing females would routinely be allowed to do.... Cast: Rosalind Hannah Traylen The Ghost/Shakespeare Christopher Jordan Heminges Jos Vantyler Condell Ricky Oakley Isaac Jaggard Paul Kemp John Leeson Ben Castle Gibb Moll Frith Alex Constantinidi Sir Pexall Broackass Miles Richardson Other parts played by members of the cast Written by Mike Harris Produced and directed by Clive Brill A Brill production for BBC Radio 4 A comedic imagining of how Shakespeare's First Folio came into being. Shakespeare's First Folio was published 400 years ago, thanks to the efforts of his colleagues John Heminges and Henry Condell. This comedic play charts their efforts. |
| 07 | Mae West | 20231202 | In 1926 Mae West wrote, directed, produced and starred in the smash hit Sex on Broadway. When she was arrested on stage the following year for 'corrupting the morals of youth', the subsequent court case led to a choice between apologising and paying a fine or going to jail for ten days. # Mae chose the latter and it secured her legend. While she was serving her time at Welfare Island she was invited to dinner with the Warden. This drama, based on those real events, imagines that dinner and celebrates the fabulous Mae West and her subsequent glittering career - writing her own lines in her movies, acting with casting approval over all her male co-stars, becoming the number one box office draw and the second richest person in America by 1935. All on her own terms. She was a trailblazer, a warrior. A woman of power and property. A woman who refused to be silenced or let age diminish her importance. And yet her extraordinary achievements often seem to have been forgotten, despite the icons that followed in her footsteps – Marilyn and Madonna and young Miley naked on her wrecking ball. Written by Tracy-Ann Oberman with David Spicer Mae West - Tracy-Ann Oberman Warden Schleth - Stuart Milligan, Adolph Zukor - Alistair McGowan Matron - Lorelei King, Prosecutor - Matt Addis Tallulah - Pepter Lunkuse Kathleen - Jessica Dennis Lainie - Anoushka Cowan Producer: Liz Anstee A CPL production for BBC Radio 4 In 1927, Mae West chose to go jail and it made her a superstar. By Tracy-Ann Oberman. In 1926 Mae West wrote, directed, produced and starred in the smash hit Sex. She then went to jail to defend it. Ten years later she was the second richest person in America. |
| 08 | Never Mind The Ballocks | 20231230 | When Nottingham Virgin Records displays the Sex Pistols album Never Mind The Bollocks in the window, the local police take offence. The local shop manager looks like he might take the rap when Virgin boss Richard Branson manufactures a row and the case goes to court. The stage is set for a showdown between Sir John Mortimer QC and the local guardians of morality. And it's more than just bad language that's on trial. Michael Eaton's drama evokes England of the late 1970s - a time of strikes, poverty and power cuts. Against this background, the country's attitude to the Sex Pistols, punk and the angry youth they represented is tested. Regina v Searle was heard at Court Three at Nottingham's Guildhall on the chill morning of November 27, 1977. Witnesses included artist Caroline Coon, and the stern Scottish Professor James Kinsley of Nottingham University, an expert in Medieval Linguistics. Cast: Nicholas Boulton as David Ritchie QC, and Inspector Phil Newton Jon Culshaw as John Lydon, Richard Branson and Malcolm McLaren Philip Jackson as The Narrator Alistair McGowan as John Mortimer QC Alana Ramsey as WPC Julie Storey Wilf Scolding as Christopher Searle and Sergeant Stone John Wark as Professor Kinsley Gemma Whelan as The Commentator Writer: Michael Eaton Director: David Morley Sound Presentation: Wilfredo Acosta Sound Design: Tom Maggs A Perfectly Normal production for BBC Radio 4 It's more than just bad language on trial when the police take on Virgin records in 1977. Jon Culshaw is John Lydon and Alistair McGowan is John Mortimer QC in a drama about the notorious Sex Pistols obscenity trial, which questioned our attitudes to 'bad language'. The stage is set for a showdown between Sir John Mortimer QC and the local guardians of morality. And it's more than just strong language that's on trial. Jon Culshaw is John Lydon and Alistair McGowan is John Mortimer QC in a drama about the notorious Sex Pistols obscenity trial, which questioned our attitudes to strong language. |
| 09 | Southall Uprising | 20240210 | Set in immigrant, working class Southall, West London during the highly charged racially divided climate of a late 1970s Britain, on the cusp of Thatcherism. 1976, the racist murder of teenager Gurdip Singh Chaggar led to escalating tensions between Black/Asian locals and the far right. On St. George's Day, April 23rd 1979, Tory-run Ealing Council and the Labour government permit a National Front pre-election rally at the town hall, in the heart of Southall. In an act of determined resistance, the community peacefully sits down to stand up to racism, against ensuing police brutality that ultimately leads to the death of protesting New Zealand teacher Blair Peach. 2024 marks the 45th anniversary of the Southall Uprising, a turning point in the birth of an Asian/Black Britain. St. George's Day 1979 is remembered for when this small, hard-working immigrant community fought back against the far-right and its calls for immigrant repatriation, forced to collectively defend and assert its right to live, work and exist in a new, emerging multicultural Britain. Satinder Chohan's drama is based on the true events and testimonies of people who attended the protest in 1979 and was recorded on location in Southall. RAMI - .Gavi Singh Chera KIYANA - - - .Grace Saif BHUPI - - Zainab Hasan ASIM - - Gurjeet Singh DAD/ SHERA/ UNCLE MONU - - Ameet Chana MUM/ AUNTY - - Manjinder Virk POLICE OFFICER/PROTESTOR....John Lightbody POLICE OFFICER/PROTESTOR.....Tyler Cameron PROTESTORS......members of the Punjabi Theatre Company Tajinder Paul Singh, Balvinder Kumar, Balwinder Jhim. Nahar Singh Gill and students from Praxis Performing Arts at Uxbridge College: Alannah Dolphin, Keira Doyle, Chiana Elliott, Rico Joseph, Jevounghn Gregg Fuller. Tay Furzer-Pickett, Ronan Kubilius. Peelo Mookodi, Quinn (Rebecca) Puse, Max Mcdermott, Jason O'Connor, Sienna O' Connor, Lilly Poore, Michael Stone, Hannah Williams, Natalie Young. Production Co-ordinator: Lorna Newman Technical Production, Location Recording and Sound Design: Sharon Hughes Writer: Satinder Chohan Director and Producer: Nadia Molinari BBC Audio Drama North Production An EcoAudio certified production Satinder Chohan's powerful drama about the people of Southall standing up to racism. When the National Front decide to hold a rally in Southall, the local community rise up in protest. The violence that followed changed everything. |
| 10 | This Is For Everyone | 20240309 | 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 it's 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 Blakeley 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 Powell Written by Matthew Broughton Directed by Abigail le Fleming A BBC Audio Production for BBC Radio 4 Extract from 2012 Olympics opening ceremony, BBC audio, © International Olympic Committee. Drama exploring the impact of the invention of the World Wide Web. Entertaining drama from award-winning writer Matthew Broughton exploring the impact of the biggest turning point in recent history: the creation of the World Wide Web. |