Recent BBC Radio Drama

by Harry on December 30, 2007

Radio 4 has given us an embarrassment of riches recently, and due to the remarkable snowfalls here I’ve had ample time to listen (while shovelling our over-long driveway). Still online, and well worth a listen are Simon Bovey’s dark mystery, The Iceman and Robin Brooks’s witty tribute to M.R. James, A Warning to the Furious. Best of all is a repeat of Marcy Kahan’s 20 Cigarettes, which was a 2007 Tinniswood award nominee, and deservedly so. (Kahan is the writer of the brilliant Noel Coward comedy/mysteries, and also wrote the screenplay for the excellent, but apparently not-yet-on-DVD Antonia and Jane). Find an hour for 20 Cigarettes if you can.

{ 7 comments }

1

lena 12.30.07 at 10:56 pm

And don’t forget Radio 3. Here’s Mike Bartlett’s gem, Not Talking, broadcast yesterday and available online until next Sat.

2

John Emerson 12.31.07 at 1:30 am

OT: The Post reports on an Orkneys sport called ” ba’ ” which is like a primitive version of rugby, but not a finesse game the way rugby is. British culture continually offers surprises.

3

Oliver T 12.31.07 at 2:56 am

I recently enjoyed the adaptation of 84 Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff, with Gillian Anderson as the New York bibliophile. It is cosy and surprisingly touching.
Click on ‘Tuesday’:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/arts/afternoon_play.shtml

Also there is ‘Don’t Hang Up’, an amazing episode of which is only available direct:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/aod/networks/radio4/aod.shtml?radio4/donthangup
A man phones up telephone boxes and hears some remarkable stories. Reality TV/Radio as it should be.

4

Nicholas Gruen 12.31.07 at 4:10 am

Infuriating the Beeb doesn’t post this stuff as mp3 files – and that they take it down off their website so quickly.

5

Warren Terra 12.31.07 at 9:39 am

They post the streaming files for seven days, starting about an hour or so after broadcast. There are ways to archive them for later listening; I just got through the Somerset Maugham ‘Ashenden, Gentlemen Spy’ series from BBC7 earlier in the month, and it was very well done.

Some of the BBC Radio 4 comedy programs (in particular the Now Show and the News Quiz) and most of the documentary programs are available as podcasts.

6

Warren Terra 12.31.07 at 9:39 am

They post the streaming files for seven days, starting about an hour or so after broadcast. There are ways to archive them for later listening; I just got through the Somerset Maugham ‘Ashenden, Gentlemen Spy’ series from BBC7 earlier in the month, and it was very well done.

Some of the BBC Radio 4 comedy programs (in particular the Now Show and the News Quiz) and most of the documentary programs are available as podcasts.

7

rootlesscosmo 01.01.08 at 6:59 pm

Antonia and Jane was released on VHS; a copy might still be floating around on eBay or somewhere. Very, very funny play.

Comments on this entry are closed.