CHRISTMAS HIGHLIGHTS Contents 2

Drama and Readings Factual

A Chile Christmas 6 Correspondents Look Ahead 19

A Long Time Dead 4 Crib City 10

All Fingers And Thumbs 17 Crypt Music Kings 18

Ancient And Modern 8 Falling Up 7

Angelic Hosts 5 Food Quiz Special 13

Augustus Carp Esq. By Himself 6 Fractured 5

Boxing Clever 14 Hallelujah! 11

In The Bosom Of The Family 19 If The Slipper Fits 15

Just William – Doin’ Good 14 JM Barrie – Man And Boy 14

Lorna Doone 4 Magic Carpets 3

Peter And Wendy (rpt) 15 Opening Nights: Peter Pan Takes Flight 8

The Adventure Of The Christmas Pudding 9 People’s D-Day 13

The Dittisham Nativity 8 Remember Alistair Cooke 12

The Little White Bird 12 20

The Nutcracker 3 Santarchy 11

The Sorcerer’s Apprentice 16 Sing Christmas 12 Soul Music 11 Comedy and Entertainment 14 The Long Winter 9

Best Of I’m Sorry I Haven’t A Clue 15 The Reunion 13

Fanshawe Gets To The Bottom Of…Christmas 11 Veg Talk 19

Fanshawe Gets To The Bottom Of…The Party Season 19 Wall Of Death 4

Hamish And Dougal Hogmanay Special 19 Who Was Wenceslas And Who Decided He Was Good? 7

Lets Hear It For The King Of Judea 3 Christmas Special 10 Religion ’s Tales From The Lodge Room 15

Steven Appleby’s Normal Christmas 8 Christmas In Bethlehem 11

The Write Stuff 17 Christmas Service 11

With Great Pleasure At Christmas 11 Daily Service 9 Festival Of Nine Lessons And Carols 9

Midnight Mass 9

Sunday Worship 13

The Choice 6 3 Saturday 18 December 2004

BBC RADIO 4 Saturday 18 December Magic Carpets 1/1 3.30-4.00pm Let’s Hear It For The King Of Judea 1/1 Seaside entertainer Tony Lidington (who has flown on a magic 10.30-11.00am carpet himself) explores the symbolism and language of carpets. He finds that in the past, weavers often travelled from country Terry Jones asks: "What has the King of Judea ever done for us?" to another in response to market demands and produced Let’s face it, King Herod has had a bad press. Ask most people masterpieces of patterned, knotted yarn that still arouse wonder what he is known for and they will only mention the today. Nomadic tribes built makeshift looms and used wandering Massacre of the Innocents referred to in the Gospel of St Matthew. flocks of sheep, spun yarn and designed carpets, depicting nature as But this is the only reference to the event.Terry thinks there’s more they saw it – illustrating their culture and religious beliefs with to be said about a ruler who was known as ‘Herod the Great’. symbols and motifs.As long ago as the 5th century, carpets were better currency than money - Queen Cleopatra even presented Terry, having on one occasion appeared in a stable in Bethlehem herself to Caesar, rolled up inside one. cunningly disguised as the mother of Brian, wants to know more. He talks to historians such as Peter Richardson, who says he finds Tony visits a rare carpet auction where thousands of pounds are much to admire in Herod’s grand architectural projects; to a exchanged on symbols, designs, knots and yarn. He talks to those group who are excavating Herod’s great temple site in Caesarea, who make them by hand using specially made natural dyes and he Israel; and to the Herod Appreciation Society who are based in visits some of the towns here in the UK, that were built on Ilford, Essex. carpet manufacture. Oh, and he takes a very special ride on a magic carpet. Presenter/Terry Jones, Producer/Mark Rickards Presenter/Tony Lidington, Producer/Angela Hind BBC Radio 4 Publicity BBC Radio 4 Publicity

The Nutcracker 1/1 2.30-3.30pm

Hattie Naylor’s dramatisation of The Nutcracker is based on the original E T A Hoffman story, rather than the ballet. It’s a thrilling and nasty tale in the true tradition of Hoffman and his fabulous gothic tales.

A King and Queen are pursued by a vindictive witch-mouse, called Mauselink who casts a spell that turns their beautiful baby daughter, Princess Pirlipat, into a misshapen infant with a deformed wooden head, large teeth and a ghastly smile. Dr Drosselmeier, the court doctor and clockmaker is sent on a hunt to find the Crackatook nut - the only thing that can break the spell.After years of searching Dr Drosselmeier returns with the Nut and presents his nephew, who has very strong teeth, to break it.The spell on the Princess is broken but in the process Dr Drosselmeier’s nephew steps on Mauselink and kills her.As she dies she curses him turning him into The Nutcracker and swearing the revenge of her son, the Mouse King. Dr Drosselmeier returns to Nuremberg and presents The Nutcracker as a Christmas gift to a young girl, Clara, and her family. But The Nutcracker is pursued by the Mouse King, and Clara is awoken in the middle of the night by a murderous battle between the two deadly foes...

Producer/Paul Dodgson

BBC Radio 4 Publicity Monday 20 December 2004 4

Death. Life-long bike enthusiast Andy Kershaw sets out to explore BBC RADIO 4 Monday 20 December the history of this most spectacular of all fairground shows and meets the men and women who are brave – or mad – enough to Woman’s Hour Drama – carry on the tradition. Lorna Doone 1/10 Andy meets the Wall of Death’s very own historian, Neil Calladine. 10.45-11.00am The first Wall arrived in Britain in 1929 at the Kursaal in Southend A new adaptation by award winning writer Jane Rogers, of R D where it remained for nearly 50 years. Its most celebrated owner Blackmore's high romance of love and vengeance on Exmoor with was George ‘Tornado’ Smith who, during an eventful career, had as the older John Ridd and Alex Avery as the young John. several assistants who rode pillion as part of the performance. These included his wife and Briton, a lioness who, as a cub, rode on Lorna Doone is a story of star-crossed lovers, feuding families, the handlebars, but when she grew bigger graduated to a sidecar. royal plots and noble destinies set against a backdrop of uncertainty in 17th Century England. King Charles II lies on his The 30s were a golden age for the Wall of Death and no self- deathbed and the future of the country is left in the hands of respecting funfair was without one.The best riders were even divided politicians and warring rebels. treated like modern-day rock- or film-stars.

Peaceful Exmoor farmers, John Ridd and family endure the wrath The tradition has been continued to the present day by Roy’s of the nearby colony of notorious outlanders and lawbreakers the grandson Graham who takes his Wall to shows and fairs up and Doones. Lead by Sir Ensor, the clan has been ejected from their down the country. Surprisingly, in an age where the extraordinary Scottish homelands and forced to plunder the villages on the moor is regularly seen on TV and films, the Cripsey Wall of Fear is still a to survive.When his father is murdered one day by Carver Doone, hugely popular attraction. 12 year-old John Ridd swears vengeance on his father's killers. As Graham approaches the age of 50, however, he’s decided to Without a father John must leave school and provide for his family. retire and Andy joins him on the day the Wall comes up for Out fishing one day he accidentally finds himself in Doone valley, auction. It’s an emotional moment as Graham gives his last-ever where he makes the acquaintance of a mysterious maiden, Lorna performance (or so he thinks) and Andy reflects on a remarkable (Jemma Powell). Bidding him to never again appear on their land if he spectacle that has entertained British audiences for nearly eighty wants to live, she leaves him, and it is seven years before his return. years and still draws ‘em in today.

Despite the fact that Lorna is a Doone, and therefore a sworn Presenter/Andy Kershaw, Producer/Jeremy Grange (Wales) enemy, love blossoms as the pair meet again and John finds he simply BBC Radio 4 Publicity cannot stay away.As their friendship grows, so does the hatred between their families.Turbulent times lay ahead for the young lovers, as they chance fate, and defy all that they know. What emerges from the nest of passions and desires, unbridled corruption Afternoon Play - A Long Time Dead and pure fate, is a story of faith, courage, and determination. 2.15-3.00pm

Jane Rogers is an award winning original writer and dramatist. Her Careful Kath and bossy Beatrice (both in their late 50s) are all set credits include Mr Wroe's Virgins, Dawn and The Candidate (TV), for their girlie weekend in Paris, but an hour before leaving to Diary Of A Provincial Lady (E. M. Delafield), Letters To An Icon, and catch the Eurostar, Kath quietly dies in her armchair. But neither of Hardy’s A Tragedy Of Two Ambitions (radio). them see why this should get in the way of their European jaunt.

Producer/Katherine Beacon Beatrice and dead Kath take on Paris with enthusiasm.They watch the sunset over the Seine and Beatrice even treats Kath to a BBC Radio 4 Publicity designer frock and a pair of gold shoes for her funeral.

Kath’s death not only provides a whole new lease of live for Wall Of Death Ep 1/1 Beatrice, but also an opportunity for a belated and moving reconciliation for the two women. 11.00-11.30am

Take a huge wooden drum, 20 feet high and 32 feet in diameter, Marion Bailey plays Kath with Linda Marlowe as Beatrice and Tony put a viewing platform around the top and ride a vintage Selby as Geoff. Other parts are played by Emily Wachter and motorbike around its vertical walls at speeds of over 50 mph.A Stephen Hogan. spectacle that has enthralled funfair audiences in Britain for 75 Writer Sheila Goff’s previous plays include Thirty Years Is Pearl, Stay years, it still draws the crowds today and is called the Wall of Stum, Sad, and Will You Love Me Tomorrow. She is currently working 5 Monday 20 December 2004

on a dramatisation of Monica Dickens’ novel My Turn To Make The It’s a rare condition, and one which is difficult to test. Some Tea. doctors don’t even believe it exists.Yet the parents say that they are victims of a system which knows little about the disease and Producer/David Hunter which is unwilling to test medical explanations for unusual BBC Radio 4 Publicity childhood fractures.

In one case, a young woman was convicted of neglect on the basis of evidence from a radiographer. She spent 14 months in prison Angelic Hosts 1/4 before her criminal conviction was overturned. But by then, her 3.30-3.45pm (Mon-Thurs) daughter had been adopted – a decision which is irreversible. The inspiration for this series of short stories about angels comes None of the parents interviewed for the programme have spoken from famous paintings and poems – from the traditional portrayals directly to the media before. Now they say they are prepared to of Raphael through to Anthony Gormley’s thoroughly modern tell their stories, using their real names. Angel Of The North. Reporter Hugh Levinson examines their cases and ask Social The Green Angel by John Burnside.An abstract painting of an angel by Services departments to explain their decisions. He also puts Jasper Johns triggers a forgotten memory for the story’s narrator. challenging questions to the parents - even if their children do The colours and images in the painting cause a moment many years suffer from Brittle Bone Disease it does not automatically mean ago to gain heightened significance.The reader is . that they have not been abused. Kali Is Dancing For Me by Tanika Gupta. Joya is on holiday with her Through these stories he explores a social worker’s most sensitive mother in . On her first night, she dreams of a beautiful dancing and finely balanced decision: whether to take children into care for goddess.The Goddess is Kali and she seems to be sending Joya a their own protection. message. Eager relatives persuade a reluctant Joya to visit the Kali temple outside Calcutta. Standing before the temple statue, she Presenter/Hugh Levinson, Producer/Smita Patel realises that it is the exact same image of Kali that appeared to her BBC News Publicity in the dream and she seeks the meaning.The reader is Yasmin Wilde.

And We Flew Into Bethlehem by . The popular Christmas carol,While Shepherds Watch Their Flocks is the inspiration for this story by Children’s Laureate, Michael Morpurgo. He speculates on what happened to the shepherd left behind to look after the sheep while the rest of his friends travelled to Bethlehem.The readers are and Robert Hastie.

Untitled story by Clare Boylan.A story of unrequited love centres on a painting of a beautiful woman – to the mind of the art collector who owns the painting she becomes his guardian angel as he attempts to woo a much younger, married woman.

Producer/Gemma Jenkins

BBC Radio 4 Publicity

Fractured 1/1 8.00-8.30pm

A child falls over and a bone is broken. On the hospital ward, the parents start to notice whispers and dark looks and then the child is taken into care on suspicion of abuse.

In this revealing documentary, Hugh Levinson hears from parents who have lost their children in these circumstances – but who believe the root cause is medical ignorance.They believe their children are suffering from undiagnosed cases of Brittle Bone Disease. Tuesday 21 December 2004 6

Peter Searles, an actor, arrives to stay with friends in Santiago. He BBC RADIO 4 Tuesday 21 December stumbles upon a Donde Estan? protest, a call for the government to explain the disappearance of political activists. In his very funny – portrayal of the scene – the carabineros turn up with a giant water Augustus Carp, Esq. By Himself cannon which the locals call The Spitting Lama - he gives a horrific 10.45-11.00pm eye witness account of an old woman being beaten up by the police. Running low on money, and needing to buy some presents, Subtitled Being The Autobiography Of A Really Good Man, this is the he goes to an audition to make a commercial for Chilean TV and book that Anthony Burgess described as "one of the great comic meets Roberto, also an actor, but one blacklisted for his political novels of the 20th century".Augustus Carp is so convinced of his views. Peter is offered the commercial but after a battle with his own moral superiority he feels it is his duty to "place some higher conscience turns it down. example before the world." Walking home a man stops Peter in the street and asks him about A hypocritical, pompous, cowardly and sanctimonious bully, Carp his Greenpeace badge.They have a coffee and the man, called makes his heavy-footed way through life completely blind to his Hernan, asks Peter to help his organisation to photograph own faults and acutely aware of the faults in others. He sees it as evidence of the illegal logging that they are convinced is ruining the both a duty and a pleasure for him to point them out… largest rain forest in Chile. He agrees and spends Christmas day far into the Andean Corderilla camping by an extinct volcano. He gets The novel was published anonymously in 1924 and for many years the his photos. On New Year’s Eve Peter goes back to . Months identity of the author remained a mystery. He was finally revealed to later he gets a call from Hernan telling him the International be Sir Henry Howarth Bashford, Hon Physician to King George V1. Convention on Endangered Species has accepted the photos as Producer/Bruce Young evidence and enforced a prohibition of trade in the Alerce Wood: "I felt as if I’d won an Oscar," said Peter. BBC Radio 4 Publicity Producer/Elizabeth Freestone

The Choice BBC Radio 4 Publicity 9.00am (repeated at 9.30pm)

When Bobby Gerardot donated sperm in the early 80s as a means of bringing in extra income, it never entered his head that he might one day be contacted by one of his genetic children. But in January 2002 he got a phone call from Xytex, the company which ran the sperm bank, telling him that a 17 year old girl who’d been conceived through one of his donations, wanted to get with him. By this time Bobby was married to Lisa and they had a young child.This was not something they’d ever discussed.

Bobby and Lisa’s choice: Should they agree to let an unknown teenager, albeit Bobby’s child, into their lives with all the complications that would ensue?

Presenter/Michael Buerk, Producer/ Liz Leonard

BBC Manchester Publicity

A Chile Christmas 2.15pm-3.00pm

A Chile Christmas is the true story of an out of work actor travelling across Chile and finding himself caught up in a series of extraordinary events. Peter Searles introduces an array of wonderful characters and performs them all, complete with brilliant accents and broken Spanish. 7 Wednesday 22 December 2004

Harnessing gravity would bring revolutions in transport, power BBC RADIO 4 Wednesday 22 December generation, building and war. Who Was Wenceslas,And Who Sue Nelson talks to both amateurs and professionals to find out if Decided He Was Good? 1/1 people are on the verge of learning how to fall up. 3.45-4.00pm Presenter/Sue Nelson, Producer/Andrew Tait

Good King Wenceslas is one of the most loved Christmas carols. BBC Radio 4 Publicity Mark Whitaker finds out why millions of English people sing about the exploits of an early medieval Bohemian .

Wenceslas is credited with bringing Christianity to Bohemia in the early 10th century.To do so he had to struggle against 'pagan' forces led by his own mother. Eventually assassinated by his brother, legends about his life were handed down from generation to generation.

Then, in the mid-19th century, when Wenceslas became a hero for nascent Czech nationalism, a long poem about his life was read by a controversial young Anglican churchman John Mason Neale. He was close to the neo-Catholic Oxford Movement and the church hierarchy barred him from serving as a vicar. Berating the Anglican Church for its complacency, social snobbery and for failing in its duty towards the poor, he set up an Anglican convent in Kent whose nuns devoted themselves to nursing the poor in their own homes.The order thrives to this day.

Neale wrote voluminously, especially hymns and religious stories that could be appreciated by ordinary people.And a volume of carols he produced in 1853 included Wenceslas.

This programme explores the meaning of Wenceslas in the present- day Czech Republic and it uses extracts from Neale's writings to illustrate his carol's political message in Victorian England.

Presenter and Producer/Mark Whitaker

BBC Radio 4 Publicity

Falling Up 1/1 9.00-9.30pm

Of all the hobbies being pursued in sheds and garages across Britain, trying to overcome the most fundamental force in the universe is probably the most ambitious.Amateur inventors across the world are spending their free time and money trying to build a working antigravity machine.

It may sound like , but the idea is not as far- fetched as one might think.These DIY physicists in their homemade labs are not the only ones interested.The European Space Agency and its American equivalent, NASA, have been investigating antigravity. British Aerospace have a programme looking at the possibilities. Universities and research institutes across the globe have done experiments. Thursday 23 December 2004 8

Joseph, wake up, I tell you! BBC RADIO 4 Thursday 23 December Wake up, my husband, my dear. There’s an Angel outside the window. Opening Nights: Peter Pan Takes Flight With a message I think we should hear. 11.30am-12.00noon Is this a dream?" asked Joseph. Russell Davies offers a unique piece of theatre history - an insight I think it is real, Mary replied. into the world premiere of Peter Pan at the Duke Of York Theatre So Joseph got up and scratched himself, in London’s West End, 100 years ago. and he opened the window quite wide . . .

The cast was a starry one with Gerald du Maurier doubling as Set in Dittisham, on the River Dart in Devon, this is an unexpected Captain Hook and Mr Darling, Hilda Trevelyan as the original retelling of the nativity story by one of Britain's best and most Wendy (a name Barrie invented himself and whose theatrical popular poets. Brian Patten wrote the poem especially for the ‘Wendy house’ was to inspire a century of commercial spin-offs) children of the village in South Devon where he lives.This special and Peter himself was played by Nina Boucicault with brother adaptation for radio, recorded on location in Dittisham, is Dion directing the play and Charles Frohman producing. performed entirely by the children of the village.

An instant hit, review was stunning in its praise: Producer/Kate McAll "Peter Pan is a play of such originality, of such tenderness, and of BBC Radio 4 Publicity such daring, that not even a shadow of doubt regarding its complete success was to be discerned in the final fall of the curtain." But others in the first night audience were less than complimentary. complained that it was a Steven Appleby’s Normal Christmas play foisted on children by grown-ups and Anthony Hope, the 11.00-11.15pm inventor of Ruritania, sat unmoved throughout the performance, Steven loves Christmas but perhaps that’s because between and at the end was heard to remark: "Oh, for an hour of Herod!." opening presents, he enjoys an over rich festive smorgasbord of lunch, tea, dinner and supper while his Mum and Dad do the Presenter/Russell Davies, Producer/Merilyn Harris cooking and clearing up. BBC Radio 4 Publicity Last year was the final straw and Mum and Dad have resorted to faking their own deaths to avoid another Christmas with Steven. Thus Father Christmas himself represents Steven’s last chance of a Afternoon Play – Ancient And Modern 1/1 plump present-filled stocking. 2.15-3.00pm Santa’s continuing legal problems over copyright issues on the toys Alison is one of London’s many hidden, lonely people, working, the elves have been manufacturing are only surpassed by the marital coping, being brave, but still grieving for the collapse of her difficulties caused by Mrs Santa’s affair with Frosty the Snowman. marriage, and the lack of a child of her own to love.A chance visit With Father Christmas incapacitated, Steven steps into the breach to a Christmas service at her local church and an encounter there aided only by a magic goose. He enjoys it so much that he suggests he brings her a new understanding of what love means. takes the job on permanently.The resulting dispute sees Father Christmas lying motionless with a coal shovel wrapped round his head. Written by Sue Gee, the cast includes as Alison, Julian Rhind–Tutt as Jez and Harriet Cook as Melanie. Steven Appleby is one of Britain’s leading cartoonists. His work Producer/Marilyn Imrie currently appears regularly in , The Telegraph and Junior magazine. He has had many books published, including BBC Radio 4 Publicity Steven Appleby’s Normal Life based on the Radio 4 series.The latest, Steven Appleby’s ABC of Childhood, based on his Junior cartoons, will be published in February. The Dittisham Nativity All the regular cast returns: Paul McCrink (Steven), Rosalind Paul 9.45-4.00pm (Mum), Nigel Betts (Dad), Ewan Bailey (Santa) and Rachel Atkins Joseph, open the window, (Lauren Maroon aka Mrs. Santa). There’s an angel hovering about outside. Producer/Toby Swift Joseph, open the window. The Angel’s gigantic. So open it wide! BBC Radio 4 Publicity 9 Friday 24 December 2004

mistress; she asks to wear one particularly enchanting piece that BBC RADIO 4 Friday 24 December features a huge ruby, and then promptly disappears with it. Poirot discovers a connection with a house party at the home of Colonel Daily Service and Mrs Lacey, and in order to pursue his investigation, an 9.45-10.00am invitation is procured for him to the Lacey’s, so he can, ostensibly, Choral Scholars from the Choir of King's College, Cambridge enjoy an old-fashioned Christmas.With deft skill and the workings provide the music for . of his "little grey cells," Poirot brings this case to a satisfying end.

As an expectant crowd gathers around the college quad for A The Adventure Of The Christmas Pudding is dramatised for radio by Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols, the close harmony group sing Michael Bakewell. to them as they wait to enter the chapel. BBC Manchester Publicity Producer/Enyd Williams BBC Radio 4 Publicity The Long Winter 1/1 11.00-11.30am Festival Of Nine

On Christmas Eve, Edi Stark looks back at Britain’s Long Winter Lessons And Carols 1/1 and asks how centuries of struggle against bitter cold, darkness and 3.00-4.30pm hunger have shaped peoples’ surroundings and way of life. Shortly after three o'clock on Christmas Eve, a solo chorister The main focus of the programme is the early history of rural steps forward to sing the first verse of Once in Royal David's Britain. Edi talks to historians and looks at poems, journals and City to a still and expectant King's College Chapel in other manuscripts which reveal the voices of those who lived Cambridge. For many people listening throughout the world, the through the ‘Long Winter’ – people such as the Anglo-Saxon traditional Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols signals the start Seafarer "coldly afflicted, my feet by frost benumbed… care- of Christmas festivities. wretched on ice-cold sea" or the 13th century swineherd who believed that beneath Peak Cavern in Derbyshire he had The Festival has been broadcast live from the Chapel since 1928. discovered a mysterious underworld – a magical land of summer Each year the pattern of the scripture lessons is the same, and ripening fruit hidden beneath the winter snow. beginning with the story of the Fall of Adam in the book of Genesis and concluding with the Gospel of St John, unfolding the She also visits ancient settlement sites, crofts and cottages and great mystery of how God came into the world in human form talks to people for whom winter is still a formidable enemy – 2000 years ago. those who live in the more remote parts of the country and those who remember childhoods in unheated homes.Alongside finding The world-famous choir of King’s College performs popular carols out what really went on during the long winter nights ( incest and such as O come all ye faithful and Hark the herald angels sing. adultery as well as story-telling and singing ) Edi hears stories of There are also specially commissioned carols including God would ingenuity and endurance - of devastating blizzards, villages cut off be Born in Thee by Judith Bingham and Starry night o’er from the outside world, hard work and . Bethlehem by David Willcocks. Stephen Cleobury directs the choir and the organist is Tom Winpenny. Presenter/Edi Stark, Producer/Julia Adamson Producer/Stephen Shipley BBC Radio 4 Publicity BBC Manchester Publicity

Afternoon Play – The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding 1/1 Midnight Mass 11.15-12.30am 2.15-3.00pm The Archbishop of Birmingham, the Most Reverend Vincent Hercule Poirot () spends a traditional English Nichols, celebrates Midnight Mass from St. Chad’s Cathedral, Christmas at the home of Colonel & Mrs Lacey (Donald Sinden Birmingham. and Sian Phillips) but finds that he can’t enjoy himself too much as he has a mystery to solve. Producer/Janet McLarty

In this adaptation of Agatha Christie’s short story, an Eastern Manchester Publicity Prince arrives in England with some family jewels which he’s having reset as a gift for his fiancee. However, the Prince also has a Friday 24 December 2004 10

Crib City 1/1 4.30-5.00pm

Susannah Clapp explores the nativity crib making traditions of Naples - the city that thinks of itself as the home of the Christmas crib.A whole district of the old town continues to be devoted to making cribs - tiny animals, glittering wise men and pink infant Christ’s. But the tradition is evolving and crib hunter’s can now buy a pizza maker’s version, a crib with "deformati" or limbless attendants, even a football strip crib.

Crib City takes the form of a walk though Naples in December. Susannah looks at cribs in churches, on roundabouts, in museums and in the street of the crib makers which still survives and which, every winter, gives vivid evidence of the survival and remaking of an ancient folk tradition in the heart of globalised Europe.

Susannah Clapp is the theatre critic of and a regular contributor to Nightwaves on Radio 3.

Presenter/Susannah Clapp, Producer/Tim Dee

BBC Radio 4 Publicity

The Now Show Christmas Special 1/1 6.15-7.00pm

The Now Show team present a satirical, 45 minute long, festive extravaganza. and look at the lessons we've all learned over the last year; and Laura Shavin will be looking forward to what 2005 might have in store for the world and and will be looking like Santa Claus and an elf.

Producer/Colin Anderson

BBC Radio 4 Publicity 11 Saturday 25 December 2004

Santarchy looks at why people dress up as Santa Claus and how it BBC RADIO 4 Saturday 25 December makes them and other people feel. Do people change when they are in disguise? There is an assumption that Santa is a warm Christmas In Bethlehem 1/1 hearted, giving, non-threatening creature, but is this to be relied 6.05-8.00am on? Isn't there something slightly sinister lurking under that jolly red jacket? This is an invitation to breakfast in Bethlehem – but not, as people might think, the little town of Christmas carol fame. Presenter/, Producer/Sara Jane Hall

Libby Purves and guests will be in Bethlehem, South Wales on BBC Radio 4 Publicity Christmas morning and they will be finding out how Christmas is celebrated in Bethlehems all over the world. Soul Music 1/1 Presenter/, Producer/Phil Pegum 11.30am-12.00noon BBC Manchester Publicity Peggy Reynolds, Ian Bradley and Raymond Head discuss the history of the carol In The Bleak Midwinter. This much-loved hymn was first penned as a poem by Christina Christmas Service 1/1 Rosetti.Vaughan Williams asked Gustav Holst to put it to music for 9.00-10.00am his English Hymnal published in 1906.The other popular version was written by organist Harold Darke - then aged 21. Bishop Stephen Oliver leads the service from St Mary's Church, Islington. Colin Morris reflects on the different communities found Producer/Sara Conkey in the Nativity journey.The broadcast is packed with Christmas BBC Radio 4 Publicity music, as John Rutter conducts the choir and the orchestra. Producer/ Mark O'Brien BBC Manchester Publicity Fanshawe Gets To The Bottom Of…Christmas 1/2 12.30-1.00pm at Christmas 1/1 New Series 10.00-10.45am A refreshingly satirical look at the Christmas season through the best of the BBC’s comedy archives presented by Simon Fanshawe. Sir is the special guest on With Great Pleasure on Christmas morning. He’s joined by celebrity actors to entertain an Amongst the highlights will be songs and sketches by audience with some of his favourite pieces of prose, poetry and and Dudley Moore,Tom Lehrer and Bill Cosby with readings by Bill seasonal music. Wallis of work by Saki, Jenny Éclair and Philip Larkin. Presenter/David Frost, Producer/Viv Beeby Presenter/Simon Fanshawe, Producer/Paul Dodgson BBC Radio 4 Publicity BBC Radio 4 Publicity

Santarchy 1/1 Hallelujah! 1/1 11.00-11.30am 2.00-3.00pm Anyone can dress up as Father Christmas.All it takes is a red suit and Handel's Messiah was written by a German for a concert in a white beard, but should you trust him? What can people get up to .Top of the classical pops for nearly 250 years, Huw in a Santa Claus outfit? Arthur Smith dons a white beard to find out. Edwards tries to establish the secret of its success. Each December for the last ten years, people have been taking to The BBC archive holds over 150 different complete performances the streets of cities dressed as Father Christmas, with the of Handel's Messiah, and they tell a social as well as a musical intention of generating a bit of naughty Noel mayhem.This rather story. In addition to the great concert halls of the country the secretive organisation called Santarchy coordinates groups of sound of Messiah has rattled the windows of school gyms, village people who get together, dress up in Father Christmas costumes halls, churches of every denomination and sports stadiums and pretty much run riot.They have Santarchy events all over the throughout the country. world, from Tokyo to the Antarctic. Saturday 25 December 2004 12

But of course Messiah isn't just the province of the amateur. 95 years-old and had been broadcasting up to a few weeks before Almost every famous singer has started their career on the his death. His weekly ran on BBC radio for Messiah circuit and many of their stories are in the archive - over half a century, but Alistair Cooke was also a man of many , Heddle Nash (who made a career out of the talents and passions.A jazzman, golf fanatic, television presenter tenor part), Maggie Teyte, James Bowman and Lesley Garrett have and a friend to the stars of journalism, politics and Hollywood. In all turned up to do their solos. this special hour–long programme James Naughtie pays tribute to this renaissance man. Presenter/Huw Edwards, Producer/Martin Edwards Presenter/James Naughtie, Producer/Rosie Goldsmith BBC Radio 4 Publicity BBC News Publicity

The Little White Bird 1/1 3.30- 5.00pm The Archive Hour – Sing Christmas 1/1 8.00-9.00pm The narrator (Michael Siberry) is a ‘gentle whimsical lonely old bachelor’ and author, whose ambition is to have a son. From his On Christmas Day in 1957 the BBC broadcast songs of Christmas window table at his club, he watches the romantic progress of a from the British Isles, anchored by the noted Texan folklorist and young governess (Sara Markland) and her boyfriend, (Chris Pavlo) broadcaster . It was a fascinating musical mixture: who meet every lunch time in the park opposite. He secretly carols several hundred years old, contemporary folk songs, intervenes when they split-up and engineers a re-union which leads American spirituals, calypso, Ghanaian high-life (possibly the first to their marriage. He follows them, unseen, to their home, and African music broadcast on the BBC), and skiffle, from then on, he becomes their ‘unknown friend’ helping the children’s carols and glees. Coming at the start of the British folk penniless couple, anonymously, when needed. revival there were contributions from Ewan MacColl, Peggy Seeger and Shirley Collins. He follows the birth of their son David (Thomas Glenister) from a distance, and as the boy grows up, he becomes a substitute for the It was a technical triumph, using live link-ups to Scotland, Plymouth, son the narrator never had. He engineers a meeting with the boy London, Manchester, Belfast, Derbyshire and Bangor, with Lomax at through the child’s nanny as she walks the boy in Kensington Gardens. the centre of the web in Birmingham.There were fluffs, the well- oiled contributors in the Plymouth studio sang the wrong song; Through their various meetings, the narrator invents the character of those in Belfast only just got to the studio in time; and the script Peter Pan (Joe Absolom) and explains to David how all children were had to be rewritten live as items over-ran. Peggy Seeger was once birds; and that the reason there are bars on nursery windows is unfortunately detained in Dover at the last minute by the because very little people sometimes forget that they no longer have immigration service (because of her left-wing sympathies, which wings, and try to fly away. He tells the story of one such child, Peter Lomax shared); and a vinyl recording of her had to be substituted, Pan, who escaped from being a human when he was seven days but in the end everything went ahead. old...and flew to Kensington Gardens -where he still lives, half-child and half-fairy, never growing any older.The narrator and David invent There are sharp disagreements about the value of the material stories together about Peter, the fairies and Solomon Crow (Philip broadcast, with some folk purists feeling that Lomax should not Voss) who lives on an island in the middle of the Serpentine until David have included ephemeral material like skiffle; while others feel that grows up and is no longer interested in hearing about Peter Pan. skiffle, which had just taken off in Britain, really was the new , a democratic form accessible to anyone with a guitar.The The narrator writes a book about his relationship with David and BBC itself had qualms about Lomax’s left wing politics - an internal sends it to David’s mother. Finally, she meets her ‘secret friend’ face to memo from an editor insists that he should not be given a face, accepts the book and thanks him for all he has done for David. platform to promote "potted marxism"; and that "we should not allow him to identify ‘sexual permissiveness’ with happiness, on the The play is dramatised for radio by John Peacock. Christian attitude to sex with sorrow and suffering."

Producer/Celia de Wolff Presenter/Ken Hunt, Producer/Jolyon Jenkins

BBC Radio 4 Publicity BBC Radio 4 Publicity

Remember Alistair Cooke (rpt) 1/1 7.00-8.00pm

Alistair Cooke, the man considered to be one of the greatest broadcasters in the world, died this year on 29th March. He was 13 Sunday 26 December 2004

BBC RADIO 4 Sunday 27 December People’s Day 1/1 8.00-11.00pm

Sunday Worship People’s Day – to include 8.15-10.15pm People’s D-Day and 10.15- 8.10-8.50am 11.00pm D-Day Loose Ends

The Very Reverend Jeffrey John leads his first broadcast sermon since his appointment as the Dean of St Albans. People’s D-Day (rpt) 8.15-10.15pm In a service celebrating St Stephen's Day from the Cathedral and Abbey Church of St Alban, Hertfordshire, Dean John examines the This is a second chance to hear the acclaimed programme of lives of the first Christian martyrs. memories and stories, presented by Libby Purves on the day before D-Day, sixty years ago. The Abbey Girls' Choir sings excerpts from Britten's A Ceremony of Carols, directed by Simon Johnson. Drawing on the responses of hundreds of people who were there on the day, The People's D-Day is a recreation of that strange Producer/Simon Vivian moment when the future of the world would be determined by BBC Manchester Publicity the perfectly choreographed secret labours of thousands of men and women across the whole of the UK.

Libby travels to to chart the build up to the invasion The Reunion 1/1 of Normandy as seen from the homes and harbours of Britain. 9.15-10.00am She hears what it was like to live within the coastal exclusion zone as thousands of tons of material - ammunition, vehicles and craft of Sue MacGregor re-unites a group of women whose looks and all descriptions were assembled ready for the word to go. faces defined the 1960s. Woven through the programme are individual stories - like the Icons of their age, the likes of Twiggy, Jean Shrimpton,Anoushka squaddie arrested for having a top secret word - actually his name Hempel and turned heads wherever they went and - stencilled on his kit bag; of the BBC engineer locked in his studio were invited to all the great gatherings of the period mixing with with Eisenhower's announcement that D-Day had begun; of the members of the aristocracy as well as the stars of the rock and fashion world. hospitals cleared and nurses summoned to make room for the 1,000’s of expected casualties. From the opening of Biba to famous Vogue shoots, in Hyde Park, and endless parties on the Kings Road, they recall Presenter/Libby Purves, Producer/Simon Elmes those heady days and reflect on where they have travelled since. BBC Radio 4 Publicity Presenter/Sue MacGregor, Producer/David Prest

BBC Radio 4 Publicity D-Day Loose Ends (rpt) 10.15-11pm In a repeat of a special Loose Ends, to commemorate the 60th Food Quiz Special 1/1 anniversary of D-Day earlier this year, Ned Sherrin looks back at 12.30-1.00pm the music, comedy and radio shows of that era.To help him reminisce, he is joined by troupers from that period , Guests including Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, Clarissa Dickson Roy Hudd, Sheila Tracy and Anthony Horowitz. Music comes from Wright and the doyenne of wine writers Jancis Robinson are the Glenn Miller Orchestra and Amy Winehouse. grilled by food critic Jay Rayner in a series of rounds designed to Producer/Simon Elmes test their food and drink knowledge. BBC Radio 4 Publicity With true or false questions, blind tastings and quick fire rounds on food history and culture, this quiz will determine which food experts know their onions and shake the listeners’ thirst for surprising food facts.

Presenter/Jay Rayner, Producer/Dixi Stewart

BBC Radio 4 Publicity Monday 27 December 2004 14

usual boring presents from their relations. "Five shillin's each" is a BBC RADIO 4 Monday 27 December much more acceptable gift and William's unorthodox singing superbly achieves the desired results. Start The Week 9.00-9.45am Reader/, Producer/Jarvis and Ayres

In a special edition of Start The Week, looks forward BBC Radio 4 Publicity to the year 2005. He's joined by a panel of guests to discuss their fantasy year.What do they think will be the big events of the next 12 months and how would they like them to turn out? JM Barrie – Man And Boy 1/1 11.00-11.30am There's plenty of room for poetic licence as a willing audience puts the panel through its paces.What will happen in ? Will there be This is an exploration of the childhood of J.M. Barrie, the man who an election? Who would they like to see making a comeback and never grew up and his masterpiece, Peter Pan, about a boy who who would they be happy to never see again? never grows up. Presenter/Andrew Marr, Producer/Alice Feinstein It is common knowledge that Barrie was inspired to write Peter Pan after meeting the Llewelyn Davies boys in Kensington Gardens BBC Radio 4 Publicity at the turn of the last century, but the seed of the work was much earlier. He was born in 1860 in the small Scottish town of Kirriemuir, the ninth of ten children whose father worked as a : weaver. But it was his mother, Margaret Ogilvy, who was the dominant person in his life. She herself had become a 'child Just William – Doin’ Good 1/5 mother' at the age of eight when her own mother died and she 9.45-10.00am became responsible for her siblings. She is the model for Wendy in New Series Peter Pan, the mother of the Lost Boys, and the Wendy House of the play grew out of their backyard washhouse where Barrie and Martin Jarvis reads five stories from Richmal Crompton’s famous his friend James Robb put on his first plays aged seven. His mother William tales: Margaret encouraged his story telling and they voraciously read together and other adventures. But the most (Mon) William and the Chinese God is a wonderfully constructed significant event of his childhood was the death of his older farce in which our scruffy hero at his most resourceful, as he brother David in a skating accident - an event from which his desperately attempts to return a stolen Chinese figure to his mother never recovered. ferocious Headmaster's antique collection. Producer/Merilyn Harris (Tues) William and the League of Perfect Love is a wickedly accurate on alternative 'new age' societies and their BBC Radio 4 Publicity mission to 'bring back the morning to the world.' Pampered poms and hypocritical control freaks are just two of Crompton's targets.William, assisted by his faithful mongrel, Jumble, explodes the ridiculousness of the absurd Mrs Pennyman, who seems to Afternoon Play – Boxing Clever 1/1 have taken over the minds of the more gullible residents of the 2.15-3.00pm village. Thelma Barlow stars in this comedy to chase away the post- (Weds) William and the Psychiatrist.William, with the trusty Christmas . Never have the Boxing Day sales seemed such a Ginger at his side, becomes a psychiatrist himself and attempts to minefield. Moral dilemmas abound at the front of the queue cure two 'patients' of their depression. His methods are outside Marshall’s department store in - and all over a bed. unorthodox to say the least, but his unerring logic produces a surprising cure! Pensioner Amy (Thelma Barlow) may have got there first, but as opening time approaches, she’s going to have to use all her cunning (Thurs) Fireworks Strictly Prohibited. William and his friends The to compensate for her lack of speed. Outlaws have no money for fireworks this year. But this doesn't stop them from finding an ingenious way of celebrating Nov 5th. They’ve all come for the star buy: a one-off super king size And if this includes adopting disguises and pitting their wits mahogany bed and they’re all prepared to queue overnight in the against crusty old Colonel Masters, then so much the better. freezing cold to get their hands on it. Amy’s after it so she can spend her last days in a bit of luxury. Paul and Veronica want it to (Fri) William and the Waits.This is a truly seasonal celebration of give their new wharf-side apartment a bit of a French rustic feel. Christmas.The Outlaws go carol singing and William devises an Gavin wants it so he can sell it on eBay and use the proceeds to ingenious plot to ensure they don't, after all, have to accept the pay for his son’s nose job. And Finn wants to set it on fire to draw 15 Monday 27 December 2004

attention to the plight of the orang-utan. Trinder, Bud Flanagan,Arthur English, Jimmy James, Stanley Unwin, Rob Wilton, and, of course, Roy’s great hero, . The battle lines are drawn and during the night there is much jockeying for position as the rivals seek to get themselves best Producer/David Blount placed to get hold of that bed. And they’re going to have to BBC Radio 4 Publicity remain alert against the subtle, and sometimes not so subtle, psychological tactics being employed by the wily Amy, a woman with a closely guarded secret. Best of I’m Sorry I Haven’t A Clue Boxing Clever is written by Mike Yeaman 6.30-7.00pm

Producer/Toby Swift reminds himself and the listeners of some of BBC Radio 4 Publicity the many programme highlights during 2004, featuring programme regulars , Graeme Garden and Tim Brooke-Taylor, plus special guests , , , and . Peter and Wendy (rpt) 1/5 3.30-3.45pm Presenter/Humphrey Lyttelton, Producer/Jon Naismith

Alan Bennett’s readings of children’s stories have become classics BBC Radio 4 Publicity in their own right. Now his distinctive voice brings alive J M Barrie’s classic story about the little boy who wouldn’t grow up. If The Slipper Fits 1/1 Into the night nursery of the Darling children,Wendy, John and 8.30-9.00pm Michael, flies Peter Pan, a motherless half-magical boy. He teaches the children how to fly and whisks them through the skies to This is an intriguing programme featuring global variations of the Never Never Land, a fantastical place peopled with mermaids, world's best love fairy tale, Cinderella. wolves, pirates and the dastardly Captain Hook.There, with the There are around 64 versions of Cinderella being told around the fairy Tinker Bell and the Lost Boys the children experience a series world. In Norway it's known as Katie Woodencloak, Chinye in of hair-raising adventures before flying home to their nursery and a West Africa, Rashin Coatie in Scotland and, in Ireland, Fair, Brown reunion with their family. and Trembling. Alan Bennett reads Pam Wardell’s abridgement in five parts An example of the striking contrast between the various throughout the week. Cinderella versions is the character of the fairy godmother. In Reader/Alan Bennett, Producer/Pam Wardell Norway she's a black bull, in Scotland a calf, in Kashmir a goat and in Vietnam,a blue-robed goddess of mercy. In the Cameroonian BBC Radio 4 Publicity version she's a blue fish in the middle of a lake. In Chinye - the Nigerian version of Cinderella - the fairy godmother is a wizened old elder and the pumpkin is a treasure-filled gourd. Roy Hudd’s Tales From The Lodge Room 1/5 Producer/Kim Normanton, Nigel Acheson 6.15-6.30pm BBC Radio 4 Publicity

Veteran and actor, Roy Hudd dips into his vast collection of showbiz tales – gleaned from pubs, clubs and dressing rooms all over the country and from the Lodge Room of the Grand Order of Water Rats (the charitable fraternity of , singers and variety entertainers) – throwing in a song or two for good measure.

From musicians to jugglers, band-leaders to ventriloquists and even stand-up comedians, Roy has a vast repertoire of tales to tell. Some are bizarre, some are poignant and some are downright crazy – but all will delight those who admire the wit and verve of the ‘light entertainment’ side of show business.

Roy’s cast-list includes such names as ,Arthur Askey,Tommy Tuesday 28 December 2004 16

BBC RADIO 4 Tuesday 28 December

The Sorceror’s Apprentice 1/1 2.15-3.00pm Radio 4’s version of Goethe’s tale goes back to its European roots. It is Christmas Eve in Stollenburg some few hundred years ago and the city is aglow with festive cheer. Every man, woman and child seems to be out wassailing - bar one. Peter, the Hexenmeister’s apprentice, has been left to mind the shop and keep an eye on his master’s little daughter. It is this last which adds insult to injury: Freda is flaxen-haired, pop-eyed, hare-brained, and a pest. Peter has already had to rescue her from the chimney, where she was looking for fairies, and now they’re both filthy. Vengefully, he aims a kick at Copernicus, the Hexenmeister’s elderly cat. But to his amazement, Copernicus can talk. Peter stammers out an apology, and the two strike up a conversation. Copernicus, it turns out, is a charming, if rather confused beast, with an ancestry that stretches back to the time of Solomon. Emboldened by finding a new friend, Peter decides to rebel: he’ll tidy the workshop, have a bath, get dressed up, go out and enjoy the Christmas festivities, and be back in time to pretend nothing’s happened. But he needs help to get everything done in time. He reaches for the forbidden book of spells.... That loathsome old broom will work for him for a change, and draw the water. Copernicus is doubtful, but Peter recites the charm, and hey presto! The broom, a strange poetry- spouting wood spirit, sprouts arms, legs and a face, and sets off on its appointed task. But once the tub is full, things start to go wrong. The broom won’t stop. Deaf to all commands, it continues on its course, chatting to itself of the forest where it grew up as a tree. Soon the shop floor is swimming. Perched on the counter, Peter and Copernicus search the book for a contra-spell, but without success. Grimly, Peter jumps down, splashes across to an axe, and chops the broom in half. Before his horrified gaze, the two pieces become clones of the bewitched parent-broom and Peter is in more trouble than ever before… The cast includes Paul Rhys as The Hexenmeister, Harry Towb as Copernicus, Zac Fox as Peter, Nicholas Boulton as Broom and Jennifer Veal as Freda. The story has been dramatised for radio by Judith French. Producer/Mark Beeby BBC Radio 4 Publicity 17 Wednesday 29 December 2004

BBC RADIO 4 Wednesday 29 December

The Write Stuff 1/1 1.30-2.00pm

James Walton is joined by regular captains Sebastian Faulks, Charlotte Gray and 's John Walsh for this one-off, specially themed quiz.The panellists will battle over questions based on seasonal literature and instead of featuring an Author Of The Week, the teams will draw upon the Christmas season for delicious and wickedly funny pastiches written in the style of authors of their choice.

Presenter/James Walton, Producer/Katie Marsden

BBC Radio 4 Publicity

All Fingers And Thumbs 1/1 2.15-3.00pm

Marie is a sign language interpreter who wants to attract more deaf people to the theatre. So does director Tom – provided it doesn’t involve a spot-lit woman waving her arms about on his stage.

Forced to meet and communicate with deaf people,Tom develops a closer working relationship with Marie. But not all communication barriers are as simple to remove as Tom has a reputation for playing the field. Learning sign language to get off with a hearing girl suggests he has plumbed new depths – unless, for once in his life, he is actually being sincere.

Bill Nighy plays Tom with Susannah Doyle as Marie.The cast also includes Jenny Éclair and Felicity Montague.

Producer/Dirk Maggs

BBC Radio 4 Publicity Thursday 30 December 2004 18

BBC RADIO 4 Thursday 30 December

Crypt Music Kings 1/1 11.30am-12.00noon

In the early days of their existence, the King’s Singers had an agent who struggled to make any real sense of the serious side of their repertoire. In a memorable moment he referred to the works of Byrd,Tallis, Palestrina et al. as "that sort of Crypt Music you do." The King’s Singers soon became one of the UK’s most successful singing groups with a range that made them the perfect TV show guests. But with their success came a gradual fall-off in their popularity in Britain despite remaining hugely popular in Europe and particularly in Germany where their ability to sing difficult contemporary pieces, Beatles arrangements and of course ‘Crypt Music’ has kept them in the musical spotlight.

Ashutosh Khandekhar, the editor of Opera Now, recalls his own first experience of the King’s Singers, and with an increasing programme of British performances booked for next year, ponders the reasons for their relative exile.

The programme includes exclusive material of the group in the recording studio and gives a vivid impression of the rigour of their work and the discipline that has kept them at the top of their game.

Presenter/Ashutosh Khandekhar, Producer/Tom Alban

BBC Radio 4 Publicity 19 Friday 31 December 2004

who has clearly changed his ways and who will not be at all right BBC RADIO 4 Friday 31 December to carry out the spectacular shock they had planned for their wicked sister. Veg Talk 3.00-3.30pm They are going to have to think of something else, and fast as there are only a few days to go before New Year’s Eve. Veg Talk takes to the road for a tantalisingly tasty festive feast. Gregg Wallace and Charlie Hicks dine at Café Spice in London Written by Melissa Murray, the cast includes Samantha Bond as with award-winning chef Cyrus Todiwala who cooks some hot and Jean, Maggie Steed as Fay and Dermot Crowley as Jerry. spicy Indian dishes and serves up a platter of winter warmers with a difference. Producer/Cherry Cookson BBC Radio 4 Publicity Members of a live audience ask all about Indian cooking and Cyrus demonstrates his flair for the innovative fusion of flavours.

Presenter/Gregg Wallace and Charlie Hicks, Producer/Dixi Stewart Fanshawe Gets To The Bottom Of… The Party Spirit 2/2 BBC Radio 4 Publicity 11.00-11.30pm

A time for reflection on the past and resolutions for the future, Correspondents Look Ahead 1/1 New Year's Eve is a funny time of year. Join Simon Fanshawe for a 8.00-8.50pm jolly end to 2004 with clips from the comedy archive including Flanders and Swan, Peter Cook and Dudley Moore and Jo Brand BBC correspondents look into their crystal balls to predict the big with readings from the works of Quentin Crisp and George Mikes developments across the world this coming year. by the inimitable Bill Wallis.

Once again they lay their hard-earned reputations on the line to Presenter/Simon Fanshawe, Producer/Paul Dodgson discuss the key events and themes they expect to see in the year ahead and to dissect the year gone by. BBC Radio 4 Publicity

Presenter/Stephen Sackur, Producer/Rosie Goldsmith Hamish And Dougal BBC News Publicity Hogmanay Special 1/1 11.30pm-12.00midnight

Friday Play – Hamish and Dougal, the two Scotsmen invite you to see in the In The Bosom Of The Family 1/1 New Year from the vantage point of their Highland home. 9.00-10.00pm Performed by Barry Cryer and Graeme Garden, this Hogmanay Special also features as Hamish and Dougal’s long- This darkly comic fable tells how the revenge plans for a New suffering housekeeper, Mrs Naughtie, Jeremy Hardy as the local Year’s Eve party go horribly wrong, as two wicked sisters plan the laird, and several ‘surprise’ celebrity guests. downfall of the third and most successful one.

Music is specially arranged by John Garden, son of Graeme and Mary Rose has always been the snob of the family, the keyboard player with the hugely successful Scissor Sisters, and overachiever who looked down on her younger siblings, Jean and performed by a four-piece ceilidh band. Fay. She has kept quiet the fact that when she was young, she had a son by her first marriage who went off the rails, was heavily into Producer/Ann Osborne drugs and was sent to Canada so she could get on with her life. This enabled her to avoid having his reputation hanging round her neck as she went on to her second and more successful marriage BBC Radio 4 Publicity to a wealthy businessman.

Fay and Jean have secretly tracked down Mary Rose’s son and : Robert Burns arranged for him to come back to the ‘bosom of the family’ so that 10.15-10.45pm he can be sprung out on the stroke of midnight, dressed in the kind of gear they imagine him to be wearing these days and thus In this special Hogmanay edition of Great Lives, singer/songwriter shock Mary Rose’s friends. But when they go to the airport, they Eddi Reader nominates the Scottish poet Robert Burns as her are shocked to discover a suave, beautifully dressed young man Great Life. Reader first came into the limelight as a member of the Friday 31 December 2004 20

group Fairground Attraction when the song Perfect and album First Of A Million Kisses both topped the UK charts.

Growing up in an oppressive suburb in , Eddi soon became established as one of Scotland’s most vibrant solo artistes. Her most recent album is Eddi Reader Sings The Songs Of Robert Burns. She tells how and why she was inspired by a poor farmer who became known for the traditional New Year song Auld Lang Syne.

Presenter/Humphrey Carpenter, Producer/Peter Everett

BBC Radio 4 Publicity