And Now on Radio 4: A Celebration of the World's Best Radio Station

by SimonElmes (Author)

• Used

  Paperback
  2008

  $3.27

  Who is Radio 4's 'fourteen-stone budgie'? How did Phyllis Willis and Mavis Davis make announcer Charlotte Green lose her cool? What does 'Ruth' really think about The Archers? When did Today stop having a keep-fit spot? And who was the Spam Fritter Man, and what became of him? This wonderful history-cum-guide answers these and many other questions about the irreplaceable world of Radio 4. It is an essential reading for every devotee.

• Used

  Hardcover
  2007

  $3.27

  And Now on Radio 4 offers an enthusiast's guide to the shows that have made Radio 4 what it is, and also explores some of the wonderful corners of the network's history that are long forgotten by all but a few. Who, for instance, now recalls Ronnie Barker's starring role on Radio 4 in a sophisticated cabaret-cum-sketch-show called Lines from My Grandfather's Forehead ? What about Spike Milligan's intimate, soul-bearing account of his upbringing in colonial India, Plain Tales from the Raj ? And who now remembers that Start the Week was once hosted by Russell Harty, a bit of programming compared by one insider to letting Graham Norton run Newsnight. In order to reflect the way devotees listen to Radio 4, the book is organised not on simple chronological lines but in the form of a typical day. Chapter by chapter, the day evolves, from Farming Today , through the daily feast that is Today , through the morning menu of conversation, Woman's Hour , documentary and comedy. Lunchtime brings The World at One. The early evening, of course, yields The Archers . And finally, there's Book at Bedtime and Sailing By . An addictive mix of history, biography, anecdote and occasional useless fact, this is the perfect book for Radio 4 aficionados.