Radio Week

NEIL GAIMAN’S THE SLEEPER AND THE SPINDLE

BOXING DAY, 3PM, RADIO 4 HHHHH Gather round the radio for this magical drama from Neil Gaiman, which will delight listeners of all ages. Old fairytales have been woven together with new stories to tell of a soldier queen and a faraway land under a deadly threat.

SOUL MUSIC

TUESDAY,

9AM, 9.30PM, RADIO 4 HHHH

Gerry Murphy was living a perfect life – until he collapsed and ended up in intensive care, fighting for his life, with a song stuck in his head. That song was Talking Heads’ Once In A Lifetime and, in this programme, Gerry tells us what it means to him.

THE REUNION

WEDNESDAY, 9AM, RADIO 4 HHHHH The children’s author Michael Rosen fell ill with Covid-19, and was in a coma for nearly seven weeks. Michael gathers some of the hospital team that saved his life to talk about the fight against this awful disease.

THAT DINNER OF ’67

NEW YEAR’S EVE, 2.15PM, RADIO 4 HHHHH Adrian Lester is Sidney Poitier, Kenneth Branagh is Spencer Tracy and Tracy-ann Oberman – who also wrote this – plays Katharine Hepburn in a sharp new drama that tells the inside story of the 1967 film Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner.

RYLAN’S NYE PARTY

NEW YEAR’S

EVE, 11PM, RADIO 2 HHHH

Rylan Clark-neal sees in the New Year with dance tracks from the 1970s to the present day. Queen, Sister Sledge, Cyndi Lauper and Fatboy Slim are on his playlist.

NEW YEAR’S DAY CONCERT FROM VIENNA 2021

NEW YEAR’S DAY, 10.15AM, RADIO 3 HHHH

As ever, bright waltzes, brisk marches and fast polkas come to us in this live concert performed by the Vienna Philharmonic at Vienna’s Musikverein.

THE ARCHERS ANNIVERSARY QUIZ

NEW YEAR’S DAY, 7.15PM, RADIO 4 HHHH Kenton and Jolene are at The Bull to host an Archers-themed quiz. Three BBC broadcasters will take on a team of keen Archers fans for this programme marking the 70th anniversary of the rural soap.