Archive On 4: How America Learned To Laugh Again

Radio 4, 8pm

Twenty years ago, in the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the immediate response of the Western media was to ‘ban’ laughter. Cultural commentator Joe Queenan (above) tells the story of what happened next, with contributions from three US presidents, plus Ian Hislop, Adam Macqueen and Armando Iannucci.

Drama: Lud-In-The-Mist (Radio 4, 3pm) is Joy Wilkinson’s take on Hope Mirrlees’ 1926 fantasy cult classic.

Matthew Sweet considers music from films from 1966, including The Good, The Bad And The Ugly, in Sound Of Cinema (Radio 3, 3pm).