BBC Radio Christmas Launch 2015 - Radio 4

On Christmas Day 1937, nearly two years before book publication, five of T.S. Eliot's Practical Cats poems were broadcast as readings by Geoffrey Tandy on BBC Radio. The Radio Times wrote, "For some time past Mr Eliot has been amusing and instructing the offspring of some of his friends in verse on the subject of cats. These poems are not the kind that have been usually associated with his name".

Now, 78 years later, Oscar-winning actor Jeremy Irons re-visits the original five poems along with the further 10 which make up the Old Possum's Book Of Practical Cats.

In this treat for Christmas day you will find familiar, much-loved characters including Growltiger, Mungojerrie, Rumpleteaser, Old Deutoronomy, Mr Mistoffelees, Macavity, Gus and Skimbleshanks. These are cats who are notorious, lurk in shadows, baffle Scotland Yard, dance by the light of the moon and who must not be woken. They are found on trains, in the theatre, in the high street. They juggle, sleep, conjure, are curious and bore but they all show another side of one of our most important British poets.

T.S. Eliot’s poems have been enjoyed by many in the musical Cats, but here we return to the poems without any music and celebrate the inventiveness in the original words. Following on from his powerful readings of The Waste Land, Four Quartets and The Love song of J. Alfred Prufrock for BBC Radio 4, Jeremy Irons continues his radio journey with the works of T.S. Eliot with The Old Possum’s Book of practical Cats.

Gwyneth Williams, Controller of Radio 4 and Radio 4 Extra said: “Poetry has played a prominent part on Radio 4 this year and I’m delighted, following We British, our day-long exploration of British identity through the voices of our poets, to bring this festive treat to our audience. Jeremy Irons has already inspired us on Radio 4 with his reading of T.S. Eliot’s The Waste Land and now he is sure to win our hearts with Old Possum's Book Of Practical Cats as these much-loved poems make their Christmas comeback after almost eight decades. Radio 4’s poetry has never been better, from the longstanding favourite Poetry Please to poetry in our recently established strand The Echo Chamber, which often commissions and broadcasts original work.”

Old Possum's Book Of Practical Cats: The Naming of Cats, The Old Gumbie Cat, Growltiger's Last Stand, The Rum Tum Tugger, The Song of the Jellicles, Mungojerrie and Rumpelteazer, Old Deuteronomy, Of the Awefull Battle of the Pekes and the Pollicles, Mr Mistoffelees, Macavity:The Mystery Cat, Gus:The Theatre Cat, Bustopher Jones:The Cat about Town, Skimbleshanks:The Railway Cat, The Ad-dressing of Cats, Cat Morgan introduces himself.

Christmas Day, 8.30am followed by two further instalments later on that day
Producer: Sue Robers for the BBC

Calendar Girls

This Christmas, Ambridge Drama Queen Lynda Snell is producing Tim Firth’s much-loved comedy drama, Calendar Girls. As with last year’s Blithe Spirit, Calendar Girls will be a fully produced Radio 4 drama that can be enjoyed by fans of radio drama and Archers listeners alike.

Archers Editor Sean O’Connor said: “There were so many parallels between this story and our characters’ lives in Ambridge - the 100th anniversary of the WI, Lynda’s annual Christmas play - and the fact that Calendar Girls is one of the most popular plays with amateur drama groups in the UK - it seemed like an extraordinarily good fit.”

Sian Phillips, who stars in the play, said: “Had I been asked to name a most wonderful, surprising Christmas gift never could I have conjured up an invitation to spend Christmas in Ambridge. When I heard those words I cried an immediate and joyful "Yes!" After all I'm at home in Borsetshire... What a gift!”

This version of Calendar Girls will be the radio premiere of the story that took the world by storm as a successful film and a hugely successful play. A group of friends from a Yorkshire WI join together to raise money by posing naked for a charity calendar. In doing so, they test their friendships and the boundaries they each have set themselves.

Cheeky, tear-jerking and hilarious, Calendar Girls is a heart-warming seasonal treat.

Sunday 27th December at 7.15pm, with a repeat Monday 28th December at 2.15pm
Director: Sean O’Connor for the BBC

Today Guest Editors 2015

This year is the 12th time the Today programme has handed over the editorial reins to public figures during the week between Christmas and New Year. The show has announced two of the five guest editors who will take over the programme during the festive period, and they are Michael Sheen OBE, actor, director and Unicef UK Ambassador, and Miriam González Durántez, partner at the international legal practice at Dechert.

Beginning the guest editor take over on Monday 28 December is actor/director and UNICEF Ambassador Michael Sheen. He is best known for his acclaimed portrayal of Tony Blair in three films written by Peter Morgan: The Deal, The Queen and The Special Relationship. A long-established theatre actor, Sheen appeared on the London stage most recently as Hamlet at the Young Vic in 2011. He has also played Kenneth Williams, David Frost and Brian Clough on screen. In 2013 he was nominated for a Golden Globe for his role as gynaecologist William Masters in TV‘s The Masters of Sex. Sheen was raised in Port Talbot, which also bred two previous generations of acting greats: Richard Burton and Anthony Hopkins. The young Sheen was an accomplished footballer and turned down an offer of a place in the Arsenal youth squad. Instead, he joined the National Youth Theatre of Wales and trained at RADA. Sheen will use his programme to tell the story of refugees from Syria from the perspective of a teenage girl and he is interested in getting views on foreign aid from across the political spectrum. He will also be reporting on Christmas in Port Talbot and looking at the boundaries of neuroscience.

On the 30 December is lawyer Miriam González Durántez. She first came into the public eye in the UK as the wife of former Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg. In 2013 she launched the Inspiring Women campaign, which organises events in which women talk to girls about their life choices. The project has reached 85% of state schools in the UK. Participants include journalists like Fiona Bruce, physicist Dame Athene Donald, and swimmer Rebecca Adlington. The 47-year-old says there is a ‘residual sexism’ that is holding girls back. Her guest edit will focus on how women and men can find a balance between the competing priorities of work and family life; she will be interviewing women and men from across politics and the professions about gender stereotypes. She has described herself as a ‘tigress’ when it comes to her children and refused family photo shoots during election campaigns. She will also be in discussion with chef and healthy eating advocate Jamie Oliver and Great British Bake Off winner Nadiya Hussain about the challenges of encouraging children to eat a healthy diet.

Jamie Angus, Editor of Today, says: “The guest editors are a great Christmas tradition and have provided some of the best moments in the rich history of Today. They come from a huge range of backgrounds and have reached the highest echelons of their chosen fields. They promise to take our listeners to fascinating places far beyond the confines of our daily news coverage.”

Miriam Gonzalez-Durantez said: "I am looking forward to this opportunity because I am a big fan of the Today programme. I am hoping to give it a practical twist to discuss some of the issues related to caring and gender stereotypes that affect not only women, but also men."

Previous guest editors have included Sir Lenny Henry, Sebastian Coe, Michael Palin, John Bercow MP, Norman Tebbit, Prof Stephen Hawking, PD James, Sir Tim Berners Lee, Yoko Ono, Zac Goldsmith MP, Lady Manningham-Buller, David Hockney, Damon Albarn, Jarvis Cocker, Tracey Emin, Sir Richard Branson, and Melinda Gates.

Editor: Jamie Angus for the BBC

Desert Island Discs With Chris Hadfield And Patricia Greene

Kirsty Young’s castaways for the Christmas and New Year season are the astronaut Commander Chris Hadfield and actress Patricia Greene.

Chris Hadfield is a retired Canadian astronaut who was the first Canadian to walk in space. An engineer and former Royal Canadian Air Force fighter pilot, Hadfield has flown two space shuttle missions and served as commander of the International Space Station.

Patricia Greene MBE, or ‘Jill Archer’ as she’s known to many, joins Kirsty as final castaway of the year, and as The Archers gets ready to celebrate its 65th anniversary in January 2016. Patricia joined the cast of the world’s longest-running soap in 1957. She was originally offered a six week contract to play a distraction for the newly widowed Phil Archer following the death of his wife Grace, but on her final day she found out her character was going to marry Phil. Ever since, for 58 years, she’s played the matriarch Jill Archer on the show.

Previous festive guests have included: The Most Reverend Justin Welby and Ray Winstone (2014), Miranda Hart and Ant & Dec (2013); and Dawn French and Anya Hindmarch (2012).

Chris Hadfield: Sunday 20th December, 11.15am
Patricia Green: Sunday 27th December, 11.15am
Producer: Cathy Drysdale for the BBC

The 2015 Radio 4 Christmas Appeal With St Martin-in-the-Fields

The 2015 Radio 4 Christmas Appeal with St Martin-in-the-Fields is broadcast on Sunday 6th December and is presented by Revd Dr Sam Wells. In addition to the on-air appeal, this year John Telfer – who plays the vicar in The Archers – has written a song to support the fundraising efforts.

The song, I See You, is performed by a scratch choir including Radio 4 presenters and personalities, singers from St Martin’s and volunteers. These include Felicity Finch and Tim Bentinck – David and Ruth Archer, with Tim playing acoustic guitar – as well as Mitch Benn, Carolyn Quinn, Tom Sutcliffe and Luke Tuddenham. The song will be available on the Radio 4 and St Martin-in-the-Fields websites from 1 December, alongside films from Radio 4’s Miles Jupp and Hugh Dennis on homelessness. On Radio 4, Aashmar Mir will also present a short programme which tells the stories of some of the people whose lives have been changed by the money donated to the St Martin’s charities via the Radio 4 Christmas Appeal.

Online from Tuesday 1st December
Appeal on Sunday 6th December, 7.55am and 9.25pm
Radio 4 Christmas Appeal: Making A Difference at 9.45am and 5.40pm
Producer: Kate Howells for the BBC

The Hunting Of The Snark

Tony Robinson narrates this new adaptation of Lewis Carroll's classic masterpiece following a strange assortment of characters on their quest for an elusive beast. Led by a bell-ringing Captain, this motley crew must brave terrifying danger in their chaotic pursuit of a creature known as Snark. Accompanied by specially composed music and songs, this surreal tale questions whether anything is really what it seems.

Narrator: Tony Robinson, Bellman: Eric Potts, Baker: Paul Barnhill, Butcher: Everal A Walsh, Barrister/Snark: Jonathan Keeble, Beaver: Stephen Hoyle. Music performed by Katie Chatburn, Dorry Macaulay, Kathryn Williams, Stephen Cordiner and Jasper Wilkinson.

Christmas Day, 2.15pm
Director: Charlotte Riches for the BBC

Chrismukkah And Other Cultural Mash-Ups

As the number of inter-faith marriages in Britain increases, we uncover a growing phenomenon: the cultural mash-up. Sharmini Selvarajah meets the families who are getting creative as they combine different religious and cultural traditions to create brand new festivals.

Embracing multiple festivals has always come naturally to Sharmini. She grew up in a British-Asian family, celebrating Christmas, Diwali and Tamil New Year. Now that she’s married to a Jewish American, Passover, Thanksgiving and 4th July also feature. Every year she throws a Chrismukkah party for family and friends, where latkes sit next to mince pies on the table, and Christmas carols are sung alongside Hanukah blessings. She’s curious about how normal her family is. How do other people combine their various beliefs and customs?

Like Sharmini’s family, the Sommers celebrate both Christmas and Hanukah. Their blue and white Christmas tree is topped by a homemade star of David. Their three sons say the best part of combining Jewish and Christian December traditions is: “double the presents – double the fun!” But their Rabbi, Dr Jonathan Romain, warns that not all interfaith couples are prepared for the challenges of the festive season: “It’s a time of year that can be for some families enormously enriching, but for others is a major trauma. And it brings all issues of mixed faith marriage to the fore, issues they’ve been able to sweep under the carpet for the rest of the year.”

Sharmini spends Easter Monday hunting for chocolate eggs with Amy, who’s a Christian, her Muslim husband Takbir, and their extended interfaith family. And she speaks to people who don’t feel so positively about mashing things up: is there a risk of diluting celebrations by merging them, so that each is inadequately marked? Do children growing up in mixed families struggle to find their identities?

Sunday 20th December, 1.30pm
Producer: Hannah Marshall for Loftus Media

Soul Music: Fairytale Of New York

The tragi-comic tale of love gone sour and shattered dreams eloquently depicted in the Christmas classic Fairytale Of New York is the focus of this edition of Soul Music. James Fearnley, pianist with The Pogues recounts how the song started off as a transatlantic love story between an Irish seafarer missing his girl at Christmas before becoming the bittersweet reminiscences of the Irish immigrant down on his luck in the Big Apple, attempting to win back the woman he wooed with promises of 'cars big as bars and rivers of gold'.

Gaelic footballer Alisha Jordan came to New York to play football aged 17 from County Meath in Ireland. Despite being dazzled by the glamour of pace of New York City, she missed her family and friends and stencilled the words 'Fairytale of New York' on her apartment wall as an affirmation of her determination to make the most of her new life in the city. When she was later attacked on the street by a stranger, the words came to signify her battle to recover and to not let the horrific facial injuries she suffered defeat her or her ambition to captain her football team.

Rachel Burdett posted the video of the song onto her friend Michelle's social media to let her know she was thinking of her and praying for her safe return when Michelle went missing suddenly one December.

Tuesday 22nd December, 11:30am
Producer: Maggie Ayre for the BBC

Stars Of Wonder

Mark Ellen and Miranda Sawyer explore the magic of that enduring British ritual, the school nativity play.

With contributions from actors, broadcasters and politicians who've been inspired or scarred by the experience, we follow a school production from casting to opening night. Among the confirmed contributors are Simon Armitage, Clare Grogan, Tracey Thorne, Rory McGrath and Charlie Higson. The multi-faith Northwold Primary School in Hackney opens its doors to reveal the inside story of their nativity play.

Wednesday 23rd December, 11am
Producer: Trevor Dann for Trevor Dann's Company

Tim Key's Christmas Poetry Programme

Tim Key has pulled out all the stops for his Christmas special – he's hired a barn, a cow and a set of sleigh bells for his long-suffering musician, Tom Basden. He also has a fist-full of festive poems ready for recital. But no amount of Yuletide joy can hide Tom's despair at having to work on Christmas day.

Christmas Day, 11pm
Producer: James Robinson for the BBC

Bridget Christie’s Christmas List

Father Christmas helps bring about a feminist Christmas for 2015 whether he wants to or not. Featuring some men and elves. Written by and starring Bridget Christie.

Christmas Eve, 6.15pm
Producer: Alexandra Smith for the BBC

Count Arthur Strong's Radio Show! Seasonal Special

Count Arthur Strong - one time Variety Star, now sole proprietor and owner of Doncaster's Academy of Performance - is a show business legend, raconteur and lecturer extraordinaire. He stars in a one-off seasonal sitcom as he goes about his day-to-day life with his host of regular radio show characters.

In this one-off episode the sudden arrival of Christmas, (“We’ve only just celebrated Easter!”), surprises Arthur. Could his lack of seasonal planning possibly see Arthur miss out on his turkey?

All false starts and nervous fumbling badly covered up by a delicate sheen of bravado and self-assurance, an expert in everything from the world of entertainment to the origin of the species, everyday life with Arthur is an enlightening, sometimes frustrating, never dull experience.

Christmas Day, 11.30am
Producer: Komedia Entertainment Ltd & Smooth Operations Ltd

Love In Recovery: Christmas Special

Heart-warming comedy drama set in Alcoholics Anonymous on Christmas Eve, written by Pete Jackson, inspired by his own road to recovery. Stars Sue Johnston, John Hannah, Eddie Marsan, Rebecca Front, Paul Kaye and Julia Deakin.

It’s Christmas Eve, and the church hall is empty – except for self-appointed group leader Andy (Eddie Marsan), who’s waiting for the rest of his Alcoholics Anonymous group to turn up. Just in case anyone needs him. After all, Christmas can be a difficult time for recovering alcoholics – especially when your support group is this load of idiots. But nothing proves more difficult than this particular Christmas eve as one by one, the members all arrive, each with a different reason for seeking out the meeting hall – although whatever their troubles, one thing is clear: no-one is there for a meeting.

A second series of Love in Recovery will return to Radio 4 next year.

Christmas Eve, 11pm
Producer/Director: Ben Worsfield for Lucky Giant

Radio 4 Extra: Agatha Christie 125th Season

To tie-in with BBC One’s TV screening of And Then There Were None, Radio 4 Extra presents a feast to showcase the Queen of Crime, Agatha Christie as her special anniversary year draws to a close.

Highlights include an archive 1975 profile The Mysterious Dame Agatha Christie, featuring Richard Attenborough, plus a recently rediscovered Hercule Poirot drama Murder in the Mews, first broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in 1955 starring Richard Williams. A young woman is found dead in her flat, the day after Guy Fawkes night. Did she die by her own hand, or someone else's?

Radio 4 Extra has been given exclusive access to the Queen of Crime’s personal dictaphone tapes as she dictated her autobiography. Combined with fresh interviews with her grandson Mathew Prichard, extracts of the author’s own voice will appear across the schedule in Agatha Christie: In Her Own Words.

Hercule Poirot’s Christmas
Boxing Day, 6am, 4pm and 4am

Agatha Christie: In Her Own Words
Boxing Day, 2.10pm, Sunday 27th December, 10.10am, Monday 28th December – Friday 1st January, 10.25am

Murder in the Mews
Sunday 27th December, 4pm

Murder on the Orient Express
Monday 28th December – Friday 1st January, 10:30am, 3.30pm, 3.30am

The Mysterious Dame Agatha
Tuesday 29th December, 6.30pm, 00.30am

The Radio Detectives
Wednesday 30th December, 6.30pm, 00:30am

Women of Mystery - Queen of Crime
Thursday 31st December, 6.30pm, 00:30am

Radio 4 Extra: Josie Long Hears The Truth

From heartfelt, emotional encounters to awe-inspiring, personal quests for truth, comedian Josie Long presents the best in true storytelling from both home and abroad.

A new three-hour showcase made for BBC Radio 4 Extra.
Saturday 19th December, 9am, 7pm

Radio 4 Extra: Count Arthur For Christmas

To tie-in with Radio 4’s Count Arthur Strong, 4 Extra presents the Count’s two Christmas Specials from previous years, plus a three-hour showcase Extra Strong - Count Arthur Speaks! as the variety star opens up as never before to Mark Radcliffe with some of his favourite adventures.

Count Arthur Smith Christmas Special 2006
Wednesday 23rd December, 10:30am, 3.30pm, 3.30am

Count Arthur Smith Christmas Special 2014
Christmas Eve, 10:30am, 3.30pm, 3.30am

Extra Strong - Count Arthur Speaks!
Boxing Day, 9am, 7pm

Radio 4 Extra: A Frank Sinatra Christmas

Mystery Theater
Marking the 100th anniversary of the birth of Frank Sinatra (b. December 12, 1915) Radio 4 Extra kicks of a run of Mystery Theater with two episodes of Rocky Fortune, first broadcast in the USA on NBC in 1953. Sinatra played job-seeking drifter Rocky Fortune for 25 episodes during an album-recording hiatus.

Monday 21st December – Friday 25th December / Monday 28th December – Friday 1st January 10am, 3pm, 3am

The Gun Goes to Hollywood
Frank Sinatra is portrayed in Mike Walker's play The Gun Goes to Hollywood about The Pride and the Passion, Hollywood's take on CS Forester's The Gun, with Cary Grant, Sophia Loren and Frank Sinatra, and its notoriously troubled film set. Jonathan Silverman plays Frank Sinatra, with Greg Itzin as Cary Grant and Kate Steele as Sophia Loren.

Monday 21st December, 11.15am, 9.15pm

Great Lives: Frank Sinatra
Broadcaster Colin Murray chooses Francis Albert Sinatra in the biographical series in which Matthew Parris asks his guests to choose someone who's inspired their lives. "Fiercely competitive", "aggressive", "utterly masculine" and "supremely talented". Just some of the words - Matthew Paris says – that might be used to describe one of the greatest entertainers of the 20th century.

Colin calls Frank omnipresent. Enchanted by his songs, he says: "It's not about the notes you hit for me, it's about the simplicity and the honesty. And for me he had it in bucketloads."

New York author and music critic Will Friedwald vividly describes the singer's life history, from his early years to the marriages and through his recording and screen career. Featuring excerpts of many of Sinatra's greatest recordings. First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2009.

Christmas Eve, 6.30pm

Related BBC Links

• BBC Radio 4
• BBC Radio 4 Extra