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The Patch

One producer, one randomly generated postcode, and an unheard story unfolding in a corner of Britain we wouldn't otherwise know about.

Radio 4,39 episodes

Episodes

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Longframlington, Northumberland
The thousands of falcons being bred in the UK destined for falcon races in the Middle East
02 Jun 2025,42 mins
Bruton
A small town in rural Somerset becomes a magnet for contemporary art - what happens next?
26 May 2025,42 mins
Bulford
A randomly generated postcode shines a light on the UK's military justice system.
19 May 2025,42 mins
Gendros, Swansea
One gym in Swansea, visited 80 times a month by its most dedicated followers... Why?
30 Dec 2024,42 mins
Gairloch
What happens if a postcode starts to run out of children?
23 Dec 2024,42 mins
Blackburn
How did thousands of tonnes of plastic waste end up in the middle of Blackburn?
16 Dec 2024,42 mins
Northowram, Halifax
A small village which mysteriously has two cricket clubs, separated by a dry stone wall.
15 Apr 2024,42 mins
St Mary Cray
One of the largest settled Romani communities in the UK and an extraordinary cemetery
08 Apr 2024,42 mins
Prestatyn
When did this North Wales coast town end up in conflict with its local gull population?
01 Apr 2024,42 mins
Broadstone, Poole
A random postcode and a random spate of arson attacks in Dorset.
07 Sep 2023,28 mins
Freiston, Boston
An unexpected story springs from a landscape in rural Lincolnshire's hidden histories
31 Aug 2023,28 mins
Farnborough
A random postcode generator takes us to Britain's only airport dedicated to private jets.
24 Aug 2023,28 mins
Bolton
An unusual litter picking group and a knotty problem.
29 Mar 2023,28 mins
Sunderland Point, Morecambe
A village that gets cut off twice a day by the tide, and the shanty crew who live there.
22 Mar 2023,28 mins
Gartree, Market Harborough
The small rural village that hosts a prison for people serving life sentences.
15 Mar 2023,28 mins
Feltwell
The random postcode generator leads to rural Norfolk's mysterious US military domes.
08 Mar 2023,28 mins
Haringey
In an inner London borough, tales of loss and longing, told through vegetables
09 Aug 2021,28 mins
Eastbourne
Golden retrievers from Turkey arrive at an Eastbourne car park on a monthly basis - why?
02 Aug 2021,28 mins
Welwyn Garden City
The random postcode generator takes us to a religious order living here.
26 Jul 2021,28 mins
Lowestoft
An old boatyard in Lowestoft and the myth and legend of its "uncatchable" boat.
19 Jul 2021,28 mins
Hawkhurst, Kent
An ex-army corporal is on a quest to restore military graves and help veterans with PTSD.
12 Jul 2021,28 mins
Camborne
One producer, one random generated postcode, and the search for an unheard story.
24 Aug 2020,28 mins
Milton Keynes
The random postcode generator delivers us up a Jimi Hendrix roadie turned pornographer
17 Aug 2020,28 mins
Anglesey
Surprisingly timely beliefs of the Latter-day Saints and their missionaries in North Wales
10 Aug 2020,28 mins
City of London, St Paul's
Lockdown with the homeless community in one of the wealthiest postcodes in Britain.
03 Aug 2020,28 mins
Elland
The Rex cinema started in 1912, still has an interval and organ, but faces a shock in 2020
28 Mar 2020,28 mins
Croxteth, Liverpool
A community centre providing a lifeline in Croxteth.
21 Mar 2020,28 mins
Hartlepool
The random postcode generator sends us to Hartlepool. Why are so many houses for sale?
14 Mar 2020,28 mins
Tiptree, Essex
A crimewave in Tiptree.
07 Mar 2020,28 mins
Torry, Aberdeen
The pet shop in Aberdeen where something terrible has been happening to customers.
29 Feb 2020,28 mins