A collection of BBC broadcasting blunders presented by John Inverdale. There are no gaffes like sporting gaffes. In the excitement of the moment, and live on air, commentators and sports personalities can say the most amazing and silliest things. This complication includes slip-of-the-tongue and scrambling of words which produce gales of laughter f...

Sandi Toksvig takes over as chairman in four editions of the ever-funny comedy news quiz, with panellists including Alan Coren, Andy Hamilton and Jeremy Hardy.

Alan Bennett reminisces about his early years - from his schooldays to undergraduate life at Oxford University. It was an ordinary childhood - growing up in Leeds taught Alan early on that `life is generally something that happens elsewhere'. Yet the children who long for German bombs to lend their city some wartime glamour; the working class mothe...

The first series of Andy Hamilton's BBC Radio 4 comedy about sports PR agent Trevor. Trevor and Sammy are the movers and shakers at TS Sports Stars agency. Friends for twenty years, and business partners for nine, they are chalk and cheese: Trevor is thoughtful, honest and sensitive while Sammy is a rapacious dealmaker with the morals of a hyena. I...

In this 30-part BBC Radio 4 series, astronomer Heather Couper charts the history of our understanding of the universe. Her journey begins at the beginning as people first gaze in wonder at the life-giving Sun, the wandering planets and the changing phases of the Moon. Along the way we meet the ancient astronomers, as well as many pioneering scienti...

'Genius Series 3' sees Dave Gorman and celebrity guests Charlie Brooker, Matthew Wright, Gyles Brandreth, Rob Newman, Germaine Greer and Simon Munnery chew over ridiculous, unworkable but sometimes genius inventions, schemes and policies of the public. Genius invites listeners to air those incredible concepts that strike you just before falling int...

Simon Schama's sweeping history of Britain breathes life into our past centuries, vividly depicting exactly what life was like for our ancestors and how their experiences have shaped modern British culture and identity. A informative and entertaining mixture of anecdote and analysis, Schama's work offers a real insight into what it is to be British...

Stephen Fry presents a special tribute to Humphrey Lyttelton, the sublime host of I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue, through the eyes of his close pals on the show and distinguished admirers, from Dame Judi Dench to Radiohead.The programme features many highlights taken from his thirty-six years at the helm of Radio 4's perennial antidote to panel games.

Winston Churchill steered Britain through its darkest hours during World War Two. He was one of the twentieth century's greatest orators, and the speeches that he painstakingly composed, rehearsed and delivered inspired courage in an entire nation. Churchill's output was prolific - his complete speeches alone contain over 5 million words. On this s...

This is the first of three audio volumes taken from the 90-part Radio 4 series. It tells the story of America through the voices of those who were there, from presidents to slaves. It celebrates the American achievement and evokes the sound and colour of daily life; it also explores the paradoxes of American history.

BBC cricket correspondent Jonathan Agnew introduces a new collection of anecdotes and reflections from some of the best-loved characters of Ashes cricket, including Merv Hughes, Derek Randall, Ian Botham, Gladstone Small, Darren Gough and many more. Some of the greatest players from both England and Australia remember the classic encounters from ov...

In this documentary portrait of Kenneth Williams, who died in 1988, the much-loved comedy actor's diaries are drawn upon to illustrate his life and career. David Benson, who won acclaim for his one-man show in which he portrayed Kenneth Williams, reads extracts from the diaries, whilst archive clips from such programmes as Round the Horne and Beyon...

This is Alan Bennett's first major collection of prose since his bestselling 'Writing Home'. It is a poignant family memoir recalling the marriage of Alan's parents, the lives and deaths of his aunts and the uncovering of a long-held family secret. At times heartrending, and at others extremely funny, 'Untold Stories' is a matchless and unforgettab...

Genius: Series 2 sees Dave Gorman and celebrity guests including Chris Addison, Armando Iannucci and Brian Sewell chew over ridiculous, unworkable but sometimes genius inventions, schemes and policies of the public. Genius invites listeners to air those incredible concepts that strike you just before falling into a nice sleep or after one-too-many...

Much loved by the public and his peers, Stephen Fry is one of the most influential cultural forces in the country. This memoir promises to be courageously frank, honest and poignant. It will detail some of the most turbulent and least well known years of his life with writing that will excite you, make you laugh uproariously, move you, inform you a...

Christopher Lee's history of Britain, 'This Sceptred Isle', provided the definitive radio account of the nation from the arrival of Julius Caesar to the death of Queen Victoria. Volume 2, covering the years 1919-1938, looks at a Britain ravaged by war and at the mercy of millions of striking workers. It also takes in the lighter side of life in the...

Christopher Lee's history of Britain, This Sceptred Isle, provided the definitive radio account of the nation from the arrival of Julius Caesar to the death of Queen Victoria. This Sceptred Isle, The Twentieth Century, continues the story, taking us through decades of whirlwind change and technological advancement in the diverse and colourful count...

Christopher Lee's history of Britain, This Sceptred Isle, provided the definitive radio account of the nation from the arrival of Julius Caesar to the death of Queen Victoria. This Sceptred Isle, The Twentieth Century, continues the story, taking us through decades of whirlwind change and technological advancement in the diverse and colourful count...

Volume Two of David Reynold's major BBC Radio 4 series traces America's story from the Civil War to World War Two. This epic narrative tells the saga of the United States through the voices of those who lived it - presidents and farmers, mothers and children, settlers and soldiers, immigrants and Native Americans. This is also the story of how ordi...

This recording is taken from four of writer, poet and broadcaster Pam Ayres''s live shows for her BBC Radio 4 series Ayres on the Air, and is packed with her usual mix of comic poetry, prose and droll observations on life. . Here, Pam can be heard delighting her public on such topics as holidays, families, ageing and country living. With sketches a...

Based on his Perrier-nominated Edinburgh hit show of 2004, Chris Addison's Civilization is a comedy lecture series for Radio 4. It neatly follows on from Chris's first Radio 4 series, The Ape That Got Lucky. Western Civilization, like many very old things, is pretty much on its last legs. And if Western Civilization as we know it is dying sooner ra...