Programme Information

Tuesday 16 December 2008

BBC RADIO 2 Tuesday 16 December 2008

Radio 2 Album Season – The Album As Art is a documentary explaining how the "long playing album" became a work of art in its own right, with the music, cover art, lyrics, liner notes and packaging all combining to make an evocative impact on several generations of rock fans.

The year 1968 was an era when the biggest bands in the world released 12 inches of black vinyl that had the evocative power to change people's lives, and the first year that albums outsold singles.

In many cases, the artwork associated with an album became as iconic as the music contained inside the gatefold sleeve – or after the introduction of CDs in 1984, inside the CD case.

Now, 40 years on, the music and the visual image associated with an album is approached in a different way, for a digital age.

The Beatles were the first musicians to "push the boundaries" of recorded music and experiment with effects previously unheard on any recordings – particularly the ground-breaking Revolver album in 1966, generally regarded as the LP that completely revolutionised recorded music.

And so began the most revolutionary period in modern music with bands such as Pink Floyd, Traffic, The Who, The Beach Boys, The Jimi Hendrix Experience and Cream all pushing the boundaries of psychedelic experimentation.

Contributors to tonight's documentary feature a variety of musicians, artists, producers, photographers, designers and managers involved with the recording of some of the most popular albums in the last four decades, including Pete Townshend; David Gilmour; Nick Mason; Noel Gallagher; Brian Eno; David Bowie; Iggy Pop; Chris Thomas; Mitch Mitchell; Glen Matlock; Muff Winwood; Geoff Emerick; Ken Scott; Donovan; Peter Saville; Alan Parker; Alan Parsons; Tony Visconti; Dylan Jones; Aubrey Powell; Klaus Voormann; Tim Rice; Rick Rubin; Michael Lindsay-Hogg; Gary Kemp; and Paolo Hewitt.

Producer/Des Shaw

BBC Radio 2 Publicity

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Class Of 2008Ep 1/3 Tuesday 16 December 11.30pm-12.00midnight BBC RADIO 2

Duffy, one of Paul Gambaccini's
breakthrough artists of 2008

Paul Gambaccini shares his choice of the breakthrough artists of the year and interviews them. In today's opener, Duffy and Teddy Thompson come under the Class Of 2008 spotlight.

Since its release in March, Duffy's album, Rockferry, has sold one-and-a-half million copies in the UK alone. She is the best-selling debut artist of the year and, at the time of writing, her album is also the year's overall best seller.

At the end of 2007, Duffy had been voted No. 1 in the BBC's Sound Of 2008 poll and she has undoubtedly lived up to that prediction. She talks to Paul about her musical influences while growing up in Wales, her first musical steps and how she was nurtured by the record company Rough Trade and ex-Suede guitarist Bernard Butler. Her hits in 2008 include the No. 1 Mercy, Warwick Avenue, Stepping Stone and her latest single, Rain On Your Parade.

Singer-songwriter Teddy Thompson, meanwhile, has been making music for over a decade but feels 2008 has been his breakthrough year. His single In My Arms was regularly played on BBC Radio 2 and his fourth album, A Piece Of What You Need, made the Top 10 in the UK this year. He is the son of British folk-rock luminaries Richard and Linda Thompson, but tells Paul that what people assume would have been a musical childhood was, in fact, the "exact opposite". The programme features an exclusive solo performance by Teddy of his hit In My Arms.

Presenter/Paul Gambaccini, Producer/Kevin Howlett

BBC Radio 2 Publicity

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BBC RADIO 3 Tuesday 16 December 2008

Naples ruled the musical world in the 18th century and, this week, Donald Macleod takes a series of five snapshots from this remarkable period of music-making and continues to explore the lives of the composers whose revolutionary pieces left the rest of Europe trailing.

Today, Donald looks at a momentous shift in Neapolitan politics in 1734 with the crowning of Charles III, King of the Two Sicilies – a story in itself. As he explains, it also coincided with the final years of a composer who went on to achieve near mythical status. When Pergolesi died at the age of just 26, he was thrown into a paupers' grave. A couple of decades later, his seemingly inconsequential intermezzo La Serva Padrona had turned the opera world on its head, and he was being hailed as "the Raphael and Virgil" of music.

Donald introduces excerpts from that piece, as well as the famous Stabat Mater, and discovers how the adulation for Pergolesi saw the composer's catalogue become full of works which he didn't write.

Presenter/Donald Macleod, Producer/Michael Surcombe

BBC Radio 3 Publicity

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People either love the composer Brahms, or they don't, but there is no denying that his music sits at the heart of the classical chamber repertoire. In this series of BBC Radio Lunchtime Concerts, recorded at LSO St Luke's, in London, Brahms has the limelight – almost – entirely to himself in four programmes given by leading British-based performers.

This first concert features distinguished section principals from the London Symphony Orchestra, who show off their considerable skills as chamber performers in two unusually scored works: the relatively early Trio for violin, horn and piano and the Trio for clarinet, cello and piano – a product of the composer's late creative flowering following his encounter with clarinettist Richard Mühlfeld.

Presenter/Penny Gore, Producer/Lindsay Kemp

BBC Radio 3 Publicity

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Performance On 3 – Hansel And Gretel Tuesday 16 December 7.00-9.15pm BBC RADIO 3

Sir Colin Davis conducts Hansel
And Gretel

Sir Colin Davis conducts Humperdinck's sumptuous fairytale opera, Hansel And Gretel, live from the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden – a magical treat leading up to the holiday season.

In this classic fairy story, two children run off to the forest to collect berries after a scolding from their mother but, as night falls, they realise they are lost. Their fears are initially allayed by the Sandman, who comforts them to sleep, but, when they wake up to discover a tempting gingerbread house, they are ensnared by the wicked witch. In an explosive climax, the children manage to defeat the witch and, in a rousing happy ending, they are returned home and reunited with their parents.

This new production by the regular directorial pairing of Patrice Caurier and Moshe Leiser promises shades of light and darkness, with wit, black comedy and the magical Sandman and Dew Fairy to dispel the darker undercurrents. The exceptional cast includes Angelika Kirchschlager and Diana Damrau as Hansel and Gretel, with Anja Silja as the witch and Thomas Allen taking the role of the children's father.

Presenter/Suzy Klein, Producer/Janet Tuppen

BBC Radio 3 Publicity

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BBC RADIO 4 Tuesday 16 December 2008

The Fortune HuntersEp 1/5 Tuesday 16 December 9.30-9.45am BBC RADIO 4

The Fortune Hunters explores the story behind the £15b in unclaimed assets in the UK and investigates if, and how, these funds are reunited with their rightful owners.

Today's opener looks at what happens if someone dies without leaving a will. If this is the case, the estate passes to the Crown – unless blood relatives come forward. Max Flint speaks to Wendy Pentelow, who learned from probate investigator Cat Whiteaway that her father, whom she hadn't seen for over 20 years, had died just a few miles away from where she lives and that she was first in line to inherit his estate.

Other programmes in the series feature National Savings & Investments, royalties due to authors and musicians, building societies with unclaimed funds and tax deducted from pensions.

Presenter/Max Flint, Producer/Cat Whiteaway

BBC Radio 4 Publicity

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James Naughtie re-evaluates Giacomo Puccini's reputation with the help of some of the 21st century's most respected Puccini authorities, to coincide with the 150th anniversary of the composer's birth on 22 December.

Listeners can hear contributions from the music director of the Royal Opera, Antonio Pappano, the opera director Graham Vick and academics Alexandra Wilson, author of recently published book, The Puccini Problem, and Emanuele Senici of the University of Rome. In a timely assessment, they respond to some of history's accusations, including whether Puccini targeted the passions of the masses at the expense of true art and, indeed, how much of Puccini's reputation and that of his music was a result of the social and political situation in Italy at the time.

Presenter/James Naughtie, Producer/Johannah Smith

BBC Radio 4 Publicity

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In 1944, PG Wodehouse was interrogated by MI5 and one of the interrogators was an up-and-coming journalist by the name of Malcolm Muggeridge. The other was Major EJP Cussen, who later became a High Court judge. In today's Afternoon Play – How To Be An Internee With No Previous Experience, Colin Shindler creates a tense drama based on those interviews.

Tim McInnerny stars as PG Wodehouse and the play is interspersed with re-creations of the Berlin broadcasts, letters to the press and the powerful condemnation of Wodehouse by Daily Mirror columnist Cassandra.

Wodehouse and Muggeridge developed a great respect for each other but, as these two erudite and witty men exchange banter, listeners are constantly reminded that the stakes are as high as they could be. Major Cussen's report could lead to a full-scale trial and the possibility of the death penalty.

See also the Afternoon Play on Monday 15 December.

Producer/Peter Leslie Wild

BBC Radio 4 Publicity

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BBC RADIO 5 LIVE Tuesday 16 December 2008

Mark Saggers brings listeners all the day's sports news and views, in tonight's edition of 5 Live Sport.

From 8pm, 5 Live's golf correspondent, Iain Carter, presents Padraig Harrington's Major Year – the Irish golfer reflects on a triumphant last 12 months, including a successful defence of his Open title and victory in the US PGA. Iain has an in-depth chat with Padraig and assesses his year with a panel of experts.

At 9pm, Mark is joined by Peter Alliss, Barry Davies and Murray Walker for Legends Of The Mic, which looks back at the sporting highlights of 2008.

Presenter/Mark Saggers, Producer/TBC

BBC Radio 5 Live Publicity

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Danny Baker sets sail aboard his 606 pirate ship this evening to host his off-beat football phone-in.

Fans can watch the debate on interactive digital TV via the Red button, and give their views to Danny by phoning 0500 909 693 (free from BT landlines), texting 85058 at network rates or emailing 606@bbc.co.uk.

Presenter/Danny Baker, Producer/Patrick Campbell

BBC Radio 5 Live Publicity

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BBC 6 MUSIC Tuesday 16 December 2008

Imelda May, one of George Lamb's personal musical picks of the year, performs live in the BBC 6 Music Hub this evening.

Her unique fusion of rockabilly, blues and jazz, with her burlesque-inspired performances, has earned her the reputation of one of the finest vocalists from the UK roots music scene today.

Presenter/George Lamb, Producer/Mike Hanson

BBC 6 Music Publicity

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Acclaimed guitarist Johnny Marr, former member of The Smiths and current member of The Cribs, curates the show this evening, with Marc Riley on hand to offer some handy hints. Johnny picks the band, the archive session and most of the tunes whilst chatting to Marc.

Presenters/Marc Riley and Johnny Marr, Producer/Michelle Choudhry

BBC 6 Music Publicity

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BBC ASIAN NETWORK Tuesday 16 December 2008

Ranbir bumps into an old gang from school and Tyrone ridicules him about working instead of hanging out with them, as the Asian drama continues.

Jodie, meanwhile, discovers there might be a way for her to replace Mani's old records that she burnt when they fell out, but is she just clutching at straws?

Elsewhere, Kuljit tells Ranbir he can't work at the studio any more, which causes him to go off the rails – driving him straight back to the gang and into trouble.

Ranbir is played by Ashwin Bolar, Tyrone by Ajay Dattani, Jodie by Vineeta Rishi and Kuljit by Sartaj Garewal.

BBC Asian Network Publicity

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