Main content
Sorry, this episode is not currently available

Writers and the 成人快手

Henry Goodman and Grace Cookey-Gam read from authors including George Orwell, Sue Townsend, Penelope Fitzgerald, Jonathan Coe and James Fenton and music commissioned by the 成人快手.

From wax discs to colour TV and Marshall McLuhan's "global village", a comedian's audition for the "Deputy Head of Variety" to advice on how to read a poem on radio: to go alongside the celebration of the anniversary of 成人快手 drama marked at this year's Contains Strong Language Festival, today's programme takes its cue from fictional depictions of the corporation and references to specific programmes. Actors Henry Goodman and Grace Cookey-Gam read texts by authors who worked at the 成人快手 including George Orwell who between 1941-1943 was a Talks Producer on what was then the 'Eastern Service' and gives us here his views about poetry on the radio; PH Newby, the first winner of the Booker Prize and a former controller of the Third programme and Penelope Fitzgerald, who worked at the 成人快手 during the Blitz when she was in her twenties. Other extracts from novels include Sue Townsend's Adrian Mole, Gordon Burns's The North of England 成人快手 Service, Jonathan Coe's new book Bournville and an imagined Queen's Speech from Alan Bennett. There are archive extracts featuring John Gielgud and an unusual voice for the shipping forecast, poems written by Roger McGough, Wendy Cope and Elizabeth Burns and music commissioned by the 成人快手, plus pieces by Britten, Debussy, Faur茅, Chopin, Bach, Bart Howard, Django Reinhardt and American rock from the 1960s.

Producer: Juan Carlos Jaramillo

Readings:
'A for Announcer' by Eleanor Farjeon (from 'The ABC of the 成人快手')
'Bournville' by Jonathan Coe (excerpt)
鈥楾he North of England Service鈥� by Gordon Burns (excerpt)
'Three Rooms' by Jo Hamya (excerpt)
Shipping forecast, read by Alan Bennett on 成人快手 Radio 4
'Listening to Bach鈥檚 B Minor Mass in the kitchen' by Elizabeth Burns
'Poetry and the Microphone' by George Orwell (excerpt)
'Sonnet 18' by William Shakespeare
'Lessons' from Ian McEwan (excerpt)
'A is for The Archers and Adultery' by Wendy Cope
'Human Voices' by Penelope Fitzgerald (excerpt)
'The Whistling Woman' by AS Byatt (excerpt)
鈥楪oing Out Live鈥� by Mark Lawson (excerpt)
鈥楩eelings have changed鈥� by P.H. Newby (excerpt)
'Adrian Mole aged 13 戮' by Sue Townsend (excerpt)
'Afterwards' by Thomas Hardy
'The Uncommon Reader' by Alan Bennett (excerpt)
'To Poetry Please' by Roger McGough

1 hour, 14 minutes

Last on

Sun 1 Oct 2023 17:30
成人快手 Radio 3

More episodes

Previous

Rings

Next

Encounters with Egypt

See all episodes from Words and Music

Music Played

Timings (where shown) are from the start of the programme in hours and minutes

  • Georgia Mann

    Introduction to the programme, read by Georgia Mann

  • Eleanor Farjeon

    A for Announcer, from The ABC of the 成人快手, read by Grace Cookey-Gam

  • 00:01

    William Walton

    Orb and Sceptre March

    Orchestra: London Philharmonic Orchestra. Conductor: Adrian Boult.
    • EMI - CDM 565584-2.
    • 13.
  • 00:02

    William Walton

    Orb and Sceptre March

    Orchestra: London Philharmonic Orchestra. Conductor: Adrian Boult.

  • Jonathan Coe

    Bournville (excerpt), read by Henry Goodman

  • 00:05

    William Walton

    Orb and Sceptre March

    Orchestra: London Philharmonic Orchestra. Conductor: Adrian Boult.
    • EMI - CDM 565584-2.
    • 13.
  • 00:06

    Spike Hughes & His Dance Orchestra

    Tap Your Feet

    • Topic 聳 888003695641.
    • 1.
  • 00:07

    Spike Hughes & His Dance Orchestra

    Tap Your Feet

  • Gordon Burns

    The North of England Service (excerpt), read by Grace Cookey-Gam

  • 00:10

    Erich Wolfgang Korngold

    4 Shakespeare Songs, Op.31, When birds do sing

    Singer: Anne Sofie von Otter. Performer: Bengt Forsberg.
    • DG - 4596312.
    • 18.
  • 00:11

    Erich Wolfgang Korngold

    When Birds do Sing, Op.31 no.4

    Singer: Anne Sofie von Otter. Performer: Bengt Forsberg.
  • 00:13

    Trad.

    Song of the Birds (El Cant del Ocells)

    Music Arranger: Pau Casals. Performer: Sheku Kanneh鈥怣ason. Orchestra: City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra. Conductor: Mirga Gra啪inyt臈鈥怲yla.
    • Decca - 4832948.
    • 3.
  • 00:14

    Traditional Catalan

    El cant del ocells (Song of the Birds)

    Performer: Sheku Kanneh鈥怣ason. Orchestra: City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra. Conductor: Mirga Gra啪inyt臈鈥怲yla.
  • 00:15

    成人快手 Sound Effects

    Birds singing

    Performer: Unknown.
    • 成人快手.
    • 1.

  • Jo Hamya

    Three Rooms (excerpt), read by Henry Goodman

  • 00:16

    Claude Debussy

    La Mer, I. De l聮aube 脿 midi sur la mer (Transcribed for four-hand piano)

    Performer: Alexander Melnikov. Performer: Olga Pashchenko.
    • Harmonia Mundi - HMM902302.
    • 4.
  • 00:17

    Claude Debussy

    De l'aube 脿 midi sur la mer (La Mer)

    Performer: Alexander Melnikov. Performer: Olga Pashchenko.

  • 成人快手

    成人快手 Radio 4 Shipping Forecast, read by Alan Bennett

  • 00:21

    成人快手 Sound Effects

    Big Ben chimes and bongs

    Performer: Unknown.
    • 成人快手.
    • 1.
  • 00:22

    Johann Sebastian Bach

    Mass in B minor (BWV 232) Pt.2, Gloria in excelsis Deo, Et in terra Pax

    Choir: Monteverdi Choir. Ensemble: English Baroque Soloists. Conductor: Sir John Eliot Gardiner.
    • Archiv - 415514-2.
    • 4.
  • 00:23

    Johann Sebastian Bach

    Gloria (Mass in B minor)

  • Elizabeth Burns

    Listening to Bach聮s B Minor Mass in the kitchen, ready by Grace Cookey-Gam

  • 00:26

    Johann Sebastian Bach

    Mass in B minor (BWV 232) Pt.2, Gloria in excelsis Deo, Et in terra Pax

    Composer: Johann Sebastian Bach. Choir: Monteverdi Choir. Choir: Monteverdi Choir. Ensemble: English Baroque Soloists. Ensemble: English Baroque Soloists. Conductor: Sir John Eliot Gardiner. Conductor: Sir John Eliot Gardiner.
    • Archiv - 415514-2.
    • 4-5.

  • George Orwell

    Poetry and the Microphone (excerpt), read by Henry Goodman

  • 00:29

    John Dowland

    My Lady Hunsdon's Puffe

    Performer: Nigel North.
    • Naxos - 8557586.
    • 19.
  • 00:30

    John Dowland

    My Lady Hunsdon's Puffe

    Performer: Nigel North.

  • William Shakespeare

    Sonnet 18, read by Sir John Gielgud

  • 00:32

    Doris Day

    Fly Me to the Moon (In Other Words)

    • Sony - USSM16401319.
    • 2.
  • 00:33

    Doris Day

    Fly me to the Moon

  • Ian McEwan

    Lessons (excerpt), read by Henry Goodman

  • Wendy Cope

    A is for The Archers and Adultery, ready by Wendy Cope

  • 00:36

    Gabriel Faur茅

    Pavane

    Orchestra: Orchestre de Paris 鈥� Philharmonie. Conductor: Paavo J盲rvi.
  • 00:36

    Gabriel Faur茅

    Pavane for orchestra (with chorus ad lib) (Op.50)

    Orchestra: Orchestre de Paris 鈥� Philharmonie. Choir: Ch艙ur de l'Orchestre de Paris. Choir: Ch艙ur de l'Orchestre de Paris. Conductor: Paavo J盲rvi. Conductor: Paavo J盲rvi.
    • Virgin Classics - 070921 2.
    • 10.

  • Penelope Fitzgerald

    Human Voices (excerpt), ready by Henry Goodman

  • 00:41

    Django Reinhardt & St茅phane Grappelli

    Echoes of France - La Marseillaise

    • Dreyfus Jazz - 3700551702534.
    • 18.
  • 00:42

    Django Reinhardt

    Echoes of France - La Marseillaise

  • 00:44

    Big Brother & the Holding Company

    Piece of My Heart

    • Columbia - G0100006701846.
    • 4.
  • 00:45

    Janis Joplin

    Piece of my Heart

  • AS Byatt

    The Whistling Woman (excerpt), ready by Grace Cookey-Gam

  • 00:47

    Big Brother & the Holding Company

    Piece of My Heart

    • Columbia - G0100006701846.
    • 4.
  • 00:48

    Fr茅d茅ric Chopin

    Mazurka for piano (B.16`2) in B flat major [1826]

    Performer: Vladimir Ashkenazy.
    • London - 4437382.
    • 23.
  • 00:49

    Fr茅d茅ric Chopin

    Mazurka in B flat major (1826)

    Performer: Vladimir Ashkenazy.

  • Mark Lawson

    Going Out Live (excerpt), read by Henry Goodman

  • 00:51

    John Adams

    Short Ride in a Fast Machine

    Orchestra: San Francisco Symphony. Conductor: Edo de Waart.
    • Elektra - 7559791442.
    • 4.
  • 00:52

    John Adams

    Short Ride in a Fast Machine

    Orchestra: San Francisco Symphony. Conductor: Edo de Waart.

  • P.H. Newby

    Feelings have changed (excerpt), ready by Grace Cookey-Gam

  • 00:57

    Ron Grainer

    Doctor Who Theme (Series 8)

    Orchestra: 成人快手 National Orchestra of Wales. Conductor: Ben Foster. Conductor: James Shearman.
    • Silva Screen Records - SILCD-1460.
    • 1.

  • Sue Townsend

    Adrian Mole aged 13 戮 (excerpt), ready by Grace Cookey-Gam

  • 00:58

    Ron Grainer

    Doctor Who theme

    Orchestra: 成人快手 National Orchestra of Wales. Conductor: Ben Foster.

  • Thomas Hardy

    Afterwards, ready by Jeremy Irons

  • 00:59

    Jon Lord

    Afterwards

    • Avie - AV2190.
    • 10.
  • 01:00

    Jon Lord

    Afterwards

  • 01:02

    Benjamin Britten

    Gloriana - symphonic suite Op.53a: Courtly dances: March & Coranto

    Orchestra: 成人快手 Philharmonic. Conductor: Edward Gardner.
    • Chandos - CHAN10658.
    • 3.
  • 01:03

    Benjamin Britten

    March and Coranto (Courtly Dances - Gloriana)

    Orchestra: 成人快手 Philharmonic. Conductor: Edward Gardner.

  • Alan Bennett

    The Uncommon Reader, ready by Henry Goodman

  • 01:06

    Dan McGrath / Josh Phillips

    Strictly Come Dancing

    Performer: Sacre.
    • Union Square Music - 0698458951489.
    • 11.

  • Roger McGough

    To Poetry Please, read by Grace Cookey-Gam

  • 01:06

    Dan Mcgrath

    Strictly Come Dancing

  • 01:08

    Howard Skempton

    Lento

    Orchestra: 成人快手 Symphony Orchestra. Conductor: Mark Wigglesworth.
    • NMC - NMCD005.
    • 1.

Broadcasts

  • Sun 23 Oct 2022 17:30
    成人快手 Radio 3
  • Sun 1 Oct 2023 17:30
    成人快手 Radio 3

The hidden history of plant-based diets

The hidden history of plant-based diets

Forget social media influencers - the meat-free movement started with the Victorians.

Books website

Get closer to books with in-depth articles, quizzes and our picks from radio & TV.