When I learned another play by Tony Pitts was due for broadcast I knew it would be a belter. His previous plays Pact and Monster were incredible: the former, the darkest radio play I've ever heard; the latter, a skilful examination of the secrets lurking behind so many ordinary front doors. Written in Pitts’ unique, … Continue reading Mart’s Radio Highlight of the Week – A Badge, written and directed by Tony Pitts
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Mart’s Radio Highlight of the Week (x2) – Tommies, and Home Front
BBC Radio 4's World War One drama series are back on air this week, with 45-minute episodes of Tommies on both Friday and Saturday, and Home Front returning to the lads and lasses in Tynemouth. The characters in both series continue to develop as a result of the ongoing conflict. In Tommies, Captain Mickey Bliss is … Continue reading Mart’s Radio Highlight of the Week (x2) – Tommies, and Home Front
Mart’s Radio Highlight of the Week: Velvet Blackout by Vincent O’Connell
Vincent O'Connell's Velvet Blackout, directed by Marc Beeby, is an unusual drama set during World War Two London. In 1942 a young woman with amnesia is pulled from a bombed building. A doctor and a policeman think she may know something vital to the British war effort - and they use some unorthodox techniques to … Continue reading Mart’s Radio Highlight of the Week: Velvet Blackout by Vincent O’Connell
Trans-Europe Express: A Break in Bruges
My wife and I recently took a short break in Bruges. (It's in Belgium.) A wedding anniversary treat. We travelled on the Eurostar from St Pancras to Brussels. This was partly because Mrs S is a nervous flyer, and partly for reasons of cost. We both had reservations about the subaquatic rail tunnel, but the … Continue reading Trans-Europe Express: A Break in Bruges
Mart’s Radio Highlight of (last) Week: Home Front, September 15th 1917 – Ivy Layton
If you're not a regular listener to Home Front this may not mean a lot to you, but the burgeoning romance between Ivy Layton and disfigured soldier Dennis Monk has been bubbling for a while. Wonderful writing and acting, and the delicate pacing of this story, made the final lines of this episode a real … Continue reading Mart’s Radio Highlight of (last) Week: Home Front, September 15th 1917 – Ivy Layton
Mart’s Radio Highlight of the Week: Moving to the Red Planet
Although this programme was originally broadcast on 7 March 2017, I only got around to listening to it this week, so... In Moving to the Red Planet, Claudia Hammond discusses the psychological challenges facing human travellers to Earth's nearest neighbour, such as isolation, lack of privacy, and clashes among crew members. While the physical challenges … Continue reading Mart’s Radio Highlight of the Week: Moving to the Red Planet
Mart’s Radio Highlight of the Week: Dr John Cooper Clarke
Brilliant punk poet Dr John Cooper Clarke is interviewed and drawn by Martin Rowson on Radio 4's Life Drawing. Dr JCC: a unique combination of insight, entertainment and art. What lasts longer than a pop song? You'll forget about any book. You'll have to read a book again. But a song. A popular song. That's there … Continue reading Mart’s Radio Highlight of the Week: Dr John Cooper Clarke
