Radio Roundup

Ohhhh there are a lot of horsey drawings to make pretty ... which means I have listened to ALL the radio. What follows is not all the radio; this is what I have particularly liked and thought I ought to pass along. Your tastes may vary. As always you are invited to browse the Radio 4 and 4extra schedules for yourself.

COMEDY
John Finnemore's Souvenir Programme - Things get a bit meta in the last – last! – of the current series. The schedule will be that much dimmer next week, alas. (Luckily you can still catch most of the episodes online ... for now ...)
And Now In Colour - This sketch show was a regular rerun back when I started listening. It hasn't resurfaced in a while, which is a pity, because ten years later it still makes me laugh out loud, though I don't have any colleagues to annoy this time around.
The Consultants - Another trip down memory lane; the love song in this episode had me incapacitated when I first heard it. Other episodes are worth checking out as well, obviously.
Andrew Maxwell's Public Enemies - The incisive and informed Irish comedian takes on some of the forces that may be working against the common good. Episode 1 (linked) addresses the food industry; episode 2 (accessible from episode 1) the Internet.
Think the Unthinkable - If you're looking for a sitcom to fill the Cabin Pressure gap, this is not an 'insidious trap of emotion' but is a good one to pass the time, and passes the Bechdel test to boot.
Susan Calman is Convicted: Children - If you don't want children, this is the non-threatening humourous half hour your friends and family need to listen to. If you can't understand why someone doesn't want children, then let this be your spoonful of sugar.
Listen Against - Radio 4's indulgence of dependency, through the reward of self-referential comedy. It was supposed to have been topical when it aired, but all that's dated is the idea of Labour politicians in government, which gives a new spin to the term 'continuity announcer.' Long live R4.
Talking and Not Talking - I'm curious as to why women seem to have a harder time being silly than men, but at least Laura Solon strikes boldly across the frontier and dares to make a truly silly female-led sketch show.

DRAMA
Only You Can Save Mankind - The aliens in Johnny's video game surrender, and invoke the Geneva convention to request safe passage to neutral territory. The book is far better than the radio play, but if you listen you might just about understand why this would make a great film. (Then read the book.)
Fridays When It Rains - If you listened to "A Flock of Tigers" but thought it ought to be much much creepier, this may be the train-based storytelling-driven radio two-hander for you.
Hood - Robin Hood, reimagined. I get the impression it was pitched as a TV series à la Musketeers and deferred to radio; the best thing it has going for it is that it's a bit silly, but I suspect it would take that as an insult. Anyway it stars Lee Ingleby so you know that much is good.
Orlando - A reading of Virginia Woolf's novel about an androgynous character who lives several centuries. I haven't listened, myself, yet, but it's on the list ...

DOCUMENTARY
Pistols at Dawn - The history of duelling, from swords, to pistols, to people realising it was a dashed silly thing to do.
One to One - Jan Ravens (comedienne and impressioniste) talks to Germaine Greer (feminist firebrand) about her life and career and how she is surprisingly underrepresented in satirical impression-based comedy. (She evidently missed the 'Germaine Greer Fortune Cookie' slot in Before They Were Famous.)
Schubert's Winter Journey - Did I listen to this because it had the words "winter journey" in the title? Yes. Did I learn a lot more about a favourite composer, German history, and some very nice music? Also yes.
Mao's Golden Mangoes - OK, I really like mangoes, but China in the midst of the Cultural Revolution really, REALLY liked mangoes.
Sidekick - Frank Cottrell Boyce explores the vital role of the sidekick through literature and drama.