Can anyone recommend me some hidden gems on R4/BBC Sounds?

[violetscone]

I’ve really enjoyed listening to the radio recently and would love suggestions for more things to try. The BBC Sounds app sometimes suggests good things but I’m sure there must be lots of hidden gems I just haven’t found.

I’ve really enjoyed:
Just a Minute
I’m Sorry, I Haven’t a Clue
Wordaholics
Old Harry’s Game
Welcome to Our Village, Please Invade Carefully

And also quite liked:
Paradise Lost in Cyberspace
That Mitchell and Webb Sound

Any suggestions will be very much appreciated! Thank you

@Borington

I’ve really enjoyed Grounded with Louis Theroux - particularly Miriam Margolyes, was hilarious!

This !

Concrete Cow - Robert Webb - is on there at the moment and is good. I second Mark Steel’s In Town.

More or Less is a must listen - especially at the moment. It’s just been given a two episode extension to this series as there’s so much statistical (mis)information out there.
Best comedies are Dead Ringers, Mark Steels in Town and The Unbelievable Truth.
I also love searching for old Agatha Christie dramas and there’s the odd true crime stuff that’s much better than the usual sensationalist stuff on podcasts.

@HeronLanyon

Will add Conversations from a marriage I’ve never seen Star Wars - people trying Humdrum things they’ve somehow never done seen eaten etc Agree fully re Cabin Pressure. Saw Stephanie Cole (coles?) a few years ago In a supermarket and of all her amazing work this is what I thanked her for ! Back catalogue of Soul Music is great.

Constantly perplexed by variations in how long things are available for - subscribed to various things only to go back a few weeks later to listen and they’re sometimes gone sometimes available for years - can’t work out rationale no doubt to do with licensing ? - annoying !

This annoys me too, especially as you have to click on each individual episode to find out how long it’s up.

I also like Broadcasting House.

Loads of amazing recommendations - Forest 404 and How Does That Make You Feel are right up my street and i’d never have found them by myself! Thank you!

Where this Service Will ... a really well done gentle comedy drama
Martin Jarvis doing Just William
( brilliant for family car journeys)
Some of their drama series over the years have been brilliant and do get re released eg The Raj Quartet, The Forsyte Saga,
I listened to Home Front about World War1 and really got into it.
The unbelievable truth, I'm sorry I haven't a clue, Mark steel's in town, my teenage diary,
More or less has been great during the pandemic.
I also listen fairly regularly to Kitchen Cabinet, the food programme, from our own correspondent, great lives, desert island discs

Am I alone in hating the app so much that I rarely use it? They had a perfectly useful bbc radio app prior to 'improving' by developing Sounds; the search facility frustrates me so much that I lose patience with it. Annoying, as life wouldn't be worth living without R4, long may it continue.

Second "Where this service will" brilliant series by Katherine Jakeways wo also did North by Northamptonshire,another character driven bittersweet comedy. Great writing. Also anything by John Finnemore.

Oh yes, thirding Where This Service Will..
BBC Sounds annoys me too but it does have all five of them up in the right order: Terminate, Continue, Connect, Separate, Depart.

Also if you’re in need of something silly to cheer you up a Round The Horne repeat always hits the spot.

@longwayoff

Am I alone in hating the app so much that I rarely use it? They had a perfectly useful bbc radio app prior to 'improving' by developing Sounds; the search facility frustrates me so much that I lose patience with it. Annoying, as life wouldn't be worth living without R4, long may it continue.

It’s a dreadful app. Recently it developed a bug (it keeps jumping back to episode 3 of whatever I’m on) and they told me to reinstall the app to see if that helped - and it bloody lost my entire listening history, was so frustrating.

I'm going to listen to Cabin Fever today. Have just searched for it and found only one series? Is this correct? This thread gave me the impression that it has been running for some time so thought I'd double check.....

Cabin Pressure not Fever (Cabin Fever is the YouTube lockdown follow up). There were four series but only the first one is on Sounds.

And annoyingly the first episode has already fallen off.

@Chaotic45 if you search You Tube for Cabin Pressure, full episodes you can catch any of the first series that have already fallen off Sounds. You can then binge all its wonderful, gloriousness there or listen to R4 on a Sunday evening where it is being repeated. There are four series in total.

Oh my... what a fantastic thread!
Agree with R4 extra being a mine of forgotten shows - found myself listening to Foul Play on there the other day - v funny murder mystery quiz... saw a few of these recorded (over 20yrs ago ) and they still make me laugh - especially the Father Boniface episode!

Currently listening to Stillicide - good if you like sci fi

@Borington

I’ve really enjoyed Grounded with Louis Theroux - particularly Miriam Margolyes, was hilarious!

That was so funny - not one to listen to with young children around, though!

@violetscone Do you listen to Woman's Hour? It's always really interesting.

@EmpressLangClegSpartacus

If you like The Infinite Monkey Cage, try The Curious Cases of Rutherford and Fry.

It’s quite funny these two are usually promoted together on the app, I love Curious Cases but can’t listen to Monkey Cage as Robin Ince makes me want to slap my own face.

I love Curious Cases but can’t listen to Monkey Cage as Robin Ince makes me want to slap my own face.

@HollowTalk agreed! Loved that i halfway through MM checked who was meant to be interviewing who as well as suggesting talk moved "above the belt"!

Loved the serious way Louis Theroux said something like, "I've never had a penis inside me, either."

With Cabin Pressure, start at episode 1 of the series that is currently on Sounds, then the others, in order. It is exquisite.

I like the long plays that go on for weeks like the Proust one. I enjoyed The Forsyte Saga, The Cazalet Chronicles, and things like Evelyn Waugh, Jane Austen and so on.

The comedy is either terrific or not worth listening to.

I enjoy More or Less and The Life Scientific. In Our Time is ok.

I switch off The Untold and The Patch. Not keen on Ramblings.
DID is usually good, but just when I had got used to Kirsty Young, she leaves.

Recently, Endell Street and The Big Disease with a little Name.

Just William

It's a fair cop

Archive Hour

File on Four

The Great Post Officers Trial

Great Lives

Desert Island Discs