BBC sounds - add your review or recommendation here

[idontgetitdoyou]

Inspired by another thread about how rubbish the search functionality on Sounds is.

It’s also annoying that there are no listener reviews. So a few times I’ve listened to some pretty poor quality dramas etc and really wished I could have read a review first.

So I thought it would be good to have a thread for this so people can share recommendations for shows they liked (or warnings for those they didn’t!)

I’ll start with:
Really enjoyed a dramatisation of Behind the Scenes at the Museum (Kate Atkinson)
plus just listened to the Barchester Chronicles which I enjoyed.

I like fiction especially detective and historical, but post about anything you like on Sounds. There’s so much on there but it’s hard to navigate and the length of time things are available for is so random.

Getting on a flight now so look forward to reading later!

I've been enjoying Assume Nothing from Radio Ulster. It depends a bit on what each run of programmes is about, but I found the ones on the Handler interesting, and there have been some interesting historical ones.

Also In Our Time. And Word of Mouth.

Word of mouth

I love this thread!

I’m happy to pay the license fee for BBC sounds alone.

I love r4, and Sounds is a good site, apart from the Search function, which is pants.

This is a great thread, thank you. I've made a note of a couple of podcasts to follow up.

The Book at Bedtime series are often very very good.
I much prefer non-fiction am not thinking OP is interested in NF.

Thank you for engaging with this thread everyone and for all the suggestions!

I like fiction and non fiction, just been in a loop of historical fiction at the moment.

I agree about more or less. It’s essential - going to try and get my teens to listen!

Back to the fiction front, I loved Home Front when that came out a few years ago, in fact that was really what got me into radio drama.

Oh also meant to say that I love the BBC dramatisations of great novels etc rather than the Book at Bedtime type programmes because I hate abridged versions, can’t think of a single one I’ve enjoyed if it’s been abridged!

Yes I did too

Thanks so much for starting this thread. I totally agree that Sounds has such great content but it's so hard to find.

I've enjoyed

• I'm sorry I haven't a clue (proper laugh out loud panel show)
• Jane Austen audio books - pride and prejudice and sense and sensibility. (I don't know whether they have other complete books as it doesn't list them)
• Shadow World - anatomy of a cancellation
• Carrie Jade does not exist (about a scam artist)

I’ve found nearly all of the Limelight series to be excellent.

Other series I’ve enjoyed are;

Death in Ice Valley
The Missing Cryptoqueen
The Lazarus Heist
Who Killed Emma
Paradise
Fake Heiress
The Strange Death of Innes Ewert

The Lovecraft Investigations
Battersea Poltergeist
Witch Farm

I like to listen to The News Quiz on my dog walks. Also Front Row for the TV and film reviews.

And Pick of the Pops, just pick a year you like and off you go.

Wanging on with Graham Norton is funny too.

And Screenshot with Mark Kermode is great for movie buffs.

@Scarydinosaurs We have the same taste!

This is such a good idea for a thread, I’ve enjoyed listening on BBC Sounds for years but really miss the days of 15 minute drama, afternoon drama and book at bedtime! It seemed easier to find things then

I’ve enjoyed
The Glassmaker
How to kill your family
The Maid
Yellowface

In factual I’ve also enjoyed
Room 5 (medical stuff)
Women’s hour
Inside the Ethics Committee (hmm, also medical, there’s at theme here!) and this one is old too
Born in Bradford (also old )
This is not a pity memoir

There must be a lot of others, I’m going off to have a good look!

Also love the Sleeping forecast, particularly the ones with celebrity voiceovers reading from the most random boring/soporific books.

@Dancingdogs oh excellent - I’ve not listened to any on your list, so I will add them now! Thank you!

Whenever I see The French Lieutenant’s Woman advertised, I always listen as it is so good.

Detective is also a good listen - warning for how changed the attitudes are!

Oh and Charles Paris! Both the old and new ones.

This is a backwards-recommendation, but Hugh Bonneville reading Sherlock Holmes is so boring it is guaranteed to lull me to sleep within a few minutes. I swear by it!

Ha! I didn’t like this either.

just got a notification that there is a new 3 part dramatisation of Gone with the wind available. So will definitely give that a go.

There's a revisionist dramatisation of "Gone with the Wind" on Sundays on R4 currently. Maybe worth a listen?

I'm in the thick of After Dark atm. Loads of historical stuff and the odd woo thing. Only downside is the male presenter sometimes speaks so fast it's like he's been speeded up. Very good, though, masses of podcasts to choose from.

Interesting. I find the Carlton Hobbs Sherlock Holmes’s stories to be superior in this respect. Sadly, they are disappearing in a few months. I fall asleep to these most nights.

Home Front is for me the best podcast ever. It’s a very long drama about the impact of the First World War on families. It’s not just about the war, there is loads going on. Really entertaining and very informative. I’ve learnt so much from it. I really wish it had been made into a telly series.

Great thread.

The Pin
This Thing of Darkness
Laura Solon Talking and Not Talking
Silas Marner

Cannot beat Cautionary Tales!

The search is so shit!
More or Less and Cautionary Tales (you'd think if I always listen to More or Less, it would mention to me that Tim Harford does Cautionary Tales but no)
The Gift, Shedunnit, Naralie Haynes Stands Up For the Classics, You're Dead to Me, Screenshot, there's a radio 3 programme called Sounds of Cinema that's good on film music. Conversations from a Long Marriage, the series of plays about 999 calls. Some Limelight but some are too scary. The Reunion. A Good Read.

I listen to a lot of crime drama but usually find it by going back through the schedules on 4extra. June Whitfield Miss Marple, Annika, Paul Temple, Wimsey.

Round Britain Quiz, Brain of Britain, Counterpoint that used to be 3pm on Mondays but now isn't so I have to search Sunday's schedule to find it to listen to at 3 on Monday.

I want them to repeat Tumanbay.

Thanks for this thread. I also enjoy BBC sounds but find it hard to find things and always feel like I’m missing out on things.

I’ve enjoyed:
Killing Victoria
D Day: the Tide Turns
Lady killers
How to Invent a Country

I also listen to Desert Island Discs, the Inquiry and different episode on the Documentary.

I'm enjoying GWTW, but you have to wait till next week for the final part.