Sounds of the 60s (30 September, 6am, Radio 2) reproduces the launch, 50 years ago to the day, of “the exciting new sound of Radio 1” with Tony Blackburn sounding no older as he plays the same records he spun on that day in the same formats. Which suggests somebody has got their hands on a playable copy of Beefeaters by John Dankworth, the record Blackburn actually played before he put on the Move’s Flowers in the Rain that morning.
From 8.30am, he’s joined by Nick Grimshaw for a look back at the last 50 years, which will also be broadcast on Radio 1 and Radio 1 Vintage. This last is a three-day service that you can find on DAB, the iPlayer and on the BBC website. The speech networks are also getting in on the act. Chris Morris devotees will be pleased to hear that his 1998 Blue Jam (30 September, 10pm, Radio 4 Extra) is getting a repeat.
One of the most popular features of last year’s 70th anniversary celebrations on Radio 3 was the uninterrupted mix that they called the River of Music. This lives on in the station’s new schedules. In Tune (Weekdays, 5pm, Radio 3) moves to a slightly later start time and is immediately followed by the In Tune Mixtape, half an hour of music that will also be available to download.
Soundbite of the week comes from 90-year-old Barbara, the accidental star of Selling Barbara (6 October, 11am, Radio 4). Because she makes modest contributions to charity, Barbara has found herself in the crosshairs of an increasingly ruthless fund-raising sector. Her suspicions were aroused when she started receiving supposedly free gifts from the charities. Turning over one recently received diary in her hand she says: “Well, you’d pay seven and six for something like that.” Then she laughs.
There are lots of podcasts that look at films from the audience’s point of view. There are also plenty that look at it from the combatants’ point of view. It’s invariably the case that the less likely you are to have heard of the people talking, the more interesting they’ll be. I Was There Too talks to people who played non-starring roles in big movies. That means the likes of comedian Jimmy Pardo, who didn’t make it to the finished Dreamgirls. Still, he recalls that when an actor is put on hold for a movie, he gets paid for two weeks just for sitting at home waiting to be called. Think of that next time you shell out for popcorn.
In Scriptnotes, John August and Craig Mazin “talk about scriptwriting and things that are interesting to scriptwriters”. Such as? How you can suggest a place in an opening scene without spending a fortune; how different films have handled the depiction of the main character’s first day at work; the kinds of scenes that get taken out for airline screenings; how you might remake Rain Man for the present day; and, this being Hollywood, how you make sure you get paid.
