And Now on Radio 4: A 40th Birthday Celebration of the World's Best Radio Station [Hardcover]

`cosy, celebratory ... It is a happy book, celebrating Radio 4 as above all a friend and companion.'

'congenial - chatty, a little bit personal ... it's hard to imagine what more a Radio 4 fan could want.'

'insiderish'

On 30 September 2007 Radio 4 celebrates its 40th birthday. This book, written by long-time Radio 4 insider Simon Elmes, celebrates the people and programmes – and curiosities – that have made the network the envy of the world.

And Now on Radio 4 offers an enthusiast’s guide to the shows that have made Radio 4 what it is, and also explores some of the wonderful corners of the network’s history that are long forgotten by all but a few. Who, for instance, now recalls Ronnie Barker’s starring role on Radio 4 in a sophisticated cabaret-cum-sketch-show called Lines from My Grandfather’s Forehead? What about Spike Milligan's intimate, soul-bearing account of his upbringing in colonial India, Plain Tales from the Raj? And who now remembers that Start the Week was once hosted by Russell Harty, a bit of programming compared by one insider to letting Graham Norton run Newsnight. In order to reflect the way devotees listen to Radio 4, the book is organised not on simple chronological lines but in the form of a typical day. Chapter by chapter, the day evolves, from Farming Today, through the daily feast that is Today, through the morning menu of conversation, Woman’s Hour, documentary and comedy. Lunchtime brings The World at One. The early evening, of course, yields The Archers. And finally there's Book at Bedtime and Sailing By. An addictive mix of history, biography, anecdote and occasional useless fact, this is the perfect book for Radio 4 aficionados.

- Who is Radio 4's 'fourteen-stone budgie'? - How did Phyllis Willis and Mavis Davis make announcer Charlotte Green lose her cool? - What does 'Ruth' really think about The Archers? - When did Today stop having a keep-fit spot? - And who was the Spam Fritter Man, and what became of him? This wonderful history-cum-guide answers these and many other questions about the irreplaceable world of Radio 4. Written to mark the station's 40th anniversary, it's essential reading for every devotee.

Simon Elmes is Creative Director of the BBC's Radio Documentary Unit, where he oversees a wide range of programmes. He was Executive Producer of the long-running magazine Word of Mouth, from its inception until 2004. In 1996 it was awarded one of the world's premier broadcasting prizes, the Premio Ondas. He produced the award-winning The Routes of English, a 26-part series on the history of the English language, and has written four books to accompany the series. He also produced the 2005 radio and TV project Voices.