1/3. Adrian Lester follows two students as they train in the country's foremost drama school, founded in 1904, and compares their lives with those of their illustrious predecessors, including Lord Attenborough, Kenneth Branagh, Glenda Jackson, Richard Briers and Richard Wilson. There is also a contribution from Athene Seyler, class of 1908.
(R)

Rada -100 Years On
11.30am R4 FM Take three Dickies (Attenborough, Briers and Wilson), throw in a Ken and a Glen (Branagh and Jackson), mix with a teacher imploring his class to touch their partner's heart with their eyes and you'd think you'd have a cocktail for Private Eye's Luvvies column. In fact, this is the start of a fascinating series on the history of Rada. So put aside the desire to cringe when today's students mix animal impersonations with nonsense words and, instead, let Adrian Lester (of Hustle fame) help illustrate this venerable institution's history in a much more palatable fashion. (Jane Anderson Key)