Presented from the South East by BRYAN PLATT
6.25 Shipping forecast long wave only

Brian Redhead with LIBBY PURVES
6.45' Prayer for the Day BISHOP GEORGE APPLETON
7.0, 8.0 Today's News Read by JOHN MARSH
7.30, 8.30 News headlines
7.45* Thought for the Day

with Christopher Slade

by Louisa M. Alcott, abridged in nine parts by Christine Meek
Read by Anna Massey

"Christmas won't be Christmas without any presents." grumbled Jo, lying on the rug. It's so dreadful to be poor," sighed Meg, looking down at her old dress". "I don't think it's fair for some girls to have plenty of pretty things and other girls nothing at all", added little Amy, with an injured sniff. "We've got Father and Mother and each other", said Beth contentedly."

(BBC Scotland)
(Part 2: Boxing Day at 10.45 am)

The show that began with the end of the world continues with Arthur Dent and Ford Prefect stranded on prehistoric earth, and Zaphod Beeblebrox and Marvin thoroughly devoured by a carbon-copy of the Ravenous Bugblatter Beast of Traal. Peter Jones as The Book with Mark Wing-Davey as Zaphod Beeblebrox
Stephen Moore as Marvin Simon Jones as Arthur Dent
Geoffrey MeGivern as Ford Prefect/Frogstar Robot
Bill Paterson as Assistant Arcturan pilot
David Tate as Captain/ The receptionist/The lift and Alan Ford as Roosta Radiophonic sound and music by PADDY KINGSLAND Written by DOUGLAS ADAMS Producer GEOFFREY PERKINS (First broadcast on Christmas Eve 1978)
(Stephen Moore is a National Theatre player)

(Details: Boxing Day 2.0)

reflects on the Englishness of the English, from the BBC Sound Archives.

NEM, p 17; The advent of our King (BBC HB 39); Psalm 111; Matthew 1, vv 18-25 (AV); 0 come, 0 come (BBC HB 36)

(Details: Boxing Day 7.20)

A lighthearted account of the chequered history of the crossword puzzle.
Anagrammatically compiled by (BASIL BIRNEY) and presented by (Len H. JOWlS) With PATRICK BARR, LEONARD FENTON, MARTIN FRIEND, BRIAN HAINES, MICHAEL MCSTAY, PEGGY PAIGE and ELIZABETH RIDER.
Directed by (H. JEATHON-CHOIRS) (Anag.)
(Rptd: 10 Jan)

Including a visit to a museum of kitchen ware and some old English recipes; Gail Duff talks about country lore for the winter months and Alexander Walker looks at what films are on general release during the holiday Presenters Nancy Wise and Bill Breckon

The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club by DOROTHY L. SAYERS , adapted in six parts by CHRIS MILLER starring withand
3: Mr Oliver Producer SIMON BRETT
12.55Weather; programme news: long wave only

Presenter Brian Widlake

1.55 Shipping forecast long wave only

with Sue MacGregor
Out of Context: DAVID HAWKSWORTH talks to Tommy Steele about his lesser-known activity - painting and sculpting. (Tommy Steele is at the Prince of Wales Theatre, London)
Just What You Want (Although You Don't Know It): RON ALLDRIDGE looks at the life of the demonstrator
A Magnificent Woman and her Flying Machine: ELISE HACKETT , now 88, tells PAM GILLHAM about her early airborne days. Christmas Anthology: words and music.
The Two Wise Virgins of Hove by ROBIN MAUGHAM abridged in three parts by MADGE HART. Read by MARGOT BOYD and JOHN FRANKLYN-ROBBINS (3). (Music: Mathias' Vivat Regina)

in King's College Chapel, Cambridge upon Christmas Eve

Processional Hymn; Once in royal David's city (H.J. Gauntlett)
The Bidding Prayer
Hymn: Of the Father's heart begotten (Piae Cantiones, 1582, arr Willcocks)
First Lesson: Genesis 3, vv 8-15, 17-19: A CHORISTER
Adam lay ybounden (Boris Ord); Sussex Carol (trad English, arr Ledger)
Second Lesson: Genesis 23, VV 15-18: A CHORAL SCHOLAR
Joseph and Mary (trad English, arr Vaughan Williams); Up, awake and away! (Galician melody, arr Ledger)
Third Lesson: Isaiah 9, VV 2, 6, 7: A REPRESENTATIVE OF THE CAMBRIDGE CHURCHES
Ding dong! merrily on high (16th-century French, arr Wood)
Hymn: O little town of Bethlehem (trad English)
Fourth Lesson: Isaiah 11, vv 1-3a, 4a, 6-9: A REPRESENTATIVE OF THE CITY OF CAMBRIDGE
A maiden most gentle (trad French, arr Carter); The Holly and the Ivy (trad English, arr Walford Davies)
Fifth Lesson: St Luke 1, VV 26-35, 38: THE DIRECTOR OF MUSIC
In dulci jubilo (14th-century German, arr de Pearsall)
Sixth Lesson: St Luke 2, VV 1, 3-7: A REPRESENTATIVE OF THE SISTER COLLEGE AT ETON
Stille nacht (Gruber, arr Ledger), Sans day carol (trad Cornish, arr Rutter)
Seventh Lesson: St Luke 2, vv 8-16: A FELLOW
King Jesus has a garden (19th-century Japanese melody, arr Ledger)
Hymn: While shepherds watched (Este's Psalter, 1592)
Quelle est cette odeur agreable? (trad French, arr Willcocks)
Eighth Lesson: St Matthew 2, vv 1-11: THE VICE-PROVOST
In the bleak mid-winter (Harold E. Darke); A babe is born (William Mathias)
Ninth Lesson: St John 1, vv 1-14: THE PROVOST
Hymn: O come, all ye faithful (J. F. Wade ) Collect and Blessing
Hymn: Hark! The herald angels sing (Mendelssohn)

Director of Music PHILIP LEDGER.
Organ Scholar ADRIAN PARTINGTON

(Rptd: Christmas Day 3.0, R3)

For five hours every day the holy island of Lindisfarne is cut off from the rest of Northumberland by the tide. When the sea retreats, thousands of summer visitors flood the island.
Keith Allan examines the effects of the invasion on the island and its people. Producer GILLIAN HUSH BBC Manchester

with Gordon Clough and Joan Bakewell
5.50 Shipping forecast long wave only
5.55 Weather; programme news

including Financial Report

(Details: Thurs at 12.27)

(Rptd: Christmas Day 2.0)

Presented by Geoff Watts Producer DAVID PATERSON

Frank Muir tells the story, with music, of the Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith, with some of the many famous artists who have appeared at the old Lyric, recorded on the stage of the new theatre.
Written by MICHAEL MEYER with, in order of appearance: Cathleen Nesbitt Athene Seyler Richard Gooldea Peter Bull Michael Hordern Maurice Denham Elisabeth Welch Irlin Hall Joan Heal Ronald Harwood Donald Swann Fenella Fielding with Richard Bartlett Malcolm Bullivant , Anita Dobson , Lesley Duff , Fiona Mathieson and the recorded voices of Edith Evans and John Gielgud
Music director COLIN SELL Director DAVID CARSON
Edited and presented for radio by IAN COTTERELL

... the treetops, that is. Jeffery Boswall talks about birdsong and illustrates his comments with his personal Top 20 - the 20 most musical of our British bird songsters. Producer DILYS BREESE BBC Bristol
9.59 Weather

' Will you please watch the ITMA script a little more closely with regard to dirt? On one or two occasions recently you have been overstepping the bounds. The " stick it up " gag last week was a case in point.'
(BBC INTERNAL MEMO)
Throughout the Second World War. the nation may have laughed at Tommy Handley , ' Mrs Handley 's boy ', and at the other characters of radio's most successful comedy show, but behind the scenes BBC officials agonised over what should and should not be permitted on the air.
Gordon Snell tells the extraordinary story of the 300 editions of ITMA, from 1939 to 1949, based on documents in the BBC Written Archives, together with extracts from the original radio broadcasts. With DOUGLAS BLACKWELL , MARTIN FRIEND, GARARD GREEN, ROGER HAMMOND , GODFREY KENTON , PEGGY PAIGE and EVA STUART Producer ALAN HAYDOCK

A meditation for Christmas by Michael Ffinch with music specially composed by Francis Shaw I have risen and I am with you,
Not as the world is the peace I give you.
Man whose mastery Now forgets me,
Search the mystery Love besets me:
High was the joy in the Bethlehem dawn,
High in your heart let a child be born. with the voices of the poet, MICHAEL FFINCH
ROSALIND SHANKS , ELIZABETH MORGAN , JULIE HALLAM , TIMOTHY BATESON. STEPHEN THORNE and DAVID TIMSON Directed by SHAUN MACLOUGHLIN
(First broadcast in 1973)

of Christmas from Cotham Diocesan Worship Centre, Bristol. In Butterfield's first church, containing Eric Gills first publicly commissioned sculpture, and on the site of a public gibbet, the midnight communion of Christmas is celebrated by THE REV GEOFFREY GRANT , who is also the Preacher Lessons (NEB): John 4, vv 7-14; John 1, vv 1-18
Hymns (EH): 0 little town of Bethlehem (15); Come thou Redeemer of the earth (14); Hark! The herald angels sing (24)
Director of Music DR JOHN BISHOP. BBC Bristol followed by an interlude