Programme Information

Christmas Eve Wednesday 24 December 2008

BBC RADIO 2 Christmas Eve Wednesday 24 December 2008

Neil Diamond plays especially
for BBC Radio 2

BBC Radio 2 gives listeners another chance to hear Neil Diamond perform this very special session for Radio 2 from the BBC Radio Theatre in London.

Singer and songwriter Diamond is famed for such pop classics as Sweet Caroline; Cracklin' Rosie; I'm A Believer; Girl, You'll Be A Woman Soon; and You Don't Bring Me Flowers. He released his 29th studio album, Home Before Dark, in May.

Home Before Dark reunites Neil with Rick Rubin, the legendary record producer with whom he collaborated on 12 songs. This 2005 album went in at No. 5 in the UK charts and was the singer's highest-charting original release to date.

This session was recorded on Wednesday 14 May 2008 and first went out on Radio 2 on Saturday 17 May.

Producer/Sarah Gaston

BBC Radio 2 Publicity

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BBC Radio 2 presents a Christmas Eve appreciation of an album that has become as much a part of the holiday season as mince pies and mistletoe: A Christmas Gift For You.

Perhaps better known to British listeners as The Phil Spector Christmas Album, the 1963 classic originated on Spector's own Philles label in the US. Long a cult favourite, the album reached a larger audience when re-issued in the UK by Apple in the Seventies.

As well as playing all 13 tracks from the album, the programme features two special guests who explain how the record was made and discuss the music's lasting legacy: journalist, broadcaster and Spector biographer Mick Brown; and legendary drummer Hal Blaine. As the backbeat to Spector's house band The Wrecking Crew, Hal sat in on all the marathon studio sessions that produced this festive favourite.

Producers/Richard Allinson and Neil Myners

BBC Radio 2 Publicity

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Aled Jones presents carols
from York Minster

Aled Jones presents Carols By Candlelight, performed by the Chapter House Choir of York Minster.

Directed by Stephen Williams, the choir perform Christmas music old and new from the Gothic surrounds of York Minster's 13th-century Chapter House.

Producer/Terry Carter,
Presenter/Aled Jones

BBC Radio 2 Publicity

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Christopher Eccleston reads the last in this series of fiendish Christmas stories.

Munro Saki, a master of black comedy, provides tonight's final ghoulish offering, The She-Wolf. At a winter house party, one unbearable guest claims to be a master of the dark arts. But there is consternation all round when he turns his hostess into a wolf and can't turn her back again.

Reader/Christopher Eccleston, Producer/Frank Stirling

BBC Radio 2 Publicity

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Roger Royle Christmas Eve Wednesday 24 December 4.00-7.00am BBC RADIO 2

The Reverend Canon Roger Royle presents a live, three-hour programme of seasonal music and carols for all early-risers on Christmas morning.

Presenter/Reverend Canon Roger Royle,
Producer/Bridget Apps

BBC Radio 2 Publicity

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BBC RADIO 3 Christmas Eve Wednesday 24 December 2008

Kirsten O'Brien introduces highlights from the Grand Finale Concert from the BBC Concert Orchestra's Fabulous Family Music Day, which took place in Watford earlier this year.

Visitors were treated to performances and workshops with the members of the orchestra, which culminated in what was described as: "The ultimate orchestral experience as all sections of the BBC Concert Orchestra come together for the grand finale of this action-packed day of music-making."

Among the music featured are pieces by Piazzolla, Bernstein and Ravel. The Orchestra is joined by organist Roderick Elms and conducted by Christophe Warren Green.

Following the celebrations, Louise Fryer enters further into the land of tales and stories with more performances from the BBC performing groups, including Prokofiev's Romeo And Juliet (featuring the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, conducted by Thierry Fischer); Rimsky-Korsakov's delightful Tale Of Tsar Saltan Suite (featuring the BBC Philharmonic, conducted by Alexander Titov); and Philip Lane's The Night Before Christmas (featuring the BBC Concert Orchestra, conducted by Barry Wordsworth) with narration by Stephen Fry.

Louise also drops into a concert in Stavanger where the resident Symphony orchestra marks the centenary of the Norwegian composer Geirr Tveitt with a performance of his first symphony, known as Christmas Eve.

Presenter/Louise Fryer, Producer/Helen Garrison

BBC Radio 3 Publicity

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Performance On 3 – Bach At ChristmasEp 3/3 Monday 21 to Christmas Eve Wednesday 24 December 7.00-8.45pm BBC RADIO 3

This is the last of three all-Bach programmes, recorded at Hawksmoor's glorious Christ Church earlier this month as part of the Spitalfields Winter Festival and featuring John Eliot Gardiner conducting The Monteverdi Choir and The English Baroque.

Nowadays, Bach's Christmas Oratorio is usually performed in one (rather long) sitting. In reality, it is a composite work consisting of six cantatas. In the spirit of the Bach Cantata Pilgrimage (2000), John Eliot Gardiner places three of these consecutive cantatas as close to their original liturgical day as possible.

Today's programme includes Motet – Der geist hilft unser schwachheit auf, BWV.226; Brandenburg Concerto No.5 in D major, BWV.1050; and Christmas Oratorio – Cantata No.3 Herrscher des himmels, erhöre das lallen with tenor Nicholas Mulroy as the Evangelist.

Presenter/Martin Handley, Producer/Kevin Bee

BBC Radio 3 Publicity

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Joan Bakewell continues to explore areas of belief with artists, thinkers and other public figures, and tonight speaks to the prize-winning novelist, critic and cultural historian, Marina Warner.

Brought up Catholic and having boarded at one of Britain's top convent schools, Marina abandoned her faith in her twenties, while writing her second book, Alone Of All Her Sex – The Myth And Cult Of The Virgin Mary. Yet she remains personally and professionally interested in all things religious, magical, mythical and irrational. Her most recent book, Phantasmagoria, describes the many ways in which spirit seeks form in the modern world. We may have abandoned belief in God, she argues, but we still believe that something distinctive, something essential, animates human beings and makes them more than the sum of their parts, more than just a complex machine.

In 1994, Marina was only the second woman to give the BBC's Reith Lectures with the title Managing Monsters – Six Myths Of Our Time. Earlier this year she was awarded the CBE for services to literature.

The final programme in the series can be heard on Friday 26 December.

Presenter/Joan Bakewell, Producer/Karen Maurice

BBC Radio 3 Publicity

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BBC RADIO 4 Christmas Eve Wednesday 24 December 2008

Based on the short story by Nikolai Gogol, and adapted for BBC Radio 4 by Adam Beeson, Christmas Eve is a comedy featuring a devil, a witch, a love-struck blacksmith and a beautiful heroine in love with her mirror.

As the snow falls on Christmas Eve in the Ukrainian village of Dikanka, the local witch is in league with a pint-sized emissary of "the dark one" to steal the moon and the stars.

Love is in the air as the witch's son, blacksmith Vakula, is trying to win the hand of the beautiful but vacuous Oksana. Meanwhile, there is some farcical business with his mother's three lovers, who are all forced to hide in sacks in a cupboard...

Vakula makes a pact with the little devil to win Oksana's love by borrowing a pair of shoes from Catherine the Great. Much to the astonishment of her courtiers, Catherine grants Vakula's request and hands over her shoes.

The cast includes Steven McNicoll, Mark McDonnell, Crawford Logan, Ralph Riach, Juliet Cadzow, Lucy Paterson, Paul Thomas Hickey and Dave Anderson.

Producer/Bruce Young

BBC Radio 4 Publicity

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Festival Of Nine Lessons And Carols Christmas Eve Wednesday 24 December 3.00-4.30pm BBC RADIO 4

The first Festival Of Nine Lessons And Carols ever to take place in King's College, Cambridge, was 90 years ago, on Christmas Eve 1918, led by the new Dean Eric Milner-White.

In 1928, 10 years later, the fledgling British Broadcasting Corporation decided to broadcast the service for the first time and, with one exception, it has been transmitted every year since.

This year is the 80th broadcast and shortly after 3pm on Christmas Eve, a solo chorister will step forward to sing the first verse of Once In Royal David's City. The service is also broadcast on the BBC World Service.

This Christmas Eve features a new commission by Dominic Muldowney to a text by Bertold Brecht, simply entitled Mary. There are also contemporary carols by Judith Weir and Alan Bullard as well as more familiar ones by Vaughan Williams in his anniversary year, John Tavener and John Rutter.

Stephen Cleobury directs the choir for the Festival Of Nine Lessons And Carols. It will be broadcast, live, on BBC Radio 4 and BBC World Service and repeated on BBC Radio 3 on Christmas Day afternoon.

In addition, the Daily Service is broadcast live on Christmas Eve from the chapel at 9.45am on Radio 4 Long Wave, led by Stephen Shipley with the King's College Choral Scholars.

Producer/Philip Billson

BBC Radio 4 Publicity

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Alistair Cooke's Seasonal Letters From America Ep 1/5 Christmas Eve Wednesday 24 December 6.15-6.30pm BBC RADIO 4 (Schedule addition 5 December)

As part of BBC Radio 4's celebration of Alistair Cooke's centenary over the Christmas and New Year period, the BBC's North America editor, Justin Webb, introduces eight of Alistair Cooke's "seasonal" Letters From America, broadcast in December and January over the five decades of his career.

Alistair Cooke was a wordsmith and broadcaster extraordinaire. From 1946 to 2004, he wrote nearly 3000 weekly Letters From America for BBC Radio. They were broadcast round the world and The Letter was the longest-running solo radio show in history.

Alistair wrote with wit, acumen and wisdom, demonstrating – according to his biographer, the late Nick Clarke – "a remarkable breadth of knowledge stored in a fine memory bank, combined with a storyteller's ability to build up suspense and artistic tension."

His subjects embraced all aspects of American life; language, politics, jazz, films and golf, from the assassination of Bobby Kennedy and Watergate to the tragedy of the Twin Towers. But there was a festive side to Alistair, too – he also loved and wrote about US "high days and holidays".

The many Christmases and New Years he spent in the US – and all the events surrounding them – were captured in a series of memorable Letters. Over the festive period of this, Alistair's centenary year, Radio 4 is running a selection of Alistair Cooke's Seasonal Letters From America – where listeners can hear his thoughts, not just on Christmas in Vermont, but on January Inaugurations and New Year's Resolutions.

The other programmes in the series will be aired at the same time on Christmas Day, Boxing Day, New Year's Day and 2 January, on Radio 4.

Presenter/Justin Webb, Producer/Rosie Goldsmith

BBC Radio 4 Publicity

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Midnight Mass Christmas Eve Wednesday 24 December 11.30pm-12.45am BBC RADIO 4

The first Mass of Christmas is broadcast live from Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral.

As Liverpool's year as European Capital of Culture draws to a close, the choir and congregation assemble to celebrate the traditional service of Midnight Mass for the Feast of Christmas.

In his homily, the Archbishop of Liverpool, The Most Reverend Patrick Kelly, explores how the birth of a baby into poverty and fear 2,000 years ago could have significance to our lives in the 21st century.

Music includes: O Come All Ye Faithful; Hark! The Herald Angels Sing; and O Little Town Of Bethlehem.

Producer/Philip Billson

BBC Radio 4 Publicity

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BBC RADIO 5 LIVE Christmas Eve Wednesday 24 December 2008

Mark Pougatch takes a look back at the year's sporting highs and lows, in 5 Live Sport Review Of The Year.

The year has been full of sporting activity and Mark digs into the BBC Radio 5 Live archives to reminisce. He remembers Usain Bolt's record-breaking performances at the Olympics; a golden return for Team GB in Beijing; Manchester United's gripping encounter with Chelsea in the Uefa Champions League final; Andy Murray's outstanding performances throughout the year; Padraig Harrington retaining the Open Championship; and a turbulent year for English cricket.

Races, goals, wickets, tries, rallies, sackings and resignations – listeners can hear them all in the 5 Live Sport Review Of The Year.

Presenter/Mark Pougatch, Producer/Claire Burns

BBC Radio 5 Live Publicity

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John Murray is joined by fellow BBC 5 Live football commentators Ian Dennis and Connor McNamara to reflect on the 10 most significant goals of 2008.

Presenter/John Murray, Producer/Claire Ackling

BBC Radio 5 Live Publicity

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BBC 6 MUSIC Christmas Eve Wednesday 24 December 2008

Nemone spends Christmas Eve in the company of Belfast DJ David Holmes as the pair pick some festive tunes.

Presenter/Nemone, Producer/Jax Coombes

BBC 6 Music Publicity

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It's Christmas Eve and Gideon Coe offers a change of gear and a break from Shakey and Wham's Christmas offerings before the clock strikes midnight. Listeners can expect some left-field fayre from the likes of Sufjan Stevens, Spearmint and Ron Sexsmith.

Presenter/Gideon Coe, Producer/Mark Sheldon

BBC 6 Music Publicity

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BBC WORLD SERVICE Christmas Eve Wednesday 24 December 2008

Many of China's 700 million farmers have been trapped in poverty, while the country's economy has boomed over the past 30 years. Their only hope of a wage has been far from home, in the factories and building sites of the boomtowns. Now, the huge rural hinterland has been told it needs to modernise too.

Throughout this series, Carrie Gracie has witnessed the upheaval as a rural community in the mountains is turned into a city. She asks how easy it is to turn a community of subsistence farmers into city people and whether the new city being built on top of White Horse Village will really be able to offer them a 21st-century life.

In today's concluding episode, talk is of sacrifice for the common good, but will the promised new, improved life ever happen? One man has to convince the villagers to give up their old way of life, and Carrie hears how the local Communist Party Secretary is torn between his duties to family and community and to the party.

Presenter/Carrie Gracie, Producer/TBC

BBC World Service Publicity

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