Radio 4: This is Your Life

Apparently Radio 4 shops at Waitrose in the tiny village of Middle England and began life as a pirate station on a punt in Henley-on-Thames. So runs the premise of this bit of fun that dates from the network's 40th anniversary in 2007. Stephen Fry springs the big red book on Radio 4 played by Matt Lucas.

The performers are Michael Fenton-Stevens, Dave Lamb, Sue Perkins and Richie Webb. Its written, with obvious affection and care, by Bill Dare, Jon Holmes, John Finnemore, Nev Fountain and Tom Jamieson.

From the Radio Times issue starting 29 September 2007

Popping up in the course of proceedings are Radio 4 names Roger Bolton, Paul Lewis, Jonathan Dimbleby, Corrie Corfield, Peter White, Rabbi Lionel Blue, Sue Lawley, Jenni Murray, James Naughtie, Sarah Montague, John Humphries, Martin Jarvis, Charlotte Green, Rosaline Adams, Edward Kelsey, Carole Boyd, Barry Cryer and Nicholas Parsons.

Radio 4: This is Your Life was broadcast on Sunday 30 September 2007.

From earlier that same evening comes this rather more serious review of the station's history presented by Eddie Mair, 4 at 40, in which he searches for the 'soul' of Radio 4. There's a reminder of the battle over Broadcasting in the Seventies, the arguments over a rolling news service, an Archers primer for those that missed the previous five decades, its middle classness, the thoughts of Jeremy Hardy, the programmes that some would rather forget: Citizens, Rollercoaster and Anderson Country and how technology will change how we consume radio.    

Joining Eddie in the studio are Liz Forgan, Chris Smith, Miranda Sawyer, Sarfraz Manzoor and Sean Street. We also hear from network controllers Monica Sims, Michael Green, James Boyle and Mark Damazer.