About the Book
A brand-new collection of previously unpublished episodes taken from the programme’s first four decades
Shimmering like jewels on a velvet backcloth of world events, this collection presents 14 vintage episodes from BBC Radio 4’s long-running panel show, chaired by Barry Took and Simon Hoggart
Joining regular panelists Alan Coren, Richard Ingrams, Jeremy Hardy and Francis Wheen to sparkle humorously are guest players including Kate Adie, Peter Cook, Andy Hamilton, Tony Hawks, Ian Hislop, Armando Iannucci, Julia Langdon, Ann Leslie, Fred MacAulay, Stan McMurtrie, Eve Pollard, Oliver Pritchett, Steve Punt, Libby Purves, Gillian Reynolds, Gay Search, John Sergeant, Linda Smith, Mark Steel, Mark Steyn and Michael White.
The original Radio 4 broadcast dates are 01/01/1981, 07/05/1983, 24/03/1984, 30/11/1989, 21/03/1992, 10/04/1993, 21/03/1998, 17/04/1998, 28/05/1999, 17/03/2000, 06/10/2000, 11/05/2001, 13/12/2002, 25/11/2005
Cast and credits:
Chaired by Barry Took & Simon Hoggart
Featuring: Kate Adie, Peter Cook, Alan Coren, Andy Hamilton, Jeremy Hardy, Tony Hawks, Ian Hislop, Armando Iannucci, Richard Ingrams, Julia Langdon, Ann Leslie, Fred MacAulay, Stan McMurtrie, Eve Pollard, Oliver Pritchett, Steve Punt, Libby Purves, Gillian Reynolds, Gay Search, John Sergeant, Linda Smith, Mark Steel, Mark Steyn, Francis Wheen, Michael White
Newsreaders: Corrie Corfield, Peter Donaldson, Eugene Fraser, Charlotte Green, John Marsh, Brian Perkins
Produced by Lucy Armitage, Jenny Campbell, Louise Coates, Danny Greenstone, Armando Iannucci, Simon Nicholls, Alan Nixon, Jon Rolph, Colin Swash, Katie Tyrrell
Written by Debbie Barham, Paul Carenza, Dave Cohen, Rhodri Crooks, Tom Jamieson, John Langdon, Simon Littlefield, Paul McKenzie, Iain Pattinson, George Poles, Felix Riley, Hugh Ryecroft, Robert Fraser Steele
Episode selection by Michael Stevens
©2025 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2025 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd
About the Author :
Barry Took was born in London in 1928. An early career as a stand-up comedian and sketch writer led to his first radio script credit, for Beyond Our Ken. From there he went on to create Round the Horne with Marty Feldman, whilst on television he wrote for series including Bootsie and Snudge and The Army Game. Amongst a variety of later jobs in front of and behind the camera, Took wrote and presented Points of View on BBC1 and also chaired BBC radio’s The News Quiz. He wrote a number of books, including The Complete and Utter History of Round the Horne and his autobiography A Point of View. He died in 2002.
