During the first two weeks of May, BBC Radio 4 will celebrate and investigate the 1990s, a decade that brought with it a boom in British culture and hedonism, as well as decisions and events that would change our lives forever.
At the centre of the season is a landmark ten-part series, What Really Happened in the Nineties? Narrated by Robert Carlyle, who starred in many of the decade’s best-loved films including Trainspotting, The Full Monty and Angela’s Ashes, the series will travel back in time to key moments in the 1990s that reverberate today in unexpected ways.
From the internet and no-frills air travel, to the rise of Russia and the Iraq War, Carlyle will take us through some of the defining moments that have shaped the modern world. Carlyle says: "The 1990s were a time of fizzing creative energy. There were filmmakers, bands and writers breaking through from all different backgrounds, which gave the decade a feeling of excitement and change. And it paved the way for the world we live in now.”
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Full schedule of Programmes as part of the 1990s season
Russia’s Restless ‘90s - 3 April, 8pm-9pm, BBC Radio 4
At the beginning of the 90s, communism in Russia was dying. Following the collapse of the Soviet union, in 1991 the Russian people voted in Boris Yeltsin as their president. Tim Whewell, looks back at Russia of the 90s exploring how a country which started off so united, could end up so divided?
What Really Happened in the Nineties? 2-13 May, 1.45pm-2pm, BBC Radio 4
A ten-part series presented by Robert Carlyle exploring moments we missed in the 1990s that shaped the world today. Here we are in 2022 navigating “cancel culture”, Brexit, identity politics, war in Europe. How did we get here? Did we miss something?
Robert Carlyle, who played Begbie in the 1990s hit Trainspotting, is here to show us that we did. That the world we live in was shaped by that forgotten decade.
Bridget Jones’s Diary by Helen Fielding - 2-13 May, 10.45pm-11pm, BBC Radio 4
Helen Fielding's iconic 1996 novel of life as a single thirty-something woman in London. "Ugh. First day of New Year has been day of horror. Cannot quite believe I am once again starting the year in a single bed in my parents’ house." Bridget Jones begins the new year full of resolutions. She pledges in her diary to drink less, smoke less, lose weight, find a new job, stay away from unsuitable men and learn to programme the VCR.
We’re All Living in OK Computer Now… - 7 May, 8pm-9pm, BBC Radio 4
It's 25 years after the release of Radiohead’s breakthrough album. Admirers from literature, music, science and politics examine the album’s prophetic qualities. Did OK Computer actually shape and predict the future?
Good Pop Bad Pop by Jarvis Cocker - 9-13 May, 9.45pm-10pm, BBC Radio 4
In Good Pop, Bad Pop Jarvis Cocker delves into the contents of his loft and considers each item before deciding whether to keep or cob (throw away) and in doing so explores the origins of his creativity and what exactly makes good pop work and why bad pop fails.
Comedy Club: 90s - 7-13 May, 10.55pm–11.30pm (Sun 11pm-12am), BBC Radio 4 Extra
To tie-with BBC Radio 4’s season exploring the impact of the 90s, Radio 4 Extra kicks off a week of some of the BBC’s funniest radio shows from the decade. Each night at 23.00, Comedy Club host Jon Holmes goes retro to remind us how each series came about and to assess their comedic influence and legacy, as many later moved to TV.
The Comedy Club Interviews, 7-13 May, 10.55-11pm, BBC Radio 4 Extra
Simon Munnery, Richard Herring, and the former controller of Radio 1 Matthew Bannister discuss ground-breaking comedy that aired on Radio 1 in the 1990s, including Chris Morris’s Blue Jam, Lee & Herring, The Mary Whitehouse Experience and Armando Iannucci.
Bill Bryson's Notes from a Small Island - 2-6 May, 2pm-2.15pm, BBC Radio 4 Extra
Recalling tea with tinned biscuits, American comic writer Bill Bryson takes a sentimental journey around Britain. Five readings abridged and performed by Kerry Shale.
Fever Pitch - 9-13 May, 2pm-2.15pm, BBC Radio 4 Extra
The author reads his autobiographical account of an obsessive relationship with Arsenal Football Club. It is 1968 - an important year: his parents have split up, at one point his mother, sister and himself are homeless, he gets a severe attack of jaundice and starts at grammar school.
The Real Comedy Controllers: The Things That Made Us Laugh - 11 May, 11am-12pm, BBC Radio 4 Extra
Alternative Comedy...and Beyond - The Mary Whitehouse Experience.
The Real Comedy Controllers: The Things That Made Us Laugh - 18 May, 11am–12pm, BBC Radio 4 Extra
Alternative Comedy...and Beyond – Goodness Gracious Me, On The Hour.
