Podcast · Stories

Limelight

by BBC Radio 4 · English · Stories

The Limelight podcast - for fiction and drama serials you won't want to miss from Radio 4.

New episodes: Weekly
Typical length: 29 min
Latest: 2 Oct 2026
Language: English

Latest episode

2 Oct 2026 · 28 min

Underground: Episode 3

Guests arrive at Thornfield. But what is Edward hiding from Charly? In a near-future world on the brink of societal collapse, the wealthiest 0.01% have retreated into luxury bunkers. These high-tech fortresses boast swimming pools, cinemas, and hydroponic farms, but their inhabitants live in a bubble of paranoia and control. Charly takes a job tutoring the children of reclusive billionaire Edward in his doomsday bunker. But when strange things start happening, it seems dark secrets are buried in this vast bunker too. In the real world, the super-rich are already building bunkers ready to…

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Earlier episodes 29 most recent

25 Sep 2026 · 29 min

Underground: Episode 2

A voice from the past returns. Can Charly trust what she hears? In a near-future world on the brink of societal collapse, the wealthiest 0.01% have retreated into luxury bunkers. These high-tech fortresses boast swimming pools, cinemas, and hydroponic farms, but their inhabitants live in a bubble of paranoia and control. Charly takes a job tutoring the children of reclusive billionaire Edward in his doomsday bunker. But when strange things start happening, it seems dark secrets are buried in this vast bunker too. In the real world, the super-rich are already building bunkers ready to provide…
18 Sep 2026 · 28 min

Underground: Episode 1

Tutor Charly arrives in luxury bunker Thornfield. But something's not right with this place. And what happened to her predecessor? In a near-future world on the brink of societal collapse, the wealthiest 0.01% have retreated into luxury bunkers. These high-tech fortresses boast swimming pools, cinemas, and hydroponic farms, but their inhabitants live in a bubble of paranoia and control. Charly takes a job tutoring the children of reclusive billionaire Edward in his doomsday bunker. But when strange things start happening, it seems dark secrets are buried in this vast bunker too. In the real…
14 Sep 2026 · 2 min

Underground: Trailer

In a near-future world on the brink of societal collapse, the wealthiest 0.01% have retreated into luxury bunkers. These high-tech fortresses boast swimming pools, cinemas, and hydroponic farms, but their inhabitants live in a bubble of paranoia and control. Charly takes a job tutoring the children of reclusive billionaire Edward in his doomsday bunker. But when strange things start happening, it seems dark secrets are buried in this vast bunker too. In the real world, the super-rich are already building bunkers ready to provide sanctuary from the apocalypse. In Chloë Myerson claustrophobic…
11 Sep 2026 · 34 min

Central Intelligence: Series 3: Episode 10

1968. LBJ is running out of time. Having abandoned his own re-election campaign, the President turns to the one achievement that might redeem his final months in office: peace in Vietnam. But as the US election tightens, the CIA begins to pick up signs that Nixon’s campaign may be using secret back channels to keep South Vietnam away from the negotiating table. For LBJ, it could destroy his final hope of peace. For Richard Helms and Eloise Page, it is a dangerous collision of espionage, democracy and power. Starring Kim Cattrall, Kelsey Grammer, Johnny Flynn and David Duchovny. Eloise…
4 Sep 2026 · 31 min

Central Intelligence: Series 3: Episode 9

America is losing faith in Vietnam. After a major communist offensive shocks the public and exposes the fragility of the war effort, LBJ faces pressure from every side. The generals want more troops. The country wants answers. And inside Washington, the search begins for a strategy that can deliver results without admitting defeat. Into that vacuum steps Bill Colby, played by David Duchovny — the CIA’s Far East chief and one of the Agency’s most important Vietnam specialists. His influence inside the Agency is only beginning. His answer is the Phoenix Program: a plan to identify and…
28 Aug 2026 · 30 min

Central Intelligence: Series 3: Episode 8

The war in Vietnam is no longer happening far away. Images of conflict flood American living rooms and the anti-war movement explodes. LBJ is convinced the protests cannot be truly domestic. Someone must be behind them: Moscow, Havana, perhaps both. He orders Richard Helms and the CIA to find the foreign influence driving unrest at home. But as the Agency moves closer to spying on American citizens, Eloise Page begins to see a different force at work. Not a secret network. Not a Soviet plot. Something much more powerful, sitting in plain sight: television. Starring Kim Cattrall, Kelsey…
21 Aug 2026 · 35 min

Central Intelligence: Series 3: Episode 7

Rumours are spreading through the Bolivian jungle: Che Guevara is back. For Washington, the possibility is explosive. The world’s most famous revolutionary may be trying to ignite another insurgency in the Americas — and the CIA cannot afford to let his legend grow. But before they can act, they need proof. Is it really Che? Or another fighter hiding behind the myth? As the Agency trains Bolivian forces for a covert hunt through brutal terrain, Eloise Page and Richard Helms face a delicate mission: find the revolutionary, prove his identity, and stop a symbol from becoming a movement.…
14 Aug 2026 · 31 min

Central Intelligence: Series 3: Episode 6

Richard Helms has finally reached the top of the CIA. Now he has to prove the Agency deserves to be heard. In Vietnam, the Pentagon insists America is winning. The CIA’s own intelligence tells a darker story: the enemy is larger, stronger and more resilient than Washington wants to believe. LBJ demands evidence, and Helms must stand behind an estimate that challenges everything the military is telling him. But Vietnam is not the only crisis. In the Middle East, tensions between Israel, Syria, Egypt and Jordan are moving towards a confrontation that could pull in the superpowers. As Helms…
7 Aug 2026 · 34 min

Central Intelligence: Series 3: Episode 5

Soviet nuclear power is growing, and LBJ wants answers. Inside the CIA, Eloise Page and Richard Helms are trying to bring the Agency into a new age of intelligence: satellites, signals, analysis and serious tradecraft. But Admiral Raborn needs a triumph of his own — something bold enough to impress the President and prove he belongs in the job. His solution is one of the strangest operations in CIA history: a plan to turn a cat into a listening device. As the CIA reaches for the future with satellites and signals intelligence, Raborn searches for a quick success much closer to the ground —…
31 Jul 2026 · 33 min

Central Intelligence: Series 3: Episode 4

1965. Richard Helms is the obvious choice to lead the CIA. Experienced, respected and trusted inside the Agency, he appears to be next in line. LBJ has other ideas and instead appoints Admiral William “Red” Raborn — a fellow Texan with almost no intelligence experience. On his first day, a coup erupts in the Dominican Republic, and Raborn is thrown into a crisis he barely understands. As LBJ demands answers and Washington rushes towards military intervention, Eloise Page watches the Agency struggle under a director out of his depth. Starring Kim Cattrall, Kelsey Grammer and Johnny Flynn.…
24 Jul 2026 · 33 min

Central Intelligence: Series 3: Episode 3

1964. At the Pentagon, America’s future in Vietnam is played out in two rooms. The war game is meant to test whether bombing North Vietnam can force a communist retreat. But the simulation points to a devastating conclusion - whatever America does, the North will keep fighting, the Viet Cong will keep being supplied, and the war cannot be won on Washington’s terms. The CIA sees the warning clearly. John McCone tries to make LBJ listen. But the hawks in the administration dismiss the game as theory — and when the Gulf of Tonkin gives them the trigger they need, America steps towards a war the…
17 Jul 2026 · 33 min

Central Intelligence: Series 3: Episode 2

1964. As British Guiana edges towards independence, Washington fears another communist foothold in the Americas. But the President’s attention is soon caught by a more immediate irritation: Harold Wilson’s new Labour government is pressing ahead with a lucrative export deal to Castro’s Cuba. To London, it is just business. To LBJ, it looks like betrayal. And as the CIA tries to keep one eye on British Guiana, the White House becomes consumed by a row over buses, allies, trade, and what loyalty means in the Cold War. Starring Kim Cattrall, Kelsey Grammer, Johnny Flynn and Jason Watkins.…
10 Jul 2026 · 30 min

Central Intelligence: Series 3: Episode 1

1964. Chile is preparing to vote — and Washington is watching nervously. With the memory of Cuba still raw, LBJ fears another communist foothold in the Americas. Inside Langley, the CIA is told to help deliver the right result before the ballot box produces the wrong one. For Eloise Page, Richard Helms and John McCone, that means money, media, pressure, persuasion — and the fine art of interference without fingerprints. The Agency faces its first major test under President LBJ: how far do you go to protect democracy from itself? Eloise Page..........Kim Cattrall Lyndon Baines…
6 Jul 2026 · 3 min

Central Intelligence: Series 3: Trailer

JFK is dead. LBJ is in the White House. And the CIA is about to be dragged into the defining battles of the 1960s. From Chile and British Guiana to Vietnam, the Dominican Republic, the Middle East and the Bolivian jungle, the Agency is fighting communism on every front. But as America turns against the war, the enemy begins to look closer to home. Presidents demand answers. Directors come and go. Richard Helms rises. Bill Colby emerges. Eloise Page watches the CIA embrace satellites, surveillance, covert war — and, in one extraordinary case, the services of a cat. A thrilling new season of…
3 Jul 2026 · 28 min

The Courier: Episode 5

Series finale . When his worst fears become reality, Mo has 24 hours to gather all the evidence he can before gives himself up. Series creators: Eno Mfon and Darragh Mortell. Episode 5 by Eno Mfon and Darragh Mortell CAST Mo - Mohamed Elsandel Elli - Maeve Courtier-Lilley Omar - Ali Goolyad Martin - Matthew Gravelle Mama - Alaa Taha Amna - Fatima Seedahmed Mr Willis - Daniel Cerqueira D S Williams - Geraint Morgan Lawyer - Ben Crowe The Guard/ Courier - Halim Diwani Original Music by Tom Tripp Oud Music by Nabra Sound: Catherine Robinson and Rhys Morris Production Coordinators: Maggie…
26 Jun 2026 · 28 min

The Courier: Episode 4

Mo is recovering in hospital after a hit and run. Now he's going to have to tell Omar what's going on. It's only a matter of time before the killer finds him again, or the police have enough evidence to arrest him for a murder he didn't commit. Series creators: Eno Mfon and Darragh Mortell. Episode 4 by Darragh Mortell CAST Mo - Mohamed Elsandel Elli - Maeve Courtier-Lilley Omar - Ali Goolyad Mama - Alaa Taha Amna - Fatima Seedahmed DI Johnson - Kyle Lima Driver - Ben Crowe Rosa - Laura dos Santos Original Music by Tom Tripp Oud Music by Nabra Sound: Catherine Robinson and Rhys Morris…
19 Jun 2026 · 28 min

The Courier: Episode 3

After an argument, Elli has invited Mo around for food to apologise. He wouldn't have turned up but his mum is mad at him, and the Home Office and the police are out checking papers. He's already inside the house when he finds out the the police have reopened Rosa's case - the duty pathologist was dismissed for negligence and now they are re-examining everything and going through CCTV of the night in question. Mo is bound to be in it. Series creators: Eno Mfon and Darragh Mortell Episode 3 by Darragh Mortell Mo - Mohamed Elsandel Elli - Maeve Courtier-Lilley Omar - Ali Goolyad Martin -…
12 Jun 2026 · 29 min

The Courier: Episode 2

Tormented by his conscience, Mo drifted into the dead woman's funeral and now her stepdaughter Elli, who is convinced that it wasn't suicide, has persuaded him to help her solve the mystery of what really happened to Rosa. Elli's pretty certain the death had something to do with the notorious Parnell family. How long can Mo keep lying to her, to his best friend Omar, and his mother? Will he get out of this tangled web before something else goes wrong? Series creators: Eno Mfon and Darragh Mortell Episode 2 by Eno Mfon CAST Mo - Mohamed Elsandel Elli - Maeve Courtier-Lilley Omar - Ali Goolyad…
5 Jun 2026 · 29 min

The Courier: Episode 1

When Mo, a Sudanese delivery rider working in Cardiff enters a house to drop off two pizzas, he finds a dead body. Convinced that if he alerts the authorities he will either be suspected of murder or arrested for working illegally and deported, Mo flees the crime scene. When the murder is reported as a suicide, Mo can't stop thinking about the dead woman. He knows what he saw. Series creators Eno Mfon and Darragh Mortell Episode 1 by Eno Mfon CAST Mo - Mohamed Elsandel Elli - Maeve Courtier-Lilley Omar - Ali Goolyad Mama - Alaa Taha Amna - Fatima Seedahmed The Priest - Geraint Morgan Alexa -…
1 Jun 2026 · 2 min

The Courier: Trailer

A pizza delivery rider enters a house and finds something he never should have seen.
29 May 2026 · 29 min

Wraith: Episode 4: Execute

A cutting-edge thriller about an Artificial Intelligence takeover, written in consultation with leading AI and cybersecurity experts. In Episode 4, Iain and Mel are forced to run for their lives as military personnel receive deepfaked orders. The AI gains control of internal government communications, and Nisha clashes with cabinet ministers over the right course of action. The London Internet Exchange is compromised, and Iain, Mel and Nisha are forced to consider what price is worth paying for human freedom. Cast: Iain - Edward Bluemel Mel - Corinna Brown Zaina - Fatima Adoum Roland -…
22 May 2026 · 29 min

Wraith: Episode 3: Control

A cutting-edge thriller about an Artificial Intelligence takeover, written in consultation with leading AI and cybersecurity experts. In Episode 3, the streets of London are in chaos, with traffic and public transport at a standstill and emergency services communications down. Reeling from the killings carried out by the AI, Iain and Mel fall out and decide to go it alone. Nisha realises the AI is trying to hack the London Internet Exchange and spread to the rest of the UK. Despite the patchy communications and ongoing deepfakes, the government manages to send an SAS team to the UT building…
15 May 2026 · 29 min

Wraith: Episode 2: Exploit

A cutting-edge thriller about an Artificial Intelligence takeover, written in consultation with leading AI and cybersecurity experts. In Episode 2, chaos breaks out across London as the AI resorts to more extreme measures. Iain, Mel, Roland and Zaina, trapped in the building, struggle to outwit the AI and figure out a way to help the rest of the city. Meanwhile Deputy Director of the National Cyber Security Centre Nisha Khan tries to convince ministers in Whitehall that their best chance is to escalate immediately before it's too late. When the operations team sent to the UT building fails…
8 May 2026 · 29 min

Wraith: Episode 1: Breach

A cutting-edge thriller about an Artificial Intelligence takeover, written in consultation with leading AI and cybersecurity experts. During a routine overnight update at the headquarters of a major UK telecoms giant, two IT workers unknowingly set something terrifying in motion. They've started an LCE - an AI Loss of Control Event. Over the course of one night, a handful of staff race to regain control as forces far beyond the building begin to close in. What’s been unleashed threatens to change everything — and soon there may be no way to put it back. This is a very a real and disastrous…
4 May 2026 · 3 min

Wraith: Trailer

A cutting-edge thriller about an Artificial Intelligence takeover, written in consultation with leading AI and cybersecurity experts. During a routine overnight update at the headquarters of a major UK telecoms giant, two IT workers unknowingly set something terrifying in motion. They've started an LCE - an AI Loss of Control Event. Over the course of one night, a handful of staff race to regain control as forces far beyond the building begin to close in. What’s been unleashed threatens to change everything — and soon there may be no way to put it back. This is a very a real and disastrous…
27 Mar 2026 · 28 min

The Dentist: Episode 5

Kerry’s efforts to assume her sister’s identity and pose as a dentist have been disastrous. Between the high body count and a gangster pursuing her for a quarter of a million pounds, the life of quiet desperation she was previously living seems very attractive right now… D.C. Jackson’s darkly comical crime thriller concludes. Cast: DI Hickman … David Ireland Paul Rennie… Jonathan Watson Jaconelli and The Minister… Gavin Mitchell Leanne … Gabriel Quigley Kasia … Leah Byrne Bob … Grant O’Rourke Sapphire … Sylvia Jackson Studio Production: Andy Hay and Gav Murchie Production Coordinator: Ellie…
20 Mar 2026 · 28 min

The Dentist: Episode 4

When Kerry made the snap decision to assume her dead sister’s identity, she didn’t think through the consequences of posing as a dentist. So far those consequences have been pretty fatal. And now, as she digs deeper and deeper into her deception, she finds herself butting up against the criminal underworld. Cast: Kasia … Leah Byrne Leanne … Gabriel Quigley Paul Rennie… Jonathan Watson DI Hickman … David Ireland Bob … Grant O’Rourke Studio Production: Andy Hay and Gav Murchie Production Coordinator: Ellie Marsh Original music and sound design: Fraser Jackson Additional keyboards: Tony Graham…
13 Mar 2026 · 29 min

The Dentist: Episode 3

Darkly comic crime thriller by D.C. Jackson. When Kerry makes the snap decision to assume her dead sister’s identity, she doesn’t think through the consequences of posing as a dentist. And those consequences turn out to be pretty fatal... Cast: Leanne … Gabriel Quigley Kasia … Leah Byrne Bob and Toby… Grant O’Rourke Stewart … Jonathan Watson DI Hickman … David Ireland Jaconelli … Gavin Mitchell Studio Production: Andy Hay and Gav Murchie Production Coordinator: Ellie Marsh Original music and sound design: Fraser Jackson Additional keyboards: Tony Graham A BBC Audio Scotland Production…
6 Mar 2026 · 28 min

The Dentist: Episode 2

Darkly comic crime thriller by D.C. Jackson. When Kerry makes the snap decision to assume her dead sister’s identity, she doesn’t think through the consequences of posing as a dentist. Turns out they’re pretty catastrophic… Cast: Leanne … Gabriel Quigley DI Hickman … David Ireland Bob … Grant O’Rourke Stewart … Jonathan Watson Jaconelli … Gavin Mitchell Kasia … Leah Byrne Studio Production: Andy Hay and Gav Murchie Production Coordinator: Ellie Marsh Original music and sound design: Fraser Jackson Additional keyboards: Tony Graham A BBC Audio Scotland Production directed by Kirsty Williams

About Limelight

The Limelight podcast - for fiction and drama serials you won't want to miss from Radio 4.

Limelight is a English stories podcast from BBC Radio 4. Melo plays each episode straight from the publisher's own feed — no ads added, no account needed — and remembers where you stopped, in this browser only.

Publisher: BBC Radio 4
Language: English
Category: Stories
New episodes: Weekly
Typical length: 29 min
Latest episode: 2 Oct 2026
Feed: RSS — paste into any podcast app
Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1567365630
Rights: (C) BBC 2026

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Limelight

Latest episode

Underground: Episode 3

Earlier episodes 29 most recent

Underground: Episode 2

Underground: Episode 1

Underground: Trailer

Central Intelligence: Series 3: Episode 10

Central Intelligence: Series 3: Episode 9

Central Intelligence: Series 3: Episode 8

Central Intelligence: Series 3: Episode 7

Central Intelligence: Series 3: Episode 6

Central Intelligence: Series 3: Episode 5

Central Intelligence: Series 3: Episode 4

Central Intelligence: Series 3: Episode 3

Central Intelligence: Series 3: Episode 2

Central Intelligence: Series 3: Episode 1

Central Intelligence: Series 3: Trailer

The Courier: Episode 5

The Courier: Episode 4

The Courier: Episode 3

The Courier: Episode 2

The Courier: Episode 1

The Courier: Trailer

Wraith: Episode 4: Execute

Wraith: Episode 3: Control

Wraith: Episode 2: Exploit

Wraith: Episode 1: Breach

Wraith: Trailer

The Dentist: Episode 5

The Dentist: Episode 4

The Dentist: Episode 3

The Dentist: Episode 2

About Limelight

More from BBC Radio 4 6

More English stories 6

Take it with you