Alexei Sayle's Strangers On A Train: Series 3

ALEXEI SAYLE'S STRANGERS ON A TRAIN: SERIES 3 (320kbs-m4a/318mb/2hrs18mins)
BBC Radio 4 broadcast: 20th July to 17th August 2024

Comedy icon Alexei Sayle begins a new series of rail journeys.

Alexei's mission is to break the golden rule of travelling by train and actually talk to his fellow passengers, in a quest for conversations with strangers that will reveal their lives, thoughts, dreams and destinations.

Along the way, Alexei holds a finger into the wind of the interests of the great British travelling public. There's hilarity, humour, sadness and surprise as people talk about what is going on in their lives and, as Alexei passes through familiar towns and cities, he also delves into his own personal stories of a childhood in Liverpool and a long career as a comedian, actor and author.

Alexei has a life-long ticket to ride in his DNA, as his father was a railway guard. As a child, Alexei travelled on trains with his mum and dad, not only in the UK but also abroad. While other children in Liverpool at the time thought a trip to Blackpool was a big adventure, Alexei travelled to Paris, experienced the Orient Express, had summer holidays in Czechoslovakia and visited mysterious cities with unpronounceable names in the farthest corners of Europe.

A Ride production for BBC Radio 4.

ALEXEI SAYLE'S STRANGERS ON A TRAIN: SERIES 3 - 1. NOTTINGHAM TO SKEGNESS (320kbs-m4a/64mb/28mins)
BBC Radio 4 broadcast: 20th July 2024

Comedy icon Alexei Sayle begins a new series of rail journeys with a trip from Nottingham to the seaside town of Skegness.

In this programme, Alexei meets Leyla and Cecelia who are off to Skegness to spend an 80s weekend packed with bands from the golden era of their youth; Ashton, who has bought a caravan to live in and is working at a seaside bar; Karen and Donna, who are seaside bound too, with Karen having her hen party after deciding to finally get married following 20 years of being engaged; Rick and Dawn who are part of the army of volunteers who adopt railway stations and care for them; Fabian, who is now at Nottingham university, and reflecting on how his life is different after leaving his small Lincolnshire home town and his childhood friends - and as a keen film buff is astonished when Alexei reveals that he has acted in a Steven Spielberg film; and James, who tells Alexei that working on the railway changed his life.

ALEXEI SAYLE'S STRANGERS ON A TRAIN: SERIES 3 - 2. LONDON TO HEREFORD (320kbs-m4a/64mb/28mins)
BBC Radio 4 broadcast: 27th July 2024

Comedy icon Alexei Sayle continues his rail journeys across the country with a trip from London to the ancient cathedral city of Hereford.

In this programme, Alexei by chance bumps into his old friend, comedian and author David Baddiel who is off to the Hay Festival. He also meets: Deborah and David who are psychologists from San Antonio in Texas on a walking holiday; Stewart, who teaches computer science in a London school and is on his way to a tech festival; Kashmini and Lara, who met on the internet and decided to meet up in real life; ‘Collie' from Australia who travels the world under the alias Collie – short for ‘Cauliflower' – the name he is known by on Twitter; author James who has become something of an expert on fermented food and is travelling with a very large and slightly smelly container of Kimchi; and Angela and her mother Kathleen who surprises Alexei with her stories of life on the road with her Harley Davidson motorcycle.

ALEXEI SAYLE'S STRANGERS ON A TRAIN: SERIES 3 - 3. EDINBURGH TO ABERDEEN (320kbs-m4a/64mb/28mins)
BBC Radio 4 broadcast: 3rd August 2024

Comedy icon Alexei Sayle continues his rail journeys across the country with a trip from Scotland’s capital, Edinburgh, northwards on the coastal route to Aberdeen.

In this programme, Alexei meets Irene and Marie, two old friends who share a love of owning horses. Irene has severe eyesight problems and they are on their way for her treatment appointment. Despite this, Irene still rides as she says her horse always knows the way. Marie tells Alexei of the unexpected pregnancy of the horse she recently bought and how all her colleagues at the hospital where she works were avidly following the new foal's birth.

Alexei also meets: David, who is on his way to chair an adoption panel and, remarkably, remembers dancing with Alexei at a party in the 1980s; Lottie and Miriren, two girls on a shopping trip to Aberdeen with their parents, who surprise Alexei by telling him they never watch television; Fathia, who is originally from Tunisia and loves Scotland but still has problems with the weather and is scared of snow; David, an academic, who has just written a book interpreting religious art; Will and Rob, who moved away from Aberdeen to a quiet village nearby because their dog didn't like the busy city; and Sheila, who introduces Alexei to Doric, the local dialect of north-east Scotland.

And, on his coastal journey by train, Alexei also passes through the town which lays claim to being the birthplace of the deep fried Mars bar.

ALEXEI SAYLE'S STRANGERS ON A TRAIN: SERIES 3 - 4. BELFAST TO LONDONDERRY (320kbs-m4a/64mb/28mins)
BBC Radio 4 broadcast: 10th August 2024

Comedy icon Alexei Sayle travels by train across the stunning countryside of Northern Ireland from Belfast to Londonderry.

In this programme, Alexei meets Robert who is on a trip to Londonderry to explore its history with his family. Robert tells Alexei how, at age 15 after he left school with no qualifications, his father took him to be interviewed by a local butcher for his first job. Now on the verge of retiring age he looks back on spending his whole working life as a butcher, work he disliked at first but grew to love as the local butcher in a close knit community Alexei also meets Sheri and Howard from Florida who spend many months each year travelling the world; William and Heather, who tell Alexei how Belfast has become a hugely successful tourist destination: Gabriel and Kate who are visiting a relative in hospital after a major operation - with Kate describing how she is one of the many cross border workers who live in the Republic but work and pay taxes in Northern Ireland- and Judith and Lisa who are married with a young son and feel they are part of a new future for their country.

ALEXEI SAYLE'S STRANGERS ON A TRAIN: SERIES 3 - 5. LONDON TO BERWICK ON TWEED (320kbs-m4a/64mb/28mins)
BBC Radio 4 broadcast: 17th August 2024

Comedy icon Alexei Sayle takes his final trip in this series of train journeys across Gt. Britain as he travels from London to Berwick on Tweed.

In this programme, Alexei meets ex-teacher Christina, who is returning to Yorkshire after being scared of taking on such a long journey to London - especially the perils of travelling on the underground - but happily found a knight in shining armour to help her at King's Cross station. Alexei also meets train manager Steven who, apart from working on the railway, has carved out a budding career as a playwright; Sally, who spent 24 years in the Army and now works as a philanthropy manager helping a leading cancer charity to raise money for its work; Rahul and Priya, who are heading for Scotland on a short break sightseeing - and tasting whiskey and chocolate; Philomena and Mark who describe the delights of their home town of Dunbar to Alexei; Meg, who was at the start of the computer revolution, demonstrating and programming some of the first office computers; and Gemma who works on the railway, but also has a passion for beauty pageants.