One of 'best BBC radio series of all time' is returning for new series this year

A long-running favourite of BBC Radio 4 listeners has returned with a brand new episode. John Finnemore's Souvenir Programme aired its latest special on August 25, marking the acclaimed sketch show's first instalment in over a year. The 45-minute episode, now available on BBC Sounds, reunites Finnemore with his regular cast - Margaret Cabourn-Smith, Simon Kane, Lawry Lewin and Carrie Quinlan - alongside composer Susannah Pearse at the piano and Sally Stares on cello.

The show promised "the funniest things John thought of in the last year" and delivered its usual mix of witty sketches, surreal concepts and sharp observations.

First broadcast in 2011, Souvenir Programme quickly established itself as one of the standout sketch shows of recent decades. Each episode features largely unconnected sketches, often lampooning social awkwardness, everyday habits, or putting a comic twist on classic literature, fairy tales and history.

Over the years, recurring features have become fan favourites. These include "Since You Ask Me", Finnemore's eccentric storyteller closing routine; "Animal Designers", which imagines animals as flawed prototypes; and the "Interview Sketch", where Carrie Quinlan's Patsy Straightwoman interviews characters from Finnemore's imagination.

Other staples, such as "The Archers Accidentally", affectionate parodies of long-running radio soaps, and the spoof adverts for Mulligan's, have further cemented the series' reputation for inventive, layered humour.

The show has not been afraid to experiment with format. A 2021 series focused on a single family across five generations, with episodes played out in reverse chronology. In 2023 and 2024, Finnemore wrote one-off specials instead of full runs, including sketches inspired by his move to a village with a disputed name.

The 2025 special, however, marked a return to the traditional sketch format, complete with a playful "Cast Complaints" sketch poking fun at Finnemore's frequent changes. The "Since You Ask Me" segment was also placed in the middle of the episode for a twist on convention.

Over its run, John Finnemore's Souvenir Programme has picked up several accolades. It was named Best British Radio Sketch Show in the British Comedy Guide Awards 2011, won Silver for Best Comedy at the 2014 Radio Academy Awards, and was shortlisted the same year at the Writers' Guild of Great Britain Awards.

Listeners and critics alike often place the programme among the best of its kind. With nine full series, multiple specials and CD releases, it has become a modern staple of Radio 4 comedy.

The latest 45-minute episode, first broadcast on August 25, can now be streamed on BBC Sounds.