| Genre | Discussion | 
|---|---|
| Running time | 15 minutes | 
| Country of origin | United Kingdom | 
| Home station | BBC Radio 4 | 
| Hosted by | Peter Curran & Patrick Marber | 
| Original release | April 2, 2014 | 
Bunk Bed is a comedy radio programme on BBC Radio 4 hosted by Peter Curran and Patrick Marber. The programme features the hosts lying in bunk beds, discussing various topics. [1] In some episodes, they are joined by a guest on the "pull-out mattress". Past guests include Kathy Burke, Don Warrington, Cate Blanchett, Benjamin Zephaniah, Rhys Ifans, Jane Horrocks, Guy Garvey and Rachael Stirling. [2]
It was described as "slightly weird" by Kate Chisholm, [3] and was praised by Miranda Sawyer as being "strange, funny, silly, enchanting, beautifully put together". [4] The seventh series began its broadcast on 6 January 2021, on BBC Radio 4. [2] [5] The programme was a finalist in the New York Festivals in April 2020. [6] The ninth series began on 12 January 2022, with Harry Shearer a guest in episodes 2 and 3. [7]
There are over 30 podcasts (created from edited versions of the episodes originally broadcast) which are freely available to stream or download. In addition other episodes from Series 8 and 9 are available to listen again.
| No. | Title | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Welcome to Bunk Bed" | |
 • In bed with a friend, your mind can wander into brilliant and strange conversations.  | ||
| 2 | "The death of friends and the comfort of Bowie" | |
 • Peter Curran and Patrick Marber on the death of friends and the comfort of Bowie.  | ||
| 3 | "Madonna elephants and snoring" | |
 • Peter Curran and Patrick Marber on meeting Madonna, a tuneless elephant, and Mr. Spanky.  | ||
| 4 | "Award winning actor and director Kathy Burke joins Peter and Patrick" | |
 • Peter Curran and Patrick Marber are joined by award-winning actor/director Kathy Burke.  | ||
| 5 | "Happiness, small birds and Spike Milligan" | |
 • Peter and Patrick talk about the secret of happiness and small birds on anti-depressants.  | ||
| 6 | "Famous older men and the voice of Aldous Huxley" | |
 • Peter Curran and Patrick Marber talk leaving their female partners for famous older men.  | ||
| 7 | "HG Wells and his life as a prostitute" | |
 • Peter Curran and Patrick Marber on HG Wells and his life as a prostitute.  | ||
| 8 | "The curse of short trousers" | |
 • Peter Curran and Patrick Marber on the curse of short trousers and the blandness of Bond.  | ||
| 9 | "JG Ballard and why the demons come out at night" | |
 • Peter Curran and Patrick Marber are haunted by the voice of sci-fiction great JG Ballard  | ||
| 10 | "Debbie Harry and Chas n Dave" | |
 • Peter Curran and Patrick Marber on their times with Debbie Harry and Chas n Dave  | ||
| 11 | "Award Winning actor Jane Horrocks on the spare mattress" | |
 • Peter Curran and Patrick Marber are joined by the award-winning actor Jane Horrocks.  | ||
| 12 | "Peter and Patrick imagine each other’s death" | |
 • Peter Curran and Patrick Marber imagine each other’s deaths  | ||
| 13 | "The dirty version of Crazy Golf" | |
 • Peter Curran and Patrick Marber plan to create the dirty version of Crazy Golf  | ||
| 14 | "Abuse in school and Ian Fleming v Raymond Chandler" | |
 • Peter and Patrick talk about being abused in school and Raymond Chandler v Ian Fleming  | ||
| 15 | "The first person to have a dream" | |
 • Peter Curran and Patrick Marber wonder about the first person to have a dream.  | ||
| 16 | "Terrible names for kids" | |
 • Peter Curran and Patrick Marber on the terrible names for kids chosen by their friends.  | ||
| No. | Title | |
|---|---|---|
| 17 | "The hand that shook the hand of Hitler" | |
 • Peter and Patrick on the hand that shook the hand of Hitler and eating from a baby bib.  | ||
| 18 | "How a sneaky million pounds was turned down" | |
 • Peter and Patrick on how a sneaky million pounds Hollywood job was turned down  | ||
| 19 | "The teeth of Kingsley Amis" | |
 • Peter and Patrick on the teeth of Kingsley Amis and why you can’t cuddle a tortoise.  | ||
| 20 | "Comic great Kathy Burke joins Peter and Patrick" | |
 • Comic great Kathy Burke sleeps over to talk youth rebellion and reading porn aloud.  | ||
| 21 | "Being a father and the voice of James Baldwin" | |
 • Peter Curran and Patrick Marber on being a father and the voice of James Baldwin  | ||
| 22 | "Giant hairballs and goats" | |
 • Peter and Patrick talk about the giant hairballs formed on London’s Underground  | ||
| 23 | "Citizen Kane and Virginia Woolf" | |
 • The rude bits of Citizen Kane and the only recording of Virginia Woolf’s voice  | ||
| 24 | "How to hurt yourself at the dentist" | |
 • The need for a National Repression Day when everyone would just shut up about themselves.  | ||
| 25 | "With guest Don Warrington from the classic Rising Damp" | |
 • Peter and Patrick with guest Don Warrington from the legendary 1970’s sitcom Rising Damp.  | ||
| 26 | "Baldness and Bambi" | |
 • Peter Curran and Patrick Marber get down to the subject of wigs and how to help Bambi  | ||
| 27 | "Their worst reviews ever" | |
 • Peter Curran and Patrick Marber relish their worst ever reviews  | ||
| 28 | "Explaining genitalia to Aliens" | |
 • Peter Curran and Patrick Marber on explaining human genitalia to a curious alien  | ||
| 29 | "The voice of Bette Davis and sedan chairs are Go!" | |
 • Peter and Patrick marvel at the voice of Bette Davis destroying an interviewer  | ||
| 30 | "Cate Blanchett" | |
 • Patrick Marber and Peter Curran offer the pull-out mattress to a double Oscar winner.  | ||
| 31 | "Benjamin Zephaniah" | |
 • Patrick Marber and Peter Curran do Tai Chi in the dark with the poet Benjamin Zephaniah  | ||
| 32 | "Rhys Ifans" | |
 • Peter Curran, Patrick Marber and Rhys talk dark childhoods and the boots of David Bowie.  | ||
| 33 | "Jane Horrocks" | |
 • Jane Horrocks joins Patrick Marber and Peter Curran to reflect on fancying yourself.  | ||