Radio review: The Small House at Allington

While the rebranding of Radio 7 into Radio 4 Extra promises a wealth of Radio 4-type goodies popping up on the station to lure non-digital listeners, I'm rather enjoying the quiet charms of 7 in its final days. There's always something classic, or classy on offer, and it's a sanctuary from modern life if you need one. Yesterday, fleeing the budget, I found an episode from The Barchester Chronicles – The Small House at Allington . It was instantly brilliant and luxuriously well done, though not quite the budget-free zone I was looking for. "Who I wonder gathers tax from the tax-gatherers?" one character pondered. With this sort of radio drama, it's all in the voice: you have to be able to detect the rotters a mile off. There was no problem here, as social-climbing, self-serving Adolphus Crosbie was spot-on, with his cold lines deftly delivered. "Some people may think me a fool for marrying you," he tells impoverished Lily. "A cheap, nasty ménage I could not bear," he says, adding "for your sake" just a little too late. There are no gimmicks or surprises, just a little music to divide the scenes and actors who do Trollope's comedy justice. It's a more modest prospect than some of the new programmes heading for 4 Extra, but still a welcome treat.