The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4, followed by weather.
Readings specially written for Dora Bryan. In Wally K Daly's story, the Good Fairy of the pantomime is waiting in the wings. Can she empathise with all the excited children?
Mark Tully asks why are so many of us so angry all the time. Road rage, trolley rage, air rage - why are sudden and uncontrolled explosions of rage on the increase? Are the roots of this anger social, cultural, spiritual or economic and how can it be reined in or even re-channelled for good?
Elinor Goodman visits expat farmers Robin and Caroline Pollitt in the Lot-et-Garonne region of South West France. They left the UK 5 years ago to purchase a dilapidated 6 hectare farm. They have planted raspberries and blackcurrants, from which they produce jam, coulis and cakes. They also run a cattery and kennels on site to look after the pets belonging to the many expats in the area, but their real love is getting to know the local farmers and embracing their way of life.
The latest news headlines. Including a look at the papers.
Rageh Omaar appeals on behalf of The Pastoral and Environmental Network in the Horn of Africa. Donations: Freepost BBC Radio 4 Appeal. Credit cards: Freephone 0800 404 8144.
The latest news headlines. Including a look at the papers.
As choirs from around the world gather in Coventry for the 2008 International Church Music Festival, Rev Dr Janet Wootton, hymn writer and Director of Studies for the Congregational Federation, explores Jesus's message of salvation. Leader: Rev Roger Hutchings. Music director: Paul Leddington Wright.
News and conversation about the big stories of the week with Paddy O'Connell.
Kirsty Young's castaway this week is the pioneering surgeon Professor Ara Darzi. He was born in Iraq and brought up in Baghdad but he moved to Ireland when he was 17 to study medicine. He came to England to finish his training and, highly talented and ambitious, was made a consultant when he was barely out of his 20s. Since then he's been nick-named 'Robo-doc' for spearheading the use of keyhole surgery in Britain and for introducing robotics to the operating theatre.
For the past year he has combined his surgical work with a position in government - he is a health minister and, on the eve of the NHS's 60th birthday, he is charged with reshaping the NHS in England. It is, he says, the greatest challenge he has yet faced.
Archive edition of the perennial antidote to panel games, broadcast in tribute to Humphrey Lyttelton, who died in April.
Barry Cryer and Graeme Garden take on Tim Brooke-Taylor and Willie Rushton, with Humph in the chair and Colin Sell on piano.
Sheila Dillon looks at the history of state banquets and asks what role royal hospitality has to play in a more democratic age. She visits the Queen's reception for the British hospitality industry, where she meets a nunmber of distinguished guests including Gordon Ramsay and Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall.
John Humphrys talks to Linford Christie about his time as a champion athlete and the drugs test which got him banned for life from the Olympic Games.
Linford Christie is one of the fastest and most famous athletes in the world - the cream of his generation with a record-breaking haul of gold medals and titles for sprinting at European, Commonwealth, world and Olympic levels. He won 23 major championships, competed in more than 60 times for his country and captained the British team in a vintage period for athletics.
He was the hero of the Barcelona Olympics in 1992, when he took the gold medal for 100 metres at the age of 32, but he says his proudest moment came at the subsequent world championships.
He is now 48, owns a management company and coaches and mentors young athletes. But the former Olympic champion has become an Olympic pariah. He can't coach his proteges at the Bejing games, he wasn't invited to run with the flame through the streets of London and he's shunned by certain figures in the athletics establishment. He is - officially at least - a cheat, a user of performance-enhancing drugs and, however often he denies it, the label has stuck.
Eric Robson and Peter Gibbs present a special edition of the popular horticultural forum, recorded in the grounds of Sparsholt College in Hampshire for the programme's annual Summer Garden Party. Answering questions are Bob Flowerdew, Pippa Greenwood and Anne Swithinbank.
Brett Westwood, Stephen Moss and Chris Watson identify the sounds of jays, tawny owls, sparrowhawks and other larger woodland birds.
Ruth, reeling from the shock of recent events, is deserted once again as her husband Easton goes out with his workmates on their annual jolly. The situation takes a dramatic turn when Ruth goes missing. Meanwhile the workers are united in tragedy, and an unexpected revelation could change Frank Owen's life forever.
Owen ...... Andrew Lincoln
Easton ...... Johnny Vegas
Crass ...... Timothy Spall
Hunter (Old Misery) ...... Paul Whitehouse
Ruth ...... Shirley Henderson
Rushton ...... Bill Bailey
Barrington/Rev Starr ...... Tom Goodman-Hill
Policeman ...... John Prescott MP
Sweater/Dawson/Mr Didlum ...... Rupert Degas
Linden ...... Philip Jackson
Nora ...... Raquel Cassidy
Mrs Linden ...... Gwyneth Powell
Philpot ...... Tony Haygarth
Bundy ...... Tony Pitts
Bert ...... Des O'Malley
Sawkins ...... Andrew Langtree
Frankie ...... Robert Madge
Mary ...... Emma Fryer
Elsie ...... Yasmin Garrad
Charlie ...... Jake Pratt
Dave Pelzer’s A Child Called It revolutionised the art of memoir when it was published in 1995, with its horrific tale of the abuse Pelzer suffered at the hands of his mother. Having launched a new literary genre, commonly called ‘mis lit’, Dave Pelzer has gone on to work as a counsellor and have a family of his own. Mariella asks him how his past has affected his life, and how he feels about the rash of similar books that have been published since.
Which books can parents give to their teenagers to wean them off children’s authors and on to adult fiction? Anne McElvoy, executive editor of the Evening Standard, answers this listener’s query.
At 1200 pages, Les Miserables by Victor Hugo is one of the longest novels in the European canon. Novelist Adam Thirlwell has written an introduction to a new translation of the book, and he tells Mariella why it is worth embarking upon this classic adventure tale set in nineteenth-century Paris.
Richard Davies of Abe Books joins Mariella to describe some of the more exotic items that have been found in second-hand books.
John Tusa looks back at the events making the news 40 years ago. Women from Ford's Dagenham plant, currently on strike, hold emergency talks with Employment Secretary Barbara Castle. Barbara Cartland proposes a novel solution to the UK's productivity crisis.
Gerry Northam investigates claims that tens of thousands of elderly dementia sufferers are being given powerful psychiatric drugs which are not only unnecessary but also have potentially lethal side effects.
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4, followed by Weather.
Laurie Taylor presents a selection of highlights from the past week on BBC radio.
Alan and Usha are getting the invitations to the wedding out - Ruth and David are very pleased to receive one inviting them to both the Hindu and the Christian ceremony. Usha is showing Ruth possible wedding dresses in a magazine, when Adam arrives to talk to David.
Ruth goes to join them, as it's about the anaerobic digester. Adam is reluctant to lose Brookfield from the project and tries to talk them round. Would they be prepared to come back on board if the decision was made not to build a bigger digester? On balance, unless things change radically, David and Ruth think not. Adam is unhappy at the prospect.
Eddie and Mike are leveLling the ground for the picnic site in Millennium Wood. Mike calls to Eddie to stop - there's something in the digger bucket. He's right, there is - it's a human skull.
Barney Harwood presents the children's magazine and travels to Norwich to hear about a children's book, Gervelie's Journey, based on the experience of a girl refugee who escaped the conflict in the Congo. Go4it takes Gervelie back to her old primary school and talks to a group of year 6 pupils about what it would be like to have to leave home in a hurry and what the difference is between a refugee and an illegal immigrant, and asks Gervelie and the authors of the book, Anne Marie Young and Anthony Robinson, what it was like to write a book about it.
As her father plans to remarry, Connie fights to honour a love as important as her father's new one. Read by William Trevor.
Matthew Bannister presents the obituary series, analysing and celebrating the life stories of people who have recently died.
Peter Day asks whether companies ought to pay more attention to how happy their employees are.
Reports from behind the scenes at Westminster. Including Fifty Years before the Masthead. Political journalist Anthony Howard takes an autobiographical journey.
Another chance to look back at the events making the news 40 years ago with John Tusa.
Women at Ford's Dagenham plant go on strike. Roy Jenkins warns the House Of Lords not to oppose the Commons. Planes are grounded as a pilots' strike begins at Heathrow. Hubert Humphrey and Nelson Rockefeller launch their campaigns for the US presidency.
MONDAY 23 JUNE 2008
MON 00:00 News and Weather (b00c4q1n)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4, followed by weather.
MON 00:15 Thinking Allowed (b00c1d1t)
Gentrification
GENTRIFICATION
Laurie Taylor is joined by Sophie Watson, Professor of Sociology at the Open University, Tim Butler, Head of the Department of Geography at King’s College in London, Dr Tom Slater who will soon be talking a post as Lecturer in Human Geography at the University of Edinburgh, and Lance Freeman, Assistant Professor in Urban Planning at Columbia University to discuss the driving forces and patterns of gentrification in the UK.
Does the gentrification process bring benefits to existing and new inhabitants of an area? How much does it involve the displacement of present residents?
MON 00:45 Bells on Sunday (b00c4jp8)
[Repeat of broadcast at
05:43 on Sunday]
MON 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b00c4q1q)
The latest shipping forecast.
MON 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b00c4q1s)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
MON 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b00c4q1v)
The latest shipping forecast.
MON 05:30 News Briefing (b00c4q1x)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.
MON 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b00c4pzb)
Daily prayer and reflection with Mike Ford.
MON 05:45 Farming Today (b00c4q1z)
News and issues in rural Britain with Anna Hill.
MON 05:57 Weather (b00c4q21)
The latest weather forecast for farmers.
MON 06:00 Today (b00c4q23)
With John Humphrys and Evan Davis.
Presented by John Humphrys an Evan Davis.
Zimbabwe's opposition, the Movement for Democratic Change led by Morgan Tsvangirai, has confirmed that it will not contest the election because of the way its people have been terrorised by President Mugabe's supporters. Zimbabwe's Information Minister Sikhanyiso Ndlovu says Mr Tsvangirai has "chickened out" of the election.
Oxfam launches its 10-year manifesto for tackling global inequality. Head of research at Oxfam, Duncan Green and Michael Spence, an economist and Nobel Prize winner, discuss whether the route out of poverty is the empowerment of the poor.
We tend not to associate the Neanderthals with sophisticated tools. But archaeologists working at a site called Beedings, in West Sussex, have made some interesting finds. Dr Matthew Pope runs the team from University College, London that has been doing some of the work.
Thought for the day with Dom Antony Sutch, a Benedictine monk.
Peter Biles reports from Johannesburg and Lord Malloch Brown discusses what can be done now to ensure fair elections in Zimbabwe.
Former England footballer, Graeme Le Saux and the former Downing Street press officer, Lance Price discuss how to make the most of a short temper.
Moscow correspondent James Rodgers reports on plans to restore the Narkomfin building in Moscow, an experiment in Stalinist living, begun in the 1920s.
A company that prints Robert Mugabe's banknotes is being urged to stop supplying them to Zimbabwe. The MP Nigel Griffiths is tabling an Early Day Motion in Parliament condemning the German printer's continued involvement with the Mugabe regime.
What, if anything, could Nelson Mandela do for Zimababwe? Dr Vincent Magombe of Africa Inform International and Dr James Sanders who worked on Mandela's authorised biography discuss.
MON 09:00 Start the Week (b00c4qx8)
Andrew Marr sets the cultural agenda for the week. Guests include Will Alsop, Kenan Malik, Ian Kershaw and Eva Figes.
MON 09:45 Book of the Week (b00c4r07)
Casanova
Episode 1
Born into a family of actors in Venice, Giacomo Casanova is never far from the stage door. Yet his parents think the sickly and self-obsessed boy will die young and send him out of the city for his health. Within a few years, Casanova returns to Venice, now a handsome and dashing young man, with a string of potential mistresses and a somewhat unlikely career in the Church.
MON 10:00 Woman's Hour (b00c50hh)
Jennifer Worth; Rosie Swale-Pope
Jennifer Worth on her experiences as a midwife in London's East End during the 1950s. Rosie Swale-Pope on her epic run, and are girls risking sporting injury from overtraining?
MON 11:00 Getting the French to Work (b00c51fg)
When she was appointed as France's first female finance minister, Christine Lagarde said it was time for her countrymen to roll up their sleeves and work more. Now Madame Lagarde is championing a major bill to modernise the French economy. Alasdair Sandford finds out how the former top lawyer is influencing attitudes to work in France, a country famed for its long lunch hours and 35-hour working week.
MON 11:30 The Maltby Collection (b00xj161)
Series 2
Episode 4
At the museum's first children's day, the dog counting competition is not going well. Stars Geoffrey Palmer. From June 2008.
MON 12:00 You and Yours (b00c50hk)
Presented by Winifred Robinson and Liz Barclay.
Including:
As the Commons votes on the Planning Bill today, BBC Environment Correspondent Sarah Mukherjee examines the arguments. With John Healey, Minister for Local Government.
David Morris, disability advisor to London Mayor Boris Johnson, and Edward Welsh from the Local Government Association discuss a proposed amendment to the Health and Social Care Bill.
Under what is known as a Section 106 agreement, councils can ask for community projects to be funded as a condition of planning approval for new developments. But theory is not alwats translated into practice. With Mervyn Leah, chairman of the Leighton Buzzard Narrow Gauge Railway.
Tomorrow the six big energy companies will be questioned by MPs about their practices and pricing as part of an inquiry into possible anti-competitive behaviour in the UK energy market. With Peter Luff MP, Chairman of the Business and Enterprise select committee.
A new television documentary asks whether enough is being done to stem the problem of food inflation. Jay Rayner explains.
How can companies legally charge for text messages they send to people who haven't signed up for the service? With lawyer John Buyers of Stephenson Harwood.
MON 12:57 Weather (b00c50hm)
The latest weather forecast.
MON 13:00 World at One (b00c50hp)
National and international news with Martha Kearney.
MON 13:30 Round Britain Quiz (b00c50hr)
2008
Episode 1
Tom Sutcliffe chairs the cryptic general knowledge quiz. The North of England team meets Scotland. With Michael Alexander, Alan Taylor, Diana Collecott and Michael Schmidt.
Questions from Programme 1
Question 1
Scotland
What do the following have in common: a clown claimed to be the second-most recognised figure in the world; a writer who inspired a classic egg dish; and a rodent that was once a common sight in the early morning?
Question 2
North of England
At the sharp end in theatre, bang-on at the auction, and incognito in pursuit of the truth. Why would they all give you a sinking feeling?
Question 3
Scotland
What links these extracts?
Question 4
North of England
Moses in the Book of Number chapter 12; Benny Goodman in 1936; and the Starship Enterprise in 1968. They were all firsts in their own way. How? And how has the latter been disproved?
Question 5 - Listener question from Brian Cook in Barnet
Scotland
If those called grey are really brown, and those called black are black and white, what colour are those called white - and what do you call those who are really black?
Question 6 - Listener question from Julianna Lees in southern France
North of England
Why might the American elections make you think of a former Prime Minister of Israel and an opera by Richard Strauss?
Question 7
Scotland
Why are Richard Wayne Penniman, Harry Relph and Reynold Greenleaf unlikely to feel superior to the Ukraine?
Question 8
North of England
One hosted the Conference of Versailles, nine can be found in Motown, and there are many more, rather dangerous ones, in Sri Lanka. Why might they burn brightly?
MON 14:00 The Archers (b00c4n97)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Sunday]
MON 14:15 Drama (b00c50ht)
Dickens Confidential
Dickens and Dizzy
Series of plays looking at how Charles Dickens, as the head of a daily paper, would have tackled bringing the news to the masses.
In the weeks leading up to Queen Victoria's coronation, Dickens meets Benjamin Disraeli, a journalist and ambitious young politician. There is an instant rivalry and unease between the two men, which only increases when the team believe they have uncovered a secret that Disraeli wants to keep hidden.
Charles Dickens ...... Dan Stevens
Agnes Paxton ...... Eleanor Howell
Daniel Parker ...... Andrew Buchan
Benjamin Disraeli ...... Julian Rhind-Tutt
William Percy ...... Bertie Carvel
Mary Anne Wyndham Lewis ...... Liz Sutherland
Lady Londonderry ...... Joan Walker
Rachel ...... Lydia Leonard
Official ...... Ben Crowe
Footman ...... Nyasha Hatendi
Archbishop ...... Dan Starkey
Speaker ...... Stephen Critchlow
Rabbi ...... Alan Lee
Directed by Tracey Neale.
MON 15:00 Money Box Live (b00c50hw)
Paul Lewis and guests answer calls on financial issues.
MON 15:30 Afternoon Reading (b00c50wy)
Classical Assassins
Schubert and Me
1.Schubert and Me:
A young woman reveals the cruel revenge she took on the composer who failed to keep his promise to her.
Read by Jenny Harrold.
Produced by Sara Davies.
MON 15:45 Cosmic Quest (b00c50x2)
Broadcasts from the Cosmos
Heather Couper presents a narrative history of astronomy.
Second World War radar research led to the discovery of radio broadcasts from the skies. A new science was born and radio astronomers started to build giant dishes to listen in to the cosmos, including the great radio telescope at Jodrell Bank, brainchild of Bernard Lovell.
In 1967, a field near Cambridge saw a strange new sort of telescope, consisting of 1,000 wooden posts and 120 miles of wire. It was with this that Jocelyn Bell discovered a regular cosmic heartbeat, a regular radio pulse. Researchers initially surmised that it might be a signal from an alien civilisation, but it was later found to emanate from an extremely dense spinning neutron star, the collapsed core of an exploded star or supernova. Soon dozens of these pulsars were known, taking physics to a new level.
Readers are Timothy West, Robin Sebastian, Julian Rhind-Tutt and John Palmer.
MON 16:00 The Food Programme (b00c4jq5)
[Repeat of broadcast at
12:32 on Sunday]
MON 16:30 Beyond Belief (b00c5379)
Ernie Rea explores the place of faith in today's world, teasing out the hidden and often contradictory truths behind the experiences, values and traditions of our lives.
MON 16:56 1968 Day by Day (b00c53ct)
23rd June 1968
John Tusa looks back at the events making the news 40 years ago. The first round of elections takes place in France.
MON 17:00 PM (b00c53g0)
Full coverage and analysis of the day's news with Eddie Mair.
MON 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b00c53g2)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4, followed by Weather.
MON 18:30 I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue (b00c53g4)
Archive editions of the perennial antidote to panel games, broadcast in tribute to Humphrey Lyttelton, who died in April.
Barry Cryer and Graeme Garden take on Tim Brooke-Taylor and Jeremy Hardy, with Humph in the chair and Colin Sell on piano.
The show was recorded at the Swan Theatre in High Wycombe on December 4, 2000.
MON 19:00 The Archers (b00c53n6)
Everyone is agog about the discovery in Millennium Wood. Jennifer has been asked to investigate an old hedge boundary - there is archeological evidence of a hedge, and the skull was found beneath it. She discovers that the hedge line is very old - the field boundary changed in the 1800s. So the skull predates this.
There is a great deal of interest at the picnic site, particularly from Mildred, a Canadian who is staying in a Home Farm holiday cottage. They find out that the county archaeologist is going to excavate the rest of the body.
Fallon sees Ed from the Bull as he talks with Emma on the green. She tells him she's only teasing him about it, but Ed is a bit too defensive. Fallon tries to chat about the tour, but Ed can't get really interested. They go for a walk, and bump into Emma. Ed clearly doesn't want to be anywhere near her, and he pulls a startled Fallon away.
Episode written by Tim Stimpson.
MON 19:15 Front Row (b00c53p5)
Presented by Mark Lawson.
Including:
A review of Disney's new Narnia film Prince Caspian, which tells the tale of what happens when the Pevensie siblings return to Narnia 1,300 years after the events of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.
Alan Ayckbourn is about to direct the premiere of his 71st play Life And Beth, his first since his stroke last year. He talks to Mark Lawson about the effect of his illness upon his writing process, his views on Health and Safety rules and the technical challenge of having an invisible cat onstage.
Artists Antony Gormley and Yinka Shonibare have won the latest competition to come up with ideas for artworks to stand on the Fourth Plinth in Trafalgar Square. Yinka Shonibare's work is a ship in a bottle, a scale replica of Nelson's HMS Victory. Antony Gormley's work involves 2,400 members of the public standing for an hour each on top of the empty plinth. The two artists explain the thinking and the logistics behind these complex projects.
Steve Coogan, Irvine Welsh, and Peter Saville were among the creative leading lights who gathered in Manchester for a 24-hour public conversation last weekend. The event was launched in memory of the late Tony Wilson, music mogul, journalist, broadcaster and champion of talent. Elizabeth Alker and Joe Stretch report.
MON 19:45 15 Minute Drama (b00c53p7)
The Way we Live Right Now
Episode 6
Anthony Trollope's satirical novel about money, greed and dishonesty, updated by Jonathan Myerson.
Paul Montague is visited by an old friend.
Ghassan Mehmoud ...... Henry Goodman
Felix Carbury ...... Dexter Fletcher
Anthony Trollope ...... John Rowe
Paul Montague ...... Nyasha Hatendi
Rt Hon Jeremy Longstaff ...... David bamber
Georgiana Longstaff ...... Lucy Montgomery
Ruby Ruggles ...... Sheridan Smith
Marie Mehmoud ...... Chipo Chung
Roger Lloyd-Montague ...... Ben Crowe
Hetta Carbury ...... Emily Wachter
Tilly Carbury ...... Annette Badland
Helen Croll ...... Liz Sutherland
Nick Broune ...... Stephen Critchlow
Other parts played by Chris Pavlo, Beth Chalmers, Dan Starkey and Joan Walker.
Directed by Jonquil Panting.
MON 20:00 Adebayor Returns Home (b00c5n6j)
Reporter Farayi Mungazi follows Arsenal striker Emmanuel Adebayor as he makes an emotional return home to Togo to receive the BBC African Football Player of the Year Award. A fiery and controversial figure in his home country, Adebayor dreams that his status in world football will allow him to improve the lives and aspirations of young Africans through the sport. He takes part in a World Cup qualifier in Ghana and meets the King of the Asanti.
MON 20:30 The Learning Curve (b00c55vw)
Libby Purves presents a guide to the world of learning, with practical advice, features and listeners' views.
MON 21:00 Hitting the Buffers (b00c55vy)
The Human Body
Gareth Mitchell looks at our need for speed in different areas of modern life and asks what is stopping us from getting faster.
Gareth is put through his paces at the Human Performance Laboratory at Bath University to find out whether his body is built for speed. He also talks to sports scientists like Professor Bob Girandola from the University of Southern California, who thinks we've reached the pinnacle of natural human achievement - and any further improvement in speed will depend on tinkering with our genes or taking performance enhancing drugs.
MON 21:30 Start the Week (b00c4qx8)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:00 today]
MON 21:58 Weather (b00c57x7)
The latest weather forecast.
MON 22:00 The World Tonight (b00c57x9)
National and international news and analysis with Ritula Shah. Zimbabwe's opposition leader, Morgan Tsvangirai, has taken refuge in the Dutch embassy in the capital Harare. Plus, talk of a split in the Anglican church, and Prime Minister Gordon Brown outlines his plans for social mobility.
MON 22:45 Book at Bedtime (b00c57xc)
Breath
Episode 1
Richard Roxburgh reads from Tim Winton's tale of adolescence on the edge, set on the Western fringe of Australia.
An emergency callout in the suburbs takes a middle-aged paramedic back to his own youth. As he deals with a domestic tragedy, memories of the boundaries he crossed without thinking of the consequences begin to resurface. Bruce Pike recalls his idyllic childhood in a small logging town and finding friendship with Loonie.
MON 23:00 Happy Mondays (b00c57xf)
Spike's Lookalikes
A Kind of Magic
Sitcom by Mark Watson, set in a lookalike agency.
Against all the odds, Spike and Maggie get a booking to reprise their infamous Paul Daniels and Debbie McGee double act. One booking leads to another, but the result is far from magical.
Spike ...... Ardal O'Hanlon
Maggie ...... Doon McKichon
Phil ...... Bruce Mackinnon
Jimmy ...... Toby Longworth
Sandie ...... Rosie Cavaliero
Nicky ...... Martha Howe-Douglas
Craig (Retro Heaven) ...... James Holmes
Nephew ...... Kim Wall
Mr Finchley ...... John Rowe
Drunk ...... Toby Longworth
Policeman ...... Kim Wall.
MON 23:30 Today in Parliament (b00c57yj)
News, views and features on today's stories in Parliament with Sean Curran.
TUESDAY 24 JUNE 2008
TUE 00:00 News and Weather (b00c4pzd)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4, followed by weather.
TUE 00:30 Book of the Week (b00c4r07)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:45 on Monday]
TUE 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b00c4pzg)
The latest shipping forecast.
TUE 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b00c4pzj)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
TUE 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b00c4pzl)
The latest shipping forecast.
TUE 05:30 News Briefing (b00c4pzn)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.
TUE 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b00c4pzq)
Daily prayer and reflection with Mike Ford.
TUE 05:45 Farming Today (b00c4pzs)
News and issues in rural Britain with Anna Hill.
TUE 06:00 Today (b00c4pzv)
Presented by Edward Stourton and Evan Davis.
Including:
Shadow Health Secretary Andrew Lansley pledges that the Tories will put an end to internal targets in the NHS.
Teachers in Sydney's tough western suburbs claim that bullying and violence outside schools have reached unprecedented levels. Phil Mercer reports.
The UN Security Council declaration on Zimbabwe represents a significant move in the diplomatic pressure on Robert Mugabe. Everyone agrees that the violence there makes it impossible to hold free and fair elections at the moment, but what does the future hold? Lord Ashdown considers how the problem might be solved.
Should the Bayeux tapestry be brought back to England? With Dr Dave Musgrove, editor of BBC History magazine, and art historian Dr Carola Hicks.
Thought for the Day with Dr Indarjit Singh, director of the Network of Sikh Organisations.
School exclusion figures for England are due to be published, but does the practice work? Evan Davis talks to Sarah Shaw, a single mother whose son had been excluded.
Caroline Hawley visits a Johannesburg school which is trying to teach tolerance to its pupils.
A conference in Dumfries in Scotland hopes to tackle the growing menace of seagulls in urban areas. Huw Williams reports.
Slovene sociologist, philosopher, and cultural critic Slavoj Zizek takes on the reigning postmodern agenda with a manifesto for several lost causes.
Lauren Milsom, director of Anything Left-Handed, explains the success of left-handers in politics.
Economist John Kay and former Sun editor Kelvin MacKenzie discuss whether we should tax the rich more.
TUE 09:00 The Reith Lectures (b00c5j0d)
Jonathan Spence: Chinese Vistas: 2008
The Body Beautiful
Chinese Vistas: Jonathan Spence lectures about China.
Recorded at Lord's cricket ground.
Spence discusses how Chinese ideas of sport and athleticism have slowly evolved over the centuries, from languorous courtship and formalised martial arts to the demanding arenas of team sports and the ultimate Olympic challenges that China will controversially host in August.
TUE 09:45 Book of the Week (b00c6s6j)
Casanova
Episode 2
When Casanova's scandalous affair with a married woman becomes the talk of Rome, he is encouraged to leave the city. Before long the unlikely cleric is embarking upon a trip to Constantinople, where the delights of the harem lead him into uncharted waters.
TUE 10:00 Woman's Hour (b00c4wzc)
Deborah Voigt; Female agents in WWII
Soprano Deborah Voigt talks about her return to Covent Garden after losing 120 pounds in weight. Plus, the female agents sent to work for the Allies in occupied France in WWII.
TUE 11:00 World On The Move: Great Animal Migrations (b00c5j0g)
Philippa Forrester and Brett Westwood present the series following the movement and migration of animals across the planet, from the European eel to the African white-eared kob antelope. A team of wildlife specialists are joined by zoologists and conservationists around the world to present regular reports.
TUE 11:30 Who the Wild Things Are (b00c5j0j)
Another chance to hear Philip Glassborow's exploration of the origins and immense appeal of "Where the Wild Things Are", the multi-million selling children's classic by the late Maurice Sendak
The story of Max's adventures when he sails away to the land where the Wild Things Are has become an acknowledged classic of children's literature since it won the American Caldecott Medal for the Most Distinguished Picture Book of the Year in 1964. But what is it really about and what are the reasons for its immense appeal? Generations of children, parents, teachers and psychoanalysts have had their opinions. And, intriguingly, over the years, Sendak himself, who died recently aged 83 - has offered not one but many different stories of its genesis.
Did it grow out of the over-protective love of his mother, the stories told to him by his father, comments made by his foreign-sounding aunts and uncles (their hairy nostrils and warty faces peering down and declaring "you're so good I could eat you up!" .....) the insecurity of immigrant life in Depression New York, the deaths of most of his family in the Holocaust, his love of the movie King Kong......or all of these things?
Presenter Philip Glassborow talks with Sendak's British editor, Judy Taylor, to his long-time friend, the distinguished writer and playwright Tony Kushner and to the American children's literature expert Leonard Marcus, who takes him back to the haunts of Sendak's childhood in Brooklyn. He is astonished to discover that in all the extensive press, radio and television coverage of Sendak, nobody has ever thought to consult any children. Every great children's book, has a world beyond its creator and here the Year 2 children of an Oxfordshire primary school have their say. Angry mothers and fathers with big hairy feet both feature in their interpretations of who the Wild Things really are.
With a thrilling new reading by Henry Goodman and extensive use of Jewish Klezmer music, this programme will shed new light on who the Wild Things really are and act as a fitting legacy to the late, great master.
Producer Beaty Rubens.
TUE 12:00 Call You and Yours (b00c5001)
Presented by Winifred Robinson and Liz Barclay.
David Davis, the former shadow Home Secretary who resigned in protest at the Government's plans to hold terror suspects for up to 42 days, hears listeners' views on the wider issues of civil liberties. CCTV and the DNA database. Are these useful technologies and deterrents or a licence to snoop?
With guests:
Garry Hindle, Head of Security and Counterterrorism at the RUSI
Tom Reeve, Editor of CCTV Image magazine
Steve Smith, Deputy General Secretary of the Police Federation
Keith Vaz MP, Chair of the Home Affairs Select Commitee.
TUE 12:57 Weather (b00c5003)
The latest weather forecast.
TUE 13:00 World at One (b00c5005)
National and international news with Martha Kearney.
TUE 13:30 The Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain (b00c67jq)
Phill Jupitus follows the celebrated ensemble of all-singing, all-strumming ukulele players who command a cult following.
Their unique blend of comedy and music fills venues worldwide and boasts many celebrity fans. Musicologists explain the finer nuances of their subversive and high-quality ukulele playing and arrangements.
Co-founder of the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain, Kitty Lux sadly died in July 2017.
Produced and written by Turan Ali.
Made for BBC Radio 4 by Bona Broadcasting and first broadcast in 2008.
TUE 14:00 The Archers (b00c53n6)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Monday]
TUE 14:15 Drama (b00c5j0n)
The Day the Planes Came
Romantic comedy by Caroline and David Stafford.
The events of 9/11 cause many American flights to be diverted to Canada. The sleepy town of Gander in Newfoundland finds itself accommodating over 6,000 stranded passengers, including Sarah and her teenage daughter Polly. A selfless and put-upon divorcee, Sarah is seduced by the local people's hospitality. Finally, she learns to let her hair down. She has her first kiss in years, catches a fish, meets Crazy Pete, dabbles in a bit of karaoke and finally gets the few hours of sleep that have eluded her for so long.
Sarah ...... Rosie Cavaliero
Polly ...... Jade Williams
Gary ...... William Hope
Chris ...... Stephen Critchlow
Airport Announcer ...... Peter Marinker
Directed by Marc Beeby.
TUE 15:00 Making History (b00c5j0q)
The Lochnagar Crater - Halls of Science
The Lochnagar Crater
Thirty years ago Making History listener Richard Dunning bought a crater in northern France. It had been formed by a huge explosion from an underground mine that heralded the beginning of the Battle of the Somme on July 1st 1916.
Richard has been told that the blast was, at the time, the biggest ever and shook the windows in Downing Street. Making History travelled to France to find out more and consulted the Royal Logistics Museum at Deepcut Barracks in Surrey and the British Geological Survey in Edinburgh. According to records held in Edinburgh the blast at Lochnagar was not measured. However, the one a year later at Messines Ridge was.
Halls of Science
Vanessa Collingridge spoke to Professor Edward Royle from the University of York about the ‘Halls of Science’, what he describes as the Wikipedia of the 1830’s and 1840’s.
TUE 15:30 Afternoon Reading (b00c50x6)
Classical Assassins
Lully and Me
2. Lully and Me:
The murderer of Louis XIV's court composer confesses how he carried out his brilliantly simple plan.
Read by John Telfer
Produced by Sara Davies.
TUE 15:45 Cosmic Quest (b00c843k)
Squashed Stars and Black Holes
Heather Couper presents a narrative history of astronomy.
As long ago as 1783, the rector of a small Yorkshire church suggested that the gravity of a very massive star might be strong enough to pull its light back and prevent it from shining. It was not until the 1930s, however, that Subramanyan Chandrasekhar suggested a mechanism through which such a star might form, and even then he was ridiculed by his peers. But the concept slowly gained ground, and in the late 1960s the first x-ray telescope in space pinpointed the first black hole to be discovered in orbit around a normal star.
A black hole seems to defy notions of common sense and even of normal physics. Light, information and travellers would have no escape from its gravity. At its heart, matter and even space and time would be squashed out of existence. Yet there is a small theoretical chance that someone entering a spinning black hole might survive to emerge in another universe.
Readers are Timothy West, Robin Sebastian, Julian Rhind-Tutt and John Palmer.
TUE 16:00 Law in Action (b00c5j0s)
What Goes on Before a Trial?
Clive Coleman takes his weekly look at the legal issues in the news.
Points of law in criminal cases are often decided in the absence of jurors. Clive explores what goes on before a trial and what prosecution and defence reveal to one another.
TUE 16:30 A Good Read (b00c5j0v)
Marcelle d'Argy Smith and Barry Cunliffe
Sue MacGregor and her guests - former Cosmopolitan editor, Marcelle d'Argy Smith and archaeologist, Professor Barry Cunliffe - discuss books by Robert Harris, Voltaire and David M Friedman.
The Ghost by Robert Harris
Publisher: Hutchinson
A Mind of Its Own: A Cultural History of the Penis by David M Friedman
Publisher: Robert Hale Limited
Candide by Voltaire
Publisher: Oxford World's Classics
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2008.
TUE 16:56 1968 Day by Day (b00c53cw)
24th June 1968
John Tusa looks back at the events making the news 40 years ago. A work-to-rule by unions brings chaos to the railways. In Washington, Resurrection City is shut down by police.
TUE 17:00 PM (b00c53cy)
Full coverage and analysis of the day's news with Carolyn Quinn.
TUE 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b00c53d0)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4, followed by Weather.
TUE 18:30 Footlights at 125: A Retrospective (b00c5j0x)
Episode 2
Steve Punt hosts celebration of 125 years of comedy at Cambridge Footlights. Former alumni come together to recreate past gems in the club's history, sourced from the extensive archives and performed anew.
Performed by Mel Giedroyc, Lucy Montgomery, James Bachman, John Finnemore, Geoff McGivern and Simon Munnery.
TUE 19:00 The Archers (b00c53n8)
The Swap Club meets for the first time. It's a great success, with a demonstration from Jennifer about how the swapping message board works, and a talk from Jill about keeping hens. Home-produced food is exchanged, and Lynda decides to offer car trips to Borchester - sharing the car when she is going anyway.
David tries to find out more about the float Pip is building with Young Farmers. She confirms to an unhappy David that they are having France as their theme, and building a windmill which will be the Moulin Rouge - stockings, and corsets and all.
Tony is unhappy about sending the report on the packhouse to the planning committee. He thinks it's playing into Borchester Land's hands. Pat finds out about David and Ruth pulling out of the digester scheme - she heard on the grapevine that its all off. She's pleased Matt doesn't get his way in everything.
Episode written by Tim Stimpson.
TUE 19:15 Front Row (b00c53nb)
Presented by Mark Lawson.
Including:
Michael Palin discusses the Danish artist Vilhelm Hammershoi, whose pictures of quiet, haunting interiors form part of a major retrospective at the Royal Academy of Arts in London.
Novelist and critic Matt Thorne reviews Chris Waitt's film A Complete History of My Sexual Failures, in which he attempts to discover why he has been so unlucky in love by interviewing his ex-girlfriends. With the help of his parents, a hypnotherapist, a torture dungeon and Viagra, Chris films himself on a sexual and emotional quest to solve his personal problems.
As singer-songwriter Carly Simon releases her latest album This Kind of Love, she talks to Mark about the loves and relationships that have influenced her long career, her musical children, her lovers, friends, ex-husband James Taylor, and the mysterious subject of You're So Vain.
Shadow Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt makes a speech tonight in which he will outline the Conservative Party's commitment to the arts and confirm that they have no plans to discontinue the policy of free admission to museums.
TUE 19:45 15 Minute Drama (b00c53nd)
The Way we Live Right Now
Episode 7
Anthony Trollope's satirical novel about money, greed and dishonesty, updated by Jonathan Myerson.
Marie is plotting to elope, but is it worth Flex's while?
Ghassan Mehmoud ...... Henry Goodman
Felix Carbury ...... Dexter Fletcher
Anthony Trollope ...... John Rowe
Paul Montague ...... Nyasha Hatendi
Rt Hon Jeremy Longstaff ...... David bamber
Georgiana Longstaff ...... Lucy Montgomery
Ruby Ruggles ...... Sheridan Smith
Marie Mehmoud ...... Chipo Chung
Roger Lloyd-Montague ...... Ben Crowe
Hetta Carbury ...... Emily Wachter
Tilly Carbury ...... Annette Badland
Helen Croll ...... Liz Sutherland
Nick Broune ...... Stephen Critchlow
Other parts played by Chris Pavlo, Beth Chalmers, Dan Starkey and Joan Walker.
Directed by Jonquil Panting.
TUE 20:00 File on 4 (b00c5rh3)
Kate Clark investigates efforts to stem the opium trade in Afghanistan, which is said to bankroll the Taliban.
TUE 20:40 In Touch (b00c5rh5)
Peter White with news and information for the blind and partially sighted.
TUE 21:00 All in the Mind (b00c5rh7)
Battlemind - Burma Mental Health - Contingency Management
BATTLEMIND
Could an hour-long briefing for soldiers returning from the front line really reduce the number of soldiers breaking down? This is what the British armed forces want to find out. In what’s only the second controlled trial ever done on the mental health of the armed forces, they’re going to experiment with an American system called Battlemind which has been such a success in the States that now the whole US army uses it. All in the Mind went along to the very first day of Battlemind in the UK just a few days ago. Psychiatrists, psychologists and military personnel gathered to see Colonel Carl Castro, one of the architects of Battlemind, as he showed them what a typical session for soldiers would be like. Claudia Hammond talks to Colonel Castro from the US Army, and Dr Neil Greenberg, Surgeon Commander for the Royal Navy and a Senior Lecturer in Military Psychiatry at King’s College London.
BURMA MENTAL HEALTH
When there’s been a disaster it’s inevitable that getting food, clean water and shelter to the survivors is going to be a priority. But for the people affected by the cyclone which struck Burma over a month ago, as well as coping with physical deprivation, they are faced with the trauma of having lost so many of their friends and relatives. In some villages only a fifth of the population is still alive. Kaz de Jong, mental health advisor for Medecins Sans Frontieres is well-used to visiting disaster areas, but he told me he was shocked by the lack of support for the survivors.
CONTINGENCY MANAGEMENT
Crack cocaine is a drug so powerfully addictive that some people who take it can be driven to steal from their families, cheat their friends and lose everything they care about. Yet the small promise of some vouchers to spend might be enough to help people to get off the drug for good. The Department of Health has announced it’s starting 15 so-called “contingency management” schemes at sites across the country. And evidence from the USA shows that this kind of project can work. All in the Mind spoke to a 28 year old man who’s been off drugs for a month after joining one of these projects, and to Dr John Marsden, who’s a Senior Lecturer in Addiction Psychology at the Institute of Psychiatry in London. He is just starting the UK’s first controlled trial of contingency management with a group of crack cocaine addicts. All participants in the trial will receive vouchers for clean urine tests and half the group will, in addition, receive cognitive behavioural therapy. The results should be known in a year.
TUE 21:30 Random Edition (b00c5rh9)
The Penny London Post, April 27, 1749
Peter Snow presents a history series in which the stories are provided by archive newspapers.
Royal Fireworks in London's Green Park. Famed for Handel's colourful music, this massive event had everything to do with political spin and featured a huge number of extraordinarily varied fireworks. A blaze broke out on site, giving the new fire engines of the day the chance to shine.
TUE 21:58 Weather (b00c569k)
The latest weather forecast.
TUE 22:00 The World Tonight (b00c569m)
National and international news and analysis with Ritula Shah.
TUE 22:45 Book at Bedtime (b00c569p)
Breath
Episode 2
Richard Roxburgh reads from Tim Winton's tale of adolescence on the edge, set on the Western fringe of Australia.
Pikelet and Loonie begin to test the boundaries. Unable to resist the lure of the waves and the beauty of the men who dance upon them, the boys begin to learn to surf, testing their limits further every time. They are intrigued by the older lone surfer who only appears when the waves are at their highest.
TUE 23:00 Political Animal (b00c5rhc)
Series 2
Episode 3
John Oliver and Andy Zaltzman present a show recorded in front of a live audience, featuring comedians performing exclusively political material.
TUE 23:30 Today in Parliament (b00c57y4)
News, views and features on today's stories in Parliament with Susan Hulme.
WEDNESDAY 25 JUNE 2008
WED 00:00 News and Weather (b00c4pzx)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4, followed by weather.
WED 00:30 Book of the Week (b00c6s6j)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:45 on Tuesday]
WED 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b00c4pzz)
The latest shipping forecast.
WED 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b00c4q01)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
WED 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b00c4q03)
The latest shipping forecast.
WED 05:30 News Briefing (b00c4q05)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.
WED 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b00c4q07)
Daily prayer and reflection with Mike Ford.
WED 05:45 Farming Today (b00c4q09)
News and issues in rural Britain with Charlotte Smith.
WED 06:00 Today (b00c4q0c)
Presented by Sarah Montague and James Naughtie.
Including:
Ministers have apparently reached an agreement with rebels over the Planning Bill, undermining a potentially damaging Commons defeat. Planning Minister John Healey explains the implications of the bill.
BAA chief executive Colin Matthews will be making the case for a third runway at Heathrow at a conference.
Should beavers be released into the wild? Alex Bushill reports from Escot Estate in Ottery St Mary in Devon, where a pair of beavers, brought over from Germany last year, have been given a two-acre enclosure.
Files just released from the National Archives show that in 1972 scientists at Porton Down were asked to develop new non-lethal weapons as a matter of urgency. Sanchia Berg reports.
Thought for the Day with Reverend Dr Giles Fraser, vicar of Putney.
The Army is bringing in new ration packs for troops, with 20 new menus specifically designed for hot climates such as Afghanistan and Iraq. Major General Patrick Cordingley, who commanded the Desert Rats in the first Gulf War, and Times restaurant critic Giles Coren taste some of the new food on offer.
Neuropsychiatrist Dr Peter Fenwick has written a book called The Art of Dying, in which he recounts the experience of those who have witnessed deaths.
WED 09:00 Midweek (b00c5xt7)
Lively and diverse conversation.
WED 09:45 Book of the Week (b00c6s6l)
Casanova
Episode 3
Casanova inveigles himself into the lavish court of Louis XV and Madame de Pompadour at Versailles, where he immediately gains something of a reputation. After causing something of a stir, he finds himself without income or employment. He decides to return to Venice, where an affair with an enigmatic masked nun brings him to the attention of the Venetian Inquisition.
WED 10:00 Woman's Hour (b00c4wzg)
Long term relationships; Lesbian domestic violence
Jenny Eclair and Quentin Letts on the strain of maintaining a long-term relationship. Plus domestic violence in lesbian relationships, and the Huaorani Indians of Ecuador.
WED 11:00 In Living Memory (b00c5xt9)
Series 8
GCHQ
On January 25, 1984, Foreign Secretary Geoffrey Howe announced plans to ban trade union membership at the government communications centre in Cheltenham. Senior civil servants and former CGHQ employees recall their roles in the resulting industrial dispute, which lasted for years and thrust this covert surveillance centre firmly into the public limelight. Contributors include Roy Hattersley and Howe himself. Chris Ledgard presents.
WED 11:30 Hut 33 (b00wlldq)
Series 2
Yankee Diddle
The Bletchley Park cipher-busting team decide that a wealthy American visitor is a ripe target for fleecing...
James Cary's sitcom set at Bletchley Park - the top-secret home of the Second World War codebreakers.
Professor Charles Gardner …. Robert Bathurst
Archie …. Tom Goodman-Hill
Fergus Craig (Gordon)
3rd Lieutenant Joshua Fanshawe-Marshall …. Alex MacQueen
Minka …. Olivia Coleman
Mrs Best …. Lill Roughley
Freddie G. Roosevelt …. Arnab Chanda
Producer: Adam Bromley
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in June 2008.
WED 12:00 You and Yours (b00c5007)
Presented by Liz Barclay and Sheila McClennon.
Including:
One of the major UK energy companies admitted to MPs yesterday that the number of people struggling to pay their energy bills has doubled in the past year. The heads of all six companies were cross-examined by a powerful select committee investigating the reasons behind huge rises in fuel prices. They also admitted gas prices are likely to rise. Shari Vahl reports.
Fiona Clampin reports on the controversy surrounding a proposed extension to the Severn Barrage. With Adrian Ramsey from the Green Party and Bernie Bulkin from the Sustainable Development Commission.
An increasing number of tenants are facing eviction because their landlords have failed to keep up their mortgage repayments. With Derek McConnell, a solicitor specialising in mortgage repossessions, Sue Anderson of the Council of Mortgage Lenders and Anthony Lock of the National Landlords Association.
Earlier this month Londonderry's last remaining shirt factory ceased production and a long tradition which once produced famous brands is no more. Eddie O'Gorman reports.
Lars Bevanger reports on how Norway is coping with the credit crunch.
Free bus passes for the disabled do not extend across the UK. With Minister of State for Transport Rosie Winterton.
WED 12:57 Weather (b00c5009)
The latest weather forecast.
WED 13:00 World at One (b00c500c)
National and international news with Martha Kearney.
WED 13:30 Quote... Unquote (b00c5xtf)
Nigel Rees exchanges quotations and anecdotes with guests Michael Aspel, Dame Ann Leslie, Kate Mosse and John Julius Norwich. The reader is Peter Jefferson.
WED 14:00 The Archers (b00c53n8)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Tuesday]
WED 14:15 Drama (b00c5xth)
The Confessions
Charlotte Grieg's play is a contemporary thriller about an art scam.
When Luke cons an unknowing client into selling him a valuable artwork at a cut price rate, he knows he stands to make a killing - but he can't pull off his plan without the help of his girlfriend Catrin. Catrin is a good girl who has fallen for a bad boy but will she override her moral scruples and go along with Luke's scheme whatever the price?
Luke ..... Clive Standen
Catrin ..... Lynne Seymour
Heinrich ..... John Castle
Simone .....Sara McGaughey
Produced and Directed by Kate McAll.
WED 15:00 Gardeners' Question Time (b00c4jqc)
[Repeat of broadcast at
14:00 on Sunday]
WED 15:30 Afternoon Reading (b00c50x0)
Classical Assassins
Gesualdo and Me
Five monologues from the bit-players in musical history who have been implicated in the deaths of great composers.
Don Carlo Gesualdo faces the demons that have driven his music since the death of his wife.
Read by Peter Ellis
Produced by Sara Davies.
WED 15:45 Cosmic Quest (b00c6wpd)
A Violent Universe
Heather Couper presents a narrative history of astronomy.
Only in the last 50 years have telescopes been powerful enough to study distant galaxies beyond our Milky Way in much detail. Cygnus A first came to astronomers' attention as a radio source, the second strongest in the sky. Optical astronomers later realised that it was a pair of galaxies colliding with one another. It is a colossal 700 million light years away, making its radio output a million times more powerful than that of our Milky Way. Energetic reactions were taking place in its core, shooting out great jets of high energy particles emitting radio waves.
The next breakthrough came from an even more distant object over 2 billion light years away. At its heart was something 40 times more luminous than a normal galaxy yet no bigger than the solar system. These mysterious powerhouses were named quasi-stellar radio sources, now abbreviated to quasars. The consensus now is that they are massive black holes, millions or even billions of times the mass of our Sun, gobbling stars and gas in the centres of galaxies.
Readers are Timothy West, Robin Sebastian, Julian Rhind-Tutt and John Palmer.
WED 16:00 Thinking Allowed (b00c5xtk)
Violence - Victorian Slum
VIOLENCE
SLA Marshall, official US Army historian in the Second World War found that amongst frontline troops only fifteen per cent ever actually shot their weapons. A recent study claims that even when soldiers do fire their weapons they are so overcome with fear and tension that they are likely to fire wildly or miss. Laurie Taylor is joined by American Sociologist, Professor Randall Collins, author of Violence A Micro-Sociological Theory, to debate the rituals and micro-dynamics of violence and his contention that humans are biologically restrained from committing violent acts against each other.
LONDON VICTORIAN SLUM
Sarah Wise, author of a new book entitled The Blackest Streets based on her research study of life and death in a Victorian slum and Rushanara Ali, Associate Director of the Young Foundation discuss the past and present of Old Nichol, London’s Bethnal Green.
WED 16:30 All in the Mind (b00c5rh7)
[Repeat of broadcast at
21:00 on Tuesday]
WED 16:56 1968 Day by Day (b00c53d2)
25th June 1968
John Tusa looks back at the events making the news 40 years ago. Foot and mouth restrictions are lifted in the UK. Violence erupts on the streets of Glasgow.
WED 17:00 PM (b00c53d4)
Full coverage and analysis of the day's news with Carolyn Quinn.
WED 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b00c53d6)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4, followed by Weather.
WED 18:30 Count Arthur Strong's Radio Show! (b017gntm)
Series 3
Late Review
Spoof reminiscences of a former variety star. Count Arthur Strong is an expert in everything from the world of entertainment to the origins of the species, all false starts and nervous fumbling, poorly concealed by a delicate sheen of bravado and self-assurance.
Arthur misplaces his book for the review taking place later that day. Arthur and Geoffrey are sent in pursuit of it. A couple of glasses of wine in the green room prior to the radio show help him review the book in his own unique manner.
With Steve Delaney, Sue Perkins, Dave Mounfield and Alastair Kerr.
WED 19:00 The Archers (b00c53ng)
Adam has a meeting with Matt about the digester. He's keen to press ahead without Brookfield, but Adam isn't so sure. He feels anxious about committee meetings with him, Matt and Annabelle.
The archaeological dig in the Millennium Wood continues - they find a buckle under the body. Jennifer is fascinated by it all and spends a lot of time there with the archaeologist.
At the dig, Eddie teases Joe about Mildred - the Canadian lady from the Home Farm holiday cottages. She was born and brought up in Borsetshire, and Eddie makes sure she and Joe meet each other. Joe isn't convinced he wants to be bothered with her, but by the time they've had a chat, he finds himself offering to take her out, round the village and the county - and Mildred thinks that would make her very happy indeed.
Episode written by Tim Stimpson.
WED 19:15 Front Row (b00c53nj)
Presented by Mark Lawson.
Including:
BBC1's new drama series Bonekickers is about a team of archaeologists who uncover dangerous mysteries from the past and stars Julie Graham, Adrian Lester, Hugh Bonneville, Gugu Mbatha Raw and Michael Maloney. Mark discusses the series with Mike Pitts, Editor of British Archaeology, and Boyd Hilton, Heat Magazine TV Editor.
The use of music in TV documentaries and adverts has catapulted several artists into the mainstream, including the Iceland band Sigur Ros, whose track Hoppipolla became the main theme for the BBC's Planet Earth. With the release of Sigur Ros's new album this week, music journalist Alexis Petridis, American TV music supervisor Alexandra Patsavas and Mark Ross from Tuna Music discuss the difference a TV soundtrack can make to a band's career.
Mark talks to Hollywood screenwriter and novelist David Benioff, whose books include The 25th Hour and whose latest adaptation is The Kite Runner. Benioff's new novel is set during the siege of Leningrad in the Second World War.
WED 19:45 15 Minute Drama (b00c53nl)
The Way we Live Right Now
Episode 8
Anthony Trollope's satirical novel about money, greed and dishonesty, updated by Jonathan Myerson.
For both Paul and Marie, freedom is so close and yet so far away.
Ghassan Mehmoud ...... Henry Goodman
Felix Carbury ...... Dexter Fletcher
Anthony Trollope ...... John Rowe
Paul Montague ...... Nyasha Hatendi
Rt Hon Jeremy Longstaff ...... David bamber
Georgiana Longstaff ...... Lucy Montgomery
Ruby Ruggles ...... Sheridan Smith
Marie Mehmoud ...... Chipo Chung
Roger Lloyd-Montague ...... Ben Crowe
Hetta Carbury ...... Emily Wachter
Tilly Carbury ...... Annette Badland
Helen Croll ...... Liz Sutherland
Nick Broune ...... Stephen Critchlow
Other parts played by Chris Pavlo, Beth Chalmers, Dan Starkey and Joan Walker.
Directed by Jonquil Panting.
WED 20:00 Moral Maze (b00c5xtm)
Michael Buerk chairs a debate on the moral questions behind the week's news. Michael Portillo, Clifford Longley, Kenan Malik and Claire Fox cross-examine witnesses.
WED 20:45 Fifty Years before the Masthead (b00c5xtp)
A Vanished World
Political journalist Anthony Howard takes an autobiographical journey through fifty years in the newspaper industry.
Howard gets his introduction to Fleet Street on the now defunct co-operative newspaper Reynolds News. Working on the Guardian in Manchester, he meets Michael Parkinson and declines an invitation from Lord Beaverbrook. Writer and historian Paul Johnson describes how Howard landed him with a libel action against The New Statesman.
WED 21:00 World On The Move: Great Animal Migrations (b00c5j0g)
[Repeat of broadcast at
11:00 on Tuesday]
WED 21:30 Midweek (b00c5xt7)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:00 today]
WED 21:58 Weather (b00c569t)
The latest weather forecast.
WED 22:00 The World Tonight (b00c569w)
National and international news and analysis with Robin Lustig.
Including reports on the future for Zimbabwe, the increasing gap between rich and poor in the UK and the collision between politics and football as Germany meet Turkey in the Euro 2008 semi-final.
WED 22:45 Book at Bedtime (b00c569y)
Breath
Episode 3
Richard Roxburgh reads from Tim Winton's tale of adolescence on the edge, set on the Western fringe of Australia.
As Pikelet and Loonie begin to surf the bigger waves at the Point, they catch the attention of the lone surfer. When Sando takes the boys under his wing, the parameters begin to change.
WED 23:00 Laura Solon - Talking and Not Talking (b00c5xtr)
Series 2
Episode 5
An attic full of peas, switching from Girl Guide to sumo wrestler and dull geological holidays.
Award-winning comedian Laura Solon's sketch and character comedy series
With Rosie Cavaliero, Ben Moor and Ben Willbond.
Written by Laura Solon.
Producer: Colin Anderson
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in June 2008.
WED 23:30 Today in Parliament (b00c57y6)
News, views and features on today's stories in Parliament with David Wilby.
THURSDAY 26 JUNE 2008
THU 00:00 News and Weather (b00c4q0f)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4, followed by weather.
THU 00:30 Book of the Week (b00c6s6l)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:45 on Wednesday]
THU 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b00c4q0h)
The latest shipping forecast.
THU 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b00c4q0k)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
THU 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b00c4q0m)
The latest shipping forecast.
THU 05:30 News Briefing (b00c4q0p)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.
THU 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b00c4q0r)
Daily prayer and reflection with Mike Ford.
THU 05:45 Farming Today (b00c4q0t)
News and issues in rural Britain with Anna Hill.
THU 06:00 Today (b00c4q0w)
Presented by James Naughtie and John Humphrys.
Including:
Equal pay legislation has been in place since 1970. How successful has it been and how much further can the law go in closing the gap? Home Editor Mark Easton investigates.
The removal of anonymity from sperm and egg donors has provoked a crisis in fertility treatment. Tom Feilden reports.
In the US, both Ford and General Motors have cut the production of the pick-up truck. Kevin Connolly reflects on the past and the future of an American icon.
Thought for the Day with Rev Angela Tilby, vicar of St Benet's Church in Cambridge.
Nelson Mandela has finally spoken out against what is happening in Zimbabwe. Will his intervention push his successor Thabo Mbeki into a tougher stance against Robert Mugabe's regime? Peter Biles reports from Johannesburg.
On August 7 1974, Philippe Petit stepped out onto an illegally constructed high wire strung between the twin towers of the World Trade Centre. He describes his 45-minute tightrope walk.
A debate at the Wellcome Collection in London tonight considers the involvement of doctors in advice about lifestyle. GPs Mike Fitzpatrick and Dr Howard Stoate discuss the issue.
THU 09:00 In Our Time (b00c5xzc)
The Arab Conquests
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the Arab conquests - an extraordinary period in the 7th and 8th centuries when the tribes of the Arabian Peninsula conquered the Middle East, Persia, North Africa and Southern Europe and spread the ideas of the Islamic religion. In 632 the prophet Muhammad died and left behind the nascent religion of Islam among a few tribes in the Arabian Desert. They were relatively small in number, they were divided among themselves and they were surrounded by vast and powerful empires. Yet within 100 years Arab armies controlled territory from Northern Spain to Southern Iran and Islamic ideas had begun to profoundly refashion the societies they touched. It is one of the most extraordinary and significant events in world history that began the slow and profound transformation of Greek and Persian societies into Islamic ones. But how did the Arab armies achieve such extensive victories, how did they govern the people they conquered and what was the relationship between the achievements of the Arabs and the religious beliefs they carried with them?With Hugh Kennedy, Professor of Arabic at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London; Amira Bennison, Senior Lecturer in Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies at the University of Cambridge and Robert Hoyland, Professor in Arabic and Middle East Studies at the University of St Andrews
THU 09:45 Book of the Week (b00c6s6n)
Casanova
Episode 4
Casanova arrives in London, a city in the midst of a craze for Venetian masquerades. Using all his wit and charm, he finds himself rubbing shoulders with high society. But when he unexpectedly falls for the city's most infamous courtesan, her endless refusals drive him to distraction. He finds himself with lead weights in his pockets, contemplating the murky waters of the Thames.
THU 10:00 Woman's Hour (b00c4wzj)
Susan Sontag remembered; Parental child abductions
Susan Sontag's son David Reiff on the final months of his mother's life. Plus the enduring unpopularity of the Duchess of Windsor, and the rise in parental child abductions.
THU 11:00 From Our Own Correspondent (b00c5xzf)
BBC foreign correspondents with the stories behind the world's headlines. Introduced by Kate Adie.
THU 11:30 Pop in Translation (b008gf1n)
From 'She Loves You' in German, to 'Space Oddity' in Italian - it wasn't unusual in the 1960s to find pop artists from the Beatles to David Bowie, attempting to boost their sales with foreign language versions of their British hits.
Mark Radcliffe looks at one of pop music's quirkier episodes.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2007.
THU 12:00 You and Yours (b00c500f)
Presented by Winifred Robinson and Carolyn Atkinson.
Including:
The government has published its ideas on how to make sure that the UK generates 15 percent of its energy from renewable sources by 2020. With Juliet Davenport, Chief Executive and founder of Good Energy, and Virginia Graham, Chief Executive of the Real Assurance Scheme.
If fuel prices are increasing because of the rising wholesale cost of oil and gas, why are prices from suppliers charging green energy tariffs also soaring, when the energy is meant to come from renewable sources such as wind farms?
Why would Tesco apply for planning permission for a major new store using the name of another much smaller company already established in that local community? With Rynd Smith, Director of Policy at Royal Town Planning Institute.
This month marks the 50th birthday of the parking meter. Comedian Steve Punt thinks this is an anniversary worth celebrating.
The BBC has uncovered evidence of poor standards by two large private homecare companies. Critics accuse them of putting profits before people's welfare.
THU 12:57 Weather (b00c500h)
The latest weather forecast.
THU 13:00 World at One (b00c500k)
National and international news with Martha Kearney.
THU 13:30 Open Country (b00c4fl0)
[Repeat of broadcast at
06:07 on Saturday]
THU 14:00 The Archers (b00c53ng)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Wednesday]
THU 14:15 Drama (b00c5zsj)
Life of Penguins
By Katie Hims.
Merle is a penguin keeper at London Zoo. When her sister Beth fails to make a date at the cinema, she goes searching for her. She soon realises that Beth has been abducted by aliens - not for the first time.
Merle ...... Abigail Davies
Linus ...... Matthew Wilson
Gina ...... Serena Bobowski
Frank ...... Dominic Hawksley
Beth ...... Madeleine Bowyer
Ania ...... Ania Tomaszewska
Chris ...... Chris Nelson
Directed by Boz Temple-Morris
A Boz Temple Morris production for BBC Radio 4.
THU 15:00 Check Up (b00cbv32)
Weight and Diet
In this edition of Check Up, Barbara Myers puts callers' questions about weight and diet to GP Ann Robinson.
There are plenty of stories in the media about the obesity timebomb which is threatening to go off in Britain.
But while many of us know that we need to lose weight, doing something about it is a different matter.
The best way to lose weight is to eat fewer calories, and take more exercise.
It's important to be realistic about the amount of weight you're likely to lose - a pound a week is a realistic target. Joining a slimming group or finding a friend to exercise with can help keep you motivated.
For people who need more help, especially those who have a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or over, may be prescribed drugs to help with weight loss.
The two drugs most widely prescribed are Orlistat, which stops you absorbing fats so that they come out in your stool, and Reductil, which reduces cravings.
A controversial new drug, Rimonabant, was also just approved for NHS use in England and Wales in 2008.
Rimonabant has proved to be effective in helping people lose up to 10% of their body weight, but has been linked to an increased risk of depression and suicide. Doctors have been advised not to prescribe it to people with a history of depression, and not before other obesity drugs have been tried.
Surgery, such as gastric banding or gastric bypass surgery, has been in the news a great deal recently.
Doctors will only suggest surgery when all other methods of weight loss have been fully exhausted, and the patient must receive counselling and be free of psychological issues.
Bariatric surgery is rarely available on the NHS, and can cost several thousand pounds privately.
THU 15:27 Radio 4 Appeal (b00c4jpq)
[Repeat of broadcast at
07:55 on Sunday]
THU 15:30 Afternoon Reading (b00c50x4)
Classical Assassins
Butterworth and Me
Five monologues from the bit-players in musical history who have been implicated in the deaths of great composers.
A young woman has a difficult letter to write to george Butterworth, fighting in France in 1916.
Read by Rebeka Germain
Produced by Sara Davies.
THU 15:45 Cosmic Quest (b00c76bn)
The Dark Side of the Cosmos
Heather Couper presents a narrative history of astronomy.
In 1933, Fritz Zwicky realised that a huge cluster of galaxies is being held together by something more powerful than the gravitational pull of the visible matter. In the 1960s, Vera Rubin was coming to the same conclusion from studying the rotation of stars within individual galaxies. The conclusion was inescapable; all the visible stars and gas comprise a mere fraction of the total matter in the universe. Dark matter exists, although nobody knows what it is.
The question remains unanswered, though now there are many theories. It is hoped that elaborate experiments in particle accelerators may cast some light on the subject.
Readers are Timothy West, Robin Sebastian, Julian Rhind-Tutt and John Palmer.
THU 16:00 Open Book (b00c4n8s)
[Repeat of broadcast at
16:00 on Sunday]
THU 16:30 Material World (b00c5zsn)
Parasite Adaptation - Fire Safety Engineering
Parasite Adaptation
Everything has parasites - even parasites have parasites. So what has made living at the expense of others such a successful way of life? In this week’s Material World, Quentin Cooper examines the complex behavioural adaptations that have made parasitic infections like Malaria, which kills 2.5 million people each year, so difficult to combat. Understanding parasite behaviour may lead to new ways to reduce their activity. He’s joined by Dr. Sarah Reece, School of Biosciences, University of Edinburgh and Professor Mike Boots, Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield.
Fire Safety Engineering
Some key events in the last 10 years, including the World Trade Center collapse in 2001, have changed our scientific understanding of how materials like steel behave when heated by fire. Quentin Cooper looks at the new world of fire structural engineering. It’s a revolutionary new approach to fire safety. It investigates how buildings frames act as a whole during fires, and treats fire just like any load the building might have to bear at the architectural stage. Quentin is joined by Dr. Barabara Lane, Associate Director, Arup Design and winner of the 2008 Royal Academy of Engineering's Silver Medal for her research on fire safety engineering, and Dr. Luke Bisby, The BRE Centre for Fire Safety Engineering, University of Edinburgh.
THU 16:56 1968 Day by Day (b00c53d8)
26th June 1968
John Tusa looks back at the events making the news 40 years ago. Civil service reforms are announced.
THU 17:00 PM (b00c53db)
Full coverage and analysis of the day's news with Carolyn Quinn.
THU 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b00c53dd)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4, followed by Weather.
THU 18:30 Fags, Mags and Bags (b00rdzyw)
Series 1
Raising Keenan
Sanjeev Kohli and Donald McLeary's Glasgow corner shop sitcom. Owner Ramesh tackles a young tearaway. From October 2007.
THU 19:00 The Archers (b00c53nn)
Fallon is trying hard to repair things with Ed, but it seems to be an uphill struggle. He's restless, and she can't help noticing how he reacts whenever Emma is mentioned. Times are difficult for the two of them.
Lilian wants Matt to think seriously about tracing his birth mother. Matt is extremely resistant, thinking she is simply being sentimental, but Lilian thinks it would do him good.
Adam is still very concerned about becoming Matt's whipping boy now that David and Ruth have pulled out of the anaerobic digester project. Brian hears him worrying about it and quietly goes to Matt. He tells him that if Matt increases the size of the digester, then Brian is not prepared to lease him the land for it. Matt can't believe it, but Brian stands his ground. Matt is furious, but when Brian tells Adam what he's done, Adam is really touched. Brian's a bit worried he's gone too far - what if Matt calls his bluff and they lose the digester altogether?
Episode written by Tim Stimpson.
THU 19:15 Front Row (b00c53nq)
Presented by Kirsty Lang.
Including:
The latest blockbuster to hit the big screen is Hancock, starring Will Smith as an invulnerable superhero who is also a down-and-out alcoholic. Kirsty Lang and critic Nigel Floyd discuss the film.
Philip Reeve's book Here Lies Arthur, based on Arthurian legend, has been awarded one of the top prizes for children's writing.
Kirsty and music writer Helen Wallace review a new production of Leonard Bernstein's Candide, which features actor Alex Jennings making his opera debut playing both Voltaire and Pangloss. Based on Voltaire's satirical masterpiece, it tells the story of a young man determined to maintain an optimistic outlook on life, but who finds this increasingly difficult as he leaves his sheltered home and sets out on an epic journey across 1950s America.
In 2005 the Albanian author Ismail Kadare was awarded the first ever International Man Booker prize. To mark the first English publication of his novel The Siege, translator David Bellos and playwright Timberlake Wertenbaker share their passion for his writing.
THU 19:45 15 Minute Drama (b00c53ns)
The Way we Live Right Now
Episode 9
Anthony Trollope's satirical novel about money, greed and dishonesty, updated by Jonathan Myerson.
Mehmoud plans to triumph at the Powercure Ball.
Ghassan Mehmoud ...... Henry Goodman
Felix Carbury ...... Dexter Fletcher
Anthony Trollope ...... John Rowe
Paul Montague ...... Nyasha Hatendi
Rt Hon Jeremy Longstaff ...... David bamber
Georgiana Longstaff ...... Lucy Montgomery
Ruby Ruggles ...... Sheridan Smith
Marie Mehmoud ...... Chipo Chung
Roger Lloyd-Montague ...... Ben Crowe
Hetta Carbury ...... Emily Wachter
Tilly Carbury ...... Annette Badland
Helen Croll ...... Liz Sutherland
Nick Broune ...... Stephen Critchlow
Other parts played by Chris Pavlo, Beth Chalmers, Dan Starkey and Joan Walker.
Directed by Jonquil Panting.
THU 20:00 The NHS at 60 - National Doctors (b00c5zsq)
A Difficult Birth
Chris Bowlby explores how the struggle for control between doctors - the key figures in health care - and politicians and patients has shaped 60 years of NHS history.
THU 20:30 In Business (b00c5zss)
India's Supermarket Sweep
India's retail sector employs over 40 million people. Into this seemingly chaotic and crowded market, western-style supermarkets - both Indian and foreign - are attempting to gain a foothold in the face of organised and vocal opposition. Peter Day investigates.
THU 21:00 Leading Edge (b00c5zsv)
Euro 2008 and What to do about Whales
Geoff Watts looks at the top science stories of the week with Daily Telegraph science editor, Roger Highfield.
Spot the Ball
Free kicks and corners in Euro 2008 may have been hampered by the new football designed for this year’s tournament. Tiny pimples have been introduced across the ball’s surface. According to theoretical physicist Ken Bray, they have made its aerodynamics “too good”, causing headaches for goalkeepers and strikers alike.
What to do about Whales
The growing threat to whale species is being discussed in Chile this week at the International Whaling Commission. It’s not only hunting that’s causing their numbers to dwindle. Whales are caught in fishing nets, hit by ships and affected by climate change and over-fishing. New diseases are also springing up, such as ‘stinky whale’ syndrome. BBC Environment correspondent Richard Black reports from the meeting.
Antarctic Sealife
Whales, penguins and seals are normally what you’d expect to find in the Antarctic. But, as Gabrielle Walker found out, giant clams and ugly worms are far more abundant in the sea. She ventures out with the British Antarctic Survey on a dive near Rothera Research Station.
Four-legged Fish
How did fish evolve to survive on land? A paper published in the journal Nature this week describes a new creature, Ventastega which may help plug an evolutionary gap in our knowledge. The size and shape of an alligator, it had a fish-like tail and four legs each containing around nine toes. Geoff Watts talks to Swedish palaeontologist Per Ahlberg who discovered this fishy beast.
ERNIE – the First Computer Celebrity
ERNIE, the 50 year old random number generator, has just gone on show at the Science Museum in London. It produced numbers for the national Premium Bonds draw, launched by Harold Macmillan, then Chancellor of the Exchequer, in November 1956. The first numbers were drawn the following June by ERNIE, a first generation 'computer' the size of a transit van. Geoff meets one of the original engineers, Jack Armitage and museum curator Tilly Blythe, who has collected cards and poems sent to ERNIE by the British public.
THU 21:30 In Our Time (b00c5xzc)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:00 today]
THU 21:58 Weather (b00c56b2)
The latest weather forecast.
THU 22:00 The World Tonight (b00c56b4)
National and international news and analysis with Robin Lustig.
THU 22:45 Book at Bedtime (b00c56b6)
Breath
Episode 4
Richard Roxburgh reads from Tim Winton's tale of adolescence on the edge, set on the Western fringe of Australia.
Pikelet and Loonie discover something of the enigmatic Sando's past. He shows them a secret location, a wave he calls Barney's after its dangerous host.
THU 23:00 The Lost Weblog of Scrooby Trevithick (b00c5zsx)
Motions
Comedy series written by and starring Andy Parsons. Scrooby Trevithick has gone missing, leaving a number of recordings detailing his recent attempts to better himself.
Scrooby and his friend Walshie visit Cuba for a series of creative workshops. He dabbles in writing, reflexology, egg-decorating and going back to nature before making his own unusual Caribbean cocktails.
With Ben Hurley, Frankie Boyle, Katherine Jakeways, Marcus Brigstocke and Lucy Porter.
THU 23:30 Today in Parliament (b00c57y8)
News, views and features on today's stories in Parliament with Sean Curran.
FRIDAY 27 JUNE 2008
FRI 00:00 News and Weather (b00c4q0y)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4, followed by weather.
FRI 00:30 Book of the Week (b00c6s6n)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:45 on Thursday]
FRI 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b00c4q10)
The latest shipping forecast.
FRI 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b00c4q12)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
FRI 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b00c4q14)
The latest shipping forecast.
FRI 05:30 News Briefing (b00c4q16)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.
FRI 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b00c4q18)
Daily prayer and reflection with Mike Ford.
FRI 05:45 Farming Today (b00c4q1b)
News and issues in rural Britain with Mark Holdstock.
FRI 06:00 Today (b00c4q1d)
Presented by John Humphrys and James Naughtie.
Including:
Professor Sir Michael Rawlins talks to health correspondent Jane Dreaper on the 60th anniversary of the founding of the NHS.
The Sutton Trust's director of research Dr Lee Eliot Major and David Halpern of Cambridge University debate Labour's approach to social mobility.
Thought for the day with the Chief Rabbi, Sir Jonathan Sacks.
The most senior Asian police officer in Britain, Tarique Ghaffur, is considering legal action against the Metropolitan Police on grounds of racial discrimination. With Ali Dizaei, President of the National Black Police Association, and Keith Vaz MP.
Robert Mugabe will be re-elected as president of Zimbabwe today following a second-round presidential election in which only he is standing. John Simpson reports.
Has Gordon Brown followed his school motto and tried his utmost in his first year as Prime Minister? Headmaster Dr Anthony Seldon gives his end-of-year report.
Former Shadow Home Secretary David Davis launches his by-election campaign today. Danny Savage talks to some of his more unlikely supporters.
A year after stepping down as Prime Minister, Tony Blair discusses the challenges facing the international community in its battle against climate change and reflects on the difficulties facing Gordon Brown.
Labour's fifth place in the Henley by-election was a dreadful result. Times commentator David Aaronovitch and former Conservative foreign secretary Sir Malcolm Rifkind discuss where it all went wrong.
FRI 09:00 Desert Island Discs (b00c4jq3)
[Repeat of broadcast at
11:15 on Sunday]
FRI 09:45 Book of the Week (b00c6s6q)
Casanova
Episode 5
Hoping to try his luck at the court of Catherine the Great, Casanova accepts an invitation to a masked Venetian ball at the Winter Palace in St Petersburg. His introduction to the Tsarina proves fruitless and he moves on to Poland, where a duel boosts his reputation. But Casanova is no longer a young man, and soon he begins to reflect on his own mortality.
FRI 10:00 Woman's Hour (b00c4wzl)
Educating boys; Human rights in Burma
Education advisor Celia Lashlie on the way boys develop through their teenage years. Plus, human rights lawyer Janet Benshoof on human rights abuses in Burma.
FRI 11:00 The Perfect House (b008jz4w)
Charlie Luxton visits Venice to celebrate the 500th anniversary of the birth of Andrea Palladio, known as the father of western architecture. The symmetry and grace of the Villa Emo, completed in 1565, explain the reputation Palladio acquired as the ultimate domestic architect.
FRI 11:30 Paul Temple (b00c5zz9)
Paul Temple and the Madison Mystery
The Four Suspects
New production of an adventure by Francis Durbridge, first broadcast in 1949.
Paul begins to bait a trap for the mysterious Madison.
Paul Temple ...... Crawford Logan
Steve ...... Gerda Stevenson
Sir Graham Forbes ...... Gareth Thomas
Stella Portland ...... Emma Currie
George Kelly ...... Robin Laing
Inspector Vosper ...... Michael Mackenzie
Hubert Greene ...... Richard Greenwood
Chris Boyer ...... Nick Underwood
Dr Elzec ...... Greg Powrie.
FRI 12:00 You and Yours (b00c500m)
Presented by Winifred Robinson and Liz Barclay.
Including:
Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall has forced a vote at Tesco's AGM on improving basic standards for chickens. But can consumers be persuaded to pay more for animal welfare at a time when rising prices are forcing many to cut back? With Robert Newbery, Chief Poultry Advisor at the National Farmers Union.
Mani Djazmi tests the first published guide to 100 British destinations accessible to disabled people, from Legoland to dog-sledging and skiing in Aviemore.
Some local authorities have accused Starbucks of ignoring planning laws. With Marilyn Ashton, Councillor and Portfolio Holder for Planning and Enterprise.
The commissioner for information society and media wants to see the fees mobile companies charge to their rivals and fixed line operators to connect calls cut by 70 per cent. With Soheb Panja, Mobile Today.
The world's first green-powered data farm is being planned in Lockerbie. With Brian Higton from Internet Villages International and Kate-Craig-Wood, CEO of Memset.
This weekend anyone heading for the Balearic Islands could find their journey disrupted because of a strike by airport ground staff. Travel journalist Simon Calder investigates.
FRI 12:57 Weather (b00c500p)
The latest weather forecast.
FRI 13:00 World at One (b00c500r)
National and international news with Shaun Ley.
FRI 13:30 Feedback (b00c60sk)
Roger Bolton airs listeners' views on BBC radio programmes and policy.
FRI 14:00 The Archers (b00c53nn)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Thursday]
FRI 14:15 Drama (b00c60sm)
Look Sharp
By Cath Staincliffe.
A genealogist finds herself in danger when she uncovers a shocking family history.
Karen Sharp ...... Suranne Jones
Patrick Breen ...... Jeff Hordley
Ted ...... David Hargreaves
Theresa ...... Deborah McAndrew
Stella ...... Danielle Henry
Joan ...... Julie Westwood
Directed by Nadia Molinari.
FRI 15:00 Shared Earth (b00c60sp)
Series 5
Episode 3
Dylan Winter presents the topical magazine series celebrating the natural world and how to preserve it. He investigates a new scheme to put a financial price tag on London's trees.
FRI 15:30 Afternoon Reading (b00c50x8)
Classical Assassins
Warlock and Me
Five monologues from the bit-players in musical history who have been implicated in the deaths of great composers.
Philip Heseltine, known as the composer Philip Warlock, is dreading facing Christmas alone.
Read by Carl Prekopp
Producer Sara Davies.
FRI 15:45 Cosmic Quest (b00c6wpj)
Design or Accident - Why Me?
Heather Couper presents a narrative history of astronomy.
Given all that we now know about the formation of stars and planets and the evolution of life on Earth, it might seem as if the mystery is being taken out of the universe. However, every solution seems to throw up a deeper mystery. Within our understanding of physics, there are no known fundamental reasons for much of the astronomical phenomena that we observe. Of course, we can only observe a universe that supports life. This is known as the anthropic principle and has far-reaching implications. Some argue that it makes the universe very special, as if we were meant to be, while others suggest that we inhabit one of the few bio-friendly corners in an almost infinite multiverse of possibilities.
Readers are Timothy West, Robin Sebastian, Julian Rhind-Tutt and John Palmer.
FRI 16:00 Last Word (b00c60sr)
John Wilson presents the obituary series, analysing and celebrating the life stories of people who have recently died.
FRI 16:30 The Film Programme (b00c60st)
Francine Stock talks to Tilda Swinton about Narnia, Oscar and her role as patron of the Edinburgh International Film Festival.
FRI 16:56 1968 Day by Day (b00c53dg)
24th June 1968
John Tusa looks back at the events making the news 40 years ago. Labour loses the Nelson and Colne by-election.
FRI 17:00 PM (b00c53dj)
Full coverage and analysis of the day's news with Ritula Shah.
FRI 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b00c53dl)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4, followed by Weather.
FRI 18:30 The Now Show (b00c60sw)
Series 24
Episode 1
Comedy sketches and satirical comments from Steve Punt, Hugh Dennis and the team including Mitch Benn, Marcus Brigstocke, Laura Shavin and Jon Holmes.
FRI 19:00 The Archers (b00c53nv)
Annabelle takes Matt out to lunch and gently persuades him to let Adam have his way - go back to the smaller project and see if they can get David and Ruth back on board. Matt takes a bit of persuading, but grudgingly agrees in the end - so long as Annabelle tells the Brookfield contingent.
Joe and Mildred are getting along famously as they stroll round the Country Park sharing memories. Joe invites her to eat at the Bull, and they do so. Mildred confides her grief when her husband died, and Joe can share her feelings only too easily. But Mildred has turned herself round - she is determined to seize the day.
Fallon is worrying about Ed, and turns to Jazzer, who immediately hears warning bells. Fallon raises the subject of Emma - does Jazzer think anything has been going on while Fallon was away? Jazzer is concerned. He tells her he thinks she's got nothing to worry about, but Fallon begs him to tell her the truth if he knows anything at all.
Episode written by Tim Stimpson.
FRI 19:15 Front Row (b00c53nx)
Presented by Kirsty Lang.
Including:
After retiring from professional tennis 18 months ago, Martina Navratilova has been working with the Czech artist Juraj Kralik, hitting paint-covered tennis balls at a canvas. Navratilova and Kralik discuss their art.
After two decades Hammer Films returns with Beyond the Rave, an online serial about vampires. Horror expert Kim Newman reviews.
Music journalist Rob Hughes discusses two albums with the distinctive American West Coast sound: Beach Boy Dennis Wilson's Pacific Ocean Blue and Fleet Foxes' eponymous debut album.
Juan Gabriel Vasquez talks about his new novel The Informers. Set in Colombia during the Second World War, it describes the confrontation between Jewish refugees and Nazi supporters.
FRI 19:45 15 Minute Drama (b00c53nz)
The Way we Live Right Now
Episode 10
Anthony Trollope's satirical novel about money, greed and dishonesty, updated by Jonathan Myerson.
Who will be seen at the Powercure Ball now the Mehmoud name is toxic?
Ghassan Mehmoud ...... Henry Goodman
Felix Carbury ...... Dexter Fletcher
Anthony Trollope ...... John Rowe
Paul Montague ...... Nyasha Hatendi
Rt Hon Jeremy Longstaff ...... David bamber
Georgiana Longstaff ...... Lucy Montgomery
Ruby Ruggles ...... Sheridan Smith
Marie Mehmoud ...... Chipo Chung
Roger Lloyd-Montague ...... Ben Crowe
Hetta Carbury ...... Emily Wachter
Tilly Carbury ...... Annette Badland
Helen Croll ...... Liz Sutherland
Nick Broune ...... Stephen Critchlow
Other parts played by Chris Pavlo, Beth Chalmers, Dan Starkey and Joan Walker.
Directed by Jonquil Panting.
FRI 20:00 Any Questions? (b00c60sy)
Jonathan Dimbleby chairs the topical debate from Upminster, Essex.
Panellists include Conservative peer Chris Patten, former Attorney General Lord Goldsmith, Liberal Democrat President Simon Hughes and columnist Anne McElvoy.
FRI 20:50 A Point of View (b00c60t0)
A weekly reflection on a topical issue from Prof Lisa Jardine.
FRI 21:00 Cosmic Quest Omnibus (b00clcgb)
Chance and Purpose in a Violent Universe
Heather Couper presents an omnibus edition of her major new narrative history of astronomy.
Technological advances over the last 50 years have enabled us to discover much about distant galaxies, quasars and black holes. Yet within our understanding of physics, there are no known fundamental reasons for much of the astronomical phenomena that we observe. Every discovery seems to throw up further mysteries.
Read by Timothy West, Annette Badland, Robin Sebastian, Julian Rhind-Tutt and John Palmer.
FRI 21:58 Weather (b00c56bd)
The latest weather forecast.
FRI 22:00 The World Tonight (b00c56bg)
National and international news and analysis with Robin Lustig in London and Roger Hearing in Johannesburg. Including features on the Zimbabwean election and what the future holds for the supermarket.
FRI 22:45 Book at Bedtime (b00c56bj)
Breath
Episode 5
Richard Roxburgh reads from Tim Winton's tale of adolescence on the edge, set on the Western fringe of Australia.
Pikelet and Loonie's friendship begins to fracture when Sando and Pikelet take on a new challenge and surf Old Smokey, a submerged reef that will test Pikelet to the limit.
FRI 23:00 A Good Read (b00c5j0v)
[Repeat of broadcast at
16:30 on Tuesday]
FRI 23:30 Today in Parliament (b00c57yb)
News, views and features on today's stories in Parliament with Mark D'Arcy.