The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by weather.
Chief executive of NICE Andrew Dillon explains why a drug to treat advanced kidney cancer has been approved for use after previously being rejected.
Home affairs editor Mark Easton reports from Finland, where there are only three children in custody.
Technology correspondent Rory Cellan-Jones explains how Facebook has come to be so successful.
Media correspondent Torin Douglas explains the controversy surrounding Carol Thatcher.
Andy Moore reports on the difficult weather conditions which have claimed their first fatality.
President Obama has said that he 'screwed up' over his handling of a controversy that led two politicians to decline posts in his administration. Paul Glastris of the Washington Monthly discusses.
Composer Howard Goodall discusses how singing and music can be encouraged in primary schools.
Thought for the day with Akhandadhi Das, a Vaishnav Hindu teacher and theologian.
The President of the Faculty of Public Health, Dr Alan Maryon-Davis, says the nanny state doesn't go far enough.
Michael Howard MP and Prof Rod Morgan, former chairman of the Youth Justice Board, discuss the disparity between child custody figures around Europe.
Derek Simpson, joint general secretary of the Unite union, says the issue of foreign subcontractors must be dealt with.
Author Timothy Ryback and journalist Robert McCrum discuss the reading habits of Adolf Hitler.
David Freud, vice chair of the Third Sector Taskforce, explains how charities can help the long-term unemployed.
Aleem Maqbool speaks to those in Gaza who had hoped that Hamas and Fatah would unite.
Journalists Gideon Rachman and Polly Toynbee discuss if allegations of protectionism made against President Obama's economic plan are true.
Holly Aird reads Rachel Cusk's story of her family's three-month tour of Italy, during which they discover some of the country's rich artistic heritage and enjoy adapting to a more relaxed way of life.
Rachel and her family visit Assisi, where they become acquainted with the life of St Francis and the art he inspired.
Actor Juliet Stevenson on her role in Duet for One. Plus Leanda de Lisle on Lady Jane Grey and her sisters, and the impact of the reclassification of cannabis discussed.
Journalist and vicar Richard Coles travels to Hollywood to explore how major film studios are trying to cash in on the success of Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ by placing Christian themes and values at the heart of major blockbusters.
Count Arthur Strong prepares to gatecrash an audition for "Charley's Aunt". Unable to find his make-up bag, he enlists the help of his acting student protege, Malcolm, to help put the finishing touches to his costume. Dashing or disastrous, which will it be?
We once again follow the one-time Variety Star as he uncompromisingly fulfils his daily list of engagements. Everyday life with Count Arthur Strong is, as always, an enlightening experience!
All Tourettic ticks, false starts and nervous fumbling, badly covered up by a delicate sheen of bravado and self-assurance, Arthur is an expert in everything from the world of entertainment to the origins of the species.
The vast majority of households in England which received improved heating or insulation through the government's Warm Front scheme are satisfied, but a National Audit Office report also identifies serious shortcomings.
Lord David Lipsey explains why he stood down as the head of the consumer panel which advises the financial services regulator, the FSA.
We talk to the foreign office minister who has just opened a new advice service for ex-pat pensioners in the Alicante region who are finding things tough as the pound falls against the Euro.
Customers who pool funds to buy their favourite pub have saved more than a dozen premises from closure. How can they succeed where a regular landlord fails?
Baugur has filed for bankruptcy protection in the Icelandic courts. Retail analyst Robert Clark explains what this means for the British stores it has stakes in.
A restaurant has become the latest to let the customer decide what they would like to pay.
Are railway level crossings inherently unsafe? Every year people are injured or even killed on level crossings, but who is to blame?
Steve Hewlett presents a topical programme about the fast-changing media world.
Performed in French and English, Alexis Zegerman's drama tells the story of a love affair between a woman from London and a Paris-based French Algerian. When Claire and Ahmed meet, it is language that stands between them. But when Ahmed is stopped and searched in London under section 44 of the Terrorism Act, the seed of a much larger difference is sown.
Claire ...... Caroline Catz
Ahmed ...... Karim Saleh
French Policeman ...... Richard Sanda
French Policeman ...... Hovnatan Avedikian
British Policeman ...... Chris Pavlo
Translator ...... Helen Longworth
Haruki Murakami was born in Kyoto in 1949. Following the publication of his first novel in Japanese in 1979, he sold the jazz bar he ran with his wife and became a full-time writer. It was with the publication of Norwegian Wood - which has to date sold more than 4 million copies in Japan alone - that the author was truly catapulted into the limelight.
Known for his surrealistic world of mysterious (and often disappearing) women, cats, earlobes, wells, Western culture, music and quirky first-person narratives, he is now Japan's best-known novelist abroad.
Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman is one of his acclaimed collections of short stories. In 'Crabs', 'The Year of Spaghetti' and 'The Mirror', Murakami confronts fundamental emotions: loss, identity, friendship, love; and questions our ability to connect with humanity, and the pain of those connections or the lack of them.
Series charting the history of America, written and presented by David Reynolds. The cities illustrate both sides of America: wealth and opportunity side by side with slum poverty.
Elizabeth I danced six galliards every morning up until a year before her death, and Francis I of France publicly performed as the head of a centaur with the Cardinal of Marseille as the rear end. In the renaissance obsessed courtly classes dances went on for days or even weeks as many frustrated foreign ambassadors did attest. A kingly distraction from national duty or the essence of state craft itself?
Professor Margaret McGowan, author of Dance in the Renaissance talks about her exploration of this social obsession.
Dr Selina Todd, Lecturer in Modern History at the University of Manchester is the author of a new paper which looked at how sociologists researched the Liverpool working class identities in the late fifties and early sixties.
Laurie Taylor is joined by Dr Selina Todd and Beverley Skeggs, Professor of Sociology at Goldsmith’s University of London to discuss the experiences of the working class and efforts to describe them.
Full coverage and analysis of the day's news with Eddie Mair. Plus Weather.
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4, followed by Weather.
Marcus Brigstocke invites comedian Barry Cryer to try new experiences, including changing a nappy. From February 2009.
Jill and Ruth are in the Brookfield orchard, inspecting a damaged hive. Jill's so upset. Ruth asks what Jill thinks about Shula leaving St Stephen's. Jill can't believe this - she had no idea. She goes to see Shula, and tries to persuade her otherwise. If she must leave St Stephen's, maybe time away will help her realise how much she misses it.
Shula phones Neil, to tell him she won't be ringing any more. Tony appears to talk to Neil about the flat. But he's stopped in his tracks by Neil who tells him they've decided Chris won't be moving in. Neil tells him not to tell Chris what's happened. Tony reassures him, telling him he couldn't be happier about it.
Lilian finds Stephen Chalkman on her doorstep, looking for Matt. She tells him Matt's in London, so Chalky goes to leave. Lilian says his trip shouldn't be wasted and invites him for coffee. He tells Lilian he's got to talk business with Matt. She tells him she's worried: Matt's very stressed. Chalky agrees. Maybe Matt should go on holiday? Lilian thinks this is a brilliant idea. Chalky says he'll look after the business. Lilian's grateful. She'll drag Matt away on holiday whether he likes it or not.
Comedian and author Natalie Haynes gives her verdict on He's Just Not That Into You, a film comedy inspired by one line of dialogue from an episode of the television show Sex And The City.
Writer Tom Perrotta discusses his latest book, The Abstinence Teacher, which follows a sex education teacher's personal battle of morals with evangelical Christians.
Whatsoever A Man Soweth and Don't Be Like Brenda are just two of the 16 titles of Sex Education films on the BFI's latest DVD anthology. Dr Melissa Sawyer from Radio 1's Surgery talks about the films' relevance today.
To mark the bicentenary of Joseph Haydn's death, Sir Roger Norrington opens a series of concerts at the Queen Elizabeth Hall, London. Sir Roger discusses these performances and the plans for his own forthcoming 75th birthday concert in March.
By Alexandre Dumas. The story of Marguerite Gauthier, a Parisian courtesan who goes on a journey through worldliness, love, renunciation and atonement, thanks to the love of young Armand Duval.
Armand is unable to stand his mistress Marguerite being with other men, and takes rash action in a fit of jealousy.
Duval ...... Dan Stevens
Dumas ...... Joseph Kloska
Marguerite ...... Ruth Wilson
Ernest/Count ...... Dick Bradnum
Gaston/Porter ...... Keiron Self
Prudence ...... Manon Edwards
Michael Buerk chairs a debate on the moral questions behind the week's news. Clifford Longley, Kenan Malik, Michael Portillo and Melanie Phillips cross-examine witnesses.
Andrew Keen uncovers the new elites of the digital age. He seeks out the new few, that small group of rich and powerful people who are now using their success as Silicon Valley entrepreneurs to reshape the world according to their philosophical ideals, economic interests and ideas of democracy.
Claudia Hammond tells the story of mental health care in the UK from the 1950s to the present day and explores, with the help of listeners' testimonies, how treatment and understanding of mental illness has changed over the past 50 years.
Claudia visits the Wellcome Trust facility at Manchester University, where Professor Bill Deakin, Director of the Neuroscience and Psychiatry Unit, is conducting experiments into new drug therapies for schizophrenia and depression. She also meets Louis Appleby, the government's mental health 'tsar', and Dinesh Bhugra, the president of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, to discuss their views of the future.
National and international news and analysis with Robin Lustig. Including reports on claims that the US pressured UK authorities to withhold information about alleged torture in Guantanamo Bay, whether protectionism really caused the Great Depression and the discovery of a 13-metre-long fossilised snake.
Sian Thomas, Emilia Fox, Ben Crowe and Ann Beach read from Mary Ann Shaffer's novel, set in the aftermath of the Second World War.
Remy Giraud's letter bearing the news that Elizabeth McKenna was executed in Ravensbruck reaches Guernsey, so Amelia and Dawsey decide to visit Remy in France.
Energetic sketch comedy from Nick Mohammed. With Anna Crilly and Colin Hoult.
News, views and features on today's stories in Parliament with Robert Orchard.
THURSDAY 05 FEBRUARY 2009
THU 00:00 Midnight News (b00h4fnr)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by weather.
THU 00:30 Book of the Week (b00hd34w)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:45 on Wednesday]
THU 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b00h4gd6)
The latest shipping forecast.
THU 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b00h4gft)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
THU 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b00h4gj0)
The latest shipping forecast.
THU 05:30 News Briefing (b00h4gm9)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.
THU 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b00h4gpp)
Daily prayer and reflection with Prebendary Edward Mason.
THU 05:45 Farming Today (b00h4grm)
News and issues in rural Britain with Charlotte Smith.
THU 06:00 Today (b00h4gwr)
Presented by Evan Davis and Sarah Montague.
Paul Bettison, from the LGA, and Derek Turner, from the Highways Agency, discuss how councils will cope if the snow continues.
Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg outlines plans to increase tuition for poor children.
Sanchia Berg visits the Museum of Childhood to find out about the history of the Golliwog.
Berlin correspondent Tristana Moore and historian Laurence Rees discuss if Nazi criminal Aribert Heim died in 1992.
Explorer Pen Haddow explains the damage being done to the North Pole.
Shadow Security Minister Baroness Neville-Jones examines the relationship between US and UK intelligence agencies.
Thought for the day with writer Rhidian Brook.
President Obama has put a limit on executive pay for US firms that need government aid. John McFall discusses if the same thing could happen in the UK.
Carol Thatcher has been fired for 'inappropriate behaviour' by the BBC. Jay Hunt, controller of BBC 1, says that no-one thought her remark was a joke and Miss Thatcher has not apologised.
Alex Bushill reports on the heavy snow.
Dr Harry Cocks and Rowan Pelling discuss how personal ads have changed over the years.
Dr Edward Kessler, of the Centre for the Study of Jewish-Christian relations, and William Oddie, formerly of the Catholic Herald, discuss the outrage at the denial of the Holocaust by a UK bishop.
How does the judicial system deal with miscarriages of justice? Danny Shaw interviews Richard Foster, head of the Criminal Cases Review Commission. Criminal lawyer Michael Turner reacts.
Footage has emerged of Christian Bale in a furious outburst on a movie set. Michael Winner discusses such outbursts.
Scientist Duncan Forgan explains the University of Edinburgh's research on aliens.
THU 09:00 In Our Time (b00h8t18)
The Brothers Grimm
Melvyn Bragg discusses the fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm with Juliette Wood, Marina Warner and Tony Phelan. The German siblings who in 1812 published a collection of fairy tales including Rapunzel, Hansel and Gretel, Cinderella and Rumpelstiltskin. But the Grimm versions are surprisingly, sometimes shockingly, different. Cinderella has no fairy godmother, her ugly sisters are not ugly but they do have their eyes pecked out by pigeons. Sleeping Beauty does not have an evil stepmother, Rapunzel is pregnant and Frog Princes do not get kissed but thrown against walls. They may not be the fairy tales as we know them, but without the Brothers Grimm we might not know them at all. But why did two respectable German linguists go chasing after fairy stories, what do the stories tell us about German culture and romantic nationalism at the time and why do these ever-evolving tales of horror, wonder and fantasy continue to hold us in thrall?With Juliette Wood, Associate Lecturer in Folklore at Cardiff University; Marina Warner, Professor in the Department of Literature, Film and Theatre Studies at the University of Essex; Tony Phelan, Professor in German at Keble College, Oxford.
THU 09:45 Book of the Week (b00hd34y)
The Last Supper
Episode 4
Holly Aird reads Rachel Cusk's story of her family's three-month tour of Italy, during which they discover some of the country's rich artistic heritage and enjoy adapting to a more relaxed way of life.
The family see some of Rafael's masterpieces in Florence and then head south to Naples and Pompeii.
THU 10:00 Woman's Hour (b00h9x9m)
Author Charlotte Roche; Women's politics in the US
Author Charlotte Roche on her explicit debut novel Wetlands. Plus the changing face of women's politics under President Obama, and the re-release of the music of Victoria Spivey.
THU 11:00 From Our Own Correspondent (b00h8t1b)
BBC foreign correspondents with the stories behind the world's headlines. Introduced by Kate Adie.
THU 11:30 The Monsarrat Archive (b00h8t1d)
Barry Norman explores the newly-opened archive of material amassed by writer Nicholas Monsarrat, author of The Cruel Sea.
Monsarrat was a meticulous recorder of the minutiae relating to his work and personal life, and during the course of his lifetime amassed a vast archive of scrapbooks, manuscripts, letters, accounts and other memorabilia. Barry is granted access to this collection, which gives an intimate insight into the writer's life and work.
THU 12:00 You and Yours (b00h4pl5)
Presented by Winifred Robinson.
If you can't get a mortgage from a bank or building society, might your local authority step in to lend you the money you need? Steve Reed, the Labour leader of Lambeth Council, and Chris Leslie, director of the New Local Government Network, discuss.
The Home Office has announced a joint project between the Association of Chief Police Officers and the British Transport Police to tackle metal theft which is estimated to cost the UK 360 million pounds every year. Paul Crowther, assistant chief constable for the British Transport Police, explains more.
Extra university places for the next academic year have been scaled back. The Higher Education Minister, David Lammy, explains why.
Some post offices have re-opened in Essex after the county council stepped in to support them, but other councils aren't finding it so easy to prevent their post offices from shutting for good. Reporter Henrietta Harrison investigates.
Audio description gives visually impaired people a commentary on the action taking place on screen. It has existed for many years but still only a small proportion of programmes have it. Hear from the charity RNIB, which has been campaigning for more programmes to feature audio description.
Three hundred 'smart' fridges, which turn themselves on and off according to energy demand, are being tested by Npower at the moment. But should our domestic appliances be used to regulate supply and demand across the national grid?
THU 12:57 Weather (b00h4pmb)
The latest weather forecast.
THU 13:00 World at One (b00h4ppb)
National and international news with Martha Kearney.
THU 13:30 Costing the Earth (b00h6sn7)
[Repeat of broadcast at
21:00 on Monday]
THU 14:00 The Archers (b00h4pv8)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Wednesday]
THU 14:15 Drama (b007702x)
Monkeyface
By Linda Marshall Griffiths. Eight-year-old Siddy and his big sister Frannie search for their father. Armed only with a newspaper cutting of him at a peace demonstration and a memory of a trip to a beach in Scarborough, do they have any hope of tracking him down?
Siddy ...... Aidan Parsons
Frannie ...... Rachel Brogan
Mother ...... Siobhan Finneran
Mr Sandman ...... Craig Cheetham
Nicky/Dave ...... Charlie Ryan
Directed by Nadia Molinari.
THU 15:02 Open Country (b00h3v0p)
[Repeat of broadcast at
06:07 on Saturday]
THU 15:27 Radio 4 Appeal (b00h4d26)
[Repeat of broadcast at
07:55 on Sunday]
THU 15:30 Afternoon Reading (b00hb4lw)
Three Stories by Haruki Murakami
The Mirror
Haruki Murakami was born in Kyoto in 1949. Following the publication of his first novel in Japanese in 1979, he sold the jazz bar he ran with his wife and became a full-time writer. It was with the publication of Norwegian Wood - which has to date sold more than 4 million copies in Japan alone - that the author was truly catapulted into the limelight.
Known for his surrealistic world of mysterious (and often disappearing) women, cats, earlobes, wells, Western culture, music and quirky first-person narratives, he is now Japan's best-known novelist abroad.
Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman is one of his acclaimed collections of short stories. In 'Crabs', 'The Year of Spaghetti' and 'The Mirror', Murakami confronts fundamental emotions: loss, identity, friendship, love; and questions our ability to connect with humanity, and the pain of those connections or the lack of them.
Read by Hugh Ross
Producer: David Roper
A Heavy Entertainment production for BBC Radio 4.
THU 15:45 America, Empire of Liberty (b00h4r43)
The Farmers and Workers Revolt
The rise of unionisation and strikes across America. Will socialism take off?
THU 16:00 Bookclub (b00h4dd0)
[Repeat of broadcast at
16:00 on Sunday]
THU 16:30 Material World (b00h8wnt)
Up, Up and Away! - Iron in the Sea
Up, Up and Away!
Quentin Cooper hears from two brothers about ambitious balloon flights carrying a special telescope above the Arctic and Antarctic, and attempts to film the flights.
Mark Devlin, an astronomer at the University of Pennsylvania, aims to study new stars in distant galaxies. He needs to look at them in wavelengths of light that do not penetrate the Earth's atmosphere, so he attempts to fly his fragile telescope beneath a high-altitude balloon which takes it to the top of the atmosphere. To keep it in the sky requires constant daylight, so he has to take it above the Arctic or Antarctic circle in mid-summer.
Mark's brother, Paul, is an Emmy award-winning film-maker and has been making a documentary that follows Paul's team. He captures the trials and tribulations, delays and panics, disappointments and triumphs of attempted launches from Sweden and Antarctica.
Iron in the Sea
Almost half the carbon dioxide that’s emitted into the air ends up being absorbed by plankton in the sea.
Plankton are as important at fixing carbon dioxide as are plants on land.
But the vast belt of ocean surrounding Antarctica, the Southern Ocean, is not pulling its weight.
As a controversial Indian-German experiment, LOHAFEX, heads for the Antarctic waters to see if additional plankton can be encouraged, Quentin hears what’s known about ocean fertilization using iron, what the lessons from previous experiments have been, and what it all has to do with the Ice Ages.
Raymond Pollard, from the National Ocean Centre, Southampton, and ecologist Geraint Tarling from the British Antarctic Survey.
THU 17:00 PM (b00h4r83)
Full coverage and analysis of the day's news with Eddie Mair. Plus Weather.
THU 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b00h4rb9)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4, followed by Weather.
THU 18:30 Ed Reardon's Week (b00f6p8q)
Series 5
The Great Escape
Comedy series by Christopher Douglas and Andrew Nickolds.
Ed finds himself in gainful employment writing for a local lifestyle magazine when everyone at the agency goes on holiday. There may even be a romantic holiday on the horizon for him.
Ed Reardon ...... Christopher Douglas
Olive ...... Stephanie Cole
Carol ...... Rebecca Front
Aussie ...... Lewis MacLeod
Pearl ...... Rita May
Ping ...... Barunka O'Shaughnessy
Check-in woman ...... Nicola Sanderson
Stan ...... Geoffrey Whitehead.
THU 19:00 The Archers (b00h4pvb)
David's helping Lynda measure the village telephone box before the parish council meeting. They need to decide what to do with it, now it belongs to them.
Tom sees Matt going into the shop. Tom tells David he's got a business proposition for Matt, as a silent partner. David's not sure how the silent part would work. Tom tries to catch Matt but Matt tells him now's not a good time.
Matt arrives home. He's disappointed that Lilian's going to the parish meeting. Tom drops in to talk to Matt. He explains he needs Brian out of the business, and it would be a sound investment for Matt. Matt's uninterested - Tom's caught him at a bad time: he can't help.
At the parish meeting Lynda argues that the phone box should become an art work - Ambridge's own Angel of the North. Lilian's suggestion is a tourist information booth. She ends up with the vote. It just needs someone to maintain it.
Lilian returns home and tells Matt they should go on holiday. Matt says he's too busy. Lilian explains - Chalky's agreed to look after things. Matt explodes. He wouldn't let Chalky look after paperclips! Chalky's not going to get rid of Matt that easily.
Episode written by Tim Stimpson.
THU 19:15 Front Row (b00h4w10)
Presented by Kirsty Lang.
Music critic Helen Wallace reviews the production of La Boheme which marks Jonathan Miller's return to the English National Opera.
Kirsty talks to celebrated South African novelist Andre Brink about his latest work, A Fork In the Road. The book is a memoir, but by no means a conventional autobiography, for Brink has always experimented with literary form.
Film critic Gaylene Gould reviews Vicky Cristina Barcelona, the new comedy by Woody Allen. It stars Rebecca Hall and Scarlett Johansson as two young American women who visit Barcelona and become romantically entangled with the same artist.
The Manchester Museum is advertising a job with a difference. They are looking for an artist-in-residence to help develop a project on environmental issues; the catch is that they want this person to live as a hermit in the gothic Victorian tower of the museum. Dr Nick Merriman, director of the museum, explains the project to Kirsty.
Music journalist David Hepworth muses on the problem of people talking at gigs and suggests ways venues can deal with it.
THU 19:45 15 Minute Drama (b00hb62m)
Alexandre Dumas - The Lady of the Camellias
Episode 4
By Alexandre Dumas. The story of Marguerite Gauthier, a Parisian courtesan who goes on a journey through worldliness, love, renunciation and atonement, thanks to the love of young Armand Duval.
Armand and Marguerite have at last escaped to a rural idyll, but their happiness is shattered when Armand's father begs his son to leave his mistress.
Duval ...... Dan Stevens
Dumas ...... Joseph Kloska
Marguerite ...... Ruth Wilson
Prudence/Maid ...... Manon Edwards
Duval Senior ...... Steffan Rhodri
Directed by Polly Thomas.
THU 20:00 Investigation (b00h8wq7)
Series 6
Episode 4
Simon Cox investigates the dangers, and possible merits, of incineration as a means of disposing of waste. While environmentalists argue against it, the collapsing market for recyclable material and Britain's growing waste mountains suggest that incineration may yet be a viable option.
THU 20:30 In Business (b00h8x2b)
The Remarkable Mr China
Peter Day talks to Irish businessman Liam Casey from his base in the industrial powerhouse of Shenzen, close to Hong Kong. He gives his insights into how China works and how its influence is rippling through companies and consumers all over the world.
THU 21:00 Leading Edge (b00h8x2g)
Funding Science in the Recession
Funding Science to Escape the Recession
Lord Drayson, minister for science in the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills is asking scientists to prioritise funding. He wants money to be invested in research that is most likely to help us out of the current recession. The fear is that it is not possible to do high quality basic research and benefit industry.
Diary of a Teenage Scientist
What’s it like to be a teenage scientist in Britain? Diva is fourteen, gets called a geek by her friends, struggles with her maths and likes Audrey Hepburn. She tells us about her life.
Bert the Humanoid Robot
The University of the West of England and Bristol University collaborate in running the UK’s biggest robotics lab. One of the many projects going on there is called CHRIS: an acronym for Cooperative Human Robot Interaction Systems. But if these machines are going to be easy and comfortable to be with, how should they behave? And how human-like should we make them? Professor Chris Melhuish, director of the Bristol Lab, took our reporter Jo Dwyer to meet one of his non-human colleagues - called Bert.
Cancer Connections
Glasgow University’s Professor Muffy Calder is a computer scientist with experience of the design of telephone networks. So why does she think she can contribute something to understanding cancer and its treatment? Complex telephone networks comprise a set of pathways through which vast numbers of signals pass and interact. The signals are electrical rather than chemical, but the principles that govern their behaviour are much the same as cancer cells.
Is Britain Getting Worse at Maths?
Mathematics earned itself a place in the news this week. Tory leader David Cameron launched a task force headed by Carol Vorderman. But have the British always been bad at doing their sums? Professor Celia Hoyles is professor of mathematics education at the Institute of Education in London. How does she rate the numeracy of children past and present?
THU 21:30 In Our Time (b00h8t18)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:00 today]
THU 21:58 Weather (b00h5dz0)
The latest weather forecast.
THU 22:00 The World Tonight (b00h5f0q)
National and international news and analysis with Robin Lustig. Including reports on whether reducing interest rates again is the right tactic to stimulate the economy, whether President Obama's restrictions on executive pay should be introduced in Britain and whether the authorities are prepared as more snow is forecast.
THU 22:45 Book at Bedtime (b00h5j3l)
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
Episode 9
Stewart Clapp, Emilia Fox and Ben Crowe read from Mary Ann Shaffer's novel, set in the aftermath of the Second World War.
Juliet has finally made it clear that she has no intention of marrying Markham Reynolds, and continues to live in Elizabeth's old home and look after her daughter, Kit.
THU 23:00 Recorded for Training Purposes (b00h8x2m)
Series 3
Episode 5
Sketch show about modern communication and contemporary obsessions. With Ben Willbond and Rachel Atkins. From February 2009.
THU 23:30 Today in Parliament (b00h5j5t)
News, views and features on today's stories in Parliament with Sean Curran.
FRIDAY 06 FEBRUARY 2009
FRI 00:00 Midnight News (b00h4fnt)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by weather.
FRI 00:30 Book of the Week (b00hd34y)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:45 on Thursday]
FRI 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b00h4gd8)
The latest shipping forecast.
FRI 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b00h4gfw)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
FRI 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b00h4gj2)
The latest shipping forecast.
FRI 05:30 News Briefing (b00h4gmc)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.
FRI 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b00h4gpr)
Daily prayer and reflection with Prebendary Edward Mason.
FRI 05:45 Farming Today (b00h4grp)
News and issues in rural Britain with Charlotte Smith.
FRI 06:00 Today (b00h4gwt)
Presented by Sarah Montague and Evan Davis.
Guy Hayhurst, a public health consultant from Cheshire, explains how the area has fought measles.
Sarah Ransome and Alex Bushill report on the latest travel disruptions caused by the snowfall.
Binyamin Netanyahu is expected to become the next Israeli prime minister following the forthcoming elections. What will this mean for the Middle East peace process?
Tim Franks examines the right-wing opposition party's prospects in the forthcoming election in Israel.
When is it good to be angry, and when is it good to be calm? We compare the pilot landing in the Hudson with actor Christian Bale's on-set outburst.
Novelist Anne Atkins and Ben Summerskill of Stonewall discuss if the BBC is out of touch with the public mood.
Sudarsan Raghavan and Patrick Cockburn discuss whether the results in Iraqi elections will lead to greater stability.
Thought for the day with Lord Harries of Pentregarth, Gresham Professor of Divinity.
Sports editor Mihir Bose and Olympics minister Tessa Jowell discuss the Olympic budget.
Prof David Salisbury of the Department of Health discusses the rise in cases of measles in England and Wales.
Prof John Sutherland and novelist Will Self discuss what effect the credit crunch will have on satire.
Business editor Robert Peston and banker Sir George Cox discuss whether bonuses should be paid to banking staff.
Israeli writer Amos Oz and Israeli government spokesman Mark Regev discuss what Israel's response will be to any further attack by Hamas.
Justin Webb asks what kind of administration is being revealed in these very early days of Barack Obama's presidency.
Former cricketer Ed Smith and investment banker Keith Harris examine whether sport is recession-proof.
FRI 09:00 Desert Island Discs (b00h4d2l)
[Repeat of broadcast at
11:15 on Sunday]
FRI 09:45 Book of the Week (b00hd350)
The Last Supper
Episode 5
Holly Aird reads Rachel Cusk's story of her family's three-month tour of Italy, during which they discover some of the country's rich artistic heritage and enjoy adapting to a more relaxed way of life.
The family explore Rome's artistic heritage, as their trip draws to an end.
FRI 10:00 Woman's Hour (b00h9x9p)
Ectopic pregnancies; Baby Boomer envy
Do women face a post-code lottery when it comes to the management of an ectopic pregnancy? Plus, do the post-war generation deserve resentment or gratitude?
FRI 11:00 The Battle of the Tweed (b00h8ym2)
Financial journalist Lesley Campbell finds out if new money and new ideas from outside the Outer Hebrides can save the local Harris Tweed industry, which is on the brink of disappearing. She visits the boardrooms and the windswept island homes of those battling to preserve this iconic fabric.
FRI 11:30 The Castle (b00h8ym4)
Series 2
Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Filled With Helium
Hie ye to "The Castle", a rollicking sitcom set way back then, starring James Fleet ("The Vicar Of Dibley", "Four Weddings & A Funeral") and Neil Dudgeon ("Life Of Riley")
In this episode, love is in the air as a new suitor for Anne puts De Warenne's visor firmly out of joint. Meanwhile, a primitive SatNav and some surgically-introduced helium cause chaos at the altar...
Cast:
Sir John Woodstock ...... James Fleet
Sir William De Warenne ........ Neil Dudgeon
Lady Anne Woodstock ....... Montserrat Lombard
Cardinal Duncan ...... Jonathan Kydd
Lady Charlotte ....... Ingrid Oliver
Master Henry Woodstock ........ Steven Kynman
Merlin ...... Lewis Macleod
Written by Kim Fuller with additional material by Paul Alexander
Music by Guy Jackson
Produced and directed by David Tyler
A Pozzitive production for BBC Radio 4.
FRI 12:00 You and Yours (b00h4pl7)
Presented by Peter White.
Andy Simpson from Mountain Rescue England and Wales explains the financial problems facing the voluntary organisation.
A training programme linked to the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games will aim to help unemployed people get back into work.
Why is 3D being tipped to take off in a way it never has done before? Front Row presenter Mark Lawson and Matt Eyre, the Vice President of Operations for Cineworld, discuss.
In the war of the cheap seats, Ryanair has taken several travel websites that sell its flights to court.
A diving school boss has been jailed for more than five years in Plymouth after charging the NHS for expensive treatment for the 'bends' that never took place. Daniel Jeff of the Plymouth Herald reports.
The cost of joining a golf club has contributed to it being considered a well-heeled, middle class sport which doesn't always welcome players from poorer families. Fiona Clampin visits Teignmouth Golf Club in Devon to find out more.
The mayor of London and the Government have set up a company to organise all the houses, offices and leisure facilities that will make up the Olympic legacy. Tessa Jowell, Minister for the Olympics, discusses.
FRI 12:57 Weather (b00h4pmd)
The latest weather forecast.
FRI 13:00 World at One (b00h4ppd)
National and international news with Shaun Ley.
FRI 13:30 Feedback (b00h8ymn)
Roger Bolton airs listeners' views on BBC radio programmes and policy.
FRI 14:00 The Archers (b00h4pvb)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Thursday]
FRI 14:15 Drama (b00h8zf1)
Phumzile
By Matthew Hurt. Tom and Pete are on holiday in South Africa. When a mugger tries to snatch Pete's phone a local woman intervenes, but when she asks him for money Tom is suspicious.
Phumzile...Nadine Marshall
Pete...Stephen Hogan
Tom...Nathan Stewart-Jarrett
Emilia...Syan Blake
Harry...Matt Addis
Directed by Claire Grove
Exploring the complicated relationships we have with poverty. What should our personal response be to the suffering of others? And how do we deal with approaches from individuals?
Matthew Hurt (writer) is South African. His plays include 'Believe' with Linda Marlowe at the Traverse Theatre and 'Singing, Dancing, Acting' with Simon Callow at the Soho Theatre. He won the Peggy Ramsay bursary to develop a stage play The Time Step premiered at The Traverse Theatre in 2009.
FRI 15:00 Gardeners' Question Time (b00h9008)
Eric Robson chairs the popular horticultural forum.
John Cushnie, Chris Beardshaw and Anne Swithinbank answer the questions posed by gardeners in South Wales.
Including the Gardeners' Question Time gardening weather forecast.
FRI 15:45 America, Empire of Liberty (b00h4r45)
Huddled Masses, Savage Hordes
Series charting the history of America, written and presented by David Reynolds. The impact of mass immigration on American politics and culture.
FRI 16:00 Last Word (b00h900c)
Matthew Bannister presents the obituary series, analysing and celebrating the life stories of people who have recently died. The programme reflects on people of distinction and interest from many walks of life, some famous and some less well known.
FRI 16:30 The Film Programme (b00h900f)
Francine Stock talks to Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright John Patrick Shanley about his own adaptation of his stage drama Doubt, which stars Meryl Streep as a nun who harbours suspicions about a priest who teaches in the Catholic school where she works.
FRI 17:00 PM (b00h4r85)
Full coverage and analysis of the day's news with Eddie Mair. Plus Weather.
FRI 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b00h4rbc)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4, followed by Weather.
FRI 18:30 The News Quiz (b00h900h)
Series 67
Episode 5
Sandi Toksvig chairs the topical comedy quiz, with panellists Jeremy Hardy, Chris Addison, Andy Hamilton and Phill Jupitus.
FRI 19:00 The Archers (b00h4pvd)
Will and Nic are out for a meal. They have a lovely time but are sad they can't go home together. Will says it would be great if they were living together. Nic's unsure, but is persuaded to put Jake's name down for Loxley Barratt school, in case she moves to Ambridge.
Brian's trying to get hold of Tom. He needs to confirm their first supermarket delivery today. Jennifer tells him to leave Tom a message.
At No.1 The Green, Tom's phone is ringing. It's Brian. Tom can't be bothered to answer. Brenda knows Tom is upset about Matt - maybe he could try again? Tom thinks there's no point. He's stuck with Brian. Tom listens to Brian's message and is furious. Brian's still ignoring his views. Brenda says he should call Brian back. Brenda reminds him it's still a partnership.
Brian tells Jennifer that Tom hasn't called him back. She says maybe Brian will have to back down. Brian says this isn't possible. He's emailed their first delivery date to the supermarket! Jennifer's shocked. Brian tells her Tom will agree in the end. He doesn't want to see Tom taking the same route as his father, when they could do so much more.
Episode written by Tim Stimpson.
FRI 19:15 Front Row (b00h4w12)
Presented by Kirsty Lang.
Kirsty talks to the director Terry Gilliam as he receives a BAFTA fellowship for his outstanding contribution to film. He explains how his name has become synonymous with disastrous film shoots and what he thinks of the film industry today.
Art critic and writer Louisa Buck visits a new exhibition at the Whitworth Gallery in Manchester, Subversive Spaces: Surrealism and Contemporary Art, which features a new commission, Kinderzimmer, from the German artist Gregor Schneider.
Kirsty talks to harpist Catrin Finch about playing by Royal appointment, collaborating with a Venezuelan joropo band, and what she thought when another harpist released his own version of Bach's masterpiece just as her record hit the record shop shelves.
UFO in Her Eyes, a novel by Xiaolu Guo, is set in 2012 and tells the story of a Chinese peasant woman who sees a UFO flying through her village. Xiaolu Guo discusses her ongoing fascination with alienation and identity, and how a childhood spent in the peasant heartland of communist China informs her perspective on Western art.
FRI 19:45 15 Minute Drama (b00hb644)
Alexandre Dumas - The Lady of the Camellias
Episode 5
By Alexandre Dumas. The story of Marguerite Gauthier, a Parisian courtesan who goes on a journey through worldliness, love, renunciation and atonement, thanks to the love of young Armand Duval.
Armand finally reveals the hidden sacrifice that Marguerite made for him, and how nobly she acted for love.
Duval ...... Dan Stevens
Dumas ...... Joseph Kloska
Marguerite ...... Ruth Wilson
Porter ...... Keiron Self
Olympe ...... Lynne Seymour
Prudence/Maid ...... Manon Edwards
Duval Senior ...... Steffan Rhodri
Directed by Polly Thomas.
FRI 20:00 Any Questions? (b00h900k)
Jonathan Dimbleby chairs the topical debate in Canterbury. The panel includes Ann Widdecombe, John Sergeant, Greg Dyke and Chuka Umunna.
FRI 20:50 A Point of View (b00h900m)
A weekly reflection on a topical issue from Harold Evans.
FRI 21:00 America, Empire of Liberty Omnibus (b00h900p)
Capital and Labour
Omnibus edition of the series charting the history of America, written and presented by David Reynolds.
The rise of big business and the industrialisation of America. Fortunes were made but poverty and slum living also took hold. Workers began to protest and unite, socialism was considered and mass immigration took off on a staggering scale.
FRI 21:58 Weather (b00h5dz2)
The latest weather forecast.
FRI 22:00 The World Tonight (b00h5f0s)
National and international news and analysis with Carolyn Quinn. Including reports on local authorities running out of salt as winter deepens, an end in sight to nuclear proliferation as leaders meet in Munich and why recession is good for the arts.
FRI 22:45 Book at Bedtime (b00h5j3n)
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
Episode 10
Emilia Fox and Ann Beach read from Mary Ann Shaffer's novel, set in the aftermath of the Second World War.
Juliet grows increasingly fond of Elizabeth's young daughter, Kit, and Isola decides to combine the role of Miss Marple with that of Cupid.
FRI 23:00 Great Lives (b00h6zs7)
[Repeat of broadcast at
16:30 on Tuesday]
FRI 23:30 Today in Parliament (b00h5j5w)
News, views and features on today's stories in Parliament with Mark D'Arcy.