The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by weather.
Laurie Taylor is joined by Mel Bartley, Professor of Medical Sociology at University College London Medical School, and Andrew Oswald, Professor of Economics at Warwick University to discuss the personal and psychological consequences of unemployment in the light of the current global recession.
Dr David Fowler, author of a new book entitled Youth Culture in Modern Britain, c1920-c.1970, talks about the meaning of ‘youth culture’. He contends that authentic youth movements have a philosophy and way of life; they do not simply celebrate consumerism and popular music.
Stephen Alambritis, of the Federation of Small Businesses, and Welsh Assembly member John Griffiths discuss calls for the government to subsidise workers' wages.
Richard Garside, of Kings College London, discusses the effectiveness of community penalties.
Healthcare Commission report author Maureen Burton and Ministry of Defence minister Kevan Jones discuss military healthcare.
Cricket historian David Firth and Dr Heiner Gillmeister discuss the likelihood that cricket originated in Belgium.
Thought for the day with the International Director of Micah Challenge, the Reverend Joel Edwards.
Middle East Editor Jeremy Bowen reports from Gaza and Sir Nicholas Young, of the British Red Cross, discusses the problems of funding and access facing aid agencies in Gaza.
There has been a major breakthrough in stem cell science. Professor Sir Ian Wilmut of the Medical Research Council discusses the implications of the breakthrough for medicine.
Journalist Jessica Duchen and conductor Harry Christophers discuss Handel's legacy.
HSBC Group Chairman Stephen Green discusses the bank's plans to raise funds through a new rights issue.
Councillor Vanessa Brown discusses the effect of the admissions lottery on secondary schools.
Gordon Brown has vowed to forge a 'global new deal' with Barack Obama. Former foreign secretary Sir Malcolm Rifkind discusses the future of the special relationship.
Journalist Andrew Rawnsley and Peter Kellner from Yougov discuss whether government action is increasingly determined by public opinion.
Nick Bryant reports on a possible increase in shark attacks off the Australian coast.
Reverend Dr John Polkinghorne discusses how religion can enter into a dialogue with science.
Andrew Marr sets the cultural agenda for the week. His guests include playwright Enda Walsh, who discusses his latest play The New Electric Ballroom, and writer Linda Grant, who talks about her book The Thoughtful Dresser.
Hari Dhillon and Amanda Burton read Jonah Lehrer's exploration of neuroscience and how the human brain makes up its mind.
The importance of the emotional brain. Since Plato, philosophers have described the decision-making process as either rational or emotional: we carefully deliberate or we go with our gut instinct.
But as scientists break open the mind's black box with the latest tools of neuroscience, they are discovering that this is not an accurate picture of how the mind works. Our best decisions are a finely-tuned blend of both feeling and reason, and the precise mix depends on the situation.
Romanian soprano Angela Gheorghiu on her life and work. Plus Alastair Campbell's partner Fiona Millar on the Blair years, and child safety on Twitter.
Liz Barclay investigates whether a leading fashion brand like Topshop can beat the credit crunch. With major retailers seeing their profit margins squeezed, are consumers continuing to tighten their belts?
Featuring interviews from key players including former Topshop brand director Jane Shepherdson, widely credited with masterminding the store's fashion renaissance, and designer Celia Birtwell.
Series of five comic tales by William Makepeace Thackeray, adapted by Stephen Wyatt, recounting the rise and fall of early-19th Century footman Charles Yellowplush.
When a fashionable society novelist comes to stay at Diddlesex Towers, he inspires Charles to undertake an ambitious and scandalous enterprise.
Charles Yellowplush ...... Adam Buxton
Duke ...... Paul Rider
Duchess ...... Janice Acquah
Marquess ...... Inam Mirza
Mary Ann ...... Annabelle Dowler
Modicum ...... Gunnar Cauthery
Scavenger ...... Stephen Critchlow
Age Concern closes its controversial lifestyle membership organisation, 'Heyday', after a critical report from the Charity Commission.
Europe rules on Kinder's claim that its chocolate eggs 'help you to grow'. Do products' slogans stand up to scrutiny?
In the first of our disabled leaders series, Peter White interviews Dr Tom Shakespeare who has spoken out against many of the conventional views of disability rights campaigners.
Rogue companies which don't deliver concert tickets are managing to persuade customers that they are a safe bet by buying security certificates for their websites.
Despite public opposition, the Strategic Health Authority for Southampton has decided to use its new powers to force a water company to add fluoride to its water.
When is wine not wine? How the alcohol content of drinks dictates their labelling.
Should the government and the private sector share information? David Blunkett tells us why we need to make sure that we strike a balance between personal privacy and national security.
Nigel Rees chairs the popular quiz involving the exchange of quotations and anecdotes. With guests Catherine Bennett, Michael Dobbs, Sir Antony Jay and John Lahr.
Tim, Meredith and Harry are three sassy, thirty something traders who, tired of making money for someone else, combine to launch an aggressive new hedge fund. But it doesn't take long before they get seriously above themselves, losing a small fortune and making some pretty heavy enemies in the City markets.
Facing financial meltdown, Harry is deputed to exploit a family connection with Bob Glass of Glassworks. Glass is the doyen of Wall Street. Friend to charities and movie stars. The biggest, boldest, safest investor on the block.
In New York, Harry makes a good impression. Glass takes to him like a son. This is the coup the young hedge fund has needed. With Glass's name, confidence will flourish and further, major investments will follow.
But Harry has no sooner touched down at Heathrow, than news breaks of Glass's arrest by the FBI. His convoluted investment structure has collapsed. Billions have been lost by individuals, by charities and by burgeoning hedge funds, just like Harry's. Harry, Tim and Meredith have lost 1.2billion and rising. Glass, the most feared, loathed and admired man on Wall Street was just a simple confidence trickster though on a mammoth scale.
Now it's time to face the investors, and the fact that their credibility is virtually nil. This is a £1.2billion hole they aren't going to crawl out of.
Sarah Towers ..... Pam Miles
Trevor Marks ..... Jonathan Tafler
And Carmody ..... Sam Dale
Can you imagine who you might have been if you had lived at a different point in history?
That's exactly what the presenters of My Alter Ego have been asked to do. Each programme in the series is presented by someone whose life, career, or mind-set shares some similarities with a character from history.
Programme 1: Mobo award winning musician, Soweto Kinch, tells the forgotten story of Ignatius Sancho. Supposedly born on a slave ship bound for the West Indies in the 1720s, Ignatius was orphaned and brought to London. There he was given to three spinster sisters and grew up as a child-slave. However he had a curious mind and a love of learning and these attributes combined with sheer force of personality, meant he broke through into London's literary and artistic circles forging friendships with the actor David Garrick and the author Laurence Sterne. He became a prolific letter writer, and a gentleman composer, while running a grocery shop which attracted many of his aristocratic and artistic friends. Soweto Kinch has long been fascinated by the life of Ignatius Sancho, and even though he was born almost two hundred years after Sancho into a very different world, he recognises certain parallels with his own life: his engagement with education, his passion for music and his relationship with his heritage. Illustrated with readings from Ignatius's letters and musical compositions, Soweto explores the life of Ignatius Sancho in My Alter Ego.
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.
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.
Nicholas Parsons chairs the devious word game, with panellists Paul Merton, Clement Freud, Jack Dee and Josie Lawrence.
Tony's impressed with the waste consultant's survey and initial suggestions for a reedbed but Helen's no longer so enthusiastic. After talking to a fellow cheesemaker, she's now aware of a better way of dealing with waste. Pat and Tony agree her explanation of a weeping wall system has possibilities. Helen's loaded up the van ready to move into her new flat but offers to ring Bryony later, to ask if Pat and Tony could take a look at her system.
Brian tells Adam he's confident Tom's finally swallowed his pride about the supermarket deal, so is completely taken aback when Tom reveals he wants to break up the partnership. Tom won't reveal where the money will come from to buy Brian out. He remains self-controlled as he calls the shots. When Brian suggests he may not be minded to sell, Tom calmly suggests Brian will soon realise it's the best option.
Tom acknowledges he'll always be grateful to Brian for saving the business but he's said what he came to say and now he'll wait for Brian to come back with an answer. Brian assures him he will, but warns Tom it may not be the one he's hoping for.
Emily Blunt, Paul Bettany, Jim Broadbent, Rupert Friend and Miranda Richardson star in the film The Young Victoria, a romantic drama tracing the soon-to-be-Queen's early life. Journalist and Victorian expert Kathryn Hughes gives her verdict.
Giles Waterfield discusses a new exhibition of Constable's lesser-known work. John Constable is celebrated as one of England's greatest landscape artists, but for the first time the National Portrait Gallery focuses on his self-portraits and his many paintings and drawings of friends and family.
Mark finds out about an unusual tribute to the English writer Samuel Johnson: in the tercentenary year of Dr Johnson's birth, his biographer, Peter Martin, is recreating a hundred-mile walk from Lichfield to London that was undertaken by Johnson and his companion David Garrick.
Mark discusses the pros and cons of Live & Sync with music supremo Trevor Dann, Katherine Jenkins (who has frequently sung the Welsh National Anthem at international rugby matches), Lesley Garret (who has sung at FA Cup Finals) and James Taylor (who performed live at one of Barack Obama's inaugural celebrations).
Art market watcher Godfrey Barker examines the implications of a tactic used by a Chinese bidder at a recent Christie's auction where the bidder had no intention of paying for the antiquities he bid for, instead claiming his aim was to highlight his campaign for the artefacts' restitution to China. Does this herald a new era in art restitution claims? Godfrey Barker and Mark discuss.
It is 1956 and a virus has wiped out the crops of South East Asia, causing a famine. John Custance and his family visit his brother David's farm in Westmorland, convinced that the same thing could not happen there.
Narrator ...... David Mitchell
John ...... Darrell Brockis
Ann ...... Rebecca Egan
Roger ...... Gus Brown
David ...... Jonathan Dryden Taylor.
Broadcaster Peter Snow returns to scenes of his post-war childhood in Libya for the first time in 50 years to discover more about how the modern Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya has changed from the place he remembers from his youth.
Writer and journalist Ehsan Masood explores the status of science in the modern Islamic world, and asks whether measures taken to promote science are having an impact on the working lives of Muslim scientists.
The call to read and seek knowledge is embedded in the Qur'an. But the Islamic world is currently witness to a rise in creationism, a trend for seeking 'scientific miracles' in the Qur'an and a frustration among scientists at the literal interpretation of Islam.
How does the interplay between Islam and science affect those working in research today? Ehsan Masood asks Muslims working in science in the UK and abroad about how their faith influences their work.
National and international news and analysis with Ritula Shah. Including reports on how the money pledged by donors to rebuild Gaza will get through, AIG's declaration of the biggest corporate losses in history, the white-collar fraudsters who are getting jailhouse advice and who is in charge in Russia, Putin or Medvedev?
Sagar Arya reads Aravind Adiga's Man Booker Prize-winning satire on contemporary India. The story of Balram Halwai, the son of a rickshaw puller, who escapes the rural poverty of his village into the bright lights and corruption of the city.
Balram comes up against the corruption at the heart of his wealthy employers' lives as a road accident leaves him taking the blame for Pinky Madam's drunkenness.
Dominic Arkwright, James Delingpole, Agnes Poirier and Michael Simkins discuss stardom and our reaction to fame. From February 2009.
TUESDAY 03 MARCH 2009
TUE 00:00 Midnight News (b00hs9tq)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by weather.
TUE 00:30 Book of the Week (b00hsp0r)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:45 on Monday]
TUE 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b00hs9xv)
The latest shipping forecast.
TUE 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b00hs9zr)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
TUE 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b00hsb29)
The latest shipping forecast.
TUE 05:30 News Briefing (b00hsb3d)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.
TUE 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b00hsb54)
Daily prayer and reflection with Rev Jenny Wigley.
TUE 05:45 Farming Today (b00hsb7l)
News and issues in rural Britain with Anna Hill.
TUE 06:00 Today (b00hsbbq)
Presented by John Humphrys and Sarah Montague.
Unidentified gunmen fired on a convoy of Sri Lankan and Pakistani cricketers. Journalist Graham Usher describes the scene of the attack in Pakistan and Anbarasan Ethirajan reports on the reaction from Sri Lanka.
Social worker Joanna Nicolas discusses a campaign to persuade social workers to return to the profession.
Roger Neill of Historic Masters discusses the significance of recordings made in the early 1900s by Dame Nellie Melba.
Former England cricketer Dominic Cork says six gunmen are responsible for the shooting and injuring of five Sri Lankan cricketers.
Political editor Nick Robinson reports on the first meeting between Barack Obama and Gordon Brown.
Author and screenwriter David Nicholls discusses the disqualification of the winning team of University Challenge, Corpus Chrsti from Oxford University.
Thought for the day with the Rev Dr Giles Fraser, Vicar of Putney.
Anne West of the LSE discusses the secondary school admissions system.
John McFall, chairman of the Treasury Select Committee, says parliament should not interfere with pensions.
Sports editor Mihir Bose analyses the repercussions of the Lahore attack for international cricket and Dr Farzana Shaikh, of Chatham House, discusses the political instability in Pakistan.
Reporter Sanchia Berg looks over the MI5 file of Lee Miller, the renowned war photographer.
Richard Kemp of the Local Government Association and Helga Pile of Unison discuss the problems of recruiting social workers who work with children.
Crime reporter Ben Ando examines the crackdown on pirate radio stations in the UK.
Tom Standage of the Economist discusses why mobile phones have become the communication technology of choice, particularly in poor countries.
The government is launching a Stop Loan Sharks hotline and website. Heather Keates, head of Community Money Advice, discusses the initiative.
Reporter Julian O'Halloran considers claims that the careers of teachers are being blighted or destroyed as they struggle to keep order in schools.
Author Samuel D Kassow discusses the story of how Jewish people led their lives in the Warsaw Ghetto under Nazi rule.
TUE 09:00 The Long View (b00htkpx)
House of Lords Reform
Jonathan Freedland presents the series that looks for the past behind the present.
He is joined by Billy Bragg to consider House of Lords reform now and in the 17th Century, examining the story of Lord Howard, a corrupt peer who was sent to the Tower. In the light of recent cash-for-influence allegations, Jonathan and guests debate what can be learnt from the experience of the 1640s, when the Lords came under similarly intense scrutiny.
Hsitorical readings are provided by Tim Bentinck who plays David in The Archers and who is also the 12th Earl of Portland. He was one of the hereditary peers who was disqualified from sitting in the Lords following the reforms of 1999.
Jonathan's other guests are the historian Dr Jason Peacey, Andrew Piece, assistant editor of the Daily Telegraph, Sir Christopher Kelly, chairman of the committee on Standards in Public Life and cross-bench peer Baroness Ilora Finlay of Llandaff.
TUE 09:30 The Prime Ministers (b00htl94)
Series 1
Lord North
BBC Political Editor Nick Robinson explores how Britain's prime ministers have used their power, responded to the challenges of their time and made the job what it is today.
Nick asks if history has been fair to Lord North, who is remembered as the prime minister who lost America.
TUE 09:45 Book of the Week (b00hzygp)
The Decisive Moment
Episode 2
Hari Dhillon and Amanda Burton read Jonah Lehrer's exploration of neuroscience and how the human brain makes up its mind.
How the fluctuations of a few dopamine neurons saved a battleship during the first Gulf War. Plus, how the human brain's ability to learn from experience meant that chess grand master Garry Kasparov was able to compete at the same level as a computer program, despite having far less computational power.
TUE 10:00 Woman's Hour (b00hspk0)
Heston Blumenthal; Bulgarian orphanages
Chef Heston Blumenthal on creating extraordinary dishes including ejaculating cakes. Plus examining Bulgarian institutes for children, and celebrating the life of Una Marson.
TUE 11:00 Fixing the Pedigree Dog (b00htl96)
Sue Broom looks at the genetics and health of pedigree dogs and asks if modern science and an understanding of genetics can produce a solution to make them healthier.
A recent TV documentary highlighted some severe health problems in a number of pedigree dog breeds. The breeds of most concern include Cavalier King Charles Spaniels with syringiomyelia, a neurological disorder thought to be caused by too small a skull squeezing the brain. Also German shepherd dogs and Neapolitan mastiffs have a high incidence of hip dysplasia and Basset and Bloodhounds bred to be too heavy leaving them prone to arthritis and back problems.
However, as Sue discovers, there are changes being made to the way that pedigree dogs are being bred. The Kennel Club has implemented its Fit for Function, Fit for Life campaign. Also, Crufts will be introducing new breed standards, the blueprint for a show dog. They are in the process of training judges to select dogs not only on their looks but also on their health.
These changes are welcomed by the RSPCA, but they do not believe that they go far enough and are concerned that the changes in the breed standards are too vague and open to too much interpretation by judges, many of whom are themselves breeders.
Certain breed groups do not like being dictated to and think that the problems are being overblown. But some dog breeders are actively seeking out DNA tests for disorders that affect their breed and using this information to 'breed out' unhealthy genes from their stock.
Sue finds out what this shake-up of the pedigree dog breeding world will mean for future breeds and whether or not some breeds as we know them will even survive.
TUE 11:30 From Jean Brodie to Carrie Bradshaw: Spinsters in Popular Culture (b00htl98)
Ann Widdecombe explores how single women have been depicted in popular culture. From Dickens's terrifying Miss Havisham and Muriel Spark's Miss Jean Brodie to Carrie Bradshaw in Sex and the City and Bridget Jones, why are single women so often represented as manipulative, bitter, or just desperate for a man?
Ann is content with her single status, and wants to know why it is hard to find examples of truly happy spinsters in books or on screen. She explores the horror that David Lean's depiction of Miss Havisham evoked in many of the generation that came of age in the 1940s. She goes back to her old school in Bath to meet her former teacher and to contemplate the reality of life for single women of that generation.
Ann finds out why the author of Not Married, Not Bothered, Carol Clewlow, believes that even today Jane Austen is capable of being a 'spinster heroine' and why many women seem to loathe the word 'spinster'. She also asks whether Carrie Bradshaw and Bridget Jones have as much to offer us as Barbara Pym's 'excellent women' of the 1950s and 60s.
Finally, she discovers that the word 'spinster' might be loathed, but it is far from defunct, as some journalists are now referring to single men as 'male spinsters'.
TUE 12:00 You and Yours (b00hsrbf)
Call You and Yours
Presented by Winifred Robinson.
Personal information in the public domain.
Are you concerned about the amount of information held on you by public and commercial organisations? What checks do you want to see in place to make sure it is safe and secure? From what we buy in the supermarket to our travel plans and phone records, almost nothing is a secret anymore. As data is shared more and more within organisations and government departments we look at the benefits and the pitfalls.
With guests:
Dr. Ian Brown - Oxford Internet Institute
Eduardo Ustaran - Field Fisher Waterhouse
Phillip Webb -British Computer Society Government Relations Group.
TUE 12:57 Weather (b00hsrcz)
The latest weather forecast.
TUE 13:00 World at One (b00hsrgy)
National and international news with Shaun Ley.
TUE 13:30 Sleeve Notes (b00htmzr)
Music writer Laura Barton explains her love of the sleeve note, which was once, for many, the cherished gateway into a musical world but has now been diminished by the digitalisation of music.
She considers how the sleeve note can act as a declaration of intent from the artist, as epitomised by Johnny Cash's sleeve notes for his classic 1968 live album, At Folsom Prison, or by the inclusion of the founding declaration of the Rock Against Racism movement on the sleeve of Tom Robinson's debut album Power in the Darkness.
Poet Simon Armitage talks about being commissioned by Paul Weller to write the sleeve notes for his latest album.
TUE 14:00 The Archers (b00hsrjy)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Monday]
TUE 14:15 Drama (b00htmzt)
The Lemon Squeezer
Comedy by Triona Adams. A young woman faces up to the realities of life when she swaps London life for an enclosed convent.
Mother Abbess ...... Margaret Tyzack
Mother Prioress ...... Deborah Findlay
Father Edward ...... Sam Dale
Sister Cillian/Cecilia ...... Rachel Atkins
Directed by Gaynor Macfarlane.
TUE 15:00 Home Planet (b00htmzw)
Richard Daniel and the team discuss listeners' questions about the environment and the natural world.
TUE 15:30 Readings From Bath (b00htmzy)
Knit One Purl One
The first of three new stories by Bath writers from the stage of last year's Literature Festival in the city is a funny and tender account of a marriage, a series of summer holidays and the importance of knitting. Knit One Purl One written by Pippa Gladhill. The reader is Pippa Haywood
Producers: Sue Fry/Sara Davies.
TUE 15:45 My Alter Ego (b00ht5cn)
Eliza Vestris
Can you imagine who you might have been if you'd lived at a different point in history?
That's exactly what the presenters of My Alter Ego have been asked to do. Each programme in the series is presented by someone whose life, career, or mind-set shares some similarities with a character from history.
Programme two: Burlesque artiste, Kirsty Allan, chooses Eliza Vestris as her Alter Ego. Eliza was a trail-blazing theatrical performer who took many risks in 19th century theatre-land. Not only did she dare to reveal her lower legs, and just a little bit of thigh, but she became the first woman to run her own theatre. Eliza started off as an opera singer, but made her mark as one of the first stars of burlesque.
As founder of the Ministry of Burlesque, and as a performer herself, Kirsty is keen to point out that burlesque isn't the kind of elaborate striptease made famous by Dita von Teese. True burlesque should involve sending-up, satirising, or making mockery of something. and you don't have to take your clothes off to do that (although you can!). Eliza Vestris's most successful performance was as Don Giovanni in 'Giovanni in London' a burlesque based on Mozart's opera. This daring breeches part helped make Eliza (and her shapely legs) one of the most famous performers in the country. Kirsty Allan tells Eliza's story and describes the many parallels between the life of a 21st century burlesquer and her 19th century Alter Ego.
Producer: Karen Gregor.
TUE 16:00 Law in Action (b00htn00)
Children and the Law
Focusing on some of the ways in which the law affects children.
Judges now have the power to hand out community service punishments to parents who sabotage contact between their ex-partners and their children. Will the courts be willing to impose penalties on obstructive parents?
Also a report on how children going through care proceedings are being affected by the shortage of guardians, the professionals responsible for advising the judge on what is in the best interests of the child.
TUE 16:30 A Good Read (b00htn02)
Robyn Karney and Huw Stephens
Sue MacGregor is joined by belated author and critic Robyn Karen, and Radio 1 presenter Huw Stephens to discuss favourite books by Colum McCann, Iain Banks and David Lodge.
Dancer by Colum McCann
Publisher: Phoenix
The Wasp Factory by Iain Banks
Publisher: Abacus
The Art of Fiction by David Lodge
Publisher: Penguin
Produced by Toby Field
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 2009.
TUE 17:00 PM (b00ht5mp)
Full coverage and analysis of the day's news with Eddie Mair. Plus Weather.
TUE 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b00ht5pk)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4, followed by Weather.
TUE 18:30 Cabin Pressure (b00cdsj8)
Series 1
Boston
Sitcom about the pilots of a tiny charter airline for whom no job is too small, but many, many jobs are too difficult.
A routine flight to Boston is disrupted by a routine fire, a routine lawsuit and a routine corpse.
Carolyn Knapp-Shappey ...... Stephanie Cole
First Officer Douglas Richardson ...... Roger Allam
Capt Martin Crieff ...... Benedict Cumberbatch
Arthur Shappey ...... John Finnemore
ATC Fitton ...... Ewen MacIntosh
Hamilton Leeman ...... Kerry Shale
Paramedic ...... Matilda Ziegler
Written by John Finnemore.
TUE 19:00 The Archers (b00hsrjp)
The doorbell and insistent knocking are a rude awakening for Matt and Lilian. Realising what's about to happen, Matt asks Lilian to stay in bed while he goes to face the music.
Matt opens the door to Detective Sergeant Hollander and Serious Fraud Office investigators. They allow Matt to ring his solicitor but they have a search warrant which they intend to execute. They start searching while Matt explains to Lilian that Chalkman's screwed up and landed Matt right in it. When DS Hollander asks the whereabouts of Stephen Chalkman, Lilian quickly reveals he's on holiday in Florida.
Matt drops the name of his friend, the assistant chief constable, into the conversation but it pulls no punches and Matt is soon arrested for fraud. At Borchester police station, Matt's questioned in the presence of his solicitor, Russell Baxter. He's charged with defrauding a bank by dishonestly representing that Chalkman Crawford Capital Partners was solvent when he knew it was not. Baxter advises Matt to make no response to the questions.
Back home, Matt tells Lilian that it's not as simple as she believes. Matt admits he has screwed up big time. This morning was only a taster. The real nightmare's just beginning.
Episode written by Adrian Flynn.
TUE 19:15 Front Row (b00ht5r3)
Presented by Mark Lawson.
Writer Antonia Quirke gives her verdict on Watchmen, the film based on the iconic 1980s comic book series by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons.
Leading tenor Ian Bostridge and pianist Antonio Pappano talk to Mark about their continuing collaboration, how the credit crunch is affecting classical music and why they chose to record the third and last of Schubert's song cycles.
Mark talks to Ian Kennedy Martin about his new play, The Berlin Hanover Express, set in the Irish legation in Berlin in 1942, and about the challenges and opportunities of switching to playwriting late in life.
Following the news that Liverpool Hope University is to introduce an MA course on the Beatles, Mark consults two experts in all Beatles-related matters - authors and journalists Hunter Davies and Ray Connolly - to ascertain what they think should be on the curriculum.
TUE 19:45 15 Minute Drama (b00ht5xq)
The Death of Grass
Episode 2
Dramatisation of the science-fiction novel by John Christopher.
The world begins to panic as the virus spreads. But just as things seem to be calming down a little, Roger confronts John with some horrifying news.
Narrator ...... David Mitchell
Pirrie ...... Bruce Alexander
John ...... Darrell Brockis
Ann ...... Rebecca Egan
Roger ...... Gus Brown
David ...... Jonathan Dryden Taylor.
TUE 20:00 File on 4 (b00htn04)
Teachers in the dock
Julian O'Halloran investigates claims that overreaction by schools to minor incidents or unproven allegations is ruining the careers of hundreds of innocent teachers. As efforts to protect children from abuse or cruelty are intensified, Julian asks if some safety measures have gone too far?
TUE 20:40 In Touch (b00htn06)
Peter White with news and information for the blind and partially sighted.
TUE 21:00 Am I Normal? (b00htn08)
Series 6
Post-natal Depression
Vivienne Parry continues her quest to find out what is normal.
She investigates post-natal depression. More women than ever are being diagnosed with the condition, so does motherhood make women miserable or are we turning a normal, if difficult, psychological transition into an illness?
If you ask a woman who has just had a baby if she has felt sad or miserable in the last seven days, there is a fair chance that she will say yes. You might get a similar answer if you ask if she has felt scared or panicky for no good reason. These are questions on the Edinburgh Post Natal Depression Scale, a self reporting tool developed in 1987 to help identify women with post-natal depression.
The scale is now widely used by health professionals as part of efforts to help women who are struggling psychologically to access the help and support they need. However, critics claim that the scale picks up too many women who are indeed having a hard time but who are not depressed and still fails to spot women at the more severe end of the depression spectrum. So are we now better at identifying and helping women who are depressed post natally?
Vivienne Parry talks to psychiatrists Roch Cantwell and Paul Ramchandani, novelist Rachel Cusk, sociologist Ellie Lee and several mothers about what they think is normal in the post-natal period.
TUE 21:30 The Long View (b00htkpx)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:00 today]
TUE 21:58 Weather (b00ht86m)
The latest weather forecast.
TUE 22:00 The World Tonight (b00ht88m)
National and international news and analysis with Ritula Shah. Including reports on the attack on Sri Lanka's cricket team in Pakistan, the government bail-out of PFI projects and Sir Alan Sugar might be impressed, but who wants apprentices?
TUE 22:45 Book at Bedtime (b00ht8fp)
The White Tiger
Episode 7
Sagar Arya reads Aravind Adiga's Man Booker Prize-winning satire on contemporary India. The story of Balram Halwai, the son of a rickshaw puller, who escapes the rural poverty of his village into the bright lights and corruption of the city.
As his employer's marriage falls apart and his business dealings become even more corrupt, Balram begins to dream of the glittering prizes that his new life offers.
TUE 23:00 Mastering the Universe (b00htn0b)
Series 2
Episode 2
Comedy series starring Dawn French as Professor Joy Klamp, a specialist in the art of spoiling other people's pleasure.
Investigating the fun that can be had, at other people's expense, through travel.
With Sally Grace, Katy Brand, Sally Grace, Christopher Douglas, Dan Tetsell, Brian Perkins.
Written by Christopher Douglas and Nick Newman.
TUE 23:30 Today in Parliament (b00ht8h7)
News, views and features on today's stories in Parliament with Sean Curran.
WEDNESDAY 04 MARCH 2009
WED 00:00 Midnight News (b00hs9ts)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by weather.
WED 00:30 Book of the Week (b00hzygp)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:45 on Tuesday]
WED 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b00hs9xx)
The latest shipping forecast.
WED 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b00hs9zt)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
WED 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b00hsb2c)
The latest shipping forecast.
WED 05:30 News Briefing (b00hsb3g)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.
WED 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b00hsb56)
Daily prayer and reflection with Rev Jenny Wigley.
WED 05:45 Farming Today (b00hsb7p)
News and issues in rural Britain with Charlotte Smith.
WED 06:00 Today (b00hsbbs)
Presented by John Humphrys and Edward Stourton.
ITV chairman Michael Grade discusses the broadcaster's cost-cutting measures, including 600 job cuts.
Middle East reporter Katya Adler considers if Jewish settlements in the West Bank are creating further obstacles to a long-lasting peace.
Surgeon Lyndon Da Cruz discusses the international trials of revolutionary eye surgery likened to the creation of a 'bionic eye'.
Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir is expected to be indicted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) over the conflict in Darfur. Reporter Mike Thomson talks to a former government soldier who has come forward with what could be important evidence about the president's responsibility for the violence.
Lawyer Andrew Cayley says there is little chance of Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir facing trial over the conflict in Darfur.
Mark Easton explains the ongoing feud between the government and the Office of National Statistics.
Thought for the day with John Bell of the Iona Community.
MP John Grogan discusses the alarming rate at which pubs are closing across the UK.
Political editor Nick Robinson assesses if Gordon Brown is showing 'humility' about the economic turmoil.
Coffee chain Starbucks has announced it is going to start selling instant coffee. Author Mark Pendergrast and Dr Tom Stafford discuss if this move has a cultural as well as commercial significance.
Immigration minister Phil Woolas has accused the ONS of having a 'naive or, at worst, sinister' attitude to statistics about immigration. He explains why the impartiality of the ONS is important.
Reporter Mike Thomson interviews former US Ambassador to Israel Martin Indyk; and former Israeli ambassador to the US Zalman Shoval discusses what Hillary Clinton will try to achieve during her visit to Israel and the West Bank as US secretary of state.
Andrew Gowers, a member of the Digital Britain Report Steering Board, and TV critic Ian Hyland discuss what the future holds for public service broadcasting.
Gordon Brown will become the fifth prime minister to address the Joint Houses of Congress. Former ambassador to Washington Sir David Manning remembers the previous leaders to face the body.
WED 09:00 Midweek (b00htvd7)
Lively and diverse conversation with Libby Purves and guests.
WED 09:45 Book of the Week (b00hzyg9)
The Decisive Moment
Episode 3
Hari Dhillon and Amanda Burton read Jonah Lehrer's exploration of neuroscience and how the human brain makes up its mind.
The defects in the emotional brain that lead us toward bad decisions such as excessive risk taking, gambling on the stock market or taking out sub-prime mortgages. What exactly is the circuitry of temptation?
WED 10:00 Woman's Hour (b00hspk2)
Irma Kurtz on aging; Paying for sex
Agony Aunt Irma Kurtz on growing old. Plus access to osteoporosis drugs discussed, and why do some women choose to pay for sex?
WED 11:00 Whatever Happened To The Working Class (b00htvd9)
From Heroes to Zeroes
Sarfraz Manzoor examines the forces that have had an impact on the traditional 'working class' in Britain. After a decade of supposed 'classlessness', the issue of class is back on the agenda. Once again, it matters if you identify yourself as working class, especially, it seems, if you are white.
The working class may have historically been aligned with the labour movement, but Margaret Thatcher's astute recognition of strong individualistic aspirations - such as the desire to own a home - changed the political landscape in ways that are still evident nearly 30 years on.
Sarfraz visits housing estates in Manchester and talks to schoolchildren, academics and politicians about the future of the working class.
WED 11:30 Clare in the Community (b00htvhj)
Series 5
Girls on Film
Clare has a new trainee social worker to break-in, Brian has football problems, plus the family centre is the focus of a documentary film.
Sally Phillips plays Clare Barker the social worker with all the politically correct jargon but none of the practical solutions.
Clare ..... Sally Phillips
Brian ..... Alex Lowe
Helen ..... Liza Tarbuck
Ray ..... Richard Lumsden
Megan/Nali ..... Nina Conti
Irene ..... Ellen Thomas
Simon ..... Andrew Wincott
Colette/Mrs Cook ..... Anna Bengo
Catriona ..... Alex Tregear
Written by Harry Venning and David Ramsden.
Producer: Katie Tyrrell
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 2009.
WED 12:00 You and Yours (b00hsrbh)
Presented by Winifred Robinson.
How is the telecoms sector regulated and what can those left incommunicado do about it? We speak to MP Henry Bellingham and Matthew Riley, director of Daisy Communications.
Suppliers say big stores are placing even more pressure on them to drop their prices and are renewing calls for a Supermarkets' Ombudsman. We speak to Andrew Opie from the British Retail Consortium and Philip Hudson, the NFU's Chief Horticultural adviser.
The case of a disabled man who was forced to sell his 28,000 pound mobile home for just 8,000 pounds prompts a debate in the House of Commons.
In the second of our disabled leaders series, Peter White talks to Rachel Hurst, former chair of the British Council of Disabled People, who has spent more than 20 years lobbying the EU and the UN for disability rights.
Pre-Packed Administration: Fans claim it's a great way of saving jobs and keeping businesses afloat; critics say creditors can lose out. Michael Jervis, insolvency expert at PricewaterhouseCoopers, explains.
Charlotte Smith takes up the challenge from Michael O'Leary (chief executive of Ryanair) to pack only 10kg of luggage for a two week holiday.
A BBC investigation discovers that jobs advertised on the government's Jobcentre Plus website didn't exist. Applicants were asked for a 'one-off training fee' to do home-working instead - but the jobs just weren't there.
WED 12:57 Weather (b00hsrd1)
The latest weather forecast.
WED 13:00 World at One (b00hsrh0)
National and international news with Shaun Ley.
WED 13:30 The Media Show (b00htvhl)
Steve Hewlett presents a topical programme about the fast-changing media world.
WED 14:00 The Archers (b00hsrjp)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Tuesday]
WED 14:15 Drama (b00hv3j0)
The Sensitive
A Possession
Alastair Jessiman's third play about a Glasgow psychic who uses his gifts to help police investigations. When Thomas Soutar agrees to help in the search for a music student who has been missing for a year, he becomes obsessed by the missing girl in ways that he had not expected.
Directed by Bruce Young.
WED 15:00 Money Box Live (b00htw7z)
Vincent Duggleby and guests answer calls on banking.
WED 15:30 Readings From Bath (b00hvckm)
Inappropriate Dancing
Stephanie Cole reads the second of three stories from the stage of last year's Bath Literature Festival. At the age of 81, Alice Garbutter has taken her first risk, and it feels so good she's going to take more. Inappropriate Dancing by Fran Landsman
Producers: Sue Fry/Sara Davies.
WED 15:45 My Alter Ego (b00ht5cq)
George Augustus Sala
Can you imagine who you might have been if you'd lived at a different point in history?
That's exactly what the presenters of My Alter Ego have been asked to do. Each programme in the series is presented by someone whose life, career, or mind-set shares some similarities with a character from history.
Programme 3: George Augustus Sala was a Victorian journalist, one of the best known writers of the day, whose career took off when Charles Dickens spotted his talent and published his work in 'Household Words'. Sala joined the Daily Telegraph shortly after its launch in the mid 1800s becoming a prolific leader writer and an adventurous and well-travelled foreign correspondent. He reported on the American Civil War (where his southern sympathies made him an unpopular figure) and the Franco-Prussian war (where he was arrested and thrown into jail, accused of being a spy). He would never travel anywhere without a revolver, a corkscrew, and a 'little huswife full of pins, needles and buttons'. it doesn't really compare with the Blackberry, mobile phone, and flak jacket needed by today's foreign correspondents, but despite this, Con Coughlin (the Daily Telegraph's Executive Foreign Editor) sees many parallels with his career and Sala's. In the third programme in this series Con Coughlin explores those parallels, while telling the colourful life-story of his Victorian alter ego.
Producer: Karen Gregor.
WED 16:00 Thinking Allowed (b00htwhb)
Documentaries - Intellectual Property Law
DOCUMENTARIES
Documentaries purport to reflect reality as it is, but do they? The classic 1934 film Man of Arran showed fishermen in dangerous and dramatic waters. The film won prizes around the world, but the men only agreed to go out in risky seas because they were highly paid to do so. It was a stunt and their lives were put at risk, but it made a great film.
Laurie Taylor talks to Professor Brian Winston who claims that the documentary, from Cinema Verite to Reality TV, has always had a troubled relationship to the truth and David Gauntlett, Professor of Media and communication at the University of Westminster. They consider some aesthetic and ethical aspects of documentary making.
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY LAW
Is copyright killing creativity? James Boyle is William Neal Reynolds Professor of Law at Duke Law School, North Carolina and the author of a new book The Public Domain: Enclosing the Commons of the Mind explaining the uneasy relationship between culture, copyright laws and creativity.
WED 16:30 Am I Normal? (b00htn08)
[Repeat of broadcast at
21:00 on Tuesday]
WED 17:00 PM (b00ht5mr)
Full coverage and analysis of the day's news with Eddie Mair. Plus Weather.
WED 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b00ht5pm)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4, followed by Weather.
WED 18:30 I've Never Seen Star Wars (b00htwhd)
Series 2
Suggs
Suggs reads A Brief History of Time, listens to Vivaldi, changes the oil in a car and has his first tap-dancing lesson.
WED 19:00 The Archers (b00hsrjr)
Brian ponders on where Tom's getting the money from to buy him out. Adam's really not interested but Brian won't let it go. He's even thinking of hanging on to his half and pushing the brand forward with or without Tom's help. Adam points out that if things get really bad Tom could go to court to dissolve the partnership. A legal battle would trash the brand and damage the family. Eventually Brian admits defeat. But if Tom's serious he'd better make a damn good offer.
Alan's promised to check if Shula still does riding for the disabled, for one of his parishioners. After getting the info he needs, Alan casually asks Shula how she's getting on at the cathedral. Shula informs him she's really enjoying the services.
Lilian cancels her ride, telling Shula something awkward's cropped up. Matt's going through his files again but knows it's pointless. Lilian still doesn't understand the situation and wonders if Matt's told her everything. Eventually Matt comes clean and tells her the full extent of his dodgy dealings. This time he hasn't exactly sailed close to the wind. It's more like a hurricane and he's going to see his life smashed to pieces.
Episode written by Adrian Flynn.
WED 19:15 Front Row (b00ht5r7)
Presented by John Wilson.
Rare photographs drawn from the archives of legendary explorers such as Sir John Franklin, Captain Scott and Sir Ernest Shackleton are available to view freely online, in a new project from the University of Cambridge. Sir Ranulph Fiennes talks to John about his contribution to the Freeze Frame project and writer Francis Spufford reveals his thoughts on the archive.
Celebrated documentary-maker Jane Treays discusses American Teen, a new US documentary which follows four 17 year-olds through their last year at a school in a small town in Indiana.
The brainchild of rock promoter Harvey Goldsmith, the British Music Experience is a new permanent interactive music exhibition within London's O2. Harvey gives John an early preview of the attraction, and music journalist Robert Sandall offers his verdict .
Comedian Danny Robins explores a new trend in cinema-going: the secret film night. He finds out how people across the UK are turning up at unlikely locations to watch a movie, the identity of which will only be revealed once they show up at the venue.
WED 19:45 15 Minute Drama (b00ht5zy)
The Death of Grass
Episode 3
Dramatisation of the science fiction novel by John Christopher.
Having broken past the roadblocks, the convoy is hoping for a clear run to Blind Gill. But a level crossing, a gatehouse and a carjack change the Custances's lives for ever.
Narrator ...... David Mitchell
Pirrie ...... Bruce Alexander
John ...... Darrell Brockis
Ann ...... Rebecca Egan
Roger ...... Gus Brown
Man ...... Andrew Mayer
Mr Spruce ...... Jonathan Dryden Taylor.
WED 20:00 Moral Maze (b00htwhg)
Michael Buerk chairs a debate on the moral questions behind the week's news. With Michael Portillo, Claire Fox, Matthew Taylor and Clifford Longley.
WED 20:45 Lent Talks (b00htwhj)
In No God's Land
Six well-known figures explore ideas of the absence of God from their own perspective. Martin Bell reflects on his experience in war zones.
WED 21:00 Percy Edwards Showdown (b00htwx7)
David Attenborough stars in a new role: radio quizmaster - in a show all about Percy Edwards, who enjoyed a 70 year career impersonating birds and beasts.
That was a first, and so is this programme - a documentary game-show, combining the strange story of Percy's life, with archive of his impersonations, interviews with those who knew him, and a quiz. Among the contestants are Bill Oddie and the comedian Alex Horne.
Percy Edwards discovered his talent for talking like animals when he was seven. Dozing under a tree, he heard what he thought was a wolf-whistle and discovered that it was a bird. For several weeks, Edwards kept hearing this greenfinch and found that, with practice, he could imitate it. He even took to eating canary seed before going to bed in the hope that he would wake in the morning singing like a bird.
Eventually he was able to produce the sound of more than 600 birds, and some other beasts (his was the voice of the killer whale in Orca, the alien in Alien and he provided sheep noises for Kate Bush's song The Dreaming). He took to the stage aged 11, was a stalwart of the Generation Game in the 1970's and gave his final performance aged 80 at the London palladium in 1989. His repertoire was extraordinary, all 13 calls of the chaffinch, the strangely grinding sound of the amorous capercaille and corgis barking in Welsh accents.
Quizmaster Attenborough will play bird calls for the teams to identify, some of which will not be the birds, but Percy's impressions, so can they tell the difference? They will be asked not only the identity of the bird, but its circumstances. Is this a cry of distress, alarm or a sexy song? Woven into the rounds will be snippets about Edwards' life from the BBC?s archive ? he appeared on Parkinson, Wogan and Morecambe & Wise - revealing the importance of his work for raising the public?s awareness of wildlife, and the significance of his role as an ornithologist.
Percy Edwards died in 1996 aged 88.
Producers: Emma Legg and Julian May
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2009.
WED 21:30 Midweek (b00htvd7)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:00 today]
WED 21:58 Weather (b00ht86p)
The latest weather forecast.
WED 22:00 The World Tonight (b00ht88p)
National and international news and analysis with Robin Lustig. Including reports on Congress's reception to Gordon Brown's speech, Europe's fragile economies and the story of a drug addict son.
WED 22:45 Book at Bedtime (b00ht8fr)
The White Tiger
Episode 8
Sagar Arya reads Aravind Adiga's Man Booker Prize-winning satire on contemporary India. The story of Balram Halwai, the son of a rickshaw puller, who escapes the rural poverty of his village into the bright lights and corruption of the city.
Temptation stares Balram in the face as he sees just how deeply his employer is mired in the corruption of the city.
WED 23:00 Josie Long: All of the Planet's Wonders (b00htxbs)
Obscure Animal Facts
In her continuing quest to better herself through learning and discovering things in reference books, comedian Josie Long, explores the fantastic world of obscure animal facts in a bid to become the ultimate quiz contestant.
With her comedic cohorts, Maeve Higgins, Chris Neil, Jesse Thorne and Geoff Long.
Producer Colin Anderson
First broadcast BBC Radio 4 in March 2009.
WED 23:15 One (b00771hg)
Series 1
Episode 3
The sketch show where no sketch features more than one voice.
Written by David Quantick and starring Dan Maier, Lizzie Roper, Graeme Garden, Deborah Norton, Andrew Crawford, Dan Antopolski and Jeremy Clarkson as himself.
WED 23:30 Today in Parliament (b00ht8h9)
News, views and features on today's stories in Parliament with Robert Orchard.
THURSDAY 05 MARCH 2009
THU 00:00 Midnight News (b00hs9tx)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by weather.
THU 00:30 Book of the Week (b00hzyg9)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:45 on Wednesday]
THU 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b00hs9xz)
The latest shipping forecast.
THU 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b00hs9zw)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
THU 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b00hsb2f)
The latest shipping forecast.
THU 05:30 News Briefing (b00hsb3j)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.
THU 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b00hsb58)
Daily prayer and reflection with Rev Jenny Wigley.
THU 05:45 Farming Today (b00hsb7r)
News and issues in rural Britain with Anna Hill.
THU 06:00 Today (b00hsbbv)
Presented by James Naughtie and Sarah Montague.
Global chief economist at Goldman Sachs Jim O'Neill discusses how much he believes interest rates will be cut by the Bank of England.
Oxfam's spokesman for Sudan Alun McDonald discusses if its work can still be carried out in the area.
Nicholas Jones goes in search of Arthur Scargill, the former leader of the National Union of Mineworkers.
Science correspondent Tom Feilden considers if a new space telescope will find earth-like inhabitable planets.
Business editor Robert Peston reports on the current state of the Chinese economy.
Political correspondent Norman Smith reports on who the next Labour leader might be.
Thought for the day with Professor Mona Siddiqui, of the University of Glasgow.
Economic adviser George Magnus and John Cridland of the CBI discuss if workers should be made to retire at a certain age.
It is 25 years since the beginning of the miners' strike. Correspondent Bob Walker talks to a miner who returned to work after six months, crossing the picket lines. Conservative peer Norman Tebbit discusses his memories of the how government dealt with the industrial unrest.
Pakistan's former High Commissioner to London Professor Akbar Ahmed considers if Pakistan could now be considered a failed state.
Michael Summers of the Patients' Association and Professor Nick Bosanquet discuss if prescriptions should be free on the NHS.
MP Michael Connarty examines the divisions caused by the miners strike 25 years ago.
Michael Jackson will announce that he is going to do a series of 50 concerts in London. Broadcaster Paul Gambaccini and pop entrepreneur Pete Waterman discuss.
Mark Mardell considers attempts by the US to normalise relations with Russia, which were put on hold after the conflict in Georgia.
Prime Minister Gordon Brown has returned from Washington following his speech to Congress. North America editor Justin Webb and political editor Nick Robinson discuss what the US thought of Mr Brown's address.
THU 09:00 In Our Time (b00hv1dp)
The Measurement Problem in Physics
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss one of the deepest problems in contemporary physics. It’s called the measurement problem and it emerged from the flurry of activity in the early 20th century that gave rise to Quantum Mechanics. If the most famous fruit in physics is an apple, the most famous animal in physics is a cat. Schrödinger’s cat is named after Edwin Schrödinger, a theoretical physicist who in the early 20th century helped to develop the radical theories of Quantum Mechanics. The cat does not actually exist – it is the subject of a thought experiment – in which the rules of quantum mechanics make it appear both dead and alive at the same time.The problem of a cat that is both dead and alive illustrates the challenges of quantum physics and at the heart of this apparent absurdity is a thing called the measurement problem.The measurement problem arises because we don’t really understand how the atoms that constitute our world behave. They are fundamentally mysterious to us, even shocking, and they defy our attempts to measure and make sense of them. Possible solutions range from the existence of multiple realities to the rather more mundane possibility of an error in our mathematics - but a solution, if found, could transform our understanding of reality. With Basil Hiley, Emeritus Professor of Physics at Birkbeck, University of London, Simon Saunders, Reader in Philosophy of Physics and University Lecturer in Philosophy of Science at the University of Oxford; Roger Penrose, Emeritus Rouse Ball Professor of Mathematics at the University of Oxford
THU 09:45 Book of the Week (b00hzygc)
The Decisive Moment
Episode 4
Hari Dhillon and Amanda Burton read Jonah Lehrer's exploration of neuroscience and how the human brain makes up its mind.
Exploring the crucial role of the pre-frontal cortex in decision-making. How a firefighter's ability to think creatively in the middle of a horrific bush fire proved to be a life-saving decision.
How is the human brain able to process huge amounts of information under great time pressure, and where is the seat of rational thought?
THU 10:00 Woman's Hour (b00hspk4)
Glenys Kinnock; Lance Corporal Martyn Compton
Glenys Kinnock on her life in politics, plus Martyn and Michelle Compton on surviving severe injury in Afghanistan, and the first British women world bobsleigh champions.
THU 11:00 From Our Own Correspondent (b00hv1dr)
BBC foreign correspondents with the stories behind the world's headlines. Introduced by Kate Adie.
THU 11:30 Bombay's Beatle (b00hv1dt)
Sarfraz Manzoor visits Mumbai to visit some of the musicians who were recruited in 1968 by George Harrison to help him record the soundtrack to the psychedelic film Wonderwall
THU 12:00 You and Yours (b00hsrbk)
Presented by Winifred Robinson.
A family suing the Bank of Scotland for harassment have lost their case at Truro County Court.
John Waite's Face the Facts investigation into Vioxx highlighted how thousands of people had suffered heart attacks and strokes after taking it. Since then a further side-effect of taking Vioxx has come to light.
Edinburgh City's bid to install trams has halted in a dispute over a contract. Dave Anderson, Edinburgh City Council's Director of City Development, discusses.
Hundreds of workers have lost their case as the European Court of Justice rules in favour of maintaining a mandatory retirement age in Britain. Dame Joan Bakewell gives her views.
Cornwall is calling for a bank holiday to honour their local saint, St Piran.
Jack Ashley became the first deaf MP when he lost his hearing more than 40 years ago. Since then he has campaigned constantly for disability rights, including setting up the Parliamentary All Party Disability Group and pressing the Government to introduce the Disability Discrimination Act.
Peter Hughes has invented a speed bump that we may soon see everywhere from supermarket car parks to residential streets.
THU 12:57 Weather (b00hsrd3)
The latest weather forecast.
THU 13:00 World at One (b00hsrh2)
National and international news with Shaun Ley.
THU 13:30 Off the Page (b00hv1dw)
Ambition
Dominic Arkwright, Terence Blacker, Tina Lamb and Shaun Bailey discuss what motivates us to try and succeed in life. From March 2009.
THU 14:00 The Archers (b00hsrjr)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Wednesday]
THU 14:15 Drama (b00hv1dz)
Iain M Banks - The State of the Art
The State of The Art
By Iain M. Banks
Dramatised by Paul Cornell
The Culture ship Arbitrary arrives on Earth in 1977 and finds a planet obsessed with alien concepts like 'property' and 'money' and on the edge of self-destruction. When Agent Dervley Linter, decides to go native can Diziet Sma change his mind?
The Ship ...... Antony Sher
Diziet Sma ...... Nina Sosanya
Dervley Linter ...... Paterson Joseph
Li ...... Graeme Hawley
Tel ...... Brigit Forsyth
Sodel ...... Conrad Nelson
Directed by Nadia Molinari.
THU 15:02 Open Country (b00hrg9w)
[Repeat of broadcast at
06:07 on Saturday]
THU 15:27 Radio 4 Appeal (b00hrt8n)
[Repeat of broadcast at
07:55 on Sunday]
THU 15:30 Readings From Bath (b00hvckp)
The Successor
Pippa Haywood reads a third story recorded on stage at last year's Bath Literature Festival. An ex-wife looks on in disapproval at her husband's choice of her successor, but her criticism turns to helplessness as danger threatens. The Successor written by Rachel Fixsen.
Producers: Sue Fry/Sara Davies.
THU 15:45 My Alter Ego (b00ht5cs)
Kathleen Raine
Can you imagine who you might have been if you'd lived at a different point in history?
That's what the presenters of My Alter Ego have been asked to do. Each programme in the series is presented by someone whose life, career, or mind-set shares some similarities with a character from history.
Kathleen Raine was one of the outstanding poets of the 20th century. Born in 1908, and dying at the age of 95 in 2003, she produced a large and critically acclaimed body of work. Philip Larkin said of her 1956 book of collected poems: 'Her work lacks every quality traditionally associated with the title poetess: there is no domesticity, no cosiness, and love poems of a personal nature, the introduction tells us, have also gone, what remains is the vatic and universal'. The poet Katrina Porteous can identify with much of Kathleen Raine's life and work: they share Scottish roots, a Cambridge education, and a connection with Northumberland where Kathleen was evacuated during the 1st World War, and where Katrina has chosen to live. Kathleen had a deep, but ultimately unhappy friendship with the author Gavin Maxwell. She was devoted to him, and inspired by him, regarding him as a muse, but their chaste friendship broke-down and Kathleen blamed herself for this. Katrina Porteous was given the autobiographies of Kathleen Raine by a friend who recognised similarities between Kathleen's sources of inspiration and something Katrina herself had experienced. On today's My Alter Ego, Katrina discusses the connections in life and poetry - between her and Kathleen Raine.
Producer: Karen Gregor.
THU 16:00 Bookclub (b00hs8xq)
[Repeat of broadcast at
16:00 on Sunday]
THU 16:30 Material World (b00hv1f2)
Darwin and the Eye - Kepler’s New Astronomy
Darwin and the Eye
Quentin Cooper hears about the latest remarkable example of natural selection - a fish eye that focuses light using a dished mirror - and how it illustrates Charles Darwin's 150-year-old theory.
Darwin recognised that the eye, in all its perfection, could represent a real problem for the theory of evolution. But in fact, with hundreds of different seeing organs specialising in different functions across the animal kingdom, the eye actually reveals the great inventiveness of natural selection.
Kepler’s New Astronomy
The International Year of Astronomy 2009 is celebrating the birth of modern astronomy, reminding the world of Galileo’s first use of the telescope to study the heavens 400 years ago.
What’s being overlooked in the clamour is the Nova Astronomia or New Astronomy published by Galileo’s contemporary Johannes Kepler the same year.
Insisting on physical causes underlying planetary motions, this volume demonstrated conclusively that the Earth orbits the Sun, and not the other way round.
And the work led directly to Newton’s law of Gravity.
THU 17:00 PM (b00ht5mt)
Full coverage and analysis of the day's news with Eddie Mair. Plus Weather.
THU 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b00ht5pp)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4, followed by Weather.
THU 18:30 Old Harry's Game (b00hv1f4)
Series 7
Episode 3
The presence of a baby is turning the residents of Hell all soft - Scumspawn becomes the first demon to wear a papoose, and Satan tries to locate "Satan Junior's" real family.
Stars Andy Hamilton as Satan, Annette Crosbie as Edith, Robert Duncan as Scumspawn and Jimmy Mulville as Thomas.
Additional roles played by Michael Fenton Stevens and Philip Pope.
Written by Andy Hamilton.
Producer: Paul Mayhew-Archer
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 2009.
THU 19:00 The Archers (b00hsrjt)
Ruth makes Pip a 'local' packed lunch but the cranberry juice breaks the rules. Pip wants to help with the milking but Ruth encourages her to do her homework.
Pip's produced some leaflets promoting local food and asks Tony to put them in his veg boxes. Tony praises her initiative but points out that it disadvantages farmers in the developing world. Realising this could ruin fairtrade, Pip see a virtuous get-out which would mean she could enjoy brazil nut cookies.
Lilian's out riding to clear her head. She's in no mood to chat to David about Neil's dilemma over what colour to paint the inside of the phone box.
Tom's delighted that Brian's finally agreed to sell his share of the Tom Archer business. Pat and Tony are pleased, but feel uneasy about the secrecy surrounding Tom's new partner.
Tom's anxious to hear from Matt. Brenda points out that Matt's a busy man and he isn't necessarily going to call tonight, but she tries to share Tom's enthusiasm. Tom knows how pleased Matt will be that Brian's ready to sell, so it doesn't matter if Matt doesn't call tonight - or tomorrow. He's bound to get back to Tom in the next few days.
Episode written by Adrian Flynn.
THU 19:15 Front Row (b00ht5r9)
Presented by Mark Lawson.
Mark was at the opening night of Tina Turner's European concert tour. He is joined by writer and journalist Dreda Say Mitchell to ask if Tina is still 'simply the best'.
Mark talks to novelist and screenwriter Neil Cross, who has written episodes for the TV spy series Spooks. Cross also discusses his latest novel, Burial.
A new BBC2 series, Rocket Science, documents a Merseyside schoolteacher's attempt to overturn his pupils' prejudices against the subject of science. But where does the phrase 'rocket science' come from? Linguist and author David Crystal reveals the history of this and other scientific cliches.
Mark explores the phenomenon of unimpressed parents, following reports that film director Danny Boyle's father described his son's multiple Oscar-winning movie, Slumdog Millionaire, as 'reasonable'. Mark also hears from actor Anthony Sher, writers Tony Harrison and Hanif Kureishi and artist Michael Landy.
THU 19:45 15 Minute Drama (b00ht62v)
The Death of Grass
Episode 4
Dramatisation of the science-fiction novel by John Christopher.
The journey to Blind Gill continues, with one addition to the group and one sudden, shocking loss. Both events shed new light on the increasingly disturbing behaviour of Mr Pirrie.
Narrator ...... David Mitchell
Pirrie ...... Bruce Alexander
John ...... Darrell Brockis
Ann ...... Rebecca Egan
Roger ...... Gus Brown
Millicent Pirrie ...... Abigail Burdess
Olivia Buckley ...... Morag Cross.
THU 20:00 Seven Days (b00hv1f6)
In Oldham
As the town launches an enquiry into excessive alcohol consumption, Jenny Cuffe spends a week in Oldham with those people who are developing new ways to intervene in the lives of heavy drinkers.
THU 20:30 Analysis (b00hv1f8)
The Threat of Thrift
After decades of easy credit, Chris Bowlby asks if the concept of thrift has lost its moral attraction and if its revival could further damage the economy.
THU 21:00 Leading Edge (b00hv1fb)
Nuclear Power, Science and Politics and Near Death Experience
Nuclear Power
The recent decision by a handful of prominent green activists to go public on their change of heart about nuclear power was, to many environmentalists, heresy. To others, who’ve long argued for nuclear power it came as a welcome relief. But is the nuclear option sustainable? Professor Kevin Anderson of the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research and Professor Robin Grimes of Imperial College debate the issues with Geoff Watts.
Science Friction
Science aims to deal in verifiable fact; politics has to take account of other less tangible factors, most of them subjective and many of them contentious.
Fiona Fox, director of the Science Media Centre, is unhappy about a couple of recent cases where the meeting between science and politics was fraught – in her view, unnecessarily so.
Heart Disease
Disease of the coronary artery is a major killer and most people with a problem don’t discover it until they develop symptoms. Existing tests for heart disease are either less than exacting, or expensive and invasive. What’s really needed is a simple non-invasive test than can warn of the onset of heart disease before symptoms appear. Professor Anna Dominiczak of Glasgow University thinks she’s on the way to developing such a test, by sampling not blood, but urine.
Near Death Experience
A recent conference brought together doctors, psychologists and others with an interest in near-death and other out-of-body phenomena. Martin Redfern reports.
THU 21:30 In Our Time (b00hv1dp)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:00 today]
THU 21:58 Weather (b00ht86r)
The latest weather forecast.
THU 22:00 The World Tonight (b00ht88r)
National and international news and analysis with Robin Lustig.
THU 22:45 Book at Bedtime (b00ht8ft)
The White Tiger
Episode 9
Sagar Arya reads Aravind Adiga's Man Booker Prize-winning satire on contemporary India. The story of Balram Halwai, the son of a rickshaw puller, who escapes the rural poverty of his village into the bright lights and corruption of the city.
Balram's fateful decision has been made and now is the moment when he passes the point of no return.
THU 23:00 Inside Alan Francis (b00hv1rj)
Episode 3
Comedy series in which comedian Alan Francis explores the workings of his own mind in relation to his life, friends and long-suffering girlfriend Jane.
Alan and Jane are due to meet at the solicitors.
With Julian Dutton, Barnaby Power, Kali Peacock. Written by Alan Francis with Julian Dutton, Anthony Neilson and Richard Turner.
Producer: Julia McKenzie
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 2009.
THU 23:30 Today in Parliament (b00ht8hc)
News, views and features on today's stories in Parliament with David Wilby.
FRIDAY 06 MARCH 2009
FRI 00:00 Midnight News (b00hs9v0)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by weather.
FRI 00:30 Book of the Week (b00hzygc)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:45 on Thursday]
FRI 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b00hs9y1)
The latest shipping forecast.
FRI 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b00hs9zy)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
FRI 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b00hsb2h)
The latest shipping forecast.
FRI 05:30 News Briefing (b00hsb3l)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.
FRI 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b00hsb5b)
Daily prayer and reflection with Rev Jenny Wigley.
FRI 05:45 Farming Today (b00hsb7t)
News and issues in rural Britain with Anna Hill.
FRI 06:00 Today (b00hsbbx)
Presented by Sarah Montague and James Naughtie.
The information watchdog has shut down a company which it says sold workers' confidential data. The deputy information commissioner David Smith discusses what action will be taken.
Reporter Nicola Stanbridge visits one independent school in south-west London to discover the problems with teaching science at GCSE.
John Howson of the Magistrates' Association discusses if the overcrowding problem could be alleviated by giving magistrates' courts more power.
Young Scientist Peter Hadfield explains what motivated him to get involved in science.
Science correspondent Tom Feilden reports on the request for more compensation for people born with deformities due to the drug thalidomide.
Chief Constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland Sir Hugh Orde discusses why members of an army special forces unit are being deployed to help gather intelligence on dissident Republicans.
Dr Alan Outram of Exeter University discusses if horses were domesticated rather earlier than once thought.
Thought for the day with Lord Harries of Pentregarth, the Gresham Professor of Divinity.
John Dunford of the Association of School and College Leavers and headmaster John Welsh discuss if GCSEs still challenge pupils.
Foreign Secretary David Miliband says the situation in Pakistan is very grave.
The explorer Pen Hadow has now embarked on his journey to the Arctic. He discusses his progress with the writer and explorer Benedict Allen.
Alan Ritchie of Ucatt says workers who raise issues of health and safety have been placed on blacklists.
Director of the Centre for European Reform Charles Grant and Conservative MEP Daniel Hannan discuss the stability of the euro.
Liu Weimin, spokesman for the Chinese embassy in London, discusses how China intends to continue its modernisation.
Broadcaster Andrew Neil and journalist Nick Davies discuss the current quality of investigative journalism in the UK.
FRI 09:00 Desert Island Discs (b00hrt91)
[Repeat of broadcast at
11:15 on Sunday]
FRI 09:45 Book of the Week (b00hzygf)
The Decisive Moment
Episode 5
Hari Dhillon and Amanda Burton read Jonah Lehrer's exploration of neuroscience and how the human brain makes up its mind.
Exploring the certainty trap - a potential hazard for pundits and politicians alike. It feels good to be certain, but this can lead each of us to pretend that our mind is in full agreement with itself, even when it is not. In other words, we trick ourselves into being sure. But is it possible to use our knowledge of the brain to avoid such pitfalls?
FRI 10:00 Woman's Hour (b00hspk6)
Marie McCourt; The arrest of Roxana Saberi
Marie McCourt on coming to terms with her daughter's disappearance and death. Plus microfinancing in the developing world discussed, and Roxana Saberi's father on her arrest.
FRI 11:00 Hairspray and Harmonies (b00hv33b)
Episode 2
Kit Hesketh-Harvey follows the Birmingham-based ladies barbershop chorus Second City Sound.
Kit meets up with the group in Harrogate as it prepares to compete in the Ladies Association of British Barbershop Singers.
FRI 11:30 HR (b00hv33d)
Series 1
A Role-Play
Peter discovers that he has to reapply for his own job. But he's not the only one...
Nigel Williams’ comedy drama series charting the misfortunes of a middle-aged HR officer and his trouble-making colleague.
Peter ...... Jonathan Pryce
Sam ...... Nicholas Le Prevost
Director: Peter Cavanagh
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 2009.
FRI 12:00 You and Yours (b00hsrbm)
Presented by Peter White.
Reports include:
A South Wales-based TV and home furnishings seller which has been criticised for charging high rates of interest.
Ian Macmillan ponders the significance of the necktie. Why does the wearing, or not wearing, of this tiny piece of material mean so much?
Tickets for Michael Jackson's O2 concerts don't go on general sale until Friday 13 March 2009 - but tickets are already on sale via the internet at five to six times their face value.
Is the fall in sterling good news for UK tourism? Sandie Dawe is the acting chief executive of Visit Britain and in charge of marketing Britain overseas as a tourist destination.
Andrew Lee has learning difficulties and has gone through many of the experiences associated with that impairment - being bullied, dead-end jobs and deterred from having children. He is now director of People First, the national campaigning organisation run by people with learning difficulties.
The voluntary Mountain Rescue Service is struggling financially and has asked the government for a VAT exemption. The issue was raised in the House of Lords this week. We report on the result.
Four people involved in a boiler room fraud that conned 500 investors out of more than 2.4 million pounds have been found guilty at the end of an eight-week trial at Southwark Crown Court.
FRI 12:57 Weather (b00hsrd5)
The latest weather forecast.
FRI 13:00 World at One (b00hsrh4)
National and international news with James Robbins.
FRI 13:30 Feedback (b00hv33g)
Roger Bolton airs listeners' views on BBC radio programmes and policy.
FRI 14:00 The Archers (b00hsrjt)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Thursday]
FRI 14:15 Drama (b00hvgbt)
Brett Goldstein - Success Story
When Ray's low-budget film is picked up by a major studio his dreams of Hollywood start to become a reality. Then, holed up in a hotel room doing endless publicity interviews, he finds the past coming back to bite him. By Brett Goldstein.
Ray ..... Geoffrey Streatfeild
Tara ..... Caroline Catz
Emily ..... Sasha Pick
Kristen ..... Laurel Lefkow
Directed by Toby Swift.
FRI 15:00 Gardeners' Question Time (b00hwbpb)
Eric Robson chairs the popular horticultural forum.
John Cushnie, Matthew Biggs and Pippa Greenwood answer questions posed by gardeners at the Chipstead Flower Show Association in Surrey.
Including the Gardeners' Question Time gardening weather forecast.
FRI 15:45 My Alter Ego (b00ht5cv)
Varaztad Kazanjian
Can you imagine who you might have been if you'd lived at a different point in history?
That's exactly what the presenters of My Alter Ego have been asked to do. Each programme in the series is presented by someone whose life, career, or mind-set shares some similarities with a character from history.
Programme 5:
One of the heroes of the First World War was an American surgeon who was posted with the British army. His name was Varaztad Kazanjian and as an Armenian refugee he had escaped the massacre of his people in Turkey in 1895. He settled in Worcester, Massachusetts and - along with many other Armenians - took a job in the local wire factory. There he worked long, hot hours but was determined to make a better life, and dedicated himself to years of evening classes. Eventually he decided to try for a career as a dentist, and in 1902 was accepted by Harvard Dental School, qualifying in 1905. He was happily married and successfully running his own dental practice when the First World War broke out, but he volunteered to join the Harvard Medical Corps, posted to a huge tented hospital complex in northern France. There he began to treat some of the worst injuries suffered in trench war-fare - jaws, noses, cheeks and skulls shattered by bullets and grenades. Although he wasn't a qualified surgeon, he had become known for treating the kind of facial injuries and disfigurements neglected by the general medical community, and he brought this passion and expertise to bear in France. Many soldiers, who would otherwise have suffered dreadful scarring and lifelong pain, had their injuries expertly treated by Kazanjian. It was said that he advanced the field of plastic surgery by 50 years during the four years he served the British army. He received an honorary knighthood from King George the Vth, and became one of the most respected reconstructive facial surgeons in the world. (At one stage treating Sigmund Freud, whose jaw had been eaten away by cancer).
Telling the story of Varaztad Kazanjian is Professor Iain Hutchison. He is founder and Chief Executive of The Facial Surgery Research Foundation and is one of the world's leading reconstructive facial surgeons. His mother was a Jewish doctor who escaped the Nazis in Austria; his first career was in dentistry, before specialising in oral and maxillo-facial surgery; and - like Kazanjian - he has operated on some of the most difficult cases of facial injury and disfigurement, all the while advancing and developing this particular area of surgery.
Producer: Karen Gregor.
FRI 16:00 Last Word (b00hwtj3)
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 (b00hwtj5)
Francine Stock talks to Julian Fellowes, the actor and Oscar-winning writer of Gosford Park, about his latest script, Young Victoria. Plus director Ole Christian Madsen talks about his popular but controversial war movie, Flame and Citron, which investigates the role of the Resistance movement against the Nazi occupation of Denmark.
FRI 17:00 PM (b00ht5mw)
Full coverage and analysis of the day's news with Eddie Mair. Plus Weather.
FRI 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b00ht5pr)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4, followed by Weather.
FRI 18:30 The Now Show (b00hwtj7)
Series 27
Episode 1
Comedy sketches and satirical comments from Steve Punt, Hugh Dennis and the team including Mitch Benn, Laura Shavin, Jon Holmes and Jon Richardson.
FRI 19:00 The Archers (b00hsrjw)
Caroline loathes having to let staff go. Oliver feels guilty for not being more supportive of Grey Gables, so he's made a decision to. He's going to retire from farming but is considering setting up a tenancy for Ed, who might be able to afford a reasonable rent plus a loan to buy the stock.
Brian tells Matt he's washing his hands of his business interest with Tom but Matt's attention is elsewhere until Brian mentions Chalkman being in trouble. Matt's relieved to hear that Brian's guessing Chalky has woman trouble, and tells Brian he hasn't got time for gossip.
Neil's pleased to hear Nic's moving back in with Will. Will hasn't told Eddie and Clarrie officially but Nic's got a school place for Jake so it's looking likely.
Neil is busy painting the phone box. After being rebuffed by Caroline, Eddie tries to sell him chocolate, hoping he'll take a load like Jazzer did earlier.
Matt's meeting with his solicitor, Russell, wasn't encouraging. Lilian assumes everything will be sorted when Chalkman gets back from America but Matt tells her straight. If things go badly when this comes to court, he's facing a seriously long stretch inside.
Episode written by Adrian Flynn.
FRI 19:15 Front Row (b00ht5rc)
Stewart Lee's Comedy Vehicle.
Presented by Kirsty Lang.
Stand-up comedian Stewart Lee discusses his return to television with Stewart Lee's Comedy Vehicle. He also talks about healthy rivalries between stand-ups, political correctness, atheism and co-writing Jerry Springer The Opera.
Brian Friel's Olivier Award-winning play, Dancing at Lughnasa, reflecting rural Ireland in the 1930s, returns to London for the first major revival since its premiere nearly 20 years ago. Novelist and critic Sarah Dunant reviews.
Kirsty visits the home of the late Khadambi Asalache, where his partner Susie Thompson and Ian Wilson of the National Trust take her on a tour of the magical building.
With rumours that Blockbuster might be in financial trouble, and some video stores closing, Andrew Collins reflects on the films that feature video stores and the people who work in them, From Be Kind Rewind to Yes Man.
FRI 19:45 15 Minute Drama (b00ht63q)
The Death of Grass
Episode 5
Dramatisation of the science fiction novel by John Christopher.
The end of the journey is in sight but there are still plenty of obstacles ahead. At the last of them, John has to make an agonising choice.
Narrator ...... David Mitchell
Pirrie ...... Bruce Alexander
John ...... Darrell Brockis
Ann ...... Rebecca Egan
Roger ...... Gus Brown
Ashton ...... Andrew Mayer.
FRI 20:00 Any Questions? (b00hwvf7)
Jonathan Dimbleby chairs the topical debate in Sutton, Surrey.
FRI 20:50 A Point of View (b00hwvf9)
Katharine Whitehorn reflects on images of women in the media.
FRI 21:00 Stone (b0077495)
Series 1
Mary Shane
By Danny Brocklehurst.
DCI John Stone is investigating the high profile case of a missing teenage girl, Louise Sands. Then Mary Shane, 80, turns up insisting that she must speak to Stone and confesses to murdering three people 60 years earlier.
Mary Shane ...... Anne Reid
DCI Stone ...... Hugo Speer
Kate ...... Suranne Jones
Catriona ...... Zoe Henry
Tanner ...... Craig Cheetham
Sally ...... Danielle Henry
Jack Leary ...... James Nickerson
Ken ...... Terence Mann
Ryan ...... Aidan Parsons
Directed by Nadia Molinari.
FRI 21:58 Weather (b00ht86t)
The latest weather forecast.
FRI 22:00 The World Tonight (b00ht88t)
National and international news and analysis with Robin Lustig. Including reports on the prospects of a new relationship between Washington and Moscow, US unemployment rises to a 25-year high, a French whingeing website proves a surprising hit in America and what will be the future shape of the economy in a post-recession Britain.
FRI 22:45 Book at Bedtime (b00ht8fw)
The White Tiger
Episode 10
Sagar Arya reads Aravind Adiga's Man Booker Prize-winning satire on contemporary India. The story of Balram Halwai, the son of a rickshaw puller, who escapes the rural poverty of his village into the bright lights and corruption of the city.
Balram has made it out of the darkness and into the dazzle of entrepreneurial success. The cost has been high, and could be even higher in the future, but for the White Tiger the price has been worth it.
FRI 23:00 A Good Read (b00htn02)
[Repeat of broadcast at
16:30 on Tuesday]
FRI 23:30 Today in Parliament (b00ht8hf)
News, views and features on today's stories in Parliament with Mark D'Arcy.