The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.
Daily prayer and reflection with the Archbishop of Wales, Rev Dr Barry Morgan.
News and issues in rural Britain. Anna Hill asks if enough is being done by farmers and the government to protect herds and flocks from bluetongue.
Massive doses of tranquillisers and other drugs that were given to residents of a children's home in the 1970s and 1980s could lead to them having children with birth defects, the BBC has learned. Shadow Children's Minister Tim Loughton discusses the Today programme's investigation.
Correspondent Peter Hunt reports on the second Irish Republic budget in six months as the economy contracts sharply.
A man burned terribly in a fire is being given a new face and two new hands in an extraordinary transplant operation. Professor Peter Butler says a face transplant could happen in the UK within a year.
Correspondent Dominic Hughes reports from the city of L'Aquila following the devastating Italian earthquake.
Somali pirates have seized a British-owned cargo ship and a Taiwanese ship, maritime officials say. Commander Gerry Northwood discusses the seizure.
Arts correspondent Lawrence Pollard talks to the men from Abba, Benny Anderson and Bjorn Ulvaeus, about 10 years of their stage show Mamma Mia! and if there is any chance of a comeback tour.
Dr Palitha Kohona, Permanent Secretary to the Sri Lankan Ministry of Foreign Affairs, discusses why Sri Lanka's government has rejected calls for a ceasefire.
Hundreds of girls heavily sedated in UK care homes during the 1970s and 1980s may be at risk of having children with birth defects, the BBC has found. Reporter Angus Stickler explains the evidence he found from a group of former care home residents.
Home Secretary Jacqui Smith discusses her role in the expenses row, and apologises for what was done, saying it was a bad mistake, but wished it had been brought to her attention earlier.
Steve Rolles, head of research at Transform, says the current policy of drug prohibition is not cost effective.
The Ukraine is marking the bicentenary of the great Ukrainian writer Mikola Hohol. Russia is marking the 200th anniversary of the birth of the great Russian writer Nikolai Gogol. Correspondent Gabriel Gatehouse considers which country should be celebrating his birthday.
Young public speaker Benedict Townsend and Lord Digby Jones, chairman of the Speakers Trust, discuss what makes a good public speaker.
Niall Dickson, chairman of the health charity the King's Fund, discusses to what extent drugs should be relied on by medical professionals.
Matthew d'Ancona explores the meaning of 'Britishness'. With contributions from composer Nitin Sawhney, the Archbishop of Canterbury and some Welsh rugby fans.
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.
Stanley Baldwin, who led Britain between the world wars and was the first prime minister to master radio.
By Janet Soskice. The true story of the two sisters who discovered one of the earliest known copies of the Bible on Mount Sinai in 1892. Read by Stella Gonet.
Having returned from a trip to Jerusalem, the twins are separated for the first time in their lives when Margaret meets and marries James Gibson. But Agnes puts her spare time to good use by learning Arabic in preparation for their next adventure.
Musician Imogen Cooper on the solitary life of a solo pianist. Plus, American author Jayne Anne Phillips on Lark and Termite; and plans to relax the laws on abortion in Spain.
Gareth Mitchell looks at our need for speed in different areas of modern life and asks what is stopping us from getting faster. Promises of quicker and more comfortable travel seem to have disappeared in the push towards greener transport. But does greener mean slower? And have faster speeds become elusive for both technological and financial reasons?
Gareth travels to El Mirage dry lake bed in the Californian desert, where 'hot rodding' was born, and to the Estorick Gallery in London which houses the UK's largest collection of Futurist art, the early-20th century movement that expressed a love of speed.
Burt Caesar presents two programmes exploring how British film and television drama from the 1950s to the 1970s portrayed the lives of African-Caribbean immigrants.
Burt Caesar charts the landmark screen dramas such as Pressure, Empire Road and Burning an Illusion which presented an alternative view of black lives in Britain during the 1970s.
Consumer news and issues with Julian Worricker, who looks at how rural communities can survive the influx of second home owners, with concerns over the rise in 'ghost villages'. Can new arrivals live alongside the locals? Some welcome the extra work the newcomers bring, while others are simply resentful.
National and international news with Martha Kearney. Including the latest developments in the Italian earthquake, as rescuers continue to search for earthquake survivors and a review of President Obama's trip to Europe, as it ends in Turkey. Will he be able to deliver on the many things he has promised? Plus, after a parliamentary committee makes serious criticisms, is the BBC's profit making Worldwide arm out of control?
Composer Jocelyn Pook celebrates the music and meaning of the word Hallelujah through history and creates a new composition inspired by the word. This exuberant exclamation of joy and gratitude has survived the passage of centuries, transcending the barriers of language, religion and culture, and has inspired composers and songwriters from the Psalms through Monteverdi, Handel, Vivaldi, Nick Cave and Leonard Cohen.
Featuring contributions from composer Julian Anderson and singer-songwriter kd lang.
The Galileans make the long journey south to the heart of their nation. But their triumphant arrival is full of danger ? and betrayal.
Over the Easter season, Nick Warburton's five plays reimagine Jesus's story through the eyes of those who witnessed it.
Music by David Pickvance.
Vanessa Collingridge presents the series exploring ordinary people's links with the past.
Could a listener's hotel in North Wales once have been the court of the 13th-century Welsh leader Llewellyn the Great? Plus listeners caught up in the expulsions from Idi Amin's Uganda in 1972 revisit their personal experiences, and medicine historian Dr Elizabeth Hurren lifts the lid on the grim history of the undertaker.
One of three specially-commissioned stories by Frances Fyfield examining the life of the deceased, from the perspectives of those who knew - or thought they knew - him best: his first love, his wife, and his trusted and shadowy lawyer.
Joe Bloggs, or JB, or Joseph Benedict is dead: 'What a pity.' But he was a very different man to each of them, and similarly, the nature of that pity is very different.
Shirley May met Joe at an East End funeral and lived with him for ten years before 'he went and married someone else'. He was a man of secrets and 'junk', but in her heart she never really let him go. The week before he died he sent her a key through the post, but the key to what?
The radiant clothing at the court of King Charles I, sumptuously painted by Anthony Van Dyck, but showing tensions of the age.
Michael Rosen examines spelling. With a revival of interest in spelling bees, the ability to spell 'properly' is again becoming synonymous with having a good education. But do spelling reformers have a point when they say that irregular spelling is responsible for anything from teenage pregnancy to the high prison population?
Michael also considers the politics of spelling and why computer spell-checkers do not seem to help people with dyslexia.
Matthew Parris presents the biographical series in which his guests choose someone who has inspired their lives.
Television and radio presenter Stuart Hall discusses his lifelong hero, Napoleon Bonaparte. Is he one of the greatest figures in European history or a ruthless dictator, driven only by the desire for power?
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.
4 Extra Debut. Victoria Coren hosts the show that thinks the unthinkable. With David Baddiel, Germaine Greer and Rufus Hound. From April 2009.
Tom and Brian discuss a handover date for moving the pigs over to Bridge Farm. Tom thinks it shouldn't take longer than a month. They agree not to fight old battles. All's well that ends well, thanks to Peggy.
Council officials are inspecting the site for the wetland system at Bridge Farm. Tony wonders why Helen's brought Annette with her. He's suspicious of Annette's plans - how long does she intend to stay in Ambridge? Annette picks up on Tony's coolness towards her but Helen assures her that he's probably just tense about the meeting. Helen's cross with Tony for making Annette feel unwelcome - it's none of his business how long Annette chooses to stay with her.
Matt's worried about Lilian going out riding on her own. There are some dodgy characters about. Whilst out, a motorbike speeds past her three times. Matt's concerned. It could have spooked the horse, causing it to throw her. He asks Lilian if she managed to get a look at the driver or the bike's number plate, but she didn't get the chance given the speed he was doing. Matt tells Lilian she needs to be more careful in the future.
Novelist Margaret Drabble discusses her book The Pattern in the Carpet: A Personal History with Jigsaws, which is part memoir, and part an exploration of her own fascination with jigsaw puzzles.
Larushka Ivan-Zadeh reviews new Swedish film Let the Right One In, about a 12-year-old boy who falls for a girl next door who turns out to be a vampire.
A visit to the Handel House Museum at 25 Brook Street in London's Mayfair. The 250th anniversary of Handel's death is being marked by a new exhibition - Handel Reveal'd, offering new insights into the composer's character and personal life. John Wilson paid a visit with conductor Christopher Hogwood CBE and crime writer and Handel fan, Ruth Rendell.
Music writer Barney Hoskyns on his biography of US singer-songwriter Tom Waits - which was written without any contributions from the notoriously private artist.
Ruth learns more about her mother's recruitment as a British spy. Meanwhile her own past is catching up with her.
Sally/Eve ...... Eileen Atkins
Ruth ...... Fenella Woolgar
Lucas Romer ...... Adrian Lukis
Hamid ...... Akbar Kurtha
Teacher ...... Philip Fox
Mike Wooldridge reports on the quiet economic inroads into Africa being made by India. He asks if we are witnessing a modern-day scramble for Africa as India, along with the world's other most populous country, China, seriously compete with each other to engage resource-rich Africa. If so, what will be the consequences for the continent as a whole and will it benefit or be damaged by this competition?
Richard de Costobadie is visually impaired. Having tried to hide his deteriorating eyesight for many years he has now decided to carry a white cane. Richard Pryor, who heads the sensory loss team for Cornwall social services, and Dr Rowena Forbes, a university administrator, offer their advice and experiences.
Dr Mark Porter explores men's health in the workplace and how even the threat of redundancy can make you ill.
Mark visits the Olympic venue for London 2012 to talk to doctors and construction workers about the importance of having on-site facilities. He also hears how cab drivers on Merseyside are giving tips on stopping smoking and becoming more healthy by eating five portions of fruit and veg per day. Also, how the Metropolitan Police are managing the stress levels of their officers.
National and international news and analysis with Robin Lustig. Including the latest news on the earthquake in Italy, President Obama's arrival in Iraq, RBS job losses and the Irish government's emergency budget
Emma Gregory reads Stefan Zweig's reworking of the Cinderella story, set in post-WWI Austria.
A silk dress, a new hairstyle and make-up transform poor, shy Christine into a beautiful, confident young woman. A new life, full of possibilities, seems to beckon.
Arthur Smith presents a series of three comedy lectures on different aspects of Art.
Arthur continues his journey through the history of western representation and arrives at its most glorious flowering - his own work. With contributions from Miriam Elia, Phil Nice, Arnold Brown, Ian MacPherson and Simon Munnery.
1991: Biographer Michael Pearce's attempt to research the powerful Winshaw family proves challenging.
But whenever he feels stressed, Pearce turns again and again to view a clip of his favourite film, What A Carve Up!
Robert Bathurst stars in Jonathan Coe's wickedly funny, black comedy, inspired by the immorality, greed, corruption and ambition of 1980s Britain - adapted by David Nobbs (The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin).
Coe's cult 1994 fictional novel was inspired after he watched the old British comedy horror film, What A Carve Up! (1961) starring Sid James, Kenneth Connor and Shirley Eaton. Coe opted to borrow both the film's title and the theme of a family -- as a way of exposing foul play in the British Establishment - and the excesses and evils of all aspects of Thatcherite Britain during the 80s and early 90s.
Michael ...... Robert Bathurst
Fiona ...... Fiona Allen
Hilary ...... Rebecca Front
Henry/Peter Eaves ...... Jeff Rawle
Findlay/McGanny ...... Charlie Higson
Hortensia/Receptionist/Nanny ...... Flaminia Cinque
Alan Beamish/Taxi Driver ...... Gus Brown
Simon Pride Wetherby ...... Alan Davies
Michael's Mum ...... Geraldine McNulty
WEDNESDAY 08 APRIL 2009
WED 00:00 Midnight News (b00jctp6)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.
WED 00:30 Book of the Week (b00jhcm5)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:45 on Tuesday]
WED 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b00jctq9)
The latest shipping forecast.
WED 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b00jctt6)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
WED 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b00jctrv)
The latest shipping forecast.
WED 05:30 News Briefing (b00jctvw)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.
WED 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b00jcv3r)
Daily prayer and reflection with the Archbishop of Wales, Rev Dr Barry Morgan.
WED 05:45 Farming Today (b00jcv5p)
News and issues in rural Britain with Anna Hill. A new survey of dairy farmers suggests that so many will leave the industry over the next 20 years that we will have to import half of our milk. Is the age of British cheese coming to an end?
WED 06:00 Today (b00jcv7t)
Presented by James Naughtie and Edward Stourton.
Agostino Miozzo, spokesman for Italy's Civil Protection Agency, discusses the plan for rebuilding after the earthquakes.
Reporter Jack Izzard visits the London suburb of Bexleyheath to discover how businesses are dealing with the recession.
Father Paul Mason and National Secular Society president Terry Sanderson discuss who should pay for hospital chaplains.
Professor Ian Gilmore of the Alcohol Health Alliance and Gavin Partington, spokesman for the Wine and Spirit Trade Association, discuss if increasing the cost of alcohol would curb binge drinking.
Home affairs editor Mark Easton discusses Oxfam's new report about the recession and poverty in the UK.
Sir Charles Mackerras describes how, after 60 years as a conductor, he still finds something new in every score.
Thought for the day with Brian Draper, associate lecturer at the London Institute for Contemporary Christianity.
Economists Howard Archer and Andy Brough discuss if the economy is already beginning to recover.
Correspondent Rory MacLean, Liberal Democrat Justice spokesman David Howarth and Peter Smyth, chairman of the Metropolitan Police Federation, discuss controversial footage of police at the G20 protests.
Cabinet Office minister Liam Byrne and Jill Kirby, of the Centre for Policy Studies, debate whether charities have become too similar to political lobby groups.
Social worker Joanna Nicolas and Deputy Children's Commissioner Sue Berelowitz discuss if children are now more violent.
Writer Seth Grahame-Smith discusses how he went about rewriting Jane Austen's classic Pride and Prejudice - with zombies.
Colette Aram, 16, was found strangled in a field near Keyworth in Nottinghamshire 25 years ago. Flora Watkins reports on the police announcement that they have arrested a man in connection with the case.
Professor John Hills discusses the history of dealing with poverty during a recession.
Did football change forever on May 26 1989, when Arsenal faced Liverpool needing to win by two goals in order to take the league title? Author Jason Cowley discusses if this game marked the end of an era with sports writer Colin Shindler.
WED 09:00 Midweek (b00jhxq4)
CONOR WOODMAN
Conor Woodman is a former City Economist. He decided to quit his job, sold his flat, and set off to trade his way around the world, returning to the early profit motivation of traders over three thousand years ago. He attempts to trade camels in the Sudan, coffee in Zambia and surfboards to Mexico, all with the aim of doubling his money.
Around the World in 80 Trades is published by MacMillan. A four part Channel 4 series begins on Thursday 9th April at
10pm.
HELEN KONGAI
Helen Kongai is a Ugandan farmer who received a cow and training in sustainable agriculture from the Send a Cow initiative after the death of her husband. Since then she has become their Agricultural Development Officer for Eastern Uganda and is visiting the UK to help promote a new project Grow it Global, which is designed to encourage schoolchildren in the UK visiting farms and learning about sustainable farming.
BILLY OCEAN
Billy Ocean started out as a tailor on Savile Row before going on to become the most successful British black male artist of all time with hits like Caribbean Queen and When the Going Gets Tough. But after worldwide success, he decided to give it all up to spend more time with his family. He's now back with his first album in fifteen years Because I Love You on the Aqua Music label.
MICHAEL WOOD
Michael Wood is the historian and broadcaster who has spent more than twenty years making compelling journeys into the past, bringing history alive for a generation of readers and viewers. He is the author of several highly praised books on English history including In Search of the Dark Ages, and over 80 documentaries including In the Footsteps of Alexander the Great and The Story of India. He is giving a talk at the Royal Geographical Society - The Search for Shangri-La – a journey through Tibet to Mt Kailash and Tsaparanga on 22nd April in aid of the Spiti Projects.
WED 09:45 Book of the Week (b00jhdf8)
Sisters of Sinai
Episode 3
By Janet Soskice. The true story of the two sisters who discovered one of the earliest known copies of the Bible on Mount Sinai in 1892. Read by Stella Gonet.
After the untimely death of both their husbands, the twins head to the monastery at Mount Sinai. While working in the library, Agnes stumbles upon a hidden palimpsest - one ancient document written on top of another.
A Pier Productions production for BBC Radio 4.
WED 10:00 Woman's Hour (b00jpg35)
Carole King; Alice Powell
Singer and songwriter Carole King on her extraordinary life and career. Plus, Alice Powell, the youngest ever driver in the Formula Renault Championships.
WED 11:00 The Unknown Face (b00jhy03)
Novelist Louise Welsh investigates the enduring fascination with the Inconnue de la Seine, a plaster death mask, reputedly that of a young woman whose body was pulled from the River Seine in the late-19th century.
For 50 years she has been the face of the mannequin known as Resusci Anne on which over 300 million people have learnt the life-saving skills of resuscitation. She has also inspired generations of writers and artists, including Albert Camus, Man Ray, Vladimir Nabokov and Anais Nin.
Louise attempts to answer the question which has fascinated them all - who was she?
WED 11:30 Safety Catch (b017gxpv)
Series 2
I Draw the Line
Simon is faced with even more of a moral dilemma than he's grown sadly accustomed to in his line of work and so finds himself finally drawing the line and resigning.
When faced with a particularly tricky moral issue at work Simon finally decides enough is enough and quits his job. It's not great timing though as he and Anna find themselves contemplating having a baby.
Series two of Laurence Howarth's black comedy of modern morality set in the world of arms dealing.
Simon McGrath...........Darren Boyd
Anna Grieg............Joanna Page
Boris Kemal...........Lewis Macleod
Judith McGrath..........Sarah Smart
Angela McGrath..........Brigit Forsyth
Madeleine Turnbull..........Rachel Atkins
Marcus...............Dan Mersh
Producer: Dawn Ellis.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 2009.
WED 12:00 You and Yours (b00jcvnc)
Consumer news and issues with Winifred Robinson.
WED 12:57 Weather (b00jcvqh)
The latest weather forecast.
WED 13:00 World at One (b00jcvs9)
National and international news with Martha Kearney.
Including reports on the Independent Police Complaints Commission's plans to investigate the video footage that has emerged showing a man's encounter with police minutes before he collapsed and died of a heart attack at the G20 protests in London. Martha hears from a witness who attended to Mr Tomlinson after he collapsed, and a former Scotland Yard officer says there should be a criminal investigation.
As Gordon Brown says he wants the UK to become a world leader in producing electric cars, London's mayor Boris Johnson gives his view on whether the UK's cities are ready to go electric.
And should universities decide to grant places on the basis of the new A-star grade? The government says not yet, and the former chief inspector of schools offers his expert opinion.
WED 13:30 The Media Show (b00jj01l)
Ed Stourton is joined by Stephen Grey and Wendell Cochran to discuss whether there is a future for investigative journalism and what models might sustain it and discovers if advertisers are doing enough to promote diversity with Zena Martin of Acknowledge Communications. He examines the future of the 'lads mag' market with Nicholas Coleridge of Conde Nast and the first editor of Loaded James Brown, and takes a closer look at who polices the watershed with Christopher Banatvala, Director of Standards at Ofcom.
WED 14:00 The Archers (b00jcvv3)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Tuesday]
WED 14:15 Drama (b00jj01n)
Beirut Days
By Kris Kenway. A day in the life of the enigmatic city where east meets west. For three lost souls, this is the day when everything changes.
Narrator ...... Nadim Sawalha
Mounira ...... Souad Faress
Josef ...... Peter Polycarpou
Nadine ...... Sirine Saba
Rania ...... Razane Jammal
Abu Ziad ...... Raad Rawi
Directed by James Robinson.
WED 15:00 Money Box Live (b00jj0f4)
On Money Box Live Paul Lewis takes your questions on benefits. Paul is joined by: Eddy Graham from Child Poverty Action Group and Sally West of Age Concern.
WED 15:30 Afternoon Reading (b00jhvfz)
The Burying of Joe Bloggs
Theodora
The second specially-commissioned story by Frances Fyfield examining the life of the deceased, from the perspectives of those who knew - or thought they knew - him best: his first love, his wife, and his trusted and shadowy lawyer.
The 'someone else' Joe married was Theodora. He was her fourth husband and they met at an auction house. Curiously, Joe never wanted her to throw out the artefacts from her previous marriages, all those pictures on the walls of her beautiful home. Theodora also has a key ...
Readers: Sophie Stanton, Liza Ross and Hugh Ross
Producer: Karen Rose
A Sweet Talk production for BBC Radio 4.
WED 15:45 Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen's Men of Fashion (b00jcwg3)
Charles II - Fashion Restored?
An old sartorial order seemed restored, but French fashions prompted a style that would herald the three-piece suit.
WED 16:00 Thinking Allowed (b00jj0f6)
Picturing the Social Order
Laurie Taylor is in Leeds to visit the first exhibition to draw together images of how, historically, artists have represented the social order. He is joined by Alistair Robinson, the curator of Rank: Picturing the Social Order 1615-2009, as well as by political cartoonist Martin Rowson and sociologist Gordon Fyfe.
They discuss evocative images, from The Chain of Being to the Map of World Poverty, and consider the challenges of demonstrating power, class and wealth in a visual way.
WED 16:30 Case Notes (b00jhxmp)
[Repeat of broadcast at
21:00 on Tuesday]
WED 17:00 PM (b00jd5bc)
Full coverage and analysis of the day's news with Eddie Mair. Plus Weather.
WED 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b00jcwkh)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4, followed by Weather.
WED 18:30 Mark Steel's in Town (b00jj0mx)
Series 1
Walsall
Comedian Mark Steel presents a show from the magnificent Town Hall of Walsall in the West Midlands and celebrates the accent, the hippo and why the town has nothing to do with Birmingham.
Producer - Julia McKenzie.
WED 19:00 The Archers (b00jcvv5)
Before the Borchester Land meeting commences, Annabelle asks Brian if Matt's had any more visits from the SFO. The ongoing investigation is making things very uncomfortable for the other board members and shareholders. Matt's new business proposals aren't met with a great deal of enthusiasm. Securing finance is difficult enough, let alone when the company chair is being investigated by the SFO.
Annabelle collars Brian after the meeting. Matt's position on the board is becoming untenable. They need to think about bringing new blood onto the board.
Ed visits Emma at Jaxx. He's feeling down. There's no way he'd be able to pay back a loan for the tenancy at Grange Farm. At least they've got each other, unlike poor Brenda. Emma tells Ed about Brenda's plans to leave Ambridge; she just can't face bumping into Tom now they're not together. Ed leaves Jaxx to get back to work. He decides to put off telling Oliver about his decision until tomorrow. He wants to sleep on it.
Emma tells Joe the bad news about the Grange Farm tenancy. They'd need at least two thousand pounds for a business plan, which they just can't afford. Ed's going to have to tell Oliver he can't do it.
Episode written by Mary Cutler.
WED 19:15 Front Row (b00jcwmd)
Arts news and reviews with John Wilson.
Peter Taylor, award-winning journalist and expert on the Troubles in Northern Ireland, reviews the film Fifty Dead Men Walking, based on the memoirs of an IRA informer.
With arena shows Star Wars: A Musical Journey in London and Walking with Dinosaurs touring the country later this year, we find out how the new generation of large-scale stadium shows work.
As a retrospective of his artistic work opens in London, electronic musician, actor and DJ Goldie discusses his graffiti art, the TV series Maestro and his latest project: composing a new piece of work for the Proms.
Director of the BBC Proms Roger Wright announces the line-up for his second year in charge.
WED 19:45 15 Minute Drama (b00jpg39)
Restless
Episode 3
Dramatisation of William Boyd's thriller.
Ruth discovers that her mother thinks that someone is trying to kill her.
Sally/Eve ...... Eileen Atkins
Ruth ...... Fenella Woolgar
Lucas Romer ...... Adrian Lukis
Jochen ...... Gene Goodman
Hamid ...... Akbar Kurtha
Ludger ...... Matt Addis
Joos ...... Jonathan Tafler
Directed by Marc Beeby.
WED 20:00 Bringing Up Britain (b00jj0sm)
Series 2
Episode 1
Mariella Frostrup hosts a debate about parenting with families, experts and policy-makers.
Mariella and her guests discuss whether shouting at children inflicts long-term damage or is an inevitable part of busy family life. As the focus on children's behaviour and parents' management of it increases, are there effective alternatives to yelling at children to get them to do what you want?
The panellists are psychotherapist Sue Gerhardt, Professor Stephen Scott of the National Association of Parenting Practitioners and journalist and writer Jennie Bristow.
WED 20:45 Lent Talks (b00jj13m)
God Present in Absence?
Six well-known figures explore ideas of the absence of God from their own perspective.
Jewish feminist theologian Melissa Raphael wonders what Jesus' cry of abandonment on the cross says about God's absence and how it connects with the experience of many Jews in the Holocaust.
WED 21:00 Debating Animals (b00jj13p)
Series 1
The Cat and the Dog
Rod Liddle examines our differing responses to related animal species and tries to establish what those responses tell us not merely about the animals but about ourselves.
As the millenium turned a few years back there was another, less trumpeted shift in emphasis in Britain. After years, perhaps thousands of years, of ascendancy as man's favoured domestic animal, the dog gave way to the cat. It is now cat and dog, literally, at the top of the popular pet league, and Rod Liddle takes a long, hard stare at this stand-off and what it tells us about ourselves.
Cats are the ultimate urban companion. The old debate is whether you own them or they own you. Independent, brimful of attitude and well equipped to operate in a semi-feral environment.
Dogs, on the other hand, spent thousands of years being honed as servants. They might be perfect for the hunt, for herding, for guarding or simply for companionship, but what they never achieved was a capacity for going it alone. Own a dog and you have to be ready to sacrifice your time for them.
So is it just a simple question of 21st-century Britain indulging itself rather than taking on the duties required of dog ownership? And what are the costs of this shifting balance? Dogs eat what dogs are given to eat. Cats eat that and half the urban wildlife around them.
Peter Purves, Ann Widdecombe and Sir David Attenborough are among those informing this domestic animal debate.
WED 21:30 Midweek (b00jhxq4)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:00 today]
WED 21:58 Weather (b00jcwnw)
The latest weather forecast.
WED 22:00 The World Tonight (b00jj13r)
National and international news and analysis with Jane Hill.
Including the latest on anti-terror raids in the north-west of England and a report on the trust issue between police and public following the death of a man at the G20 protest. Plus, how green is Gordon Brown? His low-carbon economy plans are thawing relations between the US and Cuba.
WED 22:45 Book at Bedtime (b00jcx01)
The Post Office Girl
Episode 3
Emma Gregory reads Stefan Zweig's reworking of the Cinderella story, set in post-First World War Austria.
Christine's new-found happiness is ruined when a jealous rival spreads gossip, but she finds a friend in an unexpected quarter.
WED 23:00 My Teenage Diary (b00jj13t)
Series 1
Russell Kane
My Teenage Diary is a six-part comedy series in which fully-grown comedians are given the chance to revisit their formative years by opening up their deeply intimate teenage diaries, and reading them out in public for the very first time.
Hosted by Rufus Hound.
Rufus is joined by comedian Russell Kane, whose detailed accounts of everyday life as a teenager, combined with anger-fuelled poetry displays just what it is to be unpopular, unattractive and unlucky in love.
Producer: Victoria Payne
A talkbackTHAMES production for BBC Radio 4.
WED 23:15 Bespoken Word (b00cqhrf)
Mister Gee presents the performance poetry series, featuring highlights from the Latitude Festival in Suffolk. Performers include the internationally renowned Kat Francois.
WED 23:30 What a Carve Up! (b0076qsz)
Episode 3
1991: Battling to write about the mighty Winshaws, Michael Pearce meets the family's politician, Henry - and enlists the help of a private detective.
But whenever he feels stressed, Pearce turns again and again to view a clip of his favourite film, What A Carve Up!
Robert Bathurst stars in Jonathan Coe's wickedly funny, black comedy, inspired by the immorality, greed, corruption and ambition of 1980s Britain - adapted by David Nobbs (The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin).
Coe's cult 1994 fictional novel was inspired after he watched the old British comedy horror film, What A Carve Up! (1961) starring Sid James, Kenneth Connor and Shirley Eaton. Coe opted to borrow both the film's title and the theme of a family -- as a way of exposing foul play in the British Establishment - and the excesses and evils of all aspects of Thatcherite Britain during the 80s and early 90s.
Michael ...... Robert Bathurst
Fiona ...... Fiona Allen
Findlay ...... Charlie Higson
Henry ...... Jeff Rawle
Hortensia ...... Flaminia Cinque
Alan Beamish ...... Gus Brown
Michael's Mum ...... Geraldine McNulty
Producer: Lucy Armitage
Made by Tiger Aspect Productions for BBC Radio 4 and first broadcast in 2005.
THURSDAY 09 APRIL 2009
THU 00:00 Midnight News (b00jctp8)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.
THU 00:30 Book of the Week (b00jhdf8)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:45 on Wednesday]
THU 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b00jctqc)
The latest shipping forecast.
THU 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b00jctt8)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
THU 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b00jctrx)
The latest shipping forecast.
THU 05:30 News Briefing (b00jctvy)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.
THU 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b00jcv3t)
Daily prayer and reflection with the Archbishop of Wales, Rev Dr Barry Morgan.
THU 05:45 Farming Today (b00jcv5r)
News and issues in rural Britain with Chris Impey.
Shearers from Australia and New Zealand are traditionally regarded as the Olympic champions of world shearing and British farmers have relied on their speed and efficiency for many years. However, new visa regulations are forcing the globetrotting shearers to return to their home country for finger-printing and retina-scanning before they are allowed into the UK.
THU 06:00 Today (b00jcv7w)
Presented by James Naughtie and Sarah Montague.
Economics editor Stephanie Flanders and Michael Coogan of the Council of Mortgage Lenders discuss the interest rate decision facing the Bank of England.
Solicitor Harriet Wistrich discusses the footage of a police officer pushing a man to the ground at a G20 protest minutes before he died.
Nursery teacher Angela Forkin says children are being taught to read and write too early.
Broadcaster Charles Shoebridge, a former counter terrorism intelligence officer, and shadow security minister Baroness Neville-Jones discuss if an anti-terror operation was jeopardised.
Dame Joan Bakewell, the government's Voice of Older People, says some of the care provided for the elderly is deplorable.
Russia's foreign minister Sergei Lavrov has said the US and Russia should not force former Soviet states to pick between an alliance with Washington and Moscow, RIA news agency reports. Rupert Wingfield-Hayes reports on if there are "hidden agendas" in relations between the two nations.
Thought for the day with the Reverend Angela Tilby, vicar of St Bene't's Church in Cambridge.
Washington correspondent Richard Lister and Admiral Richard Gurnon, president of the Massachusetts Maritime Academy, discuss what the US can do to thwart Somali pirates.
Britain's most senior counter-terrorism officer, Bob Quick, has resigned after he accidentally revealed details of a secret anti-terrorism operation. Security correspondent Frank Gardner, Panorama reporter Peter Taylor and David Winnick MP discuss the blunder.
London Mayor Boris Johnson announces that he has accepted the resignation of Assistant Commissioner Bob Quick.
Broker Terry Smith and Angela Knight, of the British Bankers Association, discuss if some banks are "potentially too big to bail".
Richard Vinen, professor of Modern European History at King's College, London, and author Simon Jenkins discuss the legacy of Mrs Thatcher and Thatcherism.
Middle East editor Jeremy Bowen has been on both sides of the Gaza border to see what has changed since the Israeli offensive earlier this year.
Former London mayor Ken Livingstone discusses the resignation of Bob Quick and the announcement of his replacement, Assistant Commissioner John Yates.
What impact has the recession had on people's holiday plans? Ben Ross, travel editor of The Independent, and comedian Arthur Smith discuss if many more people are tempted to holiday in the UK.
THU 09:00 In Our Time (b00jn8bc)
Aldous Huxley's Brave New World
Melvyn Bragg and guests David Bradshaw, Daniel Pick and Michele Barrett discuss Aldous Huxley's dystopian 1932 novel, Brave New World.
In Act V Scene I of Shakespeare's The Tempest, the character Miranda declares 'O wonder! How many Godly creatures are there here! How beauteous mankind is! O Brave new world! That has such people in it!'. It is perhaps the only line of Shakespeare to be made famous by someone else, for Brave New World is not associated with Prospero's Island of sprites, magic and wondrous noises, but with Aldous Huxley's dystopia of eugenics, soma and zero gravity tennis. A world, incidentally, upon which literary references to Shakespeare would be entirely lost.
Brave New World is a lurid, satirical dystopia in which the hopes and fears of the 1930s are writ large and yet the book seems uncannily prescient about our own time. But why did Huxley feel the need to write it and is Brave New World really as dystopian as we are led to believe?
THU 09:45 Book of the Week (b00jhdzw)
Sisters of Sinai
Episode 4
By Janet Soskice. The true story of the two sisters who discovered one of the earliest known copies of the Bible on Mount Sinai in 1892. Read by Stella Gonet.
Having discovered an ancient Syrian text of the four Gospels, Agnes and Margaret return to Mount Sinai with various academics in tow. But on their return to England an argument erupts over who should take the credit for their find.
A Pier Productions production for BBC Radio 4.
THU 10:00 Woman's Hour (b00jpg7d)
The life of Sheila Scott; Ursula King; Baldness
The life and achievements of aviator Sheila Scott. Plus, Professor Ursula King on the search for spirituality; and what's so bad about being bald?
THU 11:00 Crossing Continents (b00jjjps)
Kosovo
Michael Montgomery reports on alleged atrocities in Kosovo which have remained hidden for 10 years. To mark the 10th anniversary of the war in Kosovo, and using documents and interviews he has gathered over more than five years, Michael reveals detailed evidence of another side to the conflict which the world was not meant to see.
THU 11:30 The Great Architect of Home (b00jjjpv)
4 Extra Debut. Susan Marling pays tribute to the American architect Frank Lloyd Wright, and assesses his influence on house design. From April 2009.
THU 12:00 You and Yours (b00jcvnf)
Consumer news and issues with Winifred Robinson.
THU 12:57 Weather (b00jcvqk)
The latest weather forecast.
THU 13:00 World at One (b00jcvsc)
National and international news with Martha Kearney.
Britain's most senior counter-terrorism officer, Bob Quick, has resigned because of a security blunder which meant a major police operation had to be brought forward. Former Home Secretary John Reid discusses the challenges that Quick's successor will face.
Plus an assessment of the Bank of England's quantitative easing measures.
THU 13:30 Costing the Earth (b00jhp5g)
[Repeat of broadcast at
21:00 on Monday]
THU 14:00 The Archers (b00jcvv5)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Wednesday]
THU 14:15 Drama (b008gzll)
Witness: Five Plays from the Gospel of Luke
Tested
Jesus's arrest will test the faith, heart and courage of everyone who plays a part in what will follow.
Over the Easter season, Nick Warburton's five plays reimagine Jesus? story through the eyes of those who witnessed it.
Jesus.......................Tom Goodman-Hill
Peter.......................Peter Firth
Judas.......................Paul Hilton
Pilate.......................Colin Stinton
Caiaphas.......................Robin Soans
Mary.......................Penelope Wilton
Baker.......................Ben Crowe
Centurion .......................Peter Marinker
Girl.......................Anna Bengo
Guard.......................Lloyd Thomas
Music by David Pickvance.
Director: Jonquil Panting
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2007.
THU 15:02 Open Country (b00jgq3s)
[Repeat of broadcast at
06:07 on Saturday]
THU 15:27 Radio 4 Appeal (b00jgzjz)
[Repeat of broadcast at
07:55 on Sunday]
THU 15:30 Afternoon Reading (b00jhvgr)
The Burying of Joe Bloggs
Murray
The third specially-commissioned story by Frances Fyfield examining the life of the deceased, from the perspectives of those who knew - or thought they knew - him best: his first love, his wife, and his trusted and shadowy lawyer.
Joe's trusted lawyer waits for the hearse outside a church in the City of London. While the two women put down Joe's frequent absences to assumed infidelity, Murray has a different take: 'Only two women in a life of fifty-five years? Well, that's because he was a man of huge but bridled passion.' And Murray and Joe shared a passion, namely, the less-than-kosher collecting of fine art and antiques. Murray is also waiting for the two women, but which one has the right key?
Readers: Sophie Stanton, Liza Ross and Hugh Ross
Producer: Karen Rose
A Sweet Talk production for BBC Radio 4.
THU 15:45 Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen's Men of Fashion (b00jcwg5)
Beau Nash - The Rise of the Middling Sort
The impact of an English dandy. The interior designer visits Bath, the hub of the 18th-century men's clothing revolution.
THU 16:00 Bookclub (b00jh474)
[Repeat of broadcast at
16:00 on Sunday]
THU 16:30 Material World (b00jjkph)
Quentin Cooper talks to Professor Robert Holdsworth about the Italian earthquake, an earth scientist at Durham University. One of his colleagues, Ken McCaffery, has gone to L'Aquila with a laser scanning device called a LiDAR. Similar to radar, but using laser light instead of radio waves, Ken plans to deploy the device on the ground near the earthquake site to survey with millimetre accuracy the new scarps of rock.
The Apennine area of Italy has long been interesting to geologists for the bed of limestone very close to the surface. New rock protruding from the surface allows scientists to see and measure recent faulting and shifting as the mountains continue to settle.
It is generally believed that the L'Aquila earthquake produced a shift of about 25 centimetres. If Ken can find the new scarp, he can make a series of accurate measurements over a period of weeks. He hopes that these measurements will help him to build an accurate picture of how the earthquake has affected the local rock structure. It might also help answer questions about what has been going on under Italy for the last 30 million years, and what might happen in the future.
On the 9th April 1969, people in the west of England saw the first British Concorde on its maiden flight from Filton, near Bristol. At the time it seemed to herald a new age of faster-than-a-bullet travel for all. But, as history shows, Concorde remained a luxury for the rich and famous. The planes were decommissioned in 2003.
Quentin speaks to Peter G Coen, Principal Investigator in Supersonic Aeronautics at NASA's Langley Research Centre. He asks what happened to the supersonic dream and whether supersonic passenger travel might one day take to the sky again, with or without its tell-tale sonic boom.
Also, Quentin discusses brain scans with Geraint Rees from the Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, and with Daniel Glaser, Head of Special Projects at the Wellcome Trust.
Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (FMRI) and magnetoencephalography (MEG) have become essential tools for investigating the brain. Thanks to brain scanning, our knowledge of core physical processes - memory, sight, muscle control - has been hugely improved. But are researchers justified in using these tools to delve into more complex and subjective areas such as emotions, aesthetics and morality?
THU 17:00 PM (b00jd5bf)
Full coverage and analysis of the day's news with Eddie Mair. Plus Weather.
THU 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b00jcwkk)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4, followed by Weather.
THU 18:30 4 Stands Up (b00jjkpk)
Series 3
Episode 2
Chris Addison hosts more big names from the top of the comedy circuit, including Sarah Millican, James Sherwood and Jeff Green. From April 2009.
THU 19:00 The Archers (b00jcvv7)
Nic tells Will that Eddie's offered to take her on a long drive to boost her confidence before her driving test next week. Will says it's not often Eddie does someone a favour without strings attached. Later, Eddie's tells Joe he's going to ask Nic to drive them to a real ale pub the other side of Felpersham.
Ed receives a call from Joe telling him not to turn down Oliver's offer. He wants to speak to Ed first and will be over to Grange Farm later that morning.
Joe tells Ed he'll lend him the two thousand pounds he needs. Ed's reluctant to take the money, Joe's funeral savings. But Joe doesn't care. He'd rather see a Grundy back at Grange Farm. Ed's worried he'll let his grandfather down but Joe has every faith in him.
Matt's still annoyed at the lack of support he received from the Borchester Land board. Lilian rallies his spirits, he's twice the man Brian will ever be and more than a match for Annabelle.
Lilian goes riding again. The motorcyclist returns, this time revving his engine right behind her, causing her horse to throw her. Matt's convinced it's Chalkman. She musn't go riding alone again, it's too dangerous.
Episode written by Mary Cutler.
THU 19:15 Front Row (b00jcwmg)
With Mark Lawson.
Philip Glenister, star of the BBC's drama Life on Mars, talks to Mark about the second series of the follow up show - Ashes to Ashes. In the new series the action is set in 1982 and the politically incorrect DCI Hunt turns his attentions to London.
Theatre director David Babani discusses the success of his small venue the Menier Chocolate Factory. Many shows have transferred to much larger theatres, including the recent production of Sondheim's A Little Night Music.
Critic Matt Thorne reviews two TV highlights of the Easter weekend: Skellig, an adaptation of David Almond's award-winning children's novel starring Tim Roth, John Simm and Kelly Macdonald, and space comedy Red Dwarf, which returns with a new three-part series.
And John Lichfield, correspondent for The Independent, reports from Paris on French attempts to crack down on internet piracy by creating legislation which would suspend internet services for illegal downloaders.
THU 19:45 15 Minute Drama (b00jpg7g)
Restless
Episode 4
Dramatisation of William Boyd's thriller.
As Ruth wrestles with problems in her own life, she learns some shocking truths about her mother's activities as a British spy.
Sally/Eve ...... Eileen Atkins
Ruth ...... Fenella Woolgar
Lucas Romer ...... Adrian Lukis
Jochen ...... Gene Goodman
Hamid ...... Akbar Kurtha
Ludger ...... Matt Addis
Bobby ...... Malcolm Tierney
Directed by Marc Beeby.
THU 20:00 The Report (b00jkrdt)
Violence in Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland has been plunged back into violence through the activities of dissident Republicans. Linda Pressly visits Catholic communities to investigate the impact of the violence, and to assess the reasons for it.
She reports on how community leaders are trying to keep young people out of the clutches of the paramilitaries, and discovers an increase in so-called punishment shootings - which most people had hoped were a relic of the past.
Including an interview with the Chief Constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland, Sir Hugh Orde.
THU 20:30 In Business (b00jjls6)
All New
Peter Day hears from the business people who, faced with the uncertainties of the global recession, are pinning their hopes for economic recovery on bold new innovation.
He visits a weekly meeting of OpenCoffee club, a busy gathering point for networking entrepreneurs, and speaks to small start-up companies who are launching their products in the current downturn.
THU 21:00 Power Failure? The Story of the Battery (b00jjls9)
Mark Miodownik explores the idea of a future in which a new generation of batteries, ten times more powerful than anything currently available, might power not just electric cars but electric commercial aircraft and artificial hearts and limbs.
He finds out how batteries work and why, at least until now, they have been severely limited by the natural laws of physics.
Mark also hears concerns that oil companies have conspired with car manufacturers to suppress battery technology, and enters the laboratories of the scientists who are pursuing the holy grail of battery power.
THU 21:30 In Our Time (b00jn8bc)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:00 today]
THU 21:58 Weather (b00jcwny)
The latest weather forecast.
THU 22:00 The World Tonight (b00jjlsc)
National and international news and analysis with Robin Lustig. Including reports on the fallout from the resignation of anti-terrorism chief Bob Quick, Iran's new nuclear technology and the cardboard box cooker powered by the sun.
THU 22:45 Book at Bedtime (b00jcx03)
The Post Office Girl
Episode 4
Emma Gregory reads Stefan Zweig's reworking of the Cinderella story, set in post-First World War Austria.
Christine and Ferdinand grow closer but their hopes and plans are constantly curtailed by a lack of money.
THU 23:00 The Personality Test (b007tckc)
Series 3
Edwina Currie
Ex-MP, novelist and broadcaster Edwina Currie tests a panel about herself. With Sue Perkins and Robin Ince. From July 2007.
THU 23:30 What a Carve Up! (b0076qx7)
Episode 4
Jonathan Coe's cult novel, adapted by David Nobbs, is a black comedy inspired by the immorality, greed and ambition of 1980s Britain.
Michael Pearce is writing the biography of the notorious Winshaw family. He encounters Mortimer Winshaw's son, art guru Roddy.
Michael ...... Robert Bathurst
Fiona ...... Fiona Allen
Roddy/Farringdon ...... Gus Brown
Findlay ...... Charlie Higson
Hilary ...... Rebecca Front
Pyles/Phoebe's Dad ...... Jeff Rawle
Conrad/Mortimer ...... Charlie Higson
Phoebe ...... Lucy Punch
Tabitha ...... Flaminia Cinque
A Tiger Aspect production for BBC Radio 4.
FRIDAY 10 APRIL 2009
FRI 00:00 Midnight News (b00jctpb)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.
FRI 00:30 Book of the Week (b00jhdzw)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:45 on Thursday]
FRI 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b00jctqf)
The latest shipping forecast.
FRI 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b00jcttc)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
FRI 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b00jctrz)
The latest shipping forecast.
FRI 05:30 News Briefing (b00jctw0)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.
FRI 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b00jcv3w)
Daily prayer and reflection with the Archbishop of Wales, Rev Dr Barry Morgan.
FRI 05:45 Farming Today (b00jcv5t)
News and issues in rural Britain with Charlotte Smith.
Featurinh news of a report from Oxford University that suggests hedgerow trees may be the secret to the rejuvenation of our wildlife. They used to be planted as shelter for livestock or for use as timber but very few large trees have been planted on farmland in the past century. As old trees die, vital stepping stones for wildlife are lost. Melanie Abbott finds out how we get them back.
FRI 06:00 Today (b00jcv7y)
Presented by James Naughtie and Sarah Montague.
Journalist Jason Burke discusses the potential for a terrorist attack in the UK.
Education correspondent James Westhead visits a classroom in Epsom to discover their view of Sats.
Designer Wayne Hemingway and Gavin Smart of the National Housing Federation discuss a 6.3 billion pound plan to build 100,000 new homes.
Lib Dem MP Lynne Featherstone and Shadow Education Minister Michael Gove discuss the Baby P case.
Prof Michael Akam explains the discovery of an egg collected by Charles Darwin during his voyage on HMS Beagle.
Thought for the day with the Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams.
Christine Blower, of the NUT, and Professor Alan Smithers discuss what teachers believe is wrong with Sats.
Correspondent Daniel Sandford, the Immigration Service Union's John Tincey and Prof Michael Clarke of the Royal United Services Institute discuss if student visas are "a major loophole in Britain's border controls".
The incoming Archbishop of Westminster, the Most Rev Vincent Nichols discusses his new role and his claims that existing condom adverts "demean" young people.
Correspondent Jim Muir gives details of demonstrations in Baghdad calling for an end to US "occupation", despite assertions that all US troops will be out of the Iraq by 2011.
Chief Superintendent Ian Johnston and filmmaker Roger Graef discuss if police officers are held in lower esteem than a generation ago.
Agnostic Mark Vernon and atheist poet Raymond Tallis discuss the grey area of religious views.
Classicist Dr Peter Jones and Professor Andrew Lambert discuss how the problem of piracy was tackled in the past.
Huw Williams reports on the earliest evidence of human beings in Scotland.
FRI 09:00 The Reunion (b00jh1f1)
[Repeat of broadcast at
11:15 on Sunday]
FRI 09:45 Book of the Week (b00jhfr9)
Sisters of Sinai
Episode 5
By Janet Soskice. The true story of the two sisters who discovered one of the earliest known copies of the Bible on Mount Sinai in 1892. Read by Stella Gonet.
After a long and time-consuming battle, Agnes' discovery is finally published, but this does not put an end to the twins' travels. At the age of 63 they set off for their sixth and final trip to Mount Sinai.
A Pier Productions production for BBC Radio 4.
FRI 10:00 Woman's Hour (b00jpgbk)
The life of Sheila Scott; Ursula King; Baldness
What are the pros and cons of formal testing for 7 and 11 year olds? Plus, the aesthetics and politics of black beauty; and why do many people dread having to make small talk?
FRI 11:00 Freezing Fire, Singing Stone (b00jjmtq)
Writer Hilary Finch shares her fascination with Iceland, that land of fire whose economy is now in meltdown. Talking to musicians, artists, writers and political commentators, including the former president and the leader of the singing protesters of the so-called 'kitchen-utensil revolution', she offers a personal portrait of the country that embraces sagas and geysers, elves and economics.
A Falling Tree production for BBC Radio 4.
FRI 11:30 The Stanley Baxter Playhouse (b00jjn19)
Series 3
The Man in the Garden
Series of three comic plays starring Stanley Baxter.
A lonely lady on a holiday in the remote West Highlands of Scotland finds herself falling in love with two members of the same family, born 60 years apart. By Rona Munro.
Duncan ...... Stanley Baxter
Ellie ...... Penelope Wilton
Receptionist ...... Bill Paterson
Directed by Marilyn Imrie
A Catherine Bailey production for BBC Radio 4.
FRI 12:00 You and Yours (b00jcvnh)
Consumer news and issues with Peter White.
FRI 12:57 Weather (b00jcvqm)
The latest weather forecast.
FRI 13:00 World at One (b00jcvsf)
National and international news with Shaun Ley.
The Immigration Minister Phil Woolas discusses the security threat of Pakistani nationals studying in Britain on student visas.
Plus, why 11 years after the Good Friday agreement, Northern Ireland's non-sectarian parties have failed to make much headway.
Brian Hanrahan is in Poland, where the country is marking 20 years since the Solidarity opposition was legalised.
FRI 13:30 Feedback (b00jjp9j)
Roger Bolton airs listeners' views on BBC radio programmes and policy.
FRI 14:00 The Archers (b00jcvv7)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Thursday]
FRI 14:15 Drama (b00jjp9l)
NQ48
Comedy by Peter Vickers about one man's quest to get out of bed. Joe is a loser from a family of losers who considers it a good day if he is up by noon.
Joe ...... Jason Manford
Aunty Cara ...... Fiona Allen
Chris ...... Benjamin Askew
Sasha ...... Lizzy Watts
Dominic ...... Stephen Hogan
Sean ...... Matt Addis
Tom ...... Jonathan Tafler
Tanya ...... Janice Acquah
Directed by Jessica Dromgoole.
FRI 15:00 Good Friday Liturgy: The Passion in the City (b00jm59h)
Rev Milton Williams, an Anglican priest who ministers on Capitol Hill, meditates on the Passion Narrative as it impacts on the African American community in Washington, DC, one of the most deprived communities in the United States.
FRI 15:30 Actor's Words (b007xkwz)
Meeting Mr Rainbow
A mouse undertakes a perilous journey to seek an audience with a parrot. By Richard Griffiths.
FRI 15:45 Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen's Men of Fashion (b00jcwg7)
Beau Brummell - The Dandy Style
Tastemaker to the Regency, Beau Brummell was British fashion's most influential man. The interior designer surveys his impact.
FRI 16:00 Last Word (b00jjt87)
John Wilson 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 (b00jjt89)
Francine Stock talks to poet, publisher, painter, photographer and actor Viggo Mortensen, star of Lord of the Rings, about his new drama, Good. She also hears from the director of award-winning Swedish teen vampire movie, Let the Right One In, who reveals the secrets of his gory sound effects.
FRI 17:00 PM (b00jd5bh)
Full coverage and analysis of the day's news with Carolyn Quinn. Plus Weather.
FRI 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b00jcwkm)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4, followed by Weather.
FRI 18:30 The Now Show (b00jjtz1)
Series 27
Episode 6
Comedy sketches and satirical comments from Steve Punt, Hugh Dennis and the team including Mitch Benn, Laura Shavin, Jon Holmes and Marcus Brigstocke.
FRI 19:00 The Archers (b00jcvv9)
Will's annoyed with Eddie for keeping Nic out so late last night. He was supposed to be helping her by going on a long drive, not cadging a lift to a pub. Nic tells him they had something to celebrate - Ed's tenancy at Grange Farm. Will thinks it'll end in tears. Ed's bound to mess it up.
Jill tells David and Ruth about Lynda's auditions for the Gormley plinth. It's not going too well: Jazzer in a kilt with nothing underneath and Molly Button dressed as a mushroom! While there, Jill checks the list of names for the NFU reunion. It's going to be a lovely birthday surprise for Phil.
Helen takes Annette to the station. Annette's reluctant to leave. Helen says Annette can't let her grandmother down; she's expecting her. Annette makes an emotional confession. She never really rang her gran, who had never liked Greg and preferred her sister Sonja. After Greg's death her mother went to pieces, choosing her boyfriend over her daughters. Annette came to England to see Helen, the only person who'd been kind to her after her father's death. Helen tells her not to worry. They'll go back home and sort something out.
Episode written by Mary Cutler.
FRI 19:15 Front Row (b00jcwmj)
Sir Alan Ayckbourn wrote his first play in 1959 at the age of 20. It was the start of what has become one of the most successful and prolific careers in British theatre. He talks to Mark Lawson about the usefulness of terrifying deadlines and why writing a play is like creating a new boardgame.
And, as he embarks on his 73rd play, Sir Alan explains the visual appeal of writing for theatre and his theory that writers attract the characters they write about.
FRI 19:45 15 Minute Drama (b00jpgbm)
Restless
Episode 5
Dramatisation of William Boyd's thriller.
As Sally's activities in the USA become increasingly dangerous, Ruth is visited by the police.
Sally/Eve ...... Eileen Atkins
Ruth ...... Fenella Woolgar
Lucas Romer ...... Adrian Lukis
Morris ...... Philip Fox
DC Frobisher ...... Benjamin Askew
Anna ...... Lizzy Watts
Mason ...... Sam Dale
Porter ...... Malcolm Tierney
Directed by Marc Beeby.
FRI 20:00 Any Questions? (b00jjtz3)
Jonathan Dimbleby chairs the topical debate in London. Panellists are the former Mayor of London Ken Livingstone, Conservative parliamentary candidate Priti Patel, political editor of The Spectator Fraser Nelson and Maajid Nawaz of the Quilliam Foundation.
FRI 20:50 A Point of View (b00jjtz5)
Bright Side of the Cane Toad
The cane toad was brought to Australia for pest control - since when an army has marched across the continent, multiplying as it goes. But surely its own example questions the logic of trying to wipe out this gamekeeper turned poacher, says Clive James.
FRI 21:00 Friday Drama (b0081nln)
OK Computer
By Joel Horwood, Chris Perkins, Al Smith and Chris Thorpe.
A man wakes up in a hospital in Berlin. He has no memory of who he is, or where he comes from. Once the details of his life are recovered, he is repatriated to Britain and into his former life. But he is haunted by the suspicion that this is not his real life at all.
The play celebrates Radiohead's seminal 1997 album OK Computer and draws on themes from each of its 12 tracks.
Paul ...... Tom Brooke
Sarah ...... Liz White
Helen ...... Federay Holmes
Owen ...... Pieter Lawman
Boss ...... Chris Thorpe.
FRI 21:58 Weather (b00jcwp0)
The latest weather forecast.
FRI 22:00 The World Tonight (b00jjtz7)
National and international news and analysis with Robin Lustig.
A look at whether Pakistan could do more to combat terror, and further reports of US warships heading to the scene of a pirate attack.
Also, have changes in betting law increased problem gambling?
FRI 22:45 Book at Bedtime (b00jcx05)
The Post Office Girl
Episode 5
Emma Gregory reads Stefan Zweig's reworking of the Cinderella story, set in post-First World War Austria.
As their resources finally run out, Christine and Ferdinand are faced with two desperate choices.
FRI 23:00 Great Lives (b00jhvhn)
[Repeat of broadcast at
16:30 on Tuesday]
FRI 23:30 Lost Albums (b00bz4ck)
Series 2
Vashti Bunyan: Just Another Diamond Day
Music journalist Pete Paphides reveals the stories and music behind some of the great albums which were never released.
After Vashti Bunyan tried and failed to secure herself a career as a willowy chanteuse, she left it all behind and moved to join her friend Donovan, who was in the process of setting up a commune in the Outer Hebrides. On her journey north in a Romany caravan, she wrote the songs which would surface in the late 1990s as Just Another Diamond Day.