SATURDAY 10 APRIL 2010

SAT 00:00 Midnight News (b00rthpl)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.


SAT 00:30 Book of the Week (b00rqqpj)
Graham Robb - Parisians

Episode 5

"The idea was to create a kind of mini Human Comedy of Paris, in which the history of the city would be illumined by the real experiences of its inhabitants."

So says the author Graham Robb about his new book 'Parisians'. And a whole host of characters walk, scuttle jump, run and flounce across his pages, beginning with the French Revolution and ending in more current times. These inhabitants are natives and visitors, and it is the likes of Charles Axel Guillaumot, Marie Antoinette, Alexandrine Zola, Adolf Hitler and Charles de Gaulle who lighten and darken the city's streets
in five episodes for BOOK OF THE WEEK. The series narrator is Stephen Boxer.

In this final episode, we witness gunshots at Notre Dame, which heralds decades of danger for
a new French leader... Reader Stephen Boxer.


SAT 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b00rthpn)
The latest shipping forecast.


SAT 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b00rthpq)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service. BBC Radio 4 resumes at 5.20am.


SAT 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b00rthps)
The latest shipping forecast.


SAT 05:30 News Briefing (b00rthpv)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.


SAT 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b00rthpx)
Daily prayer and reflection with Andrea Rea.


SAT 05:45 Ankle High History (b00j5tfc)
Episode 1

Scotland has a lost archaeological history - the ruins of thousands of townships and buildings which have never been recorded on any map, yet which tell the tale of life in a period of dramatic change. Mark Stephen follows attempts to uncover those stories before the buildings fade from the landscape.

On the Balmoral Estate, Mark meets a ranger who was astounded to learn that what he though was just a pile of stones was in fact the remains of a once-thriving farming township. And he follows a drovers road between two glens, discovering the remnants of a lost way of life.

Producer Monise Durrani.


SAT 06:00 News and Papers (b00rthpz)
The latest news headlines. Including a look at the papers.


SAT 06:04 Weather (b00rv546)
The latest weather forecast.


SAT 06:07 Open Country (b00rv548)
Northumberland Castles

Matt Baker visits Alnwick Castle in Northumberland, home to the Duke and Duchess of Northumberland where he meets the Duchess, Jane, and Frenchman, Christian Perdrier. After spending 12 years at Disneyland Paris, Christian has joined Jane at Alnwick to 'awaken a sleeping beauty' that he says is Alnwick and the castle that towers over this market town in Northumberland surrounded by an unspoilt landscape. Matt is shown around the famous Alnwick Garden, created by Jane herself and set around a cascading fountain. This is the only place in the world to have a section devoted entirely to a poison garden, where every plant grown is a potential killer and is also home to the world's largest tree house.
Leaving Alnwick Matt meets folk singer-songwriter, Jez Lowe, born and raised in the North East who draws inspiration from the daily lives of the people and places of the area for his music. Matt then travels on along the coastline to the imposing Bamburgh Castle which stands on an outcrop of volcanic rock. This medieval fortress has around 4,000 years of continuous occupation and since 1996 the Bamburgh Research Project has been working on the castle, unearthing many exciting finds including the 7th century Bowl Hole cemetery.
Finally Matt heads south where, in stark contrast to the grandeur of Alnwick and Bamburgh, he arrives at the iconic ruins of Dunstanburgh Castle. Dunstanburgh is the largest in Northumberland and here Matt meets poet and historian, Katrina Porteous whose work is inspired and influenced by the Northumberland coast, and the cultural and natural history of the area. Over the course of a year, Katrina visited Dunstanburgh Castle several times in all weathers, observing its seasonal changes. The result was the epic poem, 'Dunstanburgh' which draws on the history and local legends of the castle.


SAT 06:30 Farming Today (b00rv54b)
Farming Today This Week

The UK flower industry is worth £2.2 billion. But only 10% of what is sold is home grown. The climate and cost of labour in Britain means many roses bought from florists and supermarkets are imported from South America. Charlotte Smith visits one of the few British rose farmers in Staffordshire to find out how they do it. And ask if more producers can capitalise on this market.


SAT 06:57 Weather (b00rv57c)
The latest weather forecast.


SAT 07:00 Today (b00rv57f)
With John Humphrys and Justin Webb. Including Sports Desk; Weather; Thought for the Day.


SAT 09:00 Saturday Live (b00rv58n)
Fi Glover is joined by writer Jane Fearnley-Whittingstall. The poet is Luke Wright.


SAT 10:00 Excess Baggage (b00rv58q)
Sandi Toksvig meets Paul Smith, Head of The Millenium Seedbank at Wakehurst Gardens in Sussex and horticultural expert Mark Griffiths. Together they explore the world looking for seeds to bring back to the UK for classification, analysis and planting. Sandi also meets Sofia Koutlaki, a writer and linguist, who tells her about exploring Iran. Plus travel writer Nick Maes discusses his recent visit to the Musandam peninsula, very near to Iran but a world away in The Strait of Hormuz.


SAT 10:30 The Ambassador's Reception (b00rv5dc)
"Being thrown out of the US embassy in Ankara with Arthur Miller - a voluntary exile - was one of the proudest moments of my life."

In March 1985 Harold Pinter and American playwright Arthur Miller took a trip to Turkey that culminated in their being thrown out of the American Ambassador's dinner party held in Arthur Miller's honour. They were not in Turkey for a play or a literary event but to draw attention to the ruthless limits being set on freedom of expression in Turkey at that time, and the many writers languishing in prison.

"Mr. Pinter, you don't seem to understand the realities of the situation here. Don't forget, the Russians are just over the border. You have to bear in mind the political reality, the diplomatic reality, the military reality."

Writer and journalist Maureen Freely retraces their footsteps and takes us on a journey across Istanbul into the homes and meeting places of the Turkish literati who in the 1980s were oppressed, imprisoned and tortured for their opinions. Until then the world had turned a blind eye to their plight. Did Pinter and Miller's trip draw attention to a regime that was cruelly persecuting its people or were hopes raised only to be quashed again with the realisation that military strategy was more important to the world than human rights?

Evoking images of country full of promise yet stunted by doubt and distrust Maureen hears from painters, writers, and publishers - those who remember the trip vividly, those who were locked up for speaking their mind, and the new generation of authors. She finds out whether Turkey is a better, safer and freer place to be a writer today than it was in the spring of 1985 or whether having an opinion that deviates from the official line remains a dangerous path to tread.

Producer: Gemma Newby

An All Out production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in 2010.


SAT 11:00 The Heckler (b00rv5df)
Episode 1

A quirky, irreverent guide to the weekly events of the election. As the campaign begins, Gordon Brown proclaims that he's from a middle class family, while David Cameron insists that it's all about the 'great ignored'. What does it all mean? 'The Heckler' explores the nature of political reality in a surreal campaign. with one of Britain's leading philospophers, Alain de Botton, and ponders what the public really want from next week's Prime Ministerial debate with football pundit Hunter Davies and TV soapwatcher Gareth McClean. Plus why the parties' slogans sound so familiar, and how to make sense of the blizzard of economic statistics swirling around the campaign. Presented by Clive Anderson, without any loose ends or unreliable evidence.

Producers: Peter Mulligan / Leala Padmanabhan.

Editor: Martin Rosenbaum.


SAT 11:30 From Our Own Correspondent (b00rv5dh)
BBC foreign correspondents with the stories behind the world's headlines. Introduced by Kate Adie.


SAT 12:00 Money Box (b00rv5dk)
On Money Box this week

Individual Savings Accounts come under scrutiny as low interest rates take their toll on cash savings.

One building society plans to turn away customers who want to take money out at the counter, in favour of those paying in.

The programme also looks at the news that 150 million pounds will be refunded to customers who have been encouraged to switch their pension from one provider to another since April 2006.

And the pros and cons of investing in the emerging market of China.

All that and more on Money Box with Paul Lewis.


SAT 12:30 The Now Show (b00rth3n)
Series 30

Episode 6

The Now show 6/6

Steve Punt and Hugh Dennis present a satirical look through the week's news, with help from Jon Holmes, Laura Shavin, Mitch Benn and Mark Watson.

Producer: Ed Morrish.


SAT 12:57 Weather (b00rv6n6)
The latest weather forecast.


SAT 13:00 News (b00rv6n8)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


SAT 13:10 Any Questions? (b00rth3q)
Jonathan Dimbleby is the guest of the Eden Valley Hospice in Cumbria with questions from the audience for the panel including: Andy Burnham MP, Secretary of State for Health; Eric Pickles MP, Conservative Party Chairman; Jo Swinson MP, Liberal Democrat spokesperson for Foreign Affairs and Daily Mail political columnist Peter Oborne.


SAT 14:00 Any Answers? (b00rv6nb)
Jonathan Dimbleby takes listeners' calls and emails in response to this week's edition of Any Questions?


SAT 14:30 Saturday Drama (b00rv6nd)
The Believers

The Believers.
Liverpool, 1963. The Merseybeat boom is about to take off. And with it, The Believers, a Christian pop band determined to spread the Word. If only they were all singing from the same hymn sheet. Comedy drama by acclaimed screenwriter Frank Cottrell Boyce.
James..................................Ray Quinn
Debbie.................................Samantha Robinson
Billy.....................................Kieran Lynn
Warren..............................John Biggins
Reverend Michaels.............Rufus Wright
Elder Wardle......................Gary Bleasdale
Jenny................................Alison Pettitt
Other parts played by Joanna Monro, David Seddon, Laura Molyneux, Jill Cardo and Keely Beresford.
Original music by Carl Hunter and Mel Bowen
Directed by Toby Swift

***************************

Frank Cottrell Boyce is probably best known for films like '24 Hour Party People', 'A Cock & Bull Story', 'Hilary & Jackie', 'Welcome to Sarajevo' and 'Butterfly Kiss'. He won the CILIP Carnegie Medal in 2004 for 'Millions', his first novel, which was subsequently filmed by British director Danny Boyle. Another novel, 'Framed', was shortlisted for the Whitbread Book of the Year, the Carnegie Medal and then adapted by Frank for BBC Television. His first theatre play, 'Proper Clever', was written for the Liverpool Playhouse as part of the 2008 European Capital of Culture Year. That year Frank also wrote a series of 5 radio dramas, 'One Chord Wonders', about the punk generation 30 years on.

The music for the production was written by Carl Hunter (bass player of The Farm) and Mel Bowen. It was performed by Dave Lovelady (drums/backing vocals), Billy Kinsley (bass/backing vocals), Dave Morgan (lead guitar/backing vocals), Chay Heney (rhythm guitar) and Beverley Keenan (backing vocals) with additional guitars from Carl Hunter and Mel Bowen. Billy and Dave were in The Merseybeats and The Fourmost respectively, two of the most significant bands that emerged as part of the Merseybeat scene.


SAT 15:30 Smash Hit of 1453 (b00rt921)
In the musical powerhouse of Europe in the 15th century, one tune caught the imagination of the court composers. This was The Armed Man (or in its original French "L'Homme Arme"). A rousing first line warns that "the armed man must be feared" and goes on to tell everyone to arm themselves with a coat of mail. The musician and broadcaster Rainer Hersch unpicks the facts we know of the tune and its words, making his way through 40 odd church masses by as many composers, who used the melody as a base.

Early music specialists Catherine Bott and Andrew Kirkman think the original song may have been a warning against the threat of the warring Turks, following the fall of Constantinople in 1453, but it could equally have been a popular children's or even a pub song. Whatever its origin it became literally the "Smash Hit" of that time, but then, like much of pop music, it just went out of fashion and disappeared.

Rainer leaves the 15th century behind to find out why the song suddenly burst back into life in the 20th century. Christopher Marshall heard it in his New Zealand school and composed a lively piece for wind band. Karl Jenkins came across it during the Kosovo crisis 10 years ago, and composed his popular Mass for Peace. This begins with the sounds of an approaching army, with the original tune bursting out at the climax. The Master of the Queen's Music, Sir Peter Maxwell Davies, encountered it while studying in Italy, and composed a theatre piece where it becomes anything from a hymn to a foxtrot. And this year the folk-group Mawkin:Causley released their first album and turned it into a fast-moving riff, which gets audiences on their feet.

Rainer traces the journey of the tune and the words, as it appears in these very different musical clothes.

The producers are Richard Bannerman and Merilyn Harris, and it is a Ladbroke production for BBC Radio 4.


SAT 16:00 Woman's Hour (b00rv6wn)
Weekend Woman's Hour

Presented by Jenni Murray.

Next month's general election will see a record number of MPs leaving Westminster. Ann Widdecombe looks back at her parliamentary career on the Conservative benches, while the independent Labour MP Clare Short reflects on her role in Tony Blair's government and the fall out over the war with Iraq.

How far would you go to get your message across? Last week one woman launched a billboard poster campaign showing her in her bra and using the phrase "Hello Boys" in a direct appeal to political party leaders, hoping to get their attention and help for those with autism on their election manifestos. We've also seen Cancer Research launch a campaign featuring naked celebrities - men and women - to grab our attention. Polly Tommey talks about why she made her advert, and Professor Angela McRobbie and Joseph Petyan from the advertising agency JWT debate whether baring the flesh still sells.

Monday's Woman's Hour was dedicated to the idea of home, and we look at retirement - when you're no longer tied to a job or a school, the world's your oyster - but where to go? Will you take up residence in that granny flat your children offered? Or do you want to enjoy the peace of an empty nest? Jane Garvey talks to Ian Whitwham, a retired teacher who abandoned city life for a quiet sea-side retreat. Annie Evans lives in town and shares her home with four generations of her family.

One in four women will be affected by domestic violence at some point in their life, and there is an incident reported every minute. Recent Home Office data and early evaluation studies of an innovative multi-agency approach to tackle severe domestic abuse show a possible £740 million a year saving from the public purse. The same report shows that up to 60% of victims report no further violence after a multi-agency risk assessment conference. Woman's Hour looks at how this method works, why it has been so successful and why there are concerns about future funding.

Carol Ann Lee talks about her biography of Britain's most notorious female killer, Myra Hindley.

And what our love affair with mobile technology is doing to our relationships. The Blackberry, the i-phone and other portable internet devices make it possible to communicate with anyone at any time - but do they stop us from communicating to those closest to us? Broadcaster Lowri Turner and Writer Andrew Clover discuss.


SAT 17:00 PM (b00rv6wq)
Full coverage and analysis of the day's news with Carolyn Quinn, plus the sports headlines.


SAT 17:30 iPM (b00rv6ws)
Are there too many bureaucrats? Pen-pushers speak up for themselves. And: "This is all very Shakespearian, isn't it?" A wife describes her brilliant husband's descent into violent dementia. With Jennifer Tracey and Eddie Mair.


SAT 17:54 Shipping Forecast (b00rv6wv)
The latest shipping forecast.


SAT 17:57 Weather (b00rv6wx)
The latest weather forecast.


SAT 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b00rv6wz)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


SAT 18:15 Loose Ends (b00rv6x1)
Peter Curran is enjoying the Good Life as he talks to Felicity Kendal, leading lady in Bernard Shaw's most provocative of plays, Mrs Warren's Profession.

From one esteemed actress to another, The First Lady of Brookside and The Royle Family - Sue Johnston talks about her role in BBC One's latest drama, A Passionate Woman.

And never short of an opinion is the award winning journalist and Daily Mail columnist Richard Littlejohn, who rails against the absurdities of life in modern Britain, from health and safety to human rights, in his latest book, Littlejohn's House of Fun.

Nikki Bedi joins the Loose Ends stable and talks to the former boxer, model and actor Gary Stretch who leads a cast including Christopher Lee, Vinnie Jones, Sadie Frost and Stephen Rea, in his latest action film, The Heavy.

Comedy from Eric the Submariner who weaves many a yarn from his days in the Navy from his current show, Eric's Tales of the Sea.

And blending the contemporary with choral tradition, there's music from the London Community Gospel Choir. Having opened FA Cup Finals and performed with Madonna, Paul McCartney and Gorillaz, they sing a couple of tracks in the Loose Ends studio from their album, Glorious.


SAT 19:00 Profile (b00rv8ws)
Julius Malema

Mary Ann Sieghart profiles Julius Malema, the controversial President of the African National Congress Youth Wing. He's an influential and popular figure within the ANC, feared by some whites, but ridiculed by others, who deride his volatile and sometimes abusive public appearances. Following the murder of Eugene Terre'Blanche, he's the most talked about figure in South Africa. He's certainly divided public opinion at a tense political moment and some believe that he may continue to strengthen his influence within the ANC, eventually becoming a future leader.


SAT 19:15 Saturday Review (b00rv8wv)
Tom Sutcliffe is joined by novelists Catherine O'Flynn and Dreda Say Mitchell and literary critic John Carey to review the cultural highlights of the week including The Infidel and Mark Haddon's play Polar Bears

Written by David Baddiel and directed by Josh Appignanesi, The Infidel stars Omid Djalili as a not particularly observant Muslim whose world is turned upside down when he discovers that not only is he adopted but he's also Jewish.

The narrator of Damon Galgut's novel In A Strange Room embarks on three different journeys during the course of the book - in his native Southern Africa, in East Africa and in India. His role on each journey is different - The Follower, The Lover and The Guardian - yet despite his best intentions each journey ends in failure.

Polar Bears is the first stage play by Mark Haddon, best known as the author of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. It concerns Kay (Jodhi May), a would-be children's writer who is bipolar, and the effect that her mental illness has on those closest to her, including her philosopher husband (Richard Coyle) and her mother (Celia Imrie).

In an occasional series in which we invite one of reviewers to select a cultural sacred cow for ritual slaughter, Catherine O'Flynn argues the case against Orson Welles's supposed masterpiece Citizen Kane.

Lagos is one of the fastest growing cities in the world and already has a population of 16 million, three quarters of whom live in slums. BBC2's three part documentary series Welcome To Lagos provides a snapshot of life on the margins of a 21st century 'megacity'.


SAT 20:00 Archive on 4 (b00rv8yk)
Ask the Fellows That Cut the Hay

In this week's Archive On Four, historian Alan Dein celebrates the centenary of his mentor George Ewart Evans, collector of Suffolk farming tales. Evans began by chatting to his neighbours over the fireside in the 1950's and transcribing stories about poaching shepherding, smuggling and ditching.

The talk was of a hardscrabble life, of leaky roofs and meals of pea soup and pollard dumplings and beef only at Christmas with occasional festivities like the Whitsun fair.

With the help of BBC producer David Thomson, Evans recorded many of these tales and they were broadcast on the Third Programme.

Evans came from a Welsh mining village and he sympathised with the labourers' stories about the tyranny of the trinity of the parson, squire and farmer. He was a sympathetic listener who asked allowed his community to speak for itself and he captured the stories of people whose traditions had been unbroken for generations, who worked on the land before mechanisation and who believed in magic and folk wisdom and had intuitive understanding of working with animals.

Evans' eleven books about the working lives and folk stories of Blaxhall are a portrait of every facet of his village and paved the way for books and programmes, both fiction and not fiction, about British agricultural life.

Alan Dein talks to people who remember him in the village of Blaxhall and to his son Lord (Matthew) Evans and youngest daughter Susan as well as historian Owen Collins.

A WHISTLEDOWN PRODUCTION FOR BBC RADIO 4.


SAT 21:00 Classic Serial (b00rql6h)
Samuel Richardson - Clarissa: The History of a Young Lady

Freedom Regained

4/4 Freedom Regained
Clarissa has fled from the cruel, rapacious Lovelace and, befriended by his erstwhile friend Belford and the kindly Mrs Smith, and completely broken in body and spirit, she hopes only for reconciliation with her family; while an unrepentant Lovelace seeks once again to find her and conquer her soul.

Robert Lovelace ..... Richard Armitage
Clarissa Harlowe ..... Zoe Waites
Sally ..... Sophie Thompson
Dorcas ..... Lisa Hammond
Belford ..... Adrian Scarborough
Anna ..... Cathy Sara
Mrs Sinclair ..... Miriam Margolyes
Du Blanc ..... Stephen Critchlow
Mrs Smith ..... Linda Broughton
Colonel Morden ..... Julian Rhind-Tutt

Written by Samuel Richardson
Dramatised by Hattie Naylor

Directed by Marilyn Imrie
A Catherine Bailey Production.


SAT 22:00 News and Weather (b00rv8ym)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4, followed by weather.


SAT 22:15 Unreliable Evidence (b00rtcqy)
Clive Anderson brings together some of the country's top judges and lawyers to discuss the legal issues of the day.

The first programme explores the often controversial interface between English law and religious belief.

Disputes in which articles of faith clash with the law of the land have arisen over the carrying of sacred knives, employment law, adoption, gay rights and cremation.

One of the first acts of the new Supreme Court was to rule that one of Britain's most successful faith schools had racially discriminated against a 12-year-old boy who was refused admission because the school did not recognise him as Jewish.

And the Government's attempts to strengthen the country's equalities legislation provoked the Pope to call on bishops to fight measures which could force churches to hire homosexual and transgender employees.

When individuals choose to have their disputes resolved in religious courts, such as Sharia or Beth Din, what kind of oversight should the secular courts of the United Kingdom exercise?

This programme explores the extent to which secular law accommodates the "irrationality" of religious belief. Should it be more accommodating as the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams has suggested?

The producer is Brian King. This is an Above the Title production for BBC Radio 4.


SAT 23:00 Counterpoint (b00rrljw)
Series 24

2010 Heat 3

Paul Gambaccini chairs the general knowledge music quiz from Manchester.

The questions cover every aspect of music - from the classical repertoire to world music, show tunes, film scores, jazz, rock and pop.

The three contestants from Scotland and the North of England are:

Douglas Macleod
Alastair Gillies
Alan Shutt

Producer: Paul Bajoria

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 2010.


SAT 23:30 The Poetry Olympian: Michael Horovitz at 75 (b00rqlc6)
The British Beat poet and musician Michael Horovitz is 75 on April 4th 2010, and in this lively celebration of a lifetime's idiosyncratic poetry output, his admirer, music lecturer and writer Simon Warner, makes the case that no-one has had a greater influence on the development of British poetry over the last 50 years. Describing himself as a 'poet, singer-songwriter, jazz and blues Anglo-saxophonist', Horovitz has spent decades publishing and promoting the verse of the English underground, often at his own expense and in the face of establishment indifference. In fact, his efforts are little less than the seeding ground of the spoken word tradition in the UK, and he has been, and continues to be, an inventive and indefatigable champion of well-known and up-and-coming poets and musicians.

His notion that poetry should be seen and heard, often with music has been shared and developed in collaboration with notable musicians from Stan Tracy to Damon Albarn, as well as a couple of generations of poetry performers, from Adrian Mitchell, John Cooper Clarke and Jean 'Binta' Breeze to John Hegley, Patience Agbabi and Francesca Beard.

His influence on publishing has been as significant as his impact on performance. In 1959 he launched New Departures, which first published works by Beckett, Burroughs, Ginsberg and others in the UK. The magazine grew into a famously anarchic and energetic touring show, Live New Departures, which brought poetry, music, visual art and performance to venues all over Britain during the counterculture explosion of the 1960s. He played a key part in the 1965 International Poetry Incarnation at the Albert Hall, and since 1980 he has organised a a number of Poetry Olympics events that have showcased, and continue to do so, inventive and inspiring collaborations between poets and musicians.

Music lecturer and writer Simon Warner charts the impact of this energetic and eccentric provoker of the establishment over five decades and talks to those who have worked with him, supported him and been supported by him over the years, including poets Pete Brown, Roger McGough, John Hegley, Valerie Bloom and Libby Houston, musicians Laurie Morgan and Damon Albarn, and writer Barry Miles.