The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.
Award-winning investigative journalist Zaiba Malik's memoir of growing up in the 70s and 80s, torn between being 'British' and 'Muslim'.
Now working as a journalist, Zaiba returns to her home town of Bradford to see how things have changed.
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service. BBC Radio 4 resumes at
With Dr Catherine Cowley, Assistant Director for the Heythrop Institute for Religion, Ethics and Public Life.
Famous sibling Julian Lloyd Webber takes a closer look at what it is to be a sibling and why that relationship can be a lifelong source of love, hate, conflict and peace.
Julian looks at global differences in siblings: milk siblings in Islamic culture (sibling through the same milk nurse), sibling hierarchies in African countries, and Chinese and Bangladeshi immigrant families in Britain today.
With contributions from Prof Juliet Mitchell, anthropologist Prof Tom Weisner, psychologist Dorothy Rowe, sociologist Dr Miri Song, Prof Eve Gregory, anthropologist Prof Ruth Mace, and Ahmed Darwish (psychologist and Chairman of the Muslim Council of Wales).
The latest news headlines. Including a look at the papers.
To the north of Galway in Ireland lies the Lake District.....but not a Lake District that Alfred Wainwright might instantly recognise. This is the Irish Lake District, where three major lakes can be found - from north to south they are Loughs Carra, Mask and Corrib. Unusually all the three lakes are located almost entirely on low lying limestone, which is notoriously a leaky rock. Because of this, the lake system encompasses some of the most fascinating hydrology and lake shore features. Helen Mark begins her exploration of the lakes with geologist, Mike Simms, at Lough Mask where the shoreline resembles a vast empty egg box, a feature formed by the rise and fall of the water on the limestone. From here, Helen travels to Lough Carra where she takes to the water with ecologist and farmer, Chris Huxley. The bed of the lake consists of marl, a calcerous deposit, which gives the lake its distincitive and characteristic appearance. Lough Carra is a wildlife sanctuary and home to a wide variety of wild orchids but in recent years the lake has been threatened by pollution caused by modern intensive farming methods.
Loughs Mask and Corrib are connected by an underwater stream with water draining from sinkholes on the shore of Lough Mask to springs in the village of Cong. Before the 1840s and the building of the Cong Canal, these would have been among the largest in the world but they were robbed of their peak flows by the canal which ultimately failed because it was constructed on the leaky limestone. Helen hears about the ill-fated canal from historian, Gerard Moran, and along with caver, Pat Cronin, she descends the stone staircase to Pigeon Hole, one of the many underground caves and passages that connect Lough Mask to Carra.
Helen ends her journey at Lough Carra, the second largest lake in Ireland, from where the water eventually empties into Galway Bay.
Farming Today reports on how droughts and wild fires in Russia and the Ukraine will affect the price of bread in the UK. Caz Graham follows the path of wheat from the field, to the mill where it is turned into flour, and on to the bakery where it becomes a loaf of bread. Farming Today discovers how it may not just be basic foods such as bread that are affected by the current spike in wheat prices. Meat and milk may soon cost more as the price of animal feed also increases.
Morning news and current affairs with Evan Davis in London and James Naughtie at the Edinburgh festival, including:
The Reverend Richard Coles is joined by superchef and Chair of Judges for this year's Radio 4 Food and Farming Awards, Angela Hartnett. The poet is Matt Harvey. There are interviews with a man whose life was changed when he stepped into a crop circle and a woman whose hands are insured for two million pounds. Actor Tom Watt takes us on a tour of Berkhamsted Castle and cult graphic novelist Bryan Talbot shares his Inheritance Tracks.
If you are simply planning to do nothing today then our guest Hilary Bradt thinks you've planned your holiday perfectly. Her new guide is called Slow Devon and Exmoor and it's all about how to enjoy the gentle side of holidaying. She joins Sandi Toksvig in the Excess Baggage studio along with Peter Knowles, who has written a canoeing guide which lists twenty-seven stretches of water where you can serenely paddle through beautiful countryside and end up in a lovely pub.
Sandi is also joined by author Lee Langley who walked out of Puccini's opera Madame Butterfly desperate to know what became of the remaining characters. Her novel Butterfly's Shadow imagines their lives through 20th Century Japan and America.
Adil Ray takes a light-hearted look at how the lack of brown faces in rock and pop has mortified and marginalised generations of music-loving Asian kids in Britain. He talks to famous British Asians about why there have been so few Asians in popular music, and finds out why Bhangra and Bollywood can never be enough.
East Enders star Nitin Ganatra talks about growing up in the 1970s in a racist area of Coventry where his parents ran a corner shop. Comedian Paul Sinha remembers being a chess-loving academic kid who didn't care about liking cool music. Presenters Anita Rani and Hardeep Singh Kohli discuss being called a "coconut" - brown on the outside but white on the inside - for liking rock and indie music.
We also hear from newsreader Mishal Husain; writer Sathnam Sanghera and Goodness Gracious Me star Kulvinder Ghir about musical passions, parental tensions and the struggle to fit in and be accepted in Britain.
Helped by former NME writer and now editor of The Guardian Guide, Malik Meer, Adil charts the journey of Asians in British music from Freddie Mercury - who rarely mentioned his Indian heritage - through the rise of the Asian Underground to modern day superstars like MIA. We hear from Talvin Singh as well as upcoming artists Nadine Shah and Prash Mistry from Engine Earz Experiment.
Presenter and comedy writer Adil Ray was a key figure on the BBC Asian Network for nine years, most recently on the Breakfast Show which he left in June 2010. He has also been a regular on BBC Radio 5 live's Fighting Talk and presented various Radio 4 documentaries including the series Picturing Britain. He was a presenter on BBC Two's Arts show DesiDNA and the RTS award-nominated show Is it Cos I Is Black? for BBC Three. He has recently appeared on the BBC Two comedy show Bellamy's People.
Cuts in public spending are coming and, according to a recent opinion poll, a majority of voters accept that they will have to happen if the budget deficit is to be reduced.
But what happens when people realise that cuts may affect them personally? The coalition government has asked voters for feedback about how and where the cuts might bite. How else can voters make their voices heard beyond Westminster, short of going on strike? How will lobbyists argue their case for protecting certain elements of society from their effects? Some union leaders predict a return to the 1980s when a mass movement was mobilised against the cuts imposed by Margaret Thatcher's government. But others see a new politics about to emerge, beyond political parties and beyond ideology, a new agenda that may lead towards an unpredictable political future across the country. With Westminster in its summer recess, these are key issues for voters around the country, whatever their view of the need for cuts may be. Elinor Goodman assesses the mood of the electorate
We hear from Kate Clark the story of two of the aid workers who were killed recently in Afghanistan - of their bloody-minded courage and dedication to the country; Emma Thomas discovers how the drug-related violence in Mexico has spread far across the country; Alan Little reports on the convergence of religion and nationalism at a pilgrimage site in the hills of Bosnia; and Chris Bockman explains why grown men dress up as pigs and squeal in the French Pyrenees.
The murder of ten members of a Christian charity group last week in north-western Afghanistan has highlighted just how insecure the country is and how the unwritten rules of conflict have been torn up.
The team, which was bringing medical help to remote communities, included Dan Terry and Tom Little, who had worked in Afghanistan for thirty years.
Since Felipe Calderon became President of Mexico three and a half years ago and vowed to wipe out the drug cartels which controlled the trafficking routes into the United States, twenty-eight thousand people have been killed. Emma Thomas has seen for herself just how far the worsening violence is blighting the lives of Mexicans.
The Swedish government is tightening up its refugee policy, including sending some Iraqis back home. The news of more than two hundred killings in Iraq in the past two weeks, is extremely worrying for those asylum-seekers who fear that they will be forced to return to Iraq, as Tim Mansel reports.
The Bosnian war ended fifteen years ago. But the peace did little to quell nationalist feelings.
For the Bosnian Croats, their Catholic religion has been an important part of their identity.
Allan Little has been to the town of Medjugorje, near the Croatian border, which is now an important pilgrimmage site for catholics in the area and across the world, to investigate the political sensitivities surrounding the town.
In the depths of France, Chris Bockman reports on the peculiar festival of pig squealing.
In this third part of this series on inter-generational finance, Alvin Hall meets Britain's young families and asks what the future holds for their money.
It's estimated that over half of the UK's housing wealth is owned by the post-war generation of people born in the twenty years after the end of the Second World War. Only around ten per cent of it is owned by people under the age of 40. High house prices have meant families are having to wait until much later in life to get a foot on the property ladder.
Alvin Hall meets Jennie Lichfield, a single mother of two from Ashford in Kent who's desperate to buy her own place. Jennie feels resentful of the grip that local baby-boomer buy-to-let landlords have on the property market. She finds out why the credit crunch has made it harder than ever for people in her situation to take out a mortgage.
Alvin also meets psychiatric nurse, Oliver Wyatt from Leeds who gave up his NHS pension for an ill-fated investment in property. Oliver's confronted with the benefits he's missed out on and receives advice on how to save for retirement at a later age. But the programme also asks whether such public sector pensions are sustainable in the future.
A brand new series of Chain Reaction, the talk show with a twist where this week's guest becomes next week's interviewer. This series kicks off with Scottish actress, comedian and impressionist Ronni Ancona interviewing one of the UK's most celebrated comics, writer and star of "Not Going Out" Lee Mack.
Ronni asks Lee about being a Red Rum stable boy, his worst ever gig and his amazing juggling talents.
Jonathan Dimbleby chairs the live debate from Little Wenlock Village Hall, Shropshire, with questions for the panel, including James Delingpole, author, journalist and blogger, John Sergeant, broadcaster, Ruth Lea, economic adviser to the Arbuthnot Banking Group and former Labour minister and veteran campaigner Tony Benn.
Jonathan Dimbleby takes listeners' calls and emails in response to this week's edition of Any Questions?
Final part of Ian Rankin's crime thriller as Inspector Rebus investigates the death of an MP's wife. Ron Donachie stars in this two-part dramatisation by Chris Dolan set in Edinburgh and the Highlands in 1992.
In Edinburgh a man confesses to the murder of two women - but Rebus isn't convinced. Much to his superior's dismay, Rebus ignores the confession and disappears north to investigate a wild party deep in the Scottish countryside.
D.I. Rebus ..... Ron Donachie
D.S. Holmes ....... Andy Clark
WPC Moffat.... Lisa Gardner
Gregor Jack.... Gavin Kean
C.S. Watson..... Douglas Russell
Ronald Steele.... Robin Laing
Helen/Cathy ..... Emma Currie
Costello/Rab ..... Lewis Howden
Patience...... Monica Gibb
Kemp..... Laurie Brown
Other parts played by the cast.
Professor Robert Winston continues his exploration into the relationship between the music and the medical conditions of composers who suffered mental and physical illness.
Franz Schubert was often uncomfortable in the polite circles of middle-class Viennese society. Was he hiding a secret? Prof. Winston looks at the evidence that Schubert was lured into an unsavoury clandestine lifestyle and contracted syphilis, which many writers have assumed cast a shadow over both his remaining life and his music.
Presented by Bidisha. 7/7 London bombings survivor Davinia Douglass became known as 'the woman in the mask'. She talks about the events of that day and the doctors who restored her face. Vanessa Feltz recently had a gastric band fitted - but how safe is the operation? As the government defer the pilot scheme for Domestic Protection Orders, what impact might this have on victims of domestic violence? Plus 24 year-old composer Alissa Firsova talks about Bach, 75 year-old artist Rose Wylie gives a tour of her house and studio and women beer drinkers - what is the appeal of real ale?
Full coverage and analysis of the day's news with Carolyn Quinn, plus the sports headlines.
iPM: Experiences of life on the picket line and memories of a young life lost in the Spanish Civil War.
Peter Curran and guests with an eclectic mix of conversation, music and comedy.
Peter is joined by the author, illustrator and journalist Wendy Holden. Her latest novel, Gallery Girl, draws on her love of art and has all the raunch and sparkle of her previous novels. all nine of which were Top 10 sellers!
Coast's resident osteoarchaeologist Dr Alice Roberts is the presenter of choice for any BBC television programme featuring the three A's - anthropology, archaeology or anatomy. She talks about her latest series for BBC Two, Digging for Britain, finding the treasures that lie beneath suburban sprawls, roads and shopping malls.
Jah Wobble (aka John Wardle) followed quite an idiosyncratic career trajectory in the music industry, from John Lydon's bassist for Public Image Limited to tube driver to dub producer extraordinaire. The man behind such genre bending classics as Chinese and Japanese dub releases a new album 'Welcome to My World' next month and his autobiography 'Memoirs of a Geezer' is out now.
Not content with having just the one legendary musician and cockney geezer on the programme, Jo Bunting grabs another for a chin wag. Chas Hodges talks Chas 'n Dave, Rock 'n' Roll... and Allotments!
Live music comes from singer songwriter Andreya Triana. Already making waves for her non-conformist vocal style, she performs the title track from her soul, funk and jazz infused debut album 'Lost Where I Belong'.
And with Mormon roots and 178 cousins to boot, Utah's bluegrass-country beatnik Emit Bloch performs 'Dorothy' from 'The Dorothy EP' - dedicated to his grandma Dorothy.
Education Secretary Michael Gove is in the thick of a political storm over plans for radical changes to English education. But this highly influential figure in today's Conservative party has a background far from the gilded youths of David Cameron or George Osborne. The adopted son of an Aberdeen fish merchant, who used to carry an encyclopaedia to and from school, became a star student debater, and had the most varied of media careers, believes education is the key to transforming lives.
But why has he become such a significant figure in modern Conservatism? And how easy has the transition been from commentating and debating to running a Whitehall department? With education potentially one of the most radical areas of new government activity, Gove's own fate in the next few months and years will be central to the fate of the government as a whole. Chris Bowlby discovers what has shaped this distinctive and unusual political career.
Sarfraz Manzoor and guests novelist Malorie Blackman, historian Dominic Sandbrook and actor Kerry Shale review the week's cultural highlights including The Secret in Their Eyes.
Argentinian director Juan Jose Campanella's film The Secret in Their Eyes won the 2010 Best Foreign Language Film Oscar. It tells the story of a retired criminal court prosecutor who is trying to write a novel about a murder case that still haunts him after 25 years.
Whoopi Goldberg has flown to the UK to make her West End stage debut in the musical Sister Act at the London Palladium. She plays the Mother Superior who agrees to take a lounge singer who is on the run from the Mob into her convent.
Jess Walter's novel The Financial Lives of the Poets is set against the background of the global economic meltdown. Matt Prior is a business journalist who throws in his day job to set up a poetry and financial advice website which flops. He then tries to dig himself out of his personal economic crisis by becoming a drug dealer.
Vexed is a comedy drama on BBC2 which stars Toby Stephens and Lucy Punch as Jack and Kate - a mismatched pair of police detectives. Jack' s insensitivity is matched only by his incompetence and lack of concern for police protocol, while Kate tries to keep things professional and hold her imploding marriage together.
Locate is a collection of three installations at the Jerwood Space in London, curated by Sarah Williams. It features a video installation by Mel Brimfield, a sound piece by Aura Satz and a series of photographs relating to a notorious art forger by Sarah Pickering.
From Labour PR supremo to cabinet minister and peer, and dubbed "Prince of Darkness" along the way, Peter Mandelson reflects on his life in sound through the BBC archives. In the first programme of the series "Meeting Myself Coming Back" where guests replay the sound archive of their life, he talks to John Wilson about his career, hears recordings of his younger self and discusses how he has changed over the decades.
Lord Mandelson grew up with Labour in his blood - his grandfather was the Labour cabinet minister Herbert Morrison. After university and early jobs, he became first the party's Director of Campaigns and Communications and then MP for Hartlepool. After Labour's 1997 General Election victory, he served in Tony Blair's cabinet but was forced to resign twice - once over a home loan and the second over the Hinduja passport affair. After a move to Brussels as EU Trade Commissioner, a surprise request by the new Prime Minister Gordon Brown saw him given a cabinet post for an unprecedented third time, serving this time as a Peer in the House of Lords.
In this programme, John Wilson takes Lord Mandelson through the sound archive of his life from his earliest appearance in the 1970s up to the Labour's 2010 election defeat. We hear about his role as a moderniser of the Labour Party, his work in Government and his very public resignations.
Milly confides in Kate that she believes herself to be gravely ill and Kate begins to see a way for her and Merton to have a future.
When Merton returns to London, Kate sets out to bring her lover and her friend together. With Kate's assurances that there is nothing between them, Milly allows herself to hope that Merton may be the one great passion in her short life.
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4, followed by weather.
Justin Rowlatt chairs a debates on a topical issue, bringing together experts in a particular field with people living at the sharp end.
(2/12) Tom Sutcliffe chairs the second programme in the 2010 series of Radio 4's evergreen quiz of cryptic clues and unlikely connections. Critic Michael Alexander and journalist Alan Taylor, of Scotland, return to face publisher Michael Schmidt and novelist Adele Geras, representing the North of England.
On Boxing Day, 1900, The Hesperus arrives at Flannan Isle to relieve the lighthouse keepers. She sounds her steam whistle to alert the keepers but there is no response. The telegram from the captain reads 'managed to land Moore, who went up to the Station but found no Keepers there.' What the relief keeper did find was the lamp prepared, the washing up done, but the clock stopped, the fires out and the last entry in the diary dated 15th December. The three lighthouse keepers had vanished.
The mystery of their disappearance has fascinated people ever since - not least artists. Wilfrid Gibson, a friend of Robert Frost and Edward Thomas, wrote an atmospheric poem on the subject, published in 1912, that intrigued the public of the day. Peter Maxwell Davies has written an opera, there's a song by Genesis and an episode of Dr Who all based on the mystery.
The poet Kenneth Steven visits Flannan and relates what he sees there to Wilfrid Gibson's poem. Using the original reports - the telegram giving the first news, a letter written two days later by Joseph Moore, the official report by the lighthouse superintendent - with archive recordings and expert opinion, he pieces together what happened, and interweaves all these elements with the wind, the waves, and the silence of the deserted isle.
SUNDAY 15 AUGUST 2010
SUN 00:00 Midnight News (b00tc4yt)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.
SUN 00:30 Afternoon Reading (b00h31rj)
Murder She Thought - Series 2
Portrait of an Unknown Man
Do you know that weird feeling when the eyes of a portrait seem to follow you around the room? This gothic tale takes the experience several steps further.
Miriam Margolyes reads Elizabeth Morgan's gothic tale.
Director: Martin Jarvis
A Jarvis & Ayres Production for BBC Radio 4.
SUN 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b00tc572)
The latest shipping forecast.
SUN 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b00tc574)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
SUN 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b00tc5b5)
The latest shipping forecast.
SUN 05:30 News Briefing (b00tc5bw)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.
SUN 05:43 Bells on Sunday (b00tc6f2)
The bells of St Vedast, Foster Lane, London.
SUN 05:45 Profile (b00tcsvp)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Saturday]
SUN 06:00 News Headlines (b00tc6mg)
The latest national and international news.
SUN 06:05 Something Understood (b00tcswn)
The Art of Faith, part 2
Mike Wooldridge considers the place of religious art in an increasingly secular age.
In conversation with the Director of the British Museum, Neil MacGregor, he considers the difference between sacred art and religious art, and the place of belief in the creation of art.
Producer: Eley McAinsh
A Unique production for BBC Radio 4.
SUN 06:35 Living World (b00tcy3n)
Nest Finder of Dartmoor
5/18. If you're out walking on Dartmoor and see a hump of camouflage netting with binoculars poking out, don't be alarmed. It's likely to be Mark Lawrence at work.
Thousands of birds make their nests amongst the bracken and gorse of dartmoor, tucked into hollows low in the brush. Finding them is Mark's passion. But they are totally hidden, so how does he do it? Lionel Kelleway asked the same question and goes on a nest-finding expedition with Mark to watch him in action. It turns out that it's all about observation. Picking up clues which signal where the nests are: clues from the behaviour of the parent birds.
In just one morning Mark and Lionel find Pippits' nests, two of which have been taken over by enormous cuckoo chicks; a whinchat brood just hatched and finally a rare and precious family of young Grasshopper Warbler chicks.
So why does Mark do it? Listen now to find out.
Presented by Lionel Kelleway
Produced by Tania Dorrity.
SUN 06:57 Weather (b00tc6p6)
The latest weather forecast.
SUN 07:00 News and Papers (b00tccj8)
The latest news headlines. Including a look at the papers.
SUN 07:10 Sunday (b00tcy3q)
Jane Little with the religious and ethical news of the week. Moral arguments and perspectives on stories, familiar and unfamiliar.
As Australia prepares to go to the ballot box we hear about the role Christian groups are playing in challenging the major parties at the polls, including a British born priest who is standing against the self-declared atheist Prime Minister Julia Gillard. The BBC's Phil Mercer joins us from Australia.
Peter Lawrence last saw his daughter in March 2009. She has been missing ever since. As the police announce they are scaling down what they've defined as a suspected murder inquiry, we talk to Peter about how his faith has been severely tested during the past eighteen months, but not lost. There is a police hotline for members of the public to contact police with any information relating to the case - the telephone number is: 01609 768 181
Deep in a dense forest in Masham stands Yorkshire's own Stonehenge. Not the work of an ancient sect but erected in about 1820 by dilettante William Danby. Within the large circle of stones, there are altar like tables and even a cave in which Danby is said to have had a hermit to live in. As part of Follies series Geoff Bird has been to take a look.
Matt Wells reports from America on a wave of Islamophobia which is sweeping the country ahead of local and mid-term elections.
With little over a month to go before Pope Benedict's historic visit to the UK, thousands of tickets for key events are being returned to organisers because dioceses are finding less people than expected want to go. We ask the Papal Visit Coordinator what's going on.
If you go down to the Lakes on Monday you'll be in for a big surprise, as Hindu pilgrims descend on Bowness in colourful procession and, unexpectedly, a Hindu bag-pipe band. We hear how the South Lakeland beauty spot became a sacred place for these Hindus.
One effect of the recession has been an increase in the value of certain metals which has resulted in church buildings being targeted by thieves for their lead roofs, wrought iron and even church bells. Trevor Barnes reports from one roofless church as it copes with a spate of thefts and asks what can be done to repair and protect Britain churches.
We discuss the fallout of Pope Benedict's refusal to accept the resignations of two Irish Bishops who offered to step down in the wake of the investigation into child abuse by priests in Dublin with Michael Kelly, Deputy Editor of the Irish Catholic newspaper.
E-mail: sunday@bbc.co.uk
Series producer: Amanda Hancox.
SUN 07:55 Radio 4 Appeal (b00tcy3s)
Malaria Consortium
John Simpson presents the Radio 4 Appeal on behalf of the charity Malaria Consortium.
Donations to Malaria Consortium should be sent to FREEPOST BBC Radio 4 Appeal, please mark the back of your envelope Malaria Consortium. Credit cards: Freephone 0800 404 8144. If you are a UK tax payer, please provide Malaria Consortium with your full name and address so they can claim the Gift Aid on your donation. The online and phone donation facilities are not currently available to listeners without a UK postcode.
Registered Charity Number: 1099776.
SUN 07:58 Weather (b00tcbb8)
The latest weather forecast.
SUN 08:00 News and Papers (b00tcbbb)
The latest news headlines. Including a look at the papers.
SUN 08:10 Sunday Worship (b00tcy3v)
A service following the traditional pattern of Morning Prayer. The service is led by the Rector, the Revd Canon Tony Bundock and the preacher, the Revd Professor Simon Robinson, Running Stream Professor of Applied and Professional Ethics at Leeds Metropolitan University. He reflects not just on ancient treasures, but our contemporary attitude to treasure and wealth and the business of making money.
The music is by former organists and choirmasters of Leeds Parish Church. One such old organist was none other than the illustrious Samuel Sebastian Wesley. The 200th anniversary of his birth falls this week end and the choir celebrates the treasures of this church's musical tradition in worship.
Readings: Ecclesiasticus 44:1-5, Matthew
6:19-34
Music includes works by SS Wesley: Jubilate, Lead me Lord, Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace
Organist and Choirmaster: Dr Simon Lindley
Producer: Clair Jaquiss.
SUN 08:50 A Point of View (b00tbjkc)
A History of Fireworks
Lisa Jardine reflects on the history of fireworks and especially on the role they have played in France; once they were the rejected symbol of a decadent monarchy, now they are a must for civic celebrations
Producer: Sheila Cook.
SUN 09:00 Broadcasting House (b00tcz8t)
News and conversation about the big stories of the week with Paddy O'Connell.
SUN 10:00 The Archers Omnibus (b00tcz8y)
For detailed synopsis, see daily episodes.
Written by ..... Mary Cutler
Directed by ..... Julie Beckett
Editor ..... Vanessa Whitburn
Alistair Lloyd ..... Michael Lumsden
Shula Hebden Lloyd ..... Judy Bennett
Tony Archer ..... Colin Skipp
Pat Archer ..... Patricia Gallimore
Helen Archer ..... Louiza Patikas
Tom Archer ..... Tom Graham
Brian Aldridge ..... Charles Collingwood
Jennifer Aldridge ..... Angela Piper
Alice Aldridge ..... Hollie Chapman
Matt Crawford ..... Kim Durham
Lilian Bellamy ..... Sunny Ormonde
Peggy Woolley ..... June Spencer
Jolene Perks ..... Buffy Davis
Fallon Rogers ..... Joanna Van Kampen
Kathy Perks ..... Hedli Niklaus
Jamie Perks ..... Dan Ciotkowksi
Neil Carter ..... Brian Hewlett
Susan Carter ..... Charlotte Martin
Christopher Carter ..... Will Sanderson-Thwaite
Vicky Tucker ..... Rachel Atkins
Amy Franks ..... Vinette Robinson
Jim Lloyd ..... John Rowe.
SUN 11:15 Desert Island Discs Revisited (b00tcz90)
Kathy Burke
From Lady Gaga to The Specials. Actor and director Kathy Burke shares her castaway choices with Kirsty Young.
She became a household name for her comedy performances, working with Harry Enfield to create the characters Kevin and Perry. She won critical acclaim for serious roles and picked up the Best Actress award at Cannes for her portrayal of an abused wife in the film "Nil By Mouth".
Kathy's early life had been tumultuous - her mother died before she was two and her father was often drunk, leaving her older brother to run the family home. She was a teenager when she discovered acting and, she says, it was the saving of her.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 2010.
SUN 12:00 Just a Minute (b00t97p0)
Series 57
Episode 2
The classic long running panel game is back on the airwaves.
Chairman Nicholas Parsons takes charge once again. Subjects include 'What Shall We do With the Drunken Sailor?' Paul Merton, Sue Perkins, Liza Tarbuck and John Sergeant take it in turns to speak without Repetition hesitation or Deviation. Tune in, to find out how many words per minute they can manage.
Producer: Tilusha Ghelani.
SUN 12:32 The Food Programme (b00tcz94)
Pork Scratchings
In part 2 of the Food Programme's summer series, food writer Charles Campion indulges his love of pork scratchings, the carnivore's popcorn. We meet the pigs with the most suitable skins, chew the fat with black country pub goers, tour the scratchings factory in comedy hats, and see how the upmarket chefs are re-interpreting the scratching for the discerning palate.
Producer: Sukey Firth.
SUN 12:57 Weather (b00tc9y8)
The latest weather forecast.
SUN 13:00 The World This Weekend (b00tcz98)
A look at events around the world with Shaun Ley.
SUN 13:30 The Paris Bouquinistes (b00srktl)
Paris has many grand monuments dominating its skyline, but for regular visitors to the 'city of light' there’s a sight every bit as ingrained into its terroir as the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe and Sacre Coeur - that of the riverside booksellers.
Having plied their trade for centuries on the banks of the River Seine, Les Bouquinistes can count Presidents (including Mitterand and Thomas Jefferson) as regular customers, and boast a proud history of providing a source of literatures thought subversive to the prevailing authorities of the day.
More recently, many have branched out from books to supplement their income, offering plastic souvenirs instead of Balzac, plastic tat in place of Monserrat - a practice the city council, worried about tarnishing the image of playground Paris, has fought against.
Kirsty Lang takes a long stroll along the Seine to meet some of the latest crop and discover how confident they feel about the future prosperity of their time-honoured trade.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2010.
SUN 14:00 Gardeners' Question Time (b00tcpcl)
Matthew Wilson, Bunny Guinness and Bob Flowerdew are guests of Wenhaston Gardeners Club in Suffolk.
We explore drought-tolerant plants at the Dry Garden, RHS Hyde Hall.
The chairman is Peter Gibbs.
Producer: Lucy Dichmont
A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4.
SUN 14:45 A Guide to Coastal Birds (b00tcz9d)
Sandy Shores
Brett Westwood is joined by keen bird watcher Stephen Moss on the Devonshire coast. With the help of wildlife sound recordist Chris Watson, they offer a practical and entertaining guide to birds that you're most likely to see and hear on sandy shores around Britain's coastline; birds like Common Tern, Sandwich Tern, Ringed Plover and Oystercatcher.
This is the second of five programmes to help identify many of the birds found around our British coastline in places like rocky shores, sea cliffs, off-shore islands, estuaries and sandy beaches. Not only is there advice on how to recognise the birds from their appearance, but also how to identify them from their calls and songs.
This series complements three previous series; A Guide to Garden Birds, A Guide Woodland Birds and A Guide to Water Birds and is aimed at both the complete novice as well as those who are eager to learn more about our coastal visitors and residents.
Produced by Sarah Blunt.
SUN 15:00 Classic Serial (b00td4v4)
Henry James - The Wings of the Dove
Episode 3
Milly, now gravely ill, is staying in Venice. Kate's plan to bring Merton and Milly together is gaining pace. But Merton begins to realise that his own feelings for Milly are much deeper than he knew. Lord Mark's arrival threatens everything and Merton and Kate aren't prepared for the consequences. Will Milly change their lives irrevocably?
Merton.....Blake Ritson
Milly.....Anna Maxwell Martin
Kate.....Lyndsey Marshal
Maud.....Clare Higgins
Susie.....Barbara Barnes
Lord Mark.....Toby Jones
Eugenio.....Sam Dale
Directed by Nadia Molinari.
SUN 16:00 Open Book (b00td4v6)
Aminatta Forna talks to the award-winning Nigerian novelist Helon Habila about his new book, Oil on Water. She also explores the different ways in which men and women incorporate domesticity in to their fiction, with the help of novelists Louise Doughty and Tim Lott. Plus, a guide to work of Nobel laureate Jose Saramago, who died earlier this year, and whose book The Elephant's Journey has just been published posthumously.
Producer: Aasiya Lodhi.
SUN 16:30 Poetry of the Forgotten People (b00td4v8)
Greta Scacchi pays a personal tribute to Aboriginal poet Oodgeroo Noonuccal, formerly known as Kath Walker.
A pioneer of Aboriginal poetry, she was the first Indigenous Australian woman to have her work published, which was a milestone in Australian history.
She was also a trailblazing Aboriginal Rights campaigner and environmental activist, who paved the way for contemporary Aboriginal artists and political campaigners.
In this programme Greta Scacchi, who spent much of her childhood in Australia, shares how over the years, Oodgeroo's poetry has grown with her and still even today continues to surprise and excite her.
Joining Greta are close friends and family of Oodgeroo, who share their memories of this remarkable woman and the impact she had not only on their lives but on millions of Australians too.
Throughout the programme we will hear Oodgeroo's poems read by Aboriginal actress Roxanne McDonald.
Produced by Charlotte Austin and Diana Bentley
A Whistledown production for BBC Radio 4.
SUN 17:00 The Battle for Hearts and Lungs (b00t8rky)
Sue Armstrong investigates the growing pressure on developing countries as tobacco companies battle for the hearts and lungs of new smokers. At the same time, some poorer tobacco growing countries like Malawi are becoming ever more dependent on tobacco as a cash crop. How do they resolve the dilemma between health and wealth?
In much of the rich world, smoking is on the wane in the face of rising taxes on cigarettes, bans on promotion and lawsuits against tobacco companies. Less than 21% of British people and 24% of Americans now smoke -the lowest rates on record. But elsewhere, smoking is exploding.
The World Health Organization predicts that tobacco will kill more than eight million people worldwide each year by 2030, with eighty percent of these premature deaths in low- and middle-income countries.
In China alone more than 300 million people smoke. That's equivalent to the entire population of the US, and one third of the world's smokers.
We hear about Malawi's growing dependency on tobacco as a cash crop. Although the government has tried to introduce minimum prices, small farmers like Elson Matope hardly cover their costs, and continue to live on less than a dollar a day, despite supplying the raw material for one of the richest industries in the world.
Malawi has not yet signed up to the WHO's international Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, and rules about cigarette advertising and promotion are lax compared to rules in the developed world. Are cigarette manufacturers trying to take advantage of poor regulation to build up new markets in Africa and elsewhere in the developing world, as smoking has declined in the developed world?
Producer: Ruth Evans
A Ruth Evans production for BBC Radio 4.
SUN 17:40 Profile (b00tcsvp)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Saturday]
SUN 17:54 Shipping Forecast (b00tcbbd)
The latest shipping forecast.
SUN 17:57 Weather (b00tcbbg)
The latest weather forecast.
SUN 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b00tcbg0)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
SUN 18:15 Pick of the Week (b00td4vb)
Sheila McClennon makes her selection from the past seven days of BBC Radio
On this week's Pick of the Week, a beautifully evocative tale from A L Kennedy who recalls a summer helping her grandmother, a French polisher
The mystery behind the ghostly poem Flannel Isle is unravelled and there's the fascinating true story of the man behind the initials HM - who never knew he was the world's most famous amnesiac
And plenty of laughs from the National Theatre of Brent's "in depth glimpse" of modern art - in a nutshell.
That's Pick of the Week on Sunday with me Sheila McClennon
Radcliffe & Maconie - Radio 2
But Found No Keepers There - Radio 4
The Choice - Radio 4
Twenty Minutes - Mouche - Radio 3
Desi Pubs - Radio 4
Les Paul - The Final Words of a Pioneer and Guitar Legend - Radio 2
Mrs Tolstoy - Radio 4
Case Study - Radio 4
Twenty Minutes - My Summer Job - Radio 3
Word of Mouth - Radio 4
The Manchester Writers - Radio 4
The National Theatre of Brent's Iconic Icons - Radio 4
Just A Minute - Radio 4
Desert Island Discs - Radio 4
PHONE: 0370 010 0400
FAX: 0161 244 4243
Email: potw@bbc.co.uk or www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/potw
Producer: Cecile Wright.
SUN 19:00 The Archers (b00tcbpt)
Alice and Jennifer sort through RSVPs for the party. Jennifer's relieved there has been no word from Clive Horrobin, trying to conceal her trepidation about who else might be coming from the Carter family. Jennifer's delighted to see Debbie, who quickly congratulates the new 'Mrs Carter'. As they catch up, Debbie also learns of Helen's pregnancy.
Jennifer's upset to hear that Debbie and Marshall have split up. She worries that Debbie may have left it late to find happiness again. Alice saw the split coming, and feels confident Debbie doesn't need a man to make her happy.
Meanwhile, Emma receives an anonymous phone call at Rickyard Cottage. Startled by rustling and footsteps in the garden, she calls Ed. They warn Ruth to be on guard, telling her about the flowers and chocolates that have been appearing on Emma's doorstep. Ed wants to involve the police, but Ruth has other ideas. She noticed Josh acting strangely, having been out with his camera.
A highly embarrassed Josh is revealed as the mystery stalker. Emma, knowing he didn't mean any harm, thinks it was sweet of him to leave presents for her. Ed jokes that he'll have to keep an eye on the pair of them from now on!
SUN 19:15 Americana (b00td4vd)
Americana takes a trip to the beach..with the original beach boy himself, Brian Wilson.
SUN 19:45 Afternoon Reading (b00g4bmz)
Big Charlie
Episode 3
Colonel Williams' amazing story of how in the summer of 1957 the largest elephant in captivity, Big Charlie, was moved from Butlin's in Scotland to Butlin's, Yorkshire.
The Colonel faces an obstacle as the 5-and-a-half ton elephant is reluctant to enter his crate.
Abridged and read by Tony Lidington.
Producer: David Blount
A Pier production for BBC Radio 4.
SUN 20:00 Feedback (b00td4w0)
Has the coverage of the trial of Charles Taylor on the BBC been more concerned with the evidence of supermodel Naomi Campbell than the accusations of genocide? Some listeners suspect so, Roger Bolton gets a response.
Plus the BBC Trust wants to know what you think of Radio 4, Radio 3 and BBC 7. You can find out how to do just that and as ever we will be hearing exactly what you; the listeners really think of the BBC's radio output.
Producer: Brian McCluskey
A City Broadcasting production for BBC Radio 4.
SUN 20:30 Last Word (b00tbhbh)
On Last Word this week:
Professor Tony Judt the leading historian and political thinker who wrote eloquently about his struggle with motor neurone disease
The Hollywood actress Patricia Neal who suffered a series of strokes and was nursed back to health by her husband Roald Dahl
The Glasgow union leader Jimmy Reid who led a "work in" to save the Clyde shipyards from closure
And the jazz and swing drummer Jack Parnell, a star of the Ted Heath Band and conductor of the music for the Muppets.
Producer: Neil George.
SUN 21:00 Face the Facts (b00tb993)
Delayed Inquests
The grieving families waiting years for answers over the deaths of their loved ones because of delays in the inquest system. Some coroners are facing a backlog of cases, hold-ups with official inquiries, and difficulties in finding inquest venues. John Waite discovers the patchy service offered to relatives, and hears how things could get even worse.
Major reform of the coroners' service is supposed to speed up delays, but implementation of a new law is under review as part of the Coalition Government cuts.
Campaigners are warning that the changes may never happen.
The appointment of a Chief Coroner to oversee a national service has already been postponed.
Face the Facts has obtained performance figures for every coroner across England and Wales. They show that the average time for an inquest to be completed is six months.
But in some areas, such as Bridgend, Exeter and Portsmouth, it can take up to a year. Yet in Liverpool, the average time is just 10 weeks.
And we have spoken to some families who are waiting much longer.
Luke Bitmead, a writer from Wiltshire, died almost four years ago after jumping from a car park in Swindon. Yet his inquest still has not been completed, leaving his family with unanswered questions
The charity Inquest told us that delays in the system meant that for many people, the grieving process simply stopped. It could also prevent lessons from being learned from the death.
In November last year, the Royal Assent was given for the Coroners and Justice Act 2009. But in May, shortly after coming to power, the new Justice Secretary Kenneth Clarke ordered a review into the "scope and timing" of the implementation of the new law.
SUN 21:26 Radio 4 Appeal (b00tcy3s)
[Repeat of broadcast at
07:55 today]
SUN 21:30 In Business (b00tbhny)
In At The Start
There's a tiny office space in Silicon Valley that has produced a stream of blockbuster companies in recent years, including Google and PayPal. Peter Day learns how owner Saeed Amidi is now trying to nurture the start-up spirit on a much larger scale.
Producer: Neil Koenig and Sandra Kanthal.
SUN 21:58 Weather (b00tcd81)
The latest weather forecast.
SUN 22:00 Westminster Hour (b00td4w6)
Reports from behind the scenes at Westminster.
SUN 22:45 What the Papers Say (b00td4w8)
Episode 14
BBC Radio 4 brings back a much loved TV favourite - What the Papers Say. It does what it says on the tin. In each programme a leading political journalist has a wry look at how the broadsheets and red tops treat the biggest stories in Westminster and beyond. This week John Harris of The Guardian takes the chair and the editor is Catherine Donegan.
SUN 23:00 The Film Programme (b00td4x3)
The writer, star and co-creator of BBC's Sherlock, Mark Gatiss, celebrates the work of his favourite actor, Roger Livesey, best known as Colonel Blimp.
Horror director John Carpenter explains how he came to make a bio-pic of Elvis Presley only a year after his death.
Matthew Sweet talks to director Sylvain Chomet who resurrected a script by Jacques Tati for his latest animation, The Illusionist
Neil Brand reveals the debt that modern blockbusters owe to Douglas Fairbanks' action heroes
Matthew meets producer Ann Skinner, one of the unsung heroines of British cinema.
SUN 23:30 Something Understood (b00tcswn)
[Repeat of broadcast at
06:05 today]
MONDAY 16 AUGUST 2010
MON 00:00 Midnight News (b00td5jn)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.
MON 00:15 Thinking Allowed (b00tbgwr)
Black Emancipation
When 'Liberte, egalite, fraternite' first defined the ideals of French Revolution, it was over half century before they applied to the hundreds of thousands of slaves working in the French Colonies. Similarly the ideals of 'Life Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness', failed to encompass American slaves until as late as 1863. When these slaves were freed a complicated debate began on what freedom really meant, and how true freedom would be achieved.
From Booker T Washington to Martin Luther King, from WEB Dubois to Frantz Fanon, ideas of black freedom have been defined, tested and fought for. In the first of a three part series tracing some of the key ideas of sociology, Laurie Taylor talks to Paul Gilroy, Brett St Louis and Gurminder Bhambra about ideas of black freedom and the impact they have had.
Producer: Charlie Taylor.
MON 00:45 Bells on Sunday (b00tc6f2)
[Repeat of broadcast at
05:43 on Sunday]
MON 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b00tc54r)
The latest shipping forecast.
MON 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b00tc54t)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
MON 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b00tc576)
The latest shipping forecast.
MON 05:30 News Briefing (b00tc5b7)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.
MON 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b00tc6f4)
With Dr Catherine Cowley, Assistant Director for the Heythrop Institute for Religion, Ethics and Public Life.
MON 05:45 Farming Today (b00tc6hb)
Caz Graham hears plans for an 8,000 cow dairy farm will be resubmitted, despite opposition from the RSPCA. The man behind the Nocton Dairy development says he's addressed all animal welfare concerns, and those of local residents in Lincolnshire.
184,000 people visited farms as part of the recent Open Farm Sunday event. A year on from the E.coli outbreak at Godstone farm in Surrey, Farming Today looks at the benefits, and the risks of opening farms to the public. Caz visits Walby Farm Park near Carlisle to see what famers and visitors gain from the experience.
And farmers in the East Anglia are being told they risk having restrictions on their water use, if they can't be more efficient with irrigation. The Environment Agency warn that it will take more than a wet August to make up for the driest start to a year in 80 years, and that farmers must do their bit.
MON 05:57 Weather (b00tc6jw)
The latest weather forecast for farmers.
MON 06:00 Today (b00tc6mv)
Morning news and current affair with John Humphrys and Evan Davis including:
07:50 Is it too easy to get an A-level?
08:10 Sir Alan Budd on his quick exit from the Office for Budget Responsibility.
08:50 What makes for good presenter chemistry?
MON 09:00 The House I Grew Up In (b00td73z)
Series 4
Sir William Atkinson
Sir William Atkinson, one of the country's best-known super-heads, first came to this country from Jamaica aged 7. His father met him, his mother and two brothers at Heathrow. This is the first memory Sir William has of his father who had worked abroad for a number of years. The other oddity of that day was seeing white people doing manual work on the drive from the airport. The only white people he'd seen as a young child, growing up in a small village, had been plantation owners.
The family settled in Battersea, South London. In the 1950s this was a white working-class neighbourhood and racism was endemic with room-to-let signs proclaiming: no blacks, no Irish. Despite a difficult educational start - Sir William must be the only person to have failed the 11+ twice - school became his saviour. Teachers, fired with a 1960s social conscience, put faith in him. He went into education to return the favour.
Producer: Rosamund Jones.
MON 09:30 Alan Johnson: Failed Rock Star (b00td741)
Episode 5
Ex Home Secretary Alan Johnson goes in search of the life he thought he nearly had: as a rock star. In the 1960s Alan Johnson was in a band ("The Area") that cut a single but couldn't get it released. He gave music up for a career that took him from Postman to Union Leader to The Cabinet. So what has he missed out on? Does the fame of being a senior government minister compare in any way with that of being in a successful band.
In this series he meets five people who tasted the fame he craved. Each of the warm and engaging interviews reveal something different about life in music and the truth behind the myths.
In the final episode Alan takes his only copy of The Area's crackly 7 inch single to a state-of-the art modern studio to get the verdict of Roxy Music guitarist, and now studio owner, Phil Manzanera. Alan learns how the industry has changed since he tried his luck and gets an informed opinion on the quality of his music from Phil and Phil's engineer who just happens to be Alan's son Jamie.
MON 09:45 Book of the Week (b00td5jq)
Stuart Kelly - Scott-land: The Man Who Invented a Nation
Episode 1
His name, image and influence can be seen everywhere; from Scottish banknotes to place names across the globe. Sir Walter Scott invented the modern novel, began Scotland's tourist industry and was the first celebrity author - a heady mix of JK Rowling and Dan Brown long before the age of mass media hype. Lauded by contemporary critics as well as his massive readership in the 19th century, he's hardly read - and even more rarely enjoyed - today.
Stuart Kelly examines the contradictory legacy of Sir Walter Scott; bestselling bankrupt, iconic unknown and the Tory defender of the Union who fought to save Scotland's banking independence. Kelly considers the influential images of his own country created by Scott - the stereotype of the kilted native dwelling within rugged, romantic landscapes - images which haunt Scotland to this day.
Stuart Kelly was born and brought up in the Scottish Borders. He studied English at Oxford and is the Literary Editor of Scotland on Sunday.
Reader: Robin Laing
Abridger: Laurence Wareing
Producer: Eilidh McCreadie.
MON 10:00 Woman's Hour (b00tc5nr)
Presented by Jane Garvey. The film director Gurinder Chadha talks to Jane about balancing movie making with motherhood. Is it ok to put your kids into a holiday club when you're on vacation? Or should holidays be about family time? As Czech female politicians pose for a sexy calendar, what is women's role in politics in post-Communist countries? And cookery writer Sarah Raven makes summer soup and plum tart.
MON 10:45 15 Minute Drama (b00tc75s)
Dear Mr Spectator, series 2
Episode 1
Returning for a second series, the nation's favourite agony uncle - Mr. Spectator - continues to offer his wit and wisdom on the morals and manners of his countrymen in his daily writings; but who exactly is this mysterious Spectator, and why does everyone want to find him all of a sudden?
London. 1710. Nothing changes under the sun. Political upheaval, national debt, spin; and, in the midst of it all, eager, naive young Ned Dempsey, just arrived in the Capital and determined to make his way in the big city.
With Britain in debt to the tune of nine million pounds, Chief Minister and Lord of the Treasury, Robert Harley, has a plan to raise the funds the country so desperately needs: a little idea called the South Sea Company. However, he requires public support to get his Bill through Parliament and to do that he needs someone influential to speak out in support of his scheme. Someone with the ear of the country, someone people respect, someone people turn to, listen to, obey. Someone like Mr. Spectator!
Enlisting the aid of Palace paper-boy Ned, Harley determines to track down the elusive Mr. Spectator in order to convince him to come out in support of the Bill before it goes before the House on Friday.
Embarking on a quest to discover the identity of London's most spectral of citizens, Ned scours the 'Spectator's' daily publications for a clue to his prey's whereabouts. Pursuing hints and clues through a world of clubs, coffee-houses, theatres and booksellers; from lowly taverns to the Royal Palace itself, Ned is swept along in a mercenary world of spin and manipulation. Is anyone really who they seem? Does everything and everyone have their price?
Can Ned unmask Mr. Spectator before time - and Harley's patience - runs out?
Adapted from Addison & Steele's 'Spectator' essays by Elizabeth Kuti.
Mr. Spectator ... Benjamin Whitrow
Ned Dempsey ... Bryan Dick
Harley ... David Schofield
Abigail ... Christina Cole
Queen Anne ... Jemma Redgrave
Anne Baldwin ... Claire Rushbrook
Defoe ... Sam Dale
Aunt Maude ... Stella McCusker
Opera Singer ... David Revels
Other parts played by: Seainin Brennan, Niall Cusack, Paul Kennedy, Marty Maguire and Charlie Niblock-Hamill.
MON 11:00 How to Get An A-Star (b00td743)
Actress Imogen Stubbs investigates how to achieve an A* grade at A-level.
A-level results come out soon and some of the pupils who gave it their all will achieve the new A* grade, which has just been introduced.
But what is the magic ingredient that adds the star?
Imogen Stubbs has watched her children go thorough the agonizing experience of exams and has often wondered who the people are who set the questions and how they mark them.
In 'How to get an A*' she goes on a quest to discover what it actually takes to achieve the new A*. She talks to teachers, pupils and examiners.
Imogen also enlists the help of actor Adam Long and her husband, director Trevor Nunn who have both agreed to sit one A-level Shakespeare exam question and see how they get on when they have it graded by a genuine examiner who does not know who they are.
Producer: Lore Windemuth
A Loftus production for BBC Radio 4.
MON 11:30 Bleak Expectations (b00db5bt)
Series 2
A Happy Life Broken and Then Mended a Bit
You're cordially invited to cower before the terrifying spectacle of the Martian invasion, where only Pip and some geese stand between Mr Benevolent's army of long-eared purple space villains and all that is good and true....
The final chapter of the Victorian comic epic, and the whole planet is in terrible danger when Pip's evil ex-guardian Mr Gently Benevolent summons a massive Martian invasion. Is this the end for Pip, Harry and the rest of the human race? And will Pippa's goose sanctuary be all right? Listeners are cordially invited to cower before the terrifying spectacle of the army of long-eared purple space villains...
Mark Evans's epic comedy in the style of Charles Dickens.
Chapter the Last: A Happy Life Broken and then Mended a Bit
Sir Philip...........................Richard Johnson
Mr Benevolent........................Anthony Head
Harry Biscuit......................James Bachman
Young Pip..................................Tom Allen
Sternbeater...................Geoffrey Whitehead
Ripely Fecund......................Sarah Hadland
Mr Parsimonious...............Laurence Howarth
Pippa........................................Susy Kane
Sundry learned gentlemen...........Mark Evans
Producer: Gareth Edwards
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 2008.
MON 12:00 You and Yours (b00tccwp)
Julian Worricker talks to the electronica band Faithless about why they've ditched their record company and are now promoting Fiat. Could this symbiotic relationship be the future of the music industry?
We find out why one online retailer believes high street opticians are being short-sighted when it comes to prescriptions, look at the contenders to run the the country's only high speed route from St Pancras International to the Channel Tunnel and, three years on from the Credit Crunch, we examine how the recession has affected ordinary people's pay.
MON 12:57 Weather (b00tc9yb)
The latest weather forecast.
MON 13:00 World at One (b00tc9yd)
National and international news with Shaun Ley.
MON 13:30 Round Britain Quiz (b00td7f2)
(3/12) Tom Sutcliffe is in the chair for the third contest in the 2010 series. The new Welsh partnership of David Edwards and Myfanwy Alexander takes to the air for the first time, facing Northern Ireland regulars Polly Devlin and Brian Feeney.
Producer: Paul Bajoria.
MON 14:00 The Archers (b00tcbpt)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Sunday]
MON 14:15 Drama (b00td7f4)
Justin Butcher - The Patience of Mr Job
Mr Job is an African farmer with an unshakeable faith in the benevolence of the West. There's a flurry of excitement in the village. Mr Kismet, from the World Development Agency, has sent a letter offering rich rewards if the region sells its timber and moves to cut-flower production. Mr Job obeys the WDA scrupulously, even when the instructions prove extremely inconvenient, but as they wait for Mr Kismet's arrival, a series of disasters strike. A satire about globalisation and climate change.
Mr Job ..... Jude Akuwudike
Mrs Job ..... Adjoa Andoh
Mr Eliphaz ..... Danny Sapani
Mr Bildad ..... Kobna Holdbrook-Smith
Mr Achebe ..... Lloyd Thomas
Mr Lucy ..... Paul Courtney Hyu
Directed by Claire Grove
This is the Job story from the Old Testament with a new twist - a dark comedy set in Africa about the topical subjects of globalisation and climate change. We are in the fictional West African country of Ghanzania. Mr Job (Jude Akuwudike) is the unofficial head of his village. He trusts the West's promises of rich rewards if they give up traditional farming in favour of large scale production of cash crops. Mrs Job (Adjoa Andoh) is less certain. So the villagers cut down their forests, sell their goats and pour chemicals into the soil, but their children get sick, the hill slides into the lake, a hurricane floods the coast, and Mr Job is left clinging to the roof of his house. As the waters close over his head he hears the voice of God. Will his patience be rewarded?
Justin Butcher wrote the brilliant 'Seven White Masks of Scaramouche Jones' for Radio 4 which became an award-winning one-man show for Pete Postlethwaite. Justin also wrote the enormously successful satirical stage play 'The Madness of George Dubya', following it up with 'A Weapons Inspector Calls'.
MON 15:00 Meeting Myself Coming Back (b00tcsvt)
[Repeat of broadcast at
20:00 on Saturday]
MON 15:45 Famous Footsteps (b00pqhf3)
Episode 1
Author and journalist Fiona Neill explores the experience of growing up in a creatively successful family.
Fiona considers the challenges of maintaining a creative career while bringing up small children. How does a writer, working at home, manage to carve out the mental and physical space to work? Is the 'pram in the hallway' really a barrier to creative thought?
She talks to Jennifer Saunders, Adrian Edmondson, Daphne Du Maurier's daughter Tessa Montgomery and songwriter Guy Chambers about their experiences of balancing these conflicting demands.
A Paladin Invision production for BBC Radio 4.
MON 16:00 The Food Programme (b00tcz94)
[Repeat of broadcast at
12:32 on Sunday]
MON 16:30 Beyond Belief (b00td8hl)
A secular meaning to life
Ernie Rea and his guests explore the place of faith in our complex world.
Each week Ernie is joined by three guests who discuss how their own religious or non-religious tradition affects their values and outlook on the world, often revealing hidden and contradictory truths.
In this programme, Ernie asks whether there is a secular meaning of life and how this can be achieved without a shared reference to God or other higher spiritual figure. What is the basis of our morality and can there be any universally held, objective rules of right and wrong if there is no God?
Ernie and the panel hear from the writer, AN Wilson, who recounts his journey from childhood belief, through atheism and back to a constant, yet doubting faith in God.
In the second half of the programme, the panel discuss how a secular purpose to life is created and asks whether the purpose of life without God, can only be failure? In a secular world, have the terrors of hell been replaced by the terrors of failure? Can belief in God offer redemption where human capacity has failed?
The panel comprises Fergus Stokes who was once a Baptist minister and now is a humanist who practises psychotherapy; Dr Sue Blackmore, Visiting Professor in the School of Psychology at the University of Plymouth and who is a Zen Practitioner; and Canon Dr Alan Billings, former director of the Centre for Ethics and Religion at the University of Lancaster.
Producer: Karen Maurice.
MON 17:00 PM (b00tcd13)
Full coverage and analysis of the day's news with Eddie Mair.
MON 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b00tcd3z)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
MON 18:30 Just a Minute (b00td8kq)
Series 57
Episode 3
Radio 4's classic long running panel game.
Chairman Nicholas Parsons takes control of a loquacious and rebellious bunch of players whose task it is to speak on a subject he gives them for one minute without hesitation, repetition or deviation.
This week Paul Merton, Ross Noble, Tony Hawks and Sheila Hancock attempt to speak within the rules of the game.
Producer: Tilusha Ghelani.
MON 19:00 The Archers (b00td5vq)
At April Cottage, Kathy and Kenton try to be civil with each other but can't help arguing. Kenton thinks Jamie isn't spending enough time outdoors. He should get more involved with the cricket team. Kathy insists she's doing her best with him, but getting nowhere.
Susan's unsure about what to wear for Alice and Chris's party, taking her duties as mother of the groom ultra-seriously. She visits Jennifer and is relieved that the mother of the bride won't be dressing too formally. Meanwhile, Jennifer is alarmed at the Carters' expansive guest list.
Chris and Neil bond over a shopping trip to find Neil an outfit. Neil's worried about making a speech at the party and doesn't want to let Chris down. He gives Chris some fatherly advice on marriage. Chris acknowledges that it's all down to Susan and Neil that he knows what a good marriage requires.
At the golf club, Kathy struggles to recruit temporary staff. She asks Kenton to look after Jamie in the evenings so she can work the extra shifts herself. However, Kenton says Jamie doesn't want babysitting and he tells Kathy to chill out and back off.
MON 19:15 Front Row (b00td621)
The Expendables; Corrie the play; crime writer MC Beaton
With Mark Lawson.
Sylvester Stallone's new film The Expendables is reviewed by film critic Chris Tookey.
Some of Coronation Street's most memorable storylines are being brought back to life for a new stage production to mark its 50th anniversary. Playwright Jonathan Harvey talks about Corrie! which is on at the Lowry Centre in Salford.
Julian Fellowes and novelist Naomi Alderman discuss how useful professional advice is.
And Mark talks to the novelist M C Beaton about her popular fictional detectives Hamish Macbeth and Agatha Raisin, and the reason for her many pseudonyms.
Producer Ella-mai Robey.
MON 19:45 15 Minute Drama (b00tc75s)
[Repeat of broadcast at
10:45 today]
MON 20:00 Document (b00td8tp)
Mike Thomson returns with Radio 4's investigative history series, examining documents which shed new light on past events. The news series begins with a paper trail surrounding an oil disaster - not the most recent example in the Gulf of Mexico - but one much closer to home, in the North Sea.
Whilst President Obama has told BP that it will be held fully responsible for cleaning up the damage caused by the massive oil spill off the American coast, papers seen by Document show that the oil company Occidental got off far more lightly after the Piper Alpha disaster in 1988 off the Scottish coast, which left 167 people dead.
After seeing the recently released documents, the environmental pressure group Greenpeace claims too little was done to deal with more than five tons of highly toxic chemicals released in the disaster, marine contamination that led the Government to consider a fishing ban and which has had a lasting impact on the North Sea. The documents also shed light on the decision to topple the remains of the Piper Alpha platform, an operation which threatened to worsen contamination and which was fiercely opposed by relatives who wanted the search for bodies to continue.
Mike Thomson speaks to marine biologists, politicans from the time and survivors to find out if more should have been done to clean up after the disaster.
Producer: Julia Johnson.
MON 20:30 Crossing Continents (b00tbcdr)
Romania
The Romanian healthcare system is in crisis. Earlier this year the university hospital in Bucharest announced it had just 4 euros left in the bank, and it's not alone in its financial woes. Even the Romanian health minister hasn't denied that his country's medical system is facing imminent collapse. National funds were due to run out in July.
Across the country doctors complain of a lack of X-ray film and surgical thread. Operations are postponed indefinitely. Patients are being asked to pay for their own bandages and hospital infections are spreading at alarming rates. Over the last year 4,700 doctors, fed up with wages of around 300 euros a month, have left the country to earn a better living in western Europe.
It's not just a problem for Romanians. As cash for drug treatments and preventive work such as needle exchanges runs out, there are fears that the country's already high rates of TB and HIV could get out of control, with the potential to spread beyond Romania's shores.
The wealthy are going to Hungary, Germany and Austria for treatment, paying up to 900 euros a day for a hospital bed. Inside Romania a black market is growing with doctors taking back-handers to prioritise those who can afford it. Those who can't have to put up with what state treatment they can find.
It's hard to see a solution. Government coffers are empty and the economy shrank by over 7% in 2009. And in May this year, to great protest, the government announced it would reduce public sector pay and pensions by 25%.
As Romania's healthcare system teeters on the edge of collapse, Oana Lungescu, the BBC European Affairs Correspondent, returns to her homeland to find out how ordinary citizens are coping.
Producer: Ben Crighton.
MON 21:00 Material World (b00t9r4g)
Quentin Cooper presents his weekly digest of science in and behind the headlines. This week he looks to the night sky to see the Perseid Meteor Shower, he explores a new carbon capture project that is getting started in California this month. Quentin also delves into the world of Photonic Molecular Materials as he finds out about the process of making solar cells cheaper and out of plastic, and the So You Want To Be A Scientist noctilucent cloud experiment is coming to an end so we hear the latest from our finalist, John Rowlands.
The producer is Ania Lichtarowicz.
MON 21:30 The House I Grew Up In (b00td73z)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:00 today]
MON 21:58 Weather (b00tcd7q)
The latest weather forecast.
MON 22:00 The World Tonight (b00tcdg3)
The UN warns that 3.5 million children in Pakistan are are at risk of waterborne diseases
Igor Sutyagin , a Russian swapped in the US Russia spy scandal , tell us his story
Study in Holland : an invitation to unsuccessful British University applicants
with Carolyn Quinn.
MON 22:45 Book at Bedtime (b00td6ll)
The Story of a Marriage
Episode 6
Finding the courage to confront Annabel DeLawn, Pearlie spies on her and her fiance.
Read by Adjoa Andoh. Written by Andrew Sean Greer and abridged by Fiona McAlpine.
Producer: Clive Brill
A Pacificus production for BBC Radio 4.
MON 23:00 Word of Mouth (b00t8rg9)
Every August exam results are published, and every August newspaper headlines are filled with comments about dumbing down. But how much thought lies behind modern examination questions, and who decides the language that is used ? In Word of Mouth we hear from Edexcel's chair of history examiners Angela Leonard, and her managing director Ziggy Liaquat. The key word is accessibility, and enabling students to understand the questions they have been set. It all seems a brave new world for our presenter Chris Ledgard, who recalls stumbling through an A Level question about Bismarck's expediency, not knowing what expediency meant. Also the American critic Joe Queenan attacks the editors who insist on the use of simpler words in his books. "People who don't enjoy words should just shut up," he says. The producer is Miles Warde.
MON 23:30 The Pickerskill Reports (b00mcwv3)
Series 1
Kaws and Effect
Ian McDiarmid stars as Dr Henry Pickerskill, retired English master of Haunchurst School for boys, looking back on his favourite pupils and their fortunes in the adult world - based on their school reports and their letters to him after they left.
Dr Pickerskill encourages Francis Kaws, whose great engineering talents are being wasted on clever and inventive school pranks, putting him in danger of being expelled.
Pickerskill harnesses the boy's gifts, encouraging him to adapt an old tractor to run on Haunchurst College's defunct narrow-gauge railway line.
Dr Henry Pickerskill ..... Ian McDiarmid
Elfyn Wynn Thomas Evans ..... Philip Madoc
Francis Kaws ..... Louis Williams
The Colonel ..... Richard Johnson
Mike Poulson Jabby ..... Mike Feast
Stanislaw ..... Mike Sarne
Jack Rousseau ..... Tony Gardner
Written and directed by Andrew McGibbon.
Producers: Nick Romero
A Curtains For Radio production for BBC Radio 4.
TUESDAY 17 AUGUST 2010
TUE 00:00 Midnight News (b00tc50y)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.
TUE 00:30 Book of the Week (b00td5jq)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:45 on Monday]
TUE 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b00tc54w)
The latest shipping forecast.
TUE 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b00tc54y)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
TUE 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b00tc578)
The latest shipping forecast.
TUE 05:30 News Briefing (b00tc5b9)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.
TUE 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b00tc6dq)
With Dr Catherine Cowley, Assistant Director for the Heythrop Institute for Religion, Ethics and Public Life.
TUE 05:45 Farming Today (b00tc6gw)
UK food prices have risen by nearly 60% in three years. Javier Blas from the Financial Times tells Cath Mackie that this trend is set to continue. New reports from the Royal Society suggest lab-grown meat in vats could help feed a growing population, and bring global prices down. But Tim Lang, professor of food policy at London City University says eating less meat should be the solution.
The new Groceries Code Adjudicator will investigate complaints about the way supermarkets treat their producers. Farming Today visits a Worcestershire farmer who describes the restrictions the supermarkets impose, including how long, wide and flexible his courgettes and runner beans are allowed to be.
And as more farms than ever open their doors to the public, Farming Today hears from the owner of a pick-your-own strawberry farm in Cornwall, whose insurance premiums trebled after an accident.
TUE 06:00 Today (b00tc6mj)
Morning news and current affairs with Evan Davis and James Naughtie, including:
07:50 Should the government reopen the inquest into the death of Dr David Kelly?
08:10 Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne
08:30 Outgoing president of the Royal College of Physicians argues for the end to drug prohibition.
TUE 09:00 What's the Point of...? (b00td8zs)
Series 3
The RAF
Quentin Letts returns with another series offering a witty and thought-provoking look at some of Britain's cherished insitutions. Over the next four weeks he casts a quizzical eye over Marylebone cricket club, the public library, the Kennel Club - and the RAF.
All over the country, events are being held to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Battle of Britain, when the bravery of the Few saved these islands from a Nazi invasion. Even if some historians have had the temerity to suggest it was actually the navy wot done it, it's an opportune moment for the RAF to remind us of their historic contribution, and why we need them in the future.
Which is why exactly?
Britain was the first country in the world to have an independent air force. To get rid of it is unthinkable, isn't it?
Defence secretary Liam Fox has promised that the Governments strategic defence review will be ruthless and unsentimental - will he listen to the RAF's critics? They claim that a bloated higher command structure in Whitehall argues for fast jets we cant afford for a war we wont be fighting. Oh - and its uniforms are horrible and they can't march properly.
Historian Max Hastings, War correspondent Sam Kiley, former defence secretary Geoff Hoon and retired Colonel Tim Collins are among those who join Quentin to ask the question, What is the point of the RAF?
TUE 09:30 How The Mighty Have Fallen (b00td9fr)
The Exhibitors
"I believe no Age did ever afford more Instances of Corpulency than our own." Physician Thomas Short, writing in 1727.
Today the language may be less quaint, but the sentiments are echoed repeatedly in the media, in Government and in medical reports all over the world. The obesity epidemic has arrived - but obesity is as old as mankind, and in a new four-part series, Dr Hilary Jones looks back into its history, and asks what can we learn today from the mistakes and successes of our overweight ancestors.
We start with an investigation of the immensely corpulent individuals who put themselves on show to the public.
It begins in Stamford - scene of the death and extraordinary burial of Daniel Lambert, hailed in 1809 as "the most corpulent man in the history of the world". Prof Vanessa Toulmin, of the National Fairground Archive, and Prof David Haslam, Chair of the National Obesity Forum, explore the world of the circus fat folk.
And from America, we hear a snatch of the Strates Carnival in 1941, featuring Big Bertha and Slim Jim, "the world's strangest married couple".
Times have changed, and nowadays the idea of obese individuals exhibiting in freak shows is highly uncomfortable. But is the portrayal of obesity in sensationalist, prurient tabloid articles, and on TV, the modern-day equivalent of the freak show?
Future programmes focus on depictions of obesity in art, music and literature; diets through the ages; and the weird, wonderful and downright dangerous obesity remedies of the past.
Readings by Toby Longworth & Michael Fenton-Stevens.
Producer: Susan Kenyon
A Ladbroke production for BBC Radio 4.
TUE 09:45 Book of the Week (b00tdllt)
Stuart Kelly - Scott-land: The Man Who Invented a Nation
Episode 2
His name, image and influence can be seen everywhere; from Scottish banknotes to place names across the globe. Sir Walter Scott invented the modern novel, began Scotland's tourist industry and was the first celebrity author - a heady mix of JK Rowling and Dan Brown long before the age of mass media hype. Lauded by contemporary critics as well as his massive readership in the 19th century, he's hardly read - and even more rarely enjoyed - today.
As Walter Scott immortalised his native country in poetry and prose, so the author is commemorated by countless memorials across Scotland. Stuart Kelly examines Scott's images of Scotland and how they haunt the country still - from Brigadoon to Braveheart.
Stuart Kelly was born and brought up in the Scottish Borders. He studied English at Oxford and is the Literary Editor of Scotland on Sunday.
Reader: Robin Laing
Abridger: Laurence Wareing
Producer: Eilidh McCreadie.
TUE 10:00 Woman's Hour (b00tc6ts)
Presented by Jane Garvey. Should there be quotas for women in the Irish Dail? Mary O Rourke and Ivana Bacik debate the issue. 84 year old Patricia Diamond shares her date of birth with the Queen, and has recently been presented with a unique commemorative coin by the London Mint Office - the 2010 Vivat Regina sterling silver crown numbered 2 - the Queen has been given number 1. She joins us to talk about her life and we have a special report about what it's like to be a child refugee. Current guidelines from the World Health Organisation advise women who have had a miscarriage to wait for six months before trying again for a baby. But new research from the University of Aberdeen suggests that there is no need to delay.
TUE 10:45 15 Minute Drama (b00tc75v)
Dear Mr Spectator, series 2
Episode 2
Returning for a second series, the nation's favourite agony uncle - Mr. Spectator - continues to offer his wit and wisdom on the morals and manners of his countrymen in his daily writings; but who exactly is this mysterious Spectator, and why does everyone want to find him all of a sudden?
London. 1710. Nothing changes under the sun. Political upheaval, national debt, spin; and, in the midst of it all, eager, naive young Ned Dempsey, just arrived in the Capital and determined to make his way in the big city.
With Britain in debt to the tune of nine million pounds, Chief Minister and Lord of the Treasury, Robert Harley, has a plan to raise the funds the country so desperately needs: a little idea called the South Sea Company. However, he requires public support to get his Bill through Parliament and to do that he needs someone influential to speak out in support of his scheme. Someone with the ear of the country, someone people respect, someone people turn to, listen to, obey. Someone like Mr. Spectator!
Enlisting the aid of Palace paper-boy Ned, Harley determines to track down the elusive Mr. Spectator in order to convince him to come out in support of the Bill before it goes before the House on Friday.
Embarking on a quest to discover the identity of London's most spectral of citizens, Ned scours the 'Spectator's' daily publications for a clue to his prey's whereabouts. Pursuing hints and clues through a world of clubs, coffee-houses, theatres and booksellers; from lowly taverns to the Royal Palace itself, Ned is swept along in a mercenary world of spin and manipulation. Is anyone really who they seem? Does everything and everyone have their price?
Can Ned unmask Mr. Spectator before time - and Harley's patience - runs out?
Adapted from Addison & Steele's 'Spectator' essays by Elizabeth Kuti.
Mr. Spectator ... Benjamin Whitrow
Ned Dempsey ... Bryan Dick
Harley ... David Schofield
Abigail ... Christina Cole
Queen Anne ... Jemma Redgrave
Anne Baldwin ... Claire Rushbrook
Defoe ... Sam Dale
Aunt Maude ... Stella McCusker
Opera Singer ... David Revels
Other parts played by: Seainin Brennan, Niall Cusack, Paul Kennedy, Marty Maguire and Charlie Niblock-Hamill.
TUE 11:00 In Living Memory (b00td9pl)
Series 12
Episode 3
In the mid 1990s investment companies sprung up offering huge returns on ostrich farming. The promise was that you could get 70 per cent or more and never get your feet muddy, or even have to see your ostriches. The birds would lay and endless supply of valuable eggs and the companies offered to buy them back.
Ostrich fever took hold, and birds changed hands at 10 times their true market value. It seemed too good to be true - and it was. The Department of Trade moved in and closed down the companies on the grounds that that they were running pyramid schemes. In the case of the biggest company, the Ostrich Farming Corporation, an investigation by the Serious Fraud Office revealed that the directors had also been siphoning off millions of pounds into offshore accounts, and three directors went to prison.
In this programme, Jolyon Jenkins tries to discover why so many apparently intelligent people fell for the ostrich scams. He also discovers what happened to the ostriches when the Ostrich Farming Corporation collapsed, and follows the fortunes of the two companies, each run by retired military officers, which were set up to try to carry on ostrich farming.
TUE 11:30 Grand Guignol (b00td9qw)
At the end of the 19th century, in the seediest quarter of Paris, a new theatre opened its doors offering a recipe of blood and terror - and soon the Grand Guignol was to become as big as an attraction in the city as the Eiffel Tower and the Arc de Triomphe.
The success of an evening's performance - made up of a succession of short comedy and horror plays - was measured by how many members of the audience fainted, as they witnessed gougings, garrottings and gory murders on a nightly basis.
After more than sixty years the theatre finally closed its doors, but only after helping influence the development of horror in the cinema, as well as introducing the phrase Grand Guignol into common parlance as a byword for shocking, blood-soaked terror.
Sheila McClennon visits Paris to revisit the scene of this most shocking of theatre movements, and also comes to London to find out how the likes of Joseph Conrad and Noel Coward got involved in its English incarnation, which fought a staunch but unsuccessful battle with the censors at the beginning of the 1920s.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2010.
TUE 12:00 You and Yours (b00tccjb)
"We're just not doing enough to make the most of our tourism". The words of the Prime Minister in a speech last week about the tourist industry. He wants Britain to become one of the top five international destinations. At the same time, he wants more of us to holiday at home. So, what does the UK need to do to achieve these aims? Email youandyours@bbc.co.uk or call 03700 100 444 (lines open at
10am).
TUE 12:57 Weather (b00tc9yg)
The latest weather forecast.
TUE 13:00 World at One (b00tc9nd)
National and international news with Shaun Ley.
TUE 13:30 Robert Winston's Musical Analysis (b00td9qy)
Series 2
Peter Warlock
Professor Robert Winston continues his exploration into the relationship between the music and the medical conditions of composers who suffered mental and physical illness.
Peter Warlock was the pseudonym of Philip Heseltine, a troubled British composer who died of apparent suicide in 1930. Prof. Winston wades through the many colourful and outrageous episodes in his life to investigate if the apparent 'Jekyll and Hyde' quality in his character and in his music was the result of a serious psychological condition.
Producer: Chris Taylor.
TUE 14:00 The Archers (b00td5vq)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Monday]
TUE 14:15 Drama (b00tdltn)
Michael Butt - Unauthorised History: The Killing
By Michael Butt.
In May 1593, the playwright Christopher Marlowe was killed. Apparently, it was because of an argument over a bill. Michael Butt's innovative drama dons the cloak of documentary to re-examine the unsolved case.
Cast:
Narrator . . . . . Paul Rhys
Thomas Walsingham . . . . . Blake Ritson
Thomas Kyd . . . . . Harry Lloyd
Robert Poley . . . . . Burn Gorman
Lord Cecil . . . . . Tim McMullan
Mrs Bull . . . . . Christine Kavanagh
Ingram Frizer . . . . . Tony Bell
Richard Baines . . . . . Sam Dale
Cambridge Porter . . . . . Sean Baker
Drew Woodleff . . . . . Lloyd Thomas
Directed by Sasha Yevtushenko.
TUE 15:00 Home Planet (b00tdltq)
Sea levels are rising by a few millimetres a year and the rate at which they do so is increasing. It is not enough to see on an annual basis but it is predicted to make a significant impact over the next few decades. The amount of rise varies in different parts of the world though.
In this week's programme one listener wants to know to what extent land erosion and local geology affects sea level rise. And does rock and dust arriving from space make an impact?
We've also the puzzle of how a gentle breeze can bring the sound of church bells from miles away, or silence them for those nearby. The speed of sound is far greater than the wind so what is causing this phenomenon?
We discuss, too, the origins of life on earth and a double bill of amphibious questions. How do toads eat snails and when did frogs and toads evolve to live on land?
On this week's panel are marine and fresh water biologist Professor Graham Underwood, science writer Jo Baker and Professor Philip Stott; an environmental scientist from the University of London.
Contact:
Home Planet
BBC Radio 4
PO Box 3096
Brighton
BN1 1PL
Or email home.planet@bbc.co.uk
Or telephone: 08700 100 400
Presenter: Richard Daniel
Producer: Toby Murcott
A Pier Production for BBC Radio 4.
TUE 15:30 Afternoon Reading (b00tdly6)
Opening Lines
Horses
The series which gives first-time and emerging short story writers their radio debut.
By Emma Greengrass
The sight of four coal-black horses, glimpsed through the window of a London bus, encourages an elderly lady to believe her luck is changing.
Julia McKenzie reads this life-affirming story about making every second count.
Produced by Gemma Jenkins.
TUE 15:45 Famous Footsteps (b00pxll8)
Episode 2
Fiona Neill explores the advantages of being born into a creatively successful family; what is the nature of the silver spoon handed down from one generation to the next?
TUE 16:00 Word of Mouth (b00tdm53)
Body Language
How important is body language in the way we communicate? Are some people much better at it than others? Can good body language be taught? Chris Ledgard investigates.
Chris visits Dr Harry Witchel for some body language training, looks into some body language myths, and talks to impressionist Kate Robbins about the way she uses her face and gestures when mimicking people.
Produced by Beatrice Fenton.
TUE 16:30 Great Lives (b00tdm55)
Series 22
Richard Nixon
The disgrace and resignation of Richard Nixon in 1974 was a profoundly traumatic moment in the history of the American presidency, leaving us the endlessly influential word Watergate and a cynicism about politics which arguably has only now, with Barack Obama, started to heal. His life is thus perhaps a strange one to nominate as "great", but the historian Dominic Sandbrook unhesitatingly selected him for celebration in this programme. Matthew Parris talks to him about his intriguing choice, and calls on Professor Philip Davies of the Eccles Centre for American Studies to round out the picture.
Producer: Christine Hall.
TUE 17:00 PM (b00tccwr)
Full coverage and analysis of the day's news with Eddie Mair. Plus Weather.
TUE 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b00tcd41)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
TUE 18:30 Cabin Pressure (b00lxh3r)
Series 2
Johannesburg
When Carolyn makes a foolish bet with her pilots, what better place for a race against time than a sleepy Spanish airfield? Plus we learn about the thermodynamic properties of boiled sweets and the kinetic thrust of white wine.
Starring
Carolyn Knapp-Shappey ..... Stephanie Cole
1st Officer Douglas Richardson ..... Roger Allam
Capt. Martin Crieff ..... Benedict Cumberbatch
Arthur Shappey ..... John Finnemore
Senor Quintanilla ..... Michael Fenton-Stevens
Diego ..... Javier Marzan
Written by John Finnemore.
Produced & directed by David Tyler
A Pozzitive production for BBC Radio 4
TUE 19:00 The Archers (b00td5vs)
At the Dower House, Lilian discovers Matt has been investing without her say-so. He plays it down - it's not Amside business, just a small punt on a piece of land. Lilian's miffed to be undermined, but also worried about the Bull. It looks like there's been no progress in finding new staff.
Kenton and Jamie bond over a cooked breakfast, with Jamie on better form for some cheeky banter. Kenton realises that Jamie's aversion to playing cricket is because of his memories of Sid. He suggests cricket might be a way of feeling closer to Sid. After some persuasion, Jamie agrees to try it. They enjoy a fun afternoon at the cricket ground.
Lilian remarks to Jolene that the Bull seems quiet. But Jolene seems uninterested, refusing Lilian's offers of help. Jolene admits that she can't cope with running the Bull anymore. With Sid gone her heart isn't in it, and she can see the strain it's putting on Fallon.
Lilian confides in Matt that Jolene wants to sell up. She thinks Jolene is making a big mistake. There must be something Lilian can do to stop Jolene making a decision she'll regret.
TUE 19:15 Front Row (b00td623)
Angelina Jolie stars in the espionage thriller Salt
Angelina Jolie stars as a CIA agent accused of being a Russian sleeper in the espionage thriller Salt. Antonia Quirke reviews.
Last year, Turner Prize-winning artist Jeremy Deller took the twisted wreckage of a car, which had been destroyed by a bomb in a Baghdad street market, on a coast to coast tour of America. Deller hoped the object would provoke dialogue about the war in Iraq. Now the car has been acquired by the Imperial War Museum in London and will go on permanent display next month. Jeremy Deller joins John Wilson to discuss project 'Baghdad 5 March 2007'.
John Wilson interviews his namesake, the conductor John Wilson, about his forthcoming Rodgers and Hammerstein concert at the BBC Proms.
The final episode of Last of the Summer Wine ends with long-running character Clegg puzzling, 'Did I lock the door?' TV critic Stephen Armstrong looks back at the famous (and not so famous) last words of other high-profile TV series.
Producer Philippa Ritchie.
TUE 19:45 15 Minute Drama (b00tc75v)
[Repeat of broadcast at
10:45 today]
TUE 20:00 Why Russia Spies (b00tdm57)
The Cold War is over. But some habits die hard. Since 2007 Russian nuclear bombers have been flying provocatively close to UK airspace, triggering interception by RAF fighters. The Royal Navy has encountered Russian 'hunter-killer' submarines. And as the recent discovery of a spy ring in the United States revealed, Russian agents remain active against the West. With remarkable access to Britain's military and intelligence worlds, Peter Hennessy examines the scale of Russian activity - and what it tells us about the Russia-NATO relationship.
TUE 20:40 In Touch (b00tdm59)
In Touch investigates why a charity is making blind factory workers redundant; is the closure
of the factory inevitable? Peter White hears from the workers involved and
asks those responsible for the decision to close the factory what can be done?
And a report on how the English football team are faring at the World Blind Football championships
in Hereford.
TUE 21:00 Case Notes (b00tdm86)
Regional Anaesthesia
Instead of putting patients to sleep, many major surgical procedures can be done under regional anaesthesia - allowing doctors to offer patients operations they would not have been able to previously because of the risks of being put to sleep. Mark Porter visits the Royal Berkshire Hospital in Reading to investigate the latest alternatives to general anaesthesia. He talks to patients, and doctors about the new high-tech options available and why they choose one form of anaesthetic over another.
Producer: Erika Wright.
TUE 21:30 What's the Point of...? (b00td8zs)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:00 today]
TUE 21:58 Weather (b00tcd7s)
The latest weather forecast.
TUE 22:00 The World Tonight (b00tcdfl)
President Karzai orders an end to private security firms.
Dutch Universities welcome British University rejects
A special report on 'Early Intervention' programmes : does the direct approach prevent social breakdown ?
[Read Charlotte Ashton's analysis @ http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-10989700)
with Bridget Kendall.
TUE 22:45 Book at Bedtime (b00td6x3)
The Story of a Marriage
Episode 7
After an unexpected conversation with Holland, Pearlie makes a momentous decision.
Read by Adjoa Andoh. Written by Andrew Sean Greer and abridged by Fiona McAlpine.
Producer: Clive Brill
A Pacificus production for BBC Radio 4.
TUE 23:00 Happy Tuesdays (b00tdm88)
Antiquity
Antiquity is a lively audience sitcom about the staff of an antiques shop in the fictional town of Newby-On-Wye.
Sassy, cutting, clever, perceptive and in desperate need of a job, Faye Chambers is new to the team. She joins Rupert Bull, an old school bounder and cad who has somehow managed to survive into the 21st Century, and Toby Atkins, his useless but enthusiastic assistant manager.
Rupert won the shop in a poker competition many years ago, and sees it as little more than a way to make a fast buck. In this pilot episode, the immeasurably lovely local shop-owner Mr Richards has a set of priceless Faberge eggs that need restoring.
Rupert Bull -------------------------------------------- Tim McInnerny
Toby ----------------------------------------------------- William Andrews
Faye ----------------------------------------------------- Nadia Kamil
Mr Richards ------------------------------------------- Andrew Sachs
Chicken Seller --------------------------------------- David Reed
Amulet Seller ----------------------------------------- Christine Kavanagh
John-Luke Roberts and Gareth Gwynn have written for a wide variety of Radio 4 shows including The News Quiz, The Now Show, Listen Against, Laura Solon - Talking And Not Talking, Laurence And Gus - Hearts And Minds and many more. Gareth Gwynn was a finalist in the BBC New Talent contest "Show Me The Funny" in 2007 and won the Channel 4 Talent award for radio comedy. John-Luke Roberts wrote and performed the Radio 7 series Spats ("more entertaining than the whole of Live Earth... lovely, peculiar stuff" - The Guardian). He currently has a play in development with the Hampstead Theatre.
TUE 23:30 Tickets Please (b00ny7k4)
Episode 2
The
9.27 London to Exeter emotional rollercoaster continues as the train staff's personal embroilments deepen.
Now one of the wedding party is joining in the melee. And why are there finger-holes in the muffins?
Sitcom on rails by Mark Maier.
Robin..................Jeremy Swift
Nadine...................Alex Kelly
Peter..............Malcolm Tierney
Carol..............Tessa Nicholson
Carl................Nicholas Boulton
Diana...............Melissa Advani
Linda...................Kate Layden
Keith...............Stephen Hogan
Other parts played by Piers Wehner, Philip Fox and Joseph Cohen-Cole.
Producer: Peter Kavanagh
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 2009.
WEDNESDAY 18 AUGUST 2010
WED 00:00 Midnight News (b00tc510)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.
WED 00:30 Book of the Week (b00tdllt)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:45 on Tuesday]
WED 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b00tc550)
The latest shipping forecast.
WED 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b00tc552)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
WED 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b00tc57b)
The latest shipping forecast.
WED 05:30 News Briefing (b00tc5bc)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.
WED 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b00tc6dt)
With Dr Catherine Cowley, Assistant Director for the Heythrop Institute for Religion, Ethics and Public Life.
WED 05:45 Farming Today (b00tc6gy)
UK Farmers must do more to protect wildlife and continue to produce enough food for a growing world population, according to a leading wildlife advisor. And following a complaint that was upheld by the Advertising Standards Authority over so-called micropigs, Farming Today asks if there is such a thing as a miniature pig.
Presented by Cath Mackie; Produced by Martin Poyntz-Roberts.
WED 06:00 Today (b00tc6ml)
Morning news and current affairs with Evan Davis and Justin Webb, including:
07:50 Is the US heading towards a trade war with China?
08:10 Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg on the first 100 days in power.
08:55 Is English test cricket dying?
WED 09:00 Fry's English Delight (b00tdmqr)
Series 3
He Said, She Said
Stephen Fry examines whether men and women really use and understand language differently.
Is there a genuine gender language barrier, or is it just something we made up to amuse ourselves, or to castigate each other?
As a former presenter on Woman's Hour, Sue MacGregor has a unique insight into the way men used to use language to patronise or dominate, and recalls one of her guests on the programme referring to her as 'my dear'.
But as women began to win equality there was a genuine need to discover whether and how women and men differed in the way they spoke.
Cast aside all memories of cartoon strips, Woody Allen movies, sitcoms and diatribes on political correctness or questionable seaside postcards.
This programme gets to the truth, with the aid of academics, a bit of comedy from Ronnie Barker, a sex change surgeon and a speech therapist. Do people who want to change their sex also want to change the way they use language?
Producer: Ian Gardhouse
A Testbed production for BBC Radio 4.
WED 09:30 Head to Head (b00tdmqt)
Series 2
AJP Taylor and Hugh Trevor-Roper
Edward Stourton continues to revisit passionate broadcast debates of the 1960s and 70s exploring the ideas, the great minds behind them and echoes of the arguments in present-day politics.
This episode pitches AJP Taylor against Hugh Trevor-Roper, two big-name historians and the 'telly dons' of their time.
It's 1961 and the fall-out of world war two is still fresh in the minds of the British people. Taylor had just published his provocative revision of the orthodox view of the causes of the war in 1939 - that Britain had scuppered a lunatic dictator's plans of world domination. Taylor argued instead that Hitler was a rational statesman who carried out the expected foreign policies of any German leader, and that a war against Britain and France was unintended.
It caused outrage.
Also on the table is the question of Munich - were tweaks to Germany's frontiers to save another world war morally right? The inflation of the term 'appeasement' has many contemporary connotations.
In the studio dissecting the debate is Adam Sisman, biographer of both AJP Taylor and Hugh Trevor-Roper, and Richard Evans, Regius Professor of Modern History at Cambridge.
Producer: Dominic Byrne
A Blakeway production for BBC Radio 4.
WED 09:45 Book of the Week (b00tdllm)
Stuart Kelly - Scott-land: The Man Who Invented a Nation
Episode 3
His name, image and influence can be seen everywhere; from Scottish banknotes to place names across the globe. Sir Walter Scott invented the modern novel, began Scotland's tourist industry and was the first celebrity author - a heady mix of JK Rowling and Dan Brown long before the age of mass media hype. Lauded by contemporary critics as well as his massive readership in the 19th century, he's hardly read - and even more rarely enjoyed - today.
Stuart Kelly reveals how Queen Victoria and Prince Albert were inspired to create their own influential version of 'Scottishness' at Balmoral by the novels of Walter Scott.
Stuart Kelly was born and brought up in the Scottish Borders. He studied English at Oxford and is the Literary Editor of Scotland on Sunday.
Reader: Robin Laing
Abridger: Laurence Wareing
Producer: Eilidh McCreadie.
WED 10:00 Woman's Hour (b00tc6rs)
Presented by Jane Garvey. Is gender pre-determined or the product of our environment? Businesswoman Jacqueline Gold describes her agonising decision in a twin pregnancy when told one of her babies was not expected to live. The Nordic campaigners who fought in Scandinavia's age of austerity and came out with a better deal for women - could it happen here? And poetry in a tin can - why a trip to the supermarket could bring out your inner bard.
WED 10:45 15 Minute Drama (b00tc75x)
Dear Mr Spectator, series 2
Episode 3
Returning for a second series, the nation's favourite agony uncle - Mr. Spectator - continues to offer his wit and wisdom on the morals and manners of his countrymen in his daily writings; but who exactly is this mysterious Spectator, and why does everyone want to find him all of a sudden?
London. 1710. Nothing changes under the sun. Political upheaval, national debt, spin; and, in the midst of it all, eager, naive young Ned Dempsey, just arrived in the Capital and determined to make his way in the big city.
With Britain in debt to the tune of nine million pounds, Chief Minister and Lord of the Treasury, Robert Harley, has a plan to raise the funds the country so desperately needs: a little idea called the South Sea Company. However, he requires public support to get his Bill through Parliament and to do that he needs someone influential to speak out in support of his scheme. Someone with the ear of the country, someone people respect, someone people turn to, listen to, obey. Someone like Mr. Spectator!
Enlisting the aid of Palace paper-boy Ned, Harley determines to track down the elusive Mr. Spectator in order to convince him to come out in support of the Bill before it goes before the House on Friday.
Embarking on a quest to discover the identity of London's most spectral of citizens, Ned scours the 'Spectator's' daily publications for a clue to his prey's whereabouts. Pursuing hints and clues through a world of clubs, coffee-houses, theatres and booksellers; from lowly taverns to the Royal Palace itself, Ned is swept along in a mercenary world of spin and manipulation. Is anyone really who they seem? Does everything and everyone have their price?
Can Ned unmask Mr. Spectator before time - and Harley's patience - runs out?
Adapted from Addison & Steele's 'Spectator' essays by Elizabeth Kuti.
Mr. Spectator ... Benjamin Whitrow
Ned Dempsey ... Bryan Dick
Harley ... David Schofield
Abigail ... Christina Cole
Queen Anne ... Jemma Redgrave
Anne Baldwin ... Claire Rushbrook
Defoe ... Sam Dale
Aunt Maude ... Stella McCusker
Opera Singer ... David Revels
Other parts played by: Seainin Brennan, Niall Cusack, Paul Kennedy, Marty Maguire and Charlie Niblock-Hamill.
WED 11:00 Mind Changers (b00t97xf)
Case Study: John/Joan - The Boy Who Was Raised as a Girl
Without a few unusual people, human behaviour would have remained a mystery - ordinary people whose extraordinary circumstances provided researchers with the exceptions that proved behavioural rules. Claudia Hammond revisits the classic case studies that have advanced psychological research.
Janet and Ron Reimer's twin sons, Bruce and Brian, were born in Winnipeg in Canada in August 1965. All went well until April 1966, when the twins were circumcised. In the process, Bruce suffered a catastrophic injury to his penis. A year later, on the advice of Dr John Money, founder of the Gender Identity Clinic at Johns Hopkins University Medical Centre in Baltimore, Bruce became Brenda and the Reimers began to raise their son as a daughter.
John Money published the case as one of successful gender re-assignment in 1975, when the twins were 9. Yet by the time Brenda was a teenager she was suicidal. When her parents finally told her the truth, Brenda decided to change back to her original gender; she became David Reimer.
The medical literature, however, continued to quote John/Joan as evidence of successful gender reassignment, until Milton Diamond, Director of the Pacific Centre for Sex and Society at the University of Hawaii, finally tracked down David Reimer and published an article in 1997. For the first time it was revealed that the re-assignment had not been a success. Journalist John Colapinto followed it up with a book about David in 2000.
As a man, David appeared finally to have found happiness in marriage and stepchildren. However, a series of events took their toll: his twin brother's death, the loss of his job, and separation from his wife all proved too much and he took his own life on 4 May 2004.
Producer: Marya Burgess.
WED 11:30 The Castle (b00tdn0f)
Series 3
There's No Place Like Woodstock
Hie ye to The Castle, a rollicking sitcom set way back then, starring James Fleet (The Vicar Of Dibley, Four Weddings and a Funeral) and Neil Dudgeon (Life Of Riley)
In this episode, we discover that somewhere, over the rainbow... there are a bunch of idiots from Woodstock and a mysterious man known only as 'Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber'.
Cast:
Sir John Woodstock ....... James Fleet
Sir William De Warenne ....... Neil Dudgeon
Lady Anne Woodstock ....... Martha Howe-Douglas
Cardinal Duncan ....... Jonathan Kydd
Lady Charlotte ........ Ingrid Oliver
Master Henry Woodstock ........ Steven Kynman
Merlin ........ Lewis Macleod
Written by Kim Fuller & Paul Alexander
Music by Guy Jackson
Producer/Director: David Tyler
A Pozzitive production for BBC Radio 4.
WED 12:00 You and Yours (b00tccjd)
As many students with good grades fail to get a place at a British University, a University in the Netherlands says it will take students with good grades. But how good are Dutch Universities and what do they offer the British student as far as career development goes back in the UK?
We'll look ahead to this week's edition of Face the Facts on how police have failed some victims of domestic abuse who went on to be murdered, continue with Simon Parkes' series on so-called 'heritage' foods and....you get them everywhere - on the street, in the newspaper, through your letterbox... Leaflets are an unavoidable scourge of modern times - says the Daily Mail columnist Quentin Letts.
WED 12:57 Weather (b00tc9yj)
The latest weather forecast.
WED 13:00 World at One (b00tc9ng)
National and international news with Shaun Ley.
WED 13:30 The Media Show (b00tdn2f)
Steve Hewlett speaks to Arwel Ellis Owen the interim chief-executive of S4C, the Welsh language broadcaster which receives £100m a year from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.
Last month Wikileaks published 92,000 classified military documents on the war in Afghanistan. Criticism from the US government was swift and others began to question whether the disclosures might put informants at risk. Now the press freedom organisation Reporters Without Borders, has written to Wikileaks accusing them of "incredible irresponsibility".
Steve is joined by Gilles Lordet (Editor in Chief at Reporters Without Borders), Eric Schmitt (Terrorism and Security Correspondent at The New York Times - one of the newspapers which published edited accounts of the Wikileaks documents), and Heather Brooke (journalist and freedom of information campaigner).
And, the big media story of the week - Jason Manford and Alex Jones began their new presenting roles on The One Show. Reviews have been mixed ranging from the pair having ""as much electricity as the Battersea powerstation - which was shut down 20 years ago" to "really nice chemistry" and the birth of "a showbiz double act to be reckoned with." Emma Cox, TV Features Editor at The Sun gives us her verdict.
The producer is Joe Kent.
WED 14:00 The Archers (b00td5vs)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Tuesday]
WED 14:15 Drama (b00drz1k)
HMS Surprise
Episode 1
1/3. Naval battles, political intrigue and
romantic rivalry are all to the fore in Patrick
O'Brian's novel, set in 1804-5 in England, India
and on the high seas. Captain Jack Aubrey
engages the Spanish at sea and the French on land
- but falls victim to enemies at home. Starring David Robb as
Aubrey.
WED 15:00 Alvin Hall's Generations of Money (b00tcs29)
[Repeat of broadcast at
12:00 on Saturday]
WED 15:30 Afternoon Reading (b00tdly8)
Opening Lines
The Amazing Arnolfini and His Wife
The series which gives first-time and emerging short story writers their radio debut.
By Jonathan Pinnock
A husband and wife tightrope walking team travel across America wowing audiences with their daredevil acrobatics. A jaw-dropping finale is promised in this high wire thriller.
Read by Laurel Lefkow
Produced by Gemma Jenkins.
WED 15:45 Famous Footsteps (b00q3fr4)
Episode 3
Fiona Neill examines the burden of expectation felt by the children of creatively successful parents. How debilitating is the worry about comparisons being made with their parent?
WED 16:00 Thinking Allowed (b00tdn2h)
Disenchantment
The sociologist Max Weber saw the Enlightenment as the period when science started to take over from religion as the way of comprehending human existence, and became the defining character of modernity. The process of casting magic and superstition aside in favour of rationality he defined as 'disenchantment': no longer was the world a place of supernatural signs and natural magic. In the second of a special series of programmes looking at some of the key concepts in social science, Laurie Taylor explores the idea of disenchantment with three experts. David Voas, Sam Whimster and Linda Woodhead, discuss how the idea has been applied to understanding the development of secular societies and whether we are now entering a phase of re-enchantment.
Producer: Charlie Taylor.
WED 16:30 Case Notes (b00tdm86)
[Repeat of broadcast at
21:00 on Tuesday]
WED 17:00 PM (b00tccwt)
Full coverage and analysis of the day's news with Eddie Mair. Plus Weather.
WED 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b00tcd43)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
WED 18:30 Ed Reardon's Week (b00qbv2p)
Series 6
Cheese Cricket
Ed finds himself a surprise hit when he takes part in a new Radio 4 'topical quiz with a tasty twist'. With Christopher Douglas and Stephanie Cole. From February 2010.
WED 19:00 The Archers (b00td5vv)
Brenda's bored at work and chats to Fallon at the Bull during her break. She notes Fallon looks tired. Fallon admits she's had to put her own interests, including her band The Lies, on the back burner.
Debbie and Alice had a good night at Jaxx, but Debbie speculates that Kenton's cheeriness seemed forced. They discuss Marshall. Debbie admits that his views on relationships were more conservative than she initially thought. Debbie reveals that, together with Adam and Kate, she has bought Alice and Chris a couple of nights at Grey Gables as part of their wedding present. Alice is delighted.
Over tea with Fallon, Jamie admits he misses Sid. He's still adjusting to not having his father around. He's pleased though that he can honour Sid's memory by playing cricket. Fallon tells Jamie he's welcome to practise on her guitar if he wants to write a song or poem for Sid.
Brenda helps Fallon put together a job ad for new staff. Kathy joins them, and thanks Fallon for looking after Jamie. It reminds her how much everyone misses Sid. Fallon tells Kathy she is lucky to have Kenton. Kathy agrees, but admits that Sid was the real hub of her family wheel.
WED 19:15 Front Row (b00td625)
Highlights from the Edinburgh Fringe
As the 64th Edinburgh Fringe Festival reaches its halfway stage, Mark Lawson presents a taste of the acts making waves and clocking up five-star reviews.
Before a live audience, Tim Vine - master of the single-line gag - attempts to get to grips with our fascination for good old-fashioned corny jokes. Former stand-up and classical pianist Rainer Hersch offers his tribute to the late Danish comic and acclaimed pianist Victor Borge. Eugene Pack and James Lance wonder at the sheer lack of self-awareness of the celebrity autobiographers from Mr T and Eminem to Tiger Woods and Katie Price.
And actress Mercy Ojelade describes playing the protagonist of the play that's attracting a great deal of attention - Roadkill - which takes the tiny audience on a trip to a secret location in Edinburgh to tell the true life story of a girl sex-trafficked from Nigeria to Scotland.
And if the spoken word is not your thing, The Boy With Tape On His Face presents a whole hour of stand-up comedy without uttering a sound.
Producer Jerome Weatherald.
WED 19:45 15 Minute Drama (b00tc75x)
[Repeat of broadcast at
10:45 today]
WED 20:00 Electric Ride (b00tfpmf)
The highlights of Peter Curran's epic 4,500 mile battery-powered journey through Europe, investigating the current state of electric car manufacturing and policy.
He visits cities which are wiring up charging stations and probing politicians about what they're doing to promote the electric cause.
Peter discovers that it's not always that easy to find a place to plug in the car, and there's a nail-biting episode in the Alps when he reaches the one hotel en route to the top - which has closed.
From Norway to the Coastal plains of Andalusia, it's a journey of highs, lows and tense moments amidst the roaring traffic on the German autobahns - which were not made for small electric cars with a top speed of around 50 mph.
Producer: Kevin Dawson
A Whistledown production for BBC Radio 4.
WED 20:45 Talking to the Enemy (b00tdn9f)
Face to face with the enemy
Jonathan Powell, Tony Blair's Chief of Staff, took part in the negotiations which led to the Good Friday Agreement in Northern Ireland. Here he takes us into the negotiating room and explains how negotiations with men of violence come about, work or fail, and can lead to peace. Produced by David Stenhouse.
WED 21:00 Frontiers (b00tdnjl)
Muscle Wastage
We're all familiar by now with being told to "use it or lose it" when it comes to certain aspects of our health and bodies, and never more so than for muscles.
But in this edition of Frontiers, Vivienne Parry hears how new research in to muscle wastage is turning the accepted view on its head.
Startling results from a large-scale study have seen elderly peoples' muscles completely rebuilt through diet and exercise.
The detailed molecular pathways within muscles are beginning to be understood well enough for drug companies to target new ways of replacing what is lost, offering hope to the many thousands of people in Britain who suffer from muscle wastage due to illness or ageing.
Producer: Sue Broom.
WED 21:30 Fry's English Delight (b00tdmqr)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:00 today]
WED 21:58 Weather (b00tcd7v)
The latest weather forecast.
WED 22:00 The World Tonight (b00tcdfn)
Radio 4's daily evening news and current affairs programme bringing you global news and analysis.
WED 22:45 Book at Bedtime (b00td6wx)
The Story of a Marriage
Episode 8
Buzz takes Pearlie and Sonny for a trip and tells her the truth about his war experiences.
Read by Adjoa Andoh. Written by Andrew Sean Greer and abridged by Fiona McAlpine.
Producer: Clive Brill
A Pacificus production for BBC Radio 4.
WED 23:00 Continuity (b00tdnt4)
Episode 1
A Continuity Announcer's booth can be a lonely place - especially on the late shift, when you've barely seen your wife and children for a week. Still, this Radio 4 Continuity Announcer is nothing, if not a consummate professional and he's not going to let his own insignificant little problems get in the way of your listening pleasure. Especially when there are so many exciting programmes coming up in the next week, which he's got to tell you about. At least some of them are exciting. Some of them aren't quite his cup of tea, if he's honest, but that's not really the point, is it? They may be right up your street. It's not really his place to express an opinion. Even if it is tempting. This may be a come-down from heady days spent announcing on the Today programme, but he's got a job to do. Though sometimes it is rather difficult to concentrate.....
Alistair McGowan stars in a new subversive sitcom about a Continuity Announcer brooding on the escalating disasters of his private and professional life; at the same time as attempting to give us a preview of the programmes on offer in the coming week on Radio 4. Or what might be Radio 4 in a parallel universe. Trails for 'The Ethical Enigma', 'Britain's Favourite Sound' and 'The History of Britain One Year at a Time' are just some of the strange delights on offer in the world of this 'radio professional', who harbours a slightly inappropriate relationship with his audience.
Written by Hugh Rycroft a stalwart of 'The News Quiz' and co-creator of 'Parliamentary Questions' and 'Life, Death and Sex with Mike and Sue', the series also features the voices of Lewis Macleod, Sally Grace, Charlotte Page and David Holt.
Produced by David Spicer and Frank Stirling
A Unique Production for BBC Radio 4.
WED 23:15 Rik Mayall's Bedside Tales (b00nkp1y)
Red Coat
Settle down, brush your teeth, do whatever it is you do at this time of night. But most of all listen, because Rik would like to talk to you. One on one. Tonight he'd mostly like to tell you about Red Coat.
Performer ..... Rik Mayall
Writers ..... Rik Mayall & John Nicholson
Producer ..... Steven Canny
We open a small and peculiarly shaped window in to the mind of Rik Mayall. Written by Rik and John Nicholson, it's a woozy, strange and resonant series from one of the country's most loved comic performers. Rik wants to sit with you in your room - one on one. He wants to let you know things - important, secret things, things about your neighbours. About him. About you.
WED 23:30 Giles Wemmbley Hogg Goes Off (b00pbx22)
Series 4
Lapland
He's back! But this time, he's got a computer! Budleigh Salterton's most famous citizen has been grounded by both the Home Office and his father, so he's set up GWH Travvel ("2 Ms, 2 Gs, 2 Vs - bit of a mix up at the printers").
Run from his bedroom with the help of his long-suffering former Primary School teacher Mr Timmis and the hindrance of his sister Charlotte, it's a one-stop Travel/Advice/Events Management/Website service, where each week his schemes range far and wide - whether it's roaming the country lecturing would-be overlanders on how to pack a rucksack ("If in doubt, put it in. And double it"), or finding someone a zebra for a corporate promotion ("I'll look in the Phone Book - how hard can it be? Now, "A to D"...), GWH Travvel stays true to its motto - "We do it all, so you won't want to".
In this special episode, first broadcast at Xmas, Giles takes a trip to Iceland and buys some frozen food for his trip to Lapland. He also learns that when hunting with shotguns, it's good to know the difference between an elk and an elf.
Co-starring Catherine Tate as his long-suffering fiancee Arabella and Celia Imrie as his mother-in-law-to-be - the woman known only as "Mrs Wells" - in a snowbound special that mixes The Wizard Of Oz, It's A Wonderful Life and The Ice Queen in Giles's head, and serves them up with a helping of brandy butter and South Devon-style idiocy.
Starring Marcus Brigstocke as Giles.
Cast:
Giles Wemmbley Hogg ..... Marcus Brigstocke
Bella ..... Catherine Tate
Mrs Wells ..... Celia Imrie
Mr Timmis ..... Adrian Scarborough
Charlotte Wemmbley Hogg ..... Catherine Shepherd
Santa ..... Ewan Bailey
Written by Marcus Brigstocke & Jeremy Salsby.
Producer: David Tyler
A Pozzitive production for BBC Radio 4.
THURSDAY 19 AUGUST 2010
THU 00:00 Midnight News (b00tc512)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.
THU 00:30 Book of the Week (b00tdllm)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:45 on Wednesday]
THU 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b00tc554)
The latest shipping forecast.
THU 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b00tc556)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
THU 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b00tc57d)
The latest shipping forecast.
THU 05:30 News Briefing (b00tc5bf)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.
THU 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b00tc6dw)
With Dr Catherine Cowley, Assistant Director for the Heythrop Institute for Religion, Ethics and Public Life.
THU 05:45 Farming Today (b00tc6h0)
As lawyers prepare to sue Godstone Farm in Surrey after an outbreak of E coli, Professor George Griffin, who led an inquiry into open farm safety, tells Cath Mackie many of his recommendations have yet to be taken up.
There may be an end in sight to the mackerel wars blighting the North sea. After Peterhead harbour was blockaded by protesting Scottish fishermen, Farming Today is told it's likely Iceland will reduce its controversially high quota.
And as bee numbers continue to decline, Farming Today visits Worcester University where scientists have discovered that bees in city centres are thriving on the diversity of garden plan tlife.
Plus, living in an 8,000 cow dairy herd needn't be bad for animal welfare. That's the view of the Farm Animal Welfare Council, as Nocton Dairy continues to plan its mega-sized unit for Lincolnshire.
Presenter: Cath Mackie Producer: Melvin Rickarby.
THU 06:00 Today (b00tc6mn)
Morning news and current affairs with Evan Davis and Justin Webb, including:
08:10 Is there too much emphasis on academic achievement in education?
08:20 Evan takes a Spitfire for a spin.
08:55 Whispering Bob Harris on 40 years at the BBC.
THU 09:00 The Choice (b00tdnzc)
On The Choice this week, Micahel Buerk talks to Romy Tiongco.
He spent a lifetime fighting poverty - first as a Catholic priest, then as a Christian Aid worker. Where he comes from - the Philippines - poverty is made worse by violence and corruption. He'd taken it on as a young man, before moving to this country with his wife. When he decided to return to the Philippines he did not realise it would draw him back into a dangerous and murky world and present him with the most difficult choice of his life. After his best friend was killed, the people called on him to challenge corruption by standing for political office - a choice that would put his own life on the line.
THU 09:30 GPs Who Need GPS (b00tfv5h)
The Flying Doctor
Phil Hammond's patients come to him, and he likes to work civilised hours. Not so for Malcolm Russell who drives over 150 miles to come to the aid of casualties who may be anywhere in Surrey. Malcolm is a member of the Surrey Air Ambulance, and for two days a fortnight he flies with them.
Phil Hammond narrates the extraordinary journey of Dr Russell as he fights sleep and leaps to action as part of the helicopter crew.
Produced by Lucy Lloyd.
THU 09:45 Book of the Week (b00tdllp)
Stuart Kelly - Scott-land: The Man Who Invented a Nation
Episode 4
His name, image and influence can be seen everywhere; from Scottish banknotes to place names across the globe. Sir Walter Scott invented the modern novel, began Scotland's tourist industry and was the first celebrity author - a heady mix of JK Rowling and Dan Brown long before the age of mass media hype. Lauded by contemporary critics as well as his massive readership in the 19th century, he's hardly read - and even more rarely enjoyed - today.
Stuart Kelly turns his attention to Walter Scott's influence on British politics. A lifelong Tory, Scott was brought in to stage manage the first visit of King George IV to Edinburgh. The pageant he created would cement the Union between Scotland and England and have lasting effects on Scottish customs by promoting the kilt as national dress.
Stuart Kelly was born and brought up in the Scottish Borders. He studied English at Oxford and is the Literary Editor of Scotland on Sunday.
Reader: Robin Laing
Abridger: Laurence Wareing
Producer: Eilidh McCreadie.
THU 10:00 Woman's Hour (b00tc6rv)
Presented by Jane Garvey. The southern belles who charmed Britain's high society and took Europe by storm, women who are driven to kill their children and why many cases may go undiscovered, should knowingly infecting others with HIV become a criminal offence here as in Germany, and still holding on to your cuddly toys? Why it's so difficult to let them go.
THU 10:45 15 Minute Drama (b00tc75z)
Dear Mr Spectator, series 2
Episode 4
Returning for a second series, the nation's favourite agony uncle - Mr. Spectator - continues to offer his wit and wisdom on the morals and manners of his countrymen in his daily writings; but who exactly is this mysterious Spectator, and why does everyone want to find him all of a sudden?
London. 1710. Nothing changes under the sun. Political upheaval, national debt, spin; and, in the midst of it all, eager, naive young Ned Dempsey, just arrived in the Capital and determined to make his way in the big city.
With Britain in debt to the tune of nine million pounds, Chief Minister and Lord of the Treasury, Robert Harley, has a plan to raise the funds the country so desperately needs: a little idea called the South Sea Company. However, he requires public support to get his Bill through Parliament and to do that he needs someone influential to speak out in support of his scheme. Someone with the ear of the country, someone people respect, someone people turn to, listen to, obey. Someone like Mr. Spectator!
Enlisting the aid of Palace paper-boy Ned, Harley determines to track down the elusive Mr. Spectator in order to convince him to come out in support of the Bill before it goes before the House on Friday.
Embarking on a quest to discover the identity of London's most spectral of citizens, Ned scours the 'Spectator's' daily publications for a clue to his prey's whereabouts. Pursuing hints and clues through a world of clubs, coffee-houses, theatres and booksellers; from lowly taverns to the Royal Palace itself, Ned is swept along in a mercenary world of spin and manipulation. Is anyone really who they seem? Does everything and everyone have their price?
Can Ned unmask Mr. Spectator before time - and Harley's patience - runs out?
Adapted from Addison & Steele's 'Spectator' essays by Elizabeth Kuti.
Mr. Spectator ..... Benjamin Whitrow
Ned Dempsey ..... Bryan Dick
Harley ..... David Schofield
Abigail ..... Christina Cole
Queen Anne ..... Jemma Redgrave
Anne Baldwin ..... Claire Rushbrook
Defoe ..... Sam Dale
Aunt Maude ..... Stella McCusker
Opera Singer ..... David Revels
Other parts played by: Seainin Brennan, Niall Cusack, Paul Kennedy, Marty Maguire and Charlie Niblock-Hamill.
THU 11:00 Crossing Continents (b00tdptg)
Medjugorje
In Medjugorje the age of miracles isn't over: it is alive and well and is big business. The Catholic boom town in the Bosnian hills now rivals the better known Fatima or Lourdes. There were eight appearances of the Virgin Mary at Lourdes, yet since 1981 there have been 33,000 at Medjugorje, where she appears practically every day. The Vatican is currently investigating the validity of the claims.
Meanwhile the pilgrims keep rolling in and spending their money. The town is also a hotbed of Croat ultra-nationalists, who some say are using the religious fervour to boost their own political influence in the region. Allan Little investigates the political sensitivities around Medjugorje.
Producer: Paul Vickers.
THU 11:30 Ziggy Stardust Came from Isleworth (b00tdpz8)
Martyn Day explores the life the British-born singer Vince Taylor, who inspired David Bowie's mythical rockstar.
Ziggy Stardust was a rock and roll fantasy. But David Bowie's fictional rockstar, around whom his 1972 album, stage show, and film were built, was inspired by a real performer, Vince Taylor, born in Isleworth, Middlesex. This programme uncovers the truth about a singer whose wild lifestyle ultimately destroyed him, but in so doing he gave rise to a myth that transcended glam-rock and science fiction.
His record "Brand New Cadillac" remains to this day a British rock 'n' roll classic, covered later by The Clash.
But Vince was frustrated by his limited success in Britain and, already displaying the unpredictable behaviour and volcanic temper that were to dog him for the rest of his days, he moved to France where the "yé-yé" crowd really went wild for him. They called him 'Le Diable Noir' - the Black Devil.
Decked out in black leathers, chains, kohl eye make-up and with his hair greased up into a high pompadour he was immediately signed to the French Barclay label. But fuelled by alcohol and drugs Vince's behaviour became increasingly erratic. At a party he tried LSD for the first time. In his state of mind at the time it was absolutely the very last thing that he needed.
Vince Taylor underwent a kind of public breakdown at his next gig, where he started claiming he was a divine being. David Bowie bumped into him in London and later said: "Vince Taylor was the inspiration for Ziggy...He always stayed in my mind as an example of what can happen in rock n roll. I'm not sure if I held him up as an idol or as something not to become. There was something very tempting about him going completely off the edge."
The programme, presented by Martyn Day, tracks down many of the people who worked with Taylor, including members of his original band and his family.
First broadcast on BBC Radio in August 2010.
THU 12:00 You and Yours (b00tccjg)
Season tickets for football clubs and prostitutes in Holland - some of the things newspapers claim disabled people are using taxpayers' money for, under new rules on how their personal care is funded. So what do the rules say and are they being abused?
We have more details on the collapse of Kiss Flights.
And there'll be no photos and dedications at Tony Blair's book signing. Winifred speaks to the author Philip Pullman about what it's like at the sharp end.
THU 12:30 Face the Facts (b00tdpzb)
Fatal Inaction
A convicted murderer, threats to kill and numerous reports of stalking and harrassment. They're all factors the police need to take into account when a victim of domestic abuse calls for help. Too often, though, police are failing to spot the warning signs until it's too late. This, despite repeated concerns voiced by its own watchdog, the Independent Police Complaints Commission and detailed guidelines and procedures on how officers should investigate domestic abuse. Every week, two women in the UK are killed by a violent partner or ex-partner. So it's crucial police can identify who is most at risk of harm and respond appropriately. John Waite investigates the cases where police officers breached their own guidelines and failed those whom they needed to protect.
THU 12:57 Weather (b00tc9yl)
The latest weather forecast.
THU 13:00 World at One (b00tc9nj)
National and international news with James Robbins.
THU 13:30 Questions, Questions (b00tdq8g)
Stewart Henderson presents the interactive problem-solving programme for those niggling questions.
Email Questions.questions@bbc.co.uk
Tel: 03700 100400 or you can reach us online via our Radio 4 message board.
Presenter: Stewart Henderson
Producer: Dilly Barlow
A Whistledown Production for BBC Radio 4.
THU 14:00 The Archers (b00td5vv)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Wednesday]
THU 14:15 Drama (b00dsk50)
HMS Surprise
Episode 2
Patrick O'Brian's novel, set in 1804-5 in
England, India and on the high seas,
dramatised by Roger Danes. Jack Aubrey is
ordered to convey a British ambassador to
the East Indies - but in Bombay Stephen
Maturin meets Diana Villiers, the one woman Jack
would avoid at any cost. Starring David Robb as Aubrey and
Richard Dillane as Maturin.
THU 15:00 Open Country (b00tcfhl)
[Repeat of broadcast at
06:07 on Saturday]
THU 15:27 Radio 4 Appeal (b00tcy3s)
[Repeat of broadcast at
07:55 on Sunday]
THU 15:30 Afternoon Reading (b00tdlyb)
Opening Lines
Kiss
The series which gives first-time and emerging short story writers their radio debut.
By Heather Reid
A quirky coming-of-age story in which thoughts of that all important first kiss occupy the mind of a teenager as she travels home from school on the bus.
Read by Morven Christie
Produced by Gemma Jenkins.
THU 15:45 Famous Footsteps (b00qc030)
Episode 4
Fiona Neill finds out how creatively successful people cope when things go wrong, talking to songwriter Guy Chambers, Adrian Edmondson and Daphne Du Maurier's daughter.
THU 16:00 Open Book (b00td4v6)
[Repeat of broadcast at
16:00 on Sunday]
THU 16:30 Material World (b00tdr1s)
Gareth Mitchell presents this week's digest of science in and behind the headlines. In this edition; DIY on the International Space Station, will astronauts have to be doing more of this work in the future? It's getting 'Hot in the City' - the latest predictions suggest our cities could be 10 degrees warmer than the countryside by the end of the century, Gareth explores the possible solutions. Can you prove anything with science? Gareth talks to scientists about why we ignore any science we don't agree with and fail to act on anything we do believe in; and monitoring the wolf population in Germany.
The producer is Ania Lichtarowicz.
THU 17:00 PM (b00tccww)
Full coverage and analysis of the day's news with Eddie Mair. Plus Weather.
THU 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b00tcd45)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
THU 18:30 On the Fringe with Stephen K Amos (b00tgz6f)
For more than 50 years, what is now the biggest arts festival in the world has been at the heart of British comedy.
The Edinburgh Festival Fringe is where our aspiring stand-ups, writers and comic actors head each August to cut their teeth, catch the eye of talent scouts and take part in a kind of comedy summer camp.
In this one-off special, stand-up comedian Stephen K Amos presents highlights from a Radio 4 comedy spectacular, recorded live on Edinburgh's Royal Mile.
There are stand-up sets from Miles Jupp, Richard Herring, Susan Calman and Andrew Lawrence as well as an abbreviated round of Just A Minute, in which Stephen tries Ian Messiter's classic game for the first time, with help from Nicholas Parsons, Paul Merton, Jenny Eclair and Gyles Brandreth.
Stephen also trawls the bars and gutters of Edinburgh, talking to Fringe veterans, promoters and newcomers about their experiences of the festival, hoping to find out what draws hundreds of comedians -and almost as many audience members- up to Auld Reekie every Summer.
Interviewees include: Simon Evans, Pappy's, Tom Wrigglesworth, Mark Watson, Roisin Conaty, Karen Koren, and Justin Moorhouse.
Produced by Colin Anderson.
THU 19:00 The Archers (b00td5vx)
Pip's disappointed with her exam results, but David knows she is capable of doing better. Pip decides to drop Chemistry and retake her other papers - probably in January. David feels that's sensible, and is pleased Pip's having a night out with her friends in Borchester. She deserves it.
At Home Farm, the marquee is about to be erected. Debbie asks to see the plans for the market development, and Brian's pleased she's taking an interest. As Brian and Debbie explore the site, Brian tells her Jennifer's worried about the split with Marshall. Debbie assures him she couldn't be happier.
Meanwhile at April Cottage, Jamie is out late and Kathy has no idea where he could be. Kenton won't answer his phone, so she turns to Clarrie for help. Kathy tearfully admits their relationship is deteriorating. Jamie turns up at Keeper's Cottage looking for Kathy. He's shocked to see her crying, but Kathy's just glad and relieved that he's safe.
Jennifer's busy locking up her valuables in preparation for tomorrow's party. She isn't looking forward to entertaining a crowd of Horrobins. Brian tries to look on the bright side. At least Clive is safely locked away in prison.
THU 19:15 Front Row (b00td627)
With Kirsty Lang.
Oscar-nominated director Sylvain Chomet has resurrected a script by Jacques Tati for his latest animation, The Illusionist. The hand-drawn feature is set in the 1950s and follows a French conjurer who travels from Paris to Edinburgh. Author Denise Mina reviews.
The shortlist of artists for the next commission to go on the Fourth Plinth in Trafalgar Square was announced today. The artists are Allora & Calzadilla, Elmgreen & Dragset, Katharina Fritsch, Brian Griffiths, Hew Locke and Mariele Neudecker. Art critic Rachel Campbell-Johnston discusses the contenders.
This year sees the 30th anniversary of Willy Russell's play Educating Rita, the tale of a young working-class woman seeking to expand her horizons, under the guidance of a middle-aged male academic. So why are its themes still popular? Front Row discusses the cultural legend of female transformation, from Ovid's Metamorphoses over 2000 years ago to the present day, with Willy Russell, novelist Sarah Dunant and comedian and classicist Natalie Haynes.
American band The Flaming Lips have recorded their own complete version of the classic Pink Floyd album Dark Side Of The Moon. John Harris considers this and other re-recordings of the 1973 best-selling disc.
And a tribute to the Scottish poet Edwin Morgan, who has died at the age of 90.
Producer Helen Roberts.
THU 19:45 15 Minute Drama (b00tc75z)
[Repeat of broadcast at
10:45 today]
THU 20:00 The Report (b00tdr1v)
Ian Tomlinson
Simon Cox examines what happened with the investigation into the death of Ian Tomlinson at last year's G20 protest and asks why no charges have been brought.
Outrage has been expressed at the recent decision of the Crown Prosecution Service not to pursue charges against the policeman that struck Ian Tomlinson minutes before his death. And the General Medical Council is currently conducting a hearing into the 'fitness to practice' of the pathologist who conducted the first post mortem on Ian Tomlinson. The programme examines each stage of the investigation, talks to those closely involved with the case, and asks whether the judicial process failed.
THU 20:30 In Business (b00tdr1x)
Are CEOs up to the job?
In the wake of the very personal attacks on outgoing BP boss, Tony Hayward, the programme asks: are chief executives really up to the job in our top companies? Peter Day shines the spotlight on these much praised and vilified high profile leaders.
Producer: Lesley McAlpine.
THU 21:00 We Are The Egg Men (b00tdr1z)
Generations of boys have robbed nests during their childhoods. Most grow out of it, making a moral journey towards a less rapacious relationship with the natural world. But some don't, and this can have terrible consequences for both birds and men: the red-backed shrike became extinct in Britain because its beautiful speckled eggs proved irresistible to collectors. This happened as recently as the 1980s, even though it has been illegal to steal eggs from nests since 1954. Punishment then was limited to a fine, related to the offender's ability to pay, but the law was no deterrent to people such as Colin Watson. He offended repeatedly, paid fines totally £6,000 and was once caught trying to fell a tree with a chainsaw to get at an osprey's nest. He tumbled from a tree while trying to reach a nest in 2005, and died, killed by his obsession.
In 2001 a change in the law meant egg collectors faced prison. Several were apprehended in Operation Easter (focusing on the vulnerable birds of the Scottish Isles) by detectives from the National Wildlife Crime Unit. It is now pursuing 70 suspected collectors in Britain, and is liaising with Interpol. Cheap flights, Alan Stewart of Tayside Police, says, have led to 'egg-collecting tourism'.
Mark Thomas, investigation officer with the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, believes that while the recent sentences are significant, they are not doing enough.
Paul Farley talks to those involved, on both sides of the law: John Dodsworth, who has a number of convictions relating to egg collecting, speaks about his passion, his love of nature, how he feels he has done no harm, and has been treated unjustly. Farley visits the headquarters of the RSPB where Mark Thomas shows him some of the confiscated egg collections - that include red-backed shrike eggs - and where he reads the journals of Colin Watson.
Farley also visits Leighton Moss, the reserve where some of the tiny number of bitterns in Britain roost in the reeds, to find out about measures taken to safeguard nests, and speaks to David Waters, the man behind the re-introduction of the Great Bustard to this country, about the lengths he goes to protect their eggs.
And, with naturalist Mark Cocker, Paul Farley wonders whether, unless people can get close to nature, they become dislocated from the natural world entirely.
Producer: Julian May.
THU 21:30 The Choice (b00tdnzc)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:00 today]
THU 21:58 Weather (b00tcd7x)
The latest weather forecast.
THU 22:00 The World Tonight (b00tcdfq)
Who are the winners and losers in today's scramble for university places?
We mark the life of Scottish poet Edwin Morgan, who died today.
And press freedom in Thailand - three months after the protests.
THU 22:45 Book at Bedtime (b00td6wz)
The Story of a Marriage
Episode 9
Pearlie atones for what she feels she has done to Annabel DeLawn. The day, that she has been waiting for, is finally drawing closer.
Read by Adjoa Andoh. Written by Andrew Sean Greer and abridged by Fiona McAlpine.
Producer: Clive Brill
A Pacificus production for BBC Radio 4.
THU 23:00 Recorded for Training Purposes (b00tdr21)
Series 4
Episode 5
More razor-sharp sketches about modern communication from the Recorded for Training Purposes team, recorded in front of a studio audience.
The cast collectively have countless sketch shows, sitcoms and films to their names. Google Rachel Atkins, Dominic Coleman, Lewis Macleod, Julie Mayhew, Ingrid Oliver or Ben Willbond, and be impressed.
The show had an open-door policy, meaning that anyone could send the show sketches. Some 1500 were sent in this way, with every single one being read by a script-editor or producer - with the funniest stuff getting recorded and broadcast. In addition, a small number of the new writers who got material broadcast this way in series three were given one-to-one script-editing notes and feedback from the production team as part of BBC Radio Comedy's commitment to discovering and developing new writing talent.
The scripts were edited by award-winning writers James Cary, Jason Hazeley and Joel Morris. James' writing will be familiar to Radio 4 audiences from the his sketch show Concrete Cow to his sitcoms Think The Unthinkable and Hut 33. He also co-writes, with Milton Jones, Another Case of Milton Jones. Jason and Joel have written sketches for Mitchell & Webb on both TV and Radio, The Armstrong & Miller Show, The Peter Serafinowicz Show, and are the best-selling authors of Bollocks to Alton Towers: Uncommonly British Days Out.
THU 23:30 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.
FRIDAY 20 AUGUST 2010
FRI 00:00 Midnight News (b00tc514)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.
FRI 00:30 Book of the Week (b00tdllp)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:45 on Thursday]
FRI 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b00tc55b)
The latest shipping forecast.
FRI 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b00tc55d)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
FRI 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b00tc57g)
The latest shipping forecast.
FRI 05:30 News Briefing (b00tc5bh)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.
FRI 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b00tc6dz)
With Dr Catherine Cowley, Assistant Director for the Heythrop Institute for Religion, Ethics and Public Life.
FRI 05:45 Farming Today (b00tc6h2)
Cath Mackie hears about the Scottish Government's plans to crackdown on 'slipper' farmers who are claiming thirty million pounds of public money a year for doing nothing. Also in the programme, the Trading Standards investigation which found half the restaurants questioned in North Wales didn't have any evidence that the Welsh Lamb on their menus was actually from Wales.
FRI 06:00 Today (b00tc6mq)
Morning news and current affairs with James Naughtie and Justin Webb, including:
07:50 Complaints over High Speed Rail Link compensation.
08:10 Should the government in Northern Ireland talk to dissident republicans?
08:55 Scotland's First Minister Alex Salmond on the release of Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi.
FRI 09:00 Desert Island Discs Revisited (b00tcz90)
[Repeat of broadcast at
11:15 on Sunday]
FRI 09:45 Book of the Week (b00tdllr)
Stuart Kelly - Scott-land: The Man Who Invented a Nation
Episode 5
His name, image and influence can be seen everywhere; from Scottish banknotes to place names across the globe. Sir Walter Scott invented the modern novel, began Scotland's tourist industry and was the first celebrity author - a heady mix of JK Rowling and Dan Brown long before the age of mass media hype. Lauded by contemporary critics as well as his massive readership in the 19th century, he's hardly read - and even more rarely enjoyed - today.
Stuart Kelly considers the backlash which hit Scott's work after the prolific author's death. Although his critical reputation would never recover, the images of Scotland which Walter Scott created - the romantic landscapes populated by isolated, kilted natives - haunt Scotland to this day.
Stuart Kelly was born and brought up in the Scottish Borders. He studied English at Oxford and is the Literary Editor of Scotland on Sunday.
Reader: Robin Laing
Abridger: Laurence Wareing
Producer: Eilidh McCreadie.
FRI 10:00 Woman's Hour (b00tc6rx)
Presented by Bidisha.
Jeans - a recent survey found that two thirds of women would consider wearing jeans to a wedding. But are there occasions when you should leave them in the wardrobe and scrub up a bit? And do they still flatter the figure into late middle age? Bidisha is joined by journalist Katharine Whitehorn, who's never worn jeans, and Rachel Morris of Cosmopolitan, who's rarely seen out of them.
This week the government outlined its intention to abolish most mixed sex hospital accommodation by the end of the year. An estimated 10% of male and female patients in England are still housed together. The figure is much higher in psychiatric wards, where nearly 70 per cent of patients are in mixed accommodation. So does the government's commitment to ending this practice extend to the mental health sector?
Singer songwriter, Rose Elinor Dougall, talks about her new album and sings live in the studio.
Irish comedian Peadar de Burca talks about the inspiration behind his comedy show Why Men Cheat, currently running at the Edinburgh Fringe. Peadar comes from a long line of serial adulterers and interviewed over 250 men to try and understand their motivation. He'll tell Bidisha what he found out and RELATE counsellor, Andrew Marshall, author of How Can I Ever Trust You Again, will be on hand to offer his perspective.
FRI 10:45 15 Minute Drama (b00tc761)
Dear Mr Spectator, series 2
Episode 5
Returning for a second series, the nation's favourite agony uncle - Mr. Spectator - continues to offer his wit and wisdom on the morals and manners of his countrymen in his daily writings; but who exactly is this mysterious Spectator, and why does everyone want to find him all of a sudden?
London. 1710. Nothing changes under the sun. Political upheaval, national debt, spin; and, in the midst of it all, eager, naive young Ned Dempsey, just arrived in the Capital and determined to make his way in the big city.
With Britain in debt to the tune of nine million pounds, Chief Minister and Lord of the Treasury, Robert Harley, has a plan to raise the funds the country so desperately needs: a little idea called the South Sea Company. However, he requires public support to get his Bill through Parliament and to do that he needs someone influential to speak out in support of his scheme. Someone with the ear of the country, someone people respect, someone people turn to, listen to, obey. Someone like Mr. Spectator!
Enlisting the aid of Palace paper-boy Ned, Harley determines to track down the elusive Mr. Spectator in order to convince him to come out in support of the Bill before it goes before the House on Friday.
Embarking on a quest to discover the identity of London's most spectral of citizens, Ned scours the 'Spectator's' daily publications for a clue to his prey's whereabouts. Pursuing hints and clues through a world of clubs, coffee-houses, theatres and booksellers; from lowly taverns to the Royal Palace itself, Ned is swept along in a mercenary world of spin and manipulation. Is anyone really who they seem? Does everything and everyone have their price?
Can Ned unmask Mr. Spectator before time - and Harley's patience - runs out?
Adapted from Addison & Steele's 'Spectator' essays by Elizabeth Kuti.
Mr. Spectator ... Benjamin Whitrow
Ned Dempsey ... Bryan Dick
Harley ... David Schofield
Abigail ... Christina Cole
Queen Anne ... Jemma Redgrave
Anne Baldwin ... Claire Rushbrook
Defoe ... Sam Dale
Aunt Maude ... Stella McCusker
Opera Singer ... David Revels
Other parts played by: Seainin Brennan, Niall Cusack, Paul Kennedy, Marty Maguire and Charlie Niblock-Hamill.
FRI 11:00 Running with the Hare (b00ss4t9)
Peter Curran travels to the County Tipperary town of Clonmel, besieged in the 17th century by Cromwell's forces, but today overrun by the thousands of fans who come for the Irish National Hare Coursing Meeting each February.
While the ancient yet controversial sport of hare coursing was banned in the UK some time ago, it continues to thrive in the Irish Republic where a rich social, gambling and sporting culture climaxes at this event, now in its 85th year. Said to be worth millions to the Irish economy, the Clonmel gathering unsurprisingly also finds itself under attack from a vociferous animal rights lobby.
For his three days at the races, Peter Curran finds himself battling through a sea of fanatical dog owners and trainers, applauding an all-women betting syndicate that bursts into song with little provocation and meeting a family dynasty of bookmakers whose whole lives revolve around the National Coursing Meeting. And all of this for a set of races, each of which lasts.a paltry fifteen seconds.
Producer Conor Garrett.
FRI 11:30 Old Harry's Game (b00wbrwm)
Series 6
Murderers
Edith needs to find out who murdered her and fortunately Hell is full of people who can assess the evidence - murderers.
Andy Hamilton's comedy set in Hell.
Starring Andy Hamilton as Satan, Annette Crosbie as Edith, Robert Duncan as Scumspawn and Jimmy Mulville as Thomas.
Other characters played by Michael Fenton Stevens, Philip Pope and Felicity Montagu
Producer Paul Mayhew-Archer
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 2007.
FRI 12:00 You and Yours (b00tccjj)
Do David Cameron's Big Society pledges to support community-run pubs contradict the government's recent decision to pull the Community Owned Pubs support programme - a 3.3 million pound fund to help residents run their local?
The new guidance from HM Revenue and Customs which is raising concerns about the cost of the UK's Cycle to Work Scheme.
And as hopes rise that a multi million pound luxury golf course will boost regeneration in Argyll and Bute, one of the poorest parts of Scotland, we assess how golf resorts stimulate economic growth.
FRI 12:57 Weather (b00tc9yn)
The latest weather forecast.
FRI 13:00 World at One (b00tc9nl)
National and international news with Brian Hanrahan.
FRI 13:30 Feedback (b00tdx4s)
The current series of Feedback is coming to an end, as is Mark Damazer's time as the controller of Radio 4. He joins Roger Bolton this week to talk about the programmes he is particularly proud to have had on Radio 4 under his watch.
Also on Feedback, does the new form of coalition politics require a new kind of political coverage? Many listeners think so, Roger Bolton puts their points to the BBC's chief advisor of politics.
Producer: Brian McCluskey
A City Broadcasting production for BBC Radio 4.
FRI 14:00 The Archers (b00td5vx)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Thursday]
FRI 14:15 Drama (b00dst9g)
HMS Surprise
Episode 3
Final part of Patrick O'Brian's novel,
set in 1804-5 in England, India and on the high
seas, dramatised by Roger Danes. Tragedy halts
the ship's mission to the East Indies. In Calcutta
Stephen makes a proposal of marriage and takes
part in a duel.
FRI 15:00 Gardeners' Question Time (b00tdx4v)
Matthew Biggs, Anne Swithinbank and Chris Beardshaw are near Kettering, answering questions posed by Barton Seagrave Horticultural Society. The chairman is Eric Robson.
Producer: Lucy Dichmont
A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4.
FRI 15:45 Famous Footsteps (b00qhmfp)
Episode 5
Fiona Neill examines the reality behind the apparently bohemian lifestyle enjoyed by creative people, talking to William Miller, Guy Chambers and the daughter of Daphne Du Maurier.
FRI 16:00 Last Word (b00tdx4x)
On Last Word this week:
A legendary lifeboatman from the Isles of Scilly. Matt Lethbridge showed exceptional courage in more than one hundred and fifty rescues at sea. Sir Frank Kermode the leading scholar and literary critic. Dr Thomas Peebles, who isolated the measles virus, leading to the development of a vaccine. Sir Geoffrey Johnson Smith - the TV presenter turned Tory backbencher. And Beryl Marriott, the folk music pianist who influenced Fairport Convention. We have a tribute from the band's former fiddler Dave Swarbrick.
FRI 16:30 The Film Programme (b00tdx4z)
Sylvester Stallone talks to Matthew Sweet about his latest action movie The Expendables and why he used to go to school dressed as a super-hero
Shaun of The Dead director Edgar Wright reveals the influence of video games on his latest comedy, Scott Pilgrim Vs The World
Sherlock co-creator and League Of Gentlemen member Mark Gatiss celebrates the work of Sheila Keith, who made history as British cinema's first cannibal pensioner
Neil Brand traces the DNA of horror movie Piranha 3D to a Dracula rip-off made in 1922
Joy Cuff discusses what it was like being the only woman working on the models for 2001: A Space Odyssey.
FRI 17:00 PM (b00tccwy)
Full coverage and analysis of the day's news with Carolyn Quinn.
FRI 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b00tcd47)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
FRI 18:30 Chain Reaction (b00tdx5w)
Series 6
Lee Mack interviews Ade Edmondson
The new series of the tag team talk show continues as last week's guest, one of the UK's most celebrated and current comics Lee Mack, writer and star of BBC1's "Not Going Out" takes the microphone to interview alternative comedy legend, writer and star of "The Young Ones" and "Bottom", Ade Edmondson.
FRI 19:00 The Archers (b00td5vz)
It's the evening of the party. As Chris and Alice admire the marquee, Brian tells an anxious Jennifer to relax and enjoy herself.
Brian and Jennifer can't help but poke fun at the Horrobins' eccentric behaviour and appearance. Jennifer can't resist speculating on what might have been between Alice and the well-connected Basti Streatfield. Meanwhile, Susan enjoys herself. Now she's related to the Aldridges, she looks forward to a future of hob-nobbing with the country set.
At dinner, Brian reveals how impressed he is with Chris, calling him a credit to the Carters and giving a speech wishing the newlyweds great happiness. Jennifer nervously remarks to Alice that Clive Horrobin hasn't appeared yet, and Alice laughingly replies that she was only joking about inviting him. A taxi finally arrives to take the couple to Grey Gables, and they leave to much cheering and waving.
Outside the marquee, Emma and Ed discuss their future together. Ed asks Emma whether she thinks they'll be married themselves soon. Emma replies that the honeymoon suite would need a cradle. Ed's confused for a moment.
The cradle wouldn't be for George, Emma explains, it would be for their new baby. Emma's pregnant - and Ed's delighted!
FRI 19:15 Front Row (b00td629)
Frederick Forsyth discusses new novel Cobra
With Mark Lawson. Frederick Forsyth discusses his new thriller The Cobra in which an ex-CIA agent is charged by the President of the USA to take on the international drugs barons and bring down the global cocaine industry.
The use of the flash-forward device - where the action in a plot jumps forward in time - has long been popular in theatre, opera and film: for example, Verdi's Simon Boccanegra, recently staged at the Royal Opera House with Placido Domingo, sees the plot flash forward 25 years after the prologue. Theatre director John Caird and film critic Mark Eccleston examine the techniques directors use to convey passing time.
Pianomania is an award-winning documentary which follows master piano-tuner Stefan Knupfer for a year, chronicling his work with leading pianists such as Lang Lang, Alfred Brendel and Pierre-Laurent Aimard. In partnership with the performers, Knupfer seeks to create the perfect tone, so that the piano in question will suit the virtuoso's interpretation of the music. Pianist Melvyn Tan and piano-tuner Iain Gordon review the documentary, and discuss the working relationship between tuners and pianists.
Producer Jerome Weatherald.
FRI 19:45 15 Minute Drama (b00tc761)
[Repeat of broadcast at
10:45 today]
FRI 20:00 Any Questions? (b00tdxpr)
Eddie Mair chairs the topical discussion from Harvest Fields Centre in Sutton Coldfield with questions for the panel including Ruth Deech, Chairman of the Bar Standards Board, Douglas Murray, director of the Centre for Social Cohesion, author and historian Alex von Tunzelmann and Maajid Nawaz, founder of the Quilliam Foundation.
Producer: Beverley Purcell.
FRI 20:50 A Point of View (b00tdxpt)
Women Behaving Badly
A weekly reflection on a topical issue.
FRI 21:00 A History of the World in 100 Objects Omnibus (b00tdxpw)
Pilgrims, Raiders and Traders (AD 800 - 1300)
Neil MacGregor, the director of the British Museum in London, continues his global history as told through objects that history has left behind.
This week Neil has chosen objects that bring to life the traders, pilgrims and raiders who swept across the vast expanse of Europe and Asia between the 9th and 13th centuries.
His quest takes him to a glass beaker that is believed to turn water into wine and a thorn said to be from Christ's crown of thorns, but he begins with a great Viking treasure hoard that was discovered by metal detectors in a field in North Yorkshire in Britain.
Producers: Paul Kobrak and Anthony Denselow.
FRI 21:58 Weather (b00tcd7z)
The latest weather forecast.
FRI 22:00 The World Tonight (b00tcdfs)
Direct Middle East peace talks are expected to resume after 20 months. What are the chances of progress?
One year since the release of the Lockerbie bomber, US Senators call for a further inquiry.
And, why is the moon shrinking?
With Roger Hearing.
FRI 22:45 Book at Bedtime (b00td6x1)
The Story of a Marriage
Episode 10
Pearlie recalls the end of her marriage and, after many years, Buzz's reappearance in her life.
Read by Adjoa Andoh. Written by Andrew Sean Greer and abridged by Fiona McAlpine.
Producer: Clive Brill
A Pacificus production for BBC Radio 4.
FRI 23:00 Great Lives (b00tdm55)
[Repeat of broadcast at
16:30 on Tuesday]
FRI 23:30 Mark Thomas: The Manifesto (b00qjx5j)
Series 2
Episode 2
Mark Thomas: The Manifesto. Comedian-activist, Mark Thomas creates a People's Manifesto, taking suggestions from his studio audience and then getting them to vote for the best. The winner of each show will be enforceable by law, so pay attention.
This edition includes such policies as forcing Ofsted inpectors to teach; taxing commodities trading; and paying off the mortgages of the customers of failed banks.
Produced by Ed Morrish.