The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.
Laurie Taylor examines some new research about homophobia and football and talks to Professor Ellis Cashmore from Staffordshire University about how fans, players and management respond to the issue. They're joined by writer and broadcaster David Goldblatt who has a strong interest in sport.
Laurie also discusses the growth of global higher education and talks to Ben Wildavsky whose new book charts the development of academic migration across the world- looking at the cross border movement of students, academics, faculties and the development of new universities in places like China, Asia and The Middle East.
A farmer is forced to shoot a bullock because the animal didn't have a passport. Cattle passports were brought in to control BSE, but one farmer is asking for the rules to be changed. Farming Today visits farmer Richard Guy as his animal is put down; his bullock wasn't registered in time to get a passport, and cannot enter the food chain or be moved from the farm.
Charlotte Smith hears warnings that a 'perfect storm' of government cuts is faced by rural communities. The Plunkett Foundation which supports voluntary community enterprises fears the spending review will hit the countryside hardest.
And Farming Today investigates why more farmers aren't cashing in on green energy. The government has a target to produce 15% of energy from renewable resources by 2020, but latest government figures show current production is 3%. More power stations are now burning the energy crop miscanthus, and Farming Today visits a Yorkshire farmer who has turned over half his land to the crop.
Morning news and current affairs with James Naughtie and Evan Davis, including:
Andrew Marr talks to the Scottish writer and artist, Alasdair Gray about his life through the story of his paintings. While the director Josie Rourke brings to life the tough reality of 1930s Glasgow, in her staging of the play, Men Should Weep. David Starkey explores the history of the monarchy, showing its resilience but also fragility, over the last two thousand years. And James Stirling is considered one of the greatest British architects - Alan Berman celebrates his radical buildings while asking why the general public rarely appreciate what architects revere.
This is the intriguing, hilarious and utterly compelling story of how Stephen Fry arrived at Cambridge on probation: a convicted fraudster and thief, an addict, liar, fantasist and failed suicide, convinced that at any moment he would be found out and flung away.
Instead, university life offered him love, romance and the chance to stand on stage and entertain. He began his iconic relationship with Hugh Laurie, befriended Emma Thompson among a host of household names, and emerged as one of the most promising comic talents in the country.
After leaving Cambridge Stephen began to make his presence felt as he took his first tentative steps in the world of television, journalism, radio, theatre and film. Shameful tales of sugar, shag and champagne jostle with insights into credit cards, classic cars and conspicuous consumption, Blackadder, Broadway and the BBC.
For all its trademark wit and verbal brilliance, The Fry Chronicles is a book that is not afraid to confront the aching chasm that separates public image from private feeling.
Presented by Jane Garvey. Lucinda Lambton takes Jane on a tour of "The Queen's Dolls' House". It was made for Queen Mary in the 1920s and is on display at Windsor Castle. Returning to work after having children, we discuss the opportunities and challenges. New research has identified the way that hypertension caused by pre-eclampsia may be caused. We discuss what this might mean for women who have the condition during pregnancy. And, world-class violinist Tasmin Little talks about her new recording of Elgar's Violin Concerto.
A dramatisation of Lionel Shriver's unflinching new novel which portrays the economic and emotional fall-out of serious illness.
Shep Knacker has been saving all his working life for 'the Afterlife' - his retirement escape route from Brooklyn to a remote island off the coast of Zanzibar. But just as the Afterlife is about to become a reality, his wife Glynis reveals that she has cancer.
They soon discover that their health insurance won't cover anything like the total cost of the treatment Glynis needs, and this once well-off couple are sent hurtling towards bankruptcy. They are both forced to face the uncomfortable question: how much money is one life worth?
Narrator ..... Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio
Shep ..... Henry Goodman
Glynis ..... Debora Weston
Carol ..... Elizabeth McGovern
Jackson ..... Stuart Milligan
Flicka ..... Sasha Pick
Dr Knox/Gabe ..... Peter Marinker
Lionel Shriver won the 2005 Orange Prize for her novel We Need to Talk About Kevin. Other novels include The Post-Birthday World and Double Fault.
Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio's work in film includes The Color of Money, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves and The Abyss; TV includes Law & Order: Criminal Intent and on Stage: A View From the Bridge at the Duke of York's, London.
Henry Goodman is currently playing Sir Humphrey Appleby in Yes, Prime Minister in the West End. Other stage work includes Duet for One, with Juliet Stevenson, Fiddler on the Roof and Chicago. Recent film includes The Damned United and Taking Woodstock.
Elizabeth McGovern is currently starring in Julian Fellowes' new ITV drama series, Downtown Abbey. Her film work includes Ragtime, Once Upon a Time in America and The Wings of the Dove.
Sue Perkins revisits her former hometown of Croydon to ask just how South London's 'Mini-Manhattan' became the butt of so many jokes, mocked by comedians from the great Morecambe and Wise to Basil Brush.
With a skyline made up of 60's brutalist office blocks and re-clad 80's ones, Croydon's aesthetics are hard to love, but whether you're heading to town from Gatwick Airport, commuting from the South Coast, or a new immigrant registering at the Home Office's Lunar House, Croydon is your welcome to London.
With a powerful sense of nostalgia tinged with panic, Sue, who's joined by fellow comedian Steve Punt, lurks on the stairwells and top storeys of seven car parks in Croydon, trying to get a new perspective on local planning decisions, past and present. She hears historic tales of Elizabeth the First and punk svengali Malcolm McLaren, Bridget Riley - Queen of OpArt - and the emergence of the hottest current urban music Dubstep.
Vincent Lacovara, fan of Croydon, and its current urban planner believes these concrete viewing platforms can provide a fresh vantage point from which the history and super-future of Croydon can be laid out before Sue - so that she can see all the possibilities it had to offer her, and which she missed growing up. The great architectural commentator Nikolaus Pevsner said Croydon's skyline was 'thrilling from a distance' but maybe that's the problem - up close it takes a trained or loving eye to appreciate the uniqueness of Croydon - and after all we can't all come from the Cotswolds.
The time has come to reassess the concrete dreams of the 1960's - and Sue is the woman to do it.
Satirist Craig Brown dips into the private lives of public figures from the 1960s to the present day.
Voiced by Jan Ravens, Alistair McGowan, Lewis McLeod, Ewan Bailey, Margaret Cabourn-Smith and Dolly Wells.
Written by Craig Brown.
The Marine Stewardship Council's blue tick logo was set up 10 years ago to help consumers know what they were getting when they went to buy fish. The Logo certifies fish as being sustainable so the idea is that if you buy products with their logo on you can be confident that you are not depleting fish stocks. But now some scientists are arguing that the logo is actually misleading consumers.
We begin a series looking at the Quangos that were recently disbanded. We ask will they be missed and who does the work now. First in the series is the Hearing Aid Council
A new website has been launched that connects students in the developed world with teachers in the developing world. But can language websites really be a substitute for the classroom?
The appointment of a new Chief Coroner in England and Wales was supposed to speed up coroners' courts, making them more consistent and ensuring families need not wait longer than absolutely necessary for an inquest into a loved one's death. Peter Thornton QC was appointed to the post in February....but now the government's said his services won't be needed. It's bitterly disappointing for campaigners who have long been calling for a shake-up of the system and fear other reforms will be ineffective without a Chief Coroner at the helm.
And the Midlife Crisis is starting earlier than ever before with the 35 - 44 year olds being the most unhappy. Charlotte Smith has had hers and has emerged stronger, wiser and yes older.
Russell Davies welcomes the first competitors in the latest series of the long-running general knowledge quiz, to find who will be crowned the 58th Brain of Britain.
As ever, 48 of the brightest quiz contestants from around the UK will be joining Russell for the knockout competition. Each of the twelve heats sends a winner forward to the semi-finals, where they will be joined by the four highest-scoring runners-up of the series.
This year's contestants include civil servants, teachers and IT professionals alongside a novelist, a gardener and a postman. Most are completely new to the contest, while one or two are having another go after being pipped at the post in previous years. Only one of them can be named the 58th Brain of Britain, at the end of the Final which will be broadcast in the new year.
Simon Laity- the new Tory PM - is trying to enforce across-the-board spending cuts but his ministers have all gone native. Then it's leaked that he has commissioned a report which calculates the gain to be made by slashing the armed services budget in half. The Chief of General Staff goes ape.
Meanwhile they are interviewing companies to run the Number 10 coffee bar, and Amjad from Crown Appointments wants Simon to choose a new bishop for Yeovil.
And then there's a British woman now married to a suspected senior Al-Qaeda terrorist who has just entered the country. She turns out to be here for an NHS kidney transplant. The hospital goes on strike.
Simon Laity ..... Damian Lewis
Connie ..... Haydn Gwynne
Nathan ..... Mike Sengelow
Hugo ..... Julian Glover
Amjad ..... Arsher Ali
Lord Copple ..... Ruper Vansittart
Coffee Exec ..... Grant Gillespie
Staff Nurse Melford ..... Rebecca Saire
Zamyad ...... Ayman Hamdouchi
Laurence explores changing ideas about the countryside, starting with early 19th-century landscape designer Humphrey Repton.
Simon Cox is looking at how the past comes back to haunt us. When we pass on we leave behind an online legacy- Simon questions what happens to our social networking pages, our online real estate and whether it is worthwhile passing on our passwords to companies to safeguard them until our next of kin need access.
3D cinema has strong showing this year, and now it's a big push for us to put 3D TVs in our living rooms. Is this the next big thing? Caz Graham takes a tour of 3D history in the National Media Museum to discover just how futuristic it is.
Simon hears about some very clever bins, and discovers what it's like to live with a teen addicted to their computer, and the therapy set up to cure them of their habit.
David Mitchell hosts the panel game in which four comedians are encouraged to tell lies and compete against one another to see how many items of truth they're able to smuggle past their opponents.
Tony Hawks, Arthur Smith, Henning Wehn and Graeme Garden are the panellists obliged to talk with deliberate inaccuracy on subjects as varied as: Noses, Apples, Fishing and Lord Byron.
The show is devised by Graeme Garden and Jon Naismith, the team behind Radio 4's I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue.
Lilian's keen on a visit to the proposed cattle market site, and asks Brian for copies of the plans and drawings. Brian goes back to the office, as Jennifer chastises him for neglecting Ruairi. Kate and Hayley have come to an arrangement over Phoebe. Jennifer wonders why Kate couldn't have cooperated by taking Ruairi to Apple Day.
Pip tells Jennifer about the dinner dance she's organising. Ruth wonders if Pip has a date for the dance, and Pip gets defensive when Ruth suggests ex-boyfriend Jonathan. Pip's pleased Alice is making it along, prompting Jennifer to ask Pip about her own university plans. Jamie's awkward when Kathy mentions college, so she asks Pip to give Jamie some information.
Kathy offers Jamie the house to have friends over on Wednesday. He reluctantly agrees, becoming contrite when Kathy reminds him that he's the most important thing to her.
Chris has been telling Brian about his weekend in Southampton with Alice. Jennifer's pleased to hear that Alice has decided to do a Masters. However, on hearing that Alice is considering Felpersham University, Jennifer worries she's lowering her standards to be with Chris. Brian heads off to prepare for tomorrow's showdown with Lynda over the Peregrine falcons.
Mark Lawson talks to actor Christopher Plummer, whose film career includes playing widower Captain Von Trapp in The Sound of Music and an Oscar nomination in 2010 for The Last Station, at the age of 80. As he publishes his new memoir In Spite of Myself he looks back over his long career and the new lease of life he received when Michael Mann cast him in his 1999 whistleblowing thriller The Insider.
Writer and former professional cricketer Ed Smith reviews a new film Out of the Ashes, which follows the enthusiastic but inexperienced Afghan cricket team as they attempt the dream of qualifying for the cricket World Cup. Many of the players come from poor backgrounds and learnt the sport in refugee camps on the Pakistani border, so how will the underdogs fare against much more established cricketing nations?
David Cooke, director of the British Board of Film Classification, discusses the Board's decision-making process when considering the use of strong language in the cinema, and explains why the new film The King's Speech now has a 12A certificate.
Analysis celebrates its 40th birthday by making its own history the subject of its trademark examination of the facts.
The Director General of the BBC, Mark Thompson, recently told the New Statesman that in decades past the organisation's current affairs output had displayed a left wing bias. He could not have had in mind the early years of Analysis. "We tried to avoid received opinion like the plague," says the programme's founder editor George Fischer. He required his producers to look at issues from scratch and to go beyond the bien pensant agenda.
In doing so they spotted issues that others missed. Amongst the themes they identified as important were the depth of the Thatcherite project before the term Thatcherism was coined; the tensions likely to emerge in the feminist movement; and the potential for disaster in Zimbabwe if expectations over land reform were not fulfilled. The programme's willingness to question fashionable assumptions attracted some accusations of political bias. Was that fair? Michael Blastland, an Analysis producer from the 1990s and now a regular presenter, looks back at the programme's history and meets some of its early staff and contributors. Follow Analysis on Twitter: @R4Analysis
Caroline Thomson, former Analysis producer, now Chief Operating Officer for the BBC
Hugh Chignell, Associate Professor of Broadcasting History, Bournemouth University
Science Minister David Willetts tells Quentin Cooper and a panel of experts about the effects of the spending review on the research budget.
Radio 4's daily evening news and current affairs programme bringing you global news and analysis.
By Betsy Tobin. On a freezing night in February, a woman wades into the waters of Morecambe Bay in a drunken bid to commit suicide. Braced for death, she finds herself instead saving a man's life-a young Chinese cockle picker, one of the only survivors of a tragic mass drowning.
For Wen- now missing, presumed dead-Angie provides an unexpected sanctuary. They share neither language nor experience, but she agrees to let him stay with her and 'disappear'. Within a short time their unlikely pairing blossoms into something darkly passionate.
But Wen's past soon catches up with him. He is still in debt to the snakeheads who brought him out of China. And when his sister, Lili, travels to Britain in search of his memory, she unwittingly seals his fate.
Crimson China is a novel that traps the reader and listener at the outset, shining a light on a tragic, hidden world that runs in parallel to our own. It is a story of identity and culture, of the irrepressibility of the human spirit, and the powerful undertow of love.
Betsy Tobin was born in the American Midwest and moved to England in 1989. She is the author of three other novels, Bone House, Ice Land & The Bounce.
Comedian Colin Murphy and his two resident nerds Dr David Booth and Matthew Collins try to answer the unanswerable.
You may not get the answers you were expecting but you'll certainly have a few laughs.
TUESDAY 26 OCTOBER 2010
TUE 00:00 Midnight News (b00vhxfd)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.
TUE 00:30 Book of the Week (b00vjl1f)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:45 on Monday]
TUE 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b00vhxfg)
The latest shipping forecast.
TUE 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b00vhxgm)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
TUE 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b00vhxgp)
The latest shipping forecast.
TUE 05:30 News Briefing (b00vhxh6)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.
TUE 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b00vhfq4)
With Canon Stephen Shipley.
TUE 05:45 Farming Today (b00vhfq6)
Anna Hill hears a farm was raided after children were spotted working in the fields. Romanian children as young as nine were discovered by the Gangmaster's Licensing Authority. GLA chief executive Ian Livesey tells Farming Today there are likely to be other unlicensed gangmasters in the country exploiting workers. But Christine Snell, director of Concordia who employ foreign workers, says she is shocked, and expects this case is a one-off.
There has been a big rise in TB in pigs, leading farmers to call for a national policy to deal with the disease. In the past 18 months, there have been 40 individual cases - as many as in the previous 6 years. The National Pig Association more controls are needed to stop the disease becoming a serious problem.
And Anna Hill visits the UKs first biogas plant to be powered by maize. The Norfolk plant could power up to 3,000 homes and will help out the National Grid.
TUE 06:00 Today (b00vhfq8)
Including Sports Desk, Yesterday in Parliament, Weather, Thought for the Day.
TUE 09:00 The Long View (b00vhfwr)
Military Leaks on Afghanistan
Jonathan Freedland with the series which searches for the past behind the present, exploring a moment in history which illuminates a contemporary debate.
Recent leaks from inside the military questioned the way the war in Afghanistan is being run. Jonathan Freedland looks at the case of a 19th Century officer who challenged British strategy in India.
What does the military establishment do when confronted by a leak from the inside? Jonathan Freedland looks at the story of a 19th century intelligence officer, Sir Charles MacGregor, who, although a serving soldier, published his concerns about British troop levels in India and on the North West Frontier. Jonathan looks at the story of MacGregor, who feared that British intelligence was poor and that British troops would not be able to withstand an onslaught from the Russians. The programme also looks at the challenge the military establishment faces now when information is much more easily released into the public domain, and as the war in that region continues.
Producer: Joanne Cayford.
TUE 09:30 Africa at 50: Wind of Change (b00vhfwt)
Episode 3
Kwame Nkrumah's Ghana gained independence in 1957 and Julius Nyerere's Tanganyika followed in 1961. Nkrumah wanted immediate unity of the continent; Nyerere wanted political independence first, as half of Africa was still under colonial rule. He called for a candle to be lit on Kilimanjaro, Africa's highest mountain, as a beacon for the liberation of the rest of Africa.
Some of the 53 African countries gained independence through peaceful negotiations with the colonial power, and some had to fight for independence. Tanzania played a key part as a frontline state hosting and supporting many of the southern African liberation movements.
In Part 3 of Africa at 50: The Wind of Change, retired Brigadier General Hashim Mbita reflects on his country's role in the liberation struggle. As a civil servant, army officer and journalist, he was central to many of the key events of the time. As Chief Executive of the OAU Coordinating Committee for the Liberation of Africa, which was based in Dar es Salaam, he played a pivotal part in the funding and training of the armed struggles for independence where it was not granted through negotiation.
Producer: Ruth Evans
A Ruth Evans Production for BBC Radio 4.
TUE 09:45 Book of the Week (b00vjl10)
Stephen Fry - The Fry Chronicles
Episode 2
Stephen Fry has a curious encounter with Stephen Sondheim and becomes the literary critic of Tatler.
The Fry Chronicles is a book that is not afraid to confront the aching chasm that separates public image from private feeling.
Producer: David Roper
A Heavy Entertainment production for BBC Radio 4.
TUE 10:00 Woman's Hour (b00vhfww)
Presented by Jane Garvey. This year marks fifty years since Breakfast at Tiffany's was filmed. Jane is joined by Sarah Gristwood to discuss its enduring appeal. Last week we devoted a special programme to re-launching yourself in midlife. Today we consider the joys and pitfalls of searching for the good life abroad. Lynne Featherstone, the Equalities Minister has suggested that children would benefit from seeing 'Made in Dagenham'. So how is the struggle for women's equality taught in schools? And is it ok to put your children on a diet?
TUE 10:45 15 Minute Drama (b00vhfwy)
So Much For That
Episode 2
Shep Knacker has been saving all his working life for 'the Afterlife' - his retirement escape route from Brooklyn to a remote island off the coast of Zanzibar. But just as Shep is about to put the Afterlife into action, his wife Glynis reveals that she has cancer. In today's episode, the couple begin to face up to realities of Glynis' diagnosis and the frustrations of the American healthcare system.
Narrator ..... Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio
Shep ..... Henry Goodman
Glynis ..... Debora Weston
Carol ..... Elizabeth McGovern
Jackson ..... Stuart Milligan
Flicka ..... Sasha Pick
Dr Knox/Gabe ..... Peter Marinker
Adapted for radio by Penny Leicester
Directed by Emma Harding
Lionel Shriver won the 2005 Orange Prize for her novel We Need to Talk About Kevin. Other novels include The Post-Birthday World and Double Fault.
Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio's work in film includes The Color of Money, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves and The Abyss; TV includes Law & Order: Criminal Intent and on Stage: A View From the Bridge at the Duke of York's, London.
Henry Goodman is currently playing Sir Humphrey Appleby in Yes, Prime Minister in the West End. Other stage work includes Duet for One, with Juliet Stevenson, Fiddler on the Roof and Chicago. Recent film includes The Damned United and Taking Woodstock.
Elizabeth McGovern is currently starring in Julian Fellowes' new ITV drama series, Downtown Abbey. Her film work includes Ragtime, Once Upon a Time in America and The Wings of the Dove.
TUE 11:00 Saving Species (b00vhfx0)
Series 1
Episode 26
26/40. We hope to bring in fresh reports from Nagoya where governments and conservation organisations from around the world have been meeting in Japan (COP 10) to discuss new biodiversity targets. It's been widely reported that the world has 10 years to arrest the decline in species - but is it as stark and as simple as that? Simon Stuart, Chair of the Species Survival Commission for the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), is in Nagoya and we'll talk to him live in the programme.
And in Britain, a few days after the comprehensive spending review announcements, are there winners and losers in the world of wildlife conservation? We ask the CEO of the charity The Wildlife Trusts, who run nature reserves in every county of the UK, how the future of paying for the up-keep of nature reserves looks to them.
Chris Sperring has his eye on Fallow Deer and brings you the spectacle of their rut on Exmoor together with their impacts of woodland.
And Kelvin Boot has been with iSpot users in the New Forest looking for fungi.
Presenter Brett Westwood
Producer Sheena Duncan
Series Editor Julian Hector.
TUE 11:30 Leading Ladies (b00vhg2z)
Theatre director and artistic director of the Southbank Centre Jude Kelly marks the 350th anniversary of the first performance by the first English professional actress.
Before the restoration and the reopening of the theatres after years of Puritan rule, boys and men had played women's roles. However, when Charles II came to the throne he requested that women be allowed on stage and the course of theatre history was changed forever when a woman took the stage in the role of Desdemona on 8th December 1660.
Although little is known about who she was, Jude Kelly pieces together a picture of what life would have been like for the first generation of actresses. She visits the real tennis court at Hampton Court Palace to find out what the first performance would have been like, takes Celia Imrie to the site of where the first performance took place and tours the Theatre Royal Drury Lane in search of Nell Gwynn.
Were the first actresses' victims of exploitation or women who exploited the situation to their own advantage? Were they whores or pioneers?
Producer: Benjamin Partridge
A Whistledown production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in October 2010.
TUE 12:00 You and Yours (b00vhg31)
What's the future for the public sector after the government's spending review? Half a million jobs could go - that's one in ten of Britain's state workforce - as a result of the cuts announced by the Chancellor, George Osbourne, on Wednesday. Millions more will have to take a pay cut or reduce their hours as part of the efforts to tackle the deficit. Private sector staff have been doing that already - so is it time that workers funded by the taxpayer should tighten their belts? Or are public servants being used as scapegoats for last year's financial crisis? What's the future for those who work in the state and those who depend on them? What will the cuts mean for you?
Call You and Yours with Winifred Robinson. An opportunity to contribute your views to the programme. Call 03700 100 444 (lines open at
10am on the day) or email youandyours@bbc.co.uk.
TUE 12:57 Weather (b00vhxj5)
The latest weather forecast.
TUE 13:00 World at One (b00vhg33)
National and international news.
TUE 13:30 Rosa and Leos (b00vhg35)
In 1926, the Czech composer Leos Janacek was in Britain on a short visit. Addressing the Czechoslovak Club in London, he thanked the person who had been responsible for inviting him, discovering his music and championing him in Britain - not a conductor or a performer, but an elderly Englishwoman named Rosa Newmarch.
Although little known today, Rosa Newmarch was a pivotal figure in making concert-goers in early 20th century Britain appreciate and understand new music from Czechoslovakia, Russia and Finland. She travelled extensively abroad, hearing new works performed and later getting them played in English concert halls. She was friends with composers such as Sibelius and Elgar and she wrote copious programme notes and books on musical trends abroad.
In 1920 Rosa visited Prague for the first time and was immediately taken with the music of Leos Janacek. She eventually met the composer in person and, on her return to England, she began writing about him. She also began mounting performances of his work. In 1926, she managed to persuade Janacek to come to London. Rosa booked the Wigmore Hall and planned an ambitious programme of her friend's music. However, the visit coincided with the beginning of the General Strike. Although the concert of Janacek's work took place, there was little publicity surrounding it, as there were no newspapers being printed. Still, it was an introduction for concert-goers. Rosa had also planned excursions for Janacek which couldn't take place because of the lack of transport. But he did manage to get to London Zoo, where he took down notes of the noises that the monkeys made.
The friendship between Janacek and Rosa continued until his death two years later and was cemented when he dedicated his well-loved "Sinfonietta" to her.
In this programme, music writer and lecturer Peter Avis tells the remarkable and unknown story of Rosa Newmarch and her friendship with Leos Janacek. With contributions from Rosa's grand-daughter, musical experts and extracts from correspondence of the time, he re-evaluates the significance of Rosa's place in musical history.
Producer: Emma Kingsley.
TUE 14:00 The Archers (b00vhfbb)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Monday]
TUE 14:15 Drama (b00vcqld)
Andrea Earl - The Climb
The Climb by Andrea Earl
A feel good drama about three men who venture on a climb of their lives.
Ropes, crampons, grappling irons at the ready; D-day has arrived. Frankie, John and Bud are ready, well as ready as they'll ever be. But this is not a mountain, nor a great hill they are preparing to climb tonight - it's Blackpool Tower. Furthermore, Frankie has Down's syndrome, John is blind and Bud is only 3'6". It was Frankie's idea as he wants to follow in the footsteps of his hero Sherpa Tenzing. The men are forced to pull together as a team in a race against time in an attempt to reach the top as the police try to intercept their highly dangerous (and highly illegal!) deed.
Producer/Director - Pauline Harris.
TUE 15:00 Making History (b00vhgcc)
What is the legacy of the A History of the World project for history and archaeology in Britain? Vanessa hears the thoughts of curator Dr Lucy Worsley, writer Dr Tiffany Jenkins and archaeologist Dr Tony Pollard.
Why are veterans of the American Civil War buried in a North London cemetery? Historians Michael Hammerson and Dr Adam Smith explain all and ask for listeners' help in logging more of these graves around the country.
Whilst researching her Great Aunt Ida's music hall career, a listener uncovers an old Pathe News film marking her feat of becoming the World Punch Ball Champion in 1933. Vanessa talks to Professor Vanessa Toulmin about the history of female pugilists.
One hundred and seventy years on from his death, historian David Affleck marks the contribution of the man who some call the 'father of statistics' - Sir John Sinclair MP for Caithness.
You can send us questions or an outline of your own research.
Email: making.history@bbc.co.uk
Write to Making History. BBC Radio 4. PO Box 3096. Brighton BN1 1PL
Join the conversation on our Facebook page or find out more from the Radio 4 website: www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/makinghistory
Presenter: Vanessa Collingridge
Producer: Nick Patrick
A Pier Production for BBC Radio 4.
TUE 15:30 Original Shorts (b00vhgcf)
Series 4
Angels
Adam Thorpe's intriguing story, specially written for Original Shorts, is set within a monastery in the French Alps. Brother Dominique wakes from a powerful dream - almost certain he has had a vision of an angel.
Those wings seemed very persuasive as they descended, beating in a golden blur. But when the local blacksmith and his son come up the mountain to repair the great oak cross that stands at the top of the pasture, the monk begins to have doubts.
What was the real meaning of his dream? Did it represent something more worrying? The answer is surprising and, in Adam Godley's heartfelt reading, strangely moving.
Director: Martin Jarvis
A Jarvis & Ayres Production for BBC Radio 4.
TUE 15:45 Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen's Escape to the Country (b00rvzb9)
William Wordsworth and the Sublime Landscape
How Wordsworth expressed a sense of nature's powers in his poetry that has influenced thinking about the countryside ever since.
TUE 16:00 Law in Action (b00vhgfp)
Interview with Rt Hon Kenneth Clarke MP
Presenter Joshua Rozenberg interviews Justice Secretary Kenneth Clarke MP in front of an audience at Gray's Inn about the government's plans for the legal system of England and Wales.
The Ministry of Justice is expected to make cuts of around 23% in the next four years. It plans to do this by reducing the number of prison places by 3000; closing the posts of thousands of probation staff; cutting the £2 billion legal aid budget by £350 million; and shutting over 150 courts.
The Justice Secretary has said that he wants to see mentally ill and drug addicted offenders diverted away from prison and for more use to be made of community sentences. But if unemployment goes up, so too might crime. How will a less generously resourced criminal justice system cope in the event of such a rise?
Producer: Simon Coates.
TUE 16:30 A Good Read (b00vhgjr)
Judith Kerr and Matthew Kneale
Judith Kerr was known to generations of young readers for her celebrated series of Mogg books and her semi-autobiographical novel, When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit, a child's view of the rise of Nazism in pre-war Germany. Judith chose a powerful graphic novel, Maus by Art Spiegelman, which describes his father's wartime experiences as a Holocaust survivor.
Alongside Judith is her son Matthew Kneale, whose novel English Passengers won the Whitbread Book of the Year Prize in 2000. Matthew chooses Ryszard Kapuscinski's account of the fall of the Ethiopian dictator, Haile Selassie. They also discuss Sue MacGregor's choice, Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility.
The Complete MAUS by Art Spiegelman
Publ. Penguin
The Emperor: Downfall of an Autocrat by Ryszard Kapuscinski
Publ. Penguin Classics
Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen
Publ. Penguin Modern Classics
Producer Mark Smalley
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 2010.
TUE 17:00 PM (b00vhgjt)
Full coverage and analysis of the day's news.
TUE 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b00vhxmn)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
TUE 18:30 The Write Stuff (b00vhgjw)
Series 14
The Beats
Once again the team captains are joined by special guests - poet and musician, Ian McMillan and broadcaster, writer and journalist, Francis Wheen - as they set out to solve yet more book-based brainteasers, set to them by Write Stuff chairman, James Walton.
As ever, there is an "Author of the Week" whose life and work provides a focus for the show. This time, however, there isn't just one author for the teams to examine, but three, as they look into the lives and work of Jack Kerouac, William Burroughs, and Allen Ginsberg - or "The Beats" as they were known.
For the pastiches at the end of the show the teams must imagine a nursery rhyme or fairy tale as a member of "The Beats" might have written it...
Producer: Sam Michell.
TUE 19:00 The Archers (b00vhgk8)
Vicky's excited that Nigel's taking part in the panto. Lynda remembers what a good dame he was last time. As Vicky admits feeling a failure over the veal business, consoling Lynda invites her to tonight's falcon debate.
Alan and Brian discuss their daughters' educations. Alice is staying on at university. Amy has applied for a couple of positions, one at Felpersham General's midwifery unit.
Will confronts Ed, thinking he's let the cows out deliberately to block the lane. Ed, in turn, accuses Will of revving his engine behind the cows. He'll be spitting teeth if he tries any more stunts.
At the debate, Lynda speaks in favour of the roosting platform, but Brian quickly makes his case against. Lynda accuses Brian of looking after his assets rather than the village. Afterwards, Nigel congratulates Lynda. However, she's not so confident. Vicky also chipped in, unhelpfully for Lynda. They'll have to wait until the end of the week for a decision from the PCC.
Vicky congratulates Will, having found out that he'll be an uncle. Angered, Will says he feels sorry for any kid that ends up with Ed for a father. Shocked Vicky concludes that those Grundy boys are as bad as each other.
TUE 19:15 Front Row (b00vhgpj)
Burke and Hare review and Jac Holzman
With John Wilson, including the verdict on Burke and Hare: Simon Pegg and Andy Serkis play two 19th century grave robbers providing bodies for an Edinburgh medical school in this new black comedy. Critic Adam Smith reviews the film which has a cast list including Christopher Lee, Hugh Bonneville, Jenny Agutter, Stephen Merchant and Bill Bailey.
Dame Liz Forgan, Chair of Arts Council England discusses the impact of the spending review and cuts announced today.
Jac Holzman launched Elektra Records in 1950, inspired by his love of folk music. By the late 1960s, the label was home to renowned acoustic singer-songwriters such as Judy Collins, along with the flamboyant rock of Jim Morrison and The Doors, and the raw electric sound of Iggy Pop and The Stooges. For Front Row, Holzman outlines his guiding principles, remembers his very first encounter with The Doors and reveals how he re-mixed the first disc by The Stooges to give it a distinctive, abrasive edge.
A new exhibition at the Royal Academy in London focuses on The Glasgow Boys, a loosely knit group of young painters who created a stir at home and abroad in the final decades of the nineteenth century. Critic William Feaver reviews the exhibition, Pioneering Painters, of the artists who took inspiration from developments in art in Paris in the 1870s and 1880s.
Producer Claire Bartleet.
TUE 19:45 15 Minute Drama (b00vhfwy)
[Repeat of broadcast at
10:45 today]
TUE 20:00 File on 4 (b00vhgpl)
A Taxing Dilemma
While the government axes public spending to try to cut the deficit, Michael Robinson investigates loopholes which let big businesses slash their UK tax bills.
This month George Osborne said he plans to make Britain the most attractive corporate tax regime in the G20. But some companies have already moved abroad for tax reasons. And for others able to operate on a global scale, there are many ways for them to reduce their tax liability. So how does the Government square the tax circle?
Producer: Gail Champion.
TUE 20:40 In Touch (b00vhgpn)
Peter White interviews Jill Allen-King on her new autobiography, Just Jill in which she talks about her life as a campaigner for blind and visually impaired people for better access for guide dogs, making the streets safe and the astonishing twists and turns her life has taken.
TUE 21:00 Sugaring the Pill (b00vhgpq)
In the past few years NHS-funded schemes have sprung up, offering financial incentives in the form of shopping vouchers to encourage people to be more healthy.
The schemes target a whole range of behaviours, from quitting smoking and eating less to getting teenagers to turn up for a Chlamydia test or a vaccine.
Mexico, the US and parts of Europe have already used financial incentives to promote health. Now NICE is seeking views from the British public on whether we think it's acceptable for the NHS to do the same.
But does paying people to be healthy work? Claudia Hammond assesses the evidence and makes a discovery that astonishes her.
In one completely unexpected area of healthcare - drug addiction - shopping vouchers are proving to be not only effective, but cost effective too.
But a Department of Health spokesperson has said that financial incentives 'should only be used as a last resort' to promote health.
The Director of the National Addiction Centre, Professor John Strang, disagrees. When it comes to addiction, 'it's bordering on negligent not to be willing to do that'.
Producer: Beth Eastwood.
TUE 21:30 The Long View (b00vhfwr)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:00 today]
TUE 21:58 Weather (b00vhxmq)
The latest weather forecast.
TUE 22:00 The World Tonight (b00vhgsc)
Economic growth figures are better than expected - but will growth withstand the cuts?
The Catholic Church in Lucerne distributing condoms to young people
And Saddam's former henchman Tariq Aziz sentenced to death in Iraq
With Ritula Shah.
TUE 22:45 Book at Bedtime (b00vhgsf)
Crimson China
Episode 2
By Betsy Tobin. Lili arrives in London from China and begins to try to find out what happened to her brother Wen - while in Morcambe Bay, Angie has to work out what to do with the man she rescued from the waves.
Abridged by Eileen Horne
Read by Penny Downie and Elizabeth Tan
Produced by Clive Brill
A Pacificus Production for BBC Radio 4.
TUE 23:00 Beautiful Dreamers (b00vhgsh)
The Symphony for all Creation
By James Lever and Nat Segnit.
In this series documentary maker Nat Segnit investigates the untold stories of visionary mavericks including; the creator of the first animal orchestra; a billionaire planning to freefall from space; an ex-con New York junkie bridge jumper; the first swimmer of the River Europe and the 'Jonahs' who offer themselves to be swallowed by whales.
This week Nat explores the life and work of Artur Mistek, founder of Musica Zoologika. With contributions from Charlie Higson, Toby Jones, Eleanor Bron, Peter Marinker and Zeb Soanes.
Music by David Pickvance
Produced by Steven Canny and Sasha Yevtushenko
Nat Segnit's short stories and journalism have appeared in The Times and The Independent on Sunday. For Radio 4 he has written Dolphin Therapy and Strangers on Trains.
James Lever is author of the best-selling Me Cheeta, which Lynne Truss loved so much she said, "It will subtly change forever the way we think not only about Hollywood but also about our own species" (The Sunday Times).
TUE 23:30 Today in Parliament (b00vhgsk)
Susan Hulme with all the news from Westminster.
The Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg takes questions from Mps.
He gives his views on the voting age, the number of Mps in the Commons and the recent spending review.
The Commons also hears statements from ministers on the forthcoming firefighters strike in London and on transport infrastructure.
WEDNESDAY 27 OCTOBER 2010
WED 00:00 Midnight News (b00vhgp4)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.
WED 00:30 Book of the Week (b00vjl10)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:45 on Tuesday]
WED 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b00vhgq3)
The latest shipping forecast.
WED 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b00vhgq5)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
WED 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b00vhgq7)
The latest shipping forecast.
WED 05:30 News Briefing (b00vhgq9)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.
WED 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b00vhgr0)
With Canon Stephen Shipley.
WED 05:45 Farming Today (b00vhgrn)
The clocks could go back this weekend for what could be the last time and Anna Hill meets a farmer producing power from waste on his farm. Following the outrage at the shooting of a huge stag on Exmoor, Farming Today asks what impact the deer population has on farming in the area.
Presented by Anna Hill and produced by Martin Poyntz Roberts.
WED 06:00 Today (b00vhgrq)
Including Sports Desk, Yesterday in Parliament, Weather, Thought for the Day.
WED 09:00 Midweek (b00vhgs3)
This week Libby Purves is joined by Sheridan Smith, Sir Johnny Scott, Andrew Sharp and Alan Titchmarsh.
Sheridan Smith is the actor probably best known for her many award-winning television roles which include the comedies Two Pints of Lager & A Packet of Crisps, Gavin and Stacey and Benidorm. She has recently taken the West End by storm in the hit musical Legally Blonde, playing the role of college sweetheart Elle Woods and has extended her run until next year. Legally Blonde: The Musical is at the Savoy Theatre.
Sir Johnny Scott is a historian, broadcaster, countryside campaigner and farmer. He wrote and co-presented the BBC2 series Clarissa and the Countryman and writes for magazines and periodicals on field sports, food, farming and rural issues. His new book, 'A Book of Britain' celebrates the landscape and people, and reveals why, through centuries of careful management, conservation and cultivation, Britain looks as it does. 'A Book of Britain' is published by Collins.
Master butcher Andrew Sharp comes from a family with a five hundred year butchery heritage. He features in a new BBC series 'Turn Back Time' in which the British high street is brought to life, transporting a parade of empty shops in Shepton Mallett, Somerset and a group of shop-keeping families, back to the beginnings of the high street in the 1870s before shooting them through a century of high street change right up until the modern day. 'Turn Back Time - the history of the High Street' is on BBC One.
Alan Titchmarsh is the broadcaster, writer and gardener. For his latest book 'When I was a Nipper' he looks back at 1950s Britain and takes us on a personal and nostalgic journey in search of treasured values and traditions and asks what can we learn from that era of austerity today? 'When I was a Nipper' is published by BBC Books.
WED 09:45 Book of the Week (b00vjl0g)
Stephen Fry - The Fry Chronicles
Episode 3
Stephen Fry reveals how a call out of the blue led to him he becoming a poster boy for, of all things, celibacy.
The Fry Chronicles is a book that is not afraid to confront the aching chasm that separates public image from private feeling.
Producer: David Roper
A Heavy Entertainment production for BBC Radio 4.
WED 10:00 Woman's Hour (b00vhh8l)
Presented by Jenni Murray. Including the Bollywood superstar Preity Zinta. Zinta is not only one of India's best-loved actresses, but also owns a cricket team, campaigns for women's rights, has adopted thirty-four girls and has won a national bravery medal for her stand against organised crime. It is five years since the murder of black teenager, Anthony Walker. At the time of his death, people were in awe of his mother, Gee Walker, who, in the face of the brutal loss of her son, was able to unequivocally talk about her forgiveness of the young men who had killed him. Woman's Hour hears from Gee about the work of the Anthony Walker Foundation that the family set up and the anti-racist message they continue to try to put across. We hear from Dani Church who runs the ferry service from Warbleswick in Suffolk and look at why there're so few female philosophers in Britain's academic institutions.
WED 10:45 15 Minute Drama (b00vhh8n)
So Much For That
Episode 3
Shep Knacker has been saving all his working life for 'the Afterlife' - his retirement escape route from Brooklyn to a remote island off the coast of Zanzibar. But just as Shep is about to put the Afterlife into action, his wife Glynis reveals that she has cancer. In today's episode, the couple begin to face up to realities of Glynis' diagnosis and the frustrations of the American healthcare system.
Narrator ..... Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio
Shep ..... Henry Goodman
Glynis ..... Debora Weston
Carol ..... Elizabeth McGovern
Jackson ..... Stuart Milligan
Flicka ..... Sasha Pick
Dr Knox/Gabe ..... Peter Marinker
Adapted for radio by Penny Leicester
Directed by Emma Harding
Lionel Shriver won the 2005 Orange Prize for her novel We Need to Talk About Kevin. Other novels include The Post-Birthday World and Double Fault.
Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio's work in film includes The Color of Money, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves and The Abyss; TV includes Law & Order: Criminal Intent and on Stage: A View From the Bridge at the Duke of York's, London.
Henry Goodman is currently playing Sir Humphrey Appleby in Yes, Prime Minister in the West End. Other stage work includes Duet for One, with Juliet Stevenson, Fiddler on the Roof and Chicago. Recent film includes The Damned United and Taking Woodstock.
Elizabeth McGovern is currently starring in Julian Fellowes' new ITV drama series, Downtown Abbey. Her film work includes Ragtime, Once Upon a Time in America and The Wings of the Dove.
WED 11:00 The Ghost Trains of Old England (b00vhhcf)
Just one train a week runs between Stockport and Stalybridge. It never returns. "There is no service from Stalybridge to Stockport", says a platform sign, cryptically. The Stockport-Stalybridge service is what's known as a "parliamentary train" and exists only so that the rail company can avoid going through formal closure proceedings. Running the single weekly service costs only £50, but to close it down would cost far more. Of the intermediate stops on the line, Network Rail notes: "Data collection including observation has been unable to record any use of these stations".
In this programme, Ian Marchant travels these little used lines and forgotten stations. There is Teesside Airport station, the least-used stop in Britain, with just 44 passengers a year. It has only one train a week, is a 20 minutes walk from the airport (a journey which involves negotiating a locked gate), and the airport has a different name anyway.
Then there is the train that goes from Manchester to Brighton - except that since the Manchester to Brighton direct service has been abolished, a semi-secret replacement bus travels once a week from Ealing Broadway to Wandsworth Road, two stations that were never on the Manchester-Brighton route anyway.
Most bizarre is the case of Newhaven Marine, a station which is technically open, and is served by one train a day. But the station is behind a locked fence and passengers are forbidden to get on the train, which does not appear on any timetable. The company offers to provide a taxi service to any passenger "in possession of a valid ticket". But it is impossible to buy a ticket.
Who are the people who use these secret trains which are also buses and taxis? Mostly rail enthusiasts and hobbyists who collect rail tickets. But occasionally a real passenger stumbles across a service and uses it almost by accident. And what does it say about the British attitude to rules that we stick within the letter of the law while entirely subverting their intention?
WED 11:30 The Secret World (b012mzvm)
Series 2
Episode 4
Alan Titchmarsh reveals a dark side when his career is at risk. Jon Culshaw explores famous folk's private lives. From July 2010.
WED 12:00 You and Yours (b00vhhcy)
Dentists claim having to register with a new regulator will reduce time with patients and increase costs for private treatment. That regulator, the Care Quality Commission, says patients will get more information about how good their dentist is. Winifred Robinson asks whether government plans to reduce fuel duty in remote areas will ever become a reality. We investigate the housing quango which only dealt with a dozen cases last year, and which now faces the axe. Plus, a walk down the 1870s high street.
WED 12:57 Weather (b00vjd6j)
The latest weather forecast.
WED 13:00 World at One (b00vhhfp)
National and international news.
WED 13:30 The Media Show (b00vhhfr)
Conrad Black is on bail in the USA while he appeals against his convictions for fraud and obstruction of justice. If he succeeds, he may be free to return to the UK sooner than expected. Talking to Steve Hewlett by phone from America, Lord Black explains why he might return to newspapers and shares his thoughts on his former rival Rupert Murdoch and on the role of a newspaper proprietor. Former Guardian editor Peter Preston offers his prediction of what Conrad Black will do on his return.
The Independent has launched "i", a 20p quality newspaper which is said to be aimed at the time poor with "all you need to know in the time you have". Andrew Mullins is the Independent's managing director and one of the team that came up with the idea and, with advertising exec Alan Brydon of MPG Media, discusses the new papers prospects.
And, with the front page of the Times announcing "advertising soars" as one of the reasons to be hopeful, Steve's guests give their view on signs for optimism.
WED 14:00 The Archers (b00vhgk8)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Tuesday]
WED 14:15 Drama (b00vvx21)
Severed Threads
God's Clothing Firm
Jim Nostrand, proprietor of Cheap Threads, a church-owned clothing firm in Minnesota, becomes the scapegoat when news-reports implicate the company in a child-labour scandal.
Four thousand miles away, in a boarding school in the British countryside, troubled twelve-year-old loner Ben, seems obsessed with school-shootings and vengeance.
In India, British/Asian journalist Prem Sharma is making a radio documentary for the BBC about children working in factories. But after rescuing a young boy and taking him back to his village, the reception he gets there is not what he expected.
Over three episodes, these three stories interweave and revolve around each other revealing connections and layers as they build to one climatic resolution.
Cast:
Jim ..... Brian d'Arcy James
Prem ..... Ameet Chana
Ben ..... Hugo Docking
US Cast:
Ruth ..... Marsha Dietlein
Faith ..... Amanda Scot Ellis
Pastor McGiven ..... Tom Tammi
Kyle ..... Matt Bennett
Sheila ..... Janet Foster
News Anchor ..... John Leonard Thompson
Billy ..... Jacob Knoll
Harry ..... Craig Bockhorn
Casey/Waitress ..... Felicity Jones
Prison Priest ..... Miles Chapin
India Cast:
Rahul ..... Ankur Vikal
Amit .....Vijay Yadav
Amit's mother ..... Ayesha Raza
Amit's brother ..... Sagar Shinde
Welfare Officers ..... Veruschka Menon, Pushan Kripalani
Dr Khunna ...... Shaikh Sami Usman
Factory Owner ..... Kenneth Desai
Factory Workers ..... Rupa Kasbe, Jyoti Reddy, Shabana Sheikh,
Rita John, Neeta Chavan, Eisy T. John, Pramod Yedke
and children from the Akanksa Foundation, Mumbai
UK Cast:
Fiona .... Natasha Little
Timms ..... Henry Goodman
Elgood ..... Francois Testory
Jones ..... Gethin Anthony
Psychologist ..... Kate Fitzgerald
Travel Agent ..... Joanne Ferguson
Heyward ..... Daniel Bridle
Boy .....Callum Francis
Production Team:
India Line Producer ..... Nadir Khan
Assistant Director ..... Tasneem Fatehi
India Sound ..... Ayush Ahuja
US Producer ..... David Rapkin
US Line Producer ..... Kim Moarefi
US Casting ..... Janet Foster
US Sound ..... Frederick Greenhaigh
UK Broadcast Assistant ..... Sarah Tombling
UK Production Assistant ..... Lucy Howe
Music ..... Sacha Puttnam
Written and Directed by John Dryden
A Goldhawk Essential production for BBC Radio 4.
WED 15:00 Money Box Live (b00vhhgg)
If you are divorcing, dissolving a civil partnership or separating you could be faced with difficult financial decisions.
For many couples, dividing limited assets can cause hardship and distress. You may need to sell your home, secure maintenance payments for children or split a pension fund.
If you need advice about financial rights and responsibilities when splitting up, Vincent Duggleby and guests will be ready to help on this afternoon's Money Box Live.
Whatever your question about divorce, separation or dissolving a civil partnership, phone lines open at
1.30 this afternoon and the number to call is 03700 100 444. Standard geographic charges apply. Calls from mobiles may be higher. The programme starts after the three o'clock news. That number again 03700 100 444.
WED 15:30 Original Shorts (b00vhhgj)
Series 4
Keeping Mum
Jill Gascoine gives a funny and touching performance as Brenda, in Rob Green's specially written short story.
Brenda is a kind, careworn woman of uncertain years who has been caring for her demanding old Mother for most of her life. But Brenda's a romantic and she's still hoping that her own life might begin sometime, somehow.
She'd love to find her 'Rock'. Perhaps Tom, a porter from the local hospital, could fit the bill? Not if Mum has anything to do with it. Hang on, though, does Mum have a hidden agenda?
Director: Martin Jarvis
A Jarvis & Ayres Production for BBC Radio 4.
WED 15:45 Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen's Escape to the Country (b00rzmkj)
The Sporting Estate
The stylist explores how field sports contributed to the idea of the country house as a seat of social and political power.
WED 16:00 Thinking Allowed (b00vhhjm)
Happy families? - Science's first mistake
Was there ever a golden age of the family? Political debates about the family often invoke a norm of family life in which marriages lasted and children thrived. But a new report suggests that pre-marital sex, cohabitation, single parenthood and illegitimacy have been rife for two centuries. It's the post war period from 1945-1970 which is unusual for its high rates of enduring marriages. Many people in the past didn't ever marry because of the problems in obtaining or affording a divorce. The historian Professor Pat Thane discusses families, real and ideal, with Laurie Taylor. Also, are most scientific claims little more than delusions? The Professor of Information Systems, Ian Angell talks about his co-authored book 'Science's First Mistake' which critiques science's claims to 'truth'.
Producer: Jayne Egerton.
WED 16:30 Sugaring the Pill (b00vhgpq)
[Repeat of broadcast at
21:00 on Tuesday]
WED 17:00 PM (b00vhhjp)
Full coverage and analysis of the day's news.
WED 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b00vjd6l)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
WED 18:30 What Went Wrong with the Olympics? (b00vhhjr)
Episode 1
Spoof documentary set in 2014, looking back at the fiasco that WAS the London Olympics, by Ian Hislop & Nick Newman.
The preparation for the London Olympics is a huge and very funny developing story. Eleven thousand people are now employed on the Olympic site to ensure everything is in place, on time. One and a half million tons of East End soil have been washed. Lorries, arriving on site at the rate of one per minute, are subjected to the same rigorous timetabling that applies at Heathrow Airport. Visitors undergo extensive security checks and are issued with a list of over sixty prohibited items (amongst them, animal stunners, ice picks and blowtorches).
It's an exciting race against time; the most important race of all being the one to get a memorable Olympic programme on air. This 4x 30 minutes documentary series is all fired up and ready to go. On your marks.
Introduced from the standpoint of 2014 by controversial reporter Sylvester Halloran (Kevin Eldon), 'What Went Wrong With The Olympics?' combines contemporary news reports, archive footage, stupid "audio graphics", live interviews and fisticuffs in the studio with the key figures responsible. We sift through the cock-ups and the conspiracies in a tough and revealing probe into the reality of what makes Britain run - not very fast.
Starring Kevin Eldon (Stewart Lee's Comedy Vehicle, Harry & Paul, The I.T.Crowd, Big Train), the cast also features Vicky Pepperdine (Getting On), Adrian Scarborough (Psychoville, Gavin & Stacey), Lewis MacLeod (Dead Ringers, The Life Of Hattie Jacques, Harry & Paul) and the real Brian Perkins.
Cast:
Sylvester Halloran ..... Kevin Eldon
Toby Morrison ..... Adrian Scarborough
Lloyd Waterhouse ..... Dan Tetsell
Caroline Grant ..... Vicki Pepperdine
Writers Ian Hislop (Have I Got News For You) & Nick Newman (Dave Podmore) are the writing team behind News At Bedtime, Murder Most Horrid and My Dad's The Prime Minister.
Producer: Lucy Armitage
A Tiger Aspect production for BBC Radio 4.
WED 19:00 The Archers (b00vhhjt)
When Harry complains about Jazzer's unsociable house habits, Fallon insists they create a rota and start a food kitty. She also reveals that Jazzer was in the Bull with a worse-for-wear Ed last night. Fallon speculates something wasn't right between Ed and Will.
Peggy brings Jill along for her next computer lesson with Harry. Jill, also considering getting involved in the panto, quickly gets the hang of things. Peggy tells Jill about tracking down her old friend Conn Kortchmar. She's eager to make contact and tell all her news.
Kathy arrives home laden with food shopping, and realises Jamie hasn't invited any mates over. Jamie's convinced she just wanted to keep an eye on him and find out who trashed the hide, and heads off to the Bull to watch a DVD with Fallon. He's not very talkative, however, so Fallon mentions Sunday's Halloween night - Kenton will be there in fancy dress.
Over dinner, Kathy confides in Pat: she's upset that Jamie thinks she's spying on him. She admits that sussing out who trashed the hide was indeed part of her motivation, but she also genuinely wanted to meet Jamie's friends. Pat decides that Kathy needs a bit of "me time", and Kathy doesn't disagree.
WED 19:15 Front Row (b00vhhn2)
Julianne Moore and Annette Benning in latest film
The Kids Are All Right stars Julianne Moore and Annette Benning as a lesbian couple whose two children decide to track down their sperm donor father and introduce him into their family life. Jenny McCartney reviews.
Currently on tour, the singer Lloyd Cole funded his latest album, Broken Record, by appealing to his loyal fans. They reveal whether they think they got their money's worth and Lloyd Cole talks about mood-swings, songwriting and hotel rooms.
The Little House, Philippa Gregory's best selling psychological thriller, is now a two-part television drama starring BAFTA winning actress Francesca Annis as a terrifying mother in law. Writer Fay Weldon reviews.
Bill Tarmey, better known to millions as Jack Duckworth, discusses over 30 years in Coronation Street and recalls the accidental start to his acting career, and working with Sir Laurence Olivier in King Lear, alongside a boisterous horse.
Producer Nicki Paxman.
WED 19:45 15 Minute Drama (b00vhh8n)
[Repeat of broadcast at
10:45 today]
WED 20:00 Moral Maze (b00vhhn4)
The thousands of secret documents published by Wikileaks detail an horrific catalogue of torture, friendly fire deaths and casual killings and have given us an insight into the brutal chaos after the fall of Saddam Hussein and how ill prepared the allies were to deal with it. But at what cost? The American and British governments say the leaks are grossly irresponsible and risk endangering the lives of soldiers. Some argue the revelations will even encourage more terrorist attacks against the West.
So how do we balance the right to know the truth against the damage that might be caused by publishing it? Are the leakers champions of freedom, liberty and democracy against Big Brother states, or just conspiracy theorists who've set themselves up as unaccountable arbiters of truth? Is transparency the disinfectant that will keep us all clean and pure or are the endless demands for transparency and freedom of information a substitute for searching out the truth? Will an endless cascade of disclosure with no context undermine our trust in civic society and if so, what will replace it?
Combative, provocative and engaging live debate chaired by Michael Buerk with Michael Portillo, Matthew Taylor, Claire Fox and Clifford Longley.
WED 20:45 Should We Listen to Philosophers? (b00vhhn6)
In a barrel, in a think tank or in a cave? We have lots of different ideas about the right place for a philosopher to be but do we listen to philosophers enough, too much, or in the right way? Julian Baggini, Editor in Chief of the Philosopher Magazine, asks "Should we listen to philosophers?".
WED 21:00 Costing the Earth (b00vhhn8)
Spring Forwards, Fall Backwards
On October 31st we'll all dutifully turn our clocks back by one hour, plunging our evenings into premature darkness. There's mounting evidence that this annual ritual has a real environmental cost. Alice Roberts takes a look at the arguments from the Greenwich Meridian to Cornwall and the Western Isles to find out who could benefit and who might suffer from a change in the way we set our clocks.
WED 21:30 Midweek (b00vhgs3)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:00 today]
WED 21:58 Weather (b00vjd6n)
The latest weather forecast.
WED 22:00 The World Tonight (b00vhhnb)
Radio 4's daily evening news and current affairs programme bringing you global news and analysis.
WED 22:45 Book at Bedtime (b00vhhnd)
Crimson China
Episode 3
By Betsy Tobin. Lili gets a job in a language school in London - whilst Angie and Wen take tentative steps towards communicating in a language they can both understand.
Abridged by Eileen Horne
Read by Penny Downie and Elizabeth Tan
Produced by Clive Brill
A Pacificus Production for BBC Radio 4.
WED 23:00 Bespoken Word (b00vhhng)
Bespoken Word returns for a new series with a bang.
The first episode features current star performance poet, Kate Tempest. It's not hard to see why this former winner of the Nuyorican Poetry Slam in New York and who has been the hit of festivals Glastonbury, Latitude and Big Chill in 2010 is the name on everyone's lips in performance poetry. Her unique style blending incredible lyrics with hip hop rhythms is a hit with all age groups across the country.
She shares the Bespoken Word bill with Martin Visceral of the Pen-Ultimate Collective based in Manchester, which is being specially featured in this series.
Bespoken Word was the first programme on British radio or television devoted to performance poetry. It's now in its seventh year.
Producer: Graham Frost
A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4.
WED 23:15 The Cornwell Estate (b00vhhnj)
Series 2
Colin Oberon
Created by Phil Cornwell and Andrew McGibbon. Six new, edgy comic characters are brought to life in a brand new series of The Cornwell Estate, starring Jill Halfpenny (Strictly Come Dancing, Eastenders), Roger Lloyd Pack (Only Fools and Horses, Vicar of Dibley), Simon Greenall (Alan Partridge) and Ricky Champ (Him and Her, BBC3).
Colin Oberon is a primary school English teacher determined to teach his class anything but how to speak English. He wants them to learn his new language "Globe-ish" The school and governors are not impressed.
Cast:
Colin Oberon ..... Phil Cornwell
Head Teacher ..... Mia Soteriou
School Govenor ..... Cyril Nri
Parents ..... Damola Adelaja, Lashana Lynch, Daniel York, Amy Ip, Tom Reed, Harvey Virdi
Written and directed by Andrew McGibbon
Additional material by Nick Romero
Producer: Andrew McGibbon
A Curtains for Radio production for BBC Radio 4.
WED 23:30 Today in Parliament (b00vhhnl)
David Cameron and Ed Miliband clash at Prime Minister's questions over Government plans to place a cap on housing benefit. The Labour leader demands the Prime Minister think again. Mr Cameron insists the coalition will press ahead with the policy. MPs are up-dated on the situation in Afghanistan by the Foreign Secretary, William Hague. And the Commons holds its first debate on the Business Secretary's proposals for the privatisation of the Royal Mail. Sean Curran and team report on today's events in Parliament.
THURSDAY 28 OCTOBER 2010
THU 00:00 Midnight News (b00vhf80)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.
THU 00:30 Book of the Week (b00vjl0g)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:45 on Wednesday]
THU 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b00vhf9g)
The latest shipping forecast.
THU 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b00vhf9j)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
THU 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b00vhf9l)
The latest shipping forecast.
THU 05:30 News Briefing (b00vhf9n)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.
THU 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b00vhfbn)
With Canon Stephen Shipley.
THU 05:45 Farming Today (b00vhfbq)
Landowners are being encouraged to amalgamate smaller tenant farms to make land more profitable. But Caz Graham hears concerns that even fewer opportunities will be available to would-be farmers hoping to start out.
Farming Today listeners have been having their say about a campaign suggesting the UK adheres to Central European Time. Environmental groups say having more daylight in the evening would save energy use. Many in Scotland say they'd come off worse but we hear from one farmer who says he's happy with the idea.
The UK has a target to produce 15% of its energy from renewables by 2020. One farmer among the hundreds being approached to produce solar energy admits it will have a visual impact but says it'll make his land viable.
Presented by Caz Graham and produced by Anne-Marie Bullock.
THU 06:00 Today (b00vhfc9)
Including Sports Desk, Yesterday in Parliament, Weather, Thought for the Day.
THU 09:00 In Our Time (b00vhfdf)
The Unicorn
Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss the unicorn. In the 5th century BC a Greek historian, Ctesias, described a strange one-horned beast which he believed to live in a remote area of India. Later classical scholars, including Aristotle and Pliny, added to his account of this animal which they called the monoceros, a vicious ass-like creature with a single horn in the middle of its forehead.For centuries the monoceros or unicorn was widely accepted to be a real - if rarely seen - beast. It appears in the Bible, and in the Middle Ages became a powerful Christian symbol. It continued to be represented in art and literature throughout the Renaissance, when 'unicorn horn' became one of the most valuable commodities on earth, thanks to its supposed properties as an antidote to poison. As late as the seventeenth century, scientists believed they had found conclusive proof of the existence of unicorns. It was some time before the animal was shown to be a myth; four hundred years on, the unicorn retains much of its fascination and symbolic power.With:Juliette WoodAssociate Lecturer in Folklore at Cardiff UniversityLauren KassellLecturer in the History and Philosophy of Science at the University of CambridgeDavid EkserdjianProfessor of the History of Art and Film at the University of Leicester.Producer: Thomas Morris.
THU 09:45 Book of the Week (b00vjl06)
Stephen Fry - The Fry Chronicles
Episode 4
Stephen Fry talks about his early love of radio and his first forays into broadcasting on Radio 4.
The Fry Chronicles is a book that is not afraid to confront the aching chasm that separates public image from private feeling.
Producer: David Roper
A Heavy Entertainment production for BBC Radio 4.
THU 10:00 Woman's Hour (b00vhfg2)
Presented by Jenni Murray. Kirstie Allsopp made her name presenting Location Location Location. She's now turned her attention to interiors and joins Jenni to talk about home crafts. Agnes Gereb is a Hungarian midwife who was arrested earlier this month for delivering a baby away from a hospital. We discuss the situation in Hungary where it is illegal to have an assisted home birth. The Countess Beatriz de Dia was one of a group of women troubadours who lived in the South of France in the twelfth century. We'll be imagining her life through readings and song. And, should primary school children be given homework? George Muirhead, the head of a primary school in Plymouth says definitely yes, Kirstie Allsopp says emphatically no. Hear the debate.
THU 10:45 15 Minute Drama (b00vhfj0)
So Much For That
Episode 4
Shep Knacker has been saving all his working life for 'the Afterlife' - his retirement escape route from Brooklyn to a remote island off the coast of Zanzibar. But just as Shep is about to put the Afterlife into action, his wife Glynis reveals that she has cancer. In today's episode, the couple watch their substantial savings rapidly consumed by the exorbitant costs of Glynis' treatment, while their friend Jackson has his own medical worries.
Narrator ..... Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio
Shep ..... Henry Goodman
Glynis ..... Debora Weston
Carol ..... Elizabeth McGovern
Jackson ..... Stuart Milligan
Flicka ..... Sasha Pick
Dr Knox/Gabe ..... Peter Marinker
Adapted for radio by Penny Leicester
Directed by Emma Harding
Lionel Shriver won the 2005 Orange Prize for her novel We Need to Talk About Kevin. Other novels include The Post-Birthday World and Double Fault.
Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio's work in film includes The Color of Money, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves and The Abyss; TV includes Law & Order: Criminal Intent and on Stage: A View From the Bridge at the Duke of York's, London.
Henry Goodman is currently playing Sir Humphrey Appleby in Yes, Prime Minister in the West End. Other stage work includes Duet for One, with Juliet Stevenson, Fiddler on the Roof and Chicago. Recent film includes The Damned United and Taking Woodstock.
Elizabeth McGovern is currently starring in Julian Fellowes' new ITV drama series, Downtown Abbey. Her film work includes Ragtime, Once Upon a Time in America and The Wings of the Dove.
THU 11:00 From Our Own Correspondent (b00vhfj2)
The Chinese villages condemned to drown beneath the rising waters of the Yangtze.
We're on the trail of a sniper who's striking fear into a Swedish city.
Blood and guts at a rodeo in one of America's toughest prisons.
And why French may be the language of love and cuisine....but not rock and roll.
Before our very eyes....and at high speed....the new China is taking shape. Its booming cities are attracting people from the country like never before. And coping with this....supplying the exploding cities with the water and power they need....is a vast challenge. The government believes some of the answers lie in engineering projects on the grandest scale.....and Peter Day has been finding out what this means for life on the banks of Yangtze River....
There was a time when Ivory Coast was a West African success story....a stable place in a troubled neighbourhood. But that image unravelled badly. Several years ago the country was torn apart by violent ethnic and religious tensions.... Now though, elections are scheduled for this weekend. They've been postponed six times, but if they do finally go ahead on Sunday they might help heal the nation....and John James has been out getting a sense of the mood on the campaign trail....
The Swedish city of Malmo is everything that you might imagine. A neat, ordered, prosperous place on country's southern coast. It describes itself as a manageably small city....pleasant and friendly... But it seems that not everyone is friendly. As Tim Mansell explains, a deeply disturbing figure is stalking the streets of Malmo....
Few places in America have had a grimmer reputation than the Louisiana State Penitentiary....better known by the name "Angola". It used to be so violent that it was called the "bloodiest prison in the South". Today, conditions have improved to an extent. And rather bizarrely, the jail's become famous for its rodeos.... Andy Gallagher has been along to watch one of these events, where prisoners pit themselves against beasts in almost gladiatorial style....
More and more of the world's conversation is in English. It's the dominant language in this "Age of Communication".... But understandably, not everyone has welcomed its spread. The guardians of French have manned the linguistic barricades and done their best to drive back the invader... But as Hugh Schofield explains, when it comes to the language of rock and roll, French just keeps missing the beat.
THU 11:30 The League of Gentlemen's Ghost Chase (b00vhfjn)
For the first time in over five years The League of Gentlemen comedy team reunite for a real life paranormal adventure spending the night in one of Britain's most haunted houses.
Although this quartet of comedy writers and performers has been influenced by horror in book, stage and screen, they all remain skeptical concerning the existence of ghosts.
By carrying out their own investigation they will either challenge or confirm their beliefs.
Reece Shearsmith hosts the evening as he takes the team to Gloucestershire to visit The Ancient Ram Inn, a favourite location among ghost hunting groups.
The League of Gentlemen explore the reputedly haunted rooms of the house and take part in their very first ouija board session. Meeting a spirit medium, a psychic investigator and working with scientific equipment they examine the House's reputation and invite the spirits to appear - but would the spooks show up?
The producer is Stephen Garner
THU 12:00 You and Yours (b00vhfk7)
In 1970 famers were protesting on the streets of London, soya products were appearing on the market and, as more people got freezers, we were starting to be able to eat different kinds of food all year round. Winifred Robinson investigates the changes that have occurred since then in the food we eat, how it's produced and sold and where the future may lead.
Winifred is joined by the chef Allegra McEvedy, farmer Oliver Walston, retail analyst Teresa Wickham and food futurologist Dr Morgaine Gaye.
THU 12:57 Weather (b00vhfkr)
The latest weather forecast.
THU 13:00 World at One (b00vhg5p)
National and international news.
THU 13:30 Costing the Earth (b00vhhn8)
[Repeat of broadcast at
21:00 on Wednesday]
THU 14:00 The Archers (b00vcptq)
William's learnt about Emma's pregnancy from Jennifer. He rants at Clarrie and Eddie for not telling him and storms out. Ed's not fit to be a father and he feels sorry for the baby. Clarrie didn't think he'd take the news that badly. Eddie reckons he'll soon calm down and they agree that Nic will probably talk him round.
Over a pizza with Jamie, Kenton mentions the fire in the hide and the barn dance. Kenton explains that Jamie's antics are no big deal to him, it's his attitude he's concerned about. Jamie gets defensive and explains that everyone seems to be coming down on him, especially since he bunked off school. Kenton points out the importance of doing well at school, but he agrees that Kathy taking and picking him up is a bit bonkers.
Kenton gets Jamie home on time. He tells Kathy that he's talked to Jamie about bunking off school, and hopes it's got through to him. He wants to help with the school run, and offers to pick Jamie up tomorrow so that they can hang out together again. Kathy's a bit taken aback but it would give her a break, so agrees that it's fine.
THU 14:15 Drama (b00vhg5r)
Severed Threads
If Thy Hand Offend Thee
Second part of John Dryden's epic story of inter-connected lives, set on three continents.
When journalist Prem Sharma rescues a child working in a textile factory outside Delhi, seven thousand miles away in Minnesota, Jim Nostrand, proprietor of church-owned clothing firm Cheap Threads, becomes the scapegoat. Meanwhile, in a private boarding school in England, troubled twelve-year-old Ben seems obsessed with school-shootings and vengeance.
Cast:
Jim ..... Brian d'Arcy James
Prem ..... Ameet Chana
Ben ..... Hugo Docking
US Cast:
Ruth ..... Marsha Dietlein
Faith ..... Amanda Scot Ellis
Pastor McGiven ..... Tom Tammi
Kyle ..... Matt Bennett
Sheila ..... Janet Foster
News Anchor ..... John Leonard Thompson
Billy ..... Jacob Knoll
Harry ..... Craig Bockhorn
Casey/Waitress ..... Felicity Jones
Prison Priest ..... Miles Chapin
India Cast:
Rahul ..... Ankur Vikal
Amit .....Vijay Yadav
Amit's mother ..... Ayesha Raza
Amit's brother ..... Sagar Shinde
Welfare Officers ..... Veruschka Menon, Pushan Kripalani
Dr Khunna ...... Shaikh Sami Usman
Factory Owner ..... Kenneth Desai
Factory Workers ..... Rupa Kasbe, Jyoti Reddy, Shabana Sheikh,
Rita John, Neeta Chavan, Eisy T. John, Pramod Yedke
UK Cast:
Fiona .... Natasha Little
Timms ..... Henry Goodman
Elgood ..... Francois Testory
Jones ..... Gethin Anthony
Psychologist ..... Kate Fitzgerald
Travel Agent ..... Joanne Ferguson
Heyward ..... Daniel Bridle
Boy .....Callum Francis
Production Team:
India Line Producer ..... Nadir Khan
Assistant Director ..... Tasneem Fatehi
India Sound ..... Ayush Ahuja
US Producer ..... David Rapkin
US Line Producer ..... Kim Moarefi
US Casting ..... Janet Foster
US Sound ..... Frederick Greenhaigh
UK Broadcast Assistant ..... Sarah Tombling
UK Production Assistant ..... Lucy Howe
Music ..... Sacha Puttnam
Producer/Director: John Dryden
A Goldhawk Essential Production for BBC Radio 4.
THU 15:00 Ramblings (b00vg3zt)
[Repeat of broadcast at
06:07 on Saturday]
THU 15:27 Radio 4 Appeal (b00vhdm2)
[Repeat of broadcast at
07:55 on Sunday]
THU 15:30 Original Shorts (b00vhg8x)
Series 4
Middle Swine
Martin Jarvis reads Christopher Matthew's specially written story of old school rivalry. Why should John Small pretend he was at school with Tim Slingsby? And why are Slingsby and Tony Fobbing so keen that Small should attend the Old Melburian's Dinner? Are there old scores to settle? And who, actually, will be settling them?
Christopher Matthew's witty take on what could happen when so-called old school friends meet in later life. Can we ever leave our schooldays totally behind? There's a possible answer in the story's surprising climax.
Producer: : Rosalind Ayres
A Jarvis and Ayres Production for BBC Radio 4.
THU 15:45 Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen's Escape to the Country (b00s1pds)
Feargus O'Connor and the Chartist Land Plan
The legacy of O'Connor's 1842 plan for poor Britons to plough their own furrow for financial independence and social dignity.
THU 16:00 Open Book (b00vhdrr)
[Repeat of broadcast at
16:00 on Sunday]
THU 16:30 Material World (b00vhg9y)
Indonesian disasters: Quentin hears from the experts about the causes of this week's Sumatran earthquake and tsunami, and the latest eruption of Mount Merapi on Java, and how science can help.
Also, after the last in the series A History of the World in a Hundred Objects celebrates the latest in electrical gadgetry, Quentin sees the humble glass electrical valve that kick started the whole electronic revolution. The first electronics.
And pollution from space travel. As the world's richest line up for the first private flights into space, experts warn that rocket exhausts could exacerbate the problem of global warming.
THU 17:00 PM (b00vhgbj)
Full coverage and analysis of the day's news.
THU 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b00vhgbl)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
THU 18:30 Richard Herring's Objective (b00vhgc7)
Series 1
The St George's Flag
Comedian Richard Herring reclaims those things we have given a bad name to.
Today he's reclaiming the English National Flag from any associations with far right extremists. Why does the man and woman on the street have no idea when St George's day is? Who is St George?
Richard asks a vexillologist (flag expert) about how flags have come to symbolise nations.He also talks to anthropologist Kate Fox who has studied the behaviour of the English, about why the English are not natural flag waving patriots. The show was recorded in front of an audience.
Producer: Tilusha Ghelani
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2010.
THU 19:00 The Archers (b00vhgc9)
Kate overhears Jennifer expressing her doubts about Felpersham University. Kate's plans to entertain Phoebe this evening also annoy Jennifer, who's feeling overrun. She wishes Kate would help out more, especially with Ruairi. Overhearing the row, Ruairi asks if he's in trouble. Kate reassures him he's not, before Jennifer apologises to Kate. Agreeing to be more helpful, Kate offers to sort out the food for Ruairi's birthday party.
Pip admits to Ruth she hasn't made up her mind between university and agricultural college yet. The deadline for uni applications is January. Meanwhile, Bert's tractor has broken down in the middle of his latest ploughing match. As David heads over to help, Brian nabs him and they quickly discuss plans for the market. David also gets an emergency call from Ruth. One of the cows is nearly unconscious with milk fever. He'd better bring a bottle of calcium, fast.
Later, David and Pip go over some driving theory questions. David can't help embarrassing Pip by telling Ruth about her "date" for the dance. Alone, Ruth and David discuss their concerns regarding Pip's university application. She hasn't done enough preparation. It looks like they're going to have to help her make up her mind.
THU 19:15 Front Row (b00vhgcz)
Elvis Costello; Rob Brydon and Steve Coogan
With John Wilson.
Elvis Costello discusses his new album National Ransom, which combines topical themes of financial meltdown with depictions of historical people and places. He reflects on the process of song-writing and the tension in his work between the caustic and the lyrical.
Men Should Weep, by the Scottish playwright Ena Lamont Stewart, has just opened in a new National Theatre production. Written in 1947 and set during the Depression of the 1930s, the play tells the story of a large and impoverished working class family living in the Gorbals in Glasgow. Almost ignored by the theatre establishment of her day, will this staging bring Ena Lamont Stewart further out of the shadows of theatrical history? Bidisha gives her verdict.
Rob Brydon and Steve Coogan discuss their new BBC comedy show The Trip. Directed by Michael Winterbottom, the series shows what happens when Steve invites Rob on a road trip around the North of England to review restaurants - but where does fiction end and reality begin?
Producer Philippa Ritchie.
THU 19:45 15 Minute Drama (b00vhfj0)
[Repeat of broadcast at
10:45 today]
THU 20:00 Law in Action (b00vhgfp)
[Repeat of broadcast at
16:00 on Tuesday]
THU 20:30 The Bottom Line (b00vhgfr)
The view from the top of business. Presented by Evan Davis, The Bottom Line cuts through confusion, statistics and spin to present a clearer view of the business world, through discussion with people running leading and emerging companies.
Evan and a panel of guests from the worlds of spirits, security and digital publishing discuss the special relationship between the two people at the top of a company: the chairman and chief executive. Is it a recipe for tension, or a sensible balancing of responsibilities?
The panel also discusses the merits of youth versus experience in the workplace. What qualities do young people bring to a business compared with their older colleagues - or is there no difference?
Evan is joined in the studio by Séamus McBride, President and Chief Executive of spirits company Bacardi Ltd; Nick Buckles, Chief Executive of security company G4S; Anthony Habgood, Chairman of digital publisher Reed Elsevier and the hotel, coffee shop and restaurant company Whitbread.
THU 21:00 Saving Species (b00vhfx0)
[Repeat of broadcast at
11:00 on Tuesday]
THU 21:30 In Our Time (b00vhfdf)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:00 today]
THU 21:58 Weather (b00vhgft)
The latest weather forecast.
THU 22:00 The World Tonight (b00vhgj4)
European leaders debate changes to the Lisbon Treaty.Would it mean a referendum in some countries including Britain?
Boris Johnson retracts his charge of 'Kosovo' style expulsion over the government's planned caps for housing benefit.
Standards of publishing are falling for want of Editors.We invistigate
with David Eades.
THU 22:45 Book at Bedtime (b00vhgj8)
Crimson China
Episode 4
By Betsy Tobin. Lili persuades a friend to take her to Morecambe Bay where she thinks her brother died - whilst Angie buys Wen an English Language Course.
Abridged by Eileen Horne
Read by Penny Downie and Elizabeth Tan
Produced by Clive Brill
A Pacificus Production for BBC Radio 4.
THU 23:00 A Charles Paris Mystery (b00qf6t4)
Cast in Order of Disappearance
Episode 2
By Jeremy Front
Based on the novel by Simon Brett
Episode Two
Charles goes fishing and finds a dead body.
CHARLES PARIS....BILL NIGHY
JODIE.........MARTINE MCCUTCHEON
FRANCES.......SUZANNE BURDEN
MAURICE.......JON GLOVER
JULIET.........TILLY GAUNT
ELSPETH........KATE LAYDEN
ZOE.........TESSA NICHOLSON
DJ..........PIERS WEHNER
Producer - Sally Avens
Another chance to hear the latest Charles paris series. Bill Nighy stars as the actor cum amateur sleuth with a love of the bottle and the female form. In this series he has uncharacteristically landed a part in a film 'The Wreathing' where he's playing a middle management vampire opposite swimwear model turned actress Jodie Ricks played by Martine McCutcheon. Before long Jodie has confided to Charles that she's the victim of a blackmail scam and things take an even nastier turn when it appears that someone wants Jodie dead.
Never one to resist a maiden in distress Charles sets about trying to solve the mystery.
In this week's episode Charles goes fishing and finds a dead body.
THU 23:30 Today in Parliament (b00vhgl1)
Rachel Byrne reports on heated exchanges in the Commons over the coalition's spending cuts. MPs on the committee corridor hear that civil servants in Whitehall face the threat of compulsory redundancy. And a minister in the Lords tells how he was mugged.
FRIDAY 29 OCTOBER 2010
FRI 00:00 Midnight News (b00vh91j)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.
FRI 00:30 Book of the Week (b00vjl06)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:45 on Thursday]
FRI 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b00vh92h)
The latest shipping forecast.
FRI 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b00vh92k)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
FRI 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b00vh938)
The latest shipping forecast.
FRI 05:30 News Briefing (b00vh93j)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.
FRI 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b00vh916)
With Canon Stephen Shipley.
FRI 05:45 Farming Today (b00vh954)
The number of eels in British rivers has declined by 95% in the last 30 years and now the Environment Agency are introducing measures to reverse this decline. Water wheels could once again be used to generate power along the UK's river banks, and Anna Hill goes in search of the elusive harvest mouse.
Presented by Caz Graham and produced by Martin Poyntz Roberts.
FRI 06:00 Today (b00vh956)
Including Sports Desk, Yesterday in Parliament, Weather, Thought for the Day.
FRI 09:00 Desert Island Discs (b00vhdmb)
[Repeat of broadcast at
11:15 on Sunday]
FRI 09:45 Book of the Week (b00vh958)
Stephen Fry - The Fry Chronicles
Episode 5
Today Stephen reveals the origins of his enduring love of technology and his great friendship with Douglas Adams.
The Fry Chronicles is a book that is not afraid to confront the aching chasm that separates public image from private feeling.
Producer: David Roper
A Heavy Entertainment production for BBC Radio 4.
FRI 10:00 Woman's Hour (b00vh99d)
Presented by Jenni Murray. The Queen on canvas - artist Isobel Peachey and art historian Professor Griselda Pollock discuss portraits of the Queen. What do they say about our monarch and our changing attitude to monarchy? Award winning baker Patrick Moore and 'bread guru' Dan Lepard talk about the appeal of 'real bread. Maria Grasso and Professor Mary Evans take a look at the challenge to feminism posed by the sexualisation of young women today. Plus, a discussion about the migrant children who are being forced to work in the UK.
FRI 10:45 15 Minute Drama (b00vh99g)
So Much For That
Episode 5
Shep Knacker has been saving all his working life for 'the Afterlife' - his retirement escape route from Brooklyn to a remote island off the coast of Zanzibar. But just as Shep was about to put the Afterlife into action, his wife Glynis revealed that she had cancer. In today's episode, Shep watches his once substantial savings evaporate with alarming speed, while his best friend Jackson copes with the fall-out of his botched penis-enlargement surgery.
Narrator ..... Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio
Shep ..... Henry Goodman
Glynis ..... Debora Weston
Carol ..... Elizabeth McGovern
Jackson ..... Stuart Milligan
Flicka ..... Sasha Pick
Dr Knox/Gabe ..... Peter Marinker
Adapted for radio by Penny Leicester
Directed by Emma Harding
Lionel Shriver won the 2005 Orange Prize for her novel We Need to Talk About Kevin. Other novels include The Post-Birthday World and Double Fault.
Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio's work in film includes The Color of Money, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves and The Abyss; TV includes Law & Order: Criminal Intent and on Stage: A View From the Bridge at the Duke of York's, London.
Henry Goodman is currently playing Sir Humphrey Appleby in Yes, Prime Minister in the West End. Other stage work includes Duet for One, with Juliet Stevenson, Fiddler on the Roof and Chicago. Recent film includes The Damned United and Taking Woodstock.
Elizabeth McGovern is currently starring in Julian Fellowes' new ITV drama series, Downtown Abbey. Her film work includes Ragtime, Once Upon a Time in America and The Wings of the Dove.
FRI 11:00 Inside the Cage (b00tf9fc)
Cage fighting? An honourable sport of skill and strategy, a safety valve for nature's wrestling instinct, proving manhood in recessionary times, or a pantomime of thuggery? The diminutive dancer and broadcaster Felicity Finch explores the phenomenal rise of mixed martial arts from inside the cage and finds some surprising connections to her own training as a dancer, except for the fact she never knowingly knocked anyone out before.
She encounters debut pro fighter Mike Wood at his mate's gym in Farnborough and within 5 minutes of their first meeting they are rolling around on the mat. Mike is training for BAMMA 3, the third international contest of the British Association of Mixed Martial Arts which is being held at Birmingham's LG arena with Katie Price and Alex Reid in attendance.
Through Mike and his trainer Andy Roberts she learns about the phenomenal appeal of the sport, the guts it takes to enter the cage, the ongoing moves to regulate it and the money that can be made for the lucky few.
However, from Mike's 7 year old son Joe, and Dr Peter Maguire of the British Medical Association she also learns about the dark side. Whilst making the programme another debut professional fighter, Michael Kirkham dies after being knocked out in the cage and not regaining consciousness.
Mike Wood's partner Gill is a nurse. Tensions run high. Mike's training is intense, he has given up his day job and is collecting their son from school with two black eyes and painted toenails, but that is another story.
Inside the Cage provides unique access to the exciting razzmatazz of a high octane world and the gentle heart of one of its adherents.
Producer: Jane Ray
A Falling Tree production for BBC Radio 4.
FRI 11:30 Psmith in the City by PG Wodehouse (b00dsr3b)
Psmith Arranges His Future
Psmith's powers of persuasion are put to the test when Mike is dismissed from the bank.
PG Wodehouse’s comic adventures of the extraordinary Psmith and his friend Mike in the world of Edwardian finance.
Dramatised by Marcy Kahan.
PG Wodehouse ..... Simon Williams
Psmith ..... Nick Caldecott
Mike Jackson ..... Inam Mirza
John Bickersdyke ..... Stephen Critchlow
Mr Gregory ..... Chris Pavlo
Jo Jackson ..... Dan Starkey
Producer: Abigail le Fleming
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 2008.
FRI 12:00 You and Yours (b00vh9g4)
Alan Titchmarsh reminisces about his gardening slot on You and Yours back in 1977. He says his glittering broadcasting career all began with 'laying your lawn' on Radio 4.
Plus more gardening anecdotes from the new head of the Royal Horticultural Society, Sue Biggs.
We find out how the 'National Historic Ships Committee' has escaped the bonfire of the quangos.
And, Air Passenger Duty, credit card surcharges and inclusive pricing - Peter White explores the latest developments affecting the cost of flying.
FRI 12:57 Weather (b00vh9gz)
The latest weather forecast.
FRI 13:00 World at One (b00vh9hc)
National and international news.
FRI 13:30 Feedback (b00vh9hf)
Roger Bolton asks whether this was the best week for the Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg to wash up on Kirsty Young's Desert Island Discs.
As Peggy learns to cut and paste on The Archers, Roger examines the BBC's role in Government backed education campaigns.
And after Richard Herring's endorsement - listeners are desperate to know how to get hold of this season's must have Radio 4 hoodie.
Email the team: feedback@bbc.co.uk
Producer: Karen Pirie
A Whistledown production for BBC Radio 4.
FRI 14:00 The Archers (b00vhgc9)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Thursday]
FRI 14:15 Drama (b00vh9hx)
Severed Threads
The Reckoning
Vengeance is all that's on schoolboy Ben's mind as he pieces together the events surrounding his father's death. Four thousand miles away in India, journalist Prem is drawn deeper into a dangerous world of exploitation and corruption. In the US, as Jim's life takes a nose-dive and he is gradually stripped of all he holds dear, his unquestioning faith turns to simmering rage. As these three stories converge, they build towards a terrifying and climatic resolution.
Cast:
Jim ..... Brian d'Arcy James
Prem ..... Ameet Chana
Ben ..... Hugo Docking
US Cast:
Ruth ..... Marsha Dietlein
Faith ..... Amanda Scot Ellis
Pastor McGiven ..... Tom Tammi
Kyle ..... Matt Bennett
Sheila ..... Janet Foster
News Anchor ..... John Leonard Thompson
Billy ..... Jacob Knoll
Harry ..... Craig Bockhorn
Casey/Waitress ..... Felicity Jones
Prison Priest ..... Miles Chapin
India Cast:
Rahul ..... Ankur Vikal
Amit .....Vijay Yadav
Amit's mother ..... Ayesha Raza
Amit's brother ..... Sagar Shinde
Welfare Officers ..... Veruschka Menon, Pushan Kripalani
Dr Khunna ...... Shaikh Sami Usman
Factory Owner ..... Kenneth Desai
Factory Workers ..... Rupa Kasbe, Jyoti Reddy, Shabana Sheikh,
Rita John, Neeta Chavan, Eisy T. John, Pramod Yedke
UK Cast:
Fiona .... Natasha Little
Timms ..... Henry Goodman
Elgood ..... Francois Testory
Jones ..... Gethin Anthony
Psychologist ..... Kate Fitzgerald
Travel Agent ..... Joanne Ferguson
Heyward ..... Daniel Bridle
Boy .....Callum Francis
Production Team:
India Line Producer ..... Nadir Khan
Assistant Director ..... Tasneem Fatehi
India Sound ..... Ayush Ahuja
US Producer ..... David Rapkin
US Line Producer ..... Kim Moarefi
US Casting ..... Janet Foster
US Sound ..... Frederick Greenhaigh
UK Broadcast Assistant ..... Sarah Tombling
UK Production Assistant ..... Lucy Howe
Music ..... Sacha Puttnam
Written and Directed by John Dryden
A Goldhawk Essential Production for BBC Radio 4.
FRI 15:00 Gardeners' Question Time (b00vh9jp)
Ashcott Garden Club, Somerset
Anne Swithinbank, Chris Beardshaw and Matthew Biggs are guests of the Ashcott Garden Club in Somerset. Peter Gibbs is the chairman.
Matthew Wilson presents the second half of our Urban Forest series.
Producer: Howard Shannon
A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4.
FRI 15:45 Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen's Escape to the Country (b00s54j7)
Octavia Hill
How Octavia set up the National Trust, based on her belief in the importance of nature for the working class.
FRI 16:00 Last Word (b00vh9kb)
On Last Word this week:
The British aid worker Linda Norgrove - killed during an American military operation to rescue her from her captors. In an emotional interview her parents talk about her childhood, her determination to help those less fortunate than herself and the tragic violence of her death.
Also children's'writer Eva Ibbotson, who imagined a mystery platform at King's Cross station long before JK Rowling.
Reggae singer Gregory Isaacs - famous for his romantic ballads - he fought a battle with cocaine addiction.
And Mary Malcolm - BBC announcer in the early days of television. We hear from her on screen colleague Sylvia Peters.
FRI 16:30 The Film Programme (b00vhdr1)
Francine Stock talks to Lisa Cholodenko, director of The Kids Are All Right, starring Annette Bening and Julianne Moore as a couple whose relationship begins to founder when their children track down their biological father.
Screenwriters Moira Buffini, Frank Cottrell Boyce and Simon Beaufoy reveal the secrets of a good ending
Olivier Assayas, the director of Carlos, discusses geo-politics, international terrorism and the reason why his five and a half hour epic is not eligible for an Oscar.
FRI 17:00 PM (b00vhdrw)
Full coverage and analysis of the day's news.
FRI 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b00vhf46)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
FRI 18:30 The News Quiz (b00vhf48)
Series 72
Episode 6
Sandi Toksvig presents another episode of the ever-popular topical panel show. Guests this week include Jeremy Hardy and Ava Vidal.
Produced by Sam Bryant.
FRI 19:00 The Archers (b00vhf4b)
To Nigel and Lynda's disappointment, the PCC has decided against the falcon platform. Focusing on the panto auditions, Lynda's concerned at the lack of females appearing. Nigel's delighted to be awarded the dame role, although Elizabeth's horrified. Eddie's also dismayed to get "Kitchen Boy".
Meanwhile, Harry catches Jazzer smoking in the flat, but Jazzer brushes criticism aside as he heads for another night on the tiles.
As Nigel and Harry audition together, Lynda's impressed with their interplay. Their double act quality relegates Eddie to the part of "Rat Henchman No 2". He tries to persuade Nigel to swap roles, but Lynda has made her decision. Rehearsals begin on Sunday at
3pm.
As Kenton models his detailed Van Helsing costume, Elizabeth's pleased he's making the effort with Jamie. Nigel will be sporting dinner jacket, cloak and fangs as Dracula. They unsuccessfully try to persuade Elizabeth to dress up and come to the Halloween party on Sunday too.
Eddie catches up with Lynda on her way home and pleads with her to recast him. However, Lynda has more to worry about than pleasing Eddie. She still needs to cast the lead, Dick Whittington himself.
FRI 19:15 Front Row (b00vhf4d)
In Belfast with Paul Muldoon and Colin Bateman
With Mark Lawson in Belfast.
What music should Northern Ireland's sports teams hear before an international match or at a medal ceremony? Crime writer Colin Bateman has written a comic play about a poet and a composer attempting to write a national anthem for Northern Ireland. Bateman discusses the sensitivities of finding the right words and music, and you can hear the anthem specially created for the play, which the theatre audience is invited to sing.
The poet Paul Muldoon now teaches in the United States, but retains close ties with his native Northern Ireland. He talks to Mark about the sources of the language he uses, from 17th century Ireland to 21st century America, and reflects on why we often find poetry difficult while enjoying complex films and TV dramas.
As the composer Alexander Goehr premieres a new opera based on King Lear, Front Row considers the history of taking Shakespeare into the opera house, and examines why his play texts often create problems for anyone attempting to set them to music. Alexander Goehr, librettist and historian Amanda Holden and director John Caird share their views.
Editor John Goudie.
FRI 19:45 15 Minute Drama (b00vh99g)
[Repeat of broadcast at
10:45 today]
FRI 20:00 Any Questions? (b00vhf4g)
Jonathan Dimbleby chairs the topical discussion from St Mary's Parish Church in Leeds, with questions for the panel including the Chairman of the Conservative Party, Sayeeda Warsi, Mail on Sunday columnist Peter Hitchens, author Tariq Ali and Jack Dromey, Labour MP and Communities and Local Government spokesman.
Producer: Kathryn Takatsuk.
FRI 20:50 A Point of View (b00vhf4j)
Sarah Dunant: Tribute to Teachers
Sarah Dunant pays tribute to outstanding women teachers who inspired her own generation of schoolgirls to achieve through education as well as any boy. She remembers, in particular, her headmistress and her art teacher, who deserve credit for the part they played in the fight for women's equality.
Producer: Sheila Cook.
FRI 21:00 A History of the World in 100 Objects Omnibus (b00vhf4l)
The Threshold of the Modern World (AD 1375-1550)
Neil MacGregor, the director of the British Museum in London, continues his global history as told through objects from the Museum's collection.
In about 1450 a string of great empires dominated the world. The Ottoman Turks were threatening Europe with invasion. Asia was dominated by Ming China and the Timurid Empire, but the world's largest state was the Inca Empire in South America. Europe, in contrast, was a patchwork of squabbling powers. Yet there were the first signs of a shift towards a connection of all the world's continents by European exploration that would mark the beginning of a recognisably modern world. These new maritime empires brought Europe's fragmented kingdoms great wealth. The rhinoceros that inspired Durer's iconic print was a present from an Indian Sultan to a Portuguese governor.
Producer: Paul Kobrak.
FRI 21:58 Weather (b00vhf4n)
The latest weather forecast.
FRI 22:00 The World Tonight (b00vhf4q)
An historic accord at a UN summit in Japan to protect threatened ecosystems
Is the government making policy too fast and making mistakes as a result ?
The boom in political advertising in American mid term elections : a special report from Alaska
with Carolyn Quinn.
FRI 22:45 Book at Bedtime (b00vhf6n)
Crimson China
Episode 5
By Betsy Tobin. Lili moves in with Adrian and May whilst Wen becomes concerned that the Snakeheads who smuggled him into England for a huge fee - may have tracked him down.
Abridged by Eileen Horne
Read by Penny Downie and Elizabeth Tan
Produced by Clive Brill
A Pacificus Production for BBC Radio 4.
FRI 23:00 A Good Read (b00vcpbr)
Edwina Currie and Colin Tweedy
Sue MacGregor is joined by the former Conservative minister Edwina Currie and Colin Tweedy, Chief Executive of The Building Centre to discuss books by Zoe Heller, Kenneth Clark and John Preston.
The Believers by Zoe Heller
Publisher. Penguin
Civilisation: A Personal View by Kenneth Clark
Publisher. John Murray
The Dig by John Preston
Publisher. Penguin
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 2010.
FRI 23:30 Today in Parliament (b00vhf6q)
Mark D'arcy presents a round up of the week's parliamentary news.