SATURDAY 10 SEPTEMBER 2011

SAT 00:00 Midnight News (b01463g1)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.


SAT 00:30 Book of the Week (b01463kz)
The 9/11 Letters

Michael Morpurgo

Five internationally acclaimed writers consider the impact of the momentous events of September 11th, 2001. Ten years on, these authors use imaginative letters to reflect on the consequences for Britain, America and the world.

The final 9/11 Letter is by the former Children's Laureate, Michael Morpurgo. Among the more than one hundred books he has written is 'War Horse', the stage version of which this year won a Tony Award on Broadway, and is being made into a film by Stephen Spielberg.

The imagined writer of Michael Morpurgo's letter is Ginny, who, when the first plane smashed into the North tower was waiting on a bench in Central Park for her husband to return from breakfast with their son, their first meeting since a rift seven years previously. What happened on 11th September, 2001 rent many families - including Ginny's - asunder, yet it also brought people together. Michael Morpurgo's letter, which he has titled 'A Proper Family' movingly explores this ambiguity.

Producer: Julian May.


SAT 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b01463g3)
The latest shipping forecast.


SAT 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b01463g5)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service. BBC Radio 4 resumes at 5.20am.


SAT 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b01463g9)
The latest shipping forecast.


SAT 05:30 News Briefing (b01463gf)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.


SAT 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b01464dk)
Radio 4's daily prayer and reflection presented by the Revd Bob Fyffe, General Secretary of Churches Together in Britain and Ireland.


SAT 05:45 iPM (b01464dm)
"I seem to see 2.30am with astounding regularity" A radio legend discusses sleeplessness. A knight shares his email password. A Hancock fans reveals where the 'lost' scripts are. And Anna Ford read Your News. iPM@bbc.co.uk.


SAT 06:00 News and Papers (b01463gh)
The latest news headlines. Including a look at the papers.


SAT 06:04 Weather (b01463gk)
The latest weather forecast.


SAT 06:07 Open Country (b014f1cj)
Heather Moorland

75% of heather moorland is found here in the UK. The North York Moors are perhaps best known for their glorious purple carpets and on Open Country Jules Hudson explores the past and the potential future of this rare habitat. Heather moorland relies on management. Created over centuries of sheep grazing and man management the blooms require regular burning to remain healthy and attractive to the varied wildlife that makes its home on the moors. Sometimes controversially this management is often only made possible with the finance brought in by grouse shooting.
As the slopes and bogs of Spaunton Moor come alive with the vivid colour of the heather the grouse are also reaching their prime. Today at places like Spaunton eight days of shooting allows the moor to be managed and preserved for both the grouse and many other species of birds and invertebrates all year round. The spectacle of purple is testament to the effective nature of management but can conservation and hunting really work in harmony?


SAT 06:30 Farming Today (b014f1cl)
Farming Today This Week

Charlotte Smith hears the English apple harvest will be the best in decades. Despite drought and late frost, 55 varieties of British apples will be in the shops this season. Farming Today This Week visits one Worcestershire farm which is taking out a traditional Bramley orchard and planting one of the most popular modern verities, Gala, which will make them much more money.

On a visit to a the National Apple Collection at Brogdale in Kent, Charlotte Smith tastes a new variety of apple which could help extend the UK growing season, and in North Cumbria Caz Graham is shown four 'lost' varieties of apples which have been re-discovered.

And Adrian Barlow, from English Apples and Pears, says that British producers could produce even more in the coming years, taking the UK to over 60% self-sufficiency in the fruit.

Presenter: Charlotte Smith. Producer: Melvin Rickarby.


SAT 06:57 Weather (b01463gm)
The latest weather forecast.


SAT 07:00 Today (b014f1cn)
Morning news and current affairs with John Humphrys and Sarah Montague, featuring:

08:30 In an extended interview with John Humphrys, former prime minister Tony Blair reflects on the decade since the 9/11 attacks.


SAT 09:00 Saturday Live (b014f1cq)
Nick Fisher, Salena Godden, Glasgow Crowdscape, Halla Diyab, former traveller Roxy Freeman, Ophelia Dahl's Inheritance Tracks

Richard Coles with writer, fisherman and former agony-uncle Nick Fisher, poet Salena Godden, the filmmaker who refused Colonel Gaddafi after going to meet him in the Libyan desert, a woman who grew up on the road in a traveller community, a Crowdscape from Glasgow's Central Station & Inheritance Tracks from Ophelia Dahl.

Producer: Debbie Kilbride.


SAT 10:00 Excess Baggage (b014f1cs)
Maine - Tour d'Afrique - Fallowell's travels

John McCarthy introduces businesswoman Alice Morrison who took time off from the recession to ride from Cairo to Cape Town on the Tour d'Afrique cycle race, braving bandits and wildlife for a life changing experience. Best selling crime novelist John Connolly talks about his love of the US state of Maine despite not liking two of its great attractions, hunting and seafood. And writer Duncan Fallowell talks about his travels to Gozo, India and South Wales in search of people who have disappeared from view.

Producer: Harry Parker.


SAT 10:30 Punt PI (b014f1cv)
Series 4

Episode 2

Steve Punt turns private investigator, examining little mysteries that amuse and beguile. This week our detective
has to get to the bottom of whether the British inventor of a 'Death Ray' was really science fact or science fiction. His leads take him via the valleys of South Wales, the control tower of Croydon Airport, the banks of the River Severn and the strong rooms of records offices piecing together the remarkable story of Harry Grindell Matthews.

Grindell Matthews, maverick scientist and showman entrepreneur, earned many friends and was celebrated for inventions which included mobile phones, talking pictures and remote control craft; yet all of these were overshadowed once he unveiled his 'Death Ray'. Designed to shoot down enemy aircraft in the 1920's, his lastest creation earned headlines around the world but also stirred controversy. He fell foul of the establishment and withdrew to a mountain laboratory, closely monitored by the government. As an inter-war arms and technology race developed what was to happen to Grindell Matthews and his secret weapon: the infamous death ray?

Producer: Neil McCarthy.


SAT 11:00 The Week in Westminster (b014f1ml)
Steve Richards of The Independent asks what we have learned this week at Westminster. .

Alistair Darling's memoirs have been widely quoted this week - in particular his account of clashes with Gordon Brown. Is it true that political memoirs are more vitriolic than ever? A subject for a former Conservative Chancellor, Lord Lawson, and the acclaimed political biographer, Dr Anthony Seldon.

Do we get a clearer picture of David Cameron, the politician, after a summer of big news events? Has he come more sharply into focus in the public eye as he's reacted to riots in England, the conflict in Libya and the economic crisis. Labour's Margaret Hodge and the Conservative, Matthew Hancock, takes sides.

The former editor of the Daily Telegraph, Charles Moore, has written that the banking crisis, the plight of the Euro and the phone-hacking scandal give weight to a traditional left-wing view of the world - that a protected elite is profiting on the back of the workers. Has that perception shifted his own political commitments?

Finally, some Lib Dems are unhappy with the coalition reform of the NHS. The MP, Andrew George, is one. But the party's former head of media, Mark Littlewood, disagrees and urges the reforms on. A glimpse here of the internal party debate.

Editor: Peter Mulligan.


SAT 11:30 From Our Own Correspondent (b014f1mn)
Whatever happened to his notebooks? Jeremy Bowen, charting the demise of the Gaddafi regime in Libya, wonders why his precious notebooks keep going missing. Mishal Husain travels though five countries finding out about the role Twitter and Facebook have played in the Arab Spring. Thousands of Zimbabwean children have been making a long, risky and illegal journey south in search of a place in a South African schoolroom; Mukul Devichand's been meeting some of them. Lesley Curwen's been to the US to find out how families are getting by during the economic downturn. And in Ireland, Fergal Keane sees signs of hope and optimism after the worst banking crisis and recession in the country's history.


SAT 12:00 Money Box (b014f1mq)
The latest news from the world of personal finance.


SAT 12:30 The News Quiz (b0146426)
Series 75

Episode 1

Bills, Blair, and Belhadj: in the week that MI6 was said to have tortured members of Libya's prospective new government, and Andrew Lansley's NHS bill passed through the house on its third attempt, the topical quiz returns for a whole new series.

Sandi Toksvig chairs the discussion between panellists Dominic Lawson, Jeremy Hardy, Fred Macaulay and Andy Hamilton. Rory Morrison reads the news. Produced by Victoria Lloyd.


SAT 12:57 Weather (b01463gp)
The latest weather forecast.


SAT 13:00 News (b01463gr)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


SAT 13:10 Any Questions? (b01464cf)
St Ives

Jonathan Dimbleby presents a topical discussion of news and politics from the St Ives Festival in Cornwall with Guardian columnist and National Trust chairman, Simon Jenkins; Director of Liberty Shami Chakrabarti; Chairman of the Health Select Committee, Conservative MP Stephen Dorrell; and Labour MP Ben Bradshaw.

Producer Victoria Wakely

Presenter Jonathan Dimbleby.


SAT 14:00 Any Answers? (b014f1ms)
Call Jonathan Dimbleby to have your say on the following issues: Is the world safer after the "War on Terror"? should the 50p tax rate go? Is the greenbelt in danger if planning laws change? Will planned changes to the NHS make it more democratic?
Telephone 03700 100 444 or email us at any.answers@bbc.co.uk.


SAT 14:30 Saturday Drama (b014f1mv)
Washington, 9/11

September 11th 2001 dawned bright and clear on the East coast of the United States. At 8:46 am President George W Bush was in Florida promoting his education policy and Vice President Dick Cheney was in Washington when a Boeing 767 - American Airlines flight 11 - crashed into the World Trade Center's North Tower.

It was the first of four commercial planes used as weapons that day in attacks on New York and the capital that led to the loss of thousands of lives and changed the world. This is the dramatized story - reconstructed from multiple documents and memoires - of how Bush, from his plane Air Force One circling high above the United States, and Cheney, in the White House bunker, responded in the first few hours after the 9/11 attacks and how the decisions they took that day set the course of the Bush presidency and triggered the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq.

Michael Eaton's drama reconstructs a chaotic day, when communications failed, protocols were abandoned; radar signals were misinterpreted and rescue aircraft came close to being shot down. It was a day that united America and saw tremendous acts of personal sacrifice and courage, but alongside the immediate response to the crisis there was also a hidden tussle for power and control, with some of Bush's key lieutenants moving swiftly to press an agenda that would determine US foreign policy for the remainder of the Bush presidency and put in place -'The War on Terror'.

Cast:
President George W Bush ..... WIlliam Hope
Vice President Dick Cheney -.....Stuart Milligan
Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld ..... Garrick Hagon
National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice ..... Tanya Moodie
Chief of Staff Andrew Card ..... Richard Laing
Major Robert Darling ..... Philip Rosch
Laura Bush ..... Lorelei King
CIA Director George Tenet ..... Bill Roberts
Secretary of State Colin Powell ..... Nathan Osgood

Other parts played by members of the cast.

Produced by Richard Clemmow
Directed by Dirk Maggs
A Perfectly Normal Production for BBC Radio 4.


SAT 15:30 Soul Music (b0145x7m)
Series 12

Dear Lord and Father of Mankind

The words of one of our most loved hymns, Dear Lord and Father of Mankind, were taken from the last six verses of John Greenleaf Whittier's poem, The Brewing of Soma, an attack on ostentatious and overt religious practise. But it wasn't until over fifty years later, that a school master at Repton in Derbyshire had the inspiration to pair it with a tune by Sir Hubert Parry, thus confirming it as a favourite for school assemblies, funerals and weddings. The current Director of Music at Repton, John Bowley, explains how this happened, while composer and conductor Bob Chilcott explains why this was a musical mariage made in heaven.
We hear from those for who whom the hymn has special significance, including the MP from Gloucester, Richard Graham; when briefly imprisoned in a Libyan gaol in 1978 he found enormous comfort in the words and tune. Pipe Major Ross Munro remembers recording the piece in the swelting heat of Basra with members of the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards and film director Joe Wright recalls how the inclusion of this hymn was central to the power of his famous scene depicting the evacuation of Dunkirk in his film, Atonement.
Producer: Lucy Lunt.


SAT 16:00 Woman's Hour (b014f1mx)
PJ Harvey, Somali kidnap couple Rachel and Paul Chandler

Presented by Jane Garvey. Mercury Prize winner P J Harvey, Somali hostage couple Rachel and Paul Chandler, Thyroid Cancer, Free Schools in Britain, Is the title Women's Fiction offensive? Music from Ayanna Witter Johnson and Cook the Perfect...Tarte Tatin.

Recipe

Serves 6.

1. 3 or 4 good tart apples

2. 100g (3.5oz) caster sugar, plus 2-3 tablespoons

3. 75g (2.5oz) salted butter

4. 1 sheet ready-rolled puff pastry

5. A dash of Calvados or Pommeau (apple brandy)

6. 200ml (7fl oz) crème fraiche

If you are cooking the tarte in one go, preheat the oven to 180c/350f/gas mark 4.

Peel, core and quarter the apples. In a cast-iron frying pan or any heavy-based pan, heat the 100g of sugar with 2 tablespoons water. When a syrup has formed, let it bubble gently until it begins to caramelise.

Swirl the pan about to help spread the caramelisation throughout the syrup (do not stir with a spoon or it will crystallise). When it has reached a golden brown colour (1-2 minutes), take the pan off the heat and add the butter. The caramel will splutter and spit. Stir it very gently with a wooden spoon until it becomes smooth.

Add the quartered apples and cook them gently for 3-4 minutes in the hot caramel. Pop the pan back on a low heat if the caramel has solidified.

Taking care not to burn your fingers, arrange the apple quarters in a spiral or concentric circles. If you will be cooking the tarte in a cake tin, arrange the apples in it and pour the caramel from the pan over them.

If you are preparing the tarte for cooking later, let the apples cool down before putting the pastry on top. Leave the tarte in a cool place (the fridge is too cold) until you are ready to cook it. If cooking the tarte in one go, place the puff pastry on the apples and tuck it around them like a blanket on a bed.

Put the pan or tin in the oven and cook for about 25 minutes, until the pastry is golden. Take the tarte out of the oven and let it stand for about 5 minutes before turning it out onto a deep plate to catch all the caramel and cooking juices.

Mix the 2-3 tablespoons sugar with the Calvados or Pommeau, stir in the cream and serve with the hot tarte. It will also be delicious with plain crème fraiche, double or clotted cream or vanilla ice cream.


SAT 17:00 PM (b014f392)
With Carolyn Quinn. A fresh perspective on the day's news with sports headlines.


SAT 17:30 iPM (b01464dm)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:45 today]


SAT 17:54 Shipping Forecast (b01463gt)
The latest shipping forecast.


SAT 17:57 Weather (b01463gw)
The latest weather forecast.


SAT 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b01463gy)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


SAT 18:15 Loose Ends (b014f394)
Clive Anderson and guests with an eclectic mix of conversation, music and comedy.

The combination of Sir Tim Rice, Elton John and Disney was always going to be a winning one. And next week The Lion King, the musical that brought those three together is celebrating its 5000th show in London's West End. Tim will be talking to Clive about this lyrical success and, of course, the multitude of other shows that he has written for such as Jesus Christ Superstar and Evita.

John Hurt is one of Britain's greatest actors and stars in the soon to be released big-screen version of John Le Carré's best selling cold war novel, 'Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy'. Having performed in memorable roles playing Quentin Crisp, The Elephant Man and more recently Mr Ollivander in 'Harry Potter', he has now narrated Nitin Sawhney's latest album.

"The Russell Brand of the kitchen" comes to The Loose Ends studio. Valentine Warner, known for his classic take on food, passion for nature, the seasons and mainly being outdoors will be talking about his new cookbook, 'The Good Table'.

Cycling is the biggest thing to hit personal transport since the horse, or at least Eben Weiss believes so. Riding tandem is Gideon Coe finding out about the highs and lows of bike culture from Eben, the original 'Bike Snob' who's written a book of the same name.

The Mercury, Ivor, Mobo and Olivier nominated songwriter and composer, Nitin Sawhney will be performing two live tracks, 'Sunset' and 'The Devil and Midnight'. Having just composed for the BBC Human Planet series and a new pipe organ piece for his Royal Albert Hall concert in May 2011, Nitin now releases his ninth studio album, 'Last Days of Meaning'.

Producer: Cathie Mahoney.


SAT 19:00 Profile (b014f396)
Texas Governor Rick Perry

Rick Perry won the seat of Governor of Texas vacated by George W Bush when he was elected President of the United States. Perry has held the post for over ten years, making him the longest serving governor in state history. Now he is seeking nomination as the Republican Party's candidate to oppose Barack Obama in the 2012 Presidential election. Over last few weeks he's become a front runner to succeed, taking part in a series of televised debates within the last few days.

In this week's Profile, we hear from his former scouting buddies in the small village of Paint Creek where he was raised that "there are only three things to do in Paint Creek: school, church and scouting". They describe the simple farming background that influenced his life and informed his politics. We also hear from Retired Lt General Joseph Weber Marine, a contemporary of Perry at Texas A+M University. The Governor's father was a B17 Gunner in WW2 and flew missions out of the U.K. "I know Rick visited where he'd been and was very interested in looking at the airfields and the history of the U.S. air force working with the RAF." says Weber.

Other contributors to this profile of a possible contender for the next Commander-in-Chief include musician Ted "the Nuge" Nugent who believes Rick Perry is the best hope of making the whole of the United States more like Nugent's adopted home of Texas which has: "the greatest hunting the world, no income tax plus I can carry a machine gun in my trunk". We also hear from Christy Hoppe, Bureau chief of the "Dallas News" who has known Rick Perry for over twenty years about the real story behind the "economic miracle" that some claim Texas has achieved under Perry.

Presenter: Chris Bowlby.


SAT 19:15 Saturday Review (b014f398)
Tom Sutcliffe and his guests poet Craig Raine, creative director of the Royal Opera House Deborah Bull and literary critic John Carey review the week's cultural highlights including the film Jane Eyre.

Rupert Goold's site specific production Decade is a performance piece with contributions from 19 writers about the 9/11 attacks on New York. Performed at St Katherine's Dock in London, audience members enter through metal detectors and a security check to find themselves in a mock-up of the Windows restaurant at the top of the World Trade Center.

Cary Joji Fukunaga's film Jane Eyre stars Mia Wasikowska as Charlotte Bronte's orphaned heroine and Michael Fassbender as the forbidding Mr Rochester - a man with a dark secret. Moira Buffini wrote the screenplay.

The Map and The Territory is the latest novel by Michel Houellebecq and the one which finally secured for him France's most prestigious literary prize - the Prix Goncourt. Its central character is a solitary artist - Jed Martin - who asks celebrated novelist Michel Houellebecq to write an essay for his catalogue and then decides that he would like to paint Houellebecq's portrait.

The Power of Making is a free exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London which celebrates the traditions and innovations of craft. It brings together more than a hundred beautifully made objects ranging from David Mach's sculpture of a gorilla made out of wire coat hangers to Peter Butcher's embroidered surgical implant.

Fresh Meat is the latest comedy from Peep Show writers Sam Bain and Jesse Armstrong. It's about a disparate group of students accidentally thrown together in off-campus lodging in Manchester, one of whom is Kingsley, played by Joe Thomas from The InBetweeners.

Producer: Torquil MacLeod.


SAT 20:00 Archive on 4 (b014f39b)
The Day Before 9/11

Unease on the world markets, rumours that a key anti-Taliban leader had been assassinated and New York buzzing with its primary elections for city mayor, September 10th 2001 seems like a relatively normal news day. But looked at in hindsight it becomes freighted with meaning.

Presented by Paddy O'Connell, who was in New York covering Wall Street at the time, the programme features television and radio output from the 24 hours before the attacks. A portrait of New York, America and the wider world as it was the day before the towers came down.

Producers: Simon Hollis and Simon Finch
A Brook Lapping and Borough co-production for BBC Radio 4.


SAT 21:00 Classic Serial (b0144ybg)
Anthony Trollope - The American Senator

Episode 3

The American Senator
By Anthony Trollope
Dramatised by Martyn Wade
Part Three
Lord Rufford has run away from Arabella but she hasn't given up hope. She is determined that he will marry her but then she receives some distressing news ..

Anthony Trollope...........Robert Glenister
Arabella Trefoil..............Anna Maxwell Martin
Lady Augustus..............Barbara Flynn
Lord Augustus...............Gerard McDermott
Lord Rufford...................Henry Devas
Lady Ushant..................Joanna David
John Morton..................Blake Ritson
Reginald Morton............Daniel Rabin
Mary Masters................Penelope Rawlins
Mrs Morton...................Richenda Carey
Senator Gotobed...........Stuart Milligan
Mounser Green............Joanathan Forbes

Directed by Tracey Neale

The Story:
In this little known tale, Anthony Trollope never allows The American Senator's attitude to get in the way of plot -and his ability to weave story strands which arise out of credible motivation, psychology and emotion is as sure as ever. The characters are as finely drawn as we have come to expect from the pen of Trollope. There's the extraordinary Arabella but also the comic, kind natured and the tragic characters too.

Arabella finds herself in the ignoble occupation of husband/fortune-hunting. She's aware that the years are passing and the strain of numerous failed relationships have made her prospects increasingly poor. She is unofficially engaged to John Morton, a diplomat, and owner of a large estate, but now the wealthy and more exciting Lord Rufford has come into view. His estate being larger and more grand. Surely he is worth fighting for?

Arabella, encouraged by her monstrous mother, Lady Augustus, decides to try and keep Morton on the back-burner (but deny her engagement in public) while engineering a series of compromising situations in an outrageous attempt to win Rufford.

But Arabella is playing a dangerous game and although her behaviour is both conniving and ruthless, she is extraordinary and powerfully-drawn and so does not become an out-and-out anti-heroine. She is, to some degree, the victim of her situation - and of her mother. She is courageous as well as devious, and she has her pride. As the tale concludes and she seeks some degree of redemption she achieves tragic status.

A parallel but secondary plot concerns Reginald Morton, an elder cousin of John, and Mary Masters, who is the complete antithesis to Miss Trefoil. Mary's absurd, domineering stepmother thinks that Mary should marry a besotted local farmer, Lawrence Twentyman but Mary is in love with Reginald Morton. Is he in love with her though? She finds support in the shape of Reginald's kind and gentle aunt, Lady Ushant, but there is the stern and grim grandmother of both John and Reginald who stands in the way of happiness because of a long-standing family feud.

Elias Gotobed, the visiting senator of the book's title, has little impact on events - but he has an important part to play as an observer of events; a gauche but vigorous critic of the antiquated elements of English society and the establishment. Gotobed's conclusions are a supplement to those which can be drawn from Arabella's tale, where greed, class-consciousness and snobbery are mercilessly displayed.

'The American Senator' is, in part, a state of the nation novel - enhanced by the parallels between Trollope's world and ours. Arabella has her modern-day equivalents, and the Senator's remarks throughout the dramatisation about the working man's passive and subservient nature have not lost their relevance.

The Author:
Anthony Trollope produced a vast collection of work about credible people and their foibles. He gained recognition as a writer who portrayed English life is a wry and honest manner with a cast of humorous and delightful characters. His portrayal of female characters is particularly skilful and Arabella Trefoil is no exception.

The Dramatist:
Martyn Wade is a skilled and talented radio writer and dramatist. He has dramatised the 'Barsetshire' novels for radio and the 'Palliser' series too. His other Trollope dramatisations have included 'Orley Farm' and 'Miss Mackenzie'. He also dramatised Ada Leverson's 'The Little Ottleys' for Woman's Hour.


SAT 22:00 News and Weather (b01463h0)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4, followed by weather.


SAT 22:15 The Reith Lectures (b0145x77)
Securing Freedom: 2011

Eliza Manningham-Buller: Terror

The former Director-General of the Security Service (MI5), Eliza Manningham-Buller gives the first of her BBC Reith Lectures 2011 called " Terror." On the tenth anniversary of the attacks on the United States on September 11th she reflects on the lasting significance of that day. Was it a "terrorist" crime, an act of war or something different?


SAT 23:00 Round Britain Quiz (b0145569)
(4/12)
Tom Sutcliffe welcomes the teams from the South of England and Northern Ireland to the fiendish contest of lateral thinking. In the latest heat Marcel Berlins and Fred Housego play for the South of England, while the Northern Ireland regulars are the novelist Polly Devlin and historian Brian Feeney.

As always, the questions draw on the deepest recesses of the contestants' memory stores in science, history, sport, and high and popular culture. Tom will also have the answer to last week's teaser question which was:

Why might a hawk have its eye on a play by Goldsmith, the home of Harlequins, and the entrance to a New York tenement?

Producer: Paul Bajoria.


SAT 23:30 Poetry Please (b0144ybl)
Scary horses, embittered husbands and prayers for birds feature in this edition of your poetry requests, presented by Roger McGough. There's A Display of Mackerel by Mark Doty, admiring the iridescence and selflessness of those 'flashing participants.' Sylvia Plath is mussel hunting, and there's another powerful poem from across the pond; Elizabeth Bishop's 'The Fish'. The abandoned merman calls out longingly for his deserting wife 'Margaret, Margaret', in Matthew Arnold's famous poem, and RS Thomas warns 'You must wear your eyes out' in a meditation on bird watching. Clare Pollard also makes her debut on the programme with a poem inspired by a sinister folkloric tale involving horses, Pollock scales and spuming ale.

The other readers are Jennifer Jellicorse, Catherine Cusack and Mark Meadows.
Produced by Sarah Langan.