The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.
Having escaped across the border into China, Shin looks for a job. After a lucky encounter in a Korean restaurant he finds himself on his way to South Korea and a life of freedom. But once there he has to acclimatise to a totally new way of life, first in Seoul and then in California, and he is haunted by his memories of life in Camp 14.
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service. BBC Radio 4 resumes at
A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day with The Most Reverend George Stack, Archbishop of Cardiff.
Jennifer Tracey talks to Philip Rankin, the man who built Scotland's first chair lift.
The latest news headlines. Including a look at the papers.
Flat Holm is the most southerly point in Wales. The Island sits just off the Cardiff Coast. In 1982, the Flat Holm Project was established. The aim was to manage Flat Holm as a local nature reserve and to encourage visitor access and opportunities for education. The Island has a long and varied history having been used by man since prehistoric times. It was farmed for some 800 years and stopped in 1942. It has been fortified twice, most recently during the 2nd World War. The Island has many buildings and structures of historic interest, many are listed buildings and scheduled ancient monuments. In this week's Open Country, Helen Mark finds out what life is like for the wardens and volunteers who live on the Island all year round and what is done to prepare the Island for the influx of tourists in the summer. Presented by Helen Mark and Produced by Anna Varle.
There are concerns for the future of more than a hundred breeds of farm animal and poultry. Currently almost 130 different breeds are on the 'AT RISK' list complied by the Rare Breeds Survival Trust. The individual numbers in some cases are so low that there are fears that the bloodlines could disappear forever. Charlotte Smith investigates what is being done to save these rare breeds and what role they can play in modern farming.
And whilst many breeds have died out, some have made it back from the brink. After WW2, it is estimated there were only around 40 breeding female Longhorn cattle left in the UK. Farmers and breeders have struggled to save the breed which now numbers around 10,000. Charlotte is at a Longhorn beef farm in Leicestershire which says it is proud to have helped secure the future of the breed.
This programme was presented by Charlotte Smith and produced in Birmingham by Angela Frain.
With John Humphrys and James Naughtie. Including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.
Jarvis Cocker, Elvis McGonagall, Garreth Smyth, Zuhal Sultan, Salvador Dali, Roger Lloyd Pack
Richard Coles with Jarvis Cocker, poet Elvis McGonagall, Zuhal Sultan who taught herself to play the piano and set up the Iraqi Youth Orchestra, Garret Smyth who's planning to cryogenically preserve his brain at the point of death in the hope of the being brought back to life, Anne Pattullo who hitched a ride with Salvador Dali, Piers Plowright's I Was There from a ski jumping competition in the middle of London in the 1950s, and the Inheritance Tracks of actor Roger Lloyd Pack.
Sandi Toksvig goes to Reykjavik to look at aspects of tourism in Iceland and discovers that the volcanic eruptions and the financial crash there may not have been so bad for the country. As well as reminding the world of its geological attractions the crises have helped Iceland look at its cultural roots like the sagas and....knitting.
In this Diamond Jubilee year, BBC Arts Editor Will Gompertz has been selecting some of the most revealing objects from the Royal Collection to see what they tell us about the monarchs who acquired them. It is one of the most wide-ranging collections of art and artefacts in the world, and also one of the most surprising - offering up an intriguing insight into the minds of the monarchs who assembled it.
During the course of this series, Will has encountered dozens of these unique objects - some priceless, others no more than souvenirs - each giving a glimpse into the essential characteristics of a successful sovereign. And in this, the final programme, he delves once more into the Collection to see what a subtly doctored portrait of Richard III, a bombastic mural that once hung in the Palace of Whitehall and the paintings on the Grand Staircase in Buckingham Palace tell us about how the Monarchy has dealt with a series of dynastic crises. And he joins the Royal Collection at work today and sees how Leonardo da Vinci, Johannes Vermeer and a pair of four foot candelabra are brought into the service of both Queen and country.
The Bradford West by -election produced a huge and unexpected upset for the Labour party. But what does it signify? David Cowling head of political research at the BBC puts the result into perspective.
It was also a difficult week for the Conservative government,with the scandal over large party donations and accusations of mishandling a potential fuel crisis.
Matthew D'Ancona from the Daily Telegraph discusses the current standing of the parties with Nick Pearce of the IPPR.
The Liberal Democrats have begun to distinguish themselves more openly and aggressively from the Conservatives.
Evan Harris vice chair of the Liberal Democrat Federal Policy Committee and a former MP joins Stephen Gilbert Liberal Democrat MP for Newquay to evaluate this new approach.
And should we take seriously the decline in the number of working class MPs in parliament?
David Skelton of Policy Exchange and Labour MP Fiona O'Donnell give their views on how to adjust the balance of representation in the House of Commons.
What does a chaotic pet market have to tell us about Libya's transition from dictatorship to democracy? Kevin Connolly's been finding out.
Refineries. Miles and miles of pipeline. Hundreds of workers from overseas. Antonia Quirke's learned they are all coming to a remote corner of Mozambique now there's been a huge gas find there.
Drug-related violence is a major issue in the Mexican presidential election campaign, which has just got underway. Will Grant's in the capital city where even news of the most gruesome happenings now seems to cause little surprise or horror.
Jonathan Fryer's been meeting a family hugely respected in Togo. Over the generations they've become known for frequently producing twins - regarded as particularly special in this part of west Africa.
And how on earth did a man from the high Himalayas come to be serving Jewish culinary specialities in a store in Manhattan? The answer to that one comes from Reggie Nadelson.
The Big Switch but how 'big' will it really be? Two energy companies say they won't take part in the energy price campaign spearheaded by Which?, the others are still sitting on the fence. Royal Mail says that 2nd class stamps are the cheapest in Europe. As the price of postage is set to increase we investigate. More confusion over whether you can drive with a small amount of alcohol or drugs in your system and still be covered by some insurance policies. On the eve of huge changes to tax credit, warnings that many people could lose out as a result of misleading letters from HMRC and a landmark ruling from the Financial Services Ombudsmen on the withdrawal of life-long pet insurance by one company. Paul Lewis presents.
Steve Punt and Hugh Dennis dissect the week's news with comical precision assisted by Jon Holmes, Mitch Benn, Laura Shavin and John Finnemore.
Jonathan Dimbleby chairs a live discussion of news and politics from Prince Henry's Grammar School, Otley, West Yorkshire, with entrepreneur Doug Richard; cross-bench peer and Professor of Politics and Women's Studies at the University of York, Haleh Afshar; Leader of the House of Commons, Sir George Young MP; and Shadow Leader of the Commons, Angela Eagle MP
Call Jonathan Dimbleby on 03700 100 444, email any.answers@bbc.co.uk or tweet #bbcaq. Topics discussed on Any Questions include: George Galloway's shock by-election win; the Government's handling of this week's panic buying of petrol and the future of selection in schools, as a grammar school in England expands for the first time in 50 years.
Writer Adrian Mitchell's drama about the extraordinary Jubilee Singers of Fisk University, Tennessee, who in the years immediately after slavery brought their great 'Sorrow Songs' from the plantations to Europe.
The late Adrian Mitchell, who died suddenly in 2008, was a much loved and revered poet, playwright and human rights campaigner. He was inspired to write this musical play by the true story of the Welsh journalist who toured with the black American Jubilee singers in their first European tour in the late nineteenth century.
The singers enchanted Queen Victoria and Gladstone, and Swing Low Sweet Chariot was heard in England for the first time when they sang it to packed concert halls throughout the country. Mitchell's play was conceived for the theatre but it has not yet had a stage production; this is its premiere; adapted for radio under the guidance of Adrian's widow Celia Mitchell.
The play stars London black gospel choir Nitrovox, with Musical directors Felix Cross and Allyson Devenish and a stellar black cast; Adjoa Andoh, Felix Dexter, Nadine Marshall, Tanya Moodie, Alibe Parsons, Clive Rowe and Ray Shell are joined by Jonathan Pryce who plays the Welsh journalist captivated by a completely new kind of song. He hears each singer's own story and begins to be entranced by one of them in particular, though their love appears to have no future, developing as it does under the shadow of war in Europe, and the inevitable barriers which nineteenth century culture placed between men and women of different race.
Professor Robert Winston brings a scientist's ear to his passion for music, exploring the medical histories of great composers and how illness affected the music they wrote.
Tuberculosis remains one of the world's most devastating diseases but in the 19th century, TB or consumption as it was known, gained a curious reputation for stimulating creativity in great artists. Professor Robert Winston looks at the story of Chopin, whose struggle with chronic lung disease has become the archetypal version of that myth, and looks for evidence to reveal the true connection between Chopin's health and his music.
Karren Brady on being a "Strong Woman". What you really think about marriage and civil partnerships. Who'll be the first Champion Lady Jockey? Find out what Barack Obama, JK Rowling and Einstein have in common. And what did a leading food writer make of the contents of Jane Garvey's fridge!
Producer Sarah Johnson.
Carolyn Quinn presents a fresh perspective on the day's top news stories, with sports headlines.
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. The programme is broadcast first on BBC Radio 4 and later on BBC World Service Radio, BBC World News TV and BBC News Channel TV.
It's tough at the top, but when is it right to be tough at the top? Evan's executive panel debate the pros and cons of ruthlessness as a management style. They also talk about investing and selling in deprived areas - places capitalism often overlooks.
Joining Evan are Jasmine Montgomery, founder of Seven Brands; Michele Giddens, co-founder of Bridges Ventures; Dido Harding, chief executive of Talk Talk Group.
Julian Clary, Robert Powell and Max Hastings. Nikki Bedi chats to Amelia Bullmore. With music from Shearwater and Stush
Clive Anderson is joined by 'renowned homosexual' Julian Clary to discuss his new novel Briefs Encountered. Former Jesus of Nazareth actor, Robert Powell talks about making the transition from playing Son of God to Doctor in The House. Thirty years on from the Falklands War journalist Max Hastings explores its impact and legacy and writer and actor Amelia Bullmore gets Clive acquainted with Olympic mockumentary Twenty Twelve.
As the threat of strike action by fuel tanker drivers looms over the Easter break, Mukul Devichand profiles Len McCluskey, the left winger who became general secretary of Unite in 2010. As the UK's biggest union and the Labour party's biggest donor, Unite is often in the headlines - many generated by its leader. Len McCluskey courted controversy by raising the prospect of strikes during the Olympics and was roundly criticised by both the Coalition and the Labour party. He has been an outspoken critic of Ed Miliband's leadership despite having played a key role in getting him elected. This week's Profile asks what Len McCluskey stands for and charts his journey from white-collar worker on the Liverpool docks to the most powerful trade union leader in the country.
Tom Sutcliffe and his guests Gillian Slovo, Kathryn Hughes and David Benedict review the week's cultural highlights including The Chemistry of Tears.
In Peter Carey's extraordinary latest novel, The Chemistry of Tears, Catherine Gehrig, conservator at a museum, learns of the sudden death of her colleague and lover of thirteen years. As the mistress of a married man, she must struggle to keep the depth of her anguish to herself. Catherine is given a special project in a quiet annexe where she reluctantly unpacks an eerie automaton that she has been charged with bringing back to life.
The Duchess of Malfi, John Webster's great Jacobean tragedy and poetic masterpiece tells the dark and bloody story of the recently widowed Duchess as she struggles to retain strength and dignity in the face of death. Starring Eve Best.
In the film Tiny Furniture, the director cast her own mother and sister and shot it in the family apartment. It tells the story of Aura who returns home from her American Midwest liberal arts college to her artist family's New York trendy loft. She takes a job as a hostess at a restaurant and falls into relationships with two self-centred men while struggling to define herself.
The V&A's major new exhibition showcases the best of British design from the 1948 "Austerity Olympics" to the summer of 2012. Works range from the Morris Mini Minor, created in 1959, to the newly commissioned model of Zada Hadid's London Aquatics Centre for the 2012 Olympics.
Smash is an American musical drama tv series produced by Steven Spielberg. The show revolves around the creation of a new Broadway musical based on the life of Marilyn Monroe. As the production takes shape, everyone involved in it must balance his or her often chaotic personal life with the all consuming demands of a life in the theatre.
Maria Margaronis asks if the spectre of Greece's unstable past is haunting its current nightmares. Culturally at Europe's heart, geographically at its edge, Greece has always been pulled and pushed by the contradictory needs of the big powers.
Maria looks back through the turbulent 20th Century that saw Greece suffer multiple national schisms. Beginning with the 1922 crisis of defeat against Turkey and the subsequent mass refugee influx that swelled Greece's population by around a fifth. War brought Nazi occupation that would last from 1941 to 1944 and led to compromise, collaboration and resistance that brought terrible reprisals, the virtual extermination of Greece's ancient Jewish communities & destruction for many villages. Those years would lead directly to the enduring trauma of Civil War. The central event for Margaronis that divided and still divides Greek society and memory. It saw Greek's fighting their former British allies in the streets of Athens in December 1944 and led to atrocities on both Left and Right and finally wholesale repression and exile of the Left after their defeat. Silence and then dictatorship and Junta from 1967 to 1974 would continue to divide society. The return of democracy and the rise of the PASOC party led to a different sort of memory, the unquestioning heroization of the wartime resistance and the celebration of Left wing memory that obscured painful questions of what Greeks had done to Greeks. Entry into Europe was potentially both a celebration of progress and a safe haven for Greek identity.
The recent financial crisis has made Greeks once again deeply divided about both Europe and their own history. The divisions remain and consciously or unconsciously, history is informing that debate.
It's now 1956 and Anna is married and settled in London when she gets a worrying telegram about her mother who has been living back in Berlin for 7 years.
Anna ... Anna Madeley
Mama ... Adjoa Andoh
Max ... Adam Billington
Konrad ... Simon Treves
Richard ... Carl Prekopp
Hildy ... Sara Kestelman
Nurse ... Emerald O'Hanrahan
Ken ... James Lailey
Curator ... Peter Hamilton Dyer
Gunther ... Harry Livingstone
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4, followed by weather.
We all make mistakes - said and done things we regret and pray we'll be allowed to gracefully forget. Increasingly it seems this isn't an option in a digital age when virtually everyone has smart phones and few qualms about sharing images with the world online. The latest celebrity to say she's fallen victim is X Factor judge Tulisa Contostavlos who's accused her ex-boyfriend of leaking a sex tape recorded on a mobile phone 6 years ago when she was 17 and before she became famous. For £
you could download the six minute clip of them sharing an intimate moment. She, of course, has posted her own video in reply - showing photos of herself and then boyfriend Justin Edwards, telling her fans and anyone else who cared to take a peak, how heartbroken and violated she felt. Justin, whose stage name is MC Ultra, denies he leaked the tape and claims filming it was Tulisa's idea. She's now obtained a High Court injunction to try and stop the tape being distributed and is reported to be considering suing for £100,000 damages. This modern day morality tale tells us a lot about celebrity culture and our prurient desires, but is it also an indication of how social networks and digital technology are changing our relationships - cheapening and brutalizing them? You don't have to search very hard to know that there are countless other and many more disturbing examples of this kind of thing online. Is it just a combination of the immediacy of technology and the lack of judgment of youth, or are there another elements at work here? A desire to hurt and humiliate, a lack of compassion and empathy. Empathy is not a quality much on display among internet trolls - for example 25 year old Sean Duffy who was jailed last year after posting videos and messages mocking the deaths of teenagers and taunting their families. An extreme case, but again, not an isolated one. Is this the price we pay for freedom of speech? Are those women bloggers who've given up in the face of repeated violent and misogynistic online abuse just being thin skinned? Or have they seen more clearly that there's something dark in the heart of social networks?
Dr Aric Sigman - Child Psychologist; Dr Bernie Hogan - Research Fellow at the Oxford Internet Institute; Caroline Farrow - Catholic blogger; Padraig Reidy - News Editor, Index On Censorship.
Combative, provocative and engaging debate chaired by Michael Buerk with Melanie Phillips, Claire Fox, Kenan Malik and Michael Portillo.
Coming this week from the University of Warwick, "The 3rd Degree" is a funny, lively and dynamic quiz show aimed at cultivating the next generation of Radio 4 listeners whilst delighting the current ones. It's recorded on location at a different University each week, and it pits three Undergraduates against three of their Professors in a genuinely original and fresh take on an academic quiz. Being a Radio 4 programme, it of course meets the most stringent standards of academic rigour - but with lots of facts and jokes thrown in for good measure.
Together with host Steve Punt, the show tours the (sometimes posh, sometimes murky, but always welcoming!) Union buildings, cafés and lecture halls of six universities across the UK.
The rounds vary between Specialist Subjects and General Knowledge, quickfire bell-and-buzzer rounds and the 'Highbrow & Lowbrow' round cunningly devised to test not only the students' knowledge of current affairs, history, languages and science, but also their Professors' awareness of television, film, and Lady Gaga... In addition, the Head-to-Head rounds, in which students take on their Professors in their own subjects, were particularly lively, and offered plenty of scope for mild embarrassment on both sides...
The resulting show is funny, fresh, and not a little bit surprising, with a truly varied range of scores, friendly rivalry, and moments where students wished they had more than just glanced at that reading list...
Vivienne Parry takes her diagnoses of literary heroines into the 20th century and the age of Freud, the Great War and the explosion of the 'sciences of the mind' focusing on three great works of fiction, mixing contemporary psychiatric and literary insight.
How did modern literary and psychiatric ideas meet and how did each shape the other? Do these heroines show literature of the period to be a critical - and even emancipating - force...or is fiction really medicine's stooge? Novels on the couch include Scott Fitzgerald's Tender is the Night and Virginia Woolf's Mrs Dalloway....interestingly with both novels there's a tendency to base the heroines on real people - Nicole Diver is based on the case history of Fitzgerald's own wife Zelda, whereas Woolf's Mrs.Dalloway comes very close in literary terms to what Freud calls 'self-analysis' - one difference is that Woolf sometimes believed 'madness' was necessary to be creative, while Scott Fitzgerald depicted it as disastrous drain on creativity (ie. his). And both novels have the dynamic and lucrative new industry of psychotherapy in their sights. Vivienne compares fiction in the age of Freud to literary ideas of mental health in the Victorian age and in Dickens specifically, using Great Expectations' Miss Havisham as a case study.
Contributors include psychotherapist and essayist Adam Philips, leading psychiatrist Simon Wessely ,cultural historian Lisa Appignanesi and Chris Thompson, psychiatrist and medical director of The Priory
SUNDAY 01 APRIL 2012
SUN 00:00 Midnight News (b01f06qt)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.
SUN 00:30 Arthur Miller Short Stories (b01fnmw7)
Fame
Martin Jarvis directs acclaimed actor Alfred Molina in Miller's witty story on the nature of celebrity. Meyer Berkowitz has two hit plays running on Broadway.
Suddenly he's a star. And rich. People approach him in the street. Cabbies yell and wave at him. His photo is on the front cover of magazines. Barmen ply him with drinks on the house. But fame can be tiresome. Especially when you are accosted by an old high school friend.
Though anonymity can be oddly unwelcome too.
Playwright Miller's forensic examination of the dual aspects of stardom makes compelling points about human nature and the ego.
Reader: Alfred Molina
Director: Martin Jarvis
A Jarvis & Ayres Production for BBC Radio 4.
SUN 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b01f06qx)
The latest shipping forecast.
SUN 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b01f06r1)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
SUN 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b01f06r3)
The latest shipping forecast.
SUN 05:30 News Briefing (b01f06r5)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.
SUN 05:43 Bells on Sunday (b01f58tn)
The bells of St Helen's Church, Lundy Island.
SUN 05:45 Lent Talks (b01dtxgv)
Prof Tariq Ramadan
Tariq Ramadan, Professor of Contemporary Islamic Studies in the Faculty of Oriental Studies at Oxford, sets out the philosophy of the individual and its absence in some areas of Islam.
In the wake of political and social reactions to the financial crisis, austerity measures and the riots of 2011, debate continues to determine the role of the individual and society. The 2012 Lent Talks consider the relationship between the individual and the collective. Is each person one alone or one of many? Is it the human condition to be self-contained or to belong to the family, the tribe, the congregation, the nation? We live in groups but our most intense experiences are incommunicable. Jesus shared a communal last supper but he died an outcast, abandoned and rejected by his people, his disciples and (apparently) his Father.
This year's series of Lent Talks concludes with Dr Gemma Simmonds CJ, who will explore the agony of the individual in society.
The Christian season of Lent is traditionally a time for self-examination and reflection on universal human conditions such as temptation, betrayal, abandonment, greed, forgiveness and love.
SUN 06:00 News Headlines (b01f06r7)
The latest national and international news.
SUN 06:05 Something Understood (b01f58xv)
The Window of Vulnerability
For April Fool's Day, the comedian and broadcaster Hardeep Singh Kohli reflects upon the possible vulnerabilities to which we're exposed when falling in love.
He draws upon poems by Carol Ann Duffy, Edward Dorn (The Window of Vulnerability) and Carolyn Kizer, writings by Milan Kundera and Neil Gaiman and music by Laura Marling, Elbow and Billie Holliday.
Produced by Alan Hall
A Falling Tree production for BBC Radio 4.
SUN 06:35 On Your Farm (b01f58yf)
Caz Graham visits the Environment Agency's coarse fish farm at Calverton in Nottinghamshire which produces millions of fish to restock rivers. The farm's manager, Alan Henshaw, shows Caz the breeding process. It begins with eggs being harvested from wild fish and, as she finds out, goose feathers are an essential tool in making sure those eggs are fertilised. The Environment Agency's farm has released fish into almost every river system in England and Wales. Caz witnesses the River Derwent, near Derby, being restocked with Grayling and Barbel.
Presenter: Caz Graham
Producer: Sarah Swadling.
SUN 06:57 Weather (b01f06r9)
The latest weather forecast.
SUN 07:00 News and Papers (b01f06rc)
The latest news headlines. Including a look at the papers.
SUN 07:10 Sunday (b01f58zj)
Political analysts were left stunned by George Galloway's by-election victory in Bradford. Edward asks Zulfi Qar Karim, General Secretary of Bradford Council of Mosques if religion played any role.
Dorian Jones reports from Istanbul ahead of next week's Friends of Syria Conference and finds that Turkey's Alevi community - linked to Bashar al-Assad's Alawites - are fearful of what may happen if he is overthrown.
US Race Row - Edward talks to Mark Pinsky in Florida about why white clergy have been seemingly reluctant to get involved in the case of Trayvon Martin.
On Palm Sunday , as live donkeys are used around the country to re-enact Jesus' entry into Jerusalem, Charles Carroll reports on a disturbing new trend.
What if the Easter story had happened in Preston? Edward previews the Preston Passion with writer Colin Heber-Percy.
Trevor Barnes meets some of the contenders for the British Olympic rowing team and hears how faith is a large part of their motivation.
This week marks the 30th anniversary of the Falklands conflict. Edward talks to Reverend Angus Smith who served there as chaplain with the Scots Guards.
A survey by Newsround has found that more children regard religion as important today than they did 40 years ago. We discuss why the attitudes of children to religion are changing and hear from Rowan Williams on why he thinks that RE could be taught better in our schools.
SUN 07:55 Radio 4 Appeal (b01f5913)
Scope
Richard Herring presents the Radio 4 Appeal on behalf of the charity Scope.
Reg Charity: 208231
To Give:
- Freephone 0800 404 8144
- Freepost BBC Radio 4 Appeal, mark the back of the envelope Scope.
Give Online www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/appeal.
SUN 07:57 Weather (b01f06rf)
The latest weather forecast.
SUN 08:00 News and Papers (b01f06rh)
The latest news headlines. Including a look at the papers.
SUN 08:10 Sunday Worship (b01f5922)
In the last of Radio 4's Lent series, The Rev Paul Wilson marks Palm Sunday with a service live from Knutsford Methodist Church reflecting on Jesus' majestic entry into the city of Jerusalem which prefigures the sorrow and anguish of Holy Week. Leader: Jenny Mossman. Music director: The Rev Steven Benson. Producer: Simon Vivian. Download web resources 'The Way to Freedom', specially written for the series, from the Churches Together in Britain and Ireland website.
SUN 08:50 A Point of View (b01dvzph)
Fat Policemen
David Cannadine reflects on the changing images of the typical policeman and our attitude towards the way they look in the light of a recent report that over half of the members of the Metropolitan Police are overweight.
Producer: Sheila Cook.
SUN 09:00 Broadcasting House (b01f5948)
News and conversation about the big stories of the week with Paddy O'Connell.
SUN 10:00 The Archers Omnibus (b01f595c)
See daily episodes for detailed synopsis
Writer ..... Adrian Flynn
Director ..... Rosemary Watts
Editor ..... Vanessa Whitburn
Jill Archer ..... Patricia Greene
Kenton Archer ..... Richard Attlee
David Archer ..... Timothy Bentinck
Ruth Archer ..... Felicity Finch
Josh Archer ..... Cian Cheesbrough
Tony Archer ..... Colin Skipp
Pat Archer ..... Patricia Gallimore
Helen Archer ..... Louiza Patikas
Tom Archer ..... Tom Graham
Brian Aldridge ..... Charles Collingwood
Jennifer Aldridge ..... Angela Piper
Lilian Bellamy ..... Sunny Ormonde
Peggy Woolley ..... June Spencer
Jamie Perks ..... Dan Ciotkowski
Eddie Grundy ..... Trevor Harrison
Clarrie Grundy ..... Rosalind Adams
Alice Carter ..... Hollie Chapman
Robert Snell ..... Graham Blockey
Lynda Snell ..... Carole Boyd
Amy Franks ..... Jennifer Daley
Annabelle Shrivener ..... Julia Hills
Gerry Moreton ..... Mark Perry
Rich Phillips ..... Luke Hudson
Eamon Phillips ..... Stephen Hogan
Martyn Gibson ..... Jon Glover
Darrell Makepeace ..... Dan Hagley.
SUN 11:15 The Reunion (b01f596z)
In the first of a new series of The Reunion, Sue MacGregor brings together five athletes who competed in the Olympic Games of 1948 in London.
Dorothy Tyler won a silver medal for the High Jump, Dorothy Manley won silver for the women's 100 metres, Tommy Godwin won two bronze medals for cycling, John Parlett ran in the men's 800 metre race and Sir Roger Bannister was Assistant to the Chef de Mission for the Games.
In many ways London was not an obvious choice of venue for the 1948 Games. The war had left Britain virtually bankrupt. London was bomb damaged and rationing was still in place. But despite the drawbacks, Prime Minister Attlee saw the Games as something which could boost spirits of the nation.
The whole event was organised in less than two years and relied heavily on sponsorship and donations. No new facilities were to be built. The Games (dubbed 'The Austerity Olympics') would be a 'make do and mend' venture. The Empire Stadium at Wembley formed the main site for events.
Competitors had little time to train but they were offered extra food rations once they'd been selected. They were accommodated in RAF camps and were required to make their own kit. Fewer than 10% of the competitors in 1948 were female and this was also the year that the 'sex test' was introduced to stop any risk of men masquerading as women.
The opening ceremony took place on a baking hot July day. Four thousand athletes from fifty nine nations marched into Wembley arena to be addressed by King George VI. Some of the stars of that year included the Dutch athlete Fanny Blankers-Koen, known as 'the flying housewife' and the eccentric Czech runner, Emil Zatopek. America topped the tables with 38 Gold medals and when the Games were over they discovered they'd even made a profit.
Producer: Sarah Cuddon
Series Producer: David Prest
A Whistledown Production for BBC Radio 4.
SUN 12:00 Just a Minute (b01dtlvx)
Series 62
India
Nicholas Parsons sets more challenges from Mumbai with Paul Merton, Marcus Brigstocke, Anuvab Pal and Cyrus Broacha. From 2012.
SUN 12:32 The Food Programme (b01f597w)
Biscuits: A Serious Business
Simon Parkes takes a look behind the scenes of Britain's favourite snack, the biscuit and as he discovers major change is underway to some of our most famous food brands.
Our most popular biscuits, including the digestive and the Bourbon became firm fixtures of British life in the 19th century. The snacks were produced in their millions in places like Reading and York and exported all over the world. Today, we spend more than 2.5 billion pounds eating our way through an ever increasing range of biscuits.
It's a world that's now having to adapt to a number of powerful trends. Firstly, as we're being encouraged to eat more healthy foods, millions of pounds are being invested by manufacturers with the aim of "reformulating" some of the most valuable recipes in the food industry. Secondly, with the rise of global food brands, more and more of these iconic snacks are being bought up by a small number of companies.
What does all this mean for a British food institution? Simon Parkes takes a close look at the pleasures and the profits behind the biscuit.
Producer: Dan Saladino.
SUN 12:57 Weather (b01f06rk)
The latest weather forecast.
SUN 13:00 The World This Weekend (b01f599m)
Shaun Ley presents the latest national and international news, including an in-depth look at events around the world. Email: wato@bbc.co.uk; twitter: #theworldthisweekend.
SUN 13:30 I'm Rather Worried about Jim (b019f8br)
In 1948 BBC Radio's Light Programme broadcast the first episode of Mrs Dale's Diary - a radio drama serial centred around the daily diary of a doctor's wife called Mary, her husband Jim, (who provided the show with its unlikely catchphrase, "I'm rather worried about Jim") and their children, Bob and Gwen. For the following twenty one years, and over 5531 episodes - more than 6 million listeners tuned in every day between 11 and
11.15 to hear the everyday affairs of this much loved family.
Penelope Keith - was herself a huge fan. She talks to original cast members and directors of the show - to discover what made it such a phenomenon and why its legacy lives on today. She reveals the magic ingredients that made it so popular, how the story lines reflected what was really going on in society, and what happened when the original Mrs Dale played by Ellis Powell - was suddenly replaced by the international actress and film star, Jessie Matthews.
"I'm Rather Worried about Jim" is a fascinating and amusing look at a once much cherished English institution.
Presenter: Penelope Keith
Producer: Angela Hind
A Pier Production for BBC Radio 4.
SUN 14:00 Gardeners' Question Time (b01dvzg9)
Crookham, Northumberland
Eric Robson and the team are joined by guest panellist Alison Pringle as guests of Crookham Gardeners' Club.
Our Practical March series concludes with expert advice on 'Weed & Pest control'.
Questions addressed in the programme:
My two year-old Magnolia isn't thriving. Could it be in the wrong place?
Which tropical plants will grow in Northumberland?
Suggestions included:
Eucalyptus globulus, Canna, Jacaranda, Phormium, Fatsia japonica, Tetreapanax & hardy Impatiens
Is my lawn feed or weedkiller destroying my 25 yr old daffodil bulbs?
How can I ward off the moles in my garden?
Can the panel suggest plants for a Peace Garden?
Suggestions included: Peace Lily, Pulsatilla vulgaris, Friendship plant or Billbergia nutans, Handkerchief tree or Davidia involucrate, Hydrangea 'Love me kiss, Hairbells, Scottish bluebells
How can I replant some 25 yr old blackcurrant & gooseberry bushes?
If I plant the top of a pineapple in a pot, how long will it take to fruit?
My Rhododendron flowers in winter. Is this normal?
Produced by Howard Shannon
A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4.
SUN 14:45 The Listening Project (b01g803l)
Omnibus Edition
Fi Glover introduces the omnibus edition of Radio 4's new series, mounted in conjunction with the British Library, that captures the nation in conversation.
Chick is a former miner from Pontefract in Yorkshire. He discusses his life in a conversation with his granddaughter Lindsay, whose eyes are set on a very different career path. Sasha is a mother from Berkshire whose son, Paddy has an inherited heart condition. They talk about life together at home in Marlborough. Alison and Willie are a couple in their mid-sixties from Northern Ireland. They've had a rich life together, but now face the challenges of an uncertain future as old age approaches. And from Tunstall in Stoke on Trent, Paula and Maddie share memories of Paula's comedian father.
The Listening Project is a new initiative for Radio 4 that aims to offer a sort of snapshot of contemporary Britain in which people across the UK volunteer to have a conversation with someone close to them about a subject they've never discussed intimately before. The conversations are being gathered across the UK by teams of producers from local and national radio stations who facilitate each encounter. Every conversation - they're not BBC interviews, and that's an important difference - lasts up to an hour, and is then edited to extract the key moment of connection between the participants. Many of the long conversations are being archived by the British Library which they will use to build up a collection of voices capturing a unique portrait of the UK in the second decade of the millennium. You can upload your own conversations or just learn more about The Listening Project by visiting bbc.co.uk/listeningproject.
SUN 15:00 Classic Serial (b01f5gvh)
Plantagenet: Series 3
Henry V - True Believers
by Mike Walker, inspired by Holinshed's Chronicles. Young prince Hal will inherit an unstable throne, and a kingdom riven with heresy and rebellion. Victory over the rebel Hotspur, and then the French, will bring peace to England and glory to the king - but at what cost to the man?
Hal ...Luke Treadaway
Catherine...Lydia Leonard
Thomas of Earlham...James Lailey
Sir John Oldcastle...Nicky Henson
Henry IV...Paul Moriarty
Badby...Simon Bubb
Bradmore...Carl Prekopp
With Rikki Lawton, Gerard McDermott and Christopher Webster
Directed by Jeremy Mortimer and Sasha Yevtushenko
Luke Treadaway, Al Weaver and Carl Prekopp take the roles of Henry the Fifth, Henry the Sixth and Richard the Third in the conclusion to Mike Walker's dramatic chronicle of the Plantagenets. From the greatest glory of the line in the reign of Henry the fifth, to the brutal infighting of the Wars of the Roses, the series charts the ultimate end of the first great dynasty of English kings.
SUN 16:00 Bookclub (b01f5gvk)
Anne Enright - The Gathering
Anne Enright talks to James Naughtie and readers about her 2007 Man Booker prize-winning novel The Gathering.
The book was the surprise win of that year - beating Ian McEwan's On Chesil Beach. Chair of Judges Howard Davies proclaimed the novel had one of the best closing sentences of any he had ever read.
The Gathering of the title is the wake of Liam Hegarty who has committed suicide by walking into the sea at Brighton. His sister Veronica, one of the remaining nine siblings, narrates. In an exploration of uncertainty and recollection, she imagines the lives and thoughts of her grandparents' generation, and the hazy memories from her own childhood. And as family gather for the funeral, this big, brawling Irish family's history begins to spill out and show its cracks.
Anne will be talking to her readers about the darkness in the novel, but also about how the Gathering provides the consolation of humour even in the grimmest situations - such as the scene where the family guard Liam's open coffin in Dublin.
May's Bookclub choice : God's Own Country by Ross Raisin
Up coming recordings -
ELIZABETH TAYLOR - MRS PALFREY AT THE CLAREMONT
DAVID BADDIEL WILL BE OUR GUIDE TO THIS NOVEL
Monday 28 May
5.40pm
BBC Bush House
Aldwych
London WC2 4PH
To apply for tickets, go to the BBC Radio 4 website and follow the links to Bookclub
Producer : Dymphna Flynn.
SUN 16:30 Adventures in Poetry (b01f5gvm)
Series 12
next to of course god america i
Known as the poet who didn't use capitals or punctuation, ee cummings loved life and the natural world. But he also loved satirising the pretensions of American politicians, and their uses and misuses of patriotism. That's certainly what he does in his acclaimed 1926 sonnet, '"next to of course god america', which crashes together some of the USA's revered foundational texts to great effect. His use of wit puts him in a very different league to the British war poets.
Peggy Reynolds begins the new series of Adventures in Poetry by exploring the impact and wider associations of cummings' poem. She hears about the circumstances in which Cummings wrote it: serving in the Ambulance Corps during the First World War, he was detained by the French for over 3 months, under suspicion of being a German spy. Professor David Herd of the University of Kent, an expert on Twentieth Century American poetry, argues that after undergoing such imprisonment, it's perhaps no surprise that Cummings had cause to parody the consequences of politicians resorting to tub-thumping patriotic rhetoric at times of crisis. We hear how the poem still speaks to people today, among them American journalist Michael Goldfarb, who was an unembedded reporter in Iraq during the 2003 invasion.
Producer: Mark Smalley.
SUN 17:00 File on 4 (b01dtvln)
Witness Protection
After details of people under witness protection were leaked to a private investigator, Allan Urry asks if police are doing enough to protect witnesses whose lives are at risk.
SUN 17:40 Profile (b01f1lr9)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Saturday]
SUN 17:54 Shipping Forecast (b01f06rm)
The latest shipping forecast.
SUN 17:57 Weather (b01f06rp)
The latest weather forecast.
SUN 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b01f06rr)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
SUN 18:15 Pick of the Week (b01f5btk)
Liz Barclay makes her selection from the past seven days of BBC Radio
We're howling at the moon in Pick of the week this week, visiting drug baron country and defusing bombs in Downing Street. And if that all sounds a bit too dangerous relax with the composer once described as 'nearest to God', find out all you ever wanted to know about sundials and learn how to handle a water vole... all that and more in Pick of the Week - with Liz Barclay tomorrow/today/this evening at a quarter past 6.
The Listening Project - Radio 4
Life: An Idiots Guide - Radio 4
North and South: Across The Great Divide - Radio 4
Radio Scotland
A Life With - Radio 4
Chris Evan's Breakfast Show - Radio 2
Sunday - Radio 4
What The Scandinavian's Know About Children's Literature - Radio 4
Afternoon Drama: Pandemic - Radio 4
Book Of the Week: Escape From Camp 14 - Radio 4
It's My Story: the Long Walk - Radio 4
The Asian Youth Movements - Radio 4
North of the Border - Radio 4
The Schubert Essay: Matthew Sweet -Radio 3
Sunday Feature: Claiming Schubert - Radio 3
Email: potw@bbc.co.uk or www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/potw
Producer: Jessica Treen.
SUN 19:00 The Archers (b01f5bvg)
It's Palm Sunday and St. Stephen's is busy. Benjamin the donkey proves to be fantastic with the kids, but may have gone astray when he saw Pat Fletcher's hat.
Tom's not taking any chances when it comes to Tony getting back into farm work, and Jazzer agrees to do a few more hours. They break up a bale of straw and Jazzer confesses his April Fool prank on Harry - itching powder in his cycle shorts!
Meanwhile, Jill tells Shula about Neil having something intriguing to discuss on Tuesday at the parish council meeting.
Alice invites Amy to Chris's 'forge christening' on Thursday evening where he'll make his first piece of iron-work as his own boss. Alice quizzes Amy on her new man, Carl, and Amy reveals she's taking things slowly. Amy then opens up about a family secret. Her mother went to prison when she was younger after stabbing a girl. Amy has learnt the truth about the circumstances, and that she shouldn't have doubted her mother. Amy now feels ready to put the bad things behind her, slowly but surely. Alice also mentions that Jennifer is popping round a lot to get away from stressed Brian. With two weeks before the planning meeting, he's going to be a nightmare!
SUN 19:15 In and Out of the Kitchen (b017551m)
Series 1
July 15th to 19th
Damien and his partner, Anthony, setting off for the warm embrace of the Italian countryside so that Damien can do some writing for a new book, and their builder Mr Mullaney can have space to properly fit the granite worktops that Damien's been dreaming of "from what seems like the beginning of the Jurassic era".
But there's trouble in paradise when Damien receives a call to tell him their Umbrian villa has collapsed and they will have to go somewhere else. Luckily, Damien's agent, Ian, is quick to the rescue...
More entries from the kitchen diary of cookery writer, Damien Trench - "no matter how grizzly" as he puts it "or, indeed, how gristly".
Written by and starring Miles Jupp.
The programme also features Damien's easy-to-follow recipes for:
- a perfect pasta puttanesca
- comforting Cornish Pasties
and
- something for the more experimental, "pilchards al limone".
Damien Trench ...... Miles Jupp
Anthony ...... Justin Edwards
Mr Mullaney ...... Brendan Dempsey
Ian Frobisher ...... Philip Fox
BA Lady/Helpful Student ...... Alex Tregear
Producer: Sam Michell
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 2011.
SUN 19:45 Jennifer Egan - Emerald City and Other Stories (b01f5c03)
Puerto Vallarta
2011 was a phenomenal year for the young American author, Jennifer Egan. Her novel, 'A Visit From The Goon Squad' became a run-away bestseller and went on to win the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. Now a collection of her short stories has been re-published by Constable and Robinson.
Entitled Emerald City, the stories are a pithy and sometimes poignant look at contemporary life in the United States. Young and middle-aged characters change, grow and regret in a series of tales that traverse the United States and the state of modern marriage, parenting and ambition. Egan is heralded as one of the best writers to emerge in the past decade and this collection underlines her ability to bring a spotlight on the particular and to reflect a nation in challenging times.
Today's story, Puerto Vallarta, is a portrait of a family, where the truth is not as it seems and where a daughter has to make a choice and so find her own freedom.
The Reader is Sasha Pick
The Abridger is Miranda Davies
The Producer is Di Speirs.
SUN 20:00 Feedback (b01dvzgh)
Last week critics of Radio 4's Count Arthur Strong aired their views - and outraged his many fans. They contacted the programme in droves, demanding satisfaction.
So, in this week's programme the Count's supporters meet his detractors for a fight to the comedy death - well nearly. Which side will win? Is the programme Strong or weak? Roger Bolton officiates and there is a special appearance from Count Arthur himself.
Roger meets Today presenter Justin Webb and 5Live's Victoria Derbyshire to discuss the delicate art of interviewing ordinary people with extraordinary stories to tell.
And is In Our Time killing the past tense? By repeatedly discussing past events in the present tense, worried listeners feel that the programme may permanently mangle the language.
Presenter: Roger Bolton
Producers: Karen Pirie and Kate Taylor
A Whistledown Production for BBC Radio 4.
SUN 20:30 Last Word (b01dvzgf)
Lord Newton, Jocky Wilson, Jennifer Longford, Earl Scruggs and Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed
Matthew Bannister on:
The Tory politician Lord Newton - a respected Minister of Health and Secretary of State for social security. Edwina Currie tells us why she confided in him about her affair with John Major.
The darts player Jocky Wilson - a Scottish hero to the poet Ian Macmillan who pays tribute.
Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed, the warlord who became President of Somalia but couldn't stop the country's tribal and religious violence
Jennifer Longford, daughter of Lloyd George's mistress - but was Lloyd George her father?
And banjo player extraordinaire Earl Scruggs - Whispering Bob Harris pays tribute to the bluegrass pioneer..
SUN 21:00 Money Box (b01f1kfx)
[Repeat of broadcast at
12:00 on Saturday]
SUN 21:26 Radio 4 Appeal (b01f5913)
[Repeat of broadcast at
07:55 today]
SUN 21:30 Analysis (b01dtlzn)
What Is Money?
We dream about it, argue about it, worry about it, celebrate it, spend it, save it, we transfer it from one emotion to another. But what exactly is money? And why do we trust it? Frances Stonor Saunders takes a journey through some of the fundamentals of money.
During her journey she dips her toe into the world of quantitative easing. How is that money invented? Is it as real as the pieces of paper in our wallets? And she explores some of the reasons for the calls to return to a gold standard. Essentially, she tries to gain a better understanding of what this stuff which we call money is really about; how and why do we maintain our faith in it, or has it just become too complicated?
SUN 22:00 Westminster Hour (b01f5c5w)
Preview of the week's political agenda at Westminster with MPs, experts and commentators. Discussion of the issues politicians are grappling with in the corridors of power.
SUN 22:45 What the Papers Say (b01f5c7m)
Episode 97
Agnes Poirier of Marianne analyses how the newspapers are covering the French Presidential Election campaign trail.
SUN 23:00 The Film Programme (b01dvw7b)
In an extended interview, Francine Stock meets with Hugh Grant to talk about his new role as the voice of an incompetent buccaneer in the Aardman Animations 3-D stop-motion film, The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists. He also discusses his role in The Leveson Inquiry, and why he thinks the films of Jean Luc-Godard are pretentious nonsense.
Also on the programme, a profile of Jafar Panahi, one of Iran's most famous directors, whose latest work, This Is Not A Film, is an attempt to make a film under house arrest. We also investigate the routes around the censors taken by earlier filmmakers in other countries.
SUN 23:30 Something Understood (b01f58xv)
[Repeat of broadcast at
06:05 today]
MONDAY 02 APRIL 2012
MON 00:00 Midnight News (b01f06sl)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.
MON 00:15 Thinking Allowed (b01dtwm3)
Culinary Culture and Globalisation - Dignity
Britain congratulates itself on the success of its restaurants and its stable of 21 multiple Michelin-starred eateries, but how many people know that Germany has nearly double that figure? What are the Germans cooking up that leaves the Brits behind? Economic sociologist Christel Lane discusses her recent research with Laurie Taylor, arguing that, while French culture still dominates in restaurants awarded multiple stars by the 'little red book', it is a regional emphasis which sets Germany apart. Food critic and editor of Waitrose Kitchen William Sitwell joins the discussion of the extent of globalising factors in the high end restaurant industry. Does the ubiquity of lemongrass or the rise of the Othello Cake show that French influence is starting to wane?
Also in the programme: why do we show dignity towards the dead when they are not around to appreciate it? Dignity is a quality which pervades many aspects of modern life. Philosopher Michael Rosen explains the practical applications of dignity, how it forms the basis of notions like human rights and the tangles and confusions that arise from diverging notions of what dignity means.
Producer: Charlie Taylor.
MON 00:45 Bells on Sunday (b01f58tn)
[Repeat of broadcast at
05:43 on Sunday]
MON 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b01f06sn)
The latest shipping forecast.
MON 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b01f06sq)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
MON 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b01f06ss)
The latest shipping forecast.
MON 05:30 News Briefing (b01f06sv)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.
MON 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b01f5hn8)
A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day with The Most Reverend George Stack, Archbishop of Cardiff.
MON 05:45 Farming Today (b01f5hnb)
The latest news about food, farming and the countryside. Presented by Caz Graham. Produced by Emma Weatherill.
MON 05:57 Weather (b01f06sx)
The latest weather forecast for farmers.
MON 06:00 Today (b01f5hnd)
Morning news and current affairs, presented by Evan Davis and Justin Webb, including:
07:20 Concern over adoption delay.
07:30 John Simpson on Falklands tensions, 30 years after the war.
08:10 Should the government be able to monitor the calls, emails, texts and website visits of everyone in the UK?
08:40 How significant are the Burma by-elections?
MON 09:00 Start the Week (b01f5htv)
The 'death of socialism'?
On Start the Week Andrew Marr looks back at the political and cultural landscape of the last 20 years with the author Alwyn Turner. In 1992 Margaret Thatcher proclaimed 'the death of socialism' after the Conservative election victory, and Turner argues this moment led to a generation turning away from politics, putting their energy into culture. But Janet Daley believes that it wasn't John Major's victory but the fall of communism that demoralised and destabilised the left, and the lessons of 1989 are still to be learnt. In its defence, the Labour MP Tristram Hunt points to the long history of socialism and believes its death has been much exaggerated. And the political cartoonist Martin Rowson lampoons both left and right. In his latest book he updates Swift's Gulliver's Travels to the late 1990s, targeting the government of Tony Blair, media moguls and Europe.
Producer: Katy Hickman.
MON 09:45 Book of the Week (b01f5hng)
The Great Animal Orchestra
Episode 1
Read by Nigel Lindsay.
A fascinating and unique exploration of nature's music, from plants and animals to wind and rain
Bernie Krause is the world's leading expert in natural sound. He has spent the last 40 years recording ecological soundscapes and has archived the sounds of over 15,000 species - half of the wild soundscapes he has on tape don't exist anymore because of human actions.
In The Great Animal Orchestra he invites us to listen through his ears to all three as he showcases singing trees, contrasting coasts, and the roar of the modern world. Just as streetlights engulf the stars, Krause argues that human noise is drowning out the sounds of nature, but that our focus on the visual today is blinding us to this.The Great Animal Orchestra shows why it is critical to preserve what remaining soundscapes we have, and will make you hear the world entirely differently.
Written by Bernie Krause
Adapted by Polly Coles
Producer: Clive Brill
A Pacificus production for BBC Radio 4.
MON 10:00 Woman's Hour (b01f5hnj)
Louise Bourgeois, Neighbours, Ad Women
Award-winning blues singer Rita Chiarelli performs and talks about her collaborative work with inmates of a US state penitentiary. Mad Men is back on our screens but what was life like for women working in Britain's advertising world? We look back 40 years to an earlier ad age. Artist Louise Bourgeois created a gigantic sculpture of a spider for Tate Modern in 1999. Two years after her death we visit a new exhibition of her work in London. People next door: how have neighbours and our relationships with them changed across the ages? We are joined by historian Emily Cockayne.
Presenter: Jane Garvey
Producer: Catherine Carr.
MON 10:45 15 Minute Drama (b01f5hnl)
Grazia Deledda - Reeds in the Wind
Episode 6
Grazia Deledda's powerful story of love, poverty, honour and retribution set in the rugged landscape of 1900's Sardinia. Dramatised by Linda Marshall Griffiths from a translation by Martha King.
Efix urges Giacinto to put things right following the discovery that he has forged signatures to get credit from Kallina the usurer to pay his gambling debts. Will Giacinto manage to pay everything back in time?
EFIX.....John Lynch
NOEMI.....Charlotte Emmerson
ESTER.....Deborah McAndrew
RUTH/KALLINA.....Kathryn Hunt
GRIXENDA.....Holliday Grainger
GIACINTO.....Matthew McNulty
PREDU.....Conrad Nelson
Directed by Nadia Molinari.
MON 11:00 La France Maintenant (b01f5hnn)
Episode 1
Our picture of France, according to Professor of French and Paris resident Andrew Hussey, is all too often clouded by romantic and outdated cliches that fail to do justice to the true nature of the country. So just as the French might imagine Brits living in a comfortable 1950s idyll of afternoon tea and rolled up umbrellas, so we fall back on visions of berets, baguettes and pastis. In this two part series, he travels the length of the country, from Marseilles in the south to Lille in the north, stopping off in Lyon and Paris along the way. He explores the rich multi-cultural life that has developed over the last fifty years with its tensions as well as its rewards, and walks the streets and visits the bars where the ordinary French people live out their daily lives. As he moves around, he discovers that many of the more recent myths about France - that it is a cultural museum, for example, where nothing new of any note is taking place - are just as false as the old, with the the country's many regions coming alive with a sense of their own identity and a dynamic, creative energy that a previous all-encompassing focus on Paris had prevented. If there is, as de Gaulle suggested, a certain idea of France, Hussey's goal is to discover how that idea has developed and what it looks like right now, in La France Maintenant.
MON 11:30 Just a Minute's Indian Adventure (b01f5hnq)
Just a Minute grew to prominence in India, when it became available to Indian audiences via the BBC World Service. This exposure gave birth to a number of 'Indianised' versions of the game, which continue to be played amongst smart, young, Indian college graduates today. Dubbed 'JAM', they are a testament to the show's transnational appeal.
As part of the Radio 4 Just a Minute anniversary celebration, Nicholas Parsons visits Bangalore and Mumbai to take a look at these JAM sessions; modern Indianised and radically different take up of the Just a Minute British audiences know and love. The documentary follows a group of lively young Indian college students as they prepare for a competitive JAM tournament against their peers at the Indian Institute of Management in Bangalore.
To see photos and video clips of these shows please go to: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006s5dp
The Producer is Tilusha Ghelani.
MON 12:00 You and Yours (b01f5hns)
Radio 4 consumer affairs programme
A health charity is calling on Trading Standards to clamp down on bogus cancer cures which claim that various exotic food products can halt or cure the disease.
Too few young people are choosing a career in butchery and it is posing a bigger threat to the high street butcher's shop than supermarket expansion, says the industry's trade magazine.
A Manchester based firm has developed a £300 'box' which can shave up to 12% off your electricity bill we'll be looking at one in the studio and finding out how it works.
The bids are in on You Tube from over 300 communities hoping to be chosen to receive £100,000 and advice from Mary Portas to help them regenerate.
Town planners are calling for a comprehensive Map of England incorporating at least 100 sets of data to help planners and developers make better decisions.
MON 12:57 Weather (b01d1nkj)
The latest weather forecast.
MON 13:00 World at One (b01f5hnv)
National and international news. Listeners can share their views via email: wato@bbc.co.uk or on twitter: #wato.
MON 13:45 The People's Passion (b01f5hnx)
Cathedral Conversation - Ceremony and Society
Ceremony and Society: Rev. Giles Fraser, the former Canon Chancellor of St Paul's Cathedral, and David Rennie, Political Editor of The Economist discuss the past and present importance of St Paul's in the life of the nation. Wren's masterpiece rose like a phoenix from the ashes of the Great Fire of London. It inspired the city's will to resist the Blitz and it celebrated the wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer. Now it has lost its dominance of the London skyline to the skyscraper temples of Mammon and has been besieged by the protesters of the 'Occupy' movement. Producer, Peter Everett.
MON 14:00 The Archers (b01f5bvg)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Sunday]
MON 14:15 Drama (b01f5hnz)
The People's Passion
Coming to Jerusalem
Cathedrals still dominate our city centres: once symbols of temporal power, of technological wonder, a vital part of our musical health, and more recently the focus of protest and appeals to a new morality - what do they mean to us now?
Originally broadcast in Holy Week, The People's Passion explores how our great cathedrals offer an image of the contradictions of faith in twenty-first century Britain.
The People's Passion Mass and Easter Anthem, composed specially for the series by Sasha Johnson Manning, with lyrics written by the poet Michael Symmons Roberts, not only features in the programmes, but was made freely available by the BBC, and sung by a hundred and fifty choirs around Britain and across the world, during Easter 2012, including Easter Day Worship on Radio 4, from Manchester Cathedral.
1/5: Coming to Jerusalem
by Nick Warburton
Monday morning in Holy Week. Ellen's in early, looking for peace. Paul's at the gates, refusing to pay. Is the Cathedral concentrating on the right things?
Produced and Directed by Jonquil Panting
Original music by Sasha Johnson Manning, with lyrics by Michael Symmons Roberts.
Performed by:
Manchester Chamber Choir, directed by Christopher Stokes, with Jeffrey Makinson (organ), Rob Shorter (tenor), Rebecca Whettam (cello), Jahan Hunter (trumpet) and Holly Marland (recorder).
BBC Singers with Eleanor Gregory (soprano), Margaret Cameron (alto), Chris Bowen (tenor), Stephen Charlesworth (bass) and Andrew Earis (piano).
Andrew Kirk (organ), and the choir of Saint Mary Redcliffe, Bristol.
MON 15:00 The 3rd Degree (b01f5hp1)
Series 2
University of Sussex
Coming this week from the University of Sussex, "The 3rd Degree" is a funny, lively and dynamic quiz show aimed at cultivating the next generation of Radio 4 listeners whilst delighting the current ones. It's recorded on location at a different University each week, and it pits three Undergraduates against three of their Professors in a genuinely original and fresh take on an academic quiz. Being a Radio 4 programme, it of course meets the most stringent standards of academic rigour - but with lots of facts and jokes thrown in for good measure.
Together with host Steve Punt, the show tours the (sometimes posh, sometimes murky, but always welcoming!) Union buildings, cafés and lecture halls of six universities across the UK.
The rounds vary between Specialist Subjects and General Knowledge, quickfire bell-and-buzzer rounds and the 'Highbrow & Lowbrow' round cunningly devised to test not only the students' knowledge of current affairs, history, languages and science, but also their Professors' awareness of television, film, and Lady Gaga... In addition, the Head-to-Head rounds, in which students take on their Professors in their own subjects, were particularly lively, and offered plenty of scope for mild embarrassment on both sides...
The resulting show is funny, fresh, and not a little bit surprising, with a truly varied range of scores, friendly rivalry, and moments where students wished they had more than just glanced at that reading list...
Producer: David Tyler
A Pozzitive production for BBC Radio 4.
MON 15:30 The Food Programme (b01f597w)
[Repeat of broadcast at
12:32 on Sunday]
MON 16:00 Art Disrupted: Damien Hirst and Co (b01f5hp3)
This programme explores the various forces at work that would ultimately lead to the storm of Damien Hirst and co. We'll hear from Jon Thompson and Michael Craig Martin, who taught many of the artists at Goldsmiths, Hirst himself on his own beginnings as an artist, his recognition that London's art world would have to change to accommodate him and his friends, his views on his work and his idea of the role of the artist today.
We hear from Nick Serota on the role of Tate, Louisa Buck on the inevitable break from Cork street and the constraints of the old, fusty, pin striped suit wearing art world. We hear from fellow artists about the wow factor of the Saatchi gallery, their instinctive entrepreneurship, the bond they shared and their stop at nothing attitude, the shift to artists coming from the working class and.. on a more discordant note, the invasive role of mass media and its destruction of the avant garde.
Producer: Kate Bland
A Just Radio production for BBC Radio 4.
MON 16:30 Beyond Belief (b01f5hp5)
The Cross
This is the most important week in the Christian Year when Christians commemorate what they regard as the central event in human history, the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Jesus died on the cross, an excruciating form of torture carried out by the Romans. Today the cross is commonly used as a fashion item - not a symbol of death, but of consumerism. It can still cause offence; some Christians have been told they cannot wear one at work.
Ernie Rea considers the different uses and symbolism of the cross with Dr Sophie Lunn Rockcliffe, Lecturer in Roman History at Kings College London; Dr Anna Robbins, Lecturer in Theology and Contemporary Culture at the London School of Theology: and Dr Ed Kessler, Director of the Woolf Institute of Abrahamic religions in Cambridge.
MON 17:00 PM (b01f5hp7)
Full coverage and analysis of the day's news.
MON 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b01d1nl9)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
MON 18:30 The Unbelievable Truth (b01f5hp9)
Series 9
Episode 1
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, Lucy Porter and Graeme Garden are the panellists obliged to talk with deliberate inaccuracy on subjects as varied as: Parrots, Breakfast, Insurance and Oliver Cromwell.
The show is devised by Graeme Garden and Jon Naismith, the team behind Radio 4's I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue.
Producer: Jon Naismith
A Random Entertainment programme for BBC Radio 4.
MON 19:00 The Archers (b01f5hpc)
Brian's feeling deflated by all the opposition to the dairy unit. Rufus suggests one decisive last push and shows Annabelle and Brian a short DVD as an example of a visual way of showing its advantages. These include the possibility of having a small patch of grazing near the indoor unit, as some of the heifers will be drying off. Annabelle is unsure at first, but Rufus wins her and Brian over with the idea.
Tony wants to help Tom out in the office, but despite the extra work, Tom tells him he'd like to see it through himself. Tom also reminds Tony that he has to take it easy as they don't want another scare. Later, Brenda is spending her afternoon off with Tom. She's brought a picnic along as she felt he was quite stressed earlier on. Tom says he's realised that there are lots of ways to smarten things up in the office such as new software. He doesn't want Tony to think he's changing everything in his dad's absence. Brenda suggests Tom take it a little easier and reminds him he can only do so much. She encourages him to make the changes in the office and that Tony will understand.
MON 19:15 Front Row (b01f5htx)
Damien Hirst, Michael Grade
With Mark Lawson.
A major Damien Hirst retrospective exhibition opens this week at Tate Modern. Damien Hirst discusses his success and the reaction he gets from cab-drivers, and critic Jackie Wullschlager gives her verdict.
In his new film This Must Be The Place, Sean Penn is almost unrecognisable as Cheyenne, a fifty year-old Goth and former rock star, who sets off on a journey of discovery after his father's death. Jenny McCartney reviews.
Michael Grade has held top positions at the BBC, ITV and Channel 4. He's now presenting a Radio 2 series examining Britain's television industry. The former BBC Chairman discusses commissioning Dennis Potter's The Singing Detective in the BBC toilets, being asked to lower ratings at ITV, and the moment he thought that Bob Geldof had ended his career.
Producer Rebecca Nicholson.
MON 19:45 15 Minute Drama (b01f5hnl)
[Repeat of broadcast at
10:45 today]
MON 20:00 Fathers and Sons - From the Falklands to Helmand (b01f5htz)
Two fathers who fought in the Falklands on what it is like having sons fighting in Afghanistan. Their sons talk about the role their fathers have played in their lives.
MON 20:30 Crossing Continents (b01dvw6y)
Canada's prescription drug crisis
Canada's First Nations communities are in crisis. Addiction to prescription pain-killers is rife, and it's devastating the fragile communities of northern Ontario.
OxyContin - an opioid drug capable of inducing a high like heroin - is widely abused in Canada. But on isolated reserves, people talk of an epidemic. For Crossing Continents, Linda Pressly travels to Fort Hope - Eabametoong First Nation - to investigate the impact of drug use.
Fort Hope is accessible only by air, apart from a six week window in winter when you can drive across the frozen lakes on ice roads. It has a population of just 1200 people, but it's estimated up to 80% of the working-age population are abusing OxyContin.
The beauty of Fort Hope in deepest winter with its snow-covered streets conceals the fall-out from endemic drug use. This community has experienced a crime wave out of proportion to its size. Murder, theft and arson propelled the Chief to declare a 'state of emergency'. Even with police help it's hard to stop the pills getting onto the reserve. And the mark-up for the pushers - one 80mg tablet of OxyContin sells for up to $600 - means the addicts of Fort Hope are a lucrative market.
There's a glimmer of optimism. Doris Slipperjack, a 23 year old mother of three, is fighting back. She's determined to beat her addiction. She's become an inspiration to many First Nations people. But the road ahead is tough. The aboriginal people of Canada have a troubled history of addiction. Alcohol, gasoline and glue sniffing, drugs - this is a community that has experienced it all. But people will tell you that OxyContin is the worst, because it is so highly addictive. Who knows if people like Dave Waswa - a talented artist, will ever be able to kick the habit.
MON 21:00 Material World (b01dvw7d)
A leak of gas from a platform 150 miles off the Scottish coast is causing concerns, particularly over risks of explosion. We look at the environmental effects of the gas and ways of clearing it up. As with oil spills bacteria may play a role in its dispersal.
An environmental conference in London this week gave scientists the chance to get together ahead of the next round of international climate change negotiations. We look at the subject of geo –engineering. Once the realm of science fiction, the idea of using chemicals to seed clouds or reflect light back from the sun is now being seen as a serious option for dealing with climate change.
So You Want to be a Scientist. The clothes are ready for our experiment looking at the arguments over vertical versus horizontal stripes, which ones really do have a slimming or fattening effect?
MON 21:30 Start the Week (b01f5htv)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:00 today]
MON 21:58 Weather (b01f06t3)
The latest weather forecast.
MON 22:00 The World Tonight (b01f5jwp)
Kofi Annan wants peace in Syria in eight days. Are Western governments helping his cause?
When does access to communications data become a breach of privacy?
The Tuareg in Mali are claiming statehood for the North. Will the country break up?
with Ritula Shah.
MON 22:45 Book at Bedtime (b01f5jwr)
The Snow Child
Episode 1
Jack and Mabel hope that a fresh start in 'Alaska, our newest homeland' will enable them to put the strain of their childless marriage behind them. But the northern wilderness proves as unforgiving as it is beautiful: Jack fears that he will collapse under the strain of creating a farm, and a lonely winter eats its way into Mabel's soul. When the first snow falls, the couple find themselves building a small figure - a snow girl. The next morning, their creation has gone, and they see a child running through the spruce trees. Gradually this child - an elusive, untameable little girl who hunts with a fox and is more at ease in the savage landscape than in the homestead - comes into their lives. But as their love for the snow child and for the land she opens up to them grows, so too does their awareness that it, and she, may break their hearts.
Written with the clarity and vividness of the Russian fairytale from which it takes its inspiration, The Snow Child is an instant classic.
Eowyn Ivey
Named after a character from Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, Eowyn Ivey currently works at an independent bookstore in Alaska. The Snow Child is her debut novel.
The reader is Miranda Richardson
The Snow Child was abridged by Doreen Estall and produced by Gemma McMullan.
MON 23:00 Word of Mouth (b01dtvk3)
Textspeak
Michael Rosen on the uses and abuses of textspeak. Is the English language being abbreviated away?
Writer Will Cohu thinks texting has changed the way we communicate with each other.
Students at William Morris Sixth Form tell Michael how they use their phones to talk - exploding a few popular preconceptions along the way.
Professor David Crystal puts the use of texting language into context, and Canadian linguist Joan Lee discusses her research on the subject.
And Nick D'Aloisio talks about the mobile phone app he's created which condenses and summarises news articles for a time-poor generation.
Producer Beth O'Dea.
MON 23:30 Lives in a Landscape (b01fd275)
Series 7
Passion at Glasgow Cross
On the wall above the Val D'Oro, one of the oldest fish and chip shops in Glasgow hangs a painting of the Crucifixion, painted to commemorate the residents of one of the poorest areas of the city.
Completed in 2010 David Adam's stark image of a crucified Christ in a street scene at Glasgow Cross places Christ in the midst of the city. At the foot of the cross where Christ's grieving mother Mary traditionally stands, is another Mary, Mary Paterson, a valued customer and local character, now in her nineties, huddled over the basket in which she carried her dog Sheba.
To the left of the cross, Luigi Corvi, owner of the shop, stands poised to sing, bearing a plate of fish and chips. In his innocence, a small boy offers up the remains of his Irn Bru to Jesus while a woman to his right attempts to pick the pocket of a passer-by and a man nearby injects heroin into his thigh.
But as Alan Dein discovers in the first of the new series of Lives in a Landscape, exploring offbeat aspects of contemporary Britain, the Passion at Glasgow Cross also describes Luigi's long suppressed dream: he serves fish and chips by day but dreams of life singing opera at La Scala...
Producer David Stenhouse
Coming up in this series: Alan is in deepest Northamptonshire at midnight on a Sunday in December to hear the mind-bending racket of the village of Broughton's "Tin Can Band". Unshackled from the dense silence that pervades this corner of rural England, the villagers, armed with pots, pans and anything that rattles, unleash as much noise as they process through the freezing lanes...
In Liverpool, Alan finds himself exploring violence and relationships and... theatre; while there's a nod to the royal celebrations at the end of April as he joins a couple of Iraq veterans in Gloucestershire who've turned from military imaging to wedding snaps... And will north London teenage hopeful JJ make it through his troubled family past to win a part in a big stage show?
TUESDAY 03 APRIL 2012
TUE 00:00 Midnight News (b01d1nm2)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.
TUE 00:30 Book of the Week (b01f5hng)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:45 on Monday]
TUE 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b01d1nm6)
The latest shipping forecast.
TUE 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b01d1nm8)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
TUE 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b01d1nmb)
The latest shipping forecast.
TUE 05:30 News Briefing (b01d1nmd)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.
TUE 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b01f8l60)
A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day with The Most Reverend George Stack, Archbishop of Cardiff.
TUE 05:45 Farming Today (b01f5lcb)
Caz Graham hears the scale of the deluge needed to replenish water supplies across England. Drought-hit farmers will need more than twice the average summer rainfall according to experts at the University of Reading. Dr Benjamin Lloyd-Hughes says it works out to around 400mm, the same amount of rain which fell in summer 2007 and caused severe flooding.
Farming Today continues its look at access to the countryside and hears from a rambling group which says volunteers may have to take over maintenance of hedges, help rebuild styles and secure gates on public footpaths, if local councils cut vital funding for countryside access. It fears the routes could be left overgrown, neglected and unusable if proposed changes go ahead as councils try to balance tightening budgets.
And Moira Hickey laces up her hiking boots as she explores a Scottish glen and investigates how the law governing rights of way works in Scotland.
This programme is presented by Caz Graham and produced in Birmingham by Angela Frain.
TUE 06:00 Today (b01f5lcd)
Morning news and current affairs, presented by James Naughtie and Justin Webb, including:
07:09 Is the fear of recession in the UK receding?
07:50 Is democracy safe in Burma?
08:10 Should the Labour party change the way they are funded?
08:30 Education Secretary Michael Gove has told England's exam regulator, Ofqual, that universities must have more say in how A levels are devised and marked.
TUE 09:00 The Public Philosopher (b01f5lcg)
Series 1
Should universities give preference to applicants from poor backgrounds?
"We're going to engage in an experiment ....an experiment in public philosophy. We sometimes think that philosophy is remote, abstract and distant from the world we actually inhabit. I think otherwise". So says the eminent Harvard political philosopher Michael Sandel as he challenges an audience to examine the big ideas, the big philosophical questions that lie behind our views.
In a series of public events, recorded at the London School of Economics, he brings his trademark style to a discussion on a current issue. This week, he delves into the thorny issue of access to universities. "Should students from poor backgrounds be given priority in admissions?" he asks. He demands a show of hands. The brave ones volunteer to explain the thinking behind their views.
The audience is swept along. "Who decides if you're from a poor background...what does that mean to come from a poor background? The way our system works right now is fair because we're just numbers" says Georgia, arguing that academic results are all that matter.
Fazal's view, reflecting his experience of American universities, is very different. "On one piece of paper you're writing down your experiences, your grades. On the other you're writing down your financial background...how much money you can potentially pay".
Throughout, Michael Sandel acts as referee, thinker and devil's advocate.
His lectures to Harvard undergraduates have been described as "spellbinding...an exhilarating journey". They are popular, provocative and interactive. Now he brings that approach to Radio 4.
Producer: Adele Armstrong.
TUE 09:45 Book of the Week (b01fcmh8)
The Great Animal Orchestra
Episode 2
Read by Nigel Lindsay.
The sounds of the geophony were the first sounds on earth - and this element of the soundscape is the context in which animal voices, and even important aspects of human sonic culture, evolved'. Bernie Krause explores the soundscapes of the non-animal world.
Bernie Krause is the world's leading expert in natural sound. He has spent the last 40 years recording ecological soundscapes and has archived the sounds of over 15,000 species - half of the wild soundscapes he has on tape don't exist anymore because of human actions.
In The Great Animal Orchestra he invites us to listen through his ears to all three as he showcases singing trees, contrasting coasts, and the roar of the modern world.
Written by Bernie Krause
Adapted by Polly Coles
Producer: Clive Brill
A Pacificus production for BBC Radio 4.
TUE 10:00 Woman's Hour (b01f5lcj)
The Undateable
Do Labour need to pay more attention to Muslim women? The TV series that follows ten singletons with disabilities out on the dating circuit. Author Roshi Fernando talks about her debut collection of short stories called 'Homesick'. And how would Princess Vicky, eldest child of Queen Victoria, have changed the course of history if she'd been allowed to become Queen.
Producer Kirsty Starkey.
TUE 10:45 15 Minute Drama (b01f5lcl)
Grazia Deledda - Reeds in the Wind
Episode 7
Grazia Deledda's powerful story of love, poverty, honour and retribution set in the rugged landscape of 1900's Sardinia. Dramatised by Linda Marshall Griffiths from a translation by Martha King.
Giacinto runs away following Ruth's sudden death leaving Grixenda distraught and Ester and Noemi financially ruined. Efix goes to Don Predu for help.
EFIX.....John Lynch
NOEMI.....Charlotte Emmerson
GRIXENDA.....Holliday Grainger
PREDU.....Conrad Nelson
Directed by Nadia Molinari.
TUE 11:00 Nature (b01f5lcn)
Series 6
Drumming Down
Spring woodlands are loud now with the drumming of great spotted woodpeckers and their familiar head-banging territorial sounds are everywhere in the UK . Numbers of great spotted woodpeckers have increased 250% over the last few decades and they have taken to feeding in garden bird-tables along with tits and robins. However, their much smaller cousin, the tiny sparrow-sized lesser spotted woodpecker has declined by as much as 90% in the same period and from 2011 is one of the species monitored by the Rare birds Breeding Panel.
To find out why our woodpeckers have experienced very different fortunes, Brett Westwood visits the Wyre Forest on the Worcestershire/Shropshire border. This ancient oak wood is one of the study plots for a 3-year RSPB research project on the lesser spotted woodpecker, and one of the best sites to see them in the UK. They are one of the most difficult birds to study because of their size, their attraction to feeding high in the canopy and their huge winter range. A single bird may range over 700 hectares of forest habitat in winter and so is very hard to locate. In spring , they call and drum, making February March and April the best months to see them, before the leaves are fully expanded. For Nature, Brett Westwood visits Wyre with Ken Smith and Elisabeth Charman, woodland ecologists from the RSPB, to search for the birds and to learn about the results of the survey. Although the decline of the lesser spotted woodpeckers is still shrouded in mystery, some interesting facts have emerged. A third of the broods are deserted by one of the parents, leaving the other, usually the male, to bring up the young. Lesser spotted woodpeckers glean insects from leaves and there are indications that climate change may be affecting their prey supplies.
Among woodland birds, "lesser spots" aren't the only species whose numbers are falling . Nightingales, willow tits and wood warblers are also declining sharply which raises questions about the suitability of our woods for many species. But with the rise of the greater spotted woodpecker, also a woodland bird, teasing out the reasons is a challenge for scientists. Brett talks to Rob Fuller, of the British Trust for Ornithology who's studied woodlands for over 30 years, and hears about the complexities of monitoring woods and the birds which live in them.
Producer: Brett Westwood
Editor: Julian Hector.
TUE 11:30 Robert Winston's Musical Analysis (b01f5lcq)
Series 3
Shostakovich
Professor Robert Winston brings a scientist's ear to his passion for music, exploring the medical histories of great composers and how illness affected the music they wrote.
Shostakovich was the most celebrated musical icon of the Russian Soviet state. But he had an uneasy relationship with the political authorities. He was officially denounced several times, once by Stalin himself, friends and colleagues were arrested, and it's claimed that his works often betray a hidden, subversive political message. Professor Robert Winston examines the psychological damage that could have been caused by a composer trying to serve both Stalin's brutal, totalitarian regime and his own creative muse.
Producer: Chris Taylor.
TUE 12:00 You and Yours (b01f5lcs)
Call You and Yours
Radio 4's consumer affairs programme. What do the Olympics mean to people who live outside London and its environs. Will there be any lasting legacy for other parts of the UK and if so what?
TUE 12:57 Weather (b01d338g)
The latest weather forecast.
TUE 13:00 World at One (b01f5lcv)
National and international news. Listeners can share their views via email: wato@bbc.co.uk or on twitter: #wato.
TUE 13:45 The People's Passion (b01f5lcx)
Cathedral Conversation - Music and Majesty
Music and Majesty: Lord Wallace and David Hill visit Westminster Cathedral to discuss the history and the future of the cathedral choir. Baron Wallace of Saltaire (formerly William Wallace), a senior Liberal Democrat politician, has been involved with choral music all his life; as an 11-year-old he sang at the Coronation. Today he is trustee of the National Children's Choir and also runs a charity - Voces Cantabiles - which aims to help young singers. David Hill is a choral director who has worked with some of Britain's finest choirs, including those of St John's Cambridge, Winchester Cathedral and Westminster Cathedral.
Producer, Peter Everett.
TUE 14:00 The Archers (b01f5hpc)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Monday]
TUE 14:15 Drama (b01f5lcz)
The People's Passion
Betrayal
Cathedrals still dominate our city centres: once symbols of temporal power, of technological wonder, a vital part of our musical health, and more recently the focus of protest and appeals to a new morality - what do they mean to us now?
Originally broadcast in Holy Week, The People's Passion explores how our great cathedrals offer an image of the contradictions of faith in twenty-first century Britain.
The People's Passion Mass and Easter Anthem, composed specially for the series by Sasha Johnson Manning, with lyrics written by the poet Michael Symmons Roberts, not only features in the programmes, but was made freely available by the BBC, and sung by a hundred and fifty choirs around Britain and across the world, during Easter 2012, including Easter Day Worship on Radio 4, from Manchester Cathedral.
2/5: Betrayal
by Nick Warburton
Callum has no job and nothing to fill his days, but he loves to sing in the Cathedral's Voluntary choir. With the choir, he is rehearsing the newly commissioned Easter Anthem, to perform on Good Friday. Who would dream of stopping him? But temptation can whisper in all sorts of ears...
Produced and Directed by Jonquil Panting
Original music by Sasha Johnson Manning, with lyrics by Michael Symmons Roberts.
Performed by:
Manchester Chamber Choir, directed by Christopher Stokes, with Jeffrey Makinson (organ), Rob Shorter (tenor), Rebecca Whettam (cello), Jahan Hunter (trumpet) and Holly Marland (recorder).
BBC Singers with Eleanor Gregory (soprano), Margaret Cameron (alto), Chris Bowen (tenor), Stephen Charlesworth (bass) and Andrew Earis (piano).
Andrew Kirk (organ), and the choir of Saint Mary Redcliffe, Bristol.
TUE 15:00 Making History (b01f5ld1)
Historian Helen Castor presents a new series of Radio 4's popular magazine in which listeners and leading researchers share their passion for the past.
From Stirling to Southampton, Oxford to Orleans, the Making History team have been out and about in the last few weeks chasing down answers to questions posed in the emails and letters sent in by the Radio 4 audience: family research, forgotten diaries, architectural oddities, unexplained features in the landscape... all these, and more, add to a 'must-listen mix' of topics that range from the Aztecs to the obsession of a French railway enthusiast in Amersham.
In this week's programme: Helen meets two listeners who are about to embark on a journey of a lifetime to see for themselves the exact spot in the icy waters of the North Atlantic where a relative died on a British ship sunk by a British minefield in a little-known accident during the Second World War; fellow presenter Tom Holland heads down Route 66 to discover that mediaeval Native Americans loved the city-life just as much as their twenty-first century cousins; and a professional map-maker puzzles over some unexplained symbols that are making horticultural history in the Surrey countryside.
Producer: Nick Patrick
A Pier Production for BBC Radio 4.
TUE 15:30 Costing the Earth (b01f5ld3)
Frozen Fish
The seas around the Antarctic contain some of our last healthy fish stocks. Tight regulation and vicious weather conditions have kept most trawlers out of the southern waters but the global demand for protein could push more fishermen to sail to the frozen south.
For 'Costing the Earth' the chef Gerard Baker travels to South Georgia to hear how scientists hope to maintain the health of the southern oceans in the face of overwhelming odds. Could their experience help the rest of the world secure the future of fish?
TUE 16:00 Word of Mouth (b01f5ld5)
The Queen's Speech
In this Diamond Jubilee year, Michael Rosen looks at the way in which the Queen speaks. Has it changed over the years, and how do her grandchildren speak?
Voice coach Penny Dyer demonstrates how she helped Helen Mirren to transform the way she talked, for the film 'The Queen'.
Clive Upton talks about this kind of speech - known as "Trad RP" or "URP".
Jonathan Harrington has studied the Queen's Speech over the decades and traces the ways in which she has come to sound more like her people.
And Peter French listens to the younger generation of the Royal family to hear how they speak.
Producer Beth O'Dea.
TUE 16:30 Great Lives (b01f5mmf)
Series 27
Dylan Thomas
Dylan Thomas, arguably Wales's most famous poet, comes under scrutiny on Great Lives. A man famous both for his linguistic exuberance and his chaotic, alcohol-fuelled private life, Dylan Thomas is proposed by another Welsh poet in a specially recorded programme at Bristol's More Than Words Listening Festival.
Owen Sheers is one of Britain's brightest young writers and the author of Resistance, and he is keen to bust some myths about his fellow Welshman's reputation. Joining him on stage is presenter Matthew Parris along with Damian Walford-Davies of Aberystwyth University. The programme includes archive recordings of Dylan Thomas's famous voice, and also Richard Burton reading the opening of Under Milk Wood.
The producer is Miles Warde.
TUE 17:00 PM (b01f5mmh)
Full coverage and analysis of the day's news.
TUE 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b01d3399)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
TUE 18:30 Ed Reardon's Week (b01f5mmk)
Series 8
Have a Great Weekend
Radio 4's most curmudgeonly author is back for a new series, complete with his trusty companion Elgar and his never ending capacity for scrimping and scraping at whatever scraps his agent, Ping, can offer him to keep body, mind and cat together.
Inevitably he finds himself once more battling through the week encountering the numerous 12-year olds who run the media, teaching the lively bunch of pensioners who can "teach him a thing or two about money making schemes, frugal living and having a good time thank you very much", and regular run-ins with the rather successful Jaz Milvane, director of Ed's only ever book-to-screen adaptation.
As we renew our acquaintance with Ed we find him in a somewhat lighter mood, enjoying normal weekend-ish type things, like having a bath, and whistling. He's also visiting the DIY store - because he can. His renewed acquaintance with 1960's hot young model, Fiona Templeton, could have much to do with this new outlook, particularly as they have a shared love of the free sachets to be found in the Sunday newspapers. As long as they don't mix up the shampoo sachet with the brown sauce sachet they should be fine.
TUE 19:00 The Archers (b01f5mmm)
Pat has found a way to keep Tony busy and suggests they work as a team to make and tape up the boxes for delivery. Tony's worried that Tom is over-working himself. As Tony tells Pat that he's starting to feel more himself she has to stop herself from thinking about what might have happened to him. Tony says he won't grumble to anyone because everyone's been so good to him.
At the Parish Council meeting, Neil happily shares the news with Jill about Chris having signed the contract to his own business and his own premises. Ronnie took Chris and Alice out for dinner last night to celebrate. Jill tells Jim that Lily is delighted to bell-ring at the Saint George's Day service. Everyone's talking about the 'great fly-over' where James and Leonie will fly over Ambridge in a helicopter and take some snapshots. Jim's not very keen on the idea. However, everyone's interested in the Fields in Trust programme. The piece of land they think would perfectly suit is located between the Am and the shop. However, it belongs to BL. It seems some realpolitik will have to be put to use.
TUE 19:15 Front Row (b01f5mmp)
Labrinth interviewed; Headhunters reviewed
Norwegian author Jo NesbØ's best-selling thriller Headhunters has just been turned into a film - the first of his novels to be adapted for the cinema. It tells the story of Roger Brown, a successful corporate headhunter, who spends his nights as a prolific art thief.Critic Ryan Gilbey reviews.
Iain Sinclair considers the murals that Jean Cocteau painted in a London church in 1960 that have now been restored to their former glory.
Labrinth is a singer-songwriter and rapper who has produced hit singles for Tinie Tempah and collaborated with artists including Ms Dynamite and Emeli Sande. He's the first non-talent show artist to be signed to Simon Cowell's label for six years and his debut album is out this week. He reflects on how growing up as one of nine siblings influenced his music.
The Undateables is a new Channel 4 series exploring the experiences of several extraordinary singletons on the dating circuit. They include a stand-up comedian with Tourette's, a skateboarder with a facial disfigurement, a trapeze artist with brittle bones. The programmes follow each of them as they enter a world of blind dates, matchmakers and speed-dating.Mark Lawson talks about the making of the programmes to series producer Lucy Leveugle, and to Alison Walsh, Channel 4's disability director.
Producer Stephen Hughes.
TUE 19:45 15 Minute Drama (b01f5lcl)
[Repeat of broadcast at
10:45 today]
TUE 20:00 Green Gold: The Bamboo Boom (b01f5mn2)
Camille Rebelo believes in bamboo. With a Masters in Environmental Management from Yale, she sees herself as a pioneer of a new approach to make forestry work for people - and also for profit. And to do so, she and her colleagues are tapping into new sources of private investment. They are developing a bamboo plantation in Nicaragua, funded, in part, by the world's first asset - backed Bamboo Bond.
Eco Planet Bamboo is convinced that the way forward is to persuade investors that money really does grow on trees - or in this instance a grass, since that's what bamboo is.
Bamboo has a higher tensile strength than steel, and is also versatile, light, flexible and enduring. Unlike other timbers it can also be used for construction, clothing, food, cosmetics, medicine, green charcoal and fuel. It reaches maturity in a fraction of the time it takes tropical hardwoods to grow, and unlike trees continues to grow and replenish once harvested. Bamboo also captures more carbon than any other land plant.
Nowhere is that need for a replacement for timber more evident than Nicaragua, which has one of the highest rates of deforestation in the world. The bamboo plantation has provided jobs in a poor area of the country with few employment opportunities. Eco Planet Bamboo talks of Conscious Capitalism, and its unique Bamboo Bond is promising investors returns of 500% over a 15 year period.
The BBC's World Affairs Correspondent Mike Wooldridge asks whether such promises are too good to be true? Could bamboo prove to be green gold for Nicaragua's poor? And is this a way of not only fighting poverty, but global warming too?
Producer: Ruth Evans
A Ruth Evans production for BBC Radio 4.
TUE 20:40 In Touch (b01f5mn4)
St. Dunstan's is one of the most prestigious names in welfare for the blind. But now their name is changing - to be replaced by Blind Veterans UK. Andrew Jones of Blind Veterans UK explains the reasons for the name change and former St Dunstaner Terry Bullingham - blinded by an Argentine Air Strike during the Falklands War 30 years ago - also gives his verdict.
As the Digital TV Switchover enters its final stages, Wilf White of the BBC's Digital Switchover Helpline explains how he is making sure no blind or visually impaired person gets left behind when the switchover from Analogue to Digital TV takes place. The London Switchover begins on 4th April, followed by East Meridian, Tyne Tees and then Northern Ireland in October. Everyone is affected by the switchover but, if you have Sky, cable or freesat you need do nothing. If you have a Freeview box, you'll need to re-tune it and if you currently only have analogue TV (ie just the 5 original terrestrial channels) you'll need to buy new equipment.
TUE 21:00 Inside Health (b01f5mn6)
Prescription charges, HPV vaccine, tattoos, cycle helmets
Should prescriptions be free for everyone? They already are in Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland - so why aren't they in England? The BMA says the current list of exemptions is unfair and outdated - but there are no government plans to scrap the charges for the 10% of people who have to pay for them.
And as the vaccination campaign for young girls against the virus which causes cervical cancer and genital warts gains momentum - are boys losing out? Uptake of the vaccine among teenage girls in the UK is high - but there are no plans to extend the programme to boys - despite plans to do so in Australia and the United States.
There are confusing statistics surrounding the debate over the use of bicycle helmets for both adults and children. Some research points to helmets encouraging car drivers to give cyclists less space in traffic. Up to a third of children in another study said wearing a helmet would put them off cycling in the first place - bad news for parents concerned about childhood obesity. GP Margaret McCartney uses her own risk analysis to work out how to keep herself safe and fit.
Producer: Paula McGrath.
TUE 21:30 The Public Philosopher (b01f5lcg)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:00 today]
TUE 21:58 Weather (b01f06v4)
The latest weather forecast.
TUE 22:00 The World Tonight (b01f5mnd)
A specially extended report this evening from Zimbabwe. Robin Lustig talks to people about the changes there and interviews both the Prime Minister and Justice Minister.
Plus, the resignation of James Murdoch.
And is tonight the night for Edinburgh Zoo's pandas?
The World Tonight with Robin Lustig.
TUE 22:45 Book at Bedtime (b01f5mng)
The Snow Child
Episode 2
Jack and Mabel hope that a fresh start in 'Alaska, our newest homeland' will enable them to put the strain of their childless marriage behind them. But the northern wilderness proves as unforgiving as it is beautiful: Jack fears that he will collapse under the strain of creating a farm, and a lonely winter eats its way into Mabel's soul. When the first snow falls, the couple find themselves building a small figure - a snow girl. The next morning, their creation has gone, and they see a child running through the spruce trees. Gradually this child - an elusive, untameable little girl who hunts with a fox and is more at ease in the savage landscape than in the homestead - comes into their lives. But as their love for the snow child and for the land she opens up to them grows, so too does their awareness that it, and she, may break their hearts.
Written with the clarity and vividness of the Russian fairytale from which it takes its inspiration, The Snow Child is an instant classic.
Eowyn Ivey
Named after a character from Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, Eowyn Ivey currently works at an independent bookstore in Alaska. The Snow Child is her debut novel.
The reader is Miranda Richardson
The Snow Child was abridged by Doreen Estall and produced by Gemma McMullan.
TUE 23:00 Richard Herring's Objective (b00vcqm7)
Series 1
The Hoodie
Richard Herring reclaims objects that we've grown to hate - a tracksuit top with a hood. With Emma Kennedy. From October 2010.
TUE 23:30 Lives in a Landscape (b01fd2tq)
Series 7
The Devils of Broughton
St Peter's church, a 13th century jewel, is empty.
Inside, the workings of the clock tick ominously, moving the hands towards midnight. On the street outside a group of people, maybe a hundred, huddle against the cold, waiting for the clock to strike.
This is the scene on the second Sunday in December, every year, in the village of Broughton, near Kettering in Northamptonshire. This is a quiet village, the bypass takes traffic away, the few commuters leaving town early in the morning. The few pubs are jolly, but not rowdy, and the Co-op acts as an unofficial meeting point for the locals.
Not much to distinguish it from the other villages nearby; flat, farmland stretching from one village to the next, with the odd superstore or garden centre between them. But come midnight something different happens; something unique, ancient, mysterious; something rather noisy. For every year for as long as anyone can remember, and even further back, the devil is beaten out of Broughton, by the tin can band - a collection of villagers who patrol the streets after midnight, banging, pots and pans, milk churns and hip baths, drums and hammers, colanders and frying pans - anything that makes a noise in fact, and for one night a year, Broughton becomes the noisiest place in Northamptonshire. And no one quite knows why... Alan Dein joins them with a microphone.
Producer: Sara Jane Hall.
WEDNESDAY 04 APRIL 2012
WED 00:00 Midnight News (b01d33b8)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.
WED 00:30 Book of the Week (b01fcmh8)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:45 on Tuesday]
WED 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b01d33bd)
The latest shipping forecast.
WED 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b01d33bg)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
WED 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b01d33bj)
The latest shipping forecast.
WED 05:30 News Briefing (b01d33bl)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.
WED 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b01f8l4z)
A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day with The Most Reverend George Stack, Archbishop of Cardiff.
WED 05:45 Farming Today (b01f65vz)
British offal being served up in the Far East and Africa is helping boost the UK economy by more than £2billion. Last year exports of UK meats like pork, beef and lamb went up by more than a fifth.
Reporter Clare Freeman takes the Farming Today bike out for ride in South Wales. Whilst she peddles along a new cycle track near the Sirhowy Country Park, she talks to Ryland Jones from Sustrans about how cycle paths can help boost the rural economy and link up former coal mining villages in the valleys.
And after balmy spring days with a high of over 23 degrees last week in Aberdeen, this week's severe weather warnings and 8 inches of snow has already cost the lives of some young lambs caught in the storms in Scotland.
This programme was presented by Caz Graham and produced in Birmingham by Angela Frain.
WED 06:00 Today (b01f65w1)
Morning news and current affairs, presented by James Naughtie and Sarah Montague, including:
0810
The coalition government came into power pledging to make the UK more open and more democratic but this week it has been criticised for plans to introduce electronic surveillance and of stifling open justice by the Joint Committee on Human Rights. Security correspondent Gordon Corera explains the background while Justice Secretary Kenneth Clarke responds.
0835
The new Big Society bank, which is capitalised with £600m, is expected to open for business and has been created by the government to lend money to charities and community groups. Mark Easton has the details on how this fits into the government's vision while Sir Ronald Cohen, chairman of Big Society Capital, outlines how it will work.
0855
A new exhibition opening today at Hampton Court Palace examines the brief age of decadence, elegance and sexual liberation which followed the Restoration of the Stuart dynasty under Charles II. Lucy Worsley, chief curator of the Historic Royal Palaces, describes the exhibition.
WED 09:00 Midweek (b01f65w3)
Barbara Moore; Tony Banks; Donald McRae; Gavin Turk
Libby Purves is joined by artists Gavin Turk and Deborah Curtis; Falklands veteran Tony Banks; writer Donald McRae and composer and arranger Barbara Moore.
Barbara Moore is a composer, arranger and singer and former member of the Sixties backing group, the Ladybirds. Barbara, who turned eighty this year, is credited with re-orchestrating Alan Freeman's 'Pick of the Pops' theme tune as well working with many artists from Elton John to Dudley Moore, Sandy Shaw and Adam Faith.
Tony Banks served with the Parachute Regiment in the Falklands War. To mark the 30th anniversary of the conflict, he has published his memoir, 'Storming the Falklands' in which he tells of his war and its aftermath. The book describes how he went back to the Falklands to help him come to terms with his experiences and how he returned a trumpet to an Argentine soldier which he had taken as a war trophy. 'Storming the Falklands - My War and After' is published by Little Brown.
Donald McRae is a sports writer and author and the only two-time winner of the prestigious William Hill Sports Book of the Year. Born in South Africa in 1961, he grew up under the apartheid regime with his parents and sister. He left the country in 1984 to avoid military service which brought him into conflict with his parents. His memoir 'Under Our Skin' is based on these experiences and is published by Little Brown.
Artists Gavin Turk and Deborah Curtis set up 'The House of Fairy Tales', an arts charity which came out of their own passion to make art engaging for children. Their new project, the Mystery of the Hidden League and the Misplaced Museum is a story-based adventure trail and interactive installation at Hall Place, Bexley, Kent.
Producer: Paula McGinley.
WED 09:45 Book of the Week (b01fcmyg)
The Great Animal Orchestra
Episode 3
Read by Nigel Lindsay.
Why do giraffes vocalize in frequencies so low that we can't hear them with our ears alone? Why do anemones make sound? Did you know that ants can sing? Bernie Krause reveals the extraordinarily diverse sounds of earth's 'biophony'.
Bernie Krause is the world's leading expert in natural sound. He has spent the last 40 years recording ecological soundscapes and has archived the sounds of over 15,000 species - half of the wild soundscapes he has on tape don't exist anymore because of human actions.
In The Great Animal Orchestra he invites us to listen through his ears to all three as he showcases singing trees, contrasting coasts, and the roar of the modern world.
Written by Bernie Krause
Adapted by Polly Coles
Producer: Clive Brill
A Pacificus production for BBC Radio 4.
WED 10:00 Woman's Hour (b01f65w5)
Plucking and Grooming
A celebration of the life of Tutu - performance artist and breast cancer campaigner. The woman behind a fashion label for women with disabilities. Plus how much time do you spend on improving your looks with lotions, potions, plucking and plastic surgery? Is it a healthy sense of vanity or an act of narcissism? And should women in the public eye show off their cleavage or cover up ?
Producer Vibeke Venema.
WED 10:45 15 Minute Drama (b01f65w7)
Grazia Deledda - Reeds in the Wind
Episode 8
Grazia Deledda's powerful story of love, poverty, honour and retribution set in the rugged landscape of 1900's Sardinia. Dramatised by Linda Marshall Griffiths from a translation by Martha King.
Following Giacinto's departure and the Pintor sisters' financial ruin, Don Predu comes to the rescue. But will Efix persuade Noemi to accept Predu's offer of marriage?
EFIX.....John Lynch
NOEMI.....Charlotte Emmerson
KALLINA.....Kathryn Hunt
GIACINTO.....Matthew McNulty
Directed by Nadia Molinari.
WED 11:00 The Mystery of the Holy Thorn (b01f65w9)
In the small hours of 8 December 2010, the "holy thorn" tree of Glastonbury was cut down by persons unknown wielding a chain saw. The next few days saw an outpouring of grief from pagans and Christians around the world. The thorn, it is alleged, was 2000 years old and planted by Joseph of Arimathea when he came to England in the first century. The Thorn was "miraculous" because it flowered twice a year, at Christmas and Easter. For in Glastonbury, Christianity sits awkwardly alongside paganism - its Abbey is supposedly the oldest Christian building in Britain. The destruction of the Thorn was blamed on anti-pagans, or alternatively anti-Christians. In this programme Jolyon Jenkins investigates the theories.
People who know of Glastonbury from its music festival may be surprised to know that the town itself is the witchcraft capital of the UK. The high street is dominated by purveyors of wiccan paraphernalia. Apart from the witches, there are Goddess worshippers, faerie followers, astrologers, shamans, alchemists, geomancers, druids, spiritualists, and every possible variety of alternative healer. So there are two mysteries of the holy thorn. One is who cut it down, and why. The other is why it seems to mean so much not just to Christians, but to the hundreds of pagans who have settled in Glastonbury.
The former mayor detects "a certain taste of Satanism". The local Catholic priest reports finding evidence of animal sacrifice on his church steps. The local Anglican vicar feels that Christians have been getting marginalised and that that he "needs to put Christianity back on the map". So how did Britain's oldest Christian centre become Witchcraft Central?
WED 11:30 Shedtown (b011znlc)
Series 1
Storm
A layer-cake of disaster threatens the creosoted community. And where's Colin?
Cast:
Barry ...... Tony Pitts
Jimmy & Johnny ...... Kevin Eldon
Colin ....... Johnny Vegas
Diane ...... Suranne Jones
Dave ....... Shaun Dooley
Eleanor ...... Ronni Ancona
Deborah Dearden ...... Emma Fryer
William ....... Adrian Manfredi
Carly ...... Jessica Knappett
Father Michael ...... James Quinn
Wes ......Warren Brown
Petshop Owner ...... Caron May
Narrator...Maxine Peake
Music......Paul Heaton
Written and created by Tony Pitts
Directed by Jim Poyser
Producer: Sally Harrison
A Woolyback Production for BBC Radio 4.
WED 12:00 You and Yours (b01f65wc)
Rejuvenating Britain's high streets and criminal compensation delays
We hear from the first pilot project to test out some of Mary Portas' ideas for rejuvenating Britain's High Streets.
How are mail order businesses in the Channel Islands faring after a change to tax rules means costs have risen by 20%?
A victim of assault who was awarded £900 in compensation 4 years ago, has only ever received £30. Why has it taken so long to pay so little?
Scores of small businesses have contacted You and Yours to say they are being over charged for services such as rubbish collection and washroom services. Many claim they signed contracts which were then changed with increased charges added.
A decision by a French lingerie company to move production from France to Tunisia has become one of the big talking points of the French Presidential election. Many French people feel they've neglected their manufacturing industry, so what demand is there for home made goods?
WED 12:57 Weather (b01d44qd)
The latest weather forecast.
WED 13:00 World at One (b01f65wf)
National and international news. Listeners can share their views via email: wato@bbc.co.uk or on twitter: #wato.
WED 13:45 The People's Passion (b01f65wh)
Cathedral Conversation - Art and Architecture
Art and Architecture: novelist Salley Vickers and architect Ptolemy Dean discuss the timeless beauty of Salisbury Cathedral. Salley has written about cathedral art in several of her books. Ptolemy advises on restoration works for cathedrals including Salisbury. Together they take a tour that begins in the roof-space ('like a Wiltshire barn') and ends in the Chapter House with its famous carved scenes from the Bible.
Producer, Peter Everett.
WED 14:00 The Archers (b01f5mmm)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Tuesday]
WED 14:15 Drama (b01f65wk)
The People's Passion
Last Supper
Cathedrals still dominate our city centres: once symbols of temporal power, of technological wonder, a vital part of our musical health, and more recently the focus of protest and appeals to a new morality - what do they mean to us now?
Originally broadcast during Holy Week, The People's Passion explores how our great cathedrals offer an image of the contradictions of faith in twenty-first century Britain.
The People's Passion Mass and Easter Anthem, composed specially for the series by Sasha Johnson Manning, with lyrics written by the poet Michael Symmons Roberts, not only features in the programmes, but was made freely available by the BBC, and sung by a hundred and fifty choirs around Britain and across the world, during Easter 2012, including Easter Day Worship on Radio 4, from Manchester Cathedral.
3/5: Last Supper
by Nick Warburton
When Clive, the Cathedral's Vice Dean, invites his girlfriend Jo to tea; and Graham, one of the vergers, is bullied into feeding a troublesome visitor... neither man knows quite what's in store for him.
Produced and Directed by Jonquil Panting
Original music by Sasha Johnson Manning, with lyrics by Michael Symmons Roberts.
Performed by:
Manchester Chamber Choir, directed by Christopher Stokes, with Jeffrey Makinson (organ), Rob Shorter (tenor), Rebecca Whettam (cello), Jahan Hunter (trumpet) and Holly Marland (recorder).
BBC Singers with Eleanor Gregory (soprano), Margaret Cameron (alto), Chris Bowen (tenor), Stephen Charlesworth (bass) and Andrew Earis (piano).
Andrew Kirk (organ), and the choir of Saint Mary Redcliffe, Bristol.
WED 15:00 Money Box Live (b01f676q)
Despite the challenging economic conditions, the number of small businesses in the UK continues to grow.
A number of Government initiatives were launched last month aimed at helping small firms.
The National Loan Guarantee Scheme will aid businesses with cheaper finance by reducing the cost of bank loans under the scheme by 1%.
Key announcements for business in the Budget two weeks ago week include: a cut in the main rate of Corporation Tax from 26% to 24% next month; the Enterprise Management Incentive scheme will provide additional help to start-ups; and the Government is consulting on how to make it easier for sole traders and small businesses to calculate their taxable income.
Are you starting a small business and want advice on the best way of going about it?
Do you run a small business and want help on calculating your tax?
If you are approaching your bank for a loan what must you bear in mind?
What are the biggest issues facing your business?
Are you struggling with unsecured or secured debt?
Is the Government doing enough to support small business?
Joining Vincent Duggleby on the programme:
Iestyn Davies, Federation of Small Businesses
Mike Warburton, Grant Thornton
James Henry, Business Debtline
Peter Ibbotson, Natwest/RBS
Presenter: Vincent Duggleby
Producer: lesley McAlpine
Lines open at
1pm. The number to ring 03700 100 444.
WED 15:30 Inside Health (b01f5mn6)
[Repeat of broadcast at
21:00 on Tuesday]
WED 16:00 Thinking Allowed (b01f676s)
Steeltown - Life after Burberry
When the factories close, what happens to the communities they leave behind? In this week's programme, Laurie investigates the effects of industrial decline in Wales, examining in-depth sociological studies of the residents of two industrial Welsh towns.
Professor Valerie Walkerdine discusses the impact of the closure of the steelworks in 'Steeltown.' How does an community cope when its focal point finally closes? How does the community attempt to maintain a sense of identity? How do young men deal with the embarrassment of being branded "mammy's boys" for having to take on 'feminine' work? And how do women manage to hold the community together?
Also in the programme, Jean Jenkins tells Laurie about her research on how the closure of the Burberry factory in Treorchy affected non-work life for the workers concerned. Many people found part time work, but did that really improve their life at home?
Producer: Charlie Taylor.
WED 16:30 The Media Show (b01f676v)
James Murdoch's resignation
How much will BSkyB and Sky News miss James Murdoch after his resignation yesterday and what is the bigger picture for the Murdoch family's NewsCorp? Are the interests of the family and the shareholders diverging? That's the discussion between media analyst Mathew Horsman of Mediatique, US National Public Radio media correspondent David Folkenflik and former Guardian editor Peter Preston.
The Leveson Inquiry reaches the end of its second stage today, focussing on whether the relationship between the press and police acts in the public interest. It comes after concerns that some former Met Police officers became too close to staff at the News of the World. Sean O'Neill of The Times and Anne Pickles of The Cumberland News discuss how working relations with police have changed since the News of the World closed last July. Peter Preston looks ahead the next stage of the Leveson Inquiry later this month, when news proprietors and politicians will be cross examined.
And what is riding on the success of Britain's Got Talent and The Voice? Should Simon Cowell be concerned if The Voice becomes the most talked about singing talent show while The X Factor is off air? Colin Robertson, The Sun's TV editor, gives his views.
The producer is Simon Tillotson.
WED 17:00 PM (b01f676x)
Eddie Mair presents full coverage and analysis of the day's news.
WED 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b01d44r5)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
WED 18:30 The Castle (b01fcpbh)
Series 3
The Dragon of Mass Destruction
Hie ye to The Castle, a rollicking sitcom set way back then, starring James Fleet ("The Vicar Of Dibley", "Four Weddings & A Funeral") and Neil Dudgeon ("Life Of Riley")
In this episode, De Warenne is in trouble as an official enquiry into the Crusades gets mixed up with a Talent Competition and a Dragon of Mass Destruction. Plus embroidery gets a right dissing.
Cast:
Sir John Woodstock ..... James Fleet
Sir William De Warenne ...... Neil Dudgeon
Lady Anne Woodstock Martha Howe-Douglas
Cardinal Duncan ...... Jonathan Kydd
Lady Charlotte ...... Ingrid Oliver
Master Henry Woodstock ...... Steven Kynman
Merlin ...... Lewis Macleod
Written by Kim Fuller & Paul Alexander
Music by Guy Jackson
Produced and directed by David Tyler
A Pozzitive production for BBC Radio 4.
WED 19:00 The Archers (b01f676z)
David and Josh are busy clearing the site for the slurry tank. Eddie shows up and gives them a hand with moving some tyres. Pip and Ruth stop by on their way to collect eggs and take photographs of the hens to put onto the Brookfield blog. Eddie notices that Josh is a good worker and sportsman and reflects on how he thinks George will be similar.
Pip says she'll update the blog if she has time before going to Young Farmers. She thinks most of the conversation will revolve around lambing, seeing as Schmallenberg's on everyone's minds.
At the deer barn, Brian's trying to create a relaxed working atmosphere. He tells Adam that for once he's remembered to buy Jennifer an Easter egg in good time, and also about the Parish Council's interest on the BL land for a five-a-side pitch. Later at the polytunnels, Adam tells Jennifer that he's finding it difficult to act naturally with Brian and he can tell Brian's making a big effort. Adam's admits hoping that something will turn up and derail the whole damned dairy project.
WED 19:15 Front Row (b01fjtjj)
Julianne Moore as Sarah Palin in HBO's Game Change
Julianne Moore and Ed Harris star in Game Change, HBO's television dramatisation of the 2008 Presidential Election. Moore plays Sarah Palin, the Alaskan governor plucked from relative obscurity to give Ed Harris' John McCain some much needed star power. Clare Short and Peter Hitchens review the programme.
Brit Award and Mercury Music Prize-nominated musician Richard Hawley first found success as a member of the Longpigs and later, Pulp. His subsequent solo music has been strongly influenced by his childhood in Sheffield but his latest album is a change of musical direction. Standing at the Sky's Edge is a psychedelic rock album that Hawley describes less black and white than previous material. He told Mark why it was time to focus on more intricate guitar playing.
As Swedish author Sven Lindqvist celebrates his 80th birthday, he explains why he thinks all his books are the same.
Producer Nicki Paxman.
WED 19:45 15 Minute Drama (b01f65w7)
[Repeat of broadcast at
10:45 today]
WED 20:00 Unreliable Evidence (b01d44rm)
Joint Enterprise
In the first of a new series, Clive Anderson and guests discuss the controversial law of joint enterprise under which people can be convicted of murder even if they didn't physically participate in an assault or strike the fatal blow.
Francis Fitzgibbon QC, who has defended people in joint enterprise cases, argues that this complex and unwieldy law is being applied indiscriminately to combat gang violence, and is leading to miscarriages of justice.
Solicitor Simon Natas calls for the law to be changed to make it necessary to prove that a defendant intended that someone should be killed or seriously injured.
But Mark Heywood QC who has prosecuted in the trials of people accused of murder following the death of a young man during a knife attack by a gang in Victoria Station, defends the way joint enterprise law is currently being applied.
Producer: Brian King
An Above The Title production for BBC Radio 4.
WED 20:45 Lent Talks (b01f67bd)
Sr Gemma Simmonds CJ
Six well-known figures reflect on how the Lenten story of Jesus's ministry and Passion.
WED 21:00 Costing the Earth (b01f5ld3)
[Repeat of broadcast at
15:30 on Tuesday]
WED 21:30 Midweek (b01f65w3)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:00 today]
WED 21:58 Weather (b01f06w5)
The latest weather forecast.
WED 22:00 The World Tonight (b01f67bg)
Somalia's Prime Minister survives a suicide which kills seven people.We hear how militants are entrenching across East and West Africa.
French Socialist challenger , Francois Hollande promises to cut ministers' salaries . Why France is turning to the Far Left
Robin Lustig's special report on South Africa's underperforming economy.
WED 22:45 Book at Bedtime (b01f67bj)
The Snow Child
Episode 3
Jack and Mabel hope that a fresh start in 'Alaska, our newest homeland' will enable them to put the strain of their childless marriage behind them. But the northern wilderness proves as unforgiving as it is beautiful: Jack fears that he will collapse under the strain of creating a farm, and a lonely winter eats its way into Mabel's soul. When the first snow falls, the couple find themselves building a small figure - a snow girl. The next morning, their creation has gone, and they see a child running through the spruce trees. Gradually this child - an elusive, untameable little girl who hunts with a fox and is more at ease in the savage landscape than in the homestead - comes into their lives. But as their love for the snow child and for the land she opens up to them grows, so too does their awareness that it, and she, may break their hearts.
Written with the clarity and vividness of the Russian fairytale from which it takes its inspiration, The Snow Child is an instant classic.
Eowyn Ivey
Named after a character from Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, Eowyn Ivey currently works at an independent bookstore in Alaska. The Snow Child is her debut novel.
The reader is Miranda Richardson
The Snow Child was abridged by Doreen Estall and produced by Gemma McMullan.
WED 23:00 The Music Teacher (b01fcvy0)
Series 2
Episode 1
Richie Webb returns as multi-instrumentalist music teacher Nigel Penny.
A famous ex-pupil of Nigel's pitches up at the Arts Centre to make a 'where-it-all-began-for-me' documentary, and is keen to interview Nigel.
Whilst Nigel's preparations for the reunion are hampered by the usual array of frustrating pupils, Belinda attempts to use this tenuous connection to a celebrity to generate some much needed revenue for the Arts Centre.
Audio production by Matt Katz
Directed by Nick Walker
Written and produced by Richie Webb
A Top Dog 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 Lives in a Landscape (b01fd2tz)
Series 7
Between Brothers
Alan Dein follows the lives of two brothers - Alex, searching for a fresh start away from London gangs and his adopted brother JJ, who is poised for success on the London stage.
Alan charts the lives of Alex, JJ and parents Liz and Andreas as they cope with changes which will fundamentally shift the balance of their family life.
As JJ approaches 16 he must make decisions about his life and is preparing for auditions which could see him relaunch his acting career. This was put on hold five years earlier when the woman he knew as his 'mum' died and he was taken in by best friend Alex and adopted by Alex's parents, Andreas and Liz. Before this he had toured with productions like the King and I and his teachers believe he has the talent, drive and determination to succeed.
These are characteristics in short supply for Alex who is preparing to move to the Philippines to live with his maternal grandmother. He has been selling Cannabis and now owes money to a local gang. Excluded from school he sees little prospect of his life improving and welcomes the opportunity to start afresh somewhere new - even though that means leaving best friend JJ.
The recordings track events from the initial intervention of family therapists offering intensive support in London to the equally enticing offer from relatives abroad. As Alex prepares to leave England JJ prepares for the auditions which could seal his future and both brothers get use to the idea of living their separate lives.
THURSDAY 05 APRIL 2012
THU 00:00 Midnight News (b01d44s4)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.
THU 00:30 Book of the Week (b01fcmyg)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:45 on Wednesday]
THU 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b01d44s8)
The latest shipping forecast.
THU 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b01d44sb)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
THU 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b01d44sd)
The latest shipping forecast.
THU 05:30 News Briefing (b01d44sg)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.
THU 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b01f8l51)
A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day with The Most Reverend George Stack, Archbishop of Cardiff.
THU 05:45 Farming Today (b01f67fn)
Hundreds of horses are flying thousands of miles from all over the world to compete in the Olympics and Paralympics. Caz Graham speaks to Tim Dutta to hear how he will be sending the American horses in their jet stalls.
The Food Standards Agency is halting production of desinewed meat. The process is a way of removing bits of meat from bones using water pressure. The meat is normally put into kebabs and burgers. Now the European Commission wants this meat to be specifically labelled as 'Mechanically Separated Meat'.
And Caz walks along Hadrian's Wall to discover the economic benefit of taking a walk. Last year, the Hadrian's Wall National Trail generated an estimated £6.7 million for the local communities it passes through.
Presented by Caz Graham. Produced by Emma Weatherill.
THU 06:00 Today (b01f67y2)
Presented by James Naughtie and Sarah Montague. Including Sports Desk; Weather; Thought for the Day.
THU 09:00 In Our Time (b01f67y4)
George Fox and the Quakers
Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss the origins of Quakerism. In the mid-seventeenth century an itinerant preacher, George Fox, became the central figure of a group known as the Religious Society of Friends, whose members believed it was possible to obtain contact with Christ without priestly intercession. The Quakers, as they became known, rejected the established Church and what they saw as the artificial pomp and artifice of its worship. They argued for religious toleration and for the equality of men and women. Persecuted for many years, particularly after the Restoration of Charles II in 1660, the Quakers survived to become an influential religious group, known for their pacifism and philanthropy. With:Justin ChampionProfessor of the History of Early Modern Ideas at Royal Holloway, University of LondonJohn CoffeyProfessor of Early Modern History at the University of LeicesterKate PetersFellow in History at Murray Edwards College at the University of Cambridge.Producer: Thomas Morris.
THU 09:45 Book of the Week (b01fcmz1)
The Great Animal Orchestra
Episode 4
Read by Nigel Lindsay.
Krause explores how 'organisms evolve to acoustically structure their signals in special relationships to one another - co operative or competitive - much like an orchestral ensemble.'
Bernie Krause is the world's leading expert in natural sound. He has spent the last 40 years recording ecological soundscapes and has archived the sounds of over 15,000 species - half of the wild soundscapes he has on tape don't exist anymore because of human actions.
In The Great Animal Orchestra he invites us to listen through his ears to all three as he showcases singing trees, contrasting coasts, and the roar of the modern world.
Written by Bernie Krause
Adapted by Polly Coles
Producer: Clive Brill
A Pacificus production for BBC Radio 4.
THU 10:00 Woman's Hour (b01f67y6)
Herman German Friendship Cake
On the trail of the Herman the German Friendship cake. Where's he come from and why is he becoming so popular? Filmmaker Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy on her Oscar winning documentary 'Saving Face' - and the impact it's had in Pakistan. And we hear from some of the women who made up such a large part of the workforce of Tate and Lyle's factory in the East End of London: the so-called "sugar girls".
Presenter Jenni Murray.Producer Jane Thurlow.
THU 10:45 15 Minute Drama (b01f67y8)
Grazia Deledda - Reeds in the Wind
Episode 9
Grazia Deledda's powerful story of love, poverty, honour and retribution set in the rugged landscape of 1900's Sardinia. Dramatised by Linda Marshall Griffiths from a translation by Martha King.
Following Giacinto's accusation of murder Efix is haunted by memories of the past. Believing he is to blame for the downfall of the Pintor sisters he is compelled to leave- but where will he go?
EFIX.....John Lynch
GIACINTO.....Matthew McNulty
PREDU.....Conrad Nelson
Directed by Nadia Molinari.
THU 11:00 Crossing Continents (b01f67yb)
The Angola 2
Tim Franks looks at the case of two US inmates who have been held in solitary confinement in Louisiana for what will be 40 years this month. It's believed to be the longest period of time in US penal history. For most of their confinement Albert Woodfox and Herman Wallace were held in the Louisiana State Penitentiary, a prison often known as "Angola", after the origin of the people who worked there when it was a slave plantation. The two were originally imprisoned for armed robbery. The men who later became known as the Angola 2 were linked to the Black Panther party, and fought for better prison conditions for the black inmates, and an end to the widespread rape and harsh work conditions. While in prison there, they were charged with the murder of a prison guard, and convicted on the evidence of a prison inmate who had been promised his freedom if he testified against them. For most of the time since then they have been held in solitary confinement. The official reason has remained the same for 40 years: fear that the men would re-start their Black Panther-type activism and organise younger inmates as militants. The use of solitary confinement has been on the increase in the US - we ask are there good reasons for its use, and whether it is compatible with US law.
THU 11:30 Word for Word (b01f685t)
Half a century ago in Stoke-on-Trent a small dramatic revolution took place that reverberated round Britain's theatres. In among the Shakespeare, Ibsen, Moliere and Chekhov plays, radical director Peter Cheeseman slipped in a production about his theatre's neighbours. After interviewing local people who worked in the town's most famous industry and by using their real stories and actual words, Peter and his actors created The Jolly Potters. So, Verbatim Theatre was born.
Paul Allen visits The Potteries' New Vic Theatre to find out just how far 'verbatim theatre' has come. This month, in Where Have I Been All My Life?, actors wearing infra-red headsets will hear and re-present, word for word, what local people have said about their dreams and desires. The creator is Alecky Blythe, whose award-winning London Road was another powerful piece of verbatim theatre about the community living near the red light district of Ipswich.
Paul talks to Nicolas Kent, who commissioned research into last summer's riots (when the Government chose not to order an inquiry) and staged the results in The Riots at London's Tricycle Theatre. He hears about other dramatised investigations into the murders of Stephen Lawrence and anti-nuclear campaigner Hilda Murrell, the state of our railways, and the fight to save a steel works. Did those plays change anything?
And he asks about the moral dilemmas of how you shape the material, what you put in or leave out; and the pressures on actors knowing they are playing people watching them.
What is the role of theatre as a factual witness to society's crises, rather than telling imagined stories? Can verbatim theatre help us understand human stories better?
Producer: Chris Eldon Lee
A Culture Wise production for BBC Radio 4.
THU 12:00 You and Yours (b01f685w)
Solar Panels and Mortgages, Friends Reunited and Football Advertising
Could free rent-a-roof solar panel deals reduce your options when it comes to switching your mortgage? Or even make it more difficult to sell your house?
Also - a group of football supporters is trying to remove adverts for the payday loan company Wonga.com from their club websites. But how important are these ads to club revenue streams?
And when was the last time you looked at Friends Reunited? Britain's first big social networking website is relaunching itself as a place to share memories. But will it work?
THU 12:57 Weather (b01d51sn)
The latest weather forecast.
THU 13:00 World at One (b01f685y)
Martha Kearney presents the national and international news. Listeners can share their views via email: wato@bbc.co.uk or on twitter: #wato.
THU 13:45 The People's Passion (b01f6860)
Cathedral Conversation - Heroes and Heritage
Heroes and Heritage: Loyd Grossman, Chairman of The Churches Conservation Trust and Baroness Sherlock visit Durham Cathedral to discuss its history and its present importance. In 2001 Radio 4 listeners voted Durham Cathedral the best building in Britain. Sir Walter Scott called it "Half church of God, half castle 'gainst the Scot." The cathedral was founded in AD 1093 and built to hold the shrine of St Cuthbert of Lindisfarne. It has always been a place of pilgrimage and today receives 600,000 visitors a year. Producer, Peter Everett.
THU 14:00 The Archers (b01f676z)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Wednesday]
THU 14:15 Drama (b01f6862)
The People's Passion
Trial
Cathedrals still dominate our city centres: once symbols of temporal power, of technological wonder, a vital part of our musical health, and more recently the focus of protest and appeals to a new morality - what do they mean to us now?
Originally broadcast during Holy Week, The People's Passion explores how our great cathedrals offer an image of the contradictions of faith in twenty-first century Britain.
The People's Passion Mass and Easter Anthem, composed specially for the series by Sasha Johnson Manning, with lyrics written by the poet Michael Symmons Roberts, not only features in the programmes, but was made freely available by the BBC, and sung by a hundred and fifty choirs around Britain and across the world, during Easter 2012, including Easter Day Worship on Radio 4, from Manchester Cathedral.
4/5: Trial
by Nick Warburton
Who are all the statues in the Cathedral? Who remembers all the people named on the monuments? And why are there empty spaces? When Samir comes to the Cathedral, with a half-formed plan in his head and the means to carry it out in his bag, he finds out why.
Produced and Directed by Jonquil Panting
Original music by Sasha Johnson Manning, with lyrics by Michael Symmons Roberts.
Performed by:
Manchester Chamber Choir, directed by Christopher Stokes, with Jeffrey Makinson (organ), Rob Shorter (tenor), Rebecca Whettam (cello), Jahan Hunter (trumpet) and Holly Marland (recorder).
BBC Singers with Eleanor Gregory (soprano), Margaret Cameron (alto), Chris Bowen (tenor), Stephen Charlesworth (bass) and Andrew Earis (piano).
Andrew Kirk (organ), and the choir of Saint Mary Redcliffe, Bristol.
THU 15:00 Open Country (b01f6864)
Drought
As parts of the country face a hosepipe ban for the first time in 20 years, Jules Hudson is in Berkshire to find out how the drought is affecting the county.
Presenter: Jules Hudson
Producer: Helen Chetwynd.
THU 15:27 Radio 4 Appeal (b01f5913)
[Repeat of broadcast at
07:55 on Sunday]
THU 15:30 Bookclub (b01f5gvk)
[Repeat of broadcast at
16:00 on Sunday]
THU 16:00 The Film Programme (b01f6866)
Francine Stock meets with filmmaker Paolo Sorrentino to discuss This Must Be The Place, starring Sean Penn as a jaded rock star on a hunt for the Nazi who persecuted his father.
Morten Tyldum discusses his much praised Norwegian thriller, Headhunters.
As Headhunters is set to be given the Hollywood treatment, critics Tim Robey and Catherine Bray discuss the complex business of remakes.
And Four Weddings and a Funeral director Mike Newell professes his love for Jean Renoir's classic POW drama, La Grande Illusion.
Producer: Craig Smith.
THU 16:30 Material World (b01f6868)
We visit the Science Museum in London where a new exhibition has opened to show the influence of complex mathematical models on the work of sculptor Henry Moore.
We discuss why the makers of a new comedy film staring a cartoon version of Charles Darwin felt it necessary to drop the word 'scientists' from the title for international release.
And we look behind the government plans to allow the security services greater access to our online data, emails and text messages. We ask what information could really be gleaned by subjecting such data to algorithmic analysis.
THU 17:00 PM (b01f686b)
Full coverage and analysis of the day's news.
THU 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b01d51tf)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
THU 18:30 Alex Horne Presents The Horne Section (b01d51th)
Series 1
With David O'Doherty
In a new brand music comedy series comedian Alex Horne and his 5 piece band give us a latin lesson; ponder the language that unifies us all and guest comedian David O Doherty takes us for a noisy ride in the 'quiet carriage'.
Host .... Alex Horne
Trumpet/banjo .... Joe Auckland
Saxophone/clarinet ....Mark Brown
Double Bass/Bass .... Will Collier
Drums and Percussion .... Ben Reynolds
Piano/keyboard .... Joe Stilgoe
Guest performer ....David O'Doherty
Producer .... Julia McKenzie.
THU 19:00 The Archers (b01f68ff)
Alice is the only witness of Chris's first creation in the new forge. He's decided to make a Mjolnir, also known as 'Thor's Hammer', to put up on the wall where Ronnie used to hang his lucky horseshoe. Chris chisels runes for strength, luck and eternal love on it as well. Alice enjoys flirting with him while he works over the anvil - especially as they haven't had much time to themselves with Jennifer always making an appearance. However, Jennifer shows up later with a bottle of champagne and is oblivious to not being wanted there. That is, until she notices that Alice seems to wearing little more that her blacksmith's apron!
Brian's furious after reading yet another negative article in The Echo. Jennifer's concerned to get Brian to contain himself and sit down to dinner, but Brian's adamant to get it sorted out straight away.
Tom's in a rush to get back home to dinner with Brenda after a very busy day. Pat wonders whether there would be any way Tom could get Tony involved more, as Tony is used to being relied upon. Being house-bound is clearly proving to be frustrating for him. Tom says he'll think of something.
THU 19:15 Front Row (b01f68fh)
Graham Coxon interviewed; Mirror, Mirror reviewed
John Wilson talks to Blur guitarist Graham Coxon about his latest solo album A + E. He reveals his plans for the future of the band and his own career
Historian Tom Holland discusses his latest opus, In The Shadow Of The Sword, a history of Islam.
Connie Fisher found fame when she won the role of Maria, in a West End production of The Sound of Music, through a BBC talent competition. But after vocal surgery, it's a role she'll never be able to sing again. She's back on stage, with a new voice, in a new production of Leonard Bernstein's musical comedy Wonderful Town. Writer Martin Jameson reviews.
Larushka Ivan-Zadeh reviews Mirror, Mirror, the first of two screen adaptations of Snow White due out this year. In this version, Julia Roberts essays the part of the wicked Queen. But will she be the fairest in the land ?
Producer Stephen Hughes.
THU 19:45 15 Minute Drama (b01f67y8)
[Repeat of broadcast at
10:45 today]
THU 20:00 The Report (b01f68mh)
Kenya Terror: The British Connection?
Samantha Lewthwaite, the widow of a 7/7 bomber who killed half of the 52 victims, is suspected of involvement in a Kenya terror plot. Following the London atrocities, Germaine Lindsay's partner, also a Muslim convert, claimed no knowledge of his activities and dropped off the intelligence services' radar.
Simon Cox investigates the story of the white woman resembling Lewthwaite, who travelled into Kenya with three children on a false passport. She has been linked to a house in Mombasa where bomb making equipment was found. The house is believed to have been used by members of al-Shabaab, the al-Qaeda associated group based in neighbouring Somalia and blamed for violent attacks in the area.
The terrorist group, known for recruiting from the Somali diaspora is now also targeting British Muslims from other backgrounds. The horn of Africa has become the latest training ground for potential jihadists who represent a threat not only in that area, but in Britain too.
There's evidence that the woman believed to be Lewthwaite travelled between the UK, Somalia and Kenya last year, and security experts are asking why her movements weren't picked up. And The Report has learned that in light of developments it's likely that there will be a reassessment of the 7/7 evidence.
Producer, Sally Chesworth.
THU 20:30 In Business (b01f68mk)
Growing Old
As Baby Boomers start turning 65, many countries are quite suddenly growing old. The trend means
big changes for the economy, healthcare, social life..and a challenge to the assumptions by which we have
lived life for the past two centuries. Peter Day explains why.
THU 21:00 Nature (b01f5lcn)
[Repeat of broadcast at
11:00 on Tuesday]
THU 21:30 In Our Time (b01f67y4)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:00 today]
THU 21:58 Weather (b01f06x8)
The latest weather forecast.
THU 22:00 The World Tonight (b01f68sc)
The case of Babar Ahmed - the British citizen held for seven years without charge pending extradition to the US on terror charges. We have a special report.
Wakefield Cathedral says it can't afford to continue renovations after changes in the Budget.
The candidates for London Mayor all publish their tax returns. Will this set a precedent for all politicians?
With Robin Lustig.
THU 22:45 Book at Bedtime (b01f68sf)
The Snow Child
Episode 4
Jack and Mabel hope that a fresh start in 'Alaska, our newest homeland' will enable them to put the strain of their childless marriage behind them. But the northern wilderness proves as unforgiving as it is beautiful: Jack fears that he will collapse under the strain of creating a farm, and a lonely winter eats its way into Mabel's soul. When the first snow falls, the couple find themselves building a small figure - a snow girl. The next morning, their creation has gone, and they see a child running through the spruce trees. Gradually this child - an elusive, untameable little girl who hunts with a fox and is more at ease in the savage landscape than in the homestead - comes into their lives. But as their love for the snow child and for the land she opens up to them grows, so too does their awareness that it, and she, may break their hearts.
Written with the clarity and vividness of the Russian fairytale from which it takes its inspiration, The Snow Child is an instant classic.
Eowyn Ivey
Named after a character from Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, Eowyn Ivey currently works at an independent bookstore in Alaska. The Snow Child is her debut novel.
The reader is Miranda Richardson
The Snow Child was abridged by Doreen Estall and produced by Gemma McMullan.
THU 23:00 Wireless Nights (b01f68sh)
Series 1
Overnight Delivery
Jarvis Cocker prowls the dark, finding stories of the night people in a Prix Italia winning series.
Tonight, in an edition which won the Prix Italia for Extraordinary Originality and Innovation - a top European radio prize - the theme is Overnight Delivery. Jarvis boards the red-eye, taking a transatlantic flight of the imagination - peering down at the human dramas beneath as the world slowly rotates - accompanied by Jarvis' own musical selections.
As Jarvis reaches cruising altitude, he finds himself gripped by the compelling life and death stories of a shepherdess in the midst of a very difficult birth, a transplant nurse on late shift and a priest who performs the role of deliverance ministry - in layman's terms: exorcism.
But this dark night is not without light relief, as Jarvis muses on the trying experience of long haul air travel, revealing his own antidote to a fear of flying: Hugh Grant.
Producer: Laurence Grissell
THU 23:30 Lives in a Landscape (b0100h5j)
Series 7
The Shoot
Alan Dein follows the fortunes of Iraq veteran turned wedding photographer Stefan Edwards as he contends with the difficulties of life on civvy street and tries to cut himself a slice of the increasingly competitive wedding market.
It's a March wedding for Lorraine and Richard from Newport and photographer Stefan Edwards exudes an air of military authority as he helps to chronicle the pair's big day. On the inside, though, Stefan's every bit as nervous as the couple anxiously awaiting the exchanging of vows. For Stefan's a newcomer to the wedding photography business - six months previously, he'd been out in Iraq using his camera to chronicle the war ravaged country, first for the British army and then for a private security contractor.
Having visited virtually every corner of Iraq, Stefan eventually decided to return to the UK to be with his Newport-based family who'd grown increasingly concerned at his absence. With steady work hard to find, Stefan has decided to go into the photography business, swapping one risk for another. Alan Dein joins him at the start of the wedding season as he attempts to drum up trade for his new venture and put the trauma of Iraq behind him.
Producer: Laurence Grissell.
FRIDAY 06 APRIL 2012
FRI 00:00 Midnight News (b01d51vb)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.
FRI 00:30 Book of the Week (b01fcmz1)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:45 on Thursday]
FRI 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b01d51vg)
The latest shipping forecast.
FRI 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b01d51vj)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
FRI 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b01d51vl)
The latest shipping forecast.
FRI 05:30 News Briefing (b01d51vn)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.
FRI 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b01f8l55)
A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day with The Most Reverend George Stack, Archbishop of Cardiff.
FRI 05:45 Farming Today (b01f69zz)
Wales will open a path running along its entire coast next month, but England is only one stretch of path closer to complete coastal access. The Lib Dems and Labour say progress in England has been disappointing, but the Environment Minister Richard Benyon tells Caz Graham that he inherited an over-complicated system from the previous government. He denies that the England coastal path project has been kicked into the long grass. Also in the programme, job losses at the RSPCA.
Presenter: Caz Graham Producer: Sarah Swadling.
FRI 06:00 Today (b01f6b01)
Morning news and current affairs, with Sarah Montague and Evan Davis, featuring:
0722
Burma's elections last weekend have focused world attention on the country's political system but what about everyday life there? Have the democratic reforms that have swept this member of former President Bush's so called "axis of evil" been matched by economic and social ones? Mike Thomson, who has just returned from the country, has the latest in his series of reports.
0752
Eight Metropolitan Police officers and another member of staff have been suspended while the Independent Police Complaints Commission investigates complaints of racism against the force. Another 12 officers are also being investigated. Dr Richard Stone, who was a member of the Stephen Lawrence inquiry has penned an open letter to the Met Police chief commissioner, calling on him to show leadership and suggesting that that is what has been missing all along. Dr Stone and Superintendent Leroy Logan, the founder and past chair of the Black Police Federation, outline their views.
0821
A pleasant bank holiday: what better to do than go fishing? A new book explains why fishing is becoming a more accessible hobby, as our urban rivers are getting cleaner and sustaining fish, so the sport is right there for city dwellers who may not realise it. The book is called Trout in Dirty Places. The book's author, Theo Pike, and a friend of his took took Evan Davis to one of those places to witness the joys of urban angling.
0833
Twenty years ago today war broke out in Europe - the small state of Bosnia fell apart as religious and ethnic divisions erupted. Our correspondent Allan Little covered the war for the BBC. He gives us some of his personal, and painful, reflections from that time.
FRI 09:00 The Reunion (b01f596z)
[Repeat of broadcast at
11:15 on Sunday]
FRI 09:45 Book of the Week (b01fcn00)
The Great Animal Orchestra
Episode 5
Read by Nigel Lindsay.
Having explored the worlds of inanimate and animal sound, Krause turns to the sounds and noises generated by modern human beings and their effects on the non-human world around them.
Bernie Krause is the world's leading expert in natural sound. He has spent the last 40 years recording ecological soundscapes and has archived the sounds of over 15,000 species - half of the wild soundscapes he has on tape don't exist anymore because of human actions.
In The Great Animal Orchestra he invites us to listen through his ears to all three as he showcases singing trees, contrasting coasts, and the roar of the modern world.
Written by Bernie Krause
Adapted by Polly Coles
Producer: Clive Brill
A Pacificus production for BBC Radio 4.
FRI 10:00 Woman's Hour (b01f6b03)
Blitz children, the role of women in the Passion story, Kirtana Vallabhaneni, Madonna and phonics testing
Madonna's latest album has entered the charts at number one making her the most successful solo artist in UK history. We discuss the singer, dancer, actor, director, children's author and businesswoman who has been at the centre of popular culture for nearly thirty years.
Blitz children - the children whose parents refused to bow to official pressure and kept their children with them. One might assume that children evacuated out to the countryside were 'the lucky ones' but it wasn't necessarily the case.
Why some teachers believe testing of phonics for all Year One pupils is unnecessary and inappropriate.
Eighteen year old Kirtana Vallabhaneni from the Wirral is the new UK Young Scientist of the Year. She talks about her research work on pancreatic cancer and chemotherapy.
And the re-telling of the Passion story where Jesus is played by a twelve year old girl and Mary is played by a mother during the First World War. We discuss the role of women in the Passion story.
FRI 10:45 15 Minute Drama (b01f6b05)
Grazia Deledda - Reeds in the Wind
Episode 10
Grazia Deledda's powerful story of love, poverty, honour and retribution set in the rugged landscape of 1900's Sardinia. Dramatised by Linda Marshall Griffiths from a translation by Martha King.
Hearing that Giacinto will marry Grixenda, leaving Noemi free to marry Predu, Efix returns to the village. Will Efix finally be at peace with his conscience?
EFIX.....John Lynch
NOEMI.....Charlotte Emmerson
ESTER.....Deborah McAndrew
GIACINTO.....Matthew McNulty
PREDU.....Conrad Nelson
Directed by Nadia Molinari.
FRI 11:00 In Search of Originality (b01fd4v4)
Is it still possible to do anything truly original? And why should we care if it isn't? Ian Peacock finds out, with a challenge to come up with just one original thought of his own: a new sound to end a radio programme.
'Creation is the art of concealing your sources' is a mantra attributed to any number of great thinkers, Einstein among them. And if we are not convinced that Einstein was original, who is?
In his trademark quirky but thoughtful style, Ian Peacock sets off on a Kafkaesque quest for true originality. But his infectious optimism quickly begins to crack. Doubts set in during a trip to the UK Patent Office, surely a bastion of unalloyed originality. Patents it seems are rarely built on blinding flashes of inspiration, more on incremental development. And Ian's own inventions (a hamster wheel for cats and bleeping contact lenses amongst them) find surprisingly little enthusiasm.
For help he turns to Kane Kramer, self-proclaimed inventor of the digital audio player, who also runs a side-line helping people nurture their own creativity. Is there originality lurking within us all, or is this a gift you have to be born with? According to writer Winifred Gallagher, invention is an instinct lurking within all of us, if only you can work out how to harness it.
As Ian's increasingly philosophical journey evolves, ever more curious sounds emerge from a quartet of specially-engaged minds, holed up in a darkened anechoic chamber and challenged by Ian to devise the most original sound ever for the programme's finale. At times it sounds more like a children's party than a route to blinding new truths as this menagerie of professors and artists clank together random objects. The result, when at last it appears, turns out to be, well, interesting. Have these great brains achieved the ultimate alchemist's dream? Or are we doomed, in the era of the mash-up never to achieve originality again? And would that even matter?
FRI 11:30 Vital Statistics (b01f6b09)
How I Learned to Drive
By Nick Payne.
Now that his girlfriend Anna has moved all the way to Cornwall to be a chef, Gary must either get over his fear of public transport or learn to drive. But however hard he tries, Gary keeps failing his test. It's lucky for him that his case has landed on the desk of Agent Y - who's about to intervene with his statistical superpowers.
Cast:
Agent Y . . . . . Karl Theobald
Gary . . . . . Al Weaver
Anna . . . . . Amaka Okafor
Antonia . . . . . Susie Riddell
Neil . . . . . James Lailey
Terrence . . . . . Peter Hamilton Dyer
Fiona . . . . . Christine Absalom
Directed by Sasha Yevtushenko
Developed with James Robinson.
Studio managers: Caleb Knightley and Keith Graham.
Editors: Keith Graham and Peter Ringrose.
Production Co-ordinator: Jessica Brown.
FRI 12:00 You and Yours (b01f6bf2)
Plans to limit unannounced inspections could make it more difficult to tackle rogue traders, Trading Standards tell us. We visit an allotments for animals. We look at what changes to the ATOL system, which protects those flying abroad, will mean in practice. A new website set-up by a former boss of Waterstone's boasts that it will offer "all the e-books in the world" - will it succeed? Plus a hospital has been offering women who had PIP breast implants cheap replacements. Although inline with what the health select committee recommended, they admit they are doing so because they a misunderstood Department of Health policy. And, why planting sun flower seeds might help finish the work of one the 20th century's greatest mathematicians.
The producer is Joe Kent.
FRI 12:52 The Listening Project (b01f6bf4)
Love: Beryl and Graham
In Radio 4's new series, mounted in conjunction with the British Library, Fi Glover introduces another set of encounters capturing the nation in conversation. Graham visits his grandmother Beryl from Hull to talk about closeness, relationships and her late-flowering love for her second husband who won her heart when he picked her up in his Reliant Robin.
The Listening Project is a new initiative for Radio 4 that aims to offer a sort of snapshot of contemporary Britain in which people across the UK volunteer to have a conversation with someone close to them about a subject they've never discussed intimately before. Listeners are given a unique opportunity to eavesdrop on these moments of closeness that capture the essence both of a special relationship and of something that really matters to them both.
The conversations are being gathered across the UK by teams of producers from local and national radio stations who facilitate each encounter. Every conversation - they're not BBC interviews, and that's an important difference - lasts up to an hour, and is then edited to extract the key moment of connection between the participants. Many of the long conversations are being archived by the British Library which they will use to build up a collection of voices capturing a unique portrait of the UK in the second decade of the millennium, while Radio 4 is broadcasting three of these jewel-like moments each Friday, with an omnibus on Sundays at
2.45pm. You can upload your own conversations or just learn more about The Listening Project by visiting bbc.co.uk/listeningproject
The next conversation is before the PM programme.
FRI 12:57 Weather (b01d6n2q)
The latest weather forecast.
FRI 13:00 World at One (b01f6bf6)
National and international news. Listeners can share their views via email: wato@bbc.co.uk or on twitter: #wato.
FRI 13:45 The People's Passion (b01f6bf8)
Cathedral Conversation - Belief and Belonging
Belief and Belonging: the philosopher John Gray visits Canterbury to discuss the cathedral and its meaning with the Archbishop, Dr Rowan Williams. What is the role and place of the cathedral in modern Britain. What is it about this unique sacred space that has the capacity to appeal to people of faith and, more particularly, those of no faith who may come for the music, the anonymity, the history or the ritual or a combination of all of these. Although John is an atheist, they find much in common when they consider the importance of this ancient building as a place of myth and mystery.
Producer, Peter Everett.
FRI 14:00 The Archers (b01f68ff)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Thursday]
FRI 14:15 Drama (b01f6bfb)
The People's Passion
The Road to Emmaus
Cathedrals still dominate our city centres: once symbols of temporal power, of technological wonder, a vital part of our musical health, and more recently the focus of protest and appeals to a new morality - what do they mean to us now?
Originally broadcast during Holy Week, The People's Passion explores how our great cathedrals offer an image of the contradictions of faith in twenty-first century Britain.
The People's Passion Mass and Easter Anthem, composed specially for the series by Sasha Johnson Manning, with lyrics written by the poet Michael Symmons Roberts, not only features in the programmes, but was made freely available by the BBC, and sung by a hundred and fifty choirs around Britain and across the world, during Easter 2012, including Easter Day Worship on Radio 4, from Manchester Cathedral.
5/5: The Road to Emmaus
by Nick Warburton
Good Friday is a big day for Robert, the Cathedral's Director of Music. And despite his attempts to clear his mind, it all keeps going out of kilter. In fact, as the Cathedral fills and empties for the afternoon service and the big evening performance by the Voluntary choir, no one - from lost tourists to late singers - seems to be quite themselves...
Produced and Directed by Jonquil Panting
Original music by Sasha Johnson Manning, with lyrics by Michael Symmons Roberts.
Performed by:
Manchester Chamber Choir, directed by Christopher Stokes, with Jeffrey Makinson (organ), Rob Shorter (tenor), Rebecca Whettam (cello), Jahan Hunter (trumpet) and Holly Marland (recorder).
BBC Singers with Eleanor Gregory (soprano), Margaret Cameron (alto), Chris Bowen (tenor), Stephen Charlesworth (bass) and Andrew Earis (piano).
Andrew Kirk (organ), and the choir of Saint Mary Redcliffe, Bristol.
FRI 15:00 Good Friday Liturgy (b01f6bfd)
A meditation on the Crucifixion in music and readings from Westminster Cathedral. Fr James Hanvey SJ reflects on the final moments of Christ's earthly journey and how we continue to encounter the Crucified Christ in our daily lives. With traditional music from the world famous Westminster Cathedral Choir, readings from the Gospel accounts of Christ's Passion and poetry, Fr Hanvey explores how it is from the margins of society as well as the margins of our comprehension that we stand at the foot of the Cross.
Master of Music: Martin Baker
Assistant Master of Music: Peter Stevens
Producer: Mark O'Brien.
FRI 15:30 One to One (b0157l1x)
Lyse Doucet with Masood Khalili
One to One is a new series of interviews on Radio 4 in which well respected broadcasters follow their personal passions by talking to the people whose stories interest them most.
The first set of interviews will be presented by Lyse Doucet.
Lyse Doucet has a long-standing connection to the country and people of Afghanistan; she's reported from there for over 20 years.
Over the next four weeks Lyse will be in conversation with Afghans - young and old, living at home and abroad - to hear their remarkable stories. This month marks the 10th anniversary of the American-led invasion of Afghanistan, a good time to reflect on recent history and consider the future.
Masood Khalili is Afghanistan's Ambassador to Spain, but he's also a poet who says his life is "10% about politics and 90% about culture".
On the 9th of September 2001, he was the only survivor of an Al Qaeda suicide bomb attack which killed his friend and legendary military leader, Ahmad Shah Masood. An attack which is regarded as a pre-cursor to 9/11.
Khalili's injuries were so severe that he was lucky to live and can no longer endure the dry, dusty conditions of his homeland. Lyse Doucet went to see him in Madrid where he described the bomb blast and the impact it has had on him.
He also talked about his occasional visits to, and memories of, his beloved garden near Kabul. That garden is a metaphor for the way he regards his country -
"I see a flower there and it's blossoming and I say my country will be ok. my country will be like that flower".
Producer: Karen Gregor.
FRI 15:45 Made in Bristol (b01f6cgs)
Series 2
Birdsong Man
In the first of a series of specially commissioned sound stories from the More Than Words Festival in Bristol, Paul Mundell reads Birdsong Man by Timothy X Atack. Every morning, out in the forest, an hour before dawn, Birdsong Man fixes microphones to the trees and in between the rocks. And every night, in the lonely hours, he gets a phone call asking for his progress. Who are the recordings for, and why has he been asked to make them?
Timothy X Atack is a scriptwriter, film director and musician who makes fictions for stage, screen, audio and installation in which music and sound are integral to the storytelling. He's in a band called Angel Tech and is co-founder of performance group Sleepdogs.
Producer: Sara Davies.
FRI 16:00 Last Word (b01f6cgv)
Bill Wedderburn, Adrienne Rich, Tom Lodge, Howard Anderson, Cecil Sharpley
Jane Little on:
Bill Wedderburn, brilliant scholar, public lawyer, and trade union hero.
Adrienne Rich, one of the most respected, widely-read, and radical American poets of the last half century.
Tom Lodge, whose multiple careers ranged from cowboy to pirate radio DJ to Zen Buddhist Master.
Howard Anderson, television producer who helped pioneer the filming of Parliament.
And drummer, Cedric Sharpley, the human influence in Gary Numan's futuristic pop music.
FRI 16:30 Feedback (b01f6cgx)
Presented by Roger Bolton
Can anything be done to make Radio 4 comedy appeal to a wider audience? The writers of Ed Reardon's Week and North by Northamptonshire, along with Radio 4's comedy commissioning editor, discuss.
The BBC's Complaints system is being overhauled. Find out more about how you can have your say on what needs to be done to make it better.
It's been five months since BBC local radio listeners first complained about the strange clicks, crackle and pops they hear when listening online. So why is it still not fixed? The man in charge tries to explain what's gone wrong.
And the producer of Start the Week explains how she goes about slashing a third of the programme every week for the shortened evening repeat.
Producer: Karen Pirie
A Whistledown production for BBC Radio 4.
FRI 16:55 The Listening Project (b01f6cgz)
Merseybeat: Cy and Lucy
In Radio 4's new series, mounted in conjunction with the British Library, Fi Glover introduces another set of encounters capturing the nation in conversation. Cy is a music legend from Liverpool who's known almost all the great names over the years; he's in conversation with his granddaughter Lucy about the glory days.
The Listening Project is a new initiative for Radio 4 that aims to offer a sort of snapshot of contemporary Britain in which people across the UK volunteer to have a conversation with someone close to them about a subject they've never discussed intimately before. Listeners are given a unique opportunity to eavesdrop on these moments of closeness that capture the essence both of a special relationship and of something that really matters to them both.
The conversations are being gathered across the UK by teams of producers from local and national radio stations who facilitate each encounter. Every conversation - they're not BBC interviews, and that's an important difference - lasts up to an hour, and is then edited to extract the key moment of connection between the participants. Many of the long conversations are being archived by the British Library which they will use to build up a collection of voices capturing a unique portrait of the UK in the second decade of the millennium, while Radio 4 is broadcasting three of these jewel-like moments each Friday, with an omnibus on Sundays at
2.45pm. You can upload your own conversations or just learn more about The Listening Project by visiting bbc.co.uk/listeningproject
The next conversation is before the midnight news.
FRI 17:00 PM (b01f6ch1)
Coverage and analysis of the day's news.
FRI 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b01d6n3m)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
FRI 18:30 The News Quiz (b01f6ch3)
Series 77
Episode 1
A satirical review of the week's news, chaired by Sandi Toksvig. With Andy Hamilton, Rick Wakeman, Miles Jupp and Jeremy Hardy.
FRI 19:00 The Archers (b01f6ch5)
Jazzer's keen to get more names for the Bull's quiz night. He tells Tony that Harry calmed down when he found out it was Molly Button's idea to put the itching powder in his cycling shorts. Jazzer confessed to Harry when Molly put a rubber tarantula on his saddle.
Annabelle and Brian meet to discuss the article from The Echo. Brian's worried about the impact it will have on the planning committee. Brian tells Annabelle he met with Rufus who had plenty of ideas. One of these is promoting that that their milk will produce lower greenhouse emissions per unit of milk than smaller outdoor herds. A letter in response will be published in The Echo as well as an article in The Courier. Radio Borsetshire and other independent stations will also broadcast positive coverage. They hope it's not too late to turn things around.
Tom gets a warning from Brenda that if he carries on the way he is he'll end up exhausting himself. Tom says he realises why Tony was so unhappy when he missed a few morning milkings before the heart attack. Eventually, Tom comes up with a plan to keep Tony busy - Tony can do all the admin for the veg boxes.
FRI 19:15 Front Row (b01f6ch7)
Photography special: Bailey, McCullin, O'Neill, Benson
John Wilson talks to four leading photographers of the same generation whose careers began in the 1960s and whose images have become classics of their time, from the pages of Vogue magazine to the Vietnam war, and the death of Bobby Kennedy.
David Bailey, Don McCullin, Terry O'Neill and Harry Benson discuss their approach to their new craft at a time when magazines and newspapers were beginning to change the way they used images, and offer tips on how to take the perfect photograph.
David Bailey discusses his approach to getting the best out of his fashion models in the studio, Terry O'Neill reflects on the changing role of photography and the arrival of the culture of celebrity; Don McCullin revisits the Vietnam war and its lasting effect on him as a photographer, and Harry Benson remembers the night he was standing next to presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy when he was shot, and describes the challenge of getting his images of the dying senator.
Producer Jerome Weatherald.
FRI 19:45 15 Minute Drama (b01f6b05)
[Repeat of broadcast at
10:45 today]
FRI 20:00 Any Questions? (b01f6ch9)
Sturminster Newton
Jonathan Dimbleby presents a panel discussion of news and politics from The Exchange, Sturminster Newton, Dorset, with UKIP leader, Nigel Farage; Labour MP, Ben Bradshaw; Conservative MP, John Redwood; and writer and comedian, Viv Groskop.
Producer: Victoria Wakely.
FRI 20:50 A Point of View (b01f6chc)
Cathedral Heritage
David Cannadine reflects at Easter time on the architectural glories of cathedrals and the part these buildings have played in our national history and culture. He traces early and more recent traditions and identifies the world wide impact of Anglican cathedral building during the era of the British Empire.
Producer: Sheila Cook.
FRI 21:00 Friday Drama (b01fhfyg)
Scream
Written by Boz Temple-Morris and Kris Hollington.
A crime caper telling the extraordinary but true story behind the theft of Edvard Munch's expressionist masterpiece from an Oslo museum in 2004.
Oslo police are closing in on the criminal mastermind behind an audacious cash robbery when two incompetent criminals burst into the Munch Museum and ask for directions to Norway's most famous painting. Amazingly, they emerge with two paintings, The Scream and The Madonna. So begins a high profile and often bizarre game of cat and mouse as police attempt to track down these national treasures and arrest those behind the robbery.
Could it be that the criminal mastermind, David Toska, has commissioned the theft of the Scream simply to divert police resources from the investigation into his cash robbery? So believes Iver Steinback, Norway's no 1 detective.
Even after Toska's arrest the police seem no closer to recovering the painting but police develop a bizarre negotiating tactic after Toska develops a voracious appetite for - chocolate.
Scream is made in collaboration with investigative journalist Kris Hollington and recorded entirely on location in Olso with Norway's leading actors.
Cast:
Kjell ....... Christian Rubeck
Inspector Steinbeck ....... Jargen Langhelle
Thomson ....... Mats Eldaen
Siegried ........ Henrik Horge
Petter ........ Stig-Henrik Hoff
Karl ....... Aksel Hennie
Elina ....... Ingrid Bolsa Berdal
Paal Enger and David Toska ....... Eric Madsen
Other parts were played by
Siri Ingul, Catherine Gram, Lars Engebretsen,
Endre Haukland, Josefine Coward, Bettina Fleischer and Axel Aubert.
Sound and music by Alisdair McGregor and Howard Jacques.
Director: Boz Temple-Morris
A Holy Mountain production for BBC Radio 4.
FRI 21:58 Weather (b01f06yf)
The latest weather forecast.
FRI 22:00 The World Tonight (b01f6chf)
As the Metropolitan Police faces more accusations of racism, we hear from a former officer and discuss how to reform the much criticised institution.
Remembering Sarajevo twenty years after the war.
And Robin Lustig reports on the ANC's political rule in South Africa.
The World Tonight with Ritula Shah in London, and Robin Lustig in South Africa.
FRI 22:45 Book at Bedtime (b01f6chh)
The Snow Child
Episode 5
Jack and Mabel hope that a fresh start in 'Alaska, our newest homeland' will enable them to put the strain of their childless marriage behind them. But the northern wilderness proves as unforgiving as it is beautiful: Jack fears that he will collapse under the strain of creating a farm, and a lonely winter eats its way into Mabel's soul. When the first snow falls, the couple find themselves building a small figure - a snow girl. The next morning, their creation has gone, and they see a child running through the spruce trees. Gradually this child - an elusive, untameable little girl who hunts with a fox and is more at ease in the savage landscape than in the homestead - comes into their lives. But as their love for the snow child and for the land she opens up to them grows, so too does their awareness that it, and she, may break their hearts.
Written with the clarity and vividness of the Russian fairytale from which it takes its inspiration, The Snow Child is an instant classic.
Eowyn Ivey
Named after a character from Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, Eowyn Ivey currently works at an independent bookstore in Alaska. The Snow Child is her debut novel.
The reader is Miranda Richardson
The Snow Child was abridged by Doreen Estall and produced by Gemma McMullan.
FRI 23:00 Great Lives (b01f5mmf)
[Repeat of broadcast at
16:30 on Tuesday]
FRI 23:27 Lives in a Landscape (b0106vcr)
Series 7
Readers' Lives
5. Readers' Lives. Every six weeks a group of women in affluent Putney by the Thames in south-west London meets to discuss a book they've all been reading. This is no casual club open to the public but a close knit circle of friends and bibliophiles whose group is exclusive. As Boat Race Saturday - spring highpoint of the social calendar - approaches, Alan Dein joins the women as they go about their daily lives to hear about their relationship with Putney, with each other and the meaning the book club has for them.
Producer: Neil McCarthy.
FRI 23:55 The Listening Project (b01f6chk)
Life's End: Jean and Rebecca
In Radio 4's new series, mounted in conjunction with the British Library, Fi Glover introduces the first of a series of encounters capturing the nation in conversation. Mother Jean talks intimately with her daughter Rebecca about the difficulties of ageing and failing health and how best to make your peace with the world.
The Listening Project is a new initiative for Radio 4 that aims to offer a sort of snapshot of contemporary Britain in which people across the UK volunteer to have a conversation with someone close to them about a subject they've never discussed intimately before. Listeners are given a unique opportunity to eavesdrop on these moments of closeness that capture the essence both of a special relationship and of something that really matters to them both.
The conversations are being gathered across the UK by teams of producers from local and national radio stations who facilitate each encounter. Every conversation - they're not BBC interviews, and that's an important difference - lasts up to an hour, and is then edited to extract the key moment of connection between the participants. Many of the long conversations are being archived by the British Library which they will use to build up a collection of voices capturing a unique portrait of the UK in the second decade of the millennium, while Radio 4 is broadcasting three of these jewel-like moments each Friday, with an omnibus on Sundays at
2.45pm. You can upload your own conversations or just learn more about The Listening Project by visiting bbc.co.uk/listeningproject
There is an omnibus edition of the Listening Project on Sunday at
2.45pm.