The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.
A report out today criticises the response of the Food Standards Agency to the horsemeat scandal. The Food Contamination report from the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee says there was confusion over the role of the organisation in a crisis and claims it lacks the powers needed to monitor the industry. Anna Hill hears about the changes needed to make the FSA a more "efficient and effective regulator."
We visit Holkham Hall, where 20 years ago 80% or 90% of the estate's income came from farming. Now it's more like 30%. So are country estates still viable agricultural businesses - or, in the 21st century, have they had to become theme parks to survive?
And new research has uncovered the identity of Europe's first landowners - Neolithic farmers. We hear how their farming methods and practices were more advanced than previously thought, and led to the formation of the community structures we have today.
Presented by Anna Hill. Produced by Datshiane Navanayagam.
Tweet of the Day is a series of fascinating stories about our British birds inspired by their calls and songs. Steve Backshall presents the kingfisher.
The Ancient Greeks knew the kingfisher as Halcyon and believed that the female built her nest on the waves, calming the seas while she brooded her eggs: hence the expression Halcyon days, which we use now for periods of tranquillity.
Kingfishers can bring in over 100 fish a day to their large broods and the resulting collection of bones and offal produces a stench that doesn't match the bird's attractive appearance.
Morning news and current affairs with Justin Webb and John Humphrys, including:
A Liberal Democrat review set up to help resolve coalition differences over replacing the UK's Trident nuclear deterrent is being published later. Sir Nick Harvey, a Liberal Democrat and was a defence minister until 2012, Phillip Hammond, Defence Secretary, debate whether there are better ways to spend public money.
Standards of care at 14 hospital trusts with the worst death rates in England are to be laid bare in a report later. Professor Sir Brian Jarman, who lead the Dr Foster group of experts from Imperial College, explains what his groups have already found, and Andy Burnham MP, health secretary in the last year of the Labour government, reflects on the way that the hospitals were run while he was in office.
Thousands of campers flocked to campsites all over the UK this weekend to enjoy the sun, the smell of sizzling bacon frying in a pan and the fresh morning dew underfoot. Benedict Allen, writer and explorer, and Fiona Russell, journalist and blogger, discuss whether one can be a true camper if you use a pop up tent.
Jonathan Freedland is at the National Coal Mining Museum in Wakefield to take the Long View of UK energy reserves.
Today the government and Gas extraction companies are taking stock after the publication of a report by the British Geological Survey of the potential of larger than expected Shale Gas reserves in the Bowland Basin - an area covering most of Lancashire and Yorkshire.
IN the early 19th century, with the help of new mining technology including steam powered machinery, it became increasingly clear that the Yorkshire coalfield stretched far further East than was first thought. Huge new seams were being discovered, particularly in the Barnsley area, as shafts were sunk in the area east of Wakefield, Rotherham and Sheffield.
Back then the new reserves created a series of challenges and risks for the mining organisations wealthy enough to take the risks. Subsidence and firedamp were a fact of mining life. But in the space of half a century the relatively limited Yorkshire field outstripped the rest of the UK's coalmining production and in the process created huge population centres in what had been sparsely populated farming country.
David Robottom, who represents potential Extraction companies and Damian Kahya who has been a critic of the so-called Fracking methods needed to extract Gas from Shale deposits, are joined by mining historian Dr Peter Claughton and Dr Nick Riley of the British Geological Survey to explore what the Victorians did with their energy discoveries and what action might be taken in a similar geographical area today as we struggle to sustain our mineral dependent economy.
Tim Harford is joined by Gillian Tett for the second in this new series of talks inspired by ideas in anthropology and the social sciences.
The financial journalist describes how her background in anthropology led her to predict the financial crisis in 2008.
"For my doctorate I spent a year in a remote mountainous area of Tajikistan where I lived as a Tajik girl, wearing the local Atlas robes, fetching water and firewood and chasing goats," says Tett. She studied their rituals and social networks and how they helped to maintain village life.
Later, she became a journalist for the Financial Times and put her anthropology "into a deep, dark, mental drawer" and almost forgot about it. "Having a PhD in economics or astrophysics gave you credibility. Knowing about Tajik wedding rituals did not!"
She describes how one day, years later, she suddenly stopped and wondered: "what would happen if I was to look at the world of finance and business like an anthropologist peering at my Tajik village?".
Tett explains how this set her journalism on a new path, a path that was to help her predict the economic turmoil of 2008.
Suzanne Corkin's story of the life and legacy of the man with no memory, Henry Molaison. Today, Henry's inability to recollect is laid bare and a scientific journey of discovery begins. Read by Debora Weston.
What Do Women Want? Daniel Bergner and Susie Orbach discuss female sexual desire. Powerlister Yvette Cooper shows Jane Garvey around her Castleford constituency. Rick Stein Cooks the Perfect fish curry. And Becky Burchell and Tania Harrison talk about running the Music Festivals Bestival, Camp Bestival and Latitude.
Bill works as an economist in a right wing institute giving succour to bankers and businessmen.
Bella teaches yoga, waters the plants in Canary Wharf and holds a Proust seminar for retirees.
But years ago they shared a flat before Bill got married and moved to the States.
Now he's back and he's feeling a little off kilter; his son's stopped talking to him, his wife's not interested, so he decides to hook up again with Bella. Once a month they meet for lunch, where they talk about everything; the one thing they don't talk about is how much they love each other.
Marcy Kahan's delightful comedy moves seamlessly from politics via Proust to the perils of online dating as over five episodes we share lunch with Bill and Bella and watch how their lives change course.
Stephen Mangan is one of our most celebrated comedy actors his past hits include: Adrian Mole, Green Wing and Episodes.
Claire Skinner is best known as the harassed mother in 'Outnumbered' but her numerous credits include Lark Rise to Candleford and The Glass Menagerie for Sam Mendes.
Marcy Kahan is an established playwright: Her hits for radio include Incredibly Guilty, The Noel Coward Quintet, Twenty Cigarettes and Everybody Comes to Schiklegrubers for which she won a Sony Award.
Her screenplay Antonia and Jane starred Imelda Staunton, Saskia Reeves and Bill Nighy and won the Gold Plaque Award for Best Original Screenplay at the Chicago Film Festival.
Monty Don presents Shared Planet, the series that looks at the crunch point between human population and the natural world. In this week's programme we report from India where John Aitchison revels in the sight of two tigers, who magnificent though they are, are now in effect in an island population, separated from the farmland that surrounds the National Park by an electric fence. Lion biologist Craig Packer from the University of Minnesota will be speaking to Monty about his observations in Tanzania where upward of 100 people a year are being killed by lions raiding villages, the lions allegedly being driven to switch their prey to people by lack of their preferred prey outside the national parks. David Macdonald, Professor of Wildlife Conservation at Oxford University, will be exploring this area of conflict with Monty in the Shared Planet studio.
The hymn 'Make Me a Channel of Your Peace' found its way into weddings, funerals and school assemblies and in this week's 'Soul Music' we hear how it has also embedded itself into the hearts of peace campaigners, charity workers and reformed alcoholics.
The simplicity of this hymn often belies the challenges at its heart. Its lyrics call for unconditional love and forgiveness in the toughest situations. The words are based on a poem which has often been attributed to St Francis of Assisi. However, Franciscan Historian, Dr Christian Renoux, suggests it was most likely to have been written by an anonymous French noble women.
The poem travelled across the globe with translations published during the first and second world wars, subsequently bringing inspiration to public figures ranging from Mother Theresa to President Roosevelt.
In 1967 it caught the eye of South African born musician and 'yogi' Sebastian Temple who put these words to its most famous musical arrangement. It's Sebastian's version that was played at Princess Diana's funeral and that has also touched the hearts of millions worldwide.
Mathew Neville of children's charity 'World Vision' recalls his encounter with this hymn in the Democratic Republic of Congo, whilst closer to home Wendy and Colin Parry share their memories of this music and the role it played in remembering their son Tim, who was killed in the 1993 Warrington Bombings.
In Minnesota former lawyer Mike Donohue reflects on how this hymn has guided him on a journey through alcohol abuse and dementia and Sarah Hershberg remembers her good friend Sebastian Temple, who first played this simple hymn in her front room before it went on to travel the world.
As the Medical Director of the NHS in England prepares to deliver his report into high mortality rates at 14 NHS Trusts, Julian Worricker asks, what needs to be done to raise standards in hospitals?
The Keogh Report will set out what these trusts need to do to improve care. It's not the first report to make recommendations into hospital standards this year. The Francis Report called for minimum staffing levels and the regulation of health care assistants.
We want to hear your experiences and your views. 03700 100 400 is the phone number, e-mail youandyours@bbc.co.uk mailto:youandyours@bbc.co.uk, text to 84844.
National and international news. Listeners can share their views via email: wato@bbc.co.uk or on twitter: #wato.
Robert Hanks tells of a human obsession through four doggy books. Flush by Virginia Woolf. Is a pedigree over-rated? With Prill Barrett, John Bradshaw and Ian Bruce Miller and Jem, the border terrier, and Timmy the whippet. Producer: Tim Dee.
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.
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?
Original music by Sasha Johnson Manning, with lyrics by Michael Symmons Roberts.
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).
Jay Rayner chairs this week's episode of the culinary panel programme, recorded at The Carriageworks Theatre in Leeds, West Yorkshire.
The team takes questions from a local audience on all aspects of cooking and eating.
Tackling the audience's culinary concerns are 2011 Masterchef-winner Tim Anderson; food-writer and restaurateur Tim Hayward; Asian-cooking expert Angela Malik; and The Kitchen Cabinet's resident food historian Dr Annie Gray.
Produced by Peggy Sutton.
"Trust me, I tell the truth and I'll prove it to you". It's a simple idea that is the driving force behind the move for public bodies and private business to be open and transparent about their dealings.
The argument goes that, by showing their workings, they can engender trust. However, psychology suggests it might not be that straightforward. An obvious response to publication of the data on surgeon's success rates has been headlines labelling some as "the worst in the UK".
So how can we engender trust, both on a personal and public level. Should we demand that our partners tell us every lecherous thought that goes through their heads? Do we really want to know that the surgeon about to apply their blade to our skin has a lower than average success rate? The answer, like so many about complex human beings, is not simple. Openness and trust are not always linked in the way we might assume. The Human Zoo shows us why.
The Human Zoo, where we see public decisions viewed through private thoughts, is presented by Michael Blastland, with the trusted guidance of Nick Chater, Professor of Behavioural Science at Warwick Business School.
For more than fifty years, scientists with radio telescopes have been trying to make contact with extra-terrestrial intelligence. Nothing has been found, but recent discoveries of new solar systems and their planets give the astronomical explorers hope. In the first of a new series of Word of Mouth, Chris Ledgard examines some of the questions surrounding inter-stellar discourse - the response we might make if we detect a message, the usefulness of human language in this kind of communication, and whether it might be wiser to say nothing at all.
Deacon Blue frontman Ricky Ross and Countryfile reporter Tom Heap discuss their book choices with Harriett Gilbert, providing an eclectic mix of subject matter from crime thrillers set in Nazi Germany to spiritual life in Scotland and gentle ageing in West London.
Frank Skinner, Grace Dent and Jonathan Agnew each nominate someone they know well to answer a series of questions and they than have to second guess how they answered.
Host Miles Jupp tests Frank on how well he knows his friend and radio co-host Emily Dean, Grace her best friend, the Times columnist Caitlin Moran, and Jonathan his wife's best friend Anne Davies.
What is Frank's favourite drink? Who is Grace's favourite writer? And what would Jonathan do if he wasn't a cricket commentator?
Darrell's reinforcing a stall door at The Stables. He drops hints, hoping Shula will pay material costs up front, but she suggests settling up once they receive an invoice.
Shula eventually realises that money is tight for Darrell and pays him enough to cover his materials and some of the labour charge. She is sorry to hear he is having trouble keeping in contact with his children. Rosa thinks everything is his fault and doesn't want anything to do with him.
Helen and Henry bump into Rob, who has been taking photos of Ambridge for the dairy staff welcome pack. Helen's rather shocked by some of Rob's views and his stereotyping of Ian.
Kenton borrows some fence posts from Tony. They'll be the 'cabers' for the Highland Games. They get chatting about the selling of the herd. Kenton thinks Tony should give himself a break. He has put a lifetime of work into the farm and business is thriving. Tony says it's all down to luck and he and Pat happen to make a good team. Kenton agrees on that score.
Tony remarks to Helen that he has never know Kenton to be so sensitive. There's definitely something eating away at him.
Christopher Guest, the writer best known for This Is Spinal Tap, makes his BBC debut with Family Tree, a TV comedy series about an ancestral quest starring Chris O'Dowd from Bridesmaids and The IT Crowd. Antonia Quirke discusses whether Guest has turned the laughs all the way up to 11.
Josephine and I, written by and starring Cush Jumbo, is a one-woman show about the life of dancer, singer and actress Josephine Baker. Jumbo reflects on why she wanted to bring Baker's story to the stage.
Easy Money is the latest slab of Nordic Noir to hit the big screen. It's an adaptation of Jens Lapidus' debut novel about a student who gets caught up in a drug heist. Jeff Park decides whether this noir should have seen the light of day.
Artist Conrad Shawcross offers his choice for Cultural Exchange, in which leading creative minds nominate a favourite work. His selection is Monet's painting Water-Lilies, currently on show at Tate Modern.
Last week, the Government dropped plans to introduce plain packaging for cigarettes in England. It said it wanted to wait and see what happens in Australia where the measure was introduced earlier this year.
Labour and health campaigners accused the Government of caving in to the tobacco lobby. A claim it has denied.
In Europe, too, MEPs are considering a new law aimed at deterring young people from smoking. The Tobacco Products Directive proposes, among other things, a ban on flavoured cigarettes and increasing the size of health warnings.
Jane Deith travels to Brussels and hears claims and counter-claims: of questionable tactics by the tobacco industry and from tobacco lobbyists who say their actions are above board and they have the right to protect their companies' interests.
And she also talks to the main players in an alleged corruption scandal which some say could have brought down the European Commission itself.
Peter White talks to Steph Cutler, a partially-sighted music fan, about what's on offer to improve the experience for visually-impaired festival goers.
Arthur Aston never got a hole in one when he could see, but since becoming visually-impaired he's managed it!
Tailor made artificial hips - why we should learn more from failed joint replacements. The headache that really can be blinding and can cost you your vision unless treated promptly. Plus - why Elton John is waiting two weeks for his appendix operation that has caused him to cancel his European tour.
To Janie's horror, Nanny is determined to marry her off to the widower Logan Killicks, to protect her honour. But Janie isn't interested in his sixty acres. At sixteen years old, she has dreams of "kissing bees singing of the beginning of the world." And to her, Logan Killicks looks like "some ole skull head in de grave yard."
This African-American classic was first published in the 1930s and is seen as one of the greatest American novels of the twentieth century. The author, Zora Neale Hurston, grew up in Eatonville, Florida, the first incorporated black town in America. Nearly every black female writer of significance - including Maya Angelou, Toni Morrison and Alice Walker - acknowledges Zora Neale Hurston as her literary foremother.
"A rigorous, convincing and dazzling piece of prose, as emotionally satisfying as it is impressive." Zadie Smith
Specialist teams are being sent into 11 hospital trusts in England after a report identified major failings.
The Health Secretary says Sir Bruce Keogh's findings represent Labour's "darkest moment".
But the Labour spokesman, Andy Burnham, accuses Jeremy Hunt of "playing politics with people's lives".
The Northern Ireland Secretary condemns recent rioting in Belfast.
MPs hear from a senior police officer that undercover police used the identities of dead children in more than forty cases and that the practice was sanctioned "at the highest level".
And peers raise concerns over the cost of renting.
WEDNESDAY 17 JULY 2013
WED 00:00 Midnight News (b036tdc9)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.
WED 00:30 Book of the Week (b036tz9y)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:45 on Tuesday]
WED 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b036tdcc)
The latest shipping forecast.
WED 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b036tdcf)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
WED 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b036tdch)
The latest shipping forecast.
WED 05:30 News Briefing (b036tdck)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.
WED 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b036vrs7)
A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day with Claire Campbell Smith.
WED 05:45 Farming Today (b036vrs9)
Environmental campaigners are claiming the biggest ever upgrade of England's roads will damage some of the most beautiful parts of the country. The Government's announced it's investing 28 billion pounds in improving the network. The plans include building 221 miles of extra motorway lanes, improvements to major freight routes and a promise of 6 billion pounds to tackle the backlog of maintenance including potholes.
The organisation which represents supermarkets is defending their testing regimes, following criticisms yesterday that retailers need to be more vigilant.
Also on Farming Today, a New Zealand grazing expert claims you won't be seeing as much New Zealand lamb on supermarket shelves in the future. We catch up with him as he tours the UK this month, helping sheep farmers make more money from their land.
Presented by Anna Hill. Produced by Anna Varle.
WED 05:58 Tweet of the Day (b02tws57)
Cirl Bunting
Tweet of the Day is a series of fascinating stories about our British birds inspired by their calls and songs. Steve Backshall presents the cirl bunting.
Cirl buntings are related to yellowhammers and look rather like them, but the male cirl bunting has a black throat and a greenish chest-band.
Their rattling song may evoke memories of warm dry hillsides in France or Italy. Cirl buntings are Mediterranean bird s more at home in olive groves than chilly English hedgerows. Here at the north-western edge of their range, most of our cirl buntings live near the coast in south Devon where they breed in hedgerows on farmland .
WED 06:00 Today (b036vrsc)
Morning news and current affairs with Evan Davis and Justin Webb, including:
0749
Primary school pupils in England could be ranked directly against their peers across the country, under government plans to change performance measures. David Laws, Education Minister, outlines the plans, and Sarah Ebner, mother of children in primary school and author of The Starting School Survival Guide, gives her prediction on the efficacy of the idea.
0810
Eleven hospital trusts are being placed in special measures because of major failings, the government announced on Tuesday. The BBC's Nick Robinson gives the political analysis of how the announcement was received in the House of Commons and Stephen Dorrell, health secretary back in the early 90s, now chairman of the Health Select Committee, talks on whether the government's reforms to the health system are working.
0820
An exhibition about Improvised Explosive Devices and the challenge they pose to British troops in Afghanistan opens at the National Army Museum (in London) this week. The Today programme's Tom Bateman reports.
WED 09:00 Midweek (b036vrsf)
Alain and Antoine Carabinier, James Bannon, James Rhodes, Zandra Rhodes
Libby Purves meets circus performers Alain and Antoine Carabinier; former police officer James Bannon; pianist James Rhodes and fashion designer Zandra Rhodes.
Father and son Alain and Antoine Carabinier are members of Cirque Alfonse, a Canadian company which was formed in Quebec. They are performing at London's Southbank Centre in their show, Timber!, which is inspired by the remote forests where the family is based. Highlights of the show include axe juggling and stunts with lumberjack saws all set to traditional music from Quebec. Timber! is at Southbank Centre, London.
James Bannon is a former police officer who went undercover as a hooligan to infiltrate Millwall Football Club back in the late Eighties. His book, Running with the Firm, tells of his experiences inside one of English football's most brutal and fearless gangs. He has since gone on to become an actor and a stand-up comedian. Running With The Firm is published by Ebury.
James Rhodes is a classical pianist who has made a name for himself by performing in non-traditional classical venues. For a Channel 4 documentary, Notes from the Inside, he takes his piano into a psychiatric hospital, where he spent time himself, to perform for the patients. Notes from the Inside is part of Mad4Music, a classical music season on Channel 4. He is also playing at the Latitude Festival and at London's Soho Theatre.
Zandra Rhodes is one of Britain's best-known fashion designers who helped put London at the forefront of the international fashion scene in the 1970s. To celebrate ten years of London's Fashion and Textile Museum - which she founded - she has created a new exhibition, Unseen. Through sketches, designs and garments, the exhibition shows how she has experimented with colour, print and fabric - as well as with her own image - over the last fifty years.
Producer: Annette Wells.
WED 09:45 Book of the Week (b036vrsj)
Permanent Present Tense
Episode 3
Suzanne Corkin's story of the life and legacy of the man with no memory, Henry Molaison. Today, dark days lie ahead, and Henry grapples with the unreliability of his emotional memories. Read by Debora Weston.
WED 10:00 Woman's Hour (b036vrsl)
Hiafaa al-Mansour; Exercise in pregnancy
Haifaa al-Mansour, the first Saudi woman film director on her new film Wadjda. Exercise in pregnancy. Why are women in literature always punished for infidelity? Samantha Bond and Louise Doughty discuss. Chong Kim on being traffiked as a sex worker within the USA. Parenting after a partner's suicide - what to tell the children, where to get help. With Jenni Murray.
WED 10:45 15 Minute Drama (b036vrsn)
Lunch
Carpe Diem
by Marcy Kahan
A platonic romantic comedy:
A health scare changes Bill's outlook on life, whilst Bella is having trouble deciding how to choose between the men she is dating.
Directed by Sally Avens
Bill works as an economist in a right wing institute giving succour to bankers and businessmen.
Bella teaches yoga, waters the plants in Canary Wharf and holds a Proust seminar for retirees.
But years ago they shared a flat before Bill got married and moved to the States.
Now he's back and he's feeling a little off kilter; his son's stopped talking to him, his wife's not interested, so he decides to hook up again with Bella. Once a month they meet for lunch, where they talk about everything; the one thing they don't talk about is how much they love each other.
Marcy Kahan's delightful comedy moves seamlessly from politics via Proust to the perils of online dating as over five episodes we share lunch with Bill and Bella and watch how their lives change course.
Stephen Mangan is one of our most celebrated comedy actors his past hits include: Adrian Mole, Green Wing and Episodes.
This is the fifth time he has worked on a play of Marcy's.
Claire Skinner is best known as the harassed mother in 'Outnumbered' but her numerous credits include Lark Rise to Candleford and The Glass Menagerie for Sam Mendes.
Marcy Kahan is an established playwright: Her hits for radio include Incredibly Guilty, The Noel Coward Quintet, Twenty Cigarettes and Everybody Comes to Schiklegrubers for which she won a Sony Award.
Her screenplay Antonia and Jane starred Imelda Staunton, Saskia Reeves and Bill Nighy and won the Gold Plaque Award for Best Original Screenplay at the Chicago Film Festival.
WED 11:00 The Story of the Talmud (b036vrsq)
Episode 1
In the first of two programmes, Rabbi Naftali Brawer delves into one of the greatest books ever written holding the key to unlocking Jewish thinking and history. Traveling to Jerusalem, he gains rare access to one of the world's leading ultra-orthodox yeshivas - the Mir. Here he finds young men who will study these ancient Hebrew and Aramaic texts, full time, for anything up to 30 or 40 years. They explain how arguing and debate are the ways to understand the ancient wisdom of the rabbis that have contributed to the Talmud though the ages and still telling you everything you need to know to be a Jew today. The Talmud is not about the arrival but the journey and it's less about about finding answers than discovering what the questions are.
Tracing the history of the Talmud, Rabbi Naftali heads to the Galilee to the archaeological site of Beit She'arim, the remains of an ancient city, where shortly after the destruction of the 2nd Temple, the first words of this book were written down. He discovers that the Talmud was an audacious project defying one of the key Jewish laws which forbade writing down the Oral Laws of Moses. Its creation was deemed necessary in order to preserve Jewish culture and practice which, at this time, was facing extinction.
Rabbi Naftali meets some of the greatest Jewish minds and scholars in the world today: Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz, described by Time Magazine as a 'one in a millennium scholar', who has published his own edition of the Talmud; Gila Fine - one of the growing number of female orthodox academics working with the Talmud.
The programme ends with a moving story from leading Talmudic scholar and holocaust survivor, David Weiss Halivni, who explains how the Talmud sustained him in the concentration camps.
Produced by Mark O'Brien.
WED 11:30 Paul Temple (b036vvqy)
Paul Temple and the Gregory Affair
The Madrid
Part 3 of a new production of a vintage serial from 1946.
From 1938 to 1968, Francis Durbridge's incomparably suave amateur detective Paul Temple and his glamorous wife Steve solved case after baffling case in one of BBC radio's most popular series. Sadly, only half of Temple's adventures survive in the archives.
In 2006 BBC Radio 4 brought one of the lost serials back to life with Crawford Logan and Gerda Stevenson as Paul and Steve. Using the original scripts and incidental music, and recorded using vintage microphones and sound effects, the production of Paul Temple and the Sullivan Mystery aimed to sound as much as possible like the 1947 original might have done if its recording had survived. The serial proved so popular that it was soon followed by three more revivals, Paul Temple and the Madison Mystery, Paul Temple and Steve, and A Case for Paul Temple.
Now, from 1946, it's the turn of Paul Temple and the Gregory Affair, in which Paul and Steve go on the trail of the mysterious and murderous Mr Gregory.
Episode 3: The Madrid
Steve takes an eventful taxi ride to a louche Mayfair night club.
Producer Patrick Rayner
Francis Durbridge, the creator of Paul Temple, was born in Hull in 1912 and died in 1998. He was one of the most successful novelists, playwrights and scriptwriters of his day.
WED 12:00 You and Yours (b036vvr0)
Heathrow, mortgage growth, energy haggling
Heathrow Airport will publish proposals to solve the UK's airport capacity problems.
25,100 first-time buyer loans were approved in May - a rise of 29pc on the figure for April. Is it a good time to get on the property ladder?
Can you haggle with your energy or mobile phone provider? We find out from expert hagglers how to save money.
Presenter: Winifred Robinson
Producer: Simon Browning.
WED 12:30 Face the Facts (b01smkpw)
Safety on the Line?
John Waite investigates how a culture of rule-breaking and corner-cutting has crept into contractors carrying out work for Network Rail. Many contractors now rely on labour agencies for manpower, and railway workers reveal their concerns at the short notice of shifts they often receive and the long distances they sometimes travel before starting work. They describe how they are expected to work without rest breaks, ignore rules on shift length, and why they do not report safety incidents for fear of being blacklisted. John meets the mother of Scott Dobson, a 26 year old railway worker who was killed in an accident near Saxilby in December 2012. He finds evidence that the contractor now under investigation has a history of breaking safety rules and how before the accident it had been warned by the regulator to improve.
Presenter: John Waite
Producer: Richard Hooper
Editor: Andrew Smith.
WED 12:57 Weather (b036tdcm)
The latest weather forecast.
WED 13:00 World at One (b036vvr2)
National and international news. Listeners can share their views via email: wato@bbc.co.uk or on twitter: #wato.
WED 13:45 Dog Days (b0371hm9)
Sirius
Robert Hanks tells of a human obsession through four doggy books. Sirius by Olaf Stapledon. Can a man be a dog? With Prill Barrett, John Bradshaw and Ian Bruce Miller and Jem, the border terrier, and Timmy the whippet. Producer: Tim Dee.
WED 14:00 The Archers (b036v8b4)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Tuesday]
WED 14:15 Drama (b00xw5ll)
Red Enters the Eye
Written by Jane Rogers.
When idealistic young volunteer Julie sets off for Nigeria, she's a bundle of nerves. Her project is to teach sewing skills to women in a refuge in Jos; but what if they don't like her - or feel patronised by her attempts to teach them?
Once Julie's in Jos, her anxieties evaporate. Sewing class is a roaring success, and Julie's only problems are the stupid caution and lack of enthusiasm of refuge director Fran, and the incomprehensible tensions surrounding the silent Muslim woman, Mathenneh.
Inspired by a plan to help the women make money from their sewing, ready to really make a difference to their lives, Julie is on a roll ... blithely unaware that there may be consequences, unimaginable and terrible, to her failure to play by Fran's rules.
Produced and Directed by Clive Brill
A Pacificus Production for BBC Radio 4.
WED 15:00 Money Box Live (b036vvr6)
Broadband TV, and Phone Bills and Service
Happy with your broadband, TV and phone deal? To ask about bills and service call 03700 100 444 from
1pm to
3.30pm on Wednesday or e-mail moneybox@bbc.co.uk now.
If you haven't checked your bill for a while you could be throwing money away. Switching apathy is costing British customers around £500 million per year say comparison site Broadbandchoices.
To find out about the latest offers or the most cost effective combination talk to our team.
What should you check before you sign up?
Are there any catches to avoid?
Perhaps you want to ask about the jargon or need help resolving a dispute with your provider.
Are your paying too much for your mobile phone and how can you limit costs if you want to take your phone on holiday?
To answer your question, presenter Vincent Duggleby will be joined by:
Mair Coombes Davies, Head of the Panel of Adjudicators, Communications and Internet Services Adjudication Scheme (CISAS)
Dominic Baliszewski, Telecoms Expert, Broadbandchoices
Ernest Doku, Mobile Expert, USwitch
E-mail moneybox@bbc.co.uk now or call 03700 100 444 from
1pm to
3.30pm on Wednesday. Calls cost the same as 01 and 02 numbers, calls from mobiles may be higher.
WED 15:30 Inside Health (b036v9hq)
[Repeat of broadcast at
21:00 on Tuesday]
WED 16:00 Thinking Allowed (b036vvr8)
Raising Middle-Class Black Children; Neon
Neon - Laurie Taylor discusses a history of the flickering light which illuminated the modern world. Professor of American Studies, Christoph Ribbat, charts the rise and fall of neon. From seedy back alleys to gaudy Las Vegas, its blinking presence has electrified the contemporary city. So why did the theorist, Theodor Adorno, so despise these glowing tubes? How did neon become such a recurrent metaphor for modernity in popular culture, ranging from the writings of Vladimir Nabokov to the art of Tracy Emin? And why has the gas which once lit up our lives begun to fade into oblivion? They're joined by the cultural critic, Matthew Sweet.
Also, the first dedicated UK study of black Caribbean middle-class families, and their strategies and priorities in relation to their children's education. The role of 'extra-curricular' activities in the process by which black middle-class parents seek to raise and develop their children.
Producer: Jayne Egerton.
WED 16:30 The Media Show (b036vvrb)
Mishal Husain becomes new Today presenter
Mishal Husain is to join the Today programme as presenter. The BBC's head of news programmes, Ceri Thomas and the Observer's Miranda Sawyer, also of Sound Women, discuss the significance and whether we can expect announcements of further changes. Meanwhile, David Penn, MD of research company Conquest, looks at whether the BBC has regained trust that was lost over the Savile revelations.
Ofcom's considering complaints that ITV, C4 and the BBC were wrong to broadcast interviews with radical Islamist cleric Anjem Choudary following the killing of Drummer Lee Rigby in Woolwich. Former Ofcom partner for content and standards, Stewart Purvis, looks at whether the broadcasters can justify their decision.
Until last month, Chris Blackhurst was editor of The Independent. He now has the role of group content director for that paper as well as the Independent on Sunday, the i and London Evening Standard. What's the future for the papers, with falling circulation and increased cover price for the Independent while the free Standard and 20p i appear to thrive?
Presenter: Steve Hewlett
Producer: Simon Tillotson
Editor: Ruth Gardiner.
WED 17:00 PM (b036vvrd)
Full coverage and analysis of the day's news.
WED 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b036tdcp)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
WED 18:30 The Brig Society (b036vvrg)
Series 1
Food
Uh-oh - Marcus Brigstocke has been put in charge of a thing!
Each week, Marcus finds he's volunteered to be in charge of a big old thing - a hospital, the railways, British fashion, a prison. And each week he starts out by thinking "Well, it can't be that difficult, surely?" and ends up with "Oh - turns out it's utterly difficult and complicated. Who knew...?"
This week - Marcus has been volunteered to be the face, not to say beard and glasses, of British food. During the course of the show, he'll be eating some food, examining the subject of packaging and waste, eating some more food, looking at supermarkets and seasonality, eating a bit more food, studying manufacturing and junk foods, eating some more food and then probably bursting.
Helping him serve up the show will be Rufus Jones (Hunderby, Holy Flying Circus), William Andrews (Sorry I've Got No Head) and Margaret Cabourn-Smith (Miranda).
The show is produced by Marcus's long-standing accomplice, David Tyler, who also produces Marcus' appearances as the inimitable as Giles Wemmbley Hogg.
Written by Marcus Brigstocke, Jeremy Salsby, Toby Davies, Nick Doody, Steve Punt and Tom Neenan.
Produced by David Tyler
A Pozzitive production for BBC Radio 4.
WED 19:00 The Archers (b036vvrj)
Caroline's in her office trying to ease some back pain when Lynda reports someone has claimed the watch. Lynda spots Caroline doesn't seem well. She calls Oliver, who escorts Caroline home.
As Susan helps Jennifer with final touches for the swishing event, they discuss Lilian and Brenda. Susan feels Brenda's being irresponsible, giving up her job at Amside and going travelling. Oliver arrives to take Caroline's place at the event. Caroline has made an appointment with the doctor for tomorrow.
The swishing raises lots of money. Having covered for Caroline, Lynda arrives late for the event. She's keen to put some money in to show her support but Oliver insists she doesn't pay anything. Susan makes a faux pas, inadvertently criticising a garment of Lynda's, thinking it was from Sabrina Thwaite.
Jennifer's delighted to announce that they've received a generous donation of £15K towards the organ repairs. It's from Curtis Tring, from Connecticut, a relative of real old Borsetshire character Zebedee Tring. Jennifer reminds everyone to book for the next fundraiser, a silent film night.
As people leave, Jennifer asks after Caroline. Oliver doesn't know what's wrong but worries that she's been overdoing it at work. He just hopes she hasn't done any lasting harm.
WED 19:15 Front Row (b036vvrl)
Clive James on Dante, A Season in the Congo, Paula Milne's Cultural Exchange
With Mark Lawson.
Writer and poet Clive James discusses his ambitious version of Dante's 14th century epic poem The Divine Comedy. He reflects on the challenge and pleasure of translating the 14,233 lines which took him several years, while struggling with ill health which made him wonder whether he'd live to see it published.
Directed by Joe Wright and starring Chiwetel Ejiofor, the UK premiere of A Season in the Congo by Aimé Césaire opens on stage this week. Set in the Congo during the country's first year of independence, the play charts the life of Patrice Lumumba from his campaigning against Belgian rule, to becoming Prime Minster, to his assassination. Novelist Justin Cartwright gives his verdict.
Screenwriter Paula Milne offers her choice for Cultural Exchange - Five Easy Pieces, an influential 1970 film starring Jack Nicholson as a frustrated musician who drifts from job to job and embarks on a road trip to see his seriously ill father.
Producer Jerome Weatherald.
WED 19:45 15 Minute Drama (b036vrsn)
[Repeat of broadcast at
10:45 today]
WED 20:00 Moral Maze (b036vvrn)
The Morality of Place
This week the Moral Maze asks "are mixed communities a moral good?" With the government rolling out its benefits cap and a study claiming that high rents mean a third of Britain is effectively off-limits to lower-income working families, some campaigners are arguing that the less well-off are the victims of social cleansing. It's argued the lack of affordable housing means that large parts of the country, especially London, are being turned in to homogenised gated communities reserved for the well off and where the poor are welcome to work, but not to live. Does that really matter? Should we let the free market solve these problems, or use planning laws to make sure property developers build social housing alongside more expensive homes? Should the tax and benefits system be used not just to make sure that people have a roof over their heads, but also to shape the social make up of our communities and nation? Are pluralist, socially diverse communities inherently better - a sign that we're a healthier, tolerant, more democratic society? Or have we for too long been beguiled by the dream of a melting pot? And not only is it human nature to want to live in a community with people who have the same kind of background, values and aspirations, but those communities also create virtues such as neighbourliness, trust and social solidarity. By trying to create more diverse and integrated communities are we undermining the strong social ties that create truly cohesive communities? Combative, provocative and engaging debate chaired by Michael Buerk with Michael Portillo, Anne McElvoy, Giles Fraser and Matthew Taylor. Witnesses: David Goodhart - Director of think tank Demos, Professor Jane Wills - Department of Geography and The City Centre, Queen Mary University of London, Philip Booth - Editorial and Programme Director at the Institute of Economic Affairs and Ruth Davison - Director of Policy at National Housing Federation.
WED 20:45 Pop-Up Ideas (b036tz9w)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:30 on Tuesday]
WED 21:00 Frontiers (b036vvrq)
Oxytocin
The hormone oxytocin is involved in mother and baby bonding and in creating trust. Linda Geddes finds out if taking oxytocin can help people with autism become more sociable.
Larry Young, Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at Emory University in Atlanta, talks about the work in voles that demonstrated the role of oxytocin in pair bonding.
Professor Markus Heinrichs of Freiburg University in Germany tells Linda Geddes about doing the first research on oxytocin in human subjects. He was one of the authors of an influential paper on the hormone and trust, published in Nature in 2005.
As journalists for New Scientist, Linda and her husband, Nic, invited one of the other authors of that paper, Professor Paul Zak of Claremont Graduate University in California, to carry out an oxytocin experiment at their wedding.
At Cambridge University, Dr Bonnie Auyeung, is currently carrying out studies to find out if giving the hormone to adults with autism can improve their social skills.
And Professor Jennifer Bartz, from McGill University in Canada, explains how some research suggests that oxytocin doesn't always make people be more trusting and loving. She says the outcome depends on your previous relationship with the person.
WED 21:30 Midweek (b036vrsf)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:00 today]
WED 21:58 Weather (b036tdcr)
The latest weather forecast.
WED 22:00 The World Tonight (b036vvrs)
Government unveils Bill to curb influence of lobbyists, Labour attacks Lynton Crosby. Republican anger over scale of NSA surveillance. Scientists develop 'intelligent knife' to make cancer surgery more accurate. Presented by Ritula Shah.
WED 22:45 Book at Bedtime (b036vvrv)
Their Eyes Were Watching God
Episode 3
Written by Zora Neale Hurston
Episode 3
One day Janie is cutting potatoes in the yard when a citified, stylishly dressed man stops by. And, while her husband has stopped talking to her in rhymes, Joe Starks has dreams of being a big voice and Janie is just the sort of woman he would like by his side when he arrives at the first all-black town in Florida.
This African-American classic was first published in the 1930s and is seen as one of the greatest American novels of the twentieth century. The author, Zora Neale Hurston, grew up in Eatonville, Florida, the first incorporated black town in America. Nearly every black female writer of significance - including Maya Angelou, Toni Morrison and Alice Walker - acknowledges Zora Neale Hurston as her literary foremother.
"A rigorous, convincing and dazzling piece of prose, as emotionally satisfying as it is impressive." Zadie Smith
Read by Adjoa Andoh
Abridged and produced by Jane Marshall
A Jane Marshall production for BBC Radio 4.
WED 23:00 The Lach Chronicles (b036vvrx)
Series 1
The Night Dylan Came
Lach was the King of Manhattan's East Village and host of the longest running open mic night in New York.
He now lives in Scotland and finds himself back at square one, playing in a dive bar on the wrong side of Edinburgh. His night, held in various venues around New York, was called the Antihoot.
He played host to Suzanne Vega, Jeff Buckley and many others, he discovered and nurtured lots of talent - including Beck, Regina Spektor and the Moldy Peaches - but nobody discovered him.
Many people came to see him in New York and, in this episode, Lach remembers the night Bob Dylan arrived.
Written and performed by Lach
Sound design: Al Lorraine and Sean Kerwin
Producer: Richard Melvin
A Dabster production for BBC Radio 4.
WED 23:15 Strap In - It's Clever Peter (b01hkz35)
Nigel
Strap in for fifteen minutes of rip-roaring comedy as Clever Peter bring you a pygmy hippo, a mystery voice, some house eyes & the Pope.
Clever Peter - the wild and brilliantly funny award-winning sketch team - get their own Radio 4 show.
From the team that brought you Cabin Pressure and Another Case Of Milton Jones comes the massively bonkers and funny Clever Peter, hot off the Edinburgh Fringe and wearers of tri-coloured jerseys.
"If they don't go very far very soon there is no such thing as British justice" - Daily Telegraph
"A masterclass in original sketch comedy" - Metro
"Pretty much top of the class" - The Scotsman
So -
Why "Clever"?
Dunno
Why "Peter"?
Not a clue mate
Should I listen to the show?
Yes, of course! Derrr.
Starring Richard Bond, Edward Eales-White, William Hartley
and special guest Catriona Knox
Written by Richard Bond, Edward Eales-White, William Hartley & Dominic Stone
Produced & directed by David Tyler
A Pozzitive Television Ltd Production for BBC Radio 4.
WED 23:30 Today in Parliament (b036vvrz)
Sean Curran and team report from Westminster, with the last PMQs of the summer, a row about minimum alcohol pricing and should MPs have other jobs? Editor: Rachel Byrne.
THURSDAY 18 JULY 2013
THU 00:00 Midnight News (b036tddl)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.
THU 00:30 Book of the Week (b036vrsj)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:45 on Wednesday]
THU 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b036tddn)
The latest shipping forecast.
THU 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b036tddq)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
THU 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b036tdds)
The latest shipping forecast.
THU 05:30 News Briefing (b036tddv)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.
THU 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b036w38y)
A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day with Claire Campbell Smith.
THU 05:45 Farming Today (b036w390)
Plans to protect some of the UK's most sensitive marine areas by designating them Marine Conservation Zones could be hit by the latest squeeze on public spending, according to a government report out this week. Only 31 out of 127 habitats flagged up as needing urgent protection by scientists and conservation groups are likely to be designated as protected zones, after a 10% cut in Defra's budget. Farming Today hears from the Fisheries Minister, and from marine environment campaigners.
And in Scotland, where half of all privately-owned land is concentrated in the hands of a few hundred people, the issue of agricultural estates is increasingly controversial. Charlotte Smith hears about moves to diversify land ownership and asks what the impact would be of the suggestion that tenant farmers could be given the right to buy.
Presented by Charlotte Smith. Produced by Datshiane Navanayagam.
THU 05:58 Tweet of the Day (b02tx0s5)
Spotted flycatcher
Tweet of the Day is a series of fascinating stories about our British birds inspired by their calls and songs. Steve Backshall presents the spotted flycatcher.
Spotted flycatchers may be rather plain-looking but they're full of character and they often nest in our gardens. The first sign that one's about may be a pale shape darting out from a tree to pluck a fly in mid-air with an audible snap of its bill.
THU 06:00 Today (b036w392)
News and current affairs. Including Sports Desk, Yesterday in Parliament, Weather, Thought for the Day.
THU 09:00 Reflections with Peter Hennessy (b036w394)
Series 1
Jack Straw
In this series, Peter Hennessy, the leading historian of modern Britain, asks senior politicians to reflect on their life and times. In each week's conversation, he invites his guest to explore what influenced their thinking and motivated them to enter politics, their experience of events and impressions of people they knew, and their regrets and satisfactions.
Peter's guest in this week's programme is Jack Straw MP, who was first elected to the House of Commons in 1979 and sat in the Labour Government between 1997 and 2010. He served as Home Secretary, Foreign Secretary and Leader of the House in Tony Blair's Cabinet, and as Justice Secretary and Lord Chancellor in Gordon Brown's Cabinet. In his role as Foreign Secretary, Straw's support for British involvement in the Iraq War was crucial in Tony Blair's final decision to commit British forces to the invasion.
Peter's guest next week is Lord Tebbit (Norman Tebbit), the former Conservative Cabinet Minister.
Presenter, Peter Hennessy. Producer, Rob Shepherd.
THU 09:45 Book of the Week (b036w396)
Permanent Present Tense
Episode 4
Suzanne Corkin's story of the life and legacy of the man with no memory, Henry Molaison. Today, memory and identity and how remembering the past informs the future.
THU 10:00 Woman's Hour (b036w398)
Jane Campion; Abortion in USA; Bryony Kimmings
Jane Campion talks about her latest project, the BBC 2 series Top of the Lake. Washington Post journalist Juliet Eilperin on the impact and implications of changing abortion rules in Texas and other US states. Patty Griffin performs her song Ohio. Bryony Kimmings and her nine year old niece Taylor on their Credible Likeable Superstar Role Model. The Sleep Room - F R Tallis discusses the infamous Ward 5 and sleep therapy for psychiatric illness which was the inspiration for his latest book.
THU 10:45 15 Minute Drama (b036w39b)
Lunch
Like Moths unto a Flame
by Marcy Kahan
A platonic romantic comedy: Bella is making the most of her new found libido whilst Bill is convinced he's being sabotaged at work.
Directed by Sally Avens
Bill works as an economist in a right wing institute giving succour to bankers and businessmen.
Bella teaches yoga, waters the plants in Canary Wharf and holds a Proust seminar for retirees.
But years ago they shared a flat before Bill got married and moved to the States.
Now he's back and he's feeling a little off kilter; his son's stopped talking to him, his wife's not interested, so he decides to hook up again with Bella. Once a month they meet for lunch, where they talk about everything; the one thing they don't talk about is how much they love each other.
Marcy Kahan's delightful comedy moves seamlessly from politics via Proust to the perils of online dating as over five episodes we share lunch with Bill and Bella and watch how their lives change course.
Stephen Mangan is one of our most celebrated comedy actors his past hits include: Adrian Mole, Green Wing and Episodes.
This is the fifth time he has worked on a play of Marcy's.
Claire Skinner is best known as the harassed mother in 'Outnumbered' but her numerous credits include Lark Rise to Candleford and The Glass Menagerie for Sam Mendes.
Marcy Kahan is an established playwright: Her hits for radio include Incredibly Guilty, The Noel Coward Quintet, Twenty Cigarettes and Everybody Comes to Schiklegrubers for which she won a Sony Award.
Her screenplay Antonia and Jane starred Imelda Staunton, Saskia Reeves and Bill Nighy and won the Gold Plaque Award for Best Original Screenplay at the Chicago Film Festival.
THU 11:00 From Our Own Correspondent (b036w39d)
A Million Smartphones
The Bulgarian establishment under threat from a million smartphones - Nick Thorpe on the protestors demanding their government steps down. Ahead of election day in Cambodia, Annie Caulfield goes to the circus and finds happy children and painful memories. Peter Day is in Zambia where diarrhoea is a major killer of children - medication works, but getting it to remote villages presents a huge challenge. John Pickford's in the Cook Islands, in the South Pacific, and tells us why the arrival there of two large canoes caused great excitement. And Simon Wilson has discovered that baseball's not just a metaphor for life in the US, it's also a way of preparing Americans - for failure!
FOOC is produced by Tony Grant.
THU 11:30 Absinthe Makes the Art Grow Fonder (b036w39g)
The novelist and poet Michèle Roberts presents a history of absinthe, and its influence on art and writing.
Toulouse-Lautrec, Verlaine, Van Gogh, Gauguin, Oscar Wilde and Hemingway - all are united by their love of absinthe. In the late 19th century, it became so popular that
5pm, when absinthe was served, became known as 'the Green Hour'.
Artists celebrated this bitter-sweet, aperitif. The way it changes from clear green to milky white with the addition of water is an alcoholic metaphor for inspiration and artistic transformation. But absinthe is very strong, and was thought to be hallucinogenic.
Artists' subjects and modes of expression changed radically in the later C19th. Artists and writers seemed to pursue lives of reckless extremity. Michèle investigates how all this became associated with absinthe. A symbol of the demi-monde, 'the green fairy' was demonised and banned in much of Europe (including in France), and America. At first an aid to inspiration, did absinthe lead to fondness, in the Shakespearian sense of foolishness? Did absinthe make the art grow fonder?
Michèle meets George Rowley, absinthe entrepreneur, who initiates her into the rituals of its consumption and Marie-Claude Delahaye of the absinthe museum in Auvers-sur-Oise, where Van Gogh lived, who helped Rowley recreate absinthe using old recipes. The historian Jad Adams and Pataphysician Kevin Jackson explain the myths surrounding the spirit; its rise, decline and fall - and recent resurgence. Barnaby Wright of the Courtauld Institute explores the fascination of absinthe for the young Picasso. And, under its influence, Michèle writes a poem. Maurice Riordan, editor of Poetry Review, judges whether absinthe inspires or wrecks her work.
Producer: Julian May
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2013.
THU 12:00 You and Yours (b036w39j)
Self-publishing, the UK rental market
The number of people owning their own homes is going down. We examining social and private rents to make sure you get the most for your money. The hot weather that's delighting sunbathers is causing long delays for commuters around the UK. We debate why the transport infrastructure isn't ready for the summer months. Plus, Google on the websites that charge you a fee to fill out a form you can do yourself for free.
Presenter: Winifred Robinson.
Producer: John Neal.
THU 12:57 Weather (b036tddx)
The latest weather forecast.
THU 13:00 World at One (b036w39l)
National and international news. Listeners can share their views via email: wato@bbc.co.uk or on twitter: #wato.
THU 13:45 Dog Days (b0371j3z)
Niki
Robert Hanks tells of a human obsession through four doggy books. Niki by Tibor Dery. If a dog could vote, would it? With Prill Barrett, John Bradshaw and Ian Bruce Miller and Jem, the border terrier, and Timmy the whippet. Producer: Tim Dee.
THU 14:00 The Archers (b036vvrj)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Wednesday]
THU 14:15 Drama (b00y2xn6)
Stephen Wyatt - Double Jeopardy
Patrick Stewart stars as Raymond Chandler and Adrian Scarborough is Billy Wilder in this entertaining glimpse inside the Hollywood film industry. In 1944 the two men came together to work on a screen adaptation of James M Cain's novel Double Indemnity. Billy Wilder is a 36 year old German Jewish émigré just making his name as a director and Raymond Chandler is a reformed alcoholic with a developing reputation as a novelist but absolutely no experience of writing for movies. The play follows their famously difficult collaboration.
Directed by Claire Grove
Billy Wilder and Raymond Chandler are legendary. The English-educated, middle-aged , would-be intellectual versus the ambitious young German émigré. Paramount Studios put Raymond Chandler and Billy Wilder together because none of the big names would touch James M Cain's novel. With its adulterous lovers, and a crime that could be copied, it was judged too controversial to adapt because of the censorious Production Code guidelines. Chandler and Wilder famously hated each other but in a space of some four months locked in an office together they created an outstanding screenplay for a ground-breaking classic film .
THU 15:00 Open Country (b036w39q)
Herriot Country
James Herriot's books about life as a country vet in the 1970s sold 60 million copies worldwide. Later many of the stories were made into feature films and a very popular TV series, 'All Creatures Great and Small'. Herriot's real name was James 'Alf' Wight, and he was known as 'Alf' by local people. He practiced as a vet in Thirsk, a small market town just a few miles from the North York Moors, as did his son, Jim Wight. Felicity Evans visits 'Herriot Country' to meet Jim Wight and talk about his father, the changes there have been in veterinary practice since the 1940s and the legacy 'James Herriot' left both the town and the local farming community.
Jim Wight takes Felicity to the old surgery in 23, Kirkgate, Thirsk where Alf served the local community as a vet, initially working with Donald Sinclair, who became Siegfried Farnon in the books. Jim lived here until he was ten and later when he followed his father into the practice, it was also his place of work. Now it's 'The World of James Herriot Museum', where the rooms are lovingly preserved and visitors can see the old dispensary and the veterinary instruments used in the post war era. The visit brings back many memories for Jim including sharing some of the humorous stories that made his father's books so famous.
The farming industry has also changed since Alf Wight's time and Felicity visits John Bowes and his son Jonathan, one of the few remaining dairy farmers now left in the area who remember Alf Wight's visits. She also meets the Town's Mayor, Janet Watson who talks of the 'Herriot effect' on business in the town and proudly shows her the newly laid cobblestones in the Market Square and the restored town clock.
Felicity ends her visit to Thirsk by observing a veterinary consultation at the Skeldale Veterinary practice. Peter Wright talks about the loss of many family run farms who kept livestock which has given way to a veterinary practice that is now dominated by small animals. Happily both Peter and Jim Wight believe that the changes, particularly in disease control, are very much for the better.
Producer: Sarah Pitt.
THU 15:27 Radio 4 Appeal (b036tnb2)
[Repeat of broadcast at
07:55 on Sunday]
THU 15:30 Open Book (b036tqpx)
[Repeat of broadcast at
16:00 on Sunday]
THU 16:00 The Film Programme (b036w39s)
The World's End; Mark Gatiss On the Buses; Breathe In; Hans Zimmer
Matthew Sweet talks dangerous nostalgia with Edgar Wright, director of the comedy The World's End. Starring Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, the plot follows the group of friends as they return to their home town to complete a pub crawl from their youth. Their mission is thrown off course by aliens. Edgar Wright reveals an autobiographical bent to the tale.
The Oscar-winning composer Hans Zimmer has written scores for countless films from The Lion King to Driving Miss Daisy to Gladiator. He describes the moment he got his big break, composing the music for Rain Man.
Felicity Jones and director Drake Doremus are back with a new film Breathe In, about an English exchange student whose arrival in upstate New York throws the perfect lives of her host family into chaos. The pair previously made Like Crazy together and explain their love of improvisation and risk-taking with performance.
Mark Gatiss is also dabbling in nostalgia. As part of his series on 70s sitcom cinema spin offs, he looks back at Holiday On The Buses, a distinctly uncomfortable watch.
And on the Film Programme website, White Elephant. Newly released on dvd, this film explores the lives of priests working in the slums of Buenos Aires. The director Pablo Trapero describes working in these areas as a teenager and how this inspired his latest film. Its release proved timely as the new Pope had also worked in the slums and granted the film crew permission to approach the priests there when making this feature.
Producer: Elaine Lester.
THU 16:30 BBC Inside Science (b036w39v)
Animal research; Astronaut selection; Show us your instrument
This week saw the publication of the annual government statistics on scientific research on animals. Overall, it again shows an increase, but does that tell the whole story? Wendy Jarrett of the organisation Understanding Animal Research shares her thoughts.
We hear from amateur and professional would-be astronauts about their training regime and selection process from Major Tim Peake, the UK’s next astronaut, to science broadcaster, Sue Nelson.
Plus, the first in our new series ‘Show Us Your Instrument’. Material scientist Mark Miodownik introduces the wonders of the Transmission Electron Microscope, with music composed by the New Radiophonic Workshop.
THU 17:00 PM (b036w39x)
Coverage and analysis of the day's news.
THU 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b036tddz)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
THU 18:30 My First Planet (b01gvqnq)
Series 1
Inglorious Barters
Written by Phil Whelans
A queue for the loo and a rogue backrub threaten to blow up the colony. And just what is Lillian's "Special Skill"...?
A sitcom set on a shiny new planet where we ask the question - if humankind were to colonize space, is it destined to succumb to self-interest, prejudice and infighting? (By the way, the answer's "yes". Sorry.)
Welcome to the colony. We're aware that having been in deep cryosleep for 73 years, you may be in need of some supplementary information.
Personnel
Unfortunately, Burrows the leader of the colony has died on the voyage, so his Number 2, Brian (Nicholas Lyndhurst) is now in charge. He's a nice enough chap, but no alpha male, and his desire to sort things out with a nice friendly meeting infuriates the colony's Chief Physician Lillian (Vicki Pepperdine - "Getting On"), who'd really rather everyone was walking round in tight colour-coded tunics and saluting each other. She's also in charge of Project Adam, the plan to conceive and give birth to the first colony-born baby. Unfortunately, the two people hand-picked for this purpose - Carol and Richard - were rather fibbing about being a couple, just to get on the trip.
Add in an entirely unscrupulous Chief Scientist, Mason and also Archer, an idiot maintenance man who believes he's an "empath" rather than a plumber, and you're all set to answer the question - if humankind were to colonize space, is it destined to succumb to self-interest, prejudice and infighting? (By the way, the answer's "yes". Sorry.)
Produced & directed by David Tyler
A Pozzitive Television Ltd Production for BBC Radio 4
with special guest
Carshalton Richard Bond.
THU 19:00 The Archers (b036w39z)
Caroline is not being a good patient. She is desperate to get back to work but Oliver has everything covered.
Lilian is finding it difficult to adapt to Anthea's working practices. Lilian is annoyed at her inflexibility over her lunch break but comes round when Anthea explains she's having lunch with the director of her employment agency. Lilian hopes she will be complimentary about Amside.
Tom is shocked to hear Brenda has given up her job and gone on holiday. He hopes she doesn't come to regret her recent decisions.
Rob pops to Bridge Farm to look at Tony's MG. While there, Tom fills him in on how well the ready meals are doing. Tom may think of expanding. Rob thinks this is a good idea. He has a friend in Montreal who did something similar. Tom suggests they go for a pint to chat about ideas.
Tony thinks Rob could be a bad influence on Tom. He heard Rob egging Tom on about expansion. Pat agrees Tom is impressionable. She doesn't like how Helen hangs on Rob's every word either. Tony worries. With Tom using Brian and Rob as sounding boards, what chance do they have of making him see common sense?
THU 19:15 Front Row (b036w3b1)
Punchdrunk; Conran on Paolozzi; Laura Mvula; Riba Stirling Prize
With John Wilson.
Susannah Clapp reviews the new Punchdrunk production The Drowned Man, A Hollywood Fable. The company is known for not using stages or even seats, and their groundbreaking immersive style - in previous shows like Sleep No More - has had a huge influence in contemporary theatre.
As an Eduardo Paolozzi retrospective opens in Chichester, John meets the artist's lifelong friend Sir Terence Conran. Conran, who has since had success in design, retail and restaurants, remembers helping Paolozzi put together some of his early sculptures.
In Cultural Exchange, singer Laura Mvula chooses the song Four Women by Nina Simone. Released on the 1966 album Wild is the Wind, it tells the story of four different African-American women.
The shortlist for the prestigious RIBA Stirling Prize was announced today. This year's list, in which housing features prominently, includes the regenerated Park Hill housing estate in Sheffield. Architect and Chair of the Judges Philip Gumuchdjian, and journalist Tom Dyckhoff discuss the six buildings that have been nominated.
Producer Kate Bullivant.
THU 19:45 15 Minute Drama (b036w39b)
[Repeat of broadcast at
10:45 today]
THU 20:00 The Report (b036w3b3)
NHS Complaints
In a bad few weeks for NHS hospitals Simon Cox asks why people who experience bad care are being turned away by the patient complaints watchdog.
Was the scandal at the Morecambe Bay Hospitals an isolated case, and could the problems at some of the 11 hospitals now in special measure have been spotted earlier?
James Titcombe whose son Joshua died at Morecambe Bay Hospital tells the story of how his complaint was hampered at every turn. The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman Dame Julie Mellor and the Medical Director of NHS England, Sir Bruce Keogh, tell us how they think the system could be improved.
THU 20:30 The Bottom Line (b036w3b6)
Water
Water is the world's most precious resource. It's also big business. As climate changes and populations shift, getting water where it needs to be is a huge global challenge. And that's without the added problem of leakage. And how much should consumers pay for something that none of us can live without?
Evan Davis and guests discuss an industry which has changed almost beyond recognition in just a few decades - from state-owned water providers to international business players.
Guests:
Peter Simpson, CEO Anglian Water
Bryan Harvey, Vice President CH2M HILL
Olivier Bret, CEO Veolia Water UK
Producer : Rosamund Jones.
THU 21:00 BBC Inside Science (b036w39v)
[Repeat of broadcast at
16:30 today]
THU 21:30 Reflections with Peter Hennessy (b036w394)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:00 today]
THU 21:58 Weather (b036tdf1)
The latest weather forecast.
THU 22:00 The World Tonight (b036w3bc)
With David Eades.
Russian opposition Alexei Navalny leader found guilty of fraud; what we learn about Russia.
Does Localism work in the UK? A report from Mark Easton.
And what's it really like to be a woman in India?
THU 22:45 Book at Bedtime (b036w3bg)
Their Eyes Were Watching God
Episode 4
Written by Zora Neale Hurston
Episode 4
Joe Starks has become Mayor of Eatonville, America's first all black town. While he goes off to his meetings, Janie - who is now his wife - is left in charge of the new store. But if Joe is revelling in his new found status, Janie is longing to be allowed to sit on the porch with all the other townsfolk and enjoy swapping stories.
This African-American classic was first published in the 1930s and is seen as one of the greatest American novels of the twentieth century. The author, Zora Neale Hurston, grew up in Eatonville, Florida, the first incorporated black town in America. Nearly every black female writer of significance - including Maya Angelou, Toni Morrison and Alice Walker - acknowledges Zora Neale Hurston as her literary foremother.
"A rigorous, convincing and dazzling piece of prose, as emotionally satisfying as it is impressive." Zadie Smith
Read by Adjoa Andoh
Abridged and produced by Jane Marshall
A Jane Marshall production for BBC Radio 4.
THU 23:00 The Show What You Wrote (b036w3pn)
Series 1
Kitchen Sink
The Show What You Wrote is a brand new sketch show, which is made up entirely from sketches sent in by the public. Recorded in Manchester in front of a live audience, and starring John Thomson, Helen Moon, Fiona Clarke and Gavin Webster.
We've picked the best sketches from thousands of submissions to make each show, and every week we'll be covering a different theme, from sci fi and fantasy, to historical. This week's episode is Kitchen Sink.
Script editor ...... Jon Hunter
Producers ..... Carl Cooper and Alexandra Smith
Writers ..... Chris Allen, Elise Bramich, Alex Buchanan, Steve Bugeja, Alex Clissold-Jones, Alex Collier, Andy Fury, Jez Gee, Lucy Guy, Mike Haskins, Katherine Knowles, Maeve Larkin, Sarah Page, Ash Williamson.
THU 23:30 Today in Parliament (b036w3x5)
Rachel Byrne reports on the government's lobbying bill. MPs debate the pros and cons of shale gas. And should secret files about the Profumo affair be made public?
Editor: Peter Mulligan.
FRIDAY 19 JULY 2013
FRI 00:00 Midnight News (b036tdg0)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.
FRI 00:30 Book of the Week (b036w396)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:45 on Thursday]
FRI 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b036tdg2)
The latest shipping forecast.
FRI 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b036tdg4)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
FRI 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b036tdg6)
The latest shipping forecast.
FRI 05:30 News Briefing (b036tdg8)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.
FRI 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b036wdsv)
A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day with Claire Campbell Smith.
FRI 05:45 Farming Today (b036wdsx)
The hot weather is already leaving its mark on wheat crops - in the form of scorched, brown patches. Charlotte Smith gets a close-up look at some sunburnt crops in a field in Hertfordshire.
And if you thought Common Agricultural Policy reform was all sorted, think again. Charlotte speaks to secretary of state for the environment, Owen Paterson, about the next stage in the reform process and hears what farmers and conservationists make of it all.
Presented by Charlotte Smith. Produced in Bristol by Anna Jones.
FRI 05:58 Tweet of the Day (b02tx41n)
Sparrowhawk
Tweet of the Day is a series of fascinating stories about our British birds inspired by their calls and songs. Steve Backshall presents the sparrowhawk.
A garden visit from a sparrowhawk can be an exciting affair. They're smash-and grab raiders, using bushes, hedgerows and fences as cover to take their victims by surprise. Males are blue-grey above, with a striking rusty-orange chest and are smaller than the brown females - this allows the pair to take a wide range of prey.
FRI 06:00 Today (b036wdsz)
News and current affairs. Including Sports Desk, Yesterday in Parliament, Weather, Thought for the Day.
FRI 09:00 Desert Island Discs (b036tqpl)
[Repeat of broadcast at
11:15 on Sunday]
FRI 09:45 Book of the Week (b036wdt1)
Permanent Present Tense
Episode 5
Suzanne Corkin's story of the life and legacy of the man with no memory, Henry Molaison. Today, Henry's final years, and how his brain continues to contribute to memory research and an understanding of who we are.
FRI 10:00 Woman's Hour (b036wfzq)
Plastic Surgery; The Turn of the Screw; Tandems
What drives people to go under the knife to change their looks? Seastar Opera present an all-female production of Benjamin Britten's opera The Turn of the Screw. Caz Graham discovers the joys of riding a tandem. Why - from this September - is 16 no long the age at which you are free of education or training? Presented by Jenni Murray.
FRI 10:45 15 Minute Drama (b036wfzs)
Lunch
Send in the Clowns
by Marcy Kahan
A platonic romantic comedy: Both Bill and Bella have dramatic news for one another. Could this be their last lunch or their first dinner together?
Directed by Sally Avens
Bill works as an economist in a right wing institute giving succour to bankers and businessmen.
Bella teaches yoga, waters the plants in Canary Wharf and holds a Proust seminar for retirees.
But years ago they shared a flat before Bill got married and moved to the States.
Now he's back and he's feeling a little off kilter; his son's stopped talking to him, his wife's not interested, so he decides to hook up again with Bella. Once a month they meet for lunch, where they talk about everything; the one thing they don't talk about is how much they love each other.
Marcy Kahan's delightful comedy moves seamlessly from politics via Proust to the perils of online dating as over five episodes we share lunch with Bill and Bella and watch how their lives change course.
Stephen Mangan is one of our most celebrated comedy actors his past hits include: Adrian Mole, Green Wing and Episodes.
This is the fifth time he has worked on a play of Marcy's.
Claire Skinner is best known as the harassed mother in 'Outnumbered' but her numerous credits include Lark Rise to Candleford and The Glass Menagerie for Sam Mendes.
Marcy Kahan is an established playwright: Her hits for radio include Incredibly Guilty, The Noel Coward Quintet, Twenty Cigarettes and Everybody Comes to Schiklegrubers for which she won a Sony Award.
Her screenplay Antonia and Jane starred Imelda Staunton, Saskia Reeves and Bill Nighy and won the Gold Plaque Award for Best Original Screenplay at the Chicago Film Festival.
FRI 11:00 The Search for the Perfect Office (b036wfzv)
More and more of us work in open plan offices, which can be noisy and lead to strife between those staff who are tidy and their neighbours who like to leave papers and dirty plates on their desks and between those who are quiet and their colleagues who talk loudly on the phone.
Claudia Hammond explores what the perfect office would look like if the latest psychological research was applied. She discovers that it is possible to work in open plan spaces and be able to concentrate, be creative and communicate well with colleagues. And she asks why many architects aren't aware of the research of psychologists or ignore it.
FRI 11:30 Hobby Bobbies (b036wfzx)
Series 1
Dangerous Driving
Our heroes decide to act on dangerous driving in the town - starting with their wheel-spinning American colleague, Jermain.
Britain's longest serving PCSO is paired with the laziest in Dave Lamb's sitcom. (Dave is the voice of TV's Come Dine With Me)
Geoff............................Richie Webb
Nigel............................ Nick Walker
The Guv....................... Sinead Keenan
Jermain.........................Leon Herbert
Bernie...........................Chris Emmett
Producer: Steve Doherty
A Top Dog production for BBC Radio 4.
FRI 12:00 You and Yours (b036wfzz)
Budget hotels, airline charges, SatNav secrets
Two years ago food manufacturers were invited by government to help frame anti-obesity policies has it worked?
How Sat Nav companies are using your mobile phone , whether you realise it not, to help direct motorists away from traffic jams.
Budget Hotels are set for a big expansion but don't expect prices to drop very much if at all.
Sunglasses- fashion accessory or vision ware; what to look for if you want to protect our eyes.
The government thinks that cost of a parking ticket is proving less and less of a deterrent; ministers say they will consult the public about raising prices.
There's been a British invasion in the Alps to watch the Tour De France; how the world's greatest cycle race has captured our imagination.
The Latitude music and comedy festival bills itself as a family affair; we follow a family to see if it justifies the claim.
You may hate paying them but all those little extras when you take a flight have made your experience better and even cheaper- so says an industry analyst- we test the theory.
FRI 12:57 Weather (b036tdgb)
The latest weather forecast.
FRI 13:00 World at One (b036wg01)
National and international news. Listeners can share their views via email: wato@bbc.co.uk or on twitter: #wato.
FRI 13:45 Dog Days (b0371jlf)
My Dog Tulip
Robert Hanks tells of a human obsession through five doggy books. My Dog Tulip by J. R. Ackerley. The messy stuff - how do we live with it? With Prill Barrett, John Bradshaw and Ian Bruce Miller and Jem, the border terrier, and Timmy the whippet. Producer: Tim Dee.
FRI 14:00 The Archers (b036w39z)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Thursday]
FRI 14:15 Drama (b036wg03)
Wagstaff/Abel - When I Lost You
By Rachel Wagstaff and Duncan Abel.
Matthew has written a novel and takes the train from his home in Brighton to London, in order to deliver the manuscript to his sister. In the midst of helping someone from the train at Victoria, Matthew loses the manuscript. Jenny, catching the next train to Brighton, finds an abandoned handwritten book under her seat...
A charmingly simple story of two people seeking to recover what they've lost. Told from both perspectives as they inch closer together.
Directed by Lucy Collingwood.
FRI 15:00 Gardeners' Question Time (b036wg05)
Staffordshire
Eric Robson hosts this week's episode of Gardeners' Question Time in Staffordshire. Answering the audience's questions on gardening are panelists Matt Biggs, Christina Walkden and Chris Beardshaw.
Produced by Howard Shannon
A Somethin' Else Production for BBC Radio 4.
Q. Which plants would provide a splash of colour and attract wildlife in the cobbled or tarmac alleys running behind rows of houses?
A. These alleys are likely to have one side in deep shade and the other in sunshine. For the warm, sunny side Wall Valerian, Sweet Peas, 'Spanish Flag', Petunias, as well as scented Pelargoniums or tumbling tomatoes in hanging baskets are recommended. Hydrangea Petiolaris, Hostas, Heucheras, Tiarellas, Corydalis Lutea and Alchemilla Mollis are suggested for the shady side. Toadflax and wild Geraniums are also recommended.
Q. Can the panel advise why Lupins will not grow in my garden? The soil is neutral, neither sandy nor clay.
A. If this is a repeated problem it may be as a result of the allelopathic effect of one or other of the plants already growing in the garden. Lupins thrive on being slightly raised and earthed up - planting them too deep could be the cause of the problem. Try growing them in a tub to see if this improves the growth. The variety 'Masterpiece' is particularly hardy. Tree Lupins are also recommended.
Q. I have an unruly fig tree - 15ft wide by 9ft tall (4.5m by 2.5m) - growing against a south-facing wall. How should it be pruned to maximise the fruit it yields?
A. Pruning figs tends to encourage more lush growth. Try feeding it with a potash-rich fertiliser to try and rein it in that way. Eventually it will settle down! The roots have probably gone down into moisture rich fertile ground. If possible dig down around the roots and sever some in order to compromise the root system. More generally, prune out any stem that is older than two years and fan-train the new stems against the wall.
Q. A 25 year old Yucca has grown two enormous side shoots along the ground. If these are removed to tidy the plant, could they be replanted?
A. Part of the shoots may have already rooted. New material can usually be replanted, but substantial material may not survive being removed from the main plant. Score some of the bark off the underside of the shoot and earth it up - within a season or so, this may have sent down its own roots, after which point it should be removed from the main plant.
Q. Two years ago I planted a damson tree. When can I expect it to fruit?
A. Fruit should not be removed from the plant for three or four years post-planting, whilst the plant is becoming established. It should start to fruit after five or six years.
Q. Would it be possible to move by 16ft (5m) tall Taxus Baccata? If so, when?
A. Try root pruning over the course of two years in order to get some fibrous root onto the tree. This will make it more likely to survive the move. Once the tree is showing signs of growth in May or June, use a chainsaw to reduce the height by around half and remove most of the side shoots before moving into a prepared pit. Water regularly throughout the summer and it should recover well.
Q. Would it be possible to grow plants in plastic guttering 2in deep by 4in wide (5cm by 10cm), fixed on a southwest-facing wall? Can the panel suggest any edible or decorative plants that may be suitable?
A. The gutter will need to be on a slight gradient for drainage and will need the gutter ends on to keep the compost contained. Smaller herbs, such as chamomile, thyme or Corsican mint are recommended. With enough water flowing through, watercress could be grown. Mini Hostas would also be happy in these conditions. Florist's foam and capillary matting are suggested as a way of ensuring that moisture is retained along the length of the guttering.
FRI 15:45 Latido (b036wg07)
Episode 2
Latido is Spanish for heartbeat, and is a leitmotif in these three stories by Louise Stern, written in Mexico in 2013.
Each story features a deaf central character, and has a Mexican setting:
"He felt the beat of his own heart in his chest and it seemed to play into the rhythm of the water in front of him. That heartbeat, and the faint electrical current that fuzzed steadily beneath his eyes, making him feel slightly queasy; that was the soundtrack of Mexico for him."
Louise Stern grew up in Fremont, California, and is the fourth generation of her family to be born deaf. She says, "I have always felt that Mexico is a country where words are flesh ... People there, hearing or deaf, are very comfortable with communicating via gestures. Mexico is the place where I feel the least deaf. Although the incidence of deafness is more or less the same in most of Mexico as in the rest of the world (less than one percent), there is a village in Yucatan state in Mexico where everyone uses sign language as a matter of fact, because there is a genetic quirk that means that more people than usual are deaf. This village is not the setting of these stories written for the BBC, but time spent there has influenced the stories."
Programme 2:
Mudo can't hear the talk of the crew on the fishing boat, but he's with them to perform one particular task.
Louise Stern now lives and works in London as an artist and writer. Chattering, her first collection of short stories, was published in 2010. The Electric Box, her first commission for radio, featured in the Radio 4 series 'Where Were You' in 2012.
Reader: Louise Brealey
Director: Karen Rose
Sound Design: Jon Calver
Producer: Jeremy Osborne
A Sweet Talk production for BBC Radio 4.
FRI 16:00 Last Word (b036wg09)
A footballer, a Scottish nationalist, painter, an evolutionary theorist, a Liberal activist and a TV producer
Matthew Bannister on
Bert Trautmann, the former German prisoner of war who became a celebrated goalkeeper for Manchester City Football Club. He famously broke his neck in the 1956 FA Cup Final, but kept on playing. Bob Wilson pays tribute.
Kay Matheson. In 1950 with three others, she took part in a raid on Westminster Abbey to "liberate" the Stone of Scone on which Scottish kings were crowned and take it North of the border. We hear from one of her accomplices.
Elaine Morgan whose book "The Descent of Woman" became an important text for the feminist movement.
Lord Chitnis who was an effective backroom organiser for the Liberal Party. Lord Steel pays tribute.
And Ray Butt the TV comedy producer who made Only Fools and Horses and many other hit shows.
FRI 16:30 Feedback (b036wg0c)
This week the BBC announced that the Today programme is to get a new presenter - a female one. Mishal Husain will join the Today line-up in the Autumn and, along with Sarah Montague, will take the ratio from 1 in 5 female to male presenters, to 2 in 6. Feedback listeners welcome the announcement.
But it's not all jubilation. We hear reaction to the BBC's Annual Report. Some of it made for "grim reading" according to the DG Lord Hall. £5 million spent on three separate inquiries into the Jimmy Savile scandal, as well as £25 million paid out in severance payments, and £98 million lost on the failed Digital Media Initiative.
Roger Bolton speaks to Lord Hennessy and asks whether his new Radio 4 series 'Reflections' is a bit too soft on his political interviewees. We explore the art of the political interview with a man who's met them all.
And as outraged comments about The Archers' Matt and Lilian story that was only broadcast digitally continue to fill our postbag, we ask the boss of Digital Radio UK how easy and widespread digital listening really is.
Finally - Operation Drop-out returns! It's time, once again, to call on the good men and women who so diligently wrote to us last year with their examples of interviews where dropped telephone lines, sub-standard digital connections, and woeful mobiles had disrupted their listening pleasure. Listeners spotted some telephonic trouble in the Today studio this week - but are Today the only culprits? We'll be putting questions to the technology department soon so consider yourself conscripted for the cause.
Producer: Will Yates
A Whistledown production for BBC Radio 4.
FRI 17:00 PM (b036wg0f)
Coverage and analysis of the day's news. Including Weather at
5.57pm.
FRI 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b036tdgd)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
FRI 18:30 The News Quiz (b036wg0h)
Series 81
Episode 4
A satirical review of the week's news, chaired by Sandi Toksvig. With panellists Jeremy Hardy, Jon Richardson, Vicki Pepperdine and the Telegraph's Michael Deacon.
FRI 19:00 The Archers (b036wg0k)
Jazzer is rushing to finish with the pigs as he wants to get to the ceilidh.
Kenton has everything under control for the ceilidh. He is desperate to ask Jolene something but they are interrupted by Lilian.
Lilian confides in Jolene that she is still pretty much in the dark about what Matt is up to. And on top of everything else they have discovered asbestos at the Gilbert's Cross development.
As Lilian leaves, Kenton tries to grab a private word with Jolene but they are interrupted by Tony. In frustration Kenton goes to check on the ceilidh.
Jamie and Jazzer are throwing themselves into the ceilidh. Jamie's not drinking too much as he wants a clear head for his 18th tomorrow. To their annoyance they end up as dance partners.
Jolene is busy in the bar as Tony fills her in on how the organ fund is coming along. She is convinced Kenton wants to ask her something so sneaks upstairs to find him, but Kenton is tongue-tied. Jolene pre-empts his question and says yes, she will marry him.
Jazzer is the first to congratulate them but asks when they've finished snogging is there any chance of some service?
FRI 19:15 Front Row (b036wg0m)
Wadjda, Philipp Meyer, Alison Balsom, Paul Franklin
With John Wilson.
Wadjda is the first film from Saudi Arabia to be directed by a woman, Haifaa Al Mansour. It's the story of an 11-year-old girl who enters a Koran recitation competition in order to buy a bike with the winnings, even though women are discouraged from cycling and are banned from driving cars. Critic Shahidha Bari delivers her verdict.
American writer Philipp Meyer's ambitious new novel, The Son, maps the legacy of violence in the western United States. When a young man is taken captive by the Comanches, he learns to adapt to their way of life before their tribe is destroyed by disease, starvation and an overwhelming number of armed, white settlers. Philipp Meyer discusses the breadth of scope - and the five years it took to research and write - of his epic 560-page novel.
Starring trumpet soloist Alison Balsom, Gabriel opens at Shakespeare's Globe this evening. The play, set during the Glorious Revolution, showcases the music of Purcell through a combination of drama, instrumentals and songs. John talks to Balsom, as well as the play's director Dominic Dromgoole, about the project.
Producer Karla Sweet.
FRI 19:45 15 Minute Drama (b036wfzs)
[Repeat of broadcast at
10:45 today]
FRI 20:00 Any Questions? (b036wgjb)
Lord Lawson, Lord Ashdown, Kate Hoey, Baroness Neuberger
Jonathan Dimbleby presents political debate and discussion from Bridport in Dorset with Lord Ashdown, Kate Hoey MP, Baroness Julia Neuberger and former Chancellor of the Exchequer Lord Lawson.
FRI 20:50 A Point of View (b036wgjg)
A Big Day for Bert and Ernie?
The recent New Yorker cover showing Sesame Street's Bert and Ernie as a gay couple, delighted by the American Supreme Court ruling that the Defence of Marriage Act is unconstitutional, prompts Sarah Dunant to reflect on the power of cartoons to convey social messages.
"Those cartoon characters - or their puppet equivalents - which touch us at our most formative moments of early childhood will become part of the bedrock of our cultural belonging."
Producer: Sheila Cook.
FRI 21:00 Saturday Drama (b01kjgp9)
The Hound of the Baskervilles
When Sherlock Holmes hears the strange tale of the Hound of the Baskervilles, he despatches Watson to Dartmoor to begin solving the mystery. Hostile yokels, alarming acquaintances, an escaped murderer and the deadly Grimpen Mire conspire to make Watson more baffled than ever, until Holmes turns up in disguise to take over the investigation.
Peepolykus Theatre Company play fast and loose with Conan Doyle, including a Spanish Holmes, in a comic take on this classic yarn, recorded in front of a live audience in Bristol earlier this year.
Adapted from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's original story by Steven Canny & John Nicholson
Directed by Alison Hindell
Recorded at Queen Elizabeth's Hospital School Theatre, Bristol, for Radio 4's More Than Words Festival.
Peepolykus Theatre Company's previous stage productions include The Hound of the Baskervilles, Spyski and, for Radio 4, Marley Was Dead.
FRI 21:58 Weather (b036tdgg)
The latest weather forecast.
FRI 22:00 The World Tonight (b036whz3)
Detroit to rebound 'stronger' after bankruptcy filing, should Alan Turing be pardoned, why are package holidays popular again, and Bruce Lee is remembered in Hong Kong 40 years after his death. With Carolyn Quinn.
FRI 22:45 Book at Bedtime (b036whz5)
Their Eyes Were Watching God
Episode 5
Written by Zora Neale Hurston
Episode 5
Now Joe is Mayor of Eatonville he doesn't want his wife mixing with the ordinary townsfolk - to Janie's frustration. And when she ventures to make her feelings known, he starts to criticise her.
This African-American classic was first published in the 1930s and is seen as one of the greatest American novels of the twentieth century. The author, Zora Neale Hurston, grew up in Eatonville, Florida, the first incorporated black town in America. Nearly every black female writer of significance - including Maya Angelou, Toni Morrison and Alice Walker - acknowledges Zora Neale Hurston as her literary foremother.
"A rigorous, convincing and dazzling piece of prose, as emotionally satisfying as it is impressive." Zadie Smith
Read by Adjoa Andoh
Abridged and produced by Jane Marshall
A Jane Marshall production for BBC Radio 4.
FRI 23:00 A Good Read (b036v8b0)
[Repeat of broadcast at
16:30 on Tuesday]
FRI 23:30 Today in Parliament (b01s483s)
The latest news from Westminster.