The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.
Over 5 episodes, abridged by Katrin Williams, the author Philip Hoare tells us about a lifetime's association with the sea. The sea that is local to him and other seas that wait in far flung parts of the world. He walks by them, dives into them and is wholly inspired by them:
5. Travelling the world, seeing all things aquatic, yet it is the
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service. BBC Radio 4 resumes at
'If you leave a social network, you're admitting the bully has won' - A listener tells iPM about her teenage life on social networks and Your News is read by Charlotte Green. iPM is presented by Eddie Mair and Jennifer Tracey. Email iPM@bbc.co.uk.
The latest news headlines. Including a look at the papers.
The profiles of the two Forth bridges, rail and road, are a familiar and much-loved part of the Edinburgh landscape. Spanning the Firth of Forth between North and South Queensferry, the cantilevers of the rail bridge stand as a monument to Victorian ambition and achievement in engineering and building. Learning lessons from the great Tay Bridge disaster of 1879, its architects took bridge building into an entirely new era and the vision and physical toil involved in its construction leave present-day engineers in awe. A recent ten-year renovation programme has left the bridge in line for World Heritage Site status, while, as Helen Mark discovers, its importance to the people who live and work with it day to day goes far beyond its function as a crossing of the firth. Local people tell Helen that it serves as a constant reminder of the men who laboured to build the bridge and who, in many cases, lost their lives in the process.
The road bridge was also a ground-breaker when it was opened in 1964, and quickly became an iconic landmark in its own right. But it will soon find itself overshadowed by a new neighbour, to be named, by public vote, the Queensferry Crossing. The bridge's chief engineer takes Helen to admire the view from the top of one of the road bridge's towers and discusses how it will feel, when the new bridge opens, to surrender the title of Bridgemaster.
The murky waters of this stretch of the Firth of Forth will soon have three bridges - one from the nineteenth century, one from the twentieth and one from the twenty first - and for engineers and local people alike, that says something very significant about Scotland and its place in engineering history.
The story of a Welsh farmer, a Scottish farmer, and English one and another from Northern Ireland. No it's not the beginning of a joke, although some English farmers might see it that way. Farming Today This Week takes a look at the Common Agricultural Policy and devolution. With agriculture now a devolved issue, governments have flexibility in how they pay subsidy to their farmers in the wake of this year's reform of the CAP. Different deals will apply in different parts of the UK, and English farmers claim they'll be worse off than their neighbours. In today's programme, Sybil Ruscoe visits a 1000 acre mixed farm on Exmoor to explore the issue.
Presented by Sybil Ruscoe. Produced by Anna Varle.
Morning news and current affairs. Including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.
Richard Coles and J P Devlin with actor Robin Ellis aka Poldark.
He talks about his former role as the dashing Ross Poldark and about his newer-found role as a cookery writer. We have the Inheritance Tracks of KT Tunstall. John McCarthy meets cartoonist, novelist, and jazz musician Barry Fantoni in his home town of Calais.
Rory McPhee savours the joys of seaweed, and Angelique Todd talks about her extraordinary life amongst the mountain gorillas of central Africa.
One of the UK's most acclaimed folk singers, Seth Lakeman, travels to New York to meet the man regarded as the world's leading expert on folk music, 85-year-old Izzy Young, who opened his first Folklore Center in New York's Greenwich Village in 1957.
The store in MacDougal St became a focal point for the American folk music scene of the time. Bob Dylan writes in his memoirs about spending time at the Center, which he referred to as "The citadel of Americana Folk Music - like an ancient chapel". Dylan met Dave Van Ronk in the store, and Izzy Young produced Dylan's first concert at Carnegie Chapter Hall in 1961. Dylan wrote a song about the store and Young called "Talking Folklore Center".
After developing an interest in Swedish folk music at a festival, Young closed his New York store and in 1973 he moved to Stockholm where he opened the Folklore Centrum, where he still works seven days a week.
Making a rare return to New York, 40 years since he first left, Izzy joins Seth on the steps of 110 MacDougal St in Greenwich Village - the site of his original Folklore Center – to reminisce about the evocative days in the late 50s and early 60s when, as Bob Dylan recalls, "Folk music glittered like a mound of gold".
Wandering up MacDougal Street to Washington Square Park, Izzy describes the events of April 1961, when `Folkies' staged what would later be referred to as `the first protest action of the 60s'. When city officials tried to ban folk musicians from performing in the square, Izzy was the main organiser of a protest that resulted in clashes with local police. The protestors eventually won their legal battle with the city and music has been permitted in the square ever since.
Joining Bridget Kendall to be noisy about silence are American conservationist John Francis, who chose to stop talking one day and didn't speak again for seventeen years; Russian ice artist and explorer Galya Morrell, who has found that silence is an essential tool for survival in the North; and award-winning historian Diarmaid MacCulloch, who is interested in the tension between speech and silence that has existed throughout Christian history. Photo : © License All rights reserved by Galya Morrell (ColdArtist)
Will the Egyptian army move in to break up the camp in Cairo set up by supporters of the ousted president, Mohamed Morsi? Caroline Wyatt has been meeting residents of a city which is bitterly divided. Christians are leaving Syria in their thousands. Diana Darke's been learning that they're being greeted with enthusiasm in neighbouring Turkey. Jonathan Head says there's been a conciliatory mood in Burma as people gathered this week to mark the anniversary of an uprising which launched the country's pro-democracy movement. There are some in Gibraltar who feel the British government's not doing enough for them - Tom Burridge is on the Rock as the latest chapter in a 300-year-old row unfolds and the BBC's new man in Australia, Jon Donnison, explains why he's finding it hard coming to terms with the sheer size of his new patch.
Institutional investors such as pension funds are the most dominant force in world markets. But how much do we know about the different intermediaries involved in managing our pensions and how much money they take for their work?
David Grossman asks what the data about the dozens of funds in the Local Government Pension Scheme tells us about how all our pensions are being managed. And he investigates the role of the most important bank you've never heard of - the global custodian.
Special Edinburgh edition of the topical comedy show recorded at the Fringe and hosted by Sandi Toksvig. With panellists Susan Calman, Jeremy Hardy and Matt Forde.
Nick Robinson presents political debate and discussion from Broadcasting House, London with Hugh Pennington Emeritus Professor of Microbiology at Aberdeen University, poet Benjamin Zephaniah, the writer and broadcaster Anne McElvoy and Matthew Sinclair the Chief Executive of the TaxPayers' Alliance.
Assuming we can locate Bongobongoland, do we still need to continue making financial support for its upkeep?
Is the new governor of the Bank of England keeping interest rates low to create inflation which will effectively reduce the countryâ€TMs debt?
Are the Olympics in Russia worth boycotting like Stephen Fry suggested recently?
Does that panel agree with George Osborneâ€TMs comments this week that mothers staying at home to raise young children is a lifestyle choice deserving of no government reward?
What does the panel think is more stressful â€" Christmas or a summer holiday and why?
A new play by Oscar-winning writer Frederic Raphael about successful American film director Jake Liebowitz, charting the auteur's long career, and drawing on Raphael's own experience of writing for the cinema.
Jake Liebowitz disappears unexpectedly from his home in France, presumed dead by drowning. His friend Alexandra Crawley, a film critic who has followed the ups and downs of his career, presents a look back at his movies. But will she find the truth about his death in the films?
From his days as a kid with a movie camera in Brooklyn, on to Chicago, and finally to Hollywood, where he catches the end of the Golden Age, the play explores five decades of American film-making, through Jake's fast-talking, often shocking lens.
Jessie J - the popstar, songwriter and TV judge on BBC talent show. Wives of gay men: what happens to a family when a husband comes out. How a woman helped invent the modern game of cricket. The impact on a mother when she finds out her husband or partner, has been sexually abusing their child. Do we need to 'grow top female economists through the ranks'? And we discuss the sex education you wish you'd had.
Jon Ronson, Hattie Morahan, Paul Sinha, Robin Ince, Martin Simpson, Me and My Friends
Nikki takes The Psychopath Test with gonzo journalist and author Jon Ronson. Fascinated by strange behaviour and the human mind, Jon has spent years exploring mysterious events. His latest book 'Lost at Sea: The Jon Ronson Mysteries' is a collection of his best adventures; from meeting a man who tried to split the atom in his kitchen to interviewing a robot.
Nikki has plenty to talk about with actress Hattie Morahan, who's starring in Ibsen's 1879 play 'A Doll's House' about the breakdown of a seemingly happy marriage. Ibsen was a fearless analyst of human relationships and the controversy that erupted around the play has never died down: is it an attack on marriage? Is it proto-feminist? And if not, then how are people to live? It's at the Duke of York's Theatre, London until 26th October.
Robin Ince is joined by Prodigal Son Martin Simpson, whose folk music career is now into it's fifth decade! Encouraged by his neighbour Richard Hawley, Martin recorded solo album 'Vagrant Stanzas', capturing the atmosphere of evenings spent swapping songs across the kitchen table. He performs 'Jackie and Murphy' in the studio.
Nikki has a check-up with GP and comedian Paul Sinha, who's proudly British and loves a quiz. So the UK Citizenship Test should be right up his street. But the questions in the Home Office guides seem easy, so Paul's created his own, testing the studio audience on their knowledge, with those answering incorrectly being 'deported'! 'Paul Sinha's Citizenship Test' is on 12th August at
With more music from Afrobeat folk quartet Me and My Friends, who perform 'A Penguin Samba' from their album 'Beneath A Level Head'.
Chris Bowlby profiles the new governor of the Bank of England, Mark Carney, who unveiled his economic strategy this week.
Heralded as 'the outstanding central banker of his generation' by George Osborne, Mr Carney now faces the task of guiding the UK's economy towards full recovery. Since arriving in London he has caused a stir by arriving to work on his first day by tube and unveiling Jane Austen as the face on the new £10 notes.
He has come a long way from his roots in the remoteness of Canada's Northern Territories, a journey which included time at Harvard and Oxford Universities and a successful career at Goldman Sachs.
Steve Coogan is back and stars in the film Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa; which portrays the events of the greatest low-to-high ebb spectrum in Alan's life to date, namely how he tries to salvage his public career while negotiating a violent turn of events at North Norfolk Digital Radio.
Had an accident at work? Tripped on a paving slab? Cut yourself shaving? You could be entitled to compensation. In Nick Payne's new play The Same Deep Water As Me, Andrew and Barry at Scorpion Claims, Luton's finest personal injury lawyers, are the men for you. When Kevin, Andrew's high school nemesis, appears in his office the opportunity for a quick win arises. But just how fast does a lie have to spin before it gets out of control?
David Walliams, Frances de la Tour and Catherine Tate star in new BBC TV sitcom series Big School. Walliams is Mr. Church, a long-term teacher on the point of handing in his resignation when a new attractive French teacher arrives and re-ignites his interest in staffroom affairs.
Award winning novelist Nadifa Mohamed's latest book The Orchard of Lost Souls draws on her own family history, set in Northern Somalia in 1987 and a town that waits while rumours of revolution travel on the dry winds. Through the eyes of three women we see Somalia fall.
And all this month we focus on some of the treasures available in Britain all year round and free of cost. We asked our guests - this week it's Kevin Jackson, Kamila Shamsie and Dreda Say Mitchell - to select just one picture from the National Gallery's permanent collection for a kind of fine art equivalent of A Good Read.
The deceptively quiet wordsmith was born in 1923 near the Rangers ground at Ibrox Park.
"I have a harmonium and it's going to explode in two minutes", were the opening words spoken on the Andy Kershaw Show in 1980 by a gentle voiced Scotsman called Ivor Cutler.
Championed by everyone from the Beatles to Billy Connolly, Ivor Cutler was a poet, humourist and absurdist whose appearances on BBC radio and television span over 5 decades. As well as producing a vast body of records, books and plays, Ivor was a notable eccentric, often seen cycling around London in plus fours, handing out homemade stickers and badges to strangers.
To mark what would have been Ivor's 90th birthday, BBC Radio 4 held a 'party', to celebrate his life and BBC archive in particular. Except a full house, with performers, fans, collaborators and even his long-term partner, Phyllis King, introducing their favourite poems, songs and memories of Ivor. Weirdness from the archives, pleasure for fans, and a singular introduction to those encountering him for the very first time.
Highlights include Bramwell and King re-enacting a morse code performance of "The Little Black Buzzer".
Presenter: David Bramwell is a writer, musician and, recently, presenter of Sony Award winning "The Haunted Moustache". He is the founder of the "Catalyst Club"; a place for enthusiasts to speak on any subject close to their heart. Ivor Cutler is a subject close to his, having kept correspondence with him in the 1980's.
Forced to leave their beloved family home after the death of their father, Elinor and Marianne try to make a new life for themselves at Barton Cottage.
While Marianne unexpectedly meets the dashing Willoughby who sweeps her off her feet, Elinor has a surprise visit from Edward. But with neither fortune nor connections, the prospect of marrying the men they love appears remote.
Jane Austen's first published novel is a delightful comedy of manners and a powerful analysis of the ways in which women's lives were shaped by the claustrophobic society in which they had to survive. It is an engrossing story of love, money, passion and prudence. Intelligently written, carefully plotted and beautifully detailed.
Elinor ...... Amanda Hale
Marianne ...... Olivia Hallinan
Mrs Dashwood ...... Deborah McAndrew
Colonel Brandon ...... Blake Ritson
Willoughby ...... Ben Lamb
Edward ...... Henry Devas
Sir John ...... Conrad Nelson
Lady Middleton ...... Rosina Carbone
Mrs Jennings ...... Brigit Forsyth
Nancy ...... Victoria Brazier
Lucy ...... Caitlin Thorburn
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4, followed by weather.
Rosemary has battled with severe health problems for many years. She has Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome and, following complications of spinal surgery, she is now a full time wheelchair user and her breathing is impaired. She receives her nutrition via a tube fed directly into her blood stream and she empties her bowels into a bag attached to the small intestine.
She has always wanted a child and now, aged 36 and in the early stages of a relationship, she asks for assisted conception.
The fertility doctor refers Rosemary on to various specialists at the hospital, who enumerate the risks. If Rosemary is to have IVF, she'll need a general anaesthetic which would be extremely risky for her. Furthermore, any pregnancy could be life threatening to Rosemary and a potential fetus, and the team are concerned about the welfare of a future child. Also, if Rosemary becomes pregnant, her child could inherit Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome as the condition is genetic.
While hospitals look after women with complex problems who are already pregnant, enabling a woman like Rosemary to become pregnant is an ethical challenge of a different order. But Rosemary herself is adamant she wants to take the risk, whatever the potential consequences.
As ever, a host of celebrities will be joining Nigel as he quizzes them on the sources of a range of quotations and asks them for the amusing sayings or citations that they have personally collected on a variety of subjects.
This week Nigel is joined by Martin Bell, Viv Groskop, Edward Petherbridge and David Schneider.
Reader ..... Peter Jefferson.
Poet Daljit Nagra explores the often overlooked Indian element to T.S Eliot's poetry.
T.S Eliot once wrote that the great philosophers of India "make most of the great European philosophers look like schoolboys". And although he's more often remembered as an establishment figure, somewhat conservative and deeply Christian, Eliot also wrote about and studied Indian philosophy, language and culture. He incorporated it into his most famous poems, and even considered becoming a Buddhist.
The poet Daljit Nagra, who grew up in Britain among both Christian and Indian Sikh traditions, became intrigued at school by Eliot's poem The Waste Land, which ends with the Sanskrit mantra "Shantih, shantih, shantih". How did these Indian words find their way into what is, on the face of it, a very western poem? And how does this imagery square with the idea of Eliot the bank clerk in a bowler hat, who converted to High Anglicanism?
Daljit discovers that there is a deep, overlooked vein of Indic ideas in Eliot's poetry, right up until his masterpiece Four Quartets, including references to The Bhagavad Gita, The Upanishads, the Yoga Sutras and Buddhism. But was he merely perpetuating a romantic, exotic image of India, or was Eliot a truly global poet, who found a language to transcend the traditional divisions between eastern and western thought?
Featuring interviews with Eliot's nephew, the poets Jeet Thayil and Maitreyabandhu, Daljit uncovers the overlooked Indian imagery in Eliot's work and considers how far, as a poet steeped in Christian and classical traditions, he really understood it.
SUNDAY 11 AUGUST 2013
SUN 00:00 Midnight News (b037y72x)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.
SUN 00:30 Byng Ballads: The Story of Douglas Byng (b017vkrr)
I Had My Bit of Cake
In today's episode, Byng explains how he began playing risqué female characters, and became the darling of 'the smart set' at London's Café de Paris.
Douglas Byng (1893 - 1987) was a female impersonator and the most famous cabaret star of his day. Billed as "Bawdy but British", his professional career lasted for over 70 years. This short series traces the journey of the cross-dressing glamour queen from privileged childhood in the 1890s, through concert parties in Hastings, to his emergence as the darling of the society set, entertaining royalty and London's 'Bright Young Things' at the Café de Paris in the 1920s and 30s.
Douglas Byng has been dubbed 'the highest priest of camp'. He blazed a trail for others to follow, treading a fine line between sophisticated urbanity and risqué innuendo which presaged more contemporary, boundary-bending comedians such as Kenneth Williams, Danny La Rue, Barry Humphries and...our own Julian Clary.
Byng's debonair appearances in revue were described by Noel Coward as "the most refined vulgarity in London"!
After the Second World War, Douglas Byng became a familiar stage and film actor and much-loved pantomime dame. His saucy recordings of self-penned songs led to occasional bans by the BBC, but his popularity never diminished.
He wrote his autobiography (As You Were - published in 1970) in retirement in Brighton, and this book provides the material for the series.
With Julian Clary as Douglas Byng.
Compiled by Tony Lidington.
Pianist: Martin Seager.
Producer/Director: David Blount
A Pier Production for BBC Radio 4.
SUN 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b037y72z)
The latest shipping forecast.
SUN 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b037y731)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service. BBC Radio 4 resumes at
5.20am.
SUN 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b037y733)
The latest shipping forecast.
SUN 05:30 News Briefing (b037y735)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.
SUN 05:43 Bells on Sunday (b0381k99)
The bells of Loughborough Parish Church.
SUN 05:45 Profile (b0381jwx)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Saturday]
SUN 06:00 News Headlines (b037y737)
The latest national and international news.
SUN 06:05 Something Understood (b0381k9c)
Learning to Be Human
What if being human is an act of will? Like many people on the autism spectrum, Dawn Prince-Hughes says she felt like an alien in human society, unable to understand its rules. Until, that is, she found an unusual teacher - a gorilla. By copying him, she 'learnt to be human', and moved from being a stripper to an anthropology professor.
In this programme, John McCarthy explores alternative paths to humanity and what they reveal to us about ourselves.
With words from Albert Camus, Margaret Atwood, Mary Shelley and Edvard Munch, and music from Keeril Makan, Beethoven and Emmanuel Jal.
Producer: Jo Fidgen
A Whistledown production for BBC Radio 4.
SUN 06:35 Living World (b0381kbj)
Pine Marten
This week on Living World, presenter Trai Anfield travels to mid Scotland for an encounter with one of Britain's rarest mammals, the pine marten. Here in a remote landscape she meets up with Martyn Jamieson from the Field Studies Council for a safari with a difference, can they find a female with young, high in the tree tops? Although martens are not confined to woodland they do prefer this habitat as they are expert tree climbers. Like other Mustelids, pine martens are mainly carnivores and feed on small mammals, invertebrates and carrion, but they will also eat a lot of fruits and nuts. Best seen at dawn or dusk, pine martens are sometimes referred to as nocturnal, but they are frequently active during the day, especially in the summer months.
Until the 19th Century, pine martens were found throughout much of mainland Britain, the Isle of Wight and some of the Scottish islands. Habitat fragmentation, persecution by gamekeepers and a trade in marten fur, drastically reduced this distribution. Their low point in terms of numbers came in the 1920's when they were restricted to a small area of north-west Scotland, with small numbers in North Wales and the Lake District. More recently through changes in land management and conservation research, pine martens are slowly recolonizing their old areas but still remain one of the rarest native mammals in Great Britain, with a total population of around 3-4,000. In Ireland there are probably more but data is sparse there.
The planting of big conifer woodlands has really helped the marten recovery as a territory can be around 150 hectares in size. Finding one in this Scottish woodland will be a challenge for Trai. Luckily at this site martens are seen regularly, and in the evening Martyn and Trai head to a quiet location to sit and wait by a well-used area as the dusk gathers. Will they be lucky on this July night?
Producer: Andrew Dawes.
SUN 06:57 Weather (b037y739)
The latest weather forecast.
SUN 07:00 News and Papers (b037y73c)
The latest news headlines. Including a look at the papers.
SUN 07:10 Sunday (b0381kbl)
After David Cameron was quizzed about his faith during a Q&A session in Manchester this we ask political commentator Charlie Woolf whether politicians should 'do God'?
William Crawley talks to Youssef Sidhom, editor of the Cairo based Coptic newspaper 'Watany', about why Coptic Christians are being targeted in post-Morsi Egypt.
Kevin Bocquet reports on the Manchester Eruv and explores how the boundary line which allows Jews to continue essential tasks on the Sabbath is dividing some in the Jewish community.
Were women airbrushed out of Christian history? Professor Kate Cooper talks to William about her new book 'Band of Angels: The Forgotten World of Early Christian Women'.
Bob Walker embarks on St Paul's trail, a 300 mile journey in the footsteps of St Paul, in the first of two dispatches from Turkey.
As Pakistani cartoon 'The Burka Avenger' causes something of a stir in Pakistan, William explores the use of cartoons, comics and superheroes as a vehicle to convey a religious message with cartoonists Alex Baker and Zaineb Latif.
After another weekend of violence on the streets of Belfast, are church leaders in Northern Ireland doing enough make the peace process work? William is joined by Dr Rob Craig Moderator of the Presbyterian Church, Northern Ireland's largest Protestant denomination and the Revd Gary Mason, a methodist minister working in a staunchly Loyalist area of east Belfast.
SUN 07:55 Radio 4 Appeal (b0381kp7)
Primary Trauma Care Foundation
Richard Hammond presents the Radio 4 Appeal for Primary Trauma Care Foundation.
Reg Charity:1116071
To Give:
- Freephone 0800 404 8144
- Freepost BBC Radio 4 Appeal, mark the back of the envelope Primary Trauma Care Foundation.
SUN 07:57 Weather (b037y73f)
The latest weather forecast.
SUN 08:00 News and Papers (b037y73h)
The latest news headlines. Including a look at the papers.
SUN 08:10 Sunday Worship (b0381kp9)
marking the Edinburgh Festival from St Giles Cathedral. Preacher: The Very Revd Gilleasbuig Macmillan, with the Director of the Edinburgh International Festival, Sir Jonathan Mills.
Cathedral Choir directed by Michael Harris. Organist: Peter Backhouse.
Producer: Mo McCullough.
SUN 08:48 A Point of View (b037vb15)
Roger Scruton: Of the People, By the People 1/4
Roger Scruton argues that democracy alone is not enough for political freedom. Democracy, freedom and human rights do not necessarily coincide.
"In the underground universities of communist Europe ... my friends and colleagues prepared themselves for the hoped for day when the Communist Party, having starved itself of all rational input, would finally give up the ghost," he says. "And the lessons that they learned need to be learned again today, as our politicians lead us forth under the banner of democracy, without pausing to examine what democracy actually requires.".
SUN 08:58 Tweet of the Day (b0378svz)
Wood Pigeon
Tweet of the Day is a series of fascinating stories about our British birds inspired by their calls and songs.
Michaela Strachan presents the wood pigeon. One of our most widespread birds, you can hear this song all year round; just about anywhere. The young are called squabs and along with seeds and green foliage, Wood Pigeons feed their chicks with "pigeon milk", a secretion from their stomach lining.
SUN 09:00 Broadcasting House (b0381kw2)
Sunday morning magazine programme with news and conversation about the big stories of the week. Presented by Paddy O'Connell.
SUN 10:00 The Archers Omnibus (b0381l2s)
For detailed descriptions please see daily programmes.
SUN 11:15 Desert Island Discs (b0381l2v)
Daniel Kahneman
The psychologist Daniel Kahneman, who won the 2002 Nobel Prize for Economics, is interviewed by Kirsty Young for Desert Island Discs.
Widely acknowledged as one of the world's most influential living psychologists, his many years of study have centred on how and why we make the decisions we do.
As a child, he lived in Nazi occupied France and he says that, from a young age, he already had a pretty good idea that he wanted to be an academic.
He says "My mother had a big influence ... in fact I credit her with the fact that I became a psychologist ... because she got me interested in people and listening to gossip. I've been fascinated by gossip ever since."
Producer: Cathy Drysdale.
SUN 12:00 I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue (b037sz5k)
Series 59
Episode 6
Back for a second week at Leicester's De Montfort Hall, regulars Barry Cryer, Graeme Garden and Tim Brooke-Taylor are joined on the panel by semi-regular Rob Brydon, with Jack Dee in the chair. Piano accompaniment is provided by Colin Sell.
Producer - Jon Naismith.
SUN 12:32 The Food Programme (b0381l43)
A World Stage for Food and Music
Every year at the WOMAD festival, one tent in a field in Wiltshire becomes the venue for a remarkable meeting of food and music. Solo artists and bands from all over the world gather to share recipes and stories with the audience, who get to taste dishes created in front of them, often by musicians who have never cooked in public before.
In this edition of The Food Programme, Sheila Dillon is at the 'Taste the World' tent and uncovers some of the food stories and experiences that have shaped these unique performances.
On the journey Sheila encounters Guo Yue, who grew up in Beijing during the Cultural Revolution and is now a master flautist and respected cook. There's also Nano Stern from Chile, Québécois band Le Vent Du Nord as well as South Louisiana's Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys.
In the company of Taste the World's host Roger de Wolf, there will be roux bubbling, passionate story-telling and a culinary phone-call to the deep wilderness.
SUN 12:57 Weather (b037y73k)
The latest weather forecast.
SUN 13:00 The World This Weekend (b0381l45)
The prominent Labour backbencher - Graham Stringer - tells us Ed Miliband must tackle the "deafening silence" from his shadow cabinet, which is preventing his party seizing the political agenda. A member of Labour's National Executive - Jon Ashworth, who's close to the party leader, tells us the party does need to work harder to get its message across.
As Northern Ireland's chief constable says grievances among those who feel "left behind" need to be addressed. We ask one of those who helped craft the Good Friday Agreement - Professor Monica McWilliams - whether a lack of leadership has allowed resentment of the peace settlement to grow.
And an event that didn't make the headlines on this day in 1988, but probably should have done: the meeting which created Al Qaeda. A quarter of a century on, we'll be tracing its growth and decline.
SUN 13:30 Soul Music (b037hmxd)
Series 16
Elgar's Dream of Gerontius
How the choral work The Dream of Gerontius, by Elgar, has touched and changed people's lives.
We hear from Terry Waite for whom it was the first piece of music he heard as a hostage in the Lebanon, after four years in solitary confinement.
Music writer and broadcaster Stephen Johnson describes how Elgar's own fragile emotional state is written into the music, which describes the journey taken by a dying man.
Singer Catherine Wyn-Rogers explains how Elgar's music helped her come to terms with the loss of her parents.
Martin Firth recalls a life-enhancing performance of the piece in Bristol cathedral.
Jude Kelly, artistic director of the South Bank Centre, explains how she experienced the choir in this piece as a 'spiritual army' when she performed it at university.
Martyn Marsh describes how the music brought him to a realisation about how he would like to end his days.
And Robin Self recalls a life-changing performance of this piece, which enabled him to grieve for his son.
Producer: Melvin Rickarby.
SUN 14:00 Gardeners' Question Time (b037v9cv)
Upminster
Chaired by Eric Robson, this week the Gardeners' Question Time team is in Upminster. Attempting to solve the local audience's horticultural queries are gardening experts Matthew Biggs, Anne Swithinbank and Bob Flowerdew.
Produced by Howard Shannon
A Somethin' Else Production for BBC Radio 4.
Overflow and notes:
Q. I had a Grade II listed bridge in my garden and would like to disguise the new fence I have put on top of it. The area between the fence and the parapet is 15in (38cm) and the depth is 6in (15cm).
A. Wisteria and other vigorous plants, such as Rambling Roses or even Rambling Rector, are recommended. Nasturtiums are suggested as a quick and easy alternative to roses and grape vines are also suggested, particularly varieties Siegerrebe, Boskoop Glory or Phoenix.
Q. We have several Acers. Their leaves are curled up and are dry and crispy. Will they recover?
A. Acers' natural habitat is the moist, humid canopy beneath other trees, protected from the frost and cold, drying winds. This year's weather is likely to have had an adverse effect upon them. Acers are not very robust, but making sure they are kept moist around the base, mulch in winter and see how they do next spring.
Q. I planted two 2ft (0.5m) Christmas trees in my garden 20 years ago. They are now taller than my two story house - how much taller will they get?!
A. These will probably grow by at least by another story, or possibly two. Some varieties, such as Scots Pine, shed branches and care should be taken if these are planted close to the house.
Q. I have three blueberry plants growing in pots. Last year, after erratic fruiting, I pruned them, only for this year's crop to be even worse. How can I get the best from them?
A. Blueberries make huge bushes so need to be in fairly large containers. They can overcrop and thus weakened themselves. They need little pruning, but if pruning, the young wood should be left and the oldest, twiggiest wood taken out, This can be done at any point in the year, but do not overprune. Feed with ericaceous plant food and water very regularly with rainwater.
Q. When potato plants have flowered and the green apples have formed, should the apples be removed or left? Or should the flowers have been removed earlier?
A. Energy is being wasted on growing the seedpod that could have been invested in growing potatoes! As such the flowers should be removed before the seed pods form.
Q. My strawberries, red-, white- and blackcurrants have done very well this year, but my raspberries have not. Is there something I can do to help them on?
A. Raspberries must have very good drainage and will not do well in clay soil. Blackberry cultivars such as Boysenberry, Silvenberry and other thornless blackberry varieties are suggested as alternatives that might do better in clay conditions. Despite the need for good drainage, raspberries need to be well watered from the time their leaves come out to the point of fruiting and thick mulch should be used, such as a leaf mould. Alternatively, raspberries can be grown in tubs though they are not very long-lived. A variety called Tulameen is recommended.
Q. I have a Chilean glory vine (Eccremocarpus Scaber) that I raised from seed around 10 years ago. It grows very well but has never flower. Why might this be?
A. The plant may be in a protracted winter dormancy. A similar thing happens with other foreign plants such as Oleanders, which can survive in the climate but become so dormant in the winter that they do not form flower buds in time. High levels of potash will help with flowering. It may be that this summer's heat wave will also help.
Q. I have dug up a white beetroot. Is it edible?
A. As long as it is a beetroot, then almost certainly. Chioggia is a white and red striped variety of beetroot and Burpee's Golden is a yellow variety, and Albina Vereduna is a white variety - so as long as you're sure the leaves look like beetroot then they are probably safe!
Producer: Howard Shannon
A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4.
SUN 14:45 Witness (b0381l4k)
The Opening of Euro Disney
21 years ago the Walt Disney Company opened a theme park near Paris. But it had taken years of delicate negotiations and diplomacy to bring Mickey Mouse to France.
SUN 15:00 Jane Austen - Sense and Sensibility (b0381l64)
Episode 2
Elinor and Marianne are invited to stay at Mrs Jennings' house in London. But Marianne has a surprising encounter with Willoughby and complications arise for Elinor and Edward. Will the Dashwood sisters find happiness and love?
Conclusion of Jane Austen's classic novel dramatised by Helen Edmundson.
Elinor ...... Amanda Hale
Marianne ...... Olivia Hallinan
Mrs Dashwood ...... Deborah McAndrew
Colonel Brandon ...... Blake Ritson
Willoughby ...... Ben Lamb
Edward ...... Henry Devas
Sir John ...... Conrad Nelson
Lady Middleton ...... Rosina Carbone
Mrs Jennings ...... Brigit Forsyth
Nancy ...... Victoria Brazier
Lucy ...... Caitlin Thorburn
John Dashwood ...... Andonis James Anthony
Fanny ...... Lisa Brookes
Mrs Ferrars ...... Alexandra Mathie
Musician: Emily Hooker
Director: Nadia Molinari
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 2013.
SUN 16:00 Open Book (b0381l66)
Literary Landscapes - The Lake District with Sarah Hall
Literary Landscapes - The Lake District
Open Book's summer series on Literary Landscapes begins at the Haweswater Dam, with only a waist high wall separating presenter Mariella Frostrup from 80 billion litres of water, which is what Haweswater Reservoir holds when full, and surrounded by beautiful and majestic mountains on all sides. It's a charged, vital, visceral landscape - immortalised by writers since Wordsworth first wrote about daffodils.
Open Book's literary guide to this "carnal realm of water and earth" is award winning writer Sarah Hall - who this year was on Granta's coveted list of the best 20 British writers under 40.
Sarah was born in a cottage in a mountain range just to the east of Haweswater, and her award winning eponymous first novel, Haweswater, provides a fictional account of the construction of the dam. Sarah talks about a brutal landscape made beautiful by the Romantic poets, and how it's been a challenging legacy for a writer to inherit.
Producer: Hilary Dunn.
SUN 16:30 The Sonnet and the Sword (b0381l79)
In The Sonnet and the Sword, Peggy Reynolds explores the world of the Elizabethan Court, through the poetry written by its courtiers. This is a unique exploration of the Elizabethan age, as the poetry written by the elite at the time, evokes a world where rivalry between courtiers was common, and flattering the Queen often involved much spectacle.
Poetry during the reign of Elizabeth I developed into a national literature, with courtiers as the elite consumers judging literary developments, and often being at the forefront of innovations themselves. Professor Steven May discusses the merits of this output, which often influenced those outside the court, such as Shakespeare. Dr Susan Doran also joins Peggy Reynolds, to examine the bigger picture, including religious intolerance, the war with Spain, and concern over the royal succession. These national themes are very present in the poetry of the court.
Throughout the program there'll be examples of the poetry from this period, and insights from other experts regarding this literature, and the reign of Elizabeth I.
SUN 17:00 Science, Right or Left (b037tsw0)
Ehsan Masood looks at how science has increasingly become an ideological battlefield between Left and Right. From nuclear power and genetically modified crops through to the mother of scientific-political rows over global warming, scientific research is now the subject of intense partisan debate.
Masood talks to a range of leading scientists and politicians, including current and former science ministers, to examine why this is happening and whether public attitudes to science are being increasingly coloured by politics.
He looks at evidence from the United States that there has been a stark shift in attitudes to science across the political spectrum and asks whether scientists themselves are playing a growing role in politics.
Producer: Adam Bowen.
SUN 17:40 Profile (b0381jwx)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Saturday]
SUN 17:54 Shipping Forecast (b038pzw5)
The latest shipping forecast.
SUN 17:57 Weather (b037y73p)
The latest weather forecast.
SUN 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b037y73r)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
SUN 18:15 Pick of the Week (b0381lv6)
Today, old punks and new doctors, matinee idols and scurrilous composers. Bamboo flutes and sesame oil and a trip back in time to when Cicero was big in Fife.
It's autumn, that unexpectedly melancholy month when everyone is on holiday except you and it feels a bit like February in Summer. So some extra famous names to spoil and entertain. Jane Austen, Chopin, Vivaldi, Beethoven, Ivor Novello, Samuel Pepys and a lowly wolf spider basking on a rock in Bristol.
Sense and Sensibility - Radio 4
Sins of Literature - Radio 4
Composer Of The Week: 200 Years Of The Royal Philharmonic Society - Radio 3
The Pregnant Brain - Radio 4
Great Lives: Novello - Radio 4
A Guide To Garden Wildlife - Radio 4
Front Row: The Clash - Radio 4
Today Programme on the new Doctor Who - Radio 4
Through The Night - Radio 3
The Food Programme - Radio 4
In Search of Nic Jones - Radio 4
Ecce Fife - Radio 4
Proms 34: Nigel Kennedy performing Vivaldi's Four Seasons - Radio 4.
SUN 19:00 The Archers (b0381lv8)
Rob and Helen don't want to get out of bed but Pat is looking after Henry. Rob persuades Helen to at least stay for lunch. She swings into action, not only making lunch but washing up afterwards. Rob asks Helen when she can come over again. He offers to take her out on Friday night, Helen likes the idea of being out in public - and of coming back to Rob's afterwards.
At Bridge Farm, Pat and Tony are wondering why Helen isn't back from town yet. They decide to take Henry to the playground. They bump into Neil and Kathy. Tony joins Neil for a pint at the Bull while Kathy goes with Pat to the playground.
In the Bull, there is an awkward moment as Neil invites Rob to join them, Tony is not happy.
Helen meets up with Pat, Kathy and Henry at the playground. To Helen's dismay, Pat invites Kathy to the open-air theatre on Friday night. Who will look after Henry? Thankfully Tony offers to help. As Helen plays with Henry, Tony and Pat agree that it's a relief not to have Rob around the farm so much but wonder why. Surely he and Helen haven't fallen out? Pat hasn't seen Helen so happy in ages.
SUN 19:15 Jo Caulfield's Speakeasy (b0381lzj)
Episode 2
Comedian Jo Caulfield invites best selling authors, comedians and a man who played with Pink Floyd to tell true stories from their lives. The results are revealing, hilarious and hugely entertaining.
The performers are all recorded live at the historic Scottish Story Telling centre in Edinburgh.
This week Ian Rankin tells us why not to get on the wrong side of a crime writer, Boothby Graffoe shares a gruesome tale about the world's worst serial killer and Janey Godley and Pink Floyd's Guy Pratt share with us moments they'd rather forget.
Created by Jo Caulfield and Kevin Anderson
A Dabster production for BBC Radio 4.
SUN 19:45 Roadrunner (b0381lzl)
By Laura Barton.
The Road (Route 128 in Massachusetts) tells how it came into being and became immortalised in the song by Jonathan Richman and the Modern Lovers.
"I was built to inspire a song. A love song for a road, for a car, for music and the modern world. A song about about going faster miles an hour. With the radio on."
'Roadrunner', written by Jonathan Richman and first recorded with The Modern Lovers in 1972, was described by Greil Marcus as "The most obvious song in the world and the strangest." Laura Barton calls it "a song about what it means to feel young, and free, and charged by the world. It's a song about how glorious it feels to be alive".
But it is also a song about a road. And this story by Laura Barton gives voice to the Road - namely, Route 128 in Massachusetts, also known as the Yankee Division Highway. And the story of the Road is also a story of the building of the modern world.
Laura Barton was born in Lancashire in 1977. She is a broadcaster and freelance writer of features and music columns. Her first story for radio, The Carpenter, was broadcast in 2009 as part of Sweet Talk's 'We Are Stardust, We Are Golden' series for BBC Radio 4. Twenty-One Locks, her debut novel, was published in 2010. Her three story series about Northern Soul, Tales From The Casino, was broadcast on Radio 4 in 2011. Laura lives in London.
Reader: John Schwab
Producer: Jeremy Osborne
A Sweet Talk production for BBC Radio 4.
SUN 20:00 Feedback (b037v9jq)
Was the BBC's HardTalk too hard on Baritone Thomas Hampson? When Sarah Montague interviewed the opera star on the World Service and BBC News programme, opera fans around the world took umbrage. We hear from the listener whose complaint went viral and made him an overnight hero in the opera world.
Plus, is the World at One able to maintain its reputation for hard news during silly season? Roger Bolton speaks to WATO editor Nick Sutton.
The announcement that Peter Capaldi is to play the 12th Doctor was big news in TV this week, but Radio 4 is to have its own sea-change. The successor to long-serving editor of The Archers, Vanessa Whitburn, has just been announced. Sean O'Connor will take on the role from September. He was a producer for The Archers in the 1990s. But stints at EastEnders, Hollyoaks, and the salacious ITV drama Footballers' Wives have also been prominent talking points for listeners. We hear Archers addicts' hopes for the O'Connor tenure.
Former voice of Radio 4, Charlotte Green, landed her dream job this week. She'll be replacing James Alexander Gordon to read 5Live's classified football results every Saturday from the end of September. Feedback listeners wish her well, but some would still rather hear her back on Radio 4.
And we speak to one of the winners of the first BBC Writers' Prize for Radio, Sarah Hehir. Her play 'Bang Up' aired this week in the Afternoon Drama slot on BBC Radio 4.
Producer: Will Yates
A Whistledown production for BBC Radio 4
Email: feedback@bbc.co.uk.
SUN 20:30 Last Word (b037v9jn)
A Falklands War admiral, a writer and rock musician, an engineer who developed fracking, a French actress, a folk singer
Matthew Bannister on:
Admiral Sir Sandy Woodward who led the naval task force to recapture the Falkland Islands from the Argentinians
Mick Farren - the prolific writer, rock singer and revolutionary. We have tributes from Felix Dennis, Charles Shaar Murray and Julie Burchill
Bernadette Lafont - the "wild child" star of French New Wave cinema
George Mitchell - the Texan engineer who pioneered the controversial technique of fracking
And Terry Conway - the road mender from Northumberland who wrote folk songs in the local dialect.
SUN 21:00 Face the Facts (b037v4fp)
The RSPCA - A law unto itself?
For almost 200 years, the RSPCA has been the nation's conscience on animal welfare. The UK's biggest animal charity has also been in the forefront when it comes to enforcing decent standards of animal care. But more recently questions are being asked about how the organisation is changing.
There are claims that it is too quick to prosecute vulnerable people - the elderly, people with mental health issues or mobility problems - rather than advising them or helping them better look after their pets. Some never get over the shock of being raided by the police and RSPCA - even if they're later completely cleared of any wrongdoing. They suspect that front page coverage of RSPCA raids may be at least partly motivated by a desire for donation-boosting publicity.
And vets and lawyers claim to have been unfairly targeted because they've stood up against the RSPCA in court.
Face the Facts investigates how the RSPCA is changing and whether it is in danger of losing its way.
Presenter:John Waite
Producer:Paul Waters
Editor:Andrew Smith.
SUN 21:26 Radio 4 Appeal (b0381kp7)
[Repeat of broadcast at
07:55 today]
SUN 21:30 In Business (b037vb4d)
Gene Patenting
Ever since the mapping of the human genome was completed 10 years ago medical companies have been rushing to patent genes that define all of us for their own exclusive use. Now the US Supreme Court has ruled against patenting things found in nature. Peter Day asks what this means for the biotech business.and for the future of healthcare.
SUN 22:00 Westminster Hour (b0381m00)
Preview of the week's political agenda at Westminster with MPs, experts and commentators. Discussion of the issues politicians are grappling with in the corridors of power.
SUN 22:45 What the Papers Say (b0381m02)
A look at how the newspapers are covering the biggest stories.
SUN 23:00 The Film Programme (b037vb42)
The Lone Ranger, Alan Partridge, Satyajit Ray, Silence
Robbie Collin talks to Johnny Depp about The Lone Ranger and why he wanted his Tonto to be more than just a sidekick to the cowboy. And as the less than flattering reviews come in, Depp hits back saying the critics had doomed the film before it ever hit the big screen.
Radio host Alan Partridge returns with Alpha Papa in which the Norwich DJ becomes a hostage negotiator. Co writer Armando Iannucci explains why they waited so long to take Alan to the cinema.
As the British Film Institute looks back at the career of Indian film maker Satyajit Ray, the biographer Andrew Robinson and the director Sangeeta Datta explore his work, in particular the Apu Trilogy and The Big City which is re-released later this month.
The Irish documentary maker Pat Collins has made his first fictional feature, Silence, in which a sound recordist travels around Donegal trying to record a landscape free of man-made noise. He debates our relationship with sound and silence in life and in the cinema.
Producer: Elaine Lester.
SUN 23:30 Something Understood (b0381k9c)
[Repeat of broadcast at
06:05 today]
MONDAY 12 AUGUST 2013
MON 00:00 Midnight News (b037y74p)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.
MON 00:15 Thinking Allowed (b037v4g0)
The Minutemen; 'Lay' Witnesses in Court
The Minutemen - who are they? Laurie Taylor talks to US sociologist, Harel Shapira about the right wing activists who patrol the US border in search of illegal immigrants. How should these men be characterised - as vigilantes, patriots or racists? Shapira met men who fought in Vietnam and Desert Storm and spoke of an America which no longer exists. Living alongside these men, he uncovered narratives of lost identity and community as well as extreme political convictions. Also, Nigel Fielding observed 65 crown court cases in England as part of his study into the effects of criminal trial procedures on 'lay' people, including victims, witnesses and defendants. His research highlights the confusion, anxiety and frustration which is often felt by the legally untrained in the face of courtroom convention.
Producer: Jayne Egerton.
MON 00:45 Bells on Sunday (b0381k99)
[Repeat of broadcast at
05:43 on Sunday]
MON 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b037y74r)
The latest shipping forecast.
MON 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b037y74t)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
MON 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b037y74w)
The latest shipping forecast.
MON 05:30 News Briefing (b037y74y)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.
MON 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b0383hdb)
A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day with Andrea Rea.
MON 05:45 Farming Today (b0383hdk)
Farming Today checks on the progress of the harvest, and hears how this year had a late start but is now making up for lost time. Arable expert Susan Twining describes how the winter barley and oilseed rape harvests are in full-swing, explains why winter wheat is lagging slightly behind, and tells us that farmers are keeping their fingers crossed for a sunny week ahead.
The East Kent Golding Hop has joined a very exclusive club, by winning Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) status. Sybil Ruscoe finds out why a humble hop deserves to sit alongside famous Herefordshire Cider and the mighty Cornish Pasty.
And today is the "Glorious Twelfth" - the start of the grouse shooting season. Caz Graham heads out on to the moors where trainee gamekeepers are learning their trade.
Presented by Sybil Ruscoe and produced in Bristol by Anna Jones.
MON 05:56 Weather (b037y750)
The latest weather forecast for farmers.
MON 05:58 Tweet of the Day (b0378wy3)
Common Redstart
Tweet of the Day is a series of fascinating stories about the British birds inspired by their calls and songs.
Michaela Strachan presents the common redstart. Redstarts are summer visitors from sub-Saharan Africa. The males are very handsome birds, robin-sized, but with a black mask, white forehead and an orange tail. John Buxton gave us a fascinating insight into their lives when, as a prisoner of war in Germany, he made a study of them.
MON 06:00 Today (b0383hsp)
Morning news and current affairs with Justin Webb and Evan Davis, including:
0749
It's been revealed that humanitarian aid supplies sent by the UK to help people in Somalia were stolen by an Al-Qaeda affiliated group called Al Shabaab. Justine Greening, the International Development Secretary, discusses how much the UK spends on aid.
0810
In a wide-ranging speech to be delivered later today, Labour is expected to accuse supermarket giant Tesco and clothing retailer Next of turning away British workers, where possible, to exploit cheaper migrant labour. The speech will drag the firms into a politically-charged immigration debate ahead of a 2015 election. Labour's Immigration spokesman Chris Bryant explains the party's accusations.
0821
A revolution in healthcare is coming, according to some computer scientists and medics, created by the ability of smartphones to monitor the body's workings. Dr Blaine Price, computer scientist at the Open University, and professor Gill Rowlands, a GP and clinical senior lecturer at Kings College London, consider how healthcare could be affected by cheap and easily available apps.
MON 09:00 The Sins of Literature (b0383hsr)
Thou Shalt Not Hide
In the Sins of Literature Robert McCrum casts a seasoned eye over the literary mores of our age.
Sarah Waters, Alexander McCall Smith, Martin Amis, Will Self, Siri Hustvedt, Paul Auster, Deborah Moggach and Howard Jacobson talk about their literary sins and commandments.
Thou Shalt not hide. It's lonely business writing. Day after day at the keyboard with only your thoughts for company. Many writers develop rituals, habits and creative ticks to get them through. Historically lots of them have found succour in the arms of alcohol. The god like omnipotence they hold over the world of their novel can encourage an equal and opposite retreat from the real world (where they have no such powers). Thou Shalt not Hide examines the psychology and the discipline of writing and how writers are necessarily locked into their own heads yet trying to capture the whole wide world on the page.
MON 09:30 Wow! How Did They Do That? (b0383jgn)
Episode 1
Roger Law goes in search of the entrepreneurs who are behind some of the Britain's best designs and inventions.
Adam Lowe is the man who can recreate any object in perfect detail. His company Factum Arte has reproduced great works of art, such as Veronese's The Marriage at Cana which was taken by Napoleon's troops from Venice and now hangs in the Louvre. Adam created an exact replica which is now displayed in the original setting in the Palladian refectory in Venice. The next challenge was even more ambitious - a life size reproduction of Tutankamun' tomb. Roger Law travels to Madrid to discover the secrets behind these extraordinary creations.
Steve Haines also creates great works of art - for other artists. He is the craftsman behind some of the great monumental pieces of sculpture to be found in the UK and beyond. All this is produced in a modest workshop underneath the railway arches in Deptford, south-east London.
Two contrasting styles and two contrasting characters with one thing in common. Creating objects in perfect detail.
MON 09:45 Book of the Week (b0383jgq)
Lloyd Bradley - Sounds Like London: 100 Years of Black Music in the Capital
Episode 1
The story of a city's transformation through its music, taking in the wave of Commonwealth immigration in the 40s right up to the present day.
In the first episode the Empire Windrush brings an exciting new style of music to London with the arrival of Caribbean Calypso star Lord Kitchener.
Read by Ben Onwukwe.
Written by Lloyd Bradley.
Abridged by Natalie Steed.
Produced by Kirsteen Cameron.
MON 10:00 Woman's Hour (b0383jlm)
Kirstie Allsopp: Why women often don't get the birth they want
Kirstie Allsopp meets mothers-to-be and women who've just given birth on her personal journey to find out why the experience of labour and birth might not match up to their expectations. In discussion with professionals including obstetrician Zoe Penn, midwife Pauline Cooke, and Belinda Phipps of the NCT, she looks at the preparation for birth and the role played by antenatal courses. Does the language used describing birth as 'natural' or 'normal' help, and how are caesarean births viewed?
MON 10:45 15 Minute Drama (b0383jtf)
How to Have a Perfect Marriage
Episode 1
Karen's a busy mum of teenage girls, contentedly burbling along in her humdrum, happy-enough life. She finds an odd text on husband Jack's phone. Her confrontation reveals a seismic shock she did not see coming.
This is writer Nicholas McInerny's autobiographical look at modern relationships.
Jack and Karen are nothing out of the ordinary. They have been happily married for years and are convinced every problem can be worked through. Until Jack decides he really is gay.
Seeking stability at all costs for themselves and for the children, they navigate the bumpy journey of finding a lover for Jack by going for the 'closed loop' arrangement. It sounds just about possible - in theory. But getting consensus all round for their 3-way partnership is far from straightforward. And Karen doesn't want to share her husband. She wants everything to stay the same.
Writer: Nicholas McInerny
Music: instrumental by Greg Wise, vocals by Amy Liptrott
Producer: Melanie Harris
Sound designer: Eloise Whitmore
A Sparklab production for BBC Radio 4.
MON 11:00 The Slow Coach (b0383k2h)
Episode 1
Liz Barclay follows three busy people on a bold experiment to slow down their pace of life.
Their 'slow coach' is Carl Honoré, once a speedy journalist, now spokesperson for a global so-called 'Slow Movement'. He argues that our increasing obsession with speed means we race through life instead of actually living it. We need to create moments of slowness and connect with our 'inner tortoise'. Carl says that, by finding a better balance between fast and slow, we'll increase our wellbeing, creativity and productivity.
It's a compelling theory, but does it work?
Three volunteers, have agreed to put Carl's theories to the test by following his advice over the course of one month.
Steve runs his own business, and gets to the end of each day without a break, reacting to a stream of emails. He hopes that slowing down can make him more efficient and give him time to reflect on the bigger picture. Lizzie works part-time in the health service, and is the mother of three young children. She worries that her constant sense of being in a rush is rubbing off on her children and would like family life to feel less hectic. Scott works as a volunteer in his local town of Bury, running every community activity from the Carnival to the Lions Club. Unable to say 'no' to anyone, he finds himself checking his emails in the cinema and forgetting to eat lunch. He'd like to get back some sense of control over his life.
The Slow Coach follows the successes and struggles of our three volunteers as they attempt to put Carl's suggestions into place in their daily lives.
Producer: Tessa Watt
A Loftus Media production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in 2013.
MON 11:30 Births, Deaths and Marriages (b0383k8c)
Series 2
Lady Buoy's Visit
Births, Deaths and Marriages is the sitcom set in a Local Authority Register Office where the staff deal with the three greatest events in anybody's life.
Written by David Schneider (The Day Today, I'm Alan Partridge), he stars as chief registrar Malcolm Fox who is a stickler for rules and would be willing to interrupt any wedding service if the width of the bride infringes health and safety. He's single but why does he need to be married? He's married thousands of women.
Alongside him are rival and divorcee Lorna who has been parachuted in from Car Parks to drag the office (and Malcolm) into the 21st century. To her, marriage isn't just about love and romance, it's got to be about making a profit in our new age of austerity.
There's also the ever spiky Mary, geeky Luke who's worried he'll end up like Malcolm one day, and ditzy Anita who may get her words and names mixed up occasionally but, as the only parent in the office, is a mother to them all.
In episode five, Malcolm's stressed because of a very important visit by the office's patron, Lady Wilton-Buoy, while Lorna is trying to organise their first ever civil funeral at the same time. Lorna has also just been on an internet date which ended up with her going to see a stage hypnotist - but she doesn't remember what happened.
Writers: David Schneider & Simon Jacobs
Producer: Simon Jacobs
A Unique production for BBC Radio 4.
MON 12:00 You and Yours (b0383k8f)
Shale gas, turbulence and 'Simple Payments'
Why the new system which allows people without bank accounts to receive their pensions and benefits is causing problems. 'Simple Payments' has led to delays in some pensioners getting their money.
There has been much debate about the safety of fracking, and drilling for shale gas, but what about the economic impact? We investigate whether shale gas production in the UK will affect our energy bills.
We examine why some American clothing labels hike up prices for shoppers in Britain.
Plus is climate change leading to bumpier flights?
Presenter: Julian Worricker
Producer: Simon Browning.
MON 12:57 Weather (b037y752)
The latest weather forecast.
MON 13:00 World at One (b0383k8h)
We hear Labour Immigration spokesman Chris Bryant's speech after he got into trouble for criticising Tesco and Next.
As the government announces £94m for cycling in England's cities and national parks, Martha gets on her bike to discover more about safety.
The judge at the trial which called a child sex abuse victim 'predatory' is in court again.
We find out what the country's most popular names are.
MON 13:45 The Prophets (b0383kz0)
Jonah
In the first of his series of off-beat Biblical portraits, Clive Lawton tells the story of Jonah and the whale. Or should it be a fish? At one level Jonah is a knockabout tale of strange events, but at its core it is a story of universal assertions and values, surprising in its inclusivity and judgements. Jonah is a cantankerous character who doesn't seem to fit in with God's plans. And yet he is still called upon to be a prophet. What, then, does the function involve? It certainly seems that being a prophet is no guarantee of insight or moral depth. How would we relate to such mythical figures if they were still around today and how relevant are their thoughts and ideas in a modern context?
Producer: Mark Savage.
MON 14:00 The Archers (b0381lv8)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Sunday]
MON 14:15 Drama (b0383lf2)
Sarah Woods - Watch Me
By Sarah Woods.
A love story about the power of mirror neurons.
Anja works in advertising, Rhys is a single dad. Their fates collide at a focus group, in which Rhys takes exception to Anja's baby food campaign. Both have their reasons to resist falling in love, but their brains have other ideas.
Anja and Rhys's love story is told from a neurological perspective, by neuroscientist Christian Keysers. It's the story of two individuals whose brains begin to 'mirror' each other as they gradually fall in love. As Christian says it's "...not so much an exchange of information as two brains becoming one."
Author of 'The Empathic Brain', Christian is Head of the Social Brain Lab at the Netherlands Institute for Neurosciences. He seeks to understand how, as social animals, our brains mirror those of other people, so that understanding others is not an effort of explicit thought but an intuitive sharing of emotions, sensations and actions.
Directed by James Robinson
A BBC Cymru Wales Production.
MON 15:00 Quote... Unquote (b0383lf4)
The quotations quiz hosted by Nigel Rees.
As ever, a host of celebrities will be joining Nigel as he quizzes them on the sources of a range of quotations and asks them for the amusing sayings or citations that they have personally collected on a variety of subjects, including their favourite four line humorous poems and quotes from the most quotable people they have ever met.
This week Nigel is joined by Actress and Singer - Janie Dee, former editor of Private Eye and current editor of The Oldie - Richard Ingrams, science writer and broadcaster Vivienne Parry and comedian and writer Robin Ince.
MON 15:30 The Food Programme (b0381l43)
[Repeat of broadcast at
12:32 on Sunday]
MON 16:00 With Great Pleasure (b0383lm6)
Kwame Kwei-Armah
Kwame Kwei-Armah, playwright and theatre director, chooses the pieces of writing that he loves and that have inspired him in his own writing life. He presents them to the audience at the BBC Radio Theatre, with the help of readers Don Warrington and Jaye Griffiths.
As the writer of plays such as Elmina's Kitchen, Kwame's own passions range from novels by Toni Morrison and Ben Okri to Redemption Song by Bob Marley - which the audience joins him in singing.
Producer Beth O'Dea.
MON 16:30 Beyond Belief (b0383lp6)
Organ Donation
Beyond Belief debates the place of religion and faith in today's complex world. Ernie Rea is joined by a panel to discuss how religious beliefs and traditions affect our values and perspectives.
Three people die every day in need of an organ transplant while only 31% of people in the UK have joined the Organ Donor Register. Technological advancements mean there are ever more advanced ways of successfully transplanting organs but society remains divided over solutions along ethical and religious lines. Last month the Welsh Assembly became the first UK country to introduce a system where individuals will be presumed to have consented for their organs to be donated unless they opt out. Should the state take our organs or should it be the ultimate altruistic gift?
Joining Ernie Rea to discuss organ donation are Reverend George Pitcher, Anglican Priest at St Bride's, Fleet Street, Janet Radcliffe-Richards, Professor of Practical Philosophy at the University of Oxford. And Mohammed Zubair Butt, Islamic scholar and hospital chaplain.
Producer: Catherine Earlam.
MON 17:00 PM (b0383lp8)
Coverage and analysis of the day's news.
MON 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b037y754)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
MON 18:30 Just a Minute (b0383mgf)
Series 67
Episode 1
Can Nicholas Parsons keep order over Tony Hawks, Alun Cochrane, Patrick Kielty and Gyles Brandreth as they attempt to talk for 60 seconds without hesitation, repetition or deviation on subjects from Moving House to Summer Loving.
MON 19:00 The Archers (b0383n76)
Jolene and Fallon struggle with the guest list for the wedding, Kenton has a big family! Kenton thinks the party afterwards should be Halloween fancy dress but Jolene definitely prefers posh.
Chatting to Mel on the phone, Kenton is pleased when she agrees to take Meriel out of school for the wedding but hadn't realised that Mel would be coming too.
Kenton breaks the news to Jolene that Mel is not only coming to England but also to the wedding. With a hint of sarcasm, Jolene wonders if he'd like his ex-wife to be a bridesmaid too.
Kirsty tells Helen that Brenda called from London. She's staying with a friend of her Russian boyfriend. Helen is noticeably bright and Kirsty realises it's because of Rob. What is Helen doing? Rob's married! Kirsty thinks that Rob should be straight with Helen.
Arriving with a delivery, Tom senses an atmosphere but Kirsty assures him everything's fine. He asks if Kirsty would like to go for a curry to say thanks for her advice with the ready meals.
With Tom gone, Helen insists that she knows what she's doing. Kirsty feels like a relationship counsellor. Tom also needs to know that Brenda's back from Russia.
MON 19:15 Front Row (b0383n89)
Ruth Rendell, 2 Guns, Michael Grandage, working Britain docs
With Mark Lawson.
Ruth Rendell won the Theakstons Old Peculier Outstanding Contribution to Crime Fiction Award last month. She speaks to Mark about writing sixty novels in fifty years, how she's managing Inspector Wexford's retirement, her friendship with PD James and her second career as a Life Peer in the House of Lords.
Denzel Washington and Mark Wahlberg star as two undercover agents attempting to infiltrate a drugs cartel by posing as criminals - but neither are aware of the others true identity. Directed by Icelandic film and theatre director Baltasar Kormákur, the film is based on a graphic novel series. Larushka Ivan-Zadeh reviews.
The recession has so far been fertile ground for TV producers and this week sees the beginning of two new series looking at work, and lack of it, in Britain. The writer Tony Parsons and historian Kathryn Hughes review Benefits Britain 1949 on Channel 4 and Paul O'Grady's Working Britain on BBC One.
Theatre director Michael Grandage offers his choice for the Cultural Exchange.
Producer Stephen Hughes.
MON 19:45 15 Minute Drama (b0383jtf)
[Repeat of broadcast at
10:45 today]
MON 20:00 Night Hospital (b0383n8c)
Jackie Ashley examines why hospital care at nights and at weekends is sometimes below par. She hears stories from the wards and shares her own experience as she investigates why standards can fall when the day shift goes home. Top managers, doctors and nurses, relatives and number crunchers help assess the state of an institution under pressure to change. They include Bruce Keogh, David Dalton, Mike Marrinan, Sean Worth, Mark Porter and Julia Neuberger.
Producer: Peter Mulligan.
MON 20:30 Crossing Continents (b037vb3p)
Romania, Religion and Riches
Since the fall of Ceaucescu's dictatorship, the Romanian Orthodox Church has flourished. It has built thousands of new churches across the country and is now constructing a huge new cathedral in the capital Bucharest. The Cathedral is right next to Ceaucescu's gargantuan "Palace of the People" and, when completed, is intended to be taller - a physical manifestation of the Church's power and influence. Much of the money for the construction of these new churches and the cathedral has come from state funds - national, regional and local - as well as donations from congregations.
While the Romanian Orthodox Church (ROC) argues that the churches are needed and wanted by most Romanians, there are those who feel that the ROC has too great an influence and is costing too much. Tessa Dunlop hears from believers, politicians, monks and an Archbishop, about how religious the country is, and whether or not the Church is too powerful and too rich.
Producer: John Murphy.
MON 21:00 The Pregnant Brain (b037t1rh)
Zoe Williams explores the radical changes that take place in a woman's brain over the course of pregnancy. It's an area of women's health we know surprisingly little about - but psychologists studying the effects of reproduction on the brain are now beginning to make startling discoveries.
During pregnancy, a woman's hormone levels rise to more than 100 times those seen during any other naturally occurring life event. The latest research suggests that these powerful chemicals re-programme the mum-to-be in a process labelled "maternal programming".
The proponents of the maternal programming theory argue that mothers are "made, not born" and the chemical and structural changes that occur within the pregnant brain optimise a woman's maternal behaviour in order for her to provide the most sensitive and protective care when her child is born. Zoe examines the implications of this theory for fathers and adoptive parents who have not undergone this biological priming.
Zoe will also explore the effects of depression and stress during pregnancy, discovering that, while post-natal depression regularly grabs the headlines, ante-natal depression is just as common. Studies suggest that children born to mothers who suffered from clinically significant levels of anxiety and depression during pregnancy are more likely to suffer from a range of psychological and physical problems and are three times more likely to develop depression in later life. But this research has its critics, who argue that women are getting blamed for the health outcomes of their children and that telling women not to get stressed during pregnancy only heightens their levels of anxiety.
Presenter: Zoe Williams
Producer: Max O'Brien
A Juniper production for BBC Radio 4.
MON 21:30 The Sins of Literature (b0383hsr)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:00 today]
MON 21:58 Weather (b037y756)
The latest weather forecast.
MON 22:00 The World Tonight (b0383p5p)
Labour has urged companies to "do their bit" to ensure they recruit more workers from the UK. A woman who was groomed and sexually assaulted by her teacher has spoken out about the length of time it took her to accept she'd been abused. Robert Mugabe has launched a stinging attack on his opposition rivals in his first public speech since he won Zimbabwe's disputed presidential election. Israel's government has given details of 26 long-term Palestinian prisoners to be freed as part of a deal which will see peace talks resume this week. The UK government is considering legal action against Spain over the imposition of additional border checks in Gibraltar, Downing Street has said. And the Perseids meteor shower with Carolyn Quinn.
MON 22:45 Book at Bedtime (b0383p5r)
Red or Dead
Episode 1
By David Peace.
One hundred years ago this September, in a small Scottish mining village in East Ayrshire, Bill Shankly was born.
In 1959, Bill Shankly became manager of Liverpool Football Club. His passion and commitment was almost mythical, and he transformed the team, taking them from the second division to become champions of England and win their first ever European trophy. But then, at the height of his success, he resigned. It was a move that sent shockwaves across football, and proved an intense personal challenge for Shankly himself.
David Peace, acclaimed author of the 'Red Riding' series, 'GB84' and 'The Damned United', now turns his attentions to Bill Shankly. David Peace's astonishing book 'Red or Dead' pulls Bill Shankly out of the football world and into the mainstream and tells us the story of the man, not just the manager. Peace describes Shankly as "not just a great football manager. Bill Shankly was one of the greatest men who ever lived."
One of five brothers, Shankly's passion was football. It was his job and it was his life, both as a player and then as a manager. Along with Matt Busby and Jock Stein he formed a trio of working class Scottish men who rose to the top of their game and were immortalised as heroes, to be followed by their natural successor Alex Ferguson.
Shankly's background fuelled his socialism, his view of the world and his view of football: "The socialism I believe in is everyone working for each other, everyone having a share of the rewards. It's the way I see football, the way I see life"
Read by Gary Lewis
Abridged by Robin Brooks
Producer: Allegra McIlroy.
MON 23:00 Summer Nights (b0383p6k)
Series 1
Real Sex Lives in a Sexualised Society
In a world of Brazilian waxes, sexting and Fifty Shades of Grey what drives our sexual desire and how well do we understand it? A huge majority of us still aspire to the stability and companionship of monogamous relationships. So are we confused, embarrassed or plain indifferent to sex? Jane Garvey asks her guests how our understanding of sex has changed.
Presenter: Jane Garvey
Producer: Ruth Watts
Interviewed guest: Susie Orbach
Interviewed guest: Suzi Godson
Interviewed guest: Kaye Wellings
Interviewed guest: Benedict Garrett
Interviewed guest: Phil Hilton
Interviewed guest: Catherine Hakim
Interviewed guest: Rosie Wilby
Interviewed guest: Mark Brendon.
TUESDAY 13 AUGUST 2013
TUE 00:00 Midnight News (b037y761)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.
TUE 00:30 Book of the Week (b0383jgq)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:45 on Monday]
TUE 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b037y763)
The latest shipping forecast.
TUE 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b037y765)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
TUE 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b037y767)
The latest shipping forecast.
TUE 05:30 News Briefing (b037y769)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.
TUE 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b0383pcx)
A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day with Andrea Rea.
TUE 05:45 Farming Today (b0383pdn)
Defra has announced a new set of measures which it hopes will stop Bovine TB spreading to parts of England which aren't currently affected by the disease. The strategy will focus on stamping out bovine TB in so-called 'edge areas' in ten counties. The new control measures include more skin-testing of cattle and tougher movement restrictions. The Government will also fund badger vaccination trials, as well as monitoring the extent of TB infection in wildlife. Farming Today's Robin Markwell gauges reaction from a cattle farmer in Cheshire - which is one of the 'edge areas' - and hears from Farming Minister David Heath.
Also on the programme - why the value of commercial woodland has risen by 25% over the last couple of years. Although most of the timber we use in the UK is imported, the market for homegrown wood is increasing. We hear from a forest management company which is hoping to supply that demand.
And Farming Today continues to track the progress of the UK harvest, catching up with the spring barley crop in North Somerset.
Presented by Robin Markwell. Produced by Anna Jones.
TUE 05:58 Tweet of the Day (b0378wz1)
Bullfinch
Tweet of the Day is a series of fascinating stories about the British birds inspired by their calls and songs.
Michaela Strachan presents the Bullfinch. The males have rose-pink breasts and black caps and are eye-catching whilst the females are a duller pinkish-grey but share the black cap. Exactly why they're called Bullfinches isn't clear - perhaps it's to do with their rather thickset appearance. 'Budfinch' would be a more accurate name as they are very fond of the buds of trees, especially fruit trees.
TUE 06:00 Today (b0383pf4)
Morning news and current affairs. Including Sports Desk; Weather; Thought for the Day.
TUE 09:00 Turkey: the New Ottomans (b037t0m4)
Turkey and Europe
Allan Little explores Turkey's relationship with Europe, focussing on the Balkans, once the Western limits of the old Ottoman Empire.
Turkish businessmen have been rapidly reforging links with the Balkan states - and some saw this as a first step towards rebuilding bridges to Western Europe.
The dream of eventual EU membership was a powerful influence on the early years of the Prime Minister Erdogan's AK Party. However, opposition from France and more recently Germany has made that dream seem unlikely to happen for a generation.
Where does Turkey's relationship with the Europe now stand?
Producer: Jane Beresford.
TUE 09:30 The Call (b01qlldp)
Series 3
Episode 5
Dominic Arkwright meets people who have made and received life-changing phone calls.
Dominic talks to Emma Cashen, the young mum who gave birth on her bathroom floor, whilst her mother Tina took directions from a 999 operator over the phone. Dominic visits Emma, Tina and baby Ruby at home in Suffolk, and listens to the dramatic 999 recording of Ruby's birth.
TUE 09:45 Book of the Week (b0383pv3)
Lloyd Bradley - Sounds Like London: 100 Years of Black Music in the Capital
Episode 2
Journalist Lloyd Bradley's new book tells the story of a city's transformation through its music, taking in the wave of Commonwealth immigration in the 1940s right up to the present day.
After his exploration of calypso, author Lloyd Bradley turns his attention to another Caribbean import which has seeped into the soundtrack of London - steel pan.
Read by Ben Onwukwe.
Written by Lloyd Bradley.
Abridged by Natalie Steed.
Produced by Kirsteen Cameron.
TUE 10:00 Woman's Hour (b0383pv5)
Slimming clubs; Dr Maisah Sobailhi; Camping
The Irish Sun covers up Page 3, citing "cultural differences". Media analyst Claire Enders and Laura Slattery from The Irish Times discuss the decision. Camping - wild or mild - Phoebe Smith and Molly Forbes explain their preferences. Dr Maisah Sobaihi, the first Saudi performer to appear at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Vanessa Engle on her film, Welcome to the World of Weightloss bout the appeal of slimming clubs.
TUE 10:45 15 Minute Drama (b0383pwm)
How to Have a Perfect Marriage
Episode 2
Karen decides the easiest route is denial. Her mother's restless, her daughter's smoking weed, and her best friend needs help. The last thing Karen wants is to deal with her newly out gay husband. It's too painful.
This is writer Nicholas McInerny's autobiographical look at modern relationships.
Jack and Karen are nothing out of the ordinary. They have been happily married for years and are convinced every problem can be worked through. Until Jack decides he really is gay.
Seeking stability at all costs for themselves and for the children, they navigate the bumpy journey of finding a lover for Jack by going for the 'closed loop' arrangement. It sounds just about possible - in theory. But getting consensus all round for their 3-way partnership is far from straightforward. And Karen doesn't want to share her husband. She wants everything to stay the same.
Writer: Nicholas McInerny
Music: instrumental by Greg Wise
Producer: Melanie Harris
Sound designer: Eloise Whitmore
A Sparklab production for BBC Radio 4.
TUE 11:00 Bragg on the Braggs (b0383vb0)
Melvyn Bragg looks back at the extraordinary achievements of two other famous Braggs, the father and son scientists William and Lawrence. In 1913 the Braggs discovered a method of investigating the structure of crystals using X-ray radiation. They soon proved the significance of this breakthrough by determining the internal structure of diamond. Two years later they shared a Nobel Prize for their work, which founded the discipline of X-ray crystallography. Melvyn Bragg, a distant cousin of William and Lawrence, tells the story of their groundbreaking work. He visits the laboratories in Cambridge and Leeds where the two Braggs made important discoveries, and the Royal Institution, where they lectured and conducted research. And he learns how the Braggs' technique of X-ray crystallography revolutionised chemistry and biology, from the determination of the structure of DNA to the design of new pharmaceutical drugs.
Producer: Thomas Morris.
TUE 11:30 Digital Folk (b0383vxr)
England's vast wealth of folk music heritage has finally been put online. Named "The Full English", it includes rare archives found in the basement of London's famous Cecil Sharp House and a dozen other collections. Songs that haven't been heard for a hundred years are now being sung again and are already inspiring a new generation of musical writers and artists.
English Folk Dance and Song Society (Efdss) librarian Malcolm Taylor has gathered together manuscripts of early 20th century songs that were once scattered across the country and placed them on one searchable internet portal. These are songs collected in the early 20th century by the likes of Cecil Sharp, Vaughan Williams and Percy Grainger who set out, notebook in hand, to record the songs sung by ordinary folk up and down the country.
Now a whole new wave of artists is clicking on to the digital archives. Singer Billy Bragg has previously used them for his own musical inspiration and folk musicians Fay Hield, Nancy Kerr and Martin Simpson are now doing it too, as they create new music from old sources.
The programme also hears from playwrights Nell Leyshon and Lee Hall (of Billy Elliott fame) who have been drawn into an exploration of the ethics of how the songs were originally collected and published.
Our guide to the remarkable 'The Full English' collection is John Kirkpatrick, one of the giants of the British folk scene and BBC Radio 2 Folk Musician of 2010.
Producer: Chris Eldon Lee
A Culture Wise production for BBC Radio 4
TUE 12:00 You and Yours (b0383wkf)
Call You and Yours: Cycling
Are you one of the growing number of cyclists in the UK? If not, why not?
The Government has announced plans to spend over ninety million pounds to make it easier and safer to cycle in England. David Cameron wants to create a "new generation of cyclists" and a "cycling revolution."But there's a long way to go. while over thirty percent of those in the Netherlands cite a bike as their main mode of transport - the figure is just 2.2% for those in the UK.
So, will this money make a difference? And what could be done to tempt you onto a bike, or if you're already a regular cyclist, to make you feel safer?
Or are you a driver sick of cyclists who already think they rule the road?
We want your views.
Email youandyours@bbc.co.uk text 84844 or call 03700 100 444.
Presenter: Julian Worricker
Producer: Joe Kent.
TUE 12:57 Weather (b037y76c)
The latest weather forecast.
TUE 13:00 World at One (b0383wkh)
National and international news. Listeners can share their views via email: wato@bbc.co.uk or on twitter: #wato.
TUE 13:45 The Prophets (b0383wkk)
Isaiah
In the second of his series of off-beat Biblical portraits, Clive Lawton profiles Isaiah, the supreme literary prophet or, possibly, prophets. There is a dispute about whether Isaiah is one, two or even three distinct personalities as his story covers several different epochs. His words reverberate around the world, not least as having been taken up so solidly by Christians as prophecies of the coming of Jesus as the Messiah. How would we relate to such mythical figures if they were still around today and how relevant are their thoughts and ideas in a modern context?
Producer: Mark Savage.
TUE 14:00 The Archers (b0383n76)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Monday]
TUE 14:15 Drama (b01f6bfb)
The People's Passion
The Road to Emmaus
Cathedrals still dominate our city centres: once symbols of temporal power, of technological wonder, a vital part of our musical health, and more recently the focus of protest and appeals to a new morality - what do they mean to us now?
Originally broadcast during Holy Week, The People's Passion explores how our great cathedrals offer an image of the contradictions of faith in twenty-first century Britain.
The People's Passion Mass and Easter Anthem, composed specially for the series by Sasha Johnson Manning, with lyrics written by the poet Michael Symmons Roberts, not only features in the programmes, but was made freely available by the BBC, and sung by a hundred and fifty choirs around Britain and across the world, during Easter 2012, including Easter Day Worship on Radio 4, from Manchester Cathedral.
5/5: The Road to Emmaus
by Nick Warburton
Good Friday is a big day for Robert, the Cathedral's Director of Music. And despite his attempts to clear his mind, it all keeps going out of kilter. In fact, as the Cathedral fills and empties for the afternoon service and the big evening performance by the Voluntary choir, no one - from lost tourists to late singers - seems to be quite themselves...
Produced and Directed by Jonquil Panting
Original music by Sasha Johnson Manning, with lyrics by Michael Symmons Roberts.
Performed by:
Manchester Chamber Choir, directed by Christopher Stokes, with Jeffrey Makinson (organ), Rob Shorter (tenor), Rebecca Whettam (cello), Jahan Hunter (trumpet) and Holly Marland (recorder).
BBC Singers with Eleanor Gregory (soprano), Margaret Cameron (alto), Chris Bowen (tenor), Stephen Charlesworth (bass) and Andrew Earis (piano).
Andrew Kirk (organ), and the choir of Saint Mary Redcliffe, Bristol.
TUE 15:00 The Kitchen Cabinet (b0383x10)
Series 4
Latitude Festival
This episode of food panel programme The Kitchen Cabinet was recorded at the Latitude Festival in Suffolk.
Alongside chairman Jay Rayner, our panel of food and cooking experts comprises restaurateur Henry Dimbleby, Spanish cuisine specialist Rachel McCormack and chef Sophie Wright, who debate the best food to take on a camping holiday, whether it's acceptable to enjoy burned toast and if a burger should be eaten with a knife and fork. Today's menu of discussion topics also features fennel, burgers, toffee apples and smoothies.
Food historian Annie Gray explores the history of the sugary foods we indulge in at festivals and fairs, explains where the name "Hamburger" comes from and introduces us to both "portable soup", popular in the 18th Century, and "hotdog dogs": a recipe taken from a section in a 1960s cookbook aimed at teenagers.
Food Consultant: Anna Colquhoun
Produced by Peggy Sutton.
A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4.
TUE 15:30 The Philosopher's Arms (b0383x96)
Series 3
Free Will
Matthew Sweet is in the pub, discussing a knotty conundrum with an invited audience and a panel of experts. Today it's whether or not we have free will, with philosopher Wayne Martin of the University of Essex and neuroscientist Gemma Calvert, Managing Director of Neurosense. Also featuring Peter Mabbutt and Jo Russell.
Producer: Marya Burgess.
TUE 16:00 Word of Mouth (b0383yt3)
Fashion
An exploration of spoken language and communication in the 21st century, presented by Chris Ledgard. This week: Fashion. Topics include how we talk about scents, slogans on t-shirts and fashion lingo.
Katie Puckrik tells how she, a self confessed 'fume head' talks and thinks about perfumes. Chris and fashion writer Stephanie Talbot walk the streets of Bristol, on the look out for the latest t-shirt slogans, and Chris gets the lowdown on the fashionista jargon from trend forecaster, Lucy Norris.
Producer: Sarah Langan.
TUE 16:30 Great Lives (b0383yt5)
Series 31
Gabriel Gbadamosi on Fela Kuti
Poet, playwright, and critic Gabriel Gbadamosi chooses as his Great Life the political maverick and inventor of Afrobeat, musician Fela Kuti, and tells Matthew Parris why his work deserves to be better known.
Whether withstanding ferocious beatings from the Nigerian police, insulting his audiences, or demanding a million pounds in cash upfront from Motown records, his strength and stubbornness were legendary, and his gift for controversy unmatched.
Fela had more than 25 wives, some of whom he beat, and was President of his own self proclaimed Republic. He smoked dope and was the scourge of the rulers of a corrupt Nigerian state and was acclaimed as having the best live band on earth.
Gabriel Gbadamosi is joined by Stephen Chan, professor of International Relations at the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London, to discuss the musical and political life of this outspoken force of nature.
Presenter: Matthew Parris
Producer: Melvin Rickarby
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2013.
TUE 17:00 PM (b0383z2n)
Full coverage and analysis of the day's news.
TUE 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b037y76f)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
TUE 18:30 It's Not What You Know (b0383z2q)
Series 2
Episode 6
What is Joe Lycett's favourite book? Which is Anneka Rice's film-maker son's favourite film? Who is Dave Gorman's all-time hero?
All these questions, and more, will be answered in the show hosted by Miles Jupp, where panellists are tested on how well they know their nearest and dearest.
Producer: Sam Michell
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 2013.
TUE 19:00 The Archers (b0383z43)
Oliver is milking as Mike arrives. Oliver's challenge is to find a temporary manager for Grey Gables. Mike's sure that with Oliver's contacts he must know someone.
Oliver suggests to Caroline that Ray Franklin, who used to run a hotel in Scotland, may be the person they're looking for as temporary manager. He's the husband of Harriet, a Hunt member.
Oliver calls Ray, who would be happy to stand in as temporary manager. Caroline is taken aback. She needs to interview Ray properly for the job, so Oliver decides to invite him and Harriet for dinner.
There's a new professional trust between Lilian and Anthea as they return from a site visit to the paper mill. Lilian goes into the shop for cigarettes and suspiciously quizzes Mike about where Brenda is and who she's with. Mike is vague and won't tell her anything.
Lilian leaves a message for Brenda, asking how Matt is. Anthea needs to go through things that need doing but Lilian says that she may have to clear her diary for a few days. Eventually Lilian manages to get through to Brenda but she won't tell Lilian what Matt has been doing. If Lilian wants to know then she'll have to speak to him herself.
TUE 19:15 Front Row (b0383zh3)
John Agard; David Walliams in Big School; CJ Sansom on Doctor Who
With Mark Lawson
David Walliams writes, and stars in Big School as the Deputy Head of Chemistry in a comprehensive school who's smitten by the new French teacher, Catherine Tate, but finds a love rival in the shape of PE master Philip Glenister. Critic and ex-teacher Natalie Haynes delivers her verdict.
Award winning poet John Agard received the Queen's Gold Medal for Poetry earlier this year. Agard, who was born in Guyana and moved to Britain in 1977, talks about what the award means to him. He also discusses how his dual heritage and cricket were sources of inspiration for his latest collection Travel Light Travel Dark.
Jerry Lewis' film about a clown who entertains children in a concentration camp, The Day the Clown Cried, has never been shown to the public after the comedian decided he was too embarrassed for it to be screened. Yesterday, footage from a behind-the-scenes documentary emerged online over 40 years after it was made, allowing us a glimpse of a film we never thought we'd see. Critic Adam Smith considers other films that suffered the same fate.
Plus in tonight's Cultural Exchange, C J Sansom - author of the historical crime series Shardlake - picks the first incarnation of the Doctor in Doctor Who, William Hartnell.
TUE 19:45 15 Minute Drama (b0383pwm)
[Repeat of broadcast at
10:45 today]
TUE 20:00 The Lending Game (b0383zh5)
As Wonga moves into the mainstream with its sponsorship of Newcastle United, is the so-called payday lender responding to, or shaping, changing attitudes on money and morality? Chris Bowlby goes back to his teenage home on the Tyne to look at the rise of Wonga through the lives of the Toon Army.
TUE 20:40 In Touch (b0383zyn)
Gary O'Donoghue with a report by Tony Shearman on a young apprentice scheme run by Action.
Alessandro Bordini talks about his solo world trip, using just his white cane and the goodwill of others to help him.
And we hear from blind and partially-sighted regular contributors Diane Roworth, Richard Lane and Kirsten Hearn with their tips on how to find the best bargains if you can't see.
Producer: Cheryl Gabriel
Editor: Andrew Smith.
TUE 21:00 Seven Ages of Science (b0383zyq)
Age of Exploration
We're often told that science changed our world. In this series, Lisa Jardine explores how the world changed science, pushing it in new directions, creating new disciplines and pioneering new approaches to scientific understanding.
Lisa Jardine describes how the desire to build an empire promoted a keen scientific interest in plants, in this second of her Seven Ages of Science, exploring the history of modern science in Britain. We needed to understand what plants existed in the world and how they might be grown for profit elsewhere in the tropics. In the Age of Exploration, the early British Empire was an international botanical empire.
In the 1700s, scientifically-minded men devoured stories of exotic new worlds from the comfort of their London coffee houses. In the 1800s, an explosion in overseas trade allowed young men with an interest in the natural world to discover strange new species for themselves. The known world was expanding, science started to look outwards.
Ships returned loaded with all manner of strange and unexpected things. And, Lisa argues, it was this wealth of unfamiliar stuff flooding into England - from slave whips to giraffe heads, weird creatures and exotic plants - that encouraged a new interest in collecting and classifying. This was the Age when taxonomy was born.
Captain Cook's famous voyage of discovery on The Endeavour brought back thousands of new plant specimens, and exquisite drawings of thousands more; drawings that were both aesthetically beautiful and scientifically accurate. They made botany highly fashionable: women started to embroider new species, and playing cards advertised Linnaeus' new system for classifying them.
But, it was a desire to make money out of newly acquired lands in Australia, India and elsewhere that really drove a growing scientific interest in plants. How else could we make money out of these newly acquired lands? Botany Bay in Australia is so named for a reason: Joseph Banks - who travelled with Cook on The Endeavour - imported a host of different plants to Botany Bay so the convicts would be able to feed themselves. We have him to thank for introducing sheep to Australia. Later, experiments on indigo and cotton tested whether they might thrive elsewhere in our growing empire.
The networks that make botanical science are the networks of the slave trade. Plant specimens returned to England on the same boats that took slaves to the Caribbean. And many of the beautiful examples that we admire today were picked and pressed by slaves.
By the end of this Age of Exploration, botany has been promoted from a hobby to a well- established "scientific" activity (paving the way for later evolutionary theories), scientists have proved themselves useful to the Crown and adventure, wonder and discovery are now integral to what it means to "do science".
Producer: Anna Buckley.
TUE 21:30 Turkey: the New Ottomans (b037t0m4)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:00 today]
TUE 21:58 Weather (b037y76h)
The latest weather forecast.
TUE 22:00 The World Tonight (b0384058)
In-depth reporting and analysis from a global perspective.
TUE 22:45 Book at Bedtime (b038405b)
Red or Dead
Episode 2
By David Peace.
One hundred years ago this September, in a small Scottish mining village in East Ayrshire, Bill Shankly was born. Shankly's passion was football. It was his job and it was his life, both as a player and then as a manager.
In 1959, Bill Shankly became manager of Liverpool Football Club. He transformed the fortunes of the club and has been immortalised as a hero. From the very beginning, he was as committed to the fans as they were to him.
David Peace, acclaimed author of the 'Red Riding' series, 'GB84' and 'The Damned United', now turns his attentions to Bill Shankly. David Peace's astonishing book 'Red or Dead' pulls Bill Shankly out of the football world and into the mainstream and tells us the story of the man, not just the manager. Peace describes Shankly as "not just a great football manager. Bill Shankly was one of the greatest men who ever lived."
Today Bill begins to lay the first building blocks for his new Liverpool team, the very start of a new era...
Read by Gary Lewis
Abridged by Robin Brooks
Producer: Allegra McIlroy.
TUE 23:00 Summer Nights (b0388kc1)
Series 1
Fixing Professional Politics
Being cynical about politics has become a national sport - but is it with good cause? The media regularly captures public anger at politicians who are 'only out for themselves' and a political process where nothing ever changes. So, for those who believe politics can make a real difference to people's lives - what can be done? With electoral participation and party membership in long term decline, Hardeep Singh Kohli wonders if we've reached the end of the road with the political classes.
Presented by Hardeep Singh Kohli
Produced by Ruth Watts
Interviewed guest: Professor Steven Fielding
Interviewed guest: Jonathan Isaby
Interviewed guest: Laurie Penny
Interviewed guest: Alexandra Swann
Interviewed guest: Matilda MacAttram
Interviewed guest: Emma Burnell
Interviewed guest: Trenton Oldfield.
WEDNESDAY 14 AUGUST 2013
WED 00:00 Midnight News (b037y77b)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.
WED 00:30 Book of the Week (b0383pv3)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:45 on Tuesday]
WED 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b037y77d)
The latest shipping forecast.
WED 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b037y77g)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
WED 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b037y77j)
The latest shipping forecast.
WED 05:30 News Briefing (b037y77l)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.
WED 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b03842pg)
A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day with Andrea Rea.
WED 05:45 Farming Today (b03842pj)
Former Agriculture Minister Sir Jim Paice will be the new chairman of the UK's biggest dairy co-op, First Milk. The potato industry has drawn up new guidelines on exactly which spuds can be sold as 'new potatoes', following a trading standards investigation. In our look at this year's cereal harvest the combines are rolling in Lincolnshire. And, a new campaign to increase the proportion of UK grown food on UK plates.
Produced by Sarah Swadling and presented by Caz Graham.
WED 05:58 Tweet of the Day (b0378x0n)
Rock Pipit
Tweet of the Day is a series of fascinating stories about the British birds inspired by their calls and songs.
Michaela Strachan presents the rock pipit. The sight of a greyish bird no bigger than a sparrow, at home on the highest cliffs and feeding within reach of breaking waves can come as a surprise. In spring and early summer, the male Pipits become wonderful extroverts and perform to attract a female, during which they sing loudly to compete with the sea-wash.
WED 06:00 Today (b03845lc)
Morning news and current affairs. Including Sports Desk; Weather; Thought for the Day.
WED 09:00 What's the Point of...? (b03845lf)
Series 5
Lord Mayor of London
On the second Saturday in November the Lord Mayor of London follows a time honoured route from the City's square mile to the Royal Courts of Justice Westminster where he swears an oath of loyalty to the Monarch. In days of old this was perhaps more necessary than it is today - the Lord Mayor's power rivalled that of the King; he held the purse strings of the City. The Capital's wealth could fund the King's expensive trips abroad - to Agincourt, for instance.
Today the Lord Mayor's role is part ceremonial, part ambassadorial. He represents the City's financial and business sectors. Should he therefore use his office to speak out more about the banking scandals ? As head of the London Corporation, he oversees the spending of the City's historic wealth - the City's Cash. How is it spent? Is it used well?
And does London need a Lord Mayor in a State coach any more now it has Boris on a bike?
Quentin Letts asks, What is the point of the Lord Mayor of London?
WED 09:30 Just So Science (b01pw5s8)
Series 1
The Cat That Walked by Himself
Do we keep cats, or do they keep us? The myths and the mysteries of felis catus explored by Patrick Bateson and John Bradshaw.
Vivienne Parry presents the science behind some of Rudyard Kipling's Just So Stories, with wondrous tales of how things really came to be.
Rudyard Kipling tells us how the leopard got his spots, the camel his hump, the whale his throat and so forth. But what does science make of these lyrical tales? For the most part, just-so stories are to be dismissed as the antithesis of scientific reasoning. They're ad hoc fallacies, designed to explain-away a biological or behavioural trait, more akin to folklore than the laws of science. But on closer inspection, might Kipling's fantasies contain a grain of truth? And might the "truth" as science understands it, be even more fantastic than fiction?
Vivienne meets researchers whose work on some of Kipling's 'best beloved' creatures is helping us to answer a rather inconvenient question: how do traits evolve? Why are some animals the way they are?
Excerpts from five of the Just So Stories are read by Samuel West.
Producer: Rami Tzabar
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 2013.
WED 09:45 Book of the Week (b03847t6)
Lloyd Bradley - Sounds Like London: 100 Years of Black Music in the Capital
Episode 3
The story of a city's transformation through its music, taking in the wave of Commonwealth immigration in the 40s right up to the present day.
In the third episode a milestone is passed with the emergence of Afro-rock - a genuine London sound from an African perspective.
WED 10:00 Woman's Hour (b03847t8)
Women's online misogyny; poet Kate Tempest
Women and online misogyny, from teenage bullying to adults on twitter. Who abuses online? Why do they do it? Men are not the only trolls: why do women attack other women online? Caroline Criado-Perez, Dr Claire Hardaker from Lancaster University and Stephen Hill, Social Action Manager from BeatBullying the international anti on-line bullying charity for young people. Increasing numbers of women are the breadwinners in their families - why and what effect does it have? Dalia Ben-Galim from IPPR and Jo Swinson, Minister for Women and Equalities discuss. Author Meg Wolitzer on her new book The Interestings. Performance poet and winner of the Ted Hughes Prize, Kate Tempest. Jenni Murray presents.
WED 10:45 15 Minute Drama (b03847x6)
How to Have a Perfect Marriage
Episode 3
Things unravel further for Karen. Her daughter storms out, her best friend Miranda feels let down and husband Jack is out on his first date with a man.
This is writer Nicholas McInerny's autobiographical look at modern relationships.
Jack and Karen are nothing out of the ordinary. They have been happily married for years and are convinced every problem can be worked through. Until Jack decides he really is gay.
Seeking stability at all costs for themselves and for the children, they navigate the bumpy journey of finding a lover for Jack by going for the 'closed loop' arrangement. It sounds just about possible - in theory. But getting consensus all round for their 3-way partnership is far from straightforward. And Karen doesn't want to share her husband. She wants everything to stay the same.
Writer: Nicholas McInerny
Music: instrumental by Greg Wise
Producer: Melanie Harris
Sound designer: Eloise Whitmore
A Sparklab production for BBC Radio 4.
WED 11:00 Techno Odyssey (b03847x8)
Cardiac
A new series where the poet Paul Farley re-imagines technology we rely on but take for granted, taking the listener on unexpected journeys into technological environments.
From subsea internet cables to heart valve surgery to cash in transit Paul makes us think again about the less seen but vital places and systems that make our world tick. In each programme he writes a poem, as a response to each environment.
3. Cardiac
In an odyssey of a different kind, Paul follows the journey of a heart valve from its manufacturers in Milan to a patient in a UK hospital. One in twenty of us will suffer from valve complications in later life and that figure is rising as the population ages. From the perspective of one of the women working on the mechanical valve production lines, Paul's sonnets explore the life story of the valves and wrap around recordings of their assembly and the sophisticated surgery involved in their replacement. It's exactly 500 years since Leonardo da Vinci devised the first prosthetic heart valve, also in Milan. As well as telling the story of this miraculous mechanical object which can give people a second life Paul also reflects on the greatest piece of technology of all: the heart itself.
Reader Aisling Loftus
Produced by Neil McCarthy
Sound Design Phil Channell
Featuring, Roberto Casula and his team at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust.
Umberto Pasquali, Gianni Rolando, Sorin Group, Milan.
WED 11:30 Paul Temple (b03847yb)
Paul Temple and the Gregory Affair
A Woman's Intuition
Part 7 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 7: A Woman's Intuition
Gunfire at the Madrid nightclub - and a dying man's confession.
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 (b0384813)
Mediation, Smart meters, HIV home tests
Does mediation make getting a divorce cheaper? Why is British Gas replacing smart meters it installed just two years ago? The latest on HIV home-testing kits. With Chris Warburton.
WED 12:30 Face the Facts (b0384815)
NHS 111 - A Bad Call?
Face the Facts investigates the new NHS 111 helpline service which opened this spring to a chorus of criticism. Allegations include that the service is too cheap, offering too little medical expertise. We hear from people who have used the service and found it wanting, and to professional medical bodies who say they warned it would not be an adequate replacement for NHS Direct.
Presenter: John Waite
Producers: Richard Hooper, Louise Corley
Editor: Andrew Smith.
WED 12:57 Weather (b037y77n)
The latest weather forecast.
WED 13:00 World at One (b0384817)
National and international news. Listeners can share their views via email: wato@bbc.co.uk or on twitter: #wato.
WED 13:45 The Prophets (b038482y)
Elijah
In the third of his series of off-beat Biblical portraits, Clive Lawton tells the story of Elijah, a miracle-working, thundering wild-eyed and somewhat anti-social itinerant. Elijah is very much the prototype Old Testament prophet and only one of two people in the Jewish Bible who, strangely, doesn't die. As a result, he is thought to be almost still hovering around, ready to intervene when the right time comes. Jews open their doors to Elijah each Passover and pour him a cup of wine. He has a special seat at every circumcision and they sing of him at the end of every Sabbath.
Producer: Mark Savage.
WED 14:00 The Archers (b0383z43)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Tuesday]
WED 14:15 Drama (b03848qj)
SuperYou
SuperYou is the website of the future, where you can create your own avatar and explore an online world where anything can happen. After her best friend Amy introduces her to the site, Tequila Dark becomes the world's first 'virtual pop star'.
Her song, 'Down for the Ride' is a sensation. Her popularity is unprecedented and her look is imitated all over SuperYou. Only thing is, her fans don't know what she really looks like. She's an avatar. The people who run SuperYou would like to keep it that way but Amy thinks that Tequila should reveal her true self. How far will SuperYou go to keep her under their control?
Tequila is played by singer songwriter Szjerdene Mulcare, who is herself an exceptional talent and tipped as 'One to Watch'. Tequila's best friend Amy is played by poet and rapper MC Angel. Also in the cast are Nicholas Burns (best known for playing Nathan Barley) and Alison Newman (Hazel Bailey in Footballers Wives).
This drama is set almost entirely on SuperYou. It's is a satire on the price of perfection and a dark reflection on the perils of manipulating our identities in the online world.
SuperYou is written by Helena Thompson.
'Down for the Ride' is written and performed by Szjerdene
Sound and music by Alisdair McGregor and Howard Jacques
Produced and directed by Boz Temple-Morris
A Holy Mountain production for BBC Radio 4.
WED 15:00 How You Pay for the City (b0381hnw)
[Repeat of broadcast at
12:00 on Saturday]
WED 15:30 Seven Ages of Science (b0383zyq)
[Repeat of broadcast at
21:00 on Tuesday]
WED 16:00 Thinking Allowed (b0384brx)
Drug users and enforcement; 'Militant' Liverpool
Drug enforcement - does it change the drugs market? Laurie Taylor talks to Neil McKeganey about his research into police crackdowns on illegal drugs in 3 different areas of the UK. The researchers interviewed local heroin users to establish their views and experience of police activity. Although most had found raids to be shocking and distressing, this had little impact on the price or availability of illegal drugs locally. Also, the sociologist, Diana Frost, explores Militant Tendency's domination of Liverpool politics in the 1980s. Interviewing key protagonists of the time, she uncovers mixed memories of a 'city on the edge'.
Producer: Jayne Egerton.
WED 16:30 The Media Show (b0384bvy)
In this week's programme, Steve Hewlett talks to Nick Pollard, whose review into the BBC has led, amongst other things, to the appointment of James Harding to BBC News. In his first interview since it was published in December last year, Steve asks him about his findings, the culture at the BBC and what improvements James Harding could bring to the newsroom now he's joined the corporation. Media writer Maggie Brown outlines who James Harding is, and offers her thougts on the challenges he faces, and former BBC executive Phil Harding gives us the inside track on what life as a BBC editor is like.
Producer: Katy Takatsuki
Editor:Andrew Smith.
WED 17:00 PM (b0384bw0)
Coverage and analysis of the day's news.
WED 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b037y77q)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
WED 18:30 My Teenage Diary (b01kbhkd)
Series 4
Caitlin Moran
My Teenage Diary returns with six brave celebrities ready to revisit their formative years by opening up their intimate teenage diaries, and reading them out in public for the very first time.
Comedian Rufus Hound is joined by writer Caitlin Moran, who relives her teenage years when she was home-schooled in Wolverhampton, shared a small house with her seven brothers and sisters, and had a novel published at only 15.
Producer: Harriet Jaine
A Talkback production for BBC Radio 4.
WED 19:00 The Archers (b0384c41)
Jennifer is expecting Lilian for lunch tomorrow and is annoyed when Lilian tells her she's gone to London to meet Matt.
Rob arranges to meet Helen but Brian arrives for a chat. Brian only has an hour so Rob agrees. Eventually Rob meets up with Helen outside the shop. When Jennifer comes out, he makes an excuse and leaves. Jennifer chats to Helen but Helen isn't really listening. Helen finally arrives at Blossom Hill Cottage determined not to waste the half an hour they now have...
Kathy is busy at work and asks Jamie if he can sort the meal for later. But Kenton also calls Jamie. He'd like to see him.
Kenton asks Jamie to be his best man. Jamie would love to. But Kenton starts to worry when Jamie relishes all the great speech material he's got on Kenton.
At the golf club, Brian remarks on the skulduggery that has been going on under Kathy's nose. She points out that the pilfering bar manager doesn't work there anymore.
Arriving home, Kathy is relieved to see the oven on and the pizza cooking. Jamie tells her that Kenton has asked him to be best man. Hiding her misgivings, Kathy says he'll be wonderful.
WED 19:15 Front Row (b0384c43)
Peter Doig exhibition; Chris Brookmyre; Riz Ahmed's Cultural Exchange
With John Wilson.
Edinburgh born artist Peter Doig moved in Trinidad in 2002, and his new exhibition No Foreign Lands concentrates on the work he has painted since he has lived there. Showing at Scottish National Gallery in Edinburgh it is the first major exhibition of his work to be shown in the country of his birth. Art critic Moira Jeffrey reviews.
Crime-writer Chris Brookmyre's new novel Flesh Wounds is the third in a series to follow private investigator Jasmine Sharp and Detective Superintendent Catherine McLeod amongst the Glasgow criminal underworld. Brookmyre talks to John about writing from female perspective, how Glasgow has changed and why his name and titles are getting shorter.
Based on a Stephen King novel and produced by Steven Spielberg, Under The Dome is a hit American TV series about a small town which suddenly finds itself cut off from the rest of the world by a mysterious force field. Critic and writer Andrew Collins delivers his verdict.
In for the Cultural Exchange is actor and musician Riz Ahmed, best known for his starring roles in The Reluctant Fundamentalist and Four Lions. His choice is the first video game to be picked for the Cultural Exchange, Street Fighter II, which was released in arcades in 1991.
Producer Kate Bullivant.
WED 19:45 15 Minute Drama (b03847x6)
[Repeat of broadcast at
10:45 today]
WED 20:00 Four Thought (b038cp52)
Best of Four Thought
Courage
David Baddiel presents the best of the series which mixes new ideas and personal stories. In this edition we meet three speakers who have shown great courage.
Emma Woolf describes her own anorexia, and its possible causes. Margaret Heffernan, an entrepreneur and CEO, explains the merits of telling the truth to people who would prefer not to hear it. And Dick Moore, a headteacher and father, argues for better understanding of depression in young people - for deeply personal reasons.
Producer: Arlene Gregorius.
WED 20:45 Four Thought (b0384c45)
Series 4
Jad Adams
Jad Adams thinks we're dealing with homelessness less well than in the 1930s. Speaking from his experience helping homeless people, he argues that current policy - which he says ties the homeless to hostels funded by their benefits - is not the answer. Four Thought is a series of talks which combine new ideas and personal stories. Speakers explain their thinking on the trends and ideas in culture and society in front of a live audience.
WED 21:00 Princess Di's Handshake (b0384d2w)
Spurred on by a chance encounter with Princess Diana from his childhood, radio producer Peter Shevlin asks how important human touch is when it comes to diagnosing, treating or comforting patients in healthcare?
Modern technology has brought with it scans, tests and even robots. It is now possible to treat a whole episode of illness without laying a finger on a patient. How does this affect the doctor-patient relationship? And are we actually losing anything?
To find out, Peter travels to Stanford University to seek the opinions of Professor Abraham Verghese and, at the University of Miami, he visits the Touch Research Institute. Professor Edzard Ernst and Professor Brendan McCormack also share their experience and insight.
At a hospital in Newry, Northern Ireland, a groundbreaking project sees a robot patrol the ward, allowing intensive care specialists in one hospital to remotely assess patients in another.
Through his encounters Peter hopes to shed some light on one of our most fundamental senses, while examining its usefulness for healthcare professionals around the world.
Producer: Richard Scrase
A BlokMedia production for BBC Radio 4.
WED 21:30 What's the Point of...? (b03845lf)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:00 today]
WED 21:58 Weather (b037y77s)
The latest weather forecast.
WED 22:00 The World Tonight (b0384d2y)
In-depth reporting and analysis from a global perspective.
WED 22:45 Book at Bedtime (b0384d30)
Red or Dead
Episode 3
By David Peace.
One hundred years ago on 2nd September 1913, in a small Scottish mining village in East Ayrshire, Bill Shankly was born.
Shankly's passion was football. It was his job and it was his life, both as a player and then as a manager. He transformed the fortunes of Liverpool Football Club, turning the team into a world class side, and he has been immortalised as a hero. From the very beginning, he was as committed to the fans as they were to him.
David Peace, acclaimed author of the 'Red Riding' series, 'GB84' and 'The Damned United', now turns his attentions to Bill Shankly. David Peace's astonishing book 'Red or Dead' pulls Bill Shankly out of the football world and into the mainstream and tells us the story of the man, not just the manager. Peace describes Shankly as "not just a great football manager. Bill Shankly was one of the greatest men who ever lived."
Now, It's 1962, two years into his management, and Bill Shankly has taken his team to the top of the second division. The building blocks are in place, the hard work and the passion, and the team are desperate for promotion now that it's almost within their grasp...
Read by Gary Lewis
Abridged by Robin Brooks
Producer: Allegra McIlroy.
WED 23:00 Summer Nights (b0388kfn)
Series 1
50 Shades of Green
Evan Davis explores whether the temperature of the green movement is hotting up as much as global warming. In a late night discussion he finds out why Mark Lynas went from trashing GM crops in the 90s to powerful advocate of both GM and nuclear power a decade later. And how such treachery plays out in the Green Party, and with its one MP, Caroline Lucas. His other guests Solitaire Townsend, Matthew Sinclair and Mario Petrucci discuss the dangers of allying green issues with the left; whether environmentalism should abandon the ideological for the practical, and whether it's really seeking to save our souls, or the planet.
Presenter: Evan Davis
Producer: Katy Hickman
Interviewed guest: Caroline Lucas
Interviewed guest: Mark Lynus
Interviewed guest: Solitaire Townsend
Interviewed guest: Matthew Sinclair
Interviewed guest: Mario Petrucci
Interviewed guest: Sue Taylor.
THURSDAY 15 AUGUST 2013
THU 00:00 Midnight News (b037y78m)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.
THU 00:30 Book of the Week (b03847t6)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:45 on Wednesday]
THU 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b037y78p)
The latest shipping forecast.
THU 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b037y78r)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
THU 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b037y78t)
The latest shipping forecast.
THU 05:30 News Briefing (b037y78w)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.
THU 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b03853xg)
A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day with Andrea Rea.
THU 05:45 Farming Today (b03853xj)
French farmers have held talks with officials in Brittany, in an attempt to resolve a dispute over egg prices. They've already smashed hundreds of thousands of their own eggs on the streets of Brittany. The agricultural correspondent of Le Figaro newspaper explains what the farmers are hoping to achieve, and David Handley from Farmers for Action here in the UK discusses the rise of direct action in the politics of farming.
It's peak harvest time now, with farmers up and down the country working every hour they can, and hoping the rain will hold off for long enough to get the crops in. Anna Jones visits Lower Hope farm in Herefordshire where a workforce of 240 are busy harvesting millions of cherries.
Researchers at the University of East Anglia think they've come up with a strategy that could help stop infectious diseases like avian flu and swine flu before they take hold. UEA's Kelly Edmunds explains how it would work.
Presenter: Caz Graham
Producer: Toby Field.
THU 05:58 Tweet of the Day (b0378x67)
Arctic Skua
Tweet of the Day is a series of fascinating stories about the British birds inspired by their calls and songs.
Michaela Strachan presents the arctic skua. Arctic Skuas are the pirates of the bird world and cash in on the efforts other seabirds make to find food. They are elegant birds with long angular wings, projecting central tail feathers and a hooked bill. The dashing flight of an Arctic Skua as it chases a hapless gull is always thrilling to watch.
THU 06:00 Today (b03859md)
Morning news and current affairs with Justin Webb and James Naughtie. Including:
0810
Egypt's interim PM Hazem Beblawi has defended the deadly operation to break up protest camps in Cairo, saying the authorities had to restore security. The BBC's Hugh Sykes reports on the situation from Egypt and the Egyptian ambassador, Ashraf El Kholy, gives his analysis from London.
0821
The V&A Museum has acquired thousands of items of correspondence, diaries, and photographs that belonged to the actress Vivien Leigh. Keith Lodwick, curator at the V&A, Jo Botting, curator of the upcoming Vivian Leigh retrospective season at the British Film Institute, discuss what the articles reveal.
0831
The number of Romanians and Bulgarians working in the UK rose by a quarter in three months, figures from the Office for National Statistics says. The Today programme hears analysis.
THU 09:00 Inside the Ethics Committee (b03859mg)
Series 9
End of Life and Islam
Mr Khan is brought into A&E with a cardiac arrest and has emergency surgery to clear a blockage in his coronary artery. He's transferred to intensive care with multi-organ failure, his lungs, heart and kidneys supported by machines and medication.
Mr Khan is seventy five and his doctors expect him to need intensive care for about ten days. But he is slow to improve and, over the coming weeks, he has repeated lung infections and needs almost constant support for his organs.
The anticipated brief stay in intensive care turns to weeks, then months. As time goes by, it becomes clear to the team that Mr Khan is unable to survive without intensive care - removing even small amounts of support for his organs leaves him unable to cope.
After six months, the medical team are convinced that Mr Khan has little chance of recovery. He is severely wasted and all the procedures they have to put him through, to keep him alive, are causing him considerable suffering. The team feel they should now limit his treatment and enable him to have a dignified death.
Mr Khan is now so weak and confused that he is not able to communicate, so the team discuss this with the family. They find the idea of limiting treatment very difficult. Like Mr Khan, they are devout Muslim and believe that everything should be done to preserve life. They reason that if there are treatments and machines that might help Mr Khan the team should use them, and then leave it in God's hands to see if they succeed or fail.
As Mr Khan's life hangs in the balance, should the team keep treating him, so prolonging his suffering, or limit his treatment and enable him to have a comfortable and dignified death?
THU 09:45 Book of the Week (b03859mj)
Lloyd Bradley - Sounds Like London: 100 Years of Black Music in the Capital
Episode 4
The story of a city's transformation through its music, taking in the wave of Commonwealth immigration in the '40s right up to the present day.
As roots reggae is increasingly acclaimed by the 1970s music press, many black British teenagers find themselves drawn to the poppier sounds of lovers' rock.
Read by Ben Onwukwe.
Written by Lloyd Bradley.
Abridged by Natalie Steed.
Produced by Kirsteen Cameron.
THU 10:00 Woman's Hour (b03859ml)
Hayley Atwell; Lady Justice Arden
Can nudity be empowering? The latest study into why some men kill their families. Powerlister Lady Justice Arden who sits on the Court of Appeal and is the UK's second most senior female judge. How the pain of nursing and losing a sick baby inspired poet Rebecca Goss to write a collection of poems which has earned her a place on the Forward poetry prize shortlist. And actress Hayley Atwell on her latest stage role in The Pride.
THU 10:45 15 Minute Drama (b03859mn)
How to Have a Perfect Marriage
Episode 4
Karen longs for husband Jack to look at her, to notice her, to fall in love with her again. But he's excited by his new relationship and torn apart by the pain he's causing around him. It's time for them all to make some decisions.
This is writer Nicholas McInerny's autobiographical look at modern relationships.
Jack and Karen are nothing out of the ordinary. They have been happily married for years and are convinced every problem can be worked through. Until Jack decides he really is gay.
Seeking stability at all costs for themselves and for the children, they navigate the bumpy journey of finding a lover for Jack by going for the 'closed loop' arrangement. It sounds just about possible - in theory. But getting consensus all round for their 3-way partnership is far from straightforward. And Karen doesn't want to share her husband. She wants everything to stay the same.
Writer: Nicholas McInerny
Music: instrumental by Greg Wise
Producer: Melanie Harris
Sound designer: Eloise Whitmore
A Sparklab production for BBC Radio 4.
THU 11:00 Crossing Continents (b03859mq)
Kazakhstan's Living Gulags
The Kazakh steppe was once home to the infamous Soviet forced labour camps which formed part of the Gulag. Today, the Gulag system is said to live on in Kazakhstan's jails where a growing prison population faces daily torture, humiliation and lawlessness. Despite its poor human rights record, many developed nations, including Britain, are rapidly strengthening relations with Kazakhstan. BBC Central Asia Correspondent Rayhan Demeytrie investigates why the Gulag violence persists and asks why the international community stays silent.
Producer: Nina Robinson.
THU 11:30 The Gambaccini Years (b03859ms)
Episode 2
Paul Gambaccini is the only broadcaster who has presented regular programmes on BBC Radios 1, 2, 3 and 4.
2013 marked his 40th anniversary in British broadcasting, since his arrival at Radio 1 in 1973 from American college radio and Rolling Stone magazine.
In the second part of his look back, Paul remembers Kenny Everett, his success with Tim Rice on the Guinness Books of Hit Singles, and his interviews backstage at Live Aid.
With special guests: Michael Palin, Joan Armatrading, Tim Rice and Bob Harris.
Producer: Paul Bajoria
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2013.
THU 12:00 You and Yours (b03859mv)
Chris Warburton looks at the latest in 4G mobile technology.
Also the problems getting into and out of Gibraltar.
And the possibility of cheaper petrol for people living in rural Northern Ireland.
Presenter Chris Warburton
Producer Mike Young.
THU 12:57 Weather (b037y78y)
The latest weather forecast.
THU 13:00 World at One (b03859mx)
National and international news. Listeners can share their views via email: wato@bbc.co.uk or on twitter: #wato.
THU 13:45 The Prophets (b03859mz)
Miriam
In the fourth of his series of off-beat Biblical portraits, Clive Lawton tells the story of Miriam the Prophetess. Miriam is one of the few women in the Bible to be called a prophetess though it's not entirely clear what that means. In some ways, she is an essential counterbalance to Moses who is always referred to by the Jews as the greatest of the prophets and the transmitter of the core of Jewish teaching and tradition, the Torah. However, without Miriam and her resourcefulness Moses would not have survived, and according to rabbinic tradition without Miriam, Moses would not even have been born.
Producer: Mark Savage.
THU 14:00 The Archers (b0384c41)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Wednesday]
THU 14:15 Drama (b0387tmr)
Mark Burgess - Joan and the Baron
Bordeaux, late 1970's: a Frenchman in his seventies; an Englishwoman in her sixties.
He is a poet, a translator of Elizabethan verse, a racing driver, yachtsman, wine maker, theatre and film producer and, at one time, the most notorious womaniser in Paris. He is also a Rothschild.
She is from Stockwell in London, born to an unmarried mother who disapproved of books and reading. But after a convent school education as a scholarship girl and another scholarship to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art she became one of the most influential directors of the twentieth century, creating the Theatre Workshop in Stratford East and earning the sobriquet 'the Mother of Modern Theatre'. She is Joan Littlewood.
Following the recent deaths of their respective partners, Baron Philippe seems to be moving on with his life while Joan declares she has no wish to. She shut-down emotionally at the point of her beloved Gerry Raffles' death and has no desire to return to her famous theatre in Stratford East or ever to direct again. The Baron extends an invitation to his Mouton estate.
Joan and the Baron explores the growth of friendship between this unlikely pair, after a chance meeting in Vienne.
Written by Mark Burgess
Director: David Blount
A Pier production for BBC Radio 4.
THU 15:00 Open Country (b03859n1)
The Ants of Longshaw Estate
Helen Mark visits Longshaw Estate in Derbyshire to meet some very special ants...
The northern hairy wood ant has an international, near-threatened conservation status with England's two main populations found in the Peak District (including Longshaw) and in the North York Moors. In a cutting edge experiment in communication and conservation, Samuel Ellis, a biologist from the University of York, will be attaching a one millimetre radio receiver to each ant in a bid to understand how the ants communicate and commute between the vast network of nests. 'The way the ants use this network has important implications for how they interact with their environment. And the way information is passed through the network may even have implications for our information and telecommunications networks.' The findings will also influence how the landscape is managed and how the habitat can be improved for the ants.
Longshaw Estate is home to more than a thousand nests containing 50 million worker ants. Helen hears from Chris Millner, National Trust Area Ranger at Longshaw who has worked alongside these industrious creatures for many years and from the other non-ant residents of the estate who regularly find themselves surrounded by ants as big as your thumb nail.
THU 15:27 Radio 4 Appeal (b0381kp7)
[Repeat of broadcast at
07:55 on Sunday]
THU 15:30 Open Book (b0381l66)
[Repeat of broadcast at
16:00 on Sunday]
THU 16:00 The Film Programme (b03859n3)
Film festivals, Lotte Reiniger, DVD recommendations
With the autumn film festival circuit about to get underway, Robbie Collin talks to Notting Hill director Roger Michell about who really benefits from the peripatetic circus. And why this director said 'non' to Cannes. And the critic Jason Solomons gives the reviewer's perspective of the scene, from the thrill of the first glimpse of a masterpiece to fisticuffs at dawn.
Marina Warner and Nick Bradshaw explore the work of the influential German animator Lotte Reiniger as The Adventures of Prince Achmed, once thought destroyed in World War II, is restored and released. The 1920s groundbreaking shadow film, handcut and manipulated, draws on the Arabian Nights for its tale of exotic lands, kidnapped princesses and flying horses.
Terri Hooley the Belfast DJ and record label entrepreneur gives his reaction to Good Vibrations, a film based on his life during the 1970s punk scene. As the man who gave The Undertones their first big break, he reflects on why it was important that this story was told by local screenwriters and cast.
And with summer blockbusters squeezing out more modest releases at the multiplexes, Jason Solomons picks out the best DVD and Blu Ray releases for the films you may have missed on the big screen.
Producer: Elaine Lester.
THU 16:30 BBC Inside Science (b03859n5)
Universal flu vaccine; Science games; AllTrials; Penguin camera
Influenza causes up to five million cases of severe illness and half a million deaths globally every year. Yet, as Adam Rutherford finds out, our current vaccination strategy is a seasonal game of chance, based on guessing the strain that will appear next. Research published this week in Science Translational Medicine, by a team from Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, offers hope for a universal flu vaccine, based on newly discovered antibodies.
Earlier this week, a game to help combat ash dieback was launched on Facebook, called Fraxinus. Reporter Gaia Vince looks at the growing trend for using games to solve scientific problems. Is this new way of gathering and analysing data changing the way science is done?
Currently half of all clinical trials are not published worldwide. Adam talks to Ben Goldacre, author of Bad Pharma, about his new campaign 'AllTrials', which aims to change that.
Finally this week, physicist Peter Barham shows us his instrument - a spy camera system that he's designed to recognise penguins.
THU 17:00 PM (b03859n7)
Coverage and analysis of the day's news.
THU 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b037y790)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
THU 18:30 Meet David Sedaris (b01ng26n)
Series 3
Put a Lid on It
The multi-award winning American essayist brings more of his wit and charm to BBC Radio 4 with a series of audience readings. This week we encounter his sister, Tiffany, in a story called "Put A Lid On It" and hear some more extracts from his diaries.
Producer: Steve Doherty
A Boom Pictures Cymru production for BBC Radio 4.
THU 19:00 The Archers (b03859n9)
Ruth and Elizabeth discuss Daniel's A Level results, An A*, two As and a B. Elizabeth also has good news. The two plots of land have been sold, so they have the money for the dairy block.
As David and Elizabeth wait for two cows to calve, they discuss Kenton's wedding. Realising that it must be hard for Elizabeth, David puts his arm around her. As he does so, the first calf of the new block calving system is born. Both calves arrive healthy and with no sign of Schmallenberg. Only 178 to go!
Caroline and Oliver prepare a meal. She doesn't want to discuss Ray's appointment as temporary manager over dinner. Effusive Ray give his hosts a potted history of his experience and of meeting his wife Harriet at a hotel he was running in Scotland. As he expertly pours the wine, Oliver is impressed.
Oliver chats to Ray as if he has the job but Caroline is keen not to jump the gun. Ray reassures Caroline that he knows how difficult it is to hand over and eventually Caroline begins to relax.
By the end of the evening, Ray has the dates that he is needed for. Oliver assures Caroline that Grey Gables will be in safe hands. Now they can look forward to their holiday.
THU 19:15 Front Row (b03859nc)
Edinburgh Special with Reginald D Hunter, David Peace, Julie Madly Deeply
With Mark Lawson.
Reginald D. Hunter discusses race, sex and anatomy in his latest Edinburgh show In the Midst of Crackers. He reflects on fourteen years of coming to the festival and explains why he thinks the world has become a more stupid place in that time.
Novelist David Peace is best known for the Red Riding Quartet and The Damned United, a fictional portrait of Brian Clough's spell at Leeds United. His new novel, Red or Dead, focuses on the legendary Liverpool manager Bill Shankly.
Cabaret performers Sarah-Louise Young and Michael Roulston bring a taste of Hollywood royalty to the BBC tent with an extract from their homage to Julie Andrews, Julie Madly Deeply.
Politics has been a common theme among a variety of genres at the Fringe this year. Kevin Toolis, creator of dramatic monologue The Confessions of Gordon Brown, Dugald Bruce-Lockhart, starring as David Cameron in The Three Lions and Gráinne Maguire, comedian and creator of One Hour All Night Election Show, discuss different approaches to tackling politics on stage.
Producer Ellie Bury.
THU 19:45 15 Minute Drama (b03859mn)
[Repeat of broadcast at
10:45 today]
THU 20:00 The Report (b03859nf)
The Liverpool Care Pathway
Critics dubbed the controversial Liverpool Care Pathway the "road to death" and accused the NHS of killing off thousands of elderly patients. Supporters say it has helped terminally ill people have a peaceful and dignified death. The campaign against the Liverpool Care Pathway was fuelled by countless stories in the newspapers of patients being deprived of food and water and heavily sedated. Following the publication in July 2013 of an independent review, the government announced that the Liverpool Care Pathway will be phased out in NHS hospitals in England. But some medical professionals fear the baby has been thrown out with the bathwater. In this programme, Helen Grady looks at the back story - how and why the Liverpool Care Pathway was rolled out, the opposition campaign and the likely impact for patients of the Pathway's demise. She talks to relatives of patients who were on the pathway, doctors and palliative care experts.
THU 20:30 In Business (b03859nh)
Regenerating Margate
Towns and cities all over the world are looking to culture to help them rejuvenate. Two years ago Margate in Kent joined the trend when it opened the £17 million Turner Contemporary gallery. Can art improve the fortunes of a struggling community? Peter Day finds out.
THU 21:00 BBC Inside Science (b03859n5)
[Repeat of broadcast at
16:30 today]
THU 21:30 Zeitgeisters (b02xxvbz)
Series 1
Martin Mills
As part of Radio 4's Year of Culture initiative, the BBC Arts Editor Will Gompertz meets the cultural entrepreneurs who are shaping our lives and defining the very spirit of our age.
These are not Turner Prize winners or the recipients of grants from the Arts Council or the Lottery Fund. These are the people behind the scenes, pulling the strings and plotting a path of consumer-driven success. They are the designers of the latest 'must have' piece of technology or clothing, the brains behind an artist's development, and the tastemakers that know what will work at the box office and what will sell on the high street. Their impact goes beyond mere commerce, it shapes contemporary culture. They are the Zeitgeisters and it's about time we met them.
Programme 2. Martin Mills - who, as the co-founder and co-owner of the Beggar's Group, has been at the forefront of British independent music since the the 1970s. The Group's labels include XL Recordings, 4AD, Matador and Rough Trade and the artists who have graced their books range from Adele to Radiohead, from the Lurkers to the Savages, from the White Stripes to Gary Numan, and from Dizzee Rascal to The xx. Having grown Beggars into what is now possibly the world's most influential independent music group, Martin Mills is less a Zeitgeister (of the moment) and more a true survivor (at the forefront of decades of moments). But what exactly makes this shy and thoughtful man - more tortoise than hare - tick? How does he maintain his hold over this organisation and what drives him on, as his influence on the industry continues to grow.
Producer: Paul Kobrak.
THU 21:58 Weather (b037y792)
The latest weather forecast.
THU 22:00 The World Tonight (b03859nk)
In-depth reporting and analysis from a global perspective with David Eades
Egypt death toll mounts as protests and condemnation continue. Organ donations reach a record high and tension between China and Japan rises as Tokyo politicians visit shrine to war criminals.
THU 22:45 Book at Bedtime (b03859nm)
Red or Dead
Episode 4
By David Peace.
One hundred years ago on 2nd September 1913, in a small Scottish mining village in East Ayrshire, Bill Shankly was born.
Shankly's passion was football. It was his job and it was his life, both as a player and then as a manager. He transformed the fortunes of Liverpool Football Club, turning the team into a world class side, and he has been immortalised as a hero. From the very beginning, he was as committed to the fans as they were to him.
David Peace, acclaimed author of the 'Red Riding' series, 'GB84' and 'The Damned United', now turns his attentions to Bill Shankly. David Peace's astonishing book 'Red or Dead' pulls Bill Shankly out of the football world and into the mainstream and tells us the story of the man, not just the manager. Peace describes Shankly as "not just a great football manager. Bill Shankly was one of the greatest men who ever lived."
Now, it's early in the 1963/64 season, and for the first time since 1947 Liverpool Football Club are top of the first division. But it's not where they start the season that counts, it's where they finish. There's a long season of hard work ahead - and Bill must face fellow Scot and brilliant manager Matt Busby, on Bill's home turf, at Anfield.
Read by Gary Lewis
Abridged by Robin Brooks
Producer: Allegra McIlroy.
THU 23:00 Summer Nights (b0388kgj)
Series 1
That's Not Funny
When should we laugh? And are there occasions when it is inappropriate? Laurie Taylor asks what is fair game for comedy and whether what we laugh at should be governed by aesthetic or political considerations. Guests including Howard Jacobson and Martin Rowson join him to explore humour, the offensive and taking offense.
Presenter: Laurie Taylor
Producer: Ruth Watts
Interviewed guest: Howard Jacobson
Interviewed guest: Natalie Haynes
Interviewed guest: Martin Rowson
Interviewed guest: Jane Bussman
Interviewed guest: Owen Jones.
FRIDAY 16 AUGUST 2013
FRI 00:00 Midnight News (b037y79x)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.
FRI 00:30 Book of the Week (b03859mj)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:45 on Thursday]
FRI 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b037y79z)
The latest shipping forecast.
FRI 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b037y7b1)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
FRI 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b037y7b3)
The latest shipping forecast.
FRI 05:30 News Briefing (b037y7b5)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.
FRI 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b0385kng)
A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day with Andrea Rea.
FRI 05:45 Farming Today (b0385knj)
An organisation set up to protect workers from being exploited has criticised the suspended sentence given to a gangmaster who illegally supplied Filipino workers to dairy farms in the UK. He was given a 12 month suspended prison sentence and ordered to pay £45,000 in compensation - but the Gangmasters Licensing Authority claims the punishment does not send out a strong enough message.
Also on Farming Today, it's harvest time and the combines have been out in force this week. It's a time when farmers anxiously watch the weather, but at the moment they're also anxiously watching world grain prices which are heading in the wrong direction for arable farmers. Since last Christmas, they've fallen by 25 percent.
And we're at the Vale of Rydal Sheepdog Trials and Hound Show, as competing dogs are put through their paces.
Presented by Caz Graham. Produced by Anna Varle.
FRI 05:58 Tweet of the Day (b0378x87)
Yellow Wagtail
Tweet of the Day is a series of fascinating stories about the British birds inspired by their calls and songs.
Michaela Strachan presents the yellow wagtail. Arriving in April, Yellow Wagtails are summer visitors to the UK, breeding mostly in the south and east. The Yellow Wagtail has several different races which all winter south of the Sahara and all look slightly different. The birds which breed in the UK are the yellowest of all.
FRI 06:00 Today (b0385knl)
Morning news and current affairs with Justin Webb and James Naughtie. Including:
0750
Police in Fife are investigating claims that a teenager from Dunfermline who jumped to his death from the Forth Road Bridge was the victim of cyber blackmail. The BBC's Colin Blane reports and Claire Lilley, senior policy analyst for the NSPCC, explains what needs to be done to target this this sort of online problem.
0810
Energy firm Cuadrilla has said it is scaling back work at an exploration site in West Sussex on police advice. The Today programme's Simon Kotecha reports from Balcombe in West Sussex, and Supt Lawrence Hobbs, who is in charge of policing the protest, and Tim Yeo, elected chair of the climate change select committee, discuss the risks and benefits of fracking.
0820
What is going to happen to Egypt - to its people, to its political culture, to its relations with Israel, with the rest of the Arab world? The BBC's Middle East editor Jeremy Bowen reports.
0829
For anyone using Gmail, email is more than just a method of communication, it is a way the company harvests information about its users and offers them relevant advertising. Nick Pickles, director of Big Brother Watch, and Kate Solomon, news editor of the website TechRadar, discuss whether this is a problem.
FRI 09:00 Desert Island Discs (b0381l2v)
[Repeat of broadcast at
11:15 on Sunday]
FRI 09:45 Book of the Week (b0385knn)
Lloyd Bradley - Sounds Like London: 100 Years of Black Music in the Capital
Episode 5
The story of a city's transformation through its music, taking in the wave of Commonwealth immigration in the '40s right up to the present day.
In the final episode, jungle and garage pave the way for grime, a style which has crossed over into the mainstream.
FRI 10:00 Woman's Hour (b0385knq)
Living with an alcoholic; Graduate earnings; Japanese women
Why a University degree is worth much more to women than it is to men. Anne Morshead on why she decided to write about her husband's alcohol addiction. Jo Baker imagining life below stairs in Jane Austen's England. Why Japanese women struggle for equality and the women scouring the globe for the world's rarest plants.
Presented by Jenni Murray
Produced by Nicola Swords
Interviewed guest: Prof Ian Walker
Interviewed guest: Anne Morshead
Interviewed guest: Sadie Barber
Interviewed guest: Fiona Davison
Interviewed guest: Mariko Oi
Interviewed guest: Dr Lola Martinez
Interviewed guest: Jo Baker
FRI 10:45 15 Minute Drama (b0385kns)
How to Have a Perfect Marriage
Episode 5
Karen and Jack celebrate their wedding anniversary the way they always do, on Primrose Hill, with flowers and a take-away. But this year is different.
This is writer Nicholas McInerny's autobiographical look at modern relationships.
Jack and Karen are nothing out of the ordinary. They have been happily married for years and are convinced every problem can be worked through. Until Jack decides he really is gay.
Seeking stability at all costs for themselves and for the children, they navigate the bumpy journey of finding a lover for Jack by going for the 'closed loop' arrangement. It sounds just about possible - in theory. But getting consensus all round for their 3-way partnership is far from straightforward. And Karen doesn't want to share her husband. She wants everything to stay the same.
Writer: Nicholas McInerny
Music: instrumental by Greg Wise
Producer: Melanie Harris
Sound designer: Eloise Whitmore
A Sparklab production for BBC Radio 4.
FRI 11:00 Windies' Wonders (b0385knv)
'No more popular side has ever toured the old country', claimed Wisden, the cricketers' almanac, writing about the West Indies victorious tour of England during the summer of 1963.
Mike Phillips, the writer and broadcaster, re-captures the excitement caused by the West Indies' style of cricket in 1963 and explores the impact of the team's success on the many West Indians who had recently settled in Britain but experienced discrimination and violence - the Notting Hill riots had occurred only five years earlier.
By 1963, it had been six years since the last West Indies' cricket tour of England. On their last visit, they had been led by a white captain and lost the Test series by 3 - 0. But all this changed in 1963, when they achieved a stylish 3 - 1 triumph under the captaincy of Frank Worrell, who had become the first black cricketer to lead the West Indies during a full Test series in Australia in 1960-61. In England in 1963, the brilliance of players such as Gary Sobers, Rohan Kanhai, Wes Hall and Charlie Griffiths, and the epic Test match at Lords, when the result hung in the balance until the final over, captured the public imagination.
But did the West Indies' victory over England have a wider impact? Did the West Indies' prowess on the cricket field give West Indians living in Britain a stronger sense of identity and new feeling of pride?
Among those taking past are Deryck Murray, the West Indies wicket-keeper who made his Test debut and set a world record for wicket-keeping during the 1963 tour; Ebony Rainford-Brent, the first black woman to play for the England women's cricket team; Herman Ouseley, former head of the Commission for Racial Equality, and Bill Morris, the former trade union leader and now a member of the England and Wales Cricket Board.
Producer: Rob Shepherd.
FRI 11:30 With Nobbs On (b01j5fw8)
From Howerd's End to Pebble Mill
Episode 2 - From Howerd's end to Pebble Mill
Written and presented by David Nobbs
With Nobbs On sees David Nobbs, the comic genius behind Reggie Perrin, The Two Ronnies, Tommy Cooper, Frankie Howerd and R4's The Maltby Collection, presenting a three-part series of entertaining, joke-laden, insider observations on his comedy career to a studio audience along with guest readings, archive material and unpredictable delights.
David has trouble explaining why he's impersonating Frankie Howerd in a public place to the police. Meanwhile Pebble Mill reject a short story about a man battling with his identity as a successful middle class, middle management manager, called Reginald Iolanthe Perrin.
Featuring Martin Trenaman and Mia Soteriou
Produced by Andrew McGibbon
A Curtains For Radio Production for BBC Radio 4.
FRI 12:00 You and Yours (b0385knx)
BT/Virgin deal; Raw milk; Council mis-spending; Alcopops
The BT/Virgin media deal; Raw Milk; Council mis-spending and the decline of alco-pops.
FRI 12:57 Weather (b037y7b7)
The latest weather forecast.
FRI 13:00 World at One (b0385knz)
Egypt experiences a "day of rage" against the removal of President Morsi. We hear from Cairo and Alexandria.
For the first time, a court has sanctioned sterilisation for a man judged incapable of making the decision for himself. We discuss the issues raised by this case.
Robin Lustig has the second leg of his two legged tour of the River Thames.
Plus the planning minister on why bins ain't what they used to be.
FRI 13:45 The Prophets (b0385kp1)
Samuel
In his final off-beat portrait of a Biblical prophet, Clive Lawton tells the story of Samuel, who went from being the last of the judges - a fairly sloppy and incompetent system of government - to being the first prophet to work with (and against) duly constituted kings. Samuel invented the constitutional system whereby the king was subject to the law and could be held to account and set in train all those 'speaking truth to power' thereafter. High drama as he argues with the Jews about whether or not having a king is such a good idea; even higher drama when he wrenches the kingdom from his first nominee, Saul - and a really odd moment when Saul uses a witch to conjure him back from the dead.
Producer: Mark Savage.
FRI 14:00 The Archers (b03859n9)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Thursday]
FRI 14:15 Drama (b00yrfw9)
The Burning Times
Esme lives on her own in a condemned block of flats with only her plants for company. An easy target for the local girl gang who think the 'old witch' is hiding some cash.
Or so thinks Rhiannon as she bursts into Esme's flat to rob her. Esme is not going to give up so easily and events take a sinister turn as Rhiannon begins to fear that Esme may actually be using Witchcraft after all. Can words really make stuff happen?
With the flat crumbling around them and the gang outside becoming louder and more dangerous, it becomes harder to distinguish who is the victim and who is the bully.
Hayley Carmichael and Danielle Vitalis star in this modern Gothic drama.
Sound and music by
Alisdair McGregor and Howard Jacques
Written by Helena Thompson
Produced & directed by Boz Temple-Morris
A Holy Mountain production for BBC Radio 4.
FRI 15:00 Gardeners' Question Time (b0385kp3)
Ulster - County Antrim
Eric Robson takes the panel to Ulster for this week's episode. Gardening experts Matthew Wilson, Pippa Greenwood and Bob Flowerdew attempt to solve the audience's horticultural concerns.
Produced by Howard Shannon
A Somethin' Else Production for BBC Radio 4.
This week's questions:
Q. Would continual use of a general purpose fertiliser on a lawn cause a problematic build-up of potash and phosphate in the long-term?
A. It depends on the quantity applied. Potash washes out very quickly, nitrogen will be taken up by the grass and - depending on the soil type - phosphate can become 'locked up' and unavailable. In very large amounts too much growth will be encouraged which, at the back end of the year, would be 'soft' growth and prone to turf diseases and more easily damaged. Different feeds are formulated for different times of year to encourage the right kind of growth.
Q. Could the panel recommend a climbing rose which would grow in a wet and windy climate, which is disease resistant and would require no spraying?
A. The variety 'Summer Wine' is recommended which has a single dark pink flower, strong fragrance and will repeat flower from June to September. 'Kiftsgate' and 'Rambling Rector' are also suggested because of their vigour.
Q. What are the advantages of hardwood cuttings?
A. Hardwood cuttings are simple because they are taken in the autumn when pruning. Unlike softwood cuttings they do not require a propagator or cloche and require much less work. The advantage of hardwood cuttings for the commercial grower is that they extend the propagation season. However, some plants will respond in different ways and will do better with semi-ripe cuttings.
Q. When should Nasturtium seeds be gathered? What is the best way to dry them for storage?
A. As soon as the seed head starts to look as if it's drying, not green but beige. Spread on paper and leave in a well-ventilated spot with a little natural warmth.
Q. How can I increase the number of bees visiting the garden?
A. Take up bee keeping! To increase natural bee numbers, more flowers over more season with more shelter is recommended. Bee-friendly plants tend to be open-scented plants with easily accessible nectar. Ivy is very useful as a nectar source out of season.
Q. My 11-year old Beschorneria Yuccoides has flowered for the first time this year. Will it flower again?
A. Absolutely. It should flower every year now it has reached flowering age. Beschorneria Yuccoides is not 100% hardy - areas susceptible to hard, sustained or damp frosts would not be suitable for growing this plant.
Q. What is the best way to prune a very large, vigorous Wisteria?
A. Immediately after flowering, the long tendril-like growth should be removed. The plant invests a lot of energy into the production of these shoots, so removing them will improve the chances of flowering the following year. Spur pruning should then be done in winter.
Q. Could the panel suggest plants to suit a windy site (approx. 7ft, or 2m, wide) between a wall and a high hedge, with heavy clay soil?
A. Rubus Cockburnianus, a relative of the bramble, is recommended. Buddleia are also suggested, particularly the variety 'Globosa', which has round, orange flowers and is semi-evergreen.
FRI 15:45 Feminine Mystiques (b0385kp5)
Theatre Six
By Sarah Hall
Read by Francesca Dymond
Fifty years since the first publication of Betty Friedan's seminal feminist work The Feminine Mystique, three leading writers celebrate her influence in new short stories for Radio 4 exploring the contemporary feminist landscape.
In our final story in the series, Sarah Hall's compelling story takes us to a dystopian near future in the tradition of Margaret Atwood. In a world almost - but not quite - recognisable to us, a young woman finds herself in a terrifying situation, and a young doctor confronts a new political world order that challenges her professional faith.
Sarah Hall has been chosen as one of Granta's Best Young British Novelists 2013, and is author of The Carhullan Army and The Electric Michelangelo.
Producer: Allegra McIlroy.
FRI 16:00 Last Word (b0385kp7)
A Holocaust activist, a Hollywood actress, a jazz keyboardist, a stuntman and a tugboat hero
Aasmah Mir on
Betty Maxwell, the widow of the late publisher Robert Maxwell
The stuntman who parachuted in to the opening ceremony of the London Olympics, Mark Sutton
Karen Black, star of Five Easy Pieces, Easy Rider and Airport 75
Kenneth Dancy, the tugboat hero who attempted to save the stricken freighter Flying Enterprise in 1952
And innovative and flamboyant jazz keyboardist George Duke.
FRI 16:30 Feedback (b0385kp9)
On Monday evening, just as England bowler Stuart Broad was reaching the peak of a devastating spell, listeners to Radio 4 Long Wave were ripped from the action. They were plunged into the seven o'clock news followed by The Archers. Radio 4 Network Manager Denis Nowlan explains what went wrong.
Last week we announced that The Archers is to have a new editor - Sean O'Connor will take over in September. But this week some Archers' fans were turned off by a scene involving reunited lovers Helen and Rob.
And is the rest of Radio 4 over-sexed during the school holidays? Listeners have objected to sexual content in programmes such as The Diary of Samuel Pepys, Sketchorama, and How to Have a Perfect Marriage, especially when children are more likely to be at home. Roger Bolton talks sex on the radio with Roger Mahony, Radio 4's Editor of Editorial Standards.
Over the course of this series of Feedback, we've heard from many listeners who still lament the loss of Radio 4 science programme Material World. Its replacement, Inside Science, has its fans, but the majority of Feedback listeners have not warmed to the programme during its first two months. We hear your opinions so far. And we'll be speaking the Editor of the BBC Radio Science Unit, Deborah Cohen, about Inside Science in the autumn.
Feedback listeners are extremely keen eyed and eared. We're sure you've checked this web text thoroughly for mistakes. And we certainly hope it adheres to the BBC's Style Guide, because this week Roger speaks to Ian Jolly, Style Editor for the BBC Newsroom in London. Listeners frequently write to us to note a perceived increase in Americanisms but what's the 'big deal'?
Email: feedback@bbc.co.uk.
Producer: Will Yates
A Whistledown production for BBC Radio 4.
FRI 17:00 PM (b0385kpc)
Coverage and analysis of the day's news. Including Weather at
5.57pm.
FRI 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b037y7b9)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
FRI 18:30 Bremner's One Question Quiz (b0385n2f)
What Is Britishness?
What Is Britishness?
Rory Bremner returns to Radio 4 with a new weekly comedy show that takes one big contemporary question each week and attempts to answer it as satirically as possible.
Regular panellists Nick Doody and Andy Zaltzman are joined by comedian and impressionist Mel Hudson and this week's guest experts are author, comedian and politician, John O'Farrell, and the British correspondent for Die Zeit, John Jungclaussen, as Rory asks "What is Britishness?".
Rory's mantra is that it's as important to make sense out of things as it is to make fun of them - only then will people laugh at the truth. So this deconstructed "quiz" has only one question each week, because that question is so big, there's no time for anything else. Expect a mix of stand-up and sketch combined with investigative satire and incisive interviews with a diverse range of characters who really know what they're talking about.
Presenter: Rory Bremner
Producers: Simon Jacobs & Frank Stirling
A Unique production for BBC Radio 4.
FRI 19:00 The Archers (b0385n2h)
After a meeting with their financial advisor, Pat and Tony They break the news to Tom that there isn't enough money from the herd sale for a second hand tractor. Tom understands. The most important thing is that they secure their retirement.
Martyn is giving Kathy a hard time at the golf club. As she struggles to fit a new bottle into the optic bracket, it slips and the gin spills on the counter. As far as Martyn is concerned, that's even more wastage!
As they enjoy the 'thank-you' curry, Tom and Kirsty joke and get on well. Kirsty discovers that Helen is 'out with a friend' tonight. Kirsty carefully asks if Tom has heard about Brenda, who now has a Russian boyfriend and is in London. She's very relieved when he tells her he's fine about it
At the open air theatre, Pat wonders how Kathy feels about Jamie being Kenton's best man. Kathy is horrified to see Martyn Gibson arriving. Martyn comes over to speak to Kathy about the waste at the golf club. Pat is sure that Kathy doesn't want to talk about work. But Martin wants a report by Monday morning.
FRI 19:15 Front Row (b0385n2k)
Cultural Exchange Finale
John Wilson brings the Cultural Exchange project to a close, with Armando Iannucci, Laura Mvula, Germaine Greer, Paul Weller, Terence Stamp, the Archbishop of Canterbury and others choosing their favourite artwork.
John looks back at the 75 selections made over the past four months, and identifies trends and surprises.
Visit the Cultural Exchange website for all 75 interviews and archive clips featuring Jack Nicholson, Bette Davis, Nina Simone and more.
Also on the Cultural Exchange website: John Wilson and Mark Lawson make their choices.
Producer Timothy Prosser.
FRI 19:45 15 Minute Drama (b0385kns)
[Repeat of broadcast at
10:45 today]
FRI 20:00 Any Questions? (b0385n2m)
Jacqui Smith, Ken Olisa, John Mills, Alex Deane
Martha Kearney presents political debate and discussion from the Richmix Cultural Foundation in London with former Home Secretary Jacqui Smith and Alex Deane former Chief of Staff to David Cameron who's now the Head of Public Affairs at PR firm Weber Shandwick. They'll be joined by Ken Olisa the Chairman of Restoration Partners, a technology merchant bank, and businessman John Mills who founded JML which specialises in on line and TV home shopping. He's also a Labour Party donor.
FRI 20:50 A Point of View (b0385n2p)
Of the People, By the People 2/4
Roger Scruton continues his series of talks on the nature and limits of democracy. Roger Scruton argues that democracy works only if we are prepared to be ruled by our opponents, however much we may dislike them. We need to accept politics as a process of compromise and conciliation. And for that, he says, the state must be secular.
FRI 21:00 Saturday Drama (b01m9dyp)
South Downs
The much acclaimed Chichester Festival production of David Hare's play is brought to radio. Set in the 60s in Lancing College, Sussex, where the author went to school.
A pin sharp young pupil ( an astonishing professional debut from Alex Lawther) is cut off from his fellow boys by virtue of his own intellect, background and questioning spirit.
The school, with its unyielding and rigid outlook on life, leaves the boy isolated and confused. In an unlikely meeting with the free-spirited mother of another pupil (Anna Chancellor) her generosity and sound advice offers the boy a world of kindness and possibility.
The original music was composed by Paul Englishby and the original theatre sound was designed by Ian Dickinson.
The Chichester Festival production of South Downs was first performed at the Minerva Theatre, Chichester.
Directed by Jeremy Herrin
A Catherine Bailey Production for BBC Radio 4.
FRI 21:58 Weather (b037y7bc)
The latest weather forecast.
FRI 22:00 The World Tonight (b0385n2r)
In Egypt the Day of Anger called by the Muslim Brotherhood produced plenty of rage, with tens of thousands of their supporters engaged in street battles across the country. A high court judge has just decided that a 36 year-old man with learning difficulties can be sterilised because she said it was 'in his best interests'. The success of Parkrun and the CIA has announced Area 51 does exists. With Roger Hearing.
FRI 22:45 Book at Bedtime (b0385n2t)
Red or Dead
Episode 5
By David Peace.
One hundred years ago on 2nd September 1913, in a small Scottish mining village in East Ayrshire, Bill Shankly was born.
Shankly's passion was football. It was his job and it was his life, both as a player and then as a manager. He transformed the fortunes of Liverpool Football Club, turning the team into a world class side, and he has been immortalised as a hero. From the very beginning, he was as committed to the fans as they were to him.
David Peace, acclaimed author of the 'Red Riding' series, 'GB84' and 'The Damned United', now turns his attentions to Bill Shankly. David Peace's astonishing book 'Red or Dead' pulls Bill Shankly out of the football world and into the mainstream and tells us the story of the man, not just the manager. Peace describes Shankly as "not just a great football manager. Bill Shankly was one of the greatest men who ever lived."
Now, after eleven years at Liverpool, having come within touching distance of the FA Cup, Bill Shankly receives a tip off about a brilliant young player who just might have what it takes to lead the team to true greatness.
Read by Gary Lewis
Abridged by Robin Brooks
Producer: Allegra McIlroy.
FRI 23:00 Summer Nights (b0388lr1)
Series 1
Can We Control Addiction?
What is addiction, does it exist, and is it the same for everyone? Are some of us predisposed to overindulge, be it alcohol, drugs or food? And if there is a genetic explanation, does it mean the individual can evade responsibility? Is addiction a medical or a moral question? Mariella Frostrup asks whether we can control our impulses and how we might go about it.
Presenter: Mariella Frostrup
Producer: Andrea Kennedy
Interviewed guest: Sally Marlow
Interviewed guest: James Nicholls
Interviewed guest: Andrew Samuels
Interviewed guest: Tim Stampey
Interviewed guest: Richard Graham
Interviewed guest: Sam Willets.