The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.
Colonel Chris Hadfield has spent decades training as an astronaut and has logged nearly 4,000 hours in space. During this time he has broken into a Space Station with a Swiss army knife, been confronted by a live snake while piloting a plane, been temporarily blinded while clinging to the exterior of an orbiting spacecraft, and become a YouTube sensation with his performance of David Bowie's Space Oddity in space.
The secret to Chris Hadfield's success, and survival, is an unconventional philosophy he learned at NASA: prepare for the worst - and enjoy every moment of it.
Chris Hadfield comes back to earth with a bump, and discovers that he has become a YouTube and internet sensation.
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service. BBC Radio 4 resumes at
A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day with Shaunaka Rishi Das, Director of the Oxford Centre of Hindu Studies.
'What makes someone sell a baby?' - A Bulgarian Doctor tells iPM about her unique research into attitudes towards trafficking in a marginalised Roma community. Your News is read by Jane Garvey. Email iPM@bbc.co.uk.
The latest news headlines. Including a look at the papers.
Helen Mark rides a mile and quarter of old railway line that the local people of Mountsorrel in Leicestershire have been restoring over the past six years. It was Steve Cramp who was out walking one weekend that first noticed the over grown and disused railway- he then had a crazy idea to restore the track to it's former glory. Built in 1860 it was used to carry granite and stones from the quarry.Helen spends a day on the railway track and discovers how the project has benefited some volunteers coping with illness and bereavement and even meets a volunteer who comes from Paris to help carry out work on the track.
Charlotte Smith visits a dairy farm in Somerset to learn more about how professional training schemes can boost the skill levels of farm owners and their workers. Over the last few years, farming has become increasingly professionalised and next week, the agriculture and horticulture development board is set to launch a new scheme to encourage farmers to recognise the value of on-the-job training.
Back on the dairy farm, Charlotte meets farm manager David Cotton, the chair of the dairy industry's dairy pro scheme. The scheme allows farmers to collect points in recognition for attending training courses, meetings and discussion events.
It's not only the dairy industry that have their own schemes, we hear from pig farmers and members of the basis scheme, which provides current training for anyone dealing with agricultural chemicals.
Professional training is also having an impact on the way in which farmers manage their farm. Professional leadership courses can help to grow a farm business, whilst the Nuffield agricultural scholarship scheme gives farmers funding to learn new ideas from around the world.
Morning news and current affairs. Including Yesterday in Parliament, Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.
Richard Coles and Anita Anand meet singer Linda Nolan who talks about how she turned to the Samaritans at low points in her life. They hear the Inheritance Tracks of Richard Eyre and the meditative sound of singing bowls. A refugee from Afghanistan explains how he got to Britain and a father and son tell of their adventures all over Britain. A daughter reveals her parent's surprising secret and we get a glimpse behind the scenes at a peace camp.
Alan Dein continues his night time conversations with internet strangers, discovering the lives behind the profiles of people he randomly meets through Facebook and Skype.
This week he speaks to people living and working away from home. A nurse in Germany awaits the arrival of battle-injured troops, a disabled Romanian longs for the arrival of the family's first car, and an Icelander asks Alan if he should put a rose on his girlfriend's grave.
Steve Richards of The Independent discusses the politics of the High Speed Two rail link. He asks why London is booming at a time of austerity; what the row over energy prices tells us about the Tories; and how far do ex-Prime Ministers suffer from 'relevance deprivation syndrome'? With Andrew Adonis, Mark Field, Simon Hughes, Tim Bale, Kevin Theakston and John Rentoul. The Editor is Peter Mulligan.
Correspondents' stories: Jeremy Bowen on the effect in Egypt of the upcoming trials of senior figures from the Muslim Brotherhood; you could write the history of the South Pacific as a succession of arrivals of powerful, foreign vessels in palm-fringed lagoons, according to John Pickford in Tonga; the Sudanese capital Khartoum 'changed forever' after the recent riots in the capital - that is what James Copnall has been hearing in Khartoum; Linda Pressly has been to the Spanish city of Melilla, on the north coast of Morocco, to meet the so-called 'mule women' and find out why they are prepared to shoulder such heavy loads; and Russians have never been famous for their smiles, but Jamie Coomarasamy is wondering if times have changed and they are now no longer trying to keep a straight face!
If you want the best rates on your savings stick them in a current account. You can get up to 5% on the balance, though the amount it is paid on is limited. But as one listener found, you can open more than one. And set up a carousel of standing order payments to fulfil the 'you must pay in £1000 a month' rule. We find the best deals.
The Government wants to cap the charges that can be made on auto-enrolment pensions. Over the next four years every employer, however small, will have to offer a pension for their workers and almost everyone will be automatically enrolled into it. Charges can eat away half the amount paid into your pension over a working lifetime. So the government wants to make sure they are not too high. But is it going far enough? Or too far? The Minister answers his critics.
"It's only when the world tips sideways that unknown and Shocking processes are revealed." Julia wrote that to us. Her sideways tip came when her daughter Hannah took her own life this summer. But Julia was still being pestered by letters trying to recover Hannah's small debts even though she has told the companies of her death and that she left no money. Who does have to pay the debts of the dead? And how should collection agencies treat the living?
Divorced and separated women are being penalised by mortgage lenders who have different rules about how they treat child support payments. Some don't count them as income at all. Others count half and some insist on court orders. That makes it harder for them to take over a previously joint mortgage or take out a new mortgage of their own. We reveal the best and the worst.
Steve Punt and Jon Culshaw present a comedic look at the week's news, providing a topical mix of stand-up, sketches and songs that tell you everything you need to know. With Jon Holmes, John Finnemore, Mitch Benn and Pippa Evans.
Jonathan Dimbleby presents political debate and discussion from St Peter's College, Oxford with Minister of State for the Home Office Norman Baker MP; the Shadow Leader of the Commons Angela Eagle MP; editor of ConservativeHome Paul Goodman; and columnist and author Nick Cohen.
A chance for Radio 4 listeners to have their say on the issues discussed on Any Questions. Today, in the week that cameras are allowed into the court of appeal, do you think this should be extended to high profile criminal cases? Or do you fear greater access would jeopodise fair trails? The cross-party charter on press regulation has been given royal approval this week. Is this a way for politicians to control publications, or will it provide much needed independent redress for victims of the press? And should schools lift the ban on term time holidays? We want to hear whether you take your children out of school because you can't afford to go away during the holidays. Call Julian Worricker on 03700 100 444. Lines open at 1230. Or email any.answers@bbc.co.uk or tweet using #bbcaq.
By Mike Bartlett. Nerys Jones, at 28, is the youngest MP in the House of Commons. In her first week she signs up for an introductory tour of Parliament and is surprised to find her tour guide is a very senior politican. At first he seems to be playing some sort of game and she's not sure what it is, but soon she is drawn into a web of intrigue which tests everything she stands for.
Starring Peter Firth and Alexandra Roach (the young Margaret Thatcher in The Iron Lady), this is fresh political storytelling from Mike Bartlett, one of the most thought-provoking playwrights in Britain today. His TV series, The Town (December 2012), was nominated for a Breakthrough Talent BAFTA. His 2013 play Bull received excellent reviews at the Sheffield Crucible and transferred to New York. His 2012 dramatisation of Chariots of Fire directed by Ed Hall at Hampstead had an extended season in the West End.
Writer Chris Salewicz's two-part exploration of the cult film 'The Harder They Come' as he considers its legacy. He meets the film's stars and those who have been touched by this classic of modern cinema and its soundtrack.
Released in British cinemas in 1973, The Harder They Come is the rite of passage story of Ivan, a young singer trying to break into the music industry. Portrayed by the ever-smiling Jimmy Cliff, the film contains great music and unforgettable scenes of sun-bleached Jamaica. Yet there is a dark heart to the film. Despite his considerable vocal talents, Ivan goes astray and becomes tragically entwined in the criminal underworld.
For British cinema-goers it was their first insight into Kingston's seductive ghetto life, with a far-reaching influence on fashion and music. Before Bob Marley, it was The Harder They Come which launched reggae culture onto the world stage.
Contributors include Jimmy Cliff, discussing real-life gunman, Ryegin, who terrorised Kingston in 1948 and became the inspiration for the lead role. Chappy St Juste, cameraman on the film recalls shooting some memorable scenes, and Sally Henzell, widow of director Perry Henzel, talks about the film's premiere at Kingston's Carib cinema where 40,000 people tried to get in to the 1500 seater auditorium. Carl Bradshaw, who plays Jose, gives us a tour of the film's locations and author Matthew Parker contextualises Jamaica's history as a violent slave outpost "bathed in blood".
Supermodel Naomi Campbell on making the catwalk more diverse. Woman's Hour powerlister, Assistant Commissioner Cressida Dick, the most senior female police officer in the Metropolitan Police Force.
Amanda Holden on Piers Morgan, Simon Cowell, marriage, divorce, and her risky pregnancy. YouTube star Ben Cook on the teenage obsession with vlogging - what you need to know.
Anne Scargill on the occupation of Parkside Colliery on Merseyside in 1993 alongside three miners' wives which has inspired the Radio 4 play Queens of the Coal Age.
Lynne Segal, feminist writer and activist, on the Perils and Pleasures of Ageing. Journalist Rachel Cooke on ten extraordinary characters who challenge the traditional view of women in the 1950s.
And what impact might the proposed Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Bill have on children's play? Cath Prisk, the director of Play England, and social commentator Angela Epstein discuss.
When the world economy is booming, many corporate bosses love nothing more than buying each other's companies. Takeovers, mergers and acquisitions soar. But evidence tends to suggest that many of the arrangements are a waste of time, so why are deals so seductive? On the Bottom Line, Evan Davis and guests discuss why deals go right and what happens when they go wrong.
Sir George Buckley - former CEO, 3M and currently Chairman Designate of the engineering group Smiths
Boy George, Count Arthur Strong, Jimmy Webb, Yotam Ottolenghi, Emma Freud, Glenn Tilbrook
Clive's worshipping at the Church of the Poison Mind with singer-songwriter, DJ and Karma Chameleon Boy George. Following the success of New Wave soul pop band Culture Club, Boy George went on to be a succesful solo artist, DJ, author and fashion designer. He returns with 'This Is What I Do', his first studio album in eighteen years and performs 'King of Everything'.
Can you hear me, mother! Clive talks to Doncaster's finest show business legend, after-dinner speaker and expert in absolutely everything; Count Arthur Strong. 'Through It All I've Always Laughed' is the first volume, of what he believes may be a six volume collection of his memoirs. The book was written on a typewriter and is literally a compilation of selected letters from the alphabet formed into words, sentences, paragraphs and then chapters.
Emma Freud's dining al fresco with chef, cookery writer and restaurateur Yotam Ottolenghi, who's been travelling around some of the Meditteranean's most beautiful islands, tasting mouth-watering local dishes and creating feasts with his own unique twist. 'Ottolenghi's Mediterranean Island Feast' starts on Thursday 7th November at
on More4. Buon Appetito!
Clive's Up, Up and Away with songwriter and singer Jimmy Webb, whose platinum selling classics have been performed by the likes of The Supremes and Elvis Presley. For his new album 'Still Within The Sound Of My Voice', Jimmy has assembled some of the biggest stars in music, including David Crosby and Art Garfunkel to perform beautiful new versions from his extraordinary back catalogue.
And we're Squeezing yet more music in, from Glenn Tilbrook who performs 'Everybody Sometimes' from his forthcoming album 'Happy Ending.'
He is one of a small number of people who has made it to both the North Pole and the South Pole. He runs ultramarathons. He climbs mountains. Oh, and he is a billionaire, one of the country's richest men, who has reluctantly been making the headlines. Jim Ratcliffe, who recently threatened to close the huge Grangemouth petrochemical plant in Scotland - which he owns through his company Ineos - is often described as 'reclusive'. Certainly he doesn't seek publicity. In Profile this week, Jo Fidgen talks to those who know him best, to find out what makes Jim Ratcliffe tick.
The new musical from Broadway composers John Kander and Fred Ebb tells the story of a group of 9 young African Americans who- in 1931 - were imprisoned on trumped-up rape charges. They've previously created singing Nazis (Cabaret), loveable mobsters (Chicago) and created the ultimate love song to a city (New York, New York). Have they turned a historical miscarriage of justice into a hit musical?
Philomena is a film starring Judi Dench as the mother of an illegitimate child born in 1950s Ireland and then put up for adoption without her knowledge. Steve Coogan is the investigative journalist who - 50 years later - helps her in her attempt to track him down. It's based on a real life story, but does a potentially sentimental story make a sentimental film?
Arcade Fire is a Grammy winning Montreal band whose 4 albums in 9 years have been gaining more and more critical and popular acclaim. Their latest Reflektor, features a brief contribution from one of their most famous fans, David Bowie, alongside tribal drumming and sounds for "people who've never even heard The Beatles". Is this album a triumph of hype over substance, or further development in the evolution of one of indie rock's great hopes?
Before American author Russell Banks began his writing career he worked as a plumber, and his work always retains a grounding in the real world. Many of the works in his latest collection of short stories are set around his real life in New York and Florida. Do they enhance his reputation and resonate with his heart and soul?
Channel 4's new documentary series about patients at the London's Maudsley Hospital has a controversial title; Bedlam. 1 in 4 of us suffers from a mental health problem, and for the first time TV cameras have been allowed unprecedented access to wards and patients at The Maudsley, but how can it avoid being voyeuristic or making the situation even worse?
Tom Sutcliffe is joined by dramatist Mark Ravenhill, critic and writer Paul Morley and writer Maev Kennedy.
Growing up in Belfast, the writer Glenn Patterson assumed that everything that moved him musically came from afar. To begin with, it was England and Glam Rock, but gradually strange sounds began to infiltrate from even further afield. A school friend introduced him to Patti Smith. Patti Smith introduced him to 'Gloria'. It was a convoluted route by which the song finally reached him - only a couple of miles from where it was written.
At a gig in the USA in 1988, Bruce Springsteen shouted "lets take it back to where it all started" as he launched into a version of Gloria. It's a song that's been covered by everyone from Simple Minds to Ricky Lee Jones to The Doors.
Glenn talks to Mickey Bradley, bass player with the Undertones, who remembers Gloria being one of the first songs the band learned to play. The simple three chord structure makes it deceptively straightforward - although Glenn's attempt to learn it might disprove that theory - but the song has always held a strange magic for him. Even now, he says, he would fight his corner to say it's one of the best songs Van Morrison has ever written.
Mickey and his fellow Undertones were learning to play Gloria while listening to Nuggets, an album of garage rock highlights put together by Patti Smith's guitarist, Lenny Kaye. His relationship with Gloria starts with the Patti Smith band and both he and Patti talk about why they picked this song to re-work.
And Glenn unearths a rare recording of the famously taciturn Van Morrison discussing the song, with a young Rolling Stone journalist, Cameron Crowe.
Evelyn Waugh's satirical WW2 masterpiece: Guy is beginning to lose his idealism about the War.
Waugh's trilogy of WWII novels mark a high point in his literary career. Originally published as three volumes: Officers and Gentlemen, Men at Arms and Unconditional Surrender they were extensively revised by Waugh, and published as the one-volume Sword of Honour in 1965, in the form in which Waugh himself wished them to be read. They are dramatised for the Classic Serial in seven episodes.
This is a story that continues to delight as we follow the comic and often bathetic adventures of Guy Crouchback. Witty and tragic, engaging and insightful, this work must be counted next to 'Brideshead Revisited' as Waugh's most enduring novel. Like Brideshead, Waugh drew heavily upon his own experiences during WWII. Sword of Honour effortlessly treads the line between the personal and the political - it is at once an indictment of the incompetence of the Allied war effort, and a moving study of one man's journey from isolation to self fulfilment. His adventures are peopled by colourful characters: the eccentric, Apthorpe, one-eyed, Ritchie-Hook, promiscuous, Virginia Troy. At the centre of the novel is Guy for whom we never lose our sympathy as he emerges from his adventures bowed but not broken. From Dakar to Egypt, the Isle of Mugg to the evacuation of Crete, tragedy is leavened by Waugh's acerbic and farcical comedy.
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4, followed by weather.
In the third of four lectures, recorded in front of an audience at The Guildhall in Londonderry, the artist Grayson Perry asks if revolution is a defining idea in art, or has it met its end?
Perry says the world of art seems to be strongly associated with novelty. He argues that the mainstream media seems particularly drawn to the idea of there being an avant-garde: work is always described as being "cutting edge," artists are "radical," shows are "mould-breaking," ideas are "ground-breaking," "game-changing" or "revolutionary," We are forever being told that a new paradigm is being set.
Perry says we have reached the final state of art. Not an end game, as there will always be great new art, but that art has lost one of its central tenets: its ability to shock. We have seen it all before.
Grayson Perry was awarded the Turner Prize in 2003 and is the first contemporary artist to deliver the Reith Lectures. He is best known for his ceramic works, print making, drawing, sculpture and tapestries as well as being a flamboyant cross-dresser.
The Reith Lectures are presented and chaired by Sue Lawley and produced by Jim Frank.
Round Britain Quiz this week enters the second half of the current season, with teams defeated in their early contests now having a chance to get their own back in 'revenge fixtures'. The Scotland team of Michael Alexander and Alan Taylor set out to turn the tables on the Midlands team of Rosalind Miles and Stephen Maddock, who beat them in the opening match of the series.
Tom Sutcliffe is in the questionmaster's chair, and, as always, the scores will depend on how much help he has to give the teams in unravelling the quiz's notoriously convoluted questions.
There'll be several fiendish question suggestions from Round Britain Quiz listeners, and Tom will also be revealing the solution to the question he left unanswered at the end of last week's edition.
In the year that the Lindisfarne Gospel returned to the North-East, twelve poets and a digital sound artist discuss their contemporary responses to the island's priceless book.
After four centuries, the Lindisfarne Gospel-book returned, this summer, to the region in which it was made - not as far as the island itself but to Palace Green Library in Durham.
The Newcastle Centre for the Literary Arts commissioned twelve poets to respond to the book and to the almost-island on which it was created.
Beaty Rubens followed the poets' progress - sharing crab sandwiches and beer on a coach-trip to the island back in the spring and hearing about their progress over the summer and early autumn as they each wrote and recorded their poems. Finally, she heard from the digital artist who created two installations where the poems could be enjoyed by the public.
SUNDAY 03 NOVEMBER 2013
SUN 00:00 Midnight News (b03g70xf)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.
SUN 00:30 Afternoon Reading (b013xm20)
F Scott Fitzgerald - The Pat Hobby Stories
Pat Hobby Does His Bit
Written by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Adapted by Archie Scottney.
It is a difficult business, in Hollywood, to borrow money from an actor on a set during the shooting of a moving picture. But Pat Hobby is desperate.
It's the stiffest chore Pat has ever undertaken but he's doing it to save his car. His old jalopy might not seem worth saving but, because of Hollywood's great distances, it's an indispensable tool of the writer's trade. But what Pat doesn't foresee is that, because of this financial arrangement, his whole life in pictures is about to change.
Producer/Director: Martin Jarvis
A Jarvis & Ayres Production for BBC Radio 4.
SUN 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b03g70xh)
The latest shipping forecast.
SUN 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b03g70xk)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service. BBC Radio 4 resumes at
5.20am.
SUN 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b03g70xm)
The latest shipping forecast.
SUN 05:30 News Briefing (b03g70xp)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.
SUN 05:43 Bells on Sunday (b03g89jm)
The bells of the Church of St Peter and Paul, Courteenhall, Northamptonshire.
SUN 05:45 Profile (b03g89cg)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Saturday]
SUN 06:00 News Headlines (b03g70xr)
The latest national and international news.
SUN 06:05 Something Understood (b03g8d5y)
Transformation
Mark Tully draws on Russian music and folk stories to ask why the age-old theme of transformation continues to hold such fascination for us.
He begins with a prince forced to marry a frog who, not surprisingly, turns into a beautiful princess before changing once more, this time into a swan which flies off leaving the prince distraught. Of course things work out just fine for the prince in the end, and Mark suggests that one reason we are constantly intrigued by the possibility of transformation is simply that we yearn for a change for the better.
Whether personal, religious or political, the attraction and the dangers of transformation are explored through the music of Tchaikovsky, Stravinsky, Mahler and Marley - as well as readings from Alexander Afanasyev, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Edmund Spenser and Carol Ann Duffy.
True to the archetypal story of transformation, the programme ends happily ever after. But will our presenter will turn into a handsome prince?
Producer: Adam Fowler.
A Unique production for BBC Radio 4.
SUN 06:35 Living World (b03g8d60)
The Ivy Bee
This week on the Living World Chris Sperring accompanies entomologist Richard Comont to Dry Sandford Pitts in Oxfordshire in search of a relative newcomer to the UK. Only named as a new species in 1993 and first recorded on British shores in 2001 the ivy bee (Colletes hederae) has been working its way north ever since.
A real autumnal species the ivy bee is only active between September and November so its short year begins and ends within the space of a few weeks. As the name suggests its primary food source is the pollen from ivy blossom - the last of the year's flowers. Male ivy bees emerge first in order to be ready for the first females. Unmated females are pounced on my several males all attempting to be the first to mate with her. Unlike honeybees or bumble bees the ivy bee is solitary - the female prepares a nest-hole on her own in which to lay her eggs which she will provision with ivy pollen. Whilst the ivy bee is solitary they tend to dig their nest holes in large aggregations, sometimes in the thousands, in suitable sloping sandy banks.
The ivy bee seems to be bucking the trend of general decline in bee populations and spreading northwards as its range expands. Dry Sandford Pits is one of the most northerly of its known locations. Where will it be spotted next?
Presented by Chris Sperring
Produced by Ellie Sans.
SUN 06:57 Weather (b03g70xt)
The latest weather forecast.
SUN 07:00 News and Papers (b03g70xw)
The latest news headlines. Including a look at the papers.
SUN 07:10 Sunday (b03g8d62)
Edward Stourton discusses GAFCON, Women Bishops and same-sex marriage with the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, who is at the Assembly of the World Council of Churches in South Korea.
The Vatican is conducting a worldwide survey on how Catholics interpret social issues such as same-sex marriage, gay relationships and birth control. Elizabeth Davies from the Catholic Bishops Conference of England and Wales.
Next week is the 75th anniversary of Kristallnacht. Trevor Barnes meets victims of Kristallnacht and the historian Simon Schama.
Female MP's in Turkey are wearing headscarves in parliament, marking the end of a ban imposed since the early days of the Turkish Republic. Fadi Hakura from Chatham House joins Edward to discuss what this means.
The Children's Society have released a report on children in Poverty to mark the launch of the Children's Commission on Poverty where young people will closely examine children in poverty for themselves. Bob Walker reports.
Sir James Munby, head of the Family Division of the High Court, declared this week that the role of the judge is no longer to enforce morality. Peter Lynas from Evangelical Alliance and Frank Cranmer, research fellow at Cardiff Law School discuss.
A statistic stating 100,000 Christian martyrs die every year has been reported worldwide since May this year, but where did it come from and what's the evidence for it? Journalist Ruth Alexander enlightens us.
Producers: Annabel Deas and Rosie Dawson
Series Producer: Amanda Hancox
Contributors:
Ruth Alexander
Frank Cranmer
Elizabeth Davies
Fadi Hakura
Peter Lynas
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby.
SUN 07:55 Radio 4 Appeal (b03g8d64)
Missing People
Kate McCann presents the Radio 4 Appeal on behalf of the charity Missing People.
Reg Charity:1020419
To Give:
- Freephone 0800 404 8144
- Freepost BBC Radio 4 Appeal, mark the back of the envelope Missing People.
Give Online www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/appeal.
SUN 07:57 Weather (b03g70xy)
The latest weather forecast.
SUN 08:00 News and Papers (b03g70y0)
The latest news headlines. Including a look at the papers.
SUN 08:10 Sunday Worship (b03g8d66)
A celebration of All Saints from Bethany Baptist Church, Rhiwbina, Cardiff led by the Rev'd Phil Dunning. Preacher: the Rev'd Roy Jenkins. The Cardiff Ardwyn Singers are conducted by David Leggett. Organist: Janice Ball.
Producer: Karen Walker.
SUN 08:48 A Point of View (b03fftgx)
Will Self: Pity the Young
Will Self reflects on the malign influence of the older generation on the young as the population of Britain ages. "In my darker moments - of which there are quite a few - I often envision the baby boomer generation as a giant and warty toad squatting on the youth of our society".
Producer: Sheila Cook.
SUN 08:58 Tweet of the Day (b03bkt5h)
Shore Lark
Tweet of the Day is a series of fascinating stories about the British birds inspired by their calls and songs.
Wildlife Sound Recordist, Chris Watson, presents the Shore Lark. Shore Larks are also known as horned larks because in the breeding season the male birds sprout a pair of black crown feathers which look like satanic horns, but at any time of year the adult larks are striking birds. They are slightly smaller than a skylark but with a yellow face, a black moustache and a black band on the chest.
SUN 09:00 Broadcasting House (b03g8d68)
Sunday morning magazine programme with news and conversation about the big stories of the week. Presented by Jane Garvey.
SUN 10:00 The Archers Omnibus (b03g8d6b)
For detailed synopsis, see daily episodes.
SUN 11:15 Desert Island Discs (b03g8d6d)
Sir Ken Robinson
Kirsty Young's castaway is the educationalist Sir Ken Robinson.
Creativity - how to nurture it, develop it and marshal its power - is his preoccupation. He believes that too many people have no sense of their true talents and passions, and his internationally renowned talks to teachers, business and government leaders argue that - contrary to popular myth - creativity and innovation can be developed in a deliberate and systematic way. What we need, he thinks, is a learning revolution.
His own erudition began in a crowded house on Merseyside in the fifties, full of visitors, noise and laughter. His front door was just a hundred yards from Everton football club, but his boyhood dreams of playing for The Blues ended when he contracted polio.
The first of his six siblings to pass the 11-plus and win a scholarship to one of Liverpool's best schools, his education would fundamentally shape the rest of his life. He says "If a teacher hadn't seen something in me that I hadn't seen in myself, my life might have gone in a very different direction."
Producer: Cathy Drysdale.
SUN 12:00 The Museum of Curiosity (b03f92qc)
Series 6
Llewellyn, Rocos, Warwick
This week, the Professor of Ignorance John Lloyd and his curator Humphrey Ker welcome the author, presenter and actor Robert Llewellyn; comedian, socialite and tequilera Cleo Rocos and the partly-robotic professor of cybernetics at the University of Reading, Professor Kevin Warwick. This week, the Museum's Steering Committee discusses the joys of mobile chat shows; the demise of the internal combustion engine; the advantages of higher quality alcohol; the possibility that intelligent machines will make slaves of us all; and the late, lamented trees of our youth.
The show was researched by James Harkin, Molly Oldfield and Stevyn Colgan of QI.
The producers were Richard Turner and Dan Schreiber.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2013.
SUN 12:32 The Food Programme (b03g8dg9)
Horsemeat - a Food Programme update
In January of this year the Food Standards Agency confirmed results showing horsemeat had been found in supermarket burgers. Over the next few days and weeks, more DNA testing would reveal more beef products contained horsemeat.
Ten months on there have been no prosecutions or fines and we're still waiting to be told how the unlabelled horsemeat entered the food chain, and who put it there.
Criminal investigations are underway across Europe, led in the UK by the City of London Police. Most public information on the scandal however has come from two sources, a report by Ireland's Department of Agriculture and secondly, the hours of evidence heard by MPs on the Environment Food and Rural Affairs Select Committee.
The Food Programme explains what we know from these sources and also why an out of court settlement between two companies reveals much about one of the meat supply chains from the Netherlands into the UK.
The programme hears from the Guardian's Special Correspondent, Felicity Lawrence, whose updated book, Not On The Label, gives a detailed account of the scandal.
Reporters Ella McSweeney and Anna Holligan give the latest developments in Ireland and the Netherlands. The Grocer magazine's Julia Glotz, explains how our shopping habits have changed since the scandal and why this proving to be a problem for companies with no involvement in the contamination.
Where are the investigations heading and what chances of successful convictions? These are questions Sheila Dillon puts to Andrew Rhodes of the Food Standards Agency.
The programme is produced by Dan Saladino.
SUN 12:57 Weather (b03g70y2)
The latest weather forecast.
SUN 13:00 The World This Weekend (b03g8dgc)
The latest national and international news, including an in-depth look at events around the world. Email: wato@bbc.co.uk; twitter: #theworldthisweekend.
SUN 13:30 Reflections with Peter Hennessy (b036kxth)
Series 1
Baroness Williams of Crosby (Shirley Williams)
In this new series, Peter Hennessy, the leading historian of modern Britain, asks senior politicians to reflect on their life and times. In each week's conversation, he invites his guest to explore what influenced their thinking and motivated them to enter politics, their experience of events and impressions of people they knew, and their concerns for the future.
Peter's guest in this week's programme is Baroness Williams of Crosby (Shirley Williams), the former Labour Cabinet Minister, member of the 'gang of four' who founded the SDP in 1981, and who is now a member of the Liberal Democrats.
Peter's other guests in this series are the former Foreign Secretary Jack Straw, former cabinet minister Norman Tebbit, and former Labour leader Neil Kinnock.
Presenter, Peter Hennessy. Producer, Rob Shepherd.
SUN 14:00 Gardeners' Question Time (b03fftgl)
Stanbridge and Tilsworth
Chaired by Eric Robson, this week the Gardeners' Question Time team is in Stanbridge and Tilsworth, Bedfordshire. Chris Beardshaw, Bunny Guinness and Pippa Greenwood join Eric in the Village Hall as this week's GQT panel. We also visit Woburn Safari Park to find out how horticulture can play a key role in zoology.
Produced by Howard Shannon
A Somethin' Else Production for BBC Radio 4.
This week's questions:
Q. Should I appreciate fairy rings for their natural beauty or should I try to do something about them?
A. You can put extra fertilizer close to the roots during the spring to make the effect less dramatic, but you could just live with them. If you don't mind having them this year but don't want them to persist, allow them to continue up to the point where they start scattering spores. Then cut them back and they won't re-infect. If you are finding dead rings of grass, this is caused by the Mycelium creating a waterproof layer and the rain can't get through. It is worth forking the ground thoroughly.
Q. We are hoping that the optical illusion of narrowing the road with planters might help reduce car speed in the village. What would the panel recommend as highly visible, structural planting to be placed in old farm tyres?
A. Wildflowers such as Primroses, Cowslips and Wild Daffodils. Golden Daffodils and red Tulips would be the perfect height. Another option is painting tree trunks with a pale emulsion, a technique used in France. You could create a similar effect by planting Hawthorne such as Laiveliai and under-plant it with something such as Moon Daisies.
Q. What could I plant on a balcony to protect it from the wind and to prevent us from overlooking the neighbours?
A. Opt for plants that are used to exposed conditions. Phormiums are very good at being in constrained pots. I would also go with Tree Heathers, which have a variety of shapes and colours. To maximize space on the balcony, you could have trees in planters on the ground, such as four standard evergreen Oaks. Clematis Nelly Moser seems to thrive in a windswept area and would add seasonal interest.
Q. I have tried controlling spider mite with an organic plant invigorator. Are there any better methods of control?
A. A plant invigorator won't be making a difference other than providing a damp environment which spider mite don't like. Clear up the garden so there are few places for them to hide over the winter. You could introduce a predatory mite such as Phytoseiulus. Planting on capillary matting holds a lot of water and releases vapour to create the humid environment that spider mite hate.
Q. What method would the panel suggest for propagating a bay tree? Cuttings haven't been successful and layering takes too long.
A. The time to take cuttings is after the first flush of spring growth and the cuttings will start to become a little woodier during the summer. Cut a 4-inch stem, trimming off the bottom leaves. Leave three to four leaves including the growth tip and push it into a lightly firmed soil-based compost. If it won't penetrate, the tissue is too soft and won't produce roots. If it slides in and is still sappy, this is the perfect time to take cuttings. Harvest them into a polythene bag with water in, have compost ready and then plant them into a 9-inch container and cover with the bag. Leave it somewhere warm and within two-three months you will have plenty of roots.
Q. How would you protect a three-foot tree fern from the harsh winter weather?
A. Bend the fronds over to protect the centrepiece. Clay piping or straw over the top also acts as a good insulator. Dicksonia Antarctica has a bracken like front and has a very clean stipe and is almost glassy underneath. It is very hardy and could be kept outside if insulated properly. On the other hand, Dicksonia Fibrosa has a fibrous underside, isn't hardy and should be brought in.
SUN 14:45 The Listening Project (b03g8gv4)
Sunday Edition - Mothers and Daughters
Fi Glover introduces four conversations between mothers and daughters, through whose shared experiences a strong bond of mutual reliance and common purpose has developed, whether they've suffered tragic death in the family or simply learned that a hug can make most problems shrink.
The Listening Project is a Radio 4 initiative that offers a snapshot of contemporary Britain in which people across the UK volunteer to have a conversation with someone close to them about a subject they've never discussed intimately before. The conversations are being gathered across the UK by teams of producers from local and national radio stations who facilitate each encounter. Every conversation - they're not BBC interviews, and that's an important difference - lasts up to an hour, and is then edited to extract the key moment of connection between the participants. Most of the unedited conversations are being archived by the British Library and used to build up a collection of voices capturing a unique portrait of the UK in the second decade of the millennium. You can upload your own conversations or just learn more about The Listening Project by visiting bbc.co.uk/listeningproject
Producer: Marya Burgess.
SUN 15:00 Classic Serial (b03g8gv7)
Evelyn Waugh - Sword of Honour
Unconditional Surrender
by Evelyn Waugh
Dramatised by Jeremy Front
Evelyn Waugh's satirical WW2 masterpiece:
Guy's military career is revived when he is
selected for a mission to Italy. He travels to
London to await orders.
Directed by Tracey Neale
Evelyn Waugh's trilogy of WW2 novels mark a high point in his literary career. Originally published as three volumes: Officers and Gentlemen, Men at Arms and Unconditional Surrender they were extensively revised by Waugh, and published as the one-volume Sword of Honour in 1965, in the form in which Waugh himself wished them to be read. They are dramatised for the Classic Serial in seven episodes.
This is a story that continues to delight as we follow the comic and often bathetic adventures of Guy Crouchback. Witty and tragic, engaging and insightful, this work must be counted next to 'Brideshead Revisited' as Waugh's most enduring novel. Like Brideshead, Waugh drew heavily upon his own experiences during WW2. Sword of Honour effortlessly treads the line between the personal and the political - it is at once an indictment of the incompetence of the Allied war effort, and a moving study of one man's journey from isolation to self fulfilment.
SUN 16:00 Bookclub (b03g8gv9)
Matthew Hollis - Now All Roads Lead to France
With James Naughtie.
Matthew Hollis discusses his Costa winning biography of the poet Edward Thomas, Now All Roads Lead to France.
The book is an account of the final years of Thomas who died in action in the First World War in 1917.
Although an accomplished prose-writer and literary critic, Edward Thomas only began writing poetry in 1914, at the age of 36. Before then, Thomas had been tormented by what he regarded as the banality of his work, by his struggle with depression and by his marriage.
Inspired by his life-changing friendship with American poet Robert Frost, Thomas wrote poem after poem, and his emotional affliction began to lift.
The two friends began to formulate poetic ideas that would produce some of the most remarkable verse of the twentieth century. But the First World War put an ocean between them: Frost returned to the safety of New England, while Thomas stayed to fight.
Hollis is a poet himself and talks about the poetic life as well as the roads taken - and those not taken - that are at the heart of the book.
Producer Dymphna Flynn
December's Bookclub choice : Killing Floor by Lee Child.
SUN 16:30 The Echo Chamber (b03g8gvd)
Series 2
Ancient Poem Kidnap
Paul Farley returns with a new series showcasing the best of the latest poetry. Lavinia Greenlaw and Simon Armitage have been kidnapping three ancient poems and making them new, dub genius King Tubby has been remixing Dylan Thomas and Kaiti Soultana has taken Sir Gawain and the Green Knight to heart. Producer: Tim Dee.
SUN 17:00 File on 4 (b03fb8ny)
Deadly Drugs
What's behind the recent death of a clubgoer in Manchester who's believed to have taken a bad dose of the drug ecstasy? He's one of 12 in the area in the last year who've died after using illegal stimulants with toxic new additives, prompting the Government's Chief Medical Officer to issue a formal alert. Police are concerned organised crime is hiring backstreet chemists to cook up their own toxic amphetamines. Allan Urry investigates.
Producer: Carl Johnston.
SUN 17:40 Profile (b03g89cg)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Saturday]
SUN 17:54 Shipping Forecast (b03g70y4)
The latest shipping forecast.
SUN 17:57 Weather (b03g70y6)
The latest weather forecast.
SUN 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b03g70y8)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
SUN 18:15 Pick of the Week (b03g8nw8)
Ernie Rea finds the answers to some intriguing questions on Pick of the Week. Why is every Chinese man depicted on film or television drama nearly always a villain? What's the hidden meaning behind Van Morrison's classic rock song Gloria? Why is the comedian Bernie Clifton taking singing lessons? And why did the very talented Annie Nightingale have to struggle to get her voice heard on radio? And what sublime piece of music was described as "The last squawk of a dying brat?"
Ernie Rea's choices:
I Found a Tenor: Richard Tauber Revived - Radio 4
Getting On Air: The Female Pioneers - Radio 4
Private Passions - Radio 3
The Digital Human - Radio 4
Tom Wrigglesworth's Hang Ups - Radio 4
Petite Mort - Radio 4
Edinburgh Haunts - Radio 4
Archive on 4: Gloria and Me - Radio 4
Jamaica: The Harder They Come - Radio 4
Saturday Drama: The Right Honourable - Radio 4
Here Be Dragons - BBC Radio Wales
Overwhelming China - Radio 4
Sunday Feature, Free Thinking: Production Line Living - Radio 3
Young Chorister of the Year 2013 - Radio 2
Chris Hawkins: Best Song in the World Ever! - 6Music
If there's something you'd like to suggest for next week's programme, please email potw@bbc.co.uk.
SUN 19:00 The Archers (b03g8nwb)
Kirsty is happier than ever after moving in with Tom, and has even managed to get him out shopping for bits and pieces to brighten up their home. Helen is genuinely pleased for them, even though she is still upset over Rob.
Shula is doing all she can to help Darrell with his benefit claims, although she is keen to reiterate how good it will be for him to move into his own place.
Shula and Darrell bump into David, Rob and Jess at the bonfire. Jess is settling into Ambridge well and is keen to get to know everyone, including Darrell. As Darrell goes off to buy some drinks, David fills her in on Darrell's situation. Jess immediately offers Shula her help. Rob drily points out that Jess is a social worker in case they hadn't guessed. But Shula is grateful for the offer.
Jess continues to impress in Ambridge. She manages to coax Rob into taking on the lead role in the Christmas production of Robin Hood, much to Lynda's delight. However, one person who is not so keen to meet Jess is Helen. Once again, she forgoes an enjoyable evening to retreat to the safety of her own home.
SUN 19:15 My Teenage Diary (b01l0kc5)
Series 4
Rhona Cameron
My Teenage Diary returns with six more 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. In this episode, comedian Rufus Hound is joined by Rhona Cameron who revisits her teenage years when she struggled to come to terms with her sexuality and had to cope with the sudden death of her father.
Producer: Harriet Jaine
A Talkback production for BBC Radio 4.
SUN 19:45 Nadine Gordimer - A Flash of Fireflies (b03g8nwd)
Six Feet of the Country
Marking Nobel Laureate Nadine Gordimer's death in July, the first of three stories from her remarkable career as a writer and political activist.
In this story, first published in 1953, a landowning couple face a stark dilemma when an illegal immigrant dies on their property.
Read by William Gaminara
Abridged and produced by Gemma Jenkins
The South African author and political activist saw the short story as the literary form for our age. She described the experience of human life as "the flash of fireflies. Short story writers see by the light of the flash; theirs is the art of the only thing one can be sure of - the present moment."
Three stories which shine a light on her country's turbulent past.
SUN 20:00 Feedback (b03fgrcm)
Has Radio 4 been taken over by corrupting influences? Author G F Newman's The Corrupted has aired every weekday for the past two weeks in the Afternoon Drama slot, usually the place for one-off plays. Some listeners are not happy about it, especially with the sexual and violent content of the drama that some feel goes too far for broadcasts during half term. We talk to Radio 4's Commissioning Editor for Drama, Jeremy Howe, about why he felt the The Corrupted was worth 7 hours of airtime over just two weeks.
Jane Garvey joins Roger Bolton to discuss issues raised by her recent Radio 4 series Getting On Air, which charts five landmark moments in the history of women in broadcasting. Is there now true equality in radio?
Plus, two Bobs for the price of one on Radio 2. When the clocks went back early on Sunday morning, listeners expecting an extra hour of Whispering Bob Harris got more than they bargained for when two different parts of the programme played out over each other for twenty minutes. So what went wrong and what's to stop it happening again?
And your thoughts on Grayson Perry's Reith Lectures ahead of our interview with Commissioning Editor Mohit Bakaya next week. You can send your questions and comments about the Reith lectures to us using the usual contact methods.
Producer: Will Yates
A Whistledown production for BBC Radio 4.
SUN 20:30 Last Word (b03fgrck)
A film director, a property developer, a radio operator, an actor and a rock legend
Matthew Bannister on
The film director Antonia Bird. Her movies tackled controversial issues like homelessness, sexual abuse and the harsh realities of working class life. We have tributes from Maxine Peake and Linus Roache.
Also Paul Reichmann - the property developer who built Canary Wharf against all the odds.
Robert Ford, the British radio operator captured by the Chinese during their invasion of Tibet.
Nigel Davenport, the versatile actor who appeared in the films A Man For All Seasons and Chariots of Fire and the TV series Howard's Way.
And Lou Reed, whose songs about the darker side of American life influenced a generation of rock bands.
SUN 21:00 Money Box (b03g89c2)
[Repeat of broadcast at
12:00 on Saturday]
SUN 21:26 Radio 4 Appeal (b03g8d64)
[Repeat of broadcast at
07:55 today]
SUN 21:30 Analysis (b03f97p1)
Syria: Inside the Opposition
Syria's opposition movements comprise a diverse range of political and armed groups. But how do they differ in terms of their ideology, their modus operandi and in their vision for a post-conflict Syria?
Edward Stourton investigates the numerous alternatives to President Assad and assesses which groups are gaining or losing influence on the ground after more than two years of bloody fighting.
The programme will hear from those in charge of the National Coalition - the Istanbul based group officially recognised by the UK government but dismissed by some as "the opposition of the hotels".
Ahead of the United Nations Geneva II negotiations, expected in late November, Edward Stourton will examine why, in a country with an overwhelming Sunni Muslim majority, a leader from the small Alawi minority community has managed to hang on to power.
Contributions from:
Monzer Akbik, Chief of Staff to the President of the National Coalition;
Walid Saffour, former Muslim Brotherhood activist and Coalition Representative to the UK;
Sheikh Mohammed Yaqoubi, Syrian Sunni scholar;
Raphael Lefevre, author of Ashes of Hama: The Muslim Brotherhood in Syria;
Aron Lund, Middle East analyst;
Faisal Irshaid, BBC Monitoring.
Producer: Hannah Barnes.
SUN 22:00 Westminster Hour (b03g8pyj)
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 (b03g8pyn)
Journalist John Kampfner analyses how newspapers are covering the week's biggest stories.
SUN 23:00 The Film Programme (b03ffkg3)
Philomena; Cutie and the Boxer; Joe Eszterhas
Francine Stock talks to director Stephen Frears about Philomena. Starring Steve Coogan and Judi Dench, it's based on the true story of an unmarried Irish woman who was forced to give up her child for adoption by the Catholic church.
The screenwriter Joe Eszterhas shares his Hollywood big break, beginning a career that led to scripts such as Basic Instinct, Flashdance and Jagged Edge.
Cutie and The Boxer is a documentary about two Japanese artists living in New York and the rivalries and collaborations of their work and marriage. Director Zachary Heinzerling describes how he spent five years visiting the couple, observing the tensions creative and otherwise between them and pondering how much his camera was influencing the action.
But what about the films that have never been made? The masterpieces that didn't quite make it.. In his book The Greatest Movies You'll Never See, Simon Braund describes among others, the film Salvador Dali wanted to make for the Marx Brothers with giraffes in gas masks and dwarves in butterfly nets, and Charlie Chaplin's biopic of Napoleon.
Producer: Elaine Lester
Presenter Francine Stock.
SUN 23:30 Something Understood (b03g8d5y)
[Repeat of broadcast at
06:05 today]
MONDAY 04 NOVEMBER 2013
MON 00:00 Midnight News (b03g70z6)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.
MON 00:15 Thinking Allowed (b03fddxh)
Sex Workers and International Migration; Poverty in Britain
'Low pay, no pay' Britain. Laurie Taylor talks to the sociologist, Tracy Shildrick, about her prize winning study of individuals and families who are living in or near poverty. The research was conducted in Teesside, North East England, and focuses on the men and women who've fallen out of old working class communities and must now cope with drastically reduced opportunities for standard employment. Also, the US sociologist, Kimberly Kay Hoang, discusses her study into Vietnamese sex workers who've become American wives who, contrary to their hopeful expectations, end up as primary breadwinners in their new country.
Producer: Jayne Egerton.
MON 00:45 Bells on Sunday (b03g89jm)
[Repeat of broadcast at
05:43 on Sunday]
MON 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b03g70z8)
The latest shipping forecast.
MON 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b03g70zb)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
MON 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b03g70zd)
The latest shipping forecast.
MON 05:30 News Briefing (b03g70zg)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.
MON 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b03gvmrz)
A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day with Shaunaka Rishi Das, Director of the Oxford Centre of Hindu Studies.
MON 05:45 Farming Today (b03g9379)
Inspections have found seven UK meat plants breached BSE food safety regulations between March and August this year. The Food Standards Agency says one abattoir sent nearly 2000 bone-in cuts, which contained spinal column, to UK butchers.
Canadian scientists are researching how bumble bees can be used to deliver biological agents to kill pests and diseases.
Tenant farmers tend about a third of Britain's agricultural land, but they say they're being held back from planning and investing for the future by short term tenancy agreements.
Presented by Charlotte Smith. Produced by Sarah Swadling.
MON 05:56 Weather (b03g70zj)
The latest weather forecast for farmers.
MON 05:58 Tweet of the Day (b03dwsxw)
Curlew
Tweet of the Day is a series of fascinating stories about our British birds inspired by their calls and songs.
Martin Hughes-Games presents the story of the curlew. The UK is a vital wintering ground for flocks of curlews. Some birds fly in from as far away as Belgium and Russia, probing our coastal mudflats and thrilling us with their mournful cries.
MON 06:00 Today (b03g937c)
Morning news and current affairs. Including Sports Desk; Weather; Thought for the Day.
MON 09:00 Start the Week (b03g937f)
Fiona Shaw; Simon McBurney; Journeys Into the Unknown
Stephanie Flanders contemplates nothing with science editor Jeremy Webb who is fascinated with the idea of vacuum, voids and absolute zero; and astronomer Carolin Crawford explains there's more to black holes than meets the eye. The director Simon McBurney looks to reveal all in his production of the Magic Flute, including liberating the orchestra from the pit to centre stage; and Fiona Shaw asks 'is this all?' in her re-imagining of Britten's The Rape of Lucretia.
Producer: Natalia Fernandez.
MON 09:45 Book of the Week (b03bq9ct)
Olivier
Episode 1
Published when the National Theatre turned 50 in 2013, Philip Ziegler's biography, based on previously unseen letters and diaries, tells the story of Laurence Olivier as he developed his craft, focusing on his career path from early school days through rep theatre to Hollywood, before returning to triumph in his greatest role ever, as the first director of the National Theatre.
Episode 1:
Born at a time when theatre was at a low ebb in Britain, and after a rather unpromising start in life, the young Laurence Olivier enters the acting profession and begins to shine.
Reader: Toby Jones
Producer: Clive Brill
A Pacificus production for BBC Radio 4.
MON 10:00 Woman's Hour (b03g937h)
Mark Hix; Adoption; Femen
Mark Hix Cooks the Perfect...cauliflower cheese. Adoption myths: can you be too old be considered? We discuss with adopters and Alice Noon from the Coram, the children's charity and adoption agency.
Janet Fyle from the Royal College of Midwives on new guidelines for health and education professionals on stopping FGM.
The politics of playdates. Kitty Green on her film about feminist group, Femen - Ukraine is not a Brothel.
MON 10:45 15 Minute Drama (b03g9p7r)
Beatrice Hitchman - Petite Mort
Episode 6
Honor Blackman, Shelley Conn, Mariah Gale and Samantha Spiro star in Beatrice Hitchman's thrilling debut, adapted by Miranda Davies. A 1914 silent film called Petite Mort holds the key to an infamous murder trial.
1967, Paris. Journalist Juliette Blanc (Shelley Conn) continues to interview Adele Roux (Honor Blackman), once a star of a famous silent film of 1914, Petite Mort.
1914, Paris. Hurt and confused by Luce's (Samantha Spiro) treatment of her, Adele (Mariah Gale) succumbs to temptation and betrays her lover.
Produced and directed by Emma Harding.
MON 11:00 The Long Crawl to France (b03g937k)
Every year, more and more people try to swim the English Channel. Just over half succeed. What drives people to brave jellyfish, vomiting and hypothermia? According to Mike Oram, who spends his summers piloting an escort boat between Dover and Calais, "they're all deluded. They live in a world of dreams, and dreams aren't reality." Both this year and last, swimmers have died making the attempt, both in sight of France. More people have climbed Everest than have swum the channel.
Presenter Jolyon Jenkins joins the dreamers at Dover Harbour, where veteran coach Freda Streeter has run a swimming school since 1982. And he is on board Mike Oram's boat as one woman, Caroline Sims, makes her attempt.
Presenter/producer: Jolyon Jenkins
MON 11:30 Dilemma (b0183rb5)
Series 1
Episode 5
Sue Perkins puts John Finnemore, Danielle Ward, Alun Cochrane and Dame Ann Leslie through the moral and ethical wringer in the show where there are no "right" answers - but some deeply damning ones...
Hypothetical situations involve old ladies shoplifting, gentlemen "pocket-patting", unqualified doctors and fake psychics.
The panel also debates which figure least deserves their place in history out of Albert Einstein, Winston Churchill, and David Attenborough.
Devised by Danielle Ward.
Producer: Ed Morrish.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 2011.
MON 12:00 You and Yours (b03g937m)
Cleaning up the second-hand car market
Winifred Robinson assesses the success of the Government's Help to Buy scheme so far and speaks to the people who have tried to make it work for them. Buying a second hand car can be a stressful task. We look at the pitfalls and how to avoid them. After an investigation by the Office of Fair Trading led three of Britain's biggest gym chains to change their membership terms, we'll visit the gyms offering pay as you go deals. Plus, we investigate why a mistake on information leaflets has contributed to a shortage of the shingles vaccine.
MON 12:57 Weather (b03g70zl)
The latest weather forecast.
MON 13:00 World at One (b03g937p)
In the wake of the Savile scandal, the Crown Prosecution Service is under scrutiny as never before. We talk to the new Director of Public Prosecutions in her first broadcast interview. Also in the programme, the former reviewer of terror legislation tells us he's "disturbed" that a terror suspect escaped in a burqa; and they make millions for the UK economy so why are some people still snooty about musicals?
MON 13:45 The Roots of Scottish Nationalism (b03g937r)
Episode 1
In September 2014, the Scottish people will be presented with a referendum on Independence. But what do Scottish Nationalists believe and how has the argument developed over Scotland's History? Professor Murray Pittock of Glasgow University, author of "The Road to Independence?" (2014) explores the growth of Scottish Nationalism from Scotland's prehistory, through Union with England, the Scots contribution to the British Empire, and the Salmond Government of today. Scottish Nationalism is the force which may end the Union with England and propel an independent Scottish state on to the world stage. Here is the story of how it has grown over the centuries.
MON 14:00 The Archers (b03g8nwb)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Sunday]
MON 14:15 Drama (b03g937t)
Queens of the Coal Age
Maxine Peake dramatises the story of four miners' wives, who attempted to save pits from closure by occupying a mine.
Maxine says "I've always wanted to write about aspects of the miners strike that I felt had been under explored in British drama. How the women mobilized, became the backbone of the strike and why they kept on fighting. The 80s was the era women from mining communities became emancipated and found their voice. I was overwhelmed by their strength and courage."
In 1993, nearly 10 years on, Anne Scargill, Dot Kelly, Elaine Evans and Lesley Lomas tried to smuggle themselves down a Parkside pit, when the remaining 31 pits were threatened with closure. Maxine tells the story from their point of view.
"I'd had this idea for over eight years and this story was the first thing I wanted to write but, aware it was a hard sell, I sat on it. After my first radio play about the cyclist Beryl Burton, I felt more confident. As with Beryl's story, this is about ordinary women doing extraordinary things. It's a piece about friendship, camaraderie and perhaps surprisingly, much laughter."
Anne Scargill, Dot Kelly, Elaine Evans, Lesley Lomas also feature as themselves.
Musical Director / Guitarist: Alan E Williams
Humming Miners: Saddleworth Male Voice Choir
Female Singers: Cast, Original Women, Crew
Female Vocalist: Keeley Forsyth
Director / Producer: Justine Potter
Sound Engineer and Designer: Eloise Whitmore
A Savvy production for BBC Radio Four.
MON 15:00 Round Britain Quiz (b03g937w)
(8/12)
'How might a legendary fire-fighter, an Islamic festival and a case of the winter blues engender articles in Der Spiegel?'
Tom Sutcliffe welcomes the teams from the North of England and Wales to the latest bout of cerebral sparring - with the North hoping to turn the tables on the Welsh who defeated them the last time they met.
Diana Collecott and Jim Coulson represent the North of England. Opposite them are David Edwards and Myfanwy Alexander for Wales. How many points they score on the programme's notoriously impenetrable questions depends on how many clues Tom has to give them to help them arrive at the answers.
As always, there are several fiendish suggestions from Round Britain Quiz listeners hoping their question ideas might outwit the panel.
Producer: Paul Bajoria.
MON 15:30 The Food Programme (b03g8dg9)
[Repeat of broadcast at
12:32 on Sunday]
MON 16:00 The Unsent Letters of Erik Satie (b036thyn)
Alistair McGowan travels to Paris on the trail of his musical hero, the visionary Erik Satie - now most well-known as the composer of the Gymnopedies. Satie was famously eccentric - he replaced traditional musical directions like 'ralentando' and 'fortissimo' with instructions to the musician such as, 'While watching oneself approach' and 'like a nightingale with a toothache' and in order to save time deciding what to wear every day, he bought seven, identical, yellow, corduroy suits - one for every day of the week.
Satie's radical new approach to music was initially dismissed by the musical establishment, but he was to prove a highly influential force in the new French music of Debussy, Ravel and anticipated 20th century minimalism.
As Alistair talks to Satie biographers and musicians, he uncovers the story of Satie's one and only love affair, with the artist Suzanne Valadon. Their affair lasted only six months, but years later, after Satie's death, bundles of unsent letters to Suzanne were discovered in Satie's apartment.
Featuring interviews with Robert Orledge, Ornella Volta and Jean-Pierre Armengaud.
And at
14.15 on Monday 15th July, you can hear Alistair play Satie, in a Radio 4 Afternoon Drama, Three Pieces in the Shape of a Pear, written by Alistair himself, and starring Nathaniel Parker as Claude Debussy, Imogen Stubbs as Suzanne Valadon and Kevin Eldon as the critic, Willy Gaulthier Villars.
Translations of Ornella Volta's interviews were voiced by Philippa Stanton
Produced by Emma Harding
FURTHER READING:
Satie Seen Through His Letters, edited by Ornella Volta, translated by Michael Bullock. Marion Boyars Publishers Ltd; New edition (May 1994)
Satie the Composer by Robert Orledge. Cambridge University Press (4 Dec 2008).
MON 16:30 The Digital Human (b03g94qw)
Series 4
Dark
We might want to drown it out in light, but, as Aleks Krotoski discovers, darkness can be good for us. Electric light tampers with our circadian rhythms. Now we can light up any part of the day, our body isn't shutting off to sleep as easily as it once did. Aleks discovers the way that technology is starting to recognise this on both a personal level and a societal level.
Produced by Victoria McArthur.
MON 17:00 PM (b03g9b1c)
Full coverage and analysis of the day's news.
MON 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b03g70zn)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
MON 18:30 The Museum of Curiosity (b03g9b1f)
Series 6
Frost, Sinha, Aderin-Pocock
John Lloyd and curator Humphrey Ker welcome objects from Paul Sinha, Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock and David Frost. From April 2013.
MON 19:00 The Archers (b03g9b1h)
It's a good day for Caroline when she hears the news that Grey Gables is not to be prosecuted following Joe's accident. With this, she's determined to put the whole thing behind her and start rebuilding her friendship with the Grundys.
Pat is still concerned about poor Helen, who came home from the bonfire last night claiming a migraine.
Clarrie is worried about Joe, who is off to the fracture clinic today. Joe's mood doesn't seem to be lifting, even though the doctor is pleased with his progress. Joe says he's in as much pain as ever and all the money in the world won't make up for what he's been through.
Eddie can't bear seeing Joe like this. Unable to sit around doing nothing, he tells Clarrie he's going to ring their solicitor and see if he can chase up a renewed compensation offer.
Following her good news, Caroline is in a much happier mood over lunch with Oliver. Talk turns to Roy, and how well Caroline was able to train him. Realising where her strengths really lie, Caroline agrees with a delighted Oliver that it's time to employ a full-time deputy manager again.
MON 19:15 Front Row (b03g9b1k)
JJ Abrams; Hermione Lee on Penelope Fitzgerald; Time in TV
With Mark Lawson, including an interview with critic and writer Hermione Lee about her new biography of Penelope Fitzgerald, who published her first novel at the age of 60, and won the Booker Prize with her book Offshore at the age of 63.
With the news of a massive find of Nazi looted art in a Munich flat this weekend, Mark speaks to art critic Bill Feaver and Head of Collections at the Berlin Jewish Museum Inka Bertz about the connection to the 1937 "Entartete Kunst" - the Degenerate art exhibition in Berlin which included work by Picasso, Paul Klee, Kandinsky and Nolde.
J J Abrams, the creator of TV series Lost, discusses his latest work - S - a novel where the writing is not just between the lines but in the margins and in scraps of paper embedded between the pages. S tells the story of a book written by a mysterious author and two of its readers who correspond to each other via its yellowing pages. Abrams talks of its conception and why he handed the project to novelist Doug Dorst, while he worked on Star Trek and the new Star Wars movies.
Fresh Meat returns to our screens tonight, joining the students at the beginning of their second year at university. John Yorke, former head of EastEnders and author of Into the Woods: A Five Act Journey into Story, joins Mark to reflect on how TV has used the passage of time to bolster plots and storylines.
Producer Jerome Weatherald.
MON 19:45 15 Minute Drama (b03g9p7r)
[Repeat of broadcast at
10:45 today]
MON 20:00 Invalid Password - The Password, A History Of Failure (b03g9dqg)
Passwords have never been weaker and hackers have never been more powerful. In 2012, a computer cluster was unveiled that can cycle through as many as 350 billion password guesses per second.
For most people, passwords are the first and only line of defence for confidential information online. We've been taught that passwords are the answer - as long as they are elaborate enough.
Passwords:
* must not follow any predictable pattern
* must not reference any events you have personally witnessed
* must be a closely guarded personal secret
* must not be something you would use as a password just to get past a password reset check
* must be impossible to remember
But, today, that's becoming a fantasy - businesses, banks, schools, governments and individuals have all been hacked.
In this social history of the password, Tim Samuels travels to Las Vegas for a password conference. Here he meets the man responsible for the most popular cracking software, a former US Army interrogator who now builds super computers and a passionate Norwegian who believes passwords are here to stay.
Discover how easy it is to crack Tim's password and witness the elaborate steps some people go through to protect their online information.
Have we reached a stage where passwords that are secure enough to resist hacking are too hard to remember? If passwords are living on borrowed time, what can protect us online?
Producer: Barney Rowntree
A Hidden Flack production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in November 2013.
MON 20:30 Analysis (b03g9fql)
Importing the Metropolitan Revolution
In America, there is talk of a "metropolitan revolution" as big cities reinvent themselves. Matthew Taylor asks if Britain too can transform its economy by setting city halls free.
In America, there's a growing realisation that the old economic model, based on every city aiming for "a Starbucks, stadia and stealing business," has failed to revive urban economies. But now cities such as Denver, Colorado -- once famous for the oil money that inspired the soap opera Dynasty -- have turned a corner. This "Metropolitan Revolution" was led by local mayors who ripped up the old administrative boundaries and did creative things to diversify the economy and create jobs, such as building a vast new airports and offering incentives to hi-tech start-ups.
For this week's edition of Analysis, Matthew Taylor, chief executive of the RSA and a former insider in Downing Street under Tony Blair, sets out to see if these new ideas could hold answers for Britain's long term economic future. Cities are where the modern global economy happens, but ever since the decline of heavy industry, Britain's northern cities have performed below the national average. Now, key national and local figures, from Lord Michael Heseltine to Bristol's new Mayor George Ferguson, famous for his red trousers, are pinning their hopes for an economic revival on giving greater economic powers to city halls.
Speaking to a wide range of voices from both sides of the Atlantic, and combining wit with insights from urban geography, history and economics, Matthew asks: could Britain's great cities be the key to us all turning the economic corner?
Producer: Mukul Devichand.
MON 21:00 Shared Planet (b03f9bgf)
Restriction and Choice
In Australia some housing estates put restrictions on what people can do to protect koalas. They can't own dogs or cats for example and the Koala's needs are paramount. But how many people are prepared to give up lifestyle choices so that wildlife can thrive? Or are the needs and rights of people greater than those of species under threat? Monty Don explores whether people are prepared to forgo personal choice for wildlife in a world where human population is increasingly putting pressure on many species.
Producer Andrew Dawes.
MON 21:30 Start the Week (b03g937f)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:00 today]
MON 21:58 Weather (b03g70zq)
The latest weather forecast.
MON 22:00 The World Tonight (b03g9k56)
Terror suspect escapes surveillance in burqa disguise.
Mohammed Morsi goes on trial in Egypt.
Tesco introduces individual adverts.
Will Ed Miliband have to re-open Falkirk investigation?
Winner of Samuel Johnson prize for non-fiction announced.
With Ritula Shah.
MON 22:45 Book at Bedtime (b03g9k58)
The Goldfinch
Negotiable Instrument
Donna Tartt shot to fame with her iconic first novel, The Secret History, an instant bestseller. This was followed by The Little Friend in 2002. Eleven years later, her eagerly awaited, much anticipated third novel, The Goldfinch, comes to Book at Bedtime, coinciding with worldwide publication.
At the heart of the novel lies a masterwork by the Dutch painter Carel Fabritius, a picture of a small chained bird, The Goldfinch. This tiny painting becomes the only certainty for thirteen year old Theo Decker when his secure world with his devoted mother is shattered. From the chaos of existence with his reckless father, and a passionate friendship with the crazy, warm-hearted Boris, to the drawing rooms of the Upper East Side and a dusty downtown antique shop, Theo is left to find his own way through his teenage years and into adulthood. The painting is his talisman, his touchstone, until it draws him into a murky criminal underworld of drugs, art theft and fatal dealings.
Tartt follows Theo through grief, teenage delinquency, passionate friendship and obsessive love, in a story of enthralling suspense, peopled with unforgettable characters. As the drama reaches its gripping conclusion, Theo may or may not find out how to survive.
In today's episode: 'Negotiable instrument'. Theo finds that both art and love can be bought, sold and used as collateral.
Donna Tartt was born in Greenwood, Mississippi, and is a graduate of Bennington College. She is the author of the novels The Secret History, The Little Friend, and The Goldfinch.
The reader is Jamie Parker.
The abridger is Sally Marmion.
The producer is Di Speirs.
MON 23:00 Imagine John Lennon's Bermuda Adventure (b03g9k5b)
Months before John Lennon's life was ended, he spent the summer of 1980 living in Bermuda. Lennon was an enthusiastic yachtsman and sailed through a gale to reach Bermuda where he took a rental at a beautiful waterside residence in Fairyland, one of the island's oldest neighbourhoods.
While there, he composed many songs and the imagery of Bermuda can be heard in a number of tracks on his final two albums. John McCarthy hears from those who met him and discovers how he got to grips with his creative energy once more.
We hear from Captain Hank Halsted and crewmember Tyler Coney about life on Megan Jaye, the boat which took Lennon to Bermuda, his demeanour and his sailing skills. We also hear from Donna Bennett who rented Lennon his Bermuda residence and visited the singer on a number of occasions to make sure all was well.
While on the island, John Lennon posed for a painting by New York artist Nancy Gosnell and she recalls what it was like having the ex-Beatle relaxed and ease before her canvas. The finished painting now sits above Lennon's piano in New York, enjoyed by Yoko Ono.
Last year a memorial to Lennon was unveiled at the Botanical Gardens. The centrepiece is a sculpture by Bermuda artist Graham Foster. He explains more about the thinking behind it and the Lennon Peace Concert, now an annual musical event in Bermuda.
Producer: John Sugar
A Sugar production for BBC Radio 4.
MON 23:30 Today in Parliament (b03g9k5d)
The Home Secretary, Theresa May, tells MPs that a missing terror suspect does not pose a "direct threat" to the UK.
But the Shadow Home Secretary, Yvette Cooper, says changes to the controls on suspects have made it easier for people to disappear.
MPs question Network Rail over safety concerns at level crossings.
Defence minsters face pressure over their plans to increase the size of the army reserve by a third.
And the House of Lords continues the argument over unqualified teachers and hears calls for greater protection of arthouse cinemas.
Susan Hulme and team report on today's events in Parliament.
TUESDAY 05 NOVEMBER 2013
TUE 00:00 Midnight News (b03g710k)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.
TUE 00:30 Book of the Week (b03bq9ct)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:45 on Monday]
TUE 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b03g710m)
The latest shipping forecast.
TUE 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b03g710p)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
TUE 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b03g710r)
The latest shipping forecast.
TUE 05:30 News Briefing (b03g710t)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.
TUE 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b03gvms1)
A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day with Shaunaka Rishi Das, Director of the Oxford Centre of Hindu Studies.
TUE 05:45 Farming Today (b03g9l7v)
The Red Tractor scheme, which certifies products marked with its logo can be traced back to British farms, has been caught out over the labelling of lettuces. A shopper found two packets of little gem lettuce in a Co-op store carrying the Red Tractor logo - and the Union Jack - but marked as "produce of Spain". It turned out the lettuce was, indeed, Spanish. David Clarke, chief executive of the Red Tractor scheme, tells Anna Hill it's an isolated incident that should not overshadow the millions of correctly labelled British Farm Assured products.
What's the secret to scooping gold at the next Olympics? Cow colostrum apparently. The milk produced by cows in the few days after giving birth is well known for its immune boosting properties. But in recent years bovine colostrum has taken on more medical importance for humans, particularly among athletes. Dr Elise Gomes from Edinburgh Napier University is researching whether drinking it could protect the lungs from the effects of air pollution. She tells Anna how it might come in very handy in Rio in 2016.And our theme this week is tenant farming. Caz Graham heads to Grasmere in the Lake District where Will and Em Benson have managed to secure the tenancy of a 270 acre hill farm. To improve their chances Will took part in a training programme called the Fresh Start Uplands Academy. Caz finds out how their first three weeks have gone - and helps out with a bit of dry stone walling.
Presented by Anna Hill and produced in Bristol by Anna Jones.
TUE 05:58 Tweet of the Day (b03dwvdy)
Redshank
Tweet of the Day is a series of fascinating stories about our British birds inspired by their calls and songs.
Martin Hughes-Games presents the Redshank. Redshanks spend the winter on our estuaries and wetlands, taking food from the surface of the mud and probing the ooze for creatures which live beneath.
TUE 06:00 Today (b03g9l7x)
Morning news and current affairs. Including Sports Desk, Yesterday in Parliament, Weather and Thought for the Day.
TUE 09:00 The Reith Lectures (b03g9mn1)
Grayson Perry: Playing to the Gallery: 2013
I Found Myself in the Art World
In the last of his four Reith Lectures, recorded in front of an audience at Central St Martins School of Art in London, the artist Grayson Perry discusses his life in the art world; the journey from the unconscious child playing with paint, to the award-winning successful artist of today. He talks about being an outsider and how he struggles with keeping his integrity as an artist. Perry looks back and asks why men and women throughout history, despite all the various privations they suffered, have always made art. And he discusses the central purpose of creating art - to heal psychic wounds and to make meaning.
Perry was awarded the Turner Prize in 2003 and is well known for his ceramic works, printmaking, drawing, sculpture and tapestry. He is also known as one of Britain's most famous cross-dressers as alter ego Claire.
The Reith Lectures are presented by Sue Lawley and produced by Jim Frank.
TUE 09:45 Book of the Week (b03bxb7l)
Olivier
Episode 2
Published when the National Theatre turned 50 in 2013, Philip Ziegler's biography, based on previously unseen letters and diaries, tells the story of Laurence Olivier as he developed his craft, focusing on his career path from early school days through rep theatre to Hollywood, before returning to triumph in his greatest role ever, as the first director of the National Theatre.
Episode 2:
Newlywed Olivier begins a stellar rise in the London theatre, with a big break from Noel Coward. But Hollywood is less generous and he returns home to make a film with Vivien Leigh.
Reader: Toby Jones
Producer: Clive Brill
A Pacificus production for BBC Radio 4.
TUE 10:00 Woman's Hour (b03g9mn3)
Dido Harding; Women casting directors; Raven Kaliana; Empress Josephine
Dido Harding, CEO of Talk Talk, on her career and her position on the Woman's Hour Power List. Women casting directors Lucinda Syson and Gail Stevens. The real list of Napolean's Josephine. Raven Kaliana on her campaign to stop child sexual exploitation. With Jane Garvey.
TUE 10:45 15 Minute Drama (b03g9mn5)
Beatrice Hitchman - Petite Mort
Episode 7
Honor Blackman, Shelley Conn, Mariah Gale and Samantha Spiro star in Beatrice Hitchman's thrilling debut, adapted by Miranda Davies. A 1914 silent film called Petite Mort holds the key to an infamous murder trial.
1967, Paris. Journalist Juliette Blanc (Shelley Conn) continues to investigate the mystery of the recently discovered silent film print of Petite Mort, by interviewing that film's now elderly star, Adele Roux (Honor Blackman).
1914, Paris. The lovers plan to run away. But Luce (Samantha Spiro) doesn't yet know that Adele (Mariah Gale) has taken a film part that she had been expecting to play.
Produced and directed by Emma Harding.
TUE 11:00 Shared Planet (b03g9rgz)
Human Rubbish and Wildlife
More and more rubbish is put in landfill every year. Can rubbish tips and industrial sites be modified to help wildlife thrive in an increasingly crowded and consumerist world? The UK produces more than 100 million tonnes of rubbish annually, including 15 million tonnes of food. Much of this ends up in landfill; how can these sites be used to help wildlife? This week's field report comes from Essex, from a reclaimed landfill site which is now a wildlife haven. But is this a one-off or can it be replicated around the world? Monty Don explores the world of waste and wildlife in a world where human population is growing and consumerism increasing.
Producer Andrew Dawes.
TUE 11:30 Jamaica: The Harder They Come (b03g9rh2)
Legacy
Writer Chris Salewicz revisits Jamaica 40 years since the premiere of the cult film The Harder They Come and talks to the musicians who were directly inspired into a life of crime by the film.
In the second and final part of his investigation, Chris asks why so many Jamaican musicians have associations with criminality, how Kingston's gun culture began and when politicians carved up downtown Kingston. Former Met Police officer Mark Shields and community worker Pastor Bobby Wilmott of Trenchtown talk about the reality of everyday life there.
Back in Britain, Chris examines the legacy of Jamaica's music and culture on today's youth in the form of reggae's cultural descendant, Bass Culture, which to many eyes glorifies the 'Badman' archetype portrayed in The Harder They Come. Grime MC Flowdan, reggae singer Tappa Zukie, Jimmy Cliff, and black music historian Mykaell Riley all contribute.
Producer: Simon Poole
A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in 2013.
TUE 12:00 You and Yours (b03g9rh5)
Call You and Yours: The Living Wage
Labour wants employers to increase the salaries they pay to their lowest paid staff. The party has offered tax breaks to companies that commit to paying the Living Wage to their employees, if they win the next election.
Currently 432 companies and organisations have committed to paying the Living Wage, which has just increased to £
8.55 an hour in London and £
7.65 elsewhere. It is well above the legal minimum wage of £
6.31 an hour for over 21's.
Many of these companies say the Living Wage is good for business. It attracts better quality applicants for jobs, and also improves staff retention. So why do so few employers pay it?
Some businesses say it is just unaffordable, and believe that if it was enforced as a new higher minimum wage, then jobs would be lost.
Is there also a moral obligation to pay a higher basic wage, or is that trumped by the reality of economics and the market?
Email us with your experiences and your views: youandyours@bbc.co.uk
Producer: Jonathan Hallewell
Presenter: Winifred Robinson.
TUE 12:57 Weather (b03g710w)
The latest weather forecast.
TUE 13:00 World at One (b03g9wxv)
National and international news. Listeners can share their views via email: wato@bbc.co.uk or on twitter: #wato.
TUE 13:45 The Roots of Scottish Nationalism (b03g9wxx)
Episode 2
In September 2014, the Scottish people will be presented with a referendum on Independence. But what do Scottish Nationalists believe and how has the argument developed over Scotland's History? Professor Murray Pittock of Glasgow University, author of "The Road to Independence?" (2014) explores the growth of Scottish Nationalism from Scotland's prehistory, through Union with England, the Scots contribution to the British Empire, and the Salmond Government of today. Scottish Nationalism is the force which may end the Union with England and propel an independent Scottish state on to the world stage. Here is the story of how it has grown over the centuries.
TUE 14:00 The Archers (b03g9b1h)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Monday]
TUE 14:15 Drama (b03g9wxz)
Tom Wainwright - The Wainwrights
By Tom Wainwright.
Anarchic comedy-drama. When farmer Barry changes radio station and hears himself as the star of a daily soap drama he fears for his sanity and grapples wildly with questions of free will and identity. As the rest of the village turn against him, he sets off on a quest to track down the broadcaster responsible but finds himself falling further into the wormhole.
Sound design by Caleb Knightley
Directed by Sasha Yevtushenko
Tom Wainwright is a writer, performer and theatre-maker living in Bristol. In 2011, Tom created the solo performance Pedestrian, co-commissioned and produced by Bristol Old Vic and Theatre Bristol. His play Muscle was produced by Bristol Old Vic. Tom also wrote and performed in the sell-out BOV Christmas sketch show Jesus Christ It's Christmas, plus Love in Idleness and The Grill Chef. Nuclear Family has been developed through Royal Court Young Writers Programme which Tom took part in 2010. Banksy: The Room in the Elephant was produced at Edinburgh Fringe 2013. This is Tom's first radio drama.
TUE 15:00 The Kitchen Cabinet (b03g9wy1)
Series 5
Ayr
Jay Rayner returns with a new series of BBC Radio 4's culinary panel programme The Kitchen Cabinet. Resident food historian Annie Gray, Catalan cuisine specialist Rachel McCormack, restaurateur Henry Dimbleby and Scottish-Indian fusion chef Angela Malik join Jay to answer questions from an audience in Ayr, Scotland.
Which panellist's ideal chocolate recipe would involve sugar-coated salt? Who disses the mighty baked potato? And how will Annie Gray's 18th Century Basil Wine go down?
Also on the menu this week: techniques for cooking a whole salmon, the class history of hunting and eating game, how to make dessert for sixty people and why now is the time to act if you want to make tasty, edible Christmas presents.
Food Consultant: Anna Colquhoun
Produced by Peggy Sutton
A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4.
TUE 15:30 Costing the Earth (b03gbs6l)
The End of Plastic
Tom Heap meets a man on a mission: Eben Bayer is determined to eradicate plastic and polystyrene from the packaging industry and replace it with a bio-degradable fungus.
And he thinks he's cracked it. By combining fungus with agricultural waste to create packaging that's cheap, durable and biodegradable, Bayer hopes to disrupt an environmentally destructive industry valued globally at around £13 billion. He's looking at ways to roll his product out across the USA and beyond.
Plus scientists are also looking at biodegradable plastics made from potatoes, and even shrimps and silk in what could be heralded as a real game-changer
In this edition of Costing The Earth, Tom Heap asks if it's too early to be reading the last rites to plastic.
Presenter: Tom Heap
Producer: Martin Poyntz-Roberts.
TUE 16:00 Law in Action (b03gbs6n)
Investigatory Powers Tribunal
Law in Action speaks exclusively to Mr Justice Burton, president of the Investigatory Powers Tribunal - a judicial body, independent of the government, which considers complaints brought against the intelligence services, the police, military and local authorities. It specifically investigates whether surveillance has been conducted in a lawful manner.
During the interview, which marks the first time any member of the tribunal has spoken to the media, Mr Justice Burton reveals how the court works, and how its members go about investigating the potentially sensitive work of the British intelligence services.
Also: There has been much public debate regarding the wearing of veils in court rooms, with critics claiming how vital it is for judges and jurors to see the face of those giving evidence, to help determine whether they are telling the truth or not.
Law in Action asks can we really tell if someone is lying by their facial expression? And would it be fairer if the face of every witness and defendant was obscured, so jurors only pay attention to what is being said in court?
Plus, a new ruling has come into force which enables musicians to reap royalties from their performances for an additional 20 years - but is it time to tear up copyright law and re-invent it?
Contributors:
Mr Justice Burton, President of the Investigatory Powers Tribunal
Prof Glenn Wilson, Gresham College
Mukul Chawla QC, 9-12 Bell Yard
Les Reed, musical arranger and composer
John Smith, General Secretary of the Musicians' Union
Sir Robin Jacob, The Laddie Chair in Intellectual Property Law, University College London
Producers: Hannah Barnes and Charlotte Pritchard
Series Producer: Richard Fenton-Smith
Editor: Richard Knight.
TUE 16:30 A Good Read (b03gbs6q)
John Inverdale and Rachel Cooke
From Everest's peak to a 1930s London bedsit, and a painfully funny portrait of a literary marriage in decline. Harriett Gilbert talks books with John Inverdale and Rachel Cooke.
John Inverdale picks Coronation Everest, by Jan Morris, which depicts the heroic conquest of the mountain and the mammoth task of getting the news of its ascent back to Britain in time for the Queen's coronation.
Rachel Cooke's choice, The Wife, pokes fun at male pomposity and arrogance as a celebrated author is lined up for a literary prize.
And Harriett has to defend her pick - George Orwell's Keep the Aspidistra Flying - as it comes under attack for being ranting and insensitive.
Producer: Melvin Rickarby.
TUE 17:00 PM (b03gbs6s)
Coverage and analysis of the day's news.
TUE 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b03g710y)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
TUE 18:30 It's Your Round (b019f6kd)
Series 2
Episode 4
Four more panellists attempt to beat each other at their own games, with host, Angus Deayton.
Featured rounds:
Will Smith's "Jersey Quiz", all about the weird and wonderful world of his Channel Island birthplace.
Australian actress and comedian, Celia Pacquola's "Now That's Charity!" in which panellists must all pitch a charity which they would use to acquire enough funds to eradicate their personal bêtes noires, like men in flip-flops, Jennifer Aniston films, or people who constantly check their phones.
Jason Solomon's "Tagline Tease" in which panellists have to guess the tagline to a particular film.
Andrew Maxwell's "Boarder, boarder, boarder or boarder"... in which panellists are given a slang term and they have to guess whether it's from the world of snowboarding, surfboarding, clapper-boarding or boarding school.
Producer: Sam Michell.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 2012.
TUE 19:00 The Archers (b03gbs6v)
Kathy and Pat celebrate as Kathy is offered the job at a Reedles hotel in Felpersham. She's not sure whether it's absolutely the right job for her but decides that she should accept it. Later, Kathy receives a call from Caroline informing her that Grey Gables is advertising for a deputy manager. It's all too late for Kathy now though!
The stress of recent events is getting to Helen. Her patience is being put to the test by misbehaving Henry.
Adam decides to treat Helen to lunch at the Bull. Kirsty joins them, and Helen begins to relax and starts to enjoy herself. But when Adam spots Rob and Jess coming in and decides to call them over, a shell-shocked Helen is unable to escape.
Kirsty is horrified to hear that Rob will be playing opposite her as Robin Hood in the Christmas production. Neither she, Helen nor Rob can hide their emotions during a very awkward meal. After Rob and Jess have left, Helen breaks down in front of Kirsty and Adam.
Later, at the duck pond, Helen finally confesses to Adam about her affair with Rob. Although shocked, Adam remains not only loyal, but sympathetic too.
TUE 19:15 Front Row (b03gbxn6)
Neil Gaiman; Seduced and Abandoned; Literary mistranslations
With Mark Lawson.
Seduced and Abandoned is a new documentary made by the actor Alec Baldwin and the writer/director James Toback. The film was shot in Cannes and depicts the difficulties faced by filmmakers trying to find funding for their projects, with contributions from Ryan Gosling and Diane Kruger. Ryan Gilbey reviews this movie about the movie business.
In Doctor Who's 50th anniversary year 11 authors have been commissioned to write short stories about the 11 Doctors. It was announced today that the final author in the series is Neil Gaiman who has written a story about Matt Smith's Doctor, called Nothing O'Clock. He talks to Mark about creating his own villain and why Margaret Thatcher makes a cameo appearance.
As Channel Four receives complaints about the latest joke about Prince Harry's social life, we ask media lawyer Duncan Lamont about the use of irony as a defence - when is a joke not a joke, in terms of fictional wisecracks about real people.
Californian soprano Angel Blue, a former model, is an award-winning opera singer, recently performing at the Wigmore Hall in London. Angel Blue discusses singing with Plácido Domingo, how she prepares for a performance, and her former life as a beauty queen.
Today the world of academia reports that translators of Beowulf have misinterpreted the opening line of the epic poem for at least 200 years. Translator Amanda Hopkinson looks at accidental and deliberate mistranslations as well as untranslatable phrases in literature.
Producer Dymphna Flynn.
TUE 19:45 15 Minute Drama (b03g9mn5)
[Repeat of broadcast at
10:45 today]
TUE 20:00 File on 4 (b03gbxn8)
Up to the Job?
The Work Programme is the Government's flagship scheme designed to help the long term unemployed off benefits and into lasting jobs. But how well is it working - both for those at whom it is aimed and for the private companies who are paid to deliver it?
Official figures paint a patchy picture and some companies have already been sanctioned for not meeting targets. Their record has been particularly poor for claimants whose illness or disability makes it hard to find a job.
Despite this, the Chancellor recently announced an addition to the scheme - called Help to Work - which places new demands on those the Work Programme has failed to move into employment.
But, with the economy still struggling in many areas, is it asking too much? Gerry Northam investigates.
Producer: Sally Chesworth.
TUE 20:40 In Touch (b03gbxnb)
Blind fathers
Peter White is joined by Damon Rose, author Redmond Szell and musician John Ramm, all blind fathers, who share their experiences and concerns about some of the challenges that present themselves when raising children without sight.
There's advice about nappy-changing, keeping your child safe outside and how to deal with the not-always positive attitudes of others.
TUE 21:00 Inside Health (b03gbxnd)
Gender X; Diabetes diagnosis; Trigeminal Neuralgia; Oesophageal cancer
As Germany becomes the first country in Europe to pass a law allowing newborn babies to be registered as being of indeterminate sex - neither male nor female - should the UK follow suit?
The incapacitating facial pain that feels like an electric shock - a world expert explains Trigeminal Neuralgia.
And recurrent indigestion - should more be done to investigate the millions of people troubled with heartburn?
Plus a new test for diagnosing diabetes that's causing some confusion.
TUE 21:30 The Human Zoo (b0375sf9)
Series 2
Episode 4
Present someone with something they find disgusting and they will invariably draw back in horror. This "yuk!" response is universal - as far as we know, all humans have it.
But, perhaps more surprisingly, what people consider disgusting varies considerably across cultures. Jellyfish, sheep eyes or live grubs can induce disgust or delight depending on what we're used to eating.
And there's another, even more intriguing side to disgust: it can influence our moral judgements about the person or object we see as disgusting. The Liverpool football player Luis Suarez was called disgusting for biting an opponent and received a major penalty, a ten match ban, as a result. Yet he did little damage and other footballers routinely get away with causing far more harm with little, if any, moral outrage. Suarez bit and the disgust his action induced in others arguably made him a moral deviant, potentially influencing the severe punishment.
The surprising psychology of disgust is the subject of this episode of The Human Zoo. It's presented by Michael Blastland, with the trusted guidance of Nick Chater, Professor of Behavioural Science at Warwick Business School.
Producer: Toby Murcott
A Pier production for BBC Radio 4.
TUE 21:58 Weather (b03g7110)
The latest weather forecast.
TUE 22:00 The World Tonight (b03gbxng)
Germany summons British ambassador over spying claims.
Congo rebels declare ceasefire.
Colchester hospital investigated over cancer waits.
Anne Boleyn coronation song re-created.
With Ritula Shah.
TUE 22:45 Book at Bedtime (b03ggsz4)
The Goldfinch
Who I Needed to Be With
Donna Tartt shot to fame with her iconic first novel, The Secret History, an instant bestseller. This was followed by The Little Friend in 2002. Eleven years later, her eagerly awaited, much anticipated third novel, The Goldfinch, comes to Book at Bedtime, coinciding with worldwide publication.
At the heart of the novel lies a masterwork by the Dutch painter Carel Fabritius, a picture of a small chained bird, The Goldfinch. This tiny painting becomes the only certainty for thirteen year old Theo Decker when his secure world with his devoted mother is shattered. From the chaos of existence with his reckless father, and a passionate friendship with the crazy, warm-hearted Boris, to the drawing rooms of the Upper East Side and a dusty downtown antique shop, Theo is left to find his own way through his teenage years and into adulthood. The painting is his talisman, his touchstone, until it draws him into a murky criminal underworld of drugs, art theft and fatal dealings.
Tartt follows Theo through grief, teenage delinquency, passionate friendship and obsessive love, in a story of enthralling suspense, peopled with unforgettable characters. As the drama reaches its gripping conclusion, Theo may or may not find out how to survive.
In today's episode: . 'Who I needed to be with' An evening with Pippa confirms Theo's feelings but life is complicated and Boris offers a way out, at least for now, and hope of something else.
Donna Tartt was born in Greenwood, Mississippi, and is a graduate of Bennington College. She is the author of the novels The Secret History, The Little Friend, and The Goldfinch.
The reader is Jamie Parker.
The abridger is Sally Marmion.
TUE 23:00 Small Scenes (b03gbxnj)
Series 1
Episode 3
Discover the cosmetic benefits of old men's legs and a visit to the Witness Protection Conference 2013.
Symphonious sketch series with Daniel Rigby, Mike Wozniak, Sara Pascoe and Henry Paker.
Written by the cast and Benjamin Partridge with additional material from Eddie Robson.
Producer: Simon Mayhew-Archer
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 2013
TUE 23:30 Today in Parliament (b03gbxnl)
Sean Curran reports as MPs hear from the police on Plebgate; and from payday lenders. And a pause is announced on reforms to the lobbying industry.
Editor: Peter Mulligan.
WEDNESDAY 06 NOVEMBER 2013
WED 00:00 Midnight News (b03g711v)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.
WED 00:30 Book of the Week (b03bxb7l)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:45 on Tuesday]
WED 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b03g711x)
The latest shipping forecast.
WED 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b03g711z)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
WED 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b03g7121)
The latest shipping forecast.
WED 05:30 News Briefing (b03g7123)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.
WED 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b03gvms3)
A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day with Shaunaka Rishi Das, Director of the Oxford Centre of Hindu Studies.
WED 05:45 Farming Today (b03gby1f)
The Somerset badger cull has failed to meet its target of removing 70% of badgers within the cull zone. That's despite Natural England granting a three week extension to the licence. The extended cull ended last week, with an extra 90 badgers killed by cull operators. This means the cull removed a total of 65% of the badger population from the area, falling short of the 70% required for maximum effectiveness. Defra farming minister George Eustice tells Anna Hill that the department will look at a longer cull period in 2014, but insists that both free-shooting and cage-trapping are both effective methods for future culls.
This week, Farming Today is looking at farm tenancy. Today we visit an arable farmer who manages more than 500 acres in East Anglia. He describes the challenges and opportunities of being a tenant, especially having to negotiate every three years over the price he pays to rent the land.
We also find out about the small silver fish that's causing problems in angling ponds, and how the Environment Agency is using poison to stop it spreading into our watercourses.
And British beef should soon be back on American dinner plates. The USA has confirmed it will now import EU beef, after a fifteen year ban in the wake of the BSE crisis.
Presented by Anna Hill and produced by Jules Benham.
WED 05:58 Tweet of the Day (b03dwvx5)
Barnacle Goose
Tweet of the Day is a series of fascinating stories about our British birds inspired by their calls and songs.
Martin Hughes-Games presents the Barnacle Goose. Yapping like terriers, skeins of barnacle geese leave their roosts on mud-flats and fly inland at dawn to feed in grassy fields.
WED 06:00 Today (b03gby1h)
News and current affairs. Including Sports Desk, Yesterday in Parliament, Weather, Thought for the Day.
WED 09:00 Midweek (b03gby1k)
Courtney Pine, Rula Lenska, Andrew Davidson, Amrik Singh
Libby Purves meets journalist Andrew Davidson; jazz musician Courtney Pine; actor Rula Lenska and Sikh chaplain Amrik Singh.
Andrew Davidson's grandfather Fred was a doctor who served in the Royal Army Medical Corps during the First World War. Posted to the Western Front with the 1st Battalion Cameronians, he packed his folding camera alongside his medical equipment and began to secretly document life in the trenches. Andrew's book, Fred's War, gives a rare insight into life on the front line during the early stages of the Great War. Fred Davidson was one of the first medics to win the Military Cross. Fred's War - A Doctor in the Trenches is published by Short Books.
Jazz saxophonist Courtney Pine CBE has spent the past 20 years taking jazz out of its purist confines to a wider audience. Performing his album House of Legends, Courtney is appearing at the EFG London Jazz Festival. The album features his soprano saxophone exclusively for the first time and draws on his African-Caribbean roots, spotlighting the musical styles of merengue, ska, mento and calypso. House of Legends is on Destin-E World Records.
Actor Rula Lenska was born Roza Maria Laura Leopoldyna Lubienska to Polish aristocrats - refugees who fled the country during the Second World War. Rula found fame in the 1970s as 'Q' in the television series Rock Follies and her career has included roles in Minder, To the Manor Born, Doctor Who and Coronation Street. On stage she appeared in the Vagina Monologues and Calendar Girls. Rula - My Colourful Life, is published by Biteback Publishing.
Amrik Singh is a Sikh chaplain at London's Heathrow Airport. Between his chaplaincy and his role as a Heathrow ramp agent, he lives his life according to Sikh philosophies and traditions and shares his Sikhism with his co-workers and passengers. He recently appeared on 4thought, a moral, religious and ethical TV series on Channel 4.
Producer: Paula McGinley.
WED 09:45 Book of the Week (b03bxb8v)
Olivier
Episode 3
Published when the National Theatre turned 50 in 2013, Philip Ziegler's biography, based on previously unseen letters and diaries, tells the story of Laurence Olivier as he developed his craft, focusing on his career path from early school days through rep theatre to Hollywood, before returning to triumph in his greatest role ever, as the first director of the National Theatre.
Episode 3:
Olivier goes from strength to strength at the Old Vic and makes his breakthrough on the big screen with Wuthering Heights followed by Henry V - just as war breaks out in Europe.
Reader: Toby Jones
Producer: Clive Brill
A Pacificus production for BBC Radio 4.
WED 10:00 Woman's Hour (b03gby1m)
Maternity discrimination; Penal reformers; Cheating partners
Maternity discrimination will now be researched by the Equality and Human Rights Commission. Evidence will be collected on the extent, causes and effects of pregnancy and maternity discrimination. The Howard League for Penal Reform publishes a new report looking at the impact of campaigners Pauline Campbell and Violet Van der Elst.
How do you cope with infidelity and cheating partners? A new website called women-scorned.co.uk offers support and advice for women. Author Rosemary Friedman talks about her latest book, The Man Who Understood Women, which brings together short stories from the mid 1950s to the present day.
Presenter: Jenni Murray
Producer: Beverley Purcell.
WED 10:45 15 Minute Drama (b03gby1p)
Beatrice Hitchman - Petite Mort
Episode 8
Honor Blackman, Shelley Conn, Mariah Gale and Samantha Spiro star in Beatrice Hitchman's thrilling debut, adapted by Miranda Davies. A 1914 silent film called Petite Mort holds the key to an infamous murder trial.
1967, Paris. Journalist Juliette Blanc (Shelley Conn) continues to piece together the mystery surrounding the film of Petite Mort by interviewing its star, Adele Roux (Honor Blackman).
1914, Paris. Andre (Marcus D'Amico) discovers Adele (Mariah Gale) and Luce's (Samantha Spiro) affair - with violent consequences.
All other parts played by members of the company
Produced and directed by Emma Harding.
WED 11:00 The Brown Camp (b03ggllz)
If you're the lone parent of mixed-race children, how do you make sure they have access to both parents' culture? Poet and parent Katie Grant visits a summer camp in Devon aimed at mixed-race families.
A mixed race camp can provide a supportive environment for families with parents from different cultural and racial backgrounds. They're particularly appealing to families who live in the countryside and lack the cultural opportunities available in cities.
"I found that living in Dorset – if I saw a family that looked like mine – another white mother with mixed race child – I'd want to say hello, yes I'm here too – how is it for you? Obviously you can't have this conversation when you're out shopping but a look goes between you – a shared understanding. There's a visible reference – you know what I know too."
Squeezed between black and white communities but sometimes not accepted by either, children at the 'brown camp' can meet people who look like them, share experiences and have fun together. But do camps like this have a lasting impact?
Producer: Mary Ward-Lowery
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 2013.
WED 11:30 Hard to Tell (b016ldt6)
Series 1
Episode 4
Hard To Tell is a four part relationship comedy by Jonny Sweet (Edinburgh Comedy Award for Best Newcomer 2009). who conjures up characters depicting every relationship from father and daughter to the mirror in the bathroom and the feller hiding at a party; from the stalker and the stalked to dog owners and their dogs; and from lifelong friends to long term partners and their dearly departed.
In episode 4, Tom's loyalty is tested to the full when he's forced to choose between supporting Ellen as a bridesmaid or indulging in an uninterrupted TV marathon of Jonathan Creek, season 2.
Producer: Lucy Armitage
A Tiger Aspect production for BBC Radio 4.
WED 12:00 You and Yours (b03gg7ms)
Water Bills - On the way up?
Consumer news. Will water bills go up like our gas and electricity? Also, Winifred Robinson talks about borrowing and credit, and keeping safe on a bike when you're near a lorry.
WED 12:57 Weather (b03g7125)
The latest weather forecast.
WED 13:00 World at One (b03gg7mv)
National and international news. Listeners can share their views via email: wato@bbc.co.uk or on twitter: #wato.
WED 13:45 The Roots of Scottish Nationalism (b03gg7mx)
Episode 3
In September 2014, the Scottish people will be presented with a referendum on Independence. But what do Scottish Nationalists believe and how has the argument developed over Scotland's History? Professor Murray Pittock of Glasgow University, author of "The Road to Independence" (2014) explores the growth of Scottish Nationalism from Scotland's prehistory, through Union with England, the Scots contribution to the British Empire, and the Salmond Government of today. Scottish Nationalism is the force which may end the Union with England and propel an independent Scottish state on to the world stage. Here is the story of how it has grown over the centuries.
WED 14:00 The Archers (b03gbs6v)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Tuesday]
WED 14:15 Drama (b00zzy2g)
Dan Rebellato - My Life Is a Series of People Saying Goodbye
How many ways are there to say goodbye? Why do we say goodbye? And what does it really feel like? Is it always forever? An adventurous new play about parting by Dan Rebellato.
Scott and Ben are climbing a mountain. When Scott falls, Ben has to leave him to get help. Sean and Nathan turned the company around but today, Nathan has to make his colleague redundant. Richard has been with Dawn for years, but he knows tonight's evening out is make or break. Sarah is expecting her girlfriend Lou for dinner, so the call from the airport comes as a shock. Nikki is nervous about leaving London to start a new life as a student in Cardiff. MP Andrew has survived a media storm about his expenses claims, with the support of his constituency party - until now.
Blurring distinctions between time, place and people, My Life is a Series of People Saying Goodbye explores the pain, poignancy and new possibilities of parting.
Dan Rebellato is a playwright and academic. He has been shortlisted twice for a Sony award. His new stage play, Chekov in Hell, will be at the Soho Theatre London 20 April to 14 May, after a successful run at The Drum, Plymouth. Other radio work includes an adaptation of Gogol's Dead Souls starring Michael Palin and Mark Heap. He is Professor of Contemporary Theatre at Royal Holloway University of London and a regular contributor to The Guardian theatre website.
Sound designer: Eloise Whitmore
Producer: Polly Thomas
A Crosslab production for BBC Radio 4.
WED 15:00 Money Box Live (b03gg7mz)
Wills and estate planning
There is always uncertainty when it comes to personal finance, but the one thing you can control is what happens to your assets after you die. Ruth Alexander and experts will take your calls on wills and estate planning.
To make sure your money goes to your nearest and dearest in the most tax efficient way you need to do advance planning.
If you have a partner but you are not married or in a civil partnership, it is even more important to detail who you want your assets to go to, otherwise you can cause your partner serious financial difficulties after your death. It may be more efficient in terms of tax to give gifts before your death, provided they meet certain conditions.
So, where should you start in making a will - do you have to go to a solicitor or are the services provided by some high street banks and shops good enough?
What happens to estates that are intestate - that is, the person has died without a valid will?
How can you manage some of your assets with a trust? It can be complicated but it can also give you more control over who gets your assets and when.
How often should you update your will? And how should you choose your executors, the people charged with carrying out the instructions in your will?
And what if you live in Scotland, where the rules are different?
Ruth Alexander will be joined by:
Nicola Plant, Pemberton Greenish
Mike Warburton, Grant Thornton
Alan Barr, Brodies and Director of Legal Practice, University of Edinburgh
Ring 03700 100 444. Lines open at
1pm on Wednesday November 6th. Or e mail moneybox@bbc.co.uk.
WED 15:30 Inside Health (b03gbxnd)
[Repeat of broadcast at
21:00 on Tuesday]
WED 16:00 Thinking Allowed (b03gg7n1)
Richard Hoggart; The Anti-Social Family
Richard Hoggart: Laurie Taylor talks to Professor of Cultural Studies, Fred Inglis, about his biography of this leading cultural commentator and academic. Hoggart's 1957 book 'The Uses of Literacy' documented the lives and hardships of the life of the poor in pre-World War Britain as well as providing an account of the transition from working class to 'mass' culture in the post War period. Inglis considers some of Hoggart's key ideas including his emphasis on working class community and family life as a source of support and sanctuary. Also, the sociology of the family, then and now. Hoggart's views about the family form part of an ongoing sociological debate to which the late Mary McIntosh made a major contribution. Professor of Sociology, Carol Smart, pays tribute to her classic 1982 book 'The Anti Social Family' which offered a socialist and feminist critique of the traditional nuclear family, arguing that it was as often a site of inequality and conflict as of refuge, particularly for women. Deborah Chambers, Professor of Media and Cultural Studies, joins the debate.
Producer: Jayne Egerton.
WED 16:30 The Media Show (b03gg7n3)
New People website, the Independent relaunch, Sports on TV, the Mirror ruling
The Sunday People, one of Britain's oldest Sunday newspapers, has finally developed an online presence. Under the stewardship of Trinity Mirror executive Sue Douglas, People.co.uk is being described as 'news without the boring bits'. Steve Hewlett asks Sue Douglas why she was so keen to take the helm of the digital offering, and discusses how she can turn a weekly newspaper into a 24 hour website.
Meanwhile, the Independent newspaper has had yet another re-design. It's the fifth one in as many years. The red masthead brought in by then editor Chris Blackhurst in 2011 will now run vertically down the front page. It's the brain child of new editor Amol Rajan who says he wants to capture the essence of the paper's first editions from 1986. As he describes it, the style is, 'classic with a twist'. But can reverting back to a vintage style recapture a lost audience? The paper has a circulation of just 70,000. Steve talks to Chris Blackhurst, who is now the Group Content Editor of The Independent, i, The Independent on Sunday and Evening Standard, about whether a re-design is really the answers to the papers problems.
Bidding is now underway for rights to cover Champions League football games. The question on analysts' lips is whether BT Sport will decide to go head to head against Sky Sports and try and win the right to cover these games. It comes as BT announces record broadband subscriber numbers, due in part to it offering it's sports channel free of charge. It's already paid £246m per season to broadcast 38 Premier League games, so will it seek to further challenge the dominance of Sky?
Producer: Katy Takatsuki.
WED 17:00 PM (b03gg7n5)
Full coverage and analysis of the day's news.
WED 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b03g7127)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
WED 18:30 Tom Wrigglesworth's Hang-Ups (b03gg7n7)
Series 1
Problems with a Package
Tom's parents are in Tenerife but that doesn't stop Tom making his weekly call. Tom lives to regret persuading them to explore more than just the hotel whilst they're on holiday.
Tom Wrigglesworth's Hang-ups gets underneath the skin of Tom and the Wrigglesworth family, so sit back and enjoy a bit of totally legal phone hacking.
Classic Wrigglesworth rants combined with a fascinating and hilarious glimpse into his family background and the influences that have shaped his temperament, opinions and hang-ups.
Tom Wrigglesworth's Hang Ups is a 30 minute phone call from Tom ringing his parents for his weekly check-in. As the conversation unfolds, Tom takes time out from the phone call to explain the situation, his parent's reactions and relate various anecdotes from the past which illustrate his family's views. And sometimes he just needs to sound-off about the maddening world around him and bemoan everyday annoyances.
During all this Hang Ups explores class, living away from 'home', trans-generational phenomena, what we inherit from our families and how the past repeats in the present. All in a 30 minute phone call.
Written by Tom Wrigglesworth and James Kettle
Additional Material by Miles Jupp
Producer: Katie Tyrrell.
WED 19:00 The Archers (b03gg7n9)
Having finally received a renewed compensation offer of £3,000, Joe almost feels like his old self. Eddie is thrilled. But after talking to a dispirited Ed, he wonders whether they might have tried pushing for more.
Robert catches Lynda flicking through the application pack for the deputy manager role. Lynda intends to apply but Robert is unsure. Knowing how much she invests in her projects, Robert worries that if she takes on this on, other aspects of Lynda's life might take a back seat.
Mulling this over, Lynda takes Scruff for a walk and meets Ed fixing his fences. He tells her that he no longer wants dogs near his land. Lynda is surprisingly sympathetic and vows not only to stop taking Scruff there but to relay the message to other dog owners too. Ed is appreciative, knowing how important her opinions are to the village community.
Kathy calls in on Lynda, wanting to know if she will be applying for the deputy manager's job. Lynda tells her that she won't but that Kathy should. Lynda has realised that there are other things more important to her. With Lynda out of the running, Kathy is tempted. But will Caroline and Oliver even consider her?
WED 19:15 Front Row (b03gg7nc)
Zadie Smith; Actors and audio books; nut; Lady Gaga
With Mark Lawson.
Zadie Smith discusses her new story The Embassy of Cambodia which is 69 pages long, and focuses on Fatou, a young African immigrant in Willesden, north-west London, who flees hardship in her own country only to face a different set of challenges in her new life.
Lady Gaga's third album Artpop is released in the UK next week. Gaga's recent performance on The X Factor to promote the album attracted hundreds of complaints about its explicit nature. Meanwhile Lorde, a 16-year-old from New Zealand, has topped the charts on both sides of the Atlantic singing about the glamorous world of pop that at once attracts and alienates teens. Kitty Empire discusses both singers' albums.
nut is the new play by Olivier award-winning playwright debbie tucker green, whose previous plays include born bad and random. It follows a character called Elayne and those closest to her over one day in contemporary London. Shahidha Bari reviews.
And with news that the actor David Morrissey will voice the audiobook of the singer Morrissey's Autobiography, Front Row reports on an expanding market and wonders why certain actors are cast for certain books, and what part consumer preference plays.
Producer Jerome Weatherald.
WED 19:45 15 Minute Drama (b03gby1p)
[Repeat of broadcast at
10:45 today]
WED 20:00 Moral Maze (b03gg7nh)
Combative, provocative and engaging debate chaired by Michael Buerk. With Michael Portillo, Claire Fox, Anne McElvoy and Kenan Malik.
WED 20:45 Four Thought (b03gg7nk)
Series 4
How to Remember
Sam Edwards argues that we should think again about how and what we memorialise - including wars and other major events in our national history.
Sam is a lecturer in American History at Manchester Metropolitan University, and has long been fascinated with memorials. He tells the story of how, as a young man, he would journey around the Suffolk countryside visiting the many memorials to the US 8th Air Force, and the effect it had on him.
Producer: Giles Edwards.
WED 21:00 Costing the Earth (b03gbs6l)
[Repeat of broadcast at
15:30 on Tuesday]
WED 21:30 Midweek (b03gby1k)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:00 today]
WED 21:58 Weather (b03g7129)
The latest weather forecast.
WED 22:00 The World Tonight (b03gg7nm)
BAE Systems to cut 1,775 jobs across the UK and stop shipbuilding in Portsmouth. Swiss forensic scientists say Yasser Arafat may have died of radiation poisoning. And the impact on Tunisia of more than a million Libyan refugees. Presented by Ritula Shah.
WED 22:45 Book at Bedtime (b03gg7np)
The Goldfinch
This Is for You
Donna Tartt shot to fame with her iconic first novel, The Secret History, an instant bestseller. This was followed by The Little Friend in 2002. Eleven years later, her eagerly awaited, much anticipated third novel, The Goldfinch, comes to Book at Bedtime, coinciding with worldwide publication.
At the heart of the novel lies a masterwork by the Dutch painter Carel Fabritius, a picture of a small chained bird, The Goldfinch. This tiny painting becomes the only certainty for thirteen year old Theo Decker when his secure world with his devoted mother is shattered. From the chaos of existence with his reckless father, and a passionate friendship with the crazy, warm-hearted Boris, to the drawing rooms of the Upper East Side and a dusty downtown antique shop, Theo is left to find his own way through his teenage years and into adulthood. The painting is his talisman, his touchstone, until it draws him into a murky criminal underworld of drugs, art theft and fatal dealings.
Tartt follows Theo through grief, teenage delinquency, passionate friendship and obsessive love, in a story of enthralling suspense, peopled with unforgettable characters. As the drama reaches its gripping conclusion, Theo may or may not find out how to survive.
In today's episode: 'This is for you'. In a foggy, pre-Christmas Amsterdam, Boris is determined to put The Goldfinch back in Theo's hands, whatever the cost.
Donna Tartt was born in Greenwood, Mississippi, and is a graduate of Bennington College. She is the author of the novels The Secret History, The Little Friend, and The Goldfinch.
The reader is Jamie Parker.
The abridger is Sally Marmion.
The producer is Di Speirs.
WED 23:00 Before They Were Famous (b03gg7nr)
Series 2
Episode 4
Even the most successful of writers have, at some point, had to take day jobs to pay the bills.
Ian Leslie presents the second series of this Radio 4 spoof documentary, which sheds light on the often surprising jobs done by the world's best known writers in the days before they were able to make a living from their art.
In a project of literary archaeology, Leslie unearths archive examples of early work by great writers, including Fortune Cookie messages written by Germaine Greer, a political manifesto by the young JK Rowling, and a car manual written by Dan Brown. In newspaper articles, advertising copy, and company correspondence, we get a fascinating glimpse into the embryonic development of our best-loved literary voices.
We may know them today for their novels, plays or poems but, once upon a time, they were just people with a dream - and a rent bill looming at the end of the month.
Producers: Anna Silver and Claire Broughton
A Hat Trick Production for BBC Radio 4.
WED 23:15 Irish Micks and Legends (b01nq4j1)
Series 1
Tir Na Nog
Aisling Bea and Yasmine Akram become Ais and Yaz and are the very best pals. They are taking their role as Ireland's freshest story-tellers to the British nation very seriously indeed but they haven't had the time to do much research, learn their lines or work out who is doing which parts.
The girls' unconventional way of telling stories involves a concoction of thoroughly inappropriate modern-day metaphors and references to many of the ancient Irish stories.
With a natural knack for both comedy and character voices Yasmine Akram and Aisling Bea will bring you warm, modern re-workings of popular ancient Irish stories.
Today it's Tir Na Nog.
Written and performed by Aisling Bea and Yasmine Akram
Producer: Raymond Lau.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 2012.
WED 23:30 Today in Parliament (b03gg7nt)
Portsmouth and Glasgow are dealt a massive industrial blow, with huge cut-backs in shipbuilding. MPs listen to a solemn statement from the Defence Secretary Philip Hammond. Meanwhile, hospital casualty units are at the centre of fierce exchanges between David Cameron and Ed Miliband at another loud Prime Minister's Question time. Susan Hulme presents highlights of a busy day at Westminster.
Also on the programme:
* Chris Bond covers the latest on the controversy over prisoners having the right to vote in elections.
* Simon Jones follows the Treasury Committee's grilling of the former chairman of the Co-Op Bank.
THURSDAY 07 NOVEMBER 2013
THU 00:00 Midnight News (b03g7134)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.
THU 00:30 Book of the Week (b03bxb8v)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:45 on Wednesday]
THU 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b03g7136)
The latest shipping forecast.
THU 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b03g7138)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
THU 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b03g713b)
The latest shipping forecast.
THU 05:30 News Briefing (b03g713d)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.
THU 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b03gvms5)
A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day with Shaunaka Rishi Das, Director of the Oxford Centre of Hindu Studies.
THU 05:45 Farming Today (b03ggc15)
Two farmers have died in separate incidents involving animals. A deer farmer died after being gored by a stag in Wales and a farmer in Norfolk was found dead in a field, where he'd been attacked by his bull. It's not known exactly what happened in these attacks, but this time of year, when bulls are mating and deer are rutting, can be particularly dangerous. Anna Hill asks what the advice is to both farmers and members of the public.
And what are the issues for tenant farmers in Scotland, as compared to their counterparts in England and Wales? We find out why the idea of a 'right to buy' for tenants provokes different reactions north and south of the border.
Presented by Anna Hill. Produced by Emma Campbell.
THU 05:58 Tweet of the Day (b03dww4v)
Bar-tailed Godwit
Tweet of the Day is a series of fascinating stories about our British birds inspired by their calls and songs.
Martin Hughes-Games presents the Bar-tailed Godwit. Bar-tailed godwits are waders which occur around the globe and are now known to make the longest non-stop journey of any migratory bird.
THU 06:00 Today (b03ggc17)
Morning news and current affairs. Including Sports Desk, Yesterday in Parliament, Weather and Thought for the Day.
THU 09:00 In Our Time (b03ggc19)
Ordinary Language Philosophy
Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss Ordinary Language Philosophy, a school of thought which emerged in Oxford in the years following World War II. With its roots in the work of Ludwig Wittgenstein, Ordinary Language Philosophy is concerned with the meanings of words as used in everyday speech. Its adherents believed that many philosophical problems were created by the misuse of words, and that if such 'ordinary language' were correctly analysed, such problems would disappear. Philosophers associated with the school include some of the most distinguished British thinkers of the twentieth century, such as Gilbert Ryle and JL Austin.
With:
Stephen Mulhall
Professor of Philosophy at New College, Oxford
Ray Monk
Professor of Philosophy at the University of Southampton
Julia Tanney
Reader in Philosophy of Mind at the University of Kent
Producer: Thomas Morris.
THU 09:45 Book of the Week (b03bx6qm)
Olivier
Episode 4
Published when the National Theatre turned 50 in 2013, Philip Ziegler's biography, based on previously unseen letters and diaries, tells the story of Laurence Olivier as he developed his craft, focusing on his career path from early school days through rep theatre to Hollywood, before returning to triumph in his greatest role ever, as the first director of the National Theatre.
Episode 4:
Olivier and Ralph Richardson revitalize The Old Vic Theatre Company in war-torn London but, when he departs to tour Australia, he receives a nasty shock from the Theatre's Board.
Reader: Toby Jones
Producer: Clive Brill
A Pacificus production for BBC Radio 4.
THU 10:00 Woman's Hour (b03ggc1c)
Laura Jurd; Refusing chemotherapy; Adult at 25?
Laura Jurd brings her trumpet to the Woman's Hour studio for a spot of jazz improvisation. Sally Becker explains why she has refused chemotherapy and discusses the potential impact of her decision. The TUC says that today is Equal Pay Day and the period from now until the end of the year represents the fifteen per cent gender pay gap - so, what's being done to close it? Does adulthood begin at 25 - we hear about the scientific evidence which may suggest it does. And, sometimes playful, other times rather darker - we explore the art of flirting in Shakespeare.
Presenter: Jenni Murray
Producer: Ruth Watts
Editor: Alice Feinstein.
THU 10:45 15 Minute Drama (b03ggc1f)
Beatrice Hitchman - Petite Mort
Episode 9
Honor Blackman, Shelley Conn, Mariah Gale and Samantha Spiro star in Beatrice Hitchman's thrilling debut, adapted by Miranda Davies. A 1914 silent film called Petite Mort holds the key to an infamous murder trial.
1967, Paris. Madame Roux (Honor Blackman) tells Juliette (Shelley Conn) about the infamous trial in which she was a star player.
1914, Paris. The young Adele Roux arrives in court to watch the trial of her former employers and lovers, producer Andre Durand (Marcus D'Amico) and his beautiful screenstar wife, Luce (Samantha Spiro).
Produced and directed by Emma Harding.
THU 11:00 From Our Own Correspondent (b03ggc1h)
The Midnight Bus to Damascus
Reporters worldwide: while refugees continue to stream out of Syria in their thousands, there are people who need to go INTO the country. Nigel Wilson's been talking to a group of them at the bus station in the Jordanian capital, Amman. Lyse Doucet, meanwhile, is in the Syrian capital Damascus where life for some, but not others, is becoming increasingly hard. Thomas Fessy talks of the shock in Francophone Africa at the killing of two French radio journalists in Mali. In Malaysia, elephants are losing their habitat as development continues apace. Bob Walker takes a look at a controversial plan to give the animals a new home. And Indian women over the centuries have been wearing the elegant sari -- Anu Anand has been hearing of a campaign to boost its popularity in the face of competition from more contemporary, if less stylish, clothing.
From Our Own Correspondent is produced by Tony Grant.
THU 11:30 Behind the Looking Glass (b03ggc1k)
"It's a difficult thing being the muse, you only are as other people see you, you never really represent yourself because other people have always got the paintbrush..."
The role of a muse has changed quite dramatically since their origin in the myths of Ancient Greece. The sister goddesses who inspired new insights and creative form are a far cry from their modern counterparts, from Edie Sedgwick to Kate Moss.
Lauren Laverne meets three women who embody the changing figure of the muse during the last 200 years. Who are the individuals who inspired some of our most iconic works?
Lucinda Hawksley tells the sad story of 'Pre-Raphaelite supermodel' Elizabeth Siddal. A poet and painter herself, Siddal is most famous for gracing the work of a generation of Pre-Raphaelite painters including John Everett Millais and Dante Gabriel Rossetti, who became her husband.
Next Lauren talks to one of the most famous ballerinas of the twentieth century, Suzanne Farrell. Legendary choreographer George Balanchine created two dozen ballets for her. But her decision to marry someone else cost her position at the New York City Ballet. How did her artistic relationship with Balanchine endure?
Finally Lauren meets one of British fashion's most famous faces, Erin O'Connor. What qualities do our contemporary supermodels share with the original muses of antiquity?
By profiling three different women who have lit the touchpaper of another's creativity, we explore the dynamic between artist and muse, how these women have been defined by the work they inhabit, and how musedom has changed.
Produced by Rebecca Maxted and Jade Hutchinson.
A Wise Buddah production for BBC Radio 4.
THU 12:00 You and Yours (b03ggc1m)
Food swapping
Consumer news with Winifred Robinson. Too much of one type of food? Try one of the new food swapping events springing up around the country.
THU 12:57 Weather (b03g713g)
The latest weather forecast.
THU 13:00 World at One (b03ggfvw)
National and international news. Listeners can share their views via email: wato@bbc.co.uk or on twitter: #wato.
THU 13:45 The Roots of Scottish Nationalism (b03ggfw0)
Episode 4
In September 2014, the Scottish people will be presented with a referendum on Independence. But what do Scottish Nationalists believe and how has the argument developed over Scotland's History? Professor Murray Pittock of Glasgow University, author of "The Road to Independence" (2014) explores the growth of Scottish Nationalism from Scotland's prehistory, through Union with England, the Scots contribution to the British Empire, and the Salmond Government of today. Scottish Nationalism is the force which may end the Union with England and propel an independent Scottish state on to the world stage. Here is the story of how it has grown over the centuries.
THU 14:00 The Archers (b03gg7n9)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Wednesday]
THU 14:15 Drama (b01061ht)
Anita Sullivan - Titanium
History rarely remembers who came second. If Yuri Gagarin had so much as sneezed on the 12th of April 1961 the honour of being the first man in orbit would have gone to his training partner, Gherman Titov. But Gagarin didn't sneeze and a disappointed Titov had to climb back down the launch tower. A few months later Titov did launch successfully in Vostock II. He completed 17 earth orbits (got space-sick, ate and slept) and is still the youngest person ever to have gone into space. But he's largely unheard of because he wasn't 'first'. In Anita Sullivan's play, which marks the 50th anniversary of Gagarin's flight, the story of the two cosmonauts - their training, their selection, the flight and its aftermath, is told through Titov's eyes as he waits at Chkalovsky Airbase for Yuri to return from what should have been a routine training flight on the 27th March 1968.
A BBC/Cymru Wales production, directed by Kate McAll.
THU 15:00 Open Country (b03ggfw8)
Geocaching in Salcey Forest
The sport of geocaching has become increasingly popular. The modern twist on a treasure hunt involves using GPS to solve clues and follow trails to find caches and the rise of the smartphone has seen its popularity soar.
Helen Mark joins hundreds of geocachers in the Salcey Forest in Northamptonshire where people have travelled from across the world to be at the 'mega-event'. The ancient hunting forest was used by Henry VIII but also once saw elephants roam the land. Will the clues help her find out more about its history?
Produced in Bristol by Anne-Marie Bullock.
THU 15:27 Radio 4 Appeal (b03g8d64)
[Repeat of broadcast at
07:55 on Sunday]
THU 15:30 Bookclub (b03g8gv9)
[Repeat of broadcast at
16:00 on Sunday]
THU 16:00 The Film Programme (b03ggfwn)
George A Romero; Scottish sci-fi; James Toback; Ealing rarities
Forty five years after the release of genre-defining Night of the Living Dead, Francine Stock talks to the director George A Romero about inventing the undead zombie and where he might unearth horror in contemporary society. Plus why he doesn't rate Stanley Kubrick as a horror director.
As Gravity is released on the big screen, with an even bigger budget, we look at the trend for Scottish sci fi in short films with young directors Jamie Stone and Mark Buchanan. They discuss the magic of space and how to do it on a shoe string.
The writer and director James Toback, known for Fingers and Bugsy among others, takes his camera on the trail for the big bucks. With actor and friend Alec Baldwin in tow, they mingle at the Cannes Film Festival, lobbying for the cash to make their proposed film Last Tango in Tikrit. Follow their efforts, often hilarious, in the resulting documentary Seduced and Abandoned. James Toback explains just how flexible you have to be before the financiers show you the money...
And Ealing studio gems, and not the well-known comedies.. Melanie Williams, from the University of East Anglia, on the overlooked films from the famous studios including Young Man's Fancy and The Feminine Touch. They're now available on DVD as part of the Ealing Studios Rarities series.
THU 16:30 BBC Inside Science (b03ggfwv)
Personal genome; Solar cells and music; Asteroids; Alfred Russel Wallace
A hundred thousand Britons are being asked to donate their sequenced DNA, their personal genome, to a vast database on the internet, so scientists can use the information for medical and genetic research.
The Personal Genome Project-UK was launched today and participants are being warned, as part of the screening process, that their anonymity won't be guaranteed. Stephan Beck, Professor of Medical Genomics at University College London's Cancer Institute and the Director of PGP-UK, tells Dr Lucie Green that anonymised genetic databases aren't impregnable, and that it is already possible for an individual's identity to be established using jigsaw identification. This new "open access" approach, he says, will rely on altruistic early-adopters who are comfortable with having their genetic data, their medical history and their personal details freely available as a tool for research. Jane Kaye, Director of the Centre for Law, Health and Emerging Technologies at the University of Oxford, describes the rigorous selection procedure for would-be volunteers.
Scientists at Queen Mary University London and Imperial have created Good Vibrations by playing pop songs to solar panels. Exposing zinc oxide PV cells to noise alongside light generated up to 50% more current
than just light alone. Pop and rock music had the most effect, while classical was the least effective genre.
Thanks to the Russians' enthusiasm for dash-cams in their cars, the twenty metre asteroid that came crashing into the atmosphere above the town of Chelyabinsk, East of the Urals in February this year, was the most filmed and photographed event of its kind. Mobile phones and cameras captured the meteor, moving at 19 kilometres a second (that's 60 times the speed of sound) and the enormous damage caused by the airblast. The plethora of footage allowed researchers to shed light on our understanding of asteroid impacts and in a new study, published in Nature, Professor Peter Brown from the University of Western Ontario in Canada questions whether using nuclear explosions is an appropriate way to model these airbursts and whether telescopes could underestimate the frequency of these events.
Seventh November this year is the hundredth anniversary of the death of Alfred Russel Wallace. As the Natural History Museum in London unveils the first statue of him, we ask why, as co-discoverer of the theory of evolution by natural selection, Wallace doesn't share Charles Darwin's spotlight. Dr George Beccaloni, from the NHM, explains to Lucie why Wallace deserves both glory and commemoration.
Producer: Fiona Hill.
THU 17:00 PM (b03ggfx3)
Full coverage and analysis of the day's news.
THU 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b03g713j)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
THU 18:30 Clare in the Community (b01pztrn)
Series 8
Nanny State
Brian and Clare are struggling with childcare for their son Thomas when Clare bumps into their beloved Nanny, Nali - who they sacked.
Sally Phillips is Clare Barker the social worker who has all the right jargon but never a practical solution.
A control freak, Clare likes nothing better than interfering in other people's lives on both a professional and personal basis. Clare is in her thirties, white, middle class and heterosexual, all of which are occasional causes of discomfort to her.
Each week we join Clare in her continued struggle to control both her professional and private life
In today's Big Society there are plenty of challenges out there for an involved, caring social worker. Or even Clare.
Written by Harry Venning and David Ramsden.
Clare ...... Sally Phillips
Brian ...... Alex Lowe
Nali ...... Nina Conti
Stan ...... Richard Lumsden
Mrs Pope ...... Sarah Thom
Producer: Katie Tyrrell
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 2013.
THU 19:00 The Archers (b03ggfxc)
David and Ruth are concerned about Jill's eyesight which, judging by her driving recently, could be deteriorating. They head off to the Bull to welcome home Kenton and Jolene from their honeymoon.
Shula is also going to the Bull. But as she makes her way there Darrell approaches and asks her to lend him some money. Shula isn't keen but Darrell explains he needs it so that he can travel to see Ana. Shula agrees on condition that he repays her when he can.
At The Bull, Jill's deteriorating eyesight is really starting to worry David and Ruth. Both promise to help her find a new optician. Meanwhile Meriel is determined that Jill should spend some time with her in New Zealand.
Returning home from the Bull with a concerned Kenton in tow, Shula is horrified to find drunken Darrell passed out on the sofa. Realising that this is where her money has gone, Shula is both upset and angry. When she and Kenton wake Darrell up, he knocks his drink over the family videos from Daniel's childhood. Shula is distraught. Kenton feels enough is enough, determined that a reluctant Shula tell Alistair exactly what has happened.
THU 19:15 Front Row (b03ggfxf)
Jeeves and Wooster; Stanley Spencer; Frank Gehry
With Kirsty Lang
Kirsty talks to actors Matthew Macfadyen and Stephen Mangan as they play the roles of Jeeves and Wooster in a new stage version of one of P G Wodehouse's much-loved books.
The architect Frank Gehry, whose Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao and Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles feature the undulating metallic curves for which he has become known, opens a new exhibition of his work this week. Frank Gehry discusses his new sculptures, a series of artworks based on fish, a recurrent motif in his art and architecture, as well as his designs for the new development at Battersea Power station in London.
Stanley Spencer's masterpiece is a series of murals he painted in a small chapel in the Hampshire countryside. The paintings depict his life on the Salonika front during World War I, but concentrate on the domestic rather than the combat, on doing the laundry and eating jam sandwiches. The murals have now been removed while the chapel is undergoing restoration and is on show in London and then Chichester. The artist's biographer, Fiona MacCarthy, tells Kirsty about the story behind the paintings.
This week a Swedish cinema announced that it was going to rate movies according to the Bechdel Test, in which movies get an A rating for gender equality if they have at least two named female characters who talk to each other about something other than a man. Melissa Silverstein, the founder of the influential Women And Hollywood website, tells Kirsty why she thinks this is just the start of a conversation we need to have about in women in film.
Producer Stephen Hughes.
THU 19:45 15 Minute Drama (b03ggc1f)
[Repeat of broadcast at
10:45 today]
THU 20:00 Law in Action (b03gbs6n)
[Repeat of broadcast at
16:00 on Tuesday]
THU 20:30 The Bottom Line (b03gghkl)
Planning for the Future
Infrastructure projects can take decades to complete and are meant to last for generations. Planning for new rail networks, roads, bridges, airports - in the UK and overseas - all require assumptions and predictions about the future. What shape will the country's economy be in? Will the population grow or shrink? How might travel patterns change? And will the political regimes support the project over the years?
Evan Davis and guests discuss the problems and pitfalls of planning for the long view.
Guests:
Alison Munro, CEO HS2
Tushar Prabhu, co-owner, Pell Frischmann
Richard Deakin, CEO NATS
Producer: Rosamund Jones.
THU 21:00 BBC Inside Science (b03ggfwv)
[Repeat of broadcast at
16:30 today]
THU 21:30 In Our Time (b03ggc19)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:00 today]
THU 21:58 Weather (b03g713l)
The latest weather forecast.
THU 22:00 The World Tonight (b03gghkn)
In-depth reporting and analysis from a global perspective.
THU 22:45 Book at Bedtime (b03gghkq)
The Goldfinch
No-One Knows of This Thing Except Us
Donna Tartt shot to fame with her iconic first novel, The Secret History, an instant bestseller. This was followed by The Little Friend in 2002. Eleven years later, her eagerly awaited, much anticipated third novel, The Goldfinch, comes to Book at Bedtime, coinciding with worldwide publication.
At the heart of the novel lies a masterwork by the Dutch painter Carel Fabritius, a picture of a small chained bird, The Goldfinch. This tiny painting becomes the only certainty for thirteen year old Theo Decker when his secure world with his devoted mother is shattered. From the chaos of existence with his reckless father, and a passionate friendship with the crazy, warm-hearted Boris, to the drawing rooms of the Upper East Side and a dusty downtown antique shop, Theo is left to find his own way through his teenage years and into adulthood. The painting is his talisman, his touchstone, until it draws him into a murky criminal underworld of drugs, art theft and fatal dealings.
Tartt follows Theo through grief, teenage delinquency, passionate friendship and obsessive love, in a story of enthralling suspense, peopled with unforgettable characters. As the drama reaches its gripping conclusion, Theo may or may not find out how to survive.
In this episode: 'No-one knows of this thing except us.' Alone in his hotel, with blood on his hands, Theo faces a future without the painting, Boris or freedom.
Donna Tartt was born in Greenwood, Mississippi, and is a graduate of Bennington College. She is the author of the novels The Secret History, The Little Friend, and The Goldfinch.
The reader is Jamie Parker.
The abridger is Sally Marmion.
The producer is Di Speirs.
THU 23:00 Seekers (b03gghks)
Series 1
Seek Hard
It's an unusual day in the Job Centre when armed robbers, having been cornered by police after doing a bank job across the road, take everyone hostage.
This could be Stuart's chance to prove to Nicola he's a hero. He needs to do something spectacular to compete with her past boyfriend who Joe claims was none other than Christian Bale.
Steven Burge’s comedy about the staff and the clients who frequent a Job Centre in the Essex town of Rayleigh.
Starring Matthew Horne and Daniel Mays.
Stuart ...... Mathew Horne
Joe ...... Daniel Mays
Terry ...... Tony Way
Nicola ...... Zahra Ahmadi
Ribena ...... Hannah Wood
Mr Harty ...... Alex Lowe
Dave ...... Alex Lowe
Mrs S ...... Sally Grace
Mr A ...... Ben Crowe
Mr G ...... Paul Chequer
Gary Probert ...... Steve Oram
Policeman ...... Sean Murray
Producer: Katie Tyrrell
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 2013.
THU 23:30 Today in Parliament (b03gghm4)
Sean Curran reports as three spymasters give evidence to MPs. Peers debate the UK's relationship with China. And a minister laments the 'Black Adder' view of the First World War.
Editor: Peter Mulligan.
FRIDAY 08 NOVEMBER 2013
FRI 00:00 Midnight News (b03g714f)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.
FRI 00:30 Book of the Week (b03bx6qm)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:45 on Thursday]
FRI 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b03g714h)
The latest shipping forecast.
FRI 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b03g714k)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
FRI 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b03g714m)
The latest shipping forecast.
FRI 05:30 News Briefing (b03g714p)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.
FRI 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b03gvms7)
A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day with Shaunaka Rishi Das, Director of the Oxford Centre of Hindu Studies.
FRI 05:45 Farming Today (b03ggllq)
Over one third of our farmland in England and Wales is tenanted and 10 per cent of that is through informal arrangements. But are short term tenancies - known as farm business tenancies, a good deal for farmers? We hear from delegates at the NFU's tenant farmers conference in Harrogate, many of whom say the short three and four year contracts aren't long enough for farmers to plan their crops and rear livestock. Whilst the majority of tenants are protected by their farm rental contracts, there are situations where if a landlord defaults, the tenant could face problems. Charlotte Smith speaks to a Lincolnshire farmer who's facing eviction because their landlord hasn't paid the mortgage.
And the Government's hoping to put an end to long, snaking queues of cars behind large, slow tractors. The Department of Transport's planning to raise the speed limit for agricultural vehicles, from 20 miles per hour to 25. But will that extra increase in speed really make a difference?
Presented by Charlotte Smith and produced in Bristol by Jules Benham.
FRI 05:58 Tweet of the Day (b03dwwg6)
Wader Roost
Tweet of the Day is a series of fascinating stories about our British birds inspired by their calls and songs.
Martin Hughes-Games tells the story of the flocks of waders which are drawn to the UK's estuaries. Britain's estuaries contain around 2,900 square kilometres of mud and sand-flats. Washed daily by the tides, these places are packed with food, molluscs, worms and crustaceans that support thousands of waders.
FRI 06:00 Today (b03ggllt)
News and current affairs. Including Sports Desk, Yesterday in Parliament, Weather, Thought for the Day.
FRI 09:00 Desert Island Discs (b03g8d6d)
[Repeat of broadcast at
11:15 on Sunday]
FRI 09:45 Book of the Week (b03bx81y)
Olivier
Episode 5
Published when the National Theatre turned 50 in 2013, Philip Ziegler's biography, based on previously unseen letters and diaries, tells the story of Laurence Olivier as he developed his craft, focusing on his career path from early school days through rep theatre to Hollywood, before returning to triumph in his greatest role ever, as the first director of the National Theatre.
Episode 5:
Olivier goes to the Royal Court to star in 'The Entertainer' which, in turn, sets him on a path to the last two great loves of his life - Joan Plowright and the National Theatre.
Reader: Toby Jones
Producer: Clive Brill
A Pacificus production for BBC Radio 4.
FRI 10:00 Woman's Hour (b03ggllw)
Giselle Allen; Lisa Jardine; Children in parks; Lady Rhondda
Soprano Giselle Allen [currently singing the role of Ellen Orford] discusses the female characters in Peter Grimes with director Phyllida Lloyd. Biographical historian Professor Angela V John talks about her new biography of Welsh suffragette Lady Rhondda. Lisa Jardine - the retiring Chair of the HFEA - asks why we don't hear about all the people who fail with IVF. Reporter Geoff Bird takes a look at new research into how children behave in parks.
Presenter: Jenni Murray
Producer: Helen Lee.
FRI 10:45 15 Minute Drama (b03gg7nf)
Beatrice Hitchman - Petite Mort
Episode 10
Honor Blackman, Shelley Conn and Mariah Gale star in Beatrice Hitchman's thrilling debut, adapted by Miranda Davies. A 1914 silent film called Petite Mort holds the key to an infamous murder trial.
1967, Paris. Juliette (Shelley Conn) finally discovers the truth about the film of Petite Mort and the enigmatic Madame Roux (Honor Blackman).
All other parts played by members of the company
Produced and directed by Emma Harding.
FRI 11:00 'Electric News' - The World's First Radio Station (b03gby1r)
We often think of the scheduled broadcasting of news, information and entertainment as having begun in the 1920s. But we're wrong. It was in 1893 in Budapest that Theodore Puskas opened his Telefon Hirmondo or 'Telephone Newspaper'.
Subscribers to this telephone service could enjoy a daily timetable of foreign, national and local news, sport, weather, fashion, stockmarket reports, language lessons, music, theatre and much more. It was delivered by a team of journalists, copy-writers, editors, announcers and engineers which would be familiar to any radio station today. To our ears, Telefon Hirmondo would have sounded uncannily modern. For example, there would be live relays of church services, theatre productions, concerts and opera performances and reports direct from parliament and sports events.
Laurie Taylor travels to Budapest to uncover this extraordinary story of 'radio before radio'. He visits a special exhibition at the city's postal museum and takes a look inside Hungarian State Opera, whose performances were broadcast live via Telefon Hirmondo from the 1890s.
Laurie explores the lengths to which Telefon Hirmondo went to market its product, hooking in not just domestic subscribers but hotels, restaurants, clubs, dental surgeries and barber shops. He also delves into the telephone's early history to explain the confusion on both sides of the Atlantic over what the device was best used for.
How did Hungary come to lead the world in broadcasting, rather than the USA, Britain or France? The genius of Theodore Puskas is a large part of the explanation. Among the contributors, we hear from his descendant, Barbara Fally-Puskas.
Producer: Andrew Green
An Andrew Green production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in November 2013.
FRI 11:30 The Gobetweenies (b03ggpbj)
Series 3
Episode 4
Episode Four of Marcella Evaristi's comedy explores the impossibility of retaining your privacy when you lead a go-betweening life.
Joe had wanted to keep his new affair secret. His new girlfriend is twenty four and he now wishes he hadn't called Mimi's most recent ex-husband the Decrepit from Connecticut. Mimi is being badgered about bringing a 'plus one' to a wedding. She's in a state of post divorce fragility and begins to wonder if Joe still secretly longs for her. After all, he brought her lilacs on their wedding anniversary.
Tom, already burdened by having to pretend he doesn't know about Tuberose, his Dad's hot new girlfriend, dreams confusingly and guiltily about the wrong girl. Not his girlfriend Poppy, but Lucy's fifteen year old best friend Katy. He's been talking in his sleep. How do you cope with a leaking subconscious?
Meanwhile, having discovered that Tuberose works at Latex Couture of Holloway, Mimi is talked into checking her out.
Writer: Marcella Evaristi
Director: Marilyn Imrie
Producer: Gordon Kennedy
An Absolutely production for BBC Radio 4.
FRI 12:00 You and Yours (b03ggrq6)
Fraudsters target BBC reporter
Police have launched an investigation into a gang selling fake gold investments after they were exposed by You and Yours. Shari Vahl reports on an investigation which began when the fraudsters unwittingly targeted her, she's been reporting on fraud for the programme for almost ten years.
John Lewis spent almost £7m on theirs, Marks and Spencer's features a cast list worthy of many films and it's the first time Lidl has made one. Times' critic Kate Muir reviews the latest Christmas TV adverts.
The government wants more of us to drive electric cars, but how viable are they? Actor and electric car fanatic Robert Llewellyn and Professor Steven Glasiter of the RAC Foundation discuss.
And Toms founder Blake Mycoskie discusses his business model. For every pair of shoes or glasses you buy form them they give another to a poor child.
Plus Why are so many patients failing to get the nutrition they need from hospital food?
Presenter: Peter White
Producer: Joe Kent.
FRI 12:52 The Listening Project (b03ggrq8)
Pearly and Nancy - Should We Stay or Should We Go?
Fi Glover introduces a conversation between a daughter who left Malaysia for the UK 21 years ago and her mother, who still wants her to come home, in the series that proves it's surprising what you hear when you listen.
The Listening Project is a Radio 4 initiative that offers a snapshot of contemporary Britain in which people across the UK volunteer to have a conversation with someone close to them about a subject they've never discussed intimately before. The conversations are being gathered across the UK by teams of producers from local and national radio stations who facilitate each encounter. Every conversation - they're not BBC interviews, and that's an important difference - lasts up to an hour, and is then edited to extract the key moment of connection between the participants. Most of the unedited conversations are being archived by the British Library and used to build up a collection of voices capturing a unique portrait of the UK in the second decade of the millennium. You can upload your own conversations or just learn more about The Listening Project by visiting bbc.co.uk/listeningproject
Producer: Marya Burgess.
FRI 12:57 Weather (b03g714r)
The latest weather forecast.
FRI 13:00 World at One (b03ggrqb)
National and international news. Listeners can share their views via email: wato@bbc.co.uk or on twitter: #wato.
FRI 13:45 The Roots of Scottish Nationalism (b03ggrqd)
Episode 5
In September 2014, the Scottish people will be presented with a referendum on Independence. But what do Scottish Nationalists believe and how has the argument developed over Scotland's History? Professor Murray Pittock of Glasgow University, author of "The Road to Independence" (2014) explores the growth of Scottish Nationalism from Scotland's prehistory, through Union with England, the Scots contribution to the British Empire, and the Salmond Government of today. Scottish Nationalism is the force which may end the Union with England and propel an independent Scottish state on to the world stage. Here is the story of how it has grown over the centuries.
FRI 14:00 The Archers (b03ggfxc)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Thursday]
FRI 14:15 Drama (b03ggrqg)
Sarah Wooley - Moving Music
Philip Glass and Steve Reich are best known as pioneers of minimalist music. What is less well known is that they ran a removal firm together to make ends meet while they were making their way as young composers in the 1960s.
Produced/directed by Gaynor Macfarlane.
FRI 15:00 Gardeners' Question Time (b03ggrqj)
Correspondence at Sparsholt
Eric Robson hosts from the GQT potting shed at Sparsholt College as Matt Biggs, Anne Swithinbank, Bob Flowerdew and Rosie Yeomans tackle listeners' questions sent in by post, email and via Twitter.
Also in this episode, Pippa Greenwood provides top tips on how to get the best crops from your tomato plants next year and Matt Biggs visits Leicester University to hear about the latest research into the spread of Japanese Knotweed.
Produced by Darby Dorras
A Somethin' Else Production for BBC Radio 4.
Q. When is the best time of year to move a three to four-year-old fruit cage?
A. During the dormant period, any time between leaf fall and bud burst when the ground isn't waterlogged or frozen. The plants should move quite easily and be planted at the same level. Seaweed extract is a good tonic once they have settled in their new location. Make sure it is a weed-free site. If they are older than about four-years-old, propagation may be a better idea.
For blackcurrants, you would be better taking cuttings. But for strawberries, it is worth buying new plants instead.
Q. I have a north facing, 20x15ft (6mx1.8m) area of shaded garden inhabited by hens from May through to November. Is there anything that would grow between November and May that the hens would enjoy on their return?
A. Claytonia (Miner's Lettuce) disappears in the summer and reappears in the winter. Grass would encourage insects and worms for the chickens. Perhaps you could lay straw, giving the chickens something to scratch at. A Brassica planted early, such as a Spring Cabbage or Mustard, would also please the hens.
Q. Why would Giant Viper's Bugloss planted from seed not have flowered? Also, how should I treat them over the winter months?
A. They are very difficult to keep over the winter, as they don't like the damp. Protect the smaller ones by keeping them dry and in sunshine. They may have not flowered because they are monocarpic, meaning they grow until they are ready to flower and then die shortly afterwards. Flowering may have been delayed by last year's poor weather, but they will almost certainly flower next year.
Q. Do you have any suggestions for edibles to be grown on a cold, breezy allotment over winter?
A. It is unusual to have an exposed allotment, so perhaps invest in some windbreaks. Beetroot and Jerusalem Artichokes would work with cloches or collars of straw. Oriental vegetables, Chervil, Lamb's Lettuce, or Winter Kale could be grown under horticultural fleece. Leeks and Savoy Cabbage are very hardy and could work in an enriched soil.
Q. My first pickings from a crop of Gardeners' Delight tomatoes were tasteless and spongy. The trusses I picked later and left to ripen were much better. Would the fruit have been tastier if I had held back on watering so that the plant thought it was starving?
A. Over watering will reduce the taste of any fruit. Keeping plants slightly under stress can work. Make sure the compost is no more than slightly moist.
Q. Why would a healthy crop of grapes have turned colour before the fruit is ripe enough to eat?
A. The grapes will not be sweet because the season has been too short. Also, a heavy crop will mean that the plant cannot produce enough sugar. Always thin the crop, removing half of the fruit so that the remainder can grow bigger and sweeter. This year, you could make wine or dry the grapes to make raisins.
Q. How should recently planted Amazonian Lilies (Eucharis grandiflora) bulbs be kept throughout the winter?
A. The bulbs should be planted in the spring. During the winter treat them like a houseplant, keeping them in a conservatory or a bright position in the house. The temperature shouldn't be too high: protect them from the frost but keep the growth process at a slow rate.
Q. Could the lack of flowers on an Agapanthus be due to overcrowding?
A. Yes, it could be. There will be nowhere for the root growth to go. You should divide and repot them. However, the root growth is very tough and can be hard to remove from the pot. Perhaps run a knife around the edge, soak the soil, or even use a little detergent.
FRI 15:45 Edinburgh Haunts (b03ggrql)
The Face at the Window, the Wave of the Hand
By Louise Welsh
Our series of three newly commissioned ghost stories set in Edinburgh concludes with this subtle and uncanny tale from thriller writer Louise Welsh.
'The Face in the Window, the Wave of the Hand' evokes the German folklore of the doppelganger, or double, but is set in a contemporary Edinburgh town house. In traditional tales, your double is a shadow heralding your own death - if you see yourself in passing, it's very bad news.
Read by Monica Gibb.
Produced by Allegra McIlroy.
FRI 16:00 Last Word (b03ggrqn)
A BBC political editor, a naturalist, a landscape architect, a Sultan and a union leader
Matthew Bannister on the BBC Political Editor John Cole who covered the turbulent politics of the 1980s - and was satirised by Spitting Image.
Also Professor John Cloudsley-Thompson - once called the "Titan of the Sahara" - he was a leading expert on the wildlife of the world's deserts.
Georgina Livingston, the landscape architect who designed a competition-winning scheme for Stonehenge
Roy Grantham, the moderate trade union leader who struggled to resolve the bitter 1970s dispute at the Grunwick photo processing plant
And the Sultan of Sulu - who late in life launched an abortive bid to annexe part of North Borneo.
Producer: Neil George.
FRI 16:30 Feedback (b03ggrqq)
The last of the Reith Lectures was delivered earlier this week. Grayson Perry's series of four lectures on the world of contemporary art has had, in the words of their Commissioning Editor, 'by far the most response ever for a series of Reith Lectures'. Feedback has received many letters of congratulations for Grayson Perry but some listeners question whether the programmes have been in keeping with the Reith Lectures' reputation for showcasing the thoughts of 'significant international thinkers'. We ask Mohit Bakaya, the Commissioning Editor for the Reith Lectures, why he chose Mr Perry and whether anyone can now follow him?
Last week we spoke to Radio 4's Drama Commissioner, Jeremy Howe, about why the network decided to air G.F. Newman's The Corrupted over ten consecutive editions of the Afternoon Drama, especially given its violent and sexual content. This week, many of you wrote to heap praise on the series and the experimental scheduling. But some listeners were deeply disappointed that the first five of the episodes disappeared from BBC iPlayer before the series ended.
Too late for fans of The Corrupted, but changes to BBC iPlayer are afoot which will mean that many programmes remain available for thirty days. We speak to the Controller of Multi-Platforms for BBC Radio Mark Friend to find out more.
And it's one of the most coveted slots on Radio 4, so how do authors and publishers get picked for Book of The Week? Roger Bolton speaks to the Commissioning Editor for the series, Jane Ellison.
Producer: Will Yates
A Whistledown production for BBC Radio 4.
FRI 16:56 The Listening Project (b03ggrqs)
Alan and Sophie - Fathers and Daughters
Fi Glover introduces another conversation in the series that proves it's surprising what you hear when you listen between a father and daughter: A father naturally wants to protect his child from bad news, but she may feel she has a right to know the truth.
The Listening Project is a Radio 4 initiative that offers a snapshot of contemporary Britain in which people across the UK volunteer to have a conversation with someone close to them about a subject they've never discussed intimately before. The conversations are being gathered across the UK by teams of producers from local and national radio stations who facilitate each encounter. Every conversation - they're not BBC interviews, and that's an important difference - lasts up to an hour, and is then edited to extract the key moment of connection between the participants. Most of the unedited conversations are being archived by the British Library and used to build up a collection of voices capturing a unique portrait of the UK in the second decade of the millennium. You can upload your own conversations or just learn more about The Listening Project by visiting bbc.co.uk/listeningproject
Producer: Marya Burgess.
FRI 17:00 PM (b03ggrqv)
Coverage and analysis of the day's news. Including Weather at
5.57pm.
FRI 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b03g714t)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
FRI 18:30 The News Quiz (b03ggrqx)
Series 82
Episode 1
A satirical review of the week's news, chaired by Sandi Toksvig, with panellists including Katy Brand, Miles Jupp and Bob Mills, with regular guest, Jeremy Hardy.
FRI 19:00 The Archers (b03ggrqz)
Caroline is having a good week with Joe accepting the compensation offer, bookings on the up at Grey Gables and the Christmas ball on the horizon. Now all that's left is to find herself a deputy manager.
Kathy admits to Caroline that, even though she has accepted the job in Felpersham, she would like to be considered for the deputy manager position. Caroline is taken aback. Reminding Kathy that she can't make any promises, she leaves the decision up to Kathy.
Darrell seeks Shula out at the Stables in order to apologise for his behaviour the previous night. But Shula is still too upset to listen to his self-pity or his excuses. When Darrell confesses to Alistair that he ruined the videos, angry Alistair takes Darrell for a private chat.
Alistair is calm but tough. Darrell makes many excuses and apologies, and promises Alistair things will be different from now on. But it's too little too late this time. Alistair has had enough.
When Shula later tries to defend Darrel, Alistair's case is too strong and he knows he has convinced Shula too. Darrell will have to leave.
FRI 19:15 Front Row (b03ggrr1)
Gary Barlow; Anita Lasker-Wallfisch; Georgians at the British Library
With John Wilson.
Anita Lasker-Wallfisch survived Auschwitz by playing the cello in the Auschwitz Women's Orchestra. After the war she joined the English Chamber Orchestra and her son is the renowned cellist Raphael Wallfisch. On Sunday they both take part in a concert in Vienna marking the 75th anniversary of Kristallnacht. Anita Lasker-Wallfisch's reflects on her time in the prison camp, described in her memoir Inherit the Truth, which is republished this week.
Gary Barlow discusses why it has taken him 14 years to produce a new solo record, how it felt to be dropped from his record label after Take That split, and what he thinks of criticism of The X Factor.
A new British Library exhibition, Georgians Revealed: Life, Style and the Making of Modern Britain makes the case that the Georgians were the architects of modern Britain, introducing many of the interests and pursuits that endure today. Historian Amanda Vickery reviews.
Producer Ellie Bury.
FRI 19:45 15 Minute Drama (b03gg7nf)
[Repeat of broadcast at
10:45 today]
FRI 20:00 Any Questions? (b03ggrr3)
Johann Lamont, Nicola Sturgeon, Ruth Davidson, Ivan McKee
Jonathan Dimbleby presents political debate and discussion from Glasgow with Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, Leader of the Labour Party in Scotland Johann Lamont and Leader of the Scottish Conservatives Ruth Davidson.
FRI 20:50 A Point of View (b03ggrr5)
Kennedy 50 Years On
Will Self reflects on America's view of the assassination of JF Kennedy, fifty years on. After years of talk of conspiracy, cover-up and doctored film footage, he concludes, "It isn't so much that the Kennedy assassination has transitioned smoothly into a commonsensical past; it's rather that it was the first instance of a peculiarly modern variant of the historic event: its media simulation".
Producer: Sheila Cook.
FRI 21:00 Saturday Drama (b01p2vtj)
A Slow Air
by David Harrower.
Siblings Morna and Athol haven't spoken to each other for fourteen years. As they recount their troubled history, they tell the story of modern Scotland.
Athol lives in Houston, round the corner from where the Glasgow Airport bombers planned their raid in 2007. He believes that only Scotland could produce such 'crap terrorists'. Dyed-in-the-wool SNP supporter Morna remembers the good old days of well-intended protest. As they talk, their differences - political, social, even musical - begin to seem less important.
David Harrower is one of Scotland's leading playwrights. His work includes BLACKBIRD, KNIVES IN HENS and 365 as well as many adaptations and translations. BLACKBIRD was an astonishing tour de force and has received international acclaim. His play, GOOD WITH PEOPLE and his translation of Schiller's MARY STUART have recently been broadcast on radio.
Director ..... David Harrower
Producer ..... Gaynor Macfarlane.
FRI 21:58 Weather (b03g714w)
The latest weather forecast.
FRI 22:00 The World Tonight (b03ggrr7)
Royal Marine found guilty of murder of wounded Afghan insurgent. Kerry in talks with Iranian Foreign Minister Zarif in Geneva. Continuing conflict in Darfur. And tributes paid to John Cole. Presented by David Eades.
FRI 22:45 Book at Bedtime (b03ggrr9)
The Goldfinch
Sometimes You Have to Lose to Win
Donna Tartt shot to fame with her iconic first novel, The Secret History, an instant bestseller. This was followed by The Little Friend in 2002. Eleven years later, her eagerly awaited, much anticipated third novel, The Goldfinch, comes to Book at Bedtime, coinciding with worldwide publication.
At the heart of the novel lies a masterwork by the Dutch painter Carel Fabritius, a picture of a small chained bird, The Goldfinch. This tiny painting becomes the only certainty for thirteen year old Theo Decker when his secure world with his devoted mother is shattered. From the chaos of existence with his reckless father, and a passionate friendship with the crazy, warm-hearted Boris, to the drawing rooms of the Upper East Side and a dusty downtown antique shop, Theo is left to find his own way through his teenage years and into adulthood. The painting is his talisman, his touchstone, until it draws him into a murky criminal underworld of drugs, art theft and fatal dealings.
Tartt follows Theo through grief, teenage delinquency, passionate friendship and obsessive love, in a story of enthralling suspense, peopled with unforgettable characters. As the drama reaches its gripping conclusion, Theo may or may not find out how to survive.
In today's episode: 'Sometimes you have to lose to win'. Loss proves bountiful as Theo comes to understand what his painting meant and what to take forward into the future.
Donna Tartt was born in Greenwood, Mississippi, and is a graduate of Bennington College. She is the author of the novels The Secret History, The Little Friend, and The Goldfinch.
The reader is Jamie Parker.
The abridger is Sally Marmion.
The producer is Di Speirs.
FRI 23:00 A Good Read (b03gbs6q)
[Repeat of broadcast at
16:30 on Tuesday]
FRI 23:30 Today in Parliament (b03ggrrc)
The backbencher's Bill bringing in a referendum on continued British membership of the EU has prompted more lively debate among MPs. Mark D'Arcy has the best of the exchanges.
Also on the programme:
Peers argue over the travel costs of the royal family.
Should MPs' amendments put forward in the Commons have explanations about what they're all about?
The Co-Op Bank has gone through turbulent times. The programme hears more about what exactly happened.
And. What's the point of parliamentary petitions?
FRI 23:55 The Listening Project (b03ggrrf)
Stephen and Beata - It All Comes Back to Poetry
Fi Glover introduces a conversation between a mother and son who both write poetry and who discover it's the glue that binds them, proving once again that it's surprising what you hear when you listen.
The Listening Project is a Radio 4 initiative that offers a snapshot of contemporary Britain in which people across the UK volunteer to have a conversation with someone close to them about a subject they've never discussed intimately before. The conversations are being gathered across the UK by teams of producers from local and national radio stations who facilitate each encounter. Every conversation - they're not BBC interviews, and that's an important difference - lasts up to an hour, and is then edited to extract the key moment of connection between the participants. Most of the unedited conversations are being archived by the British Library and used to build up a collection of voices capturing a unique portrait of the UK in the second decade of the millennium. You can upload your own conversations or just learn more about The Listening Project by visiting bbc.co.uk/listeningproject
Producer: Marya Burgess.