The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.
Later today a British dairy processor will enter the Global Dairy Trade auction, putting UK skimmed milk powder onto the worldwide market for the first time. The massive demand for dairy products in developing economies, along with a shortage of dairy produce at the moment, means Arla Foods in the UK will take the plunge into worldwide selling for the first time. Anna Hill asks what the significance of the move is for the UK dairy industry.
How much water should farmers be allowed to take out of the ground to supply their farms? The rules on water abstraction, which date back to the 1960s, could be about to change. In the age of climate change, we find out what this might mean for farmers.
And living the good life? Farming Today visits a smallholding - one of around 150,000 in England. Is it just a hobby, or a genuine source of food?
Tweet of the Day is a series of fascinating stories about our British birds inspired by their calls and songs.
David Attenborough presents the ptarmigan. Few birds are tough enough to brave winter on the highest of Scottish mountains but Ptarmigan are well adapted to extreme conditions. They're the only British bird that turns white in winter and Ptarmigan have feathers that cover their toes, feet and nostrils to minimise heat loss.
Morning news and current affairs. Including Sports Desk, Yesterday in Parliament, Weather and Thought for the Day.
Egyptian author Tarek Osman traces the ideas that have shaped the modern Arab world, focussing on Egypt and Syria. Today, he explores the rise and fall of Arab nationalism.
This new book contains the letters sent from aristocrat, society darling and actress of stage and early screen, Lady Diana Cooper, to her only son, John Julius Norwich.
When Lady Diana married rising political star Duff Cooper, they became the golden couple who knew everyone who was anyone. Her letters serve as a portrait of a time, capturing some of history's most dramatic events and most important figures with immediacy and intimacy. But they also give us a touching portrait of the love between a mother and son, separated by war, oceans and the constraints of the time they lived in.
Her letters span the years 1939 to 1952, taking in the Blitz, Diana's short spell as a farmer in Sussex, a trip to the Far East when husband Duff was collecting war intelligence, the couple's three years in the Paris embassy, as well as a great number of journeys around Europe and North Africa.
Today, Lady Diana sets up a smallholding in Sussex for the war effort. She will not dig for victory, but will certainly milk a cow in order to produce her own cheese.
Sam Bailey on her X Factor victory, how her life's changed and what it means to be supporting Beyonce on tour.
Two years ago Jack Monroe describe herself as 'unemployed, broke, and broken. Now her blog "A Girl Called Jack" about feeding herself and her son on £10 a week, attracts a huge following, she writes a column for a national newspaper and is about to become the face of one of our biggest supermarkets. We spend time with in her tiny Southend kitchen.
Laurie Graham's husband was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease last year. It was six years on from when she first noticed that something was wrong. Now she's coming to terms with living with a man who can't even remember their wedding day. We look at the impact of dementia on couples and the peculiar kind of loneliness when you live with someone with the condition.
William Hague recently announced a global summit in London next year to demand justice for victims of sexual violence in warzones. Jane spoke to one of the victims planning to attend, Jineth Bedoya Lima, a top reporter in Colombia. At 26 Jineth was kidnapped, tortured and raped by a right-wing paramilitary group and has since campaigned to give a voice to other victims of conflict-related sexual violence.
And we celebrate the achievements of Constance Markievicz who in 1918 became the first woman ever returned to the Commons at Westminster, but as a member for Sinn Féin she did not take her seat.
Presented by Jane Garvey.
Barrytown is buzzing with speculation. Sharon Rabbitte is pregnant and she's not telling anyone who the father is. But with tongues wagging and rumours mounting, just how long will it take everyone to work out who in Barrytown is the "snapper's" Da?
The second of Roddy Doyle's Barrytown series of novels, all to be dramatized by BBC Radio 4. After a drunken encounter at the soccer club do, Sharon is pregnant and much to the annoyance to her dad, Jimmy, refusing to name the baby's father. So when Jimmy gets wind that it might be someone close to home all hell breaks loose.
The cast includes David Wilmot as Jimmy Snr (Ripper Street, Anna Karenina) and Aoife Duffin as Sharon (Moone Boy.)
Before the arrival of the Industrial Revolution in the 18th Century many believe the planet was largely a silent place. However what this overlooks is that the natural world is an incredibly noisy environment as species communicate between each other sometimes over vast distances. What has changed is that from around 1800 one species on the planet is arguably losing its ability to hear the presence of natural sound, and that species is Homo sapiens. Today the amount of anthropogenic noise 7 billion people produce across this planet is for many resulting in a disconnection with our natural neighbours and an inability to experience silence. If we can no longer hear the natural world, are we possibly becoming disconnected from everything around us? Monty Don explores this question through the difficulty of hearing natural sounds in the countryside without the interference of human noise.
How Brahms' German Requiem, written as a tribute to his mother and designed to comfort the grieving, has touched and changed peoples lives.
Stuart Perkins describes how the piece arrived at the right time in his life, after the death of his aunt.
Axel Körner, Professor of Modern History at University College London, explains the genesis of the work and how the deaths of Brahms' friends and family contributed to the emotional power of the piece.
Daniel Malis and Danica Buckley recall how the piece enabled them to cope with the trauma of the Boston marathon bombings.
Simon Halsey, Chief Conductor of the Berlin Radio Choir, explores how Brahms' experience as a church musician enabled him to distil hundreds of years of musical history into this dramatic choral work.
For Imani Mosley, the piece helped her through a traumatic time in hospital. Rosemary Sales sought solace in the physical power of Brahms' music after the death of her son. And June Noble recounts how the piece helped her find her voice and make her peace with her parents.
Call You and Yours with Winifred Robinson is all about the reality of Christmas. It's supposed to be a time of joy, but for many it's disappointing and stressful.
National and international news. Listeners can share their views via email: wato@bbc.co.uk or on twitter: #wato.
In the seventh programme in his series describing the gathering history of the Christmas Carol in Great Britain Jeremy Summerly returns to the Gallery tradition that was squeezed out of 19th century Church worship but steadfastly refused to die. It's now in rude health in several parts of the country but nowhere is it more energetically sustained than in South Yorkshire and Derbyshire. With the guidance of Dr Ian Russell who holds folk carol festivals and the enthusiasm of pub carolers who sustain the tradition Jeremy shares a pint and a clutch of fuguing carols which flower happily in the 21st century while having roots in the 18th and 19th.
He also finds out about an American offshoot of the gallery style that's been preserved in the icy blasts of Pennsylvannia USA since it was first seeded there in the middle of the 19th century.
The Christmas carol is as popular now as it was when carolers celebrated the birth of Edward III in 1312. Back then the carol was a generic term for a song with its roots in dance form, nowadays only the strictest scholar would quibble with the fact that a carol is a Christmas song.
But the journey the carol has taken is unique in music history because each shift in the story has been preserved in the carols that we sing today. Go to a carol concert now and you're likely to hear folk, medieval, mid-victorian and modern music all happily combined. It's hard to imagine that happening in any other situation.
In these programmes Jeremy Summerly follows the carol journey through the Golden age of the Medieval carol into the troubled period of Reformation and puritanism, along the byways of the 17th and 18th century waits and gallery musicians and in to the sudden explosion of interest in the carol in the 19th century. It's a story that sees the carol veer between the sacred and secular even before there was any understanding of those terms. For long periods the church, both catholic and protestant, was uneasy about the virility and homespun nature of carol tunes and carol texts. Nowadays many people think that church music is defined by the carols they hear from Kings College Cambridge.
He traces the folk carol in and out of church grounds, the carol hymn, the fuguing carol and the many other off-shoots, some of which survive to this day and many others which languish unloved but ready for re-discovery.
It's a journey full of song describing the history of a people who needed expression for seasonal joy in the coldest, hardest time of the year. And however efficient the heating system may be, the carol still generates warmth. Much of that is to do with the positive nostalgia of this music.
That nostalgia is in part due to the fact that carols are one of the first kinds of song children actually sing rather than hear. Many favourite carols were actually written for Children; Once in Royal David's City the most familiar example. Another factor is the concentration in the texts on the humanity of nativity with tunes garnered from the uninhibited world of folk song and ballad.
The series title is taken from a Thomas Hardy poem in which he ponders of a Darkling Thrush why it should chose to sing - 'so little cause for carolings of such ecstatic sound' - is the question asked. THis series is an attempt to answer why Carols remain so popular and familiar to so many. In fact Hardy himself, in his first novel Under The Greenwood Tree, went some way to answering his own question when he described the Mellstock Quire singing at Midnight on Christmas Eve:
'Then passed forth into the quiet night an ancient and time worn hymn, embodying a quaint Christianity in words orally transmitted from father to son through several generations down to the present characters, who sang them out right earnestly."
Jeremy brings the series up to date with the story of the famous Nine Lessons and Carols service broadcast by the BBC since the 1920s but born originally in Truro. It's a service that commands a worldwide audience measured in many millions, but as Jeremy concludes it has left an imbalance in the appreciation of our caroling tradition, a tradition that has always had one foot in the pub and another in the choir stalls.
DR, Denmark's national broadcaster and producers of 'Borgen', originally commissioned this thriller to run alongside the first series of their acclaimed political drama. Hans Gammelgaard, Private Secretary in the Ministry of the Environment, is seeking approval for the controlled use of genetically modified crops by Danish farmers. He expected opposition but not from unseen enemies prepared to go to any lengths in pursuit of their own agenda. By Tommy Bredsted, Joan Rang Christensen and Rum Malmros, in an English version by Joy Wilkinson.
This radio spin-off is set against the backdrop of the first series of the television drama, when Birgitte Nyborg became the country's new prime minister. Both series have at their centre the Danish parliament, nicknamed Borgen - 'the castle'. While the TV drama focuses on politicians, the radio drama is set in the world of the civil service. Both share the same soundtrack composed by Halfdan E.
Grandson Nick forces Hans to pick himself up after being sacked, and they join forces with cynical journalist, Jan Gleerup, to find out who has been pushing commercial interests in the GMO debate in Borgen. And then the threatening phone calls start....
Director ..... Polly Thomas
Sound designer ..... Nigel Lewis
PC ..... Willa King
Jay Rayner hosts the last programme in the current series of Radio 4's culinary panel programme, from Cardiff. Answering questions from the audience are chef and cookery teacher Angela Gray, food writer Tim Hayward, Scottish-Indian fusion chef Angela Malik, and food scientist Peter Barham.
From within the Aladdin pantomime set at The Gate Arts Centre, the panel discusses perfect party food, seasonal beverages and alternative Christmas desserts.
We also find out about the long Italian tradition present in Wales and ask whether there is a limit to what can be put onto a pizza, and Angela Gray defends the Bara Brith tea loaf.
Produced by Victoria Shepherd.
Shared Experience is a new series. Fi Glover and guests sit round a kitchen table to share strange tales that turn out to be unexpectedly common. In the first programme Fi talks to people who've seen a ghost. Fi's guests have come from different places, with different backgrounds; they live very different lives. But they have one experience they all share - the day they saw a ghost and what happened to them after. In Britain, strange tales are more common than you think.
Michael Rosen has just 24 minutes to crack the case of the police interview. His hard-bitten squad of investigators includes top crime authors Peter James and John Harvey and the writer of ITV's 'Scott and Bailey', Sally Wainwright .
Until the 1980s the police had no formal training in interviewing techniques. When a suspect entered the interrogation room he could have faced a barrage of foul language, veiled threats and downright lies. There was usually no solicitor present and no recordings of the interview. A successful interrogation was one where the suspect 'coughed', admitting to the crime as quickly as possible.
Today things are considerably more restrained. The word 'interrogation' has been banned in England and Wales. Every 'investigative interview' is captured electronically and every policeman gets training in the latest psychological techniques to draw out suspect and witness testimony. The changes might be good for justice but they're a nightmare for novelists and dramatists.
Without the threats, the bullying and the violence what's left for the crime writer who enjoys the language of villains and crimefighters under extreme pressure? Michael talks to best-selling novelists Peter James and John Harvey and TV writer Sally Wainwright about the delicate path they tread between the dull reality of police official language and the tempting darklands of their violent imaginations.
Matthew Parris is joined by Michael Horovitz who nominates fellow poet and founder of the 'Beat Generation', Allen Ginsberg, as his Great Life. Ginsberg's friend and biographer Barry Miles provides biographical detail of this colourful and controversial writer, who through his battle for free expression inspired American counter culture.
A horror story for slugs; the Escalator brothers inventing the world's first horseless staircase; and the very last programme the BBC ever does...
Jess is in Ambridge Organics finalising her party order. She takes great interest in Helen's cheese and Helen is grateful when Kirsty is able to take over. Helen just wants to be as far away as possible from Jess and Rob's domestic bliss.
At the start of their night out, Helen and Kirsty bump into Jess. Jess is uber-friendly with them both and Helen is glad to get away from her.
Ed thinks he might have found a new puppy for George. Emma is delighted and really appreciates the hard work Ed's put into finding this litter. She can't wait to go and see the puppies.
Ed finds an unexpected lodger in the cider shed. Darrell is in a terrible way. Eddie quickly brings blankets and a heater. He's determined to get Darrell into the house. Darrell is grateful for their help but doesn't want to impose and is adamant he'd rather be on his own in the shed.
Ed and Eddie get on with the last lot of turkeys. They discuss Darrell, and what they can do to help him. Eddie is determined that he won't turn his back on Darrell.
Oscar contender American Hustle stars Christian Bale and Amy Adams as a pair of con artists who are forced to help the FBI in a huge sting operation, but things go awry when Bale's erstwhile wife, Jennifer Lawrence, gets involved. Critic Antonia Quirke delivers her verdict.
It would be hard to miss Mark Gatiss' work over the course of the holiday period. On Christmas day, he makes his directorial debut with The Tractate Middoth and follows it with Ghost Writer, a documentary about M.R. James, who wrote the original story upon which his drama is based. Earlier in the day, there's a chance to catch up on his bio-pic about the beginnings of Dr Who, An Adventure In Space And Time. New Year's Day sees the start of a new series of Sherlock, which Gatiss co-created and takes a supporting role as Holmes' brother, Mycroft. Meanwhile, the actor-writer-director is appearing on stage in London in a new version of Coriolanus.
2013 has been an eventful year in music, bookended by surprise albums from David Bowie and Beyonce and featuring the rise of 17 year old New Zealander Lorde and a chart topping album from Rod Stewart, his first UK number 1 since 1976. For those who are dazzled by the choice, Gemma Cairney, Sara Mohr-Pietsch and Kate Mossman join Mark to give their recommendations for the pop, classical and alternative albums of the year.
Mark Doyle charts the challenge from Islamist militants in Europe's backyard, and asks if a series of separate conflicts are becoming part of a wider front.
In January this year armed extremists in Mali took over a large swathe of the country before being beaten back by French forces. The Islamists were killed and dispersed - but they were far from beaten. Across the edge of the Sahara, a large number of other violent, Islamist-related incidents followed or came into focus. One of the men who had led the occupation of northern Mali, Mochtar Bel Mochtar, audaciously attacked a BP oil installation in southern Algeria, across Mali's northern border. Islamists attacked a uranium mine and a military barracks in Mali's neighbour, Niger. Suicide bombers began operating in both countries for the first time. And most significantly, the conflict in Northern Nigeria intensified. The Boko Haram group, which has reported links to the Mali insurgents, occupied significant parts of the most populous country in the region. The lines in the Saharan sand are much broader than we thought - and they are shifting. The wider international community has now followed the French. A United Nations peacekeeping force is on the ground in Mali. European soldiers, including British, are retraining the Malian army. It has been decided that the fight against Saharan threat is worth blood and treasure.
BBC International Development Correspondent Mark Doyle is a veteran reporter of the continent. He gives listeners a visual picture of this new battleground, and investigates what the fighting is really about. Through on-the-ground reportage in Libya, Mali, Nigeria and Somalia, and interviews with African and European players, he asks if the tactics the domestic and international forces deploy will work.
Smartphone apps expert and In Touch reporter Lee Kumutat and lutenist Matthew Wadsworth join Peter White to discuss the best and favourite apps for blind and partially-sighted users for both the iPhone and Android phones.
Lee tries one of them which takes a picture and then, using speech, describes the image.
Why rituals like blowing out candles on a birthday cake table before eating it can improve the taste. Claudia Hammond talks to Michael Norton from Harvard University about his new research on the powerful effect of rituals on food and how it can work for chocolate and even carrots. Why people with an extraordinary ability to remember every details of their life and the events going on years ago are still susceptible to false memories. What does this reveal about how our memories work? More on the All in the Mind 25th anniversary mental health awards with awards judge, Marion Janner. What are the rules for people on medication for a mental health condition who want to give blood? Claudia talks to Jennie Naylor from NHS blood and transplant. Also in the programme why a meaningful life might not be a happy one and Claudia is joined by cognitive neuroscientist and blogger, Christian Jarrett to bust the myths about the differences between male and female brains.
Blake Ritson reads a classic Jeeves and Wooster story from P G Wodehouse, one of the masters of comic fiction.
'Oh thanks,' I responded, for it sounded like a compliment, and one always likes to say the civil thing.
Bertie Wooster has been overdoing the metropolitan life a little, so on doctor's orders, finds himself retiring to the quiet hamlet of Maiden Eggesford to 'sleep the sleep of the just and lead the quiet Martini-less life'. Only the presence of his irrepressible Aunt Dahlia shatters the rustic peace as an imbroglio develops - destined to be famous down the long years as the 'Maiden Eggesford Horror' or 'The Case Of The Cat Which Kept Popping Up When Least Expected' - which involves a stolen cat, an over-sensitive racehorse, and some star-crossed lovers. Wooster's quick-thinking butler Jeeves, as always, comes to the rescue.
Today: 'The quiet, Martini-less life' - man-about-town Wooster finds himself, on doctor's orders, sampling the quiet life in the sleepy village of Maiden Eggesford. But then, best laid plans....
The author of almost a hundred books and the creator of Jeeves, Blandings Castle, Psmith, Ukridge, Uncle Fred and Mr Mulliner, P G Wodehouse was born in 1881 in Guildford, Surrey, in 1881. He was created a Knight of the British Empire in 1975 and died the same year at the age of ninety-three. Jeeves and Wooster were perhaps his best-known creations; 'Aunts Aren't Gentlemen' was published in 1974, and was the last novel to feature the literary duo.
WEDNESDAY 18 DECEMBER 2013
WED 00:00 Midnight News (b03lkmfb)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.
WED 00:30 Book of the Week (b03lpfwm)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:45 on Tuesday]
WED 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b03lkmfd)
The latest shipping forecast.
WED 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b03lkmfg)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
WED 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b03lkmfj)
The latest shipping forecast.
WED 05:30 News Briefing (b03lkmfl)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.
WED 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b03lpjp1)
A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day with Father Eugene O'Neill.
WED 05:45 Farming Today (b03lpjp3)
As Defra decides to stop single farm payments on smallholdings under five hectares, MEPs call for more support for the smallest food producers across the EU. Anna Hill hears from Scottish MEP, Alyn Smith who explains the proposals of a new Small Farm Scheme, which includes financial support for those farming tiny pockets of land.
Our reporter Lucy Bickerton heads to Somerset and meets smallholder Sally Morgan who runs courses for wannabe smallholders and finds out it's not for the faint-hearted.
A system which allowed free movement of horses between France, Ireland and the UK without health certificates is to be tightened up next year. The change comes after concerns about traceability following the horsemeat scandal. From May 2014 most horses, except thoroughbreds and competition animals will have to be assessed by a vet and pass a health check before travelling between the UK and France. Ireland will be exempt from the changes. Anna visits the stables at World Horse Welfare to find out more.
Sheep farmers around the country are gearing up for lambing and while new figures show net margins are improving, there's still a huge difference between the top producers and the average farmer. Why is there such a gulf in the UK sheep industry?
Presented by Anna Hill and produced by Anna Jones.
WED 05:58 Tweet of the Day (b03k5c3r)
Sanderling
Tweet of the Day is a series of fascinating stories about our British birds inspired by their calls and songs.
David Attenborough presents the sanderling. Twinkling along the tideline, so fast that their legs are a blur, sanderlings are small waders. It's the speed with which they dodge incoming waves that catches your attention as they run after the retreating waters and frantically probe the sand.
WED 06:00 Today (b03lpjp5)
Morning news and current affairs. Including Sports Desk, Yesterday in Parliament, Weather and Thought for the Day.
WED 09:00 Midweek (b03lpjp7)
Imogen Stubbs, Mary Kenny, John Julius Norwich, John Halpern
Libby Purves meets crossword setter John Halpern; historian and travel writer John Julius Norwich; journalist Mary Kenny and actor Imogen Stubbs.
John Halpern is a crossword setter. His work features in the Guardian (under the name Paul), the Financial Times (as Mudd) and the Times (Anon). His new book, The Centenary of the Crossword, starts with the story of Arthur Wynne - a journalist from Liverpool who created the first crossword on December 21 1913. The book includes inside information about how crosswords are compiled, tips for solving different types of clues and examples of puzzles from prominent setters around the world. The Centenary of the Crossword is published by Andre Deutsch.
John Julius Norwich is an historian, travel writer and broadcaster. The only son of Lady Diana and Duff Cooper, his new book features correspondence from his mother between 1939 and 1952. The letters recount her experiences during the Blitz and life with her society friends Evelyn Waugh and the Mitfords. Darling Monster - The Letters of Lady Diana Cooper to Her Son John Julius Norwich is published by Chatto & Windus.
Mary Kenny is an Irish journalist, author, playwright and broadcaster. She has written for over 25 newspapers over a career spanning four decades. In her new book she recalls her life from her days as a young reporter for the London Evening Standard to coping with the responsibility of being a full time carer for her husband. Something of Myself and Others is published by Liberties Press.
Imogen Stubbs is an actor and writer. She discovered her passion for acting while studying at Oxford University. She is best known for her stage performances with the Royal Shakespeare Company, notably as Desdemona in Othello opposite Willard White which was directed by Trevor Nunn. She is currently starring in Strangers on a Train by Craig Warner at the Gielgud Theatre, London.
Producer: Paula McGinley.
WED 09:45 Book of the Week (b03lpjp9)
Diana Cooper - Darling Monster
Episode 3
This new book contains the letters sent from aristocrat, society darling and actress of stage and early screen, Lady Diana Cooper, to her only son, John Julius Norwich.
When Lady Diana married rising political star Duff Cooper, they became the golden couple who knew everyone who was anyone. Her letters serve as a portrait of a time, capturing some of history's most dramatic events and most important figures with immediacy and intimacy. But they also give us a touching portrait of the love between a mother and son, separated by war, oceans and the constraints of the time they lived in.
Her letters span the years 1939 to 1952, taking in the Blitz, Diana's short spell as a farmer in Sussex, a trip to the Far East when husband Duff was collecting war intelligence, the couple's three years in the Paris embassy, as well as a great number of journeys around Europe and North Africa.
Today, Lady Diana moves into the French Embassy, along with her husband the politician Duff Cooper and his lover Louis de Vilmorin. Their parties become legendary.
Read by John Julius Norwich and Patricia Hodge
Producer: David Roper
Abridger: Barry Johnston
A Heavy Entertainment production for BBC Radio 4.
WED 10:00 Woman's Hour (b03lpjpc)
Nicola Sturgeon; Jung Chang; Gone With the Wind
Powerlister Nicola Sturgeon talks about being deputy first minister of Scotland and her political career. We look at the latest figures on forced marriage for people with learning difficulties. How should professionals best intervene? 75 years on and Gone With the Wind is being screened again. Why is it so enduring and what is the film's feminist appeal? What you need to know about travelling home safely after a christmas night out. And our 'Come Into My Kitchen' series continues as we visit the home of Wild Swans writer Jung Chang.
WED 10:45 Roddy Doyle on Radio 4 (b03lpjpf)
The Snapper
Episode 3
Barrytown is buzzing with speculation. Sharon Rabbitte is pregnant and she's not telling anyone who the father is. But with tongues wagging and rumours mounting, just how long will it take everyone to work out who in Barrytown is the "snapper's" Da?
The second of Roddy Doyle's Barrytown series of novels, all to be dramatized by BBC Radio 4. After a drunken encounter at the soccer club do, Sharon is pregnant and much to the annoyance to her dad, Jimmy, refusing to name the baby's father. So when Jimmy gets wind that it might be someone close to home all hell breaks loose.
The cast includes David Wilmot as Jimmy Snr (Ripper Street, Anna Karenina) and Aoife Duffin as Sharon (Moone Boy.)
Written by Roddy Doyle
Dramatised by Eugene O'Brien
Producer: Gemma McMullan
Director: Eoin O'Callaghan.
WED 11:00 Lives in a Landscape (b03lpjph)
Series 15
Going, Going, Gone
Alan Dein present's Radio 4's series of documentaries telling out-of-the-ordinary stories from contemporary British life.
In the Sheffield auction room they see it all, from miners' welfare centres, to country manors and repossessed bowling alleys, and whatever state the buildings are in there's nearly always someone willing to bid for them.
The process is largely overseen by Adrian Little, whose own father was a livestock auctioneer. His right hand man is Mohammed Mahroof, whose father came from Pakistan to work in the steel works and had no intention of staying in his rented accommodation where he slept twelve to a room.
Over a four week period viewings take place on a welfare centre in Grimethorpe, a council library in Sheffield and homes in various states of disrepair. That doesn't seem to deter. Scores of people come and dream about the type of home they can make for themselves in this desirable area of the city. Others don't view at all - preferring to turn up at the auction room to snap up anything which can provide them with a rental income or a conversion possibility.
As Mahroof drives round the city he can't resist reciting the value of nearly every building he passes: a habit he clearly inherits from his Dad. And for those in Grimethorpe, the auction represents the end of the days of community provision. Dot watches developers peer and poke their way round the galleried rooms: all of them want to bulldoze the site and erect flats in place of the meeting spaces she remembers from the miner's strike: 'it's sad to see these buildings lost to us,' she says, 'but that's the way it is - the old times have gone for good.'
Producer/reporter: Sue Mitchell.
WED 11:30 Believe It! (b03lpjpk)
Series 2
Secrets
Jon Canter's "radiography" of Richard Wilson returns for a second series.
Celebrity autobiographies are everywhere. Richard Wilson has always said he'd never write one. Based on glimmers of truth, BELIEVE IT is the hilarious, bizarre, revealing (and, most importantly, untrue) celebrity autobiography of Richard Wilson.
He narrates the series with his characteristic dead-pan delivery, weaving in and out of dramatised scenes from his fictional life-story. He plays a heavily exaggerated version of himself: a Scots actor and national treasure, unmarried, private, passionate about politics, theatre and Manchester United (all true), who's a confidant of the powerful and has survived childhood poverty, a drunken father, years of fruitless grind, too much success, monstrosity, addiction, charity work and fierce rivalry with Sean Connery and Ian McKellan (not true).
The title - in case you hadn't spotted - is an unashamed reference his famous catchphrase.
WED 12:00 You and Yours (b03lpjpm)
Charity Investigations
How much do you know about the way charities use your money? If the Charity Commission has concerns about the way a charity is run, or is investigating its work, should the public routinely be told?
The government says it wants to help people with disabilities to find a job. It has published a new Disability Employment Strategy. Will it make a real difference in helping people to find work and stay in work? What support do employers need to encourage them to recruit more people with disabilities?
The latest on efforts to bring high speed broadband to rural parts of the UK. And the village where you don't need to choose between going to the pub - and going to the movies.
Do contact the programme with your stories and experiences. Email youandyours@bbc.co.uk
Producer: Jonathan Hallewell
Presenter: Winifred Robinson.
WED 12:57 Weather (b03lkmfn)
The latest weather forecast.
WED 13:00 World at One (b03lkmfq)
National and international news. Listeners can share their views via email: wato@bbc.co.uk or on twitter: #wato.
WED 13:45 A Cause for Caroling (b03lpjpp)
The Birth of Nine Lessons with Carols
In the eighth programme of his series charting the development of the Christmas Carol in Britain Jeremy Summerly reaches the critical moment at which the 19th century enthusiasm for carols sung in church resulted in a vehicle in which they could take a leading role. It was developed by Bishop Benson of Truro who, in 1880 found himself holding services in a huge wooden shed while a new cathedral was being built next door. To celebrate the new diocese and capture the enthusiasm he recognise in the nonconformist tradition of carol singing in Cornwall, Benson developed a narrative service running from Adam's original sin to the birth of Christ and the impact of the word made flesh.
Jeremy visits Truro and then follows Benson's service to the moment in 1918 when a war-wearied Dean of King's College Chapel, Cambridge, Erich Milner-White decided to use the service as part of his college's Christmas celebrations. The changes he made survive to this day.
Series Description:
The Christmas carol is as popular now as it was when carolers celebrated the birth of Edward III in 1312. Back then the carol was a generic term for a song with its roots in dance form, nowadays only the strictest scholar would quibble with the fact that a carol is a Christmas song.
But the journey the carol has taken is unique in music history because each shift in the story has been preserved in the carols that we sing today. Go to a carol concert now and you're likely to hear folk, medieval, mid-victorian and modern music all happily combined. It's hard to imagine that happening in any other situation.
In these programmes Jeremy Summerly follows the carol journey through the Golden age of the Medieval carol into the troubled period of Reformation and puritanism, along the byways of the 17th and 18th century waits and gallery musicians and in to the sudden explosion of interest in the carol in the 19th century. It's a story that sees the carol veer between the sacred and secular even before there was any understanding of those terms. For long periods the church, both catholic and protestant, was uneasy about the virility and homespun nature of carol tunes and carol texts. Nowadays many people think that church music is defined by the carols they hear from Kings College Cambridge.
He traces the folk carol in and out of church grounds, the carol hymn, the fuguing carol and the many other off-shoots, some of which survive to this day and many others which languish unloved but ready for re-discovery.
It's a journey full of song describing the history of a people who needed expression for seasonal joy in the coldest, hardest time of the year. And however efficient the heating system may be, the carol still generates warmth. Much of that is to do with the positive nostalgia of this music.
That nostalgia is in part due to the fact that carols are one of the first kinds of song children actually sing rather than hear. Many favourite carols were actually written for Children; Once in Royal David's City the most familiar example. Another factor is the concentration in the texts on the humanity of nativity with tunes garnered from the uninhibited world of folk song and ballad.
The series title is taken from a Thomas Hardy poem in which he ponders of a Darkling Thrush why it should chose to sing - 'so little cause for carolings of such ecstatic sound' - is the question asked. THis series is an attempt to answer why Carols remain so popular and familiar to so many. In fact Hardy himself, in his first novel Under The Greenwood Tree, went some way to answering his own question when he described the Mellstock Quire singing at Midnight on Christmas Eve:
'Then passed forth into the quiet night an ancient and time worn hymn, embodying a quaint Christianity in words orally transmitted from father to son through several generations down to the present characters, who sang them out right earnestly."
Jeremy brings the series up to date with the story of the famous Nine Lessons and Carols service broadcast by the BBC since the 1920s but born originally in Truro. It's a service that commands a worldwide audience measured in many millions, but as Jeremy concludes it has left an imbalance in the appreciation of our caroling tradition, a tradition that has always had one foot in the pub and another in the choir stalls.
Producer:Tom Alban.
WED 14:00 The Archers (b03lph8t)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Tuesday]
WED 14:15 Borgen: Outside the Castle (b03lpjpr)
Episode 3
Forced into early retirement, former civil servant Hans Gammelgaard has formed an unlikely alliance with Nick, his environmental activist grandson, and journalist Jan Gleerup. They are determined to discover who is pulling the strings at the Ministry of the Environment and manipulating legislation on genetically modified crops. By Tommy Bredsted and Joan Rang Christensen, in an English version by Joy Wilkinson.
Music by Halfdan E
Directed by Anders Lundorph
*******
Originally produced in ten parts by DR, Denmark's national broadcaster, this radio spin-off of 'Borgen' is set against the backdrop of the first series of the television drama which followed the unlikely emergence of Birgitte Nyborg as the country's new prime minister. Both series have at their centre the Danish parliament, nicknamed Borgen - 'the castle'. While the TV drama focuses on the politicians, the radio drama is set in the world of the civil service. Both share the same soundtrack composed by Halfdan E.
WED 15:00 Money Box Live (b03lpjxy)
State Pension
Need advice about your state pension? In his Autumn Statement, Chancellor George Osborne announced a further increase in state pension age and an opportunity for some people to boost their additional state pension. To ask about the changes or your entitlement call 03700 100 444 from
1pm to
3.30pm on Wednesday or e-mail moneybox@bbc.co.uk.
Earlier this year Pensions Minister Steve Webb announced plans for a flat-rate pension which will affect people who reach state pension age from 6 April 2016. The provisions are currently progressing through parliament in the Pensions Bill and should receive Royal Assent next year.
If you want to find out about building up, delaying or claiming a state pension you can ask our team how it works.
Or perhaps you have a question about pension credit or other financial assistance. Age UK say that around £5.5 billion in Pension Credit, Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit remains unclaimed each year.
Whatever your question, presenter Paul Lewis will be waiting for your call. Joining Paul will be:
Michelle Cracknell, Chief Executive, The Pensions Advisory Service.
Malcolm McLean, Pensions Consultant, Barnett Waddingham.
Sally West, Strategy Adviser, Income and Poverty, Age UK.
Call 03700 100 444 between
1pm and
3.30pm on Wednesday or e-mail moneybox@bbc.co.uk now. Standard geographic charges apply. Calls from mobiles may be higher.
Presenter: Paul Lewis
Producers: Diane Richardson and Sally Abrahams.
WED 15:30 All in the Mind (b03lph92)
[Repeat of broadcast at
21:00 on Tuesday]
WED 16:00 Thinking Allowed (b03lpjy0)
Couples and Chronic Illness; Fashion and Dress in Later Life
Fashion and dress in later life: Laurie Taylor talks to the sociologist, Julia Twigg, about her study into the links between clothing and age. Throughout history certain forms and styles of dress have been deemed appropriate for people as they get older. Older women, in particular, have been advised to dress in toned down, covered up styles. Drawing on fashion theory and cultural gerontology, Professor Twigg interviewed older women, fashion editors, clothing designers and retailers. She asks if the emergence of a 'grey market' is finally shifting cultural norms and trends. The broadcaster, writer and fashion enthusiast, Robert Elms, joins the discussion.
Also, Research Student, Eloise Radcliffe, discusses her study into how couples cope when one develops a chronic illness.
Producer: Jayne Egerton.
WED 16:30 The Media Show (b03lpjy2)
BuzzFeed; BBC governance; Danish writers' rooms
Today the BBC Trust published a report by PwC into the BBC's failed Digital Media Initiative (DMI) technology project. Serious weaknesses were found in the management of the programme. Also, this week the Public Accounts Committee criticised a 'culture of cronyism' at the BBC for allowing excessive payouts to be made to some of its top departing executives. The journalist Simon Jenkins and Jean Seaton, Professor of Media History at the University of Westminster, discuss the culture and future governance of the BBC.
The social sharing news and entertainment site BuzzFeed attracted more than 10 million unique UK users in November. The site is best known for its light-hearted collection of lists such as 'The 24 most important selfies' or 'The 12 most tenuous newspaper headlines about Kate Middleton in 2013'. Luke Lewis, UK Editor talks about BuzzFeed becoming a serious news player.
The Danish public service broadcaster, DR, has enjoyed considerable success with The Killing and Borgen. Danish academic Dr Eva Novrup Redvall, author of a new book 'Writing and Producing Television Drama in Denmark', has spent time observing the writers' room for Borgen. She argues its success is due to the position of writers within the production culture. TV scriptwriter and author Anthony Horowitz, who is currently in production with a new series of Foyles War, talks about the writing process here in the UK.
Producer: Dianne McGregor.
WED 17:00 PM (b03lpjy4)
Full coverage and analysis of the day's news.
WED 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b03lkmfs)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
WED 18:30 What Does the K Stand For? (b03lpjy6)
Series 1
The Cat Next Door
An actress moves in next door to the Amos household and encourages Young Stephen to overcome his stage fright.
Stephen K Amos's sitcom about his teenage years, growing up black, gay and funny in 1980s South London.
Written by Jonathan Harvey with Stephen K Amos.
Himself ... Stephen K Amos
Young Stephen ... Shaquille Ali-Yebuah
Stephanie Amos ... Fatou Sohna
Virginia Amos ... Ellen Thomas
Vincent Amos ... Don Gilet
Miss Collins ... Gemma Whelan
Fola ... Kathryn Drysdale
PE Teacher ... Harry Jardine
Bo Bells ... Rachel Atkins
Producer: Colin Anderson
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 2013.
WED 19:00 The Archers (b03lpjy8)
Jill admires the bracelet David bought Ruth for their anniversary. They discuss the finishing touches to the surprise anniversary party. Jill is nostalgic about her relationship with Phil. She remembers how excited she was the night before their wedding. David and Ruth seem as happy as they were.
Ed and Emma are excited to see the litter of puppies. They are perfect and Ed can't wait for George to come and pick one out. However, the farmer delivers a blow when he tells Ed they won't be able to take one home until after Christmas. First pick has already been promised to another family, and they're away until the new year. Ed isn't happy but the farmer won't break his promise.
Leonie is devising a list of James's personality traits, hoping that might shed some light on their uncertain future. Leonie tries to discuss it with Lynda but she's more interested in getting to the Robin Hood rehearsal on time. Upset Leonie reveals that there's something she hasn't told Lynda - she's pregnant! Leonie hasn't told James, and with the way he's been treating her she doesn't feel the need to. She's not even sure she's going to have the baby.
WED 19:15 Front Row (b03lpjyb)
Coriolanus, Olivia Colman, Alex Ferguson's ghost writer, comedy DVDs
Mark Lawson reviews the new production of Coriolanus. Josie Rourke directs Shakespeare's tragedy of political manipulation and revenge, with Tom Hiddleston making his return to the Donmar Warehouse in London in the title role.
Producer: Rebecca Armstrong.
WED 19:45 Roddy Doyle on Radio 4 (b03lpjpf)
[Repeat of broadcast at
10:45 today]
WED 20:00 Whatever Happened to Community?: The Debate (b03lrzjk)
Giles Fraser, former Canon Chancellor of St Paul's Cathedral, is now the priest of a run-down parish in Elephant and Castle. This has set him thinking about the nature of community, which he's been exploring in Radio 4's three-part series Whatever Happened to Community?
Now, he now brings together four key players to debate the nature of community and what's happening to it in 21st century Britain. Baroness Warsi is Minister for Faith and Communities and Hilary Benn is Shadow Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government. Jane Wills, Professor of Human Geography at Queen Mary, University of London, and writer and philosopher Roger Scruton complete the panel.
In front of an audience of local people at his church in South London, Giles askes whether communities are in crisis. What should the Government do to strengthen community bonds - or must change come from grass roots and local organisers? The audience will also put their own questions to the panel.
Polemical, refreshingly candid, and unafraid to ask uncomfortable questions, Giles and his guests will get to the heart of how we live now. Do we really want to live together like this?
Recorded on location at St Mary's Church, Newington, South London.
Produced by Jane Greenwood and Jo Coombs
A Loftus production for BBC Radio 4.
WED 20:45 Pop-Up Ideas (b03lrzjm)
Series 2
Jerry Brotton: Mapping History
Jerry Brotton, Professor of Renaissance Studies at Queen Mary, University of London, argues that how we see the world depends on where we stand on it.
He takes us back to the Hereford mappamundi - with its unicorns, griffins, cannibals and fabled cities - a world picture completely consistent, logical, and comprehensible to the England of 1300.
Google Hereford today, Professor Brotton says, and you find "a very different set of digital preoccupations"; not Babel or Jerusalem but how far we are from Hereford's Cider Museum or the nearest bike shop.
He concludes that "each period in history gets the map it deserves, whatever version of salvation it offers".
Producer: Adele Armstrong.
WED 21:00 Frontiers (b03lrzjp)
Chronotypes
Are you a lark or an owl? Are you at your best in the morning or the evening? Linda Geddes meets the scientists who are exploring the differences between larks and owls. At the University of Surrey's Sleep Research Centre she talks to its director, Professor Derk-Jan Dijk, and finds out her own chronotype by filling in a questionnaire.
Linda discovers why we have circadian rhythms and why they don't all run at the same rate. Dr Louis Ptacek from the University of California, San Francisco, explains his investigation of the genes of families whose members get up very early in the morning and of those who get up very late.
She finds out why our sleep patterns change as we age - teenagers really aren't good at getting up in the morning. Professor Mary Carskadon from Brown University explains that although some schools have experimented with a later start there is no plan to put this into universal practice.
Linda talks to Professor Til Roenneberg from Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich about his concept of social jetlag. And she hears about research trying to reduce the exhaustion often suffered by shift workers. Dr Steve Lockley of Harvard University tells her about using blue light to improve the wellbeing of people with medical conditions.
WED 21:30 Midweek (b03lpjp7)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:00 today]
WED 21:58 Weather (b03lkmfv)
The latest weather forecast.
WED 22:00 The World Tonight (b03lrzjr)
In-depth reporting and analysis from a global perspective.
WED 22:45 Book at Bedtime (b03lrzjt)
Aunts Aren't Gentlemen
Has He Brought It Yet?
A classic Jeeves and Wooster story from P G Wodehouse, one of the masters of comic fiction.
'Mr Wooster,' he said, 'you are a typical young man about town.'
'Oh thanks,' I responded, for it sounded like a compliment, and one always likes to say the civil thing.
Bertie Wooster has been overdoing the metropolitan life a little, so on doctor's orders, finds himself retiring to the quiet hamlet of Maiden Eggesford to 'sleep the sleep of the just and lead the quiet Martini-less life'. Only the presence of his irrepressible Aunt Dahlia shatters the rustic peace as an imbroglio develops - destined to be famous down the long years as the 'Maiden Eggesford Horror' or 'The Case Of The Cat Which Kept Popping Up When Least Expected' - which involves a stolen cat, an over-sensitive racehorse, and some star-crossed lovers. Wooster's quick-thinking butler Jeeves, as always, comes to the rescue.
Today: 'Has he brought it yet?' - the tribulations of the star-crossed lovers and a disappearing cat are tempting Bertie away from the quiet, Martini-less life.
The author of almost a hundred books and the creator of Jeeves, Blandings Castle, Psmith, Ukridge, Uncle Fred and Mr Mulliner, P G Wodehouse was born in 1881 in Guildford, Surrey, in 1881. He was created a Knight of the British Empire in 1975 and died the same year at the age of ninety-three. Jeeves and Wooster were perhaps his best-known creations; 'Aunts Aren't Gentlemen' was published in 1974, and was the last novel to feature the literary duo.
Reader: Blake Ritson
Abridger: Richard Hamilton
Producer: Justine Willett.
WED 23:00 Political Animals (b03lrzjw)
Series 2
Buddy and Bill
Bill Clinton's dog, Buddy, relives his turbulent tenure - made perilous by his arch enemy, Socks the Cat.
Another unreliable dog's eye view of the trials and tribulations of Washington living in the White House.
Buddy ..... Kerry Shale
Socks ..... Joel Maccormack
West Wing Guy ..... David Seddon
Written by Tony Bagley.
Director: Marc Beeby.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 2013.
WED 23:15 Bird Island (b01k2b18)
Series 1
Episode 3
On one hand, Ben is on the trip of a lifetime to Sub-Antarctica. On the other, he's trapped in an icy hell with one other person, a dodgy internet connection and a dictaphone. Loneliness is something of a problem. His fellow travelling scientist Graham should alleviate this, but the tragi-comic fact is, they are nerdy blokes, so they can only stumble through yet another awkward exchange. Ben experiences all the highs and lows that this beautiful, but lonely place has to offer but fails miserably to communicate this to Graham. So, Ben shares his thoughts with us in the form of an audio 'log'.
Apart from his research studying the Albatross on the Island, Ben attempts to continue normal life with an earnestness and enthusiasm which is ultimately very endearing. We're with him as chats awkwardly with Graham, telephones his mother and as he tries to form a long distance relationship with a woman through Chemistry.com. In fact, we follow Ben as everything occurs to him. We also hear the pings and whirrs of machinery, the Squawks and screeches of the birds and the vast expanse outside. Oh, and ice. Lots of ice.
EPISDE THREE:
Bird Island is the story of Ben, a young scientist working in Antarctica, trying to socially adapt to the loneliness by keeping a cheery audio diary on his Dictaphone. An atmospheric 15 minute non-audience comedy.
Ben and Graham encounter a seal cub that's been attacked. He takes it home and carefully nurses it back to life and share the pup's progress with his mum and Dad.
EPISDE THREE CAST:
Ben ..... Reece Shearsmith
Graham ..... Julian Rhind-Tutt
Beverley..... Alison Steadman
Robin..... Gerard Mcdermott
Written by ..... Katy Wix
Produced by ..... Tilusha Ghelani.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2012.
WED 23:30 Today in Parliament (b03lrzjy)
Susan Hulme reports on the last Prime Minister's Questions of the year. An emotional debate on foodbanks. And is there a crisis at A&E ?
Editor: Peter Mulligan.
THURSDAY 19 DECEMBER 2013
THU 00:00 Midnight News (b03lkmgs)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.
THU 00:30 Book of the Week (b03lpjp9)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:45 on Wednesday]
THU 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b03lkmgv)
The latest shipping forecast.
THU 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b03lkmgx)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
THU 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b03lkmgz)
The latest shipping forecast.
THU 05:30 News Briefing (b03lkmh1)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.
THU 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b03ls14y)
A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day with Father Eugene O'Neill.
THU 05:45 Farming Today (b03ls150)
Will cuts to rural fire services mean slower response times in remote parts of Britain , especially after a 2.9% cut in local government funding in 2014? The average time it takes to respond to a countryside emergency has deteriorated by around 25% over the last three decades. Charlotte Smith discusses the issue with Graham Briggs from the Rural Services Network who fears it could put lives in danger.
What's the difference between a small farmer and a small holder? Well, apparently one is "fluffy and Nancy Pandy" and the other is "business focused". Charlotte hears from both sides of the fence, as it were.
And reactions to the Fisheries Council meeting in Brussels where a decision has been made on fish quotas. Northern Ireland is disappointed with a 9% cut to the prawn quota while Wales is pleased with an increase for plaice fishing in the Bristol Channel and Celtic Sea. Charlotte hears from Alun Davies, the Welsh Minister for Natural Resources and Food.
Presented by Charlotte Smith and produced in Bristol by Anna Jones.
THU 05:58 Tweet of the Day (b03k5c63)
Snow Bunting
Tweet of the Day is a series of fascinating stories about our British birds inspired by their calls and songs.
David Attenborough presents the snow bunting. The ornithologist and author, Desmond Nethersole-Thompson, described the snow bunting as 'possibly the most romantic and elusive bird in the British Isles'. When you disturb a flock of what seem to be brownish birds, they explode into a blizzard of white-winged buntings, calling softly as they swirl around the winter strandline.
THU 06:00 Today (b03ls152)
Morning news and current affairs. Including Sports Desk, Yesterday in Parliament, Weather and Thought for the Day.
THU 09:00 In Our Time (b03ls154)
Complexity
Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss complexity and how it can help us understand the world around us. When living beings come together and act in a group, they do so in complicated and unpredictable ways: societies often behave very differently from the individuals within them. Complexity was a phenomenon little understood a generation ago, but research into complex systems now has important applications in many different fields, from biology to political science. Today it is being used to explain how birds flock, to predict traffic flow in cities and to study the spread of diseases.
With:
Ian Stewart
Emeritus Professor of Mathematics at the University of Warwick
Jeff Johnson
Professor of Complexity Science and Design at the Open University
Professor Eve Mitleton-Kelly
Director of the Complexity Research Group at the London School of Economics.
Producer: Thomas Morris.
THU 09:45 Book of the Week (b03ls156)
Diana Cooper - Darling Monster
Episode 4
This new book contains the letters sent from aristocrat, society darling and actress of stage and early screen, Lady Diana Cooper, to her only son, John Julius Norwich.
When Lady Diana married rising political star Duff Cooper, they became the golden couple who knew everyone who was anyone. Her letters serve as a portrait of a time, capturing some of history's most dramatic events and most important figures with immediacy and intimacy. But they also give us a touching portrait of the love between a mother and son, separated by war, oceans and the constraints of the time they lived in.
Her letters span the years 1939 to 1952, taking in the Blitz, Diana's short spell as a farmer in Sussex, a trip to the Far East when husband Duff was collecting war intelligence, the couple's three years in the Paris embassy, as well as a great number of journeys around Europe and North Africa.
In the fourth episode, Duff and Diana Cooper continue their travels - taking in Venice, Marrakesh, Tangier, Algiers and Seville. At home in 1949, all hopes are pinned on the dawn of a new era.
Read by John Julius Norwich and Patricia Hodge
Producer: David Roper
Abridger: Barry Johnston
A Heavy Entertainment production for BBC Radio 4.
THU 10:00 Woman's Hour (b03ls158)
Sexual Offences Investigation Team; Anne-Marie Cockburn; Sandi Toksvig
Jenni visits the Sexual Offences Investigation Team in Hertfordshire to see how they deal with allegations of sexual violence. A young woman talks about her experience of immediately reporting being raped to the Police. Plus we hear from Deputy Assistant Commissioner for the Metropolitan Police Martin Hewitt about his concerns as national policing lead for sexual offences at Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO).
Martha Fernback was 15 when she died after taking half a gram of MDMA. That was 5 months ago. Her single mum buried herself in writing as a way of channelling her immense pain as she mourned the loss of her only child. Her outpourings have now been published, and her book 5,742 days - the number of days Martha lived - documents her agonising journey. Anne-Marie Cockburn talks about her daughter and the positivity that's helping her face the future.
We visit Polesden Lacey near Dorking in Surrey to experience an Edwardian Christmas. The house was the country home of the fabulously wealthy heiress, Margaret Greville, who'd married Ronnie, the eldest son of Lord Greville. Margaret was widowed young, but as 'Mrs Ronnie,' she became the confidante of royalty and hosted lavish Christmas house parties.
And with Boxing Day just a week away it's time to open the latest window in the Radio 4 Advent Calendar - it's Sandi Toksvig.
THU 10:45 Roddy Doyle on Radio 4 (b03ls15b)
The Snapper
Episode 4
Barrytown is buzzing with speculation. Sharon Rabbitte is pregnant and she's not telling anyone who the father is. But with tongues wagging and rumours mounting, just how long will it take everyone to work out who in Barrytown is the "snapper's" Da?
The second of Roddy Doyle's Barrytown series of novels, all to be dramatized by BBC Radio 4. After a drunken encounter at the soccer club do, Sharon is pregnant and much to the annoyance to her dad, Jimmy, refusing to name the baby's father. So when Jimmy gets wind that it might be someone close to home all hell breaks loose.
The cast includes David Wilmot as Jimmy Snr (Ripper Street, Anna Karenina) and Aoife Duffin as Sharon (Moone Boy.)
Written by Roddy Doyle
Dramatised by Eugene O'Brien
Producer: Gemma McMullan
Director: Eoin O'Callaghan.
THU 11:00 Crossing Continents (b03ls15d)
Bangladesh: Trials of Strength
Farhana Haider investigates the prosecution of alleged war criminals and asks if the trials are being used to target the opposition.
There were numerous reports of atrocities during the brutal war of 1971 between Pakistan on one side and the new state which was to become Bangladesh, which had support from India. The Pakistani Army and Islamic sympathisers in Bangladesh were accused of rape and of mass killings which some have described as genocide. In 2010 the governing Awami League set up war crimes trials which have started to hand down convictions this year, attracting strong public support. However, many international observers have criticised the conduct of the trials as less than free and fair. And supporters of the largest Bangladesh's largest Islamist party Jamaat-e-Islami have reacted furiously to the conviction of several of their leaders, saying the process is politically motivated.
Farhana Haider asks whether the legal process will really enable Bangladesh to come to terms with its bloody beginnings.
Producer: John Murphy.
THU 11:30 The Lost Tapes of Orson Welles (b03ls15g)
Episode 1
This two-part programme is a revealing series of informal conversations with the man best known as America's great cultural provocateur and one of the finest of filmmakers.
Director Orson Welles was asked to write his life story in his later years. He declined but was convinced by his friend Henry Jaglom to discuss his life over a weekly lunch at their favourite Hollywood restaurant, Ma Maison. The hundreds of tapes, recorded from 1983 to 1985, reveal extraordinary, frank, conversations between Welles and the independent director Jaglom.
The tapes gathered dust in a shoebox in the corner of Jaglom's production office for over thirty years - until now, but this programme provides an opportunity to hear the amazing material they contain for the first time.
Welles talks intimately, disclosing personal secrets and reflecting on the people of the time. At times the tapes display the great film maker as a world champion grudge keeper, rather different from the amiable character who appeared in interviews when he was alive. As we hear, he hated the way Charlton Heston always called Touch of Evil (directed by Welles) a 'minor film'. Welles also found the work of fellow directors, Woody Allen, Charlie Chaplin and Alfred Hitchcock, difficult to embrace. But, as we hear, he had some unexpected enthusiasms.
Presenter Christopher Frayling reveals the great director free to be irreverent and Welles is sometimes cynical and romantic, sentimental but never boring, and often wickedly entertaining. The programmes also feature the thoughts of fellow diner Henry Jaglom, film author Peter Biskind, as well as actor and Welles scholar Simon Callow.
Producer: John Sugar
A Sugar production for BBC Radio 4.
THU 12:00 You and Yours (b03ls15j)
Shopping figures; Charity letters; Christmas lights sabotage
The Office for National Statistics releases its last shopping figures before Christmas.
A listener asks if it is ethical for charities to keep sending donation letters to his elderly relative.
A husband exacts his revenge on his wife over festive lights by writing his own Christmas letter.
THU 12:57 Weather (b03lkmh3)
The latest weather forecast.
THU 13:00 World at One (b03lkmh5)
National and international news. Listeners can share their views via email: wato@bbc.co.uk or on twitter: #wato.
THU 13:45 A Cause for Caroling (b03ls15l)
Import and Export
The penultimate programme in Jeremy Summerly's series tracing the history of the Christmas Carol in Britain. Jeremy picks up the story in the first half of the 20th century with carols from all over the world becoming more popular in this country much to the irritation of Ralph Vaughan Williams who continued to champion the folk tradition, albeit in a refined choral form. This was a time when the grandeur of Victorian caroling gave way to a leaner aesthetic with the Oxford Book of Carols being published in 1928, the same year in which the BBC broadcast the King's College, Cambridge Nine Lessons and Carols for the very first time. As it became an established favourite the carols used, gathered in many cases over centuries, become known both nationally and indeed internationally.
Series Description:
The Christmas carol is as popular now as it was when carolers celebrated the birth of Edward III in 1312. Back then the carol was a generic term for a song with its roots in dance form, nowadays only the strictest scholar would quibble with the fact that a carol is a Christmas song.
But the journey the carol has taken is unique in music history because each shift in the story has been preserved in the carols that we sing today. Go to a carol concert now and you're likely to hear folk, medieval, mid-victorian and modern music all happily combined. It's hard to imagine that happening in any other situation.
In these programmes Jeremy Summerly follows the carol journey through the Golden age of the Medieval carol into the troubled period of Reformation and puritanism, along the byways of the 17th and 18th century waits and gallery musicians and in to the sudden explosion of interest in the carol in the 19th century. It's a story that sees the carol veer between the sacred and secular even before there was any understanding of those terms. For long periods the church, both catholic and protestant, was uneasy about the virility and homespun nature of carol tunes and carol texts. Nowadays many people think that church music is defined by the carols they hear from Kings College Cambridge.
He traces the folk carol in and out of church grounds, the carol hymn, the fuguing carol and the many other off-shoots, some of which survive to this day and many others which languish unloved but ready for re-discovery.
It's a journey full of song describing the history of a people who needed expression for seasonal joy in the coldest, hardest time of the year. And however efficient the heating system may be, the carol still generates warmth. Much of that is to do with the positive nostalgia of this music.
That nostalgia is in part due to the fact that carols are one of the first kinds of song children actually sing rather than hear. Many favourite carols were actually written for Children; Once in Royal David's City the most familiar example. Another factor is the concentration in the texts on the humanity of nativity with tunes garnered from the uninhibited world of folk song and ballad.
The series title is taken from a Thomas Hardy poem in which he ponders of a Darkling Thrush why it should chose to sing - 'so little cause for carolings of such ecstatic sound' - is the question asked. This series is an attempt to answer why Carols remain so popular and familiar to so many. In fact Hardy himself, in his first novel Under The Greenwood Tree, went some way to answering his own question when he described the Mellstock Quire singing at Midnight on Christmas Eve:
'Then passed forth into the quiet night an ancient and time worn hymn, embodying a quaint Christianity in words orally transmitted from father to son through several generations down to the present characters, who sang them out right earnestly."
Jeremy brings the series up to date with the story of the famous Nine Lessons and Carols service broadcast by the BBC since the 1920s but born originally in Truro. It's a service that commands a worldwide audience measured in many millions, but as Jeremy concludes it has left an imbalance in the appreciation of our caroling tradition, a tradition that has always had one foot in the pub and another in the choir stalls.
Producer:Tom Alban.
THU 14:00 The Archers (b03lpjy8)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Wednesday]
THU 14:15 Borgen: Outside the Castle (b03ls15n)
Episode 4
DR, Denmark's national broadcaster and producers of 'Borgen', originally commissioned this thriller to run alongside the first series of their acclaimed political drama. Hans Gammelgaard, Private Secretary in the Ministry of the Environment, is seeking approval for the controlled use of genetically modified crops by Danish farmers. He expected opposition but not from unseen enemies prepared to go to any lengths in pursuit of their own agenda. By Tommy Bredsted, Joan Rang Christensen and Rum Malmros, in an English version by Joy Wilkinson.
This radio spin-off is set against the backdrop of the first series of the television drama, when Birgitte Nyborg became the country's new prime minister. Both series have at their centre the Danish parliament, nicknamed Borgen - 'the castle'. While the TV drama focuses on politicians, the radio 8drama is set in the world of the civil service. Both share the same soundtrack composed by Halfdan E.
Part 4
Jan flies to Nigeria to try to find out who is supplying genetically modified seed corn to the famer there, while Hans and Nick track down the elusive GMO researcher, Erika Blomkvist.
Director ..... Polly Thomas
Sound designer ..... Nigel Lewis
PC ..... Willa King
A BBC Cymru/Wales production for BBC Radio 4.
THU 15:00 Open Country (b03ls15q)
Royal Haslar Hospital
The Royal Haslar Hospital in Gosport was created in the 18th century to provide care for the sick and injured from naval conflicts. It later treated other military personnel and in the last few decades before its closure in 2009 went on to treat civilian patients.
The site bursts with centuries of history, having seen patients from battles including Trafalgar, the Crimean War, both World Wars and many others. The staff treated allied troops and prisoners of war. Felicity Evans explores the site, hearing from former staff who treated patients at different periods and have become fascinated by its history. She takes in the range of buildings from the Admiral's house, to the medical wards - including G block where those with shell shock were treated - staff quarters and the memorial gardens and she pays tribute to the thousands buried in unmarked graves in the Paddock.
The site is held with high affection locally and Felicity also speaks to the developers behind plans to reopen the site, building on its heritage of health care.
Presented by Felicity Evans. Produced in Bristol by Anne-Marie Bullock.
THU 15:27 Radio 4 Appeal (b03lkndj)
[Repeat of broadcast at
07:55 on Sunday]
THU 15:30 Open Book (b03lknpq)
[Repeat of broadcast at
16:00 on Sunday]
THU 16:00 The Film Programme (b03ls15s)
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty; American Hustle; All Is Lost; Location scouting
Francine Stock talks to Ben Stiller about The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. Based on a short story by James Thurber, he both stars as Walter and directs. Walter daydreams his way through life, while yearning for his co-worker, played by Kirsten Wiig. Stiller describes what attracted him to this tale and why his 2001 comedy Zoolander remains close to his heart.
American Hustle, a grifters story set in the 1970s, has already been nominated for awards including the Golden Globes. It's directed by David O Russell, whose last outing Silver Linings Playbook picked up an Oscar for Jennifer Lawrence who also appears in American Hustle. Russell explains why he finds the 1970s an era of innocence.
Steve Mortimore is the man you need to call should you require an aircraft carrier to film on at a few weeks notice.. As a location manager, he has worked on World War Z starring Brad Pitt and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy among others. The Film Programme went along to his latest set in Sussex where he's working in a railway tunnel on The Secret Service, a comic book adaptation directed by Matthew Vaughn.
And the director who has been dragging Robert Redford underwater. JC Chandor's All Is Lost stars Redford as a man lost at sea as he battles to survive. He gives an insight into the actor's dedication to authenticity and doing his own stunts as much as possible, though he's now in his 70s.
Producer: Elaine Lester.
THU 16:30 BBC Inside Science (b03ls15v)
Antimicrobial soap; GAIA; Stone-age jellybones; Antarctica
Antibacterial soaps and body washes make up an industry worth millions of pounds, but in the USA, producers have been told that they have just over a year to prove their products are safe, or, re-label or reformulate them. Many believe that using antimicrobial soaps, which often include the chemicals triclosan or triclocarban, keeps you clean and reduces the chance of getting ill or passing on germs to others. But the Food and Drug Administration in the USA says it's the job of manufacturers to demonstrate the benefits, to balance any potential risks. Professor Jodi Lindsay, expert in microbial pathogenesis from St Georges, University of London, tells Dr Adam Rutherford where this leaves British and European consumers.
The world's most powerful satellite camera was launched today into space. Its mission, to map the billion stars in our galaxy. Professor Gerry Gilmore, Principal Investigator for GAIA, tells Inside Science about the planned "walk through the Milky Way" and BBC Science Correspondent, Jonathan Amos, spells out how GAIA could help detect future asteroids, like the one that wiped out the dinosaurs on earth.
Just after the Second World War in a site in North Yorkshire, the discovery of a flint blade triggered the discovery of one of the world's most important Mesolithic or Stone Age sites. What makes Star Carr so special is that organic artefacts, bone harpoons, deer headdresses and even homesteads, were preserved in the peat 11000 years ago. But these precious artefacts are in trouble. Changing acidic conditions are turning the Mesolithic remains to jelly. Sue Nelson reports from the Vale of Pickering on how archaeologists are working with chemists to try to pinpoint exactly why the Stone Age remains are deteriorating so quickly.
And Professor Chris Turney talks to Adam from his research ship in Commonwealth Bay in the Antarctic, where he is leading a team of scientists to recreate the journey made by Douglas Mawson, 100 years ago, on the Australasian Antarctic Expedition.
Producer: Fiona Hill.
THU 17:00 PM (b03ls15x)
Full coverage and analysis of the day's news.
THU 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b03lkmh7)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
THU 18:30 The Secret World (b03ls15z)
Series 4
Episode 4
The Queen hatches a plot to get Pippa Middleton out of the way.
Ed Miliband is so keen to pally-up with some builders that he ends up helping them do their work.
And Russell Crowe has a bizarre fixation with sprouts.
The Secret World is the impression show with a difference.
With
Margaret Cabourn-Smith
Jon Culshaw
Julian Dutton
Lewis MacLeod
Jess Robinson
Debra Stephenson
Duncan Wisbey
Written by Bill Dare, Julian Dutton and Duncan Wisbey.
Produced and created by: Bill Dare.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 2013.
THU 19:00 The Archers (b03ls161)
It's party time at Blossom Hill Cottage but Rob's mood hasn't lightened. Nervous Jess is grateful when Jennifer turns up to give her a hand. Jess pleads with Rob to try to have a nice evening.
Helen is apprehensive about delivering the food but Kirsty reassures her it'll be quick and they can head to The Bull straight after.
With the party under way, Jess finds Rob's mood hard to deal with, and struggles to keep smiling. Jennifer is concerned that Jess is overwhelmed. When Helen and Kirsty arrive with the food, she manages to rope them inside to help serve the food and drink.
When Rob sees Helen pouring drinks, he's livid and confronts Jess in the kitchen. Jess is quick to defend herself, and tells him Jennifer asked them to do it.
Kirsty is appalled by Rob's behaviour and the way he was speaking to Jess. She thinks Helen has had a lucky escape.
With the party over, Jennifer consoles Jess, but things go from bad to worse when Jess's untouched salmon falls onto the floor. Rob refuses to help Jess tidy up, and storms upstairs warning her not to follow him.
THU 19:15 Front Row (b03ls163)
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, David Morrissey, Cities of Culture that weren't, Text on screen
With John Wilson.
Ben Stiller directs and stars in the second screen adaptation of the 1939 short story by James Thurber, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. Stiller plays a timid magazine photo manager who lives life vicariously through his daydreams, but when a negative goes missing, his real life takes an adventurous turn. Film critic Gaylene Gould reviews.
Actor David Morrissey talks to John about filming on a train with Sheridan Smith for new two-part drama The
7.39, why The Walking Dead decides how long his beard should be, and narrating the audiobook of his namesake's autobiography.
As Derry-Londonderry's year as City of Culture comes to an end, Front Row revisits the other cities that were shortlisted for the award. Chris Gribble who runs the Writers' Centre Norwich, Stuart Griffiths, Chief Executive of the Birmingham Hippodrome and Paul Billington, director of Culture and Environment for Sheffield, discuss the experience of being shortlisted, how their city's culture has fared this year, and how their cultural institutions are surviving the arts cuts that have made the headlines in 2013.
Adam Smith reflects on the proliferation of text on the small and big screen - from text messages to 3D subtitles.
Producer: Rebecca Armstrong.
THU 19:45 Roddy Doyle on Radio 4 (b03ls15b)
[Repeat of broadcast at
10:45 today]
THU 20:00 The Report (b03ls165)
The Brixton Maoists
At the end of November 2013 the Metropolitan police released details of what has been described as Britain's worst case of domestic slavery.
Following the arrest of two people in Lambeth, South London, it was revealed that three women had been taken into care - a 69-year-old from Malaysia, a 57-year-old from Ireland, and a 30-year-old Briton.
It was claimed the three women had been held for 30 years, but further details began to emerge which suggest this is a unique case and not typical of other stories of domestic servitude.
Two of the women, Josephine Herivel and Aishah Wahab, had been members of a small Maoist collective which formed in Brixton in the 1970s - The Workers Institute of Marxism-Leninism-Mao Zedong Thought. The women were still living with the group's founder and his wife - the couple who were recently arrrested and bailed by the police - while the youngest woman, Rosie Davies, is believed to have been born into the household.
On this edition of The Report, Simon Cox probes the circumstances under which these women came to live together, exploring the relationship they had with their suspected captors.
The programme speaks to those who came into contact with the Maoist collective over the past three decades, as well as relatives of former members of the group, to ask how the women could seemingly lose contact with wider society.
Reporter: Simon Cox
Producer: Richard Fenton-Smith
Researcher: Hannah Moore.
THU 20:30 In Business (b03ls167)
Curtain Up
Pantomime is a very British tradition, still as popular as ever with audiences. But it's also an important annual cash cow for regional theatres and big production companies. In Business goes to Nottingham to follow the progress of the city's two rival pantomimes: one made in-house at the Nottingham Playhouse, with a much-loved dame on his thirtieth (and last) pantomime and the other at the Theatre Royal, bought in from a big pantomime making production company starring the American Baywatch actor, known as "The Hoff". Peter Day finds out what's involved and why pantomimes matter so much to regional theatres.
(Image Robert Day).
THU 21:00 BBC Inside Science (b03ls15v)
[Repeat of broadcast at
16:30 today]
THU 21:30 In Our Time (b03ls154)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:00 today]
THU 21:58 Weather (b03lkmh9)
The latest weather forecast.
THU 22:00 The World Tonight (b03ls169)
The murderers of Fusilier Lee Rigby are convicted, what has the case told us about radicalisation in the UK?
Russian President Vladimir Putin says he will pardon one of his biggest political enemies, the former tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky.
And as two of Hosni Mubarak's sons are cleared of embezzlement, is Egypt turning back the clock on the changes brought by the revolution?
With David Eades.
THU 22:45 Book at Bedtime (b03ls16c)
Aunts Aren't Gentlemen
I Can Explain Everything
Blake Ritson reads a classic Jeeves and Wooster story from P G Wodehouse, one of the masters of comic fiction.
'Mr Wooster,' he said, 'you are a typical young man about town.'
'Oh thanks,' I responded, for it sounded like a compliment, and one always likes to say the civil thing.
Bertie Wooster has been overdoing the metropolitan life a tad, so on doctor's orders, finds himself retiring to the quiet hamlet of Maiden Eggesford to 'sleep the sleep of the just and lead the quiet Martini-less life'. Only the presence of his irrepressible Aunt Dahlia shatters the rustic peace as an imbroglio develops, involving a stolen cat, an over-sensitive racehorse, and some star-crossed lovers. Wooster's quick-thinking butler Jeeves, as always, comes to the rescue.
Today: 'I can explain everything' - Bertie finds himself unexpectedly betrothed, and in receipt of a missing cat.
The author of almost a hundred books and the creator of Jeeves, Blandings Castle, Psmith, Ukridge, Uncle Fred and Mr Mulliner, P G Wodehouse was born in 1881 in Guildford, Surrey, in 1881. He was created a Knight of the British Empire in 1975 and died the same year at the age of ninety-three. Jeeves and Wooster were perhaps his best-known creations; 'Aunts Aren't Gentlemen' was published in 1974, and was the last novel to feature the literary duo.
Reader: Blake Ritson
Abridger: Richard Hamilton
Producer: Justine Willett.
THU 23:00 Alice's Wunderland (b03ls16f)
Series 2
Episode 2
A trip to Wunderland (a poundland of magical realms), which is getting awarded the prestigious by-the-sea status.
Sketch show by Alice Lowe.
Also starring Richard Glover, Simon Greenall, Rachel Stubbings, Clare Thompson and Marcia Warren.
Producer: Lyndsay Fenner
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 2013.
THU 23:30 Today in Parliament (b03ls175)
Mark D'Arcy reports from Westminster.
FRIDAY 20 DECEMBER 2013
FRI 00:00 Midnight News (b03lkmj7)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.
FRI 00:30 Book of the Week (b03ls156)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:45 on Thursday]
FRI 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b03lkmj9)
The latest shipping forecast.
FRI 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b03lkmjc)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
FRI 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b03lkmjf)
The latest shipping forecast.
FRI 05:30 News Briefing (b03lkmjh)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.
FRI 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b03ls7xp)
A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day with Father Eugene O'Neill.
FRI 05:45 Farming Today (b03ls7xr)
English farmers will receive a 12% cut in subsidy from DEFRA 'modulation' of CAP funding from 2015.
But it's less than they feared , and less than a cut of 15% in Wales. The Scottish government is giving more to farmers with a 9.5% reduction.
What does this mean for farmers competing across borders ?
Farming Today hears from Ministers in England and Wales and goes to a Welsh farm for first hand reaction.
Presented by Charlotte Smith and produced by Willy Flockton.
FRI 05:58 Tweet of the Day (b03k5c8y)
Purple Sandpiper
Tweet of the Day is a series of fascinating stories about our British birds inspired by their calls and songs.
David Attenborough presents the purple sandpiper. On winter beaches, where waves break on seaweed-covered rocks, purple sandpipers make their home. 'Purple' refers to the hint of a purple sheen on their back feathers. They are well camouflaged among the seaweed covered rocks and being relatively quiet, compared to many waders, are easy to overlook.
FRI 06:00 Today (b03ls7xt)
Morning news and current affairs. Including Sports Desk, Yesterday in Parliament, Weather and Thought for the Day.
FRI 09:00 Desert Island Discs (b03lknds)
[Repeat of broadcast at
11:15 on Sunday]
FRI 09:45 Book of the Week (b03ls7xw)
Diana Cooper - Darling Monster
Episode 5
This new book contains the letters sent from aristocrat, society darling and actress of stage and early screen, Lady Diana Cooper, to her only son, John Julius Norwich.
When Lady Diana married rising political star Duff Cooper, they became the golden couple who knew everyone who was anyone. Her letters serve as a portrait of a time, capturing some of history's most dramatic events and most important figures with immediacy and intimacy. But they also give us a touching portrait of the love between a mother and son, separated by war, oceans and the constraints of the time they lived in.
Her letters span the years 1939 to 1952, taking in the Blitz, Diana's short spell as a farmer in Sussex, a trip to the Far East when husband Duff was collecting war intelligence, the couple's three years in the Paris embassy, as well as a great number of journeys around Europe and North Africa.
In the final episode, John Julius Norwich is now a student at Oxford, while his mother Lady Diana Cooper continues to live in France. Her husband Duff is offered a peerage.
Read by John Julius Norwich and Patricia Hodge
Producer: David Roper
Abridger: Barry Johnston
A Heavy Entertainment production for BBC Radio 4.
FRI 10:00 Woman's Hour (b03ls7xy)
Black Voices; Ladybird Books; Louise Farrenc; Lucy Powell MP
A cappella singing from Black Voices. A visit to Ladybirdland. 19th century French composer Louise Farrenc. MP Lucy Powell on Parliament and parenthood. Presented by Jenni Murray.
FRI 10:45 Roddy Doyle on Radio 4 (b03ls7y0)
The Snapper
Episode 5
Barrytown is buzzing with speculation. Sharon Rabbitte is pregnant and she's not telling anyone who the father is. But with tongues wagging and rumours mounting, just how long will it take everyone to work out who in Barrytown is the "snapper's" Da?
The second of Roddy Doyle's Barrytown series of novels, all to be dramatized by BBC Radio 4. After a drunken encounter at the soccer club do, Sharon is pregnant and much to the annoyance to her dad, Jimmy, refusing to name the baby's father. So when Jimmy gets wind that it might be someone close to home all hell breaks loose.
The cast includes David Wilmot as Jimmy Snr (Ripper Street, Anna Karenina) and Aoife Duffin as Sharon (Moone Boy.)
Written by Roddy Doyle
Dramatised by Eugene O'Brien
Producer: Gemma McMullan
Director: Eoin O'Callaghan.
FRI 11:00 Maths and Magic (b03ls7y2)
Maths and magic go back a long way - the oldest written card trick was by Luca Pacioli, a friend of Leonardo, and appears in a treatise which also contains the first account of double entry book keeping. Many tricks in the working magician's repertoire rely on maths.
But this is surprising. Maths is about logic, magic is about illusion. How can it be possible to fool someone with logic? What does it tell us about the way our minds work? Can things seem magical just because we don't understand them?
Magician Jolyon Jenkins investigates the link between these two apparently disparate worlds. He learns of the simple algebra-based trick that repeatedly fooled Albert Einstein. And he sets himself the challenge of learning a maths-based trick that can not only fool working mathematicians, but seems genuinely magical. It culminates in a public performance in front of a group of mathematicians at the MathsJam festival.
Presenter/producer: Jolyon Jenkins.
FRI 11:30 On the Rocks (b03ls7y4)
Series 1
Barter
by Christopher William Hill. It's 1937 on the remote Scilly Island of St. Martin's, where the islanders are resisting the attempts of the Penzance GPO man to modernise the post office - around which their world revolves.
Episode 4: Barter. Morwenna is trying to improve herself and Frank needs a lesson in island economics.
Directed by Mary Peate.
Sound by Jenni Burnett, Anne Bunting and Caleb Knightley
Production Co-ordinator, Jessica Brown.
FRI 12:00 You and Yours (b03ls7y6)
Consumer news with Peter White.
FRI 12:52 The Listening Project (b03ls7y8)
Pat and Tony - Memories and Marriage
Fi Glover introduces Pat and Tony, both married to partners with dementia. While they mourn the loss of the person they married, they celebrate the love that endures.
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 (b03lkmjk)
The latest weather forecast.
FRI 13:00 World at One (b03lkmjm)
National and international news. Listeners can share their views via email: wato@bbc.co.uk or on twitter: #wato.
FRI 13:45 A Cause for Caroling (b03lsdg6)
Ring in the New
Jeremy Summerly concludes his history of the carol in Britain pondering the success of new carols over the last century. While King's College, Cambridge organist Stephen Cleobury insures a supply of newly commissioned carols for his massive international audience Jeremy wonders whether the popular songs from Berlin's 'White Christmas' to Slade's 'Merry Christmas' don't help sustain a more genuine caroling tradition.
He also recalls his own first experience of carols at Lichfield cathedral where John Rutter's 'Shepherd's Pipe Carol' was an astonishing discovery for the eager young chorister.
And Jeremy also ponders the continued appeal of the carol and why, while it's been in decline throughout its history, it continues to thrive.
Series Description:
The Christmas carol is as popular now as it was when carolers celebrated the birth of Edward III in 1312. Back then the carol was a generic term for a song with its roots in dance form, nowadays only the strictest scholar would quibble with the fact that a carol is a Christmas song.
But the journey the carol has taken is unique in music history because each shift in the story has been preserved in the carols that we sing today. Go to a carol concert now and you're likely to hear folk, medieval, mid-victorian and modern music all happily combined. It's hard to imagine that happening in any other situation.
In these programmes Jeremy Summerly follows the carol journey through the Golden age of the Medieval carol into the troubled period of Reformation and puritanism, along the byways of the 17th and 18th century waits and gallery musicians and in to the sudden explosion of interest in the carol in the 19th century. It's a story that sees the carol veer between the sacred and secular even before there was any understanding of those terms. For long periods the church, both catholic and protestant, was uneasy about the virility and homespun nature of carol tunes and carol texts. Nowadays many people think that church music is defined by the carols they hear from Kings College Cambridge.
He traces the folk carol in and out of church grounds, the carol hymn, the fuguing carol and the many other off-shoots, some of which survive to this day and many others which languish unloved but ready for re-discovery.
It's a journey full of song describing the history of a people who needed expression for seasonal joy in the coldest, hardest time of the year. And however efficient the heating system may be, the carol still generates warmth. Much of that is to do with the positive nostalgia of this music.
That nostalgia is in part due to the fact that carols are one of the first kinds of song children actually sing rather than hear. Many favourite carols were actually written for Children; Once in Royal David's City the most familiar example. Another factor is the concentration in the texts on the humanity of nativity with tunes garnered from the uninhibited world of folk song and ballad.
The series title is taken from a Thomas Hardy poem in which he ponders of a Darkling Thrush why it should chose to sing - 'so little cause for carolings of such ecstatic sound' - is the question asked. THis series is an attempt to answer why Carols remain so popular and familiar to so many. In fact Hardy himself, in his first novel Under The Greenwood Tree, went some way to answering his own question when he described the Mellstock Quire singing at Midnight on Christmas Eve:
'Then passed forth into the quiet night an ancient and time worn hymn, embodying a quaint Christianity in words orally transmitted from father to son through several generations down to the present characters, who sang them out right earnestly."
Jeremy brings the series up to date with the story of the famous Nine Lessons and Carols service broadcast by the BBC since the 1920s but born originally in Truro. It's a service that commands a worldwide audience measured in many millions, but as Jeremy concludes it has left an imbalance in the appreciation of our caroling tradition, a tradition that has always had one foot in the pub and another in the choir stalls.
Producer:Tom Alban.
FRI 14:00 The Archers (b03ls161)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Thursday]
FRI 14:15 Borgen: Outside the Castle (b03lsdg8)
Episode 5
Hans Gammelgaard fears for his family after receiving anonymous death threats. Time is running out as a bill relaxing rules on the use of genetically modified crops is ready to be approved in the E.U. By Tommy Bredsted and Joan Rang Christensen, in an English version by Joy Wilkinson.
Original music by Halfdan E.
Directed by Anders Lundorph
********
Originally produced in ten parts by DR, Denmark's national broadcaster, this radio spin-off of 'Borgen' is set against the backdrop of the first series of the television drama which followed the unlikely emergence of Birgitte Nyborg as the country's new prime minister. Both series have at their centre the Danish parliament, nicknamed Borgen - 'the castle'. While the TV drama focuses on the politicians, the radio drama is set in the world of the civil service. Both share the same soundtrack composed by Halfdan E.
FRI 15:00 Gardeners' Question Time (b03lsdgc)
1870s Special at Beamish
Eric Robson chairs a special 1870s themed episode of GQT from Beamish, The Living Museum of the North. Answering the audience's historical gardening questions are Chris Beardshaw, Bob Flowerdew and Christine Walkden.
The panel travels back in time to explore a fascinating moment in the horticultural history which still influences the way in which we garden today. Eric Robson visits Gravetye Manor to find out how William Robinson's influential book, The Wild Garden, set English gardening on a new and exciting course.
Produced by Howard Shannon
Assistant Producer: Darby Dorras
A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4
This week's questions:
Q. Could the panel make some recommendations for plants and flowers to be used in gentlemen's buttonholes and ladies' personal adornment?
A. Flowers with bells look very attractive, such as the highly fragrant Lily of the Valley. Similarly, London Pride provides white and pink bells and can be contrasted with Ivy leaves. For gentlemen, the Rose is a very popular buttonhole. You can also try Ixia in electric blue. It usually grows in Africa, so it would need a hot, sunny position and you may need to lift the bulb at the back end. The fragrant navy blue Lord Nelson Sweet Pea also works well as a beautiful buttonhole.
Q. Could the panel recommend fruits and vegetables that require little attention but provide good results?
A. Try growing the climbing Nasturtium Tropaeolum Tuberosum. It is easy to grow and an attractive specimen. All you need to do is to plant and lift it. Plant the tubers in April at about 4 inches (10cm) deep. The clover-like growth will get to about 6ft (1.8m) tall and produce yellow and orange flowers throughout the summer. Let the first frost get to it and then dig up the tubers. Skirrets grow well on dry, impoverished soil. Sow them out in March, giving them plenty of space. Again, allow the frost to affect them and leave the roots to sit in the ground. They are similar to Jerusalem Artichokes in appearance.
FRI 15:45 Saki (b03m3rn2)
The Music on the Hill
by Hector Hugh Munro, better known by his pen name Saki.
Feisty Edwardian bride Sylvia has triumphed against the odds in her society marriage, but gradually becomes aware of a strange and threatening presence in the woods...
Read by Francesca Dymond
Produced by Allegra McIlroy.
FRI 16:00 Last Word (b03lsdgg)
Peter O'Toole, Lord Roberts of Conwy, Colin Wilson, Joan Fontaine, Ronnie Briggs
Matthew Bannister on:
The actor Peter O'Toole, acclaimed for his performances as Lawrence of Arabia and Jeffery Bernard and notorious for his hell raising exploits.
The long serving Welsh Office minister Lord Roberts of Conwy - a passionate champion of the Welsh language.
The author Colin Wilson, who was hailed as a major new talent when he published The Outsider at the age of 24, but, despite writing many other books, never repeated his mainstream success.
The Hollywood star Joan Fontaine, best known for playing the second wife in Hitchcock's Rebecca, who carried on a long term feud with her sister Olivia De Havilland.
And the Great Train robber Ronnie Biggs.
FRI 16:30 More or Less (b03lsdgj)
Britain's 80,000 homeless children
Eighty thousand children will wake up homeless on Christmas Day, according to the housing charity Shelter. Tim Harford explores this statistic.
It's been reported that there's a global wine shortage. But there seems to be plenty of wine available for the More or Less Christmas bash. Tim Harford fact-checks the claim.
Mathemagical mind-reading: Jolyon Jenkins, amateur magician and presenter of BBC Radio 4's Maths and Magic programme, reveals the maths behind a classic long-distance mind-reading card trick.
It's said that the four Christmas football fixtures are crucial to Premier League teams. But do the numbers back this up?
As Economics Editor Stephanie Flanders leaves the BBC, More or Less airs what is perhaps her finest broadcasting moment.
Presenter: Tim Harford
Producer: Ruth Alexander.
FRI 16:56 The Listening Project (b03lsdgl)
Shahid and Henna - Building a Future Together
Fi Glover introduces a conversation between Muslim newly weds about their love match and subsequent traditional marriage, and the adjustments they are having to contend with, 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.
FRI 17:00 PM (b03lsdgn)
Coverage and analysis of the day's news. Including Weather at
5.57pm.
FRI 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b03lkmjp)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
FRI 18:30 The News Quiz (b03lsdgq)
Series 82
Episode 7
A satirical review of the week's news, chaired by Sandi Toksvig.
FRI 19:00 The Archers (b03lsdgs)
Eddie manages to persuade Darrell to help him deliver the turkeys, and is encouraged by Darrell's attitude. Darrell even handles some of the transactions. Eddie is proud to see Darrell making an effort.
Susan tells Helen about some of the gossip she heard. According to Alice, Jess's party turned into a fiasco and Jess got emotional when she and Rob started arguing. Unsure of what to say, Helen makes her excuses to leave.
Rob visits Helen at the shop. He's genuinely apologetic that she ended up serving Jess's guests. Helen is cool but her mood relaxes when he tells her what a ghastly evening he had. They share a moment, and feelings between them are palpable. Helen asks when he's going to Hampshire. He tells her it'll be on Christmas Eve. He thanks her for being nice, even though he doesn't deserve it. Helen tells him to have a good break.
Eddie persuades Darrell to go and see Rosa at work. Unimpressed Rosa doesn't want to hear what he's been up to with Eddie. She tells him everyone is talking behind his back and that she isn't his daughter any more. In fact, she wishes he was dead.
FRI 19:15 Front Row (b03lsdgv)
Julie Andrews; All Is Lost; Michael Palin; protecting art during war
With Kirsty Lang.
As Mary Poppins looks forward to its 50th birthday, and a film about the making of the movie, Saving Mr Banks, is tipped for Oscar success, Julie Andrews reflects on a career that has made her an icon for generations of children. She also discusses the emotional impact of no longer being able to sing, and reveals how she plans to entertain audiences on a 2014 tour.
Presenter and Python Michael Palin talks to Kirsty about the life and work of painter Andrew Wyeth - the focus of his new television documentary - and explains why costume changes will be the hardest part of the Monty Python reunion tour.
Robert Redford stars in All is Lost, a survival film about a man lost at sea, with almost no dialogue or supporting cast. Mark Eccleston delivers his verdict.
George Clooney's forthcoming film, The Monuments Men, depicts a group of soldiers tasked with protecting art stolen by the Nazis during the Second World War. In light of this, Major Hugo Clarke of the International Blue Shield - an organisation promoting the protection of art and culture in war zones - John Curtis of the British Museum, and archaeologist Dr Lamia al-Gailani, discuss the importance of training the military to protect cultural heritage during conflict.
Producer: Ellie Bury.
FRI 19:45 Roddy Doyle on Radio 4 (b03ls7y0)
[Repeat of broadcast at
10:45 today]
FRI 20:00 Any Questions? (b03lsdgx)
Michael Portillo, Chris Mullin, Nikki King, Mark Damazer
Jonathan Dimbleby presents political debate and discussion from St Andrew's Church in Middlesex with former Conservative minister Michael Portillo, Former Labour minister now diarist Chris Mullin, business woman Nikki King, and Mark Damazer who's the Master of St Peter's College, Oxford.
FRI 20:50 A Point of View (b03lsdgz)
Islamo-Christian Heritage
In the week when Prince Charles has drawn attention to violence against Christians in the Middle East, William Dalrymple says it's time to remember the "old and often forgotten co-habitation of Islam and Christianity".
"Christmas time is perhaps the proper moment to remember the long tradition of revering the nativity in the Islamic world. ...There are certainly major differences between the two faiths, not least the central fact, in mainstream Christianity, of Jesus' divinity. But Christmas - the ultimate celebration of Christ's humanity - is a feast which Muslims and Christians can share without reservation.".
FRI 21:00 A Cause for Caroling (b03lsdh1)
A Cause for Caroling: Omnibus
Joy to the World
Jeremy Summerly completes his history of the Christmas Carol in Britain covering the 19th century caroling revival and golden age to the invention of the Nine Lessons with Carols service in Truro and its subsequent use at King's College, Cambridge in 1918. Ten years later the BBC decided to broadcast the service and a local caroling tradition very quickly found itself being exported all over the globe.
Jeremy also deals with the folk caroling traditions that were excluded by the church of England's belated enthusiasm for caroling but which survive to this day, particularly in the villages and towns of South Yorkshire.
Series Description:
The Christmas carol is as popular now as it was when carolers celebrated the birth of Edward III in 1312. Back then the carol was a generic term for a song with its roots in dance form, nowadays only the strictest scholar would quibble with the fact that a carol is a Christmas song.
But the journey the carol has taken is unique in music history because each shift in the story has been preserved in the carols that we sing today. Go to a carol concert now and you're likely to hear folk, medieval, mid-victorian and modern music all happily combined. It's hard to imagine that happening in any other situation.
In these programmes Jeremy Summerly follows the carol journey through the Golden age of the Medieval carol into the troubled period of Reformation and puritanism, along the byways of the 17th and 18th century waits and gallery musicians and in to the sudden explosion of interest in the carol in the 19th century. It's a story that sees the carol veer between the sacred and secular even before there was any understanding of those terms. For long periods the church, both catholic and protestant, was uneasy about the virility and homespun nature of carol tunes and carol texts. Nowadays many people think that church music is defined by the carols they hear from Kings College Cambridge.
He traces the folk carol in and out of church grounds, the carol hymn, the fuguing carol and the many other off-shoots, some of which survive to this day and many others which languish unloved but ready for re-discovery.
It's a journey full of song describing the history of a people who needed expression for seasonal joy in the coldest, hardest time of the year. And however efficient the heating system may be, the carol still generates warmth. Much of that is to do with the positive nostalgia of this music.
That nostalgia is in part due to the fact that carols are one of the first kinds of song children actually sing rather than hear. Many favourite carols were actually written for Children; Once in Royal David's City the most familiar example. Another factor is the concentration in the texts on the humanity of nativity with tunes garnered from the uninhibited world of folk song and ballad.
The series title is taken from a Thomas Hardy poem in which he ponders of a Darkling Thrush why it should chose to sing - 'so little cause for carolings of such ecstatic sound' - is the question asked. THis series is an attempt to answer why Carols remain so popular and familiar to so many. In fact Hardy himself, in his first novel Under The Greenwood Tree, went some way to answering his own question when he described the Mellstock Quire singing at Midnight on Christmas Eve:
'Then passed forth into the quiet night an ancient and time worn hymn, embodying a quaint Christianity in words orally transmitted from father to son through several generations down to the present characters, who sang them out right earnestly."
Jeremy brings the series up to date with the story of the famous Nine Lessons and Carols service broadcast by the BBC since the 1920s but born originally in Truro. It's a service that commands a worldwide audience measured in many millions, but as Jeremy concludes it has left an imbalance in the appreciation of our caroling tradition, a tradition that has always had one foot in the pub and another in the choir stalls.
Producer:Tom Alban.
FRI 21:58 Weather (b03lkmjr)
The latest weather forecast.
FRI 22:00 The World Tonight (b03lsdh3)
Nigella Lawson says she was "maliciously vilified" at trial of former assistants cleared of fraud. UN says at least 11 civilians were killed with two peacekeepers in South Sudan. Pardoned Khodorkovsky released from Russian prison and flown to Berlin. Presented by David Eades.
FRI 22:45 Book at Bedtime (b03lsdh5)
Aunts Aren't Gentlemen
Trying to Brazen It Out
A classic Jeeves and Wooster story from P G Wodehouse, one of the masters of comic fiction, read by Blake Ritson.
'Mr Wooster,' he said, 'you are a typical young man about town.'
'Oh thanks,' I responded, for it sounded like a compliment, and one always likes to say the civil thing.
Bertie Wooster has been rather overdoing the metropolitan life, so on doctor's orders, finds himself retiring to the quiet hamlet of Maiden Eggesford to 'sleep the sleep of the just and lead the quiet Martini-less life'. Only the presence of his irrepressible Aunt Dahlia shatters the rustic peace as an imbroglio develops, involving a stolen cat, an over-sensitive racehorse, and some star-crossed lovers. Wooster's quick-thinking butler Jeeves, as always, comes to the rescue.
Today: 'Trying to brazen it out' - Bertie is still trying to extricate himself from a very unwelcome betrothal, while avoiding the terrifying Pop Cook. Must he rely again on his quick-thinking butler, Jeeves?
The author of almost a hundred books and the creator of Jeeves, Blandings Castle, Psmith, Ukridge, Uncle Fred and Mr Mulliner, P G Wodehouse was born in 1881 in Guildford, Surrey, in 1881. He was created a Knight of the British Empire in 1975 and died the same year at the age of ninety-three. Jeeves and Wooster were perhaps his best-known creations; 'Aunts Aren't Gentlemen' was published in 1974, and was the last novel to feature the literary duo.
Reader: Blake Ritson
Abridger: Richard Hamilton
Producer: Justine Willett.
FRI 23:00 Great Lives (b03lph8m)
[Repeat of broadcast at
16:30 on Tuesday]
FRI 23:30 Today in Parliament (b03lsdh7)
The latest news from Westminster.
FRI 23:55 The Listening Project (b03lsdh9)
Suzanne and Karen - Let's Talk About Sex
Fi Glover introduces a conversation between a happily married - and sexually fulfilled - woman and her friend, a serial mistress, about their plan to abolish bad sex and ensure everyone benefits from good, 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.