The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.
Rachel Holmes's new book is the engaging and informative life story of the remarkable daughter of Karl Marx. Today, the poignant conclusion finds Eleanor betrayed and humiliated by the man she loves.
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service. BBC Radio 4 resumes at
'When patients have this level of illness, they often have absolutely no memory of it whatsoever.' A listener who has been dealing with patients who have MERS, tells us about this new virus. Presented by Jennifer Tracey. Email iPM@bbc.co.uk.
The latest news headlines. Including a look at the papers.
With the growing Formula 1 schedule and following, there's an increasing appetite for motor racing. Helen Mark heads to Weybridge in Surrey to visit Brooklands - claimed to be the world's first purpose-built motor racing circuit to hear how one Hugh Locke-King's passion for speed led him to have the track designed and built on his land, almost bankrupting him.
The site was used for land speed records even before the first race and also became a centre for aviation development. It reached its heyday in the 1920s and 30s but World War II saw it taken over by the Ministry of Defence and its decline as a circuit.
Enthusiasts from the Brooklands Society fought to preserve it - both by digging the track free of overgrowing weeds and by getting it listed - and the museum continues to celebrate the records and achievements marked in its history. Malcolm Campbell's grandson Don Wales shares about his family's love of the track.
Helen Mark heads to the track in style - in a 1929 four and a half litre Bentley - to see how it's used today. Members of the Vintage Sports Car Club (VSCC) take tests, both of vehicles and drivers, around planned courses but how will Helen fare on her spin up test hill and the historic banking?
After an exceptionally mild winter and spring, pests and diseases are at higher levels than normal in many crops. Charlotte Smith visits a farm in Herefordshire, where both cereals and soft fruit are under attack. The assistant farm manager explains how it's a bad year for yellow rust and septoria in wheat, and talks about the impact the neonicotinoids ban will have on his oilseed rape. Charlotte also hears about the non-chemical measures put in place in the cherry polytunnels, to keep pests under control.
Morning news and current affairs. Including Yesterday in Parliament, Sports Desk, Thought for the Day and Weather.
Richard Coles and Aasmah Mir with actor Tyger Drew-Honey, the world's leading maze designer Adrian Fisher, dad and daughter cheerleading team Darren and Amy Peacock, Ann Hunt and Elizabeth Hamel who are the world's longest separated twins, and Sofi, Melanie, Amanda and August von Trapp, great-grandchildren of the Captain in The Sound Of Music. To mark its 20th birthday there's a Crowdscape from the Channel Tunnel, and Coleen Nolan shares her Inheritance Tracks. JP Devlin has tales of embarrassing parents, and we have more thank yous for the kindness of strangers.
Tyger Drew-Honey's documentary Tyger Takes On Porn is broadcast on Thursday 15th May at
on BBC Three, Tyger Takes On The Perfect Body follows on May 22nd and Tyger Takes On Love on May 29th.
Adrian Fisher is recognised as the world's leading maze designer; he's created more than 600 mazes across six continents and 30 countries.
Twins Reunited Ann Hunt and Elizabeth Hamel are the world's longest separated twins. Parted when they were 5 months old, they were finally reunited, aged 78, on May 1st this year.
The von Trapps new album, Dream A Little Dream, recorded with Pink Martini, has just been released. They're currently on tour in the UK, appearing at The Barbican in London on May 10th and Manchester's Royal Northern College of Music on May 11th.
This week Jay Rayner and the panel are in Liverpool, taking questions from the audience on eating and drinking.
In this great port they discuss food and the Navy - how keeping sailors alive for months at sea led to culinary and technological innovation in the kitchen; how to make the perfect "gloopy" stock; the hotly-contested authentic recipe for 'scouse' stew, and recipe book art - what food illustrations and photographs tell us about the changing social aspirations of the day.
On the panel are: James "Jocky" Petrie, once Head of Creative Development at Heston Blumenthal's 'Fat Duck' restaurant, Rachel McCormack, cook and Catalan cuisine specialist, Tim Hayward, D.I.Y. food adventurer, and Dr Annie Gray, our resident food historian.
Helen Lewis Deputy Editor of the New Statesman looks behind the scenes at Westminster.
According to a report this week from the right of centre think tank Policy Exchange, the voting population of black and minority ethnic communities is set to rise to 30% of the country by 2050, so how are the political parties addressing their concerns?
Northern Ireland's institutions have recently experienced major instability due exclusively to a failure to deal with the legacy of violence from the troubles. Would a referendum on a truth and reconciliation process along South African lines help put the past to rest?
Plus an open letter from 30 Labour prospective parliamentary candidates to Ed Milliband calling for rail re-nationalisation and, how you can re-distribute wealth in a capitalist society.
Our correspondent in South Sudan finds natural beauty amid the horrors of war in South Sudan; we hear from eastern Ukraine where they're preparing for an independence referendum; we meet maple syrup makers in Canada; our man in Colombia has an unusual night out and we take a walk through Bosnia's countryside, and its world-changing history.
The programme hears how much more effective complaining to customer services via twitter - rather than by email or telephone - can be. Paul Lewis interviews David Schneider, twitter obsessive and social media consultant with That Lot; and Jo Causon, CEO of the Institute of Customer Services.
HMRC has announced it wants to take debts straight out of banks accounts and Isas. Is this fair, and what checks will there be on this power? Andrew Tyrie, chairman of the Treasury Select Committee outlines his concerns and Paul Lewis debates the potential pros and cons with ex-tax inspector director of Huston & Co tax consultants in Belfast and Elaine Clark, managing director of cheapaccounting.co.uk.
Meanwhile, could a little known law stop banks from taking charges from a customer's account if the balance comes from benefits payments? Paul Lewis talks to barrister Desmond Rutledge of London's Garden Court Chambers.
Selftrade, the share platform, has announced it's in talks to arrange its sale to Equiniti, an outsourcing company. This comes after an outcry from customers, complaining that a request for personal information was too intrusive. Where does this latest news leave those customers? Ruth Alexander reports.
Steve Punt and Hugh Dennis are joined by special guest Nick Doody for a comic romp through the week's news. With Mitch Benn, Pippa Evans and Jon Holmes.
Written by the cast with additional material by Jane Lamacraft, Andy Wolton and Glenn Moore. Produced by Alexandra Smith.
Jonathan Dimbleby presents political debate and discussion from Worksop College in Nottinghamshire with Minister without Portfolio Ken Clarke MP, Leader of the Green Party Natalie Bennett, Deputy Leader of UKIP Paul Nuttall MEP and Shadow Defence Secretary Vernon Coaker MP.
Your views on the plight of the kidnapped Nigerian schoolgirls and why the government appears to have been so slow to react.
Should criminals serve the whole of their sentence or does early release on licence encourage good behaviour? A barrister and an ex offender discuss the issue.
TWITTER: Tweet us using hashtag BBCAQ.
Toby Stephens is back as Raymond Chandler's fast-talking private eye Philip Marlowe.This is California in the 50's, as beautiful as a ripe fruit and rotten to the core, reflecting all the tarnished glitter of the American Dream. Outside a club on Sunset Boulevard Marlowe meets a drunk named Terry Lennox, a man with scars on one side of his face. They forge an uneasy friendship but everything changes when Lennox shows up late one night, asking for a favour.
This series brings all the Philip Marlowe novels to Radio 4's Saturday Play. The Big Sleep 1939, Farewell My Lovely 1940, The High Window 1942, The Lady in the Lake 1943, The Little Sister 1949 and The Long Goodbye 1953, and two lesser known novels, Playback 1958 and Poodle Springs, unfinished at the time of his death in 1959.
Toby Stephens is best known for playing megavillain Gustav Graves in the James Bond film Die Another Day (2002) and Edward Fairfax Rochester in the BBC television adaptation of Jane Eyre (2006). In autumn 2010 Toby starred as a detective in Vexed, a three-part comedic television series for BBC Two. He also made his debut at the National Theatre as George Danton in Danton's Death.
Raymond Chandler was born in Chicago, Illinois, on July 23, 1888, but spent most of his boyhood and youth in England, where he attended Dulwich College and later worked as a freelance journalist for The Westminster Gazette and The Spectator. During World War I, he served in France with the First Division of the Canadian Expeditionary Force, transferring later to the R. A. F. In 1919 he returned to the United States, settling in California, where he eventually became director of a number of independent oil companies. The Depression put an end to his business career, and in 1933, at the age of forty-five, he turned to writing, publishing his first stories in Black Mask. By the time he published his first novel, The Big Sleep (1939), featuring the iconic private eye Philip Marlowe, it was clear that he had not only mastered a genre but had set a standard to which others could only aspire. He died in 1959.
The Newsnight presenter Kirsty Wark discusses misogyny, teenage boys, computer games, and the blurred Lines that exist when it comes to sexism.
Molly Campbell was front page news in 2006 when, as a school girl, she left her home in the Outer Hebrides to live with her father in Pakistan without her mother's consent. She and her mother Louise talk about the new stage play that tells their family's story.
There is just a year to go to the British election and childcare policy will be one of the battlegrounds so what do parents want from government? Setting up a business in the rural economy.
The writer Colm Toibin has given a voice to the mother of Jesus in the play the Testament of Mary. The play's Director Deborah Warner tells us why she was so keen take on the project. This year some MPs and Peers have been to Mindfulness classes and this month the All Party Parliamentary Group on Mindfulness is launched. We find out more about what it is and how it can help depression and anxiety.
Clive sees a Clown in the Moon with actor Tom Hollander, who plays the lead role in brand-new BBC drama, 'A Poet In New York', to mark the centenary of Dylan Thomas's birth. The drama explores how the creator of some of the most memorable lines in the English language, died in a smog-ridden New York on a November day in 1953.
Clive has An Education with journalist and author Lynn Barber. In her new book 'A Curious Career', Lynn takes us from her early years as a journalist for 'Penthouse' to interrogating a huge cross-section of celebrities, ranging from politicians to film stars, comedians, artists and musicians.
Sara Cox hangs in a Buffalo Stance with singer-songwriter, rapper and broadcaster Neneh Cherry, who burst on to the 80's pop scene, paving the way for sassy, solo, female artists. Neneh performs 'Everything' from 'Blank Project'; her first solo album in 18 years.
Clive talks to advertising Guru John Hegarty, who believes that irreverence and its power to challenge and question makes his creativity stand out. His book 'Hegarty on Creativity...There Are No Rules' gives 50 provocative insights to guide you through the process and help select your best ideas.
With more music from Cody ChesnuTT, who performs 'What Kind of Cool' from his album 'Landing on a Hundred: B-Sides and Remixes.'
Speculation abounded this week as to whether Elizabeth Warren hopes to be the Democratic candidate in the next US election.
Elizabeth Warren has had a rapid rise to prominence since her election as Senator for Massachusetts in 2012. Her interrogation of key figures from the banking sector during the financial crisis earned her nicknames such as the 'Sheriff of Wall Street' and the 'Matriarch of Mayhem'.
On Profile this week Chris Bowlby looks at the life and character of the woman who is said to make many Wall Street executives shiver.
Arden of Faversham; The Thrill of It All; Frank; Sheezus; The Story of Women and Art
Joseph O'Connor's novel The Thrill of it All is the story of 25 years in the life of an aspiring Anglo-Irish rock band who seem fated to never quite make the big time. How convincing and fascinating is his depiction of the 1980s music scene?
The RSC's Roaring Girls season aims to bring lesser known works (especially those with strong female leads) by Shakespeare's contemporaries back into the spotlight. The latest play to open at The Swan in Stratford is Arden of Faversham, a revenge tragedy whose authorship is unknown. How easily does the decision to play up the comedy sit with the gruesome story?
The film Frank stars one of cinema's most handsome, sought-after actors Michael Fassbender playing a man who wears a large polystyrene head all the time. Is it a waste of great talent or a fascinating way to see how he copes without the chance to show any expression?
Amanda Vickery's BBC2 series The Story of Women and Art aims to rediscover the great forgotten female artists in the world of fine art, and to discover why they have been sidelined through the ages. Among them a 16th century Italian sculptor and a paper cutter from The Dutch Republic whose works were largely forgotten.
Lily Allen's album Sheezus is a comeback after three years away. But have her attempts to set the world to rights created a great piece of work or has her participation in the culture she targets in her lyrics forced a necessary compromise?
The writer DJ Taylor examines the question of literary reputations and how they rise and fall. Is talent alone enough to ensure survival? Taylor argues that what allows a writer's work to endure is not straightforward merit, but something far more complex: an immensely subtle calibration of talent with the preoccupations of the age that follows. Tone, taste, fashion and luck all play a part. Taylor speaks to the writers Louis de Bernieres, Tracy Chevalier and David Lodge as well as to Professor Dame Hermione Lee, the critic Peter Kemp and to Simon Winder, the Publishing Director of Penguin Press. Along the way he'll discuss writers whose reputation have waxed and waned. He'll ask which writers deserve to be brought back and which ones are on the slide...
When Frank Gresham proposes to Dr Thorne's niece Mary on his twenty first birthday, his parents are horrified. Mary is poor and her parentage is unknown. To save the indebted Greshambury estate Frank must marry for money, not love. A rich heiress is hastily thrust towards him as a more suitable prospect.
Dr Thorne is the third instalment in a new series of dramatisations of Anthony Trollope's complete Barchester Chronicles. Dr Thorne has always kept the parentage of his niece and ward Mary a secret. When young Frank Gresham, the heir to the aristocratic Greshambury estate, expresses his desire to marry Mary, she suddenly finds her standing in society under scrutiny. Dr Thorne realises that the secret he has concealed for so long can no longer stay secret.
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4, followed by weather.
Rebecca Mott says we should come to see prostitution exactly as we now see slavery - as an abuse of human rights - and therefore only total abolition is acceptable.
Four Thought is a series of thought-provoking talks in which speakers air their thinking, in front of a live audience, on the trends, ideas, interests and passions that affect culture and society.
Continuing his new series of nocturnal meditations, Jarvis Cocker prowls the nation's night.
This evening's theme is 'they only come out at night'. Jarvis slips between the shadows to find punks, poets, poker dens and an alcohol fuelled badger watch and eavesdrops on a series of nocturnal dreams and dramas.
His guide to the dark is poet, author and explorer of the night Al Alvarez. In this trip through the night Al points him towards a gambling club where players never see daylight and nerves begin to fray around the card table; to a feminist punk gig where other more exotic identities emerge under cover of darkness; and to an allotment in Hastings where a man's mind unwinds whilst drinking beer, feeling 'the wild' and entertaining notions of sabotage.
Jarvis is our roving eye and ear entering these nocturnal worlds to shine a light whilst contemplating what it is that we search for once night falls.
A quiz show hosted by Steve Punt where a team of three University students take on a team of three of their professors.
Coming this week from the University of Nottingham, "The 3rd Degree" is a funny, lively and dynamic quiz show aimed at cultivating the next generation of Radio 4 listeners whilst delighting the current ones.
The Specialist Subjects in this episode are British History, Management Studies and Philosophy and the questions range from the International Monetary Fund., Kierkegaard and Wagner to the Fat Slags and Goofy
The show is recorded on location at a different University each week, and it pits three Undergraduates against three of their Professors in a genuinely original and fresh take on an academic quiz. Being a Radio 4 programme, it of course meets the most stringent standards of academic rigour - but with lots of facts and jokes thrown in for good measure.
Together with host Steve Punt, the show tours the (sometimes posh, sometimes murky, but always welcoming!) Union buildings, cafés and lecture halls of six universities across the UK.
The rounds vary between Specialist Subjects and General Knowledge, quickfire bell-and-buzzer rounds and the 'Highbrow & Lowbrow' round cunningly devised to test not only the students' knowledge of current affairs, history, languages and science, but also their Professors' awareness of television, film, and One Direction... In addition, the Head-to-Head rounds, in which students take on their Professors in their own subjects, were particularly lively, and offered plenty of scope for mild embarrassment on both sides...
The resulting show is funny, fresh, and not a little bit surprising, with a truly varied range of scores, friendly rivalry, and moments where students wished they had more than just glanced at that reading list...
In this series, the universities are Bristol, Kent, Bedfordshire, Birmingham, Nottingham & Aberystwyth.
The host, Steve Punt, although best known as a satirist on The Now Show is also someone who delights in all facets of knowledge, not just in the Humanities (his educational background) but in the sciences as well. As well as "The Now Show" he has made a number of documentaries for Radio 4, on subjects as varied as "The Poet Unwound - The History Of The Spleen" and "Getting The Gongs" - an investigation into awards ceremonies - as well as a half-hour comedy for Radio 4's 2008 Big Bang Day set in the Large Hadron Collider, called "The Genuine Particle". This makes him the perfect host for a show which aims to be an intellectual, fulfilling and informative quiz, but with wit and a genuine delight in exploring the subjects at hand.
The 3rd Degree is a Pozzitive production, produced by David Tyler. His radio credits include Armando Iannucci's Charm Offensive, Cabin Pressure, Bigipedia, The Brig Society, Thanks A Lot, Milton Jones!, Kevin Eldon Will See You Now, Jeremy Hardy Speaks To The Nation, Giles Wemmbley Hogg Goes Off, The 99p Challenge, My First Planet, The Castle and even, going back a bit, Radio Active. His TV credits include Paul Merton - The Series, Spitting Image, Absolutely, The Paul & Pauline Calf Video Diaries, Coogan's Run, The Tony Ferrino Phenomenon and exec producing Victoria Wood's dinnerladies.
Katrina Porteous visits the fishing port and cannery town of Astoria, Oregon, to report on, and take part in the Fisher Poets Gathering.
Years ago Jon Broderick, who fishes for salmon in Alaska, visited the famous gathering of cowboy poets in Elko, Nevada. Jon knew, not least from listening to radio traffic between boats on the fishing grounds, that fishermen and women, too, celebrated their way of life, complained about their lot, and sent each other up in verse, song and stories. So, with his friend Jay Speakman he organised the first Fisher Poets Gathering, in Astoria, at the mouth of the Columbia River in Oregon.
That was 17 years ago; now for a weekend every February (when the fishing is quiet) fisher poets come from all over America - Florida, Maine, Chesapeake Bay, Alaska. These tough characters, who all know someone who has drowned, stand up and, unembarrassed, completely naturally, read their poems. Hundreds listen: there are sessions in bars and readings all over town. There are workshops, exhibitions, and the community radio station broadcasts proceedings, live.
This year, for the first time, a poet came from beyond the United States. Katrina Porteous lives in the Northumbrian fishing village of Beadnell. For years she has worked with, recorded and written about fishing people there.
She hears astonishing work: from Dave Densmore, on his boat Cold Stream; from Moe Bowstern, an extraordinarily prolific writer about the lives of fisher women; from Richard King who fishes in Alaska, and farms in Hawaii. She meets, too, Lloyd Montgomery, an Aleut fisher poet. And wherever they are from, Katrina discovers, fisher poets share concerns over sustainability - of fish stocks, their communities, their way of life.
SUNDAY 11 MAY 2014
SUN 00:00 Midnight News (b042z2qg)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.
SUN 00:30 8.51 to Brighton (b01lh97c)
Housekeeping, by Vanessa Gebbie
A series of short stories written by new writers to radio. Each writer has taken the
8.51 to Brighton and given the journey their own twist, introducing us to characters whose lives have changed by taking that particular train.
Episode 3 of 3: Housekeeping by Vanessa Gebbie
Everyone is a stranger on a train. But none more strange than the heroine in Vanessa Gebbie's wonderfully unnerving tale Housekeeping. Who is this woman and why is she following this man? Surely it's a strange way for a housekeeper to behave?
Read by Lesley Sharp.
Recorded in front of an audience at The Old Courtroom as part of 2012's Brighton Festival.
The stories are introduced by Lynne Truss.
Director: Celia De Wolff
A Pier production for BBC Radio 4.
SUN 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b042z2qj)
The latest shipping forecast.
SUN 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b042z2ql)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service. BBC Radio 4 resumes at
5.20am.
SUN 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b042z2qn)
The latest shipping forecast.
SUN 05:30 News Briefing (b042z2qq)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.
SUN 05:43 Bells on Sunday (b042z3sw)
Tewkesbury Abbey
The bells of Tewkesbury Abbey in Gloucestershire.
SUN 05:45 Four Thought (b042l78n)
[Repeat of broadcast at
22:15 on Saturday]
SUN 06:00 News Headlines (b042z2qs)
The latest national and international news.
SUN 06:05 Something Understood (b042z3t3)
The Power of the Crowd
There are many different ways people come together: as an audience, a mob, or a congregation. Being an individual member of a large gathering can be an empowering and celebratory experience. It can also be an isolating one.
As she watches the group of people she's so often part of - the travelling throng at Waterloo station - Samira Ahmed explores the relationship between the individual and the crowd.
She considers the beauty of city hordes on their mass manoeuvres; the pleasure she takes in people watching; and the ways individuals can find a profound sense of camaraderie in a large group. And she looks at the riotous mobs as encountered by John Wesley in the eighteenth century and in 1940s Harlem, as witnessed by James Baldwin.
She speaks to Stephen Reicher of the University of St Andrews about the psychology of individuals when they gather together - from train commuters to the Kumbh Mela in India. And we hear from Pulitzer Prize-winning American composer David Lang about Crowd Out, his new piece for a community of one thousand voices.
Featuring music by Edith Piaf, Brownie McGhee and Thomas Tallis and with the words of George Szirtes, James Baldwin, Vesna Goldsworthy and Arnold Bennett.
Produced by Caroline Hughes.
A Whistledown Production for BBC Radio 4.
SUN 06:35 Living World (b042z3t5)
Springtime in the Hazel Coppice
The ancient tradition of coppicing, the periodic cutting of trees and allowing the stumps to regrow, was once common throughout lowland Britain but has been on the wane since the late 1800's. The mosaic habitat of coppiced woodland provides opportunities for a wide variety of wildlife to thrive. With more light reaching the forest floor, recently cut areas are awash with springtime flowers. As the trees regrow they provide habitat for the sleepy and secretive dormouse and many woodland butterflies. Presenter Chris Sperring visits a traditionally managed hazel coppice in Dorset and is joined by coppicer David Partridge and botanist Andy Byfield. As David describes this ancient form of woodland management Andy identifies the woodland plants that are given breathing space by this vanishing tradition.
Produced by Ellie Sans.
SUN 06:57 Weather (b042z2qv)
The latest weather forecast.
SUN 07:00 News and Papers (b042z2qx)
The latest news headlines. Including a look at the papers.
SUN 07:10 Sunday (b042z3t7)
Nigeria reaction, Rowan Williams, Apollo prayer
As pressure builds on the Nigerian Government to find the school girls kidnapped by Islamic militants Boko Haram, William Crawley speaks to the Archbishop of Abuja Cardinal John Olorunfemi Onaiyekan about the ongoing crisis there.
Nurudeen Lemu from the Islamic Education Trust in Nigeria explains how a crack down by security forces has driven Boko Haram underground creating difficulties in understanding their structure and ideology.
Dr Rowan Williams, the former Archbishop of Canterbury, talks to William about the theme of peace and reconciliation which is the focus of this year's Christian Aid Week.
Days after President Obama said a bungled execution in Oklahoma was "deeply disturbing" a bipartisan panel of legal experts has urged sweeping changes in what it calls the "deeply flawed" administration of capital punishment. Matt Wells explores the morals and ethics of the death penalty in the USA.
What role does religion play in attitudes toward Scottish independence? William discusses that question with historian Prof Tom Devine.
The Indian elections are drawing to a close. Monday 12th May is the last voting day. Rahul Tandon reports live from India.
Ahead of International Conscientious Objectors' Day, reporter Trevor Barnes uncovers some of the untold stories of Quakers who refused to fight during the First World War.
From Heckmondwicke to Houston; the story of the West Yorkshire priest Father Paddy Roche whose illustrated prayer for the Apollo 16 mission is set to go under the auctioneer's hammer.
Producer: David Cook
Series Producer: Amanda Hancox
Contributors:
Cardinal John Olorunfemi Onaiyekan
Nurudeen Lemu, Islamic Education Trust
Professor Tom Devine
Dr Rowan Williams
Peter Moreland.
SUN 07:55 Radio 4 Appeal (b042z3t9)
Asylum Aid
Shappi Khorsandi presents The Radio 4 Appeal for Asylum Aid.
Registered Charity No. 328729.
To Give:
- Freephone 0800 404 8144
- Freepost BBC Radio 4 Appeal, mark the back of the envelope 'Asylum Aid'.
SUN 07:57 Weather (b042z2qz)
The latest weather forecast.
SUN 08:00 News and Papers (b042z2r1)
The latest news headlines. Including a look at the papers.
SUN 08:10 Sunday Worship (b042z3tc)
A Service of Holy Communion from Down Cathedral, Downpatrick , reflecting on the radical power and challenge of the resurrection life.
Celebrant: The Very Rev Henry Hull, Dean of Down
Preacher: the Right Rev Harold Miller, Bishop of Down and Dromore
Acts
2.42-47
I Peter
2.19-25
John 10.1-10
Psalm 23
with Cathedra, directed by Michael McCracken.
SUN 08:48 A Point of View (b042ls0j)
The Paradox of Growing Old
Mary Beard reflects on recent TV programmes and newspaper articles about what's going on in care homes for the elderly.
She says she believes that in a few hundred years' time, "our treatment of old people will be as much of a blot on our culture as Bedlam and the madhouses were on the culture of the 18th century".
But she also argues that our view of dementia is a sanitized one. She says we have to recognize that dementia can make its sufferers truculent and aggressive...something that most of us - not just care workers on a minimum wage - would find very difficult to deal with.
Producer: Adele Armstrong.
SUN 08:58 Tweet of the Day (b042300k)
Wetland Dawn Chorus
Tweet of the Day is a series of fascinating stories about British birds inspired by their calls and songs.
David Attenborough presents the third of four recordings marking Dawn Chorus Day: a dawn chorus from the marshes of North Warren in Suffolk. On clear moonlit nights the chorus can be an almost continuous chatter and includes reed and sedge warblers, reed bunting and even a bittern, with its booming, foghorn-like call.
SUN 09:00 Broadcasting House (b042z65w)
Sunday morning magazine programme with news and conversation about the big stories of the week. Presented by Paddy O'Connell.
SUN 10:00 The Archers Omnibus (b042z65y)
For detailed descriptions please see daily episode.
SUN 11:15 Desert Island Discs (b042z660)
Jack Dee
Kirsty Young's castaway this week is the comedian, Jack Dee.
Comedian, actor and writer, his persona is that of the laconic miserabilist - his hit sit-com was called "Lead Balloon" and his autobiography entitled "Thanks For Nothing". That is only part of the picture: even though show business was in the family - his great grandparents were in music hall - his early working life ranged all over the place. From grafting in the kitchens of The Ritz to working in an artificial leg factory - at one point he even seriously considered the priesthood.
He says his caustic, ironic, sarcastic comedy comes from "a sort of realism. You can't escape the dark stuff in life ... and my way of dealing with that is to absorb it into my life so that it's no longer worrying for me."
Producer: Cathy Drysdale.
SUN 12:00 The Unbelievable Truth (b042jcxg)
Series 13
Episode 5
David Mitchell hosts the panel game in which four comedians are encouraged to tell lies and compete against one another to see how many items of truth they're able to smuggle past their opponents. Tony Hawks, Susan Calman, Phill Jupitus and Miles Jupp are the panellists obliged to talk with deliberate inaccuracy on subjects as varied as: The Brain, Victorians, Toads and Cooking.
The show is devised by Graeme Garden and Jon Naismith, the team behind Radio 4's I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue.
Producer - Jon Naismith.
A Random production for BBC Radio 4.
SUN 12:32 The Food Programme (b042z662)
Ken Hom 1 (of 2) - The Early Years
Over 2 special programmes from the Food Connections festival in Bristol, Sheila Dillon talks to Ken Hom about his extraordinary life through food. Part 1: 1 His upbringing and early career.
It's hard to believe that it was nearly 30 years ago when Ken Hom first appeared on BBC television with his series that arguably revolutionised British cooking.
Back in 1984, many people in the UK had hardly tasted Chinese food (let alone tried to cook it for themselves) when they tuned into BBC TV to watch the youthful presenter of Ken Hom's Chinese Cookery. Since then, Ken has continued to spread the word both here and abroad through television, books and teaching. It's said that seven million of his woks have been sold internationally.
Sheila and Ken recall the key moments and mentors in his life; since he began to learn to cook as an 11 year old working at his uncle's Chicago restaurant, to his position now where he is regarded as one of the world's most renowned chefs and ambassadors for Chinese cuisine.
In tomorrow's edition, Sheila and Ken talk further about his political beliefs, his 2012 landmark series Exploring China, about teaching and about his hopes for the future.
Producer: Sarah Langan.
SUN 12:57 Weather (b042z2r3)
The latest weather forecast.
SUN 13:00 The World This Weekend (b042z664)
The latest national and international news, including an in-depth look at events around the world. Email: wato@bbc.co.uk; twitter: #theworldthisweekend.
SUN 13:30 The Invention of... (b042zg75)
Brazil
Episode 2: The British
Misha Glenny continues his exploration of the little known but extraordinary events that have shaped Brazil. This week, two unexpected events in Brazil's path to independence. The first occurred in 1808, when the entire Portuguese court moved across the Atlantic to escape Napoleon. They lived in Rio de Janeiro, which they enjoyed so much that they stayed on for another 13 years. The second occurred in 1822 when the King of Portugal's son, Dom Pedro, declared 'Independence or Death', breaking Brazil free from her European overlords. We reveal that the British were heavily involved in both events.
"As quid pro quo for escorting the Portuguese across the Atlantic, the British ended up arm twisting the Portuguese royal court into signing a very one sided treaty, which in fact ended up giving the British more rights than the Brazilians themselves." Patrick Wilcken, author Empire Adrift.
A fast paced and astounding story of war and slavery, featuring Luciana Martins of Birkbeck College, Emeritus Professor David Brookshaw, and the best-selling Brazilian author Laurentino Gomez, author of 1808: How a Weak Prince, A Mad Queen, and the British Navy Tricked Napoleon and Changed the World.
Presenter: Misha Glenny
Producer: Miles Warde.
SUN 14:00 Gardeners' Question Time (b042lp8y)
Postbag Edition from Kew Gardens
Eric Robson hosts this correspondence edition from Kew Gardens. Matt Biggs, Pippa Greenwood and Matthew Wilson explore the extensive grounds, stopping off along the way to tackle questions sent in by post, email and Twitter.
Also this week, Matt James meets the American Ambassador and is given exclusive access to a very special London garden.
Produced by Howard Shannon.
Assistant Producer: Darby Dorras.
A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4.
Q. I am moving into my new home in Newcastle with a south facing garden 9m (30ft) by 10m(33ft) enclosed by a high fence and a brick wall. I would like advice about the type and positioning of an apple tree. I love Egremont Russets so would like to know if this is a suitable location for such a tree.
A. It would be best to grow a variety of trees trained against a wall as espaliers or cordons. A free standing tree will take up too much room in the garden. Make sure you get some suitable pollinators in the area. This variety will grow well in the north-east of the country, and you could also try Ashmead's Kernel or Ribston Pippin.
Q. Could the panel suggest some plants that will survive the heat of a care home and still give colour and maybe scent?
A. Most plants will struggle to survive in warm, dry conditions all year round. Even Succulents and Cacti need a colder spell. Go for some summer flowering plants like Kalanchoe. You could also try Stephanotis although it is not an easy plant to grow. You can provide the humidity it will need by standing it in a tray of water or misting it.
Q. Could you suggest any trailing plants that could be planted inside ugly pots to disguise the outside? They are about 1ft (0.3m) high by 1ft (0.3m) in diameter and are concrete. The soil depth is about 50cm (19inches).
A. Ivy would be a good option as it is fast moving, self-clinging and affordable. You could add some summer flowering annuals such as Nasturtium, trailing Lobelia or trailing Geraniums such as Ivy Leaf. Aubretia would be a more permanent option.
Q. I have two apple trees in pots. Moss has started to grow in the pots, and so this year I want to plant something under the trees that will both discourage the moss and benefit the soil. Could the panel suggest something?
A. Firstly try to remove the moss without disturbing the apple tree roots. Bedding plants are the best option and there is something to suit everyone. Later on in the year try winter bedding such as Pansies or Pom Pom Daisies. Make sure that you give trees in pots a little bit more food and moisture.
Q. My garden is 13m long by 8m wide. The local council are going to build a school the other side of my fence which will be as tall as the house. What can I plant at the bottom of my garden that will grow rapidly and provide a good screen?
A. Try a variety of trees, as a hedge will simply provide a block shape rather than break up the view. Make yourself aware of the high hedge legislation. Try the River Birch for its great autumn colour. Also think about using Conifers or a Thuja. You could try a good species of Hornbeam which can be lightly clipped to create leaf retention in the autumn.
Q. I have struggled to grow grass on a south facing front lawn. I have re-seeded several times but it always dies off. We have discovered that there is about two inches of soil above what appears to be builders' rubble. What could we grow there instead of a lawn?
A. You need to remove some of the rubble because you don't know what is hidden and it could be mildly toxic or alkaline. Then try adding good quality topsoil. Mediterranean plants would usually grow well in these conditions but be careful if the soil has become very heavily compacted. Too much moisture may build up over winter and cause root death. Try Escholtzia from seed.
SUN 14:45 The Listening Project (b042z666)
Sunday Omnibus
Fi Glover with conversations from Middlesbrough, Llandudno and Leeds Chapeltown, about a widow's loneliness, a long-lasting theatrical romance, and how not to be an absent father, all in the Sunday Omnibus of the series that proves it's surprising what you hear when you listen.
The Listening Project is a Radio 4 initiative that offers a snapshot of contemporary Britain in which people across the UK volunteer to have a conversation with someone close to them about a subject they've never discussed intimately before. The conversations are being gathered across the UK by teams of producers from local and national radio stations who facilitate each encounter. Every conversation - they're not BBC interviews, and that's an important difference - lasts up to an hour, and is then edited to extract the key moment of connection between the participants. Most of the unedited conversations are being archived by the British Library and used to build up a collection of voices capturing a unique portrait of the UK in the second decade of the millennium. You can upload your own conversations or just learn more about The Listening Project by visiting bbc.co.uk/listeningproject
Producer: Marya Burgess.
SUN 15:00 The Barchester Chronicles (b042z668)
Anthony Trollope's Dr Thorne
Episode 2
Anthony Trollope's Dr Thorne by Michael Symmons Roberts
Back from a term at Cambridge, young Frank Gresham is more determined than ever to win the hand of Mary Thorne. Frank's mother Lady Arabella, is equally determined that such a match will never take place, for Frank must marry money to save the indebted Greshambury estate.
Music composed by David Tobin, Jeff Meegan and Julian Gallant
Mrs Baxter .... Maggie Steed
Dr Thorne .... Iain Glen
Frank Gresham .... Douglas Booth
Mary Thorne ... Pippa Bennett-Warner
Roger Scratcherd .... Ron Cook
Lady Scratcherd .... Liza Tarbuck
Louis Scractherd ... Keiran Hodgson
Lady Arabella .... Pippa Haywood
Squire Gresham .... Michael Bertenshaw
Revered Oriel ... Nick Haverson
Patience Oriel .... Jaimi Barbakoff
George de Courcy .... Wilf Scolding
Written by Michael Symmons Roberts
Directed by Susan Roberts
Produced by Charlotte Riches
Dr Thorne is the third instalment in a new series of dramatisations of Anthony Trollope's complete Barchester Chronicles. Dr Thorne has always kept the parentage of his niece and ward Mary a secret. When young Frank Gresham, the heir to the aristocratic Greshambury estate, expresses his desire to marry Mary, she suddenly finds her standing in society under scrutiny. Dr Thorne realises that the secret he has concealed for so long can no longer stay secret.
SUN 16:00 Open Book (b042z66b)
Tony Parsons talks about why he's turned to crime, what he learnt from his time with the vice squad and why it's okay for a detective to have a heart these days. He's joined by fellow writer and academic Henry Sutton to chew over why literary lions are keen to write crime novels these days and why they constantly appeal.
Ted Hodgkinson is just back from the third International Literature Festival in Erbil, in Kurdistan. He reveals a city steeped in writing and poetry and a rich cultural heritage that continues to flourish despite a sometimes turbulent and war torn history.
Alice Greenway's new novel, The Bird Skinner, is set partly in The Solomon Islands and partly off Maine. She explains why her black sheep of an ornithologist grand-father, who spent his war years in the Far East and found time to observe birds amid the fighting, inspired her to write a story of love, birds and collateral war damage.
SUN 16:30 Poetry Please (b042z66d)
Food Glorious Food
Roger McGough introduces delicious poems to make your mouth water from the Bristol Food Connections Festival, with readers John Telfer, Katy Sobey and James Fleet.
There's fruit: Wild Strawberries by Robert Graves and Blackberry Picking by Seamus Heaney; something substantial to get your teeth into: Bread by Brendan Kennelly, A Jar of Honey by Jacob Polley, and a sweet treat: Chocs by Carol Ann Duffy.
Perfectly balanced and nutritious: join the audience at Bristol's Food Connections Festival for this delightful feast of poetic treats.
Presenter...Roger McGough
Readers...John Telfer, Katy Sobey and James Fleet
Producer...Mary Ward-Lowery.
SUN 17:00 Cyprus: Divided Memory, United Future? (b042jn7d)
After fifty years of division policed by UN peacekeepers, there is new hope for a settlement on the island of Cyprus, once known as the "graveyard of diplomats." Writer Maria Margaronis travels through the Greek Cypriot south and the Turkish Cypriot north to understand how this tiny country torn in two and why has it proved so difficult to stitch it back together.
In the 1950s, under British colonial rule, members of the Greek Cypriot majority launched the violent EOKA campaign for Enosis, or union with Greece. Turkish Cypriots, under threat and enlisted for help by the British, mounted a counter-offensive for partition. Britain withdrew in 1960, leaving an independent state unloved by its citizens. By 1963 violence had broken out again; the capital was partitioned and Turkish Cypriots withdrew into separate enclaves. In 1974, the military dictatorship in power in Athens overthrew the Cyprus government to declare Enosis; Turkey invaded and took over a third of the island. Some 200,000 Cypriots became refugees in their own land; there are still missing people from both communities. Since then, repeated attempts at a settlement have failed. The Greek Cypriot Republic of Cyprus is an EU member; the Turkish Republic of Cyprus is unrecognised by any country but Turkey. The two are separated by a UN-controlled buffer zone, and until 2003, there was no crossing and no direct communication between them.
Fifty years ago Cypriots lived together as neighbours; now they have separate histories and no common language. And yet, there are plenty of contacts, friendships, even marriages between them; the divided island has been at peace for 40 years. Maria talks to inter-communal couples, to soldiers who once shot each other and are now fast friends, and to pragmatists on both sides about what it is to live this surreal paradox. She visits the frozen spaces of the UN buffer zone like Nicosia Airport where time has stood still in 1974, and encounters the frozen spaces of history and memory, where shards of grief still linger: a school commemoration of the EOKA struggle, a Greek Cypriot refugee settlement & the ruins of the former luxury holiday resort of Varosha. What does it take for people to leave the past behind? Why might they cling onto it? And, in a world that's changed completely since 1974, can the inhabitants of this strategically located island ever really hope to determine their own future?
Producer: Mark Burman.
SUN 17:40 Profile (b042z1g0)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Saturday]
SUN 17:54 Shipping Forecast (b042z2r5)
The latest shipping forecast.
SUN 17:57 Weather (b042z2r7)
The latest weather forecast.
SUN 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b042z2r9)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
SUN 18:15 Pick of the Week (b042z66g)
This week, it's all in the delivery - Dylan Thomas reads There Was a Saviour in his incantatory way that implied the spoken word was no less than a spiritual act. Archive of Virginia Woolf speaking before her death, in an arch, Empire voice that reminds us of a very musical register that we no longer hear. And Jim Broadbent reads The Taylor Of Gloucester with all the sweet melancholy of Beatrix potter's finest books. Also, amorous policemen, weeds cadging lifts on trains. Madame Bovary, Das Kapital, butter-churners and polytunnels. And Haydn in an excellent mood.
Dylan Thomas Day
The 2014 BBC Food and Farming Awards
The Garden Party
Pulped Fiction
Book of the Week, Eleanor Marx: A Life
The Archers
Outlook
The Documentary: Being Brazilian
Radcliffe and Maconie
Tweet of the Day
Lunchtime Concert
Sir Neville at 90
The Taylor of Gloucester.
SUN 19:00 The Archers (b042z66j)
Brian's still suffering with the sciatica in his leg. He has been out for a while monitoring a pregnant hind. Alice supports Brian as they help the hind through a difficult birth. Adam would have come but he's overworked. Brian praises Alice's skills - she's clearly enjoyed helping.
Tony and Pat feel the effect of Tom's absence at work as they struggle with the pig arks. Pat hopes Tom will be back for the inspection. She sadly reflects that normally Tom would be flat out at this point. Jazzer is helping out but can't do any extra because of his sheep shearing, so he suggests Neil. They discuss Jolene's plan to reunite the Midnight Walkers for Loxfest. Pat remembers the band being quite good.
Pat's struggling to find some important paperwork. Tony wonders how long they can keep up this plate spinning. Tony goes to ring Tom but Pat stops him. There's no point piling on extra pressure, it won't bring Tom back. Pat and Tony resolve to get everything ready for the inspection even if Tom is not around. He needs to have a business to come back to. Tony says they'll get through it - they've survived worse.
SUN 19:15 Bird Island (b042z66l)
Series 2
Episode 2
Young scientist Ben tests out a new coat, suitable for the cold climate in Antarctica.
Meanwhile Jane celebrates her birthday.
Ben ...... Reece Shearsmith
Graham ...... Julian Rhind-Tutt
Shanghai Solitaire Voice ...... Julian Rhind-Tutt
Jane ...... Katy Wix
Atmospheric comedy about a cheery scientist based in Sub-Antarctica by Katy Wix.
It’s Ben’s trip of a lifetime, but in a vast icy landscape with dodgy internet. Feeling lonely, he shares his thoughts via an audio 'log' on his dictaphone.
Graham is a fellow nerdy scientist so their exchanges are mumbled. Ben’s even more awkward around new arrival Jane, though he’s not entirely sure why.
Producer: Tilusha Ghelan
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 2014.
SUN 19:30 Don't Start (b01mqqg1)
Series 2
The Toenail
What do long term partners really argue about? The sharp new comedy from Frank Skinner returns for a second series.
Well observed, clever and funny, Don't Start is a scripted comedy with a deceptively simple premise - an argument. Each week our couple fall out over another apparently trivial flashpoint - the Krankies, toenail trimming and semantics.
The stakes mount as Neil and Kim battle with words. But these are no ordinary arguments. The two outdo each other with increasingly absurd images, unexpected literary references (the Old Testament, Jack Spratt and the first Mrs Rochester, to name a few) and razor sharp analysis of their beloved's weaknesses. Underneath the cutting wit, however, there is an unmistakable tenderness.
Frank says:
"Having established in the first series that Neil and Kim are a childless academic couple who during their numerous arguments luxuriate in their own and each other's learning and wit, I've tried in the second series to dig a little deeper into their relationship. Love and affection occasionally splutter into view, like a Higgs boson in a big tunnel-thing, but can such emotions ever prevail in a relationship where the couple prefers to wear their brains, rather than their hearts, on their sleeves? Is that too much offal imagery?"
Episode 2: The Toenail
Frank's attempts at recycling strike Kim as an unhealthy obsession with death.
Produced and directed by Polly Thomas
Executive Producer: Jon Thoday
An Avalon production for BBC Radio 4.
SUN 19:45 Stories from Songwriters (b042z66n)
One Swallow, by You Are Wolf
You Are Wolf - the artist also known as Kerry Andrew - is a singer, songwriter and composer who specialises in experimental vocal music and uses a loop machine to layer her astonishing voice. For her debut short story she interweaves song and story, singing traditional inspired counterpoints to her story 'One Swallow'. Kerry Andrew's extensive research of traditional British birdlore and folk superstitions nudges its way into her story.
You Are Wolf's debut album, 'Hawk the Hunting Gone', is released on May 26th (Stone Tape).
SUN 20:00 More or Less (b042lp94)
Food Bank Britain
Recent newspaper headlines tell us a million people are using food banks in Britain. Labour say it's a disgrace and getting worse, and the Prime Minister says the figure rose tenfold under Labour.
Are any of these numbers right? What do we really know about how many people are using food banks, and does this tell us anything about whether food poverty is increasing?
Tim Harford remembers Gary Becker, the Nobel prize winning economist who did more than anyone else to extend the tools of economic analysis to the problems of everyday life.
Alex Bellos tells the story of The Man Who Counted, a book of 'Arabic' mathematical tales. The book's author became a superstar in Brazil, but he also had a surprising story of his own.
And was Roger Bannister really the first person to run a four minute mile, or did 18th century fruit and vegetable seller James Parrott beat him to it? We hear the case in Parrott's favour from a former Olympic sprinter with a passion for 18th Century running statistics.
SUN 20:30 Last Word (b042lp92)
Sir George Christie, Leslie Thomas, Elena Baltacha, Sir William Benyon and Deborah Rogers
Matthew Bannister on
Sir George Christie, who ran the Glyndebourne opera at his family home in Sussex - and oversaw the rebuilding of the theatre.
Leslie Thomas, the Barnado's boy who drew on his experience of National Service to write The Virgin Soldiers. Frederick Forsyth and Sir Tim Rice pay tribute.
Deborah Rogers, agent to many leading writers. Ian McEwan and Dame Gail Rebuck remember her.
Sir William Benyon, the Conservative MP who championed Milton Kenyes and re-built the family's estate.
And Elena Baltacha, Britain's former number one tennis player, who died of liver cancer aged thirty.
SUN 21:00 Money Box (b042z1fn)
[Repeat of broadcast at
12:00 on Saturday]
SUN 21:26 Radio 4 Appeal (b042z3t9)
[Repeat of broadcast at
07:55 today]
SUN 21:30 In Business (b042ldzy)
The Sharing Economy
Home swaps, driving your neighbour's car, private car parking in your drive, even renting your neighbour's clothes. They are all part of a new style of collaborative enterprise in which nearly everyone can join and (maybe) make money: the 'shared economy'.
It's breaking cover, growing fast and could be important. Perhaps the best known example is Airbnb but many more companies have sprung up allowing people to share their things and even their time. And now companies are trying to make money out of what makes all this sharing possible: trust.
But existing regulations and laws are set up for traditional businesses such as hotels and car hire companies, and that is causing problems. Peter Day investigates the opportunities and snags of the sharing economy and asks if it could become a big democratic movement.
Producer: Charlotte Pritchard.
SUN 22:00 Westminster Hour (b042z66q)
Weekly political discussion and analysis with MPs, experts and commentators.
SUN 22:45 What the Papers Say (b042z66s)
George Parker of the Financial Times looks at how papers covered the week's big stories.
SUN 23:00 The Film Programme (b042ldzg)
Frank; Miyazaki; Lesbian Cinema
With Francine Stock.
Frank is the story of a singer who never takes off his over-sized papier mache head, on-stage or off. The director Lenny Abrahamson reveals why the film is only partly based on singer Frank Sidebottom, who also wore an over-sized papier mache head and had his own television programme in the 1990s.
Stacie Passon, the director of Concussion, discusses her new drama about a suburban mother who becomes a call girl for other affluent women, and shares her reservations about the celebrated gay film Blue Is The Warmest Colour.
As his last film, The Wind Rises, is released in British cinemas, The Film Programme presents a guide to the world of master Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki.
The Film Programme finds out how The Creepy Guys got on in the awards ceremony for Sci Fi London's 48 Hour Film Challenge.
SUN 23:30 Something Understood (b042z3t3)
[Repeat of broadcast at
06:05 today]
MONDAY 12 MAY 2014
MON 00:00 Midnight News (b042z2sc)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.
MON 00:15 Thinking Allowed (b042l786)
Baristas; 'People' History
The rise & fall of the working class: Laurie Taylor talks to Selina Todd, social historian at St Hilda's College, Oxford, about her sweeping study of ordinary British people between 1910-2010. Rooting her analysis in first person accounts from factory workers, servants and housewives, she reveals a hidden history full of the unexpected: How many of us know that cinema audiences once shook their fists at Winston Churchill? Also, US sociologist, Yasemin Besen-Cassino, discusses her research on 'baristas', the preparers of coffee across the urban world. She finds a group of affluent young people who'll work for poor wages if they're associated with a 'cool' brand.
Producer: Jayne Egerton.
MON 00:45 Bells on Sunday (b042z3sw)
[Repeat of broadcast at
05:43 on Sunday]
MON 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b042z2sf)
The latest shipping forecast.
MON 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b042z2sh)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
MON 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b042z2sk)
The latest shipping forecast.
MON 05:30 News Briefing (b042z2sm)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.
MON 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b042z8ys)
A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day with Andrew Graystone.
MON 05:45 Farming Today (b042z8yv)
The spread of a devastating pig disease in America is boosting exports from Europe. Porcine Epidemic Diarrhoea (PED) virus has killed millions of piglets on thousands of US farms over the past year and has had an impact on their pig production. All of this week Farming Today will look at how the British pig industry is fairing in light of such diseases and what biosecurity measures are in place to protect it.
With the strawberry season starting around three weeks earlier than last year in many parts of the country, there are predictions that it will be a bumper crop. British Summer Fruits say the early sunshine means strawberries are producing increased levels of sugar and therefore making them taste sweeter. Lucy Bickerton has been testing the sugar levels of strawberries at Nynehead Fruit in Somerset.
And farmers are appealing for more help from hauliers to transport donated fodder to those affected by the floods on the Somerset Levels.
Presented by Charlotte Smith and produced by Lucy Bickerton.
MON 05:56 Weather (b042z2sp)
The latest weather forecast for farmers.
MON 05:58 Tweet of the Day (b01s6y1h)
Cuckoo - Male
David Attenborough narrates the first in a new series of short stories about our British birds inspired by their calls and songs, beginning with the Cuckoo. After spending winter in Africa, the migratory urge propels the Cuckoos northwards. And for many of us their return is a welcome sign that spring is well and truly here.
MON 06:00 Today (b042z8yx)
Morning news and current affairs. Including Sports Desk; Weather; Thought for the Day.
MON 09:00 Start the Week (b042z8yz)
The Myth of the Strong Leader?
Tom Sutcliffe asks whether it's better to lead from the front, or advise from the side-line. The Deputy Chairman of Saatchi & Saatchi, Richard Hytner celebrates the latter: those who wield influence and authority away from the limelight. Heather Rabbatts has experience of being a Deputy and a Chief Executive in both politics and business. The academic Archie Brown looks back at the history of political leadership and questions whether strong leaders are the most successful and admirable, while Tony Blair's former chief of staff, Jonathan Powell turns to Machiavelli's The Prince for a primer on the art of government.
Producer: Katy Hickman.
MON 09:45 Book of the Week (b042zb4t)
Gironimo! Riding the Very Terrible 1914 Tour of Italy
Episode 1
It's 12 years since Tim Moore, the ultimate amateur, slogged around the route of the Tour de France. At 48 years old, and distraught by those riders who are despoiling the heroic image of cycling, he decides it's time to reacquaint his feet with cleats and show these soft modern-day cyclists what a real challenge is.
A brief internet search later, he discovers the 1914 Giro d'Italia, the hardest bike race in history. Eighty-one riders started and only eight finished, after enduring cataclysmic storms, roads strewn with nails and even the loss of an eye by one competitor.
Undeterred, Tim sets off to cycle all 3,200km of it. For authenticity, he decides to do it on a 100-year-old bike, which, unburdened by relevant experience, he opts to build himself. Wearing period leather goggles, a woollen jersey, and with an account of the 1914 Giro as his trusty companion, Tim sets off to tell the story of this historic race, as well as the travails of a middle-aged man cycling up a lot of large mountains on a mainly wooden bicycle.
Tim Moore's Gironimo! Riding the Very Terrible 1914 Tour of Italy - abridged in five-parts by Libby Spurrier
Reader: Stephen Mangan
Producer: Joanna Green
A Pier production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in 2014.
MON 10:00 Woman's Hour (b042zb4w)
Stevie Smith; Autism; Losing a parent
Jane Garvey talks to Benjamin Brooks-Dutton about grieving for your partner and how you help a child to build memories of a dead parent.
As a new play about her life goes on stage at the Minerva Theatre in Chichester, we discuss the significance and legacy of poet Stevie Smith.
Dr Wendy Lawson on her experiences of autism and why so many women don't get diagnosed.
And, from the archive of the Imperial War Museum - we hear a first hand account of the life of World War I signaller Annie May Martin.
Presenter: Jane Garvey
Producer: Ruth Watts.
MON 10:45 15 Minute Drama (b042zb4y)
Zosia Wand - The Treehouse
Episode 1
First part of Zosia Wand's five part psychological thriller.
Clare returns to her childhood home in Ulverston nineteen years after a tragedy took place, expecting to put the past behind her, but she is shocked to discover the treehouse where it all happened is still there.
Directed by Nadia Molinari.
MON 11:00 Disabled and Behind Bars (b042zb50)
Nikki Fox is well behaved. She's never been to prison. This is a good thing anyway, but particularly so because Nikki has muscular dystrophy, and gets around in a mobility scooter.
The UK's prison population is getting older, and as a result the prison service has to manage increasing numbers of inmates with physical disabilities. Can it cope with their needs?
Nikki speaks to former inmates, justice officials, and The Prisons Minister to investigate whether disabled prisoners experience harsher treatment than others. She discovers a world where staff refuse to push wheelchairs, disabled prisoners are held in the wrong level of security, lack of access can mean weeks without showering, and where one man's experience left him on a life support machine.
Is a system so reliant on Victorian buildings able to provide the sort of equal access and treatment expected in the outside world? Does prison culture discriminate against disabled people in ways that are now unacceptable in normal society? Are staff sufficiently trained to help with varied physical needs in an era of government cuts and fewer resources? Is it even fair to expect them to do so?
Nikki asks what the prison service and the government are doing to improve conditions for disabled people, and avoid a "double punishment", at the same time as ensuring they face justice. She hears about schemes encouraging prisoners to help each other, the push to develop new more accessible prisons, and the sentencing options open to judges.
Nikki sets out on her scooter to tackle these issues and discover what it's really like to be "Disabled and Behind Bars".
Producer: Neil Cowling
An Alfi Media production for BBC Radio 4.
MON 11:30 Secrets and Lattes (b042zbmt)
Series 1
Oh God It's Christmas...
Episode 6. Oh God, it's Christmas...
It's December in episode 6, the final part of Hilary Lyon's comedy narrative series, and Trisha (played by Julie Graham) has high expectations of the imminent festive season in Edinburgh, as she is spending her first Christmas back in her native city with a particularly special person. She is also uncharacteristically enthusiastic about all things festive at work in 'Cafe Culture', the Bruntsfield coffee shop she runs with her usually sensible big sister Clare (played by Hilary Lyon).
However, everybody else in the Cafe Culture team seems to be dreading it all and there's little evidence of seasonal goodwill around. Clare would happily cancel the whole thing and is fearful of a stressful scenario at home with her troubled husband and monosyllabic teenage children and, for the first time ever, can't summon up the enthusiasm for hanging up even a few tasteful baubles.
Temperamental, opera-loving polish chef, Krzyzstof (Simon Goodall) is having his own major traumas and reservations about everything in his life and although he plans on holding a traditional feast with friends, a major falling-out with Trisha makes this increasingly unlikely. The fourth member of the cafe team, teenage waitress Lizzie (played by Pearl Appleby) is avoiding addressing some complicated family stuff in her past and is pretending to be an ostrich when it comes to Christmas.
Can the team overcome their sturm und drang, survive Christmas and make Cafe Culture a continuing success?
Trish.......................................Julie Graham
Clare.......................................Hilary Lyon
Krzysztof.................................Simon Greenall
Lizzie......................................Pearl Appleby
Richard.....................................Roger May
Director....................................Marilyn Imrie
Producers ............................... Moray Hunter and Gordon Kennedy
An Absolute production for BBC Radio 4.
MON 12:00 You and Yours (b042zcqf)
How long should your washing machine last?
Complaints about energy companies at record levels.
Do payday loan companies rely on us getting into more debt.
How long should your washing machine last? The organisation that represents the people who fix appliances say manufacturers know the lifespan of their white goods. Should they be telling us before we buy?
The idea behind websites such as Freegle and Freecycle is that no money changes hands - until criminals become involved. We'll hear how small amounts of money may add up to millions for those ripping off the good-hearted.
Thea Green from Nails Inc tells what's behind the growth of the nail industry.
Can wearing clothes infused with pheromones make us more attractive to the opposite sex?
Ahead of the Tour de France starting in Yorkshire, we look at the spectator experience of the Giro D'Italia in Belfast this weekend.... and timeshare in perpetuity may soon be a thing of the past.
MON 12:57 Weather (b042z2sr)
The latest weather forecast.
MON 13:00 World at One (b042z2st)
Martha Kearney presents national and international news.
MON 13:45 In Search of Ourselves: A History of Psychology and the Mind (b042zcqh)
The Stages of Life
In this programme Martin Sixsmith looks at the stages of human development from childhood to old age, including Erik Erikson's psychosocial model with its eight phases of the human life cycle.
He examines Jean Piaget's influential work on childhood development and John Bowlby's theory of attachment between mother and child.
He considers how the study of animals such as Konrad Lorenz's work with geese on imprinting and Harlow's controversial experiments with baby monkeys informed research, as well as talking to Bristol University's Professor Bruce Hood about early years development and theory of mind.
Produced by Sara Parker.
A Falling Tree production for BBC Radio 4.
MON 14:00 The Archers (b042z66j)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Sunday]
MON 14:15 Drama (b042zcqk)
Original British Dramatists
Rock Me Amadeus
By Simon Topping
Charlie was born a boy but has always known that she's really a girl. What's to be done?
The arrival of a German exchange student prompts Charlie to take action.
Simon Topping won the BBC Writer's Prize in 2013.
This is his first play for radio.
Directed by Sally Avens.
MON 15:00 The 3rd Degree (b042zcqm)
Series 4
Birmingham
A quiz show hosted by Steve Punt where a team of three University students take on a team of three of their professors.
Coming this week from the University of Birmingham, "The 3rd Degree" is a funny, lively and dynamic quiz show aimed at cultivating the next generation of Radio 4 listeners whilst delighting the current ones.
The Specialist Subjects in this episode are History of Medicine, Social Policy and American Studies and the questions range from the Russo-Japanese war of 1805 and Tristan & Isolde to Candy Crush Corner and monkey glands...
The show is recorded on location at a different University each week, and it pits three Undergraduates against three of their Professors in a genuinely original and fresh take on an academic quiz. Being a Radio 4 programme, it of course meets the most stringent standards of academic rigour - but with lots of facts and jokes thrown in for good measure.
Together with host Steve Punt, the show tours the (sometimes posh, sometimes murky, but always welcoming!) Union buildings, cafés and lecture halls of six universities across the UK.
The rounds vary between Specialist Subjects and General Knowledge, quickfire bell-and-buzzer rounds and the 'Highbrow & Lowbrow' round cunningly devised to test not only the students' knowledge of current affairs, history, languages and science, but also their Professors' awareness of television, film, and One Direction... In addition, the Head-to-Head rounds, in which students take on their Professors in their own subjects, were particularly lively, and offered plenty of scope for mild embarrassment on both sides...
The resulting show is funny, fresh, and not a little bit surprising, with a truly varied range of scores, friendly rivalry, and moments where students wished they had more than just glanced at that reading list...
In this series, the universities are Bristol, Kent, Bedfordshire, Birmingham, Nottingham & Aberystwyth.
Overflow (incl Cast Lists)
The host, Steve Punt, although best known as a satirist on The Now Show is also someone who delights in all facets of knowledge, not just in the Humanities (his educational background) but in the sciences as well. As well as "The Now Show" he has made a number of documentaries for Radio 4, on subjects as varied as "The Poet Unwound - The History Of The Spleen" and "Getting The Gongs" - an investigation into awards ceremonies - as well as a half-hour comedy for Radio 4's 2008 Big Bang Day set in the Large Hadron Collider, called "The Genuine Particle". This makes him the perfect host for a show which aims to be an intellectual, fulfilling and informative quiz, but with wit and a genuine delight in exploring the subjects at hand.
The 3rd Degree is a Pozzitive production, produced by David Tyler. His radio credits include Armando Iannucci's Charm Offensive, Cabin Pressure, Bigipedia, The Brig Society, Thanks A Lot, Milton Jones!, Kevin Eldon Will See You Now, Jeremy Hardy Speaks To The Nation, Giles Wemmbley Hogg Goes Off, The 99p Challenge, My First Planet, The Castle and even, going back a bit, Radio Active. His TV credits include Paul Merton - The Series, Spitting Image, Absolutely, The Paul & Pauline Calf Video Diaries, Coogan's Run, The Tony Ferrino Phenomenon and exec producing Victoria Wood's dinnerladies.
Producer: David Tyler
A Pozzitive Television production for BBC Radio 4.
MON 15:30 The Food Programme (b044pyqf)
Ken Hom 2 (of 2) - Politics, influence and the future
In this second of two special editions recorded at the Bristol Food Connections Festival, Sheila Dillon talks to Ken Hom about his extraordinary life through food. Today they focus on what Ken has been doing since his early BBC career and about how his political beliefs have developed over the years. They also discuss the changes in China and his fears and hopes for the future.
In yesterday's programme, Sheila and Ken discussed the impact his first BBC series 'Ken Hom's Chinese Cookery' had when it aired in Britain in 1984. They also talked about his very early influences from his childhood in Chicago's Chinatown.
In the 60's though, Ken moved to California and became something of a hippy; dropping out from University and even declaring himself a Maoist for a while. He never admitted this allegiance to his mother who had very anti Communist views.
Sheila discusses his political motivation and how that has changed over years. They also talk about his landmark 2012 TV series 'Exploring China', which revealed much more about China than just the state of its food. In the programme Ken was reunited with his father's family who he had not seen for over twenty years.
Ken also tells Sheila about how much teaching means to him, and how he intends to carry on inspiring the next generation of young people, through a passion for food.
Producer: Sarah Langan.
MON 16:00 Oblique Strategies (b02qncrt)
'Infinitesimal gradations', 'Repetition is a form of change', 'Bridges-build-burn' - just three of the gnomic aphorisms contained in the Oblique Strategies cards devised in the early 1970s by artists Peter Schmidt and Brian Eno. The cards were aimed at providing a creative jolt to artists who were either stuck or searching for new directions for their work. Most famously, Eno and David Bowie used the cards during the making of the now infamous set of albums known as the Berlin trilogy.
Simon Armitage first came across them as a student, but has never actually owned or used a pack himself. Now he sets out to tell the story of the cards, talk to some of those who've used them (across the fields of music, writing, cooking, business and more) and also find out whether the cards will take his own writing in a new direction. Among those he'll speak with are Carlos Alomar (the guitarist on those Bowie albums), user Paul Morley, chef Ian Knauer and creativity guru Professor Tudor Rickards. He'll also use the cards to try and help him track down the elusive Brian Eno himself.
Producer: Geoff Bird
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in June 2013.
MON 16:30 The Digital Human (b042zcqp)
Series 5
Sell
Aleks explores how the digital world has changed our idea of selling. In a world where every click is a selling opportunity either for us or to us, how do we take advantage of the one without being taken in by the other?
MON 17:00 PM (b042zcqr)
Eddie Mair presents coverage and analysis of the day's news.
MON 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b042z2sw)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
MON 18:30 The Unbelievable Truth (b042zcqt)
Series 13
Episode 6
David Mitchell hosts the panel game in which four comedians are encouraged to tell lies and compete against one another to see how many items of truth they're able to smuggle past their opponents. Tony Hawks, Susan Calman, Phill Jupitus and Miles Jupp are the panellists obliged to talk with deliberate inaccuracy on subjects as varied as: School, Bears, Underwear and Bottles.
The show is devised by Graeme Garden and Jon Naismith, the team behind Radio 4's I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue.
Producer - Jon Naismith.
A Random production for BBC Radio 4.
MON 19:00 The Archers (b042zcqw)
Joe suggests including ferret Adele in the birthday photo for Clarrie, along with the grandchildren. Eddie thinks giving Clarrie a framed picture will be a highlight of the party. He wants Clarrie to have a birthday to remember.
Pat's working extra hard in time for Friday's inspection, but encourages Clarrie to get off in good time for Eddie. Clarrie notices how busy Pat is, clearing all the dairy admin before starting on Tom's. Clarrie says Tom will come home when he's ready.
Joe tries to decide on his costume for the party - Eastwood or Brando? Meanwhile, Eddie experiments with his hair.
While out in the tractor, tetchy Adam is surprised to see Charlie. He insists he's doing what Charlie asked. Charlie has come to see how it's done. They get chatting about cricket. Adam invites Charlie to play in the single wicket but he ducks out.
At the restaurant for her birthday meal, Eddie has to persuade Clarrie to enjoy herself. Knowing how hard Pat and Tony are working, she doesn't want a hangover as she'll be alone in the dairy tomorrow. Eddie realises Clarrie isn't having a great time. She admits that turning 60 has made her look at her life. What has she achieved?
MON 19:15 Front Row (b042zg73)
James McAvoy; Gillian Clarke on Dylan Thomas; Natalie Merchant
With John Wilson
Actor James McAvoy (Atonement, The Last King of Scotland, Trance) discusses being one of the X-Men, and what it has in common with playing Macbeth.
To mark the centenary of Dylan Thomas' birth, Andrew Davies has written a new TV drama focusing on the poet's fourth and fatal visit to New York in 1953. Starring Tom Hollander, the story captures the last few days of Dylan Thomas' life - weaving in the memories of his childhood in Wales and his relationship with his wife, Caitlin. Gillian Clarke, National Poet Of Wales, reviews.
Natalie Merchant, the American singer-songwriter known for the poetry in her songs, talks to John about her new CD. The self-titled album is her first collection of all her own work for 13 years.
Tuesday sees the British Council unveiling its first ever photographic exhibition - their Director of Visual arts Andrea Rose travelled to North Korea with acclaimed photojournalist Nick Danziger as they collected images of people doing ordinary things, swimming, waiting for a tram, students walking down the street. Andrea describes the experience.
MON 19:45 15 Minute Drama (b042zb4y)
[Repeat of broadcast at
10:45 today]
MON 20:00 The Invention of... (b042zg75)
[Repeat of broadcast at
13:30 on Sunday]
MON 20:30 Crossing Continents (b042ldz0)
Argentina: GM's New Frontline
The transgenic revolution in agricultural production turned Argentina into one of the world's largest producers and exporters of genetically modified soybean and corn. But there is unease across the nation's vast GM belt, especially about health. In the northerly province of Chaco, the Minster of Public Health wants an independent commission to investigate cases of cancer and the incidence of children born with disabilities.
Produced and presented by Linda Pressly.
MON 21:00 Intelligence: Born Smart, Born Equal, Born Different (b042jhl3)
Born Equal
In this the second part of his investigation of the rise, fall and rise of the genetics of intelligence, Adam Rutherford explores an era post World War Two when behavioural genetics fell far from grace. The social not biological sciences reigned supreme in the the study of intelligence and differences between children were attributed to nurture not nature.
Adoption studies were conducted to demonstrate the power of different home or school environments to transform lives.
More recent studies, however, reveal that nurture is not what most of us imagine. Parenting accounts for just a small part of the variation between children's academic performances. The environment in the womb is as important, if not more so, than conditions at home or in the classroom. Not to mention the role of chance.
MON 21:30 Start the Week (b042z8yz)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:00 today]
MON 21:58 Weather (b042z2sy)
The latest weather forecast.
MON 22:00 The World Tonight (b042zg77)
Boko Haram releases new video of kidnapped Nigerian schoolgirls.
Ukrainian separatists ask to join Russia.
Rise of euro-scepticism in Austria.
With Ritula Shah.
MON 22:45 Book at Bedtime (b042zg79)
Fallout
He Was Going Mad
Hayley Atwell reads Sadie Jones' acclaimed new novel set during the birth of radical theatre in 1970s London; a world in which the four central characters swirl, ambitious, eager yet all facing their own demons.
Luke aspires to be a playwright and, after meeting would-be producer Paul and the feisty Leigh, the three end up flatmates in London. There, they plan to revolutionise the face of theatre, but when they encounter Nina, a damaged young actress, emotions get in the way.
Today: From different ends of the country, Luke and Nina are both looking for a way out.
Reader: Hayley Atwell is an acclaimed stage and screen actor, who has been nominated for Olivier Awards for her roles in A View from the Bridge, and most recently for Pride at the Trafalgar Studios in London. Her screen roles include Cassandra's Dream, The Duchess, Captain America: The First Avenger and The Pillars of the Earth.
Producer: Justine Willett
Abridger: Sally Marmion
Written by Sadie Jones' whose debut, The Outcast, the story of a broken young man set in the repressed 50s, won a Costa Book Award and was shortlisted for the Orange Prize in 2008. This is her fourth novel.
MON 23:00 Word of Mouth (b042jhlk)
Words That Wound
Words can change lives, bring hope ,but they can also be scary, cruel and cause offence. Michael Rosen explores whether online abuse has more of an impact on us today than face to face.
Producer: Perminder Khatkar.
MON 23:30 Today in Parliament (b042zg7c)
The Education Secretary rejects accusations from Labour that he has wasted money on free schools in England.
The Shadow Education Secretary, Tristram Hunt, says ministers spent £400m to fill "a black hole" in Michael Gove's "pet political project".
But Mr Gove defends the free schools programme insisting it has helped children "let down in the past".
The Defence Secretary says the referendums held in the Ukraine are "illegal" and a "sham" and the UK will not recognise the outcome.
And peers complain that a decision by the UK is long overdue to sign up to an international agreement to protect historic buildings and works of art in war zones.
Sean Curran and team report on today's events in Parliament.
TUESDAY 13 MAY 2014
TUE 00:00 Midnight News (b042z2ts)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.
TUE 00:30 Book of the Week (b042zb4t)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:45 on Monday]
TUE 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b042z2tv)
The latest shipping forecast.
TUE 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b042z2tx)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
TUE 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b042z2tz)
The latest shipping forecast.
TUE 05:30 News Briefing (b042z2v1)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.
TUE 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b042zsxg)
A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day with Andrew Graystone.
TUE 05:45 Farming Today (b042zsxj)
Allotments for food security? Irish pedigree pigs and grazing at Grasmere
Farmers and the owner of Grasmere Common in the Lake District are at loggerheads over who should be allowed to join a conservation scheme. Farmers argue that, if they can't claim the Uplands Entry Level Stewardship, the future of their businesses will be at stake. The Lowther Estate Trust says it wants to be more involved in managing the common, through an alternative scheme, and its plans will ensure a sustainable future.
After a long history of pig farming, Ireland has finally got its own pedigree herd book.
And researchers at Sheffield University say allotments could play a key part in ensuring food security.
Presented by Anna Hill and produced by Sarah Swadling.
TUE 05:58 Tweet of the Day (b01s89gk)
Song Thrush
Tweet of the Day is a series of fascinating stories about our British birds inspired by their calls and songs. David Attenborough presents the Song Thrush. The male's song in the dawn chorus includes a repertoire of over a hundred different phrases making it one of the richest songs of any British Bird.
TUE 06:00 Today (b042zsxl)
News and current affairs. Including Sports Desk, Yesterday in Parliament, Weather, Thought for the Day.
TUE 09:00 The Public Philosopher (b042zsxn)
Series 3
Morality and the State
Should governments try to influence private morality? Michael Sandel, The Public Philosopher, is back with a new series. In this first programme he is at the University of Utrecht in The Netherlands, one of the world's most permissive countries. It has liberal laws on prostitution, cannabis and euthanasia. Professor Sandel leads a discussion about the role of the state in shaping and policing our moral values.
TUE 09:45 Book of the Week (b043kdyw)
Gironimo! Riding the Very Terrible 1914 Tour of Italy
Episode 2
Complete with self-built road bike and period cycling outfit, Tim arrives in Milan for the start of his epic challenge to retrace the route of the 1914 Giro d'Italia.
It's 12 years since Tim Moore, the ultimate amateur, slogged around the route of the Tour de France. At 48 years old, and distraught by those riders who are despoiling the heroic image of cycling, he decides it's time to reacquaint his feet with cleats and show these soft modern-day cyclists what a real challenge is.
A brief internet search later, he discovers the 1914 Giro d'Italia, the hardest bike race in history. Eighty-one riders started and only eight finished, after enduring cataclysmic storms, roads strewn with nails and even the loss of an eye by one competitor.
Undeterred, Tim sets off to cycle all 3,200km of it. For authenticity, he decides to do it on a 100-year-old bike, which, unburdened by relevant experience, he opts to build himself. Wearing period leather goggles, a woollen jersey, and with an account of the 1914 Giro as his trusty companion, Tim sets off to tell the story of this historic race, as well as the travails of a middle-aged man cycling up a lot of large mountains on a mainly wooden bicycle.
Tim Moore's Gironimo! Riding the Very Terrible 1914 Tour of Italy - abridged in five-parts by Libby Spurrier
Reader: Stephen Mangan
Producer: Joanna Green
A Pier production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in 2014.
TUE 10:00 Woman's Hour (b042zsxq)
Marriage certificates; Tourette's; football coach Pia Sundhage
Marriage certificates - are they sexist, outdated, or just a piece of paper? Family historian and record specialist Audrey Collins explains the law, and Caroline Criado-Perez tells us why it needs to change.
Plus Tourette's and children - we hear from families living with Tourette's on how it also affects children, who can develop the condition from six or seven years of age.
Football coach Pia Sundage - as Portugal's Helena Costa is set to become the highest profile female manager of a European men's team, we hear from one of the very best women coaches in the game.
Julia Gibson Cranch - the mental health therapist talks about her work helping children and young people with personality disorder.
And Eleanor Marx - the daughter of communism's Karl Marx, dedicated campaigner and feminist. Biographer Rachel Holmes describes her extraordinary life.
TUE 10:45 15 Minute Drama (b042zsxs)
Zosia Wand - The Treehouse
Episode 2
Second part of Zosia Wand's pyschological thriller set in Ulverston.
Clare finds that her angry words, impulsively scrawled on the woodland treehouse where her brother Mark fell to his death nineteen years, before impact on each of his friends but not in the way she expected.
Directed by Nadia Molinari.
TUE 11:00 Intelligence: Born Smart, Born Equal, Born Different (b042zsxv)
Born Different
Adam Rutherford asks what, in the future, the genetics of intelligence could mean for educational policy. Are we right to fear streaming at birth? Or could an understanding of the genetics of intelligence be used to promote the kind of society we wish to live in.
TUE 11:30 Try a Little Tenderness: The Lost Legacy of Little Miss Cornshucks (b042zsxx)
Try A Little Tenderness: The Lost Legacy of Little Miss Cornshucks
Chicago. It's the late 1930's and a young Mildred Cummings from Dayton, Ohio is barefoot, standing in the spotlight on stage, wearing that same old shabby dress and a broken straw hat. This is Little Miss Cornshucks and she has the audience in the palm of her hand, a unique act and larger than life personality. By the 1940's she made top-billing at nightclubs across America, performing heartbreaking ballads. The great Ahmet Ertegun of Atlantic Records, the man who pioneered the rhythm and blues said "She could sing the blues better than anybody I've ever heard."
But who remembers her now?
Author and poet Salena Godden invites you to join her in downtown Chicago as she goes in search of the missing legacy of Little Miss Cornshucks, the best blues singer you never heard.
She meets unofficial biographer Barry Mazor, who spent years tracing her tale. 98-year old former dancer Lester Goodman remembers the 'black and tan' nightspots that Cornshucks commanded, now long-gone. And taking a road trip on Route 65 to Indianapolis, Salena visits the home of Mildred's family, her daughter Francey and grand-daughter Tonya, filled with pictures, music and memories.
Why did this unique voice, that could so easily lift or reduce an audience to laughter and tears, die in complete obscurity, with her influence unmarked and unrecognised?
The song 'Try A Little Tenderness' became a powerhouse hit for both Aretha Franklin and Otis Redding. With musicologists, Cerys Matthews and Russell Davies, Salena invites us to take a moment to listen back to the inimitable Little Miss Cornshucks earlier version, to make the case for a lost legend of blues.
Produced by Rebecca Maxted.
A Wise Buddah Production for BBC Radio 4.
TUE 12:00 You and Yours (b042zsxz)
Call You and Yours: Where Should You Have Your Baby?
Healthy pregnant women should be encouraged to have their baby in units led by midwives, according to draft guidance from an NHS watchdog. NICE, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, says a home birth can be just as safe for low-risk pregnancies as a hospital delivery. At the moment, about two in every 100 deliveries are home births. On Call You and Yours today, Where Should you have your baby? - home or hospital.
TUE 12:57 Weather (b042z2v3)
The latest weather forecast.
TUE 13:00 World at One (b042z2v5)
Martha Kearney presents national and international news. Listeners can share their views via email: wato@bbc.co.uk or on twitter: #wato.
TUE 13:45 In Search of Ourselves: A History of Psychology and the Mind (b042zsy1)
DNA and Darwin
Martin Sixsmith looks at how our DNA and the development of our brains inform who we are and how we think.
He re-examines the nature versus nurture debate and considers the claims of evolutionary psychology from Robert Sapolsky's work with baboons to the increasing interest in epigenetics.
He talks to geneticist Steve Jones of University College London and visits the Oxford Brain bank to interview neuropathologist Margaret Esiri about the structure of the brain.
Producer: Sara Parker
A Falling Tree production for BBC Radio 4.
TUE 14:00 The Archers (b042zcqw)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Monday]
TUE 14:15 Drama (b042zsy3)
Original British Dramatists
Paris, Nana & Me
ORIGINAL BRITISH DRAMATISTS
Discover 10 new voices over 10 Afternoon Dramas
In 2009 writer and performer Caroline Horton took her ninety year-old Grandmother on one last trip to Paris. Having grown up hearing her Nana's vivid stories of the city, Caroline excitedly planned their Parisian adventure. But it's hard to have an unforgettable trip with someone who can't remember what they were doing yesterday. And sight-seeing is not much fun with somebody who is virtually blind. A funny and heartbreakingly poignant journey through the city of love and the ravages of time.
Caroline Horton is a young writer/performer with a talent for comedy, telling stories and touching hearts. She was named Best Solo Performer at The Stage Awards 2010 for her show 'You're Not Like the Other Girls Chrissy'. Her follow up play, 'Mess', won Best Ensemble at The Stage Awards 2012 as well as the Argus Angel Award in 2013.
Directed by James Robinson
A BBC Cymru Wales Production.
TUE 15:00 The Kitchen Cabinet (b042z1fg)
[Repeat of broadcast at
10:30 on Saturday]
TUE 15:30 Costing the Earth (b042zsy5)
Energy Storage
Massive batteries? Compressing or liquefying air? Moving gravel uphill on ski lifts? Tom Heap looks at some of the big ideas proposed for storing energy using science or the landscape and explores which may become a reality if we're to keep the lights on.
Huge investment is being made in renewable energy but as solar and wind fluctuate and are intermittent often energy goes to waste because the points at which they generate isn't when the demand occurs. So why not use that energy and store it in another form to be used when it's required? Many companies are proposing ideas to do that - from extending traditional pumped hydro to compressing or liquefying air, electrolysing water or shifting heavy materials up mountains. Or will a revolution in batteries - making them cheaper and from different materials - help the cause?
Tom Heap takes a look at some of the bold ideas to see how far they'll go to keeping the lights switched on, what they'll cost financially and aesthetically and if there's any sign of committing to any of them at all.
TUE 16:00 Word of Mouth (b042zsy7)
Reader, I Marinated Him - the language of food
Michael Rosen on stage at the Food Connections Festival in Bristol with historians and writers, Sue Shepherd, Annie Gray and Kathryn Hughes, discuss hungry minds and literary meals through history. James Bond's dinners, Miss Haversham's wedding cake, Paddington Bear's sandwiches - literature groans with plenty. In the Soviet Gulag prisoners discovered they shared a dream of rye bread flying past them like a meteor or an angel. History is full of hunger. Language has brought all these meals into life. Michael's three guests bring their favourites. Producer: Tim Dee.
TUE 16:30 Great Lives (b042ztr7)
Series 33
John Craven on Brunel
Countryfile presenter John Craven proposes Victorian Engineer, Isambard Kingdom Brunel, as a great life. He's joined by engineering historian Julia Elton and presenter Matthew Parris.
And where better to discuss Brunel's achievements than by the harbour in Bristol in the shadow of his magnificent steam ship the SS Great Britain. But should his creator of great machines himself be considered a great man or is finest achievement the engineering of his own reputation?
Recorded at the Food Connections Festival in Bristol.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2014.
TUE 17:00 PM (b042ztr9)
Full coverage and analysis of the day's news.
TUE 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b042z2v7)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
TUE 18:30 Alex Horne Presents The Horne Section (b042ztrc)
Series 3
Tom Basden
Stand-up Alex Horne and his band explore the theme of home and leisure through live music and comedy.
With songs about radiators, a pork pie and Wayne Rooney amongst others.
Band...Joe Auckland, Mark Brown, Will Collier, Ben Reynolds, Ed Sheldrake
With guest comedian Tom Basden.
Producer: Julia McKenzie
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 2014.
TUE 19:00 The Archers (b042ztrf)
Charlie's brisk with Rob, who's late after having to take Henry to nursery. Charlie goes through yield figures and gives Rob a hard time about various setbacks he's had to deal with. It's time for Rob to up his game.
Elizabeth understands what a push things are for Pat and Tony with Tom gone. Pat asks Roy if he has heard form Tom. No.
Roy has good news for Elizabeth though. The council has given the thumbs up for Loxfest. Elizabeth's pleased but tells Roy he was a bit previous in booking Shelley Brazil for to curate the food activities. Luckily they're ok to go ahead.
Elizabeth shares her Loxfest worries with Roy, but he tries to reassure her. Roy also stuns Elizabeth with the news that they'll be camping at the festival he's invited her to.
Kirsty returns to Ambridge Organics and is icy with Helen. She has just come for what she's owed. Kirsty's insulted that Helen would even think she'll carry on working with her. Helen tries to reach out but Kirsty blows up at her. A real friend would have protected her and not allowed her to be humiliated on her wedding day.
Upset Helen tries to explain that she didn't know what to do for the best. Kirsty says a real friend would have. Think about that before inflicting your friendship on anyone else.
TUE 19:15 Front Row (b042ztrh)
Godzilla reviewed; Ailyn Perez and Stephen Costello in La Traviata
With John Wilson. Godzilla's back in cinemas this Thursday in a new film by British director Gareth Edwards, who earned worldwide acclaim for his debut Monsters in 2010. This time the world's most famous monster is pitted against a humanity arrogant enough to think it can control nature. Antonia Quirke reviews.
John meets Ailyn Perez and Stephen Costello, two young American singers dubbed "America's fastest-rising husband-and-wife opera stars" who are starring in La Traviata at London's Royal Opera House.
From There To Here is the latest TV series from writer Peter Bowker. The drama follows two families from different backgrounds in the aftermath of the 1996 bomb explosion in central Manchester. Peter tells John about his desire to write a love-letter to Manchester.
Six British feature films including A Matter of Life and Death and Bend It Like Beckham are being celebrated today with a new issue of stamps. Philip Parker, Head of Stamps Strategy at the Royal Mail explains the choices.
TUE 19:45 15 Minute Drama (b042zsxs)
[Repeat of broadcast at
10:45 today]
TUE 20:00 File on 4 (b042ztrk)
Street Slaves
The Government has introduced a draft Modern Slavery Bill which is aimed at making it simpler to prosecute human traffickers and which will bring in life sentences for such offences.
But who are the victims of modern day slavery in the UK and how organised are the gangs who prey upon them?
While much concern has focused on people trafficked into the country, Jane Deith reveals how the most vulnerable in society such as the homeless and people with learning difficulties are being targeted by gangs who pick them off the streets with the offer of money and accommodation. But many say they end up working long hours for little or no pay and are too frightened to leave. Some - including people from the UK - are taken abroad to countries such as Sweden and Norway to pave driveways and other labouring jobs. Others are working in the construction industry here but being paid much less than the minimum wage.
Police say the traffickers and those who exploit the homeless and vulnerable are highly organised and often use their victims' identities to open bank accounts and commit further crimes such as benefit fraud, netting thousands of pounds and leaving their victims with huge debts.
So who's monitoring the marginalised? Will the new Bill do enough to deal with the dark side of Britain's labour market?
Reporter: Jane Deith
Producer: Paul Grant.
TUE 20:40 In Touch (b042ztrm)
Changes to Disability Students' Allowance; practicalities of 'killing time'
The government is proposing changes to the Disabled Students' Allowance. Currently students are entitled to up to around £5,000 for equipment such as a computer and assistive technology across their entire course, and up to £20,000 per year for help with performing tasks such as note-taking and sighted guide. The government is proposing to no longer fund a "standard specification computer", arguing that most students would already have access to one. In a further tabled measure, it may no longer fund "non-specialist nonmedical" support for students. We hear from two students who outline the ways in which they use their current Disabled Students' allowance. The National Association of Disability Practitioners is concerned that universities who have made themselves more open and inclusive to students with disabilities, may bear the brunt of the extra costs for funding support for students - they also say that the government hasn't been clear enough in defining non-specialist help.
Universities UK is concerned that, without the assurance of adequate support, students will be reluctant to apply to university. Peter White puts the concerns of the students, the disability practitioners and Universities UK to the Minister for Science and Universities, David Willetts.
Richard Lane lost his sight at the age of twenty-three and gives his perspective of finding ways to "hang out" and "kill time" between appointments when you are visually impaired.
Image: Richard Lane with his dog, Topper.
TUE 21:00 All in the Mind (b042ztrp)
Why does one child become rebellious and another not? Claudia Hammond talks to Mark McDermott from the University of East London about new research into parenting and rebelliousness. She also hears from another shortlisted entry to the All in the Mind mental health awards. Plus, a scheme to fast track mental health social workers. Will this improve the image of the profession? Claudia Hammond reports on the new Think Ahead proposals.
TUE 21:30 The Public Philosopher (b042zsxn)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:00 today]
TUE 22:00 The World Tonight (b042ztrr)
ICC re-opens examination of British military action in Iraq.
Right to be forgotten on the internet.
A personal take on the rise of British euro-scepticism.
With Ritula Shah.
TUE 22:45 Book at Bedtime (b043nrxc)
Fallout
A Flashbulb Moment of a Meeting
Hayley Atwell reads acclaimed author Sadie Jones' new novel, set during the birth of radical theatre in 1970s London; a world in which the four central characters swirl, ambitious, eager yet all facing their own demons.
Luke aspires to be a playwright and, after meeting would-be producer Paul and the feisty Leigh, the three end up flatmates in London. There, they plan to revolutionise the face of theatre, but when they encounter Nina, a damaged young actress, emotions get in the way.
Today: A flashbulb moment of a meeting in a Northern town, and Luke knows he must leave.
Reader: Hayley Atwell
Producer: Justine Willett
Written by Sadie Jones' whose debut, The Outcast, the story of a broken young man set in the repressed 50s, won a Costa Book Award and was shortlisted for the Orange Prize in 2008. This is her fourth novel.
TUE 23:00 Act Your Age (b0100gr6)
Series 3
Episode 3
Simon Mayo hosts the three-way battle between the comedy generations to find out which is the funniest.
Will it be the Up-and-Comers, the Current Crop or the Old Guard who will be crowned, for one week at least, as the Golden Age of Comedy?
Holly Walsh is joined by Sean Walsh, Lucy Porter teams up with Hal Cruttenden and Tom O'Connor is paired with Dave Spikey.
Devised and produced by Ashley Blaker and Bill Matthews.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 2011.
TUE 23:30 Today in Parliament (b042ztrw)
Susan Hulme reports from Westminster.
WEDNESDAY 14 MAY 2014
WED 00:00 Midnight News (b042z2w5)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.
WED 00:30 Book of the Week (b043kdyw)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:45 on Tuesday]
WED 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b042z2w7)
The latest shipping forecast.
WED 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b042z2w9)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
WED 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b042z2wc)
The latest shipping forecast.
WED 05:30 News Briefing (b042z2wf)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.
WED 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b0435c7q)
A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day with Andrew Graystone.
WED 05:45 Farming Today (b0435c7s)
Media blackout on badger cull; Endangered eels; Pigs
The President of the National Farmers Union has told Farming Today that the decision not to communicate with the media during last year's pilot badger cull was down to a decision from the highest level of government. The pilot cull took place in Somerset and Gloucestershire as part of the government's strategy to tackle bovine TB. This was told to Farming Today's reporter, Anna Jones, during a session at the Pig and Poultry Fair in Stoneleigh, looking at how farmers should be more open with the media. Defra say there is no truth in this.
Around 300,000 endangered young eels have died after failing to be removed from a trap set up at a power station to help them on their run up the river Erne in Northern Ireland. There was an exceptional surge of young eels up the river over the Easter weekend, however because the traps were not emptied in time, the animals suffocated. Farming Today hears from the European Eel Consultancy and the electrical company, ESB, who are in charge of looking after the traps.
And thousands of visitors have been at the Pig and Poultry Fair at Stoneleigh, which starts its second day today. Farming Today has been there finding out how farmers can best promote themselves.
Presented by Anna Hill and produced by Lucy Bickerton.
WED 05:58 Tweet of the Day (b01s8mng)
Swift
Tweet of the Day is a series of fascinating stories about our British birds inspired by their calls and songs. David Attenborough presents the Swift. Swifts live in the sky, feeding, mating and sleeping on the wing. Their feet are so reduced they cannot stand particularly well on land, only the near vertical surfaces on which they build their nest.
WED 06:00 Today (b0435c7v)
Morning news and current affairs. Including Sports Desk, Yesterday in Parliament, Weather and Thought for the Day.
WED 09:00 Midweek (b0435c7x)
Tony Hatch, Le Gateau Chocolat, Bob Shepton, Barb Stegemann
Libby Purves meets songwriter Tony Hatch; cabaret performer Le Gateau Chocolat; adventurer Bob Shepton and entrepreneur Barb Stegemann.
Le Gateau Chocolat is a cabaret performer from Nigeria. His latest show, Black, is a portrait of his loves, fears and personal battle with depression. Le Gateau Chocolat has sung for the Queen as part of the Jubilee Flotilla and performed around the world with La Soirée and Le Clique. His solo show has been staged at the Sydney Opera House. Black is at the Soho Theatre, London.
Bob Shepton is an ordained minister in the Church of England who now spends much of his time sailing into the Arctic region and climbing mountains. He has sailed approximately 130,000 miles and made over 100 first ascents. Bob has received the Piolet d'Or mountaineering award; the Blue Water Medal; the Tilman Medal and was Yachtsman of the Year in 2013. His autobiography Addicted to Adventure - Between Rocks and Cold Places is published by Adlard Coles Nautical.
Tony Hatch is a songwriter and record producer. He wrote many of the era-defining songs of the 1960s including Downtown and Don't Sleep in the Subway for Petula Clark. He also wrote the themes for television series such as Crossroads, Emmerdale and Neighbours. In the Seventies he was a judge on the ITV talent show, New Faces. His work is being celebrated at his Life In Song concert at the Royal Festival Hall.
Barb Stegemann is the Canadian CEO of the 7 Virtues perfume brand - a range of fragrances made from flowers and other essences farmed on land where there is conflict or devastation. Barb formed the company after her best friend was seriously wounded in Afghanistan in 2006. She works with local suppliers who supply the essential oils for her perfume. In 2010 Barb pitched and landed a venture capital deal on Canada's version of Dragons' Den.
Producer: Paula McGinley.
WED 09:45 Book of the Week (b043kh5r)
Gironimo! Riding the Very Terrible 1914 Tour of Italy
Episode 3
On his epic ride around Italy, Tim finds himself cycling over the finish line and into the midst of a photo-call for the 2012 Women's Tour of Tuscany.
It's 12 years since Tim Moore, the ultimate amateur, slogged around the route of the Tour de France. At 48 years old, and distraught by those riders who are despoiling the heroic image of cycling, he decides it's time to reacquaint his feet with cleats and show these soft modern-day cyclists what a real challenge is.
A brief internet search later, he discovers the 1914 Giro d'Italia, the hardest bike race in history. Eighty-one riders started and only eight finished, after enduring cataclysmic storms, roads strewn with nails and even the loss of an eye by one competitor.
Undeterred, Tim sets off to cycle all 3,200km of it. For authenticity, he decides to do it on a 100-year-old bike, which, unburdened by relevant experience, he opts to build himself. Wearing period leather goggles, a woollen jersey, and with an account of the 1914 Giro as his trusty companion, Tim sets off to tell the story of this historic race, as well as the travails of a middle-aged man cycling up a lot of large mountains on a mainly wooden bicycle.
Tim Moore's Gironimo! Riding the Very Terrible 1914 Tour of Italy - abridged in five-parts by Libby Spurrier
Reader: Stephen Mangan
Producer: Joanna Green
A Pier production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in 2014.
WED 10:00 Woman's Hour (b0435c7z)
Pretty Yende; Nancy Astor; Patricia Highsmith; Menopause and memory
South African soprano Pretty Yende. Publisher Liz Calder and author Laura Wilson discuss the enduring appeal of Patricia Highsmith, the queen of the psychological thriller Classic archive from Woman's Hour in 1956 - an interview Nancy Astor, the first woman to take her seat as an MP at Westminster. Dr Jacqui Turner looks at Nancy's life and legacy in politics. The effects of early menopause on memory and co-ordination. Jenni Murray presents.
WED 10:45 15 Minute Drama (b0435c81)
Zosia Wand - The Treehouse
Episode 3
The tension mounts in the third part of Zosia Wand's pyschological thriller when the friends receive an anonymous summons to the treehouse. Who wants them back at the treehouse and why?
Directed by Nadia Molinari.
WED 11:00 Three Continents, Three Generations (b0435c83)
Radio producer Neil Kanwal traces the history of Kenyan Asian migration to Britain, a path followed by his own father's family across three continents and three generations.
In 1896 the British sent thousands of indentured labourers from India to Kenya, to build the Uganda Railway from Mombasa on Kenya's coast to Lake Victoria in Uganda. It was a remarkable feat of engineering and initiated a growing Asian presence in the country. Travelling on the same railroad today, Neil examines how the community prospered over the following decades.
Professor Yash Ghai shares memories of his formative years in the segregated society of colonial Kenya, whilst back at the British Library the presenter studies the records of the India Office to find out more about the challenges they faced.
During the sixties and seventies, facing uncertainty in a new, independent Kenya many utilised their link with Britain to settle in the UK, causing alarm amongst the government and public. From adjusting to British life, to the affect of migration on their identity, the programme concludes with the experiences of some of the 100,000 Kenyan Asians who made Britain their new home.
In this documentary the presenter embarks on a personal exploration of the unique experiences, culture and movements of Kenyan Asians, in a story of Empire, identity, discrimination and migration.
Producer: Heather Davies
A BlokMedia production for BBC Radio 4.
WED 11:30 When the Dog Dies (b0435c85)
Series 4
Gone in a Flash
Another chance to hear the much missed Ronnie Corbett in the final series of his popular sitcom by Ian Davidson and Peter Vincent. Ronnie is granddad Sandy and his old dog is Henry. If the dog dies or his lodger moves on, Sandy's children want him to downsize. He doesn't.
To help his finances, Sandy, still in the family home, took in a young couple as lodgers. But then the man left - leaving the attractive Dolores behind. AndSandy's children are quite sure she's a gold-digger. Sandy's opinion that it would be inhuman to move Henry somewhere unfamiliar is wearing a bit thin - as is the old dog himself.
Keeping the dog alive and the lodger happy is one thing, but what really concerns Sandy deeply is providing a guiding hand to his whole family - advising here, prompting there, responding to any emergency callout. If he kept himself to himself, of course, things would be a lot simpler and smoother. But a lot duller too.
Episode One - Gone In A Flash
Sandy's feeling bereft. His lodger has gone to live with her new man. And then his granddaughter Calais, with her parents away, gives a party which it seems hundreds of wild teenagers are going to crash. Can a lone granddad quell a major riot?
Written by Ian Davidson and Peter Vincent
Producer: Liz Anstee
A CPL production for BBC Radio 4.
WED 12:00 You and Yours (b0435c87)
Flight delays
Compensation for flight delays. Are the airlines are playing fair by using 'extraordinary circumstances' to avoid paying compensation to people who have been stuck at airports or missed flights? The extraordinary story of a woman who less than an hour after answering her phone to a criminal, walked into her local bank branch, took our three thousand pounds and handed it over to someone she'd never met before. Plus, are the energy companies are doing all they can to hand back credit people have on their accounts?
WED 13:00 World at One (b042z2wh)
Martha Kearney presents national and international news. Listeners can share their views via email: wato@bbc.co.uk or on twitter: #wato.
WED 13:45 In Search of Ourselves: A History of Psychology and the Mind (b0435c89)
Mapping the Brain
From early research into how different areas of the brain function to President Barack Obama's announcement in 2013 of a one hundred million dollar brain mapping project, Martin Sixsmith examines the impact of neuroscience on what we know about the way we think, feel and act.
He undergoes transmagnetic cranial stimulation to map the workings of his brain and he looks down a microscope at the Oxford Brain Bank to see what individual brain cells can tell us.
He listens to the chattering of neurons communicating with each other through a single wire implanted in a rat's brain and finds out why London cabbies have larger hippocampi than the rest of us.
Producer: Sara Parker
A Falling Tree Production for BBC Radio 4.
WED 14:00 The Archers (b042ztrf)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Tuesday]
WED 14:15 Drama (b0435hrb)
Original British Dramatists
When the Night Has No Right to Be King
ORIGINAL BRITISH DRAMATISTS
Discover 10 new voices over 10 Afternoon Dramas
There was a time when love blazed through Chris' life but now Sarah is gone and Chris must cross the broken ground of all that he has lost in order to save himself.
A man finds himself suspended between the living and the dead in John Lynch's moving and powerful drama about grief and the redemptive power of love. Inspired by Greek mythology of the Underworld, it explores altered consciousness and the turbulence of time and memory.
John Lynch is a successful film and television actor (Cal, In The Name of the Father, Sliding Doors, The Fall). He is also a writer. He has written two novels 'Torn Water' and 'Falling out of Heaven'. He co-wrote the screenplay 'Best' about George Best. He is currently writing his third novel. This is his first drama for radio.
Directed by Nadia Molinari
Sound Design by Steve Brooke.
WED 15:00 Money Box Live (b0435hrd)
Complaining About Financial Services
Complained about banking, insurance or other financial services and still unhappy? Call 03700 100 444 from
1pm to
3.30pm on Wednesday or e-mail moneybox@bbc.co.uk now.
How can you resolve a problem fairly?
What are your rights and how quickly should your provider respond?
If you feel that your complaints are not being addressed or taken seriously, how can you escalate them?
Whether your problem is about poor service, unfair treatment or mis-selling, Lesley Curwen and guests will be ready to assist. Waiting to explain the rules and share their experience will be:
James Daley, Fairer Finance.
Martyn James, Financial Ombudsman Service.
James Walker founder of Resolver & Complaints Champion.
Call 03700 100 444 from
1pm to
3.30pm on Wednesday or e-mail your question to moneybox@bbc.co.uk now. Standard geographic call charges apply.
WED 15:30 All in the Mind (b042ztrp)
[Repeat of broadcast at
21:00 on Tuesday]
WED 16:00 Thinking Allowed (b0435hrg)
'Illicit' Dance; The Purpose of War
'Illicit' dance in India. Laurie Taylor talks to Anna Morcom, Senior Lecturer at Royal Holloway, University of London, about her extensive research into marginalised dancers in contemporary South Asia. From bar dancers to transgender erotic performers, she has chronicled their relationship with 'legitimate' performing arts; their struggles against stigma and the ways in which post colonial nation building has excluded these 'non elite' carriers of culture. Also, can war ever be a force for good? The historian, Ian Morris, argues that war, as well as provoking countless deaths & horrors, has also, in the very long term, allowed us to create peaceful societies.
Producer: Jayne Egerton.
WED 16:30 The Media Show (b0435hrj)
Election debates; women directors; 'Sky Europe' talks; all3media chairman
The UK company behind programmes including Skins, Midsomer Murders and the Gadget Show has been sold to US media giants Discovery and Liberty Global. All3media group is comprised of eighteen leading production companies, which have always operated as individual businesses with creative independence. So, will a corporate buyout affect this culture? Steve Morrison, the Chairman of All3media joins Steve Hewlett to discuss.
The public want and expect TV election debates to be held in in the run up to next year's general election, that's according to a new report by the Lords Communications Committee. But they want greater diversity among the moderators and for broadcasters to encourage more voter participation. Steve speaks to Lord Inglewood, Chair of the Committee, about the findings and the possible formats the debates could take.
A new report from Directors UK claims there's been a decrease in employment of women directors in the last two years. It's examined over twenty eight thousand episodes of programmes, across of range of genres, and says that in some areas, such as entertainment and drama, production companies are more likely to hire men. Steve Hewlett talks to award winning director Beryl Richards about the findings.
BSykB has confirmed it is in the early stages of talks over a possible deal to buy the German and Italian pay TV assets owned by Rupert Murdoch's 21st Century Fox. 21st Century Fox currently owns 57 percent of Sky Deutschland and all of Sky Italia. BskyB believe at the right value, this combination would have the potential to create a world class multinational pay TV group. Claire Enders, Enders Analysis talks about the ramifications of such a move.
Producer: Katy Takatsuki.
WED 17:00 PM (b0435hrl)
Full coverage and analysis of the day's news.
WED 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b042z2wm)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
WED 18:30 Isy Suttie's Love Letters (b0435hrn)
Series 2
The Crank
Isy Suttie recounts the tale of the Crank, a Matlock oddball who Isy's mother has roped into helping Isy study the Welsh language. Along the way, Isy picks up a bit of morse code.
Isy Suttie's Sony Award Winning show, recounting a series of love stories affecting people she's known throughout her life, told partly through song.
Sometimes Isy has merely observed other people's love lives; quite often she's intervened, changing the action dramatically - for better or worse. Intertwined within these stories are related real life anecdotes from Isy's own, often disastrous, love life.
With her multi-character and vocal skills, and accompanied by her guitar, Isy creates a hilarious and deeply moving world, sharing with us her lessons in life and love.
"A voice you want to swim in" The Independent
Producer: Lyndsay Fenner.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 2014.
WED 19:00 The Archers (b0435hrq)
Eddie checks with Ruth that all is sorted for Clarrie's party tomorrow. Ed and Jazzer are on music duties, with Fat Paul on the decks. Ruth and David are going glam-rock for it. Eddie's look is still a work in progress.
Jill shows Eddie and Ruth a nest of baby hedgehogs in the greenhouse. She found them while rescuing Ruth's herb garden. The mother has abandoned them. Jill says there's only one thing they can do.
Helen talks to Peggy about Kirsty leaving. Tom has made things difficult for everyone, as Helen is also overworked. Peggy's pleased Helen that has Rob and tells her to hang on to him. Rob has told Helen that he put his foot down with Charlie about family coming first.
Alice helps Kirsty collect post and belongings. Kirsty refuses to read the handwritten note left for her from Tom. Alice opens it instead and reads a bit. Tom's in Wales. Uninterested, Kirsty tears the letter up and throws it in the bin. Kirsty burns all her photos and deletes them off her phone. She burns a load of stuff associated with her and Tom, including clothes. It's all rubbish and Kirsty is her own woman now.
Kirsty tells Jill and Alice she's leaving Ambridge and never coming back.
WED 19:15 Front Row (b0435hrs)
Louise Welsh on Penny Dreadful, Oscar Isaac, Nick Payne, and Will Gregory Moog Ensemble
With Kirsty Lang.
Thriller writer Louise Welsh reviews Penny Dreadful, produced by Sam Mendes and staring Eva Green; Kirsty talks to The Two Faces of January star Oscar Isaac; gets the low down from Cannes; and discusses Moog synthesizers with Goldfrapp's Will Gregory.
Produced by Claire Bartleet.
WED 19:45 15 Minute Drama (b0435c81)
[Repeat of broadcast at
10:45 today]
WED 20:00 Leader Conference (b0435j91)
Series 4
Episode 3
Andrew Rawnsley presents the third programme in a new series of the live, studio-based debate programmes which take the form of newspaper leader conferences.
He is joined by five prominent journalists, who write leading articles or editorials for their newspapers, representing the press in the nations of the UK and across the English regions as well as the leading national newspapers.
Three subjects in the news will be decided upon and discussed. Two of these reflect current events at home and abroad - and prompt lively and provocative discussion. The third subject is in a lighter vein.
Contributions from listeners are also encouraged throughout the programme and particularly at the start for the component they shape most: that final leader which is heard towards the end of the programme.
Following the discussion of each of the three subjects, Andrew invites one of his guests to draw up on air the "leader" for that subject setting out its main points. This important component of the programme helps ensure that resolution of the debate is achieved for listeners and that the full range of views expressed is reflected.
The leaders are posted online at the Radio 4 website following the programme.
Producer Simon Coates.
WED 20:45 Four Thought (b0435j93)
Series 4
Mark Graham
Thought-provoking talks with a personal dimension.
WED 21:00 Costing the Earth (b042zsy5)
[Repeat of broadcast at
15:30 on Tuesday]
WED 21:30 Midweek (b0435c7x)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:00 today]
WED 21:58 Weather (b042z2wp)
The latest weather forecast.
WED 22:00 The World Tonight (b0435j95)
In-depth reporting and analysis from a global perspective.
WED 22:45 Book at Bedtime (b043nwj7)
Fallout
Don't Chat Up the Stage Management
Hayley Atwell reads acclaimed author Sadie Jones' new novel, set during the birth of radical theatre in 1970s London; a world in which the four central characters swirl, ambitious, eager yet all facing their own demons.
Luke aspires to be a playwright and, after meeting would-be producer Paul and the feisty Leigh, the three end up flatmates in London. There, they plan to revolutionise the face of theatre , but when they encounter Nina, a damaged young actress, emotions get in the way.
Today: In a room above a pub, Paul, Luke and Leigh form Graft.
Read by Hayley Atwell
Written by Sadie Jones
Produced by Justine Willett
Abridger: Sally Marmion.
WED 23:00 Elvis McGonagall Takes a Look on the Bright Side (b0435j99)
Series 1
Taking Care of Business
Stand-up poet, armchair revolutionary, comedian and broadcaster Elvis McGonagall (aka poet and performer Richard Smith) is determined to do something about his bitter, dyspeptic and bloody minded view of contemporary life. There are good things out there, if he could only be bothered to find them.
From his home in the Graceland Park near Dundee, the Scottish punk poet goes in search of the brighter side of life. With the help of his dog Trouble, his friend Susan Morrison, and his own private narrator Clarke Peters, Elvis does his very best to accentuate the positive - he really does. Recorded almost entirely on location, in a caravan on a truly glamorous industrial estate somewhere in Scotland.
Episode 3. Taking Care of Business. Elvis rails against the wage gap, franchises, capitalism and corporate nonsense, until he is persuaded that his poetry is a bankable concern. He embarks on the glittering road to profit.
As Elvis, poet Richard Smith is the 2006 World Poetry Slam Champion, the compere of the notorious Blue Suede Sporran Club and appears regularly on BBC Radio 4 ("Saturday Live", "The Today Programme", "Arthur Smith's Balham Bash", "Last Word", "Off the Page" and others as well as writing and presenting the popular arts features "Doggerel Bard" on the art of satiric poetry and "Beacons and Blue Remembered Hills" on the extraordinary resonance of AE Housman's 'Shropshire Lad', which was recorded on location as well.
(further info at www.elvismcgonagall.co.uk)
Written by Elvis MacGonagall, with Richard Smith, Helen Braunholtz-Smith and Frank Stirling.
Producer: Frank Stirling
A Unique production for BBC Radio 4.
WED 23:15 I, Regress (b0194n33)
Series 1
Episode 2
A dark, David Lynch-ian comedy, ideally suited for an unsettling and surreal late night listen. 'I, Regress' sees Matt Berry (The IT Crowd, Garth Marenghi's Dark Place, Snuff Box) playing a corrupt and bizarre hypnotherapist taking unsuspecting clients on twisted, misleading journeys through their subconscious.
Each episode sees the doctor dealing with a different client who has come to him for a different problem (quitting smoking, fear of water, etc). As the patient is put under hypnosis, we 'enter' their mind, and all the various situations the hypnotherapist takes them through are played out for us to hear. The result is a dream- (or nightmare-) like trip through the patient's mind, as funny as it is disturbing.
Episode 2: Robin Hood - no relation - comes to Dr Matt Berry with a fear of spiders. The diagnosis seems to be that this may all be down to an unusually potent encounter between an arachnid and a South African grandmother.. Featuring Simon Greenall (I'm Alan Partridge) and Jack Klaff (For Your Eyes Only, Star Wars).
The cast across the series include Katherine Parkinson (IT Crowd), Morgana Robinson (The Morgana Show), Simon Greenall (I'm Alan Partridge), Jack Klaff (Star Wars, For Your Eyes Only), Tara Flynn (The Impressions Show, Stewart Lee's Comedy Vehicle), Alex Lowe (Barry From Watford, The Peter Serafinowicz Show), and Derek Griffiths (Playschool, Bod, and The Royal Exchange).
A compelling late night listen: tune in and occupy someone else's head!
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2012.
WED 23:30 Today in Parliament (b0435j9c)
Sean Curran reports from Westminster.
THURSDAY 15 MAY 2014
THU 00:00 Midnight News (b042z2xp)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.
THU 00:30 Book of the Week (b043kh5r)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:45 on Wednesday]
THU 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b042z2xr)
The latest shipping forecast.
THU 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b042z2xt)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
THU 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b042z2xw)
The latest shipping forecast.
THU 05:30 News Briefing (b042z2xy)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.
THU 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b0435jyn)
A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day with Andrew Graystone.
THU 05:45 Farming Today (b0435jyq)
Uplands Conference, Pig App, Regulating Farm Chemicals
The European boss of the multinational, Syngenta, tells Charlotte Smith that regulation of farm chemicals is now based too much on the precautionary principle rather than scientific evidence. Friends of the Earth argues that regulation has been shown to be too weak, and any tightening up is in society's best interests.
Anna Hill tries out a new app designed to teach pig handling skills.
And Caz Graham is at a national conference looking at the future for the Uplands.
Presented by Charlotte Smith and produced by Sarah Swadling.
THU 05:58 Tweet of the Day (b01s8qh4)
Wood Warbler
Tweet of the Day is a series of fascinating stories about our British birds inspired by their calls and songs. David Attenborough presents the wood warbler. Their song has been described as "a spinning coin on a marble slab" and you're most likely to hear this chorister in oak or beech wood.
THU 06:00 Today (b0435jys)
Morning news and current affairs. Including Sports Desk, Yesterday in Parliament, Weather and Thought for the Day.
THU 09:00 In Our Time (b0435jyv)
Photosynthesis
Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss photosynthesis, the process by which green plants and many other organisms use sunlight to synthesise organic molecules. Photosynthesis arose very early in evolutionary history and has been a crucial driver of life on Earth. In addition to providing most of the food consumed by organisms on the planet, it is also responsible for maintaining atmospheric oxygen levels, and is thus almost certainly the most important chemical process ever discovered.
With:
Nick Lane
Reader in Evolutionary Biochemistry at University College London
Sandra Knapp
Botanist at the Natural History Museum
John Allen
Professor of Biochemistry at Queen Mary, University of London.
Producer: Thomas Morris
THU 09:45 Book of the Week (b043khnl)
Gironimo! Riding the Very Terrible 1914 Tour of Italy
Episode 4
Now well in to his epic cycle around Italy, Tim stops for an overnight in the town of Montecorvino Rovella and finds himself in a rather strange hotel
It's 12 years since Tim Moore, the ultimate amateur, slogged around the route of the Tour de France. At 48 years old, and distraught by those riders who are despoiling the heroic image of cycling, he decides it's time to reacquaint his feet with cleats and show these soft modern-day cyclists what a real challenge is.
A brief internet search later, he discovers the 1914 Giro d'Italia, the hardest bike race in history. Eighty-one riders started and only eight finished, after enduring cataclysmic storms, roads strewn with nails and even the loss of an eye by one competitor.
Undeterred, Tim sets off to cycle all 3,200km of it. For authenticity, he decides to do it on a 100-year-old bike, which, unburdened by relevant experience, he opts to build himself. Wearing period leather goggles, a woollen jersey, and with an account of the 1914 Giro as his trusty companion, Tim sets off to tell the story of this historic race, as well as the travails of a middle-aged man cycling up a lot of large mountains on a mainly wooden bicycle.
Tim Moore's Gironimo! Riding the Very Terrible 1914 Tour of Italy - abridged in five-parts by Libby Spurrier
Reader: Stephen Mangan
Producer: Joanna Green
A Pier production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in 2014.
THU 10:00 Woman's Hour (b0435jyx)
Nasa's chief scientist Dr Ellen Stofan; Women and Art; Music from First Aid Kit
Nasa's chief scientist Dr Ellen Stofan is the fourth woman to hold the top job. She talks to Jenni Murray about seeing her first launch, aged four; her research on the geology of Venus and Mars and growing lettuces in space!.
Award winning authors Mary and Bryan Talbot talk about their latest collaboration, "Sally Heathcote: Suffragette" which tells the story of the suffragette movement through the eyes of fictional character Sally.
The Kenyan parliament has passed a new Marriage Act, now couples will have to be 18 to marry, a wife is entitled to 50% of the property acquired during the marriage should the couple divorce and, for the first time, polygamy is now recognised legal marriage. So what effect will it have on women and children in Kenya?
The Story of Women and Art is a BBC 2 series in which historian Professor Amanda Vickery attempts to uncover why only a small percentage of work shown in the world's most illustrious galleries and museums is by women? Amanda explains why it's important to throw the spotlight on female artists who've been kept in the shadows.
And the Swedish duo First Aid Kit will be performing live in the Studio.
THU 10:45 15 Minute Drama (b0435jyz)
Zosia Wand - The Treehouse
Episode 4
Zosia Wand's psychological thriller about how the death of a young man nineteen years before continues to haunt a group of friends.
The friends finally begin to talk and remember, but why does this make Guy so anxious?
Directed by Nadia Molinari.
THU 11:00 Crossing Continents (b0435jz1)
The Reykjavik Confessions
In 1974, police launched one of the biggest murder investigations Iceland has ever seen. The case was eventually solved when six people confessed to their parts in the murders of two men whose bodies have never been found. Forty years on, a government review has found that the confessions were unreliable and a campaign is underway to quash the convictions. But some of those who were wrongly convicted are struggling to accept their innocence. Simon Cox investigates what's seen by many as a stain on Iceland's justice system and finds out how it's possible to confess to the murder of someone you have never met. Helen Grady producing.
THU 11:30 Can a Computer Write Shakespeare? (b0435kkd)
Trevor Cox asks whether computers can ever be truly creative.
An old adage says that a monkey sitting at a typewriter could eventually write Shakespeare. By the same token, could a computer ever create a work of art that could match Shakespeare's creativity?
Professor Trevor Cox of Salford University visits a London store to have a 3D model made of his head, something which until recently could only have been done by a sculptor. Very little human intervention is now needed to create a piece of art; just several cameras, some sophisticated software and a 3D printer.
But can computers produce music or poetry that will stand up to critical scrutiny? Trevor speaks to Professor Gustavo Díaz-Jerez who is involved in creating music software called Iamus, some of whose compositions have been performed by the London Symphony Orchestra. And he talks to Professor Simon Colton who is researching computer-generated poetry. Trevor tests out computer-created music and poetry on critics and academics.
Trevor considers whether computers could ever be truly creative in their own right, without any human input. He talks to Professor Mark D'Inverno about creative collaborations and to Professor Margaret Boden about the deeper philosophical issues raised by computer creativity.
With contributions also from Philip Ball, Tom Service, Professor Andrew Biswell and Martin Kratz.
THU 12:00 You and Yours (b0435kkg)
Street Markets
On the programme
We had the latest on the news that UK holiday company Air Parade Ltd, based in Huddersfield, has gone bust overnight.
Why some estate agents telling clients to offer properties "for sale by tender"
Have high street stalls had their day - or are they key to reviving a town centre? We are out on a market in London - and later in the programme we ask High Street Minister Brandon Lewis if street stalls have a future.
New research suggests going out for a drink could find you a better partner than going online.
How people booking holiday lets are struggling to make complaints because some online booking firms believe the problem lies with the landlords.
How Orange customers are struggling to be heard by their new EE supplier.
How Tesco hope to take a slice of the high street sandwich trade
And police raid addresses in Liverpool to target ticket scams.
THU 12:57 Weather (b042z2y0)
The latest weather forecast.
THU 13:00 World at One (b042z2y2)
Martha Kearney presents national and international news. Listeners can share their views via email: wato@bbc.co.uk or on twitter: #wato.
THU 13:45 In Search of Ourselves: A History of Psychology and the Mind (b0435kkj)
Man, Machine and Memory
In the 1950s, mathematician and Bletchley Park code breaker Alan Turing envisaged a sophisticated computer whose mechanical generation of responses would be indistinguishable from that of a human.
In this programme Martin Sixsmith looks at the way this metaphor of human cognition has informed research into memory and perception.
He considers the work of the 1930s Cambridge psychologist Frederic Bartlett and the American memory specialist George Miller. He talks to Alan Baddeley who with Graham Hitch developed a new theory of working memory, and to Peter Thompson of the University of York about the way our brains perceive and process information - sometimes failing to spot the most obvious.
Producer: Sara Parker
A Falling Tree Production for BBC Radio 4.
THU 14:00 The Archers (b0435hrq)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Wednesday]
THU 14:15 Drama (b0435kkl)
Original British Dramatists
Art, Artefacts and Angels
Art, Artefacts and Angels by Phil Marley
The local museum has a real draw in the famous Russian bog body 'The Angel of Archangelsk'. So when an exiled oligarch suggests the museum loans the Angel in return for a substantial sponsorship, they are delighted. A comedy about the realities of a cash strapped museum service.
This is Phil Marley's first radio drama. In a previous life Phil was the 'Front of House Manager' of a large university museum. He is also an award winning writer with an MA in scriptwriting from the University of Salford. In 2011 he won the Co- Filmic comedy award for the short film "Boxed" which he co-wrote with Liam Fox.
THU 15:00 Open Country (b0435kkn)
Life on Coquet Island
Helen Mark visits Coquet Island, a sanctuary for some of Britain's rarest nesting sea birds. It's also home to the world's first 'puffin piano'...
Coquet Island is an RSPB reserve which due to the rarity of some of its winged visitors, is protected under European Law and no-one is allowed to set foot on it without special permission. There's no running water and no mains electricity, but every summer a small, dedicated team of wardens and volunteers lead by Paul Morrison take up residence on Coquet Island to ensure that the thousands of birds who migrate there will thrive and live secularly for the duration of their stay, including Britain's rarest nesting sea bird, the roseate tern.
Just a mile off the coast of Amble, Northumberland, the reserve is also rich in human history and has been occupied since the 7th Century, initially as a monastic cell and later a lighthouse station. The buildings now provide simple accommodation for those who come to care for the birds. There's no running water or mains power but should they become stranded, assistant warden Wesley Davies has created a board game called 'Coquet-opoly' to while away the hours... and that's not all...
Many thousands of nesting Sandwich, Arctic and common terns accompany the roseates in May, June and July, whilst thousands of puffins occupy the main part of the island - and this year they will be treated to their own, fully functioning piano...
Each year Wesley creates new items for these naturally curious creatures to play with (there's also been an Olympic stadium and a pirate ship), the filming of which feeds into social media outlets to raise awareness about the valuable conservation work that takes place on Coquet to protect this precious environment.
THU 15:27 Radio 4 Appeal (b042z3t9)
[Repeat of broadcast at
07:55 on Sunday]
THU 15:30 Open Book (b042z66b)
[Repeat of broadcast at
16:00 on Sunday]
THU 16:00 The Film Programme (b0435kkq)
Viggo Mortensen, Cannes Film Festival, Jia Zhangke
With Francine Stock.
Viggo Mortensen discusses film noir and Greek mythology and the part they have to play in his new thriller The Two Faces Of January.
Producer Rebecca O'Brien has walked down the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival with director Ken Loach on ten separate occasions. She takes us behind the scenes at the festival, as she prepares to jet off to the South Of France with Loach's new drama Jimmy's Hall.
Clare Binns is going to Cannes for a very different reason, to buy films for Picturehouse Cinemas, and reveals how business gets done at the festival; while critic Tim Robey is getting in training to watch 7 movies a day for over a week.
Director Jia Zhangke tells Francine why his new blood-soaked epic A Touch Of Sin is not being shown in his home country of China, and why the film could not have been made without the Chinese version of Twitter, Weibo.
Two historical advisers let us in on some trade secrets about what an adviser actually does on a film set.
THU 16:30 BBC Inside Science (b0435kks)
Antarctic melt; brain enhancing devices, atomic clocks and anti-bat moth sounds
Melting Antarctic Ice Shelf
Nothing can stop the collapse of the Antarctic Western Ice shelf. That’s according to NASA this week. Key glaciers in Antarctica are irreversibly retreating, and according to the scientists studying this region they’ve reached a state of irreversible retreat - the point of no return.
Brain enhancing devices
If given the option, would you think faster or increase your attention span? Neuroscientists now say that non-invasive brain stimulation using electrical currents could do just that. The technology is still fairly new but is now being sold by commercial companies often marketed to gamers suggesting that it could increase your attention and make you think faster. But do they actually work? Inside Science sent Melissa Hogenboom to Oxford try one out and to discuss the science behind the hype.
Black holes
How big can black holes get? A listener asks and Professor Andy Fabien, Director of the Institute of Astronomy at Cambridge University answers.
Optical and atomic clocks
At this week’s ‘Quantum Timing, Navigation and Sensing’ Showcase at the National Physical Laboratory, researchers are working on sensors that allow us to see through walls; super-accurate atomic clocks the size of matchboxes; and GPS trackers that can elude an enemy jamming the signal. We sent Inside Science reporter Tracey Logan to work on her time management.
Bat jamming moth noises and other insects that go bump, chirrup, squeak in the night
Inside Science’s resident entomologist, Dr. Tim Cockerill has been exploring a whole soundscape that’s hidden from our limited hearing range. Including, eavesdropping on a secret sonic arms race between echo-locating bats and bat-jamming acoustics created by the genitals of a hawkmoth.
Producer: Fiona Roberts
THU 17:00 PM (b0435kkv)
Full coverage and analysis of the day's news.
THU 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b042z2y4)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
THU 18:30 Simon Evans Goes to Market (b0435p0k)
Series 1
Land
How do you make economics funny? How do you put the comedy in commodity?
Simon Evans has the answer in this series which asks us to get involved in investment.
Uncowed by an apparently complicated and overwhelming system, Simon focuses on four commodities so intrinsic to our lives they have an almost elemental significance - land, gold, oil and grain.
Yet, despite us encountering them everywhere we look, very few people have been able to build a fortune on them. But that's set to change as, Simon enlists help from the experts - Tim Harford, Merryn Somerset Webb and a guest specialist as they examine the chequered social and economic histories of these commodities.
By looking at four such fundamental products, Simon brings us to a closer understanding of how global economic forces have a far-reaching and often surprising impact on our lives.
In this first episode, Simon looks at Land. How did it come to be traded, why we think bricks and mortar are a safe investment and who really owns the land we buy?
Performed by Simon Evans, with regular guests Tim Harford and Merryn Somerset-Webb, and Land expert Kevin Cahill
Written by Simon Evans with Benjamin Partridge, Guy Venables and Andy Wolton.
Producer: Tilusha Ghelani.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 2014.
THU 19:00 The Archers (b0435p0m)
David's still investigating the new road plans. They'll have to wait for the council meeting for news. David and Will note that Kirsty's bonfire has left a mess. Ben's smitten with the hoglets (baby hedgehogs). Will advises on how to release them.
Tony and Maurice work together getting the bangers out - they'll be late. Maurice thinks Tom should have married Kirsty and then dumped her away from the spotlight. Maurice admits his own marriage was a sham for years.
Jolene's determined to press on with her plan to reunite the Midnight Walkers. Elizabeth is gearing up for her festival experience. Lynda and Lilian are looking forward to the Chelsea Flower Show next Tuesday.
It's Clarrie's 70s party tonight. Lynda is dressed as Bev from Abigail's Party. Tony has come as Travolta but doesn't much feel like dancing. Lynda wishes Tony luck with the inspection tomorrow. David, aka Marc Bolan, says he won't need it.
Eddie finally reveals who he has come as - Charles Aznavour. After a heartfelt tribute to Clarrie, Eddie sings to her. Eddie has tickets for a Charles Aznavour concert. Clarrie feels like the luckiest woman in the world.
THU 19:15 Front Row (b0435p0p)
Gary Kemp; Mr Turner; Kenneth Clark's legacy
In tonight's Front Row, John talks to Gary Kemp about his role in a revival of Lionel Bart's East End musical, Fings Ain't Wot They Used T'Be - and Rachel Johnson and Nicola Beauman consider the legacy of Diary Of A Provincial Lady, the hilarious and quintessentially English journal of a fictional country wife, first published in 1930.
Also in the programme: a review from the Cannes Film Festival of Mike Leigh's new film, Mr Turner, which stars Timothy Spall as JMW Turner - and, as a new exhibition opens exploring the impact of art historian Kenneth Clark, one of the most influential twentieth century figures in British art, his biographer, James Stourton, and exhibition curator, Chris Stephens, discuss Clark's role as patron, broadcaster and collector.
THU 19:45 15 Minute Drama (b0435jyz)
[Repeat of broadcast at
10:45 today]
THU 20:00 The Report (b0435p0r)
Constance Briscoe
Constance Briscoe is one of England's highest profile legal figures. She rose to prominence after publishing her memoir 'Ugly' in 2006 in which she told the story of how she overcame an abusive childhood at the hands of her mother to become a barrister and part-time judge. But earlier this month she was jailed for sixteen months for lying to the police about her involvement in the Chris Huhne speeding points story. A jury at the Old Bailey found her guilty of three counts of intending to pervert the course of justice. Clive Coleman investigates how she misled police and fabricated evidence to help her defence in the trial which followed. He also revisits the libel action her mother brought in 2008 disputing the abuse detailed in 'Ugly' and hears why police are now investigating claims Constance Briscoe may have previously fabricated evidence in court.
Producer: Phil Kemp.
THU 20:30 In Business (b0435p0t)
Price Conscious
Manufacturers were banned by law from fixing retail prices 50 years ago, ushering in a revolution in British retailing. So what do prices mean now? How are they set and how much are we prepared to pay for things? Peter Day finds out.
THU 21:00 BBC Inside Science (b0435kks)
[Repeat of broadcast at
16:30 today]
THU 21:30 In Our Time (b0435jyv)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:00 today]
THU 21:58 Weather (b042z2y6)
The latest weather forecast.
THU 22:00 The World Tonight (b0435p0w)
Turkish strike over mine disaster, EU leaders debate, pregnant Sudan woman death sentence, with Ritula Shah.
THU 22:45 Book at Bedtime (b043nx32)
Fallout
Say Yes
Hayley Atwell reads Sadie Jones' acclaimed new novel set during the birth of radical theatre in 1970s London; a world in which the four central characters swirl, ambitious, eager yet all facing their own demons.
Luke aspires to be a playwright and, after meeting would-be producer Paul and the feisty Leigh, the three end up flatmates in London. There, they plan to revolutionise the face of theatre, but when they encounter Nina, a damaged young actress, emotions get in the way.
Today: the easy relationship between Paul, Luke and Leigh is threatened when the young actress Nina enters their lives again.
Reader: Hayley Atwell
Producer: Justine Willett
Abridger: Sally Marmion
Written by Sadie Jones' whose debut, The Outcast, the story of a broken young man set in the repressed 50s, won a Costa Book Award and was shortlisted for the Orange Prize in 2008. This is her fourth novel.
THU 23:00 The Cariad Radio Show (b043659k)
Cariad Lloyd stars in a character-driven audience sketch show including creations like:
* Kooky girl Jooooey
* Terrifying villain Cockney Sam
* Robot Mum (who can search the web for appropriate motherly feelings)
* Cheery Welsh Judith who does all the admin for a sinister cult
* The peculiar arts-and-crafts-fuelled antics of Crafty Jack.
With Tom Golding, Louise Ford, Graham Dickson.
Producers: Rupert Majendie and Gareth Edwards
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 2014.
THU 23:30 Today in Parliament (b0435p0y)
Susan Hulme reports from Westminster.
FRIDAY 16 MAY 2014
FRI 00:00 Midnight News (b04353mz)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.
FRI 00:30 Book of the Week (b043khnl)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:45 on Thursday]
FRI 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b04353n1)
The latest shipping forecast.
FRI 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b04353n3)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
FRI 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b04353n5)
The latest shipping forecast.
FRI 05:30 News Briefing (b04353n7)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.
FRI 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b04366r4)
A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day with Andrew Graystone.
FRI 05:45 Farming Today (b04366r6)
Dog faeces danger, pig farrowing crates & farmed fish
Farmers face financial woe over dog faeces danger in the countryside. One Yorkshire farmer estimates that he has losses mounting to a quarter of a million pounds due to a parasite spread by dog mess. Meanwhile the Kennel Club says that more needs to be done to work with farmers and dog walkers alike.
Denmark has pledged to let 10% of its indoor national pig heard use freedom farrowing crates - For years many pig farmers who keep their animals inside have used farrowing crates, where the sow is hemmed in by bars to prevent them squashing the piglets, however, these new crates have a higher mortality rate than the long used traditional crates. Sarah Falkingham talks to one pig farmer in East yorkshire who is trying out freedom farrowing.
FRI 05:58 Tweet of the Day (b01s8vcs)
Nightingale Part 1
Tweet of the Day is a series of fascinating stories about our British birds inspired by their calls and songs. David Attenborough presents the nightingale. (Part 1 of 2) A bird whose song of rich crescendos of pure whistles and breathless phrases is hailed as one of the most complex and beautiful in the bird world and quite different to its plain brown appearance.
FRI 06:00 Today (b0436h10)
Morning news and current affairs. Including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.
FRI 09:00 Desert Island Discs (b042z660)
[Repeat of broadcast at
11:15 on Sunday]
FRI 09:45 Book of the Week (b043kj32)
Gironimo! Riding the Very Terrible 1914 Tour of Italy
Episode 5
Nearing the end of his epic cycle ride retracing the route of the 1914 Giro d'Italia, Tim's bike is falling to pieces and his sat-nav directs him onto the most terrifying road yet.
It's 12 years since Tim Moore, the ultimate amateur, slogged around the route of the Tour de France. At 48 years old, and distraught by those riders who are despoiling the heroic image of cycling, he decides it's time to reacquaint his feet with cleats and show these soft modern-day cyclists what a real challenge is.
A brief internet search later, he discovers the 1914 Giro d'Italia, the hardest bike race in history. Eighty-one riders started and only eight finished, after enduring cataclysmic storms, roads strewn with nails and even the loss of an eye by one competitor.
Undeterred, Tim sets off to cycle all 3,200km of it. For authenticity, he decides to do it on a 100-year-old bike, which, unburdened by relevant experience, he opts to build himself. Wearing period leather goggles, a woollen jersey, and with an account of the 1914 Giro as his trusty companion, Tim sets off to tell the story of this historic race, as well as the travails of a middle-aged man cycling up a lot of large mountains on a mainly wooden bicycle.
Tim Moore's Gironimo! Riding the Very Terrible 1914 Tour of Italy - abridged in five-parts by Libby Spurrier
Reader: Stephen Mangan
Producer: Joanna Green
A Pier production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in 2014.
FRI 10:00 Woman's Hour (b0436h12)
Michelle Knight; The Henrietta Hutton Research Grant; Inherited Possessions
Michelle Knight talks to Jenni about her 11 year ordeal at the hands of Ariel Castro. Some of the women who have been awarded the Henrietta Hutton Research Grant. The meaningful possessions we leave behind when we die.
FRI 10:45 15 Minute Drama (b04368dz)
Zosia Wand - The Treehouse
Episode 5
Concluding episode of Zosia Wand's psychological thriller about the devastating impact of a young man's death on his remaining friends.
It is the anniversary of Mark's death. In response to the anonymous summons that they have received, the friends arrive at the treehouse where the truth of what happened on the night of Mark's death finally emerges.
Directed by Nadia Molinari.
FRI 11:00 Born in Bradford (b04368f1)
Air pollution and child health
The Born in Bradford researchers are determined that theirs should be an applied health research study with results leading to better services. "Everything we do gets translated into practice so that our work on congenital anomalies has led to a city register for these children and also a Yorkshire register," says Professor John Wright, the Director of the Bradford Institute for Health Research.
The tradition of marrying a cousin is becoming more entrenched among British-born Pakistanis living in Bradford than it was a generation ago. Cousin marriage has important implications for health because marrying a cousin increases the risks of passing on genetic disorders. Ruba, who married her second cousin, had two children with I-cell disease. Tragically both Hassam and Alishbah died and professionals working with couples like Ruba and her husband hope that in the future they will be able to provide better genetic screening and advice.
"It was a real shock to me when he was diagnosed," she says, "I didn't even know what it was, we've nearly all been married to cousins in our family and we didn't know this condition existed."
Born in Bradford was launched in 2007 - one of the world's largest longitudinal studies with 13,500 babies and their mothers agreeing to be followed. The impetus for research came from high infant mortality rates - double the national average - and so far the data has resulted in changes including universal testing for gestational diabetes and greater counselling about conditions associated with cousin marriages. About 39 per cent of mothers in the study are of white British origin, and 46 per cent are from Pakistan, providing a fascinating insight into a new multi-ethnic generation
With those babies having reached school age there's greater attention on research projects examining how they fare. In 2012 researchers began testing hand and eye co-ordination, vocabulary and letter recognition with all the children in the reception classes of 88 primary schools. They also worked with school nurses to measure cardiovascular health and in this programme they examine other factors influencing health, including air pollution, exercise levels and diet.
Winifred follows some of the Bradford youngsters given air pollution monitoring back packs as they go about their daily lives. These are equipped with ultra violet analysis and I-phones that track their route to and from school and link exposure levels through local pollution monitoring units. The backpacks sit next to the youngsters during class and even give an indication of exposure during play times, for example. Those taking part give samples which are being monitored and assessed when variables, like the school route, are changed.
There are also the new stand sit desks - something all of us might be hearing more about given concerns about our more sedentary lifestyles. At one Bradford school pupils are trialling desks which can be raised and lowered, giving youngsters some movement during lessons. Wearing activity monitors the benefits can be judged in terms of increased metabolic rates as well whether they improve concentration levels. Medical research suggests constant sitting is harming health - stand sit desks might provide a solution that extends beyond.
FRI 11:30 Guests Are Like Fish (b04368f3)
Episode 2
Guests are like Fish by Shelagh Stephenson
When ANNA and JIM left London to move to the country, they blithely issued invitations to come up and see us any time! to all and sundry.
Unfortunately, most of those who take them at their word are the ones they never in a million years dreamt would turn up, with predictably disastrous results.
Each weekend, over 4 episodes, a different couple pitches up on their doorstep demanding food, more food, wine and roaring fires, when what they really need is prolonged therapy. And each week Anna and Jim swear they'll never do it again...Guests, like fish, tend to go off after three days.
Anna ....................Haydn Gwynne
Jim........................Tim McInnerny
Joan......................Patricia Hodge
Colin.....................Ron Cook
Directed and produced by: Eoin O'Callaghan
A Big Fish production for BBC Radio 4.
FRI 12:00 You and Yours (b0436h14)
Renewable energy and the cost of diesel
Peter White looks at how far more solar farms and wind turbines have been built than the government expected. And why, unlike much of mainland Europe, diesel costs more than petrol in the UK. Plus doubts over whether certain suncreams are protecting you as much as they claim. And efforts to protect bowling greens from the developer.
FRI 12:52 The Listening Project (b04368f5)
Iris and Sid - Never Too Late
Fi Glover introduces a conversation between a couple in their 90s who only married recently and for whom love blossomed unexpectedly at a bus stop, 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 12:57 Weather (b04353n9)
The latest weather forecast.
FRI 13:00 World at One (b04353nf)
Labour leader, Ed Miliband, tells Martha Kearney that his party will never again turn its back on people who are worried about immigration.What the election of a Hindu nationalist as Prime Minister of India might mean for Pakistan.As bombers strike again in Kenya , an ex Foreign minister tells us tourists should be allowed to decide when to stay or go, whatever the FCO advises. And UNRWA says the Yarmouk Palestinian camp in Syria is the hardest for aid workers to reach.
FRI 13:45 In Search of Ourselves: A History of Psychology and the Mind (b04368f7)
A Problem of Consciousness
In this programme, Martin Sixsmith examines the 'hard problem' of consciousness and the work of psychologists such as Susan Blackmore who believe it is 'just an illusion'.
He asks what drives us to think and act as we do, and questions the role of freewill and morality. He discovers how emotions affect our cognitive functions and examines the importance of insight, including Gestalt psychologist Wolfgang Kohler's work with chimpanzees.
He looks at Nobel prize winner Daniel Kahneman's 'thinking fast and thinking slow' model and the impact decision making has not only on individuals but also for the success of the economy and society.
Produced by Sara Parker
Series consultant, Professor Daniel Pick, Birkbeck, University of London.
A Falling Tree production for BBC Radio 4.
FRI 14:00 The Archers (b0435p0m)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Thursday]
FRI 14:15 Drama (b04368f9)
Original British Dramatists
When I Lived in Peru
Stay-at-home Martin is driven crazy by the endless travel anecdotes of his globetrotting girlfriend, Claire. When he is unexpectantly made redundant, he starts pretending to Claire that he's still going to work. Actually he is using his redundancy money to secretly fly to Tanzania each week to fake an impressive travel past for himself. By Andrew Viner.
Directed by Liz Webb
Writer Andrew Viner was inspired to write this play by a friend who was always going on about their time in London while he was living in Sheffield and Andrew himself once drove across the Sahara in a Rover 213. He has also written the R4 Comedy Drama Speechless starring Joshua McGuire and Aimee-Ffion Edwards and a winning entry in BBC 5Live's Sports Shorts competition. For television he has had new comedy ideas optioned by DLT Entertainment and Hat Trick. He has had features published in the Guardian, wrote a comedy book VENN THAT TUNE and has written for various radio comedy programmes including THAT MITCHELL AND WEBB SOUND (R4), PARSONS AND NAYLOR (R2) and for WEEKENDING (R4). He has written extensively for children and his latest commissions include MIKE THE KNIGHT, BIG AND SMALL, EVERYTHING'S ROSIE, TIMMY TIME, THOMAS AND FRIENDS, PET SQUAD, BEAR BEHAVING BADLY, REX THE RUNT and MY ALMOST FAMOUS FAMILY.
FRI 15:00 Gardeners' Question Time (b04368fc)
Bristol Food Connections Festival
Eric Robson hosts the horticultural panel programme from the Bristol Food Connections Festival. Answering the audience questions are Bob Flowerdew, Pippa Greenwood and Matthew Wilson.
Produced by Howard Shannon.
A Somethin' Else Production for BBC Radio 4.
Q: When should I plant my tomatoes?
A: Don't put them out too early. Put them out in the day and bring them back in at night until the second week of May.
Q: Can old feather duvets be recycled in the garden?
A: You can compost the feathers in layers. The feathers are nearly 50% nitrogen, so it's very nutritious. You could cover the feathers with grass clippings and it would work as a feed for roses. Or you could bury the duvet beneath thin, sandy soil and this would act as a buffer, retaining moisture and nutrients.
Q. I have Spanish Bluebells in my garden, and there are wild native Bluebells across the fence. What should I do?
A. If you were concerned about cross-pollination, you could dig your Spanish Bluebells up, but it may well be too late. Research does suggest that cross-pollination is perhaps not as much of a threat as initially thought.
Q. What's the best way to prune a mature Magnolia Soulangeana?
A. Prune cautiously and gently. Remove a couple of branches and see how the plant reacts.
Q. How can I get a Swiss Cheese Plant - Monstera Delicosa - to flower?
A. Put in a big pot and ease the plant into a position where it gets lots of light. Be careful, because if you move it straight into the bright light, the leaves could scorch. Use seaweed spray to encourage growth and maintain a high humidity level. The fruit that follows the flower is delicious too!
Q. How can I get my Rhubarb (transplanted two years ago) to thrive?
A. Make sure it gets enough water, consider feeding it and be patient. Make sure you never let it flower and don't plant it in full sun. Take the best buds off the edges of the crown and replant those.
FRI 15:45 After Milk Wood (b04368ff)
Polly Garter Was My Great Gran
In 'After Milk Wood', three acclaimed writers take their inspiration from Dylan Thomas's greatest work, 'Under Milk Wood'. The stories have been commissioned to commemorate the centenary of the birth of the great Welsh writer, Dylan Thomas, and were recorded at the Laugharne Festival in Wales.
Today Ruth Jones reads her own story, 'Polly Garter Was my Great Gran' - celebrating a colourful life of love.
The Reader is Ruth Jones - Ruth Jones is an acclaimed comedy actor and writer, known best for the BAFTA Award-winning series Gavin and Stacey which she co-wrote and starred in with James Corden. Jones was judged the Best Female Comedy Newcomer at the 2007 British Comedy Awards, and was also nominated for Best Television Comedy Actress. She received an MBE in 2014.
The producer is Justine Willett.
FRI 16:00 Last Word (b0436h16)
Prof Colin Pillinger, Antony Hopkins, Bev Evans, Sir Ben Gill and Stan Kelly-Bootle
Matthew Bannister on
Professor Colin Pillinger, the space scientist who led the failed Beagle 2 mission to investigate life on Mars.
Antony Hopkins, the composer and award winning presenter of Radio 3's Talking About Music.
Bev Evans, the teacher who set up a website offering free resources for teaching children with learning difficulties.
Sir Ben Gill, who led the National Farmers Union during the BSE and Foot and Mouth crises.
And Stan Kelly-Bootle, the computer pioneer who was also a Scouse folk singer.
FRI 16:30 More or Less (b0436h18)
Tax Dodgers and Benefits Cheats
With Take That singer Gary Barlow in hot water over tax avoidance, Tim Harford looks at the numbers to see if there's any truth in the post that's been doing the rounds on social media suggesting HMRC employs only 300 people to chase £70bn of tax evasion, while the DWP employs 3250 people to chase £1.2bn of benefits fraud?
Did the number of people around the world living in extreme poverty fall by half a few weeks ago?That's one interpretation of newly released figures for purchasing power parity around the world, but does it stack up? Should the World Bank be lowering its global poverty estimates?
Forget Conchita and the Polish milkmaids, the most exciting thing about Eurovision this year is that they've released more data than ever before! We crunch the numbers to find out what the results would have been if only the public had their say.
What are the chances of winning one of Willy Wonka's coveted 'Golden Tickets'? One More or Less listener's 9-year-old daughter wanted to know, so we sent Rob Eastaway to explain probability to her school class.
And Boris Johnson recently claimed there are 400,000 French people living in London. He also likes to say that he's the mayor of the 6th biggest French city on earth. But as we find out, the real numbers are rather less flattering to Boris's Gallic mayoral pretensions.
FRI 16:55 The Listening Project (b04368fh)
Mary and Pearl - Sisters and Survival
Fi Glover introduces two sisters whose painful secret of childhood sexual abuse has remained unspoken for thirty years, until The Listening Project inspired them to face the truth.
The Listening Project is a Radio 4 initiative that offers a snapshot of contemporary Britain in which people across the UK volunteer to have a conversation with someone close to them about a subject they've never discussed intimately before. The conversations are being gathered across the UK by teams of producers from local and national radio stations who facilitate each encounter. Every conversation - they're not BBC interviews, and that's an important difference - lasts up to an hour, and is then edited to extract the key moment of connection between the participants. Most of the unedited conversations are being archived by the British Library and used to build up a collection of voices capturing a unique portrait of the UK in the second decade of the millennium. You can upload your own conversations or just learn more about The Listening Project by visiting bbc.co.uk/listeningproject
Producer: Marya Burgess.
FRI 17:00 PM (b0436h1b)
Eddie Mair presents coverage and analysis of the day's news.
FRI 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b04353nh)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
FRI 18:30 The Now Show (b04368fk)
Series 43
Episode 5
Steve Punt and Hugh Dennis present a comic take on the week's news. With Mitch Benn, Pippa Evans and David Quantick.
Written by the cast with additional material from Gareth Gwynn, Nadia Kamil and Bec Hill. Produced by Alexandra Smith.
FRI 19:00 The Archers (b04368fm)
It's the day of the inspection at Bridge Farm. Tony's fielding calls from Tom's clients as he and Maurice sort out deliveries. Tony noticed that Pat was subdued at the party. She admits she was thinking about Tom. Recent experience has also brought back memories of John.
Jennifer shows Adam the kitchen so far - he's surprised that more hasn't been done. They discuss taskmaster Charlie. Adam's just glad he's hands on rather than stuck behind a desk. Brian is no help choosing colours with Jennifer.
Alice is trying to sell Kirsty's wedding dress but she needs a better story to get it sold.
Tony comes clean with the inspector that Tom has had some personal problems, and they had thought they could manage things themselves. The inspector understands. It's not a major issue, as long as they have the situation in hand.
Alarm bells ring when the inspector spots an invoice from an unapproved, non-organic supplier. They go to the feed store to check. There are a lot of empty feed sacks. It will obviously have gone out to the herd.
The inspector has no choice but to recommend suspension of the pig enterprise's organic status. Horrified Pat worries about the farm losing its organic status. Tony is left wondering what on earth Tom was thinking.
FRI 19:15 Front Row (b04368fp)
Dawn French, Coldplay album reviewed, Ben Miles on Thomas Cromwell
Actress, writer and comedian Dawn French talks candidly to Kirsty about preparations for her first ever solo stage show, and why she's decided to include personal stories in her performance ranging from her marriages, body issues and family tragedy. Ben Miles - who plays Thomas Cromwell in the RSC version of Hilary Mantel's novels, Wolf Hall and Bring Up The Bodies - on being onstage for nearly six hours. Plus after lead singer Chris Martin's conscious uncoupling from Gwyneth Paltrow, we review the Coldplay album which supposedly reveals his heartbreak.
FRI 19:45 15 Minute Drama (b04368dz)
[Repeat of broadcast at
10:45 today]
FRI 20:00 Any Questions? (b04368fr)
Sir Menzies Campbell MP, Lisa Duffy, Michael Fallon MP, Sadiq Khan MP
Jonathan Dimbleby presents political debate from St Anselms Catholic School in Canterbury, Kent, with UKIP's Party Director Lisa Duffy, Shadow Justice Secretary Sadiq Khan MP, Energy Minister Michael Fallon MP & former Leader of the Liberal Democrats Sir Ming Campbell MP.
FRI 20:50 A Point of View (b04368ft)
Testing Times
As hundreds of thousands of young people get ready to sit exams, Mary Beard reflects on exam season - past and present.
The Cambridge don describes how the "tough, engaging and intelligent young people" she has taught for years "suddenly morph into nervous wrecks, hanging a bit pathetically on your every word, as they have never, quite rightly, done before".
She talks about the extraordinary similarities between exams in the 1800s and today...the "curmudgeonly gloom that greeted the students' efforts" sounds very familiar.
Michael Gove and his friends - she suggests - might like to take note that complaints about poor performance have been around for quite some time!
Producer: Adele Armstrong.
FRI 21:00 In Search of Ourselves: A History of Psychology and the Mind (b04368fw)
Omnibus Edition
Episode 4
In the fourth week of the series Martin Sixsmith examines the impact of different areas of experimental psychology, beginning with the stages of human development from childhood to old age.
He looks at Piaget's and Bowlby's influential theories and considers early animal research, such as Konrad Lorenz's work with geese on imprinting and Harry Harlow's controversial experiments with baby monkeys. He investigates how our DNA and the development of our brain informs who we are and how we think. He re-examines the nature versus nurture debate from evolutionary psychology to the increasing interest in epigenetics. We hear from eminent psychologists and psychiatrists about consciousness, free will and morality. And we learn about memory, perception and problem solving.
Martin undergoes transmagnetic cranial stimulation to map the workings of his own brain. He considers the impact of neuroscience, listens to the chattering of neurons communicating with each other through a single wire implanted in a rat's brain and finds out why London cabbies have larger hippocampi than the rest of us.
Produced by Sara Parker.
A Falling Tree production for BBC Radio 4.
FRI 21:58 Weather (b04353nk)
The latest weather forecast.
FRI 22:00 The World Tonight (b04368fy)
In-depth reporting and analysis from a global perspective.
FRI 22:45 Book at Bedtime (b043nx1z)
Fallout
Cleopatra's Cheekbones
Hayley Atwell reads Sadie Jones' acclaimed new novel set during the birth of radical theatre in 1970s London; a world in which the four central characters swirl, ambitious, eager yet all facing their own demons.
Luke aspires to be a playwright and, after meeting would-be producer Paul and the feisty Leigh, the three end up flatmates in London. There, they plan to revolutionise the face of theatre, but when they encounter Nina, a damaged young actress, emotions get in the way.
Today: After the closure of their theatre company, Graft, Luke finally finds the courage to show Paul his first play. Meanwhile, Nina begins a rather unconventional married life with Tony.
Reader: Hayley Atwell
Producer: Justine Willett
Abridger: Sally Marmion
Written by Sadie Jones' whose debut, The Outcast, the story of a broken young man set in the repressed 50s, won a Costa Book Award and was shortlisted for the Orange Prize in 2008. This is her fourth novel.
FRI 23:00 Great Lives (b042ztr7)
[Repeat of broadcast at
16:30 on Tuesday]
FRI 23:27 A Tale of Two Theatres (b03zdbrg)
Mehmet Ergen is best known to UK theatre audiences as Artistic Director of London's Arcola Theatre. In this programme we learn that his pioneering work in Hackney is only half the story. We follow him to his Turkish homeland, post Gezi Park and post Arab Spring, caught between the Syrian conflict and EU aspirations; an emerging economy with freedom of speech still in jeopardy.
An Istanbul-born former DJ, Mehmet became the toast of London's theatre scene by creating venues- and careers- from scratch. In 2000 he transformed a derelict clothing factory in Dalston into a destination venue, twice recognised by the Peter Brook Empty Space Award. Not content to run 'a powerhouse of new work' (in the words of theatre critic Susannah Clapp) in his adopted city, he later opened its opposite number back in his hometown.
Tensions have been rising in Turkey between artists and politicians ever since the Prime Minister's daughter was mocked on stage, allegedly for wearing a headscarf to the Ankara State Theatre in 2011. In 2012, a performance of Chilean play Secret Obscenities was censored by Istanbul's Mayor Kadir Topbas. Prime Minister Erdogan then threatened to withdraw subsidies of up to 140 million Turkish Lira from approximately 50 venues, employing roughly 1500 actors, directors and technicians. Although wholesale privatisation has yet to be enacted, theatre companies openly opposed to Government tactics during 2013's Gezi Park protests promptly had their funding withdrawn.
Entrepreneurial expat Mehmet Ergen acts as our guide to this politically charged arts scene, as he negotiates national and cultural borders to stage work that is as unpretentious as it is provocative.
Produced by Kirsty McQuire
A Whistledown production for BBC Radio 4.
FRI 23:55 The Listening Project (b04368g2)
Charlotte and Peta - Friends Again
Fi Glover introduces two friends who grew apart during adolescence but reconnected when a tragic accident killed Charlotte's father and she needed her friend to see her through.
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.