The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.
5. Fiction Connection
Val reveals her personal interest in forensic science and how her research connects with her fiction.
Bestselling crime author Val McDermid is fascinated by forensic science - the secrets it can reveal and the way it has altered the processes of justice. She delves into medical archives including interviews with scientists, exploring as far back as the murder of Julius Ceasar and early recorded forensic science in 13th century China as well as famous modern cases.
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service. BBC Radio 4 resumes at
"If I were a man, would you do that?" - A listener and her daughter talk to iPM about the unwelcome comments they receive from men on the street, and what happened when they confronted them. Presented by Eddie Mair and Jennifer Tracey. Email iPM@bbc.co.uk.
The latest news headlines. Including a look at the papers.
Where can you find a hill that looks like an Inca monument but which is in fact an old nitroglycerin factory? The answer can be found in the Lee Valley, a green and watery wedge that grows and flows from Hertfordshire and Essex through northeast London to The River Thames. Occupying a liminal space between rural countryside and the industrial, the Lee Valley presents a surprising landscape - where nature has come back reclaim the monuments of an industrial past.
Helen Mark travels down the Lee Valley and its waterways to explore how for centuries it was a crucial thriving hub of industry before falling into decline until more recently experiencing regeneration of its natural spaces. She visits the Royal Gunpowder Mills, Kings Weir Cottage, Glasshouses, The Waterworks and the Lee Navigation to meet people who work on and live by the Lee Valley's historical waterways; people like Barbara the wife of one of the navigation's last weir-keepers.
Farming Today This Week looks at deer, both farmed and wild. With sales of venison up by 400% in just over a year, there's a growing interest in deer farming in the UK. Charlotte Smith visits a farm in the Brecon Beacons in South Wales which has been rearing deer for nearly 30 years, and finds out how the animals are reared. The programme also hears about the opportunities for deer farmers, airs both sides of the debate over culling wild deer, and finds out about some of the more surprising objects which are made out of antlers.
Morning news and current affairs. Including Sports Desk, Thought for the Day and Weather.
Ade Adepitan - the Paralympian, actor and TV presenter - joins Aasmah Mir and Richard Coles. As does magician Megan Knowles-Bacon, the first ever female secretary of the Magic Circle, and ghost-writer of resignation letters Matt Potter.
JP Devlin wants your stories of resignations, sackings and grand exits (email saturdaylive@bbc.co.uk).
And Dexter Fletcher selects his Inheritance Tracks - 'Round Midnight' by Dexter Gordon and 'Sunshine on Leith' by The Proclaimers.
Plus 12 year old William Heath tells us how he's doing his bit for Movember by posting a photo of him dressed up as a different moustachioed famous face every day for a month.
Matt Potter talks about his book 'F**k You and Goodbye: The dark and hilarious history of the resignation letter', published by Constable.
The Frequency of Laughter is a six-part history of radio comedy, covering 1975-2005, presented by journalist and radio fan Grace Dent. In each episode she brings together two figures who were making significant radio comedy at the same time, and asks them about their experiences. This is a conversational history that focuses on the people who were there and the atmosphere within the BBC and the wider comedy world that allowed them to make great radio - or not.
This third edition features Hugh Dennis and Jim Eldridge looking at radio comedy in the late 1980s. Hugh first appeared on radio in this period, with shows like The Cabaret Upstairs and Live on Arrival, breaking through with Radio One's Hey Rrrradio! and the Mary Whitehouse Experience. Jim came to radio via poetry, having performed on the John Peel show, but made his name as a sitcom writer in the 70s, having a hit with Parsley Sidings. And in 1985 he launched King Street Junior, a sitcom that was to run for twenty years. Grace asks them about the atmosphere within the Radio Comedy department and within the BBC; they discuss why stand-up was a hit on Radio One; and they talk about how Oxbridge became a dirty word.
The Frequency of Laughter is presented by Grace Dent, a journalist for The Independent, and is a BBC Radio Comedy production.
Presenter ... Grace Dent
Guest ... Hugh Dennis
Guest ... Jim Eldridge
Interviewee ... Johnny Beerling
Producers ... Ed Morrish & Alexandra Smith.
Steve Richards of The Independent asks how party leaders can keep their critics at bay. He takes soundings on the impact of by-elections. Are young people really not interested in politics? And what's the link between Tony Benn and Tory backbenchers?
Despatches from correspondents worldwide. In this edition: Mishal Husain's in Lebanon's Bekaa Valley talking to refugees from the war in Syria and learning how a generation of Syrian children is no longer able to go to school; the waters off Somalia aren't the world's piracy hotspot any more - Mary Harper's been finding out how Nigeria's trying to counter an upsurge in maritime crime off the west African coast; with towns and cities expanding across India, Anu Anand has been seeing how animal habitats are being gobbled up, and it's the animals who're suffering; Victoria Gill is in Malawi where powerful motorbikes are now helping out in the country's battle against HIV/AIDS and David Willis talks of 'furtive nocturnal rituals' in the suburbs of Los Angeles as the great California drought, already three years old, shows no sign of coming to an end.
Money Box has discovered some airlines are still refusing to pay customers compensation for flight delays despite a Supreme Court ruling last month, which clarified the law. Lawyers said the Supreme Court's decision would allow passengers to claim up to six years after a delayed flight, and would force airlines to pay out even when aircraft are held back due to routine mechanical or electrical problems. But not all airlines are paying up.
The Financial Conduct Authority says some lenders are being too strict in how they apply the new mortgage affordability rules, leaving some existing borrowers trapped. Paul Lewis puts the issues to Paul Smee, the director general of the Council of Mortgage Lenders.
There's been a new development following Money Box's investigation into a serious security breach at booking.com. Two separate customers have contacted us and both have told us that three of their credit cards have been used by criminals to fund illegal purchases after they registered them with booking.com. The company insists that it holds customers' bank card details securely, it may be a coincidence. But the listeners we've spoken to are not so reassured.
There must be a radical reform of the way investment management companies treat their customers, according to the Financial Services Consumer Panel. It says the costs and charges consumers face when investing in retail funds, either directly or through pensions or ISAS, must be made more transparent. Paul Lewis talks to Teresa Fritz from the Panel and Daniel Godfrey, the chief executive of the Investment Management Association.
A satirical review of the week's news, chaired by Sandi Toksvig, who is joined by Mark Steel, Angela Barnes and Andy Hamilton, alongside regular panellist Jeremy Hardy.
Glenn Campbell presents political debate and discussion from Abertay University in Dundee with Shadow Secretary of State for Scotland Margaret Curran MP, Former Secretary of State for Scotland Lord Forsyth Spectator, the writer Alex Massie and Shona Robison MSP the Cabinet Secretary for Commonwealth Games, Sport, Equalities and Pensioners' Rights.
Your say on some of the issues discussed on Any Questions? Including Labour and Ed Miliband, rape and rehabilitation, what to do with the returning Jihadists.
The first story in Padura's much-loved detective series set in Havana. It's New Year's Day 1989 and Lieutenant Mario Conde wakes up with another terrible hangover and a case which is close to home - his schoolboy rival, now a party grandee, is missing.
Mario Conde ..... Zubin Varla
Rangel ..... David Westhead
Manolo ..... Lanre Malaolu
Josefina ..... Lorna Gayle
Skinny ..... Ben Crowe
Tamara ..... Adjoa Andoh
Rene Maciques ..... David Acton
Zaida ..... Hannah Genesius
Zoilita ..... Bettrys Jones
Miki ..... Jude Akuwudike
Maria Antonia ..... Elaine Claxton
China ..... Jane Slavin
Neighbour ..... Ian Conningham
Minister ..... Michael Bertenshaw
Garcia ..... Sam Dale
Leonardo Padura's series, published in English as the Havana Quartet, is set over the course of 1989 - starting with Havana Blue which opens on New Year's Day.
Leonardo Padura is a novelist and journalist who was born in 1955 in Havana where he still lives. He has published a number of short-story collections and literary essays but he is best known internationally for the Havana Quartet series, all featuring Inspector Mario Conde.
In 1998, Padura won the Hammett Prize from the International Association of Crime Writers and in; 2012, he was awarded the National Prize for Literature, Cuba's national literary award.
So wrote the poet AE Housman lamenting the loss of his brother in the Boer war in his epic poem A Shropshire Lad. It harks back to a simple idyllic rural way of life that is forever changed at the end of the nineteenth century as hundreds of country boys go off to fight and never return. George Butterworth adapted his words to music in 1913 just before the outbreak of the Great War. This edition of Soul Music hears from those whose lives continue to be touched by the loss of so many young men between 1914 and 1918. Broadcaster Sybil Ruscoe recalls visiting her Great Uncle's grave in a military cemetery in France with Butterworth's Rhapsody as the soundtrack to her journey. A concert at Bromsgrove School in Worcestershire where Housman was a pupil remembers the former schoolboys killed in action, and singer Steve Knightley discusses and performs his adaptation of The Lads In Their Hundreds as part of the centenary commemorations. The Bishop of Woolwich connects his love of the countryside and Butterworth's music with his father's battered copy of Housman's poems which comforted him while held captive in Singapore during the Second World War.
Sophia Loren, Italy's most renowned and honoured actress, talks about her life and career spanning seven decades.
In 1971 Erin Pizzey was one of the women who set up the first refuge for women escaping domestic violence. She is joined by Jenny Smith who escaped a violent marriage with her two children in 1973. They talk about what life was like at the refuge some 40 years ago.
The Australian author Monica McInerney's latest book looks at what can go wrong when you send a truthful Christmas letter.
Keir Starmer the Director of Public Prosecutions until 2013 talks about historical sex abuse cases and changing people's assumptions about how victims should behave.
Joanna Scanlan and Vicki Pepperdine, the creators of the BAFTA and RTS award winning series 'Getting On', discuss their new series Puppy Love.
The popular science author Mary Roach talks about her new book 'Gulp' about the wonders of the digestive tract.
Taittinger champagne, Clarks shoes, Theakstons beer - three famous and successful family businesses that have passed down through the generations. So what prompted members of those families to leave the original firms and set up rival brands of their own? Producing champagne, making shoes and brewing beer. What's it like to compete with the companies they've known all their lives? And how easy is it to make their mark?
Clive Anderson is joined by Alan Cumming, Jake Chapman, Donny Osmond, Jan Ravens and Emma Freud for an eclectic mix of conversation, music and comedy. With music from The Growlers and PHOX.
An insight into man of the moment, Benedict Cumberbatch. Code-breaker, physicist, Victorian sleuth. Overnight he became an object of obsession with a Cumber-cult following of adoring fans, spawning internet memes and slash fiction fantasies. What is it about Benedict Cumberbatch that makes the world go weak at the knees?
Rose Tremain's latest book is a collection of short stories called The American Lover; how does her shorter fiction compare to her full length work?
Benedict Cumberbatch plays the WWII cryptographer and code-breaker Alan Turing in The Imitation Game. Also starring Kiera Knightley, it tells the tale of the team of British maths geniuses who cracked the Nazi's Enigma Code. How successfully does it breathe new life into the biography of a private and secretive man?
Roy Williams' new play Wildefire, directed by Maria Aberg, opens at London's Hampstead Theatre. It deals with 'the precarious world of modern policing'; how does a good copper stay good when her world turns nasty?
British artist Allen Jones is probably best known for three works he created 45 years ago; Hat Stand, Table and Chair. A new exhibition at London's Royal Academy is a look back at his career - including pop art from the 60s, through figurative sculpture to his painted steel sculptures. But do accusations that his early work demeans women still hold sway in the more broadminded 21st century?
Michael Palin returns to a British TV series for the first time in 2 decades in Remember Me on BBC1; a supernatural thriller set in Yorkshire - who is to blame for a series of mysterious deaths?
Razia Iqbal's guests are Elif Shafak, Patrick Gale and Miranda Carter. The producer is Oliver Jones.
The history of youth culture, whether described by the mainstream press, academia or in films and novels, has most often been written by middle aged men and focused on the experience of young men. Young women and teenage girls typically have to be satisfied with walk on parts as the love interest for the main male protagonists, or as passive consumers of pop culture, or as possible victims of the latest media scare story. Teenage boys who become part of subcultures - whether mods, teddy boys, rockers or ravers - have had a very visible presence both in the streets and on the front pages; by comparison girls have remained largely unseen and unheard. Now, however, the internet has created a revolution in the place of young women in our culture, granting millions of them the chance to represent themselves to the world in all sorts of ways that Ruby Tandoh argues are both tremendously exciting and profoundly empowering. She'll look back at the development of the place of girls in youth culture over the decades, examining the importance of the private space of the bedroom in providing a crucible in which identities are actively formed, and find out about those young women in movements like punk and Riot Grrrl who blazed a trail for today's girls as they take the reins of cultural production through their vlogs, blogs and zines. Most importantly Ruby will meet some of those at the forefront of the current revolution describing the success of their various online projects, whether in fashion, photography, literature, lifestyle or politics - and talk with ordinary girls to hear first hand accounts of lives lived as young women today.
Interviewees include Fabiola Ching, 17 year old editor at Coalition zine; Gabi from GabiFresh.com; Eleanor Hardwick, staff photographer at Rookie Mag; sixth form girls at a Coventry school; Pauline Black, lead singer of The Selecter, and former Riot Grrrl Olivia Laing. Archive dates back to the 1920s and comes up to date with more recent interviews featuring Caitlin Moran and Beth Reekles, whose secured a major publishing deal after her novel 'The Kissing Booth' received over 19 million reads.
T. H. White's classic retelling of the King Arthur story dramatised by Brian Sibley. England is in turmoil. On the night before a decisive battle, Merlyn and Arthur meet to talk about what has brought the King and country to this perilous state.
The radio debut of all five books of The Once and Future King in an adaptation by the award-winning dramatist, Brian Sibley, whose credits include dramatisations of The Lord of The Rings trilogy, Mervyn Peake's Gormenghast novels and most recently, Ray Bradbury's The Illustrated Man.
White's imagining of Arthur's childhood in The Sword in The Stone, his use of myth to deliver a powerful anti-war message and the humanity of his depiction of doomed love marks this cycle of novels as one of the defining works of 20th century fantasy fiction.
White uses the Arthurian legends to explore epic themes of national identity, democracy and the virtues of right over might.
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4, followed by weather.
The rumours swirling around Ed Miliband's future have an unmistakeably Shakespearian character about them. The lean and hungry look on the faces of some back benchers may be ambition or just simple fear. Miliband supporters have been taking to the air to defend their leader and everyone is consulting the oracle to try and divine who might play the part of Brutus. This is the stuff of politics of course, but as Shakespeare knew, at its heart is a profound moral question about the nature and limits of loyalty. When is loyalty a virtue and when does it become a vice? Friendships are among the most profound expressions of our humanity and it's hard to imagine them flourishing without loyalty. Many of us, not just the politicians, will know the pain of betrayal. But loyalty is a powerful strand in many other relationships: families expect it and, mostly, we're happy with that. Organizations often demand it, but the regular rows over whistle-blowers in institutions like the NHS demonstrate the moral lines between standing up for your principles and being disloyal to your colleagues aren't clearly drawn. Countries do what they can to foster it, but how many of us would today claim to have the same loyalty to Queen and country that lead so many to volunteer in the First World War? Are we a less loyal society today? Does the collapse in membership of political parties, trades unions and organised religion indicate a society that's less willing to pledge loyalty to an idea or a belief? In an age of zero hours contracts, diminishing pensions and portfolio working does the idea of being loyal to your employer sound hopelessly outdated? Or have our loyalties just shifted and we now have a more nuanced, informed and healthy perspective and what and who deserves our loyalty? Moral Maze - Presented by David Aaronovitch.
Witnesses: Dr. David Whetham, Corinne Sweet, Professor Matthew Flinders and Jonathan Hartley.
Russell Davies is in the chair for the penultimate heat in the 2014 series of the wide-ranging music quiz. The competitors face questions on everything from early music and the classical era to 20th century musicals, jazz, film and TV themes, rock and pop. As always they'll be given a choice of topics on which to demonstrate their specialist knowledge - the catch being that they have no prior warning of the topics on the list.
This week's hopeful contenders are from Greater Manchester and Lancashire, and the programme comes from the University of Salford.
Earlier this year, Andrew Motion visited the British army camp at Bad Fallingbostel, 40 kilometres north of Hanover in Germany. It's where the 7th Armoured Brigade - the Desert Rats - are based and where they returned this Spring after Operation Herrick 19, their final tour of duty in Afghanistan.
Here he talked to a range of soldiers, and back in England he also talked to the mother of a soldier who had been killed on duty in Helmand. He has used these conversations as the basis for a series of new poems reflecting on what it is like for British soldiers to come home after their long and dangerous campaign in Afghanistan. The poems explore the particular nature of the Afghan conflict, while showing certain continuities that flow from wars through the generations.
In this programme, the interviews and poems are set side by side, creating a unique poetry event by Andrew Motion to mark Remembrance Day 2014.
SUNDAY 16 NOVEMBER 2014
SUN 00:00 Midnight News (b04p57b2)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.
SUN 00:30 Hitch-Hiker's Guide to Europe (b01ml0j9)
How to Survive
Read by Mark Little.
The Hitch-hiker's Guide to Europe was the book most often stolen from British libraries in the 1970s. Mark Little reads from the young travellers' bible that nestled in every student rucksack forty years ago as they set off to explore Europe on £10 a week. Australian Ken Welsh was the hitcher who inspired thousands to follow "the infinite miles of tarmac and pot-holes which criss-cross the world, the magic ribbon which can lead to a thousand other worlds."
With a great deal of humour, some common sense and a spirit of recklessness lost to today's youngsters, Welsh's book covered everything from How To Hitch ("Providing a driver isn't obviously bombed out of his mind, my rule is to take any car that stops which has its bonnet pointed even vaguely in the direction I want to go...") to tips on How To Survive ("If you make the mistake of getting in with a fast driver who won't stop, make sounds which suggest you're about to throw up all over his upholstery...")
Re-reading it forty years on it's surprising what a different world it was then for the young traveller. There seemed to be more trust around (hitch-hikers are a rarity nowadays), and no real worries about roughing it far from home without the comfort of a mobile phone and by relying on the black markets, pawn shops or even blood banks when cash machines were simply not an option.
Produced by Neil Cargill
A Pier production for BBC Radio 4.
SUN 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b04p57b4)
The latest shipping forecast.
SUN 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b04p57b6)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service. BBC Radio 4 resumes at
5.20am.
SUN 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b04p57b8)
The latest shipping forecast.
SUN 05:30 News Briefing (b04p57bb)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.
SUN 05:43 Bells on Sunday (b04p5952)
The bells of St. Mary's Lamberhurst in Kent.
SUN 05:45 Profile (b04p59fd)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Saturday]
SUN 06:00 News Headlines (b04p57bd)
The latest national and international news.
SUN 06:05 Something Understood (b04p5f37)
Beyond the Grey Towers
Samira Ahmed explores Durham Cathedral's enduring historical, cultural and spiritual significance.
She first visited the cathedral over twenty years ago and it has maintained a fascination for her ever since. Now Samira returns to Durham to explore the connection that she, and so many others, feel with the Cathedral.
'Grey towers of Durham
Yet well I love thy mixed and massive piles
Half church of God, half castle 'gainst the Scot
And long to roam those venerable aisles
With records stored of deeds long since forgot.' Sir Walter Scott, Harold the Dauntless
Durham Cathedral is the shrine of St Cuthbert, the seat of the Bishop of Durham and a focus of pilgrimage and spirituality in North East England.
What is the source of its power to move, not only Christians, but those of others faiths or none? Is it the sanctity of the shrine of St Cuthbert? Is it its spectacular architecture? Is it the unique positioning in the natural and human landscape (now a world heritage site)? Or is it the echoes of centuries of history as a fortress, a seat of learning and a sacred space?
Through words, art and music and by speaking to those intimately connected to the Cathedral, Samira Ahmed creates a vivid portrait of Durham Cathedral through the centuries. She explores how it has reflected Durham's changing communities and balances the preservation of ancient traditions with the celebration of contemporary Christianity, art and music.
The programme includes poems by Thomas Hardy, L.E.L and John Ormond and extracts from Pat Barker. Music includes pieces by Icelandic composer Jóhann Jóhannsson, Kathryn Tickell and the choir of Durham Cathedral.
The readers are George Irving and Olivia Onyehara
Produced by Lucy Dichmont
A Whistledown Production for BBC Radio 4.
SUN 06:35 Living World (b04p5f39)
Drystone Walls
Spiders love the nooks and crannies in drystone walls. The Peak District has 100s of miles of them and many different species of spider, from web builders to fast hunters, live there. Wolf spiders race after their prey on long, powerful legs. Jumping spiders leap from a hiding place. The tiny money spiders build webs like hammocks for prey to fall into and lace weaving spiders construct mats of web with recoiling strands that drag the prey to the spider. The limestone walls of the White Peak are not only a beautiful feature of this part of the National Park, they were built with great skill and patience by generations of skilled workmen. Mary Colwell meets Sarah Henshall, lead ecologist with Buglife and Simon Nicholas, the local Ranger for the National Trust, to discover the 350 million year old limestone that forms the walls and search for the mini beasts that live in their depths.
SUN 06:57 Weather (b04p57bg)
The latest weather forecast.
SUN 07:00 News and Papers (b04p57bj)
The latest news headlines. Including a look at the papers.
SUN 07:10 Sunday (b04p5f3c)
Women Bishops, Comet and RE in GCSEs
On Monday, the General Synod of the Church of England gives the final stamp of approval to women bishops. Caroline Wyatt looks ahead to the historic moment and we discuss how and where the first appointments are likely to be made with James Langstaff, Bishop of Rochester.
Una Kroll, one of the most outspoken campaigners for the ordination of women, tells Edward about the campaign for the full inclusion of women into the Anglican church and her role in it.
Bob Walker explores the latest government proposals for RE GCSE's and hears why the Chief Rabbi and a former Ofsted inspector have serious concerns about the plans.
Pope Francis has appointed Liverpudlian Archbishop Paul Gallagher as the Catholic Church's equivalent of foreign secretary. Christopher Lamb, assistant editor of The Tablet tells Edward about the man.
A belief in powerful, moralising gods is more likely to occur in societies exposed to harsh climates and famine, according to new research. We speak Dr Carlos Botero who led the study.
As scientists begin to analyse data and images from the probe Philae that made a historic landing on comet 67P, could any new insights into the origins of our universe undermine our religious beliefs? Rev Dr David Wilkinson discusses with Edward Stourton.
What was life really like for the Puritans who left England for the New World of America? That's the big question that's driving a team of history detectives in Massachusetts, who are battling to save church records from being lost forever. Matt Wells reports.
Producers
David Cook
Carmel Lonergan
Editor
Amanda Hancox
Contributors
James Langstaff, Bishop of Rochester
Una Kroll
Christopher Lamb
Dr Carlos Botero
Rev Dr David Wilkinson.
SUN 07:55 Radio 4 Appeal (b04p5f3f)
Children in Need
Sir Terry Wogan appeals on behalf of Children in Need, the BBC's UK corporate charity, making a difference to the lives of children all across the UK, and providing grants to projects which focus on children and young people who are disadvantaged.
Donations: BBC Children in Need Appeal, PO Box 1000, London W12 7WJ, or you can give online at bbc.co.uk/pudsey, or call 0345 733 2233 (Calls to 03 numbers are charged at no more than UK geographic rates (as for 01 and 02 numbers) and will be included as part of any inclusive minutes. This applies to calls from any network including mobiles.
SUN 07:57 Weather (b04p57bl)
The latest weather forecast.
SUN 08:00 News and Papers (b04p57bn)
The latest news headlines. Including a look at the papers.
SUN 08:10 Sunday Worship (b04p5m1c)
Two hundred years ago Baptist missionary John Rowe sailed from England for Jamaica. This service, live from Cannon Street Memorial Baptist Church in Birmingham, tells the story of an extraordinary 200 years of partnership at the start of which white Baptists migrated from the UK to join enslaved Black Christians to establish some of the earliest multiracial Baptist churches in the world. In 1814, John Rowe was the first to answer that call. In later years the partnership reversed as black Baptists travelled to the UK to found what are now some of Britain's biggest churches. Leader: Pastor Patrick Adetuwo. With the Revd Lynn Green, General Secretary of the Baptist Union of Great Britain. Preacher: The Revd Karl Johnson, General Secretary of the Jamaica Baptist Union. Producer: Rowan Morton-Gledhill.
SUN 08:48 A Point of View (b04nvkkf)
Soylent and the Charm of the Fast Lane
The new food substitute Soylent allows you to give up eating meals in order to have more free time. But John Gray argues that human beings crave busy lives. We want to be distracted, he says, so we don't have to think too much.
Producer: Adele Armstrong.
SUN 08:58 Tweet of the Day (b04mlphz)
Common Indian Cuckoo
Tweet of the Day is the voice of birds and our relationship with them, from around the world.
Chris Packham presents the Indian cuckoo found across much of South East Asia. A bird singing "crossword puzzle" - "crossword puzzle" over the woods is an Indian Cuckoo, a shy and slender bird, grey above and barred black and white below. These features are similar to those of a small hawk and when a cuckoo flies across a woodland glade, it's often mobbed by other birds. They're right to sense danger. Indian cuckoos are brood parasites and the females lay their eggs in the nests of other species including drongos, magpies and shrikes. The Indian cuckoo's song is well-known in the Indian sub-Continent and has been interpreted in different ways. As well as "crossword puzzle " some think it's saying "one more bottle" or "orange pekoe". And in the Kangra valley in northern India, the call is said to be the soul of a dead shepherd asking "... where is my sheep? Where is my sheep?".
SUN 09:00 Broadcasting House (b04p5m1f)
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 (b04p5m1h)
Contemporary drama in a rural setting.
SUN 11:15 Desert Island Discs (b04p5m1k)
John Agard
Kirsty Young's castaway this week is the poet John Agard.
His work is studied widely in British schools. He was the BBC's first poet in residence and along with WH Auden and Philip Larkin, he's a recipient of The Queen's Gold Medal for Poetry.
Born in Guyana he arrived here in the mid-1970s already playing with words like some people play with musical notes. If his style is often satirical, his subjects provide wincing realism - examining the scars of slavery or the historical myopia of a shared past judged solely through European eyes.
He says he believes that "the poet keeps us in touch with the vulnerable core of language that makes us what we are."
Producer: Cathy Drysdale.
SUN 12:00 News Summary (b04p57bq)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
SUN 12:04 The Museum of Curiosity (b04nrmgx)
Series 7
Episode 6
This week, the Professor of Ignorance John Lloyd and his curator Phill Jupitus welcome
Neil Innes, either a musical comedian or a comedy musician or possibly both. He was the third member of the surreal psychedelic jazz pop fusion combo the Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band; is acknowledged as the seventh member of the Monty Python team; and was, according to some authorities, the 33rd member of the Beatles.
Dr Bradley Garrett, a writer, photographer urban explorer and researcher at Oxford University. He is perhaps the only academic whose studies have resulted in hanging onto a crane at the top of the Shard, being arrested on the tarmac at Heathrow for criminal damage and trespassing on private property over 300 times in more than eight countries.
Isabel Berncke, a scientist who grew up in the wild mountains of Chile but moved to the UK to study in London, Cambridge and Oxford. She's a doctor of cognitive and evolutionary anthropology, but her research interests include neuroscience, music, primatology, poetry, ethnology, complexity theory, behavioural ecology and hobbits.
This week, the Museum's Steering Committee discusses wrapping the Angel of the North up warm, penis fencing, the lowest-rated prime-time show in American TV history, London's secret rivers, what makes a tree laugh and why we should stupidity should be put in an institution.
The show was researched by James Harkin and Molly Oldfield of QI.
The producers were Richard Turner and Dan Schreiber.
SUN 12:32 The Food Programme (b04p5m1m)
Terra Madre
Food stories from across the world. Dan Saladino travels to Terra Madre 2014 in Turin. It is a global movement of farmers and food producers which attracts the attention of world leaders - from Michelle Obama to Pope Francis.
Last month, 250,000 people from 160 countries gathered at a former Olympic venue in Turin to taste and celebrate diverse foods and to discuss and debate the issues affecting the world's food.
Jamie Oliver shows Dan around the Ark of Taste - a collection of 2,000 traditional foods which are in danger of extinction. Edie Mukiibi, Vice President of Slow Food International, explains the impact of the project 10,000 Food Gardens in Africa.
Northern Irish chef Paula McIntyre cooks with chefs from Uganda. Dr Geoff Andrews from The Open University explains the political roots of Terra Madre. And Richard McCarthy tells Dan about projects from Slow Food USA - including 'nose-to-tailgating'.
Presented by Dan Saladino and produced in Bristol by Emma Weatherill.
SUN 12:57 Weather (b04p57bs)
The latest weather forecast.
SUN 13:00 The World This Weekend (b04p5m1p)
Global news and analysis; presented by Mark Mardell.
SUN 13:30 Hardeep's Sunday Lunch (b04p5m1r)
Series 3
Hardeep Cooks at the Circus
Hardeep Singh Kohli enters the marvellous and mystifying world of the circus in this episode of his Sunday Lunch show. He's joined by a French foot juggler, an Australian flying trapeze artist, an Argentinean weapon thrower and ring mistress Yasmin Smart. Yasmin's circus family pedigree could hardly be more prestigious; her grandfather was Billy Smart Sr, founder of the legendary Billy Smart's Circus which became a household name in the 1970's and 80's when it was televised attracting audiences in record-breaking numbers. Now aged sixty, Yasmin is the last Smart still performing in the ring. As Hardeep attempts his own juggling act, with an overzealous barbeque to man and intriguing lunch guests to interview, he hears about lives spent in this extraordinary world.
Producer: Catherine Earlam.
SUN 14:00 Gardeners' Question Time (b04nvkjx)
Postbag from Sparsholt
Eric Robson is in the Potting Shed at Sparsholt College for a correspondence edition of the horticultural panel programme.
Chris Beardshaw, Pippa Greenwood, Christine Walkden and Rosie Yeomans answer questions sent in by post, online and via social media.
Produced by Howard Shannon.
A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4.
This week's questions and answers:
Q. Following past suggestions from the panel not to walk on garden beds when the ground is wet so as to avoid compacting the earth, I've put planks down. However, I find these provide cover for moles and slugs. Can the panel suggest a better way of accessing an entire plot?
A. Only put the planks down when you're using them. Lift them up when you're not using them. Or you could put a bark path down. Even stepping-stones could work.
Q. I've been growing a grafted, hybrid Wisteria - Lavender Lace, in a concrete container planted in John Innes number 3 and training it up the south-east facing front of my house for about 18 months. Midway through the summer, the leaves started turning brown and new shoots died. I've increased watering and feeding which helped, but some of the old leaves are looking bad again. The garden is cemented over so planting it in the ground is not an option. What would the panel recommend?
A. Wisteria likes a good root run, so it won't be happy in a container. Try to curtail the growth by pruning it hard. This will keep it to a size proportional to the container. Limit the total upward growth to a single stem and then train horizontally to about two meters of length. Put in a timed irrigation system.
Q. I work in an office six meters square with no windows and air conditioning. What potted plants could I grow to put a bit of colour into my life?
A. Install some lighting that mimics natural light. LED lights are an option. Start with Spider Plants, Kalanchoes, Fatshederas and the Monstera Deliciosa (Swiss Cheese plant).
Q. I'd like to grow a show-stopper of a climbing rose up a south-facing wall in a large pot. What would the panel recommend?
A. Go for a handful of roses. Try 'May Gold', 'Madame Alfred Caraway', 'Paul's Scarlet', 'Paul's Himalayan Musk'. The bigger the container the better. Look through catalogues now, as you want to get the roses in while they are dormant.
Q. Vine weevils are plaguing my Heucheras and the roots are disappearing. What's going on?
A. The vine weevils are eating them. Use nematodes to get rid of them. Make a moat around the plants to prevent the weevils getting to them.
Q. I'd like to plant a bed of red flowers to celebrate a ruby wedding anniversary. The bed gets a fair amount of sun and has good soil.
A. Try early-flowering Chrysanthemums - Schizanthus or Hesperantha. Try Roses, 'Ingrid Bergan' and 'Ruby Wedding'. Hebes would be good, try 'Ruby Mound'. Try Gladioli. Get a Clematis, 'Rebecca' is a lovely one.
Q. We have a bamboo planted within a black plastic water tank in the ground. We want thicker stems, how can we get them?
A. Water and feed it more, but the bamboo won't grow much more because of the way you've restricted its growth.
Q. I've planted some Sunflower Seeds and Sweet Peas in my greenhouse, they've started growing already. How can I protect them from the winter cold?
A. Get them outside into a cold frame or a greenhouse, or put them in a bright windowsill. They need to be kept cool but make sure they get plenty of light.
Q. When I had raised beds built eighteen months ago, they were filled with spent mushroom compost. The level has dropped and I want to add something. Should I go for more of the same or good quality topsoil?
A. Go for good-quality topsoil or loam. Mix mineral bulk with organic matter to avoid this kind of reduction.
Q. How can we restrict the growth of our Corylus Avellana (Hazel Nut) tree?
A. Coppice the tree. Raise the crown to prevent the tree from hindering the growth of the surrounding plants.
Q. Can the panel suggest any plants that can be spun into a yarn?
A. Nettles can be used. Sisal and Phormium could also be used to make rope. Cabbage Palms are also a possibility.
SUN 14:45 The Listening Project (b04p5m1t)
Sunday Omnibus - Children in Need 2
Fi Glover with conversations about the death of a parent, growing up in care, and the skilled use of wheelchairs, between people helped by Children in Need funded charities, from Devon, Wales and Humberside.
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 learn more about The Listening Project by visiting bbc.co.uk/listeningproject
Producer: Marya Burgess.
SUN 15:00 The Once and Future King (b04p5m1w)
The Sword in the Stone
Brian Sibley's dramatisation of T. H. White's classic retelling of the King Arthur story continues. Wart's remarkable education at the hands of the wizard Merlyn draws to a close.
Original music by Elizabeth Purnell
Directors: Gemma Jenkins, Marc Beeby and David Hunter.
SUN 16:00 Open Book (b04p5m1y)
Pulitzer prize-winner Marilynne Robinson on new novel Lila
Pulitzer prize winning author Marilynne Robinson on her new book Lila, the third novel from her bestselling series set in the fictional town of Gilead. Novelist Tim Parks discusses how, and why, we read. We visit a haven for lovers of literature in Liverpool to hear about the joys of shared reading and a golfing gem from the master of comedy P G Wodehouse.
SUN 16:30 Dorset Rewritten (b04p5skv)
Before Thomas Hardy, there was another Dorset poet. His name was William Barnes. Scrape a finger across Hardy's Dorset and you'll find Barnes' underneath. Daljit Nagra goes in search of Hardy's friend, forebear and inspiration.
William Barnes was fascinated by language and the dialect used by the people around him. But today he's been all but forgotten. Barnes inspired Hardy, Larkin, and Hopkins yet Britain has never taken him to its heart. Barnes was fascinated by language, obsessed even. He was a polymath. He believed in Pure English and wanted to distil words to their Anglo -Saxon origins; 'photograph' for instance, becomes, 'sun-print'. Curious then that while his poetry is thick with dialect, Barnes spent most of his life teaching English in its conventional form, as a curate and a school master.
A former Poet Laureate, a young teacher from Barnes' Blackmore Vale, and a dialect poet from the Black Country reflect on the curious verse of 'the other' Dorset poet.
Produced in Bristol by Clare Salisbury.
SUN 17:00 File on 4 (b04ntvvh)
Dirty Secrets
The UK generates nearly 300 million tonnes of waste every year. That's rich pickings for criminals who illegally dump what we don't want, damaging the environment and threatening our health. The black market in rubbish is said to be worth a billion pounds. With such huge sums at stake there's concern that organised crime is increasing its grip on the sector. Allan Urry examines the efforts of Britain's Environment Agencies to try to hold the line. But it's tough going at a time when cuts have led to a reduction in staffing.
Reporter: Allan Urry
Producer: Carl Johnston.
SUN 17:40 Profile (b04p59fd)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Saturday]
SUN 17:54 Shipping Forecast (b04p57bv)
The latest shipping forecast.
SUN 17:57 Weather (b04p57bx)
The latest weather forecast.
SUN 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b04p57bz)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
SUN 18:15 Pick of the Week (b04p5skx)
A dystopian future for bees, blood splatter patterns and how it can be funny to fall out of a wheelchair - are just some of this week's highlights.
In a week which commemorated the start of World War One we listen to a Mother who asks why she lost her son in Camp Bastion, and one ex-navy pilot who admits to breaking the rules by loop the looping the Forth Bridge and never fessing-up.
Scroobius Pip waxes lyrical about libraries. And Rufus Wainwright tells us how he went out of his way to wind up his Father.
So join Naga Munchetty on Pick of the Week, Sunday evening at a quarter past six.
SUN 19:00 The Archers (b04p5skz)
Tony is still in a critical condition. Peggy is praying but knows the situation looks bleak. Helen keeps replaying the scene in her head. Helen's worried about Henry, who saw Tony being attacked by the bull.
Peggy supports Rob's view to try to carry on as normal for Henry, but Helen's struggling. It feels so unfair to Peggy. She's celebrating 90 years yet her son is in hospital. They all need to stay strong for Pat. Johnny's clearly in shock, keeping busy with farm work. Rob takes charge at the farm and praises Johnny for all his help.
Pat's right by Tony's side. Reassuring Tony that the farm is in good hands, and Johnny is a farmer in the making, Pat promises she's not leaving until they throw her out. She begs him to recover.
Later, Pat tells concerned Rob that Tony is stable on the ventilator. Peggy's so grateful to brave Ed. Eddie and Rob will try to separate the bull from the herd. Helen defers to Rob when it comes to the cattle. Rob tells Pat there's no need to thank him - they're family.
SUN 19:15 Hal (b04p5vl1)
Series 1
Career
Comedian Hal Cruttenden stars as a stay at home father who is having a mid-life crisis.
Written by Hal Cruttenden and Dominic Holland.
WIth Dominic Holland, Ronni Ancona, Ed Byrne, Anna Crilly, Jonathan Kydd, Gavin Webster, Dominic Frisby, Samuel Caseley, Lucy Robbins and Emily Robbins.
Hal stars as himself, married to Sam and father to two lovely girls. The problem is that, as Sam's career blossoms internationally and daughters Lilly and Molly grow up and are no longer dependent on their loving and caring father, Hal feels restless.
So, with the help of his ever unreliable mates Doug, Fergus and Barry, Hal decides to try new things in his life. But, inevitably, things don't go to plan!
Further challenges come from Hal's now deceased father, who was a true adventurer and all-round hero (something his son sadly is not) and is starting to appear to Hal at the most inopportune times to give unwelcome advice.
In this opening episode, Hal is arranging a special romantic getaway for Sam with some difficulty, Lilly and Molly are becoming almost strangers to Hal, his friend Fergus thinks he's finally found love, and Hal is forced to replace Sam in making a talk at the girls' school as Sam has to go on a work trip abroad.
Producer: Paul Russell
An Open Mike production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in November 2014.
SUN 19:45 Grounded (b04p5vl3)
Are You Listening? by Laura Beatty
The second of three specially commissioned stories taking our relationship with the land beneath our feet as their starting point. 'Are You Listening?' by Laura Beatty takes place in a former mining community in Northumberland, not far from Newcastle.
Read by Joe Caffrey
Directed by Jill Waters
A Waters Company production for BBC Radio 4.
SUN 20:00 Feedback (b04p204g)
BBC Radio 1 Newsbeat has been found in breach of both Ofcom and BBC Editorial Guidelines for its broadcast of an interview with a member of ISIS. The item was considered inappropriate under BBC standards for Impartiality and Harm and Offence. Richard Ayre, the Chairman of the BBC Trust's Editorial Standards Committee, explains the ruling.
Radio 1's iPlayer video channel launched this week. It's the station's latest effort to engage with the smartphone generation. The BBC's Head of Visual Radio gives his vision for the future of Radio 1.
Radio 4 is also trying a bit of radio visualisation with a number of short-form animations to complement its History of Ideas series. A Feedback listeners' panel gives its verdict.
The former Home Secretary David Blunkett was on World at One this week - not to discuss any great affairs of state, but to give his thoughts on The Archers. Though many Feedback listeners share his concerns at the soap's current direction, others said that a serious news programme was not the place to cover such trivialities.
And Feedback listener Tony Harwood, gives a behind the scenes account of his time as a BBC page boy in the 1950s when one of many perks was the chance to watch live recordings of Hancock's Half Hour.
Produced by Will Yates
A Whistledown production for BBC Radio 4.
SUN 20:30 Last Word (b04nvkk1)
Vivienne Price; Dr Dick Laws; Warren Clarke; Geoffrey Clarke; Prince David Chavchavadze
Matthew Bannister on
Vivienne Price who founded the National Children's Orchestra, which started the careers of many well known musicians.
Dr. Dick Laws, the zoologist who headed the British Antarctic Survey and alerted the government to the Argentine invasion of the Falkland Islands.
The actor Warren Clarke, best known for playing the cantankerous detective Andy Dalziel in Dalziel and Pascoe.
The sculptor Geoffrey Clarke who produced the crown of thorns at Coventry Cathedral and many other religious works.
And Prince David Chavchavadze who was descended from the Russian Imperial family and became a CIA agent during the Cold War.
SUN 21:00 Money Box (b04p53k7)
[Repeat of broadcast at
12:04 on Saturday]
SUN 21:26 Radio 4 Appeal (b04p5f3f)
[Repeat of broadcast at
07:55 today]
SUN 21:30 Analysis (b04nrqsm)
Conservative Muslims, Liberal Britain
The recent so called Trojan Horse dispute in some Birmingham schools shone a light on how separately from the liberal British mainstream a significant conservative bloc of British Muslims wants to live. Although some Muslim parents objected, most seemed happy to go along with rigorous gender segregation, the rejection of sex education and ban on music and arts lessons.
Why is it that so many British Muslims - especially from Pakistani and Bangladeshi backgrounds - seem to be converging much more slowly, if at all, on liberal British norms? Is this a problem in a liberal society and what are the future trends likely to be?
David Goodhart, of the think tank Demos, visits Leicester in search of some answers. He listens to many different Muslim voices from a mufti who advises Muslims on how to navigate everyday life in a non-Muslim society to a liberal reformer who is dismayed at seeing more women wearing the niqab.
East is East (extract with Jane Horrocks and Ayub Khan) is playing at the Trafalgar Studios, London until 3rd January, and then on tour.
Contributors:
Mustafa Malik, Director of the Pakistan Youth and Community Centre, Leicester
Saj Khan, Leicestershire businessman
Mufti Muhammed Ibn Adam, Islamic scholar, Leicester
Riaz Ravat, Deputy Director, St Philip's Centre, Leicester
Dilwar and Rabiha Hussain, New Horizons organisation, Leicester
Gina Khan, human rights campaigner
Myriam Francois-Cerrah, journalist and PhD researcher
Jytte Klausen, affiliate professor at the Center for European Studies at Harvard University
Producer Katy Hickman.
SUN 22:00 Westminster Hour (b04p57c1)
Weekly political discussion and analysis with MPs, experts and commentators.
SUN 22:45 What the Papers Say (b04p5vl5)
Iain Martin of The Telegraph analyses how the newspapers are covering the biggest stories.
SUN 23:00 The Film Programme (b04nvbph)
Tommy Lee Jones in The Homesman, The Imitation Game and Roger Ebert remembered
Francine Stock talks to Tommy Lee Jones about his new film The Homesman, a gritty take on the Western in which the harshness of frontier life and the impact it had on women are central to the story. She also discovers why set designer Maria Djurkovic is such a valued member of the teams in the many projects she undertakes, including this week's release The Imitation Game.
There's the latest in the series of Sci-Fi Sound FX secrets, in this programme the heavy breathing that has made Darth Vader one of the most memorable villains in cinema history and Steve James, director of the Documentary Life Itself, explains why his subject, the film critic Roger Ebert was worth the cinematic treatment.
SUN 23:30 Something Understood (b04p5f37)
[Repeat of broadcast at
06:05 today]
MONDAY 17 NOVEMBER 2014
MON 00:00 Midnight News (b04p57d4)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.
MON 00:15 Thinking Allowed (b04nv6ml)
Meritocracy; Desert Island Doctors
Meritocracy, then and now. Laurie Taylor talks to Peter Hennessy, Attlee professor of contemporary British history at Queen Mary, University of London. How did meritocracy arise as a concept and has it ever been realised in practice given the persistence of notions of a British Establishment with control over access to the centres of power? They are joined by Danny Dorling, professor of Geography at the University of Oxford. Also, doctors' choice of desert island discs - what do they tell us about the possession of cultural capital? Ruth McDonald, professor of health science research at Manchester University, discusses the meaning of elite musical tastes.
Producer: Jayne Egerton.
MON 00:45 Bells on Sunday (b04p5952)
[Repeat of broadcast at
05:43 on Sunday]
MON 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b04p57d6)
The latest shipping forecast.
MON 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b04p57d8)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
MON 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b04p57db)
The latest shipping forecast.
MON 05:30 News Briefing (b04p57dd)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.
MON 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b04p5xjs)
A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day, with the Rev Mary Stallard.
MON 05:45 Farming Today (b04p5xjx)
Farm safety; HS2; Sugar industry
The Health and Safety Executive calls for farmers to think of their farms more as a workplace than a home, to help cut the number of accidents. Last year 27 farm workers and four members of the public died in accidents on farms. Those latest figures underline again that farms are among the most dangerous places to work. There were also nearly 300 major injuries on farms - the biggest threats being from moving machinery, falls, and from animals.
The CLA, which represents landowners, will give evidence to the Select Committee looking at the HS2 Bill today. They want more an independent complaints procedure put in place, and guarantees of compensation, before building begins. A spokesman said rural businesses were suffering under the uncertainty caused by the project.
And a look at the state of the British sugar industry: high stocks of sugar mean farmers are facing cuts in what they're paid.
So those currently harvesting sugar beet can expect that by this time next year they'll be paid around 20 per cent less for it.
MON 05:56 Weather (b04p57dg)
The latest weather forecast for farmers.
MON 05:58 Tweet of the Day (b04mlvwc)
Arabian Babbler
Tweet of the Day is the voice of birds and our relationship with them, from around the world.
Chris Packham presents the Arabian babbler of a Yemeni Desert. Arabian babblers could almost be described as feathered meerkats. They're sociable, charismatic and always on the alert. These energetic and curious birds are found around the Arabian peninsula and in Egypt, often in dry scrubby places. They have long tails, curved bills and a bounding gait, and their sandy plumage is superb camouflage against the parched ground where they roam in search of insects and seeds. If on their travels, a group of babblers discovers a snake they will mob it with loud shrieks, raising their wings and calling to each other until they see it off. Arabian babblers don't use their social skills just to chase away predators. They spend all their time in groups of usually four to six adult birds and in these groups their relationships are fluid. They are also co-operative breeders and help each other to rear their chicks, a communal way of life that helps to forge bonds between these very vocal birds.
MON 06:00 Today (b04p5xjz)
Morning news and current affairs. Including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.
MON 09:00 Start the Week (b04p604k)
Self-Portrayal
Self-portraits rarely fail to compel, but to what extent are they a true form of self-examination? James Hall maps the history of self-portraiture, from the earliest myths of Narcissus to the prolific self-image-making of contemporary artists. Rembrandt's self-portraits are the highlight of a major exhibition of the artist's work at The National Gallery. Its curator Betsy Wieseman discusses what these paintings can tell us about the artist. Poetry and memoir are the tools of John Burnside's self-exploration. A previous TS Eliot prize winner, he discusses his latest collection 'All One Breath' for which he has been nominated again this year. The musician Richard Tognetti argues that 'the self' can still shine through in interpretations of great classical works.
Producer: Fiona Woods.
MON 09:45 Book of the Week (b04p604m)
Alan Cumming - Not My Father's Son: A Family Memoir
A Revelation
Alan Cumming reads his deeply moving memoir about his relationship with his father and the mystery of his maternal grandfather.
Alan Cumming grew up in the iron grip of a father who readily meted out violence. In the spring of 2010, after a decade of estrangement, Alex Cumming, Alan's father, renewed contact with his son.
Aware that Alan had agreed to film an episode of 'Who Do You Think You Are?' and so solve a family mystery, Alex, now terminally ill, chose this moment to share a shocking secret.
In this powerful, honest and moving memoir, Alan explores his troubled relationship with his father against the backdrop of filming 'Who Do You Think You Are?' where he makes discoveries about the life of his enigmatic grandfather. In the process he discovers more about himself.
Written and read by Alan Cumming.
Abridged by Sara Davies.
Producer: Elizabeth Allard
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2014.
MON 10:00 Woman's Hour (b04p604p)
Karen Blackett; Making part-time working work; Ann Cotton
Karen Blackett of Mediacom has been named Britain's most influential black person - we hear how she became the first business woman to get the title. We discuss the complications of premature birth: why are 1,400 British children dying every year because they were born too early? We ask why more older women seeking treatment for alcohol problems. Improving education for girls - Ann Cotton on her work in rural Africa. And, how to make part-time working work for you: we ask how easy it is to be a flexible high-flyer.
MON 10:45 15 Minute Drama (b04p604r)
Inquest
Day One
The inquest into the death of a female soldier found drowned reveals she has been the victim of a sexual assault by a fellow soldier.
Over five days, we hear witness statements and the coroner must decide whether she took her own life...
Written by Richard Monks.
Hannah ..... Katie Lyons
Stevens ..... Matt Stokoe
Jean ..... Claire Rushbrook
Nicola ..... Nisha Nayar
Mark ..... James Norton
Coroner ..... Philip Fox
Clerk ..... Mark Edel-Hunt
Lorna ..... Jane Slavin
Director ..... Sally Avens
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2014
MON 11:00 A Needle Pulling Thread (b04p7xls)
A tapestry of fascinating stories about the place of the sewing needle in our lives.
Sara Parker looks at what this powerful but tiny metal tool means to us at home and at work - in times of sadness and of joy.
The needle gives women the capacity to clothe their family or start a business. For the prisoner, embroidering a cushion in his cell provides both a way to earn a living and also a link with the outside world. To the mother who lost her son in Afghanistan, it offers a way for her family to come to terms with their grief through teddy bears made from his uniform. While for the World War One soldier, who learned to sew recuperating from injuries sustained in the Battle of the Somme, it gave a profession as a tailor.
As many of us lose the practical skills which our grandparents and parents took for granted, there is a revival of interest in all kinds of sewing. Some make quilts or cushions for those in need of comfort or for charity. Others want to sew for themselves - such as the 60-year old Blues musician determined to learn how to stitch his own unique waistcoat, or the teenager's act of defiance making a denim quilt after her mother forbade her to wear jeans.
New technology matches the increasing sophistication of sewing machines - such as the QR code cross-stitched into the margin of a quilt linking to the maker's blog, or shared online tutorials. While a sinister story from the National Archives in Kew reveals how Porton Down wanted to develop the sewing needle as a poison dart at the end of the Second World War.
Producer: Sara Parker
A White Pebble Media production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in November 2014.
MON 11:30 Start/Stop (b04p7xlv)
Series 2
Funeral
Hit comedy about three marriages in various states of disrepair.
This week the prospect of the funeral of a neighbour - big Phil from No. 36 - shows that even someone's death provides opportunities for flirting, competitiveness and generally reprehensible behaviour.
Alice and Cathy are making food for Phil's widow; Barney and David are both keen to do the eulogy and meanwhile Fiona and Evan are trying to cope with the most irritating rescue dog who ever lived.
Barney ...... Jack Docherty
Cathy ...... Kerry Godliman
Evan ...... John Thomson
Fiona ...... Fiona Allen
David ...... Charlie Higson
Alice ...... Sally Bretton
Producer ..... Claire Jones
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 2014.
MON 12:00 News Summary (b04p57dj)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
MON 12:04 A History of Ideas (b04p7xlx)
Why Are Things Beautiful?
A new history of ideas presented by Melvyn Bragg but told in many voices.
Melvyn is joined by four guests with different backgrounds to discuss a really big question. This week he's asking 'Why are things beautiful?'
Helping him answer it are Mathematician Vicky Neale, historian of science Simon Schaffer and philosophers Barry Smith and Angie Hobbs.
For the rest of the week Vicky, Simon, Barry and Angie will take us further into the history of ideas about beauty with programmes of their own.
Between them they will examine the mathematics of beauty, whether beauty has moral force, whether beauty can be explained in evolutionary terms and how David Hume developed a theory of good taste.
MON 12:15 You and Yours (b04p7xlz)
Why increasing numbers of disabled people are having their benefits cut
A committee of MPs is investigating the increasing number of disabled people who are having their benefits reduced.
What next for Tesco? We ask what the supermarket giant should do to improve sales.
Presenter: Winifred Robinson
Producer: Rob Cave.
MON 12:57 Weather (b04p57dl)
The latest weather forecast.
MON 13:00 World at One (b04p7xnq)
Analysis of current affairs reports, presented by Martha Kearney.
MON 13:45 Foreign Bodies (b04p7xns)
Series 3
Cuba
To complement Radio 4's major dramatisations of The Havana Quartet by Cuba's leading crime writer, Leonardo Padura, Mark Lawson examines how mystery novels have reflected five different political systems in a new series of Foreign Bodies.
In today's programme Mark Lawson explores fictional investigations of Cuba after the Castro revolution with Leonardo Padura, author of The Havana Quartet, and Caroline Garcia-Aquilera, a Cuban-American writing from exile in Miami.
MON 14:00 The Archers (b04p5skz)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Sunday]
MON 14:15 Drama (b01phj10)
John Dryden - The Reluctant Spy
Episode 1
As the world waits to see what democracy will bring to Egypt, Nigel Lindsay plays hard-up Coptic art expert who becomes embroiled in (what appears to be) corporate espionage when approached by seductive Canadian student Tara to deliver a letter - for money - to a prominent Egyptian politician. But nothing in this tense three-parter from writer/director John Dryden is quite what it appears to be.
Casting - Toby Whale
Production Manager - Russell Owen
Script Editor - Mike Walker
Sound design - Steve Bond
Music - Sacha Puttnam
Written and directed by: John Dryden
A Goldhawk Production for BBC Radio 4
www.goldhawk.eu
Writer/Director - John Dryden
This is John's forth trilogy for Radio 4, after SEVERED THREADS, PANDEMIC (winner of this year's Writers' Guild award for Best Radio Drama) and A TOKYO MURDER. He recently directed and co-wrote with journalist Owen Bennett-Jones the documentary/drama BLASPHEMY AND THE GOVERNOR OF PUNJAB.
MON 15:00 Counterpoint (b04p7yfz)
Series 28
Episode 9
(9/13)
Russell Davies is joined by competitors from Wiltshire, Surrey and the West Midlands in the ninth heat of the general knowledge music quiz.
Up for grabs is the single remaining place in this year's semi-finals, which begin next week. To be in with a chance of winning it, our trio will have to demonstrate the widest possible knowledge of music of all eras, from the core classical repertoire through to rock and pop of the past 50 years.
They will also have to answer questions on a specialist musical subject - the catch being that they must choose their topic on the spot from a list of which they've had no prior warning, and no chance to prepare.
Producer: Paul Bajoria.
MON 15:30 The Food Programme (b04p5m1m)
[Repeat of broadcast at
12:32 on Sunday]
MON 16:00 Winslow Homer's Odyssey (b04p7yg1)
Michael Smith heads home to the North on the trail of Winslow Homer, an American artist who mysteriously spent 20 months in the Tyneside fishing village of Cullercoats.
Seen as a national treasure in the States, Homer first rose to fame with his powerful depictions of the civil war, and by the late 1870s he was America's pre-eminent watercolourist. Yet in 1881, this enigmatic and secretive artist travelled first to London then north to Cullercoats, in search of 'atmosphere and colour.'
Michael visits the Watch House and talks to local art historian Steve Radcliffe, who describes the harsh life of the fisherfolk that so fascinated him, then walks the beautiful bay with Susan Johnson, granddaughter of Homer's favourite muse, fishergirl Maggie Storey.
American author Helen Cooper, says that Homer's decision to stay on after the summer season into the wild winter weather inspired him to paint the raw power of the sea.
Homer soon came to feel at home amongst the fisherfolk of Cullercoats, donning a fisherman's gansey and playing billiards in the pub, and this change of character also signified a turning point in his career, as art historian David Tatham explains.
On his return to the States Homer continued to paint Cullercoats and soon left New York for Prout's Neck in Maine, where he spent the rest of his life painting the wild Atlantic. Karen Sherry of the Portland Museum of Art, feels his time in Cullercoats raised his art from keen observations of American life to masterful portrayals of universal themes.
Jonathon Barrand, Cullercoats resident and tourism officer who runs arts heritage tours, shares his pride and pleasure in seeing the name of his little village besides Homer's work in the great galleries of America.
MON 16:30 The Digital Human (b04p7yg3)
Series 6
Ethics
If a driverless car has to choose between crashing you into a school bus or a wall who do you want to be programming that decision? Aleks Krotoski explores ethics in technology.
Join Aleks as she finds out if it's even possible for a device to 'behave' in a morally prescribed way through looking at attempts to make a smart phone 'kosher'. But nothing captures the conundrum quite like the ethical questions raised by driverless cars and it's the issues they raise that she explores with engineer turned philosopher Jason Millar and robot ethicist Kate Darling.
Professor of law and medicine Sheila MacLean offers a comparison with how codes of medical ethics were developed before we hear the story of Gus a 13 year old whose world was transformed by SIRI.
Producer Peter McManus.
MON 17:00 PM (b04p7yg5)
PM at
5pm- Eddie Mair with interviews, context and analysis.
MON 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b04p57dn)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
MON 18:30 I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue (b04p7yg7)
Series 62
Episode 1
The 62nd series of Radio 4's multi award-winning 'antidote to panel games' promises yet more quality, desk-based entertainment for all the family. The series starts its run at the Richmond Theatre where regulars Barry Cryer, Graeme Garden and Tim Brooke-Taylor are joined on the panel by Jo Brand, with Jack Dee as the programme's reluctant chairman. Regular listeners will know to expect inspired nonsense, pointless revelry and Colin Sell at the piano.
Producer - Jon Naismith.
MON 19:00 The Archers (b04p7yg9)
Tony's condition is still touch and go. Jennifer has been at the hospital with Pat most of the weekend.
Brian learns that Brookfield will be sold by telephone auction. He'll need to check his finances with Adam before deciding whether to throw his hat into the ring. But Adam knows they have to go for it.
Eddie tries to impress Jim with his 'mystical' turkey. He's charging a fiver for the turkey pardon, which gets punters a glass of cider and a sausage roll or mince pie baked by Clarrie. Joe will be dressed as Uncle Sam.
Lynda and Jim hold a depleted SAVE committee meeting. Lynda has been investigating the list of members on the Borchester Local Enterprise Partnership website and discovered a new member is Justin Elliot. Lynda resolves to do some digging around Justin's surreptitious activities before the next meeting.
They also discuss the council's traffic figures, which seem exaggerated. Jim has the idea to organise volunteers to do shifts at the roadside, possibly through the night. Lynda goes to the location with Jim to check it out.
Lynda complains about the pressures of running Blithe Spirit as actor-director. Jim's subtle hints that he could play Charles are lost on Lynda. David spots them and they discuss Tony, who everyone just wants to see home, safe and sound.
MON 19:15 Front Row (b04p7ygc)
The Homesman reviewed; Dave Grohl
Tonight's Front Row reviews The Homesman - a western directed by and starring Tommy Lee Jones - and Dave Grohl talks about Foo Fighters' new album, Sonic Highways.
Also in the programme: director Blanche McIntyre on her revival of Emlyn Williams' 1950 play about sex, scandal and blackmail, Accolade - and Cecil Beaton's biographer Hugo Vickers considers a new exhibition of his photography.
MON 19:45 15 Minute Drama (b04p604r)
[Repeat of broadcast at
10:45 today]
MON 20:00 Can Time Run Out for Justice? (b04p7ygf)
How long can justice wait? Former Director of Public Prosecutions Keir Starmer QC explores the relationship between justice and the passing of time.
To some extent, justice always comes after the event. Some crimes have statutes of limitations - a time limit that expires. Other serious crimes - such as murder, war crimes and crimes against humanity - do not.
The more serious the scale of criminality, the less time limitations become a factor, with the most serious categories of crime eschewing an expiry date for justice altogether. But the passage of time doesn't necessarily heal wounds - it can exacerbate them. Is there a point where a crime is so far in the past that a line must be drawn - victims must let go (not least for the sake of fair trial) and society move on? Or are some wrongs so serious that there should be no time limit to justice at all? In which case, is there a danger that justice becomes fixated on the past - a force only for resentment and retribution?
Keir Starmer draws together legal, moral and philosophical discussion with a cast of contributors including the philosopher Michael Sandel and Eli Rosenbaum, described by one historian as 'the world's most successful Nazi hunter'.
Produced by Simon Hollis
A Brook Lapping production for BBC Radio 4.
MON 20:30 Analysis (b04p7ygh)
Precedents or Principles?
We firmly believe that our choices - about what we eat and how we vote - reflect the inner core of our being. But do those choices originate in principle - or simply because of what we have done in the past? Psychologist Nick Chater asks if precedent matters more than principles and discovers a complex interplay between the two forces which govern the choices we make.
Producer: Simon Coates.
MON 21:00 Shared Planet (b04nrw23)
Blue Whales - When Giants Collide
Blue whales are increasingly being hit by ships, especially off the coast of California. As whale numbers recover from hunting and the number of ships that ply the oceans increases this is a growing problem. What can be done? Monty Don explores this little known threat to whales, a threat that is found in all oceans all over the world and effects most species of whale. It seems that the welcome news that whale numbers are slowly rising is being countered by concern over ship strikes, most of which are fatal. A simple solution is to slow the speed of ships down to around 10 knots, but this has financial implications for the shipping industry, so a balance has to be struck. Technology could help, but it is expensive, not reliable in choppy seas and in the case of sonar could fill the ocean with more noise. How can we share the oceans with giants and still move 90% of traded goods by boat?
MON 21:30 Start the Week (b04p604k)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:00 today]
MON 21:58 Weather (b04p57dq)
The latest weather forecast.
MON 22:00 The World Tonight (b04p7ygk)
In-depth reporting and analysis from a global perspective.
MON 22:45 Book at Bedtime (b04p7ygm)
Sherlock Holmes: The Valley of Fear
Episode 6
The Valley of Fear, the last of the four Sherlock Holmes novels, ranks among Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's best work. The mystery begins with a coded warning of imminent danger, drawing the illustrious Sherlock Holmes and the faithful Dr. Watson to a secluded English country home. A trail of bewildering clues leads to sleuthing in the finest Holmesian tradition and the gripping backstory of a cult that terrorized a valley in the American West.
Reader ..... Sir Ian McKellen
Abridger ..... Neville Teller
Producer ..... Gemma McMullan.
MON 23:00 Mastertapes (b04p7ygp)
Series 4
Manic Street Preachers (the A-Side)
John Wilson continues with his new series in which he talks to leading performers and songwriters about the album that made them or changed them. Recorded in front of a live audience at the BBC's iconic Maida Vale Studios.
Programme 3. Manic Street Preachers' 'THe Holy Bible' with Sean Moore, James Dean Bradfield and Nicky Wire.
Released a mere five months before the disappearance of main lyricist and rhythm guitarist Richey Edwards, The Holy Bible reflects his fragile mental state. On its release, Q said "even a cursory glance at the titles will confirm that this is not the new Gloria Estefan album". And with tracks like "Yes", "Of Walking Abortion", "Mausoleum" and "4st 7lb", the lyrics deal with everything from prostitution and serial killers to the Holocaust and self-starvation.
With Manic Street Preachers about to take this career defining album back on Tour in December, when they played some of the songs from it for this special edition of Mastertapes, it was the first time in two decades that Nicky, James and Sean played some of them in front of an audience.
Complete versions of the songs performed in the programme (as well as some that weren't) can be heard on the 'Mastertapes' pages on the Radio 4 website.
Producer: Paul Kobrak.
MON 23:30 Today in Parliament (b04p7yh4)
Ed Miliband questions why the Prime Minister is making warning noises about the state of the economy. Susan Hulme covers David Cameron's statement to MPs following the G20 summit in Australia.
Also on the programme:
* Labour says the Government's plans to replace regular soldiers with reservists are in a "shambles".
* Peers welcome a Bill dealing with human trafficking and 21st century slavery.
* The Environment Secretary Liz Truss promises 'immediate and robust action' to control the new outbreak of bird flu in North Yorkshire.
TUESDAY 18 NOVEMBER 2014
TUE 00:00 Midnight News (b04p57fq)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.
TUE 00:30 Book of the Week (b04p604m)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:45 on Monday]
TUE 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b04p57fs)
The latest shipping forecast.
TUE 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b04p57fv)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
TUE 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b04p57fx)
The latest shipping forecast.
TUE 05:30 News Briefing (b04p57fz)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.
TUE 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b04p7zxp)
A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day, with the Rev Mary Stallard.
TUE 05:45 Farming Today (b04p7zxr)
Bird flu, sugar beet harvest
Avian flu has been identified on a farm near Driffield in East Yorkshire, where six thousand birds will now be culled. Defra has confirmed that the strain of the virus on the duck farm at Nafferton is not the deadly H5N1 which can infect humans, but it is a highly infectious strain for birds. According to officials in Brussels, it's likely that the case in Yorkshire may be linked to migratory birds, which are thought to be the source of the H5N8 strain that has infected thousands of chickens on a farm about 40 miles south of Amsterdam. A ten kilometre (six mile) restriction zone has been placed round the farm, and a wide-ranging programme of wild bird surveillance is underway.
Also in this programme, Farming Today starts a week-long look at the sugar production industry.
Presented by Anna Hill and produced by Emma Campbell.
TUE 05:58 Tweet of the Day (b04mlvwg)
Rhinoceros Auklet
Tweet of the Day is the voice of birds and our relationship with them, from around the world.
Chris Packham presents the rhinoceros auklet found around the North American western seaboard. Rhinoceros auklets are auks. They look very different to their relatives the puffins or guillemots. They're dark grey-ish brown birds, and in the breeding season both male and female have flowing white plumes above their eyes and behind their orange bills. It is the white vertical plate at the base of its bill which has inspired the birds' common names of "horn-billed puffins" or "unicorn puffins". This horn is only grown in the breeding season; the birds shed it in autumn when they head out to sea. Rhinoceros auklets in burrows or cavities in grassy places or on forest floors: most colonies are small, but some contain a hundred thousand birds which produce a soothing chorus of mooing and grunting sounds, strange to hear in the blackness of a coastal wood.
TUE 06:00 Today (b04p7zxt)
Morning news and current affairs. Including Sports Desk, Yesterday in Parliament, Weather and Thought for the Day.
TUE 09:00 After the Vote (b04p7zxw)
At the beginning of the year, as a curtain-raiser to the Referendum on Scottish independence, Professor Linda Colley of Princeton University broadcast a series of fifteen acclaimed programmes exploring the history of the United Kingdom and the cultural, political and tribal webs that bind the home nations together, in Acts of Union and Disunion. Now, following September's vote in Scotland to retain the Union, albeit within a 'vow' to devolve much greater autonomous power to Scotland, Linda reflects on the wider and deeper issues and repercussions for the country and the world.
With the help of leading academic writers, commentators and thinkers, Linda Colley explores what a future union might look like and how the constituent nations of a still United Kingdom will seek to govern themselves. Featuring contributions by Professor David Runciman, Simon Heffer, David Melding AM, Baroness Helena Kennedy and AL Kennedy.
Producer: Simon Elmes.
TUE 09:30 One to One (b02mqmp0)
Clive Myrie talks to Mike Nowak
BBC News presenter, Clive Myrie, presents the last of three interviews on immigration as seen from an immigrant's point of view.
As the son of Jamaican immigrants who came to the UK in the 1960s, Clive has a personal interest in this topic. Clive lived abroad as a foreign correspondent for almost 15 years, returning once or twice a year to see his family. After 2004 he noticed how much the UK was changing: the EU had expanded, Polish people were settling here in large numbers and the transformation came as a shock.
In the first programme he spoke to Alp Mehmet, Vice-Chair of Migration Watch. Then he met Sylvia Emenike who came to the UK from Jamaica in the 1950s and explored her experience of seeing other immigrant communities settling in the UK. In this, his third and final interview, he speaks to Mike Nowak, a Pole who lived for many years in Britain, but who has now returned home to Warsaw.
Mike came to England long before the 2004 enlargement of the European Union, so witnessed the increase in Polish immigration for himself. Suddenly he was able to speak in his mother-tongue all day, every day, and witnessed Polish shops and businesses starting up around him.
Recently he made the decision to return to Warsaw. Clive asks what changes Mike has seen back in Poland since he first left, and finds out where Polish opinion stands on further EU immigration.
TUE 09:45 Book of the Week (b04p7zxy)
Alan Cumming - Not My Father's Son: A Family Memoir
Looking Back
Difficult memories for actor Alan Cumming, as he continues reading his deeply moving memoir about his troubled relationship with his father and the mystery of his maternal grandfather.
Written and read by Alan Cumming.
Abridged by Sara Davies.
Producer: Elizabeth Allard
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2010.
TUE 10:00 Woman's Hour (b04p80gr)
Shirley Bassey; Old Age; Julia Neuberger; Nicci Gerrard
Dame Shirley Bassey, one of the most iconic voices in British music joins Jane to discuss over sixty years in the music industry. To celebrate her diamond jubilee Dame Shirley is launching her new album, Hello Like Before. The programme also looks at how we experience old age, our attitudes, our fears, our hopes. We hear from two women in their late eighties, one living with her family, the other living in her own home, looking after her ninety-three-year-old husband. Writer Nicci Gerrard discusses her new novel, The Twilight Hour, and why she chose to make her main character a woman in her nineties. We discuss the emotive question of driving and old age and social campaigner and writer, Rabbi Julia Neuberger, author of Not Dead Yet: A Manifesto for Old Age joins Jane throughout.
TUE 10:45 15 Minute Drama (b04p80gt)
Inquest
Day Two
The inquest into the death of a female soldier found drowned reveals she has been the victim of a sexual assault by a fellow soldier.
Over five days we hear witness statements and the coroner must decide whether she took her own life.
Today's witness is the Warrant Officer of her batallion.
Written by Richard Monks.
Hannah ..... Katie Lyons
Stevens ..... Matt Stokoe
Jean ..... Claire Rushbrook
Nicola ..... Nisha Nayar
Mark ..... James Norton
Coroner ..... Philip Fox
Clerk ..... Mark Edel-Hunt
Lorna ..... Jane Slavin
Director ..... Sally Avens
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2014.
TUE 11:00 Shared Planet (b04p80gy)
Mangroves - Putting Nature Back?
Monty Don will be posing to experts who specialise in large scale restoration projects, like the Can Gio mangrove in Vietnam which was destroyed by Agent Orange during the Vietnam War, whether a restored mangrove forest can ever be the same as the original.. Some argue that we could never hope to reproduce what we destroyed, but as long as what we create functions and is biodiverse, then that is all that matters. Others say that in our fast changing world there is no permanence and our best strategy is to build in resilience for the future. Difficult, fascinating problems that raise many questions about our understanding of nature and wilderness.
TUE 11:30 Soul Music (b04p845x)
Series 19
Plaisir d'Amour / Can't Help Falling in Love With You:
In this week's Soul Music Marianne Faithfull recalls the French Love song which went on to inspire Elvis's 60's hit, 'I Can't Help Falling in Love with You'.
'Plaisir d'Amour' is the classical French love song which somehow found its way through 18th century orchestration (Hector Berlioz) and 1960's folk revival, to an unexpected re-invention into the Elvis hit 'I Can't' Help Falling in Love with You'.
It's been recorded by Marianne Faithfull and busked on the streets of Paris by 'The Gruffalo' author Julia Donaldson. It has also touched the lives of former American Military Academy Freshman Andrew Scott and recently married couple Henry (76) and Christine Wallace (82) who fell in love on a moonlit New Year's Eve.
Written in 1784 by Jean-Paul-Égide Martini, Plaisir d'Amour muses on the pleasures and pains of love and was inspired by a poem which appears in Jean-Pierre Claris de Florian's novel 'Célestine'.
For 17 year old Marianne Faithfull it was a song of innocence, recorded in a tiny booth in the old Decca studios whilst happily pregnant with her first child. Meanwhile, author Julia Donaldson and husband Malcolm busked it on the streets of Paris. It was the summer of 1969 and police hid in alleyways, still fearful of students following the 1968 riots.
As the classical French melody was adopted by Elvis and transformed into 'I Can't Help Falling in Love with You', West Point Military Academy Freshman Andrew Scott learnt to pick it's tune on guitar. It's a song that went on to win the heart of his wife of now 20 years. For Henry and Christine Wallace, it summed everything up "It was what I was looking for, someone to share my life and the words 'take my whole life too was in tune with what I wanted'.
Produced By Nicola Humphries.
TUE 12:00 News Summary (b04p57g1)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
TUE 12:04 A History of Ideas (b04p845z)
Barry Smith on the Philosophy of Good Taste
Philosopher and wine enthusiast Barry Smith samples David Hume's theory of good taste. The 18th century Scottish philosopher argued that the appreciation of beauty was not easily arrived at - it required dedication, knowledge, expertise. In that sense he is the godfather of the critic and the patron saint of the connoisseur. As he delves into our sense of 'good taste' Barry recounts a wine laden tale from Don Quixote, talks to Neuroscientist Semir Zeki and to Art Historian Liz Prettejohn.
This programme is part of a week of programmes looking at the history of ideas around Freedom.
Producer: Jolyon Jenkins.
TUE 12:15 You and Yours (b04p8461)
Call You and Yours; Was a grammar school place your ticket to a better life?
Home Secretary Theresa May has backed plans for an expansion of a grammar school in her constituency and London's Mayor Boris Johnson says scrapping the grammar school system was a "tragedy" because they boost social mobility. What do you think?
Were you helped up the ladder by a grammar school? Or are poor bright pupils locked out by better off children with tutors? Might they be better helped by bursaries to the fee-paying independent schools whose members dominate workplace elites?
Tell us your stories - email us at youandyours@bbc.co. uk
Phone lines open after
11am on Tuesday - 03700 100 444.
TUE 12:57 Weather (b04p57g3)
The latest weather forecast.
TUE 13:00 World at One (b04p846f)
Analysis of current affairs reports, presented by Martha Kearney.
TUE 13:45 Foreign Bodies (b04plvvk)
Series 3
USA
To complement Radio 4's major dramatisations of The Havana Quartet by Cuba's leading crime writer, Leonardo Padura, Mark Lawson, in a new series of Foreign Bodies, examines how mystery novels have reflected five different political systems.
Today Laura Lippman and Walter Mosley - creators of private eyes Tess Monaghan and Easy Rawlins - discuss with Mark Lawson how they introduced the experience of women and black Americans into crime fiction dominated by men and a McCarthyite fear of outsiders.
TUE 14:00 The Archers (b04p7yg9)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Monday]
TUE 14:15 Drama (b01phktq)
John Dryden - The Reluctant Spy
Episode 2
Part 2 of John Dryden's original thriller set in present-day Egypt.
Nigel Lindsay plays hard-up Coptic art expert Duncan Kavanagh who, through greed and lust has been drawn into a world of espionage and unwittingly brought about the death of his good friend, the Palestinian Dr Zacoutte.
The enigmatic Tara, who claims to be a student from Canada, appears to be using Duncan. But Duncan is not as innocent as he seems to be - his past is about to catch up with him.
Casting: Toby Whale
Production Manager: Russell Owen
Script Editor: Mike Walker
Sound design: Steve Bond
Music: Sacha Puttnam.
Written, produced and directed by: John Dryden
A Goldhawk production for BBC Radio 4
John Dryden
This is John's forth trilogy for Radio 4, after SEVERED THREADS, PANDEMIC (winner of this year's Writers' Guild award for Best Radio Drama) and A TOKYO MURDER. He recently directed and co-wrote with journalist Owen Bennett-Jones the documentary/drama BLASPHEMY AND THE GOVERNOR OF PUNJAB.
TUE 15:00 The Design Dimension (b04p84h8)
Series 2
Know Your Place
In the first of a new series, Tom Dyckhoff, writer about architecture, looks at the world we inhabit through the lens of design.
He examines how the design of the built environment can influence who we are and who we might become. He talks to an ex-offender about life inside Strangeways prison and finds echoes in the experiences of Lynsey Hanley, who's written about growing up on a large housing estate in the Midlands. Also, Tom taps into the little known use of 'parkour' (urban free-running) in the testing of high security facilities.
He draws on the research of criminologist Yvonne Jewkes about prison design and rehabilitation, visits an Oxford Street retailer with the neuro-scientist Tim Holmes and gauges the social and personal impact of privatising public space with the author Anna Minton.
Produced by Alan Hall and Hana Walker-Brown.
A Falling Tree production for BBC Radio 4.
TUE 15:30 Mastertapes (b04ps5pz)
Series 4
Manic Street Preachers (the B-Side)
John Wilson continues with his series in which he talks to leading performers and songwriters about the album that made them or changed them. Recorded in front of a live audience at the BBC's iconic Maida Vale Studios. Each edition includes two episodes, with John initially quizzing the artist about the album in question, and then, in the B-side, the audience puts the questions. Both editions feature exclusive live performances.
Programme 2, the B-side. Having discussed the making of "The Holy Bible", the career defining third album (in the A-side of the programme, broadcast on Monday 17th November and available online), James Dean Bradfield, Nicky Wire and Sean Moore respond to questions from the audience and performs acoustic live versions of some to the tracks from the album which was released twenty years ago.
Producer: Paul Kobra.
TUE 16:00 Spin the Globe (b04p85cw)
Series 2
1929
1929 was a pivotal year in economic history. As the 'roaring twenties' neared its end, American optimism came to a shuddering halt in October with the Wall Street financial crash. Earlier in the year, folks thought the good times would just keep rolling along. 1929 saw the inaugural Academy Awards and the production of the first all black cast in the film Hallelujah.
Historian Michael Scott hears what caused the Wall Street crash and also looks to other parts of the globe to see what was happening there. In Australia, the Rothbury miners strike ended with a police and strikers stand off with the police shooting one miner dead. Elsewhere, China was in inner turmoil in a civil war and in Palestine, there was an outbreak of rioting between the Muslim and Jewish population.
Producer: Sarah Taylor.
TUE 16:30 A Good Read (b04p85nn)
Jack Monroe and Doon MacKichan
Harriett Gilbert is joined by food blogger Jack Monroe and comic actor Doon Mackichan to talk about the books they love, including Dept. of Speculation by Jenny Offill, The Power of One by Bryce Courtenay and The Sound of Things Falling by Juan Gabriel Vásquez.
Producer Beth O'Dea.
TUE 17:00 PM (b04p85nq)
PM at
5pm- Eddie Mair with interviews, context and analysis.
TUE 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b04p57g5)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
TUE 18:30 Tom Wrigglesworth's Hang-Ups (b04p85z2)
Series 2
Point of No Return
After a mere 21 years of service the Wrigglesworth dishwasher has finally packed in, so Mr Wrigglesworth is bringing Tom's mum and his gran down to London to have it out with the manufacturers at the Ideal Home Show.
A visit which is made inordinately complicated by Mr Wrigglesworth's ambitious travel plans...
With Kate Anthony, Paul Copley and Judy Parfitt.
Written by Tom Wrigglesworth and James Kettle. With Miles Jupp.
Producer: Katie Tyrrell
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 2014.
TUE 19:00 The Archers (b04p860y)
Kenton gives Ed a drink on the house. He's a local hero after driving Otto the bull away from Tony. Ed changes the subject to Christmas. Fallon's organising a fayre at the village hall and stalls at Borchester and Felpersham markets. Fallon's delighted to be offered a job organising a big Christmas event with Emma. Someone had recommended Fallon, but who?
Lynda wants to see the supposedly public minutes of Borchester Local Enterprise Partnership's last two meetings. Fallon and Lynda aren't seeing eye to eye on Fallon's Blithe Spirit character, Elvira. But Lynda's pleased when Fallon offers to look for a much-needed old gramophone.
The Health and Safety Executive investigator is at Bridge Farm. Helen's defensive when questioned about Tony's methods for training apprentices. The inspector explains he has to ask difficult questions and interviews Johnny. As Tony's condition seems to have deteriorated, Pat can't face her interview and asks to do it later.
Keen to keep the Bridge Farm enterprise running, Rob mentions some new efficiencies he's thinking of. He also tells Helen not to stifle Henry. Pat's back from hospital, weary. Tony seems a bit better now. But there's no word from Tom. Rob compares Helen's supportive family to his own dysfunctional one. He insists on taking Helen's mind off things. They should go hunting on Thursday.
TUE 19:15 Front Row (b04p868s)
Costa Book Awards shortlist announced; Meera Syal; The Hunger Games review; Peter Bazalgette
The shortlisted authors for the 2014 Costa Book Awards are announced. Critic Stephanie Merritt comments on the authors chosen in five categories: novel, first novel, poetry, biography and children's fiction.
Meera Syal discusses her latest stage role in Behind the Beautiful Forevers, based on the book by Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Katherine Boo, about life in the shadow of Mumbai's luxury hotels.
The final part of Suzanne Collins' The Hunger Games trilogy, Mockingjay, has been split in two for the film version. Sophia McDougall reviews Mockingjay: Part 1.
Peter Bazalgette, Chair of Arts Council England, discusses his campaign to raise the profile of arts in the UK as the political parties write their manifestos for the General Election next May.
TUE 19:45 15 Minute Drama (b04p80gt)
[Repeat of broadcast at
10:45 today]
TUE 20:00 File on 4 (b04p86c4)
Continuing Healthcare: The Secret Fund
Is demand for long term nursing about to tip NHS finances over the edge?
Under the system of "Continuing Healthcare" people with complex medical needs can claim the costs of nursing and medical help to keep them out of hospital. But the system has become mired in controversy with many people claiming they've been denied funding to which they are entitled.
Now there's a deluge of backdated claims against Clinical Commissioning Groups.
File on 4 finds the backlog is creating long delays in new assessments of patients.
And it hears claims the assessments themselves are a postcode lottery, with the chances of being deemed eligible varying wildly between GP commissioning groups.
The programme also hears evidence of NHS commissioners and councils fighting each other not to take responsibility for patients.
Patients and their families are going to the health ombudsman in their hundreds.
18 clinical commissioning groups are already going to end the year in the red, with some threatened with being put in special measures over their finances. Now they owe millions of pounds in backdated claims, plus interest.
Is this creating an incentive to squeeze spending on continuing care? GP commissioners are about to be asked to put £1.9 billion into the pot for new joined-up health and social care services. Do they have the money, or the will, to buy into joined-up care?
Reporter: Jane Deith Producer: Nicola Dowling.
TUE 20:40 In Touch (b04p86c6)
Pocklington Trust; DVD 'Living with Failing Sight'
Peter Corbett CEO of the Pocklington Trust and Bruce Moore CEO of Housing and Care 21 talk about the future plans for Pocklington Rise, which currently provides specialist housing and care for blind and partially-sighted people. Listener Doreen Tyler expressed concern that the residents might lose the specialist services afforded to them at the moment by the Pocklington Trust.
Richard Cox has produced a DVD to help people with failing sight and talks to Peter about why he's done it and for whom it is intended.
TUE 21:00 All in the Mind (b04p86c8)
Problem Gambling; Owls and Larks; Milgram Revisited; Depression and Gut Instinct
Claudia Hammond talks to Henrietta Bowden-Jones who runs the only NHS clinic for problem gamblers. Based in Central London it offers help to problem gamblers across the country. Treatment is mainly group based cognitive behavioural therapy. As many as 8 out of 10 patients, who are mostly men, have stopped gambling after 8 weeks of treatment at the clinic. But should more similar treatment centres be set up across the country for an addiction which often remains hidden? Also in the programme, Christian Jarrett joins Claudia to discuss why owls and larks could soon be joined by two new types of people based on how energetic they feel. Also, psychologist Stephen Reicher questions some of Stanley Milgram's conclusions about his infamous obedience experiments of the 1960s. And why if you're depressed you may find you lose your gut instinct.
TUE 21:30 After the Vote (b04p7zxw)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:00 today]
TUE 21:58 Weather (b04p57g7)
The latest weather forecast.
TUE 22:00 The World Tonight (b04p86h9)
In-depth reporting and analysis from a global perspective.
TUE 22:45 Book at Bedtime (b04p86hc)
Sherlock Holmes: The Valley of Fear
Episode 7
The Valley of Fear, the last of the four Sherlock Holmes novels, ranks among Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's best work. The mystery begins with a coded warning of imminent danger, drawing the illustrious Sherlock Holmes and the faithful Dr. Watson to a secluded English country home. A trail of bewildering clues leads to sleuthing in the finest Holmesian tradition and the gripping backstory of a cult that terrorized a valley in the American West.
Reader ..... Sir Ian McKellen
Abridger ..... Neville Teller
Producer ..... Gemma McMullan.
TUE 23:00 What The Future? (b04p86jl)
Series 1
Cars
Automatic vehicles are introduced into the country. At first, things are great. Drivetime radio becomes highly intellectual, children take to the roads and the driving test becomes dead, dead easy.
Only Jeremy Clarkson has his doubts, which he expresses by feeding a driverless car to a bear, live on Top Gear. And he's right. Soon the cars gain sentience, reproduce and use roundabouts as giant nests. Then, they take over the world.
Kirsty Wark presents a documentary from the future...
Starring:
Nadia Kamil
Geoffrey McGivern
Kieran Hogson
Alistair McGowan
Alice Scott-Gemmill
Ivan Gonzalez
Hannah Genesius
Jane Slavin
Shaun Mason.
Recorded 30 years from now, What the Future plunges into the world of tomorrow and investigates how decisions and actions from today’s headlining issues could have massive repercussions on our later lives.
Written by Madeleine Brettingham, Steve Burge and Dale Shaw.
Producer: Victoria Lloyd.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 2014.
TUE 23:30 Today in Parliament (b04p86jn)
Transport operators warn the Home Affairs Committee that problems with illegal immigrants at Calais are likely to get worse. And a rare defeat for the government - as MPs vote to relax the regulations on "tied" pubs. Sean Curran reports from Westminster.
WEDNESDAY 19 NOVEMBER 2014
WED 00:00 Midnight News (b04p57h8)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.
WED 00:30 Book of the Week (b04p7zxy)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:45 on Tuesday]
WED 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b04p57hb)
The latest shipping forecast.
WED 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b04p57hd)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
WED 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b04p57hg)
The latest shipping forecast.
WED 05:30 News Briefing (b04p57hj)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.
WED 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b04p86z0)
A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day, with the Rev Mary Stallard.
WED 05:45 Farming Today (b04p86z4)
Bird flu, TB, Sugar beet
With a protection zone in place around location of the bird flu outbreak in East Yorkshire, Farming Today hears from a poultry farmer on a neighbouring site. Six thousand ducks have been culled at a farm near Driffield after bird flu was discovered. It's been confirmed that the strain of the virus is H5N8, the same strain that has been identified in the Netherlands and Germany.
The National Farmers' Union is calling for a new independent TB Eradication Board for England to 'de-politicise' the issue of bovine TB. Anna Hill speaks to the deputy president of the NFU who would like it to be set up before the general election next year.
And Farming Today continues to look at the sugar beet industry in the UK. Anna Hills visits the British Beet Research Organisation's headquarters in Norwich.
Presented by Anna Hill and produced by Lucy Bickerton.
WED 05:58 Tweet of the Day (b04mlvwj)
Asian Crested Ibis
Tweet of the Day is the voice of birds and our relationship with them, from around the world.
Chris Packham presents the rare Asian crested Ibis formerly common in Japan and China. The crested ibis is mainly white with a shaggy white crest and a red face; but in the breeding season its plumage is tinged with ash-grey. Under its wings is a subtle peach tone, a colour known in Japan as toki-iro. Unfortunately its beauty hasn't saved the crested ibis from persecution in Japan, China or Siberia where it used to breed. It was thought to be extinct in China, until seven birds were found in 1981. In 2003 the crested ibis became extinct in the wild in Japan. Now, crested ibis are conservation symbols in the Far East. They are strictly protected in China where they are being reintroduced to increase the small wild population. In Japan the first wild Japanese crested ibis chick flew from its nest in 2012.
WED 06:00 Today (b04p86z8)
Morning news and current affairs. Including Sports Desk, Yesterday in Parliament, Weather and Thought for the Day.
WED 09:00 Midweek (b04p86zd)
Scottee; Patrick Hughes; Pam Dix; Dr Bryn Dentinger
Libby Purves meets surrealist painter Patrick Hughes, Pam Dix of Disaster Action, artist and performer Scottee and Dr Bryn Dentinger, mycologist at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
Patrick Hughes is a surrealist painter renowned for his optical illusion technique, reverspective, where the parts of a picture which seem farthest away are actually physically the nearest. He is to receive an honorary degree, from the University of London's School of Advanced Study, in recognition of his outstanding contribution to education and research. Patrick's current exhibition New Reverspectives is at Flowers Gallery, London.
Pam Dix is the co-author of Collective Conviction: The Story of Disaster Action with Anne Eyre. The book recounts how the charity Disaster Action was founded in 1991 by survivors and bereaved people affected by disasters of the late 1980s, including the King's Cross fire; the Lockerbie bombing and the sinking of the Marchioness. Pam's brother Peter died in the Pan Am 103 bombing in 1988. Since its formation Disaster Action has had a significant influence on emergency planning and management and the way people are treated after disasters. Collective Conviction: The Story of Disaster Action by Pamela Dix and Anne Eyre is published by Liverpool University Press.
Scottee is a performer, broadcaster, writer and director. His solo show, The Worst of Scottee, is a reflection on his troubled past in which he looks back over his life and invites some of those he hurt and adversely affected to remember him. The Worst of Scottee is touring.
Dr Bryn Dentinger is head of mycology at the Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew where he studies fungal diversity, distribution and conservation. His career epiphany came at 16 when his mother gave him a copy of a guide to mushrooms and challenged him to identify all the fungi in the family garden. Bryn recently discovered three new species of mushroom in a packet of supermarket porcini after putting the fungi through a DNA barcode test.
Producer: Paula McGinley.
WED 09:45 Book of the Week (b04p86zj)
Alan Cumming - Not My Father's Son: A Family Memoir
The Box in the Attic
Discoveries about his grandfather's past prompt memories for Alan Cumming.
Deeply moving memoir about the actor's relationship with his father and the mystery of his maternal grandfather.
Written and read by Alan Cumming.
Abridged by Sara Davies.
Producer: Elizabeth Allard
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2014.
WED 10:00 Woman's Hour (b04p87l6)
Pussy Riot; Brook at 50; Child Migrants
Masha Alyokina and Nadya Tolokonnikova from Russian, feminist group Pussy Riot spent 21 months in jail for their anti-Putin protest; 50th anniversary for campaigning sexual health charity Brook; an exhibition in Liverpool of Child Migrants sent to Canada, Australia and NZ; Maya Ilsoe and her new Scandi family drama, The Legacy.
WED 10:41 15 Minute Drama (b04p87l8)
Inquest
Day Three
by Richard Monks
The inquest into the death of a female soldier found drowned reveals she has been the victim of a sexual assault by a fellow soldier. Over five days we hear witness statements and the coroner must decide whether she took her own life. Today Lorna's mother takes the stand.
Director ..... Sally Avens.
WED 10:55 The Listening Project (b04p87r3)
Karen and Nicole - You're My Comfort Blanket
Fi Glover introduces a conversation between a mother with terminal cancer and her daughter, who talk with great honesty about the anger and loss they feel.
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 learn more about The Listening Project by visiting bbc.co.uk/listeningproject
Producer: Marya Burgess.
WED 11:00 Seven Round a Cauldron (b04k2lqv)
The names might not mean much now, but they could be Olympic champions in years to come: Peter White meets the seven youngsters nominated by sporting legends to light the 2012 cauldron
The choice of the seven was a closely guarded secret and a revelation which surprised everyone, not least the bookmakers. In keeping with London's hope of "inspiring a generation," Sir Steve Redgrave handed the Olympic torch to the youngsters - with the world watching on. Little is known about them and in this programme Peter joins Katie, Callum, Jordan, Desiree, Cameron, Aidan and Adelle. Since the Olympics some have gone on to achieve in their given sports, even qualifying for the Commonwealth Games and other international meets. For others the period has been spent adjusting to new lives at University and coping with the practical and emotional pressures of living away from home.
Scottish sailing star Callum Airlie actually had his 17th birthday on the day of the 2012 opening ceremony. All seven youngsters had been nominated by previous British Olympic medal winners, and Callum had been selected by fellow Scot and sailor Shirley Robertson, a double Olympic gold medallist.
The teenager said: "We got a call from Shirley. A double gold medallist phoning my dad was quite a big thing. It set alarm bells ringing, and although she didn't say why I was invited to the opening, she was adamant I should not miss this.
"The whole thing was part of what they called 'Save the Surprise'. Only my mum knew.
"She couldn't tell Dad, though, and my brothers didn't have a clue. It was a huge secret to keep. In the end, I chose not to phone people. I didn't trust myself not to say anything.
"I just sent everybody a text telling them they should definitely watch it and that they probably wouldn't miss me."
Mystery had surrounded who would perform the ceremonial event and sports legends including Sir Steve Redgrave, Sir Roger Bannister and Daley Thompson had all been among the favourites for the prestigious role. Athlete Katie Kirk found her legs shaking uncontrollably as she waited for Sir Steve Redgrave to come into the stadium with the torch: "We were all just so excited. I could not wait to get out there - the crowd out there was massive," Katie was nominated by Northern Ireland gold medallist and Olympic ambassador, Dame Mary Peters and feels the experience has motivated others and helped inspire her - so much so that this summer she qualified for the Commonwealth Games.
WED 11:30 Welcome to Our Village, Please Invade Carefully (b04p87r7)
Series 2
Exit Strategy
Uljabaan is determined to fail his annual inspection, in order to be sent to a better posting.
But he'll need Kat and Lucy's help in order to make it work - and he can do without any surprises, such as the identity of the Zone Commander who'll be conducting the inspection...
The conclusion of series two of Eddie Robson's sitcom about an alien race that have noticed that those all-at-once invasions of Earth never work out that well. So they've locked the small Buckinghamshire village of Cresdon Green behind an impenetrable force field in order to study human behaviour and decide if Earth is worth invading.
The only inhabitant who seems to be bothered by their new alien overlord is Katrina Lyons, who was only home for the weekend to borrow the money for a deposit for a flat when the force field went up.
So along with Lucy Alexander (the only teenager in the village, willing to rebel against whatever you've got) she forms The Resistance - slightly to the annoyance of her parents Margaret and Richard who wish she wouldn't make so much of a fuss, and much to the annoyance of Field Commander Uljabaan who, alongside his unintelligible minions and The Computer (his hyper-intelligent supercomputer), is trying to actually run the invasion.
Katrina Lyons ...... Hattie Morahan
Richard Lyons ...... Peter Davison
Margaret Lyons ...... Jan Francis
Lucy Alexander ...... Hannah Murray
Field Commander Uljabaan ...... Charles Edwards
The Computer ...... John-Luke Roberts
Zone Commander Ravella ...... Nina Sosanya
Script-edited by Arthur Mathews.
Producer: Ed Morrish
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 2014.
WED 12:00 News Summary (b04p57hl)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
WED 12:04 A History of Ideas (b04p87s4)
Vicky Neale on the Mathematics of Beauty
Mathematician Vicky Neale is keen to explain why mathematics is beautiful but also to work out whether beauty can itself be explained mathematically. There is a rich tradition of thought here going all the way back to the Greek philosopher Pythagoras, whose understanding of mathematical relationships sits at the origins of western music. Vicky talks to guitar technician Eltham Jones and to Prof Thomas Johansen from the philosophy faculty in Oxford.
This programme is part of a week of programmes looking at the history of ideas around Freedom.
WED 12:15 You and Yours (b04pbmjb)
Switching Energy Providers and the Rise of the Food Assembly
Winifred Robinson looks at the government investigations into people who have died after losing their benefits.
The "Food Assembly" idea that has proved a popular way to link up food producers in France directly with their customers. The programme shows how it is beginning to take off in the UK.
And how long should it take for you to change energy provider?
WED 12:57 Weather (b04p57hn)
The latest weather forecast.
WED 13:00 World at One (b04pbmjd)
Analysis of current affairs reports, presented by Martha Kearney.
WED 13:45 Foreign Bodies (b04plvy6)
Series 3
Poland
To complement Radio 4's major dramatisations of The Havana Quartet by Cuba's leading crime writer, Leonardo Padura, Mark Lawson, in a new series of Foreign Bodies, examines how mystery novels have reflected five different political systems.
Zygmunt Miloszewski and Joanna Jodelka reflect on how Polish crime fiction has reflected the country's occupation by both Nazis and Communists, the transition to democracy through the Solidarity movement and lingering accusations of racism and anti-Semitism.
WED 14:00 The Archers (b04p860y)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Tuesday]
WED 14:15 Drama (b01phm1z)
John Dryden - The Reluctant Spy
Episode 3
The final part of John Dryden's thriller set against the political upheavals in Egypt.
Things are spiralling out of control for Duncan who has attracted the attentions of the Egyptian authorities investigating the disappearance of a university student.
Caught between his love for his daughter, his increasing infatuation with the mysterious Tara, and a desperate need to escape his past, Duncan navigates his way through a complex web of secrets and misinformation that threaten to destroy him, as a new Egypt struggles to realign itself in the world.
Casting: Toby Whale
Production Manager: Russell Owen
Script Editor: Mike Walker
Sound design: Steve Bond
Music: Sacha Puttnam
Written, produced and directed by John Dryden
A Goldhawk production for BBC Radio 4
John Dryden
This is John's forth trilogy for Radio 4, after SEVERED THREADS, PANDEMIC (winner of this year's Writers' Guild award for Best Radio Drama) and A TOKYO MURDER. He recently directed and co-wrote with journalist Owen Bennett-Jones the documentary/drama BLASPHEMY AND THE GOVERNOR OF PUNJAB.
WED 15:00 Money Box Live (b04pbmjg)
Complaining about Financial Services
Trying to sort out a money problem or personal finance complaint? Call 03700 100 444 from
1pm to
3.30pm on Wednesday or e-mail moneybox@bbc.co.uk now.
What can you do if you've been mis-sold, overcharged or you're just not getting the service you are paying for?
Presenter Sarah Pennells and guests will be here on Wednesday to explain your rights and to help you find a fair solution.
What standards should you expect and how quickly should your problems be resolved?
How can you escalate your complaint if you feel that it's not being taken seriously?
Whatever your question, ready to share their ideas and experience will be:
Martyn James, Financial Ombudsman Service.
James Walker, from Complaints Champion, Resolver.
Dennis Hussey, National Debtline.
Call 03700 100 444 between
1pm and
3.30pm on Wednesday or e-mail moneybox@bbc.co.uk now. Standard geographic charges apply. Calls from mobiles may be higher.
WED 15:30 All in the Mind (b04p86c8)
[Repeat of broadcast at
21:00 on Tuesday]
WED 16:00 Thinking Allowed (b04pbmjj)
Shoes - Islamic Youth Culture in Western Europe
Shoes - a journey through our lives and identities. From 'brothel creepers' to perilous stilettos, our choice of footwear changes and evolves over a life time. Laurie Taylor talks to Victoria Robinson, Reader in Sociology at the University of Sheffield, about the ways in which shoes can, variously, plunge us back into the past or inform the present. Whether worn for comfort or glamour, they are powerful indicators of taste and identity. Also, Maruta Herding, a sociologist at the German Youth Institute, discusses her Europe wide research into Muslim youth, subcultures. She's joined by Tufyal Choudhury lecturer in law at the University of Durham.
Producer: Jayne Egerton.
WED 16:30 The Media Show (b04pbmjl)
Ofcom's Ed Richards; MP Andrew Bridgen on scrapping the licence fee; Trinity Mirror closures; Teen blogger on OCD
Conservative MP Andrew Bridgen is leading a move to scrap the licence fee. He's sent a letter to the Culture Secretary Sajid Javid, urging him to review how the BBC is funded. In the letter, he says the corporation should be planning for a future without the licence fee and investigating subscription-based payment instead. So, how feasible are his suggestions? And why has the man who led the debate into decriminalising licence fee evasion now stepped up his campaign? Steve Hewlett asks him.
Ed Richards has been with Ofcom, the independent media regulator for the UK, since it was established in 2004. In his role as Chief Executive, he was credited with saving Ofcom from David Cameron's so called, 'bonfire of the quangos' and been at the helm during great shifts in the media landscape. Steve Hewlett asks him what he's achieved, what the priorities for the regulator should be in the future, and what it was like being interviewed for the BBC's Director General job.
A fifteen year old has won a prestigious award for her blog about her experiences of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. Ellen White was praised by mental health charity MIND for her candid posts about the condition, and for providing support to other young people. Steve talks to Ellen about how the medium of blogging has been the best way for her to connect with others.
Trinity Mirror is closing seven regional newspapers in the Berkshire and Surrey regions. The group say it's part of a, 'bold digital-only publishing transformation', to move journalism online. Steve talks to former editor of the Birmingham Mail Steve Dyson, which is part of the group, about the strategy to move online and how this may impact on local communities.
Producer: Katy Takatsuki.
WED 17:00 PM (b04pbmjn)
Full coverage and analysis of the day's news.
WED 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b04p57hr)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
WED 18:30 In and Out of the Kitchen (b01qw8m7)
Series 2
On Location
Damien is sent on location to the Lake District to film a chunk of his new series for Sky Arts about "poets and their palates".
But when the sunshine turns to driving rain, Damien's spirits are further dampened when it appears Anthony might not be missing him quite as much as he had hoped...
Written by Miles Jupp.
Damien Trench ...... Miles Jupp
Anthony MacIlveny ...... Justin Edwards
Gary McDade ...... Ben Crowe
Sound Man ...... Ben Crowe
Mr Mullaney ...... Brendan Dempsey
Marion Duffett ...... Lesley Vickerage
Producer: Sam Michell
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 2013.
WED 19:00 The Archers (b04pbmjq)
Carol's garden's coming on nicely. Bert's anxious to know what's happening with Brookfield.
Jill mentions there'll be a children's service on the Friday before Christmas, with real animals. The commemorative window at St Stephens will be dedicated on Boxing Day. Jill invites Carol to the Nine Lessons and Carols on Christmas Eve. Carol mischievously asks if she can bring a hip flask.
Lilian is glad that she and Jennifer were by Tony's side when he opened his eyes.
Jennifer has a card from Jess (or 'Mrs Jessica Titchener'), announcing the birth of a boy - Ethan Jeremiah.
RB Farming is taking over the Estate arable on 1 January, but Adam's staying diligent while he still has a job. Charlie reminds Adam he's happy to put a good word in with RB, but Adam says Home Farm will be fine. Brian and Adam celebrate as Jennifer supports their plan to buy Brookfield.
Over a game of bridge, Carol mentions Kenton's séance where he called up John Tregorran. Uncomfortable Jennifer watches Carol light her 'smudge stick' - an ancient Native America tradition. The smoke from the herbs helps banish evil spirits. The ginger wine knocks Christine out. Jill remembers Phil being partial to it. As tired Jennifer makes to go, Carol innocently points out that she hasn't touched her herb tea.
WED 19:15 Front Row (b04pbmjs)
Hugh Bonneville; Mary J Blige; Remember Me
Hugh Bonneville discusses his role as Mr Brown in the new Paddington film; Mary J Blige on self doubt, soul music and making an album inspired by London; Michael Palin stars in BBC drama, Remember Me - a contemporary ghost story set in Yorkshire. Chris Dunkley joins John to review it. And two of the biggest comedy hit films of the year have been Bad Neighbours and 22 Jump St, but Adam Smith warns the films' stars not to take too much for granted, because as history shows, comedy can be cruel to its once high-earning, all-conquering funnymen.
WED 19:45 15 Minute Drama (b04p87l8)
[Repeat of broadcast at
10:41 today]
WED 20:00 Moral Maze (b04pbmjv)
The Moral Limits of Advertising
You know Christmas has arrived when there's a furious row about what's on the telly. This year it's about the Sainsbury's advert. It features a recreation of the 1914 Christmas day truce when the Germans and British abandoned their trenches to play football in No Man's land. The fact that it portrays an incredibly sanitised version of the First World War with not a spot of mud, or drop of blood in sight has certainly angered many. But even more questions are being asked about the last scene in the ad. In it the chiselled young Tommy gives his equally handsome German adversary a bar of chocolate and we're left with the message "Christmas is for sharing". The chocolate is of course being sold in Sainsbury stores until Christmas with the money raised going to the Royal British Legion. While many have found it moving it's also attracted a barrage of criticism for cashing in on the collective feeling of remembrance that has been so powerful in this centenary year of WW1. The contrast between this advert and the poppies at the Tower of London couldn't be more profound. Sainsbury say they've partnered with The Royal British Legion to ensure this story is told with authenticity and respect and they hope it will help keep alive the memory of the fallen. And the money raised will be going to a very good cause. But is it still crass and cynical? Are there really some things that money shouldn't buy? Are some things we hold so dear to ourselves, or our collective memories that to monetise them, through advertising or sponsorship, amounts to sacrilege? Or is that just our own moral squeamishness? Would we really be happier if we maintained our moral purity and the British Legion had less money? What are the moral boundaries when it comes to advertising and sponsorship? Presented by David Aaronovitch.
Panellists: Matthew Taylor, Michael Portillo, Claire Fox and Melanie Phillips.
Witnesses: Ally Fogg, Adrian Shaughnessy, Dave Trott and Jon Alexander.
Produced by Phil Pegum.
WED 20:45 Four Thought (b04pbmjx)
Series 4
Kenneth Steven
Author, poet and translator, Kenneth Steven, draws on the magical experience of a long dreamed for trip to Greenland to consider the dangers of cruise ship tourism. While Kenneth understands the desire of tourists to experience the extraordinary landscape and culture of the Arctic, after all he has a long held personal passion for northern places and people himself, he worries the arrival of the cruise ships does more damage than good to the fragile Inuit communities. Might there not be a better way to experience these vulnerable indigenous communities, sustaining their history, traditions and culture than through mass tourism which might change it beyond all recognition?
WED 21:00 Holding Back the Sea (b04pbmk1)
On December 5th last year, thousands of homes and businesses along Britain's east coast were flooded by the sea when the first of that winter's great storms combined with a particularly high tide.
Close to year on, BBC News Science Editor David Shukman travels around the Lincolnshire and Norfolk coast of the Wash, talking to residents, farmers and business owners about the problems of protecting their lives and livelihoods from future inundations by the sea.
The port town of Boston was one of the worst hit communities last December. The surge poured over its defences into 700 houses. Some families are only now returning to their ruined homes. Fortunately for Boston, the government has agreed to pay some £90 million to build a barrier across the tidal river which flows through the town. Some locals say this flood defence should have been in place years ago.
Elsewhere in Lincolnshire, communities are feeling less well shielded by the nation. North of Boston, at Friskney, a breach in a frontline sea bank let in a tsunami of seawater which flooded 500 acres of prime arable farmland to a depth of 1 metre. Around the Wash, thousands of square kilometres of Fenland farmland and rural communities lie at or below sea level behind soil embankments facing the sea. These walls were built by farmers as they claimed the country's most productive arable land from the Wash's salt marsh.
After the inundation at Friskney, farmers all around the Wash are now campaigning to be allowed to raise the height and width of their frontline banks. If they are granted permission, they will receive at best only a modest percentage contribution from central government. The Treasury will only fully fund flood defence work if the return on the money it puts up is £8 for every £1 spent. The farmers argue that the economic value and food security importance of what they produce is not taken into account in the calculations.
Alternatively, conservation organisations such as the RSPB argue that rather than bolstering defences, sections of these embankments should be deliberately breached to allow Wash salt marsh to expand. As sea level rises, more embankments will become more vulnerable. A managed retreat of the defences would do two important things, they argue. It would provide more habitat for the many thousands of wintering birds which make the Wash one of most important wildlife areas in Europe. The extra expanse of salt marsh created would also make a natural flood defence, better protecting the new bank further inland. Not surprisingly the farmers of the Wash Frontage are not sold on this idea.
On the east coast of the Wash in Norfolk, the people living and running businesses in the shoreline communities south of Hunstanton are faced with their own pressing threats. Their defences were breached in several places last December and in 1953, the great tidal surge of that year drowned dozens of people in the area.
The funds to maintain their shingle sea wall run out in early 2016. They have been told by the Environment Agency that the only means to finance this work and any future upgrading after 2016 is to pay for most of it themselves. If enough caravan park owners, landowners and residents are able to amass a viable fund voluntarily, the government will then top up the money available by 25%. A group of local businesses is now in the process of setting up a body to collect and pay out the money - a body called a Community Interest Company. It will be the first of its kind established for local flood defence. Needless to say, some in the neighbourhood regard this as an inappropriate and fragile arrangement by which to protect lives and livelihoods from the sea.
Producer: Andrew Luck-Baker.
WED 21:30 Midweek (b04p86zd)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:00 today]
WED 21:58 Weather (b04p57ht)
The latest weather forecast.
WED 22:00 The World Tonight (b04pbmk7)
The World Tonight is live from Ghana for a special programme devoted to the Ebola outbreak.
We hear the moving story of a Nigerian man who survived the disease after his fiancee died - and how he's devoted his life to helping others.
Ghana's Foreign Minister is on the programme - and the British woman caring for the orphans of Sierra Leone.
The programme assesses the impact on business and tourism.
A specially invited panel discuss what lessons Africa and the world need to learn from the crisis.
And the legendary Senegalese musician Baaba Maal looks with hope to the continent's future.
With Paul Moss in Accra.
WED 22:45 Book at Bedtime (b04pbmk9)
Sherlock Holmes: The Valley of Fear
Episode 8
The Valley of Fear, the last of the four Sherlock Holmes novels, ranks among Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's best work. The mystery begins with a coded warning of imminent danger, drawing the illustrious Sherlock Holmes and the faithful Dr. Watson to a secluded English country home. A trail of bewildering clues leads to sleuthing in the finest Holmesian tradition and the gripping backstory of a cult that terrorized a valley in the American West.
Reader ..... Sir Ian McKellen
Abridger ..... Neville Teller
Producer ..... Gemma McMullan.
WED 23:00 James Acaster's Findings (b04pbmkd)
Series 1
3. Wheels
Triple Foster's nominated comedian James Acaster presents the results of his research. This week, he's been investigating 'Wheels'. With Nathaniel Metcalfe ('Fresh from the Fringe') and Bryony Hannah ('Call the Midwife').
Produced by Lyndsay Fenner.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 2014.
WED 23:15 Tim Key's Late Night Poetry Programme (b01cws2j)
Series 1
Chance
Tim tackles the dicey issue of 'chance' via a selection of poems including: 'The Wrong Number that Led to a Marriage' and 'Probably Gay'.
Written and presented by Tim Key
Musical accompaniment is provided by Tom Basden.
Producer: James Robinson
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2012.
WED 23:30 Today in Parliament (b04pbmkh)
Taxation issues dominate Prime Minister's Question time, as Ed Miliband defends his party's controversial 'mansion tax'. Susan Hulme reports on the best of the weekly exchanges between the Labour leader and David Cameron.
Also on the programme:
* MPs hold another vote on the European Arrest Warrant.
* The Lords discusses why the Chancellor's income tax revenues are not expanding.
* The former Prime Minister of Russia gives peers his view of Russian involvement in the conflict in Ukraine.
* Is Britain in for a repeat of the flooding that struck last winter?
THURSDAY 20 NOVEMBER 2014
THU 00:00 Midnight News (b04p57jv)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.
THU 00:30 Book of the Week (b04p86zj)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:45 on Wednesday]
THU 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b04p57jx)
The latest shipping forecast.
THU 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b04p57jz)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
THU 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b04p57k1)
The latest shipping forecast.
THU 05:30 News Briefing (b04p57k3)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.
THU 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b04pbq9d)
A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day, with the Rev Mary Stallard.
THU 05:45 Farming Today (b04pbq9g)
Avian Flu; Campylobacter; British Sugar
The knock-on effects of avian flu in East Yorkshire: Charlotte Smith hears from a free range egg producer who cannot move his produce because he's within the restriction zone.
Also campylobacter. Why don't British supermarkets remove chicken infected by this bacteria from their shelves? We hear from the British Poultry Council, and the British Retail Consortium.
All this week Farming Today is looking at the sugar beet industry. In this programme we hear from British Sugar whose four factories are supplied by 3,500 farmers, producing nearly 8 million tonnes of sugar.
Presented by Charlotte Smith and produced by Mark Smalley.
THU 05:58 Tweet of the Day (b04mlvwz)
Purple Martin
Tweet of the Day is the voice of birds and our relationship with them, from around the world.
Chris Packham presents the purple martin from eastern North America. Every spring, across the land from Chicago to St Louis, you can hear couples squabbling over the best real estate. But these aren't human house-buyers, they're purple martins. Purple Martins are the largest North American swallow, glossy blue-black rather than purple and much chunkier than the well-known barn swallow. They spend the winter in insect-rich places in South America and return to their North American breeding colonies each spring. In the west, they nest in holes in trees or even in giant saguaro cacti, but in the east where they're much more common, they almost exclusively rely on people to provide them with nest-sites. Visit almost any city, town or homestead and you'll see multi-story nest-boxes, the home of a score of purple martin families. Around 1 million people are thought to erect housing each year. Their human landlords take a personal pride in their martin colonies, listening each spring for those first pebbly calls which are a sign that their protégés have made it back from the tropics, once again.
THU 06:00 Today (b04pbq9j)
Morning news and current affairs. Including Sports Desk, Yesterday in Parliament, Weather and Thought for the Day.
THU 09:00 In Our Time (b04pbq9l)
Aesop
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss Aesop. According to some accounts, Aesop was a strikingly ugly slave who was dumb until granted the power of speech by the goddess Isis. In stories of his life he's often found outwitting his masters using clever wordplay, but he's best known today as the supposed author of a series of fables that are some of the most enduringly popular works of Ancient Greek literature. Some modern scholars question whether he existed at all, but the body of work that has come down to us under his name gives us a rare glimpse of the popular culture of the Ancient World.
WITH
Pavlos Avlamis, Junior Research Fellow in Classics at Trinity College at the University of Oxford
Simon Goldhill, Professor of Greek Literature and Culture at the University of Cambridge
Lucy Grig, Senior Lecturer in Classics at the University of Edinburgh
Producer: Luke Mulhall.
THU 09:45 Book of the Week (b04pbq9n)
Alan Cumming - Not My Father's Son: A Family Memoir
A Truth
Alan Cumming faces a reckoning.
Deeply moving memoir about the actor's relationship with his father and the mystery of his maternal grandfather.
Written and read by Alan Cumming.
Abridged by Sara Davies.
Producer: Elizabeth Allard
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2014.
THU 10:00 Woman's Hour (b04pbq9q)
Violinist Kyung Wha Chung; Michael Pattemore, widower of Lynda Bellingham
The legendary violinist Kyung Wha Chung will be joining Jenni to discuss her much awaited London comeback, after more than a decade away.
With the England v Germany match at Wembley selling 55,000 tickets - is this a turning point for the women's game.
Michael Pattemore - Lynda Bellingham's widower will be here to talk about her new novel - The Boy I love - that celebrates life in the theatre.
We continue our series looking at refuges and domestic abuse talking to the CEO of Refuge Sandra Horley
And the Irish academic following in her grandmother's footsteps.
Presented by Jenni Murray
Producer Beverley Purcell.
THU 10:45 15 Minute Drama (b04pbq9s)
Inquest
Day Four
by Richard Monks
The inquest into the death of a female soldier found drowned reveals she has been the victim of a sexual assault by a fellow soldier. Over five days we hear witness statements and the coroner must decide whether she took her own life. Today's episode features the psychiatric nurse who took care of Lorna.
Director ..... Sally Avens.
THU 11:00 Crossing Continents (b04pbqq9)
Hunting the Taliban
Mobeen Azhar reports from Karachi, Pakistan's biggest city, where police are at war with the Taliban. Given rare access to the work of the police by a Senior Superintendent in Karachi's Criminal Investigation Department, Mobeen joins officers on a night time raid in search of the men who train suicide bombers. He meets a suspect in custody who brags about planting bombs and describes how he urges teenage boys to sacrifice their lives in violent jihad. Mobeen also talks to a businessman who was kidnapped for ransom and meets the families of police officers who have been killed by the militants.
Assassinations linked to political parties have blighted the city for over a decade but today, more than 70 groups representing the militant Taliban are also fighting for control. This guerrilla war, once confined to the tribal belt of Waziristan has moved into Karachi with devastating results.
THU 11:30 London Calling (b04pbqtg)
Jack London created the mould for a particular kind of hard living writer; long before Hemingway picked up his first whiskey bottle, London was off out on dangerous adventures to the Klondike Gold Rush, the front lines of the Sino-Russian war, and round the world on a boat that cost him millions and nearly cost him his life; his chronic alcoholism finally proved his undoing. Before he did finally die at the age of 40, London managed to write some of the most popular stories ever to emerge from America, including 'White Fang' and 'Call of the Wild'. It was these books that Aminatta Forna first immersed herself in as a child growing up in Sierra Leone, feeling the chill of snow covered landscapes London described so vividly as she lay reading in the intense West African heat. Now a writer herself, she shares many of London's passions, including wild animals and the natural landscape; it's no co-incidence that her new novel has at its heart a man who tracks wild dogs, and in 'London Calling' we accompany her to the forests of New England where she tracks coyotes and unpicks the influence London's writing has had on her. Along the way she'll find out about his extra-ordinary life and the great success of his work; author Tobias Wolff tells us that London's influence on him was so powerful that in his teens he chose to be re-christened as Jack before his father forced him to change back to Tobias. We also hear from George Monbiot about the appeal London has for him as a writer who so vividly depicts the rawness of the wilderness in contrast to the drudgery of civilisation. London said that he'd, 'rather be ashes than dust,' that he,'would rather that my spark should burn out in a brilliant blaze than it should be stifled by dry-rot.' As Aminatta Forna will explain, very few writers could claim to have burned so brightly.
THU 12:00 News Summary (b04p57k7)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
THU 12:04 A History of Ideas (b04pbs9y)
Historian Simon Schaffer on Beauty and Evolution
Historian of science Simon Schaffer is interested in the purpose of beauty within evolutionary explanations. Taking the ideas of Charles Darwin as his starting point, he wants to know how and why the capacity to see beauty evolved and whether this powerful, fleeting and apparently most useless of attributes can really have an evolutionary explanation. Simon talks to neuroscientist and biologist Stephen Rose and film-maker and anthropologist Chris Wright about whether Darwin really can explain why he finds Mahler's 5th Symphony beautiful.
This programme is part of a week of programmes looking at the history of ideas around Freedom.
THU 12:15 You and Yours (b04pbsb0)
eBay's restricted items and Wonga's compensation
Selling asbestos is illegal in this country, so why are eBay traders listing asbestos-filled WW2 gas masks unrestricted? The online auction site explains.
The payday loan company, Wonga, promised in June to compensate 45,000 customers it sent fake legal letters to. However so far just 5,000 people have been paid anything.
If you are thinking of letting your insurance roll over for another year - think again. Lloyds Bank has been found to be inflating premiums by as much as 100% in seven years.
And weight loss surgery - a woman who's had it meets someone who might.
Presenter: Winifred Robinson
Producer: Natalie Donovan.
THU 12:57 Weather (b04p57k9)
The latest weather forecast.
THU 13:00 World at One (b04pbsb2)
Select Committee chairman Whittingdale backs call for Mahmood/police inquiry; Ineos investing £640m in shale gas exploration; Assange arrest warrant upheld; Iraq's children after 12 years of conflict; Cosby heard speaking about sex allegations against him; stage/film director Mike Nichols dies at 83. Presented by Martha Kearney.
THU 13:45 Foreign Bodies (b04plvzh)
Series 3
Australia
To complement Radio 4's major dramatisations of The Havana Quartet by Cuba's leading crime writer, Leonardo Padura, Mark Lawson, in Foreign Bodies, examines how mystery novels have reflected five different political systems.
Australia's leading crime novelist, the South African-born Peter Temple -- whose books include The Broken Shore and Truth -- talks to Mark Lawson about depicting a society shaped by both British colonialism and American power and why Australian crime fiction should contain as few words as possible.
THU 14:00 The Archers (b04pbmjq)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Wednesday]
THU 14:15 Drama (b01l7pvh)
Higher - Series 4
Clearing
Higher by Joyce Bryant. Clearing.
With fees going through the roof and an eye watering twenty percent cut in funding it's important that Hayborough University keeps its recruitment numbers high. So what does Jim Blunt and his colleagues do? Panic!
Producer/Director Gary Brown.
THU 15:00 Open Country (b04pc2zj)
Steart Peninsula, Somerset
Felicity Evans visits Steart Marshes on Somerset's Steart Peninsular just as the sea wall is breached to transform this landscape.
Rising sea levels are putting the squeeze on wildlife along the coast and also leaving coastal villages under threat of flooding, but earlier this year, The Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust (The WWT) and the Environment Agency began the creation of the UK's largest new wetland reserve. The sea wall was purposely breached to create an inter-tidal range that will see the development of salt marsh - a habitat that is currently under threat. As WWT Warden Alys Laver explained, in making the breach, Steart Marshes will create safe habitats for rare species whilst also offering a flood defence for the nearby villages. It will also provide an accessible nature reserve for the local community right on their doorstep.
For PhD student Adam George of the local Bridgwater College, it's a unique opportunity to study the effects - and possible benefits - of salt marsh creation whilst for Steart's dedicated volunteers - including 14 year old Jo - it's a chance to watch a whole landscape change in their lifetime.
THU 15:27 Radio 4 Appeal (b04p5f3f)
[Repeat of broadcast at
07:55 on Sunday]
THU 15:30 Open Book (b04p5m1y)
[Repeat of broadcast at
16:00 on Sunday]
THU 16:00 The Film Programme (b04pc2zl)
Julianne Moore on Mockingjay part 1, Randall Wright on Hockney and the men behind The Lego Movie
Francine Stock talks to Julianne Moore about her role in the new HUNGER GAMES movie, MOCKINGJAY Part 1. The Director Randall Wright shares his experience of working with and making a film documentary about David Hockney and continuing The Story Of The Sound Effect series, Randy Thom talks about the importance of alien sound in CONTACT.
And with news of an extended Franchise Francine talks to Chris Miller and Phil Lord, the directors of THE LEGO MOVIE, about the success of their film, the trick of appealing to both young and old audiences and their childhood triumphs as master builders of spaceships made from plastic bricks.
THU 16:30 BBC Inside Science (b04pc2zn)
Comet landing detects organics molecules; Lunar Mission One; Biological warfare
Philae lander detects organic molecules on Comet 67P
Rosetta scientist, Professor Monica Grady from the Open University discusses the latest news from last week's historic comet mission. Philae, the Rosetta robot probe, made history last week when she finally landed on the surface of Comet 67P. But she ended up lying on her side, and only in partial sunlight. Her batteries were on borrowed time. After around 60 hours, Philae powered down, and went into hibernation mode. However, her instruments harvested some data and now the first results are in.
UK-led crowdfunded Moon mission
Lunar Mission One aims to land a robotic spacecraft on the unexplored lunar South Pole by 2024. It's a space mission with a difference: it could be funded by you. For a small fee supporters can send a human hair to the Moon in a Blue Peter-style time capsule. And the spacecraft will drill up to 100 metres below the surface to ask questions about the Moon's origin, aiming to find out more about the minerals that exist there, several of which are potentially valuable. Our reporter Sue Nelson went to the British Interplanetary Society's Reinventing Space conference in London to hear more.
The Selfish Gene debate
As another bout of biological warfare breaks out between two scientific superpowers, Adam Rutherford gets to grips with evolutionary theory, with social insect expert Professor Adam Hart. He hears from Richard Dawkins and E.O. Wilson and finds out why, after forty years of promoting the idea of kin selection, E O Wilson now dismisses the whole idea as 'rhetoric'.
Presenter: Adam Rutherford
Producer: Anna Buckley
Assistant Producer: Jen Whyntie.
THU 17:00 PM (b04pc2zq)
PM at
5pm- Carolyn Quinn with interviews, context and analysis.
THU 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b04p57kc)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
THU 18:30 John Finnemore's Souvenir Programme (b04pc2zs)
Series 4
Episode 6
John Finnemore, the writer and star of Cabin Pressure, regular guest on The Now Show and popper-upper in things like Miranda, records a fourth series of his hit sketch show.
6/6: This final episode of the fourth series contains a pure moment of happiness, a song for a season that doesn't usually get sung about, and a curious tale about an invention that is probably not evil.
The first series of John Finnemore's Souvenir Programme was described as "sparklingly clever" by The Daily Telegraph and "one of the most consistently funny sketch shows for quite some time" by The Guardian. The second series won Best Radio Comedy at both the Chortle and Comedy.co.uk awards, and was nominated for a Radio Academy award. The third series actually won a Radio Academy award.
In this fourth series, John has written more sketches, like the sketches from the other series. Not so much like them that they feel stale and repetitious; but on the other hand not so different that it feels like a misguided attempt to completely change the show. Quite like the old sketches, in other words, but about different things and with different jokes. (Although it's a pretty safe bet some of them will involve talking animals.)
Written by and starring ... John Finnemore
Also featuring ... Margaret Cabourn-Smith, Simon Kane, Lawry Lewin and Carrie Quinlan.
Original music by ... Susannah Pearse.
Producer ... Ed Morrish.
THU 19:00 The Archers (b04pc2zv)
Jennifer puts her foot in it with Helen by mentioning that Jess has had her baby.
Lilian tells Jennifer that Roy is looking thin, and out of place at Grey Gables. Jennifer wonders if Carol had something to do with John's death. Jennifer contacts Carol's children Anna and Richard. She's keen to meet them and wants to get some answers.
Helen's not as keen as Rob to take part in the hunt with Oliver, but he persuades her. There's nothing she can do for Tony at the moment. He has things in hand with the shop as well.
Helen is upset when the hounds pick up the scent of a live fox. Despite Oliver's efforts, the animal is killed. Angry Helen says this is not what she signed up for.
Rob tried to hide the Borchester Echo from Helen, with its headline about a 'farmer fighting for his life after bull attack' and picture of Tony. Angry Helen tells Rob never to hide things from her. But she relents as he explains he did it to protect her.
Oliver gets a call from PC Burns. There's been a report about the incident at the hunt.
THU 19:15 Front Row (b04pc2zx)
Dr John; David Hare pays tribute to Mike Nichols; Composer John Adams
Blues legend Dr John talks to John Wilson about his tribute album to fellow New Orleans musician Louis Armstrong, and how the project was the result of a visit from Armstrong in a dream.
The American composer John Adams talks about the world stage premiere of his opera The Gospel According to the Other Mary at English National Opera, which tells the Passion story from the perspective of Mary Magdalene.
Following the news of the death of director Mike Nichols, best known for his film The Graduate, actor Adrian Lester, playwright David Hare and writer Patrick Marber pay tribute to the man who won a Grammy, an Oscar, four Emmys and eight Tonys for his film and stage work.
THU 19:45 15 Minute Drama (b04pbq9s)
[Repeat of broadcast at
10:45 today]
THU 20:00 The Report (b04pc2zz)
Right to Buy
In the 1980s, Right to Buy was one of the landmark successes of Margaret Thatcher's government, enabling millions of council tenants to buy their own home at a discounted price. The policy changed the financial fortunes of a generation.
Since coming to power in 2010, David Cameron's government has reinvigorated the totemic Tory policy, by reinstating big discounts previously withdrawn under Labour - today, some tenants can get over £100,000 off the price of their home.
There are some changes to the policy, too: for the first time, the government has pledged to replace homes sold under Right to Buy on a one-for-one basis - but is this target being met? Councils and housing associations tell The Report they don't have the funds to replace homes quickly enough. The programme also hears allegations that opportunist investors are taking advantage of the big discounts now on offer.
Not everyone is happy with the revival of Right to Buy - in Scotland, MSPs have voted in favour of bringing Right to Buy to an end, and in North London, Enfield Council has devised a scheme to opt out of selling its newly-acquired housing stock.
Meanwhile, the government has plans to make it even easier for tenants to buy their home, adamant that the policy is a vital tool in enabling low-income families to to fulfil their economic aspirations - but with 1.8m households on the social housing waiting list, can the UK afford to keep selling off valuable social housing stock off on the cheap?
CONTRIBUTORS INCLUDE:
Brandon Lewis MP, Minister of State for Housing and Planning
Julian Fulbrook, Labour Councillor, Camden Council
Catherine Ryder, Head of Policy, The National Housing Federation
Dr Peter King, Reader in Social Thought, De Montfort University
Nick Atkin, Chief Executive, Halton Housing Trust
Andrew Stafford, Labour Councillor, Enfield Council & Chair, Housing Gateway
Reporter: Peter Marshall
Producer: Richard Fenton-Smith.
THU 20:30 The Bottom Line (b04pc301)
Upside-down Management
What is the role of a business leader? To tell staff what to do or allow them to decide for themselves? One theory about management is that it should turn itself upside-down and permit those closest to the customer to dictate all sorts of business decisions including pricing, marketing and how to deal with complaints. This programme, first broadcast in 2013, won the Wincott Radio Journalism of the Year Award.
Guests
John Timpson, Chairman Timpson Group
Nikki King, Honorary Chair, Isuzu Truck UK
Sir Gerry Robinson, Chairman Moto Hospitality
Producer : Rosamund Jones.
THU 21:00 BBC Inside Science (b04pc2zn)
[Repeat of broadcast at
16:30 today]
THU 21:30 In Our Time (b04pbq9l)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:00 today]
THU 21:58 Weather (b04p57kf)
The latest weather forecast.
THU 22:00 The World Tonight (b04pc304)
In-depth reporting and analysis from a global perspective.
THU 22:45 Book at Bedtime (b04pc306)
Sherlock Holmes: The Valley of Fear
Episode 9
The Valley of Fear, the last of the four Sherlock Holmes novels, ranks among Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's best work. The mystery begins with a coded warning of imminent danger, drawing the illustrious Sherlock Holmes and the faithful Dr. Watson to a secluded English country home. A trail of bewildering clues leads to sleuthing in the finest Holmesian tradition and the gripping backstory of a cult that terrorized a valley in the American West.
Reader ..... Sir Ian McKellen
Abridger ..... Neville Teller
Producer ..... Gemma McMullan.
THU 23:00 Another Case of Milton Jones (b012r7tp)
Series 5
International Diplomat
Diplomat Milton Jones is on the run after leaking all the UN's emails - except for the Swiss ones, which were too dull. And he meets a shadowy hacker. And the shadowy hacker's mum. He's joined in his endeavours by his co-stars Tom Goodman-Hill ("Camelot"), Dan Tetsell ("Newsjack") and Lucy Montgomery ("Down The Line").
Milton Jones returns to BBC Radio Four for an amazing 9th series - which means he's been running for longer than Gardeners' Question Time and answered more questions on gardening as well.
Britain's funniest Milton and the king of the one-liner returns with a fully-working cast and a shipload of new jokes for a series of daffy comedy adventures
Each week, Milton is a complete and utter expert at something - brilliant Mathematician, World-Class Cyclist, Aviator, Championship Jockey...
... and each week, with absolutely no ability or competence, he plunges into a big adventure with utterly funny results...
"Milton Jones is one of Britain's best gagsmiths with a flair for creating daft yet perfect one-liners" - The Guardian.
"King of the surreal one-liners" - The Times
"If you haven't caught up with Jones yet - do so!" - The Daily Mail
The cast includes regulars Tom Goodman-Hill ( "Spamalot"), Lucy Montgomery ("Down The Line"), Dave Lamb ("Come Dine With Me") and Ben Willbond ("Horrible Histories")
David Tyler's radio credits include Armando Iannucci's Charm Offensive, Cabin Pressure, Bigipedia, Another Case Of Milton Jones, Jeremy Hardy Speaks To The Nation, Giles Wemmbley Hogg Goes Off, The 99p Challenge, The Castle, The 3rd Degree 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.
Written by Milton with James Cary ("Think The Unthinkable", "Miranda"), the man they call "Britain's funniest Milton," returns to the radio with a fully-working cast and a shipload of new jokes.
Produced & directed by David Tyler
A Pozzitive production for BBC Radio 4.
THU 23:30 Today in Parliament (b04pc308)
Sean Curran hears David Cameron give evidence on devolution. Vince Cable accepts defeat after this week's vote to scrap the 'beer tie'. And peers stand up for asylum seekers.
Editor: Peter Mulligan.
FRIDAY 21 NOVEMBER 2014
FRI 00:00 Midnight News (b04p57lc)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.
FRI 00:30 Book of the Week (b04pbq9n)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:45 on Thursday]
FRI 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b04p57lf)
The latest shipping forecast.
FRI 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b04p57lh)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
FRI 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b04p57lk)
The latest shipping forecast.
FRI 05:30 News Briefing (b04p57lm)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.
FRI 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b04pc6kp)
A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day, with the Rev Mary Stallard.
FRI 05:45 Farming Today (b04pc6kr)
Welsh Hill Farmers, Royal Mail, Sugar
A hundred upland farmers are planning to take the Welsh government to court over changes in the basic subsidy payments for moorland areas. The 'moorland line' has been drawn at 400 metres : farmers with land below the line will receive 200 euros per hectare, those with land above it will receive just 20 euros per hectare. The farmers - calling themselves Fairness for the Uplands - say the line is arbitrary, and will make many farms unviable. The Welsh Government says it can't comment on an ongoing legal case.
There are increasing fears that postal services in rural areas could suffer, as increased competition makes the Royal Mail more vulnerable. The higher cost of deliveries to remote areas is currently subsidised by more profitable deliveries in urban areas. But those lucrative deliveries are being 'cherry-picked' by private firms. The Royal Mail is still under obligation to deliver - at the same price - to all 29 million addresses in the UK, six days a week. But the BBCs business editor Kamal Ahmed tells Charlotte Smith that obligation is coming under increasing pressure.
FRI 05:58 Tweet of the Day (b04mlvxt)
Ivory Gull
Tweet of the Day is the voice of birds and our relationship with them, from around the world.
Chris Packham presents the ivory gull from the northern polar seas. Ivory gulls breed on rocky outcrops and cliffs and has a near-circumpolar distribution, spending most of the year near the edge of the pack ice throughout Arctic Europe, Arctic Russia, Greenland and Canada. They regularly venture farther north than any other bird. The adults are brilliant white with black legs and black eyes; their only splash of colour is on the bill which is a pastel rainbow of blue, green, yellow and pink. At rest they look rather dove-like. Although their colour suggests purity, their tastes are definitely not. Ivory gulls are scavengers. Dead seals or whales will draw them from miles around and those birds which have turned up as rare winter visitors to the UK have often shown an uncanny ability to locate strandline corpses of porpoises, dolphins or seals. Diet aside these are entrancing gulls to watch as they loaf on icebergs or waft angelically over arctic seas.
FRI 06:00 Today (b04pc6kt)
Morning news and current affairs. Including Sports Desk, Yesterday in Parliament, Weather and Thought for the Day.
FRI 09:00 Desert Island Discs (b04p5m1k)
[Repeat of broadcast at
11:15 on Sunday]
FRI 09:45 Book of the Week (b04pc6kw)
Alan Cumming - Not My Father's Son: A Family Memoir
Wrapping Up
Alan Cumming is wrapping up as he concludes his moving memoir about his relationship with his father and a family mystery.
Written and read by Alan Cumming.
Abridged by Sara Davies.
Producer: Elizabeth Allard
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2014.
FRI 10:00 Woman's Hour (b04pc6ky)
Homes; Debt; Contraception in Africa; Women and Careers
The architect Corbusier called it 'a machine for living in', writer H G Wells, 'the jackdaw dream'. On his desert island Robinson Crusoe set about creating one as soon as he possibly could. All three were referring to the concept of a home. I will be speaking to the author of a new book exploring the challenges of our understanding of what home means.
The artist who used the repossession of her house to inspire her work - Alinah Azadeh - will be talking to me about the Burning the Books Project which has been touring the country since 2011.
A new easy-to-use contraceptive device in the form of a little syringe is to be made available to women in 69 of the world's poorest countries for just $1. So what difference will this device make to women living in poverty?
We look at a study which followed 17 women across 17 years as they pursued their individual career dreams.
FRI 10:45 15 Minute Drama (b04pc6l0)
Inquest
Day Five
by Richard Monks
The inquest into the death of a female soldier found drowned reveals she has been the victim of a sexual assault by a fellow soldier. Over five days we hear witness statements and the coroner must decide whether she took her own life. In today's episode we hear about the final days of Lorna's life and the Coroner reaches his conclusion.
Director ..... Sally Avens.
FRI 11:00 Glasgow School of Art: Rising from the Ashes (b04p87r5)
In May 2014 a major fire ripped through Charles Rennie Mackintosh's landmark building, the Glasgow School of Art. Many of the fourth year students were completing their work for the degree show, much of which was destroyed.
The story of the recovery, for the building, the art school and the students.
Glasgow School of Art is considered one of Charles Rennie Mackintosh's finest buildings, a much celebrated landmark perched on top of one of the city's many hills. The fire that tore through the school in May sent shock waves across the world, and left a genuine sense of bereavement in the city of Glasgow itself.
Now Glasgow School of Art is looking to the future again, and beginning the process of recovery. The fourth year students whose work was lost in the fire have been offered 'Phoenix Bursaries'. Plans are being considered for the renovation of the building itself, opening a debate about what should be done to preserve and retain the character of Charles Rennie Mackintosh's original design.
The Glasgow School of Art is of international importance, and its future is hotly debated at a conference in Venice as part of the Architecture Biennale.
We go behind the scenes at the art school to find out what will happen next to one of Glasgow's best loved landmarks, and the impact on those who work and study there.
FRI 11:30 The Missing Hancocks (b04pc7w2)
Series 1
The Breakfast Cereal
Between 1954 and 1959, BBC Radio recorded 102 episodes of Ray Galton and Alan Simpson's comedy classic Hancock's Half Hour. The first modern sitcom, it made stars of Tony Hancock, Sid James and Kenneth Williams, and launched Galton and Simpson on one of the most successful comedy-writing partnerships in history. But 20 episodes of the show are missing from the BBC archives, and have not been heard since their original transmission nearly sixty years ago. Now, five of those episodes have been lovingly re-recorded in front of a live audience at the BBC Radio Theatre, featuring a stellar cast led by Kevin McNally as The Lad Himself.
Tonight's episode: The Breakfast Cereal. 'Tony changes his breakfast routine in search of that Zing, Pep and Get Up and Go feeling, and ends up in court.
Written by Ray Galton and Alan Simpson, and with the classic score newly recorded by the BBC Concert Orchestra, the show stars Kevin McNally, Kevin Eldon, Simon Greenall, Robin Sebastian and Susy Kane. The Breakfast Cereal was last broadcast in April 1956.
Produced by Ed Morrish and Neil Pearson.
FRI 12:00 News Summary (b04p57lp)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
FRI 12:04 A History of Ideas (b04pc7w4)
Philosopher Angie Hobbs on Beauty and Morality
Philosopher Angie Hobbs is interested in Plato's idea that there is a relationship between beauty and morality. The idea that goodness is beautiful and evil things are ugly is written deep into our culture. But Plato's ideas also suggest that beautiful things could not be appreciated by evil people. Can that idea really survive the image of a Nazi Camp Kommandant listening to classical music?
This programme is part of a week of programmes looking at the history of ideas around Freedom.
FRI 12:15 You and Yours (b04pc7wx)
Twin Peaks Convention; Legal Aid cuts; Vet fees
Peter White asks whether cuts to the legal aid system are denying people justice. The big squeeze on plane seats and the rise of the fan festival - we visit a Twin Peaks Convention in London.
FRI 12:57 Weather (b04p57lr)
The latest weather forecast.
FRI 13:00 World at One (b04pcc39)
Reckless sworn in as UKIP's second elected MP; Ben Wright reports from Rochester, and we hear from previous Conservative defector Douglas Carswell.
Cameron "determined" to win back seat; we speak to Andrew Bridgen and Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin - and hear from our political editor Nick Robinson.
As Emily Thornberry apologises for her Rochester tweet, Harriet Harman tells us Labour are "One Nation" party. Lib Dem president Tim Farron says supporters in Rochester voted tactically.
And Matthew Goodwin and John Curtice discuss UKIP's prospects at next year's General Election.
Presented by Mark Mardell.
FRI 13:45 Foreign Bodies (b04plwnn)
Series 3
Nigeria
To complement Radio 4's major dramatisations of The Havana Quartet by Cuba's leading crime writer, Leonardo Padura, Mark Lawson, in Foreign Bodies, examines how mystery novels have reflected five different political systems.
The writers Helon Habila, whose books include the award-winning Oil on Water, and CM Okonkwo talk to Mark Lawson about how a flourishing new tradition of Nigerian crime fiction explores British legacy, tribal tradition and the new "corporate colonialism" as global companies exploit the country's mineral reserves.
FRI 14:00 The Archers (b04pc2zv)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Thursday]
FRI 14:15 Drama (b01lhbgl)
Higher - Series 4
Privatisation, the Final Battle
Higher by Joyce Bryant. Privatisation the Final Battle.
The free market winds of change are blowing through the breezeblock corridors of Hayborough University. What will the old stalwarts do? Embrace the new? Or resist and fight for academic freedom? Or will they hide and hope it will all just go away?
Producer/Director Gary Brown.
FRI 15:00 Gardeners' Question Time (b04pcd4v)
Norwich
Peter Gibbs chairs the horticultural panel programme from Norwich. Matt Biggs, Bob Flowerdew and Matthew Wilson join him to answer questions from the audience. Peter delves into the John Innes archives and learns all about the man behind the compost. We hear Bob's topical tips and take a tour of his garden.
Produced by Darby Dorras
Assistant Producer: Hannah Newton
A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4
This week's questions and answers:
Q. How do we maximize our yield of squashes? We have dry, sandy soil and get lots of male flowers and two or three squashes on each plant if we're lucky.
A. The soil isn't right for growing squashes, so dig a hole and fill it with all the compost and manure you can get your hands on. Then cover it with a black plastic sheet over the top to keep the moisture in. Water it heavily. Alternatively, get an old builders' bag and fill it with compost and grow the plants in there. This will be easier than digging the dry soil. Try the 'Crown Prince' variety as it stores very well. Butternut Squash is also a good variety. Keep the male flowers on.
Q. Does the panel advise keeping heads on Hydrangeas in the winter or not?
A. Leave some of them on and cut some of them off. This will provide some protection for the buds below and it also looks attractive. However, if you leave them on too long they can break; so cut them in the spring.
Q. What is likely to look best in spring for an open garden? I have a sunny garden with soil that is a mix of clay and loam.
A. Think about reliable plants with long flowering periods. Try Lavender, Flocks, shrub Roses and make sure your lawn is mown to perfection and your edges are cut. Brush the paths down and rake the soil.
Q. Can I make my own bulb fibre?
A. It would be difficult to make your own as Sphagnum moss is hard to come by. Leaf mould would be a good substitute - you could sterilize it in the oven first. Don't use multi-purpose compost as the fertilizer can damage the roots; if anything, use a mix of seed compost, peat-free potting compost and charcoal. If you're only going to use the bulbs once, you can grow them in any inert, moisture-retaining substance such as gels or old clothes.
Q. What variety of fruit bushes would the panel suggest for an east-facing fence and a west-facing wall? The soil is poor.
A. You'll need to get loads of organic matter in, even grow in containers or a raised bed. In the east-facing spot, Red Currents, Culinary Cherries and Gooseberries would grow well. On the west-facing wall have a go at Apricots or Peaches. Grow the plants up against the wall. You could also try figs on the west-facing wall, as they don't need good soil. Also try a grapevine - the newer varieties such as Boskoop Glory and Siegerrebe would grow well.
Q. What would the panel suggest I plant for a light, spreading canopy that will provide shade in the summer? I'd prefer a deciduous tree that wasn't too imposing. The proposed planting area is small.
A. Try a Sorbus cashmiriana but be wary about putting in a tree where another tree has just been removed. Try growing climbing Roses, a Jasmine or a Honey Suckle over a trellis and until these get going put in Sweet Peas or Nasturtiums for shade in the summer.
Q. The leaves of my Streptocarpus (Cape Primrose) are growing to a size that is out of proportion with the plant. What is happening?
A. The plant is in too shady a position and is being fed too much.
Q. If you were to have your first allotment, what would be your first big purchase?
A. Bob suggests a greenhouse, cold frame or polytunnel. Matt Biggs suggests a steel fork and Matthew Wilson suggests luxury spa weekends booked throughout the year to recover from all the hard work!
FRI 15:45 Short Rides in Fast Machines (b04pcd4x)
The Bullet Racers by Adam Marek
A multi-contributor series of specially-commissioned radio stories about speed.
Every generation observes that life is getting faster - the pace of change, of action, or communication. Our cars, trains, boats and planes are faster than ever. And as every world-record on the athletic track confirms, we're still getting faster ourselves. The title is inspired by the minimalist composition by John Adams ('Short Ride In A Fast Machine').
Episode 1:
The Bullet Racers by Adam Marek
A reporter visits the village of Thaxtum-cum-Shyne to investigate reports of a strange occurrence at the annual race.
Adam Marek is the award-winning writer of two short story collections - 'Instruction Manual For Swallowing' and 'The Stone Thrower'. He won the 2011 Arts Foundation Short Story Fellowship and was shortlisted for the inaugural Sunday Times EFG Short Story Award. His stories have appeared in many magazines, including Prospect and The Sunday Times Magazine, and in many anthologies such as Lemistry, Biopunk and The Best British Short Stories 2011. Five of Adam's published stories were broadcast on Radio 4Extra as 'The Stories Of Adam Marek' in March 2014
Reader: Ben Crowe
Produced by Jeremy Osborne
A Sweet Talk production for BBC Radio 4.
FRI 16:00 Last Word (b04pcd4z)
Sir Thomas Macpherson, Mike Nichols, Alexander Grothendieck, Paul Vaughan, Leonore Davidoff and Jimmy Ruffin
Matthew Bannister on
Sir Tommy Macpherson who won the Military Cross three times during the war for daring exploits which included bluffing thousands of German troops into surrendering.
The film and stage director Mike Nichols who brought us Dustin Hoffman in The Graduate and the Monty Python musical Spamalot.
Alexander Grothendieck - described by Le Monde newspaper as "the greatest mathematician of the 20th century"
Paul Vaughan, the long serving presenter of Radio 4's arts programme Kaleidoscope and the voice of the TV science series Horizon.
And the feminist historian and sociologist Leonore Davidoff who put class and gender relations at the heart of her work. Her studies advanced the understanding of women's history and she was the founding editor of the journal Gender and History.
FRI 16:30 Feedback (b04pcd51)
Since August, listeners to Radio 4's You and Yours have had their daily diet of consumer and social affairs cut by 12 minutes - in the first place to make way for the opening salvoes of Radio 4's 600-part World War 1 drama Home Front. Since then a number of mixed programmes have occupied the slot - with mixed responses from Feedback listeners. Are these bite-size portions the future of radio? The Commissioning Editor, Mohit Bakaya, explains his thinking for the future of the slot.
How does the BBC gauge the views of the silent majority who never make direct contact with the BBC or Feedback? Elizabeth Lane, Research Manager for Radio 4 and 4 Extra, has the answers.
As he grows a beard and takes on the bushtucker trial, is Michael Buerk living up to his surname down under? And do his reality TV antics really deserve a nightly slot on Radio 4?
Catch-up radio on the BBC's TV iPlayer becomes even harder to access for some listeners. First it was lost from smart televisions and now it's no longer available on TV set top boxes. So what's going on - and when will the service return to normal?
And comedian Jake Yapp gives us his version of Feedback in 60 seconds.
Produced by Will Yates
A Whistledown production for BBC Radio 4
Kashmiri novelist Mirza Waheed talks to Mariella Frostrup about his new novel The Book of Gold Leaves which is a love story set against the backdrop of war.
FRI 16:55 The Listening Project (b04pcd53)
Karen and Nicole - I'll Never Be Ready to Go
Fi Glover introduces a conversation between a mother and grown up daughter with different ideas about how long the mother should try to hang on in the face of terminal cancer.
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 learn more about The Listening Project by visiting bbc.co.uk/listeningproject
Producer: Marya Burgess.
FRI 17:00 PM (b04pcd55)
PM at
5pm- Carolyn Quinn with interviews, context and analysis.
FRI 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b04p57lt)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
FRI 18:30 The News Quiz (b04pcd57)
Series 85
Episode 5
A satirical review of the week's news, chaired by Sandi Toksvig, who is joined by Susan Calman, Hugo Rifkind and Andy Hamilton, alongside regular panellist Jeremy Hardy.
FRI 19:00 The Archers (b04pcd59)
Johnny says good bye to Otto, as the bull is taken away to the abattoir. Pat tries to get Johnny to sit down to chat but he wants to stay busy on the farm. Later he tells Pat how he feels he messed up, causing the accident. But Pat says nonsense.
Home from university, Pip talks enthusiastically about low cost milk production, New Zealand-style. Having chatted online to farmers, Pip's keen to organize a few farm visits.
David and Ruth discuss moving north. Ruth reflects that certain locals won't be sorry to see them go. But David feels it's a new beginning for them. However, if all three of David's siblings wish to cash in their Brookfield shares, buying the new place could be difficult. They agree to concentrate on the telephone auction. A sale at around £5m would help things.
They also discuss Oliver and the recent hunt, during which a fox was killed. Hopefully Oliver won't face prosecution, having done what he could to avoid the incident.
Charlie calls round to Brookfield and stuns David and Ruth with an offer from Justin Elliot. He'd like to buy Brookfield ... and he's offering £7.5m.
FRI 19:15 Front Row (b04pcd5c)
Peter Firmin on The Clangers; The forgotten Bronte; Winter Sleep
Kirsty Lang talks to artist and puppet-maker Peter Firmin, whose iconic children's tv characters include Bagpuss, Basil Brush and The Clangers.
Robert Edric on his novel Sanctuary, which explores the final months in the turbulent life of Branwell Brontë - brother to the more famous Brontë sisters.
Kate Muir reviews the new film from Turkish director Nuri Bilge Ceylan, Winter Sleep, which won the Palme D'Or at this year's Cannes Film Festival.
And a new exhibition at the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art revives the reputation of artists Robert Colquhoun and Robert MacBryde. Jan Patience reviews.
FRI 19:45 15 Minute Drama (b04pc6l0)
[Repeat of broadcast at
10:45 today]
FRI 20:00 Any Questions? (b04pcd5f)
Louise Bours MEP, Sir Malcolm Bruce MP, Maria Eagle MP, John Hayes MP
Jonathan Dimbleby presents political debate and discussion from the John Ferneley Academy in Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire; with UKIP MEP Louise Bours; Sir Malcolm Bruce MP, the Deputy Leader of the Liberal Democrats; Maria Eagle, Shadow Secretary of State for the Environment Food and Rural Affairs; and Transport Minister John Hayes MP.
FRI 20:50 A Point of View (b04pcd5h)
Dostoevsky and Dangerous Ideas
John Gray points to lessons from the novels of Dostoevsky about the danger of ideas such as misguided idealism sweeping away tyrannies without regard for the risks of anarchy. "Dostoevsky suggests that the end result of abandoning morality for the sake of an idea of freedom will be a type of tyranny more extreme than any in the past."
Producer: Sheila Cook.
FRI 21:00 A History of Ideas (b04pcd5k)
Omnibus
Why Are Things Beautiful?
A new history of ideas presented by Melvyn Bragg but told in many voices.
Each week Melvyn is joined by four guests with different backgrounds to discuss a really big question. This week he's asking 'Why are things beautiful?'
Helping him answer it are Mathematician Vicky Neale, historian of science Simon Schaffer and philosophers Barry Smith and Angie Hobbs.
For the rest of the week Vicky, Simon, Barry and Angie will take us further into the history of ideas about beauty with programmes of their own. Between them they will examine the mathematics of beauty, whether beauty has moral force, whether beauty can be explained in evolutionary terms and how David Hume developed a theory of good taste.
In this omnibus edition all five programmes from the week are presented together.
FRI 21:58 Weather (b04p57lw)
The latest weather forecast.
FRI 22:00 The World Tonight (b04pcd5m)
Following UKIP's success at a second by-election, how can Labour and the Conservatives win back working class voters at the general election in May.
FRI 22:45 Book at Bedtime (b04pcd5p)
Sherlock Holmes: The Valley of Fear
Episode 10
The Valley of Fear, the last of the four Sherlock Holmes novels, ranks among Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's best work. The mystery begins with a coded warning of imminent danger, drawing the illustrious Sherlock Holmes and the faithful Dr. Watson to a secluded English country home. A trail of bewildering clues leads to sleuthing in the finest Holmesian tradition and the gripping backstory of a cult that terrorized a valley in the American West.
Reader ..... Sir Ian McKellen
Abridger ..... Neville Teller
Producer ..... Gemma McMullan.
FRI 23:00 A Good Read (b04p85nn)
[Repeat of broadcast at
16:30 on Tuesday]
FRI 23:30 Today in Parliament (b04pcd5r)
Mark D'Arcy reports from Westminster.
FRI 23:55 The Listening Project (b04pcd5t)
Karen and Nicole - Raising My Sister
Fi Glover introduces a conversation between a mother and her adult daughter about how she'll bring up her young sister after her mother's imminent death from cancer.
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 learn more about The Listening Project by visiting bbc.co.uk/listeningproject
Producer: Marya Burgess.