The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.
'Frauds' of the Left: Laurie Taylor examines the intellectual credibility of key thinkers of the New Left. Roger Scruton, Visiting Professor of Philosophy at the University of Oxford, argues that the modern academy is gripped by a form of 'group think' which fails to challenge the positions of theorists such as Michel Foucault and Antonio Gramsci. Has left wing fashion trumped credible argument? They're joined by Mark Fisher, Lecturer in Visual Culture at Goldsmiths, University of London.
Also, the significance of siblings in constructing a sense of self. Katherine Davies, Lecturer in Sociology at the University of Sheffield, discusses a study which suggests that the stories people tell about their similarity, or difference, from siblings have a critical role in shaping past, present and future identities.
Spiritual reflection and prayer to start the day with the Rev Duncan MacLaren.
Farmers in Ireland are angry over a two million Euro pay-off for the Irish Farmers Association's general secretary. Pat Smith was forced to resign in a row over his salary, but it then emerged that the large remuneration had been agreed by the union's president Eddie Downey, who's also since stepped down. The IFA is now challenging the legality of the payment. We also look ahead to the climate talks in Paris.
Tweet of the Day is the voice of birds and our relationship with them, from around the world.
Sir David Attenborough presents Australia's laughing kookaburra. At 45cm the laughing kookaburra is one of the world's largest kingfishers. Native to south and eastern Australia, they have now been introduced to Western Australia and parts of New Zealand. Although they do catch fish, they hunt mainly on land where they eat reptiles, small mammals and invertebrates. The cacophony of loud hooting laughs from which they get their Aboriginal name, is often produced by several birds in chorus. The cackling call is one of the few exotic bird sounds that is recognised around the world: a captive kookaburra named Jacko became a radio celebrity in Australia through his ability to break into that laughing call on demand. By the time of his death in 1939 he was one of the best known birds in the world.
Morning news and current affairs. Including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.
On Start the Week Andrew Marr explores goodness and its uneasy relationship with pleasure. The historian Robin Lane Fox looks to the work of Augustine and what is thought to be the first autobiography detailing the sinful excitement of youth before his anguished and hesitant conversion to Christianity. The philosopher Clare Carlisle explores Augustine's views on the link between desire and habit, while the psychoanalyst Adam Phillips asks why pleasure is more highly prized when it's perceived to be forbidden and guilty. Larissa MacFarquhar looks at the lives of those who have dedicated themselves to others and asks why do-gooders provoke deep suspicion in Western culture.
A magnificent account of Britain's railways and how track and carriage united a nation.
This series of readings includes an exploration of many aspects of the railway revolution, such as the challenges of 'railway time', the nuances of first, second and third class, the dificulties of lighting and heating, passenger comfort, what to eat when travelling and the history of refreshment stops and the commercial opportunities they brought - including the establishment of W.H.Smith and Son, who became the nation's first high street bookstore. Architecture and engineering are also covered, alongside the impact on social classes and gender.
Passengers may have a love-hate relationship with our railways, but few of us know much about the journey taken to get to where we are now.
"Simon Bradley's The Railways is magisterial. It's both authoritative and absorbing. A first class journey." Michael Palin
Episode 1: The coming of the trains shunted our vocabulary onto new tracks, and also did some odd things to time.
For the first of our listener week programmes we hear the experiences of three women with albinism, an inherited condition that affects the production of melanin, the pigment that colours the skin, hair and eyes. Sarah Ballard, Louise Taylor and Sara Krishan - all at very different stages in their lives - discuss what this genetic condition has meant to the way they live and to those around them.
Meet Jema Hewitt, freelance costume designer and craft writer, with a passion for steampunk - a subculture inspired by sci-fi. Her alter-ego Emilly Ladybird joins Jane to discuss the appeal of a parallel universe with its origins in the Victorian era and the recipes inspired by it.
We join listener Rushka Gray in her studio where she uses Victorian machinery to create contemporary art as part of her MA in Printmaking at Glasgow School of Art.
Carol Fox discusses the decision she made to have a child using donor sperm and her now adult daughter's hope to discover her father and half-siblings.
The true story of the Derbyshire village of Eyam during The Plague of 1665-66 in which characters and their values change as tragedy unfolds, as all the villagers effectively agree to stay in the village in order for the Plague not to spread.
A new young Rector battles for authority with the puritanical former rector. William announces the betrothal of Emmy and Rowland but then he and Stanley are called to tend to a sick villager who dies before they arrive. Stanley identifies plague from experience. William, shocked, fails to anoint the tailor. Stanley suspects the cause is cloth brought from London. It must be burnt and a quick burial to keep secrecy, prevent panic.
William ...... Al Weaver
Catherine ...... Emily Pithon
Thomas Stanley ...... David Calder
Emmy Sydall....... Charlie May-Clark
Rowland ...... Gerard Kearns
Alice Sydall ..... Daryl Fishwick
Mary Cooper ..... Melissa Sinden
It's something she knew nothing about until Christmas 2013, when her twin nephews were born, four months premature, at King's College Hospital in London.
They were immediately transferred to the neonatal intensive care unit. One twin, Harry, died three weeks later. The other, Jack, survived, with long-term health problems. Their parents - Clare's brother and sister-in-law - spent months by Jack's bedside. From knowing nothing about incubators, CPAPs, canulas and high dependency units, they found themselves plunged into a very different, and very intense world. They moved house and careers, and their 'normal' life turned upside down.
Of course, they're far from being the only ones. Every year, the KCH neonatal unit admits around 700 babies. Some are premature, others are full-term but with a variety of health problems. Some babies stay for just a few days, others for over a year.
Clare talks to parents whose everyday lives have been put on hold as their baby's struggle becomes all-consuming. As well as talking to her brother and sister-in-law, she hears from a mother whose son has a rare liver condition and a couple whose daughter - born at 23 weeks - is now at home after spending her first four months among bright lights and ever-bleeping monitors.
All these children owe their survival to the dedication and extraordinary high-tech skills of the doctors, surgeons and nurses, and to the care and expertise of a whole team of people, including ophthalmologists, radiographers, speech and language therapists, physiotherapists.
How do people in this immensely stressful situation - both parents and staff - cope?
Tony Hancock takes up astronomy, and discovers something terrible among the stars.
Between 1954 and 1959, BBC Radio recorded 102 episodes of Galton & Simpson's comedy but 20 went missing from the BBC archives, and had not been heard since their original transmission… until these faithful re-imaginings.
After a highly acclaimed first series, another five were lovingly re-recorded in front of a live audience at London's BBC Radio Theatre.
The Lad Himself …. Kevin McNally
Bill Kerr …. Kevin Eldon
Sid James …. Simon Greenall
Kenneth Williams …. Robin Sebastian
Andree Melly …. Susy Kane
Originally broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in November 1955.
Recreated for broadcast by BBC Radio Comedy for BBC Radio 4 and first broadcast in November 2015.
John Harris from the Guardian talks to university researcher, Penny Andrews, who, after a difficult childhood and adolescence, was finally diagnosed as autistic in her early thirties.
John is known for having two consuming passions music, and politics - and luckily he's developed a career that revolves around both. But around five years ago, he acquired a third area of expertise and curiosity: autism.
His son James was born in 2006 and, when he was 3, it was discovered he was autistic. For John and his partner, the next two or three years passed in a blur of educational therapy, tussles with officialdom, James's successful entry to a mainstream school, and reading: lots and lots of it.
In his first edition of One to One, John talked to Simon Baron-Cohen, Professor of Developmental Psychopathology at Cambridge University and Director of the University's Autism Research Centre.
Today he talks to Penny about how the condition has affected her life and how she has learnt to live with it, holding down an intellectually challenging job and married life.
They discuss how schools and employers can help those on the autistic spectrum to make the most of the gifts and talents they have, and to understand better the more challenging aspects of the condition.
George Osborne announced some changes in the Autumn statement that will have an impact on our energy bills. Industry that is energy intensive will be permanently exempt from the environmental levies added to our bills by government. But it means that households will be paying extra - another £5 each a year. However Osborne claims will be seeing a £30 reduction on our bills thanks to the new, less ambitious Energy Company Obligation that will take effect in 2017. So is he right?
According to Blue Cross pet charity there has been an increase in stolen pets of almost 40% compared to 2012. Now owners are backing the charity's call for tougher sentences for those who commit the crime, which Blue Cross hopes will act as a deterrent. Almost half of pet owners believe pets are being stolen to sell. And, as many stolen pets are already microchipped, why are more of them not found when the new owner brings them to the vets for the first check up.
Fraud involving rooms to rent rose by a third over the last year. That's according to Action Fraud - the UK's national fraud reporting centre. There were two and half thousand cases of fraud involving rooms to rent reported in England and Wales in the year to July 2014. This year there were more than three thousand three hundred reported cases.
Leaders from every country in the world are gathered in Paris for the latest conference on climate change. A leading expert tells us nothing has been achieved so far - and the growth of coal is the problem. We'll hear what the head of the world coal assocation has to say about that.
Just ahead of a critical shadow cabinet meeting, The Labour party has announced 75 per cent of its members are against air strike in Syria -- - one labour MP tells us she'll be voting for military action and refuses to be 'bullied'.
And we've the final part of Manveen Rana's journey across Europe with a Syrian family.
Virginia Woolf, sun hat firmly in place, scrambling along the dusty footpaths of Southern Spain - an unexpected image of the very English, upright writer more commonly associated with Bloomsbury. But in 1923 Woolf and her husband Leonard made an adventurous journey by boat, train, bus and mule to the remote mountain village of Yegen, where the British writer Gerald Brenan had made his home.
In a burst of intense, exploratory friendship, Woolf walked with Brenan through a landscape of goats and asphodels, opening up to him, and opening herself to the allure of Spain. "The mind's contents break into short sentences. It is hot; the old man; the frying pan; the bottle of wine".
She wrote about riding mules, about village sounds, and as she got into the rhythm of rural Spain fantasised about a new life abroad.
Virginia Woolf was the perfect exponent of the belief that walking clears the mind, expands the soul and strengthens the leg. On the centenary of Woolf's first published novel, Woolf biographer. Alexandra Harris takes us on four walks which inspired her, shaped her writing and character, and tell her story.
In part one Harris seeks out the paths where the determined walker would have tramped - through olive groves, past tangled vines, in thrall to the smell of orange blossom. She is accompanied in this Spanish sojourn by another writer, also seduced by the beauty of the Alpujarras, Chris Stewart, of "Driving Over Lemons" fame. Stewart was inspired 27 years ago to move to the area described in 'South From Granada', Gerald Brenan's classic portrait of Andalucía, in which Virginia Woolf's visit is also described.
They scramble up hillsides, leap into pools of icy water, and are deafened by the sound of cicadas, contemplating Virginia Woolf's time, walking and writing under the Spanish sun.
Psychological thriller. When the law has failed, is it ever morally acceptable to impose your own justice? Jane, by chance, says she has found the man who violently attacked her five years ago.
But Jane, a few years ago, mistakenly identified a man who she thought attacked her.
Lyndsey Marshall - is best known for her performance in The Hours, and as the recurring character Cleopatra on HBO's Rome, and as Lady Sarah Hill in BBC period drama Garrow's Law
Peter Whalley has written many taut psychological radio dramas for Radio 4, including The Longest Journey, The Missing Wife and The Trial. He was a long standing writer of Coronation Street before retiring, and is the author of ten thriller novels.
Tom Sutcliffe chairs a contest between the Welsh and the Scots, in the first of this season's 'revenge' fixtures. Last time these teams met, Wales beat Scotland by a single point. Myfanwy Alexander and David Edwards are the Welsh team, while Scotland is represented by Val McDermid and Roddy Lumsden.
The challenge is thrown down from the off, as the teams are asked: 'Why could Philip Pirrip, a short high-pitched cry, and the Saint who decided how we should calculate Easter, all have been seen by our grandparents in the mirror?' Tom will be providing clues whenever the teams are getting too bogged down or pursuing false trails, but they'll have points deducted for every kindly nudge they need in the right direction.
As always, several of today's questions have been selected from the many ideas submitted by listeners over the past year or so.
When Der Rosenkavalier made its British premier in 1913 there was heated debate about the appearance of the on-stage bed in the first scene, not to mention the hot-blooded music that accompanied the antics thereupon! However the manuscript of Richard Strauss' most popular opera is more about extraordinary precision and detail than passionate abandon.
The huge volumes held by the Austrian National Library were actually a part payment for a Viennese house Strauss was in the process of acquiring but their appeal to one of the world's leading Strauss conductors, Simone Young is the discipline and imagination of the score's contents. Also joining Frances Fyfield to see this huge work is the Viennese Baritone Clemens Unterreiner who, as the elderly Faninal finds himself performing the part of a character who comes from the same area of the city has he does.
The opera is perhaps most famous for its three central female characters, the Marschallin, her lover Octavian, usually sung by a Mezzo-soprano, and Sophie who eventually tears Octavian away from his initial relationship. Simone's Young's insights into this triangle and how Strauss evokes it in the score in some of the most visceral romantic music of the 20th century is a highlight of this quintessentially Viennese edition of Tales from the Stave.
There are big challenges faced by interfaith couples today; where to get married, how to bring up the children and where to be laid to rest. They are the concern of all faiths. As British society becomes more multicultural, are these challenges becoming greater for those who chose to marry someone of a different faith?
Ernie Rea discusses the pros and cons of interfaith marriage with Asad Zaman, an Imam for over 20 years who leads the Friday prayers at several mosques across Manchester; Dr Jonathan Romain, a Reform Rabbi who has written extensively on interfaith marriage; and Rosalind Birtwistle, Co-Founder of the Interfaith Marriage Network, who is a Christian married to a Jew.
Jeremy Corbyn won't try to force his MPs into voting against bombing IS militants in Syria. Obama says climate change summit in Paris could be the turning point for the planet.
The 64th 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 Dorking Halls where regulars Barry Cryer, Graeme Garden and Tim Brooke-Taylor are joined on the panel by Tony Hawks, 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. It is a BBC Radio Comedy production.
Jill enjoys making Christmas cakes to supply for Fallon and the new Tea Service at Bridge Farm's cafe. David, meanwhile, feels useless with his broken arm. Matthew, the contract miler originally taken on but then let go immediately when David decided not to leave Brookfield, will be coming back to work at Brookfield - starting tomorrow.
Bert plans to plant his memorial rose for Freda this week. Jill rejoices in the prospect of the Bull and Village Shop reopening properly. David's torn about whether to go to the Bull's reopening, given the family problems with Kenton. But he decides he should.
Clarrie has got Joe an appointment with the Council to assess him for emergency accommodation - but they need to find his birth certificate, which involves searching through old boxes. Joe finds it. Eddie and Clarrie check out a flat which they reluctantly agree to take. Reflecting on a pokey flat and low turkey sales: it seems it's going to be a grim Christmas for the Grundys.
Victor Frankenstein, Andrew McMillan, Shami Chakrabarti, Finding Winnie (the Pooh)
The film Victor Frankenstein stars James McAvoy as the scientist driven by a desire to create life and Daniel Radcliffe as his young assistant Igor. Larushka Ivan-Zadeh reviews the latest screen adaptation of the Frankenstein story.
Poets Andrew McMillan and Neil Rollinson explore sex and masculinity in their work; the first from a gay man's view point, the second from a straight perspective. Both have recently won top poetry prizes; the Guardian First Book Award and the National Poetry Competition.
Shami Chakrabarti of Liberty explores how literature can increase empathy in today's Reading Agency lecture. Author Nikesh Shukla joins her to discuss what we should be giving our children to read.
In 1914 Lindsay Mattick's great-grandfather rescued a female baby bear which became the real-life inspiration for Winnie-the-Pooh. She reveals the true story of the world's most famous bear.
In the final programme of this series Roger Harrabin asks whether politicians will strike a deal in Paris? So often climate conferences have ended in chaos and dispute but in the run up to Paris there has been something alien to climate talks - hope. Amongst all the tension, a remarkable number of governments have agreed plans to cut emissions. China and the USA appear to be walking hand in hand. The signs look good but do they add up to an agreement?
You can find links to transcripts of the interview done for this series on the Open University website creativeclimate.org
They say you can't take it with you but if you live in Greece how much money you have at the end of your life makes a big difference. Permanent plots in the country's packed cemeteries can cost as much as a small flat so most graves are rented for a three year period and once that time is up the dead are exhumed and their bones collapsed into a small box to be kept at the cemetery. Those relatives who can't afford the cost of the exhumation or the storage charge for the box of bones will have their loved one's remains thrown in a so called 'digestion' pit with countless others' where they are dissolved with chemicals. In the current economic climate and with continued capital controls, Greeks are struggling to pay for the burial costs and unclaimed bodies are piling up at mortuaries. But there are few cost effective alternatives because Greece happens to be one of the few EU countries without a crematorium - each time plans have been made to build one it has been blocked by the Greek Orthodox Church. Instead Greeks are forced to send their relatives' bodies to Bulgaria for cremation. For Crossing Continents, Chloe Hadjimatheou reports on the business of dying in Greece.
There's a silent army of workers who look after Britain's old and needy in their own homes. It's a rapidly growing group...but we rarely hear their stories.
In the first of two programmes, Sangita Myska follows the day-to-day lives of three care workers. We talk to the carers who do their jobs well and hear - in chilling detail - about the ones who do it badly.
"There was snow outside, the roads were bad. When I walked into the house I was struck by how cold it was. And what I saw next will stay with me forever. George was sitting, his skin grey from the cold. He was wet - a doubly incontinent man - and they hadn't put a pad on him. The blinds were shut, the lights were off, the telly was off, just waiting for someone to help".
It's a frustrating, revolving-door service where some of the visits last as little as 15 minutes. We hear of vulnerable people having up to 24 different carers a week and stories of basic care - and caring - being overlooked.
Jane - not her real name - is fairly new to care. We go with her on one of her visits - a lunchtime call to an elderly woman. The woman wanted a sandwich - but her bread was green with mould - despite the fact that she'd had a care worker in to make her breakfast and had three carers the previous day. Jane complains to her bosses - but she's not hopeful anything will change. She says her complaints so far have fallen on deaf ears.
The care workers are mostly on the minimum wage - or below. Staff turnover is twice that of any other industry. It's a disturbing picture of the state of domiciliary care.
Syria vote on Wednesday; Foreign Secretary says he expects Government to win it.
Ruth Rendell's final novel is a dark and atmospheric tale of psychological suspense read by Patricia Hodge.
Budding crime writer Carl could do with some extra cash. Renting out the top part of his house in Maida Vale - newly inherited from his father - will help his cash flow immensely. And what harm could it do to sell some slimming pills from his late father's stash of 'alternative medicines' to his actress friend Stacey, who's been putting on weight in the wake of a relationship break up?
Acclaimed by her literary peers and beloved by her readers, Ruth Rendell wrote over sixty novels in a career that spanned fifty years. She received numerous awards, including the Crime Writers' Association Gold Dagger for 1976's best crime novel with A Demon in My View, a Gold Dagger award for Live Flesh in 1986, and the Sunday Times Literary Award in 1990. In 2013 she was awarded the Crime Writers' Association Cartier Diamond Dagger for sustained excellence in crime writing. In 1996 she was awarded the CBE and in 1997 became a Life Peer. She died in May 2015, aged eighty-five.
Tonight: an unlucky trucker, a hopeful hitch-hiker and a host of Scottish ghostbusters.
As Jarvis climbs up into the Wireless Nights monster truck, he hears from a long distance lorry driver who received a nasty surprise, a hitcher trying to make it to Liverpool and he travels along the most haunted stretch of road in Scotland.
The strike by junior doctors in England is off. Susan Hulme reports on the breakthrough in the negotiations-- revealed by the Health Secretary in the Commons.
* MPs debate the current state of the Middle East.
* Tips in restaurants. Do they reach the people serving you ? Or do they get swallowed up by the restaurant management ?
* And the Transport Secretary says High Speed 2 will be finished six years early, in 2027.
TUESDAY 01 DECEMBER 2015
TUE 00:00 Midnight News (b06qv8f6)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.
TUE 00:30 Book of the Week (b06qhlhx)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:45 on Monday]
TUE 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b06qv8f8)
The latest shipping forecast.
TUE 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b06qv8fb)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
TUE 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b06qv8fd)
The latest shipping forecast.
TUE 05:30 News Briefing (b06qv8fg)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.
TUE 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b06rfg92)
Spiritual reflection and prayer to start the day with the Rev Duncan MacLaren.
TUE 05:45 Farming Today (b06qjqcj)
Farming's carbon footprint, Mistletoe auction, New phone app
As heads of state meet in Paris to discuss climate change, we ask what farmers could be doing to help reduce their carbon footprint. Anna Hill talks to a potato grower in Norfolk, who's qualified for a "carbon charter" award, by doing just that. We also hear from Hollywood film-maker James Cameron, who explains why his whole family is now vegan because of his concerns over climate change.
It's December 1st, and as the build-up to Christmas officially gets underway, we visit one of the best places to buy mistletoe. The Worcestershire town of Tenbury Wells has been holding mistletoe auctions for well over a century.
And we meet the farmer's son from Shropshire who's invented a new mobile phone app which allows farm contractors to invoice customers for jobs like harvesting and ploughing, direct from the tractor cab in the middle of the field.
Presented by Anna Hill and produced by Emma Campbell.
TUE 05:58 Tweet of the Day (b04t0mj0)
Greater Hill Mynah
Tweet of the Day is the voice of birds and our relationship with them, from around the world.
Sir David Attenborough presents the mimic specialist Greater Hill Mynah from Asia. Like many members of the starling family, Greater Hill Mynah's are superb mimics with a remarkable ability to reproduce the tones of the human voice. This makes them popular as cage and now some wild populations have been severely reduced by collecting. Hill mynahs are not just vocally outstanding. They're dapper looking birds too; glossy purplish-black with a white wing-patch and wattles of bright yellow skin under their eyes and around the back of their necks. The wild birds don't impersonate people though; it's only those captive birds which are amongst some of the best mimics of the human voice.
TUE 06:00 Today (b06qjqcl)
Morning news and current affairs. Includes Sports Desk, Yesterday in Parliament, Weather and Thought for the Day.
TUE 09:00 The Beauty of Equations (b06r50wh)
Jim al-Khalili was sitting in a physics lecture at the University of Surrey when he suddenly understood the power of equations to describe and predict the physical world. He recalls that sadly his enthusiasm was lost on many of his fellow students.
Jim wants to persuade the listeners that equations have a beauty. In conversation with fellow scientists he reveals the surprising emotions they feel when describing the behaviour of matter in the universe in mathematical terms.
For Carlos Frenk, Professor of Computational Cosmology at Durham University, one of the most beautiful equations is the one that is at the heart of Einstein's theory of general relativity. A century ago, Einstein wrote down his now famous field equations that linked the shape of the universe to the matter in it.
Jim and Graham Farmelo, the author of a biography of Paul Dirac called The Strangest Man, discuss why the Dirac equation is not as well known as Einstein's but, in their opinion, should be.
Dr Patricia Fara of Cambridge University, and Vice-President of the British Society for the History of Science, explains that although mathematics goes back centuries it was only in the 17th century that it was applied to the real world.
Jeff Forshaw, Professor of Particle Physics at the University of Manchester, talks about when he first realised the power of equations and about why, surprisngly, maths is so effective at describing the real world.
Science writer Philip Ball questions whether the beauty that scientists see in equations is really the same as we see in art.
And physics A Level students in Dr White's class at Hammersmith Academy in London reveal that they already appreciate equations.
TUE 09:30 The Misogyny Book Club (b064khpq)
Sex and Silence
Are men afraid of women's sexuality? And if so, why?
Jo Fidgen and company look for clues in Shakespeare's Hamlet, in the second in a series of programmes exploring misogyny in some of our most read books. When the young prince attacks his mother over starting a new relationship in middle age, he reveals an age-old fear that women have insatiable sexual appetites, and a patriarch's urge to control them.
Actor Charlotte Cornwell, who played Gertrude in the RSC production of Hamlet, talks about how she identifies with the character and how it felt to be on the receiving end of Hamlet's insults.
The contributors discuss how women gained a reputation for licentiousness and whether they have ever shaken it off. Their conversation takes in the invisibility of older women in society; the subtle ways in which women are silenced; and the way women police themselves.
TUE 09:45 Book of the Week (b06qjqcn)
Railways - Nation, Network and People
Episode 2
A magnificent account of Britain's railways and how track and carriage united a nation.
This series of readings includes an exploration of many aspects of the railway revolution, such as the challenges of 'railway time', the nuances of first, second and third class, the dificulties of lighting and heating, passenger comfort, what to eat when travelling and the history of refreshment stops and the commercial opportunities they brought - including the establishment of W.H.Smith and Son, who became the nation's first high street bookstore. Architecture and engineering are also covered, alongside the impact on social classes and gender.
Passengers may have a love-hate relationship with our railways, but few of us know much about the journey taken to get to where we are now.
"Simon Bradley's The Railways is magisterial. It's both authoritative and absorbing. A first class journey." Michael Palin
Episode 2. The nuances of the classes - the difference a seat makes.
Read by Stephen Tompkinson
Abridged and produced by Jill Waters
A Waters Company production for BBC Radio 4.
TUE 10:00 Woman's Hour (b06qjqcq)
Listener Week, Positive menopause experiences, Down's Syndrome
In the second of our Listener Week programmes, we talk to two women who were fortunate to have a very positive menopause - Jennifer Ballamy and Judith Wardel share their experiences.
Plus listener Sara Porter tells us how hearing a Woman's Hour discussion three years ago helped her decide to have a daughter she knew would be born with Down's Syndrome.
In the next in our series talking to artists who listen to the programme in their studio, reporter Felicity Finch visits sculptor Amelia Rowcroft at work in Sussex.
Listener Anna tells us about her fear of missing out on career opportunities after becoming pregnant just after starting her 'dream job'.
And DIY funerals: we speak to listener Virginia Prifti about her decision to manage her son's funeral and keep his body at home, and to Charles Cowling, the founder of the Good Funeral Guide - a website which helps people arrange the funeral they want.
Presenter: Jane Garvey
Producer: Emma Wallace.
TUE 10:45 15 Minute Drama (b06qjqcs)
Greater Love
Episode 2
Emmy's sister, Sarah has died, and the secret is out in the village. Stanley and William quell panic by assuring the villagers everything is under control.
Don Shaw's drama series charting the true story of the Plague in Eyam, Derbyshire in 1665.
William ...... Al Weaver
Catherine ...... Emily Pithon
Thomas Stanley ..... David Calder
Emmy ..... Charlie May-Clark
Rowland ...... Gerard Kearns
Alice Sydall ...... Daryl Fishwick
William ...... Roger Morlidge
Producer: Pauline Harris
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 2015.
TUE 11:00 The Secret Lives of Carers (b06qjqcv)
There's a silent army of workers who look after the vulnerable in their own homes. This is the story of four care workers whose employers are pioneering new ways of running care services.
They are a world away from the experience most people have of home care workers. But - we ask - is it possible for the state sector to provide this kind of care without costs going through the roof.
We hear about the Wiltshire scheme which allows care workers to decide how long visits should be, and lets the elderly person decide how they want to spend the time with their care worker. It's seen some dramatic results - with elderly people signed off their books within weeks.
We meet Rochelle who - after 20 years in the care industry - and having seen some shocking care, has now found a company where she feels she really can care. She talks about the small but significant changes that make a world of difference.
Perrine works for a private care company which "matches" very closely the personality and interests of the care worker with the person being cared for.
And we talk to Ashleigh, a 24 year old who does end of life care. She works for the charity Leonard Cheshire. She earns little above the minimum wage - but she's totally committed to her job and to the people she looks after.
These carers and the organisations they work for are determined to change the state of home care. But what chance do they have with constantly diminishing budgets?
Producer: Adele Armstrong.
TUE 11:30 Soul Music (b06qjtqs)
Series 21
Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika
Nkosi Sikelel iAfrica (Lord Bless Africa) is a song that runs through the very soul of South African life.
It was originally composed in 1897 by Enoch Sontonga, a Xhosa clergyman at a Methodist mission school near Johannesburg who is said to have been inspired by the melody of John Parry's 'Aberystwyth', a hymn that would've been shared by Welsh missionaries at that time. It went on to travel the African continent but most significantly it became one of the defining symbols of a united South Africa; A country that still holds this song at it's heart.
Having travelled through the country's Christian congregations it soon rang out from meetings and protest rallies throughout the apartheid era eventually becoming the unofficial anthem of the ANC (African National Congress Party). At a time of great hardship and pain, it was a song that offered hope and encouragement to millions of South Africans.
Having being sentenced to life imprisonment, Nkosi Sikelel iAfrica was the song that Nelson Mandela will have heard being sung out by his supporters as he and his fellow ANC members were driven away to Robben Island. Decades later it was the hymn that he would use to unify his country as it was adapted into the South African National Anthem.
Featuring interviews with: Albert Mazibuko of Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Lord Joel Joffe, author
Sindiwe Magona, Edward Griffiths - former CEO of South African Rugby during the 1995 World Cup, music journalist Robin Denslow and the Za Foundation's Zakhele Choir.
**We're sorry that due to copyright restrictions, if you are listening abroad, you will not be able to listen to this programme.**
Produced in Bristol by Nicola Humphries.
TUE 12:00 News Summary (b06qv8fj)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
TUE 12:04 One to One (b06rkc2l)
Frank Gardner talks to Tim Rushby-Smith
After a life changing injury or incident, one of the things that makes a huge difference on how you then move on with the rest of your life is what you can still do and can't do.
The BBC's Security Correspondent Frank Gardner regards himself lucky that he was able to carry on doing journalism after being shot 9 years ago in Saudi Arabia by terrorists. Some of those bullets hit the core of his body and damaged his spinal nerve - he can no longer use his legs and is in a wheelchair for the rest of his life. However, being able to return to work and continue with his profession has been one of the biggest factors in his own recovery.
Frank meets Tim Rushby-Smith who fell from a tree and had to face the fact he would no longer be able to carry on with his profession and livelihood.
Other editions of Frank Gardner's series can be found on the BBC iplayer
Producer : Perminder Khatkar.
TUE 12:15 You and Yours (b06qjtr0)
Call You and Yours
The Bank of England is reporting levels of debt rising at eight percent last year - that's the fastest yearly growth rate since before the crash. IS your personal debt mounting? Do you worry about it? Or does it make perfect sense for you to take advantage of the lending climate. Ring us on 03700100444.
TUE 12:57 Weather (b06qv8fl)
The latest weather forecast.
TUE 13:00 World at One (b06qjtr7)
We debate the likely impact of the UK joining the bombing campaign against IS in Syria; We have a report from the Oldham by election; And we look at the health of Britain's woodlands from high above the canopy in Epping Forest.
TUE 13:45 A Walk of One's Own: Virginia Woolf on Foot (b065tqys)
Kensington Gardens
A hundred years since the publication of Virginia Woolf's first novel, author Alexandra Harris wonders at the link between her writing and her passion for walking - this week exploring where it all began, in Kensington Gardens.
Accompanied by Woolf biographer Dame Hermione Lee - the pair set out on a walk which Virginia and would have done probably 20,000 times - from 22 Hyde Park Gate, across the busy traffic and into the park.
Re-enacting the scene, Hermione and Alex recall how - 'calling for his dog and his daughter' - Leslie Stephen, father to Virginia Woolf, set off twice daily for a constitutional walk around the park.
Passing the woman selling her "balloon of quivering airballs", the young girl entered a public world and set her imagination to work on all she encountered: people talking and shouting, skaters, statues, ranks of uniformed nannies.
All her life she would remember in vivid detail the early routines of sailing boats on the Round Pond, touching the bark of the 'Crocodile Tree', reading in the grass and starting to match words to experience.
Mike Fitt, the Royal Parks honorary historian joins them, to add his particular knowledge of Kensington Gardens to the mix.
Producer: Sara Jane Hall.
TUE 14:00 The Archers (b06qhyv6)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Monday]
TUE 14:15 Drama (b06qjyrp)
Oh You Pretty Things
When Ellie's ex gets in touch after 25 years, her husband Dave can't resist doing the same thing and gets in touch with his ex too. These exes are, for both partners, like roads not taken. Is there still time to go down those roads?
Written by Jon Canter
Produced and Directed by Clive Brill
A Brill production for BBC Radio 4.
TUE 15:00 The Educators (b06qjyrr)
What Finland Did Next
Since the first international comparisons in 2000, Finland has been at or near the top of league tables for the abilities of its teenagers in reading, maths and science. Experts and politicians flocked to its schools to discover what was leading to its success, and came away with a picture of autonomous schools, children starting school much later than in the UK, and having no tests until their final year.
What developed was seen by many as a myth surrounding Finnish education success, while the reality could be attributed to extensive teacher training, high quality lessons and a culture of literacy. But now, Finland is overhauling the way it teaches through 'phenomenon learning' - periods of the school year where learning isn't confined to single subjects, but students take on a broad topic and decide what, and how, they will learn. From 2016, it will be compulsory for all schools to teach with phenomenon projects, but Helsinki has already adopted it in the capital's schools. Sarah Montague interviews the city's Education Manager Marjo Kyllonen and visits a Helsinki school, to see the changes being made to a world-leading education system.
Presenter: Sarah Montague
Producer: Joel Moors.
TUE 15:30 Shared Experience (b06qjyrv)
Series 4
What Does Home Mean?
What happens to your idea of home when you're forced to leave your country and resettle in another? Fi Glover meets three people who had to do that to explore the concept of home.
Fran was a teenager when her father was made persona non grata by the Hastings Banda regime in Malawi. The family fled back 'home' to Britain, but Fran says she has not been able to settle in England in a culture she finds alien. Dragana left suddenly when war broke out in Bosnia, leaving her family in Banja Luka. The Netherlands became home for her as she lived with a host family, learnt Dutch, finished school and did a degree. She still lives there with her husband and children, but is it really home? Abiyot left Ethiopia when his life was in danger because of his political activism. He settled in Britain, took a degree and set up his own business. Britain, he says, is home for him, a place of safety and tolerance.
Producer: Maggie Ayre.
TUE 16:00 The Human Zoo (b06qjztq)
Series 7
The Tide Is With Us
The series that looks at current events through the lens of psychology. From scandals to markets, elections to traffic jams, discover the nuts and bolts of human behaviour that link public life to our most private thoughts and motivations.
Are people led by the head or by the heart? How rational are we? And how do we perceive the world? All human behaviour could turn up in The Human Zoo - including yours.
In this episode, Michael Blastland explores why so many people - be they the leaders of political parties, or people who drink too much - think other people share their beliefs and choices. All political parties tell us that the tide is going their way. But it's a strange tide that flows in all directions. Even extremists and revolutionaries, it seems, are likely to think that there are many other supporters eager to join them.
Why do we think so many more people are like us? Even when we're asked to describe the typical height of people we see around us, we're more likely to estimate too low if we're short and too high if we're tall.
How far does this tendency go, why do we do it, and what are its implications for politics, public health or extremists? Find out in The Human Zoo, recorded before an audience at Warwick University's Festival of the Imagination, featuring the latest psychological research, and the author AL Kennedy on how she goes about becoming someone else in fiction.
Michael Blastland is joined by resident Zoo psychologist Nick Chater, Professor of Behavioural Science at Warwick Business School, and roving reporter Timandra Harkness.
Producer: Dom Byrne
A Pier production for BBC Radio 4.
TUE 16:30 A Good Read (b06qjzts)
Dr Christian Jessen and James Wong
Dr Christian Jessen, James Wong, and presenter Harriett Gilbert nominate their favourite books. Under discussion are Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton, Louis Begley's novel Wartime Lies, and The Same Sea by Amos Oz. Producer Sally Heaven.
TUE 17:00 PM (b06qjztv)
PM at
5pm - Eddie Mair with interviews, context and analysis.
TUE 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b06qv8fn)
R4 1800 December 1 2015
David Cameron has urged MPs from all parties to back him on the eve of a Commons vote on air strikes against Islamic State militants in Syria. The cabinet has approved a motion.
TUE 18:30 Gloomsbury (b0418p77)
Series 2
Ever Decreasing Literary Circles
Flushed with her recent success, Ginny is to hold a literary salon, but she wants Vera to co-host it. They argue about where to have it, whom to invite and what kind of refreshments should be offered. Mrs Gosling is obstructive about the possibility of vegetarianism.
Meanwhile, Henry can't decide whether to carry on working for the Foreign Office or write a biography of Byron or Tennyson, and follows Vera round the castle unsuccessfully trying to elicit her advice.
When the great day arrives, Henry is banished from the castle lest he gets in the way. Instead of the longed-for literary celebrities, however, the only arrival at Sizzlinghurst that day is a snowstorm of apologetic telegrams. Hurt and aghast that nobody loves them, Vera and Ginny blame each other.
The only person who turns up is Venus, who wasn't invited and has never read a book in her life. Only as the day draws to a close does Vera remember with horror that today was Henry's birthday and that she has neglected him without so much as a card, a gift or a kiss. Wracked with guilt, Vera makes up to Henry on a pile of dusty sacks in Gosling's shed.
GLOOMSBURY - THE SERIES
Green-fingered Sapphist Vera Sackcloth-Vest shares a bijou castle in Kent with her devoted husband Henry, but longs for exotic adventures with nervy novelist Ginny Fox and wilful beauty Venus Traduces. It's 1921, the dawn of modern love, life and lingerie, but Vera still hasn't learnt how to boil a kettle.
Producer: Jamie Rix
A ittle Brother Production for BBC Radio 4.
TUE 19:00 The Archers (b06qjztx)
Lynda looks forward to the 'explosion of openings'- shop, tea room, Bull - and also having James and Leonie over for Christmas. Sadly, it'll be her first one without Scruff. Susan speculates on the mystery guest to switch on the Christmas lights.
Matthew the contract milker has arrived at Brookfield, so Rob's kind offer of help is not needed. Matthew gets a quick briefing from David, and an update on what Ruth's doing in New Zealand. He can't wait to get stuck in. Meanwhile, Rob delivers cheese to Lower Loxley and explains to Elizabeth that Helen has decided to stop driving. He also updates Elizabeth on their upcoming appointment with the midwife and finds out all about Deck The Hall and Lower Loxley over Christmas.
Elizabeth is aghast at Lynda's changes to the space at Lower Loxley for her Calendar Girls rehearsals. However, Elizabeth's pleased with her calendar photo - but what will Susan think of hers? Elizabeth and Susan do well in rehearsal, with Lynd ain her note-giving praising the truth in their performances. Susan checks that Elizabeth's ok - she's clearly drawn on something very personal. Susan and Elizabeth are nervous about tomorrow's rehearsal - where they have to undress...
TUE 19:15 Front Row (b06qjzv0)
Queen Anne, John Napier, Google Cultural Institute, Sunset Song
Kate Williams, author of historical novel The Edge of the Fall, reviews Queen Anne, a new play by Helen Edmundson at the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford.
Theatre designer John Napier is behind the iconic shows Cats, Miss Saigon and Les Miserables. As he puts on his first major exhibition in his 50 year career he discusses his influences and his approach to design.
Google has announced partnerships with performing arts institutions across the world as part of their project, the Google Cultural Institute. Oliver Franklin-Wallis from Wired magazine tells us what's in it for Google.
Sunset Song is the new film directed by Terence Davies. Adapted from the classic novel by Lewis Grassic Gibbon, it's the story of a Scottish crofter's daughter who comes of age in the early 1900s and stars Agyness Deyn. Hannah McGill reviews.
This year's Man Booker winner Marlon James has said the books market is dominated by white middle class readers demanding stories of 'personal ennui'. Crystal Mahey-Morgan discusses how publishers respond to readers when commissioning novels.
Presenter : Kirsty Lang
Producer : Dymphna Flynn.
TUE 19:45 15 Minute Drama (b06qjqcs)
[Repeat of broadcast at
10:45 today]
TUE 20:00 The Nervous Breakdown of the Internet (b06qjzv2)
Modern life relies on internet security. But cyber-criminals have rocked confidence and revealed shocking complacency. Edward Lucas explores how trust can be restored.
Breaches of computer networks at TalkTalk and Ashley Madison have highlighted the dangers we face on the internet. Cyber-crime will cost the global economy an annual $500bn. And our plight is set to worsen. The internet was never designed to be the central nervous system of modern life. Nobody foresaw its role in the media, e-commerce, e-banking, infrastructure, and entertainment.
The prize for attackers is data - they can steal, degrade or destroy, in order to blackmail, impersonate or bankrupt us.
At every stage of the internet's development, cost and convenience trumped security. Now we have to deal with a legacy of out-of-date systems and ingrained complacency, at a time when our dependence is growing. Our attackers have the advantage - they feed on a huge and lucrative criminal economy, they buy the weapons they need in sophisticated markets and launder their proceeds with anonymous electronic money.
Edward Lucas considers the problem with security experts and shows the shocking ease with which hackers can steal data. He examines where responsibility lies - with the government, companies and individuals - and discusses potential solutions - from Estonian-style biometric identity cards to "bug bounties" for those who find errors in hardware and software.
Legislation, commercial pressure, education and changing social norms can all help secure the internet and, with it, our modern way of life.
Presenter: Edward Lucas
Producer: Kate Dixon
A Whistledown production for BBC Radio 4.
TUE 20:40 In Touch (b06qjzv4)
Lily-Grace's cane, Nystagmus
Peter White goes to Bristol to meet Lily-Grace Hooper, the blind child who's been told she can't use her long cane in school for health and safety reasons. And we talk about the merits of Wobbly Wednesday, the campaign to raise awareness of the eye condition, Nystagmus.
TUE 21:00 All in the Mind (b06qjzv6)
Bilingualism, Kevan Jones MP, Talking therapies and memorising art
Claudia Hammond talks to Dr Catherine Loveday to find out why being bilingual can protect against the damage caused by a stroke. She explains why it might all be down to something called cognitive reserve. Kevan Jones MP explains why he chose to talk about his own experience of depression to parliament and explains his role as judge on this year's All in the Mind awards. In 2008 the government introduced 'Improving Access to Psychological Therapies' services for people with depression and anxiety across parts of England. IAPT has expanded in the 7 years since then but new figures just out reveal a huge variation in recovery rates and waiting times across England. Claudia talks to one of the founders of IAPT, Professor David Clark to ask why there is such a variety of success across the country and what can be done to improve it. Claudia visits Tate Liverpool and their 'An Imagined Museum' exhibition to find out how the brain remembers works of art.
TUE 21:30 The Beauty of Equations (b06r50wh)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:00 today]
TUE 21:58 Weather (b06qv8fq)
The latest weather forecast.
TUE 22:00 The World Tonight (b06qjzys)
MPs Prepare for Syria Vote
Cameron tells his MPs not to side with "terrorist sympathisers". Is China a good guy at Paris climate talks? A fat-shaming incident on London tube - are we a "fat -phobic" society?
TUE 22:45 Book at Bedtime (b06s2j93)
Dark Corners
Episode 2
Patricia Hodge reads from the final novel by Ruth Rendell, a dark and atmospheric tale of psychological suspense.
In Maida Vale, London, Carl struggles to accept his part in the untimely death of his actress friend Stacey. The slimming pills he sold her are perfectly legal, after all. Carl also doesn't like the way his new lodger, Dermot, is taking an interest in the case, even going so far as to attend the coroner's inquest.
Read by Patricia Hodge.
Abridged by Robin Brooks.
Produced by Kirsteen Cameron.
TUE 23:00 Liam Williams: Ladhood (b06qk005)
Series 1
House Party
Liam Williams - a two-time Edinburgh Festival Award nominated comedian - shares his teenage misadventures in the Yorkshire suburbs.
With evocative monologues by "Adult Liam" being interjected with flashback scenes from his teenage years, this four-part series was recorded in Leeds and stars teens from Yorkshire.
Each episode delves into Liam's memories of his first fight, virginity loss, the best house party ever organised, and his marvellous outwitting of an entire teaching staff.
This is the New Labour, post-mining, aspirational heartland, meeting 50 Cent and Generation Y ennui, represented in a bourgeois radio format - by one of Britain's most exciting comedians.
Producer: Arnab Chanda
A BBC Radio Comedy production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in 2015.
TUE 23:30 Today in Parliament (b06qk007)
TIP: MPs prepare for Wednesday's day-long debate on military action in Syria. George Osborne appears before the Treasury Committee. And peers mark World Aids Day. Sean Curran reports from Westminster.
WEDNESDAY 02 DECEMBER 2015
WED 00:00 Midnight News (b06qv8gk)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.
WED 00:30 Book of the Week (b06qjqcn)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:45 on Tuesday]
WED 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b06qv8gm)
The latest shipping forecast.
WED 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b06qv8gp)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
WED 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b06qv8gr)
The latest shipping forecast.
WED 05:30 News Briefing (b06qv8gt)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.
WED 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b06rfg7m)
Spiritual reflection and prayer to start the day with the Rev Duncan MacLaren.
WED 05:45 Farming Today (b06qkf75)
Global Shortage of the Badger TB Vaccine
The badger vaccination programme in Wales is having to be suspended, due to a shortage of the vaccine BCG, which is also used to inoculate humans against tuberculosis.
Today the president of the NFU Meurig Raymond will be in Paris for Farmers' Day at the Climate Change talks.
A new Agricology website claims to translate scientific research into understandable, practical help for organic and eco-friendly farmers.
Presented by Anna Hill and produced by Beatrice Fenton.
WED 05:58 Tweet of the Day (b04t0mqf)
White Tern
Tweet of the Day is the voice of birds and our relationship with them, from around the world.
Sir David Attenborough presents the widespread marine species, the white tern. Also known as fairy terns or angel terns, these are very slender, long-winged birds, brilliant white except for a black, slightly-upturned bill, dark eyes and very short blue-grey legs. In flight, their wings appear almost translucent. For such a delicate-looking bird, they have rather harsh calls. Unusually they lay their eggs on a bare branch. The female tern selects a small groove in the bark or on the leaf-stalks of palms where her single egg will be most secure. Here, on its tropical tightrope, the egg is safer from ground predators like rats and because there's no nesting material, there's less chance of parasites.
WED 06:00 Today (b06qkfdk)
Morning news and current affairs. Includes Sports Desk, Yesterday in Parliament, Weather and Thought for the Day.
WED 09:00 Midweek (b06qkfdm)
Marin Alsop, Sir Michael Codron, Wayne Hemingway, Carey Marx.
Libby Purves meets conductor Marin Alsop; producer Sir Michael Codron; designer Wayne Hemingway and comedian Carey Marx.
Conductor Marin Alsop is music director of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and the Sao Paulo Symphony Orchestra. In 2013 she was the first woman to conduct the Last Night of the Proms, returning again in 2015. She will be conducting the BBC Symphony Orchestra and Singers, presenting music by British composer Judith Bingham, at the Barbican Concert Hall. The concert will also be broadcast on BBC Radio 3.
Producer Sir Michael Codron has staged hundreds of productions during his long career - many of them at the time new plays including Harold Pinter's The Birthday Party and Joe Orton's Entertaining Mr Sloane. He is the producer of Mr Foote's Other Leg, a new comedy set in Georgian London which explores society's obsession with the rise and fall of celebrity. Mr Foote's Other Leg is at the Theatre Royal, Haymarket in London.
Designer Wayne Hemingway co-founded the Red or Dead fashion label with his wife Gerardine. The couple are the authors of The Vintage Fashion Bible which takes a chronological look at 20th century fashion for men and women. It also offers a practical guide to buying, styling and restoring vintage clothing. The Vintage Fashion Bible by Wayne and Gerardine Hemingway is published by David and Charles Publishers.
Carey Marx is a comedian who suffered a heart attack in 2012. He survived and has turned his experience into a stand-up show. Although he says comedy about a heart attack isn't to everyone's taste, he describes writing the show as a cathartic experience. Intensive Carey is on BBC Radio 4.
Producer: Paula McGinley.
WED 09:45 Book of the Week (b06qkglh)
Railways - Nation, Network and People
Episode 3
A magnificent account of Britain's railways and how track and carriage united a nation.
This series of readings includes an exploration of many aspects of the railway revolution, such as the challenges of 'railway time', the nuances of first, second and third class, the dificulties of lighting and heating, passenger comfort, what to eat when travelling and the history of refreshment stops and the commercial opportunities they brought - including the establishment of W.H.Smith and Son, who became the nation's first high street bookstore. Architecture and engineering are also covered, alongside the impact on social classes and gender.
Passengers may have a love-hate relationship with our railways, but few of us know much about the journey taken to get to where we are now.
"Simon Bradley's The Railways is magisterial. It's both authoritative and absorbing. A first class journey." Michael Palin
Episode 3. The great sweep of social and economic change initiated by the railways meant that not only could we now move faster, but things were different when we stopped.
Read by Stephen Tompkinson
Abridged and produced by Jill Waters
A Waters Company production for BBC Radio 4.
WED 10:00 Woman's Hour (b06qkglk)
Listener Week; Glass blower Laura McKinley
Listener Week . We meet glass blower, Laura McKinley as she works alongside a number of other glass blowers at a studio in Bermondsey in South London. We hear from Marie McNamara - and her teacher Dr Vicky Duckworth - about learning to read as an adult. "Nadia" and Raj share their experiences of having partners of a different faith alongside Rabbi Jonathan Rainer. And Lyndsey, Kathy and Karen talk about their relationship with their breasts and the impact they have on everything from their health, to their self-confidence, and fashion choices.
Presented by Jenni Murray
Producer Beverley Purcell.
WED 10:41 15 Minute Drama (b06qkglm)
Greater Love
Episode 3
Villagers are trying to flee, and Stanley tries to persuade them to stay. As Emmy loses more of her family, her mother is losing her mind. Marshall Howe volunteers to bury the dead if he can keep their belongings.
Don Shaw's drama series charting the true story of the Plague in Eyam, Derbyshire in 1665.
William ...... Al Weaver
Catherine ...... Emily Pithon
Thomas Stanley ...... David Calder
Emmy ....... Charlie May-Clark
Rowland ....... Gerard Kearns
Alice Sydall ....... Daryll Fishwick
Thornley ....... Roger Morlidge
Marshall Howe ...... Ian Bartholemew
Producer: Pauline Harris
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 2015.
WED 10:55 The Listening Project (b06qkkzk)
Michaela and Mary - With Lots of Sparkle
Fi Glover introduces a conversation between a Salvation Army chaplain and a young women with a troubled past, who is now forging ahead on her own. Arranged via the Vicar's Relief Fund, one of the beneficiaries of the Radio 4 Christmas appeal, this is another conversation in the series that proves it's surprising what you hear when you listen.
The Listening Project is a Radio 4 initiative that offers a snapshot of contemporary Britain in which people across the UK volunteer to have a conversation with someone close to them about a subject they've never discussed intimately before. The conversations are being gathered across the UK by teams of producers from local and national radio stations who facilitate each encounter. Every conversation - they're not BBC interviews, and that's an important difference - lasts up to an hour, and is then edited to extract the key moment of connection between the participants. Most of the unedited conversations are being archived by the British Library and used to build up a collection of voices capturing a unique portrait of the UK in the second decade of the millennium. You can learn more about The Listening Project by visiting bbc.co.uk/listeningproject
Producer: Marya Burgess.
WED 11:00 The Joy of 9 to 5 (b06qkkzm)
Lucy Kellaway investigates the persistent taboo over salaries, and asks who benefits from this secrecy.
What we are paid is rarely a meritocracy. Studies show that if you are taller, more attractive, have better hair, you're likely to take home a bigger pay packet. Even the most popular way of rewarding extra effort at work - performance related pay - has been shown to demotivate and demoralise workers.
Lucy steps inside at a broad range of offices to investigate - from Suma Wholefoods in Halifax where all 200 employees, whether driving a forklift or trading commodities, earns exactly the same amount, to Gravity Payments, where the CEO has just cut his million dollar salary to fund his promise that no employee will earn less than $70,000.
Speaking to workers and business leaders, Lucy asks whether there is a fairer way of cutting up the cake.
Written and presented by Lucy Kellaway
Producer: Lucy Greenwell
Executive Producer: Russell Finch
A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4.
WED 11:30 Barry Cryer at 80 (b06kgvcd)
Barry Cryer is one of the most significant figures in British comedy. He wrote for Danny La Rue, David Frost and Morecambe & Wise, and has been a fixture on television and radio since the 1960s. He is of course best-known, and best beloved, to the Radio 4 audience for his work on I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue, the "antidote to panel games" which has been running since 1972.
To mark Barry's 80th birthday his son, Bob Cryer, organised a gala performance at the Palace Theatre in London's West End, in aid of one of Barry's favourite charities. Radio 4 is delighted to present a selection of highlights from the evening, which sees friends, family, contemporaries and other acts he loves assemble to pay tribute to the man the comedy world knows simply as "Uncle Baz".
Producer ... Ed Morrish
A BBC Radio Comedy Production.
WED 12:00 News Summary (b06qv8gw)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
WED 12:04 One to One (b06rkbzy)
Mary Ann Sieghart talks to Charles Hanson
Mary Ann Sieghart talks to Charles Hanson who was convicted for the murder of his third wife, Julie, seventeen years ago.
Now in his sixties, Charles has spent over half his life in prison for a string of violence related crimes; violence being the only way he knew, to resolve conflict. When Julie ran off with his son from his first marriage,Charles decided the only course of action left open to him, was to resort to murder. He explains to Mary Ann why he came to this conclusion, why even the threat of the death penalty would not have deterred him, how it took him eight years to feel remorse and how the event still haunts him.
The two previous editions of this series, in which Mary talked to those who for very different reasons had taken someone else's life, can be found on the BBC iplayer.
Producer: Lucy Lunt.
WED 12:15 You and Yours (b06qklpd)
Care Crisis?, Zero-energy homes, Holiday car hire
Consumer affairs programme.
WED 12:57 Weather (b06qv8gy)
The latest weather forecast.
WED 13:00 World at One (b06qkl13)
We report on the debate in the Commons by MPs ahead of a motion on Wednesday night on RAF airstrikes against ISIL in Syria.
WED 13:45 A Walk of One's Own: Virginia Woolf on Foot (b066vwsd)
Cornwall
When a new steam train connected Paddington to St Ives, Leslie Stephen, Virginia Woolf's father, decided that taking a family house at the tip of England would benefit the whole family. So, packing up the entire household - children, dogs, servants and books - the Stephens travelled West. Talland House would be their deeply loved holiday home for 3 months every year.
From Gurnard's Head to Zennor, the young Virginia learnt to stride out on ambitiously long walks over rugged gorsy cliff paths and lonely granite-strewn moors. She would never stop re-writing these landscapes of early happiness - in her novels, her diaries, her memoirs; and she would keep coming back - alone or with family and friends - 'bringing the sheaves' of her adult life back to the places of her childhood.
Woolf's walking was the counterpart to her imaginative roaming, and the rhythm of her steps would often set the pace of her prose. Alexandra Harris sets out to follow some of her paths by the sea with writer Michael Bird.
Producer: Sara Jane Hall.
WED 14:00 The Archers (b06qjztx)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Tuesday]
WED 14:15 Tumanbay (b06qcs6w)
Series 1
A Head Start
In the first episode of this epic saga inspired by the Mamluk slave-dynasty of Egypt, Gregor (Rufus Wright) – Master of the Palace Guard – is charged by Sultan Al-Ghuri (Raad Rawi) with the task of rooting out an insurgence and crushing it.
Tumanbay, the beating heart of a vast empire, is threatened by a rebellion in a far-off province and a mysterious force devouring the city from within.
Cast:
Gregor......................................Rufus Wright
The Girl on the Ship..................Olivia Popica
Her Mother...............................Nathalie Armin
The Slave Merchant..................Nabil Elouahabi
Cadali.......................................Matthew Marsh
Frog..........................................Deeivya Meir
Frog's Mother...........................Sirine Saba
Basim.......................................Alexander Siddig
Sarah.......................................Nina Yndis
Envoy.......................................Nadir Khan
Shajar......................................Sarah Beck Mather
Madu........................................Danny Ashok
Sultan Al-Ghuri.........................Raad Rawi
General Qulan.........................Christopher Fulford
Physician.................................Vivek Madan
Daniel......................................Gareth Kennerley
Maid.........................................Laure Stockley
Ship Captain............................Albert Welling
All other parts played by:
Christian Hillborg
Stefano Braschi
Alex Utgoff
Music - Sacha Puttnam
Sound Design - Steve Bond, Jon Ouin
Editors - Ania Przygoda, James Morgan
Producers - Emma Hearn, Nadir Khan, John Dryden
Written and Directed by John Dryden
A Goldhawk production for BBC Radio 4
WED 15:00 Money Box (b06qklxt)
Money Box Live: Renting and Letting
Join Paul Lewis and an expert panel for the latest renting and letting issues. What will the impact be on landlords and tenants from the stamp duty increase on buy-to-lets announced by The Chancellor in the Autumn Statement? Plus: plans for rent controls in Scotland and a new licensing scheme for landlords in Wales. And of course advice from the panel on your legal rights either as a tenant or a landlord.
The panel:
Chris Town, Residential Landlords Association
Marie Parris, George Ellis Property Services
Stephen O'Neill, Newton Property
Giles Peaker, Solicitor; Anthony Gold
E-mail moneybox@bbc.co.uk now or call 03700 100 444 from
1pm to
3.30pm on Wednesday.
WED 15:30 All in the Mind (b06qjzv6)
[Repeat of broadcast at
21:00 on Tuesday]
WED 16:00 Thinking Allowed (b06qkp8j)
Everyday life, Cafe society
Everyday life: Laurie Taylor talks to Les Back, Professor of Sociology at Goldsmiths, University of London, about his study into those seemingly unimportant aspects of life which throw a spotlight on the relationship between history, culture and biography. Returning to the council estate in Croydon where he grew up, and where his extended family still live - it tells a story about community formation, housing crisis and the geography of class through Christmas decorations. They're joined by Bev Skeggs, fellow Professor of Sociology at Goldsmiths.
Also, Sarah Neal, Reader in Sociology at the University of Surrey, discusses multicultural conviviality in coffee shops.
Producer: Natalia Fernandez.
WED 16:30 The Media Show (b06qkp8l)
Lord Puttnam on public service broadcasting, Peter Salmon on BBC Studios, I'm a Celebrity
Lord David Puttnam, whose credits include the Oscar-winning Chariots of Fire and The Killing Fields, is spearheading an inquiry into the future of public service broadcasting. It's aim is to look at the 'nature, purpose and role of public service television today and in the future'. The inquiry is being seen as a challenge to the eight-person advisory committee appointed by Culture Secretary John Whittingdale, to guide his conclusions on the renewal of the BBC's Royal Charter. Steve Hewlett talks to Lord Puttnam about what he hopes the inquiry will achieve, and gets his views on the current state of the UK's broadcasting ecology.
The Media Show recently spoke to Jesse Norman, the Chair of the Commons culture, media and sport select committee following a letter he had sent to the Director General of the BBC Tony Hall. Mr Norman raised concerns over the corporation's plans to turn most of its in house production arm into a new commercial subsidiary, BBC Studios, and let it compete in the market for business. Very little detail of the BBC's proposals has been outlined, raising questions about governance, regulation and conflict of interest. Steve speaks to Peter Salmon, Director BBC studios.
The controversial star of I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! Lady Colin Campbell has unexpectedly left the jungle today. Love her or hate her, fans of the ITV show agree that she has made compelling TV, in this, the fifteenth series of the format. Steve speaks to one of the original I'm a Celebrity creators Natalka Znak, and to Elaine Bedell, Director of entertainment and comedy at ITV, about the enduring appeal of the show, and why it's continuing to attract audiences, where other formats have failed.
Producer: Katy Takatsuki.
WED 17:00 PM (b06r8qxp)
PM at
5pm - Eddie Mair with interviews, context and analysis.
WED 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b06qv8h0)
Cameron calls for attacks on "medieval monsters", Corbyn warns of mission creep. The Treasury wants to make public sector redundancy deals less generous
WED 18:30 Tom Wrigglesworth's Hang-Ups (b06qkp8n)
Series 3
Profit and Loss
Mr and Mrs Wrigglesworth receive some bad news about a friend while Granny helps Tom with a "gambling situation".
Sitcom where Tom Wrigglesworth phones home for his weekly check-in with his Mum, Dad and Gran, giving us a glimpse into his family background and the influences that have shaped his temperament, opinions and hang-ups.
Tom ...... Tom Wrigglesworth
Dad ...... Paul Copley
Mum ...... Kate Anthony
Granny ...... Elizabeth Bennett
Written by Tom Wrigglesworth and James Kettle with additional material by Miles Jupp
Producer: Richard Morris
A BBC Radio Comedy production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in December 2015.
WED 19:00 The Archers (b06qkp8q)
Lynda gives a rather nervous Harrison Burns a guide to the staging for Calendar Girls and they rehearse a key scene with Harrison as Lawrence the photographer and Lilian's character dropping her robe for a photo. The cast are relieved that the props will help with concealment, but Lynda has to break it to Susan that they won't be wearing body stockings.
People are looking forward to the Bull's grand reopening on Friday. Lilian reports that Lynda's excited to be moving home to Ambridge Hall at last. It might be a bit early for Robert to buy Lynda another dog - perhaps next year.
Clarrie has found Joe some emergency accommodation from the Council. On the way to look at it, Joe accompanies Bert as he goes to plant his rose for Freda in the Bull's garden. Eddie worries about how Joe will cope in his accommodation. Eddie explained to Joe that Will and Ed would love to help out, but 1 The Green isn't ready yet. Eddie confides in Bert that Joe's trying to make the best of it, but you can see it's breaking Joe's heart.
WED 19:15 Front Row (b06qkp8s)
A Very Murray Christmas, Conductor Xian Zhang, Macbeth at Young Vic, Big Bang show
In the new musical comedy, A Very Murray Christmas, Bill Murray stars as the host of a television Christmas special who is stranded in a New York hotel. Jason Solomons reviews. It's released on Netflix on 4 December.
Xian Zhang's appointment as Principal Guest Conductor of the BBC National Orchestra and Chorus of Wales makes her the first female conductor to have a titled role with a BBC orchestra. She discusses her love of music which started with a homemade piano in China at the age of three, and has taken her to conducting at the highest level in the classical music world.
Following their acclaimed collaboration on Medea at the National Theatre, director Carrie Cracknell and choreographer Lucy Guerin create a new version of Macbeth that fuses Shakespeare's verse with contemporary dance. It's at the Young Vic in London 26 November - 23 January, Birmingham Repertory Theatre 26 - 30 January and at HOME in Manchester 2 - 6 February.
We visit the new exhibition at Somerset House in London, Big Bang Data, about the big data explosion of the 21st century which is radically transforming our lives. Kirsty Lang meets the curator and talks to some of the artists involved.
Big Bang Data opens on 3 Dec till 28 Feb.
Presenter: Kirsty Lang
Producer: Elaine Lester.
WED 19:45 15 Minute Drama (b06qkglm)
[Repeat of broadcast at
10:41 today]
WED 20:00 Moral Maze (b06qkp8w)
Moral Certainty
We live in a complex world where it's often hard to know what's the right thing to do - the right thought to think. But there are increasing sectors of our public discourse where any sense of moral ambivalence or doubt will not be tolerated. Race, homosexuality, child abuse are just some of the touchstones where any expression of doubt is often pounced on and hounded out, especially on social media. Our Moral Maze this week isn't about freedom of speech, or political correctness; it's about the moral value of certainty. We prize and reward moral certainty and consistency, especially in politics, but also business and even sport. Any expression of doubt is seen as weakness - even moral turpitude. Is this a good way of binding society with a set of common values? Or is the public shaming that follows the transgression of those boundaries not so much about morality, but ensuring conformity that itself is a kind of prejudice? Do we need a bit more humility about our moral certainties? Or would that mean bowing thoughtlessly to the latest fashionable cause? Bertold Brecht made the point that doubt is a good servant but a bad master. In an uncertain world if we don't stick to our values do we risk indecisive moral paralysis?
Chaired by David Aaronovitch with Matthew Taylor, Claire Fox, Michael Portillo and Anne McElvoy. Witnesses are Iain McGilchrist, Katie Hopkins, Professor Andrew Samuels and Ben Harris-Quinnery.
WED 20:45 Four Thought (b06qkp8y)
D Is for Diagnosis
Ann York discusses diagnoses - and how receiving one of her own has made her think differently about giving them to others.
Ann is a world-renowned child and adolescent psychiatrist, whose expertise is sought far and wide. In this intimate and fascinating talk she discusses the difficulties of giving a diagnosis, describing the benefits and the disadvantages, and how the young people in her care, and their parents, respond when diagnosed. And in front of an audience at Somerset House she describes how her own experiences with an unexpected diagnosis have affected how she thinks about her own work.
Producer: Katie Langton.
WED 21:00 The Incubator (b06qhlj3)
[Repeat of broadcast at
11:00 on Monday]
WED 21:30 Midweek (b06qkfdm)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:00 today]
WED 22:00 The World Tonight (b06qkp90)
MPs vote on military action against IS
10 1/2 hour parliamentary debate; reaction from Syria; RAF planes on standby.
WED 22:45 Book at Bedtime (b06s2jhq)
Dark Corners
Episode 3
In this, her final novel, Ruth Rendell returns to a favourite theme: investigating the dark places reached by humans when psychological pressure is brought to bear upon them.
Debut crime novelist, Carl, struggling to make ends meet, bitterly regrets accepting the first person to apply to rent the top part of his house. Dermot has proven to be a slippery and manipulative tenant, making much of his knowledge that Carl sold slimming pills to a friend who subsequently died. Indeed, Dermot has now stopped paying rent altogether. Almost broke, Carl reluctantly faces the prospect of having to confess all to Nicola, his girlfriend.
Read by Patricia Hodge.
Abridged by Robin Brooks.
Produced by Kirsteen Cameron.
WED 23:00 Little Lifetimes by Jenny Eclair (b06qkq9l)
Series 2
Beverley in Shoes
by Jenny Eclair
Beverley ..... Samantha Spiro
Beverley might have once travelled the world but now she prefers watching programmes about baking. Beverley wants security and safety, but why?
Producer, Sally Avens
WED 23:15 Before They Were Famous (b03cnjpq)
Series 2
Episode 1
Even the most successful of writers have, at some point, had to take day jobs to pay the bills.
Ian Leslie presents the second series of this Radio 4 spoof documentary, which sheds light on the often surprising jobs done by the world's best known writers in the days before they were able to make a living from their art.
In a project of literary archaeology, Leslie unearths archive examples of early work by great writers, including Fortune Cookie messages written by Germaine Greer, a political manifesto by the young JK Rowling, and a car manual written by Dan Brown. In newspaper articles, advertising copy, and company correspondence, we get a fascinating glimpse into the embryonic development of our best-loved literary voices.
We may know them today for their novels, plays or poems but, once upon a time, they were just people with a dream - and a rent bill looming at the end of the month.
Producers: Anna Silver and Claire Broughton
A Hat Trick production for BBC Radio 4.
WED 23:30 Today in Parliament (b06qkpcb)
Susan Hulme reports from Westminster as MPs vote on military action in Syria.
THURSDAY 03 DECEMBER 2015
THU 00:00 Midnight News (b06qv8hv)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.
THU 00:30 Book of the Week (b06qkglh)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:45 on Wednesday]
THU 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b06qv8hx)
The latest shipping forecast.
THU 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b06qv8hz)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
THU 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b06qv8j1)
The latest shipping forecast.
THU 05:30 News Briefing (b06qv8j3)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.
THU 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b06rfgn7)
Spiritual reflection and prayer to start the day with the Rev Duncan MacLaren.
THU 05:45 Farming Today (b06qkr4j)
Slavery in British farming, Saving the world's grasslands, The Milk Fountain
Migrant workers employed in the food and farming industry in Lincolnshire say they are the victims of modern day slavery. The BBC's Linsey Smith has uncovered exploitation, low wages, dangerous working conditions and poor treatment.
Environmentalist Allan Savory says better livestock management is the key to halting climate change. As others call for a cut in meat consumption to reduce greenhouse gases, he says farmers should be managing stock to mimic nature and it could save the grasslands from turning into deserts.
And farmers take the countryside to the capital - we're on London's South Bank to take a look at large milk bottle fountain.
Presented by Charlotte Smith and produced by Sybil Ruscoe.
THU 05:58 Tweet of the Day (b04t0msp)
Black Swan
Tweet of the Day is the voice of birds and our relationship with them, from around the world.
Sir David Attenborough presents a widely regarded symbol of Australia, the black swan. These stately looking birds are native to the wetlands of south-western and eastern Australia. The New Zealand population was hunted to extinction but has now been reintroduced there. Their plumage is charcoal grey rather than black and beautifully ruched along their lower back, hiding the white primary feathers which are fully revealed in flight. Their only colour is a raspberry- coloured bill. Black swans behave like nomads, tracking local rains and breeding when they can. In Britain as a collection bird, a few have even cross-bred with mute swans to produce a greyish hybrid nick-named the 'Blute Swan'.
THU 06:00 Today (b06qkr6d)
Morning news and current affairs. Includes Sports Desk, Yesterday in Parliament, Weather and Thought for the Day.
THU 09:00 In Our Time (b06qkrks)
Voyages of James Cook
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the scientific advances made in the three voyages of Captain James Cook, from 1768 to 1779. Cook's voyages astonished Europeans, bringing back detailed knowledge of the Pacific and its people, from the Antarctic to the Bering Straits. This topic is one of more than a thousand different ideas suggested by listeners in October and came from Alysoun Hodges in the UK, Fiachra O'Brolchain in Ireland, Mhairi Mackay in New Zealand, Enzo Vozzo in Australia, Jeff Radford in British Columbia and Mark Green in Alaska.
With
Simon Schaffer
Professor of the History of Science at the University of Cambridge
Rebekah Higgitt
Lecturer in the History of Science at the University of Kent
And
Sophie Forgan
Retired Principle Lecturer at the University of Teesside
Chairman of Trustees of the Captain Cook Museum, Whitby
Producer: Simon Tillotson.
THU 09:45 Book of the Week (b06qkrkv)
Railways - Nation, Network and People
Episode 4
A magnificent account of Britain's railways and how track and carriage united a nation.
This series of readings includes an exploration of many aspects of the railway revolution, such as the challenges of 'railway time', the nuances of first, second and third class, the dificulties of lighting and heating, passenger comfort, what to eat when travelling and the history of refreshment stops and the commercial opportunities they brought - including the establishment of W.H.Smith and Son, who became the nation's first high street bookstore. Architecture and engineering are also covered, alongside the impact on social classes and gender.
Passengers may have a love-hate relationship with our railways, but few of us know much about the journey taken to get to where we are now.
"Simon Bradley's The Railways is magisterial. It's both authoritative and absorbing. A first class journey." Michael Palin
Episode 4. The railways altered the shape and character of the landscape, as well as giving us access to all corners of the country. Feats of engineering created bridges that have stood the test of time.
Read by Stephen Tompkinson
Abridged and produced by Jill Waters
A Waters Company production for BBC Radio 4.
THU 10:00 Woman's Hour (b06qkrkx)
Listener Week, Knitted art, Being vegan, Santiago at 70, Selling the family home
In the fourth of our Listener Week programmes we talk to listeners Hannah Phoebe Bowen and Lunda Kinnard about what attracts them to their vegan lifestyles.
70-year old Woman's Hour listener Maggie de Vos recalls how she walked 500 miles across Spain on a pilgrimage from Pamplona to Santiago. She self-published her diary 'Santiago at Seventy', and tells Jenni what motivated her to set out alone.
As part of our series Women in One, reporter Abigail Hollick asks a woman and her husband sitting on a bench by Albert Dock in Liverpool about bringing up their children.
Listeners feedback about the Woman's Hour item 'Getting Your Dream Job'.
22-year old textile design graduate and Woman's Hour regular listener Alice Blackstock from Bangor in Northern Ireland describes how she creates art on her 1950s knitting machine.
Listeners Sophie Jonas-Hill and Joan Willows discuss the emotional impact of selling the house they grew up in.
Presenter: Jenni Murray.
THU 10:45 15 Minute Drama (b06qm3mf)
Greater Love
Episode 4
Emmy has the fever herself, and William and Catherine have taken her into the rectory. Marshall Howe, the official burier of the dead, discovers a lone child, who is traumatised and unable to speak.
Don Shaw's drama series charting the true story of the Plague in Eyam, Derbyshire in 1665.
William ...... Al Weaver
Catherine ...... Emily Pithon
Thomas Stanley ...... David Calder
Emmy ....... Charlie May-Clark
Rowland ....... Gerard Kearns
Alice Sydall ....... Daryll Fishwick
Thornley ....... Roger Morlidge
Marshall Howe ...... Ian Bartholemew
Producer: Pauline Harris
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 2015.
THU 11:00 Crossing Continents (b06qm3mh)
Albania: Shadows of the Past
Maria Margaronis explores the debris of Albania's painful past-the prison labour camps, concrete bunkers and secret police headquarters--as archives are unlocked and new monuments put up in an effort to redefine who Albanians are. The country's citizens are trying to come to terms with history and move on from Enver Hoxha's dictatorial regime, the pyramid schemes and the political and economic collapse that followed. Instead of moving on, though, many are moving out of the country altogether. Do their leaders' efforts represent real change, or are they just an attempt to plaster over the cracks and reinforce Albania's plan to enter the EU?
THU 11:30 Writing a New Nigeria (b06qm3mk)
Ideas of Identity
A portrait of Nigeria, seen through the eyes of a new generation of writers and poets. In the second programme of the series, Wana Udobang meets the writers who are exploring Nigerian ideas of identity.
The protagonist in Igoni Barrett's latest novel is a black Nigerian who, one morning, wakes up white. Barrett uses this scenario to explore Nigerians' sense of themselves in relation to other nationalities - particularly Europeans and Americans.
Wana also considers Nigerian geographical and ethnic identities. The north of Nigeria is under-represented in Nigerian English-language literature. Novelists Abubakar Adam Ibrahim and Elnathan John are addressing this imbalance: both have written books which are set in the North but which give a more nuanced portrayal, beyond Boko Haram and communal conflict. Elnathan's novel is a coming-of-age story and Abubakar's is a romance between a widow and a young gangster. We also hear from poet and novelist Lola Shoneyin who takes on the sensitive subject of polygamy in her story The Secret Lives of Baba Segi's Wives.
Nigeria is a country of many languages. Alongside English - and Pidgin English - there's Hausa, Yoruba, Igbo and many others. Writers Kola Tubosun and Jumoke Verissimo consider the influence of these on writing in English - and the way that both fiction and social media can promote the survival of minority languages.
But if fiction is to flourish, it needs an infrastructure. Many established novelists have had to look outside Nigeria to achieve recognition and success. Publishers Eghosa Imasuen and Bibi Bakare-Yusuf discuss the challenges of popularising poetry and fiction in a market where self-help and inspirational books completely outsell every other genre.
'Writing a New Nigeria' is produced in partnership with the British Council as part of UK/Nigeria 2015-16
Producer: Jeremy Grange.
THU 12:00 News Summary (b06qv8j5)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
THU 12:04 One to One (b06rk9lc)
Emma Barnett
Emma Barnett is 29 and Women's Editor of the Daily Telegraph. She regards herself as a feminist: she demands equality in the workplace and in all aspects of her secular life. But she has a secret. As an orthodox Jew, when attending synagogue, she is happy to sit separately from the men, not to take part in the service and finds it hard to embrace the concept of women rabbis.
Emma tries to resolve this contradiction by talking to Sarah,who also wrestles with this dilemma - the values she holds in her secular life are not the same as those she holds onto in her religious one.
Sarah is a highly successful barrister, a feminist and orthodox jew, she explains how she relieves the tensions raised by her contradictory life.
Producer: Lucy Lunt.
THU 12:15 You and Yours (b06r0b4b)
Lies, Fraud and Forgery
You & Yours investigates what happened to millions of pounds of pension money, that was invested by more than a thousand people into a self-storage firm.
The programme has heard from dozens of people who transferred their frozen pensions into the unregulated investment, and who are concerned their funds are now worthless.
Investigative reporter, Shari Vahl, speaks to former salesman who say lies, fraud and forgery was used to get £100 million transferred into the UK firm, Store First.
Those salesmen, who worked for a separate sales firm, Jackson Francis, say their immediate managers told them to lie to get clients signed up. They also admit forging documents, and witnessing other staff copying client signatures.
The programme uncovers details of secret multi-million pound commission deals arranged between Store First, and the company that was funding the Liverpool sales team, TransEuro Worldwide Holdings Ltd.
Over two years, £33 million was paid by Store First to Gibraltar based, TransEuro.
The controllers of Jackson Francis, TransEuro Worldwide Ltd, and Store First say that didn't know about any of the salesmen's allegations.
Presented by Winifred Robinson
Produced by Natalie Donovan.
THU 12:57 Weather (b06qv8j7)
The latest weather forecast.
THU 13:00 World at One (b06r0b4g)
After MPs voted for military action, British jets have been in action against targets in Syria, with eight more planes leaving the UK to join the air strikes. We assess the importance of oil revenue to the group Islamic State. We'll get reaction from Syria and Russia and look at the political fall out here. Also on the programme, the Justice Secretary Michael Gove has scrapped the controversial criminal courts charge. We'll get the details.
THU 13:45 A Walk of One's Own: Virginia Woolf on Foot (b067wnnd)
Sussex
Alexandra Harris visits East Sussex, where Virginia Woolf lived and walked from 1911 until her death.
Asham, was the Woolf's first home - re-named 'Little Talland House' - making it the descendent of the Cornish holiday home she had loved as a child. Virginia and Leonard lived through the first world war here, and left with great sadness when the lease was up.
Their next home, Monks House was small and basic, but it was theirs. The garden was vast, with a view on to the fields and hills beyond, where Woolf loved to roam alone for hours, reciting her words to herself after a morning writing. There were almost too many possible paths: towards Charleston - the home of Woolf's sister Vanessa, or across Iford Down, or along the river to Piddinghoe.
In the company of Scarlett Baron, Alexandra Harris steps out in Woolf's footsteps to the river Ouse and Southease, the route she would have taken most often, to the post office.
Producers: Sarah Bowen and Sara Jane Hall.
THU 14:00 The Archers (b06qkp8q)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Wednesday]
THU 14:15 Drama (b06r8gms)
1977
by Sarah Wooley
In 1977 the bestselling children's novel Watership Down was made into an animated film. Malcolm Williamson, Master of the Queens music, had been hired as the film's composer. But all was not well. Williamson, a notoriously difficult and complicated man, was under extreme pressure; it was the Queens jubilee year and he was over commissioned. When the film's conductor, Marcus Dods, arrived looking for the film's score he found to his horror that all that existed were two small sketches of music which amounted to no more than seven minutes of screen time. With an expensive orchestra and recording studio booked for the following week, the film's future looked to be in jeopardy. In desperation he turned to the one person he knew could help; composer and arranger Angela Morley. But she, for her own reasons, was going to need some persuading...
Directed by Gaynor Macfarlane.
THU 15:00 Open Country (b06qml0k)
Welsh Valleys after Coal
Felicity Evans asks how the valleys of south Wales near Caerphilly have fared since the mines closed. She visits new parklands that have been planted where the collieries once stood.
She begins at Senghenydd, site of two mining disasters just one hundred years ago, one of them the worst ever experienced at a UK mine. Former teacher in the village and now a broadcaster, Roy Noble reflects on the legacy of the disaster, and how it's still remembered even though a primary school has been built on the site of the mine, since the pit was closed nearly 50 years ago.
Felicity also visits two other parks in the Caerphilly area which have been created on the sites of former collieries: Parc Cwm Darran which was planted in the 1980s, and Parc Penallta, which has been developed since the Millennium. How do residents relate now to their local landscape, and the memorials to the industry that once defined the region?
Producer: Mark Smalley.
THU 15:27 Radio 4 Appeal (b06qg0nn)
[Repeat of broadcast at
07:54 on Sunday]
THU 15:30 Open Book (b06qgp5m)
[Repeat of broadcast at
16:00 on Sunday]
THU 16:00 The Film Programme (b06qml0n)
Terence Davies on Sunset Song, Chris Milk on Virtual Reality
With Francine Stock
Terence Davies talks about Sunset Song, which has been 18 years in the making
Virtual reality guru Chris Milk discusses the future of making feature films in the new medium.
Mike Kelt reveals how to make it rain in the movies.
Documentary-maker Mark Burman explains why he transcribed the script of Star Wars at the age of 13, after watching it 21 times.
THU 16:30 BBC Inside Science (b06qml0r)
Science funding, Carbon capture storage, Graphene
Science Funding Review
In the Comprehensive Spending Review last week, the Government announced its commitment to protect the science budget in 'real terms'. After five years of declining spending on science, this has been welcomed by many in the research community. But a lot of the detail is still to emerge. Adam asks Minister for Universities and Science, Jo Johnson where the extra funds are coming from? Is it a case of money being moved around, between departments or is there really an extra £1.5 billion, over the next 5 years, in the science research pot?
Carbon Capture Storage
Five years ago, amid much fanfare, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne, committed £1 billion to the development of carbon capture and storage - the technology to extract carbon dioxide from the exhaust streams of power stations, and bury it underground. This technology is one strategy for reducing our impact on the climate while keeping coal, oil and gas as options for generating energy. Given the discussions going on right now over in Paris at the United Nations Climate Change Conference, COP 21, this might seem like a suitable commitment for the UK's plans to address global warming. But in the recent Comprehensive Spending Review, the Government have withdrawn the money, effectively ending the current CCS research in the UK.
Graphene
In contrast, one of the many recent success stories in UK science, graphene, is set to be a focus of research in the Government's plans. Graphene is the world's first truly two dimensional material; incredibly strong, very light and extremely flexible. It is also capable of conducting heat and electricity, so it is a material exciting scientists and industry alike. Since the isolation of graphene in Manchester in 2004 the UK has been at the forefront in graphene research. This year the National Graphene Institute in Manchester was opened, with a remit to link basic, fundamental research to graphene commerce and industry.
Producer: Fiona Roberts.
THU 17:00 PM (b06r0b4n)
Eddie Mair with interviews, context and analysis.
THU 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b06qv8j9)
3/12/2015
David Cameron warns bombing campaign against Islamic State group in Syria will take time
THU 18:30 Tina C (b06qmpqw)
Tina C: Herstory
Episode 1
Country music star Tina C presents her life story, starting with her humble origins in deepest Tennessee and taking us all the way to where she stands today - a global feminist icon, and political powerhouse. And she can still knock out a tune or two too.
Tina will be joined on stage by a three-piece band who will help her recreate her biggest hits, and a special guest interviewer who will talk to her about her struggles.
In this first episode, Tina recalls her childhood. A humble start in life provides a rich seam of stories which fed into her early work. Family has always been important to Tina - as tracks like Hard Times, Don't Be Afraid to Start Crying, and Tramp on a Trampoline show.
From the moment her second album No Dick's As Hard As My Life was released, the world took notice of country music singer Tina C. Since then she has become a global brand. Following 9/11 she has been travelling the world 24/11 working for peace and being a poster girl for American democracy, selling that unique vision of hope to the rest of the world whether they want it or not. Seductive and persuasive, she is here to recruit you to her world view. She is the living embodiment (and what a body) of soft power. Tina C. has performed in venues all over the world, with her own TV show and five series on BBC Radio. You can run but you can't hide from Tina C.
Tina is the creation of Christopher Green, a multi-award winning writer and performer.
"Tina C is one of my favourite performers. She is witty, often outrageous and always in tune! I can't wait to see what Chris Green comes up with next" Sir Ian McKellen
""Christopher Green's Tina C is one of the great comic creations of the age. A genuinely fine country singer, but with a twist of satire and insight which is rare and to be highly prized". Stephen Fry
Written & performed by Christopher Green.
Additional voices: Debra Baker & Leo Wan.
The Band: Duncan Walsh-Atkins, Mark Hardisty & Phil Wraith.
Special guest interviewer: Dr Raj Persaud.
Producer: Victoria Lloyd
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2015.
THU 19:00 The Archers (b06qmpqy)
Rex and Toby help with the village hall refurbishment by delivering Jennifer's old kitchen units. Adam spots them loading it up and for a moment thinks they're thieves. The boys are clearly doing their best to make themselves more popular with the local community - which will of course also be good business PR for them. Toby even tries to schmooze Adam about his interest in soil fertility, as Adam and Brian head off to see a farm for a soil fertility day.
Meanwhile, Kate has got planning permission for her, as Brian calls it, "mad scheme". Adam says she might surprise them, but Brian points out Kate's track record. On their journey they spot that Keepers Cottage has been let. Adam worries about the Grundys, who have to leave Grey Gables any day now. At the Witney farm, Brian's impressed by a chap who's not as radical as Adam, but Adam says that in five years' time these farmers will be modelling themselves on Home Farm.
Toby teases Rex about his feelings for Pip. Rob seems rather uninterested in the upcoming touch-rugby event (not physical enough). He also declines the offer of Fairbrother geese for the Bridge Farm shop, mentioning that they're not organic.
Rob has organised a private scan for Helen and is delighted to discover they're having a boy.
THU 19:15 Front Row (b06qv764)
Carlos Acosta, Sheridan Smith's Funny Girl, Gregory Porter
John Wilson talks to ballet star Carlos Acosta, as he begins his farewell UK tour.
Susannah Clapp reviews a new production of Funny Girl, starring Sheridan Smith in the role made famous by Barbra Streisand.
Gregory Porter talks about the special edition of his Grammy award-winning jazz album Liquid Spirit.
And Ian McMillan on his poem for the Trafalgar Square Christmas tree, inspired by schoolchildren.
THU 19:45 15 Minute Drama (b06qm3mf)
[Repeat of broadcast at
10:45 today]
THU 20:00 The Report (b06qmpr0)
Changing Jihadi Minds
How do you go about trying to change a person's fundamental beliefs? And how do you decide who is in need of state intervention to do so?
Public sector workers now have a legal obligation to refer suspected Islamist and far right extremists to a local body known as a Channel panel. Referees deemed to hold extremist views are offered ideological mentoring, usually on a voluntary basis.
The government says its Channel deradicalisation programme is a success, helping prevent vulnerable people from being drawn into terrorism. But some British Muslims see it as a Big Brotherish state spying operation, wreathed in secrecy and suspicion. John Ware enters the "pre-criminal space" to find out - from the inside - how Channel works.
Producer: Simon Maybin
Researcher: Kirsteen Knight.
THU 20:30 In Business (b06qmpr2)
Antony Jenkins Talks to Kamal Ahmed
In his first interview since being ousted as Chief Executive of Barclays, Antony Jenkins talks to the BBC's Business Editor, Kamal Ahmed. He discusses the challenges he faced at the troubled bank as he sought to change the culture and behaviour of its staff. And he predicts a worrying future for the banking sector, which he says could see staffing levels halved as technology and financial start-ups transform the industry.
Producer Caroline Bayley.
THU 21:00 BBC Inside Science (b06qml0r)
[Repeat of broadcast at
16:30 today]
THU 21:30 In Our Time (b06qkrks)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:00 today]
THU 22:00 The World Tonight (b06qmq75)
Latest on Syrian airstrikes, Can Labour heal its deepening rift?
Top US official tells us how America plans to defeat ISIS; can the Labour Party heal its deepening rift? And why the thirst for whisky has gone global.
THU 22:45 Book at Bedtime (b06s2kq3)
Dark Corners
Episode 4
The final novel by Ruth Rendell, read by Patricia Hodge.
Dermot's threatening presence in the house in Maida Vale has become all-pervasive. After Carl reveals the hold Dermot has over him, Nicola decides to confront him herself. But Dermot refuses to be cowed and instead turns the focus upon her, describing how abhorrent he finds it that she and Carl are living in sin. A dark and atmospheric tale of suspense by a doyenne of the form.
Read by Patricia Hodge.
Abridged by Robin Brooks.
Produced by Kirsteen Cameron.
THU 23:00 Jon Ronson On (b01rw4q3)
Series 7
Being Normal
As a new edition of the American Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) is published this year, writer and documentary maker Jon Ronson travels around the UK meeting people whose behaviour might be considered normal, but may soon fall under the criteria of some brand new disorders.
He goes to a competitive eating competition in Bristol to speak to a man who has been obsessed with his weight. And he visits Adam Buxton, who may be a candidate for "intermittent explosive disorder" as he is prone to losing his temper in an explosive way.
Psychiatrist Dr Joanna Moncrieff says she believes the DSM is amplifying a tendency to label more and more people as having health problems. While Dr Jeffrey Lieberman, president elect of the American Psychiatric Association, which publishes the DSM, defends the manual saying it does not attempt to pathologise normal behaviour such as anger but look at repeated behaviour.
Jon also hears from David Aaronovitch who was sent to a psychiatrist by his parents for being a shouty teenager and he wonders if, these days, he would be misdiagnosed? Finally Jon speaks to Alex Trenchard who tells his story for the first time of how his obsession with his music festival resulted in a prison sentence.
Producer: Lucy Greenwell
A Unique production for BBC Radio 4.
THU 23:30 Today in Parliament (b06qmq79)
Sean Curran reports as there are calls for a security review over the abuse directed at some MPs over the vote on bombing Syria and for a faster roll-out of broadband services.
The House of Lords debates the Chancellor's autumn statement, the Commons calls for greater tax transparency in Britain's Overseas Territories and MPs marvel at the Speaker's staying power.
FRIDAY 04 DECEMBER 2015
FRI 00:00 Midnight News (b06qv8zs)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Followed by Weather.
FRI 00:30 Book of the Week (b06qkrkv)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:45 on Thursday]
FRI 00:48 Shipping Forecast (b06qv8k4)
The latest shipping forecast.
FRI 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (b06qv8k6)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
FRI 05:20 Shipping Forecast (b06qv8k8)
The latest shipping forecast.
FRI 05:30 News Briefing (b06qv8kb)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.
FRI 05:43 Prayer for the Day (b06rfh6q)
Spiritual reflection and prayer to start the day with the Rev Duncan MacLaren.
FRI 05:45 Farming Today (b06qmqyx)
Badger TB Jabs, Crofting, Embrapa and meat substitute made from potato!
The global shortage of TB jabs could now hit the badger vaccination programme in England. The British Veterinary Association says the need for human vaccine should have priority.
Herefordshire Council is selling nearly five thousand acres of tenant farmland.
We meet a biochemist who's made meat out of potatoes - well it's actually meat tasting food made from potato, soy and wheat and he believes it could help in the battle to save our climate.
And Nancy Nicolson reports on preserving the crofting lifestyle. Can it survive an influx of newcomers?
Presented by Caz Graham and produced by Sybil Ruscoe.
FRI 05:58 Tweet of the Day (b04t0m7p)
Red-throated Caracara
Tweet of the Day is the voice of birds and our relationship with them, from around the world.
Sir David Attenborough presents the red-throated caracara from the Amazonian rainforest. The size of buzzards, red-throated Caracaras are black- and -white birds of prey that travel together when searching for paper wasp nests among the leaves. While some birds search for food, others act as sentinels on the lookout for predators. If a monkey or a spotted cat approaches, the sentinel will alert the flock and together they will mob the intruder with loud calls. They specialise in bee and wasp grubs, but seem impervious to stings and it was once thought that they may possess a special repellent which deters the adult insects. Latest research now shows that when they are disturbed by the caracaras, paper wasps keep away from their damaged nest to avoid further danger and so the birds simply take advantage of the wasp's absence.
FRI 06:00 Today (b06qrmt7)
Morning news and current affairs. Includes Sports Desk, Yesterday in Parliament, Weather and Thought for the Day.
FRI 09:00 Desert Island Discs (b06qg1ls)
[Repeat of broadcast at
11:15 on Sunday]
FRI 09:45 Book of the Week (b06qms9j)
Railways - Nation, Network and People
Episode 5
A magnificent account of Britain's railways and how track and carriage united a nation.
This series of readings includes an exploration of many aspects of the railway revolution, such as the challenges of 'railway time', the nuances of first, second and third class, the dificulties of lighting and heating, passenger comfort, what to eat when travelling and the history of refreshment stops and the commercial opportunities they brought - including the establishment of W.H.Smith and Son, who became the nation's first high street bookstore. Architecture and engineering are also covered, alongside the impact on social classes and gender.
Passengers may have a love-hate relationship with our railways, but few of us know much about the journey taken to get to where we are now.
"Simon Bradley's The Railways is magisterial. It's both authoritative and absorbing. A first class journey." Michael Palin
Episode 5: The enduring appeal of the railways - enthusiasts are so much more than just trainspotters. And what do trainspotters do anyway?
Read by Stephen Tompkinson
Abridged and produced by Jill Waters
A Waters Company production for BBC Radio 4.
FRI 10:00 Woman's Hour (b06qv7nd)
Listener Week, Innovative sanitary pad producing in Zaatari refugee camp
Jill Watts and university life in your 70's.
Amy Peake and her innovative quest to produce sanitary pads in Zaatari Refugee camp in Jordan.
The female menopause seen through the eyes of their male partners. Listener Paul Freeman and Patrick Shervington discuss.
Listener Hilary Johnson explains her choice to make and sell handbags and give up her health and social care career.
Further thoughts from on having to sell the family home.
FRI 10:45 15 Minute Drama (b06qms9m)
Greater Love
Episode 5
Rowland tries desperately to find a way for he, Emmy and the boy to flee the village, but it's too late. As the loss increases in the village, William and Stanley reconcile their differences.
Conclusion of Don Shaw's drama series charting the true story of the Plague in Eyam, Derbyshire in 1665.
William ...... Al Weaver
Catherine ...... Emily Pithon
Thomas Stanley ...... David Calder
Emmy ....... Charlie May-Clark
Rowland ....... Gerard Kearns
Producer: Pauline Harris
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 2015.
FRI 11:00 Ancient Ways with Bettany Hughes (b06qms9p)
Episode 1
Bettany Hughes follows the ancient Roman road to Istanbul. Tracing its route through Albania, Macedonia and Greece, she explores how the Egnatian Way helped to shape Europe and the Middle East.
Founded in the second century BC, the Via Egnatia was a critical axis of the Roman Empire. It joined Rome to the riches of the east, and became the site of some of the most significant turning points of its history - the place where the forces of the Roman republic lost to the heirs of Julius Caesar, and the route on which St Paul brought Christianity to Europe. Later it was the route the Crusaders took to the holy land, a vital Byzantine communication link and the base from which the Ottoman Turks controlled their vast European holdings.
In the first episode, Bettany journeys from Adriatic shores of Albania to the Macedonian plain where Alexander The Great grew up.
Written and presented by Bettany Hughes
Producer: Russell Finch
A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4.
FRI 11:30 Michael Frayn's Matchbox Theatre (b06qms9t)
Episode 2
Michael Frayn - the most comic philosophical writer of our time.
An all-star cast has great fun with Frayn's hilarious view of us all. People talking. To each other, to the world at large, to themselves. Explaining. Heard, overheard, half-heard.
In this episode, we eavesdrop on two strangers in a café. Patricia Hodge is the woman who can't get names right. Joanna Lumley, listening in at the next table, longs to correct her. Adam Godley becomes increasingly obsessive in a doctor's surgery. Matthew Wolf, attending a lecture on words, doesn't care for the phrase 'if you like'. Sophie Winkleman and Charles Edwards, trying to find their destination, have 'WIC' - that's 'Words in Car'.
Stephen Fry is a politician who believes he has mastered the intricacies of his mobile phone. Tom Hollander and Nigel Anthony share confidences in their own mathematically precise language. And Julian Sands suffers at the hands of Martin Jarvis' Pinteresque writer-tormentor.
This four-part series is Theatre in miniature. Short entertainments based on Frayn's recently acclaimed book, Matchbox Theatre. His brand new collection, now on the radio - the theatre of the listener's imagination. Set design, ice-cream sales, packet of nuts, where to sit - it's up to you. Just sit back and enjoy.
With
Patricia Hodge
Joanna Lumley
Adam Godley
Matthew Wolf
Sophie Winkleman
Charles Edwards
Stephen Fry
Tom Hollander
Nigel Anthony
Julian Sands
Martin Jarvis.
Producer: Rosalind Ayres
Director: Martin Jarvis
A Jarvis and Ayres production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in December 2015..
FRI 12:00 News Summary (b06qv8kd)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
FRI 12:04 One to One (b06rk8zp)
Michael Grade speaks to Juno Roche
Michael Grade has always been fascinated by those who choose to take great risks. Michael was born into an immigrant family who risked everything to find a new life in an unknown country.
In this programme for the interview series One to One, he talks to Juno Roche who also took the same leap of faith into a new world when she transitioned two years ago.
Juno says that in choosing to change sex the risk is all encompassing: 'You have no idea what awaits you on the other side. Will you be able to walk down the street without being labelled a freak? Will you have any friends or family who will accept you?'
Producer: Lucy Lunt.
FRI 12:15 You and Yours (b06qv7ng)
Fake Facebook profiles, Argos deliveries, High streets minister
A You & Yours listener has accused Facebook of long delays in taking down a fake profile, which was used to bully his teenage daughter. The use of social media by bullies has been widely reported, but questions remain over whether social media companies respond quickly and decisively enough when they are told that their sites are being misused.
The government's high streets minister Marcus Jones tells You & Yours about his vision for the future of England's town centres. There are fewer empty shops now than at any time since 2010, but many towns are still struggling to inject life into their main shopping streets.
Argos customers have been telling us that the company is struggling to keep its promises on delivery times. Last month Argos launched a same-day delivery service, but You & Yours listeners report that the system is failing, with delays and poor customer service.
The re-designed streets without kerbs, crossings and traffic signs. It's claimed that "shared spaces" can reduce the number of accidents because motorists and pedestrians take extra care when they know they are sharing the same space. We visit one of these schemes and hear the arguments for and against the idea.
Producer: Jonathan Hallewell
Presenter: Peter White.
FRI 12:57 Weather (b06qv8kg)
The latest weather forecast.
FRI 13:00 World at One (b06qv7nj)
In his first British interview since the Commons voted in favour of air strikes, Jens Stoltenberg, NATO's Secretary General, tells us why he's worried by Russia's intervention.
FRI 13:45 The Light (b05y4f96)
The author Bernard Hare recalls the day, forty years ago, his dad took him on a terrifying trip down a coal mine - and how that day changed his life. This is a story of fatherhood, fear and learning.
Writer & Presenter: Bernard Hare.
Producer: Charlotte Pritchard.
FRI 14:00 The Archers (b06qmpqy)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Thursday]
FRI 14:15 Drama (b06qmtzr)
Tess in Winter
Inspired by the novel 'Winter' by Christopher Nicholson and dramatised by Sara Davies.
The most famous writer of his day is living in chilly seclusion in Dorset with his second wife and former secretary, Florence. Between these two frozen hearts comes the talented amateur actress Gertrude Bugler, playing Tess in the first production of Hardy's play, provoking local and national fascination.
Florence determines to put a stop to what she sees as Hardy's ludicrous infatuation with the young woman. Gertie is caught in the middle, longing to play Tess on the London stage.
Florence Hardy often found herself dealing with the many journalists and admirers who wanted access to her celebrated husband. Caught off-guard, Thomas has agreed to be the subject of a fly-on-the- wall documentary, but he hands the interviewer on to his wife, who reveals more than she intends about her husband's fascination with Gertrude.
Vibrant performances and a sensitive, unusual treatment bring new light to a story that continues to fascinate.
Dramatist...Sara Davies
Music...Jon Nicholls
Production Manager...Sarah Goodman
Director...Mary Ward-Lowery.
FRI 15:00 Gardeners' Question Time (b06qmtzy)
Usk, Monmouthshire
Eric Robson hosts the horticultuual panel programme from Usk in Monmouthshire.
Pippa Greenwood, Matthew Wilson and Christine Walkden answer this week's gardening queries.
A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4.
FRI 15:45 e=mc2 (b06qmv00)
Robin Ince - Thoughts While Plummeting
Taking inspiration from Einstein's General Theory of Relativity - Robin Ince's story of an unusual schoolboy who becomes engrossed by the science he sees all around him and goes off in pursuit of 'the happiest thought'.
Writer: Robin Ince
Read by Carolyn Pickles.
Producer: Jenny Thompson
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 2015.
FRI 16:00 Last Word (b06qmv02)
General Sir Robert Ford, Hazel Adair, Jane Wardle, Gerry Byrne and P.F Sloan
Matthew Bannister on
General Sir Robert Ford who was Commander Land Forces Northern Ireland at the time of the Bloody Sunday shootings.
Hazel Adair, the TV scriptwriter behind hit series like Compact, Emergency Ward 10 and Crossroads.
Professor Jane Wardle, the behavioural scientist who transformed our understanding of cancer screening and prevention.
Gerry Byrne, the Liverpool left back who was part of the England World Cup winning squad in 1966.
And PF Sloan, the enigmatic musician who wrote the number one hit "Eve of Destruction"
FRI 16:30 Feedback (b06qv7rb)
BBC World Service Soft Power
The British Government has just allocated £289 million to the World Service for the next five years, in a bid to promote UK soft power. But where will this money go, and what does this mean for the BBC's independence? Roger Bolton talks to the Director of the BBC World Service Group Francesca Unsworth.
With the arrival of Advent came a Radio 3 Carol Service, performed by the Choir of St John's College, Cambridge. Some listeners were impressed by the new compositions alongside traditional favourites, but others were put off by some of the more modern works. Should advent be a time for challenging new music or comforting classics? Roger asks the series producer of Radio 3's Choral Evensong, Philip Billson.
Radio 2's Friday Night is Music Night has been broadcasting for over 60 years, offering listeners a weekly programme of popular music performed by the BBC Concert Orchestra and a myriad of stars. But can a programme from the 1950s pull in a wide age-range of listeners and can it justify the expense of a full orchestra? Roger Bolton goes behind the scenes, speaking to Strictly Come Dancing judge and guest presenter Craig Revel Horwood and the production team, to find out what goes into making the world's longest-running live orchestral music programme on radio.
Last week Glenda Jackson returned to acting, after a 23 year absence, playing Dide in the first season of Blood, Sex and Money on Radio 4. The series is a 'mash-up' of 20 of Zola's novels. Many listeners lapped up the drama. Roger Bolton speaks to Commissioning Editor Jeremy Howe about whether you have to follow the text word-for-word to be faithful to the spirit of the author.
Producer: Katherine Godfrey
A WhistledownpProduction for BBC Radio 4.
FRI 16:55 The Listening Project (b06qmvks)
Leanne and Eloise - Dyslexia is a Superpower
Fi Glover introduces a conversation between relatives a generation apart, who both have dyslexia but whose childhood experiences with the condition have little in common. Another in the series that proves it's surprising what you hear when you listen.
The Listening Project is a Radio 4 initiative that offers a snapshot of contemporary Britain in which people across the UK volunteer to have a conversation with someone close to them about a subject they've never discussed intimately before. The conversations are being gathered across the UK by teams of producers from local and national radio stations who facilitate each encounter. Every conversation - they're not BBC interviews, and that's an important difference - lasts up to an hour, and is then edited to extract the key moment of connection between the participants. Most of the unedited conversations are being archived by the British Library and used to build up a collection of voices capturing a unique portrait of the UK in the second decade of the millennium. You can learn more about The Listening Project by visiting bbc.co.uk/listeningproject
Producer: Marya Burgess.
FRI 17:00 PM (b06qv7rd)
News interviews, context and analysis.
FRI 18:00 Six O'Clock News (b06qv8kj)
A woman who took part in a US gun attack which killed 14 people pledged allegiance to IS.
FRI 18:30 The Now Show (b06qmvkx)
Series 47
Episode 4
Steve Punt and Hugh Dennis are joined by David Quantick, Sofie Hagen, Luke Kempner, Georgie Bingham and Pippa Evans for a comic look at the week's news.
Written by the cast with additional material from Jane Lamacraft, Andy Wolton, Sarah Campbell and Clare Wetton.
Produced by Alexandra Smith.
FRI 19:00 The Archers (b06qmyyj)
Matthew the new contract milker settles in at Brookfield - he has done a few milkings now and seems to need no hand-holding. In fact, David's keen to see whether Matthew might pass on any handy hints. Pip invites Matthew for a drink at the Bull for its reopening. The Christmas lights are switched on and Kenton surprises everyone by turning up on a sleigh, with reindeer, and reminding people to book for Christmas at the Bull! Kenton admits he owes Jolene everything for putting up with him over the last year - he vows to give her the best 2016. He also suggests a joint stag do at the Bull for Ian and Adam. Toby is handing out flyers and Adam reminds Toby of his interest in soil - offering to fill Toby in and give him lots of literature he brought back from his farm visit.
Charlie tells Adam that he has been offered a redeployment. Adam's stunned when he learns it's in Perthshire. Charlie asks whether he should go - or perhaps try to find a job somewhere closer to home. Adam admits he doesn't know what to say.
FRI 19:15 Front Row (b06qv7rg)
John Constable, Frank Sinatra, The art of animation, Poetic performance enhancers
Frank Sinatra was born 100 years ago this month, and to mark his centenary John Wilson will be discussing the singing legend with James Kaplan, whose book Sinatra: The Chairman, the second volume of his magisterial biography of the crooner, has just been published.
Barry Purves has been animating using stop motion techniques for decades. He talks to John about his career ahead of an evening dedicated to his work at the London International Animation Festival, which opens tonight.
John visits the Sotheby's, where their biggest sales of old masters ever is being gathered. Paintings include John Constable's 'The Lock', one of only 3 Constables still in private hands, and a portrait of Henry VIII from the studio of Hans Holbein. Might these, so connected with this country, leave it? John discusses this, and whether it matters, with art critic William Feaver.
On a day when doping in sport is in the news the publisher Michael Schmidt has a modest proposal: to rid the world of performance enhancing substances - the world of poetry, that is.
Producer: Julian May.
FRI 19:45 15 Minute Drama (b06qms9m)
[Repeat of broadcast at
10:45 today]
FRI 20:00 Any Questions? (b06qmyyl)
Margaret Beckett MP, Jane Collins MEP, George Monbiot, Lord Willetts
Jonathan Dimbleby presents political debate and discussion from Leeds Trinity University with Margaret Beckett MP, the UKIP MEP and Employment spokesperson Jane Collins MEP, the environmental and political campaigner George Monbiot and Lord Willetts, the conservative peer who is also Executive Chair of the Resolution Foundation.
FRI 20:50 A Point of View (b06qmyyn)
Sarah Dunant: Protest, Paris, Terror
Sarah Dunant reflects on the nature of protest against the threat of terrorism and the threat of climate change and their coming together in the city of Paris.
"How do we find a sense of potency in the face of terror, how do we embrace life when threatened with death, how do we champion our future against those who claim they will just carry on dying until they win? Perhaps what is needed is mental as much as military action."
Producer: Sheila Cook.
FRI 21:00 Archive on 4 (b04y6mw8)
Mustn't Grumble: The Noble British Art of Complaining
Complaining is a vital component of British life, whether it's formal letters to a utility company, bank or broadband provider, or it's an ice-breaker at a bus stop, bemoaning the dreary weather.
Writer and broadcaster Bidisha sets out to identify why complaining is so important to us, and also precisely how we go about it.
She visits an international language school to hear how students learning English react to lessons in 'hedging' (the art of introducing a complaint with apology - "I'm terribly sorry but..", "Forgive me for mentioning it but.."); she also meets literary professor Phil Davis to track complaint through the fictional pages of history, former comedian and classicist Natalie Haynes to found out how the Ancients did it, and journalist Lynne Truss to find out why we never complain to a hairdresser.
Along the way she also meets a professional complainer, Jasper Griegson, who's sent thousands of letters of complaint over the years, sometimes in verse, sometimes in medieval script, to find out the best methods of complaining.
Bidisha also wonders, finally, whether complaining is actually good for us - whether the occasional gains we may achieve are worth so much of our energy and spirit. The programme will make use of the ample archive of complaint, from Juvenal to 'Points of View', Samuel Pepys' diaries to Alf Garnett and Tom Wrigglesworth.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 2015.
FRI 21:58 Weather (b06qv8kl)
The latest weather forecast.
FRI 22:00 The World Tonight (b06qv7rj)
IS Linked to California Attack
A mass shooting that left 14 people dead is being investigated as an act of terrorism.
FRI 22:45 Book at Bedtime (b06s2l28)
Dark Corners
Episode 5
Patricia Hodge reads the final novel by Ruth Rendell, who died in May this year aged eighty-five.
Miserable and desperate, Carl is placed under further pressure by Dermot, his blackmailing tenant. A dark tale of suspense by a doyenne of the form.
Read by Patricia Hodge
Abridged by Robin Brooks
Produced by Kirsteen Cameron.
FRI 23:00 A Good Read (b06qjzts)
[Repeat of broadcast at
16:30 on Tuesday]
FRI 23:30 Today in Parliament (b06qmyyq)
Mark D'Arcy reports from Westminster.
FRI 23:55 The Listening Project (b06qmyys)
Sharon and Rita - Keeping It in the Family
Fi Glover with a conversation between an 84 year old great grandmother to seventeen children and her eldest daughter, about child-rearing and memories of childhood. Another in the series that proves it's surprising what you hear when you listen.
The Listening Project is a Radio 4 initiative that offers a snapshot of contemporary Britain in which people across the UK volunteer to have a conversation with someone close to them about a subject they've never discussed intimately before. The conversations are being gathered across the UK by teams of producers from local and national radio stations who facilitate each encounter. Every conversation - they're not BBC interviews, and that's an important difference - lasts up to an hour, and is then edited to extract the key moment of connection between the participants. Most of the unedited conversations are being archived by the British Library and used to build up a collection of voices capturing a unique portrait of the UK in the second decade of the millennium. You can learn more about The Listening Project by visiting bbc.co.uk/listeningproject
Producer: Marya Burgess.