SATURDAY 31 AUGUST 2019
SAT 00:00 Midnight News (m0007ynf)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4
SAT 00:30 My Name Is Why (m0007ynh)
Episode 5
The acclaimed writer Lemn Sissay reads from his powerful account about growing up in Britain's care system. Today, five years in care homes takes its toll, but Lemn has a plan for a better life.
Lemn Sissay is an award winning writer, and was the official poet for the 2012 Olympics. He was awarded an MBE for services to literature and has worked tirelessly is supporting children in care.
My Name is Why is his courageous account of a childhood spent in a foster family and followed by six years in Britain's institutional care system during the 1970s and 1980s. Interwoven with documents from his social work file, Lemn uncovers answers to questions that he has been asking since he left care aged 17. Truths are uncovered that reveal Lemn's story to be one of triumph over adversity.
Read by Lemn Sissay, Shaun Mason, Susan Jameson and Sean Baker.
Abridged by Julian Wilkinson
Produced by Elizabeth Allard
SAT 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m0007ynk)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.
SAT 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m0007ynm)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
SAT 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m0007ynp)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.
SAT 05:30 News Briefing (m0007ynr)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4.
SAT 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m0007ynt)
A spiritual comment and prayer to start the day with Rania Hafez, senior lecturer at the University of Greenwich.
A very good morning to you, on this last day of August, and our last summer holiday weekend.
This year, August coincided with the month of Dhul-Hejja, the twelfth month in the Islamic lunar calendar, also known as the month of pilgrimage. It’s the time of year when millions of Muslims from around the world embark on a once in a lifetime journey, a religious pilgrimage to Makka, Islam’s holiest site.
Pilgrimage has been a feature of the human story from time immemorial. The Kaaba, the square shrine at the centre of the great mosque in Makka, is said to have been be built by Abraham and his son Ishmael thousands of years ago. The Quran tells of God commanding them to build a house of worship and then to call upon believers from far and wide to journey to the site as an ultimate act of faith and communion with the divine.
People embark on pilgrimages for many reasons; for some it’s a confirmation of faith; for others it’s a search for meaning. We may choose to trek to far off destinations, or our quest may be closer to home. It’s a journey to somewhere where the heart lies. Somewhere that has significance, either in personal history or in association. This year, for the first time in 45years, I visited my old Catholic convent school. I came away touched by grace with renewed purpose.
A pilgrimage need not always be a religious quest. Many today will be making their way to hallowed grounds, to be part of a very important communal ritual…the football match. Even sport can be a pilgrimage.
Wherever the journey takes you today, may it bring you meaning, fulfilment and joy. And may God’s grace accompany you on the way. Amen.
SAT 05:45 Four Thought (m0007wd7)
How poker teaches decision making
Liv Boeree explains why the thinking skills required for good poker playing translate so well to the real world.
"As any of us who have studied a science, or ran a business or raised a family know, the mark of a great decision-maker is not raw intellect… but a willingness to truly question your knowledge, and maybe even change your mind if enough evidence presents itself to counter it."
"Like poker, life is messy and complex and full of randomness and luck... Our willingness to admit our uncertainty can be our greatest asset."
Recorded in front of a live audience at the World of Music, Arts and Dance festival in Wiltshire.
Presenter: Mark Coles
Producer: Sheila Cook
SAT 06:00 News and Papers (m00082yc)
The latest news headlines. Including the weather and a look at the papers.
SAT 06:07 Open Country (m0007x5f)
Darwin’s Landscape Laboratory
Helen Mark goes to Down House in Kent, the home of the naturalist Charles Darwin, to find out how he used plants in his garden and the surrounding landscape to develop his theory of evolution by natural selection.
Darwin lived at Down from 1842 until his death about 40 years later. His famous theory was published in On The Origin of Species in 1859, some 20 years after his voyage on the HMS Beagle. Head Gardener Antony O'Rourke explains how Darwin went on a 'voyage of the mind' at Down, and spent much of his life devising experiments using local flora and fauna to rigorously test his theory. Darwin made forays into the surrounding chalk down landscape to observe native flowering plants like orchids and primroses. We visit the Down Bank nature reserve to hear why Kent is such a hotspot for orchids and how it provided the inspiration for the final paragraph of On The Origin of Species.
Producer: Sophie Anton
SAT 06:30 Farming Today (m00082yf)
Farming Today This Week: Shooting for sport
Shooting is a contentious issue. To some, it's a traditional country pastime, to others, a cruel and outdated sport. Sybil Ruscoe is joined by Andrew Gilruth from the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust and Pat Thompson from the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds to discuss the key issues that underpin the shooting of grouse, pheasant and pigeon. This includes the environmental management of grouse moors, the killing of animals that predate on these birds, the illegal practice of killing of raptors such as Hen Harriers as part of game management, and whether in fact it's still right and proper to kill birds for sport. Also contributing is Gamekeeper Duncan Sinclair-Willis who says that that the industrialisation of shoots is driving Gamekeepers to release more and more birds into the environment at the expense of proper moorland management.
Producer: Toby Field
SAT 06:57 Weather (m00082yh)
The latest weather forecast.
SAT 07:00 Today (m00082yk)
News and current affairs. Including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.
SAT 09:00 Saturday Live (m00082ym)
Extraordinary stories, unusual people and a sideways look at the world.
SAT 10:30 Alex Edelman's Special Relationships (m00082yp)
Teacher and Student
Alex Edelman encourages his guests from both sides of the Atlantic to think laterally about a diverse collection of special relationships in this loose limbed series of chat shows recorded in London and the USA.
Lessons at school and college, lessons in love and lessons in life. This week, Alex's Los Angeles guests look at the teacher and pupil relationship from all perspectives.
Producer Sophie Black
A Testbed production for BBC Radio 4
SAT 11:00 The Origin of Stuff (m0006lsr)
Toilet
You may call it the toilet, the loo, the privy, the potty, the can or even the bathroom, but whatever you call it, this everyday object has its roots in Bronze Age Pakistan. It even had a seat!
But how did the toilet come to be? Given one third of the world’s population still live without one, how much is our embarrassment around toilet habits to blame? And what scientific developments are underway to help make them truly universal?
Water and Sanitation Expert, Alison Parker, from Cranfield University believes part of the solution lies in a waterless toilet which creates ash, water from the waste it receives, and the energy it needs to operate, from the waste it receives.
Even in the UK, we don’t always have access to a toilet when we need one. Over the past decade, the number of public conveniences has dropped by a half, leaving older people and the disabled, who may need easy access, unable to leave their homes. Raymond Martin, Managing Director of the British Toilet Association, hopes to stop our public conveniences going down the pan.
Also featuring resident public historian Greg Jenner.
Producer: Beth Eastwood
SAT 11:30 From Our Own Correspondent (m00082yr)
Forlorn, Dilapidated and Dangerous
Gang violence in the townships of Cape Town is now so serious that the South African army has been sent in to try to curb it. But the causes of violence are complex, will the state really be able to stamp its authority? Lindsay Johns reports.
Lizzie Porter finds sunflowers in bloom on the outskirts of Sinjar, the town in northern Iraq, where, five years ago so-called Islamic State kidnapped thousands of Yazidis. But the town itself is still largely empty, the streets deserted, the buildings smashed and most of the original population absent, too scared to return home.
There's a growing number of people from Africa and Asia in Central America, whose hope one day is to make it to the United States. Katy Long dusts down her rusty French to speak to a man from Congo in the middle of a rainstorm in Costa Rica.
While the Taliban talks peace with the US in Qatar, there's scepticism and concern on the streets of Kabul. Secunder Kermani talks to a group of young cricketers near the Ghazi Stadium, the place where the Taliban once carried out public executions.
And, while cricket fans in England had plenty of means at their disposal to watch Ben Stokes' demolition of the Australian bowling attack in last Sunday's Ashes victory, Jonah Fisher, in Kiev, was finding it less easy to follow proceedings. Being a cricket-loving foreign correspondent, he says, hasn't always been easy.
SAT 12:00 News Summary (m00082yt)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
SAT 12:04 Money Box (m00082yw)
The latest news from the world of personal finance plus advice for those trying to make the most of their money.
SAT 12:30 The News Quiz (m0007ymx)
Series 100
Episode 1
Zoe Lyons is the first guest host in the chair for series 100 of the long-running satirical quiz. She is joined to chew over news stories big and small by Andy Hamilton, Katy Brand, Helen Lewis and Geoff Norcott.
A quiet week to start the series as Parliament is prorogued, the Amazon is on fire and seagulls attack.
Producer: Richard Morris
A BBC Studios Production
SAT 12:57 Weather (m00082yy)
The latest weather forecast
SAT 13:00 News (m00082z0)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4.
SAT 13:10 Any Questions? (m0007yn4)
Jon Ashworth MP, Therese Coffey MP, Caroline Lucas MP, Richard Tice MEP
Ed Stourton presents topical debate from the Radio Theatre at Broadcasting House, London, with the Shadow Health Secretary Jon Ashworth, Environment Minister Therese Coffey MP, Green Party MP Caroline Lucas and the Chairman of the Brexit Party Richard Tice MEP.
Producer: Lisa Jenkinson
SAT 14:00 Any Answers? (m00082z2)
Have your say on the issues discussed on Any Questions?
SAT 14:45 Drama (m00082z4)
The Penny Dreadfuls Present: Hadrian’s Beard
Eager to defend the outer reaches of the Roman Empire and repel attacks from the Barbarians, Emperor Hadrian was determined to build a wall across Britain, sea to sea, just north of the great fort Vindolanda. That physical legacy is still in part visible between Northumberland and Cumbria to this day. This comedy play looks under the skin of the Emperor who broke with various traditions, not least growing a beard where all Roman leaders were previously clean-shaven; and his deep love of all things Grecian. All does not go according to plan when he arrives and it seems that this brave 'soldier' is more troubled than first impressions suggest.
Emperor Hadrian...Tony Gardner
Queen Bridget...Mina Anwar
All other roles...The Penny Dreadfuls: Humphrey Ker, David Reed and Thom Tuck, with Margaret Cabourn-Smith.
Written by...David Reed
Producer...Julia McKenzie
A BBC Studios Production.
SAT 15:30 Art of Now (m0007wvj)
Cymru Rising
Welsh-language music is breaking out of Wales and hitting the mainstream. Once, singing in Welsh was confined to the Eisteddfod and the folk club but now Welsh-language pop music is hitting a musical high.
Through a variety of genres, Welsh musicians have a new-found confidence and it's paying dividends. In 2019, Welsh-language music has been streamed more than eight million times through online platforms.
Now, DJ Huw Stephens meets some of the people in the eclectic world of Welsh-language pop music to find out what's behind the rise. From artists like Gwenno, who's been making music since the early 2000s, to relatively new acts like Alffa, a band who've achieved unprecedented success online.
Singing in Welsh has entered an exciting new era, but can new artists maintain the momentum?
Producer: Glyn Tansley for BBC Wales
Photo credit: Camera Sioned
SAT 16:00 Woman's Hour (m00082z6)
Highlights from the Woman's Hour week.Presented by Jenni Murray
Producer:Rabeka Nurmahomed
Editor:Jane Thurlow
SAT 17:00 PM (m00082z8)
Full coverage and analysis of the day's news, plus the sports headlines.
SAT 17:30 The Inquiry (m00082zb)
Why Are We Having Less Sex?
Porn, smart phones and the ‘slutty transmitter’. Adults in the US have sex on average about 50 times a year, which has dropped by 20 per cent over the last two decades. It’s a similar story in the UK, Australia, Germany, Finland and Japan. Could it be down to porn or our smart phones? Or is it actually down to something much harder to switch off? Some of the answers might surprise you.
Photo: a couple in bed with their phones. Credit:Getty images
SAT 17:54 Shipping Forecast (m00082zd)
The latest shipping forecast.
SAT 17:57 Weather (m00082zg)
The latest weather forecast.
SAT 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m00082zj)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
SAT 18:15 Loose Ends (m00082d0)
Emma Kennedy, Jay Rayner, YolanDa Brown, The Teskey Brothers, Nikki Bedi
Nikki Bedi and YolanDa Brown are joined by Emma Kennedy and Jay Rayner for an eclectic mix of conversation, music and comedy. With music from The Teskey Brothers and Robyn Hitchcock.
Producer: Sukey Firth
SAT 19:00 Profile (m00082zm)
Peter Navarro
An insight into the character of an influential person making the news headlines
SAT 19:15 Saturday Review (m00082zp)
The Souvenir, Bait, Appropriate, Mary Beth Keane, A Confession
Two Brit indie film productions arrive at once: Joanna Hogg's The Souvenir is a slightly autobiographical work about a struggling young film-maker's relationship with a charismatic drug addict. Also Bait; set in a fishing village in Cornwall and with an intentionally handmade aesthetic, it explores the tense relationship between locals and incomers.
Appropriate at The Donmar Warehouse is a new play from Brandon Jacobs Jenkins. A family in the American south are dealing with the estate of their recently deceased father and unearth some unpleasant truths
Mary Beth Keane's new novel - Ask Again, Yes - is set in modern upstate New York following two families whose lives intertwine
A Confession on ITV is based on a realm life crime story and stars Martin Freeman as a policeman who has to push the law to achieve justice
Tom Sutcliffe's guests are Lisa Appignanesi, Emma Jane Unsworth and Andrew Miller
The producer is Oliver Jones
Podcast Extra recommendations:
Emma Jane: Succession series 2 and The New Me by Halle Butler
Lisa: Benjamin Markovits - Christmas in Austin and Address Unknown by Kressman Taylor and Timberlake Wertenbaker's Proust
Andrew: Chihuly at Kew Gardens and Chernobyl TV series and Eurythmics
Tom: Wainwright bagging in The Lake District
SAT 20:00 Archive on 4 (m00082zr)
Beating Hitler with Humour
On the 80th anniversary of the start of the Second World War, German writer Timur Vermes examines how the BBC used humour throughout the war to counter Nazi propaganda.
Historians have poured over Joseph Goebbels and his reputedly efficient propaganda machine - particularly the Nazi manipulation of radio to gain and maintain power. But few have explored the leading opponent of his propaganda - the German Service of the BBC. Fewer still have acknowledged that the BBC's radio transmissions to Germany contained not only news and comment but also drew on an unusual method of British psychological warfare, satire and humour, as a form of counter-propaganda.
From mid-1940 until the very end of the war, pioneering satire feature programmes were written by German exiles under the close supervision of British authorities. They included Frau Wernecke - a sketch fronted by a fictional Berlin housewife, Kurt and Willi - a double act depicting two bungling Nazi propagandists, and Letters from Corporal Hirnschal - a soldier writing to his wife. Meanwhile another popular feature, Hitler on Hitler tried to point out inconsistencies in the Fuhrer's rhetoric.
What did the authors of these programmes, the BBC officials and the relevant governmental institutions hope to achieve with satire as a weapon of war?
Timur Vermes pours over the archive with experts, hears testimony from those who risked their lives listening to the satire, and tries to work out if satire is effective as wartime propaganda.
A Made in Manchester production for BBC Radio 4
SAT 21:00 Marcel Proust's In Search of Lost Time (m00082zt)
Episode 1
Timberlake Wertenbaker’s adaptation from the French of Marcel Proust’s allegorical reflection on time, memory, art and love.
It begins with the vivid memory of a young boy’s childhood summers spent in the French countryside of Combray and the long nights waiting for his mother to come and kiss him goodnight. The young Marcel takes beautiful walks with his parents and has his first sighting of the young Gilberte Swann, daughter of family friend and well-connected Parisian Dandy, Charles Swann and his wife, the courtesan and seductress Odette de Crecy.
Cast:
MARCEL (narrator) ………Derek Jacobi
FATHER ………Oliver Cotton
FRANCOISE ………Susan Brown
MOTHER ………Sylvestra le Touzel
GRANDMOTHER ………Joanna David
TANTE LEONIE .……Pamela Miles
GILBERTE (girl) ………Mary Glen
ODETTE ..............Bessie Carter
SWANN ………… Paterson Joseph
MADEMOISELLE VINTEUIL/PROSTITUTE .... Charlotte Blandford
THE DUCHESS DE GUERMANTES (Oriane) …………… Fenella Woolgar
MADAME DE VERDURIN ………Frances Barber
PIANIST …………Daniel Whitlam
DOCTOR COTTARD …………Lloyd Hutchinson
MARCEL(boy) ………Isaac Watts
MONSIEUR VERDURIN …………Jeff Rawle
FEMALE FRIEND……….Phoebe Marshall
Translated and adapted from the French by Timberlake Wertenbaker
Produced and directed by Celia de Wolff
Production Co-ordinator: Sarah Tombling
Recording and Sound Design: David Chilton and Lucinda Mason Brown
Executive Producer: Peter Hoare
A Pier production for BBC Radio 4
SAT 22:00 News and Weather (m00082zw)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4.
SAT 22:15 Unreliable Evidence (m0007wfx)
Clive Anderson and guests ask whether the laws protecting our data are keeping up with technological change.
In May 2018, the EU brought in the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). It includes some of the strictest data protection rules in the world and covers everyone who handles data – from tech giants like Google and Facebook, to small family businesses keeping customer records.
Are these laws, and the regulators who enforce them, doing enough to keep our details safe? Are they sufficiently powerful to hold multinational corporations to account? Or does GDPR add layers of bureaucracy which hamper technological development? Cynthia O’Donoghue from law firm Reed Smith argues that high-tech medical interventions are being held back by over-regulation of the data they need to function.
The programme also considers the responsibilities of individuals to look after their own data, and the limits of consent in the online world.
Producer: Hannah Marshall
A 7digital production for BBC Radio 4
SAT 23:00 The 3rd Degree (m0007xpl)
Series 9
Oxford Brookes University
A funny and dynamic quiz show hosted by Steve Punt - this week from Oxford Brookes University with specialist subjects including Anthropology, Motorsport Engineering and Human Biology and Biological Sciences and questions ranging from myelinated axons to the Neolithic Revolution via Wendy Houses and Sabrina The Teenage Witch.
The programme is recorded on location at a different University each week, and it pits three Undergraduates against three of their Professors in an original and fresh take on an academic quiz.
The rounds vary between Specialist Subjects and General Knowledge, quickfire bell-and-buzzer rounds and the Highbrow and Lowbrow round cunningly devised to test not only the students' knowledge of current affairs, history, languages and science, but also their Professors' awareness of television, sport, and quite possibly Ed Sheeran. In addition, the Head-to-Head rounds see students take on their Professors in their own subjects, offering plenty of scope for mild embarrassment on both sides.
Other Universities featured in this series include Royal Holloway University of London, Aberdeen, Plymouth, St Catharine's College Cambridge and Brighton.
Produced by David Tyler
A Pozzitive production for BBC Radio 4
SAT 23:30 Border Music (m0005f39)
How does the Irish border shape the art of the musicians who live on either side? Eamon Murray of internationally renowned Irish folk band Beoga meets fellow performers along the divide.
These uncertain times have fuelled a creative surge and Eamon also wonders how possible changes to the border might affect his own musical future. Beoga's lyrics lament Westminster's perceived indifference to the plight of his community: "I feel betrayed by those fools, who are dictating the rules".
Eoin O'Callaghan, who goes under the name of Elma Orkestra, and electronica producer Ryan Vail have collaborated on a project called Borders. They've flown drones high over the island filming the natural beauty that spills throughout the land. They looked for lines on the ground which they used to represent the division between two worlds - water and rock, trees and scrubland. With the help of collaborators such as folk singer Moya Brennan, they debuted their powerful work at the Guildhall in Derry, a show that brought many of its audience to tears.
To explore Irish folk music's complex and troubled history, Eamon meets Tommy Sands, writer of the iconic folk song There Were Roses. One of his first memories was seeing toes tapping in time to music regardless of a person's allegiances. That moment spurred him on to create his own music as a way of unifying people. Sands has long been regarded as one of the most innovative campaigners for peace and understanding in Northern Ireland. He is still writing and performing now, creating music for a verbatim play called Blood Red Lines that uses words from survivors of The Troubles - an experiment that has led to surprising new friendships.
However, the contradiction between north and south is something that self-professed Queer Indie Pop artist Susie Blue notes, as body autonomy and marriage equality laws have been passed in the Republic and in Great Britain, but have yet to be carried across to Northern Ireland. She speaks of the frustration she feels and how she now expresses that in her music.
Producer: Henrietta Rowlatt
A 7digital production for BBC Radio 4
SUNDAY 01 SEPTEMBER 2019
SUN 00:00 Midnight News (m00082zy)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4
SUN 00:30 Short Works (m0007ymj)
The Bean Room
An original short work for BBC Radio 4 by the Irish author Caitriona Lally. As read by Christopher Grant.
Caitriona Lally is the author of ‘Eggshells’. She studied English Literature in Trinity College, Dublin was awarded the Rooney Prize for Irish Literature 2018. This is her first story for BBC Radio.
Writer ..... Caitriona Lally
Reader ..... Christopher Grant
Producer ..... Michael Shannon
SUN 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m0008300)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.
SUN 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m0008302)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
SUN 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m0008304)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.
SUN 05:30 News Briefing (m0008306)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4.
SUN 05:43 Bells on Sunday (m0008308)
St Wilfred’s Roman Catholic Church in York
Bells on Sunday comes from St Wilfred’s Roman Catholic Church in York. The tower contains a peal of ten bells, with the tenor weighing eighteen hundredweight and tuned to F. The second bell, cast in 1995, is inscribed with the words “Ringers, Ring with one accord, make beautiful music to praise the Lord.”
SUN 05:45 Profile (m00082zm)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Saturday]
SUN 06:00 News Headlines (m00083d5)
The latest national and international news headlines.
SUN 06:05 Something Understood (b0b0lz46)
Brides of God
Musician Jahnavi Harrison interweaves music, prose and poetry in a celebration of the women who choose to dedicate their lives entirely to God.
She explains that she has always been fascinated what it is that drives a woman to leave behind worldly affairs and adopt a life of seclusion and near-constant prayer. Though the tradition is timeless, with today's calls for feminine independence and gender equality the choice to be a nun feels just as radical and relevant as it might have in the past.
Jahnavi explores the life of Emahoy Maryam Tsegue-Gebroue, an Ethiopian nun whose prodigious talent as a pianist has led to her records being adored all over the world. We also meet the "maharis", Indian temple dancers who were dedicated at a young age, considered to be brides of God, taking part in a wedding ceremony and wearing all the markings of married women.
With readings from the 13th century Christian mystic Mechtild of Magdeburg, St Saint Clare of Assisi, the Bhagavad Gita and ancient Buddhist poetry from the Therigatha and music including the work of Christian polymath Hildegard of Bingen, The Flamingos and Yamuna Devi.
Presenter: Jahnavi Harrison
Producer: Max O'Brien
A TBI Media production for BBC Radio 4.
SUN 06:35 On Your Farm (m00083d7)
Follow the Bees
Every summer Scotland’s biggest bee farmer transports hundreds of hives to Royal Deeside in north-east Scotland where the bees will feast on heather pollen that coats the hills around Balmoral. It's a major military-style operation leaving Blairgowrie at
5am with huge four-track vehicles in a convoy, all loaded up with hives. Nancy Nicolson joins Murray MacGregor for the journey, tastes last year’s delicious honey and hears about the vital role his bees play earlier in the year in pollinating orchards at the other end of Britain.
SUN 06:57 Weather (m00083d9)
The latest weather forecast.
SUN 07:00 News and Papers (m00083dc)
The latest news headlines. Including a look at the papers.
SUN 07:10 Sunday (m00083df)
Sunday morning religious news and current affairs programme presented by Edward Stourton.
SUN 07:54 Radio 4 Appeal (m00081wv)
Conciliation Resources
Writer Aminatta Forna makes the Radio 4 Appeal on behalf of Conciliation Resources.
To Give:
- Freephone 0800 404 8144
- Freepost BBC Radio 4 Appeal. (That’s the whole address. Please do not write anything else on the front of the envelope). Mark the back of the envelope ‘Conciliation Resources’.
- Cheques should be made payable to ‘Conciliation Resources’.
Registered Charity Number: England and Wales 1055436
SUN 07:57 Weather (m00083dh)
The latest weather forecast.
SUN 08:00 News and Papers (m00083dk)
The latest news headlines. Including a look at the papers.
SUN 08:10 Sunday Worship (m00083dm)
Time for Change
A service from the Chapel of University of Wales Trinity Saint David in Carmarthen, led by the chaplain Rev Dr Emma Whittick, during the National Youth Choir of Wales’ summer residency. Reflecting the beginning of a new academic year and the changes the passage of time brings, the address is given by Canon Stuart Bell. The choir is directed by Tim Rhys-Evans in music including Eriks Ešenvald’s arrangements of ‘Amazing Grace’ and ‘O Salutaris Hostia’ as well as Mak Willberg’s ‘It is well with my soul’, plus Mansel Thomas’ ‘Blessed are the pure in heart’ and Arwel Huges’ resounding ‘Tydi a Roddaist’.
SUN 08:48 A Point of View (m0007yn6)
On Ghost Cities
Rebecca Stott is fascinated with abandoned or ruined cities.
She knows she's in good company - along with the millions of people who've been drawn to the recent mini-series, Chernobyl... or the video game, Metro Exodus.
She believes that, in these precarious times, they give us what H.G. Wells once called 'a sense of dethronement'.
Producer: Adele Armstrong
SUN 08:58 Tweet of the Day (b04t0rtf)
Harpy Eagle
Michael Palin presents the Harpy Eagle flying over the Brazilian rainforest. This is one of the most powerful birds of prey and links mythological corpse-bearers, the coat of arms of Panama and the Harry Potter films.
In Greek mythology harpies were creatures with the bodies of eagles and the faces of women, who seized people in their claws. A human body is beyond the real-life harpy eagle, but with its massive 12 cm talons, it can carry a full-grown sloth or an adult howler monkey. Being versatile hunters, the eagles catch a range of birds and reptiles and can easily hoist porcupines and armadillos into the treetops to feed their young.
Harpy Eagles breed in the rainforests of central and South America. They're blackish- grey above and white below with a black collar and a divided crest which gives them an uncanny resemblance to Buckbeak the Hippogriff in 'Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban'.
SUN 09:00 Broadcasting House (m00083dp)
The Sunday morning news magazine programme. Presented by Paddy O'Connell
SUN 10:00 The Archers Omnibus (m00083dr)
Writer, Tim Stimpson
Director, Kim Greengrass
Editor, Jeremy Howe
David Archer ….. Timothy Bentinck
Ruth Archer ….. Felicity Finch
Pip Archer ….. Daisy Badger
Brian Aldridge ….. Charles Collingwood
Jennifer Aldridge ….. Angela Piper
Neil Carter ….. Brian Hewlett
Susan Carter ….. Charlotte Martin
Ian Craig ….. Stephen Kennedy
Eddie Grundy ….. Trevor Harrison
Clarrie Grundy ….. Heather Bell
Will Grundy ….. Philip Molloy
Emma Grundy ….. Emerald O'Hanrahan
Ed Grundy ….. Barry Farrimond
Shula Hebden Lloyd ….. Judy Bennett
Tracy Horrobin ….. Susie Riddell
Alistair Lloyd ….. Michael Lumsden
Adam Macy ….. Andrew Wincott
Kate Madikane ….. Perdita Avery
Hannah Riley ….. Helen Longworth
Roy Tucker ….. Ian Pepperell
Bev Hanson ….. Alison Belbin
Jakob Hakansson ….. Paul Venables
Vince Casey ….. Tony Turner
SUN 11:15 The Reunion (m00083dt)
When Rugby Turned Pro
Sue MacGregor reunites key figures from the moment amateurism in Rugby Union gave way to a professional game.
Rugby Union was the last of the world’s most popular team sports to go professional. By 1995, when other sports saw players being paid six-figure sums annually, Rugby Union players were still officially playing for free.
As Rugby Union grew, maintaining amateur regulations from the 19th century across numerous different associations worldwide became increasingly difficult. Hypocrisies and double standards were a frequent occurrence.
In the summer of 1995, the second Rugby Union World Cup was held in South Africa. It was one of the most politically poignant sporting tournaments ever. The hosts were playing in their first tournament following their post-apartheid re-entry into the sporting community.
Over two billion people around the world watched that World Cup and the colossal event attracted the interest of both broadcasters and sponsors, who offered to invest substantial sums into the sport. Growing pressure, from inside and out, became too much for those who wanted to maintain the amateur regulations and on 27th August 1995 the global administrators of Rugby Union agreed to it becoming a professional game.
Joining Sue MacGregor to look back on the battle to change Rugby Union’s status are former England player Brian Moore, Welsh international John Devereux, Australia captain Michael Lynagh, the former Secretary of the English Rugby Football Union Tony Hallett, and the Daily Telegraph’s Rugby Union Correspondent Mick Cleary.
Producer: Steve Hankey
Series Producer: David Prest
A Whistledown production for BBC Radio 4
SUN 12:00 News Summary (m00083hb)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
SUN 12:04 Just a Minute (m0007xpv)
Series 85
Episode 4
A second programme from this month's Edinburgh Fringe. Gyles Brandreth sits in for Nicholas Parsons with Paul Merton, Fred MacAulay, Kiri Pritchard-McLean and Mark Watson.
Producer: Richard Morris
Production Co-ordinator: Sarah Sharpe
A BBC Studios Production
SUN 12:32 The Food Programme (m00082dp)
Taste the Music and Dance
Dan Saladino reports from the Taste The World stage of the world music festival Womad.
In 2006 a director of the festival Annie Menter had the idea of asking musicians if they could tell food stories from their home country and cook a dish linked to their food culture.
More than a decade on it's become a format that used at Womad events all over the world, providing fascinating and delicious insights into the connections between food and music and the evolution of dishes around the world.
Find out what happens when you mix Turkish psychedelia with dumplings and what a Yoik served with Sami bread involves.
The artists and their food.
Anandi Bhattacharya (Bengal, India) Chicken Rezala.
Nimba, (West Africa), Fish in peanut sauce
Rura (Scotland) Cullen Skink and Mince and Tatties.
Marja Mortensson (Norway) Sami stew with Sami bread.
Baba Zula (Turkey) Manti beef dumplings
Maija Kauhanen (Finland) Blueberry Pie.
Presented and produced by Dan Saladino.
SUN 12:57 Weather (m00083dz)
The latest weather forecast
SUN 13:00 The World This Weekend (m00083f1)
Global news and analysis, presented by Mark Mardell.
SUN 13:30 September 1, 1939 (m00083f3)
W.H. Auden's September 1, 1939 was written on the eve of destruction soon after the poet's arrival in New York & the beginning of his life long love affair with a young American poet. It was a poem whose flaws and failings haunted Auden yet it has enjoyed a remarkable afterlife, plundered for political ads and speeches & widely circulated after 9/11 as a salve for America's wounds.
Auden's journal for that year has only recently surfaced & reveals his febrile and fertile thought processes weaving intimate private anxieties with the public crisis of a world now about to plunge into war. The crisis of democracy & the rise of fascism, the demotic voice of radio & the secret whisper of love are twined through the poem's 99 subtle lines. But this complex poem, despite Auden's wishes, has often been reduced to a series of epigrammatic 'greatest hits' such as 'We must love one another or die', 'ironic points of light' & 'those to whom evil is done do evil in return'. Maria Margaronis explores all that flows into & out of a poem that speaks perpetually to our 'age of anxiety'.
SUN 14:00 Gardeners' Question Time (m0007ymg)
Sissinghurst Castle Gardens: Correspondence Edition
Peter Gibbs and the panel are in Sissinghurst Castle Gardens in the Weald of Kent for a correspondence edition. Pippa Greenwood, Matt Biggs and Chris Thorogood answer the questions raised by post, email and social media.
The panellists advise on an unhappy Cypress tree, suggest container plants for a windy balcony and discuss the best time to dead-head roses. They also offer tips for a healthy crop of herbs in window boxes.
Head Gardener, Michelle Cain, shows the panellists around the Sissinghurst Castle Gardens, stopping off to visit the White Garden, the Rose Garden and the Cottage Garden.
Producer: Hannah Newton
Assistant Producer: Rosie Merotra
A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4
SUN 14:45 The Listening Project (m00040hf)
Sunday Omnibus: Boxing, Running and Nursing
Fi Glover presents another edition of the series that proves it's surprising what you hear when you listen with three conversations about hobbies and consuming passions. a father and daughter share their love of boxing; nurses look back on the time they trained together; and friends talk about the joy of running.
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: Mohini Patel
SUN 15:00 Drama (b0b39pgr)
Inspector Chen Novels
Enigma of China
Poet and gourmand, Inspector Chen of the Shanghai Police Bureau is called in to oversee the investigation into the death of the Director of The Shanghai Development Committee while under house arrest. He has to negotiate the power of the Party, an internet campaign and a new potential romance. Dramatised by John Harvey.
Director: David Hunter
"Enigma of China" is the eighth of Qiu Xiaolong's Inspector Chen novels, all 9 of which have been dramatised for BBC Radio 4. They have sold over 1million copies and been translated into 20 languages.
"Witty and thrilling" The Daily Telegraph
"A welcome alternative to Scandi-noir" The Observer.
SUN 16:00 Bookclub (m00081wx)
Aminatta Forna - The Memory of Love
Aminatta Forna discusses her novel The Memory of Love with James Naughtie and a group of readers.
The Memory of Love has as its background three decades of unrest and violence in Sierra Leone, Aminatta Forna's father's home country and the one where she mostly grew up.
The story deals with two sets of relationships, centering around the University teacher Elias Cole fifty years ago, at the time of unrest, and in the early years of this century after the civil war. In 1969 Elias falls in love at first sight with a colleague’s wife, which will affect many around him – her husband, other colleagues, and eventually his psychiatrist Adrian Lockheart who is treating him in the present day. Adrian is the figure who links them all and his investigations into the relationships among all those who’ve experienced war, and are among its victims, is the spine of the story.
To take part in future Bookclubs apply at bookclub@bbc.co.uk
Presenter : James Naughtie
Producer : Dymphna Flynn
October's Bookclub Choice : The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead (2017)
SUN 16:30 Mother Tongue (m00083f5)
The State We're In
The globe-trotting poetry series returns. Poet Imtiaz Dharker explores exciting voices from around the world in their own languages and in translation.
In this episode, she hears poems written in Icelandic, in Hindustani from India, and in Amharic from Ethiopia. While thinking about the phrase "The State We’re In", she explores how these three poets have written about injustices and citizenship in very different ways.
There’s Kristín Svava Tómasdóttir, an impressive young voice from Reykjavik’s vibrant poetry scene. She serves up perceptive social criticism and environmental concern with wry humour and understated Scandinavian dread. Imtiaz talks to her about poems inspired by the Icelandic financial crisis of 2008 and internet search engines. The English translations are by KB Thors.
Hussain Haidry is a spoken word poet living in Mumbai. In his poem Hindustani Musalmaan, or Indian Muslim, he explores the many influences that make up his identity and refuses to be defined by just one aspect – being a Muslim. It struck a chord a couple of years ago when it was widely shared on social media. Imtiaz talks to him and recalls her time living in Mumbai.
Finally, Imtiaz discovers Ethiopia’s rich tradition of "wax and gold" poetry, where satire runs just below the superficial meaning. We hear poems with a political twist from Zewdu Milikit, a poet from the ancient city of Gondar in the north west of Ethiopia. The translations from the original Amharic are by poet Chris Beckett, who we also hear.
Producer: Caroline Hughes
A Whistledown production for BBC Radio 4
SUN 17:00 Rape Trials: Is the Jury Out? (m0007wwk)
Dr Nina Burrowes asks whether we should scrap the use of juries in rape trials - and if the current system for trying serious sexual assaults needs reform.
Figures from 2017 and 2018 show the number of rape cases being charged by prosecutors in England and Wales falling to the lowest in a decade, despite an increased number of incidents being reported. It was also revealed in September 2018 that less than a third of prosecutions for rape brought against young men by the Crown Prosecution Service result in a conviction.
Now many within the justice system and those who have been through it, say it is time for wholesale reform of the way we try serious sexual assault cases.
Dr Nina Burrowes, a psychologist and activist against sexual violence, investigates the recent calls for UK courts to scrap the use of juries in rape trials. She examines how so-called “rape myths” impact jurors’ decision making.
Dr Dominic Willmott discusses the research he’s conducted on common misunderstandings and misconceptions about rape and the effect they have on how a jury reaches a verdict.
Nina also meets Miss M, an anonymous campaigner who has experienced a rape trial both with and without a jury.
And she speaks to Sir John Gillen, a retired Court of Appeal Judge who has reviewed the conduct of rape trials in Northern Ireland and has come up with some innovative ways of improving a “seriously flawed system”.
Consent clips courtesy of Century Films
Actors: Anna Madeley and Daniel Mays
Producer: Anishka Sharma
A Whistledown production for BBC Radio 4
If you have been affected by sexual abuse or violence, help and support is available.
BBC Action Line - http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/22VVM5LPrf3pjYdKqctmMXn/information-and-support
SUN 17:40 Profile (m00082zm)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Saturday]
SUN 17:54 Shipping Forecast (m00083f7)
The latest shipping forecast.
SUN 17:57 Weather (m00083f9)
The latest weather forecast.
SUN 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m00083fc)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
SUN 18:15 Pick of the Week (m00083ff)
Antonia Quirke
The best of BBC Radio this week with Antonia Quirke.
SUN 19:00 The Archers (m00082dg)
Peggy's got some exciting news for one of the Ambridge Conservation Trust teams.
SUN 19:15 Cooking in a Bedsitter (b08575wj)
Series 1
Potato Salad
Beattie Edmondson and Nikesh Patel star in Sue Teddern's new comedy, set in a 1960s' bedsitter, inspired by Katharine Whitehorn's cookery classic. In this episode, Trisha introduces Deepak to the delights of the British seaside.
Trisha.....Beattie Edmondson
Deepak.....Nikesh Patel
June.....Alison Belbin
Len.....John Bowler
Sal.....Catriona McFarlane
Nev.....Gavi Singh Chera
Katharine Whitehorn.....Karen Bartke
Directed by Emma Harding
SUN 19:45 Stillicide (m00083fh)
Episode 4: Coast
Alex Jennings continues Cynan Jones' electrifying short story series set in the very near future.
Water is commodified and the Water Train that feeds the city is increasingly at risk of sabotage. And now ice bergs are being towed to a huge ice dock outside the capital city - a huge megalopolis that is draining the country of its resources.
Meanwhile, out on the east coast, life is harsh. An elderly couple struggle to live out their final years in their beloved home, in the face of rising sea levels...
Reader: Alex Jennings is an acclaimed stage and screen actor, and 3-time Olivier Award-winner, known most recently for his roles in A Very English Scandal, and the Crown.
Writer: Cynan Jones
Producer: Justine Willett
Music: Original music by Kirsten Morrison
SUN 20:00 More or Less (m0007ymn)
Amazon fires, State pension, American burgers
Amazon forest fires
This year’s fires in Brazil have been the worst in 10 years, but are they really 85 percent worse than last year? Many media reports also mention that the Amazon is the lungs of the planet – producing 20 percent of the Earth’s oxygen. Tim Harford speaks to Daniel Nepstad, President of Earth Innovation Institute, to analyse what we know about the fires.
The state pension and pensioner poverty
Earlier this month The Guardian website ran an article that claimed that British basic pensions are 16% of average earnings. Our initial thoughts were that the number seemed low so we explored its origins and discovered that things weren’t quite as they seemed.
Are Americans really eating more than two burgers a day?
Listeners spotted a report that Americans are eating around 800 burgers a year. It seemed a fantastically high number – surely it couldn’t be true. We looked into it, and it isn’t. We work out what a better figure would be.
Prehistoric pets
The team fact checks Jurassic Park, a well-known film franchise to see whether we are close to having prehistoric animals among us.
What data should the government collect?
Tim Harford talks to Anna Powell-Smith, a data scientist who keeps a blog of her efforts at scouring through government databases to see what the government does and doesn’t record and why that matters.
SUN 20:30 Last Word (m0007yml)
Lord Bell, Paule Marshall, David Koch, Richard Booth
Matthew Bannister on
Lord Bell, the advertising and public relations executive who helped Margaret Thatcher to win three elections.
Paule Marshall, the novelist who wrote about the experiences of black Americans of Caribbean origin.
David Koch, the American billionaire who poured money into right wing political causes.
Richard Booth, the second hand bookseller who was the self-styled King of Hay-on-Wye.
Interviewed guest: David Hooper
Interviewed guest: Michael Cockerell
Interviewed guest: Bonnie Greer
Interviewed guest: Lyn Innes
Interviewed guest: Daniel Schulman
Interviewed guest: Lucia Stuart
Producer: Neil George
Archive clips from: Tim Bell, Booktalk, BBC Parliament, 4/12/2012; Coming Soon, Saatchi & Saatchi, 1979; PM, BBC Radio 4 4/05/1979; Newsnight, BBC Two 04/09/2017. Paule Marshall, A stranger in a strange land, Radio 3, 9/04/1993; Praisesong for the widow, Radio 4, 17/05/1993. Richard Booth, Down the River Wye, Radio 4 16/08/1987; BBC Wales News 27/05/88.
SUN 21:00 Money Box (m00082yw)
[Repeat of broadcast at
12:04 on Saturday]
SUN 21:25 Radio 4 Appeal (m00081wv)
[Repeat of broadcast at
07:54 today]
SUN 21:30 In Business (m0007x5z)
Managing Volunteers: Free and Easy?
Twenty million Brits give their time for free each year. From the National Trust to the hospice coffee morning, the Samaritans to the local football club, huge parts of our world rely on volunteers.
But how easy is it to manage a workforce who can walk out at a moment's notice? How can you ensure people perform well - or even turn up - without the "carrot and stick" of pay and disciplinary procedures?
Presenter Claire Bolderson knows both sides of this: she volunteers at a food bank, but also chairs the governors at her local school. With the help of an RNLI lifeboat crew, a bustling community centre, and a whole roomful of professional volunteer managers, she discovers just how to get the best out of volunteers - and how much managers of paid staff have to learn from them.
Contributors include:
Tim Ody - Station Manager, RNLI Teddington
Pam Bardouille - Volunteer Co-Ordinator, The Dalgarno Trust
Jarina Choudhury - Volunteering Development Consultant, NCVO
Emma Knights - Chief Executive, National Governance Association
Dr Jenna Ward - University of Leicester
Presenter: Claire Bolderson
Producer: Beth Sagar-Fenton
SUN 22:00 Westminster Hour (m00083fl)
Radio 4's Sunday night political discussion programme.
SUN 23:00 The Film Programme (m0007x5h)
Mark Jenkin on Derek Jarman's The Garden
With Francine Stock
Mark Jenkin talks about the influence of Derek Jarman's home-made movie The Garden on his DIY film Bait, which is released this week.
SUN 23:30 September 1, 1939 (m00083f3)
[Repeat of broadcast at
13:30 today]
MONDAY 02 SEPTEMBER 2019
MON 00:00 Midnight News (m00083fn)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4.
MON 00:15 Mastertapes (m0001mp4)
Series 8
The Good, The Bad & The Queen (A-side)
John Wilson talks to leading performers and songwriters about the album that made them or changed them. Recorded in front of a live audience at the BBC's iconic Maida Vale Studios., each edition includes two episodes, with John initially quizzing the artist about the album in question, and then, in the B-side, the audience puts the questions. Both episodes feature exclusive live performances.
A-side: The Good, The Bad & The Queen.
Modern-day supergroup, Damon Albarn, Paul Simonon, Tony Allen and Simon Tong talk to John Wilson about their acclaimed debut album "The Good, The Bad & The Queen."
Released in 2007, the album brought together Blur’s front-man, the bassist from The Clash, the Afrobeat pioneer who was also Fela Kuti’s drummer, and former guitarist from the Verve who co-created The Magnetic North. Described by Damon Albarn as “a song cycle that's also a mystery play about London”, the record was voted the Best Album of 2007 by the Observer Music Magazine and it includes the singles Herculean, Kingdom of Doom and Green Fields.
Although Simon Tong and Paul Simonon appeared on the next Gorillaz album and Tony Allen collaborated with Damon Albarn on Rocket Juice & the Moon, the band have not released any more material… until now. Their long overdue follow-up Merrie Land was released in November.
Producer: Paul Kobrak
MON 00:45 Bells on Sunday (m0008308)
[Repeat of broadcast at
05:43 on Sunday]
MON 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m00083fr)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.
MON 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m00083fw)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
MON 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m00083g1)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.
MON 05:30 News Briefing (m00083g5)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4.
MON 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m00083g9)
A spiritual comment and prayer to start the day with Rania Hafez, senior lecturer at the University of Greenwich.
Today’s the start of a new week and a new month. Muslims have just seen the last days of the last month of the lunar year. Many will be returning after completing hajj, the pilgrimage to Makka. During Hajj millions of Muslims from all over the world congregate in the holy city of Makka, in modern day Saudi Arabia. It’s an amazing gathering, as people from across the globe, all dressed in pilgrim’s simple white, stand together, equal before God, moving as one.
A pilgrimage is a journey, and journeying is all about movement. The pilgrim travels to a sacred place, and in doing so moves spiritually to a new state of being. As a million Muslim pilgrims move as one, circling the Kaaba, the Abrahamic shrine in Makka, they mirror the perpetual movement of our universe. It’s a congregational devotion that always brings you back to the point you started from, renewed. As the American author Ursula le Guin wrote: “To be whole is to be part; true voyage is return.”
A voyage of pilgrimage is often arduous, physically and mentally. We journey towards a special place seeking salvation and renewal, and in doing so we make a mark, sometimes tangible, of our endeavours. I’m always moved by the stone steps in Rochester cathedral, worn down by centuries of Christian pilgrims climbing them on their hands and knees, in devotion and humility.
In recent times, we’ve also witnessed the movement of many people, driven by conflict and poverty to undertake gruelling even dangerous journeys, in order to reach a safe haven. Pilgrimage is not always a spiritual quest.
As we move through today may it bring both constancy and renewal, and may we be a sanctuary for others.
Amen.
MON 05:45 Farming Today (m00083gf)
The latest news about food, farming and the countryside.
MON 05:56 Weather (m00083gk)
The latest weather forecast for farmers.
MON 05:58 Tweet of the Day (b04t0sc8)
Kakapo
Michael Palin presents the New Zealand Kakapo, high on the ferny slopes of its island fortress off the coast of New Zealand. Kakapos are flightless and the heaviest parrots in the world. They're also called owl-parrots from their nocturnal habits and open owlish expressions. Like owls their plumage is richly mottled although no owl shares their beautiful moss-green tones.
Kakapos also have a curious mating strategy. The males gather at traditional "leks" or display areas to attract mates. At the top of a wooded ridge, the male digs one or more a bowl- like depressions in the ground which function as an amplifier. He then takes a deep breath, swells his throat-pouch like a balloon then releases the air with a soft booming call which can carry up to five kilometres.
This sound can now only be heard on a handful of offshore islands. The kakapo story is tragically familiar. Flightless and ground-nesting, it was helpless in the face of settlers who logged its forests and introduced cats and rats which slaughtered the birds. Between 1987 and 1992 the last surviving kakapos were relocated to predator-free islands. Now following intensive care and a national conservation strategy, there are about 130 kakapos in the wild.
MON 06:00 Today (m00082cm)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.
MON 09:00 As Others See Us (m00082cp)
Singapore
The first programme in a new series in which Neil MacGregor talks to opinion formers from five countries with strong historic links to Britain sees him in the South East Asian trading hub of Singapore.
Singapore has been held up by some political figures in the UK as an example of how Britain might survive and indeed thrive after leaving the European Union. Senior Diplomat Tommy Koh, novelist Catherine Lim and businessman Sunil Amarasuriya talk about their sense of Britain's legacy from language to law and trade to statecraft. Their collective memories stretch back to the height of Colonial rule and include the fall of Singapore to the Japanese, the horrors of the Second World War and thereafter the putting down of the Malayan uprising and the subsequent handover to Malaysian and later Singaporean independent rule. All these events have helped shape a vision and opinion about Britain and the British.
Neil discovers a particular trust in the role of a powerful and direct leader, inspired by the legacy of Singapore's first Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew and he asks if Britain can indeed learn lessons from its former Colony.
Producer: Tom Alban
MON 09:45 Book of the Week. Winds of Change (m00082cr)
Stockwell
Political historian Peter Hennessy reads from his new study of Britain in the early 1960s.
Peter grew up in Nympsfield in the Cotswolds and, apart from the excitements of new music from the Beatles and the Rolling Stones, satirical TV in the form of That Was the Week that Was and the coming of the first motorways, those adolescent days were overshadowed by the threat of nuclear war. Not least in the form of Prime Minister Harold Macmillan’s top-secret nuclear-proof stronghold, code-named Stockwell, which was being built just a few miles away.
Written and Read by Peter Hennessy
Adapted for radio by Libby Spurrier
Produced by Simon Elmes
A Pier production for BBC Radio 4
MON 10:00 Woman's Hour (m00082ct)
The programme that offers a female perspective on the world
MON 10:45 15 Minute Drama (m00082cw)
How Does That Make You Feel?
Episode 1
In this the 11th series of How Does that Make you Feel, Martha’s clients have made few changes to their circumstances.
Richard has had a chance encounter with the Duchess of Sussex causing him to faint. Meanwhile Toby has been trying on his shoes and, alarmingly, urging him to make an early-day will in his favour.
Frances Tomelty ..... Martha
Roger Allam ..... Richard
Written by ..... Shelagh Stephenson
Produced & Directed by ..... Eoin O'Callaghan
Shelagh Stephenson is the author of A Short History of Longing, and Guests Are Like Fish, for Radio 4. She is an Olivier award winner for her play The Memory of Water and won Sony and Writer’s Guild awards with her plays, Darling Peidi and Five Kinds of Silence. Her new play The English will be produced by Hampstead Theatre in 2019.
MON 11:00 Three Vicars Talking (m00082cy)
Birth
Three Vicars Talking brings together the Reverends Richard Coles, Kate Bottley and Giles Fraser to swap curate shoptalk about three of the most significant roles carried out by Church of England vicars... the hatch, the match and the dispatch.
In a three-part series, the well known broadcasters combine gallows humour with pathos, as they chat about the clerical role in births, marriage and death.
In this final episode they end at the beginning with babies in church.
MON 11:30 Loose Ends (m00082d0)
[Repeat of broadcast at
18:15 on Saturday]
MON 12:00 News Summary (m00082d2)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
MON 12:04 The Offing (m00082d4)
6/10: The Studio
One summer following the Second World War, sixteen-year-old Robert Appleyard sets out on foot from his Durham mining village, desperate to see something of the world before he goes down the pit. Acutely attuned to the rhythms and delights of the natural world, he sleeps rough and takes work where he can find it, until he meets Dulcie Piper, an eccentric older woman who lives in a ramshackle cottage looking out to sea. Dulcie is everything Robert is not: wordly, cynical, knowledgeable about poetry and politics, a lover of fine food and drink, someone who has seen both the best and the worst of human nature in the chaos of war. Despite their utterly different backgrounds, the two form an unlikely friendship which has a profound effect on both their lives.
As an old man, Robert looks back on that summer that changed the direction his life was to take, and the woman who opened his eyes to life's possibilities.
Benjamin Myers is an award-winning novelist, music journalist and landscape writer. His novel 'The Gallows Pole' received a Roger Deakin Award and won the Walter Scott Prize for historical fiction; 'Beastings' won the Portico Prize for Literature; and 'Pig Iron' won the inaugural Gordon Burn Prize.
Kevin Whately is well known for his television roles in Auf Wiedersehen, Pet, Inspector Morse and Lewis.
Episode 6/10: The Studio
Robert makes an unexpected discovery when he begins to clear out the shack in Dulcie's garden
Reader: Kevin Whately
Abridger: Sian Preece
Producer: Sara Davies
MON 12:18 You and Yours (m00082d6)
News and discussion of consumer affairs.
MON 12:57 Weather (m00082d8)
The latest weather forecast
MON 13:00 World at One (m00082db)
Mon-Thurs: Analysis of news and current affairs, presented by Sarah Montague. Fri: Analysis of news and current affairs, presented by Mark Mardell.
MON 13:45 The Political Butterfly Effect (m00082dd)
Did a drunken headbutt cause Brexit?
As the butterfly effect theory goes, a flap of an insect’s wings can set off a chain of events that causes a tornado on the other side of the world. But what of political weather? Where are the butterfly effects that led to major shifts in global politics, society, and our everyday lives?
The Guardian's Media Editor Jim Waterson explores how different the world would look were it not for the occasional, well-timed flap of a butterfly’s wings.
In episode one, Jim asks whether a Labour MP headbutting a fellow politician in the House of Commons led the UK to vote for Brexit. He traces the events that were set in motion by the fracas in 2012. Does the trail lead all the way to Britain’s exit from the EU?
Presenter: Jim Waterson
Producer: Robbie MacInnes
An SPG production for BBC Radio 4
MON 14:00 The Archers (m00082dg)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Sunday]
MON 14:15 How to Build a Supertower (m00082dj)
Episode 1
By Paul Sellar
When self-made tycoon Max Silver shakes up his property portfolio, he’s persuaded to raise an iconic new London skyscraper.
He has City backing for a defiant new national symbol, plus an eye to his family’s future, as well as a hankering for his own personal legacy.
But Max will still need all his ruthless deal-making skills to avoid the many and surprising traps put in his path by the world of business - and by sheer human folly.
1/4 Before the finance - the Planning.
Max Silver ..... Robert Glenister
Carol ….. Catherine Cusack
Teddy ….. Sean Baker
Zara ….. Katherine Press
Katalina ….. Daphne Alexander
Kolo ….. Buom Tihngang
Larry ….. Paul Hickey
John ….. Shaun Mason
Maryam ….. Susan Jameson
MON 15:00 Counterpoint (m00082dl)
Series 33
Heat 1, 2019
(1/13)
The 33rd season of Radio 4's eclectic music quiz gets under way with three competitors hoping their musical knowledge could take them all the way to the Counterpoint title in the autumn. Paul Gambaccini's questions range from favourite symphonies to Hollywood musicals, and from classic pop and soul to opera and cantatas. As always the competitors will be asked to pick a musical topic on which to answer their own individual questions, with no prior warning of the subjects and no chance to prepare.
Taking part today are:
Alex Denman, a copywriter from Bristol
Neil Morgan, an airline pilot from Hampshire
Rufus Stilgoe, a writer from South London
Producer: Paul Bajoria
MON 15:30 The Food Programme (m00082dp)
[Repeat of broadcast at
12:32 on Sunday]
MON 16:00 Auditory Illusions (m00082dr)
Trevor Cox is fascinated by auditory illusions - sounds that trick the ear. He discovers how they can be used in music and challenges composer Sarah Angliss to write a piece of music commissioned specially for this programme, inspired by the illusions he finds for her.
Trevor talks to musicians - musicologist and former drummer Bill Bruford, baroque violinist Rachel Podger, and Dan Stowell who wrote a thesis about beatboxing. We hear from composers Steve Reich and Francis Shaw. And Diana Deutsch, Professor of Psychology at the University of California, introduces some of the illusions that she has spent a lifetime investigating.
MON 16:30 Beyond Belief (m00082dt)
The Nature of God
Who or what is God? Assuming here, that he or she exists. The traditional image is that of an old man with a beard, sitting somewhere up there, keeping an eye on his creation. But for many the nature of God has evolved far beyond this. But to what? What do we mean by God in today's world? Can we ever pin down the unknowable and does that matter?
Ernie Rea is joined by the Right Rev Dr Helen-Ann Hartley, Bishop of Ripon; Dr Mark Vernon, a Psychotherapist and author of A Secret History of Christianity and Pradip Gajjar, President of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness movement in Leicester and a teacher of Philosophy, Religion and Ethics.
Producer
Catherine Earlam
Series Producer
Amanda Hancox
MON 17:00 PM (m00082dw)
Afternoon news and current affairs programme, reporting on breaking stories and summing up the day's headlines.
MON 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m00082dy)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
MON 18:30 Just a Minute (m00082f0)
Series 85
Episode 5
Stephen Fry, Jan Ravens, Pam Ayres and Paul Merton join Nicholas Parsons for the panel game where the challenge is to speak without repetition, hesitation or deviation.
A BBC Studios Production.
MON 19:00 The Archers (m0008246)
Lexi's thrilled to be back and Adam and Ian struggle to contain themselves.
MON 19:15 Front Row (m00082f2)
Live magazine programme on the worlds of arts, literature, film, media and music
MON 19:45 15 Minute Drama (m00082cw)
[Repeat of broadcast at
10:45 today]
MON 20:00 The Hidden Story of British Slavery (m00081ss)
According to the most recent Home Office statistics, the largest national grouping held in slavery here in the UK is British. Sangita Myska uncovers the hidden story of these victims, revealing who they are and how their enslavement can happen within the UK’s borders.
Speaking to Emilie Martin of the Salvation Army, the Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner Dame Sara Thornton, and Kevin Hyland who was the inaugural Commissioner, Sangita demystifies modern slavery. She explores the psychological chains that are often employed over real ones, and the vulnerabilities that might make victims susceptible.
The programme investigates the systems in place to bring both support and justice to the victims, including the National Referral Mechanism which provides victims with official recognition of their experience of modern slavery, and the police.
Sangita asks why conviction rates are so low in a country hailed around the world as one of the front-runners in legislation for and recognition of this crime, and if we are quick enough to recognise victims.
Producer: Philippa Geering
An Overtone production for BBC Radio 4
MON 20:30 Crossing Continents (m0007x4x)
Kazakhstan: Port in the Desert
China’s New Silk Road reaches across all parts of the globe; building roads, bridges and towering cities where before there were none. In Kazakhstan, China’s neighbour to the west, this vast project has created a port. But there’s no water there, just desert… and trains running all the way from China through to Europe and the Middle East. Meeting the hundreds of shoppers and traders, it’s astonishing to think that just a few years ago this border was a closed military zone - the frontier between two giant communist states. But turn the clock back further and we discover this part of Central Asia has always been closely tied to China, in languages, culture and contested history. For Crossing Continents, Rose Kudabayeva returns to her home country Kazakhstan, to meet people living along the New Silk Road and record how their world is changing.
Produced by Monica Whitlock
A BlokMedia production
MON 21:00 The Age of Consultancy (m0007wvg)
Award-winning Private Eye financial journalist and author Richard Brooks examines the impact of management consultancy - its history, the lifestyles and ideas of its practitioners and its influence on all of our lives.
Their elite training gives us many of our political and business leaders. Their techniques guided the post-war information revolution and helped put a man on the moon. They’ve shaped contemporary capitalism.
Management consultants operate inside 90% of FTSE 100 companies, most public services and many of the world’s governments. But most of us know very little about what they do or what impact they might be having on our world.
Guiding Richard on his exploration of the consultant’s world are:
Peter Lacy, senior managing director for UK and Ireland at Accenture Strategy.
Julian Richer, retailer, entrepreneur and vocal critic of management consultancy.
Felix Stein, an ex-management consultant and economic anthropologist. The author of Sleep, Work, Repeat: The Abstract Labour of German Management Consultants.
Dina Nayeri, previously a consultant with one of the world’s best known consultancy firms, McKinsey and Company and now the author of The Ungrateful Refugee.
Dr Christopher McKenna Reader in Business History and Strategy at the Saïd Business School, University of Oxford and author of The World's Newest Profession: Management Consulting in the Twentieth Century.
Original music composed by Daniel R. Wilson
Original concept and consultancy from Margot Gibbs
Produced by Michael Umney
A Resonance production for BBC Radio 4
MON 21:30 As Others See Us (m00082cp)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:00 today]
MON 22:00 The World Tonight (m00082f5)
In depth reporting, intelligent analysis and breaking news from a global perspective
MON 22:45 The Offing (m00082d4)
[Repeat of broadcast at
12:04 today]
MON 23:00 Word of Mouth (m0007ww2)
Anglo Saxon
Michael Rosen explores the origins of English in the Anglo-Saxon world. Ancient riddles, poems and a multi-cultural Britain, in the company of historical linguist Dr Laura Wright and Professor Andy Orchard.
Producer: Melvin Rickarby.
MON 23:30 Art of Now (m000615f)
Music of the Kaka'i
Farhad al-Kake shares the secret music of his ancient Kurdish religion, which is central to their faith but makes the Kaka’i a target for Islamic extremists in their homeland of Iraq.
Centuries of persecution have made the Kaka’i people of Iraq secretive about their faith. They believe they are the oldest religion in the world, and music is important to their worship. Many of their holy songs are thousands of years old, passed down from generation to generation, and are never played in public. In fact, the music of the Kaka’i has rarely been heard outside their community in Iraq before.
For the first time, in this programme, the Kaka’i share their rich musical heritage – music which some risk their lives to play.
Since the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003 and the rise of Islamic extremism that followed, the Kaka’i have faced growing persecution from Muslim militants who believe their peaceful religion to be a false cult. They also believe music is "haram", or forbidden.
What’s more, in the Kaka’i religion, men and women are equal, and woman play music alongside men – making them even more of a target.
The Kaka’i are finally revealing their lives to the world in an attempt to thwart the risk of genocide.
Recorded on location in Kurdistan, with religious leader Farhad al-Kake as our guide, we’ll hear music from a secret past, and meet the musicians who preserve it, despite the risk to their lives.
Producer: Eve Streeter
A Greenpoint production for BBC Radio 4
TUESDAY 03 SEPTEMBER 2019
TUE 00:00 Midnight News (m00082f7)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4
TUE 00:30 Book of the Week. Winds of Change (m00082cr)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:45 on Monday]
TUE 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m00082f9)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.
TUE 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m00082fc)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
TUE 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m00082ff)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.
TUE 05:30 News Briefing (m00082fh)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4.
TUE 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m00082fk)
A spiritual comment and prayer to start the day with Rania Hafez, senior lecturer at the University of Greenwich.
Good morning and a happy new year to you!
I know it’s not the first of January, but for me, a teacher, the beginning of the school year has always felt like New Year’s Day. Likewise for many out there, it’ll be a start of sorts, as the summer comes to an end, and we resume the usual routine of work and school.
A few days ago Muslims marked the end of the lunar year, which completes with the month of pilgrimage. It’s interesting how the Islamic year ends with a quest that brings us back right to the start again. A year that culminates in a sacred journey back to oneself. It also gives us a chance to reset and start afresh. Islamic tradition holds that the one who completes the pilgrimage in true faith, returns like the day she was born; slate wiped clean to be written on with new resolve and hopefully more piety.
And although many of us have yet to undertake a pilgrimage, we can use the occasion of the new year, whether academic or lunar, to take a journey of the heart, and resolve to start anew.
So what are my new year’s resolutions? Well like many I always resolve to do more exercise and eat healthy, though seldom keep to that. So this year I’ve decided I’m going to be more forgiving and kind; to myself to start with, but to others too. Kindness is much underrated, and we could all do with more magnanimity. I’m guided by the wise words of Baba Farid, a Muslim Sufi mystic who’s also a Sikh saint, who tells us:
“Don’t utter even one harsh word, For the Beloved abides in all”
Beloved, help us always to see ourselves and others with your benevolent merciful eyes.
Amen.
TUE 05:45 Farming Today (m00082fm)
The latest news about food, farming and the countryside.
TUE 05:58 Tweet of the Day (b04t0skg)
Horned Screamer
Michael Palin presents the Venezuelan horned screamer. Soundling as if someone is using a giant plunger in the Venezuelan marshes, these are the mating calls of the Horned Screamer. They're sounds that only another Horned Screamer could love, but then screamers are very odd birds. Over the years ornithologists have struggled to classify them, modern thinking puts their closest living relatives as the primitive Australian Magpie Goose.
Protruding from its head is a long wiry horn made of cartilage, which could rightfully earn it the title of "unicorn of the bird world" Usually seen as pairs or, outside the breeding season in small groups in the marshes and savannas of the northern half of South America, as you'd expect from their name , they are very vocal and these primeval bellows which sound more cow like than bird like and can be heard up to 3 kilometers away.
TUE 06:00 Today (m0008239)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.
TUE 09:00 As Others See Us (m000823c)
The USA
2019 is a year of potentially momentous change for the United Kingdom, and in a continuation of his new series, Neil MacGregor visits five more countries to talk to leading political, business and cultural figures to find out how they, as individuals and as members of their broader communities, see Britain.
Both the United States and the United Kingdom frequently refer to their special relationship, forged during the second World War and still a factor today. In this programme, recorded in Boston and Los Angeles, Neil hears how that special relationship has also been influenced by the Boston Tea Party, Gainsborough's Blue Boy, James Bond, Harry Potter and Downton Abbey. Along the way he talks to: Harvard historian and staff writer at the New Yorker, Jill Lepore; James Cuno, President and CEO of the J. Paul Getty Trust; Executive Vice President at Variety magazine, Steve Gaydos; and Mohamad Ali, the new CEO at International Data Group.
Producer: Paul Kobrak
TUE 09:30 Classified Britain (m000823f)
Series 2
Ripley and Heanor News, 2 July 1948
James Naughtie explores history through front page small ads.
The Ripley and Heanor News - serving the towns of the Amber Valley, north of Derby - reveals the austerity of post war recovery in its columns, the home made entertainment in the days before television's domination and a meeting with one of the best known mediums in the Midlands.
Front page news is a relatively late addition to the newspaper business. For most of their first couple of centuries, British newspapers carried classified ads rather than news on their front page. They transformed the hustle and bustle of the marketplace into newsprint, so you could take it home or to the inn to pore over at your leisure.
James Naughtie travels the country discovering how these front page ads give us a snapshot of time and place, exploring how they weave national and local life together - the heartbeat of history rolling daily or weekly off the presses.
The ads tell us what people were eating, drinking and wearing, what was on stage and what people were playing at home. They mark the mood of the time through notices for public meetings held to stoke up or damp down public fears of crime and political unrest. They are a record of the notices placed for houses and public buildings to be built, licenses applied for and subscriptions raised for publications and commemorations. They show the latest labour saving gadgets "trending" as technology arrived, and they track jobs and trades on the way up and down as the British Empire waxed and waned. The ever present ads for patent medicines record our most popular ailments.
Produced by John Forsyth.
Assistant Producer: Alexandra Quinn.
A Loftus Media production for BBC Radio 4.
TUE 09:45 Book of the Week. Winds of Change (m000823h)
The World Crisis – from Berlin to Cuba
Political historian Peter Hennessy reads from his new study of Britain in the early 1960s.
In the nuclear standoff of the Cold War, two great nightmare events stalked the early 1960s and the premiership of Harold Macmillan. He called it The World Crisis which manifested itself first on the streets of the now divided pre-war German capital, Berlin. Following the end of the Second World War, the city was overseen by the Soviet Union, the USA, the British and the French. As tension flared across the line of division between east and west Berlin, tanks appeared on the streets and the infamous wall was erected to keep the sectors apart.
Shortly after the wall went up, Cuba became the focus of world tension as Soviet premier Nikita Khrushchev sent vast quantities of weaponry to the Communist-ruled Caribbean island, targeting the nearby United States. A young and still relatively inexperienced US President, John F Kennedy, had to decide how to confront the new threat in his backyard.
Written and Read by Peter Hennessy
Adapted for radio by Libby Spurrier
Produced by Simon Elmes
A Pier production for BBC Radio 4
TUE 10:00 Woman's Hour (m000823k)
The programme that offers a female perspective on the world
TUE 10:45 15 Minute Drama (m000823m)
How Does That Make You Feel?
Episode 2
Tony’s Bishop’s plan to launch The Men’s Equality Party have foundered with his fellow drinkers’ refusal to pay their subscriptions. But a new plan to enter and win Masterchef: The Professionals seems a sure-fire to get the attention of Chrissie his estranged wife, until Martha points out his fatal strategic flaw; he’s not a professional chef.
Frances Tomelty ..... Martha
Tim McInnerny ..... Tony
Written by Shelagh Stephenson
Produced & Directed by Eoin O'Callaghan
Shelagh Stephenson is the author of A Short History of Longing, and Guests Are Like Fish, for Radio 4. She is an Olivier award winner for her play The Memory of Water and won Sony and Writer’s Guild awards with her plays, Darling Peidi and Five Kinds of Silence. Her new play The English will be produced by Hampstead Theatre in 2019.
TUE 11:00 Digital Future: the New Underclass (m000823p)
Dr Josie Barnard investigates the deep social divides created by the digital world.
Whether booking a flight to go on holiday or ordering a takeaway, digital technology is so embedded in everyday life that it's easy to assume everyone is on a level playing field. Or that those who aren't are part of an older generation who didn't grow up with computers. But that's a dangerous assumption.
22% of the British population lack the digital skills they need to get by day-to-day. That's more than one in five people who struggle with signing their child up to school, filling in a tax return, or even using a smartphone to make a call. And as more and more essential services move online, falling behind the pace of change carries severe consequences.
For young people., the risks of being left behind are buried under the assumption that they are digital natives - that they have supposedly grown up with an innate ability to use digital technology. But as the number of smartphone-only households grows, millions of children are in danger of their digital world shrinking around a tiny touchscreen.
Dr Barnard asks if this is simply a question of affordability and motivation, or whether more complicated factors are at play. She speaks to people struggling to find space at public computer banks to complete their Universal Credit forms, and a group who are jumping hurdles to get online because of their severe dyslexia, and gets behind the screens of smartphone-only teenagers to find out how the kind of device and the way we use it can be just as detrimental as not having it at all.
Presenter: Dr Josie Barnard
Producer: Emma Barnaby
Executive Producer: Deborah Dudgeon
A Whistledown production for BBC Radio 4
TUE 11:30 Art of Now (m000823r)
Sell Out
Ben Ferguson explores corporate sponsorship in the arts and the murkier area of brand-artist collaboration.
The art world is saturated with corporate money. There are big sponsorship deals, where companies underwrite cultural institutions like the National Portrait Gallery, the British Museum and the Tate in return for cultural prestige and hanging company logos over exhibitions. And alongside this, the half-hidden, lucrative world of artist-brand partnerships or collaborations, where brands are not only underwriting artists' work financially but wrapping themselves around the creative process itself.
Patronage in the arts is nothing new. With years of austerity, public funding suffers and corporate money becomes ever more vital for the art world. But companies and brands have their own agenda, their own interests. What are they getting out of it? How much influence do they have on the work commissioned and shown?
Fossil fuel companies who sponsor the great public galleries, in particular BP, are accused of using their association with the arts to divert public attention away from their environmental record - so-called "art-washing". Meanwhile there is growing unease that brands in general are becoming embedded in the art world, their commercial interests somehow concealed behind the work. Are lines being crossed between art, ethics and commerce and should we be worried?
Journalist Ben Ferguson hears from artists including Nan Goldin, Gary Hume, Anish Kapoor and Unga from the collective Broken Fingaz, as well as critics, curators, activists, educators and cultural platforms. He asks what "selling out" really means in today’s art world.
Produced by Simon Hollis
A Brook Lapping production for BBC Radio 4
TUE 12:00 News Summary (m00082ty)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
TUE 12:04 The Offing (m000823w)
7/10: White Horses
One summer following the Second World War, sixteen-year-old Robert Appleyard sets out on foot from his Durham mining village, desperate to see something of the world before he goes down the pit. Acutely attuned to the rhythms and delights of the natural world, he sleeps rough and takes work where he can find it, until he meets Dulcie Piper, an eccentric older woman who lives in a ramshackle cottage looking out to sea. Dulcie is everything Robert is not: wordly, cynical, knowledgeable about poetry and politics, a lover of fine food and drink, someone who has seen both the best and the worst of human nature in the chaos of war. Despite their utterly different backgrounds, the two form an unlikely friendship which has a profound effect on both their lives.
As an old man, Robert looks back on that summer that changed the direction his life was to take, and the woman who opened his eyes to life's possibilities.
Benjamin Myers is an award-winning novelist, music journalist and landscape writer. His novel 'The Gallows Pole' received a Roger Deakin Award and won the Walter Scott Prize for historical fiction; 'Beastings' won the Portico Prize for Literature; and 'Pig Iron' won the inaugural Gordon Burn Prize.
Kevin Whately is well known for his television roles in Auf Wiedersehen, Pet and as Robert 'Robbie' Lewis in Inspector Morse and Lewis.
Episode 7/10: White Horses
Dulcie explains the significance of the poems Robert has found in the studio
Reader: Kevin Whately
Abridger: Sian Preece
Producer: Sara Davies
TUE 12:18 You and Yours (m000823y)
Call You and Yours: 03/09/2019
News and discussion of consumer affairs.
TUE 12:57 Weather (m0008240)
The latest weather forecast
TUE 13:00 World at One (m0008242)
Analysis of news and current affairs, presented by Sarah Montague.
TUE 13:45 The Political Butterfly Effect (m0008244)
Did the Black Panthers change the NRA?
The Black Panther Party for Self-Defense was created to defend black communities in California from excessive force by the police. The Guardian’s Media Editor Jim Waterson examines whether their armed shadowing of police officers inadvertently went on to change the USA in an unexpected way.
Presenter: Jim Waterson
Producer: Robbie MacInnes
An SPG production for BBC Radio 4
TUE 14:00 The Archers (m0008246)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Monday]
TUE 14:15 How to Build a Supertower (m0008248)
Episode 2
By Paul Sellar
When self-made tycoon Max Silver shakes up his property portfolio, he’s persuaded to raise an iconic new London skyscraper.
He has City backing for a defiant new national symbol, plus an eye to his family’s future, as well as a hankering for his own personal legacy.
But Max will still need all his ruthless deal-making skills to avoid the many and surprising traps put in his path by the world of business - and by sheer human folly.
2/4 Scary news means a rush to sign up high profile tenants for a building which is still just a plan.
Max Silver ..... Robert Glenister
Carol ….. Catherine Cusack
Teddy ….. Sean Baker
Zara ….. Katherine Press
Sasha ….. Andrew Byron
Clem ….. Vineeta Rishi
Angus ….. Nicholas Murchie
Asha ….. Nokukhanya Masango
Fadi ….. Alexander Devrient
Larry ….. Paul Hickey
Rory ….. Jonny Holden
TUE 15:00 Short Cuts (m000824d)
Series 20
Musical
A spider infestation turns into a musical performance, the pianist Glenn Gould unpicks the magic of Petula Clark's Downtown and Patrick Haggerty talks about Lavender Country, which has come to be known as the first gay country music album.
Josie Long presents short documentaries and adventures in sound about music and musicians.
Production team: Andrea Rangecroft and Alia Cassam
Series Producer: Eleanor McDowall
A Falling Tree production for BBC Radio 4
TUE 15:30 The Walk: Across the Water (m0003jv3)
Dover
In this two-part series, writer Cole Moreton explores what life is like beyond the headlines in Dover and Calais – two ports that are often half-forgotten but that have a front seat view of history. He asks what the people are like, what they have in common and what keeps them apart beside the sea.
In this episode, Cole arrives in Dover and speaks to fishermen who have rescued migrants from the Channel, a teenage Afghan who made the crossing in a chip lorry, and a yacht commodore who joined the French Foreign Legion.
Presenter: Cole Moreton
Producer: Jonathan Mayo
A TBI production for BBC Radio 4
TUE 16:00 Art of Living (m0005t6l)
Knife Imitates Art - How Surgeons Use Creativity
Peter Curran presents a fascinating study of surgeons working in Belfast and Bristol who demonstrate the benefits of their work as musicians, songwriters and sculptors, and what that brings to the Operating Theatre.
Each offer a contrasting take on what music means to their lives; improving empathy, technique or just total immersion in a creative place that balances the life and death issues and responsibilities they face in their professional world.
In Belfast, the link between good surgeons and creativity is illustrated by the international prize-winning surgeon and Clinical Teaching Fellow at Queen's University, Ian Walsh.
Consultant surgeons Aidan Armstrong, Stephen White and Robert Cuthbert talk about the contrasting emotions of performing surgery and playing classical music concerts.
We visit the Bristol studio of Lisa Sacks, a South African plastic and reconstructive surgeon whose clinical career began in Soweto - but from the age of 13 she's been making sculptures of heads, bodies and hands. Her bronze portrait bust of Averil Mansfield, Britain’s first female Professor of Surgery is currently on display at the Royal College of Surgeons in London.
Produced by Peter Curran. A Foghorn production for BBC Radio 4
TUE 16:30 Great Lives (m000824j)
Series 49
Philippa Perry on the Italian educator Maria Montessori
Psychotherapist Philippa Perry nominates the Italian educator and doctor Maria Montessori, who revolutionised children's education.
Montessori schools exist today in over 170 countries. They are defined by a child-centred approach to learning, nurturing independence and individuality in children as young as three years old. In Philippa Perry’s work as a psychotherapist, she finds deep connections with Montessori’s philosophy, which is about believing the person has the power to develop within them.
Philippa is joined by the executive director of Association Montessori International Lynne Lawrence. It’s presented by Matthew Parris.
Produced in Bristol by Eliza Lomas.
TUE 17:00 PM (m000824p)
Afternoon news and current affairs programme, reporting on breaking stories and summing up the day's headlines.
TUE 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m0008251)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
TUE 18:30 Paul Sinha's General Knowledge (m0008257)
Episode 2
Paul Sinha - comedian, lapsed GP, Chaser and genuinely the fourth best quizzer in the United Kingdom - returns to tell you about... well, everything.
Paul has already told you about history in the Rose d'Or-winning Paul Sinha's History Revision, as well as Britishness (Paul Sinha's Citizenship Test), Magna Carta (The Sinha Carta), the Olympics (The Sinha Games) and, most importantly, cricket (The Sinha Test). But as a competitive quizzer, Paul learns fascinating facts all the time. As a curious man, he then looks up the stories behind those facts and they often turn out to be even more fascinating. In Paul Sinha's General Studies, he shares these stories with you.
This week's show starts with a question about the connection between an Emmy-winning actor and an electro-pop pioneer, before moving through the world of sport in search of barely-believable but true facts, including one of Britain's greatest-ever cyclists and the unusual circumstances around the 1904 Olympic Marathon.
Written and performed by Paul Sinha
Produced by Ed Morrish
A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4
TUE 19:00 The Archers (m00081tb)
Emma makes her mind up and Brookfield faces a challenge.
TUE 19:15 Front Row (m000825f)
Live magazine programme on the worlds of arts, literature, film, media and music
TUE 19:45 15 Minute Drama (m000823m)
[Repeat of broadcast at
10:45 today]
TUE 20:00 Birds and the Bees 2.0 (m000825m)
This September, English secondary schools prepare to roll out a new curriculum for Relationships and Sex Education (RSE). This overhaul of the subject has been carefully planned and consulted on. Its advocates - including government ministers - claim it will properly prepare teenagers for the relationships they will have and should know about in their adult lives, and help to banish from the classroom outdated adolescent sniggering and mass embarrassment. But how far are these aims likely to be achieved?
In this programme, journalist - and comedian - Jordan Dunbar puts the plans for the new RSE under the microscope. He revisits his native Northern Ireland to recall with friends and family his own sex education of 15 years ago - both at home and in school. And, deploying wit and humour, he assesses the changes that are now being made in RSE and discovers how young people will experience the curriculum. He talks with teachers, parents, educational specialists and young people themselves about the changes and what they want from RSE today.
Although the reforms to RSE in England have been long discussed, the guidance from the Department for Education on what should be taught and how may still come as an unwelcome surprise to some. So what will happen if parents - like those who have expressed opposition to relationships education in some primary schools - disapprove of aspects of the new curriculum and do not want their children to be taught them? What is the proper role of parents and schools in this most sensitive of subjects? And how will we know if the new approach to RSE is proving successful?
TUE 20:40 In Touch (m000825t)
News, views and information for people who are blind or partially sighted
TUE 21:00 Science Stories (m00081tk)
Series 9
Ramon Llull: the medieval prophet of computer science
Philip Ball tells the story of Ramon Llull, the medieval prophet of computer science. During the time of the Crusades Llull argued that truth could be automated and used logic over force to prove the existence of the Christian God. It was a dangerous idea that got him thrown into prison and threatened with execution but today he is hailed, not as a prophet of the Christian faith, but of computer science.
Philip Ball talks to historian Pamela Beatty of the University of Louisville in Kentucky about Ramon Llull's life and times in 13th-century Catalonia, and to mathematician and Simonyi Professor for the Public Understanding of Science at Oxford University, Marcus du Sautoy, about the legacy of Llull's ideas in combinatorics, a branch of mathematics that explores how we can arrange a set of objects.
TUE 21:30 As Others See Us (m000823c)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:00 today]
TUE 22:00 The World Tonight (m0008260)
In depth reporting, intelligent analysis and breaking news from a global perspective
TUE 22:45 The Offing (m000823w)
[Repeat of broadcast at
12:04 today]
TUE 23:00 Phil Ellis Is Trying (m0008268)
Series 2
Rugrat
When Phil hears a ruckus in Johnny's memorabilia shop downstairs, he goes to investigate, only to discover the mayor of Parbold, who gives Phil a much-needed job: to discover if her husband is having an affair. This undercover work takes Phil, Polly and Johnny across town to investigate Parbold's seedy underbelly. It may be a case Phil is desperate to crack, but will he like what he finds?
Written by Phil Ellis and Fraser Steele.
Starring:
Phil Ellis as Phil
Johnny Vegas as Johnny
Amy Gledhill as Polly/Miss Ecuador
Terry Mynott as Keith/Geoff
Katia Kvinge as Ellie
Andrew Ellis as Dave
Sunil Patel as Steve
and with special guest star Desiree Burch as the Mayor of Parbold
Produced by Sam Michell
A BBC Studios production
TUE 23:30 Today in Parliament (m000826d)
News, views and features on today's stories in Parliament
WEDNESDAY 04 SEPTEMBER 2019
WED 00:00 Midnight News (m000826j)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4
WED 00:30 Book of the Week. Winds of Change (m000823h)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:45 on Tuesday]
WED 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m000826p)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.
WED 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m000826t)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
WED 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m000826z)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.
WED 05:30 News Briefing (m0008275)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4.
WED 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m000827h)
A spiritual comment and prayer to start the day with Rania Hafez, senior lecturer at the University of Greenwich.
Good Morning!
A few days ago we marked the Islamic new year. It is now the year 1441.
Although Islam as a faith traces its roots to the patriarch Abraham, our calendar started in 622 AD with a significant event in Muslim history called the Hijra, meaning Migration. It was the year the prophet and his small band of followers, having endured a decade of oppression in Makka, decided to migrate, individually and in small groups, to the oasis of Yathrib, where they had been pledged sanctuary.
The decision to leave their homes and possessions, and risk their lives across the desert taking very little with them, has marked the start of the calendar for Muslims, and has also been an inspiration to successive generations. Migration, which was necessary to save the nascent faith, became an act of faith. In a world where borders define and constrain us, Islam was protected and flourished on the premise of movement beyond those borders.
When the early Muslims sought sanctuary with strangers, they were welcomed with open arms. It was said that the residents of Yathrib shared their belongings equally with the asylum seekers, each resident choosing a ‘brother’ from amongst the migrants. And when the prophet finally arrived in Yathrib, the residents welcomed him with poetry and song and renamed their oasis Medina, the city of the prophet.
These days we’re more aware than ever of the way borders divide us, allowing some in and keeping many out. We could learn much from our forebears who welcomed strangers as brothers, and together created a community of faith, marking the beginning of a new era and a new calendar.
Gracious Beloved, help us transcend barriers and borders, and open our hearts and homes to those who would seek sanctuary with us.
Amen.
WED 05:45 Farming Today (m000827r)
The latest news about food, farming and the countryside.
WED 05:58 Tweet of the Day (b04t0sxg)
Red-Eyed Vireo
Michael Palin presents the red-eyed vireo from North America. About the size of British great tits the red-eyed vireo is a common summer visitors to much of North America where they breed in woodlands. The adult vireos are mainly olive green with white bellies and grey heads and their red eyes are highlighted by a white eyestripe. Seeing the birds as they hunt insects among the leaves is much harder than hearing them, because red-vireos are tireless songsters. They used to be known locally as "preacher birds " and territorial males hold the record for the largest repertoire produced by a songbird in a single day.
Each vireo can have a repertoire of between a dozen and over a hundred different song-types. And while these marathon "question- and- answer" sessions are the soundtrack to many North American woods, they aren't universally appreciated. The nature writer Bradford Torrey wrote in 1889 that "whoever dubbed this vireo the preacher could have had no very exalted opinion of the clergy"
Producer Andrew Dawes.
WED 06:00 Today (m00081sb)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.
WED 09:00 As Others See Us (m00081sd)
Spain
2019 is a year of potentially momentous change for the United Kingdom, and in a continuation of his new series, Neil MacGregor visits five different countries to talk to leading political, business and cultural figures to find out how they, as individuals and as members of their broader communities, see Britain.
Today he is in Spain to explore the close historic and enduring relationship between the two countries. Royal alliances in the 16th century made King Philip II of Spain also King of England and his wife Queen Mary ('Bloody Mary') was crowned Queen of Spain. But infamous disputes and clashes like the Armada and Gibraltar caused centuries of tension between the rival nations and spawned the Leyenda Negra (the Black Legend) characterizing the Spaniards as bloodthirsty envoys of the Inquisition. The Duke of Wellington's intervention in the Spanish War of Independence against the French in 1813 led to a new era of warmer relations. Nowadays more Brits settle in Spain than any other country and vice versa for young Spaniards.
Neil hears how Catalan nationalists have watched the Scottish independence movement closely as they sought their own referendum. And also how the much admired British constitutional system - which Spain emulated when it became a democracy in the 1970s - is seen now in the context of Brexit.
Neil speaks to former minister Eduardo Serra, artist Cristina Iglesias, MP for the Partido Popular Cayetana Alvarez de Toledo, economist Pedro Schwartz, journalist Guifre Jordan and the Duke of Wellington
Producer Neil McCarthy
WED 09:45 Book of the Week. Winds of Change (m00081sg)
End of the Line – from Beeching to Profumo
Political historian Peter Hennessy reads from his new study of Britain in the early 1960s.
Of the many crises to assail the government of Harold Macmillan, what came to be known as the Profumo Affair was the most lurid and most talked about among ordinary voters. John Profumo was Macmillan’s Secretary of State for War who became embroiled in a scandal involving Soviet spies, call-girls and wild society parties. Profumo was forced to resign and the scandal tainted the political fortunes of the Conservative party for years afterwards.
Also reaching the end of the line were the steam trains and branch lines axed as a result of the notorious report on the future of the railway network by the boss of British Railways, Richard Beeching.
Written and Read by Peter Hennessy
Adapted for radio by Libby Spurrier
Produced by Simon Elmes
A Pier production for BBC Radio 4
WED 10:00 Woman's Hour (m00081sk)
The programme that offers a female perspective on the world
WED 10:41 15 Minute Drama (m00081sm)
How Does That Make You Feel?
Episode 3
Caroline (Rebecca Saire) is mildy relieved that her husband has finally quite the house for good. But though motivational and dietary blog is going well she is feeling a gap in her life; a gap which she feels might be filled by the romantically named Sir Kier Starmer QC.
Frances Tomelty ..... Martha
Rebecca Saire ..... Caroline
Written by ..... Shelagh Stephenson
Produced & Directed by ..... Eoin O'Callaghan
Shelagh Stephenson is the author of A Short History of Longing, and Guests Are Like Fish, for Radio 4. She is an Olivier award winner for her play The Memory of Water and won Sony and Writer’s Guild awards with her plays, Darling Peidi and Five Kinds of Silence. Her new play The English will be produced by Hampstead Theatre in 2019.
WED 10:55 The Listening Project (m00081sq)
Angelica and Shobhna - Reaping Rewards
Mother and daughter discuss the benefits of being brought up with a strong work ethic. Fi Glover presents another conversation in a series that proves it's surprising what you hear when you listen.
WED 11:00 The Hidden Story of British Slavery (m00081ss)
[Repeat of broadcast at
20:00 on Monday]
WED 11:30 All Those Women (m00081sv)
All Those Women: An Ending
Comedy series by Katherine Jakeways about four generations of women living under one roof.
We're back with the family for a final episode, and an ending, of sorts.
All Those Women explores familial relationships, ageing, marriages - it's about life and love and things not turning out quite the way that you'd expected them to. Our series follows Hetty, Maggie, Jen and Emily as they struggle to resolve their own problems, and support one another.
Written by KATHERINE JAKEWAYS
Starring LESLEY MANVILLE, MARCIA WARREN, SINEAD MATTHEWS and LUCY HUTCHINSON
Producer Alexandra Smith
A BBC Studios Production
WED 12:00 News Summary (m00081sx)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
WED 12:04 The Offing (m00081sz)
8/10: A Strange Alchemy
One summer following the Second World War, sixteen-year-old Robert Appleyard sets out on foot from his Durham mining village, desperate to see something of the world before he goes down the pit. Acutely attuned to the rhythms and delights of the natural world, he sleeps rough and takes work where he can find it, until he meets Dulcie Piper, an eccentric older woman who lives in a ramshackle cottage looking out to sea. Dulcie is everything Robert is not: wordly, cynical, knowledgeable about poetry and politics, a lover of fine food and drink, someone who has seen both the best and the worst of human nature in the chaos of war. Despite their utterly different backgrounds, the two form an unlikely friendship which has a profound effect on both their lives.
As an old man, Robert looks back on that summer that changed the direction his life was to take, and the woman who opened his eyes to life's possibilities.
Benjamin Myers is an award-winning novelist, music journalist and landscape writer. His novel 'The Gallows Pole' received a Roger Deakin Award and won the Walter Scott Prize for historical fiction; 'Beastings' won the Portico Prize for Literature; and 'Pig Iron' won the inaugural Gordon Burn Prize.
Kevin Whately is well known for his television roles in Auf Wiedersehen, Pet and as Robert 'Robbie' Lewis in Inspector Morse and Lewis.
Episode 8/10: A Strange Alchemy
Summer is in full swing in the meadow and at the shore, and Robert feels himself changing.
Reader: Kevin Whately
Abridger: Sian Preece
Producer: Sara Davies
WED 12:18 You and Yours (m00081t1)
News and discussion of consumer affairs.
WED 12:57 Weather (m00081t3)
The latest weather forecast
WED 13:00 World at One (m00081t5)
Analysis of news and current affairs, presented by Sarah Montague.
WED 13:45 The Political Butterfly Effect (m00081t7)
Did an engine failure fuel the climate crisis?
When five-year-old Cuban Elián González arrived in the USA under tragic circumstances in 1999, he found himself at the centre of a political storm over whether he should be returned to his home nation.
The decision over his fate would reverberate at the highest levels of US politics and around the globe for decades to come - with inadvertent consequences shaping how the world reacted to climate change.
Presenter: Jim Waterson
Producer: Robbie MacInnes
An SPG production for BBC Radio 4
WED 14:00 The Archers (m00081tb)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Tuesday]
WED 14:15 How to Build a Supertower (m00081td)
Episode 3
By Paul Sellar
When self-made tycoon Max Silver shakes up his property portfolio, he’s persuaded to raise an iconic new London skyscraper.
He has City backing for a defiant new national symbol, plus an eye to his family’s future, as well as a hankering for his own personal legacy.
But Max will still need all his ruthless deal-making skills to avoid the many and surprising traps put in his path by the world of business - and by sheer human folly.
3/4 Building work can finally begin on the London Hourglass. But when his legitimate financing is suddenly withdrawn, Max is left at the mercy of dark forces.
Max Silver ..... Robert Glenister
Carol ….. Catherine Cusack
Teddy ….. Sean Baker
Zara ….. Katherine Press
Sasha ….. Andrew Byron
Jack ….. Ben Crowe
Rory ….. Jonny Holden
Larry ….. Paul Hickey
Zoe ….. Tife Kusoro
Gavin ….. Shaun Mason
Kevin ….. Paul Hickey
WED 15:00 Money Box (m00081th)
The latest news from the world of personal finance plus advice for those trying to make the most of their money.
WED 15:30 Science Stories (m00081tk)
[Repeat of broadcast at
21:00 on Tuesday]
WED 16:00 Mastertapes (m0001mf3)
Series 8
The Good, The Bad & The Queen (B-side)
John Wilson continues with another recording for the series in which leading artists discuss the album that made them or changed them. Recorded in front of a live audience at the BBC's iconic Maida Vale Studios, each edition includes two episodes, with John initially quizzing the artist about the album in question, and then, in the B-side, the audience asks the questions. Both episodes feature exclusive live performances.
Having discussed the making of the 2007 album that gave them their name, "The Good, The Bad & The Queen" in the A-side of the programme, Damon Albarn, Paul Simonon, Tony Allen and Simon Tong responds to questions from the audience and perform live versions of their follow-up album, 2018's "Merrie Land".
Producer: Paul Kobrak
WED 16:30 The Media Show (m00081tm)
The programme about a revolution in media with Amol Rajan, the BBC's Media Editor
WED 17:00 PM (m00081tp)
Afternoon news and current affairs programme, reporting on breaking stories and summing up the day's headlines.
WED 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m00081tr)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
WED 18:30 Gaby's Talking Pictures (m00081tt)
Series 2
Episode 6
Gaby Roslin hosts the film quiz with impressions by Alistair McGowan and Ronni Ancona. This week, in the last episode of the current series, team captains John Thomson and Ellie Taylor are joined by special guests Lucy Porter and Anton Du Beck.
Presented by Gaby Roslin
Team Captains: John Thomson and Ellie Taylor
Impressionists: Alistair McGowan and Ronni Ancona
Created by Gaby Roslin
Written by Carrie Quinlan and Barney Newman
Produced by Gaby Roslin and Barney Newman
Executive Producer Gordon Kennedy
Recorded at RADA Studios, London
An Absolutely production for BBC Radio 4
WED 19:00 The Archers (m00081tw)
Peggy's revelation causes concern and Ruth feels neglected.
WED 19:15 Front Row (m00081ty)
Live magazine programme on the worlds of arts, literature, film, media and music
WED 19:45 15 Minute Drama (m00081sm)
[Repeat of broadcast at
10:41 today]
WED 20:00 Across the Red Line (m00081v0)
Series 4
Does profit corrupt?
Anne McElvoy returns with the series that invites two public figures who disagree on an issue of principle to listen closely to each other’s arguments - and then to find out what drives them.
In the first edition of the new series, Anne brings together Blue Labour founder Lord Glasman and Lionel Barber, Editor of the Financial Times, to debate whether profit corrupts.
And Anne works with conflict resolution specialist Louisa Weinstein to foster a more exploratory conversation, to encourage both speakers to probe the values and experiences that underpin each other’s beliefs.
Producer: Phil Tinline
WED 20:45 Four Thought (m00081v3)
A Pleasure Culture of War
Historian Kasia Tomasiewicz discusses how to commemorate war.
Reporting for her first day shadowing the curatorial team at the Imperial War Museum, Kasia found herself conflicted. Feeling awe at the size of the tanks, planes and other machines of war, and remembering the pleasurable associations from Airfix kits and games with her siblings from her own childhood, she tried to balance these feelings with the awareness that the objects also embody death and destruction. How do these different responses affect what Kasia describes as the 'pleasure culture of war'?
Producer: Giles Edwards.
WED 21:00 The Placebo Paradox (m0002ngc)
Imagine a therapy that made use of the body's own biology to specifically and selectively attack illness, with no side effects and at minimal cost - one that could treat pain and relieve subjective symptoms. It would be one of the most powerful tools in medicine, and it turns out we may have had it all along. It's called the placebo effect.
The neuroscientist and neurologist Ash Ranpura explores new science bringing us closer and closer to understanding the physiological mechanisms that underpin the placebo effect.
Placebo has long been thought of as a quasi-mystical interaction - something that happens in the encounter between a doctor and a patient. But new science might change all that. Within the last few years as our understanding of the human genome has increased, it has, potentially, helped unlock the key to how the placebo works.
Ash travels to Boston to meet with Ted Kaptchuk - one of the world’s foremost placebo authorities. Ted has built a team of top scientists and researchers dedicated to working out the real science behind the placebo effect. He has been striving to bring placebos into the mainstream for decades and thinks, right now, he might be closer than ever.
If he is successful, what are the implications for the future of medicine? What would clinical placebos look like? And how could this change the way we think about conventional and alternative medicine?
Presenter: Ash Ranpura
Producer: Joe Sykes
A Somethin’ Else production for BBC Radio 4
WED 21:30 As Others See Us (m00081sd)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:00 today]
WED 22:00 The World Tonight (m00081v6)
In depth reporting, intelligent analysis and breaking news from a global perspective
WED 22:45 The Offing (m00081sz)
[Repeat of broadcast at
12:04 today]
WED 23:00 Monty Python at 50: The Self-Abasement Tapes (m00081v8)
Episode 1
To celebrate the 50th anniversary of Monty Python, Michael Palin hunts down lost Python sketches. This programme contains rare material never heard before on UK radio, or anywhere else - including the infamous Fat Ignorant Bastards sketch and a Country & Western version of Terry Jones' I'm So Worried.
Starring: Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones and Michael Palin
Produced by James Peak and Andre Jacquemin
A Goldhawk Essential Production for BBC Radio 4
WED 23:15 TEZ Talks (m0001fwp)
Series 3
12. The Elephant in the Room
Series 3. Episode 4. The Elephant in the Room.
Comedian Tez Ilyas returns for a third series of TEZ Talks.
In this episode Tez talks about people's attitudes towards animals.
Written and performed by Tez Ilyas
Produced by Carl Cooper
A BBC Studios Production.
WED 23:30 Today in Parliament (m00081vc)
News, views and features on today's stories in Parliament
THURSDAY 05 SEPTEMBER 2019
THU 00:00 Midnight News (m00081vf)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4
THU 00:30 Book of the Week. Winds of Change (m00081sg)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:45 on Wednesday]
THU 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m00081vh)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.
THU 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m00081vk)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
THU 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m00081vm)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.
THU 05:30 News Briefing (m00081vp)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4.
THU 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m00081vr)
A spiritual comment and prayer to start the day with Rania Hafez, senior lecturer at the University of Greenwich.
Good Morning!
I don’t know about you but I get terribly anxious when a new academic year starts and I find my calendar filled with new teaching duties I need to prepare for. But it’s also exciting, meeting new cohorts of students, being their guide on their special journey, and knowing that in a year’s time, they’ll be leaving on a new path.
The Islamic new year which started last Saturday also holds the same excitement and trepidation for me. I know I’ll need to work hard to be just a little more of the person I wish to be, but I’m also grateful the year will bring many occasions and reminders that will help me on my way.
In Islam we’re encouraged to see every day as having the potential to be a fresh start. From the moment we open our eyes with appreciation for another morning, until late at night when we reflect with gratitude on the day, we have the opportunity to refresh, refocus, and resolve. God tells us in the scared tradition that if we come to him walking, he’ll come to us running, and should we present him with an earth’s full of failings, he’ll grant us an earth’s full of redemption. All we need do is embrace every moment as a fresh start.
The academic year will begin with a lovely occasion that brings the past year full circle, the graduation ceremony. Seeing my students graduate fills me with gratitude…for the opportunity to have made a difference.
As the Sufi poet Hafiz says:
After all this time the sun never says to the earth you owe me.
Look what happens with a love like this. It lights the whole sky.
May the Beloved’s light brighten your every moment today.
Amen
THU 05:45 Farming Today (m00081vt)
The latest news about food, farming and the countryside.
THU 05:58 Tweet of the Day (b04t0syn)
Poorwill (American Nightjar)
Michael Palin presents the common poorwill from an Arizona desert. In the dead of night, loud calls pierce the stillness on a moonlit track, a small shape suddenly sprouts wings and flutters into the darkness ... a Common Poorwill is hunting.
Poorwills are small nightjars that breed mainly in western North America, often in deserts and dry grassland. By day the poorwill sits in the open or among rocks relying on its mottled plumage for camouflage. By night, it emerges to hawk after insects snapping them up with its large frog-like mouth.
This technique works if it's warm enough for insects to be active, but in some places where poorwills live there are sudden cold snaps. Instead of migrating, the poorwill slows down its metabolism and goes into torpor for days or even weeks . This hibernation-like state is very rare among birds and allows the poorwill to get through lean periods and was first scientifically described in 1948, although the phenomenon had been recorded more than 140 years earlier by the great explorer Meriwether Lewis, during the Lewis and Clark Expedition to discover western side of America in 1804.
THU 06:00 Today (m00081vw)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.
THU 09:00 As Others See Us (m00081vy)
Australia
2019 is a year of potentially momentous change for the United Kingdom, and in a continuation of his new series, Neil MacGregor visits five different countries to talk to leading political, business and cultural figures to find out how they, as individuals and as members of their broader communities, see Britain.
Today he's on the other side of the world. Australia's links with Britain appear, on the surface, to be uniquely close. For over two hundred years we've shared values, political structures and most crucially we still share a monarch. Neil talks to a one time representative of that monarch, former Governor General Quentin Bryce as well as Indigenous scholar and activist Marcia Langton, historian Stuart Macintyre and comedian Suren Jayemanne.
Quentin Bryce recalls visiting the UK in the 60s when everything seemed possible as values shifted and attitudes changed. But it was still viewed by many as the mother country and when we joined the EU in 1973 Australia felt the shock and the hurt sharply.
Marcia Langton draws on a longer perspective with Britain's role in the Australian story now being re-fashioned to form a more realistic view of the nation's long, long pre-colonial story. By contrast, Suren Jayemanne, born in Melbourne but of a Malaysian mother and Sri Lankan father, sees Britain from the standpoint of Australia's new and expanding immigrant population. But he too feels a sense of kinship with the UK although without the powerful empathy of former Australians who flocked to help Britain in two world wars and in the process helped forge their own identity.
Neil discovers that while Australians see us with a sustaining warmth it's also with an acceptance that we really are a country on the other side of the world and with the majority of their trade and exchanges going on in Asia and the Pacific Britain is further away than its ever been.
Producer: Tom Alban
THU 09:45 Book of the Week. Winds of Change (m00081w0)
The Young Ones
Political historian Peter Hennessy reads from his new study of Britain in the early 1960s.
Top of the Pops was one of a number of TV shows created to showcase the tsunami of new, exciting pop and rock music sweeping across the western world. And when heart throb Cliff Richard sang about going on a Summer Holiday as he drove his double-decker bus to France in the hit film of 1963, he was echoing another social phenomenon of the swinging sixties, the package holiday to Europe.
But if the costas were swarming with Brits abroad, traditional English resorts like Margate, Clacton and Brighton found themselves overrun by rival marauding mobs of young biker thugs, the Mods and the Rockers, whose punch-ups tarnished the annual bucket-and-spade outings for many Brits who decided to holiday at home.
Written and Read by Peter Hennessy
Adapted for radio by Libby Spurrier
Produced by Simon Elmes
A Pier production for BBC Radio 4
THU 10:00 Woman's Hour (m00081w2)
The programme that offers a female perspective on the world
THU 10:45 15 Minute Drama (m00081w4)
How Does That Make You Feel?
Episode 4
Philip’s mum has gone to Lanzarote for a holiday, leaving Philip amazed at how much the old girl did around the house. Luckily a colleague’s mother has been round to straighten the place up, but though his new job demonstrating kitchen appliances in Peter Jones is providing a certain satisfaction, his rising resentment that his ex-wife Rose is presenting The Lions of the Serengeti for the BBC is poisoning his happiness.
Frances Tomelty ..... Martha
Tim McInnerny ..... Philip
Written by ..... Shelagh Stephenson
Produced & Directed by ..... Eoin O'Callaghan
Shelagh Stephenson is the author of A Short History of Longing, and Guests Are Like Fish, for Radio 4. She is an Olivier award winner for her play The Memory of Water and won Sony and Writer’s Guild awards with her plays, Darling Peidi and Five Kinds of Silence. Her new play The English will be produced by Hampstead Theatre in 2019.
THU 11:00 Crossing Continents (m00081w6)
Marawi: the story of the Philippines’ Lost City
Marawi in the southern Philippines is a ghost town. In 2017, it was taken under siege for five months by supporters of Islamic State who wanted to establish a caliphate in the predominantly Muslim city. After a fierce and prolonged battle, the Philippine army regained control – but Marawi was left in ruins. Two years on, reconstruction has barely begun and over 100,000 people are yet to return home.
Philippines Correspondent Howard Johnson tells the story of Marawi from the siege to the present day, through the eyes of two of its residents: a Muslim who risked his life to save his community and a catholic priest who was held hostage by extremists.
Produced by Josephine Casserly.
THU 11:30 Art of Now (m00081w8)
Hostile Design
Artist and activist Stuart Semple was outraged by his hometown council putting bars on benches to deter the homeless. He investigates the use of hostile design in public spaces.
His campaign against the benches in Bournemouth included getting people to decorate them with knitting, flowers and balloons - and it eventually proved successful as the council removed the bars. But Stuart has found many other designs to deter anti-social behaviour. From bars and spikes to metal stops to deter skateboarders, he asks why our public spaces aren’t more welcoming and inclusive.
One of the first benches to deliberately deter anti-social behaviour was the Camden Bench, designed by brothers Dean and Jason Harvey of Factory furniture nearly a decade ago. A greyish-white monolith of concrete, it has nowhere for litter or drug drops. It is also graffiti, skateboarder and crash-resistant and is so uncomfortable that, like many seats in London, it's only designed for a short stay. It met the Camden Council design brief to encourage people to walk to work with rest stops on the way, while deterring loiterers. At first glance, it is more barricade or sculpture than seat.
Stuart asks arts journalist Anny Shaw for a critical assessment. He also seeks the view of art critic and historian Ben Street in the London Borough of Bromley, where there's an even more unlikely type of bench made of black polished granite.
And hostile design is more than just street furniture. Stuart finds out about a high-pitched sound that normally only under-25s can hear, transmitted in public spaces to discourage gangs of youths congregating, as well as bagpipe or classical music played loudly on a loop at railway stations to deter rough sleepers.
Meanwhile, Stuart has been customising his own benches as artworks to be exhibited at his London retrospective. One is white with a neon pink bar, and another covered in cuddly toys. His art is one of his responses to hostile design.
In Denver, he's been part of a "happy city" project, with interventions including an emotional baggage drop at the station, where commuters were able to offload their problems to a complete stranger.
Presenter: Stuart Semple
Producer: Sara Parker
A TBI production for BBC Radio 4
THU 12:00 News Summary (m00081wb)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
THU 12:04 The Offing (m00081wd)
9/10: A Self, All Out at Sea
One summer following the Second World War, sixteen year old Robert Appleyard sets out on foot from his Durham mining village, desperate to see something of the world before he goes down the pit. Acutely attuned to the rhythms and delights of the natural world, he sleeps rough and takes work where he can find it, until he meets Dulcie Piper, an eccentric older woman who lives in a ramshackle cottage looking out to sea. Dulcie is everything Robert is not: worldly, cynical, knowledgeable about poetry and politics, a lover of fine food and drink, someone who has seen both the best and the worst of human nature in the chaos of war. Despite their utterly different backgrounds, the two form an unlikely friendship which has a profound effect on both their lives.
As an old man, Robert looks back on that summer that changed the direction his life was to take, and the woman who opened his eyes to life's possibilities.
Benjamin Myers is an award-winning novelist, music journalist and landscape writer. His novel 'The Gallows Pole' received a Roger Deakin Award and won the Walter Scott Prize for historical fiction; 'Beastings' won the Portico Prize for Literature; and 'Pig Iron' won the inaugural Gordon Burn Prize.
Kevin Whately is well known for his television roles in Boys From the Black Stuff and as Robert 'Robbie' Lewis in Inspector Morse and Lewis.
Episode 9/10: A Self, All Out at Sea
A poem provides the key Dulcie has been searching for since Romy's death
Reader: Kevin Whately
Abridger: Sian Preece
Producer: Sara Davies
THU 12:18 You and Yours (m00081wg)
News and discussion of consumer affairs.
THU 12:57 Weather (m00081wj)
The latest weather forecast
THU 13:00 World at One (m00081wl)
Analysis of news and current affairs, presented by Sarah Montague.
THU 13:45 The Political Butterfly Effect (m00081wn)
Did Bovril keep us out of the euro?
When James Goldmsith bought the parent company of meaty drink Bovril in 1971 he finally hit the big time. He described the deal as 'the most important of his career' and it made him a small fortune - which he would then use to build the early Eurosceptic movement.
Jim Waterson takes us back to the start of James Goldsmith's singular career and follows a series of events that ends with New Labour ruling out the UK's membership of the single currency.
Presenter: Jim Waterson
Producer: Robbie MacInnes
An SPG production for BBC Radio 4
THU 14:00 The Archers (m00081tw)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Wednesday]
THU 14:15 How to Build a Supertower (m00081wq)
Episode 4
By Paul Sellar
When self-made tycoon Max Silver shakes up his property portfolio, he’s persuaded to raise an iconic new London skyscraper.
He has City backing for a defiant new national symbol, plus an eye to his family’s future, as well as a hankering for his own personal legacy.
But Max will still need all his ruthless deal-making skills to avoid the many and surprising traps put in his path by the world of business - and by sheer human folly.
4/4 Old scores are settled, and new enemies emerge, as Max's business heads into administration.
Max Silver ..... Robert Glenister
Carol ….. Catherine Cusack
Teddy ….. Sean Baker
Zara ….. Katherine Press
Jack ….. Ben Crowe
Sunil ….. Bhasker Patel
Fadi ….. Alexander Devrient
Kolo ….. Buom Tihngang
Larry ….. Paul Hickey
DK ….. Sagar Radia
Karakas ….. Chris Pavlo
THU 15:00 Open Country (m00081ws)
Jarvis Cocker's Edale.
On a wet and windy summers day Jarvis Cocker takes you to the remote village of Edale and Kinder a landscape he has fallen in love with. He first came across the Peak District while he was a pupil in his native Sheffield and came out on a school trip which he says no–one wanted to go on. However, after two days of exploring he says something happened – something clicked in his head and he didn’t want to admit it but he started to enjoy the landscape. Over the last 40 years it’s a region he has regularly visited and explored and is now truly hooked.
To introduce more people to this landscape especially people from the cities, Jarvis along with artist Jeremy Deller and the National Trust who own Kinder Scout has created a trail ‘Be Kinder’. The trail winds its way along a route stretching almost two miles from the tiny railway station in Edale to the foot of the plateau of Kinder Scout to mark the 1932 mass trespass on Kinder Scout. This mass trespass was all about allowing working class people access to the countryside something Jarvis wants to rekindle as he wants everyone to discover the magic and beauty he has found in this landscape.
The presenter is Jarvis Cocker and the producer is Perminder Khatkar.
Contributors: Jeremy Deller, actress Maxine Peake, Gordon Miller and MEP Magid Magid.
THU 15:27 Radio 4 Appeal (m00081wv)
[Repeat of broadcast at
07:54 on Sunday]
THU 15:30 Bookclub (m00081wx)
[Repeat of broadcast at
16:00 on Sunday]
THU 16:00 The Film Programme (m00081wz)
The secret life of the stills photographer
With Antonia Quirke
What exactly does a stills photographer do on a film set ? Keith Bernstein, whose CV includes American Sniper and Argo, reveals the secrets of his trade.
THU 16:30 BBC Inside Science (m00081x1)
Gareth Mitchell and guests illuminate the mysteries and challenge the controversies behind the science that's changing our world.
THU 17:00 PM (m00081x3)
Afternoon news and current affairs programme, reporting on breaking stories and summing up the day's headlines.
THU 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m00081x5)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
THU 18:30 The Tim Vine Chat Show (b0bfydgm)
Summer Extra Special 2018
Recorded at the famous Pavilion Theatre on Cromer Pier, Tim Vine brings his own brand of sunshine to the radio with the "SummerTim Special" of his acclaimed Chat Show. Seaside one-liners and songs abound as Tim rolls up his trousers, has a paddle and talks at crossed porpoises with the people of Norfolk.
Broadcast includes a man with an interesting collecting hobby and a song about a metronome.
Producer: Richard Morris
A BBC Studios Production.
THU 19:00 The Archers (m00081x7)
Lexi struggles to settle in and Jim's feeling anxious.
THU 19:15 Front Row (m00081x9)
Live magazine programme on the worlds of arts, literature, film, media and music
THU 19:45 15 Minute Drama (m00081w4)
[Repeat of broadcast at
10:45 today]
THU 20:00 The Briefing Room (m00081xc)
David Aaronovitch and a panel of experts and insiders present in-depth explainers on big issues in the news.
THU 20:30 In Business (m00081xf)
Plain sailing?
Rotterdam in the Netherlands is home to the biggest port in Europe, handling millions of tons of goods and thousands of ships every year. Port officials are proud of this vast and slick operation. They explain that much of its efficiency is down to a centralised system known as Portbase, which offers a means of dealing with custom declarations and other formalities electronically, without the use of physical paperwork. All port users – such as customs, freight forwarders, transport firms and ferry companies – must register with the system. Any ships or trucks that arrive and are not registered will be turned away.
But a giant spanner may be about to be thrown into the works of this smooth-running machine, if Britain makes an unruly departure from the EU. Intense work has long been underway to make Rotterdam ready for this event – but will these preparations be enough to stave off the problems that a no-deal Brexit might cause? Ruth Alexander has been to Rotterdam to find out.
Producer: Neil Koenig
THU 21:00 BBC Inside Science (m00081x1)
[Repeat of broadcast at
16:30 today]
THU 21:30 As Others See Us (m00081vy)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:00 today]
THU 22:00 The World Tonight (m00081xj)
In depth reporting, intelligent analysis and breaking news from a global perspective
THU 22:45 The Offing (m00081wd)
[Repeat of broadcast at
12:04 today]
THU 23:00 Kevin Eldon Will See You Now (m00081xl)
Series 4
Who the Hell Do You Think You Are?
Kevin Eldon and his all-important cast take a stroll through the Eldon family archive as we get to meet Kevin’s ancestors, discover the true value of £35 billion pounds and wallow in mud.
Kevin Eldon is a comedy phenomenon. He’s been in virtually every major comedy show in the last fifteen years. But not content with working with the likes of Chris Morris, Steve Coogan, Armando Iannucci, Harry Enfield and Paul Whitehouse, Stewart Lee, Julia Davis and Graham Linehan, he’s also created his own comedy series for BBC Radio 4.
After all the waiting - Kevin Eldon Will See You Now.
Also starring Morwenna Banks, Kate Duchêne, Justin Edwards (The Thick Of It), Miles Jupp, Paul Putner (Little Britain), David Reed (The Penny Dreadfuls), Catherine Shepherd and Dan Skinner.
Written by Kevin Eldon
with additional material by Jason Hazeley and Joel Morris (A Touch Of Cloth and those modern Ladybird books).
Original music by Martin Bird
Produced and directed by David Tyler
A Pozzitive production for BBC Radio 4
THU 23:30 Today in Parliament (m00081xn)
News, views and features on today's stories in Parliament
FRIDAY 06 SEPTEMBER 2019
FRI 00:00 Midnight News (m00081xq)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4
FRI 00:30 Book of the Week. Winds of Change (m00081w0)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:45 on Thursday]
FRI 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m00081xs)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.
FRI 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m00081xv)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
FRI 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m00081xx)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.
FRI 05:30 News Briefing (m00081xz)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4.
FRI 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m00081y1)
A spiritual comment and prayer to start the day with Rania Hafez Senior Lecturer at the University of Greenwich.
Good morning and assalamu alaikum on the first Friday of 1441, the Islamic New Year.
It’s funny how we count days and measure time, sometimes concerned we’re running out of it, often trying and failing to catch up with ourselves. It reminds me of White Rabbit in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, always in a panic about being late, never even having time to say hello.
In our hectic modern lives, we seem to be slavishly dependent on the clock and calendar, anxious about missing out, yet never having enough hours in the day or days in the year to do all we need to do, let alone want to do. We mark the days in regret over what passed or anticipation over what’s coming, forgetting that the present is what really counts. As a wise football manager once remarked, " The past gives you regrets, the future uncertainties. The only possible moment of happiness is the present.”
So what is it we can do to make the most of now? Some people try meditation, others prayer. Some will protest that there’s little time for either. Perhaps we simply need to savour the ordinary moments and people in our daily lives, appreciating how extraordinary they really are.
The 8th century Sufi female saint Rabia Al-Adawiya came to that realisation when she said:
I have two ways of loving You:
A selfish one
And another way that is worthy of You.
In my selfish love, I remember You and You alone.
In that other love, You lift the veil
And let me feast my eyes on Your Living Face.
Divine Beloved, give us the wisdom to be present in every moment, to feel your sublime presence in everything around us, and to be at One in your eternal grace.
Amen.
FRI 05:45 Farming Today (m00081y3)
The latest news about food, farming and the countryside.
FRI 05:58 Tweet of the Day (b04t0v50)
Scarlet Macaw
Michael Palin presents the scarlet macaw from Costa Rica. The Scarlet Macaw is a carnival of a bird, eye-catching, noisy and vibrant, with a colour-scheme verging on bad taste. Its brilliant red feathers clash magnificently with the bright yellow patches on its wings, and contrast with its brilliant blue back and very long red tail. It has a white face and a massive hooked bill and it produces ear-splitting squawks. Subtlety is not in its vocabulary.
Scarlet macaws breed in forests from Mexico south through Central America to Bolivia, Peru and Brazil. They use their formidable beaks not only to break into nuts and fruit, but also as pick-axes.
Colourful and charismatic birds usually attract attention and in some areas where the Scarlet Macaws have been collected for the bird trade, numbers have declined. In south-east Mexico where they are very rare, a reintroduction programme is underway to restore these gaudy giants to their ancestral forests.
Producer Andrew Dawes.
FRI 06:00 Today (m000842y)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.
FRI 09:00 As Others See Us (m0008432)
Poland
2019 is a year of potentially momentous change for the United Kingdom, and in a continuation of his series, Neil MacGregor visits five different countries to talk to leading political, business and cultural figures to find out how they, as individuals and as members of their broader communities, see Britain.
In the final programme of the series, Neil makes the journey from South Ruislip on the A40 to the centre of Warsaw - to find out how Poland, our wartime ally and recent European partner, now sees Britain, as we prepare to leave Europe, come what may. He talks to Paweł Ukielski, political scientist and Deputy Director of the Warsaw Rising Museum; Oscar nominated film director, Agnieszka Holland; Radosław Sikorski, former Minister of Foreign Affairs and current MEP; and writer and rights activist, Agnieszka Graff.
Producer: Paul Kobrak
FRI 09:45 Book of the Week. Winds of Change (m0008440)
The Changing of the Guard
Political historian Peter Hennessy reads from his new study of Britain in the early 1960s.
The politics of the early 1960s were dominated by the premiership of Harold Macmillan. But when the ageing and infirm Prime Minister decided to resign, his replacement as leader of the Conservative administration was a lofty-voiced peer, Lord Home, who had been Macmillan’s Foreign Secretary. Obliged to give up his peerage, the former Fourteenth Earl, now plain Alec Douglas-Home, was PM for under a year - when he was defeated in October 1964 by his pipe-smoking nemesis, the Yorkshire-vowelled Labour leader, Harold Wilson, in one of the closest-fought British general elections of all time.
Written and Read by Peter Hennessy
Adapted for radio by Libby Spurrier
Produced by Simon Elmes
A Pier production for BBC Radio 4
FRI 10:00 Woman's Hour (m0008436)
The programme that offers a female perspective on the world
FRI 10:45 15 Minute Drama (m000843g)
How Does That Make You Feel?
Episode 5
Richard Fallon MP (Roger Allam) has recovered from having his Twitter account catastrophically hijacked but has been dabbling with dating websites with little success. A date with an immensely wealthy Amazon whose father owns half of Wiltshire makes Richard feel even more insignificant. But when Toby points out that his whole life philosophy is based upon a lie, Richard is forced to take stock of his function in life and whether his role as an MP has any purpose whatsoever.
Frances Tomelty ..... Martha
Roger Allam ..... Richard
Written by ..... Shelagh Stephenson
Produced & Directed by ..... Eoin O'Callaghan
Shelagh Stephenson is the author of A Short History of Longing, and Guests Are Like Fish, for Radio 4. She is an Olivier award winner for her play The Memory of Water and won Sony and Writer’s Guild awards with her plays, Darling Peidi and Five Kinds of Silence. Her new play The English will be produced by Hampstead Theatre in 2019.
FRI 11:00 Don't Log Off (m000845y)
Series 10
Healing
Alan Dein talks to people around the world to find out how they recover when facing difficulty.
Helena is a young woman in Venezuela, living alone with her daughter. Caught in the middle of a national crisis, crime and electrical blackouts, she leaves an audio diary for Alan, documenting the week leading up to her daughter's 9th birthday.
He also speaks to a personal trainer in Sri Lanka whose business is much more than exercise and an Argentinian man who finds hope in personal tragedy.
Producer: Sam Peach
FRI 11:30 06/09/2019 (m0008460)
Dr Kwame Asante, award-winning stand-up comedian and actual A&E doctor, sorts medical fact from medical fiction in this one-off Radio 4 show in which he explores ideas for promoting everyday good health. From how to tell how much wine you can have before it stops being good for you, to finding out if you're having a boy or a girl (without a scan, and providing you are actually pregnant), Kwame and his guests are here to help work out what might work and what definitely won't.
Featuring Felicity Ward, Lauren Pattison and Tracey Smith.
Produced by Victoria Lloyd
A BBC Studios Production
FRI 12:00 News Summary (m0008462)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
FRI 12:04 The Offing (m000843r)
10/10: Galvanised by Love
One summer following the Second World War, sixteen year old Robert Appleyard sets out on foot from his Durham mining village, desperate to see something of the world before he goes down the pit. Acutely attuned to the rhythms and delights of the natural world, he sleeps rough and takes work where he can find it, until he meets Dulcie Piper, an eccentric older woman who lives in a ramshackle cottage looking out to sea. Dulcie is everything Robert is not: worldly, cynical, knowledgeable about poetry and politics, a lover of fine food and drink, someone who has seen both the best and the worst of human nature in the chaos of war. Despite their utterly different backgrounds, the two form an unlikely friendship which has a profound effect on both their lives.
As an old man, Robert looks back on that summer that changed the direction his life was to take, and the woman who opened his eyes to life's possibilities.
Benjamin Myers is an award-winning novelist, music journalist and landscape writer. His novel 'The Gallows Pole' received a Roger Deakin Award and won the Walter Scott Prize for historical fiction; 'Beastings' won the Portico Prize for Literature; and 'Pig Iron' won the inaugural Gordon Burn Prize.
Kevin Whately is well known for his television roles in Boys From the Black Stuff and as Robert 'Robbie' Lewis in Inspector Morse and Lewis.
Episode 10/10: Galvanised by Love
Life changes for both Dulcie and Robert with the discovery of Romy's last letter
Reader: Kevin Whately
Abridger: Sian Preece
Producer: Sara Davies
FRI 12:18 You and Yours (m0008464)
News and discussion of consumer affairs.
FRI 12:57 Weather (m0008466)
The latest weather forecast
FRI 13:00 World at One (m0008468)
Analysis of news and current affairs, presented by Mark Mardell.
FRI 13:45 The Political Butterfly Effect (m000846b)
Did your holiday photos spread global chaos?
The arrival of Facebook’s News Feed in 2016 didn't seem like much at first. Billed by Mark Zuckerberg simply as a way to make sure “you don’t miss the photo album of your friend’s trip to Nepal,” the News Feed went on to change the world in all sorts of ways.
Jim Waterson explores the libertarian philosophy underlying its introduction - and how Facebook’s quest for never-ending growth helped spread chaos throughout the world.
Presenter: Jim Waterson
Producer: Robbie MacInnes
An SPG production for BBC Radio 4
FRI 14:00 The Archers (m00081x7)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Thursday]
FRI 14:15 Drama (m000846d)
Great North Run
Will promised to do the Great North Run with Em. But when that's not an option, Beyonce, The Black Eyed Peas, The Pharcyde, Moby, the Dixie Chicks, Laura Branigan, Bruce Springsteen, Kate Bush and Florence (and the Machine) become his running mates. A funny sad play by Tom Wells with an incredible playlist.
Cast
Will ..... Andrew Finnigan
Em ..... Amy Cameron
Sean ..... Joseph Ayre
Janet ..... Susan Jameson
Becky ..... Helen Clapp
The Night ..... Michael Bertenshaw
Writer ..... Tom Wells
Director ..... Jessica Dromgoole
FRI 15:00 Gardeners' Question Time (m000846g)
North Riding Coast
Peter Gibbs and the panel are on the North Riding Coast in Yorkshire. Bunny Guinness, Bob Flowerdew and Matthew Pottage answer the horticultural questions.
Producer: Laurence Bassett
Assistant Producer: Rosie Merotra
A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4
FRI 15:45 Short Works (m000846j)
A Long Way to Go
On a long journey through deep space, a lone passenger passes the time with stories. An original short story for radio by Daisy Johnson.
Daisy's first short story collection, Fen, was published in 2017. Her debut novel, Everything Under, was shortlisted for the 2018 Man Booker Prize, making Daisy the youngest nominee in the prize's history.
Read by Sinead MacInnes and Barbara Flynn
Produced by Mair Bosworth
FRI 16:00 Last Word (m000846l)
Radio 4's weekly obituary programme, telling the life stories of those who have died recently.
FRI 16:30 More or Less (m000846n)
Tim Harford explains - and sometimes debunks - the numbers and statistics used in political debate, the news and everyday life.
FRI 16:55 The Listening Project (m000846q)
Sheila and Ron - Bit by Bit
An elderly couple share their love of days out on the buses and meeting new people. Fi Glover presents another conversation in a series that proves it's surprising what you hear when you listen.
FRI 17:00 PM (m000846s)
Afternoon news and current affairs programme, reporting on breaking stories and summing up the day's headlines.
FRI 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m000846v)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
FRI 18:30 The News Quiz (m000846x)
Series 100
Episode 2
A satirical review of the week's news, chaired by Angela Barnes
FRI 19:00 The Archers (m000843b)
Tracy takes drastic action and Emma breaks down.
Writer, Keri Davies
Director, Kim Greengrass
Editor, Jeremy Howe
David Archer ….. Timothy Bentinck
Ruth Archer ….. Felicity Finch
Pip Archer ….. Daisy Badger
Tony Archer ….. David Troughton
Brian Aldridge ….. Charles Collingwood
Jennifer Aldridge ….. Angela Piper
Phoebe Aldridge ….. Lucy Morris
Susan Carter ….. Charlotte Martin
Ian Craig ….. Stephen Kennedy
Rex Fairbrother ….. Nick Barber
Eddie Grundy ….. Trevor Harrison
Clarrie Grundy ….. Heather Bell
Will Grundy ….. Philip Molloy
Emma Grundy ….. Emerald O'Hanrahan
Ed Grundy ….. Barry Farrimond
Tracy Horrobin ….. Susie Riddell
Jim Lloyd ….. John Rowe
Adam Macy ….. Andrew Wincott
Jazzer McCreary ….. Ryan Kelly
Kate Madikane ….. Perdita Avery
Lynda Snell ….. Carole Boyd
Oliver Sterling ….. Michael Cochrane
Roy Tucker ….. Ian Pepperell
Lexi Viktorova ….. Ania Sowinski
Peggy Woolley ….. June Spencer
Jakob Hakansson ….. Paul Venables
Vince Casey ….. Tony Turner
FRI 19:15 Front Row (m000843d)
Live magazine programme on the worlds of arts, literature, film, media and music
FRI 19:45 15 Minute Drama (m000843g)
[Repeat of broadcast at
10:45 today]
FRI 20:00 Any Questions? (m000843j)
Hilary Benn MP, Magid Magid MEP, Helen Whately
Ed Stourton presents topical debate from Wilmslow Guild in Cheshire with a panel including the Chair of the Brexit Select Committee Hilary Benn MP the Green Party MEP Magid Magid and the Deputy Chair of the Conservative Party Helen Whately.
Producer: Lisa Jenkinson
FRI 20:50 A Point of View (m000843l)
A weekly reflection on a topical issue.
FRI 21:00 Living Room (m0002lv1)
John Grindrod considers past efforts to improve housing space standard and how they can shed light on the present crisis.
In 1961, the Government published the influential report Homes for Today and Tomorrow. This was the result of work from a committee chaired by the Town Clerk for Westminster Council, Sir George Parker Morris.
The report gave rise to what have been known since as Parker Morris standards which were – until 1980 - the universal, minimum space standards for all new housing, public or private.
Little of the public and affordable housing built in the last 30 years meets Parker Morris space standards. We now find ourselves in the midst of the worst housing crisis since World War II and statistics show that the UK is consistently building the smallest homes in Western Europe.
Presenter John Grindrod has written social histories of housing in Concretopia and Outskirts. He grew up in a cramped two-bed maisonette on the New Addington Estate in Croydon. He meets Parker Morris’ son, David, to get a sense of the committed and uncompromising man behind the famous guidelines and looks closely at the report, finding a humanistic philosophy of space in the home - that the flats and houses we build should enable us to express the “fullness of our lives”.
Having enough space in the home is argued to be essential to our flourishing well-being and the programme considers the effect of the kind of micro-living being forced on people today in initiatives such as office-to-flat conversions, as well as hearing from housing experts who are trying to find practical solutions for how we live now - whether as singles, couples or in ‘vertical’ multigenerational families.
Contributors include:
Julia Park, architect and Head of Housing Research at Levitt Bernstein and author of One Hundred Years of Housing Space Standards
John Boughton, author of Municipal Dreams: The Rise and Fall of Council Housing
Peg Rawes, Professor in Architecture and Philosophy at the Bartlett School UCL
Marc Vlessing, CEO Pocket Living
Manisha Patel, Senior Partner at PRP Architects and London Mayor’s Design Advocate.
Producer: Emma-Louise Williams
A Loftus Media production for BBC Radio 4
FRI 21:30 As Others See Us (m0008432)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:00 today]
FRI 22:00 The World Tonight (m000843p)
In depth reporting, intelligent analysis and breaking news from a global perspective
FRI 22:45 The Offing (m000843r)
[Repeat of broadcast at
12:04 today]
FRI 23:00 Great Lives (m000824j)
[Repeat of broadcast at
16:30 on Tuesday]
FRI 23:30 Today in Parliament (m000843t)
News, views and features on today's stories in Parliament
FRI 23:55 The Listening Project (m000843w)
Neil and David - Laughter’s a Great Healer
Friends talk about mental health and the healing power of talking - and of laughing. Fi Glover presents another conversation in a series that proves it's surprising what you hear when you listen.