SATURDAY 08 MAY 2021

SAT 00:00 Midnight News (m000vrkd)
The latest news and weather forecast from BBC Radio 4.


SAT 00:30 The King's Painter: The Life and Times of Hans Holbein by Franny Moyle (m000vrhw)
Episode 5

Hans Holbein the Younger became court painter to Henry VIII and was regarded as a phenomenon in his day for his ability to bring the characters he painted to life.

His famous portrait of the Tudor King was so life like spectators fully expected arms and legs to move. One of his paintings of the dead Christ was so alarming that, when the Russian novelist Fyodor Dostoevsky saw it in 1867, he was so troubled by it that his wife had to drag him away fearing he might have an epileptic fit.

Holbein observed the extraordinary events of his century up close and painted the movers and shakers of the age including Desiderius Erasmus, Thomas More, Thomas Cromwell, Henry VIII, as well as the various women lined up to become the wives of the king, such as Anne of Cleves.

He was a contributor to the history of book design as well as designing jewellery, and elaborate weaponry. With a family in Basel and another in London, his life was as colourful as the times he lived through.

Author: Franny Moyle
Abridger: Libby Spurrier
Reader: Sir Simon Russell Beale
Producer: Celia de Wolff

A Pier production for BBC Radio 4


SAT 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m000vrkg)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.


SAT 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m000vrkj)
BBC Radio 4 presents a selection of news and current affairs, arts and science programmes from the BBC World Service.


SAT 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m000vrkl)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.


SAT 05:30 News Briefing (m000vrkn)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4


SAT 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m000vrkq)
A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day with Sarah Joseph.

Good morning.

Tonight, millions of Muslims the world over will be foregoing sleep to search for Laylat-al Qadr, the Night of Power, the Night of Destiny.

By “search” – I don’t mean going out with torches looking for it. Rather I mean that we don’t know when the Night of Power actually is, but it is said to be in the last ten days of the month of Ramadan, most probably an odd night, and the 27th night being the most likely. So millions of Muslims stay up in these last ten nights “searching” - in the hope that they will be found praying on the most sacred of nights, where it is believed all sins will be forgiven.

In the modern world such devotion and worship can seem out of place. Giving up the comfort of your bed to stand and bow and prostrate oneself for the entire night seems strange. Yet I find the pull of worship is profound.

In Arabic the word for worship is ibadah – and comes from the root word Abd – servant. Its etymological links denote the concept of surrender, and Muslims believe that worship – done freely - is the very purpose of human beings. Islam considers that awareness of the need to worship, and our willingness to worship is what gives us meaning. The Creator does not "need" our worship, as God is self-sufficient and infinite in Power, but the practice of worship is a means for the inner development of us – as worshippers, who, by consciously, and freely, self-surrendering to God hope to draw closer to God’s will, and the Creator Itself.

Our Merciful Lord – the Qur’an recalls: “Only You do we worship, and only You do we ask for help”. Strengthen our hearts and help us to be reliant only on You.

Ameen.


SAT 05:45 Bodies (m000rmj6)
Episode 6: Irreconcilable Opposites - The Medieval Body

The human body is the battleground where our most fundamental ideas about the way the world is come into sharp focus.

When we think and talk about the body, we are suddenly very aware of that pattern of thinking which frames concepts in opposition, divides the world up between dark and light, material and immaterial, technology and humanity, invisible and visible, mind and body, body and soul.

In this ten part series, academic and broadcaster Professor Alice Roberts traces how human knowledge of anatomy has grown and changed over time, and how this changing understanding has in turn affected our understanding of who we are.

Episode 6: Irreconcilable Opposites - The Medieval Body

The Medieval era stands out for its obsession with the body and proliferation of theories, often far-fetched, surrounding it. Professor Alice Roberts takes us from the transformation of Thomas Becket's body from a corpse into a relic, to arguments around resurrection, sex and the mirroring between the human body and the elements that make up the universe.

Presenter: Professor Alice Roberts
Actor: Jonathan Kydd

A Made in Manchester production for BBC Radio 4


SAT 06:00 News and Papers (m000vwqv)
The latest news headlines. Including the weather and a look at the papers.


SAT 06:07 Ramblings (m000vqqt)
Cressida Cowell in West Sussex

The best-selling author Cressida Cowell takes Clare for a nostalgic walk near Chichester in West Sussex. As well as writing the whoppingly successful ‘How to Train Your Dragon’ series, Cressida created ‘The Wizards of Once’ books which draw upon her childhood memories of roaming across the South Downs. She grew up in London but during school holidays would visit her grandparents where she found the freedom of the Sussex countryside intoxicating. Clare and Cressida walk for roughly six miles on a route known as The Trundle Loop, which begins and ends in the village of Charlton.

Grid Ref for start of walk: SU 888 130

Producer: Karen Gregor


SAT 06:30 Farming Today (m000vwqz)
08/05/21 Farming Today This Week

We hear about the UK’s potato mountain: more than 20% of last year’s crop is still in storage on farms, as the pandemic and Brexit continue to affect sales.
The Department of Work and Pensions is working with the National Farmers Union to match up unemployed people with jobs on farms. We speak to Employment Minister, Mims Davies, about how it will work.
We discuss the EU's latest move on gene editing, and take at look at farm machinery, from robotic weeders to home made kit.
And how a Belgian farmer accidentally redrew his country’s border with France.

Presented by Charlotte Smith and produced by Beatrice Fenton.


SAT 06:57 Weather (m000vwr3)
The latest weather reports and forecast


SAT 07:00 Today (m000vwr6)
Including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.


SAT 09:00 Saturday Live (m000vwrb)
Raymond Blanc

Chef Raymond Blanc began to write a recipe book at the beginning of 2020 inspired by the fast and simple cooking of French scientist Edouard de Pomaine and by his mother. He had no idea the world was about to change. A few months later, Raymond was self-isolating when he found that his mother had died in France and then he was hospitalised with Covid for a month over Christmas and into January. He joins Nikki Bedi and Richard Coles to explain how Simply Raymond: Recipes from Home reflects how the past year has changed his approach to food and life.

Kathryn Heyman experienced a horrific assault in her early 20s on her way home from a party. In a bid to escape the trauma, Kathryn joined four trawlermen on the Timor Sea where she was unexpectedly able to heal from the wounds of the past. She joins us to talk about her new memoir Fury. 

Actor Joseph Marcell has been well-known to British theatre audiences for 50 years, beginning his stint at the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1972 and now sitting on the board of The Globe Theatre. He is globally famous for a different reason, having played the role of British butler Geoffrey in hit 90s sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, which launched the career of Will Smith and is still in syndication on television networks around the world.

Asian Network presenter Yasser got his first break in TV when he was 12. He talks about discovering a different side to Pakistan when he went there as a DJ, being a 2012 Olympic Torch Bearer and shares stories from his Ramadan tracker, which is discovering out how Muslims are celebrating Ramadan around the world.

And we have the Inheritance Tracks of designer Anya Hindmarch.

Producer: Laura Northedge
Editor: Eleanor Garland


SAT 10:30 The Kitchen Cabinet (m000vwrg)
Series 32

Home Economics: Episode 32

Jay Rayner hosts a culinary panel show packed full of tasty titbits. Anna Jones, Jordan Bourke, Shelina Permaloo and Dr Zoe Laughlin are on hand to answer questions sent in by hungry listeners.

In the final episode of this series, the panel answers your questions about dried vs. fresh yeast, the divisive topic of trifle, and the trickiest culinary skills to perfect.

Head Chef of Cinnamon Kitchen and Masterchef runner-up Santosh Shah gives a crash course in Nepalese cuisine.

Producer - Hannah Newton
Assistant Producer - Millie Chu

A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4


SAT 11:00 The Week in Westminster (m000vwrl)
Steve Richards presents a live election programme, with Paul Waugh of HuffPost UK, Rachel Sylvester of The Times, and Fraser Nelson of The Spectator


SAT 11:30 From Our Own Correspondent (m000vwrq)
Insight, wit and analysis from BBC correspondents, journalists and writers from around the world


SAT 12:00 News Summary (m000vxw4)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


SAT 12:04 Money Box (m000vwry)
The latest news from the world of personal finance


SAT 12:30 The News Quiz (m000vrk0)
Series 105

Episode 4

Andy Zaltzman presents a look back at the week's headlines with Paul Sinha, Angela Barnes, Ayesha Hazarika and Ian Smith.

This week, local elections, fishing quarrels and how snooker and raves made it into the same headline.

Written by Andy Zaltzman with additional material from Alice Fraser, Mike Shephard, Tasha Dhanraj and Ray Badran.

Producer: Gwyn Rhys Davies
Production Coordinator: Cherlynn Andrew-Wilfred
Sound Editor: Marc Willcox

A BBC Studios Production


SAT 12:57 Weather (m000vws2)
The latest weather forecast


SAT 13:00 News and Weather (m000vws6)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4


SAT 13:10 Any Questions? (m000vrk4)
Dame Margaret Beckett MP, Sir Bernard Jenkin MP, Bronwen Maddox, Sebastian Payne

Chris Mason presents political debate and discussion with the Labour grandee and chair of the party's NEC Dame Margaret Beckett MP, the Conservative MP and chair of the Commons Liaison Committee Sir Bernard Jenkin MP, the director of the Institute for Government Bronwen Maddox and the Whitehall Editor at the Financial Times Sebastian Payne.
Producer: Camellia Sinclair
Studio direction: Kirsty Starkey


SAT 14:00 Any Answers? (m000vwsb)
Have your say on the issues discussed on Any Questions?


SAT 14:45 Drama (m000vwsg)
Politics, Philosophy and Economics

February 2020 a new sales drive is being planned at Union Jax, a “an ironic-patriotic novelty souvenir and confectionery” company run by young entrepreneurs Stuart and Jacqueline. Orders and profits are soaring, but they are concerned about the impact of the likely closure in lockdown of shops they supply.
In March, their fears are confirmed, with the high streets around the world closed. They are trying to mitigate losses by increasing their digital footprint, when they receive a phone call from Eugene, who identifies himself as a special adviser to the government. What does he specially advise them on? “Procurement.” Are they familiar with the term “PPE”? The government needs billions of items, and the suitably patriotically named “Union Jax” feels just like the sort of dynamic start-up that should be providing some of it. Would they like to tender?

The amazed young executives point out that their expertise is more in the line of cakes and biscuits in the shape of London landmarks or marzipan models of the Royal Family. Shouldn’t they be using people who know about this stuff? But Eugene assures them that this government doesn’t do things the way they’ve always been done. They think outside the box.

But as deadlines draw near and Union Jax discovers itself way out of its depth when it comes to PPE, the Good Law Project comes calling. Exactly why have millions been spaffed on these neophyte incompetents? And, awkwardly, neither Stuart nor Jacqueline can provide a credible answer.

Politics, Philosophy, and Economics by Mark Lawson

EUGENE ..... Alex Jennings
JACQUELINE ..... Macy Nyman
STUART ..... Tom Glenister
HANNAH ..... Jane Slavin

Producer/Director, Eoin O’Callaghan
A Big Fish Radio production for BBC Radio 4


SAT 15:30 Life On Hold (m000tl99)
The number of people accessing mental health services in the UK has reached record levels since the start of the pandemic. Many are seeking help for the first time, for others delays in treatment have made life in lockdown much harder.

The Royal College of Psychiatrists claims the number of adults experiencing some form of depression has doubled since March 2020. They say NHS services are struggling to cope with demand, meaning some people are having to wait weeks for referrals.

Life on hold follows five people as they navigate their way through mental health services. They tell us how they have coped, offer their experiences of support and set out their hopes for life post-lockdown.

Among them is Matt who’s ongoing battle with depression became worse after losing his job at the start of the pandemic, while Anjani, a student at Nottingham University struggled being thousands of miles away from her family in India. These are intimate stories of the widespread, but less publicised battle being played out as the world fought Covid 19.

Produced and Presented by Anna Hodges
Technical Production by Mike Smith


SAT 16:00 Woman's Hour (m000vwsl)
Weekend Woman's Hour: Tracey Emin; Susan Rogers, Prince's sound engineer; Panic attacks

Tracey Emin was one of the leading figures of the Young British Artists movement of the 1990s. She has recently undergone radical surgery to treat bladder cancer. For her latest exhibition - The Loneliness of the Soul – she has selected masterpieces by Edvard Munch to show alongside her most recent paintings.

Mental health blogger and author of ‘F**K I Think I'm Dying: How I learned to live with panic’, Claire Eastham explains how she manages her panic attacks. She is joined by psychotherapist Dawn Estefan to discuss why we have panic attacks, how they feel and how best to cope with them.

Whether you’re an experienced cyclist or if you're completely new to cycling, there's no doubt it's intimidating on the roads. Cycling expert, Aneela McKenna shares tips for how women can feel more confident while riding their bikes on the road.

Rosie Ayliffe’s daughter, Mia Ayliffe Chung was killed in 2016 at a remote farmworkers’ hostel while backpacking in Australia. Since Mia's death Rosie has been campaigning to improve conditions for young casual workers, helping to change the law in three of the six states of Australia.

What's behind the decline in male fertility? The global population currently stands at 7.9 billion, and is projected to peak at 9.7 billion in just over 40 years' time. Those huge numbers are often blamed on women having too many children. In reality, fertility has been in long-term decline for decades. Dr Shanna Swan, Professor of Environmental Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York thinks we should be paying much more attention to the chemicals in our environment that come from everyday products as her research is showing consistent effects on sperm counts, sperm quality and overall male fertility.

Susan Rogers talks about what it was like working with Prince as his sound engineer on albums including ‘Purple Rain, ‘Around the World in a Day and ‘Sign o’ the Times’. After two decades in the music industry she left and went on to earn a doctorate in psychology. She’s now a professor of music at Berkeley College in Boston, and is being awarded the Music Producers Guild’s ‘Outstanding Contribution to Music’– the first woman to ever win the award.

Whether you’re an experienced cyclist or if you're completely new to cycling, there's no doubt it's intimidating on the roads. Cycling expert Aneela McKenna shares tips for how women can feel more confident when riding their bikes.

Presenter: Anita Rani
Producer: Paula McFarlane
Editor: Sarah Crawley


SAT 17:00 PM (m000vwsq)
Full coverage of the day's news


SAT 17:30 Political Thinking with Nick Robinson (m000vwsv)
Nick Robinson talks about what's really going on in British politics.


SAT 17:54 Shipping Forecast (m000vwsz)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.


SAT 17:57 Weather (m000vwt3)
The latest weather reports and forecast


SAT 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m000vwt6)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4


SAT 18:15 Loose Ends (m000vwtb)
Graham Norton, Susannah Fielding, Kathryn Williams, Mai Thi Nguyen-Kim, Madness, Clive Anderson

Clive Anderson is joined by Graham Norton, Susannah Fielding, Kathryn Williams and Mai Thi Nguyen-Kim for an eclectic mix of conversation, music and comedy. With music from Madness and Kathryn Williams.


SAT 19:00 Profile (m000vwtg)
Narendra Modi

The Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is hugely popular, credited with bringing stability and modernisation to his country in his 8 years of leadership. But his critics say lately he has been too absorbed with his political ambitions and not focused enough on protecting the country from the pandemic. Could the disastrous second wave of coronavirus that has engulfed India dent the unassailable rise of Narendra Modi?

Presenter: Mark Coles
Researcher: Stefania Okereke
Studio manager: Rod Farquhar
Programme co-ordinator: Janet Staples
Producer: Chloe Hadjimatheou
Editor: Richard Vadon and Alex Lewis


SAT 19:15 My Teenage Diary (m000j812)
Series 9

Olly Mann

Rufus Hound talks to the podcaster Olly Mann about his teenage diaries, and finds out about boarding school life, Olly's Bar Mitzvah, and his love of the Australian soap Neighbours.

Producer: Harriet Jaine
A Talkback production for BBC Radio 4


SAT 19:45 Just One Thing - with Michael Mosley (m000vp09)
Intelligent Exercises

In this episode, Michael reveals the best exercises you can do – to help your heart and your brain. He now does press ups every morning – having discovered research that shows being able to do 10 could help you live longer, and doing 40 nearly doubles your protection against heart disease. But strength exercises can do more than just improve your muscle tone and heart. Michael speaks to Professor Damian Bailey at University of South Wales who’s been researching the effects of exercise on your brain. He’s discovered that one of the best exercises you can do to boost your brain power is the simple squat. Michael discovers how many and how long you need to do them for to get the best benefit – and it’s surprisingly little!


SAT 20:00 Archive on 4 (m000vwtl)
What’s Going On Now?

Fifty years ago, Motown legend Marvin Gaye released What's Going On - a landmark album that forever changed the sound and subject matter of popular music.

Emeli Sande explains why the album still has relevance and resonance in the 21st century, both musically and politically - an enduring art form that continues to make a statement on behalf of a disenfranchised generation.

The programme combines archive interviews with Motown legends who worked with Marvin Gaye, including Smokey Robinson, Stevie Wonder, Lamont Dozier and Mary Wilson, with contributions from artists inspired by his masterpiece, such as Bruce Springsteen, John Legend, Lionel Richie, Nitin Sawhney, Seal and Corinne Bailey Rae,

There's no contemporary piece of music or art which does more to reflect the emotions and situation of a generation with as much clarity and power as What's Going On and, five decades after its release, Marvin Gaye's opus remains one of the most acclaimed and influential albums recorded.

A Zinc Media production for BBC Radio 4


SAT 21:00 Tumanbay (b06vkj20)
Series 1

A Tale of Two Cities

In the seventh episode of this epic saga inspired by the Mamluk slave-dynasty, the Sultan Al-Ghuri (Raad Rawi) dreams of victory against rebellious provincial leader Maya. Meanwhile Gregor (Rufus Wright) is in pursuit of missing slave-girl Sarah (Nina Yndis) and must venture into the catacombs beneath the city, haven to those who wish to escape the brutality of the City above.

Tumanbay, the beating heart of a vast empire, is threatened by a rebellion in a far-off province and a mysterious force devouring the city from within. Gregor, Master of the Palace Guard, is charged by Sultan Al-Ghuri with the task of rooting out this insurgence and crushing it.

Cast:
Gregor.........................Rufus Wright
Heaven........................Olivia Popica
Wolf.............................Alexander Siddig
Cadali..........................Matthew Marsh
Frog.............................Deeivya Meir
Frog's Mother...............Sirine Saba
Sarah...........................Nina Yndis
Ibn...............................Nabil Elouahabi
Maya's Envoy...............Nadir Khan
Madu............................Danny Ashok
Daniel...........................Gareth Kennerley
Slave............................Akin Gazi
Al-Ghuri........................Raad Rawi
General Qulan..............Christopher Fulford
Manel...........................Aiysha Hart
Grassic.........................John Sessions
Physician......................Vivek Madan
Boy...............................Darwin Brokenbro

All other parts played by:
Laure Stockley
Nadir Khan
Vivek Madan
Stefano Braschi

Music - Sacha Puttnam
Sound Design - Steve Bond, Jon Ouin
Editors - Ania Przygoda, James Morgan
Producers - Emma Hearn, Nadir Khan, John Dryden

Written by Mike Walker
Directed by John Dryden

A Goldhawk production for BBC Radio 4


SAT 21:45 Death and Taxis (b07cx3r9)
Episode 4

Adapted by Sean Grundy and starring Scott Capurro as Andy Warhol. Also starring Ronni Ancona, Jon Culshaw and Kerry Shale.

Everyone who is anyone in New York from 1976 to 1987 is in Warhol's diary - from Mick Jagger to Donald Trump.

"Friday, August 30, 1978: The doorbell rang and it was Liza. She said, 'give me every drug you've got.' I gave them some coke, Valium and four Quaaludes. A little figure in a white hat came up, and it was Marty Scorsese, hiding around the corner. He and Liza went off to have their affair on all the drugs. (Valium $1)"

Beginning in the fall of 1976, America’s most famous artist Andy Warhol talked to his secretary by phone at 9:00 AM, every Monday to Friday morning, for ten years. He would talk about the events of the previous day, and his office would transcribe his monologues into diary pages.

The diary began as a careful recording of his use of money, from phone calls to nickels for bag-ladies to cab rides (lots of cab rides), but quickly evolved into Warhol’s personal observations. It was posthumously published in 1989 - a condensed version of Andy’s more-than-20,000 page, phoned-in audit/diary.

The core themes to the dramas are Warhol’s loves (art, men, fame, money, mainly money) and his fears (failure, embarrassment, death, mainly death).

The episodes follow four key themes, using four people in Andy’s life from 76-87 - homeless Crazy Matty, Warhol’s boyfriend Jon Gould, writer Truman Capote and artist Jean-Michel Basquiat. Woven into this world are buddies Mick and Bianca Jagger, Jerry Hall, Liza Minnelli and Donald Trump.

Nobody escapes his sharp tongue.

Cast:
JERRY HALL..................................................................RONNI ANCONA
ANDY WARHOL.............................................................SCOTT CAPURRO
MICK JAGGER / DR BERNSOHN/ DONALD TRUMP...........JON CULSHAW
JEAN MICHEL BASQUIAT...............................................ABDUL SALIS
BRUNO BISCHOFBERGER / CRAZY MATTY......................KERRY SHALE
BOUNCER.....................................................................MARTIN T SHERMAN

Based on The Andy Warhol Diaries, edited by Pat Hackett
Writer: Sean Grundy
Producer: David Morley
Director: Dirk Maggs

A Perfectly Normal production for BBC Radio 4


SAT 22:00 News (m000vwtq)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4


SAT 22:15 The Reunion (m000vp07)
Madness

Kirsty Wark brings together members of the band Madness to explore a musical journey of more than 40 years. From their earliest days in the backstreets of North London to performing on the roof of Buckingham Palace, the band combined ska, zany videos and on-stage antics to produce a string of hits.

Kirsty takes them back to their childhoods to remember the experiences which formed them and inspired one of their most popular songs, Baggy Trousers. We hear stories of the early days - rehearsing below a Dentist's surgery, pub gigs and the moment when Suggs was nearly replaced as vocalist.

We find out about the band’s musical influences – from ska supremo Prince Buster to Ian Dury - and discuss how the political landscape of the 1980s started to influence their song writing. An early headline of a review of one of their gigs read, "Great band, shame about the fans", and they discuss in some detail how they dealt with racism at their gigs from National Front supporters.

After a period of departures and solo projects, the band remember their emotional and ear-splitting return with Madstock in 1992 – so loud that some people thought there’d been an earthquake in North London. They also talk about performing on the roof of Buckingham Palace for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee concert in 2012, and their latest live streaming concert from the London Palladium.

Taking part in the programme are Mike Barson, Mark Bedford, Chris Foreman, producer Clive Langer and lead singer Suggs.

Presenter: Kirsty Wark
Producer: Louise Adamson
Series Producer: David Prest
A Whistledown production for BBC Radio 4


SAT 23:00 Round Britain Quiz (m000vq7r)
Programme 9, 2021

(9/12)
Why might Henry VIII's sister, Cameron's best picture and the Roman province of Portugal all find themselves in a play by Terence Rattigan?

This and other cryptic puzzles are faced by the teams in the latest match of the series, with Tom Sutcliffe in the questionmaster's chair. Val McDermid and Alan McCredie play for Scotland, against Elizabeth-Jane Burnett and Stephen Maddock for the Midlands. Last time these pairs met, it resulted in a victory for the Midlands: can Scotland overturn that result today?

As usual, there are also musical clues with a fiendish connection which the teams will have to identify. Several of the questions have been suggested by RBQ listeners, and there'll also be a teaser puzzle for you to think about between now and next week's edition.

Producer: Paul Bajoria


SAT 23:30 Behind the Scenes (m000jxv1)
Max Richter

Max Richter , the popular, sell out composer is currently under lockdown in Oxfordshire. Matthew Sweet talks to him and to his artist wife Yulia Mahr in their home studio, finding out about their lives and the projects that have thrilled audiences worldwide.

At the end of last year Richter passed one billion streams and one million album sales. Sleep, the eight and a half hour 'lullaby' performed for sleeping audiences, is a mesmeric piece intended to provide a place to slow down, rest and escape from our frenetic lives. It was broadcast on the BBC at Easter this year , in the teeth of the pandemic.

Max's music , decribed as post minimalist, combines classical and electronic elements . He's well known for collaborations, for example with choreographer Wayne McGregor in performances and music such as Woolf Works, inspired by the novels of Virginia Woolf.

Matthew talks to Max and Yulia about the films they have made that illustrate the compostions and the feature film and television soundtracks that have made Max a favourite at home and in Hollywood, with scores for movies such as Ad Astra and Mary Queen of Scots.

Presented by Matthew Sweet
Produced by Michael Umney
A Just Radio production for BBC Radio 4



SUNDAY 09 MAY 2021

SUN 00:00 Midnight News (m000vwtv)
The latest news and weather forecast from BBC Radio 4.


SUN 00:30 Empty Stages (m000vrjn)
Put My Name in Lights

Gloria Grayson is 82 and due to make her West End comeback after 20 years in the wilderness. The play is a peach - could have been written for her. A new, young director who has great ideas is in place. Rehearsals have been hard but satisfying and now they are in the theatre - Dressing Room 1 again. Previews - she almost got a standing ovation. Have to work on that. Then, suddenly, closure. Pandemic. Bereft. Loss. Too much time to reflect on her life. What has she achieved? Will the theatre open again? Will she ever get that opening night?

Read by Deborah Findlay

Written by Lolita Chakrabarti

Directed by Celia de Wolff

A Pier Production for BBC Radio 4


SUN 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m000vwtz)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.


SUN 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m000vwv3)
BBC Radio 4 presents a selection of news and current affairs, arts and science programmes from the BBC World Service.


SUN 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m000vwv7)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.


SUN 05:30 News Briefing (m000vwvc)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4


SUN 05:43 Bells on Sunday (m000vwvg)
The Church of St Peter and St Paul, Shiplake in Oxfordshire

Bells on Sunday comes from the Church of St Peter and St Paul, Shiplake in Oxfordshire which is also an accredited ringing centre for the teaching and improving of church bell ringing. There have been bells in the church since the mid-16th century. In 2009, a replacement ring of eight was cast at the Whitechapel Foundry in London with a tenor weighing just over nine hundredweight and tuned to G sharp. We hear the bells ringing Stedman Triples.


SUN 05:45 Profile (m000vwtg)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Saturday]


SUN 06:00 News Summary (m000vy0r)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4


SUN 06:05 Something Understood (b06f4z33)
The Art of Correspondence

Mark Tully examines the pleasures of correspondence - from beautiful letters to ever increasing opportunities for conversations on social networks, via texts, emails and among those who develop a brilliant gift for talking on the telephone.

In conversation with journalist and writer Simon Garfield, he investigates whether the skill of communicating at a remove is on the wane or whether we are actually corresponding as never before.

And, above all, he celebrates the letter.

There are readings from writers as varied as Carol Ann Duffy, Dylan Thomas and Clementine Churchill, and there’s music from Samuel Barber, Fats Waller and Benjamin Britten.

The readers are Cyril Nri, Francis Cadder and Jane Whittenshaw.

Presenter: Mark Tully

Producer: Frank Stirling
A Unique production for BBC Radio 4


SUN 06:35 On Your Farm (m000vy0t)
Emu farm

Emus are well-known as a native bird in Australia, but they are also now farmed for their meat and their oil. In this programme, Peter Hadfield visits a farm in New South Wales, around 300 miles from Sydney, where Phil and Penny Henley have been farming the land for the last twenty years. As well as sheep and cattle, they have about 1200 emus, which they hatch and rear on the farm. Peter meets the emus, finds out about the distinctive drumming noise which the females make, and visits the farm shop where products made from emu oil are on sale. He also finds out how recent droughts in Australia have affected the farm, and stops to admire the amazing views the farm has of the nearby Warrumbungle National Park.

Produced and presented by Peter Hadfield.


SUN 06:57 Weather (m000vy0w)
The latest weather reports and forecast


SUN 07:00 News and Papers (m000vy0y)
The latest news headlines. Including a look at the papers.


SUN 07:10 Sunday (m000vy10)
Arranged Marriages, Gavin Peacock, ‘Body and Soul’ workout with Mr Motivator

Can an arranged marriage be modern? How much of a say do the daughters and sons have? After 10 years of research, Raksha Pande from Newcastle University has discovered two new types of arranged marriage, distinct from those of previous generations. William Crawley explores a range of views and experiences among young British Asians.

In 2008, the former professional footballer and Match of the Day pundit Gavin Peacock gave up a thriving media career to become a church minister in Canada. It was the culmination of a faith journey that began in the 1990s as player for QPR, Newcastle and Chelsea. He tells his story in his new autobiography, ‘A Greater Glory: From Pitch To Pulpit’.

Thousands of school children across the country will be taking part in what is hoped to be a record for the greatest number of people participating in a simultaneous fitness workout. The ‘Body and Soul’ charity project, organised by the Reverend Steve Chalke and fitness instructor ‘Mr Motivator’ aims to encourage a reconnection of our physical, emotional and spiritual wellbeing as we emerge from the pandemic.

We would love to hear your experiences of where physical activity meets spirituality. How do you connect body and soul? You can contact us on Twitter: @BBCR4Sunday, or email: sunday@bbc.co.uk.

Producers: Dan Tierney and David Cook
Editor: Tim Pemberton.


SUN 07:54 Radio 4 Appeal (m000vy12)
Magic Bus UK

TV Sports presenter Seema Jaswal makes the Radio 4 Appeal on behalf of the charity Magic Bus UK.

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 ‘Magic Bus UK’.
- Cheques should be made payable to ‘Magic Bus UK’.
- You can donate online at bbc.co.uk/appeal/radio4

Registered Charity Number: 1124753


SUN 07:57 Weather (m000vy14)
The latest weather reports and forecast


SUN 08:00 News and Papers (m000vy16)
The latest news headlines. Including a look at the papers.


SUN 08:10 Sunday Worship (m000vy18)
How to Pray

The American monk, Thomas Merton wrote "The secret of prayer is hunger for God. The will to pray is the essence of prayer".

In this service from Bishopthorpe, the official residence of the Archbishop of York, The Most Revd. Stephen Cottrell explores the question of how to pray. It is prayer that sees many believers through the hardest times but it is not always an easy practice to maintain. He reflects on the Lord's Prayer, the meaning of the words and the impact of them as they are spoken.

Producer: Katharine Longworth


SUN 08:48 A Point of View (m000vrk6)
Invisible Women

Zoe Strimpel questions some of the dominant gender narratives around the Me Too movement.

'The problem,' she writes, 'is that there is no space in all this for the lives and experiences of the many straight women who don't have this problem, who do not live in fear of men, and who are not sexualised at every turn.'

Producer: Adele Armstrong


SUN 08:58 Tweet of the Day (b03zrcfq)
Stock Dove

Tweet of the Day is a series of fascinating stories about our British birds inspired by their calls and songs.

Kate Humble presents the stock dove. Perhaps 'stock pigeon' would be a better name, because they're like slightly smaller versions of the woodpigeon. Unlike their bigger relatives they have no white marks on their wings or neck and are more blue-grey in colour. When they fly, they look dumpier ...stockier you might say. Unlike woodpigeons, stock doves haven't taken to a life in town and they're mainly birds of wooded farmland.


SUN 09:00 Broadcasting House (m000vy1b)
The Sunday morning news magazine programme. Presented by Paddy O'Connell


SUN 10:00 The Archers Omnibus (m000vy1d)
Writers, Katie Hims and Helen Aitken
Directors, Dave Payne and Marina Caldarone
Editor, Jeremy Howe

Ben Archer …. Ben Norris
Helen Archer …. Louiza Patikas
Pip Archer …. Daisy Badger
Brian Aldridge …. Charles Collingwood
Jennifer Aldridge …. Angela Piper
Lee Bryce …. Ryan Early
Harrison Burns …. James Cartwright
Alice Carter …. Hollie Chapman
Chris Carter …. Wilf Scolding
Susan Carter …. Charlotte Martin
Ruari Donovan …. Arthur Hughes
Rex Fairbrother …. Nick Barber
Alan Franks …. John Telfer
Emma Grundy … Emerald O’hanrahan
Mia Grundy …. Molly Pipe
Joy Horville …. Jackie Lye
Russ Jones …. Andonis James Anthony
Adam Macey … Andrew Wincott
Elizabeth Pargetter …. Alison Dowling
Fallon Rogers … Joanna Van Kampen


SUN 10:54 Tweet of the Day (m000vy1g)
Tweet Take 5 : Terns

The arrival of terns, sometimes called sea swallows, to the UK coastline in spring is a welcome sign that these birds have completed their long migrations back to breed. In this extended episode of Tweet of the Day we hear the story of three species of tern we find around our coasts, the Arctic tern with Miranda Krestovnikoff, the roseate tern with Brett Westwood and the common tern with Michaela Strachan.

Producer : Andrew Dawes for BBC Audio, Bristol.


SUN 11:00 Desert Island Discs (m000vy1j)
Billie Piper, actor

Billie Piper, actor and director, shares the soundtrack of her life with Lauren Laverne.


SUN 11:45 Just One Thing - with Michael Mosley (m000vy1l)
Green Spaces

Michael explores the science behind the soothing power of nature, revealing how nature not only makes us feel good in the moment, but how it also has a more lasting effect on our stress levels and our mental health. Michael speaks to Professor Ming Kuo at the University of Illinois in Chicago, who has been looking into the surprising ways nature could be having an effect on your immune system and mind. They discuss everything from mood boosting microbes in the soil, to the aromatic chemicals released by plants that could be enhancing your immune system.


SUN 12:00 News Summary (m000vy4l)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


SUN 12:04 Nature Table (m000vq81)
Series 2

Episode 1

Nature Table is comedian, broadcaster and writer Sue Perkins’ new comedy ‘Show & Tell’ series celebrating the natural world and all its funny eccentricities.
Taking the simple format of a ‘Show & Tell’, each episode Sue is joined by celebrity guests from the worlds of comedy and natural history. Each of the natural history guests brings an item linked to the wild world to share with the audience, be it an amazing fact or funny personal anecdote. Each item is a springboard for an enlightening and funny discussion, alongside fun games and challenges revealing more astonishing facts. We also hear from some of the London Zoo, as they bring us their own natural history ‘show and tells’ for Sue and the guests to discuss.
Nature Table has a simple clear brief: to positively celebrate and promote the importance of all our planet’s wonderfully wild flora and fauna in an fun and easily grasped way... whilst at the same time having a giggle.
Note: Series 2 was recorded in November 2020, during lockdown conditions, so this time round there is no studio audience. The host, panel and guest zookeepers recorded the series at ZSL London Zoo, socially distanced.

Episode 1
Recorded at London Zoo, this week Sue Perkins is joined by special guests:
Chris Packham (Naturalist, writer, presenter), Michaela Strachan (Wildlife Presenter) and comedian Desiree Burch

Written by: Catherine Brinkworth, Kat Sadler & Jon Hunter
Researcher: Catherine Beazley
Music by Ben Mirin. Additional sounds were provided by The Macaulay Library at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.
Produced by: Simon Nicholls
A BBC Studios Production


SUN 12:32 The Food Programme (m000vxz1)
1971: A year that changed food forever?

Dan Saladino asks if the year 1971 was a turning point for how the world eats?

It was a year of contrasts: McDonalds increased the portion sizes of the beef burger it served with the launch of the Quarter Pounder, meanwhile one of the best selling books of 1971 was full of vegetarian recipes, 'Diet for a Small Planet' by Frances Moore Lappe, which argued hunger could be eliminated from the world if we stopped eating meat and embraced plant-based diets.

In the UK the food industry was innovating like never before and creating new types of processed foods and supermarkets were expanding across the country. Some embraced these changes, whereas others reacted to them, a split that was reflected in the publication of two important books that year. Delia Smith's 'How to Cheat at Cooking' offered tips on how tinned convenience foods could be used to create quick and delicious dishes, whereas, Jane Grigson's Good Things, was a celebration of slower, seasonal and more traditional cooking.

Senior staff writer at Bon Appetit magazine Alex Beggs argues 1971 was a turning point for food and explains how social changes and economic forces helped transform the way people ate in the United States (from the opening of the first branch of Starbucks to cups of instant noodles going on sale). Food historian Polly Russell explains how a similar process was also underway in the UK and how we can see the legacy of that transformation in our food today.

Dan also speaks to Professor Tim Lang about the importance of the Concert for Bangladesh, organised by George Harrison to fight famine in south Asia. He also catches up with Frances Moore Lappe to ask what 'Diet for a Small Planet' can tell us about food and our world fifty years on.

Produced and presented by Dan Saladino


SUN 12:57 Weather (m000vy1r)
The latest weather forecast


SUN 13:00 The World This Weekend (m000vy1t)
Edward Stourton looks at the week’s big stories from both home and around the world.


SUN 13:30 The Listening Project (m000vy1w)
Living on the outside

Fi Glover presents friends, relatives and strangers in conversation.

This week: Abbie, who’s writing her own musical and Lubna, who’s taken a career change from pharmacist to acting, discuss facing stereotypes; Artist Tom who lives alone on the Isle of Lewis talks tech with Callum, an insurance broker in Glasgow, who says he’s relied on having connections made with technology as a life line; strangers Josie and Jessica discuss what life is like living with borderline personality disorder; and landlord Freddy who lives in West Sussex talks tenants rights with Jenni in Belfast who been renting for 6 years.

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. The conversations are being gathered across the UK by teams of producers from local and national radio stations who facilitate each encounter. Every conversation lasts up to an hour, and is then edited to extract the key moments 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 this decade of the millennium. You can learn more about The Listening Project by visiting bbc.co.uk/listeningproject

Producer: Kerry Devine


SUN 14:00 Gardeners' Question Time (m000vrjl)
GQT at Home: No Mow May and Dahlia Decay

Kathy Clugston hosts the gardening Q&A with a panel of experts. Houseplant queen Anne Swithinbank, plantsman Matt Biggs and award-winning garden designer Chris Beardshaw answer the questions sent in by listeners on grasses gardens, planting orchards and recovering parterre gardens.

Away from the questions, we get an update on Matthew and Jane Wilson's cut flower garden, and Juliet Sargeant sets the GQT listenership a challenge - No Mow May.

Producer - Daniel Cocker
Assistant Producer - Millie Chu

A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4


SUN 14:45 Thought Cages (m00017qm)
The Case Against Education

Education is often seen as a panacea for a liberal civilised society: the more, the better. But what if we’re wrong? What if the desire to deliver higher education to as many people as possible is actually making society less fair?

Economist Bryan Caplan poked a hornet’s nest recently with his book “The Case Against Education”. It argued passionately that higher education has become a mere signalling exercise for employers – one which rewarded rote-learning conformism and threw anyone with less than a 2:1 on the scrapheap.

Much admired – and much criticised – Caplan’s book was a call-to-arms for an end to a futile, economically-crippling education arms-race. His solution? Simply pull funding for almost all higher education until its social worth was fully proven.

Advertising guru and behaviourist Rory Sutherland is joined in studio by the Executive Director of the Education Policy Institute Natalie Perera - and down the line by Bryan Caplan himself – to assess one of liberal society’s most sacred cows.

Produced by Steven Rajam for BBC Wales


SUN 15:00 Drama (m0003sz6)
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead (Part 2)

Mathew Baynton, Andrew Buchan and Toby Jones star in Tom Stoppard's much-loved play about Hamlet's ill-fated attendant lords. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern attempt to discover what roles they are meant to play, in an existence that appears to offer them no control.

Directed by Emma Harding

Rosencrantz.....Mathew Baynton
Guildenstern.....Andrew Buchan
The Player.....Toby Jones
Tragedian.....Sam Dale
Alfred.....Ronny Jhutti
Ophelia.....Sarah Ovens
Polonius.....Michael Bertenshaw
Hamlet.....Parth Thakerar
Claudius.....Don Gilet
Gertrude.....Clare Corbett

Music arranged and performed by Clare Salaman, Philip Hopkins and Amelia Shakespeare from The Society of Strange and Ancient Instruments.


SUN 16:00 Open Book (m000vy1y)
Jhumpa Lahiri

Elizabeth Day talks to the writer Jhumpa Lahiri, whose latest novel, Whereabouts, was originally written in Italian, a language she learned in her 40s.
Whereabouts tells the story of an unnamed middle-aged woman who meanders through a Northern Italian city, sharing her observations on everything from having a manicure to walking a friend’s dog. Lahiri builds up a mosaic of such moments, interspersing them with deeper glimpses into the woman’s relationship with her parents and the sudden death of her father when she was 15. Jhumpa Lahiri has long been interested in themes of dislocation and belonging, the daughter of Bengali immigrants who moved to New York, her first book, The Interpreter of Maladies, was a short story collection which won a Pulitzer Prize.

The programme also explores the life and writing of the English mid century writer Barbara Pym. Best known for her novels, Excellent Women, Jane and Prudence, and A Glass of Blessings, Pym created sharp observational comedies in which little happens, but a great deal is conveyed. Paula Byrne has written an illuminating new biography, The Adventures of Miss Pym, and talks to Elizabeth about the connections between her tumultuous life and her writing, and they are joined by the writer and lifelong Pym fan, Philip Hensher.


SUN 16:30 Behind the Scenes (m000pqcm)
Carlos Acosta and the Birmingham Royal Ballet

When Carlos Acosta, the most dazzling ballet dancer of his generation, was appointed Director of the Birmingham Royal Ballet in January, nobody could have predicted the roller coaster ride in store for him.

In this programme, we hear how his grand plans to shake up the company, reach out to new audiences, and take ballet out into the city of Birmingham along its canals, into its warehouses and clubs, have largely been put on hold.

But nevertheless, Acosta's energy has been channelled into commissioning new work and holding the company together.

We hear Carlos Acosta's own story - from his beginnings as a poor street kid in Havana who was a brilliant break dancer, to the world class classical ballet dancer who spent 17 years as the star of the Royal Ballet at Covent Garden.

As we record, the company's most financially important production, the Christmas performances of The Nutcracker, are being rehearsed. The show is due to be enjoyed by audiences at the Birmingham Rep and then at the Royal Albert Hall in December. But worries about a continued lockdown are overshadowing events...

Produced by Susan Marling
A Just Radio production for BBC Radio 4


SUN 17:00 One Night in March (m000vp4g)
One night in 2012, Anthony Grainger went out and never came home. He was shot dead by Greater Manchester Police in an operation beset with errors and blunders. Why is his family still fighting for accountability?


SUN 17:40 Profile (m000vwtg)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Saturday]


SUN 17:54 Shipping Forecast (m000vy20)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.


SUN 17:57 Weather (m000vy22)
The latest weather reports and forecast


SUN 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m000vy24)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4


SUN 18:15 Pick of the Week (m000vy26)
Mobeen Azhar

This week…the sound of beautiful people rejoicing. It’s not *actual* heaven but live music has returned to Liverpool. And we go back to Manchester’s Hacienda via a new series about the gangster, Paul Massey. We've a whole bunch of stuff about online activism, misunderstanding and the currency of misplaced anger. And, in the week Mobeen's husband got a new tattoo, he returned to the gym too.

Presenter: Mobeen Azhar
Producer: Elizabeth Foster
Production support: Emmie Hume
Studio Manager: Chris Hardman


SUN 19:00 Book at Bedtime (b07zzg8r)
Cookie Jar by Stephen King

Cookie Communions

After his mother's untimely death, Rhett inherits a cookie jar which proves to have some very unusual properties...

'I had sort of a peculiar childhood, because my mother was peculiar. Not outright crazy, but very, very peculiar. Stories were her way of staying sane... A way to cover that hole in reality the way you might cover a well with boards so no one would fall in. But her stories stopped working for her. Because the thing she was afraid of was in the house with her all along.'

From 'The Bazaar of Bad Dreams', Stephen King's story adapted in three parts. Read by Colin Stinton.

Music by Timothy X Atack.
Abridged and Produced by Mair Bosworth


SUN 19:15 The Confessional (m000vy28)
Series 1

The Confession of Suzi Ruffell

Actor, comedian and broadcaster Stephen Mangan presents a comedy chat show about shame and guilt.

Each week Stephen invites a different eminent guest into his virtual confessional box to make three 'confessions' are made to him. This is a cue for some remarkable storytelling, and surprising insights.

We’re used to hearing celebrity interviews where stars are persuaded to show off about their achievements and talk about their proudest moments. Stephen isn't interested in that. He doesn’t want to know what his guests are proud of, he wants to know what makes them ashamed. That’s surely the way to find out what really makes a person tick. Stephen and his guest reflect with empathy and humour on things like why we get embarrassed, where our shame thresholds should be, and the value of guilt.

This week, writer, podcaster and ‘confessional’ comedian, Suzi Ruffell recalls disruptive behaviour in class, a disastrous romantic break-up and the most embarrassing cab ride of her life.

Other guests *in this series include Marian Keyes, Cariad Lloyd, Joan Bakewell, Phil Hammond and Phil Wang.

Written and presented by Stephen Mangan
With extra material by Nick Doody
Devised with Dave Anderson and produced by Frank Stirling
A 7digital production for BBC Radio 4


SUN 19:45 The Things We Leave Behind (m000vy2b)
The Spoons

A five-part series specially written for Radio 4 by Mary Paulson-Ellis.

THE THINGS WE LEAVE BEHIND tells the story of a life in five objects. Starting near the end of her life and moving backwards in time, the defining moments of Rosalind Goddard’s life are revealed through seemingly random accumulated items.

Part One THE SPOONS is read by Alexandra Mathie.

Producer - Gaynor Macfarlane


SUN 20:00 Feedback (m000vrjt)
The Editor of Woman’s Hour, Karen Dalziel, talks about how her new presenters are bedding into the long-running programme which celebrates its 75th birthday this year. She also discusses the decision to extend the programme to a whole hour at the expense of the daily 15 minute drama.

One of the BBC’s journalists gives an insight into reporting from India as the pandemic overwhelms the country’s health services.

And two listeners give their views on a BBC 6 Music talk show.

Presenter: Roger Bolton
Producer: Kate Dixon
Executive Producer: Samir Shah

A Juniper Connect Production for BBC Radio 4


SUN 20:30 Last Word (m000vrjr)
Baroness O'Cathain, Michael Collins, Sharon Matola, Jim Steinman (pictured, with Meat Loaf)

Matthew Bannister on

Baroness O’Cathain, the successful businesswoman who became Managing Director of the Barbican Arts Centre in London but left after losing the confidence of staff and artists.

Michael Collins, the Apollo 11 astronaut who stayed in the Apollo command module while Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walked on the moon.

Sharon Matola, the former lion tamer who became an environmentalist in Belize, establishing a zoo to care for the country’s rare and rescued animals.

Jim Steinman, the songwriter whose masterwork “Bat Out Of Hell” became one of the best-selling albums of all time.

Producer: Neil George

Interviewed guest: Lord Faulkner of Worcester
Interviewed guest: Sir Nicholas Kenyon
Interviewed guest: Lou Nicolait
Interviewed guest: Andrea Polanco
Interviewed guest: Meat Loaf
Interviewed guest: Don Black

Archive clips used: The Farming Week: Radio 4, TX 1.8.1987; Woman's Hour: Radio 4, TX 17.10.1989; 13 Minutes to the Moon: World Service, TX 15.5.2019; Naomi's Nightmares of Nature: CBBC, TX 2.7.2014; Simon Bates interview with Meat Loaf and Jim Steinman, recorded circa 1993, TX unknown; World at One: Radio 4, TX 21.4.2021; I Write the Songs - Series 3: Radio Wales, TX 12.3.2016


SUN 21:00 Money Box (m000vwry)
[Repeat of broadcast at 12:04 on Saturday]


SUN 21:25 Radio 4 Appeal (m000vy12)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:54 today]


SUN 21:30 Short Cuts (m00088n4)
Series 20

Mary Oliver

"Tell me, what is it you plan to do
with your one wild and precious life?"
- Mary Oliver

Josie Long heads out alone into nature to present short documentaries and adventures in sound inspired by the poet Mary Oliver. From a meditation on the seasons amid the changing climate, to an exploration of wanting with Laura Barton.

Wild and Precious
Featuring Laura Barton

Mary Oliver - Listening to the World (edited extract)
Interview by Krista Tippett
This interview was originally produced for The On Being Project
onbeing.org

To Fail as a Witness
Featuring Anne Fosburg
Produced by Ariana Martinez
Special thanks to Anne Fosburg and collaborator Mitchell Johnson for the early correspondence that motivated this work.

Production Team: Andrea Rangecroft and Alia Cassam
Series Producer: Eleanor McDowall
A Falling Tree production for BBC Radio 4


SUN 22:00 Westminster Hour (m000vy2f)
Radio 4's Sunday night political discussion programme.


SUN 23:00 The Film Programme (m000vqqw)
How I directed a movie with Parkinson's Disease

With Antonia Quirke

Director Brett Harvey reveals how he made a feature film Long Way Back just after he had been diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease. And how he managed to direct the movie suffering the effects of the insomnia caused by the illness, and why he made a short film called Hand about his condition.

Lisa Immordino Vreeland, the director of Truman And Tennessee: An Intimate Conversation, talks about what she discovered about the friendship and rivalry between Truman Capote and Tennessee Williams

How many world famous composers does it take to make a film score ? At least half a dozen, if that film is Lawrence Of Arabia. Neil Brand reveals why so many legends of 20th century classical music were hired to write the score for David Lean's epic, only for the job to go to a relative unknown called Maurice Jarre.


SUN 23:30 Something Understood (b06f4z33)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:05 today]



MONDAY 10 MAY 2021

MON 00:00 Midnight News (m000vy2h)
The latest news and weather forecast from BBC Radio 4.


MON 00:15 Thinking Allowed (m000vq5r)
Perfume

PERFUME: What’s the connection between perfume & politics in the 20th century and how do scents become invested with meaning? Laurie Taylor talks to Professor Karl Schloegel, Chair of East European History at the European University Viadrina in Frankfurt, and author of a new study which examines contemporary history through the prism of two scents – Moscow Red and Chanel No 5. They’re joined by Karen Cerulo, Professor of Sociology at Rutgers University, who asks how individuals make sense of certain fragrances and correctly decode perfume manufacturers’ intended message and target users. To what extent do our every day readings of scent produce a world bound by class and race? Thinking Allowed is produced in partnership with the Open University.

Producer: Jayne Egerton


MON 00:45 Bells on Sunday (m000vwvg)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:43 on Sunday]


MON 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m000vy2k)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.


MON 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m000vy2m)
BBC Radio 4 presents a selection of news and current affairs, arts and science programmes from the BBC World Service.


MON 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m000vy2p)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.


MON 05:30 News Briefing (m000vy2r)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4


MON 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m000vy2t)
A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day with Sarah Joseph.

Good Morning.

On this day in 1994, Nelson Mandela was inaugurated as South Africa’s first black president. I can remember the day with such joy.

For most of my life, Mandela has been a hero. Much of my youth had been spent on Anti-Apartheid marches. The organisation he headed, the African National Congress, had been described by the British Prime Minister of the day as a “typical terrorist organisation.” I could simply see a terrible injustice being done, and supported the man who was prepared to speak truth to power. It would seem to me that that was the role of all of the prophets, and great people of religion: be that Moses, Jesus or Muhammad.

Outside the Royal Festival Hall on the South Bank in London there is a bust of Mandela. The plaque reads underneath, "The Struggle Is My Life". To struggle is a strange notion. It is not something that most of us would choose to do, or advocate for ourselves or our loved ones, yet Mandela described it as the essence of his life. In Arabic the word “to struggle” is jihad - erroneously referred to as Holy War, it is simply striving for a good cause – be that birthing a child into the world, earning an honest living, or indeed opposing a racist, oppressive political system.

Mandela was a man who struggled.

I can think of no human being alive today who did what he did. Mandela lived an extraordinary life, and I feel we all have to ask ourselves how we are struggling to do that which is right.

Our Merciful Lord – Grant us the courage to stand for justice, for as the Qur’an reminds, “Be just for justice is the closest thing to God consciousness.”

Ameen.


MON 05:45 Farming Today (m000vy2w)
10/05/21 - Virtual health checks, livestock marts reopening and on-farm trials

Auction marts are beginning to open up - throughout the lockdowns they’ve been operating under strict restrictions. It's impacted on the way they trade, but also hit the other services marts provide for the farming community: from a chat in the cafe to an appointment with a nurse of GP. We hear from one charity in Lincolnshire which is urging agricultural workers to sign up for virtual health checks after almost a thousand appointments were missed there due to COVID.

Research and Development have become agricultural buzz words. The Government is keen to see productivity in farming rise and new approaches, new technology and innovation are seen as key. Getting something from the idea stage to a practical tool which farmers will adopt is the challenge and this week we’re going to highlight on-farm trials - from new varieties of crop, to robots and new ways of working. We start by hearing from Professor Tim Benton, who chairs Innovative Farmers - a not for profit organisation which brings farmers and researchers together.

Presented by Charlotte Smith
Produced for BBC Audio in Bristol by Heather Simons


MON 05:56 Weather (m000vy2y)
The latest weather forecast for farmers.


MON 05:58 Tweet of the Day (b03bksqt)
Crested Tit

Tweet of the Day is a series of fascinating stories about the British birds inspired by their calls and songs.

Wildlife Sound Recordist, Chris Watson, presents the Crested Tit. Although crested tits are quite common in Continental Europe, they are confined in the UK to the central Highlands of Scotland. They're the only small British bird with a crest so identification shouldn't be a problem and their black eye-stripe contrasts well with their grey and white face.


MON 06:00 Today (m000vxy3)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.


MON 09:00 Start the Week (m000vxy5)
The opioid crisis and erosion of trust

The Sackler name is more often associated with philanthropy and lavish donations in the arts and sciences. But the investigative reporter Patrick Radden Keefe tells another story in Empire of Pain. He questions how much of the Sackler wealth was made from the making and aggressive marketing of the painkiller, Oxycontin. He tells Amol Rajan of the misery that has unfolded in today’s opioid crisis – an international epidemic of drug addiction which has killed nearly half a million people.

The direct marketing to GPs and advertising campaigns in the US helped to make Oxycontin a hugely popular drug. But in the UK too there are concerns about the over-prescribing of painkillers for long periods of time. Dr Zoe Williams is a GP in South London and presenter of the BBC show, Trust Me I’m a Doctor. As a founding member of the British Society of Lifestyle Medicine she’s pioneering changes to reduce dependency on drugs, and increase take-up of alternative treatments, like exercise. But she understands how stories like Empire of Pain undermine public trust in the health service.

What happens when people start to mistrust medical authorities is at the heart of Heidi Larson’s work as Director of the Vaccine Confidence Project at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. In her latest book, Stuck, she looks at how vaccine reluctance and refusal is no longer limited to the margins of society. As mistrust of the official message and messenger grows so does rumour, conflict and hesitancy.

Producer: Katy Hickman


MON 09:45 Other Minds: The Octopus And The Evolution Of Intelligent Life by Peter Godfrey-Smith (m000vxy7)
Meetings Across the Tree of Life

What if intelligent life on Earth evolved not once, but twice? The octopus is the closest we will come to meeting an intelligent alien. What can we learn from the encounter?

In Other Minds, the philosopher and scuba diver Peter Godfrey-Smith explores the startling evolutionary journey of the cephalopods. It all started for him when he began scuba diving near Sydney:

“I came across the octopuses by chance, by spending time in the water. I began following them around, and eventually started thinking about their lives. After all, the sea is the original home of the mind, at least in its first faint forms.”

Professor Godfrey-Smith explores what we know about the intelligence of cephalopods, including the tricks they play on the scientists who try to study them. He looks back 600 million years, to reveal the worm-like creature which was the last common ancestor connecting us with the octopus. He visits an extraordinary site off the coast of Australia, Octopolis, where the animals have developed a kind of city under the sea. He meditates on why the octopus, with such high intelligence, lives for such a short time. And he asks us to imagine what it feels like to be an octopus, raising big questions about the nature of animal consciousness.

In this first episode, he tells the story of the evolution of the octopus, in a different part of the evolutionary tree from humans. And yet a great deal connects us.

Peter Godfrey-Smith is a professor in the School of History and Philosophy of Science at the University of Sydney.

Read by Tim McInnerny
Abridged and produced by Elizabeth Burke
Sound design by Chris Maclean
A Loftus Media production for BBC Radio 4


MON 10:00 Woman's Hour (m000vxy9)
Women's voices and women's lives - topical conversations to inform, challenge and inspire.


MON 10:45 Hardy's Women (m000vxyc)
The Woodlanders

Episode 6

Grace returns from her honeymoon, but her new husband, Dr Fitzpiers, is soon distracted. Ayeesha Menon's dramatisation of Thomas Hardy's novel of love, money and social ambition, tells the story from the perspective of Marty South.

Marty South.....Katy Sobey
Giles Winterbourne.....Oliver Hembrough
Grace Melbury.....Holli Dempsey
Edred Fitzpiers.....Sacha Dhawan
George Melbury.....Nicholas Murchie
Lucy Melbury.....Jane Slavin
Barber Percomb.....Joshua Riley
Felice Charmond.....Marilyn Nnadebe
Grammer Oliver.....Jessica Turner
Suke Damson.....Elinor Coleman
Timothy Tangs.....Stewart Campbell
John South.....Tony Turner

Production Co-ordinator.....Maggie Olgiati
Sound Design.....Peter Ringrose
Directed by Emma Harding


MON 11:00 The Untold (m000vxyf)
Two Pairs of Hands

Sandi’s partner Steve died last September after a long illness. They not only lived together, they had worked together for 35 years, making lutes - period instruments that date back to the 16th century.

Now Sandi is having to work single-handed for the first time in her career. It’s not only a practical challenge, it’s a psychological one too. She has to deal with her grief, as well as facing an empty workshop and a backlog of work that’s built up during Steve’s illness, when she was caring for him 24/7.

Her best friend Derin has come to give her moral support and help in the workshop as Sandi takes on the task of making an archlute for a customer in Germany. It’s got a long neck to carry extra bass strings - particularly tricky to manoeuvre with just one pair of hands.

Sandi has no income until she finishes the archlute and the other instruments her customers are waiting for. And she can no longer afford to stay in her workshop now that she’s working solo, so she’s got to find a new place.

Can she meet the challenge?

The programme includes original music, Tombeau for Stephen, written and performed in tribute to Steve by David van Ooijen, on a theorbo made by Steve and Sandi.

Produced in Bristol by Jo Glanville


MON 11:30 Loose Ends (m000vwtb)
[Repeat of broadcast at 18:15 on Saturday]


MON 12:00 News Summary (m000vy9n)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


MON 12:04 Lean, Fall, Stand by Jon McGregor (m000vxyl)
6: Difficult Questions

The heart-stopping and heart-rending new novel from the award-winning author of Reservoir 13.

When an Antarctic research expedition goes badly wrong, the consequences are far-reaching - for the men involved and for their families back home.

Episode 6: as Robert 'Doc' Wright begins to recover, more and more questions arise over the expedition - questions that Doc cannot answer....

Author: Jon McGregor is an award-winning novelist and short-story writer, who has been longlisted for the Booker Prize three times, and won the 2017 Costa Award.
Reader: tbc
Producer: Justine Willett
Abridger: Katrin Williams


MON 12:18 You and Yours (m000vxyn)
News and discussion of consumer affairs


MON 12:57 Weather (m000vxyq)
The latest weather forecast


MON 13:00 World at One (m000vxys)
Forty-five minutes of news, analysis and comment, with Sarah Montague.


MON 13:45 Questions Answered (m000vxyv)
Lina

Chris Mason and Anita Anand discover more about the lives of some of the listeners of Any Questions and Any answers. Today we hear from Lina who emailed Any Questions last October. Chris Mason goes to meet her in Keighley - the town where she lives and where he was born.


MON 14:00 GF Newman's The Corrupted (m000vxyx)
Series 6

Episode 1

It's now 2001 and Brian Oldman is still in prison for a crime he didn't commit.

He found a man in jail able to prove his innocence - but that man was soon discovered dead in his cell. He suspects that Joseph Oldman, now Sir Joseph Olinska MP, organised the killing.

In this final series, taking us to 2008, Joseph Olinska gets ever more involved in New Labour, while Brian Oldman becomes a vegan and studies law in jail in a bid to win justice for himself. Tony Wednesday continues to work behind the scenes for Sir Joseph at the same time as moving ever further up the ranks of the police force.

GF Newman's The Corrupted weaves fiction with real characters from history, following the fortunes of the Oldman/Olinska family - from small-time business and opportunistic petty crime, through gang rivalries, to their entanglement in the highest echelons of society. It's the tale of a nexus of crime, business and politics that’s woven through the fabric of 20th and 21st century greed, as even those with hitherto good intentions are sucked into a web of corruption.

Whose fortunes will prosper? Who will get their just deserts?

Joey Oldman, an uneducated Jewish child immigrant from Russia, has a natural instinct for business and a love of money - coupled with a knack for acquiring it. His first wife Cath is as ruthless in both the pursuit of money and the protection of her son, Brian. Joey built his empire with the help of a corrupt bank manager in the 1950s, starting with small greengrocer shops before moving into tertiary banking and property development, dealing with many corrupt policemen on the way - and befriending Lord Goodman, Margaret Thatcher and Tony Blair. Joseph now helps New Labour with their finances, while continuing to invest heavily in Russia, the US and a pharmaceutical company specialising in cancer drugs.

The characters are based on GF Newman's novels.

CAST
Sir Joseph - Toby Jones
Brian - Joe Armstrong
Tony Wednesday - Alec Newman
Sonia Hope/ Emma - Sarah Lambie
Catherine - Isabella Urbanowicz
Anatoly Popov/ Clive Bunter - Matthew Marsh
Leah - Jasmine Hyde
Margaret - Flora - Montgomery
PO Rogers - Paul Kemp
EXO Avedlund - Nigel Pivaro
Sir Ralph Courtney - Nick Sampson
Jeremy Corbyn - Christopher Harper
DCS Redvers - Arty Froushan
Tim Listfield - Charles Davies
Chuck Haly - Matt Rippy

Produced and directed by Clive Brill
A Brill production for BBC Radio 4


MON 14:45 The Why Factor (b07ks3kh)
Series 3

The Circus

From clowns to tight-rope walkers, fire-eaters to elephant trainers, the modern circus has been around for centuries. But why does it still appeal in the modern age? Mike Williams explores the origins of the circus and asks why, in a world of screens, video streaming and TV-on-demand, the circus continues to delight adults and children around the globe. Mike visits the Moscow State Circus, hears from a clown with Cirque Du Soleil and talks to a lion trainer with the biggest animal act in the world. There's thrills, spills, fun and fear.

Presenter: Mike Williams
Producer: Sally Abrahams
Editor: Andrew Smith

First broadcast on the BBC World Service


MON 15:00 Round Britain Quiz (m000vxyz)
Programme 10, 2021

(10/12)
The North of England, Stuart Maconie and Adele Geras, could find themselves in strong contention for the overall series title if they can hold off the challenge from Northern Ireland (Freya McClements and Paddy Duffy) in today's contest. This is the last appearance by these pairs in the current series so both sides will be going all-out for another win. Tom Sutcliffe asks the questions, provides helpful hints where necessary as the panellists deliberate, and awards the points according to how much he has had to intervene.

As usual there are several questions inspired by Round Britain Quiz listeners' suggestions - and each team gets a question with musical clips to identify and connect.

Producer: Paul Bajoria


MON 15:30 The Food Programme (m000vxz1)
[Repeat of broadcast at 12:32 on Sunday]


MON 16:00 Thinking In Colour (m000vqqf)
Passing is a term that originally referred to light skinned African Americans who decided to live their lives as white people. The civil rights activist Walter White claimed in 1947 that every year in America, 12-thousand black people disappeared this way. He knew from first-hand experience. The black president of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People had blonde hair and blue eyes which meant he was able to investigate lynching in the Deep South, while passing in plain sight.

In a strictly segregated society, life on the other side of the colour line could be easier. But it came at a price.

Here, Gary Younge, Professor of Sociology at Manchester University, explores stories of racial passing through the prism of one of his favourite books, Passing, by Nella Larsen.

The 1929 novella brought the concept into the mainstream. It tells the story of two friends; both African-American though one 'passes' for white. It's one of Gary Younge's, favourite books, for all that it reveals about race, class and privilege.

Gary speaks with Bliss Broyard, who was raised in Connecticut in the blue-blood, mono-racial world of suburbs and private schools. Her racial identity was ensconced in the comfort of insular whiteness. Then in early adulthood Bliss' world was turned upside down. On her father's deathbed she learned he was in fact a black man who had been passing as white for most of his life. How did this impact Bliss' identity and sense of self?

Gary hears three extraordinary personal accounts, each a journey towards understanding racial identity, and belonging. With Bliss Broyard, Anthony Ekundayo Lennon, Georgina Lawton and Professor Jennifer DeVere Brody.

Excerpts from 'Passing' read by Robin Miles, the Broadway actress who has narrated books written by Kamala Harris and Roxane Gay.

Producer: Caitlin Smith
Executive Producer: Tony Phillips

Photo: Bliss and her dad Anatole, taken by Sandy Broyard


MON 16:30 Beyond Belief (m000vxz3)
Vodou

Ernie Rea takes a look at a religion that emerged on the Caribbean island of Haiti about 500 years ago when the traditional religions of enslaved West Africans merged with the Catholicism of the French colonialists. Here in the West we call it Voodoo; but the correct term is Vodou. 60 million people worldwide practice Vodou. It is thought to have originated in the West African country of Benin where the word ‘Vodou’ means “Spirit” in one of the indigenous languages and the ‘Lwa’ (the Vodou name for Spirits) are central to the religion's belief and practice.

Ernie is joined by Her Majesty Queen Mother Dr Dowoti Desir (a Mambo Asogwe - Vodou High Priestess) from her Royal Palace in the city of Ouidah in Benin. Also taking part in the discussion are Dr Louise Fenton (a Senior Lecturer in Contextual Studies at the University of Wolverhampton) and Dr Kyrah Malika Daniels (Assistant Professor of Art History, Africana Studies and Theology at Boston College in the United States).

Producer: Helen Lee


MON 17:00 PM (m000vxz5)
Afternoon news and current affairs programme, reporting on breaking stories and summing up the day's headlines.


MON 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m000vxz9)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


MON 18:30 Nature Table (m000vxzc)
Series 2

Episode 2

Nature Table is comedian, broadcaster and writer Sue Perkins’ new comedy ‘Show & Tell’ series celebrating the natural world and all it’s funny eccentricities.
Taking the simple format of a ‘Show & Tell’, each episode Sue is joined by celebrity guests from the worlds of comedy and natural history. Each of the natural history guests brings an item linked to the wild world to share with the audience, be it an amazing fact or funny personal anecdote. Each item is a springboard for an enlightening and funny discussion, alongside fun games and challenges revealing more astonishing facts. We also hear from some of the London Zoo, as they bring us their own natural history ‘show and tells’ for Sue and the guests to discuss.
Nature Table has a simple clear brief: to positively celebrate and promote the importance of all our planet’s wonderfully wild flora and fauna in an fun and easily grasped way... whilst at the same time having a giggle.
Note: Series 2 was recorded in November 2020, during lockdown conditions, so this time round there is no studio audience. The host, panel and guest zookeepers recorded the series at ZSL London Zoo, socially distanced.

Episode 2
Recorded at London Zoo, this week Sue Perkins is joined by special guests:
Lucy Cooke (Zoologist, writer, presenter), Lee Davies (Fungi curator, Kew Gardens) and actress and comedian Sally Phillips.

Written by: Catherine Brinkworth, Kat Sadler & Jon Hunter
Researcher: Catherine Beazley
Music by Ben Mirin. Additional sounds were provided by The Macaulay Library at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.
Produced by: Simon Nicholls
A BBC Studios Production


MON 19:00 The Archers (m000vws1)
Susan attempts to pick up the pieces but Jennifer’s feeling helpless.


MON 19:15 Front Row (m000vxzf)
Live magazine programme on the worlds of arts, literature, film, media and music


MON 19:45 Hardy's Women (m000vxyc)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:45 today]


MON 20:00 Parallel Lives (m000vx2y)
Episode 1

Twenty years ago Barnie Choudhury was reporting for BBC Radio 4's Today programme when he was sent to the the frontline of the worst rioting Britain had seen for generations.

The violence over a six-week period in the summer of 2001 in Oldham, Burnley and Bradford, saw communities split along racial lines. Hundreds of police officers were injured and repair costs ran into the millions.

Over three episodes Barnie returns to his previously unaired recordings and interviews made on those febrile, frightening nights to ask: "Why did this happen?"

He finds answers from the people behind the groundbreaking report commissioned to find out how northern communities had become so devastatingly segregated - and discovers why a workable plan to transform race relations in the UK got sidelined.

Presented by Barnie Choudhury
Produced by Kevin Core
Assistant Producer Emb Hashmi


MON 20:30 Crossing Continents (m000vqqc)
Myanmar: The Spring Revolution

More than 750 people have been killed by the Myanmar military since they seized power in a coup three months ago. Mass protests demanding a return to democracy and the release of elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi have been met with brutal force. Borders are closed and the internet effectively blocked. This is a story the military does not want the world to hear. But people are bravely documenting their resistance. We follow three young activists now in a fight for their future. As their options close, can they win back democracy?

Produced and presented by Rebecca Henschke with Kelvin Brown
Reporting team: Banyol Kong Janoi, Phyu Zin Poe and Zarchi


MON 21:00 Dare to Repair (m000vp3b)
The Right to Repair

Many electronics manufacturers are making it harder and harder for individuals and independent repairers to fix their broken kit. There are claims that programmed obsolescence is alive and well, with mobile phone batteries designed to wear out after just 400 charges. The manufacturers say it's for safety or security reasons, but it drives the consumer model of constant replacement and upgrades. But people are starting to fight back. Mark Miodownik talks to the fixers and repairers who are heading up the Right to Repair movement which is forcing governments to act and making sustainability and value for money part of the consumer equation. He goes online for help replacing his broken mobile phone screen and dead battery and finds out how easy it is to dare to repair.


MON 21:30 Start the Week (m000vxy5)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]


MON 22:00 The World Tonight (m000vxzj)
In depth reporting, intelligent analysis and breaking news from a global perspective


MON 22:45 Lean, Fall, Stand by Jon McGregor (m000vxyl)
[Repeat of broadcast at 12:04 today]


MON 23:00 Word of Mouth (m000vp3y)
Speech and Language Therapy

Michael talks to speech and language therapists Fiona Gillies and Tara Millan-Brophy. Fiona has been helping Michael with his rehabilitation post Covid-19 and takes him through his exercises.
Producer for BBC Audio in Bristol: Sally Heaven


MON 23:30 Sketches: Stories of Art and People (m0006l94)
The Art of Loving

Writer Anna Freeman presents a showcase of stories about the meaning of art in people’s lives. In this episode, two stories of art and love.

In the spring of 1997, Ken and Tina met on Grafton Street in Dublin and bonded right away over a love of juggling. They went on to train in circus skills and set up a company together. Along the way they fell in love and spent years touring the world together as professional and romantic partners - becoming famed for the doubles trapeze act at the heart of their show. Until one day Tina met someone else. Their romantic relationship ended but they decided to continue performing together. We find out what it's like to rely on someone to catch you in midair when you're going through a painful breakup, and how the two performers have managed to forge a friendship and professional partnership that has stood the test of time.

And we meet Gabriel and Mary, a couple whose relationship began as teenagers living at opposite ends of the country, and whose early relationship was conducted through hundreds of letters. Gabriel had sent so many he ran out of envelopes and began to make his own. These hand-made envelopes are like miniature works of art - snapshots of moments. They’re made from anything he could get his hands on - the manuscript of Gabriel’s music project, cuttings from magazines, his college timetable.

Now married with four children, the envelopes are framed on the wall. But, Gabriel and Mary have never looked inside them again. Listen in, as they re-open the letters after more than 20 years.

Presented by Anna Freeman
Produced by Mair Bosworth and Polly Weston



TUESDAY 11 MAY 2021

TUE 00:00 Midnight News (m000vxzl)
The latest news and weather forecast from BBC Radio 4.


TUE 00:30 Other Minds: The Octopus And The Evolution Of Intelligent Life by Peter Godfrey-Smith (m000vxy7)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:45 on Monday]


TUE 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m000vxzn)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.


TUE 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m000vxzq)
BBC Radio 4 presents a selection of news and current affairs, arts and science programmes from the BBC World Service.


TUE 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m000vxzs)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.


TUE 05:30 News Briefing (m000vxzv)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4


TUE 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m000vxzx)
A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day with Sarah Joseph.

Good Morning.

As a child, one of my favourite pastimes was to peruse my grandmother’s photo albums. She had a huge collection of historic family photos, including images of her parents and her grand-parents. There is a particular image of my Great, Great Grandfather, James Molyneaux, that I am thinking about today. In it, he is in military uniform adorned with a single medal. It says on the back of the photo that it is the Indian Mutiny Medal.

The Indian Mutiny began on 10 May 1857 in the garrison town of Meerut, and by today – 11th May 1857, it had reached the capital Delhi and then erupted across India. The uprising was against British rule, particularly the power of the British East India Company.

As a child I had no idea about any of this. I just remember having a sense of curiosity and also a sense pride at one of my ancestors looking very dapper in his uniform.

However, as an adult, I’ve read about the Indian Mutiny, or as Indians themselves call it – The First War of Independence, and I can’t say I’m utterly thrilled by my Great, Great Grandfather’s participation. On the contrary – my adult self would definitely have been against colonisation.

Having this opinion does not stop me being grateful for my Great, Great Grandfather’s life. However, I personally believe going through history and revising our opinion of it through modern eyes is not a bad thing. Standards change. We don’t have to carry history’s burdens but we can reflect on it to improve things in the here and now.

Our Merciful Lord – help us to be on the right side of history the first time, but if we are not, let us find the strength and courage to recognise that for a more just present day.

Ameen.


TUE 05:45 Farming Today (m000vxzz)
The latest news about food, farming and the countryside.


TUE 05:58 Tweet of the Day (b038qk6z)
Hobby

Tweet of the Day is a series of fascinating stories about our British birds inspired by their calls and songs.

Brett Westwood presents the Hobby. Sickle winged, red-trousered and black-moustached, the hobby is a strikingly beautiful falcon. Hobbies arrive in the UK in late April or May from their wintering grounds in Africa. They are now flourishing in the UK where there are now around 2000 pairs, breeding mainly on farmland and heaths in England and Wales.


TUE 06:00 Today (m000vwqc)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.


TUE 09:00 The Life Scientific (m000vwqh)
Helen Scales on marine conservation

Luminescent bone-eating worms, giant squid and a sea cucumber commonly known as the headless chicken monster: some extraordinary creatures live at the bottom of the sea. For a long time almost everyone agreed the pressure was too intense for any life to exist. Now, it seems, the more we look the more new species we find. But, many fear, marine life would be threatened if plans to extract precious metals from the potato-sized metallic nodules that grow on the seabed are allowed to go ahead.

Metals such as copper, manganese and cobalt are in high demand in the manufacture of mobile phones and renewable energy technologies, such as batteries for electric cars, wind turbines and solar panels. Deep sea mining companies argue that we will need these metals to create a carbon Net Zero economy. Meantime, the World Wildlife Fund is pushing for a moratorium on deep sea mining. And several companies agree: including Google, BMW, Volvo and Samsung. Do we need to choose between green and blue? Or is there a third way that protects both the planet and all the riches in our oceans?

Marine biologist, Helen Scales talks to Jim Al-Khalili about her life and work: fish watching off an atoll in the South China Sea to assess the extinction risks to the Humphead Wrasse and a research expedition to explore the brilliant abyss. And she warns of the environmental devastation that could be caused if plans to mine the metals on the bottom of the ocean were to be allowed to go ahead.

Producer: Anna Buckley


TUE 09:30 One to One (m000vwqk)
Tech for Good: Marcus Smith speaks to Kriti Sharma

What do you think of when you hear the words "A.I." or "Artificial Intelligence"? Thanks to science-fiction it's often strange-looking humanoids or futuristic robots hell-bent on destruction. But as Kriti Sharma points out, we are probably using A.I. hundreds of times a day without even thinking about it. It could be, she says, a bank deciding whether to accept or reject your application, or an algorithm might decide whether you get a job interview or what exam grade you receieve. She made her first robot when she was a teenager, and has gone on to use A.I. to help the victims of domestic abuse and to challenge the rise of what she sees as subservient female online assistants. Kriti is now an advisor on A.I. to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport.

Marcus Smith is a content creator from Bristol and a digital native. He is fascinated by technology's impact on us and has studied the effects of online gambling on young people. For this series of 'One to One', Marcus is looking at the 'tech for good' movement and speaks to two leading figures in the tech industry - one who argues that it is currently a force for bad, and one who tries to work with tech to harness the good.

For this second programme, Marcus asks Kriti why she thinks A.I. often has in-built gender and race biases, and hears how she is tackling this by inviting more people from varied backgrounds into the design process.

Producer: Toby Field


TUE 09:45 Other Minds: The Octopus And The Evolution Of Intelligent Life by Peter Godfrey-Smith (m000vwvj)
Mischief

What if intelligent life on Earth evolved not once, but twice? The octopus is the closest we will come to meeting an intelligent alien. What can we learn from the encounter?

In Other Minds, the philosopher and scuba diver Peter Godfrey-Smith explores the startling evolutionary journey of the cephalopods. It all started for him when he began scuba diving near Sydney:

“I came across the octopuses by chance, by spending time in the water. I began following them around, and eventually started thinking about their lives. After all, the sea is the original home of the mind, at least in its first faint forms.”

Professor Godfrey-Smith explores what we know about the intelligence of cephalopods, including the tricks they play on the scientists who try to study them. He looks back 600 million years, to reveal the worm-like creature which was the last common ancestor connecting us with the octopus. He visits an extraordinary site off the coast of Australia, Octopolis, where the animals have developed a kind of city under the sea. He meditates on why the octopus, with such high intelligence, lives for such a short time. And he asks us to imagine what it feels like to be an octopus, raising big questions about the nature of animal consciousness.

In this second episode, he explores what is known about octopus intelligence.

“Octopuses in at least two aquariums have learned to turn off the lights by squirting jets of water at the bulbs when no one is watching, and short-circuiting the power supply. And an octopus took such a dislike to one member of the lab staff that whenever that person passed by she received a jet of half a gallon of water in the back of her neck.”

Peter Godfrey-Smith is a professor in the School of History and Philosophy of Science at the University of Sydney.

Read by Tim McInnerny
Abridged and produced by Elizabeth Burke
Sound design by Chris Maclean
A Loftus Media production for BBC Radio 4


TUE 10:00 Woman's Hour (m000vwqp)
Women's voices and women's lives - topical conversations to inform, challenge and inspire.


TUE 10:45 Hardy's Women (m000vwqr)
The Woodlanders

Episode 7

Melbury now regrets encouraging Grace to marry Fitzpiers, and decides to confront Mrs Charmond. Ayeesha Menon's dramatisation of Thomas Hardy's novel of love, money and social ambition, tells the story from the perspective of Marty South.

Marty South.....Katy Sobey
Giles Winterbourne.....Oliver Hembrough
Grace Melbury.....Holli Dempsey
Edred Fitzpiers.....Sacha Dhawan
George Melbury.....Nicholas Murchie
Lucy Melbury.....Jane Slavin
Barber Percomb.....Joshua Riley
Felice Charmond.....Marilyn Nnadebe
Grammer Oliver.....Jessica Turner
Suke Damson.....Elinor Coleman
Timothy Tangs.....Stewart Campbell
John South.....Tony Turner

Production Co-ordinator.....Maggie Olgiati
Sound Design.....Peter Ringrose
Directed by Emma Harding


TUE 11:00 Dare to Repair (m000vwqw)
Fixing the Future

Mark Miodownik, explores the environmental consequences of the throwaway society we have become and reveals that recycling electronic waste comes second to repairing broken electronics. He asks what we can learn from repair cultures around the world , he looks at manufacturers who are designing in repair-ability, and discovers the resources available to encourage and train the next generation of repairers.

Presenter - Mark Miodownik
Producer - Fiona Roberts

All three episodes of Dare to Repair can be found in BBC Radio 4’s Scientifically podcast. Just search for Scientifically on BBC Sounds or wherever else you get your podcasts.


TUE 11:30 Daft Punk Is Staying at My House, My House (m000vwr0)
It was 1994, and legendary techno duo Slam were booked to play an event in Disneyland Paris. “We had a couple of days to kill, and a friend got in touch to say he knew these two young French musicians who wanted to give us music they’d made.”

The “young French musicians” Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo were still in their teens at that point, and Daft Punk was under a year old. Stuart McMillan distinctly remembers hearing their 4-track demo for the first time; “We were blown away!”

Composed of Orde Meikle and Stuart McMillan, Slam launched independent electronic record label Soma in 1991. It had a very DIY ethos. Along with manager Dave Clarke, they’d overseen a number of influential releases. It was Slam’s own track ‘Positive Education’ that piqued Thomas and Guy-Manuel’s interest. They recognised Slam as kindred spirits, and Soma as the label they wanted to launch Daft Punk, and that's when things went really wild.

This is the story of Daft Punk's earliest beginnings on Glasgow's techno scene.


TUE 12:00 News Summary (m000vxr2)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


TUE 12:04 Lean, Fall, Stand by Jon McGregor (m000vwr9)
7: Home

The heart-stopping and heart-rending new novel from the award-winning author of Reservoir 13.

When an Antarctic research expedition goes badly wrong, the consequences are far-reaching - for the men involved and for their families back home.

Episode 7: as the reality of having her husband at home hits Anna, a visit from Luke, the other surviving member of the expedition, looms large....

Author: Jon McGregor is an award-winning novelist and short-story writer, who has been longlisted for the Booker Prize three times, and won the 2017 Costa Award.
Reader: tbc
Producer: Justine Willett
Abridger: Katrin Williams


TUE 12:18 You and Yours (m000vwrf)
News and discussion of consumer affairs


TUE 12:57 Weather (m000vwrk)
The latest weather forecast


TUE 13:00 World at One (m000vwrp)
Forty-five minutes of news, analysis and comment, with Sarah Montague.


TUE 13:45 Questions Answered (m000vwrt)
David and Ben

Chris Mason and Anita Anand discover more about the lives of some of the listeners to Any Answers and Any Questions. Today we hear from David and Ben who met as callers on Any Answers and subsequently got in touch with each other. Anita Anand caught up with them.


TUE 14:00 The Archers (m000vws1)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Monday]


TUE 14:15 GF Newman's The Corrupted (m000vws5)
Series 6

Episode 2

It's now 2001 and Brian Oldman is still in prison for a crime he didn't commit.

He found a man in jail able to prove his innocence - but that man was soon discovered dead in his cell. He suspects that Joseph Oldman, now Sir Joseph Olinska MP, organised the killing.

In this final series, taking us to 2008, Joseph Olinska gets ever more involved in New Labour, while Brian Oldman becomes a vegan and studies law in jail in a bid to win justice for himself. Tony Wednesday continues to work behind the scenes for Sir Joseph at the same time as moving ever further up the ranks of the police force.

GF Newman's The Corrupted weaves fiction with real characters from history, following the fortunes of the Oldman/Olinska family - from small-time business and opportunistic petty crime, through gang rivalries, to their entanglement in the highest echelons of society. It's the tale of a nexus of crime, business and politics that’s woven through the fabric of 20th and 21st century greed, as even those with hitherto good intentions are sucked into a web of corruption.

Whose fortunes will prosper? Who will get their just deserts?

Joey Oldman, an uneducated Jewish child immigrant from Russia, has a natural instinct for business and a love of money - coupled with a knack for acquiring it. His first wife Cath is as ruthless in both the pursuit of money and the protection of her son, Brian. Joey built his empire with the help of a corrupt bank manager in the 1950s, starting with small greengrocer shops before moving into tertiary banking and property development, dealing with many corrupt policemen on the way - and befriending Lord Goodman, Margaret Thatcher and Tony Blair. Joseph now helps New Labour with their finances, while continuing to invest heavily in Russia, the US and a pharmaceutical company specialising in cancer drugs.

The characters are based on GF Newman's novels.

CAST
Sir Joseph - Toby Jones
Brian - Joe Armstrong
Tony Wednesday - Alec Newman
Sonia Hope/ Emma - Sarah Lambie
Catherine - Isabella Urbanowicz
Anatoly Popov/ Clive Bunter - Matthew Marsh
Leah - Jasmine Hyde
Margaret - Flora - Montgomery
PO Rogers - Paul Kemp
Pongo - David Ajao
EXO Avedlund - Nigel Pivaro
Sir Ralph Courtney - Nick Sampson
Jeremy Corbyn - Christopher Harper
DCS Redvers - Arty Froushan
Julian Tyrwhitt - Jonathan Tafler
DAC Henderson - Nicholas Murchie

Produced and directed by Clive Brill
A Brill production for BBC Radio 4


TUE 15:00 The Kitchen Cabinet (m000vwrg)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:30 on Saturday]


TUE 15:30 Costing the Earth (m000vwsc)
New Grid for the New Age

How will Britain's power system need to change for a zero carbon world? Tom Heap investigates.

Producer: Alasdair Cross


TUE 16:00 Word of Mouth (m000vwsh)
The Shipping Forecast: Internet Fandom

Internet Linguist, author of Because Internet and the host of the Lingthusiasm podcast, Gretchen McCulloch talks to Michael Rosen about what it is to ship and how fandoms and other subcommunities online are changing the English language.

Clip from 'Mans Not Nice' Michael Rosen remix credited to MisterLucca

Produced by Ellie Richold in Bristol


TUE 16:30 Great Lives (m000vwsm)
Arlo Parks on Elliott Smith

Singer-songwriter Arlo Parks has been nominated for three Brit Awards at just 20 years old. Her inspiration for her debut studio album is drawn from American singer-songwriter Elliott Smith.

Matthew Parris and Arlo Parks are joined by Elliott’s friend and former manager of his band Heatmiser, JJ Gonson. They also hear from writer and college professor William Todd Schultz, author of the biography ‘Torment Saint: The Life Of Elliott Smith’.

Together they explore Elliott’s life and musical achievements; from his unsettled childhood to performing at the 1998 Oscar awards ceremony. Although nominated for Best Original Song in the Hollywood film Good Will Hunting and deemed a cult icon in the Indie music scene after releasing an impressive six solo albums, Elliott rose to fame with reluctance and eventually committed suicide at just 34 years old.

Arlo contemplates the direction Elliott’s music might have taken were he still alive today, and how his work has influenced and inspired her own.

Produced in Bristol by Caitlin Hobbs.


TUE 17:00 PM (m000vwsr)
Afternoon news and current affairs programme, reporting on breaking stories and summing up the day's headlines.


TUE 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m000vwt0)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


TUE 18:30 Alex Edelman's Peer Group (m000vwt4)
Series 4

Dead Jews

Award-winning comedian Alex Edelman asks why Jews are still so problematic for so many. With the rise of QAnon and elected members of congress like Marjorie Taylor Greene, antisemitism has somehow crept into the mainstream, especially in America, and a lot of it still seems to go unchecked. As an observant Jew himself, he looks at all the ways his faith, and people's reaction to it, impacts his life and the ways in which society still fails to understand the issues many Jews like him have to live with.

Written by Alex Edelman and Max Davis

With special thanks to
Alfie Brown
Tasha Dhanraj
Rajiv Karia
Mike Birbiglia
and
Danny Jolles

Produced by Sam Michell

It is a BBC Studios Production


TUE 19:00 The Archers (m000vwtc)
Chris pulls no punches and Joy lets Elizabeth in on a secret.


TUE 19:15 Front Row (m000vwth)
Live magazine programme on the worlds of arts, literature, film, media and music


TUE 19:45 Hardy's Women (m000vwqr)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:45 today]


TUE 20:00 File on 4 (m000vwtm)
Award-winning current affairs documentary series.


TUE 20:40 In Touch (m000vwtr)
News, views and information for people who are blind or partially sighted


TUE 21:00 All in the Mind (m000vwtw)
Programme exploring the limits and potential of the human mind. Producer: Deborah Cohen.


TUE 21:30 The Life Scientific (m000vwqh)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]


TUE 22:00 The World Tonight (m000vwv0)
In depth reporting, intelligent analysis and breaking news from a global perspective


TUE 22:45 Lean, Fall, Stand by Jon McGregor (m000vwr9)
[Repeat of broadcast at 12:04 today]


TUE 23:00 Fortunately... with Fi and Jane (m000vwv4)
188. The Cream of Slough, with your Emails

This week on Fortunately, Fi and Jane choose some of their favourite listener emails from the past few weeks. There's a story of plasticine robbery, an eyebrow raising opinion from the Channel Islands, advice on bodily habits in new romances and much much more.

Get in touch: fortunately.podcast@bbc.co.uk


TUE 23:30 Today in Parliament (m000vwv8)
News, views and features on today's stories in Parliament



WEDNESDAY 12 MAY 2021

WED 00:00 Midnight News (m000vwvf)
The latest news and weather forecast from BBC Radio 4.


WED 00:30 Other Minds: The Octopus And The Evolution Of Intelligent Life by Peter Godfrey-Smith (m000vwvj)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:45 on Tuesday]


WED 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m000vwvm)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.


WED 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m000vwvp)
BBC Radio 4 presents a selection of news and current affairs, arts and science programmes from the BBC World Service.


WED 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m000vwvr)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.


WED 05:30 News Briefing (m000vwvt)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4


WED 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m000vwvw)
A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day with Sarah Joseph.

Good Morning.

Today is International ME/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Awareness Day.

A complex condition, with unexplained, crippling exhaustion at its core. I say “unexplained” in that although individuals experience the body-crushing exhaustion, blood tests say everything is fine.

Sufferers report a long road to diagnosis, made harder by many clinicians dismissing the illness as being “all in their head”, or as “depression”.
It is estimated that a quarter of a million people in the UK, suffer from ME/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. Yet research into the illness has been patchy, and underfunded –
Yet there may be some relief for sufferers from an unlikely source:– COVID 19.

The huge numbers of people presenting with what is called Long-Covid is causing unprecedented focus on post-viral illness. And research into symptoms, suffered by those with ME/Chronic Fatigue for decades, are now receiving funding on a mass scale.

We do not know yet whether what is called Long Covid is distinct from ME/Chronic Fatigue. What we do know however, is that the considerable commonalities between symptoms mean that the intense new focus on Long Covid could have wider treatment implications for sufferers of ME/Chronic Fatigue – many of whom have been told for decades that it is “all in their head.”

Whilst many welcome the new focus, for others there is anger at the years of neglect that they have felt.

Our Merciful Lord – alleviate the pain of the vulnerable. Help our scientists in their endeavours to bring ease to those who suffer, and help us all to have understanding and empathy for those who suffer from each and every distress.

Ameen.


WED 05:45 Farming Today (m000vwvy)
The latest news about food, farming and the countryside.


WED 05:58 Tweet of the Day (b08spdww)
David Lindo on the Osprey

Osprey and Wormwood Scrubs are not usually words you expect to read in the same sentence, but Urban Birder David Lindo has seen one on his birdwatching patch next to the prison. His mantra is to look up and around in the city as there are more varieties of bird to be seen than you might imagine.

Tweet of the Day has captivated the Radio 4 audience with its daily 90 seconds of birdsong. But what of the listener to this avian chorus? In this new series of Tweet of the Day, we bring to the airwaves the conversational voices of those who listen to and are inspired by birds. Building on the previous series, a more informal approach to learning alongside a renewed emphasis on encounter with nature and reflection in our relationship with the natural world.

Producer Maggie Ayre.


WED 06:00 Today (m000vx2k)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.


WED 09:00 Life Changing (m000vx2p)
Vitiligo turned all of my brown skin white

Sheetal Surti was born in to a British South Asian family in a small town in the East Midlands. Aged seven Sheetal noticed a white patch behind her ear. She didn’t think much of it but soon more patches appeared and started to spread.

She was diagnosed with vitiligo – a skin condition where unpigmented patches appear on different parts of the body. And so the treatments began. Some were medically advised, some were recommended by friends. Most of them were unpleasant, one in particular was horribly painful. But most importantly, for Sheetal, they didn’t work.

It was a lot for a girl going through puberty to handle and Sheetal’s answer was to slap on a smile and ignore it. While she couldn’t cover her patches, she became a master of covering up her feelings. Because of her appearance some people would ask if she had leprosy or cancer, others would tell her that she’d never get married or have a family.

By 22 all of her skin had turned white. She no longer resembled the rest of her family. People would look at her quizzically when she told them her Indian name. After a while she would explain by telling them she was born in the 70s and her parents had gone through a hippie phase. She’d never talk openly about her vitiligo.
Then, aged 35, Sheetal was watching a TV programme where people with vitiligo were talking about their condition. It was a turning point for her and the day she finally started to address her questions about belonging, her lost identity and the shame she’d buried for so many years.

If you would like more information on vitiligo please visit www.nhs.uk


WED 09:30 Chinese Characters (b09z5jy2)
Confucius: Becoming the Sage

If there were a competition for most famous Chinese in history, Confucius (551-479 BCE) would surely come out on top. He was the philosopher and ethicist who has given China a significant part of its cultural DNA. Confucius lived during a period of immense political turmoil, and turned his mind to thinking about how the country could be made calmer and more prosperous. Instead of advocating force, Confucius stressed the importance of rituals and ethical behaviour. It was important to behave in an ordered way; subjects should obey rulers, wives their husbands, children their parents. In his own time, Confucius didn't have much luck in propagating his thought in his lifetime. But over the next few centuries, respect for his work grew. For two thousand years, Confucian thought would dominate Chinese statecraft. Even today, with the Communist Party in charge, there are frequent references in contemporary China to Confucian ideas such as harmony.
Presenter: Rana Mitter
Producer: Ben Crighton
Researcher: Elizabeth Smith Rosser.


WED 09:45 Other Minds: The Octopus And The Evolution Of Intelligent Life by Peter Godfrey-Smith (m000vx48)
Octopolis

What if intelligent life on Earth evolved not once, but twice? The octopus is the closest we will come to meeting an intelligent alien. What can we learn from the encounter?

In Other Minds, the philosopher and scuba diver Peter Godfrey-Smith explores the startling evolutionary journey of the cephalopods. It all started for him when he began scuba diving near Sydney:

“I came across the octopuses by chance, by spending time in the water. I began following them around, and eventually started thinking about their lives. After all, the sea is the original home of the mind, at least in its first faint forms.”

Professor Godfrey-Smith explores what we know about the intelligence of cephalopods, including the tricks they play on the scientists who try to study them. He looks back 600 million years, to reveal the worm-like creature which was the last common ancestor connecting us with the octopus. He meditates on why the octopus, with such high intelligence, lives for such a short time. And he asks us to imagine what it feels like to be an octopus, raising big questions about the nature of animal consciousness.

In this third episode, he visits an extraordinary site off the coast of Australia, Octopolis, where the animals have developed a kind of city under the sea. He dives down to Octopolis and observes a site where generations of octopuses have learned to live close together, beginning to evolve new ways of communicating with each other.

Peter Godfrey-Smith is a professor in the School of History and Philosophy of Science at the University of Sydney.

Read by Tim McInnerny
Abridged and produced by Elizabeth Burke
Sound design by Chris Maclean
A Loftus Media production for BBC Radio 4


WED 10:00 Woman's Hour (m000vx2t)
Women's voices and women's lives - topical conversations to inform, challenge and inspire.


WED 10:45 Hardy's Women (m000vx2w)
The Woodlanders

Episode 8

Giles and Grace seize on a new possibility of freedom. Ayeesha Menon's dramatisation of Thomas Hardy's novel of love, money and social ambition, tells the story from the perspective of Marty South.

Marty South.....Katy Sobey
Giles Winterbourne.....Oliver Hembrough
Grace Melbury.....Holli Dempsey
Edred Fitzpiers.....Sacha Dhawan
George Melbury.....Nicholas Murchie
Lucy Melbury.....Jane Slavin
Barber Percomb.....Joshua Riley
Felice Charmond.....Marilyn Nnadebe
Grammer Oliver.....Jessica Turner
Suke Damson.....Elinor Coleman
Timothy Tangs.....Stewart Campbell
John South.....Tony Turner

Production Co-ordinator.....Maggie Olgiati
Sound Design.....Peter Ringrose
Directed by Emma Harding


WED 11:00 Parallel Lives (m000vx2y)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:00 on Monday]


WED 11:30 Mark Steel's in Town (b07wtd76)
Series 7

Lynton and Lynmouth

Don't mention the goats!

Mark visits the lovely seaside towns of Lynton and Lynmouth in North Devon, lovely that is until he mentions the goats, then the rest of the show doesn't go entirely to plan.

Mark Steel's seventh series of the award winning show that travels around the country, researching the history, heritage and culture of six towns that have nothing in common but their uniqueness, and performs a bespoke evening of comedy for the local residents.

Written and performed by ... Mark Steel
Additional material by ... Pete Sinclair
Production co-ordinator ... Hayley Stirling
Producer ... Carl Cooper

A BBC Radio Comedy production first broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2016. .


WED 12:00 News Summary (m000vxr4)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


WED 12:04 Lean, Fall, Stand by Jon McGregor (m000vx33)
8: Broken

The heart-stopping and heart-rending new novel from the award-winning author of Reservoir 13.

When an Antarctic research expedition goes badly wrong, the consequences are far-reaching - for the men involved and for their families back home.

Episode 8: after some electrifying moments at the inquest into Thomas' death, Robert tries to regain some independence...

Author: Jon McGregor is an award-winning novelist and short-story writer, who has been longlisted for the Booker Prize three times, and won the 2017 Costa Award.
Reader: tbc
Producer: Justine Willett
Abridger: Katrin Williams


WED 12:18 You and Yours (m000vx35)
News and discussion of consumer affairs


WED 12:57 Weather (m000vx37)
The latest weather forecast


WED 13:00 World at One (m000vx39)
Forty-five minutes of news, analysis and comment, with Sarah Montague.


WED 13:45 Questions Answered (m000vx3c)
Nina

Chris Mason and Anita Anand discover more about the lives of some of the listeners of Any Questions and Any Answers. Today, we hear from Nina who called Any Questions last August, just after she had received her A-level results.


WED 14:00 The Archers (m000vwtc)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Tuesday]


WED 14:15 GF Newman's The Corrupted (m000vx3f)
Series 6

Episode 3

It's now 2001 and Brian Oldman is still in prison for a crime he didn't commit.

He found a man in jail able to prove his innocence - but that man was soon discovered dead in his cell. He suspects that Joseph Oldman, now Sir Joseph Olinska MP, organised the killing.

In this final series, taking us to 2008, Joseph Olinska gets ever more involved in New Labour, while Brian Oldman becomes a vegan and studies law in jail in a bid to win justice for himself. Tony Wednesday continues to work behind the scenes for Sir Joseph at the same time as moving ever further up the ranks of the police force.

GF Newman's The Corrupted weaves fiction with real characters from history, following the fortunes of the Oldman/Olinska family - from small-time business and opportunistic petty crime, through gang rivalries, to their entanglement in the highest echelons of society. It's the tale of a nexus of crime, business and politics that’s woven through the fabric of 20th and 21st century greed, as even those with hitherto good intentions are sucked into a web of corruption.

Whose fortunes will prosper? Who will get their just deserts?

Joey Oldman, an uneducated Jewish child immigrant from Russia, has a natural instinct for business and a love of money - coupled with a knack for acquiring it. His first wife Cath is as ruthless in both the pursuit of money and the protection of her son, Brian. Joey built his empire with the help of a corrupt bank manager in the 1950s, starting with small greengrocer shops before moving into tertiary banking and property development, dealing with many corrupt policemen on the way - and befriending Lord Goodman, Margaret Thatcher and Tony Blair. Joseph now helps New Labour with their finances, while continuing to invest heavily in Russia, the US and a pharmaceutical company specialising in cancer drugs.

The characters are based on GF Newman's novels.

CAST
Sir Joseph - Toby Jones
Brian - Joe Armstrong
Tony Wednesday - Alec Newman
Sonia Hope/ Emma - Sarah Lambie
Catherine - Isabella Urbanowicz
Anatoly Popov/ Clive Bunter - Matthew Marsh
Leah - Jasmine Hyde
Margaret - Flora - Montgomery
PO Rogers - Paul Kemp
Pongo - David Ajao
Jeremy Corbyn - Christopher Harper
Julian Tyrwhitt - Jonathan Tafler
Tony Blair - Nigel Cooke
DAC Henderson - Nicholas Murchie
DCS Redvers - Arty Froushan
Mrs Jinks - Suzan Sylvester
Hamid Afzal - Akbar Kurtha
Magistrate - Nick Sampson

Produced and directed by Clive Brill
A Brill production for BBC Radio 4


WED 15:00 Money Box (m000vx3h)
The Cost of Pets

Felicity Hannah asks just how much are we spending on our pets.


WED 15:30 All in the Mind (m000vwtw)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 on Tuesday]


WED 16:00 Thinking Allowed (m000vx3k)
Laurie Taylor explores the latest research into how society works.


WED 16:30 The Media Show (m000vx3m)
Social media, anti-social media, breaking news, faking news: this is the programme about a revolution in media with Amol Rajan. Prod: Eleanor Garland (Beverley Purcell April-July)


WED 17:00 PM (m000vx3p)
Afternoon news and current affairs programme, reporting on breaking stories and summing up the day's headlines.


WED 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m000vx3t)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


WED 18:30 Alone (m000vx3w)
Series 3

Best Man Wins

A sitcom about five single, middle aged neighbours living in flats in a converted house in North London .- written by Moray Hunter and starring Angus Deayton, Abigail Cruttenden, Pearce Quigley, Kate Isitt and Bennett Arron,

Mitch (Angus Deayton) is a widower and part-time therapist who is looking to put his life back together now that he is single and living with Will (Pearce Quigley), his younger, more volatile and unhappily divorced half-brother. Elsewhere in the building are schoolteacher Ellie (Abigail Cruttenden) who is shy, nervous and holds a secret candle for Mitch. Overly honest, frustrated actress Louisa (Kate Isitt), and socially inept IT nerd Morris (Bennett Arron) complete the line-up of mis-matched neighbours.

In the sixth and final episode, Best Man Wins, Mitch turns down Ellie’s request to partner her to a wedding and Will offers to accompany her instead. This causes Mitch to regret his decision and panic, as Ellie and Will seem to really hit it off while preparing for their big day out.

Cast:
Angus Deayton- Mitch
Abigail Cruttenden- Ellie
Pearce Quigley- Will
Kate Isitt- Louisa
Bennett Arron- Morris

Created and Written by Moray Hunter
Script Edited by Ian Brown and James Hendrie
Directed by Moray Hunter and Gordon Kennedy
Recorded and Edited by Jerry Peal
Production Manager: Sarah Tombling
Based on an original idea developed in association with Dandy Productions
Recorded at The Soundhouse Studios
Produced by Gordon Kennedy

An Absolutely production for BBC Radio 4


WED 19:00 The Archers (m000vx3y)
Fallon wants tongues to stop wagging but Emma can’t hold hers any longer.


WED 19:15 Front Row (m000vx40)
Live magazine programme on the worlds of arts, literature, film, media and music


WED 19:45 Hardy's Women (m000vx2w)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:45 today]


WED 20:00 Life Changing (m000vx2p)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]


WED 20:30 The Birth of Bangladesh (m000tmkh)
Not many people recall the Dominion of Pakistan. It was set up after the British left India in 1947, and there were two territories a thousand miles apart, East and West Pakistan. The only thing connecting them was religion. “We don’t even look the same,” says Qasa Alom, a Birmingham born British Bangladeshi. “They are tall and fair, we are short and darker. My cousin was teased by Pakistanis, who said he smelled of fish.”

The liberation war of 1971 was really nasty. The fighting only ended when India came in on the side of Bangladesh, by when millions had been forced to flee. This year Independence Day - March 26 - marks half a century since the country was born.

“Why wouldn’t I want to make this programme?” says Qasa Alom. “It’s such a massive story, the birth of the seventh most populous nation in the world, my origin country, a place we hardly ever hear about. The stories of Pakistan and of India, they are frequently on the airwaves but Bangladesh has been left out. Even in my own community, my generation seems to know absolutely nothing about the war, the refugees, the genocide. Why is that?"

With contributions from Azmina Siddique and Huma Yusuf, plus members of Qasa's own family including his mum. Qasa Alom hosts the BBC Asian Network's Big Debate and was winner of radio presenter of the year at the Asian media awards 2020.
Producer Miles Warde makes the How to Invent a Country series for Radio 4


WED 21:00 Costing the Earth (m000vwsc)
[Repeat of broadcast at 15:30 on Tuesday]


WED 21:30 The Media Show (m000vx3m)
[Repeat of broadcast at 16:30 today]


WED 22:00 The World Tonight (m000vx42)
In depth reporting, intelligent analysis and breaking news from a global perspective


WED 22:45 Lean, Fall, Stand by Jon McGregor (m000vx33)
[Repeat of broadcast at 12:04 today]


WED 23:00 Jamie MacDonald: Life On The Blink (m000w6n3)
Stick It To Me

Jamie MacDonald is a Glaswegian stand-up comedian who found himself rapidly going blind in his teens. This series shows how Jamie used humour to turn denial into acceptance. He managed to find the spotlight as the darkness descended and has turned some pretty dark experiences into hilarious stories and anecdotes.

Produced by Julia Sutherland
A Dabster production for BBC Radio 4


WED 23:15 Domestic Science (b09snxqp)
Series 2

28/02/2018

A heady combination of maths, science and comedy with Festival of The Spoken Nerd trio who are stand-up Mathematician Matt Parker, Physicist Steve Mould and Physicist-Musician Helen Arney. It's science that you can play along with at home as the team look at domestic phenomena that we relate to on a day to day basis. This week, the living room.

Produced by Lyndsay Fenner.

A BBC Studios Production.


WED 23:30 Today in Parliament (m000vx44)
News, views and features on today's stories in Parliament



THURSDAY 13 MAY 2021

THU 00:00 Midnight News (m000vx46)
The latest news and weather forecast from BBC Radio 4.


THU 00:30 Other Minds: The Octopus And The Evolution Of Intelligent Life by Peter Godfrey-Smith (m000vx48)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:45 on Wednesday]


THU 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m000vx4b)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.


THU 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m000vx4d)
BBC Radio 4 presents a selection of news and current affairs, arts and science programmes from the BBC World Service.


THU 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m000vx4g)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.


THU 05:30 News Briefing (m000vx4j)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4


THU 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m000vx4l)
A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day with Sarah Joseph.


THU 05:45 Farming Today (m000vx4n)
The latest news about food, farming and the countryside.


THU 05:58 Tweet of the Day (b03dx944)
Twite

Tweet of the Day is a series of fascinating stories about our British birds inspired by their calls and songs.

Martin Hughes-Games presents the Twite. Twites are birds of heather moorland and crofting land - a Scottish name is "Heather lintie", as they nest in the shelter of wiry heather clumps and feed on seeds. To see twites, you'll need to visit some of our most scenic spots; the Scottish Isles, the moorlands of northern England or the western Irish coast.


THU 06:00 Today (m000vyn2)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.


THU 09:00 In Our Time (m000vyn6)
Longitude

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the search for Longitude while at sea. Following efforts by other maritime nations, the British Government passed the Longitude Act in 1714 to reward anyone who devised reliable means for ships to determine their longitude at sea. Mariners could already calculate how far they were north or south, the Latitude, using the Pole Star, but voyaging across the Atlantic to the Caribbean was much less predictable as navigators could not be sure how far east or west they were, a particular problem when heading for islands. It took fifty years of individual genius and collaboration in Britain and across Europe, among astronomers, clock makers, mathematicians and sailors, for the problem to be resolved.

With

Rebekah Higgitt
Principal Curator of Science at National Museums Scotland

Jim Bennett
Keeper Emeritus at the Science Museum

And

Simon Schaffer
Professor of History and Philosophy of Science at the University of Cambridge

Producer: Simon Tillotson


THU 09:45 Other Minds: The Octopus And The Evolution Of Intelligent Life by Peter Godfrey-Smith (m000vypx)
Experience Compressed

What if intelligent life on Earth evolved not once, but twice? The octopus is the closest we will come to meeting an intelligent alien. What can we learn from the encounter?

In Other Minds, the philosopher and scuba diver Peter Godfrey-Smith explores the startling evolutionary journey of the cephalopods. It all started for him when he began scuba diving near Sydney:

“I came across the octopuses by chance, by spending time in the water. I began following them around, and eventually started thinking about their lives. After all, the sea is the original home of the mind, at least in its first faint forms.”

Professor Godfrey-Smith explores what we know about the intelligence of cephalopods, including the tricks they play on the scientists who try to study them. He looks back 600 million years, to reveal the worm-like creature which was the last common ancestor connecting us with the octopus. He visits an extraordinary site off the coast of Australia, Octopolis, where the animals have developed a kind of city under the sea. And he asks us to imagine what it feels like to be an octopus, raising big questions about the nature of animal consciousness.

In this fourth episode, he meditates on why the octopus, with such high intelligence, lives for such a short time.

“What is all the brainpower doing if an octopus is dead less than two years after hatching from an egg? Their situation reminds me of Ridley Scott’s movie Blade Runner, in which a class of artificial but human-like “replicants” are programmed to die after only four years. Blade Runner’s replicants, unlike cephalopods, know their fate.”

Peter Godfrey-Smith is a professor in the School of History and Philosophy of Science at the University of Sydney.

Read by Tim McInnerny
Abridged and produced by Elizabeth Burke
Sound design by Chris Maclean

A Loftus Media production for BBC Radio 4


THU 10:00 Woman's Hour (m000vynb)
Women's voices and women's lives - topical conversations to inform, challenge and inspire.


THU 10:45 Hardy's Women (m000vynd)
The Woodlanders

Episode 9

In desperation, Grace turns to Giles for help, with tragic consequences. Ayeesha Menon's dramatisation of Thomas Hardy's novel of love, money and social ambition, tells the story from the perspective of Marty South.

Marty South.....Katy Sobey
Giles Winterbourne.....Oliver Hembrough
Grace Melbury.....Holli Dempsey
Edred Fitzpiers.....Sacha Dhawan
George Melbury.....Nicholas Murchie
Lucy Melbury.....Jane Slavin
Barber Percomb.....Joshua Riley
Felice Charmond.....Marilyn Nnadebe
Grammer Oliver.....Jessica Turner
Suke Damson.....Elinor Coleman
Timothy Tangs.....Stewart Campbell
John South.....Tony Turner

Production Co-ordinator.....Maggie Olgiati
Sound Design.....Peter Ringrose
Directed by Emma Harding


THU 11:00 Crossing Continents (m000vyng)
Saving the Vaquita

Jacques Cousteau called Mexico’s Sea of Cortez, ‘the aquarium of the world’. It is home to one of the most critically endangered species on earth. The vaquita is a small porpoise facing total extinction, whose numbers have dwindled to less than a dozen. In particular, the vaquita get caught in the nets used to catch totoaba. Casting nets for this large marine fish is illegal. But the totoaba’s swim bladder is believed to have potent medicinal properties in China, and sells for thousands of dollars in a trade controlled by Mexican organised crime. So efforts to save the vaquita have brought conflict to poor fishing communities in northern Baja California – people who often rely on an illicit income from totoaba. On New Year’s Eve, 2020 one fisherman was killed and another seriously injured in an altercation between local boats and an NGO ship patrolling to stop the sinking of illegal nets that kill the vaquita. Linda Pressly reports from the coast of Baja California on a dangerous clash of interests. Can the vaquita be saved?

Producer: Michael Gallagher
Producer in Mexico: Ulises Escamilla Haro

(Image: Illustration of a vaquita in Mexico’s Sea of Cortez. Credit: Greenpeace/Marcelo Otero)


THU 11:30 A Life in Music (m000vynj)
Early Life

When music journalist Jude Rogers lost her father aged five, she turned to songs for solace and structure. Music helped her redefine her identity as a teenager and connect with her young child as a parent after post-natal depression.

In four programmes, Jude speaks to musicians, neuroscientists, psychologists and music-lovers to discover how fundamental music is at each stage of our lives.

In episode 1, Early Life, Jude looks at how music shapes our lives from before we are even born, helping us form connections with the people around us, control our impulses and even become more empathetic.

We hear from Nigerian musician Femi Kuti, music psychologist Dr Samuel Mehr, developmental cognitive neuroscientist Dr Assal Habibi, music therapist and teacher Tiziana Pozzo and 7-year-old pianist Laasya and her father, Jithender.

Producer: Georgia Moodie
A Reduced Listening production for BBC Radio 4


THU 12:00 News Summary (m000vysf)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


THU 12:04 Lean, Fall, Stand by Jon McGregor (m000vynn)
9: Telling

The heart-stopping and heart-rending new novel from the award-winning author of Reservoir 13.

When an Antarctic research expedition goes badly wrong, the consequences are far-reaching - for the men involved and for their families back home.

Episode 9: with only Robert holding the answers as to what happened out on Bluff Point, he begins to try to communicate his story...

Author: Jon McGregor is an award-winning novelist and short-story writer, who has been longlisted for the Booker Prize three times, and won the 2017 Costa Award.
Reader: tbc
Producer: Justine Willett
Abridger: Katrin Williams


THU 12:18 You and Yours (m000vynq)
News and discussion of consumer affairs


THU 12:57 Weather (m000vyns)
The latest weather forecast


THU 13:00 World at One (m000vynv)
Forty-five minutes of news, analysis and comment, with Sarah Montague.


THU 13:45 Questions Answered (m000vynx)
Anthony

Anita Anand and Chris Mason learn more about the lives of some of the listeners of Any Questions and Any Answers. Today we hear from Anthony who actually called Any Answers twice, the second time after a dramatic change in his circumstances. He came to Broadcasting House to talk to Anita.


THU 14:00 The Archers (m000vx3y)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Wednesday]


THU 14:15 GF Newman's The Corrupted (m000vynz)
Series 6

Episode 4

It's now 2001 and Brian Oldman is still in jail for a crime he didn't commit.

He found a man in jail able to prove his innocence - but that man was soon discovered dead in his cell. He suspects that Joseph Oldman, now Lord Olinska, organised the killing.

In this final series, taking us to 2008, Joseph Olinska gets ever more involved in New Labour, while Brian Oldman becomes a vegan and studies law in jail in a bid to win justice for himself. Tony Wednesday continues to work behind the scenes for Sir Joseph at the same time as moving ever further up the ranks of the police force.

GF Newman's The Corrupted weaves fiction with real characters from history, following the fortunes of the Oldman/Olinska family - from small-time business and opportunistic petty crime, through gang rivalries, to their entanglement in the highest echelons of society. It's the tale of a nexus of crime, business and politics that’s woven through the fabric of 20th and 21st century greed, as even those with hitherto good intentions are sucked into a web of corruption.

Whose fortunes will prosper? Who will get their just deserts?

Joey Oldman, an uneducated Jewish child immigrant from Russia, has a natural instinct for business and a love of money - coupled with a knack for acquiring it. His first wife Cath is as ruthless in both the pursuit of money and the protection of her son, Brian. Joey built his empire with the help of a corrupt bank manager in the 1950s, starting with small greengrocer shops before moving into tertiary banking and property development, dealing with many corrupt policemen on the way - and befriending Lord Goodman, Margaret Thatcher and Tony Blair. Joseph now helps New Labour with their finances, while continuing to invest heavily in Russia, the US and a pharmaceutical company specialising in cancer drugs.

The characters are based on GF Newman's novels.

Cast:
Sir Joseph - Toby Jones
Brian - Joe Armstrong
Tony Wednesday - Alec Newman
Sonia Hope / Emma - Sarah Lambie
Catherine - Isabella Urbanowicz
Anatoly Popov / Clive Bunter / Justice Deed - Matthew Marsh
Margaret - Flora Montgomery
PO Rogers - Paul Linthwaite/
David Blunkett - Paul Kemp
John Quayle - David Ajao
Jeremy Corbyn - Christopher Harper
Tony Blair - Nigel Cooke
EXO Avedlund - Nigel Pivaro
DCS Redvers - Arty Froushan
Mrs Jinks - Suzan Sylvester
Hamid Afzal - Akbar Kurtha
FBI Agent Pyke - Will Meredith
Dietrick Heller / Tim Listfield - Charles Davies

Produced and directed by Clive Brill
A Brill production for BBC Radio 4


THU 15:00 Ramblings (m000vyp1)
Rhiane Fatinikun of Black Girls Hike in the Peak District

Rhiane Fatinikun takes Clare on one of her favourite walks in the Peak District. Starting in Edale they take in Hollins Cross, Lose Hill and Mam Tor. Rhiane set up Black Girls Hike to provide a safe space for black women to explore the countryside. It’s been such a success that there are now three branches: in the North West, the West Midlands and London. As she tells Clare, it’s a way of building confidence and increasing diversity in the outdoors. It's an exhilarating and challenging walk, made more so by the changeable weather they had on the day... from bright sunshine to snow and strong, biting wind.

We started at the main car park in Edale, which is near the railway station (station grid ref: SK 123 853)

Producer: Karen Gregor


THU 15:27 Radio 4 Appeal (m000vy12)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:54 on Sunday]


THU 15:30 Open Book (m000vy1y)
[Repeat of broadcast at 16:00 on Sunday]


THU 16:00 The Film Programme (m000vyp3)
Film programme looking at the latest cinema releases, DVDs and films on TV.


THU 16:30 BBC Inside Science (m000vyp5)
A weekly programme that illuminates the mysteries and challenges the controversies behind the science that's changing our world.


THU 17:00 PM (m000vyp7)
Afternoon news and current affairs programme, reporting on breaking stories and summing up the day's headlines.


THU 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m000vypc)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


THU 18:30 John Finnemore's Souvenir Programme (m000vypf)
Series 9

Episode 2

The ninth series of John Finnemore's Souvenir Programme is very different to the previous eight. It's still written by John Finnemore, "one of our best sketch writers", (The Observer), and performed by him with "a great supporting cast of Margaret Cabourn-Smith, Simon Kane, Lawry Lewin and Carrie Quinlan" (The Telegraph), and there are still sketches and songs. But, with no live studio audience this year, John has taken the opportunity to try something completely new

Every episode in this series of Souvenir Programme is made up of scenes from one person's life, played in reverse order. There's no narrative to the episode; it's still a sketch show, not a sitcom... but the sketches in each episode all happened to one person, played by one member of the cast, over the course of their lifetime.

Episode two is all about Deborah, and takes place between a catchup Zoom in lockdown one, and a bedtime story she was told in 1962.

John Finnemore's Souvenir Programme started in 2011 and quickly established itself as "One of the most consistently funny sketch shows for quite some time" (The Guardian), and "One of the funniest and most inventive new radio comedy shows of recent years" (The Daily Mail).

Written and performed by ... John Finnemore
Deborah ... Margaret Cabourn-Smith
Ensemble ... Lawry Lewin
Ensemble ... Simon Kane
Ensemble ... Carrie Quinlan

Recorded and edited by ... Rich Evans at Syncbox Post
Production coordinator ... Beverly Tagg
Producer ... Ed Morrish

A BBC Studios Production


THU 19:00 The Archers (m000vyph)
Writers, Helen Aitken and Sarah Hehir
Director, Rosemary Watts
Editor, Jeremy Howe

Josh Archer … Angus Imrie
Brian Aldridge ... Charles Collingwood
Jennifer Aldridge ... Angela Piper
Alice Carter ... Hollie Chapman
Chris Carter ... Wilf Scolding
Neil Carter ... Brian Hewlett
Susan Carter ... Charlotte Martin
Vince Casey ... Tony Turner
Ruairi Donovan ... Arthur Hughes
Rex Fairbrother … Nick Barber
Emma Grundy ... Emerald O’hanrahan
Joy Horville ... Jackie Lye
Kate Madikane … Perdita Avery
Elizabeth Pargetter ... Alison Dowling
Fallon Rogers ... Joanna Van Kampen


THU 19:15 Front Row (m000vypk)
Live magazine programme on the worlds of arts, literature, film, media and music


THU 19:45 Hardy's Women (m000vynd)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:45 today]


THU 20:00 A Celebration for Ascension Day (m000vypm)
The Chief Executive of Christian Aid, Amanda Khozi Mukwashi is the preacher at a service for Ascension Day, live from St Martin-in-the-Fields in London. The celebrant at the Eucharist is the vicar, the Rev'd Dr Sam Wells, and the music – provided by St Martin’s Voices – includes Ola Gjeilo's Sunrise Mass, and the Ascensiontide hymns Hail the day that sees him rise, and Crown Him with Many Crowns. They are joined in the church by broadcasters and radio contributors who will lead various parts of the service. Director of Music: Andrew Earis. Producer: Ben Collingwood.


THU 21:00 BBC Inside Science (m000vyp5)
[Repeat of broadcast at 16:30 today]


THU 21:30 In Our Time (m000vyn6)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]


THU 22:00 The World Tonight (m000vypq)
In depth reporting, intelligent analysis and breaking news from a global perspective


THU 22:45 Lean, Fall, Stand by Jon McGregor (m000vynn)
[Repeat of broadcast at 12:04 today]


THU 23:00 52 First Impressions with David Quantick (b078zdq7)
Series 2

Episode 1

Journalist and comedy writer David Quantick has met and interviewed hundreds of people – what were his first impressions, how have they changed and does it all matter?

This week, stories about Mark E Smith, The Velvet Underground and being the back end of a pantomime horse - amongst others.

Written and Presented by David Quantick
Producer: Steve Doherty
A Giddy Goat production for BBC Radio 4


THU 23:30 Today in Parliament (m000vyps)
News, views and features on today's stories in Parliament



FRIDAY 14 MAY 2021

FRI 00:00 Midnight News (m000vypv)
The latest news and weather forecast from BBC Radio 4.


FRI 00:30 Other Minds: The Octopus And The Evolution Of Intelligent Life by Peter Godfrey-Smith (m000vypx)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:45 on Thursday]


FRI 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m000vypz)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.


FRI 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m000vyq1)
BBC Radio 4 presents a selection of news and current affairs, arts and science programmes from the BBC World Service.


FRI 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m000vyq3)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.


FRI 05:30 News Briefing (m000vyq5)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4


FRI 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m000vyq7)
A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day with Sarah Joseph.


FRI 05:45 Farming Today (m000vyq9)
The latest news about food, farming and the countryside.


FRI 05:58 Tweet of the Day (b01sbz1g)
Sedge Warbler

David Attenborough presents the Sedge Warbler. Sedge warblers like tangled vegetation near water. They're summer visitors here but seek out similar habitats in Africa where they spend the winter. Before leaving our shores in autumn, they gorge on insects, often doubling their weight.


FRI 06:00 Today (m000vz7y)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.


FRI 09:00 Desert Island Discs (m000vy1j)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:00 on Sunday]


FRI 09:45 Other Minds: The Octopus And The Evolution Of Intelligent Life by Peter Godfrey-Smith (m000vz80)
Our Minds and Others

What if intelligent life on Earth evolved not once, but twice? The octopus is the closest we will come to meeting an intelligent alien. What can we learn from the encounter?

In Other Minds, the philosopher and scuba diver Peter Godfrey-Smith explores the startling evolutionary journey of the cephalopods. It all started for him when he began scuba diving near Sydney:

“I came across the octopuses by chance, by spending time in the water. I began following them around, and eventually started thinking about their lives. After all, the sea is the original home of the mind, at least in its first faint forms.”

Professor Godfrey-Smith explores what we know about the intelligence of cephalopods, including the tricks they play on the scientists who try to study them. He looks back 600 million years, to reveal the worm-like creature which was the last common ancestor connecting us with the octopus. He visits an extraordinary site off the coast of Australia, Octopolis, where the animals have developed a kind of city under the sea. And he meditates on why the octopus, with such high intelligence, lives for such a short time.

In this final episode, he asks us to imagine what it feels like to be an octopus, raising big questions about the nature of animal consciousness. What is the nature of their consciousness, and how does it challenge the usual way we think about the brain/body divide?

“In an octopus, it’s not clear where the brain itself begins and ends, and the nervous system runs all through the body. The octopus is suffused with nervousness; the body is not a separate thing that is controlled by the brain or nervous system.

“The usual philosophical debate is between those who see the brain as an all-powerful CEO and those who emphasise the intelligence stored in the body itself. Both views rely on a distinction between brain-based and body-based knowledge. The octopus lives outside both the usual pictures. It lives outside the brain/body divide.”

Peter Godfrey-Smith is a professor in the School of History and Philosophy of Science at the University of Sydney.

Read by Tim McInnerny
Abridged and produced by Elizabeth Burke
Sound design by Chris Maclean
A Loftus Media production for BBC Radio 4


FRI 10:00 Woman's Hour (m000vz82)
Women's voices and women's lives - topical conversations to inform, challenge and inspire.


FRI 10:45 Hardy's Women (m000vz84)
The Woodlanders

Episode 10

A contrite Fitzpiers begs Grace to give him another chance. Ayeesha Menon's dramatisation of Thomas Hardy's novel of love, money and social ambition, tells the story from the perspective of Marty South.

Marty South.....Katy Sobey
Giles Winterbourne.....Oliver Hembrough
Grace Melbury.....Holli Dempsey
Edred Fitzpiers.....Sacha Dhawan
George Melbury.....Nicholas Murchie
Lucy Melbury.....Jane Slavin
Barber Percomb.....Joshua Riley
Felice Charmond.....Marilyn Nnadebe
Grammer Oliver.....Jessica Turner
Suke Damson.....Elinor Coleman
Timothy Tangs.....Stewart Campbell
John South.....Tony Turner

Production Co-ordinator.....Maggie Olgiati
Sound Design.....Peter Ringrose
Directed by Emma Harding


FRI 11:00 Prison Break (m000vz86)
Episode 4: How did it come to this?

Former 'prison wife' Josie Bevan confronts the failings of the prison system.

Josie traces the evolution of what we've inherited as the UK penal system, our definitions of crime, harm, punishment, justice - and the history of 'reform'. She talks with Sir Robert Neill MP, the Chair of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Justice, historian Dr David Scott, Chris Daw QC, author of Justice on Trial, and Dr Adam Elliott-Cooper, a sociologist and Black Lives Matter activist.

Josie's previous podcast series Prison Bag - one family's unflinching confrontation with the prison system - is available on BBC Sounds.

Produced by Rebecca Lloyd-Evans and Alan Hall
A Falling Tree production for BBC Radio 4


FRI 11:30 It's a Fair Cop (m000vz88)
Series 6

Sudden Death

Policeman turned stand-up Alfie Moore takes an audience through a real-life police case. This week Alfie talks about the police's role in "Sierra Deltas" or Sudden Deaths. There are around 600,000 deaths in the UK each year and when the police get involved they can be dealing with anything from the procedural categorization of death, right through to more in-depth investigative work.

In this week's real case, Alfie remembers a time when he was on the Humberside Force and was called to a house to carry out a welfare check on the occupant.

Written and presented by Alfie Moore
Script editor: Will Ing
Production co-ordinator: Beverly Tagg
Producer: Richard Morris

A BBC Studios Production


FRI 12:00 News Summary (m000vz8b)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


FRI 12:04 Lean, Fall, Stand by Jon McGregor (m000vz8d)
10: Stories

The heart-stopping and heart-rending new novel from the award-winning author of Reservoir 13.

When an Antarctic research expedition goes badly wrong, the consequences ripple out over the months and years - for the men involved and for their families back home.

Episode 10: with Luke watching in the audience, Robert desperately tries to communicate what really happened out on Bluff Point ...

Author: Jon McGregor is an award-winning novelist and short-story writer, who has been longlisted for the Booker Prize three times, and won the 2017 Costa Award.
Reader: tbc
Producer: Justine Willett
Abridger: Katrin Williams


FRI 12:18 You and Yours (m000vz8g)
News and discussion of consumer affairs


FRI 12:57 Weather (m000vz8j)
The latest weather forecast


FRI 13:00 World at One (m000vz8l)
Forty-five minutes of news, analysis and comment, with Jonny Dymond.


FRI 13:45 Questions Answered (m000vz8q)
Episode 5

Stories of the people behind the calls at the heart of Any Questions and Any Answers.


FRI 14:00 The Archers (m000vyph)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Thursday]


FRI 14:15 Drama (m000vz8v)
Talawa Stories: NSA

Set within the charged confines of a car, a clandestine encounter between two Black men leads to far more than either had bargained for as they come to terms with their identities and very different life trajectories.

Talawa Theatre Company and feral inc co-produced Running with Lions as part of Talawa’s 35th anniversary. Talawa Theatre Company is the UK’s outstanding Black theatre company.

NSA was recorded in March 2021 during the national lockdown and in line with Covid safe measures. Charles Entsie’s brand new story is brought to life by Don Gilet (Eastenders, BBC) and Idris Debrand (MotherFatherSon, BBC).

CAST
Man - Don Gilet
Boy - Idris Debrand

Written by Charles Entsie
Produced by Alison Holder
Directed by Jade Lewis

Sound Design by Steve Bond
Sound Assistant: Makashe Ogbon
Production Manager: Sarah Tombling
Executive Producer: Polly Thomas
Series Producer: Gill Parry

A Talawa Theatre / feral inc production for BBC Radio 4


FRI 14:45 Chinese Characters (b09z5jy2)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 on Wednesday]


FRI 15:00 Gardeners' Question Time (m000vz8y)
Oxford Botanic Garden: Postbag Edition

Peter Gibbs and the team are at the Oxford Botanic Garden answering questions from the GQT postbag. Joining him are Matt Biggs, Pippa Greenwood and Dr Chris Thorogood.

Producer - Dan Cocker
Assistant Producer - Millie Chu

A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4


FRI 15:45 Empty Stages (m000vz90)
My Palace

A series of stories written about people finding themselves, for various reasons, in theatres that have been forced to close due to the Pandemic.

Tanika Gupta tells the story of a young refugee, having fled from his war torn homeland, finds safety from the rough streets of London, under the stage of a London theatre.

Read by Shervin Alenabi
Written by Tanika Gupta
Directed by Celia de Wolff
A Pier production for BBC Radio 4


FRI 16:00 Last Word (m000vz92)
Matthew Bannister tells the life stories of people who have recently died, from the rich and famous to unsung but significant. Prod: Eleanor Garland (Beverley Purcell Apr-July)


FRI 16:30 Feedback (m000vz94)
Radio 4's forum for comments, queries, criticisms and congratulations


FRI 17:00 PM (m000vz96)
Afternoon news and current affairs programme, reporting on breaking stories and summing up the day's headlines.


FRI 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m000vz98)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


FRI 18:30 The News Quiz (m000vz9b)
Series 105

Episode 5

Andy Zaltzman presents a look back at the week's headlines


FRI 19:00 Front Row (m000vz9d)
Live magazine programme on the worlds of arts, literature, film, media and music


FRI 19:45 Hardy's Women (m000vz84)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:45 today]


FRI 20:00 Any Questions? (m000vz9g)
Chris Mason presents political debate and discussion from venues around the UK.


FRI 20:50 A Point of View (m000vz9j)
Weekly reflections on topical issues from a range of contributors.


FRI 21:00 Meeting Myself Coming Back (m000shgt)
Dame Kelly Holmes

Double Olympic gold medallist Dame Kelly Holmes meets her younger self in the archives in conversation with John Wilson.

Kelly Holmes's double Gold medal win in the 800m and 1500m races at the 2004 Athens Olympics was the crowning point in her athletics career. But the journey to get there had been fraught with difficulty, with injuries and other setbacks along the way. She began racing while at school, but abandoned it to join the Army where she drove lorries and eventually became a PT instructor. But she was drawn back into running and she became an Olympic, Commonwealth and European champion with seven gold, eight silver and four bronze medals to her name.

John Wilson takes Kelly back through the archives to relive key moments from her life and career. We hear extracts ranging from her putting soldiers through their paces, to the diaries she kept as she trained for her first Olympics in Atlanta , the moment of her double Gold win and her involvement with bringing the Olympics to London in 2012. And we hear what was going on behind those recorded moments, as Kelly battled injury and self-harm to finally achieve her dreams.

Producer: Emma Kingsley


FRI 22:00 The World Tonight (m000vz9l)
In depth reporting, intelligent analysis and breaking news from a global perspective


FRI 22:45 Lean, Fall, Stand by Jon McGregor (m000vz8d)
[Repeat of broadcast at 12:04 today]


FRI 23:00 Great Lives (m000vwsm)
[Repeat of broadcast at 16:30 on Tuesday]


FRI 23:30 Today in Parliament (m000vz9n)
News, views and features on today's stories in Parliament