SATURDAY 15 MAY 2021

SAT 00:00 Midnight News (m000vz9q)
The latest news and weather forecast from BBC Radio 4.


SAT 00:30 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


SAT 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m000vz9s)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.


SAT 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m000vz9v)
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 (m000vz9x)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.


SAT 05:30 News Briefing (m000vz9z)
The latest news from BBC Radio 4


SAT 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m000vzb1)
A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day with Rev Richard Littledale

Good morning.

Today is Saturday – a good day for odd jobs, and I have a dilemma. Just about a year ago, part-way into what we affectionately refer to as Lockdown I, my son and I set ourselves a weekend activity. We had decided to decorate our front window in support of the beloved NHS. He printed all the letters for the message ‘thank you NHS’ out in outline on the computer. I then painted them blue, and he cut them out. We then stuck them on the window for all to see. Over the months, it has drawn many comments, and people often stopped to look. Inside the house, the morning sun projects the letters as shadows on the wall each day.

The trouble is, the letters are showing their age. Thirteen months of exposure to the daylight has made the paper brittle, and it is starting to curl at the edges. That bright, hand-painted blue is fading fast, and it won’t be long before they stop sticking to the glass. Not only that, but almost all the other rainbows and stickers have disappeared from the other houses up and down the road.

Hence, my dilemma. Should I take them down or leave them up? Realistically, it is unlikely that the morale of the NHS will be adversely affected by one front room window in Berkshire. Then again, to take them down feels like saying that I am no longer grateful.

It seems to me that short-term gratitude is easy, whereas we have more of a problem with the long term. ‘Bless the Lord, o my soul’ the psalmist says ‘and forget not all his benefits’. The truth is, we tend to forget if do not seek to remember.

Dear God, today I pray that you would make me truly grateful for your many blessings. Forgive my spiritual amnesia, I pray.

Amen.


SAT 05:45 Bodies (m000rmnd)
Episode 7: Leonardo - Drawing the 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 7: Leonardo - Drawing the body

Drawing and anatomy have always gone hand in hand. And perhaps the most beautiful anatomical drawings of them all are from the notebooks of the Renaissance master, Leonardo da Vinci. Professor Alice Roberts celebrates da Vinci's lifelong fascination with anatomy and the ground-breaking diagrams he made. His drawings were based on his first-hand experience of dissections. He claimed to have performed more than thirty by the time he died.

Presenter: Professor Alice Roberts
Actor: Jonathan Kydd

A Made in Manchester production for BBC Radio 4


SAT 06:00 News and Papers (m000w484)
The latest news headlines. Including the weather and a look at the papers.


SAT 06:07 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


SAT 06:30 Farming Today (m000w486)
15/05/21 - Farming Today This Week: Action Plan for Animal Welfare. ELMS trials, tackling rural loneliness

The Government's new "Action Plan for Animal Welfare" is wide ranging, but the headline promise is to recognise animal sentience in law. That recognition was added to EU law back in 1997 under the Amsterdam Treaty, but since Brexit, animal welfare campaign groups had been worried it could be lost here. The action plan also mentions the introduction of new laws to crack down on illegal hare coursing and plans to give police more powers to protect farm animals from dogs. There are also plans to 'improve animal welfare at slaughter' and 'examine the use of cages for poultry and farrowing crates for pigs'. Caz Graham hears from the NFU and the RSPCA.

The biggest change in farming for a generation is underway as we move away from the EU’s subsidy system. Each devolved administration will introduce it's own new system for supporting agriculture - in England it's a "public money for public goods" system, with the new Environmental Land Management Scheme - or ELMS - still being designed. We visit one of the DEFRA trials in Wiltshire where ecologists and farmers are working together to assess the worth of "environmentally sustainable actions".

Spring 2021 has been unusually dry as well as cold. It's meant grass hasn't been growing as fast and some farmers are already grazing their cattle on fields meant for next winter's silage. We visit a research station run by the seed company, Germinal, where they're developing new kinds of drought resistant forage.

And we hear about a scheme in North Yorkshire which is helping retired farmers struggling with loneliness and isolation by pairing them up with members of the Young Farmers for regular social chats.

Presented by Caz Graham
Produced for BBC Audio in Bristol by Heather Simons


SAT 06:57 Weather (m000w488)
The latest weather reports and forecast


SAT 07:00 Today (m000w48b)
Including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.


SAT 09:00 Saturday Live (m000w48d)
Russell Tovey

Radio 4's Saturday morning show brings you extraordinary stories and remarkable people.


SAT 10:30 You're Dead To Me (p07n8nrg)
Boudica

Greg Jenner and his guests discuss the important questions surrounding Queen Boudica including: Is she a feminist icon? How do you pronounce her name? And was she really ginger?

Get ready to forget everything you thought you knew about Boudica and learn what it was really like when the Romans invaded.

Featuring comedian, author and actress Sara Pascoe, known for QI, Have I Got News For You, and W1A among many other shows, and historian Dr Emma Southon, specialist in Roman history and co-host of the History is Sexy podcast.

Script and Research: Greg Jenner
Producer: Dan Morelle

A Muddy Knees Media production for BBC Radio 4


SAT 11:00 The Week in Westminster (m000w48g)
Radio 4's assessment of developments at Westminster


SAT 11:30 From Our Own Correspondent (m000w48j)
Insight, wit and analysis from BBC correspondents, journalists and writers from around the world


SAT 12:00 News Summary (m000w4fy)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


SAT 12:04 Money Box (m000w3mk)
Difficulties claiming Personal Independence Payment benefit

Many people on Disability Living Allowance fail the stricter criteria when they are transferred to Personal Independence Payment Benefit. We hear about some of the difficulties claiming the newer benefit from Daphne Hall, vice chair of the National Association of Welfare Rights Advisers and Dr Jim McCormick, Chair of the Disability and Carers Benefits Advisory Group.

More than 100,000 couples in the UK divorce each year — around 40% of marriages. It is over twenty years since divorcing couples could bring the value of pensions into the pot when they share their assets. But in only one out of every eight cases take pensions into account as part of the financial settlement. So why is pension sharing at divorce forgotten in so many cases? Paul Lewis speaks to Jo Edwards, Head of Family Law at Forsters.

Up to a quarter of a million people over the age of 70 get no state pension - but around half of them could. Former Pensions minister Steve Webb explains all.

It’s nearly three months since we first reported that people were suffering weeks of delays when they try to access their pension funds invested with Prudential. Since then those weeks of delays have turned into months… and still the problems continue. Dan Whitworth investigates.

Researcher: Anita Langary
Production co-ordinator: Janet Staples
Reporter: Dan Whitworth
Producer: Ben Carter
Editor: Alex Lewis


SAT 12:30 The News Quiz (m000vz9b)
Series 105

Episode 5

Andy Zaltzman presents a look back at the week's headlines with Danny Finkelstein, Zoe Lyons, Catherine Bohart and Darren Harriott.

This week, the panel dissect the Queen's Speech, unpick the local election results, and enjoy a rare quickfire round.

Written by Andy Zaltzman with additional material from Alice Fraser, Max Davis, Rajiv Karia and Hannah Platt.

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

A BBC Studios Production


SAT 12:57 Weather (m000w48n)
The latest weather forecast


SAT 13:00 News and Weather (m000w48q)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4


SAT 13:10 Any Questions? (m000vz9g)
Mims Davies MP, Stephen Kinnock MP, Dr Philippa Whitford MP, Niall Ferguson

Chris Mason presents political debate and discussion from Broadcasting House in London. Today's panel: Conservative MP and Employment Minister Mims Davies, Labour MP and Shadow Minister for Asia and the Pacific Stephen Kinnock, SNP Spokesperson for Health and Social Care Dr Philippa Whitford MP, and historian and writer Niall Ferguson.

Producer: Emma Campbell
Studio direction: Kirsty Starkey


SAT 14:00 Any Answers? (m000w48s)
Have your say on the issues discussed on Any Questions?


SAT 14:45 One to One (m000mcy8)
Hair changes: Helen Mort & Niamh Kavanagh

How significant is our hair when it comes to projecting an image of ourselves and how we feel? In the second programme about body modification, poet Helen Mort talks to hair stylist Niamh Kavanagh about the role of hair in expressing our personality. Throughout her life Helen has changed the colour and style of her hair and also had her head shaved. She is fascinated by people’s responses to hair and what it says about them and us. Niamh has also experimented with her own hair as well as cutting and styling clients’ hair, which involves trust, empathy and skill. Producer Sarah Blunt


SAT 15:00 Drama (m0002g6f)
Opening Pandora's Box

How do you turn a celebrated silent film into an audio drama? Wedekind's controversial 19th Century Lulu plays formed the basis of the 1929 German movie, Pandora's Box. Its star, Louise Brooks, will forever be associated with her iconic performance as Lulu, the ultimate 'femme fatale'. 90 years on, writer Katie Hims wonders what on earth to do about Lulu.

The Writer/Lulu ..... Kate O’Flynn
Justin/Alwa ..... Joseph Ayre
Simone/Geschwitz ..... Ayesha Antoine
Kerry ..... Kerry Gooderson
Dr. Schön ..... Tony Turner
Schigolch ..... Michael Bertenshaw
Piani ..... Ronny Jhutti
The Kind-Faced Man ..... Christopher Harper
Rodrigo ..... Don Gilet
Dr. van Zarnikow ..... Sam Dale
Charlotte ..... Franchi Webb

Written by Katie Hims
Original Music by Neil Brand
Directed by Toby Swift


SAT 16:00 Woman's Hour (m000w48v)
Weekend Woman’s Hour: Mona Eltahawy; Scarlett Moffatt; Female astronauts

Egyptian-American writer and activist Mona Eltahawy believes women should start actively defying and disrupting the patriarchy now - with force if necessary. Mona explains why she wrote her new book ‘The Seven Necessary Sins for Women and Girls’ with enough 'rage to fuel a rocket.'

Tech entrepreneur Tabitha Goldstaub who Chairs the UK's AI Council and Carly Kind the Director of the Ada Lovelace Institute discuss concerns that because Artificial Intelligence algorithms are created from the data we give it, biases in society will be replicated and even amplified by it in the future.

TV presenter Jan Leeming and dating expert Charly Lester share tips and advice on how to go about dating in your late 60’s.

Scarlett Moffatt, famous for Gogglebox and winning I'm A Celebrity has just become an ambassador for The Samaritans. She talks about how reality television has affected her mental health, and exchanges experiences with Montana Brown who appeared on Love Island.

The last time the European Space Agency recruited for their Class of 2009, only 16% of applications came from women. One of the women chosen, Samantha Cristoforetti, talks about the ESA's latest recruitment drive and what skills are needed to make it in space.

Iranian artist Mentrix talks about her new single and video 99 Names of God - a well-known Muslim chant, traditionally sung by men during Ramadan. Mentrix explains the ideas behind the accompanying video which has generated a lot of criticism, with some people describing it as offensive, disrespectful and sinful.

Presenter: Anita Rani
Producer: Paula McFarlane
Editor: Kirsty Starkey


SAT 17:00 PM (m000w48x)
Full coverage of the day's news


SAT 17:30 Political Thinking with Nick Robinson (m000w48z)
Nick Robinson talks to Rachel de Souza, the Children's Commissioner for England, in a personal and political interview.


SAT 17:54 Shipping Forecast (m000w491)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.


SAT 17:57 Weather (m000w493)
The latest weather reports and forecast


SAT 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m000w495)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4


SAT 18:15 Loose Ends (m000w497)
Mary Beard, Ian Smith, Rakie Ayola, Le Gateau Chocolat, Glenn Tilbrook, Morcheeba, Arthur Smith, Clive Anderson

Clive Anderson and Arthur Smith are joined by Mary Beard, Ian Smith, Le Gateau Chocolat and Rakie Ayola for an eclectic mix of conversation, music and comedy. With music from Glenn Tilbrook and Morcheeba.


SAT 19:00 Profile (m000w3m3)
An insight into the character of an influential person making the news headlines


SAT 19:15 My Teenage Diary (m000jg9x)
Series 9

Jan Ravens

Rufus Hound picks the lock on the teenage diaries of the comedian and impressionist Jan Ravens, and finds out about teenage crushes, slow dances and new year's resolutions.

Other guests this series are Woman's Hour host Dame Jenni Murray, former Goodie Bill Oddie, comedian Shazia Mirza, podcaster Olly Mann and writer Julie Myerson.

Producer: Harriet Jaine
A Talkback production for BBC Radio 4


SAT 19:45 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 at Urbana-Champaign, 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.


SAT 20:00 Archive on 4 (m000w499)
A Spy in Every Embassy

“The intelligence coup of the century.” The extraordinary story of the longest running and most successful secret intelligence operation of the 20th Century.

For more than half a century, governments all over the world trusted a single company, Swiss-based Crypto AG, to keep the communications of their spies, soldiers and diplomats secret. But what none of its customers ever knew was that Crypto AG was owned for over 20 Cold War years by the CIA in partnership with the BND, the German Intelligence Service. The machines that many customers bought had deliberately weakened security – a window through which the CIA and BND could read the diplomatic traffic between their embassies, their trade negotiators and their own spies.

The BND sold out its share in 1993 for a tidy profit while the CIA continued until the company was broken up in 2018.

Crypto AG’s own secret was only cracked last year in a combined investigation by German ZDF television, Swiss SRF and the Washington Post following the discovery of a secret history, Operation Rubicon, that had been assembled by some of the operatives who had been involved in the deception.

A Spy in Every Embassy is the story of the story, presented by German intelligence journalist Peter F Muller, who produced last year’s television programme for ZDF, and British journalist David Ridd.

It gives the chronology of the manoeuvrings, arguments, successes and deceptions of the partnership that remained secret for a quarter of a century. Its revelations offer a new perspective on some of the landmark events of those decades - the Falklands War, the US bombing of Libya from British airfields, the negotiations that lead to the Camp David Accords and the Iranian Hostage crisis, as well as the daily churn of intelligence information from around the world about both friends and opponents.

The programme considers the collateral damage of deception on a grand scale. Most employees of Crypto AG knew nothing of the built-in weaknesses of the machinery they were building or trying to sell to governments in some very dangerous parts of the world.

Produced by John Forsyth
Assistant Producer: Alexandra Quinn
A Loftus Media production for BBC Radio 4

Extracts read by Lanna Joffrey, Annette Kossow, Blanca Belenguer, Mike Christofferson and Thilo Buergel.
Archive by kind permission of ZDF Television, Crypto Museum, Harry S Truman Library, National Security Agency Archive and Bletchley Park podcast.
Image courtesy www.cryptomuseum.com


SAT 21:00 Tumanbay (b06wg7rk)
Series 1

The Purge

In the eighth episode of this epic saga inspired by the Mamluk slave-dynasty, the Sultan (Raad Rawi) is increasingly insecure and fearful for his life, so begins a purge of the Palace. Slave trader Ibn (Nabil Elouahabi), is reunited with the daughter he thought he had lost. And her slave companion finally comes face to face with Gregor (Rufus Wright), the man who stole his kingdom.

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
Al-Ghuri...................Raad Rawi
Cadali.....................Matthew Marsh
Wolf........................Alexander Siddig
Ibn..........................Nabil Elouahabi
Maya's Envoy..........Nadir Khan
Madu.......................Danny Ashok
Daniel.....................Gareth Kennerley
Heaven...................Olivia Popica
Slave.......................Akin Gazi
General Qulan.........Christopher Fulford
Manel.......................Aiysha Hart
Frog.........................Deeivya Meir
Sarah.......................Nina Yndis
Frog's Mother...........Sirine Saba
Shamsi.....................Laure Stockley
Pesha.......................Sky Yang
Boy...........................Darwin Brokenbro
Hodah.......................Nathalie Armin

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

Written and Directed by John Dryden

A Goldhawk production for BBC Radio 4


SAT 21:45 Drama (b086l4zb)
Reading Europe: Scandinavia

Denmark: The Buddhist

By Dorthe Nors. A spiritual awakening helps a man who fears he has lost control over events in his life. Things can only go well when The Universe is on your side.

Dorthe Nors' insight into the strange nuances of human interactions, especially those rooted in violence or sorrow, is keenly observed in her short story collection, Karate Chop. She is able both to build and to unmake a character, achieving the same complexity that other writers require entire novels to establish. What's more, her protagonists are familiar and unsettling, with characteristics that echo in our psyches and ask us to call into question all we assume about ourselves and others.

Karate Chop is the first of Nors' books to be translated to English.

Written by Dorthe Nors
Translated from Danish by Martin Aitken
Read by Aoife McMahon
Abridged by Jill Waters
Produced by Lizzie Davies

A Waters Company production for BBC Radio 4.


SAT 22:00 News (m000w49c)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4


SAT 22:15 The Reunion (m000tvgf)
Finding Richard III

Kirsty Wark reunites the archaeologists, scientists, a religious leader and a distant relative involved in the remarkable search for, identification, and reburial of the last Plantagenet king.

Richard III was the last English king to die in battle and the first to have his genome sequenced. The discovery and identification of his remains is one of the greatest archaeological detective stories ever told.

After his death on Bosworth Battle Field in 1485, Richard's body was hastily buried in a Friary in Leicester. But over the years, rumours spread that his bones had been dug up and flung into a nearby river.

Others believed that his body could still be in its original burial place, now under a council car park. Philippa Langley of the Richard III Society wanted to know for sure.
The dig started on 25th August 2012 and, within hours, bones had been found. Dr Richard Buckley lead the University of Leicester's archaeological team and confesses that no-one really believed they would find him. But as osteologist Dr Jo Appleby uncovered more of the remains, she discovered he had a curved spine and serious head wounds.

More research was needed to be sure they had got their man. Professor Turi King, an expert in DNA, and Jo Appleby explain the painstaking process to identify the remains and to match the DNA with relative Michael Ibsen, and how they found out more about the way the King lived.

David Monteith, the Dean of Leicester, became embroiled in a legal battle over where the remains should be re-interred – York or Leicester – as some distant relatives of the King challenged how the University had looked after the remains.

As well as giving a DNA sample, Michael Ibsen was also a carpenter and reveals how he ended up making his first ever coffin – fit for a medieval king.
Historian and writer Thomas Penn explains the impact of this momentous discovery on our understanding of history and of the man himself.

Producer: Karen Pirie
Series Producer: David Prest
A Whistledown production for BBC Radio 4


SAT 23:00 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


SAT 23:30 Behind the Scenes (m000jn94)
Michael Armitage

Michael Armitage is a Kenyan-born painter whose success has earned him exhibitions at Turner Contemporary, the Venice Biennale, MoMA in New York and, just before lockdown, at the Whitechapel Gallery in London. His work brings together the events, social and sexual issues that prevail in East Africa with his deep interest in Western painting.

Armitage was trained at the Slade and Royal Academy and his figurative work pays tribute to masters from Titian to Manet. In the paintings, he is not afraid to confront the dark side of life - the violence of a flaying, beatings and exorcism, sexual and religious intolerance - but he sets these scenes in a wider context than one country, prompting a reflection on universal inhumanity.

In the programme, we hear about Michael's unbringing and his life shared between London and Nairobi. We also discover his use of bark cloth instead of canvas as his painting surface. The cloth is cut from the softened bark of Lubugo tree and is traditionally used as shrouds in burial. The paintings are enriched by the texture and imperfections and stitching of the bark cloth which is a constant reminder of the African-ness of the work.

The programme is presented by critic and author Charlotte Jansen.

Producer: Susan Marling.
A Just Radio production for Radio 4