SATURDAY 02 DECEMBER 2023

SAT 00:00 Midnight News (m001svbc)
The latest news and weather forecast from BBC Radio 4.


SAT 00:30 Wasteland by Oliver Franklin-Wallis (m001sv26)
Precious

It all seems rather hopeless, but Oliver Franklin-Wallis has some ideas about how we can realistically tackle the waste crisis.

Looking at the very real physical legacy we are leaving behind, he finds reasons to be hopeful.

Written by Oliver Franklin-Wallis
Read by Russ Bain
Abridged by Robin Brooks
Produced by Naomi Walmsley


SAT 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m001svbg)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


SAT 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m001svbl)
World Service

BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.


SAT 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m001svbq)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


SAT 05:30 News Briefing (m001svbv)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


SAT 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m001svbx)
A reflection and prayer to start the day with the Very Rev Dr David Bruce.


SAT 05:45 New Storytellers (m001p6s3)
Harassment Architecture

The homeless community is targeted by features in the cityscape that are invisible to many of us.

Many argue that anti-homeless architecture enforces a certain type of ‘acceptable’ use of public space. Benches, bus stops and back alleys have been redesigned - leading some to say that homeless people are harassed into living in evermore hidden and dangerous places. A culture of resistance on the streets is fighting back.

In Harassment Architecture, Charlston draws from his first-hand experience of being homeless and disabled to reflect on how he and others like him are instructed, and often forced, to navigate urban environments. He questions the purpose and value of hostile design through recalling his own testimonies, and the hardship he has encountered. He now uses architecture as a tool in campaigning for radical solutions.

New Storytellers presents the work of new radio and audio producers, and this series features the winners of this year’s Charles Parker Prize 2023 for the Best Student Radio Feature. Harassment Architecture was made by Goldsmiths MA student George Ruskin, and the judges commented, “What is excellent about this piece is the perspective. It makes the listener see the world from one – singular – point of view, with wonderful stereo illustrations to bring the words to life.”

Producer: George Ruskin
A Soundscape production for BBC Radio 4


SAT 06:00 News and Papers (m001t2sg)
The latest news headlines. Including the weather and a look at the papers.


SAT 06:07 Open Country (m001svms)
Wilder London

Dan O’Neill is a wildlife expert and biologist. He’s also the first openly gay wildlife presenter. In this Open Country he’s in London to discover what ‘rewilding’ means for the capital.

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, launched the ‘Rewild London Fund’ to help make London a leader in urban rewilding, from restoring rivers to reintroducing species currently absent from the capital. One of them is the beaver and at Paradise Fields in Ealing, just down the road from the busy Greenford tube station, a family of five beavers have just been introduced to their new home by conservationist and vet Dr Sean McCormack. Together they will transform a gritty urban wasteland into a wildlife haven with ecosystem benefits for residents' wellbeing and flood defences.

The beavers are just one example of the huge growth in biodiversity in the city. As Dan travels from Ealing in the West to the east of the city at The Paddocks in Tottenham Hale, he discovers that there is also growing diversity in the conservation community. He meets LGQBT conservationist Izzy Knight who shares his passion for everything wild and celebrates the ‘Queer Nature’ festival at Kew, before heading back to Ealing to see whether he can spot those elusive beavers in their new home.

Produced by Helen Lennard


SAT 06:30 Farming Today (m001t2sj)
02/12/23 - Rural housing, Landscape Recovery schemes and DEFRA food attaches

Acute and overlooked - that's how the rural charity, the CPRE, describes the shortage of affordable housing in the English countryside in a report out this week. It says rural homelessness has risen by 40% in the last five years, driven by record house prices, long waiting lists for social housing and a proliferation of second and holiday homes.

34 new Landscape Recovery projects have been announced this week. This is part of the Environmental Land Management Schemes (ELMS) which are replacing the EU's Common Agriculture Policy in England. Landscape Recovery, as the name suggests, is work on a grand scale, giving farmers and land managers the opportunity to co-design a plan to provide environmental and climate benefits across a whole landscape. These latest projects will involve more than 700 farmers and landowners working over 200,000 hectares and have been given £25 million between them. This is the second round of projects - 22 pilot projects were given the go-ahead to develop plans last year. We visit three of them to find out how they're coming along.

And we speak to 2 of the UK's Food and Drink Attaches. A job selling British food and drink round the world sounds rather glamourous - in fact its more about tackling trade barriers than wining and dining. The UK's has 11 Agri-Food Attaches based in embassies and consulates around the world - 5 more will be added next year.

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


SAT 06:57 Weather (m001t2sl)
The latest weather reports and forecast


SAT 07:00 Today (m001t2sn)
Including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.


SAT 09:00 Saturday Live (m001t2sq)
Katherine Rundell, Atinuke, Steve Greenwood, Romesh Ranganathan

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


SAT 10:00 Your Place or Mine with Shaun Keaveny (m001t2ss)
Dom Joly: Fogo Island, Newfoundland, Canada

Dom wants to take Shaun to the remote island that some flat earthers believe to be the end of the world. But will they both fall off the edge into the whale-filled Atlantic Ocean? Resident geographer, historian and comedian Iszi Lawrence warns them of the moose-related hazards they may also face on this quest.

Your Place Or Mine is the travel series that isn’t going anywhere. Join Shaun as his guests try to convince him that it’s worth getting up off the sofa and seeing the world, giving us a personal guide to their favourite place on the planet.

Dom Joly image: Spencer McPherson

Producers: Beth O'Dea and Sarah Goodman

Your Place or Mine is a BBC Audio production for BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds.


SAT 10:30 The Kitchen Cabinet (m001t2sv)
Series 42

Sheffield

Jay Rayner and his panel of culinary whizzes are answering questions from Sheffield in this week’s episode.

Joining Jay are food writers Melek Erdal and Melissa Thompson, food historian Dr Annie Gray, and chef Rob Owen Brown.

The panel discusses a variety of culinary conundrums, from tips on perfecting julienne vegetables, to fool proof rice cooking advice. The panellists also discuss which food items they’d turn up with on Christmas Day, and the all important question - how to incorporate Sheffield’s beloved Henderson’s relish into a Christmas feast.

Also, Dr Annie Gray gives a run down on the history of staff canteens and cooking for the masses.

Senior Producer: Dom Tyerman
Assistant Producer: Rahnee Prescod
Executive Producer: Hannah Newton
A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4


SAT 11:00 The Week in Westminster (m001t2sx)
Radio 4's weekly assessment of developments at Westminster


SAT 11:30 From Our Own Correspondent (m001t2sz)
The UAE's Air Pollution Problem

Kate Adie presents stories from the UAE, Iran, Ireland, Finland and Cambodia

As the world's seventh largest oil producer, the UAE may seem an odd choice to host the world's annual climate summit, but the Emiratis have been keen to showcase their green credentials. But the UAE’s desired image is falling short of the reality, says Owen Pinnell, as he reveals the devastating impact of gas-flaring.

In Iran, the enforcement of the mandatory hijab rule was once again in the spotlight after the death of 16-year-old Armita Geravand, following an alleged altercation with morality police in Tehran. While the mass protests seen last year may have faded, Faranak Amidi reflects on her own childhood in Tehran and the will of Iranian women to continue taking a stand.

The Irish government has promised better resources for police and stronger hate crime laws after rioting in Dublin city centre just over a week ago. Our correspondent Chris Page says a combination of disinformation, growing anti-immigrant sentiment, and changing social dynamics is presenting new challenges in Ireland.

Finland this week announced the temporary closure of all crossings on its border with Russia amid claims that Moscow has been deliberately channeling asylum seekers into the country. After Finland’s decision to join NATO, relations with Russia have soured considerably. Richard Dove was in Helsinki

A new Chinese-funded airport has opened in Cambodia's north-east, serving as the main gateway to the Angkor Wat temple complex. China’s influence on the Cambodian economy is everywhere with numerous projects funded by Chinese loans. But this foreign influence is nothing new, says Sara Wheeler

Series Producer: Serena Tarling
Editor: Richard Fenton-Smith
Production Coordinator: Gemma Ashman


SAT 12:00 News Summary (m001t2vy)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


SAT 12:04 Money Box (m001t2t3)
Cyber-Attack Hits Home Sales and Charity Bank Accounts

Property buyers have said their home completions are being left in limbo after a company providing IT services to law firms was hit by a cyber incident. Money Box has found some of the UK's largest lenders have begun extending mortgage offers for those affected.

A national debt charity is calling on lenders to improve the way they identify customers who're getting into problem debt. StepChange says its recent research shows almost half of people with credit debt are experiencing difficulty with household bills and 1 in 6 adults are using credit to make ends meet. UK Finance which represents banks and credit card companies says lenders are committed to lending responsibly.

Charities are facing weeks or even months unable to access their own money thanks to the unexpected closures of their bank accounts. We've been getting emails about accounts being closed without people being given any reason or warning. UK Finance says banks will only take a decision to close an account after an extensive review and analysis.

Presenter: Paul Lewis
Reporter: Dan Whitworth
Researchers: Sandra Hardial and Jo Krasner
Editor: Jess Quayle

(First broadcast 12pm Saturday 2nd December 2023)


SAT 12:30 The Now Show (m001sv8y)
Series 63

Episode 5

Steve Punt and Hugh Dennis present the week via topical stand-up and sketches. They're joined by David Eagle unpacking the Advent, Jessica Fostekew looking into the repeal of the New Zealand smoking ban, and an original song from Archie Henderson, performed with Becky CJ.

The show was written by the cast with additional material from Alex Garrick-Wright, Jade Gebbie, Rhiannon Shaw, Miranda Holms and Cody Dahler.

Voice Actors: Jason Forbes and Lola-Rose Maxwell.

Producer: Rajiv Karia
Production Coordinator: Katie Baum

A BBC Studios Production for Radio 4


SAT 12:57 Weather (m001t2t5)
The latest weather forecast


SAT 13:00 News and Weather (m001t2t7)
The latest national and international news and weather reports from BBC Radio 4


SAT 13:10 Any Questions? (m001sv9h)
John Caudwell, Jess Phillips MP, Graham Stuart MP, Jeanette Winterson

Alex Forsyth presents political discussion from Lichfield Cathedral, Staffordshire with the entrepreneur and founder of Phones4U John Caudwell, Labour MP Jess Phillips, Minister for Energy Security and Net Zero Graham Stuart MP and the writer Jeanette Winterson.
Producer: Camellia Sinclair
Lead broadcast engineer: Chris Hardman


SAT 14:00 Any Answers? (m001t2t9)
Call Any Answers? to have your say on the big issues in the news this week


SAT 14:45 The Planet Earth Podcast (m001t2tc)
6. Calls Of The Wild

What would Planet Earth be without the incredible sounds – both real and designed – that help bring the natural world to life? From vultures feasting on bones to the wonderful voice of Sir David. Mike Gunton talks to sound recordist Chris Watson about the techniques used to capture sounds on location, while dubbing mixer Graham Wild shares some of the more surprising ingredients that go into creating the sounds of an elephant giving birth. Composers Jacob Shea and Sara Barone describe how they came up with the theme of Planet Earth III, while Sir David Attenborough remembers his own time recording sounds for his earliest programmes.


SAT 15:00 Turning Point (m001t2tf)
Mae West

In 1926 Mae West wrote, directed, produced and starred in the smash hit Sex on Broadway. When she was arrested on stage the following year for "corrupting the morals of youth", the subsequent court case led to a choice between apologising and paying a fine or going to jail for ten days. #

Mae chose the latter and it secured her legend.

While she was serving her time at Welfare Island she was invited to dinner with the Warden. This drama, based on those real events, imagines that dinner and celebrates the fabulous Mae West and her subsequent glittering career - writing her own lines in her movies, acting with casting approval over all her male co-stars, becoming the number one box office draw and the second richest person in America by 1935. All on her own terms.

She was a trailblazer, a warrior. A woman of power and property. A woman who refused to be silenced or let age diminish her importance. And yet her extraordinary achievements often seem to have been forgotten, despite the icons that followed in her footsteps – Marilyn and Madonna and young Miley naked on her wrecking ball.

Written by Tracy-Ann Oberman with David Spicer

Mae West - Tracy-Ann Oberman
Warden Schleth - Stuart Milligan,
Adolph Zukor - Alistair McGowan
Matron - Lorelei King,
Prosecutor - Matt Addis
Tallulah - Pepter Lunkuse
Kathleen - Jessica Dennis
Lainie - Anoushka Cowan

Producer: Liz Anstee
A CPL production for BBC Radio 4


SAT 16:00 Woman's Hour (m001t2th)
Weekend Woman's Hour: Emily Blunt, Stammering, Long-distance friendships, Maria Callas' legacy

Research by the charity Stamma shows that 8% of children will start stuttering at some point. Our listener Geri, a mother who’s son has a stammer, got in touch with Woman’s Hour and asked us to discuss the topic. Kirsten Howells from Stamma, Tiktok influencer Jessie Yendle and Geri join Claire McDonnell to share their own experiences and advice.

Actor Emily Blunt found fame as the scene-stealing assistant in The Devil Wears Prada, and has since starred in many films including Mary Poppins Returns and A Quiet Place with her real-life husband John Krasinski. She is also in one of this year’s biggest cinematic hits, Oppenheimer. As Christopher Nolan’s blockbuster about the father of the atomic bomb is released on ultra-HD DVD and Blu-ray, Emily Blunt talks to Clare McDonnell about her role as Kitty Oppenheimer, Robert’s wife.

How do you keep long-distance friendships going? Clare talks to filmmaker Shannon Haly, who lives in New York and wrote a viral poem about missing her best friend. They are joined by the journalist Rose Stokes who, after having an 18-year long-distance friendship decided to move to live in the same city as her friend.

What do women look for in a bra after breast cancer surgery? Clare is joined by Katy Marks, an architect by trade, who discovered after her single mastectomy that there was no bra on the market that was flat on one side. She didn’t want to use a prosthetic and so designed her own, called Uno, which launched on Monday. She’ll be joined on the programme by Asmaa Al-allak who won this year’s Great British Sewing Bee and is a consultant breast surgeon who has made post-surgery lingerie for her patients.

Today marks 100 years since the birth of one of opera’s most renowned and influential singers of the 20th century: the iconic heroine, Maria Callas. But what is it about her talent that has transcended the decades? Two sopranos – Alison Langer and Nadine Benjamin – join Anita to describe Maria Callas’ enduring star quality.

Presenter: Anita Rani
Producer: Hanna Ward
Studio Manager: Tim Heffer


SAT 17:00 PM (m001t2tk)
Full coverage of the day's news


SAT 17:30 Sliced Bread (m001svkh)
Christmas Trees

Which Christmas tree is better for the environment - real or fake?

Everyone loves the smell of a freshly cut pine or spruce but the vast majority of them go to landfill. So would a plastic tree be better?

Listener Eleanor wants to have a more sustainable Christmas and has some great questions. Is there a better way to dispose of your real tree? How about a pot grown tree you could use again the next year? And she's even heard about the possibility of renting a Christmas tree - the same one, year after year! Is that a thing?

In this frankly festive episode I attempt to get to the root of the problem (sorry!) by speaking to an ecological expert and a journalist who's attempted to rent the whole of Christmas.

Presenter: Greg Foot
Producer: Simon Hoban


SAT 17:54 Shipping Forecast (m001t2tm)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


SAT 17:57 Weather (m001t2tp)
The latest weather forecast


SAT 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m001t2tr)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4


SAT 18:15 Loose Ends (m001t2tv)
Max Boyce, AJ and Curtis Pritchard, Caryl Lewis, Non Evans, Angharad Jenkins & Huw Warren, Aisha Kigs, Kiri Pritchard-McLean

Clive Anderson and Kiri Pritchard-McLean are joined by Max Boyce, Non Evans, AJ and Curtis Pritchard and Caryl Lewis for an eclectic mix of conversation, music and comedy. With music from Angharad Jenkins & Huw Warren and Aisha Kigs, recorded at Swansea Grand Theatre.


SAT 19:00 Profile (m001t2tz)
An insight into the character of an influential person making the news headlines


SAT 19:15 The Infinite Monkey Cage (p0gr7m49)
Series 28

The Scale of Life (or were dinosaurs just too big?)

Brian and Robin are joined by palaeontologist Dr Susie Maidment, evolutionary biologist Dr Tori Herridge and comedian Dave Gorman to pitch giant creatures against tiny creatures in their bid to avoid extinction. They explore the scale of life and ask why are some organisms large and some small and what is the optimum size for successful survival. From the prokaryotic cell to the grandest dinosaur, how does the modern synthesis explain the huge variation in scale, form and function. What are the advantages and disadvantages to being huge like the dinosaurs, or was it their size that really did them in, in the end?

New episodes released Wednesdays. If you're in the UK, listen to the newest episodes of The Infinite Monkey Cage first on BBC Sounds: bbc.in/3K3JzyF

Executive Producer: Alexandra Feachem


SAT 20:00 Archive on 4 (m001t2v5)
La Divina

To mark the 100th anniversary of the birth of Maria Callas, singer Lesley Garrett and forensic psychiatrist Dr John Crichton cast their professional ears over the archive to look for fresh clues about the legendary soprano and her remarkable yet tragic life.

Born in Manhattan to Greek immigrant parents on 2nd December 1923, Maria was put on the stage to sing at the age of 5. She said that she hated it. Her mother took her to live in occupied Greece and Maria was enrolled at the local music conservatoire to begin her vocal training at the age of just 13.

She was trained in the old bel canto technique which Callas described as being like wearing a strait jacket. She worked tirelessly and her exceptional voice, combined with her superb dramatic talents, led to her soon being hailed as La Divina ("the Divine one").

Success on the opera stage led to fame and Callas was soon a superstar. Making headline news wherever she went, she became a style icon with a huge following. But the Press also picked up on stories of her being temperamental with a tendency to be extremely difficult to work with. Every move she made was scrutinised and brutally chewed over by newspaper men.

In 1957, while still married, Callas was introduced to Greek shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis. They were invited to a cruise on his yacht – along with Winston Churchill. By the end of the cruise, Callas had fallen for Onassis. She divorced her husband and began a tempestuous affair with the world’s wealthiest man. Around this time, she stopped singing regularly. After nine years, and allegedly with no warning to Callas, Onassis married Jackie Kennedy. Callas attempted to make a singing comeback, but her voice was too long neglected. She retreated to her flat in Paris where she lived a largely reclusive life. She died in 1977 aged just 53.

Archive voices include: Maria Callas, Lord Harewood, Edward Downes, Simon Callow, Alan Sievewright, Carlo Maria Giulini, Dame Joan Sutherland, Rev Richard Coles, David Holmes.

Music featured:

O mio babbino caro from Gianni Schicchi by Puccini
Un bel dì, vedremo from Madama Butterfly by Puccini
Casta Diva from Norma by Bellini
In separato carcera from Anna Bolena by Donizetti
O mio babbino caro from Gianni Schicchi by Puccini
Ecco l'orrido campo ove s'accoppia from Un Ballo in Maschera by Verdi

Producer: Rosie Boulton
A Must Try Softer Production


SAT 21:00 GF Newman's The Corrupted (m000w5j3)
Series 6

Episode 8

The final episode of GF Newman's family crime saga. It's now 2008 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

Lord Olinska - Toby Jones
Brian - Joe Armstrong
Tony Wednesday - Alec Newman
Sonia Hope - Sarah Lambie
Catherine - Isabella Urbanowicz
Margaret - Flora Montgomery
Anatoly Popov / Clive Bunter / Justice Deed - Matthew Marsh
PO Rogers / Paul Linthwaite / Menachem Hyak / Robin Bleecher - Paul Kemp
Julian Tyrwhitt - Jonathan Tafler
DCS Redvers - Arty Froushan
EXO Avedlund - Nigel Pivaro
Mrs Jinks / Marcia Hoffman - Suzan Sylvester
FBI Agent Pyke - Will Meredith
Chuck Haley - Matt Rippy
Tim Listfield - Charles Davies
DAC Henderson - Nicholas Murchie

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


SAT 21:45 The Skewer (m001sv1x)
Series 10

Episode 8

Fresh from winning Gold for Best Comedy at the British Podcast Awards (and Highly Commended as Podcast of the Year), Jon Holmes's comedy current affairs concept album returns for its 10th series to remix the news into satirical shapes.

This week: Oily Fools and Horses, Cleverly's Sh*thole, Where The Wilders things Are, and King Charles sees dead people (and takes their money).

Creator / Producer: Jon Holmes

An unusual production for BBC Radio 4


SAT 22:00 News (m001t2v9)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4


SAT 22:15 Add to Playlist (m001sv9b)
Natalie Duncan and Martin Phipps unpick a children's festive favourite

Pianist, singer and songwriter Natalie Duncan and Martin Phipps, composer of TV's The Crown and Ridley Scott's new film Napoleon, join Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye as they travel from Senegal to a massive Cher hit from 1998.

Producer Jerome Weatherald
Presented, with music direction, by Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye

The five tracks in this week's playlist:

El hadji n'fa djigui Diabaté by Salimata Diabaté
Mute Heart by Matt Calvert
Jingle Bells by Dean Shostak
Il Dolce Suono by Gaetano Donizetti
Believe by Cher

Other music in this episode:

Insomnia 2021 by Faithless (Maceo Plex Epic Remix)
Sabre Dance by Aram Khachaturian
Wild Signals from Close Encounters of the Third Kind by John Williams
So Doggone Lonesome by Ernest Tubb
Adagio in C for Glass Harmonica, K356 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart


SAT 23:00 Brain of Britain (m001styk)
Semi-Final 4, 2023

(16/17)
Would you know who's depicted on the twenty-pound banknote, what number corresponds to neutral on the pH scale, or who's been on the cover of the Radio Times more often than anyone else? The competitors in Brain of Britain will have to dredge these facts from the recesses of their minds if they're to progress to the Final, in today's contest between returning winners from the heats stage.

Today's semi-finalists are:
Matt Barr from Bolton
Sue Brooks from Kent
Brian Leddy from Glasgow
George Scratcherd from Essex

A listener also stands a chance of winning a prize, if questions they have devised succeed in defeating the combined brain-power of the contestants.

Assistant Producer: Stephen Garner
Producer: Paul Bajoria


SAT 23:30 Uncanny (m001t2vf)
Series 3

S3. Case 6: Good Evening

1989, and Anne moves to a new house in a new town with her husband and baby. Life seems unremarkable, until one day she’s prodded in the back and hears a refined voice in her ear… but there’s no-one there.

It happens again, and then again. Is Anne's imagination getting the better of her? Or does something want her attention?

Written and presented by Danny Robins
Editing and sound design: Charlie Brandon-King
Music: Evelyn Sykes
Script editor: Dale Shaw
Theme music by Lanterns on the Lake
Produced by Danny Robins and Simon Barnard

A Bafflegab and Uncanny Media production for BBC Radio 4

SUNDAY 03 DECEMBER 2023

SUN 00:00 Midnight News (m001t2vk)
The latest news and weather forecast from BBC Radio 4.


SUN 00:15 Poetry Please (m001sts1)
Benjamin Zephaniah

Roger McGough is joined in the studio by Benjamin Zephaniah, who shares a selection of favourite poems from listener requests.

These include classics by John Clare, Percy Bysshe Shelley and Spike Milligan; as well as a poem new to Roger, by the Chinese scholar Zhimo Xu written about Cambridge, newer works by Mary Jean Chan and Joelle Taylor, and one of Benjamin's own about his love of hedgehogs.

Benjamin Zephaniah is a dub poet and author who's written for children, teenagers and adults. His first poetry collection, Pen Rhythm, was published in 1980. Recent books include two volumes autobiography, Benjamin Zephaniah: My Story and The Life and Rhymes of Benjamin Zephaniah.

Produced by Eliza Lomas for BBC Audio.


SUN 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m001t2vm)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


SUN 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m001t2vp)
World Service

BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.


SUN 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m001t2vr)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


SUN 05:30 News Briefing (m001t2vt)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


SUN 05:43 Bells on Sunday (m001t2vw)
The parish church of St Mary the Virgin in Bures, Suffolk.

Bells on Sunday, comes from the parish church of St Mary the Virgin in Bures Suffolk. It is known that by 1840 there were six bells in the tower with the oldest bell dating from 1658. In 1951 they were augmented to eight bells by the Gillett and Johnston foundry of Croydon but retained an older 18th century oak bell frame in which the bells are hung in an anti-clockwise sequence. The Tenor weighs twenty one hundredweight and is tuned to the note of E. We hear them ringing Plain Bob Major


SUN 05:45 Profile (m001t2tz)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Saturday]


SUN 06:00 News Summary (m001t392)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4


SUN 06:05 Something Understood (m0002y9v)
Keeping a Mind Open

Mark Tully debates the pros and cons of an open mind - in life, in politics, in philosophy.

Keeping an open mind lies at the heart of Something Understood - or so Mark suggests. There may, however, be advantages to having a closed mind from time to time - to maintaining unswerving resolution and decisiveness, to wearing metaphorical blinkers to maintain a necessary focus.

Mark Tully examines the cases for and against keeping a mind open at all times with readings from the work of philosophers Eric Hoffer and Bertrand Russell, verse from 13th century mystic Rumi, and music by Arvo Part and Bengali singer Paban Das Baul.

The readers are Jasper Britton, Adjoa Andoh and Francis Cadder.

Presenter: Mark Tully
Producer: Frank Stirling

A 7digital production for BBC Radio 4


SUN 06:35 On Your Farm (m001t394)
The Grass Route: A different way of raising beef

What does an American oil man do in retirement? Richard Baynes finds the answer isn’t always cruises, Florida and golf. He meets Phil Close, who has turned to the hard graft of raising beef cattle on the hills above the South Ayrshire coast. Phil and his daughter Heather are doing it differently - raising smaller, all-grass-fed animals that stay in the fields all winter, even as storms howl in off the Irish sea. Their nature-based system avoids medication and produces great-tasting meat, but can they make it pay?

Produced and presented by Richard Baynes


SUN 06:57 Weather (m001t396)
The latest weather reports and forecast


SUN 07:00 News and Papers (m001t398)
The latest news headlines. Including a look at the papers.


SUN 07:10 Sunday (m001t39b)
A look at the ethical and religious issues of the week


SUN 07:54 Radio 4 Christmas Appeal (m001t338)
The Vicar's Christmas Appeal for the work of St Martin-in-the-Fields

The Reverend Dr Sam Wells, Vicar of St Martin-in-the-Fields, makes the Radio 4 Christmas Appeal for the work of St Martin-in-the-Fields with people experiencing homelessness.

To Give:
- Freephone 0800 082 82 84.
- Send a cheque to FREEPOST St Martin's Christmas Appeal. That’s the whole address. Please do not write anything else on the front of the envelope. Cheques should be made payable to St Martin-in-the-Fields Christmas Appeal.
- Or donate online via the Radio 4 Christmas Appeal website.

Registered Charity Number: 1156305


SUN 07:57 Weather (m001t39d)
The latest weather forecast


SUN 08:00 News and Papers (m001t39g)
The latest news headlines. Including a look at the Sunday papers.


SUN 08:10 Sunday Worship (m001t39j)
God's Justice: towards the earth

Marking the 1st Sunday of Advent live from the chapel of St Catharine’s College in Cambridge. Through this season, Sunday Worship will explore what God’s justice means in differing contexts. Dean of Chapel, the Revd Ally Barrett leads a service exploring God’s justice towards the earth, with seasonal music from the St Catherine’s College Girls' Choir and congregation.

Hosanna to the Son of David (Weelkes), People look East (arr. Piers Maxim), Psalm 19, Longing for a hope filled morning (words: Barrett, tune: Picardy), Romans 8:18-25, Rorate Caeli (Byrd), The Lord will come and not be slow (St Stephen), Oxyrhynchus fragment (anon), Hills of the North rejoice (Little Cornard).
Director of College Music: Dr Edward Wickham, Organ Scholars: June Rippon and John Zhang. Producer: James Mountford.


SUN 08:48 A Point of View (m001sv9m)
Weekly reflections on topical issues from a range of contributors.


SUN 08:58 Tweet of the Day (b03dwvx5)
Barnacle Goose

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 barnacle goose. Yapping like terriers, skeins of barnacle geese leave their roosts on mud-flats and fly inland at dawn to feed in grassy fields.


SUN 09:00 Broadcasting House (m001t39l)
The Sunday morning news magazine programme. Presented by Paddy O'Connell.


SUN 09:45 Radio 4 Christmas Appeal (m001tbmv)
Making a Difference

Hugh Dennis reports on how your donations from last year's Radio 4 Christmas Appeal with St Martin-in-the-Fields have been spent on changing the lives of homeless people or those at risk of homelessness. Like Jo, who this time last year was living in her car but now, thanks to a grant from the Vicar's Relief Fund, is in her own flat. We hear from Michael who, thanks to help he's had from The Connection in London, will spend Christmas this year off the streets and in temporary accommodation. And the story of Evie, who has been supported by Project Z at Caring in Bristol, one of six organisations across the UK that's funded through the St Martin's Frontline Fund. The appeal is now in its 97th year.

To Give:
- Freephone 0800 082 82 84.
- Send a cheque to FREEPOST St Martin's Christmas Appeal. Cheques should be made payable to St Martin-in-the-Fields Christmas Appeal.
- Or donate online via the Radio 4 Christmas Appeal website.

Registered Charity Number: 1156305


SUN 10:00 The Archers Omnibus (m001t39n)
WRITER: Daniel Thurman
DIRECTOR: Julie Beckett & Kim Greengrass

Helen Archer… Louiza Patikas
Natasha Archer…. Mali Harries
Tom Archer …. William Troughton
Lilian Bellamy …. Sunny Ormonde
Harrison Burns …. James Cartwright
Alice Carter …. Hollie Chapman
Harry Chilcott…. Jack Ashton
Ian Craig …. Stephen Kennedy
Justin Elliot…. Simon Williams
Alan Franks …. John Telfer
Emma Grundy …. Emerald O‘Hanrahan
Jakob Hakannson …. Paul Venables
Fallon Rogers …. Joanna Van Kampen
Adil Shah…. Ronny Jhutti
Lynda Snell MBE …. Carole Boyd
Oliver Sterling …. Michael Cochrane
Syksey …. Jasper Carrott


SUN 11:15 Desert Island Discs (m001t2y4)
Marina Abramović, performance artist

Marina Abramović is an artist renowned for performances and feats of endurance, in which her body is pushed to its limits. She has moved, scandalised and delighted audiences for half a century, and is now celebrated by world-leading galleries and institutions.

Marina was born in Belgrade in 1946. Her parents were honoured as war heroes for their work for the Partisan resistance movement, and both took up senior roles in the post-war Yugoslav government. Marina became interested in painting during her childhood, and went on to study art.

She first made her name as a performance artist in her 20s, creating events which often shocked viewers – and were equally traumatic for her. In 1974 she placed 72 objects, including sharp tools, a whip and a loaded pistol, on a table and invited gallery goers to use them on her, however they wished. She was attacked and left scarred, and part of her hair went white. For many years she led a nomadic existence, creating works with her partner, the German artist Ulay. In 1997, in response to the war in Bosnia, she created a prize-winning work for the Venice Biennale, in which for four days she attempted to scrub the blood from a vast pile of cow bones.

In 2010 her exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in New York attracted almost a million people, many queuing for hours for a chance to sit opposite her in silence as part of her marathon performance The Artist is Present. More recently her work has been celebrated in a major retrospective exhibition at the Royal Academy in London, along with performances at English National Opera, marking the centenary of Maria Callas.

Presenter Lauren Laverne
Producer Sarah Taylor


SUN 12:00 News Summary (m001t3fc)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


SUN 12:04 I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue (m001stz6)
Series 80

Episode 3

The nation's favourite wireless entertainment pays a visit to the De Montfort Hall in Leicester. Tony Hawks and Pippa Evans take on Andy Hamilton and the Reverend Richard Coles with Jack Dee in the chair. Colin Sell provides piano accompaniment.

Producer - Jon Naismith.

It is a BBC Studios production for Radio 4.


SUN 12:32 The Food Programme (m001t31d)
The food books of 2023

Over a coffee in community arts space The Place in Newport, south Wales, The Food Programme presenters Sheila Dillon, Leyla Kazim and Dan Saladino choose two books each from the year: one that has made them cook, and one that has made them think. Sheila also meets George Harris, creative director of Tin Shed Theatre Company, to hear why food has become part of their work, and leaf through a very special cookbook that has been passed down through George's family.

Wondering what the next generation makes of food books, Sheila visits a group of young food activists from the organisation Bite Back 2030, to debate one of the top food books of this year - Henry Dimbleby's Ravenous. Meeting at Bite Back HQ, in north London, they also discuss whether TikTok spells the end of an era for recipe books and share their own recommended reads.

Dropping in on cookbook buyer at Topping books in Bath, Kathleen Smith, we find out what's been selling this year and how trends vary according to region. Plus, scattered throughout, we hear the personal book recommendations from best-selling food writers and chefs including Rukmini Iyer, Poppy O'Toole and other familiar faces, picking their own favourite new releases from 2023.

Presented by Sheila Dillon and produced by Nina Pullman for BBC Audio in Bristol.


SUN 12:57 Weather (m001t39t)
The latest weather forecast


SUN 13:00 The World This Weekend (m001t39w)
Radio 4's look at the week's big stories from both home and around the world


SUN 13:30 Behind the Crime (m001t39y)
Fran

This is the story of a young woman who got herself into difficulties by signing a lease on a commercial unit for a bakery business she was setting up without thinking through the implications. In order to cover the bills, she sought investment – but that investment was built on lies she told.
Fran was imprisoned for fraud.
When we dig back into Fran’s formative experiences, we start to see the patterns that led to this catastrophic chain of events.
Is it possible to prevent crime by understanding the root causes of offending behaviour?

Sally Tilt and Dr Kerensa Hocken are forensic psychologists who work in prisons.

They help people in prison to look at the harm they’ve caused to other people, understand why it happened and work out how to make changes to prevent further harm after they’ve been released.

In Behind the Crime, they take the time to understand the life of someone whose crimes have led to harm and, in some cases, imprisonment.

The job of the forensic psychologists is to dig deep into Fran’s story, to understand the sequence of events that got Fran to the point where she committed a crime.
For details of organisations that can provide help and support, visit bbc.co.uk/actionline

Producer: Andrew Wilkie
Editor: Clare Fordham
Behind the Crime is a co-production between BBC Long Form Audio and the Prison Radio Association.


SUN 14:00 Gardeners' Question Time (m001sv7r)
Postbag: Cambridge University Botanic Garden

How do I make my cactus healthier? Which 1930’s style plants could I grow indoors? How do I prune mistletoe?

Peter Gibbs and his panel of horticultural experts are at Cambridge University Botanic Gardens for this week’s postbag episode of Gardeners’ Question Time. Joining Peter on a tour of the gardens are Head Gardener of Horatio’s Garden Ashley Edwards, ethnobotanist James Wong, and garden designer Bunny Guinness.

Alongside the questions, the Head of Horticulture at Cambridge University Botanic Gardens, Sally Petitt, gives the pane a tour of the greenhouses and gardens on the historic site.

Producer: Dominic Tyerman
Assistant Producer: Dulcie Whadcock

A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4.


SUN 14:45 Opening Lines (m001t3b0)
A Many-Splendoured Thing - Episode 2

A Many-Splendoured Thin’, by the Eurasian author and doctor Han Suyin, was an instant hit in Britain and the States on its publication in 1952. Set in Hong Kong between 1949 and 1950, it’s a lightly fictionalised account of the author’s own passionate and transformative love affair.

The protagonist mirrors Han Suyin, herself – a Eurasian doctor originally from mainland China, born to a Chinese father and a Belgian mother. In real life, Han Suyin fell in love with an Australian war correspondent who, in the novel, becomes an Englishman, Mark Elliott.

In the second of two episodes, John explores Han’s other love affair, with China itself. He explains that A Many-Splendoured Thing is no longer in print and that this can be seen in the light of Han Suyin having been, for a long time, a passionate advocate of communism in China, which she saw as an improvement on the brutalities she had witnessed in feudal China. This resulted in her and her books falling out of favour as the horrors of the Cultural Revolution became fully apparent .

However, John believes it’s well worth tracking down a copy, as the novel tackles both the complexities of a cross cultural affair in 1949, and offers us a personal and nuanced portrait of a period of extreme political upheaval.

John Yorke has worked in television and radio for nearly 30 years, and he shares his experience with Radio 4 listeners as he unpacks the themes and impact of the books, plays and stories that are being dramatised on BBC Radio 4. From EastEnders to The Archers, Life on Mars to Shameless, he has been obsessed with telling big popular stories. He has spent years analysing not just how stories work but why they resonate with audiences around the globe, and has brought together his experience in his bestselling book Into the Woods. As former Head of Channel Four Drama, Controller of BBC Drama Production and MD of Company Pictures, John has tested his theories during an extensive production career working on some of the world’s most lucrative, widely viewed and critically acclaimed TV drama. As founder of the hugely successful BBC Writers Academy, John has trained a generation of screenwriters.

Credits:
A Many-Splendoured Thing by Han Suyin, published by Jonathan Cape, 1952 (currently out of print)

Contributors:
Ming Ho, writer, who adapted the book for BBC Radio 4
Alex Tickell, Professor of Global literatures in English at the Open University

Reader: Chipo Chung

Producer: Penny Boreham
Executive Producer: Sara Davies
Researcher: Nina Semple
Production Manager: Sarah Wright
Sound Engineer: Iain Hunter

A Pier production for BBC Radio 4


SUN 15:00 Love Stories (m001t3b2)
A Many-Splendoured Thing, Part 2

Part Two of Ming Ho’s new dramatisation of Han Suyin’s landmark semi-autobiographical novel.

The story follows Suyin, a doctor and writer, living and working in late 1940s Hong Kong. When Suyin meets British war reporter Mark, she embarks on a secret love affair that tests her relationship to her own Eurasian identity and divided loyalties. As the People's Republic is established in China, tensions in Hong Kong intensify, and Suyin is treated with increasing suspicion by the colonial elites. With the lines between West and East ever starker, are Mark and Suyin delaying the inevitable? And can Suyin reclaim the narrative of history?

Originally published in 1952, this is a story of two societies on the cusp of change - colonial Hong Kong and feudal, revolutionary China – in a fresh adaptation for BBC Radio 4.

CAST
Suyin ..... Chipo Chung
Mark ..... Billy Howle
Adeline Palmer-Jones/Mrs Cheng ..... Sarah Lam
Humphrey Palmer Jones ..... Paul Courtenay Hyu
Robert Hung/William Monk ..... Daniel York Loh
Nora Hung ..... Jennifer Lim
Suzanne/ Martha Monk ..... Elizabeth Chan
Sen/Ah Sun ..... Jon Chew
Fiona Manton ..... Ruth Everett
James Manton ..... Dickon Farmar
Mei..... Ivy Wong

Dramatised by Ming Ho
Directed by Anne Isger
Sound by Andy Garrett and Pete Ringrose
Production Co-ordination by Ben Hollands
A BBC Audio Production


SUN 16:00 Bookclub (m001t33j)
Donal Ryan: The Spinning Heart

Donal Ryan discusses his book The Spinning Heart with a group of readers, It's a powerful, moving novel told through twenty one individual voices. Set in Ireland in the immediate aftermath of the Celtic Tiger 'boom' years, each character reveals how the sudden and dramatic 'bust' affected their lives. At the centre is Bobby Mahon, once a respected and reliable foreman for a building company who suddenly loses his job when the firm's owner disappears overnight.

Presenter: James Naughtie
Producer: Nicola Holloway

Upcoming recordings:

13 December at 1830 at BBC Broadcasting House, London - Elly Griffiths is our guide to The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins

24 January 2024 at 1830 at BBC Broadcasting House, London - Graeme Macrae Burnet discusses His Bloody Project

Email bookclub@bbc.co.uk to take part.


SUN 16:30 Poetry Please (m001t3b4)
Jackie Kay

Roger McGough is joined in the studio by Jackie Kay, who rifles through listener requests to pick out some of her favourite poems.

They include well-loved classics, such as The Lake Isle of Innisfree by W. B. Yeats, alongside oft-requested poems by Roger Robinson and Norman MacCaig and poets new to Roger, such as Ntozake Shange.

Jackie Kay is the former Scottish Makar, and as well as being a poet is also a novelist, playwright and librettist. Her collections include Bantam, Adoption Papers, Trumpet, Other Lovers and her recent memoir, Red Dust Road.

Produced by Eliza Lomas for BBC Audio


SUN 17:00 File on 4 (m001sv93)
Artificial Intelligence: The Criminal Threat

Artificial intelligence, or AI, makes it possible for machines to learn - and in the future it will perform many tasks now done by humans. But are criminals and bad actors ahead of the curve? AI is already being used to commit fraud and other crimes by generating fake videos and audio; fast emerging threats that form just part of a potential new crime wave. File on 4 investigates.

Reporter: Paul Connolly
Producer: Fergus Hewison
Editor: Carl Johnston


SUN 17:40 Radio 4 Christmas Appeal (m001tbmv)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:45 today]


SUN 17:54 Shipping Forecast (m001t3b6)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


SUN 17:57 Weather (m001t3b8)
The latest weather forecast


SUN 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m001t3bb)
The early evening national and international news from BBC Radio 4


SUN 18:15 Pick of the Week (m001t3bj)
Geoff Bird

Geoff Bird chooses audio highlights from the past week.


SUN 19:00 The Archers (m001t30m)
Kate is on a mission, and debate rages at Bridge Farm.


SUN 19:15 Briony May Williams (m0017tn8)
More than 13 million people in this country can be classed as disabled, often in ways we don’t think or talk about – sometimes in ways which even they are not fully conscious of. The spectrum of mental and physical disability is far wider than most of us have ever thought about. It’s an elephant in the room - we can all see it (unless we’re visually impaired) but none of us talk about it (unless we have Tourette Syndrome).

If you’re uncomfortable with these jokes, don’t worry, this show isn’t always going to be comfortable. But it will be subversive, celebratory, and absolutely unlike anything else you’ve ever heard on the radio – or, very likely, anywhere else.

Under the stewardship of Briony May Williams, The Thirteen Million Club brings together a remarkable range of talents and a collection of fresh perspectives in a smorgasbord of stand-up, spiky consumer pieces, interviews and panel-game style battles of wits.

From the impatient deaf comic Steve Day to the bipolar depression tales of Harriet Dyer (don’t worry, she’s been making it funny for a long time), via dyspraxia, sight loss, ADHD, and quite a lot more besides, we laugh with and at our spectacular cast as they laugh with and at themselves. And also at the attitudes of others, and the madness of a world which is still struggling to catch up with let alone accommodate them.

Produced by Simon Minty and Lianne Coop.
An Impatient production for BBC Radio 4


SUN 19:45 Love on the Main Line (m001t3bn)
Episode 1 - London Victoria

Jess Searle's life is mapped out like a timetable. A successful data analyst, she’s created her own dating app to find your perfect match. It worked for her! She found devilishly handsome Jean-Baptise and they will be married at the start of the new year. Everything is running to schedule. Until she meets cynic and sceptic Kev Warmley - a stand up comedian who believes love cannot be determined by an algorithm but by the rhythm of your heart. And the odd fart joke. Is Jess’s life about to be completely derailed? Or will she find Love On The Main Line...?

Written by Colin Bytheway

Read by Rasmus Hardiker and Tigger Blaize

Directed by Celia de Wolff
Studio Manager - Matt Bainbridge
Sound Design by Lucinda Mason Brown
Production Manager - Sarah Wright

A Pier Production for BBC Radio 4


SUN 20:00 Feedback (m001sv8c)
BBC International Editor Jeremy Bowen responds to listener Feedback

Feedback this week has a distinctly Middle Eastern feel.

The BBC’s International editor, Jeremy Bowen, talks to Andrea Catherwood about the challenges of accuracy and impartiality on the frontline of the Israel/Hamas War.

Also, was The Food Programme right to devote an episode to “Food Under Siege in Gaza”? The programme presenter Sheila Dillon responds to listener comments.

And Bloodlines is a new 7-part podcast from the BBC Asian Network. Reporter Poonam Taneja travels to the detention camps of northern Syria where thousands of woman and children who lived under Islamic State are still being held. She describes the reality of being in the region searching for Sulmann, the young grandson of a British man who is desperate for answers.

Presenter: Andrea Catherwood
Producer: Gerry Cassidy
A Whistledown Scotland production for BBC Radio 4


SUN 20:30 Last Word (m001sv85)
Henry Kissinger, Terry Venables, Paul Watson, Rachel Heller

Matthew Bannister on

Henry Kissinger, a towering figure in international diplomacy, who won the Nobel Peace Prize but was condemned by some as a war criminal.

Also, Terry Venables, the colourful manager who took the England Football team to the semi-finals of Euro 96.

Paul Watson, the pioneer of reality TV whose “fly on the wall” techniques caused controversy. Sir Peter Bazalgette pays tribute.

And Rachel Heller the artist who was born with Down’s Syndrome and whose work was collected by fellow artists including David Hockney, Sir Peter Blake and Maggi Hambling.


SUN 21:00 Money Box (m001t2t3)
[Repeat of broadcast at 12:04 on Saturday]


SUN 21:25 Radio 4 Christmas Appeal (m001t338)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:54 today]


SUN 21:30 Loose Ends (m001t2tv)
[Repeat of broadcast at 18:15 on Saturday]


SUN 22:00 Westminster Hour (m001t3bx)
Radio 4's Sunday night political discussion programme.


SUN 23:00 The Reith Lectures (m001sty4)
Ben Ansell: Our Democratic Future

1. The Future of Democracy

This year's BBC Reith Lecturer is Ben Ansell, Professor of Comparative Democratic Institutions at Nuffield College, Oxford University. He will deliver four lectures called “Our Democratic Future,” asking how we can build a politics that works for all of us with systems which are robust to the challenges of the twenty first century, from climate change to artificial intelligence.

In this first lecture, recorded at New Broadcasting House in London in front of an audience, Professor Ansell asks whether we are in a 'democratic recession', where longstanding democracies are at risk of breakdown and authoritarianism is resurgent. And he examines how resilient democracies are to the challenges of artificial intelligence, social media and if they can effectively address core challenges from climate change to inequality.

The Reith Lectures are presented by Anita Anand and produced by Jim Frank.
The Editor is China Collins.
Reith Co-ordinator is Brenda Brown.
The series is mixed by Rod Farquhar and Neil Churchill.

MONDAY 04 DECEMBER 2023

MON 00:00 Midnight News (m001t3bz)
The latest news and weather forecast from BBC Radio 4.


MON 00:15 Sideways (m001stzp)
55. Perfectly Mediocre

Cornell University is known for it's elite a cappella scene. It was even the inspiration for the hit film Pitch Perfect.

But in 2018 a new group arrived on the scene - Mediocre Melodies. This is the story of how one small group of average singers made a huge impact, as Matthew Syed explores the potential benefits of embracing mediocrity and getting comfortable with being average.

Featuring Andrew Greene & Maggie Meister of Mediocre Melodies. With Dr Thomas Curran and Dr Leonaura Rhodes.

Presenter: Matthew Syed
Producer: Leigh Meyer
Series Editor: Katherine Godfrey
Mix and sound design: Naomi Clarke
Theme tune by Ioana Selaru
A Novel production for BBC Radio 4.


MON 00:45 Bells on Sunday (m001t2vw)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:43 on Sunday]


MON 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m001t3c2)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


MON 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m001t3c8)
World Service

BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.


MON 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m001t3cd)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


MON 05:30 News Briefing (m001t3cj)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


MON 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m001t3cn)
A reflection and prayer to start the day with the Very Rev Dr David Bruce.


MON 05:45 Farming Today (m001t3cx)
The latest news about food, farming and the countryside.


MON 05:56 Weather (m001t3d6)
The latest weather forecast for farmers.


MON 05:58 Tweet of the Day (b04t0t02)
Oilbird

Michael Palin presents the oilbird, from a Venezuelan cavern. Demonic screeching's and the rush of unseen wings mixed with a volley of strange clicks are the sound backdrop to oilbirds.

Oilbirds are known in Spanish as guacharos .."the wailing ones". These bizarre-looking brown birds with huge mouths, long broad wings and long tails were seen in 1799 by the explorer Alexander von Humboldt in 1817 who described their sounds as "ear-splitting". They're similar to nightjars, their closest relatives, but unlike them, oilbirds feed on fruit; ..... they're the world's only nocturnal flying fruit-eating bird.

In their dark breeding caves, they navigate using echolocation like bats. Young oilbirds grow fat on a diet of fruit brought in by their parents and can weigh half as much as again as the adults. These plump chicks were once harvested by local people and settlers for oil which was used in cooking and, ironically for a bird which spends its life in darkness, for lighting lamps.

Producer : Andrew Dawes


MON 06:00 Today (m001t2xl)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.


MON 09:00 Start the Week (m001t2xq)
Playing games

It’s play time on Start the Week. The mathematician Marcus Du Sautoy looks at the numbers behind the games we play, from Monopoly to rock paper scissors. In Around The World in 80 Games he shows how understanding maths can give you the edge, and why games are integral to human psychology and culture.

The historian Anthony Bale looks at game-playing in the medieval world. In A Travel Guide to the Middle Ages, he finds travellers passing the time with dice and tric trac, as well as collecting pilgrim badges along the way.

Many of today’s most popular video games immerse players in historical settings, and the practice of collecting items along the way is nothing new to gamers. The co-director of the Games and Gaming Lab at the University of Glasgow, Jane Draycott, researches the historical authenticity of these online worlds, and especially the depiction of women.

And the mathematician G.T. Karber has taken his love of classic detective fiction and puzzles to create the murder-mystery riddle Murdle. A combination of Cluedo and Sudoku, what started as an online game is now a series of bestselling books. The latest is Murdle: More Killer Puzzles.

Producer: Katy Hickman


MON 09:45 The Years by Annie Ernaux (m001t2xw)
Episode 1

Considered by many to be the iconic French memoirist’s defining work, The Years is a narrative of the period 1941 to 2006 told through the lens of memory, impressions past and present, cultural habits, language, photos, books, songs, radio, television, advertising and news headlines.

Annie Ernaux invents a form that is subjective and impersonal, private and collective, and a new genre – the collective autobiography – in order to capture the passing of time.

At the confluence of autofiction and sociology, The Years is ‘a Remembrance of Things Past for our age of media domination and consumerism’ (New York Times), a monumental account of twentieth-century French history as refracted through the life of one woman.

‘One of the best books you’ll ever read.’
— Deborah Levy, author of Hot Milk

‘The author of one of the most important oeuvres in French literature, Annie Ernaux’s work is as powerful as it is devastating, as subtle as it is seething.’
— Edouard Louis, author of The End of Eddy

‘Ravishing and almost oracular with insight, Ernaux’s prose performs an extraordinary dance between collective and intimate, “big” history and private experience. The Years is a philosophical meditation paced as a rollercoaster ride through the decades. How we spend ourselves too quickly, how we reach for meaning but evade it, how to live, how to remember – these are Ernaux’s themes. I am desperate for more.’
— Kapka Kassabova, author of Border

Born in 1940, Annie Ernaux grew up in Normandy, studied at Rouen University, and later taught at secondary school. From 1977 to 2000, she was a professor at the Centre National d’Enseignement par Correspondance. In 2017, she was awarded the Marguerite Yourcenar Prize for her life’s work. In 2022, she was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature.

Alison L. Strayer is a Canadian writer and translator. Her translation of The Years was awarded the 2018 French-American Translation Prize in the non-fiction category. She lives in Paris.

Written by Annie Ernaux
Translated by Alison L Strayer
Read by Sian Thomas
Abridged by Jill Waters with Mark Kilfoyle
Produced by Jill Waters
A Waters Company production for BBC Radio 4


MON 10:00 Woman's Hour (m001t2y6)
Living with one breast, City Girl in Nature, Women and plastic pollution

Last week on the programme we heard from Katy Marks, an architect by trade, who discovered after her single mastectomy that there was no bra on the market that was flat on one side. She didn’t want to use a prosthetic and so designed her own. Lots of you got in touch following that item to talk about your own experiences of living with one breast. Krupa Padhy is joined by two listeners, Diane Devlin and Laura Homer.

Born and raised in Deptford, South East London, Kwesia didn’t grow up with a lot of nature around her. That’s until she went on a life-changing trip to the Amazon where she camped in the rainforest. She’s since created her Youtube channel, City Girl in Nature, to guide other city dwellers into the great outdoors. She speaks to Krupa about her platform, nature activism work, and winning Best New Voice at the Audio Production Awards for her podcast Get Birding.

COP28 is now fully underway in the UAE. The conference of world leaders and experts in the environment will discuss many things, one of them being plastic pollution. Women are more vulnerable to the negative health impacts from single-use plastics, and also form a larger majority of its consumers. So what are world leaders doing to reduce plastic pollution? Krupa is joined by Christina Dixon from the Environmental Investigation Agency to discuss.


MON 11:00 Fed with Chris van Tulleken (m001t2yj)
Series 1: Planet Chicken

6. The Fast Food Trap

Chris has learned how to make better chicken choices, and what those choices really mean.

So why is he STILL eating CRAP?

Like many of us, Chris is always trying to eat better food: healthy, high welfare, good for the environment. This kind of consumer demand is making the chicken industry better, in tiny increments. So why do so many of us give ourselves a pass when it comes to the food we KNOW we shouldn’t be eating, yet we do in absolutely vast amounts… fast food?

Chicken is at the very heart of this industry. As a cheap meat that doesn’t have a strong taste, can easily take on other flavours and doesn’t have any religious restrictions, it’s the ideal takeaway ingredient; from nuggets to chow mein to tikka masala.

And although we might be careful about chicken choices when buying it raw to prepare at home, somehow we don’t seem to mind turning a blind eye to the origins and nutritional content of our fast food favourites, especially if we’re hungry…

Chris discovers just how bad this food can be for both us and the planet, and why we’re powerless to resist it.

Produced by Emily Knight and Lucy Taylor


MON 11:30 Analysis (m001r7rj)
How can we grow the UK economy?

The cost of living crisis followed a decade in which people’s wages and incomes barely grew. The idea that each generation does at least as well as the one before, has for the moment ended. We’ll only start getting better off again if we can get the economy growing – as it used to in the decades preceding the financial crisis. So, what levers can governments pull to get growth back into the system? Why don't governments do the things that nearly every expert thinks might work? Should we be looking to governments at all? Paul Johnson of the Institute for Fiscal Studies explores the challenges facing the UK economy and asks: how can any government get the UK economy growing?

Presenter: Paul Johnson
Producer: Farhana Haider
Editor: Claire Fordham

Contributors:
Diane Coyle, Bennett Professor of Public Policy at the University of Cambridge.
Jagjit Chadha, Director of the National Institute of Economic and Social Research
Stephen Evans, Chief Executive of the Learning and Work Institute
Richard Davies, Director of the Economics Observatory
Louise Hellem, Chief economist at the CBI.
Nicholas Macpherson, former Permanent Secretary at the Treasury.
Rowan Crozier, CEO C. Brandauer & Co Ltd
Sam Bowan, Editor of Works in Progress


MON 12:00 News Summary (m001t2yw)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


MON 12:04 You and Yours (m001t2z6)
News and discussion of consumer affairs


MON 12:57 Weather (m001t2zk)
The latest weather forecast


MON 13:00 World at One (m001t2zx)
Forty-five minutes of news, analysis and comment.


MON 13:45 Empire of Tea (m001t307)
Cosy with a Kick

Exciting and enterprising, bloody and brutal.
Sathnam Sanghera tells the story of our national drink and its imperial past.
Punjabi cha, served from a saucepan to the whole family every morning, is the drink of Sathnam’s childhood.
But he’s also noticed that tea is a Forrest Gump-type figure, appearing at all sorts of key moments in global history.
Tea arrived in Britain as an exotic product for the elite. How and why did it then become a drink for the masses?
Empire of Tea tells the story of how Britain's national drink and its imperial background helped shape the modern world.

Produced by Paul Martin for BBC Audio Wales


MON 14:00 The Archers (m001t30m)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Sunday]


MON 14:15 Faith, Hope and Glory (m001t30x)
Series 4

Hope

By Roy Williams. We have followed the lives of Caribbean-born Hope and Faith (Eunice) and British-born Gloria since 1946. It’s now 1978, and Hope is struggling with life in a society in which she feels unwelcome and also at home now all her children have flown the nest. Her family are worried and frustrated. Not even the planning for her first grandson’s christening interests her. Can a voice from her distant past jolt the usually ebullient Hope out of her despair?

Hope .... Danielle Vitalis
Rodney .... Lloyd Thomas
Faith .... Shiloh Coke
Sheila .... Keziah Joseph
Jimmy .... Michael Ajao
Jean ..... Cecilia Appiah
Gabriel ..... Darren Hart
Errol ..... Joshua-Alexander Williams
Boy ..... Tyler Cameron

Produced and directed by Pat Cumper

A BBC Audio Production for BBC Radio 4

********************

Faith Hope and Glory returns to Radio 4. We began following the lives of Hope, Faith (Eunice) and Gloria in the UK in 1946; three generations of three families bound together by the fate of one baby lost and found on Tilbury Dock. They are now firmly established in their lives in late 1970s Britain.

This series is set in 1978. Although racial tensions continue to simmer, black Britons are taking practical measures to help themselves. Some are standing for election as councillors. Saturday schools are springing up all over the country to support black students suffering discrimination in the education system.

Hope still works at the hospital as a Sister but feels increasingly unwelcome in the UK. Her children have all left home - Sheila is now a teacher, Jean is studying fashion design and Jimmy has just become a father. Despite her strong marriage to second husband Rodney, Hope is struggling and her family have no idea how to help her. It doesn’t help that memories of the loss of her first child have become stronger with the passing of the years.


MON 15:00 Brain of Britain (m001t314)
The Final, 2023

(17/17)
After four months of heats and semi-finals, the cream of this year's quizzers join Russell Davies at the Radio Theatre in London for the 2023 Final. One of them will take away the silver trophy as the 70th official BBC Brain of Britain.

The Finalists are
Dan Adler from Surrey
Eleanor Ayres from Cambridge
Colin Kidd from Hertfordshire
George Scratcherd from Essex.

They have all proved impressive and consistent on their climb to the final rung and a tight contest is guaranteed. Might it even come down to a tiebreak, as two of this year's semi-finals did?

Assistant Producer: Stephen Garner

Producer: Paul Bajoria


MON 15:30 The Food Programme (m001t31d)
[Repeat of broadcast at 12:32 on Sunday]


MON 16:00 The Infinite Monkey Cage (p0gr7m49)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:15 on Saturday]


MON 16:30 Across the Divide (m001t31r)
Families from the many sides of the Gaza/Israeli dispute share and reflect on their own personal histories and day-to-day existence.


MON 17:00 PM (m001t320)
Afternoon news and current affairs programme, reporting on breaking stories and summing up the day's headlines


MON 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m001t326)
The early evening national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


MON 18:30 I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue (m001t32d)
Series 80

Episode 4

The antidote to panel games pays a return visit to the De Montfort Hall in Leicester. Tony Hawks and Pippa Evans take on Andy Hamilton and the Reverend Richard Coles with Jack Dee in the chair. Colin Sell attempts piano accompaniment.

Producer - Jon Naismith.

It is a BBC Studios production for Radio 4.


MON 19:00 The Archers (m001t32m)
Justin goes too far, and Clarrie reaches the end of her tether.


MON 19:15 Front Row (m001t32y)
Julia Roberts on Leave the World Behind, guitarist MILOŠ

Julia Roberts on Leave the World Behind, guitarist MILOŠ


MON 20:00 South Africa: The Children of Paradise (m001t33b)
Things must change

Three decades after the momentous transition from Apartheid to a democratic South Africa, Fergal Keane returns to see what happened to the hopes and promises of a better nation.
In a famous speech thirty years ago, as he collected the Nobel Peace Prize, Nelson Mandela spoke of a “common humanity” in which all South Africans would live “like the children of paradise.”
As the BBC’s South Africa correspondent at the time, Fergal Keane, along with his colleague and friend Milton Nkosi, lived through some of the country’s most desperate times. It was a period of extreme violence and loss, but also of great hope.
Now Fergal and Milton travel through the country, re-visiting some of the places and people they encountered in the lead up to the end of Apartheid. Through this series they will explore how and why paradise was lost.
In this first episode they return to Tembisa, a township on the edges of Johannesburg, searching for Cynthia who they first met one winter's morning in 1993, huddling with her children under plastic sheeting.

Presenter: Fergal Keane
Producer: John Murphy


MON 20:30 Crossing Continents (m001svhn)
Poland's Forest Frontier

Crossing Continents reports from Poland’s eastern frontier, where the Polish government has built a steel border wall - 186 kilometres long and five metres high, it’s meant to stop global migrants from Asia and Africa trying to cross from the Belarusian side. But the wall cuts straight through the Białowieza forest - the largest remaining stretch of primeval forest in Europe, which is also a UNESCO world heritage site.

Grzegorz Sokol meets environmental scientists, activists and local villagers each with their point of view. Women like Kasia Mazurkiewicz-Bylok who treks into the forest with a rucksack of supplies to try to help migrants lost in the dense, trackless forest. Or Kat Nowak, a biologist trying to log the precise effects of the wall - from the plant species brought in with the gravel for the foundation, to the possible effects on wolf behaviour.

The deep and dark forest of Białowieza seems to have lain undamaged by humans since it began to grow more than 12,000 years ago. But this remote part of Poland is in reality no stranger to upheaval. Caught in the fault lines of wars and revolution throughout the 20th century, the forest's villages have been razed more than once. Villagers have been murdered, forced to flee and become refugees themselves. As Grzegorz explores the forest, these hidden histories feel ever more present.

Producer Monica Whitlock
Editor Penny Murphy
Production Coordinator Gemma Ashman


MON 21:00 Seven Deadly Psychologies (m001sv5c)
Greed

Becky Ripley and Sophie Ward take a cold hard look at the psychology behind each of the seven deadly sins, in the order established by Pope Gregory the Great: pride, greed, lust, envy, gluttony, wrath, and lazy old sloth. Why have we evolved these ugly emotions? What’s going on in the brain and the body when we feel them? And how best can we live alongside them - in ourselves and with others?

Greed is in the spotlight today. And we're not talking food. (That’s gluttony, we come to that later in the series.) We're talking greed for money, for land, for material things – and ultimately for control, status, dominance, power. The kind of greed that separates the "haves" from the "have nots".

On one hand, greed is a great motivator, driving us all forward in our pursuit to get more of whatever it is we want. But at its ugliest, greed can come at a huge cost to other people, and to the planet. When does self-interested behaviour become selfish? And can we be greedy for the good?

To guide us through this mess is evolutionary anthropologist Dr Anna Machin from the Department of Experimental Psychology at the University of Oxford, psychologist and social scientist Professor Paul Piff from the Department of Psychological Science at the University of California, Executive Director of the New Economy Organisers Network, Ayeisha Thomas-Smith, and a few wise words from Sir David Attenborough.

Producer: Becky Ripley


MON 21:30 Start the Week (m001t2xq)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]


MON 22:00 The World Tonight (m001t33z)
In depth reporting, intelligent analysis and breaking news from a global perspective


MON 22:45 Miss Buncle's Book by DE Stevenson (m001t34c)
Episode 6

As ripples from the Great Depression reach a cosy English village, Barbara Buncle finds an inventive way to supplement her meagre income. Life in Silverstream will never be the same once her thinly fictionalised novel has laid bare the life, loves and eccentricities of her neighbours.

‘Disturber of the Peace’ lives up to its name as the residents of Silverstream find themselves provoked into action – beginning with the book’s author.

Read by Madeleine Worrall
Written by D.E. Stevenson
Abridged by Clara Glynn
Produced by Eilidh McCreadie

Scottish author D.E. Stevenson was a prolific name in the light romantic fiction genre, topping best seller lists from the 1930s to the 1960s. MISS BUNCLE’S BOOK, her best-known publication, is a delight; funny, engaging and well worth rediscovering 50 years after the author’s death.


MON 23:00 Don't Log Off (m001t34r)
Series 15

Global Village

Alan Dein scours the internet to find the extraordinary lives of ordinary people. In this edition he logs on to find people who have swapped their back yard for somewhere completely different – including Lisa who moved from Perth Australia to Christmas Island, Yury who has switched Russia for Switzerland and he also catches up with Marion from Uganda who has left her home, husband and job in the city for an idyllic life on a farmstead in the country.

Produced by Emma Betteridge


MON 23:30 Today in Parliament (m001t354)
News, views and features on today's stories in Parliament

TUESDAY 05 DECEMBER 2023

TUE 00:00 Midnight News (m001t35k)
The latest news and weather forecast from BBC Radio 4.


TUE 00:30 The Years by Annie Ernaux (m001t2xw)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:45 on Monday]


TUE 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m001t35y)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


TUE 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m001t36b)
World Service

BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.


TUE 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m001t36s)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


TUE 05:30 News Briefing (m001t373)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


TUE 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m001t37c)
A reflection and prayer to start the day with the Very Rev Dr David Bruce.


TUE 05:45 Farming Today (m001t37r)
The latest news about food, farming and the countryside.


TUE 05:58 Tweet of the Day (b09tcnlz)
Chris Baines on the Bullfinch

The striking-looking bullfinch is the subject of today's episode with naturalist and environmentalist Chris Baines. It is one of the birds he hears and encourages into his 'wildlife-friendly' garden. In the past, bullfinches were persecuted for their fondness for fruit tree buds but as far as Chris is concerned, this is a small price to pay to have a pair of these beautiful birds visit his garden.

Producer: Sarah Blunt


TUE 06:00 Today (m001t3ct)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.


TUE 09:00 The Life Scientific (m001t3d4)
Sir Harry Bhadeshia on the choreography of metals

The Life Scientific zooms in to explore the intricate atomic make-up of metal alloys, with complex crystalline arrangements that can literally make or break structures integral to our everyday lives.

Professor Sir Harry Bhadeshia is Professor of Metallurgy at Queen Mary University of London and Emeritus Tata Steel Professor of Metallurgy at the University of Cambridge. He’s been described as a ‘steel innovator’ – developing multiple new alloys with a host of real-world applications, from rail tracks to military armour.

Harry’s prolific work in the field has earned him widespread recognition and a Knighthood; but it's not always been an easy ride...
From his childhood in Kenya and an enforced move to the UK as a teenager, to the years standing up to those seeking to discredit the new path he was forging in steel research - Jim Al-Khalili discovers that Harry's achievements have required significant determination, as well as hard work.

Produced by Lucy Taylor.


TUE 09:30 One to One (m001t3d9)
Nathan Filer talks to Justin Hancock

Nathan Filer wants to know how to talk to his children about pornography, and in a frank discussion, consults Justin Hancock, a sex and relationships educator.

Produced in Bristol by Sally Heaven


TUE 09:45 The Years by Annie Ernaux (m001t3dg)
Episode 2

Considered by many to be the iconic French memoirist’s defining work, The Years is a narrative of the period 1941 to 2006 told through the lens of memory, impressions past and present, cultural habits, language, photos, books, songs, radio, television, advertising and news headlines.

Annie Ernaux invents a form that is subjective and impersonal, private and collective, and a new genre – the collective autobiography – in order to capture the passing of time.

At the confluence of autofiction and sociology, The Years is ‘a Remembrance of Things Past for our age of media domination and consumerism’ (New York Times), a monumental account of twentieth-century French history as refracted through the life of one woman.

‘One of the best books you’ll ever read.’
— Deborah Levy, author of Hot Milk

‘The author of one of the most important oeuvres in French literature, Annie Ernaux’s work is as powerful as it is devastating, as subtle as it is seething.’
— Edouard Louis, author of The End of Eddy

‘Ravishing and almost oracular with insight, Ernaux’s prose performs an extraordinary dance between collective and intimate, “big” history and private experience. The Years is a philosophical meditation paced as a rollercoaster ride through the decades. How we spend ourselves too quickly, how we reach for meaning but evade it, how to live, how to remember – these are Ernaux’s themes. I am desperate for more.’
— Kapka Kassabova, author of Border

Born in 1940, Annie Ernaux grew up in Normandy, studied at Rouen University, and later taught at secondary school. From 1977 to 2000, she was a professor at the Centre National d’Enseignement par Correspondance. In 2017, she was awarded the Marguerite Yourcenar Prize for her life’s work. In 2022, she was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature.

Alison L. Strayer is a Canadian writer and translator. Her translation of The Years was awarded the 2018 French-American Translation Prize in the non-fiction category. She lives in Paris.

Written by Annie Ernaux
Translated by Alison L Strayer
Read by Sian Thomas
Abridged by Jill Waters with Mark Kilfoyle
Produced by Jill Waters
A Waters Company production for BBC Radio 4


TUE 10:00 Woman's Hour (m001t3dn)
Women's voices and women's lives - topical conversations to inform, challenge and inspire.


TUE 11:00 Seven Deadly Psychologies (m001t3dt)
Lust

Becky Ripley and Sophie Ward take a cold hard look at the psychology behind each of the seven deadly sins, in the order established by Pope Gregory the Great: pride, greed, lust, envy, gluttony, wrath, and lazy old sloth. Why have we evolved these ugly emotions? What’s going on in the brain and the body when we feel them? And how best can we live alongside them - in ourselves and with others?

Lust is today's hot topic. It's crucial to the continuation of our species, but it's also a form of neurochemical madness that can lead us astray. We all have wildly different brains, bodies, and cultural references, so everyone’s relationship to lust is highly personal. Is it true that men want it more than women? When was the "lustiest" time in history? And, back in today's world, how can we navigate our drives alongside cultural expectations and the issue of consent? And how can we feel desire without shame?

To guide us through this mess is evolutionary anthropologist Dr Anna Machin from the Department of Experimental Psychology at the University of Oxford, sexologist with a specialty in men’s health and sexual function, Dr Anand Patel, and sex historian Dr Kate Lister, lecturer at Leeds Trinity University and author of 'A Curious History of Sex'.

Producer: Becky Ripley


TUE 11:30 Natalie Haynes Stands Up for the Classics (m001t3f0)
Series 9

Demeter

Natalie tells the powerful and painful story of Demeter's fight to get justice for her daughter Persephone.

Hades conspires with his siblings Zeus and Gaia to abduct Persephone and force her to live with him in the underworld as his wife. Many versions of this story are sanitized for children but the original is not. It is clear that Persephone is tricked and trafficked, that she hates and fears Hades and never becomes accustomed to life among the dead. And that her mother Demeter is furious and grief-stricken.

The light is gone from Demeter's life and consequently from the world: crops fail and the people starve. It's only now that Zeus takes note of her pleas to get Persephone back. He doesn't really care about the people but he misses their gifts and praise.

In a tour de force solo performance recorded at the Hay festival, Natalie reclaims the goddess' story for our times. A story of a mother's love and fury that speaks painfully to us across millennia.

Producer...Mary Ward-Lowery


TUE 12:00 News Summary (m001t3f6)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


TUE 12:04 You and Yours (m001t3fg)
News and discussion of consumer affairs


TUE 12:57 Weather (m001t3fn)
The latest weather forecast


TUE 13:00 World at One (m001t3ft)
Forty-five minutes of news, analysis and comment.


TUE 13:45 Empire of Tea (m001t3fy)
Tea at Work

During the industrial revolution workers were powered by very sugary tea. Historian Lizzie Collingham tells Sathnam Sanghera about the economic forces that led people to the drink, and what that meant for their health.
Then, moving into the 20th Century, Sathnam discusses the rise of the tea break with help from staff in the break room at Wolverhampton’s New Cross Hospital.
And Peter Turnbull of Bristol University analyses how the right to a tea break sometimes became a source of tension in industrial relations.

Produced by Paul Martin for BBC Audio Wales


TUE 14:00 The Archers (m001t32m)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Monday]


TUE 14:15 Faith, Hope and Glory (m001t3g2)
Series 4

Gloria

By Rex Obano

We began following the lives of Caribbean-born Hope and Faith (Eunice), and British-born Gloria in 1946. It is 1978 and Gloria de Soto, now a respected headmistress, decides to step up and challenge an unfair education system. She gets a visit from her daughter, Joy, who brings news that threatens to jeopardise their relationship and her plans to become a councillor.

Gloria ….. Jaye Griffiths
Mabel ….. Dorothea Myer-Bennett
Joy ….. Sapphire Joy
Hopeton ….. Solomon Israel
Hope ….. Danielle Vitalis
Faith ….. Shiloh Coke
Blessings Ojarikre ….. Jocelyn Jee Esien
Enner Bennes ….. John Lightbody
Other parts played by Tyler Cameron

Produced by Pat Cumper
Directed by Don Gilét

A BBC Audio Production for BBC Radio 4

*******

Faith Hope and Glory began following the lives of Hope, Faith (Eunice) and Gloria in the UK in 1946. Three generations of three families bound together by the fate of one baby lost and found on Tilbury Dock. All three are now settled in their lives in late 1970s Britain.

We are now in 1978. Although racial tensions continue to simmer, black Britons are taking practical measures to help themselves. Some are standing for election as local councillors. Saturday schools are springing up all over the country to support black students suffering discrimination in the education system.

Gloria has lived for many years in what was euphemistically called ‘a lavender marriage’ with her husband, Clement. Their decision to snatch a baby they thought had been abandoned outside a pub in the 1940s as a way to deflect suspicion, was the catalyst for the whole series. Now divorced and living with her partner, Mabel, Gloria has come into her own as a headteacher and advocate for black children’s rights.


TUE 15:00 The Kitchen Cabinet (m001t2sv)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:30 on Saturday]


TUE 15:30 Doctor, Doctor (m001t3g6)
President of the Royal College of GPs, Dame Clare Gerada

Dame Clare Gerada is President of the Royal College of General Practitioners, an inner London GP and specialist in addiction.

Doctor Doctor reveals the stress, excitement and challenges facing a 21st century medic. These are life-affirming stories of highs and lows, of commitment, bravery, skill, heartache and love.

Dr Phil Hammond dissects the medical lives of professionals at all levels of the health service - surgeons, intensive care nurses, NHS executives, junior doctors, psychiatrists - fascinating jobs, the titles of which we know very well, but our understanding of which may be lacking.

Dr Phil’s guests range from the recently qualified to the recently retired, from well-known medical grandees to unknown regional heroes, covering all specialties in hospital and community.

Producer: David Morley

A Perfectly Normal production for BBC Radio 4


TUE 16:00 The Green Backlash (m001t3rv)
As the individual costs of the EU’s Green Deal are becoming clearer, many people across Europe say they are unwilling or unable to pay the price associated with it. Anna Holligan explores the increasing popularity of anti-green political parties across the continent. She talks to dairy farmers in the Netherlands, who fear government green targets would endanger a sector which makes the country the world's second biggest exporter of food. She also travels to Bremen in Germany where concern over the phasing out of new gas and oil boilers for houses, dubbed the “heating hammer” by the nation’s tabloids, has lead to the government slowing down the pace of change. In the meantime, the city’s Green Party vote fell by almost half in recent local elections while Citizens in Rage, which is highly sceptical about how green deal policies are being implemented, came from almost nowhere to capture close to ten per cent of the vote.

The experiences in both countries suggests that the political consensus that seemed to exist only four years ago when the EU announced its Green Deal targets seems to have broken down. What might the possible repercussions be on Europe’s politics and its approach to tackling climate change?

Produced by Bob Howard.


TUE 16:30 Great Lives (m001t30n)
Mohammad Mossadegh, PM of Iran ousted in a coup

Walter Murch picks Mohammad Mossadegh, prime minister following the nationalisation of the Anglo-Iranian oil company in 1951. Mossadegh was ousted in a coup in 1953.

Murch became fascinated in Mossadegh's life while working on a Sam Mendes film about the first Iraq War. Walter Murch is an editor best known for Apocalypse Now, The Godfather and The Constant Gardener. He also worked on a documentary called Coup 53. This is the first in a new series of Great Lives and includes archive of Kermit Roosevelt, a CIA operative. The British were also heavily involved in the coup. The expert is Professor Ali Ansari of St Andrews University, presenter on Radio 4 of Through Persian Eyes.

The producer in Bristol is Miles Warde

Future programme subjects include singer Eartha Kitt, author JG Ballard, and pioneering British aviator Diana Barnato-Walker who delivered Spitfires in World War Two.


TUE 17:00 PM (m001t3gb)
Afternoon news and current affairs programme, reporting on breaking stories and summing up the day's headlines


TUE 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m001t3gg)
The early evening national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


TUE 18:30 Best Medicine (m001t3gl)
Series 1

9. Autopsies, Light, Escapism, Henrietta Lacks

Joining Kiri this week is a druid, a drag queen and a mortician...it's one man, Kristoffer Hughes, who puts forward the autopsy as the best medicine. Professor Olivette Otele tells us the tale of Henrietta Lacks, an extraordinary woman whose so called 'immortal cells' have saved countless lives, movie reviewer Ali Plumb talks about the importance of escapism and shares his own story of recovery through movies, TV, art and culture, and Professor Anil Seth sheds a light on...light.

Best Medicine is your weekly dose of laughter, hope and incredible medicine. Award-winning comedian Kiri Pritchard-McLean is joined by funny and fascinating comedians, doctors, scientists and historians to celebrate medicine’s inspiring past, present and future.

Each week, Kiri challenges her guests to make a case for what they think is 'the best medicine', and each of them champions anything from world-changing science to an obscure invention, an every-day treatment, an uplifting worldview, an unsung hero or a futuristic cure.

Whether it’s micro-robotic surgery, virtual reality syringes, Victorian clockwork surgical saws, more than a few ingenious cures for cancer, world-first lifesaving heart operations, epidurals, therapy, dancing, faith or laughter - it’s always something worth celebrating.

Hosted by Kiri Pritchard-McLean

Featuring: Kristoffer Hughes, Professor Olivette Otele, Ali Plumb and Professor Anil Seth

Written by Edward Easton, Charlie George, Rajiv Karia, Kiri Pritchard-McLean, Nicky Roberts and Ben Rowse

Producer: Ben Worsfield

Assistant Producer: Tashi Radha

Executive Producer: Simon Nicholls

Theme tune composed by Andrew Jones

A Large Time production for BBC Radio 4


TUE 19:00 The Archers (m001t3dz)
Lilian faces the music, and Eddie waves the white flag.


TUE 19:15 Front Row (m001t3gr)
Shane Meadows on the British film industry, the Turner Prize

Shane Meadows on the British film industry, the Turner Prize.


TUE 20:00 File on 4 (m001t3gz)
Whistling in the Wind: The NHS doctors sacked after raising concerns

Lucy Letby was allowed to continue working with new-born babies despite her colleagues raising concerns about her for months. Her conviction highlighted how NHS executives put the reputation of the Countess of Chester NHS Trust ahead of patient safety. But what happened in Cheshire was far from a one-off. File on 4 hears from doctors with unblemished medical careers who were sacked after raising patient safety concerns. The programme follows one medic through an Employment Tribunal as he attempts to save his career, and hears the emotional, brutal toll the process takes on him. For the first time, a top doctor who won record damages talks about the extraordinary steps her managers took to undermine her. Their tactics included relocating her to an empty office with a broken chair and telling colleagues that she agreed with their assessment she was incompetent. And a former NHS executive tells the programme that trusts are more interested in “flying LGBT flags” than tackling concerns about patient safety. With widespread calls for NHS managers to be regulated, File on 4 asks who should take on the role, given the willingness of the NHS to redeploy managers found to have ignored patient safety concerns, or even punished those who dared to raise them.

Reporter: Michael Buchanan
Producer: Katie Langton
Editor: Carl Johnston


TUE 20:40 In Touch (m001t3h4)
News, views and information for people who are blind or partially sighted


TUE 21:00 All in the Mind (m001t3fm)
The show on how we think, feel and behave. Claudia Hammond delves into the evidence on mental health, psychology and neuroscience.


TUE 21:30 The Life Scientific (m001t3d4)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]


TUE 22:00 The World Tonight (m001t3h9)
In depth reporting, intelligent analysis and breaking news from a global perspective


TUE 22:45 Miss Buncle's Book by DE Stevenson (m001t3hf)
Episode 7

As ripples from the Great Depression reach a cosy English village, Barbara Buncle finds an inventive way to supplement her meagre income. Life in Silverstream will never be the same once her thinly fictionalised novel has laid bare the life, loves and eccentricities of her neighbours.

Attendance is compulsory as Mrs Featherstone-Hogg hosts a meeting of Silverstream worthies, determined to root out the troublesome author in their midst.

Read by Madeleine Worrall
Written by D.E. Stevenson
Abridged by Clara Glynn
Produced by Eilidh McCreadie

Scottish author D.E. Stevenson was a prolific name in the light romantic fiction genre, topping best seller lists from the 1930s to the 1960s. MISS BUNCLE’S BOOK, her best-known publication, is a delight; funny, engaging and well worth rediscovering 50 years after the author’s death.


TUE 23:00 Now You're Asking with Marian Keyes and Tara Flynn (m001t3hk)
The Good Cup of Tea Problem

Is my son gay? What does it even mean when you’re told to “be kind to yourself”? Should I have a baby because I am lonely? All this and possibly our most controversial response to date when a listener confesses to losing the knack of brewing a good cup of tea.

Marian and Tara sit up straight and set to tackling their in-tray of Asks.

Marian Keyes is a multi-award-winning writer, with a total of over 30 million of her books sold to date in 33 languages. Her close friend Tara Flynn is an actress, comedian and writer. Together, these two friends have been through a lot, and now want to use their considerable life experience to help solve your biggest - and smallest - of the things that keep us awake at night.

Previous series were welcomed by listeners and critics: "Both are warm and kind enough to not only be funny but also offer genuinely thoughtful, if left-field, advice." (Miranda Sawyer, The Observer) "Keyes and Flynn are my new favourite double-act." (Jane Anderson - Radio Times) "I found their compassion endlessly soothing." (Rachel Cunliffe - The New Statesman)

Recorded in Dublin with emails received from listeners around the world, the hosts invite you to pull up a chair at their virtual kitchen table as they read and digest their inbox.

Got a problem you want Marian and Tara to solve? Email: marianandtara@bbc.co.uk.

Producer: Steve Doherty.
A Giddy Goat production for BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds


TUE 23:30 Today in Parliament (m001t3hp)
News, views and features on today's stories in Parliament

WEDNESDAY 06 DECEMBER 2023

WED 00:00 Midnight News (m001t3ht)
The latest news and weather forecast from BBC Radio 4.


WED 00:30 The Years by Annie Ernaux (m001t3dg)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:45 on Tuesday]


WED 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m001t3j1)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


WED 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m001t3jb)
World Service

BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.


WED 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m001t3jl)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


WED 05:30 News Briefing (m001t3jt)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


WED 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m001t3k2)
A reflection and prayer to start the day with the Very Rev Dr David Bruce.


WED 05:45 Farming Today (m001t3kb)
The latest news about food, farming and the countryside.


WED 05:58 Tweet of the Day (b09r7h4v)
Penny Anderson on the Mandarin Duck

Mandarin Ducks are flamboyant, brightly coloured ducks which originally hail from the Middle East. A feral population established here in the last century here and a pair regularly visit the garden of ecologist Penny Anderson where they waddle across the lawn, roost on her ponds and perch in her trees.

Producer: Sarah Blunt


WED 06:00 Today (m001t3c3)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.


WED 09:00 The Reith Lectures (m001t3cf)
Ben Ansell: Our Democratic Future

2. The Future of Security

This year's BBC Reith Lecturer is Ben Ansell, Professor of Comparative Democratic Institutions at Nuffield College, Oxford University. He will deliver four lectures called “Our Democratic Future.”

In his series Professor Ansell asks how we can build a politics that works for all of us with systems which are robust to the challenges of the twenty first century, from climate change to artificial intelligence. The lectures build on his recent book Why Politics Fails, which identifies a series of traps that prevent us from attaining our collective goals and presents solutions to help us overcome those traps.

In this second lecture called 'The Future of Security', recorded in Berlin in front of an audience, he asks whether citizens of wealthy countries have been lulled into a false sense of security about threats from abroad and at home. It examines how we can control the security technologies of tomorrow, from facial recognition to autonomous weapons. And Ansell suggests how we can develop technologies powerful enough to protect us without exploiting us.

The Reith Lectures are chaired by Anita Anand and produced by Jim Frank.
The Editor is China Collins, and the coordinator is Brenda Brown.
The series is mixed by Rod Farquhar and Neil Churchill.


WED 10:00 Woman's Hour (m001t3cr)
Women's voices and women's lives - topical conversations to inform, challenge and inspire.


WED 11:00 South Africa: The Children of Paradise (m001t33b)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:00 on Monday]


WED 11:30 Being Roman with Mary Beard (p0gr2r5w)
5: Battling Bureaucrats

What does it take to run an Empire? Armies and slaves, of course, but also bureaucrats. At its height the Roman Empire employed thousands of men charged with keeping Rome and its provinces fed, watered and content. This was no easy job. A remarkable set of papyrus scrolls reveals the life of Roman Egypt's very own David Brent, preparing for a a visit from the fearsome Emperor Diocletian.

Infuriated by hopeless staff and venal local politicians and continuously harassed by his superiors, Apolinarius of Panopolis becomes increasingly desperate as Diocletian approaches and the tension cranks up. Mary Beard follows Apolinarius's story to reveal the messy realities of Roman administration.

Producer: Alasdair Cross

Expert Contributors: Colin Adams, Liverpool University and Margaret Mountford

Cast: Apolinarius played by Josh Bryant-Jones

Special thanks to Jill Unkell and the Chester Beatty collection, Dublin


WED 12:00 News Summary (m001t3dq)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


WED 12:04 You and Yours (m001t3db)
News and discussion of consumer affairs


WED 12:57 Weather (m001t3dh)
The latest weather forecast


WED 13:00 World at One (m001t3dp)
Forty-five minutes of news, analysis and comment.


WED 13:45 Empire of Tea (m001t3dw)
The Tea in Boston Harbour

The crates dumped in the harbour at the Boston Tea Party in 1773 contained East India Company tea. The historian William Dalrymple tells Sathnam Sanghera that taxation wasn’t the only issue motivating Boston’s revolutionaries. Fear and suspicion of the EIC and its tea were a factor as well.
And soon, tea would forever change British relations with China too.

Produced by Paul Martin for BBC Audio Wales


WED 14:00 The Archers (m001t3dz)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Tuesday]


WED 14:15 Faith, Hope and Glory (m001t3f5)
Series 4

Faith

By Carol Russell

We began following the lives of Caribbean-born Hope and Faith (Eunice), and British-born Gloria in 1946. It’s 1978, and Faith, now widowed, and her son Winston are living in London while her political activist daughter Serena-Hope is at university in Leeds. She has never given up her quest to find Hope’s daughter, the baby she lost on Tilbury Docks more than thirty years ago. But will anything erase Hope’s years of pain and distress after so long?

Faith ..... Shiloh Coke
Hope ..... Danielle Vitalis
Gloria ..... Jaye Griffiths
Merlene ..... Sharon Duncan-Brewster
Mabel ..... Dorothea Myer-Bennett
Serena-Hope ..... Bethan Mary-James

Produced and directed by Pat Cumper

A BBC Audio Production for BBC Radio 4

*******

Faith Hope and Glory began following the lives of Hope, Faith (Eunice) and Gloria in the UK in 1946. Three generations of three families bound together by the fate of one baby lost and found on Tilbury Dock. All three are now settled in their lives in late 1970s Britain.

We are now in 1978. Although racial tensions continue to simmer, black Britons are taking practical measures to help themselves. Some are standing for election as local councillors. Saturday schools are springing up all over the country to support black students suffering discrimination in the education system.

After the death of her beloved husband Trevor, Faith has moved to London with her son, Winston, and is living with her close friend and confidante, Merlene. Faith’s daughter, Serena-Hope, is now a political activist and student at Leeds University. Faith has never forgotten her promise to Hope to reunite her with the daughter that was snatched from outside a pub while in her care. When she discovers that the woman who took Hope’s baby is speaking at a local council election meeting, she is determined to bring the two women together. But after thirty two years, can anything heal their pain and anger or would it be better if some secrets and lies remain hidden?


WED 15:00 Money Box (m001t3ff)
Money Box Live

The Money Box team invites listeners and a panel of experts to discuss one personal finance topic in depth.


WED 15:30 All in the Mind (m001t3fm)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 on Tuesday]


WED 16:00 Sideways (m001t3fs)
Matthew Syed explores the ideas that shape our lives, making us see the world differently.


WED 16:30 The Media Show (m001t3fz)
Social media, anti-social media, breaking news, faking news: this is the programme about a revolution in media.


WED 17:00 PM (m001t3g3)
Afternoon news and current affairs programme, reporting on breaking stories and summing up the day's headlines


WED 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m001t3g7)
The early evening national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


WED 18:30 Glenn Moore's Almanac (m001t3gc)
Millennium

Comedian Glenn Moore looks in his almanac at world events and what he was doing at the time – and as the new Millennium dawns, Glenn has the most catastrophic New Year’s Eve ever.

Perhaps best-known for his outrageously brilliant one-liners on Mock The Week , Glenn delivers a tale of comic mishaps and extraordinary scenes interwoven with a big event in history – and looks back through his almanac to find out other strange connections to the day as well.

Written by Glenn with additional material by Katie Storey (Have I Got News For You, Mock The Week, The Last Leg) and produced and directed by David Tyler (Cabin Pressure, Armando Iannucci’s Charm Offensive, and many more).

A Pozzitive production for BBC Radio 4


WED 19:00 The Archers (m001t327)
Justin makes a surprising decision, and Kate struggles to let go.


WED 19:15 Front Row (m001t3gh)
Paul King on directing Wonka, British pop artist Pauline Boty

Paul King on directing Wonka, British pop artist Pauline Boty.


WED 20:00 AntiSocial (m001sv4t)
Is reality TV stereotyping black women?

Nella Rose, a black woman on the reality TV show 'I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!' has divided opinion online - some accuse her of being rude and aggressive in the Australian jungle, while others say she's the victim of racism and misogyny. We explore some of the comments made about her and examine the history, meaning and potential real-world symptoms of 'misogynoir' - a theory about a combination of racism and sexism faced by black women. Plus, are the casting directors and editors of reality TV shows guilty of stereotyping black women as rude and aggressive, and what evidence is there of racism amongst the viewing and voting public?


WED 20:45 From Fact to Fiction (m001sv7z)
The Bag

A new story inspired by recent headlines, written and read by Kieran Hodgson.

Four-time Edinburgh Comedy Award nominee is an acclaimed actor, writer and comedian. He plays Gordon in the smash hit BBC One sitcom Two Doors Down. Kieran’s send-up of The Crown went viral in late 2020, garnering 4 million views. The multi-hyphenate actor-comedian-playwright followed that up with more 'Bad TV Impressions' including Line of Duty, Succession and Ted Lasso. His live show 'Big in Scotland' opened at the Edinburgh Fringe and is currently touring the UK.


WED 21:00 When It Hits the Fan (m001t3gp)
Who's in the news for all the wrong reasons? With David Yelland and Simon Lewis.


WED 21:30 The Media Show (m001t3fz)
[Repeat of broadcast at 16:30 today]


WED 22:00 The World Tonight (m001t3gw)
In depth reporting, intelligent analysis and breaking news from a global perspective


WED 22:45 Miss Buncle's Book by DE Stevenson (m001t3h3)
Episode 8

As ripples from the Great Depression reach a cosy English village, Barbara Buncle finds an inventive way to supplement her meagre income. Life in Silverstream will never be the same once her thinly fictionalised novel has laid bare the life, loves and eccentricities of her neighbours.

With the village abuzz over the identity of troublesome author ‘John Smith’, Miss Buncle struggles to hide her secret. Meanwhile Sally next door is about to meddle in the Vicar’s love life.

Read by Madeleine Worrall
Written by D.E. Stevenson
Abridged by Clara Glynn
Produced by Eilidh McCreadie

Scottish author D.E. Stevenson was a prolific name in the light romantic fiction genre, topping best seller lists from the 1930s to the 1960s. MISS BUNCLE’S BOOK, her best-known publication, is a delight; funny, engaging and well worth rediscovering 50 years after the author’s death.


WED 23:00 Big Little Questions (m001t3h8)
Ivy Asks...

Comedians Chris Cantrill and Amy Gledhill, aka The Delightful Sausage, tackle big questions from the curious minds of little kids.

Question asker-er Ivy poses a reyt Royal conundrum that sends Amy, Chris and Nirmal on the least enviable ‘business’ trip ever. Warning: you may want to put your cocoa to one side for the duration of this episode.

Cast
Chris Cantrill
Amy Gledhill
Sunil Patel
Richard David-Caine

Written by Chris Cantrill and Amy Gledhill
Researcher - Tashi Radha
Original Music - Joe da Costa
Sound Design - Alisdair McGregor
Produced by Hannah Moulder

A Various Artists Ltd production for BBC Radio 4


WED 23:15 Nora Meadows' Week of Wellness (m001t3hd)
1. Deep Inside Brian

In this weeks show, apart from helping her clients with her patented (patent pending) therapy techniques, Nora also gives tips for de-stressing, getting to sleep and a patented (patent pending) psychometric careers test. Finally, after a busy week, Nora tries to unwind with a trip to an acupuncturist…

Nora Meadows ..… Katy Wix
Chris and JP van der Voss ..… David Elms
Claire ….. Emily Lloyd-Saini
Brian ….. Sunil Patel
Gwen ….. Shivani Thussu
Saz ….. Lorna Rose Treen

Written and directed by Will Farrell and Ben Rowse, with additional material from the cast.

Sound design: Marcus Rice
Original music: Marcus Rice and Charlie Pelling
Producer: Nick Coupe

A HatTrick production for BBC Radio 4


WED 23:30 Today in Parliament (m001t3hl)
News, views and features on today's stories in Parliament